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Chenrich is the femslash ship between Alex Chen and Steph Gingrich from the Life is Strange fandom.
Canon[]
Life is Strange: True Colors[]
Chapter 1: Side A[]
The first meeting between Alex and Steph.
Alex and Steph meet each other for the first time when Alex goes to Rocky Mountain Record Traders, where Steph works as a manager. Alex surprises Steph dancing around, who later makes her choose between two records. Alex then sees her arguing with someone on the phone with a red aura around her, which makes Alex nervous. This is due to Steph being mad at the moment. When Ryan calms her down, this subsides and she ends up leaving the store.
Later, they meet each other again at the Black Lantern, where Steph apologizes for just storming off the other day. Then, she says Ryan ditched her, which is why she's sitting alone. And she invites Alex to play a jukebox game.
Chapter 2: Lanterns[]
Steph promises Alex she will be on her side.
During Gabe's funeral, as a heated argument ensues where Alex once again sees red auras around the people fighting, overwhelmed, Alex runs upstairs, locking herself in her apartment. Steph carefully watches Alex leave, and decides to follow her, concerned for her. Alex asks Steph to come in and when Steph sees her guitar, she gets impressed to know Alex can play it. Steph then tries to lighten up the mood to make Alex feel better, so she starts talking. But when Steph remembers Gabe, she starts feeling extremely sad, as a blue aura shines around her. Alex decides to approach her to understand how she's feeling. Alex uses her power to piece together Steph's sadness and why she's feeling that way. This leads to a foosball game between the two, where Alex ends up telling Steph that she's into girls. After Alex tells her that she has suspicions about the sudden death of her brother Gabe and that she wants to find out exactly the cause Steph replies that she will be by his side and Alex notes that it is something that means a lot to her. Steph then goes to work.
Alex agrees to collaborate on Steph's project.
Alex, Ryan and Steph at Gabe's memorial.
Later Alex joins her at the record store and the young Gingrich seems very happy to see her. Steph then tells Alex that it was good for her to play with her and distract herself and thinks that Ethan (the son of Gabe's girlfriend who saw him as a father figure) might also need something like this and that he decided to organize a LARP for him. Alex approves of her idea and Steph asks for her help to make it happen and Alex agrees to help her. That evening Steph stands by her at her memorial for Gabe (who was a close friend of hers).
Chapter 3: Monster or Mortal[]
Alex reveals her secret to Steph.
Some time later Alex decides to confide in Steph and Ryan that he has superpowers (he is able to perceive other people's emotions and thoughts and have visions of past events through objects). Steph initially doesn't believe it, but Alex quickly proves the validity of her claims and perceives that Steph is annoyed and sorry that she didn't reveal her secret before her. However, Steph accepts it quite well, also realizing that Alex used his abilities to help her get over Gabe's death.
Later, while Diane (a woman who works for the mining company that caused the explosion in which Gabe lost his life) is on her laptop and Alex wants to steal any information she can about her brother's dead, both Steph and Ryan come up with half-baked plan involving flirting with Diane. This puts Alex on the spot to pick who would be the "hotter" distraction. If Alex chooses Steph, she'll definitely be happy, but if she chooses Ryan, she won't mind. In any case, all three will laugh together at the success of their plan.
Alex playfully asks Steph to marry her.
During the LARP, Alex walks into the record store (which Steph has turned into a shop selling magical items) and Alex can ask her to trade her a magic sapphire in exchange for her hand in marriage complimenting her on her beauty. Though it's obvious that Alex is joking, Steph looks smug and embarrassed and rebuffs her, adding that her refusal is only momentary.
After the game Alex, Ryan and Steph meet to take stock of the situation. If Alex says she couldn't help Charlotte (Ethan's mother and Gabe's girlfriend), Steph will say that if she couldn't help, no one would. Alex later begins to examine the contents of Diane's stolen flash drive. Here, depending on If Alex took Charlotte's anger earlier or not, Alex will get angry and throw Gabe's foosball winner whiskey at the wall, causing Steph to storm out while Ryan goes after her. If she didn't, she won't destroy the whiskey and Steph won't leave and will instead stay to help Alex. However, this conflict will be resolved at the Spring Festival, when Alex apologizes to both Ryan and Steph, as Steph tells her that she should be the one apologizing for leaving when Alex was in a vulnerable time (if Alex hasn't absorbed Charlotte's anger none of this happens).
