#frodo was willing to carry the ring alone but he had people who refused to let him bear the burden alone

[homoeroticgrappling]

@aew: EXCLUSIVE: @OrangeCassidy & The Conglomeration w/ a message to the #AEW World Champion!

[itsclydebitches]

RWBY team impact anon. Thank you for answering my asks! I did want to follow up with one quick question. Does RWBY actually represent anyone? Nobody appointed/elected them. Blake is a princess bc she's Ghira's kid and that's it. IW has a commissioned duty. RWBY doesn't seem to have a legal right to make decisions for Solitas...let alone withhold information from IW that could impact the continent's defense. I'm confused why these kids are the protagonists? Has CRBWY done enough to justify that?

Of course! :D

I touched on this briefly many months back and as far as I can tell, no, the show hasn’t done a particularly good job of answering that question: Why are these people our protagonists? What gives them the power to get involved? Usually stories—particularly fantasy stories—provide clear-cut answers so that we can best immerse ourselves in this situation, rather than continually questioning why this group, out of all groups, is the one we get to follow. The two most common explanations are: 

This group has to fight whether they want to or not. Meaning, some outside force is exerting control over them. They’re stuck in the center of this fight whether they like it or not and thus we, in turn, are stuck with them as our protagonists. Think Harry Potter with a prophecy hanging over his head. Luke being born as a Skywalker. Geralt forced into a witcher’s life with a destiny to juggle. These characters are all bound to something larger than themselves and are, to one extent or another, carried along on the current of that. They have to fight. (“Have” — often overcoming the internal conflict of whether they’ll agree to this unwanted responsibility adds to their heroism. They COULD just run for the hills like Ozpin with his cabin, but they won’t). 

RWBY, however, undermines this sort of setup at every turn. Our characters continually reject responsibilities that may have led them to being a part of other fights—Blake leaves the White Fang despite her parentage and life-long involvement in it, Weiss walks about from the SDC despite being born as an heir and wanting to improve the company—and the closest thing we get to fate is with Ruby’s silver eyes. However, that was likewise undermined when Maria came onto the scene. Rather than presenting us with a world where silver eyes are either unique or rare enough that Ruby feels compelled to fight Salem even if she doesn’t otherwise want to, they gave us a character with the same skill, even more talent (if Maria’s moniker as The Grimm Reaper is any indication) who then said no thanks. She left. Bowed out. So what’s stopping Ruby from doing the same? Nothing. She could pull a Maria and be done with this nonsense and the world would continue surviving as it has for over a thousand years (with the exception of Salem’s new involvement, but again, we don’t see Ruby deciding to fight because Salem is now a more active threat). Ruby is not at the center of the world’s safety and there is no other outside force acting on the group to a point where the audience feels that their involvement in the fight is unquestionably necessary. We might have gotten that if the story had spent more time developing Ruby’s silver eyes. We might have gotten that if the story had spent more time establishing that if Ruby were to bow out, she and her friends would still be endlessly hunted by Salem (AKA, if she wants any kind of life, Salem has to be defeated first). We might have gotten that if the silver eyes/other talents were presented as lynchpins, etc. As it is, RWBY keeps providing examples of how heroes can leave, do leave, have every reason to leave, because they’re not the most talented, their powers are not unique, not necessary, there is nothing in the universe saying YOU have to be a part of this fight... so why are they? 

This leaves us with heroes who fight because it’s the right thing to do. Think Frodo saying he’ll take the ring to Mordor. Katniss stepping in to save her sister. Peter Quill yelling that he’s going to try to save the universe because he’s one of the assholes who lives in it. There’s nothing like destiny, a prophecy, or an inborn talent forcing (“forcing”) the hero to step up, they just do it because it’s the right thing to do and/or they realize that no one is able or willing to help. They and others might both assume they’re not be the best for the job (insert theme of underestimating Hobbits here), but they’re doing it anyway. They’re all that’s available. 

Similar to the above, Ruby could fit really well into this setup. She’s just a kid, she’s talented but she’s barely trained, she knows nothing about magic or this intricate war... surely there’s someone better to take her place? But Ruby wants to help people, which means she’s poised to step up if that’s required of her... but RWBY failed to create those circumstances. Ozpin is not an inept or corrupt leader who she must replace — he created a time of peace and kept the relics safe for who knows how long. Ruby does not live in a world where others refuse to step up — she’s surrounded by talented fighters who are already involved in this war. Ruby doesn’t even live in a world where she fights alongside these more talented and informed fighters — by the end of each volume she’s replaced them as the “real” hero. When someone asks, “Why is the screw up group of convicts trying to save the world in Guardians of the Galaxy?” the answer is, “Because no one else is doing it. The world has to take what it gets.” With RWBY it’s, “Why is the group of second year students, traumatized from a recent battle, going off to find a Maiden they definitely can’t beat?” and the answer is, “Because... they want to? There are other older, more powerful, more informed people dealing with this situation already but Ruby’s group is going off regardless.” “Why is RWBYJNR at the center of this fight now? Have they proven themselves some way? Is there no one else?” “Well no, not exactly. They just showed up at Ozpin’s safehouse expecting to be involved, they definitely provided much needed support at the Haven battle, but then they created circumstances where they were at the center of things regardless of whether others approved of that: stealing Ozpin’s secrets, driving him off, lying to Ironwood, etc.” Then, because the story hasn’t successfully laid out why they have to fight or why others would want them to fight (they often don’t), we get the plot turning in on itself to explain their continued involvement. Like refusing to grapple with their recent behavior. Or having them suddenly able to beat the Ace Ops. 

