Minotaur Hotel

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What's to come/Possible Endings (Spoilers for Chapter 19)

A topic by Sylvanite created Nov 04, 2023 Views: 1,169 Replies: 20

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Sylvanite1 year ago

Ok so first things first: to this day Minotaur Hotel is the best VN I have ever played, the Story, the Characters, the amount of detail and love put into this game is nothing if not astonishing. Also the community around it seems to be so chill and welcoming. So a big thank you to everyone.

I don't know if I'm just being delusional and hoping for an Ending like this, but I could see the MC turning into a demigod after finishing Hermes' task so that he and Asterion might have a beautiful eternity together after everything that lovable minotaur had to endure by the hands of the god.
My reasoning for this is: like the Hero Herakles (after finishing his 12 tasks) with helping the Gods to get back to lucidity and power they might be greatful enoug to not only free Asterion from his fate but also grant his love to stay by his side ,so they might keep the Hotel up and running to bring shelter to those lost souls who might need them.
Especially defeating the creatures of the valley that might have powers linked to the ancient greek gods doesn't seem to be an easy task. Even when aided by our mythical friends from the hotel.
Also it is just mentioned that Humans cant be made Immortal or be made into gods, neither would apply to the likes of a demigod.
Demigods are still able to die and they are not fully fledged gods.

Another theory of mine (even if a little dark) is that even if the MC is dying of old age and he can't stay with Asterion, he (Asterion, assuming that he is freed from the bounds of the Labyrinth) might be able to choose to turn to stone, so he might rest as well at the foot of the grave of his beloved.
That might be a little far fetched, but when starting the game we do see the statue of a Minotaur resting and with time getting brittle and crumbling. Also Asterion wonders in one of the earlier chapters, if it might be possible to turn to stone when loosing your purpose and being locked away for so long.
So even if that might be a little tragic but also somehow kinda poetic and even slightly romantic, he might choose to turn to stone so he and his love might rest together. Him eternaly wathing over the grave and guarding it so his beloved master might find the peace, that he gave Asterion during his live.

The last theory is a short and sweet one but also a little tragic.
After finishing the task that the MC is given by Hermes, he is acknowledged as a Hero like Herakles, Theseus or Perseus and also granted afterlife in the elysian fields so if Asterion is also not bound to the Hotel anymore and he dies someday, they might be reunited under Asterions previous Lord, Hades , in the afterlife where they can live happily ever after. (Even in Death)

I don't know,... the thought of either of them loosing the other (even if it is human and normal to die) pains me.
Especially if Asterion is still not able to die and having to watch his true love die of old age (or illness) while he himself is again left behind to mourn the dead. That just seems so cruel after what he has been through.

I'd love tho hear what other might think about my theories or theries that the have themselves.

TrinexxSlayer1 year ago (1 edit)

Well, greek myths are notoriously tragic. If you think about it, Hermes task is that of retrieving the source of what created the labyrinth, so there's a risk that without it, the hotel might cease to be due to how unstabble this realm becomes. Another idea is that freeing Asterion from his sentence means that he will immedietaly have to go back to the realm of Hades. Afterall, he is already dead. Hermes said that the initial plan was to give them about 20 years or something before proposing his request, so it stands to reason there would be some motive to want to stall from making Asterion free right away.

As the master of the hotel, MC already has a lot of power, and he has a bunch of mythicals to help with this task. So, I don't think there would be any reason to reward him a demigod status and even then, that could conflict with his ability to be the master, since it must be a male human (this reminds me of that non-binary mod. if this rule gives vital implications down the line, then it would make that mod incompatible with the lore). Then there is the idea that ichor, the blood of gods, is nocive to normal mortals. Even if he does indeed become a demigod, he still couldn't be made immortal, so it'd be no more than just a title.

So, right now, I see 2 possible outcomes: You don't do the task, Asterion becomes eternally bound to the realm and eventually turns into stone, or you do the task and the hotel ceases to be with Asterion being returned to Hades.

Sylvanite1 year ago

Thank you for replying and also thank you for your insight. (and sorry if there are any grammatical errors, english isn't my first language)

I have to say that, I think that you are probably right, especially if the story truly follows a greek myth or lovestory.
My happy ending for the two is probably just wishful thinking (I still would be extremly happy if they get their happy end).
But there are a lot of indications that there won't be, like the examples that you brought up in your post.
Especially if we get a longer update next time, where they are on a lovely getaway together in Asterions secret hideaway.

