[clair obscur expedition 33] game end spoilers, just a thought that hit me this morning

it's been days for which I've been trying to figure out why the 'people of Lumiere are real people' take has been bothering me. like, I'm not saying it's wrong, or anyone seeing it is wrong, just that it's been bugging me personally, and I finally figured it out

it's in Sciel's line. Death isn't death anymore

and I guess my view has been, for a while, that in order to be alive, you have to be able to die

I think it all depends on our personal beliefs about what life is. Renoir sees them as real [obviousy projection issues] because of their hopes, their dreams, memories, love...

And views death as not the opposite of life but just nothingness

so since they can be painted back to life at a thought, they aren't.

So when Aline paints people and gives them all that with a personality, they're not forming those feelings on their own, so are they really alive?

oh, character views are something else, I've been seeing a lot of online arguments among people

Which kind of segues into Renoir's line about who paints life and death and yeeeeah

character opinions are not in discussion here

no i mean

I mention that specifically as an example because it kind of captures why there's conflicting takes if it makes sense? sorry if it's vague. i just woke up.

because I can see the opinion 'I don't like any of the dessendre family, I don't care about them, it's only one ending where people of lumiere are okay and they are the real people

I get it. but it's still been bothering me

and I finally figured out why

yeah. i have to agree. cause as much as they present as real, if you cannot properly die because you can be reborn, then what happens to the thought of losing someone, how can you experience grief?

death and loss really, really change you.

it's very complicated and layered and personal, how the endings are seen. and I love that.

same. like i've lost people and this game just hits different because of it.

especially verso's ending

I'm very ?? at 'one ending is morally wrong/right' because none of the game is about morally right anything

Verso's ending is marginally healthier, but they all hurt

I think people were expecting the typical "good" ending that's such a trope, too?

might be. meanwhile I'm in awe at how both options make people think, and consider, and argue, and even realize things about themselves

as I told a friend after a bit more sleep: the dessendres are fictional, too. /points to dec 33

what makes them feel less fictional to me?

and this conclusion here was the answer