Characters / Codex Equus: The Changeling Courts

Here is a list of tropes sorted under the four Changeling Courts as a whole.

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The Changeling Courts

"The Changelings MUST Survive."

Hidden from other races and civilizations for aeons, Changelingkind turned out to be far larger and more complex than Ex-Queen Chrysalis, Thorax and their Changelings. With the Purification of Thorax's Hive and the fall of the Masquerade, the whole world are left stunned at the realization that not only do the Changelings lived among them, feeding on their love and helping/manipulating them whenever they could, but also had history and mysteries far deeper than anyone could even begin to imagine...

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General (# — B)

• The Ageless: Royal Changelings stop physically aging once they reach maturity. That being said, it won't stop them from being killed by accidents, diseases, and/or violence.
• A Million Is a Statistic: Disturbingly, thanks to their numbers, their biology, their collectivism and their borderline-fanatical devotion to survival no matter the costs, not only do they not care much for the loss of many thousands of their own people, those many thousands would gladly and happily sacrifice themselves if it means the Changeling race as a whole would survive. They don't even care if they will die unremembered and unmourned; they see it as their duty to the greater whole, and in their eyes, the fact that their swarm/hive/court/race would live on as good enough a legacy. The implications are that on a cultural and perhaps even psychological level, much of Changelingkind literally see themselves as expendable.
• Apocalypse How: Changelingkind began with a fabled event known as 'The Fall', which ended the precursor civilization in Amorea ('The Ones Before') and either turned their remnants into Changelingkind or spawned them via 'The Cursing'. Then almost immediately afterwards, 'The Burning of Amorea' happened, whereupon hordes of dragons burnt down their homeland and plundered its ruins out of greed. Suffice to say, Changelingkind was traumatized to the point that they become obsessed with survival and secrecy, and developed a burning hatred for Dragonkind and Discord (Whom many suspected engineered the whole thing back when he was evil). It's heavily implied this was the same event depicted in the Heart's and Hooves Day story and Blackrose and Blackthorn were the Princess and Prince.
• Arc Words: If the entirety of Changelingkind's mindset, culture and beliefs can be summarized in just four words, it can be found in the single most important tenet of the 'Changeling Creed': "The Changelings MUST Survive."
• Arch-Enemy: Changelingkind has a collective one in Dragonkind, as flights of Dragons burnt and plundered their homeland aeons ago in the 'Burning of Amorea'. The feeling became mutual after the Changeling Summer Court attempted to return the favour in 'The Time of Broken Scales'.
• Balance of Power: For aeons the two official courts — the Court of Roses (Spring Court) and the Court of Thorns (Summer Court) — exists in a tentative peace and balance that's constructed and confirmed by a series of ancient treaties known as the 'Thrones Accords'. Both sides generally stay out of each others' affairs (give or take individual Royal Changelings' rivalries and skirmishes between the hives' forces), disputes are settled in orderly fashions via established rules and protocols, and in times of crises that affects all of Changelingkind, they are obligated to put aside their differences and unite their efforts until the problem is dealt with. The arrangement is implied to be created as a resolution to the inter-Court conflicts that had occurred prior to the 'First Spawn Rebellion' that tore the Spring Court apart, a traumatic event that resulted in the first time the Summer Court offering their aid to the Spring Court and Blackrose actually accepting it.
• Beyond the Impossible: Changelingkind managed to hide their entire civilization from the rest of the world since gods-knows-when and had only came out fairly recently, and even then only by their own discretion due to changing circumstances. Let that sink in for a moment.
• Binding Ancient Treaty:
  • Something called the 'Thrones Accords' exists between the two official Courts that dictated the interactions between them, maintained a tentative peace (give or take continued Cloak and Dagger and border skirmishes) and allowed for occasions when they have to work together against greater threats.
  • The Fae Accords are another one, which seems to be between Changeling Kind and several Fae races, the Breezies most prominently. The origin of this seems to have been the First Great Fae War against Queen Mab I, the Fae Preeminent.

General (C — E)

