rotating the collector’s dynamic to their body in my brain. especially for something that has a ‘true’ form, they’re unfortunately beholden to the idea of having a mortal form. now technically they just need a body. they tend to lean more towards humanoid form because they need a method of communication — although the language barrier serves very little problem to them, as they typically converse in a tongue of what their conversation participant inherently understands — and the collector tends to go for distinctively human bodies. i’ve never written tc with an elvish or gnome or tiefling body, etc etc! they go for very human, because they love portraying the air of someone on the same level as someone else. equal — but it’s because of that they hold so much power. they’re not equal. they want the other person to know this fact. despite the fact that the collector looks like this — unassuming — they’re the monster.
it’s also interesting to think about the collector’s detest for having a mortal body. they don’t like it! they wish they didn’t have to abide by it! especially as something that was human once, and also someone who was originally AMAB, their relationship to their gender has gotten. extremely weird due to their disconnect with the human body and preference towards their true form.
they do tend to have their preferences in terms of their next bodies! the collector obtains their bodies through debt / fey-like agreements, so they don’t pick based off that, but they do have a preference! it’s usually about twenty or so years til their current body starts to literally disintegrate, so they have some time to start looking. usually dark hair, not too moderately tall, etc. noticeably, the collector’s eye color replaces theirs — a light, almost grey lilac, with uncannily bright whites of their eyes and a catlike glow to them when exposed to light. it never fits in their face <3