Character Info: Siren's Pull
Character Information
General
Canon Source: Kingdom Hearts
Canon Format: Video Game, with some extended manga and novel canon taken into consideration.
Character's Name: Axel
Character's Age: Officially his age is unconfirmed--visibly he's in his early to mid twenties, mentally he fluctuates between way too old for his own good and pouty seven-year-old depending on whether or not he's getting what he wants.
What form will your character's NV take? A red iPhone because Axel is a snob. And he would totally get addicted to Angry Birds. Actually it's mostly because I had an awesome graphic I could edit. Includes standard accessories such as painful earbuds and a microfiber screen cleaner that really does nothing but smear the screen more.
Abilities
Character's Canon Abilities:
[MINIONS]
All of the Organization members have lesser Nobodies that they can summon to do their bidding. Axel has command of the Assassin Nobodies, and these guys are about as much of a pain in the ass as Axel himself is. They're infuriatingly difficult to fight, as they have the ability to hide in the ground/floor as well as float using their wide 'arms' as wings. Apparently they have spines made of rubber, since they can also curl themselves into disks leaving them almost impenetrable. When engaged, they have several attacks including a dangerous barrage of strikes from their spiked limbs. The only means of landing a hit on these bastards is to successfully parry them, rendering them temporarily vulnerable.
Axel can also summon Dusks, another lesser Nobody form. Dusks are not powerful, but tend to travel in droves and can easily overcome a single combatant if they swarm (see: Sora's battle in Betwixt and Between). They are more commonly used for courier or reconnaissance missions, however, as they seem to actually have the ability to communicate, unlike most of the lesser Nobodies. While he has been known to use them to his advantage, Axel seems to have a disdain for the Dusks and throughout the games has a genuine fear of becoming one should he fail in his missions (as it is implied that his superiors have the ability to reduce their fellow Organization members to Dusks, though this process is never really elaborated upon).
Organization members also have the ability to summon Shadow and Neoshadow Heartless, but their control over the Heartless seems to be a bit flimsy. It is said that the Heartless simply obey whoever is the strongest, so it's not necessarily a good idea to call on these guys' help against a powerful opponent.
[MAGIC]
It is unclear whether or not the elemental powers of the Organization Nobodies are the same as the elemental spells available to all mages. Axel's ability to wield fire is far more advanced and versatile than the usual Fire spells, either way. While his chakrams are usually present when he's setting stuff on fire, there's no direct indication that the fire is incumbent on the weapons or vice versa. Axel usually uses fire along with his chakrams, however, lighting them before throwing them, and he also has the ability to light them up remotely after having thrown them. When you fight Axel as a boss, he displays the ability to create great circles and walls of flame while in the manga he is also shown summoning a small tongue of fire to dispose of a photograph, illustrating the wide range of control he has over his element.
As a playable character in Mission Mode of 358/2 Days, Axel has the ability to use the full range of spells available in the game's arsenal. This includes three levels of Fire, Blizzard, Thunder, Aero, and Cure. It is my personal belief that while he is capable of using these spells, his skill with most magic other than fire-based is mediocre.
[SHOW ME YOUR MOVES]
Well, they don't call him the Flurry of Dancing Flames for nothing, but we're not talking DDR here. There's a range of evasive maneuvers Axel wields in battle along with his weapons and magic, including various rolls, feints, dodges, and blocks. I could list these, but in an RP setting it always feels kind of weird to mention these by name, since we're doing a little more than just button-mashing, so this just kind of sums up to Catch Me If You Can. His reflexes are phenomenal, allowing him to dodge very well and sprint at incredible speeds. He can zap in and out of space faster than the eye can see, throwing his weapons and then just appearing on the other side of the arena to catch them and throw them again.
[DARKNESS]
As a Nobody, Axel is also able to manipulate the corridors of darkness to move between and within worlds. These corridors are able to bridge any distance, utilizing the flux space between dimensions known as Betwixt and Between to close the gaps between planes and worlds. Obviously he would no longer be able to teleport to other worlds, but he would logically keep this ability and use it to portal around the port (possibly with random failure rate and potential winding up in places he didn't intend to go if necessary, because that shit's hilarious).
[MANIPULATION]
No, you can't read his poker face. He's an incredible bluffer, and despite the fact that he got his ass beat at cards by Luxord, well... Luxord cheats. A real smooth operator, Axel has quite a silver tongue and a way of talking himself out of (or into) just about anything. He's an accomplished double-agent and has charisma points to spare. He tends to be very even-tempered, even under pressure, and though he has shown real anger a few times, he's usually very good about keeping his cool and not letting things get to him. This makes his tendency to pull from both pots all the easier.
