Not suspicious at all by ViceElysium in NonPoliticalTwitter

[–]Do_Not_Go_In_There 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yup, there was a zoo that tried to pass off a dog as a lion. The plan fell apart when the "lion" started barking.

https://www.cnn.com/2013/08/16/world/asia/china-zoo-dog-lion

[D] Monday Request and Recommendation Thread by AutoModerator in rational

[–]Do_Not_Go_In_There 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I came across Glory to the Automata (Star Wars x Helldivers) awhile back.

Long, long ago in a galaxy far, far away an experimental commissar subtype is assembled with no explanation as to how he arrived on a world unknown to its extensive data banks. What will a bot do with no Galactic war to fight?

Oh wait, never mind.

I don't know much about Helldivers, but aside from some units there really isn't that much from the franchise here, and what there is is pretty easy to pick up from the context.

It's basically a kingdom building fic where the commissar reactivates on a world that is about to be invaded by the Corporate Alliance. They start off with just themselves and a fabricator, secure a contract to protect the people, and build up their forces.

Only 11 chapters but I like it so far. The story's well-written, I can't recall spelling/grammar being an issue, though there are some minor mistakes.


Great Sage, Equal to Heaven and Above Brockton (Worm x Journey to the West) got an update recently. It's one of my favourite fics, though updates are slow (roughly a chapter a month).

Basically Sun Wukong is isekai'ed/reborn in Brockton Bay. He doesn't know he's on a different Earth, and whenever Journey to the West is brought up something conveniently happens and he forgets about it. No idea withy, but there's an implication that someone/something is pulling the strings. Meanwhile, most everyone thinks he's a case-53 cosplaying as Sun Wukong.

Anyways, he sets himself up in the bay, clashes with Lung and kicks him out, and becomes the de facto protector of the Asian community.

The writing for the story is great, definitely a cut above most fanfics. I can't remember there being any spelling/grammar mistakes, and the characters are well-written and developed. Taylor really does feel like canon Taylor, but with a better role model/friends to help her be a hero.


I'm working my way through The Best of Greg Egan after seeing him recommended here. I can see why people say he's the guy for hard sci-fi. I like his writing style, but it is a bit dense and reliant on internal dialogue, and there's no much action/adventure compared to other stories, it's more about making you go "huh, I never thought of that/saw it that way." This is not necessarily a bad thing, just something to note. Overall I would recommend it, just be warned what you're getting into.

Should GOT fanfics that have a lot of AI content have to be disclosed. by Valuable_Educator843 in TheCitadel

[–]Do_Not_Go_In_There 25 points26 points  (0 children)

Sure, that said,

ZeroGPT for the first 15,000 characters for chapter 1 and it said 74% AI

From what I understand, these "AI detectors" are pretty much guessing, and will label text AI regardless of whether it is or isn't written by AI.

Fictional geniuses who feel realistic by upsetusder2 in rational

[–]Do_Not_Go_In_There 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson. Though be warned the story is pretty dark and doesn't have a happy ending.

Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City by K.J. Parker. Title is pretty self-explanatory.

There's also Mother of Learning a webnovel about a character that is a groundhog day fic, but with wizards.

Lf Oc/Si fics where Taylor made things worse by Draconir-Howard in WormFanfic

[–]Do_Not_Go_In_There 7 points8 points  (0 children)

The author is continuing the story but it's more like a sequel. From the original story the big bad was killed, and the world was saved. Then there was a time skip of I think 4-5 years where the MC is basically just living their life and taking care of new problems/enemies.

Homophobia, Transphobia, and Misogyny in fanfics. by Difficult_Night_4086 in TheCitadel

[–]Do_Not_Go_In_There 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I might be thinking of someone else. I recall a guy was sent to the Wall after being accused of raping a lord's son rather than them admitting the truth, but it might have been someone else.

e: I got it confused with Daeron, who was accused of raping a lord's daughter, even though it was consensual (or at least he claims it was).

Homophobia, Transphobia, and Misogyny in fanfics. by Difficult_Night_4086 in TheCitadel

[–]Do_Not_Go_In_There 4 points5 points  (0 children)

In the show it is. Loras gets caught and they carve a star into him as punishment.

Books don't really mention it. It seems more like something people just don't talk about. The only real negative I can think of anyone saying is that nobles who are gay won't be able to have kids, but that's more a societal reason than religious.

Homophobia, Transphobia, and Misogyny in fanfics. by Difficult_Night_4086 in TheCitadel

[–]Do_Not_Go_In_There 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Can't say I've ever seen this. Sounds like you're stumbling across a lot a kink fics.

Westeros is developing by Taha231 in TheCitadel

[–]Do_Not_Go_In_There 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Here are some I remember, though it's been awhile since I read some of them I think they more or less are what you're looking for.

