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World Conquerors: A Magical Girl SB



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Fri Jun 19, 2020 5:53 pm
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Mageheart says...



World Conquerors

A Magical Girl Storybook

A Saeverse Production


Spoiler! :
If you want to listen to me read through this introduction, you can click here!


You’ve probably heard this story before.

Once upon a time, in a galaxy far, far away from our own, aliens fled from a terrible threat and ended up on a planet that we all know very well: Earth. These aliens chose heroes to save the day. Equipping them with the technologies of their people, the aliens were able to help prepare the heroes for the coming threat. Those technologies, of course, involved appropriately fantastic and colorful transformations between their normal, civilian selves and the heroic individuals they became.

If the title of this storybook didn’t give it away, or the description, this story is a magical girl story.

But there’s just one little twist: alien politics. Because while most stories have you believe that the aliens that find support among humans are the good guys, this story is not one of them. At least, not by the end of it. Because once upon a time, the king and queen of a faraway alien empire decided that they wanted to go out and do some conquering. Earth, their closest inhabited neighbor, was exactly the kind of planet they were looking for.

Remember those aliens I mentioned earlier?

The ones that actually picked our heroes?

Those are their kids.

And here’s the slightly bigger twist: the terrible threat they want to save the Earth from is each other. Because whoever conquers Earth first gets dibs, and they all want to try their hand at ruling an entire planet. Things, of course, get a little complicated when it’s revealed that the parents don’t really want to hand things over to their kids when Earth is conquered. To make matters worse, there’s some strange other threat too - one that none of the alien royalty seems to know all that much about.

So this is the story of a group of poor humans who really didn’t want to get caught up in alien politics, a group of spoiled rich alien royalty, world conquering, magical transformations, and a strange, mysterious force that threatens to change the galaxy as we know it.

[ The Cast ]

1. @Magebird
2. @Haileyg21
3. @Lia5Giba
4. @SirenCymbaline
5. @Ventomology
6. @MadilynReads


If you're interested in joining this storybook, please click on this link or on the blue box in the upper right hand corner of the page. It'll bring you to the out-of-character (OOC) thread for this storybook, which is where we'll be doing all of our scheming for the storybook! This thread is reserved for just the story posts.
mage

[ she/her, but in a boy kinda way ]

roleplaying is my platonic love language.

queer and here.





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Thu Jul 02, 2020 12:32 pm
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Mageheart says...



Tony West



The day had started off normal.

Tony got up, got ready for school, and caught the bus that went into the city at exactly the time it was supposed to come. As more students filed onto the bus and found empty seats, Tony played her current favorite mobile game on her phone with her earbuds in. She went to her locker right after the bus arrived at the large city high school, then went to her first class of the day. She played the MMORPG in between that class and the next. At lunch, she found a quiet spot in the school’s courtyard and raided the boss for the level she was on. She went back to her classes. When school got out, she lingered in the library for an hour to do her homework. She went to the internet cafe she usually played at near the bus stop, then took the 5 o’clock bus home.

The only difference that day was the package she found on the doorstep. The package wasn’t unexpected; she had been waiting for Amazon to ship it for what seemed like forever. It wasn’t anything especially important, but Tony was still excited for it - it had been awhile since she had gotten a new gaming necklace.

Tony bounded up the stairs to her bedroom and shut the door behind her, even though she was the only one home. She sat cross-legged on her bed with a grin on her face as she stared down at the package. After ripping open the box failed, she settled from grabbing a pair of scissors off of her nearby desk and cutting through the tape.

And there it was.

Her necklace.

The grin growing, she unclasped the necklace and slipped it on. It didn’t really alter her wardrobe all that much, but she liked the feeling of something dangling around her neck. She reached a hand up to grab onto the necklace.

And that was when she heard the voice.

Hello.

Tony froze. “...Hello?”

She glanced around. Where had that voice come from? It had sounded like its owner - a guy who had to be a few years older than her - was right next to her, but she hadn’t seen him anywhere. She was the only one in her house, and definitely the only one in her room. It hadn’t come from her phone, either - that was off on her nightstand.

“Are you a ghost?” she asked. “I mean, I think I would have known if my house was haunted. I’ve spent almost all of my life living here. But maybe you’ve just been chilling and didn’t want to say anything-”

I’m not a...ghost, the voice said, sounding almost disgusted by being compared to a dead person. I’m from another world.

“Alien, then?” Tony asked.

Yes.


Tony crossed her arms. “So what’s an alien doing in my home? And, uh, where exactly are you? I can’t see you anywhere-”

Look down.

Tony did as requested.

The only thing directly in her line of sight was herself - her hoodie, her jeans and the charm hanging above her hoodie-clad chest. Tony let out a shocked gasp when she realized what exactly the alien was implying.

“You’re in me?” she whispered.

What? the alien replied, surprisingly flustered. No. I’m in the necklace.

“Oh,” Tony said.

I’m here to make you an offer.

“...That sounds kind of like a demon thing to do,” Tony warily said. The alien let out a tired sigh; what had he expected when he had decided to apparently possess a gaming necklace? It wasn’t like gamers had a stereotype of being mature, and anyone who wanted to wear a necklace like the one Tony had probably had a childish streak to them. “But I’m pretty much done with my homework and needed a break from staring at screens, so what’s your offer, Mr. Necklace Alien?”

I want to give you the power to protect your world.

Tony blinked.

“...From what, exactly?”

The alien didn’t give an answer.

She let out a sigh. “Your deal isn’t sounding so good, Mr. Necklace Alien.”

It’s Asterux-

“It still isn’t sounding good, Rux,” she said. The alien groaned. “I’m not going to agree to a deal without knowing all of its terms and conditions. So what do I get out of it, and what do I have to do for you?”

You’re my chosen fighter, the alien said. I’ll let you use some of my power to fight against anything that threatens your world.

Tony let out a gasp and immediately straightened. “SoIcanbecomeamagicalgirl?”

How did you even speak that fast-

“Do I get to choose my outfit?”

...I’m offering you my power and that’s what you want to know?

“It’s an important question,” Tony protested. “If I’m going to be fighting evil while using your all-powerful powers, I don’t want to be doing it in a skirt. I want a decent pair of pants. Skirts feel weird, and it would suck if it suddenly flipped up in the middle of a fight.”

Rux let out another sigh. Yes, you can choose your outfit.

Tony gave a triumphant cheer and pumped her fists into the air. “I’m in, then!”

You-you don’t need any more convincing?

Tony shook her head. “You had me at magical girl.”

I didn’t even mention magical girls - whatever those are-

Tony gasped.

