Taranee Cook
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| Taranee Cook | |
 Taranee transforming into her Guardian outfit |
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| Publication information | |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Disney |
| First appearance | W.I.T.C.H. #1 (April, 2001) |
| Created by | Elisabetta Gnone |
| In story information | |
| Alter ego | Taranee Cook |
| Place of origin | Earth |
| Team affiliations | W.I.T.C.H. |
| Abilities | Controls the power of fire. Also has telepathic abilities which she can use to read and project the thoughts of herself and others. Psionically-based superhuman awareness and understanding. Her power is described as wild and uncontrollable and her power increases along with her temper. In the cartoon, all five Guardians, including herself, can fly. |
Taranee Cook is a fictional character in the Italian comic series W.I.T.C.H. and the French animated series of the same name. She is one of the members of a group, called W.I.T.C.H. who make up the Guardians, the people who guard Kandrakar, the center of the universe, from evil. Taranee is pyrokinetic, thermokinetic and telepathic. She is African American. She soon finds a guy who thinks she is really sweet. His name is Nigel. Although she is shy, she has been known to be very smart and willing to help in school and when W.I.T.C.H. goes into action.
Taranee is 13 years old and was raised in the town of Sesamo, but later moved to Heatherfield. Her best friend is Will Vandom, the leader of W.I.T.C.H..
Taranee is a shy and reserved teenager, and she has a boyfriend called Nigel Ashcroft, an ex-member of Uriah's gang, who quit because Taranee wanted him to, and so did he. She can be a bit of a "goody-goody" at times and always does what's right. Taranee is the most intelligent member of the group, and her favorite subject is mathematics. She loves photography, basketball, dancing, and classical music, but hates bugs except for butterflies, grasshoppers and crickets.
Her mother is a judge, Theresa Cook, and her father, Lionel is an ex-lawyer turned psychologist, and Taranee stated that she believes that they are overprotective of her. Taranee has an older brother called Peter Lancelot Cook, who, unlike the siblings of other fellow W.I.T.C.H. members, is really kind and respectful to her and her friends, and has a slight crush on Cornelia, and loves to surf and skateboard.
When people play with Taranee's feelings, or when she gets angry, her powers start up. Even Cedric once stated that her elemental power is the most indomitable of all five elements. Her voice is provided by Miss Kittie.
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[edit] Chronology
[edit] Before W.I.T.C.H.
Before living in Heatherfield, Taranee lived in another town known as Sesamo. Because of the move to a different town, Taranee was emotionally and mentally affected but understood that she had no choice but to move to Heatherfield because of her parents new job placement. In the comics, it is stated that a year before moving to Heatherfield, the Cook family went house hunting on their own accord. Taranee, upset by this, wondered off by herself and found a house of her own. Looking through the window, she saw a hypnotic fire dancing inside. When Taranee asked the real-estate agent about the house, he told her that it was abandoned and that nobody had lived there for years. When Taranee and her parents enter the house, the fire Taranee saw disappeared and the house appeared to be empty. The Cook family made the decision to move into this particular house. In the comics, Taranee moved to Heatherfield just a few days before Will, but in the animated series she moved one year prior to Will.
[edit] Forming W.I.T.C.H.
Comics: In the comics, Taranee bumped into the new girl Will Vandom, just a few days after moving to Heatherfield herself. The two girls became fast friends, and soon became friends with Cornelia Hale, Irma Lair, Hay Lin and Elyon Brown as well. One night, their local school was throwing a Halloween dance where Cornelia, Irma, Hay Lin and Elyon urge Taranee and Will to come with them. Uriah, the school bully, and his gang play a prank involving firecrackers that puts the girls in harms way, but after a bit of Taranee's quick thinking and unidentified powers, the girls get off without a scratch. The next day Will, Irma, Taranee, Cornelia and Hay Lin meet at Hay Lin's house to discuss the strange dreams that they had. It was them that Yan Lin , Hay Lin's grandmother, informed the girls about their powers and about Kandrakar, entrusting the Heart of Kandrakar to Will.
Animated Series: In the animated series, Taranee had been friends with Irma, Cornelia and Hay Lin since living in Heatherfield. After Uriah's gang picks on the new girl Will at the science fair, Taranee encourages the girls to be nice to her and calls Will over to talk to them. Taranee tells Will that she knows what it's like to be the new girl. While the other girls talk about how they hate Uriah, they some how exude a bit of their powers. Hay Lin arrives and invites the girls for tea and cookies at her house, as that's what her grandmother had influenced Hay Lin to do. At Hay Lin's, Yan Lin explains about the Guardians and entrusts the Heart of Kandrakar to Will. This is when Taranee and the girls learn about their powers.
