They say adaptability is one of the biggest indicators of success – a willingness to change oneself to one’s environment. This is oddly in harmony with what I’ve picked up when watching Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Angel for the first time here in the 20’s; my favourite character arcs could be described as Whedonesque. The thing about his characters starting as simple types is that this also gives them clear motivations, and they change their actions as a better method of receiving their motivations. This means a character like Wesley can look totally different from his introduction and still feel like the same person; indeed, we feel the weight of their history on their face.

This ends up extending to all the character arcs I like best, in all their variations. Shortpacked! is composed largely of these kinds of characters arcs; Ethan is so moving because he’s working, every single day, to be a good person, and he wears every slip and stumble until he’s warped into a healthier, more clear-eyed human being. Roy of Order Of The Stick does the same thing for much the same reason; it’s almost a recurring feature in which he makes a dramatic gesture to signify his changed strategy, with one of my favourites being him tearing up the Order’s contracts so they can choose to back him or not.

What are you favourite examples of character arcs?