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taotrooper) wrote2009-06-20 12:10 am
taotrooper) wrote2009-06-20 12:10 am
Entry tags:
[CLAMP] The color theory
Fandom: XXXHOLiC/CCS
Title: The color theory
Theme(s): 23. Blue Periwinkle (~Blue Moon)
Pairing/Characters: Clow, Yuuko
Rating: G
Genre: Gen
Summary: Some things need planning and agreement. Happened before the Mokona metacanon.
Yuuko looked over Clow's shoulders as he drew two identical creatures in ink. Or at least they'd be identical if it wasn't for the fact the earrings were in opposite sides. After he was done, he painted the forehead gems and the pendants with red watercolor.
He nodded, satisfied. The woman, however, crossed her arms over her vast chest.
"Do you always make a sketch before creating someone?" She asked him. He turned around, smiling.
"Indeed. Magic might be an art to some people, but it's also a science. Analysis and design must come before development. Otherwise, the results can be fatal."
"I see your point, I guess." She shrugged. Clow tended to think too much ahead for her taste. "And a sketch helps you how?"
"It makes me take a final decision. My cards and guardians lived in my head for a long time before I created them. When I had developed them and made them tangible enough, then I proceeded to take them out. But before that, I designed them on paper. Their powers were written and their body was drawn. You wouldn't believe how many prototypes I had for Cerberus and Yue, but that's the right way to do it. You can't have doubts. Imagine," he set an example, "what would've happened if in the middle of his creating moment I suddenly wondered how Yue would look like with, say, red hair."
"It would've been hilarious," Yuuko laughed. "And what hair color would've been in the end, in that hypothetical case?"
"Ah, that's the thing. We don't know. There's no way to tell, my friend. Perhaps it would've been both."
"Do you mean half red half silver, or everything pink?"
They both sniggered at the mental image.
"Speaking of colors," Yuuko said, "I don't think both Mokona Modoki should be white."
"That's a problem," he frowned. "We must agree on everything so the creation works correctly. The image in our minds has to be equal."
"Well, I propose one of them should have a different color scheme. What if we confuse them?"
"That's why I gave them the magical artifact in different ears." He pointed at the sketch. "Enhancer is right, seal is left."
"They could try to trade their earrings."
"We'd notice."
"Oh, alright, alright." She lost her temper. "I want mine to be colored different because I say so! Are you happy now?"
"You should've start saying that," he grinned. "It's a better argument than silly excuses. So," he said as he scratched his nose with the quill. "what color do you fancy for the communicator?"
She smirked as she pondered.
"How about this? You think white, I think red, and let's see if we get a pink Mokona!"
"I think not."
"It could be fun---"
"No."
Clow's glasses shone in determination. Yuuko didn't push her luck. She sighed and twirled a bunch of strands of her dark hair. Dark. She observed them for some seconds. Then she looked at Clow's loose mane, rebelling against the ponytail. It was so simple!
"Black."
"I beg your pardon?"
"Black. One white, one black."
"Like a Taijitu?"
Clow's eyes opened wide. Yuuko could see why; she had chosen black because of visual contrast, while her colleague was an opposites freak. He's always trying to make a balance over everything: yin and yang, Eastern and Western, dark and light, moon and sun.
"Sure, sure." She conceded.
"They'd match Dark and Light, even. I've always wanted to make a black creature," he admitted with a broad, hopeful smile. "I love that color, you know. I had prototypes of Cerberus as a black panther and Yue wearing black instead of white, but in the end I threw them away."
"Why is that?"
"That amount of darkness wouldn't suit the girl. Metallic colors had more life."
She groaned. He thought too much ahead again.
"So," she retook the subject, "do we agree with black?"
"Most certainly, madam," he smiled and filled one of the Mokonas' body with black ink.
"Fine, then. Now, the gems..."
"What about them?" He didn't look at her, busy as he was with painting a Mokona black.
"Black should have a different gem color. Duh."
"I don't see why it should."
"Didn't we discuss this before? They could exchange the earrings."
"And I said we'd noticed. So you just want to change it," Clow concluded, as he deposited the quill inside the inkwell. "I thought you love red and black. It could match your red kimonos."
