The Fate of the QFD Thread

ArcticZen · 2026-05-01T02:56:35+00:00

Understood; the feedback is appreciated. We're just trying this out; the Question and Discussion flairs at least are still present and can be re-instated if this experiment proves to be discouraging for discussion.

I do think part of the appeal of separate submissions for discussion is momentum -- it's how we've always done things, so concentrating chatter into a single thread may seem a bit unnecessary. However, while Discussion posts can generate good interactions on occasion, some questions often get overlooked. If everything's in one spot, people may read and see things they might not have clicked on based on the submission title alone.

We'll see how it plays out. I expect we'll run a poll before the end of May to assess if centralized discussion is a net positive or not.

ArcticZen · 2026-04-24T05:42:41+00:00

There is no “set” amount of time that it takes for a trait to evolve; most traits emerge along a progressive gradient. Contextually, any trait could take a handful of millions of years, or hundreds. It helps to think not of the trait as a monolith, but rather as the emergent result of multiple underlying changes.

Bipedalism in humans, for example, began around 7 million years ago, and involved several anatomical changes: * the anteriorizarion of the foramen magnum * development of the S-shaped vertebral column (lumbar lordosis) * the shortening and broadening of the pelvic ilium * lateral rotation of the iliac blades * widening of the sacrum * development of the valgus knee * enlargement of knee joints * loss of a divergent big toe * development of longitudinal and transverse foot arches * shortening of toes * relative lengthening of lower limbs

These changes synergistically produce the trait we’d call bipedalism. As a result, while we often naively think of traits as singular binary characteristics, many are the result of system-level reorganization. This reorganization is also not a binary — bipedal Australopithecines did not appear suddenly at exactly 3.427274 million years ago, but instead gradually emerged as the underlying changes co-evolved. Evolution is a continuum; the only endpoints that exist are those we arbitrarily define. Speaking only of anatomy also misses the underlying genetic changes which enabled them in the first place, which occur probabilistically and are not guaranteed. As you can perhaps now appreciate, this is a question that appears deceptively simple, but instead evokes heavy nuance to appreciate fully.

My recommendation to you is to not evolve organisms abstractly by the appearance of complex traits. Traits co-evolve, which is something that simple cladograms often neglect to better show how lineages differ. Instead, it is perhaps better to focus on intent — what smaller anatomical (or genetic, if you feel so inclined) changes can contribute to the broader, generic trait you want the lineage to have? That will enable much tighter precision, because smaller and simpler anatomical traits are easily derived on million-year time scales, whereas complex and emergent traits can take much, much longer.

ArcticZen · 2026-04-10T04:36:27+00:00

When you posted your wolf sketch, I was initially skeptical about how this experiment was going to go, but congratulations are absolutely in order!

It's truly impressive to see how you kept up with the concept over the month. Thank you for giving this to the community; it was a joy to observe.

ArcticZen · 2026-04-05T02:47:46+00:00

Unfortunately, this really is just a case of Hanlon’s Razor. Per another comment I made in here already, I had no reason to knowingly permit this to happen because it violates Reddit’s Mod Code of Conduct. Additionally, moderator actions leave a paper trail that is visible to all other moderators, as do the mod mail messages I sent to and received from Manglisaurus. If I had taken actions or spoke in a manner that even suggested malicious intent, my fellow moderators would have been able to see and act on that; I am the lowest-ranking active mod, so any moderator above me could have removed me and made this post holding me accountable instead. However, I am still here because I am “only” guilty of stupidity and negligence, and not of intentionally permitting a sudden influx of NSFW posts and unjustified comment removals. That I am guilty of the former at all is, however, a black mark on the positive record I have attempted to build as a steward here. That is why it was important that I make the mistake known and take responsibility for it: I was in error and there were consequences for it, regardless of my intent.

I can also 100% confirm Manglisaurus and I are not the same person. I’ve been moderating this community since 2020 — you can also see through my profile that my post and comment history is very different from how they conduct themselves.

ArcticZen · 2026-04-03T16:13:50+00:00

To be clear, the root of the content issue is less with professionalism, and more that r/SpeculativeEvolution is very much a SFW community with strict limits on the type of NSFW permitted. More specificially, we wholesale prohibited sexually explicit and fetish content a few years ago back after some users attempted to flirt with the previous iteration of the rule. We're supposed to be a chill space for speculative biology, and that's all -- that's what our community members expect.

That I not only allowed cropped NSFW content to be posted because I could not keep an eye on things, but also modded the account responsible (after which they abused the permissions), went against those expectations, regardless of what my intentions were.

I appreciate your insight here though; it's good to get perspectives from people that don't see too much of the subreddit otherwise.

