Stacy Ambrose

Stacy (right) with Robynne and Vivian.

**Stacy Ambrose** is a character in *Magical Girl Policy*. She is a freshman at SAU and a member of the cheer team's promotion squad. Originally a minor character, Stacy's prominence greatly increased after befriending Robynne in Chapter 22. Stacy also appears in the "Cheer Itself" vignette as the viewpoint character.

## Appearance

Stacy is short at an estimated 5'3'', standing between the 5'2'' Robynne and Lilly, who is 5'4'' at most. Stacy has a thin frame that she diets for. She is considered attractive, but Stacy herself feels she is cute but not beautiful. She has shoulder-length brown hair, which has not changed color since moving to Kessia City like some other people experience. She is farsighted and owns glasses, but prefers how she looks without them, so she often sits in the back seats of class so she doesn't have to wear them. Stacy takes her fashion very seriously, and wears the SAU cheerleader uniform on days she has promotion duty. Artwork gives her brown eyes.

## Personality

Stacy has a bubbly, outgoing personality typically associated with cheerleaders. She is described as someone who "[can't] help but try to make everyone around her happy". She is a sincere person and has a nonjudgmental attitude, being quick to befriend those she meets. Her kindness and eagerness to help has made her very popular among the cheer team, but it has also given her a reputation for being slightly naïve. She has "like" as a verbal tic. Stacy is very talkative, but also an attentive listener with a remarkable memory. Though she is normally eager to share information, she claims to be capable of keeping any secret if asked.

Stacy has a deep love of cheerleading, having done so since middle school. Her teammates have always been her primary friend group, and unlike many SAU cheerleaders, she actually enjoys promotion duty as a way to meet a wide variety of people. Cheerleading being a central pillar of Stacy's life is a double-edged sword, however, as the thought of not being on the team devastates her and leaves her at a loss.

As a Fashion Design major, Stacy is very passionate about clothing and makeup. She likes to offer her expertise to her friends, but makes sure to suggest things she thinks they'd like and never put down their sense of style. Her dream is to create her own fashion label, which she admits is a long shot, but says big dreams are worth pursuing.

Though Stacy is usually upbeat and optimistic, her self-esteem is not very high. She often worries that she is inferior to her peers even when there is little reason to do so. This is especially true in regards to her appearance, which she considers plain compared to her fellow cheerleaders. She frets over her weight and maintains a diet in hopes of slimming down, even though she is already quite thin. She is disappointed that her hair did not change to a more exotic color after moving to Kessia City, and envies those who received such colors. Her fashion decisions are influenced in large part by how she thinks others will perceive her, and she finds Robynne's suggestion to prioritize her own preferences over others' a novel one.

## Abilities

Stacy is a cheerleader with six years of experience.

Stacy has very good social skills, capable of befriending even uncooperative people with relative ease. Because of this, she is often given promotion assignments with clientele other cheerleaders might find difficult. She also has a great memory.

Like many people in the Kessia City area, Stacy has a large Investiture fit for monsters to drain.

## Biography

### Background

Stacy Ambrose was born in Reinburg, a city about an hour south of Kessia City. She has a younger brother and sister. She has been a cheerleader since middle school, and decided the year before enrolling at Schuyler Adamson University as a Fashion Design major that she wanted to attend and join its cheer team.

"Cheer Itself" follows Stacy one month before the start of the series. Over the course of the summer tryouts, Stacy has befriended several of her fellow cheerleader candidates, such as Lilly. Having been to SAU's football games in the past and observing the cheerleaders, Stacy knew from the outset that winning the favor of cheer captain Cammy would be key to earning a spot. She was also aware of the team's unusual Promotion-Pep Squad structure, and is nonetheless excited for promotion work as a way to meet people before she is allowed to cheer at games. Wary of the stiff competition, Stacy hopes to distinguish herself by making apparent her willingness to work with even uncooperative peers. After tryouts conclude, Stacy is the first to arrive at the gym the next morning to see who made the team, and gets to read the list Tanya posts before the others can arrive. Upon seeing she didn't make the cut, Stacy runs to the restroom and cries over the loss. Cammy then shows up and consoles her, saying Jodi made a typo creating the list because Stacy actually did make the team, with Cammy also predicting that Stacy will be the team's best promoter. It is strongly implied that all of the morning's events, from Stacy arriving to an empty gym to Cammy's conversation with her, was a setup by Cammy to make Stacy vulnerable to the captain's emotional manipulation.

