this can't be true can it

Apparently yes and I cannot wrap my head around this. You're telling me most of these teens and early 20 something's dominating social media do not even have a laptop full of organized directories of favorite images? They aren't downloading and playing with creative SOFTWARE rather than stupid little "apps??" They already can't navigate what was supposed to be the new standard level of technological familiarity!?

what the fuck

“Ah, a three vs. one. That’s more Feral’s department than mine when it comes to biting. I’d have to resort to sword and shield then.”

Rakh will easily pad after Josephine. “Ah, if I’m being snuck in, should I try to look younger? Or is age a concern with wherever you’re leading me? If not, then I’ll just keep silent when asked. Probably start taking notes on my observations of this place.”

His pace is relaxed, a steady pace much like a confident tomcat’s walk.

"Yea, just don't go to Nightraven Collage after 11 PM and you should be ok. they're all pretty much given full permission ti hunt intruders on the school grounds only after night." a little tap of her chin and a sheepish smile at being caught in technically breaking him into the school.

"We should be fine. The only thing we'd really have to worry about is if one of the dorm leaders catch us. But Capitan will be in his own dorm section, Enea will have his own people looking for his help... Not sure what my own Dorm leader will be up to, but those are the only ones in the house at the moment. but needless to say they're all busy little bees so... things should be fine!" Josephine worked to assure the other.

"Huh. Definitely not telling folks about that, several people back home would take that as a challenge." That's what happens when you have an entire world like his Wonderland....

"Mm, alright! I'll take your word for it, Miss Josephine! And, if nothing else, few people look up and I'm good at scampering up walls quickly and quietly." Onto neat rocks! And other things!

A little sweatdrop trailed down her forehead at the mention of the people who'd just take it as a challenge. she supposed every world had some fools who'd just rush into things and end up biting off more than they could chew, didn't it? It took some careful work, but eventually, Josephine led him into the school and right into a portrait towards a dorm area. And... right to a mine! Gems hidden in nooks and crannies, of every kind just ready to be dug out and discovered!

"And, this is Taubenlied's mine! This dorm seeks to encourage those within to always remember to be kind to those they meet regardless if they are human, beastman, fae, animal, or flower. For a single act of kindness will always spark another." Josephine explained easily.

"I spend a good deal of time here, harvesting gemstones for my own projects."

This man's eyes are sparkling almost as much as the gemstones he's surrounded by. So many shiny things...! He's just going to rumble in excitement and pad over to a wall, gently brushing away some looser dirt to reveal a very nice and sparkly quartz.

"I can see why anyone would spend a lot of time down here! It's fascinating. You'd be hard pressed to get any Geomager back home out of here! They always get blinded by sparkles and things to dig up, even if they say they're above it."

Gonna remove a pickaxe from nowhere and use the tip to gently pry the quartz he's ogling free from the wall.

“Ah, a three vs. one. That’s more Feral’s department than mine when it comes to biting. I’d have to resort to sword and shield then.”

Rakh will easily pad after Josephine. “Ah, if I’m being snuck in, should I try to look younger? Or is age a concern with wherever you’re leading me? If not, then I’ll just keep silent when asked. Probably start taking notes on my observations of this place.”

His pace is relaxed, a steady pace much like a confident tomcat’s walk.

"Yea, just don't go to Nightraven Collage after 11 PM and you should be ok. they're all pretty much given full permission ti hunt intruders on the school grounds only after night." a little tap of her chin and a sheepish smile at being caught in technically breaking him into the school.

"We should be fine. The only thing we'd really have to worry about is if one of the dorm leaders catch us. But Capitan will be in his own dorm section, Enea will have his own people looking for his help... Not sure what my own Dorm leader will be up to, but those are the only ones in the house at the moment. but needless to say they're all busy little bees so... things should be fine!" Josephine worked to assure the other.

"Huh. Definitely not telling folks about that, several people back home would take that as a challenge." That's what happens when you have an entire world like his Wonderland....

"Mm, alright! I'll take your word for it, Miss Josephine! And, if nothing else, few people look up and I'm good at scampering up walls quickly and quietly." Onto neat rocks! And other things!