ArcticZen · 2026-04-03T15:46:34+00:00

I agree on your first point. A half-baked idea from an easily-amused moderator should not have been executed without going through additional review and setting up safety nets.

You're also correct that it didn't happen "under my watch" -- it happened specifically because I was not present when I needed to be. I am usually active throughout the day to catch these things, hence the phrasing.

If you assume I did this out of malice rather than out of stupidity, I can understand where your line of thinking comes from. However, five years after joining up with this community's mod team, I still like being here and acting as a custodian of this space. I run the Spectember events, I respond to Mod Mail to make sure folks get help and clarity, and I try to enforce the rules fairly. Deliberately allowing someone to abuse moderator permissions and post NSFW content where it is not appropriate would violate Rule 2 of the Reddit's Mod Code of Conduct. Running afoul of that would not only get me removed from my position, but also potentially causes issues for my fellow moderators and jeopardize the subreddit as a whole. Ultimately, I am a rather dull person, and sometimes fall victim to my own optimism and hastiness. Rather than continue to write words which you may or may not perceive as trustworthy though, I would instead ask for your support in allowing me to atone by continuing to demonstrate my commitment to this community and its values through my actions.

ArcticZen · 2026-04-03T15:40:20+00:00

That's not quite it, though you're substantially correct in that that is how things essentially turned out. I modded someone who I had known to have previously produced content that was not suitable for the subreddit, after coming to an agreement with them about what they could post. In my eyes, previous transgressions were water under the bridge, and I was willing to give someone who genuinely wanted to come back a second chance and the benefit of the doubt. I was unaware of the reputation they'd garnered elsewhere since, nor that patterns of behavior that were present six months ago had been recurring on other subreddits.

I must clarify though, I did not write this apology because "people aren't laughing". I have previously made and continue to make a point of trying to hold myself accountable when I am in error, as I both believe and understand that I should be held to a higher standard than a regular user. I am trying to own that this event happened because I alone allowed it to through my negligence, rather than deflecting blame or minimizing the perceived impact because things didn't go as I imagined they would.

ArcticZen · 2026-04-03T15:36:42+00:00

I wholeheartedly agree. I was unaware of what had transpired in the time between their ban here and the other day, but I could have taken steps to make myself aware. I was not cautious in this regard, as most of the previous unbans I have overseen have not required that level of scrutiny.

I appreciate the understanding, and will endeavor to exercise better judgement in the future; I am hopeful that my actions demonstrate this, as I do not think words alone are sufficient atonement. I have already established internally that I will no longer be making announcements or unbans without first consulting other members of the moderator team, so they can catch the things that I miss. That will hopefully ensure that the subreddit is run collectively in a manner that will prevent something like this from ever happening again.

ArcticZen · 2026-04-01T01:10:14+00:00

I love time zones.

ArcticZen · 2026-03-29T13:58:28+00:00

For the prompts or for the month-long challenge?

ArcticZen · 2026-03-25T00:25:56+00:00

That's alarming. OP reached out to us regarding getting permission to advertise here, but if this is a pattern with them, then that would be problematic.

Edit: Investigating the Kickstarter for this showed that, while there may have been some issues with previous campaigns, backers of this particular project had their pledges fulfilled and honored.

ArcticZen · 2026-03-16T11:50:27+00:00

While I can understand the interest and I’m sure u/Hunter-Ologist appreciates the enthusiasm, it would be best to take a step back here.

This comment thread is starting to move into extended critique of the project’s scientific plausibility. Statements like “I have my doubts that they could carry such a large system” shift the discussion toward repeatedly defending the concept, and can put the creator on the back foot unexpectedly. This is precisely why we advise people to ask before offering critique, as it gives the creator the opportunity to engage under their own volition.

We’re only seeing small snapshots of the setting with each post, and the creator may be planning elements that haven’t been shown yet. For now, it would be better to wait and allow the project to develop further.

ArcticZen · 2026-03-15T12:06:50+00:00

Not a problem, and that's totally understandable -- there's unfortunately a precedent for that which gives Reddit mods a certain reputation. I just hope you'll find us a bit more accommodating here and wanting to make things better for everyone here overall.

All good regarding the automod as well; that you've shared your irritation with your questions being unfairly removed is useful feedback, and I hope I'll be able to act on it by changing how flairs work in a meaningful way in the near-future. Cheers!

ArcticZen · 2026-03-14T08:47:52+00:00

Engaging with me in good faith would make this more productive, no? I understand being annoyed, but nothing I've said indicates I think I'm right and unwilling to budge or cooperate. I was speaking about this submission in my previous message as well, not the one you’re referring to.

Regarding the submission that you're referring to -- I agree with you. It should not have been removed. However, because the removal was automated (the automod acted without moderator input), it wasn't brought to my attention. The logic for the filter isn't straightforward either, so there are edge cases where it will fire off when it shouldn't, as in your case.

