Melody

Melody Reed is the main protagonist of Soulbound. She's an unenthusiastic and lazy angel who is forcefully assigned to be the guardian of a human girl, much to her dismay.

Appearance
Melody is a pale angel girl with messy blonde hair and baggy green eyes. She sports a white-red tunic, supported by a golden clip. A result of her carelessness, one half remains lopsided, exposing her bra. Melody has a golden collar and a matching bracelet on her left hand, as well as dark cherry thigh highs. Upon being given a personal assignment by Coral, Melody's lower tunic is given the Thrones emblem.

Melody has a mole on her left cheek, as well as freckles on both her shoulders. One eye is covered by a tuft of hair, and she's repurposed her halo as a makeshift earring for her left ear. She has a slim and somewhat tall figure.

Life
Prior to her afterlife, Melody only lived a very brief amount of time as a human, having died at the young age of two. Her parents were a struggling couple that had threatened to divorce, with Melody's birth being a key component in splitting them apart. After an accident that set their house ablaze, Melody was tragically lost inside; a result of her parents' negligence, both of them having thought the other would be the one to bother fetching their daughter.

Having died as a baby, Melody was given a second chance in Heaven. Like many Cherubim angels, she was taken care of by the Virtues. Once an adult, Melody was offered a scroll that detailed the events of her past life. Upon being told that her parents weren't the kindest, however, she declined the offer, and as such Melody's human life remains very foggy to her.

As an angel, Melody has grown up to be something of an example for other angels to not be like. She cared little for her education, and lived alone in Heaven prior to her assignment on the Overworld. She had no friends, nor did she care to have any, and preferred mostly to keep to herself.

After becoming a guardian angel, Melody has begun living with her assigned human, something not typically heard of for Guardians. Having cared for practically nothing in her life, living on Earth is hard on her, and as such she finds herself relying on her human far more than she'd like to admit.

Personality
Despite being given what most could only dream of, Melody's time as an angel has been mostly taken for granted. While not particularly cold or unpleasant, Melody is certainly unenthusiastic and unmotivated towards most things. She shows very little passion for things and is generally lazy, and unbeknownst to her, shows several symptoms of depression. Dry and sarcastic to many, Melody has a less than favorable reputation, something that's only further encouraged her want to remain isolated.

Her unwillingness to help herself eventually lead to Coral giving her a personal assignment, something that Melody is incredibly against. Sent to the Overworld against her will, Melody initially thinks of Earth as boring and meaningless - deep down, however, she harbors a strong resentment for the planet, as a result of having been effectively abandoned by it at such a young age.

While her initial reactions weren't all that pleasant, Melody's time on Earth gradually begins changing her. She's finally given friends that love her, a purpose to continue existing, and the life she always wanted but never got as a child. The Melody that ends up living with her human is far different from the Melody that kept to herself in Heaven, now having realised that Earth is the total opposite; constantly changing, constantly evolving, and something she doesn't want to leave. Not again.

Family

 * Unnamed Mother & Father: Having died at a young age, Melody's memories of her parents are hazy at best. She remembers not much of them, besides the vague tune of a song she used to hear on the radio as her parents would argue for the fifth time that week.

While she can't remember much of them, her lack of enthusiasm towards them proves how little she cares to remember. Melody believes she's far outlived her need for them, and given that they abandoned her once, she doesn't want to see the details.

Allies

 * Scampi: Upon being promoted to a guardian angel, Melody is given her very own Familiar. While initially not too pleased about the idea of having to care for something else, Scampi is quick to become one of Melody's first ever true friends, as his chirpy nature and usefulness wins her over.

While she likes him, however, Melody spends much of her early time on Earth thinking of Scampi as a pet. It isn't until they begin (and complete, after several attempts) their Familiar Trial that Melody finally sees Scampi as a true partner and somebody she can fully trust. Going forward, their dynamic is much healthier, with Melody and Scampi eventually acting on the same wavelength, with both of them willing to put their life on the line for the other in a heartbeat.


 * Autumn: Her assigned human, Melody's initial impression of Autumn is disdain and annoyance, a mutual sentiment on Autumn's behalf. The two begin their life hating each other, with Melody wanting to bail on her assignment several times. After accidentally revealing herself as a guardian angel, however, Autumn lets Melody stay with her out of intrigue on the condition that Autumn never tell anybody. Now living as roommates, the two feel their relationship better over time, until every ounce of animosity has vanished.

Cut from the same cloth, Melody sees a lot of herself in Autumn - a reason as to why she initially hates the human so much. As time goes on, the two feel a deeper connection, and Melody realises that despite having been her guardian, Autumn has been the one to bring true happiness to her life, and the pair eventually fall in love.


 * Lux: Autumn's first friend at college, Melody thinks nothing much of Lux at first glance. While he's nice, there's nothing beyond that that leaves an impression on her, and as such she doesn't particularly care whether he's around her or not. As Autumn's bond with him grows, she accidentally tells him of Melody being an angel, which gets Lux terrified of her. Despite that, he still remains respectful and kind, and his meeting with Scampi gets the two closer. Over time, Lux's fear of Melody fades, and the two become pretty good friends.

While not Melody's closest ally, she grows fond of Lux's resourcefulness and timid yet respectful nature. When Autumn isn't available, she has no qualms with spending the day with Lux, and considers him a good fit for both her and Autumn.


