#safi no chapter one

[sydmarch]

very confused by the chapter 4 ending

[mal3nko]

Cut Content from Double Exposure

So I mentioned a few days ago that my friend on Discord had dug through the files of DE and found quite a bit of interesting cut content from the game, so I decided to share some of it here since I feel like a lot of it is too interesting to not reveal to a wider demographic.

It’s pretty clear that Double Exposure had a very troubled development due to the fact that Deck Nine had to suffer through three rounds of layoffs (where it ended up losing both its lead writer AND narrative director almost a year and a half before the game actually released) which led to a lot of things being cut for time/budget. The game went through an absurd amount of directional changes in regard to its story, which is why the final game is…the way that it is, unfortunately.

So here I’ll be trying my best today to breakdown a lot of the interesting cut content me and my friend have managed to find, which also includes some pages from the official artbook that my friend managed to gather as well!

Max has a fully modeled bathroom…that we never see!

Fully modeled work/hobby room in Max’s house that we also never see (this was apparently suppose to show up in Chapter 4, as the screens are turned on)

There were originally two variations of the post-credit scene, endings A and B. Ending B is the one we have in the final game where Safi finds Diamond, but ending A would have depicted Reggie finding an unconscious Diamond who had collapsed while her nose bleeds, before she eventually gets up and runs off. Here is the dialogue from the files transcribed:

The chase scene with Safi at the end of Chapter 3 was heavily nerfed in the final game, as you would have originally chased her through the now cut hedge maze section, and it would have eventually led you to the abandoned Hellerton mansion (which also got cut, but more on that later)

Speaking of the scene with Safi at the end of chapter 3, we also found out that instead of her being shapeshifted as Max like she is in the final game, she would have instead been shapeshifted as whoever you didn’t romance in chapter 3. Basically, if you romanced Amanda, you would find Safi had broken into Max’s home shapeshifted as Vinh, and if you romanced Vinh, Safi would be found shapeshifted as Amanda. If you didn’t romance anyone (and I’m assuming if you romanced both?) then it would default to Safi being shapeshifted as Max like in the final game.

Scott Wilthe (free lance concept artist who works for Deck Nine) even posted the concept art of Safi shapeshifted as Amanda falling through the ice lake on his Twitter/X account a little while ago! https://x.com/swillhite100/status/1866881491277582518?s=61

(Looks like this Max romanced Vinh 🤭)

Me and my friend believe this was cut due to budget restraints as they wanted Amanda and Vinh’s actors to play their shapeshifted roles, but ended up just settling on Safi showing up as Max in the final game when that fell through.

My friend managed to find a lot of interesting discoveries from the official artbook, which showcase even more interesting changes to the story.

Max being confronted by a man wearing the Krampus mask.

Yeah, apparently there was going to be some sort of “Krampus killer” storyline at some point, and my friend personally believes that the killer was originally Vinh (😭). This is because there is concept art somewhere out there of the Krampus mask and its various designs labeled "vinhkrampusmasks”. I haven’t personally seen this concept art yet (my friend has seen more of the artbook than I have) so take this with a grain of salt I guess.

Now time for some of the different variations of the Caledon layout that constantly changed during development!

This is from the artbook, and note how there is no observatory in this version (it’s very hard to see so I apologize). The final game would never even work out on this map.

Caledon v9. Closer to final, but still with differences. See the old mansion on the left? That would have been the abandoned Hellerton mansion I mentioned previously. Remember the bridge you see at the end of Chapter 3 when you’re chasing Safi? That was where the mansion would have originally been.

Oh hey, it’s the cut hedge maze! (it was added relatively late, and removed just as quickly, most likely due to the constant changes in the development team).

There’s actually a lot more cut content to go over, but unfortunately tumblr has an image limit and I’m getting kinda tired writing all of this out so I think I’ll make a follow up post eventually going over the rest.

Hope whoever read all this found some of it interesting!

[cosmicwavelengths]

here's why i liked lis: double exposure

[DE SPOILERS BELOW] this is unpopular, but double exposure is overhated. even with the absence of pricefield and the incredibly weak ending (which is a huge sticking point to many people in this community), there's a lot of good things about DE that got overshadowed with hate. so here 's what i liked about it!

Hannah Telle, her voice acting was great as per usual and her nomination at the game awards was definitely deserved (even if she didn't win)

At the beginning of the game, if you right click to rewind, Max will say something like “old habits die hard” and that was a nice call back

Aged up Max, it was great playing as her again and I think the art team nailed her character design compared to how she looked in LIS1

Safi, Vinh, Amanda, Loretta, Moses, & Gwen were great characters

Someone Was Listening by dodie SLAPS, and the use of the song when Max shifts into the Living World for the first time was amazing

The VFX for Max’s timeline shift ability was sick, and the timeline shifting was fun to play with

Realistic animations and a great snowy environment- huge props to the art teams, I just wish we got to see more of it

Safi’s voice acting and motion capture overall, her actress did a great job

The one conversation at the start of Chapter 4 between Safi/Max talking about their powers

Detective Alderman showing what happens if you interact with the split timeline

The twist with Max holding the gun, that was chilling

The concert scene with Amanda was fun, and I liked going on the date with Vinh

The scene where Safi, Max, and Vinh expose Lucas (so deserved)

I loved the friendship between Safi and Max, I wish we got to see more of that before she died. Safi on her own is an interesting character and I’m interested to see what D9 does with her after this

The sequence where Max chases Max (Safi), it was such a rush it was exciting

Safi’s power in Chapter 5 freaking out and causing her to shapeshift into different people

The darkroom nightmare scene in Chapter 5, I was actually flipping out bc I was worried Jefferson was gonna jumpscare us

Moses and the gingerbread house scene was so emotional. It really showed how close he was to Safi.

Moses’ reaction to Max picking the ‘nerdy and dirty’ mug lmao

As with all the games, I liked reading the texts and Crosstalk messages. The journal was cool to read to see what happened after the events of LIS 1, but I wish it was as comprehensive as it was previously. But I chalk that up to Max being too busy to keep a proper journal

Also, it’s so nice to see Max as a professional, established photographer! I was worried she’d be doing other stuff and stepping away from photography, but it’s so cool to see her transform from a meek art student to an award winning photographer. Character progression wins!!!

[arcadiabaytornado]

Looks like they aren't continuing Pricefield. There's an opition where you say to Safi that "Chloe died" or that "Max and Chloe broke apart". The devs are so lazy and stupid

Yeah...I haven't talked Pricefield since the first two chapters released, and that's really because I don't really know what I want to say?

It was lowkey devastating to learn that the first WLW relationship I ever witnessed in media broke up off screen. However, I have always seen the faults in Max and Chloe's relationship and think a Pricefield breakup could have been depicted in an interesting way.

Yet, "interesting" isn't the way I would describe how it happens. It feels very lazy and like they wanted Chloe to go away as soon as possible so they could get on with telling their story. I think the first scene we have with Amanda being RIGHT after we learn about the Pricefield breakup is a good example of this...but by full admittance my life has been busy the last week and I haven't gotten to really analyze DE, so take that as you will.

There are also multiple aspects of the breakup that I just don't like... Like....what do you mean after all they went through Chloe broke up with Max over a LETTER? Chloe didn't owe Max a relationship, but they couldn't have even had one last "hashing it out" conversation?And the Chloe/Victoria thing genuinely feels like fanfiction that I think was meant to be fan service??

So, I guess what I have to say is "I don't love the break up in general, but it's made more offensive by the fact that it's not even an interesting break up." However, there are still three more chapters incoming, so hopefully it'll be more fleshed out then. And I would vey much like to add a "Please don’t bother the DE writers who need a paycheck and very likely didn’t have unlimited control of creative process anyway." statement because as much as I don't like where DE went in terms of Pricefield, I still don't wish any ill on the team who worked on the game. It's never that serious.

[annymation]

The Kingdom of Wishes- A “Wish” Rewrite

Chapter 6- And The Star Answered

Chapter 5

She stopped, her arm was being held back by a large hand.

Asha’s heart was beating as fast as a hummingbird’s wings.

She didn’t want to look back, she was too afraid to look and see the king’s face-

“Asha… We were all waiting for you. Are you okay?”

That wasn’t the king’s voice, it was a gentle and genuinely worried voice, that was

“… Simon?”

Asha turned around, and sure enough, Simon was holding her arm.

And Asha’s other 6 friends were by his side, they were all very worried about her.

“Why are you crying? What happened in there??” Hal rushed over to dry her tears.

“Did you just break out of the dungeon?!? By yourself?!? How did you do that???” Gabo tripped over his words

“For the LAST TIME, GABO! They would NEVER throw Asha in a dungeon for just raising her voice at them, they’re too nice for that!” Dahlia explained like that was just common sense.

And in any other kingdom, yeah it probably would be common sense, but Asha knew that wasn’t the case in Rosas.

Knowing what she knows now.

“Everyone please, let's all calm down and go talk somewhere quieter, then Asha can tell us what happened” Bazeema chimed in meekly

But Asha didn’t want to calm down and talk, no, she wanted to be alone, she was in no condition to talk with anyone.

“I- I gotta go! I can’t talk with you guys right now…”

She tried to run away again but Simon kept holding her arm, not in a way that hurted though

“Why? We just wanna help. Did they say something that made you upset?” Simon asked very concerned

Dario ran to be in front of Asha so she could see him signing to her “We’re with you on this, you did the right thing speaking up about your grandpa’s wish”

Her friends kept talking all at the same time over each other

But Asha's mind was somewhere else

How can she explain this to them?

“I- I understand wanting to be alone, Asha, I really do, but you’re clearly under a lot of stress” Bazeema stammered through her words.

That everything they've known was a lie…

“You can count on us, we’ll always be on your side” Dahlia tried to soothe her best friend

Would they even believe it?

“Just breathe, we know you didn’t do anything wrong” said Safi

And if they did, then what? They’re just a group of teens, it’s not like there’s anything they can do.

“You’ve always been there for us, so we are NOT leaving your side till you’re feeling better” Hal said determined

Asha is in danger because she knows the king’s secret, she CAN’T risk putting her friends in danger too

Gabo was the only one who didn’t look worried, he was angry, not at Asha, but at the two monarchs who made his best friend cry

“Was that narcissistic dolt rude to you?! If so, I’mma get in that castle RIGHT NOW and give him a piece of my min-“

“NO!” Asha screamed “WHATEVER YOU DO, DONT TALK TO THEM!” She was scared out of her mind.

Asha’s friends were startled, they finally went silent

Asha lowered her voice but kept trying to struggle out of Simon’s grip

“I- I’m sorry. Simon, please, let go of me— I gotta go”

“Go where!?” Dahlia asked

“I- i’ll be fine, really, I just need to be alone for a while, okay?”

