#i mean they are in LiS1 so

[arcadiabaytornado]

I think the worst part of the lis fandom, along with the shipping war is maybe the fact fans are so divided on what they want. You've got one group of fans who enjoy the whole franchise, but another group who maybe only likes one of the titles. You've got lis1 fans who hate the rest, you've got Lis2 fans resentful of how some Lis1 fans felt Lis2 should have been about Max and Chloe, you've got fans who want Max and Chloe to return next game, fans who want a new lead and no more going back to old characters, you've got fans constantly pitting the titles against each other, you've got fans unhappy with the plots of the comics, you've got fans unhappy Steph and Alex are getting a comic... it can be a negative space and I've come to prefer tumblr because it's easier to filter out

I think that's the weird repercussion of both a choice based game and a franchise in general.

First you have the franchise issue where there are two sets of people. There's the "a story should end once it's told" crowd, and then there's the "a story can always be expanded" crowd. Those who think a story should be closed once it's over aren't going to want to see Chloe and Max forever. They're going to want their story to have an ending. However, the "a story can always be expanded" side is going to want more chapters of Max and Chloe's story until they feel like ever aspect has thoroughly been examined.

So...how do you appease both sides? Well, you can't. The person in charge of the franchise will decide if characters return or not, and inevitably a large part of the fandom will pissed.

Then there's also the choice-based aspect. Speaking of the comics, I had my Alex stay in Haven Springs with Ryan, so it's not following up my ending. While that's fine with me, it is a good example of how you can't cater to everyone's choices if none of them are "real."

More Undercut

There's no such thing as canon in Life Is Strange. Hence, why we get all the "This only takes place in certain timelines" clarifications in the comics. However, that does mean all the fans can't be catered to, just like the people who choose to leave Haven with Ryan or the people who wanted Alex and Steph to stay in Haven. The people who sacrificed Chloe also haven't gotten a comic to reflect their choice.

So how do you solve this? Do you make a follow up to every single possible outcome to make everyone happy? Or do you accept that you can't appease everyone and you should just tell stories you have ideas for?

I do think the devs are in a no win situation where half the fandom is going to be pissed no matter what they do. However, what I do think most of us agree on is that for all of this websites glaring faults, it's a least pretty easy to filter out content you don't want to see. If you block certain tags, people, and keep your following tight-knit, you're far less likely to be annoyed then in other places. So that's the plus side of the no win situation. Unfortunately, the devs don't have such an easy way out of seeing it.

#lis #life is strange #asks

[k8-marsh]

brief updates!!

thanks again everyone for being so kind :)

cafeteria:

steph:

i finished the interaction, i might change some wording or colours but it’s pretty much done for now!

victoria:

you can either choose to stay with victoria or leave with rachel (i added more story to either :-)

(whoever you sit with in the cafeteria will mean you have another interaction with them in the future, although the future hasn’t been added yet :c)

after:

added a tiny bit more plot after you leave the cafeteria as well as a choice involving nathan (this will lead to you meeting chloe in the future)

NOTE: this game isn’t really supposed to fit into a specific timeline in the original games because you can talk to some bts students and lis1 students!! it’s just for fun so you could meet a wider range of characters (and i get to avoid blame for plot holes lol). in the future, i might make games that make a bit more sense in the game’s context, for example; one centered around kate’s backstory, or what happens after you sacrifice chloe or something like that!!

#life is strange #chloe price #kate marsh #max caulfield #lis #nathan prescott #pricefield #victoria chase #warren graham #life is strange game

[this-world-of-beautiful-monsters]

something something episode 1 of lis2 being a condensed version of all lis1/lis2 starting where lis1 ends.

in the beginning we've got the dates--both games begin in october, with lis1 kicking off on Oct 28, a couple weeks after Storm Day on October 11. lis1 is (technically) contained within a week, while lis2 is spaced out over months on end, unfurling outward from a similar jumping off point as lis1.

both games begin with a powered character whose abilities are trigged by witnessing an act of deadly gun violence against a loved one. in both cases, this reaction in turn brings about further destruction (Daniel's immediate, but smaller scale, and Max's delayed, but much stronger) which shapes the rest of the game's narrative

in lis1, however, that violence is only the beginning of a much larger conspiracy of murder and manipulation, with the question of Chloe Price's shooting bleeding into the disappearance of Rachel Amber and a much larger conspiracy. In lis2, Esteban's death is a brutally simple case of all-American bigotry, kicked off by Brett Foster's casual racism/ableism and culminating in Officer Matthews' police brutality. The whole point is that there's no reason to make it a mystery, because shit like this happens every day.

and yet ep1 of lis2 is still a mystery, in its way, because Sean doesn't know why there was an explosion in Seattle, and Daniel doesn't know where his father is. Both boys pick up on signs that something is off, in a more restrained reflection of Chloe and Max's search for the truth throughout lis1, before both secrets comes out during the final confrontation in the motel room.

