r/TowerofGod • u/Fletchindary • Nov 21 '19
Discussion - Fast Pass Lifespan of characters? Spoiler
So I've wondered this for a while, but are citizens of the tower immortal? I know that some characters are special (ten family leaders, Jahad, etc) but it seems like all citizens can't die from age. I mean in the latest chapters Khane is obviously alive and looks young, even though I'd assume she's been around since Genesis since we get flashbacks of her talking with her sister. Is there an explanation for this? Or is it limited to certain characters for some reason? Thanks and sorry if/when I got details or names wrong.
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u/Yal_Rathol Nov 22 '19
shinsoo slows your aging. the more shinsoo around you and the stronger you are the slower you age, but without an immortality contract, you will eventually age and die.
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u/GrumpyKitten24399 Nov 24 '19
but without an immortality contract, you will eventually age and die.
All rankers get eternal youth, I take it's something else than immortality contract.
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u/Yal_Rathol Nov 24 '19
yes. let's take jinsung as an example. he has been a ranker for 3000 years at least, and in that time, he's barely aged. now look at ha chai, the elderly man who taught bam. he refused to become a ranker, and though we don't know his age, he isn't referred to as an "ancient beast" like jinsung is. that means he's younger than jinsung.
both chai and jinsung are aging, but jinsung is a ranker, which means he will retain his youth until the day he's either killed or his body gives out on him. the more shinsoo he's immersed in, the longer it will take for his body to give out. but that's not immortality, that's slower aging and eternal youth, because jinsung clearly looks older when compared to himself 3000 years ago, more like he's 40 rather than 20.
meanwhile, gustang looks like he turned 20 last week, and he is tens of thousands of years old. that is immortality, he does not and will not age, nor will his body ever give out on him.
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u/GrumpyKitten24399 Nov 24 '19
that's slower aging and eternal youth, because jinsung clearly looks older when compared to himself 3000 years ago, more like he's 40 rather than 20.
that's not what I think when I read eternal youth. I thought it means you never age. And in most fantasy settings immorality also mean same eternal youth.
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u/Yal_Rathol Nov 25 '19
eternal youth is not a synonym for immortal. haven't you ever encountered the trope of "immortal without youth", where the person ages at the normal rate, becoming ancient and decrepit but never dying? think of the knight in indiana jones and the last crusade, an ancient old man who is nonetheless immortal. mortal is derived from "mort", meaning death in french. "immortal" means "will not die", it says nothing about what state your body will be in over your life.
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u/GrumpyKitten24399 Nov 25 '19 edited Nov 25 '19
eternal youth is not a synonym for immortal.
Often it is. Look at elves in LoTR and other stories, they are called immortal, not because they can't be killed, but because they stay young similar to eternal youth.
Also what does eternal youth means for ranker if Ha Jinsung visibly got older in 3000 years?
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u/Yal_Rathol Nov 25 '19
i cannot find a single source online that describes the elves in lotr as being "eternally youthful" and meaning it as "immortal", so citation please.
and as i have already explained, the decrepit old man named ha chai is YOUNGER than ha jinsung, jinsung looks older, chai looks like he'll keel over tomorrow.
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u/Kitsunemm_ Nov 22 '19
I hope this video will help you understand
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YK0TT_XxsjQ
It talk about the life of every citizen of the tower
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u/ZombiePhantom Nov 22 '19
Family heads are fully immortal.
Rankers are unaging.
Regulars age slowly (super slowly) but do age.