“You don’t know what a magical girl is?” she whispered. “That’s what you’re asking me to be, Rux. And it’s a crime that you don’t know what one is.”

I don’t think it is-

“That settles it,” she said, jumping off of her bed. “Can you see from my necklace?”

...Yes?

“Then we’re having a Sailor Moon marathon,” she declared.

What? No. I need to teach you how to use your powers-

“You can teach me later,” Tony said, already turning on her laptop. “Usagi is calling us, Rux. You can’t deny the call.”

Rux let out a groan.

Tony had a sneaking suspicion he’d be doing that a lot.
mage

[ she/her, but in a boy kinda way ]

roleplaying is my platonic love language.

queer and here.





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Fri Jul 03, 2020 9:30 pm
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SirenCymbaline says...



At last, it was finally hers. The Rise and Fall of Prussia, by Sebastian Haffner. The only copy in the school library, dogeared and yellowed, out of print in English, scarce in the secondhand market, it was impossible to dream the library would get another copy, no, it was a miracle they had one. Soph had sat on the idea of getting it out, just once, and then a senior borrowed it, lost it, graduated, found it one year and four months later, and dumped it in a cardboard box with some other overdue books on the school’s front step like a poor orphan baby.

All of the books made it back to their rightful place, except, mysteriously, for The Rise and Fall of Prussia.

Soph didn’t believe in stealing, normally. And she felt bad. Really. But she couldn’t leave Sebastian Haffner to fate. Not this time.

__

“Sophia, you’ve been reading that for hours.”

Auntie Rosa’s voice cut through Sophia’s bubble with almost audible suddenness.
The banks of the Rhine became the bedroom of a teenager that looked like the bedroom of a middle schooler, and Sophia was reminded that she existed. Sophia jumped a little.

She settled back into her blanket burrito. “I’m studying,” she protested.

“Do some of your actual homework first.” said Rosa, and left with the laundry basket.

Soph marked her place, put the book down, and started on National History. (Ugh.)

Some ten minutes in, a voice started calling her. A soft, throaty voice. Commanding, as it was impatient.

“Earthling. Earthling. Hey.”

Soph’s eyelids lifted for a moment. Then, she ignored it, and kept going.

“Earthling. You are not imagining me. Open the book. Hey!”

Soph washed the dishes, brushed her teeth, and went to bed.

“Earthling. Stop ignoring me. I’m in the book.”

“No, you’re not. Goodnight.” said Soph.

“UGH.” said the voice. “For here we come to one of the fundamental features of classical Prussia, a feature just as typical and striking as its militarism: its well-nigh unlimited xenophilia, its unbounded readiness to accept-”

Sophia’s eyes flew open, and stared transfixed at the dark ceiling. "I didn’t memorise that passage.” she said.

“You underlined it, halfwit. Open the book. I want to talk to you.”

Sophia turned on the lamp, slowly, and grabbed the book. She spread it open across her lap, and looked inside. Directly over the passage that the voice had recited, was her handmade bookmark.

A picture of Napoleon printed onto cereal box cardboard with a school printer, decorated with glitter and animal stickers.

“N...Napoleon?” Soph stammered quietly, more confused than frightened.

“Who’s that?” said the voice. “ I am Glaphyra, firstborn princess of the Eliquibri Intergalactic Empire-”

“How is your name spelled?” said Sophia.

Glaphyra performed the telepathic equivalent of rolling her eyes. “I don’t know your primitive language. I’m using a translator right now. Listen, Earthli-”

“My name is Sophia-”

“Mhm.” said Glaphyra. “Some of the greatest galactic empires-”

“Oh! If I show you some space maps, like some really good ones, can you show me where-”

“Shut UP!” shouted Glaphyra. She paused. She started again, with perfect poise and emotion.

“Some of the greatest galactic empires in the tri-galaxy area have their eyes set on this cute little solar system, and I just thought it was, like, so unfair. You barely invent the wheel, and here they come.” She sniffled, holding back imaginary tears.

“So I’m here to use my glorious powers to defend your freedom!
...But my body is like, 6,523 lightyears away right now, so, lucky Earthling, you get to be my vassal.”


Sophia blinked.

“There’s 7 billion people on this planet.” she said blankly. “Some of them are Olympians.”

“I was in the fiefdom, and you had nice hair. I just had to fling my consciousness 6,523 lightyears across the universe, don’t ask stupid questions.
With my powers, Earthling Sophia, you will topple legions.

Now, pay attention. This part is important.”


Soph saluted the picture of Napoleon, a serious look on her face, though she was still sitting up in bed in her teddy bear pajamas.

“I will serve my planet honourably. Please teach me your power.”

Glaphyra blew a bored raspberry.

“Can we do that later? Let's design the outfit first.”
Bad souls have born better sons, better souls born worse ones -St Vincent





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Sun Jul 05, 2020 11:03 pm
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Ventomology says...



Iris Lawrence-Han



It wasn't that Iris didn't like her mother and older sister. They were fine, really. They just had high standards. For everything.

Including shopping at the mall.

And compounding their high standards was the impossible reality that Iris's mother and sister had different metrics for those standards. So when Iris pulled a cute, knee-length dress off the rack, her sister said it wasn't adult enough for a senior in high school, and when Iris held a long, silky chiton up to her shoulders, her mother said it was far too adult for a mere senior in high school.

All this trouble for a homecoming dance she'd already been to three times. Heck, her old dress still fit. She could wear that.

After both of the older women rejected a charming, strapless number with a floofy skirt and a silken wrap around the chest, Iris simply gave up. She watched, sighing, as her mother gestured at the lack of straps and her sister debated the pros and cons of princess skirts on grown women. Then she rustled her way through a rack stuffed with identical blue dresses, and escaped out the other side, which was filled with the same dress, only purple.

Maybe if she found jewelry or shoes, she could sway them towards something that would match the accessories.

With a quick glance over her shoulder, Iris darted towards the jewelry section. A display jingled when she bumped into it, but by that point, her mother had started raising her voice, and Iris's older sister was reciting propaganda about women owning their own beauty and appeal. Iris locked eyes with a passerby, who winced in sympathy.

"Yikes," the passerby said, jerking her chin at the two women.

"I know," Iris sighed.

She slipped past the athletic clothing and the wall of jeans to first hit the cheap jewelry. Like any large department store, this one kept their teen-market earrings away from the sparklier, simpler sets out front. Iris could live with that. Her mother would hopefully go looking for Iris at the nice jewelery first.

As Iris leaned down to inspect the selection, her eyes caught on a simple pair of studs shaped like stars. They had tiny, fake rhinestones set into the points, and when Iris pulled them off the display, she found squishy, comfortable earring backs on the other side. These weren't formalwear by any means, but they were cute, and Iris had her own money. If she bought them quickly, her mother would never even know.

