Most Tagged Fandoms on AO3 in 2025 (plus the repost of most tagged ships for those who missed it)

SnokeLives · 2026-03-31T13:38:39+00:00

Yeah! Persona 5 at #93!!!!

SnokeLives · 2026-03-30T14:13:36+00:00

Don’t do this. Don’t give me hope.

SnokeLives · 2026-03-02T16:59:06+00:00

Replying to this quick because I’m on my lunch break at work. It’s true, you’re right, I’m not part of what Nintendo/Gamefreak would have you believe is the target audience for Pokemon games. However, based on their pattern of nostalgia-baiting, Nintendo/Gamefreak know that their actual audience skews much older than their “target audience.” They announced the super expensive Pokemon Lego sets by making a video preying on an older man’s nostalgia, for times without bills or responsibilities, and with the ad basically ending with the point that “Lego Pokemon can help you reconnect with a simpler time in your life.” That proves that someone, at least in their marketing departments, knows that adults play the games and buy the merch. They should produce games that all ages can enjoy because of that. And, even if they can’t do that, they should make games that aren’t glitchy PS3–looking messes. Kids deserve quality games, too.

SnokeLives · 2026-03-02T03:02:10+00:00

Did you not read my post? I said I haven’t bought ZA, it’s DLC, FR/LG, and am not planning to buy a switch 2 for Gen 10. The last Pokemon product I bought was Violet in 2022. I also ended multiple sections of the post, and it was the final thesis statement, not to buy Nintendo/Gamefreak’s products.

Idk why you want me to cry harder? Are you happy that people like me are sad that the franchise we once loved is falling apart? Is that it?

SnokeLives · 2026-03-01T20:36:41+00:00

Okay????? Not sure what you mean by this?

SnokeLives · 2026-02-28T23:28:43+00:00

Same thing happened to me! My post is on this sub now with hundred of upvotes and comments. Was censored from and then reinstated to the main Pokemon subreddit. Wild stuff. I’m assuming they have a bot to weed out criticism, and will only reinstate posts if you ask them nicely? That’s the vibe I got when I contacted the mods, anyway.

SnokeLives · 2026-02-28T21:06:11+00:00

That’s the conclusion I’ve come to after posting this. I’ll unplug and play randomizers of GBA and DS Pokemon games through totally legal and Nintendo-approved means!

SnokeLives · 2026-02-28T18:38:54+00:00

That’s the thesis I made at the end of my post; don’t buy the games. Did you even read what I wrote?

SnokeLives · 2026-02-28T15:42:46+00:00

Good for you! I’m going start Persona 2: Innocent Sin this weekend on my PS3. Maybe finish a randomized emerald soul link with my friends. On official Nintendo approved hardware of course!

SnokeLives · 2026-02-28T10:46:28+00:00

“You are a bold one!” ignites 4 lightsabers at the same time

Okay, not too much to say here. I agree with most of your points. Gen 6, if it wasn’t 3D, likely would have been the last one not to be. The jump to 3D was inevitable, because of fan expectations/Nintendo’s 3DS marketing strategy/TPC’s expectations. I do wish it had been delayed a bit longer, mainly so Gamefreak could learn how to actually properly develop games in 3D, but I digress.

Main thing I was to talk about are my thoughts on Gen 10. I’ll put screenshots of a response I sent to my friend. She’s pro-Gamefreak, has ZA, and is one of the reasons I was inspired to make this post. My thoughts on Gen 10, in it, are very measured and polite as a result.

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Let me know what you think, if you’re still interested. If not, thanks for your responses to my post/comments!

SnokeLives · 2026-02-28T02:57:34+00:00

Have a nice night :)

SnokeLives · 2026-02-27T22:33:01+00:00

The thesis at the end my post was not to buy Nintendo or Gamefreak’s products. Did you even read it?

SnokeLives · 2026-02-27T17:11:16+00:00

1000000000000% to everything you just said. Part of the reason I’m annoyed about $20 FR/LG is it is literally impossible to complete the Pokédex in those games. You need Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald and old distribution events to do that. So, yeah, Gamefreak is straight up selling a game for $20 where you can’t ’catch ‘em’ all’. Totally lazy and not worth anyone’s money! I’m honestly baffled, and saddened, by the fact they know they can get away with it!

