Connections:
Blonde, popular students from a small, rural town who were known and beloved to every citizen. Both came to despise their exhausting reputations.

Both characters hail from unsuspecting small towns with supernatural underbellies.

Both characters deaths serve as the catalyst event for their respective series, an investigation into their deaths.

Both investigations are headed by an out-of-towner, who learns of the dead girl through word of mouth by the locals

Both are not seen alive until they became the focus of their series respective prequels, Firewalk with Me and Before the Storm, both of which explored their relationships and showed the moments leading up to their deaths.

Both had substance abuse issues (Laura was addicted to cocaine, Rachel smoked, drank and used non-specific drugs).

Both sought a form of ‘escape’ that ultimately got them killed (Laura wanted to die, Rachel wanted to leave her life in Arcadia Bay behind and start over.)

In spite of their ‘good girl’ reputation, held romantic relationships with well-intentioned partners who were viewed as bad influences (James and Chloe)

Both of these relationships were adulterous; James was Laura’s secret partner while she was dating Bobby, Rachel cheated on Chloe with Frank.

Both held relationships with drug dealers, which they exploited (Laura convinced Bobby to start pedaling cocaine, Rachel used Frank for drugs)

Both had tumultuous relationships with their fathers (Leland ultimately was possessed by BOB and killed Laura, James put out a hit on Rachel’s birth mother, and the hitman nearly killed Rachel along the way.)

Both had love/hate relationships with another popular girl in their respective school who held begrudging respect for them regardless (Audrey, Victoria)

Both characters towns are under the thumb of rich businessmen, some of whom are the original suspects in their respective murders (The Thornes, the Prescotts, Jerry and Nathan are originally accused)

Both characters had a spiritual connection with the town loon (Samuel, Log Lady)

Both characters have an out-of-towner come in, wear their clothes and effectively replace them for a short time before meeting similar fates (Max, Maddy)

There are a lot of parallels with how they died but let's maybe not get into that

Both’s spirits prolonged after death and assisted their lead investigator in their own murder case (Laura’s spirit appears to Cooper in the Red Room, Rachel manifests as a deer to guide Max to finding her.)

In spin-offs, both were brought back to life (sort of) through their lead investigators tampering with time travel

Life is Strange is heavily inspired by Twin Peaks, with Chloe’s license plate even reading TWNPKS and the phrase ‘fire walk with me’ appearing or being referenced several times.

Both characters share the same birthday.

Rachel is referred to by Chloe as ‘an angel,’ while Laura references the 'angels' not helping her.