Color Identities 03 - Black
Jun. 18th, 2014 07:10 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rakathspseudonymThird in the Color Identity Series. Black. I have... a fair number of muses here, but not as many as in Blue. Mostly because their secondary colors were already covered in White or Blue. Anyway!
Black is self-interest. It's guiltless, amoral practicality. Now, I said amoral, not immoral. There is a difference, one of them declares an arbitrary list of good and bad deeds, then picks from the bad column, the other refuses the concept of good or bad deeds, only ones that serve your purpose, and ones that don't. Functionally Black will do whatever it can to win, as that is self interest, and if that involves killing... well. There you go. Now before you go assuming this list will be all villains, you're wrong. Everyone has some level of self-interest, if they didn't they would never eat as they give all their food to the poor.
Alex Russo
Wizards of Waverly Place (Season 1)
Season 1 was mostly Justin's story, and Alex was kinda... a painful problem for Justin. While Justin acted in a White 'do what I believe is right' way, and Max in a red 'do what I believe is fun' way, Alex acted in a 'do what is best for Alex' way. So the season was spent making them suffer (for her own amusement), lying and tricking her dad (for her own advantage), and only helping if her price was met.
There was nothing in her activity that wasn't firmly fueled by her own interests.
X-23
Marvel Comics (Innocence Lost)
Most of black's mentality is designed from the point of view of the overlord, as most of black's main players are aiming to be the king, because the king is the only person who won't be asked to be cannon fodder by the king. But the mentality exists at lower levels which is usually a less happy form of 'I do this or master beats me again.' X-23, during her time as a prototype for the perfect assassin did as ordered because disobeying orders lead to more pain. Choosing the path of self-interest in the form of 'not wanting to be hurt anymore.'
She's technically back there during NXT, but I hated that part of her story SO MUCH I will not be talking about it. There are signs of that during her run on X-Force too. Which I also won't be talking about.
Rakdos
Take the Self-interest of Black, and the anarchy of Red... you get hedonism (but with a more sado-machocistic bend). Red isn't very caring of the feelings of others, and Black out and out revokes that if it likes to cause harm. This is the way of the Cult of Rakdos. Now, most of mine aren't that off the bend, but these are two colors that have a very easy time going all out evil on the world.
Saotome "Paru" Haruna
Mahou Sensei Negima
Haruna, for all that she loves her friends, loves chaos and herself just a little bit more. And pretty much all her actions have an angle of self-interest to them. As much as she helps both her friends with Negi, she also wants to watch them try because it'll be endless entertainment. She managed to ply her artifact (which pretty much everyone but Chisame uses strictly for defending themselves or Negi) to make herself enough money to buy an airship. She loves flash and spectacle enough to have her own list of things she wants to do before she dies (all of which can be in some way connected to world conquest.
She's relatively benevolent as a dictator, but trying for it is the ambition and freedom that is cleanly Black/Red.
Kyouko Sakura
Madoka Magica
I said the hedonism thing earlier? Well, here's are pretty textbook case. She fights (for herself), to harm things (because she enjoys it), then when she's done with it she eats food (she likes), and does things (she enjoys). She'll let the innocent die (who are they to her) so she can wait for them to mature into witches, then kill them for her prize. Now, at one point looooong before the series started she was good, and kind, and nice... but the world was cruel to her and in turn she became cruel to match it. Nobody looked out for her, in the end, so why should she look out for anyone else? And her selfless actions, in some way, are just a bit selfish too. She took out Sayaka as a mercy to someone she considered an equal... and killed herself in the same act to avoid that fate (she didn't want) and the pain of what she had to do.
Flynn Rider
Tangled (Early Movie)
Very early on in the film, Flynn robbed a castle, skipped out on his partners (taking their share of the prize), tried to trick an innocent girl into breaking their deal she forced him into using her emotions as a tool. Flynn Rider, known scoundrel and thief, is as self-interested as they come. But his reason for being so self-interested is why he falls into red as well as black.
What he longed for, as a child, more than anything, was to be free to live his own life, go wherever he wanted, and be whoever he wanted to be. All things that, well, required money, which he didn't have. But since nobody would give him money, he had nothing better to do than take the money. Everything else he became just was what must be done to survive in a world that wasn't your friend to start with.
