#nathan has visions of the tornado

[goodbysunball]

Clearing the weeds

Your monthly four-pack is here. While irregular, I'm sure you'll find something delicious within. Expect more in a few days' time, or expect me to fail to deliver on that statement. In any case, let's dive into it; three rather bleak ones offset by a sunny one, because it's OK to let the light in when it's too oppressive to go outside.

CIA Debutante, Down, Willow (Siltbreeze)

Third, and best, LP from the duo of Nathan Roche and Paul Bonnet, further entrenched in the dystopian landscapes armed with a dead-eyed stare and dry wit. The duo sounds rejuvenated here; I liked Dust, but there were parts of that record that felt forced and awkward. Down, Willow doubles down on what they do best: Roche's bleak recitations matched by Bonnet's scraping, harsh floor shapeshifting beneath their feet. The drum machine seems to have gotten new batteries, as the rhythms and tempos often approach danceable on "The New Season" and "A Dove," and both tracks feature some pretty caustic ripping guitar, too. Compositionally, Down, Willow is a big step forward, sounds growing deliberately with subtle changes in tone, pieces added delicately until the music propagates on its own, fraying and sparking and eventually exterminating itself. The tracks here are brief, all but one below five minutes each, capable of maximizing impact in a short duration not unlike Jorge Luis Borges' short stories. Roche's writing isn't on Borges' level, but the comparison holds when one considers the ability of these tracks to effectively transport the listener into different environments. Take "Japanese Garden," where layers of guitar give the effect of bouyancy and danger, walking on liquid mercury, the feeling of levitation briefly disappearing at track's end but soon returning in a new form on the instrumental "The Air Loom." Only the slow start to "Cabinet Minister" allows reality to seep in, though the track gradually builds to again cloud (or is it enhance?) reality, once again pulled into Down, Willow's sandpaper embrace. CIA Debutante, the probing magnifying glass for our doomed reality, as good as ever. Now, how about some U.S. shows?

Joe Colley, Pleasure Pressure (New Forces)

A quick return from Joe Colley, following up last year's stunningly bleak Deformation of Tone with another round of existential dread in Pleasure Pressure. He's been at it for a long time now, and each subsequent release seems to hone in further on what sounds or compositional choices will pinpoint unspoken fears and anxieties. While the LP jacket design makes it easy to think of Pleasure Pressure and Deformation of Tone as a pair, the former feels more like something that would've appeared on Kye rather than venerated noise label New Forces. It often has the feel of pieced-together field recordings, sounds given added heft through isolation and placement in a compositional whole. A bulk of the first side sounds like recordings of a room with a malfunctioning steam heater, for instance, and there's lots of fumbling, hard-to-place noises, hands moving pieces without clear purpose. I don't think Colley makes music with field recordings, though it's impressive that he can conjure these feelings and visions through mechanical synthesis. Certain points, like the beginning of the second side, immediately grab my attention, all sheared metal and churning devices; other portions feel a bit listless. With infrequent loud sections and without the intermittent samples of people speaking included on Deformation of Tone to guide the listener a bit, the record can lose focus. I imagine it sounds like walking around a residential area just hit by a tornado, crackling wires and burst pipes interspersed with eerie stillness, but also walking around long enough to become inured to the bizarre landscape. That same sort of disconnect could be at play here: I like the corroded sounds on Pleasure Pressure, but they often feel too aloof. When a voice finally appears at the very end, positing that "being born is violence," it lands with a thud, having not been hoisted up by the preceding sounds. Instead, Pleasure Pressure is content to writhe in murky doubt and curdled anxiety, risk-averse though more than capable and committed.

En Attendant Ana, Principia (Trouble In Mind)

Trouble In Mind has been doing a pretty great job filling its roster with international talent, and Paris' En Attendant Ana are one of their longer-running acts, this being their third LP with the label. Their sound is a keyboard driven pop, not too far off from Slumberland's sound with a healthy dash of the Clean, but they sprinkle in enough magic to make the music stick. That magic can be brief appearances by Camille Frechou's saxophone or trumpet, or it can be Margaux Bouchaudon’s meandering vocals on "Fools & Kings," or it can just be the band transforming a Loaded-style track into their own sound ("Principia"). Principia is sorta billed as the band's grown-up record, and there are big swings here: "Same Old Story" channels Stereolab with success, and "Wonder" straps into a krautrock groove, hoping to outrun past mistakes. What appears to be gone is the youthful jitteriness or exuberance of a track like "Down the Hill" from previous album Juillet, replaced instead by a handful of so-so tracks that evade remembrance. "Black Morning," "Ada, Mary, Diane" and "The Cut Off" seem like afterthoughts compared to the title track or "Anita," pleasant enough but weighing down the album. "Anita," on the other hand, is the track here, as much as everyone will talk about "Wonder"; it's everything they do well in one track, a motorik beat and rubbery bass taking the reins and holding tight as the vocals sway and saxophone blares. There's good reason why "Anita" opened their set that I caught a few weeks ago. As far as their albums go, I think I still give the edge to Juillet, but the handful of tracks that connect on Principia make it more than worthwhile.

Leda, Neuter (Discreet Music)

Unexpected and wholly welcome new LP from Leda (née Sofie Herner, 1/2 of Neutral), a proper follow-up to 2017's Gitarrmusik III-X landing on the heels of a cassette released by a label that shall not be named. You can skip the tape anyway, 'cause Neuter is what you want: brittle, unadorned chords and loops; readings doubled as lyrics tucked in the background, cloaked in distortion; and a spare but effective presentation, as much about what is there as what isn't. Tracks 2 and 5 are probably the most approachable compositions, comparatively, King Blood-style riffs repeated ad nauseam, but all tension and no release. What Leda appears to reach for, and often achieves, is transcendence through repetition, a feat notable for the short length of the tracks. I'm reminded of Robert Turman's Spirals of Everlasting Change (tracks 3 and 7) and the longer recordings from Paul Bowles' recordings in Morocco (track 8, my favorite here) throughout Neuter, but Leda's work feels grittier, not offering an escape so much as a hard look at what's around. What can often sound like music on life support ends up slowly pulling the listener into its vortex, making it difficult to do anything else but turn up the volume. The artwork is quietly stunning, too, the harsh jacket flooded with what looks like a micrograph of etched metal or rock, offering no clues as to what's within. Plenty of copies of Neuter have been pressed, though I'd prioritize grabbing one - a top favorite of the year.

[radian-lis]

Your Choice

The deafening growling of the storm flings through the air. The cold raindrops impacting with the young girls skin at such high speeds, that every hit felt like a sharp needle piercing through her skin. She fights her way against the wind, up the forest track, the translucent doe always in her sight. It's like the ghostly animal isn't affected by the elements at all. 

After what felt like hours, she finally arrived at the top of the cliffs again. The maw to hell opening before her very eyes. She looked upon the biblical tornado raging on just before the bay. The girl had been here before. So many times. She knew what this was. This was the the future. This was the end. 

But one thing was different. 

On the rusty, wooden bench right next to the lighthouse, sat a finely dressed man. A melon on his head, a three piece suit on his body. A wooden cane rested upon his left side, leaned against his hip. The man moved his right hand towards his mouth, and puffed on what looked like a cigarette. 

"Who are you?!", the brunette girl screamed against the winds. 

No answer. He just blew out the smoke that accumulated in his mouth.

"Get yourself to safety! You shouldn't be here!", the young woman ordered the man. 

Then, he finally spoke: "You shouldn't be here either, Max Caulfield." 

His voice was incredibly calm, yet deep and serious at the same time. 

Max widened her eyes, and her already high heart rate began to rise even higher. 

"How do you know my name?", she whispered to herself.

"I know a thing or two.", the stranger answered, taking another pull at the burning cigarette. 

How did he hear me?! I was whispering! Max thought to herself. 

"You know what this is, right?", he questioned. 

Max hesitated for a second before answering carefully: "The future." 

"Exactly."

This man is so strange. How does he know about this? How does he know my name?

"How can I stop this?!", Max desperately screamed, not expecting an answer. 

"You want this to end?" 

Her heart skipped a beat: "Yes! More than anything else!" 

The man in the suit raised his left hand high in the air, waited for a second, and then, SNAP!

A blinding, white light flashed Max. She fell back and held her arms over her eyes, but even that was barely enough to block out the intense brightness. 

She lay there for what felt like an eternity, before she removed the blindfold from her eyes again. The sky wasn't Grey anymore, but crimson red. The wind calmed down, and the rain stopped entirely. Her body wasn't wet anymore, and the freezing cold vanished together with the gigantic tornado itself. She lifted up her head. The man sitting still on the bench, like before. Max smile was brighter than ever before. Yet she was still so very confused. 

"What is this?", she wondered. 

"The future.", told the gentleman. 

"But the tornado, the eclipse, the birds and the whales… What happened to everything?" 

"Nothing. The moon still has the same orbit. The birds are still flying high in the sky, and the whales are far and deep in the ocean." 

Max smiled even brighter. There was a chance to apprehend the tornado. To prevent the destruction and death. 

"How? What do I have to do to achieve this future?", the young photographer wondered. 

"Sit.", the man silently demanded. 

The girl's smile vanished. And she hesitated at first. But after a short while, Max carefully snuk towards the bench, with the suited man, and sat down next to him. She glanced over, to see in his face, but to her surprise, she couldn't see anything specific. She noticed a nose and eyes, but no real, significant features. The face of the man seemed familiar, yet so strange at the same time. 

His stare was fixed on the horizon, just like the entire time. 

"Close your eyes.", he further instructed. 

Max obliged. She pressed her eyelids together, for a few seconds before the man spoke again. 

"Open them again." 

She did as he commanded. 

She was still sitting on a bench. But it wasn't the same as the one by the lighthouse. Max wasn't on top of the cliffs anymore. She was in the middle of dozens of gravestones. 

"A cemetery?", she realized with a shaking voice. 

She turned her head to the man again, demanding an answer. He only lifted up his left arm again, and pointed towards the tombstone right in front of them. It was too far away for Max to read the name of the dead, so she stood up, and slowly moved towards the grave. In the meantime, the gentleman puffed on his cigarette again. 

After about a dozen shaky steps, Max reached the tomb of the person, the man pointed towards. She read the name. 

CHLOE PRICE

"NOOOO!!!", she screamed in pain and stumbled backwards. Tears running from her eyes. 

"The universe doesn't like being played with. And neither does death.", the stranger snipped away his cigarette, grabbed his old cane, and stood up for the first time. 

"WHY ARE YOU SHOWING ME THIS?!", she cried out. 

"Because this, Max, was the future that should have happened, if you didn't intervene. Chloe would've never met you. For her, you were still in Seattle. Living your own life. And for you, this girl you saw getting shot, was just a random Punk.", he walked towards the devastated girl, and explained further: "her destiny was to die on that bathroom floor from Nathan's gun. She was suppose to die that way from the very beginning. But then you came along and saved her. Changed the future. And took a life from death's account. The only problem is, Chloe is suppose to be dead. So he tried getting her. His first try was with her own gun. Than the train. Than Jefferson. And then the tornado. And all these times you intervened. You still owe him a life. And he won't stop, until he gets it."

Max cried for the entire duration of his speech, and then made an offer: "Then take mine! But leave her be!", she screamed against the man.

With that sentence alone, she managed to finally get an reaction out of him. He stepped back, and his eyes widened. 

"How peculiar. No one who ever had that power of yours, made such an offer." 

Max looked up, eyes still puffy from the tears: "I wasn't the first one?" 

"Oh no, far from it. I had talks like this millions of times. People usually use this power to make themself rich and powerful. You're the first person who used it so many times just to safe one person's life. It's quite incredible." 

