Lara

Lara

**"Lara"** is a character who appears in the ARG/web-series *i am sophie* and serves as one of the main characters in the web-series. She made brief cameos in videos before she made her proper appearance in "my #1 super CRAZY fan!!".

## Description

Lara is a woman with dark brown hair and green eyes. She was born and lives in London, and is an only child. Her mother died in an accident when she was only 3. Her father owns a business she works for, and is supportive of her though he sometime gets in her nerves. She has a 5 years old pet cat named Tally, which goes around the house and brings her dead things. She also previously studied Biology, Sociology and English language though she didn't finish them. She also expresses the desire to pursue a BTEC. She is also a gamer.

## History

### Pre-series

At some point before Sophie releases her channel, Lara creates her YouTube channel "**Lara Plays"** with vlog 1 on June 19, 2019 and a private vlog 12 on Feb 13, 2020, the same date as the original trailer was uploaded on the "**i am sophie"** You Tube account**.** She creates 12 different vlogs for the channel, including the private vlog 12. She only has six viewers in each vlog outside of Vlog 4, where a 7th viewer began watching. After receiving emails from an unknown sender, possibly Simon, to play a game "THE GUIDE to being YOUNG, RICH & POWERFUL" for a gameplay stream video, she plays it and is deeply traumatized. After playing the game, she slowly comes into contact with "Hate" via a dream and later in a mobile version of the game, where she is told to do various tasks for her such as burning certain items. Her behavior and her appearance change by the end of the vlogs.

At some point before my #1 super CRAZY fan!!, Lara went missing and is locked up in a different room. A doppelganger of Lara takes over her place and begins to wear outfit to match with Sophie's style.

### Pre-my #1 super CRAZY fan!!

Lara was first seen in the 4th YouTube video 'RICH GIRL lives on £10 FOR A DAY (failed)' at 5:56 as a "glitched image". She is only seen for one frame in the whole video. Lara appears again in the 5th YouTube video 'responding to leon lush' there are more frames of Lara. A total of 2 singular images of Lara and one 3 second clip is shown.

### my #1 super CRAZY fan!!

Lara is identified by name in the 6th YouTube video 'my #1 super CRAZY fan!!'. This is the first time we see Lara in person and on camera. We are also told the previous clips of Lara were not downloaded and Ben can't figure out how they got there. When they visit Lara, she wears gear tied to YRP and says several things that make Sophie and others cringe. After looking in her bedroom where the footage was recorded, Sophie and Plum find a closed door that Lara insists they not open. Back downstairs, they find cat food despite Lara insisting there's no cat, noises upstairs that she says are water pipes, and tries and fails to stop Plum when she goes upstairs to investigate. When Chloe insists that they leave, she pleads for them to come back. Sophie calls her crazy in a video shot afterwards.

### Lara's Transition

In the 7th YouTube video, "11271518920813.mp4" Lara is seen walking on-screen at 10:15 wearing a pink suit resembling one worn by Sophie in the first YouTube video. From there, we see Lara pose behind Sophie, kiss Mark, kiss Sophie, then leave Sophie along with Mark. We then see quick cuts switching between Sophie and Lara in the chair Sophie is tied to.

### reliarT lennahC

On the 17 March 2020 an 8th video was released to the i am sophie YouTube channel. This video was similar to the 1st YouTube video 'The NEW QUEEN Of YOUTUBE - Channel Trailer, except Lara replaced Sophie in all the shots, and spoke over a modulated version of Sophie's original narration from the 1st video.

### Instagram Update

On the 18th of March, the 'iamsophiereal' Instagram account was taken over by Lara who started posting images of her in similar poses and Sophie had done previously. She also replied and liked comments that were positive towards her and the photos.

