History Fanfic / UnlifeIsStrange

** Downplayed with Chloe Price. While calling her a "hero" is a little much, she gains a divisive reputation following the storm in Route '''A''' or her death in '''B'''. After Rachel's death is discovered, her father starts a smear campaign, propping Rachel up as a perfect daughter and student, with Chloe being this toxic influence on her. Sean Prescott runs a similar campaign when Nathan's crimes are exposed, attempting to deflect public ire onto Chloe. In both case, Chloe's troubled history, home life and delinquency is used against her by those [[VillainWithGoodPublicity sympathetic to Nathan]], or those looking to prop Rachel and Kate's victimhood.

* SympatheticAdulterer: ZigZagged with Rachel. Her cheating on Chloe is portrayed as being wrong, and something she hates herself over -- not that it initially stopped her from doing so. Her affair with Jefferson is also expressly shown as a grooming dynamic, with Rachel as the victim. Becoming a vampire, Rachel has a lot more self loathing for her cheating past and tries to do better by Steph. While she almost sleeps with Sam and Emily, it was due to [[spoiler:Tulpa!Steph having periods where she disappears from people's lives and memories like a LivingDream; Rachel's near fling with Sam and Emily occurred during such a period, not that Rachel herself thinks it excuses her.]]

** While calling Rachel a villain ''is'' a bit of a stretch, this story is not shy about showing her toxic or self destructive habits and her vices, putting her in the category of a flawed anti-hero. With that said, her father was all too eager to push this narrative to the media that Rachel was the ideal daughter, student and innocent victim; blaming her issues on outside "toxic" influences (Chloe). All this does is make Rachel irritated, and she releases an expose which uncovers her bad habits, and implicitly her father's.

** Elisabeth Ashbury is a rather downplayed example. In ''VideoGame/Vampyr2018'', she normally abstains from any kind of combat or getting her hands dirty, due to being TheAtoner. However, when she becomes the head of New Ascalon, she and her partners are swept into an EnemyCivilWar with the old Ascalon club, and reactionaries within the Guard of Priwen. This necessitates her having to get her hands dirty over the past century, and she fears becoming [[IHatePastMe Lady Blackwood]] again. With that said, she personally leads a rescue mission for [[spoiler:Jonathan, during which she kills several of Mordred's followers; and in Route '''B''', helps fight off a vampire attack on Blackwell Academy.]]
** Downplayed with Steph Gingrich. She is not exactly an ActionGirl in the games, or in this story, and her canon counterpart is pretty mundane. However, it's soon discovered she (unwittingly) has a power of her own, [[spoiler:regarding a Tulpa effect. The Steph that Rachel meets and dates in LA is in fact a LivingDream of the "real" Steph, who goes back and forth between her "real" life and Tulpa life.]] However, she not exactly a "hands on" badass, any more than her canon counterpart -- with exception of [[spoiler:incapacitating Mordred by ramming him with a car, and shooting him in the mouth and throat; which temporarily ''killed'' him.]]

** Max Caulfield is another downplayed example, with it being revealed [[spoiler:she worked part time as a detective for the FBC after leaving Arcadia Bay. She would "retire" to focus more on her college career and try to settle back into a mundane life. After the attack in North Bend, Max is pulled out of retirement when she and her friends are now at the center of investigation.]]

** Implied with [[{{Wendigo}} The Makkapitew]] from ''VideoGame/UntilDawn'', which in the game isn't implied to be anything more than a particularly strong and vicious spirit. While it never directly appears in the story, when it's discussed, passing mentions heabily imply that it is a manifestation of Ithaqua from ''Franchise/TheCthulhuMythos''.

* SurprisinglyNormalBackstory: As part of the AdaptationExpansion, Mark Jefferson's past before his career and growing up in Arcadia Bay is discussed. One would think that a possible FreudianExcuse would be brought up, maybe something comparing and contrasting him with the troubled history of his victims, and shed light on ''why'' Jefferson was so twisted. However, just it turns out his father left his family when Jefferson was a kid, and Jefferson was raised by a single but supportive mother. [[spoiler:He repaid her by exploting her condition when she was dying of cancer for his first "project", and used her death to milk sympathy from the community.]]

** Kate comes to this conclusion about her ostensible supporters. After Kate's victimhood is exploited, social media and her church community prop her up as this "perfect" victim of Jefferson and the Dark Room. Over time, Kate realizes this was less about ''actually'' supporting her, and more to pat themselves on the back for it. The Kate they ''really' wanted to support was this idealized concept -- a sad, but innocent "Good Christian" girl, who needs to be protected. When Kate adopts a more tomboyish punk look and rebellious attitude, similar to Chloe Price, these same "supporters" wash their hands of Kate almost immediately.
** While James Amber seems to genuinely care for Rachel, it's also heavily implied he cares more about her image as an ideal daughter and student, rather than Rachel as a person. After Rachel's death is uncovered, James tries to posthumously push this idealized version of Rachel, ostensibly in her memory. Rachel herself suspects that he cares more about preserving that image, than actually honouring her memory. [[spoiler:When they reunite, this causes further distance between them despite James trying to reconnect with her. When James learns Rachel's a vampire ''and'' sees her in action, he invokes ThatThingIsNotMyChild, and even tries to kill her in a moment of distress.]]

