Institute App

[princesstenko]

PLAYER INFORMATION
PLAYER: gonsai
ARE YOU AT LEAST 14 YEARS OLD?: y
IF UNDER 18 YEARS OLD, PLEASE STATE YOUR AGE: n/a
CONTACT: aim = gonsaifong
PERSONAL JOURNAL: gonsai
CHARACTERS PLAYED: Reimu, Parsee, Juri, Ukitake


CHARACTER INFORMATION
NAME: Ran Yakumo
CANON: Touhou Project
CANON REFERENCE: Wiki article
AGE: 26 in this AU, over 800 in canon
GENDER: Female
YEAR IN SCHOOL/FACULTY POSITION: Mathematics Teacher

APPEARANCE: If I have to choose between ZUN and Aki Eda's art...

PERSONALITY: One of the first degrees of Ran's personality that most will notice is that she has a very maternal way of going about things. She mothers people, whether they're part of her bizarre little "family" or not. This can be a bit endearing at times, and probably annoying at others. But it's still very much a thing for her, and where it came from is something of a mystery, as she had no real mother figure in her life, unless you want to count Yukari towards that. It's hard to say. She tries to keep it in check when it's not appropriate at least. But expect her to fuss at you for one thing or another.

But on top of that, Ran has a quality that is much more deeply endearing, and that is her ability to form lasting, trust-based bonds. Once Ran's loyalty to someone is won, it will never falter. This is specifically shown in her relationship to Yukari, whom she follows without question and trusts with her whole being. She also forms similar, though not as intense, relationships with others, willing to stand by them and stick things out. She doesn't like the idea of going through life alone, as she had to for some time, and will do all in her power to insure those she cares for will not have to do so.

Which isn't to say Ran is always so serious. In fact, more often, she has a pretty playful side to her that shows in more casual interaction. She likes to tease people and play little tricks from time to time. She hardly does this to intentionally upset anyone, but it's in her nature to do so. Ran identifies as a fox, after all, and she does as foxes do. Whether it's illusions or just simple mathematical tricks, Ran enjoys doing rather "foxy" things when the mood hits her for it.

Though, what Ran falls into most in her idle time isn't being the trickster fox, but rather just doing stupidly hard mathematical tasks. Or even beyond that, just anything that would probably seem silly or a waste of time to most. When she's bored, she may just go and casually draw up an equation for determining the width of a river that varies from person to person (the legendary Sanzu). Why? Because she had the time for it. It may seem pointless to most, but for Ran, she sees very little reason not to indulge in number juggling.

If you haven't already figured it out by now, Ran is exceptionally intelligent. She can do complex math in head and has a profound understanding of things she hasn't even properly studied, such as military strategy and thermodynamics. Her mind is like a puzzle constantly making itself more complicated with each new thing she learns or masters. This is likely Yukari's influence on her, but it seems more that Yukari simply fostered a talent that was already there. And she can only grow more as Yukari continues to allow her to serve her. Eventually she will take over Yukari's loft position, after all. She will need to be prepared.

All in all, Ran is described by most as having a very gentle personality. Between her mothering, her playfulness, and her intelligence, it all comes back to her sort of coming to embody the essense of the Japanese concept of "yamato nadeshiko", or the ideal Japanese woman. Whether or not this was ZUN's intention all along or just came as a consequence of how the character shaped over her time in canon isn't certain, but it is indeed a good way to sum up what is a surprisingly complex character, in spite of her seemingly minor role in the overall story of the games and extended media.

POWERS/ABILITIES: Firstly, Ran has the physiology of a traditional Japanese youkai; the nine-tailed fox. In the X-men 'verse, many of the youkai of Japan's mythological tradition are in fact just mutants and other metahumans. Ran is no different. Though it should be noted that in spite of her being a mutant and essentially human in this game, she still largely identifies as a fox more than as a human (or by extension, a mutant). But yes, she has fox ears and nine tails.

Her primary ability, though, is also traditionally associated with these youkai and that is the "fox fire". The fox fire is a multipurpose tool used from anything to actual flame to simply bending light to create illusions through precisely controlled heat. Ran can disguise herself with this power (but not her tails, as they simply cannot be hidden due to their mass) or disguise others, as well as create more complex illusions. They are, however, only visual illusions and cannot trick the other senses.

Her fox fire can be used as an actual weapon as well, usually taking on the look of blue or white flames uses as projectiles or shields. Her ability to control the heat this well largely due to her mathematical talents, able to calculate with precision on how to apply the fire far better than most ever could. This allows her to diversify her powers well beyond what would be considered average or even higher.

AU HISTORY: Ran did not have very long to attach herself to her birth parents. They abandoned her before she was even able to walk, leaving her in a homeless ghetto in inner Nagano city. The vagrants and beggars there took her in, not really concerned that she was an obvious mutant (as a few of them were as well) and at least kept her alive and helped her learn to read and write. The lack of primary education didn't stop her intelligence from shining through of course, as she soon proved useful in stealing food for the others.

Of course, one "free meal" caught the attention of a stage magician, of all things, who decided they could make use of Ran's condition and talents far better than the homeless community was. They took her in, taught her their trade, and provided for her a basic, home-based primary education. There was, unfortunately, little attachment between the master and their apprentice, and Ran was largely used as part of their act. For that reason, when she was 13 and old enough to pass as a woman rather than a child, she decided to part ways with her master, but thanked them none the less for the help they provided her.

She took to doing street shows herself in order to make money, having found that thievery to be a distasteful way of obtaining food. She had actually started to earn a name for herself, being called the Second Princess Tenko by fans of her street performances in Nagano. This is probably exactly what brought Yukari Yakumo to her. This woman, this astounding woman, had noticed the fox girl. And before long, Ran had been taken in by her, drawn in by her mystery, her intelligence, and her power. It would be the beginning of a new life for her.

Yukari gave Ran her name, discarding the old one as part of her past, gone forever. She raised her from that age on, sculpting her, molding her into the woman she is today. She was at times Yukari's "daughter", at other times her servant, and sometimes her lover. But what never changed, even as the nature of their relationship did, was Ran's loyalty to Yukari. Yukari was everything Ran wished to be, and she decided on that day so long ago now that she would remain at Yukari's side forever. It was a profound decision to make, but it is one she has kept ever since.

Their bizarre pairing did not remain just that for long. Ran came across another girl who was in a situation similar to her own, a young mutant who needed help and guidance. Someone with raw talent that needed a proper teacher. She met Chen, and taking her under her wing much like Yukari had before, the group became something of a strange family. A family that learned from and followed Yukari wherever she went. And that meant right to the Xavier Institute.

Chen enrolled as a student. Ran took a position as a mathematics teacher. Both looked forward to this new chapter in their life together. The future seemed so bright.


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