"Entering Your Villain Arc"
*a 3 minute read*
While the term may be glamourized and exaggerated, the suggestion of entering a villain arc may seem completely off-putting and undesirable. Not to be taken literally, the definition of this term does have some validity. When you look at the right parts, I do believe it could be a beneficial tool for self improvement.
The social discourse may have used the term excessively, and noticing it appear on Twitter and TikTok, I have seen funny anecdotes relating to this topic. But to fully understand this villainous behaviour, we must take it from the standpoint of the villain and consider why the arc could be advantageous.
They say villains are not born, but created from a place of jealousy, insecurity, fear or pain.
The villain arc happens after an experience that leaves you in an intolerable position, where the decision to change is the only possible solution after the dust has settled. While insecurity and fear have many definitions for everyone, there have been times when a little bit of pain can be the exact catalyst to kickstart someone in the right direction.
This "villain arc" you started now turns into the driving force of your transformation. After a few weeks, months or even years, you become unrecognizable, completely transforming yourself for the better.
The Anecdote
There comes a time in your journey when things aren't looking too juicy (you should have seen the way student loans tried to come for me). As I finished university, the finances started to look shakier than ever, the bills began to pile up and I couldn't even afford to buy oat milk anymore (tears in my eyes every time I go grocery shopping in 2022). Scraping by was practically all I was doing, and while things may look good on the outside, we all know how you feel on the inside may be the complete opposite.
From TV shows and movies, all I knew about the word villain was its negative connotation—everyone believes the villain is always in the wrong. Usually villains are selfish and ignorant and go against moral views, causing them to be chastised and looked down upon by the majority. Please understand I am not asking you to be this type of villain, behaving selfishly and believing everything you do is right, no matter the circumstances (you won't last long bruv, trust meh). There are levels to this. To see the ideal results, you have to apply the villain arc in the appropriate environment.
Here is where we utilize the struggle—to show us we never want to reach our lowest point again. Now seeing rock bottom, you can remind yourself you never want to feel any sort of pain similar to this. Within the right context, the villain arc can be applied to start the improvement of someone who will no longer settle for less.
Now, once again, let's be clear; Timeless Thoughts is not asking you to search for pain and inflict harm on yourself. I will not be liable for this and I will not let y'all add to my debts (I already told you about student loans, don't add extra tears to my life, please and thank you). The catalyst doesn't have to be a painful experience, either—it is not limited to discomfort or torment. Any situation that may not have turned out the best for you or that left you with a result you felt you didn't deserve—this is where the arc can be set into motion.
Think of the incentive behind the arc more than anything. You are committing to the arc to improve yourself in all facets of your life. How exactly it is achieved is unique to every situation, but if we choose to focus on how we react, we can use this to our advantage and control what we can control.
Now applying the villain arc a few months later, things are starting to look bright for the kid from Rexdale (referring to myself if you couldn't tell). All I needed was time and discipline to get my priorities in check. I did it by focusing on what I wanted to see from myself. When you have clear intentions and control what you can control, the process, while still difficult, becomes much easier and things start looking juicy again. Now the oat milk is being bought in abundance and honestly, that's the most important thing for me—we do it for the oats.
If you don't have to start a villain arc to get where you need to be, don't—keep it pushing and moving forward. If the arc is what you need to spark the desire and courage within you, give yourself the chance to develop, and don't look back. It may be the exact thing you needed after all. Besides, don't we all have a little villain in us anyway?
More To Come
Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it. This article has been marinating in my mind for a while, but I had to get it right for y'all. More is on the way. Feel free to share with a friend and leave a comment on the question below!