I hate that elves live for a 1000 years. I don’t care if it’s the staple. It’s jarring.

[CrimsonGenius]

In my story they live 200 years max. No exceptions. You can’t tell me they control everything, The asari from Mass Effect are also guilty. The Krogan… they’re fine, but just as guilty.

Do we always have to make some species live past 300? Why?

 

[RepresentingWrath]

Why not?

 

[georgelee5786]

For fun

 

[MatchaChocolate69]

We definitely need a law to ban elves from living so long!? Let's start collecting signatures for a petition!

 

[foxes]

I agree that elves have been given too much. And as a species, they are no better and don't have to live longer than anyone else. Of course, we shouldn't forget about supernatural beings. Dragons, maybe. I would turn to a study of actual biology. Whales with sharks of some species can live 200-400 years. Jellyfish are technically immortal. If you come up with creatures with long lifespans, they should have enough differences.

Intelligent beings that live long enough become objects of worship. In a story, they can be used as the basis of a mystical world, a story, or a pillar that maintains a complex balance in the world. If there are no such creatures, they are replaced by monuments, relics, and the like. They can convey so much more than books. But they can probably be the cause of slow development or no progress at all.

Unreasonable long-livers will exist more for beauty and to emphasize the singularity of the world. Authors using the species of elves often forget that they are mystical beings, not the usual subspecies of humans.

 

[RepresentingSilence]

Lazy writing

 

[melchi]

Other races are just imitations of elves.

 

[Tyranomaster]

Tolkien did it for plot purposes, and others copied the trope.

 

[ThrillingHuman]

Y'all just too weak.

 

[cabbag3]

If I have a lifespan of 300 yrs and I'm still broke after 200, I'd probably unsubscribe to life by then ?

 

[CrimsonGenius]

Why not?

For fun

Then you won’t be a member of the group knowm as, Realist Against Guiless Elves.

 

[foxes]

Tolkien did it for plot purposes, and others copied the trope.

Shakespeare had them in the form of fairies. And in Tolkien's, they're immortal if they don't leave their homeland.

 

[HungrySheep]

I'm a vampire that has lived for 20000 years.

 

[expentio]

On the other side, if we take from fantasy races the aspects that define them, how are they still the species we're speaking about?
Are elves by now seriously only people with pointy ears?
If a vampire does not have to suck blood, has a mirror image, can endure the sun, then how are they still vampires?
The same with demons. In so many stories (especially josei) the demon lord is just some good-looking guy. How is that actually a demon?
If we have to define a species for our stories, why don't we just invent one that fits the bill?

 

[ArchlordZero]

It's one of the few ways we can legalize lolis- by making them 1000 years old

 

[CrimsonGenius]

On the other side, if we take from fantasy races the aspects that define them, how are they still the species we're speaking about?
Are elves by now seriously only people with pointy ears?
If a vampire does not have to suck blood, has a mirror image, can endure the sun, then how are they still vampires?
The same with demons. In so many stories (especially josei) the demon lord is just some good-looking guy. How is that actually a demon?
If we have to define a species for our stories, why don't we just invent one that fits the bill?

You know who else was a handsome man. Many serial killers.

 

[RepresentingWrath]

I'm a vampire that has lived for 20000 years.

@RepresentingEnvy Another one.

 

[Premier]

I never got why living that long was an huge advantage. Peoples memories aren’t good enough it’d really matter and how useful is ancient knowledge anyway?

“Ah I did electronics 50 years ago, I can help”

No you can’t, you’ll remember fuck all about it and are 50 years out of date.

“I studied the blade for 200 years”

cool you still die to a musket dipshit. Nobody uses swords anymore.

 

[Navillus]

I think 1000+ year lifespans are great if executed well, But that can be rather difficult since for a race to live that long on average they would have likely played a large role in the development of the world, Which means you would have to take in account the cause and effect of there existence and what that might effect when less long lived races exist in the same world.

 

[ChronicSleeper]

I like the trope of "Elf being so rare that most life will never see them ever", since it ties nicely with the immortal thing, and removes the problem of an Elven society that is so overwhelmingly strong against Humans (and somehow not winning other than isolationism). Also makes a great protagonist of a story!