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( the test drive meme )

This is for anyone wanting to test out their characters in the setting before the applications open, see what clicks. Multiples will be allowed for this post, and you can generally assume any threads are a self-contained continuity unless you feel like getting creative.

Just post a thread with your CHARACTER NAME and CANON NAME in the title with a prompt and others will reply. Prompts and threads can be action spam or prose or whatever. These threads can be used on the sample section of your application, as well. Go out and have fun! Feel free to consult the institute tour and dorm guide for setting info. We also encourage you to check out the "!!event" tag on the IC comms to brush up on the story so far.

Comments

Ran Yakumo / Touhou Project

[princesstenko]

[ Network ]

We'll be finishing our unit on radicals soon. But for now, I want to see just how well you've been paying attention. I'm about to give you proof that 2 = 1. I know what some of you are thinking, but hear me out.

a = b
a2 = ab
a2 - b2 = ab-b2
(a-b)(a+b) = b(a-b)
a+b = b
b+b = b
2b = b
2 = 1

That is my proof. If you can argue that this proof is false, I'd love to hear it. Those who can do so will receive extra credit on your end-of-semester exam. Good luck~


[ Prose ]

Now that she was done teasing her algebra students, Ran found herself with an inordinate amount of free time. And just as foxes are wont to do, free time often lead to mischief. It was a habit Yukari had tried to break her from, but some things just never changed. So she found herself using her 'fox fire' to create some illusions over the swimming pool... while it was in use. Doing so in such a way that, in fact, the illusion would probably look different to anyone who was viewing it.

Some habits die hard.

Private Text

[pride_of_amarcia]

(a-b)(a+b) isn't a+b, but a^2-b^2.

*Pascal obviously doesn't know how to do superscripts on the network posts.*

So...
a^2-b^2=b(a-b)
a^2-b^2=ba

... Wait, that can't be right, otherwise it converts out to 0 = 1...

Huh.

[princesstenko]

Close, very close, but still not the prize you seek, Di York-san.

Private Text

[pride_of_amarcia]

... Oh, wait.

You used the step in reverse... And then divided by a-b. AKA zero.

Huh.

Private Text

[princesstenko]

Precisely.

If you bury an infraction of the rules well enough, most people will never notice.

Re: Private Text

[pride_of_amarcia]

... Kinda scary to think about, actually...

[impersonal_space]

You are having entirely too much fun with your students.

[princesstenko]

Oh come on, it's not that hard, Yukari.

[impersonal_space]

The problem or the teasing? [ Spoiler: she knows the answer to both. ]

[princesstenko]

These are childplay compared to what you put me through.

[impersonal_space]

That is because you are no child, Ran.

[diaoyezong]

Although she would usually avoid the pool area like crazy, seeing Ran over by the pool brought her closer, just to see what exactly what was going on. Although see was a matter of speaking, as she didn't see the pool at all, instead just flat ground. That stopped her dead in her tracks a decent distance away from it and instead called out.

"What's going on?"

[princesstenko]

Crap! Chen! Gotta at least appear to be a responsible adult. The flames disappear, taking with them the mirage they created. Ran lets out a breath, visible on the cold, and turns to the kitten with a smile.

"Just practicing my flames, little one."

[diaoyezong]

After she visibly was startled a bit by the sudden change from flat ground to the pool once more, Chen approached Ran with a smile in return.

"Oh! That was really good! I would not have noticed the difference. It really looked like it was gone. But why practice here?"

[princesstenko]

"Well, why not? Anywhere is a good place to better oneself, Chen." May as well turn this into Life Lessons with Ran-sama. "We are not limited to classrooms in our learning and our growth."

[text; private to avoid spoiling it for other students]

[lumokinetic]

Found the problem, it's in these lines:
(a-b)(a+b) = b(a-b)
a+b = b

Since it was already stated that a=b, that means (a-b) = 0.
This means you can't factor out (a-b) like that; involves division by zero.

Got anything harder?

