Post by River Tam on Jul 20, 2008 11:01:29 GMT -5
The Player.
Your Name: JK <-My initials are all you're going to get. Call me Kris instead.
Your Age: 16
How Did You Find Out of Gas?: I clicked on the link in H+H
Previous Roles: Harry Potter: Nymphadora Tonks ; Kristolyn Bell ;; Dragonriders of Pern: Zenniel ; others ;; Resident Evil: Angela Ashford
Contact Email: If you really need it, you can ask
The Core.
Full Name:
River Tam
Nickname(s):
strange little girl, crazy girl, anything else that Jayne comes up with // Mei Mei
Birthday:
December 12th, 2500
Age:
Seventeen
Origin:
Osiris
Location:
The Firefly-class ship, Serenity
Allegiance:
Neutral
Occupation:
Co-Pilot // Fugitive
The Appearance.
Eye Color:
Brown
Hair Color:
Brown
Height && Weight:
5'7.5" // 115 pounds
General Description:
the EYES // For River, the saying 'the eyes are the windows to the soul' is true; she can't not feel emotions, and so whatever she feels is expressed in her eyes. Her eyes are brown, a sort of mix between light brown, dark brown, and a dab of green. The darker brown fills in the outer ledges while the lighter brown encircles the pupils, though it is clear that the darker brown is a clear winner, as the light brown can only be seen around the pupils. The green is few and far between, but there are random splotches of green in them. Unfortunately, the green doesn't show unless light shines on a specific spot on her eye. Normally her eyes look intuitive yet confused. On her more lucid days, or should I say lucid moments, River's eyes look just like any other person's eyes would: normal.
the HAIR // The thought that may pop into your mind when you see River's hair for the first time is 'does she ever shower?' On the contrary, she is a very clean and extremely healthy teen. Her hair is one of the attributes she attained during her stay at the Academy. As a result of the doctor's testing her hair grew oily-looking. Where the once sleek and shining hair fell in waves and ended in ringlets, now her hair falls in strings, and though ending in ringlets, it does not have the bounce it used to. Her hair is a dark brown, but not dark enough to be called black. In the best of lights one can see the sheen that used to dominate her head. In the worst conditions it looks like she hasn¡¦t showered in days.
the FACE // River has an oval face, and one can say it fits her. Her hairline stops a little higher up on her forehead than most people's hairlines. Her eyes are directly proportional with slim eyebrows the same color as her hair above them. Her nose is a cross between petite and feminine and masculine, though leaning a little more toward the masculine side. Her mouth is not as full as some people¡¦s mouths, but it fits her face. She has slight dimples whenever she smiles. She never wears makeup, as she considers makeup as a thing that only pretty ladies wear. She doesn¡¦t consider herself pretty, but doesn¡¦t consider herself ugly, either. In her words: 'I'm myself.'
the FIGURE // Borne from years of dancing and training under the Acadamy's rule, River's form is that of a lithe woman. She looks young for her age and wisdom, looking more sixteen than eighteen. She's in superb health and is skinny for her age. She is rather tall, though still shorter than her brother. Her weight is the minimum weight she could be without being called 'too skinny.' She walks with the grace of a dancer and holds herself with the poise of a wise person. She is a very athletic girl, and even finds ways to keep her body fit when in the cramped confines of Serenity.
the SCARS // River, have scars? Well, actually, she does. She has a faint scar on her forehead, reminiscent of the needles that the Academy put into her head to help sustain her psychic abilities. That scar can only be seen in a certain light and only rarely. It is so light that one may mistake it for a freckle. Other scars are the scars on her wrists, more like faint rash lines than scars, from trying to get free of the manacles in the Academy.
The Personality.
Likes && Dislikes:
the LIKES // First and foremost, River loves Simon. He is her older sibling, so why not love him. He has always watched over her, and she always watches over him, though he might not know it. Kaylee, though not a totally different story, is different. Kaylee is like an older sister to River, even though Simon and Kaylee love each other. River likes Kaylee, but only as an older sister and possibly best friend. River likes her more lucid moments, too. It's in those moments that River feels the most normal and it is in these moments that River can actually play around. These phases are few and far between, though. River loves Serenity, as it is her home. Sure, she had lived with her parents in Osiris, but the house in Osiris had never really been her home. Serenity was her first real home and always would be. River loves the missions she actually gets to go on. She likes helping Mal, Zoe, and yes, even Jayne. Going on missions makes her feel like she belongs. Though she likes Inara, Inara is farther down on her like list. She likes how Inara is a Companion, but apart from her curiosity there is nothing else interesting about Inara.
the DISLIKES // Though not on the top of her dislike list, Jayne is pretty close. She sees him as a nuisance and she knows he is a straightforward man. She does not like that part about him, the fact that he always acts before he thinks (if he thinks), and that he lives to earn money. But though she dislikes him she plays around with him (even though he might not like it). Next on her dislike list is Zoe, though her dislike is more of a fear than an actual dislike. Zoe, unlike Jayne, is terrifying because she only has a few thoughts on her mind. She is the most ferocious when thinking about Wash, and the only man in her life now is Mal. Her worst fear is, quite unsurprisingly, lapsing into an uncontrollable psychosis wrath. The girl also doesn't like when Simon 'puts her to sleep.' Literally. Farther down on her dislike list is when her 'family' (Mal, Zoe, Jayne, Inara, Kaylee, and Simon) fails a mission. She doesn't like the emotions, mainly sadness and anger, that courses through the air after a failed mission.
