#delstran

[nadacwriter]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Words: 2,635

The second of the prompts! I swear I’m gonna do more, I promise.

This is for @oc-growth-and-development‘s OCtober!

[nadacwriter]

SO GUESS WHAT!?

I was fortunate enough to be able to commission some art from Eisenart, and so I got some work done for my OCs!

The first is Gina, running from...something. You might learn soon enough.

The second is of Natalie casting a spell, and the third is just a close up on Natalies rather specific duelist wand.

I want to thank @motherstone for doing these commission! They’re not super active on here anymore, but you can find their twitter at the link above, or just search @eisenart01.

Once again, thank you thank you thank you!!!

...Now maybe I can actually get back to OCtober.

[nadacwriter]

please ask about my OCs

the depression is barking and I need a distraction

[nadacwriter]

OCtober (Belated) Day 8: Festival

Part of @oc-growth-and-development‘s OCtober!

I had a hard time writing this one hopefully the next one goes smoothly!

This is a DELSTRAN piece. 

Words: 1,245

“...As Alsteid granted us love through her potions and vibrance, we grant her offerings of the same at this ceremony, and to her we offer thanks, for without her, love would not exist, nor would companionship of any kind; it is through her alchemy we learned all things of relations, from swetest love to most bitter hatred.”

Natalie always thought the ceremony of Alsteid was the best part of the alsteid festival.

It was so cool! They took all of these really bright fabics, soaked them in an ignition potion, and lit it on fire. Then it was put into a bowl and everyone passed it around and put the ashes on their wrist, it was great! It was Witchery, and she wasn't a witch, but all of her family had to participate, and if it involved burning stuff and putting ashes on your skin, hey, she wasn't gonna complain.

If only she didn't have to deal with the festival part, though.

Natalie got up from her seat with the rest of her family, as they all moved to the fairgrounds. The festival was often held in the middle of summer, and it was typically during July. So it was always way too hot to justify being outside anyways. But when you're surrounded by people, it just makes the sensation worse.

“Mam,” Natalie whispered to her mother in Welsh, to keep the others from knowing what she was asking, “I really want to leave, can I go? I bet I could get a ride-” “Nat, you can't just leave in the middle of the festival.” She said, “Your mother's got the stall to look after.”

“but I'm not at the stall!”

“You help get the stall set up!” “But that doesn't mean i'm AT the stall. Can you imagine the chaos if I made potions!?”

“Natalie, I love you, but we have to stay...I did bring you a book, though.”

“...Thanks, Mam.”

Natalie hated the festival for two reasons: It was too loud, and she didn't get to leave. It was a fair, basically, with rides and all sorts of stalls and vendors set up. But it was all just too much for her to handle. There's a reason her room was kept dark with spells, and she kept herself occupied by lighting candles.

But she also couldn't leave; her mother, Krysta, MOM, ran a stall at the fair every year. And though Norah was the one who helped her at the stall, that still meant she, Eve, Charice, and marion were stuck at the festival with nothing to do. Charice, of course, with her youthful exuberance, mostly rode on the rides and played the games at the festival. And Eve had plenty of friends she could hang out with. But Natalie had no such thing…

Usually these days were the spent, by Natalie, anyways, at a cooling fountain, reading some sort of book and listening to some sort of music. The black ensemble, the grim book, the loud music, the obvius earphones, they would usually tell anyone that came near her she did NOT want to talk.

Natalie walked over to the fountain at the first chance she got, telling her mom that she would have her phone on her and meet them all there when they were ready to get going. When Charice tried to get her to stay, mom pulled her aside,

“Alsteid's always a bit rough on Natalie, sweetheart. Doesn't mean she doesn't love you, just means she's gotta have space.”

“Okay, mom...”

And then, Natalie would spend the rest of the day at the fountain, far away from everyone, where she could just read or keep to herself.

At least, thats what's supposed to happen.

__

“What's wrong with your face?”

It's a question Natalie was used to getting at school, but not on the day of a festival to a love goddess. If she had been asked while she was listening to a song, she would have ignored the question, but the person asking had somehow chosen a lull in the music.

Natalie pulled one of her earphones out and didn't even look up from her book.”

“It means I kill people for asking personal questions,” She replied, “Get lost.” “You look like a warlock.”

“Yeah, and I'll become one if you don't learn to listen.” She still hadn't looked up. “Scram.”

“What are you doing at a love festival?”