There are other visible parallels with Episode 5, like Sean/Max being restrained in a darkened office/Dark Room by a violent man with a brutal ideology and requiring help from an outside source (Daniel/David) to escape. And of course, there's the climatic storm (or "storm") at the end of the episode, with Daniel/Max violently losing control of their abilities with only Sean/Chloe to guide them through it.

unlike Chloe, Sean is able to calm Daniel's storm--but the Diaz brothers are still left with the worst of both lis1 endings, involving both the dead loved one who can't be rescued from Save Arcadia Bay and the destruction and exile left behind from Save Chloe Price. like Chloe and Max in the latter ending, they're seen riding into an unknown future together, overseen by animal guardians--the deer glimpsed in the ruins of Arcadia and the wolves in Sean's story.

the next four episode of lis2 provide an opportunity to answer all the questions we only get glimpses of in a Save Chloe Price reality--what it means to live on the run with havoc in your wake, what it means to really live with/love a person capable of such devastation, what it means to deal with the long-term effects of your own powerlessness in the face of such supernatural forces (which I really want to explore more later).

tl:dr ep1 of lis2 provides a spiritual recap of lis1 to expand and build upon everything discussed in that game in the process of becoming its own powerhouse. it's awesome to witness and I love it so much and I'm glad there are other people out there who do, too.

#life is strange 2 #lis verse #daniel diaz #sean diaz #chloe price #max caulfield #lis parallels #parallels #life is strange #monsters talks life is strange #we are the wolves #pricefield #ep 1 roads #bae over bay #esteban diaz #brett foster #kieran matthews #long post #hank stamper #mark jefferson #dark room #life is strange meta #racism mention #police brutality mention #angst #meta

[lenskyq]

"the ending, where Daniel and Sean live together in Mexico, is selfish and does not take into account the wishes of Daniel, who does not want to do this/ does not want to go to Mexico"

*deep breath*

okay, I just once again came across a similar comment on youtube, and I could just pass by. but I understand that I have a great need to speak out about this. even if other people have already talked about it.

you know, the statement that Daniel "does not want" to go to Mexico is perhaps the most common, which can be found as a criticism of Blood Brothers. that he just wants an "ordinary, comfortable life" like any child, that Daniel deserves this normal life, which he gets in the high morality endings.

but the problem is that people don't understand one simple fact: with different levels of morality, Daniel has different needs/priorities. with high morality, he prioritizes "morality" and the desire for a normal life, with low morality, he prioritizes his brotherhood with Sean.

people have remembered the image of "high morality Daniel" and believe that this is the only canon for Daniel as a character, forgetting that there is a way of "low morality".

with low morality, Daniel as a character is aimed at only one outcome: to stay together with Sean, not to let them be separated. he decides to cross the border even if Sean decides to surrender. this is what leads to the ending of "Lone Wolf".

the essence of the endings of "Lone Wolf" and "Parting Ways" is that Daniel makes his own decision based on his priorities, even if Sean does not agree with this decision. the statement that "Blood Brothers" is violence against Daniel and what he does not want does not make sense, because existing an ending "Lone Wolf" and because this is what Daniel demands at the border: to cross the border. "we can't let them catch us" and "don't say that, let's just get out of here" when Sean only dares to hint about surrender.

Daniel doesn't want Sean to surrender because it will lead to them being separated. Daniel crosses the border and does not let Sean give up if he decides to do so, because Daniel does not want them to be separated.

In Blood Brothers, Sean acts based on Daniel's wishes, because that's what Daniel wants: cross the border. He does not force Daniel, Daniel himself inclines Sean to this decision and this is the only decision that Daniel will make.

just as the highly moral Daniel cannot cross the border with Sean, and in any case chooses "a normal life instead of living with Sean", the low moral Daniel does not accept Sean's decision to surrender and decides to cross the border, go with Sean to Mexico.

Daniel, who wants a "normal life," gets it. Daniel, who wants to stay with Sean (no matter where, in an abandoned house in the middle of the forest, in the house of his grandparents, on a plantation, in Dali or in Puerto Lobos), wants to stay with Sean and he does not need this "normal" life if it means separation from Sean.

yes, at first he was hesitant about moving to Mexico, and that's fine. many adults are even worried about moving to another city, and here a ten-year-old child is talking about moving to another country. it's okay to doubt. people doubt even when they are offered a better job instead of the usual for them, but uncomfortable and low-paid work. this does not mean that a person "does not want" changes. we are always hesitant when it comes to major changes.

when Sean convinces Daniel that everything will be fine, Daniel stops worrying and begins to fantasize about what their life in Puerto Lobos will be like, enthusiastically waiting for this moment. apparently from the fact that he doesn't want it very much (no).

Daniel doesn't want to go to Mexico so much that he locks Sean in the car and starts attacking the cops in order to clear the way and redirect them to Mexico. see the logic? I don't see it either.

many refer to David's words, but they are not objective (remembering how many times he was seriously wrong in lis1: in relation to Kate, in a relationship with his own stepdaughter, etc.). especially when, in contrast to David, we have characters who speak in defense of Blood Brothers, such as Karen (literally their mother, to whom Daniel has a strong connection) and Finn (to whom Daniel has a strong connection). Brody, whom we meet in episode 1, also approves of their trip to Puerto Lobos. Even Jacob writes in his letter and personally tells them that he wants a successful escape to Puerto Lobos for them.

of course, we must have characters who, in contrast to the "Mexico ending team", will convince us to surrender at the border (grandparents, David, Lyla, even Hank, lol). it would be strange if they didn't exist. but to refer only to them, ignoring the characters who tell us to cross the border, is strange and incorrect.

the low morality Daniel really wants to go to Mexico, because the main thing for him is to stay together with Sean, not to let them be separated. this is exactly what he wants, not a "normal" life, like the highly moral Daniel. and each of the two Daniels acts based on their desires and needs.

stop ignoring the low-moral Daniel and judge him by the standards of the high-normal, pls.

in Blood Brothers, Sean acts based on Daniel's wishes, he contradicts them in the ending (Lone Wolf), where he decides to give him a "normal" life, which he does not need if the price is separation from Sean. you could even say that in Lone Wolf, Sean was deceived by those characters who convinced him that Daniel needed a normal life when in fact he needed Sean.

the only ending that can be said that Sean "uses" Daniel is Parting Ways. Not Blood Brothers.

