🗝️ thoughts on younger pre-war AZ (who I like to call lowercase az). was he different from modern AZ?

Ahh, absolutely. 3000 years of wandering will wear down anyone’s rough edges, especially in his circumstance

I don’t think king AZ was a good person (obviously). He was sullen, quiet, angry and difficult to talk to… his brother had a loud and violent rage, while AZ’s rage festered and drove him to solitude more often than not, where he would channel his anger into his work. He was always grieving, as people around him that he’d started to love and trust would die by the hands of war or strife

I see him as sickly back then, being born with a strange right eye and a weak immune system, he was a man who struggled to fight and saw using Pokémon as weapons as barbaric. But being firstborn, the throne was his, even if he couldn’t defend it physically… so he immersed himself in learning all about the creatures and people of this world, what makes it tick, in hopes of proving that he had a right to the throne by way of his mind (and because it genuinely interested him).

Thus, he was a prolific inventor and polymath, an expert in physics, mathematics, horticulture, and other sciences and engineering well ahead of the technological norm he was a part of (and in my headcanon, probably skilled in some form of magic too). He’d make clocks, water wheels, complex pulley systems for ships, astronomical instruments, and invent all sorts of materials… he was born just a few centuries after the IRL Bronze Age collapse, so I could see him pioneering iron refinement during that time. And alchemy, he was very invested in that too, it’s why I gave him the surname Zosimos in my headcanons

He never married, but had some consorts… they were just distractions, and the love surface-level and fleeting. If anyone, be it a consort or attendant or servant, challenged his words, he’d fly into a rage and insist on his authority, especially after his mother’s passing.

Floette was his only true friend. Perhaps because she opened up to him first, in a way that was revelatory for him, as for a long time he assumed Pokémon couldn’t communicate with humans at all… but she could, somehow, in a strange but comforting way. He understood her, and she understood him. She was his aide, bringing him out of his comfort zone, giving him a rare reason to smile in the midst of this trying time. They were inseparable, and it was noted that the king was happy in her company, something unusual for him

After Floette’s passing… he was a shell of his former self. She was the last straw. He became a recluse in the midst of the war, building a machine nobody knew the function of until it was too late. He didn’t care about any other living being but her.

He wouldn’t have been a pleasant man to interact with, and would eye you with suspicion if you wanted to get to know him. Perhaps some part of him saw himself as cursed since birth, both worthy and unworthy, so someone deliberately seeking his attention was odd to him. He had a flat affect, spoke quietly, his words chosen very carefully. And he’d stare at you, or anyone really.

Basically… undiagnosed autistic in an age when the brain wasn’t understood at all, and with a cocktail of other comorbidities on top to boot (depression, anxiety, PTSD, OCD, etc)

But walking the earth… changed him. Or so he hopes… some part of him worries he hasn’t changed at all, and is just fooling people into believing he’s a better man…….. (but he has changed. He’s just scared of himself)

🗝️ how would you rewrite z-a?

Ooh… interesting question, one I’m not sure I have a lot of authority over given my bias (that damn old man……) but I’ll do my best~!

Spoilers ahead obviously, you have been warned

I like a good deal of the game honestly. I find its plot compelling, and the characters are fun and fun to interact with. I like Team MZ’s banter, and as much as I’m kinda sick of Corbeau being everywhere I can’t deny he’s very funny lol

But I have a few notes… Again, these are very very biased towards indulging what I want out of this game, they might not be popular opinions or even like… good ideas (though sometimes I look at the way people talk about AZ outside of my friends/mutuals and it makes me question my sanity lmao)

…

Firstly, I understand the gameplay pacing purpose of having Vinnie bring us all the way up to rank F, but I was genuinely looking forward to slogging through the ranks a bit more (maybe I’m in the minority there lol, I like being able to take my time w a story). There could’ve been more Team MZ bonding time, more hints of our rivals to come, etc

If he had to accelerate us, which I still think he did, I would’ve put us at like… rank L or M. Then we could maybe have 2 or 3 ranks between each promotion match/gym leader type guy, and they could maybe make each Rogue Mega a separate setpiece between each gym leader instead of clumping so many of them together. But that’s just me lol

