Editing Lara Croft (section)

== Characteristics ==
Lara Croft is depicted as an athletic female with brown eyes and dark auburn hair, frequently kept in a [[Braid|plait]] or [[ponytail]]. The character's classic costume is a turquoise leotard, light brown shorts, calf-high boots, and tall white socks. Accessories include fingerless gloves, a backpack, a utility belt with holsters on either side, and two pistols. The video game sequels introduced new outfits designed for different environments, such as underwater and cold weather. In the later games, Croft wears a [[crop top]], camouflage pants and black or light brown shorts. When exploring, she often carries two pistols, but has used other weaponry throughout the series. She is fluent in several languages.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://stars.ign.com/articles/930/930908p1.html |title=The Many Looks of Lara Croft: Videogames |website=IGN |date=17 November 2008 |first=Jesse |last=Schedeen |access-date=17 June 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090204212423/http://stars.ign.com/articles/930/930908p1.html |archive-date=4 February 2009}}</ref><ref name="PCGamer-166">{{cite magazine |magazine=[[PC Gamer]] |publisher=[[Future US]] |author=Staff |title=She's Had Work Done |page=53 |issue=166 |date=October 2007}}</ref><ref name="CVG-2008">{{cite journal |journal=Computer and Video Games Presents |publisher=[[Future Publishing]] |title=Is Tomb Raider in Deep Water? |pages=20–29 |author=Staff |year=2008 |issue=3}}</ref>

Lara's backstory has changed dramatically over the course of the series. During the first era, beginning in ''[[Tomb Raider (1996 video game)|Tomb Raider]]'' (1996), game manuals describe the character as the [[Wimbledon, London|Wimbledon]], London-born daughter of Lord Henshingly Croft<ref>{{cite book |title=Tomb Raider III: The Adventures of Lara Croft Prima Strategy Guide |chapter=Introduction |author=Kip Ward |publisher=Prima Games |location=Roseville, California |pages=2 |isbn=0-7615-1858-4 |date=October 1998}}</ref> (Lord Richard Croft in ''Legend'' and ''Survivor'' timelines).<ref>{{cite book |title=Tomb Raider: Anniversary Prima Strategy Guide |chapter=1: Preparation for Tomb Raiding |author=David S. J. Hodgson |publisher=Prima Games |location=Roseville, California |pages=10 |isbn=978-0-7615-5886-6 |date=27 May 2007}}</ref> She was raised as a British aristocrat and betrothed to the fictitious Earl of Faringdon. Lara attended the Scottish boarding school [[Gordonstoun]] and a Swiss [[finishing school]]. At the age of twenty-one, she survived a plane crash, which left her stranded in the [[Himalayas]] for two weeks; the experience spurred her to shun her former life and seek other adventures around the world. Croft published books and other written works based on her exploits as a mercenary, big-game hunter, and master thief.<ref name="Arcade-1">{{cite journal |title=Lara Swings Again |journal=Arcade: The Videogame Magazine |issue=1 |publisher=[[Future Publishing]] |date=December 1998 |pages=46–55 |first=Jonathan |last=Smith}}</ref><ref name="GS-History">{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/features/tombraider_hist/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090306100124/http://www.gamespot.com/features/tombraider_hist/index.html |archive-date=6 March 2009 |title=History of Tomb Raider |website=[[GameSpot]] |first1=Fabian |last1=Blache |first2=Lauren |last2=Fielder |date=31 October 2000 |access-date=1 June 2010}}</ref> These provided her with a replacement source of income after her father [[disowned]] her over her change in lifestyle.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Polygonal Pinup|magazine=[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]]|issue=97 |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |date=August 1997|pages=86–88}}</ref>

During the second era, which began with ''[[Tomb Raider: Legend]]'' (2006), Lara's story was changed to be the daughter of archaeologist Lord Richard Croft, the Earl of Abingdon, and someone who was quickly identified as a highly talented individual while attending the Abingdon Girls School.<ref name=":0">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sMF0oGCCQhoC |title=Lara Croft Tomb Raider Legend: The Complete Guide |last=Piggyback Interactive |date=2006 |publisher=[[Random House Information Group]] |isbn=9780761553243 |language=en |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170122124819/https://books.google.com/books?id=sMF0oGCCQhoC |archive-date=22 January 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UZglGi-MDZIC&q=%2522Abbingdon%2520Girls%27%2520School%2522%2520%2522Lara%2520Croft%2522&pg=PT49 |title=Game Design Essentials |last=Mitchell |first=Briar Lee |date=5 March 2012 |publisher=[[John Wiley & Sons]] |isbn=9781118239339 |language=en |access-date=6 July 2016 |archive-date=13 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201113040952/https://books.google.com/books?id=UZglGi-MDZIC&q=%2522Abbingdon%2520Girls%27%2520School%2522%2520%2522Lara%2520Croft%2522&pg=PT49 |url-status=live}}</ref> The plane crash was changed to when Lara was nine years old,<ref name=":0"/> and with her mother, Amelia Croft. While searching for shelter, Lara and her mother took refuge in an ancient Nepalese temple, where Lara witnesses her mother vanish after tampering with an ancient sword. Her father later disappears in search of his wife.<ref>{{cite video game |title=[[Tomb Raider: Legend]] |developer=[[Crystal Dynamics]] |publisher=[[Eidos Interactive]] |date=7 April 2006 |platform=PlayStation 2}}</ref><ref name="IGNhistory">{{cite web |url=http://retro.ign.com/articles/856/856183p1.html |title=IGN Presents: The History of Tomb Raider |website=IGN |last=McLaughlin |first=Rus |date=29 February 2008 |access-date=23 July 2009 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091118132620/http://retro.ign.com/articles/856/856183p1.html |archive-date=18 November 2009}}</ref> This spurs Lara on to seek the reason for her mother's disappearance.

The third era, established in ''[[Tomb Raider (2013 video game)|Tomb Raider]]'' (2013), deviates from the original plot considerably. When Lara was young she travelled with her parents on many of their archaeological expeditions which helped to shape the woman she was becoming. It was on one of these expeditions that her mother, Amelia Croft, vanished and was presumed dead and when her father Richard presumably took his own life a few years later, she was then left in the care of Conrad Roth. Even though she inherited a vast fortune, giving her the means to attend [[University of Cambridge|Cambridge]] with ease, Lara chose to study at [[University College London]]. Though this was a much tougher choice, it helped her become more grounded and level-headed than she might otherwise have been. She also ended up meeting her best friend, Samantha Nishimura, during her time at UCL. It was because of Sam's free spirit and a wild streak that Lara was able to experience much more of London than just the universities and museums that she loved so much. After travelling the world, both Lara and Sam end up on an expedition to the Dragon's Triangle off the Japanese coast in search of the lost civilization of Yamatai. It is on this expedition that Lara is stranded on a remote island full of natural, human and supernatural dangers, which enables her to develop from an untested young woman to a survivor. After experiencing the supernatural powers of the ancient world, she comes to realise her father was right about his theories and her hunger for adventure awakens.<ref>{{cite book |title=Tomb Raider 2013 BradyGames Strategy Guide |chapter=Introduction |author=Michael Owen and Kenny Sims |publisher=BradyGAMES |location=Indianapolis, Indiana |pages=28–29 |isbn=978-0-7440-1453-2 |date=5 March 2013}}</ref>