Eternal Love: Difference between revisions

{{quote|"If you are resolved to drink the [[Who Wants to Live Forever?|bitter poison of cruel eternity]], then let’s live on together."|'''Shaytan''', ''[[Sound Horizon|Seisen no Iberia]]''}}

"Had we but world enough and time," the poet said to his reluctant [[Love Interest]], "this coyness would be no crime," and he'd be willing to wait for centuries for a [[Relationship Upgrade]]. Normal human beings don't have centuries to work out their romantic lives, but the genres of fantasy and science fiction are full of couples who do. Naturally, if you and your beloved are both immortal, or even just really, really long-lived, you may have all the time in the world in which to fall in love, court each other, hook up, break up, and come back together. You might spend centuries in the [[Will They or Won't They?]] stage before getting your [[Happily Ever After]], and why not? You have all the time in the world for drama. The result is a [[Romance Arc]] which could extend backwards into ancient history or forward into the far future.

Vampires may be especially prone to this trope (when they love [[I Love You, Vampire Son|other vampires]] rather than humans), but it can also apply to werewolves, [[The Fair Folk]], [[God Couple|gods]], artificial humans or robots, and--in some works--[[Wizards Live Longer|magic users whose power grants them exceptionally long lives]]. Note that any romantic/sexual relationship that lasts for an unnaturally long span of time may count for this trope. It doesn't have to be an entirely happy or healthy relationship.

This trope differs from the [[Mayfly -December Romance]] in that it only applies to couples where both parties are immortal or near-immortal. Contrast [[Time Travel Romance]] and [[Reincarnation Romance]], where the romance arc is extended through time by other means. It may overlap with [[Living Forever Is Awesome]], but if the relationship is a particularly destructive or angst-ridden one, it may fall into [[Who Wants to Live Forever?|the other end of the spectrum]].

{{examples|Examples}}

* ''[[Gargoyles (Animation)|Gargoyles]]''' Titania leaves Oberon every so often for a couple of decades to have some fun studying humans' magic called "science," hooking up with human men and even having [[Half -Human Hybrid]] children (including Fox), although she always comes back when she gets bored. Oberon doesn't mind; he even finds her latest affair with Reynard highly amusing.