Follow TV Tropes

Following

How to write an immortal/ageless character

Go To

MorwenEdhelwen Aussie Tolkien freak from Sydney, Australia Since: Jul, 2012
Aussie Tolkien freak
#1: Nov 4th 2013 at 9:13:35 PM

In my revised version of Fafnir's Bane, the steampunk reimagining of the Volsunga Saga I'm working on, the third-person narrator for some sections is Heid, aka the wise woman or seeress from Voluspá who has a LONG memory and tells Odin of the coming of Ragnarok.

She's a giantess who remembers the time before the world began so she is obviously very old. Through magic she can see into peoples' minds and enter the dreams of the Völsung clan and their descendants. She also weaves the histories and lives of the Volsungs and other families descended from the gods into tapestries, kind of like the Nornir or Dísir.

How would I get across the fact that this woman is enormously old and immortal? Using old-fashioned, epic style of writing, like William Morris' saga translations? She doesn't appear as a character in the story itself, only in the beginning prologue.

edited 5th Nov '13 4:06:40 PM by MorwenEdhelwen

The road goes ever on. -Tolkien
DeviousRecital from New York Angeles Since: Nov, 2011
#2: Nov 5th 2013 at 4:59:53 AM

For me, writing immortality is basically a justification for three things: an almost supernatural level of skill at the job (even moreso if the character isn't all that supernatural on his/her own), a very bad memory and a stalwart resistance to any change that isn't caused by the immortal him/herself.

The immortal in my WIP has all of the above qualities to show how being an immortal can colour a personality without the stereotypical traits of being wise, all-knowing and ironically regretful about his long life. He's a little unhinged from a few million years spent in isolation, but he has his morals, loves his job and can't even remember his own name or family.

But if you're just looking for some sort of seer-like character for the prologue, use all the ageless traits you can get across. Have her speak in cryptic language and give an appearance of vast intelligence. I'd say consider The Fog of Ages as a real possibility, but your character has a handy way around that. It certainly sounds like you're writing some sort of Shakespearean Norse epic, so make her as portentous as you possibly can. Get across that her words carry more significance than almost anyone else in the story. That's what would seem to fit your tale best, but you're the writer, so use your best judgment.

MorwenEdhelwen Aussie Tolkien freak from Sydney, Australia Since: Jul, 2012
Aussie Tolkien freak
#3: Nov 5th 2013 at 3:41:36 PM

[up] Thanks

The road goes ever on. -Tolkien
Night The future of warfare in UC. from Jaburo Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Drift compatible
The future of warfare in UC.
#4: Nov 5th 2013 at 3:54:00 PM

Immortality is a long time to get good at things. Not just job things; all things. Simple actions like how you walk or run will have been refined and optimized to be impossibly graceful to most eyes. Reflexes will have been honed to impossible levels because of the ease pattern-recognition. Things that would be difficult to talk people into become easy.

Nous restons ici.
TreefrogSoup from a sealed up basement without windows Since: Sep, 2013 Relationship Status: Not war
#5: Nov 6th 2013 at 10:40:15 AM

For a more deconstructed style of immortal, following the Warhammer 40 K style of enjoyment can always work. after all, 500 years of vanilla sex and violence is pretty boring.

Trickster Archetype and Sherlock Scanning is also a good way to show how old they are. after all, they've seen it all before.

AtomJames I need a drink Since: Apr, 2010
I need a drink
#6: Nov 6th 2013 at 11:07:33 PM

Also, the mind can only store so much information before its starts to disregard information. And just because you have the capability to become a master in every field conceivable doesn't mean you have the inclination to do so.

Take my immortal character for example; After discovering that he is completely immortal, he spends the first 200 years of his life as hedonistically as possible, putting little stock into learning practical skills. Its only after he's 400+ that he starts to put his immortality to use mastering dozens of weapons, skills and fighting styles. By the time he's a billion years old he has little to no memory of his long, long life and keeps momentos to keep his memory going and is constantly practising, relearning the skills he's picked up.

Theres sex and death and human grime in monochrome for one thin dime and at least the trains all run on time but they dont go anywhere.
TairaMai rollin' on dubs from El Paso Tx Since: Jul, 2011 Relationship Status: Mu
rollin' on dubs
#7: Nov 20th 2013 at 5:43:20 PM

x-posted from another thread:

In my 'verse, one of the characters is a Robotic Spouse who had a Mayfly–December Romance. Her wife was killed in a diving accident. Even if the woman died of natural causes, her Robotic Spouse (okay Transhuman cybernetic spouse to be technical) would've outlived her by decades.

So a character can shrug off bullets and an RPG would be like a slap in the face, because said character is Nigh-Invulnerable and The Ageless. What if that character's attorney boyfriend was stabbed by a mook? Or he was killed by a drunk driver? Or he simply died in a nursing home while the heroine/hero still looks like a twentysomething?

How does the character deal with the problem?

This could also be the back story:

  • Said character survived while friends/family didn't survive in the Doomed Hometown, character has survivor's guilt.

  • Character has had several Mayfly December Romances, or the parent(s) of the character did.
    • The Character (or the friend, or the Love Interest ) discovers that "Grandma/Grandpa" is really their parent/sister/brother

  • The character becomes Nigh-Invulnerable and now finds relating to people more and more difficult.

All night at the computer, cuz people ain't that great. I keep to myself so I won't be a case on The First 48
Add Post

Total posts: 7
Top