She snatched the earrings up and scurried to checkout, constantly casting about to make sure her mother hadn't snuck up on her. When they were all paid for, she stuffed the little cardboard piece into her purse and resigned herself to a long afternoon.

-------


They returned home with nothing to show for the many, many hours spent at the mall. If Iris were less athletic, her feet would hurt from standing around and having dresses held up against her shoulder for so long.

"I still think that pink one from Nordstrom was perfect," she heard her sister say. Iris was not a fan of the pink one from Nordstrom. It had just enough orange in the shade that it looked more like salmon, and it was so entirely meshy that it made her feel uncomfortable.

"No, no." Her mother retorted. "Too showy."

Iris just headed up the stairs, happy to leave her family to argue about appropriate fashion without her.

The Lawrence-Han Family lived in a house straight out of a Better Homes and Gardens magazine. The decor was abundant enough that the house looked lived-in, but it all matched and was precariously placed. Iris lived in constant fear of knocking over a vase, or spilling things on throw pillows.

She scootched her way around a decorative table at the top of the staircase and padded across the dark hardwood floor to the closed door to her bedroom.

Once upon a time, it had been like the rest of the house, dressed up in a well-manicured collection of pillows, sheets, and framed decor, but Iris's sporty junk had quickly outpaced her mother's decorative sensibilities. When Iris stepped inside, her trophy shelf was the first thing to greet her, followed by a pile of duffle bags filled with equipment. She passed them and aimed straight for her desk, rooting around in her purse as she walked.

She pulled the new earrings out right as she slumped into her chair. Smiling to herself, she held the little cardboard sheet up and admired the little star-shaped studs. They really were cute.

With the usual care of someone blindly handling sharp objects, Iris pulled out her current pair and set them aside. She tugged the backs off the new earrings, pausing when she felt a static shock from the left one, and carefully stabbed them through the piercing holes.

And then, just as she slid the squishy back onto her left earring, she heard a voice.

Hi hi hi!

She scrunched her nose. It sounded like a child, which didn't make sense, because she was the youngest person in the house. The walls had good noise isolation from the outside, so it couldn't be a neighbor, and the only television the family watched was the nightly news, mostly for stock market information.

Hey! Are you paying attention at all? I said hi!

Iris rubbed her temple. It had to be a neighbor. Fidgeting with the fit of the new earrings, she stepped to her window and peered outside.

Seriously? You're just as bad as Glaphyra and the others. Come oooonnn.

"Glaphyra?" Iris repeated. "What?"

Glaphyra! That's my biggest sister. She's super mean. Are you gonna be mean?

This was weird. This was so weird. Stepping away from the window, Iris held a hand to her forehead and tried to remember if she had stayed hydrated while shopping that afternoon. She didn't think she had a fever or heatstroke or anything.

"No?" she whispered.

Well good. What's your name? I'm Xenori. I'm from way way way out in space.

"Haha," Iris breathed. She felt her heartrate pick up. She was going crazy. That had to be it. All the stress of perfection had finally cracked her.

Come on, come on! Tell me your name!

"Iris?" she replied. She felt her voice go up an octave, which was wild, because she already sounded airy and pitchy at the best of times.

Iris Iris Iris. Okay! I think that's all I need, right? Yeah? Yeah. You have magic now.

She had what?! Iris blinked, fell backward onto her bed, and stared at her ceiling, totally and utterly confused. She was hallucinating. She had to be hallucinating.

They're not gonna be as strong as my siblings' but that's okay! You seem really cool. Are you really cool?

Iris did not generally describe herself as cool. She supposed some might think she was. Of course, if word got out that she was going totally bonkers, that perception might change. It might keep her from getting into a good university, too, which would be the actual worst. Her parents would murder her.

Well. As long as it all stayed inside her head, she would be fine. Iris pinched herself on the arm and sighed.

Why did you pinch yourself?

Maybe Iris ought to find a psychiatrist to help her cope with school stress.
"I've got dreams like you--no really!--just much less, touchy-feeley.
They mainly happen somewhere warm and sunny
on an island that I own, tanned and rested and alone
surrounded by enormous piles of money." -Flynn Rider, Tangled





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JoyDark says...



REBECCA WILSON



"Mom! I'm home!"

The house stayed quiet as Rebecca stepped through the front door. The silence put Rebecca slightly on edge. True, her little sister Hope was still on the bus ride home from school and her dad was at work, but usually her mom was home, ready to greet her with a few dozen questions about school. Today, though, the house was empty.

Rebecca pushed aside her worries. She's probably just running an errand, she thought, making her way to the kitchen. Her stomach grumbling, Rebecca opened the pantry and took out a rice stick, unwrapping it and biting off a chunk in seconds flat.

Before she could continue to stuff the snack into her mouth, though, Rebecca's eye caught onto a slip of paper on the dining table. She walked over to it and held it up, her eyes scanning over the words. It was a note from her mom.

Rebecca,

I'm running a few errands.
(Well, at least she had been right about where her mom was.) I'll be back by around 5. You need to get all of your homework done before getting on any electronics. You also need to buy a gift for Tori before I get home.

Love you!


Rebecca put the note back down. Tori's gift! She put a hand to her forehead. It was her friend Tori's birthday that the weekend, and she still hadn't bought her a present. How had it slipped her mind?

Well, you remember it now, she thought, her mind muttering the sentence. You should probably get that done before you forget again.

Rebecca sighed. Homework could wait. She didn't have too much that day, anyway. Grabbing a pen from the junk drawer and flipping the piece of paper over, she wrote: Hope, I went to the shopping center to get a gift for my friend Tori. Be back soon. Mom's running errands. Love, Rebecca.

She walked upstairs to her room, ignoring the pajamas she had left on the floor, and pulled her purse out of her closet. She had two twenty dollar bills, plus a gift card that had some unknown sum. Rebecca sighed again. I should have already done this.

---------


The shopping center near Rebecca's house was only a short walk away, and it only took her a few minutes to reach it. It wasn't huge, but there were a few good places to shop.

In the center of a strip of stores was a shop full of house decorations and other things, including jewelry. Rebecca decided to take a look.

As she perused through the isles of towels and knickknacks, Rebecca's thoughts kept nagging at her. This place probably isn't going to have something for Tori, her mind pointed out. Why didn't you do this earlier again?

Rebecca hung her head and--once again--sighed. It wasn't like she didn't care about Tori. They had been close since the start of middle school. She was one of her best friends. But with ninth grade's workload weighing on her mind, she had focused on other things, putting it off until she forgot about it altogether. And now Tori's birthday was only a few days away.

