#DS: Axel

[nikutsuneart]

some old art I found cleaning up I had called Axel Is Cool dot jpeg

[jtg073]

kh sketchbook doodle cuz the brainrot is taking over

kinda messed up the filters cuz there was a weird shadow when taking the image,,,,,

edit: just realised, also kinda messed up axels hair 😞

[werewolf-biter]

This drives me insane because it looks like a game put through google translate thing, but no it’s the actual in-game translation

[moltengarnet]

As far as the DS Kingdom Hearts games go, I think this was my favorite of the 2. I wish I had someone to play mission mode with back in the day because there were so many playable characters from throughout the KH series to play as.

Re:Coded was fine, but didn’t have as good of a story. The move set & spell customization was a lot of fun though. Dream Drop Distance was better than both but that’s not a fair comparison at all.

[meiloorun-notthefruit]

Do any of you ever think about how it was Axel who told Roxas and Xion that things change, that nothing lasts forever, but as long they hold on to memories of each other, keep the other in their thoughts, than that would be enough.

“None of us will ever have to be apart”.

Except then things did change. And Axel was left the last one standing at the end of it all. And he grapples so desperately to remember all of it but even memories weren’t enough because he forgot Xion through no fault of his own and he KNOWS something is missing, that he’s lost more than Roxas on Day 355, but she was literally erased from existence. The horror of knowing you’ve forgotten someone but no matter what you do you can’t even coherently form a sliver of thought about who it could have been. This on top of the guilt of lying to Roxas like there’s a reason Axel sacrificed himself in Kingdom Hearts 2 with the knowledge of this being the end.

He didn’t think he was going to come back. And then he did but as Lea, with a heart, and he’s hit with the ONSLAUGHT of emotions he hasn’t really had to deal with for ten plus years.

Ask me again why the Sea Salt Trio is my favorite. Their reunion in Kingdom Hearts 3 is gut wrenching and beautiful GODDAMIT they’ve been through so much but I only just thought about it from Lea’s point of view and I’ve given myself more emotional damage than this group already does on the regular.

[blue-eli]

Ink October day 27: Seldom

Not often; infrequently or rarely.

[reinventingaxel]

Every day I am devastated I will never be able to play 358/2

Guys axel is a playable character,,, my blorbo

[firestorm09890]

actually sort of unbelievable how much Zexion haunts the narrative compared to the other Organization members in Castle Oblivion. Vexen also does, but like, he actually deserves to. It's his replica project that's a central plot device in both CoM and Days, him not being there to keep it on track causes many problems. but Zexion? it's. a lot, especially considering back in 2004 people on game forums were calling him the most useless organization member (no respect for strategists smh, it's aaaalways about powerscaling and combat ability to these people)

we start with Replica Riku going to fight Riku after realizing that even if he has "newfound power" (Zexion's) it's still not actually his. in the Days novel Axel brings up Repliku devouring Zexion like two other times when thinking about Xion's state of being. I'm not even counting this. novels don't count and it's not like Repliku uses any illusions or anything, it's just his raw power.

In regular canon Days, Axel makes explicit mention of him when talking to Saïx.

He also mentions Marluxia, but it's in the middle of their conversation, when talking about how Marluxia was a traitor after all. This, on the other hand, is like an important thing Axel almost forgot to mention.

He later brings up getting rid of Vexen and Zexion, but the first time is just Zexion. These two are true for both DS Days and HD Cutscene Days.

And then! Zexion gets a voiced cutscene in the middle of Days! The game that does not do voiced cutscenes except for when they want to do something really big!

my beautiful wife nintendo ds dual screen

And they couldn't just reuse things from Re:CoM either because the memory Riku's having was of a moment that used dialogue bubbles, they put in work for this.

I think?? The scene is supposed to showcase Xion absorbing thoughts from other people? It's really weird since it's the only time it happens to someone who isn't Roxas but you know what this means? Riku was thinking about it. 8 months later, Zexion's accusations are still burned into his mind. This is REAL NARRATIVE HAUNTING, BABEY and it KEEPS GOING

Before Zexion put the idea in his head, Riku didn't even consider that Sora might not accept him with the darkness in his heart. He had his big moment in CoM where he accepted himself, but it still scared him badly enough that he did... basically everything he did in kh2 instead of trying to find Sora and talk to him. Zexion's actions "lived" this long. I think it's 3/4 that Sora's memories of CO were erased and 1/4 that Marluxia simply did not have the presence in the Organization to leave a gaping void after his death but man, the final boss left barely a whisper in comparison to this.

