lichtenray

[herpartnerintime]

Before you say Chloe is a bad friend...

Play Farewell again. Look at how happy Chloe was. She had the perfect life, perfect family, perfect best friend. Pay attention to how she looks at Max with such adoration and love. The way she hugs Max out of nowhere and tells her she's the fricken best, pay attention to how she comforts Max about the move and isn't worried about anything changing. She trusted Max with ALL HER HEART.

And Max betrayed that. When she needed it most, when her dad died, Max broke the promise she left on that tape (that Chloe clutched to her chest as she fell down crying, that meant the world to her, that recording...) Imagine what that would do to you. Listen to Max's tape... listen to it.

Max: I guess I just wanted to leave you one more message. Because I know this was the absolute worst time for me to go. I thought maybe if you heard my voice it could be a little bit like I was there. I don't know, maybe this was a dumb idea. I would give anything to be there with you now. It's so hard, trying to say what I'm thinking. If I could just see you... But we'll get good at it—great at it! We'll write and talk all the time. And then you'll come visit and it'll be like I never left. I mean it, you don't have to worry about anything changing. You're dealing with so much other stuff. You don't deserve any of this. Max: Chloe, listen. Even if I never—even if we're moving for good... We're always together, okay? Even when we're apart. We're still Max and Chloe. I will always, always love you. Goodbye.

Think of how Chloe is curled in a ball on the floor of her room clutching that tape like it's all she has left because it IS all she has left but she is also left with the promise Max is going to write and talk with her all the time, the promise they are still Max and Chloe, that Max will always love her, that nothing will change. Chloe is clutching to the tape, holding it to her chest, she's clutching on to Max. And Max? She doesn't write. She doesn't call. She doesn't text. In bts she maybe responds once or twice but otherwise no. She's not there at all. Things do change. Chloe's alone... everything on that tape... feels like a lie.

Everybody lies remember? A statement 16 year old Chloe believes in Before the Storm. Who do you think taught her everybody lies? Then my dad died, and her dad got some job up north and she moved away to Seattle. It was probably the moment when I needed her most, and she bailed. Thanks, Max, for teaching me that I can't rely on anyone. I mean it. Life lesson learned.

Tell me you wouldn't be just as broken as Chloe losing your dad and then your best friend who you loved so much and then your mom gets a new boyfriend (and marries him) who treats you like you're just a problem and your mom is okay with it. Justifies his treatment of you. He's not your fucking dad. Your dad was perfect. This guy is nothing. It feels like your mom is trying to replace your dad. He's telling you that you've had enough of a vacation from a father figure as if your dad being dead for two years is a 'vacation' you wanted. Joyce has a right to move on, but her boyfriend treats and talks to Chloe horribly, and Chloe is 16. She's a teenager. She hasn't moved on from her dad's death, not even close. She hasn't moved on from Max either. Max and her dad were her fucking world. Think about the Junkyard scene in Before the Storm. The one where Chloe is smashing things in the junkyard. The way she sees the camera and goes... Chloe: I've never understood your hard-on for cameras, Max. You took a million pictures of us, and not one of them showed that you were gonna leave when I needed you most.

Chloe smashes it.

Chloe: Fuck cameras. She says fuck you David. Fuck off Rachel. But she can't say fuck you Max.

I feel the need to say what she wrote in her journal about taking Max back in a heartbeat at 16 stayed true even at 19. She took Max back in a heartbeat. The worst part is that even though we haven't spoken in months, even though she habitually ignored my texts so much that I just stopped trying, even though I know, deep down, that she doesn't care about me anymore and that she probably has all new friends up in fucking Seattle... I still miss her. If she came back tomorrow and said "hey Chloe, want to dress up like pirates and be stupid together?", I would take her back in a heartbeat. And as we all know, she does. I want you to think of the scene where Chloe finds her dad's car and breaks down, smashing her fists against the car screaming and crying until she falls down to the ground, crying and sobbing, curling up into a ball as she cries, all alone in that Junkyard, alone because not only did her dad die, but Max left, and she didn't keep her promise on that tape that Chloe had also curled into a ball with. She doesn't even have that promise anymore. She has nothing. But wait, that's not all, because as soon as Rachel leaves I find a car. My dead dad's fucking car. The twisted, shattered, ugly reminder of what used to be my life.

I think most people would never want anything to do with people who hurt them like Max. But Chloe took her back, still loved her, still treated her with love and still considered her her best friend. Look at how special their scenes are. The way they walk on the train tracks, the way they touch and Max worries her powers won't last forever. Guess what? Chloe doesn't care. She says WE WILL. Forever. She doesn't care if Max loses her powers because she LOVES Max, not her powers.

Now was Chloe angry at times in the game? Yes. And she had a right to be. Honestly, I'm surprised people seem to be under the impression you should just be okay with your best friend ghosting you after promising you she would be there for you when you desperately needed her and never be a little angry about it (and let's not forget Max returning to Arcadia but still not contacting Chloe). But with that said does Chloe act selfishly with Max at times? Yes she does.

Let's talk about the weed in Chloe's room. My favourite thing to do is hide and then burst out of the closet and take the blame for Chloe, which touches Chloe that Max throws herself out of the closet to protect her and feels like a huge show of love to Chloe that Max wanted to protect her. But if you don't hide and David catches you? Chloe will throw the blame on you and say it's Max weed. If you refuse to take the blame, Chloe is hurt and angry at Max.

It was a test when she throws the blame on Max. Does Max care enough about me to protect me? Think of how as kids Chloe protected Max when Max broke one of the stair posts as kids Max thinks in Farewell, "I slipped and broke this post a few years ago. But Chloe insisted on taking the blame. Even after she got grounded, she never squealed. What a friend." Chloe was willing to take the blame for Max as kids and protect her. Would Max do the same for her? Protect her?

And if Max does, or if you come out of hiding and take the blame without prompting think about how much that MEANS to Chloe. How loud that action speaks to her seeing Max wanting to protect her. And watch how protective she is of Max when David gets in her face about it. If Max is taking the blame, that doesn't mean Chloe is going to let David get to close to her. She says this if you do not take the blame and is then hit by David.

Max: I'm sorry, Chloe... I didn't know what to do...

Chloe: Whatever. Everybody bails on me. Even my "best friend" Max... Don't you? I'm so done with everyone in this town... I wish I hadn't even seen you. As if you care. Color me outta here... Keep in mind too, before this dialogue when they were talking about Rachel, this exchange happens.

Max: And you haven't heard anything from her since?

Chloe: Like everybody in my life. My dad, you...and Rachel. Gone... Can you put on some music now?

Max gets up. She inserts the CD into the stereo. "Santa Monica Dream" by Angus and Julia Stone begins playing. Chloe lies down on the bed, a sad expression on her face, and she begins to smoke.

Chloe: Anyway... You can find tools to fix your camera in the garage...

Max: Chloe, are you okay?

Chloe: Sure, I'm awesome. I just want to blaze and be alone for a moment...

Max not taking the blame and standing up to David as he harasses Chloe and eventually hits her has Chloe feeling deeply hurt and thinking about how everyone in her life hurts her and this is no different, changing her earlier happy mood at seeing Max and bringing this feeling back we saw earlier that had her distressed. Everyone lets her down, everybody leaves her, of course Max didn't stand up for her, why would she even have expected her too? Don't forget how in Before the Storm Rachel even told Chloe this... Rachel: Sometimes, I feel like I've got no reason to stay. Don't be surprised, Chloe, if one day, I'm just out of here. Chloe goes back and forth between thinking Rachel is missing and in danger to thinking I imagine to this moment and wondering if Rachel abandoned her too. Like Max did. She's come to expect the ones she loves leaving her and disappointing her. Look at how happy she is if you take the blame.

Chloe: Thanks for taking the heat. We totally smacked his punk ass down, Max. He's no match for you and me now...That was an epic win. Anyway. Let's sneak out the window...there is one cool place we can hang in this hickhole Chloe: Isn't this awesome sauce? Totally reminds me of when we were kids... (waves to Max.) Come on, slowpoke! Chloe is practically high with the happiness of Max taking the blame, not because she wants Max in trouble but because the act of Max looking out for her makes her feel loved, makes her feel like this is real, Max is really back and is to stay and she really does care again.

Max's inaction or her choice to take action have powerful affects on Chloe. Come out of hiding or take the blame and she feels loved, don't take the blame and she feels uncared for from a friend she fears may not truly care for her like she cares for her. The same can be said of shooting or not shooting Frank. Let's talk about the dialogue Shoot Max: Sorry.

Chloe hugs Max.

Chloe: You were awesome. Thanks for standing up for me...Let's blow. My secret lair didn't feel secret today. At least Frank is gone; he won't fuck with us again. He just wants his money. Don't shoot Chloe: You really stood your ground. Don't shoot

Max: I freaked. I don't like guns.

Chloe: It'll be hard to keep Nathan off my ass... My step-shit will have his other guns sealed in an electrified bunker by now.

Max: Sorry, Chloe. I've never held a gun on a human being before. Not cool.

Chloe: I know, Max. Really. I'm actually relieved it worked out this way instead... And there are more guns out there...Let's blow. My secret lair didn't feel secret today. At least Frank is gone; he won't fuck with us again. He just wants his money.

I know her reaction of you didn't stand your ground when you don't shoot is hurtful and unfair, Max was pointing the gun at Frank, she was scared in this scenario to pull the trigger and possibly kill him. Chloe acknowledges she knows, signaling she does understand this was a hard situation for Max and it's not fair to place that expectation on her. I think the reason her reaction if Max shoots is moving to hug her when Max says sorry is because of how deeply moved Chloe was by what Max did. Max saw her in danger and was willing to pull a trigger to protect her. That's an act of love and a powerful one and Chloe knows that. I think if Max doesn't shoot, even if it's unfair, a part of Chloe feels like she's not loved enough to have someone go that far to protect her, but she can acknowledge it's not fair of her to feel that way. Let's talk about these lines too..

Chloe: I still can't believe you pulled a gun on Frank. That was epic.

Max: It felt awful... I'm glad there was no bullets in there--

Chloe: You can just rewind time in your hand and stick that barrel right up Frank's ass! You have the power!

Max: You're gross. Don't fall. Max and Chloe briefly hold hands, then let go. vs

Chloe: I can't believe you basically gave him my gun. "Here ya go, Frank."

Max: You can't keep getting mad at me. Especially for stupid shit.

Chloe: I'm not mad. It adds up in my mind as people letting me down. And I just liked having that gun, man.

Max and Chloe briefly hold hands, then let go.

Max: Now you have me to protect you. Now again, Chloe is being unfair here, but she is upset her protection was taken from her as she is very anxious I think after almost being shot earlier (and knowing she also died in one reality) also now anxious from Frank threatening her with a knife and anxious even from being drugged and from her step father's abuse, that losing her means of protection because Max wasn't willing to pull the trigger I think has her upset, and she sees it as being let down. It's not fair at all, but that's why she feels that way. When Max does shoot, we can see what an impact this has emotionally for her. She's all excited and happy, and I think she's kind of high off the act of love that was pulling the trigger from Max. She now knows Max loves her so much she'd kill for her, and it's hard for her not to be thrilled by that realization, that Max loves her so much. I think this is why she soon after texts Max this... max the boss with the gun marry me Illegal in Oregon. For now. fuq that shit elope Chloe was truly touched and moved and high off the love displayed in Max 'shooting' Frank. When you think of how Chloe has been feeling for so long, so unloved and abandoned you can see why this act of love really took her by surprise and furthered her love and adoration of Max. And it's also worth mentioning Chloe can also shoot Frank, for real, killing him when he threatens Max. Making it clear if your Max 'shoots' that their love is so powerful they both pull triggers to protect the other. Now let's bring up the Kate call. People get very nasty on Chloe on this one. We're all protective of Kate. It's important to know Chloe did not realize how serious the call was.

Think about it. How would you feel if your bestie broke her promise to you and hurt you so deeply, cut you so deeply, for five years, nothing, silence, nothing when she knew you had just lost your dad, when she was your fucking WORLD, when she PROMISED you to be there for you, REPLAY FAREWELL AND imagine how much it would CUT LIKE A FUCKING KNIFE to see your bestie drop everything to pick up the phone for someone she knew for only a month when she ignored every single one of your calls? I have no doubt Chloe called Max in tears and broken many times wishing more than anything she would pick up the phone, or stared at her sent text waiting for a reply. There may have been times Chloe was on the brink of considering suicide (Rachel saved my life suggests to me she didn't want to live anymore) and needed to talk to Max, but she never answered. Max was never there for HER. Imagine how deeply that HURT. How much it hurt to watch her be there for someone else without hesitation.

