Character Arcs - Tumblr Posts

Guys, I don't write much BUT I do have mildly complicated story in my head for years that I am developing now and I think I made a very smart writing decision by accident.

There are seven people. All of them have specific powers and now that I've looked into it a bit more, their personalities are the opposites to the thing their power is about. And as more as they get closer to their power in the story, the more they are (personality/goal/arc wise) like their power. I think that's metal.

Like, the guy who shapeshifts and copies other's powers, he's a very original person who always does his thing his way. But over time he starts acting and copying and following plans.

The one who is all about creation destroys everything in their path, by accident and on purpose. And it won't stop until they embrace their power.

Get it?! Get it?!

Guys, I don't write much BUT I do have mildly complicated story in my head for years that I am developing now and I think I made a very smart writing decision by accident.

There are seven people. All of them have specific powers and now that I've looked into it a bit more, their personalities are the opposites to the thing their power is about. And as more as they get closer to their power in the story, the more they are (personality/goal/arc wise) like their power. I think that's metal.

Like, the guy who shapeshifts and copies other's powers, he's a very original person who always does his thing his way. But over time he starts acting and copying and following plans.

The one who is all about creation destroys everything in their path, by accident and on purpose. And it won't stop until they embrace their power.

Get it?! Get it?!

I FIGURED IT OUT but WHY ARE THEY IN SETTINGS

I've turned several things into 'drafts' and I don't know what that means or how to turn them into posts or if I can turn them into posts. anyway please send help. is there like, a tutorial to watch or something?

Let's talk about enemies to lovers tropes.

Indisputably one of the best tropes out there. And one of the most infuriating, to write and to read.

When writing an enemies-to-lovers romance, there are several elements to consider in order to create a compelling and engaging story.

Here are some things to avoid and include:

DO NOT:

Create one-dimensional, flat characters. Both characters should have depth, flaws, and virtues that make them relatable and interesting.

Force conflict. While conflict is essential in this trope, it should arise naturally from the characters' personalities, circumstances, and past interactions. Avoid contriving conflicts solely for the sake of drama.

Cause sudden, unrealistic transformations in character behavior. While characters can change and grow throughout the story, it should be gradual and believable.

Overuse tropes. Try to bring fresh perspectives and unique elements to your story to avoid clichés and predictability. Yes, readers will still read the story if they like the trope, notwithstanding the vast amount of nearly identical novels they've consumed. I know you're guilty. But unique elements will make it stand out amongst the sea of literature out there.

Rely on stereotypical traits for either character. Subvert expectations and give your characters complexity and nuance.

DO:

Develop rich backstories for both characters, including the reasons behind their animosity towards each other. This adds depth and understanding to their dynamic.

Ensure there's palpable chemistry between the enemies-turned-lovers. Their interactions should spark tension, passion, and intrigue, drawing readers into their evolving relationship.

Show gradual character development as they transition from enemies to lovers. Each should challenge the other's beliefs, leading to personal growth and introspection.

Build emotional tension through witty banter, charged encounters, and moments of vulnerability. Let the unresolved tension simmer beneath the surface, keeping readers invested in their relationship.

Introduce conflicts with high stakes that test the characters' newfound bond. This can come from internal struggles, external threats, or obstacles that force them to confront their feelings.

Allow the romance to develop gradually, building anticipation and suspense as the characters navigate their evolving feelings for each other.

Even as enemies, there should be moments of mutual respect or admiration between the characters. Highlight these moments to show the underlying potential for a deeper connection.

Stay true to the characters' personalities and motivations throughout the story. Authenticity breeds believability and emotional resonance.

Happy writing ❤

I cannot stress enough the importance of transformations that are not necessarily redemptive.

- Cold and misanthropic villains who learn to care for the people close to them

- Coerced villains/minions running away–not to help the heroes, but to help themselves

- Villains who have dedicated their life and existence to The Cause who develop agency, who begin making their own decisions for their own reasons, whether or not they are GoodTM decisions 

- Bigoted villains who learn to stop being a dick in that specific area

- Villains otherwise driven by hate who reevaluate their motives if not their purpose

- Heroes so dedicated to The Cause that they stop caring for the people around them

- Heroes who stop caring in a healthy way, who become jealous or excessively competitive 

- Characters on all sides with trust issues who learn to trust, if only one or two individuals

- Selfish characters who learn self-sacrifice, even if it's only for fellow team members instead of a hero team or a Noble CauseTM 

- Characters who stand up to their abusers/refuse to be taken advantage of anymore in their interpersonal relationships outside the context of switching sides

There seems to be a growing expectation and even demand in fandom that villains be redeemed/redeemable, that heroes only become more GoodTM, and that anything else is somehow shortsighted or glorifying bad behavior. But people don't only grow in one direction, and personal progress doesn't have moral requirememts. Personal change doesn't have moral requirements. 

