Oh my... That’s quite a lot of questions ;)
I plan to release at least one update per month. That is my current goal moving forward.
As for the characters and story routes, I’m still actively developing and exploring different possibilities. Nothing is completely fixed yet, and I haven’t locked in which routes will definitely happen. The scenarios you mentioned are things I may consider and gradually develop — as long as they fit naturally within the story and overall direction of the game.
I prefer to let the narrative grow organically instead of forcing specific outcomes too early.