---

---

Descended from a long line of researchers into the occult, and entrenched in the era's fascination with such, Veronica discovered true magic at a young age when she met the pixie Claria during a ghost hunt. For years, she tracked down beings just out of human sight, aided by rumours of hauntings and cryptids. Beings that some would call wraiths, shades or demons, and that she recently started referring to as Hydes, given their nature as manifestations of destructive emotion.

The more Hydes swarmed London, the more witches were needed, and Veronica eventually crossed paths with others like her. Her family having been involved with various paranormal groups, she and her friend Sophia created one of their own, a coven of sorts with the latter's home as a headquarters. This gave the magical girls of London - particularly the many new recruits - a way to work as a team, and learn about their abilities and their enemies alike.

---

---

On the surface, life looked good for Lucilla. Born to a wealthy businessman, she spent her childhood days pampered with everything she could want, or so it seemed. She was the one who watched her parents carelessly fritter away their money as the servants raised her in their stead. While she kept her behaviour towards her family respectful, she preferred to spend time with her close friend, Sophia.

Until, that is, everything went more sour than it already had. Her father, on the verge of financial ruin, sought to gain a connection to a certain rich family for support. And what better way to do so than by promising a bride to one of their young men? Lucilla had never liked Sophia's cousin. She liked him even less as, post engagement, his behaviour became increasingly possessive. The bruising grips on her arms, the leers, the whispers that he'd be able to do what he wanted once she was his, all went unnoticed. Even by Sophia, it seemed. As much as Lucilla wanted to reach out, the girl she'd once trusted had become oddly distant. Probably turning a blind eye, wanting to believe her cousin could do no wrong.

Sickened at the hypocrisy all around her, desperate to avoid an abusive marriage, Lucilla fled her home. Living on the streets, she disguised herself as a boy for protection in clothing she'd stolen from her brother, and continued to steal. This led to falling in with other criminals, and before long, "Lucas" took to the occasional foray as an unscrupulous link-boy. She'd guide people through ill-lit parts of the city by candlelight at night, only to pilfer from them as they focused on their surroundings, or lead them into the path of thieves.

One such thief, Elliot, became a good friend over time. Despite his own disadvantaged situation - he'd been fired from a workhouse - he tried to keep those he worked with in decently high spirits. Lucilla saw beneath the facade, noticed his sense of humour grow darker and his eyes emptier, but had no idea just how strongly despair could take hold of him until one night.

She led a traveller into an alleyway where Elliot and others lay in wait, only for the candle to reveal the mangled bodies of her group. Something - somebody - lashed out from nowhere, slashing the traveller's throat with clawed fingers and turning to his next target, Lucilla. For all his twisted features, he was unmistakeably Elliot. Snarling his disgust that he'd fallen in with common crooks, he swiped at her. It was only thanks to survival skills and luck that she evaded him, running for safety, but he quickly closed in. Another being appeared before her, a tiny winged humanoid, offering her a chance to fight back. Out of desperation, she accepted. Eerie purple fire swirled around her, granting her the abilities she needed to take down her attacker.

For a while afterwards, she fought with only the pixie by her side, hunting down such manifestations of negativity before they could merge with their creators. It was during one hunt that she ran into an old friend. Sophia hadn't been ignoring her. She'd simply been focusing on her duties as a magical girl. From Sophia, Lucilla learned of an organisation dedicated to studying magical phenomena, dark and light alike. A group that could help girls like them with their duties, while providing a community for them. She left her shady past behind for a promising future, but that didn't completely quell her fears.

Of all the Hydes out there, were any of her own creation?

Alicia was born to the Ferdinand nobility, with her father having an ancestral claim to a knight serving Queen Elizabeth The First. However, her father didn't have a seat in the House of Lords, or participating in politics in the slightest. Instead, he was a landowner and a businessman, owning a trading ship to India and Africa.

As you would expect, she wanted nothing in terms of money. However, what she wanted was the attention of her parents, as her mother preferred to spend her time in London being a busy social bee, and her father would frequently go on trips abroad for months on end. She was all alone, only accompanied by her servants whom she wasn't supposed to get close to, being an only child.

She met her pixie when she had her daily stroll through her gardens. She told her that she had watched her help all those people without giving a single credit to herself. Perfect to become a Witch.

She agreed. She figured it would be a good way to both save more people while staving off her boredom at the same time.