RWBY’s underlying reasoning for why this group is at the center of this plot is “Because they’re the protagonists” which is a circular explanation. You should craft protagonists that have a reason to be involved, not ignore the lack of a reason for the generic protagonists you’ve got. And don’t get me wrong, RWBY has lots and lots of nods towards various reasons, but they’re never well developed. Things like Ruby’s eyes, her “I want to help people,” the others’ devotion to her, the villains’ interest in them... they’re all the beginnings of compelling explanations, but RWBY never does much of anything with it, largely because we haven’t gotten enough of a look into the group’s personal motivations. Why is Ruby so compelled to throw herself into a war? Because of her mom? That’s never said. Why is Jaune? Because Cinder killed Pyrrha? Then why isn’t he trying to hunt her down? Why is Yang? Because she’s Ruby’s sister? Give us better motivation for Ruby then. And so on and so forth. This is particularly important post the lore episode because the group learned about Salem’s immortality and came to the unanimous conclusion that this war was impossible to win. So why are you still in it?? Volume 6 and 7 should have been an exploration of why they’re fighting, what they’re fighting for, and what they can bring to the table. Instead they happily ignore all of it until Salem and her subordinates get right in their face, then Ruby took control of the situation despite the story failing to establish why she wants to, let alone why she should. 

When we have characters like Ironwood and the Ace Ops trying to stop her and the takeaway is supposed to be “Omg how could they stand against Ruby they’re evil!” ... I just find myself agreeing. Ruby is a teenager. Ruby has one year of formal training. Ruby has thus far rejected or screwed over everyone she’s allied herself with (outside of the group who has agreed to follow her). Ruby has a very useful skill, but does incredibly little to learn about it or train it. Regarding the question, “Should Ruby be the hero we follow?” we’re shown a number of things that give a resounding “No.” She’s the protagonist because her name is in the title, not RWBY has convincingly written a world where her help is necessary or, at this point, even desired. She runs off to nearly get kidnapped, orchestrates an attack on the Argus military that results in a Leviathan grimm showing up, emotionally cripples the world’s oldest defender, undermines and betrays his replacement, and is now risking two relics/a Maiden by hanging around to fight Salem head on. At this point it doesn’t matter how pure her intentions are, Ruby’s actions have been inconvenient at best and downright damaging at worst. Though they clearly don’t intend it, RT is closer to writing antagonists then protagonists. Outside of their pure “We want to help people” outlook, we’ve got this group shouldering their way into this war and, more often than not, making things a whole lot worse. If the story had done a better job of explaining their involvement, such mistakes would be quiet sympathetic, but as it is their insistence on getting involved reads more as arrogance rather than resignation/drive: I have to help. There’s no one else. I’m needed. 

[revengeisalwaysanoption]

FICS: PROPOSTE INDECENTI + AMO GIA’ IL FINALE

I posted these on AO3 back in January. And I really wanted to have something brand new for today, but I am trying as hard as I can to have the fairy tale AU finished by tomorrow, so... Hope you’ll like them! They are BOTH IN ENGLISH ;) !!

PROPOSTE INDECENTI Seconds  

10 - 9

The longest ten seconds of his whole fucking life. Maybe Niccolò really is considering turning it down, given the time and setting.

3 a.m. McDonald's. Sitting on plastic chairs. Lazily eating cold fries and a hamburger that tastes like cardboard with one hand, stroking each other's thumbs with the other. Feeling like the last men on Earth, in a deserted place that would normally be buzzing with life in the daytime.

He should have sticked to his plan, given him his scripted speech this Sunday at the Bioparco. But he didn't, and now...

 8-7

… now he's screwed, isn't he? He fucked it up, and Niccolò is going to carry on and pretend this has been nothing but a bad dream.

He couldn't help it, though. Not when Niccolò was glowing with pride and elation as he showed Martino his first - published, finally!! - illustrated book.

The one Nico had lovingly renamed 'our baby' - and damn if Marti's heart didn't skip a beat at that -  even though all he didn't do much but offer his moral support.

How was he supposed to resist?

