Liliana Vess (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
deathsmajesty) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
fandomhigh2026-02-19 01:39 am
deathsmajesty) wrote in fandomhigh2026-02-19 01:39 am
Entry tags:
Philosophies of Mana (Extended Edition), Thursday Per 3
Finally! As much as Liliana adored talking about mana philosophies, she was also quite excited to finally get to move into teaching new material: mana pairs. Today, when class entered the Danger Shop, they'd find themselves high up on a rooftop in a bustling city. No, not Ravnica (but great guess!), Insomnia. Rather than pillows and cushions, there were scattered tables and chairs set up under a string of the so-called 'fairy lights' (they had nothing to do with faeries at all, Liliana had checked), though the omnipresent whiteboard was, once again, omnipresent. Drawn on it were five different symbols in a circle: a sun, a droplet, a skull, a flame, and a tree.
"Welcome to Insomnia, class," she said with a smile. "We have finished covering the basic tenets of each of the mana colors, and now we get to begin to discuss how pairing those colors and concepts can change them. To be clear, there is a difference between using two different colors of magic and pairing them. I mentioned that when I was a girl, I used both black and white mana, my understanding of necromancy assisting my understanding of healing. In short, I was a white mana user who also used black spells; black bolstered my white mana, it did not pair with it. In time, the positions switched, white bolstering my black spells until eventually white fell away. An acquaintance of mine, Teysa Karlov, however, is an example of someone who truly pairs black and white together. The Guild she's in, the Orzhov Syndicate, is a guild built around this very pairing." In the air shimmered an image of an aristocratic-looking dark-haired woman in an elaborate (and opulent) white silk shirt. Everything about her screamed wealth, power, and prestige.
"You will find that while the allied color pairs grow their identities from their similarities, the enemy color pairs are defined at their core by their differences. When white's desire to help everybody is paired with black's desire to help itself, what we end up with is the pairing of tribalism: a mindset that very much revolves around the concept of 'us vs. them.' White's desire to care is narrowed and focused, while black's innate selfishness is expanded outward until it encompasses a in-group. The white half thinks of the group as its community that it must support and protect. The Black half thinks of the group as an extension of itself, and thus uses any means necessary to advance.
"A good way to consider black and white is through the lens of organized crime. Within the Family, there is structure. Rules. Order. A code of behavior that is adhered to completely. These are all hallmarks of white mana. Without the Family, however, that structure falls away. Anything is possible and anything is permissible, so long as it furthers the Family's goals, does not harm the Family, and does not go against any of its internal rules. That's black mana to a T. The wants of the Family comes before the needs of outsiders, and the Family has no problem enriching itself at the expense of others. In fact, it thrives upon it. The Family can show even shocking amounts of kindness, empathy, and generosity, but only to those it considers one of its own--or, occasionally, when it can use those things to maximize gain further benefit later. Both black and white mana philosophies recognize the value of patience. Momentary losses are acceptable in the face of a greater gain later, and who needs an immediate return on investment when there's interest to be charged in the meantime?"
The image of Teysa Karlov grinned at that.
"Patience isn't the only overlap between black and white mana, which is why they can combine so well. Both firmly believe in hierarchies; white believes that hierarchies believes that each level should look out for the one below it, while black believes that each level should serve those above it. These are not at all antithetical outlooks; again, we need only look to the mafia don or the head of the Family. It is taken as granted that everyone below them owes them their unwavering devotion and loyalty, but there is also the understanding that the don has certain unshakable responsibilities--and a don that has failed to uphold those responsibilities might just find themself facing a mutiny. Additionally, both colors understand the concept of sacrifice. White mana believes in sacrifice in the name of the greater good. Black mana believes in sacrifice in the name of its own ambition. This dual outlook manifests itself in the concept of the 'fall guy,' the person who sacrifices themself to protect the Family as a whole, so that it can continue its operations unimpeded."
The corner of her lips curled a bit. "But before you decide that black and white mana is bad guys all the way down, there are a number of positive qualities that go along with this pairing. The first is unwavering discipline, the result of black's determination to succeed and white's absolute dedication to a cause. Relating to the shared patience I mentioned earlier, black and white demonstrate excellent stewardship, with a focus on long-term planning and incremental gain. Sure, strip mining an area bare of all its resources makes for fast profit, but that profit will eventually come to an end. Better to take care and ensure that your profit lasts forever. This relates to their shared concept of orderly self-interest. While black and white philosophy cares primarily - if not solely - for their in-group, they are aware that a rigid, organized, orderly system benefits everyone. The tide raises all boats, after all. And, of course, loyalty and devotion have already been mentioned, but deserve to be acknowledged again."
