ira_gladkova | Reading

I appear to have read a bunch of danmei lately.

Legend of Exorcism vol. 1 by Fei Tian Ye Xiang
A bit meh about this. Nothing wrong with it, it's just not my cup of tea. It appears to be going in the direction of found family, so this might be a good fit for people who like that trope. It's not particularly a draw for me, which might explain my lukewarm reaction. Still, I'll probably read the next volume, too.

Ballad of Sword and Wine vol. 4 by Tang Jiu Qing
There are two ongoing danmei series where I always read the latest English release as soon as I can. This is one of them. I like military and court intrigue, and this one delivers.

Peerless vol. 4 by Meng Xi Shi
And this is the other series I always want to read ASAP. Also a plot-driven one with plenty of political intrigue, though this one is more focused on the mystery aspect -- figuring out what's going on with all these rebellious plots -- whereas Ballad of Sword and Wine has the main characters themselves right in the middle of all the plotting and rebelling.

How to Survive as Villain vol. 2 by Yi Yi Yi Yi
This novel has about as much dramatic tension as a worn-out rubber band. This is a transmigration novel that leans quite heavily into a kind of absurd humour which, you probably guessed it, is not my thing. By the end of vol. 1 I thought it was moving towards more serious direction. You know, "character transmigrates into a novel, treats is as a bit of a game, eventually realises that these people are real, things get more serious". Well, it didn't happen. Within a few chapters, vol. 2 was back to the silliness. Pleasant enough reading when you just want to hang your brain out to dry and relax, though. And luckily only three volumes long.

In addition to all the danmei, I also finished this:

He Who Drowned the World by Shelley Parker-Chan
This is the second part of the Radiant Emperor duology, the first one being She Who Became the Sun. I have conflicted feelings about this. On the one hand, Parker-Chan created some very interesting characters in the first part of the series. On the other hand, I think having so many major characters and trying to follow them all and tie them to the plot is also its weakness, which became clear in this second part of the series. There isn't space to devote enough time to them (except maybe Zhu Chongba, who I unfortunately find the least interesting), so they are rather two-dimensional. It's tragic character after tragic character after tragic character, which becomes a bit repetitive.

Also, to me the most interesting relationships and the ones with the most interpersonal tension were the ones that revolved around Esen-Temur. (Warning: major spoilers for She Who Became the Sun follow.) Highlight for spoilers! *And then Esen-Temur died in the first book. To me, it was the most emotionally satisfying moment in the whole book. I thought the build-up and the resolution to the story-arc was really well written. But without Esen-Temur, much of the interpersonal conflict that drove Ouyang and Wang Baoxiang lost its dynamism and became stagnant. They felt the after-effects, to be sure, and it was those after-effects that drove them in this second book. I just don't think they were enough to carry these characters.*

There were good parts in this book too, sure -- I really liked the story arc with Wang Baoxiang and the Third Prince -- but IMO they weren't quite enough. YMMV.

With books like these, I often keep thinking about the things they didn't do well, and that is reflected here as well. That gives a distorted view of the books. Makes it seem like I think less of them than I do. And yet the reason I keep thinking about the weaknesses is because books like these are interesting enough to hold my attention. Mediocrity doesn't do that.

So, let me state this: even though it didn't quite live up to its potential, I thought this was an interesting book and a good debut series. I look forward to seeing what Parker-Chan does next.

rydra_wong

Especially while it's at 75% off in the sale, making it 62p:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/406150/Refunct/

For anyone who might want to sample some easy platforming with a very very low entry threshold.

Chill and rather lovely environment (okay, probably depends on you liking brutalist architecture, but still -- there's a day-night cycle! there's sunshine! the water is gorgeous! the music is gentle!) with no time pressure and no penalties for failing a jump hundreds of times (except that, at worst, you fall in the water and have to swim about and haul yourself out again).

N.B. Most reviews describe this as a half-hour game, and there are achievements for speedrunning it in under 8 minutes or under 4 minutes.

It took me over five hours of playtime to beat it, which should be indicative of the co-ordination and skill levels I'm working with here. And yet it did not at any point feel stressful or humiliating for me. It felt like a pleasant, relaxing environment in which to fail repeatedly and experiment.

