#opus collection

[artversestheworld]

In no particular order they are all fantastic in my eyes! My rating system is based on, Story, Music, Art and Gameplay. 

EASTWARD: 

Is an action adventure role-playing game. Set in a near future world in which humanity has been nearly wiped out by a toxic plague called the “MIASMA”. You play as John a grumpy old miner looking after a child thats not his, Sam on adventure neither of you planned. But boy is it a good adventure! This is another game that I really wish I could play again for the first time. This one took me about 20 hours to beat and I gave it 10/10.

BREATH OF THE WILD:

You know this one. Everybody love it. Just play it. 

OPUS COLLECTION:

Is actually two games in one, Opus: the day we found earth and Opus: Rocket of whispers. TDWFE is an adventure game focused on story and exploring the stars. There isn’t a ton to this one but the story is very cute. ROW is where the real fun is at, it takes place after an apocalyptic plague in a destitute future. You play a John going out and gathering supplies to build a rocket ship to send the souls of the departed to the moon with the help of a friend you find along the way, Fei. This one took me about 10 hours and I gave it 9.5/10

ORI AND THE BLIND FOREST:

Is a platform adventure game. You play as Ari a small white spirit on a journey to restore the forest after a cataclysmic event. It is probably the most difficult game I have on this list but the death revival is very fast so it doesn’t feel as punishing. It took me about 11 hours to beat and I gave it 9/10. 

GOROGOA:

Is a puzzle game about moving tiles around to create the correct image (you’ll get it when you see it). I don’t want to spoil too much of the story so I will just say you are following the story of a boy life. It is sad and beautiful and full of life. I also hope to forget this game so one day I can play it again. I finished this game in about 2 hours (it was develop by one dude what more can you ask of him) and I gave it 9.5/10. 

DICEY DUNGEONS:

Is a rogue-like deck building dice game. There isn’t really a story to this one. But you progress through dungeons rolling dice and placing them in weapons and shields and other elements in order to beat the creature and progress to the next level. I got addicted to this game and didn’t put it down for like 2 weeks straight. I put about 35 hours into this game before I moved on from it and I gave it 10/10. 

SIGNALIS: 

A survival horror game set in a futuristic time. The story is a time loop centred around your character Elster trying to save the woman she loves and losing her mind in the process. The majority of the game play is searching for keys, cards and other elements to help progress you through the story with resource management. The art style is amazing with its pixilation. Took me 13 hours to beat. I gave it 8.5/10. 

DISCO ELYSIUM:

Is a roll playing game written by the novelist Robert Kurvitz. You take on the role of an amnesiac detective trying to solve the murder of a hanged man with his enigmatic partner. As you progress through solving the murder you start to uncover the detectives past and affect things for his future. The game uses a dice based skills element to bring some chance and some strategy as to which skills you increase. The game is fully voiced by an amazing cast (TW the detective is an alcoholic). I finished the game in 15 hours and I gave it 9.5/10. 

PERSONA 5:

Is a turn based role playing game about the internal and external struggles of a troubled group of high school students who live dual lives as phantom thieves. After school and between their part time jobs they fight demons in what they call the Metaverse. The story to this game is very good and the turn based mechanics are very well done. I think I sunk 70 hours into beating this game and give it 8/10 but looking back it should be 9/10. 

CITIZEN SLEEPER:

Is a role playing game with a deep and well crafted narrative experience. Let���s be honest this one is a bit of a visual novel, but it is a great one at that! The characters in this story really come to life with their struggles and victories. There are multiple ending so keep going after the credits. Dice are used in th game to preform actions based on their rolls. I honestly wish I could play this game again for the first time. It took me 12 hours to beat and I gave it 10/10

[satoshi-mochida]

Some thoughts and details on my last Gamefly rental, Opus Collection(Switch version).

Been a while since I last did one of these. ^^;

OPUS: The Day We Found Earth.