Weapons: Axel's weapons of choice are a pair of red-and-silver spiked chakrams that actually more closely resemble Chinese wind-and-fire-wheels than traditional chakrams. They can be conjured at will from the air and serve as melee as well as ranged weapons, as they can be both used for slashing/stabbing and be thrown. Axel is a playable character in Mission Mode of 358/2 Days, and his chakrams can be customized the way the Keyblades can, so theoretically this implies to me that he can summon several different types depending on the needs of the operation. His default chakrams are shown here, and a list of all customized forms is at the bottom.
He can also use a Limit Break called Explosion, during which he hurls his chakrams aflame at an enemy, creating an explosion afterward.
Incidentally, Axel also has a knack for throwing darts.
History/Personality/Plans/etc.
Character History: Very little is known about Axel's past before he joined Organization XIII. Like the other members of the organization, he remembers his past, he just has no desire to explain it to anybody, and so he keeps his nebulous history to himself. The only other person who seems to really know anything about his elusive past is Saïx, the organization's #7, with whom this history seems to collide. Of course, Saïx isn't very forthcoming with information, either. Really all we know for certain is that before his heart was lost to the darkness, Axel's name was Lea, and that he was best friends with Isa, Saïx's original human identity. The two friends hailed from Radiant Garden, and appeared to be about 16 years of age when they tried--and failed--to infiltrate the grand castle in the city to become part of the mysterious goings-on within. Lea briefly met and befriended Ventus, but any further details regarding Axel's past remain shrouded in mystery.
After joining the Organization, however, Axel quickly made a bit of a spectacle of himself. It was actually Saïx who rose to the top to become the Organization's second-in-command. Axel of course denied that his past ties with Isa--and therefore Saïx--had anything to do with how quickly he himself came into favor with the brass. The Organization favored those who got the job done, after all, and if there was one thing Axel was good at, it was his job. Despite his youth and general newness to the Organization, Axel quickly became one of its most efficient and trusted members: if Xemnas needed something done fast and right, Axel was the one he called upon. When the Nobody of the Keyblade Master was found and inducted into the ranks, his training was put into Axel's hands (though that might have been in part because everyone else in the Org was too lazy, a creeper, or a vindictive bitch), and despite a bit of a rocky beginning, Axel and Roxas became close. Unfortunately their budding friendship was put on hold when Axel was ordered to take a mission in Castle Oblivion. It seemed that the Keyblade Master was falling right into the trap they'd laid out, and Xemnas wanted to make sure nothing got in their way. There was talk of mutiny in the ranks, and Axel was charged with sniffing out the insurgents and making sure the interests of the Organization were preserved.
Castle Oblivion was the Organization's second base, as it were, where Vexen was conducting most of his research. While in the castle, Sora's memories of Kairi were replaced with memories of Naminé, who was to unravel the memories so that Xemnas could make use of them himself. Axel had a vested interest in Sora, of course, since he was Roxas's Somebody and had managed to not only survive becoming a Heartless, but managed to get his heart back, but he knew his real objectives were rooted elsewhere. After sidewinding his way into Larxene and Marluxia's little plot to overthrow Xemnas, he turned the tables and aided Sora in destroying them, fulfilling his orders to eliminate the resistance and ascertain the Organization's victory.
Unfortunately, things didn't end up going entirely in Axel's favor. The traitors were destroyed and Axel even killed one of his senior comrades with his own hands, but the prize was still lost. Naminé was spirited away into the hands of the mysterious DiZ. Naturally, Axel denied that he had anything to do with this--he didn't see her escape, after all... With Naminé gone and Sora put into a deep sleep so that his memories could be reconstructed, the Organization now had precious little time to pick up the pieces if their dream of Kingdom Hearts was to come to fruition. In the end, Axel returned the sole survivor of the fiasco at Castle Oblivion. He seemed mostly unaffected by the loss of his comrades, but of course, he doesn't have a heart to feel with anyway, right? He was just following orders!
It was after his double-edged victory in Castle Oblivion that Axel noticed that something seemed different about his old friend. Saïx had grown cold, distant, and was growing obsessed with his own goals rather than their joint plans. Axel and Saïx had originally made a pact to take the Organization from within, and it was only after Axel returned from Castle Oblivion that he began to realize that Saïx wasn't the Isa he remembered.