It started at a level low enough that I could manage it, and then had a really satisfying difficulty curve. If I was stalling on the next objective, I could still run and parkour round the environment purely for fun (and sometimes ended up working out how to pick off the optional achievements in the process).

Towards the very end, I started to think that the last jumps might just flat-out exceed the limits of what I am currently capable of, and it felt like if that did happen, I would still be able to walk away pretty happily having already got way more than 62p's worth of enjoyment out of it.

Will absolutely be playing it again.

anehan

Crossposted to booknook.

Title: Censored: A Literary History of Subversion and Control
Authors: Matthew Fellion and Katherine Inglis
Genre: non-fiction

As a consequence of realising that hey, interlibrary loans exist and are actually pretty cheap, I've been reading a book called Censored: A Literary History of Subversion and Control by Matthew Fellion and Katherine Inglis.

The book is a survey of the history of censorship of literature mainly in the UK and the US, presented through case studies of individual censored works, though many of the chapters discuss censorship of similar books more broadly. The oldest case is the censorship of the early English translations of the Bible; the newest the censorship of Chicanx literature in Arizona in the 2010s.

The book takes a broad view of censorship. It doesn't just deal with censorship by the state, but also other forms of censorship, such as self-censorship and the chilling effect that censorship exerts on the literary landscape as a whole.

I'm not going to talk about it in any great detail. It's really well-written -- very accessible to a lay reader, without feeling like it's been dumbed-down -- so go read it if the topic interests you.

( Some thoughts on censorship of literature based on this book )

rydra_wong

A whole world of games not playable on Mac has opened up to me, and it's Steam summer sale time!

Please rec me your favourite games, bearing in mind that I have very limited reflexes/co-ordination.

(I'm not completely ruling out games involving them, but the threshold for entry has to be very very low. I am currently enjoying Refunct because it allows me to try some simple platforming in a very chill and pleasant environment with no time pressure and no penalties for taking several hundred tries to get a jump.)

rebecca2525

I'm so excited that you're creating something for me! I know I ramble a lot in my letter, but it's meant to be an inspiration more than anything. I'm not attached to any of my prompts, so feel free to ignore them. The division into art and fic prompts is only meant as a convenience, so feel free to mix and match.

I'm Rebecca on AO3. Treats are welcome.

Contents

DNWs
Albion (Video Game)
Are You Being Served?
Doom (Video Games)
Les fantômes du chapelier | The Hatter's Ghosts - Georges Simenon
A Place Called Glory | The Hell of Manitoba
General Likes

DNWs

I don't have any triggers and I am very hard to squick. There are just a few things I do not want to read about:

death of requested characters
giving requested characters terminal illnesses or unrecoverable injuries
giving requested characters mental illnesses or trauma
trans and asexual interpretations of requested characters
rape/non-con involving requested characters
requested characters cheating on anyone (simply not mentioning canon partners is fine)
unrequested open relationships or poly involving requested characters (simply not mentioning canon partners is fine)
settings AU, e.g. vampires, coffee shop, different time period, omegaverse, soulmate AUs, ... (canon divergence/altering or ignoring canon events is fine)

(There are some canon-specific exceptions listed below.)

Albion (Video Game)

Drirr/Rainer Hofstedt

Requested: Art & Fic

I love the detailed world of Albion, especially the tropic Nakiridaani with all those lush plants and animals and the culture of Iskai. I can spend hours walking around there, looking at stuff and talking to people! (Glow-in-the-dark flora & fauna! Pretty buildings that are actually shaped out of living plants! Iskai magic! The Former's' guild house!)

Drirr has a couple of funny moments that amuse me greatly and I love his impulsiveness and the fighting ability he brings to the party—strong and quick and probably a joy to watch. Rainer I love because he's the level-headed, geeky scientist, and I'm probably the only person who is actually sad when he leaves the party. Together, they make the perfect opposites attract/unlikely couple, and there's a titbit of dialog where Drirr's rash actions and Rainer's prudence clash in a bicker-y way that just hits all my buttons. Add to that the cultural and physical differences and how they start out knowing nothing about each other's species, and it makes me all the more curious to see how anything between them would play out.

