(no subject)

[beccaelizabeth]

Mal in Serenity
classic example of what don't kill us makes us stronger
he's all beat up and scarred and internally rearranged
and that's how he wins
he's already taken the damage, and it made him stronger inside, and people who expect other people to operate from the standard map don't have a clue what thats like or how to deal with it

same with River
all messed up inside
drawing strength from it



eta: with Mal it might not so much be 'strength' as 'not quitting'. I mean he gets beat up, but he knows he's had worse and survived, been through worse and kept going, so he just keeps on going. And he doesn't freeze up. The guy at the start, he was all 'rules!' and when hit in the nerve place he froze. Mal is not much with the rules. Hit in the nerve place, he knew what the Operative was doing well enough to fake him out, because he knows the rules. But he doesn't freeze, because he doesn't live boxed in by the rules. Been too much rearranged inside for that.

Comments

[karinalee.livejournal.com]

Good thought, be.

Any ideas on what the difference is between people who are able to draw strength from adversity and the people who can't? I suspect there are many variables.

[beccaelizabeth]

some people bend, and spring back.
some people break. They take a while to heal up. And they might be even less bendy later.

some of it is how bad or sudden the stress is, some of it how flexible the person is. Some of it just random.

[nandibble.livejournal.com]

Your insight about Mal and River might be connected to the idea that the most dangerous people are those who have nothing to lose. They have no more fear to hold them back. Of course, River is arguably insane....

[beccaelizabeth]

River is completely insane.

One reason I love Due South is they keep coming back to the idea that crazy don't mean useless.

Kind of like, Andrew is certifiable, delusional, and nuts.
But he went after Psycho Slayer, even after she had knocked him down once.

even crazy people can get things done.