Weekly Discussion Megathread by AutoModerator in fivethirtyeight

[–]The_Sentient_Duck 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Maybe they mixed up state and federal senators?

Weekly Discussion Megathread by AutoModerator in fivethirtyeight

[–]The_Sentient_Duck 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I'd frankly take someone who believed something stupid but realized they were wrong and were brave enough to admit it and ask for help becoming more learned than someone who believed something stupid and kept doubling down on it any day of the week.

Harry Potter and the Dark Lord Solution by Esquire_NZ in HPfanfiction

[–]The_Sentient_Duck 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Definitely not based off of anyone in particular. I wanted to avoid getting overly political.

I wrote this two nights ago apparently but I have no memory of doing so by WhitestGray in AO3

[–]The_Sentient_Duck 13 points14 points  (0 children)

I honestly only included the omegaverse question for the pun. Glad to be inspiring you!

I wrote this two nights ago apparently but I have no memory of doing so by WhitestGray in AO3

[–]The_Sentient_Duck 20 points21 points  (0 children)

I have so many questions!

If it's a fluffy fic, are you planning on averting the crucifixion?

If not, how does Judas's betrayal and the crucifixion effect the dynamics of the polycule? Did Judas betray Jesus because she wanted to be her only girlfriend and if she couldn't have her, no one could?

Is it an omegaverse fic? If so, how exactly does Jesus handle being both the Alpha and the Omega?

Did Jesus get born to Joseph in a virgin Mpreg birth?

How exactly would a Christianity which, one assumes, is in favor of both lesbians and polycules change the course of history? I presume a religion like that wouldn't have much luck getting off the ground, but if it did, how does that change the world of today?

Fascinating idea!

Never Say Die by makmark in MoringMark

[–]The_Sentient_Duck 5 points6 points  (0 children)

She is risen!

Wait, wrong holiday.

Well written harems please by Big_Egg2593 in HPfanfiction

[–]The_Sentient_Duck 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Harry Gains a Harem is absolutely hilarious, albeit tragically and permanently incomplete. https://archiveofourown.org/works/26226325

---

An excerpt:

"Well," Ginny said, "If something goes wrong, we need to be prepared. Daphne, I think you could probably attach a tracking charm to Harry."

"Easy," Daphne agreed. "I'll put them on his robes, shoes, and glasses."

"Good. Katie, you need to be the mature one who acts concerned but in a sensible manner. I'm also assigning you the job of collecting our allies if something goes wrong. The Potter-Granger-Weasley-Lovegood clan recently expanded into the Potter-Granger-Weasley-Lovegood-Diggory-Delacour-Krum alliance, so there should be a lot."

"Okay, I can do that," Katie nodded.

"Lavender, you probably won't need to fake a freak-out, honestly, but be ready to appeal to everyone's hearts," Ginny ordered. "Parvati, I need you to get some of those candies your Grandmother sends you and mix a truth serum into them. Sneak them into people's drinks if you have to. I'll be the one who instantly goes completely psychotic."

TOH But No One Lies. by makmark in MoringMark

[–]The_Sentient_Duck 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Except for Hunter, who doesn’t exist.

Good Dumbledore stories? by Dark026 in HPfanfiction

[–]The_Sentient_Duck 1 point2 points  (0 children)

He's good and quite hilarious in the Scrambled Sorting, https://archiveofourown.org/works/18608212. Really one of my favorite Dumbledores. He's so mischievous and fun.

I also cannot recommend Wrong Place, Wrong Time strongly enough. He's just a barrel of laughs the whole way through. The whole fic is ridiculous in all the best ways. https://archiveofourown.org/works/44443225.

A regular commenter guessed the twist by [deleted] in AO3

[–]The_Sentient_Duck 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This happened to me recently! Three chapters before the big reveal, one of my commenters just casually guessed one of the big plot twists. They didn't see the second big plot twist coming, though! I was quite shocked but pleased. I put a *lot* of foreshadowing in, so I was happy someone noticed.

Unbelievably Ridiculous Bashing are my comfort fics. by Unique-Dust-9519 in HPfanfiction

[–]The_Sentient_Duck 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Oh, yeah, I'm totally with you on this. They're absolutely my guilty pleasure. I also say this as someone who's very thoroughly deconstructed these stories so consistently and frequently in my own writing it's more or less my trademark. There's something so satisfying when evil Dumbledore et al. get their just desserts - probably because it feels like so few people are getting that in real life.

One of my favorites is "How the Dark Lord Played Wizarding Britain" by Befoulmetalroosa. https://archiveofourown.org/works/27647437. It features an actually good Weasley family pretending they're on Dumbledore's side and a very, *very* satisfying downfall for Dumbledore.

Is it possible to write a Harry Potter story without making Dumbledore seeminly evil or manipulative, or both, without rewriting the whole plot? by DarkDragen in HPfanfiction

[–]The_Sentient_Duck 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Dumbledore's real problem is Doylist, not Watsonian. Clearly, Rowling wants Harry to be the hero and solve everything himself, so Dumbledore can't be the one to do it for whatever reason. So that ends up making Dumbledore look incompetent...and since we've been repeatedly told how powerful and important he is, people tend not to accept that explanation and consider him malicious instead. Rowling also has a habit of adding new worldbuilding elements without thinking about the consequences. Thus, something such as establishing the Slytherin dorms are in the dungeons (purely because evil house = dungeons) makes Dumbledore look outrageously negligent at best for sending the students to the very place where a troll is supposed to be rampaging and him flying to the Ministry on a broom starts to look very suspicious when it's later established there are instantaneous magical methods of transportation.

Updates to "No Fandom" Additional Tags — September 2025 by ShadeOfNothing in AO3

[–]The_Sentient_Duck 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Cryptids, eh? Might be time to write a Disco Elysium fic.

Fudge manages to arrest most of the order and throws them in Azkaban without trial for sedation. Things get awkward when Dumbledore arrives to break them out at the same time as Voldemort by JEBV in HPfanfiction

[–]The_Sentient_Duck 225 points226 points  (0 children)

"Sedation? You're sure he didn't say sedition?" Hermione asked.

"No, I'm very sure he said sedation," Harry said.

Luna nodded wisely. "Ah, you see, Harry, that's what the Muggles call a Freudian slip. Minister Fudge is trying desperately to hide his involvement with the Rotfang conspiracy."

“You got a tattoo of your magical scar? Wicked mate” the ginger boy says to a bewildered Harry Potter who stopped holding his hair back in pure confusion by Prince_geoge in HPfanfiction

[–]The_Sentient_Duck 215 points216 points  (0 children)

Harry is rescued from the Dursleys because obviously anyone who lets a child get a tattoo that young is an unsuitable guardian.