Simon, for the first time since the day he gave away his wish 3 years ago, raised his voice:

“I’m not letting go till you tell us what you did!”

… What SHE did?…

Asha looked at him straight in the eyes, no longer just sad and scared, but also angry

“You wanna know what happened so badly?! What happened is that THEY WON’T GRANT MY WISH AT ALL!”

She stepped on Simon’s foot.

He let go of her.

She ran, pushing Dario and Safi out of her way in the process

“ASHA WAIT!!!” Dahlia screamed

Hal, Dario and Gabo started running after her, but of course Gabo threw one last piece of sass while running

“VICTIM BLAMING huh Simon?? Because THAT’S definitely the best way to calm down your crying friend! Great job buddy!” He said sarcastically and angrily to Simon while he ran after Asha.

(Gabo spitting facts)

All the others who stayed behind look sad, but Simon looks the saddest.

Asha can hear her friends calling her as she runs away from the castle, but she keeps running without looking back

Dario, Hal and Gabo eventually lose sight of her.

As Asha runs she keeps seeing the royals faces literally everywhere.

All her life that felt natural, why wouldn’t the people of Rosas want to paint their beloved rulers faces on the floors, walls and have statues of them everywhere?

But now, now that she knows who they really are, seeing how the people are obsessed with them is terrifying.

Eventually, after A LOT of running, she leaves the kingdom

She reaches the forest

Valentino is hopping after her with his little baby goat legs

Tears are running down her face non stop

Asha felt trapped, hopeless, desperate

She knew that by morning “her wish” will be granted

And she’ll lose her free will, her friends and her own sense of self

The king and queen will steal all of that from her and there’s nothing she can do about it.

Eventually she trips and falls on the floor

We get a shot similar to this one from Snow White

She sobs in the darkness

Valentino is now next to her, trying to help her feel better by licking her hand

That actually helps her a little, at least she’s not completely alone

She sits down and Valentino comes lay down on her lap

(Seriously little things like this make Valentino MILES better than he was in the movie, movie Valentino didn’t do ANYTHING to help Asha emotionally)

She starts petting him and takes some deep breaths

“Should I have told them?” She asks Valentino “... I wanted to, but– then what? It's not like there's anything we can do to stop them, we're just some teens…”

Valentino interrupts her bleating loudly, with a frustrated expression

She finally smiles a little bit “Right, some teens and a goat hehe…” she pets Valentino some more, her look becomes distant again “… I don’t know what to do…”

She feels a turmoil of emotions that she can’t put into words

And what does a Disney protagonist does when emotions are too strong for words?

… They sing

Sooo yeah, here’s my version of This Wish, enjoy!

Purple lines are Asha, of course

Orange is my commentary and describing what’s going on in the scene

Should’ve listened to my own instincts

No time to cry for what could have been

If I could show them everything I've seen

Open their eyes to all the lies then

Would they believe in me or in them?

(Asha begins singing still laying on the floor, she takes her sketchbook and at "Would they believe in me or in THEM" we see a drawing of the king and queen, she sketched them a few times since there's images of them all over Rosas so she might as well practice drawing poses using their likeness, right?)

Cause’ when I speak, they tell me, "Sit down"

But how can I when I've already started runnin'?

All I wanted to do

Was grant my wish on my own

But now that wish’s stolen and, I am all alone

(So when she sings "Started running" she gets up. And she walks through the forest, she's looking down as she walks looking very sorrowful)

So I look up at the stars to guide me

For I know they can send me a sign

If knowing what it could be is what drives me

Then let me be the first to stand in line

(“THROWING CAUTION TO EVERY WARNING SIGN”IS SUCH A WEIRD LYRIC AND IT COULD’VE BEEN FIXED SO EASILY! I NEVER STUDIED MUSIC WRITING IN MY LIFE AND I THOUGHT ABOUT THAT REPLACEMENT IN A SECOND WTF DISNEY!?)

(*ahem* so anyway, she looks up, now recollecting her hopes but... Once she looks up, there are no stars in the sky, because she's deep in the forest and all she sees are the tree leaves... So this is Asha's goal in this song, she's looking for a star to wish upon, she's trying to get out of the darkness)

So I make this wish

Asking us for freedom, hope and bliss

So I make this wish

To have something more for us than this

(She keeps walking while looking up, searching for any star to be wished upon.)

(Now let me break down my personal favorite change here "Freedom, hope and bliss" these three words summarizes everything Asha wants for herself and everyone else: Freedom for herself, now that she knows the royals intend to imprison her, and also freedom for everyone else that is having their wishes changed; Hope, because she wants the people of Rosas to have hope that they can achieve their own wishes without the king's help; And bliss, the joy that comes with achieving your own desires, she wants that for herself and everyone else)

(As she sings the last line, she steps on a field of grass and some fireflies start floating around her)

Hey, yeah, yeah, yeah

Hey, yeah, yeah, yeah, ah-ah

More than this, oh-ah-ah-ah

(The fireflies fly all around her and her smile returns to her face, as she regains a little bit of hope, she sings "More than this" with her hands on her chest)

For many years they’ve been fooling us all

Yeah, they said “We’ll protect you” while being our downfall

Now what’s a girl like me supposed to do?

How do you fight a king and queen? oh and they’ve got magic too!

(We have a bit of a time skip with Asha still walking around the forest, but as she does so she's flipping through the pages of her sketchbook, and tearing off all the ones that have sketches of King Magnifico and Queen Amable. She looks at each one angrily and crumbles the pages in her hands (I'll excuse littering this one time because the girl is going through the 7 stages of grief and is currently at anger))

And all I've got is reservations and hesitations

On where I should even begin

I'm past dipping my toes in

But I'm not, no, I'm not past diving in

If I could just be pointed in any given direction

On where to go and what to do

My legs are shaking, but my head's held high

The way you always taught me to

(Yeah no changes for this verse, it’s fantastically fitting for my rewrite, and the best part of the song in my opinion. As she’s walking in the woods she encounters many different paths, she looks at all of them unsure on which one to choose. She trusts her gut and picks one of them. Asha run through this path she chose and then… She finds the tree she and her grandfather used to sit on and wish upon the stars together)

So I look up at the stars to guide me

For I know they WILL send me a sign

I'm sure there will be challenges that find me

But I can take them on one at a time

(Her heart swells, she’s full of hope as she runs to that tree knowing without a doubt in her mind that she’ll get a sign on what to do. She climbs the tree determined, and upon reaching the top, she sees it, the first star she sees tonight.)

So I make this wish

Asking us for freedom, hope and bliss

So I make this wish

To have something more for us than this

(The star she’s looking at is not very bright at all, is barely noticeable in the vast night sky full of other brighter ones, but THAT little one is the one she chooses, and she puts all her heart on the wish she’s making to this star)

Hey, yeah, yeah, yeah (so I make this wish)

Hey, yeah, yeah, yeah, ah-ah (to have something more)

More than this, oh, ah-ah-ah

So I make this wish

To have something more for us than this

The song ends.

We see the night sky... and suddenly... The tiny star that Asha was looking at starts getting brighter, bigger, until it's light engulfs the entire sky.

Asha closes her eyes.

The light proceeds to shine upon all the kingdom of Rosas, and everyone that is touched by that light is overtaken by a pleasant feeling of joy and warmth.

It's very faint, but if you listen closely you can hear the sound of a laughter, the most energetic and youthful laughter you can imagine.

We cut back to Asha, who notices that the light is getting... closer.

And it looks like a big ball of light.

Coming directly in her direction at high speed.

She screams as she quickly grabs Valentino and jumps off the tree branch to get cover.

The bright light passes flying over them and landing deep into the forest. A few animals run away from the place of impact.

Asha is laying down on the grass. Obviously VERY shocked.

Valentino is under her, excitedly trying to get out to check out what that was.

"... As if this day couldn't get any crazier, I almost get hit by a meteor... On my birthday " She's quite done with all of these emotions for the day. She stands up and starts dusting herself off "Come on Val, we better go before... Whatever THAT was starts a forest fire..."

(Any other Disney protagonist would be like "oooh whats that?" and answer the call to adventure, but our girl already had enough adventure for a life time and we are not even in the second act yet ladies and gentleman)

Asha had her eyes closed while she dusted herself off, so she didn't realize that while she was talking Valentino was already happily hopping to the source of the light

She looks to where Valentino was a second ago, aaaaand he's gone

"... Valentino?"

"Maaaa! Maaa! Maaaa"

She heard Valentino's bleating getting farther and farther away... Honestly what was she expecting?

"NO! VALENTINO!! Bad goat! We don't touch stuff that comes from space! IT BURNS!!!" She runs after him.

(Oh it's gonna burn you alright)

...

(Okay I knooooow ya'll are gonna hate me for this but... *sigh*)

We cut to the villains POV

Magnifico is getting ready to use his magic to open the tower's celling, thus releasing all the wishes to be granted that night.

But he stops when he realizes... The room is getting brighter.

He looks out the window and sees it, the light engulfing his whole kingdom.

He stares at it in shock

Once the light fades away, Magnifico is gazing out the window. His face no longer visible.

We hear the BLAM of a door opening violently, the queen is running towards her husband wearing a night gown, her long hair is loose.

"What on earth was that light?!” She speaks loudly, firm and precise, confident that her husband will know the answer.

Magnifico is, for the first time since they've met, not paying attention to her...

Nah his mind is somewhere else entirely.

He looks at the horizon trying to remember something, like a memory he has been repressing but now he really REALLY needs it...

Amaya notices his distant gaze and becomes worried "... Mi rei? Is everything alright?… You think it might be a threat?"

He keeps staring at nothing until suddenly…

He starts mumbling a poem, as if he's remembering the words as he speaks:

“Shining guide of old

Guiding hearts

As bright as gold

To a desire far too grand

To be granted by a mortal hand”

“… EXCUSE ME?!?” Amaya is now even more lost, what’s he talking about?

Magnifico proceeds to the next verse ignoring his wife’s reaction… It’s like he’s trying really hard to remember the whole thing.

“With hair like light

And eyes like prism

That see the truth

And speak through rhythm”

"Darling, what is this nonsense? You're scaring me" She sounds, for the first time in the story, genuinely scared

"Do not fret, they mean no harm

As all they bring is joy and warmth

So if you see the sUN AT NIGHT

KNOW A WISHING STAR IS CLOSE IN SIGHT"

He remembered. A sun at night. That was it.

He turned to his wife with the smile of a mad man.

