Misterican Culture and Colorism
We're going to talk about the metaphorical elephant in the room when it comes to Misterica and that's colorism. It's not a good thing and it one of the greatest flaws in their society as a whole. Much like humans show bias through skin tone (racism), some Mistericans show heavy doses of bias due to the color of one's Mist (colorism) and it's nothing to be proud of.
Due to the nature of their religion, Mistericans already relate colors lighter in hue to be 'better' than others because they are 'closer to white' (the hue). This is due to the fact that their Goddess, Lady Tiamat was White ->
Please look at her when I say this so it makes sense. When I say she was "white" I do NOT mean the color of her skin. I mean her hair because that is a reflection of the color of her Mist.
I'll use Joki, Taivas and Sielu as an example of how Misterican Society talks about people. If they were being discussed in Misterican Society, skin color would never come up. They don't care. To Mistericans they're all Blue. One's hair color = the color of their Mist.
The same would be said about Kipinä, Kuu, Kukka, Sydän and Tuulta. In the space of Misterican Society they would tell you these five are all purple.
It's just the same as Sinfonia, Valo and Tuli. In the space of Misterican society they are all Orange.
The classify each other by the color of their mist and the color of their mist is told to the world around them without anyone ever speaking a word. It's the same color as a Misterican's hair no matter what, because of this Misterican considers hair color and their hair in general sacred and dyeing it is something that's never even been conceived of because no Misterican ever would.
That being said, that means Misterican Society classified it's people in the following categories:
Red - The color of the Royal Family. Red Mistericans have held the crown for thousands of years, and this color exclusively shows up within it's bloodline. The color not only is a symbol of power to them but also the sign of royalty. Red Mist's ability to cast Paralyze also gives a certain level of fear to it's bearers. Red is also a dominant trait color as it is one of the Primaries.
Orange - An average color. Many Mistericans are. Has no special qualities and carries no biases as Orange Mist's ability is to cast Silence. A secondary color that can occur in child both from parents of similar colors or because of the mixing colors of their mists.
Yellow - One of the Primaries. A dominant trait color but carries few biases that are largely over looked by the public. Yellow Mist's ability to cast Confusion makes some tread with caution around these people but they are otherwise treated just the same as everyone else.
Green - A secondary color, related to by the public to danger and death. Largely found within the space of the military due to Green Mist's poison nature. It casts Toxic upon exhale and can kill those who inhale it at varying speeds. The only secondary color that carries a secondary effect within it's main. (I.E. Yellow-Green Mist will both confuse you and kill you)
Blue - The last of the primaries and a dominant trait. The first to be considered a "Holy Color" in all shades and tints due to it's relation to Tiamat. Valued highly despite Blue Mist's ability to cast Slow when the user exhales. Highly respected color, even more so the lighter it gets. Considered reliable and dependable. Treated a little bit higher than everyone else.
Purple - A secondary color but the second to be considered a "Holy Color" in all shades and tints due to it's relation to Tiamat as well. Highly valued and considered a respectful color. These people are sought out to be friends and companions in society due to Purple Mist's ability to cast Regen or healing when the user exhales. Considered the color to represent all things medical. This color probably has the easiest time in Misterican Society after Red.
Pink - A tint of red. Should be considered valuable due to it's white nature of it's hue but is instead shunned for Pink Mist's ability to cast Blind when the user exhales. Considered dangerous but less so than other colors. This color is avoided at near all cost and most of its bearers end up in military positions due to their mist's ability.
Brown - A blended tone that is fairly uncommon but not completely unheard of. Avoided by most due to Brown Mist's ability to cast Stone when exhaled. Largely found in military positions due to their mist's abilities. Brown Mistericans have a habit of keeping their masks on at near all times like their green counterparts, and don't make friends outside of their own color because of the nature of their mist. They are also commonly employed by the royal family.
Silver - The Holiest of Colors after White and the symbol of the Church. Silver Mistericans have held power in the Church and the Head of the Religious Council for as long as most MIstericans can remember. Much like the King is Red, the Piipsa (Bishop) is Silver. The Piispa is the head of the Religious Council and Leader of the Church. They are also responsible for half of Misterica's government as their word is extremely valued. Silver Mist's ability to cast Charm can make those around them far more agreeable than they were before but no one seems to notice or say anything about it....