Chapter 4: Flicker[]
Alex gives a rose to Steph
As Ryan and Steph go prepare for the spring festival, Alex thinks about who to give the rose to. In Haven Springs tradition, the rose is given to a person's true love. Alex goes to Steph's trailer and hands her the rose, which makes Steph really flustered as she says "this totally makes my night."
Alex and Steph play together.
Shortly after, the young Chen discovers that Steph has decided to play personally at the festival... and that without telling her anything she has decided to let her perform with her with Ryan's complicity. In the end the performance goes well.
Alex and Steph's first kiss.
After the festival, Alex finds Steph on the porch of her apartment and the brunette tells her she has decided to leave Haven Springs. Alex tells her to keep in touch and she promises, then asking her to choose her next destination, out of three choices of hers which Alex does of hers. At that point Steph asks her to come with her and also admits that he has feelings for her. This can lead to a kiss. Afterwards Steph asks Alex to leave with her and since she seems undecided tells her that she doesn't have to answer right away.
Chapter 5: Side B[]
Steph worries about Alex.
Alex later discovers that her boss Jed was involved in Gabe's death and the man tries to eliminate her as well, but the girl survives and manages to reach the place where Jed is holding a meeting in which Ryan and Steph also participate. The latter is very worried to see the young Chen covered in wounds and tries to convince her to be examined by a doctor. Alex, however, immediately denounces Jed and Typhon the company of which he is an accomplice, declaring that Jed, considered a local hero in reality twelve years earlier, abandoned his men to die in the mine to save himself and Typhon still caused the explosion to take place precisely to cover up the scandal.
Steph declares that she believes Alex.
Steph is the first to declare that she believes Alex, even though she has no proof. In the end, based on the statements of the young Chen, an investigation is prepared and the crimes of Jed and Typhon are discovered.
Steph tells Alex that she will only travel the world if she is by her side.
Some time later Steph visits Alex and tells her that she was impressed by her courage and that she wants to be brave as well, so she tells her that she wants to be with her and that if she wishes to stay in Haven Springs, she will stay too. Alex is happy with Steph's statement and hugs her, then the brunette leaves, saying she knows where to find her when she decides.
Alex and Steph leave Haven Springs.
Alex and Steph together.
If Alex chooses to stay he starts working in the record store with Steph, the two spend a lot of time together and it is understandable that they will intertwine a relationship. If Alex chooses to leave Haven Springs with Steph, the two travel the country together becoming a couple.
Fanon[]
Chenrich is a popular ship within the Life is Strange fandom, and the most popular from the Life is Strange: True Colors game fandom. Prior to the release of True Colors, Chenrich already had a growing fanbase, the majority of the fandom was already shipping Alex with one of her two love interests, Steph Gingrich.
On AO3, Chenrich is the most written ship for both Alex and Steph. It is also the most written ship in the Life is Strange: True Colors tag. There are currently 340+ works in its romantic/femslash tag, and has 30+ in its platonic/general tag.
Fandom[]
- FAN FICTION
- Alex/Steph tag on AO3
- Alex & Steph tag on AO3
Trivia[]
- A spin-off book featuring the two caught up in a small town's disaster, titled Life is Strange: Heatwaves, was released on July 30, 2024.[1] The audiobook version is voiced by Alex's VA, Erika Mori.[2]
Variations[]
- Luchenrich refers to the ship between Ryan Lucan, Alex and Steph
References[]
[]
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| Life is Strange Ships • Life is Strange Characters | ||
| SHIPS | het | Caulscott • Hampdenprice • Langfield • Luchen • Myerscott |
| slash | Chencan • Grahamscott | |
| femslash | Amberprice • Chenrich • Pricefield • Safield | |
| poly | Luchenrich | |
| friendship | Lurich • Matthewsprice | |