#also kate's way too innocent for all this and even chloe knows it | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

wolfhowlingdragonflyingsirensong · 4 years

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spoilers

Since I recently played Life is Strange, which whoah, is totally an experience that I recommend to everyone, I’ve come to appreciate how well the game handles choices. It’s interesting how choices can seem meaningless good acts, like helping Alyssa avoid being hit, translates to her trusting Max enough for Max to save her. But, the game also points out how we can’t control consequences, since good deeds are done with nothing but good intentions can have fatal consequences, such as warning Victoria (and her believing you) leads to her murder, or the biggest good deed of them all, saving Chloe, leads to a storm that (can) kill lots of people. And ultimately, what’s cool is that every choice is canon, since Max it’s not a blank slate, meaning every choice the player makes is something Max considered. What do I mean with Max not being a blank slate? I mean regardless of your choices, Max likes waffles AND bacon and eggs. This is a minor example, but it serves for many things. Max can comfort Victoria or not, and later when they talk at the party regardless of your choice, Max at first is pretty angry, so she’s completely capable of standing up for herself and others. Max loves Chloe regardless of the player's feelings towards her. Max can be pretty uncaring or a literal angel, by Kate. And all of this is canon because even nice people contemplate not being nice all the time, even if it’s only a thought. This brings me to the ships topics. First of all, I’m glad that this game has non-ambiguous, non-sexualized, soft wlw romance (actually two counting BTS!) without the canon protagonist being turned evil or something, and I think that’s incredibly important. If the game had only Chloe as a love interest, I would totally get it and have no problem, because the game is pretty much focused on their bond. Not that it matters to those who do, I personally don't ship it because I self-project (and I totally recognize it) on friendships I had in my youth that were a bit like Chloe and Max's friendship in the first episodes, and they were toxic. Don't get me wrong, I loved my friends and they were (are) good people. I like Chloe a lot, and there's no denying that there are strong feelings on Max's part for Chloe that are romantic, and it's up to the player to determine if Max is going to pursue Chloe. Denying it means that is both not reading Max's diary and erasing her sexuality. I write this because I don't want to seem like I don't ship them because I like Grahamfield, it's not that, I could very well be into both, and I think Chloe develops so much at the end of episode 5 that, while before I thought she was only in love with Rachel, at that point is totally understandable for me. If you ship Pricefield then that's awesome! You have all the canon content to back you up and a beautiful story of love with the childhood friends-to-lovers trope, can't get much better. Plus, the whole game is about their bond. It's incredibly well developed at the end mostly when you see Chloe growing out of her initial angry phase, and maturing in a beautiful way. So, shipping Grahamfield in this fandom sometimes feels like hey, you are a giant dick. I don't like hate on any ship or character (especially dunking on Chloe, because she's a representation of how trauma is not nice while actually being cool and kind, as well as being one of the few wlw canon protagonists), because both choices are completely canon, it's entirely up to the player. Again, if Chloe was the only canon love interest then that would be totally cool. Buuuut Max can choose to go on a date with Warren, write on his slate that he is cute, raise his grade (which can be done as a friendship thing only), help him in his experiment, kiss him, and if she does, she writes in his diary "I wanted one kiss from a boy I cared about", that to me, reads as having a canon interest in him too. And since Max is bisexual from what I understand, erasing that part doesn't sit well with me. Both Chloe and Warren have flaws, which hey is what happens with characters. Can you imagine having perfect characters? That would be so boring. He is a realistic 16-year-old boy to Max's 18 and Chloe's 19 years. He is extremely awkward, dorky, a little cringy, a boy with a harmless boy with a crush and that's normal at that age. He's helpful almost to a fault, and while some argue that's because he feels entitled, let me tell you, no niceGuy I've ever met has been so helpful if you don't give in, they don't back out after someone lets them down nicely, and he states his interest in Max clearly, and niceGuys don't tend to do that because they like to pine away and be angry that a girl didn't read his mind and magically fell in love with him. He believes Max from the get-go and helps her all the time, regardless of his feelings, which is like, basic decency, so if you want to call him a piece of shit I think that's going a little too far. If you want to take the words of others, Kate says he's a smart and silly cutie-pie with a good heart, suggests they take him with them to their tea-shop tour of Portland after everything and supports their date (besides them being friends, he brings her homework and is shown worried about her). I don't remember that part well, but I think Alyssa and Dana also support Grahamfield (and Brooke is very jealous!) so I think if he was an asshole they wouldn't be so supportive and Brooke wouldn't be into him, or Stella in another reality. My only point is that hey if you don't like him that's fine, but to call him a pervert or entitled or assholery is kinda uncalled for, to be honest, and using the nightmare sequence, in which EVERYONE is out of character (except Jeffershit) and shown being assholes, as a canon that he is bad seems to me like going out of your way. It's a nightmare for a reason, do you really think Kate would have said those things to Max if you save her? She's incredibly grateful. Or do you think Chloe would have done those things??? She would NEVER. Then why is Warren being treated as someone who would do those things for a nightmare? I don't get it. There are two myths regarding him: that he spies on Max and that he photoshopped a photo with them. First one, you can verify with mods that he can't see SHIT, he is merely waiting for her outside. Second, the photo is developed, not photoshopped, Max doesn't say hey we never took that photo, she merely is surprised he kept it. Now, he's a bit pushy when it comes to the drive-in (he acknowledges he's a pain in the booty), says like a stupid joke (a 16-year-old making stupid jokes, what a crime), and has that photo, which for some is crossing boundaries, and hey, that's fine. I, personally, just think a 16-year-old having a photo with his friend and crush is not creepy or bad. So, now that I'm over the ship discourse, which I hate but had to write to explain, I'm so glad this game brought so many interesting characters. My only complaint is that it felt a little too short when it came to other characters, I guess it's because the literal theme of the game is about abandoning youth and growing up as well, so that's because it's very focused on Chloe and Max's relationship, besides the romance. I adore Kate! I’m so happy we were able to save her, it was seriously one of the best moments I’ve ever seen in a game, I would have liked to see her future children’s book with Max’s photos, their tea sessions, and her coming back to school. I would love to have seen more of Stella, (a POC I think) that according to her words, faced an abusive home and poverty to end up studying in a prestigious school like Blackwell, busting her ass to work and yet being super cool and kind! I would have loved to see more of Daniel, how he faced bullying, how his home life is, his budding romance with Brooke, his future drawings. I would have loved to see more of Dana! How she dealt with abortion, a heavy topic, and yet she's super happy, nice, and in a loving relationship apparently. I would have liked to see more of Juliet's reporting skills, I feel like she could have been more important to the plot, or at least more exposés on bullying and the Prescotts. I would have loved to see more of Alyssa, what she likes, her relationships, etc. I would have loved to see more of Taylor! How her mom was doing, what steps was she going to take in not falling with the Vortex Club bullshit, her love for fashion, like Courtney. We didn't get to know Courtney at all I feel and I would have liked to! I would have liked to see more of Victoria, her insecurities, her relationship with her parents, her inner thoughts (she's totally bi too I bet), even her friendship with Nathan seemed deeper. I would have liked to see more of cool hipster Evan, or good skater boy Luke. In short, I would have LOVED to have them all hanging more with Max. The ending, oh man, what an ending. It's incredibly hard, and I hate that saving Arcadia Bay seems to go into "bury your gays" trope, because if there was a way to save them both I would. The writing is very powerful, ending the way it began. This leads me to my initial topic, choices. I love that the game gives us choices, and considering there are other alternative realities, maybe both choices are canon in different universes. If I was in Chloe's shoes I couldn't choose to sacrifice my mom, and Joyce dies if Chloe is saved, as well as many other innocents, so I can't choose that ending, I just can't (and I understand that's totally personal for everyone). A really tough choice, at least for me, and hey, if it wasn't specified that practically everyone died, I would have saved Chloe no questions asked. I do love, however, how Chloe matures so much in the course of 5 days and her bond with Max. She sacrifices for Arcadia Bay, and a lot of it is because of Max, because she doesn't want her to make that choice. So now if you excuse me, I'm still playing the funeral scene in my mind and the bathroom scene (totally broken) and had to write this as cathartic, so feel free to disagree with me or whatever you prefer, each one of us experiences a different game because of our different experiences in life. Next step: BTS and LIS2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9uy4V8SvPk

#Life is Strange #Max Caulfield #Chloe Price #Warren Graham #Kate Marsh #Stella Hill #Daniel DaCosta #Dana Ward #Juliet Watson #Evan Harris #Luke Parker #Taylor Christensen #Victoria Chase

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dalekofchaos · 4 years

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Caulscott headcanons

My headcanons for Caulscott :D

After the incident in the bathroom, Before Max could activate the fire alarm. Max had a thought. What if she just talked to him? So Max comes out of hiding and talks to Nathan. She talks him down and consoles him. He’s hesitant to trust her and angry for thinking this twee hipster could think of helping him, but something inside him just gives in and accepts Max’s help. He just sobs and silently says “I’m just sick of people trying to control me” and as Nathan breaks down, Max hugs Nathan

Because of Max’s act of kindness, empathy and understanding, this helps change Nathan’s outlook on life and inspires him to be better. He first starts off by finding Chloe on campus and apologizes to her and gives her the money to bury the hatchet and just tells her he’s sick of people trying to control him and she knows what he means, talks about her step-douche and they just share a smoke together. Then he uses the Prescott influence to bury Kate’s video and to tell everyone in the Vortex Club to delete it. Nathan and Victoria would then apologize to Kate and tell her it’s gone. Nathan feels good about himself and hope Max approves.

Instead of a violent confrontation, Nathan and Max would just talk. He’d invite her to find him by his SUV. They’d talk. Nathan would tell her of making amends and Max tells him she is proud of him and it’s a slow start to their relationship. And Max asks Nathan for advice about Chloe and about her dream. Nathan tells her he should just talk to her and as for the tornado, he goes “you.....you’ve seen the storm too?” It is at this instant that Nathan and Max feel closer than they’ve ever been to anyone

Nathan confides in Max just listens and empathize with him. He can trust Max with even the deepest secrets he hides. He could just vent it all out to Max and she’d just listen. He could tell her everything about his father, the dark room, Rachel and Jefferson and just cry on her shoulder and just having Max embrace him with a hug would just be what he deserves. After hearing all that, Max wouldn’t judge or doubt him. After he’s calmed down Max would try to give some advice and try to direct him into a better and healthy life and together they would take Jefferson down.

Max introduces Nathan to Warren. Warren is wary because it’s Nathan Prescott, but Max assures Warren that he’s different and better. Nathan and Warren become friends.

Max, Nathan and Warren have movie nights together

Nathan tells Kate almost everytime he sees her that she’s sorry, but that it’s okay everytime.

Max and Kate play their guitar and Violin while Nathan watches cuddling Alice

They take a lot of photoshoot dates together, Max always says her pictures are bad, but Nathan shouts “WTF ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT CAULFIELD? THESE ARE AMAZING, NEVER DOUBT YOURSELF, OKAY?” And this makes Max smile

Eventually Max and Nathan hangout with Chloe. Nathan and Chloe become friends cause they are two sides of the same coin

Eventually, Nathan convinces Max and Victoria to make peace and become friends “Vic and Max, you just need to make up and put your differences aside. You are obviously similar and would be great friends.” this prompts Victoria and Max to become friends, this also prompts for Hayden, Taylor and Courtney to become friends with Max. Max has entered the Vortex Club and she surprisingly loves it

Max enjoys being in the Vortex Club. Aside from Zach and Logan, she gets along with everyone.

Max has girls nights with Victoria, Taylor, Courtney and Dana. Max has so much fun and tells Nathan all about it

Nathan loves buying Max expensive jewelry and dressing her up with expensive and fashionable outfits. Max rarely wears them, but on rare occasions she does and it makes Nathan happy. On the rare occasions where Max wears a dress or skirt, Nathan blushes and tells her “you look so pretty”

In order not to get her pricey jewelry dirty, Max takes Nathan to antique shops and thrift stores to buy instant film and on a rare outing, he picks out a deer pendant that Max wears everyday. She also buys Nathan a Whale pendant it makes them both smile at each other

Victoria is the first to notice that Nathan has feelings for Max and when confronted he says “she just makes me feel really good about myself, more than my sister ever did. I really love her Vic”

Chloe notices that Max has a thing for Nathan, they talk and Max just tells Chloe “He’s changed for the better and I just find him soothing and I love him” and convinces her to make the first move. Then Hayden sends Max a text “please ask him out on a date already, he won’t shut up about you.” This prompts Max to make the first move

Max and Nathan’s first date is at the aquarium and Max takes Nathan to see the whales. This lights Nathan’s face up and embraces Max and the two of them smile at the whales as they hold hands. The date ends with Max and Nathan going to the Lighthouse and sharing their first kiss

On really cold days and as a way to show off his love for her to the school, Nathan gives Max his red jacket and Max decides to buy Nathan a Blue Jacket so he won’t get cold and so she could show everyone her love for him and the jacket would remind them of their first date with the whales. Now they each wear their jackets every day.