"You can't think like a woman, so don't pretend you do," she snapped at him. "Sure, it suits me, but aren't we thinking about what suits the kids better? Red doesn't feel like his color, just as black is not her color."
"I can buy this excuse. So, will you go by a cool color?"
"It's the fair thing to do. Purple."
"Too close to red in the color wheel."
"The what?" Colors had wheels now? Was Clow talking -again!- in riddles not even Yuuko could understand?
"Nevermind that. I say blue. A dark one, but not that dark."
"I like that idea, but why did you choose it?"
"It's a Feng Shui principle. Red, in China, is the color of North. South, however, is ruled by blue tones and black. But that's not all. Red is usually used to maximize your Chi, so it fits white Mokona's red earring rather nicely. Blue, in the other hand, is yin shui: energy at its maximal dormancy, about to begin activity."
"That fits a seal," Yuuko nodded. "Personally, I thought you'd give me a Buddhist approach to justify blue."
"There is one?" Clow seemed intrigued.
"Akshobhya, the healing Buddha. Blue transforms anger into equivalent wisdom, clear as a mirror. It fits the boy as well."
"So we agree on blue?"
"Yes."
"It's funny you kept mentioning the lad, though."
"Why? What are you hiding this time, Clow?"
"Didn't I tell you before? He will have black hair and vivid blue eyes."
Yuuko glanced at the sketch as the black Mokona's forehead gem and earring magically changed their color to periwinkle blue.
-------------------------
Notes:
Yes, Kimihiro Watanuki's eyes vary in color in each CLAMP illustration, just like Yuuko's. I do tend to picture him more with blue eyes, in part because I like them better that way, in part because of the anime. Maybe I'm subconsciously mixing manga and anime canon, incompatible as they both are.
The color symbolisms were taken from webpages especialized in Asian color theories. Feng Shui in color and Color Symbolism in Buddhist Art.
Taijitu is one of the names to refer to the infamous yin-yang symbol. Chi is, as most of you know, vital energy. Akshobhya had a cult in Japan, so Yuuko should likely have heard of him.
While Clow talks about magical science, the "analysis and design" approach is more related to engineery.
Title: The color theory
Theme(s): 23. Blue Periwinkle (~Blue Moon)
Pairing/Characters: Clow, Yuuko
Rating: G
Genre: Gen
Summary: Some things need planning and agreement. Happened before the Mokona metacanon.
Yuuko looked over Clow's shoulders as he drew two identical creatures in ink. Or at least they'd be identical if it wasn't for the fact the earrings were in opposite sides. After he was done, he painted the forehead gems and the pendants with red watercolor.
He nodded, satisfied. The woman, however, crossed her arms over her vast chest.
"Do you always make a sketch before creating someone?" She asked him. He turned around, smiling.
"Indeed. Magic might be an art to some people, but it's also a science. Analysis and design must come before development. Otherwise, the results can be fatal."
"I see your point, I guess." She shrugged. Clow tended to think too much ahead for her taste. "And a sketch helps you how?"
"It makes me take a final decision. My cards and guardians lived in my head for a long time before I created them. When I had developed them and made them tangible enough, then I proceeded to take them out. But before that, I designed them on paper. Their powers were written and their body was drawn. You wouldn't believe how many prototypes I had for Cerberus and Yue, but that's the right way to do it. You can't have doubts. Imagine," he set an example, "what would've happened if in the middle of his creating moment I suddenly wondered how Yue would look like with, say, red hair."
"It would've been hilarious," Yuuko laughed. "And what hair color would've been in the end, in that hypothetical case?"
"Ah, that's the thing. We don't know. There's no way to tell, my friend. Perhaps it would've been both."
"Do you mean half red half silver, or everything pink?"
They both sniggered at the mental image.
"Speaking of colors," Yuuko said, "I don't think both Mokona Modoki should be white."
"That's a problem," he frowned. "We must agree on everything so the creation works correctly. The image in our minds has to be equal."
"Well, I propose one of them should have a different color scheme. What if we confuse them?"
"That's why I gave them the magical artifact in different ears." He pointed at the sketch. "Enhancer is right, seal is left."