#life is strange 2 #lis2 #daniel diaz #sean diaz #life is strange #lis #lis2 sean #lis2 daniel #diaz brothers #wolf brothers #blood brothers #low morality daniel #low morality

[thealexchen]

If I have to be honest, Life is Strange True Colors fandom is the least toxic fandom of them all. Everyday, I keep seeing the same arguments from the LisSubreddit and Listwt, usually by the same group of people (whom I won't name - chances are, they might be on tumblr too and could be reading this too). Such as ship wars, which are the best endings, and let alone same insults everyday like "max flopfield" or listwt starting shit and being triggered over petty reasons or over nothing. But this is what happens when you're in the small fandom dedicating to Life is Strange, I know we're all desperate for new contents. So am I, but why use the same takes that'll cause unintentional or unnecessary drama for the sake of something new? I miss the old days when we're only writing fanfictions, drawing fanarts, or coming up with ADORKABLE headcanons :(

I get what you mean, and you’re right. The lack of new content means that old discussion (more like argument topics) get rehashed over and over. Social media like Twitter and Reddit tend to create their own echo chamber as the loudest voices drown out more nuanced takes and those people become too discouraged to continue (I unsubscribed from the LiS subreddit ages ago and I never go on Twitter). But nostalgia can be deceiving; the fanbase was more active in 2015 so there was more fanfiction and fanart, but on the flip side the ship wars were at their worst and LiS1 was the subject of awful online vitriol just because the protagonist was a teen girl. I still remember the downright nasty Pricefield vs. Amberprice ship wars in 2017 and the relentless hate (and racist reactions, but I won’t go there rn) that LiS2 got in 2018. Nowadays it’s like LiS2 never existed and it bums me out, even if my feelings on the game have soured since 2018.

But I’m gonna change the subject, because I was so interested in your wording “the true colors fandom,” because I think that’s a larger issue within LiS: the internal divisions within the series and the separate “mini fandoms” for each game. It’s sadly true that fans of LiS1 are rarely also fans of 2 because there’s so little overlap. This series has has a weird trajectory from the beginning, because it’s clear that LiS1 was always meant to be a small standalone story that achieved runaway success and spawned a prequel by another studio, and then DN suddenly had to figure out how to turn LiS into an anthology series. But the very specific, unique, and unprecedented (for its time) style and cultural impact that LiS1 had simply cannot be replicated twice. As it stands, the dead parents, queer characters, supernatural elements, and indie soundtrack simply aren’t enough to keep these games feeling cohesive and like they are set in the same universe. And as such, they never attract the same fans back to the next game. Not to mention the spin-off content has been kind of lukewarm: I stopped reading the comics and it seems like everyone does not want the TV adaptation to happen.

Adding onto this, discussions about TC fizzled out disappointingly fast because it’s a shorter game with a safer, more conventional plot. The characters and main ships are the least problematic than they’ve ever been, the game is almost squeaky clean with its political correctness, and the choices are never controversial. The thing is, that leaves almost no room for discussion. I think Alex’s parents had a lot of potential for their choices and how they affected their children, for example, but they’re barely in the game. TC kind of reminds me of Tell Me Why, actually: a very safe, careful, small game that was meaningful in the moment but one that people move on from quickly.

Anyway, thanks for sending this message, it’s nice to have a LiS-related ask again.

#anon #answered asks #lis #listc #lisbts #lis2 #life is strange #life is strange 2 #life is strange true colors #life is strange true colours #life is strange: true colors #life is strange before the storm #lis before the storm #pricefield #amberprice

[chloepleasestopdying]

hot take: during the writing and early dev of lis1 max was intended to be a lesbian and her only love interest was chloe, but due to high request and shipping within the community, dontnod added warren as a “love interest” for fan service, added that cheap kiss in ep5 and changed her sexuality to bi last minute

I’m not sure about Max being lesbian early on (I personally see her as one but there is a whole lot of evidence that she’s bi) BUT the Warren thing is true I think.

I’m not 100% sure of that because my memory is Swiss cheese but the way LiS was put out means there was time to change stuff and from what I remember hearing was exactly that: that Warren was popular so they put him in more.

Considering Max shows very little interest in Warren and even when she agrees to go to the drive in she says they are bros…. They didn’t even do a good job adding him in as a romance lmao it’s clear playing the game that Chloe is supposed to be the most important person in Max’s life. That’s what makes the ending work with Chloe Vs the town. 

[badboypoirot]

Having watched Weathering With You -- (spoilers beneath the cut)

I've come to realize my absolute favorite premise in a romance work is a combination of Rescue Romance + Cynic/Idealist Duo + Always Save the Girl (bonus points for extra angst) + and, very specifically, subverting Heroic Sacrifices.

Fitting these to a tee and probably my first exposures to these: Final Fantasy X and Prince of Persia (2008). UGH I need more!

Along those lines, I finally understand why people would choose to save Bae over Bay in Life Is Strange 1. I was so shocked to see that the choices were split evenly; I was like, "Why would anyone ever choose Chloe?!"

When I was thinking about what other works might fit the bill above, I immediately thought of LiS1, but then I asked myself why I had such a visceral reaction to the ending whereas I loved what Hodaka did in Weathering With You. Some thoughts spring to mind:

Max and Chloe had zero chemistry. (This is my FlynnRiderSwords.jpg opinion, especially as a lesbian.) Maybe it was just how my first and only playthrough unfolded, but I was much more interested (and made Max more so) in Warren and Katie. Plus I thought Chloe was an asshole.