Nathan wears the blue jacket, but he’s inspired by Max’s Doe shirts, that Nathan starts to wear Whale shirts

Nathan calls Max his “precious Doe” and Max calls Nathan her “soothing Whale”

Max always does her best to help Nathan through his episodes. She leaves him little post its that remind him that she loves him or like really affectionately rubbing his arm when he’s getting riled up or even just cuddling with him while they listen to whale sounds and neglect their homework and shut off the world.

Max has a hard time helping Nathan cope through episodes. She wants to just smother him in love and support but a lot of times he needs space, and she has a hard time adjusting to and accepting that. Sometimes she can be doting and thinks she knows what Nathan "really” needs. They marathon movies, binge shows and play video games together a lot. They cuddle up on the couch with some junk food and just play for hours.

Max is very nervous to her first Vortex Club party, but Nathan is there for her and his confidence just rubs off on her and they have so much fun at the parties and they especially love dancing together.

Before every date and Vortex Club party, Victoria, Courtney, Taylor and Dana dress and doll Max up. Max didn’t like it at first but it grew on her and she loves looking great for Nathan and girls night out

Max always reminds Nathan to take his meds and to drink his water

Nathan assures her every day that her photos are amazing and she needs to stop doubting herself. He is this close to organizing an intervention to get Chloe, Kate, Warren, Victoria, Hayden, Taylor and Courtney together just to tell Max “love your work already”

During his violent outbursts or during his breakdowns, Max just hugs him from behind and just holds him and Nathan just lets her

They go on midnight drives, and lie down stargazing in the back of his truck.

They 50-50 on being big and little spoons

They enjoy holding hand and cuddling and kissing

They are there for each other when either of them have nightmares about Jefferson. Max is especially there for Nathan about his nightmares regarding Sean

Upon taking Max to meet his family. Kristine loves Max and tells her “I can’t wait till we become sisters” Nathan’s mother approves. Sean is Sean and tells Nathan he is disappointed in Nathan in how low he has fallen. This is the final straw and finally snaps and stands up to him. “NO, YOU DON’T EVER TALK ABOUT HER OR TALK TO HER LIKE THAT. I LOVE MAX. SHE MAKES ME FEEL GOOD ABOUT MYSELF. SHE’S DONE MORE FOR ME THAN YOU EVER DONE. AND I DON’T GIVE A SHIT WHAT YOU DO, I AM DONE WITH YOU AND I AM DONE WITH THE PRESCOTT NAME.” Max and Kristine are proud of him. When Victoria and Hayden hears this they send him texts telling him how proud that he finally stood up to that bastard.

During their first time having sex, they are gentle and soft with each other. But after seeing the displays in Nathan’s dorm, Max gives Nathan permission to be rough with her and to explore kinks together

Max is kinda quiet when they first start to get it on but Nathan can tell when she’s getting close because her back will start to arch and shake, her hands will tremble and grip his hair, and she’ll start to pant and say his name a lot

Nathan introduces Max into BDSM. At first He believes Max to be innocent about it, but in time Max reveals herself to be a freak in the sheets

Max is into oral and Nathan loves to give it to her while caressing her face and kissing her afterwords and Nathan loves to return the favor by eating her out and Max plays with his hair

Max really likes it when he uses his fingers to thrust in and out while he strokes her clit with his tongue. she’s basically screamed while coming after a while of this

Max likes to tease him a lot. she’ll barely brush against his cock and he’ll feel how wet she is and cry out in ecstasy, begging her to let him touch her or eat her out

Nathan’s not super loud but he can get more noisy. he’ll whisper “oh, fuck” when he enters her and positively sob when he comes

They’ll usually fall asleep and cuddle after they finish. Nathan will either hold Max in his arms or he’ll fall asleep with his cheek pressed against her chest, hugging her waist

Max is into bondage

They are both switches. When it’s Nathan’s turn to be the dom, Max calls him “Sir” and when it’s Max’s turn to be the dom, Nathan calls her “Mistress”

They can be more intimate than sexual

They are rough, but soft with each other.

The safeword is “whatever”

Max would be his solid rock but Nathan would want to be someone for Max who she can rely on, too. and they would show each other with little gestures how much they care for each other. Max is his universe and Nathan is her whale

Upon graduating from Blackwell, Max would become a successful photographer, while Nathan pursues a career in Marine Biology

Soon they get married. Nathan takes Max’s last name as the final end to his father’s influence and just because “Nathan Caulfield” sounds so good to him

When Max walks down the aisle, Nathan is in tears

Warren, Hayden and Victoria are Nathan’s Fellowship(thanks to Warren’s suggestion) Victoria prepares a speech for him that makes Nathan cry

Chloe is Max’s best man and prepares a speech that makes her cry...Max and Nathan cry together

Nathan cries again after exchanging vows

Max and Nathan have taken photos of each other throughout their entire time together and they each made photo albums for each other and present it as wedding presents to each other

Max and Nathan are at peace and just happy together

#Life Is Strange #Caulscott #Nathan Prescott #Max Caulfield

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albionscastle · 5 years

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First Impressions 11

I literally just ran this chapter out in a day, which is totally unheard of for me, but when the mood hits you......

Trigger Warning: mentions of domestic abuse, rape, anxiety.

In this chapter the boys are back across the pond, Jack is in denial, Maya takes a trip and Lizzie finally stands up for herself.

Fic Masterlist

FIRST IMPRESSIONS 11

WHAT DOESN’T KILL YOU MAKES YOU STRONGER?

LIZZIE

The morning after the wrap party Lizzie woke up feeling like she was hung over. Her head pounded, her throat was all dry and scratchy and she felt sick to her stomach. How had an evening that had begun so well turned bad so quickly? How had any of it even been real it was so ridiculous. A glance at her phone showed that was 8am, far later than she usually slept and she moaned, knowing she was going to feel like shite all day. Shooting off a text to Charlie to see if his evening had turned out any better, she lumbered into the shower, hoping that the steam would at least help to clear her head.

She had to at least make herself presentable for Sunday dinner or there would be consequences. One thing that Lizzie was most certainly not in the mood for was her mother’s inferences and comments about her life choices or the way she looked. Mary and Kate would be there today and she wanted her time with her sisters to be as pleasant as possible. Of course bribery was always a good option too and so she spent the morning baking a few of Chloe’s favourite things, just in case she needed the distraction.

From past experience it had about a 70/30 chance of success, which were odds she could live with.

It seemed to be working this time too, Lizzie thought halfway through dinner. Lydia was still sulking of course, but everyone else seemed to happy enough while they planned for Thanksgiving. Chloe was insisting that everything be absolutely perfect for Tom to celebrate his first one, and while Lizzie thought some of her ideas were a bit over the top, she couldn’t fault her excitement. This would be the first time that any of the girls had brought a significant other to the celebration. Mary and her girlfriend had spent last Thanksgiving in Oregon and Colin had always insisted on spending the day with his family. None of hers had ever been invited and it wasn’t until after she’d gotten away that she realized how he had been isolating her. All told, Maya and Mary bringing someone home for the holiday was a huge deal for all of them.

Glad of the diversion, Lizzie had a great catch-up with her sisters, both of them happier than she had ever seen them. Maya was beaming every time Tom was mentioned (a lot), and for the first time in a long time, Lizzie was pretty content with how things were turning out.

There was a knock at the door after dinner, Kate and Mary having already left, the remaining family members watching a movie.

“Of course you can dear! Come on in, she’s in the living room.” Chloe was saying.

Lizzie looked at Maya who simply shrugged, apparently she wasn’t expecting Tom. Maybe it was one of Lydia’s friends. Then she looked up and her heart plummeted to her feet as she saw Colin standing there, flowers in hand while her mother beamed with pleasure.

“Lizzie, Colin wanted to have a word with you.”

Her heart was now thumping in her throat, the familiar breathless feeling rising from the pit of her belly. She couldn’t believe that her mother would ambush her like this, was she truly so blind to the situation and to Lizzie’s feelings? Or, and much more likely, had Coloin managed to charm her into believing that things were far different than they actually were? For the first time, she regretted not telling her parents about Colin’s abuse. Her mother might have a pain, but she would never have allowed Colin through the front door if she knew what he really was.

With everyone looking at her expectantly Lizzie stood up. It was time to end this, but not inside her parent’s house. She felt a hand on her arm and it was, surprisingly, Lydia.

“Do you want us to stay?” she whispered.

The girl had her moments but she was always, always there for the sisters if they needed her. Deep down, Lydia was a good egg.

“No. But thanks.” she patted Lydia’s hand. “I’ll speak to Colin outside.” she spoke firmly. “The rest of you need to stay here.”

Her look, especially toward Colin and Chloe brooked no argument and she stalked past them both and out the door. It took moments only for Colin to follow, narrowing his eyes when he noticed her stretched on the swing leaving him unable to do anything but stand.

It was up to him to start.

Lizzie watched him fiddle with the flowers, seeing him realize there was no way she was going to accept them. He was on edge because already he could see that things weren’t going according to plan. If he was smart, he would cut his losses and run.

Colin had always been too self-absorbed to be truly smart.

“Eliza, I’m sure you realize by now why I’m here.”

“I heard work.”

“No. Well yes but that’s not all of it. Anne could have sent me anywhere but I chose to come here.”

Yeah, ok, she thought wryly.

“I don’t see what that has to do with me.”

“I’ve decided to give you another chance. I’ve come to understand that you were young before and perhaps not ready to be thrust into the life I was planning. Ann thinks I have great potential and we’ve agreed that it would be advantageous to have someone to help me entertain clients.”

No way was he seriously saying this, utter astonishment at his audacity had replaced fear and she opened her mouth to respond, only to be cut off as Colin continued.

“You would be responsible for dinner parties - under mine and Ann’s supervision of course. She’s very big on entertaining potential client and her eye is absolutely impeccable. Then of course you would be expected to entertain personally on the day of, serve appetizers during my meetings, be charming and naturally you would put the company forth, first and foremost.”

“I’m confused Colin, are you offering me a job?”

“Yes and no, Ann did ask me to look for someone to fill the role and I thought that as my wife you could perform the duties required,” his eyes slid over her like a snakes, leaving no doubt about his double meaning. “It would save the company money and Ann is quite keen on frugality.”

Lizzie barely concealed the shudder that wafted down her spine, she was so stunned that she couldn’t even speak.

“I know it’s a lot to take in, but with training you could do well. Also, I don’t like to brag but the home Ann helped me pick out is perfectly suited for entertaining and is really quite awe-inspiring. Especially for the smaller names, like your Scottish friend.”

Lizzie didn’t miss the way his lips curled on a snarl as he spoke those words, a glimpse of the Colin that she knew well. Instinct had her screaming RUN in her head, this would be the moment when he would accuse and then hurt her. But things were different now, she was different, even if he wasn’t.

“No.” she said it firmly, almost surprised that she’d said it out loud at all.

Colin’s eyes flashed, his polite mask slipping for a second before he took a deep breath, concealing the monster once again.

“I see. Driving the hard bargain to hold out for more. Well, there could be travel involved. Ann’s main office is in London. There would be certain red carpet events, parties no doubt where I could wrangle a plus one, if you are doing well of course. You’d have an allowance naturally, and a driver, anything you could want.”

“Except freedom, Lizzie thought darkly.

“Still no. Not interested.”

“Eliza, don’t be stupid!” Colin snarled. “This is the best offer you are ever likely to get. I gave you time to grow up and pursue your pointless degrees, time to understand and appreciate what I have to offer you, now it’s time to think.”

“I am thinking, and my answer is still no. It will always be no.”

“Why? I don’t understand.”

“You know why, Colin.” Lizzie ground out.

Was he really so narcissistic that be believed himself innocent? Or worse, justified?

“Are you seriously dredging up the past Eliza? I think we are beyond that now. You were young and did enjoy pushing me.”

“Pushing you?” Anger now overrode all of Lizzie’s better judgement and she stood, facing him without backing down. “You punched me in the ribs for saying hello to the postman. How exactly was that pushing you?”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” he snapped. “I never laid a hand on you unless you incited me. You knew how I felt about you talking to other men, flirting with them. You were mine, young and out of control, I was trying to shape you into a grown up.”

“He was 73, and what about the time I didn’t scrub the counters with both kind of bleach so dragged me by my hair through the house and locked me in the basement for two days. Was that justified?”