And then finally there's this of course

done to keep his weapon a mystery but how weird do you think it must've felt for the characters to see it? did they wonder what happened? I sure wonder what happened

also I lied this somehow isn't the end. for whatever reason in Melody of Memory Zexion gets more spotlight than almost every other member of the original organization except xemnas and the sea salt trio

in conclusion i hate it here. I would also say Vexen deserves more respect for leaving the most obvious void in the group after his death except that someone wrote a full 358/2 Days au longfic about it so I really don't need to

[catboygirljoker]

in a recent ask game i got a question about something xigbar has done that i cant get over. well. this is my answer.

[Video ID: A cutscene from 358/2 Days for DS, with high-resolution models. Roxas unsummons his keyblade and says, "Mission accomplished. Xigbar looks up and says, "Or is it?" Roxas says "Huh? Oh, come on, quit playing ar—" Xigbar shoves Roxas away, then jumps out of frame to avoid an attack by an off-screen Heartless. Roxas says, "Whoa!" end ID.]

this one moment is so important to how i think about Xigbar's characterization, in this game, in every game, that i feel the need to. write an entire essay about it lmao

The context here is that Roxas is sent to rendezvous with Xigbar in Halloweentown to destroy a giant Heartless. Just before a fight with a distinctly medium-sized Heartless, Roxas says, "Looks giant enough to me!" and Xigbar laughs and says, "Right. Just keep your head on straight." This cutscene immediately follows that.

After the actual boss fight, Roxas is mad that Xigbar let him think the other Heartless was their target, and Xigbar's like "well you learned a valuable lesson, and I did tell you to keep your head on straight." So there's the moral of the story. Roxas nearly got hurt because he jumped to conclusions and let his guard down.

But if that was the point...why did Xigbar shove Roxas out of the way of the attack, evidently narrowly avoiding getting hit himself? If the story of the mission was Roxas learning this lesson, wouldn't it be scarier and more dramatic if he'd gotten hurt? If Xigbar wanted to show Roxas some tough love, wouldnt he have let Roxas get hurt? What is the game trying to communicate about Xigbar in this scene?

It's not that it'd be tonally inappropriate; the game is absolutely willing to have other characters directly hurt Roxas in order to teach him things. In Lexaeus's mission, when he teaches Roxas about Limit Breaks, he seriously hurts Roxas to get his health low enough to use a Limit Break. At the end of that mission, Lexaeus tells Roxas that the only person he can trust is himself—I think implying that this was another thing he was trying to teach Roxas when he hurt him. Not to mention the several characters who arguably treat Roxas worse. The game doesn't pull its punches when it comes to characters being cruel to him.

It's not like it'd be out of character for Xigbar to stand by and watch, either! Obviously in the broad scope of his character throughout the series, and also in this game specifically. Earlier in the story, he absolutely knows that Axel is going to survive his mission at Castle Oblivion—both from how he talks about it and from his secret reports. When Roxas assumes Axel is dead, Xigbar reminds him once or twice not to jump to conclusions, but after that, not only does he let Roxas believe that Axel is dead, he makes fun of Roxas for it—he tells him it doesn't matter if people died, says things are quieter with fewer people around. He's certainly willing to let Roxas get hurt.

I guess you could argue that maybe Xigbar needs Roxas alive for The Plan, either Xehanort's or the MoM's, but...this mission occurs less than a month before Xemnas says that it doesn't matter whether Roxas or Xion lives. Roxas isn't Ventus; he isn't himself a necessary part of the MoM's plan. He's also not Sora, and in fact him dying would probably just wake up Sora sooner. It doesn't seem like there'd be a pragmatic reason for Xigbar to risk his hide to save Roxas's.

So we're just left with this...thing. This one moment where Xigbar puts himself in direct danger to keep Roxas from getting hurt by his own dumbassery, for seemingly no reason. There are other little moments in this game that can be read as sincere attempts at support or encouragement of Roxas or Xion, but a lot of the time he comes across as, like, condescendingly overfamiliar, more annoying than genuinely supportive. There is no other moment that reads this much like an act of altruism and just an act of altruism.

The people who made this game made an intentional choice here. And I think a lot about what the scene might be meant to communicate.