"I KNEW IT!" He starts laughing maniacally as he lifts her up in his arms and starts twirling around the room

Amaya is not in the mood for his romantic acts at the moment tho

"PUT ME DOWN! WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS???" She usually loves her husband's eccentricities but this is too much even for him

He puts her down and tries to calm himself, still laughing while holding her by the shoulders "Forgive me my love, but you have no idea what a joyous occasion this is!"

"Well, perhaps I would if you stopped and explained to me" She’s out of patience.

"Listen. I know what that light was, I've grew up with stories about what it means, it's a sign that a being with power beyond our imagination has arrived in our kingdom" He explains like it's the most amazing thing that has ever happened to them.

Her eyebrows raise "... In what WORLD that's a joyous occasion?!"

"Oh but you misunderstand my queen, that power can be OURS… if we play our cards right." A sinister grin forms on his face "I just need to find one of my father’s old books, so I may recall the spell to absorb the being’s power"

That get's her attention "I see... But what exactly is that being?"

"… A Star" He says it in whisper as he starts walking out the room, his steps become quicker the closer he gets to the door "You may go to bed without me darling, it will take me all night to find that blasted book, but it’ll be worth it!"

"ALL NIGHT?! But, darling I-"

But he already left the room

"Oh this is going to be GREAT, just you wait my beldam! Sweet dreams!"

His voice gets farther and farther away as he runs down the stairs

Leaving a very perplexed and alone queen in the wishes room.

Magnifico won't be granting any wishes tonight.

(*phew* okay at least the scene with them is brief and it builds up Aster more with the poem... Btw did you guys like the poem? I think it turned out pretty sweet)

So we cut back to Asha's POV

Valentino pops out of some bushes, he's a few feet away from the source of the light

Asha finally catches him

"GOTCHA! HAha-" She sees what fell from the sky. It a blob of light and sparkly dust that shifts and moves around... Like it's trying to take shape "oh… wow"

She picks Valentino in her arms slowly while still staring in awe to the mysterious light.

"This is... Definitely NOT a meteor... We better go, this thing might be dan-"

A hand pops out of the light and grabs the floor.

Asha get's startled by that and hides behind the bushes.

She watches as the light keeps changing shape, she's scared but she's also... Curious.

The light forms a second arm, and then, with now both arms, it starts using them to shape the rest of itself, like a it's playing with clay.

After trying a few different body types the light takes the shape of a 5 feet tall skinny young individual, but yet with no features.

the now "teenager shaped" light starts to manifest clothes on his body, a black outfit reminiscent of something Asha would often see a prince wear in her fairytale books when she was little.

Then a large cape emerges from his back, flowing in the air with a trail of stardust underneath it.

His whole body starts coloring itself, his skin is no longer made of light, he has tan brown skin.

The only part of them that is still emitting light is his hair, that dances around slightly like the flame of a candle.

After ALL that (that would probably be a pretty quick transformation sequence, think of it like in Steven universe when the gems reform) he is now floating with his back turned to Asha, who is still hiding behind the bushes.

Asha is staring at all this no longer scared but more so intrigued, she looks closer and she realizes that somehow the boy looks like... A drawing... A moving drawing

He is 2D while everything else is animated in 3D

The being then finally speaks, while stretching their whole body:

"WOOOAH HAHAHA Okayyyyy I definitely underestimated how high up I was hahah!" It's a voice full of energy, like they can't contain their excitement, he stretches himself out some more as if to get used to their new form "Wow that was a rough landing hehehe but hey! Not too bad for my first time!"

(I picture him being voiced by Jordan Fisher but you're free to picture any voice you'd like)

The young man is gleefully laughing to himself.

He seems distracted enough for Asha to run away, so she get's up holding Valentino.

But almost as soon as she turns around she's now face to face with the boy flying above her, he's upside down. He gazes at her with bright eyes that seem to sparkle like the night sky and smiling ear to ear.

"Hi there! I heard you cal-"

"AAAAH!!!"

Asha backs away and accidentally let's go of Valentino. The goat prepares to jump on star to attack him with his little baby goat horns

"Woah woah buddy it's alright, I'm here to help-"

Aaaaand I'll just let this piece of concept art speak for itself:

"hahHAAHA that tickled" The star says while he's reforming himself back to his original shape.

Valentino looks upset that his attempt to protect Asha didn't work.

The star notices that and tries to make him feel better "Hey don't be sad, I'm sure you can land a hit on me, come on try again!" He says genuinely, like a big brother trying to be encouraging.

Valentino does try again, and this time the star makes himself fall on the floor upon being hit "OOH I've been defeated oh nooo hehehe" He says playfully while lifting Valentino up in his arms, whose now very proud of himself.

Asha watches all of this play out and she goes from scared to endeared by the boy's child like demeanor with Valentino, it's pretty obvious now that he means no harm.

She approaches them slowly looking down on the boy playing with her goat. She's still unsure what to expect but she really wants to understand what this is all about, what he is all about.

The star notices her approaching and stops playing with the goat, they gaze up to her with a beaming smile. Now Valentino is just bleating while standing on his chest like he's asking to play more.

It's an interesting contrast that now he's the one who's bellow gazing up to her, when a few minutes ago she was the one looking up to wish upon them.

"H-hi there" This time it's Asha's turn to say it, she gives the star a little wave.

He seems surprised upon hearing her voice, like it's the first time they hear a voice from up close... Well, because it is, this is the first time a human speaks directly to them... and its HER voice.

A few flowers start growing and blooming around where he's laying down. He realizes that and just reacts with a:

"Huh... Didn't know I could do this... Wonder what else can I do" The star says that second part in a whisper.

The star get's up with Valentino in his arms and hands him back to Asha

"I'm awfully sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you." He notices a firefly flying close to Asha and starts trying to catch it, he’s flying around but still explaining the situation to her

She’s just watches them trying to catch the firefly kinda amused, it’s cute how easily distracted he is.

"See, I just got so thrilled when I heard you calling me that I completely forgot I had to choose what shape I’d take BEFORE I landed here heh heh that was weird, wasn't it?" The star manages to catch the firefly in his hands, his smiles widens as they look at the little bug closely, he’s fascinated by it.

"... Called you? I didn't call you, I don't even know your name" Asha says while studying him with her eyes, she's mostly amazed that he looks like a drawing but at the same time has dimension to him.

The star turns to her in surprise, like she just reminded him of something really important

"Oh yeah! I need a name, don't I? Hmmm" They ponder a little bit like he's deciding "I think I'll call myself... Aster, yeah that sounds nice, and fitting too since it means star." He says casually, looking around as they speak.

Aster starts flying around the woods, wanting to take a closer look at each little detail with wonder in their eyes, but still speaking to Asha, who’s watching him fly around amazed by the sight

"And of course you called me! You looked at me and wished for more, to yourself and your people, remember?”

Aster starts flying faster and faster, we see a trail of star dust coming out of his cape, leaving waves of light around the woods. He speaks louder so Asha can still hear:

“I'm so glad you wished upon me out of everyone else by the way! Thank you!... You were the first to do so in a while" Aster speaks that last line with a subtle hint of pain in his voice, but he’s still smiling.

Asha starts out very confused by what he's saying but slowly starts to connect the dots, her eyes widen and her jaw drops once the realization hits her.

"Wait hold on, you're- Are you telling me you’re a... A star?!" She exclaims in awe with a wide smile on her face.

Aster flies back to Asha and stops above her head, floating upside down

“You guessed it!”

Chapter 7

Final Thoughts

THIS CHAPTER TOOK ME SO LONG TO GET IT RIGHT!! Not only because I wanted it to be perfect but also because I've been so busy these past few days!

ASTER IS SUCH A SWEETIE I LOVE MY BOY SO MUCH!!! FIRST THING HE DOES IS PLAY WITH VALENTINO AND THAT IMMEDIATELY MAKES ASHA WARM UP TO HIM BECAUSE HOW CAN YOU NOT TRUST A GUY THAT PLAYS WITH BABY ANIMALS?!

Also Aster forgetting that he had to manifest a human like appearance before crashing down on earth is the equivalent of you going for your first day on a job NAKED and then you dress up there in front of your boss, like the boy is THAT excited to get there.

Did you catch that Aster quoted two Disney characters? He made a few flowers bloom and said “What else can I do” like Isabela from Encanto, and then he said “I’m awfully sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you” which is a line Prince Phillip says in Sleeping Beauty when he meets Aurora, expect a lot more references like these coming from him. He’s not gonna speak only in Disney quotes all the time but I’ll sprinkle some references in his dialogue here and there.

And speak of him SPEAKING I might make a whole blog explaining why Jordan Fisher is hands down the best choice to voice an embodiment of magic and joy, because that man is not only AN AMAZING SINGER but also just the sweetest person alive, and he’s so underrated! If you don’t know him then look him up on Spotify or YouTube, but here’s an example of him singing: https://youtu.be/KsRi-Aj9fQs?si=RRI8Jvy7AT9EA5_u

It still cracks me up how my version of Magnifico is literally a fun house mirror version of movie Magnifico.

Like Movie Mag was like “oooh noo, what was th-that scary light😣? Someone threatened meee 🥺 I’m so scared I’m gonna use dark magic even though I’m not even sure if it was a bad thiiiing” while my Magnifico is like “*recites mysterious poem* LETS GOOOO AMAYA LETS GOOOOOOO!!! THATS WHAT IM TALKING ABOUT THATS WHAT IVE BEEN WAITING FOR WOOOOOO!! *leaves with no explanation*” like what a chad. And I don’t even have to explain how Movie and Amaya and Queen Amable are opposites because come on.

I reallyyyy hope you guys enjoyed this little taste of Aster I’ve gave here, because next chapter will be aaaaall about them and Asha, so look forward to that! And as always

Thank You For Reading!

