Look at Game of Thrones. GoT consistently messed with who the MC was, and even killed off the person most everyone thought was the MC in the first book. Didn't keep us from reading all the rest of the books, though!
Passing the torch kind of thing is a decent end to a series and lets an author to setup another brand new series in the same universe with a new set of characters.
It’s often used in superhero stories too.
It's an exciting idea and a way to keep a series or story fresh. Main characters pass the torch all the time, and it can be done very well, or it can be done poorly. Often, books feature main characters taking up the torch from another hero or their mentor, and your character appears to be continuing that cycle. Perhaps that's thematic to your story and your world?
It will be important for your second main character to feel like their own person, with their own thoughts, feelings, motivations, and goals. They will need to have their own satisfying arc. How do things work between both protagonists? Will they eventually team up and work together, or is it a "there can only be one guy in the suit" kind of situation? Most importantly though, you're going to answer how the heck this "rando" can take over the main character's burden if they themselves lack the innate ability that made the main character the chosen one in the first place. If this new person is so awesome they can step in for the chosen one, why do I want the old main character back anyway?
Good luck and happy writing!
Depends on what the overarching threat is.
JoJo managed to do the passing of the torch nicely by just how much of a menace DIO is to the Joestars.
The ending of part 6 is the closet thing I can remember to be similar to what you want to do, but there will be massive spoilers: >!the MC throughout the part was Jolyne Joestar who had to deal with DIO’s loyal servant/boyfriend. The boyfriend’s name is Pucci.
He is a priest that decided to enact some crazy plan DIO had left behind before he was killed by Jotaro, Jolene’s father.!<
>!Pucci also had a brother that ended up with the nickname Weather Report due to having his memories be stolen by Pucci because of reasons that will take too long explain. While being an amnesiac, Weather Report became on of Jolyne’s allies. However, when he got his memories back he went straight ahead to kill Pucci. Weather Report unfortunately lost the battle, but in his last act he forces Pucci to turn Wheater’s ability into a disk. A disk Jolyne recovers from the aftermath!<
>!Fast forward a bit and you have Pucci succeeding with the his big plan and wants to cap it off by killing all of the good guys. Jolene fights to the bitter end, but all she can do is save Emporio. The youngest member of the group that is only in this mess because Pucci killed his mother.!<
>!Having a loose thread bothers Pucci so he halts his plan right before the finish line so that he can eliminate Emporio. Doing so traps Emporio in a world when everybody except Pucci will follow a specific path. It seems that all is lost, but Emporio uses the fact that Pucci can change the world. Because when Pucci goes for the kill, Emporio protects himself with a disk. That disk being no other than the one containing Wheater’s ability. It turned out that Jolyne hadn’t only saved Emporio, but also given him such a vital item.!<
>!While Pucci is originally angered by being tricked he eventually scoffs at the effort. Weather’s abilities might have been impressive, but he had already beaten the original holder and Emporio did not possess the skill required to handle such power anyway. Assured of his victory Pucci attacks one again. Only for him to suddenly collapse to the floor and have blood come dripping from his eyes. Emporio’s eyes also starts bleeding!<
>!It turns out that there was a hidden ability that Weather was unable to access. However, when wielded by Emporio that ability is to finally manifested. That being the ability to create oxygen. The ability goes on autopilot and causes both Pucci and Emporio to suffer from Oxygen poisoning.!<
>!It is an ability Pucci has no counter for. An accumulation of the karma he has built up by ruining people’s lives. Pucci can do nothing more but plead for at least his plan to still be finished, but instead he receives a massive beat down.!<
>!While how the ability itself works is awesome, what really makes Emporio being the final victor work is the connection between Jolyne, Pucchi, Weather, and Emporio. All of the three good guys have suffered personally because of Pucci. Jolyne got sent to jail and had her father be put into a coma. Weather got his memories stolen and a bunch of other worms I don’t want to open ATM. Emporio had his mother murdered.!<
>!However, despite the pain inflicted the three managed to become friends and protect each other as much as possible in the ensuing battles. Weather came awfully close to snuff out his brother, but was beaten right at the last moment. However, his ability still did the killing blow. Jolyne had fought hard and long, but like her father she decided to save somebody else in the end. Emporio was arguably the weakest of the group, (there are more members, but this is long enough) but thanks to all the efforts of his friends he was finally able to obtain victory for them.!<
If you’re going to hand over the reins to a new protagonist then I believe the most important thing is that it has to be done earned. Passing the torch should be one of the most built up moments in the story.
