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artgurusauce · 5 years ago

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So, how was Pokemon Shield?

Before I start, this is going to cover the main game, not post-game. Sorry, no talk about Dickhead Swordward and Shieldbert. Also, if it wasn’t obvious already, massive spoilers ahead.

IF YOU DON’T WANT TO BE SPOILED, DO NOT READ THIS POST

I’m not going to ramble for hours about this, because to be honest, my thoughts about this are much briefer than they are for gen 7/Alola. Not to say there’s not much going on in this game, just that if you were expecting a super professional and profound review of the game from me, you may or may not be disappointed.

I will do my best to be articulate, though.

I’ll start with the rivals, the most obvious choice the begin with being: Hop.

Hop is definitely not like Hau like so many people were desperate to make me believe pre-release. In fact, while their arcs are similar, there’s a biiig difference. That difference, to me, is their changes in character. Hau had a big ass crash, yes, but his character change was pretty damn gradual. With Hop, after Bede puts him down, well, you can pretty much tell he’s not the same guy right off the bat the next time you talk to him. I absolutely adore Hope and I’m glad he got as much screen time and focus as he did. His arc was fantastically written and beautifully handled all the way to the end. All I can say is, another cinnamon roll for the collection.

Then there’s...Marnie.

Now, I don’t hate her, far from it. I adore her very much as well. The problem is that it seems she doesn’t get much time to flesh out like Hop did. A problem that goes both ways between her and Bede. Of course when I got to the seventh gym and met big brother Piers I actually did like the dynamic they were going for. Buuut I really wish they had given Marnie just a little more time to herself before that. I just didn’t feel like they did enough with her and...that’s a damn shame considering how popular she was upon her first reveal. Of course, again, this isn’t to say I don’t think she’s still just the cutest little punk goth button ever.

Sigh...and now it’s time for me to talk about Bede.

Look, from what I could tell, half the fandom was nuts for him, the other half was sick to death of a generic douchebag rival that adds no flavor to the table. But I’m a little torn on this one. Like I said, him and Marnie share an awful side effect of Hop’s arc being the most prominent...they don’t get enough time or everything that happens in their arcs feels...rushed, by comparison, at least in my opinion. So the thing is, when Bede gets disowned by Chairman Rose, of course my first reaction is “You had it coming, you were being a shit.” But then Opal...takes him in? And...acts as though Oleana manipulated him? I guess I could perhaps see what they were going for here, and, I’ll admit it, I kind of adored their dynamic, albeit a short interaction between them. And I did find it rather cute at the League when he was all flustered about being trained by Opal, having to continue training because everyone was cheering for him. But the thing is...his arc is kind of...broken? Like, I want to feel bad for him, and I want to feel invested in Opal taking him in and showing him the ropes of the Fairy Gym but...it just doesn’t work like it should. Which is odd considering Bede gets considerably more time to flesh his arc than Marnie, at least, that’s how it seemed to me. I do think the general story and Hop’s own arc really just forced the writing’s hand in sweeping Bede’s arc by as fast as possible. He could’ve been an interesting diversion of expectation, but...oh well.

Speaking of gyms, how do I feel about the gym leaders?

Well, Milo is a fucking cinnamon roll, and I do think I’ve settled on shipping him with Nessa because...I mean...c’mon now. Short bean boy, toll ocean gal? Perfect for each other ♥

I don’t really...feel anything towards Kabu. His design is bland, his personality didn’t stick out to me at all, but I guess they can’t all be iconic gems when you think about it.

Then...there’s my baby boy Allister. And lawd, my dudes, if Hop ain’t my new son well then Allister sure as fuck is. I did HC that he was mute like Red before the game came out and, well, his personality and dialogue are pretty good despite not being what I was hoping. I mean, c’mon, how can you not love that adorable little face? Or that he’s so socially introverted he keeps a collection of masks to make absolute sure his face is hidden? I am going to be quoting “Crumbs, that’s aces” forever now.

Opal was an interesting woman, I definitely think there could’ve been more to her relationship with Bede but I already discussed that. My dad thought she was kinda scary and creepy but she reminds me of that old lady from Spirited Away so I ain’t bothered all that much lol. She was nice enough, I do like her humbleness and that she’s willing to admit it’s definitely time for her to call it quits. And yes, I have seen that official art of her when she was younger. She is a fucking QUEEN ♥ ♥ ♥

Then comes Melony...hoooo boy my lesbian ass is fallin’ so hard it physically hurts me in ways you will never imagine in your life. Wicke wishes she was this thicc. In all seriousness though, I am pretty curious about that son of hers. I heard you can meet him in Sword but I’ll have to wait and see that for myself. Aside from being the newest love of my life, she’s absolutely adorable and wholesome. I know her card reveres her as strict, but, she just looks like a cinnamon roll.

Piers...oh Piers, where do I even begin? His design is fucking on point, for one thing. And his relationship with his sister Marnie is just so cute and so much fun to watch. As unfortunately left field as it was for me, I did like his arc about not being a good Gym Leader and wanting his sister to take over for him. It was sweet and kinda sad but I just love him so much. For the first Dark Type Gym Leader, not bad guys, not bad at all. Also omg Piers slay me with your metal, king plsssss

Finally, there’s Raihan and...omg he’s so great. This mother fucker not only takes selfies in the middle of a match, not only bombards you with weather effects therefore making him a fun and challenging opponent, but this dude is also beefin’ with our head champ? SIGN ME UP, FAM. For real though, like, I loved battling with Raihan the most out of anybody that I fought. I definitely haven’t felt this much fun battling a Gym Leader in years. And I will forever be torn as to whether or not I want to ship him with Leon >3>

Speaking of the chadster, I ain’t talked about ‘im yet. Or Sonia, for that matter. Honestly, they’re both pretty great.

But Leon is the fuckin’ MVP this gen, I’ll tell you what. He’s such a bro he tells Rose his “Day of Destiny” bullshit can fuck off til our match is over. Of course, I do like his ditzy and dorky sides too. Like his snapback collection or how easily he gets lost seriously Leon it’s just a straight fucking line to your house how do you fuck that up. But he ain’t just a bro to the main character, naw, he a bro to his actual bro, Hop. And I fuckin’ love it. Their interactions are so investing and entertaining and wonderful to watch. It’s almost kind of magical, in a way. I think he is without a doubt my number one favorite Champion of all time now.

But as for Sonia, well, I dunno...maybe I’m nitpicky or remembering things wrong but she seemed to drop her disdain for researching the legend of the “Darkest Day” like a hat at some point. Granted, I still think her character arc while it wasn’t even needed was very well done. I loved listening to her dork out about the legends, her research, all of it. It was spectacular. And ever since I first found out she was childhood friends with Leon before the game even came out, ladies and gents, these two have dun been my OTP. The only one still challenging that notion is Raihan at this point, lol.

And now...we get to Oleana and Chairman Rose.

Oleana is just...kind of a nothing character for me, personally. Even after knowing about her Garbardor and all that, sorry fam, she ain’t doin’ it for me. She was a red herring so overblown and obvious it has since been laughable that anybody thought she was gonna be this gen’s Lusamine. She is just...some really crazy lady who happens to be passionate about her job. Ok.