Upon returning to The World That Never Was, Axel was reunited with Roxas, and the two of them got back to working missions together. During this time Organization XIII had already acquired its inexplicable fourteenth member, Xion, but Axel had never actually spoken with her prior to his departure for Castle Oblivion. He returned to find that in his absence, Roxas and Xion had become close, and though he did a decent job of hiding it he was at first visibly rankled by their friendship. Whether it was out of jealousy or remorse, however, he'll never tell.
Whatever his personal feelings on the issue may have truly been, Axel befriended Xion as well, though he knew something wasn't quite right about her. When exactly he came into the complete knowledge that she was the puppet intended to absorb Roxas's power over the Keyblade isn't specified in the game, but as Xion's actions grew more and more reckless and Roxas's energy began to wane, Axel knew it was only a matter of time before one of them wound up destroying the other. Xion had actually pulled some of the sleeping Sora's missing memories of Kair into herself, and so long as she retained those memories, Sora could never awaken (which was good for the Organization), but Roxas would continue to lose power (which was bad for the Organization). The memories of one boy could not be split between two shadows and sustain them both.
Pulled in two directions, Axel had to confront his own misgivings and make a choice: Xion, or Roxas? The puppet for whom Roxas cared, or the one genuine friendship he truly had left? Saïx had become a completely different person, after all. Gone was the brother who had once had his back, who had verbally sparred with him and shared in grand visions of what their lives would be like once they entered the castle in Radiant Garden. The Saïx that had taken Isa's place was a harsh, cold man Lea had never known, and one Axel wasn't sure he wanted to.
Ultimately, Axel knew the choice between Roxas and Xion was never really his to make--this was up to Roxas--and so when he found the boy fleeing the castle, he didn't stop him. Understanding that this was a road Roxas would have to walk on his own, he let him go to find the answers he sought, but not before admitting, mostly to himself, that his absence would hurt at least one person. Heart or not, Axel couldn't deny that watching his best friend walk away (again) was a kick in the gut.
After Roxas departed, Axel made one last trip to Twilight Town, finding Xion at the gates of the mansion in the woods where she had spoken with Naminé and learned the whole truth of her false existence. Though he claimed that Xion returning Sora's stolen memories was the best choice all along, it was clear in Axel's words and the tone of his voice that the inevitable battle between them cut him deeply. Axel defeated Xion, but only barely judging by the state he was in when he returned to the castle with her. He had already lost Roxas--he had broken the boy's trust in keeping Xion's situation a secret and now Roxas was gone--he wasn't willing to just let them both go. Unable to bring himself to destroy her, but unwilling to just give up and let her destroy herself, Axel made what seemed to him to be the best choice: he swallowed his pride and his own selfish unreachable desire for everything to just work out and returned her to the Organization in the hopes of reaching some sort of compromise. Ultimately, he had made a promise to Xion to protect Roxas no matter what, even if it meant hurting her in the process, and if there's one thing Axel doesn't do it's break a promise.
Unfortunately, that would be the last time he ever saw Xion. Axel's wounds were twofold when he not only failed to save Xion, whose very essence was erased and the memories returning to Sora, all traces of her ever having existed vanishing with them, but Roxas as well, who fell to Riku in the battle at Memory's Skyscraper and was forced into an illusory Twilight Town. Naminé would unravel the rest of Sora's memories, which would allow the Keyblade Master to awaken... but would cause Roxas to fade from existence forever.
As if he wasn't already having a hard enough time, Axel's loyalties to the Organization were shaken to their core when Xemnas charged him with finding Roxas and either bringing him back... or destroying him with his own hands. Feeling responsible for having let him go, Axel wondered if things could have been different if he'd only tried harder to keep him at the castle. But orders were orders, and Axel knew if he didn't go after Roxas, someone else would, and would likely be less gentle about it. Gentleness, as it turned out, wasn't really an option--confronting the boy in Twilight Town, Axel was beyond dismayed to learn that Roxas had, in fact, completely forgotten all about him. Their showdown was cut short when DiZ managed to purge Axel from the fabricated Twilight Town, leaving Roxas confused and scared, and Axel to return empty-handed. A final attempt was made to bring Roxas back to the Organization, but it failed as well, though it seemed Roxas may have finally regained some of his memories. As Axel faded into the dark corridors that would take him back to the castle, he and Roxas made a promise to meet again in the next life, though Axel knew no such thing awaited him.