 6-5

He looked more beautiful than ever, in an old tracksuit and with a ridiculous headband holding his wild curls at bay. Buzzing with enthusiasm, while he told Marti about how Naima the giraffe who had her head too high in the clouds learnt from Mabel the red panda that she shouldn't fear what's in her heart. That her feelings are never too much, like so many others have been telling her.

Niccolò had always been very secretive about the plot, saying 'It's a surprise' with a mischievous glint in his eyes whenever Martino asked for more details… and right in that very moment he could see why.

"Children emotions tends to be heightened, and therefore often dismissed. I hope this can tell them that they matter, you know? That they're gonna find someone willing to listen, someday. Just like I found you."

It was their story. Edited, tweaked but still the same at its core. Shared to offer some hope to whoever might need it.

How could he not stop Niccolò right there and fumble for the box in his bag?

 4-3

Flinging it into his hands and dropping on one knee felt too predictable and cheap, however.

"I… I think I'm gonna get a milkshake. Would you like me to get you anything? An ice-cream cone? A Flurry?" Then, raising a voice a couple of octaves to make it sound childlike he adds "A Happy Meal?"

"Ahah. You're so funny, have you ever considered a career as a stand-up comedian? Get me a Happy Meal, you ass." And he would have sucked on that raised middle finger, without any shame, had it been a night like any other.

But it wasn't.

 2

Niccolò kept on gloating, until he opened the Happy Meal. His face fell, indeed, when he found the giraffe and red panda wooden figurines connected through a red silk thread and carrying a ring.

Ebony black, like his hair. Adorned with amber and aventurine, which both reminded Martino of his eyes.

Eyes which were now boring into him with a mixture of confusion and… disappointment?

Not exactly the reaction he had been wishing for. The silence between them felt a bit uncomfortable, for the first time in maybe ever, but Martino forced himself to speak.

"I know that I told you, so many times and in so many ways, that nobody knows a fucking thing about what's gonna happen tomorrow but... I am certain about ONE thing and ONE thing only: that I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you, as your HUSBAND. Don't you wanna spend the rest of your life with me?"

"That's two things, Marti. Maybe even three. I believe so… but let me just have ten seconds to think it through, okay?"

 1

"Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. " He finally says. Each yes said before a kiss, his smile getting brighter and brighter as they both start crying. Tears they brush away with gentle fingertips, with soft lips.

"A thousand times yes, Marti." Niccolò reiterates, resting his forehead against his fiancé's. Not an old fashioned to say 'boyfriend' when you significant one is not exactly a boy anymore, but the real deal now.

Fiancé. Betrothed. Soon to be husband. He can't wait to refer to Martino using those term with friends, colleagues, guests, relatives. With all those random people he ends up talking to while queuing up at the post office - on the bus, on the train, on the subway. The whole world needs to know, and he is certain that Marti feels like the same.

"Once is more than enough."

-----------

   Minutes  

It still doesn’t feel real, even though he has had some minutes to let it sink in. Despite the weight of the ring dangling from his necklace - "how very Frodo of you…" "Are you calling your future husband a fucking hobbit, Mr Rametta?" - and his proposal still echoing in his ears, he fears he might wake up any minute now. Alone.

He has to take refuge in Marti’s arms, grounding himself in his warm and tight embrace. Nothing can touch him, when he’s there. Nothing can reach him, apart from Martino’s smell and the palpable solidity of his body.

"I can take it back, if you’d like." Marti mumbles, against his helix piercing.

"Don’t you dare!" Niccolò protests, first jabbing his ribs with his forefinger and then flicking his nose.

"I mean… you don't sound positively thrilled about it…" He points out, puzzled to hear Niccolò chuckle.

"Well, we're talking about spending the rest of my life with the most boring gay I've ever met…" Nico sighs dramatically, but then he gets dreadfully serious. He is so overjoyed, so full of love he could burst, and Martino better not end up thinking otherwise. "I couldn't be happier… You know that, right? I simply wanted to be the one to propose."

"Well, maybe you still can. Fifteen or twenty years from now, when we'll feel like renewing our vows or some shit…" Martino suggests, standing up and cleaning their table. They must go now, if they want to have some time left to spare to celebrate home before heading out again to work.

"Sounds lovely. You have such a way with words, Marti." Niccolò shoves him playfully, but files that piece of information into a secured corner of his brain. Might come in handy, in the future. "And how do you know about renewals, anyway? Don't tell me you've been bingewatching 'Say Yes To The Dress' on RealTime!"

"Whaaat? Me? Nope. Never. Must have heard something from Filo. Or was it Edo?"

*************

AMO GIA’ IL FINALE

Hours  

Hours have gone by. It took them twice longer than usual to reach their flat, unable to walk more than a few steps without stopping for a quick peck. Or a full on make out session against a couple of closed, sturdy, doors.

Clothes were discarded on the floor as soon as they stepped inside, and they had made love until dawn. Exhausted, by then, they had fallen asleep.