As much as her mom's reminders could grate on her nerves, Rebecca was actually sort of glad her mom had forced her to buy a gift. That way she could put aside her other thoughts and responsibilities for a moment and focus on being a good friend.

Something at the end of an isle in the store caught Rebecca's eye. It was a basket of silver bangles. Walking over to get a closer look, Rebecca discovered that they all had shallow carvings on them, all slightly different. They were simple, but elegant.

Tori would love one of these. Rebecca looked at the price. Only five dollars per bracelet. Sweet. She picked them up, sorting through the bangles until she found the ones she liked the best. Tori liked wearing bracelets, and they were only five dollars apiece; why not get two or three for her?

Satisfied with three she found to be more beautiful than the rest, Rebecca picked them up and turned towards the cash register. Before turning all the way, though, her eye latched onto a bangle that lay just outside of the basket. It was slightly larger than the others, and the carvings seemed deeper and simpler. It was polished so that it shone under the ceiling lights.

Rebecca turned back towards the table, towards the bracelet. Something about it... it was simpler than the other bangles, but somehow Rebecca liked that more. She had never felt like this about a piece of jewelry before. She... actually liked it. She liked it a lot.

How about you get it for Tori? her mind asked. But mentally Rebecca shook her head. Tori's small wrists wouldn't be able to handle a bangle that size. Rebecca's wrists, on the other hand, might be able to support it...

She could picture herself wearing it. It would probably look nice. Rebecca checked the price. Six dollars. Slightly more expensive, but not by much.

All right, she decided, reaching for it. I'm getting a bracelet. For myself. Okay.

Rebecca wrapped her fingers around it. In one smooth motion, she slipped it onto her wrist. It felt cool against her skin, and it fit perfectly. Rebecca studied it, interested about how it looked on her.

And then suddenly, out of the blue, a voice echoed in her head.

Earthling.

Rebecca jumped. "W-who the heck was that?" she said, looking behind her. No one was there.

Earthling. I'm in the bracelet. Stop acting jumpy.

Rebecca nearly jumped again. Slowly, her eyes crept to the bracelet on her wrist. She breathed in shakily. "What?"

I'm in the bracelet, I just told you. The voice sounded bored and and slightly irritated by this point. You idiot.

Rebecca's eyes were still wide. "Wait," she croaked. Her mind was spinning. "What the heck are you?"

Why don't you just say... The voice lapsed into annoyed silence before coming back again. Never mind. My name is Caldrow. Okay, Earthling?

Rebecca, in a slight daze, nodded.

And I'm an alien. And--

"You're an alien?" Rebecca exclaimed, her voice still low.

Can I please finish? the voice snapped.

"Oh. Um, yeah. Sorry." Rebecca looked around. No one was in the store besides her and the cashier, who was doing something on her phone.

Yes, I am an alien, the voice continued, thinly veiling its irritation. And you and I are... Here the voice sighed with reluctance. You and I are going to protect your world. By working together. It said "working together" like it was a disease.

Rebecca's eyes got even wider. "Wait, hold up. What?"

Oh my god, are all Earthlings this stupid? the voice muttered, nearly out of earshot. Rebecca could her the eye roll in its tone.

"Okay, just hold on. I need--I need to buy these bangles for a friend, and then we can talk..." Rebecca was floundering. Fortunately, she hadn't dropped Tori's bangles, and she quickly raced over to the cash register, dropping her two twenties off to pay for the bracelets, including the one she was wearing. As soon as they were payed for, she ran out of the shop and began walking home the fastest she could.

"I'm Rebecca," she said as she walked, her voice still shaky.

Rebecca... The voice, Caldrow, mulled it over. It's a decent name. Only decent, mind you.
she/her

woah
i actually made a post
pretty radical if you ask me





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Wed Nov 18, 2020 1:11 pm
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Haileyg21 says...



MARK



This morning was hectic. My brothers ran around screaming and my baby sister was crying. Mom left for work at two in the morning and i still had to get ready for school.
"ALEXANDER GET YOUR PANTS ON!" I yelled chasing my brother around. "MATHEW NO STOP THAT!"."CALEB ARRON ARMAN STOP PLAYING WITH LAYLA GO PUT HER ON MY BED NOW!"

After 30 minutes of chasing him the pants were on, the lunches were in this bags, they were off to school on the bus and the only thing left was to Get my baby sister to daycare and go to school.
I went to my room. (which was a mess). Layla my baby sister was laying on my bed with a shimmering Stuffed animal, my dad gave it to me before he died. That's not normal. It shouldn't be shimmering.

"HUMAN HEY Human. get this tiny human away she's creepy!'
I jumped. What in the world. Only people in my room was me and Layla.

"Human im here look at the shimmering". I stared at my stuffed animal. No way.

"AHHHH. your an alien right! you decided to take my stuffed animals shape!"

"no. I'm not on earth. I just projecting myself to you. Calm down this takes a lot of energy so let me talk. I'm Jeitai. A Prince of an alien World. Your going to save yours got it!"

"Im kinda busy alot of the time.School, afterschool activities and my family come first mostly. ........ wait You said save the world ... like a magical girl. Like in the animes!??'

"m-magical girl?'

"YES! ill do it... but remember my family comes First!"
"Got it... So your magical powers are to shapeshift. Um ill let you pick your outfit. AND YOU HAVE TO GO WITH THE NAME GLORY!'
Love is love. Just flow with it and all will be happy. Also take a moment to smell the flowers my friends because thats all we need. ~Love your Bisexual Trans friend.





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Mageheart says...



Tony West



Tony was starting to suspect that Rux wasn’t too big of a fan of school.

He was doing a good job of pretending like he could care less. Tony had worn the necklace he was possessing - astral-projecting to?? - to school at Rux’s insistence, but the alien hadn’t stopped interrupting her throughout the day to ask questions about Earth that really weren’t relevant. He made sure to space them out so she didn’t catch on, but Tony knew what it was like to be bored in the classroom.

The last bell of the day rang. Tony slipped out of her classroom and into the hallway beyond. It wasn’t hard to avoid other people, and even less hard to talk with Rux while she walked. All she had to do was whip out her phone and put it next to her ear. No one was ever the wiser.

Was that the last one? Rux asked.

“Yes,” Tony said, resisting the urge to roll her eyes and smile. “That was the last one.”

Rux let out a sigh. Finally.

“Do aliens not have school?” she asked. She stopped in front of her locker and started to go through her textbooks. If she could get away with it, she wanted to leave the majority of them there - it sucked having to carry them all in her backpack.

