Not sure if you're familiar with the enneagram personality type system, but I was wondering what Riko and Mish's types are?
I kinda picture Riko as a 3, since he seems very performative but I could also see him as a 7. It's hard to know since we don't get very many Riko POVs that are just him being normal and not in great distress. What is going on in that head of his (if anything)?
As for Mish I frankly have no idea lol.
Familiar?? Darling. Baby. My love. You have no idea how FIXATED I am with the enneagram. Also MBTI and to a lesser (but no less enthusiastic) degree, Gallup's Strengthfinder.
omg omg omg I get to talk about this
OK, first the gobbledygook. The rest of what has turned out to be an essay will be less technical sounding, I promise:
Riko is: ESTP 7w6 so/sp.
For Mish, she is asserting herself more and more as an IxTJ 8w9 so/sp.
(It hasn't yet become clear to me whether she is N or S yet... a lot of stuff happens in later arcs that would make that aspect clearer.)
OK, brace yourself. Because I am grabbing your vest and we are going on a DEEP DIVE BAYBEEEE.
So yes! Riko does present as a an Achiever (3) because of his (somewhat grotty) charm and chameleon-like behaviour. He is extremely adept at looking at situations and figuring out what they need from him and how to fold himself into the shape people want. His actions can look look very very very close to that of a 3.
BUT! The reason why he is an Enthusiast type (7) and not an Achiever/Performer type (3) is because of his CORE motivation:
A 3 is trying to prove their worth.
Riko on the other hand, is trying to stay free - of pain, of helplessness, of being trapped.
A 3's strategy is centred around effectiveness, reputation, or achievement. Riko doesn't do that. If anything, he actively resists being put on any sort of pedestal (he resisted Vetch calling him Ghosthands in the Selah arc).
In Surface Tension, Riko shows he really doesn't care about his reputation. He'll happily tell people he has an STD if it will achieve his goal of them leaving him be.
He lets people underestimate him, constantly undermines himself, and acts a lot stupider than he really is. If the spotlight ever lands on him, he worms his way out from under it. (Duck & Weave)
Not because he doesn't enjoy the attention; he actually is quite the slut for it. He's great at creating it AND holding it, when it serves him.
But he resists having people turn the spotlight on him because has learnt early in life that when people are watching you, your options dwindle. When you are in the light, you can't escape.
Vetch's attack on Riko in the Selah arc was particularly damaging because it targeted ALL the pain points of an Enthusiast (7). Riko became the centre of Vetch's obsession, and he couldn't escape. And then Vetch removed his ability to escape or speak, and trapped him in that maintenance corridor with him. No exits. No talking himself out of it. Pretty much a game over scenario for him.
Aaaaagh.
This constant need to keep moving is also why he very almost leaves in Plant, even though it's probably the best place he's landed in.
It's safe (so far), he's valued by his team, and he's built a deep relationship with Mish. You'd think they are reasons to stay, but for Riko they are reasons to LEAVE. Because they are temptation to stay still. And staying still is dangerous.
The plant is not just a cute gift from a good friend. It represents taking root, and having to STAY and take care of something. Mish and the plant and everything else GOOD are the things that terrify him, because they are all pulling at him to stay put rather than move on, which is his SOP. THAT'S why he's so scared and anxious in Plant.
And talking about fear, it's not his love for Mish that makes him stay. He's used to leaving good things behind.
It's his FEAR of seeing how she'll react to the news of him leaving. The moment she walks in that door and sees him packing, he's pretty much done for. He's been rewired so completely he cannot survive watching her be upset with him because of something he's done.
In that scene, he's stuck between the fear of being trapped by his affection for Mish and his fear of making her sad pissing her off.
Stupid boy.
Sorry, back to the enneagram.
So the reason he is 7w6 instead of 7w8 is because of how he behaves under pressure.
If he was 7w8, he would be more confrontational, a lot bolder, and less concerned with belonging.
But because he's 7w6, he tilts more toward wanting to help and to contribute. Like in Grit.
So even though outwardly his rebellion and stubbornness looks very w8, as a w6 he aims that behaviour to being in service to a group, a person or a system. That's him idiotically disobeying direct orders to evacuate the gassed tunnel and trying to his superior officer to safety in Grit. (Also, he really did delusionally think he could make it out.)