Fear has had time to come knocking, and with it the painful reminder that people always leave. Or get sick of each other, and stay together only to keep up appearances.

No. That's not gonna happen. Not to them. Not when they are perfectly aware that gonna have to make a promise to each other not only on that day… but every second, every minute, every hour they spend together. Or apart.

Not necessarily with words. Which little gestures, too. Cherish their love. Never take it for granted.

"I promise you that we can make it. From now, to infinity." Martino says, softly, as he lays a kiss on Niccolò chest. Right where his heart is, just like Nico did so many years before under those red lights.

"To infinity and beyond."

"Don't start quoting Toy Story when I'm trying to be deep, Ni."

"It doesn't suit you. Now, up up up. Put something on and come with me... I don't want to miss watching the sunrise and cuddling with my betrothed on my cozy balcony."

"You are unbelievable."

"And you love that."

"I sure do, don't I?"

   Imagination  

This is absolutely not what Niccolò or Martino had in mind.

The unnecessary opulence, the stifling atmosphere in spite of the marvelous outdoor venue.

"It's not like you had a clear picture of what you wanted, anyway." Anyone would argue, and they would be right.

It had been easy enough to picture it back in Milan, where having a wedding in their birthday suits had sounded like the coolest idea he had ever had… But now Nico can't really see how that would go down, can't imagine it wouldn't be a complete catastrophe.

Like any other scenario they came up with. Some are too over the top, and would make Martino feel uncomfortable. Some are too dull, and would be an ill match to Niccolò's eccentricity.

Someone had to take the matter into their hands, and it wasn't like Silvia had done a bad job with the very little input she had from the grooms.

Maybe they could settle for this?

***************

   Instinct  

Or maybe not.

Martino refused to make this day, their day, about anyone else but themselves.

His in-laws were probably going to hate him for this, as firm believers of a time and a place for spontaneity, and their own friends were surely going to hold it against them for the next fifty years or so… but who cared?

Not him. Not when he was witnessing the first real smile of the week from Niccolò, merely by showing up on his old bike.

"Get on." It took him some fumbling, since a tight fitting tuxedo wasn't really the best attire for riding a bike, but eventually he managed to sit comfortably behind Martino.

"Where are we going?" He asked, presuming to be filled in about Marti's plan for the next few hours.

"Wherever the fuck we want." Martino said, instead, refusing to tell Niccolò anything concerning their destination. Or what they would do, once they reached it.

It didn't take too long to get to a church that Niccolò knew all too well. He had often joked about getting married in its crypt, surrounded by skulls and chandeliers made of human bones. Too bad it was hardly ever opened to the public, and totally unavailable for any kind of celebration.

"And how exactly are you planning to get in?" He inquired, walking over to the locked door.

"I might have asked Filippo to make me a copy of the key, when he got one for his photography project. Off the record." Because he knew Niccolò would love to stroll through the building undisturbed. Taking in its macabre allure, appreciating the fleeting nature of his own existence.

"Uh… Martino Rametta breaking the law by owning something he's not supposed to? A man after my own heart, I must say."

"I thought I already had it. Your heart, I mean." He commented, offhandedly, as he cursed and kicked against the rusty old door. "Oh, come on! Jesus! You were working just fine last time!"

"And this wonderful hint of blasphemy, right in front of a church. Wow." Niccolò reached out for him, then, pinning his open palm onto his own chest. "You're not mistaken, by the way. This has been yours for years."

"Same here." Marti turned to take his hand, and l let him feel how fast his heart was beating.

And then, as Marti was leaning in for a kiss, Nico moved back and brazenly snatched the keys.

"You know I've got the magic touch. Don't know whether it's in the fingers on in the wrists…"

"You better leave those innuendo at the door, Ni."

"Or what? You'll punish me, Father? You'll drag me into one of the confessionals and…"

… and he might had been tempted to do that, to drop on his knees and worship this man… Before he was basically challenged to reign in his wildest fantasies. Oh, he knew Niccolò wouldn't even try to play fair but still… He was so going to win this.

******

   Memory  

"... and then?" The kids asked, trying to get Mr. David's attention.

"Mh?" He had been distracted by an old lady coming to congratulate him on finally tying the knot a couple of weeks before. Shoelaces were a challenge for anyone, indeed, so it made sense he got praised for achieving that goal… Even though it took him so many years.

And that hadn't been the only interruption. For same weird reason their parents kept butting in to tell them shouldn't bother Mr. Fares. Or his 'partner'. They don't say 'husband', for some reason. Despite it being the word David uses for Michelangelo.

Grown up are so, so dumb.

"You ran away from your own wedding, got to a spooky church… and then? What happened?"

"Did you find a body and have to solve a murder?"

"I'm afraid not. We walked inside, and I read him my vows. He gave me his. I can show them to you, if you'd like? I always carry them in my pocket." Most didn't quite understand what was so great about two stick figures on a badly drawn giraffe, but the words written on the side sounded nice. Especially the closing line.

