#Do I think Chloe loved Rachel/Max so much more than Max/Rachel? No

[arcadiabaytornado]

At my very core I believe that Chloe loved Rachel and Max unconditionally. She would never trade one for the other because they both mean so much to her, and in Chloe’s perfect world all three girls are on a beach somewhere enjoying being far away from Arcadia Bay.

However, just know that if anyone ever makes an edit where they compare Rachel/Max to Max/Rachel in a ✨I wish I was Heather✨manner I will think about it non stop after taking three to five business days to recover.

[this-world-of-beautiful-monsters]

remembering this Extremely correct post about how lis2 is the only game in the lis series where your choices actually matter and thinking about how ironic is that it's also a game where your playable character is so strikingly powerless. Sean is the only lis pov character who not only has no superhuman abilities, but has to share an environment with someone who has (confirmed, sorry Rachel) abilities of their own, someone he loves and wants to protect, someone who can do incredible things he'll never be able to do, making their already weird brother-brother parent-child dynamic a thousand times messier.

it's a huge shift for Sean--you can literally see it in the mechanics, which go from helping Daniel with tasks in the first episode to increasingly relying on his help in the rest. ep 4 is the one where Sean gets beaten up the most because he's the most separated from Daniel then, even the whole game begins with Sean beating Brett up for Daniel, before he kept ending up in situations where he's so wildly outclassed. it's all shit that interweaves with the powerlessness that already comes from being queer/brown/disabled in america, but the difference is that those are the result of oppressive systems and the people who enforce them, systems Sean is trying to break away from, but he can't break from Daniel, he loves Daniel, and Daniel isn't oppressive, he's just a little boy trying to love his brother as much as his brother loves him, protect him with the only tools he has

and it's terrifying. like, from the perspective of a character of Max or Alex, they're overwhelmed by their own powers, but the player is in control of them and can try to find a way to use them, even if it doesn't always work. Sean doesn't have that, he just have to live with being extremely aware of how vulnerable he is to Daniel losing control. the truly fucked-up thing it's not like Daniel ever means to hurt anyone, none of the powered lis characters do, their intentions are beneficial at best and mischievous at worst, it all just has such earthshaking affects on everyone around them. we don't see Chloe's inner monologue about all the ways Max alters her reality to keep her safe, we only get so much insight into the way Haven's Point's residents feel Alex messing about their emotions,

but Sean's perspective makes it extremely clear on what a roller coaster it is to have someone with abilities to shaping your life like this, as if you're sharing your world and your heart with a tornado, a wonder and a terror all at once. idk, there just aren't that many superpower stories with this kind of look about what it's like to be on the outside looking in on godhood, certainly not to this degree, not with the focus on how intense it is, like the difference between standing in the eye of the hurricane and being caught outside. I honestly think that's one of the reasons people are dicks about this game, they don't like that feeling of helplessness, they get used to Max and Alex's incredible abilities and it's a very different feeling to have so much of your story tied to a character out of control instead.

but Sean is at once the most powerful playable character in the lis series if "power" means power over how the story plays out, over destiny. because as has been mentioned, your choices in lis2 really do matter more than any other game. it's not power that comes from what he can do, it's his relationship with Daniel, it's whether he's able to maintain high enough brotherhood to get Daniel to do some things and figure out what to do when he can't convince Daniel on others. it's whether he's shaping them both into people who will give up their combined power to the very systems they're running from or if he'll die trying to do what he thinks is best or if he'll take his control back by giving up his control, in a way, trusting that Daniel has what it takes to protect them both, and doing what's necessary to guide Daniel to that place where he can do that.

he has to choose what smaller, emotional influences he's going to have in order to build up rather than more direct displays of power. and it works, because lis series has always been all about how messy, human relationships can change and destroy so much more psychic abilities ever could by themselves--i honestly believe that no one game encapsulates that quite the way lis2 does.

[the-sword-lesbian]

Thoughts on the Arcadia Gays' Stardew Valley playstyle and who would be Best Girl for each of them?

Allllllright LiS plays Stardew Valley let’s go!

You said Arcadia Gays but I plan to do more as well so let’s get into it!

Chloe: primarily focuses on combat and mining and only really grows enough to cover favors/gifts at first but then gets really into cooking and expands the farming a bit more for ingredience. Favored relationships: Maru because fellow science nerd, Abigail because fellow adventure enthusiast, Penny because she reminds Chloe of Max. Platonic besties with Sam.

Max: terrible at keeping any crops alive so she mostly focuses on exploring, foraging, and some fishing when she gets the hang of it. Favored relationships: Abigail because she reminds Max of Chloe, Penny because she reminds Max of Kate, Sam because skater boys are cute, Leah because aloof artist girl she keeps bumping into in the woods while foraging.

Kate: Animal husbandry out the wazoo. Especially coop animals, especially rabbits. But she adores her chickens, dogs, and cats. Not super good at fishing and a bit too nervous to delve too deep in the mines. Favored relationships: Haley! Because she’s the exact same brand of “I can fix her” pretty artistic meangirl that Kate falls for every time. Penny because she can relate too much to her.

Rachel: Miss “stop at nothing” perfectionist won’t settle for anything less than hundred percenting this game. She does it all and just for the sake of getting everything she romances everyone to be a shit disturber and to get the group events. After unlocking and completing the island she will literally just log into the game and stand on the beach for whole days. Favored Relationships: Abigail because she can really relate to the feelings of being stuck in the mold that your parents want for you. Emily because she’s fun. Leah because she’s hot. Alex because a big dumb cute footballer is fun. Sam because skater boys are cute.

Victoria: playing not just the vanilla game but stardew valley expanded as well. She tries to max out all the questlines and do good at the festivals. Favored romances: Sophia because she can’t not date the cute anime nerd. Olivia because hot MILF. Leah because who wouldn’t? And very specifically NOT Haley because “god who would ever deal with all that negging elitist bs??”

Bonus rounds!!

Courtney: terrifyingly invested in this game. Has more money than you thought the UI would actually show. Beat the whole game and is now in it entirely for the aesthetic builds and collecting every clothing item. Wears a different outfit every day. Favored relationships: none by design but has romanced every romanceable character just to have done it. Gets along best with Emily though.

Taylor: Bought the game because she saw Victoria playing it. Romanced Haley and did nothing else.

Steph: All around consistent player. Likes adventuring the most. Also playing a modded version. Favored relationships: Abigail because she likes the ttrpg and adventuring parts of her character. Leah because she ticks a lot of Steph’s boxes. Emily because she’s fun. She tried to romance Haley but got tired of the negging. Sophia because of course. She also installed a mod that made Sebastian transfemme to romance.

