Would like opinion on my elven cultures

[Johnny Cosmo]

When is it right to 'give up life?' When is is considered wrong? What effects does it have on the loved ones of those elves that do decide to surrender their life?

Expanding on that - I like the idea that some elves might consider holding on to life for too long to be pathetic, or disgusting, and would look down on those who do. Perhaps there is a lot of social pressure to die at a respectable age, perhaps it could be considered rude to live for too long.

It's such a simple alteration, but it adds a lot of depth.

[Codey Amprim]

Even too add some sprinkles on the ice cream, benevolent elves may be forced to give up their immortality, or be stripped of it from an elder if that could be possible. Perhaps if they commit a certain act they will lose it regardless if they will it or not, such as mating with a human or another outsider race, betraying a kinsman, rape, etc.; this can add a constant threat in the minds of the elves during the story. Just try some thigns out - see what you like, what you don't.

I personally fell in love with elves when I was younger, mostly because they seemed like such perfect beings. As I grow older, however, I begin to see a different light on them. What I want to say to you is this: you don't want to make ANYTHING, whether it be a race, a God, or character wholly perfect; they may 'seem' perfect, but there needs to be fallacies and faults. Try implementing human faults to your elves. Try anything! But, for me, anything that becomes wholly "ultimate," "invincible" or "perfect" immediately turns me off.

[Ghost]

Kristen Britain has some elves that choose to sleep instead of living immortal lives. At the point where the Green Rider novels take place, they haven't awoken. Basically, it resembles an "opt out" clause for overemotional and young elves. Not sure if it's relevant.

The timeless elves who can be slain aren't exactly new. Neither is the pairing of wisdom with elfdom, even if the elven cultures have conflicts about the correct path. I'm not saying elves should be stupid, but I'd rather see cunning, plain-speaking, or sensible elves. When I see elves in a fantasy novel, I know it's a matter of sentences before the "wisdom" comes slinking in, like a mangy mongrel licking its chops. We don't need to keep throwing that dog a bone.

[zizban]

My elves are merely longed lived, which in the kinda brutal low tech fantasy world my humans live in makes them seem immortal.

[W.k. Trail]

I don't really have any cultures that are "elf" cultures. I also don't have an "elf" continent. The real world has places where different races are higher in stature, but it's important to mark that - just as Star Wars has taken individual earth biomes such as desert, forest, etc and turned them into theme planets - having a given species have an exclusive culture is perhaps a little blase.

[OrionDarkwood]

so i have been reading about how some readers hate the over use of elves and i was just thinking about how hard i have worked on my elven cultures over the years and would like some opinions on what people think. I am not going to go into deep detail just a basic over view to get feed back.

So my elves were created by their elven god who gave them their own continent to live upon. My elves are immortal to the point where time does not touch them but can be killed by the sword. As being immortal beings they have a different perception of what is important in life giving them a wiser feel but not exactly true wisdom greater than the other beings. I have also given my elves the ability to will themselves to die if they grow tired of the world. They basically can stop their body from living without having to commit suicide. The great spirits saw fit to teach the elves all their wisdom for they favored the elves. Though this caused a rift in the elven culture as they tried to impose certain ideas on others claiming their way of life was better. The elves broke apart into 5 separate nations with the original slowly dying out. One nation of elves hates another so much as to the point they refuse to help the heroes when they align with them and actually set out to kill the heroes and all the other elf nations as they join them.

it is rare for elves to value love as they have pretty much however long they want to find it. It is even rarer for any elf to love a human. I have no elf/human romance in my current novel. Just would really like some feed back there is a lot more.

Interesting concept the only flaw (well more a opinion) is have them be killed by something other than a sword or if by sword make it something special like they can only be killed by a sword blessed by a one eyed beardless dwarf or killed only on the night of their birth.

[Legendary Sidekick]

killed only on the night of their birth.

This phrase conjured an image of an elf being killed by an exploding birthday cake with a horrified, lightly-singed friend gasping, "not again!" Another elf realizes, as he brushes bits of frosting and brain from his sleeve, that there hasn't been a death by exploding cake in centuries. He keeps the comment to himself.



Maybe I should have done the same as the other elf, but I really couldn't resist.

I took the phrase "time does not touch them but [elves] can be killed by the sword" to mean that elves don't deteriorate with age, they likely have a powerful immune system meaning that diseases don't kill them (though it's possible), but elves CAN be murdered by almost any means that would kill a human (with possible exceptions, such as poison).

I didn't take it to mean that one must use a sword to kill an elf. And again, my overactive imagination conjures an image of a young samurai failing to kill an elf. Dundee the Barbarian laughs at the samurai. "That's not a sword!" Unsheathing his greatsword, he completes his taunt--"THAT'S a sword!"--and charges into the fray.


If my interpretation of your elven race is correct, I think your race fine as is. You add your own twist to what (I think) most people expect from an elven race.

The only thing I would frown upon is some odd cosmic rule governing very specific ways in which a powerful being must be killed. It's one thing to have an immunity, such as "fire can't kill a dragon." It's a whole other can of worms if you say "only ice can kill a dragon." That's when a reader like me rolls his eyes, wondering why a dragon would venture outside of the tropics... and whether he could be killed by an ice cream cone.

[OrionDarkwood]

This phrase conjured an image of an elf being killed by an exploding birthday cake with a horrified, lightly-singed friend gasping, "not again!" Another elf realizes, as he brushes bits of frosting and brain from his sleeve, that there hasn't been a death by exploding cake in centuries. He keeps the comment to himself.

I just remarked without thinking or even having a mental picture. But LMAO.. I might have to use that idea assassinated by a mutant alien birthday cake.

[Legendary Sidekick]

I have a warped sense of humor, which makes it hard for me to suspend disbelief whenever disbelief is funny. This isn't much of an obstruction when I'm the reader... but as the writer, this is either helping me or hurting me. I make fun of my own ideas so much, I don't think I can ever write a completely serious story. It try to write in a way that people laugh with me more often than at me.

[OrionDarkwood]

I have a warped sense of humor, which makes it hard for me to suspend disbelief whenever disbelief is funny. This isn't much of an obstruction when I'm the reader... but as the writer, this is either helping me or hurting me. I make fun of my own ideas so much, I don't think I can ever write a completely serious story. It try to write in a way that people laugh with me more often than at me.

Same here I have a interesting take on things like I got asked to leave a Asian Buffet after I was there for 10 hours. I told them it said all you can eat it didn't give a time limit LOL

Or otherwise put why I am writing a short story series called "Furry Kung Fu Redneck Aliens the Reality TV Show"