#as someone who didn’t like chloe/max because of how the fandom treated it for years i can safely say im so fond of it now in my own way

[langfield]

the key tip to avoiding lis ship wars is just understanding that maybe love is a complex thing that can’t be confined to a label or a relationship and that people can love multiple people at once in different ways that are either the same intensity or not, and maybe that’s okay, maybe the love that feels calmer is just as much of a gift as the love that feels burning hot. maybe chloe loved rachel the way max loved chloe but maybe chloe has always loved max first ( messily, sometimes badly ) and that’s all that matters. maybe max will always love chloe but can also love other people as much as her ( safi, maybe amanda and / or vinh ) and that doesn’t inherently devalue what chloe and max had, or what max has with other people now. maybe max loved kate, maybe chloe now loves victoria, maybe max feels a cocktail mix of loathing and love for nathan fucking prescott of all people or something and that’s all interesting and valid. maybe there’s no labels for anything max feels, or chloe feels, or what rachel felt ( someone who canonically had multiple relationships, and someone who was accused of cheating by the fandom or not loving anyone at all because of it ), and maybe that’s infinitely more profound and beautiful than soulmate talk or endgame ship bullshit. idk! i just feel like lis dynamics are so, so fun and beautiful and are such a hoot to explore if you stop being so heteronormative about everything and just embrace the inherent humanity and queerness of these dynamics. some of them are toxic and that’s ok baby!!! and some of them are complicated and that’s sexy. maybe some of them are poly and maybe some of them are committing psychosexual crimes on each other via telepathy but who cares!! lets have fun in this bitch!!

[wolfhowlingdragonflyingsirensong]

spoilers

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

[black-streak]

Waiting For The Worms - The Show Must Go On

Part 4

Sooo, this isn't nearly as dark and has very little angst in comparison to the point I'd almost say it isn't? It's pretty much just an update on life in a way. Which is also part of why it took so long for me to write. Like, the struggle was real. Next chapter will go back to your regularly scheduled heartbreak.

Warnings from chapter 1, while mostly inapplicable for this part, still in effect.

The gallery: @northernbluetongue @thethirdwheelfriend @shizukiryuu @theatreandcomicfreak @michellemagic @karategirl119 @moonlightstar64 @my-name-is-michell @mystery-5-5 @zalladane @queen-of-the-trash-planet-tm @miraculousdisapointment @dorkus-minimus @jardimazul @allthebooksandcrannies @g-arya @worlds-tiniest-spook-pastry @persephonescat @mycupisbroken @luciferge @18-fandoms-unite-08 @dawnwave16 @alwaysreblogneverpost @kris-pines04 @mysteriouslyswimmingfan-blo-blog @weird-pale-blonde-person @you-will-never-know-how-i-think @kokotaru @naclychilli @slytherinhquinn @clumsy-owl-4178 @ladybug-182 @darkthunder1589 @evil-elf16 @dast218 @lysslovsanime @emilytopaz @naoryllis @iloontjeboontje @thepeacetea @danielslilangel @finallyaniguana @i-like-fairytail-and-stuff @vixen-uchiha @yuulxd @bleeding-heart-romantic @magic-inthe-stars @st0rmy-w1th1n

~---~

The next year of Jason's life was hectic to say the least.

It started with the downfall of Lila Rossi. Which consequently, he had no part in. She stepped on the wrong toes, made a few too many contradictions and suddenly a pile of lawsuits were stacked against her. Her mother went completely ape shit on her and pulled her out immediately to be shipped off to a very strict boarding school. More like a juvenile detention center if the rumors were true.

For the first month, no one approached him. The guilty, stricken looks upon his classmates' faces told a million stories of apologetic remorse, but since becoming a jaded, snarky outcast, 'Marinette' was no longer the person you could give a simple apology to and expect forgiveness. And no one wanted to be the first to get shot down.

Eventually, the first apology came. Surprisingly, Alya tried to win his favor. She groveled and apologized up and down on how terrible she and Lila had been and named every reason in the book as to why she had reacted and treated Marinette the way she did in an attempt to explain herself. While it wasn't necessarily surprising that she would be the first to not fear him, it was shocking she saw the error of her ways so soon with all that bull headed ego she carried around.

