Speech Patterns

Speech Patterns

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Cora

Tone: Generally warm and friendly, but becomes hesitant or anxious when stressed or overwhelmed.

Pace: Varies depending on her emotional state. She speaks quickly when excited or nervous, but slower when tired or trying to find the right words.

Word choice: Uses simple, straightforward language most of the time. Occasionally uses technical terms related to her work or powers, but tends to explain them if she thinks others might not understand.

Verbal tics: When overwhelmed or tired, she struggles to find words, leading to pauses or incomplete sentences. She also uses filler words like "um" or "uh" more frequently in these situations.

Color-coding: Sometimes accidentally uses her personal color-coding system (red, yellow, green, blue) when describing tasks or situations, which can confuse others.

Pop culture references: Makes references to her favorite video games, anime, or Tolkien works, especially when relaxed or with friends.

Directness: Generally direct in her communication, but becomes more indirect or evasive when discussing topics related to her powers or secret identity.

Submissive tendencies: Her speech becomes more deferential or seeking approval when interacting with authority figures or Marek, especially when stressed.

Emotional expressiveness: Her voice reflects her emotions clearly, with excitement, worry, or fatigue easily detectable in her tone.

Stimming: When overwhelmed, she speaks more softly or briefly as she focuses on her fidget ring or scented plushie.

Geek speak: Comfortable using technical jargon related to her interests (like Minecraft or Lord of the Rings), but sometimes stumbles when trying to explain these topics to those unfamiliar with them.

Apologetic tendencies: Frequently apologizes and second-guesses herself, especially in professional settings or when feeling unsure.

Volume control: May occasionally speak too loudly or too softly, especially when excited or overwhelmed, due to difficulty with social cues.

Humor: Uses playful banter with close friends like Jai, but her attempts at humor might sometimes miss the mark with others due to her difficulty with subtle social cues.

Nicknames: Cora calls Marek "Mare", a shortened version of his name. She calls Jai "JJ" most of the time, but will call him "Jaimothy Alexander" when she's frustrated or exasperated with him.

Diesel

Often speaks in a low, gravelly voice that can be both menacing and oddly soothing.

His tone is typically calm and measured, even in tense situations, which adds to his intimidating presence.

Verbally, he's economical, preferring short, impactful statements to long speeches.

He's prone to using metaphors and analogies, often with a dark or violent bent. For example, he might describe a dangerous situation as "like taking a dirt nap" or refer to killing someone as "ghosting" them.

Frequently employs understatement and deadpan delivery, which contrasts sharply with the often extreme situations he finds himself in. This creates a unique form of dark humor. For instance, when faced with overwhelming odds, he might simply state, "Looks like it's gonna be a long day."

Also uses sensory language, particularly related to smell. Due to his enhanced senses, he often describes situations or people in terms of their scent, which can be unsettling to those around him.

His dialogue often includes philosophical musings about life, death, and the nature of humanity. He might suddenly wax poetic about the beauty of a distant planet or the futility of human endeavors in the face of a vast, uncaring universe.

Marek

Tone: Generally calm and measured, with a slight edge of authority. His voice deepens and becomes more commanding when he's in his "Ricochet" persona or dealing with criminal matters.

Pace: Tends to speak at a deliberate, unhurried pace.

Accent: Given his Czech heritage but American upbringing, he has a very slight accent and uses occasional Czech expressions, especially when emotional or around family.

Vocabulary: Uses a mix of professional jargon related to his food truck business and more coded language when discussing criminal activities. He also incorporates cooking metaphors into his speech.

Directness: Marek is direct in his communication, which aligns with his role as a leader in his family's business.

Humor: Marek has a dry, somewhat dark sense of humor. He uses understated sarcasm or gallows humor, especially in tense situations.

Thoughtfulness: He takes a moment to consider his words before speaking, especially when dealing with important matters.

Code-switching: Marek switches between a more casual way of speaking when with friends or family, and a more formal, intimidating manner when in his "Ricochet" role.

Protectiveness: His speech becomes softer or more gentle when talking to Cora or about children, reflecting his protective nature.

Authority: When giving orders or in leadership situations, his speech likely becomes more clipped and authoritative.

Gentle flirt: When speaking with women, he'll often use friendly, mildly flirting language. This is more pronounced when he's fighting a female sanctioned hero, as he's found it tends to take them off guard.

Nicknames: Marek calls Cora "Sugar" most of the time, but he uses "Blossom" when she's tired or vulnerable, when he wants to take care of her and dote on her. He doesn't use these nicknames for anyone else. Marek calls Jai "Paparazzi" when he gets too fixated on Ricochet's fan page, but doesn't use a nickname for him otherwise.