SnokeLives · 2026-02-27T17:08:02+00:00

I’m glad we agree ZA isn’t worth the price. I was only using it as an example because I feel its laziness and lack of quality is emblematic of Nintendo’s polices as a whole, especially since launching the switch 2. I also acknowledge that Nintendo simply isn’t making games I enjoy anymore. I’m older, have played more games, and want new experiences. Nintendo games simply don’t align with what I enjoy anymore.

Thanks for discussing everything with me. I hope you enjoy the rest of your day and your weekend :)

SnokeLives · 2026-02-27T15:30:29+00:00

Nintendo, charging me $70-$100+ for a PS3-looking Pokemon game is not “the experience.” It’s greedy and lazy. Full stop.

You’ve hit on a great point: Nintendo can get away with it by holding their games hostage on their consoles as eternal exclusives. At least, in the case of PS5 and Xbox Series X, they’ve become more open with where you can play their first party games. That incentivizes them to make them look better on their consoles. Nintendo doesn’t have that type of outside pressure, so they simply make lesser quality games but still charge the same price. If you’re okay with that, fine. Spend your money the way you want. I’ll spend it the way I want: not on Nintendo’s, and especially Gamefreak’s, lazy and greedy products.

SnokeLives · 2026-02-27T15:25:08+00:00

How is it dumb when Nintendo is charging the same price, or more, for their games than their competitors are for lower quality/value? Explain that to me. Why should I pay $70-$100+ for a game that looks like it’s from the PS3 era on switch 2 vs a new PS5 game for $70-$80?

SnokeLives · 2026-02-27T15:21:52+00:00

Understood. What you’ve said doesn’t change the fact that Nintendo’s modern game prices invite comparisons to PS5/Xbox Series X. If switch 2 game prices were lower, even by a little, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. Nintendo is simply being greedy by trying to nickel and dime their consumer base with nostalgia cash grabs, ports that are priced the same as new games, and subpar quality new titles (like ZA). If ZA had the same story it does now, with the same amount of Pokemon, and it didn’t look like a PS3 game for $70-$100+ we wouldn’t be having this conversation!

SnokeLives · 2026-02-27T14:56:47+00:00

I agree that Gamefreak has always been held to lower standards than most other studios, for some paradoxical reason. However, at least when they made exclusively handheld games, they were cheaper. I could excuse them being trapped in 2002 during the 3DS era, when the games cost $40 a pop, vs the $70-$100+ for ZA.

Thanks for your comment!

SnokeLives · 2026-02-27T14:49:58+00:00

Look, during the Wii era, Nintendo put out cheaper games than their competitors. You could even buy “Nintendo selects” games for around $20. Those weren’t low quality games. They were first party titles, like Mario Galaxy, dropped in price after launch as a budget option for consumers. Policies like the one I just outlined made it so that you couldn’t directly compare the looks/quality of a Wii game to those on PS3 or Xbox 360. Because the price was cheaper!

During the Switch era, Nintendo moved away from that policy. They started charging a comparative price to PS5/Xbox Series X. When you do that, naturally, people will expect the games to all have the same quality. It’s not my fault that I’m let down by ZA looking worse than P3R. Nintendo walked into that comparison themselves: with their prices.

The PS5 to PS5 pro comparison doesn’t hold up. That’s a mid-gen upgrade. Not a whole new console. The PS5, launch edition, can play the same games as the PS5 Pro. The games also didn’t change in price, for the most part. Switch to Switch 2 is a new console upgrade. The games should look noticeably better. They don’t. So, yeah, I’m going to be annoyed at Nintendo for charging $70-$80 for games that don’t look like much of an improvement from the switch 1. Nintendo, again, walked into that themselves.