Bravery got her nowhere, however, as Jason only lifted an eyebrow, arms crossed as he leaned back, and calmly replied.

"Cool story, still betrayal."

As the girl sputtered before him, he turned back towards Chloe, continuing to make their plans for the day. After two minutes had passed and Alya still stood there hunting for her words, he turned back.

"Can you leave? Sometime today would be nice."

And so the precedent was set. While it took another week for someone else to approach, they seemed spurred on by the ease of Alya's dismissal. Suppose they figured if the biggest offender only got mild verbal abuse and dismissal, things had to go more smoothly for them.

Nino came next, awkward shuffling and avoided eye contact included. He pushed through his apology, beating around the bush and trying to defuse the situation at the same time he built it up. It only served to piss Jason off. They deserve better than this. At least meet her eyes if you're going to apologize and expect me to believe it.

"Uh… Marinette? Did you hear me?"

"I'm sorry, were you talking to me? I assumed you were talking to the desk next to me and minded my business. Would hate to be accused of eavesdropping."

He flinched at the reminder and finally looked him in the eye.

"I'm sorry. What we did was wrong. What I did was wrong and I am so beyond sorry for it. There is no excuse for my behavior."

"You're right. There isn't. Do better in the future."

"I will!," he rushed to reassure Jason, voice hopeful, "Does this mean we can be friends again?"

"No. Do better for those who chose to be your friend in the future."

"Oh… okay, yeah, that's fair," Nino gave a downtrodden look and wandered off.

Next came Sabrina and Rose, who didn't so much as apologize to him, but instead tried to reattach themselves to Chloe and Juleka's sides as if nothing had happened at all. This might not have thrown Chloe in the slightest, but poor Juleka looked a moment from having an anxiety attack. Chloe made short work of both girls, dismissing them entirely and when Rose started to cry and stare at Juleka for reassurance that everything was okay, Jason pulled the goth into a hug, glaring at the little blonde girl, until eventually she received the hint and ran off, tears streaming down her face. Apparently Nathaniel gave Marc the same treatment.

Lastly Kim, Alix, Max, Ivan, and Mylene came as a group. They must've taken comfort in their numbers, hoping it would somehow protect them from him singling them out. Thought everything would go smoother that way. He could hear Juleka grumbling at his side where they sat under a tree for lunch. They both appreciated the shade and quiet peace of the place. Marc sat on her other side, writing away in a journal.

"Hey Mari, we wanted to apologize for the way we've been acting lately," Alix took the lead.

"Yeah, it was really uncool of us," Kim followed up, the others nodding along.

They looked imploring. Like they were waiting for some sort of forgiveness. He couldn't help but wonder if they thought their actions were somehow better. That he couldn't really be mad at them because they weren't the ones who lied or lead the pack against his soulmate. They didn't make harsh accusations or physically attack Marinette. So somehow, they were better and their apologies could be less.

How fucking rude. How presumptuous. How entitled to think his time, thoughts, feelings were forfeit in their need for forgiveness. Marinette deserved better in her time here than these heartless bastards. None of them ever defended her either. Or him for that matter. Not one of them tried to so much as change the subject to avoid harping on him. None cared when his soulmate never returned to her body. Maybe that wasn't fair, but at the very least they could've approached him in his grief when it was easily displayed. Everyone here had a soulmate and knew the signs of loss for when one died. Surely they knew that this person in this body lost their other half. And yet not a soul outside of his group had offered condolences.

"That's all you have to offer? That it wasn't cool?" Juleka asked, tone quiet but sharp.

"Well it's not like we-"

"Let me cut you off there, before you piss me off. You didn't personally attack me, you just watched and snickered behind hands. Joined in to the cruel jokes and snide remarks. Encouraged those who did attack. At least they had the decency to be that way to my face and let me know where we stood. You? Hiding behind others actions and grouping up to give half-hearted sorrys that you barely think of before you speak? Now you guys are the ones that truly infuriate me. Either you believed I deserved the treatment I received but refused to be singled out for it. Or you thought what was happening was wrong and were too much of a coward to step up and help me out. I'm not sure which is worse. Either way, I don't want to see a single one of you approach me again. I don't mean enough to you to make a stand? Then you don't mean enough to me to even speak to. Get out of my face."

