Line #21 Characters/SolarWind


1	!Main Characters
2
3	[[folder:Tav]]
4	!!Tawran [[spoiler: Mara-Wilar]] Pawkadyer [[spoiler: Samson]]
5	->''"I might as well put my best foot forward."''
6
7	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tav_neutral.png]]
8
9	A well-meaning adolescent alien sent to Earth to research the essential pieces of the human condition.
10	----
11	* AbusiveParents: [[spoiler: By Chapter 3, it's clear that Tav's relationship with their parent, Berria, is incredibly toxic.]]
12	* AliensSpeakingEnglish: Justified, since Tav's exoskeleton comes with a translator device.
13	* AllLowercaseLetters: [[spoiler: When they're high.]]
14	* BerserkButton: [[spoiler: Tav eventually cracks once Berria suggests that they're going to mess with their friends.]]
15	* CaptainObvious: They have their moments.
16	--> '''Zeb:''' If you could fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool with any substance, what would it be?
17	--> '''Tav:''' [[ComicallyMissingThePoint Water]].
18	* ConstantlyCurious: Tav is almost always asking questions.
19	* DeceasedParentsAreTheBest: [[spoiler:Chapters 5 and 6 reveal that Tav's real parents were killed during a coup d'état on their home planet.]]
20	* EyeScream: Downplayed slightly, but Tav's solution to cutting off contact with Berria is to [[spoiler:punch themself in the eye.]] Later on, they do this again by [[spoiler:ramming their face into Benji's sink.]]
21	* FishOutOfWater: As an alien, Tav doesn't really understand a lot of human customs, especially in the first few chapters.
22	* HiddenDepths: Though it's hinted at from the beginning, the full extent of [[spoiler: Tav's difficult relationship with their family]] isn't revealed until later on.
23	* HumanAliens: Tav's exoskeleton makes them look pretty much human.
24	* IntoxicationEnsues: Tav is exposed to weed at a party held by one of their friends. [[spoiler: It... works.]]
25	* ItSucksToBeTheChosenOne: Tav laments upon this during one of their dream sequences.
26	--> '''Tav:''' ...No one would ever really love someone like me.
27	--> '''Tav:''' They would just use me.
28	* NoSocialSkills: Though they try their hardest, Tav often misinterprets social situations.
29	--> '''Tav:''' ...Are you God?
30	* TookALevelInBadass: In Chapter 6, when [[spoiler:Tav tells Berria about the talent show. It's clear that they're not "taking any shit" from Berria anymore.]] Doubles as a SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome.
31	* TookALevelInJerkass: When we meet Tav again in Act 2, they're a lot more harsh. In fact, their opening line is...
32	--> '''Tav:''' Eat shit, Godrel.
33	* RageBreakingPoint: In Chapter 3, once [[spoiler:Berria implies that they might screw with Tav's friends.]]
34	** They're much more prone to these once Act 2 rolls around. Especially notable are [[spoiler:when Godrel tries to talk about their dream]], [[spoiler:when Berria address them as "Tav"]], and [[spoiler:when they get shot in the leg]].
35	* ReluctantRuler: Or, well, soon-to-be. Tav is expected to secure the title of Eternal President once their parent, Berria, dies or abdicates the position.
36	* SociallyAwkwardHero: Tav is often shy, a trait exacerbated by their unfamiliar surroundings.
37	* WithFriendsLikeThese: With Godrel. Ultimately, Tav does care about Godrel, at least somewhat, though they make it clear that Godrel is a major thorn in their side.
38
39	[[/folder]]
40
41	[[folder:Chico]]
42	!!Michiko Hatakeyama
43	-> ''"hey doo doo head"''
44
45	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cw_chico_neutral.png]]
46	[[caption-width-right:350: [[labelnote:Click here to see her in Act 2...]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/chico_future.png]][[/labelnote]]
47	[[caption-width-right:350: [[labelnote:...and in Act 3.]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/junior_chico_nose_udpt.png]][[/labelnote]]
48
49	Another fellow teenager that Tav meets at Bettencourt. Chico speaks - and dresses - efficiently.
50	----
51	* ActionGirl: Her character design suggests this when she [[spoiler:comes back in Act 2]].
