I think the reason so many LOTR ripoffs fail is because they make their Aragorn analogue the main character, when the entire point of Aragorn is that he’s “the person the villains think is the main character, but is Not.”
Aragorn seems like a traditional King Arthur style hero— he has huge Main Character Energy because he’s supported by destiny, by bloodline, by all these magic artifacts and prophecies, and etc etc. Frodo and Sam are Just Some Guys. Aragorn recognizes that Sauron understandably thinks he’s the main hero of this story ….and he pretends to believe it too, spending the entire series using himself as a diversion to prevent Sauron from seeing Frodo and Sam.
Aragorn’s whole thing is that knows he seems like the Main Hero of this legend to people who don’t know better —- but he also knows that he isn’t, and that his role is just to keep Sauron’s eye on him in order to protect the people around him.
And it works! Sauron is so fixated on defeating his Legendary Destined Archenemy with Extreme Main Character Energy that he completely overlooks the two ordinary little guys who were the real threat to him all along.
Clytemnestra, holding a mug that says "World's Best Mom": Oh Iphigenia, you shouldn't have!
Agamemnon, holding a mug that says "a dad": Yeah Iphigenia, you shouldn't have
We don’t bully Sauron enough for being such a FUCKING instagram villain that he’d only ever steal black horses from the Rohirrim, like he really in canon passed over herds of perfectly good load-bearing horses just for aesthetic fidelity
found this design wip from last summer and i've never felt more cheated in my life. why did my past self deprive me of more 18th century padmés by not finishing this
Odysseus: People who say “go big or go home” seriously underestimate my willingness to go home.
Odysseus: it’s literally my only goal for most of the day.
in my head the star wars equivalent of tswift is some human woman named tay’lor spiff or something and her stans are losing their minds over theories that she’s secretly a jedi singing about the horrors of war, even though she’s from a neutral system that hasn’t seen so much as a moral panic in 50 years
This also reminded me of how she said that Katniss wasn’t quite ready to harvest yet. Saying like “Katniss will take some time but eventually it’ll have you dealt with.” and it did! Fate sent him a Karma in the form of Katniss Everdeen.
Katniss who was a reminder of Lucy Gray, of his loved ones, of everything Sejanus stood for. Katniss who was a reminder of his PAST SELF- of a time where he could’ve done the right choices (with Lucy Gray, Tigris, correcting his father's sins with Highbottom etc.) of a time where everything could’ve been different.
Snow mentioned Lucy Gray strongly believed in fate when she said “You’re mine and Im yours. It’s written in the stars.” Of course he didn’t believe it. So when she was gone and Coriolanus Snow chose to cross that line of evil never turning back, the stars made sure that he will be haunted of it to his death.
A masterclass of storytelling right there. Suzanne you icon, you legend.
Everyone who writes a post mockingjay, growing back fic pls know that Katniss has NO confusions in her feelings for Peeta. Every time I read a fic where Katniss still isn’t sure, it mAkeS my HeAd BlAsT. I HAVE ALREADY BEEN THROUGH SO MUCH READING MOCKINJAY, I CANNOT READ MY BABY PEETA GETTING HURT MORE. Katniss is sure about her love for him in mockingjay already so don’t changeggegdgx ittsggsgsg.