though I may speak some tongue of old

[lostinapapercup]

At Epics
astreamofstars was nice enough to prompt me with Laura for characterization meta. Despite loving Laura dearly, I don't write her often. That said, these are five elements of characterization that I think of as vital to keeping Laura

• If you want someone to see a plan through, Laura is your woman. I think she would've been a hell of a campaign manager; when she believes in something it's damn the torpedoes and full speed ahead. (It's a trait I think she and Tory share, actually, and something I imagine allowing them to work together well until season four's complications.)


• Laura can deal with making tough choices. That kind of responsibility isn't something everyone strives for (and I don't think I'd go so far as to say Laura did pre-canon, although the journey canon takes us on certainly gets more dire than I think anyone -- even the Cylons -- would've imagined beforehand), but once she accepts that responsibility she takes it seriously. The decisions may not be easy for her, but she'll make them and usually tries her hardest to keep emotion out of it.


• Directly related to that, throughout canon Laura doesn't always make good decisions (which is perhaps worth nothing by itself?) but even the ones I, as an audience, find less palatable (or just plain wrong) come from a genuine core of wanting so much for this remnant of humanity to survive, to make it to Earth, to eventually thrive again. That's what she makes her life's goal, and those she sees as damaging to that possibility are the ones she tends to clash with most.


• I've seen some complaints about Laura's post-nuked Earth breakdown in various places on the internet, but I don't feel that way. I guess I always feel like the "burn, burn!" scene is a little overwrought, but the sentiment and emotion behind it are perfectly understandable to me. She was so single-minded, so wholeheartedly devoted to finding Earth. She'd devoted herself to Earth so entirely and through so much hardship that I don't see how the discovery of that nuked planet could be anything other than devastating. It was brutal for so many people who had far less active roles in the process but certainly had their hopes pinned on Earth; in the face of something so huge, how could we expect Laura's usual attempt to keep her emotions at bay to hold up. Beyond the obvious tragedy of nuked Earth not being the safe harbor they'd have hoped for, the whole thing was a blow to her identity, her self-worth, her leadership. The characters on this show are some of the most wonderfully three-dimensional I've ever had the pleasure of watching (it's why BSG hooked me and has yet to let me go!), so by all means allow Laura to be three-dimensional.


• Laura has a sense of humor! I think we only need to go so far as Flight of the Phoenix to witness that, but don't forget this is a woman who still gets pre-debate giggle fits and giggles her way down the corridor with her arm hooked through the Admiral's. It's not the norm and, no, late canon doesn't allow for much of that, but we shouldn't forget she has the capacity for it!

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