52	* AllLowercaseLetters: All of her dialogue [[spoiler:as a teenager]] is portrayed this way.
53	* AMFMCharacterization: Chico's portrayal as an offbeat, artsy stoner is supported by her band of choice: Music/DeathGrips.
54	* BigEater: At Benji's party, Chico eats a donut the size of her head in one bite.
55	* ButNotTooForeign: The fourth variation. Chico is fully Japanese, and speaks the language fluently, but feels little cultural connection to her ethnicity since she grew up in the States and is distant from her parents.
56	* CoughSnarkCough: Chico deploys this around her Statistics teacher, Mr. Adelmann.
57	--> '''Mr. Adelmann:''' Ms. Hatakeyama! How wonderful it is to see you again.
58	--> '''Chico:''' indeed it is :-)
59	--> '''Chico:''' (cough asshole)
60	* CrushBlush: Around [[spoiler:Tav]]... though maybe it's just the weed?
61	* DeadpanSnarker: She has her moments.
62	--> '''Zeb:''' You sound like a chicken.
63	--> '''Chico:''' you sound like a loser
64	* DisapprovingLook: When she needs to, Chico can bust out some... colorful facial expressions.
65	* FloweryInsults: Chico's description of Music/{{Drake}} is... maybe not ''flowery'', but certainly unique.
66	--> '''Chico:''' drake is just a smarmy wiener who can kind of sing!!!!
67	* TheHedonist: As is most of the cast, to some degree -- it's a prevailing theme of the entire comic. Chico's own philosophy is particularly dark, though. When Jaden remarks that he and Chico seem "too young for [[SexDrugsAndRockAndRoll this shit]]" in "Kedzie," her response is... harrowing.
68	--> '''Chico:''' i'm probably gonna die before i'm 30
69	--> '''Chico:''' who cares, you know?
70	** Her admiration of lightning bugs -- in her words, since "they exist only to make everyone else happy" -- also suggests this.
71	* HiddenDepths: Though she's initially portrayed as a somewhat emotionally distant stoner, Chico's character becomes much more fleshed out as she and Tav get closer.
72	* {{Jerkass}}: Not fully, but Chico [[GreyAndGrayMorality certainly isn't perfect]] -- at her worst, she's an abrasive, selfish hypocrite. This is especially called into attention during Act 3, when Jaden finds her [[spoiler:cheating on Mabel]].
73	* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: Chico, who's normally pretty stoic, panics and lashes out at [[spoiler:Tav]] in Chapter 7 once the implications of [[spoiler:the talent show]] truly set in for her. [[spoiler:Tav's internal dialogue makes it clear that this is unexpected.]]
74	--> '''Narration:''' You've never heard Chico talk like this before.
75	* PrankCall: Chico dares Tav to do this in Chapter 5.
76	* KnownOnlyByTheirNickname: Chico is short for "Michiko," but she's almost never referred to as such throughout the series.
77	* MagicalRealism: Very subtly. Chico somehow physically conveys elements such as emojis, "keysmashes," and a lack of capitalization in her own speech. Tav's internal dialogue [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] this.
78	--> '''Narration:''' And it seems like she... talks... in lowercase? You don't even know how that's possible.
79	* NativeGuide: Of sorts. Chico and Tav end up hanging out quite a bit, and by doing so, Chico teaches them much of what they end up knowing about Earth.
80	* RelationshipUpgrade: [[spoiler:With Tav, in Chapter 5.]]
81	* RomanceEnsues: With [[spoiler:Tav]] on the roof in Chapter 5.
82	* SmokingIsCool: She and Zeb recount having hotboxed an entire choir room.
83
84	[[/folder]]
85
86	[[folder:Jaden]]
87	!!Jaden Tamez
88	-> ''"Have at thee, fuckwad!"''
89
90	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jaden_5.png]]
91
92	A mousy-looking stoner that Tav meets in Benji's basement. Jaden gets along with everyone.
93	----
94
95	* AscendedExtra: Introduced as just another one of Chico's stoner friends, Jaden ends up playing a very large role in the latter half of the story. Eventually, he's the protagonist of Act 3.
96	* BigOlEyebrows: Far bigger than those of the rest of the cast.
97	* ComicallyMissingThePoint: Jaden pulls this ironically in Chapter 7, when he and Chico talk about people hooking up in a library.