When his little speech was done and the startled masses ran off with an added glare, protests held on the tip of tongues, Jason slumped back against the tree, taking small comforts in the silent support of his two companions.

Adrien never approached. That was for the best.

His friend group was also something new. Marc, Juleka, Chloe, and Kagami. The group technically leaned more female than anything, but after the heavy masculine energy of his old life, this turn of events felt refreshing. It helped that Marc came out as nonbinary and Jason couldn't help but relate in a way with his view of this body fitting as female, but his mind staying firmly male. Altering his soulmate's body to fit would never happen, but it also didn't match him. 

The group only grew stronger and more resilient after Jason agreed to revealing identities in the team. After the loss of Mari and the stripping of the ring from Adrien, Jason found it necessary to place new permanent holders. With Kagami and Chloe having screwed up their original hero personas, the placement became a challenge. 

He started out with figuring out his new cat. 

Talking it over with Fu and dragging the decision out way longer than it needed to, he eventually convinced the old guardian of Kagami's worth. She took to Plagg with ease, the design of her look altering to match. The suit stayed all black but wasn't leather and had gold detailing. The ears and tail looked more realistic as well. Her hair went pitch black and eyes went to shades of gold. Kagami insisted her new name be Serval.

Next came Chloe who ended up comforting Jason the most through his despair, whether she knew the reason for it or not. Without the bee as an easy go to, he ended up giving her the Dragon. Sure, the mix wasn't the best ever, but it kept her on the offensive side and more active, so it worked the way they needed it to. Her outfit consisted of tight fitted scales in shades of black and blue. Unlike when Kagami used the dragon, her and Longg took more to the shades of blue that came with most weather. Her shock of blonde hair played nicely with the idea of lightening on a stormy day. She went with Nimbus.

Surprisingly, Marc became the next holder. Jason planned on handing off the fox to Juleka, only to realize it wouldn't quite suit the girl. She stayed in the shadows most of the time, yes, but not really by choice. She wanted to be a model and show up in photos more than anything, so it made no sense to stick her with another identity she had to hide in. Add on the fact that she wasn't necessarily the most creative and well, Jason couldn't hand off an illusion piece to her. That's when Marc came into play. The kid had creativity in spades and preferred to avoid the spotlight. Marc and Marinette grew closer with all their time spent in the art room and courtyard together and especially with Nathaniel having ditched them. With Marc starting to build a spot of their own within the group, it only made sense to pair them with the Fox.

Now that he thought about it, the whole team really stuck with black. Marc had a black velvety almost shapeless form, with white tail, ears, sash, gloves, and boots. Their eyes fell white on gray on black and gave off an eerie feel. They choose Jocular for their hero name.

Finally, Jason hunted down the perfect miraculous for Juleka. The mouse. Quiet and unseen, playing in the background until the moment was right. And then she was everywhere, a multitude taking over the scene and overwhelming the enemy in a matter of moments. Perfect for the girl who hid behind her bangs but longed for the spotlight. Mullo played to both halves of her personality. The suit that came with consisted of a deep vivid purple that matched her bangs while detransformed. While in costume, the highlights disappeared and her eyes shined purple as well. The fit was reminiscent of a belted, hooded tunic with black leggings and matching purple booties. She went with Fievel. Turns out Juleka had an interesting favorite childhood movie. Months later, they would find themselves sitting around a tv, watching the old animated musical, but in the beginning, they just took it in stride.

The last major change came in a heavier bond forming amongst his team.

When Jason agreed to reveal identities, if for no other reason than the guilt of already keeping one major secret from the group, things spiced up. For one, Juleka and Marc traded their respective miraculouses back and forth depending on their comfort level for the day. If one felt more ready for the spotlight, they took to the mouse for the battle. If one felt especially creative at the moment, they tagged in for the fox. Of course, they jumped in with whichever they had when an akuma hit while separated, but the switch off seemed to comfort them.

Secondly, Chloe started running more interference to allow them escape time if stuck up in civilian form. Her false bratty attitude and daddy issues came into play here, despite her actual maturity about both. It helped to amp it up from time to time.

Lastly, Kagami and Jason begin to switch on occasion.

