InsaneJournal

Crazy: Unfortunately, River doesn't see the the world the same way everyone else does. At least most of the time. She can communicate, but the things that come out of her mouth often don't make sense. Her symptoms often mirror those of schizophrenia. Like most people with the condition, River has her lucid moments, but more often than not, she speaks in a mixture of speech that takes into account her own genius intellect, metaphor and her ability as a reader (psychic) to try and get across whatever is going on and usually it doesn't make any sense.

River's condition is not the result of genetics, however. It is the result of experiments done by the Alliance government on the young woman in an attempt to create an assassin of the highest caliber. In doing so, she underwent testing and experimentation that included the stripping of her amygdala , the area of the brain that holds a primary role in the processing of memory, decision-making and emotional responses. As a result, River feels everything, she cannot block things out well and her reactions are not well managed. Moreover, she has triggers in her head, put there by the Alliance scientists who worked on her, that will turn her into a weapon if used.

Brilliant, Educated, Creative: River isn't a genius, she is far more than a genius. Before going off to the Academy - where she was experimented on and eventually turned to her current state - there wasn't anything River didn't try that she didn't pick up as easily as breathing. She was taking graduate physics programs at 14 and had a bright future ahead of her and could have done whatever she wanted in the galaxy, literally. She had, and still has a great love and passion for dance, able to pick up the moves after seeing them once or twice and then carry them out. She is graceful, and creative. Dancing seems to be something River can still enjoy in spite of her condition and, thankfully despite all of the tortures and experiments she has endured, River's extreme genius and mental abilities seem largely intact.

Affable, Sweet, Friendly: Before her time at the Academy, River was a very sweet young woman. In her lucid moments, when she is spending time with Inara, Kaylee, her brother or even Mal on the bridge or elsewhere, she has a very sweet and friendly demeanor and is very easy to get along with. Whether she's playing jacks or looking at the stars, or trying to steal an apple. The question always is, what River are you going to get.

Intuitive, Empathetic: River is a Reader. She has always had a strong intuition about things and people, able to find items, almost a sixth sense about what was to come. While no one seems to know for sure how it was done, these abilities were heightened during the experiments. River can now feel emotions, knows when things are going to happen and can use that information to her advantage when she needs to. Though it is sometimes not clear that she's doing it. There have been several times she has attempted to tip off other members of the crew of what is about to happen, but it hasn't always been picked up on.

Aggressive, Hostile, Tactical: It's always a question as to which River you're going to get. You could get the nice, friendly and easy going River who plays jax. Or, you could get the aggressive and hostile River. This is the same River who has been known to slash fellow crew mates with knives and say they look better in red. Her aggression and hostility aren't always random. The experiments performed on River were done so in order to make her into a weapon and that, plus her own innate brilliance has created a logical, tactical mind which can clear a bar room on her own in a matter of minutes leaving people dead and unconscious. The girl can be very dangerous.

Spontaneous, Irrational, Impulsive, Temperamental, Unstable: Due to the state of her brain, River isn't the best when it comes to her own emotional control. She is known for having temper tantrums when it comes to things like medications or tests, as she is often unable to regulate her emotional response and frustrations, often needing to be restrained by her brother during the events. Sometimes she's irrational or impulsive, you never know where she might show up or what she might do, she has been known to wander into places she's not supposed to be, and touch things she isn't supposed to, often making them better, but sometimes pulling the labels off of cans and causing mystery dinners for a week.

Loyal, Grateful, Guilty: Above it all, beyond everything that she is and everything that was done to her, that is in and beyond her own control, River is grateful. She is grateful to her brother. She is aware of everything that he gave up to come and get her and often wonders if it was worth the life he left behind. She once wondered if he would come and get her and feels guilty that he did this all for her. The Tam siblings are loyal to one another, River adores her older brother, always has, but all she wants is for herself to be better, so he can get his life back, the only life he ever wanted, which he gave up to save her.

While I know this isn't required for the app, the experimentation on River has some side effects that I feel like are import to have on file.