• Changeling Fantasy: Many of the Royal Changelings have origins like this: Their Royal or Progenitor Parents beget them while sojourning among the mortals in disguise, where they grew up unaware of their heritage until their "True Nature" begins to awaken. Whereupon they would undergo a fabled "Errance" where they'll instinctively go out to search for their "True Parent", whereupon they would learn their true heritage, and upon accepting/embracing it would metamorphosize into their Royal Changeling form. With the addition of a few Common Changeling subjects they're ready to get started creating their own Hive — and eventually, siring their own 'Spawns' like their True Parent before them.
• The Chessmaster: The Changelings in general are this due to their emphasis on guile and cunning over strength and brute force. They are said to be meticulous and thorough schemers and manipulators who would calculate and account for every possible variable before making their moves, and in more extreme cases make plans within plans and also back-up plans in case those plans don't pan out. It's much more prominent with the Summer Court given their patriarch practically has this as his hat and his Scions are mostly chips off the old block, but the Spring Court and their matriarch are implied to be very capable of this themselves whenever necessary, especially whenever they have to keep the Summer Court in check.
• The Clan: The 'official' Courts are ruled by a clan of Royal Changelings each, demi-divine absolute monarchs related by heritage to the 'Progenitors' matriarch/patriarch, and whose characters (mostly) reflects their wider family's temperament.
• Cloak and Dagger: While not the only ones who could do so with skills, the Changelings are MASTERS of this thanks to their shape-shifting abilities and their obsession with secrecy, to the point that it is considered a cornerstone of their culture. Their spies, infiltrators and assassins are now earning a reputation as among the most capable on Equus now that the Masquerade has fallen.
• Combat Pragmatist: How Changelings approach to any battle and conflict, full stop. A drabble set during the 'Storm King Crisis' exemplifies their methods, which is apparently STANDARD for them — as in, this is not even the most cunning, ruthless or sophisticated plans they can come up with. They make for some terrifyingly dangerous opponents because of this.
  • Heavy weapons and airship cover posing a major threat to an assault? Take them out with shape-shifting infiltrators at night. The enemy rally around a strong and capable commander? Assassinate them with their own mind-controlled/brainwashed bodyguards. The enemy is well-fed and equipped? Poison their rations and sabotage their weapons, and cut off their supply lines for good measure. Enemy defenses well-fortified? Launch feint/harrying attacks from multiple directions to weaken and stretch the defenders too thin to withstand their main assaults. Enemy hiding in buildings and underground? Burn them with the enemy still inside. Or do a little psychological warfare with their fallen comrades' corpses to get them out of hiding. Retreat behind an impassable chasm that the Changelings can't just fly over? Build a bridge under heavy fire with the bodies of their own dead and dying. As you can imagine, their enemies were quite horrified at how far they are willing to go to win.
  • Strong veterans among your enemies pose trouble? Hit them with weapons and arts they don't know and can't defend against. They challenge you to one-on-one combat? You outnumber them five or ten to one, so swarm them! Or Just Shoot Him dead with hails from ranged weapons. They are big and strong compare to you? You can shape-shift — turn into a bigger and stronger monster and crush them! As you can tell, Changelings don't fight fair.
  • From that mentioned battle: Near the end, the remaining Storm Warriors got smart, and with what little remain of their forces, they tried to launch a last-ditch attack on the leader of the Changeling forces in that battle. Unfortunately, said leader is a Royal Changeling, and they deliberately exposed themselves, fully intending to lure the last enemy forces out of hiding to be dealt with at last. From all this, the impression appeared to be that everything had went Just as Planned for the Changeling commanders in that battle, from start to finish.
  • A Changeling rogue once faced the evil Archwizard Cadaverous Consecreation, who is implied to be incredible powerful thanks to his infamous Elder Rod. He manages to beat him by stealing his rod and sliting his throat while he slept.
• Crazy Survivalist: Besides secrecy, the Changelings are this to the point of obsession, with only the Meridians rivaling/surpassing them. The trauma of the Fall and the 'Burning of Amorea', along with their love-hunger, instilled upon ALL of Changelingkind a determination to survive no matter the costs. In the Changeling Creed, there is no greater rule other than that the Changelings must survive — they must.
• Curse: How they came to be the way they were — a curse gave them their hideous forms and installed a need to feed on love for other sapient beings capable of such. Whether they were cursed that way by their precursors or were actually remnants of their precursors who were cursed is unknown even among the Changelings. Thorax's breaking and purification of the Curse is a major event as it promises a cure for their accursed conditions.
• Cursed with Awesome: Arguably, their Changeling forms are hideous, and they constantly have to feed on love in order to survive. To make up for this, they gained shapeshifting abilities that allow them to impersonate whoever they want and blend in with different societies. Subverted when Thorax's purification shows that purified Changelings not only keep that ability but are much stronger than cursed ones on top of the other benefits.
• Cycle of Revenge: Deconstructed. The Changelings were engaged in a race/civilization-spanning blood-feud with Dragonkind that spanned aeons, due to Dragons burning down their homeland at the dawn of their existence and indirectly responsible for all the hardship they suffered. It's getting to the point that it's actually threatening the existence of both Changelingkind and Dragonkind as the fallout and consequences from their very long war returns to haunt them with a vengeance.
• Dark Secret: Being what they are, they have a large number of them.
  • The Fall and everything pertaining to it is treated like this. The truth is the Hearts and Hooves Day Legend.
  • The existence of the Zeroth Spawns is this, as they were spawned directly by the Fall by Rosedust and Blackthorn while under the Love Poison's effects and unlike their younger siblings are full fledged gods. Rosedust proceeded to be monstrously abusive towards them, due to venting her rage at Blackthorn on them, driving them away at which point their existence was largely kept hidden.
• Death World: Amorea, the homeland of the Changelings, is a pretty nasty place to live from all available facts, with ashlands in the north (Constantly replenished with ashes from a volcanic chain), deadly jungles in the south, littered with ruins from the Changelings' predecessors and dwells many deadly natural wildlife and supernatural monsters. The fact that Changelingkind managed to endure and even prosper in this environment is lampshaded as a testament to their determination to survive, no matter the costs.
  • Also an important plot point to their origins, history and relationship with other races given how it got that way with 'The Fall' and 'The Burning of Amorea'. Is it any wonder how Changelingkind turned out the way they did?
• Determinator: The Changelings will survive, no matter the odds, no matter what they have to do. And they managed to keep this up for eons.
• The Dreaded:
  • In general, getting the attention of the Unseelie Changelings is a recipe for disaster. The Winter Court Changelings are the worst of them, due to many of them being banished criminals, wicked Royal Changelings, and other lowlifes.
  • Inverted with the Seelie Changelings who are decidedly more benevolent. That being said, it's advisable not to get on their bad side.
  • First-Spawn Changelings have an infamous reputation among Changelingkind for being like gods that are second only to their parents, the Changeling Progenitors, in terms of experience and power. So great was their influence that the First-Spawn was collectively feared and respected. Currently only a few of them exist, as most of them have gone into hibernation, willingly or not; Prince Puck, Blackrose's son, is a First-Spawn that's still active, though it's hard to tell since he looks like a Common Changeling rather than a Royal Changeling as befitting his station.
  • It turns out there's Changelings predating even the First Spawns: the Zeroth Spawns. These Changelings were born to Blackthorn and Rosedust while they were under the effect of the Love Poison (and thus weren't part of the First Spawning Generation) and are actual gods like their parents rather than demi-gods like their younger siblings. As such they're even more powerful and experienced than the First-Spawns. While Shrouded in Myth, the rest of the Courts only speak of them in hushed whispers.
• Emotion Eater: As in canon, part of the bread and butter of being a Changeling is a hunger for love. This came from 'The Curse' that also created Changelingkind in the first place. Failure to feed causes their bodies and their minds to fall apart and becoming animalistic 'Feral Changelings' who would attack and drain love from anyone they could get their hooves on. Luckily, newly-ascendant Thorax and his Purified Changelings will hopefully cure or at least reduce this part to a minimum.
• Enforced Cold War: Thanks to the 'Thrones Accords', the current Balance of Power / Space Cold War between the Spring and Summer Courts are effectively this, and seen as preferable to the state of ancient inter-Court conflicts that are implied to have existed prior to the 'First Spawn Rebellion'.
• Exact Words: Like the Fae in mythology, the Changelings are fond of this. While their culture ensures they WILL stick to their end of their oaths and deals, especially the more benevolent Seelie Courts, they're also compelled by their culture to either milk it to their advantage or weasel out of it if it may harm/inconvenience them. It is advised that when making a deal with a Changeling one makes sure to cover every possible bases with clearly defined and unambiguous language.

