
TL;DR for this whole thread:
Do what you want, be flexible when interacting with people who view times differently, and don't be anal unless you want to alienate certain subsections of roleplayers. Some WILL RP pre-Main Story, some WILL RP post, some during. Deal with it, gloss over it when needed, and if it causes critical error... well, find someone else to RP with!
There is no RIGHT way to do it. Since RP isn't done ALONE, it's all about what your PARTNERS will accept. You can try to win them to your side, but don't be a dick ^^
Do what you want, be flexible when interacting with people who view times differently, and don't be anal unless you want to alienate certain subsections of roleplayers. Some WILL RP pre-Main Story, some WILL RP post, some during. Deal with it, gloss over it when needed, and if it causes critical error... well, find someone else to RP with!
There is no RIGHT way to do it. Since RP isn't done ALONE, it's all about what your PARTNERS will accept. You can try to win them to your side, but don't be a dick ^^