About

Maidensong Magica is a universe of queer magical girl adventures about the heroes who wield the power of the mysterious Maidensong to battle evil from across space and the planes of reality. Working for an organization called the Starlight Alliance, these magical girls seek to protect the innocent and powerless from threats both supernatural and Earthly, while learning about the nature of magica and their place in it. The stories center on Magica Riot, a five-member magical girl rock band from Portland, Oregon, as viewed through the eyes of their newest member, trans keytar player Claire Ryland.

About the Characters

Magica Riot

Art by Amber Dill

Claire Ryland - Riot Purple

Claire's just come out of the closet as a trans girl in a most unexpected way: undergoing her awakening as a magical girl! She's found herself as the new keyboard player of secret magical girl rock band Magica Riot. Now she has to wrestle with all her anxiety from being a newly-out trans girl and the challenges of fighting interdimensional monsters while keeping her magical life a secret from her best friend, Hazel. She's going to do her best, but it sure would be nice to catch a break!

Sara Ward - Riot Red

Sara is Magica Riot's leader, and their rhythm guitarist and lead singer on stage. A serious and determined fighter, Sara has spent the last two years trying to heal and move on from the loss of Iris Carr - her girlfriend, and the original Riot Purple. With Claire's unexpected arrival, Sara is forced to face her feelings and consider taking the band's new, anxious member under her wing.

Cass Coates - Riot Yellow

Magica Riot's second-in-command, lead guitarist, and backing vocalist, Cass is one of the most capable magical girls in the entire Starlight Alliance. Fiercely precise on stage and in a fight, she's always ready to face the group's challenges head-on. She's also thoughtful and kind, capable of breaking emotional walls and offering a guiding hand. This quality has been crucial to the group's success, whether serving as a leadership peer alongside Sara, helping to steer Claire through her adjustment period, or engaging with the community through her mutual aid organization.

Hana Hasegawa - Riot Green

Hana is the sunbeam that lights up Magica Riot's feelings, and the rock-solid bass player who drives the group's music and fighting with her keen sense of rhythm. She's always ready with a smile and a helping hand whenever the other girls are down, and her deep empathy also lets her crack even the thorniest problems in the group's way. She's developed a protective nature that sees her looking out for everybody - especially Nova, and now Claire as well.

Nova - Riot Blue

Nova is Magica Riot's drummer, the youngest member, and a barely-contained firecracker of energy on stage and on the battlefield. She's the one who finds Claire at the moment of her awakening, and latches on to her in a sisterly way. As the group's other trans member, she understands Claire's anxiety especially well. To Nova, Magica Riot is the only family she wants - so she's especially sensitive about threats to that family.

Supporting Characters

Hazel is Claire's best friend, and the first person outside of Magica Riot who Claire comes out to. A film camera & indie music enthusiast, Hazel believes in her friend to achieve the impossible…even if she has no idea just how impossible her achievements will be!

Commander McCoy leads the Portland branch of the Starlight Alliance, and is the commanding officer of the secret underground base known as the Portland Vault. A strong, dedicated woman in her forties, Commander McCoy is committed to protecting the public and her magical girls. She knows when to make the calls that are required of a leader, and she knows how to get results.

Dr. Barrera is the medical officer and biological researcher of the Portland branch of the Starlight Alliance. A kind woman who cares deeply for the magical girls, Dr. Barrera is also more than a bit excited at the prospect of learning as much as she can about the incredible creatures that invade Earth from other worlds.

Saoirse builds and maintains the magical musical instrument weapons wielded by Magica Riot. A master at mechanical engineering and working with the magical resonator crystals known as thaumatite, Saoirse is incredibly proud of her handiwork…and is not shy about yelling at people if they misuse that handiwork.

Art by Galaxyspark

Hikari Tomori

A non-binary former IT contractor who the members of Magica Riot recruited into the Starlight Alliance, Hikari now works in the Vault, running the facility's computer systems, operating the city-wide sensor grid, and doing research into whatever mysteries the magical girls turn up. They are more than a little eccentric, with a very distinctive monotone style of speech, but they're secretly one of the most lighthearted and funny members of the team…even if it's hard to detect when they're smiling.

About the Author

Magica Riot and the larger Maidensong Magica universe are the creation of author Kara Buchanan, a former city planning journalist and current musician turned fiction writer. After a dozen years writing about urban issues for various publications in her hometown, she moved to the Pacific Northwest and finally got to be her real self. Taking her love of magical girl anime, her life playing in bands, and her personal experiences dealing with gender issues, she created Magica Riot to bring a joyful, action-packed queer story of self-discovery and adventure to the world. She lives in a modest house with a pretty garden, with her wife and three cats.