tempestuously (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
tempestuously) wrote2006-04-12 01:23 am
tempestuously) wrote2006-04-12 01:23 am
Entry tags:
Roxas
You know what my solution to the people who visit KH comms or have them on their friends list is if they want to avoid spoilers, de-friend the friggin' comm. It's not that hard. What the hell are you doing visiting a community when you know the game just came out? It would be like me hanging out in the Bleach community when I'm only to the 12th volume. I know better. You're never going to completely avoid icon spoilers, and I've gotten past that point in life but it's not like you get icons that proclaim "ZOMG __ is really ___!" either. The Internet is a spoiler haven and that's all there is to it.
So in my psychotic Roxas love, I attempted to write him only to learn that it's hard. We get so little of the real Roxas, and the only Roxax we're privy to is more fake than the original. While TwilightTown!Roxas is adorable and somewhat more cheery than Organization!Roxas, his only use to me is analyzing how Roxas feels when in that state. I will note that Roxas is never the most happy of children, even in Twilight Town; he still projects this distance around others. His relationship with Hayner, as buddy buddy as it may seem, is stilted to the point where when the others ask what to do, Roxas tries to control the situation or simply removes himself from it. A classical example of this was the summer project; Roxas suggests doing it on the weird things that have been happening to him and seems slightly bitter when Hayner rejects the notion. Still this Roxas is a good deal more amiable than the one we get a glimpse of in flashbacks, the true Roxas that cut through Heartless without effort and wasted little words on Riku before crushing him in battle. It is Organization!Roxas that piques my interest in both the emo department and the too jaded to live department. I wonder what sort of friendship Axel and Roxas had. I know they were best friends, but how did that work? Was it really Axel trying to get Roxas to have fun and open up while Roxas showed relative disinterest in everything? The only time we ever see them together is once Roxas has already decided to leave the Organization, placing Axel on the defensive and anxious side and Roxas on the dispassioned driven side. Then we have Namine's art. In her one picture, we see Roxas and Axel holding hands. If we accept the image as a memory of Roxas' past rather than a metaphor, it seems Roxas could be intimate with his teammates in the Organization, as he was in Twilight Town with his brotherly hand shakes with Hayner. Maybe Roxas only grew more sullen once he realized that he was just a stand-in for the true Keyblade master, Sora. But his mission to find Sora seems to carry no malice and is merely a journey to discover his identity through Sora. I'm guessing it must be difficult for Nobodies to understand who they are since they are incomplete people.
What about when memories return to Roxas? We see more of his frustrated side, first refusing the Keyblade and then later jumping into a fight in an almost reflexive pattern, such as during his confrontation with Axel outside the usual spot. Roxas' most violent side has to be his final fight with Axel, where he manages to summon two Keyblades and goes at Axel with Organization skills, sparing no time to try to reason with his old friend, not that it would have worked at the time; Axel was NUTS. Even after the fight, when it seems Axel is dying, Roxas shows only the smallest amount of concern for his best friend, replying almost as if he knows Axel would want him to. I suppose it could be considered compassionate, but it's far from sincere. Yet somehow by the time Roxas reaches Sora, he's become accepting of his situation. Gone is the frustration he displayed when discussing his role with Namine or the rage he showed against Ansem for putting him through everything. He is just defeated and ready to return to Sora. This almost seems an inconsistency, considering Roxas' actions moments ago.
Later when we see Roxas again, his temper has returned and he taunts Sora while he battles him. It is only Sora's ability to retain the Keyblade that causes him to yield, understanding. But I wonder if Roxas comprehends why Sora always manages to call back the Keyblade. Roxas wasn't around in the fateful Riku vs. Sora fight when Riku claimed the Keyblade until Sora proclaimed his strength was his friends, bringing the Keyblade back to him. It is possible Roxas discovered the "power of friendship" while with his buddies in Twilight Town; he does seem sad to leave them, shedding a tear through Sora. But I'm still uneasy as to if Roxas is actually satisfied in Sora's superiority near the end of the game. He barely speaks with Sora and only reveals himself when Namine shows up to open the gate. Although some would call Roxas' manner regarding Sora playful, it also smacks of authority with Roxas calling Sora to attention. While I understand Roxas has little choice in who rules Sora's soul, I find myself hard-pressed to accept that Roxas has commited himself to a life within Sora at this point. Rather, I am not convinced by the game's explanation and characterization of Roxas that he would agree. It seems a very juvenile-style plotting, everyone's friends the end. On the other hand, I know Roxas wants to continue his existence in some form and knows the only way to do so might be through Sora and Kairi's closeness. So it's a tough call.
