26-projects-and-counting

[26-projects-and-counting]

(Quick notice -- this isn't complete, but it very well may never be complete, so I'll just post it as it is right now and hope someone likes it.) So, I’ve never really used good/evil or lawful/chaotic – as previously said, those are highly dependent on who the player is on the definitions. I’ve always replaced the axis with selfless/selfish and intuitive/calculative, and even if you don’t enjoy the complexity of the Color Wheel system, I do recommend at least swapping out both axis for less subjective ones.

On the other hand, as a player of MTG for over a decade, I like this significantly more.

I am going to do a bit of an explanation of the two-color combinations. I’m not doing three-color combinations, because that would be so much work (And I still may do it later, if I’m feeling up to it) and dual colors already can get quite complicated.

It should also be noted that, as with all information, this essay is colored by *my* perception of the colors and what they consider most important; while I will attempt to stay objective, I am not particularly skilled in this medium and would like to remind that there are things I am likely wrong about.

Also, I’m going to use a binary here, but unlike good/evil or lawful/chaotic, we’re using traditional/radical. Traditional will be combinations defined by what they share (Exemplified by Ravnican Guilds), and radical with be defined by what they disagree on (Exemplified by the Arcavian Colleges). Due to the lack of Arcavian Colleges for the allied pairs, the radical groupings of WU, UB, BR, RG, and GW will by my person speculation. It should be noted that each group has more than just two possible interpretations; I am merely describing what I see as two of the most extreme outcomes to an even interplay between the two, to show that there *are* multitudes of possible interpretations.

NOTE: I’m writing this as I’m halfway done with this essay, but I will note that ‘Traditional’ usually seems more one-note and villainous, while ‘Radical’ is more… welcoming. Understandable. This, I think, is due to ‘Traditional’ being an exclusion of everything those two colors don’t share; i.e., Pure Traditional BR only cares about itself and what it wants, completely removing Black’s forethought on what it later wants and Red’s appreciation of family and friends. ‘Radical’, on the other hand, is almost always a compromise of the differences between the two groups. Radical BR, therefore, cares about learning from black, and beauty from red, creating a need for understanding of the self through a medium of creative art. This isn’t to say the Radicals are good; many of them are still really not great, but I am talking about the most extreme cases here, so it’s kinda expected.

We’ll go in a circle. When referring to colors, I will often abbreviate them as the following; White (W), Blue (U), Black (B), Red (R), Green (G).

White/Blue

White and blue are allied colors, who share a common hatred of individuality and disagree on the concepts of power. Combined, they can weave truly intricate (and often terrifying) systems of bureaucracy. Separated, white demands that power be used for the good of the masses, while blue would much prefer to use it to further progress, even if that progress isn’t actually useful for anyone else.

Traditional WU is a force of law, forcing systems on the whole of society; often, these people recognize that ‘good’ and ‘evil’ are inherently flawed concepts due to differential perception, and instead of trying to define these concepts, they undercut them with impartial rules that merely define a punishment for a particular action. They don’t claim these rules are *good,* and may even note that there are many edge cases where they are *evil,* but as a whole they are seen as necessary for the continuation of society as a cohesive whole. These will be people who believe in either a highly specific and precise moral code above all else, or believe the laws of the land are above the wants of morality and even reason to a degree, even if those laws are tyrannical.

Radical WU is defined by the usage of power; blue demands progress, even to meaningless ends, while white see the needs of the whole as a requirement that must be satisfied before such advancement can take place. The compromise wielded here becomes advancement for the purpose of helping the masses. Sociology and logistics shine here; determining who needs what resources, how many resources are required, and how to get them where they need to be. However, it still finds itself unable to handle personal freedoms. The allowance of the governed to move freely and change on a whim cracks the perfect system Radical WU seeks to create, and while it may attempt to change the root causes of this deviancy, if it fails to allow constant, shifting flaws in its masterpiece, the simplest solution boils down to removing the offending groups entirely – and by any means necessary.

Blue/Black

The next set of allied colors, blue and black, share a personal commitment to self-improvement, to become the best they – or anyone, if given the chance – can be. They fight, instead, over the validity of self. To blue, the self is immaterial, an obstruction to perfection that needs to be overcome; in addition, the fruit of its labor of self-perfection is to be taught, and to let it die is to squander it. To black, emotion is it a tool that defines itself in comparison to others, to be used as all tools are, and anyone it teaches is taught purely for its benefit, to use as another weapon in its arsenal or to foster loyalty in a subject.

Traditional UB sees reality as it is, and wishes to understand it in full and subjugate it to its own will, as it sees itself – and perhaps those close to it – as the first and foremost priority. They are cold and calculating, each decision meticulously planned. They hoard knowledge alone, or in small enclaves, hiding in the shadows and using their intellect as a scalpel to excise those that stand in the way of their ascent to power. By the time anyone knows they exist, it’s far too late to stop them.

Radical UB teaches. It understands nothing lasts forever, no matter how jealously guarded and securely kept; combined with the understanding that locked away, knowledge and power leads to nothing, Radical UB sneers at the stagnation and waste. It seeks, instead, to pass on all that it has to another, to be cultivated and to grow, so that it lasts as long as it can. It seeks dynasties to head, colleges to lead, any place to staple its name and proof of its power, and ensure that everything it has accumulated continues to be used in its memory for as long as possible; it seeks its name engraved in history.