[langfield]

do you think vinh was actually in love with safi? i know he starts doubting that he ever was in chapter 5, but if he wasn’t actually in love what do you think his true feelings for her were? emotional attachment maybe? on safi’s side, i think it’s interesting how even after knowing about vinh’s statement about maya she still decides to hook up with him for a time (only to eventually stop sometime prior to the game?? maybe they had another falling out idk). their relationship in general is just very fascinating to me lmao.

god, the safi-vinh dynamic is certainly one filled with intrigue because of all the intense emotions attached to the people within it ; aimed at each other and also at the bystanders whom haunted around their not so defined relationship. there’s just so much baggage attached to them, you know? mostly painful things and a general sense of betrayal or regret, creating a potion of this general wishy washy bullshit that’s hard to parse through … more so in safi’s case than vinh’s, but i’ll touch upon that later! as for your question about vinh and his true feelings, well.

maybe he was in love with safi once upon a time. maybe the fact he believed that he was in love with her is really all that matters. i suppose it depends on what your definition of romantic love and utter devotion is. it’s undeniable he cared fiercely for safi, enough so to become jealous of max ( safi’s object of obsession ), swear off serious relationships in hope she’d want him back, and to engage in a general meddling within her life to make sure she comes out of situations as unscathed as possible. i mean, he schemes to steal a cow skull and then proceeds to throw it through her windshield in an attempt to save yasmin’s and safi’s relationship … it is very extra of him to do, in fact it’s a literal crime, and the game has both max and safi acknowledge the intensity of said action in episode four. we see the memory of the hedgehog he proudly displays on his desk, the carelessness in which safi treats it, her ‘i’ll buy you another one if it breaks’, and how vinh simpers beneath that offer because he doen’t want a new one, he wants this one, the one safi gave him : a gift that was likely unprompted, some sort of surprise maybe, given to him on a whim and cherished better than any other possession he owns. we also see how he breaks it when she dies. then there’s photos upon photos of safi on his phone and it’s implied he takes pictures after they sleep together and -- that isn’t even touching upon how he practically gives up on himself after her death. the mask drops, he starts trying to branch out and find acting gigs elsewhere, wanting to leave caledon forever, and there’s a sense of raw anger and loneliness he feels when she’s gone. he stops hooking up and pushes everyone away besides max, whom he clings to, and it’s a lot, right? there’s love there. obsession, probably. in many ways he’s still the ‘puppy’ following safi around like gwen said, only without maya this time. he waits and stews and he wants, certainly, for her to love him … but was it purely romantic love? who’s to say!

i think vinh wanted safi as his girlfriend before, maybe when things weren’t so tense, and he still believed that fiercely even when he stopped wanting it. i don’t think he knew where his feelings started to dwindle into something less excited and more resigned, or when he started looking for someone else. his priority remained with safi and with yasmin and thus there wasn’t a lot of time to dissect his heart, a rather vulnerable act he already struggles with anyway. he’s a repressive sort of man. he doesn’t do a lot of introspection because he has an act to maintain, a reputation to follow. but i do believe that by the time double exposure takes place, vinh’s love for safi has indeed shifted because his attraction to max veers on something that isn’t purely sexual. there is an undeniable interest, both in dead and living world, that he’s either embracing or squirming away from … i do not think vinh had many crushes at all when he was in love with safi. i don’t think he allowed himself that luxury, because he didn’t want to move on from her, or put himself off the market in case she wanted him again, in bed or in some profound, loving sense. lots of waiting. lots of surrendering, ‘she’ll come around, we’ll make up’, and hoping despite himself. so his romance with max proves to me that vinh is somewhat right in saying ‘or i thought i was’ when talking about safi and being in love with her, because he was before, but he isn’t exactly in love with her now, if that makes sense? i’d say an emotional attachment is a good title for what they have by the time of the games events.

( i do not wish to diminish vinh’s feelings, but i also think there’s a case to be made that he was rather desperate when he thought himself in love with safi ; there was a lot of insecurity within him back when he was a student, weighed down by the fact he was poor and not your standard run-of-the-mill white man … as an adult he scoffs at his acting abilities and wields his power as head of abraxas with a rather tight fist, as though it’s the only control he’s ever had before. it’s rather clear his only two friends were safi and maya and that vinh hasn’t had any since them -- was desperate to stay on their heels despite the fact he was never really apart of whatever they had. it’s not a stretch to speculate that vinh was, perhaps, a cocktail mix of loneliness and desperation rather than strictly in love with safi. maybe confused his all-consuming need to be around her as desire, or maybe just enjoyed feeling wanted by safi enough to mix his wires. after all, why was it safi he was in love with and not maya? vinh also uses sex as a means of coping, as seen by his rather active sex life in game via hookup apps and reggie, so maybe his sex with safi was just that. coping. in it’s own way. regardless, he did love her, or so he thinks so, and to me i think that’s enough, speculation aside )

safiya’s side of things is much more difficult than vinh’s, who is more obvious about his feelings towards her than he thinks he is. there are some brief contradictions, like how it’s stated that safi doesn’t care for vinh ( which is true ) and yet she also acknowledges that when she split apart and lost herself, all that was left of her was moses, lucas, gwen, and vinh. we know that moses and gwen matter to safi, or mattered, and that at one point safi might’ve admired lucas … so where does that leave vinh? if she doesn’t hate him like gwen or lucas now, and if she doesn’t cherish him like moses or max, why is he still apart of her? what does that mean? is it just a metaphor for their times with maya, and how safi will always be connected to that past with vinh because of her love for the caledon’s personal dead girl? was her sleeping with vinh about maya too? or did she actually care for vinh once, albeit weakly and casually, and did that fleeting moment of affection count when she vanished into everyone who’s ever thoroughly affected her life? and, as you said, it’s so fascinating that she hooks up with vinh at all post maya death … it feels strange and odd and unlike her. even in their intimate picture together after fooling around she is nothing but angry, disinterested, her underwear and bra are already back on ( if they were ever off at all? ) and while that’s on account of safi just hating photos, i also think it’s a testament to how irritable she finds vinh’s presence when stuck in it. it’s not a happy photo really, even vinh’s expression is a little red-eyed, forced, like he was likely wasted the night prior. i wouldn’t be surprised if safi was only able to be with vinh if she was … you know … literally out of her mind drunk or high or what have you.

though, that’s just speculation of course. my vague take on things is that safi went to vinh whenever she was partied out or if she was feeling particularly destructive that day ; choked with self loathing over her mom or maya and so sex with vinh was a means for her to feel even worse. some sort of self harm, some sort of outlet where she could be particularly cruel and evil without consequence, because vinh would take it and roll over -- could even be her way of controlling things too, like vinh with abraxas, because we know vinh has no issues with being led around in the bedroom, so that’s some food for thought. i don’t think she thinks about it after or remembers it much … she really doesn’t think about vinh unless it suits her or if she needs to. i always notice how, in episode four, safiya immediately knows what max is talking about when she asks if safi’s ever transformed into amanda, gwen, or lucas. she owns up immediately, confesses, and understands intimately what situation max is referring to. but when max asks about vinh and the phone, there is a brief moment where safi just stares blankly at her -- like she’s thinking about it, like she doesn’t even remember, before it finally clicks after a beat. either she wears vinh’s metaphorical skin a lot ( which, to be fair, she does pretend to be vinh a lot in game ) or she literally thinks of him so little she’ll forget everything about him in minutes. both are likely! she doesn’t even recall what type of alcohol he likes, calling it bougie japanese brandy ‘or whatever’ … and can’t be assed to remember his phone’s pin number exactly, only vague details about a magician scientist that she clearly thought was boring and lame when vinh told her said story, if her hostility and complete forgetfulness is anything to go by. for me, it’s easy to get caught up in a ‘safi did care! she had to!’ angle about vinh, although the game repeatedly shows you over and over again that she does not. she doesn’t even care that max kissed him really, if anything, she’s more jealous of vinh being with max given some of her remarks :

( i know, technically, safi’s ‘come again?’ is more nervous than jealous per se … but there is a certain air to it, especially given the ‘i can be your new boyfriend’ comment as seen above lol. if she loves max and doesn’t care for vinh, i can only imagine how she’d feel about their romance in particular! )

and, of course, there’s that part in episode four where safi can disguise herself as vinh in order to tear lucas a new one. i enjoy that part for many reasons! seeing how safi feels so much more comfortable in someone else’s skin than her own is fascinating and makes for good foreshadowing … but there is also the reveal of her opinions on vinh, unabashed and shameless, when she is finally giving him an ounce of thought :

it’s interesting! she doesn’t care for him, really, doesn’t loathe him like lucas or gwen or her own mother, but there’s a level of vitriol regardless. she thinks him fake. she thinks him a coward. she thinks he’s scared of facing consequences and that he only acts in his own self interest and she hates every bit of that. while safi can confess to doing maya wrong and hating herself for it, she never allows vinh that same courtesy. even says as much to max, claiming that only she had the humanity to regret her choice while vinh apparently didn’t. and yet … she doesn’t hate him? doesn’t feel strongly towards him? he’s still apart of her, a large part, and she can get along with him fine on crosstalk if she so pleases and she can hate his guts but, when the raw truth is revealed, she apparently feels nothing towards him at all? it is fascinating to think about is all. how she doesn’t wish him dead but doesn’t care if he’s alive either despite everything they’ve been through, even though she hates gwen and lucas and her mother more. it’s rather mean, though that’s what makes it so complex and interesting. it shows that safi only ever cares ( and oh, does she care fiercely, obsessively ) for a very slim group of people, and that when push comes to shove, everyone else can fend for themselves for all she cares. she would protect moses and max in a heartbeat, without thought, and the piece of her within them tries valiantly to keep them safe by locking them away from the world ( another thing to dissect, certainly! ), but she doesn’t really extend such empathy towards the innocents caught in her crossfire. she may be tormenting lucas and gwen specifically, but everyone else was going to be collateral damage and safi was fine with that. at least a little bit. vinh falls in that category of inevitable damage, i think, despite their closeness and despite their history, and you can tell that’s what really wounds him at the end of things. safi couldn’t even torment him, didn’t have the want or energy to do so, he was valiantly apart of her and safi didn’t even care about that. very interesting! it’s also heartbreaking in many ways to see two people who should’ve been able to lean on each other, who should’ve loved one another, be nothing but strangers at the end of things. an example of how tragedy doesn’t always bring people closer. sometimes it drives you worlds apart from the one you should be grieving with, which can be seen in other life is strange games, most notably with chloe and joyce, i think.

anyway! tldr : it’s complicated and worth exploring. there are many ways you can interpret their relationship and i highly encourage everyone to find what angle is most interesting to them! and i don’t blame you for finding their dynamic fascinating because it’s easily one of my favorites in double exposure … i don’t think of it often, but it’s always lingering in the back of my mind. regardless, i hope this word vomit is helpful! if i brought up more questions than answers, i do apologize. but thank you so much for such a fun question <3 it was an absolute blast, and tickled my brain enough to pump this out asap.

