Alignment Chart
| Meme | |
|---|---|
| Synonyms: | |
| Date Started: | circa 2008[1][2] |
| Related: | Hogwarts Houses, MBTI, Personality Tests |
| See Also: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Alignment charts are a meme format inspired by the alignment system of Dungeons & Dragons.
Origin and spread
The meme is based on the alignment system introduced by the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons. This system categorizes characters by the ethical spectrums of "law" vs. "chaos" (lawful, neutral, chaotic) and "good" vs. "evil" (good, neutral, evil). This allows for a total of nine alignments such as "lawful good," "neutral good," and "chaotic evil."
Early examples of the meme followed the format of a 3x3 grid with a square for each of the nine D&D alignments. Characters (generally from the same fandom) are selected to fill each of the squares based on their canonical personalities and actions. However, humorous and surreal examples of the meme have been created, including a 2017 graphic by @Aurelianrabbit categorizing bread storage habits.[3] The first known examples on DeviantArt date from 2008 and bear an apparent aesthetic influence from the demotivational posters popular in the 2000s.[1][2]
Alternate versions of the meme featuring different labels or additional axes have since been created. A 3x3 variant featuring the axes "gay/bi/lesbian" and "distinguished/functional/disaster" is the origin of the disaster bi trope.
Fannish Examples
| Examples Wanted: Editors are encouraged to add more examples or a wider variety of examples. |
- The Untamed: stupid mdzs/cql alignment chart i made in the middle of the night, Archived version by willowings (June 7, 2020)
- Bandom: discuss, Archived version by slashatthedisco (June 21, 2018)
Gallery
Death Note version by lapisfacedcreeper (2012).
Firefly version by MoreThanAnswers (2010).
Harry Potter version by Danzie182 (2009). This example has a different design than the more common demotivational poster format.
Lion King version by nitrol-PL (2011).
Xena: Warrior Princess version by Danzie182 (2009).
External Links
References
- ^ a b "Warcraft Alignment Chart" by TheRabidArtist on DeviantArt
- ^ a b "Brawl Alignment Chart" by TheRabidArtist on DeviantArt
- ^ Tweet by @Aurelianrabbit, dated August 10, 2017