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Application
Aug. 16th, 2012 08:38 pm[ Player Name ] : Genesplicer
[ Personal DW ] : N/A
[ Age ] : Mentally or chronologically? 25+
[ Timezone ] : Central
[ Other Characters ] : N/A
[ Character's Name ] : Captain Malik Caesar
[ Character's Age ] : 40
[ Series ] : Tales of Graces f
[ Canon Point ] : This Malik will be from a short time (1 month) after the events which occurred in the game Tales of Graces f. This would be from a time point which includes all plot, events, and character development that occurred in the ‘Future arc’ of the game. One month after the actual game ending provides enough time for the characters in this Malik’s world to have had time to rest and recuperate from the events in the game and have the chance to settle back into their lives a little but not so much time as to allow for any significant changes from canon.
[ History ] :
There is not a very detailed timeline for Malik, but there are several important events which are detailed in the game and provide a general history for the character.
The first event we are explicitly told about occurs in Malik’s twenties. At this point he has already been a soldier of the Fendelian army for several years. Fendel can be assumed to be Malik’s birthplace, and is the northern most nation of the three that exist within Ephinea. Fendel is styled after an industrial Soviet-era nation. It is a militaristic society rife with firearms and snow, where the power resides within the hands of only one person, Chancellor Eigen. The labor and all the products produced by the nation all appear to be used and distributed according to the demands of the military and those people who have power (or money) within it. This divides the country into a lower and upper class. Those in the lower class are forced to work for little return and live in increasing poverty. Those in the upper class live off the backs of others and seem to have little regard for the increasingly poor conditions that the majority of the people in the nation live in. Needless to say, many people feel this dictatorship is corrupt and unfair and is hurting the country rather than making it stronger.
Malik is one of these individuals. While in the Fendelian army he befriends two other individuals, Kurt Bessel and a woman named Lorelia. The three of them become close friends, with both Kurt and Malik falling in love with Lorelia. The three of them spearhead a rebellion from within the state to try and improve conditions and presumably remove the Chancellor from power. It is later revealed that Lorelia is the Chancellor’s daughter. Faced with this information, Malik attempts to dissuade Lorelia from any further actions within their rebel organization by lying to her and implying that he has doubts about her loyalty. His attempt is unsuccessful and may (it is not specifically stated) prompt Lorelia to undertake even more dangerous tasks which leads to her being discovered as a spy and prompt death. Malik loved Lorelia deeply, and her death, which he may partly blame himself for, leads him to abandon the rebellion and flee Fendel. Kurt remains but the rebellion is crushed. Whether Kurt survives or not is unknown to Malik until twenty or so years later.
It is unclear how much time passes and what events transpire between Malik fleeing Fendel and his involvement with the Knight Academy in the capitol city of Windor, the south eastern nation in Ephinea. While at the academy, Malik’s instructor gives him the nickname Mally – one he does not appreciate. The daughter of this same instructor falls in love with Malik and recommends that he himself be made an instructor without having to go through the same route everyone else takes to get to that esteemed position. This recommendation along with his previous military experience and training puts Malik in line to be one of the leading instructors by the time the story introduces him as a character. Although Malik gets the position, he does not seem to share the same feelings for the daughter as she has for him and leaves her at some point. Malik earns a reputation as a lady killer, though it is largely unintentional. He remains loyal to Lorelia despite her death, and seems to ignore the affections cast towards him by other women.
Approximately ten years later, Malik’s first encounter with the other main characters of the game occurs just outside the Knight Academy. The group, consisting of Asbel Lhant, Cheria Barnes, Sophie, and Richard, are still young children and are taking the prince on a covert and ‘illegal’ day trip through his own capitol city of Barona. Malik is already well acquainted with Richard as the Knights serve to protect the King and the royal family of Windor. When the young prince Richard is introduced to him as “Tiger Festival” by Asbel, Malik simply plays along and lets the group continue on their outing – though not without a whispered word of warning to Richard about wandering the city unprotected.
Shortly after this meeting Sophie dies in an event which also incapacitates Richard. It is likely that Malik would have heard about this considering the prince’s involvement though it is never explicitly mentioned. A few days after this event, Asbel, still a child, would return to Windor and stubbornly request to be admitted into the Knight academy despite repeated refusals to allow him in.
