Jenni Milward

James Enge @jamesenge.bsky.social [ View ] Jul 02, 2024 at 19:59 UTC

Things we'll need in the upcoming Trump dictatorship: dumbphones, certainly, and burner phones. Hiding places for self and others. Ham radios. Codes and signals, verbal and nonverbal. Non-electronic forms of communication: letters by trusted couriers. What else?

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Jenni Milward @jrmilward.bsky.social [ View ] Jul 02, 2024 at 15:47 UTC

I’d rather be a fan of Tomb Raider than a fan of chasing the algorithm with outrage. It takes less time to say – and is ultimately far more wholesome for the soul. 17/

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Jenni Milward @jrmilward.bsky.social [ View ] Jul 02, 2024 at 15:47 UTC

As fans, especially the OFP members, surely we should be giving back to the community with excitement and meaningful conversations, instead of inciting it towards further division. 16/

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Jenni Milward @jrmilward.bsky.social [ View ] Jul 02, 2024 at 15:47 UTC

About the deep-dive lore articles and videos the community management team has been publishing for months, even years? About fan-made and official projects that are in the works? We can do so, so much better than this. 15/

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Jenni Milward @jrmilward.bsky.social [ View ] Jul 02, 2024 at 15:47 UTC

– people who spend their precious energy sharing cool art, or leaving helpful comments, or waxing lyrical about an aspect of the games they just discovered for the first time. Where are the passionate discussions about Crystal’s community spotlights? 14/

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Jenni Milward @jrmilward.bsky.social [ View ] Jul 02, 2024 at 15:46 UTC

They want more than just the quick dopamine hit that comes from bashing a developer or hitting an angry-face emoji. The fandom needs more creatives and builders, more bridge-builders and genuine passion – 13/

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Jenni Milward @jrmilward.bsky.social [ View ] Jul 02, 2024 at 15:46 UTC

What matters is that we should, as fellow fans within a tight-knit community, be uplifting each other and not inciting arguments purely for the sake of generating clicks. Ultimately, people move on. 12/

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Jenni Milward @jrmilward.bsky.social [ View ] Jul 02, 2024 at 15:45 UTC

It doesn’t matter that Lara herself has changed and evolved: what’s not my perfect cup of tea is a source of inspiration and strength to others, and new incarnations do not erase the older ones from existence. 11/

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Jenni Milward @jrmilward.bsky.social [ View ] Jul 02, 2024 at 15:45 UTC

I love Lara Croft. This fictional character – brought to life by passionate, bug-nut-bonkers creative minds – changed my life for the better in so many ways. It doesn’t matter that her developers have changed hands over the years: that’s how studios and publishers work. 10/

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Jenni Milward @jrmilward.bsky.social [ View ] Jul 02, 2024 at 15:45 UTC

But it can be done – and the whole community is better off for it. 9/

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Jenni Milward @jrmilward.bsky.social [ View ] Jul 02, 2024 at 15:44 UTC

We can support the creatives, developers, and publishers without agreeing lockstep with everything they do. We can also share our differing opinions without demonising people who are just trying to do their jobs. It takes effort. It takes thought. 8/

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Jenni Milward @jrmilward.bsky.social [ View ] Jul 02, 2024 at 15:44 UTC

But if all you’re doing is whining, moaning, and stirring up issues that were old news twenty years ago, can you even call yourself a fan? Can you honestly say that you’re contributing to the community in meaningful, constructive ways? 7/

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Jenni Milward @jrmilward.bsky.social [ View ] Jul 02, 2024 at 15:44 UTC

It makes me truly sad to see so many otherwise passionate fans and good people fall into the trap of creating deliberately provocative material to take advantage of this algorithmic bias. I get it. We all want people to look at our stuff. 6/

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Jenni Milward @jrmilward.bsky.social [ View ] Jul 02, 2024 at 15:43 UTC

Posts and content that generate more views and engagement get pushed to the forefront. And what drives people to engage with posts more than anything else? Outrage, arguments, and anger. 5/

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Jenni Milward @jrmilward.bsky.social [ View ] Jul 02, 2024 at 15:43 UTC

I was there in the early 2000s, before social media was even invented, engaging in conversations and sharing cool videos, art, music, fanfiction, and more before there was even the concept of a “like” button. Unfortunately, the current social-media age is driven by algorithms. 4/

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Jenni Milward @jrmilward.bsky.social [ View ] Jul 02, 2024 at 15:42 UTC

Does that mean we’re shills if we support the current crop of franchise entries, regardless of whether we personally enjoy them or not? No, no, and no. The Internet gave us the ability to come together across international borders and make the fandom grow. 3/

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Jenni Milward @jrmilward.bsky.social [ View ] Jul 02, 2024 at 15:42 UTC

It’s immensely saddening, therefore, to see that community fabric being stained by deliberate negativity. Does that mean Crystal Dynamics, or any other studio, should be above critique? Does that mean we can’t disagree about the direction or framing of our beloved franchise? 2/

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Jenni Milward @jrmilward.bsky.social [ View ] Jul 02, 2024 at 15:41 UTC

To echo the wise words of Raidercast… Tomb Raider has been a big part of my life for a quarter of a century. The community has been a lifeline and a blessing to me, giving me endless opportunities to share my passion for Lara Croft with other like-minded fans. 1/

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Jenni Milward @jrmilward.bsky.social [ View ] Jul 01, 2024 at 12:56 UTC

Happy birthday Tomb Raider: Path of the Black Alchemist! 🎉🥳

Can you believe PotBA is a year old today? (I certainly can't 😂). The third and final book is currently being edited and will hopefully release later this year.

👉 Download for free: jrmilward.com
🎧 Raidercast Episode 48: shorturl.at/037hO

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Jenni Milward @jrmilward.bsky.social [ View ] Jun 29, 2024 at 18:08 UTC

The brain rot is real. Seriously. I'm not catastrophising. Something has gone terribly, terribly wrong.

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Jenni Milward @jrmilward.bsky.social [ View ] Jun 28, 2024 at 20:28 UTC

Thanks, Flo xxxxx

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Jenni Milward @jrmilward.bsky.social [ View ] Jun 28, 2024 at 10:57 UTC

Not sure what's more depressing: our current hellscape of rolling back women's rights (esp' reproductive healthcare) and racism/anti-LGBTQ+, or the fact this discourse is well over a century old and so many can't or won't learn from history. I need a hug.

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