#rachel answers asks

[sunriserose1023]

you haven’t worked on it in a while….. but you did something with the taylor swift inspired pop star/athlete fic….

You right (even though you could have worded it better/nicer). Did my little idea manifest Taylor and Travis into existence? I’m claiming it.

Also, I’m thinking about removing that story and reworking it a bit. I didn’t post much of it anyway, but it’s called “Deep Blue, Painted Golden” if anyone wants to check it out before I do take it down.

[lunarw0rks]

hate to break it to you guys but soap would ask if “got any scottish in you”

and if you say no, he’d say “you want some?? 😏😏”

[mysterycitrus]

i love your art sm!! have you ever drawn raven?

the 80s girlfriends of all time

[thealexchen]

thoughts on LIS: Double Exposure?

This is probably gonna be my hottest take in awhile, but: I deeply dislike the idea of an official LiS1 direct sequel game existing. Excluding all my thoughts on the gameplay, story, Max's character, etc. I don't think a game like Double Exposure is necessary.

This isn't a new take either; back in 2020 I made a Reddit post saying I was glad we never got a continuation of Max and Chloe's story, because in order to have a plot, you have to have conflict. And to have conflict means your characters are forced to change or struggle in some way, and I simply wasn't interested in seeing that again. I never even read the comics. As long as Max and Chloe's future existed only in the fanbase's collective imagination and not in an officially licensed game, Pricefield could be as happy as I wanted and I wouldn't have to witness DN or D9's version of canon.

A lot of fans, including myself, are also confused and upset as to where Chloe could be in Double Exposure. Even if Chloe winds up having a surprise role, it would likely be too logistically difficult to write Chloe into one version of the story and not the other. Either way, DE is strongly pointing to Chloe no longer being the deuteragonist. If D9 was going to make a direct sequel with Max and Chloe, I could at least be intrigued by how they might write their dynamic and how they'd use Max's power in new and interesting ways. But instead there's... none of that. Chloe's nowhere to be seen and Max can't time travel anymore.

On a narrative level, Max and Chloe are the heart of the original Life is Strange. They represent the game's central relationship, and their very first interaction (Max saving Chloe's life) kicks off the entire story. Throughout the story, their dynamic advances the plot and mutually motivates their character arcs. You can't have LiS1 without either Max or Chloe; the story simply wouldn't exist without them. Now in DE, they don't even seem to be in each other's lives anymore. It's true, this series is meant to reflect universal feelings and experiences, which could include breakups, but the romantic catharsis of Pricefield as canon soulmates who defied time and space itself to stay together forever is something you can only get from the beauty of fiction. To jab DE's story with a dose of reality and go, "Eh, they grew apart. Shit happens," totally undermines everything the Bae ending stood for.

On a technical level, Max's rewind was an objectively brilliant game mechanic. LiS1 arrived onto the scene after Telltale had paved the way for the resurgence of choice-based, episodic games, but LiS1 totally reinvented the wheel by giving the player the option to go back and weigh each option before continuing, essentially save-scumming in-game. But the right choice was never that easy to determine, and Rewind brilliantly complemented Max's character arc of overcoming her indecision and learning to live with her choices. Not to mention, you could also use Rewind to solve puzzles, instead of the endless fetch quests the later games had. No other LiS game since then has given the player that kind of agency and interactivity. LiS2 had telekinesis, but the player couldn't use it, only Daniel. D9 tried with Backtalk and Empathy, but Max's Rewind was truly the narrative and gameplay jackpot that they haven't been able to recreate since.

So if you take away one half of the central relationship that made the first game so memorable, and the supernatural power/game mechanic that made it so fun to play... why even bring Max back at all? It just feels like D9 threw away their golden opportunity to build upon the major selling points of the first game and are only relying on name recognition of the Life is Strange "brand" and Max Caulfield.

What upsets me most of all about a direct sequel existing is that it proves that Life is Strange, as a series, now stands more for profits than originality. Life is Strange will always be an IP meant to make money for Square, I know that, but back when LiS1 was just a brand new episodic game, it stood out for how different it dared to be. In a landscape saturated with shooters, sexualized female characters, and casual misogyny, LiS1 instead featured a teenage girl in a contemporary setting that took her seriously and made her the hero of her story. Before it was a franchise, LiS wasn't concerned with the bottom dollar; it was a piece of art that just wanted to tell a thoughtful, unique story.

