Application for the Far Shore

[flamebearer]

Player Information

Name: Rynn
Contact: chaneystarr
Other Characters: Nanako Dojima (Persona 4), Misaki Yata (K/K Project), Yona (Akatsuki no Yona)

Character Information

Name: Alibaba Saluja
Canon: Magi
Canon Point: End of Magi: The Kingdom of Magic (Season 2)
Age: 19
History: Alibaba's Wiki Page

Personality:

When we first meet Alibaba, he comes across as a person who’s not really happy about his life - he has big dreams, but he knows how dangerous those can be so he keeps his head low and does his best not to draw attention to himself as he pushes through his own trials and troubles. Although injustices and hardships around him might draw sympathy or anger from him, he does not get involved, doesn’t believe he has the capability or the strength to change anything as he is right now so he doesn’t even try. It’s all he can do to keep his own head above water and he selfishly plods on towards his own goals without regards for the plight of anyone else.

He works for a slave trader and merchant who he despises because the fat merchant embodies everything he hates about useless nobles and rich men - entitled and selfish, viewing other people as property to be turned into profit or tools to be used. But because he doesn’t have the strength or power to speak up for what he sees as injustice and wrongs being done to those people, he also despises himself for being cowardly and weak And the number of times the merchant blames him for mistakes, pushes him deeper into debt, or threatens outright to make him a slave means that even his deepest rages at mistreatment and cruelty get smothered before he gives them voice.

The light at the end of his tunnel is the dungeon that looms over his city, just waiting for the right adventurer to come and capture it, something he is determined to do one day, despite how he is mocked and ridiculed for it. After all, no one has ever survived to return after entering and what chance does he have? But he thinks he has a better chance than most, having a hidden education and knowledge that far exceeds the common people of the city around him. He’s been preparing and studying for years to be able to achieve his goal of becoming a Dungeon Capturer and emerging with immense wealth and power. He states that it is his plan to become one of the richest men in the world, because then he can have and do anything he wants. He can even buy his own country if he wants.

On the surface, it sounds like a selfish goal, but he has his own reasons for turning this into his obsessive life’s goal, a reason he is so determined and dedicated to achieve this. But still, even though his determination never wavers, he also never takes the first step to try, something he later calls himself a coward for.

This all changes when a young boy named Aladdin shows up in his town. Aladdin repeatedly gets him into trouble - with the city guards, with his merchant master, with any number of people, all within the span of the day, because he is a stranger to the city and doesn’t understand how anything works. Unlike Alibaba, however, Aladdin is not content to turn a blind eye to the cruelty and suffering he sees around him, and the boy’s blunt questions start making Alibaba all the more aware of how much he has ignored and walked away from, something he hates about himself. In the innocent outlook of the boy, it just brings to light how much he has to lie to himself and to those around him just to keep moving forward. And if he’s moving forward at all.

This all comes to a head when on a journey with the merchant, their caravan is attacked by a monster after their cargo of fine wine. When a slave girl and a young child fall to their certain peril because the merchant shoves in to save his wine instead and then callously offers to pay the hysterical mother for the lost child (claiming the wine is worth more than the whole cart of humans he is transporting to the slave markets), Alibaba's temper finally snaps and he leaps into action, defying the man and risking everything to save the slave girl and child. Only then he ends up in the monster’s grasp instead and finds it an ironic fate for himself that he die in their place when he’s spent so long doing nothing to help anyone but himself. Only his selfless action is what finally cements Aladdin’s belief in him and the small boy comes to his rescue with a smile. And the aid of a giant djinn.

After being rescued and lifted into the sky a much more subdued Alibaba apologizes for his words and actions, his guilt over his own cowardice and inaction a sobering reality when he realizes he’s been just as bad as the noble and rich he despises. But he takes Aladdin’s hand in friendship, the two of them vowing to capture the dungeon together when Aladdin vows he refuses to let anyone turn Alibaba into a slave ever. He tells Alibaba he thinks he is very brave, which startles Alibaba and means more than just about any gift he’s been given.

