Warning: As this trope deals with attempted Heel-Face Turns - more specifically with those meeting resistance and the natural consequences thereof - spoilers naturally abound.
Characters who struggle to be accepted while making a sincere effort to reform in Fan Works.
Crossovers
- Avatar: The Last Alicorn: Members of the royal family tend to get this whenever they're around civilians, thanks to their actions during the war. Sweetie Belle has it especially bad in this regard.
- Disappeared Ships, Carrots and All the Rest
(Alice, Girl from the Future & The Mystery of the Third Planet): A galaxy-level criminal decides to reform after just barely avoiding execution, and joins the Space Police force instead. The only one to fully believe and support him is his former arch-enemy, while everyone else's reaction usually ranges from unhidden caution to "Oh, Crap!! SOS!" It gets better with time as he proves his Heel–Face Turn. - Goin' KABOOM!: While Danny is willing to forgive Katie once she starts mellowing out and learns how to control her powers, he also makes clear that he doesn't want to try dating her again, much to her disappointment.
- Origins: Sarah is on the receiving end of a downplayed version though this is ultimately averted with some reservation as her allies accept her, despite the fact that if she were to go rogue the Siren could easily kill everybody. Given her past actions, Nigh-Invulnerability, questions about her original motive, array of extremely potent Psychic Powers, and general dislike for someone who thought murder was the answer, it's understandable that Samantha Shepard & Co. don't embrace her with open arms. Likely the only reason they're putting up with her at all is due to the Flood.
- In Peace of Mind, Piece of Heart, Steven and Catra discuss this trope. Steven muses on how redemption is different than forgiveness when talking about the broken pedestal he now holds for his mother, whom he is unable to forgive despite knowing she spent much of her life working to become a better person. When asked by Catra to elaborate, he explains that while one can definitely work to become a better person, no one is actually obligated to forgive you for any atrocities done prior to that. By the same token, he also acknowledges the exact opposite: that people can forgive you even if you think haven't done anything to deserve it.
- In With Pearl and Ruby Glowing, Tyler tries to give Meilin and her friends a card to the Palace, but they tear it up, saying they don't want to be there if he is.
- Adventures in Solitude: After learning that Kiyoshi is the Reincarnation of Yanagisawa, Fumiko is completely horrified and disgusted, contrasting how Makoto is willing to recognize them as their own person. Ultimately, she inverts Forgiven, but Not Forgotten: while unwilling to forgive Kiyoshi for anything he or his past self did, she also isn't willing to let said past self take anything else from her, including the friendship she has with Kiyoshi.
- Repairs, Retrofits and Upgrades: A post-finale The Legend of Korra fic, which has this all over the place with Kuvira. Korra recognizes her as her Shadow Archetype and tries to be kind, but isn't her friend; Asami absolutely hates her, with good reason; the rest of Team Avatar dislike her but recognize her efforts to improve as genuine, while Baatar has mixed feelings about her given how she destroyed their relationship, but is sympathetic when he learns his "death" was used to break her, and may have lingering feelings. Inverted with her loyalists, who refuse to believe she isn't their Great Uniter anymore, and would gladly take her old dictator self back.
- Jara from Kara of Rokyn was an abusive jerkass who beat up and humiliated Kara because the young heroine wouldn't sleep with her. Eventually Jara loses a wrestling match to Kara and decides to turn over a new leaf and become a better person. She is forgiven by her ex-rival but not by her family and friends, who don't want her anywhere near Kara.
- Light Lampshades this in A Cure for Love, noting that "When you've been who I've been, you can't exactly get a job in a service station."
- Common in many Frozen fanworks featuring Prince Hans, where he's usually distrusted by the heroes for faking his romance with Anna so he could steal the Arendellian throne from her sister Elsa. It takes a great deal of an adventure for them to realize he has genuinely reformed himself. Not only this, Hans' Heel–Face Turn and redemption finally makes him understand there's more to life than just being obsessed with ruling a kingdom or being power-hungry in general and that Love Redeems. Part of the reason why he initially has trouble comprehending love is because his family constantly bullied and ignored him, causing him to wrongly assume Love Is a Weakness and that one needs to be tough-skinned in order to survive in what he assumes is a dog-eat-dog, Crapsack World.
- What If Cell Turned Good?: After Bulma reprograms the present-day Cell, giving the newly renamed 21 the capacity to be good, his "siblings" 17 and 18 want nothing to do with him thanks to their experiences with the Cell from the future. It doesn't help that 21's attempt to reassure them that "I just want to hug you! No drinking involved!" comes off as a Suspiciously Specific Denial.
