Spotlight Weekend: Sina Saluni
Hello! 'Tis I, Noodle. I have come here to bring you use this character spotlight on one of my two first OC's here; Sina Saluni!
Sina Saluni is the only child of two native Samoans from Upolu Island, Samoa. They decided to move to New Zealand for her father to work in Palmerston North under business in car dealership. Sina was born and raised in Wanganui until she was seven, where her father's work recquired them to live in the United States. There, after a period of moving about California, they stayed along the coastal city of Santa Ana. Ever since she was five, Sina's been mesmerized by what a colorful city Palmerston North was and took in a deep fascination in the arts, specifically drawing, ever since. That fascination in drawing specifically stayed with her. She also developed a favored style in her art inspired by traditional Samoan artwork.
As Sina always held a preference for what society would usually consider as traditionally feminine tasks, at the age of six she was recognized as fa'afafine as her parents, who were both open and accepting of this. She also took on the decision herself to be indentified as female. While most of her family was generally supportive of her decisions, at the schools she went to in both New Zealand and the United States, she was a frequent target of bullying. This caused her typically outgoing self to eventually become very withdrawn. It was especially during her time at her own high school things were very difficult. She had been struggling to keep up with her grades, due to stress from constantly moving across a new country because of her father's work as well as dealing with depression from the discrimination she had been facing. However, it was until one evening everything changed unsettlingly quickly.
While Sina had some strained relationships during this time, she had made acquaintances with a couple of other students by the names of Tanya and Noelle, who would both eventually be the start of more serious problems for Sina. On a mundane Wednesday afternoon at their high school, everybody of busy finishing up for the day before heading home. Sina was simply doing the same, until Noelle stopped Sina to tell her that Tanya was going to be holding a party on Friday evening of that week. Sina had decided to refuse, but Noelle simply added she could have two days to think about it, then. Sina did, and by Friday she had changed her mind. If she had went, she had thought, it might be a way to gain the friendship and the social acceptance of the group. When nightfall finally hit, Sina went, having told her parents she was off to have dinner at a friend's house. When she finally arrived, it was much more boisterous of a party than Sina expected. Even less expected was the amount of beer and whiskey she noticed her peers consuming. She was persuaded by Tanya and Noelle, both of which she had known well enough, to join in. Again, Sina originally refused, but then she succumbed to the pressure and her desire to fit in. Thus, she eventually did take part. But, later on, many guests had already gotten drunk and even rowdy, to the point of one of the neighbors had called the police for disturbing the peace from the loud music booming as well as the fact a couple of guests had broken into fights. Eventually, the police arrived to investigate the scene, only to find many of the partygoers were not only disturbing the peace but also engaging in underage drinking, which included Sina, Noelle and Tanya. She, as well as the others involved, were arrested and their guardians notified. Sina's were horrified that she'd do such things, to the point of Sina's aprents finally agreeing to send her off to a school for youth deliquents. That school was Hope Falls Academy for Deliquents all the on the other half of the country in New York state, where they hope she'll eventually go back to her own old self again. Sina hoped so as well.
Trivia
Sina has a dog that's a West Highland Terrier mix named Tao. Back in New Zealand her parents had a Golden Retriever named Penina, but she passed when she was six.
Sina's given name means 'white sands' and it is androgynous, so Sina never felt the need to change or add on to her name as some fa'afafine decide to do. Also, unlike how it is spelled, her name is pronounced 'SHEE-nah'.