"Well it's not incredible if you would know what this fucking girl means to me!", she screamed. 

"But going as far as to offer your own life just to save everyone else? Truly impressive." 

Max looked over her shoulder at the name on the tombstone. "I'd give everything for her." 

"I give it to you, Maxine. You truly make an impact. Even on someone, who has seen everything." 

Max crawled towards the man.

"Kill me. And revive Chloe. I SHOULD BE IN THIS GRAVE!!" 

The man smiled slightly:, "I like you Max. I truly do. But how must it feel for Chloe now?" 

"What do you mean?" 

"First her dad, then Rachel, and now you. Do you really want to put her through that, again? I mean, look" 

Max felt like she was in her rewind space, how she called it. Before snapping out and waking up in a bedroom again. But not any bedroom. Chloe's bedroom. 

"This is you two at this exact moment.", the man explained again. 

Max stood up, and looked upon Chloe's bed. The blue haired girl cuddled onto Max's body closely, her face buried in the brunettes hair. 

"You're more to her than a friend."

"You can't give me such a choice.", Max begged with watery eyes. 

"But you have to make it. Will you sacrifice Arcadia Bay? Through that, someone will die eventually. So death is satisfied again, and you can live happily ever after with your friend here. Or will you rewind? And make Chloe forget about everything. Forget about you, and let her die? It's your choice Max."

------------------------------------

"AHHHHHH", Max woke up, screaming. Her clothes were drenched in her sweat, and her heart was pounding as fast as never before. 

Chloe woke up from her sleep as well, and comforted her friend by hugging her softly. 

"A bad dream?", she asked caringly. 

"No.", Max hesitated.

"A vision." 

[tangent101]

The culpability of Max Caulfield in Arcadia Bay’s destruction

One excuse people use in their choice of Arcadia Bay over Chloe Price in the game Life is Strange is their claim that Max’s time travel caused the Storm and only by traveling back in time to avoid the incident that “gave” Max time travel abilities could Max in fact prevent the Storm. The problem is that this falls apart when you take a logical look at Max’s abilities.

First, let’s consider the Storm itself. The Storm appears to be a Category 5 (based on the total devastation of Arcadia Bay as seen in the Save Chloe setting in Life is Strange 2) tornado with a base easily a thousand or more feet across, and possibly being upward of a mile wide, capable of ripping an entire town apart with a direct hit. We and Max first experience the Storm at the game’s introduction - Max Caulfield wakes up in the middle of the storm, makes her way up to a lighthouse in the distance, sees the Storm, and it chucks a ship at her, it crashes into the lighthouse which then breaks and falls onto her. Max wakes up in her classroom.

This is the very start of the game. There is no sign of time travel. There is no hint of Max’s abilities. And in fact, linking Max’s time travel abilities to the Storm only happens in the fifth chapter with either Max (who outright admits she has little scientific knowledge) or a 16-year-old science geek who needs Max’s help to pull his science lab grade up from a B- to an A (and who states this is a “Cat 6″ storm despite there being no such rating) and who didn’t even know Max had time travel abilities until she tells him in the fifth chapter... thus again, he pulls this info out of his ass much like Max does if you have her state this. There is no legitimate authority figure stating Max’s abilities caused the Storm. This is not Mrs. Grant, a science teacher, stating this... but either Max (who had no science background) or Warren Graham who also admits he’s no expert.

But let’s go back to the time travel. Max goes through the rest of the class, she possibly takes a picture of a carving on a desk, she puts in earphones which launches the game’s opening music sequence, and then ends up in the girls’ bathroom where she notices a blue butterfly that she takes a picture of. Cue Nathan “I could blow up the entire school if I wanted to” Prescott entering, rambling on, a blue-haired girl Max doesn’t realize is her best friend Chloe “I’ve not talked to Max in five years, bite me” Price, and she proceeds to get shot by Prescott and Max, rushing out, ends up somehow rewinding time and ends up back in the classroom.

Max realizes she has time travel abilities, uses those abilities three times (once to fix her camera and twice more for completely pointless reasons), and goes back to the bathroom where she repeats her action including taking the picture of the blue butterfly. This is an important point. She took a picture of the butterfly before first seeing the blue-haired girl get shot. She takes a picture of it this time while preparing to save that girl. But when Chloe goes through her pictures she does not comment on or notice two copies of the Blue Butterfly picture.

That’s because when Max goes back in time, any actions she took and photos taken vanish. She is able to retain a hold of external items (and thus pick pockets effectively) but we know that pictures taken vanish because if you had Max take a picture of Victoria coated with paint and David Madsen harassing Kate Marsh, Chloe only mentions them when you don’t reverse the timeline to conceal that these pictures were taken. This is further noted when you blame David Madsen for causing Kate Marsh’s suicide attempt, you can only get him fired if you didn’t Rewind after taking the picture of him harassing Kate despite the fact you will get suspended for false accusations otherwise. 

There is in fact a logical explanation for this. When Max Rewinds, she erases that timeline. It ceased to exist. She can keep items she snagged and knowledge she learned but the actions and timeline no longer exist. But we also learn Max can use photographs to send her consciousness back in time years or more. The pictures vanishing when Max Rewinds past taking the picture means she cannot travel into an erased timeline.

As a brief aside, this also holes the theory that Max creates alternative universes when she Rewinds (though jumping through pictures may actually cause AUs). If her Rewind caused an AU, then there is no point for the photos to vanish. Max could just Photo-Jump back to that AU and alter things further. That the photos no longer exist is strong evidence that the Rewinds just bring her back in time to when the Rewind ends.

So. Back to the Storm. The next time Max has a vision of the Storm is when Chloe brings her to the Lighthouse and comments on wishing she could see Arcadia Bay “glassed.” (Given the precise timing, it almost makes me wonder if there was some sort of Djinn involved that was around the Lighthouse and chose to indulge in Chloe’s idle wish... at which point saving Arcadia Bay would be as simple as jumping to the photo of Chloe by the Lighthouse and convincing her not to make that wish... and also means that Max’s own time travel abilities could have been from her being up at the Lighthouse before Chloe’s funeral and wishing she could have saved Chloe’s life.)

Max goes through the same thing she did at the start of Chapter One (in a nice framing of the story to date) and this time uses her Rewind to avoid obstacles (that weren’t there the first time) and finally admits to Chloe what had happened (including Chloe getting shot in the bathroom). It is only after this point that Max has Storm visions predating Chloe’s life being threatened... and to be honest, that happens only one time, with the fourth Storm Vision. (There is the Storm Vision while Max is at the Zeitgeist Gallery, but that vision happens when the Storm itself is actually happening.) 

There are two instances of the Storm Visions happening and Max using her Rewind - one is in the Junkyard with Max using her Rewind to find bottles and help Chloe with target practice (and even then you can get away with only using the Rewind once for the bottles (try to get the bottle on the refrigerator and then walk over to the junk pile to get that bottle and then Rewinding to escape collapsing garbage and all the way to the bottle being back on the refrigerator)) and twice with target practice. The second is the final Storm Vision after Max did multiple photo-jumps to try and get out of the Dark Room.

So... there is no valid link between the Storm and Max’s time travel abilities. The Storm Visions start before Max even gains her time travel abilities. They happen at random with only one happening associated with the Rewind and one other happening after she was in the Everyday Hero timeline and was no longer in any time bubbles or the like. 

That the Storm does not happen in a Sacrifice Chloe ending is immaterial to the logic behind this. In Sacrifice Chloe, Max makes a deliberate choice that ends with the death of her best friend. She allows that death to happen when she could have prevented it. In Sacrifice Arcadia Bay, Max allows nature to take its course and the Storm destroys Arcadia Bay... but the Storm was not caused by Max’s time travel abilities and in fact is unrelated to her.

Now let’s go back to that butterfly picture I mentioned a while earlier. Remember how photos are not kept if Max Rewinds? This is vital to note because the Butterfly Picture used if Max chooses to Sacrifice Chloe is not the same one Max initially took. This Butterfly Picture is in fact one taken after Max witnessed the death of the blue-haired girl... and then used the Rewind four times: once to get back to the classroom and three times in the classroom (and possibly a fifth to get the hammer needed to break the fire alarm). By going back in time to prevent herself from knowing how to time travel, Max goes into a timeline where she already witnessed Chloe’s death and gained the ability to time travel. 

This is the final nail in the coffin claiming Max’s time travel caused the Storm. After LiS in a Sacrifice Chloe ending ends... Max will still have Time Travel abilities and this is shown by the mere fact that time skips forward with the same photo montage of time changes that happened in previous alterations of the timeline using photographs. If Max allowing Chloe to die while hiding around the corner would prevent Max from getting time travel abilities, she should not have time jumped back into her present but instead should have been “stuck” in the past. The photo montage may provide a quick and tidy ending for the game with Sacrifice Chloe... but it reveals that Max is still capable of traveling through time and thus Max and her abilities never caused the Storm.

So... if Max didn’t cause the Storm, what did?

Ironically enough, it might have been Chloe and her idle wish to see Arcadia Bay glassed. And if this is the case, then it is possible to save Chloe and also not have Arcadia Bay destroyed by going back in time, saving Chloe, and writing a note in Max’s Journal that details the need to keep Chloe away from the Lighthouse or wishing Arcadia Bay destroyed and that Mark Jefferson had killed Rachel Amber. But that is territory for fanfiction.

[mrs-evadne-cake]

“You shouldn't like things because people tell you you're supposed to.”- Video And Table Top Games

Since we’re about to hit the Stranger Things Doldrums where it’s been a while since S3 and S4 has just started filming and if you’re anything like me you’re gonna start jonesing bad- I thought I’d make a So You Need A Hit survival kit for myself of some Stranger Things-esque media to read/watch/play during the wait and that maybe you guys might be interested too. Not all of them are gonna set the world on fire- but hopefully there’s some stuff that people haven’t seen before Expect a lot of Small Town Nostalgia, a bunch of monsters, and more plucky, dangerously unsupervised kids than you can shake a stick at. 

(STRANGER THINGS-ESQUE RECS CON’T) 

Night In The Woods : “The player controls Mae, a recent college dropout, who has returned to her hometown, the sleepy mining town of Possum Springs. There, she struggles with the changes to her home and her former friends - Bea, Gregg, Angus and Germ. As Mae struggles with finding her own identity and coping with the massive changes in her life, she begins to have odd dreams with ominous messages, and discovers hints of some mysterious force living out in the woods of her community.” -TVTropes

(Gregg rulz okay.)

Beyond: Two Souls : “The game centers on a young woman named Jodie Holmes, a girl with strange powers, raised from childhood in a research facility who tries to uncover the mystery of a strange poltergeist-like presence serving as her protector as well as Nathan Dawkins, a researcher for the U.S. government who serves as her surrogate father.” -TVTropes

(This is sort of a luke-warm rec. The game is...interesting and I wasn’t a fan, but too uncannily similar to the El/Lab/CIA elements of ST to leave off, so don’t take my word for it.)

