What makes Lara, Lara?

[Elliot Kane]

I think a lot of our recent discussions boil down to one thing: what are the absolute essential characteristics that make Lara who she is as a character? The things that really cannot be changed without making her over into a whole new character?

These are MY answers. Feel free to tell me how wrong I am!

First, a quick look at Lara's original origin and the early games:

Lara was born to a life of privilege at the social pinnacle of her world. As an English aristocrat she came from an 'Old Money' family and was doubtless raised with the unthinking confidence and self belief of aristocracy everywhere. It would probably not have occurred to young Lara that her life would be in any way different to her peers, but at age eleven she was caught in a plane crash that killed her mother and left her as the only survivor in the depths of one of the most hostile environments on Earth.

Making her own way to safety taught Lara lessons and opened her eyes to a world that was truly unimaginable to the girl she had been. She survived where most adults of either gender would have fallen. Instead of giving up when faced with unimaginable loss and the sudden certainty of death, she drew on reserves of strength she could never have imagined.

She could never be the innocent girl she had once been ever again. She had discovered something within herself that had to be fed, that made her feel alive in a way nothing else could. So she trained over many years (We see some of that in TR4, with Werner) and became the world famous Tomb Raider - the woman who could, quite literally, get to places no other archaeologist would ever dare.

Which is the point where we meet her at the start of TR1.

But out of all this detail, what is the essence of Lara? It's not about the plane crash or her mother's death. Those details can be changed easily. It's about the suddenly being placed in an environment that is almost guaranteed death when nothing she has ever seen could have prepared her for it, then surviving anyway.

Adult Lara is cool, confident and capable of acting naturally and being at home in any social environment. She could be at a high society dinner one day and a biker's meeting the next and feel equally at home. That ability to be herself wherever she is is pure aristocrat - the instinctive knowledge that she is (At least!) the equal of anyone in any room and so has nothing to prove to anyone. Anyone without that kind of background could not mingle so easily nor maintain her cool aloofness so well.

On to appearance. Lara is, let us be honest, an icon. She is a brown eyed brunette, and that can never be changed. She has traditionally been portrayed as far more Kelly Brook than Kate Moss in terms of physical build, but this has varied a lot over time and the many games. I think it's safe to say that Lara should have a clearly female figure, but beyond that there is room for change.

Lara's English origin is also not really a thing that could be changed. It is too much a part of her identity.

Interestingly enough, though, I don't think Lara's family having wealth is particularly important. There are plenty of aristocratic families who have fallen on hard times, and I think there is a good game to be had out of Lara restoring the family fortunes and winning/buying back the old manor house that was and will be the family home.

So, in summation, my opinions would be:

Stuff That Cannot be Changed
General appearance
Englishness
Aristocratic background

Stuff That Can Be Changed
The nature of the trauma that created the Tomb Raider
Wealth
Family dying

Now you lot can tell me how wrong you think I am!

[Driber]

I'd like to see Lara with a nice orange tan, speaking with a Texan accent, having grown up in a trailer park and parenting 2.3 kids with her boyfriend who sells insurance for a living.

[Elliot Kane]

Originally Posted by Driber

I'd like to see Lara with a nice orange tan, speaking with a Texan accent, having grown up in a trailer park and parenting 2.3 kids with her boyfriend who sells insurance for a living.

Oh, I'd totally get that! Honest!

[Jurre]

Okay well, I've got a few minor issues.

Originally Posted by Elliot Kane

Adult Lara is cool, confident and capable of acting naturally and being at home in any social environment. She could be at a high society dinner one day and a biker's meeting the next and feel equally at home.

Wait, wait, is it acting or feeling?

I don't think there is any person on earth who would feel equaly comfortable in those two different situations. Sure she would act comfortable amoung those bikers, unless they were upperclass bikers or if she would kick those macho lowlifes in the face... but to truly feel that way is something else entirely. And what is so strange is that the more you talk about it the less I understand your true meaning of (feudal) aristocracy.

Originally Posted by Elliot Kane

Interestingly enough, though, I don't think Lara's family having wealth is particularly important. There are plenty of aristocratic families who have fallen on hard times, and I think there is a good game to be had out of Lara restoring the family fortunes and winning/buying back the old manor house that was and will be the family home.

