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@Kits - If you believed that the will of a spirit could strike down your father because you were bad wouldn't you (a) assume you deserved it and (b) be afraid to challenge it? I'm just saying, if Malik rationally justified it, he probably wouldn't have been as likely to irrationally challenge it. It seems more likely to just assume him cruel, you get swayed into believing him just it's a lot harder to make him a villain.

And maybe they wouldn't necessarily have ended up together, but in generations in which there weren't cousins, or there wasn't a line up of the right genders, it seems probable that at times they would have siblings marry. I mean sibling marriages actually wouldn't be an uncommon thing for an Egyptian culture. In Ancient Egypt it was policy amongst the royal line, cousins would be a secondary option if there weren't siblings directly descendant from the pharaoh. That's one of the things that came up in my Ancient Near East course a few years ago. Yet unlike in Europe where interbreeding led to all these defects, that wasn't an issue in Egypt. Granted that was even earlier in the time line, and possibly attributed to fewer mutations of the genetic code at that point.

I didn't discover procrastination all that much until HS. I usually did all my work in class while my teachers prattled on. Exempting Honors Chemistry sophomore year, and AP Bio and AP calculus senior year, I was rather lazy and just settled for being the top of my classes with no effort involved whatsoever. My senior English teacher was the one who finally pushed me, forced me to work against myself rather than just rest on I was so much better than everyone else I was earning As by default. He was a somewhat bitter man, and I completely resented him at the time, but now I wish I'd gotten that kind of influence earlier in my life. Ah well. If I knew then... smile

It makes her different, but it's hard to appreciate "unique" when it is - as you said - boring.

Yea, and I think most people who have spirits possessing their bodies get taller and experience a voice change when the spirit takes over, hahahaha. I mean seriously, even Seto, doubter that he is, should really have been more questioning of THAT feat.

Hahaha, I like FINALS, although I'd like to say I could take some pride in the fact that I do actually learn things, and remember most of my material come finals - and for a significant period thereafter.

@Morgey - haha, Kits asked the question I avoided for some reason. Although I assume if you are writing on burial rites, I can rule out O Chem and Quantum Physics right? ^_~

Well yea, but that's what I mean, he's not normal, he's just emotion fueled and arrogant, and he wouldn't bother rationalizing it at all in the first place. I'm just saying it's not likely he'd link up daddy getting struck down with him sneaking out. Daddy was struck down and that's it, no need to question further - which was one of my original gripes with Malik, everything is just face value and he DOESN'T question things.

Hahaha...well I mean if the clan was down there for centuries, never polluted by what's above (we'll say they didn't find and take in babies often, and that they never bred with them), then they weren't likely to be exposed to mutations, so it would still probably be fine for them century after century. I mean there may be some things, but it's not a guarantee. And yes father and child Malik were both mad - in different ways and to different agrees - but that's not necessarily genetic. Not sure what exactly either suffers, hard to diagnose in bits. ((Another instance in which that "normal shrink" mentioned on the RP character survey thread would make for a fun appearance)). But yea, I'm not a fan of Malik and Isis either, which is why I had always avoided bringing it up...until now ~_~.

Yea, wish I'd had more of those teachers, I probably wouldn't be so wayward now. Ah well, I'll figure my life out eventually...I hope razz .

Seriously! I mean come on Kaiba, that's just TOO much denial there. Hahaha, silly people not noticing bunny ears... rofl

Umm, after the first couple of quarters of college (a period in which I'd like to call "the shame" hehehe) I stopped taking Calc and Chem - I liked the former, hated the latter, wasn't very good at either. Everything I took from then on I could comprehend and retain just fine, I do have a rather good memory. And even in calc/chem I could remember a lot, it's just hard to retain what you never understood in the first place ^_~.

Yea, I'm not sure how adoption works either, but I definitely see it being too problematic, in a culture that is all about blood.

I guess with Daddy he just seems like any person in an extremist religion/sect who does not question it. Whereas Malik is opposite that. I agree in that he developed his own belief and does things like "choose" something else. Although I don't think that Malik is any less in a vacuum, since Rishid himself also embraced that culture and didn't really try to sway Malik away. Because of that, it seems mostly artistic license that allows Malik to think the way he does, because realistically, he has no basis himself. He has a friend, but a friend committed to life in that oppressive mind set.

You should ask, it was weird the people I found where into anime and such, who I wouldn't have expected, after being in college for several years. And even those who aren't, generally don't care, they might even be curious enough to talk to you about it anyhow. Anyhow my friend's school is like that, she goes to this liberal arts school in WA that doesn't have set degrees. I'm not sure how much I'd like that, but it works for her so yay.