Tira
Soul Calibur
This one is the first example in this list of a villain falling into all the villainous trappings of villainy attached to Black/Red. Tira shares in X-23's sad backstory of becoming what some sick mono-black old white guys wanted her to be: a weapon of death. And she (like X-23) took this lesson to heart, so well in fact she killed every single one of them and struck out on her own. The difference is that X-23 was nudged into it (given a mission), and Tira... is just really really insane. So insane that with this new freedom (red), she joined forces with and willingly serves a sword bent pretty much on global anarchy (red) and death (black). And she willingly joined it for the fun of watching the world burn (RED AND BLACK). She thinks just far enough ahead to be dangerous, and then skips that if it can be fun.
Sasha Henrietta Torres
Bunheads (Later Series)
Once out from under the thumb of her rather damaging parental structure Sasha could stretch out and find who she wishes to be, while an organized set of choices they were made from the heart and for herself. The very choice of staying there alone and without anyone else was as red as possible. No forethought, no plan, no idea what she'd do just she refused to abide her parents anymore.
Fortunately, Sasha with the freedom to be herself is kinder and less vicious than Sasha desperately fighting her way through the crap her parents put her through desperately seeking the love of someone. Her cunning and caution are black, her passion and desires are red. As such some choices are... interesting, she insists all her friends learn about sex when she starts thinking about it, this is a show of power and a check to see how they feel on the subject. She finds thrills in the shows of force, but also in much less damaging things like cooking, cleaning, and the whole 1950s housewife vibe she put out there.
She puts off a pretty serious Cordelia (Buffy) vibe in this form.
Rikki Chadwick
H20 - Just Add Water (Season 1)
Rikki is another example of 'black forged out of the world being cruel' character. Her mom left when she was younger, her dad does what he can, but they aren't rich or comfortable. Naturally people out there look down on her lack-of-wealth, and so she bites back, defies authority, and does whatever feels best to her. The entire reason she jumped in to help save Cleo which put the show into motion was to be a monkey-wrench (red) in Zane's little game making Cleo suffer.
And when the girls are working to protect this secret, Rikki is the one threatening to show off her power and have fun (red)... but mostly to make Emma squirm (black). Later in Season 1 we see some of the shift to the later color identity of Rikki. But most of the first Season? She's all about herself.
Jade West
Victorious
More characters damaged into the form of enjoying the suffering of others. Of course, Jade is helped by the baseline sociopathic nature of Dan Schneider shows. Jade is possessive, talented, and egomaniacal in ways nobody else on the show is (except maybe Rex and Trina, minus the talent to explain it). While Jade is shown to care about her friends... she expresses this in equal parts 'only I can torment you' and 'torment you.' All her choices are made with the idea of what is best for Jade, and very little care for others.
Also, next to Tira, she fits closest to the sado-masochism aspects that Rakdos carries. Since she seems to enjoy pain in all its forms and has an unnatural sexual interest in sharp objects.
Golgari
Black and Green only share one real common thread between them: Death. Black believes it is a means to an end/result to not being more capable than those around you. Green views it as a part of life, a natural result of living, you die. The Golgari swarm use Death as a tool, as a part of life, the dead feed and revitalize them. In a much more broad structure, Green and Black is the power to shape change, the understanding all things must begin, end, and shift between the two. Black will use this to further their goals, but have the understanding that eventually they too shall find something stronger, and faster, and better, which will end them.
But until then, they are the strongest, the fastest, and the best.
Black★Star
Soul Eater
Black★Star is... big, bigger than the stars and planets, no, the universe itself! He's ego and strength mixed in all the right ways to be black green, enhanced more than diminished by his beliefs that strength separate the living from the dead. He longs for strong opponents, and the thrill of such fights brings life to him in ways lesser souls do not. Life is a very green thing, as is growth, which are both key aspects to who Black★Star and what he strives to be.
The ambition (black) to surpass the gods, and the understanding of what change and power (both green) that entails? No other identity would match with someone so large.
Tiger
Sinbad
Tiger is a different meshing of black and green from Star there, Tiger is the nature of the beast (green), and the understanding strength and skill separate the living from the dead (black)... but her ambition is not growth, it's money. Greed is her issue, and that's a different part of black. Her skills go to the highest bidder, and her growth is understanding one must adapt or die, that that's the choice in the world around her. Cunning, skill, strength, and being overall better than those around you are just tools in your toolbox of survival, and survival is the key of black/green.
Because eventually you'll die (green), but your job is to push that away for as long as you can (black).
Jund
Jund is a world where nature ran wild, which isn't a big shock with the three colors in play. Green is all that is strong, growing, and natural. Red is violence, destruction, and fire. Black is death, self-interest, and cunning. The deadiest predators find their home in the wilds of Jund because only the strong survive in Jund.
