The tag alias #58917 vambraces -> vambrace has been approved.

Reason: Alias the less-popular singular (114) to the more-popular plural (770). I'm pretty sure they both mean the same thing - armor for the forearm.

It might be more technically correct to do it the other way around - vambraces -> vambrace - since if you have two, you definitely have one. I proposed it this way due to the relative popularity of the tags.

EDIT: The bulk update request #4560 (forum #) has been approved by @furrypickle.

EDIT: The tag alias vambraces -> vambrace (forum #345319) has been approved by @furrypickle.

Flipped the alias around.
I believe we usually default to a singular noun instead of the plural for the exact reason you described.
There are some exceptions to this, unfortunately, but we shouldn't perpetuate this.

Now, is there an actual practical difference between vambraces and bracers?

bitwolfy said:
Now, is there an actual practical difference between vambraces and bracers?

Before I got on e621, I would have called the thing that most critters wear in pairs a "bracer", but the wiki here says a bracer is something only an archer has. Google says that IRL archers call the thing they wear an "arm guard" or a "bracer".

As far as I know, an archer only wears an arm guard or a bracer on one side. People that are using swords, knives, or other weapons, or that are just wearing armor in general, usually wear a vambrace on both sides.

bitwolfy said:
Flipped the alias around.
I believe we usually default to a singular noun instead of the plural for the exact reason you described.
There are some exceptions to this, unfortunately, but we shouldn't perpetuate this.

Now, is there an actual practical difference between vambraces and bracers?

I'm not even sure that most of the stuff tagged vambrace would actually be considered vambraces, according to Wikipedia vambraces are plate armour that cover from the wrist to elbow, while most of the stuff in the tag appear to be hide/leather and they cover little more than the wrist.

I guess that the only place people had heard the term "vambraces" was the category of RuneScape equipment ranged armour which are probably better defined as "bracers"

The bulk update request #4560 (forum #) has been approved by @furrypickle.

The tag alias vambraces -> vambrace (forum #345319) has been approved by @furrypickle.

I don't know the differences between vambraces and bracers, although I suspect for our purposes there might not be enough to keep them separate. Especially since usage under both looks pretty similar to each other.

But whether or not that is explored at a later date... for now at least, I'm just doing this part of it.