(no subject)
People almost always assume that Ran Fan is basically a younger, hot-headed, xingese version of Riza Hawkeye. Plot twist: She isn't. At all. There are a lot of things that make her very different and unique, despite her lack of screentime and lines.
i don't really want to compare the two though, however because there are a good deal of similarities between them (and the men they stand by)
ok FIRST
►People assume Ran Fan is wildly infatuated with Ling, like she's deeply in love with him and that's why she puts so much effort into protecting him, etc. But really, considering Ran Fan's duty as a bodyguard, her constant training, and the fact that she's probably had "protect the yao clan with your body and soul" drilled into her head since she could walk is the real force behind this. Because her and Ling's backstory before coming to Amesteris is unknown, there's a lot of speculation - but i think some things are fairly safe to assume (ie her crazy training - this is someone with a full mastery of martial arts and weapons at 15). She's also most likely been taught to expect nothing in return for devoting her life to serving him, which is probably why she gets so embarrassed when he's kind to her or teases her, and flushes when he even looks at her. Besides by most standards Ling is a fine piece of ass AND a prince so it's understandable.
I don't think Ran Fan even thinks about her feelings toward him. It may be because she's dense about these kinds of things, or she subconsciously doesn't want to admit having feelings for him because Ran Fan knows nothing can happen between them. If Xing is like ancient or even older day China, people of a lower class shouldn't be anywhere near nobles, especially not royalty. Even if Ling became Emperor (edit: oh lol look at that!), being with her in a way that was more suggestive than him talking to her about work could be an enormous that could ruin him - and she knows that. Ran Fan keeps her distance, and keeps her desires in a box.
►One thing that is a big difference between Hawkeye and Ran Fan is that Hawkeye just wants to protect Mustang until he can fix what was fucked up in Amesteris from the war. She doesn't worry about his every tiny need and all that. She's his employee, not a servant. Ran Fan on the other hand, is a servant. She worries about Ling's every need, she will protect him long past the time when his goals are reached and his dreams are fulfilled. By doing this, she can remain by his side and remain useful to him. Again, I'm not sure if "being useful" is out of love, or if it's another thing drilled into her from duty. Protecting royalty is without a doubt a huge honor to ones family, so she may wish to stay in Ling's shadow in order to keep the fragile remains of her clan in tact. (i'm pretty sure it's mentioned somewhere that ran fan's clan is pretty small/dying out because they're basically all bodyguards for nobles&royalty).
Also, Ling probably needs a lot more protecting than Mustang. Mustang just goes about his day, but there's no real worry or constant threat (minus homunculuses and all that). But Ling has spent most of his life chased by assassins because they don't want him to take the throne, so Ran Fan's worries are pretty valid.
►Of course, a lot on the Xingese culture is pretty much guess work based of off Chinese culture (which it's most similar too). It's clear that whatever rules and guidelines they have, Ran Fan sticks to them. It's pretty obvious that Ling's a bit of a tease, she he probably gets her to bend rules from time to time, but not without good reason or a lot of pushing. She can probably be more forceful than him, but there would be a lot of obvious strain between doing what Ling wants her to do, what her duty wants her to do, and what she wants to do. Of course I'd say 98% of the time the 3rd option doesn't even get a say in the matter. As a bodyguard, Ran Fan has been trained to be self-sacrificing, which probably also includes her wants. In a more open type area (such as a jamjar rp or a musebox), she'd probably lean more toward what she wants, but of course that's when things always get silly so moving on!
►So Ran Fan was raised as a warrior, and nothing else. This translates to the fact that she's a little socially retarded. She can hold a conversation and hold her own, and she probably took some classes with Ling (if she can speak in Amesteris's language and Xingese); but her job doesn't balance on book smarts it's about doing shit and getting it done fast, right, and keeping her honor and Ling in tact. I mean, she's so hot headed Ed calling Ling names has her throwing knives at his head soooo I think that's evidence enough. Plus since she's only 15/16, she doesn't have all that much experience. It's really easy to see the difference in styles between Fu and Ranfan, not only how they fight but how Fu is usually sent off on more important missions to collect data through the series & Ranfan is just trusted to be a guard.
Also, being a social retard probably means that if someone was tried to start any kind of relationship with her that was more than friendship she'd freak. First of all, bitch is married to the job. She wouldn't leave Ling's side for someone else for any reason, unless Ling told her to for some crazy ass reason. Second, her feelings for Ling are painfully obvious. Even if she'll never act on them, never admit them, or even think about how deeply she feels for him, they're still there with the fury of a thousand suns. For someone to replace that would be going beyond the impossible. I honestly can not imagine a situation that she would get into a relationship with any ease. Even with Ling. He'd really have to get her to open up and admit a lot of embarrassing things to be able to get with her.
ok I can't think of anything else. *smacks this post down and walks away*