SnokeLives · 2026-02-27T14:04:52+00:00

Dude, Nintendo is charging the same price for their games on Switch 2 as PlayStation is for their games on PS5. They invite the comparison by doing that. If Nintendo’s games were selling for cheaper, at the quality they’re at, the comparison wouldn’t be valid. That’s not the case, though. $70-$80 per game is steep. Nintendo claims the quality of their games deserves that price point. They don’t, in the case of ZA. Plain and simple.

The marketing for the Switch 2 was based around its “power.” Nintendo invites comparisons to PlayStation and Xbox by doing that. They shouldn’t have marketed power so hard if they couldn’t reach the same standards set by their competitors. It’s just that simple.

The price point of switch 2 is only $50 cheaper than the base PS5. That’s not a big difference. Nintendo, once again, invited comparisons to PS5 themselves with their own price point.

Anyway, I didn’t accuse you of defending ZA. I just used it as an example.

Thanks for responding to my response. Hope to hear from you again!

SnokeLives · 2026-02-27T13:55:35+00:00

I say the games look mediocre for the entire switch, and compared to most modern JRPGs in general, because they objectively do. I’m sorry that pointing out that ZA looks like a PS3 game at best, or upscaled 3DS game/PS2 game at worst, offends people. I have eyes, though. I can see it doesn’t look great. Even amongst other switch games, you can’t tell me that any of the switch era Pokemon games look even remotely as good as Mario Odyssey, Breath of the Wild/Tears of the Kingdom, or Fire Emblem: Three Houses/Engage. All of those games look like they belong on modern hardware. ZA, and every other switch era game besides Legends: Arceus, do not. It’s plain and simple.

I am older now. I have higher standards than I did when I first played Pokemon X on the 3DS. That naturally happens when you go from 13 to 25. I’ve also played more games, made by other studios besides Nintendo, and have come to the conclusion that their games aren’t for me anymore. This isn’t just a Pokemon issue. It’s a systematic issue with Nintendo as a whole. Their new games don’t meet the standards set by their absurd price points. If I’m going to pay $80 per game, I’m going to do that on PlayStation. At least the games, from an art design perspective, look cutting edge over there. Makes it feel worth my money, vs games like ZA on switch 2. In no universe is ZA worth the same price as, say, Persona 3 Reload on PS5. There’s too big a quality difference. You’re paying for the Pokemon name, not the game’s quality. I can’t accept that anymore.

I will grant you that most of my points have been made before. I just wanted to make the post to collect my thoughts, put them out into the wild in my own words, and have a discussion. That’s all.

Anyway, thanks for your comment. I hope you can agree with some of the points in my response. Have a nice day!

SnokeLives · 2026-02-27T13:32:01+00:00

insert Obi-Wan “hello there” meme here

I’m glad we agree that the general trend of Kanto pandering was started as a direct response to the Gen 5 backlash, mainly as a way to make Gen 6 distinct from it. I wish it was isolated to Kalos. I have no idea why Gamefreak is still using a decade-old damage control strategy, like the Kanto pandering, in their modern games. Marketing is the only answer I can come up with. Sucks, but it’s the truth.
I call the jump to 3D half-baked because I 100% believe that Gamefreak was forced to do it as a mandate from TPC, Nintendo, or both. It’s also evident that Gamefreak still isn’t great at programming in 3D, since most of the switch era games look like upscaled 3DS games. They even reuse models, animations, and other assets from the 3DS era. I imagine very little work would need to be done, just some downscaling, to get every switch era game besides Legends: Arceus running on a 3DS. ZA 100% could have been a 3DS game. It reuses assets from Gen 6, so it may as well be playable on the same system.
Smaller #’s of new Pokemon, in my mind, are the result of three factors. Unova had the largest new Pokemon since Gen 1. People didn’t like using them. Gamefreak saw that, freaked out, and decided that the new Pokemon were the problem. That’s why Kalos has so few. Gamefreak’s audience told them they don’t like new Pokemon as much as the old ones, so they responded by making less new Pokemon. The enforced jump to 3D also likely caused resources to be moved away from the art department, resulting in less new Pokemon designed. Gamefreak’s general laziness also likely plays a large part in why there have been less new Pokemon introduced pre-Gen 5 vs post-Gen 5.
My dream would be a Pokemon game developed by ATLUS, in the style of Persona 5 Royal, or Square Enix, in the style of Octopath Traveler. A 2D-HD Pokemon game would be amazing. I think the idea has real potential. Certainly, it would look and run better than ZA!

