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If you think about your favorite characters from literature and film, one thing they most likely have in common is a compelling arc, which is basically a distilled summary of the journey they went through over the course of the story and the inner change it inspired.
But this phenomenon isn't exclusive to fictional realms. And the subreddit 'Character Arcs' has plenty of examples to prove it. From finding out their true sexuality to getting a job, continue scrolling to check out some of the strongest and most original real-life transformations that were shared by the online community, and don't miss the conversation we had with filmmaker Robin Piree. You'll find it in between the pictures.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Wholesome Arc
#2
When It's Not Wednesday Act More My Dudes
To learn more about what makes these character arcs work so well, we got in touch with Robin Piree, who has written, directed, edited, and otherwise contributed to productions screened at cinemas and festivals, as well as gaining hundreds of millions of views online.
"In stories, the people we see, called characters, often change as the story progresses. This change in character is known as a character arc," he told Bored Panda, highlighting that the most common types are the positive (or ascending) arc, the negative (or descending) arc, and the flat arc.
It doesn't matter if the characters move from flawed to fabulous or the other way around, the important part is that they should face significant obstacles—both internal and external—that fundamentally change them.
#3
Adamboard
#4
Real Life Progression
#5
He Has Been Saved
"The positive/ascending arc occurs when characters change for the better," Piree explained. "They might start with some troubles but then grow and become better people."
"A good example is Pinocchio, who begins as a naive puppet who lies and gets into trouble but learns from his mistakes and becomes a real boy who is honest and kind."
#6
Banana Dog
LauraDragonWench 10 months ago
I'd take Banana Dog - I like him a bunch! *shuffles away, embarrassed*
#7
Redditor Posts In Local Subreddit Asking For Directions To A Bridge. Other Members Put 2 And 2 Together And Call The Police, Saving Their Life
UndertaleLover (She/Her) 10 months ago
Whoever did that deserves the Amazing Human Being award
#8
Dinosaurs
"The negative/descending arc is the opposite of the positive one," Piree added. "In this type of character arc, the person starts okay but then makes terrible choices or experiences bad events and ends up in a worse place."
The filmmaker said that the Joker belongs to this category. "The main character starts as a troubled man struggling with mental health and societal rejection. As he faces continuous neglect and abuse, he spirals down into becoming the Joker, a notorious criminal."
#9
Homosexual Awakening
#10
Don’t Mess With Gordon
#11
Purr Arc
Finally, the flat arc. "In this story, characters don't change much from the beginning to the end. They stay mostly the same but face different problems to reach their goal."
"For example, James Bond confronts numerous villains and dangerous situations throughout various films, but his fundamental characteristics as a charming, skilled, and cool spy remain consistent," Piree pointed out. "He's always the confident guy who saves the world."
#12
Maybe A Little Bit Earlier Next Time
censorshipsucks 10 months ago
yep. My GF tried this s**t once. She learnt the hard way. I made her pay for the new tickets.
#14
Any Sufficiently Advanced Technology Is Indistinguishable From Magic
#15
They Saw The Error Of Their Ways
Piree, who now focuses on helping aspiring filmmakers sell their creative ideas and has released an ebook titled 'Win The Pitch,' thinks every great, compelling character arc needs a few ingredients to make it attractive to follow along, which include:
Beginning - Who Is The Character? "This is where a character is in their normal life," he said. "Think of it like an everyday routine before the character goes on an adventure."
Goal - What Does The Character Want? Piree highlighted that every character needs something they want or need to do. "This could be a dream they have, a problem they must solve, or something they want to find."
Trigger - What Big Event Starts The Character Journey? "This is when something important happens that starts the character's adventure. It could be something like finding a mysterious map, meeting a new person who changes everything, or a big problem that suddenly comes up," the filmmaker continued.
#16
Found It!
#17
Why Would You Not Wash Your Rice In The First Place Bro???
LauraDragonWench 10 months ago (edited)
Yup, I had this same epiphany - wash your rice. Edit: I generalized when I should've specified. The Nishiki brand of medium-grain rice I use for my pseudo-Japanese donburi, I learned that washing it makes the rice...yummier. Still sticky - enough to be held with chopsticks - but not sushi-sticky. The basmati I use for everyday things I don't wash, at least I haven't yet as it doesn't seem to be necessary. 👍
#18
It Happens To The Best Of Us
Stakes - Why Does It Matter? "Stakes are about why this goal is super important to the character," Piree explained. "What will happen if the character doesn't reach their goal? What consequences will they face? The higher the stakes are, the more exciting the story will be."