We...do have school, Rux tentatively replied. I just took a self-study route.

“Ah,” Tony said, resting her phone in between her ear and her shoulder. “You were homeschooled, then.”

Rux didn’t say anything. When he wasn’t in the right mood, he really wasn’t much of a talker. Tony just shrugged and finished putting her notebooks in her backpack. She was lucky today; she didn’t have any books she needed to bring home. She put her backpack on over one shoulder. It wouldn’t be as much trouble lugging it to the gaming cafe, then.

She stepped out of the building.

Why are you walking away from the school buses?

“Because I’m not going home yet,” she said. “I’m giving you a taste of Earth culture, Rux. The Sailor Moon marathon was just the start.”

Rux made an irritated humming noise. We shouldn’t be wasting our time with that-

Tony raised an eyebrow.

“If I remember right, you were the one who wanted to watch ‘just one more episode’ before I went to bed last night,” she pointed out. Rux didn’t give a response. Tony wondered if aliens could blush - and, if they could, if Rux would be blushing if he wasn’t seeing the world through a gaming console necklace.

She turned down the road that the internet cafe was on. Thankfully, it wasn’t that far from the school. “Don’t worry, Rux. I don’t have any homework tonight, so we can work on the whole magical girl thing after I play some games-”

Shut up.

Tony frowned. “I know you don’t want me to play, but that’s a rude thing to say to your chosen defender-”

Rux swore. Tony, not quite sure where he had even heard the swear, froze at the noise. They were standing at the mouth to an alleyway at this point. The internet cafe was so close, but the sound of Rux swearing made Tony pause. Maybe this was something to
pay attention to.

They’re here, Rux muttered, more to himself than to Tony.

“Who’s here?” Tony asked.

Rux faltered.

“...Are ‘they’ the things I need to protect Earth from?” Tony asked. Rux was muttering to himself. He was somehow able to mumble incoherently despite speaking directly to her, but Tony decided it was best not to question it. Somewhere in the middle of the conversation she heard him say I shouldn’t have gotten so distracted and have they been here all day.

Sighing, Tony popped into the alleyway. It would have been nice if her alien guide actually was a good guide.

They had only practiced it a few times before Tony went to sleep the night before, but it wasn’t all that hard to get the whole magical girl look down. All it took was a pop of magic or alien tech or whatever this specific brand of magical girl gear relied on, and Tony was all set to face whatever enemy was going to come at her.

Following ye olde heroes of old, she tucked her school backpack underneath the nearest dumpster and hid it with a convenient bit of light manipulation. That was Rux’s specialty, apparently. She didn’t have the foggiest idea of how it actually worked, but Tony loved how the light could completely manipulate her appearance and give her an absolutely epic sword.

Said sword was currently humming in her hands right now.

She popped out into the rest of the street and got a few weird looks. If it wasn’t for the fact that her hair was now white and glowing, she was sure that people would have just thought she was a cosplayer. Still, Tony took it in stride as she scanned the street. There had to be something evil for her to face.

“Rux,” she said, “where’s the enemy? And, uh, what’s the enemy? You never really clarified on that one. Are they mindless monsters? Underlings for some big baddie? Something else that anime has never seen the likes of before?”

Rux took a moment to reply.

...Underlings, he finally said. Tony bit her lip and gave a nod. Part of her had expected that. It was going to make this a little harder than she had guessed - she just hoped she’d be able to do her job and not mess things up on a cosmic level. They’ll look human like you.

“Good to know,” she said. “Where are they, then?”

They’re nearby. I can’t pinpoint them anymore than that.

Tony puffed out her cheeks and blew out a burst of air. “So I’m supposed to stand around and wait for one of them to notice me?” she asked.

Yes.

Tony rested the tip of her light sword, leaning against its hilt. “I think we’re going to have to work on that strategy, Rux.”

It’s the best I can do with my limited resources, Tony-

“Wait,” she interrupted, holding her hand up. “We talked about this, remember? If we’re doing the magical girl thing right, then you can’t call me by my real name when I’m saving people. I’m Star Knight now.”

She could imagine Rux rolling his eyes. No one can even hear me.

“But what if they can?” Tony asked. “There’s a reason Usagi goes by Sailor Moon.”

Rux sighed. She looks almost exactly the same, so it’s pointless for her to hide her identity-

Tony put a finger to her lips to shush him. “Don’t diss an icon, Rux. You’re just jealous you’re not her-”

She paused. Rux went silent in her head, too. On the other side of the street, she finally caught sight of someone who looked vaguely magical.

She readied her sword and grinned.
mage

[ she/her, but in a boy kinda way ]

roleplaying is my platonic love language.

queer and here.





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MadilynReads says...



Lyn

Lyn Oleson walked down the road to her home, it was a decently large house, four-stories (if you count the highly livable attic that was Lyn’s room). She was almost there when she tripped on the dandelions sprouting through the sidewalk, and fell. The earbuds she had been wearing, that she always wore, fell out when her head hit the sidewalk and tumbled into the street. Lyn got back up and tried to sweep of some of the dirt from her skidded elbows when she noticed the earbuds. As she was about to go pick them up, a black mustang ran them over, obliterating them. The mustang pulled into Lyn’s driveway and a teenage boy stepped out.

“Colby!” Lyn yelled, “you broke my earbuds! And almost ran me over!” Colby didn’t respond, music was still blasting from is car, the bass rumbling. “COL-BY” she screamed, crossing the street to him. He turned around.

“What?” He asked irritably.

“You broke my earbuds!” She was near tears.

“Okay. Whatever, just get some new ones!”

Colby opened the door and barged in asking if he could take his car to Idaho or something, Lyn just slipped by him and up the stairs. She grabbed a twenty and dropped off her backpack then walked back down the stairs.

At the store on her way to the back, she saw two women yelling and a third escaping to the jewelry section, “yikes” Lyn said, gesturing at the yelling ones. As Lyn made it to the back she looked through the technology section till she found some earbuds. She didn’t want to get anything too expensive but she didn’t want them to sound bad either.

She found a ten dollar box and started digging through to find a nice color, some silver ones caught her eye, the were a little larger than the others and looked a little nicer. “Score!” She walked back to the front to check them out and noticed the escapee running for the door while the other people were still bickering by the changing rooms.

