I have been thinking a lot about Ryland Grace and AverytheMayo
(bear with me, yeah? my thoughts are messy.)
Two people facing devastatingly impossible odds to save everything they care about (the world, two worlds, one person). Both exist in a state of perpetual self-degradation. Like it couldn't possibly be me! There are thousands of other smarter, braver, better people to choose from!
In this sense, both Grace and Avery deny themselves agency because they are so sure that they are the wrong person for the job. They hold themselves back, focusing on all the reasons why they suck, until they break away from the self-imposed prison and do what they have to do. Their stories flout the Chosen One narrative in that they both know that there are "better" options, but no one knows their situation as well as they do...making them the only option.
Otherwise, Grace and Avery have their agency revoked by other characters at pivotal points in their respective stories: Grace at the beginning when he is forced onto the Hail Mary and loses his memory, and Avery at the end when Derek pushes him off the platform. These events serve different purposes. When Grace does not remember who he is, it is easier for him to conquer the odds when because he doesn't remember his insecurities. Thus, he is able proving his competency to himself. His agency is returned after he remembers what happened and decides to turn around and save Rocky.
Avery, however, does not have the privilege of viewing himself objectively. Instead, his story is mired with self-perception. By contrasting his problem-solving skills with Derek, Avery reveals the theme of self-acceptance. He is special when he thinks in his own way, and is troubled when trying to fit into the mold of d3rlord3. That scene where he chooses to break the netherite instead of solve the puzzle is him playing by his own rules and solving it his way, breaking away from the constraints of his insecurity and proving his competency to the audience if not himself. His character arc is halted (and potentially violated) when Derek takes away his agency by pushing him off the platform. But the letter at the end solidifies Avery's arc as accepting his strengths and believing in himself (albeit in a very tragic way).