Interests && Hobbies:
River likes flying, and learned the controls from glancing at Wash flying Serenity. She keeps Wash's dinosaur figures on her station and plays with them from time to time. She likes watching the space outside the ship fly by, and usually sits with her knees close to her body just staring out into the black. Though not really interested in missions, she likes to go on them just for fun. River is interested in anything new that she hasn't yet learned. Being a girl of superior intelligence, learning new things, even from people's minds, is wonderful. But there is only so much River can learn before she spews all that she has learned out for the world to hear. Dancing is one of River's favorite things to do. Ever since she could remember she's been dancing. She still loves dancing and one can usually finding her dancing around Serenity. River loves playing around, and her best and favorite playing partner is Kaylee. The two play tag, jacks, and sometimes even hide and go seek. She loves playing around with the other members of Serenity, especially Jayne, even though she doesn't like him.
Strengths:
River is a girl of incredible talent. When she gets into it, she can battle as fiercely as she wants, and she is virtually untouchable. Her moves are reminiscent of her wonderful dancing skills. She is acrobatic even when she fights. More important on her strength list is her mind. Her mind is quite possibly the strongest and most intelligent mind in the whole 'verse' and she can sense everyone's thoughts. Even Reaver thoughts, though Reavers don't think until the moment before they strike, and then all they think about is death and raping. Another strength is her trust in her friends and family aboard Serenity. Even the people she doesn't like, including Jayne, she trusts, because she knows Jayne would never hurt her intentionally. She finds strength in their undying love for each other, and felt that strength when she had to save all of them, except Book, who was already dead, on Mr. Universe's planet.
Weaknesses:
Probably one of her main weaknesses is her mental state. She is most the most susceptible person on Serenity when she is in a horrible state of mind. Another weakness is her inability to say what she wants most of the time. Her speech goes in and out of focus, and sometimes she speaks perfectly while other times she speaks only in cryptic phrases. Her memory is another weakness, as she cannot remember most of what has happened to her. This includes when she was younger and when she was in the Academy. She cannot help what happens to her when the Alliance sets her off, whether through commercials embedded with code or in person. In these times she goes berserk, even going insofar as to hurt her own teammates in order to fulfill the Alliance's orders. Her emotions and her inability to keep them in check is another weakness. The Alliance stripped her of her amygdala, or part of her brain that can keep her emotions to herself. Thus, she always feels emotions, even when she doesn't want to.
Secrets:
There are many secrets that River has, and all of them come into her mind at random times during the day. She tries to keep her secrets to herself but she can't, and since the Academy, she never has. Her own secrets could quite possibly be hidden under layers of psychosis. Or they could be hanging out in the open. No one ever knows what River may say next, and sometimes even River doesn't know. There are a few secrets she has yet to unearth, a few of which being things the Academy did to her and some secrets that she has kept for Kaylee, Simon, and Mal. She doesn't trust Jayne, and so doesn't keep his secrets, not that he has any. Zoe doesn't have many secrets that River needs to keep, and so ignores her secrets. The fact that River can literally read everyone's minds means she holds all of the secrets that anyone ever had. Therefore, she has no secrets but holds them all.
Overall Personality:
River has a difficult personality. Because of what the Academy professors and scientists did to her, her personality is hard to describe. In her more lucid moments she is the little sister Simon remembers. She is playful, happy, and bratty. She acts like any teenager would, and loves to play with Kaylee. When she is in one of her phases, which happens more often than when she is in one of her lucid phases, she is just the opposite.
When she succumbs to the 'training' the Academy gave her she can be one of two people. The first person River can be is the blubbering fool who doesn't know what she¡¦s doing. This River is incapable of fighting and instead of helping she can be a nuisance. She starts talking, more in rhymes and unrecognizable splutters of words than normal sentences and filled thoughts. She feels small and superfluous while in this phase. She often clutches her head and closes her eyes while still spurting out more random phrases. The second person River can be is a maniac killer. During certain times, such as when she is needed and when the Alliance is looking for her, the girl can go insane. Because she is athletically gifted she has adopted a fighting style to suit her agility. This style has her doing insane moves that include the splits and karate chops as well as spinning and jumping in the air. In this mode she is entirely invincible, as she moves too fast and thinks too quickly to be hit. In this frame of mind she is also liable to hurt or kill her own teammates as well.
Her normal personality is that of a confused and scared person. She is usually found close to, if not within five feet of, Simon. If she is not found near him she is found in the co-pilot's seat either staring out at the empty space beyond the view-port, playing with Wash¡¦s dinosaurs (which Zoe doesn't like), or flying with Mal. Another place she may be is with Kaylee, playing or watching the woman fixing Serenity's engine. She is intrigued about how one tiny engine can fuel an entire ship, and thinks of the engine as the heart of Serenity. Normally, though, if she gets too bored staying in Simon's shadow she will become curious. Her curiosity usually involves her imagination, and so, once, when she picked up a gun she believed it was a stick and she was surrounded by a forest in the autumn-time.
The Family.