The story then skips ahead seven years. During this time Asbel has been admitted to the Academy and has nearly completed his Knight training. Malik and Asbel develop a close teacher/student relationship and Asbel holds Malik in very high regard and considers him a role model. The two go on a mission together to investigate a disturbance in the woods which leads to the discovery of a nova monster, the release of a strange power from Asbel, and ultimately leads to the unfolding of the main plot line within the game. Malik, however, does not become a permanent member of the party. When Asbel and Malik return, Cheria greets them at the entrance to the academy. She brings grave news; Asbel’s father has been killed in attack on Lhant. Asbel and Cheria return to Lhant, while Malik remains and continues his duties with the Knights. He attempts to convince the Knights to assist Lhant, but is unsuccessful.
Not long after Asbel and Cheria leave, the King of Windor as well as Richard are announced dead. Malik remains loyal to the Knights and follows the orders of the new king, Cedric. In no time at all, there is an organized rebel group formed that is intent on attacking Windor and seizing control. The Knights, including Malik, are dispatched to Wallbridge (a fortressed bridge), to stop them from entering the capitol city of Barona.
It is not clear how much Malik knows, but he is not surprised to see Asbel and Richard both leading the rebel group. Regardless if Malik knew Richard was alive, or if the previous king had been murdered and Richard nearly so by Cedric, he remains loyal to the Knights and attacks Asbel, Richard, and the rest of the group claiming that it is his job. Although he is defeated, he does not seem upset about the outcome. Rather, he compliments Asbel on his fighting strength and asks him to protect Richard and the country. Richard has Malik locked away as a prisoner in to await his fate while Richard, the ‘rebel’ army (primarily Duke Dalen’s forces), and the others liberate Windor castle.
Once Richard dispatches his evil uncle Cedric and ascends onto the throne of Windor, the fate of the prisoners is decided. Due in no small part to Asbel’s insistence, those Knights that sided with Cedric escape execution and are instead stripped of their rank, titles, and expelled from service. Immediately after his release, Malik approaches Asbel and his group within the castle and asks to accompany them on their mission. He credits Asbel with saving not only his life, but the lives of the other Knights who had been taken prisoner. The best way to repay this debt is to offer his help and perhaps his life to assist Asbel. Asbel quickly accepts Malik’s offer and both he and Sophie are quick to welcome Malik back to the group despite his actions against them at Wallbridge. Throughout the main arc of the story the entire party continues to address him as ‘Captain’ or ‘Captain Malik’ even though officially he has been stripped of this rank, showing that he is still highly respected by his companions.
At this point Malik becomes part of the party and his story becomes parallel to the events that occur in the game. Unfortunately, there does not seem to be a very comprehensive summary of these events. Short bits can be found at the Aselia Wiki and Wikipedia. A short wiki entry on Malik can also be found at Aselia.
By the end of the game Malik has reconciled with himself over the events that happened in Fendel early in his life and dedicates himself to improve the living conditions within the country by acting as a diplomat/liason between the other nations and making sure Pascal’s hot water system is implemented.
[ Personality ] :
Malik is one of the oldest (mortal) main characters to be found in the Tales series of games. As such, he is one of the most world-wise characters and is often giving advice, acting as a tour guide, or keeping his ‘students’ in line. The simplest analogy to his character would be to a candy (perhaps in a box of chocolates rather than a box of jewels) that is hard on the outside but gooey on the inside. The world and his long history of military service have made him tough, but in his heart he’s still a love-sick romantic and a mischievous prankster. He’s a manly-man (as evidenced by his facial hair and cologne that he wears) and a heartbreaker (much to Hubert and Richard’s amusement), a soldier and a teacher, a lover and a fighter, a talker and a listener.
Serious/Temperate: Through rigorous training Malik retains his mature composure in almost all instances. He never rages out of control, he never becomes overly sad, nor does he ever become excessively happy. He remains calm and collected in almost any situation. It is rare that you see him being ‘silly’ or even laughing out loud. Even when he isn’t being serious, he’s not smiling. He delivers his quips with a straight face and woe be to those who are gullible.
Thoughtful/Intelligent: Malik and his hand have a serious relationship. (Get your mind out of the gutter.) Through most of the game his pose is a thoughtful hand placed firmly on his chin. He constantly fidgets with his goatee while listening to others or pondering options. He is a firm believer in strategy and careful analysis of the situation before them – especially in battle – but this also includes interpersonal relationships. He is well acquainted with how the world works and plans accordingly. In his youth he may have tried to fight the system, now he moves within the rules that he knows exists in order to succeed.
