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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/27948
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/27948
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

First of all, let's be clear: "aggressive and angry" is _not_ "emotionless." He's either one or the other.

Second, "a bad man redeemed by the love of a good woman" can fall very easily into cliché. Try to stay away from the broad strokes of that.

If you want someone who's aggressive and angry to calm down and be concerned about others, you must get to the root of his behavior. **Why is he like this now? How long has he been like this?**

If there was some inciting event (e.g., someone he loved died), then he has to deal with that specific event and get past it.

If he had a rough childhood, or a rough life overall, then you have to explore that background to determine what taught him that aggression was a better solution than diplomacy. There is likely a lot of old pain and fear in the past, and maybe he found that anger made him feel strong and being tough scared off people who would have otherwise hurt him.

The most important factor is that people don't change unless they _want_ to.

Simply putting your love interest (and/or Love Interest's genitals, depending on the rating of your story) in the line of sight of Tall Dark and Angry will not magically make him fall in love and start writing moony poetry. Something about Love Interest has to appeal to Tall Dark and Angry _despite_ the anger and fear.

Someone who has been angry and aggressive for a long time is going to be slow to change, because these become ingrained personality traits. They are also often defense mechanisms. Tall Dark and Angry has to feel _safe_, and has to trust Love Interest enough to risk being vulnerable in front of this person.

That will take time. This should be a slow-burn romance.

Original score: 9