Far in the future, the crew of the OPUS, Lisa, Makoto and the helper robot Emeth, are searching for Earth. However, at some point, Emmeth was shut down, waking back up to find the ship empty and out of power. He decides to continue looking for Earth while the OPUS comes back online. The main gameplay is using the station's telescope to search the galaxy for Earth and other celestial bodies. These are done one by one, returning to the ship for a short scene before each objective. You are given hints for each, and if you get stuck for too long, an orange circle with a '?' will appear in the top right(and has a cooldown to use it again if needed), which you can press to get directions to where you need to look(on Normal Mode difficulty, at least; I'm guessing the Story Mode difficulty will have these right away). More of the ship, as well as a couple new upgrades to the telescope(two Filter options and a locator that sometimes won't activate depending on what you're searching for), become unlocked as the story progresses. Inside the ship, you can move the cursor around and press A to click on anything that can be interacted with to learn more about their expedition. Some will also give new locations to search for, though not always right away, so make sure to check them again later on if you're going for 100%, and make sure to be thorough, as some are tiny. The universe you have to search through is huge and important parts look really nice, with various large celestial bodies viewable as well as some other planets and the like that you'll find while looking for Earth. After finishing the game, you unlock Free Roam Mode, where some 'Mission Packs are unlocked for some more story, as well as a Behind the Scenes mode with several audio tracks from the game's staff about it's development(the second game has the latter, as well).

OPUS: Rocket of Whispers

Many years after a plague, John Mason and the 'witch' Fei Lin are scavenging an abandoned town to build rockets for space burials. John has been haunted by ghosts constantly for years, and it's believed that performing a space burial for them will make them finally leave him alone and pass on. The gameplay is different from the previous OPUS game; you control John as he searches around the town for supplies to use to build the rocket with, as well as materials to make equipment to explore further and gather more. Back at the OPUS Rocket Factory, you can have him or Fei do work, either on equipment or the rocket, respectively, once you have the required materials. John's work is instant, while Fei's take time, an in-game day or two. Time will pass as you search around, and John will pass out from the ghosts haunting him if he's out at night too long(at 20:00, you'll get a warning about them gathering) if he runs into reddish/orange spirits too much, or if you get negative results from too many events that can happen as you explore, though Fei will find him and bring him back, so there's no Game Over. A week will pass, but I don't think this actually effects anything? There's no actual time limit to finish the story itself, and only 1 ending. There is fast travel to 3 parts of the map to unlock as you find and repair the maps for each, though amusingly, the first area you can fast travel to takes less time to just walk there if you hurry(the area west of the Rocket Factory; time will pass by two hours if you use Fast Travel). ^^; Like the previous game, a free-roam mode opens up after finishing the story if you want to go for 100%. There's no guide for doing so at the moment, though, so you'll need to scour every inch of the map(which there isn't one you can view in-game, but there is one if you buy the digital artbook on Steam) for whatever is left.

Both games are great at atmosphere, the former with the vastness of space, and the latter with the large, abandoned and snow-covered town, and the music, or just lack thereof at times, for them. The art style is good, too, both having a few cutscenes and still images. The stories in both, without getting into spoilers, can also get pretty emotional, especially the second one.

There seems to be a lot of worldbuilding built into the games' backgrounds that you can find more of from looking around in the point and click parts as well as the collectables in the second game.

Neither of the games seem to have 100% guides, unfortunately, so that makes it a bit difficult to do so, moreso for the second game.

I liked these tow, will have to get to Echo of Starsong at some point.

Next game being sent is: Metroid Prime Remastered.

[kingkenzieofmold]

What if I told you

Henry and Charles are straight

Charles Calvin and Henry Stickmin [Min Seung-Jae] belong to @mai-mai-lim

I would say yes that Henry Stickmin is Straight and for example in love with Ellie Rose. I would also say that Charles Calvin is straight and has a girlfriend. I would also say Henry and Charles lean both ways. I would also say that Henry and Charles are not straight and in fact gay. Sometimes for each other and other times for someone else. That is the beauty of a fandom and shipping is taking canon characters and putting them together because you can. If you look at canon there is no romance in the game and doesn’t really implied romance between any set of character. We as the fandom can read into interactions but at the end of the day. They are just sticks. Literal stick figures from a point and click game.

So instead of asking what if you told me Henry and Charles are straight to instead just looking up the media content you wished to consume or even request a straight Henry and Charles ship. At the end of the day, I am a multi shipper and in wise words of this AO3 Tag:

[Text: I mugged canon in a back alley and rifled through it’s pockets.]

I made Canon my bitch and I am the superior life form and you will bow to my reverence /j

Thank you for coming to my ted talk, I hoped you enjoyed!

