I'm Aware My WIP Fanfiction Shares A Name With A WIP Comic Series. I Wish Us Both Luck In Our Writing.

Here's what it should have looked like...

It's the prologue in a nutshell.

On top of this, her blueprints for said blimp also get stolen.

Just a meme I made for my Thieves In Time rewrite. It's on DeviantArt.

Penelope? (Sly Cooper)

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!

Sly 3 Screencap re-draw

I just dug up one of my first attempts at humanizing the Sly Cooper cast because it fits in with the current “Re-Draw a screen cap” trend.

Basically, I wanted to see how well my humanized versions worked within the context of an actual scene from the game. I also tweeked it to focus more on the characters than the background (that’s why the drawing cuts off the vault and shows Bentley & Penelope’s faces)

I will never not have immense feels for this ship, even if I don’t necessarily know what they are.

heimkoheimkofan replied to your post “would anyone be interested if i fixed sly thieves in time or”

Go ahead and tell your ideas, i’m honestly curious.

BUCKLE UP IT’S GONNA BE LONG 

and premise: i’m still using the time travel plot, because i DO have an original story for sly but i legit just want to fix thieves in time, not make a completely different story

to fix it properly the series should’ve ended with sly 3, but lets pretend we can go on

also important: while i’m referring at the main bad guy as le paradox, the main bad guy ISN’T the le paradox of TiT. he’s a stupid character with a stupid name and an even more stupid motivation to be the bad guy, i’m simply using his name as nameclaim for lack of other names.

VARIOUS CHANGES:

the gang doesn’t travel in time because le paradox is specifically attacking the clan; le paradox is stealing stuff that eventually would end up in the cooper vault without even knowing it, and coincidentally deleting SOME parts of the thievious racconus. le paradox themself isn’t even aware the cooper gang is fighting their team off until the medieval england level and isn’t doing anything about them for the time being

no sly doesn’t “misses thieving uwu”, he gets back in the gang because of the whole “hey the pages are missing”  and “penelope disappeared”. carmelita catches him and instead of being sassy and being like “woopsies lol” ofc he’s sarcastic at first but immediatly realizes he fucked up.

carmelita herself is part of the gang from japan, but she actually acts like part of the gang just at the very end of the level, where she actually talks it out with sly. their situation is still a little worrisome at the beginning, but first of all we don’t have carmelita getting kidnapped (NEVER.) nor her threatening him over and over. they very slowly understand to find a way to get over the whole “yea i was faking amnesia” thing

the time machine works differently. you gotta write the very precise date and place to travel!!! questions “shouldn’t we go back when neyla paralyzed bentley then?” or “shouldn’t we directly stop clockwerk then?” happen over and over and they’re quite the big plot point. they’re doing what’s right, not what’s good for them.

sly doesn’t go around saying he’s one of the cooper, once again because of time paradox stuff, but tries to find excuses about being a big fan or something like that. the ancestors don’t know he’s a cooper but his name becomes important for them (other than for slytunkhamen ofc) and is a name used a lot after that time

…also im gonna say it murray’s gay and has a crush for someone they meet during their travels. that’s it. it’s canon now no longer a shitty joke

LEVELS ANCESTORS AND BOSSES:

feudal japan, still w rioichi except that he didn’t invent sushi because it’s stupid and he isn’t a stereotype. el jefe can stay

the wild west is the only good level except for the whole “carmelita gets kidnapped” level and of course her stupid ass flirting with tennessee. everything else is perfect. tennessee is perfect. toothpick is perfect. i really like this level and it’s exactly the same except for that one level and the finale of course

in a better world bob nor grizz exist. the third level is the caribbean during the 1800, and the ancestor is henriette “one eye” cooper because i love her big time. the gang makes lot of jokes about “oh my god we’re with pirates again” and she’s the only one of the ancestors who lowkey flirts with carmelita. dimitri is having the time of his life and throws parties on the ship. idk who the bad guy is so don’t ask :(

ill talk about the medieval england and the black knight later but know that ¾ of it is good and will stay. from penelope’s backstab onwards however it changes a LOT.

arabia can stay but it’s during the 40 thieves golden era, making salim a Big Boss  instead of whatever the hell that was. no bellydance minigame. mrs decibel is a victim of circumstances and eventually helps the gang. i need to change her a lil but ill think about it

instead of paris, the final level would be ancient egypt. again i’m gonna talk about it later :3c

VERY BIG CHANGES I’M GONNA PUT UNDER READ MORE BECAUSE IT’S LONG AND I’M GONNA TALK ABOUT THE WHOLE PENELOPE BULLSHIT AND THE BIG TWIST IN EGYPT HELL YEAH

Keep reading

Murray and Penelope: Friendly Competition

I like to think that they did this in their free time both during and after the events of Sly 3.

cant sleep so doodled penelope ... wasnt a furry growing up so i cant draw animals my bad guys [sad ant with bindle]

One of my favorite moments in Sly 2 is the first time you go over the Contessa’s bridge.

You’re Bentley, completely alone. You have to make it to the first mission where Bentley eavesdrops on the Contessa. You struggle through the terrifying area outside the safehouse, which is swarming with guards, and then….

And then you get to an empty bridge. 

The only way to get to the mission is by going over this completely empty bridge.

  There are no guards. Those statues are unsettling, but everything here looks unsettling, so it’s fine. You feel like you’re finally in the clear. 

So you start carefully walking across the bridge…. and THEN

HOLY SHIT THEY cOME TO LIFE????? RUN!

A TANK??? THERE’S A TANK TOO??? DON’T RUN THAT WAY

RUN UP THE RAMP WAIT THERE’S FLOOR-SPIKES???? AVOID THE FLOOR SPIKES

A big part of why I like Jailbreak is because the level hub is designed to give you these fun moments of “cartoon horror” that make you really get what the little characters are feeling.