Anonymous asks:

why don’t you make a gym leaders series? like, i’m not telling you to do it, it’s just cool, i think. so yeah, hi.

I suppose because I’m not convinced I would have enough to say about each one to make it worthwhile.  They don’t have anything like the screentime or character development in the games that the rivals and Champions do, so it’s hard to think of stuff to comment on.  The anime is another matter, of course, but to be honest I’d rather just write about the anime than analyse specific characters in it.

Anonymous asks:

Good news, Kricketune found his niche! I saw this really cool strategy in doubles of pairing Kricketune with Cresselia. This takes advantage of Focus Sash, Protect, Endeavor, and Perish Song under the effects of Trick Room to easily clear your opponent’s Pokemon.

What exactly does Kricketune specifically add to that?  Wigglytuff and Marowak also get both Endeavour and Perish Song, are faster than Kricketune under Trick Room, are significantly tougher than Kricketune (although I’m not sure whether that matters in the context of this strategy) and have more useful abilities.  I mean, major props to whoever found a way to make Kricketune useful, but without more details I kinda suspect there are still other Pokémon who would do it better, even for something as specific and contrived as this.

Brick3621 asks:

You were indifferent to the FFVII remake announcement, so here’s hoping this is more relevant to your interests: Last Thursday, Nintendo threw everybody for a loop by showcasing Cloud Strife as the latest DLC fighter for Super Smash Bros. Any thoughts on the opportunity to see him interact with the likes of Pikachu?

Well, I’ve never played Smash Bros, and honestly I’m not likely to… but hey, Cloud Strife vs. the Wii Fit Trainer?  Hell, yeah; Omnislash the $#!t out of that smug health-conscious b!tch!

Anonymous asks:

Which of the major rivals from the anime do you like the most, and why? It can be Ash’s or one of his companions’!

Tricky… I’m not as familiar as perhaps I should be with the anime after maybe the first half of Hoenn, bear in mind, and that doesn’t help a lot.  Having said that, I’m rather fond of the anime’s portrayal of Bianca.  Most of Ash’s rivals have a way of making you want to punch their stupid smug faces in, but Bianca just makes you want to root for her… from a safe distance.  She’s basically girl Ash – headstrong, determined to succeed despite the odds, a little clueless – but with some of the same backstory stuff that makes her interesting in the games.  And her dad is awesome.