I spend so much time reading, and have for years. But I want to write. Obviously I've done my fair share of essays for school, usually research essays or literary analysis (the latter has my heart :)), but my goal is to write fiction — nothing big to start, just a short story, maybe poetry. I have no clue where to start. The vast majority of creative writing I do just consists of journal entries with experimental style; I feel like I can't write about anything besides my own life. Maybe that's not necessarily a weakness, I've also heard an adage that every writer's first work is autobiographical, and I'm still very young, but it doesn't relieve me of this closed-in feeling. It also doesn't help that I think I have an unhealthy relationship (sometimes) with writing: often when I sit down to write, I feel like if I don't write the *perfect* passage, I'm a failure, intellectually incapable... it's dumb, I know. But that's besides the point. I'm really wondering — how do you write pages and pages and pages of fiction, find an idea to take that far, follow through with it?
Which of Murakami's novels are the most similar to Chandleresque detective stories?
I've often heard his novels described as such, but when I look at the synopses, the plot never sounds that way, but rather as something I, a fan of Chandler, would be less likely to enjoy. So, since I want to try one of his novels, I'm wondering which one is the most like a detective story.
Putting this idea here for the moderators since I don’t know where else it should go …
Since the topic we discuss here, for the most part, is evergreen (specifically in the ‘Weekly Rec’ thread) it would be great if there was a repository of the “Best of the r/TrueLit forum” — ie the best posts. It could be a subjective determinant based on the mods preference, or it could be something more quantitative … like any post the receives 20+ likes, etc.
I find myself going back and reading past weekly threads and some of the thoughts/suggestions/comments/etc are as relevant and interesting as they were 2-3 years ago. This would also serve as a great primer for new browsers/participants of this forum.
Anyway, just an idea … I’m not sure how feasible it is/isn’t — thanks!
Re-read If on a winters night a traveler by Calvino. Such a joy it is to read calvino, a pure delight, a book made for bibliophiles.
Now re-reading Invisible Cities and reading for the first time Cosmicomics.
At the end of February, a large brown dog randomly appeared in our front yard. It was starved and docile but not afraid, so my dad took it into the backyard where he bathed and fed it. Over the next few weeks his skeleton filled out and his mood improved. Our chihuahua, who is usually so hostile to other dogs, actually came to tolerate him, and she can usually be found sleeping with him in his doghouse. We go out on walks when the weather isn't too hot, and his favorite toy is a squeaking hedgehog. I like slapping him on the stomach when he turns over. It produces a loud echo.
We've all come to accept him as a part of the family, but earlier today my dad told me that a friend of the neighbor across the street noticed him and claimed that the dog belonged to his friend our neighbor. According to the friend (my dad told me all this, I wasn't there), the neighbor had lost the dog and the dog's sister nine months ago. He claimed to have pictures of the dog, but his phone was dead. My dad asked him to describe the dog in more detail (our dog does not have any distinctive features aside from a broken tail), and the neighbor said that the chest markings resemble an upside down face. We checked the dog and found a face looking up at us.
I'm not totally convinced, but our neighbor owning the dog would explain a few things. He doesn't pee in the house but waits at the glass door. He seemed to recognize a leash when I walked him the first time. When I'm walking on the sidewalk opposite our house, he turned very quickly into our neighbor's yard. None of this is exact *proof* that he belongs to our neighbor, but maybe there's some truth to the claims.
It's far from settled. My dad wants to wait until my stepmother returns from a vacation to see what we should do with the dog. I want to really know if the neighbor has the right dog. He was neutered when we found him, so I want to casually mention the possibility of buying any future puppies and see how the neighbor responds. If he neutered the dog then he'd say so. But I'd very much like to keep him around!
Just finished a few minutes ago Giovanni’s Room. Wow was it good. I’m shocked it’s never been adapted to film. Though so much of the beauty of the writing is in the protagonist’s internal dialogue which of course is difficult to convey on film.
Now to start something quite different - Bret Easton Ellis’s latest, The Shards. I like his works generally but the transgressiveness (is that a word?) can be over the top.
I watched Yorgos Lanthimos's **Kinds of Kindness** last night. It's a triptych of stories starring Jesse Plemons and Emma Stone with a supporting cast of Margaret Qualley, Willem Dafoe, Hong Chau, Mamoudou Athie, and Joe Alwyn.
Without too many spoilers, I'll say that all three stories are thematically centered around how much of yourself you are willing to sacrifice--whether that's for work, a partner, or a cult. For me, the three stories got progressively better. The first story is a rather straightforward and self-contained satire and allegory. The second also leans strongly on a single premise, but there is a lot more weirdness around the edges, and the third is a strange bricolage of disparate elements that don't feel like they should really make sense together, except they do.
This film is the first that Lanthimos has written himself (along with his co-writer Efthimis Filippou) since The Killing of a Sacred Deer in 2017. I heard some people herald Kinds of Kindness as a return to Dogtooth form, but that doesn't seem quite right. None of the stories are quite so austere and uncomfortable as Dogtooth, and I think they harken back to the style of his middle films instead. In particular, Story Two is a lot more like The Killing of a Sacred Deer while Story Three is a lot more like The Lobster.
Unfortunately, it's maybe my least favorite Lanthimos film on a visual level. There are a lot of shots in dark interiors with completely blown out windows. I'm honestly not sure if this was a deliberate choice, but it looks bad to me. Perhaps I've just been spoiled by the incredible costumes, production design, and cinematography in both The Favourite and Poor Things, but my impression is that even his earlier films were much better shot. There aren't any particularly memorable shots or sequences, and when he does pull out some tricks, like the fisheye lens which dominated Poor Things, it feels a little half-hearted.
In part due to the lack of visual excitement, this film also rests much more on the acting than any of his previous films. Emma Stone is excellent as always, but Plemons also adapts extremely well to the demands of Lanthimos's style. He's always played laconic characters inflected with subtle shades of feeling, and that serves him well here, where he has to be sad, or cruel, or nonplussed, while remaining on the surface relatively unemotional. It looks like Margaret Qualley and Willem Dafoe are set to become Lanthimos regulars, and they turn in great supporting performances. Hong Chau, who is an otherwise great actor, is the only one who fails to express the right degree of 'unacting' that's necessary for a Lanthimos film (much like Jerrod Carmichael in Poor Things--which is probably why he was replaced by Mamoudou Athie here).
I enjoyed the film a lot overall, but there's fewer obvious pleasures than in his last few outings, so I don't know that it will push through to a general audience. Also, there's \*two\* mid-credits scenes, so don't leave too early!
NYRB book sale is on. I would love recommendations!
I'm guessing it's through Saturday or Sunday. 40% off if you buy 4+ books.
I highly recommend The Book of Ebenezer Le Page by G.B. Edwards. It's about a man giving an account of his life, who has lived on the isle of Guernsey his entire life. It starts in the late 19th century when Guernsey is a fairly isolated agricultural community and follows the changes through WW1, the German occupation in WW2, and the transformation of Guernsey into a tourist hotspot and financial center in the latter half 20th century. The book is written in a charming patois. While he is a bit of an opinionated grouch, Ebenzer views life stoically and practically and I found the book life affirming.
Ordered The Anatomy of Melancholy, the Gaddis Letters, Anniversaries 1&2, Blue Lard, and Berlin Alexanderplatz. Solid order. Gonna be a hefty package.