98	--> '''Chico:''' i went up there with mabel once
99	--> '''Jaden:''' ...Oh!
100	--> '''Jaden:''' Like, to read?
101	--> '''Chico:''' yes, jaden, to read.
102	* HehHehYouSaidX:
103	--> '''Tav:''' That's what Ms. Doody says, anyway.
104	--> '''Jaden:''' ''snort'' (Ms. Doody...)
105	* HeroicSelfDeprecation: When the narration focuses on Jaden in Act 3, it's shown that he's... pretty hard on himself.
106	--> '''Jaden:''' Your job sounds pretty fun, though!
107	--> '''Chico:''' it has its ups and downs
108	--> '''Jaden:''' Just like all of life...!
109	--> '''Chico:''' haha, yeah
110	--> '''Jaden (to himself)''' "Just like all of life...?" What was that supposed to mean? You're so stupid.
111	* HiddenDepths: Hinted at in Act 1, Chapter 6, and explored much more deeply in Act 3. [[spoiler:Jaden is deeply addled by his situation at home, what with his parents' divorce and his mother's ailing health. He tries to mask this with humor, but he eventually cracks.]]
112	* MessyHair: Somehow, though, it stands upright.
113	** It's also referenced by his character profile in Act 3:
114	--> '''Profile:''' A perennially awkward sophomore whose emotions are almost as unkempt as his hair.
115	* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: Subtly, but Jaden's complete abandonment of his usual goofy demeanor [[spoiler:when he's with his father]] is one of the first indications that Jaden's [[spoiler:issues with his family]] run deep.
116	* PlotParallel: His arc in Act 3 largely parallels Tav's in Act 1 - [[spoiler:though, in retrospect, it's kind of DarkerAndEdgier. One of the driving aspects of both characters and their development is that they have a parent who's incapacitated (or so Tav thinks).]]
117	* SadClown: In Act 1, Chapter 6, it's revealed that [[spoiler:Jaden's mom is ill, and it's implied that he uses humor to mask his true feelings a lot of the time.]]
118	* TheStoner: Even in comparison to the rest of his friend group, all of whom are stoners, Jaden smokes a ''lot.'' [[spoiler:Starts to get PlayedForDrama in Act 3.]]
119	* StraightManAndWiseGuy: Jaden's often the "wise guy" with whoever he's interacting with, but especially with [[DeadpanSnarker Chico]] and [[StraightMan Zeb]].
120
121	[[/folder]]
122
123	!Other Students
124
125	[[folder:Annie]]
126	!!Annemor Hagen
127	-> ''"Cowabunga!"''
128
129	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/annemor_neutral.png]]
130
131	A friendly fellow teenager that Tav runs into in the park. She and Tav eventually become train buddies.
132	----
133	* NiceGirl: Annie immediately cares for Tav when they hurt themselves and introduces them to the city of Chicago, despite having never met them before.
134
135	[[/folder]]
136
137	[[folder:Declan]]
138	!!Declan Braddon
139	-> ''"The grind never stops, right?"''
140
141	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/declan_8.png]]
142
143	A friendly fellow classmate that Tav meets in History of Chicago. Lets Tav borrow a pencil.
144	----
145	* TheAce: Declan's smart, kind, and a track and field athelete.
146	* ImpliedLoveInterest: With [[spoiler:Annie]].
147	* LovableJock: Declan's a genuinely good dude, and introduces Tav to the world of music.
148
149	[[/folder]]
150
151	[[folder:Zeb]]
152	!!Zebediah Cook Bacon
153	-> ''"Are you truly unfamiliar... with the vocabulary...... relating to the consumption of cannabis?"''
154
155	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/zebediah_normal_final_final.png]]
156
157	Chico's cool friend, who Tav meets in gym class. Zeb always goes with the flow.
158	----
159	* DarkIsNotEvil: Despite Zeb's all-black attire, he's an outgoing and friendly guy.
160	* GarbageHideout: He and Chico met when they hid in a Dumpster together while running from the cops.
161	* GayGuySeeksPopularJock: His crush on [[spoiler:Declan]] fits into this trope.
162	* IncompatibleOrientation: With [[spoiler:Declan]], as revealed in Chapter 4.
