Talk:Shapeshifter

What even is this page?

Does this have any in-universe precedent, or is it just a loose list of "individuals who happen to have changed shape"?

So much of this page has issues too.

Some metamorphs had the ability to take on a wide variety of forms, with few limitations. These included Rutans (GAME: The Gunpowder Plot), Aubertides (PROSE: Human Nature), Brancheerians (COMIC: Meteorite Meeting), Gizou (COMIC: Agent Provocateur), Gwanzulum (COMIC: Planet of the Dead), Kymbra Chimeras (COMIC: Changes) and Whifferdills (COMIC: The Shape Shifter).

Other metamorphs seemed to be only able to take on humanoid forms, such as multi-forms (TV: The Eleventh Hour), Nostrovites (TV: Something Borrowed) and Vespiforms (TV: The Unicorn and the Wasp).

Prisoner Zero and the Vespiform don't even look non-humanoid in their normal state. Also, when was Prisoner Zero ever stated to only take on humanoid shapes? Same with the Nostrovites for that matter.

Still other metamorphs were limited to shifting between a default form and an alternate form. These included Axons (TV: The Claws of Axos), Carrionites (TV: The Shakespeare Code) and Vardans (TV: The Invasion of Time) Werewolves could change from humans into wolves, while some vampires could change into bats.

What does this even mean from an in-universe perspective? This is unbelievably vague. -- Tybort (talk page) 16:28, September 26, 2014 (UTC)

Although most metamorphs changed form voluntarily, others could not. Time Lords changed form whenever they regenerated (TV: The Tenth Planet), as did Kastrians (TV: The Hand of Fear). The Solonians changed form when they went through their natural life cycle (TV: The Mutants). The Yend became involuntary shapeshifters after exposure to radiation from the rogue star Mortain (PROSE: The Sons of the Crab).

How has someone healing and renewing themselves or evolving got to do with metamorphs?

Mutant humans changed form whenever they touched another living being, becoming identical to the person or Alien they touched (TV: Time Heist).

We saw ONE. Not to mention it's plausibly one of several forms of mutation, and not necessarily part of any "species" per se.

Some species were only able to change their shape through the use of advanced technology.

Cell 114 sleeper agents were apparently modified to resemble the native species of the planets they invaded, and could change back and forth once they were activated. (TV: Sleeper) The Chameleons used technology to assume the identities of other beings after losing their own. (TV: The Faceless Ones) Usurians exposed themselves to particle radiation to assume humanoid form. (TV: The Sun Makers) Zolfa-Thurans could change the appearance of any humanoid they possessed, but only to a similarly shaped being. (TV: Meglos) Zygons used body-prints to augment their limited natural shapeshifting abilities. (TV: Terror of the Zygons)

Again, very vague, and with the exception of maybe the Zygons, how do we even know the difference in-universe between "biological" and "technological"? The Cell 114 one sounds very speculative as well.

It is unclear if the Abzorbaloff was a metamorph or merely using technology to disguise himself as a human.

Utter gibberish. -- Tybort (talk page) 16:28, September 26, 2014 (UTC)

This page seems to have a lot of unverified generalization, aka speculation. The first thing is to see if the word "metamorph" is even used in the DWU. It probably is, and would take quite a bit of work to find it, but we need some kind of in-universe definition. Once/if we have that, we can do some cleaning up of the article.

None of the TV stories you've mentioned use the word "metamorph". If anyone has access to the comic or prose stories, that would be helpful.

If we can't find any in-universe use of the word, then this page would probably need to be deleted, in the same way we got rid of "near-human". Shambala108 ☎ 17:09, September 26, 2014 (UTC)

Having quickly checked, there are no references to "metamorph" in Meglos, The Sun Makers, Terror of the Zygons, The Unicorn and the Wasp (morphic residue is all you'll get), The Claws of Axos, The Mutants (metamorphosis), The Shakespeare Code or The Invasion of Time, so all the references there can go. Frobisher and the Kymbra Chimera are called shapeshifters.--Skittles the hog - talk 17:51, September 26, 2014 (UTC)

Something Borrowed also uses shapeshifter, which currently redirects to this page.--Skittles the hog - talk 15:58, September 27, 2014 (UTC)

Nothing specific in Time Heist either beyond "mutant human" and "mutant genes" and references to having a face. The word "metamorph" definitely doesn't appear in that story. -- Tybort (talk page) 19:11, September 27, 2014 (UTC)

I've created shapeshifter as there is enough in the Whifferdills, Chimeras and Nostrovites being referred to exclusively as such to warrant it. There just needs to be a decision as to the fate of this page now.--Skittles the hog - talk 22:28, October 14, 2014 (UTC)