Aging brainbug

justifier · Post by **justifier** » 2003-08-20 12:42am

This is a brainbug thats bothered me for a long time which I have noticed in bother sci-fi and fantasy, but more so in fantasy.

Whenever there is a person or group of people who don't age because of some magic/technobabble device, and the device is taken away, instead of beginning to age normally after that point they begin to age incredibly fast.

This was brought back into my mind by last nights Cowboy Bebop, "Sympathy for the Devil" where a kid had large amounts of a special chemical in his body that stopped him from aging, and when that chemical was taken away he aged to death within seconds, even though he should had physically been a child

Agent R · Post by **Agent R** » 2003-08-20 02:22am

It sounds kinda like breaking down a dam to me, where the magic/technobabble is simply holding back the aging factor, allowing it to collect until the barrier is removed, then it all rushes in at once.

justifier · Post by **justifier** » 2003-08-27 01:34am

Agent R wrote:It sounds kinda like breaking down a dam to me, where the magic/technobabble is simply holding back the aging factor, allowing it to collect until the barrier is removed, then it all rushes in at once.

But a body's cells shouldn't begin to age uberfast, especially with technological reasons

SirNitram · Post by **SirNitram** » 2003-08-27 01:36am

justifier wrote:
Agent R wrote:It sounds kinda like breaking down a dam to me, where the magic/technobabble is simply holding back the aging factor, allowing it to collect until the barrier is removed, then it all rushes in at once.
But a body's cells shouldn't begin to age uberfast, especially with technological reasons

Don't look at me for technological reasons, but for a mystical/magical means, it typically means they're damming up the river of Time.

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2003-08-27 01:36am

It's for dramatic effect.

Smiling Bandit · Post by **Smiling Bandit** » 2003-08-27 09:38am

Don't look at me for technological reasons, but for a mystical/magical means, it typically means they're damming up the river of Time.

I remember watching Cowboy Bebop and realizing that though it was off-screen, mysticism and forces beyond out awareness really did exist. I was kind of surprised, but it wasn't a bad addition.

Larz · Post by **Larz** » 2003-08-27 12:18pm

Perhaps the cells develop such a dependancy on the tech that when it fails, suddenly the cells don't have this tech that its dependent on and then just withers and dies... though really it is just all for dramatic effect. Time gets its revenge and collects it toll on the person that has denied it.