Limyaael

*grins* This brings back so many memories...when telesilla and I drove from Boston to Sacramento with my stuff and one very hairy cat, we passed much of the time developing what we called the Wingverse. Worldbuilding geeks that we are, we worked on figuring out details for an Earth in which roughly 5-15% of humans have wings that could be used to fly.

We mostly handwaved the mechanics, except to say that wingfolk tend to be thin, muscular, and have incredibly high metabolisms. Winged children are cautioned not to even try flying until they've finished their growth, because their muscles aren't strong enough for it. There are flight schools around the world where winged teenagers spend as long as two years learning to fly.

We concentrated on what social dynamics were involved. We decided that we didn't want wingfolk to be directly analogous to gays and lesbians, so we said that in most places, wingfolk are honored, and considered special in a good way. Almost all of them in the developed world tend to go into creative professions--there are a lot of winged actors, but not so many winged lawyers. There are all sorts of specialists who provide services, like clothes and furniture designed to acommodate the wings, and places where wingfolk can go to get professionally groomed. Because things like getting dressed and grooming usually require help, a lot of wingfolk live communally. In keeping with the semi-tribal ethos, winged fashion tends to involve a lot of body art, especially tattoos.

...and now I want to go poke at one of the pieces I started last year, about two rival winged skiers (there's actually separate Winged Games in conjunction with the Olympics).

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I really like this idea! Some handwaving is probably necessary (unless the writer is trying to write pure biological science fiction), because otherwise the story would get smothered in explanations, but even the adaptations you mention give an extra sense of reality to the story.

Did you develop what kind of extra ability the winged actors bring to the stage? Are there plays written just for them, or musical numbers where they perform unique dances?

Grooming! Knew I forgot something.

And the skiers story sounds awesome.

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Did you develop what kind of extra ability the winged actors bring to the stage? Are there plays written just for them, or musical numbers where they perform unique dances?

Yes to both, although some of it is just the sheer coolness factor. Since we were writing RPF, we said that, for example, Orlando Bloom, Johnny Depp, and Keira Knightley were all winged, which meant that several sequences in PotC were a bit different. They had to bring in specially-trained fight coordinators to choreograph scenes like the blacksmith's shop and the final fight.

Grooming! Knew I forgot something.

In this world, there are both dragon/bat-winged people and bird-winged people; both types of wings require different care. There are also differences in the way they fly. With leather wings, you're built for stamina, and can fly longer but not as fast, and you can't take off from ground-level--you sort of have to dive off something high. Feather wings are for sprinting--fast, but not far--and they can take off by jumping from the ground. Feather wingfolk are always nervous about getting wet, since water interferes with the oil on their feathers and makes it hard for them to fly until they get groomed again.

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I like the idea of wings as a limitation as well as an advantage. Too often, fantasies seem to add a nonhuman trait and assume the humans will get all sorts of good from it and no worries (especially in the sense of having to take extra care of the additional feature).

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In one piece I never actually wrote, one of Jason's brothers met a winged woman in med school. She was wary of him at first, because she was so used to non-winged guys exoticizing her. Then he talked to her about growing up with his little brother, and how they'd all have to take turns grooming him, and how it took him so long to learn to walk, and how awful it was when he tried to fly too young and broke bones and pulled muscles and they weren't sure he'd ever be able to fly.

Then there are things like Liam having to go to flight camp in Eire, because of the airspace restrictions in Northern Ireland, or Afghani girls getting their pinfeathers clipped when the Taliban was in power.

You've prompted us to put the wingfic pieces we have complete up on our website--here, if you're interested.

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In one piece I never actually wrote, one of Jason's brothers met a winged woman in med school. She was wary of him at first, because she was so used to non-winged guys exoticizing her. Then he talked to her about growing up with his little brother, and how they'd all have to take turns grooming him, and how it took him so long to learn to walk, and how awful it was when he tried to fly too young and broke bones and pulled muscles and they weren't sure he'd ever be able to fly.

That's exactly the kind of character interaction I love to read about- people having reasons for their misunderstandings and friendships (instead of having the plot proceed by not talking to each other). Thank you! I'll check that fic out if I get a chance.

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Then there are things like Liam having to go to flight camp in Eire, because of the airspace restrictions in Northern Ireland, or Afghani girls getting their pinfeathers clipped when the Taliban was in power.

Mmmm, delicious worldbuilding. :D *checks this out*

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