I want to give you guys the chance to justify and show your creativity concerning the Hive Mind and Hive theory.

First of all let me tell you this... As far as canon goes I will agree with Magic Man for the most part that the changelings have neither hive mind nor hives. Hell I have even found out where the changelings are! Here it says that the gates to the Changeling Kingdom are south through the Appaloosan Mountain range and then on through the forest of Leota.
http://imgur.com/a/4HS8w#1 http://imgur.com/a/4HS8w#22 Another map... Hmmmm seems awfully close to where the battle with Discord took place. Wait... wasn't that in Ponyville? *scartches head* Whatever!

I'll tell you this much. When writers use the Hive Mind for me it's a sign of unoriginality, lack of inspiration, and plain ol laziness. In all sincerity I have seen it used a GAZZILION times over and it plain ol pisses me off. None bothers to explain their shit when they say "Hive Mind". I also don't like the way people see it as a race-wide propaganda of sorts because they see it like god's voice and god's voice is the voice of religion which is nothing sort of propaganda right? Whatever...

it's the same thing with Celestia being a tyrant because a singular leader is inherently bad/corrupt and the guidance/advice/whatever of the Queen of the changelings can't be anything but bad!

Although this video fails at spots here's a reason why your assumption of tyrant Celestia fails miserably upon its' feet. Because unless you establish it in your story how she is a tyrant just plain assuming by the way a system works that Celestia is a tyrant is bad. Same shit goes for the changelings. Just because you think that the Hivemind is bad because of the way it is structured doesn't mean that is true or that there aren't any benefits from this, or that free will is restricted.

Another misconception or assumption I dislike is treating the Hivemind like an instant online chatroom. Sometimes if you handle it properly it can work, and especially in comedic purposes but this is overestimating this characteristic of the changelings. I quite dislike how we generally use the hivemind like a wokey-tokey/radio of sorts. It just sounds RIDICULOUS.

The thing is that even when someone explains it they don't deviate from the "bee-zerg" concept. Especially when it comes to the zerg I am inserting the Ultimate NOOOOOO compilation. Like seriously... it might sound cool to have changelings with mutations and stuff, and if you can pull it off you're welcome but don't tell me you are being original in your concepts if you do that.

It seems we lack writers that actually perceive changelings as natural people meaning that they don't differ all that much from ponies in mentality. And who's responsible for all that? Plain Ol tyrant Chrysalis. Yea... let me just say that Tyrant comes from the Greek work that actually meant "The one who has all the political power" loosely translated. I am greek, I should know.

Another thing... the "cut the head of the hive/cut the hivemind link and the whole "swarm" goes down". Yea... why? And no... this is treating the changelings in a derogatory perspective saying that essentially they aren't able to function as individuals or that just by killing a leader a whole nation will go instantly in dissarray. Well let me tell you this people... did Commander Shepard go and kill the leader of the Reapers to win? Is there no contigency in modern society for the transition between leader to leader? Granted it might not be effective but notions like "Without a Queen/Hive mind the changelings would forever squabble and be in disarray" is plain ridiculous and underestimates the capabilities of changelings that can work as individuals. This goes to the point where a changeling without a hivemind is a purposeless individual

I personally view this bond as kind of a family/friend thing. Changelings who are born of blood can link themselves with each other and perceive general emotions, if focused enough location maybe. It is a bond that can be performed with others, can be cut off and connection can be permanently severed. It is a way to judge the ability to also lead combined with physical and mental prowess. The greater the ability to perform such bonds the more the chance to rise in the ranks of changeling hierarchy. This goes up to the Queen who's empathy and ability to communicate with the changelings is judged. The crown itself becomes a holy relic through which ancient rulers grant the ability to communicate for a limited time with all the changelings to form a concesus on matters of great importance. Like war.

Now this is the rough explanation so I can't say it's as detailed as I would want it to be. But this is not entirely about me. It's about you. I want you to show me your creativity your originality and your ability to deviate even the slightest from common fanon. So here come my questions.

