obsessed. about what? ...yes.

she/her | ADHD | asexual | wishes dragons were real

[blue-heron]

What did you mean with the implications of River's name thing? Idk if I missed something obvious, but I'd love to know your thoughts anyway!

hey!!! you didn’t miss anything dw lol, just my thoughts on his name

cartwright is a surname that bears a heavy weight for river. everyone automatically compares him to his grandfather (he’s even called cartwright jr a few times!). i’ve seen a few fanfics where he refuses david’s suggestion that he goes by a different name for training so he wouldn’t have an automatic target on his back, which is just so delicious to me. i don’t think it would be about the prestige of the name for river. i think the name cartwright, even with all the baggage, gives him a concrete tie to his grandparents (who are really his only family at this point). it’s no wonder that he didn’t change his name, even if it would’ve made things a bit easier for him—he is so desperate to belong somewhere that it was never a question

river as a first name is also interesting to me. it is a common source of mockery for river in the show (and in the books i’m sure, although i haven’t read them yet). he says the line “my mum was in her hippy phase” which i’m sure is something david said to him as a kid and he learnt to parrot, but even if he doesn’t seem pleased at the name he still chooses to keep it. it’s same thing with his last name: he could’ve changed his name to make his life a bit easier, but the name river is one of the only things that he has from his mother. even with their terrible relationship, of course he wouldn’t want to get rid of it!! river abandonment issues georg,,,

sometimes i also hc river as transmasc, which is another fun layer with his name. i think isobel would’ve named him river either way, so when he transitioned he still kept it as a way to belong with her (in a way)

[arowitharrows]

I feel like people struggle to understand that my life as an aorace person is not centered around an absence of relationships. There is no romance shaped void that I am trying to live with, or live around, or which my life's purpose is to fill somehow.

I go to university and I go to work and I volunteer in my community and in the in-between moments I drink tea with my friends and I plant tomatoes on my balcony and there is no need for anything else. There is no room for anything else anyway.

When I am asked how I deal with 'the hole in my life' or what I do with 'all my free time', I know these questions are not about me at all. They are a reflection of the person asking.

[thatsthebirds]

Its kind of asking how you cope with the lack of parking spaces when someone doesnt own a car

[ace-of-bass]

Ooh I love this analogy because not owning a car does come with problems (at least in the US typically), namely that US infrastructure is so reliant on cars that not owning one means that you deal with other problems, like lack of bike lanes, infrequent public transit, people always assuming you can drive places, etc. Aro/ace people do face problems due to amatonormativity in society, such as inaffordability of places to live alone (because it's assumed you'll live with a roommate until you're a "real adult" and live with a partner and also because of capitalism), lack of ways to meet new people that aren't specifically focused on dating, and people always asking when you'll settle down, aren't you lonely, don't you miss having a partner? as OP talked about.

Like, there are problems that one encounters as a carless person, and there are problems I've encountered as an aroace person. But the problem as a carless person isn't lack of parking spaces and the problem as an aroace person isn't lack of a relationship.

[goslinggf]

i love you rice with some bullshit

[goblin-mode-activated]

A variant that I love to make in batches and freeze:

200g lamb minced meat

Whatever oil or butter you prefer to cook with, I use butter

1-2 shallots or a small yellow onion

1-2 cloves of garlic

Salt and pepper

1 can of canned tomatoes (roughly 500 mL i think)

Spring onion is a nice touch to add, but totally optional

Also rice, but that is boiled seperately

---

1. Mince the garlic and chop the shallots into small pieces

2. Cook the minced meat

3. When the minced meat is mostly lightly brown, but still umcooked in some places, add the shallots and garlic

(note: if there's a lot of liquid at this stage, that's good, because it softens the vegetables)

4. Add the canned tomatoes when the mince meat is cooked, add more salt and pepper

5. Let everything simmer for a bit, reducing the tomato sauce until it's your preferred consistency

6. Add some chopped spring onions (before the sauce reaches the right consistency) for extra greens if you want:)

While youre making the sauce: Boil rice on a low heat setting with a bit of salt in the water (if you are completely new to cooking for yourself, that is 1 part rice, 2 parts water, and like a pinch of salt per desiliter of water). Use a pot with a lid. If your pot sucks like mine, you might need to stir with a spoon occasionally so it doesn't burn.

[ohgodthebrainworms]

slow horses analysis q - how do you think river is affected by all the shit thats happened to him like this man has an insane amount of traumatic lore how does it manifest in his character ? like is he scared of the dark/loud noises/flinches when people touch him etc

youre one of my fave slorses accs btw your content is so interesting omg

Thank you so much! Really interesting question - I've never thought about this before.

I think in season 5 River is very invested in the idea that he's doing okay, actually. He's working out and doing Normal Person Things like organising an office party. He's fine! So anything that contradicts that narrative - flinching and so on - would get suppressed pretty hard, at least when anyone else is watching.