I have no muses here. Move along.
Black is self-interest. It's guiltless, amoral practicality. Now, I said amoral, not immoral. There is a difference, one of them declares an arbitrary list of good and bad deeds, then picks from the bad column, the other refuses the concept of good or bad deeds, only ones that serve your purpose, and ones that don't. Functionally Black will do whatever it can to win, as that is self interest, and if that involves killing... well. There you go. Now before you go assuming this list will be all villains, you're wrong. Everyone has some level of self-interest, if they didn't they would never eat as they give all their food to the poor.
Alex RussoWizards of Waverly Place (Season 1)
Season 1 was mostly Justin's story, and Alex was kinda... a painful problem for Justin. While Justin acted in a White 'do what I believe is right' way, and Max in a red 'do what I believe is fun' way, Alex acted in a 'do what is best for Alex' way. So the season was spent making them suffer (for her own amusement), lying and tricking her dad (for her own advantage), and only helping if her price was met.
There was nothing in her activity that wasn't firmly fueled by her own interests.
X-23Marvel Comics (Innocence Lost)
Most of black's mentality is designed from the point of view of the overlord, as most of black's main players are aiming to be the king, because the king is the only person who won't be asked to be cannon fodder by the king. But the mentality exists at lower levels which is usually a less happy form of 'I do this or master beats me again.' X-23, during her time as a prototype for the perfect assassin did as ordered because disobeying orders lead to more pain. Choosing the path of self-interest in the form of 'not wanting to be hurt anymore.'
She's technically back there during NXT, but I hated that part of her story SO MUCH I will not be talking about it. There are signs of that during her run on X-Force too. Which I also won't be talking about.
Rakdos
Take the Self-interest of Black, and the anarchy of Red... you get hedonism (but with a more sado-machocistic bend). Red isn't very caring of the feelings of others, and Black out and out revokes that if it likes to cause harm. This is the way of the Cult of Rakdos. Now, most of mine aren't that off the bend, but these are two colors that have a very easy time going all out evil on the world.
Saotome "Paru" HarunaMahou Sensei Negima
Haruna, for all that she loves her friends, loves chaos and herself just a little bit more. And pretty much all her actions have an angle of self-interest to them. As much as she helps both her friends with Negi, she also wants to watch them try because it'll be endless entertainment. She managed to ply her artifact (which pretty much everyone but Chisame uses strictly for defending themselves or Negi) to make herself enough money to buy an airship. She loves flash and spectacle enough to have her own list of things she wants to do before she dies (all of which can be in some way connected to world conquest.
She's relatively benevolent as a dictator, but trying for it is the ambition and freedom that is cleanly Black/Red.
Kyouko SakuraMadoka Magica
I said the hedonism thing earlier? Well, here's are pretty textbook case. She fights (for herself), to harm things (because she enjoys it), then when she's done with it she eats food (she likes), and does things (she enjoys). She'll let the innocent die (who are they to her) so she can wait for them to mature into witches, then kill them for her prize. Now, at one point looooong before the series started she was good, and kind, and nice... but the world was cruel to her and in turn she became cruel to match it. Nobody looked out for her, in the end, so why should she look out for anyone else? And her selfless actions, in some way, are just a bit selfish too. She took out Sayaka as a mercy to someone she considered an equal... and killed herself in the same act to avoid that fate (she didn't want) and the pain of what she had to do.
Flynn RiderTangled (Early Movie)
Very early on in the film, Flynn robbed a castle, skipped out on his partners (taking their share of the prize), tried to trick an innocent girl into breaking their deal she forced him into using her emotions as a tool. Flynn Rider, known scoundrel and thief, is as self-interested as they come. But his reason for being so self-interested is why he falls into red as well as black.
What he longed for, as a child, more than anything, was to be free to live his own life, go wherever he wanted, and be whoever he wanted to be. All things that, well, required money, which he didn't have. But since nobody would give him money, he had nothing better to do than take the money. Everything else he became just was what must be done to survive in a world that wasn't your friend to start with.
