Do you picture your fellow flutherers?

An avatar may not be much of a clue if it doesn’t have a picture (or maybe-picture) of the flutherer. If there are only words, I suppose it’s like a character in a book that the author neglected to describe. Although, with books, I don’t pay much attention to descriptions. I just have my own idea of what the character looks like.

We’re all characters on fluther, speaking in our own written words. Sometimes I look at how the writer writes, and I think that English is not their native language. Sometimes their story suggests a nationality to me—like if someone has overbearing and controlling parents, I think Asian, because I’ve heard and read so many stories by various Asians where that is a theme.

I have no clue about race from the words that are written. It is often a surprise when someone mentions their race. Similarly, avatars give me no clue about sexuality. It is only when that becomes a topic, that I picture someone. I think I also have images of people based on religious or political points of view. Sometimes people mention how tall they are or how much they weigh, or the color of their hair.

I can rarely remember these details, but I do create an image of a person based on how they write. When someone is from England, I picture a council estate, and, well, someone who looks English, as my mind seems to perceive it.

What do you do? Do you create a picture in your mind, or does it remain hazy until you see a picture in an avatar? Do avatar pictures ever surprise you? How do you think your picture of others (if you have one) is developed?