 Per quanta strada abbiam fatto, e per quanta  ancora ce n'è da fare… Amo già il finale.

"Booooring! I bet you went back to the ranch for the actual ceremony, after that?"

"Wrong. Remember that I started telling you all about this day because Meni asked what was the biggest prank I've ever pulled on my friends and family… That's it: making them all believe they would see US getting married and then have two other people saying 'I do' that afternoon. And this day I'm still quite proud I could pull that off. And so is my husband. I mean, our old folks were THIS close to believe we had been kidnapped."

Impressive. Kind of. Perhaps grown up can be cool, once in a blue moon?

"Ni? Nico? Earth to Niccolò Fares?" Not fair! He was a grown up! Why was he getting sweets before dinner?

"Yeah yeah, I can hear you loud and clear Marti." He gulped down his candies in a heartbeat.  And then gave him a quick kiss, saying "Thanks, love."

Huh? Nico? Marti? Then why their moms - and a couple of their dads - referred to him as Michelangelo's David?

Grown ups are so, so weird.

[lawyernovelist]

Reluctant Heroes

I think I have enough tags.

This is a slightly tricky thing to pin down because it's something that can be done well or badly and the difference between them ends up being purely in execution. Nonetheless, when it's done badly it can be done really badly.

Spoilers for the Hobbit movies, The Hobbit, the Hunger Games trilogy, The Force Awakens, Owlflight, and Lord of the Rings.

One of the things that makes this topic difficult is the Refusal of the Call, which is a term I've stolen from Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey. Honestly, I have a lot of trouble following the actual quotes from Campbell (I was exposed to this through Volger's The Writer's Journey, which is way more user-friendly), but the basic idea is that when the protagonist is first asked to go on the quest, she expresses reluctance to go. And this is actually a good thing because it sets up the quest as something that's risky and not undertaken lightly. That's why it does need to be there in some form.

I express scepticism about pretty much every prescriptive structure presented to me, but I am something of a believer in this one, probably in part because it's not that prescriptive. So if I'm so keen on the Hero's Journey and it requires Refusal of the Call then 1) Where does that leave proactive protagonists like Bilbo, Frodo, and Katniss, and 2) What's even the point of this post?

OK, first one first: Refusal of the Call doesn't actually have to mean that the protagonist makes a big performance of not wanting to go through with the quest. To quote The Writer's Journey, "Refusal may be a subtle moment, perhaps just a word or two of hesitation between receiving and accepting a Call". For example, Bilbo initially hesitates to sign on as Burglar, and up until the Council of Elrond Frodo is very clear that he will not be the one taking the Ring to Mordor, especially at one point explicitly offering the Ring to Gandalf. These are both Refusals of the Call, even though both Frodo and Bilbo accept their quests without having to be dragged into them kicking and screaming.

Similarly with Katniss: she willingly volunteers to go to the Hunger Games to save Prim, but she's only volunteering because failing to do so was an untenable position; if Prim's name hadn't come out of the ball, Katiss would never have volunteered. That fact, and her reflections on how dangerous this is, serve as her Refusal of the Call.

I'll also note that Volger does talk about Willing Heroes who do not Refuse the Call. The plot role of the Refusal is then performed by other characters who give warnings about the riskiness of the quest. Personally, I like this solution much less because I can't play it in my head without some hesitation on the part of the protagonist unless she's supposed to be just wandering into danger without even considering the warnings she's being given.

As for the second: protagonists who have to be dragged kicking and screaming into their own plot or who when it's presented to them ignore it piss me off.

I'm sure you've all guessed at at least some of what prompted this post just from my spoiler list. If not, welcome to my blog, always nice to meet new readers. However, the ultimate inspiration wasn't actually the Hobbit moves, it was the Lord of the Rings movies. Specifically, it was Aragorn.

Don't you worry, Bard, Thorin, and Gandalf; your time will come. And it's going to involve favourably comparing Tauriel to every single one of you, so you know you screwed up.

Anyway, the main impetus for this post was actually Aragorn, especially his attitude towards becoming king. In the book, that's his life dream and his aim throughout the story. He has to prioritise other things above it, but it's always made clear that his aim is Gondor. That's where he wants to get, and what he wants to do when he gets there is fight in its wars and become its king. That was even his plan in going with the Fellowship at all: when Boromir peeled off to return to Minas Tirith, Aragorn intended to go with him until they lost Gandalf and Aragorn had to take over as leader of the Fellowship.

In the movie... Not so much. We get scene after scene in Fellowship of the Ring of him insisting that he does not want to become king. He does not want to fulfil his destiny, and that's a known fact: Elrond tells Gandalf that Aragorn has chosen exile and will not act to unite his race and reclaim the throne. That then continues through him never bringing up his identity to anyone in The Two Towers, the fact that Elrond has to tell him that Arwen's dying in order to make him pull himself together, and right down to the fact that when he's crowned he heaves a huge, regretful-looking sigh before standing to face his people.

