Automoderated users, Autopatrolled users, Bureaucrats, Comment administrators, Confirmed users, Moderators, Rollbackers, Administrators
214,363
edits
Character Alignment: Difference between revisions
no edit summary
(→Others) |
No edit summary |
||
| (3 intermediate revisions by 2 users not shown) | |||
Line 74:
[http://easydamus.com/alignment.html This website] is also quite helpful in explaining the concept of '''Character Alignment''', and has further info on the nine different alignments.
See also [[Lawful Stupid Chaotic Stupid]], [[Stupid Good]], [[Stupid Evil]], [[Selfish Good, Selfish Evil]], [[Exclusively Evil]], [[Good and Evil For Your Convenience]]. The [[Mirror Morality Machine]] will invert any alignment... except for [[True Neutral]]; the opposite of zero is still zero.
Line 81 ⟶ 79:
{{noreallife|this is a trope about how characters are depicted in media. Real people are far more complex than fictional characters, and cannot be pigeonholed this way.}}
'''For that matter, many if not most fictional characters cannot be pigeonholed this way, either.''' Characters are rarely so simplistic as to be easily assigned to a bucket on a 3x3 grid. Further, alignments only make sense for certain series where there is [[Sorting Algorithm of Evil|a neat sorting of good vs. evil]] (or order vs. anarchy). In works where morality is relative, or never discussed at all, even the definitions of the alignments are up for debate, never mind who qualifies.
{{examples|Examples of Works/Settings With Explicit Character Alignment:}}▼
It is for these reasons that, on All The Tropes, we ask that you resist the temptation to assign an alignment to every character you see. Sooner or later someone will disagree with you, and then you'll see the escalating cycle of [[Natter]], [[Thread Mode]], and [[Flame War]]s. Even if nobody disagrees, seeing the [[Neutral Good]] label attached to a character is irresistible to some people, and before you know it, characters as diverse as [[The Little Mermaid|Ariel]] and [[Superman|Lex Luthor]] will become the subject of what we uncharitably refer to as [[Fan Wank|alignmentwank]].
Okay, so what are the rules exactly? '''[[Character Alignment]] is only to be used in works where it is [[canon]]ical, and only for characters who have alignments in-story. There is to be no arguing over canonical alignments, and no [[Real Life]] examples, ever.''' Any examples not meeting these criteria should be deleted.
▲{{examples|Examples of Works/Settings With '''Explicit''' Character Alignment:}}
== [[Comic Books]] ==▼
* See the [[Batman]] example in the article description.▼
* ''[[The Gamers|The Gamers: Dorkness Rising]]'' features a character who claims to be [[Chaotic Neutral]], but whose actions lead others to believe she is evil. The joke is that this is how most people play [[Chaotic Neutral]].▼
== [[Literature]] ==▼
* In ''[[I, Claudius]]'', Claudius refers to different character types: virtuous men or scoundrels, stony hearts or golden hearts. He gives example of [[Incorruptible Pure Pureness|virtuous men with golden hearts]] (his old teacher), [[Good Is Not Nice|virtuous men with stony hearts]] (Cato), [[Jerk with a Heart of Jerk|scoundrels with stony hearts]] (one of Caligula's henchmen) and [[Jerk with a Heart of Gold|scoundrels with golden hearts]] (Herod Agrippa).▼
== [[Professional Wrestling]] ==▼
* [[Professional Wrestling]] has a bit of an implied alignment system, with all wrestlers being divided into [[Face]], [[Heel]], or [[Wild Card|Tweener]], though this generally isn't acknowledged in [[Kayfabe]]—except in Mexican lucha libre promotions, and lucha-inspired promotions like [[CHIKARA]], where wrestlers are openly referred to as either "[[Face|Tecnicos]]" or "[[Heel|Rudos]]". Look for media based on North American wrestling, such as video games, to use euphemisms to refer to this system (such as "Fan Favorite" for Face and "Rule Breaker" for Heel).▼
** When a D20 game was released under WWE's licensing, the alignments were actually Face, Tweener, and Heel. The most recent games have 'Clean' and 'Dirty'; apparently no real 'tweeners.▼
*** That's because Tweeners can't get a crowd reaction in today's WWE anymore, [[Epileptic Trees|probably being considered indecisive as to which side they would be taking]]. You either do something to make them CHEER you (making you Face, even if your alignment says otherwise) or to make them BOO you (which would make you Heel...even if you're John Cena). The independent companies have more leeway with this system, and some of the most popular non-WWE wrestlers in the US are firmly in Tweener territory; just look at Christopher Daniels.▼
== [[Tabletop Games]] ==
* ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'': Not only did they come up with the best-known alignment system, but a number of their settings feature gods of different alignments competing for power. Many spells and items will only function on/for characters of a given alignment (moral, ethical, or both). In most settings, a god will accept clerics only of alignments no more than one "step" removed from its own (for example, a [[Lawful Neutral]] god, unless otherwise specified, would accept a [[Lawful Good]], [[True Neutral]] or [[Lawful Evil]] cleric, but wouldn't accept a [[Chaotic Neutral]] cleric), though their lay worshipers can be of any alignment.
