Age of characters...

[kayais]

Has anyone else noticed that nearly all of the characters are either:

20-something
-or-
ancient (hundreds of years), but acts about 20-something.

Doesn't anyone of note ever get to be about 40? Sure, the _parents_ of characters have gray hair, but never the characters themselves.

Also, if we think of people who are 50 as "wise and experienced," then how "wise and experienced" would you have to be if you lived 400+ years? I'm just saying.

[Netami]

The comic does has a lack of older, mature characters. That's because it's a comedy at heart. There's nothing funny about a wise old sage unless you make them the typical funny old person. Then they lose some respect for not being serious. But that's not really what DMFA is about.

Fa'Lina is pretty old and experienced, though all of the humor coming from her character is almost always from the "oh that's kinda freaky" department.

I'm more worried about the lack of testosterone.

[Faerie Alex]

Has anyone else noticed that nearly all of the characters are either:

20-something

That may (or may not, I'm just guessing) be due to that Amber is also 20-something. But it attracts that demographic, too.

-or-
ancient (hundreds of years), but acts about 20-something.

In some cases, those "ancient" characters, while they may be hundreds of years old, are only as much through with their life as a human might be at 20. If you live for 2000 years, 400 is relatively equivalent to 20. Those few characters that are over 500-ish either live much longer than 2000, or have changed how they look to appear young.

Also, if we think of people who are 50 as "wise and experienced," then how "wise and experienced" would you have to be if you lived 400+ years?

Yes, in fact, those characters are likely some of the more powerful (not main, but powerful) characters in the comic.

[kayais]

...400 is relatively equivalent to 20...

I might buy that a physical maturity of "20% of lifespan" is roughly equal regardless of actual age.

But how can you say that, intellectually, that somebody with 400 years of life experience would have the same perspective as somebody with only 20?

[Netami]

It doesn't make any sense to me to do that. Not unless the race is admitably slow to learn. VERY slow to learn.

That's why it never made much sense to me for people to want their characters to be so old yet so... stupid.

[Faerie Alex]

...400 is relatively equivalent to 20...

I might buy that a physical maturity of "20% of lifespan" is roughly equal regardless of actual age.

But how can you say that, intellectually, that somebody with 400 years of life experience would have the same perspective as somebody with only 20?

I was kinda thinking of http://www.missmab.com/Comics/Vol_583.php

Arry seemed to be suggesting that 50 would be considered immature.

[Kasarn]

That's why it never made much sense to me for people to want their characters to be so old yet so... stupid.

I don't know what you are referring to but there's being stupid and then there's acting stupid.
Paraphrasing Abel, you'd need to be incredibly powerful or incredibly stupid to flaunt your powers

It's also Mary Sue stuff that your character comes from some isolated village that nobody has ever heard of; allowing your character to know GREAT AND POWERFUL SECRETS and other forgotten lore but act completely ignorant of the culture they are participating in.

[Manawolf]

Different Dimension, maybe, but yeah, you're character can't be super old of a race that doesn't age just so they can be uber powerful.

[Wildy]

One thing that makes sence to me, though may not be the actual reasoning:

Going back to DMFA being originally based off of some of the first cast members hanging out in Lost Lake in Furcadia. We're mostly around the same age, thus our characters were. Or that is moreso how we played them. It makse sence to me. *shrug* 

[e_voyager]

okay i buy that. i'm a little sad i was never part of it but such is life.

[DigitalMan]

You also have to think about the limits of the human mind. How would someone who's 400 years old act? I sure as hell don't know, I can't even imagine it. Should we consider that they're 1/5 of the way through their life span, and therefore act the same as any other species at the same point? Or do we consider that they're 400 years old, and therefore should be four times as wise as a 100-year-old being? Or is it like a looping phase thing, where they get old and wise, and they get even older and wiser, and then realizing they still have 1,600 more years to go they decide that's boring?

Personally, I think being wise would be boring unless you can be immature at the same time. But I don't know if I'd think the same way at 400.

[Turnsky]

One thing that makes sence to me, though may not be the actual reasoning:

Going back to DMFA being originally based off of some of the first cast members hanging out in Lost Lake in Furcadia. We're mostly around the same age, thus our characters were. Or that is moreso how we played them. It makse sence to me. *shrug* 

sounds logical to me.

[Manawolf]

Nothing wrong with playing a character the same age.  It's the age you know.

[AmigaDragon]

It doesn't make any sense to me to do that. Not unless the race is admitably slow to learn. VERY slow to learn.

That's why it never made much sense to me for people to want their characters to be so old yet so... stupid.

Long-lived races that are slow to learn doesn't translate well to survivablilty in a world of adventurers (like at least Dan and Merlitz are/were).

