Great post! I personally think it's important to strike a balance. 'Propellant' as you put it, is often necessary for a character to move forward, but it can also feel like a character has no agency. I think that sometimes a character should have multiple paths in front of them, and the path they choose demonstrates their true internal character.
Of course, Attack on Titan makes perfect use of propellant to drive its characters forward.
It definitely depends on the story you're trying to tell, and the pacing. Even AoT has moments of slowing and regrouping. But when the propellant hits, it really moves. But to your point, even Eren has multiple paths forward at times. I think of in the woods when they were pursuing the female titan, he had the choice of turning and fighting or trusting his team. The propellant was still hard at work, but he did retain his agency of what came next.
Great post! I personally think it's important to strike a balance. 'Propellant' as you put it, is often necessary for a character to move forward, but it can also feel like a character has no agency. I think that sometimes a character should have multiple paths in front of them, and the path they choose demonstrates their true internal character.
Of course, Attack on Titan makes perfect use of propellant to drive its characters forward.
It definitely depends on the story you're trying to tell, and the pacing. Even AoT has moments of slowing and regrouping. But when the propellant hits, it really moves. But to your point, even Eren has multiple paths forward at times. I think of in the woods when they were pursuing the female titan, he had the choice of turning and fighting or trusting his team. The propellant was still hard at work, but he did retain his agency of what came next.