People can learn to love, to trust, to grow, to think for themselves without experiencing a major paradigm shift, and people don't always experience major paradigm shifts for the better. The fight for GoodTM and its necessity can actually be highlighted by a hero who goes bad and must then be defeated by former allies. Agency can actually be more profound if it doesn't conform to expectations or tropes within the story, because it becomes twofold: the character in question liberates themselves not only from the restrictions imposed on them by their circumstances/leaders but from those imposed by the reader/viewer as well.

The 5 Most Essential Turning Points in a Character’s Arc

You spend so much time creating a character because you want them to feel real. You want to connect with them and use them to create an experience for your readers. Their character arc is how that happens.

Don’t miss out on these essential turning points that make an arc feel not only whole, but complete.

1. The Inciting Incident

Your inciting incident gets your plot moving. It isn’t going to be the first sentence of your story (also called your hook), although it could be if you crafted your first sentence for that purpose.

An inciting incident is a plot event that guides your character in a new direction. It’s the successful prison break, the meeting of instant rivals, or the moment your protagonist wins the lottery in your first chapter.

Without the inciting incident, your protagonist’s life would carry on as usual. They wouldn’t start the arc that makes them an interesting person for the reader to stick with throughout your story.

2. Introducing the Protagonist’s Main Flaw

Every protagonist needs a primary flaw. Ideally, they’ll have more than one. People aren’t perfect and they rarely get close enough to only have one negative characteristic. Protagonists need that same level of humanity for readers to connect with them.

There are many potential flaws you could consider, but the primarily flaw must be the foundation for your character’s arc. It might even be the catalyst for the story’s peak.

Imagine a hero archetype. They’re great and well-intended, but they have a problem with boasting. Their arc features scenes where they learn to overcome their need to brag about themselves, but they get drunk and boast in a bar right before the story’s peak. The antagonist’s best friend hears this because they’re at the same bar, so they report the hero’s comment to the main villain. It thwarts the hero’s efforts and makes the climax more dramatic.

Other potential flaws to consider:

Arrogance

Pride

Fear

Anxiety

Carelessness

Dishonesty

Immaturity

3. Their First Failure

Everyone will fail at a goal eventually. Your protagonist should too. Their first failure could be big or small, but it helps define them. They either choose to continue pursuing that goal, they change their goal, or their worldview shatters.

Readers like watching a protagonist reshape their identity when they lose sight of what they wnat. They also like watching characters double down and pursue something harder. Failure is a necessary catalyst for making this happen during a character’s arc.

4. Their Rock Bottom

Most stories have a protagonist that hits their rock bottom. It could be when their antagonist defeats them or lose what matters most. There are numerous ways to write a rock-bottom moment. Yours will depend on what your character wants and what your story’s theme is.

If you forget to include a rock-bottom moment, the reader might feel like the protagonist never faced any real stakes. They had nothing to lose so their arc feels less realistic.

Rock bottoms don’t always mean earth-shattering consequences either. It might be the moment when your protagonist feels hopeless while taking an exam or recognizes that they just don’t know what to do. Either way, they’ll come to grips with losing something (hope, direction, or otherwise) and the reader will connect with that.

5. What the Protagonist Accepts

Protagonists have to accept the end of their arc. They return home from their hero’s journey to live in a life they accept as better than before. They find peace with their new fate due to their new community they found or skills they aquired.

Your protagonist may also accept a call to action. They return home from their journey only to find out that their antagonist inspired a new villain and the protagonist has to find the strength to overcome a new adversary. This typically leads into a second installment or sequel.

Accepting the end of their arc helps close the story for the reader. A protagonist who decides their arc wasn’t worth it makes the reader disgruntled with the story overall. There has to be a resolution, which means accepting whatever the protagonist’s life ended up as—or the next goal/challenge they’ll chase.

