#I like her but she definitely radiates mc vibes

[cozones-hellhole]

Did a rough Stringbean redesign, don't get me wrong I love her, but I feel like there was a missed opportunity to make her look more like a serpent. Also I turned the cat ears into fluffs to mimic them instead of being straight up cat

[ominous-feychild]

✦ HEIGHT COMPARISON ✦

Thanks for the tag, @yourpenpaldee!

RULES:

Use this site to compare the heights of your OCs.

I'm not going to lie, I have mixed feelings about this tag, haha. I mean, it was pretty fun in a lot of ways! But the website was also laggy and, uh... diverse body types and stuff? Definitely not, whoops.

On a more positive note! I decided on the colors for each of these characters a while ago, and this is also a cool way so show them off! Tell me what you think of everyone's colors, and if I did a good job making them distinct from one another!

(The amount of my characters I saw related to blue without even realizing it... I had to move some to shades of purple!!!)

SUN AND SHADOW

This one was disappointing in body types both for ridiculous reasons (why no harpy for poor Crow? 😂) aaaand... a lot more valid ones. Like, okay, there wasn't a single icon for a person with a cane. Not even for a thin one! So instead we just got Soren with his hands in his pockets.

THE ARCANE RIFTS

Large cast, sorry guys! 😂 Believe it or not, I actually made a separate one with a few more of the characters if you guys want me to post it separately! I just didn't want to crowd this post up any more than it already will be, haha.

Gene is a smol boy, both from genetics (😉) and malnutrition, whoops. Although they won't show up in the Arcane Rifts (or... not any time soon? 👀), I have a lot of Gene's family built out and they're all pretty short, haha. So it was a given he would be, too! Thennnnn there was also the "no option for a cane" thing. 😑

Adilzhan, on the other hand, has always been planned out to be gigantic, haha. If there were any harpy icons, I could've done one for him and shown another reason this man is considered to be hulking! Dude's terrifying, I love him. 10/10.

This is the kids' fully-grown heights btw! Obviously seven-year-old Gene isn't 5'3, haha. He'll only be that tall later into book 2.

RISING FROM THE ASHES

Another place the lack of diverse icons reallllly didn't vibe well with me, oops. Guqayya wears a headscarf for religious reasons, but there weren't any avatars with it and, well... idk, maybe she's not a real person, but I really don't like having anything representing her without one.

Sammy, on the other hand? Great, 10/10, haha. One of the Things™ about him is that he looks much younger than he actually is, and one of the ways that shows is in his height! He's actually 15, though, he just absolutely does not look it, haha. Poor kid.

Also it greatly amuses me that not only is Caron not that tall (meanwhile his son towers above him), but Guqayya is taller than him. Cranky old healer lady ftw am I right?

(More seriously, it amuses me because he's a super intimidating presence. Tbh he's got a lot of muscle--though he hides it under loose-fitting clothes--and he's got a lot of other factors that makes him more intimidating. Like, famous and known to lead a knight's college for one. But also he's got a generally very collected manner, doesn't really show his emotions, and--oh, right. Is powerful enough magically that he radiates an aura of power, haha. Still! It's so funny to picture that in an otherwise almost average-height man! I think it's not done that often tbh.)

ALL MAIN CHARACTERS

Aaaand the actual main characters of each of the stories! (Well, technically minus the MCs of the later books of tAR, but that's not really relevant, so--)

Turns out my MCs tend to be kinda short, haha. Oh, well! I think I did a great job diversifying the colors for them, though, so hopefully it'll be easy to distinguish when I start making posts about them again!

Despite the lack of diversity, I did mostly have fun with this tag! It's interesting looking at the characters' heights actually put side-to-side visually like this--I've never gotten to see it before, haha.

Also, this might've let me mess with the numerical heights to better match those that I saw visually occurring between the characters... I'm not that great at converting numbers to distance in my mind. The aphantasia doesn't help, whoops.

I'm proud that it seems I've done a decent job of varying the heights and generally making them accurate to irl averages, though!

Tagging (gently!!!): @the-golden-comet @darkandstormydolls @the-letterbox-archives @illarian-rambling @wyked-ao3

@ath3alin @mysticstarlightduck + open tags!!!

Gorgeous divider by @saradika!

[guesst]

MANHWA REC LIST PART 2

WAR OF THE PRINCESSES

i finished catching up to this like 2 minutes ago [EDIT: WROTE THAT THE DAY BEFORE YESTERDAYM NOW ITS 2 DAYS AGO] and i genuinely really liked this. for a manhua its amazing!! the plot is unique and keeps you guessing, the characters are entertaining and NOT cookie cutter cutouts of isekai tropes, theres been some interesting reveals and a lot of people in the comments were hating on ml but personally i found him super fun; hes very morally grey n has definite flaws but thats what makes him a good character to read about !! not to mention the main character herself is great. i hate that my bar for good manhwa/hwa characters has gone down to 'has more than 2 personality traits' but she is leaping over it for sure

PLEASE REPENT, YOUR GRACE!

i dont read yaoi i dont read bl. i have never ever read it . however the vibes were so strong that i had to go back and check the tags because.. if you read it... you will see. its so strong. it radiates. (all that aside i really like the relationship btn the mains i think its really fun. they may not be gay (????🤨🤨🤨🤔🤔) but its still highly enjoyable i love it)

THE BABY SAINT WANTS TO DESTROY THE WORLD!

ive read 2 chapters but i just think the 'evil character reincarmates into the pinnacle of goodness' trope is the funniest thing in the world. i have no clue if its going to be a generic collect the characters take over the world type of thing but i just think its funny and its the newest one ive read.

IT SEEMS I'VE TRANSMIGRATED SOMEWHERE

i have been waiting for aomethinf like this for SO LONG hahah the main character is so diddly darn confused the entire time cus in her past life shes read too much rofan etc and now cant figure out what novel shes trandmigrated into. regular manhwa reader fr,, anyway theres a strong case for second hand embarrassment in this one, especially in the first few chapters or so, but i genuinely really like this just cus its so self aware, it keeps poking fun at all the tropes and its a nice lighthearted read. also theres a decent amount of plot despite it all and OH I ALMOST FORGOT the male lead is an absolute 10 personalitywise i genuinely love him. hes here for drama and thats it its amazing. so yea id say tropey but Well Written super fun 👍👍👍

HIDING THE ARCHDUKE'S HUMILIATING HISTORY

i think this is the first manhwa ive read where the ml pisses himself in fear the first time he meets fl (theyre both children)(hes scared of something else not fl but still). anyway its nothing particularly unique but its pretty fun! its one of those novel isekai where mc reincarnates into a little kid and the structure makes it a sandwich which has been keeping me very invested. this isnt a very good advertisment but its a good way to pass the time i think. heres a nice reaction pic

SUSU, HAN

oh my god??? just binged this whole thign in one go. first of all ots complete, second of all i guess you can say tjis is a character study in manhwa form. there isnt a particular overarching antagomist, its the characters learning to grow and face their own personal issues. but its also a slice of life, and lighthearted family drama, and comedy. its not a rofan this time lol. also the sibling relationships in susu, han are so good !! and theres so many lovely platonic relationships too. i really really enjoyed it.

THE TALE OF GOLDILUCK, THE BLACK KITTEN

WHOLESOME !!! WHOLESOME WHOLESOME WHOLESOME absolutely adorable, centres around a black cat that gets adopted by a young noble in ancient? old? korea. so so cite, read to soothe your heart

olay ive hit the image limit again. would yall like more

[amemixfan]

So I had previously canceled VIP because choices had a dry spell with books that seemed interesting, but I recently reactivated it with Kindled coming out. I also took the time to check out some of the other VIP books.

So rapid fire reviews:

1. First Comes Love is a garbage fire. The entire book radiates so much Pick Me energy that I’m half expecting MC to go into a “pick me, choose me, love me” speech.

I can practically imagine that entire book told in a Reddit post from the point of view of Rebecca. “Help, my lover’s toxic girl best friend is trying to break us up.” It’s so, so toxic. We could have gotten an interesting story of friends deciding to marry out of loneliness while realizing they had feelings for each other yet we got a love triangle with the emotional maturity of a playground fight. I’m surprised they didn’t make Rebecca a cheerleader just to hit all the “You Belong With Me” boxes that book is trying to hit. (Seriously I mean, gasp! Rebecca loves to travel and likes fancy stuff? Oh the absolute horror!!!)

2. Roommates With Benefits. Meh. I couldn’t make it past the first episode because the book seemed dull. The love interests didn’t interest me and the writing is meh. Not much more to say.

3. Kiss of Death. This book is frustrating because they’re selling you a mob star crossed lovers book with an MC who is so outside of the world of mobsters that most of the book is just her venting about how everyone treats her like a kid. It’s not a mob book if the main character is shut out of the family business.

I wanted to like it because it gave me Halsey’s music video vibes of Now or Never which I liked, but the end result is meh. The book would have been fascinating had MC actually been a trusted member of the mob and had a lot more power and importance. Instead, it seems like this is a teenage coming of age story with no edge or flair.

I treated it as a diamond mining book and didn’t see any relationship development that isn’t just lust or horniness between MC and Vic. MC tells them she loves them after one day and there’s not much explanation why. Even her bestie calls her out on it. The book just hinges on one random less than a day long encounter years ago as the premise of their love story. Like I get Romeo and Juliet were also dumb kids who thought they knew what love was, but Choices’ characters are supposed to have been grown adults.

4. Getaway Girls. This book I’m actually enjoying. It’s funny and light hearted. I’m just a few chapters in but it seems fun. Not a huge fan of the constant POV change, but each character has their own personality and taste which keeps it from becoming repetitive. We’ll see how it goes.

5. The Duchess Affair. I love a good period piece and am always biased in favor of it. This one isn’t the best Choices has put it, but it’s interesting compared to its other VIP books. The adultery aspect is bleh for me, but it’s not surprising giving The Nanny Affair was such a hit. I wish they hadn’t made the husband such a tool and given more high stakes to the story, but I guess they had to let people not feel guilty about cheating.

I will say though, it’s weird to see MC fawn over their tutor while diamond mining. I haven’t taken any premium choices so her worrying and fretting over committing adultery is bizarre given she’s only just talked to her tutor a handful of times and sat close to them. This book was definitely not designed to be diamond mined.

6. Kindred. This one seems promising. I love the art and the premise behind the book. The LIs seem interesting and the world seems fascinating. I definitely don’t regret resubscribing just for this book. It seems like it could become a favorite of mine.

My only complaint is that the plot moves fast. It’s very blink and you miss an entire explanation. The book thrusts you into what seems like an already developed world and expects you to just know everything already. I can keep up with some ideas because I’m pagan and know some of the concepts, but it’s still confusing to have so many revelations in the first two chapters and no time in between. I wonder how many things were cut from the book before publishing. It just seems like the entire thing is on fast forward and the characters themselves don’t react to major, groundbreaking news. Hopefully this’ll be fixed going forward.

I also know there’s a select release for a TNA POV book, but I don’t have access. I envy those of you that do though.

So yeah, this current line up is not the best Choices has ever had, but it’s also not the worst.

[asterinstar]

OKAY GUYS I HAVE DECIDED TO MAKE THE OTHER MCS INTO BIRDS 😁 NOW PREPARE FOR A LONG THREAD OF BIRD RAMBLES AND HCS I HAVE FOR EACH OF THEM

MC1 - Chickadee

I have decided to make MC1 a chickadee or more specifically a long tailed tit because it is so small just like MC1. Now you might think that the chickadee is too cute for MC1 but that's where you're WRONG. Fun fact chickadees are known to be a FUCKING MENACES. IF THEY'RE THREATENED, YOU KNOW THEY GON ATTACK.

So with MC1 no matter where the little fella goes whether he's flying or walking, trouble is his #1 fan

In one moment, he'll be boiling water but then a few seconds, the kitchen's on fire. Another moment, he'll be just sitting in a tree then a few seconds later he's pooping on someone like a pigeon. Yeah he is a fucking menace.

Surprisingly he's a pretty cheerful and friendly guy for someone who causes mayhem every 5 secs. He gets along with everyone (sorta) and will get into trouble with you because he likes you :)

He, MC2, and MC5 are a trio of violent and unhinged birdies who would peck anyone's asses

He and my duck mc are definitely evil besties like they're either getting their asses put into trouble or causing mischief and giggling like the little stoopy birds they are

So in conclusion he's a fucking gremlin who can't stop getting into trouble and needs a leash on him

MC 2 - Lovebird

Ah yes the girlboss. So for her I have decided to make her a love bird specifically a black masked love bird. Man I really LOVE how she and the bird look so similar UGH 😫 IT'S SUCH A PERFECT MATCH FOR MY GIRLIE.

She is the definition of a girlboss as she is acts however she wants whenever she wants and there is NO exception to that

And because she's a girlboss she is definitely a great leader as she is confident, assertive, reliable, and fights for what she believes while looking so cool doing it

But just because she's a bad bitch doesn't mean she a mean bitch! She just knows how to act for herself. As her friend the little birdie will definitely give you makeovers like in those moments in disney princess movies where the animals help the princess dress up!