Warren/Lauren: Made a girl character, loves the game but plays in secret. Has romanced 11 out of the 12 dateable characters.

Alex: likes the fishing and adventuring. Has a few animals. Favored relationships: Abigail, Sam, and Seb because fellow musicians/nerds. Penny because she’s just so sweet! Harvey because he’s a nice guy. Emily because she’s so much fun and so positive. She also romanced Leah and it gave her gay feelings about Char so she avoids that romance now.

Riley: one part mining nerd, one part beekeeper. Has grown all the flowers and has a textbook perfect garden/apiary arrangement. Favored relationships: Maru because fellow science and robotics nerd! Abigail and Leah because she thinks they’re both cute.

[rach-amber]

Me again!

Do you think that Rachel and Max had a spiritual connection with one another? They’re completely different as far as their personalities and outer appearances. Yet, they both have one thing in common:

Their love for Chloe.

Plus, the fact that Rachel appeared as Max’s spirit animal (the doe) somewhat shows me that they were connected to some degree. What do you think?

You always ask great questions! I must admit I'm not as well versed on Max's side of the story as Rachel's, so there definitely are people who can give a more comprehensive answer than me. But imma just try and write what comes to mind :)

For 2 people that have never met, their spiritual connection, chemistry, "fate entanglement" as I liked to call what they have are the strongest across the fandoms I've seen. When Max returned, we as players felt Rachel's presence all over Arcadia bay. In the original there was even a line to the effect of "I feel like everything in this town is connected to Rachel Amber somehow". Max was able to "see" Rachel through different people in Arcadia bay. Everyone had something to say about her, even a random trucker. It can be said that she really had an effect on the people of that town, if we put the fire aside. This town being Max's hometown adds another layer to it, it is so much different due to Rachel's existence.

left pic from a fan made Rachel DLC | Yes, their love for Chloe is the key link that transcends through time & space, allowing them to see each other in some way.

Like the town, Max is also very different from her past self. While she didn't have such a strong presence back when she was growing up in Arcadia, Max eventually became the decider of the town's (including most of its people) fate. Whether Rachel is the root cause to Max's powers is very much a mystery and up to interpretation, just like many things in life is strange.

If we acknowledge that Rachel is the cause of the fire, there could be another parallel: this girl who tried to leave this town nearly destroyed the town; meanwhile another girl who came back actually have the power to do that, or stop it from getting destroyed. Even though both never meant to. (Not expanding on Rachel being the storm here cuz it's really not definitive & personally I think if Rachel's got powers she'd just use them on those who did her wrong, not the entire town)

Personality-wise, especially on the outside, they are almost opposites. But somehow I get the feeling that they'd really understand each other, because on the inside, they may not be that different. I've seen a Tumblr post saying Rachel using her people skills to get on people's good side is mirrored by Max using her rewind powers to fix her responses. (When you've got such an ability, of course you use them! Which is different from being manipulative, might I add.)

Rachel with her sensitive, vulnerable side, which she guarded & masked with so much effort and painted with her smiles & godly social skills, is definitely able to understand & empathise with Max and not judge her. And Max being pretty perceptive herself, having quite an astute understanding of Rachel just from photos she found, is definitely able to see more than Rachel lets on. Both are powerful smartasses and fiercely protective of Chloe. (& both bi x)

Max sees, Rachel shows. The photographer & the muse. Built for an "electric combo", as Love is Strange says, even though they may not hit it off well at the start due to awkwardness or slight jealousy from both sides, eventually they're gonna realise that the other is beneficial for them. Max is able to ground Rachel and give her heartfelt & real advice that she needed; Rachel's able to help build Max's confidence, socialise better (back off V, she's with me), share insights about art & photography.

I'd even say Max & Rachel may complement each other more than Max and Chloe, OR Chloe and Rachel. (If there are more content on these 2, AmberPrice in my heart might be challenged. Yeah. It's scary.)

Some say they share the same spirit animal, which is really possible (bts putting that "doe see doe" photo on Rachel's bed frame), or it could mean that as Max's spirit animal, Max sees all spirits in a doe form. Another possibility is that Rachel have the doe as her spirit animal, and everyone who can see her spirit sees the doe. Nonetheless it's incredible that Max seems to be the only person to be able to see the doe, or that Rachel chose to present herslef to only Max. Definitely a connection there. 🦌

Looking at their personalities through enneagram (Rach 4, Max likely 9) we see that they can be similar but in different ways (9 & 4 can be mistyped):

"The difference is that Nines are detached both from the external world and from their emotions (not keeping in touch w Chloe in Seattle & delay on reaching out to her?), whereas Fours withdraw from whatever has caused them pain (delaying telling Chloe about her messy relationships cuz it causes her pain? + her immediate reaction to finding James making out with another woman). Nines see the world through rose-colored glasses, and their view of it is comforting, whereas Fours see the world from a garret window as outsiders and are not comforted: everyone else seems to be living a happier, more normal life."

Thanks for the question! I've no idea I was gonna write this long. You guys can see a few of my blogs or reblogs that I've mentioned these 2 via the tag "Rachel and Max" or "Amberfield" if interested :) Feel free to reblog/ add on!

[explosionshark]

20 questions for fic writers

Tagged by @coraniaid and @isagrimorie. thanks!

1. How many works do you have on Ao3?

45 stories

2. What's your total Ao3 word count?

361,583 words

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Actively? Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Life is Strange, Mass Effect, Avatar the Last Airbender, Warrior Nun. But i'd be down for other stuff!

Formerly: MTV Scream, She-Ra, Oxenfree

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

You Got Cool (She-Ra, 6,990 kudos)

Everybody Needs a Fence to Lean On (Life is Strange, 2,140 kudos)

Tear You Apart (Life is Strange, 1,918 kudos)

Every Other Freckle (Life is Strange, 1,579 kudos)

Dream Blue Haze (Life is Strange, 1,535 kudos)

5. Do you respond to comments?

I've been trying to more recently! But I'm not always great at it. At the very least when someone comments something detailed and thoughtful I try to reply - those comments always mean a lot to me.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Not fully intentionally but the place @holdsteady and I left our collaborative fic How to Live Here was basically right after a massive fight/breakup between characters that we fully planned to resolve and then just.... never did. Oops. Surprisingly, people are very rarely mean to us about this.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Probably Body Language? Very much intended to have that one wrapped up with a bow.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Not in a long time. Last time I really did was on some of my Life is Strange fics (either homophobic hate or bc i was writing a ship people didn't like).