"Welcome to Insomnia, class," she said with a smile. "We have finished covering the basic tenets of each of the mana colors, and now we get to begin to discuss how pairing those colors and concepts can change them. To be clear, there is a difference between using two different colors of magic and pairing them. I mentioned that when I was a girl, I used both black and white mana, my understanding of necromancy assisting my understanding of healing. In short, I was a white mana user who also used black spells; black bolstered my white mana, it did not pair with it. In time, the positions switched, white bolstering my black spells until eventually white fell away. An acquaintance of mine, Teysa Karlov, however, is an example of someone who truly pairs black and white together. The Guild she's in, the Orzhov Syndicate, is a guild built around this very pairing." In the air shimmered an image of an aristocratic-looking dark-haired woman in an elaborate (and opulent) white silk shirt. Everything about her screamed wealth, power, and prestige.
"You will find that while the allied color pairs grow their identities from their similarities, the enemy color pairs are defined at their core by their differences. When white's desire to help everybody is paired with black's desire to help itself, what we end up with is the pairing of tribalism: a mindset that very much revolves around the concept of 'us vs. them.' White's desire to care is narrowed and focused, while black's innate selfishness is expanded outward until it encompasses a in-group. The white half thinks of the group as its community that it must support and protect. The Black half thinks of the group as an extension of itself, and thus uses any means necessary to advance.
"A good way to consider black and white is through the lens of organized crime. Within the Family, there is structure. Rules. Order. A code of behavior that is adhered to completely. These are all hallmarks of white mana. Without the Family, however, that structure falls away. Anything is possible and anything is permissible, so long as it furthers the Family's goals, does not harm the Family, and does not go against any of its internal rules. That's black mana to a T. The wants of the Family comes before the needs of outsiders, and the Family has no problem enriching itself at the expense of others. In fact, it thrives upon it. The Family can show even shocking amounts of kindness, empathy, and generosity, but only to those it considers one of its own--or, occasionally, when it can use those things to maximize gain further benefit later. Both black and white mana philosophies recognize the value of patience. Momentary losses are acceptable in the face of a greater gain later, and who needs an immediate return on investment when there's interest to be charged in the meantime?"
The image of Teysa Karlov grinned at that.
"Patience isn't the only overlap between black and white mana, which is why they can combine so well. Both firmly believe in hierarchies; white believes that hierarchies believes that each level should look out for the one below it, while black believes that each level should serve those above it. These are not at all antithetical outlooks; again, we need only look to the mafia don or the head of the Family. It is taken as granted that everyone below them owes them their unwavering devotion and loyalty, but there is also the understanding that the don has certain unshakable responsibilities--and a don that has failed to uphold those responsibilities might just find themself facing a mutiny. Additionally, both colors understand the concept of sacrifice. White mana believes in sacrifice in the name of the greater good. Black mana believes in sacrifice in the name of its own ambition. This dual outlook manifests itself in the concept of the 'fall guy,' the person who sacrifices themself to protect the Family as a whole, so that it can continue its operations unimpeded."
The corner of her lips curled a bit. "But before you decide that black and white mana is bad guys all the way down, there are a number of positive qualities that go along with this pairing. The first is unwavering discipline, the result of black's determination to succeed and white's absolute dedication to a cause. Relating to the shared patience I mentioned earlier, black and white demonstrate excellent stewardship, with a focus on long-term planning and incremental gain. Sure, strip mining an area bare of all its resources makes for fast profit, but that profit will eventually come to an end. Better to take care and ensure that your profit lasts forever. This relates to their shared concept of orderly self-interest. While black and white philosophy cares primarily - if not solely - for their in-group, they are aware that a rigid, organized, orderly system benefits everyone. The tide raises all boats, after all. And, of course, loyalty and devotion have already been mentioned, but deserve to be acknowledged again."
OOC
Fun fact the second! Said portrait is, in fact, Lili's default icon!
Fun fact the third! I didn't just decide Insomnia was a good place for a discussion about black and white, Magic did.
Re: OOC