River in Shindig

POSTED BY: JEWELSTAITEFAN
UPDATED: Wednesday, April 30, 2014 15:31
VIEWED: 4303
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MIKER

Monday, April 28, 2014 2:33 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by AgentRouka:
Quote:
Originally posted by JEWELSTAITEFAN:
She doesn't seem to understand why they ignore her when she's right all the time, even when they clearly hear her. So she came from an environment where those around her paid better attention to what she said. Just because they are too ignorant to listen to her and heed her does not mean she is the one not connected to reality.

But that is the very thing she is not aware of, the very reality she cannot grasp. That is exactly what I mean by disconnected from reality: her severe inability to communicate by fully taking into account the situation she is in, the people she is speaking to and how pointless one-word utterances are - no matter how often they don't work. Just because she has information coming in at rates the others don't doesn't mean she can put all or much of it in a proper context. Her awareness of reality is limited by being unable to focus and sort through all of it, and prioritize and thus properly participate - something that she only can do later with the help of medication. She misses key information, or withholds it, because she can't focus. Constant distraction is a form of disconnection.

Mind, I am not accusing her of anything. I am just describing what is going on. I love River. I find her disconnection deeply affecting.

I think this is very well stated and I am onboard with your diagnosis.

JEWELSTAITEFAN

Tuesday, April 29, 2014 6:15 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by AgentRouka:
Quote:
Originally posted by JEWELSTAITEFAN:
She doesn't seem to understand why they ignore her when she's right all the time, even when they clearly hear her. So she came from an environment where those around her paid better attention to what she said. Just because they are too ignorant to listen to her and heed her does not mean she is the one not connected to reality.

But that is the very thing she is not aware of, the very reality she cannot grasp. That is exactly what I mean by disconnected from reality: her severe inability to communicate by fully taking into account the situation she is in, the people she is speaking to and how pointless one-word utterances are - no matter how often they don't work. Just because she has information coming in at rates the others don't doesn't mean she can put all or much of it in a proper context. Her awareness of reality is limited by being unable to focus and sort through all of it, and prioritize and thus properly participate - something that she only can do later with the help of medication. She misses key information, or withholds it, because she can't focus. Constant distraction is a form of disconnection.

Mind, I am not accusing her of anything. I am just describing what is going on. I love River. I find her disconnection deeply affecting.

Ok, I agree that while she is learning the new environment, landscape, and characters, she is not yet focusing on communication protocols. But I beg to differ that means she is not aware.

AGENTROUKA

Wednesday, April 30, 2014 3:31 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by JEWELSTAITEFAN:
Ok, I agree that while she is learning the new environment, landscape, and characters, she is not yet focusing on communication protocols. But I beg to differ that means she is not aware.

I think we have deeply differing views of River.

To me, she is not a robot with a blank slate. She can not just develop communication protocolls out of the blue. She was perfectly able to communicate with people in fluent and cohesive ways. This skill was damaged and diminished by what they did to her brain. She is an emotionally fragile, highly distracted young woman, constantly trying to keept track of the myriad lines of information coming into her head. She is demonstrably unhappy with her condition, which she describes as something other than "functioning like she's a girl".

She cannot communicate because she cannot focus. And even after medication becomes available, her awareness of world and the information coming in is choppy. Just take "Objects in Space".

This is the girl who walked around Serenity and picked up a twig ("fully loaded, safety off") without being aware of what it was. ("It was in my hand.") You don't become much less aware of the real world than when you're hallucinating.

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