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Yeah! Femslash only.

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

I sometimes joke about/hc elaborate crossovers when I'm watching stuff with my friends, but I don't really have any interest in writing any. Or reading any, really, for that matter.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yeah! Had one of my LiS fics translated to Vietnamese. That was cool.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yeah! I co-wrote How to Live Here with my best friend @holdsteady! That's the only one that's been published, at least. @nataliving adn @jewishsuperfam and i have worked on some stuff together too and that's been fun :)

14. What's your all time favorite ship?

I don't know if I actually can pick one but honest Buffy/Faith are all-timers and absolutely formative. Second to that would be Rachel/Max/Chloe from Life is Strange.

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

God, How to Live Here absolutely haunts me. There's a few Mass Effect ones (Shepard/Liara arranged marriage AU and my Jack/Miranda series) that I would love to finish but probably never will. Those are the ones that probably have the most written for them that I just haven't wrapped up.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I think I'm good at a lot of it! I write pretty good smut, I'm good at character voice, I think my writing is pretty readable

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Actually writing lmao. I struggle with coming up with workable ideas. I intimidate myself out of projects a lot. I fall off stuff kinda easy too tbh. And I'm TERRIBLE at writing alone - for anything bigger than a oneshot I need someone to hype me up and hold my hand through it or else I get bored or lose confidence :?

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

Generally in favor of skipping the google translate stuff. It's usually pretty whack

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Technically digimon when i was a little kid and before I even knew what fanfic was. First i posted was Danny Phantom

20. Favorite fic you've written?

I think Body Language is probably my best fic but for sentimental reasons I really love How to Live Here, since i wrote it with my best friend.

tagging @nataliving, @holdsteady, @shittinggold, @earthenterran, @lafgl, @aliceinwondrbra,, @strangesmallbard, @areweunderscoreweare, @jewishsuperfam, @morningsound15

[lenorelovesmax]

Thank you @angelosearch for the tag! Took me a while but here I am!

I have to confess I have two ao3 accounts, but one is secret so I'll mostly talk about the stories on LenoreNevermore. I also technically have a third that I deleted after orphaning all my fics.

1. How many works do you have on AO3? 4, plus another few on secret account. I also had a few orphaned fics on LenoreNevermore but I don't remember how many.

2. What's your total AO3 word count? 73,142 on LenoreNevermore, 33k on secret account, and on my deleted one it was over 500k

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos? I don't even have 5 on LenoreNevermore rn 😂 but;

- One Last Chance, (Life is Strange) 292

- Righteous Retribution (Life is Strange) 76

- It Happened Once in Konoha (Naruto) 22

- Princess of the Forest Owls (Final Fantasy VIII) 4

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? Yes of course! I wanna let the readers know how much I appreciate their feedback

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? We don't do that here. Only angst with happy endings!

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? I guess One Last Chance since it's the only one I've finished 😂😂😂 And Princess of the Forest Owls is a canon compliant one shot

8. Do you get hate on fics? So far I haven't. But I got a really weird comment on a now orphaned fic once, that I don't know if it counts as hate.

9. Do you wrote smut? If so, what kind? Nope, we don't do that here.

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've ever written? Oh, as a kid I used to do that all the damn time. Mostly between the final fantasy games and kingdom hearts, and Naruto. I had this fic planned, of a Life is Strange x Ouat crossover but... I don't think I'll be writing that anymore. I'll talk about this more on question 15.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? I don't think so?

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? Yes one of my orphaned fics.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? No.

14. What's your all time favorite ship? Ouch that's a hard one. I can only pick one? Idk... It's either NaruHina or Squinoa, I can't really pick one.

15. What's a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will? It was called Endless Blue... My Life is Strange x OUAT crossover. Before the entire cast ruined ouat for me forever. I get sick whenever I see the actors faces now. It was supposed to be a post bay ending where Max traveled across the country and somehow found Storybrooke, and here she would learn more about time travel, then traveled into the past saving both Rachel and Chloe without fucking up the timeline. I loved this story and I've wanted to write it for the longest time, but the actors ruined the show for me to the point that now, whichever scene of the show I rewatch, it seems stupid to me. Plots I once loved now appear like the trashiest writing I've ever seen. I don't know if their shitty behavior just opened my eyes to what has always been shit writing, or if I just see it that way because the cast are pieces of shit.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic? Oh I love doing that.

19. First fandom you wrote for? Final Fantasy! Although most fics I wrote when my age had less than two digits are lost to old computers that stopped working and notebooks that are who knows where :(

20. Favourite fic you've ever written? Right now is Righteous Retribution, but I'm really proud of Princess of the Forest Owls too.

I tag @weer02 , @celinou and everyone who wants to do it!

[tangent101]

Sacrifice Chloe vs. Sacrifice Arcadia Bay

Originally I was going to post this in response to someone else's comments on which endings they enjoyed for LiS. I decided that honestly, the person doesn't need to have me ranting on about this topic as it's long been talked about... but I didn't want to let it just go to waste. So... it's become its own unique post.

It's undoubtedly not a surprise to folk who've seen my LiS post that I always Sacrifice Arcadia Bay. In fact, I've only ever watched the Sacrifice Chloe ending on YouTube. A huge part of that is I play from Max's point of view and I honestly cannot see Max accepting Chloe's death after everything she went through. The only reason she would go back in time is to sacrifice herself so that Chloe and everyone else could live. And from a thematic aspect, if Max's time travel abilities caused the Storm then only with Max's death will there not be a Storm. But I know some folk feel otherwise.

No doubt a big part of my "issues" with the ending come from the... sense of moral superiority the Sacrifice Chloe folk swing about, as if deliberately allowing a girl to die is a noble thing. Oddly enough, the Sacrifice Chloe folk kind of shut up after LiS2 Chapter 5, when it was discovered that three years after being arrested for Chloe's death, Nathan was likely to be getting out of jail (which means he's winning an appeal, and also that anything involving Rachel was hidden or considered contaminated evidence and thus justice doesn't happen).

I have a suspicion that if Nathan and Jefferson had not been shown being arrested or we saw a newspaper headline about Nathan being "vindicated for defending his life against Chloe" then this sense of "superiority" for Sacrifice Chloe would never have come about. But that's just me.

