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)
fandomhigh2026-03-19 03:51 am
deathsmajesty) wrote in fandomhigh2026-03-19 03:51 am
Entry tags:
Philosophies of Mana (Extended Edition), Thursday Per 3
Well, the nature people would be thrilled with today's location. Stepping into the Danger Shop, they would find themselves standing near a truly mammoth tree, taller and more vast than any mere redwood could ever hope to be. It was a living skyscraper, easily taking up several city blocks' worth of space. Buildings shaped from the living wood nestled in its huge, curving branches, connected by an intricate network of hanging bridges and ladders. Through the giant double doors leading into the trunk, they could spot a cathedral to nature, made of living wood, with large windows to let in the golden light.
"Welcome to Vitu-Ghazi, the City-Tree," Liliana said, sounding distinctly unimpressed. "The Guildhall of the Selesnya Conclave, one of the Ravnican Guilds. Selesnya describes itself as 'selfless, nurturing, spiritual group.' Other people describe it as a 'brainwashing nature cult.' Who's to say who's right?"
Bet you can guess which description your teacher ascribed to.
"The pairing of white and green is easiest summed up by the twin concepts of community and responsibility," Lilianasighed said, gesturing to the diagram on the whiteboard yet again. Look, neither concept was particularly appealing to her. "Again, the best way to understand the true nature of an allied pair is to examine the enemy they share in common. For white and green, their enemy is black. One of the hallmarks of black is selfishness, and so green/white pairings pride themselves on selflessness. They dislike the idea that people should be willing to sacrifice others to further their own agenda; for green, this willingness to sacrifice others threatens to disrupt the natural order. For white, this selfishness encourages people to act in dangerous and destructive ways.
"Green and white's alliance is therefore about responsibility. It's about recognizing that you play a part in the bigger picture and thinking about how your actions will affect those around you. For green, this focuses on things like interdependence, symbiosis, and destiny. Each creature fulfills a role in nature's complex ecosystem, and messing with just one piece can have catastrophic results. For white, this focuses on things like society, charity, and the greater good. The welfare of the group must supersede the welfare of the individual, or else base impulses will lead society to ruin. With the pairing of green and white, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, with the two colors blending together seamlessly to work together as a group. A green/white agent asks the questions 'What is fair and good? What is sustainable?" Green/white institutions tend to be centered around humanitarian endeavors. If white/red is the impassioned hero leading the vanguard, green/white is the compassionate medic treating the fallen of both sides."
Which was very rude of them, Liliana had plans for those soon-to-be corpses.
"Both white and green have a set idea of of how the world works, both looking to something greater than the individual to guide their actions. For white, it's the concept of laws and moral, which often manifest as religions. For green, that's the idea of destiny, and the laws of nature. They both share a big picture view of society, and within the bounds of society, the good of the group is paramount. An individual deer doesn't matter so long as the herd survives; your own happiness is less important than the happiness and well-being of the group. Because of this fixation on selflessness and groupthink, white/green often removes the identity and stomps over individuality--a major failing of any green/white system is the potential to develop a hivemind, either metaphorical or, yes, very, very literal. As odd as this is to say about a green pairing, white/green also runs the risk of stagnation. Innovation is the purview of blue and red, and both white and green fall into the trap of elevating tradition so much that they become hidebound and unable to change. White/green has the best of intentions, yes, but sometimes lacks the ability to follow through.
They do have their differences, however. Green's other ally is red and white's other ally is blue, which makes their conflict one of head versus heart. Green believes that each individual is born into its role in life complete with the attributes it needs to accomplish its task. This means the key to success is to act on one's instincts. White believes that the true purpose of each individual is to contribute to the welfare of the group. To accomplish this, one must override their impulses and instead use their intellect to figure out how best contribute. In white, green sees a color that constricts growth with petty laws; it constrains and limits. In green, white sees a color too wild for its own good, and too reliant on violence to solve its problems. Green/White's biggest internal conflict revolves around enforcing its beliefs. It wants to grow its cause but isn't always willing to take the action necessary to do so. The pairing of green/white is often very, very slow...but when given the time and space it requires, it can easily become an unstoppable juggernaut--which isn't always the best thing for anyone else around.
"Welcome to Vitu-Ghazi, the City-Tree," Liliana said, sounding distinctly unimpressed. "The Guildhall of the Selesnya Conclave, one of the Ravnican Guilds. Selesnya describes itself as 'selfless, nurturing, spiritual group.' Other people describe it as a 'brainwashing nature cult.' Who's to say who's right?"
Bet you can guess which description your teacher ascribed to.
"The pairing of white and green is easiest summed up by the twin concepts of community and responsibility," Liliana
"Green and white's alliance is therefore about responsibility. It's about recognizing that you play a part in the bigger picture and thinking about how your actions will affect those around you. For green, this focuses on things like interdependence, symbiosis, and destiny. Each creature fulfills a role in nature's complex ecosystem, and messing with just one piece can have catastrophic results. For white, this focuses on things like society, charity, and the greater good. The welfare of the group must supersede the welfare of the individual, or else base impulses will lead society to ruin. With the pairing of green and white, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, with the two colors blending together seamlessly to work together as a group. A green/white agent asks the questions 'What is fair and good? What is sustainable?" Green/white institutions tend to be centered around humanitarian endeavors. If white/red is the impassioned hero leading the vanguard, green/white is the compassionate medic treating the fallen of both sides."
Which was very rude of them, Liliana had plans for those soon-to-be corpses.
"Both white and green have a set idea of of how the world works, both looking to something greater than the individual to guide their actions. For white, it's the concept of laws and moral, which often manifest as religions. For green, that's the idea of destiny, and the laws of nature. They both share a big picture view of society, and within the bounds of society, the good of the group is paramount. An individual deer doesn't matter so long as the herd survives; your own happiness is less important than the happiness and well-being of the group. Because of this fixation on selflessness and groupthink, white/green often removes the identity and stomps over individuality--a major failing of any green/white system is the potential to develop a hivemind, either metaphorical or, yes, very, very literal. As odd as this is to say about a green pairing, white/green also runs the risk of stagnation. Innovation is the purview of blue and red, and both white and green fall into the trap of elevating tradition so much that they become hidebound and unable to change. White/green has the best of intentions, yes, but sometimes lacks the ability to follow through.
They do have their differences, however. Green's other ally is red and white's other ally is blue, which makes their conflict one of head versus heart. Green believes that each individual is born into its role in life complete with the attributes it needs to accomplish its task. This means the key to success is to act on one's instincts. White believes that the true purpose of each individual is to contribute to the welfare of the group. To accomplish this, one must override their impulses and instead use their intellect to figure out how best contribute. In white, green sees a color that constricts growth with petty laws; it constrains and limits. In green, white sees a color too wild for its own good, and too reliant on violence to solve its problems. Green/White's biggest internal conflict revolves around enforcing its beliefs. It wants to grow its cause but isn't always willing to take the action necessary to do so. The pairing of green/white is often very, very slow...but when given the time and space it requires, it can easily become an unstoppable juggernaut--which isn't always the best thing for anyone else around.