Nathan Prescott (Before the Storm)

Life is Strange

Before the Storm

Life is Strange 2

"You think I need help?! From you?!" — Nathan to Chloe in "Awake" (determinant)

Nathan Prescott
Basic Information
Full Name	Nathan Joshua Prescott
Nicknames	Twitch, Prescott (by Drew North) Spoiled Dick Baby (by Chloe Price)
Age	14
Born	August 29, 1995 Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Physical Description
Gender	Male
Hair Color	Light brown
Eye Color	Blue
Biographical Information
Relatives	Sean Prescott (father) Caroline Prescott (mother) Kristine Prescott (sister) Martin Lewis Prescott (great-great-grandfather, presumed)
Friends	Samantha Myers (determinant)
Profession	High school student
Affiliation	Blackwell Academy
Game Information
Appears in	Episode 1: Awake Episode 2: Brave New World Episode 3: Hell Is Empty (cutscene)
Voice Actor	Caleb Thomas

Nathan Joshua Prescott (born August 29, 1995) is a character from Life is Strange: Before the Storm with whom Chloe Price attends Blackwell Academy and a minor antagonist in the game.

He originally appeared in the first game, Life is Strange.

Personality

Judging by his comments during his incident with Drew North and Chloe's notes on him in her diary, Nathan can be seen as a classist and uptight boy hard to get along with. He doesn't seem to be liked at school and is regarded by many as a spoiled brat due to his family name and wealth. Despite all this, he shows a vulnerable side rarely seen in the original game; he's a victim of bullying and seems to struggle to fit in, which leads him to enter the school football team in the hopes of being more accepted. He's under great pressure from his father, as shown in a conversation between them that Chloe can overhear, which can possibly be the source of much of his insecurities. According to Samantha Myers, he's sensitive and artistic. Some individuals, like Samantha, seem to see through all this, and take pity on him and try to help him whether he accepts it or not. In a determinant dialogue that Chloe can overhear between Nathan's father and a psychiatrist, it's revealed that Nathan has serious psychological issues, and although he's not as aggressive as in the first game, he's prone to violent outbursts.

Biography

The following is what Chloe Price wrote about Nathan in her journal:

Nathan Prescott is the golden child of the Prescotts, Arcadia Bay's oldest, wealthiest and most powerful family... as they love reminding everyone.

Nathan's dad does something nautical related. I think it has to do with murdering baby seals and turning them into death rays for the military, but I can't remember the details. Whatever the case, there's a lot of people in this town who hate the Prescotts, including all the fishermen he put out of work. And you do not want to mess with fishermen. They smell.

Nathan is... odd. He's extremely privileged, yet dark and brooding. Even though he's a dick, I can't help feeling bad for him sometimes. He's really just a weird little dude trying to figure out his shit, but he has to pretend to be all this stuff he's clearly not, like an athlete or a "cool" kid. You can tell it fucks him up inside

Of course, the best cure for feeling bad for Nathan is to actually talk to Nathan. Then you remember what a wonderfully punchable face those Prescott genes gave him.

Background

Nathan is the only son of Sean Prescott. The Prescotts founded the town of Arcadia Bay and have lived in the region for over a century. By the time the game begins, Sean’s pressuring of Nathan to uphold their family legacy, coupled with constant bullying due to his status, has taken a great toll on his mental health, sending him down a dark path.

Episode One - "Awake"

Nathan is first seen outside the main entrance of Blackwell Academy, being pushed into Chloe by Drew, who begins to berate him, calling him "Twitch" and taking his book in the process. Nathan is targeted by Drew because Nathan's father fired his father from the shipyard, leaving his family desperate for money, while Nathan's father bribed the Principal into letting Nathan join the football team. He studies Nathan's book and comments that "...this is some really weird crap, Prescott." and calls Nathan a loser for putting so much effort into a schoolbook. Nathan responds by calling Drew's father a "deadbeat" that is, accurately, in need of financial aid. Samantha Myers appears and urges Chloe to help Nathan. Chloe can enter a backtalk challenge. If she is successful, Nathan is given back his book, but angrily snaps at Chloe for helping him, and leaves, holding onto his book. If Chloe fails the backtalk challenge or chooses to do nothing, Drew will throw Nathan's book in the fountain and Nathan will angrily comment that his project "took months to put together". Nathan reclaims his book from the water fountain and leaves the campus.

Nathan is seen again briefly at the end of the episode sitting on the fountain looking at the same book from earlier.

