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)
fandomhigh2026-03-12 03:30 am
deathsmajesty) wrote in fandomhigh2026-03-12 03:30 am
Entry tags:
Philosophies of Mana (Extended Edition), Thursday Per 3
Once again, class found themselves on a long bridge, staring down, down, down into the depths. However, this bridge wasn't built among the clouds, but instead at ground level, arching over a massive gorge carved deep within the earth. Carved into the sheer cliff walls are clusters of buildings interspersed with the excavated faces of truly enormous stone statues. Beneath the steady stone bridge they were standing upon, the area beneath them crisscrossed by other rope and slat bridges that ran the gamut from 'serviceable' to 'visibly treacherous.'
"Welcome to Lorehold, one of the four Colleges that make up my alma mater, Strixhaven University," she said. "I graduated from Witherbloom, the College that pairs black and green together, but we're visiting Lorehold to continue our exploration of white mana pairings, this one, red and white."
The star was once again on the whiteboard, though this time it had gotten much more complex. "Over the last two classes, I've talked about the best way to understand each pairing is looking at their relationship, either with each other or with the colors they share in common. Here, I've basically written out everything you need to know about how the colors interrelate, by understanding these relationships, you can understand the way the paired mana works." Her lips quirked. "If you look at this and think this is complicated, be glad we don't have time this semester to talk about the triple and quadruple combinations."
And in addition to not having the time, it also got harder to talk about without resorting to the meta-naming conventions and Liliana wasn't Deadpool enough to break the fourth wall.
"So, again, to understand this enemy color pairing, we have to examine the core difference in their outlook. We discussed it a bit last week, white sees red as aggressive, impulsive, and independent, and red sees white as being strangling, smothering, dictatorial. If red is anarchy, white is fascism. In the end, we can see that their key differences are order versus chaos, and freedom versus security." She traced her fingers down the line that connected the two together in the star. "So what does that mean for a red/white pairing? We get heroism and the colors of conviction." And this was why Steve Rogers and most of the Jedi had been red and white in the meme, see? It's all coming together. "White is all about the concept of morality; it uses morality to rally and inspire. Red is all about the call to action; knowing what you want and going for it. So when these two are blended together, it becomes morality in action. A red/white pairing understands enough about the importance of working for the greater good and the necessity of change and dynamism within society, and so where a pure white might see injustice but be powerless to act on it, and red can be the titular rebel without a cause, together they become the hero: the person who sees harm being done and takes it upon themselves to stop it. Red/white is the pairing of idealism, the movers and shakers of society who want what's best for all people and won't stop until they've made that dream a reality. People centered in red and white are often skilled at making stirring battlefield speeches, or just inspirational rhetoric in general, and are equally willing to act as a fist to smash the corrupt and power-hungry as they are a shield for the weak and downtrodden."
They often gave her a headache, honestly.
"Of all the color pairings, white/red and white/black are the most diametrically opposed to one another. We spoke of tribalism and an organized crime family as methods to understand white and black; authoritarianism with special rights and privileges afforded to an in-group--and, to have an in-group, one must have an out-group as well. For many, the only way to advance in this system is to either find entry into the in-group, or to create your own, and hope that you have enough time to gather the power and prowess necessary to survive before the ruling group notices what you're up to. White/black hates white/red, because it is exactly within that kind of system that white/red shines brightest, telling everyone that there is, in fact, a third option beyond joining your oppressors or becoming a different version of them: it's getting rid of those oppressors in the first place, and taking their power for yourselves. Conversely, white/black are excellent administrators and their societies, while admittedly authoritarian, function and thrive. White/red is terrible at forming lasting societies or governances; what many societies have failed to understand throughout history is that while red/white is who you want holding the banner aloft during the revolution, that doesn't give them the ability to guide and govern. Red is far too impulsive and short-sighted for that, even with white's influence.
"White/red's other major failstate is that the line between conviction and zealotry is thin--thinner than most people think. And you often do not know that you've crossed it until you are very, very far down the other side. White/red is one of the pairings best suited for committing atrocities. A man doing evil in the name of good often will not stop because he truly believes his actions are not only justified, but righteous. In Ravnica, the Boros Legion is the Guild that is centered in white/red, and they are the plane's police force. In theory, they exist to keep people safe, to protect those who need it, but the Legion is made up of people, and even ignoring those who corrupt the badge, even those who truly believe can let themselves get swept away by the idea that because their aims are good, so are their methods, and thus everything is permitted when it comes to carrying out those aims, and they are infallible when it comes to deciding what is necessary." That's right, Liliana said ACAB. "White/red is also the color of wrath, the kind of single-minded fury that can blind them to anything else until it has run its course."