Plagg hadn't been outside the ring since Jason removed him from Adrien and Kagami received him. The shock and horror on his face when Tikki told him the reality of their situation broke Jason a little more. The cat insisted on spending more time with Jason after that. His soul resonated better with the ring anyways, so the time spent as the cat holder felt soothing after so long as the ladybug, despite this body feeling more receptive towards Tikki's magic. 

As an added bonus, the two kept the other's costume and attributes such as eyes and hair. Between that and the heavy magical glamour hiding their identities, no one, not even Hawkmoth, knew which one was which until their fighting style came into play at which point, it was too late. Luckily, with the sneaky aspects of the mouse and fox, the other two became quite the ambush as well. Add in Chloe showing up with one of three different powers at any given moment, and Hawkmoth's akumas became easy prey.

By the time the year ran out, their team ran as a well oiled machine. Despite the horrific heartbreak festering in his heart, Jason felt hopeful. Hopeful that they might take down the villain that had taken over his soulmate's life from so young. That this battle at least might end on a happy note. That soon he would be free to seek out justice for Marinette once and for all.

[rinadewolffe]

My Impression on Life is Strange: Before the Storm

I played the first episode of Life is Strange: Before the Storm last night and it left me speechless. I actually had to think about what I could say. Massive spoilers ahead, please don’t read on if you haven’t played the game yet! Also, it’s gonna be an extremely long post, so buckle up!

So, I had my doubts about the game but I really wanted to know Chloe’s story. I also knew a different team was working on Before the Storm and I was very curious what they could make of all the things we learned from the first season of Life is Strange.

It’s extremely rare when I feel a connected to someone, especially to a fictional character, but Chloe Price couldn’t be a more real character to me. I knew she was put through pain, she was disappointed, she was abandoned, left alone, in grief, she lost people she loved. And I was the same as a teenager, however my dad is alive, I can say I was growing up fatherless, because he had to work far away from home, almost always, even now, when I’m way more than 14 or even 16 years old. I was like Chloe when I was sixteen, friendless, left alone with my thoughts, full of disappointment and anger. I loved getting to parties and I loved drinking, trying to drink away the pain, but I never did drugs. Almost never, to be honest. Chloe developed several mental diseases, like abandonment issues, she had PTSD, she had major depression, she was neglected, she was a cast-out, so to say. And so was I. People with mental health problems are still stigmatized and it’s a shame on society!

Chloe has always been different from other people, before she met Rachel she only had one friend, Max, who left her alone. I can totally understand Chloe’s passive-agressive behavior towards Max. When Rachel stepped into Chloe’s life it felt unreal for her. The energy that surrounded them was incredible. Deep down they were the same: full of pain.

We learned that Chloe became a delinquent not because she was stupid, simply she didn’t care about school. Same here. People say that high school is the time of your life: massive bullshit. Nobody knew Chloe’s name before Rachel posted that photo!

The way Chloe couldn’t really understand and handle her feelings towards Rachel just put the whole situation more life-like to me. We learned that she most probably dated a guy, Eliot, but after a while he just left her cold. The whole thing that she didn’t understand that she might be gay was just priceless. The way she felt nervous around Rachel just made it so sweet I almost developed diabetes.

Rachel... Rachel Amber, the enigma of the first season. A popular girl, beloved by everyone decides to befriend (or even more) the outsider. The popular girl is not so perfect. The popular girl is not invincible. The popular girl is in pain. Their friendship (or more) seems to be unlikely, but these girls actually have so much in common. They need each other.

But let’s just take a look at how other characters treated Chloe. Not all of them of course, I’m already writing a novel here...

Joyce was disappointed and worried and Chloe understood that. She was as helpless as her mother. She was hurt when her mother brought another man to the family house, a man Joyce called a “friend”, but... Chloe, you. didn’t. see. the. condoms... The way Chloe needed to choose between being kind or honest just made the whole situation more heart-breaking. And she was also worried for her mother, despite all the anger, because she knew her mother wanted to change so David might love her.

