[ SECRET POST #3261 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #3261 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 02 pages, 052 secrets from Secret Submission Post #466.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[fscom]

08. http://i63.tinypic.com/20sgcox.jpg

[(Anonymous)]

As the trilogy went on they did make Legolas a little too perfect.

I disagree with you on Aragorn though.

[(Anonymous)]

You are correct, OP. They are both bland and only exist be mouthpieces for generic wise-sounding Tolkien dialogue. I mean, I like them, but there's not really much to dislike. Aragorn arguably possibly grows just a little by coming to be king and rejecting the ring, but since he's so obviously Mr Noble Hero from the start that didn't mean much. Legolas could have been replaced by several blades of grass and the story wouldn't have changed.

[(Anonymous)]

Aragorn was so much fucking better in the books than the movie.

Also Legolas was fine, but I don't think he's supposed to be particularly deep as a character. Certainly not in a modern novelistic sense (not that Aragorn is meant to work in that sense either, of course, but he's much closer).

[philstar22]

Yes, Legolas wasn't intended to be deep. He wasn't originally supposed to be there, and it shows at some points. Originally Glorfindel too the role of elf member of the Fellowship, but at some point Tolkien decided Glorfindel was too powerful and took away from Aragorn and so replaced him.

[kaijinscendre]

"This character is too OP. Let's nerf him to someone else."

[(Anonymous)]

I don't entirely disagree, though I'd say Legolas is a lot more boring. Aragorn is a fairly bland noble hero archetype. They tried to make him more interesting in the movies by making him feel conflicted about his role as the hero, but the books don't even have that, so...

[philstar22]

I don't entirely agree. I do like Aragorn, though I find Boromir more interesting. Legolas is pretty dull, though, intentionally so in order for him not to take away from Aragorn. He's hot, though, which counts for something.

[cbrachyrhynchos]

Maybe because the books were only tangentially about him?

[(Anonymous)]

Aragorn's significance in LotR is way more than "tangential", man. I mean, he's certainly not the lead, but his storyline is very important to what Tolkien is doing IMHO.

[cbrachyrhynchos]

Both novels are about the Hobbits as characters and narrators of the conflicts they witness.

[(Anonymous)]

That's canon.

[lady_dragoon]

Legolas really didn't do a whole lot in the books. His role was expanded a bit for the movies, which I thought was an improvement.

Gotta disagree on Aragorn, though. He goes from a bit of an I'm-Only-Helping-You-Because-Family-Curse-But-I-Really-Just-Want-to-Stay-Invisible pissant to being an effective leader and certified badass once Elrond knocks some sense into him. It was interesting seeing him finally decide to sacrifice his comfort zone in order to do what was right.

[mimi-sardinia.livejournal.com]

The problem with Aragorn is that he's too much of a "Noble Man' archetype. PJ tried to inject a little bit of humanity into him by making him unsure about his role, but it really struck me when I reread the books after the movies first came out that he really didn't have any of that in the text. I think the unsureness makes him better.

Legolas felt like a total airhead in the books who was simply there to "I'm an Elf! I'm so perfect!" and to be half of a friendship that failed to grab me (the friendship with Gimli). The movies only added bits of stating the obvious and flashy stunts to him, and The Hobbit was worse because he took up too much screen time.

So... umm, I don't really disagree with you much? I Aragorn for the archetype he's supposed to be, but beyond that... *Shrug* I'd rather wander off and find a good Boromir fic.

[philstar22]

The friendship with Gimli is actually the one thing that makes Legolas interesting. I'm usually all about elves, but Gimli is the far more interesting of the two. I love their friendship.

[mimi-sardinia.livejournal.com]

Yes, well I think the problem I have is that Gimli failed to be interesting for me, right from the start. Put two characters who fail to grab me into some epic friendship... and the friendship fails to be interesting.

I think way back when I first read the books the characters who really caught my interest were the four hobbits, because they were the ones who were written to be the relatable reader avatars.

[(Anonymous)]

+1

Gimli's my favorite character, and he makes me care about Legolas far more than I would've otherwise.

[(Anonymous)]

The uncertainty exists in the text. Beyond a shadow of a doubt. It's a central aspect of his archetype, really.

[mimi-sardinia.livejournal.com]

I must have had difficulty seeing it then.

[type_wild]

I just gotta chime in that the whole airhead thing is a lot of the reason why I love Legolas in the books - and find him so desperately boring in the films. I think it's because I was primarily a Hobbit fan who desperately looked for the same lightheartedness in LotR, and outside of the hobbits (-Frodo), the closest I got was Legolas and his "lol gais~". It also helped that he was so closely tied to the only dwarf among them.

[(Anonymous)]

I can see it. It always makes me a little sad that an upstanding character is seen as boring, and only someone like Boromir can be interesting. I disagree, since I love that kind of character and I want to see more. I want to see them embraced and not made "interesting" because people can't believe someone can be really good like that.

I've been rereading LOTR, and I love Aragorn's introduction with the Hobbits. I love how comfortable he is with them and teases them even in Minas Tirith while all the shit is going down. I love that he's equally comfortable with super powerful elves and in the high courts of kings. I love that he's a rough and tumble ranger who will doggedly track Gollum for months and at the same time, he can be as polished as you'd want a king to be. And I love best of all that he is all of this while be generous and kind.

For Legolas, I agree there's not that much to him but I think I've actually been sniffing out a tiny character arc for him. Since he's so secondary to anything, it's obviously not the focus. But he's so young and enthusiastic on the mountain, and then to see him tempered by the sea. It's almost like in one character you see the arc of elves, which is actually really sad. I love him for the relationships he forms but I do wish we'd gotten more into his head. Totally understand not feeling the movie version. He's very pretty but that's about it.

[elaminator]

I loved them both, but then again I love the entire LOTR cast, so...

They aren't the most unique characters though, I'll give you that.

TBH I always call Legolas one of my favorites, but that isn't strictly true...it's his relationship with Gimli that I find so enthralling. Together they're one of my favorites.

And I'm stupidly attracted to Viggo as Aragorn, so that doesn't hurt. Even outside of him, I thought Aragorn was fun. Maybe my expectations were quite different then yours.

[solticisekf]

I'm here for the picture. Not many could pull off an unwashed hair look.

[kallanda_lee]

I think you might feel that way because Aragorn has so much classic hero tropes going on. I mean, I like him as a character, I don't find him boring, but he's not breaking any records for originality.

[(Anonymous)]

I understand. I started reading the books after the first movie came out. Like any moony-eyed teenage girl, I was nuts for Legolas and wanted to read more about him. Instead, I end up falling head over heels for Samwise and I'm still into him to this day. Samwise is just so damn awesome, not because he hacks and slashes scores of enemies, but because he steadfastly clings to simple hobbit virtues of courage and hope. So many times when the quest goes south, he single-handedly manages to dig deep and find the words needed to keep things going. That's pretty damn awesome in my book.

In all honesty, Legolas in the books comes across as something of a fruitcake. But I tend to dig the dwarves and the hobbits more than the elves in Tolkien's world.