163	* WeirdAside: Zeb likes to take conversations to strange places.
164	--> '''Zeb:''' Hypothetical question. If you could fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool with any substance, what would it be?
165
166	[[/folder]]
167
168	[[folder:Benji]]
169	!!Benjamin Anthony Cooper
170	-> ''"Funky!"''
171
172	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/benji.png]]
173
174	An excitable, festively-dressed fellow teenager who is the host of Wednesday's party.
175	----
176	* NiceGuy: Benji's a wholesome dude, frequently hosting people at his house and making them pizza rolls.
177	* SpeechImpediment: He has a slight lisp.
178
179	[[/folder]]
180
181	[[folder:Mabel]]
182	!!Mabel [[spoiler:Berria]] Quiroga
183
184	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mabel_4.png]]
185
186	Another human that Tav meets at the party. She seems a little distant from everyone else.
187	----
188	* AscendedExtra: By far the series' most prominent example. Mabel, like Jaden, is introduced as "another one of Chico's stoner friends," though her HiddenDepths are hinted at even early on. Once Act 2 rolls around, though, it's revealed that [[spoiler: Mabel is actually the original identity of Berria Pawkadyer, Tav's parent and the entire story's BigBad.]]
189
190	[[/folder]]
191
192	[[folder:Umid]]
193	!!Umid Burkhanov
194
195	[[/folder]]
196
197	! Paucadians
198
199	[[folder:Berria]]
200	!!Berria Pawkadyer
201	-> ''"Your empathy, Tawran, is a weakness."''
202
203	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/berria_9.png]]
204
205	The Eternal President of the Paucadian Nation, most powerful sentient being in the galaxy - at least, that anyone who matters knows of - and, of course, Tav's parent. Berria hopes to convert Earth into a mining colony, as the planet's supply of silicon could be used to cure their disease.
206	----
207	* BigBad: They're the series' ultimate antagonist.
208	* BeingTorturedMakesYouEvil: Their soliloquy in Act 2, Chapter 2 reveals that [[spoiler:they (i.e. Mabel) were gifted a pendant as a child, much like Tav's, but which made them unable to die. Living out the past 6,000 years without any real contact with other people has driven them insane.]]
209	* [[spoiler:FalselyReformedVillain]]: [[spoiler: In Chapter 2 of Act 2, Berria reveals the truth behind their backstory to Tav in an effort to make them give up the pendant and finally allow Berria to die. When Tav refuses, Berria reveals that their niceness was likely a ruse.]]
210	* LackOfEmpathy: Berria doesn't even dislike humans, they simply don't care about their lives at all.
211	--> '''Berria:''' We need to know everything we can about Earth. We need to overturn its cracks.
212	--> '''Berria:''' And that starts with its stupid fucking human population.
213	* ManipulativeBastard: Berria is literally inside Tav's head, and they constantly belittle Tav.
214	* ProtagonistJourneyToVillain: Womp womp. Act 2, Chapter 2 mainly focuses on how [[spoiler:Mabel, who seemed to be just another one of Chico's stoner friends, was driven to madness after becoming immortal and became Berria, the blatantly evil space emperor.]]
215	* TeachHimAnger: Berria tries to do this to Tav by [[spoiler:forcing them to kill an animal.]]
216
217	[[/folder]]
218
219	[[folder:Mara]]
220	!!o'Mara Pityan-Umasi Kendyamaanilos
221
222	[[/folder]]
223
224	[[folder:Wilar]]
225	!!n'Wilar Muktar-Fankawsi Kendyamaanilos
226
227	[[/folder]]
228
229	[[folder:Godrel]]
230	!!Godrel
231	-> ''"Look, champ, I'm just as bored in here as you are."''
232
233	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/godrel.png]]
234
235	Tav's cellmate at the Grand Paucadian Detention Facility. Godrel is a master of dream interpretation, telepathy, and [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold being an asshole]].
236
237	* VisualPun: He's an asshat.
238	* VitriolicBestBuds: It's implied that he and Tav are ultimately this for each other, as vitriolic as their relationship may be. When push comes to shove, [[spoiler:Tav is still willing to save Godrel from the firefight on Ng'or Bran, and they make no real effort to stop Godrel from coming with them.]]

Context Characters / SolarWind