Rose, however, is an absolute bastard. And I love it. However, I do have a problem with this, as it sort of connects to my earlier point with Bede. His relationship with Bede is...I don’t even know if I could call it a father-son relationship. I mean, yeah, he basically adopted him, but he disowns him at the drop of a hat. Granted, what Bede did was wrong, but...really? I guess that’s just how much of a dick he is, but, there’s no closure to that. Even after finding out what a horrible, deplorable man Rose is, Bede never talks to him after he’s disowned. Maybe this was meant to be a “Well it’s better he moves on to the next chapter of his life as soon as possible” sort of thing. But his sudden taking under Opal’s wing did not accomplish that feeling with me. So it feels sort of...hollow, to me. There’s no conclusion, follow-up, it’s almost as if Bede didn’t even know who Rose was anymore after Opal scooped him up. And yeah, Bede says “Everything has gone wrong since I met you” but...here’s the problem; That’s as much as he goes into being affected by Rose. It’s not too important, I guess, but it’s something that bothered me, personally. Rose’s motivations seem...ok, I guess. It’s about what I was expecting. Seriously though, his battle theme has no business being that good.

Those are all my thoughts on the characters, at least any that were all that worth talking about. Without further ado: Allow me to introduce y’all to my babies...

As I mentioned on Monday, my team consists of an Appletun, Centiskorch, Greedent, Hatterene, Inteleon, and an Eiscue. And I only just now realize like 5 out of 6 of them have names that start with a “C” lmao.

First up, we have my very first darling: Chastity

There’s a few things one should know about this slick little bitch:

Big shock, she was a huuuge cry baby as a Sobble. Like, mortified of pretty much everybody. Total mama’s girl. But as a Drizzile she was just a total grump goth binch. The only one of my Pokemon in my camp she would give the time of day is her dear friend Chariot, who at the time was a Hattrem. They pretty much grew up together and they’re besties now.

But now that Chastity is fully grown, well...she’s a little...flirtatious. Oh, no, not with the boys on her team. No no no. Every camp we step onto she’s just flirtin’ like a mad woman. She even managed to seduce my dad’s Cinderace who was already a huge playboy

Still, I can’t stay mad at this cute little brat. She’s still a total mama’s girl at heart and I love her to death. Btw, her Snipe Shot is ridiculously strong, though that’s probably because she’s still holding a Mystic Water haha

Up next is our resident lady in waiting: Chariot

I found Chariot in the Motostoke Outskirts and she has always been a picky snob even as a Hattena. She only ate small portions unless it was Whipped Cream Curry. Though nowadays I’m sure she only eats in such small portions to maintain her figure...

As I said before, she and Chastity have pretty much always been best friends. I definitely love to imagine her always hassling Chastity for her less than lady-like behavior though, haha. Chariot was weirdly sleepy as a Hattrem, though. Like...she dozed off a lot. She must’ve been getting plenty of beauty sleep for her evolution lol.

I used to have a Toxtricity on my team named Ripper before I found an Eiscue for the League, and she seemed quite enamored with him. At least for the long period he was with us, she talked to him 50% of the time when I stopped for a little break. It was incredibly adorable, though I fear what might happen if I leave them alone at a daycare for too long... <(⚆_⚆;)>

As a grown Hatterene, she’s rather dainty and conversative. I’m actually surprised, lately she’s starting to talk to some of her other fellow team mates lately. I suppose she’s not as stuck-up as she pretends to be, haha.

Up next we have our looonnnggg boy: Mushu

I picked up Mushu at Kabu’s gym. He was pretty shy as a tiny Sizzlipede and often avoided talking to most of his team mates. He was pretty spooked by a lot of them, actually, particularly Ripper for reasons I never quite understood. I guess when Ripper was still a baby, Mushu didn’t understand why he cried so much and was terrified of the loud noises he made lol.

However, he grew into a long boi rather quickly and he’s pulled us through some pretty tough spots in the gym challenges so I like to spoil him with lots of play time. He’s got a Jolly nature and honestly, it shows a lot more now that he’s all grown up. He loves to play and races with his team mates pretty much all the time. Rip Caramel, your utter annihilation will not be forgotten. He’s a very sweet and almost gentle boy and I honestly feel bad for all the battering he’s had to take before because I was a little too eager to take on opponents way out of my league.

A couple of fun facts about him before we move on:

His favorite curry in the curry dex is Smoked Tail Curry, which he always eats in gigantic portions. He freaking loves camping on Route 6 or in Stow-On-Side, I guess he really loves the heat.

Up next is my precious dumpling baby: Caramel

I first caught Caramel on Route 5, and I love love looove my baby apple pie. He’s such a chill and adorkable little dragon and I’m not one to pick favorites but...oh, who am I kidding? He’s totally my favorite.

As an Applin he was just too cute. He was a little slow and none of his team mates seemed to understand him so they tended to leave him by himself. So I ended up having to give him lots of attention so he wasn’t too lonely. And gosh was he just the cutest little baby apple. Of course, he wasn’t an Applin for very long, so there’s not much to speak of regarding his early stages.

However, once he evolved, he became a fucking tank. Caramel can take hits like a freaking champ and since I gave him Draco Meteor he’s practically an unstoppable beast. Of course, by heart, he’s a Lax boyo and enjoys the littlest things in life: Like the nice breezes in the Wild Area, or his Apple Curry, even if it’s snowing something fierce outside he’s all about it. And I just- argh he’s so fuckin’ cute! ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Up next we’ve got the chunky cheeked baby: Peter Griffin Conker

Conker is a Gentle boy who’s been with me since the very beginning at Route 1, and it fits since objectively he’s probably the weakest Pokemon I’ve got on my team. But that’s ok, because he’s definitely scored us a couple of hard gym challenges just like Mushu has. He was definitely useful for buying some time when I needed it, that’s for sure.

He was pretty chattery as a Skwovet, even if some of his team mates weren’t all that talkative looking at you, Chastity. This probably comes as no surprise, but he’s always had a bottomless stomach. Seriously, he’s eaten large portions even as a baby Skwovet and it baffles me. Guess he’s just a really hungy boy, lol.

As a fully grown, chunky Greedent, he’s pretty slow. Like, really slow. Even when he runs it’s like a snail tracking through peanut butter and molasses. And it’s too cute to watch. I really wish I could give him belly rubs tbh, he looks like the type that’d enjoy those, haha. These days he’s best friends with my Eiscue, Cubert. They usually race each other after they have lunch.

And finally, one of my greatest MVP’s: Cubert

Cubert joined us very late in the game on Route 10. And while unfortunately he ended up taking Ripper’s place, I knew he’d be a good addition to the team. I’ve given him Hail and Aurora Veil, which is super useful for battle prep. It’s pretty lucky I was able to find this little guy waddlin’ around up there on my way to Wyndon.

As I said before, he was pretty anti-social with everybody at first. Though I’m sure that’s because he was so new by the time we got to the League. Thankfully, Conker got him out of his shell and they’re best friends. He still seems a little shy around the others, and even myself, but I’m just glad he’s got somebody to talk to. Not much to say about him unfortunately, since he’s so reserved and tends to keep to himself, but I’m sure that’ll change eventually with time.

Now that’s everyone that’s on my current team, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention my boy Ripper at all, so, allow me to introduce an old friend who’s been livin’ in retirement for the past few days:

I first picked up Ripper at a Nursery while I was omw over to Hulburry, I believe. So Ripper was with us for a damn long time until I picked up Cubert. Initially I had hoped he’d be a High Key Toxtricity, but I’ll take what I get. Besides, he was more than helpful with quite a lot of battles, especially Opal’s gym.

