Donmai

Keychain & keyring definitions

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The Bob

Continued from forum #19523.

As it stands, the wiki definitions for keychain and keyring are:

A small chain, usually made of metal or plastic, that connects a small item to a keyring.

A small ring designed to slot multiple keys into so they can be kept bunched together.

That is, a keychain is a chain attached to a key, and a keyring is a ring attached to a key. Simple enough in theory, although there are a fair few posts mixing up the two, which I'm working on going through and retagging (for example, the item in post #4704833 was originally tagged as keychain, although it instead falls under the definition for keyring).

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However, I'm having a few issues while separating out the two tags, which I'd appreciate feedback on.

1. Images such as post #4112410 and post #4096572, where keys are attached to a literal chain or belt around a character's waist. Although they're both currently tagged keychain, does this sort of keybelt really need to be tagged? Should the keychain tag just be removed here?

2. Images such as post #3328019 and post #3424934, where a ring is used not to connect multiple keys (as in the ring of keys seen in post #4704833), but to connect a key to a non-key item. Additionally, in the case of post #4096572 above, the individual keys are attached to the belt by small rings. Should keyring apply to both this small ring and the larger "ring of keys"? Should ring of keys be its own tag, referring only to a ring that holds multiple keys?

3. The overlap of keychain and charm (object). Looking at the way posts are tagged, I think keychain in most users' minds is synonymous with "charm (object) connected to a key", either by a chain or in another manner (like the charm in post #3424934). However, the current wiki definition explicitly refers to the chain between the charm and the object. Do we really need a tag for this chain itself? Or should we take keychain to refer to any charm connected to a key, and change the wiki definition accordingly?

3a. Do key-attached functional items like hotel room numbers (post #4099324) count as charm (object)?

Input appreciated. Thanks!

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user 499293

The_Bob said:

2. Images such as post #3328019 and post #3424934, where a ring is used not to connect multiple keys (as in the ring of keys seen in post #4704833), but to connect a key to a non-key item. Additionally, in the case of post #4096572 above, the individual keys are attached to the belt by small rings. Should keyring apply to both this small ring and the larger "ring of keys"? Should ring of keys be its own tag, referring only to a ring that holds multiple keys?

I don't think a single person would care about finding a keyring consisting solely of keys. keyring itself only has like 200 tags, so splitting it further into keyring-with-charm and keyring-without-charm seems unnecessary.

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Shinjidude

In my experience "keychain" and "keyring" are synonymous and could/should probably be aliased. Very few things I've heard called "keychains" have anything to do with actual chains, and are just a linked set of keys on a split ring.

As for "functional" key fobs, like post #3424934, I'd definitely treat them as separate from decorative charms, and probably not tag them independently from keychain or keyring. A decorative key fob like something you'd see as a cellphone_charm or bag_charm could probably be independently tagged as charm (object).

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user 499293

I asked in Discord but nobody really responded—I don't know if we should care about the difference between keychains and keyrings when they overlap so much. Maybe it's regional, but I'm with Shinji in that most things we call "keychains" where I live are just keyrings.

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The Bob

Talulah said:

I don't think a single person would care about finding a keyring consisting solely of keys. keyring itself only has like 200 tags, so splitting it further into keyring-with-charm and keyring-without-charm seems unnecessary.

I wouldn't think a charmless keyring would be that interesting either, but it's apparently a big part of Abigail Williams's design, and it looks like a few other characters' as well. So maybe some people are into that?

However (re both yours and the other two replies), if we're leaning toward combining keychain + keyring into one tag that means "item attached to a key", I'm fine with that. Anyone object to my putting in a BUR for an alias?

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