Episode Two - "Brave New World"

Nathan was a great part of the reason Chloe gets suspended/expelled, and he even helps Victoria avoid suspension, if Chloe sabotaged her homework and Chloe calls her out for cheating. Later, Nathan is seen dressed as Caliban for Blackwell's production of William Shakespeare's The Tempest. Before the play, Chloe overhears his father, Sean Prescott, browbeat an already nervous Nathan into doing his best and not embarrassing their family and assures Nathan they will talk after the play. As Sean leaves, Chloe can choose to stand up for Nathan once again or say nothing to him. If she chooses to sarcastically comment on Sean's parenting style, Nathan storms off in rage. If Chloe chooses to tell Samantha to help Nathan, Nathan will be confident and play his role in the play, which impresses the audience. Otherwise, he will humiliate himself causing the audience to ridicule him, prompting him to cry and get made fun of; he then curses, immediately leaves, upset and humiliated. Regardless, he is first to bow down to the crowd alongside Juliet. Later, Samantha Myers cheers for him, which he appreciates; he smiles and approaches her.

Episode Three - "Hell Is Empty"

There is a photo of Nathan and Rachel hanging out together at Blackwell in Rachel's room. Nathan can be heard with Samantha in a hospital room. If Chloe encouraged Samantha to help Nathan, their conversation will be positive, to Chloe’s disgust. At the end of the episode, depending on the player’s choices, Nathan can join Samantha under a tree and read together.

Relationships

Friends

• Rachel Amber - It has been proven Rachel and Nathan were on friendly terms before Rachel's disappearance and, if Chloe defends Nathan, Rachel will point it out as one of the reasons why she admires Chloe, suggesting she feels sympathy to Nathan.
• Victoria Chase - Victoria is likely, given the text messages she sent to Chloe, good friends with Nathan. In "Brave New World" ending cut scene with Victoria holding a play poster, there may be an implication that Victoria likes Nathan, however, the reaction could stem from Victoria's jealously at Rachel.
• Samantha Myers - She seems to like him, and defends him when Drew is picking on him. If Chloe encourages Samantha to help Nathan after the confrontation with his father, he performs significantly better in the play. She can be seen cheering for Nathan alone at the end of the play, and he is seen smiling and approaching her.

Family

• Sean Prescott (father) - Nathan is put under a lot of pressure by his father regarding his role as a Prescott family member, and his father doesn't really seem to care about Nathan's mental health issues. Moreover, he always avoids actual confrontations with his son and just tries to solve his problems with his influence and money, instead of actually talking with Nathan and trying to help him.
• Caroline Prescott (mother) - Likely financially supported The Tempest production Nathan takes part in episode 2 as is acknowledged on a play poster, so can be assumed is supportive of his drama role.
• Kristine Prescott (older sister) - Had a close and supportive relationship in the first game; unconfirmed if this is the case in this game.

Enemies

• Drew North - Drew's father was one of many workers laid off by Nathan's father, which makes Drew extremely loathsome of Nathan, frequently picking on the latter. Their animosity is intensified if Chloe does nothing to stop Drew from throwing Nathan's photography project into the school fountain.

Romantic

• Rachel Amber - Nathan may have been "in lust" with Rachel, based on dialogue from Mark Jefferson in the first game. However, this implication remains unconfirmed in this game.
• Samantha Myers - Samantha seems to be into Nathan and in the second episode's ending montage, Samantha applauses Nathan's theater performance, and he seems to behave positively towards her. Depending on the player's actions, he may also sit and read next to her in the third episode's ending montage.

Symbolism

Color Symbolism

In Awake, Nathan is wearing a blue sweater, much like his blue jacket in the alternative timeline of the original game. He isn't seen wearing the color red yet, which can be interpreted as disassociating him from the rage and stress in the original game, three years later.

During the ending of Brave New World, he wears a pink sweater. Being a lighter shade of red, this could represent the rage that Nathan feels putting up with his father's abuse and the bullying he receives at school, but still being in too much of a weak and vulnerable state to really do anything about it.

Finally, in Hell is Empty, Nathan is seen wearing a purple sweater, purple being a mix of red and blue. This color choice could be interpreted as Nathan struggling between the more sensitive, fragile state of mind we see him in at the start of the game and the unstable, dangerous state which he ends up in three years later.

Notably, Samantha and Nathan both wear sweaters with very similar colors in each episode. This could be reflective of Samantha's understanding of and concern for Nathan's struggles, as they're both social outcasts of Blackwell.

Memorable Quotes

"At least my family pays tuition. How much financial aid does your deadbeat dad need again?"

— Nathan to Drew in "Awake"

"You don't understand! They all hate me! They're just gonna laugh at me! And the football team will just bully me more!"

— Nathan to Sean in "Brave New World"

Trivia

• Nathan in Before the Storm doesn't participate in doing drugs recreationally as his name isn't present in Frank's log book.

Gallery

Nathan and Rachel hanging out together at Blackwell.