“All you had to do was what I asked, you brought it all on yourself, you needed to learn and you needed to be punished when you deliberately went against my wishes.”

“Oh I learned alright. I learned that I am a million times better than an abusive sack of shit like you in every way. I said no and I meant no, Colin, now get off my parent’s property before I call the Chief and your dirty secret gets out into the open.”

“You wouldn’t dare.” Colin had gone white, unconsciously backing up toward the steps.

“Oh, but I would. You come near me or my family again and I’ll make sure that the illustrious Anne deBourgh knows all about how much you like to hit women.”

“You bitch!” Colin was down the steps and onto the path, only feet away from his car.

Lizzie smiled triumphantly, raising her hand in a mocking wave.

“Buh bye now.” Colin didn’t say another word, instead he turned and got in his car, peeling away before Lizzie could make good on her threat. She waited until he was out of sight before collapsing onto the swing, her breath struggling in deep, gasping gulps. The enormity of what she’d done wasn’t lost on her, at one time she hadn’t even dared to look at him sideways and now she had told him to go to hell. Part of her somehow still expected to feel his fist in her ribs for even daring to speak out. That part had her eyes darting around in panic, certain she would see his car still there and him towering over her.

It was several minutes before she could pull herself together enough to breathe properly and she gratefully sucked the late fall air deep into her lungs. Her hands had almost stopped shaking and, while her legs were still a bit wobbly, she was able to stand again and slowly make her way to the door.

One unwanted confrontation down, one to go.

The expected scolding from her mother didn’t come as she closed the door behind her. Curious, she thought as she entered the living room, seeing only her father.

“Dad?”

“Kitchen. Everything ok?”

Lizzie smiled at his concerned look and nodded, leaning over to kiss the top of his head.

“It’s fine, I sorted it out.”

Watching as he turned his attention back to the t.v. Lizzie was once again glad she had never told her parents the truth about Colin. It would break her father’s heart to know that someone had hurt her - and that he hadn’t been there to stop it. A moot point now, she mused, making her way to the kitchen. The bastard was gone for good now, at least she hoped so.

Any thoughts about Colin fled as soon as she saw the state of Maya, who sat silently at the counter, fat tears streaming down her cheeks with her phone sitting in front of her. Chloe spotted Lizzie and before she could even open her mouth to Maya it began.

“Oh Lizzie, what a sad state of things! Just up and gone like that, what are we going to do?”

She was actually wringing her hands as she paced up and down the room.

“Maya?” Lizzie asked softly, her hand on her sister’s shoulder.

Maya choked on a sob, handing Lizzie her phone before dashing away to her room. Looking down she read the message on the screen with horror.

From: [email protected] To: [email protected]

Subject: Sorry

Maya, love I’m sorry to bail like this, I thought there was more time but I’m needed in London tomorrow for auditions. I can’t blow them off. I’m sure you understand. Thanks for everything, you are a wonderful girl and I had a great time with you.

Tom.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” she growled, reading the email. An email of all things! “He has some fucking nerve.”

“Maybe she can catch him before he leaves?” her mother asked hopefully.

“I don’t think so Mom, if I had to guess I’d say he’s already on the plane, probably even in London by now. If he was too cowardly to say this face to face then he’s left town already. Bastard.”

“What about Colin? He’s involved in that world, with them, I’m sure he would look him up if you asked.”

“Colin is not, and will never be involved in this, Mom.” Lizzie stated.

“I know you just got back together but considering the circumstances, I’m sure he won’t mind.”

“I turned down Colin’s rather insulting proposal Mom. It’s done and I don’t want to hear anymore about it.”

“But…”

“No Mom! I mean it, it’s done. Give it up because I am never going to marry Colin Ryan.”

“I can’t believe you Elizabeth Bennett. Why are you so intent on throwing away your future?”

“Why are you so intent on throwing me at a man I despise?”

“You’d have stability, social standing, money, everything you need.”

“No, that’s just everything you want, it’s not what I want. I never cared about money or social bullshit.”

Lizzie moved past Chloe and down the hall.

“We are not done talking about this young lady.” Chloe snapped.

“Yes we are Mom. We are done, if you so much as mention Colin to me again then I’m out, I mean it. I can’t keep going through this with you. I love you and if you love me then you’ll trust me to make my own choices about my life!”

Lizzie didn’t realize how much her voice had risen until the shocked look on her mother’s face registered. She had never, even as a teen, ever yelled at her Mom. Lydia’s head poked out of her door with a worried frown and Ben stood in the hallway looking sad. Though angry tears threatened to spill over, Lizzie clamped her jaw shut.

“Come now loves, I think that’s enough excitement for one day. We’re all tired from last night and can do with a break.” Her father’s soft voice diffused the anger, as always. “Let’s go watch West Side Story shall we?” this he said to his wife.

“But…” sniff. “You hate musicals.”

“How about we see if I’ve changed my mind?”

Chloe allowed herself to be led away, Lydia retreated back into her room and Lizzie knocked softly on Maya’s door, not expecting a reply. Her heart twisted at the sight of her sister sobbing into the pillow. In twenty years she had never seen Maya once cry over a man.

She wanted to wring Tom’s neck.

“Hey May May, what do you say to a quiet night at my place? I have ice cream.”

Maya’s favourite feel better cure, and Lizzie knew that she would much rather be away from Chloe’s histrionics while the wound was still so fresh. She gathered a few of her sister’s things into a bag, patiently waiting until maya was ready to move.

“Dad.” She whispered from the kitchen, her father appearing almost immediately. “I’m taking Maya to my place for a few days.”

“Ok, go out the back door and I’ll keep your mother occupied.”

Lizzie nodded, heading for the kitchen door.

“Oh and Lizzie….” she turned to see a gentle smile on his face. “For what it’s worth, I never liked Colin, I’m glad you got rid of him.”

Shocked, Lizzie squeaked.

“Mom thinks he’s the second coming.” “I’ll take care of your mother, you take care of Maya. I love you both.”

“Love you too Dad.” Lizzie bundled Maya out the door.

It was only 6pm and today felt like the longest day of her life, all because of a couple of selfish, stupid bastards.

She was done with all of them.

JACK

The familiar sights and sounds of London were like a balm to his troubled soul, Jack thought happily as he trotted up the Tube steps. Everything that had bothered him for the past few months seemed to have dissipated and he could finally relax. Three days back and he had fallen back into his normal rhythm, better than he had been since Lisa if he was honest. He’d even made arrangements to have his flat painted while he was in Scotland for the holiday. He told himself that he’d only been waiting until he had the time to manage it, and he believed it.

How could he not?

Tom was still moping around, but Jack figured that was to be expected. He usually pulled himself together after about a week and there was no reason to think that this time was any different. In fact, the kid had nailed the audition so well that they hadn’t seen anyone else. It was a leading role and a big one, so more than ever Jack knew he had done the right thing by extracting Tom from the Bennett girl.

Safely back in his flat, Indian takeaway on the coffee table he turned on the telly for a night of vegging.

He choked on his curry, spraying rice all over the place when Saturday Night fever immediately appeared on the screen.

The curry was bloody hot, he thought as he cleaned it up, coughing and spluttering through a bottle of water. He should have been more careful.

He changed the channel anyway and with a suspiciously small bite of his food he settled in to watch…

Strictly Come Dancing with a disco theme.

Fuck no! Agitated now, Jack threw down the remote, going over to his media case. He grabbed an old horror flick, jamie Lee Curtis was a legend and he deemed it safe enough. He’d seen Prom Night a couple of times already but that didn’t matter. Relaxing back into the couch cushions he finished his food, scrolling through his phone mindlessly.

Until… “Ya haf tae be fucking kiddin me!”

He’d forgotten about the dance scene, the whole fucking disco soundtrack to the film it seemed. Disgusted, he simply clicked it off, opting to just sit in the dark.

The Universe was conspiring against him that was for bloody sure.

His phone vibrated with an incoming text, probably his best mate Andy wanting to go for a beer. Jack was so not in the mood. Ready to type the negative reply he was surprised to see the message was from Calum. It wasn’t like him to be awake this late when they were prepping a new production. Worried for a second he quickly opened it up.

CAL: hey asshole, what the fuck? Are you holding out on me?

Confused Jack’s brow furrowed.

JL: what are ye on about?

CAL: This! I thought you said the shoot was mindless misery, but you sure don’t look miserable!

What the hell is he talking about Jack wondered, totally confused now.

Another text, this one with an attachment. Tapping to open it he was unprepared for what he saw. Someone at the party had been taking photos, for whatever reason people did he vaguely remembered that. They had captured him dancing with Elizabeth and the moment they had caught...mid argument as he held her tightly, no space at all between them. The breath left his body in a woosh. He was stunned.

His phone rang, Calum.

“No response eh? Knew ye were holdin out.”

Jack’s mouth was dry and he had to take a gulp of water before he could even answer.

“Where did ye get tha?”

“Just Jared, that’s not the point. Who’s the girl?”

“No-one, just a local lass.”

“Uh huh.” Calum drawled. “That doesna look like a no-ne photo ye ken?”

“It was just a dance Cal, she’s no-one special.”

“Then why does it look like ye’s are seconds away from needin a room?”

“Bullshit. Beside we argued the whole song.”

“Ye say arguin, anyone else who looks at this is thinkin horizontal foreplay. I mean it Jack, the two o ye look like yer about tae go at it right there.”

“She doesna even like me, hates me in fact.”

“Fine line between hate and I wantae jump yer bones, Jack, and she wanted tae jump ye bad. Tell me ye sealed that deal.”

“Don’t be crass Cal.” Jack snapped. “And no, nothin happened with Elizabeth. At all.”

“Then yer a bigger idiot than I thought big brother.”

“Gee thanks Cal, nice tae know yer so supportive.”

Calum laughed. “Jack ye knob, ye really are so easy tae rile up. But seriously man, what’s the deal?”

“There’s no deal, I saw her a few times with mutual friends. We didna take a likin tae each other, that’s all there is to it.”

“If that’s what yer tellin yerself then ok, I won’t push. Anyway got tae go, early start. I’ll see ye at home. Love ya.”

The bugger hung up before Jack could even get a word in. He was never going to hear the end of it now. Looking at the picture again he tried to coolly explain it away. Not that it mattered at all, he was never going to see the woman again so what was some random picture taken at a party? Even if someone was curious, it wouldn’t be hard to figure out that he and Elizabeth lived on different continents and had no connection between them other than having attended this party.

What was he even so prickly about?

Looking at the picture again, Jack tried to see it through Calum’s eyes. As usual he had been making a stretch. Sure they were awfully close, but the dancefloor had been crowded and he had just dipped her the final time. That was why his arm was around her, rather than just a hand on her back. It also explained her fingers on the back of his neck rather than his shoulder.

His memory of the moment wasn’t as vague as he would have liked, and he could feel her breath on his neck as they quarrelled. The way she refused to be the first to look away, and how he’d smiled seeing the way her eyes flared. Calum wasn’t altogether wrong, Jack admitted bitterly. There had been some kind of weird sexual tension between them during that dance, He’d known it then. Fuck, he’d even fantasized about taking her off to a dark corner. When he looked at the photo with that memory in mind he could see why Calum had been so certain. Even though Elizabeth would be the first to deny it, want was etched clearly on her face as they sparred.

He felt almost viciously vindicated, he may not have slept with her but he at least had the small satisfaction of knowing she wasn’t as unaffected by him as she would have liked. It was almost a victory in his eyes and he went to bed with a smug smile, the picture safely saved onto his phone.

He felt somewhat less victorious on what would have been Thanksgiving. Spending the day with Tom had been more of a chore than anything as the younger man was impossibly more morose than ever.

“Should I call her and at least wish her a happy holiday?” he questioned over tea.

“Tom really, don’t ye think that's a little unfair? You’ve left, it’s over and done an thers no sense in draggin it out. It’s no fair tae anyone.”

“I know, I know.” Tom sighed sadly. “I just feel so awful for running out the way I did. I miss her.”

Jack was convinced that Tom’s feelings were stemming mainly from being denied the girl rather than truly missing her. Granted, he’d never seen him quite this upset over a girl, but again, the lad had a way of bouncing back quickly.

“Ye only miss her cause ye got used tae havin her around all the time. I know it’s a shite situation but ye haf tae admit, there was no way tae make it work out. Yer just savin the both of ye the grief of ending it much later.”

“I know you’re right and you do make sense, you do. But I still hate feeling like this.”

“Mate, jus give it time, yeah. Once ye get started on this new job ye’ll soon forget all about it.”

Jack flinched at the dark look Tom shot him.