[ranchthoughts]

Every time Akk and Theo swear at each other in Enchanté:

Bonus:

Bonus bonus:

[digital-roots]

Telepathically transferring my period cramps to Reginald to feel better and also because its what he deserves

[noxsylvania]

A brand new Asterius render of the future!

[gabbi-gabz-a-lot]

Final Chapter!!

At last. She is finito! Done-ion rings! Signed sealed and delivered!!

I have written 10,000 words for this niche ship that has lived in a special place in my heart since i was a tween. And there's gonna be more in the future, but for now I'm gonna rest on my laurels that i saw this through to the end.

[sovaghoul]

Showing off my colored Ghost vinyl. I also have most in plain black

1 - Opus Eponymous

2 - Infestissumam

3 - If You Have Ghosts

4 - Meliora

5 - Popestar

6 - Ceremony & Devotion

7 - Prequelle

8 - 7IOSP

9 - Impera and Live From The Ministry

10 - Phantomime v.1

[sabraeal]

The Vagrant's Season, Part 2

[Read on AO3]

Written for @onedivinemisfit for her birthday! This is part of Annie's Shapeshifter AU; a prequel to this piece, filling in the weeks from when Obi arrived in The Valley to the start of mating season. There are a half dozen version of the song I adapt for Shirayuki in this, but I referred to two specific ones to cobble together this one: Marianne Lihannah's and Pernille Anker's. There is also one line from this folk song in the last scene!

“You’re a shy little one, aren’t you?” The vixen doesn’t stoop or sing-song, not like how the menfolk would when they saw him like this, just a shadow and a snout hidden amongst their shrubbery. A good thing too; if she shrilled the way the goodwives would, calling him a sweet pup and lille vennen and gutten min, he’d have skittered away faster than mice in a pantry.

Instead her voice is soft, riding the same rise and lull as her song, and her hands never pause in their picking. A practiced motion— reach, pinch, twist; reach, pinch, twist— that never falters, even when she slants him her curious glance. “I mean you no harm. There’s more than enough for the both of us here, if we only take for the needing.”

Ah, now that stings him, just a little. He’d seen her sorting out her tubers and berries that first time, plucking the bounty he’d meant to have all to himself until spring, and well— he’d scampered off, sure, half-scared of even a wilder’s shadow, but he’d come back too. Gave himself two good hands to pillage with and glutted himself on what she’d left behind, sure he’d find some other hole to weather out the last of winter.

Even with no stars yet in the sky he knew the footfalls that would take him toward Yuris, toward Tanbar, toward any place but that little glade and the vixen whose scent lingered on every leaf. And yet honey and bitter greens never quite left his nose, turning his paws in circles, spiraling him back to this very clearing, over and over. Spirit-blind he may be, but let it never be said Obi couldn't take a hint from one, when it was given.

“It’s warmer here in the sun.” Her tone is conversational rather than cajoling, and Obi’s tempted to take the invitation. Spread out his shorter legs, cramped from where he’s been camped in the bushes, waiting for her to finish her picking and sorting. Maybe even see if she might feed him from her hands, the way the young girls did at the village outskirts, too young to know the difference between a fox and a pup. “I know fur so fine as yours must keep you warm even in the snows, but it’s quite nice to have the light on you.”

She breathes in, misting the air with her exhale. “You can almost believe it’s spring.”

It will come soon enough; he smells it on the air even now, the promise of plenty enough to make his belly tremble. A few more weeks and he could eat his fill, strengthen up for whatever journey still laid ahead. Nice as it might be to survive on the outskirts of the Valley, growing fat on their game and forage, that sour scent in the north will mosey its way down here sometime this summer. Unpleasant as that dog smells, he’ll be needing to deal with the Keeper, trade with the other wilder in his pack. Maybe even mate, if he could find a vixen to stand him.

This vixen sits back on her heels, sigh as sweet as her scent wafting up from her lips. “Well, that’s that then. Guess we won’t meet today, little one.”

Toes curl beneath her, and with the sort of limber grace village girls lacked but wilder women possessed in spades, she bounces up to her feet, basket teetering on her hip like a smile does on her lips. “Maybe next time, then. Be a pity for neighbors not to get along with each other.”

When he steps out of the brush, it’s on two legs, one hand scratching at the nape of his neck.

“Get along,” he mutters, shoving a berry into his mouth. It breaks sour over his tongue. “See how long that lasts.”

