Mari sits down at her desk in the study, it’s time to face her anxieties and ask the forums for help. She promised Cassandra she would hear the witches out, and not just give up on them without hearing what they have to say first, so with that in mind, she types out a rationally and calmly worded message in a new thread, not letting her emotions over what occurred earlier in the day to get to her.

  CrimsonDusk: Hey why did you all lie to me? I need answers.

  xX_TheDollMaster_Xx: what the fuk

  CrimsonDusk: Why didn’t anyone warn me this was going to happen?

  xX_TheDollMaster_Xx: girl i thought i told u 2 cool off y r u already back here yellin @ us?

  did sumthing happen?

  …Okay, maybe she’s not off to the best start. She didn’t exactly leave on the best note earlier, and it’s not like any of them know what’s happened since then.

  CrimsonDusk: Sorry, it’s just that a lot has happened in the st few hours, and I really do need help.

  She then goes on to expin what happened. What the doctor said, how her arms changed colour when she got angry, and what she almost did to the doctor, she ys it all bare on the thread in hopes that the other users will understand what’s going on.

  So, yeah. I think that’s everything, it’s been one hell of a shitty day.

  LadyEleanor57: My word, CrimsonDusk.

  It certainly sounds like you’ve been through quite the trial since we st spoke. You have my deepest sympathies, and I hope we can help you find a path forward after such an ordeal.

  I must admit that I am rather puzzled in regards to some of what you have described, however. If you have really only been practicing witchcraft for as long as you have previously stated, I don’t see any possible way that your body would have already changed to such an extreme degree.

  It is not entirely uncommon for certain witches to have a proclivity towards shapeshifting magic, and there’s reason to believe you may indeed be one of them based on your retelling of events, and what happened to your arms, but that magic is not one that can be easily used before the ter stages of a witch’s physical development, which only highlights how the timeframe in which it is occurring is well outside what any of us could have possibly expected.

  It is worth noting, however, that the very concepts of hard rules and immutable limits run in contradiction to the nature of witchcraft, meaning that on a theoretical level nothing is truly impossible, assuming a witch has the willpower and magic reserves to make it a reality. That being said, while someone new to the craft may have the willpower to speed up the metamorphosis to such a degree, they would surely ck the magic to pull off such a feat. Not to mention the fact that you seemingly didn’t possess the will to perform this act in the first pce, considering that this change has come about against your wishes, which once again brings us back to the question of how this could have happened.

  I do not mean to belittle your situation, or imply that you are lying, but it is hard to believe that such a thing could occur unless there are other factors at py that we have not been informed about.

  Deepest regards,

  xX_TheDollMaster_Xx: yea no wonder u were upset thats sum pretty full on shit

  also el is right if ur body really did adapt 2 ur magic in just a few months thats like super strange, that shit is ment to take years @ minimum

  u sure u never did magic before that other witch asked u 2?

  CrimsonDusk: I don’t think so? I’d know if I had, right?

  xX_TheDollMaster_Xx: would b pretty hard 2 miss yea

  sum witches do start unintentionally using magic before learnin how 2 detect it wen they 1st awaken or whatevs, but like u r gonna notice wen the magic starts doin shit around u lol

  That’s an interesting point, actually. The idea that she could have been using magic before that witch taught her how is something that had never crossed Mari’s mind before, but at the same time, it doesn’t exactly make a lot of sense in her case, does it?

  Just about the only consistently good thing in her life that she hasn’t had to actively work for herself has been Cassandra’s continued presence. If she had been unintentionally using magic all this time, then everything that happened growing up, the way things ended with her family and the emotional damage that came about as a result, the disease that almost killed her and eventually led to her current situation, surely she would have been able to do something about all of these things, or at least make them easier to deal with.

  CrimsonDusk: Yeah, I really don’t think anything like that was going on here. Is it really that weird that my body has changed so fast?

  LadyEleanor57: Dear CrimsonDusk,

  I can assure you it is most certainly unusual. Witches tend to be somewhat solitary creatures, which can make it hard to achieve an appropriate sample size when it comes to matters of determining exactly how we work at a fundamental level, but this website we are currently browsing is likely the most comprehensive source of information on the topic considering the number of individuals who have helped contribute to it, barring the possibility of a particurly rge coven that has chosen to exist in solitude.

  With that in mind, I don’t believe anyone here is aware of even a single case where it has taken such a short amount of time for a witch to get to this stage in their development. You would be hard pressed to find one who was at the same point you are currently in less than four years, let alone four months. If even you are unsure of anything that could have triggered it, this may very well just have to remain a mystery until you are able to uncover more information that may be relevant.

  If it’s any consotion, however, you do not need to fear the effects of the metamorphosis that you are currently undergoing. While it can have drawbacks when it comes to your interactions with the outside world, as you have already experienced, these changes will bring no harm to you, and can in fact offer a number of benefits.

  I hope this information can at least provide some small comfort, and we are happy to talk further on the matter, seeing as I’m sure you still have a number of questions.

  Regards,

  “Okay, well at least I’m not in danger because of this or anything…” Mari leans back, wondering if there’s anything that could possibly expin her apparently very unique situation, but as far as her interactions with the magical world prior to picking up the craft herself, there’s really only one thing that sticks out.

