#redemption arc

[istra-ish-sucha-geek]

It’s painful to hold these concepts.

Because so quickly, it becomes personal.

The person who harmed ME is redeemable.

The person who harmed ME is not punished.

The person who harmed ME is complex, and not “just” a villain.

It becomes a question of personal justice, social justice, and it is so much more soothing to be content with a reprobate villain who will never change.

My mom has done evil things.

My mom does daily harm to the people around her.

My mom causes me deep pain, triggers panic attacks, dismisses my emotions, and is the major contributing cause to my mental illnesses.

My mom will never change in this lifetime.

AND. My mom does love me deeply.

I have lived in my parents back room since Covid hit with my husband, four cats, and now a dog.

Múltiple times, we have not been able to pay rent.

My mom will never change, AND my mom will never, EVER kick us out.

My mom doesn’t even like my dog (she’s kind of scared of Emily Bear), but when Emily got lost last week, she and my dad dropped everything to walk up and down the river in the rain, calling for her. (We found Emily after four hours.)

And it’s SO fucking painful to hold this dichotomy of you love me, AND you are the greatest source of harm in my life, AND you destroyed my sibling’s life with your abuse.

It’s a nightmare.

To be able to truly hold the concept of redeemable villains requires a commitment to personal suffering.

the concept and idea of “you can always start trying to be a better person” is extremely important to me both in media and irl and i continue to be deeply deeply disturbed by the trend on this site pushing that these ideas in media are bad writing or even morally reprehensible

because theyd rather someone stay terrible or just straight up die than become a better person 

from a compassionate point of view it’s deeply distressing and from a pragmatic point of view it’s outright frustrating

it’s fucked up. 

[rookthebird]

"redemption arcs are toxic, you shouldn't try to fix someone!"

actually it is so important to me that being in community and experiencing human connection can save people. thanks

[the-overanalyst]

unmatched ship dynamic: "i've done terrible things in the past" x "all i care about is who you are in the present"

[the-bar-sinister]

I think I really prefer the term "rehabilitating' for a villain who's going through a character arc and becoming a better person, over 'redeeming'.

Not only does it take away the culturally christian connotations that "redeeming" has, but rehabilitating also better shows the context of, you know, actually putting in the work and effort to overcome their problems.

From now on, for me, it's not a "villain redemption arc" its a "villain rehabilitation arc."

[marmota-b]

I don't watch Arcane, but this feels like a good place to share the writeup I joined Tumblr to share - on this trope, and where it probably comes from, and if I'm right, then yes, it's rather lazy and it misses the point of the trope to begin with. (It comes at the topic from a different angle because of earlier discussions I'd read and went off of, but I think it's worth sharing here even if it might start out being a bit confusing, because I think the points I made about the trope are very relevant here anyway.)

Cannot STAND narratives which imply that if you've done bad things the only thing you can do to truly atone is sacrifice your life and die!!! What happened to dying is easy living is harder? What happened to forgiveness and redemption??? What happened to putting in the work to undo what has been done????? I'll kill someone.

[this-vs-that]

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[bat2pony]

Discord has one of the best redemption arcs I have ever seen. Everything that drives him is the true and honest kindness he received from Fluttershy from the very beginning. She gave him genuine friendship that he didn’t have to fight for, unlike with the other mane 6. Don’t get me wrong, their wariness and distrust was 100% valid. Especially considering how discord betrayed them more than once after his initial redemption. But this betrayal is exactly what I love most about his growth. It wasn’t instantaneous. He didn’t immediately change into a good person or a good friend, He lapsed back into his bad habits and his old lifestyle because that is where he felt safe. He didn’t know how to be a good friend. And certainly didn’t know the first thing about changing. But he worked to become better anyway. Despite his poor choices, Fluttershy stuck by his side as he worked to turn himself around and break away from the lifestyle he used to rely on.

It is such a real representation of what it takes to change. Mistakes, grace from those around you, and most importantly, it takes time. The writers captured all of this and more while still staying true to the whimsy and the chaos that makes Discord who he is. I love this show.

[batwingsrosa]

It‘s always „They were still teenagers when they got together.“

But never „He was still a teenager when he joined Voldemort.“

It‘s always „They were barely adults by the time they were murdered.“

But never „He was barely an adult when he had already betrayed Voldemort and changed sides.“

It‘s always „He was just a kid“ when he was bullying other students.

But never „He was just a kid“ when he was literally groomed into a cult in school.

It‘s always „He was just a kid when he was groomed and abused at home.“

But never „ He was just a kid when he was groomed in school and neglected and beaten at home.“

It‘s always „he was just a kid doing a silly prank.“ when he tried to lure somone out to the hideout of a literal werewolf who would have killed him.