- What If Frieza Turned Good?: The Z-Fighters are reluctant to help Frieza in his fight against Androids 17 and 18, due to the fact that... well, he's Frieza.
- Abraxas (Hrodvitnon): San initially receives this treatment from Monarch, and especially from Madison and Mark, because they're all understandably wary of a former head of Ghidorah. Their reservations lower with time when they realize San's Heel–Face Turn and care for Vivienne are genuine.
- There Are No Thought Crimes: Despite demanding an apology from Sin, Seele rejects it once they actually offer one... because it's half-hearted at best, and neither of them have properly processed the trauma that they've inflicted upon each other.
- At the Centerfold of the Storm: While Dr. Director thanked Shego for how she helped save the Earth by giving her a full pardon for her past crimes, not everyone is willing to honor said pardons, especially amongst criminals and corrupt officials. Even after spending over a year "cleaning house", there are still countries where Shego remains Persona Non Grata.
- For His Own Sake: A Running Theme of the work is that people who legitimately dedicate themselves to changing their ways can have a second chance, so long as they haven't completely squandered the goodwill of those around them.
- When Keitaro grows a spine and realizes how badly he treated his family before, they accept his apologies and support his efforts to change for the better.
- While calling out all of the residents of the Hinata Inn for how he was mistreated, Keitaro berates both Shinobu and Mutsumi for failing to intervene. Shinobu takes this to heart and starts working on learning how to stand up for herself and others; Mutsumi, by contrast, tries to convince him that he should "stop dwelling on the past" and accept that "that's just how Naru and Motoko are", foreshadowing that she'll have a much harder time adjusting to how things are changing.
- Naru tries to discourage Kitsune by declaring that she'll always be nothing more than a Pretty Freeloader and hopeless drunkard, and shouldn't even try to change her ways. Kitsune gives her a slap in return and calls her out on her hypocrisy.
- It takes the full length of the fic for Granny Hina and Mutsumi to realize how much damage their actions have done. By this point, these Heel Realizations come too little, too late; their family and friends have cut them out of their lives, with both recognizing that there's no chance of reconcilation.
- A Prize for Three Empires: The X-Men reluctantly agree to give just-reformed villain Rogue a chance, but Carol Danvers refuses to. It took a long while for Carol to accept Rogue wasn't the same person who ruined her life, and even so Carol knew they would never be close.
- Mega Man Star Network has Pride. Despite helping take down Nebula, nearly everyone in Creamland is still wary of her. Even 20 years into the future.
- Back To Us:
- In the wake of Hawkmoth's defeat, Chat Noir became an Anti-Hero who encouraged people to blame everyone who had been akumatized for the things they'd done while transformed, insisting that "Once an akuma, always an akuma." After he has a Heel Realization, Ladybug welcomes him back with open arms... but not everybody is so forgiving. Emerald Shell makes clear that he doesn't like or trust him, but is willing to see whether he's truly serious about fixing the mess he helped create, while the citizens of Paris are largely hostile. Aside from a few exceptions like Ivan and Alya, most former akuma victims still feel betrayed by the hateful rhetoric he promoted, and the Anti-Akuma Taskforce feels betrayed by his efforts, since they'd been following the example he set. Then there's Akumatized Victims Anonymous, who take it to the point of spraying insulting and threatening graffiti around Paris, even burning an effigy of him during their protest at City Hall.
- Ironically, Adrien then proves unwilling to forgive AVA after they're steered in a more peaceful direction. When Marinette points out that they're trying to change, asking him "Did you just want me to turn my back on them? After I've seen, with my own two eyes, how hard they're trying to turn themselves around? What if I had done that to you?", he misinterprets that as evidence that she never truly forgave him, prompting him to break up with her.
- The One to Make It Stay: All the Laughs We Had in the Past reveals that Aurore fears that ever since the Weather Girl Contest, the only thing others see when they look at her is Stormy Weather. To this end, she's been making considerable effort to clean up her image, but Chloé scores a critical strike by proclaiming that "Once a bad guy, always a bad guy."