### Week 1

During the first week of classes at SAU, Stacy is among the cheerleaders charged with promoting the upcoming Club Week all over campus. While handing out fliers with Lilly, Stacy and her partner have a pebble kicked in their direction by Robert, who was lost in thought over his upcoming meeting with the Spirit Guard. Robert apologizes and helps Lilly collect her dropped fliers. Stacy hands him a flier for Club Week and recommends he go. After she and Lilly finish handing out their fliers, they report to Jodi and Cammy. Stacy and Lilly were unable to find any nerds willing to join the cheer team that Cammy had requested, but are praised for their hard work.

### Weeks 2-4

Stacy meets Robynne in their Introduction to Business class, unaware that this is the Robert she had met a few days prior. She is surprised that someone with Robynne's looks and build has no cheerleading experience and offers to ask for a spot on the team, but is turned down. The two continue to have a friendly conversation, with Stacy finding Robynne fun to be around, not caring that Robynne would be considered unusual compared to other girls.

Robynne is spotted exiting the SFEERS Club Week booth by Cammy and Jodi, who decide she is the nerd the cheer team needs. The two officers call the nearby Stacy over, who excitedly tells them about her new friend, but adds that Robynne's not interested in joining the team. Cammy insists on Stacy treating Robynne to lunch on Thursday so the captain can show up to recruit her personally, claiming that Robynne's reluctance stems from a lack of self-confidence that friends like Stacy can remedy. Stacy is hesitant about the plan but agrees.

That Thursday after business class, Stacy notices Robynne greet Nick and asks if they are dating. Rob denies it and says Stacy can date him herself. With Stacy's permission, Nick is given her phone number by Rob, though whether the suggested date ever happens is not stated.

Later, Stacy treats Robynne to lunch, and the two get to know each other better. Cammy interrupts the meal as planned and joins the conversation, with Stacy visibly nervous about it. Stacy is shocked to see Robynne snap at Cammy and demand to know what the captain wants so badly that she'd manipulate Stacy into setting up this meeting. Robynne turns down joining cheer again, and when she correctly guesses Cammy wants her for her SFEERS membership, Cammy sends Stacy away so the negotiations can be one-on-one.

When the Spirit Guard discuss how to deal with Cammy's dangerous schemes, one suggestion is to periodically ask the talkative Stacy for intel. This is decided against due to Stacy being relatively low on the cheer team's social ladder and thus not privy to especially useful information. During the meeting, Robynne receives a package with an extremely expensive designer dress sent by Cammy in hopes of bribing her onto the team. The dress had been tailored to Robynne's figure, as Stacy had been asked for Robynne's approximate measurements due to being a Fashion Design major that regularly sees her. It is implied that Stacy did not know the true purpose of Cammy's request, with the Spirit Guard speculating that Cammy claimed to be confident that Robynne would join the cheer team and thus need a fitting uniform.

Robynne finds Cammy and returns the dress. In return for joining the cheer team, one of Robynne's demands is to be directly asked for things instead of through the manipulation of people like Stacy.

Robynne arrives along with Vivian to have their photos taken for the team website, with Stacy present to help with Robynne's makeup at Cammy's suggestion. Stacy warns Robynne that her telling Cammy off has given the other cheerleaders the impression that she's stuck up. They also talk about the rumors of a fifth Spirit Guard appearing at the Rale Valley Mall monster attack, with Stacy certain the heroine is much more like a typical cheerleader than Robynne believes. While Tanya takes Robynne's photos, Stacy quickly befriends Vivian. Stacy was assigned to sort through the photos that night, but decides to put it off and take up Vivian's offer of going to the SFEERS opening social with her and Robynne. Stacy doesn't really have any nerdy interests herself but is eager to attend a party. She is initially with Rob's group watching Cory play *Invokers*, then when everyone splits up she goes with Kara and Eli to the *Hop Dance Mania* setups for a while, leaving them when she decides the would-be couple might like time to themselves. When Stacy overhears club president Fretribution complain to Robynne about SFEERS being ignored by the Promotion Squad, she volunteers herself, Robynne, and Vivian to help out. After the social, Stacy hangs with Robynne and friends at Cory and Eli's dorm for a while before heading out to finish working on the photos.