Whether you love it or hate it, Life is Strange 2 was an insanely risky follow-up to Life is Strange that refused to rely on the convenience of a direct sequel because Dontnod stuck to their artistic vision. Meanwhile, all of Deck Nine's games have leaned on the first game's following to generate interest (BtS being a direct prequel, TC bringing back Steph, and Wavelengths expanding on Steph's connection to Chloe, Rachel, and Arcadia Bay). In other words, all of the subsequent LiS games by D9 have played it very, very safe. It's worked like a damn charm because there are still elements I love about each game, but the basic principle is nostalgia-baiting fans. It's just that now, Double Exposure isn't hiding that nostalgia bait at all anymore and prioritizing profits over telling a unique story. It's sad to see that LiS has strayed so far from its risky, daring, original, and unique artistic beginnings.

Before I end, I'll say that I can't be too cynical about it all, nor do I want to be. Because I can't deny how much joy this whole series has brought me, too. LiS was what got me into narrative adventure games and pushed the boundaries of what a video game could be. If nothing else, I am truly thrilled that Hannah Telle got the chance to play Max again. D9's always been great at maintaining relationships with their actors, and the casts of their games always have consistently great chemistry. Getting recognized by Erika Mori on my own blog is still unbelievable and speaks to the amazing community that LiS has built. As you can see, I'm still posting and reblogging stuff about Double Exposure. And while I don't see myself buying or playing this game for myself, I know it'll keep all of us talking for awhile, and I still live for a good discussion.

Thank you for asking! And thank you for reading.

[demigods-posts]

Hi, I just wanted to ask your opinion on this rant, because you’re the only one who I can think of who can understand.

I am literally tired of people holding it against percy/rachel/annabeth for the love triangle, and demonising them even though they’re just teenagers in the middle of a war??

Annabeth was mean, yes, but she was justified! She had fallen in love with someone who (she thought) was meant to die! Then Percy blows up in a volcano and comes back , and avoids the VERY OBVIOUS feelings for her over the next year, which would make anybody mad. And she never yelled at him at tlo because of rachel, its because HE WAS RUNNING AWAY! It was never about rachel, it was about percy!

RACHEL!! She was nothing else other than a friend to percy who just wanted to help him get his mind off the war that was obviously troubling him! She was a kid who hated her own life and wanted an escape! She just misinterpreted her feelings for a crush! Alexa play ‘all because i liked a boy’ by sabrina carpenter cuz the amount of hate this girl got in the fandom is INSANE. (Thankfully, people grew up)

Percy ran away from his feelings, yes he hanged out with rachel instead of annabeth and whatnot but i think people forget what he was going through. Its literally talked about at the end of botl that annabeth was distancing herself from percy cuz she was sad about luke. People rlly expected percy to walk up to her in this crazy time and be like “hey…so about that kiss-“ and its not a crime that he hanged out with rachel. He was preparing for a war where he didnt even know what would happen because everyone was hiding the prophecy from him! He says in tlo that he needs a breather so he was with rachel?? If anyone was preparing for a war, the last thing they would think about is starting a relationship. HE NEVER LED ON ANNABETH AND RACHEL LIKE SOME PPL SAY

TLDR; All three of them had their mistakes, but treating them like they’re not scared teenagers just trying to breathe in a terrifying situation of war is not it

I completely agree with you and couldn't have said it better myself.

[kittarts]

Weird question, but what do you think about the Coraline x Wybie shipping?

Go for it! But I won’t be partaking.

[valewritessss]

I read posts that have to do with Percy Jackson and its crazy how many times I stumble upon posts where people take things characters do in the wrong way even though some actions can be justified. Especially Percy and Annabeth.

Misinterpretation in the percy jackson fandom is so common. Especially when it’s used to villainize Annabeth and sometimes even Percy. I actually think they know what they’re saying doesn’t make sense but since it gives them a reason to hate a character they just keep ignoring the very necessary context. Like, of course Percy choked Nico, he was betrayed and he woke up startled. And of course Annabeth hated Rachel, her best friend who was supposedly about to die spent his last summer with her instead of spending it with Annabeth. Does this make the actions right? Maybe not but the context more than explains and even justifies the behavior.