It was still selfish, but so REAL, so RAW. Of course Chloe was hurt and lashed out at Max. If you don't answer the call, Chloe is happy. She can be very possessive of her loved ones, and given her abandonment issues, caused most heartbreakingly of all by Max - that she can't help but feel possessive. She loves Max, she has missed Max for five years and wants Max's attention all to herself. Selfish but REAL.

And she apologizes. Later she admits it was selfish and apologizes to Max. She feels fucking awful about it. Chloe: I was a... I was a total dick for blowing a fuse when Kate called the other day. I had no idea what shit she was going through. I stopped you from being her friend. But you saved her... like me. / If Max ignored call

Chloe: I was a total dick for blowing a fuse when you answered Kate's call the other day. Good thing you ignored me. I had no idea what shit she was going through. And you saved her... like me. / If Max answered.

Some other things people get mad at Chloe over, of course stealing the money. But let's consider a few things. Chloe right before finding the money, on the computer: "Nathan Prescott the Third." Oooh, he's so money. And you know the Prescotts dropped major bank to bury Nathan's real file... Look, it reads like a rap sheet---bad grades, teacher complains, secret probation... But I was expelled? She then finds the money right after guessing the Prescotts were dropping major bank to bury his files. Where did such a large amount of money come from? It doesn't feel like a coincidence. Max: Wowser, that's a lot for the "handicapped fund." You can hear in Max's voice she's making a similar connection to the Prescotts dropping bank, but she's anxious because she does think it could possibly be used for the handicapped fund. If you watch Chloe's face when Max says handicapped fund, she barely even seems to hear Max, all she is thinking about is Rachel and how that money can help them find more information from Frank and get Frank off her back. We know Chloe has been desperate to get money to pay off Frank and get out of Arcadia but now the money has even more importance - to get him to tell them anything he knows about Rachel since he's not likely to talk right now when she owes him and their last encounter had him threatening her for his money. Frank came seeking Chloe out and pulled a knife on her and said, "You want me to cut you, bitch?" I imagine this has Chloe anxious too as she's never seen Frank this aggressive with her and wants him off her back and is scared he might pull a knife out on her again and hurt her. This is yet another reason having a gun is a comfort to her she is distressed if she loses. She's had a lot of men threating her recently. You can even find in episode 3 Chloe's bedroom on her phone has messages from Frank threatening her for his money. He texts the following "Chloe. Money. Now. Chloe: I have your money asshole. Frank: When? Chloe: i'll text you before the end of the week. Frank: Or else. DO NOT FUCK WITH ME WHORE! Max: Jesus. Now I am glad Chloe took that money. This guy is serious. And Scary! Max herself can see how important stealing the money was in keeping Chloe safe from a man who physically threatened her and is continuing to threaten her. Allowing the money to be stolen in the office is also another show of loyalty and showing her desire to help find Rachel and keep Chloe safe from Frank's anger and aggression, given the money really calms Frank down and gets him off her back and helps him open up more about Rachel. Max's thoughts show she's doing it to protect Chloe from Frank and find more about Rachel and Max's willingness to do so much for her and helping her means a lot to Chloe, it onces again touches her that Max wants to protect her and help keep her safe from Frank and also help her find Rachel, whereas Max refusing to take it feels like Max isn't as determined to find Rachel and help her and protect her from Frank, though she accepts Moral Max's choice, even if she is upset if Max refuses to let her take the money. I've also seen others bringing up how she parked in the handicapped spot and I think while Max herself at first thought this was intentional of the driver, I think it's clear once we know it is Chloe that she was coming to Blackwell to confront Nathan for drugging her and to put up Rachel posters, so I think she was driving into the parking lot distressed and upset and also angry at Blackwell, not paying attention to where she parked and wanting to park improperly just as a fuck you to Blackwell, angry for not only them expelling her but I'd even imagine for not putting up Rachel missing posters themselves and hell, why was Nathan not expelled and she was with all the shit he was pulling? She had lots of resentment for that school. She does face consequences for selfishly not paying attention to where she was rebelliously parking and for taking the money though as we know.

Even in episode 4, Chloe we see in texts apologized for getting so upset after finding out about Rachel and Frank and taking it out on Max in the car.

hey man i suck again

sorry i got in your face today and took out my bullshit rage on my best friend

- Here we have Chloe owning up to her behaviour. She knows she hasn't been fair with Max, more than once *I suck again', and she apologizes.

And again please remember the game takes place in less than a week, not in a year.

October 7 - 11 is literally the Life is Strange 1 timeline. LESS THAN A WEEK. For Max with her powers and alternate reality I suppose it’s technically a little longer for her. But yes, timeline is less than a week.

Back to the text, she's already apologizing and changing her behaviour to be less selfish with Max and the game again happens in less than a week. If Chloe was rubbing her anger into Max for months or a year or years and never letting it go how Max wasn't there for her yeah that WOULD be a toxic friendship. It would be a toxic friendship if Chloe always held it over her head and was always 'testing' Max's loyalty. But the game takes place in days, and Chloe lets out some anger, has some tests like the weed 'will she take the blame', but overall is loving and supportive and apologizes and owns up to her selfish behaviors and does change and by the end of the 11th of October is willing to die for everyone.

I also see people occasionally bringing up her bossiness to say she's a bad friend to Max, like how she goes boo hoo Max is afraid when wanting her to practice with the gun. I do agree that yeah, she shouldn't have been like that about it but Chloe was trying in her way to be encouraging to get her to give the gun a go, since she had fun with it and Max as we see, seemed to enjoy it too, they even happily high five after. Also consider how she offers Max beer and when Max turns it down she doesn't push it at all (she even think this is cute Max thinks beer is gross). She's not going to pressure her into drinking. She cares about Max and really likes encouraging her, and in the case of the gun practice, maybe her over excitement made her push a little hard in this case.

I see people sometimes saying to that she pushed Max with her powers. Chloe was excited to see more of the powers in action (who wouldn't be really?) but she freaked out in a panic when Max passed out. She was scared as fuck for Max. Neither of them knew at the time how serious things could get, they were just having fun testing things out. Max enjoyed showing off too, look at the diner scene. She loved wowing Chloe with them. In the junkyard Chloe wants Max resting after she passes out.

The game takes place in less than a week and I wish people would understand Chloe obviously is dealing with very real and understandable hurt at Max but over all is supportive and encouraging to Max. That pool scene is just beautiful, the way Chloe encourages Max. Max doesn't just get braver in the game from her powers, but Chloe being in her life again brings out her bravery and courage to live life and not just observe it. Whatever ending you pick, Bae or Bay, I know Max will go on to pursue her dreams and her week with Chloe is going to be a huge part of that. Just a few moments of encouragement in the many she gives... Chloe: Stop being so goddamn humble. You're like the smartest, most talented person I've ever known. Max: Ew! I don't want any Blackwell bros over me. There's a couple cute guys there but they probably think I'm a total nerd.

Chloe: Uh, nerds are hot. You just don't have any confidence yet.

Max: Unfortunately, that didn't come with my rewind power... Chloe: No worries. Once you get over yourself, you're going to make the world bow.

Max: As long as you're there with me...

Chloe: Don't look so sad. I'm never leaving you... Max: I'd rather be a good photographer...

Chloe: You are. You just have to stop being afraid... (said gently) Chloe: Since you're the mysterious superhero, I'll be your faithful chauffeur and companion.

Max: My powers might not last, Chloe...

Chloe: That's okay—we will. Forever.

These are just a few moments in the many where Chloe is encouraging Max in different ways, and offering her unconditional love, loyalty and support. Chloe's negative behavior we see in less than one week isn't going to be reflective of forever, and by the end of the game/week Chloe is willing to sacrifice her life for Arcadia and acknowledges the ways she has been selfish and acknowledges how Max has shown her love and loyalty and friendship in every way. Max: Fuck that! No... no way! You are my number one priority now. You are all that matters to me.

Chloe: I know. You proved that over and over again... even though I don't deserve it. I'm so selfish... not like my mom... Look what she had to give up and live through... and she did. She deserves so much more than to be killed by a storm in a fucking diner. Even my step... father deserves her alive. There's so many more people in Arcadia Bay who should live... way more than me... Chloe: Max, you finally came back to me this week, and... you did nothing but show me your love and friendship. You made me smile and laugh, like I haven't done in years.

In Lis2 we learn Chloe's new look "is from a combination of mixed feelings, such as angst, remorse, guilt, to not forget who died in the storm, to grow up, to advance in her life, and to never forget' It's obvious what happened changed Chloe forever and I think it's very clear after that those days she had with Max she's let go of her anger about those five years of silence. She knows Max loves her. She's more at peace now.

I feel sad when I see people hate Chloe because I feel like people want to take a real character and make her fake. I like real characters. I love that Chloe isn't perfect. I love that she loves Max so fucking much, in spite of everything, she takes her back and loves her and encourages her and supports her and offers that unconditional love. I love how when I play, her hurt and anger she lets out at times cuts me like a knife.

There's art of Max looking at Chloe and goes 'how long are you going to be mad at me?" And Chloe goes 'ten minutes' which feels very accurate. She takes little digs at Max here and there for not being there, but her anger doesn't last long. Most of the game is spent with Chloe being supportive, encouraging, loving, protective and just so happy to be around Max in spite of what Max did.

I think Max had a lot of anxiety. She cared for Chloe, didn't mean to hurt her, but she didn't know how to be there for her and was so overwhelmed by her grief she just wasn't there and eventually convinced herself Chloe would hate her. I think it means the world to Max after what she did, Chloe still loves her.

Five years apart and they were still Max and Chloe. If you go back to episode 4 where Max is forced to stand there and let William leave knowing he will die, she faces what this game is also about. Max Caulfield facing the consequences of not being there for her best friend when she promised she would be. She finally understands it, hearing Chloe has no belief that Max would ever abandon her. Chloe: She's never leaving me!

William: That makes all of us. (William walks out the door)

(Max leans against the wall with her head in her hands)

Chloe: Max, you are being so fucking strange, like you're never going to see us again.

Max: Chloe, I'm so sorry... I tried to make things different for you... I...I did try...I'm sorry.

Chloe: I don't know exactly what you're talking about, but come on. (Chloe holds Max's hands, then lets go) You have made things different, like my whole life. You're my best friend. I've got you and a great family. What's to be sorry for? We'll be best friends forever. And when we grow up we're taking over the world.

Max: Listen, whatever happens, I want you to be strong. Even if you feel like I wasn't there for you...because I will never abandon you, Chloe. (Max holds Chloe's hands) I'll always have your back. Always. If Max can understand, then I hope you all can too. Max truly is hit by the full weight of what she did and the consequences, and her attempt to fix it brought only pain to this alternate reality Chloe and Max as she faces 14 year old Chloe fully comprehending now what she did. How this Chloe has no idea she will abandon her, because she doesn't think Max would ever do such a thing to her, it's not something even in this Chloe's mind that could be a reality. So Max cries and tries her best to comfort Chloe from something Chloe doesn't even know she did yet and doesn't ever believe Max could do to her.

Chloe in Lis1 lets out her anger at Max at times, and sometimes she was selfish and toxic about it. What makes the ending of Farewell and that episode 4 moment so heart wrenching is that we the player and Max herself know Max breaks her promise. She won't be there for Chloe for five long years. They won't write a lot, Max won't be there for her for years. We know this, and Max faces the consequences of what she's done when she returns.

And I love how Chloe is hurt and is allowed to show it. And I love how in spite of everything, they still really are Max and Chloe. They still both love each other. Honestly, play Farewell, play Before the Storm, and then play Life is Strange and Chloe isn't even as angry as she ought to be, as most people would be. Most people would never accept a friend back like that. That's just the truth. Most people aren't so forgiving. But Chloe was. She really did take her back in a heartbeat. And again, that means the world to Max. Max, who when she looked at a picture of her and Chloe in their pirate outfits in her dorm in episode 1, wondered if they were even BFFs anymore, because she knew she hadn't been there for her and was scared Chloe might not forgive her and want to see her, which made her to scared to reach out when she returned. Chloe still seeing her as a BFF meant the world to Max.

I feel like Chloe 'haters' and those who only rant about how she was a toxic awful friend are so caught up in their dislike they stop thinking critically. Sometimes the opinions feel misogynistic or of internalized misogyny when you see people tearing apart a woman for not being the perfect embodiment of a 'girl with a bad past' they wish she was.

