OMGGG HIIIII!! Seeing your comment here again made my whole day!! ^^
FIRST OFF: I'm so happy you replayed the game and enjoyed it even more the second time around!! Since you know the story so well now, the full game is going to be such a fun ride for you to spot all the changes and upgrades in that first act hehe (yes i've been doing SOME rework hihi)
I'm seriously OVER THE MOON hearing that you love the characters this much!! They're truly the heart of the story, and if you enjoy them now, you are going to go INSANEEEE when you see their full character arcs and backstories. Due to pacing, I kept the deeper lore out of the demo since I strongly dislike rushed storytelling, but trust me, it will all make sense in the full game!
LETS GO CHARACTER BY CHARACTER THEN!
About Dom first: YES IT REALLY DOES FEEL LIKE THAT HAHAHAH!! You hit the nail right on the head, Dom is supposed to be the absolute anchor of the group and the story! And THANK YOUUUU, im so glad you love his design!! I really wanted to bring in representation for POC Goths because there is barely any in media, so Dom was born from that! ^^
Most of the cast follows specific style aesthetics! Mac originally had a full scene look in his first design, but I toned it down to match his character better as I developed him and the story more, though he kinda kept the scene hair style lmao. For the full release, im actually debating reverting a bit back to that original look because I loved it so much xD
YEAH ANYWAYS THAT WAS A HUGE STYLE INFO DROP LOL.
NOW THE FRIENDSHIP! YESSSSS!!! I wanted the friendships to truly matter in this game. Rudy and Danny are literally the only people keeping Jules sane in that school rn lmao, and im excited to see if you can guide them to a happy ending in the full game ;)))
AND YESSSS Asher was actually inspired by Tamaki!! His character goes in a very different fun direction in the full game, but my lips are sealed for now! As you pointed out, his feelings for Jules are a gradual transformation. Their route is a total slow burn (actually who am I kidding, this ENTIRE game is a slow burn lmao), but it fits Asher, since he has to overcome that princely facade first, no? ;) AND YESSS RIGHT??? Writing the line where he wishes Jules looked at him the way she looks at Dom had me smiling and crying at the exact same time. I FOLDED AS THE WRITER!! Asher is the ultimate yearner. YOULL SEE HOW IT DEVELOPS THO!!
Also your love-hate relationship with Mac is so relatable LOL. He's got a dark mysterious pull you just cant help but gravitate towards, right? ^^
NOW, YOUR MAC THEORIES: I LOVEEE your theories!! I wish I could spill everything, but since the full game covers this heavily, I will only say it was an incredible theory to read! ;) I can 100% promise you that you will get your answers in the full release. Your psychology degree is definitely going to come in handy, both for understanding him and trying to fix him. ;D
Since you gave me such a wonderful long review, you get another long reply from me! Seriously, thank you so much!! Hearing how much you love the characters means the entire world to me. I put so much love, research, and thought into their arcs, and comments like yours make it all so worth it. :,) I am going back to work on the full game with so much extra motivation now!! (SRSLY I'M ABOUT TO COOK).
Also, huge thanks again for replaying and sharing your thoughts! You are honestly the absolute sweetest, and I can't wait for you to experience the full release and hear all your new theories when it's finally in your hands!! <33