Fic Prompts

Cultural differences: Do Iskai kiss? Hug? Dance? Do they have any taboos? Do they have any rituals surrounding sex, dating, ...? Does that lead to confusions or misunderstandings? Maybe there are some gestures that one culture sees as platonic and the other as romantic/sexual and an accidental courtship ensues?
Differences in physique: Exploring each other's differences and loving them, or some awkward moments and creative workarounds. Maybe Iskai go through some sort of heat or Pon Farr and someone has to help Drirr out?
Drirr's tail: It's practically a tentacle—I mean long third arm and hand, so what fun uses for it are there? Is it unusually sensitive, maybe? Do Iskai attach any special meaning to things done with the tail vs with hands, or are there any specific gestures for it that Rainer learns to decipher bit by bit? Apart from sex, it could be good for inconspicuous hand-holding or other displays of affection? Or Drirr could use it to startle Rainer, maybe he finds that fun in a "pulling pigtails" sort of way. :D
AU where Rainer and Drirr already meet during the time when Tom is still in coma: Maybe Drirr is fascinated by this newcomer? How is it for Rainer to see this strange world for the very first time, to try to communicate, to try to learn the first words? Does the Iskai mind-meld help, maybe, and does that spark something between Rainer and Drirr?
Getting closer during a quiet night around the campfire when they are out with the party? I imagine that must be a little awkward, what with the lack of privacy...
Sex pollen/magic/...: There are so many weird plants and so many ancient places with forgotten magic, there's probably some fun stuff around! (I bet it's Drirr who accidentally triggers it and Rainer is pretty miffed about it. Or it's the other way round for once.) Could be something that induces lust, or that forces proximity or other intimate situations or... Maybe something weird/funny happens with some ancient magic designed for Iskai biology but Rainer is human?

Art Prompts

Drirr using his tail to touch Rainer (Sneakily? Boldly?)
A quiet moment at the campfire — leaning onto each other, sleeping close to each other, ...
Running fingers over each other's alien physique
Drirr protecting Rainer from wildlife
Drirr pinning Rainer against a convenient surface
A kiss (What' Drirr's tail doing during this?)

Availability

Albion is abandonware and as such downloadable in various places, and there are walkthroughs, Let's Plays etc available. It's a very long game, but pretty much everything I'm referencing above happens early on and it's not a story that goes very deep into characterisation, plus I'm not wedded to any of the cultural titbits we learn about the Iskai, so I'm good with taking the character archetypes and the basic facts and running with them in any direction you like. (If you do want to go deep into Iskai lore, though, I'm up for that, too!)

In any case, I've collected some resources here

Are You Being Served?

Wilberforce Claybourne Humphries/Stephen Peacock

Requested: Art & Fic

I love how Mr Humphries is so unapologetically himself, love his humour and the camp, love how he always seems to be throwing himself into things and having so much fun. Captain Peacock is the perfect foil with his grumpy, quiet, uptight personality; I'm always intrigued by quiet-waters-run-deep kind of characters and it amuses me greatly how he's perpetually baffled by Mr Humphries' lifestyle (without being judgemental usually). They seem to respect each other–Mr Humphries is the only of the staff that Captain Peacock ever has praise for afair–and canon gives us Mr Humphries' little flirtations here and there that Captain Peacock doesn't seem to mind, so I can imagine that, to both of their surprise maybe, something could develop between them.

Regarding Captain Peacock's wife: I'd prefer if she's either not mentioned, doesn't exist, or that they separated before anything shippy happens.

I love the entire staff and am always happy for them to appear, btw. Other favourites are Mrs Slocombe and Mr Rumbold.