THAT did it. Natalie slammed her book shut and looked on. The girl seemed about her age, which was odd, considering how ready she was to insult her.

“Look, kid. You wanna see just how evil I can get? Keep talking. If not/ Do yourself and everyone else around her a favor and piss off.”

Natalie had a bit of a temper, and it was not helped by the fact that she really didn't want to be here.

The girl simply smirked. She looked familiar to Natalie. Like she was someone's kid or something.

“What class are you, Warlock?”

“What?” “Dueling class,” the blond grinned, her eyes slitting, “I see you got a pretty ornate wand.”

“Class 4. You want a fight?”

That shut the blond up. For someone Natalie's age, class 4 was a big deal.

“Well, um...”

“Then shut the hell up.”

Natalie stormed off, grumbling to herself as she walked through the crowds of the festival. She walked right past the Gibson family stall, her family's, and walked all the way to the other end of the fairground, where the ceremony had taken place. It was hotter than by the fountain, but it was quieter. A fair trade, natalie thought.

She sat down on one of the stone benches and sighed. She really, REALLY hated the Alsteid festival. If people were gonna be assholes like that, why come to a LOVE festival anyway? She got back to reading…

And heard a familiar voice.

“I thought mam said you were gonna be at the fountain.”

Charice. Damn! How could Natalie not have spotted Charice?

“I moved.”

“Why?” Asked Charice, walking down the large steps of the theater and sitting next to Natalie, her red shirt and khaki shorts contrasting in style to Nat's getup.

“A girl was being mean to me.”

Charice looked over, “Did you zap her?”

“Nope. Can't unless I need to. I could get in trouble.”

“Maybe she needed to be zapped.” “Maybe.”

Natalie sighed softly.

“Why do you hate Alsteid so much?” Asked Charice, looking up at her.

“I mean...i don't hate Alsteid, she's a perfectly fine goddess all things considered. My patron nearly plunged the world into darkness, though, so the bar's kinda low.” Natalie said.

“I just, y'know, don't like it. There's too much going on, it's all really overwhelming, and people are mean to me, and it's too hot to be comfortable, and I just wish I was somewhere else.”

“Why are people mean to you?” Asked Charice, her arms crossed, “You're nice, and you're funny, and-” “I'm half Wraith, Charice.' She interrupted. “And Half wraiths don't do too well at festivals.”

Natalie sighed and put her hand under her chin. She was surprised when she felt two small arms hugging around her midsection.

“I think you're nice.”

The Alsteid festival celebrated love in many forms. Romantic, platonic, familial, devotional…

It wasn't often that Natalie participated in it. And if she ever did, it was usually on accident.

But right now? Natalie felt loved. In the nicest way she could.

[nadacwriter]

OCtober (Belated) Day 9: Mentor

Part of @oc-growth-and-development‘s OCtober!

I WILL be writing a companion piece for this one, it’ll be for the CRAFT prompt.It’ll be kinda dark, and we’ll get to see that not everyone in the family gets along with Natalie. 

Words: 1,481

Norah Gaine was probably going to end up owning her mother's alchemy shop. She had even dropped out of school to learn more about the store and how to run it. She had no intention of doing anything else, so, she figured it'd be better to practice that than, say, general astronomy or whatever else. But it meant that by now, she was an expert in potions.

At age 18, she was already a master of the craft, a which paralleled by few. She was already making High class potions and serious poisons, and selling them for a good price in the store. And she had already taken the store into her hands if her mother was sick or just unable to deal with the store fully.

But all potions had to be made first. And Norah was making easy work of a particular potion that she knew could sell well; crimson balm. A topical balm used for treating fatigue one spot of that could work better than mountains of caffeine. Too much could, obviously, be a serious problem. But she was being careful; alchemist's gloves, safety goggles, her long braids of hair done up in a tight bun, and working in a well lit area. With no distractions…

Well. Then there was Natalie.

The younger girl sighed as she walked in. “Before you ask, yes, my potions test went horribly.” She said, laying face down on the couch. “And now I'm convinced mom's gonna kill me.”

Norah looked over, giggling, “Mom doesn't kill people. Mam, maybe, but not mom.” She said, looking back to her work. It would be done soon, it seemed.

“What kind of potion?” She asked, still focused on her work.

“Ugh, I studied so hard trying to make Flier's Potion, and then the professor just randomly changed up what we were doing and made us make some weird hawkfeather thing.” Natalie sat up and crossed her arms, looking over at the bubbling cauldron.