Parents && Siblings:
Gabriel Tam // Mr. Tam, otherwise known to River as Father, didn¡¦t know what he was getting River into when he sent her to that special school. River never doubted that he didn't, and so she doesn't blame him for her current state of mind. She does, however, blame him for disowning Simon and not helping his son in River's time of need.
Regan Tam // Mrs. Tam, or Mother, acted like any mother would act when she had River. Not many children were as gifted with intelligence as River was. She didn¡¦t know what to do with River, and so followed her husband's advice on what to do with River. She dislikes her mother just because she followed her Father in disowning their children.
Simon Tam // Since their parents disowned them, River has been looked after by Simon. She adores Simon, and listens to him as well as looks out for him. She doesn't know what she would do without her older brother. She would follow him to the ends of space, though she knows there are no ends; just more space.
Malcolm Reynolds // Although technically not related to River by bloodline, River still sees Mal as a father rather than a captain. She has all but given up on Gabriel, her real father, because he had given up on Simon. She never lets anyone do anything to Simon when she knows that they'll do something wrong. And because Mal has never wanted to hurt Simon (he considered Simon to be his crew, and so decided never to hurt him).
Kaylee Frye // Just like Mal, Kaylee is not technically related by blood, but River still considers her as a part of the family. Simon loves Kaylee, River loves Kaylee (but only as a best friend or older sister), and everything is fine. Besides, River always wanted Simon to notice that Kaylee liked him, and now that he does, she loves Kaylee even more.
Character History:
River was born the second child to Regan and Gabriel Tam on December 12, 2500. Her motor functions were performing excellently when she was just a babe, and she learned how to walk when she was only 7 months. She learned how to walk before she learned how to crawl, which was not entirely uncommon, since some babies learned differently than others. At the age of one she was already talking, another common thing for many babies to do. But at the age of two she began to exhibit signs of faster brain growth, as she already knew the alphabet and how to count numbers. Her intelligence grew so that, at the age of three, she helped her older brother, Simon, with his homework. At age of four she had far surpassed the work Simon was doing. Instead, she decided to start ballet. She loved to dance, and quickly became one of the best dancers in the class.
The girl grew, and was entered into the second grade by the age of six. Though she was exceedingly bored with her schoolwork, her parents insisted that she could not skip any more grades. She knew why, because if she was too smart, everyone would start to dislike her parents. River had thought at the time that it was very low for her parents to do such a thing. Still the girl checked over Simon's homework and still she strived to fulfill her undying need to dance. But more and more she felt repressed. Even when she was in graduate school at the age of fourteen she felt like she was not learning enough. She needed to learn more.
When there was news about a new school opening for gifted students, River happily jumped upon the papers. She was so excited about what she read about 'the Academy' that she begged her parents to let her go. Father, of course, said yes, and Mother, naturally, followed whatever Father said. Simon was happy for his little sister, since she was finally going to be challenged. River arrived at 'the Academy' with four other students, but all five were separated as soon as they arrived. "Safety measures," the professors had said. River had thought nothing about it until her third month in. She had been sending letters to Simon regularly. After the third month, after they had done something to her, she knew she had to get out. This was no school, this was a testing facility. In the earlier months of he stay in 'the Academy,' the professors, who she later learned to be scientists, had let her practice dance. She had loved this, and had written letters to Simon telling him all about the fun she was having.
Not any more. Yes, she still sent letters, but this time they were warning him, asking him to set her free. She started writing letters in code. A code Simon would crack easily upon more inspection of the letters, but a code that the scientists would not be so keen on breaking. All of her letters started with a one, two, or three letter word. That meant every first, second, or third letter of each word should be found. The answer of all of the letters that were found and added up would signify a letter from A to Z. That letter would match the letter on the next page. Simon knew all of this, as she had taught him that code. And her secret message was 'They're hurting us. Get me out.'
Simon could not get his parents to agree, and River was trapped in 'the Academy' for two years before Simon came. In those years her mental state deteriorated. The scientists continually worked on their 'star pupil.' They even went so far as to strip her of her amygdale, or the barrier in her mind that let her feel the emotions she wanted to feel. As her mental state progressively declined, so did her letters to Simon. No longer did they hold a code; instead the letters contained gibberish. She also began to talk gibberish, and knew about the Pax before she knew about Miranda. Oh, she knew about Miranda, it was just her conscious mind that did not know that she knew about the planet that had created the Reavers.
Finally, after almost two years of continuous mental savagery, River was freed from the Alliance¡¦s grasp. Simon, her brother and best friend stole her from 'the Academy.' She was placed in a cryostorage tank, and woke up two weeks before she was supposed to on a Firefly-class ship named Serenity. Needless to say, she was confused, disoriented, and only a lot insane. Malcolm Reynolds was all for letting her go, but he couldn't. He couldn't because River and Simon were running from the Alliance. Mal hated the Alliance, and so decided to let the fugitives stay. After many hardships, some of which being protecting a pregnant woman from the child¡¦s father and stealing medical supplies from Ariel, River was called upon by the Alliance.
