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Entry tags:
Empatheias Application
Player: Sky
Contact:
Age: 23
Current Characters: N/A
Character: Axl
Age: No definite age given, but I usually assume between 20-40 years from his canon point.
Canon: Megaman X
Canon Point: MMX8, right after Lumine reveals his true nature but before battle.
Background: Axl | Series | Megaman X7 OST Short Story (A pretty important piece of Axl's past comes from this but is basically not mentioned on the wiki, so I'm linking the story itself to show that I have proof)
Personality:
Given how long the Maverick Wars have gone on, and how much damage it's wrecked upon the whole Earth, cheeky and obnoxious might not be the first thing to come to mind when you think about one of the soldiers working to protect the world. But that's exactly what Axl is. Never afraid to fire sassy quips and taunt enemies, Axl has a cheerful, devil may cry attitude that forms the baseline of his personality. He's never afraid of the consequences of his actions, and always raring for a fight, whether it be against lowly mooks or the strongest enemy in existence.
It's not as if his reckless attitude can't be justified by his abilities, however. Young as he may be, he has a great amount of skill, allowing him to work with the best Hunters in the world, both of whom likely had a life of battle double or triple the length of Axl's. When he was with his old mercenary group, Red Alert, his abilities formed a key part of their work, as the leader himself says they "wouldn't work half as fast" without him. So his confidence isn't unfounded. No doubt it's been further boosted by his actions in X7, when he went as far as getting right into the personal space of Sigma, the most powerful Maverick in existence, and shooting him point blank in the face. When you can do something like that to an enemy who has tormented the best of the best for decades, there's not much else you can do to top it in terms of ballsiness. As a result, his cheekiness has yet to be punished by his enemies. You wouldn't be faulted for thinking that he's never suffered a serious loss in his past, given his pep.
But he has suffered, make no mistake. His introduction to the series has him killing Red Alert, the very comrades he once worked with, now warped and twisted by Sigma's machinations. And while he seems to be rather okay with the idea of murdering his former comrades in game, it doesn't mean he still doesn't feel for him. When encountering the bosses of each stage, he still banters with them, treats them as friends (with the exception of Splash Warfly, whom he never liked in the first place), even when he knows he has to take them out. He shows sorrow and pity for Flame Hyenard's state, as whatever's affecting him has tormented him to the point of driving him insane, and he tries his best to convince Soldier Stonekong to stop fighting. But his feelings show strongest with Red, the leader of the group, and the one he's closest to. After beating Red in a fight, the building around them begins crumbling and falling apart. Knowing that leaving Red in there would result in his demise, Axl begs for Red to come with them, showing that he's still very much attached to the leader of Red Alert.
However, as mentioned before, he barely shows any emotional reaction to the whole process during the game. He fights his old comrades, and then moves onto the next one as soon as he's done without ceremony. It seems cold-hearted, but in reality, Axl is just very good at preventing his emotions from distracting from the mission at hand. After all, this is war, and being emotional on the battlefield could easily seal his fate. Not that it doesn't sometimes slip out (see his behaviour right before Red's death), but for the most part, he keeps it under a tight lid. Even in Megaman X8, when news of Sigma's DNA is revealed to be in Copy Chips (but not in his due to his prototype status), and Lumine (a fellow New Generation Reploid) reveals his true intentions, both subjects that would affect Axl the most out of the trio due to his position as a New Generation prototype, he proves himself to be the calmest and most level-headed. He definitely has the makings of a good leader, as his confidence and unwavering beliefs are things people would be drawn to, but his childish behaviours ruin the effect.
Unfortunately, given that the series pretty much never shows the Hunters in a non-emergency situation (until Command Mission, but he has a minimal appearance there), it's hard to say whether or not Axl continues to keep his emotions under a tight lock between games or if he ever confides his feelings to another. (I could make a case that he does at one point to X and Zero, because it wouldn't make much sense that the two are quick to trust him out of all the Hunters if he seemed like a trigger happy maniac who didn't even care about killing his former comrades, but there's nothing else that backs up this claim.) But let it be said that Axl lets nothing get in the way of completing his mission. And when it comes to the mission, Axl can be very observant. Of course, it's usually the navigators' job to direct the Hunters, but Axl is quick to pick up on objectives and relevant details, all traits that reinforce Axl's skills and show why Axl is so quick to earn X and Zero's trust in his capabilities.