“That smells like crimson Balm.”

“it IS crimson balm.” Norah took the cauldron in her gloved hands and poured the contents into a saucer, before adding a strange pink powder to the top and pouring it into a large glass pitcher.

“its for an order, you can't borrow any this time.”

“But it smells so GOOD!” Natalie said, walking over to the table, “It's like a million cherries all at once.”

Noah took the pitcher and poured it into little vials. “I bet I could teach you a cherry fragrance, I know a pretty easy one.”

Natalie sighed and shook her head, “I'd probably mess that one up, too. I don't think potions are gonna be my thing.”

“Maybe not potions,” Norah said, capping the vials and arranging them, “But fragrances are simple. No dangerous ingredients, no horrible mishaps, nothing like that.” Norah picked up one of the vials and then sighed, putting it back down.

“Would you mind?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, no problem.”

Natalie counted the bottles in her head before snapping her hand, and sticers and labels appeared on the bottles. 'Crimson Balm, Gibson family Potions'

“I never knew how you did that,” Norah said, beginning to clean out her cauldron and turning off the burner.

“Oh, command spells? They're super simple on inanimate objects. You learn 'em in wizardy intro courses.”

“Well, that'd explain it, I'm not a wizard,” Norah said, “And even if I were, I don't know how good I would be at domestic.”

“There's no domestic witchery course?”

“There is, but Mom hasn't taught me much of that stuff yet.”

The two stood there, looking at each other for a moment.

“...If you teach me that fragrance thing, I'll teach you command spells.”

“Deal.”

__

“So it's soap?” Asked Natalie, looking over the ingredients laid out in front of her; wax, cherries, lemongrass, and some strange jar of water.

“Nope. It'd be a candle, if not for flowing water.” Norah said, taking the strange jar and opening it. Sure enough, the water inside was flowing like a rapid stream over rocks, bubbling and roiling.

“How do you get it to do that?!” Asked Natalie, looking at the water in the jar.

“It's very complicated alchemy. I would have made some just for this, but it's way too hard, I just pulled some from the store.” She said.

“Yeah, I'm not gonna figure that one out.” Natalie said, “My wizard brain can't handle it.”

Norah got a few more things, two small cauldrons and two small burners, “Don't wizards have a form of alchemy that witches can't do?”

“Transmutation, but that's so different it's not even funny,” Natalie mentioned, “tin to lead, lead to brass, brass to iron, iron to bronze, bronze to silver, silver to gold, and gold to...well, whatever you want. But getting from tin to gold can take MONTHS of work. You guys can make incredibly powerful potions in a matter of hours. It's so incredible.”

“Well,” Norah giggled, “We try our best! Now, take that flowing water and put some into your cauldron.”

The water flowed as it was poured into the cauldron, and Natalie watched with a keen eye. The cauldron was only a little warm, but the water's flow did slow down as it hit the bottom of the copper cauldron.

“Is it supposed to slow down?” Natalie asked.

“Yes,” Norah answered, “The heat does that. It keeps the mixture from foaming. Now, add the lemon grass.”

“Just straight in?”

“Straight in.”

The lemongrass floated in the water, taking up a decent portion of the mixture.

“Now, let that sit, we gotta crush the cherries down.”

Norah took the cherries to a metal contraption, with a holed basin that looked like a large, flat colander. She placed the cherries inside of the machine, and used a large plank to crush the cherries into a pulp, letting it into a basin at he bottom.

“This is just straight juice. Nothing else in there. Take those to bars of wax for me?”

Natalie took the two bars of wax and placed them in the basin. Natalie reached in and took the wax out, making sure it was covered nicely. “And now we let it sit.”

“How long?”

“Just a little while.”

The two stood, watching the mixture.

“...So, you still wanna learn command magic?” Asked Natalie, “It's pretty simple-”

“I don't know, nat, I don't think I can learn wizard methods. The way you guys learn is just so different from how we do.”

“Well, yeah, but you could do it! It'd take time, but...oh. I see what you're saying.” Natalie said, crossing her arms, “You tricked me into a moral.”

Norah smirked a little, “So what if I did? You have to learn why there's a difference some day.”

Natalie rolled her eyes, 'Then WHY do I have to take an alchemy course if I'm not a witch?!”

“Because you can use methods from one to influence how you learn from the other. How do you think Mom taught me to make wax into perfume?”

