Cory Frost

Cory (right) watching a movie with Vivian.

**Cory Frost** is a character in *Magical Girl Policy*. A freshman at SAU, Cory finds himself involved with the Spirit Guard after he is in a monster attack and his roommate Robert glows in a way that interests the heroes. After incidentally discovering the Spirit Guard's secret identities, he and his best friend Eli Drake become confidants for the team. Cory has no outstanding skills to aid the heroes with, but offers his support to Rob and the other Spirit Guard.

## Appearance

Cory is eighteen years old and has a scrawny body type. He is insecure about how out of shape he is. He has short black hair and brown eyes. He is often seen with a mischievous grin. Cory dislikes SAU's dress code and prefers to dress more casually.

## Personality

A joker at heart, Cory centers much of his character around his sense of humor. He seems to have a witty remark for every situation, and is often slow to realize when his jokes are not needed. He will even make wisecracks in dangerous situations, which he admits is a coping mechanism. Cory has a mischievous side and can be a bit of a lech, but both aspects have mellowed over the years.

Cory can be dramatic and is prone to exaggeration. When particularly frustrated, he tends to physically vent, such as stomping around or slamming a door. He often leads Eli on inane tangents, and his tendency to unintentionally exclude others while doing so gives him difficulty in making new friends. He likes to annoy his friends as a form of affection, though this has given him a reputation of being insufferable at times. When not distracted by his urge to crack a joke, he is quick to read the room and can convincingly lie on the spot if the situation calls for it.

Cory has stereotypical nerd hobbies that include video games, trading card games, and all manner of motion pictures. According to Eli, Cory is not a particularly skilled gamer and gets easily frustrated. He is an avid player of the *Invokers* card game, playing a Gray deck in Dungeon Direct-hosted tournaments since middle school, now playing with others in SFEERS. Cory has a reputation of being a hipster due to his love of indie film, but he has a guilty pleasure of charming schlock as well. Cory's online handle, CannedBurrito, has been a constant since middle school.

Cory dislikes how useless he is compared to the Spirit Guard and their other allies, but believes even a normal person like him can find ways to help. He reasons that if Rob and the other Spirit Guard have been dragged into such crazy lives by the whims of Fate, then it's the job of people like Cory and Eli to be there as the most supportive friends possible.

## Abilities

Like many people in Kessia City, Cory has a large Investiture that is desirable for monsters to drain. He has no discernible aura and appears to lack any real empathokinetic ability. When comparing himself against the Spirit Guards, Cory says his special ability is "being snarky".

Cory is skilled at the *Invokers* card game and the *Mega Mash Family* video games.

## Biography

### Background

Born in Kessia City, Cory Frost is the only child of a well-off family, as his father owns a rapidly expanding security company. He and Eli Drake have been inseparable since kindergarten. He is also very close to Eli's big sister Mallory and the Drakes in general, considering himself an honorary member of the family. When Cory and Eli arrive at Schuyler Adamson University, they room together and immediately befriend their other roommate Robert Dreese due to their shared interests.

### Week 1

The day before classes begin, Cory and Robert visit Eli on the job at the Loose Change arcade. Cory reasons that the strange, obsessive behavior of the children at the *Zombie Mansion* cabinet must mean the game is good, convincing Rob to play the game with him and find out. When the game starts up, its Polygal character starts to drain energy from Cory and Robert. Polygal's inability to drain the mysteriously glowing Rob forces her to return the energy she had stolen and reveal herself as a monster. Cory and Eli are held at gunpoint while Rob is ensnared, but the Spirit Guard arrive to save the three. Robert is distrusting of the superheroes for somehow being unknown outside of Kessia City, but Cory and Eli convince him that he can believe them when they promise to get back to him with why he glowed.

Cory, Eli, and Robert are questioned by the police, but make sure not to mention Rob glowing. Back at their dorm, Cory and Eli explain the Spirit Guard to Rob, and they discuss all that happened. Mallory visits along with Vivian to make sure Eli's OK, but they show more interest in Robert's actions during the attack. Mallory scolds Cory and Eli for standing by Rob instead of running from Polygal. To the surprise of Cory's friends, Vivian greatly enjoys his company and plans to sit next to him in their film class tomorrow.