But I have to say with the ichor being toxic to humans: it's also described to be killing them instantly if they came into contact with it.
So either it has lost alot of power over the centuries that it has been in the valley or Hermes basically sent the MC on a suicide mission.
Regarding the powers of the Hotels Master, don't get me wrong, that makes him really powerful but not to an extent that would be useful for this task.
I don't think that he would produce/create a whole lot of guns, tanks and rocket launchers to make the task easier.
I also don't know/remember how it is with poisonous substances.
So the most he could do in this instance is create rations, equipment and maybe swords, but given that we don't know what those creatures might be and what powers they might have, that might be helpful or not. Also our mythical friends don't seem to posses any powers that are out of the ordinary so they might have the advantage of numbers but that's it.

The task is also basically that you get the ichor back so the gods might be restored to full power, isn't it?
And since most of the gods, at least from what I believe Hermes said, came to the realization that the judgement of Asterion was unjust/too cruel. So yes, after gathering the source of what the labyrinth was made of and it might be non existant after that, that also means the MC looses everything that he had.
His powers are gone, Asterion might be sent back to the underworld and since the Hotel doesn't exist anymore the mythicals probably also have to get back, taking their passports with them which makes the MC forget them all.
And even if they take a group-picture or something, won't that (in the worst case scenario) make the MC be rewarded with a place at a psych-ward? With him maybe trying to convice others that there are mythicals out there? And even if he just forgets everybody, the photo might than just look like a photo taken at a very impressive furry-convention.
So granting him the title off a demi-god or a hero of greece, might just be that: granting him a title, but that might also grant him access to the greek afterlife where he and Asterion might be reunited.
And with the hotel not existing anymore there also won't be any issue with the position as a Master being in conflict with the title/Status of a Demi-god/hero since ther is nothing that he is a master of.

TrinexxSlayer1 year ago

Honestly, I do think there will be a better ending than what I've proposed, but it's not going to be perfect, or at the very least, Asterion and MC are not going to get to live togheter forever. It's not really a suicide mission to gather ichor, it's just a matter of thinking of a way to transport it safely, Kota is a god, even if not as powerful, so maybe he could pick it up no problem. Also, much like the greek heroes turned demigods you've cited, taking down those monsters of legends isn't ever a feat of brute force alone, to stay in theme defeating them will involve cunning methods and solutions, it's not going to be something straightforward like making a bazooka, and the master's powers are very versatile in that regard. besides, the team does have plenty of mythical power, I don't imagine we will be able to defeat all 7 of them in whichever team configuration, so which ones you get to take down will probably be suitable to whoever is available.

Asterion is the stuff of legends and has water affinity given he is a creation of Poseidon. The though part here is the valley is going to immediately target and attack him, but at the same time, he can recover from any injuries that should have been lethal. And he is going to have the most understanding of this realm than anyone else.

Luke is nearly indestructible and can fly, with military experience from the world wars. He's knowledgeable with stars, so it could be a great help with navigation.

Kota is a river god, and dragons often come with exceptional powers, he is confirmed to be much stronger than he looks.

Khenbish has wrestling and cooking expertise, his bad luck curse might be a problem, but he could do good for a supporting role.

Themba isn't explored to much, and i'm not too familiar with grootslangs, apparently his phisiology can have some kinky perks.

Wolf has sharp senses and is a predator, the hard part is figuring how to make him help since he is an animal.

Robert can see souls and has extra high body temperature, even if not outright breathing fire, that can still be very powerful. As a lawyer, he also has in depth understanding of contracts which is a core mechanic to how the realm functions.

Nikos has the knowledge of how to navigate and survive the valley both from his time there and from his predecessors' teachings. He might know some tricks to the realm even Asterion doesn't.

Pedro has his feathers with can be really good for monitoring and investigating from a distance, he is also adept at rites, even if they are not the flashy kind of magic.

Oscar also has water affinity, and brawn, perhaps naive but at least the valley might not actively try to kill him like it would Asterion.

The cobalts are also there, and being small would make them both sneaky and capable of reaching hard to get places. they might be infatile but should be able to do excellent teamwork when it really matters.

There's also going to be 3 others who should be able to join the hotel. so there still is more potential to join the table. I think one of them is going to be a medic too, and healers are invaluable to any party.