He was pretty loud as a Toxel, which should come as no surprise. Always throwing tantrums and never really seemed to eat anything bigger than a small portion of whatever curry I cooked, so he was picky just like Chariot was. All around a bastard baby, really. He didn’t really start getting onto the battle field until he evolved, in all honesty.

But once he did, hoo boy, he was killin’ the competition like a pro. I feel pretty bad I didn’t take him into the League with me, but I felt like Cubert would’ve been more useful so I swapped ‘im out. I’ve been pulling him back out of the PC box for some more training lately to help him catch up to make up for it, though. And he seems pretty happy about it, so bygones are bygones I suppose.

And it seems he’s still very much taken with Chariot. Sigh, young love, so adorable. Anyways, respects to the OG madhouse that got me through some toughies, you did good out there buddy. ;w;

Alright, well, that’s just about all I have to discuss, for now. I hope this wasn’t too droning of a post or anything. But before you head out, I’ve got a little surprise. Since this was such an interesting experience, I’m opening a new Tumblr based on my journey that will follow my Trainer OC Luna and her adventures through Galar. If you’re curious to check it out, click here. I don’t really have an upload schedule, so just keep your eye out for any posts in the future. Hope you guys enjoy it!

#pokemon #pokemon sword and shield #discussion board #appletun #inteleon #hatterene #eiscue #greedent #centiskorch #toxtricity #god this is long #I'm so tired #maybe I'll talk about the post game soon idk #prolly not

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platonicone · 5 years ago

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Devotion - Story of the Oracle and her Shield

Chapter 16 - Addicts

When your cure becomes your disease, how can you live? I wonder…

“I concur with your thoughts. Wish as I may, deviating from my duties, feels wrong to me as well. I guess we are at an impasse now. Can’t live with each other, can’t live without.”

“I know being close to you is bad in a long run, but I still want to keep doing it. The more I stay away from you the more I want to get close to you. Case in point, last night when you got scared, I let go of all my inhibitions and came right back to you.”

“Same for me. I clung onto you last night as if my life depended on it. Even though we both know how this ends, we still keep coming back for more.”

Upon hearing that, Squall suddenly chuckled.

“What?” She raised an eyebrow.

“I think we are addicts.”

“What do you mean?”

“When someone is addicted to let’s say smoking, they know that it is bad for their health, but they still can’t stop themselves from doing it.”

“That does sound like us,” she remarked, placing her hand on her head. “Yes, we are both addicts and our choice of drug is lo…” she did not finish the sentence.

“What do you think we should do?” he asked earnestly, after a brief silence.

“It’s not an easy answer as I have been thinking about it for a while. In my travels, as the Oracle, I have learned that on their deathbed people often regret about things they didn’t do rather than things they did. Today morning I asked myself a simple question: What would I regret the most? And I realized that one thing I would regret the most would be destroying one dream to chase another and to wake up someday and find out that neither of them were real.”

“I don’t get it,” he honestly admitted.

“Being with Noctis was always my dream. Even though deep down inside I knew that it would always remain just a dream, it still never discouraged me from chasing it,” her face was projecting various emotions all at once.

“Similarly, being with you feels like a dream. I was all alone in this world. No parents, brother or even my love by my side and out of nowhere a guy come into my life and becomes my guardian angel. He protects me from the wrath of Astral and an army of the entire nation. He shares my pain and suffering and brings me joy and happiness in return and expects nothing from me. Tell me if all this does not sound like a dream.”

“When you put it that way, it does,” he nodded.

“I know someday when you are gone, I’ll wake up from this dream. But until that day comes, I want to keep dreaming. I want to enjoy this dream for as long as I can and not wake up. I don't want to end one dream to chase another. I don’t want to destroy my present to safeguard my future, which I may not even have. That is what I would regret the most.”

“Interesting,” he said, still trying to wrap his head around it all.

“There are some dreams you never want to wake up from,” Luna commented, looking at Leon. "How about you? What do you propose we do?”

He too had been thinking a lot about what to do next about their complex relationship. There were many things he thought he should do. However, all his thinking, concluded in one sentence Luna had said to him a while back: when you love someone, their happiness is all that matters to you, not your sacrifice for it.

With that in mind, he asked, “What will make you happy?”

Without a moment of hesitation, Luna replied, “Our time together in Lestallum was among some of my happiest memories. We had so much fun, we goofed around, teased each other, and fought by and against each other. We were relaxed and carefree, enjoyed the world around, and taking on the world one day at a time. Those times are what I yearn for the most. Being the way, we were back then is what would give me the most joy and happiness.”

“Then that’s what we’ll do. I’ll try my best to be your Leon and not Squall,” he said, looking at her with a half-smile.

‘Being your Leon hurts Luna. But if my pain can bring you happiness, then that’s what I’ll do. I’ll put a smile on my face even when my heart bleeds.’

“No,” she shook her head vigorously. It was a reaction that Leon did not expect. “You should only be Leon if YOU want, not because I want you to be. You should be Leon only if it gives YOU happiness. I know it’s hard for you too. If you can’t be Leon, then I’ll just learn how to lov—appreciate Squall,”

“I want to be Leon,” he reassured.

“Then it’s settled; we will try to be like that again,” she replied, with a genuine smile.

“Just know that, try as we may, it will always be different now,” Leon remarked, setting the expectation.

“Different is fine; being indifferent is what I am afraid of,” she confessed.

He nodded in response. “Why must things be so complicated with us?”

“Because we make it so?” she said with resignation.

“All this thinking is hurting my head. Care if we listen to something less depressing and more upbeat, like the news?” he suggested, putting his right hand on his forehead.

She busted out in laughter, “You find news to be uplifting?”

“Yes. News is just a compilation of things that other people messed up. They talk about topics like war, oppression, daemons and such, you know, less depressing stuff compared to feelings and emotions.”

“You can be so weird sometimes. There is a war going on out there and you find that less depressing than this?” she remarked with a facepalm.

“Think about it. War, oppression, and such are very logical and tangible in nature. You can find a cause and its effect in most cases easily. Feelings and emotions, on the other hand, are intangible and often illogical. That is why I hate them. For instance, both of us know the logical course of action in our situation yet we choose to reconcile because of feelings.”

“Point taken,” she agreed and switched the radio station to news bring solace to Leon.

“I guess I’ll take a nap. My head hurts too from all this,” she commented, reclining her seat back and making herself comfortable.

She quickly fell asleep as newscast gave company to Leon on this drive. The newscaster announced:

And now for the weather. There is not a cloud in sight. The temperature would hover around 70 and would fall at night. But, be sure to stay up late tonight. Today we are expecting one of the biggest meteor storms in our recorded history. Our planet would pass through Leonid stream which would produce a staggering rate of approximately 40 meteors per second (144,000 m/hour). It was over a century ago that we had such a cosmic event. Expect the meteor shower to start at 1 a.m. and last until 1:45 a.m.

“Hmm,” he said, registering the time mentally.

Next we will air a special segment on the history and science behind such a meteor storm.

Eventually, they arrived at Cape caem. Leon pulled over and quietly exited the car as Luna was still asleep. He left the car running so AC and air circulation was not a problem while he was gone to finish his errands.

He returned after half an hour and immediately entered panic mode when he did not see Luna in the car. An irrational fear set in as he looked around the car for any foul play. His eyes scanned the area looking for Luna.

