History Analysis / MagicTheGatheringGuilds

* Four incarnations of [[Series/DoctorWho the Doctor]] ([[https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=634555 Three]], [[https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=634405 Four]], [[https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=634551 Six]], and [[https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=634407 Thirteen]]) are Blue[=/=]Green, the second most common for the Doctor after Blue[=/=]White. The Doctor often acts to prevent meddling in the natural course of events using their brilliance and intellect, Blue means for a Green goal. Thirteen's run had many episodes tackling social or environmental issues, with the Doctor extolling the of a more harmonius and peaceful society and preserving what we have left.

* From ''Series/DoctorWho'': [[https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=634525 The Fugitive Doctor]] from [[Recap/DoctorWhoS38E5FugitiveOfTheJudoon Fugitiveof the Judoon]] is Red[=/=]Green. Being one of the more aggressive and impulsive incarnations of the Doctor, more prone to action and even violence, in stark contrast to the Doctor as we normally see them.

* In the ''Series/DoctorWho'' sets, more incarnations of the Doctor are Blue[=/=]White ([[https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=634522 One]], [[https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=634548 Two]], [[https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=634521 Five]], [[https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=634550 Seven]], [[https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=634518 Eight]], and [[https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=634519 Eleven]]) than other combinations. Blue fits the Doctor's cleverness and intellect, White fits their sometimes overly-inflexible codes of morals and ethics. While the Doctor is mostly heroic, they can be TooCleverByHalf or fail to adapt the flexibility a problem might require. And when people less inflexible than the Doctor solve a problem in a way they don't like, the Doctor can turn on a dime and unleash wrath upon them.

* In the ''Series/DoctorWho'' sets, more incarnations of the Doctor are Blue[=/=]White (One, Two, Five, Seven, Eight, and Eleven) than other combinations. Blue fits the Doctor's cleverness and intellect, White fits their sometimes overly-inflexible codes of morals and ethics. While the Doctor is mostly heroic, they can be TooCleverByHalf or fail to adapt the flexibility a problem might require. And when people less inflexible than the Doctor solve a problem in a way they don't like, the Doctor can turn on a dime and unleash wrath upon them.

* In the ''[[Series/DoctorWho]]'' sets, more incarnations of the Doctor are Blue[=/=]White (One, Two, Five, Seven, Eight, and Eleven) than other combinations. Blue fits the Doctor's cleverness and intellect, White fits their sometimes overly-inflexible codes of morals and ethics. While the Doctor is mostly heroic, they can be TooCleverByHalf or fail to adapt the flexibility a problem might require. And when people less inflexible than the Doctor solve a problem in a way they don't like, the Doctor can turn on a dime and unleash wrath upon them.

* A very red-heavy example would be [[Film/BillAndTed the Wyld Stallyns, Bill and Ted]]. While they're [[BookDumb not, strictly speaking, book-smart]], they are very passionate and ''com''passionate people who find the news that they're the source of a future scientific utopia most excellent. Furthermore, they have an intuitive grasp of how time travel works, and show themselves to be more than capable of logical intellectual gymnastics in its use.

The essential identity of Green/Black is quite nicely summed up by the flavor text of "[[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=95536 Golgari Signet]]" — either Green/Black cards are hideous abominations, natural things infested and warped by unholy energies, ''or'' they are aware of the balance of life and death, the cruelty of instinct and the value of deviousness, and are AboveGoodAndEvil. And, as the text suggests, which is which [[FromACertainPointOfView largely depends on who's talking]].\\

* Is there a better example out there than [[Franchise/SuperMario Bowser, the Koopa King?]] He lives in a dark, lava-filled badland, constantly plots to take over the Mushroom Kingdom and possibly beyond, has a temper as fiery as his breath, and a major crush on Princess Peach (which is implied to be a major reason why he bothers to kidnap her in the first place). Even his iconography suggests a strong black/red theme, the best example perhaps being the Bowser spaces in the ''VideoGame/MarioParty'' series.

* ''Franchise/RickAndMorty'': Rick Sanchez, being loosely based on Doc Brown, as noted as an example of this color combination above, is this. Rick himself, however, is drastically more amoral and prone to bring his grandson Morty along for his adventures, usually against his will. He takes the science and LackOfEmpathy of Blue and mixes it with the adventureness and impulsiveness of Red to throw himself and Morty into thousands of odd, often dangerous situations, without any regard for the risks. He does care for his family, but usually saves them only after satisfying his own impulses first or after retrieving the stuff he needs for his next project first.

