Tonight& #39;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& #39;T changed beyond "no immediate violence" and the hero is the one doing all the work to accommodate their dickhead former enemy, that& #39;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& #39;s actions, INDEPENDENT of whether the heroes forgive them. Redemption is the villain& #39;s responsibility, forgiveness is the hero& #39;s choice - and it ain& #39;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& #39;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& #39;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