The benefit of the Pond family is that they have a twofold relationship, they are parents and child, but they also grew up as agemates and best friends
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That's really insightful! I hadn't thought about that dynamic -- peers AND parents. It speaks to the easy camaraderie between River and Amy and Rory in the episodes before they knew who she was.
And I really like what you said about Amy being the one who can switch between sides of the equation the most easily of the three.
There's something about River though, that we didn't see in the glimpses we got of Mels. I think River craves the mother / daughter connection and finds it easier than Amy to slip into that mode. Rory, of course, never really left the father mode!
So -- to take this further -- if you lock them in a room and let them talk, what kinds of discussions could you see happening?
I think Amy would want to learn about her daughter, and get to know her as best she can despite not having been able to raise her as her mother. Some of the topics I think they would discuss (although some of these would be difficult conversations):
What was it like for River as a young child, before she came to Leadworth? What was she told about Amy? How did she escape and start phoning the president? How did she get herself to Leadworth? What did she think of Amy when they were kids together? How was school in the 51st century? Then finally, what is her current life like when she isn't with the Doctor? Pre-Stormcage -- what is work like, any interesting digs, any good friends? Stormcage -- how does she spend her time, is she doing okay? Post-Stormcage -- how did she end up as a professor, what is she accomplishing professionally, any good friends?
Those are all topics I agree and think that Amy would want to know; and Rory would, too. I think that a lot of that discussion is a potential minefield of guilt on Amy and Rory's part. There's a lot of subtext there, a lot of heartache and guilt.
In fact, I think that guilt is the elephant in the room with these characters. Add the Doctor to the mix and it's more of a wooly mammoth.
From my point of view, I think that River is kind of sick of it, and that is an idea I'm wanting to explore with this story.
Setting that aside, I like your ideas about River's schooling and what she does when she's not with the Doctor.
Thanks so much for replying, it's great talking about these things!
Ah, that's a pretty interesting subject. :) betawho sounds like he covered a lot of things, indeed the mix of normal family and highly unconventional Ponds is pretty interesting! Personally I'm also very big on Rory + River time and particularly the way she seems to open up to him the way we don't see her do so often. I also wonder if Rory could open up to River about things like he and Amy, how he felt about her birth (learning about Amy's pregnancy the funniest way ever and all that o.O), his centurion time, that kind of thing. How would River react to the Pond divorce and their struggling to conceive again? Would she understand Amy's position, would she feel somewhat responsible, would she try to help or rather feel like she should step away and respect whatever they decide?
Also, all the random, unsettling recollections of Mels time and memories they might have with her :)
Same here! I just really have a thing for them. Amy + River are more difficult and I'm not really sure how to handle them, I don't really do the "happy Pond girls time" thing-though really, I love my Ponds a bit angsty tbh =P
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And I really like what you said about Amy being the one who can switch between sides of the equation the most easily of the three.
There's something about River though, that we didn't see in the glimpses we got of Mels. I think River craves the mother / daughter connection and finds it easier than Amy to slip into that mode. Rory, of course, never really left the father mode!
So -- to take this further -- if you lock them in a room and let them talk, what kinds of discussions could you see happening?
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What was it like for River as a young child, before she came to Leadworth? What was she told about Amy? How did she escape and start phoning the president? How did she get herself to Leadworth? What did she think of Amy when they were kids together? How was school in the 51st century? Then finally, what is her current life like when she isn't with the Doctor? Pre-Stormcage -- what is work like, any interesting digs, any good friends? Stormcage -- how does she spend her time, is she doing okay? Post-Stormcage -- how did she end up as a professor, what is she accomplishing professionally, any good friends?
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In fact, I think that guilt is the elephant in the room with these characters. Add the Doctor to the mix and it's more of a wooly mammoth.
From my point of view, I think that River is kind of sick of it, and that is an idea I'm wanting to explore with this story.
Setting that aside, I like your ideas about River's schooling and what she does when she's not with the Doctor.
Thanks so much for replying, it's great talking about these things!
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Also, all the random, unsettling recollections of Mels time and memories they might have with her :)
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I love Rory & River a lot. I find them easier to conceptualize than Amy & River, honestly.
The idea of Rory's "Roman-ness" being something River could understand is really interesting. (I'll pocket that for later!)
Mels time is really interesting, too. I was thinking that would be a good 'in', too.
Thanks for the ideas!
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Same here! I just really have a thing for them. Amy + River are more difficult and I'm not really sure how to handle them, I don't really do the "happy Pond girls time" thing-though really, I love my Ponds a bit angsty tbh =P
You're welcome, glad I could help a bit! :)
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*HUGS*
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