“I know in the end that you are right, Jack. I’m convinced that you pushed me because you care, I Know you do, and I’m glad I have you as a mate. But don’t ever tell me I’ll forget about it, because I’m not going to. Maya was special and she didn’t deserve what I’ve done.”

For the first time, Jack felt something akin to guilt scratching its way to the surface. It was a feeling he didn’t like and he tried to push it down again after he and Tom went their separate ways. He’d never seen his friend so resolute and for a split second he second guessed his actions.

No. he told himself firmly as he pulled his coat tighter around his body, he’d done what was right. Chloe Bennett was nothing but a gold digger and he couldn’t let Tom get trapped like that. Not to mention the embarrassment of the family in general. He couldn’t fault his reasoning or his actions, and while he was sorry that Maya may have been hurt, he still didn’t think she was invested as Tom believed. In fact she was probably having a great day with her family, Tom all but forgotten.

So sure was he of that fact that after dinner he opened the Instagram account he’d created while in America. The one that he told himself was so he could be himself on the internet, anonymous, not created so that he could friend Elizabeth Bennett. He actually did follow other people, he justified, scrolling through his feed. He followed Andy on both accounts, as well as random celebs and travel blogs, not at all designed to get a certain someone and her private account to agree to become mutuals.

Nothing of Elizabeth showed on his feed and he cursed the lack of chronological order on social media. He couldn’t pretend he was just just scrolling for no reason if he had to actually go to her profile from his friends list. However, if he told himself he was doing it to prove to Tom that Maya was fine then he could justify it. Right?

To his legitimate surprise he saw that she had only posted once since Charlie’s birthday. In fact not a thing up until a few days ago, a quote: Women can fake orgasms, but men can fake whole relationships. Actually there were two and with some trepidation he swiped to the next one. For every tear you make her cry, there’s another man waiting to make her smile.

Confused he looked at the comments and all he got was a vague response from Elizabeth to any inquiries, “Not me, my sister.” That was it, no explanation, no response to any other questions, she didn’t even mention which sister.

Not that it could be any sister other than Maya, unless Lydia was hiding a secret boyfriend.

Doubtful.

Elizabeth was clearly upset, he thought, but did she speak for Maya? And it wasn’t fair to lump all the blame on Tom, wasn’t Maya pushed into it as much as Tom was pulled? In fact if anything it was the bennetts who’d been fake. Right? A more insidious thought came to him, perhaps Elizabeth was talking about herself, the quotes could be aimed at Colin or even Wick if he’d done another number. In fact the more he thought about it the more he was convinced it was indeed Elizabeth. Colin had obviously made her cry, and he’d certainly faked his whole personality. The orgasms were probably a dig at his lack of prowess in the bedroom.

He allowed himself a chuckle at that thought.

Immediately he felt an inexplicable feeling of both guilt and disgust. Guilt that he’d been so blase about an abuse victim and disgust at the thought of Colin’s hands and body all over Elizabeth’s. How was he even to know if intimacy between them had been consensual or forced? The feeling of rage that began to swell at the mere thought of something like that happening to Elizabeth was indescribable. He wanted to kill the bastard, literally strangle him for ever touching her in anger or abuse. If it had been up to him….

It hadn’t and it wasn’t, he was forced to tell himself. He hadn’t known Elizabeth when she was with Colin and now, as mere acquaintances it wasn’t his place. Besides, she had shown everyone that she was more than capable of standing up to her ex now. Even if she was reduced to medicating herself to do so. She was strong, stronger than she knew and she was brave.

It was as he was thinking that, that his phone pinged a notification. She had posted something. He quickly refreshed her page, not even realising how eager he was to see. A photo, her and her sisters sitting at the table, a huge dinner spread out in front of them. Elizabeth was smiling devilishly as she held a carving knife, Lydia even had a tiny smile. He saw Mary stealing a roll and Kate smiling down serenely. They really were all beautiful girls, he admitted, even more for their diversity in both looks and personalities. Then he saw Maya and frowned. She was smiling but even he could admit it didn’t reach her eyes which looked red and swollen.

She looked sad and Jack felt something tug sharply at his heart.

Had he done that?

The next few hours were punctuated by several more posts from Elizabeth in which he saw them playing Uno, apparently dancing in the kitchen as they cleaned. There were short videos of pie eating contests and one of Mary singing, her voice clear and pure.

Maya wasn’t in any of them except the first.

He finally nodded off to sleep sometime after 4am, his dreams uneasy and conflicted as his subconscious asked him again and again….

Are you sure you did the right thing?

LIZZIE

It was another week or so after Thanksgiving that Lizzie realized Maya wasn’t doing any better. She was strong, she still went to class and she acted like she was ok, but her sister knew better. Her eyes were swollen from crying and there were shadows under her eyes. Maya was hurting more than she would let show. After another family dinner listening to their mother’s thinly veiled accusations or lamentations at her daughters’ inability to hold onto a decent man, Lizzie had enough and a plan began to formulate.

A few days later her and Maya sat on her couch eating from a tub of ice cream and watching some cheesy disaster movie starring The Rock. Maya’s books were sprawled out on the table as she studied for mid-terms which were a mere day away. There had been no mention of Tom since Thanksgiving.

“Liz?”

“Uh huh?” she answered around a spoonful of turtle tracks. “Do you think I’m stupid? For falling for Tom?”

“No! May, don’t even think that.”

“But he left, what am I supposed to think?”

“I’m pissed at him, he did dirty leaving you the way he did, but hon, he was just as mad about you as you were about him. I’m sure of it.”

It was the one thing in this whole mess that she was sure of.

“Then why?” Maya sniffled.

“I wish I knew.” Lizzie admitted. “Maybe he was scared, I’m pretty sure his friends had a lot to do with the decision.”

“I’ve heard from Caro.” Maya admitted, Lizzie’s heart jumped with hope. “She said that they’ve been really busy with work and auditions.”

“Did she say anything about Tom?”

“No, just that she really sees him. She did mention that he’s spending a lot of time with his new co-star.”

“Of course she did, spiteful bitch.” Lizzie spat.

She’s not like that Liz, she’s just trying to warn me without hurting me.”

“Bullshit Maya, no way has Tom moved on like that. Caro is obviously just trying to get you away. She’s made no secret of how she feels about us.”

“She was always good to me and I consider her a friend.”

Lizzie bit her tongue before she launched into a rant about what a poisonous snake Caro was. Now was not the time to have this particular argument.

“Maya, what if you were to go to London?”

“Don’t be silly Liz.”

“Just hear me out. You’re out of school for a month and Aunt Sharon is always complaining that she never sees enough of us.”

“She’s not going to want and extra body at Christmas, not with the new baby.” “What if I told you she would be ecstatic to have you. Also Trinity and the baby moved in with the boyfriend.”

Lizzie saw the idea forming, the hope in Maya’s eyes and tried not to smile.

“You can email Caro and meet up, and you know where Tom likes to hang out….”

“I could see him.” Maya whispered.

“And put this nonsense of you two being apart behind you. Besides a change of scenery will do you some good.”

“I can’t ask Mom for the money.”

Lizzie whipped out the box she’d been hiding, placing it in Maya’s lap.

“Merry early Christmas.”

Maya looked at her suspiciously, fingering the bow.

“Liz, what did you do?”

Lizzie simply whistled innocently, waiting until Maya lifted the lid and looked inside.

“Before you get mad, Charlie’s dad had a bunch of miles he wasn’t going to use so I only paid maybe a hundred bucks for that.”

“It’s a plane ticket. To London. For Friday.”

“Yes it is, and Aunt Sharon is going to meet you at the airport.”

“I can’t believe this.”

“You deserve a break May, you need one. Plus you need to go and see about that wayward man of yours.”

“But you’ve dreamed of going to the UK since you were little, I can’t take this from you.”

“Ok, first off, I’m giving, you are not taking anything. And who’s to say I don’t have my own plans formulating. I want this for you May, you need to know once and for all exactly where you stand.”

“What if he doesn’t want me?” Maya whispered.

“He does, I know it. And if not, well then he’s an idiot and he doesn’t deserve the greatest girl in the world.”

Maya cried for about half an hour before she finally turned in. Lizzie laid down feeling hopeful, all they needed was to be in the same room and everything would be fine. She wasn’t wrong about Tom’s feelings for Maya, she just knew it. She did hope that Maya didn’t forgive him too easily though. Scared or not, leaving with nothing more than an email was a dick move, and so was ghosting. She was going to him a piece of her mind the next time she saw him that was for sure.

Drifting off to sleep she just hoped it would be sooner rather than later.

Christmas came and went with no word from Maya about seeing Tom and Lizzie was starting to worry. What if he wasn’t even in London? Or worse if she was completely wrong about his feelings? She would never forgive herself for giving Maya hope, or Tom for deceiving them. At one point, just before New Years, Lizzie had one crazy moment and entertained the idea of trying to contact Jack and see what he had to say about it all. Thankfully she’d talked herself right out of that one, the only way that she knew to reach him was through Twitter. The thought had been insane for more reasons that she cared to admit.

There was still a few weeks before Maya was headed home so she just had to trust that things would work out in due time. While preparing herself for the possibility that it might not.

New Year’s Eve was usually spent with Maya and/or Charlie so she was faced with a quiet night in with Jane Austen and some fudge. Maya had already called when it hit midnight in London, the expected awful jokes about Lizzie living in the past ensuing. She seemed happier but she couldn’t tell how much so through the phone. At least she wasn’t spending the New Year crying into her pillow.

By 11:30pm she was almost falling asleep, fudge forgotten as her head lolled. No way was she going to make it till 12…..she was officially old now. With a bitter chuckle she stood up, turning off the t.v. and putting the fudge away. The sudden knock at her apartment door made her yelp and jump in surprise. Charlie could be seen through the peephole, looking unusually sober for his favourite party day of the year.

“Charlie! Is everything ok?” she opened the door, tugging him inside as he pulled her into a tight bear hug.

“You know I love you Red, more than anything right?”

“Of course I do silly, what’s wrong?”

Pulling back her best friend cupped her face in his hands, eyes full of trepidation.

“I have to tell you something.”

JACK

It was the week of Christmas when he saw her. Completely out of the blue, walking out of Harrods with with two teenagers and a woman who looked so much like Chloe Bennett he swore he could hear her voice in his head. He barely jumped back in time before she could see him, but he was a hundred percent certain that Maya Bennett was in London.

So he followed her, watching her laughing with her Aunt as they walked toward the Tube. The kids, twins by the look of them, were surprisingly well-behaved and looked to be a few years younger than Lydia, but he could see the resemblance in the girl. They looked like a typical happy family out doing the Christmas shopping and he found himself breathing easier. Here was proof that Maya was just fine, though her being in London couldn’t be just mere chance.

He moved closer, remaining out of sight but close enough to hear them talk.

“What are you planning to do when you graduate, Maya?”

The Aunt’s voice was a good deal quieter than her sister’s.

“I’ll intern for the summer with a law firm in the city then to Law School in the Fall, I just have to decide where.”

“Where were you accepted?” this from the boy.

“Harvard, Yale and Oxford.”

Jack’s face mimicked the nephew’s in astonishment. It was no easy feat to be accepted into any of those schools, let alone all of them. He was impressed despite himself.

“That’s a decision I wouldn’t want to be the one making.” the Aunt whistled.

“Let alone paying for,” Maya sighed. “I have scholarships but the rest is one me so I have to go where it’s cheapest.”

“Mum, couldn’t we move to Oxford so Aunty May can go there?” the girl asked in all seriousness.

“Oh love,” Maya hugged her tightly. “I would never want you to do that, not for me.”

Jack lost the rest of the conversation as the crowds grew thicker and he struggled to keep up, eventually losing sight of them.

“Shite.” he muttered.

He had questions, and he wanted to hear more about her plans as they clearly didn’t include Tom. The fact that she was moving away from home pleased him, at least she seemed to be forging her own path and not following her mother’s. Good for her, she was a lovely girl and he was feeling very generous now he was assured she was doing well.

JL: Hey caro, I just saw Maya Bennett coming out of Harrods.

CA: She’s in town for a month visiting family.

JL: You knew? Why didn’t you tell me?

CA: Because it was trivial, the girl sent me 2 emails to let me know where she was staying...I ignored them.

JL: What do we tell Tom?

CA: Nothing, he doesn’t need to know. No chance he’ll run into her, she’s staying in fucking Camden lol

Jack could hear the snobbery even through her texts and he bristled. Not everyone could be as well off as Caro’s family. He hadn’t exactly grown up rich himself and he had no quarrel with anyone making an honest living.

Choosing not to answer Caro he instead finished packing for his trip home. He’d ignored her none too subtle hints to invite her as well, apparently she thought that because they agreed about Tom it made them a pair. The very thought of it made him shudder.