"Always good to supplement things! I'm pretty good with runes myself, even if our runes might have massive differences. And gemstones as a power bank is always practical, even if we're still trying to re-learn how to do that. I heard the most recent attempt resulted in accidental shrapnel through various organs from an explosion. Everyone's alright, just a few new scars at worst."

A faint purr. "I tend to dabble more on the magitech side of things-- integrating magic with science, like my tablet earlier. Currently seeing what all I can do with using tamed lightning for mana."

Electricity. He means electricity, they don't... have a word for that in the local language and he can't remember the English for it at the moment.

She was.. just gonna blink at the shrapnel bit. So long as no one was hurt a deadly amount, it didn't seem too bad.

"I do know someone who's good with that, but I am not introducing you two. Guy has a temper the size of the planet and a side case of casual cannibalism. The pros of his electrical powers very heavily outweigh the cons of him trying to fry you where you stand at any given moment.. so he can well, have you for dinner in a literal sense." a quiet sigh from Josephine as she thought of Wayde and shook her head. That guy...was a little too much in his own right.

"Though magetech sounds like you'd fit right in at ignihyde's dorm! They're all about magical tech. though also very introverted at times. ITs so bad they've got guide bots for the rare chance that people do visit..."

"Understandable, he tries to fry me I'd bite him. And you know my teeth are spooky. As for the cannibalism ehh.... arguably same, but a long time ago when I was not in my own mind and, you know, surviving in a desert. Carbs are carbs there, no matter the source."

"And a bunch of introverted nerds... I might drive them up the wall, I'm more of an extrovert! I love meeting folks and going off about my projects. I mean, I've just met you, and look how much I've gone off already!"

Ah, weren't they going somewhere? Oh well, talk is more interesting at this point in time.

"It would drive them nutter than a fruitcake, though you might like Ortho. He's the dorm leader's brother and he's always trying to get Idia to go out and meet other people. " absently she packed up her notebook and stood, humming. Right about now, the captain should be in the middle of a cat nap, so if they timed things juuust right, she'd be able to sneak her new friend in with little to no issue.

"Not sure what brought the whole thing about. The trouble with Wayde is, he's not just one. He's got two siblings so you'd have to handle three people coming at you."

and with a little hum, she was on her way to a beautiful-looking building, white stone capped with blue tower roofs and a clearly sprawling landscape!

“Ah, a three vs. one. That’s more Feral’s department than mine when it comes to biting. I’d have to resort to sword and shield then.”

Rakh will easily pad after Josephine. “Ah, if I’m being snuck in, should I try to look younger? Or is age a concern with wherever you’re leading me? If not, then I’ll just keep silent when asked. Probably start taking notes on my observations of this place.”

His pace is relaxed, a steady pace much like a confident tomcat’s walk.

"Always good to supplement things! I'm pretty good with runes myself, even if our runes might have massive differences. And gemstones as a power bank is always practical, even if we're still trying to re-learn how to do that. I heard the most recent attempt resulted in accidental shrapnel through various organs from an explosion. Everyone's alright, just a few new scars at worst."

A faint purr. "I tend to dabble more on the magitech side of things-- integrating magic with science, like my tablet earlier. Currently seeing what all I can do with using tamed lightning for mana."

Electricity. He means electricity, they don't... have a word for that in the local language and he can't remember the English for it at the moment.

She was.. just gonna blink at the shrapnel bit. So long as no one was hurt a deadly amount, it didn't seem too bad.

"I do know someone who's good with that, but I am not introducing you two. Guy has a temper the size of the planet and a side case of casual cannibalism. The pros of his electrical powers very heavily outweigh the cons of him trying to fry you where you stand at any given moment.. so he can well, have you for dinner in a literal sense." a quiet sigh from Josephine as she thought of Wayde and shook her head. That guy...was a little too much in his own right.

"Though magetech sounds like you'd fit right in at ignihyde's dorm! They're all about magical tech. though also very introverted at times. ITs so bad they've got guide bots for the rare chance that people do visit..."

"Understandable, he tries to fry me I'd bite him. And you know my teeth are spooky. As for the cannibalism ehh.... arguably same, but a long time ago when I was not in my own mind and, you know, surviving in a desert. Carbs are carbs there, no matter the source."