"They could try to trade their earrings."
"We'd notice."
"Oh, alright, alright." She lost her temper. "I want mine to be colored different because I say so! Are you happy now?"
"You should've start saying that," he grinned. "It's a better argument than silly excuses. So," he said as he scratched his nose with the quill. "what color do you fancy for the communicator?"
She smirked as she pondered.
"How about this? You think white, I think red, and let's see if we get a pink Mokona!"
"I think not."
"It could be fun---"
"No."
Clow's glasses shone in determination. Yuuko didn't push her luck. She sighed and twirled a bunch of strands of her dark hair. Dark. She observed them for some seconds. Then she looked at Clow's loose mane, rebelling against the ponytail. It was so simple!
"Black."
"I beg your pardon?"
"Black. One white, one black."
"Like a Taijitu?"
Clow's eyes opened wide. Yuuko could see why; she had chosen black because of visual contrast, while her colleague was an opposites freak. He's always trying to make a balance over everything: yin and yang, Eastern and Western, dark and light, moon and sun.
"Sure, sure." She conceded.
"They'd match Dark and Light, even. I've always wanted to make a black creature," he admitted with a broad, hopeful smile. "I love that color, you know. I had prototypes of Cerberus as a black panther and Yue wearing black instead of white, but in the end I threw them away."
"Why is that?"
"That amount of darkness wouldn't suit the girl. Metallic colors had more life."
She groaned. He thought too much ahead again.
"So," she retook the subject, "do we agree with black?"
"Most certainly, madam," he smiled and filled one of the Mokonas' body with black ink.
"Fine, then. Now, the gems..."
"What about them?" He didn't look at her, busy as he was with painting a Mokona black.
"Black should have a different gem color. Duh."
"I don't see why it should."
"Didn't we discuss this before? They could exchange the earrings."
"And I said we'd noticed. So you just want to change it," Clow concluded, as he deposited the quill inside the inkwell. "I thought you love red and black. It could match your red kimonos."
"You can't think like a woman, so don't pretend you do," she snapped at him. "Sure, it suits me, but aren't we thinking about what suits the kids better? Red doesn't feel like his color, just as black is not her color."
"I can buy this excuse. So, will you go by a cool color?"
"It's the fair thing to do. Purple."
"Too close to red in the color wheel."
"The what?" Colors had wheels now? Was Clow talking -again!- in riddles not even Yuuko could understand?
"Nevermind that. I say blue. A dark one, but not that dark."
"I like that idea, but why did you choose it?"
"It's a Feng Shui principle. Red, in China, is the color of North. South, however, is ruled by blue tones and black. But that's not all. Red is usually used to maximize your Chi, so it fits white Mokona's red earring rather nicely. Blue, in the other hand, is yin shui: energy at its maximal dormancy, about to begin activity."
"That fits a seal," Yuuko nodded. "Personally, I thought you'd give me a Buddhist approach to justify blue."
"There is one?" Clow seemed intrigued.
"Akshobhya, the healing Buddha. Blue transforms anger into equivalent wisdom, clear as a mirror. It fits the boy as well."
"So we agree on blue?"
"Yes."
"It's funny you kept mentioning the lad, though."
"Why? What are you hiding this time, Clow?"
"Didn't I tell you before? He will have black hair and vivid blue eyes."
Yuuko glanced at the sketch as the black Mokona's forehead gem and earring magically changed their color to periwinkle blue.
-------------------------
Notes:
Yes, Kimihiro Watanuki's eyes vary in color in each CLAMP illustration, just like Yuuko's. I do tend to picture him more with blue eyes, in part because I like them better that way, in part because of the anime. Maybe I'm subconsciously mixing manga and anime canon, incompatible as they both are.
The color symbolisms were taken from webpages especialized in Asian color theories. Feng Shui in color and Color Symbolism in Buddhist Art.
Taijitu is one of the names to refer to the infamous yin-yang symbol. Chi is, as most of you know, vital energy. Akshobhya had a cult in Japan, so Yuuko should likely have heard of him.
While Clow talks about magical science, the "analysis and design" approach is more related to engineery.