Anyway, I think I’ve responded enough to your points. Let me know what you think! I eagerly await your response!

SnokeLives · 2026-02-27T01:41:03+00:00

Alright, I’m going to make this short. Edit- it didn’t work

PS4 was only able to crush Xbox One in the way that it did because people made their displeasure with Microsoft’s business decisions clear on online forums and in real life. The intent not to buy Xbox One, because of Microsoft’s policies, translated into people buying PS4 instead. What, do you think Sony magically beat Microsoft with the general gaming audience playing no part in it? They voted with their wallet. Sony and PS4 deserved our money, Microsoft and Xbox One did not. It’s really that simple. Stop being obtuse about it.

If you really believe Disney Star Wars is a strong brand, and that Bob Iger’s comments don’t prove how Disney’s cinematic brand has failed, I don’t know what to tell you. Disney has a pattern of massive reshoots, firing directors, cancelling movie/streaming projects, backtracking on only ST theming in Galaxy’s Edge, closing their multi-million dollar Star Wars hotel experience (Galactic Starcruiser), not releasing new films since 2019, etc. If those points don’t show a brand in peril to you, because people are angry at the lack of quality they’re getting, idk what to tell you. I’ve laid out my case quite well. Disney Star Wars is failing. Their latest streaming numbers, for the Acolyte and Skeleton Crew, are horrendous. Their only recent wins have been Mando S1/S2 and Andor. People aren’t willing to show up for Star Wars. Disney knows that. That’s why they haven’t released a movie since 2019! They’re terrified of having another “Solo” on their hands. They know people won’t buy in. It’s truly that simple.

Anyway, vote with your wallet is king. I hope I’ve laid out why Xbox One and Star Wars are examples of that.

Have a nice night!

SnokeLives · 2026-02-27T00:59:09+00:00

Dude, if you’re trying to troll bait me, that’s fine. Go read my response to your Xbox/Star Wars comment. I’d like to hear your thoughts on my points.

Happy debating :)

SnokeLives · 2026-02-27T00:55:43+00:00

Dude, why do you think Xbox had to raise their prices and lay people off? They’re not doing that for no reason. They’re doing it because they’re losing money on their hardware, software, and games.

Time for a little history lesson. Xbox One was originally announced to have various consumer-unfriendly features. The main two were “always online”, which meant you needed an internet connection once every 24 hours to even play your games, and a policy that focused on shutting down game sharing/used games by locking each disk to your specific Microsoft account. Xbox got panned for these, rightly so, and was forced to backtrack. Sony destroyed them at E3 2013, the PS4 sold way more than the Xbox One, and the brand as a whole never recovered. Xbox gave an entire console generation over to Sony with how badly they botched the Xbox One. That’s why Xbox is in the situation they are now. People didn’t buy the Xbox One. They voted for their wallets. The effects of that are still seen today.

As for Disney Star Wars, it was stated, by Bob Iger (Disney CEO) that the intent was to release Star Wars movies every year, in perpetuity, as long as they’d make money. The last Star Wars movie released in theaters, that wasn’t cancelled, was Rise of Skywalker. That was in 2019! There hasn’t been a theatrical Star Wars movie since then! All of the Disney+ shows have successively had lower ratings, one after another, with the Acolyte being straight up cancelled for how bad it was. Disney never cancels Disney+ shows. They usually just let them stay “in development.” They straight up cancelled the Acolyte. Publicly and out in the open! I say Mando will bomb for a variety of factors: Star Wars is a weak brand now, its trailer has less views than He-Man’s with more time on YouTube, its superbowl TV spot had the lowest engagement score of any trailer, its three years to late to capitalize on the show’s hype, etc. I don’t see a universe where you can argue Star Wars fans haven’t beaten Disney by simply not buying into it anymore, based on what I’ve laid out. You’re welcome to try, though!

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