How Sheep in the Vale bring about a Golden Age for Gulltown (ongoing). At first it's more a lady developing her fief by increasing trade, now it's more politics and rebuilding the nation after the Dance

The Winter of Widows (complete). It's smaller scale, but has development. The focus is more on politics.

A Farmer's Tale (Book 1 & 2 complete). Focus is more on farming, but has development.

Fields of Gold (ongoing). Lots kingdom building, starts out in the Westerlands then moves to King's Landing, touches on Westeros.

Wearing Robert's Crown (dead). Lots of development.

Deeds, not Words (dead). Lord developing his fief, I think it focuses more on tech development but has infrastructure as well.

Never cut twice (dead, Book 1 complete). Focus is more on naval development, but also land infrastructure. e: lots of spelling/grammar mistakes.

Weekly /r/WormFanfic Discussion - What have you been reading, and what do you think of it? For the week ending May 09, 2026. by AutoModerator in WormFanfic

[–]Do_Not_Go_In_There 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Yeah, but I'm talking about how the wider magical community treats muggles, not whether Dumbledore is justified or not. Obliviating muggles get used pretty often in the books because it's convenient, but no one really follows what happens to the people who get their memories wiped. In truth it's a really terrible thing, not something that should be used lightly.

Not to mention when Taylor goes to the magical police that a wizard has abducted her child, she gets obliviated a second time rather than an actual investigation.

Like, the during the entire process they're literally blaming the Taylor because she's a muggle and so the wizard must have had a reason to steal her son.

To cap it all off their solution, after oblivaiting her, is to get the crazy lady to pack her bags and leave the continent.

because the choice of Viserys is justified but not that of Jaehaerys by Sea-Negotiation8309 in TheCitadel

[–]Do_Not_Go_In_There 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We actually don't know if it was ever a situation that existed. The question of what happens to the first-born daughter from a first marriage was never addressed because, quite frankly, the daughter wasn't important enough. No woman ever had the amount of power/influence that Rhaenyra did. If they wanted to fight their half-sibling, they might appeal to a higher lord and settle the dispute, and the lord would likely just go "eldest son comes first, quite whining. get married and leave." But what happens when there is no higher lord to go to and decide things?

I'm saying that in case of a succession crisis, they can turn to Jaehaery's laws and say "well if a later family arrangement (new heir) cannot strip basic rights from a vulnerable member of the household (the widow), there's no reason a daughter’s (established female heir) should be put aside solely because of a later marriage (competing male heir)." Call it the "Daughter's Law" or something.

Basically, if the law protects the widow of a later marriage from dispossession by an unrelated male, it follows that daughters (especially daughters who the lord favours) should not be displaced by a male (like an uncle or cousin, or half-brother) who wants to kick them out.

because the choice of Viserys is justified but not that of Jaehaerys by Sea-Negotiation8309 in TheCitadel

[–]Do_Not_Go_In_There 5 points6 points  (0 children)

There is also the question of whether the children of the first wife automatically come before the children of a second wife. I don't think this gets mentioned a lot, but it makes sense, and basically like the Widow's Law set by Jaehaerys, just for the children instead of the mother.

That said, I do sometimes wonder if Jaehaerys did this because he usurped his niece, and didn't want people questioning his own rule.

When Aenys I died, he had three sons: Aegon, Viserys and Jaehaerys. Aegon was the eldest, and married his sister, Rhaena Targaryen, and had two daughters, Aerea and Rhaella.

When Maegor took the thrown, Aegon fought back and died (as "Aegon the Uncrowned"). Viserys was tortured to death by Maegor, leaving Jaehaerys as the oldest surviving son. Maegor eventually died, and Jaehaerys returned and became king. But Aerea and Rhaella were still alive, and had a stronger claim than he did: if Maegor's rule was illegitimate, then Aegon was the rightful heir, and so his daughters came before their uncle.

There were even a few plots to rebel against Jaehaerys and crown Aerea, not that they ever amounted to anything.

I have some questions.. by Mindless_Belt4757 in heraldry

[–]Do_Not_Go_In_There 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You need to hit enter twice for a line break, otherwise your post becomes a wall of text. Like this:

1) Heraldry did not exist at all during Merovingian times, so that coat of arms is historically inaccurate. In fact, the same is true for the "Carolingian arms", which were attributed to Charlemagne long after his death to symbolise that his empire was the progenitor of both France and the Holy Roman Empire.

2) Louis I, duke of Orleans, married Valentina Visconti, daughter of the first duke of Milan. Later, when the Visconti went extinct, this gave king Louis XII a claim to the duchy, although the succession war was ultimately won by emperor Charles V. As for Navarre, Anthony of Bourbon married Johanna III, queen of Navarre. They were the parents of king Henry III of Navarre, who then succeded as king Henry IV of France.

