Many of the newer fans to Tomb Raider, mostly those that started playing the game around the time of Tomb Raider Legend, didn’t really seem to understand what the older fans were going on about when they say that Lara had changed. The derision from Core fans that greeted the sight of Lara staring aghast at her blood-stained hands, or greeted the theories that Lara was being driven by “Mommy and/or Daddy issues” left the new fans bemused and in some of the more fanatical cases, personally affronted.
Showing posts with label Guest Writers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Guest Writers. Show all posts
Ostercy is an awesome fanfiction writer who has not only created several stories featuring Lara Croft but also a parallel series focusing on Natla. Ost is also running the Sixth Village of Tokakeriby competition, so if you like writing about Lara's adventures I highly recommend entering.
deviantArt (commonly abbreviated as dA) is an online community showcasing various forms of user-made artwork, and wherever there’s a chance to strut your stuff, there you’ll find Tomb Raider fans.
First - some statistics (which I hope are at least roughly accurate).
At the time of writing there are more than 30,000 works related to Tomb Raider, of which approximately 800 show up under Nude Raider (which is less than 3%, showing that Tomb Raider fan-art has moved firmly away from its fanboy roots.) Her Royal Highness Jacqueline Natla is featured in nearly 1000 works, that well known bottle blonde Amanda Evert stars in about 800 and pretty boy Kurtis Trent glams it up in about 700. One of the larger TR fan groups is called “#Art-of-TombRaider” and was founded in 2010 by KissBite (a.k.a Keyth Sayers, a member of dA since 2005), whilst professional Lara artists who post their work at dA include Adam Hughes and Andy Parks (TR Comics). Finally there’s a chunk of TR fanfiction consisting of about 200 stories. (Or story chapters. Or poems).
Phew!
The beauty of dA is that there is little to no moderation, there’s no canon of obscure rules to protect the “power” of the site administrators and you don’t have to be in hock to any particular clique to get noticed. This means, of course, that TR Deviant Art can range from the moderately artistic to the utterly dreadful – hurrah! You can get Lara as Otherkin, Lara inflated like a balloon, Japanese manga Lara … there is no indignity to which(One of my particular bete-noirs is the recent flood of ugly pictures made with “art” software XNA Lara – all awkwardly angled limbs and boggle-eyed faces – which make Lara about as attractive as Lady Penelope from "Thunderbirds") “Lady Croft” has not been subjected. However, balancing these visions of the unbalanced (which are in the minority) you'll also find “real” artwork, originating with a pencil and paper (probably). There are a number of TR comics, at least one of which has a plot, and several cartoonists, at least one of whom is funny. There’s roughly 3000 photos posted by various brave cosplayers (I have to namedrop one of my personal favourites, misslarisacroft, who appears to have no qualms about standing in a freezing Ukrainian pond in a bikini to get that memorable shot), as well as the works of many gifted graphic artists (who manage to create great Lara pictures without tracing Top Cow comics or re-colouring Eidos marketing ”goodness”.)
So if you are an "artiste", and whether your “canvas” is literal, conceptual or personal, try out dA. It contains a living, breathing Tomb Raider community which has room for everybody (however deranged)
deviantArt (commonly abbreviated as dA) is an online community showcasing various forms of user-made artwork, and wherever there’s a chance to strut your stuff, there you’ll find Tomb Raider fans.
First - some statistics (which I hope are at least roughly accurate).
At the time of writing there are more than 30,000 works related to Tomb Raider, of which approximately 800 show up under Nude Raider (which is less than 3%, showing that Tomb Raider fan-art has moved firmly away from its fanboy roots.) Her Royal Highness Jacqueline Natla is featured in nearly 1000 works, that well known bottle blonde Amanda Evert stars in about 800 and pretty boy Kurtis Trent glams it up in about 700. One of the larger TR fan groups is called “#Art-of-TombRaider” and was founded in 2010 by KissBite (a.k.a Keyth Sayers, a member of dA since 2005), whilst professional Lara artists who post their work at dA include Adam Hughes and Andy Parks (TR Comics). Finally there’s a chunk of TR fanfiction consisting of about 200 stories. (Or story chapters. Or poems).
Phew!
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| Lara faces off against her Doppelganger. Illustration by Agnes Heyer from 2000 for Ostercy's story "Olympus Mons |
The beauty of dA is that there is little to no moderation, there’s no canon of obscure rules to protect the “power” of the site administrators and you don’t have to be in hock to any particular clique to get noticed. This means, of course, that TR Deviant Art can range from the moderately artistic to the utterly dreadful – hurrah! You can get Lara as Otherkin, Lara inflated like a balloon, Japanese manga Lara … there is no indignity to which(One of my particular bete-noirs is the recent flood of ugly pictures made with “art” software XNA Lara – all awkwardly angled limbs and boggle-eyed faces – which make Lara about as attractive as Lady Penelope from "Thunderbirds") “Lady Croft” has not been subjected. However, balancing these visions of the unbalanced (which are in the minority) you'll also find “real” artwork, originating with a pencil and paper (probably). There are a number of TR comics, at least one of which has a plot, and several cartoonists, at least one of whom is funny. There’s roughly 3000 photos posted by various brave cosplayers (I have to namedrop one of my personal favourites, misslarisacroft, who appears to have no qualms about standing in a freezing Ukrainian pond in a bikini to get that memorable shot), as well as the works of many gifted graphic artists (who manage to create great Lara pictures without tracing Top Cow comics or re-colouring Eidos marketing ”goodness”.)