She and MC3 are definitely the wlw and mlm solidarity 😌

She and my duck mc definitely have sleepovers where they do girl sleepover stuff like give each makeovers, gossip, and do rituals lol

In conclusion, she's a cool bitch and I'd prolly say she's similar to Wendy Testaburger from south Park

MC3 - Penguin

Welp I'm turning the himbo into a penguin. I thought of the penguin more specifically the emperor penguin because he's big and so is the penguin.

So amongst all of the mcs this penguino has dated the most people. Like he'll be flirting with every hot guy he sees every 5 secs and you know how THAT goes. Bro's like the horny option in the dialogues.

But the guy has some standards so that's pretty much why you don't see him dating certain guys especially those who see the exile in him

This penguino definitely radiates big brother vibes and he is one. You'll definitely see him acting all brotherly towards younger characters like Agyo and Zhurong and especially towards the mcs

MC4 always has to watch MC3's ass and stop him from flirting to every hot guy he sees. MC4: GO TO HORNY JAIL! *bonk!* MC3: Ow!

MC3 tells his love stories to my duck mc and she is honestly traumatized because of it. MC3: So let me tell you the time I woke up in bed with two guy- DuckMC: I DEMAND THAT YOU SPEAK NO FURTHER

But she admires the penguin and the two have a pretty good sibling relationship :)

So he's a big flirtatious waddling penguin and if you're close to him platonically he's your big bro

MC4 - Falcon

For the skinny man himself I've decided to make him a falcon specifically a prairie falcon. Ngl he was so hard for me to find a perfect bird match because originally I was gonna make a mallard duck but I thought no that ain't right so I chose the falcon.

This Falcon loves to observe everything like you'll see him at 4 am in the morning just watching through the window just everything that surrounds him fascinates him ✨

And out of all the mcs he's the most chillest and doesn't get into trouble as the others do. He's also one of the mature ones, making the sense out of everyone.

He's also a nerd he's like smart and is quite knowledgeable about his interests which is anime and manga so he definitely gets along with the akihabara group and MC5 who's also a fellow nerd

Him and MC5 get along pretty well as MC5 can tolerate him and the two share an interest in anime and manga.

He and my duck mc definitely get along and he would grab her with his talons and give the duckling a little flight.

MC5 - Owl

Last but not least I'm gonna make MC5 an owl more specifically a eurasian eagle-owl. I decided to choose this bird because I thought it looks grumpy like how I thought MC5 looked grumpy so I put the two together.

Our owl buddy here is tired of everything. He's tired of everyone's bs and is always on the verge of going apeshit. Now that doesn't mean he's mean he's just salty towards those who are assholes or just generally annoying.

Now while he is mature but there will be times where he does stupid shit because he's just over it like in rugrats when Stu Pickles is making chocolate pudding at 4 in the morning. MC4: MC5 what are you doing? MC5: Making chocolate pudding. MC4: It's four o'clock in the morning, why on earth are you making chocolate pudding? MC5: …Because I've lost control of my life.

As owls are depicted as nerds, this one is no exception towards it. You'll definitely see this owl hanging upside down while reading a manga that he just started. And there are moments where he is binge watching all the episodes of his favorite anime in one night.

He and MC1 are the typical siblings as they both hate and annoy each other as well as loving each other in the end. MC1 pulling pranks on him and MC5 getting his vengeance on him. Then the two sleeping together in their bird cage.

My duck mc is one of the few people he likes and can tolerate. He definitely worries a lot for her and gets annoyed when she gets into trouble. The owl always rambles about his interests to her and she always listen cause she's a good duckling :)

So to end it there he's a nerdy tired owl 🦉

OKAY THIS TOOK FOREVER TO FINISH WTF 😭

[whowhatifs]

ooh - how about relationships with bandmates & fans and persona for hedwig? :eyes:

Thank you so much for the ask! I told myself I would wait until I was done studying, but alas I cannot stay away. Disclaimer that all of my Infamous MCs are still very much under development, but that’s part of the point of this so here goes!

Character:

Name: [legal name] “Hedwig” Lorne (ze/hir, friends can use she/her sometimes) Stage name: [TBD] Band: Echo Chamber

Bandmates: How do they feel about the members of the band? Would they still be interested in stardom if they weren’t with that group?

When the band first started out, making music with hir friends and exploring art and expression was Hedwig’s aim. Very “us against the world” but in a bonding-with-friends way, not in a confrontational-with-others way. An enthusiastic crowd feels like an extension of hir and hir friends’ energy, which is why ze loves it and it’s the reason ze’s pursuing this as a career. So I guess ze loves music because ze loves people, especially hir friends. 

After Seven left, Hedwig was distant from the other members for a while and developed a bit of a wall between hir personal and professional relationships with them. That vote took hir by surprise, and ze had to reexamine hir interpretations of the others’ priorities. Ze spent some time processing that (alone at first, then with the help of the others), learned about hirself, tweaked boundaries, and is more centred in hirself now. There is still a professional distance with the band that wasn’t there before (not inherently good or bad), but overall ze has a very good relationship with the other members. 

Fans: How is their relationship with their fans? Do they go out of their way to interact?

Hmmm… okay so Hedwig adores the fans of the band’s music but struggles with people being fans of hir. Ze loves seeing the emotional interpretations of hir and hir bands’ works, so stuff like interpretive abstract artwork and emotional covers of their songs make hir feel like ze’s on cloud nine. Stories about what the band’s music means to a fan is also a big one. At concerts/parties/etc, seeing an excited fan gets Hedwig enthusiastic too and ze’s just incredibly grateful for it all.

On the flip side, Hedwig is uncomfortable not being able to separate hir private and public life though, and doesn’t really like reminders. So things like interviews or being recognized in hir day-to-day life make hir soul slip out of hir body for a second. That’s when hir less genuine (but still caring) professional face comes out and ze just tries to get through it as kindly and least revealingly as possible. 

Persona: How does their day-to-day personality compare to their on-stage persona? 

Hedwig was very quiet growing up and only managed to get into music by sort of separating hirself from who ze is on stage. Both are equally genuine, but… hmmm… it’s like ze uses music to sort of cloak hirself in this feeling of safety, hir emotions pouring out and sweeping away the barbs of other people’s judgements. Over time that cloak spread to include Seven first, then the members of the band, then eventually the audience, and now even after the concerts when that same energy is still present! Those lines between Hedwig’s public and private self have definitely gotten blurrier over the years, but are very much there. 

Hedwig is reserved. Not so much shy anymore as just easygoing and introverted? Crowds don’t make hir anxious anymore the same way that they used to, but ze just doesn’t have much interest. Hedwig’s lives hir life slowly while savoring the “little” things. 

[Stage name] radiates an energy I can’t quite describe. Still very similar at hir core, but more detached unless ze’s singing. Ze’s known as being kind of mysterious, but not in a self-important way? Think Keanu Reeves vibes ish, if Keanu turned into Florence Welsh on stage, but without as much experience with all of this.

Infamous MC ask game

[scarabiaa]

change that 4 and 7 to 2 and 12 >:D again, this blog radiates trey simp vibes but i don't know, i think it's just my absolutely right intuition 🤙 /j - the cheese in your ceiling

you're so right cheese this is actually a trey themed blog ?? i'm glad someone noticed ?? 

[ Does your OC have any endearing qualities? ]

Lumi: She likes to help. It seems like she doesn’t, but she’s not the type of person to rub her intelligence in other people’s faces. In fact, she uses it so that it can contribute to whatever the other person needs. 

Meditrina: She celebrates others. She knows what it feels like to have something big just pass by someone’s nose, so she never wants someone to feel like they could’ve done better. They deserve to have even the smallest achievements praised and that’s what she exactly what she does. 

Gale: He listens to others. He doesn’t like it when someone doesn’t listen to him so he refuses to be that person for someone else. Whether it’s something simple or mundane or even eccentric, he is listening and even asking questions if possible. 

Ignis: He has a good sense of humor. He makes himself laugh most of the time and that causes other people to laugh. Sometimes he’ll make jokes that make other people laugh and he isn’t even trying. It surprises him pleasantly. He can make jokes to cheer someone up if they’re feeling down and won’t show it openly. 

Iris: She isn’t afraid to stand up for herself or others. If she ever hears that someone’s taking advantage of her friends, she’s going to personally go up to them. She’s already dealt with having to be seen as inferior in comparison to others, so seeing that happening to more people is something she will not stand for. She’ll even teach them to defend themselves if they cannot. 

Navin: He knows exactly what compliments to give people. They’re not small like, “That was amazing!” They’re super specific to what that person wants. He’s an actor so he studies people constantly, granting him the knowledge he needs to give others the compliments that they deserve and want. 

Blanca: She’s adaptable and unpredictable, in a good way. She isn’t the type of person that has mood swings constantly, but her personality sometimes changes depending on the situation and how well she can adapt to it. 

Colette: She’s dependable. She’s the one girl that doesn’t care if you can’t pay her back for anything, she just wants you to be happy and she’ll do anything to make sure it happens. If you need her there with you, she’s there. You need a favor? She’s got you. 

Titus: He lives for himself and not other people. He’s no kind of people pleaser and because of that, he never worries about what people think of him, thus making him more likable since his personality is all his and never copies anyone else!

[ What's a childhood memory they cherish most? ] 

Lumi: The memory she cherishes most would be when she was playing in the snow that she made with Allen. They used to play with a bunch of figurines and dolls that she had created with her magic and make stories all the time. Of course, he had to wear warm clothes but the time they had together was the best for her.

Meditrina: The times she and her childhood friend had together. She definitely liked him at one point, even though she never wanted to admit it to herself, and vice versa. What she liked most was their casual banter back and forth. She’s still in contact with him and they’ve moved on from that. 

Gale: Having his friends on Earth celebrate his birthday in school. They brought him presents and one of them even brought him an entire cake with a hidden lighter. They even sang to him, as embarrassed as he was. It was the best birthday he’s ever had and he remembers it fondly even now as he learns magic. 

Ignis: His last winter performance in fifth grade! He audtioned to be an MC and he got the role. He did not have to dance the first dance, but he was allowed to do the second one and that’s where his love of dancing started. He even got a solo part where other people were brought in at his cue, it was the most fun he’d had in ages. 

Iris: Her third grade teacher, seeing that she hardly had any friends, bought boxes of pizza so that she could invite some people and she could bond with them. It never worked, but the thought of her teacher doing everything in her power to help Iris always made her feel warm inside. 

Navin: Singing with his favorite cousin. They were very close when they were younger and his parents would take him to his cousin’s place so that they were able to play together. Most of the time, they brought out her karaoke machine and they’d sing until his parents told him that it was time to go home. He misses her a lot.

Blanca: The first time she defeated her teacher in swordfighting when she was 8. She was better than everyone else in her class, even the older kids, but never the teacher. When she finally made him fall, sword at his neck, she felt a rush of adrenaline go through her and she was even referred to a competition. She ended up winning it, but it was nothing compared to the victory over her old teacher.

Colette: Her mother taking her, for the first time ever, to an amusement park. She enjoyed the rides and the food there, it was all such a different experience, full of adrenaline and very likely grease. She won a panda from the place though, she still has it. 

Titus: When he was taken in by his first family. He was fed and given so many things that he’d never had before, and for the first time in a long time, he could finally sleep somewhere that wasn’t deathly cold or deathly hot. It was comfortable and felt familiar. 

[zigtheeortega]

ride or die playlist

by @pixeljazzy and @zigtheeortega

so after pj made this post, and was encouraged by @choicesarehard to make a playlist for rodaw, i reached out to her and we decided to collab! this is a comprehensive playlist, with explanations for each song. some being the lyrics fit really well, but others are because the vibe fits the characters (in our opinion), not necessarily the song meaning.

putting the song explanations under the cut, since it’ll be long! songs picked by pj have [p] next to it and mine have [j] next to it! hope you enjoy it!

Logan

What You Know Bout Love, Pop Smoke [p]

I had to apply the pressure, ‘cause you my hidden treasure / I think I’m falling in love 

Are we surprised this song is first? C’mon now. Anyway, literally when I heard it for the first time, I was like this is the love song that I could see someone just vibing to in a car with their partner, at a house party in the corner serenading their boo, etc. and then BOOM a vision of Hieron and Logan in a car appeared because I could totally see this as their vibe. Just the thought of Logan rapping this line to Hieron clears my skin.

[p.s. pj wrote a fic based on this song and it’s perfect you should read it]

The Way, Trippie Redd ft. Russ [p]

We’re lost but, babe, we found the way

Because Logan and MC are two teens are a mess lowkey and don’t know what they want from life quite yet but they know they got it together.

Think About Me, dvsn [p]

This song is just radiating Logan and MC parting ways vibes

FIND MY WAY, DaBaby [p]

I feel like as Logan is driving away from MC to god knows where, this is something he’d definitely drive to

Seasons, 6lack ft. Khalid [p]

You’re lucky the greatest thing I can do is marry you / ‘cause if I could, I’d spill my blood

I absolutely adore this slow, chill song, and feel like this is something MC and Logan would be listening to as they unwind in their loft, and with the favorite line, I think it encapsulates how much Logan truly loves and would do anything for MC

Idfc, blackbear [p]

This is giving me Logan vibes after the reveal where MC leaves the shop and he’s just reeling in his emotions and feelings and is just purely in his bag thinking about everything

Hide, Juice WRLD ft. Seezyn [p]

Really think I found my home, shorty made me feel at home

Think I met my soulmate, yeah, I know it

Dusk Till Dawn, ZAYN ft. Sia [p]

But you’ll never be alone / I’ll be with you from dusk till dawn / I’ll be with you from dusk till dawn / Baby, I’m right here

This song hurts me so so much but it’s giving me MC sleeping on Logan’s chest type of vibes while he’s up because he can’t sleep and he’ . Also reminds me of Logan because we all know that infamous line “I was just a rock in space lucky enough to burn up in your atmosphere for a moment,” and I feel like this was an unspoken if you look to the stars you’ll know I’m always with you type beat.

