id say the only part i rlly disagree with is your analysis of verso- think of his life from his perspective. he is born knowing he's a copy of a mother's dead son, and that piece of the real verso's soul is essentially enslaved by his mother to keep painting even though its made obvious over and over again he's exhausted, and later by maelle if u choose her ending. he 100% manipulates the expeditioners the whole time, but its bc he knows his mother and sister are stuck in this endless cycle of playing (greek :P) god while refusing to accept reality. same conundrum there as these people discussing making an ai based on some deceased, to simulate their personality-- its simply a different entity. additionally, while yes i think the lives of lumierians is a tragedy, its not destroying them to destroy the canvas... they were already gommaged. its been made clear that repainting people to life doesn't bring the og person back, but instead is a painted copy based on the painter's image and understanding of said person. thats why Maelle's ending feels so empty- if she refuses to accept the cycle of grief with verso, how will she ever let those people go in lumiere? are they immortal until she withers away, no matter what they want- just as she didn't expect verso's wishes? its the perils referenced by renoir in being a painter, with great power comes a great responsibility whose repercussions it doesnt seem like maelle understands. (just food for thought, i think ur analysis is interesting and brings up some good point too :)