Solana Díaz
She/her
In the 2200s, Solana's parents died. She grew up in the foster care system with her younger siblings, Finnigan and Emi-Lee. Emi-Lee was adopted early, but Finnigan and Solana eventually aged out of the foster care system. She refused to comply with anyone trying to separate her from him, knowing he needed support that most people weren't patient enough to give him. The two of them managed to keep up with rent in a poor apartment in New York City.
On occasion, Finnigan's hallucinations due to schizophrenia would result in him behaving in a way that concerned other people. They would call the police on him, which confused him and made him feel worse and alone, so he sometimes lashed out and the police would aggressively detain him. After several times of this, the police eventually killed Finnigan.
In anger, Solana searched everywhere she could for revenge against the officer that killed her brother. When she heard back from a game show she applied to for help on rent, she changed her intentions with the winnings. In the events of "When Truth Cowers," Solana was cast on the game show Truth or Dare. She wasn't interested in getting along with anyone—just getting what she wants. She was done with attempting to placate the world so it would leave her and Finnigan alone. Although the round of Truth or Dare began as dramatically as usual, the players soon found themselves being killed one by one. As it was technically legal and the producers found a live murder mystery compelling, the players were forced to stay in the game until the end.
This section includes major spoilers about "When Truth Cowers." Please read the book first, unless you want the ending spoiled.
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Appearance
Solana was born a human. She was a white woman with sea green eyes. Her recent ancestry was primarily Amalrican and Spanish. At the beginning of "When Truth Cowers," she was plus-size and 5'6". She had long, wavy hair dyed hot pink and light purple.
Personality, Behavior, Et Cetera
After being dealt a lonely hand as a kid, Solana had little to no patience for the world. By "When Truth Cowers," she lost any reason to placate the world with pleasantries. Where had that gotten her? It certainly didn't help Finnigan, even though she did everything for him.
She resonated with stories where people were mistreated, especially by the police and healthcare system.
She was straight. Even though she wanted to find love, every guy she met disappointed her with how little empathy he had.
Relationships
Before "When Truth Cowers," Solana's life revolved around Finnigan. The two lived together, fought for disability accommodations/benefits and rent money together, and grew up together. They got to reconnect with their younger sister when they were older, so they called Emi-Lee every so often. Since she lived in another Territory, they didn't see her in person often. Losing Finnigan pushed Solana over the edge of depression.
Trivia
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Solana was originally going to be a bully-like character the same age as Cai. Solana's brother, Finnigan, was also going to be in the game (he originally had Lian's personality)
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Solana's name originally was Dira
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I wrote Ever to be the only character sympathetic to Solana before I realized how nuanced that would be (since xe was a retired police officer and Solana's anger was primarily driven by the police)
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Finnigan's treatment by the police was inspired by how the police treat my cousin with schizophrenia. Writing Solana was to express the rage at how cops keep mistreating my family and there's nothing I can do about it