"And a bunch of introverted nerds... I might drive them up the wall, I'm more of an extrovert! I love meeting folks and going off about my projects. I mean, I've just met you, and look how much I've gone off already!"

Ah, weren't they going somewhere? Oh well, talk is more interesting at this point in time.

"To you, yeah. By home's standards, the transfer from mana to mostly data is amazing, but the spells are still pretty basic. I just can't do things like convert a fireball spell 'cause I ain't got no fire attunement in my me. Some of the folks from Spades-- a country in my Wonderland-- do have magic alignments, but not the mana to ever use a single spell. This'd be good stuff for them!"

A huff of irritation as the barrel is stored back in subspace. "Unfortunately, there's still a ban on 'weak mages' ever studying at the magic schools. The king's working on that, but it's. Hard. Stubborn old people who don't wanna loose power and whatnot."

"But that's a woe for another day! For now, I'm here, and probably gonna start poking my nose into things for neat rocks and other such items."

"Neat rocks?" Josephine perked up at that statement! She loved meeting people who could get behind plants and crystals, semi and otherwise-classified! happily, she tapped her fingers together as she thought. Rakh had given her tons of good ideas so far...so.... this wouldn't hurt too much right?

"I could take you to Royal sword academy! one of the dorm areas has an entire mine where you can find all sorts of gemstones! And maybe I can talk to my head mage to have permission given to leave the island and take you to one of the mines where magical crystals can be found?"

His eyes are just gonna light on up. "Oooh! That sounds good! If I'd be allowed to do so. If nothing else I can always get a few pictures for my friends! One of them really loves mining and digging-- she's also skilled at crystal-based magics."

If this man had a dog tail it'd be waving in excitement. "Lead on, miss Josephine! I'll assist where I can!!"

Josephine couldn't help the little giggle that escaped her at the eagerness of the other when it came to shining and shimmering rocks! He really does seem like a kindred spirit, and she pulls out her magic pen to start explaining one of the magical crystals she was aware of.

"This is a magipen! It's given to all students at Royal sword or Nightraven Collage and it helps track our magic use. When we use our magic, something called Blot will build up. If too much builds up from magic overuse and emotional and mental stress, it can trigger a transformation in the person. they become monster like being, with ink pouring forth from their head. If the Overblot as it's called isn't stopped it can be quite deadly. There will often be a creature manifested that needs to be defeated to bring the person out of the state."

The pen looks like a normal pen, aside from the purple jewel at the top in a gold setting. There's only a little bit of inky blackness gathering at the edges for the moment.

"normal magic will take a while to build up. However, the overuse of our Unique Magic will build it up at a much higher rate. that's why we take breaks when using it."

"Hmm.... So a balance of magic use over time instead of a pool you can draw on until it's dry. Interesting!" Rakhsham leans in and gives the pen a small sniff.

"And unique magics? That's uncommon. The only thing unique about Spades magic is where individual strengths lie and how the magics are used. A friend of mine, Mikiri, uses her crystal manipulation magics to make claws for digging. Another mage that uses the same skills prefers to make a pickaxe instead. Things like that is how Spades makes uniqueness."

"Crystal claws? That's amazing!" Josephine grinned at the thought of someone able to transform parts of their body to make it even easier to work at digging up gemstones!

"honestly, i'm into..a fair few things. My friends kinda scold me for pushing my limits too far from time to time. Runes, Glyphs, potions, and of course the linked Herbology due to how dependent potions are on said herbs and items. I recently got into gemstones to use them with runes and glyphs. Mainly etching the sigils and such into the gems to act as a sort of power bank." Josephine explained.

"Always good to supplement things! I'm pretty good with runes myself, even if our runes might have massive differences. And gemstones as a power bank is always practical, even if we're still trying to re-learn how to do that. I heard the most recent attempt resulted in accidental shrapnel through various organs from an explosion. Everyone's alright, just a few new scars at worst."

A faint purr. "I tend to dabble more on the magitech side of things-- integrating magic with science, like my tablet earlier. Currently seeing what all I can do with using tamed lightning for mana."