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| One of misslarisacroft's photos inspired by Tomb Raider 2 |
So if you are an "artiste", and whether your “canvas” is literal, conceptual or personal, try out dA. It contains a living, breathing Tomb Raider community which has room for everybody (however deranged)
Melonie is a former Frag Doll Cadet, video game journalist and gamer. When she's not playing games she writes for her site www.meloniemac.com and also draws her own comics at DeviantArt. She also posts on the Tomb Raider Forums, and also she recorded the E3 LCGOL preview for TRF. Make sure to check out her site and also her twitter page.
Lara Croft, as we all know, is an iconic character loved by millions all over the world. Continuing a legacy started over 14 years ago, Miss Croft is still impacting gamers with every game that is released. Having that said, each of these games showcase a different side of Lara, which is part of the excitement of the Tomb Raider franchise.
Looking back to where it all began, Lara Croft was portrayed as a tough-as-nails, take no garbage from anyone kind of girl. A rebel of her high class, aristocratic upbringing, Lara was a grave robber of sorts, and was motivated to carry on her adventures purely for the sport of it. Sarcastic remarks, and an almost heartless attitude, was normal behavior for Lara, and fans loved that. Perhaps she was the type of person everyone would hate in the real world, yet oddly love and even look at as a role model in the gaming world. As time progressed, and Tomb Raider shifted direction, Lara changed with it.
Introduced in Tomb Raider Legend was a side to Lara Croft we have never seen before. This change in personality was a pleasant surprise for some, and a disgrace to others. Lara Croft traded her rebellious and adrenaline-junkie attitude for a softer, more emotional outlook on life. Rather than pursuing adventure for the mere fun of it, Lara was fueled by a concrete motive of finding her long lost mother. Not to say that Lara Croft lost her sense of strength and attitude, because it remained to some degree, but significantly toned down. Still, she remained strong, but wasn't afraid to express her emotions almost intensely. However, after another change of direction in the Tomb Raider franchise, Lara once again has also made changes.
After Square-Enix acquired Eidos Interactive, and Crystal Dynamics with it, the Tomb Raider franchise is changing more than ever. While we still have a significant wait before actually playing the game, much of Lara's personality has already been revealed. As a method of rebooting the series, the new Tomb Raider game serves as Lara's first journey, and will set the path for future adventures. As previously illustrated, Lara has been portrayed as almost heartlessly tough in the past, and later openly emotional. The future, however, portrays Lara in a completely different light, while still taking hold of some of the same characteristics we have all known and loved. Yet again, Lara rebels against her aristocratic upbringing, but in a different way. In this instance, Lara's rebellious ways are more so an act of humbleness. Despite the fact that she has lived a privileged life, Lara is still noted as an ordinary woman. Her journey is no longer for sport or to locate a long lost relative, but rather, a situation she happened upon in which she must fight to survive. For once, Lara will be portrayed as endearing, and players will have a sense of care for her. Most fans appear to be very receptive and excited about this change.
While Lara Croft is a character adored by so many, she has changed dramatically and continues to do so. The fact that so many fans stand by her throughout these changes is a testament to how much of an impact Lara has made as a character, and will continue to do so. The future looks bright for the Tomb Raider franchise, and the current changes are reflections of progression in not only the games she stars in, but in Lara Croft as a character herself. Part of the excitement of anticipating the newest Tomb Raider title is seeing Lara evolve with it. Undoubtedly, we have much to look forward to as Lara Croft makes her presence known in a more personable we've ever seen.
Looking back to where it all began, Lara Croft was portrayed as a tough-as-nails, take no garbage from anyone kind of girl. A rebel of her high class, aristocratic upbringing, Lara was a grave robber of sorts, and was motivated to carry on her adventures purely for the sport of it. Sarcastic remarks, and an almost heartless attitude, was normal behavior for Lara, and fans loved that. Perhaps she was the type of person everyone would hate in the real world, yet oddly love and even look at as a role model in the gaming world. As time progressed, and Tomb Raider shifted direction, Lara changed with it.
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| Lara Croft in Tomb Raider One in all her glory |
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| Lara Croft in Tomb Raider Legend. |
After Square-Enix acquired Eidos Interactive, and Crystal Dynamics with it, the Tomb Raider franchise is changing more than ever. While we still have a significant wait before actually playing the game, much of Lara's personality has already been revealed. As a method of rebooting the series, the new Tomb Raider game serves as Lara's first journey, and will set the path for future adventures. As previously illustrated, Lara has been portrayed as almost heartlessly tough in the past, and later openly emotional. The future, however, portrays Lara in a completely different light, while still taking hold of some of the same characteristics we have all known and loved. Yet again, Lara rebels against her aristocratic upbringing, but in a different way. In this instance, Lara's rebellious ways are more so an act of humbleness. Despite the fact that she has lived a privileged life, Lara is still noted as an ordinary woman. Her journey is no longer for sport or to locate a long lost relative, but rather, a situation she happened upon in which she must fight to survive. For once, Lara will be portrayed as endearing, and players will have a sense of care for her. Most fans appear to be very receptive and excited about this change.
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| The newly rebooted version of Lara for the upcoming game |
