Color Identities 01 - White

[rakathspseudonym]

So I'm starting my 'write a thing every day' bit a little early to clear my head. This the first in a four part (two colors will share a day) series of character studies through color identities. Since I'm including character studies as a possible writing thing.

To go over the rules, every day will cover a color and every color set that starts with that color. Meaning we'll start with White, Azorious (White/Blue), Orzhov (White/Black), and Esper (White/Blue/Black) on this day. Each section under a cut will start with a blurb covering that color/sets ideals even if the color isn't there. No description for Wedge sets will show up, as wedge identities aren't defined by Wizards and I don't have any in the first place.

There is a spoiler warning for Fire Emblem: Awakening and Once Upon a Time in effect for this post. Be advised.

White is all about rules, order, and collective good. It's one of the more passive colors when it deals with things, refusing to kill unless pushed and preferring to contain and halt over anything else. It likes simple black or white choices. Killing a child is evil, saving a kitten is good. And gets all uneasy if you put two moral facts in opposition of each other (you must not save an innocent child, or it will destroy the city's order).

Mulan
Once Upon a Time
Mulan is my only real example of White without any other colors, mostly due to how little screentime she gets. As she's shown hints of Red, but not quite enough to justify her as Boros. Her primary motivation is very cut and dry about honor and duty. She believes she can be of value in the good fight, so she fights. She spends most of the series outside a command structure, but listens to orders given she feels are morally correct. Emma insisting she cut down the beanstalk if she isn't back, protecting Princess Aurora as a promise to Prince Phillip.

Azorious
White is about rules, order, and decorum, while blue centers around knowledge, reason, and wit. Putting them together... you get bureaucratic lawyers. In Ravnica the law is written and controlled by the Azorious. They are passive and analytic on all subjects, they do not act without making sure all facts are in hand. Which, you know, means nothing gets done in a timely manner.

Caleb Rivers
Pretty Little Liars (late series) | Ravenswood
Caleb starts the series in Blue/Black, as he's mostly involved in things for personal reasons, but acts through a very Blue 'I am smarter than you, therefore I am better than you' way, but character development moved him past that, and his selfish pursuits turned a bit more selfless over time. Eventually he fell into 'I'm smart, therefore it's my duty to do what I can for the others.' Thus he continues to use his hacking and tech savvy for Hanna and the other Liars, even when it has gotten him in trouble, shot, or worse.

In Ravenswood he starts out here and just stays, he feels obligated to help due to a promise he made to a girl after meeting her (very white), and then cuts Hanna out of it to protect her (still very white), and because logically nothing good would come from telling her the truth (very blue). Black occasionally still peppers his choices, as morally lying is wrong (anti-white), but analytically the truth would not help anyone in the situation (blue/black agreement).

Clare Diana Edwards
Degrassi (Season 8-Season 10)
Clare is a hopeless Goodie Goodie Christian bookworm, this is pretty much a textbook example of white morality and blue intellect in action. Her choices are built on the analysis of events and information, a weighing of pros and cons, and a distribution of how these actions will impact others and if they are worthwhile. She was against any action that harmed someone, even those she had reason to hate. Her reaction to Alli's cyber attack campaign on Holly J. She also refused to pick between two boys out of fear she'd hurt either of them, so Clare's actions are all very passive and analytical.

Meanwhile priorities were as she was told by society and family, she didn't look for romance for a long time feeling she didn't need it, and it would interfere with the true purpose of school. However her primary focus was not her religious views, but her intellect, so things like masturbation and love were acceptable as she found they increased her enjoyment of the world without harming her position in the school. Later on, however... but that'll have to wait, she isn't in that identity yet.

Detective Casey Elizabeth Shraeger
The Unusuals
Detective Shraeger is a no-nonsense, by the book, will not bend and will not flinch cop. This is all very in the wheelhouse of Azorious, but a few other color identities. The thing that this identity fit is dispassion as much as passion. She rejected a life of luxury and hedonism she could have had to do the right thing (white), because she was capable (blue), and most importantly because it would mean she could stop her classmates from getting away with things money and power provided (white).

The series is pretty short, but she is very much all the things white and blue are.

Lacuna the Hook Knight
The Dresden Files
There's not a lot of canon to go by with Lacuna, but so far she's checked off the boxes for being Blue/White as opposed to Toot who is more Red/White. This is, partly, to do with how Faeries work in Dresden Files. Faeries function under Rule magic, which is a very white concept. Lacuna has shown to be smarter than most sprites, and more passive. Preferring to forego earthly hungers like pizza and candy for celery and green tea. She also spent a great deal of time asking Harry questions to try and learn.

Time will tell if this is right.

