As we showed you a few months back, the Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) alignments are making it to real life. So this time, let's take a closer look at a particularly funny one.
It's called chaotic neutral (and it even has its own subreddit). To put it simply, the term describes an individual who has no good or evil intentions, they simply do what they please, what they think is the best option at the moment.
The spontaneous nature of their actions means they can result in chaos and unpredictability but who can blame them if nobody gets hurt? After all, freedom is what matters!
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Thanks, I Hate Nouns That Are Adjectives
When a player creates a character in D&D, they decide where to put that character on a moral axis. Are they good? Evil? Or morally neutral? Then they have to choose where their character fits on a law-abiding axis. Do they always obey the rules? Or do they believe that laws are meant to be broken?
The best way to wrap your head around this concept is to imagine a grid, like "Hollywood Squares" or the opening credits of "The Brady Bunch" — nine squares in total, three on each side and one in the middle. The square in the upper left hand corner is "lawful good." That's Superman — the Boy Scout who cares about saving the planet. The next square over on the top row is "neutral good." For example, take "Star Trek". Captain Kirk is neutral good, because he is willing to break the rules if he thinks they're preventing him from doing as much good as possible. Now if we go to the last square on the right — "chaotic good" — we get someone like Robin Hood, who can never be tied down to any organization. These folks think the only way to do good in the world is to upend the social order.
Ketchup
Prolly Why I'm Not Allowed To Have Any
Micky D’s
In the middle row, we have morally neutral characters. "Lawful neutral" would be a mindless bureaucrat or a brutal enforcer like Javert from "Les Miserables" who hunts down the heroic ex-con Jean Valjean. "True neutral," in the center square, is a character like the Oracle in "The Matrix," who accumulates wisdom from witnessing everything but rarely chooses a side. The far-right square in the middle row is a really fun character. The star of our show, "chaotic neutral."
According to writer and graphic novelist Sam Sattin, that's someone who can be swayed based on who has the power. A good example could be Omar from "The Wire", the lone wolf who robs drug dealers, valuing his freedom and his survival equally.
Rise Up
Could Be
I hate it when I sponteously create teeth. Especially while kissing..
7 Year Olds Just Be Like That
I should be sleeping right now but instead I'm laughing at these.
When Sattin holds writing seminars, he asks his students to figure out where their characters fit on this grid, and he encourages them to create characters who are conflicted. (They wish they belonged to one alignment, but they're something else.)
The writer believes that storytelling takes off when characters of different alignments play off each other. "The most important part of writing is the way in which characters interact with each other," he explained.
Good Repost
Thought This Belonged Here
Shut Up And Take My Money
Taking Nimby To A Whole New Level
As we can see, these alignments appear in the real world as well. Patrick O'Connor, a sci-fi and fantasy fan as well as an assistant district attorney who prosecutes gang-related homicides in Brooklyn, imagines the gang members he prosecutes could be categorized as neutral evil on the character alignment spectrum.
In his own life, O'Connor always tries to follow the straight and narrow path. But that doesn't mean he’s drawn to lawful good characters in comic books. That's just boring!
His favorite character is Punisher, the Marvel vigilante who kills criminals because he doesn’t believe in the legal system.
Language Is Hard
Slightly off topic. Reminds me of my linguistics classes. I'd often be the only European (everyone else was Korean and Korean American, mostly), so sometimes I'd have to read phrases in languages I can read, but am not fluent in, such as German, for example. I can read it pretty well, though, because I studied it, and was good too, but I forgot it all.
Welcome To Our Gander Reveal Party!
Big Cnergy
Hmm
There used to be a weird tradition around here of leaving cabbages with angry faces carved into them as a prank. So any sort of face would make that watermelon much more interesting.
Comics have been filled with battles between good and evil, but audiences are also interested in watching characters on the same side fighting each other.
In season two of "Daredevil" and in the movies "Batman v. Superman" and "Captain America: Civil War," superheroes really duke it out.
These stories are about a conflict between personal ethics and the law. "That's how a lot of people feel, that they have these government forces they can't control, that are doing nefarious things," O'Connor said. "They feel marginalized, and they feel they can't trust the system. And so they take things into their own hands."
Chaotic Neutral Finds A Lost Wallet
It's NY and they got everything but their cash, wallet and metro card back. They're very lucky
Beautiful Chaos
One The Best I've Seen
Chaotic Egg
Michael LaBossiere, who teaches philosophy at Florida A&M University, takes a more holistic approach and argues that each of us can embody the different character alignments at any point in our lives. It all depends on the situation.
"Sometimes we're more good, sometimes we're more neutral, or in some [cases], we fall into bad behavior," he said. "A person can be decent but have those neutral evil moments when they're selfish and take that last piece of pie."
Squirrel
Lowkey Genious
Sooo.. This Fits Here Right?