In my current draft, it's a young street orphan that the MC saves during the first arc. He then decides to take her with him since she loves exploring and learning magic. Then as she grows she witnesses her 'hero' become more and more broken. The more he breaks, the more she yearns to help him which pushes her to overcome her lack of talent through hard work and determination. And in the climax of the (maybe first) book, the MC crumbles as the antagonist wins. This would then mark the moment when the shift would begin.
For years now, I’ve wanted to write a story about two peers, one successful and the other not, with the successful one our POV character who mentors the other. She would die at the end of Book I, and the mentee would carry out her will to its end in Book II.
The most recent iteration of that idea was the project I tentatively titled “The Queen Who Never Was”, the mentor being that titular character, a vivacious, larger-than-life princess prophesied to die if she falls into ambition and goes gunning for the throne. She does so anyway, dismissive of things like destiny and confident that, with her wits and charisma, there is no obstacle she can’t overcome.
Her lady-in-waiting, the mentee, is a shy, straightforward girl the princess takes under her wing, and over the course of Book I, she grows and embodies the princess’s cunning and boldness, without forgetting her roots and humility. This mix of the two’s best traits is what allows her to do what her mentor failed to, learning from the princess’s mistakes and carrying out some goal of hers I haven’t decided on yet.
It sounds good in theory, but I don’t know if it’ll work. Readers who would’ve finished Book I would’ve done so because they liked the princess; not necessarily the mentee. Would they continue reading with the mentee as the new main character, even if she’s become more like the princess, or would they feel like they were cheated? I think the story might work better if the mentee starts off as the main character to begin with.
I think this could work as long as the mentee is as interesting as the princess. If you give the mentee enough screentime and increasing the scenes in which she shines and learns through the experiences of the princess, it could become quite engaging. I love stories where the mentor somehow fails and leaves everything to the next generation. :)
The idea sounds really interesting to me so it would probably work well as long as you write it well. written in a way so the readers can see the writing on the wall as the MC struggles with his addiction. Not introducing the 'false' hero outta nowhere obviously haha
You could maybe play with perpective changes gradually to help the readers with the shift. The readers start out from the MC's perspective but small little parts with the fake heros perspective pop up. The fake hero gets more and more of the perspective spotlight until the tranfer of the heros burden happens. Then the fake hero is the majority of the perspective with little spots here and there of the first MC
Yes totally fine. This a typical story where the main character has a flaw, overcomes a challenge and becomes a better person because of it. The lesson being that by helping others he helps himself, etc.
I would say you can't "end" a MC journey mid story. It has to be at the end of the story. If there is a book 2, then the MC is not this character but the character going to replace him.
Just on purely how things are written you just can't have a MC switchover middle of the story. You can, but its hard and rough.
Yeah, that's something I was thinking about. So the second MC is for now his adoptive daughter that follows him around after he takes her in.
What if, after a certain event that completetly breaks the mc, the perspective of the pov slowly changes. With each passing chapter, more passages follow the girl instead of the MC until the last chapter where the mc decides to leave everything to her while he does something else (or dies IDK yet haha)
Sounds a lot like *Dune/Heretics of Dune/Children of Dune*, where Paul conquers the known universe but then is crippled by doubts and reversals until he leaves, blind and alone, into exile in the desert. His children take over as MCs, specifically his son Leto. Paul returns briefly after his exile, but only to set his son on the right path before he is killed (going from the protagonist to the mentor role essentially).