Old-fashioned/Sentimental: He’s old! For a Tales character personality anyway. His favorite food, sea bream porridge, is considered old-fashioned. He wistfully remembers his youth and the people he’s lost. He even tuts about kids these days, and how their weapons don’t need any skill to use anymore. Not like when he was learning to fight, back then in the old days – it was harder and you had to have real skills to succeed while fighting in the snow uphill both ways on the way to military school with nothing more than a shoelace.
Romantic/Lover: The only driving passion that Malik has (or had) in his life is his love of Lorelia. Even his devotion to his country was superseded by his love for her. His greatest loss, greatest pain, and greatest guilt was her death. He does his best on Ephinea to do things that would make her happy and looks forward to the day he can meet with her again. As mentioned before, Malik is widely considered to be good-looking and women appear to fall for him very frequently. While he doesn’t pursue these women as far as he could (how far he actually takes these relationships is debatable), he doesn’t immediately push them away either. He takes pride in his sex appeal and how he looks (and smells) and enjoys the attention from the ladies and being in their company.
Loyal/Dedicated: Malik is most loyal to his lost love Lorelia. See the section above for more details. He’s not dead of course, and is still a handsome man, but there will never be another love for him like the one he had for Lorelia. Second to his dedication to Lorelia, is his loyalty to his country – more specifically the people in it. Though he did start a rebel group within the military, he did it out of the sense of responsibility for his fellow countrymen. When all the events from the game are over, our of all the places he could go or options he had, his choice is to return to Fendel and try to help make it a better place. It’s a difficult job and he knows it, but there are no reservations in his mind that it is his duty to go back and fix things. Even when he is not fighting for his native country, his sense of duty is strong. It is his loyalty to the Knights that had him supporting a murderer (King Cedric) and literally attacking his former prized student Asbel and his longtime friend and protectee Richard. Despite this apparent betrayal, Malik is also loyal to his companions once he is discharged from the military. He may not always agree with that their plans are, but he will follow and protect them regardless.
Teacher/Father: Malik has a soft spot for children. This likely comes from their naivete and innocence, two things that he has long lost but delights in tormenting them with (see mischievous). His occupational choice was that of an instructor rather than any other military position. He enjoys teaching younger people and helping them to grow into the best adults they can be. He is quick to critique defects in performance (battle or otherwise) and often just as quick to provide support and compliment good performance. Though he himself would be angry to be described as a grandfather (too old!), he serves that role as a stern but loving father figure for the entire group. While it is Asbel who officially adopts Sophie into his family and becomes her ‘father’, in many ways it is Malik who is doing the actual work. Sophie and Malik share a special bond that is best described as a father/daughter relationship. Sophie has questions – Malik has answers. Not always honest ones (again, see mischievous), but he tries to help Sophie understand the world that is around her. It is implied that the two spend a lot of long evenings together talking, telling stories, or even singing and fills her head with all sorts of inappropriate things.
Resolute: One of the main themes in Tales of Graces is friendship and with that, forgiveness. Many of the characters (especially Asbel) readily look past the faults or sins of others for the sake of friendship or compassion. Malik does not. When other party members are willing to forgive and accept Lambda, Malik refuses. It is not clear whether Malik ever really trusts Lambda – but because he believes in Asbel and the others, he is willing to go along with their decision. Where others are lamenting and showing compassion over Emeraude’s death, Malik reminds them of the atrocities she’s committed and her attempt to kill Richard. His opinion of people or his courses of action are not easily changed. This can be both positive and negative for him. It serves him well as a military Captain and former rebel leader – overly trusting individuals would not survive well in these occupations. At the same time, it makes him a more callous person than some of his companions and death, sacrifice, or killing is an acceptable (if not always optimal) solution to problems. For as long as Malik knew Richard, and as close as the two are – there are no times where he appears to struggle with the thought of having to fight or possibly kill Richard for what Malik believes is the proper course of action. When fighting both Asbel and Richard at the top of Wallbridge, he warns them that he will not show mercy simply because they know each other and he expects them to do the same.
