Pop Quiz! What kinds of wings can you spot?Answer
Take these broken wings
And learn to fly again
And learn to live so free
And learn to fly again
And learn to live so free
— Mr. Mister, "Broken Wings"
Tropes about wings.
But just having "wing" in the title is not enough. Look at the description before adding any trope to this list. Unless almost every example has to involve wings in some form, it doesn't belong here.
Tropes:
Related:
- Cape Wings: A cape turns into a pair of wings or vice versa.
- Clip Its Wings: A flying target's wings are its most vulnerable spot, so attacking or damaging those wings can cause the target to no longer be capable of flight; applies to both planes and winged people/animals.
- Ear Wings: Large ears that can function as wings.
- Feather Flechettes: Using one's own feathers as projectile weapons.
- Feather Motif: Using feathers for symbolism.
- Good Wings, Evil Wings: Wing type/color indicates Character Alignment.
- Growing Wings: A person, animal, or even an object sprouts wings — permanent or at least semi-permanent ones.
- Hair Wings: Wings that sprout out of a person's head where their hair would usually be, almost Always Female.
- Hot Wings: A massive flying creature that's at least partially made of fire.
- Icarus Allusion: A character's unhealthy ambition is presented as being either their Achilles' Heel or the reason for their undoing; expect references to the Greek myth of Icarus "flying too close to the Sun".
- Mercury's Wings: Wings on the head or feet.
- Our Wyverns Are Different: The various portrayals of wyverns in fiction, many of which are winged.
- Pegasus: Horses with feathered wings that can fly.
- Perpetual Molt: A winged character always seems to be molting loose feathers.
- Power Gives You Wings: A character who gains incredible power gains a set of wings to show their power.
- Razor Wings: Wings outfitted with knives and cutting edges in place of feathers.
- Ridiculously Small Wings: Wings that are small yet still usable for the character.
- Shedu and Lammasu: Creatures from Mesopotamian myth who resemble winged bulls with human heads.
- "Spread Wings" Frame Shot: A character stands in front of something that gives them the appearance of having wings.
- Stationary Wings: A character's wings don't move while they're flying.
- Symbolic Wings: A visual element of character design that invokes the image of a Winged Humanoid.
- Wind from Beneath My Wings: Flapping one's wings to generate strong winds.
- Winged Humanoid: A human or human-esque being with wings.
- Winged Unicorn: A horse with both wings and a horn; the most common term for this is 'alicorn'.
- Wings Below The Waist: A Winged Humanoid, usually female, has their wings extending from their lower back.
- Wings Do Nothing: A character has wings but cannot fly.
- Wing Shield: Using one's wings to protect individuals from danger or hazards.