It was one day in a pub with Mal discussing money terms with Fanty and Mingo when River saw the commercial. Earlier that evening Mal had decided to drop River and Simon off in this dump, but the plans changed. And River said one crucial word that would change the crew¡¦s life¡K the galaxy's life forever. 'Miranda.' River has no recollection of the fight in Maidenhead in Beaumonde, but what she saw through Mal's eyes from the recorded tape that Mr. Universe dug up was startling. She never knew that the Alliance had had that strong of a hold on her. One slip of a commercial and she was set off. River knew, though, that she had to show them¡K she had to show them Miranda. After being set free inadvertently by Jayne, who was, River knew, drunk, she escaped to the co-pilot's seat of Serenity. Mal found her, but she had already dialed up the planet's status. It was then that River felt some sort of relief, the captain knew about Miranda.
After finding Book dead, killed by the Alliance, the crew, mainly Mal, decided they should go to Miranda and find out why River was so upset about it. They landed on the dead planet without much hope of finding anything. But River knew what there was there. She had seen them, she had heard their nothingness. They were silent in her head but she could hear them. She wanted them to speak. And soon, in a downed Alliance ship, the crew learned why River had acted so strange. They had installed Pax into the ventilation systems. The G-32 paxilon hydrochlorate that they had added to the air processors weeded out the aggression, essentially killing most of the population. But some of the population had the reverse effects: they turned into Reavers. Mal decided that the whole galaxy needed to know what had happened.
So they went to Mr. Universe. Mal knew the Alliance was there, and so he brought the Reavers. What ensued was a large fight in which Wash died. While Mal hurried on to display the holodisk, River and the other crew members, Inara included, stayed in the place before the elevator. The Reavers would bottleneck. Unfortunately, Zoe got a back wound, Kaylee got paralyzed temporarily from some poison darts, Jayne got hit in the arm with a bullet, and Simon got a belly wound. It was then that River knew that the Alliance didn't have to trigger her outrages; she could trigger them herself. She dove into the fray of Reavers, and killed them all, saving the crew.
The signal was out, and Mal came back. Soon they redid the ship, since Serenity had lost more than a pilot that day. Everyone was different, but no one was more different than River. She now knew she had a place to live. A home. After burying Hoban Washburne, Shepherd Book, and Mr. Universe, the crew departed to their ship. Who knew what would happen next? Oh, wait¡K River knew. She always knew. Always.
The Edge.
Something Unique:
River is mental, literally. She is psychic, and, because she was experimented on in the Academy, she can do things normal people can't. First off, she can sometimes read people's minds. She can take one look at her surroundings and memorize the layout.
Her mind is so deteriorated that she speaks in phrases. Sometimes those phrases are cryptic, and sometimes they have no meaning at all. Other times the phrases may sound cryptic but the phrases mean nothing. Sometimes she likes to speak in phrases just to confuse Jayne, which she thinks is a real blast. When she gets into one of those psychic phases and starts spewing gibberish it is usually helpful to the near future to listen to (and try to figure out) what she is saying. Normally she's predicting the future, other times she¡¦s just talking to talk.
River always walks barefoot, though sometimes not when she is on land. She never said it aloud, but walking barefoot helps her connect to the galaxy she lives in. She feels like Serenity lives with her when she walks around barefoot, as she can feel the deep rumbling of the engines and it feels like Serenity is breathing. Similarly, when she is on the ground of any planet she can feel the minute vibrations of the animals living underneath the earth as well as the vibrations of things above the ground. Though she likes to feel the vibrations, she still wears boots on her feet while on land. Going barefoot on land is a rare occurance, but one may still see her do things such as that.
Role Playing Sample:
The rumbling stopped. The heartbeat faded. The air thinned. Serenity was dead. But not exactly dead. Still alive. Heartbeats, and shouting. The girl opened her eyes, and saw nothing but black. Her room was dark, and she could not see, but she did not need to see. She could feel, and she could feel that Serenity was, indeed, dead. They were fish floating in a water so vast that it would take years for another ship to find them. But the girl didn't give up hope. On the contrary, she sat bolt upright and, even in the dim light, one could see her smile.
"Still she lives." River said, and absentmindedly ran her hand across the cold metal that was Serenity's hull. She could feel the engine, still rotating, but slowly. Something had happened to Serenity's heart, to Serenity's engine.
She will fix you. I promise. River told the ship, still smiling. She always fixed Serenity. And he will be there, undoubtedly. River cast out her mind and, just as she had known, Kaylee was tinkering away with the engine. Simon was there, too. He was tense, as if he wanted Serenity up as much as Kaylee did. As much as River did. And whenever you fail, he yells. River told Serenity, pulling the covers off her legs as she positioned herself to stand up. Right on cue, Mal cried, "Kaylee!?" River stood up and walked to a cubby hole in her room, the cold of Serenity seeping in through her feet to produce goose-bumps on her legs. And when he yells he thinks something is up. Just like River had said, Jayne came out of his bunk carrying Vera, "We gonna 'splode?" Let's not forget her. Whenever he gets tense, she comes. Zoe came now, and she had that 'don't-tell-me-we-are-stuck' face on. Mal swore. "Why does everyone have to freak every time the gorram ship hiccups?"
From the cubby River withdrew her comb, a nice comb she had found lying around one day. She decided to give it to Kaylee, since Kaylee loved doing things with her hair. Right after the teen had exited her and Simon's sleeping room, the lights came back on. Serenity lived. The heartbeat was strong once more. Life support was online. They were going to survive. But River knew all of this, and she had known all of this before Serenity had even halted its breaths. They thought they were goners. River laughingly told the ship. But I know. And, sounding a little sadder this time, I know.
