Last night, in the chat, the topic of immortality came up. It was an interesting discussion, but the hour got late and I had to leave.
Personally I firmly believe that immortality fundamentally changes how you view life. I made the comment that I wouldn't want to write from the POV of a 12,000 year old immortal as such a being would be too alien to me (they'd also be an extremely powerful magic wielder). I'm fine with having such beings i my setting, but I wouldn't put them as main characters or even in minor roles.
However, mere mortal humans can, through simply wielding magic, prolong their lives indefinitely. Magic isn't all that common though and only about one in a hundred would be able to extend their lifespan in this way. Even then, I believe that the human mind isn't capable of handling such a long life and that most magic wielders would sooner or later expire in some way, either on their own initiative or that of others.
Is this something you've put any thought into and if so what are your thoughts on it?
Do you have immortals in your WIP and how do they view themselves and their lives compared to mortals and their lives?
Personally I firmly believe that immortality fundamentally changes how you view life. I made the comment that I wouldn't want to write from the POV of a 12,000 year old immortal as such a being would be too alien to me (they'd also be an extremely powerful magic wielder). I'm fine with having such beings i my setting, but I wouldn't put them as main characters or even in minor roles.
However, mere mortal humans can, through simply wielding magic, prolong their lives indefinitely. Magic isn't all that common though and only about one in a hundred would be able to extend their lifespan in this way. Even then, I believe that the human mind isn't capable of handling such a long life and that most magic wielders would sooner or later expire in some way, either on their own initiative or that of others.
Is this something you've put any thought into and if so what are your thoughts on it?
Do you have immortals in your WIP and how do they view themselves and their lives compared to mortals and their lives?