Fic Prompts

Sharing a bed: There are so many moments where the staff have to sleep at the store. Captain Peacock and Mr Humphries should have to share at some point! Alternating the plot of an existing episode? A new scenario? What's Mr Humphries wearing to bed? What does Captain Peacock things of it?
I love the episode where they dance so much (Top Hat and Tails) and I'd love any scene based on that. The dancing leading to realisations? Them discovering they'd love to keep dancing even after the episode? Why did Captain Peacock agree to dance with Mr Humphries in the first place? How did they settle that?
The episode where Mrs Slocombe makes that perfume with that interesting effect (The Sweet Smell of Success)–maybe it hits Captain Peacock and Mr Humphries, like some sort of aphrodisiac or love potion or sex pollen-y stuff?
Mr Humphries helping to Captain Peacock to buy some clothes and that leading to more. Taking measurements, advising him, helping him in the fitting room?
Having to stay at each other's place. There's one episode where Captain Peacock gets thrown out by his wife and needs a place to stay, and one episode where Mr Humphries gets thrown out by his mother... something like that? Ending up liking the arrangement more than they thought? One consoling the other? Drowning their sorrows in alcohol together? Captain Peacock clashing with how Mr Humphries decorates his flat? Or with how Mr Humphries takes over his own place?

Art Prompts

Dancing! (Love the Episode "Top Hat and Tails). Either both of them wearing suits, or maybe Mr Humphries wearing something he'd put on in a gay club? Or a dress?
Helping each other dress: Tying ties, doing up zippers or buttons, ...
Mr Humphries taking Captain Peacock's measurements
Sharing a bed (voluntarily as a couple, or involuntarily?)
Mr Humphries impressing Captain Peacock with one of his skimpy outfits

Availability

A lot can be found on dailymotion. The channel "Britcome One" usually has the best quality, but they rigulously cut off the intro and outro (which were specially filmed for each episode). The episode that started my ship obsession is "Top Hats And Tails". Just look at them! The series is episodic so you can just watch a handful episodes.

Doom (Video Games)

Doomguy/Samuel Hayden

Requested: Art

I love the aesthetics of Doom 2016 especially, the Mars station scifi/indistrial environment. Love Dooguy's preator suit too, idk, all that stuff that it has going on visually. Doomguy's needles violence cracks me up, the way he punches the weapon update drones, or the Argent filters despite being told to carefully disable them.

Curious as to Samual Hayden's deal. He studies the Doom Slayer, he needs/uses him, but it can also easily be read as obsession, a fixation, curiosity... How much is he watching him? What's the deal with the three statues he has in his office? I think they are supposed to be just the suit, but there's nothing to say that Doomguy isn't meant to be in them....

Art Prompts

Samuel watching Doomguy tied up in the lab before he wakes up
Samuel patching Doomguy up, or installing an update on his suit?
Angry sex/hate sex. Don't mind if Doomguy is still a bit beat up from what's going on.
Sexy manhandling (whoever's doing the manhandling :). Maybe Doomguy just straight up shoving a gun in Samuel's face?
Samuel admiring the statues in his office. Maybe very handsyly?

Availability

(tbd)

Les fantômes du chapelier | The Hatter's Ghosts - Georges Simenon

Requested: Fic

Kachoudas&Léon Labbé, Kachoudas/Léon Labbé

(Note: My character death DNW and cheating DNW don't apply here.)

I find the book and the character of Léon Labbé very fascinating. The way he is on the one hand so precise, so carefully planning, so arrogant about his own abilities, so successful, but on the other hand pretty much deceiving himself about what he really needs or wants. I think he is so deeply trapped in his unhappy life that he doesn't even realise the depths of his own unhappiness until it all very suddenly starts to go wrong. What struck me about the book is that it's also pretty sensual, for example in the way it lingers on smell or other senses, while outwardly the controlled Labbé is anything but sensual, and nothing in his life is either. It's a contrast that makes me want to poke at it.

His relationship with Kachoudas is so interesting. You have these men that barely talk to each other or interact, but who are both obsessed which each other. They have their daily rituals they perform in an 'apart but together' way, they are always observing each other. The sensual descriptions apply to Kachoudas as well. And then, of course, Labbé gets completely fixated on Kachoudas as if he's the only one who could understand him, the only person that matters, the only one who could save him perhaps (even though he doesn't even seem to respect him much). I think it's telling that Labbé starts to truly break apart the moment Kachoudas dies.

I don't really have prompts, as such. I'd love any kind of encounter between them, whether before or during the book, whether canon-compliant or canon-divergent. How did they get to where they are? Could a difference in their relationship have changed anything at all?

