I'm developing a character who is the daughter of a greek goddess associated with snakes, Angitia. I want to make her cold blooded, but I'm not sure what difficulties that would bring in a human. Right now I have: -Since she can't produce heat, she needs to wear clothes with a heathing system -She eats a lot less But I can't think of anything else. Do you have anything to add to the list?
The human brain is a big calorie consumer, compared to the other organs. About 20% of your resting caloric intake goes to your brain. I would think that a person who is a) is poikilothermic, and b) takes in a greatly reduced caloric intake may have pre-coffee brain for most of the day.
You've mentioned a cold blooded creature's response to the cold, but what about the heat? She can't sweat, and panting will do her little good... how will she keep from overheating? I doubt you'll want her rolling in the mud like hippos and pigs which don't have true sweat glands, or just as the adventure gets underway she stops in the shade or crawls under a rock to keep cool.
Oddly enough, this was a feature in The Windup Girl, where the character for whom the book is named has serious problems with overheating. She quite literally (and IIRC, more than once) finds herself racing to the nearest body of water to serve as a heatsink. To the OP: The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi may be something worth reading as a kind of research. The character has the opposite situation to your character, but regardless, it's a situation she has to deal with in the tell of the tale. Also, just an all-around terrific book.
Cold-Blooded Female based on a snake Slow starter waking up. She’ll sleep on an 80s Tanning Sunbed that switches on like an alarm clock in the morning. Eats live food so gerbil on toast for breakfast... Maybe a regular user of Ecstasy or Disco Biscuits... Her ears and maybe glands on her back/chest allow her to dissipate heat when hot. So, Open cut revealing tops warn afternoon and evening. Body Temp is external and needs regulating Once a month, she needs to shed her outer skin to allow the new one to come through. Her Job may involve security work. Spending long hours watching but when needed can pounce at unnatural speeds with venom. Interesting idea, like to see it when you’ve written it Norfolk.