I think of Daniel from Lis2. A lot of people hate him because they play as Sean and again, feel defensive of Sean. And I think some people, they don't get as into the game as deeply and so play on more a surface level, more a 'Chloe blamed me for the weed, she's a toxic awful friend' kind of level as opposed to a deeper level, 'Chloe blamed me for the weed, which was really selfish, but I get she is hurt I ignored her for five years and she's trying to test and see how much I care.. I, Max, was her best friend and I hurt her deeply."

I know some people will say I'm making excuses but I'm trying to empathize and help people understand Chloe by detailing how some of her actions were wrong, but WHY she made them. She isn't perfect, she's hurt, she's allowed to be, she's allowed to be angry, who wouldn't be honestly? You can't tell me she's a toxic monster of a friend because she shows her hurt at Max sometimes during a less than 1 week period. I encourage players to replay Farewell to understand Chloe even more when you see how happy she was and how much she loved Max and how much Max leaving and breaking her promise broke her fucking heart and left her broken and yes, makes her angry and does cause her to show it at Max at times. And Max calls her out on it in the game even, pointing out how Chloe is always on her about not being there for her but this is how she's there for her (when she tries to spook Max in episode 3 when Max is shaken up over the events of episode 2, not considering Max's feelings) and Chloe apologizes at once. She owns up to her actions, and she doesn't hold things over Max the entire game.

I just hate seeing people hate on Chloe so hard. She's loyal AF to her friends and in spite of five years of silence loves Max no less and yes she shows some anger, sometimes she makes her expectations of Max selfishly high, but she was hurt deeply by Max and again, the game takes place in a less than a week and she's overall loving and supportive to Max and super protective of her and doesn't spend the entire game holding it against Max. She apologizes for her shitty behaviour, she grows.

She loves Max, she takes her back in a fucking heart beat. She helps Max be brave and helps Max see how talented she really is. When you also have played Before the Storm and seen how lonely Chloe was, read her journal entries, consider the fact she was called 'mute' by Drew because she was so lonely and depressed she never spoke, when you see how she jumped away from the train at the last second because she was so depressed and needed to feel something, maybe didn't care if the train did hit her... and consider she wouldn't have been like that if Max had been there for her... I think you can understand Chloe a lot more. And also understand how amazing she is for taking Max back and loving her and by October 11 after reuniting on October 7, fully forgiving Max. And how amazing Max is too for overcoming her social anxiety to be there for Chloe in every way she could be, even by changing time. Max: Fuck that! No... no way! You are my number one priority now. You are all that matters to me Chloe: I know. You proved that over and over again... even though I don't deserve it. I'm so selfish... not like my mom... Look what she had to give up and live through... and she did. She deserves so much more than to be killed by a storm in a fucking diner. Even my step... father deserves her alive. There's so many more people in Arcadia Bay who should live... way more than me... Chloe: Max, you finally came back to me this week, and... you did nothing but show me your love and friendship. You made me smile and laugh, like I haven't done in years. Wherever I end up after this... in whatever reality... all those moments between us were real, and they'll always be ours. No matter what you choose, I know you'll make the right decision.

Chloe: Max... it's time...

The song Obstacles begins to play.

Max: Not anymore.

Max tears apart the polaroid and it blows away in the storm. She watches the tornado.

Chloe: Max... I'll always be with you.

Max: Forever... Don't tell me Pricefield is toxic. Don't tell me Max and Chloe's relationship will be toxic in Bae. Because if you do, I know you don't really know them at all.

[softpine]

speaking of lis... what do you think about chloe's relationship with rachel? and with max? bonus question: who's your favorite character? love your story btw ❤️

oh my godddd thank you for asking because i have Thoughts and since i couldn't get streaming to work for me, they're just rattling around in my head all day fjksjds

my favorite character is chloe 💙 she is the definition of misunderstood, to the point where i don’t even think she understands most of her emotions or actions. she’s like a wild animal – hurt, distrustful, impulsive, and defensive, but when she finally lets you in, she’s never ever leaving you. episode 2 and 3 do a great job of showing you who chloe really is. they display all her most unfavorable behaviors and show you exactly why she is the way she is (trauma, leading to fear of abandonment & self-destructive tendencies...). then, immediately afterwards, everything you’ve seen of chloe is contrasted with the most favorable parts of her personality: her spontaneity, fearlessness, wit, and protectiveness. by the end, you love her for all her qualities, because they make her who she is 🥺

that leads me to rachel... okay so my opinion of rachel is 100% based on the first game, not at all by the prequel. before the storm felt like fanfiction to me, so i disregard it entirely fjksjd but rachel in the first game is extremely compelling to me. she truly was a chameleon. i don’t think anyone knew rachel for who she really was, not even chloe or frank, and especially not mr. jefferson. i think she was quick to fall in love, but not quick to trust. she showed just enough of her personality to get by, and she let everyone fill in the blanks on their own. this is why i believe everyone loved her; because she was able to be a blank slate. and when she went missing, this blank slate that she had cultivated so carefully ended up biting her in the ass, because everyone filled that slate with whatever theory matched their perception of rachel the best. chloe was the only person left standing who didn’t care what rachel did, how badly she betrayed her, or what her true intentions were. she just wanted to find rachel so they could figure it all out together. sadly, we’ll never know (and more importantly, chloe will never know) what was real between them. any attempt to guess how much chloe meant to rachel will be fruitless, because we’re just trying to fill in the blank slate like everyone else.

and then we have max. to be perfectly honest, max is not a strong character on her own. if left to her own devices, she falls prey to peer pressure (vortex club universe), doesn’t apply herself even when she feels passionate about it (not entering the photo contest), and she’s kind of a coward (can’t bring herself to stay in touch with chloe after she moves, or to reconnect with her later). but chloe has a way of pushing her out of her comfort zone for the better. max loves adventure, she’s just too scared to seek it out on her own. you can see it in her diary entries after every reckless or thrilling thing she does with chloe. she needs someone like her to bring that side of herself out, and it helps that she already trusts chloe completely because of their past. on the other hand, max is the voice of reason when chloe’s ideas get a little too deranged. without max’s intervention, chloe can literally become a murderer, so... they truly are yin and yang. they need each other! not only that, they like each other. they can be silly or sincere, they can fight and make up, they can scheme & carry out their plans, and they can trust and rely on each other completely after everything they’ve been through. i know there’s no such thing as a perfect couple, but to me, they’re about as close as you can get 😌

[thetrashsean]

“Why wasn’t Life is Strange 2 as popular as the first game?”

A lot of people like myself have wondered what exactly made Life is Strange 2 go so relatively unnoticed compared its predecessor, Life is Strange 1. And when you think about it, you may come up with the few obvious generic answers, such as the lack of Max and Chloe and just the original cast in general. However, I think there was a lot more at play here that prevented Life is Strange 2 from reaching the amount of success/popularity the first game had. So I want to take the time and break down what exactly happened to Life is Strange 2 and the things that hurt the game’s ability to really connect with the audience of LiS1.

Disclaimer: We do NOT know how well Life is Strange 2 was for Dontnod and if it was a success or not. No sales numbers have been given out to the public so there’s no way of knowing for sure how well the game did. What we do know is that LiS2 did not receive the same amount of attention/popularity as the first game. That can’t be denied, it simply didn’t. However, based on the fact that Dontnod have recently announced they are working on six new games at the moment and are now expanding their studio, even if LiS2 was a “flop” it doesn’t seem to have had much of an effect on them (most likely due to the success of Vampyr). Dontnod is going to be fine either way. Another thing I want to mention is that this is not a anti-LiS2 post and that I am a fan of the game. I’d consider myself a pretty big fan actually. I have my problems with the game of course and don’t agree with a lot of the writing decisions but I enjoyed the game very much overall. But for the sake of this post I will try to be as unbiased as possible, giving out only what I’ve observed when it comes to reactions from the fandom on different websites and forums. So with that all being said, let’s dive in to this.

Here I will be listing the many different reasons as to why Life is Strange 2 failed to reach the same amount of popularity as LiS1 or even BtS managed to achieve. This list isn’t in any particular order but some reasons are bigger/more important than others.

For some background, there was a lot of hype going into Life is Strange 2. The teaser trailer for it with the cop car trended at #2 on YouTube, a huge feat for the series. It generated immense amount of views and comments in a short period in time, completely surpassing Before the Storm’s announcement trailer in just a few weeks. So what exactly happened to all that hype? Where did everybody go? Well, let’s break everything down.

1. The lack of Max and Chloe: Yes I said that this list wouldn’t be in any particular order in terms of importance but I think it’s obvious this one is one of, if not the biggest reason as to why LiS2 failed to match LiS1’s popularity. When the protagonists Sean and Daniel were first revealed, the reception was pretty divisive. Specifically, a very vocal part of the community were baffled and disappointed at the lack of Max and Chloe present within the trailer and subsequently the game itself. This instantly turned off a lot of people from the game, as they couldn’t connect with the new characters or simply didn’t want to. At that point in the franchise Max and Chloe as well as the original cast from the first game had been the face of the series for almost three years. It’s understandable why it was hard for people to just…move on. To this day people are still asking for Max and Chloe to return. The Life is Strange subreddit is still dominated with Max and Chloe fanart. Whenever the social media accounts for Life is Strange post anything Max and Chloe related it gets way more attention compared to a post about Sean and Daniel. Whenever a post online goes viral about Life is Strange you can bet it’s most likely about Max and Chloe. Hell the only reason why episode 5 of Life is Strange 2 trended on Tumblr was because of the fucking picture of Max and Chloe. On the releas day of episode 5 of LiS2 the top post on the subreddit was the Max and Chloe picture. It was almost as if that one photo of them completely overshadowed the entire episode. Point is, Life is Strange 2 lost a lot of momentum the moment it was revealed Max and Chloe would not be present. Case closed, let’s move on.

2. The release schedule: Words cannot describe how frustrating the release schedule was for LiS2 when it came to it’s episodes. For those reading this who didn’t follow LiS2 until the game was finished, each episode took around 3-4 months to be released. This was because Dontnod bit off a bit more than they could chew with the road trip story in having to create new locations and character models from scratch. The reason why this wasn’t a problem for LiS1 was because Max was for the most part always in the same locations around the same characters (I’m pretty sure you roam around Chloe’s house like 4 times throughout the season), which made development a lot easier since the devs could just reuse a lot of the assets. Unfortunately, this wasn’t possible for LiS2 due to the nature of it’s story. The wait times between each episode made a lot of people leave the fandom due to loosing interest or simply forgetting about the game altogether. This also impacted youtubers/streamers as many of them either stopped coming back to play the new episodes or they’d not be as connected as they were in the previous episode due to the amount of time that had passed. One of the reasons why LiS1 gained so much popularity was because of youtubers/streamers and how they would bring in their audience and would pretty much make them fans of the series. With quite a handful of youtubers/streamers quitting LiS2, the game was not able to draw in as much of an audience as previous games did. This is how detreminetal the release schedule was for LiS2.

3. The marketing (or lack thereof): Square Enix really fucked up on this aspect. Due to the ridiculous wait times you would think Square Enix would try and advertise the game heavily when a new episode was about to be released, right? Well they didn’t. Not at all actually. Throughout the games release schedule from September 2018 up to December 2019, I had not seen a single ad for the game. Nothing on YouTube, nothing on reddit or any other websites, it was like Square Enix had completely forgotten about the game’s existence. Now don’t get me wrong, SE did do a few things with LiS2 like starting up the community series on their YouTube channel and also the dev updates that came after episode 1 (that stopped after episode 2 for some reason) but these went relatively unnoticed to people outside of the fandom and did pretty much nothing. I believe SE was trying to wait until the game was fully complete with all of it’s episodes released before actually marketing the game (and they DID start advertising the game after episode 5 came out) but that’s just WAAAY too long to go without any type of advertisement. I understand marketing teams have budgets and what not, but you’re telling me there was no way for SE to market each episode in anyway as they were about to be released? Seems a bit ridiculous, don’t you think?

4. The road trip story: I completely understand why Dontnod wanted to branch out and do something different with the story of Life is Strange 2 and I respect them for stepping out of their comfort zones. However, it can’t be denied that the road trip story where characters are cycled in and out as Sean and Daniel make their way to Mexico was a very…questionable decision. Seeing as how LiS1 was loved for it’s world filled with a reoccurring cast of characters that developed as the story went on, it’s really easy to understand why LiS2 was so off-putting for a lot of fans. It was off-putting for me, even. It just…wasn’t fun having to leave these truly interesting characters behind because the plot demanded it. This left a lot of characters feeling underdeveloped to many people and by the time you meet new characters you already know they’re most likely gonna be gone soon anyways, so it made it even harder to connect with them. Couple this with the fact that LiS2 lacked any type of mystery unlike LiS1, speculation and discussion fizzled out a few weeks after each episode was released. LiS1 kept people speculating and wondering about what would happen next, while LiS2 left a lot of people struggling to care.