Mengor1 year ago

Oh no.... What I have done xD? I am in chapter 14 but I dont care about the spoilers. I am trying my best to show Asterion I am trustworthy and all I want for him is to be happy (Specially since in my land Bull fighting while being dumb and an absurd bloodshed, is a common part of our culture and I hate it. Bulls shoud be honored not tortured). But after reading all this, I completely forgot that we are talking about greek mythology here which makes TrinexxSlayer completely right. How could I not see that?

At the moment my mind is hoping there will be some happy ending just like Sylvanite wishes as well... However that might not be the case and would be so sad man... So, if Asterion returns to the Hades... Would that be at least a more neutral ending? Or what if we could stay with Asterion in the Hades as well? (Yes, that would involve MC dying hahaha) Otherwise the partying will be painful as hell :(

TrinexxSlayer1 year ago(+1)

Technically Asterion was happy in Hades, and it should be possible for MC to go there if he "converted to the religion". I'm not sure how that works, but still. It may be true that greek myths tend to tragedies, but I do believe we will have a good ending. Just not an utopian one. This also comes down to personal preference, in that I find that bending the rules to force the narrative to become the perfectest ending is shallow and demeaning to the story I got invested in. Obstacles can be overcome or worked around. That's what makes a story worth telling, but if you just take the challenges away without proper resolution, they shouldn't have been introduced in the first place.

Sylvanite1 year ago (1 edit)

Just speaking from video-game knowledge, there could be the possibility of a "true/perfect" ending, if you chose some specific things throughout your playthrough. Or for example: you unlock a "hidden" path, if you collected some or all the achievments.
That is what some game-developers have done in the past as well, so that might be something, that could be included into Minotaur Hotel as well.
In addition to that, they already did 4 different endings for the bad/sadistic-Route haven't they?
(I don't know how much they differ in the amount of content, since I couldnt bring myself to be mean to Asterion once xD)
So there might be more different endings than just for "you accepted the tasks" and "you didn't accept the task".

And yes, the greek myths often end in tragedy, but I think that the MC once said to Asterion, that it's not the story of the Minotaur anymore, it's their story and they are the ones to dictate it now.
So that could mean, that they break free of the typical tragic end, that comes with greek mythology.
Also, there already is a lot of media, where the gay love-story ends in tragedy, so in a way it would also be welcome to have just a nice ending.
(Not saying there isn't also some, where there is a good end but more bad endings come to mind)
But you are completely right, it most likely boils down to personal preference and what the reader/player wants to get out of the story.
Some might want to have a realistic ending, where most of the time, there isn't a perfect happy end in life and other might want to escape reality for a bit and have their perfect escapist wishes fulfilled.

What I can hardly imagine though is, that the MC would convert to a different religion during the game, especially when he most likely isn't too fond of them, after everything that they put Asterion through.
So if that's a possible ending: granting him the title of a hero would make way more sense for the story, (especially when he helped some of those gods regain their sanity) which would also grant him access to the elysian fields in Hades like the heros befor him.
So after his death, he would be able to see his beloved minotaur again.

TrinexxSlayer1 year ago

Yeah, some games do that and i'm not really a fan. particularly due to how they are structured, "do all of the everything so that you can finally play the real route for real and this is the ultimate super mega route". That's to say, if there is a bestest true ending, then it should be possible to get in a single run. When you artificially lock the best ending behind the worser ones, it's like your first try doesn't even count, cause you need to beat the game once before you can play the "real" version.

Right now I can only see the do the hermes task or not endings, but that doesn't mean I think they are the only ones there will be. I just don't have quite enough information to be making educated guesses as to what other options there will be.

The ruthless route isn't really sadistic, there are like 4 chapters but it's played from our good boy Nikos' perspective. He is at his goodest self during this route. The chapters themselves are pretty much linear with very little variation, or quite similar bits at the very least, it just has 4 different outcomes. Aside from that, there's a good amount of lore reveals we don't get in the main route yet, including one way to free Asterion, which is one of the outcomes.

Personally though, I don't think MC has that much beef with the gods. Queer people tend to be at odds with religion, considering how the most popular ones currently are constantly used as an excuse to try and abolish us. But that doesn't mean religions are always this xenophobic. Greek myths themselves are quite queer, and that's just what survived various cultural erasures promoted over the centuries.

