The Sword and Laser discussion

When it comes to the Belter characters I have to remind myself that they are taller and thinner than the Earthers and probably have a different physicality.

I'm sure I've forgotten the official height and thinness of the belters, and sometimes go off the rails, I'm curious how you imagine them?

http://2damnfunny.com/wp-content/uplo...

@ Tony - Nice find. I would probably view them as a slightly smaller version though. Maybe head and shoulders above instead of crotch and shoulders.

David Sven wrote: "@ Tony - Nice find. I would probably view them as a slightly smaller version though. Maybe head and shoulders above instead of crotch and shoulders."
Yeah, the scale is definitely off...but that's how gangly I picture them. Also, I think their heads are a bit more stretched out.

This is something I've struggled with, too. They are characterized as being much taller than Earth-born humans but Naomi is described as being "almost two full meters tall" which is just over six and half feet. That certainly is tall but not freakishly so. There are plenty of people here on Earth who are that tall or taller so even though I know Naomi is six and a half feet tall, I picture her and Alex as maybe seven feet or more just so I can make them stand out even more among the rest of the humans. I think they still look human though. That picture Tony found is pretty much spot on how I imagine the Belters.

I am imagining the blue people from Avatar, only not blue, and without the weird eyes, if that makes any sense. I have a picture of the girl detective from White Collar as Naomi. The rest of them aren't very distinct in my head.

Dan wrote: "This is something I've struggled with, too. They are characterized as being much taller than Earth-born humans but Naomi is described as being "almost two full meters tall" which is just over six ..."

Yeah, I struggled a bit with some of the inconsistencies in descriptions, too. At one point (don't remember if was in LW or Calaban's War), one of the belters (or was it a Martian?) was described as being "12 centimeters taller"...and I thought it seemed odd, since 12 centimeters is *nothing*.

So, I'm just going to assume these things slipped past the editor, and belters are just *over* 2 meters tall...putting them about 7+ feet tall.

I just imagined them as thin basketball players with a higher IQ and less pot.

Tony wrote: "http://2damnfunny.com/wp-content/uplo..."

I think I had a nightmare once where I was attacked by Manute Bol.

It wasn't to hard for me, half my family is 2 meters tall, I have to give them a +15cm and done...

I loved metric units! I miss them sooo much! The last 3/4 books I read where in feet/inches and every now and then I had to do some maths...

6'6'' is tall for a male, so the same height on a female is pretty tall! Isn't 5'5" the average for females? I think 13" inch variance in height is significant.

I rather tended to think of them as having a similar build to some of the bonier runway models, both male and female, except significantly taller.

I think of them as thin with mohawks thanks in large part to Larry niven

Visually similar to the characters in this short story:
"The Zeppelin Conductors’ Society Annual Gentlemen’s Ball"
http://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/?p=698

Except that they act more like the
oil rig workers.

As an old (27 is old for a derrick hand) derrick hand who changed vocations to elctronics and computers in 1982, I agree with the oil rig worker description by Warren. Some of the most diverse and interesting people you will ever meet. Hard workers and hard partiers - this is the Belter ethic of life. Living on the edge. I like the future that is portrayed and the story and characters. A good mix of stark action, noire detective and inteigue. love this book!

Kam wrote: "I rather tended to think of them as having a similar build to some of the bonier runway models, both male and female, except significantly taller."

Now that you mention it, I was imagining Naomi a bit like a young Tyra Banks.

I think Tony had a good picture, it said they were about two and half meters tall so thats like what 7 foot?

Drew wrote: "I think Tony had a good picture, it said they were about two and half meters tall so thats like what 7 foot?"

More than that. About 8 foot 2.4 inches.

Kam wrote: "I rather tended to think of them as having a similar build to some of the bonier runway models, both male and female, except significantly taller."

That's basically what I've been picturing. I try avoid picturing them as freakishly boney though.It can be hard to be consistent with the images. I have to remind my self to imagine the Belters different from the Earthers sometimes.

Austin wrote: "Kam wrote: "I rather tended to think of them as having a similar build to some of the bonier runway models, both male and female, except significantly taller."

That's basically what I've been pict..."

I do resist seeing them as freakishly bony, too. I try to think that their proportions are still more or less logical, in the sense that they register as "human" to someone raised in a gravity well, but with the prime exception of extreme height and a certain lengthening in bone structure. Personally, my mental image of them as models comes from the implication that many men from the Inner planets look at Belter women and think of "legs that go on forever" (which I think is precisely what Holden thinks when he looks at one of the women in the Cant).

I also find it hard to be consistent with my mental image of Belter physique, unless I'm reminded by the text. I suppose there's a point to that inability to distinguish: they're still essentially human, despite certain physical differences, and that the true difference between Inner and Belter lies more in culture and politics than anything else.

Kam wrote: "Austin wrote: "Kam wrote: "I rather tended to think of them as having a similar build to some of the bonier runway models, both male and female, except significantly taller."

That's basically what..."

i also find it hard to be consistent with the mental image of the belters.

@Tony This is exactly how I see them. Gangly and very tall but not excessively tall. Kinda just like stretched out humans.

I picture them being tall and thin but strong, like Lincoln or a basketball player. I think you would still see them as being human, just everything longer.

I pictured them as professional basketball players. For those who have never met them in person. They are extremely tall and linky, yet athletic. I always thought they look like they are from another planet.

How strong do they have to be, living in typically 0.3g? Why would they be particularly muscular? Sure, they can hold their own in 0.3g. I'm not suggesting they are weaklings. I'm just doubting they are built like Earthling basketball players.

I just imagined the belters as normal people who had somehow been stretched in Paint so that they're slightly out of proportion.

Are their proportions simply due to living in a different environment, or is it some sort of evolutionary effect?

It's a side effect of skeletal structure developing in a low-G environment.

Sam wrote: "It's a side effect of skeletal structure developing in a low-G environment."

Wouldn't that just result in low bone density? I think we need to test all of this stuff. With science.

Walter wrote: "Wouldn't that just result in low bone density? I think we need to test all of this stuff. With science."

I'll agree that it needs to be tested. I'm guessing the thought goes that though it does affect bone density (this is why the book mentions Belters having a supplement to make sure their bones get strong enough), the low/no gravity environment would at the very least reduce the pressures that currently shorten us by up to 1cm while we're upright during the day. So it's at least possible that a lack of gravity leads to being taller.

Old post I know, but maybe we'll get to see how the authors envision them soon:

link

Here's hoping they don't screw it up.

Big spoiler in the article for people who haven't read the book. Good job, Variety.