u/Gersinhous

A lot of people interpret Maelle’s ending as a repeating cycle, saying that Alicia became the new Aline and that another fracture will happen because it seemingly ends the same way the game begins (with the same song). However, I see it quite differently, but it is just my point of view.

First off, I don't think Aline and Alicia are in the same situation. While Aline was driven by grief, Alicia’s reasons are also about the life she built inside as Maelle alongside those people.

Secondly, the tragedy inside the canvas happened because the Dessandres could never reach a consensus, especially Aline and Renoir. With Alicia, things are different:

• Renoir, even knowing the truth, respects her autonomy, lets her stay, and hopes she finds peace.
• Aline enters the canvas to retrieve Renoir, fights alongside Alicia, and chooses to leave on her own terms.
• Clea not only believes the canvas is safer for her, but in the Endless Tower explains that choosing your own future isn't selfish. She even gifts Alicia a hairstyle (Maelle's hair in white), as a reminder that she is who control her own life.

The whole conflict in the game existed because the family was forcing their wills onto each other. By the end, they seem aligned in letting Alicia make her own choice.

Lastly, regarding the music. The track played in Maelle's ending isn't the opening track as many people claim, it's "Maelle", which is a French variation of the starting theme "Alicia". To me, it represents her choice to leave "Alicia" behind and embrace her life in the canvas as Maelle, the Paintress and not the game "restarting".

I was doing my third playthrough and a specific detail about the Paintress boss fight broke me.

During the fight, she seems entirely sure that Alicia and p.Verso aren't her Alicia or her Verso. At first, I thought she was confused because of her lines:

>"How cruel of your father to use you like this."
"Do you understand what you've done? You killed him."
"Foolish child! You defied me and now he's dead."

Since we had just defeated p.Renoir and she says "you killed him" and something about a father, I just assumed that she was mad at Verso because he helped kill his own father. But then she says:

>"Your face... did I dream the fire? Is Verso still alive?"

Then, I realized that all those lines could be actually about Maelle, and the "he" who died is the real Verso. This means that during the entire battle, she is blaming Alicia for everything that happened to their family.

I mean, the Painters can read the chroma, so she could notice that Maelle is Alicia at some point. Am I crazy?