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Axel || VIII ([personal profile] flared) wrote in [personal profile] bastionmods 2013-10-22 07:13 am (UTC)

Axel | Kingdom Hearts | OU | Vatheon Transplant

Player name: HER ROYAL HIGHNESS Koko
Age: 21 as of last Thursday~
Contact: [personal profile] sammiches
Other characters: N/A

Character name: Axel
Series: Kingdom Hearts II
Canon point: Post-Death
Summary:
Let's begin by explaining this: Axel is a Nobody.

Nobodies are beings similar to the Heartless in that they are born without hearts; however, unlike their Heartless counterparts, Nobodies are intelligent, independent creatures. Born when a human loses their heart to the Heartless, Nobodies are devoid of emotion and the ability to feel. However, born with both the mind and soul, Nobodies make up for their losses by boasting cunning strategic abilities, able to still express themselves using what memories they have of past emotions. With their extraordinary will power and these strong memories, Nobodies might seem to some, the perfect weapon. Hard to believe, then, beneath their cold exterior lies a creature desperate for the heart it once lost. Some express this desperation more than others, some say they'd prefer to be without their heart at all, but Axel, we find, we just can't quite understand.

All we know is that he wants to be remembered.

Metaphorically, the man is a maze no matter which point in canon we pull him from; he's a convoluted twist of slopes and dead ends. Like all Nobodies, Axel is a skilled actor who tricks others through use of excellent manipulation—Playful quips, taunting riddles and non sequitors are just a few of the tools in his arsenal. As for what he uses them for, well, some might argue he uses them just for fun, or because he actually has an unknown ulterior motive. As Jiminy Cricket and even Axel's fellow colleagues agree, Axel is an enigma. Considering the cocky personality he radiates, someone might never think him an introvert, but the truth is, well, he really is. Axel regularly writes in his journal about deep, pestering thoughts involving friendship and the heart, and even explains his preference for ambiguity over confrontation—Interesting considering his obvious joy in being with Roxas and Xion whenever he has the chance. Due to these imposing and mysterious characteristics, Axel happens to be one of those dodgy, shady, and overall complex people you have to be able to deal with to appreciate, though most wouldn't want to stick around for too long to bother. It makes sense, then, why he would have more enemies than friends. If you really want to put it this way, then compare Axel to caviar; he's an acquired taste only the bold dare approach. He's just a complicated character. Odd, when you consider Axel himself states he hates complications.

Strangely, in stark contrast to some incredibly passive colleagues like Saix, Marluxia, or Xaldin, Axel displays a tangible and unusually humane personality. But you might think, of course he does; if he's really the manipulative bastard you said he is, then why wouldn't he? Well, there's one key factor in Axel's surge of "normal" behavior, and that so happens to be Roxas, the thirteenth member of the Organization, Axel's protege, and ultimately Axel's best friend. Truthfully, Axel doesn't display such a wide spectrum of emotions—happiness, anger, sadness—until we see him with Roxas. During his several months away at Castle Oblivion, for example, Axel reverts to a callous persona which ruthlessly manipulates colleagues and heroes alike towards elimination or turmoil, but when he returns to find Roxas has worried about him, thinking him dead, what does Axel do? He takes the kid for their routine ice cream, chit chat, and genuine laughter. In contrast, Axel is also clearly shaken by Roxas' departure from the Organization and their friendship to the point at which he risks his life just to see his best friend again. Over the course of 358/2 Days, players see Axel's inner turmoil as he deals with this emotional growth and his stubborn individuality constantly butting heads. Does he care or doesn't he? Would he rather work for himself, or would he rather work for those he holds dear? One can only assume.

At times Axel seems to be a bit overconfident and even conceited. Not one to overreact and with his occasional devil-may-care attitude, he appears to carry himself with high regard and low concern for what other people think about him. Truth be told, he fancies giving an attitude to pull other people’s strings and he revels in their negative reactions as seen when he releases Namine in Castle Oblivion and he feels a twitch of emotion in his chest. However, Axel does know when to buckle down and be serious, namely for certain people. This leads into one of Axel's most powerful traits: loyalty. Yes, it would be dangerous to trust him, but if one does pose a definite subject of interest or 'affection' to him for whatever magical reason (i.e. Roxas/Xion), then they will indefinitely earn not only his loyalty, but his entire being. Seriously, he will sacrifice anything for the sake of his loved ones and eventually he does so in destroying himself for both Sora and Roxas' lives. Axel may never in his life admit to having an inner Teddy bear, but if you were to get to know him well enough, you would be able to see it clear as day, right there on his sleeve.

