Bad Person -

This story explores the perspective of a "bad person" through the lens of a , where a character's choices lead to moral deterioration.

He sat in his new, expensive office, looking out at the city. To the world, he was a success story. To Leo, he was the monster who had ruined a career. Arthur knew this, but he didn't feel the remorse he expected. He had realized a hard truth: everyone is the villain in someone else’s story, whether they intend to be or not. He had just decided to be the one who won. bad person

Arthur didn’t wake up one morning and decide to be a villain. He simply decided that being "good" was a luxury he could no longer afford. This story explores the perspective of a "bad

reddit.com/r/writing/comments/17fihhl/how_do_you_redeem_a_character_whos_done_terrible/">redemption ? To Leo, he was the monster who had ruined a career

For years, Arthur had been the guy who stayed late at the office, the one who loaned money to neighbors, and the one who always said "yes". He lived by the "good-person syndrome," believing that if he treated the world with kindness, the world would eventually reciprocate. Instead, the world took his promotion, his savings, and his dignity.

It started at work. Arthur discovered a minor accounting error that would have cost a client thousands but netted his firm—and his own commission—a significant bonus. In the past, he would have flagged it immediately. This time, he deleted the notification. He told himself it was a victimless crime, a correction of the universe’s unfairness.

But a "bad person" is rarely satisfied with just one win. As the Write Practice suggests, a compelling villain is often a character who accepts more "casualties" to get what they want. Arthur began to see people as obstacles rather than peers. When a younger colleague, Leo, noticed the missing funds, Arthur didn’t panic. He manipulated Leo, using his "good guy" reputation to gaslight the young man into believing he had miscalculated.