World-building Idea
One of my fav for fantasy world is “Human is the source of every humanoid species”.
What I mean by that is that human was the first to exist in this magical world but they put themselves into so much much different f*ck up situation than they evolved through the centuries into totally different races all having some human-like base.
Example:
Group of humans start to study magic a lot.
In order to not be troubled, they move to quiet place, most often deep forest.
Generation after generation, they study magic and so from a very young age, or even if they are pregnant.
The coming generation start to be more and more affected by magic.
As in, physically, they ears start to change an become thinner and longer. They keep a lean, almost frail looking body, yet they are often extremely strong. They eyes start to sharpen to see further with less light. They health get so good than they start living for many centuries. But magic mess up they reproductive organs, giving them a very low fertility chance.
By the end, after eons of time, those creatures that where once human don’t call themselves like that anymore. They often chose a name who fit more the effort than they group race have when through in order to become who they are. Whatever is this name, for the common folk, they are elves.
