Elves and gender roles

[Variola Major]

So, I'm making my own version of the elf for a series of stories I plan to start writing. These elves are loosely based off of the Lord of the Rings/Dungeons and Dragons style, but have some unusual powers, and I need assistance figuring out how one of these powers will effect elven culture and society. For those who feel it's important, these stories take place in a world with modern technology, and elves can and do make full and frequent use of things like cell phones, computers, televisions, cars, and firearms (the days of the elven archer are long gone).

One of the powers elves possess is the ability to alter their facial appearances to a certain degree. Then can soften or sharpen their facial features, make small (about half an inch) adjustments to chin, nose, and ear length, change how pointy their ears are, change the angle their ears point to, and things like that. Elves cannot, however, make overly drastic changes to their facial structure (nothing changes in size by more than half an inch, and certain parts of the face can't be changed much). They can lengthen or shorten hair instantaneously and change hair and eye colours. All elves have a personal scent that cannot be changed, and elves use this to identify each other (elves have better senses of smell than humans), as changing facial appearances make visual identification highly difficult.

Elves can also change their gender at will. That's where I need your help. It stands to reason that in a society where everyone can switch gender at will gender discrimination would be pretty much nonexistent for obvious reasons. I'd also think terms like boy, girl, mother, father, son, daughter, sister, brother, aunt, uncle, man, woman, husband, and wife would be either nonexistent in elven languages or carrying vastly different meanings that those a non-elf would associate with the words. I also have a feeling that bisexuality would be rather common, maybe even more so than heterosexuality. What I need is your input. Do you agree with my assessment, and what meanings do you feel should be attached to the words I listed above? Any words that would change in meaning I didn't think of? What of homosexuality and heterosexuality? How would they be defined? Would such concepts even exist? What about marriage? How should that particular concept be defined, provided it even exists? Your opinions would be valued greatly.  

[ArmasTermin]

With all the stuff you said, I can't imagine alternate sexual preferences existing. I think anyone would just do anyone, and there wouldn't really be a word for it. As for marriage, it depends on how you establish social structures and classes. You also have to think about why technology came to be the way it is. If you just replace humans with elves without explaining why everything in time fell into place the same way as it has for us in the real world, then everyone's going to smell BS. Also beware the info dump, where you tell the reader why or how things are happening in paragraph after paragraph, without anything happening.

If you need a beta reader, send me a message.

Also, I first read your topic title as "Elvis and gender roles" rofl

EDIT: That whole changing faces thing sounds like a major storytelling pitfall. Are you seriously going to want to explain changes in facial structure every time we see a character do it? And what's even the reason for it? Seems largely pointless to me.  

[Variola Major]

ArmasTermin

With all the stuff you said, I can't imagine alternate sexual preferences existing. I think anyone would just do anyone, and there wouldn't really be a word for it. As for marriage, it depends on how you establish social structures and classes. You also have to think about why technology came to be the way it is. If you just replace humans with elves without explaining why everything in time fell into place the same way as it has for us in the real world, then everyone's going to smell BS. Also beware the info dump, where you tell the reader why or how things are happening in paragraph after paragraph, without anything happening.

Elves are but one race among several. As for tech, you make a good point.

Quote:

EDIT: That whole changing faces thing sounds like a major storytelling pitfall. Are you seriously going to want to explain changes in facial structure every time we see a character do it? And what's even the reason for it? Seems largely pointless to me.

The face thing exists because I like the idea of a race that can and does change it's gender and appearance like a human changes clothes. As for changes in facial structure, I don't see why I need to say an elf just turned into a redhead unless it's relevant to the plot.  

[ArmasTermin]

Variola Major

ArmasTermin

With all the stuff you said, I can't imagine alternate sexual preferences existing. I think anyone would just do anyone, and there wouldn't really be a word for it. As for marriage, it depends on how you establish social structures and classes. You also have to think about why technology came to be the way it is. If you just replace humans with elves without explaining why everything in time fell into place the same way as it has for us in the real world, then everyone's going to smell BS. Also beware the info dump, where you tell the reader why or how things are happening in paragraph after paragraph, without anything happening.

Elves are but one race among several. As for tech, you make a good point.

Quote:

EDIT: That whole changing faces thing sounds like a major storytelling pitfall. Are you seriously going to want to explain changes in facial structure every time we see a character do it? And what's even the reason for it? Seems largely pointless to me.

The face thing exists because I like the idea of a race that can and does change it's gender and appearance like a human changes clothes. As for changes in facial structure, I don't see why I need to say an elf just turned into a redhead unless it's relevant to the plot.

But do you have a plot put together in which the face changing would be relevant? If not, and if it's just a random thing put in for the sake of you liking the idea, it may be better left out.  

[Mr Savoy]

Do... Do you have something against making threads on guns?  

[Variola Major]

Mr Savoy

Do... Do you have something against making threads on guns?

Quote:

For those who feel it's important, these stories take place in a world with modern technology, and elves can and do make full and frequent use of things like cell phones, computers, televisions, cars, and firearms (the days of the elven archer are long gone).

wink  

[war_junky 91]

Variola Major

Mr Savoy

Do... Do you have something against making threads on guns?

Quote:

For those who feel it's important, these stories take place in a world with modern technology, and elves can and do make full and frequent use of things like cell phones, computers, televisions, cars, and firearms (the days of the elven archer are long gone).

wink

That kind of takes away some of the elven culture though. You would need something to make up for the lack of that speciality.  

[Fresnel]

Variola Major

Mr Savoy

Do... Do you have something against making threads on guns?

Quote:

For those who feel it's important, these stories take place in a world with modern technology, and elves can and do make full and frequent use of things like cell phones, computers, televisions, cars, and firearms (the days of the elven archer are long gone).

wink

That's not a subject, that's a tangential coincidence.  

[Variola Major]

war_junky 91

Variola Major

Mr Savoy

Do... Do you have something against making threads on guns?

Quote:

For those who feel it's important, these stories take place in a world with modern technology, and elves can and do make full and frequent use of things like cell phones, computers, televisions, cars, and firearms (the days of the elven archer are long gone).

wink

That kind of takes away some of the elven culture though. You would need something to make up for the lack of that speciality.

I have a few ideas. A culture should not rely on a single skill or piece of technology. If elven culture can't survive the loss of bows and gain of modern tech, it's a weakly written culture.  

[Variola Major]

Fresnel

Variola Major

Mr Savoy

Do... Do you have something against making threads on guns?

Quote:

For those who feel it's important, these stories take place in a world with modern technology, and elves can and do make full and frequent use of things like cell phones, computers, televisions, cars, and firearms (the days of the elven archer are long gone).

wink

I am a prissy git.

How astute. (I say that with love.)  

[Fresnel]

Variola Major

Fresnel

Variola Major

Mr Savoy

Do... Do you have something against making threads on guns?

Quote:

For those who feel it's important, these stories take place in a world with modern technology, and elves can and do make full and frequent use of things like cell phones, computers, televisions, cars, and firearms (the days of the elven archer are long gone).

wink

I am a prissy git.

How astute. (I say that with love.)

Fair cop.

And FYI, the reason I didn't respond to your PM (which I assume from a quick skim is identical to this topic) is a combination of super-laziness being brought on by having THE SINGLE WORST JOB EVER, TL;DR, and not having anything constructive to say on the bits I did read.