Well I guess she has to finance her world travels somehow, but that scenario about the quest to save the mansion is a neat idea.


Stuff That Cannot be Changed
General appearance - agreed
Englishness - yes definatly, I would quit the series if she suddely became anything else.
Aristocratic background - you know my opinion on that

What I would add to things that cannot be changed are the twin pistols - I am preparing myself to be dissapointed on that in the upcoming game.


Stuff That Can Be Changed
The nature of the trauma that created the Tomb Raider - agreed
Wealth - maybe
Family dying - well I'd rather have them not die. I think dead parents are usualy a way to avoid having to write complex relationships - I'm looking at you, Disney

[Ivana KC]

Originally Posted by Elliot Kane

Adult Lara is cool, confident and capable of acting naturally and being at home in any social environment. She could be at a high society dinner one day and a biker's meeting the next and feel equally at home. That ability to be herself wherever she is is pure aristocrat - the instinctive knowledge that she is (At least!) the equal of anyone in any room and so has nothing to prove to anyone. Anyone without that kind of background could not mingle so easily nor maintain her cool aloofness so well.

In general, you are right but I wouldn't agree with you with something. In my eyes, Lara is a woman who doesn't like fancy or girly things. So, while she is at a high society dinner, she would feel uncomfortable and I bet she would use a lot of sarcasm to show them how artifical that society actually is. On the other hand, while she would be with bikers, she would feel perfectly comfortable because her spirit tells her to always move and never stop. Although Lara respects her heritage, the fact that she is an aristocrat wouldn't bother her, IMO, but it would just be an advantage for her in whatever she is doing.

Originally Posted by Elliot Kane

Interestingly enough, though, I don't think Lara's family having wealth is particularly important. There are plenty of aristocratic families who have fallen on hard times, and I think there is a good game to be had out of Lara restoring the family fortunes and winning/buying back the old manor house that was and will be the family home.

I think that Lara's wealth is particulary important. That way I know Lara is not raiding tombs because of money, but because she is an adventurer, the real one. Idea about the game is good, but only if Lara had all that wealth before, then someone took it from her and then she has to restore everyting.



So, to sum up my opinion, here is the list.

Stuff that cannot be changed
- Englishness
- aristocratic background
- wealth
- Winston as Lara's butler
- Lara should be single (until the very LAST game in the series)

Stuff that could have minor changes
- family dying - I would like her father to be alive
- general appearance - Lara would be beautiful with green eyes
- the way Lara becomes tomb raider - doesn't matter to me, as long as she becomes Lara I always knew

[Elliot Kane]

The ultimate point of this thread - I think we all have very different ideas of who Lara is and should be, and I thought it would be good to compare notes, as it were. See if any areas of rough consensus emerge.

So far, so good!

(Sidenote: I do vaguely recall reading about a lord something-or-other who was a major motorcycle enthusiast in real life, so obviously spent a lot of his time with fellow bikers. Hence my example )

***

Jurre,

Not sure why you keep referring to a 'feudal' aristocracy. The feudal system is long finished and done. British aristocrats of today (& I include the Scots as well as the English, here) have little to tell you what they are except for plummy accents and a peculiar confidence they seem to be raised with. They aren't always wealthy, many have to work for a living and about the only real advantages many of them have left are social.

I suspect you may not understand me simply because we are thinking of very different things when the word 'aristocrat' is mentioned

[LadyRufina]

@EK: Agree with everything in your OP.

@IvanaKC: I would hate it if they change her eye colour to anything other than brown, no matter how much more beautiful it would make her. I nearly had a heart attack in the Turning Point trailer when she looked at herself in the mirror and had blue eyes! Though in-game they look like they have gone from red-brown to hazel.

[Ivana KC]

Originally Posted by LadyRufina

@IvanaKC: I would hate it if they change her eye colour to anything other than brown, no matter how much more beautiful it would make her. I nearly had a heart attack in the Turning Point trailer when she looked at herself in the mirror and had blue eyes!

Oh, blue eyes would kill me, too! I would choose green for Lara because brown is quite dark and very common, blue is too rare and too light, which means green is perfect balance. And besides, I like green eyes.

[Copeland]

The dual pistols. That's all I have to say on this matter.