He asked the locals if they had seen Luna. While chatting with one of the locals, his eyes caught a glimpse of Luna walking towards him.

Once she was close enough, he said, “You scared me.”

“I didn’t even do anything,” she defended, confused by the sudden accusation.

“When I came back you were gone,” he revealed, leaning against the car, “and I panicked.”

“Sorry, I didn’t know you would get scared so easily,” she commented with a smile, as her heart danced with joy seeing how much he still cares for her. “I just went to for a walk.”

He sighed and shook his head. It was unlike him to overreact like this, but here he was.

“There is an abandoned hideout over there. There is someone I’d like you to meet.”

“Who is it?”

“I meet a couple of Crownsguard on my stroll. Let’s see what they have to say.” She said walking towards the lighthouse.

“Do they know who you are?” He asked, following her.

“I don’t believe so. I told them we are Hunters deployed by Hunter HQ.”

“Good.”

Once they entered the hideout, a middle-aged woman with short gray hair greeted them. She wore a black blouse over a white shirt, and a necklace around her neck.

“Hello, I am Monica Elshett,” she greeted him.

“Leon,” he introduced himself.

It seemed like Luna and Monica already knew each other from their earlier encounter.

“Thank you for bringing processed mithril, all the way from Lestallum.”

As they were chatting, a middle-aged man with balding black hair entered the house. He was wearing a black vest over a white shirt, a wristwatch, and glasses.

“Dustin, these are the hunters who brought us the processed mithril.”

“Hello, I am Dustin Ackers. Nice to meet you.”

“Pleasure is all mine. I am Stella and he is my partner Leon.” She said giving a quick introduction.

Leon recalled seeing him by the docks when he went to deliver the processed mithril to the mechanics.

“May I ask what the Crownsguards are doing all the way out here?” Luna inquired.

Monica and Dustin looked at each other. They seemed hesitant to share that information.

“These are dark times. The Hunters and the Crownguards need to stand united, else the Empire would consume us all. Don’t you agree?” Luna urged. Her words seemed to put Monica and Dustin at ease.

“Yes, Marshal Cor Leonis has a similar vision,” Monica agreed. “Marshal had ordered us reconnaissance this area. We are assessing if this would serve as a feasible base for our operations.”

“Makes sense. This was used as a hideout by King Regis before he became king. The lighthouse was used as a watchtower and as a communication tool sending light signals when the maritime route to Accordo was at its peak.”

“You are very knowledgeable, Stella,” Dustin added.

“My parents were born in Insomnia, so I grew up hearing the tales of the Lucian kings.”

Leon was amazed at her ability to conjure such a perfect lie instantly.

“This can potentially be a great strategic outpost for us,” remarked Monica.

“Indeed. However, the repairs required to the lighthouse and boat are beyond our expertise. We will need someone with more expertise, like Cid.” Dustin chimed in.

“I will relay it to the Marshal,” Monica annoucned, walking towards the kitchen. “Would you like to join us for lunch?”

‘Last time we joined someone for a lunch, it did not go well,’ Leon recalled.

“Only if I can help,” Luna offered.

‘Not again,’ Leon complained internally.

“It’s fine, you sit back and relax. I am used to making food for the whole team.”

“But I insist.”

“Fine. Let’s get started then.”

While Monica and Luna were busy cooking, Leon indulged Dustin.

“What kinds of mission do you guys do?”

“Mainly escorting and reconnaissance. We were in charge of escorting survivors of Insomnia to Lestallum. Once our refugees were assimilated at Lestallum, we came here. However, there are some troubling news from Lestallum.”

“What happened?” Leon asked. He often wondered what happened in Lestallum after they left.

“The Empire came to Lestallum in the search for the Oracle, but they did not find her there. Unfortunately, there were few casualties. They left Lestallum the next day. Our sources tell us that Prince Noctis is in Lestallum now so the Empire will return there to intercept him. We are to move out of here by the nightfall to go to Lestallum. We are to monitor the situation there and assist the Prince should the need arise.”

Squall found that Dustin was quite chatty if the subject interests him. They ended up talking about various means of reconnaissance until the food was ready.

Monica’s food was better than any of the restaurants in the Lestallum. They enjoyed their delicious meal over idle chit-chat.

Luna taught Monica how to grow Tenebraen oak properly, as this plant was not indigenous to this part of the Eos. They exchange pleasantries before saying their goodbyes.

“I am glad that the Crownsguard are moving back to Lestallum tonight. With them around, Iris and others would have a better chance against the Empire.”

“It would give Prince Noctis some support as well,” Luna added.

On the way back to their car, Leon informed, “One last delivery, and we are done.”

“Does that mean we have to return the car?” she asked, nearing the car.

“Unfortunately, yes,”

“Aww, but this car is like my second home,” she complained.

“Any further travels would have to be on foot or Chocobo,” he declared, unlocking the car.

“I am sure going to miss it,” she confessed, fondly looking at the car.

Leon was about to sit in the driver seat when he suddenly stopped and looked at her, “Do you want to drive?”

Her eyes lit up with unsaid joy, “Yes! Yes! Yes! I do.” Her excitement brought a smile to his face.

“Come on,” he said, motioning her towards the driving side.

She ran around the car barely able to contain her excitement. She sat in the driver seat and adjusted the mirror while Leon buckled up in the passenger seat.

“Back out slowly,” he instructed.

Even before he could finish his sentence, she slammed on the gas paddle and the car rocketed in reverse. Once the car was sufficiently out of the parking space, she slammed the brake, causing their bodies to lean forward only to be held by the seatbelt. He felt like all of his internal organs had been rearranged.

“For someone so calm and collected you sure drive like a maniac,” said Leon already regretting his decision.

“Relax, there was no one behind us,” she defended, brushing aside his criticism. “Besides, didn’t you say that I was a good driver? And now I am a maniac all of a sudden?”

“I might have been wrong back then,” he admitted nervously, keeping his eyes glued to the road.

Once the car was on the main road, see no traffic in sight, she floored the gas paddle attaining the car’s top speed in a matter of seconds. She retracted the roof of the car as a gush of wind blew on their faces.

“Enjoying the ride so far?” she asked loudly, as it was hard to hear because of the noise wind made due to their high speed.

Leon just glared back, and she laughed it off in response.

“Where did you learn to drive?” Leon asked almost rhetorically.

She slowed down as the road curved, giving respite to Leon’s pounding heart.

“Learned it during my travels.”

She significantly slowed down once she noticed the traffic up ahead. They were now driving at a pace Leon would normally drive at. The forceful wind felt gentle now.

She took out the ribbon holding her hair back. Free from its confinement, her hair flew with the wind. Leon looked at her and his heart and mind paused for a second. Luna’s image of her hair flowing in the wind would be etched in his memory forever. An image he would never get tired of seeing. He was besotted with her.

She saw him looking at her fondly and she suddenly became very self-conscious.

“Take the next right,” he guided, coming out of his trance and suddenly realizing their surroundings. She nodded and proceeded to do that.

“Music?” she suggested after a while.

“No,” was his instant response. “News?”

“Absolutely no.”

“What do you want to do?” he asked.

“I want to talk with you,” she said with zeal.

“Okay, go ahead. I am listening,” he said, reclining back in his seat.

“How about you talk and I’ll listen for a change?” she asked, looking at him briefly.