Axel's internal conflict during Roxas' time in the Organization and after shows off his true colors. For the first time towards the end of 358/2 Days through Kingdom Hearts II, Axel offers more pieces to his puzzle, most notably how he thinks and why. And, really, he thinks a lot. After all, he has to with all the hullabaloo he stirs up. During Kingdom Hearts II Axel is all over the place kidnapping, breaking through security systems, and running from death for betraying the Organization... because he wants to see his best friend again. However, as reckless as his stunts may be, Axel does not typically think on a whim. In fact, he takes his time with elaborating and plotting and in ways this makes him patient and well-organized. That being said, Axel appreciates being in control of both himself and others, and would much rather come out of a scrape smelling like a bed of roses than showing off the red on his hands. When he loses control, however, Axel can go into a downward spiral filled with anger and despair. For example, when confronting Xion after she tries to abandon the Organization, Axel is already haunted by Roxas' departure and therefore already visibly upset to have another one of his best friends trying to escape. When he sees he cannot say or do anything to keep her from leaving, he appears both shocked, hurt, and angered. Whether he displays these emotions towards himself, Xion, or both, they exist, showing the character's great development since his first appearance in Chain of Memories.

Now how could you ever forget a guy like that?

Powers:
♪ Pyrokinesis: Axel was born with the ability to manipulate fire through the use of twin chakrams--named Eternal Flames--or without. He fights with quick agility, precision, stability, and acrobatics, though a few of his attacks take a while to perform, making him susceptible to injury. It is possible for him to turn an area of ground into lava which would lower one's health gradually; however, knocking him out would cause the lava to die. Also, Axel has a very powerful attack which prevents him from being touched--all Nobodies have this sort of strength--and this is when the surrounding area darkens, his body engulfs in fire, and he shoots a barrage of melée attacks before slamming his chakrams into the ground to create a trail of high jumping, fiery pillars.

Though Axel can be damaged by fire magic in 358/2 Days, but healed by it in previous installments, I am going off the assumption he cannot be harmed by fire. Blizzard attacks, however, will injure him greatly.

♪ Cure: Introduced in 358/2 Days, Cure magic became available to Organization members via multiplayer mode. Axel can therefore perform three levels of Cure magic--Cure, Cura, and Curaga, Curaga being the highest and most sufficient yet energy draining.

♪ Teleportation: Every member of the Organization has the ability to summon Corridors of Darkness, essentially a large amethyst and black portal, which, once summoned, warps up from the ground to transport Nobodies from point A to point B in a matter of seconds. Axel summons his with a simple raise of a hand. People with hearts would do well not to enter one of these portals due to the strength of the darkness inside -- overtime the darkness will taint their heart, overbearing it, and in turn destroy them. However, Nobody's have no such problem, so each can easily teleport themselves to various locations with little effort. In Bastion, I will be sure to adhere to the rules regarding teleportation; Axel will not be able to portal out of the world and will not be able to carry more than one person in a Corridor with him at a time.

♪ Summoning: Each member of Organization XIII commands a certain species of subordinate Nobodies which, according to their master's element or fighting style, act similarly. Aside from commanding Dusks, a lower class Nobody, Axel commands Assassin Nobodies which are circle in shape and easily warp into the ground to prevent being hit.

♪ Pressure Striking: As seen in Days, Axel can pinpoint a pressure point on someone's body and hit it with enough force to make the victim pass out. While this is only seen with him striking the back of Xion's neck hard enough to make her pass out, it is possible for him to hit other pressure points to deal the same damage.

♪ Enhanced Senses: Nobodies have a very keen sense of smell--as DiZ relates them most to hunting dogs in that sense--hearing, and eyesight for seeing better in the dark. And, if you would count it, Axel also has excellent reflexes.

♪ Speed: In the Organization Axel would probably count as one of the fastest members. Typically he's faster at running and dodging than attacking, so landing a hit may be difficult with him.

♪ Kamikaze: Most notably, Axel's greatest and most powerful ability is his Kamikaze attack which involves sacrificing his own being, or soul, to perform. This attack causes flames to engulf his body and, in turn, his body will explode and destroy opponents within a great range. Arguably, this attack would bring Axel's death, so, previously, he never executed it until his ending in Kingdom Hearts II. He will only use this attack if absolutely necessary for a loved one's protection.

Other: I see Yinza already mentioned it, but Axel and Roxas have three young chocobo chicks named Popcorn, Sunset, and Isa which they would like to bring along with them. They cannot be without their mommy and daddy, ok. Additionally, in this application I have not included any personality updates as I believe Axel has not drastically changed enough to warrant attention despite him having lived in Vatheon for quite some time; however, if the mods feel it necessary, then I will gladly edit and submit what I can as a revision. Thank you!

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