  CrimsonDusk: Is there any chance the witch that used to live here could’ve done something to make this happen?

  xX_TheDollMaster_Xx: i mean i guess its not impossible but it wouldnt really line up tbh

  if a witch was like super 1337 they could probs speed up the changes for a noob witch like u but thatd take a ton of energy and wed still be talkin bout a process that takes a couple years, plus like whats in it 4 her? y do all that just to leave u on ur own after?

  she couldnt do it before u started lernin either, u gotta have sum magic of ur own in u already before the changes start happen nd its not like u can just cast a spell 2 turn som1 into a witch or sumthing

  im not gonna lie this shits pretty weird lol, def has me stumped

  no clue why ud be changin so fast unless youre sum super special witch who is so good @ magic that ur better than every1 else without even tryin

  but like thatd be stupid and also boring so dont count on it lmao

  its like el said tho this shit can be pretty cool but also if u want u can just pretend everythin is normal and not worry about it, will save u money from not goin 2 tha doctor ever again either way lol

  u said u needed help with this shit tho right? wat do u need?

  CrimsonDusk: Well I guess if I’m not going to die because of what’s going on with my body or whatever, that’s the most immediate issue solved, but there’s one other thing I need to sort out asap.

  Idk if this is weird to ask, but are there any other trans people here? I need to know what to do about my body if hrt isn’t an option anymore.

  xX_TheDollMaster_Xx: oh gurl we got u

  like half tha witches here r trans

  CrimsonDusk: Oh, for real?

  xX_TheDollMaster_Xx: ya 4 real

  its kinda fukin sad when u think about it but like it makes sense that queer people meet the conditions to become witches more than any1 else

  …Meet the conditions? There are conditions? That’s certainly news to Mari, and if she didn’t have more pressing matters at the moment she’d want to know more, but that’ll have to be saved for a ter date.

  CrimsonDusk: I have a lot of questions about what that means, but I’d rather ask them at a time when I’m not panicking about my hormones going back to how they used to be. For now can we just focus on making sure that doesn’t happen?

  xX_TheDollMaster_Xx: o fair lol

  u dont hav 2 worry about hormones revertin tho, the whole magic changin ur body thing means u can kinda just make it do whatevs u want it 2 once you know how

  the weird bck arm thing u mentioned sounds like an accidental version of that btw

  LadyEleanor57: Dear CrimsonDusk,

  DollMaster is correct on this matter, if you’re at this phase of your development, you should be able to wield the aforementioned shapeshifting magic for yourself, and as previously mentioned it indeed sounds like you may have tapped into this power already, albeit unintentionally. While certain witches employ it more than others, it is incredibly useful in enabling you to make your form match the image you have of your ideal self, in both subtle and drastic ways.

  In fact, if your body reacted as strongly to your emotional state during your visit to the doctor as you described, I would not be surprised if you had unknowingly used it in other ways already. Can you think of any subtle physical changes that may have occurred in the past few months? Focusing on such changes, be they big or small, may help teach you how to wield it more effectively, if they have indeed occured.

  Regards,

  …Can she think of any changes? Mari’s been so busy that she can’t say she’s been paying close attention to her body recently, but… there might be one thing… She hadn’t really been thinking about it, but it is a little strange that it suddenly started to happen around the time she moved.

  CrimsonDusk: Now that you mention it, I guess I have been getting away with going a bit longer than usual without shaving recently.

  xX_TheDollMaster_Xx: yea no that lines up lol

  ur unconscious mind is workin 2 bring ur body in line with itself, very common for peeps like us 2 have shit liek that 2 happen early on tbh

  its good news tho, if ur already doin that without realisin then that means u dont have to worry about ur body going back to how it was

  hell 4 all u no ur meds couldve stopped workin a while ago nd ur body has just been takin care of itself the whole time lmao, either way u got nuthin 2 worry bout

  Mari breathes a huge sigh of relief. This is very good news, even in spite of the questionable nguage being used to deliver it.

  CrimsonDusk: Okay, if that’s the case I’m unbelievably relieved to hear that, but just to be safe could one of you expin how I do the shapeshifting stuff? I really want to make sure I don’t have to worry about my hormones getting fucked up, or like whatever I have instead of hormones now, I guess.

  xX_TheDollMaster_Xx: ye sure thing should b pretty easy 4 u 2 do

  only thing is the whole not needing to shave thing isn’t the best example for quickly testin the magic urself tho cause like youd have to wait 2 see if ur facial hair grows back and thatll take a while lol, so how bout u try somthing more obvious?

  find a mirror and try focusing on a part of ur body and how ud wanna change it

  remember that this shit works on willpower tho so pick something ud think would be really cool for ur first try, u gotta practice with shit ud be excited about b4 u can start doing whatevs

  if that works then ur pretty set

  “Well, that sounds simple enough. Can’t hurt to give it a go.”

  Mari stands up from her desk, and with barely a thought, suddenly finds herself in front of her bathroom mirror. In hindsight, completely giving up her magic would have been quite difficult, if for no reason other than how she’s already gotten so used to the conveniences this jump spell offers her.

  She looks at her reflection in the mirror and takes a moment to think. She just has to focus on what she’d like to change, right? That shouldn’t be too hard.

  …

  It’s just a matter of deciding what to start with. Once she’s done that, this should be easy.

  …

  Any moment now…

  …

  “Crap. What do I even want to change…?”

  SyntaxSpeedway