So you might have a character that's generally very calm or stoic. They may appear weak, or just not intimidating. They may be the right gender, class, age, or any other parameter for their peers to assume they are easy pickings and thus a great target for harassment. Initially, this assumption seems correct. The person doesn't react, or simply seeks to avoid the harassment/bullying, and generally indicates that beyond trying to appease or avoid they have no other recourse.
Finally, the bully corners the seemingly harmless, meek person in such a way that neither appeasement nor avoidance are viable strategies. Tolerance won't make anything go away either and so finally, the character is forced to respond with violence (usually physical).
The bully gets suddenly destroyed. The character's skill in handling the bully is such that the bully gets crushed. If the bully is still conscious, then he/she is also confused as to why this could ever happen, and why it didn't happen earlier.
This general sequence is what I like to call the FAFO reveal. It's a great way to introduce or make a powerful show-not-tell scene for both the character of the bully and the character of the one that kicks their butt. Not only because there needs to be a solid reason within the personality of the character who reveals unexpected skill (or in their circumstances) which will tell the audience a lot about them, but also in how the bully will react.
The typical bully will just run off or turn subservient, then run off.
But there's also the character that starts off as a bully (with reasons as to why they're engaging in bullying behavior) and when they are beaten they go through a character development moment. Realizing they have been beaten, or because they lose their status as the strongest, or because the way they are beaten breaks through to them and gives them a challenge to become better, or any other range of things might make the bully want to change in a proactive manner. A trope within this pattern is for a beaten adversary to then become the stronger character's second in command or loyal friend/ally.
Alternatively, they may skulk away after being forgiven, only waiting for the right time to backstab the person they couldn't beat straight up.
The FAFO reveal can be an excellent crossroads for the characters who are involved in it- and even the ones that might be watching!
Have you ever written such a scene in your webcomic?
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FAFO Reveal
Tantz_Aerine at 12:00AM, March 8, 2025
4 likes!
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KAM at 10:41AM, March 9, 2025
Tantz, bullies do have friends. It may not be the type of friendship that a normal person thinks of as friendship, but it's there.
PaulEberhardt at 6:46AM, March 9, 2025
Bullies usually become bullies to compensate for their low self-esteem. They don't always get crushed by someone's FAFO reveal (I love that term!), because sometimes they just lack the brains and self-reflection to get when they've been beaten, and then what? This said, I enjoy these FAFO scenes, simply because they are so deeply satisfying. My own human main character, who generally leaves no doubt about her capabilities, is prone to short volatile outbursts to let off steam, to then proceed by serving the dish revenge as it should be: ice-cold.
Tantz_Aerine at 12:21PM, March 8, 2025
Bullies don't have friends. They have superiors and subordinates.
KAM at 11:43AM, March 8, 2025
Why does fiction always present bullies as loners instead of pack animals? In REALITY bullies travel in packs and getting beat up does not usually cost them their position* or make them rethink their life choices. They just learn who not to start a fight with. * This is another mistake writers make. Assuming bullies don't make friends, but their pack is also their friends.
Banes at 7:21AM, March 8, 2025
Great article! And this is a great dynamic for a scene...or a story or character arc, or something that plays out throughout a series! The image of George McFly near the end of Back to the Future is topmost in my mind! I've written this kind of scene, yeah, at least once in my comic. Good stuff!
Andreas_Helixfinger at 5:39AM, March 8, 2025
I think it's fair to say that my most notable character Molly Lusc in her comic is a textbook example of this topic. Mostly calm, stoic and smooth talking, but when you push her tolerance for stuck-up, bourgeoise nonsense or start attacking what she is in any way shape or form, she will explode and show you ferociousness you'd never expect somone of her short stature to dish out. Such as in the scene in the comic where she enters a joint looking for her lost uncle and the proprioter of the joint tells her it's a "no-mutant" joint and tells her to get out. She responds by smacking him across the bar and even threathens to escalate the violence unless he takes her to her uncle who she knows is hiding in the joint. It is to show that Molly has her triggers. At the same time she's just as capable of being the bully herself. Blackmailing one of her neighbours so she can abuse his property. Just the character I like to tell. One who's both a victim and a perpertrator in one.