The Dustborn meme stems from the 2024 action-adventure game developed by Red Thread Games, which gained internet notoriety for its focus on 'linguistic combat' and heavy social-political themes. The most iconic memes revolve around the 'Trigger' mechanic, where the protagonist Pax uses verbal commands to influence or manipulate enemies. Following its release, the gaming community and internet critics quickly turned specific screenshots and dialogue sequences into templates to satirize the game's tone and mechanics. Today, it is widely used to represent modern internet culture clashes, ironic reactions to sensitive topics, or to poke fun at the game's unique comic-book visual style.