[saintmeghanmarkle]

Meghan Markles Partner Charity Sued for Discrimination and Workplace Bullying by u/LilibuttDumbarton

Meghan Markle’s Partner Charity Sued for Discrimination and Workplace Bullying Meghan Markle's partner charity, Girls Inc., was sued for discrimination and workplace bullying. The foundation serves to empower underprivileged girls through various forms of social and educational support. Although the Worcester, Massachusetts chapter settled the case in 2023, the former POC employee, Gemelee DePasquale, alleged a toxic workplace. Claims included micromanaging based on the belief that she was a "diversity hire" and was less competent than her White predecessor. She was also screamed at for working on a project that was previously approved.An existing Change.Org petition to hold the board accountable is still active and has a list of victim testimonies. At least 30 instances of abuse by the chapter’s CEO and COO against staff and program participants are documented in detail and not only support the legal filing, but mimic Markle’s own bullying tactics. One person states:Black women and girls in this organization have been undervalued and used as props. Our images used to portray an image of Faux inclusivity.Quotes and statistics about black girls posted on the organization's social media and websites are all superficial, never really intended to be inclusive. If it wasn't related to some sort of press The CEO couldn't be bothered. The COO cruelty is calculated and intentional. I have never in my life met anybody so hellbent on being awful. She felt more like a Prison Warden than a COO. Most people's reactions to kids isn't to automatically assume the worst in them But here it is a culture.This is most especially true for the black kids.Girls Inc. Worcester is a place where bully culture and racism thrive. In no way will anyone working there or attending a program be empowered, emboldened or feel strong.The other testimony from staff and participants follow Markle's pattern of abuse: Pitting staff against each other, forcing them to take on too much work, forcing them to start their day early or end their day late, comments on physical appearance, high staff turnover, and more.The chapter CEO was forced to retire last year and the credible accusations were swept under the rug. Beyond the board reshuffling, no one was held responsible for the abuse inflicted on employees and participants. The Duchess of Sussex is a bully and this organization is the perfect fit for her. She failed to properly vet the collaborating organization and threw her weight behind them. In the past, Archewell associated with Jennifer Freed (of Aha! Santa Barbara), a child psychologist who lost her license for covering up SA, Safi Rauf (from the Human First Coalition) who misused funds intended for refugees, and Allen Onyema (Peace Air) who was indicted in the US for bank fraud, and Nigerian King Oba Abdulrasheed Adewale Akanbi, who was twice deported from the US and convicted of fraud. Petitionhttps://https://ift.tt/UBVTonZ https://ift.tt/xSJZACt testimonies archived from the petition https://ift.tt/PJQOyez settled https://ift.tt/ZszUmKv https://ift.tt/mHFfhaK about Gemelee’s complaint https://ift.tt/wzj1sIn https://ift.tt/D587IeJ CEO’s website claiming retirement after board position https://ift.tt/gL59KRi https://ift.tt/d6ATBC7 post link: https://ift.tt/r8ebLkX author: LilibuttDumbarton submitted: October 12, 2024 at 09:12AM via SaintMeghanMarkle on Reddit disclaimer: all views + opinions expressed by the author of this post, as well as any comments and reblogs, are solely the author's own; they do not necessarily reflect the views of the administrator of this Tumblr blog. For entertainment only.

[nightmanatee]

so something IS??? wrong with safi at the end?

previous part

there's an interesting part of caledon university - it's main statue near the entrance of thomas caledon jr the founder of caledon university. we see this statue in the menu and it changes - mainly in chapters 4 and 5.

there's his quote:

one thing can't survive without the other/can't understand the darkness without the light/"can't understand the present without wondering "what if" first" HMMMMMMMM.

two sides of the same coin? two hard choices made in the finale?? max and safi themselves???

if you start trying to solve the abraxas box you get this follow up:

"a bird on each shoulder. wonder which one's the devil"

huh. the box in the dead safi timeline has "right" crow missing. maybe that's the one that... hold on to that thought.

also this statue is compared to safi (or more like safi's legacy) through the chapters - first as her new memorial (max talks about how she finds it too...patriarchal - his statue until it becomes a memorial to safi and changes it meaning), then as a place where you can first encounter lucas and shut him up.

this statue disappears in chapter 5 as safi herself is brought into the nightmare. but you know what? you know WHERE you can see a painting that is oddly familiar (how the hell did i not notice this before??). in max's diary.

once again safi is compared to that person or more like. a symbol. and guess which crow she's listening two - the missing one the devil one???

during the nightmare in the only place that was closest to safi herself - the only that probably meant safi herself (with lucas and maya's tree etc) we get the first look at our "new" statue. and oh boy.

oh boy.

not only is it's head divided in two - two timelines? despite being merged there might be 2 more? or is it so that safi's split between herself and something/someone else?

but also this phrase. "you're back... mostly" just like safi herself, despite being?? seemingly brought back feels weird. max was supposed to fix her and yet safi still talks about how she doesn't feel like herself and how she still wants to find others etc etc. honestly? feels like her being brought "wrongly". and just like thomas caledon himself said "can't understand the darkness without the light". as two sides of the same coin max (the light?) and safi (the darkness?) are going to have to talk again.

[emerynn]

MAX 🥺🥺🥺

(double exposure spoilers under the cut)

I knew episode 5 was gonna be a nightmare sequence but i still ate that shit up what can i say it's fanservice and im the fan lol

genuinely did get a bit emotional at the end like okay im HAPPY FOR HER

post credits scene was wild?? Not sure how I feel about them just handing out super powers like halloween candy but...okay? and MAX CAULFIELD WILL RETURN HELLO ???? part of me is sceptical and part of me is like yay more max hehe (fanserive, fan, etc.) - either way, guess im gonna be insufferable for a while then whoops

'will you ever go back to arcadia bay' 'one day' 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺girl i'll cry

lowkey the journal entries were nerfed. i mean i dont really care but still.

amanda max flirting scenes gave me major flashbacks to my own lesbian situationship so 10/10 points for accuracy on that one

i really enjoyed all the characters ngl!! and safi was so good and so intriguing i love that they let her be morally dubious oooo

'our lady of the storm' iconic. shes my fucking GIRL.

okay but is safi creating the lis avengers. like what is her plan. im concerned

how many endings were there because i strongly suspect there might have just been one and if that's the case that's hilarious but also like, come on

they kinda baited me with the "two maxes" bit at that one point i was like YES time travel bullshittery and max being a bitch to her alternate self EXACTLY WHAT I ASKED FOR and then i figured out the twist like 10 seconds before it was revealed and i was like well thats cool but.....i just wanna see max bully herself is that too much to ask for.....

'text from: chloe' like okay my heart did skip a beat lbr

okay so did max actually kill safi or what because that was never clear. like i think the polaroids were from the original timeline and then max shoots safi in that timeline leading to timeline 2 which is OUR original timeline i.e. the dead timeline and then...the living one happens asw? or was it like a pre-emptive timeline split did max ever actually shoot safi? i mean someone had to right? maybe this will make sense in the morning. or on the wiki. who can say

knew there was gonna be darkroom shit in the nightmare sequence fuck yeah (lowkey wanted more but hey im just being greedy now)

another tiny criticism but the krampus party did not feel like a college party lol like the vortex club end of the world party felt intense it felt dramatic it had stakes - krampus i was like oh this is giving me dead freshers week vibes guys just animate in some more extras please i know you can do it

music was amazing ofc

man i had this whole theory going on where max died in the "living" timeline at the same point that safi died in the "dead" timeline and that was why there was no alternate version of herself and it was some safis trying to save max while max is trying to save safi thing - obviously very wrong but i still vibe with it

i just really like max okay <3

To form something of a coherent conclusion: Really solid game, with some great scenes (the end of chapter 2 and start of 3 were def the standouts to me) and (in my opinion at least) really really good development for max - she was so clearly the same max as the original game but also she's grown up and she's grown into herself and ahhh it made me so happy to see!

I found some of the twists more effective than others and I think there could have been more build up to the storm (like in the original lis you KNOW it's coming for so long and there's this feeling of dread throughout whereas it kind of felt like we rushed to get to it here), but overall i had a good time, i really enjoyed getting to know the characters, and most of all, i really enjoyed getting stupidly attached to Max Caulfield again <3

7/10 looking forward to going down the rabbit hole with this one and i guess we'll see where we go next...??

[signed-sapphire]

The Fallen Star ✨ Wish Reimaigned

Chapter 2 - The sorcerer

Tw: minor injury, flashing light in a gif, panic attack below the red “boom” (check the comments for a summary of what happens)

Chapter 1

Asha made her way over to the teens. She would inform them of her Sleepy/spindle idea at once.

“I’m sure the Royal Healers will find a way to help your Saba,” Dahlia was telling Hal sympathetically.

“..yeah,” Hal murmurs. She seems to remember herself and puts on a smile. “Yeah, he’ll be okay! My Saba is a fighter!”

“That’s the spirit,” Safi grins.

“Dario!” Hal exclaims, momentarily forgetting her plight. She runs up to a lanky teen and hugs him tight.

Dario grins and signs something with his one free hand.

“Oh, sorry!”

Hal steps back and Dario signs, Sorry I couldn’t make it! Gabo was busy training and I didn’t want to leave him alone.

“My abuela’s always like, gotta work to protect the royal couple,” a voice from below grumbles.

“Gabo! Glad you could make it,” Hal smiles.

“Hey, Hal.” Gabo crosses his arms. “Like, they’re infinitely powerful! Amaya knows potion magic! And there’s nothing Magnus wouldn’t do to protect his wife— even his daughter! For some reason…”

“Ahem.”

Gabo freezes at the towering figure above him. Asha glares down at the short peasant, nostrils flared. “Ah, Grumpy. I’m surprised no one has trampled you yet.”

“I’d offer you the chance to do it yourself but Your Royal Highness wouldn’t want to dirty her shoes with the peasants, would she?” Gabo snarks.

Asha crosses her arms. “You’re the grandson of the captain of the guard. Unlike your gaggle of friends, you’re not a peasant.”

Gabo huffs. “Thanks for the insult, Highness.”

“Gabo,” Bazeema hisses.

Gabo shrinks. “Sorry, Bazeema.” He glances up. “Sorry, Your Highness.”

Asha rolls her eyes. How sincere. “Anyways. You look sad, Happy. Which is ironic, considering you are usually very… loud. This is a nice change. But Magnus has his reasons. Sorry.” She turns to Sleepy. “Besides, I have the perfect idea to keep you awake.”

“Huh?” Simon yawns and turns to Asha.

The princess taps her foot. “Well,” she says addressing Simon, “it’s this magical spindle that pricks you whenever you start feeling sleepy! It’ll keep you awake! I know, I know. Amazing. What can I say except ‘you’re welcome!’” she smiles.

Dario signs something that has the other teens snickering, giving Asha an innocent look when she glares at him.

Gabo snorts. “Thanks for the ‘advice,’” surrounding the last word with quotation marks, “but we really don’t want any more royal decisions that ultimately end up helping us none.”

“Gabo,” Dahlia says cautiously.

“My— Magnus has reasons for what he does,” Asha says.

“Hal’s Saba is sick!” Gabo exclaims. “What reason does he have?”

“Gabo,” Dahlia warns.

“Watch your tone,” Asha says sharply.