However, there is also another aspect to this and how often I come to the defense of saving Chloe... and that's the misogyny voiced toward both Chloe and Max. I have had arguments from folks who just... went to town attacking my saving Chloe and insisting that I was a horrible person. Inevitably it would come out that they hated Chloe. One person actually admitted that they hated Max, and deliberately made choices to make Max suffer. And to a man, they were all for killing off Chloe, having Max be with Warren, and fuck everything else under the guise of moral superiority. After all, they didn't kill an entire town of people! Hahaha, so much more superior than those Chloe lovers who are mass murderers!

They defended David and got offended when people called Joyce on abuse as they liked their little enabler and said Chloe was bad and deserved to die. And then? They moved on. They had other targets to hate on, rather than some girl who they killed in one playthrough and fuck the other content.

Ah well. I saw clips on the game, and then my spouse (before we even moved in together) urged me to play the game rather than just watch it... and I fell in love. I'm just weird that way, I guess. And I look at the game through Max's eyes. I choose things I think she'd do. Just because it's fun being Max.

[blackwell-academys-airdrop]

For the ask game 6,8 and 25

6. which ship fans are the most annoying? uh. No offense intended whatsoever, but I simply do not vibe with Grahamscott (the gay one). I mean, I guess I see the appeal? But it just kinda rubs me the wrong way a little. I think it's cuz it's a very popular (I might even call it overrated) mlm ship in a very wlw-oriented game and fandom. It's like, there's 5 times more mlm on AO3 as opposed to wlw last I checked. Not that there's anything inherently wrong with mlm; it's just not for me, and it's something that gets hyped up a LOT in fandom spaces, often to the detriment of wlw, het, and other ships.

Anyway. Very popular ship for what I would go so far as to call a crack pairing. (The inherent homoeroticism of, uh... beating a guy up so hard he has to go to the hospital?) Want proof? Here are the most popular relationships (platonic inclusive) in the Life Is Strange fandom on AO3 as of the time of writing:

There are more Grahamscott fics than there are Marshfield fics (admittedly not by a lot), and that's a travesty.

FANDOM-WIDE CHALLENGE: Write >17 Marshfield fics so we can knock Grahamscott out of 4th place!

I reiterate: I do not hate Grahamscott, nor do I hate those who ship them. It's got a lot of (non-uwu softboy, mind you) potential. It simply isn't for me.

8. common fandom opinion that everyone is wrong about Bae or Bay Before the Storm is not a bad game. Actually no wait I'll save that one for 25.

Hm.

How bout this: William was NOT a perfect dad. He was a good one, for sure, but remember: our idea of his character is rose-tinted with Chloe's and Max's overwhelmingly positive memories of him. "That's one thing he left us: wonderful memories." (I paraphrase) I'd like to see his flaws explored a bit more.

25. common fandom complaint that you're sick of hearing I've said it already and I'll say it again: Before the Storm is not a bad game. It's not a great game, and it definitely doesn't live up to the original, but it's a good game.

High points of the game (keep in mind I haven't watched/played the game in about 4 years):

Steph

Interesting take on a young Nathan

CUNSn

The SMASH scene (brought me close to tears. The controllable helplessness of it all, God)

Steph and Mikey

Skip

EN FUEGO UTERO

I LOVE what they did with Samuel actually

The take on Rachel was really interesting, especially the whole backstory thing and the actress mindset

FIRE POWERS FIRE POWERS

I'm intrigued by the drawing of an older Max hanging from a noose in a tree in Chloe's journal. WHAT does that IMPLY, WHAT does that MEAN

Steph

Barb the Barbarian (I named one of my DnD characters that and made her a She-Ra expy)

Chloe's dream sequences and general sleepiness (reminiscent of depression)

PUTTING AN ENTIRE CAR BATTERY INTO HER PANTS POCKET

The snitch straight-up admitting to Damon that he snitched was not at all realistic but it was very funny

The play scene, especially if you get all the lines right

Victoria drinking the drugged tea

Farewell, especially the little choose-your-own squirrel story ^w^

Low points:

"tHe StArS aRe DeAd" THAT IS NOT ASTRONOMICALLY CORRECT (I have ranted about this before)

Damon. Everything about Damon. His character, his impact on the plot, everything.

The whole James and Sera backstory was really hackneyed

I am ambivalent about the Backtalk mechanic

The whole third episode was just such a letdown. So much wasted potential

Much like LIS, there are a lot of different subplots, but LIS wove them together well while BTS didn't.

I've reblogged a rant about this before, but Chloe has so very little agency while Max has loads of it! Admittedly, the game is a prequel so some things have to happen no matter what, and Chloe's lack of agency (and unwillingness to acquire it) is a big point of her character, but it does not make for a fun video game protagonist. There are way too many But Thou Must! moments in the story.

The friggin' end scene with Frank fighting off Damon

do NOT retcon that Pompidou was a gift from Damon. do NOT

I'm also ambivalent on the whole Max and Chloe text exchanges retcon. Like, I think Chloe miiiight have reached out to her, but Max would not have responded. The anxiety is simply Too Great.

I am also ambivalent about the Sam & Nathan thing. I wish she'd gotten more characterization than just "sweet kind girl who loves books".

Megan Weaver didn't show up. I wish she had, cuz she was evidently important to Chloe for at least a little while, and we know so little about her

I know there was a strike going on or something but I am sad we didn't have the original VAs :( (but they came back for Farewell, so rejoice!)

Chloe's VA's performance was kinda lackluster

Okay THAT got longer than I anticipated. Sorry. Anyway. There are a lot of good points to BTS. There are a lot of bad ones, too. But hey. Canon is a construct.

[chloepleasestopdying]

🔊 chloe price, rachel amber, and/or max caulfield! :)

I’m so mad I’ve had to redo this twice. I have two for everyone because I can’t chose one of anything-

Chloe:

Bad Decisions by RedHook. I fully believe that Chloe loves people’s reactions to her punkness more than actually being a punk. She loves being loud and kinda annoying. This is the song I picture her blasting at 2am to annoy David.

I’ll Follow You by Shinedown. Mostly because this is the song I picture whenever I think about the band Au, I love the idea of Chloe dashing over to kiss Max during the break and the lines, ‘I’ll follow you down through the heart of the storm, don’t worry I’ll keep you warm’ just works for Pricefield so much

Rachel:

That Bitch by Sizzy Rocket. What Rachel Amber TM was known for. This song is like what she wanted to be known as, powerful and confident. Kinda full of herself.

