History TearJerker / LifeIsStrangeTrueColors

** If one reads through Alex's texts, they may discover an encounter with a guy that ended with something particularly unsavoury. The fact it's almost blatantly implied she was coerced into sex is nothing short of horrifying. FridgeHorror comes into play when one realizes Alex�s powers and how they handle particularly strong emotions may have caused her to be literally unable to say no.

** After barely being able to come back from that, Alex interrupts the council meeting to confront Jed and Diane. Depending on player choice, it�s possible for everyone in the bar except Steph to side with Jed against Alex. This includes Ryan, one of the few people Alex was closest to (and potentially her romantic interest). Luckily, things are able to turn around once she uses her power.

** Her romantic relationships in general is pretty sad. Her ex before she moved to Haven Springs was upset about her leaving the band they were both in and blocked her from contacting her. Most of the people she finds on the dating app at first have wacky situations (such as encountering a bot or accidentally pairing with a straight woman), but eventually she gets more serious rejections (such as being ghosted after a match promises to contact her again after not being busy or being told that she's not a positive person). It has gotten to the point where she will even be willing to sleep with someone who was being rude to her out of desperation of not being alone, only to stop at the last minute. And when she receives a call from her radio show, it is less of her offering advice to a person and more of asking someone if he thinks she'll be alone for the rest of her life. [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome It is a reminder that just because someone is gay doesn't mean that they won't go through sad moments in their dating life and they can be just as unlucky with love as any straight person.]]

* Steph's furious reaction to Ryan if he sides with Jed against her and Alex can actually be heartbreaking on her part. It's clear from the first chapter alone that she sees him as a very trustworthy and close friend, which is increased by how much the two hang out with Alex and how (if Alex absorbs Charlotte's anger) Ryan rushes off to talk to Steph after an enraged and heartbroken Alex breaks her Fooseball Champion bottle. Thus, her WhatTheHellHero towards him after he turns his back on both her and Alex is nothing short of tragic. What's worse is that this is the last potential interaction Ryan and Steph share, with players being left to wonder if Ryan's brief betrayal has permanently destroyed their friendship.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/life_is_strange_3_alex_1024x576_8.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:"I don't belong here..."]]

* While he's definitely a hotheaded jerk, it's not hard to feel bad for Mac Loudon after all is revealed. [[spoiler:Turns out he ''did'' receive Gabe's call saying he, Alex, and Ryan were up in the mountains looking for Ethan at the time of the ill-fated blast. He attempted to have the blast called off, only for Typhon to ignore him and later coerce Mac into publicly denying the call. This results in the townspeople coming to believe Mac intentionally allowed Gabe to die out of petty jealousy, with Ryan outright accusing him in the middle of Gabe's wake. When Alex comes to Mac afterwards, he's wracked by guilt, fear, and devastation over being made out to be a murderer that he ends up having a panic attack.]]

** To begin, her mother was hospitalized and later died due to an illness. It happened when Alex was merely a child, and it's shown in a repressed memory that she broke into tears by her mother's side. It’s also implied that this is the first time she genuinely cried, as her mother explains that she would never cry even as an infant.
** Her mother’s death later leads to unrest between Gabe and her father, John. It's said that they would always break into a fight until Alex was able to calm them down and keep things relaxed. She had to do this when she was ''eleven''. Eventually, John accidentally hits Alex when he tries to throw a punch at Gabe. [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone His face afterward just screams nothing but sheer regret.]]
** Gabe and Alex then go into foster care. While Gabe is able to get out and head to Haven Springs, Alex grows up in the system and is frequently passed over for having a troubled past and being an older kid. Her developing powers don't exactly help this situation. The players are given an insight into this life, with the dream sequence in Chapter 5 showing how frequently Alex faced rejection and isolation in foster care.
** If one reads through Alex’s texts, they may discover an encounter with a guy that ended with something particularly unsavoury. The fact it's almost blatantly implied she was coerced into sex is nothing short of horrifying. FridgeHorror comes into play when one realizes Alex’s powers and how they handle particularly strong emotions may have caused her to be literally unable to say no.
** Finally, it seems everything is going well after she's invited to Haven by Gabe and given the promise of a new life. And then he's killed in a mining accident.
** And after this, she pries enough to get the attention of Typhon themselves, who threatens both Steph and Ryan unless Alex signs an affidavit, [[AllForNothing which will effectively destroy all the hard work she's done trying to find out what happened to her brother]]. Not long after this, she's lured out to a mine and shot by [[spoiler:Jed Lucan, her boss and one of the friendliest people in Haven Springs.]]
** After barely being able to come back from that, Alex interrupts the council meeting to [[spoiler:confront Jed and Diane. Depending on player choice, it’s possible for everyone in the bar except Steph to side with Jed against Alex. This includes Ryan, one of the few people Alex was closest to (and potentially her romantic interest).]] Luckily, things are able to turn around once she uses her power.