“Why should I listen to you?” Gabo rolls his eyes. “You didn’t do anything to deserve being the princess—"

“Gabo! That’s enough!” Dahlia says firmly.

“What? She’s not even their daughter! All she did was have a “boo-hoo, I’m so sad” childhood and now she thinks she gets to dictate people’s lives—"

“THAT’S ENOUGH!” Asha snaps. “I am your princess and you will respect me or so help me I will ban you from Rosas forever and you’ll never see your friends again!” She growls.

Asha exhales and runs a hand through her hair “Take him away.”

The guards hesitantly herd the teens off as Asha storms past them into the castle, Valentino scrambling to follow her.

She tried to help them, and this was the thanks she got?

“They’re so infuriating!” Asha shouts, slamming her door. She yells and grabs her vanity chair and throws it across the room, only for a magical blue net to catch it and gently return it to its place. A note pops onto the chair.

Asha groans and flops onto her bed, grabbing her pillow and screaming into it.

“AHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

Valentino bleats and nudges Asha with his horns. Asha rolls over and pets his fluffy head. “Thanks, Val. I just… I know I’m not magic like Magnus. But I’m going to be. Soon. Just a couple more months until I’m eighteen. Then I’ll show them.”

Valentino tilts his head.

“I’ve tried Amaya’s “make friends” idea,” Asha deadpans. “It didn’t work.”

"Behhhh."

“What do you mean? Of course I tried!” Asha exclaims. “I was as nice as I could be!”

"Behhhhhhh."

There’s a knock on the door, the knock Anna did on Elsa’s door.

Dun dun dun dun dun

“Asha?"

“Come in,” Asha mumbles into her pillow.

Magnus steps inside. Valentino jumps up and bleats happily. The king grins and pets the goat’s head.

“Hey, Mags,” Asha says imperceptibly.

“Are you alright?” Magnus asks softly. “I saw you running off after the meeting.”

“I’m fine. Your roses come with a bunch of thorns, that’s all. You should prune the lot of them.”

Magnus sits by Asha’s bed. “Want to tell me what happened?”

Asha rolls her eyes and sits up. “Just… people are stupid.”

“Which people in particular?”

“Grumpy,” Asha mutters. “Him and his stupid friends.”

“The group of friends you were interested in joining?”

“What? No!” Asha exclaims. “Why would I want to join them? They insulted me! Well, he did, at least. Stupid little rose,” she grumbles.

“Grumpy… grumpy grumpy— ah! Little rose,” Magnus nods. “Was it Gabo Noceda?”

“Yes, it was Grumpy Whatever-The-Crap-His-Name-Is.” Asha crosses her arms.

“What did he say?” Magnus asks.

“Nothing. I’m fine. Just some bull about how I’m not really your daughter and I can’t do magic like you,” Asha mumbles.

Magnus purses his lips. “I see. I shall inform Captain Noceda of this as soon as possible.”

“Don’t. It’s fine,” Asha says. “I’m turning eighteen in a couple months. You can just grant my wish then.”

Magnus raises an eyebrow. “So you want to talk about this now?”

“Talk— talk about what?”

Magnus smiles. “One: Asha, you are my daughter, and you are Amaya’s daughter. We love you, you are part of our family, and you will always be loved. Okay?”

Asha looks uncomfortable.

“And two: we’ve been over this. You can tell me your wish, Asha. I promise I won’t judge,” Magnus says earnestly.

“I told you. I want to be a sorceress,” Asha says simply.

Magnus smiles softly. “Come with me, yeah?”

“I really don’t think—"

Magnus was already out of the room. Asha groans and contemplates throwing something again. Maybe out the balcony. Maybe it would land on Grumpy’s head. Oops.

She decides to follow Magnus instead. Valentino trots alongside her as they walk to his study, where Magnus waves a hand and the crystal doors open to the wish room.

Asha closes her eyes and basks in the glow of the wishes. “They’re… everything.”

“They are,” Magnus agrees. “They are the true essence of a person. A part of their heart. The very best part. As long as they stay here, they are protected. And they remain safe. When you turn eighteen, Asha, your wish will join them.”

He floats the wishes down, admiring them softly. “When that happens, I’d rather know your wish already than find it out on my own.”

“Mags, stop prying, okay?” Asha crosses her arms. “I told you. My wish is—"

“That may be a wish, but I only guard one’s true wish,” Magnus interrupts. “I can feel them, Asha. A sorcerer knows.”

“And when I’m a sorcerer, I’ll know too,” Asha retorts.

Magnus massages his temples. Teenagers.

How am I supposed to get through to her? I just wish—

Ah.

“Would it help if I told you my true wish?” Magnus offers.

Asha’s eyes dart to him. “What?”

“My wish,” Magnus clarifies. “I don’t think I’ve ever shown you it.”

“N-no,” Asha stammers, “you haven’t.”

Magnus grins. “Five years in our family and I’ve never once showed you? We must fix that!” His eyes are sparkling.

Asha winces, then walks up to Magnus, where he’s floating down the wishes. Music starts playing.

🎵 A Wish Worth Making 🫧

Magnus

Asha

The wish of someone like me

Magnus smiles at Asha as the room fades to a dark greyish

Someone whose hopes were in despair

Wind picks up and shows Asha’s sketchbook flipping, Magnus’ magic swirling and dancing onto the paper

After the smoke and screams

We see a sketched young Magnus (created from his magic, she didn’t actually draw this) look around the rubble

After the dust cleared from the air

He’s hugging Young Asha

I made a wish, with my whole heart

Holding her close, she’s sleeping and his hand is cradling her head, Amaya is sitting next to him

To never see yours breaking

Looking up at the Stars, seeing a small one peeking out from behind the clouds

That was my wish worth making

Yeah, everybody dreams

Real life Magnus, wishes dancing around him, the drawings fly off the paper to see Magnus and Young Asha studying books together

To be something, someday, somewhere

Even kings and queens

Daydream to be free from their royal chairs

I see a dream that’s got your heart

Clasping Asha’s hands

It’s not magic you want to be reaping

So tell me. What’s really your dream worth dreaming?

Asha pulls her hands away and turns off

I started as a wildling

Page flips back to drawings, Younger!Asha playing in the Hamlet

Playin' in the sun

Then that night came and crushed my dreams

A shooting Star flying into her house

I told them that the day would come

Young!Asha sobbing over Sakina and Tómas’ bodies

So I must wait my time

Young Asha with Magnus now, seeing a magic book labeled “Bringing Your Ohana Back”

You tell me, "Be nice, play fair"

Jumping off the pages again

But if I want to bring back mine, yeah

Real life Asha singing

I can’t be close to you, I have to prepare

Turns back to Magnus

'Cause I feel it in my heart

There's no way you're not sowing

A new dream that I have to stop growin'

My wish is to not be apart

Singing over the light drawings as the room starts fading in again

But that means your heart breaking

Looking fondly at the light doodle of Magnus going back to being just ink

I can’t tell you my wish worth making… 🎵

Asha sighs, then turns back to Magnus. “I told you. I want to be a sorcerer. Just like you.”

She gives him her best Princess Smile™️. Luckily, Magnus seems to buy it.

“Fine. I’m letting you off the hook for now!” Magnus smirks. “But I’m getting it out of you somehow. Maybe during the Wishing Festival?”

Asha freezes.

“Will you be joining us this year?” Magnus asks softly.

Asha doesn’t respond.

“Asha?”

“Thanks for the talk, Mag. I’ll be in my room.”

Asha walks out of the room without a second glance.

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

Asha doesn't head to her room.

No, while in the wish room, Asha had a different idea on how to make Grumpy eat his words.

Magic.

Now, Asha wasn't magic. She didn't study the textbooks during those years growing up. But she knew which books taught you magic.

Including the special books that Magnus kept locked up in the cellar. His secret cellar. The one thing that remained untouched by the Stars that destroyed the previous kingdom.

Rosas was built on its foundations. Literally and figuratively. Magnus used a spellbook from the cellar to create the barrier around Rosas that kept Stars out. Surely Asha could use that spellbook to give herself magic a bit prematurely.

"This isn't to prove anything," Asha explains to Valentino. "This is just for me to get to my goal faster. Seeing Grumpy's happiness get crushed is just a bonus."

Valentino gave her a look.

"Come on, fluffy. Surely you'll want to know what they're like," Asha reasons.

“Baaaaaa.”

"Agreed. Let's hurry," Asha says.

She ducks under her adoptive father’s desk as he walks past, murmuring something about protection. She waits until he leaves, then crawls out and heads towards a lever on the wall.

Magnus had told her that was the one thing off-limits in his office. To never touch or pull it. He made her promise.

Asha pulls the lever. There's a shift, and then a click. The spiral pattern on the stone floor starts to move, and Asha watches as it opens up to a staircase, candles lighting them up like this ⬇️

"Here we go," Asha murmurs. "Come on, baby."

Valentino shakes his head. “Behhhhhh!”

“Okay. Wait here. I’ll be back in a few minutes,” Asha promises. “You be my lookout, okay?”

“Behhhhhhh!” Valentino bleats worriedly. (You’re right Anny, this is peak dialogue)

Asha kisses his forehead and descends down the stairs. The flames cast eerie shadows on the walls.

Asha shudders and presses on.

At the bottom of the staircase is a hallway, prison cells lining the walls. At the end is a door that leads to a large library. In the center of the room, on a pedestal covered in a glass case, lies the spellbook.

It’s old and leather bound, with an orobourus wrapping around two eyes (a sparkle shape and an oval). Five points stick out of the snake, forming the shape of…

A Star.

It’s… not what Asha remembered.

Asha studies the glass cover. There’s swirly designs of… dragonflies? Curiously, she reaches out, her finger brushing the glass.

There’s a zap, and the insects burst out of the glass.

Asha shrieks and starts swatting at the bugs diving at her. A sudden, sharp pain bites her hands.

THOSE WERE DEFINITELY NOT DRAGONFLIES!

Asha spews out curses as more red-hot needles stab into her skin, running around to avoid being stung.

Avispones!

Asha rips off her sash and slips off her outer dress, running from the hornets as she ties the end into a knot. She jumps around, catching bugs in her makeshift net.

Her hands and arms are covered in stings by the end of it. Asha covers her mouth and screams. What did she do to deserve this?

“Life is so unfair,” Asha mutters as she yanks off the glass cover and flips open the book. “Fire magic… rules of a genie… how to turn your household items into your servants?” Asha peers through the pages. “I’m not even going to ask.”

Finally. Asha stops on a page with moons and stars. “How to gain magic quickly and easily,” Asha reads. “‘Simply tear out this page and use it as a sorcerer’s hat. Then, harness the magic inside.’ Kind of vague.”