[princesstenko]

Very good, as usual, Midori-san, but you'll have to wait until class for more. That was just a little teaser.

[lumokinetic]

Well, darn. I was kind of wondering how much extra credit I'd be able to get on this one, Ran-sensei.

[Yes, she's joking.]

Do you mean class tomorrow or sometime next week, though? [She doesn't dislike the class, else she would have been actively giving Ran trouble, which she's not. But, she'll still make it clear that she'd like to get things done as soon as would be reasonable.]

[princesstenko]

The exam itself is on Monday. So plenty of time to prepare. And yes, Midori-san, confident as you are, you still need to study. I'll be particularly harsh on you if you come to class unprepared when you should know better.

[lumokinetic]

I could take that as a challenge, but I'm not stupid. You know I'll make sure to be ready for this.

[prose] Because why not.

[lumokinetic]

One of those very students, after using some of her own spare time for studying, found herself headed toward the pool as well. While she didn't particularly enjoy swimming herself, a few of the students that she actually got along with frequented the place a bit and this was the best time to hang with them.

Except this time, the pool was replaced by a basketball court, scaled down to match the pool's size. With some of the students still swimming in it. Many of them were seeing their own illusions, while a select few clearly saw no visible changes at all and were wondering what everyone was getting so confused and disoriented by. It looked a little more than strange, and somewhat amusing, she had to admit.

Glancing around to try to identify possible causes for this, Midori spotted Ran some distance away, eyes fixed on the pool itself and with a playful little expression on her face. The student walked right on over, as casually as she could, and addressed the teacher directly, quite possibly―but maybe not―disrupting her and the illusion in the process.

"So even the teachers need some time to go and have some fun, do they, Ran-sensei?"

[princesstenko]

In the blink of an eye, the illusion was gone, Ran turning to face the girl as if it had never been her making those tricks at all. Her tails fanned out a bit before resettling, a telling sigh that she was slightly embarrassed to be caught so easily.

"We have to make certain our skills are never rusty, you know. Illusions created this way are a lot harder to control than those created by more telepathic mutations."

[lumokinetic]

Her photokinesis came to mind. It was true that it wasn't necessarily difficult to do things with it, including drawing shapes and images right in the air using light itself, although Midori still had yet to attempt anything particularly complex. Personalized, individual illusions like Ran's, though? That was definitely beyond what she felt she could be capable of, so the implication that she had it easier was one that she really had to agree with.

She wasn't sure why she was the one that got to see the miniature basketball court, though. Nor was she really sure if anyone else there had seen it as well or if they saw something else entirely.

"You have a point there," she admitted, "though I didn't think the swimming pool would be your first choice as to where to practice." She was still fairly certain that Ran had been doing it more for the amusement at how the students were reacting to it, but the explanation given was a valid one as well.

"On second thought, it makes total sense for something like that. How else would you know if it's really working the way you want it to if you don't have anyone around to gauge their reaction?"

[princesstenko]

"Precisely. This sort of thing actually comes a bit easier for you, given you manipulate the light directly. I have to shape it, bend it, with heat. It's very difficult to create a proper illusion, especially one that will look different depending on the angle it is viewed from. That's the sort of thing I have to keep practicing, even at a position like my own."

[lumokinetic]

The space around them dimmed somewhat, with the light collecting above Midori's hand and drawing the image of a flame, which she looked over for a few moments before allowing it to dissipate and return the light to where it belonged.

"I might be able to draw images and stuff myself," she began, "but everybody sees the same thing. It's pretty easy to see through it too, unless I've got enough light to work with, but too much light at once is when it starts wearing me down." That was to say, the more light was involved, the more of a strain it put on her mind. She felt a bit limited as a result, unable to do anything particularly large, complicated, or involving a strong light without tiring herself out quickly. Her own laser pointer put a similar strain on her, which was why she preferred using normal lights instead.

"At least the more-practical uses for it aren't too tiring." She pulled her flashlight from its pocket and twirled it between her fingers a few times. "Who knows if or when I'd have to light up another classroom with just this thing?"