Fool In Love, Rihanna [p]

Mama, I found a man / who loves me and understands / papa, he’s quite a man / he adores me, he’s my biggest fan

Okay so y’all remember how MC was having a mini identity crisis and didn’t know which version of herself she was? And Logan was listening and understanding and processing everything she was ranting about but in the end was just like no matter which one you decide, I like all of you? Yeah, that. Along with him just supporting her whenever he can, even though sometimes it can be overbearing, and him just loving watching her change and grow before his eyes (even though we not gonna mention the part of him that doesn’t love that change, feeling guilty for the person she’s becoming and how it could change her life, and the initial intentions he had although how he feels now is genuine) is literally what I think about with these lines

And don’t get me wrong, I know he’s not perfect in your eyes / but somehow he’s flawless in mine

Papa, did I let you down? / Are you ashamed of how your little girl turned out?

This is the lyric that really gets me because one of the things I loved about Ride or Die was the complicated relationship MC had with her father as it was something that resonated so strongly with me. So this one right here really just encapsulates an aspect of that because when MC’s on her this is who I am now and I know you resent that because he genuinely is so hurt and in shock of how his girl changed before his eyes, beyond the reigns of control that he once had, and he can’t do anything else but process and accept that his little girl isn’t so little anymore, rolling around with the people he tried so hard to keep her away from.

Roll Dice, Roddy Rich [j]

I seen the Reap’ come / Live my life I had to roll dice / Been through strife, my heart is cold as ice

I’m a star, I’m just hidden in the low light

Pretty explanatory, considering Logan’s been through a considerable amount of situations that put him in harm’s way and he’s come out stronger (and considerably more detached) each time.

Story Of Us, Tinashe [j]

Yeah, you’re the prince of my heart / And now there ain’t no way they can keep us apart, keep us apart

This song reminds me of Logan and MC a lot because it’s an optimistic take on their relationship as a whole and the sad ending.

You Know That I Love You, Donnell Jones [j]

You know that I love you / And that ain’t gon’ change / And though you’re not here with me now / My love for you stays the same

I think Logan would listen to R&B, specifically sappy 90’s R&B, and this line reminds me of them perfectly. I mean just listen to it, it’s perfect.

My Favorite Part, Mac Miller & Ariana Grande [j]

Said, you just don’t know how beautiful you are / And baby that’s my favorite part / You walk around so clueless to it all / Like nobody gonna break your heart

Said, the universe couldn’t keep us apart / Why would it even try?

Before things come together, they have to fall apart

Logan says from the get go that he thinks it’s wild that MC is modest and that he’s surprised she hadn’t gotten a lot of attention from guys. The other song lyrics I mentioned remind me a lot of their separation.

Colt

Me And My Girlfriend, Tupac Shakur [j]

Lost in the whirlwind, ninety-six, Bonnie and Clyde / Me and my girlfriend, do one-eighty-five when we ride

All I need in this life of sin, is me and my girlfriend / Down to ride to the bloody end, just me and my girlfriend

So it’s canon that Colt likes West Coast rap – and this song absolutely embodies Colt’s musical interests and his relationship with MC. He wouldn’t admit it out loud but he definitely heard this song and thought of MC.

Something Special, Pop Smoke [p]

I think you’re something special / I’ll take you on a shopping spree

We all know Colt is the king of LA and can definitely buy him and MC anything they want, also the “her father the police” verse quite literally hit the nail on the head

Martin & Gina, Polo G [p]

He was playing games / Got you dancing in the middle of the club

At first, saw this as a Logan and MC song to listen to in the car, but if you’re like me and was romancing Logan but danced in the club with Colt because Logan was being distant, the lyrics just do it for me

Hit ‘Em Up, Tupac Shakur [p]

You couldn’t tell us Colt wouldn’t love this song, we’re not accepting criticism at this time

Pulling Me Back, Chingy ft. Tyrese [j]

Every time I try to leave / Something keeps pulling me back, me back / Telling me I need you in my life / It was meant to be / You were meant for me / So that means we gotta make it work

This song reminds me a lot of Colt’s feelings towards MC, because in the lyrics they’re not mentioning they necessarily love her, they’re just gravitating towards her, realizing they need her. And that’s exactly how Colt works through his feelings.

Loveeeeeee Song, Rihanna ft. Future [j]

Boy lately, you been stingy with your time / Got me wondering, I’m wondering if I’m on your mind / Boy I just wanna be in your possession / You say I’m the one you want so come express it

Yeah, we all know Colt wasn’t straightforward with his feelings but is more prone to expressing himself physically, and I think this song feels like a confession of her own qualms with him but recognizing that she’s alright with him being physical over verbal. Honestly it’s probably not that deep but this song reminds me of Colt x MC so much.

Complicated, Rihanna [j]

Why is everything with you so complicated / Why do you make it hard to love you / Oh I hate it / ‘Cause if you really wanna be alone / I, will throw my hands up ‘Cause baby I tried

God this whole song is Colt and MC all over because he’s so wishy washy and doesn’t express himself properly.

90210, Travis Scott [j]

I think Colt and Logan would bump this and that’s my only reasoning.

Changed Up, Rae Sremmurd [j]

I think Logan and Colt both alike would bump this in their car and maybe relate to the lyrics and the general vibe of it.

Demons and Angels, A Boogie With a Hoodie ft. Juice WRLD [p]

I’m from the West Side, know not to play with us, yeah

I think I’m addicted to this lifestyle, I swear

Colt is quite literally from the West Side, and the ‘I think I’m addicted to this lifestyle’ line is what really stood out to me because Colt wanted nothing than to be a part of his father’s life and legacy, and Kaneko wanted to keep that separate from him because he knew Colt would be all in.

Run This Town, Jay-Z ft. Rihanna [p]

Does this need an explanation because you already know Colt is running the fuck outta LA thank you for tuning in

Mona

Ungodly Hour, Chloe x Halle [j]

You know that I’ve, I heard it all before / You’re hesitant, wish you could give me more

I don’t have the time / To teach you how to love all over again / Now let me ask you this / Are you giving all that you could give?

This is Mona and MC all over. She was clear about being hurt by an ex, and that it was hard for her to open up to MC in the first place, let alone fall for her. So this is like a confessional from MC to Mona.

Te Amo, Rihanna [j]

Then she said Te amo, then she put her hand around my waist / I told her no, she cried Te amo / I told her I’m not gonna run away, but let me go / My soul is awry and without asking why / I said Te amo

The lyrics are sad but this reminds me of Mona and MC, too. There’s a lot of push and pull with Mona, so I think this describes their back and forth so well.

Scared of Love, Juice WRLD [p]

Not scared to love, just scared of love

I initially put this in the Logan section, but I think it’s more fitting for Mona because she put up these walls to avoid putting herself at risk in the process of giving someone her all after the last girl played her, but underneath it all, she’s still capable to love even though she may think she’s undeserving of it from MC or that love in itself is a scam.

ball w/o you, 21 Savage [p] [and j bc our minds are linked]

I’d rather have loyalty than love / ‘Cause love don’t really mean jack / See love is just a feeling / You can love somebody and still stab them in they back

This is giving me Mona and her ex vibes, and just how Mona is a very everyone for themselves type of person so she has no problem balling by herself because that’s what she expects in the end.

Escape, Akon and Wizkid [p]

We can run away / so far away, escape

Oh, my baby, oh, baby / I would never let you go

Okay I know our songs for Mona have been sad lately, but this reminds me of them because Mona said MC would be hard asf to forget and I already know MC is scrambling to find a solution, a possibility, where Mona didn’t have to go to jail and they’d be able to be together, hence ‘escape’.

Escape, Kehlani [p]

Strange for me to wanna love someone / Who’s better by themselves

‘Cause I can’t let you lose yourself, looking for me / And I can’t let you make me your, your everything

I know you see this escape theme I’m on here LMFAOO but I think this is in Mona’s perspective about MC because she’s like MC is a goody two shoes, new to this life, etc. just overall someone with a better future than me and I don’t wanna mess that up for them (hence the I’m dangerous and pushing her away in the beginning and all the warnings).

Acquainted, The Weeknd [p]

Baby, you’re no good / Cause they warned me ‘bout your type girl, I’ve been ducking left and right

To say that we’re in love is dangerous / But girl I’m so glad we’re acquainted

Can’t Remember to Forget You, Shakira ft. Rihanna [p and j]

I can’t remember to forget you / I keep forgetting I should let you go

“You’re gonna be damn hard to forget.”

This is so Mona because it’s both flexible in meaning with her ex and MC. 

MC

Don’t Make It Harder On Me, Chloe x Halle [j]

If you keep acting so sweet / I might just wake up and leave / This boy that I pinky swore / We’d be together for sure / I can’t be thinking of you / When I’m alone with my boo / If you smile at me again / I may do something stupid

Gives me Logan/Colt/Mona love triangle type vibes!

Who Can I Run To, Xscape [j]

Who can I run to, to share this empty space? / Who can I run to, When I need love? / Who can I run to, to fill this empty space with laughter?

After her li’s leave this def gives me those bittersweet vibes like when they all leave L.A., including MC for college.

Aston Martin Music, Rick Ross [j]

Bobbin’ to the music / This is how we do it, all night / Breezin’ down the freeway / Just me and my baby

Would’ve came back for you / I just needed time to do what I had to do / Caught in the life / I can’t let it go / Whether that’s right I won’t ever know

This reminds me of another bittersweet moment like MC is reflecting on her favorite times with her LI, but also acknowledging that her LI can’t be 100% loyal to her because of her lifestyle

Love Without Tragedy / Mother Mary, Rihanna [j]

Brown eyes, tuxedo, fast cars / A James Dean on the low, Dean on the low

Who knew the course of this one drive / Injured us fatally

Let’s live in the moment / As long as we got each other / Die in the moment / I’m prepared to die in the moment / ‘Cause even forever ain’t forever

This entire song fits for all the LI’s (despite the lyrics saying “boy” it works for all of them perfectly. I just picked a couple lyrics to prove it!

Question Existing, Rihanna [j]

Who am I living for?/ Is this my limit?/ Can I endure some more?/ Chances I’m given, question existing

Reminds me of when MC was torn between loyalty to her father and Jason Shaw and MPC at the same time.

Bed of Lies, Nicki Minaj ft. Skylar Grey [p]

This is 100% MC after the reveal.

Change Your Life, Kehlani ft. Jhene Aiko [p and j]

I heard that you a gangsta / Not one to try to save her / Always focus on your paper / Don't got time to wager with your heart

You deserve someone that'll take you to another level

The lyrics to this song fit so well with all of the LI’s. Definitely addresses all of the LI’s reluctance to be with MC and MC’s pursuit of them.

Serial Lover, Kehlani [p and j]

Lord knows / My intentions are pure and my heart full of gold, oh

This song fits MC’s relationship with all of the LI’s, especially when there’s conflict between them. MC is miles more transparent with her feelings than Logan, Colt, and Mona.

She’s So Gone, Naomi Scott [p]

So it looks like the joke’s on you / ‘cause the girl that you thought you knew / She’s so gone

You can look but you won’t see the girl I used to be, ‘cause she / she’s so gone, away / like history

Yes this is from Lemonade Mouth and yes I feel like this embodies MC perfectly!

Misc.

(this includes Ximena, Toby, side characters, the overall vibe of ROD, etc.)

Tints, Anderson .Paak ft. Kendrick Lamar [j]

Ridin’, ridin’, round that open street / I need tints / I need my windows tinted / I can’t be flying down that 110 with a bad bitch in my whip / I need tints

This reminds me a lot of Ximena and Toby because they’re so chill and carefree compared to the rest of the crew, and this song embodies that.

Nascar, Roddy Ricch [p]

Honestly, heard this song and thought I’d be perfect for another side show, or a racing song

We Don’t Luv Em, HoodRich Pablo Juan [p]

Another side show/racing song

DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love, Usher [p]

I feel like this could’ve played at the club depending on the vibe they were going for, and even if they weren’t, I feel like the club was a very romantically charged event so the DJ had errbody falling in love (MC and whoever, Toby and the guy he went off to dance with, etc.)

break da law, 21 Savage [p]

Me and my dawgs break laws

This is Kaneko and the crew, even though Kaneko would never call them his dawgs, but you get the gist.

Trust Nobody, Lil Wayne ft. Adam Levine [p]

I don’t trust nobody, not my lovers, not my friends / I don’t make no promises ‘cause I know just how they’ll end / I don’t trust nobody, I don’t need nobody else / And as messed up as it sounds, I don’t even trust myself, yeah

This hurts me because the song talks about not being able to trust people in general so I feel like this has been Logan all his life, Mona after she was betrayed, and Colt after the death of his father (minus the don’t trust my lover part because obviously they are whipped for MC and you can’t change my mind).

