This was absolutely lovely. I do feel your argument leans heavily on the verbiage of clarification, but it works well with how you discuss inspiration as an opposite to domination. Characters don't always clarify themselves; they often learn from others. I'm curious to know your thoughts about whether or not characters can do more than clarify or re-orient, and can actually impart traits to a person that that person doesn't innately have? Is there any kind of exchange possible of these original characteristics? You mentioned Aragorn is "clarified" in his ranger upbringing. Is there nothing new imparted to him? What about when characters sing–could these be interpreted as moments of creation, where the characters through an overflow of emotion create something that wasn't there before? I'd love to know your thoughts.