So, given that he still had a strong bond with the members of Red Alert, what exactly pushed him to abandon them and then take them down? Two things, mainly: a hatred for Mavericks, and loyalty. One of the aspects of Axl that isn't mentioned at all in the games but is all in the short story that comes with the X7 soundtrack is his almost blind hatred for Mavericks. It's mentioned once in the game that Axl has no memory of his past before Red picked him up -- but there was one, because two things had made it through whatever incident wiped his memory. A strong hatred for Mavericks is one of them. It runs so deep that almost every aspect of his behaviour can be explained through this hatred, as he essentially dedicates his life to taking them out. Axl has absolutely no qualms about killing those he perceives to be Mavericks; rather, he seems to enjoy it so much one could accuse him of being bloodthirsty. Similarly, his sense of justice has been skewed by his utter hatred for Mavericks. Mavericks are the lowest of the low in his eyes, so anyone who isn't one is already multitudes of degrees better than them, which could explain why he's generally very friendly to his comrades. As long as you aren't engaging in any Maverick-like behaviour, pretty much anything is a-okay in his opinion, which can sometimes lead to a very black and white view of the world (and it doesn't help that he's young and naive either).
Loyalty is a subject that is dear to Axl. As mentioned before, one of the reasons why Axl abandons Red Alert and then turns around to kill them is due to loyalty, which at first glance seems to make little sense. But unlike Soldier Stonekong (who was probably affected by Sigma anyway), who was loyal to Red the person, what Axl is loyal to is the cause his comrades stood behind. But it's not that he's only loyal to the cause though -- rather, because his comrades, the people he loves, so strongly want to protect others, destroy Mavericks and do right, Axl wants to protect that cause. To him, the worst thing in the world would be to see his comrades stray from the cause they believed in so whole-heartedly, especially if it's because someone like Sigma infected them with the Virus and twisted them into shadows of their former selves. And, since there's no known cure to the Virus, the only acceptable option at this point is simply to put them out of their misery (because it would also be terrible to leave them as Mavericks, the one thing Axl hates the most in the world).
When it comes time for him to move on from Red Alert, who can no longer be saved, he picks the next best thing: the Maverick Hunters. Since the organization also aims to eliminate Mavericks (and had the firepower to help him put his former comrades out of their misery), he tries to join them. It takes time, but he does eventually get in, and forms a strong bond with X and Zero, the top Hunters of the organization. As a side note, the second thing that made it past his amnesia is an inexplicable feeling drawing him to X. Not much else is elaborated on the subject, but it partially explains why Axl went to great pains to impress X and get on his good side. This feeling likely also contributed to his deep trust in X and by proxy Zero, X's closest friend. But the main reason Axl places his trust in the two is because the two have been fighting for so long, mostly unwavering, against Mavericks. He can trust them as the new leaders of the cause his family stood behind, people he can work with to hunt down and destroy that which he hates the most. With these two, he's far more willing to talk about personal issues and show his emotions around. Around others, he's still cheerful and friendly, but a little more guarded. He does trust his fellow Hunters, especially those he works with often, but it never reaches the same level as with X and Zero.
Unfortunately, this is just speculation, because Axl is never shown to interact with anyone but Hunters and Mavericks until Command Mission, and there was minimal interaction between the cast if X wasn't involved somehow, but it would be logical to draw the conclusion that he's much warier around strangers and acquaintances, though to them he would probably appear chipper, friendly and open. In his world, Reploids can become Mavericks in the blink of an eye from the Virus, so it tends to be wise to keep your cards close and trust no one. (That X and Zero are immune to the Virus only helps him trust them more.) It's also a defense mechanism of sorts -- it wouldn't hurt as much if an acquaintance suddenly turned Maverick on him than if it'd been a close friend. That being said, he's far more optimistic than someone like Zero who is quick to distrust and push people away. Even though he may not trust them fully (and is probably expecting them to go Maverick at some point), he's willing to give people a chance and tries to get along with pretty much everyone he meets. No point in making enemies with people he who aren't his targets, right? But that doesn't mean he's willing to open himself up to them. He's just willing to get along, that's all.
On a lighter (?) note, though Axl is cheerful and friendly, he can also come off as rather callous and uncaring at times. Because he's so dedicated to fighting Mavericks, he tends not to notice or care about other aspects of life. He's not especially careful with his words either and rarely thinks about how others might feel (unless those others are X and Zero) so he can be rude and unsympathetic when people are having troubles unrelated to Mavericks. This especially shows in X7 when he seems to care little for all the collateral damage his escape from Red Alert ends up causing, even saying, "That's the way it goes" when confronted about it. He only apologizes when the situation snowballs into something that will cause the Hunters a major headache. He doesn't mean bad by it, but literally, unless it involves Mavericks, everything else just seems like a really minor thing. His heart's in a good place, but his priorities are severely warped by his hatred of Mavericks and his dedication to destroying them.