After that, Axel knew he could never go home again. Branded a traitor, he was forced to live between worlds, never able to stay in one place for very long. He rescued Naminé from DiZ, where it was discovered that he had plans to destroy her all along, since "Nobodies were never meant to exist anyway". It turned out DiZ was none other than Ansem the Wise. Forced into hiding when Xehanort's Heartless tarnished his good name, DiZ took to trying to rectify the mistakes of his apprentices from the shadows, working with Riku and King Mickey to keep Sora safe and trying destroy the Organization. Taking Naminé away, Axel entrusted her to Riku before setting off to find Kairi. It was Naminé's greatest wish to meet Kairi, after all, and it wasn't like he had anything else to do. Might as well screw up the Organizations plans a little more. He had to admit he was curious as to what might happen if a Nobody met their Somebody, and so he went back to Twilight Town and attempted to bring Kairi to Naminé, but was stymied by Saïx. After a confrontation on the beaches of Twilight Town, Axel was left badly injured and Kairi was spirited away and locked in the castle in The World That Never Was. It was only because of Naminé's special powers that Axel survived Saïx's Berserker abilities at all.
By that point, Axel knew he'd really screwed up. There was really only one way to fix things now--might as well go for broke. Finding Sora in Betwixt and Between, Axel helped him defeat the army of Nobodies guarding the gateway to The World That Never Was, but at a heavy price. His energy spent, Axel began to fade away, but not before confessing to Sora that he'd done everything for the simple reason of wanting to see Roxas again. After telling Sora where to find Kairi (and apologizing for kidnapping her in the first place), Axel opened a portal to the castle, bidding Sora to go and finish what he hadn't been able to, and then faded into the nothingness from which he came.
By the grace of some power, Axel was given one last chance to bid goodbye to his best friend. Somewhere in the depths of their subconscious minds, the two friends had remained connected, and after Axel's body had faded away, he found himself back on that old clock tower in Twilight Town, an ice cream in his hand and Roxas seated beside him. It was only then that Axel finally conceded that perhaps he'd had a heart all along. Perhaps they all had. But who knows for sure, right? Though he knew that this would be the last chance he really had to see Roxas, Axel, ever aloof, rounded the sentimental parting conversation off with a simple, 'Seeya, partner'. After all, Roxas should have known him well enough by now to hear what he didn't say.
Point in Canon: Post-death KHII, and after having bid farewell to Roxas in magical Hammerspace.
Character Personality: Snide, snarky, sarcastic and sly, Axel is a bit of an abrasive character and most assuredly an acquired taste in company. He's competitive to a fault and confident as the day is long, with a tendency to mouth off and an inclination toward incorrigibility; it definitely takes a little getting used to his acerbic nature before you realize that for the most part he means little harm. His incendiary demeanor and antagonistic manner are a bit of a turn-off, it's true (and mostly a defense mechanism), but in Axel's opinion, people take themselves way too seriously anyway, and sometimes it's just too tempting to poke them with a stick. As a general rule, he's a good-natured breed of troublemaker who enjoys pushing peoples' buttons just to get a rise out of them, and while at first glance it seems like he doesn't play well with others, the fact of the matter is simply that most people don't bother to get to know him well enough to learn otherwise. A tad duplicitous and an expert at manipulating his words, it takes someone with a lot of patience and a genuine desire to put forth the effort to read between his lines to get through his thick skin to the squishy nougat center fundamentally decent guy he pretends not to be.
Something of a showoff, Axel is mischievous and clever, and can't for the life of him sit still (unless he's taking a nap); he's resourceful and dangerously driven, perhaps even a little bit reckless given the right circumstances--he knows what he wants, and he despises losing. He doesn't particularly enjoy work, either, though less because he's outright lazy (though if given the option he would love to just nap all day) and more because he'd just rather someone else take care of things. He prefers to pass the buck and let others deal with problems, since getting his hands dirty often leads to having to take responsibility--something Axel always endeavors not to have to do. However he has no issues handling the nastier jobs if the right person is asking or if he serves to gain significantly.