Pretty Waste by BONES UK. Mostly because it was in The Wilds (which is a wonderful show) and the vibes of the song in general make me think about Rachel’s vibe in LiS as being this perfect teenage girl that was lost before her time.

Max:

We Fell in love in October by Girl in Red. Honestly most of Girl in Red’s stuff reminds me of Max because I don’t listen much to this kind of slow Indy stuff but yes, Max’s favorite time of the year being fall and that’s the time of the year she meets up with Chloe does get to me

It’s nice to have a friend by Taylor Swift. Listen I have no idea what miss Swift was trying to convey with this song but to me it sounds like a girl who is deeply in love with her friend in childhood and is scared to do anything about it, only for their friend to work up the nerve and they end up together. It’s a gay song guys, is all I’m saying. Max telling herself that Chloe is such a wonderful friend when they are 13 only to get slammed by the fact that she’s in love and has been for years is just great

[polaroidreflections]

Why there needs to be After the Storm

I want to write a post everyone can reference when people say, “Max and Chloe’s story is over’ and send them this post’s way.

Exploring the trauma Max and Chloe have After the Storm would be such a unique and emotionally charged story, exploring their trauma and their love for each other would be such an intense experience.

How do Max and Chloe cope in the aftermath of the storm? There are so many questions. Max’s storm killed hundreds, thousands, and Chloe knows her life was saved in exchange for theirs. How are they coping mentally?

There wasn’t a lot of time for processing with the first game taking place in a little less than a week. Max gained super powers, watched Chloe die numerous times, found Rachel’s body with Chloe, was kidnapped and drugged by her teacher and violated, and ultimately her storm caused hundreds of lives to be lost. It all happened so fast she didn’t get a lot of time to process. Neither did Chloe - from finding Rachel’s body to storm itself, which leads to her mom’s death and so many others.

In the aftermath, where the processing can start, how are they coping? What does PTSD look like with someone who has powers like Max? What happens if Max has a flashback and thinks she or Chloe is in danger, and uses her powers? Think Logan when Xavier lost control of his powers. What do you all think happens if Max does?? 

Are they having nightmares? What do Max’s nightmares look like? What do Chloe’s? So many scary nightmares sequences to play out… Does Max, having seen Chloe die so many times, relive her death in nightmares and wake up panicking, thinking she’s dead? Is she waking up from nightmares of victims of the storm, people she feels she killed? Is she dreaming of the Dark Room? How has the experience of her kidnapping affected her? Has Joyce and Rachel joined William in Chloe’s nightmares?

The game would be perfect letting you play as Max and Chloe in different moments, bringing the heart of Life is Strange one and even bringing Rachel back and other important characters through dream sequences (Imagine Max having dreams with Warren and Kate too) or flickers of other realities. Imagine using her rewind power in the midst of a panic attack or dream sequence, it could be so emotional and intense.

How do they support each other Max and Chloe? How does their love deepen? How are they each other’s strength? They don’t just ride off out of Arcadia Bay to have a perfect life. They leave Arcadia filled with so much trauma. 

We know they become wanderers, moving from place to place. Is that just because they love a life of adventure, but also because the trauma leaves them on the move, because they can’t live a normal life after what they’ve been through? We learn in Lis2 they’ve never been back to Arcadia. To painful for them, but would they ever return? To face it?

I know people often say their story is over. There doesn’t need to be another game with them. But I think there is still one more story to tell. Before the Storm, Life is Strange, and now After the Storm. Max and Chloe still have one more journey to share with us that could be one of the most emotional games. The exploration of trauma and love. I want to see the moment Chloe covered her tattoo, I want to see the pain that brought her there, I want to see how Max and Chloe’s love continues to deepen and the way they take care of each other in the midst of something no one in the universe has experienced but them because this is something the games have never explored - the aftermath of powers causing the death of hundreds for the one you love. I’ve never read or watched a story like this and it would be amazing to see this.

I want to cry and sob and laugh and have another gay girl story that we all need. I want Max and Chloe’s story to be a trilogy. It would be perfect, and so fitting. Before and After the Storm…

Now one big argument I see a lot is “But I made the BAY choice so…” But given Life is Strange has alternate timelines, a game focusing on this timeline wouldn’t erase anyone’s canon anymore than the Lis2 photo of Max and Chloe did. Like the comics explained Max saving Chloe is just one outcome in a sea of timelines.

And it’s the the best ending for a new story, as a game that tried to focus equally on both endings would mean Chloe would not be able to actually be a part of the story, but just a very small moment or two (if the game for example was set up so either Chloe is alive or dead for example depending on your choice, this would result in Life is Strange losing it’s heart as Chloe could not be very heavily involved, we know from previous games your choices from previous games only have a MINOR role) The bae ending would make for the most emotionally impactful story focusing on the heart of Life is Strange 1 Max and Chloe.

I do want to add let me make it clear I DO OF COURSE want more new games with new characters. I am not saying I want every game to be about Max and Chloe. I just one their games to be a trilogy, and this is me explaining why. And I wanted to write this post to direct to all the ‘their story is over’ comments and all the ‘but I made the Bay choice SOOOO’ comments. This could be one of the most emotional intimate stories between Max and Chloe ever and I want it so bad.

[arcadiabaytornado]

Do you have any hot takes or unpopular opinions regarding Before The Storm?

I have a lot, actually!

A: It could have been the best game in the entire franchise if Episode 3 just didn't...do that. Like, I genuinely think Episode 3 is so bad that it tanks the quality of the game even though Episode 1 and 2 are fantastic. In fact, Episode 2 is my favorite stand alone episode in the entire franchise.

B: Rachel would have been a better protagonist.

C: The back-talk mechanism isn't bad or cringy. Yeah, it does feel like Chloe isn't dropping any actual good insults and instead the people around her are just tired of dealing with her...but I think that's kind of the point. A part of Chloe's characterization is that the people who should be helping her (Joyce, Wells, Etc.) don't know what to do with her, so they just....don't do anything. I think the back-talk is meant to make Chloe look like a troubled teen, not Kendrick Lamar talking about Drake.

D: Rachel doesn't actually get much characterization in this game, and she's still pretty much a blank slate. She tells Chloe at one point that she's afraid she doesn't have a personality, and she thinks she mirrors other people because she's unsure of herself. That in of itself is characterization, and we do know some things like "Rachel was passionate," and "Rachel liked theater," but I still don't think we ended the game truly knowing Rachel Amber, because Rachel Amber didn't even know herself. In other words: Most interpretations of Rachel are still valid. (And TBH I prefer it that way.)