Mischievous: For all of Malik’s seriousness and painful losses in his life, he is always on the lookout to amuse himself by messing with the people he likes. He’s a natural born troll and loves to do it. Malik and Richard know each other very well, and one of their favorite pastimes is trolling their companions as a team. Whether it is telling Sophie her pigtails allow her to fly, or that Pascal’s daughter is Fourier, or picking on Huber for his fighting style, or asking Cheria to make out with him just to get Asbel jealous, or making snide comments about Hubert’s ‘secret’ crush, or demanding a search for gills on Pascal, … the list goes on. His capacity for telling lies with a straight face can oftentimes obscure what the truth actually is. Was he serious or was it just another thing he made up? While not as merciless in his taunting as other Tales characters, Malik would not be nearly as fun without his mostly innocent mean streak. After all, he only trolls the ones he loves.
[ Strengths/Weaknesses ] :
Malik is a highly trained fighter and a formidable opponent. He is primarily a magic user and has some of the flashiest spells/artes in the game. He prefers to attack from range and when magic won’t do, he can easily switch to a thrown melee weapon called a bladerang. (It’s a sword and a boomerang. MANLY.)
His strengths include: physical strength (strong for a normal human), combat skills, magic use, strategy, organizational/leader skills, intelligence, level-headedness.
His weaknesses include: magic requires stationary and very vulnerable casting time, thinking within the box (the only way he saw to win was killing Lambda), cynicism, set in his ways, not as spritely as those kids on his lawn,being old.
[ Other Important Facts ] :
Bartender: Malik is an accomplished bartender and fulfills that role at least twice in the game. He knows alcohol, he knows about relationships, he knows about love, he knows how to listen, and he knows his way around a martini mixer. He even has one at the ready when he happens upon Raymond Oswell and Bailey lamenting upon their unrequited love of Cheria. Malik’s solution – time for some manly talking over drinks!
Bladerang: It’s a sword, but also a boomerang. Also – he can jump on top of it and ride it while it’s spinning. The bladerang is the pinnacle in manly thrown weapons. It also looks badass. Who wouldn’t want a sword that you can throw and it comes back to you without cutting off your arms?
Artes:
Malik is unashamed in his manly awesomeness. One of his artes, called the Malik Beam – is a burst of energy that is released from behind him. The phrase he utters before he turns around to use it? “A man speaks with his back. Malik Beam!”
It doesn’t stop there, the awesome keeps going. Don’t forget the ultimate form of Malik’s work andlongest best arte name in the Tales series – the “Tremorous Celestial Sundering Shredding Light of Cyclonic Butchery”.
[ Sample ]
http://starfishbucks.dreamwidth.org/17538.html
[ Personal DW ] : N/A
[ Age ] : Mentally or chronologically? 25+
[ Timezone ] : Central
[ Other Characters ] : N/A
[ Character's Name ] : Captain Malik Caesar
[ Character's Age ] : 40
[ Series ] : Tales of Graces f
[ Canon Point ] : This Malik will be from a short time (1 month) after the events which occurred in the game Tales of Graces f. This would be from a time point which includes all plot, events, and character development that occurred in the ‘Future arc’ of the game. One month after the actual game ending provides enough time for the characters in this Malik’s world to have had time to rest and recuperate from the events in the game and have the chance to settle back into their lives a little but not so much time as to allow for any significant changes from canon.
[ History ] :
There is not a very detailed timeline for Malik, but there are several important events which are detailed in the game and provide a general history for the character.
The first event we are explicitly told about occurs in Malik’s twenties. At this point he has already been a soldier of the Fendelian army for several years. Fendel can be assumed to be Malik’s birthplace, and is the northern most nation of the three that exist within Ephinea. Fendel is styled after an industrial Soviet-era nation. It is a militaristic society rife with firearms and snow, where the power resides within the hands of only one person, Chancellor Eigen. The labor and all the products produced by the nation all appear to be used and distributed according to the demands of the military and those people who have power (or money) within it. This divides the country into a lower and upper class. Those in the lower class are forced to work for little return and live in increasing poverty. Those in the upper class live off the backs of others and seem to have little regard for the increasingly poor conditions that the majority of the people in the nation live in. Needless to say, many people feel this dictatorship is corrupt and unfair and is hurting the country rather than making it stronger.
Malik is one of these individuals. While in the Fendelian army he befriends two other individuals, Kurt Bessel and a woman named Lorelia. The three of them become close friends, with both Kurt and Malik falling in love with Lorelia. The three of them spearhead a rebellion from within the state to try and improve conditions and presumably remove the Chancellor from power. It is later revealed that Lorelia is the Chancellor’s daughter. Faced with this information, Malik attempts to dissuade Lorelia from any further actions within their rebel organization by lying to her and implying that he has doubts about her loyalty. His attempt is unsuccessful and may (it is not specifically stated) prompt Lorelia to undertake even more dangerous tasks which leads to her being discovered as a spy and prompt death. Malik loved Lorelia deeply, and her death, which he may partly blame himself for, leads him to abandon the rebellion and flee Fendel. Kurt remains but the rebellion is crushed. Whether Kurt survives or not is unknown to Malik until twenty or so years later.
