If changelings were to develop advanced technology, all on their own, what would it look like? How would it function and how would it behave? Personally I think it would be a lot like Wraith technology from Stargate Atlantis. The two races are suprisingly similar, at least before the changeling reformation.

Technology like modern stuff we have now? Or just any sort of invention?

I was thinking the same thing. Biological technology like the Zerg from Starcraft.

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I've kind of got a thing against automatically giving insect races biotechnology. It's a weird trope that I never really got - like, take the novel Starship Troopers, the Arachnids in that use guns and spaceships and technology and computers and so on, but for some reason in the film version and the 1988 Japanese OVA that predates it both made the bugs use biotechs and claws and so on.

For my part, I think if it fits, then by all means give them biotech - it works well for, say, the Zerg or the Tyranids (although it's worth noting that the original Tyranids were shown to have guns, swords, and other technology - it was only after the success of StarCraft and the Zerg that the Tyranids were redesigned to be more Zerg-like themselves). But I don't like automatically doing it, particularly if it doesn't make a whole lot of sense on examination.

Like, the changelings are shapeshifting, parasitical infiltrators by nature. They're much more likely to simply copy and adapt the technology of others than to put the - I have to assume - absurd amount of time and effort that it would take to breed a bug that replicated the technology. Depending on how much realism you want to include there's also some issues with regards to form and function.

As for imagining changelings developing technology all on their own - as in, they never had contact with others - that's difficult to envision because they were definied by their parasitism. If they don't have others to feed on, who are they eating?

7419062 Vibrators! Vibrators for every hole!

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I agree on your point about contact with others, keep in mind that this is just theoretical. I thought of the biotech of the wraith not just because of the two species' similarities, but because when we saw the changeling hive it seemed to function similarly to the wraith biotech, even if it was likely a very different mechanism.

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I've never checked out Starcraft, I'm more familiar with Stargate, Halo, Star Wars, and (to a lesser extent) Warhammer.

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Technology is developed based on the needs of a culture, if a culture does not need more advanced technology for some purpose then they will not develop it. Japan was still in the Middle Ages in the late 1800's, but managed to modernize in under 30 years (a truly remarkable achievement) when necessary. A different culture with different needs and a different perspective would likely not develop technology identical to humans.

7419098
I see.

Well, this idea was sitting in the back of my mind for a while. Because of how changeling use disguises to survive when they were unreformed, and how combat training is most likely there most prioritize subject, I feel like it should make sense that they would carry a variety of weapons. Knives, swords, battle axes, maybe even that loose pvc pipe from downstairs...

Now, being disguised does not negate to potential danger they are in, especially if they are caught. I thought it would be both really cool and practical if they had shapeshifting weapons as well, hiding them as everyday items in plain sight. This way they can carry around those items without being caught or questioned about.

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Interesting. If you had a shapeshifting weapon would the weight change? If the weight did change to match it's form then theoretically you could carry a siege engine in your back pocket.

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I mean...maybe? This is Equestrian, I don’t think the laws of physics really work the same way...at least I’m pretty sure it doesn’t.

Even if it does let’s just chalk it up to *~MAGIC~*

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Isn't changeling shapeshifting magic regardless?

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Not for the nose or ears.
No sneezing or deafness.

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Part of what you ask depends on the world of your story.
That depends on what your story is about.

I've been toying with writing a story about a changeling hive that ends up on Earth
due to a magical accident in one of their labs. They had changelings in disguise helping ponies study portal magic.
I bet changelings in this situation would study Earth tech and either make their own versions or modify their magic to be like Earth tech.

It might be possible that Earth Tech might not have any protection against magical attacks but that depends on the world of the story.

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The Zerg are kinda like the Tyranids from Warhammer 40k.

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Shapeshifting weapons sounds like a cool idea.
How about something like a Bag of Holding too?

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I'm not actually writing a story, this is purely a thought experiment

The constructed vs. organic 'argument' is essentially just window dressing. It doesn't actually matter which path you go down in any given story, so long as its interanlly consistent with itself and the setting. Which is a lot easier to do with constructed technology as that's what we are more familiar with.
With that being said, how things would likely be influenced by culture might possibly be a more instructive way of looking at this.

Pre-reformation Changelings were aggressive but secretive parasites. Thier entire culture was wholly centred around hiding and misdirection, and this would affect how they built/grew the things they used.
There might be very few 'single purpose' devices, as it would be advantageous to hide things in plain sight as something else, and to have those things function as expected to an outside observer. But still be able to function in thier intended 'hidden' role.
So weapons or other devices disguised as tools or other mundane items. Basically 007 or ninja levels of hidden & disguised nonsense literally everywhere.

Those items whose function would be compromised by the above would instead be designed to be easily concealable, and maybe in some cases also disposable with some means of destroying itself when discarded.
Flick-knives, dart throwers, extendable staves (eg: Minbari fighting pike | Babylon 5), magic 'grenades', smoke bombs.

It's built into everything, even 'domestic' items have multiple uses and/or appear to be something other than what they are. It's just how they are. They can't help themselves.

Reformed Changelings are more like symbiotes, and they don't care about hiding or disguising. But they came from those who did, so thier thinking might still be heavily influenced by that history and thier devices retain a great deal of multi-functionality as a result.
Only now it's overt. The only things that are hidden are for aesthetic or functional reasons rather than misdirection, and thier tools might be described as 'swiss army knives'.
Modern Changelings might possibly also begin to gain a reputation of always being able to solve a problem or complete a task, even if it's not by the most 'optimal' means. Thier access to tools capable performing many functions adequately could give them a degree of flexibility that no-one else in the setting has. So even if they're not really the best at anything, Changelings might still incredibly useful to have around.

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Xenomorphs.

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Xenomorphs'.

7419215
I get that.

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Do Modern and Reformed changelings have their own culture or is it a mix of pony and their past culture?
Some changeling traditions get kept while others are discarded?

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The way I'd imagine the reformed Changelings is similar to how we would consider our forebears from the 19th centrury (or earlier).
Some things/ideas would be kept because they work, and further adapted for uses which may or may not have been original intent. While others would not as they either aren't capable of doing what is wanted anymore, or are in some way distasteful.

Pre-reform Changelings (imo) tend toward being insular and so might prefer to use thier own tools wherever possible, with only a few exceptions appropriated from other races where it has been proven to be better at a specific task.
Post reform, they're a giant melting pot of ideas. They still have thier traditions, but aren't too fussy about where an idea/thing comes from if it does what they want. Although they might be liable to tear it apart to learn how it works and re-build/adapt it to thier own tastes.

All this hot nonsense got thrown together for a story that was never written.
But life etc...

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This makes sense.
Maybe you will have the chance to write that story?

I wrote two stories showing some changeling culture.
In one story, the changelings had to reconcile with Celestia and crew because they got driven out of their homes.
The ponies were ambivalent, some of them still resented the changelings while others accepted them.
More allies for the fight.

In the second story, changelings were integrated into a society that was a mix of Equestria and Earth.
It was like Earth with the tech level and magic. There were no horse/pony puns, and it had places that were the same as Earth.
It was like Equestria because it had the same creatures in the show. No humans, because they are made up creatures.
In this story, a lot of changelings came from Asia, but a few were in America from the start.

Both stories didn't cover changeling culture in depth because the stories were about something else.

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Maybe like Umbaran technology from Clone Wars?

They have some bug like machines ,robots

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Maybe, also, fuck Pong Krell