* The video game ''VideoGame/TalesOfBerseria'' shows White and Red at war with each other. The protagonist, Velvet Crowe, was traumatized when her brother-in-law, Artorius Collbrande, failed to protect her sister Celica and their unborn child; later, trauma turned to {{Rage|BreakingPoint}} when she saw him make a human sacrifice of their one remaining sibling, Laphicet the LittlestCancerPatient. The game is her RoaringRampageOfRevenge against Artorius, who has since risen to leadership of an ecclesiastic organization that promotes [[TheSpock detached, emotionless reason]] and wants to eradicate TheEvilsOfFreeWill. In the meanwhile, of course, Velvet has become a BloodKnight whose [[RightRedHand Left Red Hand]], literally a demon claw, allows her to LifeDrain her victims. Ultimately, the two are similar, each willing to force others to make sacrifices in the name of their goals, but Velvet and her band of {{Anti Hero}}es are the ones doing the ChaoticGood things, while Artorius and the Abbey put an emphasis on the "Evil" part of LawfulEvil.

Interestingly, blue and black are also the colors most associated with [[ContemplateOurNavels introspection]] and with it, [[MaskOfConfidence self-doubt]]. Blue-black is the most likely color combination to [[TooCleverByHalf second-guess itself]] and tends to be [[InferioritySuperiotyComplex acutely aware of its own limitations]].

On the plus side, Blue and Black are the colors [[http://media.wizards.com/2014/podcasts/magic/drivetowork185_blueblack.mp3 that most value the concept of free will]], as their shared enemy, Green, is all about predestination. Blue/Black can be a sociopath of the highest calibre, but also the voice of reason against conservatism or fatalism.

White/Black cards tend to fall into one of two molds: either a [[StrawHypocrite full-blown]] {{hypocrite}}, who pretends to White's piety and selflessness as an act to hide or support its Black core; or a KnightTemplar who is willing to use Black's methods for White's goals, doing ''whatever'' needs to be done for the greater good: if an innocent has to die a gruesome, horrible death (or endure [[FateWorseThanDeath some other similarly terrible fate]]) most wouldn't wish on their worst enemy in order to save a civilization, that's a fair trade. [[TakeAThirdOption The third option]] is honestly using white's concern and black's selfishness to care for your ''group'' and no one outside it; essentially [[TheMafia organized crime]], or taken even further, the AbsoluteXenophobe. Black/White is the combination of the VillainWithGoodPublicity, someone who believes in {{Realpolitik}}, and/or someone who believes UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans. There can also be a sense of self-sacrifice bordering on the insane with a White/Black hero: White heroes might lay down their lives, Black heroes might sacrifice even a loved one to save the day, but a White/Black hero might sell ''their own soul'' to protect their charge. Other Black/White cards, usually spells and not creatures, also represent the merging of the infernal with the divine or the crossing of other fundamentally opposed forces, often resulting in something new, extremely powerful — and dangerous. How dangerous? Think [[YinYangBomb matter/antimatter]].

* Inspector Carmelita Fox from the ''VideoGame/SlyCooper'' series, so very much. She's quite dedicated to the pursuit of justice and the enforcement of the law, but is also quite passionate, short-tempered, and prone to [[KickTheSonOfABitch venting her frustration on the criminals she apprehends]].

* The Young Merchant from ''LightNovel/{{Maoyu}}'' is an interesting example. He begins as the hypocrite version, using a thin veneer of adhering to humanity's cause to mask his dirty work as a ruthless money-maker. Upon meeting the Crimson Scholar, however, he finds his worldview completely destabilized. After some soul-searching and a conversation with the Hero, he finds himself solidifying his white/black roots.[[spoiler:.. but with a more positive bent, using his ruthless money-making skill to ruin the Central Nations' currency, invest heavily in the Southern Triad, and push for a ceasefire with the demons. Even his rationale is a blend of selfishness and selflessness; in his words, the only thing he's found that all people have in common is that they'd all like to be a little happier, so why not use that to bridge the gaps between nations and trade?]]