It is unclear how much time passes and what events transpire between Malik fleeing Fendel and his involvement with the Knight Academy in the capitol city of Windor, the south eastern nation in Ephinea. While at the academy, Malik’s instructor gives him the nickname Mally – one he does not appreciate. The daughter of this same instructor falls in love with Malik and recommends that he himself be made an instructor without having to go through the same route everyone else takes to get to that esteemed position. This recommendation along with his previous military experience and training puts Malik in line to be one of the leading instructors by the time the story introduces him as a character. Although Malik gets the position, he does not seem to share the same feelings for the daughter as she has for him and leaves her at some point. Malik earns a reputation as a lady killer, though it is largely unintentional. He remains loyal to Lorelia despite her death, and seems to ignore the affections cast towards him by other women.
Approximately ten years later, Malik’s first encounter with the other main characters of the game occurs just outside the Knight Academy. The group, consisting of Asbel Lhant, Cheria Barnes, Sophie, and Richard, are still young children and are taking the prince on a covert and ‘illegal’ day trip through his own capitol city of Barona. Malik is already well acquainted with Richard as the Knights serve to protect the King and the royal family of Windor. When the young prince Richard is introduced to him as “Tiger Festival” by Asbel, Malik simply plays along and lets the group continue on their outing – though not without a whispered word of warning to Richard about wandering the city unprotected.
Shortly after this meeting Sophie dies in an event which also incapacitates Richard. It is likely that Malik would have heard about this considering the prince’s involvement though it is never explicitly mentioned. A few days after this event, Asbel, still a child, would return to Windor and stubbornly request to be admitted into the Knight academy despite repeated refusals to allow him in.
The story then skips ahead seven years. During this time Asbel has been admitted to the Academy and has nearly completed his Knight training. Malik and Asbel develop a close teacher/student relationship and Asbel holds Malik in very high regard and considers him a role model. The two go on a mission together to investigate a disturbance in the woods which leads to the discovery of a nova monster, the release of a strange power from Asbel, and ultimately leads to the unfolding of the main plot line within the game. Malik, however, does not become a permanent member of the party. When Asbel and Malik return, Cheria greets them at the entrance to the academy. She brings grave news; Asbel’s father has been killed in attack on Lhant. Asbel and Cheria return to Lhant, while Malik remains and continues his duties with the Knights. He attempts to convince the Knights to assist Lhant, but is unsuccessful.
Not long after Asbel and Cheria leave, the King of Windor as well as Richard are announced dead. Malik remains loyal to the Knights and follows the orders of the new king, Cedric. In no time at all, there is an organized rebel group formed that is intent on attacking Windor and seizing control. The Knights, including Malik, are dispatched to Wallbridge (a fortressed bridge), to stop them from entering the capitol city of Barona.
It is not clear how much Malik knows, but he is not surprised to see Asbel and Richard both leading the rebel group. Regardless if Malik knew Richard was alive, or if the previous king had been murdered and Richard nearly so by Cedric, he remains loyal to the Knights and attacks Asbel, Richard, and the rest of the group claiming that it is his job. Although he is defeated, he does not seem upset about the outcome. Rather, he compliments Asbel on his fighting strength and asks him to protect Richard and the country. Richard has Malik locked away as a prisoner in to await his fate while Richard, the ‘rebel’ army (primarily Duke Dalen’s forces), and the others liberate Windor castle.
Once Richard dispatches his evil uncle Cedric and ascends onto the throne of Windor, the fate of the prisoners is decided. Due in no small part to Asbel’s insistence, those Knights that sided with Cedric escape execution and are instead stripped of their rank, titles, and expelled from service. Immediately after his release, Malik approaches Asbel and his group within the castle and asks to accompany them on their mission. He credits Asbel with saving not only his life, but the lives of the other Knights who had been taken prisoner. The best way to repay this debt is to offer his help and perhaps his life to assist Asbel. Asbel quickly accepts Malik’s offer and both he and Sophie are quick to welcome Malik back to the group despite his actions against them at Wallbridge. Throughout the main arc of the story the entire party continues to address him as ‘Captain’ or ‘Captain Malik’ even though officially he has been stripped of this rank, showing that he is still highly respected by his companions.