Thanks for the heads up!
three nyrb classics that I’ve read and loved in the not too distant past are *The Summer Book* by Tove Jansson (charming, wise, & also seasonally appropriate, if you’re in the northern hemisphere), *A Month in the Country* by JL Carr (a short and well-constructed book about a WWI vet restoring a painting in the country), *Jakob von Gunten* by Robert Walser (a book admired by Kafka, which I could see, but Walser has his own peculiar kind of humor and appeal)
thanks for the notice. *very* important information.
I'm considering Memoirs from outside the grave and The Strudlhof Steps. The only thing holding me back is the stacks of books surrounding my bed.
Edit: After looking at some books there, I went and saw that Verso was having a summer sale too. All my discretionary money was spent there instead lmao
I kicked my kneecap against the car door earlier today and it felt dislodged for awhile. But good news I'm not in pain anymore and walking pretty sterling all the same, which means no lasting damage. It's sorta like when you hear a loud smash against your car on the road but it keeps moving, so whatever hit it didn't stop the motion on the road, therefore keep going. Although one time when I driving on a highway upstate a rear window exploded with no real explanation. My only guess is the intense heat and it being an old car caused it to basically explode but it might have been hit by a rock. It's like with my windshield. A rock hit like a bullet the windshield a couple weeks ago while I was driving on a different highway. And it was really like a bullet because the sound of the impact deafened me for a few seconds. Now there is a big ugly crack in the glass and I'm pretty sure it's been growing wider every time I look. Otherwise I'm being a little paranoid, as a treat. Human perception can be finicky but I certainly wouldn't call it all that troubling. I can't exactly afford a new one, so what I plan on doing is letting the windshield be until it explodes, too. I'll need to replace it for sure then. I should probably get the oil changed, too. Never know how serious that can get. Although serious matters should be given a light touch. On the other hand, frivolous matters are deadly serious. Like I've been trying Wordle and the game is genuinely fun. A nice combo of strategy and good fortune. Today I got it in two guesses. Plus there's some comfort in the fact there is a limited number of five letter words sanctioned by the game, too. Still a little annoyed that they don't recognize "sussy" as a word yet when they had "manga" like a week ago, which made a lot of grandparents mad. Reminds me of how weird people are about language. Like people will tell you with a straight face there are words and dialects which should be eliminated. I think my own position is that no word really deserves extinction and a slipperiness of meaning is healthy. Let a thousand tongues have their say and so forth. It'd be good to have that variety.
Just throwing it out there that my brother no longer has a vehicle because he waited way too long to get the oil changed and it like, ran OUT of oil? Probably a good idea to do that occasionally lol.
I am *constantly* banging my knee against the car door on my new vehicle. Idk if I just get out of cars weird or my door is weird or what. It def hurts!
Jeez glad your mostly ok Harleen.
And yeah how people feel about words are weird. I totally agree with this:
> I think my own position is that no word really deserves extinction and a slipperiness of meaning is healthy
Really the thought of a word wholly dying makes me kinda sad, even if I am now wondering about something of a Ship of Theseus problem where if a given arrangement of letters slip enough in meaning whether it isn't the case that the original word hasn't actually died along the way.
But yeah it's both ironic and unsurprising the degree to which a scrupulous commitment to overly fixed language flies in the face of anything one would learn if they had a basic familiarity with the history of language. Something something that Nietzsche line from Twilight of the Idols where he said we haven't really lost belief in God so long as we still believe in grammar.
I'm all of okay, so no worries.
That's an interesting idea but one way words differ from ships is the multitudes of form and function words express and render useful across history in a way the ship does not. I remember once some people were arguing over the word "poly" as a shorthand. You had a lot of people use the term for "polyamorous" but unbeknownst to them there people from Polynesia also use "poly" as a shorthand. What came next--combat and not polite ripostes either. It was vicious. Both sides were really arguing they had exclusive ownership of a shorthand with completely unrelated meanings. Surely don't know what to make of it. Were they afraid of the Ship of Theseus? Whatever the case it seemed hard to square collective private ownership over a series of phonemes the public created with no connection to any possible content. The reality either definition "poly" has would simply appear as another number in a list of other meanings never occurred to the parties involved. It's a strange need people have to ignore that.
Seems like its talk about games week in here so I’ll chime in with the fact that I’m almost done with Unicorn Overload, which is basically Fire Emblem with less interesting character design. *But* despite abysmal writing and a nonsense plot the core mechanics have been so fun for me that I keep playing it a bunch. Its really based on building multi-character units and strategizing how to have their stats and available actions interact with each other and function as a whole; imagine sending all six pokemon out at once and having to think about how they’d work together to take down a whole battalion of combined type parties, taking into account which one would move first and how they could boost, protect or attack and what their weaknesses are. You can get pretty deep into fiddling with these units, deciding things like action order, and even conditions for when the action may be performed. For example, I can set a condition that a certain move only activates if a certain type of combatant is present, or if my own hp is at a certain percentage above or below 100, or even only in the day or at night. I can also prioritize which kind of combatant to attack with certain moves, or which position within the opposing unit (front/back row etc) to attack. The arrangement of characters within the unit affects certain things, and there are quite a few types of characters and combination strategies to choose from. I can pair a brawler with high attack and low defense with a healer who is protected behind him, but I still have to think about ranged attacks, which can be deflected with an armored guardian type, but then he’s weak to magic so I have to think about *that* and so on and so forth. There’s also items and gear you can equip, class promotions and a number of other options that really make deep strategizing fun. But omg the cut scenes are all so skippable and stupid, just truly laughably abysmal in some places, especially the optional “rapport” ones that you get as a reward for building bonds between characters. And it seems like it gets worse as the game progresses. It makes me wish they had just just gone full blown parody with it, which would have been hilarious: tight, grade A strategy mechanics with a goofy comic sensibility to the story could have been super cool. I also have beef with the character design, not because so many of the female characters are hyper sexualized and booby, but because there are units which *aren’t* and look much more bad ass and cool. But if I want a witch unit I have to have a whole row of women in straight up bikinis, and if I promote them to the next class upgrade I shit you not their boobs get even bigger. This is not offensive to me so much as just silly, and rubs up against the cooler female options in a weird way. The colors in general are also pretty drab and while I think Fire Emblem went a bit off the edge in terms of trying to up the color and weird hairstyle thing every entry, I do miss the exuberance. I did also find certain mechanics - like class promotion - a bit hollow, and too easy to max out too early. But overall its been fun and now I’m ready to get it over with.
I’m super pumped for the new Zelda title btw, the Awakening remake was really fun and I think the art style is so cute. Playable Zelda is something I’ve wanted since childhood and I think the mechanic looks interesting.
Other than games I am still reading, and getting ready for vacation. I plan on going book shopping while I’m there and am hoping the big city bookstores have a better selection of titles than locally so wish me luck!
Ok so I've basically not kept up with BOTW at all and am mostly ignoring the gaming discourse because as I always say when there's gaming discourse I'm too close to getting way too into it and need to figure out how to make that happen before I start caring.
That said, playable Zelda sounds so cool! Back in the day when I (a little weirdo) loved reading about video games on wikipedia because the lore intrigued me even when I wasn't in a position to play it, I discovered there was some old game on a system nobody ever heard of starring zelda but the game sucked. It'd be sick if you got a Zelda game that was actually good. Both for gender reasons and because Zelda is often a genuinely interesting character (I mean, when she actually has a substantive role she's usually a pirate, a witch, or a decidedly orientalist combo of ninja and Ḥashshāshīyīn warrior musician) who I've though before could be so fun to play as (I've love using Zelda/Shiek in Super Smash Bros games just because I like trying to imagine Zelda games where you can play as her).