### Week 5

Stacy runs into Robynne, Cory, and Eli at Buy Bright, then leaves them find a replacement for her phone's broken case. Robynne senses a certain store employee receive a small amount of Investiture from Stacy after selling her a new phone case. As Stacy leaves, Robynne texts her to see how the draining works, and realizes every customer's phone as well as those of people they text drain some Investiture with each message. Wanting to stop the monster before it can grow more powerful, Robynne has her friends contact the Spirit Guard and Hush Corps and sends them away so she can transform into Spirit Guard Serenity and start the battle as soon as possible. While driving back home, Stacy hears on the radio about the monster attack that occurred just after she left the store.

Later that evening, SFEERS is suddenly approved for promotion just in time for the club's *Mega Mash Family Battle* tournament tomorrow night. With this being on such short notice, Stacy spends much of the night working with Fretribution to sort things out, with Stacy making the fliers herself so they can be handed out tomorrow at the Billot Building. She is to be joined by Robynne, Vivian, and Lilly, who are informed of this surprise assignment in the morning. Stacy is excited to finally be paired with Robynne, who had typically been assigned with Lilly. Stacy says she knows Rob skips promotion duty due to Lilly letting it slip to the team, but assures Rob that even an introvert can handle the job. She surprises Robynne by announcing her intention to attend the tournament, seeing it as a chance for a new experience. They split up to hand out fliers, but Stacy returns to her partner's side when she notices the end of an altercation where Robynne and NightKnight finally convince a meathead to leave Robynne alone. Stacy and NightKnight, whose real name is Connor, are properly introduced after briefly meeting at the SFEERS opening social. The subject of Connor's altered appearance since then turns to the effects of residing in Kessia City, like one's hair changing color, and he wonders aloud if it's related to the Spirit Guard and monsters. Connor reveals himself as a ConSpiriter, and when Stacy mentions that she, Robynne, Cory, and Eli were at Buy Bright just before Cell-celia attacked, Connor wants to interview them on the matter. Rob, wanting to protect her secret identity but unable to get the other two off the subject, makes herself cry and shuts down the discussion, claiming that living in a city with real monsters has been an extremely frightening experience she'd rather not talk about. Humiliated, Connor leaves, with Stacy and Robynne shortly returning to their assignment. After their work is done, the four cheerleaders have lunch together, then part ways.

As Robynne and Kara are heading to the tournament, Stacy notices the pair and greets them.

## Relationships

### Robert Dreese/Robynne Darling

Stacy briefly meets Robert when he inadvertently kicks a rock toward her and Lilly, though she's quick to understand it was an accident. Stacy is the first person Robynne meets that doesn't know she's Robert, and the two become friends despite their sharply contrasting personalities. While others often point out how abnormal of a girl Robynne is, Stacy shows genuine interest and lets her be herself, though Stacy expresses shock whenever Robynne does anything remotely feminine. Stacy has a tendency to assume any single guy Robynne is friendly with is a potential boyfriend of the scarlette's, including Nick, Fretribution, and NightKnight. Stacy's eagerness to help others and talk about Robynne accidentally land her friend in unwanted situations, such as the other cheerleaders twisting the naïve Stacy's praises of her antisocial friend into a series of rumors. Stacy feels guilty whenever this happens and reassures Robynne that she can be trusted to keep a secret. Stacy's memory and attentiveness make her quick to point out oddities in Robynne's background, and is convinced Robynne has a greater motive for joining the cheer team despite hating it. When Stacy and Robynne talk about the mysterious fifth Spirit Guard, Stacy believes the heroine must be more in line with a typical cheerleader than Rob, who ironically is the Spirit Guard in question.

### Lilly Winters

Stacy befriends Lilly when they are trying out for the cheer team over the summer. Once on the team, Stacy and Lilly are often paired for promotion duty, with the eager Stacy balancing out her unenthusiastic partner. This changes, however, after Robynne is recruited and regularly assigned as Lilly's partner instead, and Stacy admits she's jealous of Lilly for being paired with Robynne so often.