How do changelings use the hivemind?
How does it work with the body?
What are the benefits?
The drawbacks?
What can it do?
What can't it do?
Is it easy to use?
How did it get developped?
How is it used?
What does the Queen have to do with it?
How does it help changeling society?
Can changeling society function without it?

I could ask more but you know the drill... you are the creators so you explain it. I might just explain mine as well.

Okay. Changelings having a hive mind is more interesting to me. There, I think that justifies its use pretty well at least when it comes to me.

3919594 You misunderstand. I hate the fact that simply by mentioning it we are expected to understand it immediately.

No... I don't have to understand your stuff... EXPLAIN IT. That is all I am asking. The fact that you don't explain it says how LAZY you are. ((not you specifically))

3919651
How do they use it? Queen is ultimate mind of the hive. All others are little more than limbs. Can the drones think for themselves? Only on a level of basic survival but are little more than feral and somewhat rabid animals without the queen directing their actions. Higher class changelings, say general/commander/high end soldier types and probably most of the males (since they are only good for breeding) can think more or less independently and in the case of the soldiers possibly control small numbers of drones for themselves. The queen likely has something close to advisers who are most likely as unique as the queen who serve as an evolutionary development to prevent a stupid queen from getting them all killed. Mostly likely the distinctions between their place in the society/hierarchy is entirely dependent upon genes and possibly diet from birth.

How does it work with the body? Explain what you are wanting to know here. This question doesn't even make sense to me.

Benefits? Swarm mentality and ability. When one is legion it is a lot harder to be snuffed out. Lets keep in mind that the world in which Equestria exists is a veritable death world so creatures with this sort of hive mind/tyranid/xenomorph progression/society is likely. A lot easier to fight with dragons and the like if the lives of the individual involved are unimportant so long as the queen survives and can breed.

Drawbacks? If the queen dies the others, save for those I labeled as largely independent, turn feral and aggressive. Odds are pretty good the entire hive dies out in an orgy of violence upon itself. This in itself might even be some sort of odd evolution in an effort to make sure whatever kills the queen will die in the ensuing violence. The males of this race are also wholly useless for anything more than being the queen's playthings and likely have fairly short lifespans. Of course, this supposes that queens are largely similar to alicorns with the whole agelessness angle. (If they aren't then when a queen reaches a certain age every so often she would raise a proto-queen who either has to leave the hive to start her own after a certain point or is killed to prevent her from slaying the current queen.) Outright war with this setup, such as in Canterlot, is difficult to control when facing multiple opponents. I'd imagine this developed more to deal with singular overpowering targets and infiltration.

What can it do? Allow for information and experience sharing of what drones encounter with the queen. This allows her to rapidly direct what must be done.

Can't do? The directions are somewhat general. She can't relay one drone's actions to another well enough to prevent occasional mistakes (or in other words friendly fire can happen but only during moments of extreme duress). Normally this wouldn't matter much since individual drones are easily replaced but can be exploited such as during the fight with the elements. (Of note however is that I tend to err on the side of whatever worked for the show to proceed along happens in the cartoon given that their technology level changes dependent on what is expedient to the episode.)

Ease of use? Kind of hard to say. To a queen this is would be as normal as breathing or breeding. To some pony trying to take her place this would be almost mind shatteringly difficult to handle on even its most base level of keeping the drones from tearing into everything around them.

Developed? I think I've already mentioned as a result of evolution. Barring that and assuming you subscribe to the theory that changelings used to be Flutterponies then I would have to say a consequence of a spell gone horribly right in an effort to unify a people who were about to be broken up by some form of strife.

How used? Technically I think I've already hinted at this but in general the queen directs the drones to do whatever tasks the hive need. Hunt this, dig that, find this, infiltrate there, and so on. There is the advantage of this working in a way that the drone doesn't have to send a message or return in order for the queen to find out what they've encountered.

Queen's relevancy? The mastermind/overmind/true soul of the hive. Nothing matters more than her survival.

