Bulbagarden Staff AMA Thread

[Rainbow Cloud]

What is your favorite holiday?

Probably Christmas, though any holiday's good as it's nice to take a break from the normal routine from time to time.

Another question:
What's the funniest thing you remember seeing here?

Probably one of the old sock puppet Halloween parties in Fun and Games where we posted as the characters we were theming for a month without knowing who each other were.

 

[Maniacal Engineer]

What's the funniest thing you remember seeing here?

Hands down, Bat Mafai. It was the first “April Fool’s Day” prank that we pulled after I became a staffer only a few weeks beforehand, and it was glorious.
Kudos to @Enzbat @Zubatzxy and @TheBatsFan for pulling that one off.

Here’s a link, if you want to view the insanity: Bat Mafai IT OVER

…and yes, I did have a sockpuppet account with which I repeatedly insulted myself.

 

[Welkamo]

Hands down, Bat Mafai. It was the first “April Fool’s Day” prank that we pulled after I became a staffer only a few weeks beforehand, and it was glorious.
Kudos to @Enzbat @Zubatzxy and @TheBatsFan for pulling that one off.

Here’s a link, if you want to view the insanity: Bat Mafai IT OVER

…and yes, I did have a sockpuppet account with which I repeatedly insulted myself.

I just read through some of the thread and oh my goodness is it a ride

 

[Maniacal Engineer]

I just read through some of the thread and oh my goodness is it a ride

Told you so.

This is another fun ride:

Everybody is Jester Mafia Endgame: ME is a Horrible Human Being 1/4/17

Ah! Spring is here, at last. The snow is melting, the flowers are blooming, the birds are singing, and the smell of murder is in the air. ...wait what?! That's right folks. Once again, the intrepid moderator Maniacal Engineer has been murdered! While we are aware that this is a fairly regular...

forums.bulbagarden.net

Keep in mind, the original title for this thread was “Spring Mafia,” and not its current title.

 

[DawningWinds]

Told you so.

This is another fun ride:

Everybody is Jester Mafia Endgame: ME is a Horrible Human Being 1/4/17

Ah! Spring is here, at last. The snow is melting, the flowers are blooming, the birds are singing, and the smell of murder is in the air. ...wait what?! That's right folks. Once again, the intrepid moderator Maniacal Engineer has been murdered! While we are aware that this is a fairly regular...

forums.bulbagarden.net

Keep in mind, the original title for this thread was “Spring Mafia,” and not its current title.

Firstly. That was game was a very entertaining read, I was laughing the entire time.
Secondly. Snowy mentioned a game in that thread that you and Zexy hosted where everyone was destibed to lose from the start, I'm kinda interested in reading this, care to link it for my entertainment?

 

[Maniacal Engineer]

I don’t know what Snowy was talking about, TBH.
The only game I ever hosted where everyone lost was the most recent Chaos Mafia, but that wasn’t a pre-destined outcome, the players had to actively choose to go down the path that led to that outcome.

 

[DawningWinds]

I don’t know what Snowy was talking about, TBH.
The only game I ever hosted where everyone lost was the most recent Chaos Mafia, but that wasn’t a pre-destined outcome, the players had to actively choose to go down the path that led to that outcome.

Oh, whoops, I misread. He said that you and himself gave Zexy specifically no way to win in a specific game.

 

[Maniacal Engineer]

Oh, whoops, I misread. He said that you and himself gave Zexy specifically no way to win in a specific game.

Oh. Yes. That was in Fruit Bowl Mafia, and it was a complete accident, since I was still a novice host.

 

[Welkamo]

I'm sorry if any of you have answered this before, but who's your favorite Gym Leader/Elite Four Member/Champion/Protagonist/Battle Person/Villain/other human character and why?

 

[NMLewis]

I'm sorry if any of you have answered this before, but who's your favorite Gym Leader/Elite Four Member/Champion/Protagonist/Battle Person/Villain/other human character and why?