Undercover, Kehlani [p]

You know they don’t wanna see us together / But it don’t matter, no, ‘cause I got you

Baby, they don’t wanna see me be happy / ‘Cause they ain’t happy, no -- they don’t got you

So this is MC with all the LI’s because everybody (Riya, Darius, her dad, etc.) thinks everyone in the crew is bad news but no matter who MC is with, they’re happy with them regardless of what everyone thinks.

Party Monster, The Weeknd [p]

Okay, this might seem really weird, but I feel like this is a song that would play in the background as the crew would plan or orchestrate a heist you know like the camera panning to different people just really focused on that they’re doing like there’s some camera work going on in my head that I wish I could properly articulate but I hope you guys see the vision.

Shut Up and Drive, Rihanna [p and j]

This is self explanatory.

[benscursedkid]

jdkdkdn okay so i accidentally deleted this ask, but since i always take a picture just in case i am still able to post this. hope you enjoy!!

p.s. i am still working on those follower specials, but school is virtual and it’s kicking my ass right now, so please stand by. i’m working on it. 💗

tulip

okay i hope we can all agree that tulip has some killer cheekbones

they’re just so pretty and always earns her a few second glances

not that she really cares but still

also i have this weird and unexplainable hunch that tulip is really good with latin

her best class is transfiguration and mcgonagall wishes she would put half her effort that goes into her pranks into the rest of her schoolwork

dennis has his own room at her house

there’s this decently sized coat closet that they don’t really use and so she took her allowance (because no magic over summer break) and used it to get decorations and such

dennis loves it

her parents always keep red tulips around there house and tulip doesn’t know why exactly but she doesn’t like them

she likes to hide her roommates things

not like important stuff that would give them a heart attack if it went missing but like.

rowan’s nightstand is very spick and span with everything in its place?

oh would you look at that, one of her quills is gone? yeah and now that i look at it, isn’t that my charms homework? what is it doing over here?

just little things to entertain herself

she also plays pranks of course but i don’t have enough brain cells to get into all those

tulip, tonks, and jae are the school’s trio of pranksters

if you ever see the three of them together? just lounging or passing by? run

if they aren’t in the midst of a prank already, then they’re planning one

either way you probably don’t want to be there right now

neither of her parents have siblings or cousins either so she’s really just been itching to get out there

she hates the holiday breaks

sometimes she doesn’t even go during Christmas as there’s only a 50% chance her family won’t be working anyway

she loves giving gifts to her friends on the occasions where it calls for it

it’s not normally something she likes to do

but she loves giving... interesting gifts

something that is so undoubtedly tulip that twenty years from now they’ll still remember it

but she’s not evil so most of them are still useful

she’s versatile and her gifts reflect that

she loves working in silence so that she can hear herself think

sometimes she does her best work alone, only dennis for company, and the only sound other than his croaking is the little ramblings she’ll allow herself to say out loud

but that’s typically when she’s creating something

she has an entirely different process than, let’s say, when she’s planning something

which is basically just lots of racket and a vivid and lively environment

it gets her ideas flowing

also she’s definitely the type who either takes her coffee black or with lots of syrups

end of question

she was really fond of chester even if she gave him a rather hard time

in her mind, that was the best way she could come up with to say as much

lastly I imagine she’s the kind of person who loves using psychology tricks on people for fun

really likes it when strangers get confused around her

half the school thinks she’s a little off her rocker but she’s also strangely? cool? like that’s her reputation.

a cool, eccentric ravenclaw you don’t want to be caught in an enclosed space with.

I think that actually says a lot

erika

so I know most people call her rath but I’ve just always said erika for whatever reason so we’re going with that

i imagine that, for no reason other than just because i can, that the name erika is actually a recycled name within her family

by that I mean she was named after a family member. maybe her grandmother.

I also don’t think that it was her who originally initiated the switch from erika to rath

I can see other little kids who she interacted with growing up calling her rath because maybe they thought she was a little scary

and after being told what wrath is and learning of her surname it just kinda fit?

also, don’t come at me for this pls, but i know canonically speaking she’s a ravenclaw, unless you’re mc is a ravenclaw in which case she’s a slytherin

but I’ve always just placed all the quidditch kids in separate houses even though it totally fucks with the story

I’ve said this before in my skye hcs but I’ve always seen her as more of a gryffindor than anything else

orion gives me big ravenclaw vibes

murphy strikes me as the opposite of your stereotypical hufflepuff

and rath radiates slytherin energy to me

I didn’t plan on them all being in different houses but I realized that it just kinda fit?

besides, rath does face against both skye and orion here anyway and it gives all three of them the chance to be their own respective team’s captain

she just comes across as very competitive, ambitious, and determined to me but she also has her own code of honor that applies strictly to her specific morals which is also a very slytherin thing

she’s a bit on the tall side too

I’d say maybe 5’7

5’9 maximum

(idk what that is in cm very sorry)

she’s very respectful of her teammates as well as her fellow housemates

she has a sort of comradery/brotherhood pride about her

not a big fan of sweets

if she eats chocolate, it’s usually the dark or mint chocolates

has abs

but that’s a given

no allergies, 20/20 vision

no pets but she secretly wants to get a dog

also, she’s a capricorn

i don’t make the rules

her hair is naturally very curly and she just uses magic to straighten it

she doesn’t like all the upkeep that comes with containing her natural hair

so she just doesn’t

loves oranges but I couldn’t tell you why

she has two siblings

an older brother (Ayden, by 6 years)

and a younger sister (Ellery, by 10 years)

again, I don’t make the rules, okay?

also, don’t ask me why I feel the need to name them bc idk either

obviously they can’t be sure about Ellery yet by the time Erika is in school, but thus far she’s the only person in her family who has shown an interest in professional quidditch

Ayden played on the hufflepuff team while he was in school but didn’t think to make a career out of it

very close with her father

not that she’s not close with her mother, she’s just always gotten along swiftly with her dad

she’s irish, have fun ;)

[clansayeed]

Bound by Destiny II, part 1 ― Chapter 30: The Last Act part 1

PAIRING: Kamilah Sayeed x MC (Nadya Al Jamil) RATING: Mature

⥼ MASTERLIST ⥽

⥼ Bound by Destiny II, part 1 ⥽

While struggling with nightmares of lives she’s never lived, a shadow from the past looming over her city, and the proposed idea that her life may just be a little bit too weird to handle alone, Nadya makes sure to tell herself that everything is perfect just the way it is. If only. When the self-proclaimed King of Vampires (and Maker of her sometimes-girlfriend and always-boss, can’t forget that little tidbit) Gaius Augustine returns intent on claiming Manhattan as the throne that was promised, she and her friends find themselves forced into the task of saving the world. But with millennia-old vampires and an Order of hunters on their heels as well as allies hiding catastrophic secrets at their backs… it won’t be an easy task. Too bad destiny didn’t exactly ask for her input.

Bound by Destiny II and the rest of the Oblivion Bound series is an ongoing dramatic retelling project of the Bloodbound series and spin-off, Nightbound. Find out more [HERE].

TAG LIST: @googlesentmehere, @cess02, @hellyeah90sbaby

*Let me know if you would like to be added to the Destiny II tag list!

⥼ Chapter Summary ⥽

Now that they're back on the surface, everyone struggles with the things they learned down below. Things they learned about Gaius and the First, things they learned about each other, and the ones they learned about themselves. But the worst is yet to come.

[READ IT ON AO3]

“That’s enough. Give it here.”

“No,” she shakes her head adamantly; the sudden dizziness tries to argue right back at her, “no I just needed to sit. I can do a little more.”

“I’m certain you can —”

“— then keep —”

“— but you need to rest.”

Her voice cracks in a whimper. “I will, I promise I will — but —”

“Enough,” Cadence snaps, stern only because he has to be; because this isn’t the first time Nadya’s tried to give more blood than her body can function properly without, “I won’t hear any more of it. You’re still weak, and this is a good amount… should last us the next day or so while you rest up.”

At least they’re both well aware of who exactly he’s talking to; and just how not-over-with this conversation actually is. They’ve had ample time to talk (read: argue) while he draws her blood with a steady, never-wavering focus. He knows she’ll argue this until she passes out from the blood loss. Just like she knows he’s only disagreeing  with her because he feels like he has to. To get back on everyone else’s good sides.

Though… what did those look like, again? She’s starting to forget. Probably because she hasn’t seen them in a long long time.

Even if he’s still radiating frustrated vibes Cadence stays professional; every bit the real medical doctor as he eases the needle from the inside of her elbow and quickly staunches the last few drops with cotton. All of it methodical, perfectly normal blood-donating stuff. Until, that is, her vampire medic catches his thumb between sharpened teeth and nips the smallest of cuts. Just a drop is all it takes; one little red line swiped over the puncture mark and presto vanish-o.

A rueful smile tugs against her unwilling lips. She’s the farthest thing from a making-jokes mood but any time it happens they’re always in Lily’s voice. It’s such a comfort right now — they have no idea.

Cadence transfers her blood from the bowl to an empty blood bag; that gets traded out for the one from yesterday in one hand and the funnel on the drying rack by the sink in the other.

“Can I come with this time?”

Nadya’s caught him off-guard; faltering steps and his shoulders squaring off like he has an answer on the tip of his tongue, only to remember that he’s a good man.

“Just… don’t tell the others.”

Crossing her finger over her heart, she nods. “Promise.”

He makes her hang back five steps from the door while he opens it and makes sure the coast is clear. A stupid precaution in her eyes; if there really was a Feral vampire on the other side she doubts a door would be enough to hold the thing back. Her friends only have her best interests at heart, though, and she knows it. It’s just… fear makes people do weird things.

It can make them act out; be cruel… or unleash a vengeful bloodthirsty warlord on the woman who took away a century of his life.

Finally Cadence steps inside. He holds the door open and she ducks under his arm to squeeze through.

“Hey Lil’.”

She has the same first thought every time: she looks like she could be sleeping. Only Lily doesn’t sleep on her back, she sleeps like a dragon in a hoard of pillow-treasure. So this must be some other girl, is always the next idea. But that’s wrong too.

This is Lily; here and real and colder than the chilly bedroom when Nadya sits on the bedside and takes one hand in hers. And no matter how much this sucks it’s better than the alternative. Nadya knows they’re doing all they can here; like driving in an endless fog.

Cadence makes quick work of propping Lily’s mouth open with the funnel and getting this over with as fast as possible. Nadya would do the same — but because that’s just plain disgusting. Her friends keep these trips short and quick because they’re all still so weak. They can only resist open, fresh-ish blood for so long.

Together they watch, and wait; and Nadya never looks away from Lily’s closed eyelids. Part of her hopes and wishes they might twitch — or better, fly open. The rest isn’t sure what exactly would open those eyes. That’s the part that keeps her quiet.

Minutes that feel like hours that feel like years later, when there’s nothing left in the bag but veins made by the plastic, the vampire takes out the funnel and gives Nadya a generous bit of space for her patience.

Nadya moves closer; leaning and tugging out a wadded fistful of tissues because there’s something so wrong about seeing her blood dribbling from Lily’s lips. “I know you didn’t wanna get blood on this jacket,” she teases, “but frankly the fact that you still have standards after wearing it underground is a ‘you’ problem.”

Her lower lip wobbles. Keeps her from saying anything more — and Nadya has so much more to say. She only wishes she could punch the words out of her stupid stuck throat.

“You just keep getting better.” There are still times where Nadya wakes up fresh from living-nightmares of Lily’s body convulsing, drenched in sweat, black disease creeping up through her body and spreading like a mold. And while they have no real guess as to whether or not Nadya’s blood is reversing the corruption, they don’t know that it’s not. They do know that it hasn’t spread any further.

That’s more than enough reason to keep trying.

A few more tissues dab away little wet spots Nadya almost thinks are sweat on her brow. But then one falls on her hand. And another. And another. So she wipes her eyes instead.

“Just keep getting better — and when we get home I promise I won’t complain about your gamefest junk food trash for a whole month. Or…” because she can feel the judgment—really she can, “like not to your face anyway.”

She doesn’t expect a response, nor does she get one. Life isn’t that easy. “Love you,” Nadya says instead, someone has to have the last word, and with one last kiss to her forehead and and Cadence leave Lily alone in the cold and the dark.

Cadence, perceptively, gives Nadya her space back in the kitchen. He busies himself with the fridge door and cabinet and then there’s a glass of apple juice in front of her that Nadya would definitely prefer to be wine. She takes it with a nonverbal shrug of thanks.

“Ahem.”

“Hm?”

“Drink.”

Don’t think — drink.

Nadya flinches at the memory. Involuntary, no doubt about it; but Cadence sees it clear as day. Doesn’t see much point in hiding the hurt that flashes dark over his eyes.

She feels bad enough about it to down the entire cup in one fell swoop.

“Sorry… about that.”

“For what?” He shrugs her off with a smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes. Nadya watches owlishly as he goes to rinse the dish out. Can’t shake the sneaking suspicion that he’s glad for any reason to keep his back turned.

“Cade.”

Who’s a little too heavy-handed putting the glass aside to dry; thankfully the bottom is solid enough that it doesn’t break but there’s always next time. Nadya waits — gives him time to compose himself and turn back around before she’ll keep going.

