APPLICATION @ CEREALIA

[redsea]

Applicant Info

◎ Name: Yana
◎ Journal: yanyan
◎ Contact: PM or vinea

Character Info

◎ Character's Name: Kougyoku Ren
◎ Character's Canon: Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic
◎ Character's Age: 18
◎ Canon Point: Chapter 147
◎ Background/History:

Magi @ Wikipedia | Kougyoku Ren @ the Magi wikia
The wiki might be lacking, so I did a write up of her involvement in the main canon. I only wrote about the events until the canon point I chose for her.

Ren Kougyoku is the Eight Imperial Princess of the Kou Empire, a nation loosely based on ancient China. She first appears in the Kingdom of Balbadd to wed its king, Ahbmad Saluja, in order to add the country and control of its market and ports to the empire. However, she has no desire to marry and is only doing so out of obligation to her father, the emperor. She also is in no position to refuse the order. In Balbadd, she kills Aladdin's djinn friend, Ugo, after she sees Judal beaten half-dead. She and her people prepare to kill everyone as well, but she is stopped by Sinbad, the king of Sindria, whom she falls in love with at first sight. She wishes to meet him again and soon does the day before her wedding, when she interrupts Balbadd's royal court after hearing the commotion caused by Alibaba.

Regardless of the state of Balbadd's government, Kougyoku insists that she must marry the king of Balbadd tomorrow, to which Alibaba replies with a bold statement - there will be no king for her to marry because there will be no king! He plans on changing the government of Balbadd to a republic and asks Kougyoku to call off all of Balbadd's debts and the "citizen's rights" pact mentioned in the wiki. Kougyoku refuses, so she and Alibaba face off in a heated albeit meaningless political debate until they are interrupted by Sinbad. He reveals that Balbadd is under the protection of the Seven Seas Alliance, so Kougyoku arranges for him to come to the Kou Empire to show the documents proving this to the emperor, but in reality, she only wanted to speak with him and escape marriage. She leaves after the deal is made.

Six months later, Kougyoku arrives in Sindria, extremely angered by what Sinbad did in the Kou Empire that she even threatens to kill herself. Not only did he not speak to her once during her stay, but he even took her virginity under her nose! The nerve! It was a problem that could start a war and can only be solved with marriage. Thankfully, it is a misunderstanding. Kougyoku is still a virgin. Her attendant, Ka Koubun, was at fault. He only wanted to create a commotion that would result in Kougyoku's marriage and his promotion...

Kougyoku stays in Sindria for some months because she is afraid to go back to her kingdom after the fiasco in Balbadd. During her stay, Judar arrives to tell her to come back and declares Sindria as Kou's enemy. Even so, she apologizes to Sinbad for Judar's actions and falls for Sinbad even more despite being fully aware that he will never return her feelings. She also speaks with Alibaba more often after he is cured of his curse. Sinbad spars with her and casts a spell on her before she delivers her final blow, putting her and nearly everyone in the area to sleep. She wakes up and sees Alibaba by her bedside. It is then that she confesses her true feelings to Alibaba about Sinbad, her obligation to her country and what she feels she must do--she must stop the war between Kou and Sindria before it even begins. She then asks Alibaba to be her first friend, which is a huge milestone for the princess. A few days later, she leaves for Kou.

In the Kou Empire, she attempts to approach her brother Kouen and speak to him about his plan for world domination and how she does not want to put Sindria in harm's way, but she is caught in a situation where she cannot refuse her brother's request for her aid. In the end, she doesn't say anything to him. After this, she witnesses the rise of Gyokuen, her wicked stepmother, as the Kou Empire's new empress after her father's death.

◎ Is the character a hacker and/or do they have a sixth-sense? No.

◎ Personality:

Kou Empire's Eighth Imperial Princess Kougyoku Ren was a little eight-year-old girl ignored by the residents of the imperial palace and ostracized by her siblings. Discouraged from socializing due to her status as the last princess in line for the throne and an illegitimate child, she developed a timid and reclusive personality, never caring for her appearance nor speaking to others at all. She was that weird child in the corner of the room - sometimes, under the table - playing with her hand-me-down dolls as she made them talk in little whispers, alone. However, her fate changed when her uncle passed away and her father rose to the throne, giving her more leverage in the imperial court. After these events, it was her then new attendant, Ka Koubun, who gave her the motivation to better herself...