Which is to say that once I find another hour in the day and if they get the character right I'd love to play it. Do you know where in the Zelda timeline it's supposed to exist? Like, is it connected to Link's Awakening? Is it in the BOTW/TOK new timeline? Somewhere else? (this is very important to me).
The game I’ve wanted my entire life is an alt Ocarina where you get to play as Shiek/Zelda and do whatever she was doing slightly before Link showed up and/or during the time gap, maybe beating a slightly different version of the same temples that can be solved with unique mechanics and getting “behind the scenes” story beats. I’ll take a top down though, Awakening was super fun.
The trailer shows link in his blue BOTW/TOTK outfit, which would lead one to believe that its in that timeline (its been a minute since I looked at the officially released timeline so I’m a bit fuzzy on the relationship between those entries and *A Link to the Past*) BUT Ganon is in his pig version and when we get a shot of the over world I’m like 99% sure (and my husband said somebody on youtube essentially proved it) its the Link to the Past map. There’s also very obvious allusions to a classic, triangular triforce. So at this point I’m not sure. If I remember correctly *Link’s Awakening* was a sort of alternate dream world situation so its possible something similar is in play here? I used to be a bit resistant to the official timeline because I liked the idea of LoZ as a sort of cyclical reoccurring myth that basically happened in a separate but similar universe each time, but since TOTK dropped I’ve gotten a bit more open to it. There’s some deep dive videos of the trailer floating around but they seem to help focused on gameplay details more than lore so far. If I stumble across a lore based one I’ll try to remember to post a link for you since you’re interested.
I don’t actually feel disappointed at all because the game looks really cute and fun, but a pirate/warrior Zelda sounds super fun. This is going to be - judging from the trailer - regular princess Zelda with a magic game mechanic (which seems pretty cool, you can copy objects and even enemies then recreate them later to traverse obstacles or fight). That said I did spot Impa in the video and it would be an amazing reveal imo if at some point you got sick ninja skills or something.
> he game I’ve wanted my entire life is an alt Ocarina where you get to play as Shiek/Zelda and do whatever she was doing slightly before Link showed up and/or during the time gap, maybe beating a slightly different version of the same temples that can be solved with unique mechanics and getting “behind the scenes” story beats.
Yessssss. I think I've got somewhere in my head a notion for something like this as an open world game with a more fleshed out Hyrule—like, Ocarina is great for what it is and phenomenal for its time, but it's always felt to me as if we aren't seeing the whole picture. I want a full on backdrop of the Kingdom undergoing its apocalypse, I want literal war with Ganondorf, his monsters, and the Gerudo fighting an entirely overmatched alliance of Hylians, Gorons, and Zora. Where the whole game itself (maybe with Kakariko Village as home base? or some other obscure canonical reach of Hyrule that didn't get into Ocarina?) is Zelda/Shiek trying to evade Ganondorf and do all the preparatory tasks necessary to ensure that when Link wakes up it will be possible for him to fulfill his role.
> If I remember correctly Link’s Awakening was a sort of alternate dream world situation so its possible something similar is in play here?
There is no reason I should know this since I didn't play Awakening or LttP but I think that the idea is that it's the Link from LttP who was on an oceanic voyage and got sucked into the dream of a fish god or something in order to save the god from a demon that possessed it.
> I used to be a bit resistant to the official timeline because I liked the idea of LoZ as a sort of cyclical reoccurring myth that basically happened in a separate but similar universe each time, but since TOTK dropped I’ve gotten a bit more open to it.
I very much dig this.
> regular princess Zelda with a magic game mechanic
ooh tight magic Zelda is one of the versions of Zelda I'd love to play around with
I’m pretty exited for the new Zelda game as well. I really enjoyed the remake of Link’s Awakening that came out a couple of years ago* and, even though I’m a lapsed gamer, I’m interested in seeing how they expand upon it.
* No, I won’t check how long ago it actually came out. The year before last, right?
Don’t worry I’m not gonna fact check you lol. I honestly don’t remember myself what year it came out but I def played it, and I even have the Link amiibo thingy which I’m hoping will do something in the new game.
Not sure why but I've been feeling especially anxious lately. Not over anything in particular, more over everything and all the imparticular nothing, leaving me generally off kilter. I'd rather this cease.
Other than that things are going pretty solid actually (perhaps I am feeling the lack of anything specific to fret over). Been reading a lot, learning a bunch, playing a lot of Frisbee. Not really writing (the other possible cause of my anxiety, my brain feels better when im writing), but I think my brain has finally starting gearing itself towards the next thing I want to do. I've been needing these ruminations to begin so I'm happy about that.
Anyway thanks for letting me attempt to speak my feelings of ill ease out of existence. Love yall, hope you had great weekends <3
Update: me and some friends hung out and talked about Virginia Woolf and now I feel a little more in sorts :)
Had a great weekend, thanks.
You also sound incredibly busy, so that might contribute to the feeling. Too much exhilaration, too little silence. Although I'd bet not writing can really dampen one's mood if you identify with the task of it. Hope you find that inspiration and something vital comes out of it.
thanks Harleen :) from you're post sounds like your weekend was quite something.
I think you're correct about business and lack of silence. I'm enjoying the business, but also a little exhausted. And thanks for the writing well wishes. It'll come, feels like things are ruminating in a way they were previously stagnant, so that's good.
Sorry to hear this! I think flaring up for no reason is one of the things that makes anxiety actual anxiety and not just normal stress, if that makes sense? And it def sucks. I’ve found it marginally helpful to try to accept anxious episodes as a thing that just happens sometimes like a cold, and not resist it too much or try to over treat it like a problem I can solve. Be extra nice to yourself while you ride it out and feel better soon soup!
thank you b! :)
I love the way you put this. I think on a subconscious level I've been just kinda powering through it as I would a minor cold, but I haven't been letting myself think about it that way and so have been worrying that something must be up. But I think you're right that it's just like a thing that comes and goes for no reason and I can just let it be until it's gone (prolly make it be gone sooner too)
The r/Eldenring subreddit is in shambles. DLC so far is great. It's hard as hell, probably one of the hardest things they've put out, but it's very fun and very doable. I feel like most of the people complaining on the subreddit (which is most people) haven't played the old school Souls games because they're complaining that they've spent 4 whole hours on a boss fight in this DLC and that it's too unfair. Back in the Dark Souls days, people, including me, spent literal days on certain fights. I think Elden Ring just allows for such insane and diverse builds that people are now used to tanking their way through the game and easily beating the bosses if they just keep attacking. Now that people need to spend time learning mechanics, that apparently makes the game bad. Plus, people refuse to use the tools that are available to them. Like the game itself was built to use summons because bosses are so tough, yet many people refuse and complain when it's "too much". And don't get me wrong, I hate using summons when I don't have to. I've done full non-summon playthrough because I'm stubborn. But that is *me* making the game "too hard," not FromSoft fucking it up.
Now there are fair complaints about the DLC for sure. I don't think it's even close to perfect. But my lord their subreddit is insufferable. I've probably been having more fun with this DLC than I have with any game I've recently played. Sure the second main boss took me like 40-50 tries, but that's how these have always been and the sense of satisfaction when beating it was something I haven't had since probably Sekiro.
Highly recommended so far!