** Among the Mother's Children, Alexander "Sawney" Bean has murdered, tortured and pillaged hundreds if not thousands of innocent people over the centuries -- both in his services to Mordred, and his own amusement -- and has previously escaped his folkloric execution. In the present day of this story, karma bites him not once, but twice. After a fight with Rachel and Daniel, Bean is tortured and left to die. When he's hospitalized from that encounter, Bean engineers an attack on the North Bend Quarantine Zone whilst trying to escape; an attack that leads to him getting decapitated and killed in a fight with Sean and Cassidy.]]

** ZigZagged with James Amber. [[spoiler:While he is a self righteous and manipulative parent, and isn't above getting his hands dirty to ostensibly protect his family and image, he does have some genuine care for Rachel. Unfortunately that care is also wrapped up in that image, that it borders onto LovingAShadow. James' KnightTemplarParent deeds also led to Rachel cutting off ties with him before her death, and even years later, he's reluctant to admit any fault on his part. When the reunite, and James discovers she's a vampire -- ''and'' see's her slaughter a squad of hunters -- a distressed James shoots Rachel in the head, believing her to be a monster. At the same time, it's implied he doesn't actually believe his claim and is trying to rationalize to himself as he begins breaking down.]]

** While James Amber seems to genuinely care for Rachel, it's also heavily implied he cares more about her image as an ideal daughter and student, rather than Rachel as a person. After Rachel's death is uncovered, James tries to posthumously push this idealized image, ostensibly in Rachel's memory, but Rachel herself suspects that he cares his family's image over the real deal. [[spoiler:When they reunite, this causes further distance between them despite James trying to reconnect with her. When James learns Rachel's a vampire ''and'' sees her in action, he invokes ThatThingIsNotMyChild, and even tries to kill her in a moment of distress.]]

* AgeGapRomance: As per canon, when Rachel was 18 and 19 years old, she had affairs with both Frank Bowers (early to mid thirties) and Mark Jefferson (late thirties to early forties), and is revealed here to have had a fling with Mary Reid (a century old vampire, who turned as 27 and regularly posed as being in her mid to late 20's). These affairs are portrayed as a self destructive coping mechanism on Rachel's part. Although Frank had genuine feelings for her, Jefferson is more predatory with their power imbalance, blatantly preying on her vulnerabilities. As for Mary, wile she developed genuine feelings for Rachel, when they meet again, they both agree that an actual relationship between them wouldn't work.

* CanonWelding: Among the games that are the main part of the crossover, and cameos and references to others, there are two ''non'' gaming titles mentioned as part of this fic's universe; that being [[spoiler:''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'' and ''WesternAnimation/{{Amphibia}}''. Both the Boiling Isles of the former, and the titular dimension of the latter are given repeated but passing mentions as being dimensions that the FBC uncovered, and are trying to investigate. In Route '''B''', Vampire!Chloe is taken to Luz Noceda's home town of Gravesfield, Connecticut to keep her head down during a recovery period. It also appears that there's an ongoing investigations of "[[Characters/TheOwlHouseEdaClawthorne The Owl Woman]]" in the area.]]

** In both Routes, Kate comes to this conclusion about her ostensible supporters. After Kate's victimhood is exploited, social media and her church community prop her up as this "perfect" victim of Jefferson and the Dark Room. Over time, Kate realizes this was less about ''actually'' supporting her, and more to pat themselves on the back for it. They care less about Kate as a ''person'', and more of her ''image''; that being of a sad, but innocent "Good Christian" girl, who needs to be protected. When Kate adopts a more tomboyish punk look and attitude, similar to Chloe, these same people wash their hands of Kate almost immediately.
** While James Amber seems to genuinely care for Rachel, it's heavily implied he cares more of her image as this ideal daughter and student, rather than Rachel as a person. After Rachel's death, James tries to posthumously push this image of Rachel ostensibly in her memory, but Rachel herself suspects that he cares more about his reputation and image over the real deal. [[spoiler:When they reunite, this causes further distance between them despite James trying to reconnect with her. When James learns she's a vampire ''and'' sees her in action, he invokes ThatThingIsNotMyChild, and even tries to kill her in a moment of distress.]]

* DefiantToTheEnd: [[spoiler:During his fight with Sean and Cassidy, when it begins to dawn on Sawney Bean that he's not getting out of this battle alive, he defiantly tries to kill as act of spite. Even as he is hacked up by an axe -- even getting his armed severed -- Bean relentlessly gets back up, managing to non-lethally stab Sean using the '' jagged bone of his severed arm''. Before Sean decapitates Bean, the latter simply gives him a hateful glare, silently cursing at him and telling Sean to get it over with.]]