Finally, though he rarely thinks about it, Axl is haunted by his origins. Because of his amnesia, he has no idea who built him, and for exactly what purpose. It's clear that he's the prototype for the use of Copy Chips, but that doesn't necessarily mean his creators intended for a whole series to be produced based on the Copy Chip technology. It bothers him enough that he spends a lot of his time searching into his origins, shown when X encounters Axl in Command Mission, a whole two uprisings and then some after Axl first meets him. At that point, Axl was searching for information on his origins by himself, without help from the Hunters, not even from X and Zero whom he trusts deeply. It's an issue that Axl feels he needs to tackle by himself. (Sadly, it's probably a mystery that will never be resolved either... thanks Capcom.)
In conclusion, Axl is cheeky, upbeat soldier whose life has almost solely revolved around Mavericks, from his inexplicable hatred of them to his dedication to destroying every last one of them. This goal seeps so deep into Axl's personality that it affects who he trusts, what he believes in, what he views as important and minor, and how he views the world in general. It's probably not the healthiest mindset to have, but there's nothing healthy going on in the Megaman X world.
Abilities:
As a Reploid (just think of them as really advanced androids), Axl has all the perks you’d expect from a robot. Superhuman strength, stamina, endurance, durability, quick reflexes, superior processing, wall climbing, etc. Pretty much the standard stuff with all combat type Reploids. That means he takes more hits than a regular human to kill (though he probably isn't at Zero levels of survivability). He can also store and recall objects from some sort of hyper space. This is where all his special weapons are stored until he calls upon them. He's also capable of long distance teleportation, as are pretty much all field Hunters, but it's subject to knowing the coordinates of where he wants to teleport to. Finally, he's capable of piloting vehicles (specifically, he's shown piloting Ride Armors and Ride Chasers, but the ability probably extends to any vehicle that doesn't have spectacularly difficult controls.)
His regular weapons are the Axl Bullets, twin pistols that fire at a rapid rate. They fire energy bullets and thus don't need reloading of any kind. Axl is similar to X and Zero in that he also gains new weapons from enemies he defeats, and given that he comes right before battling the final boss of the X8 game, he will be touting his weapons with him. He has 8 in total, listed in the Megaman X8 section of this page (Let me know if the number of weapons he can have needs to be cut down.) For simplicity's sake, he won't be gaining any more weapons from enemies he defeats in Empatheias.
All of these weapons are dependent on their own energy gauges and require time to refill (since Axl can't just pick up weapon energy around here). There are also a few abilities he has that separates him from standard Reploids.
Hover: Axl has booster jets installed in his leg armor which allow him to hover in air for a short amount of time, around 5 seconds or so. Very useful for crossing endless pits and spike traps.
A-Trans: Undoubtedly the most unique aspect of Axl is his ability to transform into other Reploids. This is only possible because he is the prototype of a new generation of Reploids, all of whom are installed with something called a “copy chip.” The copy chip allows new generation Reploids to copy a Mechaniloid (basically a normal machine) or Reploid’s DNA core (don't ask, it's magic science) and transform their appearance to match that Mechaniloid or Reploid, though he doesn't copy their personality. So essentially, Axl’s a shapeshifter. For Axl to copy a Reploid’s DNA core, he fires a “copy shot” from his gun, which takes the DNA core data from the target. Axl can also obtain a Reploid's DNA core by destroying them, much like how X can obtain weapons from his enemies with his Variable Weapons System. It should be noted that the transformation only lasts for a few minutes, and is severely limited in that he can only copy Mechaniloids and Reploids who are approximately his size.
In Empatheias, I'd like for the ability to work on all robotic characters, given player permission.
Virus Immunity: Axl is the prototype of New Generation Reploids. This line of Reploids are all gifted with a copy chip and, most importantly, full immunity to any and all viruses, including the Sigma Virus. What grants them their immunity is unknown, but it can be assumed that New Gens have a unique physical constitution as well as unique programming, which prevents the Virus from being able to fully take hold of the New Gen Reploid before it's booted out.
Alignment: Sosyne. This was a hard choice, but I can see Axl getting very frustrated and restless in Empatheias because of a lack of enemies to focus on. He also displays a level of calmness unexpected from his chipper nature in battle.
Other: Kyio (Zero's RPer) and I are sharing a lot of headcanons so if I happen to miss something that needs clarification but Kyio has clarified it before, I'm probably working with that.
Sample:
TDM Thread 1 | Thread 2
Questions: N/A