Instead he grasps the counter’s edge like it’s the only thing keeping him from floating off into the void of space.

“Do I sound like him?” he asks, and when his voice cracks he sags against it even more. “And please… please spare me the false confusion.”

You know exactly who I mean, is what he doesn’t say. The irony that he’d just tried to pull the same thing isn’t lost on either of them.

It’s a relief though. To not have to… ignore it.

“I don’t know what you want me to say.”

“I want an answer.”

“Well —” Nadya worries her bottom lip; finds a small chipped-off spot on the floor tile and speaks to it instead, “— I mean yes, of course you sound like him. You’re the same… you know what I’m trying to say.”

They weren’t the same, though. That’s why this is so hard on him. Why his shoulders are shaking one wrong word away from a total episode.

“You have the same voice — his accent wasn’t quite right but, uh, yeah.” He doesn’t stop her, so she doesn’t stop. “But if you’re asking me if I looked at him and couldn’t tell the difference between you two? Cadence… that was the problem. That’s what we were all struggling with. The way he talked, how he carried himself; it was all just too strange. Too much, I think.

“I couldn’t see any of you in him and it—it was scary.” I thought I’d somehow killed you. Thankfully Nadya’s able to bite that particular confession back and swallow it down. She’s hurting him enough.

Though she almost doubts it — when Cadence finally glances at her in profile. Hair covering most of his eyes but not so much that she misses the flicker of hope there.

“You’re telling the truth?”

“I’m gonna pretend that doesn’t offend me.” His look turns imploring; desperate even. “Yes, I’m telling the truth. Cynbel was a jerk — pretty much the anti-you. And… yes, he got us out of there alive and yes he helped me try to save Lily even when the others wouldn’t and—and I don’t regret any of that. Not for one second.

“But I also don’t have the words for how relieved I was to see you wake up the other day. None of us knew what would happen while you were unconscious all that time. Serafine looked close to pulling out her hair.” Two beds, two friends. And two monsters that could have come out on the other side instead.

“Even I’m not sure I really know what happened,” and everything on his face screams about just how much that worries him, “the last thing I recall clearly was being in the front hall, back at the Manor, and running forward as you were attacked. Then…”

He tries to find the words. Nadya gives him the chance because she knows what that’s like. The confusion of knowing you were awake; you were there… and then suddenly doubting everything in your head because that’s no longer the case. But Cadence comes up short, to his chagrin, and just ends up looking like a fish out of water.

She knows that pretty well, too. “It happened. Nothing we can do will change that now. So now we just…”

BANG.

Another flinch — Nadya doesn’t even realize what she’s doing until her hand is deep in her jacket pocket with the metal ridges of Cadence’s switchblade handle digging into her palm.

“I have a few more we could try,” comes Serafine’s voice from the front room, “they are… distant, but not unfriendly.”

“No, no way.”

Adrian’s sigh is soft and weary. His voice so quiet that Nadya almost doesn’t hear him at all. “Jax, it’s not like we have a ton of options.”

“We don’t need options. We need decisions!”

Great. More arguing. She and Cadence glance at one another in silence. Should we go in there? We should. Do I want to go in there? No, no I don’t, but we have to. You take Raines, I’ll take Matsuo. Ugh, fine!

The taller goes first — not that it was planned. But it gives Nadya the chance to look Serafine over without Serafine doing the same. Just as she suspected — and just as it’s been every time she thinks no one is watching — the vampiress goes on alert the moment his foot crosses the threshold. Cadence is a trooper, though, and gives her about as much attention as he would the ugly flowery wallpaper.

He turns to take up a chair; isn’t even sitting down before the look is gone from the woman’s furrowed brow. Replaced by a weary smile that instinctively checks Nadya over for signs of (more) damage. “Sounds like you three had another fruitful evening,” he remarks dryly. And gets three nasty stares for his troubles.

“You think this is a time for jokes?” she snarls. But he doesn’t bat an eye.

“I think it’s too damn depressing right now to do anything else.”

Jax resumes his pacing near the window. Nervous energy desperate for an outlet; because somehow fighting back literally hundreds of Ferals was something he could get over in a week and a half. Adrian sits leaned over in his armchair, elbows on his knees and such a crumpled, forfeiting look to his soul that Nadya feels some of it seeping into her pores.

“Adrian?”

He lifts his head with a visible effort; too heavy for him to hold high like the Adrian she knows. She’s seen this look in his eyes before — when she had been returned from Gaius’ grisly dinner party. How is it so much has happened, so much has changed, yet she still feels so helpless to make it better for him? “What can I do?”

Nothing, and they both know it. Her hand, only half-reached out in offering, slides into his. When he squeezes it’s borderline painful, but she endures. Taking a moment to gather himself, Adrian wets his lips before speaking.

“Something isn’t right. It just isn’t… I feel it,” he grabs his middle with his free hand, “in here. I’ve exhausted every resource pooled between Kamilah and I in the last hundred years. Dozens of networks, forgers, freelancers. There’s just no way they’d all be gone. Not without reason.”

Nadya lowers herself to sit on the arm of his chair. “So we still haven’t been able to get what we learned about the stake to Kamilah, then.” Their faces say it all.

“Do we have any other options?”

“Yes!”

“No, we don’t!” Adrian’s anguish hardens into anger faster than Nadya has time to process. He rounds on Jax hard and resolute. “Because that is not an option. Not after everything they’ve sacrificed.”

She peers between Serafine and Jax over Adrian’s shoulder. “What are you talking about?” And anger or not, Adrian isn’t scaring Jax off of his plan easily.

“We need to go home.”

Oh. “But…”

“But what, Nadya? What? Because you’re dead worried, just like I am, hell just like you are, Raines. We don’t know anything — and we have a pretty clear answer on how to fix that. We go back and we help them there, on the home front. And when we know we’ve got our foot in the door then we get back to this Eternal Tree and Gaius-stake. But there’s no stake in the world that will help if we lose the city in the process.”

He burns with passion and conviction. This is Jax; of course he does. Even Nadya finds herself shifting on the cushion, weighing the pros and cons of his argument. “I want to Jax—I do.” And here come the dang tears again. “But what about Lily? If things are really as chaotic in New York as Cade said —”

“— oh they are —”

“— if they are… we need to keep her somewhere steady, and try everything we can before it’s too late. We wouldn’t be able to do that.”

Nadya tries to meet his eyes but the rebel doesn’t make it easy on her. At least he’s staying silent on purpose; that means he agrees with her whether it helps his case or not.

“I can’t… keep…” Jax’s voice shakes like an earthquake, “running and abandoning the people I promised to protect.”

That same passion and conviction suck the sound out of the room; make it so his hissed anger and clenched teeth sound loud enough to make her ears ring.

“Once was too damn much. I’m not gonna do it again. Not when it makes sense to go back and fight.”

“I’m not sure it does.”

He scoffs at Serafine’s words. “Of course it doesn’t, not to you. All you European vampires know how to do is run and hide.”

Even Cadence looks at him in surprise. “I don’t think that’s really fair… the world is different here.” But he should have kept his mouth shut. Now he’s a target.

“And you sound like you’re conveniently forgetting why that is.”

“I’m not.”

“It wouldn’t be the first thing you’ve forgotten when it suited you.”

Nadya blanches. “Whoa Jax — out of line!”

“No… he’s not.” He’s rattled Cadence; that much is obvious. But unlike he had back in the kitchen, this time the man swallows it down and raises his chin high. “I read the same books you did Matsuo. And maybe I haven’t said it enough, or maybe you weren’t listening the last dozen or so times, but I couldn’t apologize to any of you more than I already have — even if I wanted to!”

He stands, towers over Jax specifically but he holds his ground. Later on — like way way later on and under better circumstances — Nadya’ll remember this and admire him for it. But right now he just looks like a moron.

“You’re angry,” Cade continues, “I get that. Fuck, do I get that. You’re a man in control of his life; his strength. You made your place in the world to spite anyone who told you that you couldn’t. But this—this anger—comes from powerlessness.”

“You don’t know shit.”

“You can’t protect the people you love. And what you can do — it’s taking too long. Try waiting a hundred goddamned years! I did everything I was supposed to and what did I get for it? I got a fat load of bullshit! I gave up a life! I gave up a wife!”

Nadya, Adrian, and Serafine all gasp. Did you know about this? Nadya gives a wide-eyed look to Adrian — but he’s just as surprised.

You’re angry. Well look who’s angry now.

Jax couldn’t care less. He snarls, fangs bared. “Are you seriously making my shit about you right now?”

And… Cadence isn’t. Cadence doesn’t. He shrinks away, all six feet of him seeming to curl in on himself. But he won’t back down.

“No, I’m telling you what you need to understand before anything more happens. Because there will be times your anger seems to come from nowhere; times where the only thing you can think, feel, bleed is a part of that rage. Of feeding it and letting it grow. But that’s all it wants from you. It wants to consume, to live. And there will come a time when you let it at the cost of everything you know is right.”

He shoves a wide hand against Jax’s chest. The man stumbles only barely. “You know what you want isn’t right, Jax. You know it puts you in power, and you know fighting will add fuel to the fire. But you also know all that will do is win you the battle and lose you the war. You’ll fight, and be angry, and still lose everything. But hey…” —stepping back, hands held up in surrender— “you fed the anger. It got what it wanted. You didn’t.”

If anything the argument could be made that Cadence’s (admittedly decent, in Nadya’s opinion) impassioned speech on anger only served to make Jax angrier. Until he surprises them all — and possibly even himself — and stands down.

His nostrils flare; the epitome of restraint.

“I can’t — no, I refuse to sit here with my thumbs up my ass for one more night. No more running around playing hide and seek with a bunch of cowards. They need to know what we know. So how do you suggest we get that in gear?

“We don’t even know if anybody’s still alive.”

“They were the last time I saw them,” says Nadya quietly; almost like an afterthought. It’s like remembering something from a long time ago. The boundaries of it blurred between the waking world and the one of dreams.

Adrian’s hand rests on her knee. “Well, yeah Nadya, we all saw them.”

Oh. She swallows around the sudden lump in her throat and looks away to hide her guilt.

“Unless…” because he’s Adrian, and Adrian knows her so well, “there’s something you’re not telling us…”

“It’s not that I was trying to hide it, I promise —” she throws a hand back towards the depths of the flat, “— I told Lily. But with everything that’s happened, and we needed to focus on Gaius and the memory of the First, and…”

“None of that matters now.” Serafine steps forward; her voice low and soft but that doesn’t make it any less commanding.

“But you need to tell us what you saw.”

Nadya nods.

It’s easier than she expected. And that’s not something she gets to say often. At first it’s a struggle to get everything right; she tells the ending like the beginning and can’t help but feel like she forgets something crucial. But like every other memory or vision once Nadya starts she finds that the words want to be spoken. The events want to be told.

Even if, in their wake, there are only more questions and the same amount of answers.

Beside her, Adrian’s got his deep-thinking face on. At least one of them is. “When was this, again?”

“I don’t know, that’s the hard part. I couldn’t get a date, or figure out if it was before or after Cade was here, or…” Her voice pitches in obvious distress. Immediately Adrian goes back to the soothing motion of running his thumb over her knuckles. It’s a big help, honestly.

“That’s okay. It’s more than we knew before.”

“The question is…” Serafine raises an eyebrow, “can you do it again?”

Can she? Nadya has no idea. This isn’t like with Serafine; she has no hands to hold. And this isn’t like with Gaius; she doesn’t have an entire library and a bloodline to help give things focus. But none of that really matters now.

“I can’t afford not to try.”

She wanders, dream-like, through the vast emptiness of the castle. Her feet feel as light as air. Nothing like the memories she’s used to — she’s already wading deep enough to drown and still can’t tell whether or not this is real.

At least Nadya is familiar with this part of the castle. The decor is changed, more deserved and tailored to fit the overall ‘modern tribute to history’ of the rest of the estate; and there are no more velvet ropes to deter curious minds from closed doors. She may not be lost but that doesn’t mean she knows where she’s going.

But Nadya doesn’t have time to doubt herself. Kamilah doesn’t have time for Nadya to doubt herself. So she lets her feet take her where she needs to go. Following the grand staircase just off of the main ballroom all the way up, then one floor more, to a set of wide double doors at the far end of the hall.

The chandelier lights catch on the nearby plaque; movement shifts in their dazzling twinkle. She whirls around, fearing for a moment for something behind her, but the corridor is abandoned. It’s just her here.

It couldn’t hurt to double-check. And she’s glad she does; Nadya catches her reflection in the sheet of polished gold and freezes in her tracks. Because that’s her reflection. Nadya’s eyes and mouth both wide with surprise. Not Kamilah’s — Nadya’s.

That can’t be good, she thinks fleetingly. But it doesn’t matter. She can’t let that stop her.

Not now.

She reaches for the gilded handle and pushes the door open to the Banner Westbrook Memorial Library.

In here, everything is exactly the same as before. From the polished display cases to the shelves lined neatly with tomes of all shapes and sizes. Muscle memory even tries to tug her away — just for a moment — and around the corner where it feels like just yesterday Adrian had healed the bruises on her neck.

Just the other day… and a lifetime ago.

But that’s not where she’s supposed to go, she’s pretty sure, and the impulse passes — easily forgotten. She keeps her feet on the path but doesn’t know where they plan on taking her. Not until she catches sight of a familiar pair of doors tucked away in a darkened corner near the back.