She was on her way back home and put her new earbuds in and opened her phone to play some music, pssst! Human! Lyn looked at her phone wondering if it was an ad, it was supposed to be playing a song. “Ummm. Hello?” Hi! What’s your name. “where are you?” I am in the earbuds! Lyn felt around her head for a swollen lump, “man, I must have a concussion” she thought. Nope no concussion! “wait, you can read my thoughts? Who are you?” I am Argathem! I am here to help you save the world! Now tell me your name! the voice snapped. “Ummm Lyn? I go by my middle name, my full name is Julie Lyn Oleson.” “Why am I saying this?”she thought, you said it so that you can save your world! Now, let’s teach you how to use your powers. “Powers?”...

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Ventomology says...



Iris Lawrence-Han



It was unclear to Iris if having a voice in her head meant she was finally cracking under the pressure of senior year, or if it was truly a real, actual voice in her head. Sometimes she swore that Xenori was actually voicing Iris's own inner 5-year-old. Sometimes, Xenori said weird things about pocket dimensions.

At some point, Iris stuck her hands so far down her own pant pockets that she wondered if maybe the voice in her head was speaking truth, but that one really had to be a product of fatigue. There was no way Iris could just bend time and space, even if only in tiny chunks for storage.

Why do you carry that backpack all the time? Xenori asked as Iris was packing up after her final class of the day. It looks so heavy.

Iris's backpack hadn't been cleaned since the end of freshman year. It probably had an entire community of forgotten papers and dust bunnies living together like Peter Pan's Lost Boys. But the weight helped build character. And muscles.

"Gotta get swole," Iris mumbled under her breath, as she hefted the bag onto her shoulders.

You're already pretty swole, Xenori replied. Did I use that word right?

Iris grunted in place of saying yes, to avoid suspicion that she was going totally bananas, and headed out of the classroom to join the mad dash of people trying to get out. She checked her watch out of habit and groaned.

Her fencing practice started at five. She had two hours to kill before she had to be there, and so little homework that her brain wanted to just forget about it and go goof off until it was almost, but not quite, too late. Or maybe that was Xenori, who hadn't quite figured out what homework was or why it was important.

Maybe Iris could convince the PE teachers to let her use the conditioning gym.

Oh my gosh I had the best idea just now.

How good could ideas from an elementary school aged alien who supposedly granted superpowers be? But Iris had always wanted her crazy ideas heard when she was that age, so she humored the voice in her head and chuckled. "Alright, shoot."

Okay. So. You know how I have like a ton of big siblings?

Xenori would not shut up about their big siblings. Iris was pretty sure she hadn't been so keen on bragging about other people's exploits when she was that age. Then again, her parents had done enough bragging to turn Iris off the whole idea.

I think I sensed one of them really really close by right before you found me, and then I think I caught them again today, so maybe we could go find them?

Well, there were worse things to do for two hours, Iris thought. Maybe she could get in a bit of cardio. She wriggled through the crowd of students in the hallway, eager to cover as much ground as possible before the majority of the student body left campus. She tried her best not to bowl over the freshmen, who she swore got smaller every year, but she might have tripped one at some point.

She made good time. Or, well, she made as good a time as she could, despite getting stuck in a conversation about the cutest crop tops for this coming fall with a few of the dance team girls. And despite her calculus teacher stopping her in the math and science wing to check if she was doing okay, because her first quiz hadn't gone as well as it had for all her older siblings. And also despite nearly interrupting a promposal between one of the football boys and a long distance runner.

By the time Iris finally exited the building to see if anyone was hanging around under the football bleachers, pretty much everyone but the marching band and sports teams had gone home.

Iris glanced between the football fields, where the team was just starting to warm up, and the baseball fields, where the marching band had gathered to practice, and adjusted her backpack. She could run a little bit, to see if there were any students lingering in the parking lot, or in the library, who might ping her funny head voice's sensors. But she had her backpack, and while Iris was strong, she wasn't really in the mood to run around with twenty pounds on her back.

Just shove the backpack in your pocket! Xenori said. Just like that time you got your arm in all the way to your elbow. Believe you can shove, and you'll shove.

Or, Iris thought, she could just stow her backpack under the bleachers. Then again, sometimes kids did illegal things under the bleachers, and she didn't want her backpack near that. She glanced around, just to make sure no one was watching, and then slid her bag off her shoulders.

She was totally crazy. Off the deep end. Beyond the point of no return.

She gulped, grabbed the bottom of her backpack with the hand not holding a strap, and shoved it, top-down, into her pant pockets.

In the blink of an eye, the backpack was gone. Iris couldn't even sense the weight. She blinked, staring at the space where it should have been, and bit her lip.

"Is it... gone?" she whispered. "Forever?"

No, silly! You can take it out if you just reach for it. Also, I thiiiink I sense a sibling! Ready?

"As I'll ever be," Iris muttered. She rolled her neck and massaged one shoulder. "Which way?"

Ooh, first I gotta do a thing. Close your eyes?

Iris was hallucinating already. What harm could closing her eyes do? She sighed and crossed her arms, and as she shut her eyes, she felt her skin start tingling. Her hair shifted. Her face suddenly grew the slightest bit heavier, like she was putting on make-up.

She opened her eyes, looked down, and choked.

In the space of an instant, she had transformed. No longer was Iris in her perfectly normal turtleneck and denim pinafore. Instead, she'd been unceremoniously squeezed into a flouncy, off-the-shoulder dress that sparkled in the afternoon sun. It was a horrendous shade of purple, the kind that was so loud it failed to be complimentary against her skin (a shame, since Iris tended to look good in purple), and the skirt fell just to the midway point on her thighs, which was entirely too short.

At least she still had tights on. Small mercies.

"What the actual heck," Iris hissed.

I don't make the rules, Xenori said, sounding sheepish. But I know one of my siblings was super excited about clothes and outfits, so I figured it was part of the game! Do you not like it?

Xenori sounded like they might cry, so Iris just let out a wry laugh.

"It's fine," she said. "I'll do a google search on clothes for you later. Just tell me which way to go."

Left! Xenori shouted. Toward those people with the shiny metal tubes!

Iris crept her way towards the marching band, hoping she looked like color guard and not like a total weirdo. But as she passed the school building, Xenori suddenly directed her toward a small cove between the art hall and the music hall. Here, difference in classroom sizes had created a sort of alleyway that varied in width every thirty feet or so, and ended in a little courtyard complete with a bench smothered in graffiti.

And in the courtyard stood another girl.

She had red hair that draped down her back in two long braids. Her outfit had a punk edge to it, all dark colors and heavy fabrics, with metal accents in the music record motif that spread, like wings, over her back. Her back was turned toward the alley entrance, and she was shouting at the wall in front of her. Or trying to shout. She wasn't very loud. After a few seconds, she shifted nervously on her feet and was silent, before whispering, "Right, yeah. Okay. I'll... try again."