Most of these musings result from one regular habit within Roxas communities, writing Roxas as any other child. Roxas is not any other child. He rarely shows any child-like behaviors, unlike his friends who get jealous over lack of attention, worry about the end of summer vacation and otherwise mess around. Roxas is very get-to-the-point. But again, we only get a brief glimpse of his character so judging can become difficult. Either way, it's something I wish fanartists would take into account when portraying Roxas and stop making him look like an innocent, wide-eyed waif because that's not even how the game's artist portray him. Same for writers who characterize him as angsty. TwilightTown!Roxas might be described as angsty since everything has basically gone wrong at the point, but Organization!Roxas probably didn't care enough about anything for him to bother with angst. He just was and he was bored with it. Even his "Nobody would miss me" doesn't seem regretful but simply a statement of fact. The search for Sora was probably the first thing that gave him a purpose. I guess in that light I can sort of accept his final union with Sora since he finally understood his purpose: to join with Sora. I also don't get the feeling that Roxas was at all uneasy within the Organization because again, he could care less, until the truth about Sora came around. I wonder how obedient Roxas actually was while part of the group; he doesn't seem to take orders well yet he responds to Ansem's summons. I don't want to say people should just write Roxas as a log that just sits around and looks bored, but I don't see him as a boy with these great revolutionary/escapist thoughts either. He's just looking for his place. I think an ideal situation to explore his character would be to have characters present contrary ideas to Roxas and watch his reaction since it might start out first as dull disbelief and blossom into more. Roxas shows signs of curiousity at times, as well as intelligence. While he may not form his own ideas of change, he might be willing to go along with them should someone present a decent argument. Just some food for thought.
So in my psychotic Roxas love, I attempted to write him only to learn that it's hard. We get so little of the real Roxas, and the only Roxax we're privy to is more fake than the original. While TwilightTown!Roxas is adorable and somewhat more cheery than Organization!Roxas, his only use to me is analyzing how Roxas feels when in that state. I will note that Roxas is never the most happy of children, even in Twilight Town; he still projects this distance around others. His relationship with Hayner, as buddy buddy as it may seem, is stilted to the point where when the others ask what to do, Roxas tries to control the situation or simply removes himself from it. A classical example of this was the summer project; Roxas suggests doing it on the weird things that have been happening to him and seems slightly bitter when Hayner rejects the notion. Still this Roxas is a good deal more amiable than the one we get a glimpse of in flashbacks, the true Roxas that cut through Heartless without effort and wasted little words on Riku before crushing him in battle. It is Organization!Roxas that piques my interest in both the emo department and the too jaded to live department. I wonder what sort of friendship Axel and Roxas had. I know they were best friends, but how did that work? Was it really Axel trying to get Roxas to have fun and open up while Roxas showed relative disinterest in everything? The only time we ever see them together is once Roxas has already decided to leave the Organization, placing Axel on the defensive and anxious side and Roxas on the dispassioned driven side. Then we have Namine's art. In her one picture, we see Roxas and Axel holding hands. If we accept the image as a memory of Roxas' past rather than a metaphor, it seems Roxas could be intimate with his teammates in the Organization, as he was in Twilight Town with his brotherly hand shakes with Hayner. Maybe Roxas only grew more sullen once he realized that he was just a stand-in for the true Keyblade master, Sora. But his mission to find Sora seems to carry no malice and is merely a journey to discover his identity through Sora. I'm guessing it must be difficult for Nobodies to understand who they are since they are incomplete people.
What about when memories return to Roxas? We see more of his frustrated side, first refusing the Keyblade and then later jumping into a fight in an almost reflexive pattern, such as during his confrontation with Axel outside the usual spot. Roxas' most violent side has to be his final fight with Axel, where he manages to summon two Keyblades and goes at Axel with Organization skills, sparing no time to try to reason with his old friend, not that it would have worked at the time; Axel was NUTS. Even after the fight, when it seems Axel is dying, Roxas shows only the smallest amount of concern for his best friend, replying almost as if he knows Axel would want him to. I suppose it could be considered compassionate, but it's far from sincere. Yet somehow by the time Roxas reaches Sora, he's become accepting of his situation. Gone is the frustration he displayed when discussing his role with Namine or the rage he showed against Ansem for putting him through everything. He is just defeated and ready to return to Sora. This almost seems an inconsistency, considering Roxas' actions moments ago.
