boltsandbombers
Favourite Pokemon: Blaziken
Most used Pokemon: Scyther
Most known for: C&C Co-Leader
boltsandbombers:
Hiya! This username was one that I made about 10 years ago for my email account after deciding the previous one was too stupid, and it's simply the nicknames combined of my two favorite sports teams at the time, the San Diego Chargers (bolts) [and] the New York Yankees (bombers). I don't follow the Chargers anymore but I'm still a pretty big Yankees fan.
Shadestep: On your two years here on Smogon, you are mostly known for your contributions to the C&C part, leading the NU C&C and having done over 50 analyses.
How did you find out about Smogon and in particular the Analyses part of the site? What drew you to making analyses? Do you still enjoy writing and QC-checking analyses, after going through so many of them?
boltsandbombers: I don't have any super exciting story as to how I got onto Smogon, I think I just found out of it through watching some YouTubers who uploaded wifi battles and eventually got into NU and PS! through TheCanadianWifier. To me, C&C seemed like one of the smaller facets of Smogon and I was more drawn to them over the metagame discussions and such since you didn't particularly need to be good at the game to write them, and the general layout of how analyses were done seemed to fit my thinking style.
Not going to sugarcoat it, I don't really enjoy checking or writing analyses anymore (hence why I rarely do it these days) since I'm fairly burnt out from spending so much time doing it, but in my 'prime' I certainly enjoyed writing and checking them.
Shadestep: Aside from writing analyses, you have also done various other things on Smogon. Which of those do you enjoy doing the most? (hosting NUL, hosting forum projects, making YouTube videos, etc)
boltsandbombers: Outside of C&C, I'd probably say that the twitch stream hosting has been my favorite side project per say, since it's such a different experience from everything else I do on Smogon. Unlike analyses where it's seeing everything laid out and organizing the information or hosting the projects where it's really just being on track with updates, the twitch streaming required more on the spot thinking and was simply just a really different environment in general with the real time action and such.
Shadestep: You also host and keep track of this years NU League. Who do you think are potential winners, and who are you impressed by so far?
boltsandbombers: Given that he won the first cycle and assuming he keeps it up for the rest of the tournament, I'd definitely say FLCL is a really strong candidate to win the whole thing. Others who I think can make it are Ren-chon, Silver Aurum, Advantage, Kiyo, and Realistic Waters. Some newer players that I've been impressed with apart from those mentioned already are Lax, qsns, and Holiano.
Shadestep: You have been part of the council for quite a while now. How do you feel about the way NU has changed over the last couple of months? Do you think it has changed for the better or for the worse?
boltsandbombers: Generally speaking, as a tier I think that NU has improved overall quite a bit over the course of my time on the council. On the contrary, I didn't particularly enjoy the overall attitude towards NU around the time of the Sawk suspect because people were disrespecting and distrusting Raseri and the councils decisions. It's been interesting watching new playstyles and unique sets emerge throughout different tier shifts and metagame developments. I wish I had a perfect solution to this baton pass issue, but I don't; I really hope that all goes well with it since it's something that people have been complaining about for a while.
Shadestep: Who of the newer contributors to NU C&C do you think have potential to become a great Analysis-writer?
boltsandbombers: There hasn't really been a ton of activity in C&C as of late given that we're mainly polishing off stuff before sun/moon comes out in the fall, but some people who I think have good potential for the future as quality writers are Cheryl., ~Eternally, and Machinae.
Shadestep: What do you do outside of Smogon? What are your hobbies, what do you do in your free time?
boltsandbombers: I'm currently finishing up my last year of high school and heading to college in the fall, so thats pretty exciting. Outside of running, I spend my time listening to music, playing video games, hanging out with friends, watching movies, and doing schoolwork. I also really enjoy photography and sculpture, and I'd probably be willing to share some if people were interested enough.
Shadestep: You are known for being very competent in running. Mind telling something about that?
boltsandbombers: First off, I wasn't under the impression that many people on Smogon knew about this, but I was planning to talk about it nonetheless. I wouldn't personally say I'm that good at it just because I compare myself to my teammates who are very talented athletes, but it's still something I really enjoy doing. I've been a runner for the past five years, and I was inspired by my dad who has ran three marathons in his life. I've been on the cross country and track teams throughout high school, the former of which being my favorite. Running is a great way to relieve stress and stay in shape, but it definitely requires a lot of time and dedication to keep up with it. I recently broke six minutes in the mile which was a pretty big accomplishment for me.
Shadestep: Do your irl friends know that you play Pokemon and/or do you feel awkward about it?
boltsandbombers: The good thing about going to a school with two thousand people is that there are so many different kinds of people and you're more likely to find people with similar interests, and I've been able to meet quite a few people who play mons, which has been really nice. I'd say that Pokemon doesn't really have as much as a childish stigma as it used to have in the past, especially with the VGC championships and such getting more and more recognition. Playing mons definitely isn't something I'm awkward about, I might have been a bit in the past but not now; I've learned to just not care if people think less of me for playing mons.
Shadestep: What kind of music do you listen to? What kind of games do you play?
boltsandbombers: I'm a huge fan of electronic music, and some of my favorite artists are Pegboard Nerds, Zomboy, Krewella, Mr. Fijiwiji, and Stephen Walking; pretty much anyone from Monstercat. I enjoy classic rock as well as some pop songs here and there. Outside of Pokemon, I really enjoy the Fire Emblem games, as well as others such as the Legend of Zelda and Super Mario Bros series.
Shadestep: Lastly, is there a life advice that you would like to share with us?
boltsandbombers: This falls under the 'do as I say not what I do' category since I'm certainly not the best at it, but I'd definitely say that time management and organization is one of the most important life skills you can master. It's something that I've struggled with over my life but I definitely realize how important it is.
thanks again for your time boltsandbombers! if you have any more questions or concerns, leave them down below!