Black/Red

There is no pair of colors more self-obsessed than black and red. Utterly unfettered by the other colors, it seeks its own joys, amusements, and enjoyment above all else, no matter the cost leveled on others. Red, however, sees no use in looking to the future; the now is most important, what it has it enjoys and what it wants it takes, or falls. Black prefers the insurance of its own future, its growth beyond what it is, and refuses to lose anything that it is not yet done with.

Traditional BR often finds itself in the realm of what polite society would refer to as madmen, monsters and unrepentant villains; with no care for what the world thinks of it, they allow no rule, law, or responsibility keep them from what they desire. While some live relatively quiet lives, finding joy in the simple act of living, attending parties and festivals, others raze, destroy, pillage and burn because they find pain and destruction hilarious or gratifying.

Radical BR seeks to understand itself, why it is and how it came to be that way. Though self-reflection could be considered anathema to red, black would find it hard to exist without, and together they find acting without knowing why to be… undesirable. Instead of channeling their raw emotions into sudden, unexplainable acts, they pour it into paper, in paint, and in stone; art becomes a reflection of themselves, their feelings, a window into who they are, stained in a portrait they can actually see.

Red/Green

Might makes right, and it cannot be bound to the whims of others. Red and green both believe in personal strength, and the power of instinct over rational thought. A difference makes itself known as time goes on, however; Green can understand change, yes, but only in cycles. All that is, was once this way before, and will be again. Nothing is ever truly gone. Red, on the other hand, wants things to change in a much more linear manner.

Traditional RG is perhaps the most straightforwards of the bunch; the strong rule. While there is some leeway for speed instead of strength, ultimately, domination by personal, physical might is Traditional RG’s foremost belief.

Radical RG is more difficult. It would believe that nothing can stay the same; but so too, would it believe that nothing can truly change. I am not actually certain I know what an ideal Radical RG would be; but despite my reservations against saying a historian (Due to that supposedly being Lorehold’s realm), it does seem to be the obvious decision. Yes, everything is as it always has been; the background changes, the technology improves, the world is drowned in people; but those people never change, not really. Someone will always hate. Someone will always find contentment in what is; someone will always need to change the world around them to be content. They seek the understanding of what has been done, so that they can choose who they want to be; what role is their to fill.

I will also take a moment to note that, another, less Radical, form of Radical RG would be an artist, similar to Radical BR; however, an RG aligned artist would not focus on using their art to understand themselves, their place in the world and why they are who they are; They would instead focus on beauty, the reality of the world around them, not their personal perception of it. While black and green share that similar ability to see the world as it is, B is far more in tune with less physical concepts, and can more easily represent things that aren’t real; it also has a much greater reasoning to do so, as it cares about how to change those concepts, or use them to its advantage. I would argue most artists fall into a combination of these two, creating a Radical BRG archetype; however, as noted earlier, I will not be going into most three-color philosophies due to the scale of such a project that I’m doing for no reason other than a spur of the moment decision. I only chose to make this note due to the personal connection I have to art. (This isn’t to say white and blue do not use art; however, even more so than green, their art is even more reliant on reality as opposed to creativity. White most likely would see it as history, an achievement, and use it to reward those of importance; blue would much rather simply use it as an avenue of study in methods such as anatomical diagrams.)

Green/White

Peace and harmony are tenets that both white and green abide by, to some degree; but authority is a point of contention, as stated in previous posts.

Together, Traditional GW believes in the good of its community, the strong belief that together, they are greater than the sum of their parts; and they seemingly combine into what some would consider a utopian society. But a utopia isn’t the same for everyone; and within the unforgiving order and mindless cooperation, GW sees no reason to allow the growth of its individual parts, nor allow them to express themselves. Similarly to Radical WU, it cannot abide by parts that will not comply; but in contrast to WU’s removal of those parts, it would much prefer to force compliance of its members, or even otherwise unassociated persons, through assimilation.

Radical GW is, as all radical combinations, defined by the differences of its constituents. With a disagreement on Authority, green refuses to abide by any rule other than natural order, and white demands and more concrete structure. As I contemplate this, I begin to realize I am slowly recreating the US government with a council of democratically elected members, and I have chosen to protect my mental state from further harm by not thinking any more on the subject.

White/Black

You know how I said Radical GW would probably just be a democratic republic? Yeah, welcome to the politicians. The irony of me trying to escape thinking about the US government by thinking about politicians is not lost on me.

*Anyways,* Traditional WB is, as implied, obsessed with gaining political power, often through advanced politics (Blackmail and lying), religion, or vast amounts of wealth. Or all three. Now, many good leaders are also within this section – just because you can’t abide by someone else leading doesn’t mean you aren’t good at it – but the more obvious examples do a great job of attempting to portray ordered ambition as a blatantly evil concept. Instead, the more virtuous Traditional WB members would prefer to lead *because they’re the best at it,* not necessarily out of megalomania. And, often, this combination of traits does prove to be a boon to leaders, who need to be able to make quick decisions, and attempt to lead their subjects to the best possible outcome. (Author’s Note: You can tell I’m getting tired of every single combination sounding evil at this point, but that is the problem of specifically talking about *extremes* of the scales.)

Radical WB is (Author’s Note 2: I’ve spent too long on this already. I might come back and finish it later, but for now I’ll just post this as is.)

I wish more people used Magic the Gathering's Color Pie instead of D&D's alignment all of the time.

Like, saying a character embodies the selfishness and impulsivenes of Red Black offers more depth than Chaotic Evil