#riley cavanaugh

[mental-mona]

People are complicated. And messy. Seems too convenient that we’d all fit inside some multiple-choice question.

― Riley Cavanaugh

[wannabesewcrafty]

Call and Response

Fandom: Person of Interest (TV)

Notes: Pre-2.04 with spoilers for the episode. Riley/Annie. I just liked their rooftop scene and that water heater story…

Content warnings: Slight language, mention of character death

Riley cursed as he felt the water rising up past his ankles. Annie’s water heater was broken, no doubt about it, and he had no idea how to fix it. Still, stubborn pride made him attempt some repairs, which only resulted in him further ruining his jeans as he splashed dirty basement water up to his knees, making Annie laugh.

She had tried holding it in but when he smudged some grease onto his forehead, she couldn’t take it any longer. “You should…see how you look!” she managed to get out in between giggles from where she sat on the basement stairs, safe and dry.

“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up,” he muttered. After standing still a moment, he allowed himself to bask in the sound of her laughter. Usually, in his line of work, he was met with frightened gasps or screams of protest, not unabashed laughter.

“What now?” Annie asked when she had regained control of herself.

Riley looked down in thought. Maybe he couldn’t fix her water heater, but he could find someone who could. Waking them up in the middle of the night didn’t matter. If people knew what was good for them, they didn’t refuse him. “I’ll make a call,” he said shortly, pulling out his cell phone.

Half an hour later, he was hauling a plumber into Annie’s basement, ordering him to get the water heater fixed or replaced by morning.

“Oh, geez. How much will this cost?” the young widow fretted.

“No charge,” Riley immediately responded. He gave the plumber a hard look. “Right?”

O—on the house,” the man stammered.

What followed made Riley realize that Annie must have been just about as stubborn as he was because she said, “No, I insist. Let me get my purse.” She dashed upstairs and returned a minute later, rifling through her bag. “Here’s fifty,” she said, handing over some bills. “I’ll make an installment plan or something.”

“Annie, forget about it.”

“I can’t!” And something in her voice made him think of Sean, and he let her have her way about the stupid bill.

After the plumber had agreed on a monthly plan with Annie and was working away at the water heater, she looked Riley up and down and said, “Come on. You’d better change. I think I have some things of Sean’s that might fit you.”

He followed her upstairs, glad to be away from all that damn water, but when they drew near what was obviously her bedroom, he hung back. “I’m not sure about this,” he began. “I mean, wearing Sean’s clothes…” The clothes of a dead man, and not only that, but someone whose death he was responsible for…

Annie only flashed him a small grin. “What? You scared? Tough guy like you?”

It earned her a smile from him. “No,” he said. “I just don’t think they’ll fit. It looked to me like old Sean was putting on weight.”

“Shh! It’s not polite to say stuff like that!” She smacked him in the chest, even while tears sprang to her eyes, and he was struck silent by how strong she was, how beautiful, even in this instance of vulnerability.

Looking back on it, Riley thought that may have been the moment he fell for her.

[ettadunham]

[π] person of interest quarantine rewatch ➥ 2x04 triggerman

[transcharacters]

Character: Riley Cavanaugh

Fandom: Symptoms of Being Human

Gender: Genderfluid

Why: Riley is canocally genderfluid and is probably one of the most prominant genderfluid/nonbinary characters out there currently.

[kingsentertainmentreviews]

Panda Reviews Symptoms of Being Human [*SPOILER FREE*]

Today, Elaine reviews Jeff Garvin’s debut novel, Symptoms of Being Human, which explores gender fluidity through its main character, Riley Cavanaugh—a teenager who just transferred to Park Hills High School following a traumatic experience. After providing you with a synopsis of the novel, Elaine will give her thoughts and feelings. Is this a book worth reading? Let's find out! 

If you'd like your own copy of the novel, please check out the link below. It comes at no extra cost to you and it really helps out the channel: 

https://amzn.to/2x5zIXT

[representativecharacters]

Character: Riley Cavanaugh

From: Symptoms of Being Human

Representation: Nonbinary, Genderfluid, Mental Illness, Anxiety

Their Importance: The story does a great job of portraying Riley’s conflict between doing the right thing and protecting themselves, as well as their dysphoria and struggle to work out what their identity is. Riley isn’t automatically more heroic or wise because of their identity; they’re just an average teen trying their best in an awful situation. They make mistakes that unwittingly cause harm and they also try to fix them. It’s also great that the story acknowledges that coming out isn’t ideal for a lot of people and may make a situation worse. In general, we get a good sense of Riley’s personality outside of their identity which isn’t always the case in similar stories. Their anxiety issues are also accurately portrayed.

Issues: Riley suffers through a graphic hate crime as well as constant, more “low-level” transphobic harassment and also reads about similar abuse suffered by others up to including murders. They also have several realistically-portrayed panic attacks brought on by dysphoria and the stress of dealing with abuse. It’s never gratuitous or lurid but it can be hard to sit through.  

Thanks to anon for the write-up!

[momofmysquad]

I just finished “Symptoms of Being Human” and it is so good.

[itsagoodlife]

When life gives you gators, make Gatorade.

Riley Cavanaugh