Still spoiled YEAH. GET OFF HER AND REAL!VERSO'S LAWN.
TRY HIM, CLEA. HE CAN GET ANGRY. But honestly Gustave never has to grapple in canon with the idea that he and everyone he loves (except Maelle... kinda...) are creations of their fickle gods (but does that make them Not Real? discuss) and it would be pretty interesting to see him have to dig into it with Clea of all people, who obviously has her own perspective on the canvas and its denizens, along with how her mother has been fucking it up. Not to mention his very obvious resemblance to Verso (seriously in that concept art he looks just like Gustave), only maybe even more idealized??? And his attachment to Maelle, who is in a lot of ways NOT Alicia at all even as she is (and a good part of that is his influence on her while raising her).
Fwiw, I'm team 'people of Lumiere'/'the Dessendres suck' and think Clea is totally wrong about them not being real. Justice for Gustave! (And Lune.) I would love to see an angry Gustave because 100% justified. His resemblance I think just gets snark out of Clea. She might call him something like 'pasted Verso' or 'last mimeograph Verso' because Aline is slacking in the creativity department. But that's probably secretly why she approaches/talks to him at all - we know despite what she says and how she acts that she also was willing to interact with/persuade painted!Verso even though he's 'not real'. Also precisely because he's so protective of Maelle: painted Verso is kind of...unstable... (And from what we see of faded Clea's soul in the Tower, Clea approves of the shifts Alicia undergoes as Maelle: She likes that Maelle!Alicia stands up for herself, has her own opinions, has agency and engages in the world, etc.) She might actually want Gustave around because he'd encourage that side of Alicia whereas the Versos wouldn't, and Alicia has expressed a desire to help Clea. So like well if my parents are useless, maybe you can help Alicia be not useless and I can get help there?
I do think he'd be super understanding but also extremely frustrated. Can y'all leave this Minecraft world in peace. Find some other way to sustain it and leave them alone. And yeah, he would immediately go into problem-solving mode, and I think he would recognize that Clea is the key to actually letting this world live while realizing she's definitely not inclined to do that at ALL.
Exactly. Clea could probably support the Canvas. And she doesn't seem to be actively antagonistic to Aline and Alicia being there - she says she'd be happy for Aline to stay put if Renoir wasn't also hanging out in there, and she doesn't seem to care if Alicia stays or not. Tactically, she has a point: The Canvas is an actual, tangible object in the 'real' world and if nobody protects that object, it's all going up in flames (haha) anyway. But she doesn't have any inherent need to erase the Canvas: Alicia doesn't worry about Clea coming back to wreck things after Renoir backs off, and little boy soul!Verso is even confused about why Clea's being so destructive. So it's not like...inherent to her. It's pure pragmatism: both parents in Canvas = no parents and no Canvas. Aline kicked out of Canvas by Renoir = parents and no Canvas.
(Frankly, getting Clea to be Goddess of the Canvas is probably the best option for the people of Lumiere because she'd 100% just fuck off except for getting ugly wine drunk and crying to Franfran once in a while. She wouldn't interact with them at all.)
Very intrigued by this idea of Clea taking advantage of his isolation and shock just post-beach attack. It would be one of the best possible times to get him on board with her own goals, either by telling him the truth point blank, lying, or more subtly manipulating him (not that Clea does subtle... we've all seen your Nevrons, girl!) since he's in such a vulnerable state. If she got to him before Lune did, for example, that would be an interesting alternate path to take.
Right, and that's where she'd step in, I think. Backup plan! :D Also, why not all three? Telling him the truth (mostly) and manipulating him! Ironically, of all of them, I think Clea is the most subtle: The Nevrons are weird and freaky, but they fit in just enough that Aline and everyone just accepts them as part of the Canvas, and she's willing to enact a plan that involves slowly chipping away at Aline rather than Renoir and Alicia 'Leeroy Jenkins' Dessendre's responses of 'go right at the problem'... I can see her being intrigued by the Lumina converter/Gustave's arm (why would Maman paint someone like that?) and being told about the white Nevrons would unmoor her if they meet later.
But if it was later — whether somewhere along the Act 1 storyline or with her repainting him or Maelicia bringing him back in Act 3 or... idk something else — it would be pretty fun to play with him realizing she's the one the Nevrons and Fading Boy are talking about. Some good food there for sure.
Maelicia bringing him back, him and Verso immediately fighting which shatters the 'big happy family' moment (bc Gustave can read the room and the death seeker vibes), and Gustave running into Clea somehow. Gustave and Lune getting pissed and leaving and Clea is just like... either giving something to Francois or trying to erase her white Nevrons or something. Her immediately like wtf you shouldn't exist. And like...proud of Alicia because she painted something but like...STOP COPYING PEOPLE. (Big older sister energy there.)
And yeah lol I don't know how real!Gustave would work either but throwing it out there as a 'if we wanna get really weird' option... him coming out of the Canvas and jumpscaring her would be amazing. I can also see a situation where he's offered the chance to Become A Real Boy to coax Alicia out of the Canvas. I don't think he'd take it, ultimately, but it would be pretty interesting to thread out!
The problem with real!Gustave and Clea in particular is...if she sees him come out of the Canvas and she has nothing to do with it, he gonna get shot. Her family's helpless walking corpses are there and in her brain he's either a.) another Painter (or someone related to those CREEPY ASS MIMES that started showing up) or b.) a Writers' trick. In either case, shoot/attack first and ask questions later. Damn it, Clea. And she is 100% straight up trying to murder. Girl is unhinged and not well and if Renoir (or any of them) doesn't come back she gonna end up in jail at best and dead/executed at worst.