Electricity. He means electricity, they don't... have a word for that in the local language and he can't remember the English for it at the moment.

"To you, yeah. By home's standards, the transfer from mana to mostly data is amazing, but the spells are still pretty basic. I just can't do things like convert a fireball spell 'cause I ain't got no fire attunement in my me. Some of the folks from Spades-- a country in my Wonderland-- do have magic alignments, but not the mana to ever use a single spell. This'd be good stuff for them!"

A huff of irritation as the barrel is stored back in subspace. "Unfortunately, there's still a ban on 'weak mages' ever studying at the magic schools. The king's working on that, but it's. Hard. Stubborn old people who don't wanna loose power and whatnot."

"But that's a woe for another day! For now, I'm here, and probably gonna start poking my nose into things for neat rocks and other such items."

"Neat rocks?" Josephine perked up at that statement! She loved meeting people who could get behind plants and crystals, semi and otherwise-classified! happily, she tapped her fingers together as she thought. Rakh had given her tons of good ideas so far...so.... this wouldn't hurt too much right?

"I could take you to Royal sword academy! one of the dorm areas has an entire mine where you can find all sorts of gemstones! And maybe I can talk to my head mage to have permission given to leave the island and take you to one of the mines where magical crystals can be found?"

His eyes are just gonna light on up. "Oooh! That sounds good! If I'd be allowed to do so. If nothing else I can always get a few pictures for my friends! One of them really loves mining and digging-- she's also skilled at crystal-based magics."

If this man had a dog tail it'd be waving in excitement. "Lead on, miss Josephine! I'll assist where I can!!"

Josephine couldn't help the little giggle that escaped her at the eagerness of the other when it came to shining and shimmering rocks! He really does seem like a kindred spirit, and she pulls out her magic pen to start explaining one of the magical crystals she was aware of.

"This is a magipen! It's given to all students at Royal sword or Nightraven Collage and it helps track our magic use. When we use our magic, something called Blot will build up. If too much builds up from magic overuse and emotional and mental stress, it can trigger a transformation in the person. they become monster like being, with ink pouring forth from their head. If the Overblot as it's called isn't stopped it can be quite deadly. There will often be a creature manifested that needs to be defeated to bring the person out of the state."

The pen looks like a normal pen, aside from the purple jewel at the top in a gold setting. There's only a little bit of inky blackness gathering at the edges for the moment.

"normal magic will take a while to build up. However, the overuse of our Unique Magic will build it up at a much higher rate. that's why we take breaks when using it."

"Hmm.... So a balance of magic use over time instead of a pool you can draw on until it's dry. Interesting!" Rakhsham leans in and gives the pen a small sniff.

"And unique magics? That's uncommon. The only thing unique about Spades magic is where individual strengths lie and how the magics are used. A friend of mine, Mikiri, uses her crystal manipulation magics to make claws for digging. Another mage that uses the same skills prefers to make a pickaxe instead. Things like that is how Spades makes uniqueness."

"To you, yeah. By home's standards, the transfer from mana to mostly data is amazing, but the spells are still pretty basic. I just can't do things like convert a fireball spell 'cause I ain't got no fire attunement in my me. Some of the folks from Spades-- a country in my Wonderland-- do have magic alignments, but not the mana to ever use a single spell. This'd be good stuff for them!"

A huff of irritation as the barrel is stored back in subspace. "Unfortunately, there's still a ban on 'weak mages' ever studying at the magic schools. The king's working on that, but it's. Hard. Stubborn old people who don't wanna loose power and whatnot."

"But that's a woe for another day! For now, I'm here, and probably gonna start poking my nose into things for neat rocks and other such items."

"Neat rocks?" Josephine perked up at that statement! She loved meeting people who could get behind plants and crystals, semi and otherwise-classified! happily, she tapped her fingers together as she thought. Rakh had given her tons of good ideas so far...so.... this wouldn't hurt too much right?

"I could take you to Royal sword academy! one of the dorm areas has an entire mine where you can find all sorts of gemstones! And maybe I can talk to my head mage to have permission given to leave the island and take you to one of the mines where magical crystals can be found?"