General (F — I)

• Faerie Court: Being considered modern Fae themselves, the entirety of Changelingkind are organized into two official and two unofficial Fae courts, their temperaments following the seasons and plant parts they are named after.
  • The Spring Court, officially the 'Court of Roses', [WIP]
  • The Summer Court, officially the 'Court of Thorns', [WIP]
  • The Autumn Court, also named the 'Court of Leaves', [WIP]
  • The Winter Court, also named the 'Court of [WIP]', [WIP]
• Fatal Flaw:
  • Obsession. Many members of Changelingkind and likely the Courts as a whole have a tendency of being overly preoccupied with past trauma and grudges, some aeons old, to the point these old pains and feelings are passed down generations and defined their entire identity and culture. Their defining racial obsession with secrecy and survival stems from their traumatic beginnings in 'The Fall' and the 'Burning of Amorea' as much as genuine necessity, for example. Some prominent Changelings such as Thorax don't have that sort of baggage, but more often then not, this usually ends up biting them in the flank when they least expect it.
  • Wrath. Their aeons long grudge with the Dragons has resulted in untold suffering for both races to the point the rest of the world is begining to call them out on it due to the horrible threats born from it.
• The Fair Folk: Are among the various species of fae on Equus, complete with the distinction between Seelie and Unseelie Fae. The Spring and Autumn Courts belong to the former while the Summer and Winter Courts belong to the latter. In turn, Changelingkind in general is based on mythical faeries, such as their stickler for oaths.
• Foil: To the Dragons. As quoted from Word of God:
  "I think this has to do with the fact that when I looked at them, I found that they are complete antitheses of one another; the Changelings are weak individually, hideous to look at and are dependent on harvesting love from others, and even in canon seems in possession of a culture which emphasizes on guile, secrecy, and sacrificing for the greater good. The Dragons by contrast are strong, aggressive and greedy to a fault, and even in-universe had a culture that emphasizes on might make right, brawn over brains, prideful individualism and wealth who never had to fight for their survival. I found that when put together, both of them are not exactly very compatible and even mutually exclusive."
• Freudian Excuse: Changelingkind's immense hatred for Dragonkind came from 'The Burning of Amorea', where greedy dragons burned and ransacked the Changelings' homeland in order to plunder its riches for themselves, transforming the once lush and fertile Amorea into an irrevocably ruined Death World. While it's understandable, it became increasingly clear that the Changelings were only hurting themselves in the name of fulfilling their vengeance, not to mention that there were dragons who weren't even involved in what their ancestors had done. Those who were victims of unwarranted persecution/abuse by the Changelings, such as Princess Apertus and Dr. Toxikon, were innocent people transformed into hateful monsters because of the racial grudge.
• Forever War: Changelingkind had been fighting on-and-off against Dragonkind for aeons in a generations-spanning, cultural/racial blood feud over mutual transgressions. This began with the 'Burning of Amorea', when hordes of Dragons ravaged and plunder Amorea at the dawn of Changelingkind's existence, nearly pushing them to extinction and instilling them with a deep and festering grudge. One of the most infamous instances of this conflict was the 'Time of Broken Scales' nearly 5,000 years ago, when the Changeling Summer Court retaliated by launching an all-out genocide on Dragonkind and nearly did the job, which made the bitter enmity mutual from the Dragons' end. Only when recent crises caused by this conflict threatened both sides' existence, as well as budding friendship/love appearing between some of the most important members among Dragons and Changelings, are there now signs that the conflict might finally end.
• Generational Trauma: The Fall and the Burning of Amorea was so utterly traumatic to the first Changelings that it came to define their entire culture afterwards, becoming pragmatic survivalists obsessed with preserving Changelingkind's existence at all costs, setting up the Masquerade as they embraced secrecy for protection, and developing a racial vendetta against Dragonkind for nearly driving them to extinction (but also continuously threatening their food supply by plundering/razing lands they harvest love from). This began to cause issues come the Fourth Age as their inability to move on from the trauma and letting them be passed on for generations caused problems and toxicity to accumulate until they ironically threaten Changeling civilization/species themselves.
• Guile Hero: Changelingkind prizes wits more than brawn, owing to their weak insectoid-equine constitution, so heroes and champions among Changelingkind are naturally this, relying on skills and cunning to prevail. To quote one of their mantras: "POWER IS NOT EVERYTHING."
• Heroic Sacrifice: The Martyrdom Culture of Changelingkind inevitably results in them revering this concept. To often disturbing levels for non-Changeling observers.
• Hive Mind: Subverted, as Changeling hives in general do not work like this. It's possible for a Royal Changeling to make a swarm behave as one unite with magic pheromones, but every Changeling is their own person and capable of having free will, something the Royal Changelings try to discourage in order to keep their royal legitimacy intact.