At this point Malik becomes part of the party and his story becomes parallel to the events that occur in the game. Unfortunately, there does not seem to be a very comprehensive summary of these events. Short bits can be found at the Aselia Wiki and Wikipedia. A short wiki entry on Malik can also be found at Aselia.
By the end of the game Malik has reconciled with himself over the events that happened in Fendel early in his life and dedicates himself to improve the living conditions within the country by acting as a diplomat/liason between the other nations and making sure Pascal’s hot water system is implemented.
[ Personality ] :
Malik is one of the oldest (mortal) main characters to be found in the Tales series of games. As such, he is one of the most world-wise characters and is often giving advice, acting as a tour guide, or keeping his ‘students’ in line. The simplest analogy to his character would be to a candy (perhaps in a box of chocolates rather than a box of jewels) that is hard on the outside but gooey on the inside. The world and his long history of military service have made him tough, but in his heart he’s still a love-sick romantic and a mischievous prankster. He’s a manly-man (as evidenced by his facial hair and cologne that he wears) and a heartbreaker (much to Hubert and Richard’s amusement), a soldier and a teacher, a lover and a fighter, a talker and a listener.
Serious/Temperate: Through rigorous training Malik retains his mature composure in almost all instances. He never rages out of control, he never becomes overly sad, nor does he ever become excessively happy. He remains calm and collected in almost any situation. It is rare that you see him being ‘silly’ or even laughing out loud. Even when he isn’t being serious, he’s not smiling. He delivers his quips with a straight face and woe be to those who are gullible.
Thoughtful/Intelligent: Malik and his hand have a serious relationship. (Get your mind out of the gutter.) Through most of the game his pose is a thoughtful hand placed firmly on his chin. He constantly fidgets with his goatee while listening to others or pondering options. He is a firm believer in strategy and careful analysis of the situation before them – especially in battle – but this also includes interpersonal relationships. He is well acquainted with how the world works and plans accordingly. In his youth he may have tried to fight the system, now he moves within the rules that he knows exists in order to succeed.
Old-fashioned/Sentimental: He’s old! For a Tales character personality anyway. His favorite food, sea bream porridge, is considered old-fashioned. He wistfully remembers his youth and the people he’s lost. He even tuts about kids these days, and how their weapons don’t need any skill to use anymore. Not like when he was learning to fight, back then in the old days – it was harder and you had to have real skills to succeed while fighting in the snow uphill both ways on the way to military school with nothing more than a shoelace.
Romantic/Lover: The only driving passion that Malik has (or had) in his life is his love of Lorelia. Even his devotion to his country was superseded by his love for her. His greatest loss, greatest pain, and greatest guilt was her death. He does his best on Ephinea to do things that would make her happy and looks forward to the day he can meet with her again. As mentioned before, Malik is widely considered to be good-looking and women appear to fall for him very frequently. While he doesn’t pursue these women as far as he could (how far he actually takes these relationships is debatable), he doesn’t immediately push them away either. He takes pride in his sex appeal and how he looks (and smells) and enjoys the attention from the ladies and being in their company.
Loyal/Dedicated: Malik is most loyal to his lost love Lorelia. See the section above for more details. He’s not dead of course, and is still a handsome man, but there will never be another love for him like the one he had for Lorelia. Second to his dedication to Lorelia, is his loyalty to his country – more specifically the people in it. Though he did start a rebel group within the military, he did it out of the sense of responsibility for his fellow countrymen. When all the events from the game are over, our of all the places he could go or options he had, his choice is to return to Fendel and try to help make it a better place. It’s a difficult job and he knows it, but there are no reservations in his mind that it is his duty to go back and fix things. Even when he is not fighting for his native country, his sense of duty is strong. It is his loyalty to the Knights that had him supporting a murderer (King Cedric) and literally attacking his former prized student Asbel and his longtime friend and protectee Richard. Despite this apparent betrayal, Malik is also loyal to his companions once he is discharged from the military. He may not always agree with that their plans are, but he will follow and protect them regardless.
