I should've just made a NG+++ plurk but like. I don't usually have much to say at this point LOL besides we now have all the baguettes so that's done. My inventory is completely done. I have only colour of lumina to gain at this point

BUT THAT IS NEITHER HERE NOR THERE.

TODAY WE TALKIN ABOUT RENOIR AND ALICIA (painted editions)

But also Renoir (not painted edition)

Actually. I have a lot of opinions wait. Recalculating

LET ME START WITH END OF ACT 1

Verso does not actually save Maelle in time.

Hear me out, fam

Gustave's dead and Renoir starts lecturing Maelle about shit she don't know

And then he pushes her and there's the whole weird limbo falling thing where Aline and (actual) Renoir are having an argument about her being in the canvas

I'm gonna betcha, Renoir (paint) was trying to gommage Maelle and Renoir (not paint) either reversed it or prevented it from happening

Cause when Maelle comes back up from that he literally looks at her like ...... The fuck.

And then he tries the old fashioned way of slashing and that's when Verso actually steps in

THE FUCK'S YOUR ANGLE VERSO.

Just testing~

Renoir literally like The fuck you mean she's not dead

Anyways, riddle me that I guess

MOVING ONTO POINT 2 of Alex overthinking this game into oblivion

Why can't Renoir (not paint) gommage Verso's creations? Is it a choice or is he literally incapable?

Clearly, Nevrons can attack and kill gestrals

And Maelle is actively worried about Esquie going near Renoir (not paint) when they do the fight in Lumiere (hence them starting at the harbor)

SO RENOIR COULD HURT Verso's creations (I assume??)

But he chooses not to :c

Just Aline's

I THINK THIS IS WORTH NOTING cause Renoir clearly gives a shit about Verso's creations even while actively trying to dismantle Aline and Maelle's attachments to it

ANYWAY LAST over thinking note

Actually, no I lied. There's too much unpackaging to do it will take too long lmao

Just the tragedy that is painted Alicia rip

cries

I just started my first NG+ like an hour ago

WELCOME.

I missed Gustave so much...

Act 1 is so refreshing after finishing the game HUH lol

Anytime I hit act 3 I'm like I need to go back to Act 1 it's nicer there lmao

Meanwhile, I have a break in my homework (or I need a break) SO FOR MY NEXT TRICK painted Alicia being the real tragedy of the whole game

So this all stems from Alicia asking Maelle to basically kill her and Maelle going Yep sounds about right

So here is the divide (it's not a divide but I can't think of the word, conflict?)

Throughout the whole damn game, everyone actively admits they do not understand Maelle/Alicia

Verso ghosts say they never figured out her essence, Maelle constantly complains she's the odd one out, Aline also admits (iirc..) that she can't figure out her daughter

EVERYONE EXCEPT Renoir

Also Clea, Clea is patronizes the fuck out of her, but actually might get her to some extent

*- is

SO RENOIR.

This is like "ghost Renoir" you find scattered in the canvas and some of the journals you catch snippets of his relationship with Alicia as well

Alicia is CLEARLY very close with her father

"ghost Renoir" in Old Lumiere admits they're the most alike out of his kids and that she was mad at him for lying to her

He says (paraphrasing) that she's not afraid of death but she's scared of not seeing everything beautiful in the world. (lol death by fomo)

But he also says that she can like see everything in the world and she points out that it's literally impossible and catches him in a fib at trying to make her feel better

I'm getting somewhere with this. I swear.

Point is, he is arguably the only family member actively invested in her interests and trying to piece her together

SO WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH paint ALICIA

Okay so when she asks to die she says "take me to my family"

Meaning the dead ones

But here's the catch. 1. Verso is right there LMAO, 2. Clea is MIA, 3. Aline is absolutely not dead. 4. THE ONLY ONE DEAD IS RENOIR

She fucking disowned Verso so fast aklsdjalsjfalf

Okay but hear me out

Ineedmorehobbies

She admits in her letter meant for Maelle that she's been watching the group make progress and the entire point in giving Verso the letter is, honestly, I think it's kind of a test

She's interacted enough with Maelle that she could have just handed it to her. Maelle would have taken it.

So why does she go through Verso for the letter

I think, in part, it was to see if Verso was too far gone but also just kind of to see which side he would choose. He doesn't open the letter until after the Paintress is outie but the title of the letter is "a life to dream" so I mean. Fair to say he could guess

Anyway, it's just sad. When Verso gives her back the letter and she just let's it go to the wind... YOU KNOW SHE'S PISSED

It's unforgiveable, it's betrayal

She absolutely wanted a 3rd option and no one listened to her or overruled her (something Maelle also deals with from family members)

lol girl was so done

Maelle never seems to blame anyone for much of anything (Renoir killing Gustave is nearly a one-off). She's SO forgiving of people she cares about. Or just. Blind.

But when Verso is upset Alicia is gone she actually calls him out about him wanting to manipulate her choices and talk her out of it

Probably because Maelle could also be talked out of it and knew her own weaknesses

OH MY GOD PLURK CAN YOU NOT THE emote why

ANYWAY

( ha ha ) was there

Imagine standing up for yourself but it's actually just your doppelganger

Okay thank you for coming, there's more but homework calls

I just finished the endless tower the other day and it's interesting to me that the only one who really offers Maelle-Alicia any agency in her own life decisions is Clea

Is she like “make your own choices, loser”? Yes a bit but who else even says the first part lol

cries over everything here

Yaaaa Clea legit is the only one who comes close to understanding Maelle at aaaall nonhoration

Probably because Clea also has 0 agency in her own life so she fucking gets it

She's the eldest she HAS to defend the family, she has to set up the war, she has to be the head of the house when the parents can't be. She doesn't get a choice

No one is asking if Clea wants to do these things, there are no options ever given to her. So, at least I think, she sees Maelle lol actually having friends in the canvas and being happy there compared to reality and is like

Maybe don't get stuck in the life I'm stuck in, cause as the baby Maelle, ironic to the entire narrative offered, has choices that Clea doesn't

Right like Clea hated the perfect daughter that Aline made of her so much that she painted over her lol

lol yes

Clea's version of a tantrum