When Nadya enters the portrait hall, she isn’t alone. A familiar figure stands at the very end; his back turned and relaxed in a slight slouch in his gait.

Gaius doesn’t need to turn around, though. His portrait, regal and looming like a giant, does a fine job of glaring at her on its subject’s behalf.

Nadya steels her nerves and keeps moving. She comes up next to him in a way she wouldn’t dare in person. Close enough that a slight shift of her feet could knock them together; like an ‘oops, my bad’ moment on the average subway commute. Don’t ask her why she does it — she couldn’t tell you. But maybe when she looks back on it she could say it was an act of  courage. A way to prove to herself that she’s no longer the girl running scared through museum shelves, or the one who jumped away from the mere memory of him.

Beside her, Gaius shifts his weight from one foot to the other and takes a slow, rich-person-pretentious sip of the liquor in his hand. It’s jarring — no — disturbing to see him act so… normal. Even Kamilah tended to unintentionally do her best impression of a living statue when she wasn’t doing anything in particular. But save breathing, here Gaius looks like an ordinary man.

And he is neither.

“Do you remember how it felt, that first taste of the potential of your power?”

Just like that all of her fear rushes back in icy floodwaters. Forget wading, she’s outright drowning. From the inside, somehow. Like it’s taken hold of her veins and filled up her belly and throat and now with nowhere to go but back down into her lungs.

What are you doing? You’re not really here, remember?

Oh, her…self… actually makes a really good point. She’s not really here. Gaius is alone — though she’d been aiming for a memory involving Kamilah and this is definitely very much not that but if she can’t get one simple thing right she might as well return to the others with something. Information on Gaius’ plans, movements, acts will have to do.

So… wait. Who is he talking to then?

Gaius waits, and waits, and waits for an answer that doesn’t seem to be coming. So unless the painting is going to start talking —

Then he looks down at her. At Nadya, not through her, and all bets are well and truly fucking off.

She backs away fast, practically tripping under her own feet until her sweating palms collide with the texture of dried oil paint of some vampire she doesn’t recognize. Who cares about any other vampire — Gaius can see her. How the hell can he see her?!

Gaius who just watches, cool and impassive, and clucks his tongue when she jostles the frame at her back. “Careful now, Nadya, that piece was the work of a master painter—and a dear friend. I would hate for your clumsiness to ruin it from so far away.”

So far away… “I’m… not really here?” The same mantra, but now, aloud, she’s uncertain. He’s not exactly the agreeing type.

“Of course not. How would such a thing be possible?”

“I’ve seen… a lot of impossible things lately.”

That earns Nadya a hint of a smile around the lip of his glass. “No doubt you have. Paris has always been a city of unimaginable wonders; wonders that pay no mind to the realms of dark and light. And with someone as well-traveled as our dear Serafine to show you around? Oh you must have been having such a wonderful little trip.”

She wants to shut down, to find the remote and turn this awful show off; to reach out and see if she can grab his throat like she can the painting frame and squeeze like that would do her any good.

But there are are a lot of things Nadya wants. She wants Lily to be better with the snap of a finger. She wants Lily and Mari to be able to hold each other again, wants Kamilah in the safety of her arms and vice versa. She wants Cadence to find peace and Jax to find purpose and Serafine and Adrian to get back to the way they had been before the dumb trip down to the dumb crypts.

Just because she wants something doesn’t mean she’ll get it, though. Not without a fight.

So no matter how much she wants to take off running (mentally, physically, psychically) back to Paris and the others and away from Gaius, who knows where they are and who they asked for help and knows exactly how scary that is to think about — she can’t yet.

Not without a fight.

Nadya knows full-well she can’t outwit him in word games. So she defaults to a classic man-deterrent — she straight-up ignores whatever he says.

“If I’m not really here, how can you see me?” How can you talk to me? Why aren’t you currently killing me? The important questions.

Her deflection doesn’t go unnoticed. Gaius is too good for that.

“You tell me.”

“Wow, you’re so original.” She replies, and gives possible the most dramatic eye roll of her life. He doesn’t even flinch. Darn it.

Instead Gaius shrugs it off. “I would have thought that by now you were tired of being on the sidelines of your own life.”

“I don’t know what that means.”

“Really?” His face falls in mock sympathy. “You don’t find some truth to the sentiment? Or are you as blind in the mind as you are in the eye — to the repeated pattern of events that constantly spiral out of control but never fail to pluck you up into the chaos as they go?”

Nadya keeps her back up against the wall; somewhere safe where no one can sneak up behind her. Gaius is dangerous enough no matter where he is. “You know… I’ve had kind of a long week. I’m really not in the mood for your weird word puzzles.”

“They aren’t puzzles. I couldn’t speak any plainer if I tried.”

“Then I really feel bad for anyone who has to talk to you for longer than five minutes —” —a beat— “— myself included.”

“Maybe this will give you clarity, then. Aren’t you tired, Nadya Al Jamil, of having the events of your life told to you? It seems to be the only constant, to the outside observer.”

Which makes her snort a little too loudly. “I hope you aren’t talking about yourself. Most of the crap going on right now is your fault anyway.”

“I know,” he inclines his head, “so I ought to know better than anyone, wouldn’t you say?”

Nadya doesn’t say — but they both know why that is. He’s right. “I’ll give due credit to your natural curiosity. You’re always asking questions — not necessarily the right ones, or at the right time — but your take initiative to seek out the knowledge you need. But you never really seem to find it for yourself, do you. You simply fumble along on your fragile little mortal body until someone comes along and takes you by the hand. It’s convenient… I’ll give you that too.

“But if there’s one thing I’ve come to loathe about this new century; the age of technology and modern conveniences, is exactly that. Because convenience breeds laziness; breeds contentment and expectation.” His upper lip curls — and just like that his charming little smile becomes a wicked discontent.

“Here and now you wait on bated breath for me to just tell you the answer. You are the driving force behind everything—everything that has happened and all the things yet to come. Our little tête-à-tête included… but you do not so much as lift a finger to seek your own truths. You would rather they be given to you.”

It’s funny — here Nadya had been ready to accept that this will be the best she gets out of her attempt to breach the psychic barrier and find Kamilah, and to maybe give Gaius a few rousing sassy jabs she wouldn’t dare be brave enough to say in person while she’s at it. But she’s not the one doing the jabbing. Short, sharp and shallow wounds that make her red in the face with her fists balled up tight at her sides.

“You have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Well, no, that’s entirely false. I know everything about you, my little Bloodkeeper. Even things you don’t know about yourself.” Gaius’ eyes flicker red then, so quick and subtle that Nadya doesn’t think he’s even aware it happened.

“Especially things you don’t know about yourself.”

Her face burns hotly. “And that’s my fault? I didn’t choose to be this. Actually — that was you who chose for me.”

“You can tell yourself that if it helps. Though I can’t say denial makes for the strongest of moral codes.”

“You wouldn’t know a moral code if it poked you in the butt.” Did she really just say that?

The same question is written across his brow as it arches high, dark and neat.

“So when you abandoned the city you yearn so desperately to protect, was that a part of your morals?” No… he’s not… “When you willingly turned tail to run; when you left your friends, family, and… those you feel affection for behind. All part of this upstanding moral code of yours?”

He’s baiting her. Voice lilting, little finger tapping mutely against the side of his tumbler. The picture of easy breezy conversation and he knows it.

She won’t stoop to his level. Nadya answers him honestly; “No, and to tell you the truth I’d give up a lot to have never gotten on that plane. But I shouldn’t have had to leave. Your vision — your perfect vampire world — it’s impossible. I wouldn’t have needed to leave her behind, Gaius, if you weren’t so hell-bent on following in the crazy footsteps of a madwoman.”

The glass shatters in Gaius’ grip. Thin little lines of blood seeping through the crevices in his fist, drip-dripping down onto the no doubt expensive and antique floor runner. His hand snaps open like a trap, and the last shards of broken glass fall from his unmarked hand.

There isn’t a fleck of light left in his eyes.

“Watch your tongue.” And for just a moment, or a shadow of one, Nadya swears she can hear the tiny waver in his voice. Not enough to matter, or be symbolic of anything. But enough to prove a point.

In that shadow of a moment he’s not Gaius, King of Vampires; he’s Gaius, Rheya’s devoted Soldier. Powerless to save her and always—forever—too far away.

Nadya dares to step forward. “Why,” she challenges, “did I say something wrong?” Gaius raises his chin, looks down on her more than he already is; classic power move and she sees right through it.

“Because I don’t think I did. It’s your fault we had to leave, which means it’s your fault Kamilah had to stay behind, and all of it because you’ve spent three thousand years following some version of Rheya’s crazy plan — her failed plan to boot.”

“You know nothing of which you speak.”

“What does that make me then,” she asks, “Am I a blasphemer, Gaius, because I don’t blindly follow the Church of the First Vampire?”

Gaius’ voice rings in her ears. Not the one here in front of her; he doesn’t have the passion for it. But the Soldier, righteous in that cave and ever-loyal at Her side. She’s hearing a memory.

“Blasphemer!” Echoing out in her mind; filling her with conviction.

“Traitor.”

“Is Kamilah a traitor for what she did to you? Not locking you away — that didn’t matter. But she was supposed to be your Queen… until she wasn’t.”

“Insolent little —”

“Coward!”

“Oh no you don’t — I’m not done yet.” She actually interrupts him; even Nadya has a hard time believing it. But that’s nothing compared to Gaius, who looks like he’s just been run over.

“And Adrian too, right? Because you and I both know he was never as loyal a Soldier to you as you were to Her. Then again—talk about high standards. Why do you think that is? Why did you try to build a Soldier only to end up with a coward?”

His crystalline eyes go wide. This close Nadya can see the whites all the way around; the hint of the tip of his fangs between parted lips. This time it’s the King of Vampires who steps away, not the little mortal girl. But with the same traces of fear lingering in the air.

And Nadya? She has absolutely no regrets.

Well… maybe one or two. Especially when, finally, Gaius smiles.

“I see.” He shouldn’t be smiling. That doesn’t stop him. “That’s a very… unique selection of words Nadya. Paris has made you quite the young poet from the sound of it.”

She swallows audibly. Where the heck did that confidence go, and can it come back?

“It’s a beautiful city,” she agrees though every word is laced with caution like a thin film of arsenic, “I found it especially helpful in jogging some old memories.”

“I look forward to hearing more about them.”

“Uh…” Suddenly it almost hurts to look at him; like he’s burning alive inside — a sun in flesh. Nadya looks around desperate but in vain; the only eyes that stare back are frozen in time and place. Not even the familiar face beside Isseya’s stoic likeness can help her now.

“I don’t plan on staying — I shouldn’t even be here to begin, so...” You know.

Oh, he knows. There it is; knowing shining through all across his face. It occurs to Nadya then, when it might be two seconds shy of too late, that she’s the one out of the loop.

“Maybe not tonight, but I have every confidence I’ll be seeing you very soon.”

He looks like his soul is on fire but that doesn’t change the fact that the hand he reaches up to brush a thumb across Nadya’s cheek isn’t anything other than ice cold. He whispers, like an afterthought; “And with so much for you and I to catch up on… after all these years.”

Gaius can touch her.

Gaius can touch her.

Nadya makes a run for it. Sprinting back down the length of the room to the doors both barely hanging ajar. What am I doing? I need to wake up. How do I do that? Figure that out later! RUN NOW!

Holding her hands out in front of her, Nadya prepares to scramble a flight to safety — and collides with solid stone instead. A stone that grips her upper arms, feels her shaking, and looks down with ancient, distant eyes riddled with confusion.

“Nadya? But how —” Valdas cuts himself off before he can fully ask, and looks between her and the approaching Gaius with uncertainty. Realization comes over him and eclipses the muted melancholy; a shadow over the moon.

Nadya would have struggled if she had the time. But things are always moving a little too fast for her these days. And here, in this semi-reality where she’s both at Marcel’s castle in New York and in the apartment in Paris, is no exception.

As it is, she barely manages to wrench one arm from his grasp before the Trinity vampire tugs her by the other. His breath and the whiskers of his beard tickle in her ear. “Remember what I told you—” Then the scrape of millennia-old callouses on fingertips presses at her temple.

Nadya’s eyes fly open. The sting of unshed tears finds release, warm tracks carving into her cheeks. She wishes one would warm the place where Gaius had touched her cheek, but wishes don’t always come true.

She can still feel it. Still see the details in his irises, and that awful light glinting in his eyes.

“I don’t like that face.”

Jax’s surly comment brings her back. Back from where she doesn’t know — doesn’t want to. All she knows is she’s back, all four limbs and ten fingers that wind their way into the fabric of Adrian’s jacket and refuse to let go.

“Hey, hey,” he shushes her; pets her head slow just like Lily would, “you’re okay, you’re okay now. You’re back here, you’re okay.”

He’s stayed kneeling by her side this whole time, apparently. Not just a tether to Kamilah and home but to Nadya herself. Right now Adrian’s hand on top of her head might be the only thing keeping her from dissipating into oblivion.

Serafine is in the same seat across the table; looking like she doesn’t know what to make of Nadya in this state. Join the club sister.

“There is — hein, where are you going?!”