Conflict - What Challenges And Problems Prevent The Character From Reaching Their Goal? This is what makes things tough for the character. "They might have to face scary things, make hard choices, or deal with problems that get in their way of achieving their goals," Piree said. "They have to change their old habits introduced in the beginning and start to change. They learn new things, make mistakes, and slowly become a different person."
Time Pressure - Why Does It Need To Happen Fast? According to the filmmaker, adding a ticking clock to the story makes the character even more interesting to follow. "The character may have to do something before a specific time, or something terrible will happen."
End - How Have Things Changed? "In the end, the character has changed throughout their journey. They have reached their goal and have learned something essential or changed in a big way."
#19
Happy Ending
censorshipsucks 10 months ago
contrary to popular belief, the seats do not line up with the windows.
#20
Reddit User Comes To A Realization
#21
A Frog Learns The Error Of Its Ways
UndertaleLover (She/Her) 10 months ago
...Did I just see...a wholesome conversation on a social media site? o_o
#22
Found In The Comments About Hogwarts Legacy Not Involving J. K. Rowling
Sonja 10 months ago
She protested a woman's shelter after the supposedly trans leader of the shelter who presents male accused rape victims of being transphobe after feeling traumatised by male presenting individuals and she protested a legislative that would have allowed any man, without any limitations access to women's spaces, including documented rapists and child molesters by demanding that any person who simply claims to be a woman has to be treated as such without any probation period or background checks. That's what she did. She never opposed trans people or pretended they don't exist. She merely demands that the protective measures that discriminate between male perpetrators and true transexuals stay in place. People calling her TERF support a motion that wants to erase all waiting periods, any limitations or preventive measures that stand between known criminals and women's places no matter how much harm that would cause. She never opposed trans people getting access after a wait period.
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Old Wardog 10 months ago
I may get toasted for this but you do not have to like her views to lime the books.
Mars Bars 10 months ago
Separate the art from the artist, as they say. If you have the mental ability to do so, have at it
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Fiery Llama 10 months ago
Wow, there's a bunch of nasty TERFs going through here, upvoting each other and downvoting people who call them out on it. If you have a minute, I'd love to see us drown them out by downvoting THEM.
Miki 10 months ago (edited)
Isn't it exactly what voting system exist for? :D "oh no, people upvote other people they agree with" :D
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Sarah SH 10 months ago
I get everyone having different opinions, but aren’t there kinder ways to phrase and express them that aren’t condescending or mean?
D C 10 months ago
Actually there is literally no way to express biological truth to biology deniers without them accusing you of being transphobic. So people don't care anymore.
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Max Blancke 10 months ago
She expressed some feminist views. Because traditional feminism does not adhere to all of the tenets of transgender theory, the mob came after her. Apparently, not agreeing that anyone who claims to be a woman is a woman in every respect is just as bad as genocide. And most people just hear that she is "cancelled" and put her on their enemies list without giving it more thought.
Darian Starfrog 10 months ago
This is dumb, we lost out on a Harry Potter exhibit, cos of activists.. lame af
Elena Witch 10 months ago
People dignity is more important than your fandom
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Leigh 10 months ago
If you look up gender in the dictionary it is defined as a social construct. A pen is does not make you a man and a vagina doesn't make you a women. I'm so sick of society's need to label people. People constantly assign me a gender and I'm sick of it. I had two people argue about about my gender identity in front of me! Without bothering to ask my opinion.
Stan Chung 10 months ago
Nobody has the time for a stranger to care. Just keep transwomen out of women's sport. Even allies like me are tired of transwomen's bs.
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Nico 10 months ago
I thought that because I was born with a penis I am a man. If that doesn't make me a man, can someone please explain to me what it is that makes me a man? I wear nail polish and at some point I had long hair. Does that mean I am actually a woman?
Sky Render 10 months ago
"Man" is a gender role ascribed by society, with specific social expectations. You are mixing up gender with sex, which is a series of physical characteristics. Probably because of how modern Western societies have a tendency to assume that anyone in a particular gender is also a particular sex.
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Grace Note 10 months ago
According to some she's transphobic, according to others she's doing all she can to protect the rights of women and girls. N b. She's not transphobic.
Mars Bars 10 months ago
I'm actually transgender, please stop debating something you do not have the degree or personal experience to understand. Thx
Stan Chung 10 months ago
Stop screwing with women's sports(not you specifically) and I'm with you.
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StrangeOne 10 months ago
Unless she did something absolutely heinous, like Peter Nygard and that gross Hollywood producer whose name escapes me, her opinion has no meaning to me and should have any power or meaning to anyone else. She has no power. But people expel her into defamed oblivion for fear of her words. Really, just hot air and sound, and symbols on a screen.
Aim 10 months ago
Why are you all debating this Trans people are people too. they just were born different than they wanted to be. Its no different then someone being unhappy with the color of their hair so they dye it. Why should you care what makes them happy or what they identify as? If they wake up slightly happier about themselves how does that affect YOU.
D C 10 months ago
No one said that trans peoples aren't people. You all equate acknowledging biological fact to being genocided. Grow up.
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jmdirks 10 months ago (edited)
She didn't do anything wrong. But any liberals right to free speech is more important than anyone who disagrees with them.
PetetheGeek 10 months ago
Free speech is about the government not censoring you, it doesn't mean that anyone who doesn't want to listen to or agree with her has to, you can not like what I say just as much as I can not like what she says, that's free speech, there can be backlash, as long as it's not backlash from the government.
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Bi-Polar Express 10 months ago
I feel really conflicted about this. I am no fan of Harry Potter. I found it a bit simplistic and god in the machinist. However, my sister did a lot of work on this damn game. So I want to play it without being a fan of the books and then this happened. Cmon.
Josh Gilland 10 months ago
What? What does she have to do with you playing the game? If you say you can't play because it's supporting her. Unless you abstain from consuming anything you don't know 10000% how everything is done you're supporting way way way worse people.
Load More Replies... Michael Wilmer 10 months ago (edited)
She expressed her opinion. Some may disagree. Some may agree. My question is this: you really think YOUR opinion matters?
Elena Witch 10 months ago
"I think Michael Wilmer is a danger to people everywhere and should be excluded by public spaces". Here, I expressed an opinion, how it makes you feel? Now think about the same phrase spoken by one of the most visible figures in the world. Do you feel safe, Michael?
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LeMurierBonjour 10 months ago
No, she has a right to an alternative opinion even if it contradicts others opinions.
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According to Piree, not every character has to change within a story, or at least not on the same level. "If you add too many changes for too many characters, you need too much time to explain why the characters have changed and the story will become too complicated for the audience to follow," he explained.
To further explain his point, he divided it into three parts:
The Main Characters — The Big Players. "These are the main folks. They need to go through big changes as the story unfolds. Their journey makes the story grab people's attention and stay interesting."
The Secondary Characters — The Supporting Team. "These are like the main characters' buddies or helpers. They can change a bit, too, but it's not as big of a deal as with the main characters."
"Their small changes could add something extra to the story and help the audience better understand the main characters. For example, one of the main character’s friends starts off being scared but then gets a little braver because of what the main character does."
The Minor Characters — Just Passing By. "These characters show up every now and then. They're not a big part of the story. They don't need to change much. But even a slight change in them, like a grumpy neighbor who ends up smiling, can make the story feel more natural."
With that being said, wouldn't it be interesting to imagine a fictional universe where all of the characters you see in the pictures coexist?
#23
Princeton
Stardust she/her 10 months ago
This is exactly why you should study at least something everyday
#24
Acceptance
#25
He Realized His Mistake
Bob Brooce 10 months ago
There are only two possibilities. If they're not inedible then they're edible. Of course there are lots of thing that you shouldn't eat even though you could.
#26
From The Channel Nilered
#27
Hope This Counts
"Disembodied voice" 10 months ago
Edibles can take a bit to kick in, wouldn’t recommend taking to much at once
#28
Sleep Is For The Weak
LauraDragonWench 10 months ago
You're supposed to argue with the voices in your head SILENTLY. Right? *crickets* RIGHT?! C**p.
#29
Murdering Arc
Ovata Acronicta 10 months ago
Spotted lanternfly. Spread rapidly, very invasive, infests crops of things we grow.
#30
The Prophecy Is Fulfilled
Add New Image
What do you think ?
Ash 10 months ago
Wow the comment section under the JK Rowling one was a nightmare. I should definitely have known better than to look at it.
Chonky_not_stonky 10 months ago (edited)
The transphobes never seem to scroll this far down, so here goes: Trans people are valid. And lovely. And no more dangerous than any other group of people. And lots of people love you just the way you are, and only you get to determine who that is. ❤️❤️❤️
Bec 10 months ago (edited)
Trans are probably 1% of the population or less. It is sad that so many people lack basic empathy - of course it is hard for a cis person to understand a trans persons experience but don't assume their experience isn't real.
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ॐBoyGanesh 10 months ago
lol. This was a popular post & newfound Reddit sub. It was on Buzzfeed this past week, too.
Lululoohoo 10 months ago
She had the gall to have an unpopular non-virtue signaling opinion about cis-women compared to trans-women. IDGAF if you're trans, but stop trying to erase cis-women in the process. That is what I have an issue with. Make your own sports team, make your own olympics category, make your own bathroom, CIS-WOMEN should NOT have to give up our rights as WOMEN.
Hope Cows&Chickens 10 months ago
What rights are you worried about giving up? Being able to go to the bathroom without worrying that a trans person might be in the bathroom too? Like you, a trans person goes into a public bathrrom so they can empty their bladder. It's a mundane bodily function and they just wanna be able to go without being harassed. I also have seen the comment about 'erasing cis-women' and I dont get it at all. Like, I dont even know what people are referring to when they say that. Btw, trans people have been accepted in the Olympics for something like, 12 or 16 years. (I dont remembers the exact year). But so its not a new thing. Being pointed out as trans publicly is new. Rowling's comments were a virtue signaling opinion and I certainly dont remember her comments comparing cis and trans. And your 'make your own sports teams/ Olympics/ bathrooms' comment is a great example of seperate but equal. And we know how well that worked out last time! (Not at all).
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Darian Starfrog 10 months ago
Very inconsistent, maybe having direction arrows to show which way to read..it changes
THE DERP 10 months ago
If somebody feels like they are not their biological gender, they can change it. Just because "Biological facts" don't match up in your mind, does not mean that people can't express who they are.
Load More Replies... Ash 10 months ago
Wow the comment section under the JK Rowling one was a nightmare. I should definitely have known better than to look at it.
Chonky_not_stonky 10 months ago (edited)
The transphobes never seem to scroll this far down, so here goes: Trans people are valid. And lovely. And no more dangerous than any other group of people. And lots of people love you just the way you are, and only you get to determine who that is. ❤️❤️❤️
Bec 10 months ago (edited)
Trans are probably 1% of the population or less. It is sad that so many people lack basic empathy - of course it is hard for a cis person to understand a trans persons experience but don't assume their experience isn't real.
Load More Replies... ॐBoyGanesh 10 months ago
lol. This was a popular post & newfound Reddit sub. It was on Buzzfeed this past week, too.
Lululoohoo 10 months ago
She had the gall to have an unpopular non-virtue signaling opinion about cis-women compared to trans-women. IDGAF if you're trans, but stop trying to erase cis-women in the process. That is what I have an issue with. Make your own sports team, make your own olympics category, make your own bathroom, CIS-WOMEN should NOT have to give up our rights as WOMEN.
Hope Cows&Chickens 10 months ago
What rights are you worried about giving up? Being able to go to the bathroom without worrying that a trans person might be in the bathroom too? Like you, a trans person goes into a public bathrrom so they can empty their bladder. It's a mundane bodily function and they just wanna be able to go without being harassed. I also have seen the comment about 'erasing cis-women' and I dont get it at all. Like, I dont even know what people are referring to when they say that. Btw, trans people have been accepted in the Olympics for something like, 12 or 16 years. (I dont remembers the exact year). But so its not a new thing. Being pointed out as trans publicly is new. Rowling's comments were a virtue signaling opinion and I certainly dont remember her comments comparing cis and trans. And your 'make your own sports teams/ Olympics/ bathrooms' comment is a great example of seperate but equal. And we know how well that worked out last time! (Not at all).
Load More Replies... Darian Starfrog 10 months ago
Very inconsistent, maybe having direction arrows to show which way to read..it changes
THE DERP 10 months ago
If somebody feels like they are not their biological gender, they can change it. Just because "Biological facts" don't match up in your mind, does not mean that people can't express who they are.
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