And never „he was just a kid almost getting mauled by a werewolf and silenced afterwards.“

It‘s always „He was just a kid when he assaulted someone and hung them in the air upside down.“

But never „He was just a kid when he was assaulted in front of the whole school“.

It‘s always „they were just kids“.

As long as it‘s the marauders.

It‘s always „boys will be boys“ when it‘s James and Sirius.

And it‘s always „he deserved it“ and „he was just a horrible man“ when it‘s Severus.

The marauders fandom is so two- faced it makes me sick sometimes.

[but-a-humble-goon]

Online media literacy be like "this teenaged girl who maybe hurt some people is irredeemable and unforgivable and deserves only to suffer forever" Meanwhile popular male redemption arc characters:

[test123aee]

Murder Drones - Be Back.. (2) #MurderDronesAU

Finally tryna make this au for week. im glad. hope in future will be better this story:) even tho story bit meh I WILL TRY MA BEST. Thx for support guys.

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[unboundprompts]

hey! i was wondering if you had any advice for writing a "bully" tough guy character with a hidden heart of gold that will be redeemed later on in the story? i wanted to have their motivation being seeing their bullying as making people stronger (for maybe a reason like from being bullied for being weak themselves) but idk how i would begin to write this

How to Write a Bully with Opportunity for a Redemption

Establish a Compelling Backstory

Bullying History: Flesh out the character's past. Perhaps they were bullied themselves, leading them to believe that by bullying others, they can instill strength and resilience. This creates a cycle of pain that they think they're breaking.

Family Dynamics: Consider their family situation. Maybe they have a tough home life that forces them to adopt a hard exterior, believing vulnerability is a weakness.

Defensive Mechanism: Make it clear that their bullying is a defense mechanism. They may fear being seen as weak or unworthy, so they project toughness to avoid being hurt again.

Create Layers of Personality

Contradictions: Show moments where the tough guy’s softer side shines through, such as helping someone in a subtle way or expressing empathy toward a friend. This builds intrigue and hints at their hidden depth.

Hobbies or Interests: Give them a passion that contrasts with their tough exterior, such as caring for animals, art, or even an interest in literature. This helps humanize them and shows they have more to offer than just their bullying behavior.

Develop Strong Relationships

Friendships: Explore the dynamics of their friendships. Do they have a best friend who sees through their tough exterior? This friend can be a source of support and also push the character toward redemption.

Conflict with Others: Show how their bullying impacts their relationships with other characters. This can create tension and give other characters a reason to want them to change.

Establish Their Motivation for Bullying

Internal Monologue: Use the bully’s thoughts to explain their perspective. Allow them to rationalize their behavior with phrases like “I’m just toughening them up” or “They’ll thank me later.” This internal justification provides insight into their mindset and shows that they genuinely believe in their method.

Dialogue with Others: Show conversations where the bully explains their philosophy to friends or peers. They might say something like, “You have to be tough to survive. I’m just giving them a reality check,” or “Weakness only gets you hurt.” This can illustrate their conviction that they’re helping rather than harming.

Interactions with Victims: When the bully interacts with their victims, allow moments where they express a twisted sense of encouragement. For instance, they might say something like, “You’ll thank me when you’re stronger,” or give unsolicited advice on how to handle being bullied, further solidifying their misguided belief.

In-Scene Justification: As the bully corners a victim, they might say, “You think this is tough? You should’ve seen what I went through. I’m making you stronger. You’ll thank me when you can stand up to people like me.”

Aftermath Reflection: After an intense encounter, the bully reflects, “Maybe I pushed them too hard. But if they break now, they’ll never survive out there. I can’t let them be weak.”

Confrontation with a Mentor: In a scene with a mentor or friend, the bully might insist, “I’m not a bad guy. I’m doing this for them. They need to be ready for the real world. They’ll understand one day.”

Build Moments of Realization

Catalyst for Change: Identify key moments that can serve as turning points for the character. Perhaps they witness the consequences of their actions firsthand, such as a target of their bullying breaking down.

Moment of Kindness: Have them perform a small act of kindness that contradicts their tough persona. This could be something like defending someone who’s being bullied or comforting a classmate in distress.

Craft a Redemption Arc

Struggle with Self-Perception: As they start to recognize their wrongs, explore their internal conflict. They might grapple with feelings of guilt or shame, unsure how to change.

Facing the Consequences: Introduce scenarios where they face the repercussions of their past actions. This can lead to a moment of humility, where they apologize or make amends.

