Case (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
case) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
fandomsecrets2018-01-05 10:46 pm
case) wrote in fandomsecrets2018-01-05 10:46 pm
[ SECRET POST #4020 ]
⌈ Secret Post #4020 ⌋
Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.
01.
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02. [SPOILERS for The Last Jedi]
[Star Wars, TFA and TLJ]
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03. [SPOILERS for Orwell]
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04. [WARNING for discussion of rapefic]
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05. [WARNING for discussion of sexual violence]
[Goblin Slayer]
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06.[WARNING for discussion of Weinstein/sexual assault]
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07. [WARNING for discussion of rape]
Notes:
Secrets Left to Post: 00 pages, 00 secrets from Secret Submission Post #575.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.
Re: Redemption Arcs
-Don't use other characters as a mouthpiece for the bad guy's redemption. Like it's really common to have all the good guys welcome them with open arms at the end of the story, and that's super lame. Captain America is never going to offer Deadpool a position with the Avengers. Draco is never going to become besties with the Golden Trio. No one wants Loki to have a snuggly slumber party with them. A redeemed villain becoming close to one or two good guys makes sense and can help drive the plot forward (part of that whole "redeemed through the power of love/friendship" thing). But you don't want to override the agency of your entire cast.
-Keep track of who's witnessed what good or bad behavior. Word of mouth isn't enough to change people's minds about a person. If Ron sees Draco rescue a first year from the Whomping Willow, when he tells Harry and Hermione about it they probably a) aren't going to believe Draco really saved someone and b) it isn't going to change their mind about Draco being a dick. Show not tell applies to the people within the story as well as without.
-The villain doesn't need the forgiveness or blessing of *anyone* to be "redeemed". In fact, it can make for a more satisfying story if they aren't forgiven or can never move past their bad behavior. Characters who have to struggle to be good (through circumstances that test their morals, or because they are surrounded by people who don't believe they can be good) tend to be more interesting than characters who are handed an easy path to goodness. Think of Snape. Readers want to read about a guy who did the right thing even though he was an awful person who was hated by everyone.
-Their personality shouldn't do a 180. That's not redemption, that's just a personality transplant. If you have to change something about the character, limit it to a single trait. If they're a vindictive bully as a villain, they should still be a vindictive bully (unless that's the trait you're changing). Think of Tony Stark, who's personality stays exactly the same except his experiences in the cave change his perspective on weapons manufacturing.
-Depending on the villain, it can be good to have the characters find a middle ground on some things. For example, it's a little hypocritical for Captain America to look down on Deadpool for killing people while he's a former soldier who's best friends with Black Widow and the Winter Soldier and Tony Stark. So, in that example you could have Steve concede that maybe sometimes killing people is justified and Deadpool knows wtf he's doing, while Deadpool concedes that he can afford to be more careful about who he kills.