Sacrificing Arcadia Bay felt like a betrayal because of how personal it was. By the end of the game, you've really come to know the town and its residents. Choosing Chloe means classmates at school without homes, the local diner getting destroyed, and, very possibly, characters that you like dying. Obviously what happens to Tokyo is catastrophic and of a far greater magnitude than a small hometown, but most of the residents we see outside of the main cast are, well, not that great. A thug tries to force Hina into hostess work, Hodaka gets beaten up SO MANY TIMES, and they, as runaways, get treated with suspicion and hostility instead of compassion or concern. It's no wonder Hodaka would choose Hina over Tokyo when Hina has been the best thing that's happened to him. It also helps that in the epilogue we see that Tokyo has adapted and the other characters are doing well.

Despite the above, I'd still like to revisit Life Is Strange. Maybe I'll have a more sympathetic view on Chloe.

On a separate note, the idea of a perpetually raining Tokyo made me think about that Ray Bradbury story, "All Summer in a Day."

Imagine being a resident. It's been an extremely rainy season. You're a little sad because you don't get to hang outside as much as you used to. Your outfits are planned around the rain, and your cute clothes you got on sale some months ago have been sitting unused. Then things get weird. The temperatures are dropping, and it's nowhere close to fall. A huge typhoon hits with harder and heavier rain than you've ever seen in your life. They're calling it a "once-in-a-hundred-years" event. The government is ordering an evacuation, and you worry over your pets, your job, and your elderly parents. The weather, somehow, only gets worse, and it's like the world is ending.

Then the sun appears. It's been months, and it's finally here. You relish in the sunshine, for once not minding the sweat beading down your face. The rain is finally gone, and visions of a reclaimed summer fill your head: barbecue parties, the outdoors, beach trips.

Then the rain returns. And it never leaves. It's been three years.

How would it feel, having lived through that moment? You were there when the sun showed up for the last time. How would you explain the sun to small children who have only known the rain their entire lives? Would it be pity, believing that these kids will never experience a sunny day?

Or -- to lean into the theme -- would it be guilt, knowing that it was society's indolence and greed that drove this climate crisis?

Edited to add: I’ve read up on how Shinkai didn’t intend to make any political commentary on climate change, just that he was inspired by it. Ray Bradbury didn’t intend for Fahrenheit 451 to be about censorship either.

#weathering with you #spoilers for Life Is Strange 1 + Final Fantasy X + Prince of Persia #poirot posits

[ghost-in-the-hella]

So I was replaying LIS recently and got to the part in ep 3 when Nathan starts talking about the ‘weird blood oath’ Frank supposedly took for Rachel. What is he babbling about? Do you think there’s any validity to it or is it just a weird rumor? Is it Nathan trying to throw suspicion for Rachel’s disappearance onto Frank as opposed to himself? That’s just such a WEIRD throwaway line that is literally never brought up again and I still can’t wrap my head around what it’s all about? Is it another way in which Rachel is Laura Palmer-levels of manic pixie dream girl unsettling edition™️ Or is it literally just Nathan making shit up about the dead girl to make her seem unhinged, or make Frank seem suspicious? I think it could’ve been a plot thread DONTNOD meant to explore in later episodes but didn’t end up having time for? Idk I just find it strange and would be interested in your take!

Ohhhh, THIS. You know I love little throwaway tidbits in canon that canon didn't do much with but have so much potential for story. I think on my first play through I probably dismissed it as Nathan making shit up to fuel the mystery of Rachel Amber/discredit Frank/throw suspicion on someone else/be a dick. Everybody talks so much about Rachel in LiS1, but there's so little to back any of it up that it's hard to know what's real and what's bullshit. DN probably didn't know themselves. Like you say, they basically wrote her to be a Laura Palmer type. But at least Laura Palmer had recordings and stuff in Twin Peaks; Rachel's just got a handful of photos and a whole lot of hearsay. For the purposes of fic, I like to treat this throwaway line as something based in reality because I love giving Rachel a little bit of that supernatural/wannabe supernatural energy. She absolutely gives me "dabbled in witchcraft" vibes. With all the astrology stuff and her love of drama and theater in Before the Storm? Absolutely she wants magic to be real and she wants to be in charge of it. I forget at this point what I've put in fics I've actually posted and what's just sitting in unfinished fics that haven't been posted yet, but in my HC she not only did have Frank do a blood pact, she likely had others do it as well. *coughcoughCHLOEcoughcoughcough* I mean, what could be better for someone who wants to be the center of everyone's universe than to make them swear fealty to you with their own blood?

A followup question: Who else has sworn a "weird blood oath" to Rachel Amber?

#Rachel Amber #ask ghost #life is strange

[toomanyf4ndoms7]

Hey, do you want to know why I enjoy LIS?

Besides the characters, and how I find them interesting. It’s something about the art style and aesthetic. That kind of small town nostalgia that while I’ve never been part of myself, feels comforting.

The soundtrack in both BTS and LIS1 each have a different mood befitting our two protagonists, but I find myself always coming back to just check certain scenes or dialogue because these characters mean something to me.

Plus, I like Max’s development. And Ashly Burch just nails her role as Chloe. So did Rhianna in BTS.

