If you are reading this - a fanfiction for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, no doubt you are fellow rabbits spiralling down into the abyss. Your essence overwritten by an obsession for content that is absolute cinema!
Having completed all 3 acts of the game, you are left with a hole in your chest, not too dissimilar to the giant avatar of the paintress. You have already completed the additional content, started a NG+ run through and you are listening to the OST on repeat. You have even booked tickets to the orchestra, even if you have to travel abroad to do so. No just me? Can't be, you are here reading this after all. Not a painter, not a writer, but a watcher - silently observing the universe, "Clair Obscur" with your own emotions, theories, likes & dislikes.
You see a version of the story that fits your own perspective. I can't change your narrative, your ships or your headcannons. They are what you yourself have attached to the story, things that resonate with your heart and soul, how the art speaks to you. That isn't something anyone can take from you and this fandom is amazing!
Just seeing all the fanart, comics, fanfics, cosplays and trinkets at comic con (I love acrylic pieces & pins) warms my heart. As does the engagement and recognition from the sandfall team themselves, a lot of the actors have spoken out to say they have loved the fan posts on socials, their cosplays, their work and their support. Not to mention sandfall themselves and the expedition 33 official account on instagram with posts showcasing & recognising fan work.
I've always loved cosplay, but my artistic & DIY skills are an abomination, so I've never taken a shot at it. Yet my obsession with Clair Obscur led me to make my first handcrafted mask, in line with the gestral's with 3 pictos painted on top, which I planned for comic con, but I need to rework it as I can't see well through it and it doesn't really stay fixed in position on my face, slipping.
Similarly, I have never actively tried to investigate any games lore - it requires a huge amount of time and energy to look into it and I'm not as sharp as those who piece together lore from a single frame in a video game or digging into item descriptions. But, for the first time ever, I actually wanted to know what the lore of this universe was. Especially so, after Act 1. I stopped playing, took a break and then came back after mentally preparing to finish what I started.
So, I decided to dip my toes a little, do a bit of research and then get back to my fanfiction, which I had started but hit a roadblock on. A bit of research, ended up with a bit more and a bit more, until I was drowning in tens of tabs and a large working document of all my theories and understanding of it.
My social and video editing skills are just as bad as my arts & craft, yet seeing the content from Professor Khury & Blackcoffeebreakfast encouraged me to put my own thoughts out into the internet, as I had jotted down enough to do a few videos.
I am finally done with my series on YouTube, covering my own interpretations, theories and understanding of the lore of the game on my channel:
https://www.youtube.com/@townofdudleysixth
Having completed the series, I am now seeking to complete my run of NG+ and then get back into fitting my current progress into the new framework I have built. I will also be porting this fanfic from webnovel to AO3 (I recently got access!).
I also started my own discord, as a place to discuss the game, lore, theories and my fanfic. Feel free to join using the link:
discord.gg/yZhSQKDTbw
This fan fiction is *Non Cannon*[1] - viewer's discretion advised and their will of course be spoilers! So if you haven't completed the game, 100% go complete the game before reading onwards. It is a masterpiece of a game and an emotional experience, you definitely don't want it spoiled!
[1] However much I want this to be true, ultimately it's my perspective. The beauty of the game is it's open ended narrative and room left for imagination.