"Marth" | Lucina
Fire Emblem: Awakening
Lucina is a muse I'm thinking about, and decided to add her in anyway. She does use some black traits to do this (subterfuge, lies), but she's working mostly from a place of practicality (Blue). Her actions are for the greater good, trying to prevent the end of the world (White believes in order, not fate) and make the world safe and kind again. Now, wanting to save her family falls into Red, as that's passion, but her actions are not very passionate. So Red is a very minor aspect to her. She focuses on the right things to do, and ignoring passion until she's done, which is very blue.

Nara Shikamaru
Naruto
Shikamaru... his dispassion puts him in blue, easily. As do his intellect, cunning, and... well, everything he does. However the world of strategy, tactics, and battlefield wit is White. Making the right call knowing you are moving the greater good on the backs of individuals is White. Shikamaru also lives well within the rules as they present, but that's mostly due to apathy, which... isn't any color really.

He does leave this safe little niche of color when Asuma dies, Shikamaru falls pretty cleanly into Blue/Black... but only for that one arc.

Velma Dinkley
Scooby Doo: Mystery Begins and Curse of the Lake Monster
Of the Mystery, Inc gang, the trio that aren't Scooby and Shaggy fall pretty clearly into White/X color identities. Freddy is White/Red, Daphne is White/Black, and Velma, naturally, is White/Blue. Velma functions in a world of science, but she applies this world with a passion heavily controlled by reason. She is not a mad scientist, she does not act rashly, she acts with a cold inarguable logic that allows them to develop a theory as to who the monster really is.

Alexander "Xander" Harris
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Season 8)
There's a pretty heavy shift in Xander after the TV series ends, he moves into a fairly aloof and intellectual position taking Giles's job as watcher for the entire Slayer army. With the Nick Fury sweater, and the job upgrade, his color identity falls pretty clearly into this new dynamic. Some hints of his older rash days show up here or there during the S8 run as I read it, but mostly his calls are calm, reasonable, and moral. It's part of why the comics felt very... different, from the show.

Ayase Yue
Mahou Sensei Negima!
It isn't any real surprise that the distant cold bookworm falls into this identity, she carries a great deal in common with Shikamaru. Yue's got a little more Black to her identity (at first, she grows out of it quickly) in that she's sheltering herself from pain... which is Black's wheelhouse, as opposed to Shikamaru's just flat apathy. Once Yue starts to find reason to get involved, her curious (Blue) nature takes the wheel. Her white identity is forged from her getting involved because Negi-sensei is White, therefore Yue is also white to be like him.

Orzhov
Black is the color of amoral, self-serving, and power-mad ambition. It's onee of the colors in direct conflict with the moral, selfless, order based White. Which lead to the Orzhov syndicate, a religious based crime organization in Ravnica. The group is used to further the ambitions of the ruthless, and feed off the masses around them. They are not a nice group.

Bay Madeline Kennish
Switched at Birth
Bay is all about not following rules, but at the same time she puts a great deal into protecting the communal happiness and trying to twist things and break rules to serve others. It's all part of the dynamic created by colors that are not fond of each other. In Bay's case she is moral, but not rule oriented. So she uses amoral actions to provide moral outcomes. Most of her clashes with rules and order are due to a strong moral stand. So 'happiness by any means.'

Callie Jacob
The Fosters
Callie believes she's a sacrificial piece to any happiness, that her suffering is acceptable for others that she personally cares about. Black normally does not act selflessly, but other than this odd tidbit Callie is very much in a world of gray and uses whatever she can to make through, but more importantly protect her brother. She is, however, defiant of rules, order, and the system as she believes all these constructs are designed to hurt her. Because all these systems have hurt her.

One of those it isn't paranoia when people are out to get you things.

Holly-Jeanette "Holly J." Sinclair
Degrassi (Season 7-8)
Some people are by and large good, but use bad methods to get what they need... Holly J. starts out the series out and out evil. Her goals, ambitions, and desires lead her to do whatever she can for herself. Her chosen weapon, however, is the system itself. A corrupt politician in the making, as it were. What she does she does to make her life better and at the cost of everyone else in the world if she has to.

She grows out of it... eventually.

Esper
In the five realms of Alara, the one focused in White, Blue, and Black is all about removal of emotion and free will. That pursuit of knowledge (blue), by any means (black), and at the cost of all personal desire (white). Is the truest pursuit there is. Not sure what they do for fun.

Mr. Gold | Rumpelstiltskin
Once Upon a Time
Rumpelstiltskin, at his start of darkness, was doing something he thought was selfless... but it wasn't, and his every act had a selfish, survivalist tinge to it until he became the Dark One. Then with that mad-with-power place, he discovered the best and strongest powers were in deals (a White trick), and information (Blue). His desire for his son, for the majority of the series, is selfish... he only shifts toward White primary at the very end when he sacrificed himself for Baelfire and Belle... and he promptly went right back to Black with the activities of the rest of the season.

Oh well.