#oc_mish

[suchprettypieces]

*twirls hair* hey so do you have any ideas on what riko's voice sounds like?

The first thing I thought of when you asked was "nondescript" and "proportionate". Like if you saw him and then heard his voice, it wouldn't make you do a double take. HAHHAHAHA Like imagine if Riko had a really high nasal voice or a super low deep voice

So the quality of his voice isn't anything that would stand out in a crowd... but because he's so used to being a survival state, he uses his voice a lot as part of how people perceive him. He's adept at making himself sound easy and charmy, or nonchalant or jocular. Or even compressing it so he sounds boring and compliant and like he wouldn't be the sort to make trouble.

Oh and he can sound really stupid. Like you'd listen to him and think, this guy's not very quick. And he'd match it by doing something very subtle with his eyes and mouth so it supports the story. He doesn't even know he does it around new people he's trying to suss out, until Mish points it out.

But in his natural state, especially when he starts relaxing around Mish, he wields his voice less like a weapon or manipulation, and decompresses into how he'd naturally use it.

It's naturally upbeat, bright, excited. The sound of it carries naturally, so you'd hear snippets of the shit he's saying even in a noisy environment. And he'd use pretty much his entire vocal range, not just the one most people use in polite company. Like, he'd screech one sentence, growl the next, just because the conversation allowed it.

He's a great storyteller. (Which is why Mish's future kids love him.) He's quite adept at using his voice to draw people in, even if it's not apparent they're listening to him tell a story.

When he's not being vigilant, he talks a lot. I think one of the reasons why he attached himself to Mish was because she made him feel safe, and he could just talk at her non-stop, until she needed to concentrate on something. She'd tell him to shut up for a minute, because she needed to figure out some spreadsheet calculation, and he'd just say "k" without any rancor. Then after a couple of minutes, she'd say, "continue" and he'd just pick up where he left off HAHAHHA

I mentioned he has perfect pitch. But every time he sings or hums, it's off key. It's so habituated he can't help it anymore.

With Mish he allows himself to slow down. If his voice were a ball, he'd bounce it less, let it roll more.

A lot of the time he uses his voice, it originates from his head/throat. But when he's with Mish, even if it's just lying on the floor in his room tossing a snack bar in the air while she does some coding thing on her pad, his voice moves to his chest. Becomes warmer, more mellow, more grounded.

Hahahah. I don't know if I answered your question. It's more like vibes rather than the actual quality of his voice

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[suchprettypieces]

What are Riko and Mish to each other?

Earlier in their dynamic, Riko might say "she's my squirrel", and Mish might say "he's the village idiot". Then later as rumours start swirling around them being romantically or sexually involved (Facility gossip spreads like widlfire), Mish would express mild annoyance and say "there's NOTHING going on". But Riko... Riko would start having fun with it. He'd lie differently every single time he's asked. He'd say "she's my cousin," or "we shared a cell in a Trakuan prison", or "I call her Mistress".

Or he'd start a really long, convoluted story that starts out entirely plausible, about how they grew up in the same neighbourhood, then lost touch when he joined the circus and she finished her studies, and then they serendipitously bumped into each other when they were both applying for the same job as the coveted WiggleBuddy cartoon mascot, and THEN they got arrested together for trying to sell banned NeuroPop gummies-- But after Surface Tension, they agree to pretend to be romantically involved. People generally nod with vindication, and tell each other "I KNEW they were hooking up".

Mish is relieved that people leave her alone after she says they're dating.

But Riko commits FULLY and starts regaling people with stories of their supposed sexual encounters, with entirely fabricated techniques that sound like they were invented by an over-imaginative middle schooler.

He swears they're real and that the gymnast at the circus taught him the Upside Down Boink with Underhand Grip and Flip, and then he tries to demonstrate with the salt and pepper shakers.... and this is usually when people tell him their shift is starting and they need to go.

Yeah.

But the real answer is that it's entirely platonic. Also, they would die for each other. So kinda like a QPR?

If Riko survives long enough to grow old, I can see him becoming the cherished uncle to Mish's kids, and occasionally being mistaken as her husband or their dad.

And the kids love asking him how he knows their mom, because he'll tell them some ridiculous story every single time.

Kid A: Tell us again how you met mama! Riko: So! We were herding six-legged sheep on the plains of the Jombian wilderness, and-- Kid B: NO! You've told that one already! Riko: What? Really? Oh right, so between the ages of 15-25, your mom was a pirate, and one day she captured a ship, and you know who was the poor kitchen slave in the galley? Me!