#revelations and stupidity #life is strange

[sadhoglet]

#angus and julia stone #music #big LiS vibes #i mean they are in LiS1 so #Spotify

[technicallyblakebelladonna]

there’s a REASON that steph’s bravery comes from telling someone she cares about deeply that she “wants to be with them” and that reason is laid out for us in steph’s wavelengths dlc i’m fuckin akhdakehfskehfskhfksh

and the fact that is wasn’t just steph on her own saying “IM going to do this because i want to” it was “IM doing this because i saw the girl i care about deeply walk through LITERAL hell and come out on the other side and confront the man who tried to kill her, who killed her brother and her father. if she can do that, then i can do this” and it’s like ARE YOU KIDDING ME!??!!? ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!!! THAT’S FUCKING COSMIC BABY. literally LiS gives us wlw who just risk it ALL for the women they love. life is strange 1 yeah sure there was a CHOICE, the town over chloe, but even though max’s character was sometimes stale bread so that the player could be as “in charge” of her decisions as possible, if you fucking just take 2 seconds to look at her journal, her lines of dialogue, max is CONSTANTLY putting chloe first in all circumstances. CONSTANTLY. the line that comes to mind is “chloe, i wont trade you” but i KNOW there’s more evidence than that, it’s just been a hot minute since i’ve played

AND I ALMOST FORGOT AMBERPRICE TOO LIKE. hELLO!? these two gays were ON STAGE and rachel literally proposed in shakespearean just to tell chloe what she means to her in that space in time in her life LIKE COME ON. again, like even though they ended in tragedy too it’s just like, they were exactly what they needed for each other at that time. sure they were volatile and explosive but they were each other’s anchors through the entire shithole of a hand that life was dealing them at that moment. in LiS1 chloe LITERALLY SAYS that rachel was “her angel”. like are you kidding me go off with that fucking romantic shit like PLEASE

POINT BEING. life is strange is literally out here creating the most beautiful universe bending, otherworldly cosmic sort of love stories for the wlws and i’M SO HERE FOR IT. PLS DECK NINE KEEP ON GIVING US EVERYTHING and dontnod you were here too u helped i guess but i still wont forgive u for only letting us kiss chloe if you sacrifice her so like 2/10 dudes

#listc #lis #life is strange #life is strange true colors #chenrich #pricefield #amberprice #alex chen #steph gingrich #max caulfield #chloe price #rachel amber #random reagan rambles #oh d9 ......... my endless appreciation for you #and dontnod u can stay too ig

[oodlyenough]

life is strange true colours review

the non spoilery part: i LOVED this game, my personal fave game this year and the first franchise entry since the original that has really resonated with or moved me.

it's a life is strange game through and through, so if you don't like slice of life episodes or bonding with NPCs, it's not gonna be for you. but if you like the franchise, or even if you liked the first game but haven't been interested in/liked the other two instalments, i recommend giving this one a chance. i think it got closer to figuring out the formula while still doing something new and interesting.

more detailed spoilers and opinions:

alex

holy shit i love alex? bisexual chad... my darling... i'm gonna be real, a lot of the trailers and promo for this game made me worried she'd be kind of a dull wallflower Soft Girl character, but she's not! she's so funny, and even parts of her characterization i initially thought were maybe a bit of a stretch ended up making sense as i learned more about her. she stole the show. i straight up forgot how much loving the protag helps enjoyment of these kinds of games lmao ... finally a reason to click on everything in the room: to hear what alex will say about it.

i thought her backstory exploration in ep 5 especially was wonderful and emotive and great. broke my heart and explained so much about her :( baby girl

plot/choices

i loved the mystery. i don't think it was quite as Mysterious as the mystery in lis1, but that was okay, i was still invested in solving it. i also got invested enough in the NPCs around the town to make all the exploration bits really fun. i loved eavesdropping on the sagas of the random NPCs like bald man and ice cream couple... just fun little touches and narratives to follow that i enjoyed.

i really appreciated this script not being afraid to shy away from some messier emotions, even if in some cases i wish we spent more time on them. for example: alex feeling a bit jealous of the other people in town that got to know gabe better than her/spend more time with him than she did. or charlotte hating ethan!!! my jaw dropped, i thought that was so good, what a messy but realistic response.

I'm not entirely sure what all the ramifications of different choices are at this point, fresh off my first play. i ended up getting only part of the council to stand with me (eleanor & duckie) while losing pike and charlotte.

i do wish we saw a bit more fallout or exploration of what taking away emotion DOES. i took charlotte's anger, and obviously it meant she didn't stand up for me in the council meeting, but where does she go from there? does she like... ever return to feeling emotions lmao... I also think we probably should've had the opportunity to do that another time, instead of just 2 isolated events -- I think Diane would've been a good candidate.

the romance

i romanced steph, ofc, but i was surprised during the game how drawn i was to ryan too -- i really liked that Drama of him being the one who cut Gabe free, as well as later the drama of him being Jed's son. UNTIL HE DIDN'T BELIEVE ME... that made me mad lmfao, i have to learn what to do to make him believe me before i play a Ryan route bc i'll kill him lmfao.

the steph/alex romance was sweet... it didn't really, like, Consume Me as a ship, but by the end of the game I was still "aww"ing at their moments in the flashforward. steph was more rounded and flawed than i thought she might be, which i really appreciated! i was worried they'd just make her perfect idealized gf, but she has a bit of a temper and is kind of tempestuous and stuff... liked it. loved her standing up for alex so fiercely and immediately at the council meeting <3 and my main reservation about her in ep 4 was that i wanted alex to stay in haven, so when she offered to stay i was thrilled LOL

one semi-complaint i had was that something i loved so much about lis1 was how max and chloe's relationship was central to the entire game and story, it wasn't some extra thing on the side, it WAS the game... whereas here, the romance routes, especially steph's, felt like sidequests. I wish they'd found a way to incorporate those relationships a bit more into the main goings-on. I also wanted to spend more time with either romance option to feel like I knew them better -- splitting the time between Steph and Ryan means that I came away feeling like I didn't get quite as much of either of them as I would've liked, vs spending almost the entire game with Chloe lol.

