Welcome to some of you, and welcome back to others! This is ModernDayTrickster making my second blog post.

Last time I mentioned that my blog is going to focus on Tricksters and related subjects. My last post detailed some of the main traits that I think embody true Tricksters and one of them included both amorality and moral ambiguity. Today I'm going to talk about the two of them and what makes them different as well as why people sometimes confuse them for each other or other things.

Simply put, being morally ambiguous means one's morals are mysterious and hard to determine. Being amoral, on the other hand, means you have absolutely no morals at all. True Tricksters can be and often times are both.

The difference is that morally ambiguous people may or may not have morals even if no one knows what they are. They can be revealled to be moral, amoral, or immoral. People who change sides often are morally ambiguous because no one knows where their allegiance lies or if they have any at all. As the lyrics of a certain song from the musical, Wicked, go, 'there are precious few at ease with moral ambiguities, so we act as though they don't exist'. That may be true for history in general - I mean, who would remember some person who didn't do anything significantly good or bad for anyone but themselves? - but in popular culture, they're becoming more and more prominent because people enjoy the mystery and to be kept guessing whose side a character is on.

Those who are amoral have no allegiance to anyone but themselves. People often confuse 'amoral' with 'immoral' because they they don't or can't distinguish that having a lack of a conscience isn't the same as ignoring one. We, as humans, are all thought to have an innate sense of morals instilled in us, so we have a hard time wrapping our brains around the concept of being without one. What guides your actions then? The answer is selfishness. If you don't know what's considered 'good' or 'bad', you're going to do whatever the heck you want with no thought to how it affects others. Just as angels are thought to be moral and demons are thought to be immoral, fairies are thought to be amoral (and according to Irish folklore, they're fallen angels that didn't have enough sin to weigh them down to become demons, so that's one explanation for the system). That's why fairies have a mixed reputation; because their antics may help or harm others without them caring which is which.

Since humans are usually associated with having a conscience, true Tricksters generally aren't portrayed as human. Instead they often take the form of animals, magic beings like fae and other shape-shifters, even gods. Many times Tricksters are amoral immortals with a great deal of boredom, lots of power, and very little concern for using humans as a form of entertainment. A Trickster may start amoral, but gradually become morally ambiguous as they begin to interact with more humans and develop feelings toward them, whether positive, negative, or otherwise. Sometimes their emotions will cause them to become moral or immoral while still keeping Trickster characteristics. At that point, though, I would no longer consider them true Tricksters; just Trickster-like characters.

That's all for this post! Thanks for reading and I hope you stay tuned for more blog updates!

This is ModernDayTrickster signing off for now~