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MercifulJoey Since: Jan, 2017
28th Dec, 2023 01:31:12 AM

Yes, yet what if the "Curbstomping" is coming from something 𝘰𝘡𝘩𝘦𝘳 than a sentient creature intent on causing harm?

KD Since: May, 2009
28th Dec, 2023 07:55:55 AM

If we're talking specifically about a nasty/villainous character and the "epiphany" is centered on their change of morality, then it sounds more like simple Heel Realization, Heel–Face Turn, or at least something in that area. As it happens, there's a Grinch quote at the top of Face Realization.

Edited by KD
Scorpion451 (Edited uphill both ways)
28th Dec, 2023 11:03:09 AM

^^ The comeback can be against an abstract "antagonist". note 

You might also look at the closely related What You Are in the Dark, which can overlap with things like Epiphany Comeback and Conscience Makes You Go Back:

Alice looks at the escape pod, then at the fortune in unobtainium she's carrying, then back down the corridor where she can hear the rest of the crew trying to hold off the alien monstrosities. Cut to profanity-laden muttering as she heads back towards the cargo hold loading unobtainium pellets into her blaster's reaction chamber.

Edited by Scorpion451
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