5. Politics: Yeeeeaaaaah I think I had to put this somewhere on the list. While many of the people who tease and mock how LiS2 handled its political topics were most likely not fans of the series anyway (the type of people who called LiS1 “Life is Tumblr” and hate Chloe), I do think it’s important to realize that some people just don’t want politics in their games, period. I’ve seen people online come out and say that while they agreed with what the writers were saying when it came to the political topics, it overall still came off very forced and one-sided to them, lacking any type of nuance or subtlety. I could write an entire essay discussing if the politics in LiS2 were handled well and whatnot but this is not that post so I’ll just leave it at that.

6: Lack of a prominent female cast/wlw: This is a bit more tricky to talk about (for the record the person writing this is a black gay guy) but I will try and write about this the best way I can. For many women, specifically queer women, Life is Strange was a series they could expect representation from. Max, Chloe, Rachel, and Steph are all popular characters amongst the fandom and even other wlw ships such as Marshfield, Chasefield, Chaseprice, etc are popular. So when LiS2 was revealed to be about two (hispanic) males, the queer women within the community were understandably upset. It felt like DN were simply throwing away the community that for the most part made up the entire fandom. At the time I simply found the situation ridiculous and overblown as many people were dismissing Sean and Daniel as “generic straight males” (even though it turned out Sean was bisexual in the end) before really getting to know them. However, looking back I totally get why people were upset. A lot of the fanart/fanfiction that was made for the LiS series was mostly created by queer women, so when the franchise pretty much stopped giving them representation, they left in search of other media (like She-Ra, which honestly has better wlw rep anyway). LiS2 is also mostly male dominated in terms of its cast, and features no queer women as well, which is really disappointing in my opinion.

7. Price: This one is pretty simple. When Life is Strange 2 was first released the full season costed $40. This was a pretty big jump in comparison to LiS1’s $20 price tag (original price was $25 however) and BtS’s $16. Obviously people would be more skeptical about buying a sequel that is pretty much double the price of its predecessor and has completely new characters. With the pretty mixed reception from gaming communities I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of people saw the price and decided to either watch a playthrough or simply not check out the game at all. With the first episode now free the base price has been lowered to around $30-32 I believe so yeah.

8. Daniel Diaz: Some people just don’t like kids, and I wouldn’t be surprised if people grew easily frustrated with Daniel early on and once he got more irrational and bratty as the story progressed they just stopped playing altogether. Even if you do like kids, or at least don’t mind them like myself, Daniel can still be quite a pain.

9. Not having control of the powers: This one is honestly really disappointing and I know it was to a lot of other people as well. In LiS1 Max had the ability to rewind time and do certain scenarios and conversations over and that basically acted as the more interesting gameplay segments. In LiS2 Sean doesn’t have the power, his brother Daniel does. This leads to the gameplay feeling much more boring and mundane. There are also no interesting puzzles this time around, most likely because Dontnod didn’t know how to implement them without the rewind power so they just…didn’t even attempt to add any. The power itself, telekinesis, is also much less interesting compared to rewinding time, according to a lot of people.

SO YEAH that’s basically it for me. I know this probably came off a bit rambly/incoherent but I tried my best to be as clear as I possibly could. I don’t doubt there are other reasons at play as to why LiS2 failed to meet LiS1’s success (such as liscensed music not being quite as good as LiS1) but I think I hit the main points I believe were key reasons. And the thing is, there isn’t just one main reason why LiS2 didn’t do as well as LiS1. It’s overall very unfortunate so many things went wrong with it that ended up making people lose interest in it. I think the lack of Max and Chloe hurt the game the most right off the bat, but the other reasons just led it to do even worse. Oh well.

I hope any of the people who read this enjoyed it (it was a BITCH to write). I’ve been wanting to get my thoughts down about this for SO long but just never had the motivation/time but I finally did it!

Again, thanks for reading! If you have any disagreements or just thoughts in general don’t be afraid to reply or dm me about it and I’ll be sure to reply! Now back to reblogging Marco posts….

[chriscdcase95]

Examining Amberprice: Deconstructed Idealism

Disclaimer: I am probably gonna make some people angry, and I may be new to the character/relationship analysis game, here it is, my look and take at Chloe Price and Rachel Amber as a relationship. 

I come to my conclusions here based on my observations of them in the first “Life is Strange” game and “Before The Storm” and statements by creators. This analysis may be a few years or so too late, but it is my conclusion that regardless of the actual state of their relationship or Rachel as a character, these are two emotionally damaged individuals in two different ways, both using others as an emotional crutches…and how that is not always healthy. 

Also for the record I am not taking their comic book versions into account since those versions are a confirmed AU. They’d had/have little to no bearing on their game counterparts. I also want to be clear that I don’t write this out of a dislike for Amberprice (in fact I loved them in BTS) but their is just my observations of their relationship as a whole. 

… 

So it goes without saying that Rachel Amber is a popular character in the “Life is Strange” series. One of the things that intrigue many to her is the mystery about the character and her supposed relationship with Chloe Price, and while “Before the Storm” may have disappointed some, especially in regards of its portrayal of Rachel and her relationship with Chloe. Among the complaints where that their relationship was romanticized when Rachel’s creators from the first game said there relationship wasn’t romantic. The first game even went as far as to show us why their relationship wouldn’t be ideal. 

Despite this, it should probably be noted that Chloe was the first one to romanticize Rachel and her friendship with her. We know this because in Chloe’s eyes, Rachel “cheated” on her with a sexual relationship with Frank Bowers. That’s pretty hard to reconcile when you see what can only be described an ideal romantic friendship between the two girls in “Before the Storm”. Bad writing ? Cheap fan service ? Maybe, but I tend to look at characters and relationships into context, especially in the story and/or creator statements. 

What people seem to forget is the point of Rachel as a character is she is what TV Tropes describes as a Deconstructed Character Archetype; in Rachel’s case to the “Magic Girlfriend” archetype to someone like Chloe, and that of a “Perfect Idealized Student” to Blackwell Academy. But as we learn more about her, we see differing sides of her depending on who you ask. Her affair with Frank being the most notable example of this, and we see a side of Rachel that is about the opposite of how everyone else would describe her. Even in “Before the Storm” we are seeing one side of Rachel and her relationship with Chloe, and that is from Chloe’s perspective. 

The entire point of Rachel Amber is she is someone who seems perfect and ideal, but isn’t. 

Now I want to make it clear; Rachel is *not* a bad person. Certainly no more than Chloe, but it is my belief she is “damaged”, possibly just as damaged as Chloe. And *that* is why Rachel and Chloe grew close. I’d say Rachel’s family drama in “Before the Storm”, potentially learning about her father’s attempts to get rid of her biological mother (either from Chloe, or likely Frank down the line) did a number on her and permanently damaged her relationship with her family. From such, Rachel would slowly but surely give more into her id over three years, in turn getting her (more) involved with people with people like Frank or Jefferson. 

I’ve seen some people tend to portray Rachel as this emotionally abusive and manipulative monster who doesn’t give a damn about anyone but herself, but that is simply not the case. While I do not doubt for a minute that Rachel *does* feel genuine love and empathy towards others, part of her “damage” is that she tends prioritizes her immediate needs and dreams over the long term needs of others, and that she is far more short sighted and impulsive than most would believe of her. Creator statements even say that while Rachel is manipulative, she manipulates people subconsciously and unintentionally, rather than maliciously. 

Rachel may be a chameleon, always changing her colours, but her true colour is grey. 

So let’s say Rachel was using Chloe; I feel Chloe at least felt romantic enough feelings for her that in her mind she “cheated” on her with Frank, despite them not being “together” and Rachel would be at least aware of them is she was manipulating her. Some would say that Rachel was stringing Chloe along, taking advantage of Chloe’s feelings for her…but for what ? For their mutual dream of leaving Arcadia Bay ? For sex ? It’s been said she used Frank and Jefferson as part of her ambitions to leave Acadia Bay, and those relationships at least entailed sex. So if that were the case, wouldn’t the same apply to Chloe ? 

Well that would probably contradict the statement that Rachel’s manipulations are subconscious on her part and not malicious, so it’s very unlikely that Rachel is some heartless harpy taking advantage of Chloe’s feelings for the sake of an artificial friendship or meaningless sex, or the very least feigning a romantic relationship with Chloe. It’s also unlikely that she was using Chloe to leave Arcadia Bay because someone like Frank or Jefferson would be much more resourceful than Chloe in order to ditch town. Matter of fact the only time we see Rachel *use* Chloe in any way, it’s in “Before the Storm” when she has Chloe sneak into her father’s study. 

That’s about it. 

So here’s were we get into my interpretation, based off of what I have seen and heard; Chloe and Rachel’s relationship is pretty one-sided romance wise. That’s not to say Rachel doesn’t love Chloe, romantically or platonically, but this is were we get back to Rachel and Chloe both being emotionally damaged. I honestly think, Rachel can barely differentiate between romantic relationships with platonic ones. That’s why in her eyes, whatever relationship she had with Chloe was purely platonic. 

I would even go as far as to say she doesn’t have much restraint when it comes to sexual relationships, as a form of her damage manifesting itself. By which I mean, she’d probably see or consider sex as something platonically acceptable, and probably felt not more romantically invested in Frank, Jefferson and Chloe. Chloe and Frank both see Rachel as a romantic figure in their lives (Jefferson on the other hand, loves no one), but as far as Rachel goes, I don’t think she’s good as compartmentalizing when it comes to sex. I’m not explicitly saying that Chloe and Rachel had a sexual relationship, but it would make sense to me given that she felt so strongly about Rachel “cheating” on her. 

So what did I conclude here regarding Amberprice ? Well going with what I described above I think their relationship between BTS and her disappearance weren’t as ideal as Chloe would have made it out to be (that much is obvious *without* my analysis) but as for their actual relationship ? I see two emotionally damaged girls using each other as crutches, but in two very different ways. Both of which are unhealthy. 

Chloe has abandonment issues with her best friend moving, just after her father died, and is (like Rachel, not maliciously) using Rachel as a substitute for Max; as such Chloe would be *very* clingy towards Rachel and her issues manifest when Rachel goes missing. Rachel on the other hand, goes about it by using Chloe as an anchor, but her issues would manifest by being more of a “free spirit” than Chloe, because unlike Chloe, Rachel doesn’t see their relationship as romantic. Simply put, Rachel is more of an escapist than Chloe, hence why she has no issue sleeping around with Frank and Jefferson. I’m willing to wager Rachel has slept around with other men and/or women over those three years, probably “taking a break” from Chloe’s clinginess, but would always come back because Chloe is her anchor. Chloe on the other hand would probably be the type who’d refuse to accept a “breakup”. 

I also believe this cycle would have continued if they did leave Arcadia Bay together. In fact I think the think that tipped Chloe off that Rachel was missing in the first game was because after days or weeks, Rachel just didn’t come back to her. 

So yes, I do believe Rachel loved Chloe (just not in the same way or extent that Chloe loved her) and I believe their relationship to have been a more unhealthy one than Chloe would like to admit. And that’s because like Rachel herself, Amberprice would be a deconstruction of something idealized. And yes, it is possible for genuinely loving relationships to be unhealthy or unstable, especially between to unhealthy and unstable individuals such as them. As much as I believe the two cared about each other, they were not good for each other. 

“There’s a danger in loving somebody to much/And it’s bad when you know it’s your heart you can’t trust/There’s a reason why people don’t stay where they are/Baby, sometimes love just ain’t enough.” - Patty Smyth and Don Henley.

 (Maybe a gratuitous use of song lyrics, but they’ve been playing in my head as I was writing this. If I have an ear worm, I’m taking you with me.) 

[sanoiro]

Lucifer 3x22 -All Hands On Decker - Spoilers and Speculation

Warning! There is always a possibility that certain scenes might have been mixed up under their non-respective episodes.

The episode will air on Sunday (April 29th) in Canada, please beware of the early spoilers!