It is also very clear in how he acts with authority. A 7w8 would act in open defiance. A 7w6 reroutes. He finds loopholes, charms, redirects. In Grit, he pretended the blast had damaged his hearing and he couldn't hear his superior's orders to leave her. (That little shit.)
Oh yeah, and the fear he displays with disappointing Mish? Also very 7w6. A 7w8 is a lot more comfortable with conflict and would actually rise to meet it.
Should I write more about instincts (so/sp stuff) and his MBTI? I feel like this has become a lot longer than anyone expected... I seriously get over-excited when it comes to character design with personality frameworks. I've had to learn to gently pump the brakes when I get like this hahhahahah
Aaaaaand I haven't even written about Mish. This... is concerning.
But seriously, is this too technical and obscure? I can write a version that is less so! It does kinda count as Riko/Mish lore, I think. So I'd love for those unfamiliar with the enneagram to know what I'm on about!
For the people who haven't read the fics mentioned:
Surface Tension - Riko doesn't want to hook up. Says he has an STD.
Grit - Riko disobeys orders like the little shit he is
Plant - taking root. Very scary (for Riko).
Selah arc - he can't run, he can't hide, he can't talk his way out of this.
Duck & Weave (a Selah chapter) - Riko avoids the spotlight like his life depends on it. (Because it does).
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Taglist (comment or DM to be added or removed): @stars-hide-our-fires // @hueningplushie //@deerslayer14 // @elvenarcane // @thelazywitchphotographer // @ziploc849 // @whumpacabra // @withdrawingramen // @starlit-hopes-and-dreams // @deadbvcky // @pumpkin-spice-whump /// @hot-rangers-in-chains (after some lovely comments I decided to tag the usual taglist, originally I was going to write a simplified version without the enneagram references, but it turns out it stands as it is!)
Astrology is weird cuz like no im not really invested in it and it doesnt change my opinion about people but like I need myself a scorpio pr libra gf neow
And typology is strange because I don’t know much about it at all but I need myself an estp or intj gf STAT
The second child and youngest daughter of the Arlert family, Ulrike ["Oolee"] is the only extrovert in her immediate family [ESTP].
Being an Extroverted Sensor, she has a lot of energy and needs a high degree of external stimulation to be satisfied. This can cause problems for the rest of the family, who don’t always have the energy and stamina to keep up with her -- leading to either exhausted and overwhelmed parents and siblings, or an under-engaged and frustrated Oolee with no tangible outlet.
Highly pragmatic and logically-oriented, she has very little patience for people she thinks are stupid – and isn’t afraid to say it aloud. She learns best by “doing” and experiencing things firsthand, preferring to act first and deal with the consequences later. Out of all her family members, she is the closest to her mom Annie [ISTP], who understands her way of thinking and interacting with the world the most.
Though often blunt and insensitive at times, she does care deeply for others and isn’t afraid to admit when she is wrong. Developing emotional awareness and sensitivity is challenging for her, but having Armin for a dad [INFJ] has helped her learn to balance truth and authenticity with tact at a much earlier age than others.
While Oolee has inherited some of Annie’s features [like her complexion, nose shape, and eye colour], she more strongly takes after the Arlert side of the family – particularly her paternal grandmother [Armin’s mom].
The two not only share the same eyebrows, hairstyle, smile, and face shape, but they also share the same creative, innovative, and rebellious spirit.
Ok so I've been thinking way too much about why Victor Nikiforov is an ESTP and not an ENFJ, and I finally can put this into words. I know the ENFJ reading is super popular, and honestly I get it. On the surface, the whole "charismatic mentor who drops everything to guide someone else" thing feels very Fe dom. But the more I picked apart his actual behavior, especially in the early episodes when he's in his weird crisis era, the more the ENFJ model just didn't hold up for me. Here's my attempt to explain why.
The first big thing is what his whole crisis was even about. If Victor were an ENFJ, losing his inspiration would be about losing a sense of emotional connection with his audience, like he couldn't reach people anymore and his life's purpose of helping or moving others was crumbling. But that's not what I see. What I see is someone whose primary way of interacting with the world, which is through his body and through the immediate feedback he gets from his actions, just stopped working. His body couldn't deliver the stimulation and the response loop anymore. He was terrified because he could no longer physically impact the world and get that thrilling, real time reaction back. That's a Se dom hitting a wall, not an Fe dom having a mission failure. The panic is sensory and strategic, not emotional.
