Khun ran essay pls 😭
The masses yearn and THUS I SHALL DELIVER!!! TYSM FOR THE ASK!
spoilers for those who have not read up to the name station arc!!!
Khun Ran oh Khun Ran… how I do adore you. Khun Ran to me is a character a lot of people have the capacity to misunderstand because he really doesn’t have much content at all, but what there IS of him to me tells a lot more than some fans think.
He is a boy who takes after his sister after all, and not just a half sister like the majority of the family, Khun Maschenny is in fact his full sister. She reflects in not only his attitude but his fighting style as well. BUT this essay is mainly going to revolve around his morals and the way I personally perceive them based on an OLD POST. Whoever you are anon I hope you enjoy this.
Khun Ran is someone who values power, not in the superficial way someone like White may value it though. He doesn’t hold himself above others, now you may think “grem he talks down to opponents all the time” and this is true! But there is a difference between his words and his actions, when have you EVER known Khun Ran to pull his punches?
He doesn’t underestimate people, he didn’t do it when he was with Khun’s team, he didn’t do it in the workshop, and he didn’t do it in the hell train. He can be prideful, in a way that has cost him before and will cost him again. No matter how strong he is he’s still quite young. Being thrust into the tower at such a young age has likely had unforeseen consequences on how he views interpersonal relationships.
Fighting, killing, winning, is all that really matters in the tower. Teammates are important, but you don’t necessarily need them if you’re strong enough. He constantly goes out on his own, takes fights all by himself, because he doesn’t have the luxury of being able to lose. His entire life is defined by battle. Fast and efficient is how he operates, if that means running ahead to take the kill he will do just that.
He respects his team even if he doesn’t show it, because he sees their power and trusts it, this is especially evident when he speaks to Dann when they first teamed together. “He’s bad at everything, except being fast.” He struggles to show appreciation but that doesn’t mean it isn’t there.
He adapts to them whether they realize or not. He’s a spear bearer, but I think it’s significant he was introduced as a fisherman. A role he took on because that was what Khun Aguero needed from him. He respects and holds some affection for Aguero enough to have a nickname for him. Would he ever acknowledge its affection? Absolutely not what family to you think this is? This is the Khun family all they know is emotionally repress, eat yogurt, and lie.
Novick regards Ran switching positions as “getting serious” which I think is true to an extent. I think it’s a mixture of the two values he has, one being end things quickly, the other being support your team. He’s been regarded as a prodigy, entering the tower young and being the clear strongest on his team. But that’s not to say he hasn’t lost, he knows well he needs his team because nobody can cover every angle.
That comes more to the hell train arc. While his loss(?) with Anaak is significant, it’s not what I would focus on in terms of his attitude towards teamwork. He took on the guardian to spare his team the burden of wasting their strength when he thought he could handle it, to give them all a chance at moving forward faster. Not for them but also for Aguero. He’s still a boy after all, and it’s clear he looks up to him in ways we haven’t fully seen because he would never let anyone fully see that.
He vows to himself that he will grow, so he never needs to shamefully turn away from a fight again. He’s prideful, arrogant to some degree, but he is not stupid. People need to earn his respect with their power, if you can’t then why should he spare a thought on you? You won’t make it up the tower anyways. He shouldn’t invest in someone who’s going to be a burden in the end. A thought process only natural to someone whose existence has primarily been in the tower itself.
Now speaking on his value of power, I believe that that mentality is exactly why he doesn’t truly care for his family. He cares for Aguero in some way, wanting his acknowledgment, and dare I say feeling comfortable with him. He holds some feelings for Maschenny, even if we can’t definitively say it’s affection, he takes her words to heart. He values her input and advice just as he values her fighting style.
He says so himself, he doesn’t value his name, but there are layers to that kind of claim. He values the power he’s able to have from his name, he values some people who hold the same name, but he also values people whose names aren’t his own. A name isn’t everything. Khun Eduan isn’t known for being the most… attentive father, but that doesn’t mean their family name holds no value objectively.
The Khun family is one of the ten great families, with a direct line as well you’re bound to have some attention and even garner special favors if you play it right. But Ran doesn’t care about that, why would you value something as basic as a name over who they are as a person? He’s not using someone for their power if they’ve entrusted it to him and his team. He doesn’t see someone for a simple family name but rather what they offer as a whole.
He’s all or nothing. In every aspect of his life Khun Ran is all or nothing. He will give you his power, he will give you his loyalty, he will give you his all in a fight he knows he can win. Or he will give you nothing, not even a sparing glance. You need to earn every part of his personality, he’s not cold or calculating with it he simply cannot be bothered wasting time on something that will not benefit him. His existence is defined by the tower and his own actions. And honestly that mentality is what makes him so dangerous, not the fact he’s a prodigy.
Thank you for the ask anon I absolutely adored making this for you and I love sharing how I interpret our favorite gremlin boy!!! Ty for anyone reading!!!!!
