| rdfs:comment | - Large disparities in lifetimes between characters can be problematic, especially if their relationship goes into the romantic field. This plays on the very mundane fact a character will probably be long dead before another is, and the emotional issues it raises. How much this is alluded to is usually related to how concise the story which addresses it is, although fans will often point it out. A few writers deliberately avoid it, while the other extreme, waxing philosophical, usually has an answer from the get-go. The most obvious way out of this is usually to even out the age-bracket on either end. In older fiction, characters may be granted immortality, but recently the reverse is more common.
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| abstract | - Large disparities in lifetimes between characters can be problematic, especially if their relationship goes into the romantic field. This plays on the very mundane fact a character will probably be long dead before another is, and the emotional issues it raises. How much this is alluded to is usually related to how concise the story which addresses it is, although fans will often point it out. A few writers deliberately avoid it, while the other extreme, waxing philosophical, usually has an answer from the get-go. The most obvious way out of this is usually to even out the age-bracket on either end. In older fiction, characters may be granted immortality, but recently the reverse is more common. For the progeny of these pairings, it's even harder to find a compatible mate lifespan-wise, because generally their lifespan is the average of their parents. They'll live longer than the mortal, and shorter than the immortal. Such individuals tend to be rare, so there's no option with "just the right amount of lifespan." Expect the immortal parent to get just as Angsty about dead kids, if not more so. If the immortal is a vampire, they have an obvious way around this. Although this has a tendency to piss off the would be mortal, or it turns them evil, as opposed to the Friendly Neighborhood Vampire the original was. Can raise Fridge Logic issues in an Anyone Can Die franchise with a high body count, given how few characters in such series even get the chance to live out a full lifespan. Anime is known for its often accepting treatment of the subject, due to the Japanese concept of mono no aware; roughly, the beauty of transient things. I Hate You, Vampire Dad may be the result. May-December Romance is the more mundane version without the mayflies. Compare Reincarnation Romance. Contrast Eternal Love, where both partners are immortal or at least long-lived. Examples of Mayfly-December Romance include:
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