The Blackout Club : “Up to four players work together as members of The Blackout Club, a group of kids who have run away from home and teamed up to combat the mysterious supernatural force that has taken root within, and beneath, their homes. The young members of the club roam the town at night, avoiding their sleepwalking parents and the cult's technological sentries, doing what they can to save themselves — and everyone else.” -TVTropes 

Life is Strange : “It's October 2013, and Maxine "Max" Caulfield  is an 18-year-old High School senior who just recently moved back to her hometown of Arcadia Bay, Oregon. When she sees her former best friend Chloe get shot by a fellow student, Max discovers she can rewind time. As Chloe and Max try to patch their rusted friendship...Max learns of Rachel Amber, a former Blackwell Academy student who disappeared under mysterious circumstances.... At the same time, Chloe and Max try to investigate the ramifications of Max's new power, spurred by Max's recurring visions of a tornado wiping out the town in four days.” -TVTropes

Oxenfree : “Described as being both a supernatural thriller and a coming-of-age story, you play as the teenage Alex. Set one year after the death of her brother, Alex, her new step-brother Jonas, and her friends go to Edwards Island, an abandoned military base on the West Coast. While planning to have a night of simple partying, they instead get involved with the supernatural as they tune an old radio.”- TVTropes

Day of the Tentacle: “Uber-nerd Bernard Bernoulli once risked his life to save the wacky Edison family from the control of an evil meteor. Five years later, he receives a desperate letter from the Edisons' friendly pet Green Tentacle begging him to return. It seems that Purple Tentacle, Green's evil brother, has imbibed some toxic waste carelessly dumped by Dr. Fred Edison and mutated into an insane genius. Dr. Fred has captured the two tentacles and is now going to put them both down. Bernard gathers his wacky roommates Laverne and Hoagie (a spaced-out, neurotic med student and a heavyset but easygoing roadie, respectively), and charges to the rescue.”- TVTropes 

Control “Players control Jesse Faden, a young woman who's been on the run ever since a strange incident in her childhood. Aided by a mysterious presence, she manages to track down the US Government's Federal Bureau of Control, responsible for keeping the supernatural hidden, but she's arrived at the worst possible moment, as the Bureau has been invaded by an otherworldly force known as the Hiss. Appointed as the Bureau's Director by a mysterious entity known only as the Board, Jesse must now regain control of the agency's headquarters, the Oldest House.”- TVTropes

(For fans of the weird science CIA elements- heavily influenced by The SCP Foundation.)

Table Top Games:

Tales From the Loop: “In Tales from the Loop, the players play as the Kids, a group of friends, aged 10-15, living in the late 1980s. In the Mysteries, the Kids encounter machines and creatures that have come to exist because of the Loop, a huge underground particle accelerator built in the late 1960s.”-Wiki

Kids On Bikes: “Kids on Bikes chooses to place the game into a turn-of-the-century suburban setting. Players take on the roles of kids, teens, and adults in a seemingly ordinary world, who must come to terms with the extraordinary. It's a time where two-way radios were the prime method of communication for kids, where men in dark glasses and suits showed up without warning and were forgotten about the next day, and where the new kid in school hides a dark secret.” -Kids On Bikes

Home By Dark: “A story game inspired by the resourceful and misunderstood kids of many 80’s films, along with the myriad homage films and series that have come since. You’ll play kids, teens, and adults that have discovered a powerful innocent in your small town. You must protect it from nefarious pursuers that want it for their own plans, all the while avoiding the growing danger that threatens the town. You and your friends help to protect this mysterious secret while insecurities, fears, and latent drama from their own lives will surface and threaten to unravel the whole plan.”- Home By Dark

[misslongcep]

"Happy Birthday, Daddy" - Harry Flynn X Reader

So, this is my first ever fanfic request, by none other than @missdictatorme!!

I hope you like it 💕 if you like this and want something similar, please feel free to drop me an ask 😘

Raying: Teen and up

Warnings: fluff, mentions of sex.

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Harry Flynn woke up blinking, trying to clear the sleep that was blurring his vision. He vaguely recognised the sound of the shower, and realised he was missing the warmth from your body, that he had grown used to over the past few years. As he sat up in bed, he felt a throbbing in his head that reminded him of the large amount of alcohol he’d consumed the previous night.

“Happy Birthday to me.” Harry grumbled, pushing back the covers and stretching as he rose from the bed.

Harry heard the water being turned off in the bathroom, and smirked to himself. Morning sex was his favourite type of sex, but “Happy Birthday” morning sex was just the best. He plonked himself at the bottom of the bed, wearing nothing but his boxers as he sat proudly waiting for you to appear, so he could receive his first gift of the day.

The door to the bathroom flew open, and you came whirling out of the bathroom fully dressed, your wet hair dripping onto your baggy shirt which smothered your delicate frame. You flew around the room like a tornado, gathering your jacket, shoes and handbag, before stopping briefly to plant a kiss on Harry’s head.

“Where’s the fire, love?” Harry teased.

“Sorry honey, I’m running late. I’ll see you later!” you called over your shoulder as you ran through the apartment.

“Later?” Harry asked as he followed you into to the kitchen, “I thought we could do breakfast this morning, seeing as you didn’t feel up to drinks last night.”

“Sorry Harry, I’m really late as it is. And I promised I’d meet Elena for lunch, so I don’t want to fill up before I see her. I’ll see you for dinner later!” You called over your shoulder, barely noticing the hurt and confusion on Harry’s face as he watched you rush out of the door.

Harry had never considered himself a needy person, and when you first got together, your relationship was only supposed to be a casual mess about between friends. However, Harry quickly realised that you were the one for him, with your quick humour and daring personality, and it wasn’t long before you moved in together. You didn’t mind his flirty attitude, and you would often compete with each other to see who was more successful with the opposite sex. Neither of you were particularly bothered about birthdays, but it had become a tradition of yours to start the day with breakfast in bed, followed by a good round of happy birthday sex, and then whatever celebrations followed.

For Harry’s birthday this year, you were supposed to join him and your group of friends for birthday drinks the night before, but you’d complained of feeling unwell, and didn’t want to be out drinking. So Harry had gone alone, thinking you would have your own private celebrations today. He was crushed when he realised this wasn’t the case. He found himself sitting around the apartment, checking his phone every five minutes to see if you had called or text him. You hadn’t.

Did she forget it was my birthday or something? Harry thought to himself. Normally I’m the one who forgets, this isn’t like her at all. Harry sulked for a few hours, and when he realised it was unlikely that you would be coming back any time soon, he decided to go out for a drink, even if it meant drinking alone on his birthday. He text a few friends to see if anybody was free, but only Nate replied to say yes.

Harry met Nate down at their local bar, and it didn’t take long for Nate to figure out something was wrong.

“What’s up with you, today? Have you suddenly realised you’re turning into an old man?” he teased.

“Haha, very funny.” Harry replied sarcastically. “No, it’s Y/N. I think there’s something wrong. She ran out of the apartment without even stopping to wish me happy birthday this morning. I didn’t even get a birthday blowie!”

“Gross.” Nate shuddered and laughed, “Too much information, dude.”

“I’m serious, man. Normally she’ll do me breakfast in bed, happy birthday sex and then presents... This year I don’t think she’s even got me a card!” Harry complained, lifting his beer to his lips. “What if she’s bored of me? What if there’s someone else?”

“Harry, come on. This is Y/N we’re talking about here. You guys are meant to be together, no way would she even think of looking at another guy.” Nate reassured his friend. “Maybe she really is busy today. I bet she’ll have something extra special planned for you for later.”

“Maybe,” Harry wondered quietly. “But I just think it’s weird that Y/N was meeting Elena today, when she knows it’s my birthday. We never make plans on each other’s birthday, I know she’d go mad if it was the other way round.”

At this, Nate’s cheeks flushed red, and he took a swift drink of beer, avoiding any eye contact with Harry. Harry didn’t even notice, too swept up in his own thoughts, worrying about what was so important that you had forgotten his birthday. After a moment’s silence, Nate cleared his throat.

“Listen, Harry. I really don’t think you have anything to worry about. Maybe Y/N has just forgotten. But that doesn’t mean she loves you any less, and I know if she has forgotten, she will go above and beyond to make it up to you. Trust me, you’ll soon realise you’ve blown this way out of proportion.”

“I hope so,” Harry replied sourly. “I just hope that she realises she’s got a lot of making up to do for making me feel so crappy.” Nathan just rolled his eyes and shook his head. The two stayed for a couple more drinks, and it was early evening when Harry finally stumbled up the stairs to the apartment.

As he reached the door, he could smell something cooking, and his mouth instantly started to water. He was still pissed at you for forgetting his birthday, but it smelled like you were trying to make up for it, which was at least a start. Don’t think you’re getting off that easy though, love, Harry thought to himself. Harry fumbled with his keys, and once he had finally managed to get into the apartment, he was shocked to see what you had done to the place.

Candles had been lit all around the apartment, and a path of rose petals led from the door to the bedroom, with a side path diverting to the lounge. A soft guitar melody played through the speakers from the lounge, and Harry narrowed his eyes in suspicion; did you really think that cheesy romance would cause him to forgive you? Still, the amazing smell that wafted from the kitchen distracted Harry momentarily, and he found himself moving slowly towards the sound of sizzling meat, mixed with soft humming as you busied yourself with dinner. Harry leaned on the doorway, watching as you danced lightly around the cupboards, gathering ingredients and dishes, blissfully unaware of your audience.

Harry cleared his throat, causing the spoon you’d been using to fall onto the floor with a clatter, as you jumped and turned to face him in surprise. “Jesus, Harry, you scared me!” you laughed, walking over to him and wrapping your arms around his neck, planting soft kisses on his cheek. “Had a good day?”

“I guess,” Harry replied bitterly. “Met Nate for a few drinks, seeing as he was the only one who could be bothered to see me today.”

“I’m sorry I had to leave so early this morning,” you apologised, sensing the bitterness in Harry’s voice. “I felt awful that we couldn’t do your birthday breakfast, especially as I couldn’t come for drinks last night.”

“Still didn’t stop you from leaving me without even saying happy birthday this morning. You didn’t even tell me where you were going!”

“Harry, baby, I’m sorry. I know I’ve been terrible today, please let me make it up to you! Look, I’m even cooking your favourite meal for dinner!” you showed him the risotto that was bubbling away merrily on the stove, and curled yourself into him, a look of plea in your eyes. “What do you say? Am I forgiven?”

Harry refused to look at you for a while, but eventually gave in with a sigh, pulling you into a tight hug. “It’s a start, I suppose.” He muttered. “But you’ve got a lot of making up to do before I really decide whether to forgive you or not.” You beamed up at him and kissed him passionately on the lips. You dragged him over to the candlelit table and sat him down, before grabbing a beer from the fridge and placing it before him. “This is more like it,” Harry smirked, “Although I don’t see why you’ve gone to so much trouble with the decorations, it’s not like we’re expecting the Queen of England to pop round for a cuppa.”

You smiled, stroking Harry’s cheek delicately. “I just want your birthday to be a special one, that’s all. Because I love you.” Harry smiled and pulled you in for a kiss. There was no way he could stay mad at you, he knew that.

Once dinner was finished, you both leaned back in your chairs, full and satisfied. Harry sighed happily. “You’ve really outdone yourself this time, Y/N. That was delicious.” You grinned at him, as you rose to clear the table. Harry took a few swigs of beer, and then helped to clear the last of the dinner things. “Now, not to sound ungrateful, love, but the way I see it, there’s still some making up to do, seeing as you forgot my birthday.” You opened your mouth to argue, but Harry raised his hand to silence you, smirking as he did so. “I’m not saying that dinner wasn’t good, but don’t think it’s gone unnoticed that I’ve not yet received a present. I hope it’s something impressive. So should I close my eyes, or do we need to head to the bedroom, so I can unwrap you myself?”

You giggled, and guided Harry back to his seat at the table. “Oh I’ve got a surprise for you alright, but you don’t need to go to the bedroom just yet.” You purred in his ear, running your fingers along his collar. “You just wait here, I’ll be right back.” You slunk away, leaving Harry twitching in anticipation. When you returned, you made him close his eyes, and placed a card and a small box furnished with ribbon on the table in front of him. “Happy birthday, Harry.” Your voice was thick with emotion, as Harry opened one eye to look at you.