Even apart from the adaptation thing, this introduces big problems, which I'll go into once I've talked some more about the other case studies I'm going to talk about.

Next up is Katniss. I already talked about her a bit, and the thing with her is that I consider her to be a reluctant heroine done right because she is also active: she doesn't want any of the things she ends up doing, but she's still the ones making the choices. For example, becoming the Mockingjay: she didn't want either the title or the role. After all she's been through, she mostly just wants to hide and come to terms with her own trauma. Nonetheless, she looks at her options and makes the decision to do this thing she doesn't want to do in order to gain things she does want.

Next, Rey. She's not active in the same way Katniss is because she is still being forced into the situations in which she finds herself: the biggest example is when Maz offers her Luke's lightsaber and she refuses and flees, only to run into Kylo Ren and be dragged back into the plot willy-nilly. She doesn't truly accept the call until the climax of the first movie.

Of course, if we're talking about The Force Awakens we have to talk about Finn, whose motivation throughout most of the movie is exactly to escape. He doesn't want to be involved in the fight against the First Order; he never wants to have anything to do with the First Order ever again. Nonetheless, he does decide not to run when it comes down to it.

And, finally, dear Frodo "Here am I, send me" Baggins. He's like Katniss: not wanting to go on this quest, but accepting it anyway. In his case, though, the motivation is different because it's less personal. He also has a staged acceptance, which I think is worth looking at:

He finds out about the Ring and attempts to offer it to Gandalf, but accepts that that's not an option.

He volunteers to take the Ring... but only as far as Rivendell.

He volunteers to carry the Ring to Mordor.

He wants to divert to Minas Tirith and struggles with the decision, but decides to go on alone.

In some ways similarly to Rey, it's not until well into the story - the end of the first instalment of the trilogy - that Frodo truly accepts his quest.

Of course, those aren't the only characters I'm going to be talking about, but they're the main ones.

For me, reluctant heroes start to become annoying when it seems that they're having to be dragged through the story, especially by other characters. Honestly, I don't much enjoy following a protagonist who makes it that clear that he doesn't want to be here. That's one of the big problems with Gandalf in the White Council subplot of the Hobbit movies; because Gandalf so clearly doesn't want to be there, and so clearly isn't actually interested in working to defeat Sauron even though that's ostensibly the point of the subplot and he's the best candidate for protagonist, the subplot is basically dead on arrival. If the characters don't care, why should I?

The problem just becomes worse when the stakes are high and affect people other than those in the protagonist's personal sphere. For example, as far as Rey knows her refusal to get involved in the events around her wouldn't have too much of an effect. In fact, at the time she's running away from Maz, she really has no impetus to get involved at all except that people want her to. It makes total sense that she refuses.

For Katniss, the stakes are higher: her sister's life. But at the same time, if she hadn't stepped in to save Prim, the world would just go on as normal. The effects will still remain confined to Katniss' personal circle. Of course, the stakes do become wider when it comes to the question of her becoming the Mockingjay, but her hesitation isn't actually causing immediate problems.

Contrast Frodo, the most willing of the three positive case studies. As soon as he understands the stakes, he's hesitant and frightened but he does agree to start out on the quest. Had he still refused, I would have been much less impressed with him.

That's kind of why Aragorn being so reluctant annoys me, even separate from the adaptation thing, and Aragorn did not fare well in adaptation. The implication from the scene in Return of the King in which Elrond brings him Anduril and the news that Arwen's dying is that Aragorn didn't just need to be persuaded to become king, he needed to be persuaded to save Middle-earth. That's the implication of the claim that if Aragorn doesn't "put aside the ranger, become who [he was] born to be" Arwen will fade and die as Sauron gains power.

Are you telling me that this guy needs such a kick to get his ass in gear that he would have sat on his hands and let the world be destroyed if it weren't for the fact that if he does that his girlfriend will be among the dead?

That's the big problem with having a highly reluctant hero who has to be dragged through the story when the stakes are high. It ends up giving the impression that the hero is willing to let horrible consequences play out so that he doesn't have to do anything.

Hel-lo Richard Cypher. I didn't make it all the way through Wizard's First Rule, so I'm not going to use you as a case study, but you suck and this is a contributing factor.

Now, again, I don't mind some hesitation. Many characters that I like are technically reluctant heroes. But there comes a point where they do need to make a choice, otherwise I'm just plain not interested any more.

Another example: I just finished a book called Owlflight. It has a very irritating teenage boy protagonist who for three quarters of the book I considered an annoying growth on what otherwise might have been some interesting concepts. He caught my attention and liking instantly, though, when he discovered that the people of his village had been enslaved by invading barbarian hordes and he immediately decided that he needed to do something to help and started using the knowledge and skills he had to come up with a plan. It really was that simple: as soon as this character started doing something about the situation in which he found himself, I was interested.