 * Oswald: Like anybody that Oswald encounters, Melody is treated with nothing but positivity and pleasantries. This, coupled with the fact that he's a Seraphim, makes Oswald a kind face for her to attach herself to. As Melody's friend circle expands, she feels the need to stand up to Oswald's intrusions, but nonetheless feels confident in talking things out with him. Surprisingly, Oswald is the one person to never leave a first bad impression.

Over time, Oswald feels a deep pity and connection to Melody, and he tries his best to look out for her friends, something that Melody greatly appreciates. When Oswald stands against his teammates and takes a side with Melody, she welcomes him to her group with open arms, thanking him greatly for doing the right thing. As another angel, Melody finds solace in talking to Oswald about things only they can understand, and loves having him around.


 * Kiyomi: Even before Melody knew she was a demon, her first impressions of Kiyomi were always sour. As Kiyomi seemingly grew a genuine friendship with Autumn under the guise of a fellow classmate, Melody found herself growing increasingly jealous, a feeling she was unfamiliar with. As a result, despite Kiyomi not doing anything inherently wrong, the angel felt herself projecting her frustrations with herself onto Kiyomi. As they spent more time together, Melody grew more and more suspicious of Kiyomi's intentions, believing her to be a demon in disguise. After finally outing her, Melody felt justification in her natural hatred for her, and Kiyomi's status as a demon led the two to clash almost immediately.

After an intervention by Autumn, Melody comes to the realization that her anger with Kiyomi isn't due to her being a demon, but rather from the angel's own self-bitterness. Seeing that the friendship between the two was genuine, and that Kiyomi seemingly did just want to live a simple human life on the Overworld, Melody reluctantly lets the two hang out. After repeated encounters, Melody and Kiyomi begin forming a friendship of their own, with them being able to provide perspectives unknown to the other. Kiyomi has taught Melody that not all demons are bad, and their bond increasingly strengthens to the point where Melody has no issue with standing up to The Divine Choir in order to protect Kiyomi.

Enemies

 * Coral: Like all angels, Melody was taught from a young age that the Thrones were the highest ranking angel there were, with Coral being the stand-in figure for most. As a result, Melody has a natural understanding of Coral's position, and thus treats her with more respect than most, but her carelessness has the angel relatively more unfazed by Coral's rank. Surprised that the latter gave her a personal assignment, Melody has no idea how to truly think of Coral.

It isn't until Coral's true intentions are revealed that Melody finds herself forming a concrete opinion of her. Melody finds her authority unfair and cruel for those who wish to abide rules outside of Heaven's norms, and begins associating Heaven - and as an extension, Coral - as conformity. Having broken out of her shell from her time on the Overworld, Melody has no qualms in standing up against Coral, proudly rebelling against her if it means defending her new life and friends. Coral's true feelings on Melody get the angel questioning herself, imprinting guilt and anxiety onto her, as Coral has access to all of Melody's files and, in turn, knows more about Melody than Melody herself. Despite this, she finds solace in the backing of her new friends, and Melody's confidence in taking a stand inspires many to break free of Heaven's shackles.


 * The Divine Choir: Oswald withstanding, Melody's view on The Divine Choir is iffy. On one hand, she views them as blowhards, but on the other, their natural power and position over her are slightly intimidating, as their repeated run-ins spell more trouble. Nonetheless, she tries to remain civil, and as she bonds with Oswald, attempts to strengthen her relationship with the other three. Upon realising that she's friends with a demon, however, the trio believe Melody to be manipulated, and attempt to coerce her back into Heaven. Upon Oswald's rebelling to Melody's side, the trio's opinion on her sour tremendously.

No longer believing Melody to be a misguided victim, they instead wholeheartedly blame her for Oswald's treason, and as such cut all pleasantries and view her as an enemy. They have no issue with reporting her to Coral, and upon the repeated stand-offs on the Overworld, take Coral's side against Melody until the very end. Melody, as a result, views them as increasingly more unbearable with every encounter. Deep down, she wishes she could have befriended Fae, at the very least, but shows no concerns with fighting them.

Abilities

 * Angelic Flight: Melody's wings allow her to fly and soften her descent. While her time on Heaven has had her not use her wings often, her repeated fights on the Overworld have had her rely much more on them, gradually improving in her speed and durability.
 * Angel in Disguise: Like all angels, Melody has the natural ability to shift into a human disguise.
 * Familiar Weaponry: Upon completing her bonding with Scampi through her Familiar Trial, Melody has access to a spear and is shown to be a very capable combatant with it. Scampi's magical properties allow her to wield him with much more creative uses than a regular spear.

Trivia

 * Melody's name is inspired by the heavenly melodies produced by harps, an instrument frequently depicted being used by angels.
 * Melody using her halo as an earring as opposed to keeping it displayed over her head is an early sign of her rebelling against conformity. Use of creative halo placement is common with Thrones angels, which shows that Melody cares not for the exclusivity of it.
 * Melody's Familiar is a penguin, animals commonly associated with adaptability, family, and the decision to choose a partner for life. The journey Melody goes through involves her adapting to life on the Overworld, forming the family she never had, and choosing to settle down with her new partner rather than leave her in favor of returning to Heaven.