All Hands On Decker - 3x18 script/3x22 airing

Written by: Sheri Eldwood

Directed by:

Eduardo Sanchez

Sheri Elwood has written/edited the episodes:

1x05 “Sweet Kicks”

1x11 “St. Lucifer"

2x04 “Lady Parts”

2x11 “Stewardess Interruptus”

2x22/3x06 “Vegas With Some Radish”

3x10 “The Sin Bin”

3x17 “Let The Pinhead Sing!”

Press Release: When Chloe takes some time off, Lucifer is forced to work with Dan on a murder case involving a dog show. Meanwhile, Charlotte and Maze have differing ideas for Chloe's party and after a wild night, Chloe rethinks a life-changing decision. Cast: Tom Ellis as Lucifer, Lauren German as Chloe, DB Woodside as Amenadiel, Lesley-Ann Brandt as Maze, Kevin Alejandro as Dan, Scarlett Estevez as Trixie, Rachael Harris as Linda Martin, Tricia Helfer as Charlotte, Aimee Garcia as Ella and Tom Welling as Marcus Pierce Guest Cast: Eric Nenninger as Frederick Hoffman, Billy Malone as Vincent Walker, Victoria Platt as Dr. Valerie Haynes

Promotional Video:

Promotional Photos: 

Behind The Scenes Video:

Since the press release of 3x23 and the one of the Finale, this episode is treated more like a filler. I believe that’s wrong since the plot might not be as straightforward as we think.

The basic plot is given by the Press Release of the Episode and is supported by the promotional video and promotional photos.

Chloe Decker is engaged and so a hen party occurs where Charlotte and Maze seem to collide on what is the best way to celebrate. Maze clothes suggest that her plan is set and tries to make things as proper and easy as possible whereas Charlotte -who can afford the party bus- organizes a wild and alcohol filled night for the whole gang. The Tribe, in short, is back yet everyone seems to have their own agenda.

Maze still wants to return to Hell so she gets to the precinct in a curly hairdo... There we see Chloe with her hair down having lunch with Marcus and so it is apparent that Maze is willing to overstep boundaries in order to check on his immortality or lack of. Her plan as always is to make sure that Chloe will not only stay with Marcus but convince her she is in love and her choice is the right one and perhaps just perhaps put some seeds of doubt for Lucifer’s mental stability.

Charlotte is still working with Amenadiel and cannot quit now. In the Amenadiel supplied short version, Chloe should be with Lucifer as this might give Charlotte a chance to avoid Hell the second time around. Things also seem to escalate by 3x23 where nightmares return but with a twist. Also, this episode has many of the characters come to terms with what relationships are all about. I believe that in this episode Charlotte might at the end go to Dan and start a more meaningful and close relationship which we will see more clearly in 3x23…

Linda has broken up with Amenadiel but as we know her experience with Reese (her ex-husband) has given her a perspective which she may share with the group. What perspective? A relationship in which she felt trapped as she said in 3x07. Now if you want to understand Marcus and Charlotte or even the relationship between Marcus and Chloe, you should rewatch 3x07. As a key character, Linda does not only know Lucifer’s darkest deeds like killing Uriel but she knows that Lucifer was ready to confess his love for Chloe. When drinks are involved a lot of secrets might be spilt… And when those secrets are the unadulterated truth what can a Demon do?

Lastly, we have Ella. Ella has shown to be on Marcus’ side for the past episodes but she does acknowledge that what Chloe and Lucifer have is on a whole different level. Most importantly though she was with him in Vegas. Ella knows why he married Candy and all it takes is one little tipsy nerd to set the record straight…

As you can see every character has something to say that night but what exactly happens in that episode? That’s the purpose of this post after all… 

Okay so let’s begin!

Chloe Decker is seen having lunch with Marcus early in the episode as far as I can tell but I believe that Marcus somehow gets Chloe away from Lucifer when the new case comes in thus making Lucifer and Dan work together. The hen party is also a very good excuse to make it all about him... Also, there is a scene between Dan, Lucifer and Chloe in the conference room where Lucifer wears his suit, meaning they are not yet at the case or they are at the very end of the episode... I bet on the first possibility.  

Here the most important spoiler is that Chloe wears her hair up in a bun. That hairstyle is usually done when Chloe needs to be seen as a professional in her line of work but also when she confronts Lucifer.

What is also interesting is that Maze and Linda wear the same dress in this episode or someone forces Linda out of or even steals it… Weird I know… 

Also Lucifer’s scene is played behind Rachel Harris in that dress while Tom Ellis is still wearing a costume meaning that something might be said like,  put yourself in her shoes which might take a literal meaning as Maze is dressed in Linda’s dress and Lucifer changes clothes. 

As @kikitsa-di noted at a promotional pic Lucifer seems to imitate Chloe’s posture. That’s, of course, normal as Lucifer in this episode according to Henderson in TvLine, will try to understand why Chloe took the decision to accept Marcus proposal.

So for the first time, Lucifer will try to understand Chloe by imitating her. Probably it will work to an extent but I foresee some painful moments of realization near the end…

The real story in this episode begins with The Tribe getting in the Fun Bus but also Dan and Lucifer working together. Their paths do cross later in that episode but in order to understand what is going on, unfortunately, we will have to separate the two events although they will play at the same time on our screens and probably be conected in a hilarious yet bittersweet way. 

First, we will take the case that Dan and Lucifer are assigned which involves a dog show but so many more locations as well…

Everything seems to begin at the Dog Show event at the Pacific Palm Resort. There we see Lucifer along with Dan and Ella at the crime scene and II do believe that sooner or later they might return to that venue but we shall see as nothing is sure about them returning to the show but hey, you never know.. 

*The Dog Show location also provides a chasing scene*

Lucifer around this time seems to change his clothes, presumably in order to understand how Chloe thinks and acts. For the first time he takes time to see Chloe from a different perspective and the result of this experiment if you can call it that or therapy exercise by Linda for all we know, might be fruitful. PS I love the grey shoes! 

The next stop for our favourite Devil and Douche is probably at the Dog Spa where Lucifer is trying to extract some information from the groomers and at that point, we get to see the Spa’s doggy pool… I do wonder if Lucifer will be in the mood for inappropriate jokes in this episode... Perhaps he will manage to stay in character and I would love to hear Ella saying how an amazing method actor Lucifer is by trying to imitate Chloe… Yeah, doubtful but hey I have said weirder things that have made the cut!.

PS Marcus bike was spotted on set when they were shooting 3x22 but we don't know if it will indeed appear in the episode.

The third stop for Lucifer and Dan is the liquor store or at least a parking lot. Not much is known from that scene but we do know that the favourite duo will ride a lot of miles together during the day but also at night which brings us to how they will meet the Fun Bus and The Tribe near the Roosevelt Hotel or inside it. More about this at the end of The Tribe’s section!

So The Tribe is back… What we see is that Maze has prepared something different for the hen party but as would luck have it cakes didn’t really work for her so Charlotte took over. If we believe the BTS Charlotte was also the one who came up with the T-shirts that show Chloe as a comic figure in a wedding dress and veil + a photograph of her face on it. That woman is sure crafty… and this time presumably with God’s blessing! 

In between the takes in WB, there was something like a  barn to which some of the cast and crew took some photos of them sitting on the stairs and drinking their large cocktails. Also what that implies is that Dan and Lucifer will find themselves on the bus at some point near the end of the episode.

We know very little about what is going on the bus itself. Yet what we do know is that it’s mostly about how the girls have a good time but as Charlotte will let Maze *politely* know before they boarded on the Fun Bus, this is war. So do expect several moments of truths, hilarious excuses and downright deathly glares between Maze and almost everyone else as well as a roll of the eyes for at least one of Ella’s comments.

You may ask that’s it? That’s the purpose of the whole episode? Not really. 

You see first whether before or after the Fun Bus we meet Trixie who might give her mum a solid advice if she meets Marcus. Trixie may act in this episode as one of the catalysts for not only Chloe’s engagement dissolvement but the start of Maze coming to her more human-like senses. I mean the kid did have a ‘girl power!’ message on her shirt (watch the BTS video)

Additionally, in this episode we see probably Charlotte talking with Marcus and that talk will not end well again. If the speculation is correct about Charlotte being killed by Marcus in 3x22 then the scene between the two characters at the station’s garage will be the reason why. (Please note that Tricia might have posted a photo of the WB garage so treat this as a wild speculation.)

And now the point of the 100th Deckerstar meet-cute. Let’s be honest who hasn’ watched The Holiday? 

In film and television, a meet cute is a scene in which a future romantic couple meets for the first time. This type of scene is a staple of romantic comedies.

At some point near the end of the episode, the Tribe gets close to the Roosevelt Hotel. The cast and crew also shot some scenes inside the hotel that night... At that location, The Tribe might find some things that we as the audience might not have been expecting to see in 3x22. 

PS There is a hidden door behind the library of the Rosevelt Hotel which might be used for the episode so beware of who is behind it.

Here is also the point where possibly Lucifer and Dan meet the Tribe. We know they will be driving at night talking and they will meet them on the bus so the Tribe might eventually team up in order to take down the murder of 3x22′s case

As you know it is impossible to know everything but I do believe that Chloe after the ride, watching some of  Lucifer’s actions -perhaps also Marcus’ - as well as Trixie’s displeasure over the whole engagement thing might be why she will decide to take a step back. 

You have to realise this. In order for Chloe and Lucifer coming so close in 3x23, then 3x22 should change Marcus and Chloe’s relationship on a fundamental level and irreversibly.

6 AM (GR) Sunday Edit: I realised I forgot to add DB twitter post in the speculation. As we know Amenadiel will have a chit-chat with Charlotte because that is to be expected by her actions in this episode but we also see in one of the photos Lesley Ann along with DB Woodside. 

As I mentioned before I expect all the characters to get something out of this episode. Especially the members of the Tribe. Therefore do not be too surprised if Amenadiel and Maze have a talk at some point probably around the end. After all, if someone can relate to Maze is Amenadiel of S2 who desperately wanted to go home and was ready to sacrifice everything for it...  

The End of 3x22 - All Hands On Decker Spoilers and Speculation Post.

Remember to have fun in this episode as everything goes down for Marclo in this episode and Deckerstar will rise once more in the next one!  

[krokodile]

movies watched in 2017

wonder woman - it was...fine?  i liked it more than i’ve liked any other superhero movie, and the character driven bits (and some of the action sequences) kept my attention, but the longer fight sequences had me dozing off.  these types of movies just aren’t my thing.  as far as they go, though, this had more things for me to like than most of them do, and damn, gal gadot is charming af.

power rangers - the nostalgia movie boom seems to have skipped directly over my childhood.  transformers was a bit before my time; power rangers was a bit after.  but this movie looked entertaining enough for me to check it out, and...yeah, it was.  obviously i didn’t get any of the references or have any idea of how it worked as an adaptation, but as a kids’ action flick, it had a fair bit of heart and some really good performances.  god help me i am really starting to like elizabeth banks, which...if you’d told me this ten years ago, or even two years ago, i would’ve called you a damn dirty liar.  is it me, though, or was there not a ton of actual action?  not a complaint on my end, but i feel like it might have been for the people there for the nostalgia, or little kids there to watch the power rangers kick ass.  

the perfect host - i loved this so much i immediately made my mother sit down and watch it.  david hyde pierce is just the fucking greatest thing ever in this.  it’s also pretty damn amusing to realize that this character is, really, just what would happen if niles crane just snapped one day.  it’s a shitton of fun and i can’t recommend it enough.

war for the planet of the apes - really enjoyed it.  as with rise, i regret not seeing it on the big screen; it looks awesome.  andy serkis continues to be perfect.  woody harrelson is disturbingly hot as amon goeth but with apes.  i’m not proud of that last sentence but things are what they are.  the kid playing nova (who looks startlingly like a small linda harrison) is an absolute star - no dialogue, acting opposite a bunch of dudes in mocap suits, and you believe every fucking second of her performance just from her face.  it didn’t even OCCUR to me until the movie was over that, oh right, there weren’t actually apes there.  which also says a lot about just how goddamn well-acted those apes are.  i already mentioned andy serkis, but karin konoval deserves every bit as much credit and praise as maurice.  it’s not my type of film - rise was the one from this trilogy that was more my cup of tea - but it’s so flawlessly done that i really loved it regardless.