Face Claim:
Summer Glau
Your Name: JK <-My initials are all you're going to get. Call me Kris instead.
Your Age: 16
How Did You Find Out of Gas?: I clicked on the link in H+H
Previous Roles: Harry Potter: Nymphadora Tonks ; Kristolyn Bell ;; Dragonriders of Pern: Zenniel ; others ;; Resident Evil: Angela Ashford
Contact Email: If you really need it, you can ask
The Core.
Full Name:
River Tam
Nickname(s):
strange little girl, crazy girl, anything else that Jayne comes up with // Mei Mei
Birthday:
December 12th, 2500
Age:
Seventeen
Origin:
Osiris
Location:
The Firefly-class ship, Serenity
Allegiance:
Neutral
Occupation:
Co-Pilot // Fugitive
The Appearance.
Eye Color:
Brown
Hair Color:
Brown
Height && Weight:
5'7.5" // 115 pounds
General Description:
the EYES // For River, the saying 'the eyes are the windows to the soul' is true; she can't not feel emotions, and so whatever she feels is expressed in her eyes. Her eyes are brown, a sort of mix between light brown, dark brown, and a dab of green. The darker brown fills in the outer ledges while the lighter brown encircles the pupils, though it is clear that the darker brown is a clear winner, as the light brown can only be seen around the pupils. The green is few and far between, but there are random splotches of green in them. Unfortunately, the green doesn't show unless light shines on a specific spot on her eye. Normally her eyes look intuitive yet confused. On her more lucid days, or should I say lucid moments, River's eyes look just like any other person's eyes would: normal.
the HAIR // The thought that may pop into your mind when you see River's hair for the first time is 'does she ever shower?' On the contrary, she is a very clean and extremely healthy teen. Her hair is one of the attributes she attained during her stay at the Academy. As a result of the doctor's testing her hair grew oily-looking. Where the once sleek and shining hair fell in waves and ended in ringlets, now her hair falls in strings, and though ending in ringlets, it does not have the bounce it used to. Her hair is a dark brown, but not dark enough to be called black. In the best of lights one can see the sheen that used to dominate her head. In the worst conditions it looks like she hasn¡¦t showered in days.
the FACE // River has an oval face, and one can say it fits her. Her hairline stops a little higher up on her forehead than most people's hairlines. Her eyes are directly proportional with slim eyebrows the same color as her hair above them. Her nose is a cross between petite and feminine and masculine, though leaning a little more toward the masculine side. Her mouth is not as full as some people¡¦s mouths, but it fits her face. She has slight dimples whenever she smiles. She never wears makeup, as she considers makeup as a thing that only pretty ladies wear. She doesn¡¦t consider herself pretty, but doesn¡¦t consider herself ugly, either. In her words: 'I'm myself.'
the FIGURE // Borne from years of dancing and training under the Acadamy's rule, River's form is that of a lithe woman. She looks young for her age and wisdom, looking more sixteen than eighteen. She's in superb health and is skinny for her age. She is rather tall, though still shorter than her brother. Her weight is the minimum weight she could be without being called 'too skinny.' She walks with the grace of a dancer and holds herself with the poise of a wise person. She is a very athletic girl, and even finds ways to keep her body fit when in the cramped confines of Serenity.
the SCARS // River, have scars? Well, actually, she does. She has a faint scar on her forehead, reminiscent of the needles that the Academy put into her head to help sustain her psychic abilities. That scar can only be seen in a certain light and only rarely. It is so light that one may mistake it for a freckle. Other scars are the scars on her wrists, more like faint rash lines than scars, from trying to get free of the manacles in the Academy.
The Personality.
Likes && Dislikes:
the LIKES // First and foremost, River loves Simon. He is her older sibling, so why not love him. He has always watched over her, and she always watches over him, though he might not know it. Kaylee, though not a totally different story, is different. Kaylee is like an older sister to River, even though Simon and Kaylee love each other. River likes Kaylee, but only as an older sister and possibly best friend. River likes her more lucid moments, too. It's in those moments that River feels the most normal and it is in these moments that River can actually play around. These phases are few and far between, though. River loves Serenity, as it is her home. Sure, she had lived with her parents in Osiris, but the house in Osiris had never really been her home. Serenity was her first real home and always would be. River loves the missions she actually gets to go on. She likes helping Mal, Zoe, and yes, even Jayne. Going on missions makes her feel like she belongs. Though she likes Inara, Inara is farther down on her like list. She likes how Inara is a Companion, but apart from her curiosity there is nothing else interesting about Inara.
the DISLIKES // Though not on the top of her dislike list, Jayne is pretty close. She sees him as a nuisance and she knows he is a straightforward man. She does not like that part about him, the fact that he always acts before he thinks (if he thinks), and that he lives to earn money. But though she dislikes him she plays around with him (even though he might not like it). Next on her dislike list is Zoe, though her dislike is more of a fear than an actual dislike. Zoe, unlike Jayne, is terrifying because she only has a few thoughts on her mind. She is the most ferocious when thinking about Wash, and the only man in her life now is Mal. Her worst fear is, quite unsurprisingly, lapsing into an uncontrollable psychosis wrath. The girl also doesn't like when Simon 'puts her to sleep.' Literally. Farther down on her dislike list is when her 'family' (Mal, Zoe, Jayne, Inara, Kaylee, and Simon) fails a mission. She doesn't like the emotions, mainly sadness and anger, that courses through the air after a failed mission.