...And then in BbS and 3 he goes back to seeming like a complete fucking jackass. But considering what we learn about Luxu later in the series—about his motivations, what he used to be like, what he's been through—I don't think this is an isolated out-of-character incident. It's just like...this one short glimpse through a crack in the facade, a hint that there is a lot more depth to him than we realize. What's in there, old man!!

ugghghgh his characterization in this game is so fascinating to me. getting to see him in a completely different context. the only time we see him interact with a teenager who he's allied with outside of Days is in 3. and that also occupies my brain day and night.

another very specific, intentional moment. the camera brings attention to it. what does it mean what does it all mean.....................

anyway. evil little league coach. my mind it swirls and spins.

[thepuff09]

For the record, my favorite is Axel’s gun disk.

[gearbit]

I’m replaying 358/2 days! I’ve been sending reaction stuff to some people on discord and figured I’d also put it here for a more permanent location. I’m about a third of the way through rn and I forgot how much the game beats you over the head with its tragedy flags. All pictures are actual literal pictures of my ds screen bc playing this game on an emulator is a fucking nightmare.

I’m love her. Also, so nice to see the janky, extremely pixelated models for everything. All of their weapons are literally just pngs.

DIVORCE!!! I’ve actually forgotten just how much these guys act like a married couple whose relationship is falling apart and they both blame the other person for it. Why was akuroku such a huge thing when there was this shit right here the whole time.

Insane set up for a game that wasn’t even out yet. I think bbs and 358 were only a year apart? Not the craziest wait KH has ever had in terms of revealing wacky plot shit but I can’t imagine what reading this line was like back in the day and then playing bbs.

It’s really a shame that both of them don’t have their own themes :(. KH has super great leitmotifs and I would love to hear one that incorporates both of theirs when I watch them run headlong into a custody battle that ends in attempted murder .

There’s nothing I can say here. Thank god 358 fills the niche for bitches who love to watch relationships fall apart.

The INTJ smirk.

So fucking funny. Axel saying Sora isn’t shit don’t worry about that clown.

[tmchalamet]

aight bet I'll be there @ party 😎 ☝️ @neiimamarinnn

taglist (stolen + expanded): @elliottcarterr @sanaamuse @rcameronofficial @princesssarahcam @baileejones @thecoolermaybank @prettygirlthornton @lottiepierce @hannahthekook @carebxar @cadescastle @itstopperthornton @beachbxbyy @marismokaa @jessiskindacoolig @blake-smith @astriddiary @iaaaannnn @khleo @quenblackwelll @taitymterrible @lettersforbee @postrboyy @emm1ejean @kaizenbanks @cadencemarieturner @theojoness @dxanwashere @arelysbebee @belladonahue @vanteeeli @oscarrpiastrii @madisonb44r @jacethomass @k3nzi3luby @auggiejones @lorenzo-ds @ridleyturner @theojoness @dtmelleee @kaiannajane @ianmff @lilahlovesu @mssantanaaa @lynniepooo @hrtsforsalemmm @pope4life @christophersturnn @dumbass6989 @demitrakalogeras12 @debsanderson @kennyzieg @benoftheweek @tarayummysbloggg

[robinchan-hananomi]

Sorry for the KH spam.

When I was younger, I used to watch the neighbors play Kingdom Hearts. He loved that game and I didn’t own a game system. So when we hung out together he asked if I was alright if I watched him play KH and later KH2 and I was always like ‘sure. It’s interesting’.

When I got a DS of my own that first game I z wanted to get was a KH game. The only one that GameStop had that day was the newly released 358/2 Days. So I bought it. I was already fond of both Axel and Roxas, but I fell in love with the seasalt trio.

I’ve had that game ever since, and over the years it has been a comfort game for me, much like Harvest Moon. But not to long ago I decided it was time to get another game system so I just bought a PS4. And wouldn’t you know it the game store I got it from happened to have the box set of all the Kingdom Hearts games. So I’ve actually been playing all the other games for the first time. I have beaten KH, KH2, Coded, Birth by Sleep, DDD, and I just got started on KH3 (I tried Chain of Memories but I couldn’t grasp the cards, so I just watched all the cut scenes).

So yeah, not only am I currently fixated on KH, but especially the seasalt trio, who have been a comfort game for me for over the last decade. Sorry, not sorry, for Axel/Lea, Roxas, Xion, and even Naminé and Isa/Saix spam that will be coming across my dash.

[gavillain]

27 and 28 for your KH "This or That"?

