The feelings of a person who ages slower than normal

[Creator]

I am just wondering what are the feelings of someone who ages slower than normal....

Cause in my tale of Alpha Omega, there are people who age much slower than the normal populations. They were dubbed, demi-gods and genetic vampires for those with the longer canines...

But I want to know how is it like and how can they be victims of a genetic-narcissistic society.

[Commonmind]

There really is no definitive answer to the question. First and foremost, average human beings do not have extended lifespans, and so it's difficult to predict what their emotional state-of-mind might be; your characters, who exist in your world, will differ greatly from the everyday, common man.

As the "creator" of your work, you should try and develop these concepts on your own. Only you will understand the complexities of the differing elements that might affect a character's psychology. As far as their being "victims" of your genetic, narcissistic society, there's really no way for any of us to lend help there; again, it's your creation. With so little information to go on, none of us will be able to explain to you how they can be victims of that type of social environment.

[Sephiroth]

This is true, you have to try and imagine it yourself.

I've thought about this a lot, too. What does it mean when people live so long that, compared to the majority, they are immortal?

This, and many other 'far future' projections I've made are things that no one else can tell me about. They can give their opinion, but we're all guessing, so your guess is as good as mine. You just have to make us believe in it.

[Creator]

Hmm ok... then for my opinions I will see about that.... but I want to know what do all of you... think......?

Will it be a blessing? Since people marry late... blah

Or a curse? You provoke the ire of others...

[Giovanna Clairval]

It makes me think of Lazarus Long.
All he gets after 400 years is boredom.

[Sephiroth]

In a world where the majority live short lives and there are a few who live much, much longer?

I think under certain circumstances, that might well provoke the ire of the short-lived majority. Can the long-lived people interbreed with the short-lived ones? If so, what happens as a result?

How did they come to be so long-lived? Or were they always that way?

If they weren't, how do their memories cope with extended life? Do they start to forget things from their youth as they get older? Or are their memories better, too, so that they remember everything that has happened to them (within reason).

This would make a big difference to what goes on in their minds.

One thing that seems obvious is that their sense of mortality would not be as acute as ours. The pace of their life might be slower than the frantic, hectic pace of normal human life?

Something to think about.......

[Creator]

In my case it's not immortality I am discussing. My characters are more like having a natural longer lifespan and youth than regular people like say.... Alexander Phoenix from AO. Its a mutation in p21 gene. The most you get is that 150 years of lifespan is normal and 200 years is rather... ok but to us who are regular aging peps.... that's a lot of years...

He ages much slower than you or I so even though his IC says he is 50 years old, his body functions like that of a 30 and he even looks 30.
And just imagine when he is 30 he looks like a regular young man out of the Army.

And he doesn't not exercise too regularly or have anything unusual with his lifestyle.

ScienceDaily: Deleting 'Anti-Aging' Gene From Yeast Greatly Lengthens Life Span

[Giovanna Clairval]

Now that I think of it, I would say that, the more a person lives, the more she doesn't want to die (excepting Lazarus Long).

[Sephiroth]

Interesting article. Reminds me of the more general point about severe calorie restriction significantly extending lifespan, though I don't know if they've identified a specific genetic reason for that, yet.

If you ask me, we'll all be living to 200 pretty soon.

But in the scenario you suggest, it seems to me that the main implications would be social. How did he come by his genome? Are they modifying people that way? If so, who decides who is eligible? Is it only the rich, or the 'intelligent', or.....you get the picture.....

But what is it that makes people view him/them as demigods?

[Creator]

For Alexander Phoenix, I am still planning either he was a byproduct of a
"mother", a deranged woman scientist who wants a "perfect husband"

now I am also working on the posibbly that Alexander Phoenix has a mother who is genetic engineered as the perfect woman one whose aging gene was engineered too much that she may live to 300 years. How Alex came to be....? Ok... I could go the Alias Route.... She is being hunted down... and then the bounty hunter fall in love with her.. and bore him... Alexander.

[Sephiroth]

Either way, sounds good to me, in principle.

But he doesn't have 'powers' or anything, right? People see him as different purely because of his longevity? Or is that not right?

And either way, especially if he's unique, he's likely to encounter a lot of social prejudice, if the society he lives in is anything like ours.

On an interesting and completely irrelevant side note, his name is the name of two summonings from Final Fantasy, put together. I only say that because I am a sad old FF nerd.......

