Based on the Magic the Gathering Interviews by Joshua Burner "joshscorcher" from youtube and his friends.


Mr. Rosewater waits in his study, he sitting in his personal seat across from an empty cushioned chair as he waits for the next color to reveal itself, sorting through some notes while he waits. The interviews started with White followed Black and then Green, so following the color wheel he expects Blue to arrive soon for his turn. He checks his watch to see the time of their appointment draws closer.

As he's looking down, the window behind the guest chair begins to rattle. It starts slow, only moderately grabbing his attention, before increasing in frequency as frames clatter louder and more violent. In an instant, the lock springs itself as a gust of wind sweeps into the room before swirling over the empty chair. The air begins to condense into a thick fog, then sparkling ice crystals suspended in the air forming a pair of glasses, and then a human face and body clothed in a blue sweater. As the display finishes, the clock strikes on the hour, the very second their interview begins.

Blue: Right on schedule.

Mr. Rosewater: Y-yes, right on time. Thank you for agreeing to this Mr. Blue.

Blue: The pleasure is all mine, I'm more than welcome to answer any questions you might have. I enjoy spreading knowledge wherever I go to anyone who will listen. And please, call me Ulysses, I find it much more appealing than the name 'Blue'.

Mr. Rosewater: Alright, that's perfectly fine. scribbling something on his notepad

Ulysses: And if you don't mind, I'd prefer my name be shortened as 'U', not 'B' like Black does. It's a common oversight and I like to do what I can to negate it.

Mr. Rosewater: Y-es, I'll try to keep that in mind. quickly crossing out a few letters. Anyway, lets start with the first question I ask everyone,
"What do you believe?"

U: What I believe... I believe life is what you make of it. Any problem one may come across can be understood and mastered, then that same lesson may be applied somewhere else. The best way to succeed is to know how it all works.

U: The universe as I see it is a blank slate, full of opportunities waiting to be discovered. The environment around you may be shaped by the will of intelligent beings into whatever you can imagine, all it takes is a little know-how and purposeful action. Limitless possibilities spring from all around waiting to be witnessed, my goal is to learn all that I can and discover how different actions influence the world around me. By obtain knowledge, one may use it to better themselves and others, reaching closer to perfection.

RW: And what is 'perfection?'

U: Total mastery over your environment. With absolute knowledge, you can maintain absolute control. Everything happens for a reason, and by understanding that course you can create a better world, or prevent catastrophe. Knowledge is the means one uses to succeed in life, and my entire philosophy is about mastering it. With an open curious mind, one can truly see how things are and act upon them, or change it for the better.

Whenever I come across a problem, I go through all the possibilities and look for the most efficient solution. Sometimes it involves further learning over the situation, sometimes you already have the key to success from a past experience. Maybe you can work around it in a clever way, or you may be better off halting the issue before it becomes a serious problem, and more than likely the solution involves delaying the disaster until you learn of a more permanent answer.

RW: You talk a lot about solving problems and finding answers. How are you sure you'll find an answer?

U: If I don't already have a solution, I find it. With enough time, it is inevitable. Every situation has infinite outcomes, by exploring the best paths you soon find avenues that lead to a more ideal circumstances. Though it may take some work to get there or find the exact means to get there. Eventually, you find the best course of action expending the least amount of energy, that problem no longer troubles you and now serves only as a learning experience, not only making for a better world but a brighter future.

RW: Improvement through learning. And the other colors? I'm sure they have their own methods. Why should they follow your example?

U: The other colors usually have one set strategy or goal. They base themselves on an end goal rather than how best to achieve any state of being. They go straight in looking to change the world to that final step without considering the steps in between. The world can be hostile towards your goals, but doesn't have to be. We can change it to better suit us, if we'd just take the time to understand it. Without knowing your options you can never hope to answer the question correctly. And the inverse applies just the same, without understanding the question you can never hope to provide a sound answer. The way I see it, I'm the only one who tries to understand what's possible through the situation I'm in, I look to see the world not just how is but what it can become.

RW: While we're on the subject, lets talk about your relationship with the other colors. Lets start with White, one you're more friendly with.

U: Ah yes, White is indeed an ally of mine. She understands that to get things done it takes direct action. If someone is acting on their own, she calls them out knowing full well it goes against her goals, a clear plan is laid out and everyone has to know it and participate. I often enjoy working with her, a very analytical top-down approach to anything that needs fixing. Not to mention when everyone pools their resources together in an organized fashion, a lot more can be accomplished with wide sweeping demands. Grant money comes very easy with her when there's a good cause behind the job.

RW: And things you don't like about White?

U: Sometimes that overwhelming control can be more restrictive than beneficial. Under her rule everyone works for the greater good, and that means nothing can be wasted or used for experimentation. She's good at rationing out what she has but with some adjustments I believe we could accomplish so much more. Those tiny soldiers won't last forever, we need to invest in something bigger and more permanent. And when I said she acts in wide sweeping actions, that includes punishments, no one is spared from judgment regardless of circumstances or deeper context. I feel she's less interested in creating a perfect society and just making one that's satisfactory. I'm sorry but that's no way to live, no need to grow or find a better way just know everyone is in the same boat you are.

