Carmilla and Laura Parallels

                                  

         So I pushed play and the first episode started.  I instantly identified with Laura, but she isn't the character I'm most like.  Actually far from it.  I will get into that soon enough but after about 10 episodes in I began to noticed something.  Parallels, in how mine and L's relationship started and how Carmilla and Laura's started.  Their relationship didn't start exactly well.  One essentially wanted to kill the other. Are’s wasn’t that harsh but we did have preconceived notions about the other like Laura and Carmilla. Not a great start but parallels were definitely visible. 

        First Impressions, first five episodes, In the beginning, I am similar to Laura.  Let's look at my stats.  Going into the first day of college. I had never been kissed, never had a beer, never been drunk, never skipped a day of school.  I had protective parents where school, sports, and family came first.  So as soon as Laura went to make fun of her drunk roommate at the beginning.  I instantly identified with her (granted I even skipped parties at the beginning of college too so I might have been a little worse).  I was young and naive and had a bit of a holier than thou complex.  Well, that makes L Carmilla right? You would be correct L grew up in a good home with a great family but she was a bit of a wild one.  She had a few boyfriends and spent many nights out drinking.  So we both had our first opinions of each other.  L thought I was a goody-two-shoes prude and I thought she was more into parting.  We however shared one thread a friend will call her S.  S knew L through a camp they both went to as kids, I knew S after the first day of school and we became fast friends.  S is very comparable to Danny.

  

    

        The switch, episode six.  So how did L and I switch characters?  It happened in the episode when Laura posts her video essay to the internet after Carmilla's big speech on why care at all when you should be worried about yourself.  Carmilla has challenged Laura for the first time allowing Laura to show her true self to Carmilla for the first time.  After she posts, the vlog, a town hall is called by the Dean.  Carmilla comes to the camera and has this look of wow that girl truly cares and isn't another stuck-up prude who is out for herself.  There is something special about her.  That's when I switched to Carmilla.  The night after L and I met. L went to a party with S.  I stayed in the dorm watched a football game, and went to bed (LOSER) (sorry self commentating).  Later that night I received a loud knock on my dorm room door.  I sat up startled by the nose but I didn't get up to answer the door. In the back of my head, I knew who was knocking.  It was L and S drunk from the frat party.  I knew if I answered the door my preconceived notion of L would stick forever.  The next morning S called me.  Early days of cell phones.  Do you want to go to breakfast?  I said.  When?  10 seconds later S and L are standing at my door.  L then says "How about now silly."  At breakfast, L and S apologized for waking me up the night before, and then something happened that probably got annoying to S.  L, and I talked like S wasn't there.  She told me about her family and how she grew up and all the volunteering and work she had done.  We talked about how we both worked in a factory over the summer.  As we talked I thought to myself there is something special about her.

 

      

        The Green-eyed Monster, episode seven, eight, and nine, L and I switch back just for these episodes with Danny and Laura being all buddy-buddy.  Carmilla is definitely jealous of the semi-flirty friendship the two have.  Hence Carmilla beating up Kirsch and telling Danny and Laura their idiots and not leaving at all.  In episode nine Laura and Danny are trying to piece together what happened to the missing girls all under the watch of Carmilla.  So when you think something is dumb or pointless you don't stick around.  Most people would have left the room.  So why didn't Carmilla leave?  She either sleeps or is gone most of the time. So why stick around for something you thought pointless?  Simple Carmilla is jealous of Danny and is trying to figure why she is jealous of Danny.      

        So at this point, L, S, and I are all good friends classes have started.  L and I definitely like each other at this point but aren’t dating.   On a Thursday I get a call that I have two tickets to a college football game that Saturday and S is a fan.  So I asked S, because L at the time, was not a big football fan.  So S and I drive up to my parents Friday to get the tickets to go to the game on Saturday.  A friend of L's on the same day was also having a birthday party.  After the game was over S and I headed back to campus.  Little to my knowledge Friday night L was texting S and was worried that I also liked S.  Then on the car ride back to campus, a drunk L calls S jealous that S and I are together and is upset.  Now in L's defense, I didn't ask her to go and I did ask our friend so maybe I sent the wrong message.   A little jealousy I suppose.  That moment definitely brought to my attention that L had real feelings for me.  The parallels are there if you look in the right places its shows that anyone can connect with these characters.  I will eventually revisit this topic as the series progresses.    

 Amendment

        

        So above I told you about when L and I switch characters more permanently but the first subtle change that happens is in the middle of episode five.  It took a couple of rewatches to catch this very subtle yet very important line.  Laura is mad at Carmilla for what she thinks is a prank and is making a face where she scrunches her nose up and puffs her cheeks out and smushes her lips together making a very tight face.  Carmilla then says "That bunched-up little face you make when you’re angry is hilarious, buttercup."  This is in the middle of an argument.  Is this a dig at Laura?  I don't think so. This is our first hint of flirting from Carmilla.  I have a theory at this point after almost two seasons in.  Every time Carmilla uses a nickname on Laura it's her being sweet and endearing towards Laura not mean maybe a little sarcastic but not mean.  Her thinking Laura's angry face is hilarious is more like her thinking her angry face is cute.   

        So, why am I making such a big deal out of this subtle little line and a mad face?  Simple L makes that exact face when she is angry every time without fail.  We could get into an argument and she makes that face and I would melt like butter in the hot sun.  That face is so adorable I can't resist it.  It's probably why I have lost almost every argument we have ever had.  Over the years L has resisted more and more in making that face which makes me a little sad, but every so often it comes out and I melt.  L is the only person I send gifs to and there is an exact gif of Carmilla's line.  I have been holding on to it for the right moment as you can guess I'm still waiting to use it. The more I watch the show the more and more parallels I find.  Eventually, I will do a deep dive into Laura and L, and Carmilla and me the very strong similarities the subtle differences, and even a few stop this is too creepy.