** Things only get worse for Ryan after all is said and done. [[spoiler:Not only does he learn that ''his own father'' has an indirect role in his best friend's death, but he also learns that all the stories of Jed being a hero who saved lives in the mine collapse were a cover for the truth: Jed left his fellow miners to die, and he was willing to conspire with a corrupt company and attempt to murder Alex to keep his secret. Depending on your choices, Ryan may refuse to believe it at first and disparage Alex, much to Steph's outrage. Once the truth comes out, he's shown to be guilty about it and desperately tries to reach Alex to make amends. If you choose to have Alex not forgive Ryan or leave Haven without having romanced him, Ryan can end the game having lost his best friend, his father, ''and'' his relationships with Alex and Steph.]]
** [[spoiler:If your choices result in Ryan believing Alex, he'll plead with his father to come clean so they can work it all out together, audibly struggling to hold back tears. Before Alex uses her powers to confront him, Jed will furiously accuse Ryan of being manipulated by Alex into turning against his father. ''Ouch''.]]
* Steph's furious reaction to [[spoiler:Ryan if he sides with Jed against her and Alex]] can actually be heartbreaking on her part. It's clear from the first chapter alone that she sees him as a very trustworthy and close friend, which is increased by how much the two hang out with Alex and how [[spoiler:(if Alex absorbs Charlotte's anger) Ryan rushes off to talk to Steph after an enraged and heartbroken Alex breaks her Fooseball Champion bottle.]] Thus, her WhatTheHellHero towards him after he turns his back on both her and Alex is nothing short of tragic. What's worse is that this is the last potential interaction [[spoiler:Ryan and Steph]] share, with players being left to wonder if [[spoiler:Ryan's]] brief betrayal has permanently destroyed their friendship.
** Right before Steph starts cursing [[spoiler:Ryan]] out, her expression is a mix of shock and sadness. That and her tone throughout her brief rant makes it clear that Steph is devastated that one of her closest friends in Haven Springs would [[EtTuBrute turn against her and Alex]] -- especially in the wake of Gabe's death.

** It's doubly tragic for Ryan considering that he was the one who had to make the tough call. If he didn't, Alex would've likely been killed as well.

* After Alex helps Eleanor retrace her steps in the flower shop, she'll express confusion about Jed ordering lilies for Gabe's wake, having forgotten about it due to her Alzheimer's. If you choose to have Alex tell her the truth, Eleanor will quickly go from [[OhCrap stunned]] to ''heartbroken'' when she realizes she missed Gabe's wake. She'll then tearfully apologize before rushing to her office, where Alex can use her powers to see that Eleanor is overcome with guilt. The only positive is that telling Eleanor the truth means she'll be able to attend the lantern ceremony later on.

** A blink-and-you'll-miss-it tearjerker: Mac can be seen at the lantern ceremony with a happy aura around him just like everyone else. This potentially implies that he and Gabe [[WeUsedToBeFriends used to be friends]] (or were at least nice and civil towards each other) prior to Mac's suspicions about him and Riley emerged. And now that Gabe's dead, any chance of Mac and Gabe reconciling is gone.

** To begin, her mother was hospitalized and later died due to an illness. It happened when Alex was merely a child and it's shown in a repressed memory that she broke into tears by her mother's side. It’s also implied that this is the first time she’s genuinely cried, as her mother explains that she would never cry even as an infant.

** If one reads through Alex’s texts, they may discover an encounter with a guy that ended with something particularly unsavory. The fact it's almost blatantly implied she was coerced into sex is nothing short of horrifying. FridgeHorror comes into play when one realizes Alex’s powers and how they handle particularly strong emotions may have caused her to be literally unable to say no.