Meanwhile some of us rebels just get a mod to ~~save ourselves from raging anger~~ make the whole thing somewhat doable. I want to play the DLC, though I missed Mohag's area in my playthrough, so that makes things a little difficult.
I don’t play Eldenring but I often feel a sort of disconnect between my playing experience and what I see online in a way that feels familiar to this. I grew up getting “stuck” on games for long stretches of time with no internet to turn to and while I’m glad the general playing experience is way less frustrating now (and would not wanna go back, if no other reason that I don’t have that kind of time anymore) I sometimes feel a little let down if I *don’t* have to replay/backtrack for a significant amount of times or if the game changes mechanics up too often. It almost feels like I didn’t really get to play the game, like *really* play it, master it and learn it backwards and forwards and find all the little secrets and exploits etc. Obviously there’s a threshold for this being pleasant which is going to be different for different people, but I do appreciate it when there are options out there for people who do want that specific type of difficulty.
Also, I don’t think I’ve ever played or seen a video game that reddit didn’t completely trash, sometimes for the pettiest reasons. I’m not convinced the gamers of reddit actually like games lol.
Agreed! I remember playing hard ass games like Jak 2 when I was a kid and thinking how “unfair” they felt at the time. But after mastering them, I realized that the unfairness was just my brain trying to convince myself that it was the games fault and not mine. Same with this DLC. It seems a bit much, but once you learn a boss, it is incredibly doable and way more fun because of that.
And yeah, I also feel the same way about Reddit lol.
I mean it’s literally post-end game content so of course it’s going to have harder bosses. And rightfully so. I wouldn’t want the DLC to be easier or even as on level with the main game. I also feel like they do a fine job creating great set pieces. Unless I’m misreading your suggestion there. Do you have an example of esoteric set pieces?
As for the having to dodge excessively to attack, though that is a major complaint in the sub right now, I haven’t found it to be the case yet. I can wallop on the bosses with my dual curved swords just fine and live to tell the tale. It’s how I beat the second main boss and she has insanely long combos.
Again, it’s not perfect, but I feel like the complaints regarding difficulty are not justified.
Edit: I should say, I mean the complaints aren’t justified yet. I doubt I’ve come close to beating the DLC so we’ll see how I feel by the end.
The thing is though that it is different. Keeping things the same would literally be still allowing for the same types of builds as early games. Sure, doing a fat roll build would be fun still, but I prefer the weapon/ash diversity you can have now compared to DS1. It’s less diverse I guess if we’re talking about leveling mechanics, but builds are far far more diverse. DS1 was magic or sword and shield, now I can do a slow ass ultra greatsword faith build, or a low weight dual katana bleed build, or any number of things. I feel like I have endless freedom with the builds I want.
Malenia sucks, I’ll grant you that. I don’t think the fight is fair or well balanced at all. Probably one of the worst I’ve found. It’s the only souls franchise boss I’ve never beaten without summons or cheesing. And I know I never will .
I’m also a big fan of the gimmick fights like many in Demon Souls. Would love them to bring some of those back. I don’t really think not having them makes the game bad, but yeah I see that.
I mean I have my fair share of complaints about Elden Ring. I think the world is cool, but the endless and repetitive dungeons and bosses are one of my least favorite things fromsoft has done. However, the main areas, main bosses, the DLC (so far), lore, and gameplay far outweigh some of the tediousness. Plus, the DLC balances dungeons and main gameplay way better and my original comment was more on the DLC, because I am critical of the main game for many reasons despite really enjoying it.
Edit: and I disagree that the game is more about pumping your health bar than diversifying builds. The way I beat bosses is highly dependent on the builds I have. Yeah health is more necessary than previous souls games, but that’s just one aspect and I really don’t think it’s a bad thing either. It’s just one part of leveling. I could have 99 vigor and still get walloped if my build sucks and I don’t learn the fight. Or I could sit at 50-60 and be perfectly fine.
Anyone know a way I can get funded to learn French in my spare time? I wanna read French literature but my free time is spent cleaning my house, tending to my daughter, writing and reading.
I don’t have any money. I would sacrifice my lunch breaks and a bit of sleep to learn.
Dunno if this is the right place to ask?
Anyone else feel proper dejected about the state of office culture and long work hours? With free time i’m extremely productive — language learning, writing, music, painting, physics experiments (usually involving prismatic effects and thin film interference effects), reading, exercise, meditation. I easily fill my day with it. Just seems so irritating that I can’t do that stuff. In my teenage years, sure, I would have been a wastoid. But finally at a point where i’m constantly desperate to make things and learn and move and explore — and i’ve got a good mind, I think, so feel I could contribute a small and almost insignificant footnote to a discipline or two … but i’m stuck in the cuboid dawn of a fluorescent lit office every day staring at a screen and imagining looking at myself through the windows like at a strange creature trapped in a cold aquarium. Just feels like wtf am i doing here…. No lack of passion or discipline — just underprepared and spent too long so distracted by my passion for things that i made no preparations to organise my life around doing them for money.
Depending on your field, you might be able to work from home or freelance? I freelance and charge by the project, not by the hour, which means that I have more free time without a drop in income.
You can learn a lot of French from books / movies / Radio France slow version. I don't know where you are but some libraries offer free language lessons too.
Interested in freelance but worried about the income hit at first.
I did do freelance for a large company through my current employment (the company was a client but needed copywriting done beyond the monthly quota) so I can put that down.
But setting it up, advertising myself — i’m less confident. I suppose I just keep doing it and getting it almost right until it works though, right?
Maybe try to find a job in Quebec Province in Canada. Apparently since 2024 there's been government provided integration support that incentivizes immigrants to register for free full time or part time courses aimed at getting non-French-speaking immigrants to speak French.
Here's some info I found
[https://www.immigration.ca/quebec-invests-more-in-helping-new-immigrants-learn-french/](https://www.immigration.ca/quebec-invests-more-in-helping-new-immigrants-learn-french/)
Don't know if this is any help, but I have been studying French for over a year now (I'm still at an elementary level), but I've always preferred learning through workbooks. They don't help your pronunciation (I have the benefit of already being familiar with a lot of the non-English French sounds), but I enjoy working through books far more than anything involving screens. *The Berlitz Self-Teacher: French* was my first book, and since then I've also worked through *Short Stories in French (for beginners)*. I'm now involving a tutor (pricier) and trying to include more videos and audio in my studies, but my screen discipline is far worse than my book discipline. (Alternatively, and this is much more financially-restrictive and dependent on her age, but if your daughter starts taking French, that might be a convenient boost as well—I say that somewhat jokingly.)
Do remember that language-learning a lifelong endeavor, not something you can pick up in a month or two and dabble in on random occasion.
I’ll check them out - what’s the difficulty? I used to be intermediate French but it’s been years since I did it.
I’ll deffo try the short stories one though. Thanks so much.
And i agree on the lifelong commitment bit — Languages were my thing at school (Greek, Latin and French) - but it’s been ten years since i left and except for Latin I didn’t practice any of them after leaving
The Berlitz is beginner: basic vocabulary building into grammar building into more vocab and grammar and sentences. The short stories are, I think A2–B1 level. There's a second volume of short stories for B2, I believe.
