#magi alma toran

[pan-magi]

The Alma Tran arc should have emphasized more on religious trauma and indoctrination. In this essay, I will-

[starmahgalaxies]

So, I planned to have this done by Aromantic Awareness Week, but then because of unrelated shit I ended up rage-quitting, and I finally got around to finishing it. Yep...

I've never seen Arba (and by extension Gyokuen) give a shit about romance. Most of it is assuming from everyone else, including Sheba, that she has something with Solomon. When she sees the opportunity, she immediately tells Sheba to marry him. The instances she does care about going through with any sort of relationship seem to garner power and sustain her own lifeforce.

[linelle-v]

Et tu, Brute?

[writing-and-rebloging]

i think the biggest whiplash i had was when barbatos and leraje was released from whb. sun lover versus hunting/ cynical vs a guy who likes thunder - magi anon

Now, I'm a little fuzzy on this, but I think they *can* reject conquerors. If memory serves right, Belial tried to do so with Hakuryuu (but was forced to anyway), so did Zepar with Sinbad (He picked Serendine instead, after a contest, but wasn't all that keen on Sin regardless iirc), and we saw that with Leraje too (flipped Kouen off and picked Kouha instead, which I'll actually talk about below) as well as Sinbad getting kicked out because he already had seven djinn, so I'm working with that assumption in mind, just as a heads up.

Leraje also gave me whiplash, in a way. However... I don't know if I'd say she's cynical as whole. She was hurt and betrayed by someone she trusted and as result, she ended up guarding her heart behind three military-degree walls. And the worst part is that it still hurts like a bitch. That's way she rejected Kouen without a moment's hesitation and called him a cheater to his face. That's why she picked Kouha as her king candidate instead. Was he the one with more odds? Probably not. But she had a little bit of hope in him, because that child, who was tagging along his beloved older brother, wasn't just feared and respected, but loved.

In a way, Kouha is what she needed, someone willing to pick the broken pieces of everyone around him, patch them together and remind them that they are worthy of love and respect themselves. That's why a lot of people follow Kouha, because at his core, he's kind and caring and maybe a little bit self sacrificial.

Leraye, on the other hand... Well... We don't have the whole picture, but he seems more cruel, and bratty overall, and I bet Leraje would take a single look at her counterpart, and say that he looks like a playboy... But at least he's pretty, as a saving grace.

They both share that streak of being maybe a little too invested in someone they love, though (Leraje never quite let go of Focalor, and Leraye trails after Satan like a puppy) so yeah.

I don't quite recall Djinn Barbatos in terms of personality, but the silver vs gold color palette is definitely interesting. But I dived into the wiki anyway, and he is noted as someone cheerful, the easygoing type you can get along with, but also a responsible sort who knew that when duty calls, you must attend to it, but after the fall and all, he lost some of his mortal morality and became much more war loving. But he still chose Muu of all people. Muu, who's kind, caring, a goof, the pitch perfect sunshine pup... And also a terrifying, if a little obtuse, guardian dog when he has to, so apparently Barbs kept that outlook of we party when we can, and we fight when we must.

Devil Barbs... I think he's a wee bit more careless. He wanted to go naked to war, after all. Which isn't all that different from the Alma Toran gang and the Djinn equips in a way, but it kinda gives "I don't give a shit" right now. And he seems a little less approachable, more callous, I guess?

So overall I think those two would get along somewhat, but they would have frictions, especially when it comes to "you should get your shit together, you're in the middle of a literal war". But if you get them together to party and spend downtime, congrats! You are now in the middle of a) a shit show b) an orgy c) lots of fun or d) all of the above! They would gang up on OM!Barbs, probably, at least to get him to loosen up on down times. Although Djinn Barbs would be against disturbing Demon Barbs when he's on duty. He might not be fighting, but he is serving a king, just like he did in the past.

I know you didn't ask for a rant-analysis-speculation, but! :D!

[infintasmal]

what are your honest thought about your muse’s canon? (Ja'far)

Munday asks / Accepting

HE DESERVED BETTER.

