#no i don't get why gritty edginess is to be celebrated over repentance and redemption stories

[mustardyellowsunshine]

Tbh the recent trend of hating on redemption stories baffles me a bit. I get not wanting them to be shoehorned into stories where they don’t make thematic sense (e.g., Sauron having a redemption arc in LotR would not work for the story), or disliking it when writers use them to score cheap brownie points in lieu of actual, good development. But it seems like the mood shifted (quite awhile ago) from a reasonable "not every villain needs a redemption arc," to a more baffling "redemption arcs are cringe, actually, get them outta here." And I? Don't get it? We don't need to throw the baby out with the bathwater. We don't have to shy away from telling redemption stories just because we've seen a few told poorly. I get tired of seeing badly-written romances, but that doesn't mean I need to throw shade at all love stories or suggest writing them is passé. Romantic love stories will always be written because it's part of the human experience. Making selfish mistakes and struggling against our worst impulses to try to be better—and backsliding in the process—is also a fundamental part of the human experience that belongs in our stories. And the basic message that you are not just the sum total of the worst things you’ve ever done, and you are capable of profound change if you choose it—that's still a necessary message. Why are we shitting on it lately?

I’m not talking about appreciating or even loving villains btw. Appreciating villains and the roles they play in a narrative ≠ this weird new trend of hating on the concept of redemption arcs. It’s the latter that has turned me into an old lady yelling at clouds.