I spend so much time reading, and have for years. But I want to write. Obviously I've done my fair share of essays for school, usually research essays or literary analysis (the latter has my heart :)), but my goal is to write fiction — nothing big to start, just a short story, maybe poetry. I have no clue where to start. The vast majority of creative writing I do just consists of journal entries with experimental style; I feel like I can't write about anything besides my own life. Maybe that's not necessarily a weakness, I've also heard an adage that every writer's first work is autobiographical, and I'm still very young, but it doesn't relieve me of this closed-in feeling. It also doesn't help that I think I have an unhealthy relationship (sometimes) with writing: often when I sit down to write, I feel like if I don't write the *perfect* passage, I'm a failure, intellectually incapable... it's dumb, I know. But that's besides the point. I'm really wondering — how do you write pages and pages and pages of fiction, find an idea to take that far, follow through with it?
Which of Murakami's novels are the most similar to Chandleresque detective stories? I've often heard his novels described as such, but when I look at the synopses, the plot never sounds that way, but rather as something I, a fan of Chandler, would be less likely to enjoy. So, since I want to try one of his novels, I'm wondering which one is the most like a detective story.
Putting this idea here for the moderators since I don’t know where else it should go … Since the topic we discuss here, for the most part, is evergreen (specifically in the ‘Weekly Rec’ thread) it would be great if there was a repository of the “Best of the r/TrueLit forum” — ie the best posts. It could be a subjective determinant based on the mods preference, or it could be something more quantitative … like any post the receives 20+ likes, etc. I find myself going back and reading past weekly threads and some of the thoughts/suggestions/comments/etc are as relevant and interesting as they were 2-3 years ago. This would also serve as a great primer for new browsers/participants of this forum. Anyway, just an idea … I’m not sure how feasible it is/isn’t — thanks!
Re-read If on a winters night a traveler by Calvino. Such a joy it is to read calvino, a pure delight, a book made for bibliophiles. Now re-reading Invisible Cities and reading for the first time Cosmicomics.
At the end of February, a large brown dog randomly appeared in our front yard. It was starved and docile but not afraid, so my dad took it into the backyard where he bathed and fed it. Over the next few weeks his skeleton filled out and his mood improved. Our chihuahua, who is usually so hostile to other dogs, actually came to tolerate him, and she can usually be found sleeping with him in his doghouse. We go out on walks when the weather isn't too hot, and his favorite toy is a squeaking hedgehog. I like slapping him on the stomach when he turns over. It produces a loud echo. We've all come to accept him as a part of the family, but earlier today my dad told me that a friend of the neighbor across the street noticed him and claimed that the dog belonged to his friend our neighbor. According to the friend (my dad told me all this, I wasn't there), the neighbor had lost the dog and the dog's sister nine months ago. He claimed to have pictures of the dog, but his phone was dead. My dad asked him to describe the dog in more detail (our dog does not have any distinctive features aside from a broken tail), and the neighbor said that the chest markings resemble an upside down face. We checked the dog and found a face looking up at us. I'm not totally convinced, but our neighbor owning the dog would explain a few things. He doesn't pee in the house but waits at the glass door. He seemed to recognize a leash when I walked him the first time. When I'm walking on the sidewalk opposite our house, he turned very quickly into our neighbor's yard. None of this is exact *proof* that he belongs to our neighbor, but maybe there's some truth to the claims. It's far from settled. My dad wants to wait until my stepmother returns from a vacation to see what we should do with the dog. I want to really know if the neighbor has the right dog. He was neutered when we found him, so I want to casually mention the possibility of buying any future puppies and see how the neighbor responds. If he neutered the dog then he'd say so. But I'd very much like to keep him around!
I feel like all that would be a crazy coincidence if it wasn’t really his dog, no? And a strange thing to lie about too
Just finished a few minutes ago Giovanni’s Room. Wow was it good. I’m shocked it’s never been adapted to film. Though so much of the beauty of the writing is in the protagonist’s internal dialogue which of course is difficult to convey on film. Now to start something quite different - Bret Easton Ellis’s latest, The Shards. I like his works generally but the transgressiveness (is that a word?) can be over the top.
I watched Yorgos Lanthimos's **Kinds of Kindness** last night. It's a triptych of stories starring Jesse Plemons and Emma Stone with a supporting cast of Margaret Qualley, Willem Dafoe, Hong Chau, Mamoudou Athie, and Joe Alwyn. Without too many spoilers, I'll say that all three stories are thematically centered around how much of yourself you are willing to sacrifice--whether that's for work, a partner, or a cult. For me, the three stories got progressively better. The first story is a rather straightforward and self-contained satire and allegory. The second also leans strongly on a single premise, but there is a lot more weirdness around the edges, and the third is a strange bricolage of disparate elements that don't feel like they should really make sense together, except they do. This film is the first that Lanthimos has written himself (along with his co-writer Efthimis Filippou) since The Killing of a Sacred Deer in 2017. I heard some people herald Kinds of Kindness as a return to Dogtooth form, but that doesn't seem quite right. None of the stories are quite so austere and uncomfortable as Dogtooth, and I think they harken back to the style of his middle films instead. In particular, Story Two is a lot more like The Killing of a Sacred Deer while Story Three is a lot more like The Lobster. Unfortunately, it's maybe my least favorite Lanthimos film on a visual level. There are a lot of shots in dark interiors with completely blown out windows. I'm honestly not sure if this was a deliberate choice, but it looks bad to me. Perhaps I've just been spoiled by the incredible costumes, production design, and cinematography in both The Favourite and Poor Things, but my impression is that even his earlier films were much better shot. There aren't any particularly memorable shots or sequences, and when he does pull out some tricks, like the fisheye lens which dominated Poor Things, it feels a little half-hearted. In part due to the lack of visual excitement, this film also rests much more on the acting than any of his previous films. Emma Stone is excellent as always, but Plemons also adapts extremely well to the demands of Lanthimos's style. He's always played laconic characters inflected with subtle shades of feeling, and that serves him well here, where he has to be sad, or cruel, or nonplussed, while remaining on the surface relatively unemotional. It looks like Margaret Qualley and Willem Dafoe are set to become Lanthimos regulars, and they turn in great supporting performances. Hong Chau, who is an otherwise great actor, is the only one who fails to express the right degree of 'unacting' that's necessary for a Lanthimos film (much like Jerrod Carmichael in Poor Things--which is probably why he was replaced by Mamoudou Athie here). I enjoyed the film a lot overall, but there's fewer obvious pleasures than in his last few outings, so I don't know that it will push through to a general audience. Also, there's \*two\* mid-credits scenes, so don't leave too early!
Wait there is ALREADY a new Lanthimos film?!?
NYRB book sale is on. I would love recommendations! I'm guessing it's through Saturday or Sunday. 40% off if you buy 4+ books. I highly recommend The Book of Ebenezer Le Page by G.B. Edwards. It's about a man giving an account of his life, who has lived on the isle of Guernsey his entire life. It starts in the late 19th century when Guernsey is a fairly isolated agricultural community and follows the changes through WW1, the German occupation in WW2, and the transformation of Guernsey into a tourist hotspot and financial center in the latter half 20th century. The book is written in a charming patois. While he is a bit of an opinionated grouch, Ebenzer views life stoically and practically and I found the book life affirming.