Disappointment flashed briefly across his face, when he realised you weren’t naked, but was soon replaced with curiosity when he noticed the box and envelope before him. He went to pick up the box first, but you stopped him, indicating that the card should be the first thing opened. Harry threw you a quizzical look, before obliging, and chuckled when he read the front of the card. “Happy Birthday to the world’s best Daddy.” He chuckled. “That’s cute love, but don’t you think that’s taking the daddy kink just a little too far?”

“Just open the box, moron.” You laughed, rolling your eyes. Harry undid the box, and you could see the look of confusion grow on his face. Inside was a pair of boots; tiny Timberland ones, that perfectly matched Harry’s own, battered pair. You bit your lip in anticipation, waiting for the penny to drop, but Harry remained clueless.

“Erm, thanks sweetheart. I can hang them as a decoration in my car.” Disappointment was clear in Harry’s voice; this clearly wasn’t what he’d been expecting. You sighed and came and sat beside him, grasping his hands firmly within your own.

“Harry, sweetheart. They’re not meant to be used as a decoration in your car. We will have to wait a while before we can use them. Like about 9 months?” you hinted, desperately wishing Harry to understand. Harry remained quiet, processing your words slowly. At last he seemed to begin to understand, his eyes flitting to your belly, then back to the tiny shoes on the table.

“When you said you weren’t feeling like drinking last night...” Harry’s question trailed off as you nodded, tears pooling in your eyes.

“I’m afraid I won’t be able to have a drink for a while.” You whispered. Harry picked up the card again, and as he did, a blurry looking picture fell into his lap. Harry’s hands were shaking as he inspected the image.

“Is this what I think it is?” his voice was hoarse, almost afraid to say the words out loud. “Is this... Mine?”

“Well who’s else is it going to be, idiot?” you snapped, insulted by his question. Harry laughed and pulled you towards him, tenderly kissing the tears that rolled down your cheeks. “Harry, we’re going to have a baby. You and me.”

“I’m going to be a dad? Is this real?”

“It’s real,” you sniffled. “I’ve had it confirmed, I’m 6 weeks pregnant. This is why I had to leave so early this morning, Elena was taking me to the scan, and then we had to figure out the best way to tell you. I thought it would be a nice surprise for your birthday.”

Harry was silent. He kept looking at the baby scan, and then to you, his mouth opening and closing like a fish. After a moment, Harry carefully placed his hands on your belly, and a soft sob escaped him. “Hey baby Flynn. I’m your daddy. I can’t wait to meet you properly.” He began kissing your belly gently, as you tenderly stroked his hair. “I can’t believe you’re going to have a baby. I can’t believe you didn’t tell me sooner!”

“I’m sorry, honey. I just wanted to make sure everything was going to be okay. And I wanted the scan picture to give to you as part of your present.”

Harry stood, pulling you with him, and wrapped himself around you in a loving, protective hug. “This is the best present I could have asked for, love. I couldn’t be happier.” He grasped you gently by the neck, and kissed you with so much passion that your legs started to give way, and Harry had to snake his arm under your back to stop you from falling. “Steady love,” he chuckled, kissing your neck softly. “we don’t want anything to happen to Harry Jr now, do we?”

You slapped his chest playfully. “We don’t know that it is going to be a Harry. For all you know, we could be having a Harriet. What do you think of that?”

“As long as they’re healthy, I don’t care what we have.” Harry smiled, picking you up and wrapping your legs around him. You laughed, clinging on for dear life as Harry spun around in excitement.

“Harry be careful!” you squealed, tightening the grip of your legs around his waist. Harry grinned, pulling you both onto the sofa so that you were straddling him, and ran his hands down your back and across your rear.

“Say,” Harry smirked, his hands squeezing your backside gently, “what are the rules about having sex when you’re pregnant?”

You smiled, and pushed yourself into his groin, fuelling the fires of your love. “As far as I know, it’s business as usual.”

“Excellent!” Harry cheered, lifting both of you off the sofa and carrying you to the bedroom. “Because it’s still my birthday, and now we’ve got even more to celebrate!”

[softgothsweetheart]

Colors {Chrysalis}

The rain and wind was harsh and unforgiving as she walked up a path.

What the hell is going on?

Paisley got to where the path ended when she realized she was standing under a lighthouse. But then Lee saw another female and walked slowly to her. There was a giant tornado from what she could see and as she looked around, there wasn’t much else to be seen aside from buildings being completely destroyed. A boat flew from the storm, hitting the lighthouse. Just as Paisley recognized her classmate, she heard the loud groan and they both looked up, the lighthouse was coming down. Paisley shoved her classmate out of harms way just as the lighthouse collapsed on her. As she woke up, she realized she wasn’t in the middle of any storm, she was in class.

Paisley calmed her heartbeat and sighed, deciding that she would have to listen to class. Maybe her uncle giving a lecture would calm her down. Ground her, give her some sense of up and down until she could make sense of the dream.

Was it really a dream if I don’t remember falling asleep?

Paisley watched her uncle Mark lecture the students on Diane Arbus and chiaroscuro, all about photography – something she loved a lot. He’d taught her the beauty of it when she was old enough to hold one and not damage it. Lee knew she was old enough to form her own opinions of people and she – at the young age of 14 – had decided her uncle wasn’t truly who or what he said he was. The night she figured that out, it was too late, her aunt didn’t seem to care either – if she even knew what he did. But Lee was almost positive aunt Prudence knew. Not much too later, the bell rang, and the students were dismissed, only Kate, Max, and queen bee Victoria were left. Kate’s head was down, like she was thinking too hard, like she was overthinking. Lee wanted to believe it wasn’t because of the Vortex club party she’d attended a few weeks back, but she knew that it was. She must’ve remembered bits and pieces; Nathan hadn’t expected her to act out so much whilst under the influence.

Then Paisley stood up and walked over to her uncle who immediately dropped Victoria. She scoffed and glared at the younger girl, “Excuse you Paisley.”

Mark seemed to glare at the tall blonde, a look she didn’t notice. But he intervened before his beloved niece got hurt.

“Excuse you, miss Chase. Paisley is the youngest student here and she is also my niece and assistant.” He turned to her and asked her what she needed.

“Oh—I need to know where to go.”

“Just head out to the diner if need be.” He shrugged; Lee nodded obeying. As she walked away, Max walked almost alongside her but stopped when Mark called her name. Lee continued out of the quiet classroom into the noisy hallway where her fellow classmates were. Kids older than her by at least three years on but were more rambunctious than a room filled with toddlers. She quickly walked the halls, toward the bathroom because the feeling of eyes watching her had suddenly become too much to bear. Paisley had recently begun to experience something abnormal.

It’d happened one day when she was cleaning a camera and elbowed it off the table. The loud crash was heard in the back rooms of the house and her uncle had come rushing out, yelling. When he was coming at her, she held her hands out as if it were going to stop him and everything went backwards until her vision faded and burned at the edges. When Paisley looked behind her, the camera was fully intact and back on the desk. She thought it’d been a trip, but she even threw a rock into the house through a window before rewinding time until before it happened, even throwing her aunt’s phone at her head. The feeling and power had grown stronger, she knew that much.

Paisley’s feet took her into the girls’ bathroom, she holed herself in the last stall, listening to music on her phone as she sat on the toilet. It was a soft song—one of the many Rachel Amber had told her she’d like and gave to her on a playlist. It was sad that she’d no longer see her friend except through the miserable posters she saw around campus. The song was so soft that over the music she heard the door open once more and whispers. For a few minutes, Lee breathed silently and had her music low to listen when the door had opened with a loud smack, some more talking and another thwack. Shadows moved outside, she hadn’t a clue if they knew she was here in hiding. So, she killed the music and removed her headphones.

When Paisley looked down in the stall and to her left, she could see her fellow classmate’s shoes—Max’s to be exact. They weren’t hard to recognize. There was an exchange happening between Nathan and some random girl.

“You’re wrong—that’s my family—not me.”

“Oh, boo hoo, poor little rich kid. I know you’ve been pumpin’ drugs and shit to kids around here… I bet your respectable family would help me out if I went to them. Man, I can see the headlines now.” If this girl knew about the parties and drugs—if Nathan told, then she would die. Especially if she knew who the real culprit behind this was.

“Leave them out of this, bitch.” Nate growled, he wasn’t in the best of moods and she was testing his patience. It was going to get bad no doubt.

Maybe he can reel himself in… C’mon Nate, do what I taught you.

“I can tell everybody Nathan Prescott is a punk ass who begs like a little girl and talks to himself—" Seems the unknown female cut her sentence short, gasping, her shoes scraping against the tiling as she fell back to the wall.

“You don’t know who the fuck I am or who you’re messing around with!” He shouted.

“Where’d you get that? What are you doing? Come on, put that thing down!” She seemed to be begging, Paisley peeked through the cracks and couldn’t see a damn thing except for Nathan’s movements. He growled in rage and she had a frightening thought—

Maybe it’s the gun uncle Mark bought for him! Oh god, no.

“Don’t EVER tell me what to do. I’m so sick of people trying to control me!”

“You’re gonna get in hella more trouble for this than drugs.”

“Nobody would ever even miss your ‘punk ass’ would they?!”  

Is he going to shoot this girl? What would he do with the body? The gun?

“Get that gun away from me psycho!” A loud bang rang out, Max yelled, and Paisley saw her arm stretched out through the cracks before everything rewound. Lee was sat back in class, diagonal to Max who seemed to be alert. More than one time traveler sounded crazier than one did. Class went on, everything the exact same as before, except for Max elbowing her polaroid camera off the table and rewinding it until it was no longer broken. After Max played with her rewind, using Victoria’s answer against her and Mark’s quote against him when he asked her where her photo was, they both left the classroom. Lee pulled her aside where no one could overhear them.

“Stop rewinding, Max, seriously.”

“How did you—” The older female seemed panicked that she knew.

“I can time travel too. Stop using it on nonsense. It won’t work when you truly need it if you don’t.” Paisley didn’t expect Max to listen, but it would have been nice to. They re-entered the bathroom and followed what they had done previously and waited until Nathan had pulled his gun again. Max moved the trolley, picked up the mallet, rewound so the trolley was back and smacked the emergency alarm in the corner. Loud blaring sounds that came were deafening, Nathan had fallen to the floor with a slam as the blue haired female shouted and made her escape. Nathan followed suit and Lee opened the stall and saw Max giving her a look that showed her relief.

They exited the bathroom together, but the security guard promptly stopped them, scolding and interrogating as if they were children and had done something wrong.

“Hey, Madsen, don’t be such a dick. I have familial issues and Max was helping and consoling me.” Paisley glared, and Max tried her best but looked like a small child.

“Miss Christopher—shut your mouth—” Lee scoffed, fake tears springing to her eyes as her hand covered her mouth. Principal Wells intervened and the were glad, but when exiting the building he stopped them.

“You both look stressed out. Are you both okay?”

“Mr. Madsen has serious issues, he just told me to shut up. He interrogated us. Today is such a hard day—it was my mother’s birthday.” Max seemed to be impressed by Paisley’s lying abilities.

“Is that all you’re thinking of? Or have you done something wrong?”

“Are you accusing me of lying, principal Wells?” She questioned, her tears drying up and shooting him an accusing glare.

“I’m sure my uncle informed you that it is in fact my mother’s birthday. I get very sad during this time of year. Max found me in the bathroom and consoled me. So, yes, principal Wells, I am rather stressed.” He must’ve bought it because he nodded and gestured to his office.

“My door is always open to give advice.”

“Thank you so much. It really means a lot.” Paisley nodded, giving a watery relieved smile before pulling Max to the main campus through the doors. The alarm was off but the ringing from it was annoying as all hell. Once they descended the stairs, Max yanked herself loose and it spun Lee around to face her.