His eyes are just gonna light on up. "Oooh! That sounds good! If I'd be allowed to do so. If nothing else I can always get a few pictures for my friends! One of them really loves mining and digging-- she's also skilled at crystal-based magics."

If this man had a dog tail it'd be waving in excitement. "Lead on, miss Josephine! I'll assist where I can!!"

A nod. "A spell you know so well you could cast it in your sleep and you'd be a hundred percent certain it'd go well. Something you have genuine mastery over. Something instinctual."

A crystal tablet is removed from one of his pockets. "In my case, I used a simple pocket dimension spell. I've been using it for years, and it's second nature at this point. Part of it's conversion to data let me tweak a few things, like storage space. Just me using the spell can only hold like, a toolbox of stuff. But by moving it to data and storing it in a new medium, well--"

A tap of the screen. A massive fermentation barrel appears off to one side of him. "--I can store about two of these! This one's full of beer. The other's mostly empty as I tend to fill it with interesting things I find."

"Subspace storage, that's amazing!"

And cue much clapping from Josephine as she eyed the quite frankly huge barrel. Quite frankly she loved seeing prime examples of magic in action, and seeing something like this? Well, it just got her eyes shining at the prospects of what could be done.

Though her nose did crinkle a bit at the mention of beer. It wasn't the favorite drink she could think of. More found of her creme liquors over anything. but heaven forbid her dorm head figure out just what she had tucked away.

"you can do so much amazing stuff with that tablet, that's amazing!!"

"To you, yeah. By home's standards, the transfer from mana to mostly data is amazing, but the spells are still pretty basic. I just can't do things like convert a fireball spell 'cause I ain't got no fire attunement in my me. Some of the folks from Spades-- a country in my Wonderland-- do have magic alignments, but not the mana to ever use a single spell. This'd be good stuff for them!"

A huff of irritation as the barrel is stored back in subspace. "Unfortunately, there's still a ban on 'weak mages' ever studying at the magic schools. The king's working on that, but it's. Hard. Stubborn old people who don't wanna loose power and whatnot."

"But that's a woe for another day! For now, I'm here, and probably gonna start poking my nose into things for neat rocks and other such items."

An amused chuff from the mechanic. Gonna see if he can speak again.

"Man, I did not know the Wonderland area of the multiverse stretched out this far! Kinda impressive, really. At the same time, it makes me wonder why that is!" Yep, his throat's already doing better.

"Higher education, huh... That like. College or Highschool? Ah, wait, are those terms even used here? Always a wild guess what words share the same meaning between planes."

"Yes, we're a high school. We go four years and in our fourth year, we enter an internship in a field of study. Our magic is based on the elements; with links to Light and void magic. Light is the rare form of magic..." Josephine tapped her chin slightly as she tried to recall any tidbits she knew that she could explain that might be useful. "Void is...basic spell casting, that pretty much everyone can do."

a little shift as she snapped back into reality.

"Though you wouldn't be the first person from outside of this realm to get here. Naoko just... got drug her by the black carriage one day. She's pretty content here though, I think."

"Huh, also magics. Guessing your Light and Void is different from my Wonderland's Light and Dark. And what about the other 'Higher' element, Wind? Where would you classify 'Physical' magics like fire, earth, metal, plants, and water?"

A pause. "Not that'd I know how define those specifics. I only have some native 'Grey' or non-elemental skills. Things my Wonderland considers different like personal time manipulation, or turning objects into your personal weapons."

"As for getting here, I did that on purpose! The magi of Spades-- er, Spades Prime, have gotten reaaal good at hopping between worlds. I managed to take those magics and make it an application on my tablet!" A proud smile. That had taken so much work.... Shame it could still only manage one person and the stuff that's in their pockets. (Good thing he has around a bajillion pockets.)

"I don't think we have metal as an element here. Earth, wind, water, fire. They're mostly physically magics because they're used to effect people's surroundings."

At the mention of putting magic on his tablet, and that he'd mastered that sort of thing? Well, she couldn't help but be even more impressed! If he attended night raven, he'd have Ignihyde clamoring for him in their dorm!