[edit] Quitting W.I.T.C.H.
In the third saga of the comic books, Taranee is provoked by the Oracle's recent actions, which include not telling Cornelia about Caleb's decision to go back to Meridian and not helping them in their next task. Taranee's last straw is when the nymph Xin Jing's gift of regenaration cures her eyesight, as she did not ask for it in the first place and did not want it and had to wear glasses when she did not need them.
Taranee then decides to quit being a Guardian, although she doesn't lose her place as Guardian of Fire. The Oracle is sure she will come back (she does come back), but sends for a replacement anyway. The replacement is the warrior Orube, from the Oracle's home planet of Basilíade, who is given no elemental power but is great at martial arts and can shoot energy beams.
Orube goes to live on Earth under the alias of Mrs. Rudolph's niece Rebbeca Rudolph in order to better understand the other girls and get along with them. Orube is welcome to stay as a Guardian after Taranee's return, but is mostly left out of missions and audiences at Kandrakar in the fourth saga.
[edit] Profile
Taranee is an African-American, though her mother is an Asian-American. She has black-brown hair and eyes, and wears black glasses. Her birthday is March 23 making her an Aries.She is also 13.
Although she is shy and laid-back, Taranee is very determined when she sets her mind on a goal, and is usually the one who reminds her friends of important tasks to be done. Her hobbies include basketball, listening to classical music, photography and even math. Taranee is very close to her family, which consists of her parents and Peter Cook, her older brother, who is very nice to her and her friends. Though she is very sensitive, Taranee gets annoyed when people hurt her feelings and could become dangerous when that happens.
Taranee has power over fire. Her theme colour varies from red to orange and her symbol is a triangle.
[edit] Powers
Taranee is the Guardian of Fire. She is therefore pyrokinetic and thermokinetic.
Taranee's power over fire allows her to produce and generate fire, she is also able to create immense blazes and aggressive flames. She can also absorb and extinguish fire, as she did when she put out fire from a burning log. Taranee can also absorb and release heat waves, increasing or decreasing the temperature of things and people. Taranee's temper increases her power. Also, Taranee's hairstyle changes into six dreads three on both sides of her head when she transforms, unlike the others.
[edit] Advanced Elemental Abilities
Taranee later discoveres her power of telepathy and her ability to read minds (espiecially Will's). Taranee also has some undefined psychic powers, allowing her to understand things others don't, sense the presence of others, understand dreams and where they come from and even control their outcome. She also has found the ability to turn herself into a "human torch". She also has the power to change how a person feels things (for instance, temperature).
[edit] Love Life
Like the other girls from the comic book series Taranee has a love life. Nigel was first part of a bullying boys group and got into trouble when they broke into a museum and Taranee's mother judged them. Because of this Nigel's friends holds a grudge against Taranee, Nigel however defends Taranee against his friends. Later on a special friendship blooms and Nigel and Taranee started dating. Nigel's friendship with his former friends ends and Nigel starts a new way of life by doing good and making new friends such as Martin, Matt, Eric, and Peter.
Nigel's brother who was judged and punished by Taranee's mother shortly returns to Heatherfield and reunites with his little brother. This causes a raft between Nigel and Taranee ending with him breaking it up with her unexpected. Despite of this their relationship does not stop there. Taranee tries to find out the reason but Nigel ignores her and even starts harassing her with his brother, such as writing the word coward on her parents car, which is directed at Taranee. But soon, Nigel is overwhelmed with guilt feeling sorry for what he did he apologizes to Taranee's parents and to Taranee, and they become girlfriend and boyfriend again.
Their relationship starts again good but soon having problems again. Taranee starts having dancing lessons which results to take a lot of her time and getting new friends. Taranee starts neglecting her friends and even Nigel who has started to get annoyed at Taranee spending most of her time practing dancing moves. Taranee befriends a new boy named Luke also part of the dancing group. A friendship starts with them, and Luke becomes interested in Taranee (finding her pretty and kind). Soon, Taranee develops feelings for Luke as well, and admits to her brother that she thinks she is no longer in love with Nigel.
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