...which led us to the Kougyoku Ren of today. Compared to her past self, Kougyoku was cheerful, fun-seeking and an avid daydreamer. The thrill of a fight got her blood rushing, and there's nothing else that makes her happier than losing her herself in her fantasies! Because of Ka Koubun, she had also become particularly attentive to her outward appearance, taking an interest in fashion and cosmetics. The desire to fall in love had taken root as well, making her quite the romantic. She was now a intelligent woman who thinks before she acts, but not as calculating as her brothers nor as in control of her emotions.

What defined the current Kougyoku the most, however, was her pride in herself. Her presence in her family and in the imperial court was not as pronounced as the rest of her siblings, so if she ever found herself excelling at something, she did not hesitate to announce it to the world. This pride gave her more than self-confidence—it was a personal affirmation of her existence.

Nevertheless, Kougyoku remained rather innocent and naive due to how Ka Koubun raised her, making her very gullible. Most would rather use the word immature—she often sought approval from others like a child, was easily provoked, had a tendency to overreact and was still fond of playing games such as kemari and make-believe. She was not close with any of her siblings save for her brother Kouen nor did she have any friends as she grew up, so she had a strong desire to build relationships with others. As luck would have it, this came into conflict with her shy nature. Rarely did she succeed in her friend-making ventures and this often made her feel very lonely.

Her first appearance painted her as a villain alongside Kou Empire's Magi, Judar, but she later revealed that he was an important person to her; he was a boy she grew up with and one of the first few who recognized her strength. When she found Judar near death at the hands of Ugo in Balbadd, it was enough to provoke her into killing Ugo and harming everyone allied with him. After the events in Balbadd, it was shown that despite the bad influences around Kougyoku, she has a gentle heart. She genuinely cared for people and wished to connect with them, even if they did not reciprocate her feelings. The madness she was driven to should not have happened if Judar was not harmed. A similar instance happens when Kouen and Alibaba are struck down by the Medium, a powerful mass of dark rukh. The sight of her brother and her best friend wounded by this monster provokes Kougyoku into unleashing her most powerful attacks. Love is what Kougyoku lived without for most of her life, but how this shaped her own perspective was vastly different from other characters in Magi, such as Judar. People talked of rank and power, but she only desired recognition and love. And she treasures this love, whether romantic or platonic.

Kougyoku didn't fight for the sake of bloodshed, revenge or power; she fought to be seen as a person with value and to protect the people she cared for. She was a good person who was loyal and wanted to be of use to those who have helped her. The last thing she wanted is to meet her friends on the other side of the battlefield. Possessing knowledge and experience in combat and diplomacy, she used these skills for the betterment of the Kou Empire. In a conversation with Alibaba, she expressed her desire to "walk down the path of a warrior" and fight for her country, thinking that it was the only way to live her life. However, she said that the war between Sindria and her country was "wrong". Violence was not something she wished on innocent people, especially her friends.

Although frightening and beautiful as she appeared to be, she still had fears and worries that plague her every now and then. People in the palace judge and gossip about her—that never changed. But with the influence of others' words and behavior around her, she grew insecure, self-deprecating and uncomfortable in her own skin. When she walked down the carpet to meet her aunt, the empress, she was the only princess with her head bowed down, hands close to her chest and shoulders hunched. Of course, with insecurity came selfishness. Although it seemed that she frequently thought of others, it was more accurate to say she though of herself in relation to others. During a party while drunk, she spoke of not wanting to go back since her family was "better off without her, anyway." Her insecurity was also evident in her one-sided rivalry with the one person that annoyed her the most: her cousin, Hakuei Ren. She threw a fit whenever Hakuei got close to her brother, Kouen, and she also made a caustic remark about how Hakuei was better suited to doing the job assigned to her in Balbadd. But here's the thing: Hakuei was nothing but charismatic, noble and kind. What fueled Kougyoku's dislike for her cousin was envy.

On the other end of the spectrum, Kougyoku had many important men in her life who helped shape her into the young woman she is today. Kouen Ren and Judar were the first to recognize her, making them her two favorite people. As a result, she admired her brother Kouen and seemed to have a brother complex of some sort; he and her first love, Sinbad, were strikingly similar in appearance and personality. She found it difficult to oppose him because of her filial love and respect for him. As for Judar, she cared for him in spite of all of his shortcomings. Despite how he never runs out of tricks to play on her, Kougyoku would always hope for a positive word out of him. Her hopes were also constantly shot down. Kougyoku held both Kouen and Judar in high regard, so she wanted to impress them and make them proud, but at the same time, she was afraid of how her opinions and actions will affect her relationship with them.