• Holier Than Thou: Stated to be the attitude of many Royal Changelings, including the more benevolent ones. They do not tolerate dissension because they see themselves as objectively better than other Changelings — after all, they are smarter, stronger, longer-lived, and magically more powerful than their subjects. Plus, most Royal Changelings are children of either Blackrose or Blackthorn. Therefore, they deserve to rule by literal divine right. A major reason why the Royal Changelings hate the Autumn Court because they see the Changelings there as ungrateful for rejecting the protection and love they give all their subjects, and undermine their legitimacy by merely existing; once they find an Autumn hive, they either try to assimilate it back into mainstream society (Spring Court) or destroy it and enslave the survivors (Summer Court). This is deconstructed in that this attitude, especially when combined with Fantastic Racism, caused them to commit horrible atrocities that eventually came back to bite them and rightly earned the anger of several people, including some deities and morally good Changelings. It's averted with Thorax, however, as his origins as a lowly Changeling drone played a part in becoming a truly good leader and gaining so many allies from inside and outside of the Changeling Courts.
• Hopeless War: The Cycle of Revenge and aeons/generation-spanning conflict between Changelings and Dragons is fast becoming this by the present age, as not only are both sides getting no closer to wiping each other out, but the fallout and damage created by the toxic environment of vindictive hate are giving rise to evils and villains that threaten BOTH sides' existence. Despite all the wrongs, all the suffering both races had done upon each other, the only way this conflict could end now in any meaningful sense is by both sides burying their hatchets and walk away. Ember and Thorax are presently working on that, so there may yet be hope...
• Horror Hunger: What their racial "Curse" entails. Changelingkind in general is forced to feed on love gathered from sapient beings, which in turn forces them to come up with creative ways to do this without earning the fear and wrath of the beings they feed on. Most members of the Spring Court feed by symbiosis, gaining love by doing good deeds for the public at large, while most members of the Summer Court get it from raiding non-Changeling settlements. It's averted with Thorax, who, beyond all odds, managed to ascend to Royal Changelinghood by willingly share his love with Chrysalis, allowing him to purify himself and a large majority of Chrysalis's hive in the process. It's implied that they were the results of the Amare kingdom's sins, forced to bear the weight of their predecessors wrongdoings, or they were cursed by Discord to become love-sucking monsters.
• Hypocrite: Despite being a survival-obsessed race, they have done some things that goes against their ideology. It's deconstructed that their actions would later bite them in the collective flank, showing in many instances that their mantra of survival has done more harm than good.
  • The most glaring example is their hatred Changeling-Dragon hybrids such as Princess Apertus. Once Queen Acherontia and Dragon Lord Vulcan were dealt with, no one bothered to look for the missing Apertus, believing that she was good as dead and that she doesn't deserve to exist for who she is. However, they're perfectly fine with being ruled by the Royal Changelings, who are hybrid spawn of the Changeling Progenitors themselves. This comes back to bite them when an enraged, insane Apertus goes on a justified Roaring Rampage of Revenge against her people for what they did to her parents.
  • They also look down on the Autumn Court as Ungrateful Bastards who rejected the Royal Changelings' love and protection to survive on their own outside of the official Courts, and seek to bring all of them back into mainstream society. The Royal Changelings in particular see themselves as the rightful rulers of Changelingkind due to their Divine Parentage, and thus feel entitled to the right of legitimate sovereignty. However, part of survival involves escaping truly abusive and harmful situations, if Danaus Gloriana Lyonesse-Avalon being the fabled Amber Royal is true.
• I Gave My Word: A Changeling's Word, Oath or Contract is regarded as serious business among the Changeling Courts, as in legends regarding the Fae. It can be inferred that in a society where survival depends upon deceiving others, trustworthiness through meeting obligations is a valuable commodity that allows for Changeling civilization to remain united and not devolve into society-rending distrust and paranoia (At least where the Seelie Courts are concerned). That being said, the letter and meaning of the promise is still important. Breaking one's oath immediately warrants the punishment of being Condemned to the Winter Court, as it is the equivalent to committing treason against their race.
• I Have No Son!: In Changeling society, being disowned by a family member in general is a very serious matter; not only does it leave the victim at risk of starving (since Changelings are Emotion Eaters), it also shows just how far a Changeling had gone to deserve that kind of punishment. This is exemplified with the conflict between Buprestidae and Chrysalis; Buprestidae's complete disownment of her sister for committing genocide against the Twinkle-Eye Ponies of Timbucktu shows the kind of monster Chrysalis has become.
• Idealist vs. Pragmatist: Firmly in the pragmatist side - to the Changelings, the foundation of all morality is the survival and secrecy of the Changeling race (after all, you can't be good if you are dead), and to them any action, no matter how heartless, which facilitates those ends are automatically justified. This remains a source of tension with other races and civilisations which are more idealistic and moral.
• I Know Your True Name: It's eventually revealed all Changelings have a 'True Name' that is an extremely closely guarded secret. This is because, as fae, their True Name can give you power over them. As such, they only share their True Name with their most trusted allies and, ironically like Dragons, it's one of their ultimate signs of trust.