wind river - look, i hate that guy who says “this film is important.”  i don’t want to be that guy.  but i have to be that guy.  this film is important.  you need to see it, and with the understanding that this is based on a true story in more than one respect.  as the film takes care to point out, native women are the one demographic for whom missing persons records are not kept.  this is loosely based one on person’s precise experience, yes, but it’s also the truth of thousands of native women no one ever looked for; women whose families never had the hope of closure, let alone justice.  it’s the truth of countless women who are treated as objects by white men, who are raped, who are murdered and who are conveniently forgotten by law enforcement.  in 1978, the supreme court declared that white people couldn’t be arrested and prosecuted by native people for crimes committed on native land, and it’s only as of 2015 that non-native men can now be prosecuted through the tribal courts for domestic assault against native women.  

it’s also just excellent as a film.  i do understand the potential issues with having the main character be a white guy, and “white savior” complaints wouldn’t be out of line.  but i also have a feeling that the studio likely didn’t think this film would find an audience at all without a white lead, and they’d probably be correct.  jeremy renner, for what it’s worth, does well with the character, and while we didn’t really need the liam-neeson-in-taken-esque turn at the top of the mountain, it’s about what you’d expect from taylor sheridan.  

elizabeth olsen...can someone be declared a revelation twice?  because every fucking SECOND of her performance is flawless.  she won me over in martha marcy may marlene, and she’s grown so much as an artist since then.  her character is also well-used near the end of the film to pull focus away from the white leads to refocus on the victim, and...fucking hell, that scene should’ve earned olsen an oscar nomination.  it won’t; this film is criminally ignored.  whether it’s because of the weinstein connection or just because hollywood has hit its quota of “minorities in america” films for this year and the white powers that be have lost interest, i couldn’t tell you.  

the supporting cast, as well, is just spectacular.  gil birmingam is the unsung backbone of this film and his performance is glorious, managing to be both passionate and understated.  graham greene is impossible likable with amazing delivery.  martin sensmeier doesn’t have much screentime, but the minutes he does have are absolutely gutting.  teo briones has only a few scenes as jeremy renner’s half-native son, but he makes a real impression (and is the son of jon jon briones, which you have to love; i guess crazy talent runs in the family).  and kelsey asbille is given precious few minutes to make us fall in love with a young woman we all know is doomed, and she manages easily, although the fact that she isn’t actually native gives me some pause with regard to her being cast.  still, she does a great job with the role.  

it looks incredible.  taylor sheridan isn’t the person i would have expected to write or direct this one, but damned if he didn’t do some amazing work.  this movie deserves to be seen.  

personal shopper - if this movie doesn’t stop people from having that weird “kristen stewart can’t act” belief, i suppose nothing will.  this is her best performance yet, and yes i did see clouds of sils maria; she’s somehow managed to outdo her work in that film.  loved the movie for all its weirdness.  never knew what the fuck was going to happen from one moment to the next and i appreciate that.

eyes of laura mars - i can’t tell if this movie was supposed to be taken seriously or not.  i have that issue with faye dunaway movies a lot though.

amityville: the awakening - i’ve never liked an amityville movie - i  tolerated the aughts remake because chloe moretz was a friend’s client and it had melissa george (not sure if i knew who rachel nichols was at the time but if i did, that would’ve been another bonus) - and i have not started now.  

ingrid goes west - not really what i was expected tonally, particularly the ending.  didn’t love it, didn’t dislike it.  can i finally admit that i just don’t like aubrey plaza that much?  o’shea jackson jr. is fucking adorable though.  

serpent - i appreciated that there was actual effort put into this, but it was destined to be crap with the premise of “stuck in a tent with a snake for most of the film.”  unless it’s ian mckellen and patrick stewart, you’re just NOT going to enjoy watching two people sit in one place and do little of anything for an hour and a half.  (and really, you’re going to fight about your relationship NOW??  like, i’m a pretty petty person but damn.)

[lakegrimstonerpg]

The Government is pleased to announce that they have secured NYX LI, that possess the power of SHADOW MANIPULATION. There is no doubt that Lake Grimstone will offer NYX the necessary help they need to learn to master their power.

Welcome to Lake Grimstone RACHEL! It was really fun working with you to bring Nyx to Lake Grimstone! We look forward to seeing more TRP on our dash as the plot develops! Now that you’ve been accepted, take a look at OUR MEMBER CHECKLIST. Please send in the account within 24 hours!

OUT OF CHARACTER

NAME / PRONOUNS: Rachel, she/her

AGE / TIMEZONE: 28, HST

ACTIVITY LEVEL: i’m a terrible role-player when it comes to activity, you can delete this i’m sorry. i’m on daily, gang <3

IN CHARACTER:

DESIRED CHARACTER: Nyx Li - (Lennox)

FC: Chloe Bennet

AGE: 28

POWER: Light-Darkness Manipulation, the yin-yang of this is very characteristic for Nyx and has kind of always been her, could be called shadow manipulation as shadow is an in between of both light and dark.

QUOTE:

“I have found beauty in the dark, as I’ve seen horrors in the light.”

BIO:

Shadows found Nyx early in life. At the age of six as she slept, the usual shouting rang out through Nyx’s family’s small apartment in Chinatown, New York, her parents at it again. What pulled Nyx from bed was the sound of her baby sister crying in her crib and as Nyx padded quietly down the hall to her room she was stopped in the doorway of her parent’s bedroom, dark eyes wide as she was met with the empty and angry look in her father’s eyes. A loud pop sounded in through the room and tiny eyes were watching her crying mother fall to the floor, sending Nyx’s hands quickly to her ears to cover them before the gun in her father’s hand was turned on himself and he was falling too with another loud pop. Shadows took her over, literally. Nyx’s eyes opened seconds later to find herself standing beside her baby sister’s crib and she lifted her into her arms, carrying her into the dark of the nearby closet to sit and hide holding her. It felt like hours before help came but it was only minutes before the door was being barged through by men and women with bright lights in their hands, flashlights she found herself slightly scared to see after seeing the deaths of her parents like she had. Nyx’s eyes stayed tightly closed to not see any more, but she clutched her baby sister as they were lifted and removed from the building. That was the first time Nyx had felt her power, though at the age it wasn’t known to her what it was, only that it had tried to hide things from her that she didn’t want to see, and she was grateful for that. Days passed slowly it seemed, but after a few she and her baby sister, Brynn, were placed in the home of their grandfather. Resilience became Nyx, but she didn’t often put her sister down often. She did her best to be the one changing her and feeding her. Their grandfather was a loving man, though very strict, and while Nyx came to trust they were both safe she remained adamant and steadfast in raising her sister in the ways that mattered. Still within that sixth year Nyx ventured out into the small neighborhood and quickly befriended a girl her age, bright blue eyes opposite Nyx’s amber; the girls were inseparable and wherever one was, the other was to. Her sixth year turned out alright in her opinion and it only got better the more years that passed beside her best friend, straight through early graduation from high school and early admittance to college, they didn’t stray. Nyx went off to academy to be police officer as she always wanted to be, because if she could stop monsters like the man she had once called ‘dad’ then she felt she could honor the mother she and her sister should have never lost. Nyx had learned her father was a working Vanguard of the Chinese Triad and she dedicated herself to taking down members of violent organizations. The girl who had been her childhood best friend, slowly through the years had become the only person Nyx couldn’t live without, and after graduating from academy the girls married. While on their honeymoon travels, first China and then across Europe, on to Ireland, the two women fell in love with green countryside and decided to call Ireland home. Nyx transferred her citizenship and began working with the Garda Síochána, the government Irish police force and keepers of the peace. It allowed her to patrol the small town of Inistioge Ireland. the commute to Dublin only took a matter of seconds every time she shifted through shadows to get there and she could be right back home to her wife just as quickly. This was a blessing the moment her wife called her home one day with the announcement that their family was growing. Of course her wife being gifted was no surprise to Nyx, the power of conception was something she’d seen her wife work before on a woman in the town who’d been told she was infertile, and with that, twin daughters were on their way, Cade and Chance. Over the next year…came one more little girl, their third daughter, and first child carried by Nyx, Corey. It wasn’t anything science couldn’t give them, three healthy and lively daughters, but it was something all the more special and private being between only the two of them that they didn’t need outside help to achieve. What separated her wife from science and medicine was the arrival of their fourth child, and first son Conor, carried right alongside their daughter Corey growing within herself. The two were born only a month apart and grew close. Years passed peacefully and yet hectic within their home, and their children grew fast, but only one had a love for roaming away from home, from their town, from their country. One day Corey ventured out as she did so many times to hunt and roam wherever she pleased and that trip in particular, the little girl Nyx had carried didn’t come home from. It wasn’t unusual for Corey to roam and stay away from home for long periods of time but weeks turned into months and Nyx’s ferocity grew thicker seeing and feeling the void in their family where Corey was supposed to be. still, every morning she kissed her wife and she went to work, part of her hoping she’d come across Corey while she was out, because she always used to turn up at the station either of her own free-will or brought in for doing something she shouldn’t have. Corey had been her little shadow, always hanging on her legs and climbing into her lap even as a grown young women just to guide Nyx’s hands into hair and ask for a braid, she’d always been turning up at her side and looking to her for guidance and swallowing down work became hard for Nyx to do without word from Corey. It was a quiet morning at the precinct when she was approached asked to step into a conference room by a woman in a sharper uniform than she was used to seeing but she obliged and was introduced to a member of an organization called the rising power. Her daughter had been located and Nyx wasn’t sure how or why these people were coming to her but it didn’t matter if it meant getting to where their missing daughter was being held, as she learned, against her will. Nyx moved with precise tunnel vision after that and she went to work following their directions and using her position of power within the Garda Síochána to contact who she needed to within the Allied Order and turn her services over just to get into Lake Grimstone. Her background with the police force and her credentials, recommendations from Irish Parliament made her a fitting candidate to take up residency as a guard in Lake Grimstone. With that, Nyx made the choice to say goodbye to her wife and their three children and she turned herself over to the government, but not before pulling every string that she could to erase record ties to her wife and children just to ensure they stayed off the radar of anyone who might come looking for them when she turned herself over. Her wife understood more than anyone could, neither of them okay with one of their children not having one of them there within reach. It was a choice only another parent could ever understand and while parts of Nyx’s heart shattered with her family’s, saying goodbye to her soulmate, their anger was stronger for the people who’d separated one of their children from all of them. Nyx harbors a deep anger in her chest to those who’d separated a cub from herself and her wife, but you wouldn’t know it by looking at her. She works dutifully as a guard within Grimstone and makes a blatant point to ensure residents stay under radars with their activities, much as she stays under their radars with her own activities within The Rising Power. She’s close in proximity to Corey now and always watchful of her youngest daughter but she’s even more watchful for those who are responsible for Corey having ended up there. Nyx is playing by every rule she needs to and every order she’s given, but she can be quick to show her claws when exposed nerves are struck. Regardless, she does her job and she does it well. Nothing is more important to her than honor and her family, both areas her father had failed.

PERSONALITY:

POSITIVES: honorable, steady, loyal NEGATIVES: headstrong, stoic, distrusting

CONNECTION IDEAS:

Isabella Di Maria - Isabella was the first agent of the government that Nyx met when she turned her services over to Lake Grimstone. Nyx is quicker to trust and follow Isabella’s orders than she is of others, as she’s been the most helpful in the process of her getting settled and she believes Corey has been in safe hands when Isabella is around. It makes Nyx more adamant about trying to recruit Isabella into The Rising Power. Part of her doesn’t want anything bad happening to Isa if a war should finally come to a head and they find each other on opposing sides.

Blake Nichols - Where Nyx isn’t simply vulnerable around just anyone, she’s found a comfort around Blake with the shared commonality of motherhood. Whether it’s ranting and supportive talks about their kids, or talking about everything under the sun aside from the kids, she feels comfortable talking to Blake and hanging out with her and has appointed herself official wing-woman in Blake’s life, a little unwilling to let just any guy in through the ‘good enough’ filtration system.

Gabriel Rowland - Part of Nyx loves seeing Gabriel take to the skies within the boundaries he’s allowed, but part of her feels the need to call him back down to the ground to discourage him drawing too much unwanted attention from the government with his activities. She admires his flight but she is quickly to call those flying sessions to a close, while sometimes slipping words to him about safer times for him to fly where not so many pairs of guard’s eyes will be on him.

Issac Trevino - Nyx and Issac, both being guards, can be found a lot together, either on duty or through their training. It’s hard to say if they’re bad influences on each other or if they really just mesh well in the line of work that they make good friends as well. Nyx is very interested in trying to bridge a gap with Issac and potentially bringing up the topic of The Rising Power, if nothing else just to test the waters and figure out his opinion on things. She feels he could be a good asset to have on her side and vice verse, but if nothing else he makes the time pass more tolerably for Nyx, just by being a friend and fellow guard she can hang out with and train with.

