Random Access asks:

I think Macargo’s nonsensical body temperature makes a lot more sense if it’s interpreted as an internal body temperature rather than a surface temperature.

…does it, though? It’s still hot enough to vaporise tungsten. What are we supposed to imagine Magcargo’s body is even made of at that point?

EDIT [response]: Well if the heat isn’t on the outside, it would be less dangerous for macargo to, well, exist, as it wouldn’t be on the outside where it’s hot enough to vaporize the atmosphere.

Okay but even then Magcargo’s body still has to be made of something that a) won’t instantly turn into stellar plasma, and b) can actually keep all that heat in.

Anonymous asks:

Do you think Poké Rides should continue to be a thing in future games and/or remakes? I personally think it would be super neat to see different Pokémon in different regions be used for the same purposes (namely, field traversal). Like in Kalos, Rhyhorn fills in the shoes of both Tauros and Mudsdale!

Sure. I think they’re a cool little immersive feature that shows how much people depend on their Pokémon, and using different Pokémon in different regions would be a neat way of showing the uniqueness of their cultures. What’s more, now that Game Freak seem to have finally forsworn the HM system (godawful clunky relic that it was), they probably have to keep doing it. It doesn’t really make a lot of sense to stop at this point.

Anonymous asks:

What do you think of giving Magcargo Desolate Land as a Hidden Ability? I KNOW it’s Primal Groudon’s but come on, that “18,000 degrees Fahrenheit” line should be implemented somehow! Plus, Drought was exclusively Groudon’s until it wasn’t, so I see no reason why Desolate Land should remain exclusive to Primal Groudon. It’d get rid of Magcargo’s double weakness to Water and jack up its Fire attacks. Add Trick Room support and we might make Magcargo usable then.

I don’t think I’m wild about it. For one, I would prefer to keep Desolate Land just for Groudon. It’s true that Drought and Drizzle were exclusive to Groudon and Kyogre until they weren’t, but I also think it matters that, even in generation III, Tyranitar had Sand Stream, so auto-weather as a concept was never exclusive to them. That, and I’m inclined to take the “18,000º F” line as the Pokédex just plain making stuff up. Continue reading “Anonymous asks:” →

Pokémon Moon, Episode 18: In Which I Reluctantly Embrace My Alleged Destiny

Four islands, seven trials, four Kahunas, all behind me. In the old days, I’m told, that would have basically been it. I mean, there’s supposed to be a rematch against all four Kahunas up on Mount Lanakila. As far as I can tell, though, that’s traditionally less about the battles themselves and more about getting absolutely plastered on the beach afterwards. The after-party for Professor Kukui’s Final Trial is said to have been the stuff of legends, and saw the genesis of three new cocktails, twenty-four herbal hangover remedies, the Alolan form of Grimer, the character of the Masked Royal, and a devastating new Rock-type move that was instantly banned by sixteen different Pokémon Leagues. Continue reading “Pokémon Moon, Episode 18: In Which I Reluctantly Embrace My Alleged Destiny” →

Anonymous asks:

Do you have any feminine and masculine Pokémon designs that you’re fond of? Or not so fond of? For example, for feminine designs I really like Roselia, Froslass, and Primarina, but I’m not a fan of Jynx or Lopunny. For masculine designs, I’m very fond of all of the Gen IV Fighting-types (minus Toxicroak), but not Machamp or Diggersby. Hm. Maybe I just don’t like rabbits… What about you?

Eh, I think to some extent what counts as “masculine” or “feminine” is probably pretty subjective, and I don’t think the designers consciously intended for all of those to be strongly one or the other. Like, Lopunny or Jynx, sure, but I never thought of Toxicroak as unusually “masculine,” and Toxicroak, Diggersby and Roselia in the games actually have a 50/50 gender split (then again, so does Lopunny). Also my brain sometimes parses the masculinity/femininity of Pokémon designs in weird ways (Hawlucha and Typhlosion are definitely feminine to me) that I wouldn’t necessarily expect other people to share. So I just don’t think it’s all that useful a category for thinking about Pokémon designs unless the in-game gender ratios suggest that it’s consciously being invoked.

Anonymous asks:

Not sure if you’ve done this before but it strikes me that there are a number of gen 2 pokemon that are severly lacking and in need of some love. Which design out of Sunflora, Dunsparce and Delibird do you think is most worthy of being saved and how would you make the one of your choice relevant again?

Well, I actually did ramble about Sunflora and Delibird long, long ago when I did a Top Ten Worst Pokémon Ever list, the point of which was mostly to bitch about Pokémon who got the short end of the stick with respect to… well, everything, but partly also to try and fix them. I actually love both Delibird and Dunsparce; my suggestion for Delibird was to rewrite Present into a sort of souped-up Fling, that would have made him into a bombardier Pokémon whose specialty was fighting with dangerous items like Iron Balls and Toxic Orbs (as well as just giving him a pile of extra attacks and better stats). Dunsparce… well, Dunsparce seems like an obvious candidate to evolve into some huge derpy dragon-thing with too many wings and cool magical powers. Dunsparce makes sense already and has a cool thing going with Serene Grace; better stats and access to Dragon attacks (especially some kind of signature move that works with Serene Grace – Dragon-type Ancient Power variant, anyone?) might just push him over into actually being useful.

Anonymous asks:

If you were an elite four member what would your type speciality and team be?

Definitely Grass – we haven’t had one of those yet (putting Grass in the company of… Normal, Electric and Fairy, I think), because Grass Pokémon Don’t Get Nice Things. Elite Four members generally get five Pokémon, so probably Whimsicott as a lead (with nasty things like Stun Spore and U-Turn), followed up with Breloom, Torterra (I think I’m allowed a starter, since Flint uses Infernape in Diamond/Pearl) and Ludicolo, then Vileplume as my strongest Pokémon.

Anonymous asks:

What is the typical day like for a trainer like youngster Joey?

Joey gets up bright and early every day at 7:00 sharp, devours some toast and a bowl of cereal, and rushes out to try and fit in some training with Rattata before school. He’s not really supposed to bring Rattata to school ever since the infamous Cheese Curds Debacle in the school music room, but he just can’t bear to be separated from his special little guy, so he reminds Rattata every day to stay curled up quietly inside his Pokéball while he’s in class (Joey doesn’t really understand how Pokéballs work, but he assumes Rattata is curled up in there). Continue reading “Anonymous asks:” →

Anonymous asks:

Are you more of a cat person or a dog person? Which cat and dog Pokémon are your favorites?

I’m definitely a cat person; no offence to dogs, but I like quieter, less bouncy pets. As for Pokémon… honestly I kinda think both cat and dog Pokémon are a *little* bit overdone at this point, and a lot of the cats are kind of dull… Glameow, Purrloin and Skitty are all pretty generic Pokémon… Litleo and Litten are amusing, I suppose… Espurr is fun; the whole “uncontrollable psychic fury” angle gives her something to stand out. I’m not sure whether Shinx is a cat or not, but he’s fine. Continue reading “Anonymous asks:” →