Bonus points if the author first mentions a specific trait, physical build, or whatever else halfway through the novel and totally fucks up my mental image.

I don't expect a biology model description for each character, but write me something brief and evocative of how they should look, you fucking dork author. I don't even know how tall she should be, her hair colour, anything. Why are you like this, author?

  • mushroom [he/him]
    ·
    3 months ago

    the dispossessed by ursula leguin mentions a character having fur or something similar like halfway through the book and until then i thought all the characters were humans living on other planets, not aliens. got a kick out of me

    • Smeagolicious [they/them]
      ·
      3 months ago

      Very similar to the Culture series by Iain Banks: had the same reaction to almost the same description of a character having a layer of fur a good way into the book.

      To be fair, I didn't know that in the Culture most "humanoid" beings are just referred to as pan-human with a few aliens as exceptions like the 11ft tall, 3 legged, armored Idirans.

      • Des [she/her, they/them]
        ·
        3 months ago

        i deleted my comment above because i just said the same thing basically lol

        i forgot it was "pan-human". and as soon as that character was described with fur my brain broke and i just saw her as a catgirl for the rest of the book