David... Right... The reason why I decided to act disrespectful towards David was he acted disrespectful towards Chloe. He thought he already earned his place in the Price house. He claimed that Chloe will respect him. No way. People just can’t claim that they will be respected. Respect needs to be earned. David tried, but he did more harm than good. He thought that she might respect him only because he served in the army. He ignored the fact that it’s far from enough to earn her place in a family house. The way he acted towards that teenage girl simply disgusted me.

Victoria. Ugh... She got interested in Chloe only after Rachel posted the photo. What can I say, she didn’t even know her name, of course I decided to sabotage her homework. Well, because of that and because that’s what I’d done when I was 16.

Oh, and Rachel, of course... The perfect girl, beloved by everyone. I mean, who wouldn’t love her? She’s beautiful, smart and has ambitions, but she also loves partying. But nobody knows that this girl is broken. She only revealed this part of her to Chloe. And she didn’t understand what was going on between them either. She claimed that it was new and strange, but special (or something like that). She wanted to get to know Chloe. They gave each other a chance, and well, it worked out much more than okay. These two girls have much more in common than we’d imagined.

Friendship or more??? Well, who knows. Chloe’s clearly crushing on Rachel, she even claimed that in the first season. (Well, okay, but who wouldn’t crush on Rachel?!) Even if it was just a friendship, it was more than friendship. I mean, more, but not in a romantic way. It’s something guys, I know, because that’s what I’m having with my best friend. And the way William reacts if you choose the “Something more” option with Rachel?! That’s so sweet I can’t even... Anyway, they both knew there’s something special between them. (*fangirling hard*)

The reason why I got worried about this project though was I read lots of comments about people hated Chloe. How can you hate a broken girl without knowing her story?! Wake up, people. People can have issues. Life can break you. People with mental health problems are still stigmatized. I know, I’m living it. It needs to stop! I have no idea how many times I read something like “Chloe’s toxic”, “Chloe uses Max”, “Chloe’s selfish”, “Chloe befriended Max only because she has superpowers” and other statements like these. Let’s be real: Chloe’s dad died. That sucks, and it puts it mildly... Not much later the only person she could call a friend left her. Heartbreak? Hell yeah. (Oh yeah, the way Chloe revealed how she crushed on Max before just put me into fangirl mode...) Abandonment issues? Yeah! Being afraid of left alone? Yeah! Not giving a shit about anything anymore? Yeah! Trying to drink the pain away? Yeah! Even getting high to escape that reality? Yeah!

Seems selfish? Maybe. These are all temporary solutions, but there was noone there for Chloe. Think about it now. When Max returned, Chloe took her back in a heartbeat! She could’ve left her in the parking lot, but no, she took her back! And she didn’t even know she had superpowers! Wake up, people. Chloe was damaged, partly because of Max, she had the right to give her some guilt-trip. She really had the right to make Max feel guilty for leaving. But still, she forgave her, she loved her, she turned her life more exciting, just when they were kids! Remember this, guys: Max ignored her texts. 

And the people who said that Rachel is trash? What did we learn from the first seaon about Rachel? Very little. That she was beloved, that she took drugs, that she partied like the devil, that she didn’t tell Chloe she was banging Frank? Does this make her a bad person? She had issues. She was broken. The person she looked up to, her father, turned out to be a dirtbag. Of course she was looking for ways to get far away from Arcadia Bay, I guess she took every opportunity she could. And maybe, just maybe she was not really okay with the thing that kept happening between her and Chloe. Most people have a denying phase, you know.

Oh, and the thing that Pricefield is getting thrown away just because something new and better, Amberprice, came along? People... Amberprice is not new. We knew that Chloe was crushing on Rachel. I place Pricefield before anything else. But Chloe had a life when Max was not there. Chloe needed love, too. Chloe needed to feel like she mattered. Rachel gave that to her. But Rachel had her own issues she couldn’t talked about to Chloe. What a surprise, they are humans! So do these things make them bad people?

Anyway, I loved the game and I guess I’m gonna replay it at least as many times as I played the first season (that means at least 12 times, lol). So thank you Deck Nine, the game turned out to be pretty awesome. Expectations met (and they were very high), I hope the rest of the game will be at least as great as the first episode. And I also hope the fandom will not ruin this wonderful project. I’ve seen it happening before. I don’t wanna be part of a fandom which destroys its own “god”.

Peace, OUT!!