- Redemption: An AU story in which Adrien was caught transforming by his father immediately after getting his Miraculous and subsequently convinced to join his fight against Ladybug. The story opens after both have been captured and tried, but Adrien is given a lesser sentence than his father, with no jail time, due to showing remorse and cooperating with the police. One of the conditions of his release is that he attend public school for the first time — namely, Collége François Dupont, alongside a class full of former akuma victims who aren't ready to believe that he's changed. The exception is (of course) Marinette, who takes it upon herself to convince people, including Adrien himself, that he deserves a second chance.
My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic
- Address Unknown (Remedy): After having a Heel Realization about how much she contributed to Derpy's misery, Rainbow Dash apologizes. Derpy's initial reaction is cynical; however, she then takes a good look at the other pegasus, realizing that she truly is remorseful for what she's done, giving her a hug and accepting her offer to start over.
- Aftermath of the Games: Integration reveals that Sunset Shimmer forced Rarity out of the running for the Spring Fling byhaving Snips and Snails inflict a Defeat by Modesty on her in front of the entire school. Due to this, Rarity's parents remain wary of her even after her Heel–Face Turn.
- In Consequences of Unoriginality, Emeris arrived in Equestria under the effects of a reality-warping curse that made the world revolve around him. When the curse is finally broken two years later, many ponies blame him for everything that happened under its effects, unaware or unwilling to accept that he was just as much a victim as everybody else.
- It's a Long Way to the Top has the Dazzlings seemingly reformed, but Rainbow Dash (the human one) is far from convinced until she finds out it was Sunset who reformed them.
- Seven Days in Sunny June:
- In The Three Sunrises, Sunset Shimmer has to deal with this as she navigates the fallout of her reign of terror.
- Book II has Diamond Tiara struggle with this. While she wants to be better, she finds it surprisingly tricky to avoid falling right back into her bad habits and mistreating her former victims, especially when they're leery and wary of trusting her.
- The Weedverse:
- In A Knight To Remember, Nuance laments that many other ponies aren't willing to give him a fair chance to make up for his past misdeeds. Played With in that he's a bit of an Unreliable Narrator who used to regard Prince Blueblood as "the pinnacle of unicornhood" and made a point of mimicking his awful behavior.
- Princess Flurry Heart also struggles with this in the aftermath of the Crystal Cotillion incident.
- Team 7's Ascension: In the sequel, Gaara struggles to convince the people of Sunagakure that he has legitimately changed his ways. Many remain haunted by the memory of the rampages he once went upon, while others assume that he's being manipulated by Konohagakure.
- War of the Biju: Downplayed with Konan; while the role she plays during the Fourth Shinobi War helps mitigate the worst of it, there are those who still feel that she hasn't done enough to fully atone for her actions as part of Akatsuki.
- Advice and Trust: After finding out about her Heel–Face Turn and that Rei had personally forgiven her, Asuka refuses to let go of her grudge towards Ritsuko. Then again, Ritsuko doesn't expect to be forgiven that easily either.Asuka: I’m still not happy with her. I don’t care how guilty she feels now. She’s going to need a miracle to get on my good side again. She hurt you, Rei, and you know how I feel about people who hurt the ones I... care about.
- A Crown of Stars: After a long talk with his wife, Gendo sincerely wants to turn a new leaf and make amends. However neither Shinji nor Asuka are willing to forgive him easily for years of abandonment, abuse and being turned into weapons to win a war.
- Ghosts of Evangelion played with this. When Asuka's father wants to meet her and attempt to reconcile with her, Asuka is hugely tempted to tell him where he can shove his apology into, but she finally decides to be the best person and agrees to meet him and have a talk with him.
- Subverted in Once More With Feeling (Crazy-88). When Shinji's grandfather apologizes to his grandson for never being there for him and states that he wants to atone for his neglectful actions and take him in, Shinji rejects him... because he knows his grandfather is not sorry at all and only wants to use him.
- Scar Tissue: After realizing her actions' result, Asuka decides to make a sincere attempt to change. Most of the cast –- minus Shinji and Misato — sees her as an evil and abusive bitch that enjoys torturing Shinji, and at one point Asuka wonders if she has to almost die for her friends to give her a second chance. Rei in particular refuses even to believe that Asuka cares for Shinji.
- OSMU: Fanfiction Friction:
- The Mobile Unit still treat Todd with suspicion despite him telling them that he is no longer a villain. To say nothing of Odd Squad as an organization (or at least Precinct 13579 in particular), as Owen has had his Home for Villains™ under constant surveillance ever since its opening. Chapter 11 has Orla in particular be very mistrusting of him.Orla: I still do not trust him.