I can easily see some sexual component. Labbé's only positive sexual encounters seem to be with with Mlle Berthe every once in a while, so I can imagine there's the potential for lots of suppression, unexamined desires etc. Honestly, I don't even know what exactly to picture, here. I'm not looking for a HEA between the two. Maybe a one-time thing, maybe some sort of regular thing? I imagine they still barely talk about anything. I wouldn't want noncon direction or Labbé taking advantage of someone who isn't somewhat reciprocating, but I'm on board with all kinds of ill-advised sex, feelings of guilt and disgust, dubcon. Would this change anything about how the story plays out?

Availability

It's a short French novel. An English translation is available, though personally I haven't read it.

A Place Called Glory | The Hell of Manitoba

Clint Brenner/Reese

I just love how much fun these two seem to have in every scene they share. All those smiles and the playfulness and the way they seem to instantly like each other despite now knowing much of each other! <3 I can see anything from casual hookup to romance between those two.

Fic Prompts

Their first meeting at the campfire reads like Reese hitting on Brenner to me, and Brenner at least contemplating it. I'd love anything exploring this, no matter if it leads to sex or not, if it's more flirting or fade to black or whatever. Reese can't possibly know whether his advances would be welcome within just a couple of minutes knowing Brenner — is he so smitten at first sight that he just has to try or is that just his general modus operandi? They don't trust each other yet (sleeping with their guns in their hands!) — does that influence things? (Reese at least seems like a person who finds a bit of risk extra fun...) If nothing happened that night, what's Brenner's fond smile in the morning about?
Their second meeting in the barn and especially the last lines ("coffee's good/see you later") always make me think that now they are definitely making a date for sex, whether or not they already slept together the first night or not. I'd love anything exploring this, be it the actual sex scene or things leading up to this. If Brenner declined the night before, what made him change his mind? Are they sitting through the whole poker game building up anticipation?
I find it pretty funny how the movie wants these two to become friends quickly but can't have them know each other's names. So, trying to fill plot holes with sex, maybe they were expecting an anonymous one-night-stand that makes it awkward to ask for names even when they started growing fond of each other? Resulting in pining while having sex because the other would never etc?
Alternate ending: How would the movie end if Brenner hadn't got back together with Jade? Would they just ride into the sunset together, or would Brenner still try his old running away trick (and would Reese let him?) Celebratory sex?
Post-movie reunion: How do they meet again? I'm up for all kinds of Western shenanigans if you want to go a bit plotty.

Regarding Jade, I'm fine with: ignoring that Brenner got back together with her, fic where Brenner/Reese stays casual and the movie events still happen (with possible threesome in the future?), fic set after Brenner and Jade broke up again, Brenner having feelings for both Jade and Reese, Jade not appearing or being mentioned in the fic at all.

Art Prompts

Strip poker
Riding into the sunset together
Brenner teaching Reese how he makes his coffee
Casual nudity in the wilderness: bathing in a river, laundry day, post-sex cuddling, ...
Kissing/touching/etc while on horseback or right next to the horses

Availability

The movie is up in it's entirety on free Youtube and is 90 minutes long.

General Likes

Any rating works for me, be it for sex, violence, language, or lack thereof. I'm here for the character interactions, and sex can be a great part of that, but isn't necessary for me.

General

getting together
romance
humour
banter & bickering
flirting
a pairing's first intimate moments: touches, kisses, sex, ...
ballroom dancing and slow dancing
friends to lovers
all variations of forced intimacy when they secretly want it anyway: X made them do it/mistletoe/sex pollen/undercover as a couple/fake dating/having to share a bed
games like truth or dare, bets, ...
mistaken for a couple/everyone things they are dating
coming to terms with things: one's past, one's feelings, ...
competence/people being good at their job
matchmaking/friends giving a gentle nudge
feels like an episode/episode related (missing scene, post-ep, casting a new light upon canon events); matching the canon's tone
bittersweet/melancholy atmosphere
geeky/nerdy/techy stuff; science
UST/becoming aware of one's feelings/trying to suppress one's feelings and failing
best buddies or colleagues/acting like a married couple/knowing how to handle each other's quirks/settling into routines
relationships that seem mismatched, unbalanced or unlikely at first glance, but aren't or work out against all odds; unlikely couples complementing each other
keeping romantic gestures under the radar (for example because of period-typical homophobia), relying on subtlety or one's own language; unexpected allies
a silly premise
imperfections/not being conventionally attractive
mixed media
pre-relationship, UST/pining that's not resolved