He wondered if Elizabeth was in London with her sister, then quickly pushed that thought aside. She almost certainly would have been with them today.

Also he didn’t care. Not really.

He didn’t care when, after everyone else was asleep on Christmas Night he snuck out to the lounge with his phone. Sitting on the couch with only the tree lights for illumination he gnawed on a roast lamb sandwich and pulled up Elizabeth’s Instagram. Curiously there were no expected shots of food and presents, just one photo of Elizabeth laughing, playing a card game with a table of young men and women in military uniform.

Puzzled he checked to see if she’d enabled location and then he looked the place up. What an Elks Lodge was he had no idea but he quickly discovered what was happening. Apparently Elizabeth was spending her Christmas Day volunteering to host a holiday for navy recruits in basic training. His curiosity was piqued and as he clicked on previous years events he saw Elizabeth in eight years of them, minus the two she’d been with Colin. The whole family did it he realized as he poked around. Honestly surprised and inexplicably proud, he added this to the list of things he had discovered about Elizabeth Bennett. A list that was leaning very heavily towards the positive. He shouldn’t have been surprised, since he’d met her he’d seen her volunteering, taking care of her sisters, loving people and the way the town had rallied around her after the fire should have told him everything he needed to know.

She was simply a good person with a big heart.

“What are ye doin lurkin in the dark son?”

Jack started at the sound of his father’s voice.

“I didna wantae wake anyone.”

“Don’t worry, ye didn’t. What’s weighin on yer mind?”

A hand reached down and Jack silently handed his dad the phone.

“Ahhhhhh.” Gordon nodded after a few moments, handing the phone back. “That the same lassie from Cal’s photo?”

“Aye. Elizabeth.”

“I thought ye didna like her.”

“I don’t.” Jack protested, flushing under his father’s knowing gaze, even in the dark. “Much.” he muttered.

“Well, she’s pretty. What’s the deal?”

“She doesna like me.”

Gordon laughed.

“Gee thanks, Da.”

“I’m sorry lad. It’s jus the fairer sex have been all over ye since ye could walk, I never thought I’d ever see ye hung up on one who wasn’t.”

“It doesna matter anyway, we’re too different, and her family….”

“Never thought I’d see a son o mine bein so judgemental.” Gordon scolded.

“Da, ye weren’t there, it was awful.”

“Was this Elizabeth like that?”

“No, not at all. She’s quite lovely actually.”

“She challenges ye and ye’ve never experienced tha before. Yer in fer a ride ma boy.”

“It’s done Da. It doesna matter anymore.”

“Then why are ye still cyberstalking the lass? Ye want my advice?”

“Do I have a choice?”

“Aye, ye can ignore me at your peril. Find a way tae see her, if ye still feel what ye are feelin now then take a leap. If she matters to ye then don’t let her go, give her a chance tae like ye. They usually do. Now go tae bed or yer Ma will box yer ears fer sleepin through breakfast.”

Jack nodded absently, contemplating his father’s words.

“Son?” he looked up. “I saw that picture too an fer what it’s worth, I think yer in with a chance.”

Doubtful, Jack thought. Then he remembered little details….his jacket around her shoulders, dinner and the tree in her apartment, the way she’d hugged him, given him water when he was sick, shared her last potsticker..

In fact, the more he thought about it, the more his heart pounded with excitement. Maybe he was wrong about her feelings for him. At the very least she didn’t hate him and he already knew there was that tension between them.

Maybe there was hope for him after all, he smiled to himself as he fell asleep.

#jack x reader #jacklowden #jack lowden #jack lowden blurb #jack lowden fanfiction #jack lowden fic #jack lowden imagine #jack lowden x reader #pride and prejudice au #trigger warning

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simptasia · 6 years

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🔥 torchwood, lost & detroit become human??

torchwood: i don’t think its that bad. the way the bi rep was handled is kinda wonky because… 2006 but like, overall its a good show. series 2 especially

also i love gwen. i dunno how much gwen hate still exists now but yeah

lost:

the finale was great, fantastic, beautiful, A+++

the characters matter more than the ~mysteries~

i like/love jack, kate, ana lucia, michael, charlotte, shannon (heck, insert any female character name here because they’ve all gotten ragged on)

jacob is a bad person

i don’t think kate & sawyer work as romantic partners, i just like them as friends. i approve of several ships in the love square but thats one i’m ehhh about, and i know its very popular

i like sayid/shannon. nay, i love sayid/shannon

but overall im happy the modern lost fandom is fulla queer feminists because from what i’ve seen, the old lost fandom (2004 to 2010) was… not as pleasant

detroit become human

oh gosh this is gonna be bad (i have friends who hate this game)

i wanna make it clear ahead of time that i absolutely am aware of the flaws in this game and i’ve even spent a lot of time discussing them with my friends.nobody can diss dbh better than a dbh fan, believe me. i can be aware of something’s flaws and still like something (anybody whose followed me for lost knows i’ve dissed the flaws in lost loads of times. i still love it!)

also the dude who wrote/directed this game is an asshole, an idiot, a sexist and a bunch of other bad things. thats not an unpopular opinion, i just wanted you guys to know that i know this. when i praise dbh, i’m not praising him

long story short, i like the creation not the creator

i went on a bit so its under here

despite who made it: it’s a good game, brent

i think despite its flaws, there’s more good things than bad things

allegory isn’t inherently racist. note my emphasis

“heavy handed”, “on the nose” and “not subtle” aren’t bad things? i see it get used as insults a lot but to me i got no bother. not subtle doesn’t mean bad. bear in mind that i’ve grown up a star trek and x-men fan so yeah

i don’t wanna say the word overrated because i don’t believe in that. i just find it interesting how certain characters are getting a lot of attention (e.g gavin, nines) whilst other characters are ignored or reviled. thats not me saying the characters whom are popular in fandom should be ignored, thats me saying i’d like more focus on other characters i like too e.g markus, kara, kamski, the jerries, north, josh, rose & adam and a bunch more. i just really like all the androids and some humans okay

like, its pretty obvious why simon (white man) is being adored whilst josh (black) and north (woman) are being ignored and despised respectively, right? and thats not me hating on simon or saying less simon. i like simon! (or like, what can be done with him bcuz canon simon has no depth)

i just happen to like josh and north! which deserves its own bullet point

not only do i like north, i love north and she’s one of my fave characters!

i do not agree with the often used phrase “hank and connor are the only worthwhile part of this game”, in fact, i hate it. sure, the best part of the game, go ahead. but the only worthwhile part? fuck you, because

i like markus and kara and their stories! whilst most my problems with this game are in markus’ story (just trust me on that), overall i still like it. and kara? heck theres not a single kara chapter i don’t like. and on that note:

i don’t consider kara’s story to be useless. yeah she’s not part the revolution plot but thats not bad. i think it provides a balance. think of it like this: markus represents The Leader, the liberator, the messiah. he is fighting for his people. and he comes from a privileged background. connor is representing The Man, The System, depending on how you play him he is rebelling against The System or is a part of it. now what does kara represent? The People. her and the other androids she encounters represent the average android in this world. markus and connor can’t do that so i feel its important we see her. we’re seeing what markus (and maybe connor) are fighting for. and i think thats really important

and besides all that, i just plain like it okay

i like markus/north, i think they make a good couple (moreso in my head than in the game but i still think they’re sweet in the game)

the concept that pacifist markus and north don’t “make sense together” is stupid because ur assuming north is bloodthirsty and has no room for growth. and that all couples need to agree with each other. also north for violent markus and simon for pacifist markus also makes no sense to me becuz 1. people aren’t rewards, 2. ur confusing simon with josh. again. and 3. violent!markus and north would just be enabling each other. if north is to be with any markus, it should be pacifist markus because they’d be good for each other. also all three of them being options woulda been nice but that’s not an unpopular opinion anyways so moving on

the awkwardness felt about markus/north coulda totally been fixed by literally just one change. take the “lover” indicator and move it until after their first kiss. that way the timing is far less jarring and because the player can choose the kiss or not, the “lover” thing feels more like “yay i made their relationship grow” and less “oh whoa that was sudden”. if that was moved and nothing else changed, markus/north would’ve been way more loved. but alas, markus’ relationship scanner is just damn awkward

markus, my markus, is a verse and a kind, socially inept boy (i like how with the jericho four, north is a rowdy girl whilst the other three are various kinds of soft boys in their own way. i think thats cute and neat)

connor is not an innocent niave dumb bimbo (save that for the bedroom) and i wanna remind ppl that he’s an expert on psychology

the humans killed by daniel, ralph, echo (blue traci), shaolin (HK400) and north all deserved it

north, josh and simon would not all hate each other, fuck you. these people are meant to be friends, remember? (also jericho OT4, y’all!!!)

the facial expression on simon’s face after markus and north kiss at the end is gentle approval. he looks happy, some ppl are just projecting

i don’t mind that alice is an android

the way some markus/simon shippers talk about north is downright sexist and i think most north hate is caused by sexism & rape apologism

(i’m a live and let live kinda person about ships and also i’ve very into multishipping so some y’alls behaviour is perplexing to me)

there is nothing inherently morally wrong with shipping hank/connor. connor is capable of consent and age differences aren’t inherently bad. and the only reason this ship is controversial is because hank looks old and he’s not conventionally attractive. nobody would care otherwise

kamski isn’t evil, he’s morally ambiguous / chaotic neutral

i, uh, like kamski/chloe. its interesting (i’ve embraced that it’s fucked up) and i like the idea that chloe actually does love him. its kinda tragic?

a bunch of that was more about the fandom than the game but whatever. and as usual when i make a list, theres probs more but like, thats what comes to mind

yeah there was room for improvement on this game but overall i think its great and i like the characters, more than that i like what can be done with the characters. like, its a nice place to build from. and like, the people who are all like “if ur a fan of detroit become human, ur a bad person” can just fuck off

thats not how… anything… works

and besides its a piece of android media, done in a story based game, that has android babes and is fulla allegory and it’s something i can analyse to death (and as a bonus, the graphics/rendering/mocap/texturing are PHENOMENAL)

of course this is something i would like and i won’t apologise for that

#i went into dbh more because i haven't done so a lot on tumblr #partly because liking this game is considered controversial #but whatever idc #(if ur under the impression that liking this game somehow inherently makes me a bad person i want you to know that ur ridiculous)#most of my dbh talking happens on discord #a lot of times with my mouth words #anyways long story as short as possible: dbh flawed but i like it #its just that those words can extend into full flown essays #or several 8 hour rants with my friends on discord (im not kidding)#or way or another #i wouldn't care so much if i wasn't a fan #like y'all see me putting energy into things i dislike/hate?#fuck no that'd be absurd #agardenintheshire

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aion-rsa · 4 years

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Line of Duty Series 6 Episode 2 Review: What is Kate’s Game?

https://ift.tt/39l9RLa

DCI Jo Davidson: D for Devious. C for Corrupt. I for I wonder what hold the OCG has over her. Because that flappy car tantrum was not the act of an ice-cool customer solely in it for the spondulicks. Jo’s a foe in woe. Why? We don’t know.

What we do know is that AC-12’s shade-ar now has a 100% detection rate. Every time it’s pointed at a potentially bent copper, it finds one. The moment Davidson picked up that burner phone from Beardy Blue Van Man, she lost all claim to innocence. Everything now points to her having 1) tipped off the OCG about Carl Banks running his mouth, 2) bought them enough time to kill him and the CHIS framed for Banks’ murder, and 3) used her keys to Farida’s to plant those burner phones and frame her as the leak.

What made Davidson do it, and whether AC-12 will be able to nail her are the questions. This series is still at the drawing-us-in phase, making steady progress by laying the ground and setting mysteries instead of bounding from one shock to the next.

Speaking of nailing Davidson: now that she’s dirtier than a street dog, is Kate about to lie down and catch fleas? DI Fleming was firmly on Team Jo this episode, thumbing her nose and rolling her eyes at AC-12 at every opportunity. When Steve tried to muster a sense of bonhomie in that piss-stinking underpass, Kate was having none of it. She betrayed him to get in Davidson’s good books, exposing Steve to a humiliating defeat when he and his troops stormed the Hill, his waistcoat puffed up with the fair winds of justice.

Was Kate and AC-12’s break-up really that bad, or – and a prize poppadom to everyone who got here earlier than me – is the lady protesting too much? It wouldn’t be the first time Fleming has gone undercover via a different anti-corruption team. The twist would be that, having exhausted all the Forster, Francis, Flynn surname variants in previous series, this time she’s gone undercover as herself, playing a disgruntled ex-anti-corruption officer who’s had it up to here with those pious tossers at anti-corruption. Hate those guys.