And this connects directly to the moment that I think is the most damning evidence against ENFJ: the "if you lose I'll quit as your coach" scene. I know a lot of people might read that as him being desperate for emotional reassurance, but his internal monologue tells on him. He thinks "a skater's heart is so fragile. Then let it shatter completely." That is not a panicked Fe user trying to emotionally plead with someone. That is a cold, tactical calculation. His Se was starving for any kind of feedback because Yuuri had completely shut him out. All his normal tricks failed. So his Ti kicked in and found the shortest path to restart the interaction: input an extreme negative stimulus. He needed Yuuri to react, even if that reaction was breaking down, because a reaction meant he could finally do something again(comfort him). It's a forced system reboot, not a desperate grasp for love.
Another thing that makes me lean heavily toward ESTP is what he actually needs from Yuuri, and it's not to be understood. An ENFJ's dominant Fe would want deep mutual emotional connection. They would want to be seen and known for who they really are. Victor doesn't operate like that at all. He doesn't long for Yuuri to understand his inner loneliness. He longs for Yuuri to desperately need him. His self worth is tied up in being useful, in being someone who can physically and practically guide and impact another person. That's tertiary Fe in an ESTP. It's a tool for influence and for feeling validated through action. It's not the air he breathes. He asked "what do you want me to be to you" not because he wanted to bond, but because his usual playbook failed and he needed a new set of instructions.
Which brings me to his whole vibe in the early episodes. The lack of boundaries, the constant touching, the teasing, the grand gestures. I used to read this as weirdly romantic, but honestly now I just see it as a high Se dom playing a new game. Yuuri was this novel, fascinating puzzle, and Victor was exploring him the way he'd explore any thrilling new stimulus. But then he hit a wall, because Yuuri keeps his true feelings very guarded, and that's not something Victor's Se Ti system knows how to unlock. His eventual "what do you want me to be" wasn't this beautiful moment of emotional understanding. It was a tactical surrender. He was saying, look, my usual methods are useless, just hand me the manual and I'll execute whatever you want. That's clumsy, last resort tertiary Fe, not the instinctive grace of a dominant Fe user.
What really sealed it for me was thinking about Chris. Now I should note that this part is entirely based on my personal headcanon of Chris as an ESFP, and honestly I just really enjoy imagining the dynamic between the two of them. So take this with however much salt you need. But the way I see it, Chris, with his quite healthy Fi, represents this perfectly balanced dynamic. He probably understands Victor well, respects his space, and the relationship is easy and mutual. That should be an ENFJ's ideal. But Victor got bored. Or more accurately, he got unsettled by being so transparently seen. He fled to Yuuri, who was a chaotic, idolizing, emotionally tangled mess, because Yuuri made him feel desperately needed. That messy dependency fed his Se Ti need to act and solve, and his tertiary Fe need to feel useful. He chose the fire pit over the safe display case. That is just such an ESTP decision to me.
I also want to mention how Victor uses his charm. He's a master performer, but his genuine emotional life is locked away even from himself. He is naturally kind of cold and unreflective. His warmth is a high wattage lamp he can switch on and off, and he often forgets it's even on. That's Fe as a tool, not as a core self. An ENFJ radiates warmth from within. Victor projects it strategically. And I think that's why so many people tend to read him as secretly emotionally deep when really he's just very good at the performance of it.
I know this analysis isn't the final word on anything. The story's themes needed him to be a guiding figure on a mission of meaning, which is very ENFJ coded. But I think what we see in his behavior, instinct, and every moment of crisis, is a deeply sensory and logical ESTP whose whole arc is about fumbling around with a clumsy tertiary Fe to build a bond he never anticipated. The ENFJ is the mask the narrative gave him. The ESTP is the guy wearing it. Anyway thanks for coming to my ted talk.
Saw a lot of people like my older enfp x intj doodle... So here some more from my vault...
I really liked them and had a concept idea for the mbti but I was scared I won't do a good job of representing the mbti sonas 💀💀 so this is all I got..
All I want is just ship a myers-briggs oc that also ooc 😔😔
