[@Lucius Cypher][@SevenStormStyle][@MULTI_MEDIA_MAN][@FlitterFaux][@Forsythe][@Kaithas][@Abillioncats][@Silvan Haven]
[h3]Dust Applications - Lecture Hall I707[/h3]
I'm not sure if I got my point too clearly to these two. Some people think otherwise, but teaching's a bloody hard job, you know? It hinges all on your ability to communicate, and if people hear what you're yapping on about and assume one thing when it's actually supposed to be another, then it's your fault. If you screw up the explanations, then all ye be doing is teaching your brats to cut about the actual key information you want them to get into their noggins.

If you're a terrible teacher, then you'd just blunder on without caring about that. Humans hate thinking that they're wrong. Supposedly it feels like being punched in the face to acknowledge that you've done a dobber. But if you've gone and grabbed yourself an education degree in the first place, then you should know that making sure your students get things right is more important than your face, you know? Society might judge you as lesser if you've been turned into a proper munter, but that's nothing new. Your brats thinking that the pish you've accidentally taught them is correct is far worse.

That's why I step in to help elaborate on the point I'm trying to make with this demonstration. Actually, this is one of those places where the brats getting things wrong is good. It's important to sometimes know what falling over's like before you can run, you know?

"[color=d8bfd8]If you've only funnelled Aura into Dust for the express purpose of activating it before, it is,[/color]" I say, taking a look at their two vials. There's definitely a lot of energy being pumped in there - a bit of a wasteful amount actually - but that's what you'd expect when you haven't really tried doing things like that, you know? "[color=d8bfd8]Both of you were definitely racking your noggins for what the Dust was supposed to do.[/color]"

Which is just a step too far.

"[color=d8bfd8]But it looks like you've gotten a bit of a hang of the exercise.[/color]" I smile at them. A teacher's supposed to give their students positive reinforcement if you want them to succeed. And I do. "[color=d8bfd8]Your aura is both power and intent. It's what [b]you[/b] can do and what [b]you[/b] want to do. That's what the Dust reacts to. You put the energy in ... but it won't go off until you will it to.[/color]"

It's something everyone does unconsciously. After all, why are they going to do something with their aura if they don't want to do it? That's the thought process, but knowing to differentiate there's pretty important and key to using Dust in more advanced ways.

"[color=d8bfd8]Think about your aura fields. If you've always got a layer ready to protect you, why doesn't Dust activate when you're holding it?[/color]"

I pick up another vial - this time one full of 'Crystal' - and pour a little bit into my left hand. Nothing happens. That's what everybody expects. Even if they think Dust is volatile, it shouldn't explode just because you're touching it.

I wiggle my fingers a bit.

There's no explosion, but the Dust converts immediately into glowing orange crystals.

Maybe it's my ego talking, but I still think it's bloody cool.

"[color=d8bfd8]Because I didn't will it to. I didn't want the 'Crystal' to explode or form.[/color]"

Hopefully that's a good enough explanation for every one of the brats, because I'm going to take this a little further.

"[color=d8bfd8]Mister Schwarz, Miss Frost, please activate just the 'Water' now.[/color]"

I take my own (prepared earlier, like in those cooking shows) vial and lift it up to the light. There's a lot less energy flowing through it than the ones the brats' have got, but most people should be able to unconsciously recognise that yeah, my Aura's parked inside.

"[color=d8bfd8]You should be getting something like this.[/color]"

Water spins to life, filling up the vial as expected. And in the centre of the miniature maelstrom, uncatalysed particles of all sorts of Dust, as if a rainbow had been caught inside. A rainbow that hadn't been activated.

I did say it was only [i]mostly[/i] 'Water', after all.