[Brunhidden]

i have a simple answer to this one

consider if you-
1- were able to set things on fire with thier mind
2- will live so long that it may as well be forever
3- were completly able to eat anyone who annoys you without concequences (other then passing blue jeans and a shoe the next day)
4- were able to read peoples minds, subtly influence them, and toss emotions around like water baloons full of urine
5- were able to chance shape at will
6- had a private island filled with giant robots

well, who here can honestly say that if one or more of those applied to you that you would EVER act mature? anybody? i sure wouldnt, id act like a big kid till the day i trip over my own facial hair and die of being just plain old

Happyness is the feeling you get about 3 AM when you dont notise your almost out of liquor and completely forgot you need to go to work in 4 hours

[Tapewolf]

I'm reminded of something my grandmother told me a few years ago (she was about 90 at the time).
It was something like this:  "Your body isn't as agile anymore and it's a nuisance, because up here... in your mind... it still feels like you're in your 20s."

..so, as Brunhidden seems to be suggesting, if you could retain the physical characteristics of your 20s indefinitely, you might as well have fun into the bargain.
(Can't quite work out Destania's apparent age)

[Turnsky]

i genuinely think people are looking too much into this..

[e_voyager]

that seems to cover it tape Wolf except for the no consequences part. that's all about acting out like a rebellions teen

[Turnsky]

that seems to cover it tape Wolf except for the no consequences part. that's all about acting out like a rebellions teen

age and maturity are two different things 

[topher chee]

Netami sent me a RP copy a while ago that had a timeline.  It has some stuff that doesnt go with the comic but there might be some helpful info...

DMFA Timeline

56,715 B.C. – The demon Nicky is born.

24,724 B.C. – The mythos Zingauru is born.

9,283 B.C. – The succubus Fa'Lina is born.

3,000 B.C. (approximately)  – Admon's village is laid to ruin in the crossfire of a Cubi clan war. Fleeing the destruction, Admon is eventually tracked down and encased in ice, left for dead by a mythos raiding team. He is 44 years old.

755 B.C. – The demon Dark Pegasus is born.

607 B.C. – The angel Akaen is born.

423 B.C. – The succubus Aaryana is born.

413 B.C. – The demon-mare Kria Soulstealer is born.

394 B.C. – The incubus Abel is born.

211 B.C. – The mythos Matilda Kissriss is born.

200 B.C. (approximately) – The undead race is created when a demon uses powerful magic to animate a considerable amount of deceased beings. Admon is resurrected by the spell of the undead and breaks free from his icy prison. He finds little in the way of the world he once knew.

55 B.C. – Rachel-Rebecca The Third is born.

37 B.C. – Netami Cerekos is born.



32 B.C. – The were Hahwru is born.

29 B.C. – Rachel-Rebecca The Third is murdered, arising shortly after as an undead. Later that year, the undead race joins the creature / being council, officially recognized as it's own race.

22 B.C. – Alexsi Ti'Fiona is born to a yet to be named woman and Edward Ti'Fiona. The mother dies within the next year or so of a mysterious reason. Merlitz Meshaiko is born.

21 B.C. – Gringrrl hatches.

20 B.C. – The succubus Destania stumbles into the Lost Lake Inn after a near-fatal battle. Edward Ti'Fiona gives her sanctuary. Two months later, they wed. Nine months later, Daniel Ti'Fiona is born to Destania and Edward Ti'Fiona.

19 B.C. – Lorenda Soulstealer is born to Kria Soulstealer and an unnamed steer. Aliyka is born. Topher Chee is born. Netami begins the ten-year training of The Five Stones.

17 B.C. – Wildy San is born. Biggs San is born.

16 B.C. – Jyrras Gianna is born to Moira Den and Seth Gianna.

11 B.C. – Pip hatches.

9 B.C. – Netami fails the last ritual of The Five Stones.

6 B.C. – Jyrras meets Daniel for the first time.

5 B.C. - The events of Chapters 1-4 take place

1 B.C. – Merlitz spots a human while separated from his adventuring group.

0 A.C. – The Comic begins.

2 A.C. – The Mows are created.

[Tapewolf]

Netami sent me a RP copy a while ago that had a timeline.  It has some stuff that doesnt go with the comic but there might be some helpful info...

Here's an online version of that chart:
http://www.shakytable.com/DMFA_Timeline.htm

..it is more up-to-date and is colour-coded so you can tell which bits are canon.  We're going to transfer this to the Wiki at some point when we've decided how it should be presented.

[topher chee]

yes, much more accurate -.-

[Zedd]

Telling my stuff to the timeline would give a headache

[ShiningShadow]

I love it the accuracy on this TW that's cool man.

[e_voyager]

that seems to cover it tape Wolf except for the no consequences part. that's all about acting out like a rebellions teen

age and maturity are two different things 

this is true. look at me for example.

also nice time line i'll have to study it later

[Netami]

That timeline is wrong. It's WRONG! Everything you know is a lie. DMFA doesn't progress by year like we do... Time skips ahead really fast and in other portions, it slows way down. I honestly don't think that seven years have passed since the start of the comic.

[GabrielsThoughts]

you shouldn't ask people how old they are... oh really your 250, you don't look a day over 35

and of course the demons develop a god complex and start living their second childhood well into their 500's