This is the difference between movie!Aragorn and Rey and Finn: Rey also doesn't pick up her quest until she has to. She doesn't start a rivalry with Kylo Ren until he has actually kidnapped her, threatened her friends, and violated her mental and bodily autonomy. Finn, meanwhile, just wants to escape the situation in which he finds himself. He only seriously gets involved when Rey's in danger. Both of these characters are forced into the plot by their circumstances when they themselves want to escape. However, they are both making the choices that drive their actions. Neither is a passive player. When they pick themselves up to fight, they're doing so when they do still have tenable choices. Not choices that would make them particularly heroic, but tenable. What's more, their reluctance was motivated. They didn't just not want to be involved in the plot, they actively wanted to be doing something else: return to Jakku, escape the reach of the First Order.

Movie!Aragorn, meanwhile, does not seem to be making his own choices. He states that he doesn't want to be king, but he never really has another plan except status quo. Everything is heading in that direction, but he never even seems to think about his choices. Finally, he only sacks up and accepts his destiny when there's no other realistic choice: he's been handed his ancestral sword and told that his girlfriend's dying now and he has to take on the mantle of kingship now in order to have any hope of defeating Sauron. So, with a sigh, he does.

Rey's and Finn's actions were not forced by other people. Aragorn's were.

As I've suggested with Rey and Finn, when reluctance to get involved is prolonged - in Aragorn's case throughout the movie trilogy - there needs to be some real reason the character is reluctant. This was a big problem with him: he didn't seem to have any particular reason to not want to be king. I get not wanting to be involved with the Ring - heck, I wouldn't want to get anywhere near that thing - and that is actually explained: he has a complex about the fact that his ancestor fell into temptation and is afraid that that runs in the family. However, that was actually the unwillingness he seemed able to get over. He never got over not wanting to be king, even once the crown was on his head.

I genuinely don't know what the problem was. Was he unwilling to take on such responsibility? Too much in love with being his own boss and setting his own schedule? Afraid of change? Any one of those would actually be sympathetic, but I don't recall any explanation for what the problem was. And unlike the Hobbit movies, I have seen the extended editions for the Lord of the Rings movies.

Compare Katniss. We know why she doesn't want to get involved in the Hunger Games: very rational fear for her own life and those she would leave behind. We then also get why she doesn't want to take on being the Mockingjay: trauma and resentment at being used as a piece in other people's games, especially given that she has reason to believe that other people's games are now getting Peeta tortured. It makes sense that she's reluctant, so it's not annoying. Her choices are motivated. Same with Rey and Finn, as I discussed before: it's not just that they don't want to get involved in fighting the First Order, it's that they actively want to do something else. As such, their choices are motivated. Frodo is hesitant because he believes he's incapable of fulfilling the quest at first, and also because he's afraid. His initial reluctance to get involved is motivated. This is even where Hobbit-movie!Gandalf gets off the hook: he's unwilling to get involved in opposing Sauron because he actually wants to be with Thorin. I may not agree with his priorities, but his choice is still motivated. Aragorn has no motivation.

And unmotivated reluctance just becomes all the more irritating when the actions the character is reluctant to take would actually serve her goals.

Hi, Bard and Thorin. Your time has come.

Now, I may not be being fair about Bard because I honestly don't know what his motivations were. He wasn't really a very well-developed character, and it didn't help that he, like many others, suffered badly from character derailment between Desolation of Smaug and Battle of the Five Armies.

In fact, that character derailment is rather at the heart of why I call Bard a badly-done reluctant hero. As I've commented many times before, in Desolation of Smaug the movies seemed to be setting him up as champion of the common people and political rival to the Master, and then when he's actually offered power, with no opposition, he seems unable or unwilling to exercise it.

I kind of get an Aragorn 2.0 smell off Bard, actually, but that might just be the fact that they look kind of similar: they both have that grubby, tangled-shoulder-length-brown-hair, manly-stubble thing going on. It is the case, though, that both of them seem to be really unwilling to take on kingship with no real reason for that.

By the way, don't get me wrong: there are plenty of reasons not to want to be a king and I would be quite interested to read about one of these long-lost fantasy kings who was being pushed by destiny into being king when he does not want it, but that would be a different story and would require some actual development.

Anyway, the very little development Bard got was 1) Father, 2) Well-known critic of the Master, 3) Champion of the Common Folk. By the time the second and third are combined, we have a motivation to pick up and rule the people himself, doing better than the Master did. So when the Master's dead and Bard is proclaimed king, he... rejects the title and visibly does as little as possible to take responsibility.

That's why we have a problem.

Why doesn't Bard want that position that will allow him to put his ideas into action? Is it just that he can criticise from the sidelines, but can't act? Because if so I could go for that - that's realistic - but you need to give me something, movie! As it is, it just comes across as that this is a perfect opportunity for Bard, which he's not going to take because... we did it with Aragorn, so we have to do it here, and all heroes have to be dragged into their plots for some reason.