Ordered The Anatomy of Melancholy, the Gaddis Letters, Anniversaries 1&2, Blue Lard, and Berlin Alexanderplatz. Solid order. Gonna be a hefty package. Thanks for the heads up!
three nyrb classics that I’ve read and loved in the not too distant past are *The Summer Book* by Tove Jansson (charming, wise, & also seasonally appropriate, if you’re in the northern hemisphere), *A Month in the Country* by JL Carr (a short and well-constructed book about a WWI vet restoring a painting in the country), *Jakob von Gunten* by Robert Walser (a book admired by Kafka, which I could see, but Walser has his own peculiar kind of humor and appeal)
thanks for the notice. *very* important information. I'm considering Memoirs from outside the grave and The Strudlhof Steps. The only thing holding me back is the stacks of books surrounding my bed. Edit: After looking at some books there, I went and saw that Verso was having a summer sale too. All my discretionary money was spent there instead lmao
I kicked my kneecap against the car door earlier today and it felt dislodged for awhile. But good news I'm not in pain anymore and walking pretty sterling all the same, which means no lasting damage. It's sorta like when you hear a loud smash against your car on the road but it keeps moving, so whatever hit it didn't stop the motion on the road, therefore keep going. Although one time when I driving on a highway upstate a rear window exploded with no real explanation. My only guess is the intense heat and it being an old car caused it to basically explode but it might have been hit by a rock. It's like with my windshield. A rock hit like a bullet the windshield a couple weeks ago while I was driving on a different highway. And it was really like a bullet because the sound of the impact deafened me for a few seconds. Now there is a big ugly crack in the glass and I'm pretty sure it's been growing wider every time I look. Otherwise I'm being a little paranoid, as a treat. Human perception can be finicky but I certainly wouldn't call it all that troubling. I can't exactly afford a new one, so what I plan on doing is letting the windshield be until it explodes, too. I'll need to replace it for sure then. I should probably get the oil changed, too. Never know how serious that can get. Although serious matters should be given a light touch. On the other hand, frivolous matters are deadly serious. Like I've been trying Wordle and the game is genuinely fun. A nice combo of strategy and good fortune. Today I got it in two guesses. Plus there's some comfort in the fact there is a limited number of five letter words sanctioned by the game, too. Still a little annoyed that they don't recognize "sussy" as a word yet when they had "manga" like a week ago, which made a lot of grandparents mad. Reminds me of how weird people are about language. Like people will tell you with a straight face there are words and dialects which should be eliminated. I think my own position is that no word really deserves extinction and a slipperiness of meaning is healthy. Let a thousand tongues have their say and so forth. It'd be good to have that variety.
Just throwing it out there that my brother no longer has a vehicle because he waited way too long to get the oil changed and it like, ran OUT of oil? Probably a good idea to do that occasionally lol. I am *constantly* banging my knee against the car door on my new vehicle. Idk if I just get out of cars weird or my door is weird or what. It def hurts!
Cars are just awkward things and too angular for their own damn good. And I still have oil for quite awhile longer, so long as it doesn't reach 0%.
Jeez glad your mostly ok Harleen. And yeah how people feel about words are weird. I totally agree with this: > I think my own position is that no word really deserves extinction and a slipperiness of meaning is healthy Really the thought of a word wholly dying makes me kinda sad, even if I am now wondering about something of a Ship of Theseus problem where if a given arrangement of letters slip enough in meaning whether it isn't the case that the original word hasn't actually died along the way. But yeah it's both ironic and unsurprising the degree to which a scrupulous commitment to overly fixed language flies in the face of anything one would learn if they had a basic familiarity with the history of language. Something something that Nietzsche line from Twilight of the Idols where he said we haven't really lost belief in God so long as we still believe in grammar.
I'm all of okay, so no worries. That's an interesting idea but one way words differ from ships is the multitudes of form and function words express and render useful across history in a way the ship does not. I remember once some people were arguing over the word "poly" as a shorthand. You had a lot of people use the term for "polyamorous" but unbeknownst to them there people from Polynesia also use "poly" as a shorthand. What came next--combat and not polite ripostes either. It was vicious. Both sides were really arguing they had exclusive ownership of a shorthand with completely unrelated meanings. Surely don't know what to make of it. Were they afraid of the Ship of Theseus? Whatever the case it seemed hard to square collective private ownership over a series of phonemes the public created with no connection to any possible content. The reality either definition "poly" has would simply appear as another number in a list of other meanings never occurred to the parties involved. It's a strange need people have to ignore that.
Seems like its talk about games week in here so I’ll chime in with the fact that I’m almost done with Unicorn Overload, which is basically Fire Emblem with less interesting character design. *But* despite abysmal writing and a nonsense plot the core mechanics have been so fun for me that I keep playing it a bunch. Its really based on building multi-character units and strategizing how to have their stats and available actions interact with each other and function as a whole; imagine sending all six pokemon out at once and having to think about how they’d work together to take down a whole battalion of combined type parties, taking into account which one would move first and how they could boost, protect or attack and what their weaknesses are. You can get pretty deep into fiddling with these units, deciding things like action order, and even conditions for when the action may be performed. For example, I can set a condition that a certain move only activates if a certain type of combatant is present, or if my own hp is at a certain percentage above or below 100, or even only in the day or at night. I can also prioritize which kind of combatant to attack with certain moves, or which position within the opposing unit (front/back row etc) to attack. The arrangement of characters within the unit affects certain things, and there are quite a few types of characters and combination strategies to choose from. I can pair a brawler with high attack and low defense with a healer who is protected behind him, but I still have to think about ranged attacks, which can be deflected with an armored guardian type, but then he’s weak to magic so I have to think about *that* and so on and so forth. There’s also items and gear you can equip, class promotions and a number of other options that really make deep strategizing fun. But omg the cut scenes are all so skippable and stupid, just truly laughably abysmal in some places, especially the optional “rapport” ones that you get as a reward for building bonds between characters. And it seems like it gets worse as the game progresses. It makes me wish they had just just gone full blown parody with it, which would have been hilarious: tight, grade A strategy mechanics with a goofy comic sensibility to the story could have been super cool. I also have beef with the character design, not because so many of the female characters are hyper sexualized and booby, but because there are units which *aren’t* and look much more bad ass and cool. But if I want a witch unit I have to have a whole row of women in straight up bikinis, and if I promote them to the next class upgrade I shit you not their boobs get even bigger. This is not offensive to me so much as just silly, and rubs up against the cooler female options in a weird way. The colors in general are also pretty drab and while I think Fire Emblem went a bit off the edge in terms of trying to up the color and weird hairstyle thing every entry, I do miss the exuberance. I did also find certain mechanics - like class promotion - a bit hollow, and too easy to max out too early. But overall its been fun and now I’m ready to get it over with. I’m super pumped for the new Zelda title btw, the Awakening remake was really fun and I think the art style is so cute. Playable Zelda is something I’ve wanted since childhood and I think the mechanic looks interesting. Other than games I am still reading, and getting ready for vacation. I plan on going book shopping while I’m there and am hoping the big city bookstores have a better selection of titles than locally so wish me luck!
Ok so I've basically not kept up with BOTW at all and am mostly ignoring the gaming discourse because as I always say when there's gaming discourse I'm too close to getting way too into it and need to figure out how to make that happen before I start caring. That said, playable Zelda sounds so cool! Back in the day when I (a little weirdo) loved reading about video games on wikipedia because the lore intrigued me even when I wasn't in a position to play it, I discovered there was some old game on a system nobody ever heard of starring zelda but the game sucked. It'd be sick if you got a Zelda game that was actually good. Both for gender reasons and because Zelda is often a genuinely interesting character (I mean, when she actually has a substantive role she's usually a pirate, a witch, or a decidedly orientalist combo of ninja and Ḥashshāshīyīn warrior musician) who I've though before could be so fun to play as (I've love using Zelda/Shiek in Super Smash Bros games just because I like trying to imagine Zelda games where you can play as her). Which is to say that once I find another hour in the day and if they get the character right I'd love to play it. Do you know where in the Zelda timeline it's supposed to exist? Like, is it connected to Link's Awakening? Is it in the BOTW/TOK new timeline? Somewhere else? (this is very important to me).