Interests && Hobbies:
River likes flying, and learned the controls from glancing at Wash flying Serenity. She keeps Wash's dinosaur figures on her station and plays with them from time to time. She likes watching the space outside the ship fly by, and usually sits with her knees close to her body just staring out into the black. Though not really interested in missions, she likes to go on them just for fun. River is interested in anything new that she hasn't yet learned. Being a girl of superior intelligence, learning new things, even from people's minds, is wonderful. But there is only so much River can learn before she spews all that she has learned out for the world to hear. Dancing is one of River's favorite things to do. Ever since she could remember she's been dancing. She still loves dancing and one can usually finding her dancing around Serenity. River loves playing around, and her best and favorite playing partner is Kaylee. The two play tag, jacks, and sometimes even hide and go seek. She loves playing around with the other members of Serenity, especially Jayne, even though she doesn't like him.
Strengths:
River is a girl of incredible talent. When she gets into it, she can battle as fiercely as she wants, and she is virtually untouchable. Her moves are reminiscent of her wonderful dancing skills. She is acrobatic even when she fights. More important on her strength list is her mind. Her mind is quite possibly the strongest and most intelligent mind in the whole 'verse' and she can sense everyone's thoughts. Even Reaver thoughts, though Reavers don't think until the moment before they strike, and then all they think about is death and raping. Another strength is her trust in her friends and family aboard Serenity. Even the people she doesn't like, including Jayne, she trusts, because she knows Jayne would never hurt her intentionally. She finds strength in their undying love for each other, and felt that strength when she had to save all of them, except Book, who was already dead, on Mr. Universe's planet.
Weaknesses:
Probably one of her main weaknesses is her mental state. She is most the most susceptible person on Serenity when she is in a horrible state of mind. Another weakness is her inability to say what she wants most of the time. Her speech goes in and out of focus, and sometimes she speaks perfectly while other times she speaks only in cryptic phrases. Her memory is another weakness, as she cannot remember most of what has happened to her. This includes when she was younger and when she was in the Academy. She cannot help what happens to her when the Alliance sets her off, whether through commercials embedded with code or in person. In these times she goes berserk, even going insofar as to hurt her own teammates in order to fulfill the Alliance's orders. Her emotions and her inability to keep them in check is another weakness. The Alliance stripped her of her amygdala, or part of her brain that can keep her emotions to herself. Thus, she always feels emotions, even when she doesn't want to.
Secrets:
There are many secrets that River has, and all of them come into her mind at random times during the day. She tries to keep her secrets to herself but she can't, and since the Academy, she never has. Her own secrets could quite possibly be hidden under layers of psychosis. Or they could be hanging out in the open. No one ever knows what River may say next, and sometimes even River doesn't know. There are a few secrets she has yet to unearth, a few of which being things the Academy did to her and some secrets that she has kept for Kaylee, Simon, and Mal. She doesn't trust Jayne, and so doesn't keep his secrets, not that he has any. Zoe doesn't have many secrets that River needs to keep, and so ignores her secrets. The fact that River can literally read everyone's minds means she holds all of the secrets that anyone ever had. Therefore, she has no secrets but holds them all.
Overall Personality:
River has a difficult personality. Because of what the Academy professors and scientists did to her, her personality is hard to describe. In her more lucid moments she is the little sister Simon remembers. She is playful, happy, and bratty. She acts like any teenager would, and loves to play with Kaylee. When she is in one of her phases, which happens more often than when she is in one of her lucid phases, she is just the opposite.
When she succumbs to the 'training' the Academy gave her she can be one of two people. The first person River can be is the blubbering fool who doesn't know what she¡¦s doing. This River is incapable of fighting and instead of helping she can be a nuisance. She starts talking, more in rhymes and unrecognizable splutters of words than normal sentences and filled thoughts. She feels small and superfluous while in this phase. She often clutches her head and closes her eyes while still spurting out more random phrases. The second person River can be is a maniac killer. During certain times, such as when she is needed and when the Alliance is looking for her, the girl can go insane. Because she is athletically gifted she has adopted a fighting style to suit her agility. This style has her doing insane moves that include the splits and karate chops as well as spinning and jumping in the air. In this mode she is entirely invincible, as she moves too fast and thinks too quickly to be hit. In this frame of mind she is also liable to hurt or kill her own teammates as well.
Her normal personality is that of a confused and scared person. She is usually found close to, if not within five feet of, Simon. If she is not found near him she is found in the co-pilot's seat either staring out at the empty space beyond the view-port, playing with Wash¡¦s dinosaurs (which Zoe doesn't like), or flying with Mal. Another place she may be is with Kaylee, playing or watching the woman fixing Serenity's engine. She is intrigued about how one tiny engine can fuel an entire ship, and thinks of the engine as the heart of Serenity. Normally, though, if she gets too bored staying in Simon's shadow she will become curious. Her curiosity usually involves her imagination, and so, once, when she picked up a gun she believed it was a stick and she was surrounded by a forest in the autumn-time.
The Family.
Parents && Siblings:
Gabriel Tam // Mr. Tam, otherwise known to River as Father, didn¡¦t know what he was getting River into when he sent her to that special school. River never doubted that he didn't, and so she doesn't blame him for her current state of mind. She does, however, blame him for disowning Simon and not helping his son in River's time of need.