"You can move freely between worlds? That's so amazing! Crowley is still being shameless and swearing he'll get Naoko home; though he can't figure out where she's from. Nor can our dark mirror. But what you're talking about.. wow! I wish I could figure out how to do things like that!"

"To be fair, I'm working off of uhh... probably millennia of research by all the mages back home. They figured out how to get it imprinted on books, I just figured out how to make the spell electronically stored data."

A pause. "Huh, so wind's considered physical here. Neat. Anywhoo-- figuring out someone's place of origin can be pretty darn tricky. Lotta little bits and pieces you can easily overlook, especially if you don't have much knowledge on how any aspect of multiversal traversal works. So many worlds just... off to one side of one another where things are all the same but for one small difference. It's a mess. But a fun mess!"

A wide smile, revealing a mouth full of sharp fangs. "It allll takes study, practice, and time!"

"Do you think someone not of Spades could learn how to apply spells to electronic devices, or is that just a your world thing?"

If spells could become digital, did that reduce the mana it took to cast them, which in turn would reduce the blot that would build up in a person? There were so many things to do, so many things to study.. her hands were itching to take notes, to create, to start learning!!

"Hmm. Probably. All things break down into data, in the end, and with a bit of work you can shift energy used for things. I don't got a perfect conversion from mana to electricity, best I got's 'bout a 75% swap. Lets me visit other worlds easily enough-- I have the mana, but not the innate skills to use the spell as a 'spell'. As an app, though, I can use it. Make sense?"

He can always sense another scholar. "It's a bit tricky, though. You'd best have some way against accidental power discharges. I made do with rubber insulation and lightning rods."

Annd Josephine has her pen and paper out, starting to scribble down what he was saying; if this worked out, could spells be crafted in such a manner that even a magicless person might be able to use them? The possibilities might just be endless!

"is there any spell type you'd recommend to start with as a beginner level?"

A nod. "A spell you know so well you could cast it in your sleep and you'd be a hundred percent certain it'd go well. Something you have genuine mastery over. Something instinctual."

A crystal tablet is removed from one of his pockets. "In my case, I used a simple pocket dimension spell. I've been using it for years, and it's second nature at this point. Part of it's conversion to data let me tweak a few things, like storage space. Just me using the spell can only hold like, a toolbox of stuff. But by moving it to data and storing it in a new medium, well--"

A tap of the screen. A massive fermentation barrel appears off to one side of him. "--I can store about two of these! This one's full of beer. The other's mostly empty as I tend to fill it with interesting things I find."

An amused chuff from the mechanic. Gonna see if he can speak again.

"Man, I did not know the Wonderland area of the multiverse stretched out this far! Kinda impressive, really. At the same time, it makes me wonder why that is!" Yep, his throat's already doing better.

"Higher education, huh... That like. College or Highschool? Ah, wait, are those terms even used here? Always a wild guess what words share the same meaning between planes."

"Yes, we're a high school. We go four years and in our fourth year, we enter an internship in a field of study. Our magic is based on the elements; with links to Light and void magic. Light is the rare form of magic..." Josephine tapped her chin slightly as she tried to recall any tidbits she knew that she could explain that might be useful. "Void is...basic spell casting, that pretty much everyone can do."

a little shift as she snapped back into reality.

"Though you wouldn't be the first person from outside of this realm to get here. Naoko just... got drug her by the black carriage one day. She's pretty content here though, I think."

"Huh, also magics. Guessing your Light and Void is different from my Wonderland's Light and Dark. And what about the other 'Higher' element, Wind? Where would you classify 'Physical' magics like fire, earth, metal, plants, and water?"

A pause. "Not that'd I know how define those specifics. I only have some native 'Grey' or non-elemental skills. Things my Wonderland considers different like personal time manipulation, or turning objects into your personal weapons."

"As for getting here, I did that on purpose! The magi of Spades-- er, Spades Prime, have gotten reaaal good at hopping between worlds. I managed to take those magics and make it an application on my tablet!" A proud smile. That had taken so much work.... Shame it could still only manage one person and the stuff that's in their pockets. (Good thing he has around a bajillion pockets.)

