Epiphany...

[agilebrit]

I had an ... interesting thought while working on my FluffyThon fic (which is now on page 7 8 and sitting at over 2700 nearly 3000 words--I take my fluff seriously, dammit).

River isn't actually crazy.

In fact, she's saner than the rest of us. In fact, she's so super-sane that it looks like insanity from where the rest of us are sitting. She's so connected to reality that she can't shut it off.

Discuss.

Comments

[midnightsjane.livejournal.com]

She's so connected to reality that she can't shut it off.
That's a really interesting thought. I think River is so open to every bit of information that comes her way she has no way of filtering it. Imagine what that would do to anyone: no way to close off the constant stream of chatter, of sorting out the minutiae of living from the stuff that keeps you from walking in front of moving objects. You might not be insane, but you sure as heck wouldn't be able to interact normally.
Must think on this some more. I can actually do that, because I have no problem keeping the world out of my head...

[palmaceae.livejournal.com]

wow insightful. makes sense to me.

[yesthatnagia.livejournal.com]

Hah! This is a theme in some of Pratchett's works, too. The coffee that wakes you up so thoroughly you go nuts-- that was in, what, Men at Arms? Or was it Feet of Clay?

It's a good point, though. If you can't turn reality off, then what do you do? You go nuts. Reality isn't a pretty thing to face 24/7. That's part of why the human brain needs sleep, I think. It's why we have escapism.