Tickets to the upcoming Comic-Con.

"Ta-daaaaaa!" Nat equipped herself with a toothy smile as she drew her hand out of the open box.

"Oh my god oh my god oh my," laugh, breathe, repeat, "goooodd!"

I blinked. In front of me, two girls, a pair I'd known for quite a while (one of them since I was barely learning how to put sand into a pail), were jumping up and down over actual physical tickets to one of this year's big Comic-Cons. That came in a box. Which made no sense -- in more ways than one. Usually it was supposed to be badges. Maybe that my oversight.

That familiar squeal tittered through the air. "Ohhhh NAT I just can't wait!" Allison dramatically fell, back-first, across Nat's bed. I gulped, watching her knee-length skirt flutter across her thighs.

"Who you gonna cosplay?" Smiling, Nat reflexively set her foot against the bed frame as she pushed towards and away from it, moving like a restless pendulum while her hands played with the two tickets.

"Mmmmm I dunno," mulled Allison, in thought. "Maybe..."

"Wait," one hand raised, I interrupted them. "Hold on." I planted my gaze on Allison's thighs. I mean, Allison's face. The young women stopped their speculations to look at me. "Allison..."

"Yes?" the girl said, eyes still confined behind her eyelids.

"You're going to this weekend's Comic-Con... with Nat?"

"Mmm," she responded with blatantly exaggerated sultriness. "Music to my ears."

"But--"

"Yeess?"

"--you know nothing about geek culture."

A frown dipped under the pretty blonde's nose. A second passed, then another, her forehead gradually wrinkling all the while. Suddenly, she finally lifted her head up to glare daggers at me.

Then it was Nat's turn to speak up, letting her foot back down normally. "John... you know how Allison feels about that kinda thing. I thought you said you weren't going to act so judgemental anymore."

Huh?

Judgemental?

"What? Me?? Judgemental?" I nearly coughed out a Mean Girls scoff.

"You can't judge a book by its cover, John," retorted Allison.

"Just because we're... what, girls who do jumping jacks and Pilates... that makes us unable to enjoy stuff like video games and anime?"

Holy shit. I commanded them to do some half-inane things. I went sniffing on Allison's leg without any of 'em fussing.

But this?

I turned both Nat and Allison into people who liked the same things I did!! Video games... and anime.. and who knew what else..!! It was a success. Eureka. Call me maybe!

Two hotties that I'd known enough to see that they could pro'lly care less about the latest DC Comics reboot event continuity issues are suddenly gushing over tickets to Comic-Con!

"DAMN, Nat, you're affected too, it's so hot I could pro'lly cream myself," I said in a run-along sentence that Nat asked me to repeat. I declined her request, instead looking to Allison and pointing straight at her.

"Allison, favorite Yu Yu Hakusho arc."

"Uh," the pretty blonde cheerleader looked at me like I was dumb, "Tournament saga, obviously."

Nat's turn. "Nat, hottest comic book hero."

"Oooh, you know it's the Red Robin," she said with a wink. Allison and her exchanged looks that briskly transformed into another fit of giggles.

SHIT, it was real. I mean, obviously it was.

But for the first time in my life, I was going to Comic-Con -- because this time, I had some pretty firm-assed friends to tag along with me!!

I just had to get some tickets for it myself.

Not a problem. With a snap of my finger and a very curt 'poof', my very own pass to nerd-adise was in my cheesily poised hand. "We're in, baby," I murmured to myself, and my very own Comic Con badge, lanyard and all.

"So you're going too, right?" Nat folded her arms, as if she already knew the answer.

"As long as he doesn't bring that sexist attitude of his," a grumbling Allison commented, offhand.

Oooha yes. "Hell yes I am!"

Nat's lips split her cheeks, another cute smile on that face. "Now we're talking!" Then, her eyes concentrated on the floor below. "I wonder, who should I cosplay as..."

Man this was just the hottest. Turning them into cosplayers was in some ways not really my idea, but it also technically was, as I had always had a thing for hot female cosplayers and nerdy chicks, and it was more than apparent that my subconscious had been playing a considerably active role in my reality changes since I started using it on Nat and Allison.

So, making them into enthusiastic nerds was one thing. Making them into devoted cosplayers was another.

I internally grinned. Maybe I could also give them a helpful nudge as to what their cosplay wardrobe should entail. After all, it was the least I could do for good company.