“Nope. Talking is among my top 10 least favorite things to do,” he stated.

“What are the other nine things?” she inquired.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” he replied, folding his arms. “I know you are tricking me into talking about it. I am not going to fall for it.”

She facepalmed like Leon always does. “I swear, sometimes I feel like I am talking to a kid.”

“Whatever,” he said, looking away.

She was getting bored without music or talking, so she decided to force the issue. “Leon, open that compartment and take out my book.”

He did as he was told.

“In the book, I have a paper cutout of those 36 questions, can you pass me that?” she requested.

Unsure of what she was planning to do with it, he passed the paper cutout to her.

She took off one hand from the steering wheel and started reading it, “Set 2: Question 13. If a crystal ball could tell you the truth about yourself, your life, the future or anything else, what would you want to know?”

“What are you doing? Keep your eyes on the road,” he said frantically.

“You are not talking so I will read this and talk to myself,” she revealed her plans.

“Give me that,” he said, snatching the paper from her hand. “You can be so reckless sometimes.”

She just smiled and winked playfully in response.

“Question 13. If a crystal ball could tell you the truth about yourself, your life, the future or anything else, what would you want to know?” he read, and then proceeded to respond, “I would like to know what happened to me after I defeated Ultimecia and before I came here.”

“I would like to know if there is a way to change the future,” she added, after thinking for a few seconds.

“Change your actions, change your future,” he responded. “Every action you take now shapes your future.”

“Let me correct myself, I would like to know if there is a way to change the fate,” she corrected herself.

“Wouldn’t it be the same?” he argued.

“I don’t know. Fate and destiny, have a mysterious way of leading you back to it no matter what actions you take.”

Not wanting to debate over a theoretical question, he moved on to the next question, “Question 14. Is there something that you’ve dreamed of doing for a long time? Why haven’t you done it?”

Leon answered first, "Yes, I have a list of people whom I would like to punch in their face. The reason I have not done it is because it is not normal to go around punching people.”

“What a weird and specific dream. Even your wish list is full of violent things,” she expressed her disappointment. Leon just shrugged in response.

“For me, ever since you told me your story, I want to go to outer space. But there is no way to go in outer space. I guess I would have to wait till you take me to your world.”

“Take you back to my world? Now that’s an interesting idea,” he pondered, tapping his index finger on his cheek.

“Do you think it is possible?” she asked hopefully.

“I don’t know. Would you come with me if it were?” he asked.

“Maybe. I don’t know,” she confessed, getting flustered.

He asked the next question to break the silence, “15. What is the greatest accomplishment of your life?”

“Defeating Ultimecia,” he announced, in an instance.

“Healing people,” she said without hesitation. “Wow! We are so opposite. I like to heal people and you like to defeat them.”

“Only if they hurt someone I care about,” he said in his defense. “16. What do you value most in a friendship?”

“Trust,” they both said at the same time.

“That was easy,” Luna remarked, giving a thumbs up.

“Yup. If you don’t have trust in your friends, then what's the point of such a friendship?”

“Indeed,” she nodded.

“Next question, number 17, what is your most treasured memory?” Leon asked.

“Oh, that’s a lot to choose from,” he started, recollecting many of their treasured memories.

“Just say the first memory that came to your mind. It must be very special if that was the first one you remembered,” she suggested, trying to help.

“Hmm.” The first memory which came to his mind was waking up today to find Luna peacefully sleeping in his arms. He thought that might not be the most appropriate memory to share so he lied and picked the second memory which came to his mind. “The first one that came to mind was making our escape from the Disc of Catheruss by hanging on to the airship.”

“Yes, that indeed was special. It was daring escaped as I clung onto you with my dear life,” a natural smile graced her lips as that memory resurfaced.

“Yup, it was quite crazy now that I think about it,” he too had a smile on his face unknowingly. “What is your most treasured memory?”

“All of them,” she claimed, looking at him with a bright smile.

“That’s cheating. You have to pick one.”

“But seriously, all my memories with you are my most treasured ones,” she tried to convince him as a blush crept on his cheeks. “But if I absolutely had to pick one then it would be us protecting that tiny little flame during our dinner at Lestallum.”

“Interesting choice,” he remarked, recalling those moments. “Eating ice cream after that was fun too.”

“Yes, that was special too. See, I told you, every memory is special in its own way.”

He nodded and moved on to the next question. “18. What is your most terrible memory?”

“Even there we have a lot to choose from. I don’t know about you, but the last couple of days have been pretty bad,” Leon admitted. “But if I had to choose one then it would be the first time I saw you cry.” His honesty with Luna sometimes surprises even him.

It was a bitter-sweet moment for Luna as he revealed how much he cared for her. Luna took a deep breath and started, “Oh God, for me, it has to be that nightmare where I saw you getting stabbed with an ice crystal. I was so freaked out and scared out of my mind. I don’t even want to think about it.” She said shaking her head.

“19. If you knew that in one year you would die suddenly, would you change anything about the way you are now living? Why?” he read.

“Skip,” Luna said as soon as he finished his sentence. Once again, he noticed that she was avoiding this topic. Not wanting to drag this conversation any further he said, “I can’t think of anything on top of my head so I’ll pass too.”

“20. What does friendship mean to you?” he asked, hoping this question would change the somber mood.

“Friendship to me means acceptance of someone just the way they are,” she replied, tucking a few strands of her hair behind her ears.

“Friendship to me means reliance. Ability to count on each other in time of your need,” he responded with a conviction.

He read the next question on the list, “21. What roles do love and affection play in your life?”

“Love and affection, isn’t that what we all live for? A life without love is like a body without a soul. I think it’s the ability to love which fundamentally makes us human. The inability to give love is like being a tree without leaves which provides shade or comfort to no one,” she narrated sounding more like an Oracle than Luna. She looked at Leon suggesting he should answer next.

“Love and affection feel great to have it, it's hard to maintain it and it’s impossible to keep it,” he said curtly, a typical Leon response. She just shook her head wondering how this man can summarize love and affection in one sentence.

“22. Alternate sharing something you consider a positive characteristic of your partner. Share a total of five items,” he read, and said, “I’ll start. One positive characteristic of yours is your altruism.”

“Your loyalty,” she responded.

“Your devotion,” he replied

“Your bravery.”

“Your beauty,” he remarked, which made her blush.

“Your handsomeness,” she admitted, returning the compliment.

“Your charming personality,” he stated.

“Your mysterious personality,” she added.

“I think you are extremely pious,” he said sincerely.

“I think you are extremely honorable.”

“Should I keep going?” he asked as if he had a whole list of it ready.

“No, I think that was five.”

“23. How close and warm is your family? Do you feel your childhood was happier than most other people’s?” he read. It was another pain point they did not like to talk about, but in a way, it also brought them closer.

Luna was the first one to reply, “I think our family was somewhat close. As for my childhood, it was divided into two halves, very happy and very sad. On an average, I think I might fall under the unhappy childhood category.”

“Had no family and childhood sucked. When kids my age played with the toys I used to play with weapons,” Leon stated bluntly.

“24. How do you feel about your relationship with your mother?” he asked.

“I miss her so much,” was Luna’s immediate response.

“Never knew her,” he said with a shrug. “And that concluded set two of these questions.” He folded the paper and tucked it away in her book.

“Wow, time sure flies when we are talking,” she commented looking at the clock.