Just like she had in the portrait hall, Nadya takes off without looking back. Her limbs prickle, angry pins and needles demanding she slow down. But she can’t. She’s still… not here, not here, not anything. But in all she doesn’t know, the one thing she does is easily plucked from the air.

“I need a window.”

“Oh, I think she might be sick.” Says Cadence with an audible cringe. Nadya ignores him.

“A window! Now!”

She’s been wandering this apartment like a ghost for the last week and a half; she knows where the windows are. But between her sleepy limbs and the feeling of drowning in her own lungs it takes Nadya more than a little effort to find them.

“Open the damn window, Raines!”

“Jax, I swear —”

But Adrian puts his frustration aside — for her. For his worry for her. In a blurred step he passes her by and unlatches the window, pushing it out wide open for her the moment she arrives at the ledge. Nadya collides with the sill hard enough to knock the wind (and nonexistent watery fear) from her lungs; leaving her breathless.

“What do you think you’re doing, foolish girl?” Serafine keeps going, keeps scolding her — but she’s just wasting her voice. It buzzes like a fly in Nadya’s ear; fading, fading, then gone altogether. All of their questions, guesses, demands end the same way.

Pure silence. She shreds through it with her tongue like a knife.

“He said he’d be seeing me ‘very soon.’”

Her friends exchange similar glances. Worry on fear on an understanding because who else would she be talking about? There’s only one man that makes sense.

“That’s not possible Nadya.” Adrian tries his best to reassure her — but his own hand betrays him. This time it rests on her far less steady.

“Moreover it’s not happening. So why don’t we close the window, get something in your stomach, and…”

His voice trails off; watching, transfixed, as Nadya lifts her arm out from the window. Her finger pointed to the slumbering outer-city streets below.

A tiny red light moves in the darkness, flickering and spluttering on its dying breath. The cigarette filter serves one last inhale before being tossed in a small arc to the pavement underfoot.

A sleek, expensive shoe comes down and grinds the last of the embers into powder.

She doesn’t recognize the man — but she doesn’t need to know who he is; what he is shown in red eyes that flash and fade back to the play-act of a mortal. His shoes are dark, his suit is dark; the close-cropped and almost military shave of his hair is dark, too.

But not his smile. That is warm, inviting even in the black of night. Like the cherry-end of a cigarette.

The woman who comes up beside him, though — there’s no mistaking her.

Isseya looks up first. Locking gazes with Nadya, no searching needed. The sickening truth right before their very eyes. They knew we were here.

Gaius’ laughter still thrums in her blood. His words burrow deep in the marrow of her bones.

“I have every confidence I’ll be seeing you very soon.”

[chaeryybomb]

JUNE COMEBACKS REVIEW

BLACKPINK: HOW YOU LIKE THAT

ngl I’m kinda sad bc a lot of y’all don’t like the song ;-; but I can’t do anything about it since it’s your opinion so

but I hope that people know the difference between hating and giving criticism saying the song sucks and that it’s trash music is straight up music

I can get why people are disappointed with the song since everyone wanted almost the same thing, “jennie getting a rap part”, “jisoo saying blackpink in your area” and a high note from rosé

personally I really like the song, to me it’s not the same as dddd and ktl tbh I think it’s different

plus I kinda expected it to be like that bc their songs usually follow that yg style ya know the only songs I say that don’t follow that stereotypical yg style is “love scenario”, “stay” and AKMU’s songs

i mean if you compare the song with other yg artists song, they all have the same vibe to it because of the “yg style” we always say

the song also gives me nct and skz vibes too, like specifically “punch” and “side effects” bc of the heavy edm and also bc their songs has been called noise before dhshd

but enough of that

I really like how the song starts calmly in the beginning and then it starts to be more aggressive

also I like the fact that each of the girls get a chance to say “how you like that”

lisa’s rap????? y e s

personally I feel like this time it had more of a fairer distribution, including lines and center parts

like jisoo actually gets some center parts in the dance break and chorus

i also really like the outfits this era, especially the modernized hanboks! though I have mix feelings about the pink wig dhshdh

speaking of hair, jennie!! she fucking dyed her hair!!!

and rosé is no longer blonde dhsjdj

the parts I found weird is when rosé says “look up in the sky it’s a bird it’s a plane” i have no idea how that fits in the song so

and the “dumdudurum” part at the end, it sounds out of place, like especially after it the song ends

i also think that this is their best choreography! right next to don’t know what to do

overall, I really like the song, if you don’t it’s fine! hylt has the most aesthetic mv’s I’ve seen and the outfits are so much better and it has been said that BLACKPINK’s old stylist left the company in January no not maeng

lisa’s fur coat outfit reminds me of yeji’s outfit in wannabe

would I say that hylt is their best song? no, I think playing with fire was their best song but it’s not a terrible song either

another I like is jisoo owning this era, say what you want, hylt is Jisoo’s era period.

STRAY KIDS: GOD’S MENU

what even is a concept anymore

we all thought it was going to be some street racer concept

buT NO

it’s a kung fu panda concept dhshdh

felix!!! my baby has lines !!!!

his demonic voice is bACK

hyunjin’s blond hair 😭😭

what the fUCK

the way he tied it up in a ponytail, like sir that is diSRESPECTFUL he really is jaebum’s son huh

okay okay on to the song

it honestly shocked me so much, like the rap parts were so aggressive like and the vocals are kinda angelic???

i really really like the pre-chorus, seungmin’s voice is just so !!!!! i also like seungmin+i.n’s little duet after felix’s part

spEAKING OF FELIX’S PART

“looking like a chef I’m a five star Michelin” bro that part is lowkey demonic looking in the dance

like mans pulled his knees up and put his hands through them while looking directly at you

does that not look demonic to you??? my friend said it reminded her of a spider dhshdhr

also the “dududu” part instantly reminded me of bp’s dddd dhshd like can someone edit a part of bp going “oh wait till I do when I hit you with that” and cuts to skz “DUDUDU”

the fact that no one has done it yet astounishes me

also what the fuck is that chain thing on Chan’s face, who put it there and why dhshd

bless whoever gave changbin dual contacts lens

AND WHO GAVE JEONGIN SLEEVELESS SHIRTS WHO ALLOWED THAT DHSHD

at first I found the choreography a bit funny bc they added like cooking gestures to it dhshd, like stirring the pot in the chorus but my favorite part of the dance is changbin’s part

the entire album was a bop okay, the fact that “god’s menu” wasn’t even the title track and they decided to change it, the fact that jyp has so much TRUST in bang chan also we get to see chan and sana being best friends uwu

“pacemaker” is literally “my pace” 2020 ver dhshd it even has the “nananana” part!

my favorites from the album is “TA”, “blueprint” and “haven”!!

also “easy”,,,, chan what did u do that it can’t be performed in shows

TWICE: MORE & MORE

wow girl groups are really being criticized this month huh

if y’all don’t know what happened with twice, a lot of people are criticizing twice for not singing live during their encore stages

a lot of them are especially going after momo

I’ve watched their encore stages and I don’t know why people are saying they sound bad???? maybe they need a better vocal coach but the fact that people are taking advantages of the situation just to hate on them smh

a n y w a y s

the song definitely gives a whole lot of “dtna” vibes bc of the tropical concept, its like “dtna” but the mature version

if “dance the night away” had an older sister, it would be “more & more”

also I really like the eve & adam concept, “more & more” is also another “creepy”ish song that is hidden behind a catchy tune, like “yes or yes” where ppl think it’s a cute song but the lyrics says otherwise

okay actually writing this out, it’s mv has “dtna” vibe but the song is so much like “yes or yes”

if you read the lyrics, the girls are basically saying that “no matter how hard you try to hide, you’re going to be mine again”

even in dahyun’s rap she says “I’m naturally selfish, I’m sorry if you didn’t know” and “you will fall for me, you can’t say no no”

it’s almost the same as her part in “yes or yes” where she says “there is no letters n and o” dhshdh sorry this becam a whole theory

back the real song review, I’m so glad that momo got a dance break! I think that this is their fairest line distribution yet. jeongyeon got her lines, dubchaeng got their rap parts and momo has a lot of center parts!!

and the girls look so much happier during their promotions especially tzuyu! she was smiling so much, maybe it’s because mina is with them and I’m so happy they get to perform as nine again

i really like their choreography and the part where they do the chest bounce is really satisfying idk why dhsdh

plus jeongyeon got better outfits this era cough feel special era cough

overall, I really like this comeback and it’s nice that nayeon got the high notes this time instead of jihyo

IZ*ONE: SECRET STORY OF THE SWAN

oh boy this is definitely my favorite song of this month

it’s so much different than their other songs!!!

and there’s so much to go on about!

wonyoung, minju, sakura and hyewon literally improved so much. im so proud of them !!!

hyewon, nako and sakua getting to sing the chorus??? y e s

chaeyena rap parts????? y e s

chaeyeon getting a dance break AND a high note???? Y E S

my favorite parts is eunbi+chaewon pre chorus wow I have a thing for pre choruses don’t I dhsh

i will say that this song vies the girls the chance to show how much they’ve improved throughout the eras, especially the j-line and visual line since a lot of people said they didn’t belong in izone

wonyoung and yujin's expressions are really on point as well

and yena's hip move dhshdhs

it's also rlly cute how eunbi throws confetti at her part dhshd

it’s refreshing to see how the girls improved

unfortunately, izone will be disbanding this year ;-; this is why I never liked the produce series

but we do have some ideas what will happen to the members though, we all know yena will be added into everglow, i having a feeling that eunbi and chaeyeon will be debuting as a soloist, they have so much potential plus the radiate chungha energy

nako, hitomi and sakura would most likely return to Japan, although I see sakura staying in korea to pursue an acting career and hitomi as a producer since she wrote some of izone’s songs

yuri might debut as a solo or debut in a new girl group as main vocalists, the same goes for chaewon

i see minju and hyewon going into acting careers and CF contracts, the same as kang mina, especially since minju is now an mc for music core

whereas for wonyoung and yujin, their both still young so I think they’ll finish school before re-debuting in groups plus yujin will be attending sopa

especially wonyoung, we all know that she’s actually really smart and is good at academics, i also think she might do modeling work, she fits the criteria

i also kinda see yujin pursuing an acting career because she will be in the theatre and film department in sopa. unless starship is going to debut a new girl group, I hope that yujin can debut as a soloist instead

WEKI MEKI: OOPSY

*inhales*

LUCY AND LUA FINALLY GETTING THE LINES THEY D E S E R V E D

I’m so happy dhshdhhs

also lua fits the short hairstyle so much, I’ve literally fallen for her help I can’t get up

as much as I love yoojung, it’s nice to see lucy rapping

the song is very catchy, I especially like rina’s part in the second verse of the song

i also love the “wolf & hunter” concept for the album

like the pictures were very beautiful, I also like how they use white for the wolves and black for the hunters, it’s like painting the hunters at the bad guys and the wolves as the good guys

I am in love with Lucy, Lua and Sei’s “nonono” part in the chorus

and the choreography for the chorus too

as much as I love elly’s blue hair, she slays in black hair dhshd I

I really love their outftis this era, i like how it’s all pants for the girls too

my favorite outfits are the black outfits from the gif

overall, this is definitely their fairest line distribution cough tika taka and dazzle dazzle cough

NATURE: GIRLS

this is my second favorite song of the month

I love the whole horror concept and I also like the fact that they released the uncensored version of the mv

it’s give the song much more of the horror vibe

I’m new to Nature and as far as I know, a member is stuck in China and another member sat out due to an injury. please correct me if I’m wrong

the outfits might be simple, but it fits so right with the song, I prefer the white dresses over the black ones

it kinda gives out the feeling that the girls are like asylum patients ya know, whereas the black dresses gives out that the girls are rich daughters that were sent away

I really like LU and Haru’s parts

the dance is also kinda a simple but it looks great!

overall, I hope that Nature will do this concept again, actually I hope to see more groups do this kind of concepts more

WAYV: TURN BACK TIME

did this comeback scare me? yes yes it did

bro the teasers were so scARY

yangyang was literally laughing like a mANIAC

MANS WAS IN AN ASYLUM OKAY

their teasers gave me so much suicide squad vibes

also, why the fuck were 4/7 members not wearing shiRTS

sm do you have a shirt shortage??? I’m sure nctzens are more than happy to donate some shirts to you

okay anyways, I’ve always liked wayv’s sci-fi concept, I don’t know if the mv’s are connected or not but I think they are

“take off” is them basically flying away from earth and they landed in space in “moonwalk” and it seems they have been captured in “turn back time”

very inch resting dhshd

listen, I may be chinese but I can’t understand 70% of the song because of how fast it goES

so with that saying, yANGYANG DID NOT COME TO PLAY

his rap was amazing !!!! he is definitely one of sm’s best rappers along with taeyong and mark

my favorite part is lucas and hendery’s rap parts and then it switches to xiaojun and yangyang + kun, ten and xiaojun getting highnotes

the dance break is so satisfying to watch too

“stop, rewind, turn back time” and “5432” part is so satisfying

also I’m really impressed with how fast LabelV responded when fans pointed out that some of the outfits had offensive phrases in them, they took the time to edit it out of the teasers and the mv, cheers to them

also! i find it funny that wayv released the Korean version of “turn back time” but all of us were much more shocked at the fact that Ten got another cat dhshd