He's also afraid of letting any emotion out in case he loses control completely. He's terrified that if he starts crying, he'll never stop.

But all that trauma is going to get out somewhere, so I think he's got some kind of self-destructive coping mechanism that he uses to make his brain shut up. Personally I think it's over-exercise, like running until he throws up, because he can tell himself it's healthy. But I've seen fics where it's something like cutting or bulimia and that works as well.

Really interested in what you and others thinks about this!

[goblin-mode-activated]

[valtsv]

Why are you problematic

just for fun

[tenderlywicked]

River Cartwright's two stages: either being whumped or nearing the moment he will be.

[too-many-rooks]

Still not over this being how River meets his dad.

[ohgodthebrainworms]

[straytheskies]

cats when they love you:

[antiadvil]

it's wild that popular discourse around migraines is that there are too many people who claim to have migraines but "just have bad headaches". this is the exact opposite of my experience? i'm still trying to convince several of my friends that their "bad tension headaches" that are unilateral, throbbing, cause light sensitivity, nausea, etc, are migraines lmao. migraine is underdiagnosed and undertreated by every metric i can think of.

this narrative is not harmless! it prevents people from getting treatment that could really benefit them. so i would like it to die. thank you.

[mushroominawaterbottle]

there is the line between bisexual and aroace and i am using it as a jump rope

[lorquiana]

finished book 4 🥰 1) the show absolutely tightens up the ending quite a bit, especially the bits with frank towards the end. my theory is they cast hugo weaving and were like Fuck we need to have him show up more we spent half our budget on this. 2) you know im a huge fan of grenade hood and the eurostar chase but i did really enjoy this bit . they 🥰

[lorquiana]

as soon as she finds out river isnt dead louisa's internal monologue is like this the rest of the book

[selkiewizard]

Public transport is a type of horse and I'm a teenage girl who no one understands

[selkiewizard]

The bus fucking bit me

[selkiewizard]

Public transport is a type of horse and I'm a teenage girl who no one understands

[selkiewizard]

The bus fucking bit me

[gingeragenda]

[tinkertailorsoldierguy]

he needed the extra income

[acornsandacorns]

you know what? Fuck you. *turns your strong and stoic and serious character into a crying, traumatized, whimpering, curled up mess in the floor*

[ohgodthebrainworms]

[disappearinginq]

I know you already answered an ask about brushing at your fingers, but i need to know moreee

Ok, there is still nothing written, and I'm not entirely sure what kind of details you're looking for, so you're getting landed with Vibes.

So the part where I said River reacts violently to things - he straight disassociates and it's again a time warp for him. He remembers Before the Thing and he is with it Now, but DURING? Not so much. So he'll snap back to himself and have no idea what he's doing or where he is for a hot minute.

And it's not predictable, either. It's not like he figures out he doesn't like small spaces, or he's suddenly afraid of the dark, and can avoid them. And because he 'goes away' for whatever period of time, he doesn't even know what it was.

He actually does okay at first, because he's a little too wired and confused to pay attention to a lot of details. When he's arrested by the Dogs and they won't let Louisa go with him, and they're in the city, not a whole lot looks different, and his brain can sort of skip over things that Aren't Right. He's too busy trying to listen to Taverner and Lamb when he's being interviewed to really notice his reflection in the observation glass, but when he does, that's what really convinces him that he's been gone as long as they say. His hair is longer - like season 1/2 length. His face isn't rounded anymore, but all sharp and angled. His nose isn't quite straight anymore, and one of his eyes isn't blue anymore from some long healed injury, and when they take him to the infirmary (or hospital, haven't made up my mind yet), as he's being looked over, they're finding more and more evidence of long term torture, but nothing that seems recent. The injuries are more than a year old.

One of the biggest issues River has is that he has no idea if Frank is dead or alive. He has no idea what he was doing in London, he has no idea why he had a gun, nothing. The Park wants to know what Frank is planning, and River has absolutely no clue. They don't know if he was released as a strategy, or escaped, or was part of the Plot and is just playing them for fools, and all River knows is it's definitely not the last one.

As months go by, and River is slowly starting to navigate this new world of his, he does somehow get into a fight with Marcus. Not on purpose, it's an accident. Like someone says or does the wrong thing, and River Goes Away, and when he comes back to himself, he has Marcus on the ground, hands up in surrender, his face bloodied and bruised and looking like he's gone ten rounds with Rhonda Rousey and the first words out of his mouth are "What happened to you?"

And it turns out that not only is River's memory just gone from his time with Frank, it appears that he has new skills. Ones he didn't even know about.

Anyway - hopefully that helps a bit? Like I said, there's nothing written on this yes, and who knows when it will be, but very exciting to know that other people are interested in my fantastical daydreams