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Old 07-09-18, 09:39   #11
Maverin
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So if I understand this correctly, then Larson's official surname remains unknown. We only have a fanmade surname which is 'Conway'. Is that right? Makes me wonder how people came up with Conway in the first place
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Old 07-09-18, 11:49   #12
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You're understanding right, Maverin!

"Conway" might've come from the country singer Conway Twitty, or from the town Conway, Arkansas. Larson was from Arkansas in the Core Design timeline. Still, it's strange that Dr. Cheese just randomly assigned Larson a surname.

I do have another theory: Dr. Cheese never existed, and was made up by Jo269976 here on TRF.

See, I searched the Wayback Machine's archives of IMDb’s forum, and I couldn't find a thread on TR:A pre-release info, let alone a person by the handle "Dr. Cheese."

I do admit a pre-release thread on TR:A could exist elsewhere in IMDb forum archives, but that’s highly doubtful considering how IMDb’s forums were laid out--each individual title had a discussion hub. (I also admit that I didn’t have the patience to check elsewhere; I have no idea where on the forum I’d begin looking. The LCTR or Cradle of Life forums, maybe?) If Jo269976 knows the answer, they can't tell us; their last site visit was in 2011.

Whether or not Dr. Cheese exists or existed at one point, there's one question burning on my mind. Why give Larson a surname in the first place? Perhaps adoration for a minor villain--bumbling and somewhat sexist, but still beloved all the same. I know I would have given Larson a second name, be it first or last, if it had been up to me.

But until my research is proven otherwise, the answer remains: Larson is simply Larson, no more and no less.

Edit - Well, I found a thread on Lara Croft Online that also references the Dr. Cheese message, and even provides a link to the now-defunct IMDb page that Dr. Cheese apparently posted in. I tried to take it to the Wayback Machine, but it sadly wasn't archived... And no one in either the TRF thread or the LCO thread ever provided conclusive evidence that Larson's name is dropped in a PC PowerPlay issue. (March's issue would be more likely, but as I said before, my cursory examination of PC PowerPlay #136 doesn't seem to have anything on TR:A.)

Last edited by LateRaider; 09-09-18 at 13:42.
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Old 08-09-18, 00:14   #13
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.... come to think of it I've somehow always been so sure of it? Maybe it's said by the devs in commentary?
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Old 08-09-18, 00:52   #14
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It is not said in the commentary. I checked Stella's commentary transcripts. It was a good suggestion, though!

Edit - I just listened to all 5 TR:A dev diaries too, and no one's name is mentioned except Lara's. If we wanted to be 100% sure, we could try asking Justin if he got "Conway" from an official source, (I emailed Roli on Raiding the Globe already) or maybe even contacting Toby Gard on Twitter or something.

Last edited by LateRaider; 08-09-18 at 06:42.
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Old 08-09-18, 19:53   #15
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I remember for some reason also calling Larson's last name as Conway in a fan video I made back in 2008. Not quite sure why.
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Old 09-09-18, 11:29   #16
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this has blown my mind. Why the **** do we all collectively know him as Conway????
Must be the Mandela effect in action
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Old 09-09-18, 13:34   #17
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I don't know if it's necessarily Mandela effect, since I did find a ground zero source for where we got Conway from. But it certainly, at the very least, is proof of how far-reaching and pervasive rumors can be.

Still no word back from Raiding the Globe. Do you guys think I should try emailing or PMing Justin as well? Several places I searched claim that they got Larson's last name from TombRaiderChronicles.com. Also, would it be worth tweeting Toby?
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Old 11-09-18, 11:28   #18
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I'm very curious about this, I think you should.
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Old 11-09-18, 13:15   #19
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I sent an email to the Tomb Raider Chronicles staff. Tweeting Toby will be next if they have no idea.

...Lmao, that makes me think of something silly. Wouldn't it be funny if it turns out Dr. Cheese made it up and even the official TR staff thought Conway was created internally?

Last edited by LateRaider; 11-09-18 at 17:18.
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Old 11-09-18, 23:13   #20
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Conway is given as the last name in the cast section at our sister site:
https://www.tombraiderchronicles.com...haracters.html

Then there's this interesting history of the wikiraider article on Larson:
15 October 2004 https://www.wikiraider.com/index.php...nway&oldid=887 Simple entry.
1 April 2005 https://www.wikiraider.com/index.php...way&oldid=2700 Added Pierre.
6 April 2005 https://www.wikiraider.com/index.php...way&oldid=4231 Added du Pont.
5 March 2007 https://www.wikiraider.com/index.php...ay&oldid=13246 Added Conway and article itself moved to "Larson Conway"

29 August 2015 is the earliest entry for Larson Conway in the "Lara Croft Wiki":
http://tombraider.wikia.com/wiki/Lar...e)?oldid=26736

But Conway was added in the original Larson character article started in 2008:
29 February 2008 http://tombraider.wikia.com/wiki/Lar...ne)?oldid=1783

None of the in-game commentaries refer to Larson's last name.
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