General (J — O)

• Land of Faerie: The Changeling homeland of Amorea, a continent which up until the Fall of the Masquerade remains unexplored, with all expeditions never returning. Now the world knows the reasons why that is the case.
• Large and in Charge: Royal Changelings are known for their greater physical size compared to Common Changelings. As shown in canon, Chrysalis towered over the members of her hive, and after Thorax became a newly-ascended Royal Changeling, he grew in size as well.
• Loophole Abuse: While the Changelings would always keep their Words or the terms of their Contracts once given or made, they are also known like most Fae to bend or liberally interpret said terms if it suits their interests to do so, especially if they are badly worded. And they are known to be very good with it.
  • A Changeling Queen from the Orient and an exiled sister in the Winter Court had after both ran out of magic, weapons and cunning in their prolonged battle been reduced to brawling with their own hooves. The Winter Court exile attempted to plead with her sister when she was losing the struggle to stop hitting her, asking if she would 'raise her hoof' own flesh-and-blood in her attempt to turn Oriental values on family against her. The Changeling Queen noted that is a good point... so she beat the stuffing out of her with a large rock she found nearby instead, knocking her wayward sister out and capturing her without 'raising a hoof' against her.
• Magnetic Hero: Though the "Hero" part varies with each individual, Royal Changelings are known for an aura of charisma that could draw Common Changelings towards them and inspire their loyalty. It takes a considerable amount of effort — like being too much of a tyrant — to spoil it and turn the Common Changelings against them, something cited as one of the reasons behind Chrysalis' downfall.
• Mark of Shame: In-universe; being Condemned to Winter is regarded by Changelings as the equivalent of being actually marked, since it's a sign that someone committed an unspeakable crime.
• Martyrdom Culture: From various entries it is explicitly or implicitly shown that Changeling culture operates with this vibe. Individualism is discouraged (Though NOT entirely eliminated), and sacrifice for the greater good of the hive is seen as the highest calling. When they stated "The Changelings MUST Survive", it likely means the race as a whole, a 'body' composed of millions upon millions of components, capable of enduring the (Willing) loss of thousands of units if that's what it takes to ensure the wider whole can survive and recover. They are so devoted into this concept many outside Changelingkind found it very disturbing.
  Entomo (Changeling Philosopher): "We will survive — we MUST. Though some of us may die, nameless and unmourned, their legacy will remain forever with us, through the swarms, through the hives, though our people's VERY EXISTENCE. Where one may fall before those that threaten us, there will be a dozen who would follow, and then hundreds and thousands after them. Those who sacrificed are but their harbingers, and those that follow will prevail where they cannot...
  