Robert receives a text from the Spirit Guard ordering him to meet them alone at the Standridge Circle the following night. Cory and Eli think Rob is unnecessarily worried about what the heroes might do there, but are convinced to secretly record the meeting, as Cory still has a fiber optic camera he had taken his father's security company warehouse six years ago in hopes of spying on the girls' locker room. Cory drives Robert to the Hill, and as planned acts like the plan is cancelled and drives away. He and Eli hide behind the groundskeeper's shack, a place Cory remembers from the "Summer of Abandonment" when Eli was away. Rob's phone is called by Eli to record the meeting's sound while the camera hidden on his headphones sends video to Cory's laptop. Cory and Eli watch as the Spirit Guard attempt to recruit Robert, who refuses to transform into Spirit Guard Serenity as it would force him to discard his identity and live the rest of his life as a woman. The pair are caught by a ninja, who confiscates Cory's laptop and threatens them into showing themselves to the Spirit Guard. Cory, Eli, and Robert swear to never reveal the identities or other secrets of the Spirit Guard. Before the ninja Noriko can leave, Rob stops her and has Angela convince her to return Cory's laptop as soon as the evidence is removed.

Having discovered Vivian is Spirit Guard Felicity without permission, Cory finds that she is avoiding him. While he's still in class, Kara returns his laptop to Eli at his dorm. When Cory returns, he is annoyed to find that Eli had lent his GameStation console to Kara as a way to make up for discovering her secret identity.

Cory, Eli, and Robert go to Dungeon Direct at Rale Valley Mall. Cory makes Eli buy him *Invokers* booster packs as payback for giving his GameStation away. Afterwards, Robert has his friends go to exit the mall with him, as he and the Spirit Guard sense an unusual humming and Mallory wants Eli and Cory away from possible danger. Before they can leave, the humming is revealed to be a mannequin monster called Day LaMode, who pursues the trio in hopes of capturing the glowing Robert. The friends get bailed out by the Spirit Guard twice, but the second time has Tenacity arrive alone, who gets gravely injured by the faster LaMode. Cory and Eli are driven to tears as they can do nothing but watch Mallory's impending death, which causes Robert to order his friends to flee so he can transform into Spirit Guard Serenity and save her. On Cory and Eli's way out, Noriko directs them to a police-free exit so they can find the HushMobile. Noriko also borrows Cory's car so as not to raise suspicion when she lets the police interview her later. Cory comforts the guilty Eli by saying that Rob having to sacrifice so much to save Mallory isn't fair, but he was the only one granted the ability to do so, so it's up to Cory and Eli to help their friend however they can. In the HushMobile, they work with Nick and Will Siekert so evidence of Rob, Cory, and Eli having been in the mall may be removed.

Back at his dorm, Cory works with Eli and Angela to pack up Rob's belongings so they can be moved to Rob's new dorm. When Angela laments how she couldn't convince Robert to transform before the situation became dire, Cory tells her Rob would never have done so for anything less than saving a life, as the decision to do so is entirely his own and not something born from the meddling of Fate and the Shrine Maiden.

After moving everything to Rob's new dorm, Cory's transformed friend appears. Cory and Eli briefly check out the attractive woman before realizing who they're looking at. They discuss Mallory's condition and Rob's new identity of Robynne Darling, though she has no problem with Cory and Eli continuing to call her Rob. When Cory cracks a joke, he unknowingly triggers an existential crisis in Robynne over her alien laugh. Robynne has the others leave so she can eat dinner alone and think. Everyone is concerned about this but complies, with Cory and Eli making it clear they can be called for any reason and that their dorm is still a home for Rob.