### Cammy DeCroix

Stacy first saw Cammy one year ago at an SAU football game, and quickly noticed the unusual authority the cheer captain had over the team, so when Stacy enrolled at SAU, she knew Cammy's impression of her would be key to passing the summer cheer tryouts. Though they do not speak during this period, Stacy successfully impresses the captain with her excellent teamwork. Stacy is originally led to believe she didn't make the team, so Cammy finds her and corrects this. It is heavily implied the whole sequence of events was a scheme to make Stacy susceptible to manipulation by Cammy, who flatters Stacy by predicting she will be the team's best promoter. Like most of the cheer team, Stacy is affected by Cammy's commanding aura and is often concerned about the captain's needs and opinions. Stacy's positive attitude and work ethic quickly make her into Cammy's go-to promoter. Stacy is uneasy about Cammy's more dishonest methods, but finds herself unable to resist her aura and ends up complying. Robynne periodically drops hints about Cammy's true nature to Stacy, hoping that letting her draw the conclusion herself will help her deal with the aura.

### SAU Cheerleading Team

Stacy resolved to attend SAU and join the cheer team one year ago. During summer tryouts, she befriends several fellow candidates. Unlike many other cheerleaders, Stacy is very enthusiastic about promotion work and hopes her performance earns her a spot on the Pep Squad next year. Her personality makes her well-liked among the team, but the other cheerleaders generally believe her to be somewhat naïve and a poor judge of character as a result, demonstrated when the rumor mill latches onto assumptions about the distant Robynne rather than Stacy's firsthand experiences with her. Officers Jodi and Tanya often select Stacy for jobs other cheerleaders might find difficult or undesirable, as Stacy has both the skill and willingness to handle such things.

### Nick Siekert

Stacy notices Nick when Robynne greets him after class. Rob tells her he is just a friend and says he might be willing to date Stacy. Rob gives Stacy's phone number to Nick with permission and Nick is interested in the idea of a date, but the two have not been shown interacting and it's not stated whether the proposed date ever happens.

### Vivian Feliz

Stacy immediately befriends Vivian after the latter joins the cheer team, as they are both outgoing friends of Robynne and are often paired for promotion duty. As far as Stacy is told, Robynne joined the cheer team specifically to secure a spot for Vivian. When the three of them are together, Stacy and Vivian playfully tease their more reserved friend.

### Fretribution

Stacy meets Fretribution at the SFEERS opening social as she overhears him complaining to Robynne about SFEERS being ignored by the Promotion Squad. Stacy offers herself, Robynne, and Vivian to help fix this problem. Initially assuming Rob is romantically interested in the club president, Stacy insists on her being his contact for the matter, though when SFEERS is finally approved for promotion again, it is Stacy herself who works with Fretribution to help sort everything out.

### NightKnight

Stacy and NightKnight meet at the SFEERS opening social, but are not properly introduced until they meet again while she and Robynne are promoting the club's *Mega Mash Family Battle* tournament, where she learns his real name is Connor and that he is a ConSpiriter. Connor wants Stacy's help for his ConSpiriter work when he is told she was at the site of the Cell-celia attack, but Robynne shutters discussion on the matter.

### SFEERS

Stacy's nerdy interests are largely nonexistent, with her knowledge limited to her younger siblings playing video games like *Crazy Crash Hyper*. Despite this, her friendliness and extroversion let her integrate with SFEERS members when she goes to the opening social with Robynne and Vivian. She quickly befriends Cory, Eli, and Kara, particularly enjoying her time playing *Hop Dance Mania* with the latter two. She shares a love of fashion with the cosplayer GalleyGirl, which makes her consider selling her own cosplay designs. Stacy finds the club's activities as a fun opportunity to try something new.

## Trivia

* In Chapter 22's author commentary, Taralynn Andrews says Stacy was originally planned to be a one-off character that Robert kicks a rock at, but her role was greatly expanded when it was decided to have her befriend Robynne.
* In Chapter 32's author commentary, Andrews says she enjoys writing Stacy and Robynne's relationship because Stacy's personality makes her a "positive anti-Robynne". She says Robynne might have resembled a less outgoing Stacy had she been born female and raised by her cheerleader mother.
* Stacy's outfit in Chapter 33 is based on that of Marina, a character from Episode 91 of the *Pokémon* anime. Andrews had not seen Marina for a long time and could not find a picture of the character to reference, as the name has been used by several different *Pokémon* characters, so she relied on her memory and modified her mental image of the outfit to fit Stacy. Andrews had the red one-piece outfit changed to a two-piece one with an orange top and denim shorts.