Later when we see Roxas again, his temper has returned and he taunts Sora while he battles him. It is only Sora's ability to retain the Keyblade that causes him to yield, understanding. But I wonder if Roxas comprehends why Sora always manages to call back the Keyblade. Roxas wasn't around in the fateful Riku vs. Sora fight when Riku claimed the Keyblade until Sora proclaimed his strength was his friends, bringing the Keyblade back to him. It is possible Roxas discovered the "power of friendship" while with his buddies in Twilight Town; he does seem sad to leave them, shedding a tear through Sora. But I'm still uneasy as to if Roxas is actually satisfied in Sora's superiority near the end of the game. He barely speaks with Sora and only reveals himself when Namine shows up to open the gate. Although some would call Roxas' manner regarding Sora playful, it also smacks of authority with Roxas calling Sora to attention. While I understand Roxas has little choice in who rules Sora's soul, I find myself hard-pressed to accept that Roxas has commited himself to a life within Sora at this point. Rather, I am not convinced by the game's explanation and characterization of Roxas that he would agree. It seems a very juvenile-style plotting, everyone's friends the end. On the other hand, I know Roxas wants to continue his existence in some form and knows the only way to do so might be through Sora and Kairi's closeness. So it's a tough call.
Most of these musings result from one regular habit within Roxas communities, writing Roxas as any other child. Roxas is not any other child. He rarely shows any child-like behaviors, unlike his friends who get jealous over lack of attention, worry about the end of summer vacation and otherwise mess around. Roxas is very get-to-the-point. But again, we only get a brief glimpse of his character so judging can become difficult. Either way, it's something I wish fanartists would take into account when portraying Roxas and stop making him look like an innocent, wide-eyed waif because that's not even how the game's artist portray him. Same for writers who characterize him as angsty. TwilightTown!Roxas might be described as angsty since everything has basically gone wrong at the point, but Organization!Roxas probably didn't care enough about anything for him to bother with angst. He just was and he was bored with it. Even his "Nobody would miss me" doesn't seem regretful but simply a statement of fact. The search for Sora was probably the first thing that gave him a purpose. I guess in that light I can sort of accept his final union with Sora since he finally understood his purpose: to join with Sora. I also don't get the feeling that Roxas was at all uneasy within the Organization because again, he could care less, until the truth about Sora came around. I wonder how obedient Roxas actually was while part of the group; he doesn't seem to take orders well yet he responds to Ansem's summons. I don't want to say people should just write Roxas as a log that just sits around and looks bored, but I don't see him as a boy with these great revolutionary/escapist thoughts either. He's just looking for his place. I think an ideal situation to explore his character would be to have characters present contrary ideas to Roxas and watch his reaction since it might start out first as dull disbelief and blossom into more. Roxas shows signs of curiousity at times, as well as intelligence. While he may not form his own ideas of change, he might be willing to go along with them should someone present a decent argument. Just some food for thought.
no subject
It struck me as a kind of mutual understanding, a lot of the time. I don't quite know how to explain it, but it's one of those relationships where all you need to do is look at each other to go, "...Ooohhh, I know what you're thinking!"
I also think Roxas, for whatever reason, acted as something of a control switch for Axel in some ways. Axel can be logical, and Axel can be perfectly calm and reasonable, but not always, and in those times he's not, imagine the effect of Roxas' terribly calm and vaguely scornful tone going "Are you nuts? Stop it."
Not to say that I don't think either of them was capable of affection- quite the opposite. But I think it was kind of odd for them both, in their relationship. They /felt/ an attraction- of friendship or romantic inclinations, whichever- of some form, and that's a little weird for Nobodies, I'd think. So, some awkwardness.
And as to their final fight- that came off to me as Roxas deciding to deal with Axel's crazy in the best way he knew- beat the shit out of him until he calms the fuck down.
At least, those are my impressions! What do you think?
no subject
I also find the relationship somewhat awkward because of the existence of Nobodies and Roxas' overall attitude. I assume they were just confused about it as their fans can be.
Again, I fully support this different interpretation. It's much more fun to play with than mine. I guess when you don't know what to do, you go with what you know. Too bad it didn't work out for Roxas. But wouldn't be aware of the extent of Axel's strength/power during such a fight or were the memories still not fully restored? I'd love to have someone take on Axel's perspective in that moment and give a version of what drove him over to the edge, where Roxas' recognition no longer mattered. I get the feeling at this point he believed the Roxas he saw now would never be the same, no matter what he remembered. Someone also suggested it was a last ditch attempt at defeating Roxas so he could drag him back to the Organization and stop him from merging with Sora.