You could go for Cuneiform? Similar to the type of language as glyphs, but less complex. Hehe had to learn a few things for my Ancient Near East course, tons of ways to reference water. Did an ancient/medieval history minor. I studied Ancient (Attic) Greek instead, now that language was such amazing fun. Mmm...ok don't want to keep prattling on about languages because I will so shutting up now!

Haha...oh no...Kits!!! Hehehehehe

Well that was my point, I don't think they do, and there is no logical assumption that can be made. It is isolated, he may not like it, but most people even when they are unhappy with what they have just get up and seek out an unknown.

Hahaha, nice...drunken posting is always fun.

Haha, yea, but unlike high school, they don't ostracize you for liking "lame" things.

I can't stand hot weather either, though I'd kind of like to go to Cairo someday, probably the only place on the entire continent of Africa I'd even consider.

Yea, of the Ancient history program at my school, people in general liked Rome and Greece better, and they are a lot richer and more diversified, but the Ancient Near East was rather fascinating as well.

@Kits - Well I just don't think rationality played a part period, which is the majority of my point. I mean the point to being a "hothead" is that you don't rationalize. It's what defines hothead, action without thinking.

I don't think any of the Ishtars have genetic mental disorders though, every symptom they have/possible diseases implied are all environmentally caused, which has nothing to do with genetics whatsoever. And while mutations are random, something new has to be introduced to instigate the mutation, whereas after thousands of years of nothing altered isn't likely to happen - unless you have multiple cases like Rishid that are then allowed to breed into the gene pool (though it's assumed that isn't "allowed," but what's custom and what's done aren't always the same thing). I mean that was what the problem in Europe was, mutations were already in the gene pool, so breeding within that gene pool repeatedly was just making recessive traits more prevalent because they were more likely to hit on both parents. Genetic coding doesn't evolve on it's own with the same rapidity as something like a viral strand. It needs an influence.

Concepts I'm fine, the conceptual was not my weak point. It's equations and formulas that were my Achilles heel. I mean standard equations were one thing, but the thing about calculus and chemistry is that there were a lot of "theories," where you had to create the equation yourself, and that I couldn't do. I couldn't translate theory into formula, once I had the formula I could maybe understand how it came out of the theory - but I couldn't get there on my own, and that's the majority of what's required. It's why I was much better at natural than physical sciences, I was very good at biology. It was less "solve" and more "understand."

@Kits (regarding what you said to Morgey) I don't like the idea of Malik/Isis either, so I'll just be of the position - upside to the revolting. Because a family living under the precepts of an Ancient Egyptian culture is very likely to be that strict and blah!! ~_~

That sucks about the minor deal, a lot of times minors and majors AREN'T related, people who are good at a specialization do that because they are lazy, but most people opt for something that will give them diversity. Like my friend who majored in Genetics minored in Music. Both my major and minor were in liberal arts, but very different fields, majored in Creative Writing while minoring in Ancient/Medieval History. I almost could have done a Greek minor too (in addition to history), but I started Greek senior year so I would have had to stay one extra quarter to get the upper division course (you need one). An extra 2 - 3K to finish a minor wasn't worth it (totally wouldn't have minded the work, darn money!!).

@Kits - Yea, although I think if his father "hadn't mysteriously died," he wouldn't have left anyhow. I think his father's death more than anything is what gave him the ability to find an out. Yea Rishid going with him made it comfortable, he didn't have to start off alone, but on it's own I don't think it's a main motivator, I don't think he would ever have asked Rishid to go with him under optimal circumstances - possibly because he'd assume Rishid would try and convince him to stay.

It is stupid, and I liked college because the people who don't grow out of that belief, well...they aren't exactly college material now are they? I had particular fun explaining what yaoi was to several of my friends, most aren't into it themselves, but they got a kick out of hearing me talk about it, and browsing through my bookshelf from time to time. They especially like Y-con stories, it's just so different to them that it's entertaining. Not to want to get into themselves, but just morbid curiosity into the life of their weird friend smile .

Cuneiform is indeed fun stuff, I want to learn more! However bettering both my Attic Greek and French, and learning Latin, German and either Hebrew or Arabic (both if I can make the time) are much higher up on my list. We'll see though.