Jai

Jai frequently uses tech-related metaphors, e.g., "Let's reboot this conversation" or "She firewalled me out completely." He often abbreviates words in a tech-style, like "config" for configuration or "auth" for authentication.

Beyond occasional Lao phrases, Jai's sentence structure sometimes reflects Lao grammar, especially when tired or emotional.

Jai's speech has a rhythmic quality, almost like he's freestyle rapping when he gets excited about a topic. He tends to trail off mid-sentence when deep in thought, as if his mind is moving faster than his mouth, and he tends to emphasize key words by slightly raising his pitch, almost like verbally underlining them.

Jai's humor is often delivered in a deadpan manner, with a tendency towards puns and wordplay. He has a habit of making pop culture references, especially from sci-fi and tech-related media.

Jai adjusts his speech style depending on his audience, smoothly transitioning between "tech bro," "professional," and "casual friend" modes.

When thinking, Jai tends to use tech-related filler words like "processing" or "buffering." He often uses "Okay, so..." to start explanations, especially when breaking down complex ideas.

Jai calls Marek "boss" or "chef" most of the time alternating them depending on who's around, but he almost exclusively calls Cora "Cor" or "Cors". He has a habit of giving everyone in his life user-related nicknames, like "Admin" for authority figures or "Noob" for newcomers.

While not strictly a speech pattern, Jai often accompanies his speech with tech-related gestures, like miming typing or swiping on a touchscreen.

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Marek "Ricochet" Zima

He's American with Czech heritage. He goes by Mark outside of his family and close friends, and "Ricochet" when "on the job". He's nearly 30 years old, runs a food truck that launders money for his family, and is a non-sanctioned semi-vigilante with rubber powers.

Marek is part of a unique crime family - they act as the "clean up" of San Padua's underworld. If a criminal or vigilante needs to hide a body or clean up a crime scene, they call the Zimas. Because of this, his family is seen as neutral, boarding on welcomed, almost anywhere in the city. Marek's parents were murdered the summer before his freshman year of high school, targeted by another "family" trying to take over the role of city cleaners. The issue is mostly resolved, as far as the rest of the criminal underworld is concerned, but Marek hasn't forgotten. He was taken in by his uncle, who is now the head of the family, and raised alongside his cousins. The family is surprisingly well adjusted and rather affectionate with both Marek and each other.

Marek has powers of rubber, meaning he can stretch himself and his limbs (which is well known) and that he's immune to the effects of electricity, (which is a closely guarded secret only known to his family). He has a lifetime of fighting experience. He and his family are ruthless and viscous when opposed, but they also follow a strict moral code. They do their best to avoid injuring civilians and go out of their way to protect children.

Marek's had multiple bed partners and enjoys taking a dominant role in the local BDSM scene, but never engages any potential partners without explicit permission and interest shown. Between running his food truck in his "off time" and looking after Cora, though, he hasn't had as much time to relax this way lately. Instead, he's started experimenting with new recipes and cooking techniques. It's not as effective, but it helps him keep his head on straight and gives him another thing besides his food truck that he can talk about to Cora without revealing his criminal identity.

His favorite way to unwind is spending time with Cora, one of his very best friends. They became friends in the first year of high school, when Marek's grief over his parents was still fresh and he was barely able to go through the motions of adjusting to the new school he had to attend since moving in with his uncle. Cora's family had just moved to the area, and she recognized that he was a fellow new student, taking it upon herself to help him keep track of homework and assignments, while helping to deflect any bullying. Her unconditional support, her seamless addition to the friendship he already had with Jai, and her complete lack of ties to anything in San Padua's underworld were a lifeline in those days and earned Marek's intense loyalty.

Marek and Cora share a unique dynamic - their friendship isn't romantic or sexual, but platonic in an intense, intimate way that confuses anyone who doesn't know them well. It also includes dominant/submissive aspects that sometimes lean toward codependency. Cora can get overwhelmed when particularly stressed or tired, and while Marek hates seeing her distressed, he relishes that she turns to him to protect and guide her when she's vulnerable like this. He's hyper-aware of of the power she hands to him and of her instinctive obedience to the lower, rougher registers of his voice, too. He's incredibly careful to never abuse his position, only ever making decisions and giving instructions to her that will keep her healthy and happy.

He's never revealed his powers or his criminal ties to her, partly out of fear of never seeing her again, but also out of a desire to keep a small piece of something normal in the chaotic and dangerous world he lives in. He's very close to Cora's parents and two little brothers, as well, though they aren't aware of Marek's other life, either.