From this point on, we start to see a change in his personality, more of the true Alibaba finally starting to show through after he’s hidden himself and subdued his own conscience and morals for so long. He does have a good heart and he is endlessly loyal. He hates slavery, for all that he felt he HAD to accept it as the way the world was for a while. But Aladdin starts changing his point of view on how things have to be and everything else changes right along with it. When he does succeed in capturing his first dungeon, emerging with the power of the djinn Amon and untold riches, instead of languishing in that wealth or buying himself a city, like he’d originally claimed he was going to do, he instead buys the freedom of every slave in the city, setting every single one of them free. He finds a resolve he had lost along the way, a real direction in moving forward and before he moves fully onto his new life, he resolves to make amends for the biggest source of regret and guilt in his past so he can start on this new adventure with his friends with a clear conscience.

Only returning to the city of his childhood does not at all go the way he plans and we learn more about the enigmatic young man who is far more than what he seems. Having been raised on the poverty-stricken streets of Balbadd, the son of a street prostitute, he’d had the run of the city as a child. Times were always hard, living from day to day or meal to meal, but he’d had his mother and he’d had his best friend Cassim and Cassim’s baby sister Marian and together they’d been a family of their own. Only times got harder as they got older and his mother died suddenly and Cassim started roving with thieves and thugs to make sure his sister and Alibaba had food to eat and clothes to wear. Despite having almost nothing, Alibaba was bright and intelligent and clever, quick to think on his feet and just as quick to act. Despite the dismal surroundings, he was a bright light of hope and optimism to those around them, always quick to smile and laugh and brighten someone’s day.

And then the army came to the slums and Alibaba was plucked from poverty to be declared the bastard son of the king. He begged Cassim to give him a reason to refuse, a reason to stay with his makeshift family but Cassim coldly declared that they were nothing alike and Alibaba did not belong here, walking away from him. And so Alibaba left the slums to start his new life in the palace. His new life was not an easy one, because everyone looked down on him as gutter trash from the slums, an unwanted bastard and the third prince of a king who already had two sons to serve as heirs. Alibaba had to be taught everything, from manners to movement to speech. His education covered history and politics and languages and fighting, training under the guard’s general for personal swordcraft lessons. He was drilled endlessly in a rigorous regime to catch up for all the ‘carefree’ years he’d spent as a street rat on the streets, but now he felt more like a trapped bird in a cage.

But he never forgot where he came from and when he finally discovered a passage he could sneak out from several years later, the first place he headed back to was the slums, his old home. Only the slums were gone, completely wiped out with no sign it had ever been there, only a barren plot of land in its place. It’s while he stares at it in shock that Cassim finds him, a much older and more cynical teen than the boy he’d known. Cassim lures him out for a drink which turns into more and gets information about the palace and how he’d gotten out while Alibaba babbles unaware. This information is used against him a few weeks later when Cassim and a group of thieves break into the palace, using Alibaba’s secret passage and set fire to the palace, making off with a giant haul of the royal treasure. In the chaos and outbreak of fire, the king dies after confiding to Alibaba that he intends to leave him the crown and make him his primary heir, believing Alibaba to be the brightest and cleverest of his sons and the best equipped to succeed him. Consumed with guilt after his father’s death because of his own naive involvement in the events leading to it, he fled his home country with the intent of never returning.

Now, though, that responsibility weighs heavily on him, especially when returning to the city and finding how much the people have suffered in the years since under the clumsy and cruel rule of his eldest half-brother. He joins the band of thieves led by Cassim in rebellion against the nobles and king but it’s not until Sinbad arrives in the city with Aladdin and Morgiana a few months later before actual changes are made and progress is achieved. This is again a time when his own insecurities and lack of confidence are nearly his downfall, because everyone starts looking to him for answers he doesn’t have, looking for leadership he doesn’t think he deserves or has earned. He questions himself constantly, doubts and second-guesses his decisions and abilities and basically self-sabotages himself into failure. And at the same time, he has Sinbad there, stepping in to help, giving commands, basically being the perfect hero and embodying everything he feels he is not and it only makes the distance between them all the more apparent. He believes himself a failure, too weak and useless to ever become a person like that, to save the people important to him and make a better world. But there are a few pointed conversations exchanged between himself and Sinbad and Morgiana and ultimately Aladdin once more that help him find his resolve and motivates him to push forward and once he finds it he drives ahead, a force to be reckoned with and one who will stop at nothing, no matter the cost to himself.

