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So much happened in 0.5 and now that I've gotten most of the content in it, I think I can reflect on how my opinions have changed.

Asterion is still our number one moo. It is great to see so him a bit more at ease (though some of that tension is still there and rightfully so) and it's so great to see him have a lot of fun moments. Whether it's interacting with other characters or reminiscing about the past with artifacts found in the valley, it's just so great to see Asterion talk more about himself. Something I really enjoy about Asterion is his sense of humor and some of that trickster in him. It highlights just how clever he is and how lighthearted he still is even after everything he's been through. My favorite parts to read out loud is whenever Asterion is trying to impersonate Luke, it's just funny to think of Asterion who comes off as calm and reserve being bombastic and vocally lewd as Luke.

Luke is still Luke and I love getting to hang out with him and learning more about him. For all he's flaws or what most people would consider flaws, he's a good man. Kota warmed up to me a lot more since we got some one-on-one scenes with MC and Asterion being very frank about their relationship with each other. Especially, Kota being a very mature wingman and mentor is great. I hope we get to see more of this from him.

The biggest turn around on opinion is Argos. Just wow. It a plot twist I did not see coming the way it did. Learning who he is, and his perspective was a fun mystery to unravel. In the ruthless path that I played, it's great to see him essentially becoming the protagonist. I'm looking forward to seeing what the future holds for this snake. Jean, not surprising but that climax was tense in a great way. His trickster moment with Asterion, the MC and Robert was really funny though I do want to know more about his son, which did seem very genuine (I think I know what it's referring to, I'm interested to see how that myth is reconciled from his perspective to seem good if it's what I'm thinking). The Cobalts make cute helpers to have around. They're like children trying to be helpful while being raised by a group of dads.

While we don't get to spend too much time with some of the new characters, they've all had something interesting about them. Robert is so fascinating, and I like how intellectually curious he is. Khenbish seems like a sweet guy wanting to please people, but his bad luck gets in the way. I also get the feeling that he's got some repressed emotions that as his elder child status in his family, responsibility, social status and bad luck don't allow him the luxury to sort out. I really like Themba's past relationship with Asterion; it's great to meet a character from the past that has a positive connect to Asterion. Themba also seems to have a fun playful side to him while also taking his work for the hotel seriously. I'd like to see more of Themba and Asterion spending time together to catch up, reflect on all that's happened to them and the hotel and maybe get into some mischief. With Wolf, it's amusing to see the concept of the hotel from the perspective of an animal, and I would assume any pets brought to the hotel under less unusual circumstances (he's also seemingly the only one not directly lead to the hotel by Jean) would also feel some disorientation in the hotel at first. It was brutal to see the quite literal dog eat dog life he's had to contrast to what new life he might lead in the hotel. Asterion having a pet "dog" is a very fun idea. I'm looking forward learning more about all of them and more about their respective origin mythologies if applicable.

Lastly, there's my two favorite maybe couple, Pedro and Oscar. Oscar is relatively well adjusted for the shit he's gone through. It's heartwarming that he hasn't let the hatred he's endured poison him. I also like that he acts his age, still young enough to have fantasies about how the world is like, even if they're very inaccurate. He's also got that passion for music; I wonder how that'll factor into his relationship with Asterion. (Ancient Greek inspired rock music?) And then there's Pedro, he's likely my favorite character outside of Asterion. Though, a lot of that can be attributed to most of his story being narrated in the first person. I love the inner turmoil that are his thoughts. His constant struggle of his self-doubt, dark thoughts about himself and initial impulse reactions with his battle to untrain himself from the hateful learned behaviors he has and striving to be a better person and being his best self just makes him so relatable. Despite being a mythical and practitioner of the occult, Pedro feels the most grounded and most human character. I just can't help but see a lot of myself in Pedro.

A rather late reaction but I thought it worth sharing. Let's see how further versions shape my opinion about the fantastical characters.