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Hopefully these points make character arcs feel more manageable for you. Defining each point might feel like naming your instincts, but it makes character creation and plotting easier.

Want more creative writing tips and tricks? I have plenty of other fun stuff on my website, including posts like Traits Every Protagonist Needs and Tips for Writing Subplots.

Don't know how to create hooking character arcs? I got you!!

(✨Dos and don'ts in character arc creation, part 1: don'ts✨)

Every writer knows that's a good character arc is something hard to achieve, and that there is usually a very fine line between making your characters evolve to the better and making them change completely... But don't worry! That's why today I wanted to share some of my tips to give your characters that something that will make their transformative journey unique, and also make your readers fall in love with them. So, let's get right to it!

DON'TS

1. Don't make your characters passive.

Your story needs someone strong to fight against whatever you are planning to put them trough! Making your characters strong doesn't necessary mean creating buff characters, but a good character will always have that *something* that can always push them to their try best. Could be a goal, a loved one, an ideology...

2. Don't give your characters some random disaster for no reason.

Of course, this things sometimes happen, but the best kind of disasters are the ones your character has put themselves into: they have no one else to blame (even if they tried). This are the disasters you should be pressuring for your characters, because they will teach your character something. Maybe your character was very egocentric during most of the story, and now they are alone. You can now either make them realize, or start a villain character arc were they believe the world has made them like that...

3. Don't make the decisions easy.

During the story, your character will have to take a lot of decisions, including many important ones, but here is the deal... Most of them shouldn't be easy. Make it hard for them to decide, make the decisions something that they feel guilty of, make them think that, maybe, "there really was a better alternative". Also remember that when taking hard decisions, characters usually decide what they think will make them suffer less: that's what we call pain vs pain.

4. Don't make everything terrible.

Remember: there's always calm before the storm. And, if you give your characters a false sense of victory, failure will always hurt more. (Even if you don't plan your characters to fail, it's a good technique to use before eventually everything comes down).

5. Don't be afraid of giving the character the ending they deserve.

When the story ends, you should be capable of naming at least three mayor changes in your character. But, of course, when the story ends you also want your readers to think "yes, that's what needed to happen". So, writers: don't be afraid. If the character deserves a bad ending, give it to them. If they deserve to succeed, let them win. Each story is different, but there will always be that ending that you feel is the right thing... Believe me, if a character deserves to fail, I'll want them to fail at the end, and there is not a feeling as good as someone getting what they deserve, what they have been earning since page one.

I wish this was helpful, and if you are interested keep tuned for the part 2: dos in writing character arcs. Happy writing everybody!!

Other tips for writers: previous

Can we finally stop putting being a human being from one stereotype into a new one? It’s the same box different name. Give me cute quiet girls who can contribute to the plot in their own way. Give me loud women who are not turned into super puper feminist “I’m not like other girls” feme-fatal but actually not. Give me-

Wait guys.

I just realized.

It’s not the stereotypes. It’s that there is no person behind them. They were trying to make women appear alive just changing the skin without any real organs and bones behind the facade. That’s why it feels uncanny valley shallow style.

There is no rizzler behind the gyat. Course there’s no rızz.

not now sweetie, mommy is watching how the massive girlbossification of female characters has led to the belief that weak and vulnerable female characters are badly written characters because apparently every woman needs to be outspoken and witty and snarky and brave in order to be considered “complex” and have any value in a piece of media!!

Things fanfic is reputed for inserting into the source material:

Sex

Things fanfic actually inserts into the source material:

Sex

Holding hands

Bizarre misunderstandings

Meticulous descriptions of food and clothing

The author’s unaddressed traumas

Found family

Plausible explanations for existing plot holes

Additional plot holes

Exciting new frontiers in speculative physics, economics, chemistry, biology, zoology, psychology, theology, and/or ontology

Tax evasion

Gender

Very bad puns

My favourite trope has always been slow-burn enemies to lovers. I couldn't comprehend why for a while, but I simply think that it has to do with my own expectations and standards, right?

Like beyond the sexual tension and physical attraction that you could get out of a "love at first sight" romance. Or even the mutual appreciation that's already founded in a "friends to lovers" plot. The enemies to lovers arc is usually, if not always, about how two characters came to fall in love after accepting the other's flaws and acknowledging their faults before realising they got a pretty good side. They have only seen the bad but can't seem to distance themselves from this person. Add in the slow burn when they really have seen it all at this point and still can't let them go.