When he’s not sabotaging himself into crippling self-doubt and fear, Alibaba is intelligent and clever, often capable of seeing strategies and solutions others miss, or being able to pull off reckless risks for greater change that others might pass over for the sheer odds of their success. He has incredible luck at rallying the hope and spirits of those around him, because he is a vibrant and inspiring figure (even though he is fairly incapable of seeing this in himself). He has an aptitude for learning and being taught (even if some things are harder to learn than others for him) but he has an extensive understanding of history, of languages, of economics. And what’s better he’s even richer in common sense (usually) having grown up without any silver spoons and having to fend for himself on the streets, it taught him a way of reasoning and survival he desperately needs later in life. If anything, he tends to take too many responsibilities onto his slim shoulders when others look to him to take the lead and he hates letting anyone down or letting them see what he fears he is - a pathetic and weak failure who can't stand on his own. But it is also that fear that drives him to be stronger, to be better than he is.

While early in canon he comes off as a loner, self-involved and distanced from those around him, it becomes apparent that this was something he forced on himself after his betrayal at the hands of Cassim and the resulting death of his father on his conscience. He swore off letting anyone get too close and making friends, at least until Aladdin comes along and changes his mind and even then his original purpose for hooking up with the boy was to use his power to capture a dungeon. Along their journey, however, that changed, his way of thinking changed, and Alibaba ended up counting on Aladdin as just as much a cherished friend as the boy saw him. Through his struggles and trials, it’s Aladdin’s faith and belief in him, his declarations that Alibaba is a brave and good person and a cherished friend, that inspire him in his darkest, bleakest moments and give him the strength to get up and keep pushing on. While he makes other important friends on his journey and finds other reasons to fight, to train, to get stronger, t it’s core, it was always Aladdin’s friendship first and foremost that allowed him to flourish and change into the person he’s become, worthy of the position of King’s Candidate that Aladdin chose him for.

Sometimes he is almost too driven in his goals, and that can also cloud his judgment because there is nothing he hates more than being made to feel helpless, powerless and pitiful. He can often react quickly because of his emotions - both positive and negative - and is certainly the type act rashly or recklessly in the heat of the moment - sometimes to his benefit but just as often to his detriment.

When he does stop and think, however, he does show the mastermind of a strategist, such as when faced with the conundrum of what will become of Balbadd when the monarchy has driven the country to such dire straights that it seems the only option out is to sell its people into slavery to a neighboring empire. Instead, in a brash and audacious move, he announces that there will be no more monarchy, that if the monarchy brings nothing but pain to the people of the city, then they do not need it, they will do away with it and find a new way, and then bluntly confronting the emissary from the neighbouring empire that renegotiations will have to begin again, effectively saving his people and his country from a no-win situation by outmaneuvering her and playing on her weak points in the argument. It is a strategy that succeeds against amazing odds and leaves everyone witnessing it - including Sinbad - a little in awe. He declares, in the aftermath, that Balbadd will be a republic ruled by its own people, that it will be a city where there will be no disparity between its citizens, where everyone is equal, reinforcing the way of thinking he showed in his previous city, where he spent all his riches to free every slave.

He is also a skilled and adept fighter, showing promise early on and then, after attaining the power of the djinn Amon in his first dungeon, seeks out even more skilled teachers and instructors. Some of the skills he takes on and attempts to master don’t come easily to him, especially those revolving around his partial- and full- Djinn Equip, but he is determined and relentless, even when his pursuit of new abilities and fighting styles take him far away from his home and friends and end up dropping him into dangerous places like a gladiatorial pit. And nearly getting him killed. Multiple times. But he is determined to protect the people important to him, and more than that, the people who can’t protect themselves.

Abilities:

Master Swordfighter/Duelist: trained in swordplay by a royal tutor from a very young age, he's shown as being very adept and agile with a shortsword or daggers. He later received further training from one of Sinbad's generals to expand his expertise as an adult and learn some new styles to accompany his abilities as a Dungeon Capturer. Afterwards, he traveled to the gladiatorial pits in Reim and mastered his skills further. He shows a remarkable adeptness at learning and remembering new styles he is taught as well as being able to mimic other styles he's seen to incorporate them into his own style of fighting. SOmetimes it takes him a while to master them, but he perseveres despite hardship, his determination often winning out in the end.