Regan Tam // Mrs. Tam, or Mother, acted like any mother would act when she had River. Not many children were as gifted with intelligence as River was. She didn¡¦t know what to do with River, and so followed her husband's advice on what to do with River. She dislikes her mother just because she followed her Father in disowning their children.
Simon Tam // Since their parents disowned them, River has been looked after by Simon. She adores Simon, and listens to him as well as looks out for him. She doesn't know what she would do without her older brother. She would follow him to the ends of space, though she knows there are no ends; just more space.
Malcolm Reynolds // Although technically not related to River by bloodline, River still sees Mal as a father rather than a captain. She has all but given up on Gabriel, her real father, because he had given up on Simon. She never lets anyone do anything to Simon when she knows that they'll do something wrong. And because Mal has never wanted to hurt Simon (he considered Simon to be his crew, and so decided never to hurt him).
Kaylee Frye // Just like Mal, Kaylee is not technically related by blood, but River still considers her as a part of the family. Simon loves Kaylee, River loves Kaylee (but only as a best friend or older sister), and everything is fine. Besides, River always wanted Simon to notice that Kaylee liked him, and now that he does, she loves Kaylee even more.
Character History:
River was born the second child to Regan and Gabriel Tam on December 12, 2500. Her motor functions were performing excellently when she was just a babe, and she learned how to walk when she was only 7 months. She learned how to walk before she learned how to crawl, which was not entirely uncommon, since some babies learned differently than others. At the age of one she was already talking, another common thing for many babies to do. But at the age of two she began to exhibit signs of faster brain growth, as she already knew the alphabet and how to count numbers. Her intelligence grew so that, at the age of three, she helped her older brother, Simon, with his homework. At age of four she had far surpassed the work Simon was doing. Instead, she decided to start ballet. She loved to dance, and quickly became one of the best dancers in the class.
The girl grew, and was entered into the second grade by the age of six. Though she was exceedingly bored with her schoolwork, her parents insisted that she could not skip any more grades. She knew why, because if she was too smart, everyone would start to dislike her parents. River had thought at the time that it was very low for her parents to do such a thing. Still the girl checked over Simon's homework and still she strived to fulfill her undying need to dance. But more and more she felt repressed. Even when she was in graduate school at the age of fourteen she felt like she was not learning enough. She needed to learn more.
When there was news about a new school opening for gifted students, River happily jumped upon the papers. She was so excited about what she read about 'the Academy' that she begged her parents to let her go. Father, of course, said yes, and Mother, naturally, followed whatever Father said. Simon was happy for his little sister, since she was finally going to be challenged. River arrived at 'the Academy' with four other students, but all five were separated as soon as they arrived. "Safety measures," the professors had said. River had thought nothing about it until her third month in. She had been sending letters to Simon regularly. After the third month, after they had done something to her, she knew she had to get out. This was no school, this was a testing facility. In the earlier months of he stay in 'the Academy,' the professors, who she later learned to be scientists, had let her practice dance. She had loved this, and had written letters to Simon telling him all about the fun she was having.
Not any more. Yes, she still sent letters, but this time they were warning him, asking him to set her free. She started writing letters in code. A code Simon would crack easily upon more inspection of the letters, but a code that the scientists would not be so keen on breaking. All of her letters started with a one, two, or three letter word. That meant every first, second, or third letter of each word should be found. The answer of all of the letters that were found and added up would signify a letter from A to Z. That letter would match the letter on the next page. Simon knew all of this, as she had taught him that code. And her secret message was 'They're hurting us. Get me out.'
Simon could not get his parents to agree, and River was trapped in 'the Academy' for two years before Simon came. In those years her mental state deteriorated. The scientists continually worked on their 'star pupil.' They even went so far as to strip her of her amygdale, or the barrier in her mind that let her feel the emotions she wanted to feel. As her mental state progressively declined, so did her letters to Simon. No longer did they hold a code; instead the letters contained gibberish. She also began to talk gibberish, and knew about the Pax before she knew about Miranda. Oh, she knew about Miranda, it was just her conscious mind that did not know that she knew about the planet that had created the Reavers.
Finally, after almost two years of continuous mental savagery, River was freed from the Alliance¡¦s grasp. Simon, her brother and best friend stole her from 'the Academy.' She was placed in a cryostorage tank, and woke up two weeks before she was supposed to on a Firefly-class ship named Serenity. Needless to say, she was confused, disoriented, and only a lot insane. Malcolm Reynolds was all for letting her go, but he couldn't. He couldn't because River and Simon were running from the Alliance. Mal hated the Alliance, and so decided to let the fugitives stay. After many hardships, some of which being protecting a pregnant woman from the child¡¦s father and stealing medical supplies from Ariel, River was called upon by the Alliance.
It was one day in a pub with Mal discussing money terms with Fanty and Mingo when River saw the commercial. Earlier that evening Mal had decided to drop River and Simon off in this dump, but the plans changed. And River said one crucial word that would change the crew¡¦s life¡K the galaxy's life forever. 'Miranda.' River has no recollection of the fight in Maidenhead in Beaumonde, but what she saw through Mal's eyes from the recorded tape that Mr. Universe dug up was startling. She never knew that the Alliance had had that strong of a hold on her. One slip of a commercial and she was set off. River knew, though, that she had to show them¡K she had to show them Miranda. After being set free inadvertently by Jayne, who was, River knew, drunk, she escaped to the co-pilot's seat of Serenity. Mal found her, but she had already dialed up the planet's status. It was then that River felt some sort of relief, the captain knew about Miranda.