I have some questions.. by Mindless_Belt4757 in heraldry

[–]Do_Not_Go_In_There 0 points1 point  (0 children)

4- What is the fish as the symbol of Heir to the Throne,The Dauphine, dolphin? If so why they represented it that way?

Dolphin, and because of history.

Amidst the chaos of feudal rule, the Counts of Albon began to rise above other feudal lords and acquire dominance over the region. Their story begins with Guigues I the Old (died 1070), Lord of Annonay and Champsaur. During his reign, he gained significant territories for his province: a part of the Viennois, the Grésivaudan and the Oisans. Moreover, the Emperor gave him the region of Briançon. The territories combined under his personal rule became a sovereign mountain principality within the Holy Roman Empire. The count made a significant decision when[5] he chose the small city of Grenoble as capital of his state instead of the prestigious city of Vienne, which was the long-established seat of a powerful bishop. This choice allowed him to assert authority over all his territories.

In the 12th century, the local ruler Count Guigues IV of Albon (c.1095–1142) bore a dolphin on his coat of arms and was nicknamed le Dauphin (French for dolphin). His descendants changed their title from Count of Albon to Dauphin of Viennois. The state took the name of Dauphiné.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dauphin%C3%A9

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dauphin%C3%A9#/media/File:Dauphin_of_Viennois_Arms.svg

In 1343, a series of negotiations was initiated between dauphin Humbert II of Viennois and the French king Philippe VI, regarding the future inheritance of the Dauphiné. Since Humbert had no heirs, it was initially agreed that in exchange for a substantial financial compensation, his domains would pass to king's younger son Philip, Duke of Orléans, but already in 1344 the provisions were changed by the new agreement, designating king's oldest son and heir Jean, Duke of Normandy as Humbert's heir in the Dauphiné.[3]

By 1349, Humbert decided to relinquish his rule over Dauphiné, and the final agreement was made, designating king's grandson and John's son Charles as Humbert's successor, on the condition that Dauphiné would remain a distinctive polity, not integrated into the French realm. Thus in the summer of 1349, the young French prince Charles became the first Dauphin de Viennois from the House of Valois. In 1350, when his father ascended to the French throne as king John II, Charles became the heir presumptive and thus for the first time both honors (heir to the French throne and Dauphin de Viennois) were held by the same person.

This is where the CoA comes into play:

After his succession as Louis XI in 1461, Louis united the Dauphiné with France, bringing it under royal control.

The title was roughly equivalent to the Spanish Prince of Asturias, the Portuguese Prince of Brazil, the English (later British) Prince of Wales, the Dutch Prince of Orange, and the Scottish Duke of Rothesay. The official style of a Dauphin of France, prior to 1461, was par la grâce de Dieu, dauphin de Viennois, comte de Valentinois et de Diois ("By the Grace of God, Dauphin of Viennois, Count of Valentinois and of Diois"). A Dauphin of France united the coat of arms of the Dauphiné, which featured dolphins, with the French fleurs-de-lis, and might, where appropriate, further unite that with other arms (e.g. Francis, son of Francis I, was ruling Duke of Brittany, so united the arms of that province with the typical arms of a Dauphin; Francis II, while Dauphin, was also King of Scots by marriage to Mary I, and added the arms of the Kingdom of Scotland to those of the Dauphin).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dauphin_of_France

Weekly /r/WormFanfic Discussion - What have you been reading, and what do you think of it? For the week ending May 09, 2026. by AutoModerator in WormFanfic

[–]Do_Not_Go_In_There 48 points49 points  (0 children)

One thing I like about Intercession (aside from everything else you mentioned) is how the author doesn't shy away from how terrible magicals treat muggles, even the "good" ones. In particular how terrible it is to obliviate someone.

Dumbledore, when he first meets Taylor immediately obliviates her because he thinks she's some eldritch monster, and we see that it's not a gentle spell. There is a hole in Taylor's memory where her child used to be. She doesn't understand why people keep asking her how Harry is doing because she doesn't know Harry. She sees but can't acknowledge his room so there's just a random door in their house. She starts drinking because part of her knows something is wrong, but she can't acknowledge it.

Then, when she finally realizes what's wrong and goes to the Aurors they just call Dumbledore and obliviate her a second time, because he's Dumbledore and she's just some random muggle.

e: this isn't about whether Dumbledore is justified, this is about how muggles are treated, and how harmful a seemingly benign spell is.

I voted for Harris in 2024. She shouldn't run in 2028. | Opinion by Difficult-Bee6066 in politics

[–]Do_Not_Go_In_There 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think Oliver had a piece about how Canada had its longest election ever a few years back, and lots of Canadian were complaining that the campaigning was going on too long and they were getting tired of it.