*

There’s no convenient cave to make his camp, no abandoned lean-to left by a less wary vagrant passing through to warmer climes, but Obi does find a hollow not far from the vixen’s glade. An old yew, wider than two of him together could wrap around, beginning to rot from the inside. The sort of thing the volva would have clucked their collective tongues over, proclaiming that its spirit was sick and frail, a terrible portents for the future of their community.

But for him it’s only a tight squeeze on two legs and a cozy hideaway on four. Keeps him dry at least, and warm when the winds blow, though even as he drifts asleep, he hears the wood creaking like their voices, stay too long as a little one and you’ll be wild in truth.

It becomes habit to watch the vixen about her business; mostly small, letting his dark fur hide him among the shadows even as she tries to call him out from cover, her sweet smile more tempting than even the berries she offers. As it warms he sheds that skin more often, letting his legs stretch until he smells herbs on the wind and hears the first strains of her honeyed songs.

It’s inevitable that at some point, he forgets.

*

The dawn breaks warm that morning; the first tease of true spring before the spirits unfurl their sleeping tendrils and wake in truth. At least, so the volva say; Obi’s never seen a lick of them as long as he’s lived. Blind, they called him, but if it’s the price he pays to walk comfortably among the townsfolk each winter, he’ll pay it gladly.

There’s a tree at the edge of the vixen’s glade, an old birch so piebald it’s half shadow itself, its spiny little leaves coming in strong with the first hint of winter’s breaking. They don’t grow like this near the menfolk— there it’s straight little stands of bone-white trunks, but here, it’s a gnarled, knotted mess of a grandmother, so thick and bent from reaching out toward the light the glade promises that a body could get lost trying to find their way through its branches.

He sprawls his across one so thick it could be its own tree, legs dangling as wild as tangled ivy. Dappled in the sun’s light, it’s a cozy enough spot to let his blood warm up to the promise of the day. His head tips back, eyes fluttering closed, and ah, if he lets his mind drift enough, he can fool himself into thinking the volva are shuffling after him still, looking for that lazy boy, more scent than sense—

“The kit is placed in her cradle, sometimes crying, sometimes laughing.” Breath tumbles out of him in a snort, rousing him in shorter order than the vixen’s song, so close each word comes as a caress instead of a whisper on the wind. “Her mother cares for her, trouble, trouble, trouble.”

Already he reaches for his smaller body, eager to put fur over flesh and scamper into cover, but—

“Sleep now, sleep now” —copper flickers over bush tops, like a bullfinch buzzing over the brush— “in the arms of the mother tree, keep watch, o spirits, and hold this kit safe.”

For as many times as he has seen her, it’s always been with a little one’s eyes, limited to the muted grays and dunny browns they can create. Enough to get the idea of most wilders on whom he’s let his gaze linger, but this vixen— her hair alone is red and gold together, an autumn forest ablaze and yet tame beneath her hands. And when she lets her eyes skim over the brushline, looking for him…

Green. The same as the leaves that flutter between them, hiding him from sight. He hunkers down, belly to branch, and bides his time.

*

The vixen lingers longer as the weather warms, shedding her heavy cloak before she settles in to work, spreading it beneath her knees. There’s more for her to do now; with the snow near half melted, more greens unfurl between her visits, and the thin stopgap of winter berries turning into a bounty of sweet spring fruit. She sorts them as she works, each kind going into their own cloth before she rolls them up and tucks them into her basket, humming with satisfaction.

Most days he keeps her company as a little one; it delights her to coax him out step by step, creeping closer and closer to sharing sunlight. But more and more often, he lingers, watching her with wilder eyes as she goes about her business. Wonders, sometimes, if her pelt is just as bright as her hair when she trots about in her smaller form, if the gold would shine the way it does in the morning sun.

When she settles herself today— I shall give to my sister my seven gold rings, all under the linden so green— it’s with two baskets, one set in front and the other just behind. No difference between them that Obi can see, no reason one berry goes in one and not the either, just one plump little fruit, one after the other. Each one leaves juice smeared across her fingertips, so ripe his mouth salivates just thinking of how they’ll taste on his tongue, of how they’ll burst beneath his teeth.

“You know,” she calls out, her mouth hooked in the wryest of her smiles. “It’s polite to announce yourself if you’re going to linger in a vixen's territory. Especially a dog like yourself.”