It’s one explanation for the cosy glass of wine, lingering hug and weekend invitation. Another equally plausible scenario is that Kelly Macdonald is a pre-Raphaelite beauty, even in her sensible trousers, and Kate’s recently single and ready to mingle. Who could blame her?

It is in the air, after all. John Corbett’s widow Steph let Steve know that he’d be welcome to visit her bungalow whenever the desire arose. Steve’s problem is that thanks to his injury and painkiller addiction, nothing of his has risen for well over a year. (Not strictly true. In a victory that couldn’t have been more bittersweet if it had come dipped in Green & Blacks Organic Dark 70%, Steve’s finally been promoted to DI – rewarded for his loyalty by a Super he’s planning to skip out on.)

Uncharacteristically, Steve wasn’t at Steph’s for yet another unwise sexual liaison, he was there to covertly suss out why she’d visited Ted at work. If I heard it right, Steph told Ted “You promised you’d call me back, it’s HMRC,” before he ushered her out of headquarters. Are people starting to get suspicious about that so-called life insurance sum (actually £50K of hooky cash Ted passed Steph to make up for the lack of police pay-out on John’s death)? Another mystery: are Ted’s buttocks the ones leaving a dent in Steph’s sofa in front of that big TV on match nights?

Line of Duty: Who is DC Chloe Bishop? Fan Theory Suggests Series 1 Link

By Louisa Mellor

Line of Duty Series 6 Episode 2: Ryan, Davidson & All Our Questions & Theories

By Louisa Mellor

Apologies there, for the blasphemous mention of Ted Hastings’ buttocks. Three Hail Marys and an act of contrition later, where were we?

That’s right, the return of Ryan Pilkington or The Caddy V2.0. The OCG’s newest inside man, Ryan’s history with AC-12 made for some awkward moments – whenever Steve showed up at The Hill, Ryan had to duck behind a tall plant lest Arnott remember that time he tried to amputate his fingers with a set of bolt cutters. Kate, now working alongside Pilkington, struggled to place him as the kid she’d once attempted to scare straight with threats of the sexual assault he’d face in juvenile custody. For Ryan to be Farida’s replacement on this case means there’s definitely somebody on high pulling the strings. Two to one odds it’s CC Osborne, whose conspiracy to cover up Steve’s botched Counter-Terrorism op in series one we were reminded of in that first Vella clip.

No thanks to Murder Squad, there was a breakthrough on the Vella investigation. Steve and Chloe (Ted was right, a great wee girl) have learned that Vella was poised to go public with her findings on police corruption, and so was likely killed for her silence.

The Vella case has been the force’s highest priority for over a year and has got nowhere. AC-12 poke it for five minutes and they’ve already uncovered a motive. It’s amazing how much police work can get done when the investigators aren’t being bribed to drop the evidence in puddles and misplace their pencil when it’s time to take down witness statements. “Working their bollocks off to find Gail Vella’s killer,” are they, ACC Wise? If Central Police are so desperate to solve Gail’s murder, why put Ian pigging Buckells in charge, an officer with only half of what it takes to be a useful idiot.

It’s a clever trick, inserting Vella into the past investigations. Zoom out a little from every series we’ve watched and it’s easy to believe there she’s been, watching alongside us, raising eyebrows and keeping receipts. Vella’s a mouthpiece for series creator Jed Mercurio’s well-aired opinions on PR and optics-led politics and policing. (Literally a mouthpiece. He gave me her line questioning what corrupt police officers were getting out of their relationship with Jimmy Savile back in 2016.) Her case may also have been partly inspired by the still unsolved murder of Daniel Morgan in 1987 – as namechecked by Vella’s producer – a case with alleged connections to serious police corruption.

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Wrapping Vella around the past series is a neat turn, but comes with the drawback of needing to keep those cases alive in viewers’ memories. That means more recap dialogue than we’re used to from a series that usually, flatteringly, speeds off without a backwards glance and expects us to keep up. “If your man pulled the trigger that means he’s a gun for hire, the order came from higher up,” said Ted this episode. “If organised crime ordered the murder of Gail Vella, they’re protecting Carl Banks and framing Terry Boyle,” said Steve. “Yeah, we get it”, says Kate, speaking for the viewer. Credit us with some grasp, Line of Duty. Loyalty works both ways.

The post Line of Duty Series 6 Episode 2 Review: What is Kate’s Game? appeared first on Den of Geek.

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#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

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brakken · 7 years

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Replayed Life is Strange ep. 5, thoughts below.

Buckle in - I had a lot to say.

I was nervous about revisiting this one. The first time I played, this ending wrecked me. And I mean wrecked. I was in tears for hours. I had trouble sleeping for weeks. I couldn’t think about the game without wanting to cry. I wanted to draw fan art for it, but couldn’t without breaking down. In many ways, I’m still affected by it. This game changed me.

So, I was nervous. And not just because of how hard it hit me the first time, but I was nervous about how I’d react in replaying. Would I notice something I didn’t the first time, that would ruin the experience for me? Would I cry as much? And if I didn’t, would that mean that I didn’t like it as much? How much of that original feeling was satisfaction, and how much was disappointment?

-spoilers ahead for LiS Ep. 5-

I touched on this very briefly last time, but I want to talk about it further here, where it comes more into play:

I do not like the Jefferson twist. Coupled with Rachel’s death, it is a shallow and uninteresting answer to her disappearance, regardless of their attempts to pretty it up with the Prescott’s involvement. Strip away the red herrings and tangled threads, and what you’re left with is a dead girl and a murderer. Jefferson becomes unrecognisable in his unveiled role - his tropey villain dialogue and mannerisms separate him so far from his earlier scenes that it may as well have been an all-new person. Maybe this was the intention, but it reads to me as utterly cliche. How frightening would he have been, had he kept his familiar composure? How much more menacing, now that his mannerisms are given a horrific context?

Even within the narrative, his portrayal in this episode feels completely wrong. Jefferson goes from a man with a sick passion for capturing true innocence, to one willing to murder multiple people. It is never understood that murder is part of his pattern. Rachel’s death was an accident at Nathan’s hands, yet now we have Jefferson killing him, Chloe, Victoria, and the intention to kill Max, all with nary a hint of remorse or doubt. He is just the bad guy now - plain and simple. And in a game where so much else is designed to be not so clean-cut, that’s... pretty boring.

With that out of the way, I do think the scenes themselves are done well. Awakening in the dark room is genuinely tense and scary - moreso with Victoria present. Desperately hopping in and out of photographs to different moments of captivity is incredibly effective - it packs on such helplessness and danger.

And even while not being thrilled with Jefferson as the villain, and while understanding it would soon fall apart, it is incredibly satisfying to help Max attain the following victories via time-hopping. A lot of the game focuses on retreading conversations with new information, and consequently, Max displays boosted confidence upon these repetitions. Returning to the first scene is where this is at its peak. She knows everything - and she’s powerful. It’s also in parts like this where I would like to applaud the designers for having a clear vision from the outset (even if I wasn’t entirely thrilled with aspects of that vision).

A really strong story-telling tool is introducing a solution before the problem arrives, to trick the audience into thinking it’s unimportant until the reveal. Having us take the selfie right at the start of the game is a great use of this. What seemed like just a moment in a scene becomes absolutely vital - but only after we discover we can rewind with photographs. (this is also why the ep.4 Warren moment feels so weirdly deliberate. We already know how her powers work by this point so we’re paying attention every time a new photo is taken.)

I’d been put the ending off for a while.

Once I played up to the art gallery, I took a break and then just... left it there. Left Max in a peaceful moment.

I wasn’t ready.

But lately it seemed like the real world was telling me to return to it. After a week with no breeze, the wind began picking up, and it looked like there could be rain. I found myself idly doodling Chloe and Max in my intervals between work. I had someone here ask me if I’d be writing thoughts for episode 5. I was discovering new music that aligned all too well with where I was at with the characters.

So, I finally decided it was time, and sat down, and finished playing. Only the next morning did I realise I’d done so on October 11, the in-game day of the storm.

Before moving into the next act of the episode, I want to say I really appreciate the way they’ve sculpted so many different ways to apply Max’s rewind power. It’s great that they’re able to keep surprising me while not emptying their cache too quickly. However, I reaaally wish (and was expecting) that time-freezing would make a return in this finale. It’s used well in ep.2 with Kate, but I feel like it introduced a new threat that is never paid off. Once it’s established that Max’s power can weaken her to the point where it doesn’t function, there is now a looming danger for when that will happen again - maybe this time, the cost will be Chloe, or the town, or even Max herself. But it never does. The closest we get is when Chloe is shot at the end of ep.4, but the power's failure is more directly from Jefferson’s sedation, rather than a weakness on Max’s part. And when she does falter again, it manifests as a prolonged out-of-nowhere dream sequence. There’s some creative stuff present there, but it also stands as a missed opportunity to toy further with tangible peril.

On with the escape. Don’t have much to say here. I may not have been happy with his new portrayal, but it’s still satisfying to watch Jefferson get taken down. It’s nice to see David on the same team as Max, and it’s a good start to a series of character farewell scenes.

Followed closely by a bad one.

Nathan is thrown to the wayside to an unforgivable degree here. He’s been pivotal in Max and Chloe’s connection uptil now, even though a lot of that happens off-screen. But as soon as he’s no longer the main threat, his presence, character, and life are all discarded. His phone message in the car provides some closure, but is far too little too late and serves more as insult to injury than any kind of saving face.

Meanwhile, Warren, a character with more screentime than Nathan but of relative unimportance to the main story, is given a spotlighted farewell. I don’t get this. I have no harsh feelings against Warren, but insofar as his relevance to Max and Chloe’s arcs, he is a sideliner. Since his primary presence has centred around a potential romance for Max, his farewell scene should be treated with an equal amount of focus. It really annoys me that you are forced to tell him about Max’s powers - there is no way to opt out of it, and all it leads to is him guilt-tripping Max with ‘Chaos Theory’ and ‘choosing the right thing’, which the game is about to throw at us anyway in the dream sequence. It’s also unjust to the scene’s purpose, which is a farewell. We may not fully know it, but we’re saying goodbye to these characters one by one. We’ve just come away from our farewells with Joyce and Frank, and all Warren wants to do is talk plot. But whatevs, I still hugged him.

The confession about letting William die was painful. I wasn’t predicting it to come up again, and by this point it felt like so long ago. And yet, it works. We’ve returned to a Chloe who’s early off of discovering Rachel’s death - and she doesn’t want to listen. And we need her to listen. Most conversations in the game can’t lead to a failure, but I find it really interesting that this one does.

I’m very conflicted about the dream sequence. Conceptually, I love it. I love when games mess with their established order, and they’re certainly evoking a feeling of helplessness in me upon returning once again to that damn classroom. But, it rubs me the wrong way here, too. We’ve beaten the mini-boss of the game. We defeated Jefferson. Yet the final time we see him is here, forcing us to say words we don’t want to, and watch him take photos of Chloe with us strapped to a chair. I get this is Max internalising her insecurities... but we beat him. We’re onto the final boss, now - the storm. Jefferson is obsolete at this point, and there’s no rhyme or reason to show him in power again.

(sidebar: the bottle-collecting in the hide-and-seek segment was confusing and dumb and made me angry that they were still injecting completion rewards this late in the story)

I also don’t like the Dark Room sequence of the dream, because it villainises Chloe. All the other sequences present us with twisted versions of Arcadia Bay residents. Dead versions, cruel versions. We’re witnessing the weight of guilt that coincides with the coming choice, culminating in an encounter with the Other Max, and Chloe saving us from her. This should have been Chloe’s first appearance in the dream. The Dark Room sequence where she jeers at Max’s shortcomings seems so out of place with the rest of what is being said. I think this is especially noticeable given the following walk down memory lane, showing us everything we’ll lose on the alternate side of the choice.

(sidebar: I wish that the walk had been done better - I never knew when to stop and listen to the voiceovers and when to continue onto the next highlighted moment, and it was always jarring whenever the dialogue got interrupted)

I was fully ready for Rachel to appear in this dream, in some form or another. With everything culminating, and Max messing more with time, coupled with how blunt they were to put Rachel in the ground in the previous ep, I was waiting and I was hoping. But she never showed. And I don’t understand why. As I said with Nathan, Rachel is integral in the centric plotline of Max and Chloe’s reunion. I need to stress this - even though she’s never seen on-screen, she is a dominating factor in our two main characters’ growth, and is little more than a footnote in this finale.

What we get instead at the end of this dream, is Other Max. I don’t have much to say about her. In my eyes she’s very much just a culmination of the dream thusfar. She doesn’t represent much to me beyond that, except a missed opportunity to meet Rachel and find out what the hell is going on.