however, this ended up not really bothering me too much because I DID really like the core mystery and themes, the exploration of grief and Emotion, etc.

other characters

considering everyone knew going into the game that gabe was going to die, i was impressed with how they did it, and how they managed to get me attached to gabe in a mere single episode. it's a tall order to introduce a character designed to die, who your audience KNOWS is going to die, and still make them work.

i thought this supporting cast was ... maybe the strongest in the franchise? or at least, they created scenarios where i felt invested in multiple people in the town, and was genuinely trying to build decent relationships with most of them. duckie cracked me tf up, i liked eleanor and riley, even diane and jeb were good for their roles. (fuck pike. i signed ur stupid thing and left your emotions alone and you still won't do shit? ACAB!!!) the choice to stay in haven or leave was a little harder than i expected honestly, considering how quickly i let arcadia bay burn to the ground lmfao.

gameplay/etc

also i know the whole internet has been dunking on "empathy" as a super power since the game was announced, and i get that it sounds corny and looks corny in the trailers, but i thought how they did it was really cool. i wish they'd branded it "Mindreading" more than empathy tbh because a lot of the cooler elements of it are more along those lines... using her power to manipulate people, potentially taking people's emotions away and what that does to them... very interesting imo!

i really liked the memory feature!!! cool way to give us character exposition and inform the story while encouraging exploration. finally a collectible that like, expands the story, instead of chloe drawing butts on the wall and sean taking 10 years to draw something.

it's definitely the most evolved-feeling LIS game, which it should be, given it's the newest. graphics looked really nice, loved getting to see the characters actually emote, even if there are still some scenes that were a lil comically blank-faced -- usually NPCs. i actually noticed this with Jed the most, which in retrospect maybe was somewhat intentional?

i had a number of visual glitches, nothing major but a little silly, like T-posing Alex, npcs t-posing in the windows, etc. i'm sure they'll get patched out soon.

anyway... i rly liked this game, i'm excited for the steph dlc and finally feel like i have reason to be optimistic about future LIS instalments. hooray!

#life is strange #true colors #listc spoilers #lis spoilers #secrets of haven

[elffees]

smthg i really like about the lis2 endings is that their favoritism is really just determined by your own mindset. like none of them are inherently better or worse than the other. the perspective on every ending changes based on the player’s pov rather than from an objective standpoint or creator favoritism (like how in lis1 the sacrifice chloe ending was obviously the one the writers favored bc it got loads more screentime than the sacrifice arcadia bay ending)

like now that ive finished the game and have been going through fan content, i’ve seen several people say they count the Parting Ways ending to be their favorite. meanwhile i personally think it’s only a step up from Lone Wolf in regards to what i view as a “bad ending”. and that difference in pov makes complete sense bc my stance on a good ending for sean and daniel is them either staying together or ending up back with each other at minimum. any ending where they’re apart and/or hardly interact feels like an absolute failure to me bc of my own views. while people that value for both brothers to have freedom above all, rather than togetherness, understandably wouldnt mind the separation.

and that’s kinda what i mean like, no ending is clear cut The Best or The Worst.

if you placed higher value on them gaining freedom, then the endings where either both of them or only one of them make it to mexico would be amongst your preferred endings.

if you placed higher value on them staying together, the endings where both of them make it to mexico or where they hug after sean gets out of jail would be amongst your preferred endings.

if you placed higher value on which diaz brother you liked the best, then, depending on which bro, the ending where sean dies would either seem heinous to you or indifferent/preferred. or the ending where daniel takes the rap and is placed under house arrest would either feel heinous to you or indifferent/preferred.

and i’ve also seen some people argue that “daniel never wanted to go to mexico, he hates it” so they count any ending where he ends up there as undesirable. and i’ve also seen others say “america is just too corrupt, theyll never be truly happy/free there” so any ending where either of the diaz brothers remain in america is undesirable to them just the same.

and maybe there’s people who prefer or despise certain endings for reasons i haven’t even thought of. the possibilities are legit endless.

like it’s all really just a matter of how YOU felt about the characters and the story and what YOU wanted as an outcome that determine which endings you see as “good” and which are “bad”. and while most choice-based games try to pretend like they have a huge amount of neutrality on routes/endings, more often than not creator favoritism is grossly clear.

also on that note, in these kinds of games the description of ending variations are vital in how they’re framed, and fortunately lis2 describes the differences in their endings in a perfectly neutral light that the player can make what they will of: “overall you taught daniel to do his best to follow the rules of society” vs “overall you taught daniel to put himself and his brother first”. neither of them say bullshit like “you taught daniel to be a good person” or “you encouraged daniel to be violent/cruel” with obviously biased descriptors. they’re both completely neutral.

like in a lot of choice based games with varying endings, more often than not certain routes are obviously encouraged by the devs. but in lis2, the endings aren’t as clear cut and feel much more left up to player interpretation and that’s really cool. i like that a lot.