On the way back to their dorm, Cory and Eli vent about the insanity of everything that's occurred. Cory offers a theory that Fate was involved with Rob meeting Cory and Eli so he'd readily save his friend's sister, but Eli shoots it down by saying their friendship was their own decision and that Rob would've transformed to save the life of anyone. The two feel immense guilt for ogling Robynne and consider it cruel that Fate has cursed Rob with such a body. Their conversation is interrupted by Dale, their new roommate that had arrived late. They explain Robert's disappearance as him returning to Deepwater after his father died.

### Weeks 2-4

A couple days later, Cory, Eli, Kara, and Vivian check out the booths set up for Club Week, with Vivian being more receptive to Cory again at Robynne's suggestion. They visit the SFEERS booth manned by ergoAwesome and Zemiron. Cory takes particular interest in its *Invokers* group and signs up along with Eli under their respective handles CannedBurrito and Quack. Despite their limited range of nerdy interests, Kara and Vivian join as well, wanting to be there for Robynne, who Cory and Eli recommend the club to for its *Aspect Realms* group.

Cory, Eli, Kara, Vivian, and Noriko meet with Robynne in her dorm the next day and talk about how her first day back to classes went. She says things could've been worse, but she did check out the SFEERS booth and join the club, making particular note of club president Fretribution's unusual aura of crushed velvet texture. Cory is relieved to see Angela appear with Mallory, who has mostly recovered thanks to her healing factor.

At Cory's dorm, he and Eli are shocked when Robynne explains her plan to join the cheer team in order to topple the dangerous cheer captain Cammy DeCroix. Cory fails to come up with a better plan when asked, but is impressed at Rob's resolve and is confident she will succeed. They are unexpectedly interrupted by Dale, whose scarlette kink Cory and Eli had warned Robynne about and as a result held the meeting during his band practice. Dale shows immediate interest in Robynne, so Cory and Eli cover for her by saying they met her because she's an old friend of Robert's, who had left for home when his father died. Robynne is uncomfortable around Dale and quickly excuses herself. She decides not to tell Cory and Eli about Dale's relaxing textured aura until she learns more about its potential effects.

Cory attends the SFEERS opening social with Robynne, Eli, Vivian, Kara, and Stacy. He tells Rob he heard last year's social saw a pair of cheerleaders arrive in uniform like she and Vivian had, which seems to have been a failed attempt by Cammy to infiltrate and control the club's Student Council votes. Cory spends much of the social playing *Invokers* before catching the hint that it's boring Vivian, so the two spend the rest of the event chatting with the other members. After the social, the group hang out at Cory's dorm for a while, with Robynne leaving shortly after Stacy to let her coupled friends be. Cory and Vivian spend the night watching *Commander Earth*, wanting to see if the cartoon from their childhood is as bad as they remember.

Cory wakes up in the morning to Vivian chastising him for letting her fall asleep, and she quickly leaves to meet her family for church. Dale answers a knock at the door and is confused by the boxes of computer components for Robert, with Cory and Eli remembering this is what Robynne extorted from Cammy in return for joining the cheer team. They notice a cheerleader spying on the delivery before promoting a party at the door herself, and the pair can tell she assumes the more attractive Dale is the one Robynne had trusted with the components. Cory explains the delivery to Dale as Robynne asking Robert to order the parts for her since he has a discount from his Online Jungle Premium subscription. In order to keep Dale away from Robynne, Eli turns down his offer to bring the parts to her dorm and calls Mallory instead.

Over the following weeks, Cory and Eli start having "Guys' Nights" with Robynne. These are get-togethers meant to give Rob a break from her current roommates in favor of her original ones as a way to help her feel like her old self. The first Guys' Night is at the Cory and Eli's dorm, but Dale shows up and hits on Rob. The second goes better with the group playing video games at Rob's dorm with Vivian and Kara, but the trio feels the girlfriends' inclusion went against the purpose of the Guys' Night, so they decide future instances will be away from the dorms.