RW: But you still like working with White?

U: Certainly, we're a perfect team. With her control and my knowledge we're practically unstoppable. She just doesn't share my passion for astronomy. I love learning about anything, but with her it always stops at good enough. If it doesn't help maintain the status quo, it's not important to her. In my mind, everything is important, nothing should be overlooked, every course of action is worth considering if it improves your situation.

RW: That seems a bit like Black. Would you like to talk about him?

U: Black is very much the opposite, no need to look after anyone but yourself and what you desire. He sees the world as selfish and exploits it, or I suppose a nicer way to put it, he knows people have desires and uses what he knows to achieve whatever goal he has.

RW: And you're okay with that?

U: He loves scheming for ways to improve his own situation, the best way to help himself and get away with it. It's basically my course of action, look at your situation and master it. He's not afraid to do what needs to be done. And unfortunately, that's also the problem. Black sees sacrifice as a part of life, not something to be overcome or avoided. Selfishness exists in the world but maybe it doesn't have to, generosity and prosperity can exist in it's place just as well. He gets work done, but I feel if he took more time to think things through he'd find a way to have his cake and eat it too, without slitting his wrists. Still, I know he's no fool, when he summons a demon he knows the risks and has the situation completely under his control. It's just I look for better solutions to my problems than settle with a self destructive net gain. I work to improve my life rather than use it as a means to an end.

RW: So what's it like with you between them, Esper as it's called.

U: Absolute perfection. Savagery and chaos have no place in a world with me at the center. I can use White's dominance over the masses and connections while also use Black's ambition and straightforwardness to achieve whatever is needed beyond. With the right knowledge anything becomes possible, nothing is left to chance or the whims of 'nature'. All that's left are the things I create in the pursuit of new wonders.

RW: Do you not like nature?

U: It's not exactly my favorite place to be. So many loose variables to keep track of, trees getting in the way and animals climbing up them. If it were up to me, I'd clear out any forest for a nice academy. Or a beach resort. I'm better with fish and birds, always in a three dimensional environment and using as much as they can.

RW: Uh huh, lets talk about the colors opposite of you, starting with Green?

U: Very well. Green is... naive.

Green thinks everything is the way it should be, no improvement needed. Just let nature do it's thing. I say everything exists to be molded into something wonderful, how do you think I feel when every blade of grass is supposedly created with a predetermined destiny? "Just be happy with the way the world is", ignoring how every living thing is just as artificial to existence as any of my creations. Why not at least try to make progress than leave it all to natural development?

RW: And what are things you like about Green?

U: Well... I'd be lying if I said biology wasn't one of my favorite studies. You can spend a lifetime engineering a perfect machine to do one task, making parts smaller and smaller, scrapping your mistakes and charting out new blueprints, coming closer to maximum efficiency, only to find nature has already found it's own brilliant solution all on it's own. Evolution is slow, but it's hard to deny it's effectiveness. So simple, yet also complex, life finds a way to master it's environment even without really meaning to. Still I'm more appreciative of birds and fish that find interesting ways to succeed than brutish bears and wolves, and I would much rather make my own animals than wait and see what decides to develop.

RW: How about we switch to Red? What do you have to say about him?

U: ...I said Green was naive, she lacks motivation to change the world when it works well enough. Red however is an idiot!

He's a danger to himself and everyone around him, always rushing in without thinking. Where Green protests against changing the way things are, Red can't help but start fires without even considering the consequences. Impulsive, trigger happy, demented, sadist would fit him if he actually intended to spread harm. Say what you want about Black, he doesn't cry after his emotions get the better of him and he wrecks everything.

RW: You don't think Red's philosophy has merit?

U: Like I imagine he'd say, "Why measure twice and cut once when you can just slash at random?" His actions don't just make his own life harder, it interferes with my own plans too. Whenever he's around it's just impossible to work. No control, no restraint, no purpose.

RW: 'No purpose', could it be you just don't understand Red as much as you'd like to? Is that why you two are enemies?

U: What's there to understand? His philosophy is nothing short of madness. He goes in blasting everything in sight, first thing that comes to mind he does without a second thought, sometimes it's impossible to stop him when he gets into it, before I can even find my favorite chimera it all goes up in flames, and... and... it works...

RW: Go on...

U: I don't know how he does it, but when he goes into his manic episodes there's just no stopping him. He puts so much into everything he does in an instant and quickly moves on to the next task, whatever he sets his mind on he accomplishes like that. With a snap of his fingers I can be struck by a bolt of lightning, it takes me twice as much effort just to counteract that. As much as I hate to see it happen, overwhelming passion can get a lot done.

RW: Sort of like, "Sometimes the easiest solution is the best."

U: Don't push it. It doesn't always work out for him, thankfully. If he can't keep coming up with another course of action on the fly, that just gives me time to set up against him, and the longer we clash the more chances I have to figure him out and put him in his place. I respect his output but what he really needs is guidance or a wit to match his work speed, if he could think half as fast as he acts then he might actually be respectable in my books.

RW: Well then, that's everything I wanted to ask about. Thank you for coming to talk with me.

U: Right, I hope I gave you some insight in how to better yourself.