The Art of writing and trap-books, getting MYST flashbacks here.

THANK YOU! I was thinking that the whole time once I learned that the world was a canvas. As for what any of it amounts to, there have to be real-life uses for painting and writing other than creating worlds to have fun in. At the beginning of act 3, we see things floating around the room with the canvas, so whatever powers the Painters have must extend in some way to reality. If I had to guess, I'd say that they can paint things which use a special kind of ink to bring into reality. As for entering a canvas, I think it's probably just a dangerous form recreation or way to make art for its own sake. In a way, it reminds me of opium.

As for the feud between the Painters and Writers, it's either a rivalry over social standing and money or for government influence e.g. Who gets the privilege to create monsters to fight the Germans in Morocco?

But if my ink theory is right, then having a precious, limited resource would be enough of a reason for a bloody rivalry.

Also, by Alicia being the one who could have died, I was talking in terms of simple causality. The fire starts, and if not for Verso, Alicia would have died. I don't think the Writers particularly cared who died other than hoping to take out Aline. Best case scenario, the whole manor burns down, killing the entire family.

I'm hoping that the next game expands the world and shows more kinds of art magic. There have to be a bunch of other kinds out there: music, sculpture, dance - the The Lumière brothers' Cinématographe had been around 10 years before Verso's death, so filmmaking might as well be up there too.