“...Tin to gold.”

“Exactly.” norah said, poking her sister's nose, “you're never gonna be both a great Witch AND Wizard. But you can use one to improve your understanding of the other.”

“Well, you and I BOTH know I have problems picking sides.”

Norah laughed a bit, “Your sexuality has nothing to do with your magical education, Natalie. Now, I think that wax has sat long enough.”

The two took their bars o wax and let them sit in the cauldrons, mixing in a light blue powder as the wax melted, and stirring it gently.

“Just think of the air around it,” Natalie said, “and manipulated it to do what you want.”

“...What?”

“The spoon. Make the spoon stir itself by manipulating the air around it.” Natalie said, making her spoon stir without even looking at it.

“Are you trying to teach me wizard techniques through witch lgic?”

“you SAID use one to influence the other.”

“I did say that, let me give it a shot.”

Norah scrunched her nose up and looked at the spoon. It twisted, then it shifted, and eventually, it was stirring itself.

“See? Look at you doing wizard things.” Nat said, smiling wide as she looked on.

__

Natalie was in her room later that night, looking over an old book she'd 'obtained'. When she looked at her clock and saw just how late it was, she rubbed her eyes.

“Fatal spells and incantations can wait a day, I think.” She said, closing the book and placing it in a compartment under her bed.

She went to a shelf and grabbed some of the fragrance she'd made with norah that afternoon. She inhaled deeply, letting the scent of cherries and light lemon fill her nose, before setting it back down and going to bed.

She was fast asleep when the door crept open...

[nadacwriter]

DELSTRAN

BEFORE YOU READ MY SECOND OC-TOBER PROMPT, READ THIS!

I have decided to use this month to showcase Delstran, my magical and whimsical universe made with the help of my brother. Which means...

A NEW ORIGINAL UNIVERSE!

You may read details about it >HERE!<

You CAN read the new post if you want but don’t say I didn’t warn ya. 

[nadacwriter]

When Natalie Gaine transforms, anyone in the room is likely to be traumatized.

Natalie Gaine’s transformation is not the whimsical costume change people expect when they hear her say ‘I transform into a red wraith’. Typically, she comes out the other end just fine, but the process itself can be intense and painful.

The first thing to change is usually Natalie’s teeth. Now, you might have noticed that her teeth sharpen when she gets angry, and while that’s sort of the case, that has more to do with a red wraith being a demon. She can change her appearance as she wants, but not her base form, so she’s not technically a shapeshifter.

No, Natalie’s teeth go from humanoid to those of a deepsea anglerfish. They grow out of her mouth like fungi, tearing from her gums and staining their clear, boney surfaces with blood as the sharp tips cut whatever is in the way of them. Stil only 32 teeth, but all of them are replaced with biting fangs and piercing incisors. She is, in this form, a carnivore.

While her teeth change, typically her fingers are growing, the skin going from pale to paper white, and each tendon tearing and growing into sharp, viscious razor-like talons. Every finger becomes its own weapon, and her palms elongate to support the new masses of bone.

Her face will elongate to accomodate her gnashing, cutting teeth. The jaw audibly snaps, the second loudest noise of the transformation. While her jaw goes down, her eyes bleed out tears of pain and anger, as they go from their typical reddish gray to a bright, piercing red, her pupils turning to small yellow dots. Her nose changes, as well, into a blunt, slitted nostril similar to a snake. Her tongue, which one would assume stays normal, goes jet black, and poisonous spit drools from her mouth as she prepares to feed on anything in front of her.

Lastly, her legs. Everything else has grown. But her legs whither. They shrink and allow her to float, her leg bones jamming into the back to provide some sort of support. This snapping of her legs and jamming into her back is the loudset sound of the transformation.

Oddly enough, one thing that doesn’t change is Natalie’s hair; greasy, unwashed black remains greasy, unwashed black. Most red wraiths are bald, and are typically smaller.

When she transforms back, the process essentially happens in reverse, with one addition; as she falls to the ground, goraning and sore, bright red blood floods from her mouth. Every cut from those teeth has to close up, and though the process is quick, it leaves her groaning and spitting up blood.

Because of this rough transformation, Gaine tends to avoid it. Which is why she doesn’t participate in trash talk until she’s already proven herself the better duelist.

...yeah.

[nadacwriter]

Natalie Gaine was ranked at class 4. Her next opponent, Mika Klinnamen, was ranked class 2.