So I take a lot of issue with p much everything that happens after the Alma Toran arc. There were a lot of rumors going around at the time that Ohtaka was being rushed to close things out bc interest in the series was waning or she was gearing to switch projects to Orient or smth, don't know how true that was but from what came out I think it might be reasonable. To keep this short and less literary analysis, I'll stick to my issues with just Ja'far and Ja'far centric things. And imma put it under a read more bc it got way longer than expected lmao

So I loved Ja'far as a character early on, I thought he was super interesting with his dual nature of the brutal assassin & loyal government official and he serves as a great counterpart to one of the most interesting characters in the series, Sinbad. He's someone who is resolute in his loyalty but unafraid to course correct Sinbad. He's a reminder to Sinbad's dark past and the primary motivator of a brighter future. But a lot of that gets lost in the final arc.

I think part of it has to do with Sinbad's character change from morally gray and emotionally complicated leader (something we don't see a lot in anime) to self-serving, fully corrupted 'villain'. I could write a whole damn essay on Sinbad. But in this shift, Ja'far becomes rather weak and disappears into the background.

He's no longer guiding Sinbad or reprimanding him when he goes too far. Instead, he seems suddenly blind to Sinbad's true motives and depressingly lost in the final conflict. Like if they had revealed that Arba had brainwashed him to stand down, I would believe it. Even in his final plea for Sinbad to come down from his high horse, we get a wishy washy, emotional argument that Sinbad easily charms his way out of. When you compare this to the scene at the beginning of season two or even in SnB at the end of the slave arc, it's like a totally different characters. In those scenes, Ja'far was unapologetically brutal, even slapping Sinbad to wake him up and give him a fierce reality check. He doesn't take any of the dour, half-assed promises to do better. He's mean and in SnB he reminds Sinbad that he promised to kill him if he veers too far from his path.

And this has always been Ja'far's role in the series. He is Sinbad's first and most loyal supporter but also his harshest critic. Ja'far, who grew up without any sense of morality, serves as Sinbad's conscious. It's what I love most about their relationship. But all of that seems to disappear at the end of the series. Sinbad becomes the corrupt capitalist dictator and Ja'far his secretary.

Not to mention that when the whole 'mind control' thing happens and we find out that people who were formally fallen are immune, Ja'far was such an obvious choice to lead the main group in their siege on Godbad, to be the guide that shows them the way to victory. He would have been immune bc of his status was a Black Djinn host and also would have been able to kind of fulfill his promise of killing Sinbad until he gets back on course. I cannot explain the absolute jawdrop that transcended the fandom when the final player was revealed to be Whatshisfuck from Reim. People were rioting and fleeing the fandom en masse when the final arc was coming out, it was Not Good.

I love Ja'far as a character and Magi had such a strong play at moral ambiguity and the ethics of global politics and I think a lot of that was lost in the final arc in favor of a shounen typical, he gets the girl and defeats the Big Evil ending and I will forever be bitter about it. Like at one point I wrote out my 'if i was in charge' ending lmao. The last scene of Ja'far standing in Sindria, saying that he's waiting for Sinbad's return was heartbreaking.

[sayakxmi]

[Magi reread] Night 11: Necropolis

Look at my boy. He's so smart :3 But that's what I meant. He figured out Jamil sucks at Torran & tricked him.

More skillz.

Careful.

That he did >:)

Nightmare.

Kinda wild to look at it knowing about Alma Toran. Just, man.

Character development.

ALIBABA WILL BE THE MAYOR, AND ALADDIN WILL BE THE VICE-MAYOR!!!!!

Also kinda funny given how Alibaba would overhaul a monarchy, and turn his country into a republic over becoming a king, but here he's like Imma be a mayor.

Ok, that's actually so sweet of Alibaba. He knows how much Ugo means to Aladdin :(

Ugo is, indeed, very good-looking.

You know, I've had this strange realization that Alibaba was NEVER introduced to Ugo, not until literally the Final Arc. He'd seen him several times, but they were never like formally introduced to each other or anything. Morgiana met Ugo, Scheherezade met Ugo, Titus met Ugo, but Alibaba? Nope. Damn, boy, you always miss out on EVERYTHING.