  "You may think 'We gave our lives for our swarm/hive/kind' is a disturbing thing to do. But for us... there is no greater epitaph. Though we are transient, in the greater whole, enduring forever, we shall be IMMORTAL. There is nothing more meaningful than to devote oneself to something greater. So ask yourself, then: how many others on this world are willing to do the same with such determination and devotion?"
  • And to REALLY hammer it in, they even have mantras that are adapted from ancient utterances that have their origins, in-universe, from a certain Golden Imperium predating Known History, which is also a Martyrdom Culture thanks to the circumstances surrounding it.
  Common Changeling Mantra "SERVE THE HIVE! For tomorrow, you may be DEAD!"
• Matriarchy:
  • The Spring Court is ruled by (mostly) benevolent Changeling Queens, and is likely an Enlightened version of the trope, since Blackrose's oldest son, Prince Puck, serves as her adviser and has other important responsibilities that she wouldn't normally trust her daughters with. However, the Spring Court is not without its own flaws, as it occasionally spawns 'bad apples' like Chrysalis, and even the more benevolent Queens tend to have a Holier Than Thou attitude towards their subjects and exhibits traces of racism towards non-Changelings, especially dragons. It's implied that the Spring Court's government system was inherited from their predecessors, who hailed from the Amare kingdom, which was ruled by wise and benevolent queens.
  • The Summer and Autumn Courts are an inversion, as they are both patriarchies ruled by Changeling Kings. This does not mean that they are objectively "inferior" to the matriarchal Spring Courts — while the Summer Court is a nest of backstabbing, underhandedness, and complicated schemes, it is largely due to the nature of its patriarch, Emperor Blackthorn. The Autumn Court has a looser form of government since it is populated by free-willed Changelings, but the most well-known Autumn hive is Hive Thorax, a hive of purified Changelings that is ruled by the benevolent Thorax, who became a Royal Changeling through The Power of Love.
• The Masquerade: Maintained one for aeons, due to their secretive nature and obsession with survival. The 'Fall of the Masquerade' in the Fourth Age is widely considered one of the biggest world-changing events for both Changelingkind and modern-day Equus as a whole.
• Mix-and-Match Critters: Implied deconstruction. Due to a combination of their innate shape-shifting magic, their hybrid insectoid/equine biology, and other yet-revealed factors of their cursed biological condition, their genome are less stable than other races and more prone to mutating alterations. This meant that they are much higher risk of genetic diseases and disorders than other races. Should the "Deviants", Changelingkind's term for their Mutants procreate with harmful mutations, it might result in sterility on the scale of entire populations and lineages.
• Monster Progenitor: The aptly-named Progenitors, the Parent Deities of all Changelingkind. Interestingly, they're not a couple (they couldn't stand the other in one case), but are instead the patriarch/matriarch of their own official Courts. Thorax is an unusual example; he was a former Changeling drone who ascended to Royal status by sharing love with Chrysalis, but he is technically regarded as a Progenitor in-universe, since his actions led to Chrysalis's hive transforming when they decided to follow his example in sharing love.
• Mutants: Noted as "Deviants", these Changelings whose body has been permanently altered in some form like Thorax, who can turn into inanimate objects or Pharynx's giant bug form. Their treatment depending on which hive they live in and what exactly does their mutation do, ranges from being encouraged to procreate to being exterminated. This is because in the early days, their biological predisposition for mutation makes Changelingkind far more prone to genetic diseases and disorders than other races and a far greater chances to a greater variety of cancers. Most dreadfully for Changelingkind, should harmful mutations be allowed to accumulate over multiple generations, there is a significant possibility that entire populations and lineages of Changelings would end up becoming sterile as their innate genetic stability breaks down. It took years, if not centuries of research to use the genetic makeup responsible for the high mutation rate to their advantage by permanently curing many genetic disorders and illnesses among Changelingkind that are still an issue for other races present day.
• Mysterious Past: A lot of information about the Changelingkind's origins as well as that of their most notable figures are open to speculation. This is because the secretive race goes great lengths to hide them, leaving only tidbits of questionably reliable information at best for the outside world to consider. This includes the true nature of the Changeling Progenitors (though it's implied they were once mortal), how they became Changelings in the first place, and the backstory of the Amber Royal. It is eventually revealed that they're the end result of the Hearts and Hooves Day Legend, with Blackrose/Rosedust being the Princess and Blackthorn the Prince. This means the Changelings used to be Flutterponies.
• The Power of Love: It is implied that the cure to Changelingkind's love hunger lay in Thorax, who ascended to a Royal Changeling by willingly giving his love to Chrysalis. Supporting this is the gods' collective angry reaction to Changelingkind's mistreatment of Queen Acherontia for falling in love with a dragon, with Luminiferous informing them that continuing the racial feud with Dragonkind wasn't really worth letting their own people continue being condemned by their own curse. It's also theorized by Emperor Blackthorn that a Changeling's ability to share love with others is influenced by their determination to share love, which was supposedly how Thorax was able to ascend in the first place.
• The Oath-Breaker: One of the worst things a Changeling can become, due to heavy emphasis on oaths and words in general. Breaking an oath immediately warrants condemnation to the Winter Court, as it is equivalent to treason.