"Welcome to Lorehold, one of the four Colleges that make up my alma mater, Strixhaven University," she said. "I graduated from Witherbloom, the College that pairs black and green together, but we're visiting Lorehold to continue our exploration of white mana pairings, this one, red and white."
The star was once again on the whiteboard, though this time it had gotten much more complex. "Over the last two classes, I've talked about the best way to understand each pairing is looking at their relationship, either with each other or with the colors they share in common. Here, I've basically written out everything you need to know about how the colors interrelate, by understanding these relationships, you can understand the way the paired mana works." Her lips quirked. "If you look at this and think this is complicated, be glad we don't have time this semester to talk about the triple and quadruple combinations."
And in addition to not having the time, it also got harder to talk about without resorting to the meta-naming conventions and Liliana wasn't Deadpool enough to break the fourth wall.
"So, again, to understand this enemy color pairing, we have to examine the core difference in their outlook. We discussed it a bit last week, white sees red as aggressive, impulsive, and independent, and red sees white as being strangling, smothering, dictatorial. If red is anarchy, white is fascism. In the end, we can see that their key differences are order versus chaos, and freedom versus security." She traced her fingers down the line that connected the two together in the star. "So what does that mean for a red/white pairing? We get heroism and the colors of conviction." And this was why Steve Rogers and most of the Jedi had been red and white in the meme, see? It's all coming together. "White is all about the concept of morality; it uses morality to rally and inspire. Red is all about the call to action; knowing what you want and going for it. So when these two are blended together, it becomes morality in action. A red/white pairing understands enough about the importance of working for the greater good and the necessity of change and dynamism within society, and so where a pure white might see injustice but be powerless to act on it, and red can be the titular rebel without a cause, together they become the hero: the person who sees harm being done and takes it upon themselves to stop it. Red/white is the pairing of idealism, the movers and shakers of society who want what's best for all people and won't stop until they've made that dream a reality. People centered in red and white are often skilled at making stirring battlefield speeches, or just inspirational rhetoric in general, and are equally willing to act as a fist to smash the corrupt and power-hungry as they are a shield for the weak and downtrodden."
They often gave her a headache, honestly.
"Of all the color pairings, white/red and white/black are the most diametrically opposed to one another. We spoke of tribalism and an organized crime family as methods to understand white and black; authoritarianism with special rights and privileges afforded to an in-group--and, to have an in-group, one must have an out-group as well. For many, the only way to advance in this system is to either find entry into the in-group, or to create your own, and hope that you have enough time to gather the power and prowess necessary to survive before the ruling group notices what you're up to. White/black hates white/red, because it is exactly within that kind of system that white/red shines brightest, telling everyone that there is, in fact, a third option beyond joining your oppressors or becoming a different version of them: it's getting rid of those oppressors in the first place, and taking their power for yourselves. Conversely, white/black are excellent administrators and their societies, while admittedly authoritarian, function and thrive. White/red is terrible at forming lasting societies or governances; what many societies have failed to understand throughout history is that while red/white is who you want holding the banner aloft during the revolution, that doesn't give them the ability to guide and govern. Red is far too impulsive and short-sighted for that, even with white's influence.
"White/red's other major failstate is that the line between conviction and zealotry is thin--thinner than most people think. And you often do not know that you've crossed it until you are very, very far down the other side. White/red is one of the pairings best suited for committing atrocities. A man doing evil in the name of good often will not stop because he truly believes his actions are not only justified, but righteous. In Ravnica, the Boros Legion is the Guild that is centered in white/red, and they are the plane's police force. In theory, they exist to keep people safe, to protect those who need it, but the Legion is made up of people, and even ignoring those who corrupt the badge, even those who truly believe can let themselves get swept away by the idea that because their aims are good, so are their methods, and thus everything is permitted when it comes to carrying out those aims, and they are infallible when it comes to deciding what is necessary." That's right, Liliana said ACAB. "White/red is also the color of wrath, the kind of single-minded fury that can blind them to anything else until it has run its course."