LAUREL. THEY / THEM. 25+.

001. #inflame is a private / mutuals only portrayal of laura palmer. this blog is both selective and plot-focused: while i don't mind winging things in general, i do ask that we suss out a dynamic before interacting in-character. if we don't, i will treat it as a first meeting, so please keep that in mind.

002. don’t follow me if you’re under 21. there is no in-character sexual content on this blog, but its themes are consistently mature: laura is a survivor of rape, incest, and trafficking. drug [ab]use is also a consistent theme, to varying degrees. i tag liberally [#trigger // or #trigger m //], but if any of those subjects are especially sensitive, it may be best to pass.

003. i'm devoted, but i'm unpredictable: i admit this freely. i often lack the cooperation of both my body and my brain. i won't bother you about your activity, and i expect the same consideration. if it's been a while and you want to know if i'm still interested in [thing], though, it's totally okay to ask! just be straightforward about it.

004. building off that last comment: i will not respond to passive aggression, nor will i resort to it. we are all adults here, and i expect us to act accordingly. this applies to vague-blogging: if i notice it's an ongoing theme with you, i will unfollow.

005. i will not interact with portrayals of laura's abusers, nor will i follow blogs that feature them. i also will not interact with interpretations of non-fictional deities, or anything involving mike flanagan's 'hill house' series. other sensitive subjects (i.e. i may or may not follow if they're central):

006. formatting: i use the default text size (or small, if you do first), and otherwise minimal formatting (sparing bolds and italics for emphasis). i rarely use icons. i don't mind what you do, within reason, but it's hard for me to process creative spacing and text blocks in all caps. i won't follow blogs that consistently opt for them.

007. writing: third person present is my go-to, but i like experimenting, so if you prefer something else, i am down to match, especially if it's first person.

008. verses: i will write laura at any age, and i have an option available for twin peaks: the return. different settings are a rarity, but she does have a yellowjackets verse.

009. please hard block me, rather than soft block me, if you aren't vibing — i'll appreciate it! my memory is terrible and i don't trust myself not to accidentally re-follow someone.

010. credits: promo, blog graphics, and carrd by koiscarrds. the psd i use for anything extra was made for me by asteriarph.

RE-CAP: if you want a biographical sketch of laura's life in canon, here is her wiki page. because it's extremely sensitive — and because any new characters won't know her until after her 'death' — i'm choosing to focus our narrative on laura's healing, both physical and emotional. but when she was seventeen, after years of abuse and a brutal assault, laura's dad left her for dead in an abandoned train car. this did not work out great for him, and he killed himself, and now laura and her agoraphobic mother are becoming urban legends. if your character is local, or into haunted towns and conspiracy theories, they might know of her.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: depends on where and how you meet her. laura wields a lot of, like, presence, which can be heavy-handed or withdrawn completely. at the low end of the spectrum, you might be alone together and hardly notice her; at its opposite, it can be hard to notice anyone else. she is adept at discerning what people want and expect from her, and they frequently get it — initially, at least. in general, only as long as it serves her, i will be entirely honest with you. acting is very much a defense mechanism; a tedious one, at that.

ACCOLADES: laura is compassionate and conscientious. she cares deeply about doing what [she thinks] is right. she's proactive and civic-minded and will go out of her way to help just about anybody with just about anything. she's good at pretending not to take herself seriously. she meets people where they are.

CRITICISMS: she is volatile and she is headstrong. she has a habit [we are trying to break] of trying drive away anyone she cares about, most often in the form of casual (but pointed) cruelty. high empathy is not always a virtue. she finds earnestness humiliating, whether it's hers or someone else's, which is mainly relevant because she is specifically attracted to earnest people. it's a whole thing.

HOBBIES & SKILLS: regardless of verse, laura is always a writer: she always keeps a diary and writes poetry, and will eventually [think, her thirties onward] see some success as a playwright. from a performing family and most all that implies. she's passionate (and knowledgeable) about the outdoors, and loves camping and hiking. could pass a 1950s home ec class, but not happily.

DEMEANOR: if laura has ever lit up a room, it certainly has not happened since she was a small child. she is very comfortable socially, overall — and friendly enough, unless there's a reason not to be — but doesn't tend to speak for no reason. she is also not what i would call 'warm', even when she's affectionate or otherwise attentive. it is difficult to keep herself wholly within reach (though, if she loves you, she may try). she might care what people think of her, but it won't affect her actions; the odds of laura being intimidated by anyone are very slim.

PSYCHE: she is psychotic. she is delusional. she is not self-destructive. if it looks like a death wish, it's the opposite. all things considered, laura is a fairly rational and 'stable' guy. very little of her behavior that affects others is outside of her control. that said, she does tend to operate under the belief that she is a literal poison, and she cares deeply about people. so there's that.

MODERN ADJUSTMENTS: she's out as bi. she didn't have a smartphone until it was unavoidable. only a small online presence: an instagram (locked) full of pictures of places and things, mostly, and a twitter she occasionally uses to spy on people. a facetime enthusiast but an unreliable texter. i know in my heart that she is on tumblr.com, but i doubt you could ever get that information out of her.

TVTROPES: broken pedestal. defiant captive / defiant to the end. determinator. extremely protective child. good is not nice. hyper-awareness. i did what i had to do. i just want to be normal. it's not you, it's my enemies. jeanne d'archétype. knight in sour armor. the masquerade will kill your dating life. more than mind control. no good deed goes unpunished. unreliable narrator. weirdness magnet.

DISCLAIMERS: 1. please don't project: if you don't know something about my portrayal and you want to, ask. i am much friendlier than i sound right now, and i love an excuse to talk about my girl. 2. laura is disabled after [infamous incident] and i talk about it. i write about it. she may or may not have a quad cane [as in, on her person in public; she does own one]. 3. shipping is unlikely, as i can't pre-establish it on this blog. 4. i'm generally disinterested in writing ghost laura. there will be exceptions, but i'd rather you not suggest it.