General (P — S)

• Riddle for the Ages:
  • "What happened during 'the Fall'?" The Changeling Progenitors fell under the influence of the infamous 'Love Poison' that Blackthorn gave Blackrose in order to gain her affections, and it transformed them and their people into Changelings. Discord orchestrated the event, though as he pointed out to Blackthorn, he's not entirely responsible for it.
  • "Who were the Progenitors and what role did they play in the creation of the Changelings?" They were once a Flutter Pony goddess and an Earth Pony Prince, who both fell under the influence of the infamous 'Love Poison' and sired the Zeroth Spawn out of wedlock. It's heavily implied that being under the Love Poison for a certain amount of time transformed the couple into the Changeling Progenitors.
  • "Why are the Changeling Progenitors estranged?" Blackthorn was in love with Blackrose back when she was a pre-transformed Rosedust, and tried to seduce her with a love potion. It backfired, and they ended up siring the Zeroth Spawn under the Love Poison's influence. Rosedust was so traumatized by the experience that she became a hateful, bitter, and vindictive person, and was monstrously abusive to the Zeroth Spawn simply for being related to her rapist. It estranged her from her children for aeons, and since then, while Rosedust/Blackrose slowly changed into a more benevolent ruler later on, she spent quite some time in denial over her traumas and relationship with Blackthorn, thinking that not acknowledging her past would help her get over it.
  • "What role did Discord play to make him earn the Progenitors' and Changelingkind's enmity for him?" He gave Blackthorn the Love Poison in the first place. However, as Discord has pointed out, he never forced Blackthorn to use it and was genuinely as surprised as anyone when it resulted in the creation of the Changelings.
• Roaring Rampage of Revenge: After the Dragons burnt down their homeland for the sake of seizing their riches, and nearly drove them to extinction at the dawn of their people, the Summer Court Changelings returned the favor in 'The Time of Broken Scales'. They would have wiped every dragon out had not for the intervention of the Dragons' own deities.
• Secret-Keeper: Next to survival, secrecy is this for Changelingkind, being one of their greatest protections from a hostile and dangerous world. Until recently 'The Masquerade' was the biggest one for them, with the gods and the very few individuals, groups and races which knew the Changelings' existence complicit in maintaining it. Even after it was dropped, Changelingkind is adamant to make sure few of their secrets falls into the wrong hooves.
• Semi-Divine: Royal Changelings, the 'Spawns' and 'Grandspawns' of the Progenitors who are the Parent Deities of all Changelingkind, are this by their blood, and has everything that comes with being demigods. In-universe, they are collectively called the 'Scions of Amorea' to distinguish them from the 'mortal children' of the Progenitors that they rule over. "First Spawn" Royal Changelings are the oldest and most powerful among Royal Changelings, second to the Changeling Progenitors themselves. It's noted that the fact none, despite many being almost as old as their parents, have ever gone beyond this state, however, which is unusual given most demi-gods would've ascended by now. It's noted that Thorax having the potential to actually ascend to a true god is another sign that it's Changelingkind's nature he deviates from that holds them back.
• Space Cold War: For aeons the Spring and Summer Courts exists in a delicate balance of power, generally staying out of each others' way but occasionally having conflicts with each other that are settled either in orderly manners stipulated in the 'Thrones Accords', or in hidden conflicts unseen and unnoticed by the rest of the world until fairly recently.
• Stealth Pun: A Codexverse writer noticed that despite being centuries to millennia old, many Royal Changelings never managed to Ascend to true godhood because (at least in part) they kept clinging to old, toxic grudges and behaviors, preventing them from moving on. They're essentially the Royal Changeling equivalent of man-children.
• Super-Intelligence: One of the boons of being a Royal Changeling was a highly enhanced intelligence.