SEVENTEEN: LEFT & RIGHT

first of all, dokyeom looks so gOOD IN THE MV

second of all, vernon and wonwoo’s “hana dul set” will forever be iconic

third, seungcheol is back 😭😭

just like twice, they get to perform as 13 again dhsjdsn

AND THEY LOOK SO HAPPY DURING THIS ERA TOO

LIKE HAVE YOU SEEN WONWOO?? HE’S SUCH A SMILEY BABY with his orange mic dhshd

also if y’all don’t have tiktok, svt has been doing the “left & right” with so many other idols including chungha and apink’s naeun!

haha joshua hong and wen junhui being real disrespectful with those sleeveless shirts

bonus point we got svt x nct china line + mark and joshua interaction at music bank

their choreography looks so fun too dhshd

the entire comeback is so cute and colorful

my favorite parts are vernon and seungcheol’s rap parts

also vernon be rocking that greaser style

their new album is so versatile, like, “fearless”, “left & right”, “kidult” and “my my”?? who’s doing it like seventeen

i love their new songs so much especially “kidult”

overall, I really really love this comeback

WJSN: BUTTERFLY

I couldn’t find a group scene gif pls forgive me

let me say, I am absolutely in love with the concept, the outfit concept for this is so creative, I don’t know if any other groups have done it before but !!

their outfits evovle like a butterfly!!

at first, the outfits were plain pastel colours but they slowly become more detailed and colourful throughout the stages, like a caterpillar to a butterfly!

center yeoreum!!!

and dayoung looks so pretty in short hair 🥺

and again, as far as I know, the Chinese members are in China, two of them are apart of the Chinese group Rocket Girl and I think Chengxiao recently returned to Korea

I really like their ending pose where their hands are in the butterfly gesture and the “wings” are slowly flapping

and how their arms represent their wings during the chorus

by far one of the moor creative comebacks in my opinion

also, it’s nice to hear soobin doing the high note instead of yeonjung, let yeonjung rest her voice once in a while ya know

SUNMI: PPORAPPIPAM

THE QUEEN IS BACKKK

also wonder girls reunion uwu

the teaser gave me so much "barbie: island princess" vibes so the entire mv was not what I expected

at all

the mv literally describes sunmi a lot, she basically does whatever the fuck she wants like when she posted that pic of jyp on instagram dhshdhs

it’s so funny especially the scene where sunmi is wearing the teletubbies head

and at the end when she wakes up and goes back to sleep is just a mood lmao

something about the song really gives me a lot of “siren” vibes but happier???

i really like the way she pronounces “pporappipam” it took me one week to finally pronounced it dhshd

idk why but I really like the instrumental, especially the intro, it’s very melancholic

also she wears converse while performing the song bc she has to step on the dancers at one part !!

speaking of that part, it’s so cool!!! the way she climbs up the dancers like stairs and then she just trust-falls into their arms

[rebsrebsrebsrebs]

On anon bc im shy,, for the oc/mc matchup? If youre still taking them—Caden Rosandth, he/him, and still coming into terms that he's bi. Grew up in a household of girls so the household responsibilities stuck to him, enjoys basketball, and radiates this dense big brother vibes , , he also likes dogs

I pair Caden with Valonriel (aka Val)!

Val knows Jack and Shit about sports, but she will be his best cheerleader!

If Caden learned anything about gardening, he's in luck, Val has always wanted one of her own. She also wants to run a flower shop. Floristry dreams.

They both can and should get a dog or several together. That dog will be SO SPOILED

Val had a struggle with her bisexuality too so she's there to be a helping hand. She'll listen to any of his feelings and validate that he is definitely still bi, even when he's interested in a woman.

She's also very patient, so when he's having a day where he's a little more dense than usual she'll stay patient and make sure she's being clear.

Val would love to meet his family! If he's on good terms with them, of course.

[fiore-region-appreciation]

Out of all four base leaders...

-Cameron is the oldest, I always had him as being in his early 40s. I also feel he's the only one with a family too, like he just radiates dad vibes, he totally has a wife and two kids by the start of the game.

-Joel is second oldest, I generally have him in his mid 30s or so.

-Elita is next, not sure where I put her since I hc she was in school the same time Spenser was, but they were a good few years apart. Like I have her as nearing graduation by the time he enrols. Maybe early 30s.

-Spenser is the youngest by a good shot, I'd say mid/late 20s. I generally hc him as a bit of a prodigy when it came to Rangering, and was rank 10 within a year of joining and a Top Ranger before he turned 20 (tbh unless SoA says otherwise I hc him as the youngest Top Ranger before the SoA MC came along, and even then I have the age gap being VERY tight, like a matter of months)

You can definitely tell who I have the most hc for 🤣

[ijustshipmyself]

hello! would i be able to request a group summary of snsd? i keep meaning to get into them, but i end up intimidated by the amount of members! thank you in advance!

Intro to Girls’ Generation

Seo Joohyun  (Seohyun)

June 28, 1991

Okay, first of all, and this is very, very important, she is the sweetest of all sweethearts.  She is in the purest form, demure, soft, and polite.  I really love how she has this melodic sweet little, soft spoken voice, but when she sings there’s so much power.  The best maknae tbh.  Adorable~ Once she tried to pull a prank on her members by making kimbap for them and hiding wasabi in it.  She was so nervous and wound up telling them before they ate it, and apologised.  Another time, it was this poor bb’s birthday, and her members thought it would be funny to prank her and make her cry (because she cries fairly easily).  The entire prank was orchestrated by SooYoung, that snake.

That’s not to say she’s childish or baby-like in the slightest.  She’s very independent and strong.  She has this unshakable motivation and high passion in everything she pursues.  She says that’s something she values in others, as well.  To know what they want, and to be willing to put in every last effort they have to achieve it.    She’s kind of a “maknae mom” in a sense.  At least, I consider her the mom of SNSD.  She’s very responsible and tries to ensure that the other girls are well taken care of and out of trouble.

Also she’s a damn amazing pianist, listen to this from when she was just a fetus.

Im Yoona

May 30, 1990

Dork #2, partner in crime of Kwon Yuri.  Those two, whenever seen together, are always being such losers.  But, honestly, Yoona is a loser 100% of the time.  You can see some of her being her precious little self right here if you’d like.  I never see her not giggling.  She really loves pranks, but she’s really bad at them because she sucks at lying.  Because she’s always giggling.  (In the prank I described above where they made Seohyun cry, Yoona had to go hide in a room because she was laughing too hard).

Yoona is just a really charming person.  She seems to get along so easily with everyone she meets.  She’s really close with most everyone in the SM family.  She’s just so bright and agreeable.  I doubt she has any bad bone in her body.  She’s just a sweet lil softy.

Choi SooYoung

February 10, 1990

Actor and model and former member of Japanese pop duo, Route 0, in her teenage years.  She’s just so well rounded tbh.  She’s super, super charismatic.  Every word she says draws me in.  She seems like the type of person that can befriend and vibe with most anyone.  She’s a really good conversationalist, adn really just the way she talks and tells stories.  One of the reasons she’s been my bias since 2010.  

She’s also just so, so funny.  With such a sarcastic sense of humour.  And savage.  Notice 80% of this video is Choi Sooyoung.  She can come back with a quip so fast that you may get whip lash, and it’s perfect.  She’s never held a conversation with someone without making them laugh, probably.  And she likes pranking others.  Not in the “putting wasabi in your kimbap” way, but the “hey girls let’s see if we can make Seohyun cry” way.  Because she likes to utilize those amazing acting skills.  Also, #1 Brad Pitt fan.

Kwon Yuri

December 5, 1989

Dork #1.  The first of the dorks.  The dorkiest of the dorks.  And thusly my #2 bias.  As seen here.  And oh my goodness, when she’s with Yoona, she’s an even bigger dork.  (The two of them dubbed themselves YoonYul).  I love the sunshine Yuri radiates.  She has such a gorgeous smile and laugh.  And she has this thing where she’s always just dancing around, skipping along.

But everyone is always picking on her~  Not really the other girls of SNSD, but fans and show hosts and others.  They pick on her for dark skin and smile lines and are always so quick to point it out if she gains weight.  Leave my girl alone.  Let her live and be sunshine.  

Kim Hyoyeon

September 22, 1989

TALENT!!!!!!! this girl has talent exuding from every pore. She puts in so much vigor and fervour and diligence and passion into everything she does.  During her trainee years at SM, they had her in dance rehearsals with the male trainees because of how much she pushed herself and how strong her natural skills were.  One of my favourite things is this performance she did with Exo’s Kai and Lay, even though it still doesn’t show off her full skill.

And her personality is just as radiant.  Her humour is what I find most notable.  She doesn’t really make all too many jokes or things of that sort, but she’s definitely not afraid to put herself out there and be weird.  She really seems to enjoy making other people laugh.

Stephanie Hwang (Tiffany)

August 1, 1989

The first thing I always notice about Tiffany is that she has such a pleasant, feminine charm.  Which has nothing to do with her obsession with the colour pink.  She just has this natural thing about her that makes you want to like open doors for her and pay the bill and be a chivalrous gentleman, and I’m a girl.  If you have any idea what that means lol.  I noticed she often does this adorable little thing as she just walks around; she dances around a bit and just speaks all sing-songy.  Like she just sings little things about what she’s doing in cute little tunes, or sings aloud whatever song is in her head.  Everything she does is just naturally adorable.  Just look at her.

At SNSD’s beginning, she seemed very shy and a bit reserved.  I’m pretty sure that’s mainly because Korean is her second language, so she wasn’t as comfortable speaking it. Even when she didn’t talk as much though, she was always giggling and nodding and fairly often tried to speak.  Her other members always had to help her convey what she was trying to say to other people, though.  But as her Korean improved, she’s gotten so talkative.  She was always talkative in English.  Like she was always very “West Coast Represent” LA Vibes type, if you know what I’m saying.  Very cheerful and chill.

Lee Soonkyu (Sunny)

May 15, 1989

Aegyo queen.  And she knows it.  She’s always so whiny too lol.  Her aegyo is Sooyoung’s nemesis.  Honestly, I should make a compilation of the SNSD members gagging/beating her for her overt cuteness. I don’t even know if she’s intentionally being cute lol; just very often things that she says and does are very aegyo.  According to the other girls, even though Sunny doesn’t notice it, when she sees a cute boy, she turns into Super Aegyo Soonkyu. But despite these powers of adorability, she’s so bold and strong.  

My favourite moment of her is one time when an MC kept pestering them about plastic surgery or something along those lines, she told him that their music has nothing to do with their faces.  Preach, my love.  She seems to take charge of situations fairly often like that.  Like on Hello Baby (which if you have the time, you should watch them on), she won the title of “Best Mom” almost every week. Even though she makes fun of all of the other girls a lot, she’s got a heart big enough to care for them.  

Jessica Jung

April 18, 1989

I know she left but I’m going to include her anyways I’m sorry

Ice Princess.  Sleeping Queen.  She’s a sweet heart with a resting bitch face.  She seems really cold (and I suppose she may be a little, because she looks 100% done with everything and everyone 50% of the time), but she’s v soft, I think.  She gives off mean girl vibes, but she’s a weakling and a dear.  Like a sheep in wolf’s clothing.  She’s said before that she doesn’t particularly like the “Ice Princess” nickname all too much, because she doesn’t mean to give up negative vibes, that’s just her natural appearance. 

She seems to squeal a lot.  Like when she isn’t being quiet and icy, she’s really fun.  I think she’s just not super duper out-going.  Her personality shows really well when she interacts with the other girls.  #1 Cucumber h8r.  Also, if you’ve not yet looked at her solo music, do so now.  

Kim Taeyeon

March 9, 1989

Voice from heaven.    Very powerful for such a small girl.

She’s compaarable to an old lady, I think, but she’s still v cute.  She’s much calmer than the other girls for the most part and has a quieter sense of humour.  Like in this video.  She and Tiffany are like best friends.  They’re seriosuly always together.  She’s also very well liked wide across the SM family.  And is a huge supporter of her daughters in Red Velvet.  Look how cute.

With a lot of the drama in recent years, she gives me some pretty diva vibes.  But I’ll just tell you to look into all of that yourself and form your own opinion.  If you know nothing about that though, feel free to message me and I’ll reply in private or something if you’d like.  Sometimes I worry a bit that she likes her solo promotions better than promoting with SNSD.  Not because she doesn’t enjoy Girls’ generation or anything, but she seems to really like being able to have mature concepts by herself that show off her skills completely.  

Disclaimer down here, these are all my own impressions of the girls.  I highly encourage you to get into Soshi and form your own opinions of the girls, because they’re all truly wonderful.  

If you need some more catalysts to get into them, you can watch them here on Running Man.  It’s hilarious, I promise.  I seriously died.  And listen to more of their music.  I’m not sure how popular their Japanese stuff is, but some of my more favourite songs by them are the Japanese ones.  Like Flyers or Motorcycle.  I really love their non-title tracks. They also have amazing ballads, I think my favourite is Everyday Love; it’s a ballad, but’s still a bop.

                                                            ~

Okay, okay, I think I’m really done now.  I hope you enjoyed their summaries and appreciate all the resources and videos I linked you to.  Sorry if all of it was a bit excessive ^^;  SNSD was actually the first Kpop group I ever really got into.  

~admin Kara