Sure thing, here’s a revised version of the article:
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So, ever try writing a novel? Yeah, it’s mostly just you, lost in your thoughts, maybe cursing the blank page. But a screenplay, that’s like 120 pages tops—unless you’re, I don’t know, Martin Scorsese or something. Anyway, then there’s video game writing. Whole different beast. You gotta fill up hours with words, somehow duct-taping all the plot and play together with a team. When deadlines loom, sometimes you just type whatever comes to mind. Especially at 3 a.m. That madness? It can be brilliant!
Now, there’s this game, Clair Obscur. French vibes everywhere. But Esquie, this character, stole the show with one totally random campfire chat. Starts off about François, known as a grump. Esquie goes, “Franfran used to be all ‘Wheeee!’ And now, he’s all ‘Whooo.’” For like a whole minute, they’re defining “whee” and “woo,” and you’re just sitting there picking your path through their nonsense. It’s ridiculous in the best way.
Turns out, the writer, Svedberg-Yen, was just sleep-deprived. She’s like, “I needed seven conversations for Esquie!” and somehow this came out. Laughing about it, she admits it was a 3 a.m. brainwave.
Okay, so get this, the script for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is like 800 pages long. That’s not even counting all the NPCs or the universe’s backstory. Svedberg-Yen, clutching at inspiration straws, says she drew from everywhere. Case in point: Monoco, another character, was basically inspired by her dog. The dog needed a haircut, so boom, that went into the game with a line about looking like an “overgrown mop.”
Then there’s the “whee whoo” moment. Made less sense in the dark hours but who cares? Felt right. Svedberg-Yen wanted to express heavy, sad stuff mixed with joy right there in a few funny sounds. Too tired to be eloquent, she just went with “wheeeeee!”
Ya know, as a fantasy writer, Svedberg-Yen talks big on being real. Characters should spring from true places, even if they’re in some wild fantasy world. Goes with her gut, kooky ideas included. Clair Obscur may be tragic, but life’s got its goofy bits. She wonders sometimes, “Did I take this too far?” But then she’s like, whatever I’m feeling, that’s what goes in. That’s real because it’s honest.