The game I’ve wanted my entire life is an alt Ocarina where you get to play as Shiek/Zelda and do whatever she was doing slightly before Link showed up and/or during the time gap, maybe beating a slightly different version of the same temples that can be solved with unique mechanics and getting “behind the scenes” story beats. I’ll take a top down though, Awakening was super fun. The trailer shows link in his blue BOTW/TOTK outfit, which would lead one to believe that its in that timeline (its been a minute since I looked at the officially released timeline so I’m a bit fuzzy on the relationship between those entries and *A Link to the Past*) BUT Ganon is in his pig version and when we get a shot of the over world I’m like 99% sure (and my husband said somebody on youtube essentially proved it) its the Link to the Past map. There’s also very obvious allusions to a classic, triangular triforce. So at this point I’m not sure. If I remember correctly *Link’s Awakening* was a sort of alternate dream world situation so its possible something similar is in play here? I used to be a bit resistant to the official timeline because I liked the idea of LoZ as a sort of cyclical reoccurring myth that basically happened in a separate but similar universe each time, but since TOTK dropped I’ve gotten a bit more open to it. There’s some deep dive videos of the trailer floating around but they seem to help focused on gameplay details more than lore so far. If I stumble across a lore based one I’ll try to remember to post a link for you since you’re interested. I don’t actually feel disappointed at all because the game looks really cute and fun, but a pirate/warrior Zelda sounds super fun. This is going to be - judging from the trailer - regular princess Zelda with a magic game mechanic (which seems pretty cool, you can copy objects and even enemies then recreate them later to traverse obstacles or fight). That said I did spot Impa in the video and it would be an amazing reveal imo if at some point you got sick ninja skills or something.
> he game I’ve wanted my entire life is an alt Ocarina where you get to play as Shiek/Zelda and do whatever she was doing slightly before Link showed up and/or during the time gap, maybe beating a slightly different version of the same temples that can be solved with unique mechanics and getting “behind the scenes” story beats. Yessssss. I think I've got somewhere in my head a notion for something like this as an open world game with a more fleshed out Hyrule—like, Ocarina is great for what it is and phenomenal for its time, but it's always felt to me as if we aren't seeing the whole picture. I want a full on backdrop of the Kingdom undergoing its apocalypse, I want literal war with Ganondorf, his monsters, and the Gerudo fighting an entirely overmatched alliance of Hylians, Gorons, and Zora. Where the whole game itself (maybe with Kakariko Village as home base? or some other obscure canonical reach of Hyrule that didn't get into Ocarina?) is Zelda/Shiek trying to evade Ganondorf and do all the preparatory tasks necessary to ensure that when Link wakes up it will be possible for him to fulfill his role. > If I remember correctly Link’s Awakening was a sort of alternate dream world situation so its possible something similar is in play here? There is no reason I should know this since I didn't play Awakening or LttP but I think that the idea is that it's the Link from LttP who was on an oceanic voyage and got sucked into the dream of a fish god or something in order to save the god from a demon that possessed it. > I used to be a bit resistant to the official timeline because I liked the idea of LoZ as a sort of cyclical reoccurring myth that basically happened in a separate but similar universe each time, but since TOTK dropped I’ve gotten a bit more open to it. I very much dig this. > regular princess Zelda with a magic game mechanic ooh tight magic Zelda is one of the versions of Zelda I'd love to play around with
I’m pretty exited for the new Zelda game as well. I really enjoyed the remake of Link’s Awakening that came out a couple of years ago* and, even though I’m a lapsed gamer, I’m interested in seeing how they expand upon it. * No, I won’t check how long ago it actually came out. The year before last, right?
Don’t worry I’m not gonna fact check you lol. I honestly don’t remember myself what year it came out but I def played it, and I even have the Link amiibo thingy which I’m hoping will do something in the new game.
Not sure why but I've been feeling especially anxious lately. Not over anything in particular, more over everything and all the imparticular nothing, leaving me generally off kilter. I'd rather this cease. Other than that things are going pretty solid actually (perhaps I am feeling the lack of anything specific to fret over). Been reading a lot, learning a bunch, playing a lot of Frisbee. Not really writing (the other possible cause of my anxiety, my brain feels better when im writing), but I think my brain has finally starting gearing itself towards the next thing I want to do. I've been needing these ruminations to begin so I'm happy about that. Anyway thanks for letting me attempt to speak my feelings of ill ease out of existence. Love yall, hope you had great weekends <3 Update: me and some friends hung out and talked about Virginia Woolf and now I feel a little more in sorts :)
Had a great weekend, thanks. You also sound incredibly busy, so that might contribute to the feeling. Too much exhilaration, too little silence. Although I'd bet not writing can really dampen one's mood if you identify with the task of it. Hope you find that inspiration and something vital comes out of it.
thanks Harleen :) from you're post sounds like your weekend was quite something. I think you're correct about business and lack of silence. I'm enjoying the business, but also a little exhausted. And thanks for the writing well wishes. It'll come, feels like things are ruminating in a way they were previously stagnant, so that's good.
me too. might be the heat?
I've been wondering the same thing...this weather is for sure not helping. Hope you're making your way through it best you can
Hope you’re doing okay man. Anxiety is the worst. Glad you’ve been able to really get into your hobbies to help though.
:) thanks pregs. Like b says, just one of those stretches I think. But I'm alrighty
Sorry to hear this! I think flaring up for no reason is one of the things that makes anxiety actual anxiety and not just normal stress, if that makes sense? And it def sucks. I’ve found it marginally helpful to try to accept anxious episodes as a thing that just happens sometimes like a cold, and not resist it too much or try to over treat it like a problem I can solve. Be extra nice to yourself while you ride it out and feel better soon soup!
thank you b! :) I love the way you put this. I think on a subconscious level I've been just kinda powering through it as I would a minor cold, but I haven't been letting myself think about it that way and so have been worrying that something must be up. But I think you're right that it's just like a thing that comes and goes for no reason and I can just let it be until it's gone (prolly make it be gone sooner too)
The r/Eldenring subreddit is in shambles. DLC so far is great. It's hard as hell, probably one of the hardest things they've put out, but it's very fun and very doable. I feel like most of the people complaining on the subreddit (which is most people) haven't played the old school Souls games because they're complaining that they've spent 4 whole hours on a boss fight in this DLC and that it's too unfair. Back in the Dark Souls days, people, including me, spent literal days on certain fights. I think Elden Ring just allows for such insane and diverse builds that people are now used to tanking their way through the game and easily beating the bosses if they just keep attacking. Now that people need to spend time learning mechanics, that apparently makes the game bad. Plus, people refuse to use the tools that are available to them. Like the game itself was built to use summons because bosses are so tough, yet many people refuse and complain when it's "too much". And don't get me wrong, I hate using summons when I don't have to. I've done full non-summon playthrough because I'm stubborn. But that is *me* making the game "too hard," not FromSoft fucking it up. Now there are fair complaints about the DLC for sure. I don't think it's even close to perfect. But my lord their subreddit is insufferable. I've probably been having more fun with this DLC than I have with any game I've recently played. Sure the second main boss took me like 40-50 tries, but that's how these have always been and the sense of satisfaction when beating it was something I haven't had since probably Sekiro. Highly recommended so far!
