The Become ARC

The Become Arc is the “coming of age” arc, where someone good and innocent grows up, leaves home, goes from childhood to teenager, or from youth to adulthood. The PROT is usually pure and innocent, and in their trials, tested, but through courage, bravery, or whatever positive traits we admire or aspire to, they remain “good”, but has had their innocence dashed. Characters like Harry Potter, Luke Skywalker, Buddha, Jesus in the desert. If there was a Tarot card, it would be the Fool.

PROT can start out in a “good place” (sleepy village) and is through whatever reason, thrown into the “real world” where they see what it’s really like out there. Or some other metaphor for whatever adulthood is in your story. PROT can also start out in a “bad place” (corrupted, broken world), and despite all this and adults telling them they need to compromise, break their integrity, in order to “survive” in the world (often an excuse to protect them), they go about being “good and innocent”, sticking to – again, whatever values we put on a pedestal – and they beat the odds. The underdog who succeeds.

This seems like a POSITIVE ARC, but is actually in fact, a FLAT ARC where their stubbornness to “be good” prevails despite of the world. Yes, they “grow up”, lose their childhood innocence and can’t return to the Shire, but their character is inherently good and doesn’t “change”. If they were asked if they could do it again knowing what they know now, they’d still go on the quest to fight evil.

The Emotional Arc

alt. CMX: PROT crumples and retreats. They don’t grow up.

The Stakes

The Triangle(s)

Media

Film & TV

Novels & Literature

Short Stories

Comic Runs/Arcs

All ARCs here