[Andy64]

In the unchangeable category I would put confidence/attitude as it sums up the essence of who she has been estabilished to be. Always confident and brave, sometimes quirky, sometimes ruthless but always with a sprinkling of sassyness.

Upper class background/ Croft manor: As lady Lara Croft she has this wonderful elegance beautifully contrasted with the activities of her adventures and this adds a ver unique angle to her. I love exploring the manor too and something you think of when you think of Lara.

Dual Pistols: Who would want any other weapon in the long run? - I wouldn't

Sex appeal/ Outfits : Some people may call me shallow for this but Lara is a very sexy girl and a Lara who isn't sexy can't really be Lara in my eyes. I think having a wider fashion range than probably every other character in the genre is great. She can have a catsuit, a dress or full explorer gear.

Britishness: As a Brit myself I am proud for her to represent my country

Stuff that can't be changed
Confidence/attitude
Upper class background
Croft manor
Dual Pistols
Hair colour
Sex appeal
Wide range of Outfits
Britishness

Stuff that can be changed
Origin (as long they stop contradicting it every couple of games)
Lara's friends/family/rivals

[Metalrocks]

pretty much dont care really as long we get the lara we know. she can have some emotions to make her more human, not all the time cold blooded.

but what should NOT be changed.
being english.
being confident
croft manor
her butler
her hair color

things that can be changed.
her new look (as we have now)
more about her family (like a playable child version of lara, learning from her father)
her time at school/university (playable would be nice, to have a change from adventuring)

[Darkwoodsoftime]

Stuff That Cannot be Changed
Being english of course
her hair and eye color
Dual Pistol
her attitude and confident

Stuff That Can be Changed
her hair style , which we saw and i love the new hair style
her background in relationships . (like in the comic , that her fiance died in a Plane crash )
i really liked what Metalrocks said above im just gonna quote it :

her time at school/university (playable would be nice, to have a change from adventuring)

i love such plyable sections or even cut scenes .... if only

[Metalrocks]

Originally Posted by Darkwoodsoftime

i love such plyable sections or even cut scenes .... if only

rather have it playable. gives you more time to play, then having scripted cut scenes. imagine, just wondering around, messing around with stuff, sounds like nice change of pace when you dont have to fight to survive, like we had in alan wake. i enjoyed these parts were you could just wonder around without killing anything.
maybe when lara was a child, she played some pranks with her friends on teachers or was a very cheeky girl and had to see the principle a lot

[Jurre]

Originally Posted by Elliot Kane

I suspect you may not understand me simply because we are thinking of very different things when the word 'aristocrat' is mentioned

I think so too. Maybe you can explain (in an PM perhaps?) what it means to you to clear this up once and for all?

[Priscillia]

This is an interesting topic because we all think about Lara differently

Actually, for me changed a looooooooot since the very first games. And I'm not only speaking about her physical appearance !

but what should NOT be changed.
- Her boobs... that sounds weird because I'm a girl, but for me THIS is like the very top element that defines her XD. I mean, the way IS a caricature of a kickass woman.
- Her face (nose, lips and eyebrows) because they have a specific shape too.
- Her unrealistic (caricature) style (that we still had until the reboot... )
- The voice (at least, her FR voice)
- The look (she wears a kind of outfits that we recognize easily).
- THE double guns (which is to me, the craddle of the game).
- The fact that she's always on a trip too (she sees many destinations within a same game).
- on the whole, we should not change the "Indiana Jones" touch

Things that could be changed.
- Her equipment (I'm okay with new technologies and so on)
- The fact she works alone ? I think coop in GoL was great, so why not having a partner (like Chase within the comics for instance)?
- Her biography, because to me that is not what makes her so iconic. The relationship with her mother mainly, which became such crybaby .
-... then I don't know

[Elliot Kane]

Originally Posted by Jurre

I think so too. Maybe you can explain (in an PM perhaps?) what it means to you to clear this up once and for all?

Shouldn't be needed by now. The aristocracy are simply the people who have hereditary titles going back several centuries. They tend to be raised in a way that produces certain qualities.

Today they have no real power (Unless they have money, too, of course) and their influence is of the 'who you know' type. It's the Middle Classes that run the country (As in any Democracy), leaving them rather obsolete except for their traditions.