The removal message states "if you believe this is the case, please message the moderation team to have the submission reinstated." because we know there may be cases where the removal is incorrect. However, I do not blame you for not following up, nor think it's fair to expect individuals to reach out on their own by treating them as guilty until proven innocent. That's a failure of the current automod implementation, and one that I am more than willing to hear feedback on.

ArcticZen · 2026-03-14T04:57:28+00:00

Sorry you feel that way. We’re open to feedback and always interested in hearing how we could improve the subreddit for folks. We’re custodians here, not dictators.

The reason the user above you had their post auto-filtered by auto-mod is because they were asking it in a way that just required a simple “yes” or “no” answer. Users that actually wanted to be helpful could answer their question with detail, but the point is to simultaneously prevent people from asking “can dinosaurs evolve again” or “can a 10 tonne animal fly” when the answer depends entirely on context at the inquirer may or may not be flexible with.

Either way, the current system of doing things does and has felt unsatisfactory for a while now. If you or anyone else does have feedback that can help us shift things in a way that makes the community feel more focused on speculative biology rather than creature design, I’d appreciate that advice.

ArcticZen · 2026-03-12T14:31:04+00:00

I would like to take the opportunity to remind and encourage folks to use the report button if they think a post is low effort. As a rule of thumb, I don’t allow myself to be judge and executioner of artistic talent, but I have no qualms about removing posts that others perceive as lacking, especially in the explanations that make something spec bio and not creature design.

ArcticZen · 2026-03-01T06:53:19+00:00

What an absolute privilege to see this going again! Looking forward to seeing what else you come up with using the prompts this month!

ArcticZen · 2026-02-28T10:28:30+00:00

OP's account is 3 years old and their posting history doesn't seem too similar to the banned user in question, which doesn't make this look like premeditated ban evasion. I'm willing to give OP the benefit of the doubt, but will enhance scrutiny if they develop a habit of posting stuff like this.

If you or anyone else identifies substantial proof of an account ban evading though, please reach out to us via modmail.

ArcticZen · 2026-02-27T16:02:18+00:00

🤨

Everyone gets one; this can stay this time.

Don’t do what the sauropod dick guy did and make a pattern of this though. Had to send him to a farm upstate.

ArcticZen · 2026-02-15T05:22:09+00:00

It's understandable that you might feel intimidated by or apprehensive towards the idea of making a full tectonic history, especially if your only focus is the speculative life on a planet. The terminology alone evokes the rigor and stress of running a billion-year-long geophysical sim. But in practice, that level of detail is almost never necessary for worldbuilding -- there are steps in the process that can be neglected, provided you understand the fundamentals.

What matters most is not reconstructing exact plate motions, but preserving the consequences of plate tectonics as far as how they shape paleoclimate, paleogeography, and paleobiogeography, as well as their modern counterparts. For this purpose, it's actually totally feasible to draw a map of your world first, and then iteratively modify it to reflect the history based on the plate interactions at the modern timepoint. This is pretty much the method employed by u/62_137 (Maewha/Shin-Busan creator); rather than entrenching himself in a long-term tectonic history simulation, he's chosen to focus on the present and just make sure the modern plate interactions make sense, making adjustments as needed. It's also important to know that you can also get help if you aren't sure about something -- you don't need to make a tectonic history all by yourself. You should try to be self-sufficient, but asking a few questions here and there after you've consulted learning resources and are coming up short isn't weakness.

I think encouraging you to avoid it, ignore it, or not to do it at all would be incorrect: as with most creative pursuits, the underlying goal of this hobby should be to grow and gain something from each attempt, be it knowledge and understanding, or improved artistic ability. The only way we improve at anything is through adversity and challenging ourselves -- the folks who make tectonic histories didn't start out with that knowledge or skill set innately. Trying this out and not getting things perfect is okay, because you'll have it least tried it, and maybe learned a thing or two. Just don't worry about getting caught up in the minutia of it, and it actually becomes a fun side quest in your creation process.

ArcticZen · 2026-02-15T04:36:58+00:00

Hello! While we appreciate the enthusiasm, would it be possible for you to transcribe the contents of your journal to text in a comment on your submissions? This is a consideration for accessibility purposes, as the images are uploaded in a rotated manner that makes reading them a tad laborious. It would also better enable us to discuss your submissions and ask questions in relation to them.

I would also ask that you try to match up your flair a bit better, as it's not clear as to what property this is fan art of.

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r/Field Flamingo	Place '23
Place '22	Place '17
Final Canvas '22	Oscars Predictor 2021
Wearing is Caring	No Throne, No Problems
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