TiraSoul Calibur
This one is the first example in this list of a villain falling into all the villainous trappings of villainy attached to Black/Red. Tira shares in X-23's sad backstory of becoming what some sick mono-black old white guys wanted her to be: a weapon of death. And she (like X-23) took this lesson to heart, so well in fact she killed every single one of them and struck out on her own. The difference is that X-23 was nudged into it (given a mission), and Tira... is just really really insane. So insane that with this new freedom (red), she joined forces with and willingly serves a sword bent pretty much on global anarchy (red) and death (black). And she willingly joined it for the fun of watching the world burn (RED AND BLACK). She thinks just far enough ahead to be dangerous, and then skips that if it can be fun.
Sasha Henrietta TorresBunheads (Later Series)
Once out from under the thumb of her rather damaging parental structure Sasha could stretch out and find who she wishes to be, while an organized set of choices they were made from the heart and for herself. The very choice of staying there alone and without anyone else was as red as possible. No forethought, no plan, no idea what she'd do just she refused to abide her parents anymore.
Fortunately, Sasha with the freedom to be herself is kinder and less vicious than Sasha desperately fighting her way through the crap her parents put her through desperately seeking the love of someone. Her cunning and caution are black, her passion and desires are red. As such some choices are... interesting, she insists all her friends learn about sex when she starts thinking about it, this is a show of power and a check to see how they feel on the subject. She finds thrills in the shows of force, but also in much less damaging things like cooking, cleaning, and the whole 1950s housewife vibe she put out there.
She puts off a pretty serious Cordelia (Buffy) vibe in this form.
Rikki ChadwickH20 - Just Add Water (Season 1)
Rikki is another example of 'black forged out of the world being cruel' character. Her mom left when she was younger, her dad does what he can, but they aren't rich or comfortable. Naturally people out there look down on her lack-of-wealth, and so she bites back, defies authority, and does whatever feels best to her. The entire reason she jumped in to help save Cleo which put the show into motion was to be a monkey-wrench (red) in Zane's little game making Cleo suffer.
And when the girls are working to protect this secret, Rikki is the one threatening to show off her power and have fun (red)... but mostly to make Emma squirm (black). Later in Season 1 we see some of the shift to the later color identity of Rikki. But most of the first Season? She's all about herself.
Jade WestVictorious
More characters damaged into the form of enjoying the suffering of others. Of course, Jade is helped by the baseline sociopathic nature of Dan Schneider shows. Jade is possessive, talented, and egomaniacal in ways nobody else on the show is (except maybe Rex and Trina, minus the talent to explain it). While Jade is shown to care about her friends... she expresses this in equal parts 'only I can torment you' and 'torment you.' All her choices are made with the idea of what is best for Jade, and very little care for others.
Also, next to Tira, she fits closest to the sado-masochism aspects that Rakdos carries. Since she seems to enjoy pain in all its forms and has an unnatural sexual interest in sharp objects.
Golgari
Black and Green only share one real common thread between them: Death. Black believes it is a means to an end/result to not being more capable than those around you. Green views it as a part of life, a natural result of living, you die. The Golgari swarm use Death as a tool, as a part of life, the dead feed and revitalize them. In a much more broad structure, Green and Black is the power to shape change, the understanding all things must begin, end, and shift between the two. Black will use this to further their goals, but have the understanding that eventually they too shall find something stronger, and faster, and better, which will end them.
But until then, they are the strongest, the fastest, and the best.
Black★StarSoul Eater
Black★Star is... big, bigger than the stars and planets, no, the universe itself! He's ego and strength mixed in all the right ways to be black green, enhanced more than diminished by his beliefs that strength separate the living from the dead. He longs for strong opponents, and the thrill of such fights brings life to him in ways lesser souls do not. Life is a very green thing, as is growth, which are both key aspects to who Black★Star and what he strives to be.
The ambition (black) to surpass the gods, and the understanding of what change and power (both green) that entails? No other identity would match with someone so large.
TigerSinbad
Tiger is a different meshing of black and green from Star there, Tiger is the nature of the beast (green), and the understanding strength and skill separate the living from the dead (black)... but her ambition is not growth, it's money. Greed is her issue, and that's a different part of black. Her skills go to the highest bidder, and her growth is understanding one must adapt or die, that that's the choice in the world around her. Cunning, skill, strength, and being overall better than those around you are just tools in your toolbox of survival, and survival is the key of black/green.
Because eventually you'll die (green), but your job is to push that away for as long as you can (black).
Jund
Jund is a world where nature ran wild, which isn't a big shock with the three colors in play. Green is all that is strong, growing, and natural. Red is violence, destruction, and fire. Black is death, self-interest, and cunning. The deadiest predators find their home in the wilds of Jund because only the strong survive in Jund.
I have no muses here. Move along.