** After barely being able to come back from that, Alex interrupts the council meeting to [[spoiler:confront Jed and Diane. If the player has made the wrong choices throughout the game, it’s possible for everyone in the bar (except for Steph) to side with Jed against Alex. This includes Ryan, potentially her romantic interest, and one of the few people Alex was the closest to.]] Luckily, things are able to turn around once she uses her power.
** Apart from Sean and Daniel from Life is Strange 2, Alex is arguably one of the most tortured protagonists in the entire franchise. Sean had to take responsibility for his little brother when he was sixteen. ''Alex had to keep her entire family under control when she was barely into primary school. '' '''[[IronWoobie Someone give her a hug!]]'''
** When Alex is helping Ryan deal with his grief, turning it into joy, she remarks that she never felt that emotion with her powers. It says a lot about how foster care must have been to have ''never'' experienced joy.
* While everyone in Haven Springs takes Gabe's death hard, Ryan's grief is shown most viscerally. After his fight with Mac during Gabe's wake, he timidly says he wasn't the one who killed Gabe. This hints at how much Ryan feels responsible for Gabe's death. [[KickTheDog Mac straight-up agreeing with what Ryan believes]] doesn't help, and Alex later finds Ryan standing at the ravine. Through her powers, she can see and feel Ryan's self-loathing over [[ILetGwenStacyDie failing to save his best friend]]. Even after Alex assures him he's not at fault, Ryan collapses into tears in Alex's arms.

** Things only get worse for Ryan after all is said and done. [[spoiler:Not only does he learn that ''his own father'' has an indirect role in his best friend's death, but he also learns that all the stories of Jed being a hero who saved lives in the mine collapse were a cover for the truth: Jed left his fellow miners to die, and he was willing to conspire with a corrupt company and attempt to murder Alex to keep his secret. Depending on your choices, Ryan may refuse to believe it at first and disparage Alex, much to Steph's outrage. Once the truth comes out, he's shown to be guilty about it and desperately tries to reach Alex to make amends. And if you choose not to have Alex forgive Ryan or ask for time to forgive him, Ryan can end the game having lost his best friend, his father, ''and'' his relationships with Alex and Steph.]]
** [[spoiler:If your choices result in Ryan believing Alex, he'll plead with his father to come clean so they can work it all out together, audibly struggling to hold back tears. Before Alex uses her powers to confront him, Jed will claim Ryan is letting Alex manipulate him and furiously accuse him of turning against his father. ''Ouch''.]]
* Steph's furious reaction to [[spoiler:Ryan siding with Jed against her and Alex]] can actually be heartbreaking on her part. It's clear from the first chapter alone that she sees him as a very trustworthy and close friend, which is increased by how much the two hang out with Alex and how [[spoiler:Ryan]] rushes off (potentially) to [[spoiler: talk to her after an enraged and heartbroken Alex breaks her Fooseball Champion bottle (if she absorbs Charlotte's anger that is).]] Thus, her WhatTheHellHero towards him after he turns his back on both her and Alex is nothing short of tragic. What's worse is that this is the last potential interaction [[spoiler:Ryan and Steph]] share, with players being left to wonder if [[spoiler:Ryan's]] brief betrayal has permanently destroyed their friendship.

* In ''Wavelengths'', we see Steph deal with her own personal trauma regarding either the destruction of Arcadia Bay or the death of Chloe and Rachel. The former being the more devastating as it's revealed that Steph's mother and Drew died in the storm, which leads to a short, but heartbreaking talk between her and Mikey. It's a far cry from the confident, geeky character that players grew used to.
** While cleaning up a ripped garbage bag, Steph has a flashback to the tragedy she went through. If the player didn't save Arcadia Bay, Steph will recount the last conversation she had with her mother before she died in the storm. If the player did save Arcadia Bay, Steph will remember being told about Rachel's body being found in the junkyard--to which she responds by frantically wondering where Chloe is, unaware that she's dead as well.

** Her romantic relationships in general is pretty sad. Her ex before she moved to Haven Springs was upset about her leaving the band they were both in and blocked her from contacting her. Most of the people she finds on the dating app at first has wacky situations such as encountering a bot or accidentally pairing with a straight woman but eventually, she gets more serious rejections such as being ghosted after a match promises to contact her again after not being busy or being told that she's not a positive person. It has gotten to the point where she will even be willing to sleep with someone who was being rude to her out of desperation of not being alone, only to stop at the last minute. And when she receives a call from her radio show, it is less of her offering advice to a person and more of asking someone if he thinks she'll be alone for the rest of her life. [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome It is a reminder that just because someone is gay doesn't mean that they won't go through sad moments in their dating life and they can be just as unlucky with love as any straight person.]]