E: Chloe's characterization was really good. I've heard complaints that BTS softened Chloe's personality too much, but I think it makes sense that she's not as jaded considering she hasn't lost Rachel yet. I also disagree with the complaint that Chloe is too "teenage angsty" in this game. She is very teenage angsty, but she's enduring the normal amount of teen angst while also having heavy trauma. That's just going to make a fifteen year old real angsty.

F: I LOVE Steph and Mikey...but their characters make no sense. In the first game, Chloe is heavily implied to not have had any real friends since Max left other than Rachel. Adding their existence just makes things more confusing...though it's very clear that Before The Storm resented being a prequal and desperately wanted to be it's own thing...which isn't how prequals work usually for...a good reason.

[kayleen756894]

Haven’t done much writing lately so here have a little chunk of an Amberpricefield fic I’ve slowly been working on and hopefully one day will post lmao enjoy!

“Don’t leave me out of the loop,” Max implored once she remembered how to breathe and why they went off on this tangent in the first place. “Which picture is it?”

A sheepish glance implied both Chloe’s gratitude for the distraction and anticipation of her opinion, the latter Rachel hinted by tucking her hair behind her ear, placing the camera in Max’s expectant palm.

Ah. This was one of her favourites from today, too.

“Good choice,” she said. Not that there was a bad choice. She was happy they liked her photos at all.

“Obviously,” Rachel chimed with a proud smile that extinguished any evanescent worry, leaning forward to rest her chin on her woven fingers. “I do have an eye for photos. I was in a photography class once upon a time.”

“You’re also dating a photographer,” Chloe exclaimed with a snort, shifting to wrap a lanky arm around the back of her chair. “That might have something to do with it.”

“You might be onto something there, Price. You know what I think it is?”

“What?”

“That this photographer is super attractive.”

Max nearly dropped her camera, shaky hands gripping tighter at the staggering combination of Rachel’s catlike grin, Chloe’s approving laugh, and how both of them were staring at her despite conversing with each other.

“If you’re only noticing this now your supposed ‘eye for photos’ might be a little lazy.” Chloe nudged Rachel’s shoulder. “Should get that checked out.”

“The only thing I’ll be checking out is my photographer.”

And empty words weren’t satisfactory, Rachel would never let her off that easy, cementing them by peering up and down. Those eyes were playful yet kindled with a fire reminiscent of last night, leering hazel flames consuming every writhe and cry Max couldn’t suppress, and wowser she had to stop thinking about that or they’d have to leave.

Which... wouldn’t be terrible. But she was hungry. For actual food.

“Think I’ll partner you for this mission, Amber,” Chloe said, mirroring Rachel’s wandering gaze, only amplifying Max’s conundrum. “She hella checks us out enough. S’only fair.”

Max knew her cheeks were bright red and knew hiding behind her camera was pointless but did so anyway, mumbling, “You’re both ridiculous.”

“Ridiculously right.”

“Ridiculously yours,” Rachel specified, boasted, grin softening to a smile.

Max rolled her eyes despite the warmth blooming in her chest, despite the thrumming in her heart, because yes, they were hers, somehow they were hers, and she was theirs, she’d always be theirs, and this reinforcement of her feelings wreathing the miracle of simply bantering with her girlfriends in a nondescript restaurant far away from everything they knew would’ve been silly to anyone else but to her it meant everything, and to prevent being overwhelmed she let her vision focus on the picture that warmed her chest just as much.

Chloe’s nose and hands flattened against the glass, her wide eyes and beaming smile reflecting an ecstatic mask on the shark’s snout; helping the shark convey inaccessible emotions otherwise misunderstood. But Chloe understood, knew painfully well the callous restrictions of poor reputation, and the indistinguishable soulmates of land and sea bonded beyond the barrier. Chloe’s shoulder-length ombré locks blended with the iridescent water, navy roots fading to azure and cyan like foamy waves crashing on the shore; like her hair was an extension of the aquarium and the shark could swim into her, explore the open ocean, anywhere it wanted with her by its side.

A sentiment Max shared.

Chloe made her feel invincible, more than her time powers ever did. Inspired her to stand up for herself, break the rules, kiss the girl she loved, kiss the other girl she loved. Reminded her the world wasn’t limited to Blackwell, Arcadia, Seattle, any of these familiarities she’d clutched after finally preventing the tornado and clueless how to proceed. Although Captain Bluebeard and Long Max Silver’s ship slumbered in supposedly perpetual disarray their reunion repaired the vessel sturdier than ever, so badass and grandiose their childhood selves were shrieking atop their substitute swing set, and with the addition of Quartermaster Amber they weighed anchor, venturing wherever the wind guided their sails, no destination too far and no dream too big.

It would’ve unnerved Max before. The unknown. How could it not after endlessly reliving the same experiences? Even if she hated it, desperately hunted the path fleeing the nightmarish loop, ease entwined with commonality. She grew accustomed to the people, locations, research, even the danger; outcomes she could confidently mend, escape, destroy if necessary. But how could she prepare for something that hadn’t happened yet? That her powers hadn’t warned her about? How could she safely traverse the unknown?

But Chloe wasn’t unknown. She was something incomparable to Blackwell, Arcadia, Seattle, even their apartment in Los Angeles.

She was home.

Max’s beautiful, desirable, lovable home, one she should’ve sustained, and despised that for even one second, let alone five years, she allowed the furniture to fester and the foundation to fall; to become a decrepit shell of the vibrancy it once contained. She’d never permit this level of destruction, nothing even remotely close, ever again. Every squeaky floorboard, every peeling patch of paint, every cracked window, she’d be right there to fix it. And if her hands weren’t enough, if she was missing a tool or couldn’t wield one by herself, two more were equally committed to this priceless maintenance, and this devoted unification ensured the prosperous standing of her home once again.

[rach-amber]

Stop Victim-blaming Rachel Amber

I've posted this before but still don't see it being recognised enough. So here is part of an original well-written analysis of Rachel Amber, specifically the parts that got her the most hate:

SO WHY WAS RACHEL MESSING AROUND WITH FRANK AND JEFFERSON IF SHE LOVED CHLOE?? Well, let me lead you to—

Case studies on the way predatory and grooming relationships work in BtS and LiS

Exhibit D 💀💀

**Rachel was an 18 y/o emotionally vulnerable traumatized naive girl with abandonment issues, commitment issues and a father complex who was a victim of predatory grooming.

