For my original series, I had this idea that my main villain could execute his little sister, who is the Big Good of the story, and then revive her with a serum that raises the dead to turn her into an undead super soldier. Eventually, the little sister regains control of her body after the gods revive her, but then she learns that her older brother forced her to do horrible things while under his control. Here's the question: Should the little sister be forgiven for her actions? I was kind of leaning towards "she should", because a) she was not in control of her actions during that time, and b) she was known to be really sweet and caring toward her subjects. But after speaking with a few users on this site, I'm not so sure anymore, because I don't want a poorly-done redemption arc.

6694901

Yes and no. If her actions were provably not her own, then yes, she should ideally be forgiven. It's not her fault, and fault is key to accurate punishment.

That said, direct victims of her actions should still find it very hard to immediately forgive her, and if her actions were harsh enough, may never be able to. They might be able to understand that she had no control, but subconsciously, they'll still identify her as the source of their pain.

Remember, emotions aren't always rational, and she'll have to work hardest to overcome the emotions she evoked/evokes in her former victims.

6694901
My suggestion: Do a good redemption arc instead :P

6694901
You'll never know if it is really poorly done unless you try doing it. It's worth the try, and redeeming a character can give you a good number of possibilities. If you don't redeem them... well, those possibilities will get reduced.

6694901
If she wasn't in control, then they weren't her actions to begin with. Logically and legally, they're someone else's actions, so she bears no fault or burden for them.

That said, stuff like this tends to be ruled on emotion more than logic. Victims of those actions are likely to remember her face and connect her to those actions, especially since they won't necessarily know (Or believe) that she wasn't in control. For that matter, she might blame herself ("If only I were stronger", etc), though it's hardly certain. Earning forgiveness from the people is probably going to be much harder than just "I'm good now". Even if it goes fairly smoothly, there's probably still going to be some lingering negative emotions toward her, and it's quite possible for someone to logically know she wasn't responsible while emotionally feeling that she was.

6694901
If you want the redemption to be good, don't make it just about forgiveness. There's internal acceptance of the actions that the character has to go through. How does the act of losing control of oneself affect them when they regain it? Do others around her trust that she is completely herself again? More importantly, do they have all the reasons and information to make that call? If there are characters who don't know the full picture, it's not wrong for them to be suspicious.

Furthermore, you can adjust how "free" she really is. Tying back to internal acceptance, there's the issue of trauma. Your character might express a full recovery on the outside, but her dreams, reflexes, and instincts, might be altered as a result. Nightmares can bring back the trauma, and your character can deal with telling or not telling other people; how much transparency does this character give? How do others react if they are told the truth versus finding out she hid it?

Of course, these are the basic questions that you can use as a template. Do try to find what character motivations interest you and explore it even deeper.

6694901 In my story, the character dies and is resurrected with another soul which makes her do some questionable things. When she cures herself, people let her back in their mids, but they keep a watchful eye over her. So, basically, she is forgiven, but not out the hook.

6694901
*cough* *cough*

6694901

If she was not in control of her actions at the time (that is to say, was unable to consent to carrying out her orders) then she can't be held responsible for them. If anything that makes her victim as well. Thus, forgiving her isn't just justifiable but a moral imperative - it would be inhumane not to do so.

She can still feel bad about it, and others may still blame her. It's just, they'd both be wrong. If you effectively get brainwashed into committing atrocities, then those atrocities are not your fault.

I don't want a poorly-done redemption arc.

I guess the real problem then is that, in the scenario you describe, redemption wouldn't even be an issue. She literally has not done anything for which she would need to be redeemed.

Again, this character is the victim of horrible abuse, not a repentant villain.