“You didn’t tell him about Nathan—”

“Max, you don’t understand what happens if we go down that road. Wells won’t give a shit; he won’t look into it. Then he’ll tell Nathan’s dad who’ll threaten him and tell Nathan. It’ll come back to us.”

“But—shit—you lied so well that Wells bought it!”

“He’s a fucking drunkard, of course he did. Plus, I have tons of experience under my belt that I might as well be an expert.”

“Thanks, I guess… You’re Paisley Christopher, right?”

“Yeah I’m Mark Jefferson’s niece.”

“I didn’t know that, you look super young. How old are you?”

“Fourteen, he made sure I got into the academy.”

“Doesn’t seem like you’re fourteen, you seem older.” A ping from Max’s phone sounded and she instantly checked it, texting.

“It’s Warren, I have to go. I’ll see you later?” Max asked, Paisley nodded and while her classmate went around campus to socialize, she went directly to the dorms where Victoria was sat with her minions. All three annoying plastics. When Paisley tried to pass, Victoria scoffed, sitting up.

“Whoa freak, you don’t even stay in the dorms.” She mocked, pointing out. Paisley rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

“I mean, don’t move if you wanna crush your chances at the Everyday Heroes contest. I would, especially since I have ways of convincing my uncle.” Lee examined her nails, letting her green eyes flicker to Victoria’s.

“You’re like fucking twelve!” She shouted in displeasure.

“Nice guess, Tori, but I’m fourteen and I don’t screw around. If you want your fair chance to win the contest I’d move.” Victoria rolled her eyes, standing up even as Courtney and Taylor scoffed. They’d told their queen bee not to move a muscle and she had. It made Paisley feel powerful as she went up the steps and into the boys’ dorms.

Paisley entered the dorms, walking down the corridor before turning left and knocking on the first door there;111.

“What?” She heard Nathan’s upset grumbling from behind the door. Lee opened the door and walked in to where Nate was laying on his bed.

“What the fuck do you want?” Paisley closed the door behind her and sat on his couch and tried to get comfortable.

“You, the bathroom. Wanna tell me what the hell you were thinking?”

“The bathroom?” He asked, waving his hand dismissively.

“Your goddamn gun, Nate!” She whispers shouts and he was up and on his feet in an instant, his hand wrapped around her neck loosely. Nathan’s hand squeezed lightly, trying to remind her who was in charge.

“Don’t fucking yell at me, you’re like ten years old.”

“I’m fourteen, Nathan. Don’t play the age card.” She removed his hand and shoved it into his chest.

“He’ll kill us if he finds out.” She reminded him and he groaned.

“You actually want to live with what we’ve done?”

“Can you please take this seriously?” Nathan let out a laugh, devoid of any humor. It answered her question. He collapsed back on his bed and relaxed.

“Where were you in the bathroom?”

“I was hiding in the last stall.” He locked eyes with her and squinted, making sure she wasn’t lying.

“I guess you left the fucking Polaroid then. You gonna join Max on her twee hipster expeditions?”

“That one wasn’t mine, Nate.”

“Then who does it—” He stopped himself short and sat up.

“Max Caulfield. Fan-fucking-tastic! Are you sure she was there?”

“She saw the gun, she almost told Wells too, I had to step in and lie.”

“You only stepped in to cover her ass.”

“Not even, I stepped in because what if Wells begins investigating? You know Mark wouldn’t be happy about it. I convinced her that it was best if she didn’t clash heads with you.”

“Damn right.” Nathan was off his bed and out the door and had Paisley trailing after him, he was in the main campus and in the parking lot in no time at all. Paisley was trying to stop him, pulling on his arm but he yanked out of her grip.

“Max Caulfield, right? You’re one of Jefferson’s photo groupies…” He asked as he approached her.

“I’m one of his students.” Max corrected; Paisley cursed her. Why couldn’t s have just gone along with it?

“Whatthefuckever. I know you like to take pictures, especially when you’re hiding out in bathrooms. You best tell me what you saw. Now!” Nathan demanded, yelling. Paisley braced herself for the worst, she knew it was coming. She shook her head at Warren when he looked to her, Nathan towered over Max. She shouldn’t have told him.

“What are you talking about?”

“I know you’re new here but don’t play dumb with me.”

“I’m not new. I’ve lived here for years.”

“Then you should know the Prescott’s own this shithole.”

“Nate—"

“Then you shouldn’t worry about me… worry about yourself.” He grew angrier, his hands clenching tighter into fists. Max seemed to have a penchant for pissing him off, then again, didn’t everybody?

Nathan was so far gone, lost in his anger and beyond reasoning. If a hand was laid on him, a fight could break out. He was a ticking time bomb.

“Do not analyze me! I pay people for that. Worry about yourself, Max Caulfield.”

“Take a step back, Nathan Prescott.” Max's words have him stepping closer, into her face.

“Oh, man, you’re telling me what to do?” Warren gets in between and as a result, gets headbutted. He falls to the ground, clutching his head. Max shoves Nathan and he turns back to her, his hand gripping her around the neck.

“Nathan!” Paisley shouted, eyeing Warren on the ground.

“Nobody tells me what to do,” he shakes Max, “Not my parents, not the principal, or that whore in the bathroom!” She manages to scrape his cheek and he shoves her to the ground. Lee grabs Nate by his shoulder and he backhands her, and she stumbles as a rusted beige truck drives up. It almost hits Max who immediately stands up and gazes at the driver.

“Chloe?”

“Max?” They hear the driver exclaim.

“No way, you again?” Nathan questions in a growl. Warren stands up and tackles Nathan to the ground.

“Go, go! I got this!” He yells and Max gets in. Paisley looks around and all she can feel is her heart beating in her chest. Nathan pauses hitting Warren and stands up, kicking the car door closed.

“Get your punk asses out of there now! Don’t even try to run! Nobody messes with me! NOBODY!” He shouts as the female from the bathroom pulls away. Paisley watches as the truck gets farther and farther away. Madsen comes over and the teenagers turn towards him.

“You three, Principal Wells’ office. Now.”

“Fuck off old man.” Nathan gives the security guard the finger. Warren stands to his feet and Paisley feels her cheek and looks around between the guys.

“Miss Christopher—move it—”

“Dude I said fuck off! Do you not understand English?” Nate shouted, lighting a cigarette. Madsen grabbed Lee by her bicep, and she tried pulling away, protesting.

“Leave her alone—” Warren said.

“Stay out of this Gayram.” Nathan sneered. Madsen forced them to the Principal’s office, Warren with an ice pack, Nathan with a bandage where the scratches were, and Paisley who had makeup on hand to cover the forming bruise.

“Would either of you three care to explain?” Wells asked, each of them looked at each other. The boys not bothering to mask their disdain for each other.

“Nathan started this.” The younger boy spoke up. The older boy raised his eyebrows and leaned forward, giving him the finger, which Wells didn’t even bother to comment on. Warren gave a mocking face and Nathan almost smacked him from behind Paisley when Wells scolded him. Warren and Paisley argued until it became too loud and they all silenced at Wells’ yelling. Nathan made half assed comments and left the office, not bothering to close the door behind him.

“We done here? Cause I’m leaving too.” Warren stormed out in a slightly less aggressive fashion and Paisley secured her bag as she stood up.

“Want to explain miss Christopher? It seems like the most trouble you’ve caused, and the week is only beginning.” He asked, leaning over his desk. Paisley shrugged.

“I’m just unlucky. Bad timing is all.” She chalked it up, leaving the room as she heard him sigh behind her. She exited the school and what ever students were left from earlier whispered and eyed her. First time she’d taken it in stride, she’d made it to the campus exit when she received two messages at the same time from two very different people.

UNKNOWN > You just wait until I see you later.

Warren > How could you defend such an asshole? He hit you!

Not a good end to any day, this meant bad news. When she met her uncle in the parking lot, he didn’t look pleased in the least. Paisley got in the car, no protesting and he climbed in the driver’s side. The whole ride home, he expressed his disappointment calmly. Most likely he’d get angrier at home where she could receive her punishment.

They arrived but when she slowly went to hide but failed, he caught her by her lengthy brown hair, yanking her downwards until her knees hit the laminate.

“I wasn’t going to discipline you but then I saw the look in your eye. You were going to hide; I just know it.”

“Please—uncle Mark, I wasn’t! I promise!” She cried, her knees rubbing harshly even with her dress to protect them a little. Her hands covered his, attempting to undo them.

“Go to your room, I don’t want to see you until tomorrow.” He let go of her hair and Paisley managed to stand up on her wobbly knees.

“My punishment?” She asked, stumbling back.

“You take the photos Friday. I choose the subject and you don’t get dinner tonight.”

“What subject?” She asked fearfully, maybe it was Stella? Or Alyssa, or even Taylor and Courtney. It was impossible to figure out who his intended target was.

“Victoria, of course. You’re drugging her at the Vortex Club party. After I announced the winner of the contest.” Paisley nodded, leaving his presence and staying in her room. He’d left a bit ago by the time the sun was setting, it was getting late and she was getting hungry, but she wouldn’t dare try to eat. Paisley lost track of how much time she’d been sitting in the window. When she saw the snow, she didn’t believe it to be real. The house was silent meaning her aunt Prudence was gone and had taken Amelia to work.

She simply went outside and watched it snow. Lee sat on the steps of the backyard and felt sharp pains in her head, passing out. There was thunder, harsh winds. Paisley forced herself to walk up the steep terrain. She managed to barely avoid collapsing trees and rolling boulders. They obstacles she probably couldn’t have managed without her rewind abilities. As she ran up, Paisley realized it was a lighthouse. The lighthouse, she looked over the edge and saw nothing but Arcadia Bay in ruins.

When she made it to the top, she saw Max who was holding a newspaper.

“October 11th? Is this Friday? That’s only four days away!” Max exclaimed, letting the paper fly upwards into the storm. Paisley reached out, her hand touching Max’s shoulder as she zapped back to the stairs. Lee stood and stumbled into the house, locking the back door and locking herself inside her bedroom.

Maybe it’s time to be a hero.

[fandomimatrix-blog]

Revisiting Life is Strange (Part 5)

The time has come.

All images are taken from the official Life is Strange Wikia page.

Episode 1:  Begins with Max listening to a boring lecture by Mark Jefferson

Episode 5:  Begins with Max tied up in Mr. Jefferson’s creepy photo room

We begin where we end.

I’m going to get this out of the way now, before I go any further:  Mark Jefferson is quite possibly one of the best video game antagonists ever.  Not just because of the fact that hardly anyone suspected him right off the bat, but also because he represents Max’s biggest flaw in Episodes 1, 2, 3, and 4: Max thinks she knows more than she does.  Her assumptions about good and evil, her beliefs about David and Nathan, her worship of Mr. Jefferson. 

And as a character?  Mr. Jefferson is completely terrifying.  There’s nothing quite as horrifying as someone in a position of power using their influence to manipulate the young and vulnerable.  With a creepy guy in a van or a knife-wielding maniac, it’s easy to distance the portrayal from the reality.  But Mr. Jefferson’s character is a lot more restrained.  He’s not a caricature, he’s a harsh reality that Max is forced to face.  

Fun Fact:  Mark Jefferson and Samuel the janitor share the same voice actor. 

How many among us wouldn’t risk destroying reality itself just to save our blue-haired punk GF?  

Nathan Prescott is possibly the most tragic character in this series (next to Kate Marsh of course).  We spend most of the game thinking he’s just a murderous psychopath, only to discover that he was manipulated and his various issues were either ignored or taken advantage of by everyone who had the power to actually help him.  He’s no saint and he’s definitely an asshole, but Nathan was also a victim of some really shitty circumstances perpetuated by the two people who could have helped him (Mr. Jefferson and Sean Prescott).  His voicemail to Max at the end proves that Nathan wasn’t entirely bad, as he actually does feel remorse for what he did and tries to warn Max.