…

HEY WHERE ARE ALL THE XY KIDS? WHERE’S SYCAMORE?!? cmon man I wanted to see the sidekicks at least, I get why they probably couldn’t show Calem/Serena but mannnn

hh… Maybe I’m kinda the nostalgia freak everyone makes fun of lmao. Oh well… I think they would’ve been fun to include regardless. The Vaniville gang would be close to the player’s age, probably a bit older, which would’ve been fun; they could’ve been fun promotion matches, helping their old pal AZ casually

And Sycamore meeting L again… oof. The angst potential there (and the perfectworldshipping folks would’ve keeled over)

If this game had taken another year to come out maybe they all would’ve been in the game but alas orz

…

To be honest, and to not beat around the bush too much more, I mostly take issue with AZ’s death. And I can acknowledge that it might be for biased reasons, since he was most of the reason I got the game, but I just take umbrage with the missed potential in his character.

In a lot of ways he acts as a device more than a character, giving you items and lore-dumping when needed, but not interacting with others as much as I feel like he could (while preserving that he’s generally reserved and a bit of a hermit). A lot of Pokémon characters act like this, but when contrasted with Team MZ it’s really jarring imo

I suppose they wanted to leave more stuff for mystery, or for future games set in the past to try and wrangle with, but I would’ve liked more insight into his personal life. I appreciate that he seems to like to paint, I like how you can see his personal flourishes in the hotel, but I’d love to see him in his office, or tending to the flowers outside, or joining us for dinner, or something. The MZ kids are allowed to be all over, but he can barely move in his own hotel? eghhh

I wish he were actually, truly immortal, truthfully. Or at least, his curse was still a long time in the making, that would’ve been fine too. He should have a chance to rest, to finally die eventually, but I was under the impression pre-release that he was taking care of himself by getting a cane and making proper clothes for himself. But no, the cane was just because his health was failing… idk man. I’m disabled and that rubbed me the wrong way

I feel like, in my ending, he would’ve absolutely expected his life to be over once Ange was dealt with, and felt awful placing the responsibility of fixing his mistakes on kids… but that those same kids would’ve given him a reason to keep living. He’d want to keep them safe, to protect them, to be a guide for the future. Maybe that’s his new purpose in this eternal life of his. If he’s still got this curse hanging over him, he might as well finally be an active participant in his life, and the kids’ lives, and many more futures beyond this

He might’ve still gotten himself worried sick, but the kids would’ve found him and helped him recover in the aftermath of Ange, nursed him back to health… He’s still an old man, still vulnerable to his own anxiety wreaking havoc on his body, but it’d be a point of tension to resolve, and not just offing him with little foreshadowing beyond a cough

And… in this ending, I feel like it would’ve been a huge moment of growth for him to give Floette the choice to accompany us, or go off on her own (ofc in game terms it isn’t really a choice but… having her visibly make a decision for once? AAAAUGHHH PLEASE)

And imagine him being grandpa to Ansha… oogh… it’d be so sweet *head in hands*

idk I have a strong bias toward immortal characters, I find the idea of someone who’s lived so long choosing to bond with normal people, even if their lives are so very fleeting to them… it strikes a chord with me and I can’t explain why. And I feel like Pokemon could have a human, non-evil example of that (I see you Volo-heads)

…

Do note, this is not me badmouthing what they did with L. I find his return fascinating, and it really turned me around on him (I fucking hated Lysandre for a long time lol). I feel like he’d be an interesting story parallel to AZ even in this new ending. An older immortal having to reckon with this brand-new immortal wearing his brother’s face, but no memories whatsoever. Maybe helping L to recover his memories would inspire AZ to finally write down some histories he’d experienced firsthand… within reason (I don’t see him writing down his methods for building his machines anytime soon LMAO)

…

Huh. That was a lot all at once lmao

Thanks for indulging me, I haven’t yet finished the game on my own copy but I’ve been having fun at my own pace. I might have more insights in the future as I get further and see more but that’s my thoughts for now ^^