Her attendant, Ka Koubun, was the one who raised her and had the most influence on her when she was a child. He was also the one who gave her the golden hairpin she wears—it can be argued that it is one of her most prized possessions. Judar often said that Ka Koubun "babied her too much," since she remained innocent regarding many adult topics such as sexuality. She had grown used to Ka Koubun following her wherever she went, and even when he was strongly opposed to whatever struck her fancy at the moment, she could somehow manage to wheedle him into playing along with her childish whims every time. He was the one of the only people who see Kougyoku's true self.

The newest addition to this list was Alibaba, whom she befriended in Sindria. Alibaba was unlike the other people in her life—bright, warm and gentle. She was amazed to know that she and Alibaba shared the same life story and, finally finding someone like her, instantly felt that they could get along. Needless to say, her friendship with Alibaba gave her joy and also helped her grow as a person.

Plagued by indecision due to her fear of facing the royal court, Kougyoku constantly delayed her trip back to her country. However, truly getting to know someone other than her family for the first time gave Kougyoku the courage to take action regarding the impending war between Kou and Sindria. Her friendship with Alibaba opened her eyes to what she truly wanted in life. She was not a warrior who blindly fought for her country. She was Kougyoku Ren, a girl who only wished to protect what was important.

◎ Powers/Abilities:

As a member of the Kou royal family, Kougyoku is well-trained in the art of swordplay. She is also one of the few who possess a metal vessel, which is an object used to contain a djinn, an artificial lifeform created by King Solomon. A metal vessel enables its user to use magic without being magicians themselves. It can be any object the person holds dear. In Kougyoku's case, it is her golden hairpin, a gift from Ka Koubun. This vessel glows in combat with an 8-pointed star when she calls forth the power of her Djinn, Vinea, a water dragon. Vinea enables her to use water magic with her own magoi (a power/concept similar to mana, qi, chakra or MP) and borrow or gather water from her surroundings for her attacks. Her exceptional skill enables her to use this magic defensively as a membrane and offensively as jets of water spinning around her weapon.

Djinn Weapon Equip » To amplify her attacks, she can surround her weapon with magoi (life force or magic in the Magi world) and equip her djinn with it. This is a more proper way to utilize a djinn rather than using its raw power to cast spells.
Djinn Equip » A full-body Djinn Equip can take place when one can compress their Djinn's power within him or herself, unleashing its full potential. When this happens, the Metal Vessel user's appearance attempts to take on the appearance of the Djinn. Compared to other Metal Vessel users, Kougyoku can do a djinn weapon equip effortlessly.
Vainel Arros » A spell that creates a vortex of water, forms it into a spear and aims it at the opponent.
Vainel Al-Salos » A spell that conjures multiple water spears and directs them at a target, similar to Judar's ice spell.
Extreme Magic: Vainel Ganezza » Only those who have mastered their Djinn Equip can cast Extreme Magic. Kougyoku's Djinn makes her capable of casting Vainel Ganezza, a spell that gathers enough water to flood an entire city and unleashes it in the form of a tsunami.

Her abilities are not limited to this! These are only the ones shown in canon. Her djinn is also able to create household vessels, which are further explained here for the sake of length. Her other skills include diplomacy, having an eye for fashion, making flower crowns, being really good at kemari and other things lonely princesses do.

◎ Weapons & Other Special Inventory:

• her metal vessel (a golden hairpin)
  
• her robes
  
• her training garb
  
• a jian
  
• a ball used for kemari

CEREALIA-Specific

◎ Element: Water
◎ Sense: Touch. She's very fussy about physical contact with strangers! Those who reached a hand out to her are now the most important people in her life as well, so I believe that this is the sense she values the most.
◎ Seven Character Traits: + (kind, innocent, strong-willed) - (volatile, gullible, timid) +/- (loyal)

Samples

◎ First-Person Sample:
post from forestcovered
test drive meme: 1 2 3 4 5

◎ Third-Person Sample:
Already in the game with Yata/rollin!

◎ Is your character retaining any previous game memories? No.