And it's sad, but I have always felt like my flaws are so much more visible. They just stand out. Therefore, people may have to spend too much time with me to actually like me, let alone fall in love with me. And they probably are gonna dislike being around me before doing so as well. But then at least they know what to expect and how to manage (if that makes sense) so the relationship would hopefully last ?(〃ω〃)

What's your favourite trope and why?

There's something I really don't understand. In "SUITS" whenever two characters fight, I genuinely like the scenes. I mean these people have great comebacks, logical arguments and some amazing snarky comment. And above all we always get some growth and/or story development in the end. HOWEVER, if the two people arguing are Harvey and Mike, i just wish I could crawl under the earth and stay there until they're good again. Like just be nice to each other, please. Work it out already and get back to quoting movies and kicking ass.

Is it just me or does everybody hate it ?

(via FlimsyFlamingo on Twitter)

One of my favourite things about shera is that the show always makes me empathetic and genuinely like some of the main villains. take hordak, he’s committed war crimes but I still feel bad for him. all the villains (except hord prime) have compelling backstorys, their still villains, still people who’ve done terrible things. yet their complex and are really quite sad. shera has an amazing ability to show that almost no one is ‘born evil’ events have to happen to push that person into a desperate enough position to be like this. They exactly never say that they should be forgiven for their actions simply why their doing them. while many of those villains got somewhat redemption arcs but I thought it was done in an amazing way.

Specifically characters like catra, shadowweaver and Hordak. I could rant about thier redemption arcs for a long while but I would like to do that separately, so I’m gonna leave this off here. Hordak is genuinely one of my favourite characters so he’ll probably go first as i may be a little biased. Hope you enjoy!

Their dynamic is everything to me.

I can genuinely say this is like my favourite ship ever. You will never guess that this relationship would work so well, and yet it does. Not just in a romantic way, they are genuinely friends that genuinely care for each other (Thought I think they’re are definitely more than friends). Entrapta was a big step in Hordaks arc, I think Hordak was definitely already questioning some of his actions and horde-primes but Entrapta really helped push him forward in his arc. Hordak had only ever had really two types of relationships either the relationship he had with horde-prime, a servant who genuinely cared and worshipped horde-prime even though he treated him terribly and didn’t care about him at all, or the relationship he had with the members of the horde they feared him as he was their leader. but I feel like Entrapta was the first person that ever treated hordak like an equal like a friend. He told her about his past and his ‘defect’ and she didn’t treat him any differently in fact she helped him and they grew to trust eachother. I think that was one of the major things that made him realize maybe he didn’t have to go back to horde-prime.

I’m going to do a longer thing on some other dynamic soon but this is done for now!

Character Development: Part 1

The Basics

Character development can refer to the actual creation process in which you decide your character’s strengths, flaws, goals, features, etc, or it can refer to a character’s progression/transformation throughout a story, which is also known as an arc.

Your Character: How Much Do You Need to Know?

Some will say you need to be aware of everything when it comes to a character, including miscellaneous minutia, but when you follow that advice you’ll find it’s all too easy to get bogged down. In order to make things easier, it’s best to have an outline (or at the very least a general idea) for your story, and then consider your characters within that context. Make sure you flesh out these basics:

Features and Identifying Characteristics - Consider what makes them unique in both physical appearance and personality.Their voice and mannerisms are also important here.

Goal (s) - What does your character want and how does it drive the conflict in the story? How does your character’s goal, and the lengths they’ll go to accomplish it, affect others?

Strengths and Flaws - You can divide these into major and minor categories. Some will affect the character and those around them more than others. It’s important to try to find a balance between the two, even if it’s not initial. The character can find a balance during the story.

Fears - These are very important to know because they’ll influence your character’s behavior. Fears can be internal and external, major and minor.

Reactions - How does your character handle situations that occur within your story, and what do those reactions say about your character to themselves, other characters, and the audience?

Interactions - How does your character conduct themselves around other characters? Why?

Static vs. Dynamic Characters

Simply put, a static character is one who does not change in a story while a dynamic character does. Dynamic characters tend to have legitimate, major growth, whether it be over the course of a single story or over many. Their personality, beliefs, perspective, or even goals may be altered by their experiences, and they learn something, whether it be good or bad. Both kinds of characters will appear in stories, and it’s alright to have either in the main character role.