Support from Others: Allow other characters to help guide their transformation. Perhaps someone who was bullied approaches them and expresses that they see potential in them, encouraging a new path.

Highlight the Heart of Gold

Acts of Courage: In the climax, have them step up to protect those they’ve bullied, showcasing their newfound understanding of strength and vulnerability.

Positive Impact: Illustrate how their change positively affects others. This can be through friendships, mentorships, or even inspiring other characters to change as well.

End on a Hopeful Note

New Identity: Conclude the character's arc by showing them embracing their softer side while still retaining the tough-guy persona, proving that they can be both strong and kind.

Forgiveness: Allow for forgiveness from those they’ve wronged, reinforcing the theme of redemption and growth.

Example Character Arc:

Initial Setup: Jake is known as the school’s tough guy, bullying anyone he deems weak, believing it will make them stronger.

Backstory Reveal: Through flashbacks, we see Jake bullied mercilessly for being small and weak, leading him to adopt his aggressive persona.

Turning Point: After witnessing the severe impact of his bullying on a classmate, Jake begins to reflect on his actions.

Redemption Moment: In a climactic scene, Jake defends the same classmate from a new bully, proving he’s changed.

Resolution: By the end, he’s mentoring younger students, using his experiences to help others find their strength rather than tear them down.

[hugsandchaos]

One of the things I think that would result in one of those “Villains actually being nice” scenarios is when Danny, either in human or ghost form, is trying to study in some secluded area and the Lunch Lady shows up. Danny’s all “Oh, no, you don’t! I have a test tomorrow!” and she actually listens and goes “Oh, my apologies, dear.” and they just sit in silence instead.

Now Danny has a habit that had already developed before becoming half ghost, a habit called “not eating dinner and staying up later than he realizes because he’s so focused studying”. His stomach growls loudly like he hadn’t eaten all day, and he probably hasn’t, but he completely ignores it. Lunch Lady soon comments on it, but Danny just brushes it off saying that he’ll eat later. Lunch Lady presses on, maybe ranting about how important it is to eat even as a half ghost, and slowly gets irritated until Danny lets it slip that he often goes with only two meals a day because everyone keeps interrupting lunch and he’s sometimes so tired that he sleeps through dinner or just keeps studying and looses track of time, and that this isn’t a new thing either.

Lunch Lady wins in the end, giving him something that’s not poisoned like Danny suspected, and made a promise to herself not to attack during lunchtime anymore. Or any meal time. As a ghost, her obsession is making sure people eat healthy, not just children. Realizing that she was often the reason he missed meals hurt a lot, and she’s determined to make it right. Who knows? Maybe she’ll even try to stall other ghosts so Danny can eat.

Lunch Lady’s redemption arc!

[fist-of-vengeance]

just saw someone on tiktok discussing whether or not a character "deserved a redemption arc" and i am losing my mind. we as a society have lost sight of what a redemption arc IS. it doesn't mean a character is rewarded by the narrative. it doesn't mean the other characters forgive them. it only refers to a character acknowledging their mistakes and choosing to better themselves, which any person can do, no matter how terrible. of course there's no shortage of badly executed redemption arcs, and a character who willfully committed countless atrocities having a change of heart after a single conversation about the power of friendship is simply poor writing and unrealistic. not every character who CAN change WILL. but there is zero value in debating whether a character "deserved" to be redeemed. no one in fiction or reality needs to be "worthy" of making better choices. there is no fixed point where a person is "too evil" and therefore forbidden from doing anything differently. it's always worth it to change, and implying otherwise is both a genuinely harmful ideology and bad literary analysis

[rookthebird]

thinking about redeemed villains who can't cope with how much suffering they caused in their past.

redeemed villains who only allow themselves the bare minimum for survival- plain gruel, a blanket when they sleep on the floor, tattered old clothes- because they don't feel like they deserve anything nicer.

redeemed villains who lie awake at night with every horrible thing they've ever done running through their mind.

redeemed villains who take dangerous risks on behalf of the heroes because they don't feel like they deserve to live.

[hikaaa-bi]

seriously though, can we stop associating redemption with forgiveness? redemption isn't about being forgiven, it's about trying to do better and be better, even if you're not forgiven.

sometimes you make mistakes that people can't forgive and that's okay. the important thing is to remind yourself that you're on the right path, and you're going to be a better person regardless of whether they want to forgive you or not. that's their decision and they're entitled to it.

sometimes people forgive you and sometimes they don't. but you shouldn't stop working towards being better just because someone refused to forgive you. because you shouldn't be trying to fix your mistakes solely because you want that person to forgive you, you should be fixing them because it's the right thing to do.