Teacher/Father: Malik has a soft spot for children. This likely comes from their naivete and innocence, two things that he has long lost but delights in tormenting them with (see mischievous). His occupational choice was that of an instructor rather than any other military position. He enjoys teaching younger people and helping them to grow into the best adults they can be. He is quick to critique defects in performance (battle or otherwise) and often just as quick to provide support and compliment good performance. Though he himself would be angry to be described as a grandfather (too old!), he serves that role as a stern but loving father figure for the entire group. While it is Asbel who officially adopts Sophie into his family and becomes her ‘father’, in many ways it is Malik who is doing the actual work. Sophie and Malik share a special bond that is best described as a father/daughter relationship. Sophie has questions – Malik has answers. Not always honest ones (again, see mischievous), but he tries to help Sophie understand the world that is around her. It is implied that the two spend a lot of long evenings together talking, telling stories, or even singing and fills her head with all sorts of inappropriate things.
Resolute: One of the main themes in Tales of Graces is friendship and with that, forgiveness. Many of the characters (especially Asbel) readily look past the faults or sins of others for the sake of friendship or compassion. Malik does not. When other party members are willing to forgive and accept Lambda, Malik refuses. It is not clear whether Malik ever really trusts Lambda – but because he believes in Asbel and the others, he is willing to go along with their decision. Where others are lamenting and showing compassion over Emeraude’s death, Malik reminds them of the atrocities she’s committed and her attempt to kill Richard. His opinion of people or his courses of action are not easily changed. This can be both positive and negative for him. It serves him well as a military Captain and former rebel leader – overly trusting individuals would not survive well in these occupations. At the same time, it makes him a more callous person than some of his companions and death, sacrifice, or killing is an acceptable (if not always optimal) solution to problems. For as long as Malik knew Richard, and as close as the two are – there are no times where he appears to struggle with the thought of having to fight or possibly kill Richard for what Malik believes is the proper course of action. When fighting both Asbel and Richard at the top of Wallbridge, he warns them that he will not show mercy simply because they know each other and he expects them to do the same.
Mischievous: For all of Malik’s seriousness and painful losses in his life, he is always on the lookout to amuse himself by messing with the people he likes. He’s a natural born troll and loves to do it. Malik and Richard know each other very well, and one of their favorite pastimes is trolling their companions as a team. Whether it is telling Sophie her pigtails allow her to fly, or that Pascal’s daughter is Fourier, or picking on Huber for his fighting style, or asking Cheria to make out with him just to get Asbel jealous, or making snide comments about Hubert’s ‘secret’ crush, or demanding a search for gills on Pascal, … the list goes on. His capacity for telling lies with a straight face can oftentimes obscure what the truth actually is. Was he serious or was it just another thing he made up? While not as merciless in his taunting as other Tales characters, Malik would not be nearly as fun without his mostly innocent mean streak. After all, he only trolls the ones he loves.
[ Strengths/Weaknesses ] :
Malik is a highly trained fighter and a formidable opponent. He is primarily a magic user and has some of the flashiest spells/artes in the game. He prefers to attack from range and when magic won’t do, he can easily switch to a thrown melee weapon called a bladerang. (It’s a sword and a boomerang. MANLY.)
His strengths include: physical strength (strong for a normal human), combat skills, magic use, strategy, organizational/leader skills, intelligence, level-headedness.
His weaknesses include: magic requires stationary and very vulnerable casting time, thinking within the box (the only way he saw to win was killing Lambda), cynicism, set in his ways, not as spritely as those kids on his lawn,
[ Other Important Facts ] :
Bartender: Malik is an accomplished bartender and fulfills that role at least twice in the game. He knows alcohol, he knows about relationships, he knows about love, he knows how to listen, and he knows his way around a martini mixer. He even has one at the ready when he happens upon Raymond Oswell and Bailey lamenting upon their unrequited love of Cheria. Malik’s solution – time for some manly talking over drinks!
Bladerang: It’s a sword, but also a boomerang. Also – he can jump on top of it and ride it while it’s spinning. The bladerang is the pinnacle in manly thrown weapons. It also looks badass. Who wouldn’t want a sword that you can throw and it comes back to you without cutting off your arms?
Artes:
Malik is unashamed in his manly awesomeness. One of his artes, called the Malik Beam – is a burst of energy that is released from behind him. The phrase he utters before he turns around to use it? “A man speaks with his back. Malik Beam!”
It doesn’t stop there, the awesome keeps going. Don’t forget the ultimate form of Malik’s work and
[ Sample ]
http://starfishbucks.dreamwidth.org/17538.html