(Omg read the comments for more cool-uncle Riko lore.)

Some lore for the taglist! @stars-hide-our-fires // @hueningplushie //@deerslayer14 // @elvenarcane // @thelazywitchphotographer // @ziploc849 // @whumpacabra // @withdrawingramen // @starlit-hopes-and-dreams // @deadbvcky

[suchprettypieces]

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Override

Uh oh. I swear I wasn't planning to write this. (Pointing at @deerslayer14.) It's their fault. (Inspired by this prompt/reblog)

AU one shot. Don't come after me, guys, it's not real, it's not.

CW: Some naughty words, character death(?) Nothing graphic.

Riko taps on the tech pad, and the blare of alarms cuts out abruptly. But the screaming red text on the top of the screen remains, as it will be on every monitor and pad on base: EVACUATE.

Doren is sweating, as he always does when he's nervous. "There's 30 people on this side of the base, if we don't manage to--"

Riko is already strapping on his tool belt. "We will. I'll override the junction box, it'll give you time to pull the switch on this side and then--"

"I'm coming with you," Mish says.

Riko is already shaking his head. "No, you're not."

And then to the stubborn look on her face, "You'd just slow me down. I'll literally be in and out."

"Riko," Doren's voice is soft. "That's a one way trip."

The lights go out. Come back on in a red wash. Time is running out.

"No it's not," Riko says, tapping out instructions on the techpad. "Not for me."

"We'll find another way, it doesn't have to be you," Mish says.

"Actually, it kinda does," Doren says. "He's the only one who knows that junction box well enough to override it. He patched it last week."

"Ah, the burden of being talented and dispensable," Riko says, a quirk pulling at his smile.

"Stop it, it's not funny," Mish grits out.

Riko's hands pause from shoving tools into his vest.

"I promise I'm coming back," he tells her. "Look, you know how fast I am. And this will make me even faster."

He shows her the stim injector. The one with the red label. The good stuff.

"I'll come back," he says earnestly. Holding her shoulders.

She searches his face.

"You're lying," she says. "You fucking bastard, I can tell, you--"

Riko sighs. "Doren, you need to hold on tight. She's little, but she's strong."

Mish's eyes go wide. Her head whips round to look at Doren. "Don't you dare," she says.

Riko shoves her, hard, right into Doren.

They both go down, completely unprepared. But to Doren's credit, he wraps his arms around her, tight, like Riko told him to.

For someone so small, her voice comes out guttural, almost demonic. "You fuck-- you asshole--"

It's unclear who she's cursing out. Probably the both of them.

Riko slaps the stim into his leg, and his vision whites out for a moment, and then clears, impossibly sharp. His hearing is heightened as well, and it sounds like Doren is trying to hold on to an angry cat.

He doesn't have to look. He knows exactly what her face looks like.

He runs.

Behind him, a yell.

"FUCK! She bit me!"

+++++++++++++++++++

The stim gives him exactly what he needs. When he opens the door to the junction array, he feels like he could have torn it off its hinges. His hands are moving so fast they are almost on par with every solution his brain is formulating.

It's exhilarating.

He doesn't pause to wonder at it. His time is ticking down on more than one front. The gas is working on him, seeping in through his skin, even if he doesn't feel it now. And effect of the stim isn't going to last forever.

He finishes the task just in time. His vision starts tunneling just as he slams the junction box shut, and he has just enough coordination to bring his hand to his ear and tap on his comms.

"Done, it's done, I'm done, I did the-- the--"

His face is on the floor. What?

Doren's voice over the comms, cracking with tension. "Oh my God, I see it! I see the override-- I'm triggering the vents--"

A roar rips through the base, and Riko is buffetted by air turned violent.

Mish, panting through the bud in his ear. "I'm coming to you. Hang on. Hang on, you fucker--"

Doren's voice layers over hers. "I don't know how-- shit-- Riko, you just saved 30 people--"

Riko doesn't care about the 30 people. Just the one.

Mish. Mish. His Mishy Mish. Mish, with her barely contained rage and her little squirrel hands--

Her voice is scratching the inside of his ear. "Riko can you hear me? Don't die. Don't die. You promised--"

Riko winces. She's going to be so mad. She's going to kill him.

She gets so angry when he lies to her.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

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Note: .... I swear, this is just an AU (of the Signal War blorbos). Please spare me. I have so much to live for.

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 (this is not really canon, but I thought you might want to see something that reveals a bit about Riko and HIS favourite blorbarina, Mish)