---

---

Sophia is the eldest child of a prominent Londonian family, the Wrights, who's father is a well known and respected Admiral in the British Royal Navy. As such, Sophia grew up rarely seeing her father as he was most often gone on peace missions to keep the Pax Britannica. Her mother, on the other hand, was always present. She always had been sickly and weak from her youngest years, which was why the couple had rejoiced in noticing that Sophia didn't inherit this condition. Instead, she was a strong child and a strong personality that didn't shy away from saying what she thought and doing what she wanted. Sophia grew up under her mother's tutelage, learning the virtues of kindness and patience, but also inherited her father's strength of character and will to act. Her youngest years were happy and fulfilling - but her mother died suddenly after giving birth to a second child, a younger brother.

Ever the strong one, Sophia did not let the death of her cherished mother change her. If anything, it strengthened the lessons she was taught, as a way to respect her memory. Sophia's father was still rarely there, even less so the first few months and years after the death of his wish. Sophia took on the role of leader of the family's house and tried to raise her little brother, although this task fell mostly on servants and caretakers because she was busy and judged too young.

She only got busier after meeting her Pixie companion only a few months after the tragedy. While taking care of her mother's garden, a creature of seemingly pure light approached her and gave her an opportunity; to give her the means to proactively use her willingness to act and help by giving her the powers to make a difference. It did not take much explanations for Sophia to believe and accept the Pixie's proposition.

Ever since, Sophia fulfilled her new duties as Witch superbly and without fail.

There are countless children abandoned on the streets of London, some barely more than babies just left to fend for themselves on those misty streets. Young Jacqueline was one such child, abandoned as a baby on a rubbish heap to die alone in the darkness. That was to be her fate, had not her cries reached the ears of one of the many prostitutes that made a living on those dismal streets.

This woman, Mary Wild, was already struggling to survive herself and by all rights should have left the baby girl there. But as she gazed into the child's eyes the woman couldn't bring herself to do so, instead taking the child with her to the brothel at which she worked. She would name the child Jacqueline Wild and raise her as her own daughter, in fact little Jacqueline would become a sort of daughter for many of the woman at the brothel.

It was in this environment that Jacqueline would grow up, learning many skills such as how to read and write, cook and get stubborn stains out of wooden floorboards. It was a loving childhood, if not an easy one, and the young girl did everything she could to help out her surrogate family, even if she wasn't allowed upstairs during business hours.

When she turned 11 and at the urging of her mother, Jacqueline began working as an assistant to the local doctor. The girl had always had an interest in herbs and medicines, so Mary hoped that the experience along with some funds she had been saving for the last couple years would be enough to put her little girl through medical school so that she might never have to live the life as a woman of the streets.

Little did they know that things would change when, while running an errand, that Jacqueline would meet her fairy. It was a strange thing, not exactly what one would call cute but Jacqueline liked it. It's name was Hope and she wanted Jacqueline's help in fighting against the darkness that covered London, help which Jacqueline gladly gave.

Lilith was born into a high-class family, but was quickly forgotten by her parents a few years after she was born, they had to focus on the potential heirs of the family so she, as the youngest child, wasn't given much attention. She wasn't truly lacking much, as she lived in a wealthy household with many servants. She however always felt something was missing. She was always looking for something she probably wouldn't ever find. Her curiosity levels were spiraling out of control and finally, when she almost caused a meal the maidsnwere cooking to be ruined, one of the maids made sure to take up the job of teaching her the things her parents should have.

By the time she was almost 12, the successor had been decided. She thought that maybe she would get more attention now. While she did get a bit more, her parents only cared about superficial things. Her appearance was something they definitely focused on. They ordered the maids to be more careful and all of a sudden she was getting pampered. While theres a part of her that hopes it's because they love her, she knows they must just want to get a large dowry when the finally marry her off. She hates the idea of arranged marriages and has been trying to figure out how to get out of it since she was 13. Her plan now consists of running away and hiding at her maid mothers house, though with her face, hair color and eyes she is pretty sure she's be caught the moment she went out, which is why she hasn't tried yet.

Clarissa was born into a middle class family. While her family was not particularly well to do, she never wanted for anything growing up. Possessed of a keen mind and sharp wit from a young age, she has gotten a good education and furthered it wherever possible with her own studies, particularly in areas of personal interest.

Her natural talents and method of deductive reasoning has led her to become something of an amateur detective. She helps others with their problems, investigating things and working hard to find solutions that see justice done. Being a young woman, she usually addresses cases among children, though she has sometimes been dragged more into the adult world. Murders and high-profile crimes are not her usual fare, nor is she well known enough to garner professional attention for their assistance. Clarissa will help anyone with whatever problems they bring to her, should they be within her powers to solve them.

