User:SOTO/Forum Archive/The Panopticon/@comment-121.45.54.78-20130925110520/@comment-33695797-20191120040416

After reading this thread, I think using parentheses is a good option. I noticed that in the thread referenced earlier it was decided parentheses would not be used on infoboxes, not appearance pages. The reason I believe parentheses are a good option because they indicate to a reader how a character appears. For example, on Adric's appearances list:
 * The Caves of Androzani (as an illusion)

As someone else said, someone could see Adric's appearance listed and assume he somehow does actually appear. However, we don’t want to exclude it altogether because it is an active representation of the character. Note I used the word active; the character, despite being an illusion, does something. This would not be the case for a photo, for example. I think photos should not count as appearances but they can of course be mentioned on the respective pages for the character and story.

I would suggest something similar for characters who appear as someone else: only the actual character should be listed. As mentioned, Rose Tyler does not appear in The Day of the Doctor. Billie Piper is credited as Rose because she played a representation of the character, but no version of the real Rose was actually present. And consider this: if we only had the prose version of the story, would we say Rose appeared? We most likely would only say the Moment took her form. (Thus, the importance of the media format.)

And then there's the matter of implied appearances. This also heavily depends on the type of media (e.g. there are no parts played, visuals, or audio to reference in a prose story). An example I had trouble with is: in Doctor Who and the Krikkitmen, there is a scene in which Romana has a conversation with the British Prime Minister. It is heavily implied to be Margaret Thatcher, and this would fit with the time setting, but never explicitly said. Do we assume it is Thatcher, who it certainly is intended to be, or make a new page (I suppose Prime Minister (Doctor Who and the Krikkitmen)) because it isn’t said specifically? Then, do we list the story in her appearances? (Perhaps this related issue belongs in a separate thread? I'm not sure. This one is kind of broad.)

Sorry for the lengthy response, but I felt all of that was necessary.