Art specific

stylised or realistic style, clean or sketchy
landscapes and scenery
costume porn
unusual lighting or a strong sense of lighting
contrast
limited colour palette
comics
illustrations to my fic
memes, visual jokes and other funny stuff
silly poses and expressions
relaxed poses, quiet intimacy
small domestic moments of living together, like sharing a bathroom and bedroom, doing chores together etc.
touching, almost touching, being in each other's space
hands
casual nudity
animals

Fic specific

all fic lengths
open or ambiguous endings
happy endings
five times fic
outsider POV: someone else's view on my pairings
plotty fic, case fic, adventures etc (including the shippy part being the B-plot)
descriptions of surroundings, sense of time and place
older characters re-evaluating their sexuality

Sex Scenes

Top/bottom preferences: As to what tab goes in which slot, I don't care at all. As to who's more assertive, I love a give and take between characters.

Random stuff that I like:

hand jobs, frottage, intercrural, blow jobs, rimming, anal, fingering
kissing
exploring each other's bodies with hands and tongues
acknowledging the messier aspects of sex, like spit, sweat, semen (though I do not like including other bodily fluids)
sex that develops spontaneously, diving in and seeing where things take you, trying out stuff and figuring things out on the go
imperfections and loving each other's imperfections
minor mishaps, laughing
bantering/bickering/teasing continuing through sex
those little moments of pause, or guessing, because you can't read your partner's mind—especially if it's the pairing's first time
quick frantic sex, slow sensual sex
touching through clothes
sex with clothes on, sex without clothes on
slowly stripping each other's clothes, quickly scrambling out of clothes
body hair, or naturally smooth skin
altered states of mind acting like a catalyst: adrenaline rush, alcohol, sex pollen... (as long as I can believe they both secretly want it anyway, I'm fine with dubcon-y scenarios)

Common DNWs I'm fine with

Feel free to include if it fits your story/canon!

Any kind of -isms, internalised -isms, offensive language etc; especially for historical settings.
Past relationships (canon and not canon), including past relationships that are important to the characters still. As far as my requested ships are the main focus, I'm fine.
Unrequested background ships
Teenagers (14 and above) havings sex, drinking, smoking, taking drugs
Original characters. As long as my requested characters play a main role, I'm fine. None of my DNWs apply to OCs.
OCs as POV characters. As long as the main focus is on their thoughts on my requested characters, I'm fine.
1st person POV, 2nd person POV
Epistolary fic (be it traditional letters, or mails, chats and texts)
Pre-ship endings, UST/pining that's not resolved. As long as non-platonic feelings are had for requested ships, I'm fine.
Dubcon for requested ships. I want to be able to believe that both secretly want it anyway (I'm very willing to believe this!), and that there isn't one deliberately taking advantage of the other, but I'm fine with all kinds of outside forces, under the influence, things spiralling out of control, ill-advised sex etc.

anehan

I'll Have What He's Having by Adib Khorram
M/M romance. DNF'd in chapter 7. No complaints about the plot, the setting, the characters, etc. The reason for the DNF was the amateurish writing. It's got infodumping, characterisation with a capital C, cringy sex. I felt like I was reading Khorram's daydream about what a cool life would be like. And the frustrating thing is that I think all of these issues were solvable with the help of a good editor. As it is, it's not worth bothering with.

The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer
This, on the other hand, is extremely worth bothering with, because it's fantastic. Sci-fi mystery/thriller, with a smattering of M/M romance. I recommend not spoiling yourself for the plot twist beforehand, though from experience I can say that even if you do get spoiled, it's still worth reading.

A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett
The second book in the Shadow of the Leviathan series, and just as good as the first. Mystery with thoughtful depictions of power, responsibility, and the danger of good intentions.