“Yes,” he acknowledged, as he opened the glove compartment of the car to put the book inside. His eyes fell on a metal can bury behind all other items. Curious to know what it was, he took it out. “Ebony?”

“Sure, I’d like that,” she said, looking at the can in his hand.

They shared coffee and make occasional small talks as they continued towards their destination.

Luna pulled the car in the parking lot of the Taelpar Rest Area. Leon grabbed a few things he had to deliver from the trunk and disappeared from sight while Luna filled up the gas.

After a few minutes, Leon returned to the car with two ice creams. He saw that Luna was talking to a street vendor so he waved towards her to get her attention. She saw him and quickly came towards the car. She kept a few things she had bought in the trunk and joined him on the hood of the car.

Leon handed her a soft-serve chocolate vanilla ice cream once she was situated next to him.

“Ice cream? What’s the occasion?”

“This is to celebrate finishing all our deliveries,” he announced, doing cheers with their ice cream cones.

“I was expecting a bigger celebration than this,” she stated, tasting the ice cream.

“Perhaps we can have it at another time. For now, this would have to suffice,” Leon suggested, tasting his ice cream.

“What flavor is that?” she asked, looking at his green-colored ice cream.

“Pistachio,” he replied, licking his ice cream.

“Let me try that,” she requested, extending her hand.

“Sure. Let me try your chocolate vanilla,” he asked, swapping their ice creams.

“This is so much better than mine,” she commented, after tasting pistachio ice cream. “You keep that one.”

“Cheater.” Leon just laughed and shook his head.

They sat on the hood of the car and ate their ice cream in silence, enjoying a beautiful sunset in front of them.

“Leon?”

“Yes?”

“You know what I was thinking,” she started enthusiastically. Before she could say anything further, she felt a stabbing pain in her chest. “Urrghh,” she clutched her chest and coiled in pain.

Leon placed his arm around her shoulder to support her. “Are you okay? What’s going on?” His heart skipped a beat upon seeing her in sudden pain. He noticed that suddenly the atmosphere around them got very chilly.

The pain quickly subsided as she leaned back against the windshield. “I am okay now.” She reassured breathing heavily, but Leon wasn’t convinced. Before he could ask anything, he heard a familiar voice. “I bear good news.”

“Gentiana,” he recognized her voice coming from behind them. She gracefully walked, with her eyes closed, from the back of the car to the front where they were sitting. She went past the hood of the car and turned around to face them.

“Rejoice. The king has subdued the Archaen. Titan has agreed to give his blessing to the king."

“That is joyous news indeed,” Luna said, pushing herself off the windshield. “The pain I felt must be because of my link with Archaen.”

Gentiana nodded in affirmation with her eyes still closed. “Now Ramuh’s trial awaits you and your knight.”

“We will succeed,” Leon said with conviction.

“Of that, I have little doubt. But, be cautious, the Empire is aware of your activates and they are on the move.”

“Thank you, for your warning, we shall be careful,” Luna acknowledged.

Gentiana turns around and took a couple of steps and started to leave. “Gentiana,” Luna called for her.

“Yes, Lady Luna.”

“How is Prince Noctis doing?” Luna asked with concern.

“His friends serve him well. He is well protected and cared for. He too yearns to see you,” she informed, without any fluctuation in her voice.

“Thank you, Gentiana. Your words give me great joy,” Luna said, with a slight bow.

Leon, who was just observing this conversation, felt an unfamiliar pain in his heart. He tried to convince himself over and over again that it was not jealousy, yet he failed.

Gentiana opened her eyes and looked straight at Leon and address to him directly, “Cherish every moment you have. A great tragedy awaits you both.” Before either of them could react to what she had just said, Gentiana disappeared from their sight leaving behind dancing ice particles in the air.

Author's notes:

Things between Leon and Luna are healing for now. However, a great tragedy awaits them both... any guess what that could be?

Please leave a comment if you've enjoyed the story so far. Thanks :)

7 notes · View notes

entergamingxp · 5 years ago

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DualShockers’ Favorite Games of 2019 — Scott’s Top 10

December 27, 2019 2:00 PM EST

2019 for me was filled with tons of games from different genres, and even though it was hard to pick 10, here are my favorites from 2019.

As 2019 comes to a close, DualShockers and our staff are reflecting on this year’s batch of games and what were their personal highlights within the last year. Unlike the official Game of the Year 2019 awards for DualShockers, there are little-to-no-rules on our individual Top 10 posts. For instance, any game — not just 2019 releases — can be considered.

Greetings and glad tidings, Shockerians? DualShockese? Sorry, I’m new, but yes it is the time of the year once again to share with the internet the video games that left a particularly large imprint on us throughout the past 365 days. My name is Scott White, and let my list be my humble debut on this fantastic site and introduction to you fine readers.

2019 treated audiences to titles that have been long desired, from Kingdom Hearts 3, Death Stranding, and of course, the Resident Evil 2 remake. The time between these behemoths was filled with other stellar titles from indie studios to large developers, rounding out the year and making it one with far too many games and myself with far too little free time for them all. However: I did play a bunch, so let me tell you about some of them!

As a brief note for readers: the first nine games I will list are in no particular order, but the final entry on this list will be my favorite of the year and noted as such.

Forager

What was a random suggestion on my Steam page turned into my go-to chill game of the year. With a bright and vivid cartoon pixel art style, Forager crafted its way into my heart. I found something incredibly peaceful and rewarding as I bought up the various islands faster than a land baron who struck oil, and worked to create my autonomous empire. With my army of drones collecting precious ore and gems, while my furnaces burned non-stop crafting new items, I could sit back and admire my work.

With the inclusion of many other indie darlings that you can dress your character up as (Shovel Knight, baby!) and flow of constant updates and additions from the single-man development team, Forager is a game that I keep coming back to, being charmed all the while.

Katana Zero

I have to say, I wasn’t expecting a dark narrative dealing with such heavy topics as PTSD, drug addiction, or child soldiers when I started playing Katana Zero. My sight zeroed *wink wink nudge* in on this game after watching the trailers with the neon visuals, the samurai who deflects bullets and mows down enemies, and the time-warping mechanic. What I ended up getting was so much more, and made me fall in love with this game.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Katana Zero.

Dragon Ball FighterZ

Yes, it’s an older game, but FighterZ has still been one of the games I’ve had the most fun with in 2019. With the drops of some of my friends and I’s favorite characters, my usual crew of friends were hopping into the lobbies and hurling beams at one another more than ever. With the recent release of the final Season 2 character with Dragon Ball Super’s Broly, there’s still no word on a Season 3 of new characters. You can count on it though, that if we do get another round of characters, there is a good chance you will see Dragon Ball FighterZ on my list next year, too.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Dragon Ball FighterZ.

Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of An Elusive Age — Definitive Edition

Fact: Dragon Quest XI was one of my favorite games of 2018. Also fact, Dragon Quest XI S easily adds enough content and goodies to warrant being included on my list for 2019 too. With the addition of the orchestral track, new outfits, and a new game with the 2D version of XI included with all of its unique content, I gladly jumped back into the role of The Luminary. Any fans of RPGs and that own a Switch need to get this game.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of An Elusive Age — Definitive Edition.

