#mtgfracture

I've been wanting to post this for a few weeks now, because I really like Tam, where she is in the MTG Story, and where I hope her story goes. This is because, from a color pie standpoint, Tam is a perfect Blue-Green character.

What does this mean. Well, let's start with the basics. Blue is the color of perfection. Though, as has been pointed out, this isn't just about being perfect, but the quest for perfection. I personally subscribe to the belief that the Vedalken of Avishkar hold, which is nothing can be perfect. However, we must strive to reach that impossible perfection because that is how we better ourselves and the world around us. That is what Blue is about, becoming better.

In contrast, we have Green, the color of acceptance. It believes the natural world got it right. Everything is a delicate balance, and people, for whatever reason, just end up messing it up. To Green, the world is already perfect. Furthermore, people, like all creatures, already have a role to play in this ecosystem. Because of this, Green very much believes in destiny. That is, you are what you are.

This creates an inherent conflict between these two colors: nature vs. nurture. Are you what you were born to be, as Green believes, or is it the sum of experiences and interactions that make you who you are?

How does Tam fit into all this? Besides being a Simic colored character, her internal conflict is just that: destiny vs choice, nature vs nurture. She was created by Jace with a clear purpose. She was to be his agent to achieve his goal of creating the Echoverse. In her own words, she was "created to betray." And betray she did. During the climax of the Secrets of Strixhaven story, she suddenly turned against her friends and left them to face a massive monster alone, satisfied that she had completed her task for Jace. She followed her destiny, she chose her nature.

Still, she clearly had mixed feelings about it, even going so far as to say she wished it had been harder to betray her friends. As she left, she told them "I want you all to know that you made me happy...the days we spent together were the happiest of my life." Making friends was not part of her mission, and not part of Jace's plan. In fact, it was almost a coincidence that she made friends at all on her unexpected adventure on Lorwyn. She is now in a position where she has reason to go against her destiny, to choose those who nurtured her over her own nature.

This all leads us to where we are now. Tam has chosen to follow her destiny, but the seeds are there for her to change course and choose her own fate. I hope she takes that chance.