Basic Info
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Nicknames
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Sol, Yellow (by Missile, Susannah); Ryu / Ryunon (By Ollie), X052
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Species
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Human (Mostly)
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Age
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31
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Pronouns
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Any/all
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Height
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5'7"
Profile
Personality
Originally, Solstice did not have an identity to call their own - during this time, many of their actions were done subconsciously and with little reason backing it outside of survival. As they interacted with more and more people, however, Solstice has been able to form an identity they can call their own, subconsciously inheriting various traits from the people they found interest in along the way. That said, Solstice has retained a fair bit of their stoicism, and only expresses genuine joy towards the very few people they have decided to ride or die for.
Post OFFLINE, Solstice can be described as someone with a serious face, a love of pranks, yet extremely loyal towards those who put their trust in them. They don't startle easily, enjoy provoking reactions out of others, and can sometimes sour the mood by their blunt, direct way of navigating conversations. Their favorite kinds of people are those who have the patience to listen to them, and those who make the best faces when Solstice performs pranks on them.
Background
A few years ago, Solstice was someone else. A scientist, according to Isabelle and others, who was brought on to study Identity. One day, those tests veer towards understanding what might happen if someone were to lose their identity altogether - and for reasons Solstice is unaware of, that prior self was used in those experiments. Their identity was played with, modified, and then eventually, tossed away altogether, resulting in a person without a name or any idea who or what they were. Stranger was that no one else could tell them who they were. Those other scientists who kept them locked away had to use reminders to feed them, because for some reason, they couldn't remember them otherwise. With no one able to remember who they are, and no one able to recall any of the conversations they had with them, the Solstice back then was very lonely.
Until one day, when an accident in the lab allows them to escape. They flee into the Labyrinths, and nearly die as they try to understand the world they had been brought into. Anything that proved a threat was taken care of, and anyone who was not they would leave be, making them something of a unknown danger to those who weren't careful. Eventually, they find themself in a strange city, and decide to 'move in' with one of the residents, using the bare minimum that the person had around the house to survive. Being able to have a place to return to at night, they spend many days simply wandering the city, taking in the sights. The days seemed like they would last like this forever, but...
One day, they enter the home of a strange, green-haired stranger. Confused but curious why they were here, they offer them to try on a cosplay of a World Flipper character. They agree, and do so - but when they've done so, the stranger suddenly believes them to be a strange slime, and kicks them out of the building. This event is when Solstice is able to cotton on that, for some reason, wearing this attire lets them be seen. As they begin to be remembered as Ryunon, they eventually understand that it's because they didn't have an identity - and that because of that, pretending to be someone else wouldn't be questioned.
Eventually, this leads to Solstice realizing that they don't want to be someone else. They want to understand who they actually are. The time where they end up meeting Olive by chance solidifies it, too - they want to have friends, and connections, because of who they are.
They just never expected that this desire would bring them into a killing game.
During OFFLINE
Solstice is brought alongside 12 others to play a game - something with similar rules to a DRcade game, but with their own twists. Most prominent is Solstice's position as the Moderator - something that the builder, Stinel, chose for them to be, and warned that they would get in big trouble if others found out. Though unaware who the builder was at the time, Solstice took this information to heart, and tried to remain hidden from the other players.
However, one person was able to figure out who they were. It was something Solstice thought would never be possible, but knowing that Missile was able to point them out without trouble gave them hope that maybe, this was the place where they could find themself. They vowed to protect Missile, and later, allied with both him and Susannah to learn more about why Solstice was chosen to moderate in the first place. All the while, Solstice continued to use their ability to borrow identities in order to both keep themself safe, and to provide information to everyone without risking them forgetting what they've said.
By the end of OFFLINE, Solstice is able to form an identity, and successfully get everyone to recognize them. Though they know that many of them will struggle to point them out once everyone is free from the game, the moment of being Known gives Solstice hope, and they do everything within their power to help the others learn the truth of the game.
Abilities
Solstice has the ability to be unidentifiable - the ability to interact with others without them recognizing who or what they were with during that timeframe. Suggestions made by them are often thought to be a wayward thought steering someone in an unusual direction, and many a case where objects have been given or moved around by them are believed instead to be the work of paranormal activity. This makes Solstice excellent for performing feats of stealth - but because this ability is always present, this ability is double-edged, and had made Solstice remarkably lonely for some time.
However, when Solstice takes on the Identity of another person, they are able to pass as them without question. Solstice doesn't have to completely look like the person 1 to 1 in order to pretend to be them - for example, they were able to get away with dressing up as Olive (who is taller and has freckles) early in OFFLINE due to the short time everyone got to know each other and sharing most of the same features. Because Solstice is using cosplay to pretend to be someone, they can't pretend to be someone with a vastly different build or skin tone, and any attempts to do so will result in them being unidentifiable by others.
When Solstice does successfully pretend to be someone, any actions they perform are remembered as if the person they've pretending to be has done it. Any differences will be perceived as normal unless truly questioned: for example, Solstice's lower pitched voice and yellow eyes will be seen as 'normal for Olive' by default, but if someone were to compare a photo of Olive with a Solstice pretending to be him, they'll start to recognize the differences. When Solstice is revealed in this way, what the person does or does remember can vary based on their prior knowledge of Solstice. Alternatively, removing a key component of the cosplay (usually the wig) lifts the effect until they can successfully put the cosplay back together - during this time, memories of what had happened can be vague or completely unrememberable depending on the person's knowledge of Solstice.
Due to the unique nature of OFFLINE, where 13 people were trapped in a game over several days, Solstice was able to create an identity that everyone was able to recall by the end. However, post OFFLINE, it can take a bit of nudging to get someone to recognize them, especially if they haven't seen Solstice in some time. Some people have less trouble with this than others - with Missile and Susannah having the least trouble spotting them by sight.
Because Solstice's power messes with memory and perception, having alternative means to remember things proves helpful in recalling them. For example, Missile's consistent notetaking would lead him to being the first to recognize Solstice existing in OFFLINE, while Cordelia's and Susannah's use of phone and tablet respectively would allow them to look back on the photos and notes taken and question their truth. Post game, Solstice learns that this power has a weaker grasp on them when they're on the internet, mainly due to the anonymity the internet generally has. Therefore, those who are actively online (like Cassidy) are able to easily recognize them by their online handle, and may be able to connect that handle as Solstice if they know them outside the net.
Other Info:
- Solstice vaguely knows about World Flipper through Olive, though anything about team composition flies over their head. Originally, they disliked Ryunon for being the identity people remembered Solstice by, but they warmed up to him when it becomes a key factor in renewing them and Olive's friendship.
- Because of their powers, Missile lets Solstice use his notebook to write notes to him. In turn, Solstice helps Missile remember key details he might have forgotten.
- Solstice will default to the nicknames Missile gives others as a tell for who they are. This ends up being especially true when referring to Missile (Blue) and Susannah (Red), as they value the matching nicknames the three of them obtained during the game. (With Solstice's being Yellow).
- Solstice shares DNA with one Ivory Yumihari, and by extension both the demon Dantalion and the seraph Haiaiel. Despite the inhuman origins of the DNA they were experimented with, Solstice's body is human, and did not inherit the shell-like bodies that Seraphim are known for.
- Solstice as generally acts opposite to how Ivory is - they're blunt, serious, and unafraid to express their concerns, unlike the much more nervous Ivory.