Scary thought:  What if Samantha from BtS was one of Jefferson’s victims?  That might explain why we she’s not even so much as mentioned in LiS, despite obviously being friends with Nathan.  And Samantha fits the profile of someone Jefferson would go after.

So due to the whole alternate universe fuckery, we know that Max actually does have talent, she just lacks focus and confidence.  

Kate you precious little muffin. 

It’s ironic that Max manages to create the perfect reality for herself, but Chloe is still in danger.  In danger because Max left her again.  

Wonder what would have happened if Chloe had accompanied Max to San Francisco.  Given what the writers have stated (about how the tornado wiping out Arcadia Bay would have been the end of it and Chloe would have been safe from then on), Chloe might have survived if Max hadn’t left her behind.

Fun Fact:  Zeitgeist (as in the “Zeitgeist Gallery”) means “Time Ghost”.

This image perfectly encapsulates Life as Strange as an experience.  Playing this game is like getting a nosebleed as reality collapses around you.

Fun Fact:  Even if you choose to kiss Warren in the end, you can still get the Pricefield ending if you kissed Chloe in Episode 3.  Yet more evidence that Warren and Max’s relationship was never really romantic and that any affection Max shows him is purely platonic.

If they ever for any reason rewrite/re-release this game, I hope they get rid of the extended dream sequence (barring a few crucial scenes, like the one above and the one in the diner).  It’s fun to analyze, but over half of it is just filler that overstays its welcome.

I kind of wondered why they re-use a song from Episode 1 for the Sacrifice Arcadia Bay ending, but I realized it makes sense.  We’re going back to where this all started, where Max had the vision in the first place and made the choice to tell Chloe about her powers.  The beginning of everything, in which Max promised herself she’d never leave Chloe’s side again.

I'm the fury in your head I'm the fury in your bed I'm the ghost in the back of your head

Forget the horror here Leave it all down here It's future rust and then it's future dust

Thank you LiS for introducing me to so much good music.

YES

Characters who probably survived in the Sacrifice Arcadia Bay Ending:

Warren (was in the diner, which appears to be intact)

Joyce (also diner)

Frank and Pompidou (diner)

Kate Marsh (was in the hospital, which probably has one of those bomb shelters mentioned in Episode 4 or at least was evacuated)

David (was in the bunker with Mr. Jefferson)

The homeless lady (if Max warned her about the tornado earlier, she’s gone in Episode 5).

Any number of random residents.  Remember the “Bomb Shelter Boom” mentioned in Episode 4?

And that is about it for my Revisiting Life is Strange series.  Its been a great journey, just like playing the original game.  Taking another look at the writing, symbolism, and imagery in this game has given me a deeper appreciation for all the effort that went into it.  Episode 5 might have fallen flat for some people (including me the first time I played through it, due entirely to that long-ass dream sequence), but altogether this is one of my Top 5.

We need more games like this and Night in the Woods. If you enjoyed the hell out of LiS, I fully endorse Night in the Woods.  Hopefully the fact that LiS is getting a sequel means that we’ll be seeing a lot more games like Night in the Woods and Life is Strange/Before the Storm in the future.     

[mivagyunkagrund]

Did Nathan want to die?

So guys I noticed something (which might be pretty obvious, but still worth talking about it I guess?)

I’m sure I’m not the first one who was thinking about these, but I didn’t see any posts about it (yet) so here I am.

Nathan Prescott’s voicemail message to Max – one of the most heartbreaking moments in Life is Strange...

Nathan says:

„Mr Jefferson… he is coming for me now. All this shit will be over soon.”

This sounds like… he actually wanted to die.

So one of my theories is that Nathan really did want to die, and in his last hours he decided to look for some forgiveness by calling Max and warning her. As we know, Nathan owns a gun (and has it, if you stop Warren from beating him up), and even tho he is an unstable boy, he could have saved himself. If you know that someone is about to kill you, you can definitely do something against it and protect yourself. You can run away, drive away, shoot your attacker, hide from your attacker, etc., so many options… But Nathan just accepted his fate. So what is this, if not suicide? (Damn my tears.)

OK, other theory: what if he didn’t want to die after all? That would mean that even though he knew what Jefferson wanted to do, he couldn’t do anything against it. So as I said before, he would have options to save his life, except… if that very popular theory is true, and Jefferson actually had superpowers, maybe like Max’s. (Or Nathan had some kind of visions (like about the tornado) and saw his own death, but then again, if he knew that it will happen, why didn’t he do anything? Did he just accept it?)

I just really want to know more about how everything happened, and there are so many questions…

[dalekofchaos]

Why I always choose to Save Chloe and Sacrifice Arcadia Bay

Chloe Price died sad frustrated and alone on a cold bathroom floor feeling unloved and abandoned. Rachel is missing and she has no chance of finding her. David emotionally, mentally and physically abuses her and Joyce normalizes it and her house is under surveillance without her knowledge. She is in debt to Frank who would most likely kill her if Nathan didn’t do so.  Chloe had no knowledge that Max loves her or that she loves Max or what happened to Rachel and she had a really bad life and apparently it's destiny that she has to die in two universes.

Everything from Farewell, Before The Storm and Life Is Strange suggests saving Chloe is the right choice. Why all the build up if we choose to let Chloe die depressed, broken and alone with no memory of Max and no knowledge with what happens to Rachel. Chloe did not lose William and Rachel so she can die alone. A town can be rebuilt, but you can’t build another Chloe

Makes more sense from a story perspective anyway, since it becomes a story about accepting consequences rather than Learning A Lesson and undoing the growth that both characters went through

Stop Oh Me’s video

There are survivors in the Sacrifice Arcadia Bay ending.  Joyce, Warren, Frank, David and Kate. If you look closely, when Chloe and Max drive through the town, you can see, that the Diner still stands. It does not seem to be destroyed which means that all the people inside must have survived and should be safe and sound. David  stayed in the Bunker with Jefferson. Nothing destroys that bloody bunker, especially as it is said “seems like someone is preparing for the apocalypse”. Therefore, it is pretty obvious that David should also be alive.  Kate is in a hospital. Hospitals are heavily fortified, so there is a good chance that Kate is alive! Blackwell probably has some sort of cellar or spaces of electricity with thick walls, that cannot be destroyed easily. And I can totally imagine Samuel and Mrs. Grant doing their best to bring all the students into a save spot somewhere at school which would save all of them. But I assume Nathan died before the storm even happens, so sadly instead of getting the help he needed, Nathan is the last victim of Jefferson

Save Chloe and have her story be one of a girl who was abandoned by everyone she loved and had resigned to a life of pain and solitude, until the one person most precious to her returned and proved to her, again and again, that she is important, cherished, and worth the world. you can have her be a character who suffered and prevailed and survived until she was finally shown the greatest measure of love a human could possibly give, freed of the town that tormented her, and given a chance at a future with the person she loves.

We only got the endings we got because DONTNOD ran out of time and budget  The only reason why the storm stopped in save Arcadia Bay ending is because DONTNOD ran out of time and came up with the laziest excuse on why the storm is happening, like never mind all the shit the Prescott Foundation is doing to Arcadia Bay, nevermind that there was a huge spiritual presence which would explain why Max has rewind powers and there was a plan to make Sean a more important character in episode 5. The plan was The Prescotts knew about the storm, Nathan kept saying the storm was coming in cut audio and audio that suggests Sean was making him take the drugs to stop him from saying anything and guess what? Jefferson's drugs stop Max's powers. So the drugs stop the powers. But anyways the plan was this. The Prescotts wanted the storm to come, they had a lot of bomb shelters and the one we visit is called "stormbreaker" and Sean's motive would be for the storm to wipe out Arcadia Bay and move everyone into Pan Estates. The only reason that didn't happen is because they ran out of time and came of with the laziest excuse on why the storm happened.

This convo and post by @tangent101  Max retraces her steps and shreds the photo and the butterfly still appears. Which means that the photograph Max could potentially use to let Chloe be shot would be one in which she already saw her die and time traveled. The Storm Will Happen In The Chloe Dies Timeline. Jefferson revealed that shooting Chloe doesn’t stop the Storm. Arcadia Bay… is doomed. So save Chloe. It’s worth noting that every time Max gets a vision of the tornado (with the exception of the time at the art gallery), Chloe is somewhere nearby. We also know that Chloe is somehow connected with the nightmare dimension where Max gets lost in Episode 5. Even if we don’t consider Chloe’s multiple trips to that place in BTS, it clearly functions in a similar manner to the Black Lodge from Twin Peaks. From this, we can extrapolate that it has something to do with Max’s powers. Consider this: rather than triggering some unknown domino effect that somehow leads to snow, an eclipse, dead animals, and a tornado, Max’s powers are somehow draining energy from the prime reality of her world, and depositing it into this parallel dimension, which is invading her world using Chloe as its focal point for reasons unknown. This explains why Chloe’s fate is treated as such a lynchpin. It also explains why, as Max further uses her powers, reality starts breaking apart, like a video tape that’s been rewound too many times. Rachel fits into this too: she has a clear spiritual connection to Arcadia Bay, as evidenced by how her ghost lingers in the form of a doe that guides Max to the truth and to safety in the lighthouse. We also learn from the fisherman that the fish in the bay started dying well before Max got her powers, due to the negative influence of the Prescotts. Given her connection to nature, Rachel’s death may have triggered some sort of environmental decay. Even discounting her clear empathic connection with the forest fire from BTS, Chloe theorizes that the tornado might be “Rachel’s revenge” on a town that took everything from her. But she wanted Chloe to be safe, and so showed her and Max the way. So ultimately Max’s powers are kind of incidental to Chloe’s fate, if we look beyond the simple explanation given to us by the game and start examining the metaphysics. Sacrificing Arcadia Bay makes more sense from a story perspective anyway, since it becomes a story about accepting consequences rather than Learning A Lesson and undoing the growth that both characters went through. Max had the first nightmare sequence while in class. Chloe is not yet at the school and probably is driving there for her meeting with Nathan. After all, Chloe has a reason to avoid the school (her step-father) until the last possible moment to try and avoid being caught. And the nightmare is before the time travel happens unless you were to believe (as I do) that Life is Strange is in fact a time loop, and by not being with Chloe on the side of the cliff (or in LA) she is destined to nearly get killed and reloop to Monday. In fact, the second Tornado Dream Sequence has Max nearly killed by the ship slamming into the lighthouse, suggesting that being there on her own will get her killed. I’m not sure about Chloe’s connection with the nightmares though. As I’ve said before, I think Max is in a time loop. These “flashes” are brief memories of past times she went through this week. Also, as you pointed out, she has the nightmare glimpse of the Storm while in LA. Why would she have a nightmare of the Storm when a thousand miles away from Chloe? So I’m not quite sure if Chloe is associated with the nightmares so much as in helping Max get past them. Second, consider this: what happens if Max died in the Dark Room? If David Madsen slipped in the mud, then he could have been 5 seconds later getting into the Dark Room at which point Max is drugged (probably fatally so), Mark Jefferson knocks out and then kills Madsen, and the town is destroyed. Chloe is already dead by Jefferson’s hands. There would be no point as to the destruction of Arcadia Bay and yet it will happen anyway. If someone were to claim this is all predestination, that Max was supposed to survive so she could somehow end up getting to Warren’s picture… well, the choice at the end disproves Predestination because Max can choose to let Arcadia Bay be destroyed. the song “Spanish Sahara” used for what so many folk call “the good ending” is… well, here’s a line from his article: the whole song is like, getting over a trauma, but the trauma doesn’t go away and it multiplies from one into a bunch of furies…. The song is about trauma and things getting worse. And let’s pretend that there isn’t a tornado. If Nathan shoots Chloe, well, he’s a rich white boy, she’s a poor drug-user who tried to blackmail him. Nathan’s father is ruthless, has the police in his pocket, and lawyers up. Nathan walks. If there are problems with the warrant to check out the Dark Room then Jefferson walks. (If one of the cops who are in the Prescott pocket calls Nathan’s dad and he clears out the Dark Room of incriminating evidence before the cops get a warrant, then again: Jefferson walks, as does Nathan.) Add in funeral costs to the Madsen-Price household being over $4,000 behind in their mortgage (and that bill being over a month old) and the house gets foreclosed upon and Joyce and David thrown out. Joyce and David’s marriage likely falls apart. Kate’s video is already out in the wild and her mother has already contacted her, as has her aunt. She gets pulled out of school and is back under the repression of her mother and aunt… and probably takes her life quietly months later. Max is seeing nothing good happening from saving Arcadia Bay. She probably even hears people bad-talking Chloe as being a bad sort and trying to blackmail that poor Nathan Prescott lad… and has to cope with everything she went through (essentially rape) that she can’t tell anyone about. If she hears that Kate kills herself… what does she have left? It is my personal view that the Storm will happen anyway. The Storm is not about Chloe having to die at a specific point in space-time. If that was the case, then why does Max get time travel abilities to begin with? That’s the biggest question of all, and one that sadly has not been answered. It could be this. Rachel is reaching out from beyond the grave, using the one other person who truly loves Chloe to act as her sword and ensure Chloe Price at least escapes Arcadia Bay.