My favourite gym leader is Whitney. I hugely respect her Miltank strats. And she seems to be unaware of just how dangerous she is.
Glacia is my favourite Elite Four member. I love her team in Gen 3. Sadly it got changed in Gen 6. No one knows for sure what region she travelled to Hoenn from, either. Lately I like to think she came from the Crown Tundra. It feels like it'd be the best fit.
Favourite champion is Steven. I like his passion for rocks. In general, I just like how he's involved in the storyline but not too involved... (well, particularly in Ruby/Sapphire).
Favourite Battle Facility leader is Arcade Star Dahlia. More or less because I love the Battle Arcade. Also she has to take it in her stride that you can take her on with her Pokémon quite badly disadvantaged. Respect.
Favourite villain is Ghetsis because he's actually evil. The only character who doesn't seem to take losing a battle as actually being defeated (in Gen 7's Rainbow Rocket storyline in particular). He's far and away the most interesting and convincing villain IMO.

 

[Rainbow Cloud]

I'm sorry if any of you have answered this before, but who's your favorite Gym Leader/Elite Four Member/Champion/Protagonist/Battle Person/Villain/other human character and why?

My favourite Gym Leader is a tie between Jasmine and Clair, Jasmine because she's really kind and Clair because she has a cool design I'm a fan of the Dratini/Dragonair/Dragonite and Hosea/Seadra/Kingdra lines. Blackthron City and Dragon's Den are also two of my favourite locations in pokemon games.
Favourite Elite Four member is Karen because I follow her philosophy when it comes to pokemon by trying to win with the pokemon I love best.
Favourite Champion is Lance, his signature pokemon is Dragonite and he's also pretty cool where he helps you infiltrate Team Rocket's base and his advice to Silver helps start him on the path to becoming a better person.
Favourite Protagonist is a tie between Ethan and Dawn, Ethan because he was the first protagnist I played as in a pokemon game and Dawn mainly because of her anime counterpart as she's my favourite protagonist in the anime.
Favourite Battle Person is Lucy, I like her design and the Battle Pike is a cool facility.
Favourite Villain is Miror B, he's awesome, has his own unique battle themes and has been a member of two villainous teams, the latter being his own. "Let the music play!"
Favourite Trial Captain is Mina as she's an artist and somewhat eccentric.
Favourite Island Kahuna is Olivia mainly because of her anime counterpart.

 

[Welkamo]

Favourite Trial Captain is Mina as she's an artist and somewhat eccentric.
Favourite Island Kahuna is Olivia mainly because of her anime counterpart.

Darn it I forgot to include Trial Captains/Kahunas in my question. For some reason, my brain put them in the same category as Gym Leaders sometimes.

Olivia is also my favorite Kahuna. I really like her design and personality.

 

[Lone_Garurumon]

I'm sorry if any of you have answered this before, but who's your favorite Gym Leader/Elite Four Member/Champion/Protagonist/Battle Person/Villain/other human character and why?

• Gym Leader: I absolutely adore Gordie. The raw energy that this guy brings to the table is phenomenal. Man does a fucking backflip to send out his Pokemon, it's great.
• Trial Captain: Wow there's less of these guys than I thought. I guess Mina's kinda cool? I like the messy artist aesthetic, and her trial is neat, a revisit of the challenges you've faced thus far.
• Island Kahuna: Olivia has a sense of style that I cannot help but respect. Also she uses the best Lycanroc and thus I am forced to stan.
• Elite Four: Am I allowed to say Olivia again? Honestly most Elite Four members never really left any kind of mark on me. Most of the time they're just randos who show up to have a Pokemon battle and then you leave. Shauntal and Malva are two of the few exceptions to leave an impact. Both have very fun aesthetics. Malva also has a very interesting dichotomy, being a member of Team Flare at the same time as a mamber of the Elite Four, though I do wish they explored that angle more than they did.
• Champ: Leon is just a treat from start to finish. Completely charming and an utterly delightful himbo. With some very neat little snippets of characterisation slipped into some of his animations.
• Protag: Gloria. For no reason other than the rowdy Scottish girl memes. I simply do not have an opinion on the vast majority of protagonists due to explicitly lacking personalities in order for the player to project onto them.
• Battle Person: Darach and Caitlin for the interesting angle of technically being two characters in one position. I never really met many Frontier Brains due to not being very good at the game as a kid when they were present. Dahlia has a pretty cool design, though.
• Villain: Ghetsis has a lot of layers that all add up to him being an utterly despicable human being dedicated completely to his goal of conquering the world. Absolutely no redeeming factors to this character whatsoever. Please, allow me to wrap this up by gushing for a moment about how utterly despicable this horrid wretch of a man is.
  • Most villains have a friendship evolution on their team, implying that they're not all bad because at least they're nice to their Pokemon. Ghetsis not only lacks such a team member, but his Hydreigon also uses Frustration at its maximum power. Ghetsis is not nice to his Pokemon. He is just as horrible to them as he is to everybody else. Those Pokemon despise this man.
  • Said Hydreigon wields a move that is super effective against every single member of N's team, and his lead Cofagrigus is set up as a Toxic staller specifically to gradually grind down his dragon without needing to truly fight against it at any point. The man was 100% prepared to beat N into the dirt and throw him away the second he was done with him.
  • He says "fuck Pokemon battles" and actively attempts to freeze the BW2 protagonist in solid ice. I respect a man who chooses to simply cut the knot and solve the problem right away.