The band struck up a loud, long warm-up note, and the girl took a deep breath, stomped one foot, and yelled.

Immediately, Iris had to cover her ears. The sound hurt! It was all at once high and loud and low, and it shook the air so hard Iris swore she could see the frequency of the soundwaves dancing in front of her eyes.

It only lasted a moment, but Iris's ears kept ringing for a second after. She forced down the pained grunts that threated to come out of her mouth and rubbed her temple. So this was the power of Xenori's older siblings. Good thing the little alien had come to her for help.

Iris dashed up behind the other girl. Just as the redhead turned around, Iris reached into her pocket. Her backpack materialized in her hands, and before the other girl could breathe in to do her magic again, Iris was swinging all twenty pounds of books and papers toward the redhead's knees.
"I've got dreams like you--no really!--just much less, touchy-feeley.
They mainly happen somewhere warm and sunny
on an island that I own, tanned and rested and alone
surrounded by enormous piles of money." -Flynn Rider, Tangled





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Lyn


“Powers?” She said again. Yes, powers. You are going to save the world with your powers. Lyn took out the earbuds and walked home. She hoped that when she woke up the next day she wouldn’t be crazy.

No luck. Lyn popped in her earbuds out of habit right before heading off to school.
Hey, Lyn. Lyn groaned “What?” You have got to learn your powers. I have been waiting for you to put me on again all night. Alright, first things first... “wait, stop. Two things, first, I am pretty sure you are fake and I am crazy, and second even if you aren’t fake, I will not “learn to use my powers” until after school. I have a test in physics and I am not going to blow it. So if you do not somehow let me listen to music during the school day, I will take you out of my ears and buy some new earbuds.” Fine. Deal, as long as I get to design the outfit. “I don’t know what that means, but sure. As long as it is not too crazy.” Deal

School passed normally. Immediately after the bell rung however, the music she had been listening to stopped abruptly and Argathem started pestering Lyn. Hey, Lyn. It is after school now. Time to work on your powers!/i] “Fine, where do you want me to go.” [i]Anywhere. Just make sure it is structurally sound and deserted. “Structurally sound? Um okay.” Lyn took her sweet time exiting the building and made her way to the school courtyard. When she entered the courtyard she dealt her hair change and her clothes lighten. “What was that” Oh nothing. Okay, now scream at that wall over there. “what?” go ahead, yell at the wall. Lyn shouted at the wall. “Now what?” Wait! I, never mind. Now scream at the wall again but with more umph. “Right, yeah... alright, I’ll try again. Lyn stomped her foot for added effect and screamed. The sound reverberated of the wall with way more sound than anything can put out. There were low base notes and high soprano notes, and everything in between. To Lyn it sounded melodic. She turned around as she heard someone stumble behind her. Then her legs were hit out from under her by a backpack that came out of nowhere. “Hey,” she yelled, but not super yell, just regular yell. “What are you doing?”
Happy Reading!





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SirenCymbaline says...



Sophia Lowe//Glaphyra



Blasts of glitter and soft pink light bloomed through the cracks of the groundskeeper’s shed in rapid, violent intervals.

Inside was Sophia, twirling furiously into yet another monstrous tutu, accompanied by floor-scrapingly long sleeves, and thigh-high stiletto boots.

Sophia stepped forward meekly, trod on a sleeve, and wobbled sharply back and forth.

"GLAPHYRA STOP- stop WITH THE HIGH HE- I'M GOING TO BREAK MY ANKLES- AGH!"

She landed painfully but safely on her rear end in another heavy cloud of glitter.

To her dismay, the glitter shower dissipated to reveal a similar outfit, but with a pearlescent holographic shine and a hundred useless zippers snaking from top to bottom.

Poker-faced, Sophia stood up, and twirled again.

"Noooo, that was such a good one-" Glaphyra whined.

"That was the worst, and useless, and completely inappropriate." said Sophia, who could just be heard above the clacking of a million beads.

"UGH, fine, grandma, have your bonnet then-"

Poof.

Sophia smiled.

It was a pink crop top and simple pink shorts, all trimmed with sweet scalloped edges, and two enormous bows, one on her head and one on the back of her shorts. Nice, simple boots. With tall wedge heels. Soph stomped her foot until the heels went away.

Glaphyra fluttered her astral eyelashes scornfully.

“Okay, NOW we can patrol.” she droned.

“Do you think anyone saw the flashes of light?” said Sophia skittishly. "The sun’s gone down-"

“Baby, if they saw that fabulous display of power, they’d be running for the stars already. “
___

Sophia crept in the bushes around the perimeter. It was dead quiet. Somewhere in this school, another magical girl stalked the shadows.

“But, like, the other ones are bad ones. Like, super bad.” Glaphyra had said.

“They’re working with my siblings to take over the planet. They’re gonna, like, rip out all the trees and kindergartens and replace ‘em with, with oxygen strip mines and hypo-nuclear death beam factories and bad things.”

Sophia stepped on a twig, and almost cried.

KLANG KLANG BONK

Inside the science room, a shadowy figure knocked over some buckets.

“Okay, vassal, there’s the enemy,” said Glaphyra, in between slurps of an astral lollipop.
“What do you do?”

Soph attempted to stealthily tiptoe around the bushes back to where she started, but gave up after four paces and made a break for it.

“Toward. I need you to go towards the enemy.”

“I’M GATHERING RECONNAISSANCE!” Sophia yelled back.
Bad souls have born better sons, better souls born worse ones -St Vincent





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Haileyg21 says...



Mark




“Ok, Think of your outfit!” Jeitai said.

I thought hard about the outfit I wanted. A dark purple mist swirled around. With a POP sound my outfit changed.

The outfit was a Dark purple dress, With a High low skirt, connecting sleeves with straps connected to the top, it had Thigh highs and cute purple boots that stopped just above the ankle.

My Long Hair was in a ponytail with light purple highlights.

Jeitai sighs. “Nothing else you could have picked?”.

“It's cute”.

“DON'T let it get in the way of your work!”.

I traveled on the roof tops along the way to my school. From the shows, that is where one of the first encounters that always happens!

______________________ ___________________________
‘Its a calm and soundless night. Just the time for an atta-’

“STOP MONOLOGUING!” Jeitai grew tired of my rambling.

“Sorry! Ok what am I looking for?” I crept into the schools building quietly not to alert anyone nearby.

“Check the science room? Maybe it's there”.


“What am I even looking for?”.

“Evidence my Sister is here! Or brothers…” I searched around the room until A loud snapping sound rang from outside.

“One of the others is here GO FIND THEM!” I tried to quietly walk out of the room.

KLANG KLANG BONK.