More often than not, girls like Rachel (yes, I’m calling her a girl at this point) find themselves in the company of questionable older men because of their unresolved personal issues and lack of proper guidance. Just because someone turns 18 doesn’t mean they magically transform into this wise mature grown up who’s achieved clarity in what they want or know. Just because they’re finally legal doesn’t make a 30 something yr old going after a barely legal girl any less wrong than a 30 yr old dating a 16 yr old. Just because a girl is confident and smart doesn’t mean they can’t be exploited.

One can see why an 18 y/o would want to date a 30 y/o. But you can’t possibly fathom why a 30 y/o would want to date an 18 y/o— unless it’s for sex or you enjoy the power imbalance, which again you can’t possibly blame the girl because that's just the adult exploiting the barely legal girl. And that would, SHOULD still earn a side eye. One can easily see why Rachel would be attracted to the prospects of sleeping with Frank if it meant being able to facilitate her drug abuse and him being a possible lead to her birth mother. One can easily see why Rachel would be attracted to a world-renowned photographer who's suddenly taking an interest in her of all people, someone who can essentially give her her shot to stardom and give her dreams on a silver platter. It's hard to run the other way if everything you've ever dreamed of is suddenly being offered right in front of you, harder if you've already been charmed to feel falsely safe with them.

You cannot blame a girl for falling for men that manipulated and took advantage of her vulnerability, exploited her, especially when she had no commitments or obligations to anyone whatsoever, no one telling her ‘stop, this is wrong’— completely no one to warn her that this was a predator and she’s the victim that they’ve been eyeing since she was 15-17.

Still think this wasn’t what was happening to Rachel? Her relationships with Frank (32) and Jefferson (38) were kept in absolute secrecy even though Rachel wanted to tell Chloe (who wasn’t even a student anymore) about Jefferson. I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t sound safe or healthy at all.

EDIT: Even if somehow you dismiss the messed up predatory grooming aspect of this, the thing going on between Rachel and Frank was highly inappropriate and predatory because they were always under the influence of drugs. Consensual or not, Rachel was most likely always high around Frank which means she would've been in a vulnerable state each time and with drugs and alcohol clouding her judgment. A person under the influence— a drunk person CANNOT give consent. One of the letters she wrote to him even suggests that he was abusive at one point which indicates this wasn't a functional, much less healthy relationship at all. Heck, there's even an unused audio line where Max says: "Frank, I actually believe that you do hurt Rachel."— which just screams abuse. No idea why they decided to cut that out (DN is already sus with the way they try to make players sympathize with abusive men), but it still definitely is a reflection to what generally happens when drugs and sleeping with an older man that can facilitate their addiction is involved.

This would be different if Rachel was messing with guys their age, but no. This is specifically a girl who was being taken advantage of and exploited by men twice her age instead; one who was a drug dealer and the other who turned out to basically be a psychopathic drug rapist.

It’s just downright messed up to victim blame and demonize the girl who was being taken advantage of and groomed. Rachel didn't 'choose' Frank or Jefferson. She was victimized.

With all things considered, even if we don’t take BtS into account— we still have all these things to properly analyze what their relationship was.

If we were to include in the words of the developers/writers about the girls’ relationship to make it more credible and not just an analysis of a random fan, from LiS1:

Jean-Maxime Moris: There is ambiguity. (Creative Director)

They never confirmed whether Rachel and Chloe were in an actual relationship despite it not being up to the player like Max and Chloe. And relationships that are described to be ambiguous usually means it was complicated and not the usual standard of a monogamous exclusive relationship.

Read more in this Reddit post:

I hope this clear things up. If you read all the way til here, Thank you. Here are a few art I generated based on Rachel in the comics book cover 🧡

You are free, and you will be missed.

[ossifer-bones]

I posted 4,123 times in 2022

That's 4,115 more posts than 2021!

68 posts created (2%)

4,055 posts reblogged (98%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@riotouseaterofflesh

@mogatrat

@kayleen756894

@explosionshark

@rainboq

I tagged 1,532 of my posts in 2022

#life is strange - 840 posts

#chloe price - 434 posts

#max caulfield - 425 posts

#rachel amber - 354 posts

#kate marsh - 164 posts

#pricefield - 150 posts

#victoria chase - 134 posts

#amberprice - 119 posts

#amberfield - 79 posts

#amberpricefield - 62 posts

Longest Tag: 138 characters

#give me this in any form of fiction and i will love you almost as much as the unreliable narrator loves the person they're narrating about

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Two women think about the lost and missing part of Chloe's life, wondering who they were and what they mean to each other.

26 notes - Posted August 14, 2022

#4

guess who’s writing chasemarsh! i’m not gonna spill any further details about this fic besides the fact it’s a one-shot, but i’m hoping that i’ll have enough energy to make this a bit of a longer one than my usual style. i had a sudden burst of inspiration to write this after the idea came to me at about 4 am and my half-awake brain urged me to write the idea down, but i think that inspiration itself came from me reading Outside Looking In by Shisumo last night - which is probably the best chasemarsh fic i’ve read for a while so please, give it a read because it’s a fantastic role-reversal au! chasemarsh is a ship i actually love a lot but i just haven’t felt like my writing was good enough to do it justice until i had a few fics under my belt, and now that i’ve posted five over on my ao3 account i finally decided to give it a go!

27 notes - Posted April 20, 2022

#3

what it's like trying to reblog every funny post about the queen's death

67 notes - Posted September 8, 2022

#2

started watching first kill and I have to say that it's nice having something with representation that isn't making a huge statement or trying to be real deep.

shitty CGI supernatural monsters and a standard vampire YA plot except it's got girls kissing? sign me up! I want more gay media where it's just cheesy fun

bonus points for how the first episode opens with the leads making out bcs like right away I'm hooked by the reveal it was one of them dreaming

76 notes - Posted June 11, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

i’ve seen so much fanart of FtM jesse pinkman at this point that i’m legitimately convinced his character would have been so much more interesting if parts of his negative behaviour stemmed from him attempting to appear more ‘masc’ and overcompensating by embracing toxic masculinity, like the whole reason he flunked chemistry is because he wanted to seem like an aloof ‘cool guy’ after first starting to transition.

420 notes - Posted June 29, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[myowngametales]

Life is Strange: Just a Photo Fan Fiction

Warning ⚠️ spoilers for the first game ahead.

There I was Max Caulfield standing next to her parents at the funeral of Chloe. Joyce comforts me saying, “I know you two were close as kids.”

