Topic: Changeling BUR

The bulk update request #12019 is pending approval.

remove implication changeling (15045) -> friendship_is_magic (266228)
mass update changeling -> changeling_(mlp)
create implication changeling_(mlp) (0) -> friendship_is_magic (266228)
mass update changeling_(fey) -> changeling
create implication changeling (15045) -> european_mythology (83010)

Reason: Fandom-specific depictions of folkloric species should not be the default tag for that species; the current changeling tag should be given the appropriate fandom suffix and the folkloric changeling_(fey) renamed to the default tag.

This will also add an implication to European mythology for changelings.

(Incidentally, the fey tag is a mess and has no description. It will need some attention in a future project.)

I think "changeling" is too generic a term to mean a character that can change appearance, not even necessarily a species let alone something from mythology. I think it'd be better to leave changeling_(fey) as the tag referring to the mythological entity, and changeling should be disambiguated (along with shapeshifter and shape_shifter).

watsit said:
I think "changeling" is too generic a term to mean a character that can change appearance, not even necessarily a species let alone something from mythology.

Eh, is it? It is the name of a specific mythological creature, and there aren't may posts tagged with changeling_(fey) that would need sorting through. It has the same problem as other shapeshifters (getting tagged when transformed into something else such that it's visually indistinguishable from a "true" instance of the species), but that's a larger issue we haven't resolved for the other shapeshifters either.

beholding said:
Eh, is it? It is the name of a specific mythological creature, and there aren't may posts tagged with changeling_(fey) that would need sorting through. It has the same problem as other shapeshifters (getting tagged when transformed into something else such that it's visually indistinguishable from a "true" instance of the species), but that's a larger issue we haven't resolved for the other shapeshifters either.

shapeshifter and shape_shifter are invalid tags, which says to use transformation for characters in the process of transforming. A character that simply can change shape/appearance isn't itself a species, so there's nothing to tag for a character that merely has the ability to change, and it isn't distinguishable by TWYS if they're not currently transforming.

:/ because when people use the term 'changeling' for creatures they're not always fey. They might be some ambiguous magical creature, aliens, eldritch interdimensional things, etc. It might be better to just make it a disambiguation.

watsit said:
shapeshifter and shape_shifter are invalid tags, which says to use transformation for characters in the process of transforming. A character that simply can change shape/appearance isn't itself a species, so there's nothing to tag for a character that merely has the ability to change, and it isn't distinguishable by TWYS if they're not currently transforming.

You are correct, but all of this also applies to werewolf and doppelganger (and genie, depending on depiction), which are currently valid species tags. So long as they're valid, it seems inconsistent to exclude changelings.

regsmutt said:
:/ because when people use the term 'changeling' for creatures they're not always fey. They might be some ambiguous magical creature, aliens, eldritch interdimensional things, etc. It might be better to just make it a disambiguation.

Disambiguate it into what, though? Shall we make separate species tags for every media's version of them? That sounds unnecessarily complicated.

beholding said:
You are correct, but all of this also applies to werewolf and doppelganger (and genie, depending on depiction), which are currently valid species tags. So long as they're valid, it seems inconsistent to exclude changelings.

People have complained about werewolf being applied to anthro wolves or nature wolves in general, with no indication they are changing or have changed, compared to more bestial creatures and full moons and stuff typically associated with the idea of a werewolf
post #2575546 post #2919234
if not transforming into one
post #2940187

beholding said:
Disambiguate it into what, though? Shall we make separate species tags for every media's version of them? That sounds unnecessarily complicated.

For visually distinct versions, I think would be fine. If some media has a Changeling species that is visually identifiable, it can have a tag for that media. Otherwise, similar to shape_shifter, say to tag transformation when one changes and nothing if it's a character that just has the ability to change appearance but otherwise looks normal.

The bulk update request #12020 is pending approval.

remove implication changeling (15045) -> friendship_is_magic (266228)
mass update changeling -> changeling_(mlp)
create implication changeling_(mlp) (0) -> friendship_is_magic (266228)

Reason: At the very least, we ought to get this out of the way. I'll separate it so it can be voted on/approved separately.