 

[WyndonCalling]

I'm sorry if any of you have answered this before, but who's your favorite Gym Leader/Elite Four Member/Champion/Protagonist/Battle Person/Villain/other human character and why?

Gym Leader: Opal. I spent a lot of time with my grandparents growing up, and Opal reminds me of how mischievous the older generation can be. She's got a fantastically vindictive yet also subtly self-deprecating sense of humour which I adore.

Elite Four Member: Grimsley's a bit up his own arse, but fundamentally his philosophy is very sound - don't moan about disadvantage, don't be a sore loser, just play to win and don't apologise for it. A great sporting ethos.

Champion: I'll keep it to the ones you actually fight, lest Peony be in the running, and I'll give Wallace a narrow edge over Blue. People dunk on Wallace quite a bit as a supposedly inferior replacement to Steven, but reading the manga reveals that it's Steven who's keeping the seat warm for Wallace, and not the other way around. Wallace is the rightful Champion, and only stood down so he could be closer to a certain someone...

Frontier Brain: Props to Brandon for having no chill and just wailing on people with a full squad of Titans.

Villain: Lusamine is deranged in a way that's unsettling and threatening, and she's a big part of why the SM story is the best in the series so far. Lots of points go to Guzma, Rose, Giovanni and Ghetsis (if only for sheer hamminess for the latter).

Other human: Yeah, it's Peony. He's a strong case of Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass. His relentless enthusiasm and vim are supremely endearing, but he's also capable of flattening everyone else in the League. Oh, and Klara's fun, too.

 

[Welkamo]

I'll keep it to the ones you actually fight, lest Peony be in the running, and I'll give Wallace a narrow edge over Blue. People dunk on Wallace quite a bit as a supposedly inferior replacement to Steven, but reading the manga reveals that it's Steven who's keeping the seat warm for Wallace, and not the other way around. Wallace is the rightful Champion, and only stood down so he could be closer to a certain someone...

Yes someone who respects Champion!Wallace

 

[Welkamo]

What requirements does a moderator need? What’s the resumé like? What about recommendations? Is it not like a job, rendering my comparisons to a job obsolete? (My only experience with jobs is filling out a Moe’s resumé for home economics. Weird stuff.)

 

[Enzap]

What requirements does a moderator need? What’s the resumé like? What about recommendations? Is it not like a job, rendering my comparisons to a job obsolete? (My only experience with jobs is filling out a Moe’s resumé for home economics. Weird stuff.)

It really isn't like a typical job application. We don't ask for any prior experience or references or a resume or anything, it's more we're looking for the type of person who has good sense and a good attitude.

Being a mod (or pretty much any volunteer role on the site) is super chill and low-stakes compared to a real job or even a lot of real-life volunteer work. Basically we just want people who can and are willing to make a positive impact on the site, so the best way to get hired is to show this as a user by participating positively however you can.

 

[Enzap]

in what context is the "why not" thingy supposed to be used?
also, will applications for moderator be open anytime soon-ish?

Pretty much any time you need to say

For example:
User 1: Why is Sunflora so amazing?
User 2:


Yes, we are hoping to have a staff drive in the near future.

 

[Welkamo]

What’s your (your plural) favorite color?

 

[Rainbow Cloud]

What’s your (your plural) favorite color?

Rainbow
My favourite colour is Green

what made you want to become moderators?
also, do you like ranch on pizza? (i get mine with ranch instead of pizza sauce, then i put lots of jalapenos on)

I wished to become a moderator to help out and make a difference.
I'd never heard of Ranch (just looked it up) so don't really have a preference on it but my favourite pizza topping is Pepperoni.