Exchange of Realities

(The original title for this was “Why we don’t need a full description of the character, complete with history, likes and dislikes, when she’s introduced.” But that’s way too long, and I liked how the alternative turned out.)

I don’t need to tell you that much about the people who inhabit my head.

I don’t need to tell you that Hoyt Timran is inventive. The absurd number of things he’s done with the ability to make a hole in the air has probably explained it better and more convincingly than I could. I probably don’t need to tell you how much he likes his long coat, either. Given he’s created a pocket to another plane to stuff the thing into when he’s in disguise, having to say that on top of it would be silly.

I don’t need to tell you that Levina is insane. She’s worshiping her pet albatross, for crying out loud! The Avatar demands sardines, and that’s all there is to it. I doubt I need to tell you how foolhardy her courage is, either. May as well save my breath for the sprint as we try to catch up to her and wish that we too had things that could give us wings. And I’m pretty sure that no amount of telling you how long she’s been doing tag-team-work with Kel will get the point across near as well as watching them go through their repertoire of named maneuvers.

I don’t need to tell you that the Empress’s favorite color is blue. You just have to look at what she’s wearing. While I could tell you that her favorite tea, Golden Canary, is known as Touchstone by the intelligence community for the way its ingredients react to many of the more common poisons, it probably isn’t necessary—though she might tell you so if some idiot tries to poison her again and you’re there when she catches him—and if someone were to tell you she’d been in intelligence, I probably wouldn’t need to tell you why. I might need to tell you she’s good at hiding the truth, though; she’s going to be doing her best not to make that obvious.

I don’t need to tell you how important memory is to Kiara—you’ll know it from the lengths she’s gone to to remember things and not to be forgotten. And that black thing in your hands being one of the signs of said lengths would probably say more than I could that this current project of hers was even more important to her. And do I really need to explain how proud she is of that trick she pulled last errand, when she’s making a point of not letting anyone heal that bite on her leg?

On the other hand, I don’t need to tell you that Ruby is a dog person, or that Lirit prefers her hot chocolate with marshmallows. You might have occasion to learn what the God of Prophecy’s favorite snack is, but it’s really only helpful if you work with him. It shouldn’t be necessary to tell you what that cloth around Zari’s arm is, or who Irayo’s first boyfriend was, or what sort of poetry Szila reads, or how Leala manages during shedding season. They’re incidental; they’ll probably never come up. I know what they are, I know how they shape the character, and that’s what matters. (Do feel free to ask, though.)

I don’t need to tell you everything I know. There are still secrets to be found and stories to be told. Even I don’t know everything about these people. And half the fun is to see you try, and watch you light up when you put two and two together.

I don’t need to tell you anything. Anything I can’t show you, you’ll probably find for yourself.