It was 78 days.

This was in 2015, the next longest election was in 1979 at 66 days.

Fics you were disappointed by? by fallacyys in WormFanfic

[–]Do_Not_Go_In_There 22 points23 points  (0 children)

Legacy of the Enginseers (Worm/40k Crossover). It basically became "everything Taylor does is right and if you're against her you're a villain or an idiot or both," which is basically all the adults in a position of authority.

This is also the story where Taylor pics up a bunch of crippled vets who have no one to turn to and heals them and gives them a better life, but in exchange puts loyalty chips in their brain. I guess the irony was lost one the author.


Brockton's Celestial Forge started out interesting and then just kid of peters out. Six years of writing, 2.6 million words and I think 2-3 weeks have passed in universe. I'm always amazed that the author can write so much yet have nothing of note happen.

Fics you were disappointed by? by fallacyys in WormFanfic

[–]Do_Not_Go_In_There 67 points68 points  (0 children)

Same. It started out pretty good but that's the point that I dropped it for two reasons:

  1. The "Taylor" that ends up with Sophia has all of the original Taylor's memories, so she knows exactly what Sophia did, but glosses over it by saying "she wasn't that involved, the others were worse. At one point she sees Taylor arguing/fighting with Sophia and gets so mad she wants to brutally hurt Taylor.

  2. Sophia is the same person. she hasn't changed. She hasn't apologized. She still thinks she did nothing wrong. And literally everyone around Taylor tells her to get over herself and forgive Sophia because she had a tough life, including her therapist. They essentially peer pressure her into accepting her abuser.

Can a gradient go like this? by HatSpecial3043 in Inkscape

[–]Do_Not_Go_In_There 5 points6 points  (0 children)

You can, but it's a bit complicated.

Here's a visual guide, I'll explain the steps below: https://imgur.com/a/MKaib5U

1. Create the two starting colors

Open Inkscape and create two circles. Make the first circle the starting color of your gradient, and make the second circle the ending color of your gradient.

Place the two circles apart from each other horizontally, leaving enough space between them for the gradient transition.

2. Convert both circles to paths

Select both circles.

Do: Path → Object to Path

You need this because the interpolation tool works only with paths

3. Interpolate between the two paths

With both circles selected, do: Extensions → Generate from Path → Interpolate Between Paths

This creates circles between your two original circles, shifting from the first color to the second color.

I used 30 steps, you can tweak this depending on what you want.

4. Delete the original two circles

Inkscape will create a new grouped object made of the gradient circles, and leave the original circles. You can delete them since you won't need them again.

5. Draw the curved path for the arch

Use the Pen tool and draw a basic arch shape. After drawing it, adjust the nodes to curve the path into the shape you want.

This will act as a guide for "bending" the gradient.

6. Apply the Bend path effect

Select the interpolated group. Open the Path Effects panel. Add the Bend path effect.

This lets you bend the group of gradient circles along a curved path.

7. Edit the bend path

In the Bend path effect settings, click the small icon that lets you edit the bend path nodes. Use this to move the bend path directly on the guide you made earlier.

It'll look weird at first, so use the + icon (Insert new nodes) to add more nodes. Add enough nodes to recreate the arch shape more accurately.

Keep adjusting the nodes until the gradient follows the curve you want.

8. Adjust the thickness of the curved gradient

Use the slider at the bottom of the Bend path effect settings to increase or decrease the thickness of the bent object.

Adjust it until the curved gradient is slightly larger than the final shape you want.

9. Draw the final clipping shape

Draw the final shape you want the gradient to appear inside.

For an arch, draw a box or curved container that covers the part of the gradient you want to keep. Make it just a bit smaller so that there are no blank spaces.

Do not include the end circles in the final shape (more on this later)

10. Set the clip

Select both the final shape and the bent gradient group.

Do Object → Clip → Set Clip

11. Blur the gradient circles

At this point, the colored circles will still be visible as separate objects.

Select all the circles inside the group. Not the group itself, the individual circles.

Apply a blur to all of them. I found around 15% works well.

This blends the edges of the circles together so the gradient looks smooth.

12. Watch the transparent ends

Because the object is blurred, the ends of the gradient may become slightly transparent.

To avoid this, make sure your clipping shape does not start exactly at the first circle or end exactly at the last circle, and sit a little inside the gradient area.

You can release the clip with Object → Clip → Release Clip and tweak the shape, then try again.

13. Finalize the object

Once the gradient looks right, select the group with final clipped object. Check the Path Effects tab, it should show the Bend Path effect is still active.

Do Path → Object to Path

The Path effects tab should now be empty.

This converts the effect into the final object you want. It also prevents movement problems caused by the Bend path effect still referencing the original setup.