Oswald: Orla, honest. He's reformed! He's one hundred percent given up causing oddness! All the data I gathered proves it!
Orla: I do not trust data. I trust my instincts. - Basil Valentine later uses this as a tactic against Todd in Chapter 13, when he traps him in order to find out the secret behind Odd Squad agents' Proportional Aging.Basil Valentine: What was the point of this? To redeem yourself? You should know that's impossible. You will always be remembered as the monster who betrayed Odd Squad. No matter what you might do from now on, that will be your legacy.
Todd: I know that.
Basil Valentine: Do you? Do you really? They'll never forgive you. They'll never stop hating you. They'll never trust you again. And they're right.
- The Mobile Unit still treat Todd with suspicion despite him telling them that he is no longer a villain. To say nothing of Odd Squad as an organization (or at least Precinct 13579 in particular), as Owen has had his Home for Villains™ under constant surveillance ever since its opening. Chapter 11 has Orla in particular be very mistrusting of him.
- Amélie Lacroix's Redemption - Widowmaker No More: Not everybody is willing to forgive Amélie for all the atrocities she committed as Widowmaker, despite Winston Deprogramming her. For her part, Amélie doesn't blame them for this.
- The Amamiya Investigation: While "interviewing" (read: "interrogating") Ren, Makoto harasses him with several harsh questions, hitting a Trauma Button when she asks him if any of the rumors that he'd raped somebody are actually true. She later physically assaults him while trying to force information about the Phantom Thieves out of him, then blackmails him about the group. When she winds up joining the Thieves herself, she swiftly realizes that he hasn't forgiven her for any of these incidents.
- Continuance: While Izumi Seta, mother of the Persona 4 protagonist Souji Seta, isn't guilty of any crimes or villainy, she's been rather distant from her son for much of his childhood. After Souji returns from Inaba, Izumi gradually realizes the error of her ways, and tries to reconnect with him. Unfortunately, Souji is rather suspicious of her, even when she stops by Inaba to visit him, as well as Dojima and Nanako (her brother and niece), since he's worried that she'll try to meddle in his life, especially in his relationship with Yukiko. Izumi leaves him at a loss by asking him if he thinks people can change, but Souji still isn't fully convinced.
- Denounce the Evils: Most of the kids are wary of Jessie, James and Meowth as they work on reforming themselves. However, the most distrustful of all is Pikachu
- Rosario Vampire: Brightest Darkness: Throughout most of Act IV, most of the other members of Tsukune's group refuse to believe that Akua and Kahlua can truly atone for what they did while part of Fairy Tale, especially since they nearly killed the group and were helping Kiria in a plan that would have destroyed the world. Moka and Kokoa themselves openly state that, as far as they're concerned, Akua and Kahlua are beyond saving and Tsukune is just wasting his time. Dark, having once worked for Fairy Tale and killed innocents himself, is more understanding, and the others agree to at least give them a fair chance after he reminds them that he worked for Fairy Tale once as well.
- A Rabbit Among Wolves revolves around Jaune finding himself in charge of a branch of the White Fang and working to reform the terrorist organization from within. But despite all the unambiguously good things he does for faunus and humans alike, Beacon and other human authorities continue distrusting him, convinced that it could all just be an act.
- A Boy, a Girl and a Dog: The Leithian Script: In this The Silmarillion fic, Edrahil used to be an arrogant, conceited, self-centred bard. During the Crossing and the wars in Beleriand he realized his flaws and became humbler and less prone to gloat. When he returned to Aman, though, Finrod's fiancée and relatives had a hard work believing that he had changed. Edrahil's ex-girlfriend particularly does not know if she can trust him again after several decades of emotional abuse.
- Lessons from the Mountain: Although Maedhros has been tried for all of his crimes, from which he truly repents, Nimloth hasn't forgotten or forgiven the fact that he and his brothers invaded her country and directly or indirectly killed her husband, her sons and her people.
- Unbreakable Red Silken Thread: A very realistic and believable case when Gwen crosses paths with Heather again after several years. While she has changed, Gwen wasn't around to see it, and given just how bad things were between them last time they saw each other, it's hard to blame Gwen for being so suspicious and disbelieving. Even more so considering the fact that the second time they cross paths, Heather is blackmailing her.
- Atonement: After causing Taylor to die from a heart attack, Emma has a Heel Realization and becomes Oversight as a way to try atoning for her actions. Madison angrily rejects her first attempt to apologize; Taylor's father is equally unhappy to see Emma.