@Kits (again responding to what was said to Morgey ^_^) - I think while it might be plausible people are allowed out, I don't think talking about out would have been allowed - especially around those who aren't let out themselves. It is foreseeable that it would breed disparity - like what happened with Malik, and would most likely not be encouraged. Although as someone so close to the core of the family, I doubt Isis would be allowed out, and I think her know how is more artistic license than anything, because in theory a clan that is that heavily closed would not allow themselves any sort of ingratiation with mainstream society. And obviously they do let outsiders in sometimes - like with Rishid - although I think in reality that would have been highly frowned upon too. I doubt a very high level of research went into ancient clan rites before the manga was written though.

People are lame period...myself included, and so proud I am... razz

@Kits - I don't like camels, and I'd have absolutely no desire to meet Malik. I do prefer cold (which is why Europe is much higher up on my "to travel" list, though that does include the Mediterranean), but as far as heat goes I'll take desert any day. A vast part of Africa is jungle, which I would not like. In theory it's beautiful, but in practice it would be humid - and I HATE humidity. If I have to take heat, please, make it a dry heat.

Yea, but even when they do rationalize it's rarely rationally. I'm basing this on having seen my best friend at work *snicker*, no wonder she likes Malik so ^_~. As Malik's entire cause was essentially scapegoating, it's more probable that he didn't put that much thought into it. Because if you think you tend to question, and as Malik's motivations were so flimsy to begin with, the more consideration they are given the harder it would be for them to continue to hold.

Well it's just changes like that, more evolutionary changes that bleed into a pool, take an extremely long period of time, centuries, millennium. Unlike viruses/bacterium - which can mutate within days. I mean it happens, it's just mutations unprovoked would be rare, especially mutations that would become germline (based on hereditary). However, again everything about the clan system being closed off would imply that (a) they wouldn't understand genetics and (b) ritual would trump genetics anyhow. So even if things started to show, that wouldn't change rite. I mean medieval/renaissance Europe, looking at history it's pretty clear that some things were going on, and thinking on it inbreeding is obviously the cause. However at the time such things couldn't be proven, and custom is usually what is most important. Even if a major mutation reared up in the Ishtar line, ritual would probably not be changed. Malik and Isis would still have to marry and produce more tomb keepers. As weird as that would seem to us, it's just the norm.

Well seeing the theory and then the equation is one thing, I'm saying solve the theory. I can't solve theories. I can solve equations sure. It's translating theory into formula that loses me.

Attic Greek is also a "dead" language mind you, I can't say all language minors only required one upper div course. You learn a lot more vocabulary, grammar, etc in year 1 of Attic Greek then you do in say year 1 of French. Because half the class is not dedicated to pronunciation and aural recognition of a dead language. This is not a conversational language. However, minors in general are suppose to be a flavor of something, not a mastery of it. I don't know how many people did minors at my school either though, it's not like the encourage you or even point it out to you. It's just most people have heard of a minor and do the self investigation to see what's required of each minor. Generally a minor (a liberal arts one anyhow) comprises of 5 courses, and what's required within varies. My history minor required 5 upper div courses, 3 in one area of emphasis. I did medieval/ancient - and then went to the complete opposite ends of the reservoir for the last 2. One was on the Holocaust the other on High China. The latter was really fun, the former not as much. It was more an "emotional" analyzation of the Holocaust, which I did not like.

Yea, most of my nerd friends are comic/online rpg gamer nerds (i.e. WOW fanatics). And indeed it's more they think it's funny rather than think it's hot or anything. I'm totally fine with them thinking it's funny, sometimes it is funny. Your friends experience sounds like my guard party, haha. Granted the guys who ended up kissing had no guarantee they'd get to view any girl on girl action in return (though they did).

That game sounds AMAZING, where did you get it? *wants*

I wish I could be content just becoming fluent in one language, but my personality type is so...I dunno. I guess I just have a myriad of interests and hobbies, but it kind of keeps me from ever really specializing/maxing out anything. I'd much rather learn one language to fluency, but I'm more likely to learn 10 in part. Hopefully I'll at least get one or two to fluency rather than JUST a plethora of parts. It's one of the things I resent about my grad school apps. Sure I have A LOT of things on it, I'm a very versatile candidate. I just really don't have any one area I shine in, and I think the lack of that one strong suit, something in which I have tons of awards and accomplishments to display, is rather crippling.

