I have 2 questions, though I suspect that probably others have said something about it…

• Does the fire collar mean anything in terms of his imprisonment?

I know it might be a symbolism of Asterion’s feelings towards the MC, still, I wonder if there is something else to it.

• Why does the playful wrestling with Asterion feel like a sad little adventure?

Now, getting it out before anyone answers because of the song, I will say that yes, that might be it. Probably I might be the only one that had this feeling. But, I wonder if the developers intended to have someone take this little union of friendship or even love into an overwhelming sadness.

Man! I was barely able to read, I had to take my mind out for some time. I had my heart hurting, and I did cry. Not only that, but I might be a wimp, but, wow! It did knock me out of the game for a while. Kudos to the song though, the feeling is really strong [Foolish Child]. (Perhaps I’m the fool here and a well-placed song.) Wished it was for the other sad endings (but what do I know? I just finished 2 sides leading always to the same ending)

That’s probably why I got the impression of sadness there… anyway, I’m curious for any answers or even questions that might have been brought to me, and perhaps it was my misunderstanding of the situation. (Even now that I’m analyzing the song, it sends chills down my whole body and a strong ache in my heart)

Quick Edit Note: This questions I had prepared for the Q&A when it gets out, but I might as well make it a conversation since it really is interesting. Also, that this is my first time posting but, hey, I want to know what other people think of this situation.

So I just finally finished my first playthrough (though I had to backtrack bc I accidentally saved over and loaded some files bc it got late and the buttons are right next to each other) and I got blown away by all the intricate story pieces and how they fit together! I apparently did pretty well since I got the gold wolf rating (just one little bit moooore? why?) and boy did I not expect some of these things.

For one thing, the tile I got from Argos' wine quest behind the kiln was the Ichor one that explains what these violet crystal obsidians in the bedrock are and HOLY COW is that disturbing! Paired with the description of Asterion's hands and the dried up tendons in his wrist and Robert's astute observation of "anemic" divinity and the fact that he was apparently a lot more dextrous in his youth..uh boy. Can I still fix him, please? Also that axe STILL dripping is ... is it draining him? it says something about Zeus' ichor, but somehow it doesn't seem to be it, when I got to read the trial transcripts. It also adds another explanation to Asterion's disturbing mental tangent about turning into stone. 

Second thing I took note of was the foundation thing with all the original terms. It said the Overseer is the only one allowed to enter the realm on his own, everyone else COULD be allowed through an invitation by the Master (aka us?) though. Now that could bring unwanted attention and we wouldn't want Athena or Apollo around and Demeter can go suck a coconut... but it opens some future possibility for Asterion to meet Hades and possibly maybe open the realm enough to meet his old friends down there again for a visit. 

Third thing worth mentioning is that Oscar's intuition is scarily good! His description of the hotel as a layer cake of bad with a frosting of good on top got him all new levels of respect! That he got called "the last drop of blood" just like it was worded in the founding statutes is peculiar and shows he's definitely meant to be there and can maybe help to figure out some major plot points!

The fourth thing is Moloch. Since Asterion mentioned him I looked the name up and the child sacrifice thing was horrifying. And then I got to the Hinterland quest and the conveniently there other bull and all the missing children?? (not Oscar the little sweet potato, I mean his mysterious dad) Also, the goat guy freaked me out a little.. were his eyes red? If anything he LOOKs like a devil, though he's old enough to know Ps grandpa, so ... maybe he got so big by eating the children, who knows. 

The fifth thing I'm keeping in mind is the beached mermaid, the rotten salt lands, the dried up rivers and land... the dried up Asterion.. who is a descendent of Poseidon of all things. Curious thing that. Also ichor was apparently used to create the realm, but it honestly seems to lack liquids (other than wine, thanks Dionysus, don't even need your transcript to figure that one out, you're a real pal!).

