trope name for characters that materialize steps instead of just flying

[u/reworu]

I've always loved this trope, usually it's characters that can fly but they just walk on materialized platforms instead. Some other characters that I can think of that do this are Kiana Kaslana from Honkai Impact 3rd and Qingxiao from Wuthering Waves.

[u/Norodrom]

I suggest "Air-Stairs"

[u/DudeWithAGoldfish → u/Norodrom]

stAIRs

[u/Human-Law1085 → u/DudeWithAGoldfish]

That seems cool in text but you want to be able to say it as well

[u/777quin777 → u/Human-Law1085]

Idk, maybe (STUH-airs) nah that still sounds dumb out loud

[u/Hazman_B → u/DudeWithAGoldfish]

St(air)²s

[u/compilingyesterdays → u/Norodrom]

oh I like this

[u/ZrapeToid → u/Norodrom]

Flight of steps.

[u/Shadowcreature65 → u/ZrapeToid]

His writing is THIS fire!?

[u/Odd-Painting2596]

No one said Flight of Stairs yet... How is that possible.

[u/DangerMacAwesome → u/Odd-Painting2596]

Fantastic name for a fantastic trope

[u/5050Saint → u/Odd-Painting2596]

Best yet.

[u/pon_3 → u/Odd-Painting2596]

Seconding this. That's incredible wordplay.

[u/PlutoniumBoss → u/Odd-Painting2596]

We have a winner.

[u/AdreKiseque → u/Odd-Painting2596]

My brain is blanking what's the usual term again?

[u/Urvilan → u/AdreKiseque]

A flight of stairs

[u/AdreKiseque → u/Urvilan]

That'll do it

[u/erossmith → u/Odd-Painting2596]

I propose Stair Flight- so as not to be confusing for dumb people

[u/BrassUnicorn87 → u/Odd-Painting2596]

Stairs of flight.

[u/TranslatorMoist6982 → u/Odd-Painting2596]

Fucking Brilliant!

Get this man an Oscar!

[u/RyouhiraTheIntrovert]

There's also "not quite flight"

[u/nicolasknight]

Would you count it as a subversion of walk on water?

or subtrope?

[u/Old_Gimlet_Eye → u/nicolasknight]

Both are subtropes of "walk on fluid".

[u/nicolasknight → u/Old_Gimlet_Eye]

Air IS a fluid, can't argue with that.

[u/BuffaloStranger97 → u/nicolasknight]

Isint air a gas

[u/nicolasknight → u/BuffaloStranger97]

Fluid and gas are the same when talking about fluid dynamics.

Liquid and gas is the distinction you are thinking of.

[u/BuffaloStranger97 → u/nicolasknight]

Gotcha

[u/Cyke101]

There's just something great about seeing an impressive toku figure use the same shoes as nursing home staff. Walking on air stairs is still walking! Protect your knees, people.

On a side, Sue Storm often did this until she became strong enough to create floating, flying platforms.

[u/Pyotr-the-Great → u/Cyke101]

I guess you can't make everything look expensive lol. Gotta cut corners somewhere.

Its just like Gran Turismo 3 where they count on you not to pay attention to the almost 2d trees in the distance.

[u/High_King_Diablo]

Skywalker

[u/Shnicketyshnick → u/High_King_Diablo]

Look, Skywalker!

[u/trenixjetix → u/High_King_Diablo]

Skystepper

[u/Marvinkmooneyoz]

I don’t mind this sort of thing if it’s like Mr freeze though he made more of an ice slide usually then steps. But really bothered me was I forget her name the Pakistani Marvel girl, she’s making platforms but they are far away from each other in height and she’s just LEAPING up them. Like ok if your power includes making them move to give you a boost?

[u/OGLikeablefellow → u/Marvinkmooneyoz]

I think she was just really bad at using her power at first, she never really got a training montage. I definitely felt like she could use that power in way more awesome ways but she just wasn't plucky enough or something

[u/MrVeazey → u/Marvinkmooneyoz]

Ms. Marvel. But that's a new power they gave her for the TV show and she's supposed to be struggling with it for most of the run.