#lexi plays lis2 #life is strange 2 #lis 2 #lis2 spoilers // #just in case but i’m pretty sure most have played it already lol #long text post // #kinda

[thealexchen]

It’s so weird to me that people in this fandom get called abuse apologists or some other inherently horrible and damaging label for simply liking certain characters. Whether it’s for liking Chloe, Rachel, Victoria, Finn- hell, I’ve even seen Alex stans get hate bc some people think she’s too needy and that she expected too much of those she talks about in her journal. 🤦🏼‍♀️But even if that were true, you can like a character w/o thinking every aspect of them is perfect bc everyone is flawed.

It just blows my mind because one of the basic principles of character writing is that characters need to be flawed to be written well. You don’t have to be a professional writer to know that; humanity is imperfect and that is a universal and eternal truth. We fuck up, we say things we don’t mean, we have limited perspectives, and we are always learning. Also, if people weren’t allowed to enjoy media with some problematic elements because it was indicative of their personal character or values, then we’d never be able to consume any media that was more than 5-10 years old, and even that is debatable. Like, even ATLA could be written off as problematic and unwatchable for having white actors voice Asian and Indigenous-coded characters or that the ships are inherently flawed, and that would be a damn shame.

I noticed that the characters in True Colors, and TC in general, tries harder to be inoffensive and sanitized. Its stakes are lower, its tragedy is more muted and understated, Alex’s backstory is very dark but is presented and resolved in one neat nightmare sequence, its violence is downplayed (Gabe is the only character to die, and mostly offscreen, and Alex is shot but is never shown to be in any danger of collapsing or dying during chapter 5). It also tackles fewer social issues and with a lighter hand, such as the structural flaws in the foster care system and its coverage of mental health. It expresses its opinions far more quietly than LiS1 or LiS2, if at all. Whereas in those games specific characters represented very extreme political views (David’s comments on women, Chloe’s comments on guns, all the racists in LiS2), nobody outright vilifies the Chen siblings except maybe Mac. The main characters are all older and more mature, and nobody pressures Alex into making morally dubious decisions like in the previous games, but they lack the “bite” of previous companion characters that might have made them more memorable or relatable to some players. I don’t think this is bad writing, but it’s clear how LiS2’s critical reception compelled D9 to dial back on the politics in TC.

And even after all that, people find ways to hate on Steph for being “overrated” and Ryan for being “boring,” or they fixate on his one mistake of not believing Alex (which is entirely conditional) as a reason to hate him and call him irredeemable. Or people write off TC as forgettable, boring, or overhyped as well. While I love TC, I do think that it took much fewer risks than previous games to alienate fewer fans. If D9 wants to write its games like this, that’s great for them, but as fans, I think we can afford to play these games with a little more nuance and, well, empathy toward its characters, including their flaws. It’s what TC is all about, after all.

Thank you for sending this ask!

#life is strange #life is strange true colors #alex chen #listc #life is strange 2 #chloe price #finn #gabe chen #steph gingrich #ryan lucan #writing #anon #answered asks #lis #lisbts

[ashisstrange]

MASTERLIST

My oddly specific Nathan Prescott headcanons

After doing Warren it felt wrong not to do Nathan right away, since they're both my favorite characters in lis1.

I'll probably post a grahamscott hc post soon too, which will probably tie these two posts together a bit more (hint hint)

ps. the themes are kinda all over the place, sorry for that lol

‼TW: slight mention of suicide/sh in like two of the hcs‼

✥﹤┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈﹥✥

• Listens to all kinds of music, but mainly classical, It's calming.

• 100% dog person, he wouldn't want to be found dead with a cat. Cats hate him just about as much as he hates cats.

• Has a tendency to wear the same clothes for long periods of time, without actually noticing that it's gross

• Man abuses the shit outta deodorant and cologne though so nobody notices. He only changes once Victoria points it out lol

• Him and Victoria are childhood friends, and their families are very close

• He has a facination for oldtimers (old cars). Which is the exact reason he has a beat chevy pick up instead of your average rich kid car

• Begged his mom to ask his dad for a chevy instead of a sports car

• Which brings me to: mommy's boy :)

• He loves his mom, even though he's ASS at showing it. He checks in with her at least once a week.

• Tends to start his day with two whales diner breakfast. If he doesn't go to the diner his day usually ends up being at least 25% shittier than usual. Maybe joyce just brings luck.

• A CHEM MAJOR ‼‼ (pls im 99% sure this is canon pls take notes)

• Has been interested in art and photography since he was a kid, but his father never praised him for his art. He wasn't allowed to attend art school in the end, so he opted on taking the chemistry course at blackwell

• He usually insults people when he doesn't actually mean it, and if you don't react to his insult angrily he'll probably apologise

• "The fuck you want u tard!?"

  "I'm..... i'm sorry i didn't mean to call you that,"

• A  s u c k e r   for old movies and music, but doesn't really have anyone to watch them with

• He also enjoys horror a lot, particularly the gory kind (Think of japanese horror movies or for example the saw series)

• He owns the entire junji ito collection

• He likes to photograph subjects that are close to death or have been in direct contact with death, just so he can forget about how much he actually wants to die himself

• He gets anxious really easily, he tends to fidget a lot and struggle with sitting still (bouncing leg and picking at his fingers)

• Freckles!!! like all over his face and collar bones

• Overthinks like, everything he does/says

• Which is why he usually tries to not talk to people outside of his circle too much

• A sucker for disney movies, but he's never admitted that to anyone, not even Victoria. His sister knows, since they used to watch them together as kids

• Quite a picky eater, which is why he tends to stick with the same order for nearly every restaurant he goes to

