How It Feels While Writing

First time drawing Penelope and it didn’t suck as much as I thought WOOHOO

So the first matter of business after discovering the return of Clockwerk is to find Penelope so they track her down to where the last photo was taken and whoops haha turns out Clockwerk is not a fan of paparazzi

But hey eventually all the wounds get treated and despite a huge amount of tension they all start to fall into a sort of comfort zone with each other and you could almost pretend she never left

(Bentley is still reluctant to talk with her but hey it’s understandble let’s focus on retrieving Sly and THEN we can try and salvage the relationship)

ps her eye isn’t gone the skin and lid around it are just really badly hurt so she wears a patch for awhile also senor shitbird ripped out her earring so she pierced the other one and has a cooper cane earring cuuuuuute

Regarding A Certain Poll...

For those of you who picked Sly to still fight Le Paradox, don't worry. I already have a solution. Sly still gets to participate.

Let's first set the stage for Episode 6. Penelope has been keeping her secret of betrayal all game. She also underwent a change of heart. At the end of last episode, Le Paradox outed her. This happened right when Sly, Bentley, and Murray's trust in her was at an all time high.

Thankfully, by the time this reveal happens, Penelope has already finished her march towards heroism and refuses the skunk's offer to rejoin him.

The boys are furious with Penelope. But she has a chance to redeem herself... if she behaves during the blimp raid. She doesn't think she'll be allowed to stay if she simply does as she's told, so she does them one better... and volunteers herself as mission leader.

Who better to lead our heroes to victory than the blimp's chief designer herself? It does take a bit of convincing, but Bentley, Murray, and Sly in that order do end up agreeing.

You all remember what else happened at the end of Episode 5: Carmelita's kidnapping.

Near the end of the rescue mission, Penelope feels a need to pursue the villain of this story. In her mind, she can definitely finish atoning for everything she did if she defeats him... all by herself. If she doesn't (or can't) do it alone, her attempt won't count. She gives chase. Bentley in particular tries to convince her not to, but his pleas fall on deaf ears. She gives him one last kiss before running off in tears.

Cue the final boss fight. Penelope vs. Le Paradox. Over the course of their duel, the skunk says a few things to make her lose her focus...

"Those friends of yours will never forgive you, even if you can take me down!"

"Why do you bother trying to redeem yourself? It's hopeless!"

"You'd be much better off if you rejoined me. Just in case your precious friends don't take you back. I'll be your friend."

Of course, our heroine tells him to stuff it. She'd rather die a hero than live long enough to betray her friends again.

And then... Penelope gets disarmed. Knocked down. The villain nearly gets his chance to finish her off... only for Sly Cooper to jump in and save her. Turns out he heard most of that conversation.

This wasn't what she wanted... Now her attempt won't count! But Sly says that's not how redemption works. She is allowed to ask for help.

Like the heroes they are, Sly and Penelope double team the villain, and are soon joined by Bentley, Murray, Carmelita, and the ancestors.

With her morale restored, Penelope takes it upon herself to finish the skunk off. Complete with a speech on what she learned about friendship.

The game ends with Sly not getting lost in time, and Penelope staying with her friends.

Bentley facing Jean Bison in Sly 2: (nervously trying to avoid confrontation) sorry i wasn’t trying to escape, i just dropped my glasses,  pleasedon’tkillme

Bentley facing Muggshot in Sly 3: YOU’RE A SEWAGE-EATING MEATHEAD AND YOUR MOTHER WAS A TUB OF JUNK!  FIGHT ME! YOU COWARD!!!!!!

Penelope and Henriette Cooper Gijinka

First pic: Henriette "One Eye" Cooper

Second pic: Penelope

Creating Compelling Character Arcs: A Guide for Fiction Writers

As writers, one of our most important jobs is to craft characters that feel fully realized and three-dimensional. Great characters aren't just names on a page — they're complex beings with arcs that take them on profound journeys of change and growth. A compelling character arc can make the difference between a forgettable story and one that sticks with readers long after they've turned the final page.

Today, I'm going to walk you through the art of crafting character arcs that are as rich and multi-layered as the people you encounter in real life. Whether you're a first-time novelist or a seasoned storyteller, this guide will give you the tools to create character journeys that are equal parts meaningful and unforgettable.

What Is a Character Arc?

Before we go any further, let's make sure we're all on the same page about what a character arc actually is. In the most basic sense, a character arc refers to the internal journey a character undergoes over the course of a story. It's the path they travel, the obstacles they face, and the ways in which their beliefs, mindsets, and core selves evolve through the events of the narrative.

A character arc isn't just about what happens to a character on the outside. Sure, external conflict and plot developments play a major role — but the real meat of a character arc lies in how those external forces shape the character's internal landscape. Do their ideals get shattered? Is their worldview permanently altered? Do they have to confront harsh truths about themselves in order to grow?

The most resonant character arcs dig deep into these universal human experiences of struggle, self-discovery, and change. They mirror the journeys we all go through in our own lives, making characters feel powerfully relatable even in the most imaginative settings.