You may also see static characters referred to as flat and dynamic characters referred to as round.

Static Character Examples: Sherlock Homes, Hannibal Lecter, Indiana Jones, Han Solo, Robin Hood, James Bond, Tarzan, Huck Finn, Long John Silver, Classic Superheroes (Batman, Superman, Spiderman).

Dynamic Character Examples: Harry Potter, Ebeneezer Scrooge, Bilbo Baggins, Batman (Batman Begins), Buzz Lightyear, Darth Vader, and Aladdin (Disney).

Character Arcs

The key to writing a good character arc is maintaining believable change in the eyes of the audience. If your character is a pretty nice guy for most of the story, then suddenly decides to do something vile, like kill a kitten for no good reason (other than your Master Plan to make him a villain), your audience is going to be confused. Character arcs aren’t just about the beginning and the end, but how you get to that end. They are a progression.

There are three basic types of character arcs: positive, negative, and flat/no change.

Positive: Your character begins at a low point, and by the end of the story reaches a high and is better off than where he was when he started. An external force causes a change within the character. An example would be The Hero’s Journey (Shrek) or overcoming an internal obstacle.

Negative: Your character begins at a high point, and by the end of the story hits a low and is worse off than where he was when he started. An external force causes a change within the character. An example would be The Fall from Grace (Anakin Skywalker into Darth Vader).

Flat/No Change: The character, at some point, has already found their truth, accomplished their goal, come to terms with their struggles, or had a major change at some point prior to the story and already knows how to handle things. These stories tend to focus on how the character can affect his world, and not the other way around.

There are, of course, different degrees of severity to these arcs, and depending on how long your story is, or if it’s over the course of a series, a character may go through multiple arcs.

Remember to treat your characters like people. Force them into situations that expose them, and make them show who they really are.

Happy writing.

-Morgan

I'm literally going insane. For a while, I've been wondering why i feel the way i do about Rose until somebody told me. ROSES ARC WAS BACKWARDS

THE FIRST WE SEE IF ROSE IS THE END OF HER ARC

THIS IS ROSE AT THE START OF HER ARC

THIS DIRECTLY INVERTS HOW WE SEE STEVENS ARC

START

END

ROSE WAS NOT A VILLAIN. SHE WAS THE GOOD PERSON, WE THOUGHT SHE WAS AT THE START OF THE SHOW , BUT UNLIKE STEVEN SHE WAS FROM AN ABUSIVE HOUSEHOLD WHICH IMPACTED HER. Yes. She's a coward, but people need to understand that seeing rose as pink daimond rose WAS pink but went through her arc and became rose. Rose was originally a persona who she slowly became.

DAMN YOU REBECCA FOR WRITING SUCH AN INTERESTING CHARACTER.

Both pairs of siblings embark on their magical journeys in a quest to ultimately return to where they came from.

Both journeys start on Halloween!!!

Both Greg and Saoirse run off on their own at least once when their older brothers aren't looking (Greg wanders off in "Schooltown Follies;" Saoirse swims down the Holy Well).

Wirt and Ben both face down frightening, powerful, legendary figures from stories (The Beast, Macha the Owl Witch) who are holding their siblings captive in a weakened state of partial transformation (Greg changing into an Edelwood tree, Saoirse being half-turned to stone).

Not to mention there's no good reason why selkies can't exist in the Unknown, and all I'm saying is that Greg and Saoirse would be INSTANT best friends.

Also, I'm sure Wirt would have appreciated having a leash for Greg on more than one occasion.

I'll add to this when I can think of more parallels . . .

when you realize how ben and saoirse parallel wirt and greg

No offense to writers, but why does everything have to be a fucking love story?

I have found like 2 posts that have actually helped with my style of writing and one of them was literally just grammar. Whenever I go on tumblr looking for writing advice, all I see is relationship writing prompts. Speaking of those “writing prompts”, they are literally just singular lines of context or dialogue. The only person that actually follows the correct definition for writing prompts every post is @writing-prompt-s , which are great and almost every one of them has so much potential, each one of those is an entire, self contained story.

