Reply To: The reactions of Ramses, Bess, and Exador
Outliers, could mean almost anything. Swingers, Emos, Nerds, Furries, Sociopaths, Serial Kilers,… and outlier /= skilled in magic. Nope, it is just not.
Also if there are only a few ouliers, few of these outliers would actually fall to the skilled category. Then from the skilled category, only a few would have the skill of the hidden branch of magic (it is hidden afterall). They are essentially an outlier of an outlier. and since the number of demons (who could use magic) isn’t exacly that big it would not surprise me if the number of demons who know this hidden branch is only of single digits. I especially favor the digit 1.
And for search for something new, that doesn’t mean that they would delve in magic. How about you? Would you delve in computer programming, or learn to make a bobbin lace, or learn the art of bonsai, or write a novel becuase you have nothing else to do?
The truth is, the person who delve in this things don’t do it because they bored or have nothing else to do. They do it becuase they love doing it (or sometimes out of necessity). Edison doesn’t constantly invent things for having nothing else to do, he do it becuase he love to invent. Linus Torvalds doesn’t develop the linux kernel becuase he is bored, its because his passio for programming.
And a, also, as I say, it is Tizzy who says that demons are slothful. If he says it, then it is fact, I guess. You are actually present in that discussion, remember?
Eccentric doesn’t mean innovative, intelligent or creative. A man who likes to wear pantyhose might be eccentric but I would never expect that man to be an Einstein because of that. Please don’t mistake being different from being a genuis or something.
You are also misinterpretin life a bit. There are bad people everywhere, from school bullies to serial killers. Did anybody killed them long ago? If you asked me, they lived very very long lives than their victims. And if you are really counting of bad qualities, why Tizzy? Those archedemons and demon princesses should have to be several times badder that Tizzy. Why not ask me why nobody seems to killed them long ago.
“Ones personality is shaped by their actions, so if a person devoted years or decades to self improvement in matters martial, intellectual, and arcane, they might just continue to do so later.” – While this statement is generaly true, it isn’t in many cases. This especially doesn’t work in what we call world shattering events. For example, do you think the survivors of the Nazi Haulocaust remained the same person after they are freed? Or how about a woman who is raped? A person who is tortured? A man who lost his arms and legs? A man who learned he is sick with brain cancer? etc. Now at the demons, shouldn’t getting enslaved and thrust into a strange alien world not a world shattering event for anybody? Would you really stay the same person as before after being enslaved and tortured for hundreds of years? If it was me, I doupt that I can keep myself from becoming a monster in this situation.
While our actions is a strong force in the development of our personality, our surroundings also is as strong, if not stronger, force that shapes us. After all, our personality can’t exist vacuum.