Obi blinks between his branches, glancing from left to right, but there’s no dog for her to be talking to, not unless—

He glances down, right to where she stands, staring square at him through the branches. “You might introduce yourself at least. Now that I know you haven’t gone wild.”

His arms fold and his chin tilts, the way that makes most dogs shy from his company, let alone the wiser vixens. “I’m not the sort a vixen like you would want to know.”

Her jaw sets, even as that smiles pulls sweeter. “I think that’s up to me, isn’t it?”

Obi has to admit, she has a point there.

“This is my territory you’ve been lingering in, after all.” Her shrug is a soft bounce of her shoulders, but her scent presses heavily around him. Her territory. Unmated female she may be, but he is an unmated male, living on her sufferance. “I should know who I have the pleasure of sharing my patch with.”

“No point,” he sniffs, tilting his chin higher. “I’m just passing through.”

“For three weeks?” Her mouth twitches, not from fear. “I think that’s a little more than passing through.”

Ah, he hadn’t realized she’d be counting. “Just until there’s forage elsewhere.”

By the cock of her hip, he knows his excuse is as thin as tissue, ready to be torn under her able paws. “A name might be nice. I can’t just call you vagrant this whole time.”

“I have lots of names.” One for each year he’s wintered over among the menfolk. But they’ve always slipped off him like his fur does his skin, never sticking the whole season. Eirik had been the one he gave Goody, a smile on his lips, but she shook her head the way the menfolk always do, as if they already knew it doesn’t fit. “Which one do you want?”

The smile he gives her is all teeth, but she doesn’t flinch like she’s supposed to. No, she just furrows that brow at him, concerned. “The one you want to give me.”

His shoulder burns even beneath his hand. “I already said I wouldn’t be around long.”

“Fine, Vagrant it is then,” the vixen sighs, tucking her plants against her waist, tying them to the space under her belt. “I hope you have a nice day, Vagrant.”

It’s not until she’s gone that he realizes she left one of her baskets behind, but when he goes to call out—

Well, it seems he never got a name either.

[sageofthestarz]

You think it’s wrong that you want a pick licked by him? I’ve licked every pick of his that I’ve caught. You are so right, get that ghoul’s dna.

I won't lie I've been tempted to do the same

I can barley let myself handle mine out of their display case I'm terrified of them getting destroyed

I sadly haven't gotten any from a ritual of my own (I am going next tour I don't care how. Fuck Florida and it's hurricanes) but I did find a good deal on some ghost trading groups online and took it so I have a Dew and Phantom pick that I have no regrets getting

[snazzy-suit]

R.I.P ya nutsack

[thekimdelacreme]

OPI “Bikini Boardroom” - a bright lilac pearl polish. This is 2 coats. From the Summer 2023 Summer Makes the Rules collection.

[thesunsethour]

Patrick Kavanagh's 'Epic', from Come Dance with Kitty Stobling and Other Poems (1960).

[nerice]

poetry class was such a trip bc 2019 was my worst year at the time (in retrospect it was perfectly fine + also had qs renaissance but i digress) but not only did i hand in the gay poem of all time as my first work that my prof loved so much & i still cherish fondly. but esp the early pieces i submitted (rrf / the black swan one) were such hot character studies. even the prwp one while a little on the nose had some real fun energy even if it toed the line to girlboss in a way i didn't care abt but. occupational hazard i guess. OH ALSO THE FKCIN WHITE ROSES CASKETS ONE..

[ultrameganicolaokay]

"At long last, the book Astro City fans have been clamoring for - a MASSIVE, oversized hardcover omnibus collecting the first nine years of KURT BUSIEK, Brent Anderson and Alex's Ross's award-festooned ASTRO CITY series, plus a foreword by Busiek, a stunning wraparound cover by Ross, and all the sketches, creative notes and other behind-the-scenes material we can stuff in there! When we say "This is the big one," we're not kidding!

Collects KURT BUSIEK'S ASTRO CITY VOL. 1 (#1-6), VOL. 2 (#1-22, #1/2), KURT BUSIEK'S ASTRO CITY 3D SPECIAL #1, ASTRO CITY: LOCAL HEROES #1-5, ASTRO CITY SPECIAL 1, ASTRO CITY: A VISITOR'S GUIDE and portions of 9/11 - THE WORLD'S FINEST COMIC BOOK WRITERS & ARTISTS TELL STORIES TO REMEMBER."

So. Coming in December if we don’t screw it up.