Writing does not require a close relationship ship, nor does it need complex character arcs. People are not malleable, humanity is an extremely stubborn species that does not like change. Too often do I read stories where the villain becomes good at the end, or they are defeated and the MC(s) live happily ever after. There is a reason why the big bad is evil, whatever that reason may be, it is what drives the antagonist. Consistency in what drives a character is important for that character to seem believable, despite what people tell you, people rarely, truly change.

For example, if the villain became evil because of a traumatic childhood, abusive parents, and or neglect, the protagonist giving them the attention they needed as a child wouldn’t change the antagonist. This realization came to me after watching the boys, Homelander is given all of the love and attention in the world by hundreds of millions if not billions of fans and even then he’s constantly on the verge of snapping. When a person is deprived of attention, they either think they don’t deserve it or that it’s their right. In both cases, if you then give that person attention and passion, they will then want more. They were at rock bottom for the longest time and have most likely been in denial about it their whole lives, when you bring someone like that back up they find out that the feeling they previously thought unimportant felt good. They might stay with the protagonist for a bit to hold on to that feeling, but the moment they find out they can get that same feeling from others, suddenly the person that first showed you compassion is no longer unique. This is a very slippery slope to addiction, and addiction can and will make a person do anything for just one more fix of the only thing they care about.

I used this example because it is of the introduction of emotional drive to a story that had lacked it previously, some stories are meant to be love stories from the beginning and that’s fine, but when it is put into another type of story it can completely take over the plot and thus overrides any foreshadowing or themes the plot originally had.

(Spoilers for the boys, skip to the next paragraph if you haven’t seen it yet.)

Going back to Homelander, he is a character driven by attention, he’s already addicted to it. Homelander goes through several relationships in the show, be it real or fake, but none of them help him or change him as a person in any way. The boys is a beautiful example on the human mind’s need to be loved and how it can never truly be fulfilled. In the end, Homelander doesn’t get defeated or proven that it doesn’t have to be this way, instead he listens to his son and walks away. Even though he hasn’t changed completely, he now has a drive that is greater than his need for attention, making sure his son gets the childhood and love he never did. At the end of the show he discovers that love is mutual and that you don’t need everyone’s love to be happy. Homelander learn’s that making sure his son is happy can fulfill him greater than anyone else loving him ever could. Even after all of this, in the very last seen he murders someone and gets praised for it, his old motives and ideals are still there but he doesn’t need them.

However, sometimes love is forced into scenario’s that are completely illogical. Morals are based on a mental line you draw somewhere in your mind, but once you kill someone, suddenly you’ve just crossed the last line. You can make excuses, but ending a life is a one way road. No matter how hard it was to end that life, it will always be easier the second time. Sooner or later that second time will come, nobody teaches you how to forgive yourself because nobody really knows how. Love loses meaning when the person giving it can be ending so easily, don’t believe me? Do you remember the feeling you got from succeeding at something for the first time? Did ever feel that way for doing it again? Life is an endless loop of winning and losing, but once you overcome that final hurdle, what then?

The villain in a story can often be depicted as bored from a life of killing, there’s no going back, so more often than not they just stop. Defeated by a hero, killed by their own machinations, or just simply ending their own life, it doesn’t matter. They’ve killed so much at this point that they don’t fear death and often long for it. I hate it when I read a book and the character is redeemed from this state. Whenever I see a story end with a “happily ever after” I just sigh, it’s completely fine to have a b plot relationship, but it should never be the ending unless it’s actively a romance novel.

Sorry for the tangent, but I have just read one to many “action and adventure” books with a sappy ending. Watching Invincible, The Boys, and surprisingly Avengers: Infinity War has shown me that stories don’t have to have a happy ending, and the ones that don’t are interesting as fuck.

P.s. the only show that sufficiently handles friendship and relationships is my little pony. I only saw it because sister, but damn. There is no reason nor does there even deserve to be a reason why mlp was so well written. It had characters that consistent motivations and morals, event that actively changed who they were as a person, and get this, multiple character traits, I know, unbelievable. The animation was incredible and dialogue and writing were fucking perfect, fight me

Arcs to write instead of a love story:

Enemies to best friends

Siblings growing closer

Siblings growing apart

Best friends to enemies

Reluctant parent figure

Reluctant teacher figure

Overly eager teacher/parent figure to reluctant student.

Best friends to even better best friends

Switching archetypes. Ex: Mom friend and irresponsible friend switch by the end of the story.