Intelligence: Alibaba had a somewhat uncommon upbringing as he started out living on the streets as a clever street kid who was adept at surviving in very harsh conditions. Then he was plucked out of the slums and dropped in a palace as the king's bastard son, given all the training and education befitting a prince. He's bright and clever and learned a wide variety of topics, one of the most unusual being the study of several very old and sometimes forgotten languages, like that of the Torran, used in the ancient writings and dungeons in his world.

Magoi manipulation: Alibaba has learned how to manipulate the Magoi within his own body (aka the energy or Rukh from his world. Mages possess this ability instinctively but it can be learned by non-mages. Alibaba had to seek out the knowledge of this practice after it was discovered that he had gained a second type of Magoi (belonging to his childhood friend Cassim after his death) in his body that was in conflict with his own. If they continued to clash, they would tear him apart from within so he sought out people who could teach him how to control it. This allowed him to fuse his own Magoi with that of Cassim's, their convictions matching once more to let them exist in unison.

Metal Vessel: As a Dungeon Capturer, Alibaba came out of his first dungeon as Aladdin's chosen King Candidate/King Vessel and equipped with the Fire Djinn Amon, also known as the Djinn of Politeness and Austerity. Alibaba's original metal vessel was a small knife he's worn on his person for years which takes the shape of Amol Saiqa (Amon's Sword) and is later replaced (after it is broken) with a short sword that once belonged to Alibaba's father. It allows him to appoint Household Vessels, members of his household who he shares Amon's powers with in vessels of their own. In either form, his sword is completely immune to fire and heat - if it is attacked by it, it will absorb it and strengthen itself.

Djinn Weapon Equip: the first stage of equipping a Djinn that a Dungeon Capturer has mastered, it is summoned by the user surrounding their Metal Vessel with Magoi and compressing it to form the Djinn's weapon - in Alibaba's case, this transforms his Metal Vessel into Amol Saiqa. As Alibaba's Djinn Weapon Equip progresses, his arms change into a black metallic substance. Alibaba calls it the Sword of Melting. It has the ability to produce and to manipulate fire. (Associated attacks: Amon's Royal Sword, Amol Dherrsaiqa (Amon's Roaring Flame Sword), and Amol Berka (Amol's Wall).

Djinn Equip: To achieve a Djinn Equip, a Dungeon Capturer must use their Metal Vessel to allow themselves to become one with their Djinn. This is done by compressing the Djinn's power around their entire body - similar with how they would transform their weapon in the skill above, only this one affects a physical transformation in the user themselves. In his full Djinn Equip Alibaba has flame-like protrusions from his arms and legs, a third eye (or gem resemblong one?) on his forehead and a naval piercing.

Extreme Magic: a skill that only masters of Djinn Equip can use. It's powerful and the Djinn Equip's ultimate technique that utilizes an incantation to fully summon. According to Alibaba: if the eight pointed star is cut down while someone is using Djinn Equip, the metal vessel will break. Alibaba's Extreme Magic is: Amol Al-Bador Saiqa (Flame Minister's Beheading Sword); when it is summoned, it becomes a huge sword made of fire and a person made of fire which is able to pierce through the hardest objects and barriers. While clashing against Hakuryuu, it is shown he improved this ability by transforming the flame warrior into the large Phoenix with six wings (three on each side).

Note: While these are his abilities in canon, I am also okay with nerfing his Djinn abilities as a shinki, or not having him know that there is a power sealed inside the shortsword he wears, if this ends up being too overpowered for him. I just included them in the listing for completion, but at the very least if I do use anything, I would start at the beginning with him again since he has forgotten everything he learned on HOW to master these skills.

Strengths:

Loyalty
Good heart
Cunning
Intelligent
Fair
Optimistic
Inspiring

Weaknesses:

Lecherous
Cowardly
Selfish
Cunning
Occasionally naive
Stubborn
Insecure
Lacks confidence in himself

God/Shinki: Shinki
Why?: I want to play with the complications of dropping him here as a shinki without his memory of who and what he is and where he comes from.
Cause Of Death: Fighting the Medium outside of Magnostadt. Used up all his magoi/energy during his extreme magic attack.
Vessel: Amol Saiqa, the sword that bears Amon's seal that Alibaba bears.
Name Location: On his left forearm amidst the scars from Garda.
Power: Sealing Slash: The ability to seal or sever the senses of whatever it slashes.

Writing Sample

Sample: Alibaba on the TDM