***

Interesting to me that the one thing almost everyone mentions so far is the dual pistols. They seem to be hugely iconic. Yet no-one has mentioned the pack. Is that less iconic? Or just so much a part of Lara we have all forgotten about it?

[Priscillia]

Originally Posted by Elliot Kane

Yet no-one has mentioned the pack. Is that less iconic? Or just so much a part of Lara we have all forgotten about it?

You're totally right ! I forgot the pack but indeed, that item is one of the most important in TR games too ! Same for medikits I guess !

[Jurre]

Originally Posted by Elliot Kane

Shouldn't be needed by now. The aristocracy are simply the people who have hereditary titles going back several centuries. They tend to be raised in a way that produces certain qualities.

Yes, that is what I call feudal aristocracy since it was the feudal system that provided them with the land and the serfs that they ruled over and provided them with money. I call it feudal aristocracy as opposed to the political aristocracy (senators, ministers), the financial elite (bankers, Ceo's) and the ones that I value the most (more accurately: the ones I do not despise): the intellectual elite (Carl Segan, Steven Hawkins, Patrick Moore and so on)

Speaking of Hawkings and Moore, those two were knighted by the queen, right? How about Lara is a commoner who through her heroic deeds is knighted by the queen of Britain? That would make her an aristocrat, but she earned the title herself and not because her ancestor Sir Robert Croft slaughtered 300 French peasants in the Hunderd Years War.

[Metalrocks]

since you are talking about medkits.

things that should not change....
medkits

thats the a very important item in this game. i dont want any stupid regenerating health.

[Elliot Kane]

Originally Posted by Jurre

Yes, that is what I call feudal aristocracy since it was the feudal system that provided them with the land and the serfs that they ruled over and provided them with money. I call it feudal aristocracy as opposed to the political aristocracy (senators, ministers), the financial elite (bankers, Ceo's) and the ones that I value the most (more accurately: the ones I do not despise): the intellectual elite (Carl Segan, Steven Hawkins, Patrick Moore and so on)

Speaking of Hawkings and Moore, those two were knighted by the queen, right? How about Lara is a commoner who through her heroic deeds is knighted by the queen of Britain? That would make her an aristocrat, but she earned the title herself and not because her ancestor Sir Robert Croft slaughtered 300 French peasants in the Hunderd Years War.

Wouldn't help, Jurre. Being knighted (Or being made a Dame if you are a woman, which entitles you to be called 'Lady') is not at all the same thing as coming from an aristocratic background.

Look at it this way: someone brought up on a farm from a very young age is going to know farms. They are going to have attitudes shaped by that background and by their experiences. Someone else might buy a farm, but it won't give them the same kind of background or experiences.

What we are really talking about here is background traits. We all have them. We are shaped by our environment and by the social and cultural influences around us.

Anyone can become a banker, to give another example, but it's not at all the same as being born into the Rothschild banking dynasty.

It's the difference between becoming something and being born to it.

[Jurre]

Originally Posted by Elliot Kane

It's the difference between becoming something and being born to it.

That's right and I think the former is more of an achievement than the latter. But I know you prefer to see Lara in the latter situation; I guess we'll have to agree to disagree here...

[Elliot Kane]

Originally Posted by Jurre

That's right and I think the former is more of an achievement than the latter. But I know you prefer to see Lara in the latter situation; I guess we'll have to agree to disagree here...

It's more of an achievement, of course.

But yes, I think we are going to have to agree to disagree at this point

[dark7angel]

Stuff That Cannot be Changed
Englishness
Aristocratic background
Wealth
General appearance (as in hair/eye colour; I don't mind - and actually welcome - the other changes that were made to her appearance, namely the more realistic look and body proportions; so basically I would stick to the new look)
Confidence
Croft Manor (I don't mind it not being in the game but I think that it should still be part of Lara's story, associated with her wealth and aristocratic background!)

Stuff That Can Be Changed
Equipment - including dual pistols, backpack and medkits
Biography - Family dying/Origins/etc.
Always working alone - like Priscillia said, something like Chase from the comics would be really nice.

[Jurre]

Originally Posted by Elliot Kane

It's more of an achievement, of course.

But yes, I think we are going to have to agree to disagree at this point

Good conversation though

[Elliot Kane]

Originally Posted by Jurre

Good conversation though

Yup. Different viewpoints are always interesting