[minority-media]

Life is Strange, Bury Your Gays, and Bullshit Endings

In the face of the coming super-storm, I spent the spare moments between making preparations to finish up Life is Strange—coincidentally, a game about a storm. Seeing as Before the Storm just began coming out, now is probably as good as any time to analyze this game.

It is, at its heart, is a story about two girls falling in love. Let’s get that cleared up right off the bat. We have Max, who just moved back from Seattle to Arcadia Bay and is pursuing photography at Blackwell Academy. We have Chloe, a punk rebel whose father died and who was left behind by Max without so much as a call or text in 5 years. Max gets a vision of a monster tornado in class, heads to the bathroom, takes a picture of a butterfly, and gets time manipulation powers that she uses to save Chloe’s life.

From there, the story becomes a quest to find out what happened with Rachel, a “friend” of Chloe’s that went missing. There’s a mystery with why Nathan is drugging other girls and with Frank the drug dealer and his relationship to Rachel. Chloe and Max work together as partners in time as Max saves Chloe’s life over and over again. It’s all fine and fun—until Episode 4 and 5.

We find out Nathan killed Rachel, that the photography professor Jefferson has been posing the drugged girls in some sick photo session and that he’s been using Nathan, and in Episode 5 things get really intense as we find out the major plot twist of the game: the powers Max has been using has been causing the storm and to save the town of Arcadia Bay, you have to let Chloe die in the bathroom.

You have two choices: sacrifice Arcadia Bay or sacrifice Chloe.

So the ending is a mess. It received backlash from both critics and fans. Even just attempting to look up the ending I didn’t play ended up in dozens of results that were venting their displeasure. Why? The idea of the storm being caused by Max’s own power and messing with the time stream is an interesting idea enough. Maybe this could work in a different story. However, this is not that story.

From the set-up, we are given a few questions besides those of the main plot: Where did these powers come from? Why did Max receive them? What are they for? What is Rachel’s goal as she shows up in repeated symbolism? What is causing the storm?

The problem with the ending is not only that it’s an unnecessary and rather frustrating example of the “bury your gays” trope but also that it leads to more questions than it answers.

What is causing the storm? Max’s powers.

Where did these powers come from? Rachel? A butterfly? If so, then that leads to

What are they for? If they are connected to Rachel, and they were given to Max at a time where Chloe’s life is in danger, then it’s to protect Chloe.

 But if those two are correct, then why does the ending insist that that is the wrong path to take? Why is it so adamant that Max should’ve never used her powers? Because if she should’ve never saved Chloe, why did she get those powers in the first place?

I would like to return to a previous point: the fact that this story is one of two girls falling in love.

Chloe and Max grow closer and closer throughout the course of the game. By Episode 5, Max is utterly obsessed with saving Chloe so much so that she throws away an ideal reality just to get another shot at saving her. Throughout the entire game, her one priority is Chloe’s happiness and survival. And even though the player has the option to romance Warren, why would they? They barely get any time together in the game and the two women are a much more interesting story and dynamic.

So could this story be one of the hubris of not being able to accept fate, not being able to accept death? Completely. There’s just one big problem—the beginning of the game starts out with Max seeing a vision of the tornado and then receiving her powers. So the audience is convinced the powers are supposed to be used to prevent this and it being linked to Rachel reinforces this. So the plot twist that the powers caused the tornado is shocking, but less in that “Oh man, the foreshadowing makes so much sense! How did I not see that coming?” but more in a “…Wait, what?” way.

You see, if the powers were the cause of the storm, then why did she have the vision before she got them? What was the purpose of receiving of them? To save Chloe? Then why does the game seem to be disappointed in you if you do? What about Rachel?

What was the point of this game? With the reveal of this plot twist, it seems the point was that you shouldn’t have played the game at all.

Endings should wrap things up in a satisfying enough way. There’s something to be said about leaving some plot threads loose and up to the audience’s imagination. Instead Life is Strange gives its players a half-woven sweater and says “Here, you fill in the holes we didn’t.”

It’s, plot wise, the inferior ending. Yet, the ending where you save Chloe isn’t nearly as long. They show about 20 seconds of them driving through town where everyone seems dead, which is insane, because surely they’ve faced storms before. They’re clearly upset. They don’t show any snapshot of a hopeful future like the other ending does, which is better done and at least tries to give a sense of closure. It’s infuriating. The game seems to want one to take the ending where Chloe dies and Arcadia Bay survives yet it’s essentially the ending that goes against everything the game has been setting up.

It also seems to imply that Chloe has to die for the storm to not come. Yet, Chloe dies in Episode 4 briefly and the storm is still coming. In the Save Arcadia Bay ending Max still uses her knowledge of the future to prevent Jefferson from hurting any more girls. So why can’t she just save Chloe? It doesn’t make sense. It’s a contrived mess just so that the player has to choose between an entire town and Chloe. It’s “bury your gays” at its worse.

This was supposed to be the hardest choice of the game. As a player, I agonized over every decision, no matter how small. I would sit there, mapping out consequences and reactions. Yet, with the big conclusion that was supposed to elicit that reaction I found that it was, in fact, the easiest choice of the game. Max wouldn’t let Chloe die and neither would I. The writers failed in that.

Alright, with a few changes and rearranging we can make this a game where the protagonist gets powers and abuses them to save their loved one yet has to eventually accept that they must die. However, should we make this that game?

This is a game, at its core, about two women falling in love. Yet, one of the endings results in Chloe dying on the bathroom floor, alone, never knowing that she would come to find such a friend and lover in Max. It is a miserable, depressing ending that makes no sense in the context of what the game has established.

Putting aside the narrative mess, it’s cruel and disturbing that the game insists that these two were drawn together by fate yet cannot be together. Rachel is discovered to be dead, who was in a previous relationship with Chloe, and then Chloe is dead as well? How many gays will they bury?

It’s unfair that the heterosexual relationship that was only added for what? Options? is allowed to have a happy ending. Max repeatedly establishes she isn’t interested in him throughout the course of the game. Yet, this beautiful set-up with the two leading ladies must end in tragedy.

It becomes even more infuriating that only in the ending where Chloe dies do they actually kiss and confess their feelings. In the other ending it is left more ambiguous as to what that relationship is which is horribly unfair seeing as the straight couple got their kiss regardless of whatever decision one makes. So after all that build-up, one either gets a tragic kiss as Max leads Chloe to her death or a silent and ambiguous ending as they drive out of what used to be Arcadia Bay.

Their queer audience deserves better and Max and Chloe deserve better.

 It would be bad even if it made sense within the narrative. However, it sticking out like a sore thumb in terms of not making sense is a lot worse. She didn’t die because she had to but because the writers attempted oh so desperately to shove it in. They wanted a dark, edgy twist on the ending which could’ve been accomplished without this. Episode 5, while being the most interesting on a game-play level, was the worse on a narrative level.

It could’ve been a game focused around the fact that no one is expendable. No one should be sacrificed. It should’ve had those two endings, each with Chloe surviving.

This is a blog about representation. Life is Strange is so difficult and heart-wrenching because of the fact that it had the potential to be so much more. I can only recommend it with a huge asterisk regarding the ending and how Episode 5 played out. There’s something to be said about giving the audience a choice but it’s really hard to overlook the narrative crumbling around each choice. Before the Storm is a prequel to this that seems to be focused around Rachel and Chloe’s relationship, which we already know ends terribly. Let’s hope they’re somewhat smarter about that.

Perhaps the storm truly is Rachel’s revenge on Arcadia Bay. At least, after playing through it, I know I’d burn the town into a big black disk as well.

[lexiholic826]

Ok but get this

The tornado vision Max had was BEFORE she even knew Chloe was going to the bathroom. So why does Chloe "have to die" at the end of the game? Who's to say the tornado only comes when Chloe dies? What if he tornado was suppose to come all along? Max has her powers for a reason, and that reason is to save Chloe. So why should she throw all of that away to save a town full of ungrateful people? Not only that, but Chloe is the only one who could ever comfort Max with her nightmares that she WILL HAVE after the game. You could argue and say warren would comfort her, and maybe he would, but he sure as hell wouldn't understand most of the shit she went through for her best friend.

Sorry not sorry, but Bae>Bay all the way.

Also fuck Nathan Prescott. Like he deserved what he got.

[tenleaguesbeneath]

So I just played through Life is Strange after having gotten it as a present a year or two ago and (spoilers for the ending, even though I’m late to the party)

I’m not clear how the “sacrifice Chloe” ending is even viable, to be quite honest. Like it’s not just a simple Chloe-or-Arcadia-Bay thing. You sacrifice Arcadia Bay, you know exactly what you get. You sacrifice Chloe, she dies. then, if the suggestion that the storm is caused by time powers is correct and if it wasn’t already inevitable (considering that that version of butterfly pic was taken on her second run through the scene) and if that timeline’s Max can exert enough discipline with her time powers to prevent the tornado (admittedly, with Chloe dead, that’s plausible given how like 95% of the time Max’s use of time powers was prompted either by Chloe or by Chloe’s quest. On the other hand, having watched someone die who she could have saved with her time powers might drive her to use them). But notable instances like the one with Kate would be exceptions. and I think Max’s using the time powers for the increased bravery that comes with never having to commit to anything until after it’s done and she can see the consequences would probably still happen

And then in the end the murder plan goes ahead. It’s possible that Max wouldn’t be a target without Chloe’s influence but I consider that unlikely.

So then in all likelihood, the ending that saves Arcadia Bay sees Chloe dead on Monday and Max in the Dark Room on Thursday where she would still have to use her time powers to save herself.

Like, sure, two magical things happening at once are probably linked, but I feel like Warren jumped to conclusions in saying that therefore they can assume that the time powers caused the storm (it could well be that the first symptom of the coming storm was giving a random girl in town time powers) or that the storm could be prevented by not using them. Then also, like, the storm in Max’s early visions is worse than the final storm; even without hitting the lighthouse directly the storm in the early visions basically destroys it, but it’s spared in the real storm. If she got visions where the vision-storm got worse the more she used her time powers, then that’d be more believable.