Can we touch on that quickly, before the final scene? What the hell is going on? I don’t want to have everything bluntly spelled out, but... did the designers really feel like they’d laid enough groundwork that the answer should be obvious? When Chloe hamfistedly states it’s a mystery we’ll ‘obviously never figure out’... damn. That hurts. I mean, I have my own theory - I like it, and it’s the lens I choose to view the story through. But it’s unfair to put it on the players to do this heavy-lifting. We relied on the designers to draw the path for us to follow, and they took us to a dead end.

So let’s talk about the final choice. Even in replaying, and with the dream sequence’s attempts to balance the scales last-minute, my decision here still remained the same, for a couple of reasons. The first being the game’s true title, as I have mentioned earlier - ‘Save Chloe: The Game’. And hey, this doesn’t suddenly change in the final episode. This was, for me, the fixed goal as soon as I caught onto it. And to save Chloe here, she needs to be able to live past her grief. Contrasted to the alternate Chloe, whose prison was inescapable - saving her came from letting her go. But here, we need to hold on.

Hold on, hold on, hold on.

My second main reason is Max’s character growth, and the overall narrative. This young girl is warned of a coming storm, and is then given time-altering powers. And she is constantly asking why. Not just why she got powers, but what she is meant to learn from having them. On the surface, what she learns is ‘don’t mess with time a bunch because a storm will happen’ and with that you can lean either way on the choice. But if I was going to carve right to the heart, I see the story saying ‘you can’t fix all your mistakes, but you can move through the consequences and grow in the aftermath.’ Every problem she's faced in the story uptil this point, she has tampered with to some degree in order to solve. And to do so, again, for this final decision, would make her arc amount to nothing. This needs to be different from letting William die, otherwise the game could have ended there. There is no easy decision, but the storm is here. All the pieces lie where they fell, both good and bad.

I’m tearing this damn photograph.

All that said, I can’t and won’t fault anyone for going the other way. I haven’t played or watched the alternate ending, so far all I know it performs well and ticks story checkboxes that I can’t see over here on the ‘bae’ side.

This choice felt and still feels like the right one to me. From outside the narrative, I can certainly weigh the options and see sacrificing Chloe as the more viable. (though if you want to talk pragmatism, there is absolutely no reason why either of them should think that letting Chloe die should fix everything)

But while it’s important to ask ‘what would I do?’, it’s also been immensely important to me in these playthroughs to ask ‘what would Max do?’, or further, ‘what could Max do?’

So that was my choice. As I said at the beginning, I was nervous as to how I’d feel at the end, after having been so deeply affected the first time. And now, after crying through the whole epilogue, I found myself wondering if I’d cried enough. I looked up the scene online and watched it again, and cried. And then again, and cried. But what was this empty feeling? Is this what it felt like before, or was something blocking me from experiencing it properly?

After stepping outside into the 4am light, and then another rewatch, I realised I was, in a way, messing with time. Trying to force things, just like Max was. I even had my own Other Max in my head, making me question my own thoughts and feelings. So it was time to let it be what it was, and move on. I couldn’t recreate my first play, but I could let myself get swept up in this one.

Since finishing the game, it’s been raining non-stop here. I’ve kept inside, surrounded by the aftermath of this playthrough.

Playing this game changed me. For all it did right and all it did wrong, I was affected. It’s the first time in my life that I’ve consciously noted a tangible shift in who I am as a person. It’s brought me closer to my emotions, and has altered my creativity. It made me revise one of my comic ideas into a game - something I would never have considered on my own.

Even with all these thoughts, I reckon this comic I made accurately sums up my whole experience.

And as I’ve done each time, here are my favourite moments from this episode:

-'I’ll always be with you.’ ‘Forever.’

-Clasping hands, as the storm rages.

-Max, unable to watch, leaning into Chloe, who looks on with newfound strength.

-Driving through the town, now in pieces. Max, too, in pieces.

-Max’s weak smile when Chloe moves to comfort her. It’s going to be okay. They’re together.

(heck, I cried just typing those out, I am so done, haha)

To anybody who read this far - thank you so, so much. This game holds a lot of emotional value to me, and hence these write-ups are probably the most personal thing I’ve put out here for people to see. So thank you for taking the time to look at this. I hope you’re having a wonderful day.

Wah, this was all in preparation for the first episode of Before the Storm, and now episode 2 is about to be released. I gotta dig in!

As always, here’s a lil sketch <3

#max talks about life is strange

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inloveandwords · 4 years

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I read a total of 14 books between June 14 & June 27 and there were so many great ones!

All of the books I mention in this video can be found and purchased on my storefront here.

Quiet Girl in a noisy world by Debbie Tung

4 stars

This is a graphic novel that is basically a series of scenarios that will be very relatable to true introverts. I am much more of an extroverted introvert, so there were some things that I didn’t fully relate to, but I totally understood. The illustrations were adorable and I read this book within an hour. I think this book would make a great gift for your introvert friends who don’t get enough love in this noisy world.

Can I Come Over by Whitney G

4 Stars

I saw that a friend of mine on bookstagram was reading a couple of Whitney G novels and this was one of them. It definitely inspired me to pick it up since it was my birthday and her novels tend to be short and sweet – like a little treat on a day of relaxation.

This book had so many great romance tropes happening in it. First of all, the heroine, not unlike Whitney G, is a successful author of short, self-published, steamy romance novels. She joins this sort of pen pal ish service that is supposed to be strictly platonic and starts talking to this guy. At first he’s a douche, but then they work things out. Turns out he is her dad’s good friend. So there is a forbidden and age gap scenario.

I have to be honest, I didn’t love this at first. I really didn’t like the way the hero was talking to our heroine at all and I worried he wouldn’t redeem himself.

He did and I ended up really enjoying this. Whitney G does what few authors can when it comes to steamy novellas: she builds chemistry quickly and crafts a believable romance in otherwise outlandish settings. Her and Katee Robert are my two very favorite short, steamy, romance writers for that reason.

When a Scot Ties the Knot by Tessa Dare

5 Stars

I finally did it! I read a Tessa Dare novel and everyone was right. I freaking loved it.

This book is about a woman who is incredibly introverted and to avoid having to do the typical coming out in society thing, she makes up a pretend boyfriend. A Scottish soldier who, it turns out, actually exists.

He has been receiving her letters and learns all about her from them, so when he shows up unexpectedly at the house she inherited because of her fake engagement to him, she’s obviously surprised.

For those who don’t normally like historical romances, I think Tessa Dare is the perfect place to ease your way into the genre. Her heroines aren’t annoyingly innocent and naive. Her books feel modern even though they are not.

This had so many elements of a great romance: fake dating, a little bit of enemies-to-lovers, and an adorable meetcute.

I can’t wait to read more Tessa Dare!

The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta

5 Stars

This is a coming-of-age memoir about a mixed-race gay teen who eventually finds himself when he discovers drag, written in verse. Obviously I can’t personally speak for the rep in this novel, but I can tell you that it was beautifully written.

I’m a big fan of modern poetry and though I connected a little more with the poetry in The Poet X a little more, I still really liked this one. While I loved the audiobook, I have seen a few pages of the book and I wish I had it as I was reading as well.

I feel like this book is so important for young people to read, to help them see outside of their boxes – or to help them find themselves on page. To help them not feel so alone.

Cherry Magic

4 stars

My very first official manga was gifted to me by my sweet friend, @genkireader, for my birthday. There was definitely a learning curve when it came to reading this. I was messaging her on Instagram with questions like, “Wait, this book is backwards, where do I start? Do I read right to left or left to right?” It was surprisingly more difficult than I expected, but I REALLY enjoyed this book. So much so that I ended up buying a few more of her favorites.

This book was quirky and cute. It’s about a guy who has developed the power to read people’s mind through touch and he thinks it is because he’s a 30yo virgin. He ends up reading the mind of a charasmatic, good-looking guy in his office and discovers that he is attracted to him. So many adorable moments ensue, a ton of over-thinking and awkwardness, but also super sweet, swoony moments, too. I feel like this will speak to any of us who overthink every little thing when we are falling for someone. Especially when it is unexpected.

Thank you, De’Siree for this gift, it was like you gifted me a piece of yourself because I know how much you love these stories. Lovelovelovelovelove.

Rafe by Rebekah Weatherspoon

3 Stars

This is a cute romance between a buff, tattooed nanny who begins working for a savant young surgeon and mother of two girls.

This book was fine, though I didn’t see anything special about it. Maybe I gave in a little to the hype surrounding it and that was the issue, but mostly the romance was just ok. I felt like it was a little rushed, I wished there was more pining and more of a forbidden aspect to this, but it seemed like they both gave in pretty quickly.

Loving Mr. Daniels by Brittany C Cherry

5 stars

This was a super angsty, emotional story about a girl and a guy who are both dealing with terrible tragedy and find solace in each other. The first night they meet is filled with unbelievable chemistry, it’s almost too good to be true.

And it turns out to be. Because it turns out he is her high school teacher.

The heroine was held back in school because of a medical condition, so she is 19 years old and a senior. He is a young teacher, in his early twenties, so the age gap isn’t really a thing, but it doesn’t make it any less forbidden.

When they realize the situation, it’s heartbreaking because of how intense their first meeting was. A series of super angsty things happen and it’s all very intense, but in the best epic love kind of way.

I was rooting for this couple the entire time, but not only that, I loved the heroine’s relationship with her step siblings even with all that drama.

All American Boys by Jason Reynolds

5 Stars

This is a super relevant fictional story that is somewhat reminiscent of The Hating Game.

This is about a boy in the ROTC in high school who is falsely accused of stealing by a racist, hateful police officer who ends up beating him until he is unconscious which stirs protests in his town that is sick of this constantly happening.

Sound familiar?

What’s interesting about this story is how it follows the perspective both of the victim and a white boy that goes to his school who is linked to the police officer.

I was completely invested in this story, while also cautious. I was super curious about how this book would end. Would it be far too optimistic or would it be realistic?

When I finally came to the end, I very much appreciated it. It was hopeful without being naive. It left questions that we still need answers to, but it didn’t feel too unresolved that it leaves you unsettled. I almost took it as… let’s let current events tell us how this story is going to end.

The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang

5 Stars

I read this sweet, heartwarming graphic novel with my girls. They adored it from the very first night we read it before bed.

This story is about a prince who likes to wear dresses and hires, in secret, a dressmaker to make him custom dresses.

I didn’t tell them what it was about, I wanted them to discover it on their own and ask questions as they came up.

Books are an essential parenting tool for me.

The girls begged me every night to keep going. They loved the characters in this book and they were excited to see what was going to happen.

This entire book, but especially the ending was so adorable. I absolutely loved it and can’t wait to read more from this author. Especially if I can share the experience with my girls.

Addicted series books 1 & 1.5 by Krista and Becca Ritchie

5 stars and 4 stars

A lot of my friends have read and loved this series, between that and the premise, I’ve been super excited to read it.

This is about a woman who is a sex addict and her best friend she’s in a fake relationship with who is an alcoholic.

This is a super angsty, dark, gritty series so far with such a strong romance. These are extremely troubled characters who are using their relationship and each other to hide their addictions.

I found this book, ironically enough, addicting to read and I can’t wait to read on in the series.

The second book did seem to drag on a bit, I feel like it could’ve been half as long as it was, but I know it was necessary.

Take a Hint Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert

5 Stars

I am absolutely LOVING these Brown sisters books! Chloe’s book was fantastic, but I think this one might be my favorite so far.⁣

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Dani is a smart, independent savvy woman who is not interested in a long term relationship. Zaf is basically the complete opposite.⁣

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The two of them have not had much more than a nice rapport – he’s the security guard at the school she teaches at, until Dani gets trapped in an elevator and Zaf rescues her. This wouldn’t be a big deal if the entire rescue didn’t get caught on film and go viral.⁣

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The “going viral” thing seems to be really popular lately and it’s not normally something I would gravitate towed. Honestly, I tend to prefer if romance novels just pretend that social media didn’t exist. I think it’s tricky including anything involving technology in contemporary romance novels only because things change so rapidly, it’s easy to become outdated.⁣

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However, I didn’t care what this book was about, I knew I was going to read it and fully expected to love it … and I was right.⁣

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As always, Talia’s steamy scenes are SO on point, but more than anything, she writes sweet heroes SO well. I adored Zaf with everything I am. I can’t handle how much I love his side job and that despite being a big guy, he’s a big softie. ⁣

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And, of course, I adored Dani. I love how badass and confident and independent she is, even if it does complicate her relationships.⁣

Becoming by Michelle Obama

5 Stars

I borrowed this on a whim from my library. I’ve been reading a few nonfiction books lately and have enjoyed all that I’ve picked up.⁣

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I have to admit, though, I loved this one the most.⁣

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I didn’t realize Michelle’s father had MS. As soon as she mentioned his symptoms, my stomach dropped and I just KNEW it. It’s always hard for me to read about people who have Multiple Sclerosis, especially nonfiction because I’m always wondering if that will be me and when.⁣⁣

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As a romance reader, I adored Michelle and Obama’s romance. I officially ship them SO hard. Watching their relationship unfold was so satisfying and adorable.⁣

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I’m not a big crier while reading, but I got choked up so many times. When she talked about visiting the VA, when she talked about Sandy Hook… it wasn’t overly dramatic, but it was enough to have me covering my mouth with my hand trying not to cry.⁣

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I’ve always admired this woman, but even more now than I did before learning more about her. ⁣

Recent Reads: June 14-27 I read a total of 14 books between June 14 & June 27 and there were so many great ones!