White - The color of Lady Tiamat, the Celestial Mother herself. The Holiest of all Colors and considered the Supreme Color. Misterica's entire religion is built around the worship of this color. Misterican Religion dictates that the Misterican born of this color will be known as the "Child of White" and will be Misterica's destined Savior. The Child of Salvation, themselves. Only one Misterican was ever born to this color as prophesied. White Mist possess the ability to cast Sleep upon exhale.
All this being said, Mistericans also have feelings towards the color Black (the actual hue) and they aren't good ones. They feel this way because they relate the color Black to Lord Bahamut of the God of the Soil ->
So before I go into this I remind you. Mistericans DO NOT classify beings by skin tone. They classify them by the color of their Mist, so when I say "Mistericans don't like Black" I mean the actual hue of Black like paint, NOT SKIN TONE.
Aamunkoitto is Pink. Joki is Blue. Kristalli is Pink. Liekki is Green. Palo is Yellow.
If you want the fastest way to categorize a Misterican, simply look at the color of their hair.
All on the same page? Cool. Good.
So due to Bahamut's place within Misterican Religion as "The God of Destruction" and his connection to the color Black, the Mistericans have a very strict view of the color.
Misterican Religion dictates that a great dark will come to destroy the world and when it does it will be met by a "Child of White" who will bring about Salvation but it also dictates that of a "Child of Black" to which that child is called "the child of destruction".
Mistericans view Black as a bad omen and the color of death. Black Mist does not exist but if it did they would have exiled its user no doubt. They are so tied into the belief in Black being a bad omen / ill will / the color of death that they will not wear it. They will wear deep greys but they will not wear black.
The only time a Misterican is seen wearing the color Black is when their Sielun Värit will turn such a color after they are declared a tenet breaker.
That being said Mistericans will also not wear the color White, no matter their own tone because it is the holiest of colors and therefore meant for only the holiest of beings. Only the Child of White is allowed to wear such a color as it marks them as the Celestial Mother's holy vessel.
This is where the Church comes into play on this subject, because Misterica's government is divided into two sections. The Church and the Crown or The Religious Council and the Royal Family. I'm saying this to establish that Misterica's church held the same amount of power over the government as the royal family did. They lived in a theocracy. The Church held power.
So that means when the Church declared certain colors (green, brown and pink) as "less than" or "dangerous" or even went so far as the say "The Celestial Mother loves them less" or "They were her accidental creation" that means most of the populace took that seriously and began to avoid, talk about and segregate the other colors.
It makes it excessively difficult for Mistericans of Pink, Green or Brown to exist in society fully as they are often shown much prejudice and turned down for things like applications for housing or jobs. Many of these colors are impoverished and treated extremely poorly.
On top of this, Mistericans biases show up by simply judging a person by what colors they choose to wear and it's the reason most tend to stay within the boundaries of their own color families because Mistericans will make judgements on each other solely based on the abilities of the mist that color belongs to.
An example of this is how the Royal Knights all wear blue - a holy color and most Mistericans in the medical field will wear purple somewhere on their person as purple mist has healing properties.
Furthermore, The Crown clashes with the Church on these claims and beliefs - saying they are "ludicrous" and "baseless claims found no where in the sacred texts" and that The Church is fear mongering against other colors when they should stand together as a kingdom and they have bigger threats to worry about like the Windarians so they shouldn't be separating each other.
This has public belief divided and most Mistericans torn on what they should believe and it causes a political divide to deepen further between those who side more with The Crown and those who side more with The Church.
And if it doesn't make the divide worse, The Crown backs its claims so thoroughly that 70% of the Palace's employ are Mistericans of the colors Green, Pink and Brown. As if the Royal Family just needs to make a point.
In truth there are no Misterican less than to one another and the Church is fear mongering for it's own gain, but that's another post. Colorism runs the kingdom rampant and has for many many years and it's only become worse since Hopea Sumu's family has come into power.