Her detective work has the benefit of sending her across London, and even to other places in England at times (if she can escape from her family to travel). More importantly, it allows her to help people in need, and gives her ample opportunity to find Hydes lurking around the more unexplained or inexplicable crimes.

Clarissa treats the London coven as a sort of social club or knitting circle. She usually attends meetings, and she often drops by to recruit the help of other witches should circumstances require it.

Mary Anne was orphaned at a young age, and her early life was difficult. Her orphanage was not particularly kind or able to provide for the children, and she had to turn to picking pockets and other forms of petty theft to survive. Life was hard and sometimes dangerous, but she always tried to be kind and help the other children or those even less fortunate than she was.

Eventually, she was adopted into a wealthy family, lifting her out of poverty and into the world of the upper class. Suddenly schooling, refinement, and social pressures took up most of her days. Her good nature was able to more freely shine through, and she still tried to help her old friends when she could.

After becoming a witch, she’s decided to become a lady thief, plying her old trade on a much grander scale and more for the thrill than necessity. She picks her targets carefully, targeting those who do not value their wealth, or to punish the evil and corrupt. Sometimes, she’ll even steal from other criminals, particularly if their crimes would otherwise go unknown. She doesn’t usually keep what she takes, instead giving it to the less fortunate. Overall, she is a force for good, but her alter ego is seen as a criminal by the police.

As one of London's many abandoned children, Marilyn quickly resorted to begging and eventually pickpocketing to be able to survive. A few years later down the line, she would be part of a little gang of homeless children who were ordered around by a member of one of London's street gangs. They would spend their days taking valuables off people and bring them to their leader's home at the end of the day, those who had taken the most valuable things would be given food and a warm place to rest inside the leader's home, while those who brought nothing or had the lowest amount of value would be left to sleep in the streets.

Marilyn wasn't a good thief in her childhood, something that would make her spend countless nights trying to find something to combat the cold with or searching in the trash for something to eat. Over time she realized that she couldn't last like this. She started watching how the other kids shoplifted without being noticed, how did they choose their victims, learning what streets they used to lose someone who was pursuing them. The day she finally entered the house was probably the 2nd happiest day of her life.

Her meeting with the supernatural would come when a hyde would appear in the middle of the night. It pounded wildly on the door of the main bedroom, where the gang's leader had locked himself in. While some kids were hidden or running away from the house she looked for something to hit the strange monster with. If she could drive him out she certainly would be rewarded. As if it was answering her call, a strange-little humanoid creature appeared beside her offering her the ability to defeat the monster and turning the night even more bizarre. She made short work of the beast after transforming, noticing her increased abilities.

With the problem being disposed of Marilyn asked for a large sum of money in return for having saved their lives, which she was promptly given, everyone being none the wiser about her true identity. Not too long after that, she left to go live on her own, with her new powers she could aim for bigger riches than simple pickpocketing, as well as charging for her services to those she rescues from hydes who had become visible.







The last magical girl anime I've watched is still Yuuki Yuuna

Regular Identity
• Name: Amarantha Diop
• Age: 16

• Personality: Soft spoken and serious, Amarantha is no stranger to hard work. She doesn’t talk very much, but when she does it’s usually important. She won’t hesitate to help someone in need, no matter their circumstances. The poor can get attacked just like the rich, and when you have so little, it’s easy to lose a lot.

• Interests: sewing, books, fancy gowns that she loves to look at but will never be able to wear
• Strengths: sewing, business acumen, musclulature, can travel long distances without getting tired.
• Fears: not being able to take over her parents’ shop, dying in battle, spiders, becoming a servant

• History: Amarantha was born to her two hardworking parents who own a dressmaking and tailoring shop in the less wealthy side of town. The business caters to those who don’t have much, and they trade in both money, goods, and trades of craft from the other shops around them. The three of them work hard for their money, and while it’s not the fanciest London boutique, it is theirs and theirs alone. Ama sometimes feels guilty about having to run off and fight monsters when she should be working; but this is a different kind of work that gives her a different feeling of purpose.

Magical Identity

• Witch Name: Arachne
• Weapon: A gigantic silver needle, and a massive spool of thread on her back. If she’s not using it to direct her thread, she is using it as a blunt force weapon or a piercing one, depending on which end she is using.

• Pixie: A dark skinned fae in an iridescent ballgown, with the wings of a firefly
• Transformed State: Turns into a thimble choker

• Magic: Red String of Fate: faintly visible red lines connect her staff to the locations of the rest of the girls. She can use this as tracking in situations where they are separated.

Hyde Hunter Strand: similarly, she can use the black strings to locate enemies.

Blue Lasso: used to restrain Hydes, or swing herself around London.