Fountain Pen Alignment

A while back, I came across idipbananasintocoffee‘s Fountain pen alignment chart, I think in a newsletter. It’s a fun idea, and I decided to try my hand at it, but with some adjustments. Most importantly, my chart is based solely on the pen’s appearance. I do not take into account the performance of the pen, as idipbananasintocoffee did.

For those completely unfamiliar with alignment charts, they are 3×3 tables with good, neutral, and evil on one side and lawful, neutral, and chaotic on the other. Good-evil is fairly self explanatory, but the general consensus is that they are levels of empathy. Lawful-chaotic relates to adherence to consistent moral principles. Decisions are according to principles (lawful), need (neutral), or impulse (chaotic).

My Rules

Before I jump into this exercise, I’d like to lay down my rules, as idipbananasintocoffee did.

1. I’m only picking from pens I own. Photos can lie, so I want to choose from pens that I can pick up and look at carefully.
2. I’m only considering a pen’s appearance. This chart has nothing to do with the performance or maker of the pen.
3. This is for fun. You may, and probably will, have different opinions, and feel free to share them with me in the comments.

With that out of the way, let’s get to the fun stuff.

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Lawful Good: Cypress Modern Raden Colorful Geometry

Definition: kind and selfless

My interpretation: angelic

Have you ever seen a pen that looks more angelic than the Modern Raden Colorful Geometry? Cream-colored base material and shiny bits of raden in a perfectly ordered pattern. It’s the perfect lawful good.

Neutral Good: Kaweco Sport Collection Apricot Pearl

Definition: generally nice

My interpretation: warm and friendly, but has some spunk

The Apricot Pearl is a soft, warm orange. If this pen were a person, you’d want to give them a hug. But, it has a beautiful lime green iridescent glow that proves it’s not one-dimensional.

Chaotic Good: Smith Crafters Shredded Money Writer Gold Rush

Definition: will do good any way possible, even if that means breaking the rules

My interpretation: Robin Hood

This one was difficult, but I think the Gold Rush is a good fit. It’s a gorgeous pen, and I love it, but it breaks the rules. It’s not legal to shred money yourself, although you can get shredded money in ornaments from the US Mint.

Lawful Neutral: Benu x Gourmet Pens Talisman True Unicorn

Definition: lives by their own rules

My interpretation: does what they want, and only what they want

No one can convincingly argue that a pen as shiny and colorful as the True Unicorn plays by any rules by its own. That said, it’s also a beautiful pen.

True Neutral (Neutral Neutral): Lamy 2000 Makrolon

Definition: just wants to live life

My interpretation: doesn’t care what others think

If the 2000 Makrolon doesn’t fit true neutral, I don’t know what does. It has remained unchanged for 58 years seemingly immune to critique.

Chaotic Neutral: Platinum #3776 Century Shape of a Heart Chai Latte

Definition: Does whatever they want

My interpretation: entitled rich kid

To me, the Chai Latte has that quintessential “entitled rich person” feel. The color palette, matte finish and even the “diamonds” in the cap finial all contribute to it.

Lawful Evil: Loft Pens Glenwood Stacked Pride

Definition: does literally anything for order in their life

My interpretation: everything must be their way

This one was difficult, too, but I think I can make a case for the Stacked Pride. There are a bazillion layers, with 23 (?) different materials. Some of those materials appear to be doubled, but still manage to look different because they’re turned a different way, which I think counts as chaotic. Despite that number, the slices are all the same thickness, and the cap and section both line up perfectly with the barrel — perfect order.

Neutral Evil: Visconti Medici Il Magnifico Lapislazzuli

Definition: selfish, can and will betray people for themselves

My interpretation: rich noble or royalty who doesn’t care about those beneath them

The Lapislazzuli has always reminded me of French Royalty — in the Louis XIV to XVI era — and Egyptian pharaohs. The prevailing attitude about many of them is that they didn’t care much for others; it was all about number 1.

Chaotic Evil: 18111 Harley Quinn

Definition: just wants to watch the world burn

My interpretation: nothing is off the table

The Harley Quinn could fit the chaotic evil category for its inspiration alone, but this post is supposed to be about pen appearance. So, consider also that it’s black and red — evil colors if ever any existed. And look at how those diamonds are scattered about. They overlap, are angled in different directions, and have different densities, without a care in the world.

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So, there we have it, a full alignment range from my fountain pen collection. Granted, there are other pens that fit these categories, but if I tried to align my entire collection, you’d still be reading 3 days from now!

	Lawful	Neutral	Chaotic
Good	Cypress Modern Raden Colorful Geometry	Kaweco Sport Collection Apricot Pearl	Smith Crafters Shredded Money Writer Gold Rush
Neutral	Benu x Gourmet Pens Talisman True Unicorn	Lamy 2000 Makrolon	Platinum #3776 Century Shape of a Heart Chai Latte
Evil	Loft Pens Glenwood Stacked Pride	Visconti Medici Il Magnifico Lapislazzuli	18111 Harley Quinn

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What do you think if my choices? Do you agree or disagree with them? Let me know in the comments! I’d love to hear from you.

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