• Can't really handle big changes well, so he sticks to the same people to hang out with and the same routine each day

• Can't sleep unless it's completely dark and completely silent

• Knows how to play the piano

• Doesn't use social media much, because he doesn't really need more negativity in his life than he already has. He only uses it to check Victorias page or online shopping

• He does enjoy his alcohol/drugs, but he knows his own limit (and he also clearly knows when he's purposfully crossing it)

• A complete sucker for stargazing, even though he knows absolutely nothing ab astrology

• Hangs out at the lighthouse a lot to cool down after a long week, smoke a cig and listen to some music after dark

• Hates physical contact with anyone he doesn't trust (which is practically everyone except like three people)

• regarless of that, he's very touch starved, so when he does get a hug he will like melt into it

• HATES summer with a burning passion. Probably also because it's quite hard to wear long sleeves and get away with it (plus its unbearably hot)

• Doesn't realise he has a resting bitch face lol

• He has one of those pine tree air fresheners in his car, hanging from the rear view mirror. Specifically the dark green one that smells like a forest.

• listens to music all the time, like while doing the most basic tasks. Mostly because music helps to drown out his thoughts (and possibly distract from hallucinations)

• His hands and feet get cold very quickly

(Comments are very welcome, i'd love to know ur opinion on my hc's :3)

#nathan prescott #lis #lis1 #life is strange #headcanon #nathan

[measuringbliss]

Just as with Disco Elysium, here's my Life is Strange "how much I'd like to f*ck/date the guys" tier list. Please note I haven't played LiS2 lol I'll stay vague about True Colors but I *will* spoil LiS & LiS BtS.

Let's go in order, shall we?

Skip Matthews: Skip is THE guy I thirsted on, in Before the Storm. I was still high on that Will Graham thirst and this guy right here didn't nothing to quell my thirst. He has everything: the uniform, the hair, beard, posture, pathetic vibes... he even does nice music! And he's one of the few adults who's really chill with Chloe. Damn. I love him.

Charles Eriksen: Obviousy physically, he's my thing (what a surprise). Apparently his wife is dead and he became an alcoholic? Yeah it only adds to the whole thing. (You all know by now that I'm a lost cause lmao)

Diego Morales: Have you *seen* him?

Brody Holloway: Oh a bear journalist with glasses, what's not to like? Apparently he's even a nice guy!

Frank: Listen at this point if you're still surprised, there's nothing I can do for you. He's not relationship material but. He can get it.

Gabe Chen: COME. ON. What a stud. Everybody loves him and that's for a reason. He's charming as hell and absolutely hot. He's also a nerd, and we love nerds in this house.

Jacob Hackerman: That gay guy from LiS2 I know of because he's the gay guy you can't date. He's cute!

Mac: Is he a jealous pathetic fuck? Yes. That's my brand. Well I could do without the jealous part, but he's insecure. I can fix him. Or make him worse. He's an awful guy, but he's nothing compared to...

Mark Jefferson: Ooh boy. Yeah he's an evil guy, yeah he's probably terrible in bed and wouldn't shut up about art nouveau and whatnot, but I'm weak. I'm just a sl*t, folks.

Pike: It's the dad energy. He's Hopper but thinner (*sad*) but he still has that dad energy. I'm weak.

Ryan: THE MOMENT MY EYES FELL UPON HIM, I KNEW I HAD TO DATE HIM. Damn. Just. Damn. His role in the storyline is *chef's kiss*. He's also much more present that Steph imo, like Steph is "around you" and Ryan is "next to you" if you know what I mean? I dunno. Damn he's great. (ALSO THAT SCENE IN CHAPTER 2 IS BEAUTIFUL, COME ON)

Chloe's dad: He's a nice dad.

Justin Williams: He's just chilling, he's nice, that's a goal right there. 100% would date. He's so chill. Very lovable character. I can't do my loving of the character enough justice. He's chilling when everyone else is either hyper or an ass.

Esteban Diaz: Oh another dad! He seems nice. Hope nothing bad happens to him.

Joey Peterson: He's beautiful but he's also one of the few characters that really look dateable. He's husband material, not just f*ck buddy material. I've got a ring for you, sir.

Nathan Price: Listen we all know Nathan is awful and IRL I'd absolutely steer away from that kind of person, but it's a videogame and I can!!!! Fix him!!!!

The bouncer from BtS: Not only can he protect you with his muscles, but he's genuinely a fun guy from what little screentime he has. It helps that Chloe's backtalk mechanic is so silly it makes him immediately endearing.

Warren: Haters gonna hate but I actually decided to date him with Max in LiS1. Okay here's the thing: I feel like dating Chloe comes with a lot of baggage. She can be annoying as fuck at some points in the game, and I understand it, I really do, I see where she's coming from and I absolutely cried in the DLC of BtS, but she's still A LOT to deal with. Meanwhile Warren is just generally supportive of Max, even though she's kind of an ass to him lmao. The narrative pushes Chloe/Max as far more canon than Warren/Max, and the Warren/Max romance feels like their kiss in EP5 is just something Max does to make him happy in this apocalypse, even though she doesn't really love him. It's clear she doesn't have the same relationship with him as with Chloe. But in the end, I've fallen for the nerdy nice guy (and not "nice guy" like someone else in this list...)

The rest of them: Eww. Though I have to say I quite appreciate the theatre teacher. The play part in BtS felt awfully close to home, in both the best ways and the worst ways. I've rarely felt so conflicted on a piece of media hahahaha

#life is strange #tier list #i picked the Bay ending