She's fine. That family is fine. Who else would you want as your gods? (Literally anyone...)
no subject
Still spoiled
YEAH. GET OFF HER AND REAL!VERSO'S LAWN.
TRY HIM, CLEA. HE CAN GET ANGRY. But honestly Gustave never has to grapple in canon with the idea that he and everyone he loves (except Maelle... kinda...) are creations of their fickle gods (but does that make them Not Real? discuss) and it would be pretty interesting to see him have to dig into it with Clea of all people, who obviously has her own perspective on the canvas and its denizens, along with how her mother has been fucking it up. Not to mention his very obvious resemblance to Verso (seriously in that concept art he looks just like Gustave), only maybe even more idealized??? And his attachment to Maelle, who is in a lot of ways NOT Alicia at all even as she is (and a good part of that is his influence on her while raising her).
Fwiw, I'm team 'people of Lumiere'/'the Dessendres suck' and think Clea is totally wrong about them not being real. Justice for Gustave! (And Lune.) I would love to see an angry Gustave because 100% justified. His resemblance I think just gets snark out of Clea. She might call him something like 'pasted Verso' or 'last mimeograph Verso' because Aline is slacking in the creativity department. But that's probably secretly why she approaches/talks to him at all - we know despite what she says and how she acts that she also was willing to interact with/persuade painted!Verso even though he's 'not real'. Also precisely because he's so protective of Maelle: painted Verso is kind of...unstable... (And from what we see of faded Clea's soul in the Tower, Clea approves of the shifts Alicia undergoes as Maelle: She likes that Maelle!Alicia stands up for herself, has her own opinions, has agency and engages in the world, etc.) She might actually want Gustave around because he'd encourage that side of Alicia whereas the Versos wouldn't, and Alicia has expressed a desire to help Clea. So like well if my parents are useless, maybe you can help Alicia be not useless and I can get help there?
I do think he'd be super understanding but also extremely frustrated. Can y'all leave this Minecraft world in peace. Find some other way to sustain it and leave them alone. And yeah, he would immediately go into problem-solving mode, and I think he would recognize that Clea is the key to actually letting this world live while realizing she's definitely not inclined to do that at ALL.
Exactly. Clea could probably support the Canvas. And she doesn't seem to be actively antagonistic to Aline and Alicia being there - she says she'd be happy for Aline to stay put if Renoir wasn't also hanging out in there, and she doesn't seem to care if Alicia stays or not. Tactically, she has a point: The Canvas is an actual, tangible object in the 'real' world and if nobody protects that object, it's all going up in flames (haha) anyway. But she doesn't have any inherent need to erase the Canvas: Alicia doesn't worry about Clea coming back to wreck things after Renoir backs off, and little boy soul!Verso is even confused about why Clea's being so destructive. So it's not like...inherent to her. It's pure pragmatism: both parents in Canvas = no parents and no Canvas. Aline kicked out of Canvas by Renoir = parents and no Canvas.
(Frankly, getting Clea to be Goddess of the Canvas is probably the best option for the people of Lumiere because she'd 100% just fuck off except for getting ugly wine drunk and crying to Franfran once in a while. She wouldn't interact with them at all.)
Very intrigued by this idea of Clea taking advantage of his isolation and shock just post-beach attack. It would be one of the best possible times to get him on board with her own goals, either by telling him the truth point blank, lying, or more subtly manipulating him (not that Clea does subtle... we've all seen your Nevrons, girl!) since he's in such a vulnerable state. If she got to him before Lune did, for example, that would be an interesting alternate path to take.
Right, and that's where she'd step in, I think. Backup plan! :D Also, why not all three? Telling him the truth (mostly) and manipulating him! Ironically, of all of them, I think Clea is the most subtle: The Nevrons are weird and freaky, but they fit in just enough that Aline and everyone just accepts them as part of the Canvas, and she's willing to enact a plan that involves slowly chipping away at Aline rather than Renoir and Alicia 'Leeroy Jenkins' Dessendre's responses of 'go right at the problem'... I can see her being intrigued by the Lumina converter/Gustave's arm (why would Maman paint someone like that?) and being told about the white Nevrons would unmoor her if they meet later.
But if it was later — whether somewhere along the Act 1 storyline or with her repainting him or Maelicia bringing him back in Act 3 or... idk something else — it would be pretty fun to play with him realizing she's the one the Nevrons and Fading Boy are talking about. Some good food there for sure.
Maelicia bringing him back, him and Verso immediately fighting which shatters the 'big happy family' moment (bc Gustave can read the room and the death seeker vibes), and Gustave running into Clea somehow. Gustave and Lune getting pissed and leaving and Clea is just like... either giving something to Francois or trying to erase her white Nevrons or something. Her immediately like wtf you shouldn't exist. And like...proud of Alicia because she painted something but like...STOP COPYING PEOPLE. (Big older sister energy there.)
And yeah lol I don't know how real!Gustave would work either but throwing it out there as a 'if we wanna get really weird' option... him coming out of the Canvas and jumpscaring her would be amazing. I can also see a situation where he's offered the chance to Become A Real Boy to coax Alicia out of the Canvas. I don't think he'd take it, ultimately, but it would be pretty interesting to thread out!
The problem with real!Gustave and Clea in particular is...if she sees him come out of the Canvas and she has nothing to do with it, he gonna get shot. Her family's helpless walking corpses are there and in her brain he's either a.) another Painter (or someone related to those CREEPY ASS MIMES that started showing up) or b.) a Writers' trick. In either case, shoot/attack first and ask questions later. Damn it, Clea. And she is 100% straight up trying to murder. Girl is unhinged and not well and if Renoir (or any of them) doesn't come back she gonna end up in jail at best and dead/executed at worst.
She's fine. That family is fine. Who else would you want as your gods? (Literally anyone...)