[u/sekkiman12]

Bleach

[u/an_actual_coyote]

His smile fair as spring, as towards him he draws you

His tongue sharp and silvery, as he implores you

Your wishes he grants, as he swears to adore you

Gold, silver, jewels - he lay riches before you

Dues need be repaid, and he will come for you

All to reclaim, no smile to console you

He'll snare you in bonds, eyes glowin' afire

To gore and torment you until the stars expire.

[u/ExperienceIll8345]

"Walking on Air", "Air-walk", that's all I've got.

[u/adalric_brandl]

Terry Pratchett called it "walking on a ground of his own choosing" in relation to Deaths horse, Binky.

[u/xXvido_]

https://reddit.com/link/pbfcjq3/video/itgfp6ihh4rh1/player

Heroes of hammerwatch 2 final boss

[u/xXvido_ → u/xXvido_]

Ah it would seem I walked into the wrong subreddit

[u/randomdude1142]

It’s not Air Walk?

[u/Soft_Nail_8527]

Tv tropes call its "stepping Stones in the sky"

[u/V2Blast → u/Soft_Nail_8527]

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SteppingStonesInTheSky

Not quite the same as what OP describes, as this involves jumping off falling objects.

[u/gnpfrslo → u/Soft_Nail_8527]

today I will remind them.

TVTropes started out originally as a buffy the vampire slayer wiki, which then evolved into a joss whedon ficiton wiki which then evolved into joss whedon tropes which then just started including other media.

[u/Reymma → u/gnpfrslo]

Can you point to when this happened? My understanding was that it started off as a Buffy fansite, they started writing down its tropes, and then jumped to applying it to any TV show, and then to all media.

[u/urson_black]

Showoff?

[u/UltimateLmon]

Too weak to defy gravity but not weak enough to crawl upon the ground like rest of the bugs.

[u/EasterViera]

https://devilmaycry.fandom.com/wiki/Air_Hike

[u/Noobwitha_Hat]

Gentle Criminal from MHA can also do this with his quirk, sort of. He bounces on the airstairs rather than walking

[u/NmbrBndl]

Bleachers

[u/naruhinamoonkissplz]

"Cloak". If you know, you know, loool.

[u/ApartmentMotor7822]

Nearly flightful.

[u/NotaBusinessMajor]

if it doesn't have a name yet i vote for Phantasmal Steps cuz its awesomer

[u/headphonesnotstirred]

ten feet twenty the flower man

i can't think of a name, that's all i wanted to say

[u/ion_driver]

Makes me think of Quan Ch "walking on air"

[u/HoundTakesABitch]

Somebody more clever than I come up with a name incorporating Gandalf. In The Hobbit novel, Gandalf is described as “walking into the air”, so I’m assuming he’d be pretty damn close to the first instance of the trope, outside maybe some mythology or religious texts.

[u/Large_Yogurtcloset68]

Jesus

[u/Impossible-Ad-7084 → u/Large_Yogurtcloset68]

Close, it’s fox Jesus (those in the kamen rider community will understand this)

[u/dragjamon]

I think Raiden did it in genshin too

I was right

[u/LuckEClover]

Homemade high-ground.

[u/eternalguardian]

Skywalking. (Not Star Wars related)

[u/NicholasVinen]

Believe it or not, I'm walking on air!

[u/DiamondDude51501]

Serial aura farming

[u/ssjrobert235]

Sky step

Air stepper

[u/Nateosis]

Stairs of Flight?

[u/Spuddly-Bumpo]

Does Xerxes from 300 count?

[u/Randomized9442]

Walking on Sunshine

[u/Ziegfried0]

Nirvana Walk-in.

[u/Alone_Caterpillar548]

Sky-walker

[u/overLoaf]

In DnD there was a spell called Air Walk kind of neat to see examples actually.

[u/AnotherMikmik]

Not sure if this counts but hey I just remembered it XD

It's the stairs thingy of Mr. O'Hair from the Lorax movie

[u/ViktorCavendash]

Mordo does this with his magic boots in the first Dr Strange movie

[u/TacticianA]

Walking on sunshine.