* Rider from ''LightNovel/FateZero'', being the spirit of UsefulNotes/AlexanderTheGreat, fits this paradigm; his methods and goals are each a thorough blend of white and red, order and passion. His camaraderie and fiery personality gave him the charisma to rally tens of thousands of allies to his cause, turning them into a BadassArmy that could take over much of the known world. In combat, he can summon this massive army to his aid, not unlike what a Boros player might do. He claims that the reason Saber failed as a King is because she took a pure White approach to ruling, which meant she lacked the charisma to inspire true loyalty among her subjects.

* The Lady Knight and Big Sister Maid from ''LightNovel/{{Maoyu}}'' are definite examples that, while united in purpose, vary in approach. As a [[ChurchMilitant knight and prioress]], the Lady Knight's emphasis on faith, religion, military tactics, duty, and helping the peasantry are very white, while her hot-headedness, fury in battle, love and desire for the Hero, and generally rough demeanor are red. Meanwhile, the Big Sister Maid is also devoutly religious, but lacks that same commanding edge that the Lady Knight has. However, her red side manifests as compassion and fierce individualism, born of her childhood life as a serf under the heel of a cruel master. Mixing this with white's desire to help the collective, she fervently yet peacefully pushes for a more egalitarian society, one where everyone, whether nobles, peasants, soldiers, or serfs, can all enjoy the Holy Light's gifts of life, wealth, and freedom. Just to further push the red half, freedom is something that she believes is an inviolable right of the people, which even kings or priests should never be able to take from them.

** Kyubey from ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'' has the stoicism, rationality, and detachment that comes with Blue mana, and White elements in his [[spoiler:usage of magical girls' despair and suffering to preserve the universe, as well as his MO, which is [[TotalitarianUtilitarian extremely utilatarian]] to the point of horrifying amorality, and at one point, he even compares humans to farm animals.]]

White opposes Red for similar reasons as it does Black. White understands the utility of putting away its emotions; Red is ruled by nothing else. White thinks Red is [[ChaoticNeutral Chaotic Selfish]], too obsessed with its own pleasure to be trustworthy. For its part, Red sees White as needlessly controlling and doesn't like all the annoying little rules White uses to harsh Red's not-so-mellow. White, with its aforementioned specialty in [[PowerNullifier Power Nullifiers]], can impose a lot of new rules on players; Red has all the spells that bend the rules and shake things up (e.g., "Spell which used to target [X] now targets something else, which you get to choose" or "Shuffle all permanents in play and deal them out randomly"). Put as simply as possible: OrderVersusChaos.\\

--> '''[[WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall Linkara]]:''' I see Batman as a figure, ultimately, about how one can rise above tragedy to do good in the world and improve yourself. He is brusque, yes, but not heartless. Aggressive, but not unethical. He drives himself to the extremes he does, sacrifices himself and his happiness at times for one goal — so that no other eight-year-old child will ever have to go through what he did. Sometimes he goes too far and sometimes he makes mistakes, but that's because he's not a god, nor should he be. He is human. If Superman represents the hope and compassion humanity is capable of, Batman represents the determination and intellect we are also capable of. Superman's worst foe is Lex Luthor, a wealthy genius who uses his power for evil, but Superman's best friend is Batman, a wealthy genius who uses his power for good.

* The Franchise/{{DCAU}} incarnation of ComicBook/{{Brainiac}}. An emotionless artificial intelligence who has decided that its purpose is the collection and preservation of all knowledge... and destroying the worlds from which he gathers said knowledge just to make it more valuable. Interestingly enough, he merges with Lex Luthor, a rather different variation of the same color combination.

* The antagonistic Golden Idea from ''VideoGame/{{Dandara}}'' embodies both the dulling of individuality (White) and the use of outer bling for one's own image (Black). These qualities allow [[BigBad Eldar]] to seduce and assimilate the Intention side of the Salt (Blue, Intention's [=MtG=] color, unlike the Red-aligned Creation side, is allied with White and thus lacks resistance to Eldar's charm). [[spoiler:Eldar's [[OneWingedAngel second form]] exemplifies his colors in two ways: he opposes self-expression so much that he only exists as [[TheWormThatWalks a collective entity]] (White), and fear for survival festers and overgrows when hidden behind a mask of shallow perfection (Black).]]