27. Days or COM?

Chain of Memories. No doubt about it. I'm actually doing a replay of Re:CoM currently to see if I can finally master that card system XD But I think CoM has kind of a bad reputation because its gameplay is so tricky to master and doesn't totally work for casual players, but CoM genuinely has a really well written story to the point where I never minded the gameplay that much because the story it was telling was so great. The mystery is fantastic, the villains are great, the writing is strong, and Riku's story is probably his best showing in the franchise to date. That conclusion with Riku walking the Road to Dawn still slaps SO hard. And I also have a fair bit of nostalgia for it because I had the original CoM on the GBA, and I used to play it and talk about it a lot with a childhood friend of mine.

Days, on the other hand... ehhhhhhh. Out of all the consoles that Kingdom Hearts games have been on, the Nintendo DS was pretty easily my least favorite and the one I felt was least suited to Kingdom Hearts. CoM on the GBA at least made sense because it had a different gameplay that was more handheld friendly. I never really got the hang of Days or had much fun with it, and, ngl, while Roxas in KH2 is one of my favorite Kingdom Hearts characters, I felt like he was very bland and boring in Days. Understandable since he's a Nobody and acts like it, but it didn't really make for a compelling lead character. I like Xion nowadays quite a bit, but I'd also be lying if I said "the secret forgotten fourteenth member of Organization XIII who is also a girl and kind of a love interest for Roxas who hung out with Axel and Roxas while they were in the Organization" didn't feel a bit... fanfic-y. Like I remember seeing self-insert OCs with that EXACT same story back in the day before Days came out. And that's not necessarily a bad thing, but it kinda feels contrived and inauthentic to the universe. I just was never really sold on it, and it's not really what I wanted from a "Roxas's time in the Organization" midquel. There also was like NOTHING on the Disney side worthwhile, which already was a mortal wound for me.

So, yeah, I don't hate or even dislike Days, but out of all of the mainline games, I think it's my least favorite. And CoM easily beats it, imo.

28. BBS or 3D?

THIS one, on the other hand, is a much tighter race, and my mood can switch between either one of them depending on the day. I think BBS was exactly what it needed to be, I loved playing it, I love the Wayfinder trio, the tragedy hit home, I really enjoyed all the Disney worlds, Xehanort and Vanitas were at their absolute best in this game, and Maleficent had one of her strongest showings in the franchise as well.

But I just have to give it to Dream Drop Distance. Listen, I have problems with some of the writing choices, and I wish we'd gotten some more Disney bosses and some more relevance to the Disney worlds. That being said... this game made Riku my favorite fictional hero. I always loved him, but Dream Drop made him RESONATE with me hard. I fell in love with his character and his relationship with Sora. I've always been a Soriku shipper, but this one made it truly an OTP of mine. I also loved the gameplay, and I know it's not really a popular opinion, but I actually had a lot of fun with Flowmotion and just bouncing all around the worlds. I also loved the Dream Eaters and the customization and bond that you form with them. I love cute animals and pets like that, so that was really fun for me. I wish Maleficent had gotten more to do in it and I think they flanderized and dumbed down Sora a bit too much, but that's honestly my biggest quibble. I thoroughly enjoyed most everything else.

So, yeah, Dream Drop by a slight margin, but BBS is nothing to sneeze at!

[hyouta]

KH ramblings part 3 of me saying a whole lot of nothing!! (Person who didn't know Re:Coded was this short)

Actually started this draft immediately after finishing the last post. Things I forgot to say...

It's not that I dislike Disney Town but I feel like the loop was so much shorter than it is in Melody of Memory so the Mickey March + It's a small world had me going crazy...

My dad heard it looping and came in to see because he got nostalgic for the song

Also fuck the platforming in the sewers, I think I accidentally unlocked it before I had good movement but I will burn it to the ground

KH racer game when

Didn't go to the Mirage Arena until just before going to the Keyblade Graveyard as Aqua, and then going to get a Xehanort Report for Terra

Also I rarely used D-Links, oops... it's actually sad how little I utilised them...

Getting trapped in combos was so so painful in BBS and I still don't know what I could've done otherwise because it was never this bad in any other game --- except Re:Com... I remember being so mad fighting Axel the second time even with my cheese boss deck, then I get his boss card that lets you attack even while staggering... which was a slap on the face lmao I was so salty...

Even though I want the full KH experience I've not attempted to unlock the secret movie for any game that has it... maybe I'll try unlocking a few after all games are done.

Speaking of... not sure what I want to do with the mobile games... I have played Union X before and I have access to the app on my phone but I'm not sure about playing all that again.

