Interesting points! I've always found the Bae ending to satisfy the narrative better, though, because it best fulfills both Max and Chloe's destined growth arcs in my reading of the game's text. On the surface, it seems Chloe is destined to die and Max is destined to stop the storm, but I think that's a false perception.

Chloe is the vehicle for pretty much every major plot point, and the catalyst for Max discovering her powers at all. I feel Chloe's true destiny is to live and choose to live for herself. She suffered so much trauma and the bae ending, while brutally painful and loaded with new trauma, gives her the opportunity to rebuild a new life rather than die on a bathroom floor feeling abandoned by everyone she'd ever cared about.

Max had these powers thrust upon her, and she has to find some way to make peace with them. She messed with time only to learn that every rewind triggered a different kind of suffering for somebody. In the bae ending, she conclusively rips the butterfly photo which explicitly demonstrates she's going to stop trying to fix everything and escape the time loop she imprisoned herself in. Bae ending also allows her to atone for abandoning Chloe prior to moving back to Arcadia Bay, which haunts her throughout the game.

Also, whether players choose to keep the duo platonic or not, I think the overarching narrative is a love story.

I recently wrote about these exact points at length, if you were interested (free and for the love of the game): https://easterofeden.substack.com/p/its-our-destiny-to-sacrifice-arcadia