How it shakes out to me is that your options are “Everything is as you see” and “Chloe dies. You have an estimated chance of averting the destruction of wiping out Arcadia Bay equal to your confidence that the storm is caused by your time powers (not merely linked) times your confidence that using them at all isn’t using them too much times your confidence that in the timeline where Chloe dies Max will have discipline with her time powers (despite not knowing that they cause the storm). Also, you in particular might get murdered anyway. Remember that averting the storm depends on you not using your time powers to ensure you don’t get murdered, but also, you won’t remember that”

Even if Max is that self-sacrificing, like, those are not good lottery odds to spend her best friend’s life on.

I guess, also, if she sacrifices Chloe and the storm happens anyway, she won’t remember that she deliberately chose to let Chloe die to avert the storm. I’m not even sure how much she remembers when she’s possessed by her alt-timeline self, but if she remembers what she would have seen/done then she would remember that she watched a girl get shot, a girl she could have saved with her time powers that she discovered at that moment) and then find out later (from the police, or from David) that that girl was her childhood best friend.

Basically, I guess, where I’m going with this is I think there are very good odds that sacrifices-Chloe Max would have trouble living with herself. if she doesn’t end up murdered.

(admittedly, the ending cutscene might make all this moot, except that like, Max has every reason to doubt that that plan will work)

edit having watched the other ending cutscene on youtube: I still feel like this confidence estimation/all the reasons Max might have for doubting the Sacrifice Chloe plan would even work is, like, correct reasoning/these are very reasonable doubts to hold; if she did take that path she would be causing Chloe’s death and making herself witness it all over again for something that in the moment she isn’t even at all certain will work, even though the other cutscene demonstrates that for certain the plan does work when carried out, and that Nathan’s arrest for shooting Chloe busts the murder ring. I’m still not convinced that the version of Max in that timeline would have enough greater discipline in using her time travel powers to make the storm not happen, and to be consistent with how it worked when she went back in time to talk Chloe out of going on the hunt, that timeline’s version of Max isn’t aware that she has to have that discipline until, what, Friday night? and in the meantime the thing with Kate still happened. and then, of course, she’s still gonna use her impossible knowledge once that happens, if she keeps her promise to make Nathan and Mr. Jefferson pay for what they did to Rachel.

I don’t think enough happened in the game to sell that as a viable ending. Like, sure, to a player familiar with narrative tropes, it’s a viable ending, but to Max? it’s possibly just another chance to go back in time and mess things up for no gain, and I’m not sold on Max having the confidence necessary to make that choice without someone (the player) sitting over her shoulder telling her that it must and/or everyone spontaneously becoming super-credulous.

Or, like, idk. Warren having a crackpot theory an unreasonable amount of faith in an untested hypothesis and Max buying into it because she has what would be delusions of grandeur if they weren’t right, thinking she can fix everything and it’s all her responsibility, and Chloe... buying into it to show that she’s willing to take responsibility and that she’s grown as a character, and the end result is nobody questions “how sure are you of this”.

Also like, given that she would nonetheless use her time powers with Kate and maybe Alyssa anyway, that saving Chloe is the one act of time travel she can’t do or else the town gets destroyed is just kinda an ugly narrative decision.

then also like “oh yeah in the end this entire story you just watched unfold, none of it ever actually happened even within its own fiction” is like. it undermines the implied agreement between author and reader that what the reader experiences will have meaning and value and impact. but like, going “none of this ever happened, you undo all of your hours of hard gameplay, and replace it with a much more mundane, much more boring story where the heroine never uses her special powers (because she’s not supposed to have them, her having powers is a cruel test which was put on her without explanation) which we gloss over”, like, yeah, I hate that, it’s bad writing.

like yes any timeline-hopping story is going to have things taken out of continuity but the protagonist takes something from them, some knowledge, which they bring back and build a better timeline with. Here the knowledge that Max brings back to create the “sacrifice Chloe” ending is “you shouldn’t have these powers, which you first used to save the life of someone you believed to be a stranger, and your using them makes the world a worse place”.

The final lesson Max learns by time travel, or the lesson we as players can share with her, is “if you find yourself gifted a special talent which you can use to save (someone you believe is) a stranger’s life, don’t”, or perhaps “you already live in the best of all possible worlds”. and to get there, to punish Max for using her newfound power to try to make the world better, the game just, like. makes everyone believe a claim about what the storm comes from without question.

[abcnewsgathering-blog]

DRONE CAMERA CAPTURES THE SCALE OF CYCLONE DEBBIE’S DESTRUCTION

(A photo taken from an ABC News drone of a cyclone damaged house at Proserpine and a huge area of trees, stripped of their leaves - Photo: Jano Gibson)

NT based journalist Jano Gibson is one of the ABC’s recently-trained drone operators and in the aftermath of Cyclone Debbie he was deployed to North Queensland to capture aerial footage of the destruction at Proserpine. 

By Jano Gibson

I’ve always been fascinated by storm chasers: the crazy-brave enthusiasts who travel each year to America’s Tornado Alley, hoping to get as close as possible to the violent columns of swirling wind and debris. 

(Jano Gibson operating the drone in Proserpine - Photo: ABC News)

Right now, as I stand on the muddy driveway of a rural property in Queensland’s Whitsunday region, I’m feeling a bit like one of those storm chasers. Sheets of metal roofing lie strewn on the grass outside, literally peeled away by cyclonic winds that pummelled this property. 

“Once the roof came off, it got pretty scary,” owner Nathan Sainsbury tells me. “We gradually moved from the hallway, to a bedroom, ended up in the bathroom.”

(Resident Nathan Sainsbury in front of his damaged home - Photo: Jano Gibson)

It’s been more than 24 hours since Cyclone Debbie blasted through this area, and it’s only now that the wild, blustery conditions are beginning to ease enough to safely launch a drone, officially known as a Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA).

(L-R: Jano Gibson and his drone with reporter Allyson Horn, cameraman Steve Cavenagh and links operator Dean Caton at Proserpine, Qld - Photo: ABC News) 

In my normal role as chief-of-staff back in Darwin, I’m usually sitting at a desk coordinating our afternoon news coverage. But I’ve come here to Queensland as a recently-trained drone pilot to work alongside reporter Allyson Horn, cameraman Stephen Cavenagh and links operator Dean Caton. We’re all scrambling to meet a fast-approaching 7pm News deadline. 

For the past seven hours, we’d been stuck nearby on a stretch of flooded road, unable to reach our desired destination - the cyclone-hit town of Proserpine. With time running out, we made the call to leave the highway and head several kilometres away to this rural property, which we’re been told has been heavily damaged. 

As we drive along a dirt road, it’s easy to imagine how frightening it would have been for the Sainsbury family to ride out the cyclone while their relatively-new home was ripped open.  The floor tiles are still wet from the drenching they copped, and the trees surrounding the property are stripped of leaves.

(The Sainsbury’s damaged home - Photo: Jano Gibson) 

But it’s not until the DJI Phantom 4 rises above the two-storey home that the full scale of the damage becomes clear. One side of the roof is gone, and as I watch the drone’s live-camera feed on my remote control, I can see directly into Nathan Sainsbury’s upstairs bedrooms. Peering into what was once a private space is somewhat unsettling, and I’m grateful Nathan has given us permission. This smooth, slow-moving, bird’s-eye perspective is something no camera on the ground can capture.

VIDEO: Drone footage shot by Jano Gibson of the damage to the Sainsbury family home and other buildings in Proserpine. 

As the drone glides overhead, a huge gust of wind whips through. Even with its integrated GPS system, the quadcopter struggles to hold its position. These conditions are close to the limit of if its flying capacity; its four engines working hard as I shift the remote’s levers to direct the drone back to my position. 

A month earlier, I completed a week-long course to get what’s known as a Remote Pilots Licence (RePL). On a personal level, I was finally fulfilling a childhood dream of becoming a ‘pilot’. On a professional level, a RePL is a requirement if you want to fly commercially in Australia drones that weigh more than two kilograms. The DJI Phantom 4 that I’m using here in Queensland is below that weight, and so falls into a less-restrictive category known as an “Excluded” Remotely Piloted Aircraft. So while a RePL isn’t legally essential for this particular craft, the ABC insists all staff wanting to fly drones must be licensed and the course itself is invaluable. As well as the basics of the drone regulations, the course provides knowledge in: 

-          multi-rotor aerodynamics, including roll, pitch and yaw;

-          airspace categories and navigational charts;

-          essential safety information about LiPo batteries;

-          how to seek approvals to fly in restricted or dangerous areas;

-          and the use of aeronautical radios. 

During the course, you clock-up five hours of flying time – the minimum requirement to get a RePL. You also must pass a knowledge exam and a flying test, including tricky manoeuvres without the assistance of GPS. 

(Jano Gibson learning to fly the drone in Tasmania before the cyclone - Photo: ABC News)

Those skills come in handy as I guide the drone safely back to its makeshift landing site – a large, heavy mat on Nathan Sainsbury’s driveway, ensuring the drone’s camera doesn’t get muddy as it touches down. 

The first challenge - flying in the aftermath of a cyclone -  is over. But now another challenge looms – feeding the drone vision out. 

The SNG has already been used to send out cameraman Stephen Cavenagh’s vision and Allyson Horn’s voice over for the 7pm News bulletin. There’s only a matter of minutes left to get the drone vision out. The DJI Phantom 4 shoots in high-definition, but to send shots via the SNG, we need to down-covert using something called a Decimator. For an unknown reason, the system isn’t working as it should. 

We try to think of alternative solutions: we could edit the vision on my mobile or use Adobe Premiere to down-convert the vision and email it out. But both options aren’t possible because there’s no mobile reception here. 

I’m beginning to feel deflated when cameraman Stephen Cavanagh comes up with a simple solution. He uses his P2 camera to film the drone vision as it plays on the laptop screen. His recording is then fed out using the SNG. Problem solved. 

(The drone view of a plumber’s workshop devastated by Cyclone Debbie - Photo: Jano Gibson)

As dawn breaks the next day, we get our first look at the damage within the town of Prosperpine. It’s not as extensive as we’d expected, but some properties have been structurally destroyed, including a plumber’s workshop, which looks like it’s been hit by a tornado. As the drone buzzes overhead, it captures the tools and materials that were flung around inside the premises. 

(The drone view of a damaged Proserpine motel - Photo: Jano Gibson)

A few hundred metres away, we come across a motel that’s been torn apart by Debbie. 

“The damage is just astronomical, never seen anything like it before,” Proserpine Motor Lodge owner Peter Stokes tells me after I finish flying the drone over his business.

“Gone through other cyclones. The other ones were not too bad, you’d sort of say it was a freight train coming. This one was just worse, probably 10 times worse.”

(Proserpine businessman Peter Stokes in front of his damaged motel - Photo: Jano Gibson) 

Whether it’s for natural disaster coverage, or current affairs stories, drones are fast becoming an indispensable part of our newsgathering kit. They provide a sense of scale that previously only a helicopter could offer. And with their in-built gimbals, they capture smooth, high-resolution vision that’s hard to compete with. But they also come with risks and have the potential to crash into buildings or people if not operated safely. It’s essential that as we expand our use of drones, we do so sensibly.

On this trip, it was necessary to have a dedicated drone operator. The other members of the team were completely tied up with their primary roles as they serviced multiple platforms. But as the ABC continues to develop its drone capabilities, it makes sense for more people to get licensed to fly drones. That way camera operators, SNG operators and reporters can all be called on to fly a drone when the need arises. 

Read more about ABC News’ use of drones here.

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