The page was still intact. Figured someone as powerful as Magnus wouldn’t need the assistance.

Asha tears out the page and curls it into a cone, placing it on top of her head. Immediately, the hat starts glowing and pulsing blue. A burst of magic explodes out of Asha’s fingertip and hits a broom leaning against the shelf.

Asha covers her mouth as the broom sprouts arms and starts sweeping.

“Ohmigosh. It works,” Asha breathes. “It works! It works!”

She does a little happy dance. “Take that! Boom, baby! Although I will have to find a way to pretty you up,” she says to the hat. “You’re sort of ugly right n— hey, watch it!”

The broom nearly ramms into her leg. Asha loses her balance, and another burst of magic shoots out of her hands. It ricochets around the room, and Asha yelps and ducks.

It shoots into the makeshift net housing the hornets, and Asha swears as she scrambles up and runs from the now free hornets.

“Get away! Stop it! Go away!” Asha shrieks as she runs, blasting more magic at the devils chasing her.

The broom kept on knocking things off shelves. More bouncing magic blasts crashed around the room as Asha kept missing her attackers.

That’s when one of Asha’s magic blasts hits the spellbook.

Even the hornets freeze.

Asha holds her breath.

…

…

…

BOOM!

Asha is thrown back. She cries out as her back crashes into the shelf.

She lands on shattered glass, the shards digging into her skin. Red fills her vision.

Red.

Fire.

Smoke.

Asha can’t breathe.

She can’t move.

She gasps for air. She’s running.

Run. Run where?

Up. Up is the way the Stars go.

No Stars.

Her vision blurs.

She’s running somewhere. She sees Stars.

No, those are statues.

Star?

Painting. Get it together.

The walls are crushing in. The walls are falling. Falling onto her.

She collapses somewhere. There’s something soft. It will suffocate her. Asha crashes against the floor, clutching her throat.

Her hands are burning now. She couldn’t care less.

She can’t breathe. There’s a ringing in her ears.

Suddenly, something suffocates her.

Heavy, heavy weight. Asha chokes.

The something is pulled off her, onto her legs.

There's a new weight over her legs. An anchor.

Her hand moves on its own. Soft, something soft. But not bad soft.

Asha gasps in, and she can breathe. She drinks up the air greedily, trying to get as much oxygen as possible.

There's a soft bleat.

Fluffy. Asha is petting something fluffy.

Slowly, she regains awareness of her surroundings. She’s in her room. She’s against her bed.

She’s safe.

“Behhhhhh,” Valentino bleats.

Asha gasps in another breath. She inhales deeply, then lets it out.

Valentino had pulled down her blanket and laid his head on her legs. He was her anchor, her air.

Asha takes in another shaky breath.

"Thank you, baby," she whispers.

Valentino nuzzles his head against her leg.

They stay like that for a while.

Chapter 3

Author’s notes

Idk how I feel about this one??? Feels a bit fast but oh well. This is the inciting incident, like how movie!Asha’s was her interview with Magnifico.

Ajskahdkajskjas this is not really paced out like @annymation’s KOW fic (go check it out! It’s finished, it’s beautiful, it’s a homage to Disney’s 100th!) but oh well. I’m being stabbed in the stomach by cramps so I’ll edit it later.

The first three or four chapters will come out quick because I’ve already written the majority of them (to plot the temporality paused comic), so after that expect a bit of a delay.

As you can probably tell, I took a lot of inspiration from Puss’s panic attack from The Last Wish. As someone with frequent panic attacks, I really really appreciate how they showed the muffled surroundings, the “can’t catch your breath” feeling, and the helplessness. Valentino in the movie could’ve been nonexistent and it pretty much would’ve played out the same. TFS!Val, however… he’s a therapy animal for Asha. That weight, grounding you but still allowing you to finish your panicked thoughts… for me personally I don’t like “focusing on the moment” because the moment is usually terrible. My dog resting on my legs gives me something to come back to, like an anchor.

Love you Teddy Bear <3

I want to point out something. Yes, you do forget your wish once you give it to Magnus for safekeeping. But Magnus remembers them. He keeps them safe. Plus, he’s “powerful enough that no Star can influence him”

Yeah. If anyone has any comments about how I write Asha’s panic attack, please please let me know! Her PTSD is something that’s integral to the story’s plot, so I would really appreciate some feedback. I drew from my own experiences, but of course this does not apply to everyone and if there’s a way you feel I can improve, I promise I will not be offended.

Thanks for reading! <3

[theofficialjezekiah]

[MAJOR SPOILER WARNING IF YOU HAVE NOT PLAYED LIFE IS STRANGE: DOUBLE EXPOSURE YET]

🌀🌪️🦋

Late news I know, but I feel like I’m missing something here… personally to me this game felt like a cash grab to start the franchise into a more superhero motivated narrative when every game before this has only made the superpowers, to give the characters a kind of powerless feeling while also making them realise that they are still human and that having powers doesn’t make life easy, it makes it even harder. So seeing these high reviews for Double Exposure confuses me when in my opinion; the game felt quick, Max’s character arc was totally thrown out the window, enjoyed Safi’s reveal but her entire character was completely nowhere to be seen, (which I get why, but I did not feel for her at all because it felt like the game was forcing me to understand a character I barely know and her friendship with Max was more frenemy then best friends) the parallels to the first game was hit and miss and for a character that’s the reason why Life Is Strange became a continued series, Max’s character here felt empty and boring! Especially for a franchise that has had every game come with difficult choices, while this one just felt like my choices didn’t matter in the end and I was so hyped for this game for the murder mystery which immediately revealed who the culprit was in the second preorder chapter and Max’s powers felt useless and not fun at all! So my hope is that in the next game which by the looks of it is a continuation of something bigger starting in the Life Is Strange Universe is that my choices in Double Exposure become more consequential and has huge effects in whatever comes next and that Max’s character arc and powers get more fleshed out along with Safi’s and Angel’s.

ANYWAYS HAPPY NEW YEAR YALL! 💋

[robinnygrenart]

So! Finished Double Exposure!

Well, I liked it. I really enjoyed it! It was super fun to play as Max again and I plan to play again and hunt for all achievements.

But damn, I don’t want to sit and complain and make it out that I hate this and “they ruined Max” “they ruined Life is Strange” but it felt like too little, too late.

I had such an emotional journey playing the first game and well, I was heartbroken afterwards. Cause well, the first game is about Max reconnecting with her childhood friend as they investigate together. And you get to learn Chloe alongside Max as they spend time together. Stuff like, hanging out in her room, break into the school and mess around in the junkyard. So when the final decision arrives, it becomes more personal and feels emotional and intentional that you have to choose between two awful options for this town you have come to know or the girl you come to know.

And after that, I needed closure, which I found throughout the comics. Double Exposure could have been that… if it came out sooner.

Double Exposure feels smaller. You spend all the time at any of the buildings around Campus and you get to know Safi in the same chapter that she dies. The rest of the game is more of a detective story on how she will actually die but when that moment comes, I know more about her and the context, but I don’t actually feel that much closer to her cause an amount of that time between, you never get to meet her and when you do, she’s pissed at you.

I wasn’t as invested in Max’s, Safi’s and Maya’s story. I didn’t get to spend time with Safi until they worked together to expose Lucas which wasn’t satisfying as it was for… a handful of students. "No, my career is over!" Is it tho...?

The stories felt similar in yeah, you help Safi get revenge for Maya the same way as Chloe and Rachel but it felt that Rachel’s disappearance had more of an effect. You learned what she meant to Chloe an you saw her reaction to finding the body as well as Max going through the same torture. Here it felt more like, you’re told what happened to Maya, you kind of saw how people felt but it was so long before Max arrived so they have calmed down about it and I never got dragged into the emotional pull of it.

Well, you understand it was wrong, Lucas stole her work and got famous and she ended herself which is really dark, mature and grounded but when the story wraps up, the end-result ends up being of something that happened without you around so it just felt like Max was an outsider all the time solving other people’s problems.

Max was an outsider in the first one as well but she was closer in the sense as Rachel became this replacement for her and she learns how her appsense hurt Chloe and she works to make up for that lost time during the game. She’s an outsider to everyone except Chloe, where she instead got pushed out of her life and slowly tries to get back in and I was curious on how the relationship would change once they found Rachel.

It didn’t feel Max had anything to lose in this story. She was at the right place at the right time and the right skills to fix it. She also had the maturity of a 28-year old instead of an 18-year old so the climax wasn’t the same emotional rollercoaster. She met her friends, she discovered how to help and crossed them off her to-do-list.

It was fun, I will play it again, I will draw it alot and curious on Max’s next adventure but my opinion in the end can, once again, get summarised in “too little, too late”

[mal3nko]

Some of my favorite instances that really highlights the difference between “Living World” vs “Dead World” Vinh for me is how the two versions of him react to Max telling him that she knows about his relationship with Safi.

Obviously the context behind Max bringing up this fact to “Living World” Vinh is because she’s trying to gain as much information from him as possible, and Vinh in this reality is being incredibly cagey and standoffish which leads to a lot of frustration on her part.

And of course Vinh at this point is getting pretty ticked off and irritated by Max, and utilizes his usual smug persona to not only downplay his reaction to her knowing this information, but also tries to subtlety fish for info himself on how she came to know about him and Safi in the process.

But in hindsight, we know Vinh actually cares a lot more about Max knowing this information then he’s initially letting on here considering the fact that he texts her later on in the day questioning where he and her stand after this relatively heated conversation and quietly nudges Max to not say anything about his relationship with Safi. This is also the only instance where Vinh will text Max at all in this reality.

And then we get to Max dropping this information on “Dead World” Vinh, and his reaction is obviously quite different.

The most obvious difference to me at least, is that he doesn’t even question how Max knows here. Doesn’t really seem to have the energy to, or maybe even just doesn’t think it matters if she knows since Safi is dead in this reality. I’ve wondered for a while now who Vinh in the “Living World” seems to be nervous about this info potentially bothering if it were to spread, and I know some people believe it’s Yasmin, or even Reggie (like myself initially), but looking at it from this angle I really think it’s just…Safi. The two of them hooking up was obviously a secret, most likely a mutual one, so I think Vinh fears that if this information became public knowledge it could potentially upset her, and he definitely can’t have that. Would it have actually upset her though? Maybe, maybe not, but either way he can’t be too careful. But this is just my interpretation, so I don’t want to enforce my take on this whole situation on anyone!

Another difference here is that Vinh actually laments how he should have told Max about him and Safi earlier. Obviously him and Max are much closer in this reality than in the other one, so he’s probably starting to really feel the…”wrongness” of pursuing his ex-“whatever’s” best friend, which is a feeling that is mostly bolstered by the fact that their sudden closeness is happening right after her death. It’s a lot to process, you know?