Thorin is a somewhat different problem, and a very weird manifestation of this. Because the thing with Thorin - and, again, I've pointed out many times that this is a major problem with his character - is that he's apparently very driven and very determined and wants nothing more than to reclaim his homeland, but he seems utterly unmotivated to turn his words into actions.

Maybe he's more like Bard than I thought.

Thorin, though, is actually the hero of the story, and he does get a lot of development, which makes it weird that he seems so unwilling to take initiative. He seems to need pushing in some way into everything, and when he's on a course he seems to be unable to handle deviations and interruptions to the point where he gives up upon encountering a serious roadblock. He actually kind of comes across as not being very bright as a result of that mental inflexibility and lack of creativity, but at the end of the day it's basically reluctance to take the initiative. This is a major case where I have no idea what the point was.

Consider Tauriel. And yes, this is the part where I actually compare her favourably to someone. Whatever I may think of her motivations and goals, she does not mess around. She wants her some dwarf, and she's going to go get her some dwarf. As soon as she hears about Kili being wounded and possibly being dead, she hits the road. There's none of this shilly-shallying, none of this refusing to take steps towards her own goals for no reason, she goes.

Frankly, that makes her a lot more compelling, even though I disagree with her and everything she represents. At least she's not having to be dragged into her own plot.

This was also the problem with Gandalf: even though his reluctance was at least motivated, it really let the wind out of the White Council subplot that its protagonist kept trying to escape into another plot. That also shows the dangerous flip-side of motivated reluctance: it's difficult to get momentum into a plot whose main character has every reason not to be involved.

I will say that a main character being dragged into the plot against their will can work well, and this is where I can point to Rey. I'm planning a full post on Protagonist status in which I look at Rey and Finn as a case study, but whether or not she has protagonist status, Rey is one of the main and most important characters. And she does not want to be involved in this quest.

Nor, for that matter, does Finn. He takes actual steps towards leaving before being pulled back in. But I don't have a problem with either of those characters:

Finn didn't have to come back. He made that decision for himself, and picked out a quest that wasn't the main one (defeat the First Order), but which was related and meant a lot to him (save Rey).

Despite being quite literally forced to remain in the plot because she was kidnapped, Rey is still making decisions for herself in terms of whether and how to resist Kylo Ren.

Rey also gains a motivation to go up against the First Order, and promptly takes steps in that direction: as soon as she comes face to face with Ren, and even more so after the murder of her father figure, she stops trying to run away.

The key thing is that when the balance of motivation swings towards involvement, they do both make the decision to become involved. Finn could have shrugged and headed for the Outer Rim. Rey could have told Ren everything he wanted to know about the map to Luke. They both could have headed for the Millenium Falcon after Han was killed. Those weren't forced decisions.

Now, I am fair. Aragorn could have handed Anduril back to Elrond and refused once again to claim his throne. The thing is that for Finn and Rey, the risks inherent in refusing to get involved were much lower. Nobody would have known if Finn hadn't returned; he'd already made it very clear he was leaving, had defended his decision, and had accepted the reactions of his companions. Aragorn, however, was eye-to-eye with someone who has spent years trying to persuade him to be king and is now telling him the very real consequences of his personal refusal. Aragorn would have had to look Elrond in the eye and tell him "I'd rather let Arwen die than be king.". He doesn't have a real choice.

And now I return to Frodo. See, there's a real claim that Frodo doesn't have a real choice either; while the members of the Council of Elrond would probably have been fine with him not volunteering to take the Ring, he himself had already experienced the fact that it would be very hard for him to hand the Ring over to someone else. However, that's not made the basis of his decision in the book, certainly not his decision to take the Ring to begin with - that was to protect the Shire, not because he couldn't give it to anyone else. But to me the most important thing was that nobody was telling him he had to do it. Elrond acknowledges that he seems to be destined to carry the Ring, but he says it after Frodo volunteered.

That's really the difference for me, and when a hero being reluctant to do the thing goes from being annoying to being fine: why it is that they eventually do the thing. Frodo, Katniss, Rey, and Finn make their own decisions to get involved despite their initial reluctance. Movie!Aragorn and HobbitMovie!Gandalf don't; they gets pushed into it by other characters. Movie!Bard doesn't; in fact, from what we see in the theatrical edition, I wouldn't be prepared to say that he ever does do the thing, regardless of why.

I mentioned Joseph Campbell's Refusal of the Call at the beginning. Well, after Refusal comes Acceptance. A hero can be reluctant, but whether in stages like Frodo, in order to avert worse evils or to gain something else she wants like Katniss, or just because when cornered she comes out fighting like Rey, she needs to accept the call.

PS: A bit of recommended reading: Limyaael's Rant on Reluctant Heroes. She talks a lot more generally about the narrative problems of this trope.