### THE GUIDE to being YOUNG, RICH & POWERFUL

Lara was featured in the 9th video in March 25, 2020, repeating the intro from Sophie in her promotional video, but from the room where Sophie was held. We see several short clips of Lara in scenes where Sophie originally appeared, as the audio switches between Lara and Sophie, including a picture of Lara with a shot alternating between Sophie's dad and Hate. Also, in Lara's version of the scenes from Greece, she wears different outfits than Sophie did, predominately pink, while Plum's are the same.

**YRP COLLECTION - AVAILABLE NOW**

After an opening shot where Lara and Sophie switch back and forth, the video starts as a duplicate of the original Sophie version. However, the video cuts short and is replaced by footage of Lara crying in a dark unidentified room. She apologizes for what she has done, and says the Hacker should hate her, for "dragging him into this". She pleads to the Hacker to watch the disc, as it's the only way they can fix things, as she "ruined the way things should be", and says she'll be in contact as soon as she can, and not to give up on her. During the video, the Hacker touches the screen as if he's trying to touch her, and quietly says "Lara".

**lara.mp4**

The hacker chooses Lara's 1st vlog from June 2, 2019. Lara wants to "show what it's like to be me". Her 5 things about me include her being an only child from London, who's mother died when she was 3, and lives with her father. She didn't finish university, but went to college, and is considering getting a BTEC. She also introduces her cat Tally, and describes herself as an avid gamer, calling it pathetic. It's followed by vlog 12, from Feb 13, 2020 (same date as the original i am sophie trailer), identified as private, and called Unedited Reaction Footage. Wearing far more makeup than the 1st vlog, she starts and then restarts the opening. She indicates that she's being told to talk about something she's passionate about for her BTEC, which the hacker fast forwards past. Based on her talk, she's taping reactions while playing Fortnite. While checking for websites reacting to the game, the i am sophie theme song starts, which she refers to as an ad. Her face is briefly scratched out a couple of times as well.

**lara2.mp4**

Vlog 10 is from Nov 10, 2019. It's a mostly dark room, and it initially shows a shot from the webcam with Lara sitting on the floor, which we see from a mirror. She is then seen in the computer chair looking at her phone. She calls something on it "so dope". A man calls out to Lara if she's coming down, and she leaves the room. There's no indication that she knows the webcam is on. Vlog 2 starts with a person breathing heavily while showing a shot of the door to the room identified as Lara's in "my #1 super CRAZY fan". It then starts the main vlog from June 21, 2019, as Lara acknowledges the lack of views from the 1st video. She says she had planned to play a video with a split screen between her and the game, but couldn't figure it out and called Simon. He offered to help, but words at the bottom of the screen describe it as him telling her to give up. She ends up doing a smoky eye makeup tutorial, creating a look similar to Sophie's from the early videos. As she puts on makeup, she talks about living in a tiny flat with her dad, and her annoyance about him selling the car and cycling to work, as she'd use it to see her friend in Oxford. As she's ending the vlog, she gets an anonymous e-mail suggesting that she play a game called "The guide to being young, rich, and powerful".

**thegame1.mp4**

Vlog 3 is from July 11, 2019. It's the first part of Lara playing the "The guide to being young, rich, and powerful", and is a livestream. She's unhappy because her dad's never home, and with no car and no money of her own, she's missing out on things. She explains that she gotten the anonymous e-mail about the game at least 10 times, and that it told her to make a video and play in the dark. As she plays the game, she speaks the worlds on the screen aloud, and comments on glitches showing Sophie post "11271518920813.mp4", especially during the opening. She notes the theme of death throughout the game, and says her heart is racing at 10:49. She's especially shocked at the plane crash at 12:04. When Lewis is shown not speaking, Lara calls him a more awkward conversationalist than she is.

**who are you?**

Vlog 4 is not dated, but is an apparent continuation of Vlog 3. Unlike the prior section, the game changes perspective to show Lara full screen instead of just in the corner of the screen. It also starts asking Lara questions such as : Can Sophie not spend £10 on the day? Sophie insists on getting answers before moving on, and starts referring to Lara specifically by name. As Lara looks on increasing scared, the game gets increasingly personal, until it asks if she'd rather be at the villa instead of at home waiting on her dad to get home. The game also knows she's scared. At 7:31, a 7th person starts watching the livestream, and at 8:16, we hear a call to Lara from Simon telling her to stop playing the game immediately and send it to him.