I can’t stress enough how much I really enjoy the differences in how the cast in DE behave based on which reality you’re in, and I honestly think some of the characters got really shafted in this department when it came to screentime. Loretta specifically in my opinion had so much potential as a whole, but it ultimately felt like her story just… kinda went nowhere? You interact with her “Dead World” counterpart in the first two chapters exclusively, than bump into her “Living World” version for the first time briefly in chapter 3, and then she’s just completely absent in chapter 4 for some reason??

But this is ultimately why I feel like Vinh is just…a cut above all the rest of the characters since we’re actually given a decent amount of time with both versions of him throughout chapters 1-4 to really see the differences in his behavior (even if I do still think we were robbed of actual time with his “Dead World” counterpart in Diptych, sue me).

[sheigarche]

Since this week's topic is "rewriting Double Exposure", I honestly think the only thing I would change would be the final chapter.

Not entirely, actually... But add a final plot twist and drama.

I would make Maya Okada alive and have shapeshifting powers instead of Safi. And the Safi Fayyad we know be the one who died 4 years ago... BUT we (the player and Max) would only find out about this in the final chapter.

Complicated? Not really.

Maya's life is turned upside down when Lucas plagiarizes her book. And Safi ends herself because of her struggles with a controlling freak mother.

When Maya finds her friend dead, she has a breakdown and, consciously or not, ends up stealing Safi's identity and life.

And, because her powers are psychic, everyone sees the "dead Safi" as Maya Okada and the real Maya replaces her completely.

Eventually this new Safi became friends with Moses and Max, and writes a new book to expose the plagiarism...

Only for this book to be canceled by Yasmin.

And then she has a new breakdown, now with a real identity crisis.

As a game, everything would happen the exact same way:

Safi, Max's new best friend, is mysteriously murdered;

The timelines are split between Dead World and Living World;

Max's investigation leads her to discover more about Maya Okada;

This Safi from the Living World would be furious with her because of this investigation;

The revelation of their powers and then both working together to expos Lucas for plagiarism.

But in the middle of all this, there would be additional clues for Max to piece together what happened in the past, the swap between Maya and Safi.

The gimmick here could be that Max needs to solve the Maya Okada mystery to reveal the truth. And if the player doesn't get enough clues, Max would never find out what happened and everyone would continue to think that this Safi is just Safi falling apart.

But if Max gets all the clues and solves the mystery, she can confront Maya and make her reveal herself, and if the switch was unconscious, make her realize what she's doing.

The Nightmare segments could even have a split path or an additional cutscene if the player has enough clues to figure it out.

The final decision could still be the same. This Safi/Maya is still Max's friend for these 6 months and they cares about each other.

So the final accept/refuse choice could make Maya leave as herself or as Safi.

[arcadiabaytornado]

SPOILERS AHEAD Episode 5 Double Exposure Rapid Fire Thoughts After I Just Finished Two Route's:

A: I'm still so conflicted about Safi. I ended up refusing to help her because A: I do think she went to far multiple times. B: I don't feel like she really learned a lesson here. C: She broke her promises to Max by shapeshifting into Max and Amanda. If she can't even keep a promise like that then she's not someone Max can trust. HOWEVER...I do like her character in the evil type of way. I'm so bummed that we were so close to getting toxic yuri and then the game ripped it away. /hj

B: So. I don't like Amanda. At all. Will not be romancing again. She's just so...I literally don't know she see's in Max?? Every time Max speaks she's gets irritated, and she straight up says that she "dodged a bullet" if Max friendzoned her. I will admit I didn't really think about the moral implications about romancing someone on one timeline after being rejecting in the other, and I do think it's interesting that the game brought it up. I've literally never seen that addressed in a time travel story.

C: I can't believe how much I like Vinh?? He grew on me a lot through the course of the story, and I ended up liking his romance more than Amanda's, which is CRAZY. Him comparing Max to tarot card's in his social media message was cute, and I liked their little "focus on what's in front of you" exchange. (Though I prefer the Vinh/Max friendship route, I think) Overall I ended up really liking Vinh and his messiness, honestly he's one of my new favorites for all his nuances and complexities.

D: My favorite new character introduced in this game is Moses. He's been a great friend to Max since the start, and I really hope we get him again some day.

More Undercut

E: They did so much Arcadia Bay/Chloe stuff in this episode, and I still feel like they didn't do enough??? They just explore any route thoroughly enough for tastes, but I did up preferring the Bae route again so, there's that. TBH I'm not holding out much hope that Max and Chloe will get back together. I would L O V E to be wrong....but IDK.

F: Diamond has powers I guess? I don't really have a lot of thoughts of her character TBH, and that's because I don't have a lot of thoughts on MOST of the characters. The only characters I ended up having any feelings toward were: Max, Gwen, Safi, Vinh, and Moses. The rest of them just faded into background noise for me, and I think a major complaint that I have is that every character feels kind of underdeveloped in a specific way that varies from character to character.

G: The end choice was...fine I guess?? For me it was the worst end choice in the franchise, and I feel like in the sequel it will only lead to a few small dialogue changes.

H: I I'd rate the game overall a 7/10, but I'd only rank this episode a 5/10. When the chapter ended my first thought was "What am I even supposed to say about this? It was underwhelming? It was slow? It made the entire game feel kind of pointless?" I'm not really finding any words it just...was a chapter I guess?? Like...I feel nothing strongly. Easily the best scenes were the ones with Max and Safi, but other than I found no substance anywhere. It was the chapter that just was....and my lingering feeling is disappointment.

If I was going to rank the episodes from how I liked them from most to least, I'd rank them: 2, 1, 3, 4, 5.

If I was going to rank the games from how I liked them from most to least, I'd rank them: LIS 1, LIS 2, Before The Storm, Double Exposure, True Colors. (It's weird because I think the high's of Double Exposure reached a high that True Colors never peaked at for me, but I also think the lows of Double Exposure reached a low that True Colors never dived to for me.)

Well. That sure a game. And I'm probably going to need a few days to be more eloquent than that.

[mythoughtsandrandomcr4p]

Life is Strange: Double Exposure- Initial thoughts

So. I bought the early access version and want to give my initial thoughts on this game, having played Chapter 1 and some of Chapter 2.

PLEASE DO NOT READ AHEAD IF YOU DON'T WANT TO GET SPOILED!! YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!

First of all, the biggy. The huge issue everyone on social media and who has seen spoilers/played the game is ranting about right now. Some people (actually, a lot of people) are even choosing to refund their purchase, or to not interact with the game at all anymore due to this...

Deck Nine have seemed to dismiss the player's major choice from the ending of LIS 1, where we either chose to sacrifice Chloe or Arcadia Bay. The way they chose to (pretty lazily) write in how Max and Chloe broke up- (via a letter from Chloe, if we chose the 'we broke up' dialogue option at the start of this game)?.....a pretty shitty decision, and, for the majority of fans, seemingly a deal-breaker. A lot of fans are also disappointed in Chloe seemingly not being in this game at all...but I'll write more on that in a sec.

As for my opinions so far...I'm not gonna lie, yes I was a little disappointed and I can fully appreciate why so many people are hating, but it was something I could personally look past (even though I chose bae over bay). Firstly, the trailers and teasers leading up to this early access release pretty much set my expectations for this going in- that Chloe would likely not be a main part of the storyline at all, and that the major choice made at the end of LIS 1 wouldn't be, either. Okay, yes, the writing connecting this game to LIS 1 could have been a lot better. But...

Max is much older, and the story is centred on her time at Caledon, with new friends, a new setting and a new storyline. I went into this game really excited about all of these new things, instead of having my heart set on a game centred around the continuation of LIS 1.

LIS 1- related things aside for a sec... I LOVE the new setting, it's really gorgeous, I love the design of the university and all the new characters we get to meet, the soundtrack is amazing, and I'm just having such a blast playing this game. It's so cosy. And it certainly keeps the charming, cringe-at-times but hilarious dialogue and vibe we get in every other Life is Strange game, and I love it so much. The characters are all pretty unique, too, and I am quickly growing attached to some (and already hating others...lmao). Max's new ability to switch between universes is really well-done. I love using it and seeing all the, often subtle, little differences that really add to the atmosphere and the story-telling of the game imo.

So...personally I am really enjoying Double Exposure so far!

Back to the whole 'Max and Chloe' thing... it feels as though the game could (take this with a pinch of salt) go a certain way in regards to Chloe. I have a theory (a VERY far-fetched one, but a theory, nonetheless). If there is a chance of them actually having Chloe be in this game in Chapters 3, 4 or 5, it might just redeem a bit of respect back from the fandom. I don't think they will, but something in the back of my mind, a slither of hope, if you will, is saying that they might just do this...

So, in Chapters 1 and 2, Max finds polaroids that neither her in the 'Dead World' or her in the 'Living World' have taken. Suggesting that there aren't only two alternate universes. Now, all of these other alternate universes may have only 'opened' to Max in the present, but surely they aren't only influenced by what has happened to Safi. What if an alternate universe, perhaps the one that these mysterious polaroids are from, had Max and Chloe's relationship (or breakup) happen differently? Who's to say that we won't get a sudden, unexpected change in a future chapter where Max and Chloe meet in an alternate reality, where they didn't break up, or where they did break up but differently, or something like that?...I don't fucking know. I'm rambling lmao. I don't want to give false hope. Maybe I'm clutching at straws atp. But in LIS 1, remember when they (Don'tNod) completely baffled us with the whole, sudden 'polaroid time-travel, William being alive and Chloe ending up disabled' reality? If Deck Nine really wanted to take that kind of route with this game, this would be a hell of a way to do it. Take a sudden turn in a non- early access chapter, have people fooled, and all that. But this is Deck Nine- they have a 'reputation', and maybe they just fucked up.

Unless I've missed a crucial point of LIS 1 or LIS: DE where this just would not be possible (?), I just can't help but think that there could still be a little bit of hope for the people who wanted to see Chloe, or who are immensely effected and disappointed by how her and Max's relationship played out according to this game.

Probably not gonna happen, though. Just food for thought. If nothing close to this happens then I'm still going to fully appreciate and love this game either way, as I already currently am.

This is a hell of a waffle, but I just wanted to get all my thoughts down. Would love to hear anyone else's opinions on this whole thing. Do you like this game? Are you avoiding it now after hearing 'the news'? Do you hate Deck Nine? Are my thoughts on a potential turn-around completely wacko? lol. Any and all opinions welcome!

(also, I stream on twitch occasionally. I've been streaming some LIS:DE early access, but I play all sorts of games. if thats your thing and you wanna check out my twitch, my channel is 'splritwolf') :)