[cheswirls]

i cant believe i dug myself down another rabbit hole w sheba's clothing and then my internet went to being like .03 speed again which slowed the whole process a ton and now its. almost 11. and i havent done anything for school tmrw yet. its like i didnt learn the first time i tried this in hs.

actually i was a little more successful this time so might as well share what ive found. this applies to all the magicians of alma toran that the arc focuses on.

my main (actual) breaking point was the discovery of red knotted sashes worn around the waist of egyptian royals. i guess i had been going about searching once i fell down that particular rabbit hole as if sheba's rope were red, and then it took me a minute to back up and remember it was blue.

this wasn't completely out of the loop, though. all eight magicians with a divine staff are designed through the first two parts of the arc relatively the same (minus sheba until after the first timeskip, but she gets there) with a red shawl that falls to the waist. after a lot of time thinking on it i'm still not sure if the red that wraps around the waist is part of the same shawl, or a different one that forms the outer layer of the skirt, and then trails one piece further down (or its one rly long shawl that goes through the red skirt layer to the ground. regardless)

both would make sense, but i bring up the double-layer skirt because its another egyptian style. also when i saw shawl, its the red cloth that wraps around one shoulder (what would modernly be called a sash) instead of the top that solomon wears in the last part of the arc (or the white that sinbad wears pre-final arc) that could also be called a shawl, but in a different culture. the alma toran version is most similar to the hebrew-style shawl that was influenced by an earlier ancestor, the canaan people.

i'll bring this up more, but in general, alma toran clothing takes basis from two main styles: phoenician and egyptian. they both share ancestors and take style influence in turn, so to say the reference is exactly these two may not be true! it's jus what ive found evidence of.

after that tangent and a half let me swing back around: the red sashes were looped and worn around the waist of high egyptian royals. but there was also a blue sash worn by lower-ranked royals. that realization made me recall sheba's sash is blue, and not red. and it is very similar -it's rope-like, knotted, worn around the waist, and worn together with red cloth. and its worn by solomon and the magicians exclusively. but there is another thing, actually.

because, after ascending higher to king, solomon's sash changes to red. you could say there was symbolism with the red rope he wore as a necklace earlier in the arc, but near the end, he is definitely in red instead of blue. add that with aladdin's sash in the final arc, and it rly makes me wish david got good colored art in a divine status, just to see if that symbol was still there. the red sash marked solomon's departure from the others as everyone elevated him to king of the realm. and the rest falls into place from there.

going back to the to the two reference styles! because everything that follows could honestly originate from any of these. egyptian style traces back to assyrian roots, loosely, which traces back to sumerian culture. likewise, phoenician culture is pretty much remnants of canaan ancestors (hebrew people share canaan ancestors with phoenicians, which explains some similarities in ancient clothing.) both groups originate from close mesopotamian ancestors, and the sumerians eventually morph to form the babylonian empire, upon which alma toran itself is based. that was a long drawl, so basically, things are closely related culture-wise. everything eventually falls back into one.

phoenician clothes are known for being dyed rich colors, while still maintaining white. in particular, there are popular depictions of an open-chested phoenician shirt with sleeves and style very similar to the divine magicians early in the arc. gold-rimmed white, lots of lines and gold accents. dyed blue and red and purple. (purple isnt a color depicted in alma torran clothing, but theres established emphasis on the relation between blue and red, so)

both phoenician and egyptian clothing share their loose and tunic-y style, definitely due to their geographical location, but probably also from shared ancestors. egyptians in particular wore lots of plain linen, but the higher in status you were, the fancier the fabric. one popular was a thin material thats credited with all the depictions we have today of egyptian women clad in see-through garments. this in particular reminds me of the red shawl sheba (and others) wear, and also leans more to the idea that the red material around the waist isn't part of the same shawl.

another egyptian trait among those of higher status is multi-layered skirts. the style is wrap-around, which is another trait shared with the magicians, especially at the end of the arc concerning the three magi. but while the skirt style is more egyptian, the design is inherently phoenician, from the patterns and fringe decorating the ends. (this is common in high-ranked assyrians' clothing as well! esp accenting white with gold and red elements) the multiple layers were held up by a sash at the waist, and the overskirt layers were thinner and more sheer. the shawls worn during this time were long, near 15 feet (so i could see one draped over the front and back around the shoulder and still landing near knees at least.)

