site banner
PaperclipPerfector  3d ago (text post)   2931 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for September 6, 2026

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.

Culture war topics are accepted, and proposals for a better intro post are appreciated.

2
Top Bottom Old Controversial Comments
Jump in the discussion.

No email address required.

So, what are you reading?

I'm going through al-Ghazali's Arrangement of the Litanies. So far it is surprisingly interesting, given that I thought the practical aspects of worship would be boring for a non-Muslim. Backlog has been stuck for a while.

Baldree's Legends and Lattes series.

Mixed feelings on it. It's very fanfic-tier, of the literally 'what if the adventurer retired and worked in a coffee shop' sense, which is what I was looking for, and in contrast to a lot of fanfic there's both a genuine grabber and a central plot arc instead of people just waffing at each other. But it's also painfully woke. I can deal with stories where I don't agree with the politics. It's annoying when it gets in the way of the rising tension, though.

Boiling your deuteragonist's backstory down to 'was discriminated against' might save us time, fair. When it's everybody's backstory, it's not really shorthand, anymore. When a threat hanging over the protagonist is defused as soon as you stop interacting with their human male flunkies and find out that she's an older woman, it's become self-parody.

Which is a pity, because there's a stronger story buried just a few steps deeper, and at points Baldree stumbles into it. What are the logistics of a new business, how does the Rules For Rulers concept apply at small locales and small gangs, what are the fantasy world ramifications of 'adventurer' being an actual job, what ramifications does retired adventurer bring, when they show up and get explored they're done well. Even the lesbian romance has tension to it, even if it's not my cup of tea. But then you get back to progress as its own byword and luck magic, and the tension just deflates again..

But it's also painfully woke

Yeah I just don't have time for that stuff any more. There are plenty of good books.

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