♥

Anyway onto Re:coded, damn people are way too mean about this game. People say out of the 2 DS games that this one is skippable and I'm not so sure about that... ok the story impact isn't HUGE but it does tie-in quite nicely. It's also like 16 hours without doing any extra stuff, that's one of the shortest experiences, not gonna kill anyone to try it out.

I heard KH3 acknowledges it, so... good. Game so fun I played for 11.5 hours straight.

Honestly the gameplay is so fun and it's a lot more straightfoward than BBS was (though I'm not sure if I utilised everything to the utmost, I got through in the end). Even as it goes through KH1 story beats the different level designs and new ways to fight the bosses makes it feel fresh (except who the hell decided to put an eliminator in the wonderland system sector... what is their deal?? are they satan???).

I watched the movie as I was going through Castle Oblivion (disappointed that they didn't use 13th floor, love that track) and didn't quite finish the game by the time I was done watching but I liked the small things they added to the movie. Some cutscenes were a lot more impactful but I miss some of the dialogue that was cut, even if small stuff.

Quick notes I made:

First impressions is the sprites are giving movie tie-in game. Low-key miss the expression less low-poly ds models lol

Sora babysitting the triplets is cute

First time playing one of the side-scrolling segments and he says "I feel flat".

Olympic Coliseum was so fun. Not gonna lie this world almost became my Agrabah, for it being in every single game so far, but this saved it.

This note just says "fire dashed off the map" because I glitched out of bounds. Thankfully the game did not punish me.

"You always try to take everything on by yourself. But I LIKE getting dragged into your messes" (crying emoji)

One of my new fav bits of dialogue: "Heh, I sometimes envy how simple your world is." "Is... that a compliment?" "I envy whatever makes you think it could be."

I have never had an issue with Hollow Bastion Riku, data or otherwise... but the last one was rage inducing, I just could not for the life of me remember how to counter his charge attack.

Last note is just expressing my disappointment that Sora doesn't hold the cards up to the door in the DS version like he does in Re:Com.

Actually last, last thing... it's funny in the secret ending how they cut of saying Saïx's name, as if it could've been anyone else?? I checked, it's the same in the japanese version... though it doesn't matter too much I suppose, I'm not even sure how long the wait was between this cutscene and DDD.

♥

I have a day off tomorrow to begin my DDD replay!! Then a 3-day weekend to play some more... I already have a note on it that says "Something something Axel not calling Saïx 'Isa' until he himself becomes Lea again something" thanks, me.

♥

Cause it's Christmas... I'll post tiny snippets of SOME things I've been doodling (cause also the likelihood of me posting anything is 10% at best, some of these are already months old lmao)

I want you all to know that I drew Vexen to complete the trio. Because I'm not a coward. However even though these are still the sketch phase too, for his one it's even less finished so I will not be posting lmao...

[cyanremalia]

1, 2, and 13 for general KH asks! :)

allllrighty then!! 1. How did you get into the series? something of a mix between "my dad was into one or two games" and "on a whim"? i've had a cursory interest in the series for years, but only this year (a couple days before it started, technically) have i actually gotten significantly invested to the point of being a fan i had several chances to get into the series before i finally grabbed 1.5+2.5 when it was on sale on the epic games store - thwarted by trickmaster in ps3 1.5, fell off of gba com once or twice, and there was one time where i used re:coded to see if my phone could handle ds games (answer: could've been worse) 2. What's your favorite KH game? DAYS. days days days. not just for the story either! while i think it could use some tuning up i'm genuinely a fan of the gameplay they fit into this funky little ds game, and the significantly larger playable cast through mission mode allows for interesting gameplay styles while leaving the core characters playing as core kh protags do second favorite is probably either bbs or re:coded 'cause i'm a sucker for the way the command deck allows for so many unique abilities when fusion is in the mix 13. If you read fics, favorite fic? OOF that is difficult. among the ones i think about the most is probably the roxiri fic Rejection of Fate by Taliax, which sticks out a lot to me despite being a one-shot, presenting an interesting idea in keyblade deterioration and i find integrating gameplay into story pretty fun (and roxiri stuff in general is, um. uncommon, unfortunately, so i am very happy to see them together) there's some others i'm thinking of but i didn't get their names memorized lol - i know there was one series that started as an axel-centric au of kh3 that i really liked..? and i'm not going to include the couple of madoka magica crossovers i really liked bc they're not very focused on the kh aspects