### are you being you?

After avoiding coming to the computer to answer the game Sophie, Lara finally comes over and "Sophie" restarts the intro from the game. When Lara asks what she wants, the game asks what does Lara want? Lara says she doesn't want any part of the Sophie lifestyle. We then hear the conversation between Lara, Sophie, and Plum from "my #1 super CRAZY fan!!", while she's in the same room that Plum and Sophie tried to investigate. Lara opens the door, but apparently sees nothing. As she screams "What is happening", an unknown person is shown committing suicide. Throughout the video, various images flash, featuring her lying on the floor with bloody hands, as well as eyeballs apparently being gouged out by someone along with the apparent suicide.

lara3.mp4

This contains Vlog 5 from Aug 31, 2019. Lara is sitting in the communal garden, apologizing for not having uploaded anything recently. She's been trying to stay off line and outdoors more, as her room seems "tilted", and is taking her in a weird direction, causing to feel sick and muddled. Her dad isn't helping, and has fired her from his company, which she thinks is struggling. Admitting how insane she sounds, Lara talks about a recurring dream where a man in a suit whos face she can't make out is caressing her feet. He points to a threatening figure in the corner of the room, then tells Lara not to worry. When she asks if this is real, he smiles, and she wakes up. She also talks about her feeling seen while playing the game, that she's worth something to somebody, and finds the thick air in the tilted room more satisfying than the fresh air.

**continue.mp4**

In vlog 6 from Sept 17, 2019, Lara is mostly shown while sleeping, as Sophie thanks her for her beauty, innocence, eyes, voice, time, memories, future, hate, love, and life. She's then asked if she feels her head swelling and oozing, and says "we're nearly there now Lara. Everyone is watching". Throughout Sophie's statements, images are shown alternating with Lara in bed asleep, including things from other videos, along with new shots including a crashing plane, and several you tubers who have been analyzing the series.

**POOR GIRL lives on £10 FOR A DAY (failed) Lara version**

Lara's awoken from sleep by Sophie from a mobile version of the game, and told to steal £10 from her father. While she initially protests, she eventually does it. When she gets back to her room, she's initially going to go back to sleep, but is told to burn the £10 note. Every time Lara hesitates, Sophie says "No, it'll be fine. £10 isn't a lot of money. It's like 10,000 pennies. The vlog ends as Lara's about to burn the money.

## Video Appearances

(#4) RICH GIRL lives on £10 FOR A DAY (failed) , Single photo at 5:56

(#5) responding to leon lush , 3 single photos at 4:15, 4:16, and 5:20, 5:37 - 5:40

(#6) my #1 super CRAZY fan!! , 0:02 - 0:11, 3:34 - 8:33, 9:05 - 9:30

(#7) 11271518920813.mp4 , 10:15 - 10:56

(#8) reliarT lennahC - EBUTUOY fO NEEUQ WEN ehT , Voice-Over and/or on-screen 0:20 - 1:02, 1:11 - 1:12

(#9) THE GUIDE to being YOUNG, RICH & POWERFUL , Voice-Over and/or on-screen 0:22 - 1:06, 1:15 - 1:16, 1:36 - 2:00, 2:15 - 2:25

(#10) YRP COLLECTION - AVAILABLE NOW ,

(#11) lara.mp4 , Voice-Over and/or on-screen , 0:16 - 1:02, 1:04 - 1:13, 1:15 - 1:38, 1:39 - 2:02, 2:04 - 2:29, 2:31 - 3:17, 3:25 - 6:25, 6:25 - 6:42

(#12) lara2.mp4 ,

(#13) thegame1.mp4 ,

(#14) who are you? ,

(#16) are you being you? ,

(#17) lara3.mp4 (entire video)