Made A Bookshelf For My Brick Collection
London’s Tower Bridge Was Completely Shut Off Today Because A Man Decided To Sun Bathe On One Of Its Support Beams
Want To Grow A Beard?
It's About Meeee Baby
The Actual, Real World Embodiment Of Chaotic Neutral
Feels Pretty Chaotic Neutral To Me
Whatever Works
An Uninteresting Title
You're Lying If You Said You Never Thought About Doing This
Trying to explain it to the lockpicker: "Uhmm, you see, it's not my door..."
Passive Aggressive Chaotic Neutral
I Found This Subreddit To Post This
Pure Cn Behavior
This Is What I Call A Pro Gamer Move
No, No, Yes
I Feel This Belong Here
Thanks I Hate Shakespeare’s Quote Of The Day
I Make Horrible Things. Here’s A Paintbrush You Can Lick People With
Oh, How The Tables Have Turned.
[x-Post From Me_irl]
Woah
There's A Lack Of Quality Cn Recently So I Thought I Might Post One
I Dont Even Wanna Confuse Search Algorithms, I Was Wanna Do It!
Or google "why are google stocks suddenly going down" and enjoy the chaos.
Hmmm
Grass Ain't Gonna Cut It'self
The Peel Is Where All The Nutrients Are
Good question, I've only had it with the peel once and it wasn't too good so I eat mine without the peel
Abject Chaos
It’s Called A Can Opener, Not A Can’t Opener.
Which One Of You Decided To Cut Loose In Chicago??
My Dad Carries This Bag Around Filled With Sweet Tarts And Mentos. There's No Way To Tell Which Is Which....he Says It's Like A Scavenger Hunt Trail Mix.
Drugs Are Happiness. If This Goes Better In Another Subreddit Tell Me
Actually, happiness can be found even in the darkest of times if only one remembers to turn on the lights
Happy Graduation Y'all
The Last Of The Eastern Pigeons
Little Kids Really Are Something
Max Level Chaotic Neutral
Apple ∈ Apple ∈ Apple
This.
Socialism, & Hyperinflation, But Less Gun Violence?
Chaos
Edit the comment and switch out words like "liberal/conservative" for their opposite.
Guy Flings Bag Of Poop Up His Balcony, Misses, Apologizes
*evil Laughing Intensifies*
What I Would Do If I Was In Theatre Ngl
Oh John.
Considering he probably murdered a guy he might be chaotic evil, not chaotic neutral.
"Hell, Just Cut The Damn Pizza"
Be A Friend. Prevent Theft
This Feels Like It Fits Here
The one time you NEED a helmet and we can't even see. God speed you dangerous man.
But Why?
There was an episode of the Simpson’s, where they buy the this and only eats the chocolate flavor
Opened The Fridge To Find Out My 3yo Decided To Help Me Putting The Eggs In It.
Peak Cn Clock
Share This But Don’t Upvote Do It Doesn’t Get To Hot And Get Seen
Anyone Else Getting Cn Vibes?
I Guess My Car Is In (Chaotic) Neutral
Day 16 Is Chaos
Bolinguli
Throwback To When Someone From My Hometown Got A Tattoo Gun And Practiced On Themselves With Real Ink
Bypassed The Lock By Cutting Out The Bottom Of The Ice Cream Box. Brilliant
We Live In An Onion Society
Urban Rescue Ranch, The Whole Channel Is Like This
It Was Worth It
My Mom Has A Crab-Shaped Candy Dish That She Filled With Ibuprofen
One Of Us Served An Avocado:
Anon Is Chaotic
*chomp*
Not Sure If This Belongs Here But... Seen In Random Vehicle. Perhaps To Discourage Theft?
That’s What Heroes Do
So What And Why
I'd Do The Same Tbh
Some places have finders fees 10% so I wouldn't feel bad even if it was a $100 case
Found A Bottle Of Tea One Of The Kids Put In The Fridge.
Ye Is Chaotic Neutral Incarnate
I sincerely hope Kanye can find a way to address his mental health issues. I truly feel bad for his children having to witness this.
Madlad Recruiter.
]noc[
This School
...
My Boyfriend Cuts Butter The Long Way
My Pcs Fans Run Too Loud So I Put It In The Other Room
*chomp*
Yo Whoever Made The Original Post About Putting The Caprisun In The Bottom Of The Pouch, I Raise You
An Interesting Title
I See Your Diet Coke, And Raise You The Best Way To Consume Beans.
Who Of You Had Cake?
Main Character Type Of S**t
Definitely Chaotic Neutral
I Love This Cn Behavior
Chaotic Neutrality At Walmart.
Chocky Milk Caught In The Wild
Whenever I make a dnd character, I always make them chaotic neutral. It’s the closest you can get to evil without being evil!
Whenever I make a dnd character, I always make them chaotic neutral. It’s the closest you can get to evil without being evil!