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I’m in an emotional and reflective mood, so I’m going to make a thread about why I personally find reboot Lara so empowering.
If you don’t find her empowering, that’s okay and valid. You don’t have to. This is for me. 1/18
If you don’t find her empowering, that’s okay and valid. You don’t have to. This is for me. 1/18
The short of it is I find that Lara’s ability to remain in touch with her emotions despite the world giving her every reason not to be is powerful. Many of us have been through situations where we felt it best to retreat into ourselves and never let anyone in again. 2/
I believe that old Lara (classic/LAU) followed this mold quite closely. Even those closest to her weren’t allowed full entry into her world, and that’s okay. It’s the archetype of the badass protagonist who doesn’t let anything bother them, and most of the old games- 3/
Were mainly made to be fun, joyous adventures, so it fit. And I’m not saying old Lara was incapable of emotional depth; Angel of Darkness and Underworld are evidence enough of that. However, the reboot established itself from the beginning as something different. 4/
It was something more serious in tone. It’s total preference whether you liked this or not, but I personally adore serious stories, so I was already inclined to like the new direction. I loved the thought of seeing Lara Croft before she was fearless, and the final product,- 5/
Specifically the first and last games, did not disappoint. I needed to know that it was okay to feel, and I had a wonderful influence in my real life that helped me tremendously, but Lara was my coping mechanism. Despite all the shit thrown her way, she always- 6/
Got back up (even if she was limping), dusted herself off, and told herself “you can do this”. As over-dramatic and romanticized as it sounds, that gave me strength at a time when I needed it most. Lara is often criticized for being too emotional, and I know a few- 7/
Fans have voiced concern that the devs break Lara down right after a moment of strength purposefully, and it sends a message that women can’t be powerful w/o being emotional. That is a valid point and one I won’t debate. For me personally, that’s not what I see. 8/
Lara’s personal journey with her emotions is one of the vital aspects of the reboot. Most of her actions are motivated by anger, fear, revenge, etc., so it makes complete sense that there would be an emotional crash after those moments. The scene after her fire- 9/
Rampage in the oil fields in Shadow is a perfect example, and it’s stuck with me since I saw it. As obvious as it was that Rourke was lying about Jonah, Lara snapped, and in a fit of rage, murdered the people indirectly responsible for taking yet another person from her. 10/
When she wakes after, she’s already beginning to process Jonah’s death, but then he walks out of the rubble, and she breaks. The fact that she still feels vulnerable enough to cry despite all of the trauma she’s been through at that point is empowering. 11/
She continues to let herself feel. She continues to let people in (reluctantly albeit). She lets herself emotionally process what she’s just seen, and that’s powerful to me. I grew up observing people who just buried what they felt. They didn’t let anyone in. 12/
They didn’t want anyone in. And seeing a character I’d admired since I was 8 refuse to let that happen to her solidified my own desire to never let that happen to me. The scene where she asks Amaru “what about my world?” is another that sticks with me. She doesn’t 13/
Bury what she feels or lets him think he hasn’t affected her. She directly lets him know “you hurt me, affected my life forever, and you are vile for that”. I know there are plenty of issues with Shadow’s narrative and colonialism and Amaru making points, but 14/
Lara directly telling the person who took what she held dear to her most away from her to essentially fuck off was the power fantasy I wanted. I love old Lara’s version of power fantasy too, but it’s not one that strikes a direct emotional chord within me. And again- 15/
I know that not everyone can relate to this and not everyone wants this kind of serious, emotional depth in Tomb Raider. And I completely get that and respect it. But I cannot thank Crystal Dynamics enough, for all their missteps, for turning my childhood hero into- 16/
The hero I needed during my transition into adulthood. 14 to 19 are very formative years, and this is the Lara that got me through them. Despite my criticisms of her, reboot Lara will always and forever be my favorite character ever. 17/
Apologies for the long thread. I respect every opinion that opposes my points and welcome any constructive discussion around why you personally didn’t find RBL empowering. I’ve heard them all, and they’re all valid, but I’ll still listen to you. 
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