Little did she know, we were more than close. Every time I look around at the funeral, I have to remember I saved all those people from a terrible storm. A storm that I hope won’t come now. How could I sacrifice my best friend for the chance of protecting a place with no guarantee of success? I hope Chloe’s theory about the storm was true. That my powers caused the storm to manifest. It was a true butterfly effect that started the day I saved her.

Days pass and there are no signs of the storm. The storm had many signs like snowfall on a hot autumn day and whales coming ashore. October 11th is the day the storm is supposed to hit. So far, Chloe was right, but I stared at the photo of the butterfly. Why was Chaos Theory correct? Why did my powers dictate this anomaly? The storm could have wiped out everything, but I would have drove with Chloe away from this place safely.

Some nights, I think of going back and finding another way. Maybe, save only the people we like from the storm and let the rest go to Hell.

I only say this, because for me, this is Hell. Living without the love of my life, I have memories that can’t be taken away. I have powers that I cannot use anymore.

This is what Chloe must have felt without Rachel. I wish I could have saved her, too. For Chole’s sake, we could have been a family.

I wonder about a life I could have had. I take the photo out sometimes and focus on the photo, but I cannot become the hero. Chole was the true hero of Arcadia Bay. I ended up being the sidekick. If only she was here, then I could become Super Max again.

Maybe, Super Max is cursed. Like the time I saved Chloe’s dad. She would never forgive me if I had helped her die. I couldn’t Chloe allow you to die in vain. I find comfort knowing you sacrifice yourself for the greater good.

I just have survivor’s guilt. Why did I live when you could have lived, too? I stare at this silly butterfly. As you float in Heaven, I feel like Hell stung me like a bee. I told myself to avoid temptation I would tear this photo and never look back. I put on headphones, and of course, “My Girl” by the Temptations play. How poetic? Chloe will kill me if I finally give in and save her.

I wish my powers didn’t allow me to remember all the good moments we had together. The moment she dared me to kiss her for the first time, that time we took a swim in the pool, and when we went to the lighthouse flooded my mind. I changed so much to be with her that day. I gave up the photo contest. I had to face Jefferson again.

David and Joyce broke up after Chloe’s death. It was too much to bear. I remember how brave David was when he saved me from Jefferson. I remember how much Chloe hated that “Step-douche” as she would call him. She should have known how much he loved her. I think her death affected him more than she would have known.

I looked at the photo one last time. I study every detail without focusing too much and going back in time. I go to the lighthouse alone. The night the storm was supposed to happen. It never came. I talked to Chloe to let her know she didn’t die in vain. The sun sets on the water. I took a new photo. This is a backup if I ever need to stop myself from doing what I am about to do. I tear the butterfly photo into pieces.

As I throw the pieces into the Bay, the new picture or the sunset slips out of my bag. It is blown by the wind. I no longer have the backup. I cry as this means Chloe is really gone. I don’t know what to say other than fate, karma, or whatever you want to call it sealed itself.

We were pirates in our childhood. But I would have given up all the gold in the world to see Chloe back. That is why I took the picture of the sunset. Because I needed to know there was a way, even though I would not take it.

I still take photos. Years pass, and my art is being shared around the Bay. I wonder if I will ever find a girl like Chloe. Something tells me the Bay may not be the best place for a girl whose life was changed by her soulmate. I lost everything the day I let Nathan take away her life. It’s true that life is strange. And maybe I would do anything to have just a photo of that day.

[hotxcheeto]

LiS girls, you pretend you forgot their birthday only to throw them a surprise party.

━ 𝐆𝐈𝐑𝐋𝐒 𝐒𝐔𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐄 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐘

𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 - Chloe, Rachel, Victoria, Kate 𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 - Cursing, Mentions of drinking,

𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 ? - Yeah/Nope

𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙧'𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙚 - Was going to do Nathan too but I feel like he'd hate a surprise party. Thank you for the rq lovely!!

☆ 𝐂𝐡𝐥𝐨𝐞 - Honestly, really hurt when she thought you forgot. Chloe isn't the best at remembering but your birthday is one of the things she cracks down on remembering because of how much that means to you. So thinking you forgot did hurt.

Definetely tries pushing it away, maybe you're just really busy. She tries not to make it a big deal because she loves you so much. Really tries to forget about it, it's not a big deal and that breaks your heart later because she means so much to you. You love spoiling her when you want so finally it rolls around and boom surprise party.

Just people like Steph, Max, Kate and a few others are there. Close friends but people she will get down with. By the end of the night her and Steph are drunk as hell while everyone else is laughing. Drunken karaoke, her favorite hobby because she can sing in front of everyone and barely anyone will remember more than half of it in the morning.

When you both lay down that night, drunk and giggly. She just hugs you, tells you how much she loves you while sloppily pressing kisses to your face.

☆ 𝐑𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐥 - Now Rachel is another story, range of emotions on the inside. Most disbelief, she always makes sure to remember your birthday and you forgot hers. But she also knows how easy it is to get busy, you probably don't even remember what day it is anyway. But you do, you definetely do.

Rachel then kinda quietly reminds you, not directly though. "What's today?" "The twenty-second." "Of?" "July?" You're staring at her with confusion but on the inside you're doing backflips, bitch is a human lie detector. Right there she's really trying to see through you but you have to keep it up.

When you finally do surprise her, she kind of knew kind of didn't. But Rachel literally loves on you so much after that. Be prepared, the Leo is ready to pounce once everyone goes home.

☆ 𝐕𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐚 - She's a spoiled princess when it comes to you. She gets basically anything she wants, so you forgetting her birthday, hurts. Like Rachel, it's mostly disbelief, like 'no way you forgot'. Will outright remind you because you're her S/O like what the hell?

And you try to play it off like.. 'oh whoops.' Girl's over here like "WHOOPS?" You just shrug and look away and she knows something's up. Either you're mad at her, really don't care which cannot be possible or you're planning something.

She's stressed, and then boom surprise everyone and their grandma is here for your birthday. Parties and then probably cries later and hugs you, no ones cared that much before.

☆ 𝐊𝐚𝐭𝐞 - Very sad, not angry. Tries to brush it away just like Chloe. She doesn't want to bother you if she thinks you're stressed and busy. Just doesn't want to make you upset or anything, she thinks it's not a big deal but that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt her.

Kate probably thinks you either forgot or you're mad at her. Stressed the hell out trying to think of anything, what she did if she did anything. Comes to the conclusion maybe you just forgot because she can't except you being mad at her.

When you finally surprise her, she probably cries. Happiness obviously. Just shows you all the love later, cuddling with you. She just loves you so much and cannot get over the thought put into it.