- Joined
- Jul 13, 2010
- Messages
- 541
- Reaction score
- 53
I'm not too keen on the title I gave this thread as I'm not sure it really conveys what I'm trying to say, but here goes...
I'm looking for either book recommendations (fiction or otherwise) or tips on making a winged humanoid creature as believable as possible. He is a grim reaper - in my story, they are a race of beings, not just one guy - so I suppose I could explain away some things supernaturally, but I'd like for his wings to be as organic (maybe that's the word I'm looking for - I dunno) as possible.
Some details: his wings are like that of a bird, and I know that birds spend a great deal of time caring for their wings - preening, cleaning, etc. How would he preen them? I know that little reaper babies and toddlers will flutter their wings in the bath or even take a dust bath if they get near a sandbox and I can see the adults showering or what not, though of course they might need a bigger shower than your typical human, but I'm just not sure about the preening as they don't have beaks. Their wings are of the more silent type, like an owl's are, if that makes any difference at all.
Another thing I've wondered about is body weight. Birds are light and have hollow bones (from what little I understand of them) so does that mean my guy would need to be built that way as well? What would the repercussions of that be? Would he be more fragile, etc.? But then, bumblebees fly and aren't they technically too big for their wings to carry them? This guy is lean and lithe, definitely on the skinny side, but there's another reaper who'd I'd class as a bumblebee - a big, muscular guy and yet he flies, too. Now, as a note, my reapers would most likely have fewer organs in their bodies than we do. They subsist off of pure soul energy and there is nothing left to waste - they have no need of intestines or anything else that assists the body in ridding itself of waste. Roughly how many organs would get the boot because of this, and which ones? Keep in mind that they do have a stomach-like organ and that they can feed their young through cropping (not sure what organs birds possess that allow them to do that - gotta look that up).
I've also wondered about the flexibility of the wings and how dexterous they could be without compromising flight. Say, if they're as nimble as fingers, would they be too flexible for flying?
And then of course there are the everyday concerns to contend with - how does a reaper sleep? On their stomachs, I assume as lying on their wings would be uncomfortable. What kind of furniture would reapers use? I tend to think they'd have backless chairs if only to ease the accommodation of their wings and that when using human chairs, they wrap their wings around their middles. As far as transportation, I figure they fly most places but some of them do like to ride motorcycles on occasion (I'm thinking cars would feel too cramped for them). But do those things come across as believable to you guys?
I'm assuming weather would ground them on occasion (heavy snow or rain) and that they'd probably get a little depressed or stir-crazy if grounded for too long.
I guess what I'm getting at is that I'd like the reader to be able to suspend as little disbelief as possible.
I'm looking for either book recommendations (fiction or otherwise) or tips on making a winged humanoid creature as believable as possible. He is a grim reaper - in my story, they are a race of beings, not just one guy - so I suppose I could explain away some things supernaturally, but I'd like for his wings to be as organic (maybe that's the word I'm looking for - I dunno) as possible.
Some details: his wings are like that of a bird, and I know that birds spend a great deal of time caring for their wings - preening, cleaning, etc. How would he preen them? I know that little reaper babies and toddlers will flutter their wings in the bath or even take a dust bath if they get near a sandbox and I can see the adults showering or what not, though of course they might need a bigger shower than your typical human, but I'm just not sure about the preening as they don't have beaks. Their wings are of the more silent type, like an owl's are, if that makes any difference at all.
Another thing I've wondered about is body weight. Birds are light and have hollow bones (from what little I understand of them) so does that mean my guy would need to be built that way as well? What would the repercussions of that be? Would he be more fragile, etc.? But then, bumblebees fly and aren't they technically too big for their wings to carry them? This guy is lean and lithe, definitely on the skinny side, but there's another reaper who'd I'd class as a bumblebee - a big, muscular guy and yet he flies, too. Now, as a note, my reapers would most likely have fewer organs in their bodies than we do. They subsist off of pure soul energy and there is nothing left to waste - they have no need of intestines or anything else that assists the body in ridding itself of waste. Roughly how many organs would get the boot because of this, and which ones? Keep in mind that they do have a stomach-like organ and that they can feed their young through cropping (not sure what organs birds possess that allow them to do that - gotta look that up).
I've also wondered about the flexibility of the wings and how dexterous they could be without compromising flight. Say, if they're as nimble as fingers, would they be too flexible for flying?
And then of course there are the everyday concerns to contend with - how does a reaper sleep? On their stomachs, I assume as lying on their wings would be uncomfortable. What kind of furniture would reapers use? I tend to think they'd have backless chairs if only to ease the accommodation of their wings and that when using human chairs, they wrap their wings around their middles. As far as transportation, I figure they fly most places but some of them do like to ride motorcycles on occasion (I'm thinking cars would feel too cramped for them). But do those things come across as believable to you guys?
I'm assuming weather would ground them on occasion (heavy snow or rain) and that they'd probably get a little depressed or stir-crazy if grounded for too long.
I guess what I'm getting at is that I'd like the reader to be able to suspend as little disbelief as possible.
Last edited: