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.
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Wholesome Arc
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.
Adamboard
Real Life Progression
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."
Banana Dog
I'd take Banana Dog - I like him a bunch! *shuffles away, embarrassed*
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
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."
Homosexual Awakening
Don’t Mess With Gordon
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."
Maybe A Little Bit Earlier Next Time
yep. My GF tried this s**t once. She learnt the hard way. I made her pay for the new tickets.
You *made* her pay? Wtf? Are you her parent or her partner? 😬😩
Load More Replies...My closest major airport won't let people check in if it's less than 45 minutes before doors close. TSA and the airlines will both stop you from going behind security.
I always arrive super early. If there's a problem with your flight, this just gives you more possible options.
When flying from Phoenix to NYC once, they changed the gate number on us. If we hadn't been there super early, we wouldn't have known until it was too late!
Load More Replies...I'm probably one of the rare few (maybe?) that gets excited to fly. So I'm there early af :)
Same!! Usually there 2-3 hours before boarding starts.
Load More Replies...My dumbass was super early to the airport and almost missed my flight. I was out drinking with friends, who live right off of as rail station that's on the way to the airport. So we had the bright idea to had to the airport early to hangout and drink before my flight since it was super easy for them to get home afterwards. I wasn't late to the gate, but wasn't going to get their early, When I got there they had already boarded everyone, had been calling me over the intercom (I didnt know they did that but I didnt hear it anyways because we were outside of the security check, since my friends obviously didn't have tickets and wouldn't have been able to get through anyways), and were just in the process of closing the gate. They kind of deservingly yelled at me that I was late and they had been calling of me. I was obviously the last person to board, on a completely full flight, so everyone was staring at me as I got to the only open seat: back row in the middle LMAO.
My friend made us miss a connecting flight because they told her the departure time instead of the boarding time for us to be back at the gate, we went to grab a bite and watch a game at a bar that was apparently too far away to hear them calling for us, although I kept encouraging her to finish up and head to the gate earlier. The flight had just departed when we got to gate. Fortunately there were 2 seats on the next flight a few hours later.
Load More Replies...Is this also for domestic? I swear I always arrive at the airport about 40 minutes before departure and it is usually during OR Tambo rush hour (weekdays at 5:30am)
Depends on the airport and timing. Sometimes in a small airport things move quickly, and all airports have slower and busier times. The one things that's almost 100% certain is that if you get to the gate a minute after they closed the door you're not getting on the plane.
Load More Replies...I'd camp at my gate if they let me, my travel anxiety takes ten years of my lifespan every time
depends on so many things. International/ overseas or domestic/EU? checked in already? Check in bags? How big is the airport? Is it holiday season?
I know! If you arrive early and DON'T spend money on overpriced snacks, you don't waste money AND don't miss the flight! Yup, it's rocket surgery, but everyone can learn to do it. 😂
Believe me, they need at least an hour to make sure they can locate your bags and ensure they put them on the right plane, otherwise it will take them two days to get them to you.
The really depressing thing is our local airport now wants people to arrive *4* hours before the flight. It's getting pretty ridiculous.
My fam n i always show up early. Lets us not feel rushed and kill time getting lunch. We also plan to apply for TSA pre check at some point to save more time
The key is you MUST know the airport you are flying out of. Some airports don't need 2 hours before a flight to check your luggage, get through security (which is usually what takes the longest) and hey to the gate... Others need MORE than 2 hours, depending on your gate and the day and time of year (hello ATL)
Does anybody believe that in this day and age? I have done the 10 minute thing before successfully (not late on purpose) but it was 1. 40 years ago and 2. In a podunk little local airport that at the time only had ONE TSA screening checkpoint and one plane boarding. Like - from entrance of airport you could literally see the screening station and the boarding door. In the near future I will again be traveling through Seattle. Seoul, and Cebu airports and those places are zoos and you better arrive with lots of extra time.
I like to drop my baggage and go through security early. That way, I have a buffer if something goes wrong (I usually get searched, even with TSA PreCheck), and I have enough time to sit down and eat something, buy some snacks and magazines before the flight, and de-stress before boarding.
You can bring food through... Just not drinks. Empty bottle fill with water once in. No extra money needed. This person seems to rather blame others than that responsibility for their actions.
Sounds like you're blaming the customer for the awful service. We shouldn't have to arrive hours early, the airports should be run better.
Load More Replies...Redemption Arc
Any Sufficiently Advanced Technology Is Indistinguishable From Magic
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.
Found It!
Why Would You Not Wash Your Rice In The First Place Bro???
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. 👍
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."
Happy Ending
contrary to popular belief, the seats do not line up with the windows.
Reddit User Comes To A Realization
A Frog Learns The Error Of Its Ways
...Did I just see...a wholesome conversation on a social media site? o_o
Found In The Comments About Hogwarts Legacy Not Involving J. K. Rowling
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?
Princeton
This is exactly why you should study at least something everyday
Acceptance
He Realized His Mistake
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.
From The Channel Nilered
Hope This Counts
Edibles can take a bit to kick in, wouldn’t recommend taking to much at once
Sleep Is For The Weak
You're supposed to argue with the voices in your head SILENTLY. Right? *crickets* RIGHT?! C**p.
Murdering Arc
Spotted lanternfly. Spread rapidly, very invasive, infests crops of things we grow.
The Prophecy Is Fulfilled
Wow the comment section under the JK Rowling one was a nightmare. I should definitely have known better than to look at it.
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. ❤️❤️❤️
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...lol. This was a popular post & newfound Reddit sub. It was on Buzzfeed this past week, too.
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.
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...Very inconsistent, maybe having direction arrows to show which way to read..it changes
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...Wow the comment section under the JK Rowling one was a nightmare. I should definitely have known better than to look at it.
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. ❤️❤️❤️
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...lol. This was a popular post & newfound Reddit sub. It was on Buzzfeed this past week, too.
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.
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...Very inconsistent, maybe having direction arrows to show which way to read..it changes
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...