The Anatomy of an Effective Character Arc

Now that we understand what character arcs are, how do we actually construct one that feels authentic and impactful? Let's break down the key components:

The Inciting Incident

Every great character arc begins with a spark — something that disrupts the status quo of the character's life and sets them on an unexpected path. This inciting incident can take countless forms, be it the death of a loved one, a sudden loss of power or status, an epic betrayal, or a long-held dream finally becoming attainable.

Whatever shape it takes, the inciting incident needs to really shake the character's foundations and push them in a direction they wouldn't have gone otherwise. It opens up new struggles, questions, and internal conflicts that they'll have to grapple with over the course of the story.

Lies They Believe

Tied closely to the inciting incident are the core lies or limiting beliefs that have been holding your character back. Perhaps they've internalized society's body image expectations and believe they're unlovable. Maybe they grew up in poverty and are convinced that they'll never be able to escape that cyclical struggle.

Whatever these lies are, they'll inform how your character reacts and responds to the inciting incident. Their ingrained perceptions about themselves and the world will directly color their choices and emotional journeys — and the more visceral and specific these lies feel, the more compelling opportunities for growth your character will have.

The Struggle

With the stage set by the inciting incident and their deeply-held lies exposed, your character will then have to navigate a profound inner struggle that stems from this setup. This is where the real meat of the character arc takes place as they encounter obstacles, crises of faith, moral dilemmas, and other pivotal moments that start to reshape their core sense of self.

Importantly, this struggle shouldn't be a straight line from Point A to Point B. Just like in real life, people tend to take a messy, non-linear path when it comes to overcoming their limiting mindsets. They'll make progress, backslide into old habits, gain new awareness, then repeat the cycle. Mirroring this meandering but ever-deepening evolution is what makes a character arc feel authentic and relatable.

Moments of Truth

As your character wrestles with their internal demons and existential questions, you'll want to include potent Moments of Truth that shake them to their core. These are the climactic instances where they're forced to finally confront the lies they believe head-on. It could be a painful conversation that shatters their perception of someone they trusted. Or perhaps they realize the fatal flaw in their own logic after hitting a point of no return.

These Moments of Truth pack a visceral punch that catalyzes profound realizations within your character. They're the litmus tests where your protagonist either rises to the occasion and starts radically changing their mindset — or they fail, downing further into delusion or avoiding the insights they need to undergo a full transformation.

The Resolution

After enduring the long, tangled journey of their character arc, your protagonist will ideally arrive at a resolution that feels deeply cathartic and well-earned. This is where all of their struggle pays off and we see them evolve into a fundamentally different version of themselves, leaving their old limiting beliefs behind.

A successfully crafted resolution in a character arc shouldn't just arrive out of nowhere — it should feel completely organic based on everything they've experienced over the course of their thematic journey. We should be able to look back and see how all of the challenges they surmounted ultimately reshaped their perspective and led them to this new awakening. And while not every character needs to find total fulfillment, for an arc to feel truly complete, there needs to be a definitive sense that their internal struggle has reached a meaningful culmination.

Tips for Crafting Resonant Character Arcs

I know that was a lot of ground to cover, so let's recap a few key pointers to keep in mind as you start mapping out your own character's trajectories:

Get Specific With Backstory

To build a robust character arc, a deep understanding of your protagonist's backstory and psychology is indispensable. What childhood wounds do they carry? What belief systems were instilled in them from a young age? The more thoroughly you flesh out their history and inner workings, the more natural their arc will feel.

Strive For Nuance

One of the biggest pitfalls to avoid with character arcs is resorting to oversimplified clichés or unrealistic "redemption" stories. People are endlessly complex — your character's evolution should reflect that intricate messiness and nuance to feel grounded. Embrace moral grays, contradictions, and partial awakenings that upend expectations.

Make the External Match the Internal

While a character arc hinges on interior experiences, it's also crucial that the external plot events actively play a role in driving this inner journey. The inciting incident, the obstacles they face, the climactic Moments of Truth — all of these exterior occurrences should serve as narrative engines that force your character to continually reckon with themselves.

Dig Into Your Own Experiences

Finally, the best way to instill true authenticity into your character arcs is to draw deeply from the personal transformations you've gone through yourself. We all carry with us the scars, growth, and shattered illusions of our real-life arcs — use that raw honesty as fertile soil to birth characters whose journeys will resonate on a soulful level.

Happy Writing!

Da Gang

Listen, you can’t write perfect characters. No one cares about reading about someone who never screws up. Your characters need to make bad decisions, they need to hurt people, and they need to be hurt. They should doubt themselves and do things they regret. That’s where the magic happens, when they’re flawed, messy, and human. People don’t fall in love with characters because they’re flawless; they fall in love because those characters remind them of the chaos inside themselves. So don’t be afraid to put your characters through hell. Only then will their journey mean something.

Was Penelope serious about having ten years of martial training? Like, how old was she when she started?

​…For that matter, how old was she when she started the whole Black Baron thing? I mean, we know it was because of the age requirement so she probably wasn’t 18 yet. And it sounds like ACES has been going for probably over five years (at the bare minimum), and if Penelope and the main trio are currently about 21-ish…

Yeesh, she must’ve gotten into it really young, huh?

Sly has such a way with words

I drew this for my mom as a Christmas gift since we’re both huge Bentley fans!