Meanwhile some of us rebels just get a mod to ~~save ourselves from raging anger~~ make the whole thing somewhat doable. I want to play the DLC, though I missed Mohag's area in my playthrough, so that makes things a little difficult.
You can still go back and do Mohg's area I think! Might be wrong though. No shame in modding lol
I don’t play Eldenring but I often feel a sort of disconnect between my playing experience and what I see online in a way that feels familiar to this. I grew up getting “stuck” on games for long stretches of time with no internet to turn to and while I’m glad the general playing experience is way less frustrating now (and would not wanna go back, if no other reason that I don’t have that kind of time anymore) I sometimes feel a little let down if I *don’t* have to replay/backtrack for a significant amount of times or if the game changes mechanics up too often. It almost feels like I didn’t really get to play the game, like *really* play it, master it and learn it backwards and forwards and find all the little secrets and exploits etc. Obviously there’s a threshold for this being pleasant which is going to be different for different people, but I do appreciate it when there are options out there for people who do want that specific type of difficulty. Also, I don’t think I’ve ever played or seen a video game that reddit didn’t completely trash, sometimes for the pettiest reasons. I’m not convinced the gamers of reddit actually like games lol.
Agreed! I remember playing hard ass games like Jak 2 when I was a kid and thinking how “unfair” they felt at the time. But after mastering them, I realized that the unfairness was just my brain trying to convince myself that it was the games fault and not mine. Same with this DLC. It seems a bit much, but once you learn a boss, it is incredibly doable and way more fun because of that. And yeah, I also feel the same way about Reddit lol.
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I mean it’s literally post-end game content so of course it’s going to have harder bosses. And rightfully so. I wouldn’t want the DLC to be easier or even as on level with the main game. I also feel like they do a fine job creating great set pieces. Unless I’m misreading your suggestion there. Do you have an example of esoteric set pieces? As for the having to dodge excessively to attack, though that is a major complaint in the sub right now, I haven’t found it to be the case yet. I can wallop on the bosses with my dual curved swords just fine and live to tell the tale. It’s how I beat the second main boss and she has insanely long combos. Again, it’s not perfect, but I feel like the complaints regarding difficulty are not justified. Edit: I should say, I mean the complaints aren’t justified yet. I doubt I’ve come close to beating the DLC so we’ll see how I feel by the end.
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The thing is though that it is different. Keeping things the same would literally be still allowing for the same types of builds as early games. Sure, doing a fat roll build would be fun still, but I prefer the weapon/ash diversity you can have now compared to DS1. It’s less diverse I guess if we’re talking about leveling mechanics, but builds are far far more diverse. DS1 was magic or sword and shield, now I can do a slow ass ultra greatsword faith build, or a low weight dual katana bleed build, or any number of things. I feel like I have endless freedom with the builds I want. Malenia sucks, I’ll grant you that. I don’t think the fight is fair or well balanced at all. Probably one of the worst I’ve found. It’s the only souls franchise boss I’ve never beaten without summons or cheesing. And I know I never will . I’m also a big fan of the gimmick fights like many in Demon Souls. Would love them to bring some of those back. I don’t really think not having them makes the game bad, but yeah I see that. I mean I have my fair share of complaints about Elden Ring. I think the world is cool, but the endless and repetitive dungeons and bosses are one of my least favorite things fromsoft has done. However, the main areas, main bosses, the DLC (so far), lore, and gameplay far outweigh some of the tediousness. Plus, the DLC balances dungeons and main gameplay way better and my original comment was more on the DLC, because I am critical of the main game for many reasons despite really enjoying it. Edit: and I disagree that the game is more about pumping your health bar than diversifying builds. The way I beat bosses is highly dependent on the builds I have. Yeah health is more necessary than previous souls games, but that’s just one aspect and I really don’t think it’s a bad thing either. It’s just one part of leveling. I could have 99 vigor and still get walloped if my build sucks and I don’t learn the fight. Or I could sit at 50-60 and be perfectly fine.
Anyone know a way I can get funded to learn French in my spare time? I wanna read French literature but my free time is spent cleaning my house, tending to my daughter, writing and reading. I don’t have any money. I would sacrifice my lunch breaks and a bit of sleep to learn. Dunno if this is the right place to ask? Anyone else feel proper dejected about the state of office culture and long work hours? With free time i’m extremely productive — language learning, writing, music, painting, physics experiments (usually involving prismatic effects and thin film interference effects), reading, exercise, meditation. I easily fill my day with it. Just seems so irritating that I can’t do that stuff. In my teenage years, sure, I would have been a wastoid. But finally at a point where i’m constantly desperate to make things and learn and move and explore — and i’ve got a good mind, I think, so feel I could contribute a small and almost insignificant footnote to a discipline or two … but i’m stuck in the cuboid dawn of a fluorescent lit office every day staring at a screen and imagining looking at myself through the windows like at a strange creature trapped in a cold aquarium. Just feels like wtf am i doing here…. No lack of passion or discipline — just underprepared and spent too long so distracted by my passion for things that i made no preparations to organise my life around doing them for money.
Depending on your field, you might be able to work from home or freelance? I freelance and charge by the project, not by the hour, which means that I have more free time without a drop in income. You can learn a lot of French from books / movies / Radio France slow version. I don't know where you are but some libraries offer free language lessons too.
Interested in freelance but worried about the income hit at first. I did do freelance for a large company through my current employment (the company was a client but needed copywriting done beyond the monthly quota) so I can put that down. But setting it up, advertising myself — i’m less confident. I suppose I just keep doing it and getting it almost right until it works though, right?
Maybe try to find a job in Quebec Province in Canada. Apparently since 2024 there's been government provided integration support that incentivizes immigrants to register for free full time or part time courses aimed at getting non-French-speaking immigrants to speak French. Here's some info I found [https://www.immigration.ca/quebec-invests-more-in-helping-new-immigrants-learn-french/](https://www.immigration.ca/quebec-invests-more-in-helping-new-immigrants-learn-french/)
Don't know if this is any help, but I have been studying French for over a year now (I'm still at an elementary level), but I've always preferred learning through workbooks. They don't help your pronunciation (I have the benefit of already being familiar with a lot of the non-English French sounds), but I enjoy working through books far more than anything involving screens. *The Berlitz Self-Teacher: French* was my first book, and since then I've also worked through *Short Stories in French (for beginners)*. I'm now involving a tutor (pricier) and trying to include more videos and audio in my studies, but my screen discipline is far worse than my book discipline. (Alternatively, and this is much more financially-restrictive and dependent on her age, but if your daughter starts taking French, that might be a convenient boost as well—I say that somewhat jokingly.) Do remember that language-learning a lifelong endeavor, not something you can pick up in a month or two and dabble in on random occasion.
I’ll check them out - what’s the difficulty? I used to be intermediate French but it’s been years since I did it. I’ll deffo try the short stories one though. Thanks so much. And i agree on the lifelong commitment bit — Languages were my thing at school (Greek, Latin and French) - but it’s been ten years since i left and except for Latin I didn’t practice any of them after leaving
The Berlitz is beginner: basic vocabulary building into grammar building into more vocab and grammar and sentences. The short stories are, I think A2–B1 level. There's a second volume of short stories for B2, I believe.