Daemon X Machina

As a longtime fan of From Software’s non-Soulsborne franchise, Armored Core, the lack of complex mech customization action titles as of late left me rabid for this game when it got announced. Fast-forward a couple of demos and a release later, Daemon X Machina fills the void left by AC’s disappearance this generation. The tense combat mixed with a visual style that separates it from the pack is just *chef’s kiss* muah. The added fact that I can now run around as Geralt of Rivia in a giant robot is just icing on the cake.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Daemon X Machina.

Resident Evil 2

Growing up, the Resident Evil series was always one that I wanted to play, as the lore and concept behind it was so intriguing to me. Alas though, it contained a foe scarier than Mr. X and more crushing than Nemesis: the dreaded “tank controls.” The releases of the remasters had solved this dilemma of mine with Resident Evil 0 and the first game, and with the RE2 remake release, I got to finally experience Leon and Claire’s origin.

This game should be placed on a pedestal with a beacon shining on it that never gets extinguished as an example of how remakes should be done. By everyone. Forever. It is simply a suburb horror title that nailed this vibe. The first time I was being chased by Mr. X remains the most nerve-wracking horror experience of 2019 for me. Bravo Capcom, bravo.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Resident Evil 2.

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night

With magical whip in hand, I ventured forward into the night, vanquishing all manner of demonkind, skewering myself in the chest along the way to absorb the abilities of my foes. In a similar vein as Daemon X Machina scratched my mech itch, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night gloriously scratched my Symphony of the Night itch. Plus, David Hayter is a demon-slaying samurai, so that instantly gives it +120 bonus points.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night.

Kingdom Hearts 3

In the convening years between the releases of Kingdom Hearts 2 in 2006 and Kingdom Hearts 3 this year, I evolved from a senior in high school who had no idea what he was doing, to a full-fledged adult…who has no idea what he is doing AND paying rent! What a decade it’s been.

I may have grown out of the raging hormones and living with my parents, but it turns out I have not grown out of the wide-eyed reaction to seeing Keyblades, Heartless, and Sora+Donald+Goofy Co. teaming up and vanquishing evil with the power of friendship and deus ex machina. It’s far from a perfect game, or even a perfect Kingdom Hearts game, but when a game makes me tear up from the title screen, there’s no way I couldn’t include it on my list. I love this game, this series, and all the craziness that comes with them. I can’t wait to see what lore-f***ery comes with the upcoming Re:Mind DLC in January.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Kingdom Hearts 3.

Randomizers

Not relegated to a single game, but more a family of fan mods, this year saw me really dive into retro game randomizers. These nifty mods mix all sorts of stuff up inside a game–chest contents in Zelda as an example–to create new experiences in each playthrough. Whether it was having Kent in Fire Emblem rocking as Bard or Yoshi being King of Figaro with his twin brother Master Chief in Final Fantasy 6, these mods stole a lot of my time this year.

My Favorite Game(s) of the Year: Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel 1-3

Spending more than 250 hours with a cast of characters, experiencing their world, their struggles and triumphs this year, I’ve found myself completely enraptured by this series of RPGs. Imagine the materia system from Final Fantasy VII, the social bonding and links from the later Persona titles, and blend them together with a constantly expanding narrative, and you have Trails of Cold Steel.

I felt I had to include these games as a single entity on my list. So many moments of these games left me aghast; they lifted my spirits with hope and pained my heart with loss. This is a series that needs to be experienced by more people. I can only hope that 2020 will see the localization of the end of this saga with Cold Steel 4.

Check out the rest of the DualShockers staff Top 10 lists and our official Game of the Year Awards:

December 23: DualShockers Game of the Year Awards 2019 December 25: Lou Contaldi, Editor-in-Chief // Logan Moore, Managing Editor December 26: Tomas Franzese, News Editor // Ryan Meitzler, Features Editor December 27: Mike Long, Community Manager // Scott White, Staff Writer December 28: Chris Compendio, Contributor // Mario Rivera, Video Manager December 29: Scott Meaney, Community Director // Allisa James, Senior Staff Writer // Ben Bayliss, Senior Staff Writer December 30: Cameron Hawkins, Staff Writer // David Gill, Senior Staff Writer // Portia Lightfoot, Contributor December 31: Iyane Agossah, Senior Staff Writer // Michael Ruiz, Senior Staff Writer // Rachael Fiddis, Contributor January 1: Ricky Frech, Senior Staff Writer // Tanner Pierce, Staff Writer

December 27, 2019 2:00 PM EST

from EnterGamingXP https://entergamingxp.com/2019/12/dualshockers-favorite-games-of-2019-scotts-top-10/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=dualshockers-favorite-games-of-2019-scotts-top-10

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leighleighpresents-blog · 7 years ago

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Ashley from Operator Please

Bursting onto the music scene in 2007 with their smash hit “Just A Song About Ping Pong”, Operator Please have become Australia’s hottest new band. With their new album, “Gloves”, out now, and a tour happening, I got to chat with bassist Ashley McConnell about the new album, the tour, and his love of Mariah Carey.

GQ: How’s your day been so far?

AM: Good, thank you. I just went and watched Sex and the City 2. It was pretty good, but not as good as the first one, but you have to be a fan to watch this one.

GQ: Fair enough, I’m not really a fan, so I won’t be watching it, haha! Now, Operator Please have just come back with the new album “Gloves”, with the first single being “Logic”. They’re doing pretty well on the charts at the moment …

AM: Yeah, it has done. I was actually surprised, cos the one thing I never worry about too much is charting, cos it’s a thing where no one really buys cd’s anymore, so it’s kind of hard to take the charts too seriously. Whenever you look at the charts, it’s all pop stars and rappers, so when “Logic” got to 40 or something, which sounds kind of bad, but for us, it’s really nice.

GQ: With “Just A Song About Ping Pong”, that reached #12 in Australia, and #10 in UK, and “Get What You Want” reached #1 in the UK on the Indie charts …

AM: Yeah, those two songs were the two highest sellers, so it’s tough to beat those now, but “Logic”, I was thinking the other day, is our 3rd highest single, which is really good that it’s been able to beat two other singles from a record that was really popular, and we’ve been really lucky that “Gloves” debuted at #20, which none of us were really expecting. We were just putting it out, and weren’t too worried about where it was going to place, so getting a high number like that straight away was really good, and it had already beat our last record.

GQ: Yeah, definitely! How did it feel the first time you heard “Just A Song About Ping Pong” on the radio?

AM: Oh, pretty exciting. I guess, technically the first time we would have heard it would have been the old version, on Triple J forever ago. It’s exciting hearing any of your songs on the radio the first time, then after that, it’s still cool just to think that someone likes your music enough to be bothered putting it on the radio. No matter how many times you hear it, it’s still a nice compliment.

GQ: True. Now, since this is the first time we’ve interviewed you, we might go back a little. I understand Amandah formed the band to compete in a Battle Of The Bands contest, and it’s all gone from there …

AM: All true. At our high school, they often have a Talent Contest or Battle Of The Bands, and Amandah did lots of music stuff previously, so she wanted to form a band, and most bands would do songs by Blink 182 and AC/DC, so she wanted to do things that were a bit different, so we did Kings Of Leon and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and things that were a bit different to the norm, so we did that and got along really well, and decided to keep going from there.