WHY WOULD YOU LIKE THIS CHARACTER?:

The reason I wanted Nyx was to explore how she might go about navigating between working for the government as a guard, working towards what might be better for society, which she knows well from her work as a government agent in Ireland, and then working for The Rising Power, more as a wife and mother who’s vengeful about her family being separated. There was something I love so much about the sacrifice she made in leaving the majority of her family behind for the sake of one of their children not being held somewhere without one of them there for her. More than that I want to see how she responds around all of the residents who might not be so happy being in Lake Grimstone without their families. In a lot of ways it feels like it will be much like a veil being pulled back slowly. Her first instinct might solely be what’s better for her family, but Nyx is a compassionate and noble character, and I can see her not enjoying witnessing residents missing their families and feeling held against their will. Where there is that side of how Nyx might feel, I’m curious to see how she feels towards Isabella, I imagine somewhat indebted to her because indirectly or not, without her Nyx might not have been informed on where her daughter was and might not have gotten to her. So there is a really good balance between her need to do what aids the betterment of her family and other families, and being grateful that she is able to be there with the part of her family that’s been missing.. Nyx is very yin-yang in personality and I think I just realized how literal that is for her. I’m curious to see how she balances her distaste for the government she’s working for, and the desire to recruit for The Rising Power that she feels could give her a chance one day at being reunited with her wife and other three children. All that aside, I love that even if Nyx knew without a shadow of a doubt that she would never see her wife and other three children again in her lifetime, that she would have still made the same decision with her wife, in order for Corey to not be somewhere without any of them.

[airheadedangel]

Life is Strange(fucked up)

This is a game I wanted to play as soon as I heard about it back in 2015 when it released. But didn’t because I hate getting into the episodes until they all release. So I waited. In 2016 I got the game in a humble bundle but I still didn’t play it due to personal bullshit reasons. I was in an unhappy part of my life where I dropped a lot of my favorite hobbies, such as playing games. It was also a game I wanted to record if I ever did get my own youtube channel going.  In 2017 I decided it was time. Mostly I was tired of avoiding all possible spoilers and figured if I didn’t play it soon there was a chance I wouldn’t be able to play it the true way. Heck I had already seen to much at this point. Or so I thought. But to my delightful surprise Life is Strange managed to be the experience I always knew it would be. I have had an emotional month for reasons I am not even fully aware of so I figured if I was going to be an emotional ball of mess now was the time. To my surprise The first 3 episodes did not effect me like everyone warned me about. It wasn’t until episode 4 and 5. Which btw at this point there will be spoilers as I talk about my experience with the game. Episode 4 was to me the saddest. I choose to help Chloe with assisted Suicide. I did heist but I didn’t need to rewind, after it happened I knew it was the right choice. It definitely made me tear up. Especially because if I was Max it isn’t something I could keep to myself. That would just destroy me to feel the pit and not be able to express how I was feeling. However when Chloe and Max found Rachels body was a lot of worse. They did a wonderful job with the music and pacing for the whole scene. I really loved the fact that after that scene they choose to end the whole episode back there again, but with Chloe mimicking the position Rachel had been in six months before. I always knew they would find out she had died and I think they did it justice.  The last episode however was my favorite. I just want to play it over and over again. The only thing stopping me is knowing it won’t end any differently. I have always loved stories where the hero is put in the position of being a victim. Being truly vulnerable and defenseless but still not acting like a victim. To me that is true strength. A strength I was always wanted to have. This is the episode that made me admire Max and want to be like her. I didn’t cry on my play through of episode 5. And it is because I picked the selfish ending. I wonder if people who knew me would be surprised by my choice. I know I am seen as a peace keeper and a caring person. If I was in the situation of choosing the most important person to me or hundreds of people, even people I know. I would choose my person. The person I love can’t imagine my life without. I was oddly okay with that ending. As morbid as it is it gave me hope. More so then the other ending which I watched later. Letting go of Chloe is something I personally can’t handle. That is getting to real for my shit. Watching that ending is where I fucking lost it. I let myself cry as I realize this is probably some great fear I have in the back of my mind. Letting the most important person die. Doing nothing. And then not only keeping it to yourself but also living on without them. I am just not strong enough for that. I do feel like for the sake of a good story letting Chloe die is the right choice. But I like to have hope and imagine what Max and Chloe would do after they drove off. It would be so difficult to live with the guilt but they have each other and I believed that was enough. So all in all Life is Strange was a fantastic story and game and I hope Dontnod goes on to create more story driven emotion heavy games in the future.

[damagemirror94-blog]

‘Siesta Key’ Recap: Is Alex the Next Ted Bundy?

We’re only one episode away from the final episode of Siesta Key and things are getting even more tense than usual: Cara and Garrett are at a standstill in their relationship, Madisson won’t take a shot on Jared, and Alex and Juliette are fighting and breaking up and making up so often that none of us can keep track of where their relationship’s at.

We caught up with Reality King Spencer Pratt to get all his thoughts on Juliette’s 21st birthday and he has more than just well-wishes for The Key’s stormies couple.

On Kelsey’s benefit for her mom...and Jacob's triumphant appearance:

That was a very tiny event for Kelsey to be feeling so many emotions. Maybe she knew she wasn’t getting filmed as much and was trying to get back the “A Story”? She went all in on that speech.

Heidi loved when Jacob showed up. When he got up to stand behind Kelsey as she was reading her speech, Heidi said, "oh my god, what an amazing boyfriend.” I was all, “shit, all I’ve got to do to get that kind of response out of Heidi is to stand behind her quietly? I’m all in.” Thanks for being an inspiration, Jacob.

It really felt like the producers wanted him to film, and he told them, “no, no, if Kelsey has any more confessions to make, she can do that off-air where my family doesn’t have to hear them, thanks.”

On Alex showing up to Kelsey’s benefit:

$200 seems kind of low for a donation when you’re trying to show everyone that you’re a good guy and The King of The Key. Maybe he spent it all on Pauly Paul’s bail and the diamond he bought Juliette. Though the necklace he bought Juliette for her birthday...I thought this stuff was supposed to be Tiffany or Cartier. That didn’t look like either. I did not see that trinket and immediately think, “oh you should definitely get back together over this necklace.” Maybe he should have just donated the $99 he spent on it to help cure MS.

On the performance at Kelsey’s benefit:

It was very nice of Kelsey to include Brandon and Pauly at this high-class, invite-only event to raise more awareness for MS, which I am going to google right now. Their performance really gave the evening the gravity and importance it felt like it needed.

This whole thing was a full range of emotions. You go from Kelsey weeping because she loves her mom and just realized she doesn’t know how to read, to Pauly Paul getting bleeped out by MTV and screaming, "let’s turn this place all the way up!” I definitely needed the mood switch, though, because I’m not trying to be crying into my white wine here.

On whether Kelsey or Alex is the better speech-giver:

It was Kelsey’s realest moment on the show, so I’ve got to applaud her for that. I definitely believe all the things she said about her mom are true—which is a first for our girl—but I don’t think anyone’s out here calling her a “naturally gifted speaker” behind her back. She should have taken some notes from Alex. We hate that guy, but his dad brought in a teleprompter to the Autism Gala. You can’t compete with that.

On Jared trying to win Madisson’s affections:

It seems like they don’t teach you how to spit any game in the Navy. Jared didn’t need to take Madisson away to some private room to explain how he’s developed feelings for her. It felt like he was about to ask her dad if he could date her, when all he needed to say was, “I like you. Do you want to have lunch and see what develops?” He was really taking us back to the 1800s here.

You know what it felt like? A bad ‘80s movie and Jared’s all, “I’m telling you I’m the guy that loves you.” Was he going to break into song next? He seems like a nice guy, but I gotta keep it on the real: If he had a chance before this little pitch he threw at her, well...he certainly has zero chance now. He should just go back to trying to steal Kelsey from her boyfriend.

On Madisson’s response to Jared’s proposal (that’s the only way to describe it):

She seemed confused. It was like she hadn’t thought of homey asking her out at all since the first time on the beach. She’s given him every sign that she isn’t interested and..nothing. Aren’t Navy seals supposed to be good at picking up signals? Because ol’ boy over here seems to be much better at riding Range Rovers.

I think Madisson was all “oh my god, Jared, you were a sidepiece I hooked up with a few times in high school. Why are you trying to Swimfan me?” Did I already mention her should stick to Kelsey? Because I’m gonna say it again. That’s how you stay on this show.

On Madisson saying no:

I’m so proud of her for not saying “yes.” That was a great scene for women, young girls, dudes watching this show, everyone. It was a good reminder that just because someone gives you a 10-minute guilt trip about you being “the one that got away,” it doesn’t mean that you have to feel the same way about them.

Can I also just say how proud I am of her for being the first reality star in the history of television to say the word “apprehensive”?

On whether Brandon and Madisson are ever getting back together. :

I like that we’re still playing pretend like #Bradisson is getting back together. It’s always good to have dreams. Getting back together with an ex has surely worked out for everyone else on The Key.

On Cara and Garrett getting back together:

These two aren’t just being awkward for the show—I think I’ve realized that they truly just don’t know how to interact with each other.

“I would like to continue” is a really weird line to drop on someone you’re planning on dating. I think Garrett picked up all his ideas of romance from The Bachelor. He was probably looking around for a rose to hand her. Should have brought it from home.

How weird is it that Garrett’s going on this personal appearance tour and inviting Cara along after three months of dating? Did you see how quickly Cara realized that it might mean less screen time? It was like, “do you think I’m getting together with you so I can be on the show less?”

On Garrett not wanting to go to Italy with Cara because he needs to work:

If he really wanted to talk about money, he should have just said, “I’ll go to Italy. Just pay my personal training fee and I’ll come out there and work you out. I have high hopes for you. Matter of fact, here’s a promo code. I’ll get your entire family fit with a mix of pre-recorded and in-person workouts guaranteed to make them sweat.”

You know what this put in perspective for me? The whole tour fiasco that happened earlier this season. How are Cara and Garrett inviting each other on trips around the world and Brandon wouldn’t even let Camilla get on the guest list at a show in Orlando. I guess she was on her way out way before the tour began.

Garrett can take Camilla with him if Cara doesn’t want to do it. Girl seems desperate to get out of The Key.

On Cara showing up to Juliette’s birthday party:

They must have had a really good talk under that freeway overpass. They must have gone for chicken nuggets after and connected over both wanting to be landlords. After watching Chloe struggle to sell fake houses, Juliette only wants to be on the buyer’s end now.

I bet Cara also made good points about what it’s like to be in a relationship with Alex. I believe Juliette when she says that she always has to do what Alex wants. I think he uses his money as a way to guilt her. He’s like, “I bought you dinner and clothes.” OK cool, dude, let me see the designer labels. Psych! Having money doesn’t give you the right to treat others like trash. Take that to the bank.

If Juliette gets her own boat in season 3, she wont even remember dating Alex. Can we start a GoFundMe?

On Alex’s gift to Juliette:

I thought that box was going to open and we were going to get a zoom-in, but we didn’t even get to assess the jewelry properly. I was really hoping for a big-ass diamond but what we saw was a trinket. A bauble!

You know, all the ladies on this show are all “ugh” about Juliette even talking to Alex, but if I were her, I’d just take the jewelry and walk. You can roll all the eyes you want, Kelsey and Amanda, but I don’t see you starting a mint jewelry collection at 21. So maybe just worry about yourselves. Juliette can accept all the jewelry she wants.

My only concern is that Alex has a real Ted Bundy-esque vibe about him, so I would say definitely take the jewelry but also let Chloe know where you are at all times. Don’t you ever turn off that Bitmoji, Jules.

Spencer Pratt's big concern about Alex and Juliette:

Alex thinks he can solve every problem with money. No one’s given him any reason to suspect differently, so what reason does he have to change? What I’m more worried about is what Juliette said about him not giving her any space because he knows she’ll move on.

That’s a huge red flag. If you ask for space and your boyfriend or girlfriend or whoever won’t give it to you...oooh, that’s a red alert!

I feel like we’re forgetting that Juliette’s only 21. She’s a kid. You know what? I hope she’s in it just for the jewelry. I hope she gets an entire collection. And I hope that she and her lovely french mother just pawn the whole thing at the local jewelry store/bait-and-tackle shop and buy themselves their own boat. That would be quality.