### Week 5

Cory drives with Eli and Robynne to Buy Bright to find a birthday present for his father on their way to a Guys' Night at a Headlights restaurant. When Robynne discusses how her cheer business is going, Cory is satisfied that he had correctly predicted the rumor of Robynne being "the smokin’ hot lesbian cheerleader with an accent". Robynne senses phones drain trace amounts of Investiture from customers like Stacy and those they text and send it to a certain Buy Bright employee, so she has Cory and Eli contact the rest of the team and give her own affected phone to Will for inspection. Wanting to deal with the monster before it gets much stronger, Robynne sends her friends away and begins the fight alone.

Cory plans to compete in SFEERS's *Mega Mash Family Battle* the following night.

## Relationships

### Eli Drake

Cory has been best friends with Eli since the two were in kindergarten. The pair shares the same hobbies and are inseparable to the point where some think of them as a single unit. The two often get sidetracked in conversation to the exclusion of those around them, which is a contributing factor to their friendship being prohibitively tight-knit. Cory often plays the wise guy to his more serious, reserved friend. Cory can often predict what Eli is thinking and vice-versa. Cory is so close to the Drake family that he thinks of himself as an honorary member, and refers to the time they went on a cruise without him as the "Summer of Abandonment".

### Mallory Drake

Having been lifelong friends with Eli, Cory is also close to Eli's older sister Mallory, who often finds herself dragged into whatever the pair is doing. Cory likes to annoy Mal, who in turn teases Cory for being a nerdy dork. Mallory is one of the few people that can instantly get Cory to shut up when his wisecracks are not needed. Cory had an unrequited crush on Mallory starting in middle school, but got over it midway through high school. Mallory worries that Cory and Eli getting involved with the Spirit Guard tends to land them in danger, but is glad that Robynne has such good friends during her time of need.

### Mr. Drake and Mrs. Drake

In addition to Eli and Mallory, Cory is also close to the Drake siblings' parents. Cory considers himself an honorary member of the Drake family, to the point that he was disappointed when one summer he was not included in a vacation cruise. Cory makes the tongue-in-cheek claim that Mr. Drake is so fond of him that the man's will entitles Cory a portion of the family's wealth.

### Devon

Cory is well-acquainted with Devon, an employee and de facto manager of the Dungeon Direct comic shop he and Eli have frequented at Rale Valley Mall since middle school. Cory and Eli regularly attend the shop's *Invokers* events, though at first they were considered annoying kids. Since Devon never sees the pair apart, he has trouble remembering which of them is Cory, so he usually addresses them collectively.

### Robert Dreese/Robynne Darling

Cory immediately bonds with his roommate Robert over their shared interests, and he and Eli take to calling him Rob. In the span of a week, Rob manages to become part of the pair's seemingly impenetrable friendship, with the three so loyal that they'll endanger themselves to stand by each other. Cory dislikes that Fate gave Rob a destiny that involves ruining his life to save others, but decides that although Fate didn't choose Cory or Eli, the two have the vital role of being the transformed Robynne's friends even if they no longer room with her. Cory has the utmost confidence in Rob's heroism and supports her however he can, such as arranging "Guys' Nights" where Rob can be with just Cory and Eli like old times.

### Vivian Feliz

Cory and Vivian show immediate interest in each other, with her being a rare person that actively welcomes Cory's sense of humor. When Cory spying on the Standridge Circle has him learn she is Spirit Guard Felicity, Vivian is hurt and starts giving him the cold shoulder. Their relationship returns to how it was before after Robynne convinces Vivian to give Cory a second chance. Vivian joins SFEERS in part to get closer to Cory. Cory and Vivian eventually start dating, which typically involves their shared love of indie film.

### Angela Warrant

Cory takes to joking around with Angela, often calling her Blondie or Goldie. He likes to tease her for being overly serious, and feels proud when he can get her to laugh at his jokes. Angela finds Cory and Eli's banter to be odd, and the two advise her not to take Cory too seriously if she wants to remain sane around him.

### Kara Balmer

Cory has known about Kara ever since Eli mentioned his attraction toward the girl that often visited the arcade to play *Hop Dance Mania*. Cory is surprised but proud of his normally shy friend for working up the courage to talk to her. When Cory and Vivian are together with Eli and Kara, the atmosphere often changes to something of a double date.