GQ: There’s not a lot of other bands out there like you either. I mean, don’t take this the wrong way, but most bands have a lead singer who is really hot or whatever, but, with you guys, you’re all just yourselves, just everyday people. On top of that, you also have a violinist in the band …

AM: Well, yeah, that’s something that we’ve always stuck to. I don’t like to really glorify other bands. Especially in Australia, everyone’s just a regular person, even if you look at Silverchair, they’re really popular, but they were just kids in a Newcastle high school once too. I’m the same person at home as I am on stage, that’s why when people say “oh, what’s it like being famous?”, I’ll just say “well, I’m not really famous, I’m just mildly more noticeable than I used to be”, haha!

GQ: Do you get recognised in the streets or anything?

AM: Very, very rarely. Amandah does the most, obviously. She’s the most recognisable, not many people look like her and have the style she has, and I guess Tim gets recognised because the little girls love him …

GQ: … and a lot of the guys …

AM: Yeah, I know, it’s really funny! So yeah, they do get recognised. I do sometimes, we all do, but not in a way that it’s ever annoying. We’re never going to be snobby to anybody, if someone wants to chat to us, we’ll chat to them.

GQ: That’s good. That’s something you have to keep. So many celebrities out there think they’re better than everyone else, and forget where they came from.

AM: Yeah, well that’s something we never want to happen to us, because we’ve seen it. We’ve met some people that we admire, and they’re just dicks. It ruins your thought of them, and it’s hard to go back and think of them how you used to. We just be ourselves, and, for us, it could just end at any moment, so there’s no reason to let it go to our heads.

GQ: In terms of the music side of things, who are your influences?

AM: I guess, as a band, we don’t really have a list of influences that you can pick out, it’s more what we’ve been listening to while we’ve been making the record. For this record, Amandah and I were listening to a lot of Prince, and one of my icons, Janet Jackson, so there was a lot of that kind of vibe in our music. For me, I love the 80’s slow jam sort of stuff, the 90’s hip-hop and r’n’b, like TLC, Salt’n’Pepa, and I love Mariah Carey, Amandah and I love our diva music, like Beyonce and stuff. In terms of bands, I still love bands like Interpol, and just a whole mix. That’s why whenever someone says “what’s your music like?”, I just say I have no idea, because it’s just so varied. I think that’s what it comes down to, we all have such vast tastes that it all just mixes together to become Operator Please.

GQ: I see you have done some covers on stage, such as “Push It” and “Whip It” … maybe you should do a cover of “Obsessed” or “Touch My Body” …

AM: No, we want to do “Heartbreaker” or “Dreamlover”. “Heartbreaker” is our favourite at the moment, but it’s so hard. There’s just some people that you can’t touch, and she’s one of them, especially with her vocals. You have to do a song in a completely different way to pull it off. We probably won’t touch Prince or Michael Jackson, cos it’s just sacred territory, and if you screw it up, there’s this big bad mark against you …

GQ: True, haha! Speaking of big things, when you first came out with “Just A Song About Ping Pong”, you were named as “Our Favourite New Band” and “The next big thing” by Perez Hilton . Now THAT’S pretty big …

AM: Haha, yeah, that was really odd and out of the blue. Usually he’s writing about what Paris Hilton got up to on the weekend or whatever, you don’t expect to look at his blog and see yourself there, so that was a really big one. He put our video up on there, and we were super grateful to him, cos it spread our name a bit further in the American market.

GQ: That’s true. Coming back to the new material though, how long did it take to make “Gloves”?

AM: A while. Technically, the recording took about 2 or 3 months, but we started writing for it and putting the songs together around November or December 2008, so it’s been around for a while, and it took a lot longer to do. The first album was a lot of songs that we’d had for a long time, like “Ping Pong” was with us from around the end of 2005, so this one took longer for that reason. In taking the time we took to make it, I think we made the perfect record for what we wanted at that time. I don’t think any of us looked back and thought of anything we wanted to change about it.

GQ: You mentioned before about the 80’s influence, especially for yourself. You can hear that on this album…

AM: Yeah. I guess, it wasn’t an intentional thing, like we didn’t want to do an 80’s re-hash album, cos there’s too many people doing that, we just wanted to have that vibe, and more the production values of the 80’s and 90’s. Getting back to what was not there, than what is, like having the gaps between the songs, and not trying to fill every single gap with something.

GQ: I also noticed one of the songs, “Losing Patience”, was co-written by Ben Lee …

AM: Yeah, a lot of the songs, when you read the co-writes, they’re all at different levels. With that one, I think the only thing he put in that is remaining is, I think, just the chorus melody or something. Amandah went on a writing trip around January last year. It wasn’t for her to go and intentionally write for our record, but just to get ideas, and learn more about the process of writing, so she could bring it back to us, and we could be more efficient in what we were writing.

GQ: Do you write anything yourself?

AM: Not really, my brain doesn’t go that way. I mean, we all sit there in the studio, and someone might ask “what should we put here?” and we all put in our little parts and ideas, or I’ll make up a bit here and there, but when it comes to the lyrics, the melody, the structure, especially on this record, it’s been all about Amandah and Tim. My personal thing is that, if they’re going to do such a perfect job of it, there’s no reason for me to come in and muck it up or whatever. The same goes for all of us, if we have a good idea, we’ll put it forward, but most of the writing comes down to Amandah, cos she’s just a songwriting genius, and none of us can compete with that.

GQ: That’s fair enough, I guess. One thing I have to ask about, and I’m sure there’s a story behind this … on your Facebook profile, it says the genre of the band is rap.

AM: Hahahaha, yeah. I guess that’s because, well, I really hate genres, and I intentionally remove the genre category from my iTunes, because I don’t want to put anything into just one genre, and because we have so many different things, you could probably pick out a rap element in our songs. My favourite song on the album, “Volcanic”, has a little hip-hop/rap breakdown in it. We just like to have fun with that kind of thing, we never take it seriously. There’s no reason to. I mean, if someone calls us Indie-Pop, or Alternative, I’m not going to bite their heads off or anything, because genres are such a subjective thing. I’m not going to tell anyone they’re wrong. We just say we’re a pop group cos it falls into so many categories, it could be pop-punk, pop-rap, pop-rock, whatever … so I guess that’s why we make our Myspace and Facebook a bit more stupid and stuff.

GQ: That’s true. One thing a lot of people forget now is that the word “Pop” is short for “Popular”, so it could cover pretty much anything on the charts.

AM: Yeah, and that’s what it comes down to. Pop never used to be a dirty word. In the 80’s, everything was popular. The Cure, The Eurythmics, they were a band band, they used proper instruments, and so do we, but they made popular music. Pop music, to us, isn’t so much about the sound as it is about the structure. That’s what it comes down to, and a lot of people don’t realise that. It’s about how it’s structured, and making it immediate and catchy.

GQ: Yeah, definitely. Well, we’re just about out of time, so I’m just going to ask something that a lot of our readers might want to know. Being the only gay member of the band, are you single?

AM: Hahahaha! Yes, yes I am, actually all of us are single at the moment. We’re all free agents at the moment. It makes things easier on tour though. It’s hard enough to keep up with my family and friends on tour, so we’re all just having fun at the moment.

GQ: Sounds good. To wrap up, is there anything you want to say to our readers?

AM: Well, we’re all really excited about the tour we’re doing. We’ve never done a proper national tour before, apart from festivals over the years, so everyone needs to pop down to our gigs, we’ve got two great supporting bands with us who are good friends of ours, and they might pop up on stage with us for a cover or two. It’s just going to be really fun, and will be great to see what everyone thinks of the new songs, cos we’re having a lot of fun playing them.

#Ashley #Operator Please #gay #GenQ

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