Gaine was a 16-year-old fire materialist with an aggressive stance, and an infamous temper. Klinnamen was 24, in his prime, a lightning materialist, and known for his trash talk.

The general opinion was that Klinnamen was gonna whoop the little brat’s ass. Maybe send Marion Gaine a message that they liked her because she wasn’t her daughter. That that little cursed freak with the weird scars and the bratty attitude would lose for good.

That isn’t what happened.

Monday, August 8th, 2022.

Klinnamen attends the pre-match press conference. Natalie Gaine does not attend. ‘I don’t negotiate,’ she said, ‘You’ll see what I have to say on Thursday’.

Klinnamen took advantage of this, lambasting Gaine. Known as much for trash talk as for dueling, Klinnamen bragged that she had gotten lost on the way there. “She told her mother she could do it herself, and I guess she was wrong.”

Marion Gaine came up a lot in the press conference, actually. Marion Gaine, Natalie’s mother, was ranked class 1 while she was pregnant with Natalie. She was a water materialist, poised and prim, following ceremony. “Her mother would not have missed this conference...though, it’s possible that she got lost as well. Child so ugly, woman must be blind.”

The room laughed with Klinnamen.

Gaine posted a tweet, a picture of her wand next to a picture of Klinnamen’s. ‘Your wand has a sponsor logo on it. Mine has a bodycount. We are not the same.’

Wednesday, August 10th, 2022.

Klinnamen goes to the class read. A standard and mandatory tradition, in which the two combatants essentially present their implements and have them investigated. Power is read by an aural witch, and stated by the refs.

Klinnamen smiled when he saw Natalie approach the podium. “I see you used your favorite meat tenderizer to apply your makeup this morning. Very pretty.”

Gaine approached the podium with her mother. She took a swig of purple liquid from a flask, handed over her wand, and had it read.

“Natalie Gaine, ranked class...3.” “Mika Klinnamen, ranked class...2.” “Raised a class, eh?” Mika smirked. “nice of your teachers to let you take yesterday off to practice.”

Gaine said nothing through gritted teeth and white knuckles. She heaved a breath out, cracking her neck and looking up at the man. “...I’ll see you tomorrow night.”

Thursday, August 11th.

Klinnamen was still the favorite to win the match. Sure, Gaine was up a class, but she still had everything going against her. A material that played into her weaknesses, a man who had been riling her up all week, and some personal struggles with a new medication had been driving her mad. But when she got to her side of the field, when she heard the raucous booing from the crowd...she decided she’d waited around enough.

As the match started, Klinnamen shot the first strike, a basic bolt of lightning. This was how he had opened every match, and the shot hit Gaine in the shoulder, but didn’t knock her down. The second bolt of lightning hit her hard in the gut, putting her on her knees.

The third bolt missed entirely. And that was the mistake. Klinnamen had pissed Gaine off, but then given her a window for attack...

Her eyes reddened. her teeth sharpened. Her expression changed to a sickly, toothy grin.

Natalie Gaine then shot a blast of flame the likes of which none had ever seen before, straight into the air. Relentless, blasting heat, spinning up into a tornado of fire and landing right down on Klinnamen...the crowd immediately responded with a chorus of boos. Obviously, trying to char broil your competition was not seen as a sporting thing to do.

But then the booing stopped. Gaines palms were out to the audience, showing that the straining muscles and popping veins were signs of her keeping the cone open... This wasn’t an attempt to burn Klinnamen.

She was trying to melt him.

Gaine collapsed, and the flame dissipated, her entire body moving with every desparate gasp for air.

But Klinnamen? He was in the same state. Gaine had drained herself to overheat and dehydrate the Finn, before kicking herself back up, launching a firebolt, and SLAMMING him to the wall.

Duel over.

3 minutes.

The Victor is Gaine.

Natalie needed help from her coach back to her hut, as the crowd responded with befuddlement. Klinnamen should have dodged the cone. he should have integrated an orb spell, forcing Gaine to lose control. This was, in reality, one of the dumbest mistakes Klinnamen could’ve made. If only he had actually thought to pay attention...

During a post match interview, Gaine, wet haired and still short of breath, with a bandage under her nose and a bloody eye, leaned forward. “Sorry I missed the last conference,’ She said, sipping from that glass bottle once more, gagging, “I was busy with Klinnamen’s mother. She sends her regards.”

Gaine had used Klinnamen. As a unique, if cruel example...

Save it for when you win.