After finding Book dead, killed by the Alliance, the crew, mainly Mal, decided they should go to Miranda and find out why River was so upset about it. They landed on the dead planet without much hope of finding anything. But River knew what there was there. She had seen them, she had heard their nothingness. They were silent in her head but she could hear them. She wanted them to speak. And soon, in a downed Alliance ship, the crew learned why River had acted so strange. They had installed Pax into the ventilation systems. The G-32 paxilon hydrochlorate that they had added to the air processors weeded out the aggression, essentially killing most of the population. But some of the population had the reverse effects: they turned into Reavers. Mal decided that the whole galaxy needed to know what had happened.
So they went to Mr. Universe. Mal knew the Alliance was there, and so he brought the Reavers. What ensued was a large fight in which Wash died. While Mal hurried on to display the holodisk, River and the other crew members, Inara included, stayed in the place before the elevator. The Reavers would bottleneck. Unfortunately, Zoe got a back wound, Kaylee got paralyzed temporarily from some poison darts, Jayne got hit in the arm with a bullet, and Simon got a belly wound. It was then that River knew that the Alliance didn't have to trigger her outrages; she could trigger them herself. She dove into the fray of Reavers, and killed them all, saving the crew.
The signal was out, and Mal came back. Soon they redid the ship, since Serenity had lost more than a pilot that day. Everyone was different, but no one was more different than River. She now knew she had a place to live. A home. After burying Hoban Washburne, Shepherd Book, and Mr. Universe, the crew departed to their ship. Who knew what would happen next? Oh, wait¡K River knew. She always knew. Always.
The Edge.
Something Unique:
River is mental, literally. She is psychic, and, because she was experimented on in the Academy, she can do things normal people can't. First off, she can sometimes read people's minds. She can take one look at her surroundings and memorize the layout.
Her mind is so deteriorated that she speaks in phrases. Sometimes those phrases are cryptic, and sometimes they have no meaning at all. Other times the phrases may sound cryptic but the phrases mean nothing. Sometimes she likes to speak in phrases just to confuse Jayne, which she thinks is a real blast. When she gets into one of those psychic phases and starts spewing gibberish it is usually helpful to the near future to listen to (and try to figure out) what she is saying. Normally she's predicting the future, other times she¡¦s just talking to talk.
River always walks barefoot, though sometimes not when she is on land. She never said it aloud, but walking barefoot helps her connect to the galaxy she lives in. She feels like Serenity lives with her when she walks around barefoot, as she can feel the deep rumbling of the engines and it feels like Serenity is breathing. Similarly, when she is on the ground of any planet she can feel the minute vibrations of the animals living underneath the earth as well as the vibrations of things above the ground. Though she likes to feel the vibrations, she still wears boots on her feet while on land. Going barefoot on land is a rare occurance, but one may still see her do things such as that.
Role Playing Sample:
The rumbling stopped. The heartbeat faded. The air thinned. Serenity was dead. But not exactly dead. Still alive. Heartbeats, and shouting. The girl opened her eyes, and saw nothing but black. Her room was dark, and she could not see, but she did not need to see. She could feel, and she could feel that Serenity was, indeed, dead. They were fish floating in a water so vast that it would take years for another ship to find them. But the girl didn't give up hope. On the contrary, she sat bolt upright and, even in the dim light, one could see her smile.
"Still she lives." River said, and absentmindedly ran her hand across the cold metal that was Serenity's hull. She could feel the engine, still rotating, but slowly. Something had happened to Serenity's heart, to Serenity's engine.
She will fix you. I promise. River told the ship, still smiling. She always fixed Serenity. And he will be there, undoubtedly. River cast out her mind and, just as she had known, Kaylee was tinkering away with the engine. Simon was there, too. He was tense, as if he wanted Serenity up as much as Kaylee did. As much as River did. And whenever you fail, he yells. River told Serenity, pulling the covers off her legs as she positioned herself to stand up. Right on cue, Mal cried, "Kaylee!?" River stood up and walked to a cubby hole in her room, the cold of Serenity seeping in through her feet to produce goose-bumps on her legs. And when he yells he thinks something is up. Just like River had said, Jayne came out of his bunk carrying Vera, "We gonna 'splode?" Let's not forget her. Whenever he gets tense, she comes. Zoe came now, and she had that 'don't-tell-me-we-are-stuck' face on. Mal swore. "Why does everyone have to freak every time the gorram ship hiccups?"
From the cubby River withdrew her comb, a nice comb she had found lying around one day. She decided to give it to Kaylee, since Kaylee loved doing things with her hair. Right after the teen had exited her and Simon's sleeping room, the lights came back on. Serenity lived. The heartbeat was strong once more. Life support was online. They were going to survive. But River knew all of this, and she had known all of this before Serenity had even halted its breaths. They thought they were goners. River laughingly told the ship. But I know. And, sounding a little sadder this time, I know.
Face Claim:
Summer Glau