Help society? Technically you don't really have much of a society this way. You have a lot of creatures that are what they are from birth and they serve in that capacity. Hard to have a society that ultimately boils down to yourself talking to yourself through separate mouths.

Function without it? Nope.

Is this hackneyed and lazy? Probably. But it is what I find useful for my purposes usually. I've used alternates and variations but this is my personal take on it.

Also to note, I believe Chrysalis when she says she is Queen of the changelings. She did not indicate only a small subset but of all of them. In this case I do believe there to be truly only the one hive or if there are multiple hives they all answer to Chrysalis. In that case the likely hood of their being other proto-queens waiting to happen to be nil.

3919699

How do they use it? Queen is ultimate mind of the hive. All others are little more than limbs. Can the drones think for themselves? Only on a level of basic survival but are little more than feral and somewhat rabid animals without the queen directing their actions. Higher class changelings, say general/commander/high end soldier types and probably most of the males (since they are only good for breeding) can think more or less independently and in the case of the soldiers possibly control small numbers of drones for themselves. The queen likely has something close to advisers who are most likely as unique as the queen who serve as an evolutionary development to prevent a stupid queen from getting them all killed. Mostly likely the distinctions between their place in the society/hierarchy is entirely dependent upon genes and possibly diet from birth.

Wait this means that one can't have female OCs? Also it seriously sounds like this is killing the individuality in changelings but I don't know.

Explain what you are wanting to know here. This question doesn't even make sense to me.

Is it just a mental thing? How do they achieve this with their bodily functions?

Swarm mentality and ability. When one is legion it is a lot harder to be snuffed out. Lets keep in mind that the world in which Equestria exists is a veritable death world so creatures with this sort of hive mind/tyranid/xenomorph progression/society is likely. A lot easier to fight with dragons and the like if the lives of the individual involved are unimportant so long as the queen survives and can breed.

Death world? What are you talking about? What is that? Also by that logic what Chrysalis did was the stupidest thing ever and that also means that "Kill the Queen kill the hive" which would cause tremendous stress to the leader.

Outright war with this setup, such as in Canterlot, is difficult to control when facing multiple opponents. I'd imagine this developed more to deal with singular overpowering targets and infiltration.

I don't follow.

Allow for information and experience sharing of what drones encounter with the queen. This allows her to rapidly direct what must be done.

Why didnt they understand Rainbow Dash or Fluttershy weren't one of them? Nvm I think you answered that.

Technically you don't really have much of a society this way. You have a lot of creatures that are what they are from birth and they serve in that capacity. Hard to have a society that ultimately boils down to yourself talking to yourself through separate mouths.

That definitely kills all changeling OCs in the fandom. I don't like it but oh well...

Is this hackneyed and lazy? Probably. But it is what I find useful for my purposes usually. I've used alternates and variations but this is my personal take on it.

No but if it serves a purpose then fine. Doesn't mean I like the take that entirely kills individuality and all changeling OCs.

Ah, well I don't bother to account for changeling oc's as they aren't a part of my interpretation. In fact I only consider oc's as far as background characters of no importance other than to not have to say guard a and guard b were talking to each other type situations.

Aye, its a mental thing. I don't see any reason why it wouldn't be. If you must consider them to have some part of the mind solely dedicated to it that you wouldn't find in a pony not unlike an angel's S2 organ versus the usual human.

Death world as in it is dangerous. Almost everything in their world seems to be a predator or at least overwhelmingly more powerful than any individual 'ling or pony could be. The dragons may not be predators, though that hasn't been disproven, but against even a teenage dragon anything less than the queen, an alicorn, or mages somewhere around Twilight's level the individual is screwed. Cragodiles, quarry eels, timber wolves, minotaurs (though somewhat civilized by and large), griffons, evil sorcerers, chimeras, fire swamps, toxic and magical plants aplenty and the like all add up to a world that is very much out to kill you and eat you. Even changelings are somewhat a factor to this opinion and are only really not mentioned because it is doubtful they kill their food.

3920288 Well that's... sad.