### Hush Corps

Cory's affiliation with the Spirit Guard sees him interact with the Hush Corps, the heroes' support team of Noriko Yukimura, Nick Siekert, and Will Siekert. Cory is often uneasy around Noriko for being a ninja that would gladly kill if allowed, but decides to trust her since Mallory does. Cory gets satisfaction out of his wisecracking demeanor managing to wear out the stone-faced ninja. In contrast, Cory is significantly more comfortable around the Siekert twins.

### Fate

Cory considers Fate cruel for cursing Rob with such an unfair destiny. Cory does, however, consider that perhaps Eli and himself were also chosen by Fate to help support Rob and the other Spirit Guards.

### Dale Bridges

Cory is quick to make friends with his new roommate Dale, but finds that he often has to be dishonest with him due to Robynne's situation. Cory's promise of his dorm still being home to Robynne is difficult to keep when they have to make sure Dale is absent when she comes over, as his thinly veiled attraction to her makes her uncomfortable.

### SFEERS

Cory is a member of SAU's nerd club SFEERS. With his wisecracking and love *Invokers*, Cory quickly befriends board gaming officer Zemiron and becomes popular among the other officials like Fretribution and GalleyGirl. Cory is mainly interested in the club for its video gaming and *Invokers*-playing groups.

## In *MGP Alpha*

In *MGP Alpha*, Cory serves the same role as the one he gets in the current MGP. Here, his name is Cory Blizzard. He is a freshman at the Peavy Academy boarding high school, sharing a dorm with Eli, Robert (who is moved out after transforming into Spirit Guard Serenity), and later Dale. Cory initially has romantic feelings for Eli's sister Mallory, but this is later replaced by a relationship with Mary (Vivian's *Alpha* counterpart). As Cory and Eli's closeness to the Spirit Guard often lands them in risky situations, including an encounter with Platicore's goon Trace, Kunapipi has them drink a concoction that gives them a magical effect called a D-I-D (Damsel-in-Distress) tag, an old-fashioned measure from a time villains regularly targeted individuals, which allows the Spirit Guards to sense when the pair is in danger. This spiritual bond with the heroes has the side effect of Cory and Eli sharing Robynne's prophetic dreams, albeit through the perspective of various characters within said dreams. When Rob's uncle Taylor makes a surprise visit one day looking for Robert, Cory and Eli improvise a plan to bring Taylor to a park and stall for time until Robynne can arrive and explain her situation to him.

## Gallery

Cory watching a movie with Vivian.In *MGP Alpha*, Cory and Eli find themselves in one of Robynne's dreams, where they take the form of the cheerleaders Courtney and Eliza.Cory as a lead character on a movie poster for *Battle Cosmic*.Cory as the eponymous protagonist of a *Gains Brawn* movie poster.
## Trivia

* In the August 2016 Q&A, Taralynn Andrews gives some background on the creation of Cory:
	+ Cory and Eli's roles as two normal friends of the extraordinary protagonist stem from the characters Kunkida and Taniguchi from the anime series *The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi*.
	+ Cory's last name of Frost is derived from the name of Andrews's online friend Frostykun. His first name is also a homophone for one reading of the kanji 氷 (こおり *kōri*), which can mean "ice" in Japanese.
	+ Cory's personality and being the wise guy was born from Andrews, Duck, and Frostykun simulating conversations between Rob, Eli, and Cory during the early stages of *Magical Girl Policy*. Andrews cites this as a reason she finds Cory and Eli's dialogue easy to write.
* In the October 2016 Q&A, Andrews imagines that Cory presents as liking to restore old muscle cars, but in actuality drives something like a Tesla that is well engineered and technical and thus lets him get away with minimal mechanical work.
* In the November 2016 Q&A, Andrews imagines Cory's Halloweens often involve him dragging Eli and Mallory into watching schlocky horror films.