diff --git a/src/twn_audio.c b/src/twn_audio.c
index 50a8b6d..6a4eb6c 100644
--- a/src/twn_audio.c
+++ b/src/twn_audio.c
@@ -250,6 +250,8 @@ void audio_play(const char *path,
                 float panning)
 {
     if (!ctx.audio_initialized) {
+        SDL_InitSubSystem(SDL_INIT_AUDIO);
+
         profile_start("audio initialization");
 
         SDL_AudioSpec request, got;
diff --git a/src/twn_loop.c b/src/twn_loop.c
index 52ead87..4a89cc7 100644
--- a/src/twn_loop.c
+++ b/src/twn_loop.c
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@
 #define PACKAGE_EXTENSION "btw"
 
 
-static SDL_Thread *opengl_load_thread;
+static SDL_sem *opengl_load_semaphore;
 
 
 /* note: it drives most of IO implicitly, such as audio callbacks */
@@ -334,10 +334,11 @@ ERR_PACK_MANIFEST_PATH_ALLOC_FAIL:
 }
 
 
-static int opengl_load_thread_fn(void *data) {
-    (void)data;
+static int opengl_load_thread_fn(void *sem) {
+    SDL_assert_always(!SDL_GL_LoadLibrary(NULL));
 
-    SDL_GL_LoadLibrary(NULL);
+    /* signal success */
+    SDL_assert_always(!SDL_SemPost(sem));
 
     return 0;
 }
@@ -643,7 +644,8 @@ static bool initialize(void) {
     profile_end("game object load");
 
     /* delayed as further as possible so that more work is done before we have to wait */
-    SDL_WaitThread(opengl_load_thread, NULL);
+    SDL_SemWait(opengl_load_semaphore);
+    SDL_DestroySemaphore(opengl_load_semaphore);
     profile_end("opengl loading");
 
     SDL_SetHint(SDL_HINT_VIDEO_X11_NET_WM_BYPASS_COMPOSITOR, "0");
@@ -694,6 +696,11 @@ static bool initialize(void) {
     /* might need this to have multiple windows */
     ctx.window_id = SDL_GetWindowID(ctx.window);
 
+    /* post background color until we're doing other initialization */
+    render();
+    if (ctx.render_double_buffered)
+        render();
+
     profile_start("texture and text cache initialization");
     textures_cache_init(&ctx.texture_cache, ctx.window);
     text_cache_init(&ctx.text_cache);
@@ -760,19 +767,23 @@ int enter_loop(int argc, char **argv) {
     profile_start("startup");
 
     profile_start("SDL initialization");
-    if (SDL_Init(SDL_INIT_VIDEO | SDL_INIT_AUDIO | SDL_INIT_EVENTS) == -1) {
+    if (SDL_Init(SDL_INIT_VIDEO) == -1) {
         CRY_SDL("SDL initialization failed.");
         return EXIT_FAILURE;
     }
     profile_end("SDL initialization");
 
     profile_start("opengl loading");
-    opengl_load_thread = SDL_CreateThread(opengl_load_thread_fn, "opengl loader", NULL);
+    opengl_load_semaphore = SDL_CreateSemaphore(0);
+    SDL_Thread *opengl_load_thread = SDL_CreateThread(opengl_load_thread_fn, "opengl loader", opengl_load_semaphore);
     if (!opengl_load_thread) {
         CRY_SDL("Cannot create opengl loading thread: ");
         return EXIT_FAILURE;
     }
 
+    SDL_DetachThread(opengl_load_thread);
+    opengl_load_thread = NULL;
+
     ctx.argc = argc;
     ctx.argv = argv;
     ctx.base_dir = SDL_GetBasePath();
@@ -849,6 +860,8 @@ int enter_loop(int argc, char **argv) {
     ctx.was_successful = true;
     ctx.game.initialization_needed = true;
 
+    SDL_InitSubSystem(SDL_INIT_EVENTS);
+
     profile_end("startup");
 
     while (ctx.is_running) {