Axel is also rather childish when you get right down to it. He's a little needy, and though he is more than willing to loudly voice his own opinions he has a tendency to act rashly when he doesn't have a contingency plan. He wears his moods on his sleeves quite visibly in safe company, and despite how it takes quite a shock to break through that calm collected mask he dons most of the time Axel is definitely not as infallible as he chalks himself up to be. A little possessive, a hair melodramatic, and a smidgen ridiculous, he's entertaining company if nothing else. He's fierce and proud, rebellious and suspicious, slow to trust, but rock-solid to the end once his affinity has been earned. He'll follow orders when he knows he has to or when it's in his best interests, but he hates to be told what to do. Derisive, brash, and downright sassy at times, he seems not to think too highly of most people, and puts on a very blatant show of assuming he's better than everyone else. He may not be a scholastic genius, but he's little if not ambitious and driven to get what he wants in order to facilitate his own aims. Strategically, he's difficult to outwit, because he's almost always planned two or three steps ahead of the game.
It's difficult to tell if Axel ever actually took a side, or if he was just in the game for himself the whole time: his apathy toward Vexen as he killed him with a snap of his fingers could indicate that perhaps he hated the man, and the way he remorselessly allowed the replica of Riku devour and absorb Zexion could almost be seen as cruel, but what does a creature with no heart know of hatred and cruelty? Maybe he was just doing it because he was told, or maybe he was doing it because he enjoyed it... or maybe he just honestly feels nothing at all--'Nobody' knows for sure. He keeps his true alliances so close to his heart, as it were, that it's nigh impossible to tell who he's crossing, because he really never lets on just where his loyalties lie. He would rather straddle the fence than stand on either side of it, because that way he gets the best of both worlds and a strategic advantage to boot.
What you really don't see is that the preening and posturing is mostly to hide that Axel's a pretty nice guy. True, he is rather volatile, and he certainly has a fiery temper, but his pugnaciousness is diffused by a generally world-weary cynicism that keeps his jokes just shy of going too far and actually hurting anyone. He's got a sharp edge, but rarely presses hard enough to draw blood, and despite getting his yayas out at the expense of others, it's unusual for him to be outright cruel without a damn good reason. He's known to occasionally be too blunt with his thoughts, especially when it comes to the plight of being a Nobody, but he's not doing it to be mean, he's just calling 'em like he sees 'em. Charismatic, street-smart, and quick on his feet, Axel is definitely a good ally to have on your side. For that matter, he's a pretty good friend if you can stand him for more than ten minutes. He's actually quite loyal when he attaches himself to someone, it just takes a lot of convincing to impress him to the point where he'll stop being insufferable long enough to let someone in.
Despite supposedly not having a heart with which to do so, it's pretty easy to tell Axel loves his friends dearly, though the circle tends to remain small. He pulls out all the stops to try and make things easier for them (even if that means skipping a nap to pull double work duty, or going on an icky dangerous mission to make sure nobody gets themselves killed), and even puts them before work, which could easily get him killed in his specific occupation. He's always ready with a smart remark or a dumb joke to try and lighten the mood, and he's downright protective of the people he takes a liking to, almost to the point of possessiveness. Gosh, for a guy without a heart, he sure hates to see his friends troubled or in pain. He may not always be honest, but he's always good on his word, silver tongue notwithstanding, and if he screws something up, you can bet your last ten munny he's going to try and set things right. Axel would never have said aloud that he would die for his friends, but in the end, his actions spoke much louder.
Character Plans: TROLL ALL THE THINGS. I would love to give him the chance to hop back up on that fence he likes to straddle and play double agent. Of course we're both aware of the risks associated with such a position, but under the right circumstances the benefits do outweigh the potential repercussions. Once Axel is sufficiently arsed to pick a side--which I'm sure will end up happening at some point, likely sooner rather than later--he will inevitably carry out orders to the best of his ability and to the letter... so better make sure they're specific, boss. Other than that, his plans are to hang out with Roxas and Xion (once he remembers who she is, anyway) eat ice cream of course.
Appearance/PB: Axel is definitely... memorable. Inordinately tall and almost painfully thin, with sharp hips and pristine posture, to say he wasn't attractive probably wouldn't be correct, but it's surely a rather unorthodox allure. With broad shoulders and a barreled chest, he is quite an imposing figure and can be downright intimidating when he really wants to be, despite his decidedly twiggy figure. Lanky with spidery hands and long, skeletal fingers, he moves with an almost fluid grace and surprising speed for one so visibly unwieldy. His hair is alarmingly red and a pair of inverted teardrop shapes are tattooed beneath his eyes, which are bright aqua in color and usually lined in red--and don't you dare make fun of him for it, either. He'll set you on fire.
Image can be seen here.