[Creator]

This almost never-ending youthful people are one of kind. But there is a genotype in the AO universe. The "vampires" that possess this mutant p21 gene since the beginning but they have slightly longer fangs than us and the is a small gap between the lower canines and lower incisors.

They are do not suck blood, they eat just what we eat. but you know back in the Middle Ages. There was no genetic discrimination but there is racism. And this race of long-lived people got wiped out time and time again until a secret genocide happened somewhere in 203X

One character in AO is such a person but the last surviving member of her race of long-lived fanged people. She looks like a high school student when she is already 20 something back.... anymore details... I will stop here.

In reality, there are girls with the toothy grin and it's kinda cute.... sometimes. My best friend, a guy also have the toothy grin too.

Feel free to give a suggestion for Alexander's name while I will look for alternatives too.

For Alex, he is a rather unique cause since his aging gene is mutated... unnaturally in both plot suggestions. but other than the fact that he looks and functions are younger than they should be, he's normal tom,dick and harry.

[Commonmind]

Originally Posted by Creator

Hmm ok... then for my opinions I will see about that.... but I want to know what do all of you... think......?

Will it be a blessing? Since people marry late... blah

Or a curse? You provoke the ire of others...

Again, this has a lot to do with what type of setting you're putting your characters into. Is this social environment so volatile that a longer lifespan would be seen as a curse - due to the fact that the individual would have to endure the pain and turmoil of every day life for much longer than the average Joe? Or is daily life euphoric and abundant with earthly pleasures, where a longer lifespan would be the envy of others?

Would either of the above create a conflict that is necessary to the story you're trying to tell? Is it integral to the theme you're trying to convey? Does this idea play a large role in your story or is it simply a world building detail that may or may not have some manner of emphasis within your work?

What you're doing, and what we all do at some point, is asking questions you should be asking yourself. It's difficult for us to help you through this process, as we don't know all the - pardon the cliche - gory details.

Writing involves asking yourself questions, trying to answer them, and then asking more. In order for a reader to believe in your world, however far-fetched the setting and concepts may be, you need to have asked yourself all the questions you can think of, even if it's of little importance to the story -

(While carnivorous, snaggle-toothed kumquats aren't very important overall, their juice, when extracted with the proper tool - a low resistance corkscrew with a teakwood handle sanded and finished in very specific low-grav environments - on the third month of the sixteenth season, during your planet's closest pass of its second sun, is the very liquid that cures the disease inherent in very Bablicon Bantha-eater at birth. Their lifespans being a mere two years prior to this discovery, have now exceeded ten. Your planetary famine has been overcome, its economy boosted, and Bablicon Bantha-eating farmers everywhere rejoice in the foresight they had many years previous, when they all - sitting around a campfire, drunk on the King's whiskey - mused about how life was so ironic that the cure to their problems was more than likely effused in the very spirits they were consuming - which, coincidentally, was made with the juicy extract of carnivorous, snaggle-toothed kumquats. Of course, they were referring to the age old habit of drowning in your sorrows, though in hindsight they believed themselves to be the untapped genius of the cosmos. As a result, many Bablicon Bantha-eating farmers then went on try and invent and theorize beyond their simple-minded capabilities, leaving their farms unattended and their herds neglected. Which, in a rare - though not completely unpredictable - twist of fate, led to the deaths of three-quarters of the population of Bablicon Bantha-eaters. Thus, the Planet of Redixulous was sent hurtling back into famine and economical decline, which in turn led to the suicides of many once newly-wealthy, now newly impoverished Bablicon Bantha-eating investors - who, quite literally, had put their money where there mouth was. This, while seemingly irrelevant, led to the adage adopted by intergalactic farmers everywhere: Don't forget to count your Bablicons after you've had a very good idea!).

Asking yourself questions builds depth and helps you to better understand your own work. While we may not be privy to the details, you very well should be. Try to ask all the questions you need to get past the hump in your story (and by no means am I implying you stop asking us - while that may well be what it sounds like, I'm only trying to encourage you to come up with your own solution, since you know your story better than we do).

[Ursa major]

Sorry if this sounds facetious - it isn't meant to be - but how old would they have to be before someone would serve them in a bar? Or before they're not continually apprehended because it looks as if they're playing truant.

Or does the ageing only slow down in adulthood?

[Creator]

Originally Posted by Ursa major

Sorry if this sounds facetious - it isn't meant to be - but how old would they have to be before someone would serve them in a bar? Or before they're not continually apprehended because it looks as if they're playing truant.

Or does the ageing only slow down in adulthood?

In adulthood only.