Gosh, this story is so great. (I might have read ahead to ch 3 in the other place...)

To be way too wordy for a minute: I have seen a -lot- of magical girl stories (and other works, broadly speaking), and I kind of feel like... well, okay, the aesthetics of magical girls are easy and straightforward. The vibes, however, are incredibly difficult to nail. Part of that is due to people coming at it from very different angles and with different goals, but I would say that more often than not, when I come across a story with the trappings of magical girl stuff, the content itself just doesn't work for me. Sometimes it's too violent/serious (But without the complexity and maturity of something like Madoka that can pull that off), sometimes it's so comic and lighthearted that the core emotions don't ring true (And the oversized feelings are a -huge- part of a magical girl thing to me). Either way, even if it's enjoyable, it always feels a bit like an more shallow imitation rather than the genuine article.... And I'm more than willing to include myself in here; my own magical girl story is a fun joke exercise in such a setting, not a particularly authentic exploration of it.

This story though? This GETS it. Of the three chapters I've read, it really understands the format and uses that excellently. I love how the limited perspective of its character allows for the standard episodic magical girl stuff to be happening in the background, allowing the reader to fill in the gaps with familiarity of the genre while still using those subtleties to suggest deeper character things about the people involved. (Without being specific, I love, for instance, the way certain things about Temperance are teased but not shown as of yet). I think it takes distinct strength and skill on behalf of the author to be handling these larger plot elements so carefully and choosing when to reveal them or when to keep them obscured. There's enough going on that it's hard to know exactly what direction the story's going to go and what angle it's going to take, even as really cool and intriguing implications keep popping up. I'm so excited to see how it's all fully realized. And of course... the story's definitely anchored by a very strong and relatable main character who you can't help but root for. I think my only worry is how it will all come together in the end, particularly as the pace is pretty propulsive and some big status-quo-changing things are already happening (Often trans stories hinge around a moment of self-realization, and then struggle a little if they resolve that moment too neatly and concisely, at least if they plan to continue on afterwards...) But in that regard, I'm mainly only worried because it's been -so- good so far that I find it hard to keep my expectations in check. They're just running wild right now, haha. This is definitely the most excited I've been about a story in quite a long while.

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So, just to get it out first: I definitely helped beta-read some of this just so it is known that I am not an entirely unknowing reader.

With that out of the way, I love this story so much! It's so cute and perfectly grasps the Magical Girl genre it's playing with. I have seen so many imperfect Madoka Magica copies, and I'm really glad to see this story playing with the more whimsical, shoujo-esque aspects of big emotions, heroic call-outs and a focus on emotional honesty and embracing yourself. I absolutely adore it! It's not afraid of compromising the comedic and fun aspects by playing with darker themes such as dysphoria, anxiety or self-hatred.

One thing I especially love is how we not only have a very limited main character perspective, but in fact the end notes of the fictional "Shining Virtue Angel Heart" anime note that we start at episode 12 of the anime. One can even imagine this whole subplot going on somewhat later in the anime and some of the plot developments alluded to having happened earlier being some of the earlier episodes. It really feels like jumping into a world with established characters. Absolutely must recommend, it's fantastic and I SO want to see where it goes next.

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I read this through the Pride 2024 Bundle and let me tell you, it just completely altered my brain chemistry. I've thought about this story and nothing else for days. It's so good in every metric that matters. The worst part is that it's a completed story, and I want more of it.

It perfectly grasps the magical girl genre and reads like a genuine series, even when it ventures into territory that typical magical girl stories won't explore. It captures the heart and soul of a true series and puts them onto a page to tell a story all of its own.

And, like I said in my twitter post, this was first brought to me by a recently-come-out trans woman who said "This cracked my egg" and that's about the highest praise you can get.

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This is a great story, but the two of the tags are wrong. This is no comedy, or cute light-hearted story. Look at the other tags. This is an extremely painful story to read, not for the faint of heart.

The protagonist has crippling self-worth issues, and won't let their friends help them. The MC is in an emotionally abusive situation at home, and keeps making excuses because it's not physical. And these issues are incessant, absolutely constant for the whole story, ranging from an emotional bludgeoning with a baseball bat to a constant tick in the background.

Just when it seems like the MC has snapped, and maybe things will start to get better, you realize that they're in almost the exact situation as before but worse, and the very thing that we thought might save them starts making sure they stay down.

This is all masterfully well written, and portrayed in such a real way, that it is incredibly painful to read if you have any kind of sensitivity to this kind of thing at all, or tend to get emotionally affected by what you read in general. Like, damn it's done well, but I can't in good conscience recommend it to anybody, it's so hard emotionally. I'd rate it on a similar level of emotional blender to Thundamoo stories (and that is high praise, Thundamoo is amazingly skilled and Bioshifter may very well be a masterpiece. It takes a lot of skill to hurt your characters so badly in a way that effects the reader just as much), if you're familiar. Possibly higher, because the focus is on the protagonist tearing themself apart at all times, there is never even a second to breathe, rather than a mix of internal and external forces trying to ruin the mc's life, where at least sometimes the enemy isn't completely within.

Read it only if you are sure you can handle it, there are content warnings in the first chapter you should look at, and understand that they mean it. And if at any point it gets too much, please stop.

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I read this story and while I havent watched much magical girl stuff (just Sailor Moon Crystal) and cant judge it on that, this story is still an amazing story. I found the characters to be incredibly relatable, and I cried bc Chiro did not deserve to go through all that. 

If you think you can handle the darker tags, read it, you will enjoy it.

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One if not my favourite stories on the site. Wonderful cast of compelling characters an interesting world and all the gender feels one could want

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Extremely fun story, even if I did want to shake Chiro's shoulders at time to help her get things a bit faster. Could easily warrant a sequel; all of the characters, both good and bad, are quite relatable. It's particularly impressive how it has the feeling of an episodic magical girl show but while also reading like a full length novel.

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Its really good. The Mc's feelings are shockingly raw and relatable, and her pov is expressed really well and it really works. I also love the magical girl setting and the themes between the magical girls and villains. Everything with the magical girl setting is well thought out and developed. Idk its really good, definitely sticks with you.

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It hurts so good, and it resolves incredibly well...

Plus it followed what you expected from the format of a magical girl show and it's great please read it I cannot stop thinking about it please read it

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This fic was magnificent, the kind that reached inside me and pulled out feelings that I didn't know I had. I found myself crying during some of the more intense moments near the end when the protagonist's experiences were so slide to my own (only, you know, without the magical girl stuff).

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