The Game of Kings by Dorothy Dunnett
DNF'd at 16%. This isn't so much an anti-rec as it is a warning, because I think The Game of Kings really requires you to have a better grasp of British history -- especially the Anglo-Scottish Wars -- than I do. It assumes you have a lot of background knowledge about the people and the events, and if you don't, it's often dull reading. It might have got more interesting later on, but there are too many books I really want to read for me to bother finding out.

Kreutzer Sonata by Leo Tolstoy
As far as I can remember, the only work by a Russian author that I'd ever read before this was a short story by Anton Chekhov, which we had to read at school. The reason I picked Kreuzer Sonata up was because I was going to see a ballet based on it soon after, and I'm glad I did. It deals with domestic violence, and yet it's a surprisingly easy read. Anyway, I've now read both a short story and a novella by a famous Russian author. What's next, a whole novel?

(The ballet was good, too, though I think the choreographer had mostly missed the point of the novella.)

rydra_wong

* SAVE OFTEN, especially in the early game when you may be very fragile and the game's auto-save is infrequent.

BUT -- don't reload from a save unless you actually die or otherwise hit a "game over."

This game is about failing, and it rewards you for playing forwards through failure. Some of the best moments in the game come from failed checks. There are always alternative routes and ways forwards. If you tried to savescum it, you would miss most of the game and all of the point. Embrace failure.

~~Okay there are those two specific checks where failing is so emotionally devastating I would not judge anyone for savescumming. But apart from those.~~

* You can just pick one of the Archetypes for a starter build, and leave messing around with custom character creation until you've seen the stats in action and understand how the system works. Don't stress about it. Or, if you want, you can throw yourself into custom character creation despite not having a clue how it works, and you will also have a fun time. Your initial build and your later choices about what you put points into will radically change your experience of the game, but you can't do it "wrong"; there are no optimal builds which are "better".

* Press tab to highlight objects you can interact with, or activate "detective mode" in the settings to do it automatically. Yes I know this is the sort of thing that is probably obvious to people who have played video games before.

* If your Health or Morale (displayed on the lower left of the screen) fall to zero, you have about 5 seconds to apply a healing item (if you have one) by clicking the cross above that stat.

This is the one timed element in the game, and also the one mechanic that some of us initially have trouble grasping.

With all the other mechanics in the game, you can not only learn them by flinging yourself in and floundering about, this is IMHO the best and most enjoyable way to learn them. No idea what the Thought Cabinet is or what Internalizing A Thought means? Try it and find out!

* Perhaps the most important tip of all:

If you feel you are flailing around and failing on most of the checks you try and you've just been informed you have acquired a Thought you can internalize in your Thought Cabinet and you have no clue what that means or maybe you just had a heart attack and died before you even got out of your hotel room or you had a nervous breakdown because a child insulted you and you have no idea what you're doing and it's been three days and you still haven't got the body down from the tree --

THIS DOES NOT MEAN YOU ARE PLAYING THE GAME "BADLY". THIS IS IN FACT THE UNIVERSAL DISCO ELYSIUM EXPERIENCE AND MEANS YOU ARE PLAYING THE GAME CORRECTLY. WELL DONE.

rydra_wong

Disco Elysium is currently 90% off in the Steam summer sale, making it a mere £3.49.

Play Disco Elysium, everybody. Yes, even if you don't play video games.

(It was the first video game I ever played -- apart from having once(?) played Pac Man as a child, many many decades ago -- and it was a perfect choice.)

If you understand the principle of a Choose Your Own Adventure book, have a vague sense that "stats" and "levelling up" are things, and can grasp "click to go to a place/interact with an object," you are sufficiently equipped.

ETA: Okay, I will add in

astrogirl's excellent content warning:

It's definitely not for everybody. I mean, for one thing, it gets pretty much all the trigger warnings for everything. Alcoholism and substance abuse, suicidal thoughts, discussions of sexual assault, gore (not visual, but some of the descriptions are very vivid), you name it. A number of characters are giant racists. (Towards fictional races/ethnicities, mind you, but it's still ugly.) Evil children will hurl homophobic slurs at you. That sort of thing. And whatever your politics, the game will try very hard to make you feel uncomfortable about them.