#recent reads

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baitsabeeisreal · 7 years

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Sarah: Kawennáhere Devery Jacobs. She’s of Native heritage, and she’s around Sarah’s age.

Jago: Maybe Jacob Artist. Like, he looks very very similar to how I imagined Jago, if you put a couple of scars on his face. What doesn’t convince me 100% is that he’s African-American, while Jago is Peruvian, so I think it would be better if a Latino actor played him, but I couldn’t find one that looked the right way.

Chiyoko: definitely Rinko Kikuchi. If you’ve seen Pacific Rim, you can understand why.

An: He’s one of the most difficult. There aren’t many asian actors of that age, the only one I saw in a leading role is Ki Hong Lee, and even tho he’s really good, he doesn’t look like An AT ALL. So I browsed some lists of asian actors, and the one that convinced me more is Brendan Howley. Like, I know he’s much more handsome than An should be, but he has that tormented aesthetic and I think he could fit.

Maccabee: Matthew Lewis. He’s exactly like how Maccabee was described.

Baitsakhan: My choiche is Ryan Potter, even if I’m not 100% sure. I said An had been difficult to cast? Baitsakhan was FUCKING ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE! I could hardly find any Mongolian actors, and none of them was that age. So I lowered my standards and looked for actors who had East Asian heritage. So Ryan Potter was really one of the few avaible that showed the right age. (Also he was Hiro’s voice in Big Hiro 6, and that movie always reminded me of Baits so well)

Shari: Freida Pinto might be the right actress. At first I thought about Pryianka Chopra, but she doesn’t look “innocent” enough. So yeah. Freida Pinto.

Alice: Amanlda Stenberg. I love her natural hair and the way she played Rue. The only thing that doesn’t convince me is her body type: Alice should be much bigger and more muscolar. I think that Patina Miller has the right body for her, but she’s really too old.

Aisling: Rose Leslie, because she has red hair, freckles and an intresting face, and she can play well a badass (see her role as Ygritte.) I had imagined Aisling more like Chloe Howl, but she’s not an actress so…

Kala: Sofia Boutella. I’m really satisfied about this choiche, because she’s middle eastern like Kala (she’s algerian to be fair), and around the right age. Of course she would have to wear green contact lenses and a hijab!

Hilal: Aml Ameen could be fine for him. He’s the right age, the right ethnicity, the right build. The only thing he misses are blue eyes, but there are contacts for that. Also he played Alby in The Maze Runner, and his character is similar to Hilal for some things: both are wise and have authority, even if Hilal is gentler. Another actor that might be good to play him is Michael Ealy, but he’s really too old.

Marcus: Matthew Daddario. He’s tall, handsome, with black curly hair and he honestly looks like a greek god, so, who could be better as the Minoan player?

Christopher: Lucas Till, because he looks like your typical, blonde, kind, all american boy.

Stella: Haley Webb plays her in Ancient Soceties, I think, but honestly I always imagined her more like Jennifer Lawrence (or maybe Natalie Dormer)

Little Alice: Amrita Mukherjee, even if maybe she’s too old (she’s like 10??)

Jamal: Avan Jogia, he looks pretty much like I imagined him.

Ekaterina Adlai: Kate Winslet, because she’s the right age and body type. And of course she would potray her well, I mean… It’s Kate fucking Winslet.

Guitarrero Tlaloc: Giancarlo Esposito, because he is the right ethnicity and age and he already did similar roles.

Hayu Tlaloc: I know she doesn’t look Peruvian (she’s swedish in fact) but I imagined her as Lena Olin. You should blame her role as Irina Derevko for it, because she’s a manipulative, badass, bitch mother.

Nori Ko: Maggie Q, she’s the right age and ethnicity.

Xander: Alex Pettyfer, because he got that “surfer boy” look that I imagined Xander with.

Jalair: Ryan Higa. He was my second choiche for An tbh, and since I added Jalair only as a last thought I choose quickly. But I think that he honestly fits.

Declan&Pop Kopp: I chose Brendan and Brian Gleeson bc they’re two gingers, father and son, around the right age.

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dalekofchaos · 7 years

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Life Is Strange Spirit Animals

Max is a Doe. Doe, seen on her shirt in Episodes 1 and 2. Doe spirit seen in the junkyard. Represents sensitivity and intuition. Shown in Max’s rewind power. Samuel even says it. It’s also a motife that is repeated over and over again in things like Max’s clothing. Plus, it symbolizes innocence and fragility. Jefferson talked about Max’s innocence.

Chloe in Before The Storm is the Raven. The Raven guides Chloe but also causes trouble for her. It seems to stand for danger as well. Chloe causes trouble for herself. The raven is smart. It's guiding Chloe in the game. The raven is always there. Whenever we see Chloe, we see the raven. It's guiding Chloe, but since Chloe tends to get in trouble a lot and that was the case in both Before The Storm and Life Is Strange, it's kind of normal that the raven would guide Chloe into trouble as well because that's what Chloe does. Chloe causes problems with school, Max, Joyce, David, Wells and Rachel. She makes good choices but bad choices too. She's very smart. The meaning of the Raven totem. The Raven stands for transformation and change and that fits Chloe. She's torn between two worlds. One where she was perfectly safe and happy with Max and William. The other where she is depressed and miserable and going through rebellion.So now she is going through the transformation phase. In some tribes, the raven is considered a trickster because of its transforming/changing attributes. So it fits Chloe. The Raven was called upon in ritual so that visions could be clarified. Chloe sees the raven in all of her dreams. Foremost, the raven is the native american bearer of magic, and a harbinger of messages from the cosmos. Chloe seems to be connected to the universe in a way. The Raven is also called upon in Native ritual for healing purposes. Specifically, the raven is thought to provide long-distance healing. This is the key to understanding why the raven is Chloe we see Chloe in her most vulnerable. We see her where she is most hurt by Max leaving her and William dying. She is depressed and she needs to heal. She is transforming into a person who will adapt. The raven is always looking after Chloe in a way. It's always there in both good and bad moments. It's the definition of Chloe. She can be happy, but she can be sad at times. She can make both good and bad decisions. The raven is always there in Before The Storm. It's on the loading screen. Chloe has a raven shirt, It's first there when we go to help David. It's there in her dreams. It's there when we find our way back to Rachel. It's obvious it's hers in the game because this is about Chloe. Chloe even tags the bathroom with a giant raven image. The character Chloe plays in The Tempest Ariel/Sycorax , sources say is a raven. It makes sense for her to be the raven at this point in her life she is changing. But the Raven leaves Chloe. The raven does stand for lies and I immediately thought about this scene at the end of episode 3 when Chloe tells Rachel the truth and she finally meets her mother. After that, in the last scene, the raven flies away. Chloe lies a lot, especially to her mother. She even admitted it at some point. I think when she finally told the truth, she stopped being the raven.

Chloe in Life Is Strange. is the Blue Butterfly. It’s even the same color as Chloe’s hair. A color that we can see she always liked when Max jumps further back in time. The butterfly also appears just when Chloe came back into her life. It appears on Chloe’s casket. Chloe’s tattoos incorporate blue butterflies. Butterflies also symbolize a metamorphosis, and Chloe has gone through huge changes. Including the death of her old self in a way.

Rachel. Bluejay. Rachel is dead. The constant imagery of the trapped blue bird wanting to be free. I think that’s Rachel’s spirit wanting someone to find her body so that she can move on. The blue bird as a spirit animal symbolizes freedom and a flamboyant nature. Rachel was obviously no shrinking Violet. She is constantly described as a strong (if reckless) character. Add that to her wanting to get out, go to LA, etc. Plus Rachel is always pictured with a blue feather earring. My theory on why Rachel's ghost appears as a doe is to guide Max to the truth and to guide her to protect Chloe

Kate is a Bunny. Kate has/had a pet rabbit. The rabbit symbolizes shyness, love, and rebirth. Kate is shown to be very introverted, but very loving.

Warren is a Ferrett. A ferret is sensitive and clever. Warren is intelligent and shown to be sensitive.

Frank is obviously a dog. Frank owns Pompidou, the one notable dog in the entire game. He also gives his customers dog breed nicknames. Dogs symbolize communication, resourcefulness, and cooperation. Frank is Arcadia Bay’s drug dealer, he is in communication with many people. Cooperation could come into play because of how easily persuaded he is by Max and Chloe.

Nathan is a whale. Nathan has a whale sound player and photos of whales in his room. “Navigation: Moving through emotional depths” “Whale people are super-perceptive” “The whale symbolizes emotional creativity, well-being, nurturing as well as emotional depth." Whales represent deeper awareness (he knows about the dark room), using emotional energy for fuel (his outbursts), and moving through emotional depths (dealing with an abusive father).

Victoria is a cat. Like the cat, Victoria and cats are misread and aren’t as bad as people tend to view them. Also Independent, lands on her feet and curiosity got her killed.

David is the Mourning Dove. I believe the game has cleverly and subtly revealed David's spirit animal as the mourning dove for several reasons, both in-game, and as literary reference, which Dontnod just loves. As I first played the game, I believed the birds that appeared dead in the backyard of the Price residence to be pigeons, but they are, in fact, mourning doves, common in North America, and is also the bird you help release when Joyce is making breakfast, before David comes home from work. Three important in-game pieces of note: - it is revealed that David is a religious man, and is Baptist, whose symbol is the dove - Max notes in Ep. 4 that David is always the one who is cleaning up the dead bodies of the birds - If Max's shirt and Chloe's hair links them to the doe and butterfly in appearance, David's tan outfit is the same drab shade as the mourning dove Give ear to my prayer, O God; and hide not thyself from my supplication. 2 Attend unto me, and hear me: I mourn in my complaint, and make a noise; 3 Because of the voice of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked: for they cast iniquity upon me, and in wrath they hate me. 4 My heart is sore pained within me: and the terrors of death are fallen upon me. 5 Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me, and horror hath overwhelmed me. 6 And I said, Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest. 7 Lo, then would I wander far off, and remain in the wilderness. Selah. 8 I would hasten my escape from the windy storm and tempest." This passage evokes a prayer of redemption, as well as the dove being a common symbol of rebirth and redemption, which is what David has been seeking since moving to Arcadia after fighting in the Army. "Because of the voice of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked: for they cast iniquity upon me, and in wrath they hate me," is very much like David's mindset, that he knows people don't like him, but he is set and determined to doing what he thinks is right. The mourning, the lamentation to possess a dove's wings, to escape a storm, are all plain to see thematically.

Joyce is the Bluebird. Bluebird is about your happiness within and without. He signifies a contentment and fulfillment that is happening or is about to happen. Bluebird shows how to find those joyful gems in everyday life with an appreciation anew. He teaches a balance of work and play and reminds us to reinstate the fun back into life. Listen to the song of Bluebird in order to sing your own of joy with an awakened confidence and internal peace. It is time to look for chances to touch joy in your life. Dance and sing with every step, Bluebird will show you the way.I think it goes well with Joyce (other than Chloe) being able to allow joy to be back in her life and finding a new love with David. I'd think of her as someone who tries to see good in everyone and everything, no matter how much shit she's going through. She's also humming a lot which would kinda fit the last part.

Samuel is the Squirrel. No explanation needed. He takes care of squirrels and he himself says his spirit animal is a squirrel

Jefferson is an Owl, shown in Episode 4, an owl in the Prescott barn and an Owl swoops by before Chloe is shot. Owls symbolize wisdom, mystery, and secrets. To Max, Mr. Jefferson is the most knowledgeable person in his field. He also is apart of the secret underground photography studio.

#Life Is Strange #Max Caulfield #Chloe Price #Rachel Amber #Kate Marsh #Warren Graham #Frank Bowers #Nathan Prescott #Victoria Chase #David Madsen #Mark Jefferson

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