[i had a point for the headwraps specifically worn by the two female magi but i cannot for the life of me retrace the source at this point. if i find it ill go back and add]

i mentioned solomon's shawl later on in the arc so lets swing back around to that. thats most likely based on the egyptian equivalent, longer in back and ties in front. the long drape the remaining magicians wear after the last timeskip is close to assyrian style. (the pattern suggests closer ties with the hebrew version, though)

wow k between other things its closer to 1 in the morning now so.. thats a wrap!! not everything but its what ive got compiled into one

[johannepetereric]

What the fuck?

[facilita-art]

Люблю гендербендер, поэтому вот фемки и мелки торранских ребзь. Здесь у нас самцы Шебы и Арбы и самки Соломона, Уго и Иснана. Бумага жесть, под самкой Соломона едва дырку не протёрла.

[pan-magi]

We'll be a dream

[getoutofmymindstalker]

Soloshe rules.

[eleore]

I'm curious now, Ithnan/ Falan (I've seen it before) xD

ew / nonono / meh / maybe / ship it / aww / otp / MY HEART (as brotp)

ALMA TORAN BROTP FOREVER. I wish we had seen more of them and their joint antics ;--;.

Answering all other anons as well!

MystRen is Mystras and Hakuren

Ahh, thank you!! Mmmm... since they haven’t even met, I would have to say “nonono” I guess...?

Ugo x Arba

ew / nonono / meh / maybe / ship it / aww / otp / MY HEART

Mmmm... considering everything she has done, and their current standing, it’s absolutely impossible right now, plus I don’t think there are any feelings like that there. That said, Ugo does want to get along with her, so if they both have to return to the rukh with everyone else, I wish they can at least be friends again.

Vittel x serendine

ew / nonono / meh / maybe / ship it / aww / otp / MY HEART

Given the current status of both characters and Serendine’s actions, I have to pass on this one.

SINBAD X KOUEN

ew / nonono / meh / maybe / ship it / aww / otp / MY HEART

I... I honestly don’t see how this one could possibly work. Sorry ;-;

Ithnan/Setta (I've seen this before)

ew / nonono / meh / maybe / ship it / aww / otp / MY HEART (as brotp)

ALMA TORAN BROTP 2!! Also quietly weeping while picking stones.

(What’s funny is that I love the dynamic of Ithnan with both of them, but I have zero opinion on Falan and Setta? Do they even interact all that much?)

[naegichiis]

Magi AU where the ending goes as Sche predicted and Alibaba is bound to become the King of the New World with Aladdin as his magi/guide. Ugo's intention was for one king to be chosen and have something similar to Alma Toran with Solomon as king and Sheba as queen.

So the ending of Magi would be Aladdin crowning Alibaba and Kougyoku as king and queen of the new world. Since Kougyoku is the most prominent female King Vessel in the final arc and has inspired the people Kou, she is perfect as a queen and her relationship with Alibaba would develop into a romantic one. Two bright kids who united the world.

Cue Aladdin suddenly seeing his parents when looking at them for half a second.

Morgiana is there of course too. She is Alibaba's most loyal household member and she, Toto, Olba and the others have already accepted and befriended Kougyoku to support her as well.

[infintasmal]

this song is so magi suited. like the fall of alma toran. or sinbad or serendine ... bitches get betrayed a lot in the name of Justice

[scarlletfairy]

Aritst:  あけの

[chyemmi-chimi]

David: *destroys a whole city with Solomon’s followers*

Solomon: D...Daaaaaad...

David: Happy birthday~~

Solomon: It’s not-... Please tell me you had nothing to do with this.

David: Why don’t you blow out your candles.

Solomon: You’ve gone too far this time with this, dad.

David: What’s that? It’s hard to hear over the sound of melting city.

Solomon: How did you even do this?!?

David: A dollop of fairy dust.

Solomon: Daaad.

David: I ripped the tag off a mattress.

Solomon: This isn’t funny, Dad.

David: Who’s laughing? Clearly not all the people who just exploded.