site banner
PaperclipPerfector  1yr ago (text post)   2605 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for August 25, 2023

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

3
Top Bottom Old Controversial Comments
Jump in the discussion.

No email address required.

I'm finally crossing Robert E Howard off my todo list, after finishing H P Lovecraft.

Picked up 3 hardcopy volumes that supposedly have as close to his complete, unadulterated Conan stories as any collection has had, and I must say I'm enjoying them profoundly. While Lovecraft is certainly an acquired taste, Howard just flies off the page at you. I'm already nearly done with the first volume. Highly recommend it. I'll probably grab Solomon Kane, Kull and Bran Mak Morn compilations after this.

There was a user on the old SSC comments who went through and reviewed Howard's entire Conan chronology. It was good fun.

I've been trying to get ahold of Swords Against Death and see what Fafrd and the Grey Mouser are all about, but I haven't found an ancient copy yet.

Not sure if this is the same guy, but comprehensive (spoilers I guess) reviews are here:

https://www.scifiwright.com/2018/12/conan-in-review/

Don’t think so. Wright sounds familiar, and may well have been an SSC contributor, but the ones I’m thinking of were Le Maistre Chat. Here’s one, and it doesn’t look like an exact copy of the Wright review.

Edit: they actually mention him in the comments. Looks like he’s a niche but somewhat well-regarded author?

Regardless,

The city turns out to be a single palace complex, held under one roof, lit by radium gems. No fields nor flocks exist outside the walls: Food is produced out of primal elements by super-science. A golden elixir serves as a panacea, restoring vitality and curing wounds. Neither trade, nor research, nor any other labor is done here. All within are addicts of opiates extracted from black lotuses grown in pits below the city. The dwellers here wake only to eat and drink and orgy before returning to windowless chambers and ecstatic dreams.

Aww yeah. That’s the good stuff.

I'm not keen on fantasy but I like seminal genre fiction so I could be tempted to try out the first Conan book. Looks like The Phoenix on the Sword is the first story published, I'll grab that and see how I get on. Might be a while before I get round to starting it though.

Conan is one of the few golden age Arnold films I've never seen so I'll be reading with no preconceptions beyond having seen the poster/video cover.

Solomon Kane for sure. You’re in for a treat!

What is this place?

This website is a place for people who want to move past shady thinking and test their ideas in a court of people who don't all share the same biases. Our goal is to optimize for light, not heat; this is a group effort, and all commentators are asked to do their part.

The weekly Culture War threads host the most controversial topics and are the most visible aspect of The Motte. However, many other topics are appropriate here. We encourage people to post anything related to science, politics, or philosophy; if in doubt, post!

Check out The Vault for an archive of old quality posts. You are encouraged to crosspost these elsewhere.


Why are you called The Motte?

A motte is a stone keep on a raised earthwork common in early medieval fortifications. More pertinently, it's an element in a rhetorical move called a "Motte-and-Bailey", originally identified by philosopher Nicholas Shackel. It describes the tendency in discourse for people to move from a controversial but high value claim to a defensible but less exciting one upon any resistance to the former. He likens this to the medieval fortification, where a desirable land (the bailey) is abandoned when in danger for the more easily defended motte. In Shackel's words, "The Motte represents the defensible but undesired propositions to which one retreats when hard pressed."

On The Motte, always attempt to remain inside your defensible territory, even if you are not being pressed.


New post guidelines

If you're posting something that isn't related to the culture war, we encourage you to post a thread for it. A submission statement is highly appreciated, but isn't necessary for text posts or links to largely-text posts such as blogs or news articles; if we're unsure of the value of your post, we might remove it until you add a submission statement. A submission statement is required for non-text sources (videos, podcasts, images).

Culture war posts go in the culture war thread; all links must either include a submission statement or significant commentary. Bare links without those will be removed.

If in doubt, please post it!


Rules


Recommended Posts And Communities

Recommended Realtime Chats