I'm sure everyone and their mother who avoided getting tricked by Argos (honestly, that was dumb luck but I'll take it) and figured out the whole Nikos thing already gushed about it (the fake Argos and Io and the "real ones" triggering Hermes? talk about spirals), so I'll take a pot shot at the three vultures (the two black ones circling MC and Nikos when he quits his job, and the white one Asterion sees in the parking lot) and venture a guess that they might be furies. (the whole punishment thing is kind of their domain). Then again vultures were associated with Hades, Ares and Apollo in turn and know as following cows and birds that don't kill (bc they only eat the ones already dead), so it's hard to say. Possibly even harpies under someone in the labyrinth.

I played the art background bc it said I could do renovations on the hotel and that sounded neat and I actually really liked the little bits and pieces where it was tangentially relevant/came into play. Though renaissance paintings, japanese directors, notre dam, the picasso sketches and zulu pottery, MC's knowledge is so eclectic. I also loved Asterion's shirt (I saw some screenshots with .. not so pretty designs and yeah, artists are the best.)
I lucked out a lot, bc with both Kenbish and Themba the hotel is actually fully staffed and functional for all areas and I loved Themba's connection to Asterion and the hotel, he DOES have some old friends still! I won't be able to pick Kenbish, knowing that, even though he probably needs the job more and the restaurant is understaffed as well...so yeah, Art MC for the win! (plus the reception looks friggin empty without some additions) Pedro can take care of his debts and go to uni and get some therapy, Niko can take shelter till we figure out what's up with the gods and go back home after they no longer want to kill him, and by then Pedro can come back and move in with a hopefully more independent Oscar. After a roundtour where he figures out what's up with the missing children, bc he left his feathers around the hut by the pond. I think. the dead butterflies and the salt were distracting.

A real compliment goes to whoever designed the hotel front, bc that IS a really great design! the bull imagery, the minoan architecture touch and the showcasing of Asterion's intelligence in figuring out natural temperature flows in infinite hallways.. it's great!

As for the staff, Luke is ... a bit crass, but growing on me. I like him more when I imagine him as a silverfox grandpa, rather than some young brash know-it-all, the age just helps me shrug my shoulders in resignation as I do at the dinner table on holidays.
Kota is very tightly wound up and I haven't done much in his personal quest, but he's looking for a red dragon and believes in soulmates, so I guess he's looking for them? If he's searching, why is he keeping all the information a secret though, he doesn't want to tip them off? They argued/betrayed each other? I'll unravel that mystery next playthrough (after sleeping. a lot.) But I liked that his romantic quest makes him into the aunt in law squishing our faces together and telling us to kiss. Robert is pretty cute, though I wonder for how long he can take a sabbatical from his job and his 0 for tech frustrates me when I want to put him in R&D rather then sending him exploring the desert in that outfit and can't. In general, so far his expertise with contracts is not really needed or comes to late for the game as it is now and it's a little sad that he mostly ends up being redundant/on tag along support)
Themba is by far my favourite though, and Khenbish on second place (yeah actually before Kota on third). Their backgroundstory and actually pretty solid emotional maturity are nice, though Khenbish's angry/shocked illustration is a bit extreme in some contexts (drinking game), because he looks like he's screaming loud enough to be heard throughout half of the floor.
The cobalts are cute and helpful, but I somehow hope their mysterious appearing out of nowhere will be part of a mystery solved later on, it would just be neat.

Now I really need to sleep and then manage a second playthrough where I actually don't just play in one setting.. I didn't realize it would be THIS long and just expected things to cut off for like 3h, 4h, 5h... But worth it! It's a really sweet and rewarding romance with a very solid build up of the relationship, even though it starts from the worst place imaginable. The only problem is...  I fell so hard for Asterion (and the fact that he's smarter than he lets on and struggles so hard and relatable) that I now miss him already.
It's a really lovely game and I didn't expect this level of story telling and emotional depth and believable characters all in one package in an essentially free download. Thank you for helping me survive the boredom of quarantine!

Khenbish's subroute was really good. I'd say it 100% confirms the "players care about the characters that have a lot of content explaining them" proposition.

...and that was the most insightful, most tender, and most evocative description of a blowjob I've ever read.

I am on the hinterlands 3 part of the game and have some questions as to how to actually do it right? I know there are three major things you can do but I am confused on how to do any besides the romance route. Would somebody be able to give some sort of path for me to follow? I do be confused moment.