Marek's other best friend is Jai Leo, the first-generation son of Lao immigrants, and he's the closest thing Marek has to a brother. Jai's father was the best friend and right-hand man of Marek's father, roles the two sons have also taken on. Jai has become Marek's trusted sounding board over the years, always willing to listen to Marek's thoughts and ideas and give his opinion bluntly, and loudly, if needed. Jai started a fan page for Ricochet as a joke, but it's developed such a large and passionate fan base, that he manages the group full time now and has found ways to start monetizing it. Marek is vaguely uncomfortable with this, but tolerates it and Jai's teasing about the whole situation with good humor.

Marek lives in a nice apartment deep in his family's territory with Jai as a roommate. The apartment in general is decorated in a combination of rich brown woods with dark metals to compliment. Marek's room continues to use rich, dark woods, but also includes deep blues and a medium to lighter grey color. He has bookshelves covering any available wall space, filled with a combination of cookbooks, family albums, and the detailed journals he keeps.

Marek enjoys cooking, especially for the people he's close to. His mother was also a skilled cook, and her recipe books are his most treasures items. Food is a form of affection for him. He'll go out of his way to learn the favorite recipes of those he cares about and will refuse to cook for people who have genuinely upset him.

Only a Jai and Marek's closest cousins know this, but Marek wants to get revenge on his parents' murders by becoming the next bank for the city's criminal underworld. He already owns a food truck, which he uses to launder the money his family receives as payment, but he dreams of becoming a powerful enough force to be able to punish the criminals who killed his parents and have no one oppose him.

Marek is terrified of deep water. He can handle standing in water as high as his hips, but he doesn't know how to swim, and won't go any deeper. The memory isn't clear, but he nearly drowned as a toddler in a pool accident.

Marek has strong, violent feelings about anyone who takes advantage of others sexually, especially if they're stronger or more powerful than their victims. He's gotten into fights with his family in the past because he refuses to let such actions go unpunished once he finds out about them, no matter who they are.

Marek's uncle and cousins know about his deep friendship with Cora and have welcomed her into their family as well. As far as San Padua's criminal underworld is concerned, Cora and her family are part of the Zima family's territory and are under their protection. This leads to complications sometimes, because of her clerical job at the Sanctioned Supers Division, but it's a topic everyone has long adapted to.

no, i dont lose hyperfixations. theyre just moved to a different, slightly less used, shelf in my brain.

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Never actually referring back to them 🤭

Mia's Arrival

The bus lurched to a stop, its brakes hissing as it settled into the station. 

Mia Brooks blinked awake, her hand instinctively tightening on the worn backpack in her lap. Gathering her bearings, she massaged a knot in her neck, wincing. Bus sleep was never great, but it beat the alternatives. At least here, she could watch the other passengers.

As people began to stir, Mia remained still, her eyes scanning the unfamiliar cityscape outside. San Padua, Texas - her latest refuge. How many cities had it been now? She'd lost count after the first dozen.

"Just like Tucson," she thought, noting the shimmering heat rising from the pavement. "Or was it Albuquerque?" The cities blurred together after a while.

She waited for the initial rush to pass, her mind already mapping out her next moves: find a place to crash, then walk the Old Quarter. Cash work, no questions asked — the usual drill.

As the aisle cleared, Mia stood, her movements smooth but guarded. The backpack's familiar weight settled on her shoulders - everything she owned and needed to disappear again at a moment's notice.

The wave of humid air that hit her as she stepped off the bus carried the mingled scents of exhaust, street food, and something uniquely Texan. Mia's gaze swept the station, cataloging details most would overlook - the bored security guard by the restrooms, the flickering light above the east exit, and the CCTV camera's blind spot near the lockers.

She made her way to a quiet corner, fishing out a crumpled map. Her finger traced the route to the Old Quarter while she silently mouthed street names, committing them to memory. Nine years on the run had taught her the value of knowing escape routes.

Approaching the station exit, Mia caught her reflection in a window. Dark circles under her eyes, hair in a messy ponytail, clothes rumpled from the journey—she looked tired, worn. For a moment, the weight of her solitary existence threatened to overwhelm her.

"Not now," Mia muttered, squaring her shoulders. She'd survived this long. What was one more city? One more fresh start?

Taking a deep breath, she stepped onto the bustling street. Another face in the crowd, another story untold. As she melded into the flow of pedestrians, a hint of a smile tugged at her lips. Anonymity had become her armor, invisibility her superpower. 

San Padua didn't know it yet, but Mia Brooks had arrived. And she intended to stay ahead of her past for as long as it took.