“YOU IDIOT!”.

“I'm sorry!!! I didn't mean to kick the bucket!” I cried out quietly. That had scared me. I watched the floor as I snuck around to find them.

I Hide in a small hidden closet waiting for whoever it is to walk by…..

_________ __________

“JUST GO ALREADY!!!!” Jeitai yells at me as We both grow impatient.

I leave the closet quickly and follow the faint scent of glitter to attack this person.
Love is love. Just flow with it and all will be happy. Also take a moment to smell the flowers my friends because thats all we need. ~Love your Bisexual Trans friend.





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Ventomology says...



Iris Lawrence-Han



Alas, Iris's poor target hadn't seen her coming. The rest of these girls really needed to work on their combat skills. They'd never win this weird alien sibling game like this.

Yeah! Xenori cheered, as Iris knocked the redheaded girl to the ground. Get her!

Iris almost felt bad. Maybe she should have given the other kids some time to get used to their powers and make this a fair fight? Slinging her backpack over one shoulder, she watched as the other girl picked herself up.

"What the heck?" the other girl shouted. Normal shouting, not crazy loud ear-drum-bursting shouting.

Iris tilted her head. Xenori had pointed her in the right direction, right? And that crazy soundwave could only have come from this kid. "You've got an alien in your head, right?" she asked. She tried to sound cool, but she probably just sounded awkward. Or scary. "We're like, supposed to fight each other and see who's the best or something? Also have I seen you somewhere before?"

The redhead wasn't a senior, for sure, but maybe she'd been at varsity tryouts for something last year. There'd been a redhead on the JV volleyball team last year.

Iris waited for the other girl to get up, but the redhead didn't move. Her eyes wandered for a second, as if she was listening to something, and then she leveled Iris with a stare. "I'm pretty sure it's not a game. Argathem says we're supposed to save earth."

Xenori was in so much trouble. Impulsive little brat. But Iris had no means of taking her anger out on the little alien, and it felt wrong to shout at a kid, so she might as well get it off her back here. Besides. The aliens could all have different stories. Maybe Xenori was right and this really was just about beating up their older siblings.

"You're going to save earth like this?" she asked, starting to swing her backpack back and forth. The weight of it made her biceps bulge, and Iris hoped she looked menacing. "I knocked you down in one hit. You're going to have to do better than that."

"But you surprised me!"

"And you have sound powers," Iris retorted. "If you get better at using them, maybe you won't get surprised again. Now come on. Get back up. I'm not going to kick you while you're down."

Still wearing her incredulous look, the redhead scraped herself up off the ground. "Thanks?"

Iris shoved her backpack into the funny pocket space again, this time behind her shoulder blades, and stepped closer. She offered a hand to shake and tried her best at a friendly smile. "Let's play nice, okay? I'm Iris. I'm a senior here. Anytime we're not fighting, you can come to me for advice."

"Uhh, sure. I'm Lyn. Sophomore."

Lyn went in for the handshake, and Iris flipped the poor girl.

"What the heck?!"

The 'heck' came out like a crackle of lighting immediately overhead. It split the ears and was accompanied by a deep, low rumble that shook the walls and buzzed in the air. Iris almost expected to see smoke coming off something. She winced for a moment, her ears ringing, and gave Lyn an appraising glance.

"Nice. Want to try doing it on purpose?"

"Oh my gosh, why are you and Argathem saying literally the exact same things to me."

Clearly, Argatha or whatever knew what was up. Maybe, if they were one of the more upright members of Xenori's family, Iris would be able to figure out more of what was going on.

But she kind of wanted to dunk on this sophomore first. She reached down to help Lyn up, but the other girl swatted her hand away and stood on her own. Evidently, the handshake trick could only work so many times.

She really did look familiar, though, like Iris had seen her recently. What was it Xenori had said? One of their older siblings had dropped at the same place the little alien had, which would be the mall, in that one store where Iris's parents had thrown a fit. Had Iris run into any redheads that day?

Maybe if Iris saw Lyn without the cool getup, she'd recognize her.

"Well?" Iris said, looking at Lyn. "I've taken the offensive a couple times. Why don't you give me a shot?"

You do know you're not invincible, right? Xenori piped up. Like, I can do cool stuff buuut. Uh. Argathem is really really strong okay?

"Ummm, okay?" Lyn waited a couple seconds, then yelled, kind of a wimpy "ahhh." It wasn't very impressive. She blushed deeply. "I feel ridiculous. I am yelling at a kid from my high school because an alien in my earbuds says it is to save the world? I don't see how this saves the world. Truce, at least for now? At this point I'm not likely to be much of a challenge." She rubbed her skinned elbows a little, obviously still nervous.

This poor sophomore really needed a confidence boost. Even if Iris had issues with her academic performance, at least she took pride in the things she was good at. After a brief scratch at her neck, Iris pulled her backpack out and pulled her arms through the straps properly.

Iris! Xenori wailed. What are you doing? We were totally gonna win.

Yeah, probably, and it wouldn't have been any fun.

"Sure," Iris said to Lyn. "Now that I think about it, I guess you'd be as confused as I am about this whole thing." She glanced away and held a hand to her ear. "Xenori? How do we ditch the outfits?"

Ugh, Xenori groaned. You're no fun. I'll get rid of it for you, but you better not get sneak-attacked!

With a quick flash and a weird skin tingle, Iris's horrendous purple dress melted back into her street clothes. At some point, she'd have to test the capabilities of her powers outside of the transformation. And in it. And maybe try pranking someone during gym class.

When she looked over at Lyn again, the redhead's epic punk look had transformed back as well, into an easily-missed t-shirt and easily-missed jeans. And without all the bright colors, she really did look more familiar. Or maybe she just had that kind of face.

Jerking a thumb over her shoulder, Iris offered her underclassman an awkward smile. "Uh, I can drive. You wanna get coffee and tell me about this world-saving stuff? My alien is like, five years old and might have had the wrong idea about what's going on here."

I'm not five! You're so mean!

Lyn adjusted her own backpack and looked back at Iris with a dear-in-the-headlights expression. "Okay."

Great. Cool. Iris had managed to attack the one other girl in school who might be more awkward than her. It was okay though. Underclassmen just needed a little reassurance sometimes.

"Well, uh, follow me then."
"I've got dreams like you--no really!--just much less, touchy-feeley.
They mainly happen somewhere warm and sunny
on an island that I own, tanned and rested and alone
surrounded by enormous piles of money." -Flynn Rider, Tangled








"Perhaps it is better to wake up after all, even to suffer, rather than to remain a dupe to illusions all one's life."
— Kate Chopin, The Awakening