General (T — Z)

• Trauma Button: 'The Fall', in which Changelingkind were cursed into becoming the love-eating creatures they are today. Asking about it to any Changeling would get shocked and/or angry reactions at best. The only ones who don't have this reaction are those from Chrysalis's hive and, by extension, Thorax's hive, as they were Locked Out of the Loop by Chrysalis herself via several generations of deceit for selfish reasons.
• The Trickster: Changelingkind in general, owing to their culture emphasizing wits more than brute strength. Made easier by their powers of shapeshifting and being masters of infiltration.
• The Unfettered: On the issue of Changelingkind's existence, they are this. No matter how cruel, horrific, unscrupulous or downright evil, nothing — nothing — is off the table if it would ensure the survival of Changelingkind.
  • Where the Equestrians imprisoned Cozy Glow in Tartarus and many requested/demanded that they lessen her sentence on account of her being a child, the Changeling Courts were among the few who outright advocated for KILLING her, just to be absolutely sure the evil child prodigy would not escape and threaten Equestria and everyone else again.
• We All Die Someday: Because of their difficult circumstances, this is a common belief among many mortal, common Changelings in the Courts. This partly contributed to the development of a Martyrdom Culture among Changelingkind, as many of them believe their individual lives are meaningless in the grander scheme of things and find peace in Heroic Sacrifice for the sake of their swarm/hive and species.
• We Are as Mayflies: A common attitude among the common Changelings of the Courts. Compare to their ageless, immortal demigod and divine rulers and in the face of ever-present adversity threatening the existence of their lives, hives, courts and even species, they see their short, humble lives as inconsequential in the greater scheme of things. This partly results in them developing a pervasive collectivist Martyrdom Culture, to the point they seem happy at the idea that they are utterly expendable, believing their devotion to the greater whole of Changelingkind and the higher cause of its survival to be all that matters and a willingness to die for them to be the greatest epitaph imaginable.
• Women Are Wiser: Zigzagged.
  • The Royal Changeling matriarchs of the Spring Court are generally more benevolent than their patriarchal Summer Court counterparts, who are scheming, ambitious, and violent, and hives tend to be far more stable when ruled by a Queen. The Spring Court in general is also more stable than the Summer Court due to the positive influence of Empress Blackrose. However, this does not mean they are objectively "better", since Blackrose and most of her children are deeply racist towards Dragonkind, and even the more benevolent Queens tend to display a superior and patronizing attitude towards their subjects because they are royals. Chrysalis is also one of the few 'bad apples' that is birthed by the Spring Court, and is utterly irredeemable in the eyes of her family. Prince Puck, Blackrose's eldest son, is considered to be leagues reasonable than the females of his family, to the point where he serves as his mother's confidant and personal assistant, something that none of his sisters could hope to achieve.
  • The patriarchal Summer Court is a toxic nest of consummate backstabbing and complicated scheming, but everyone, including Emperor Blackthorn, pays respects to the Crone, a wise, ancient female Changeling who is Blackthorn's servant. That being said, there are a few Changeling Kings who break the mold; one of the more famous benevolent Summer Court figures is King Metamorphosis, who is widely regarded as "Summer's Conscience". This is largely a reason why he's Blackthorn's current favorite.
  • While the Autumn Court has a very loose government system (leadership tends to vary with each Autumn hive), the most famous Autumn hive is Hive Thorax, a patriarchal group of purified Changelings that is led by Thorax, a former Changeling drone who managed to ascend into a Royal Changeling through The Power of Love. Thorax struggles to become a proper leader, but he is very compassionate and has the potential to become a Changeling Emperor on the level of Blackrose/Blackthorn if he desired.
• Would Hurt a Child: As a demonstration of just how ruthlessly pragmatic Changelings are on a cultural level, in a drabble, it's mentioned that the Changeling Courts apparently pressured Equestria to deal with Cozy Glow more definitively than just putting her in Tartarus, in contrast to other groups who want them to lessen her sentence on account of her young age — and when they meant definitively, they meant outright TERMINATING her. Like the heroes and rulers of Equestria, they know exactly how dangerous Cozy Glow is, and unlike the more merciful Equestrians they're not going to risk the very slim possibility of her reforming to the absolute certainty that she may pose a threat to not only Equestria but the entire world if she ever got out — which she actually did. It's heavily implied they had similarly eliminated ANY child among their kind who turned out or have the potential to become as dangerous as Cozy Glow the moment they know of their existence and threat.

Spring Court

See their folder entries here.

Summer Court

See their folder entries here.

The Autumn Court

See their folder entries here.

The Winter Court

See their folder entries here.

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