That's what I'm saying, discussing how the clan works, in theory, that is all entirely wrong. Which is why I just said the whole thing is probably just artistic license. And it's true, Malik never would have made it into the story if there was actually accuracy to any of it. Rishid would have been left to die, Malik would have done his duty and that would be that. It's what makes discussing Malik more difficult than other characters, because everything is just nonsensical. There is no logically. Both his personality and his history are utter chaos. I guess that's one of my problems with him, there is no foundation to hold onto. He's not logical, but that's because his entire back story and footing are not logical. So trying to pull anything more substantial than "he just is" is almost impossible. It's why I just like him. As is his existence makes minimal sense, I can't love him, because he'll never be enough. However I can't not like him, because he's interesting. And I can also not hate him - and just find him interesting in what's dislikable - because of the same reason I can't love him, there is no foundation. He is a sea of contradictions and fallacies and it's frustrating and blah!!! Makes my head hurt. So he's damn lucky he's pretty for all the grief he causes me ~_~.

razz

Eh, camels spit, they don't smell so nice, and they just have a mean look about them. Malik is insane and developed a split personality that tries to kill the people he loves, and he on his own develops vendettas against people he only knows of. IF he existed, I'd rather not come to his attention at all, so no, I would not relish that opportunity. Granted, I wouldn't want to meet Seto either, he'd probably be mean because I have minimal merit to someone like him, and that'd make me sad. Because I love him and would hate to be condemned as worthless!!! So I wouldn't want to meet just any character, it wouldn't go well for me. And I need things to go well.

So I'd probably want to meet Jounouchi or Pegasus. The former is one of the few characters I'm interested in who'd also probably get along reasonably well with myself. The latter would probably make himself interesting to anyone, would patronize me (which I have to say is not something I mind), wouldn't try to kill me (as I have nothing he'd want and he's not one for random mayhem), and would be pretty the whole time. I also would like to meet Ryou. He'd be nice, and he'd be pretty, and I think he's probably the one I could get along with the most. Granted I don't know that for sure, because as was stated on his thread, we don't get a lot of him. However I can at least guarantee he'll be pretty and sweet, and that'll be enough for just a meeting.

And now I'm completely off topic, so I shall end this.

Yikes about your own friend. My friend at least acknowledges that she's very irrational, and while it frustrates her, she has a hard time doing anything about it. So it of course leaves her with several trust, control and abandonment issues - which she doesn't cope with well, takes them out on other people, and then is left miserable when people don't respond well.

Hahahaha, what if I can sway the topic back against Malik/Isis baby making? Because true, while it was custom for royalty to marry within the family, commoners and not even nobles were not encouraged to do this. Pharaohs were seen as Gods on Earth, and the Gods were all notably siblings (through Egyptian, Greek, Roman, etc...all ancient mythology it was all one big feuding inbred family). So while it did happen in other instances, people despite regulation really wanted to emulate their royalty, there is no reason to necessarily assume that was the mandate of their particular clan. It still seems suggestively creepy to me buuuuuuuuuuut, I feel there is a bit more weight to believing it isn't so.

Damn theories, I mean math theories anyhow. Literary theories are a wonderfully different matter entirely *huggles Dumas, Austen, Milton and other persons of note within the world of English lit*.

Well my school definitely doesn't discourage it, so that's weird. I mean I can see how they'd maybe worry about people extending their academic careers to finish a minor (schools lose money - for no logical reason - the more students they have that stretch past the traditional four), but minors shouldn't be that much of a burden. Perhaps they just worry people will become so enthralled in their minors they will decide to switch majors (again lengthening that undergraduate stay). Oh well, that's too bad though.

It's definitely good to make fun of your loves, and I had some HUGE WOW addicts, one of my old roommates failed classes due to wow. She pulled a D in her first O Chem course, retook it and got a B. Then she quit WOW and got an A in the harder O Chem course, coincidence? I think not.

Haha, mkay, I think I'm going to try and convince a friend to get me this for my birthday. I'm supposed to halt on the buying of stuff for myself, but this is oh so tempting.

Oh I'll still be driven insane, but I feel if I'm always making the effort to get towards mastery I'll be content. I just love languages and every time I see something I don't understand it makes me yearn to know the method behind that particular branch of madness. Silly life with it always having downs and ups to everything.

I guess in with my personality, there just always has to be something that draws me to a character, even if I don't get much about them, there can be one thing that will sway them for me...for me Malik never had that thing to ever elevate him off like.

Well, my pride is probably going to match Kaiba's, so I definitely couldn't handle being degraded. As for safety, when it comes to YGO characters, screw the rules they have crazy!!! razz

I don't think I'd want Yuugi's entire group, while I dislike most of them, it's true, as "real" people individually they are definitely friendship material. However all together that's just too...cheesy.