Tonight's hot take: a character realizing the error of their ways and trying to improve even if they might never be forgiven will always be way more compelling than a completely unrepentant dickhead who drifts into protagonisthood because the hero is willing to be friends -R

Heroes willing to forgive past hurts if their enemy has changed? Cool! But if they HAVEN'T changed beyond "no immediate violence" and the hero is the one doing all the work to accommodate their dickhead former enemy, that's not a redemption friendship. Get frenemies who CARE! -R

Basically, redemption and forgiveness are not the same thing. A redemption arc is earned by the villain's actions, INDEPENDENT of whether the heroes forgive them. Redemption is the villain's responsibility, forgiveness is the hero's choice - and it ain't mandatory. -R

(And my extra-spicey hot take chaser: this is why I think Pink Diamond had the best redemption arc in Steven Universe, and I'm gonna be REAL cranky if they all keep buddying up with the diamonds while relentlessly shitting on the only one who actually did any work to change) -R

I mean, it's not a competition, I just wanna point out

INHABITED WORLDS DESTROYED:
Y, B, W: LOTS
Pink: 0

UNDEAD FUSION WAR CRIME CLUSTER WEAPONS:
Y: LOTS
Pink: 0

GEMS DAMAGED:
Y, B, W: COUNTLESS SHATTERED/CORRUPTED
Pink: 1

IS STEVEN COOL WITH THEM:
Y, B, W: yea
Pink: NOOO

-R