Line 110 ⟶ 128:
** Things get interesting once you see a character that uses both white and red mana, personifying both law and chaos simultaneously. Such a character is technically neutral, but bears special mention because they usually end up as a kind of [[Knight Templar]], devoting themselves fully to one cause and pursuing it with unwavering fanaticism and zeal.
* ''Calidar'' has 3-dimensional system, using numbers to express how strong a component is: Heart (Benevolent - Dispassionate - Malevolent), Mind (Rational - Practical - Instinctive), Spirit (Lively - Even-Tempered - Stern). While the first two correspond to D&D scales, the third measures seriousness: i.e. a minstrel and a rebel can both be <s>Chaotic Good</s> "Benevolent, Instinctive" and dislike the same tyrant, but the former' would want to make him into widely despised laughing stock, while the latter would want to gather armed upraising; the Spirit reflects this difference.
▲== [[Web Comics]] ==
* ''[[The Order of the Stick|Order of the Stick]]'', naturally, as it is loosely based on the ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'' world. However, the comic [[Genre Deconstruction|proceeds to completely deconstruct the concept in a realistic manner]] to create believable characters with interesting motivations.▼
** One of the best examples is the juxtaposition of Roy and Miko during [http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0199.html No Cure For The Paladin Blues]. They're both [[Lawful Good]], but take completely different approaches to their alignment.▼
** A non-good example of this is Redcloak, high priest of an evil god who has a plan which will either end with world domination or world destruction. He is a well-developed character with deep personal motivations for his cause, a complex relationship with the lich who {{spoiler|killed his brother}}, and his primary motivation is to change the [[Fantastic Racism|quality of living for his species]] (at the expense of any other race).▼
** One arc gives an excellent illustration of alignments coming into conflict: The [[Lawful Good]] Celia, [[Chaotic Good]] Haley, and [[Chaotic Evil]] Belkar encounter a couple of [[Lawful Evil]] Hobgoblins. Belkar stabs the Hobgoblin because he just likes killing. Celia is horrified at his random unlawful murder, but Haley justifies it by saying that as they are fighting a war against evil, the unjust killing was, if not necessary, then at least acceptable. However, then they come into contact with a friendly gnome merchant, who Belkar then also stabs. Haley is horrified, but Belkar points out that the gnome's cart and donkey are of great use to the group, and likely to benefit the resistance more than his hobgoblin slaying. Celia then starts commenting on how [[Not So Different]] the situation is, and sarcastically suggests that Haley should paint the corpse to look like a Hobgoblin so that Haley can more easily rationalize this second unlawful killing.▼
** Not to mention the endless alignment debates over {{spoiler|Vaarsuvius's [[Deal with the Devil]] in Don't Split the Party}}. It's gotten to the point where people jokingly start arguing about alignments every time a character moves a muscle.▼
*** Is this remark about the jokes about moral justifications morally justified?▼
*** Some fans jokingly argue that [[Complete Monster|Belkar could fall within the bounds of Chaotic Good]]. In this case it's more a bad case of [[Draco in Leather Pants]] than ambiguity because, not only has Rich Burlew gone on record multiple times stating that Belkar is canonically Chaotic Evil, Belkar actively ''revels'' in it.▼
* ''[[Darths and Droids]]'' has remained deliberately vague about the rules and game mechanics of the RPG that the characters are playing. There does appear to be some sort of alignment system: in [http://www.darthsanddroids.net/episodes/0192.html strip 192], Pete, the resident [[Munchkin]], identifies his [[Do-Anything Robot]] character as [[Chaotic Neutral]].▼
* [[Goblin Hollow]]: Ben [http://www.rhjunior.com/GH/00058.html explains alignments].▼
* ''[[Bittersweet Candy Bowl]]'', The characters run the [http://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/candybooru/post/view/1569?search=Chart gamut].▼
* Larisa Korolev from ''[[Sandra and Woo]]'' is said by Oliver Knörzer to be a prime example of the [[Chaotic Neutral]] alignment.▼
▲== [[Literature]] ==
▲* In ''[[I, Claudius]]'', Claudius refers to different character types: virtuous men or scoundrels, stony hearts or golden hearts. He gives example of [[Incorruptible Pure Pureness|virtuous men with golden hearts]] (his old teacher), [[Good Is Not Nice|virtuous men with stony hearts]] (Cato), [[Jerk with a Heart of Jerk|scoundrels with stony hearts]] (one of Caligula's henchmen) and [[Jerk with a Heart of Gold|scoundrels with golden hearts]] (Herod Agrippa).
▲== [[Comic Books]] ==
▲* See the [[Batman]] example in the article description.