In the trials about half of the gods were agains the labyrinth, Athena being the main one to blame and potentially manipulate the votes. But more importantly, the talk with Robert about how hells and afterlife in general work, it's implied you go to the afterlife of your specific religion, so that's why if Asterion and MC are to meet in the afterlife, one of them might have to convert, and I don't see our bull boi doing that.

Mengor1 year ago

Beware spoilers:

I have just completed chapter 19... Oh man, my mind is at this moment a roller-coaster. I swear to god that if in the end, the typical greek tragedy ending happens and something bad happens to my moo boyfriend, I am going to cry a lot, like I never have xD.

My main concern is the following one: Are gods to be trusted? If so, how much? I know they all arent that bad but they love ambiguity. For example: when Kratos at the ending of the first game meets Athena, she says, gods are not going to remove the nightmares but then she prevented the suicide and Kratos ascended as God of War. What about Hermes then? On the one hand he swore as the MC requested, not to cause harm on all the Hotel inhabitants, including Asterion I suppose and he wishes for his "freedom" which we truly dont have any idea of what that could be. On the other hand, he said "the more ichor you get the better I will be able to bargain" but there is not a defined amount specified and that worries me. Hell we could end bringing him 20 crystals of ichor and still could not be enough... This cliffhanger is just too much. haha.

2nd point of concern. I, well, we, let finally Argos in the hotel... And yes I know, due to circumstances and how the story developed he is needed now... But still, I had a bad feeling about this. I dont know. What if this was his chance to inflict pain? I know we talked things out and we accepted to give him a place in the hotel so that shouldnt happen... but I feel a bit dumb. I mean, all this time I made my best to keep Argos away from Asterion and now its all the opposite lmao.

TrinexxSlayer1 year ago (1 edit)

The ruthless route really changes the perspective on Nikos. He is a good boy.

Supposedly there are only 7 beasts, and each god only donated but a single drop of ichor. It doesn't say that every god donated, so it could either be 13 from the olympus 12 + hades, or just 7 that voted in favor of the labyrinth. unless there could be more "gods" involved.

What i do wonder though is that there is ichor elsewhere within the hotel. at least, i thought that's what it was anyway. there was this liquid dripping from an axe head that is related to asterion's execution, and the crystal wall in the hermes altar.

Anyway, it was a short update introducing this quest, so obviously they couldn't put all of the cards on the table right away. There is not much to do for now except be wary of what might be at stake on this request and we don't know.

maneChaos221 year ago(+2)

The Labyrinth's constitution says "Through their ichor each god is allowed to leave a living legacy in the realm.", and Nemesis herself says 17 gods were involved in the constitution's creation: The 12 Olympians, Hestia, Hades, Nemesis and her sisters.

Presumably the 6 of the 7 beasts are the legacies of Zeus/Athena/Demeter/Ares/Artemis/Apollo (Hermes said The Effigy was a weird one, and Nikos describes it as being forged by the gods rather than just one, so I'm not sure where this one falls) , while the wine/basin/mirror/parting gift/Asphodel meadow are the legacies of Dionysus/Hermes/Hestia/Poseidon/Hades.

Which leaves Hera/Hephaestus/Aphrodite/Nemesis&co unaccounted for.

Hephaestus would make sense for the Effigy ~~I suppose Aphrodite would as well but eh~~ , although we don't have his opinion on the labyrinth's creation so it's hard to say if he actually would, or why.

I'm inclined to think Nemesis' fragment (probably along w/ her sisters) serve(s) as the Labyrinths mind(s)

(Sidenote, but I'm betting the mystery tab in the files is for the godly fragments)

TrinexxSlayer1 year ago

it's worth considering the effigy might not be tied to one of the gods, that would explain why it's different. similarly, there's an altar to a nameless god in the valley, this is explored in the ruthless route. still, we know there's at least 7 ichor drops to gather and no more than 17 should exist in the realm.

Sylvanite1 year ago

The first point is very valid and we don't know if we can truely trust the gods to keep promises.
Especially with Hermes being the god of thiefs as well so there might be some trickery invoved.

