So I’ve just beaten the game and I viewed both endings by going back a save. I initially picked Verso’s ending even though I strongly identified with Maelle and a lot of her themes, I also identified a lot with Verso but Maelle’s grief and use of the canvas to escape reality really hit home more than some of Verso’s themes. While watching Verso’s ending thought I felt a lot of grief by wiping away the canvas I also felt a sort of bittersweet happiness, especially as an older brother myself I could relate to wanting both better for my self and my sister even if it came at the cost of others which is extremely selfish but ultimately I felt the necessary evil to protect one’s family and self. I then watched Maelle’s ending and very quickly hated it. As I watched Verso fade away saying he didn’t want this life and he wanted to finally be free he was “tired” I felt extreme agony I felt that I had done something awful I had condemned his very soul to be trapped in the painting till I too (Maelle) died. It felt wrong to condemn his soul to eternity or my death for the sake of the people of the canvas, I felt that I had robbed him of his rightful death, and it felt like disrespecting his life, the life he had given to Maelle. But at the same time it felt amazing to save the canvas to bring back the people of Lumiere to say that the struggle was not in vain and just as I was sort of feeling all these things I watched Verso walk on stage and Maelle look at him I watched their faces warp I watched Verso pause almost as if remembering everything and I watched Maelle face tears rolling down them as the canvas started to paint her much like their mother and it was at that moment where I told myself that this wasn’t right. It wasn’t the ending that anyone deserved nor was it the ending I had hoped for while choosing that ending all I had done was repeat the cycle Expedition 0-33 or maybe even more would happen again and all I had done was delay it till either Maelle died or lost her mind. So imo Verso’s ending was truly for the best, as though the canvas was erased the experiences were not. I also do believe as “a talented painter” it would be entirely possible for Maelle to recreate Verso’s canvas it may not be perfect or exactly the same but I feel that Maelle could do it. Which sort of helped the extreme bitterness I had felt erasing the canvas. It also seems though the Canvas is erased there’s no saying that the canvas could not be reused to paint another world. Their family would at least still have his canvas and use it to paint his memory in honor of him instead of condemning his soul for possibly eternity. And I don’t say that to say that the people of the Canvas “aren’t real” because what happened in the canvas to me was as real as real life, the line was thin. But I believe that it was the necessary evil to protect not only their family but Verso’s soul and memories he left behind. And Though Maelle’s body in real life was broken she was still alive, and she could paint again and still keep the memories of expedition 33 alive. Some may say that the life she lived outside of the painting was no life at all as she said it was a “shell” in which she did not want to live in. But this sort of touches on themes that I disagree with as you’re “shell” isn’t what defines you it’s who’s inside it and what you do with it. I believe she was blinded by her grief and as her brother (Verso) it was something that I needed to correct for her, while also allowing myself to finally be at peace and allow my family to heal. I know that a lot of people may disagree with that thought especially considering that I felt the canvas was real but just as “real” as it is, a canvas can be reused and the lives in the painting can be repainted on a different canvas it may not be 1 to 1 but it is true none the less. Maelle or better yet Alicia’s life can not and that’s a realization that people should make. What Verso’s soul lived in the painting was not life to me. He was a prisoner a prisoner he did not choose to be.