Think of it like this: a large community narrative is built on a whole lot of story arcs, a ton of them being personal or that of a small group. Each of those arcs has its protagonists, challenges and bit players. Sometimes an arc will cast it's spotlight on you and that's fine, and many times you'll just bump into it, and that's fine too.Â
In life we see this a lot but don't think of it in narrative terms. If you're involved in an intense personal struggle - a lawsuit comes to mind - you are a protagonist of that story in your life. But if a friend comes to you with a relationship squabble they need advice on, you're a bit player in that story. And if you don't really know your neighbor but they're being evicted, that's a story you don't feature in at all. A massive collaborative RP environment with countless communities that are loosely interconnected is, in that way, almost a perfect mirror for life.Â
As for the broader, canonical plot about the Warrior of Light, I've found that the closest you can really get to being involved without the community striking you down with its collected fury at your perceived arrogance is to be what I like to call an 'over there' character. Someone connected to the events of the story in a tangential capacity. Maybe a minor Scion who was in exile in Ishgard because the WoL just had to go and ruin everything for their nice little cult company. And even in a role like that I've gotten some serious flak for my presumption.Â
But as far as minor social arcs go? Yeah. There's loads of protagonists. Everyone is the center of their own narrative.
In life we see this a lot but don't think of it in narrative terms. If you're involved in an intense personal struggle - a lawsuit comes to mind - you are a protagonist of that story in your life. But if a friend comes to you with a relationship squabble they need advice on, you're a bit player in that story. And if you don't really know your neighbor but they're being evicted, that's a story you don't feature in at all. A massive collaborative RP environment with countless communities that are loosely interconnected is, in that way, almost a perfect mirror for life.Â
As for the broader, canonical plot about the Warrior of Light, I've found that the closest you can really get to being involved without the community striking you down with its collected fury at your perceived arrogance is to be what I like to call an 'over there' character. Someone connected to the events of the story in a tangential capacity. Maybe a minor Scion who was in exile in Ishgard because the WoL just had to go and ruin everything for their nice little cult company. And even in a role like that I've gotten some serious flak for my presumption.Â
But as far as minor social arcs go? Yeah. There's loads of protagonists. Everyone is the center of their own narrative.