But I don't think that Argos or better Nikos are any threat.
Because even in the Story Asterion himself said that the Argos always leave after a certain time and they usually just play mind-tricks with the current master so they punish him more harshly or send him to the valley where he is hurt by the monsters.
Nikos also said that he is just playing a role and he doesn't agree with the punishment of Asterion so I think that he was genuinely glad that we were different from the masters in the past.
He and Asterion also had a very friendly interaction and they talked about if they would have been friends if they met under different circumstances.
Sure he is a snake and that might not leave the best impression and there might be a stigma coming with his species but then again he never really tried any funny business and held up his promises.
Also with the insight that we can apparently gather during the ruthless route I dont think that he double crosses us behind our backs.

Mengor1 year ago

@Sylvanite

Perhaps just a good ending could be that Asterion is indeed released from his eternal torment and he and the MC just keep working in the hotel, which is what Asterion loves doing after all, but without any shackles. I dont know, like something simple, easy xD? Or maybe Hades offer us a choice? Keep working on the hotel but as a free mythical or banish the hotel and Asterion returns to the Hades? Which perhaps could also be a great chance to decide if we want to lose our life in exchange of following Asterion to the Hades? Or... just let him go?

@Everybody

Unlikely plot twist, Greta is actually Aphrodite :P? I mean, gods can take any shape they want. Right?

TrinexxSlayer1 year ago(+1)

she wouldn't, the goddess of beauty isn't going to look like anything except gorgeous. but athena...

the main thing is that asterion is in a long ass borrowed time already. it'd be against the laws of mortality for him to be free from the hotel and alive aswell. as long as he is in the hotel, he can't be free. at best, there could be put a contract in place that the current master's death would release asterion. granted, i'm assuming the rules here. with this scenario, life and freedom should be in conflict. it's one or the other.

Sylvanite1 year ago

haha that would certaily be a plottwist. xD
but if Greta would be any of the gods I think she actually would be Hephaestus with how tech-savvy she is and studying engineering.
I think that is a very Hephaestus thing to do.

Spoilers for the newest Archon Quest in Genshin Impact relating to Furina:

In a kinda similar fashion Furina was cursed by her other half Focalor to have an eternal life, even though she was the human part of her, so also living a longer life than she actually would have had, bound to the existence of the Hydro Archon.
It is a little more complex than that, but Focalor decides to end the reign of the hydro archon and to kill herself with the energy gathered over hundreds of years.
With the Archon dead and Furina freed from the curse and the bond of her god-self, she was granted a normal life with the lifespan of a normal human. (at least that's what they said)
So following that rule there is the possibility that Asterion could be freed from the shakels of the labyrinth and granted the lifespan of a normal human male (he would be in his 30s so probably 50-60 years).
I don't think that it is a likely outcome but something that could be considered in relation to: "can Asterion exist without the labyrinth".

TrinexxSlayer1 year ago

but with asterion it's a bit different. he died before being brought to the labyrinth. you cold say he's some kind of zombie or ghost, rather than someone who ended up getting an absurdly long lifespan

Sylvanite1 year ago(+1)

maybe Asterion is Minotaur-Jesus?
Jesus was also dead and lived again... kinda like a Zombie xD (I am sorry for my terrible joke)

But that's a good point, we don't necesarrily know what his existence now could be classified as or what it is like
If his existance would be something like a Zombie or a ghost than why would he feel pain.
He was ripped from the afterlife, that is true, but I don't think we had an explanation, about what his existance is like at the moment, except for undying.

TrinexxSlayer1 year ago (1 edit) (+1)

Honestly, Asterion seems to be another case of Prometheus. In his myth, after Prometheus stole fire from the gods, he was condemned to eternal torture, being tied up and having his liver eaten by an eagle every day, regenerating after each session.

Mengor1 year ago (1 edit)

Do you guys believe the sacrifice options in chapter 12 may have an impact in the final outcome of the story? I selected Hermes, but honestly I was so close to choose Hades.

Sylvanite1 year ago (2 edits) (+1)

If they don't plan on implementing something like a "perfect-route", where you have to do certain things to unlock something, I hardly see a choice like this mattering in the end.
There might be some differences of one or two lines in dialogue, but I don't think that it would affect the ending or the playthrough much.
I chose Hades because he treated Asterion nicely, and I thought that he would appreciate it, if we offered his former lord the bundle.
When they still had the achievment rank (I think I got golden Peacock or something) in the game, I thought that that might affect the end, but it hasn't been implemented since, so now I think it wont matter.

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Minotaur Hotel

What's to come/Possible Endings (Spoilers for Chapter 19)