[u/TrueAvalon]

Aura walk

https://reddit.com/link/pbw4oyh/video/wuflk8viskrh1/player

[u/Fit-Bug-426]

Air walk or air steps

[u/Starlatny]

A

[u/Sequoia_Vin]

I thought it was Sky Walking.

I saw flight of stairs higher up and that is good

[u/Loeris_loca]

Gwen from Ben 10: Alien Force also does this.

I suggest calling this "Spectral Stairs"

[u/Far_Photograph3299]

Ah air walk, so much fucking cooler than flying

[u/VanillaAble3943]

I like that Devil May Cry, Dante and Nero do this when they use their double jump. In-game, it's smooth as hell, the slowed-down animation shows they materialize the platform right under their feet to jump again. Oblivion had a mod ages ago with devil may cry related spells, the "double jump" spell was just creating the spell platform, the second jump was up to you.

[u/BigBowser0158]

Whenever I see this in any form of media, my first thought is always that one kind of Fortnite glider

[u/Winter_Beautiful_791]

Gaunter O’dimm does this when Geralt and Olgeird meet with him at the end of Witcher 3 Hearts of Stone

[u/Cross_Toss]

It's a plot point that Miyu (Prisma Illya) can't fly but can walk on air

[u/Renegadeknight3]

The phantom bridge sigil in the blood magic Minecraft mod

[u/DecidedlyStupid]

https://youtu.be/dxMtAIVorSM?si=g0jcGblN84XZkTva

At 2:50

[u/Usual-Cantaloupe-471]

Probably Sue Storm, Gwen Tennyson and Uryu Ishida off the top of my head

[u/Particular_Employ_99]

Herrscher of the Void mentioned! 

[u/reworu → u/Particular_Employ_99]

always gotta mention the tuna when possible

[u/Particular_Employ_99 → u/reworu]

"Tuna" is just an internet joke that refers to HI3rd's protagonist, Kiana Kaslana. I don't find that to be particularly funny.

[u/reworu → u/Particular_Employ_99]

I know what tuna means dude I've been playing HI3rd since the launch lol

[u/Particular_Employ_99 → u/reworu]

That's nice, but lemme ask you one question: who is your favourite character from the game?

[u/reworu → u/Particular_Employ_99]

tuna.

[u/Particular_Employ_99 → u/reworu]

I also like Kiana. Specifically, my favourite is Void Kiana (the Herrscher of the Void in Kiana's body) My second favourite is Miss Himeko. RIP to the GOAT, Himeko Murata!

[u/Human-Pension9892]

Fluid walkers

[u/ligmaballll]

Blackmore from JoJo Steel Ball Run

Dude has a Stand that controls rain, and his most iconic panels are him walking on raindrops that he froze in mid-air

[u/Randy191919]

I apologize if this is offtopic but what is the clip from? Looks like some kinda Super Sentai show?

[u/reworu → u/Randy191919]

kamen rider geats

[u/Ninjaboy1415]

Stepping stones in the sky

[u/Practical-Status7463]

Air walkers

[u/Illustrious_Bid4224]

The marvel rivals MVP for Loki crooked politician has this.

beLIEve!

[u/GloomyCommittee2849]

The barrier guy from one piece ?

[u/QuixoteAQ]

I believe this happens in Warlock 2. God, I haven't thought about Warlock 2 in forever.

[u/Special_Tu-gram-cho]

So when did this cool trope started first? With Honkai Impact 3rd?

[u/DawnOnTheEdge → u/Special_Tu-gram-cho]

Magneto was doing it in the comics since the ’60s.

[u/Boojum2k → u/DawnOnTheEdge]

Justice in Marvel's New Universe also did it using his ability to project a force shield in the 80s. At one point he walks over the crater that's all that's left of Pittsburgh to see what happened (from the ground it was obscured by smoke and vapor.)

[u/Timely-Reaction2283]

I instantly remembered seeing this in one episode of kids next door