"I don't think we have metal as an element here. Earth, wind, water, fire. They're mostly physically magics because they're used to effect people's surroundings."

At the mention of putting magic on his tablet, and that he'd mastered that sort of thing? Well, she couldn't help but be even more impressed! If he attended night raven, he'd have Ignihyde clamoring for him in their dorm!

"You can move freely between worlds? That's so amazing! Crowley is still being shameless and swearing he'll get Naoko home; though he can't figure out where she's from. Nor can our dark mirror. But what you're talking about.. wow! I wish I could figure out how to do things like that!"

"To be fair, I'm working off of uhh... probably millennia of research by all the mages back home. They figured out how to get it imprinted on books, I just figured out how to make the spell electronically stored data."

A pause. "Huh, so wind's considered physical here. Neat. Anywhoo-- figuring out someone's place of origin can be pretty darn tricky. Lotta little bits and pieces you can easily overlook, especially if you don't have much knowledge on how any aspect of multiversal traversal works. So many worlds just... off to one side of one another where things are all the same but for one small difference. It's a mess. But a fun mess!"

A wide smile, revealing a mouth full of sharp fangs. "It allll takes study, practice, and time!"

"Do you think someone not of Spades could learn how to apply spells to electronic devices, or is that just a your world thing?"

If spells could become digital, did that reduce the mana it took to cast them, which in turn would reduce the blot that would build up in a person? There were so many things to do, so many things to study.. her hands were itching to take notes, to create, to start learning!!

"Hmm. Probably. All things break down into data, in the end, and with a bit of work you can shift energy used for things. I don't got a perfect conversion from mana to electricity, best I got's 'bout a 75% swap. Lets me visit other worlds easily enough-- I have the mana, but not the innate skills to use the spell as a 'spell'. As an app, though, I can use it. Make sense?"

He can always sense another scholar. "It's a bit tricky, though. You'd best have some way against accidental power discharges. I made do with rubber insulation and lightning rods."

There appears to be an idiot in the fields. One that 'appeared from nowhere', had 'some sort of basket', and 'was a giant of a man.'

Said idiot is currently crouched down seemingly talking to a peanut plant. Surrounded by... a sphere of light?

Whatever the sphere is made of, it's gonna be repelling anything trying to harm him. Not painfully, just... pushing them away with enough force to make them stay about five feet away from him.

"You really are a hardy species, aren't you? Even growing here, in this death-soaked land... no wonder the farmers value you so highly in so many universes. Water intake is probably an issue for you here, if I had to guess. Then again, I'm not sure how they go around watering you lot."

...In very deep conversation with the peanut plant, it seems. Rest of the world? Blocked out.

@demonic-immortal-of-yiling

What is it with this sudden influx of weirdos visiting the Burial Mounds? Thirteen years of complete silence, then one day a madwoman comes literally knocking on his door and now he can’t seem to be rid of them.

Wei Wuxian crosses his arms inside his sleeves, deciding to teal with this so the frightened Wens can start their morning chores before Wen Qing comes out here to kick up a fuss at the stranger and accidentally start something.

Standing behind them he clears his throat loud enough to get their attention, hoping they could hear through the bubble that quite literally put him in a world of his own right now.

“Would you care to explain yourself?”

"Oh! One second, please." Gonna just gently run a finger along a leaf and hum for a moment. "Well, you're getting good sun at least! Keep it up, I'm sure the humans who tend for you love you."

The stranger is going to stand up... and up... wow, he's taller than Wei Wuxian. By a few inches. Maybe even half a foot, with the hair floof added. "My apologies, I thought I'd sent ahead a note announcing my intentions to visit. And I also thought I'd appear outside the barrier my friend mentioned! I.. appear to be off by a bit, then I saw the fields here and got distracted seeing how the plants are doing."

Sphere gonna shrink to some sort of coating floating about an inch off his body. "Pleased to meet you! My name is Tridekas S. Regulus the XIIIth, visiting purely for my own curiosity regarding how the plants on this mountain survive with all the death energies about." A respectful bow is given, sunset-red hair cascading around his shoulders.

"Mikiri told me about this place, and I got a bit too curious for my own good, so I had to come see it for myself!" A light chuckle. This man feels like a summer sunset-- warm and inviting.

mikiriandmokoro​:

“Two bronze tael can buy you a decent sized jar,” Wei Ying shrugs as he pours more wine into the woman’s cup.

“I studied in Gusu once - at the Cloud Recesses. I sneaked out after dark to retrieve the jars I’d hidden and smuggle them in. But that fuddy duddy Lan Zhan caught me climbing over the wall. I tried to offer him some wine and he said I was trying to bribe him. Ah, but drinking delicious wine under a full moon and in the company of the most beautiful man in the cultivation world, then fighting against someone as good as me on top of that! That is a night I would not regret repeating.” He took a long sip from his cup, completely draining it before filling it again.

"Shit, that cheap? You think one of these will work, or do I gotta try and get local currency?" Gonna flick a bronze coin onto the table. It's hexagonal in shape, with a spade on the front and a volcano on the back. It expertly rolls over to Wei Wuixan's wine glass before falling over to a stop.

A small sigh. "Maaan, drinking wine under moonlight is always so nice. Or any booze, in my opinion! They always pair so well together. If it's winter and snowy, I find a warmed spice wine works wonders if you wanna sit and watch the snow fall."

The rest has finally processed. "A fight and with someone you consider handsome? That's always a bonus! A shame so few people want to fight me these days...."

An amused chuff from the mechanic. Gonna see if he can speak again.

"Man, I did not know the Wonderland area of the multiverse stretched out this far! Kinda impressive, really. At the same time, it makes me wonder why that is!" Yep, his throat's already doing better.

"Higher education, huh... That like. College or Highschool? Ah, wait, are those terms even used here? Always a wild guess what words share the same meaning between planes."

"Yes, we're a high school. We go four years and in our fourth year, we enter an internship in a field of study. Our magic is based on the elements; with links to Light and void magic. Light is the rare form of magic..." Josephine tapped her chin slightly as she tried to recall any tidbits she knew that she could explain that might be useful. "Void is...basic spell casting, that pretty much everyone can do."

a little shift as she snapped back into reality.

"Though you wouldn't be the first person from outside of this realm to get here. Naoko just... got drug her by the black carriage one day. She's pretty content here though, I think."

"Huh, also magics. Guessing your Light and Void is different from my Wonderland's Light and Dark. And what about the other 'Higher' element, Wind? Where would you classify 'Physical' magics like fire, earth, metal, plants, and water?"

A pause. "Not that'd I know how define those specifics. I only have some native 'Grey' or non-elemental skills. Things my Wonderland considers different like personal time manipulation, or turning objects into your personal weapons."

"As for getting here, I did that on purpose! The magi of Spades-- er, Spades Prime, have gotten reaaal good at hopping between worlds. I managed to take those magics and make it an application on my tablet!" A proud smile. That had taken so much work.... Shame it could still only manage one person and the stuff that's in their pockets. (Good thing he has around a bajillion pockets.)

"I don't think we have metal as an element here. Earth, wind, water, fire. They're mostly physically magics because they're used to effect people's surroundings."

At the mention of putting magic on his tablet, and that he'd mastered that sort of thing? Well, she couldn't help but be even more impressed! If he attended night raven, he'd have Ignihyde clamoring for him in their dorm!

"You can move freely between worlds? That's so amazing! Crowley is still being shameless and swearing he'll get Naoko home; though he can't figure out where she's from. Nor can our dark mirror. But what you're talking about.. wow! I wish I could figure out how to do things like that!"

"To be fair, I'm working off of uhh... probably millennia of research by all the mages back home. They figured out how to get it imprinted on books, I just figured out how to make the spell electronically stored data."

A pause. "Huh, so wind's considered physical here. Neat. Anywhoo-- figuring out someone's place of origin can be pretty darn tricky. Lotta little bits and pieces you can easily overlook, especially if you don't have much knowledge on how any aspect of multiversal traversal works. So many worlds just... off to one side of one another where things are all the same but for one small difference. It's a mess. But a fun mess!"

A wide smile, revealing a mouth full of sharp fangs. "It allll takes study, practice, and time!"