A Magical Girl’s Seasoning Guide

Writing is like cooking. If you're going to do it, you have to show off the chef's skill and talent. First, take a measure of the pure innocence of an original archetype, and pair it with a whole pot of madness and distortion. Then add a helping of fearless courage, seasoned with a full bucket of shame and self-reproach. Finally, take a portion of nobility born from the mud and pour on a whole jar of resentment and hatred. Add a versatile dose of pure darkness that goes with everything, and simmer it all into a dazzlingly colorful black dish. Then slowly lift it off the heat, plate it elegantly, and serve it up on the plates of readers whose stomachs are growling. And there you have it, perfectly seasoned. Please enjoy. (Tags: unhinged vibes, the power of "I reckon," not a Kamen Rider Wizard fanfic, but the spirit is the same.)