== [[Video Games]] ==
Line 181 ⟶ 179:
** [[Chaotic Evil]]: The Pyro, who seems to have no care in the world who gets set on fire, just as long as stuff gets set on fire.
== [[
▲* ''[[The Order of the Stick|Order of the Stick]]'', naturally, as it is loosely based on the ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'' world. However, the comic [[Genre Deconstruction|proceeds to completely deconstruct the concept in a realistic manner]] to create believable characters with interesting motivations.
▲* ''[[The Gamers|The Gamers: Dorkness Rising]]'' features a character who claims to be [[Chaotic Neutral]], but whose actions lead others to believe she is evil. The joke is that this is how most people play [[Chaotic Neutral]].
▲** One of the best examples is the juxtaposition of Roy and Miko during [http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0199.html No Cure For The Paladin Blues]. They're both [[Lawful Good]], but take completely different approaches to their alignment.
▲** A non-good example of this is Redcloak, high priest of an evil god who has a plan which will either end with world domination or world destruction. He is a well-developed character with deep personal motivations for his cause, a complex relationship with the lich who {{spoiler|killed his brother}}, and his primary motivation is to change the [[Fantastic Racism|quality of living for his species]] (at the expense of any other race).
▲== [[Professional Wrestling]] ==
▲** One arc gives an excellent illustration of alignments coming into conflict: The [[Lawful Good]] Celia, [[Chaotic Good]] Haley, and [[Chaotic Evil]] Belkar encounter a couple of [[Lawful Evil]] Hobgoblins. Belkar stabs the Hobgoblin because he just likes killing. Celia is horrified at his random unlawful murder, but Haley justifies it by saying that as they are fighting a war against evil, the unjust killing was, if not necessary, then at least acceptable. However, then they come into contact with a friendly gnome merchant, who Belkar then also stabs. Haley is horrified, but Belkar points out that the gnome's cart and donkey are of great use to the group, and likely to benefit the resistance more than his hobgoblin slaying. Celia then starts commenting on how [[Not So Different]] the situation is, and sarcastically suggests that Haley should paint the corpse to look like a Hobgoblin so that Haley can more easily rationalize this second unlawful killing.
▲* [[Professional Wrestling]] has a bit of an implied alignment system, with all wrestlers being divided into [[Face]], [[Heel]], or [[Wild Card|Tweener]], though this generally isn't acknowledged in [[Kayfabe]]—except in Mexican lucha libre promotions, and lucha-inspired promotions like [[CHIKARA]], where wrestlers are openly referred to as either "[[Face|Tecnicos]]" or "[[Heel|Rudos]]". Look for media based on North American wrestling, such as video games, to use euphemisms to refer to this system (such as "Fan Favorite" for Face and "Rule Breaker" for Heel).
▲** Not to mention the endless alignment debates over {{spoiler|Vaarsuvius's [[Deal with the Devil]] in Don't Split the Party}}. It's gotten to the point where people jokingly start arguing about alignments every time a character moves a muscle.
▲** When a D20 game was released under WWE's licensing, the alignments were actually Face, Tweener, and Heel. The most recent games have 'Clean' and 'Dirty'; apparently no real 'tweeners.
▲*** Is this remark about the jokes about moral justifications morally justified?
▲*** That's because Tweeners can't get a crowd reaction in today's WWE anymore, [[Epileptic Trees|probably being considered indecisive as to which side they would be taking]]. You either do something to make them CHEER you (making you Face, even if your alignment says otherwise) or to make them BOO you (which would make you Heel...even if you're John Cena). The independent companies have more leeway with this system, and some of the most popular non-WWE wrestlers in the US are firmly in Tweener territory; just look at Christopher Daniels.
▲*** Some fans jokingly argue that [[Complete Monster|Belkar could fall within the bounds of Chaotic Good]]. In this case it's more a bad case of [[Draco in Leather Pants]] than ambiguity because, not only has Rich Burlew gone on record multiple times stating that Belkar is canonically Chaotic Evil, Belkar actively ''revels'' in it.
▲* ''[[Darths and Droids]]'' has remained deliberately vague about the rules and game mechanics of the RPG that the characters are playing. There does appear to be some sort of alignment system: in [http://www.darthsanddroids.net/episodes/0192.html strip 192], Pete, the resident [[Munchkin]], identifies his [[Do-Anything Robot]] character as [[Chaotic Neutral]].
▲* [[Goblin Hollow]]: Ben [https://web.archive.org/web/20130227022404/http://www.rhjunior.com/GH/00058.html explains alignments].
▲* ''[[Bittersweet Candy Bowl]]'', The characters run the [http://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/candybooru/post/view/1569?search=Chart gamut].
▲* Larisa Korolev from ''[[Sandra and Woo]]'' is said by Oliver Knörzer to be a prime example of the [[Chaotic Neutral]] alignment.
== [[Web Original]] ==
| |||