Thanks for sending this, I honestly kind of like talking about this issue

[ffverr]

what do u think are Rachel and Scott's parent-child bonding activities???

I think as they are today they should get REALLY competitive when playing pool together. Their sessions would last for HOURS and they're both cheating with their powers while talking a bit about everyday stuff. That would be good for the soul I think.

I'm sure Rachel is a good player because her Scott probably teached her when she was young😔

[rachelsfav-queer]

Hot take: You can like Lena but not hate Mon-El

Liking one doesn't mean hating the other

Like yeah Lena is my fave 100%, girl is the whole reason I started watching the show in the first place But I don't hate Mon-El and yep he started off white male privilege cos dude was a freaking prince so didn't know any better but he learned and there was growth 🤷🏽‍♀️

Nope, I must hate Mon-El. And sure, when he came back from the future, he was better but…

HE LITERALLY OWNED SLAVES AND WAS THE PRINCE OF A PLANET OF SLAVE OWNERS

So I rest my case. Fuck Mon-El. He treated Kara like shit and never made up for it. Ship whoever you want, I have no problem but Kara/Mon-Ew shippers are some of the most toxic fucks out there

[violinist-rachel]

Rachel, did you love karl again

"H-huh?... Carl who...? Sagan...?" "I -hic -enjoyed watching his show growing up, but I haven't -hic- met him in person before..."

[frogyjones-writes]

heyyy, i really loved your chloe and rachel, and i was wonder if you can do the two of them with a fem reader and how it would be like cuddling with them. have fun writing this and thank you in advance!

AN: Heeey thank you sm! And ofc I'd love to do some cuddle headcanons, always up for those 🤍🧡

With Chloe it's you either cuddle, or you don't it really doesn't matter to her WHICH way you three are cuddling so long as she gets in on the action

That means she could really end up anywhere. Big spoon, little spoon, stuck in the middle, she's all for it.

Though, with these two, You're usually stuck in the middle. I mean REALLY stuck.

Chloe usually ends up falling asleep on you, always leaving behind some sort of drool. While Rachel watches the two of you with a real warm smile. Playing with your hair and all while you guys lounge about on a weekend.

Rachel usually prefers holding you or Chloe as the big spoon, to her it just feels nice to hold someone close to her front all snug in her arms.

It's a great vantage point for pecks on your forehead or the top of your head too. (Which you will receive plenty of by the way.)

If you ever end up being the one to fall asleep on them first they will most definitely transport you very delicately to your shared bed so your back doesn't hurt in the morning.

Morning cuddles are the best too, waking up beside the two of them is a feeling like no other and you're happy you have it all to yourself.

[sunriserose1023]

hey just wanted to say how much i like your writing!! the way you write dialogue especially is so sharp. reminds me of the same flow you see in that show Mrs Maisel! very clever, thank you for your work :)

I really needed this, sweet nonnie. I try really hard--and I mean REALLY hard-- to make my dialogue sections feel natural, so hearing this kind of validated me. I'm glad you enjoy my stuff and I really appreciate you dropping me this kind note.

[cuppa-noodle]

am I reading too much into it or is Tav and Rachel's nails the aroace and pan flags?

🌟

Yes, they are!

I put the black rings on the wrong finger.

I headcanon Tav as Aroace & Rachel as Asexual panromantic.

[yalster54]

Do you have a list of ur butch hcs?

errrrr I don't have like a specific list but based on vibes I can give u a couple. rachel is definitely butch to me like it's non negotiable at this point, I think they should bring back butch xuân partly cause I love her buzzed pink hair era. also dani (the image speaks for itself)

rahne is another one where she should just have a whole arc about coming out as a butch lesbian cause it would literally fix her character... that's all I can think of for now. I just think xmen should have more lesbians in general, there are only two which is crazy

[asavt]

back again!!! maybe mermay with rachel pkms? I forgot to comment but your traditional clothing with her was so gorgeous I love her in your style!!!!

Hello rachel anon~! I'm glad you liked that one!! Time for a new one!

gothic jelly......

[askmooncrew]

What are the mooncrew's favorite things to do when their bored?