On Chloe’s cliffhanger:

Everything was chill and then here’s Chloe coming in with “the information I have now could change everything.” I thought I was watching Siesta Key, but now it feels like we’re on CNN. Is that Rachel Maddow in the back booth of the Tiki Bar? Is that Adam Schiff doing a presser outside? I wish Chloe would have worked a little harder on The Mueller Report because Alex cheating? It’s never new.

Source: https://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/tv/a26963452/siesta-key-mtv-season-two-episode-11-recap-spencer-pratt-alex-juliette-necklace/

[no-crap-fm]

Hari Karaoke

The coursing rain was to blame. Rae would have met the gang at the pub earlier. Sadly, her mum decided tonight was the night she and Karim would treat themselves to a movie. Thusly, they were not home to give Rae a ride to The Swan. Chloe had made her promise to be there. Rae had acquiesced, not sure why. Lately, Chloe had been acting like more of a rival than a mate. Finn Nelson more likely than not had something to do with it. While Rae pined for Finn, she made a point to keep her feelings to herself. Chloe was obviously trying it on with Finn. Rae was certain it was just a matter of time before poor Finn fell victim to Chloe’s schemes. Rae sighed as she trudged her way up the street. She was almost to the pub and would be warm and dry soon. A pint and a sit were so appealing as the sky opened up and gushed all over her. Fortunately, Rae’s jacket was keeping her mid-section dry but her hair was soaked as were her leggings and her favorite red converse. Pushing open the main door, she wrung her hair out in the vestibule. As she stood there, a familiar voice greeted her. “Alright, Rae?” An obvious grin was present in the asking. Rae knew Finn must be smirking at her. She looked up. Sure enough Mr. Fit-As-Fuck was standing in the entryway leaning against the doorjamb. His arms were crossed across his chest, showing his arm muscles to great effect. His flannel was slug low and tied at his waste. His short sleeve white henley had all three buttons undone with just a peek at the leather necklace he always wore. His dark jeans fit far too well and hung just right over his boots. He looked far too good for a normal human to behold. Worse than all that, Finn looked dry. His hair wasn’t a dripping mess and even if it was, the prick would carry it off. Rae blew out a breath and shook her head. She tried for nonchalance as she wiped more water off her forehead before it ran into her eyes. Thank fuck she didn’t wear any eye makeup. She’d look like a panda for sure after the drenching she had. “I’m exceptionally well, Finnley. How are you this fine evening?” Pushing off the wall, he strode over to Rae. He kept his eyes trained on her all the while. Rae gulped and did her best to straighten her shoulders. He was posturing and Rae knew it. Well, he was not going to see her shrink under his scrutiny, wet or otherwise. Reaching out a hand, he touched her hair. His cool facade slipped into one of concern. “Ya sure, Rae? Your soaked through. I can get ya a towel from the bar. You could catch your death.” Was Mr. Superior actually worried about little nobody Rae Earl? She laughed it off. “That’s sweet, Finn. I’ll be fine.” She brushed past him, hardly noticing the frown on his face. Stepping confidently into the pub, Rae scanned the crowd for Chloe and the gang. Spotting each other, Chloe waved her over. “Jesus, Rae! You run into Noah in that flood?” Rae rolled her eyes. Chloe thought she was being clever. Rae caught Finn stepping over to the bar in her periphery. He leaned over and spoke to one of the female bartenders. The bartender nodded and touched Finn’s arm. Rae thought he must be on the pull and dismissed his actions. The gang had saved a chair for Rae. She sat and heard the squeak and slosh of her shoes as she situated herself at the table. Suddenly a stack of towels were floating in her line of vision. Rae looked up to see Finn holding them out to her. “Here. These should help, Rae. You really could get sick sitting around like that.” He gave her a half smile and shrugged. Rae thanked him before anything sarky occurred to her. She took the towels and started drying her hair. She returned Finn’s small smile. He took the chair next to her and watched her. Suddenly a voice carried through the pub, assisted by a microphone. “Alright ladies and gents, it’s time for Karaoke Roulette! We have all our names in and we’ll be drawing our first singer in a tick!” Chloe let out a loud cheer. Rae eyed her suspiciously. “Chlo, did ya put yer name in, then?” Chloe looked sheepish. This was a new expression for her. Rae didn’t know what to think. Just as she was about to ask Chloe about it a recorded drum roll played in the pub’s speaker system. A huge fake cymbal crashed and the karaoke host took over. “OK, yous, our first brave contestant will be…….RACHEL EARL!!!” Rae gasped. All of the gang, save Chloe, gasped. Rae shrank. She felt like all eyes in The Swan were on her. Chloe clapped and cheered while the rest of the gang remained silent. Rae turned on Chloe, shock registered all over her face. Putting her hands up Chloe said, “Rae, I knew you’d never do it ya’self. And you have a gorgeous singing voice. You think I haven’t heard ya?” Rae stuttered. Her words frozen on her lips. She looked at Izzy who smiled broadly at her. “I know you’ll be brilliant, Rae!” Chop gave Rae a toothy grin. “Go get ‘em Raemundo!” Archie simply shrugged and smiled. And Finn. Finn looked as thunderstruck as Rae. He stared at her with his mouth slightly open. Summoning her courage, Rae pushed back her chair and stood. “That must be her, come on up to the stage, Rachel!” The announcer coaxed. He waved a hand cheerily. Rae instantly hated him. Rae walked onto the stage like a zombie. Her eyes strained from not blinking for so long. In a daze she took the microphone handed to her by the dickhead host. “Now what will she sing?” The host asked. A graphic appeared on the television screens around the pub and in front of Rae. It looked like a roulette wheel. On each arm of the wheel were different song titles. Not only would Rae have to sing, she would have to sing a song not of her choosing. A terrible thought occurred to her. Chloe did this on purpose. Yet another chance to publicly embarrass Rae. This was another chance for Princess Chloe to win favor while Rae floundered. Chloe would act like the doting best mate after Rae failed, making her look like such a good friend. Rae gagged at the thought. She saw Chloe, sitting at their table, arms crossed, looking smug and satisfied. Rae was instantly washed in anger. How could Chloe do this? Chloe wanted to be better than Rae so much she had to humiliate her like this? What the fuck was Chloe on about? Chloe already had everything. She was pretty. She had a family that adored her. She always got what she wanted. Always. At the moment that thought crossed Rae’s mind, she locked eyes with Finn. Could this be about Finn? Sure he and Rae were mates but Chloe and Finn were mates too, right? Rae wondered. As she looked at Finn something odd happened. He smiled at her. Finn was smiling at Rae. His mouth was moving also. Rae’s brow wrinkled watching Finn’s lips. He was saying something to her. She mouthed, “What?” to him. He tried again. She watched carefully. “You’ll. Be. Great.” He was saying to her. Again she was shocked. A loud clicking was drawing Rae’s attention away from Finn and his words of encouragement. The clicking slowed down and Rae saw a song title highlighted on the monitor. Rae sighed. At least she’d heard the song. She thought she could sing it. It certainly wasn’t one of her favorites. It was way too mainstream. Hadn’t she heard that idiot Stacy Stringfellow playing it in the common room? Ah well, she didn’t have much choice now. The first notes of the song flooded the pub. Rae took a steadying breath and for lack of a better thing to do, she looked at Finn. He smiled at her again. Rae’s courage rose to the occasion. She thought she could shrivel and let Chloe win or she could show them all something they never knew about Rae Earl. She took a breath as the lyrics came up and focused on the screen.

Maybe it's intuition But some things you just don't question Like in your eyes, I see my future in an instant And there it goes, I think I found my best friend

Here Rae took a chance and searched the room for Finn, the stage lights blinding her. She found him watching her, his jaw dropped, a goofy smile on his face. It strengthened her resolve. She knew the song well enough, though she would never admit it, that she looked away from the screen and sang to Finn.

I know that it might sound More than a little crazy But I believe I knew I loved you before I met you I think I dreamed you into life I knew I loved you before I met you I have been waiting all my life…..

By the second verse it felt like the rest of the pub went away and all that was left was Finn and her. She smiled as she sang. Her confidence was off the charts as she hit every high note, taking her time to revel in the feeling. A new thought entered her head, Rae had Chloe to thank for this. Here she had been struggling with her feelings for Finn and no way to let him know. Until tonight. Rae had him here and he was listening. Finn was actually listening. Granted, it was to a crap pop song but the sentiment could not have been more appropriate. He looked at her like she’d never seen him look at anyone. It was an incredible feeling. She’d deal with the fallout later. She had a couple more lines before she had to vacate the stage and pick up her teenage existence. The last notes of the song came and the pub was utterly still. After a moment of silence the crowd went wild. The roars and cheers shook the building. Even the daft karaoke host joined in getting everyone to chant her name. Chop stood on their table wolf whistling. Izzy and Archie leapt to their feet. Finn sat clapping and beaming at her. In the corner, trying not to be seen, Chloe scowled. Rae had won this round. More importantly, Rae had stood up for herself. She had accepted this stupid challenge, in which she had no say, and did not back down. She was proud of herself. Rae took a breath and paused, closing her eyes. She would remember this feeling. She was enough. Everything Kester had been telling her about herself was true. She was perfect exactly as she was. It wasn’t up to anyone but herself to determine that. Smiling, Rae walked back over to her chair. Chop practically jumped on her yelling, “That’s our Raemundo! Well done, girl!” Archie squeezed her arm. “I had no idea you could sing like that, Rae. It was beautiful.” Izzy just hugged her so tight she almost knocked the wind out of her. Chloe gave her a half sneer half smile, not getting up and said, “I told ya, you’d be great.” Finally, Rae looked at Finn. He was chewing on his thumbnail. When their eyes met he dropped his thumb and gave her a slow, shy smile. Rae sat down next to him, not breaking eye contact. She smiled back at him. Finn looked down at his hands and quietly said, “That were amazin’, Rae. You’re amazin’.” He raised his eyes to her, gazing at her from under his fringe. Rae, feeling brave, reached out to squeeze his hand. She patted it and said, “Thanks, Finnley.” When she was pulling her hand away he caught it and held it in his own. Dropping his gaze to their hands he rubbed his thumbs over the back of her hand. “I really liked your song, Rae.” He continued. His voice was so low. Rae leaned in to hear him better. “It’s not bad for mainstream.” Rae joked. Finn laughed. He was still looking at their linked hands. Straightening his posture he looked her right in the eye. “Did ya mean it?” He bit his lower lip and lowered his eyebrows. Rae took a breath. “Did I mean wha?” Rae couldn’t resist teasing him a little. Finn smirked. “Come on, Rae. You know wha’.” “Yeah.” “Yeah, wha?” He asked. “Yes, Finnley. I meant it.” She rolled her eyes at him. “Rae? Would ya come outside with me? The rain seems to have stopped.” He looked so hopeful and earnest. Rae couldn’t help but nod. She had never seen Finn like this. He was usually so cocky but now he seemed insecure, uncertain. She liked it. Finn stood and still holding onto Rae he guided her out of her chair. Holding her hand he walked out of the pub’s backdoor. Rae trailed right behind him. He held the door open for her to walk through. The door had barely closed and Finn dropped her hand and pounced. Pushing Rae against the wall to the side of the backdoor, Finn threw his hands in her hair and kissed her. Wrapping her arms around him Rae matched his fervor. Finn kissed along her jaw and neck, whispering how he felt the same way. He had been dying to tell her but kept bottling it. Rae caught the gist of it and loved every word. She held Finn and matched every touch, every kiss. Clearly, her bravery had paid off. Catching their breath, they broke apart. Finn stood by Rae’s side, leaning against the wall of the pub. He turned his head sideways to look at her. “Rae, I wish I was as brave as you. I would sing to you if I had a voice like yours.” He stroked the back of her hand. Rae turned to him. She touched his cheek and told him, “You don’t have to sing songs to me, Finn. Just be honest with me about how you feel. I promise I’ll do the same, yeah?” He nodded. “Yeah. Rae?” “Hhhhmmm?” “I feel like I want you to go out with me.” “OK.” “Rae?” “Yeah?”
“I feel like I want ya to be my girlfriend.” “You do?” She bit her lip and watched him. He nodded. “Yeah. And Rae?” “Yes, Finn?” She laughed this time. “I really feel like I want ta kiss ya again.” “Well, Finn, since we’re being honest, I feel that way too.” Taking her face in his hands, Finn kissed her again. A clap of thunder rang out and a fresh downpour started. “Let’s go back in, Finnley. We could catch our death.” “Ah, fuck it, Rae. Just kiss me again.” They laughed as they both got soaked in the deluge.

This is what drinking on a rainy evening will get you! Thank you for reading!- K