The unique thing about Dune though, is that it is so epic and plot driven (similar to ASoIaF), that the Protagonist role is, if not lessened, then at least reduced in importance. If your story is mostly character driven, then readers may become too attached to the first MC, and disappointed when they don't continue as the main focus.
The real question then, becomes whether the replacement MC makes the story more or less cohesive. A regular story involves a protagonist with a goal, an antagonist who's preventing them from reaching that goal, and their conflict involving stakes of such importance that both are transformed by the end. If your second MC doesn't share the goals of the first, you're not living up to the promises you initially made to the reader. That can lead to a disjointed story and reader disappointment.
Personally, I would find a way for your original MC to overcome his struggles without needing to "ease his burden..." There are plenty of plots where the MC is overwhelmed and quits (only to return when all is seemingly lost), but the temporary replacement is never as heroic as the original. Plus, making things easier for a protagonist isn't the author's job, and readers who have rooted for this character throughout will enjoy the story more if he finds a way to solve his problems. In your particular case, either have the first MC have a breakthrough in the use of his power so that it isn't as crippling any more, or else have him resolve the conflict *without* his power, using his human capacity without the need for borrowed power. Those are the kind of underdog-to-victor struggles that readers enjoy.
So one of the themes I wanted to explore was the difference between loneliness and solitude. Where the mc feels lonely because of his burden and the stakes of the world, the mc that follows his footsteps builds upon solitude.
Where the first mc fights on his own, and each battle and war HAS to be won by him. The second mc first the battles that other's can't. He takes on the big bads while entrusting the rest to his entourage.
Also the second MC is currently planned to be his adoptive daughter, she would be a constant presence during the story. She would witness the events unfolding and see the changes that each war, each battle has upon her father figure. While the MC is slowly breaking down, his breakdown is shaping her character into becoming a better version of what he was supposed to be.
i think it is alright but often kinda sad. and for some readers they might decide it's their exit point for the series.
however i do think there is one method that works for me and that is making us WANT to read the new story and perhaps be GLAD this character is stepping out of the limelight for a while.
As depressing as your story sounds from that summary I can see that actually being a happy ending for the character and we WANT them to not continue to be the main character for a while.
Likewise if we give characters other happy endings we might end thinking good, I don't want to see them put through any more drama and trauma.
Basically if you leave their story feeling REALLY complete then it can be more exciting to follow a new character than to continue to follow this current one for some contrived reason.
Also this is true even for stories that keep the same main character throughout, but remember to get us invested all over again for each new book. Just like you probably put a lot of effort into the opening and main character of the first book to grab people and get them invested, remember to do that all over again.
I see a lot of series flounder when they just ASSUME we must be interested in these new characters because the torch got passed and that must legitimize them in our eyes. It doesn't. Expect resistance and skepticism and win us over.
Also it helps a lot if the new character is drastically different. We resent being told "y is the new x" because we're like, well what the hell was wrong with keeping x then? but if y is replaced by 2 then we understand why a change had to be made.
however this also means a fundamental part of your series is now different. in this case it can be best to keep much of the rest of the series the same--setting, plot, supporting characters. if there's some new thing we don't care about, leave some things we DO care about to carry over until we realize actually the new character rocks and there's no hurry bringing back the old one.
if you can introduce that new main character a little early in the process and basically build secret hype during the first book it won't likely be a big speed bump having them take over. give us flashes of insight into what this character's story will be and why we would be so lucky to get a whole book about them.
I'm currently writing it as a young girl he adopts from the streets after some event that accompanies him through out his hero's journey. Learning and observing as her savior and the person she regards as her father, starts to crumble from the weight and the accumulating failures. So she'd be there during the whole story. Then once the main antagonist and the mc clash for the first time and the mc loses, I'll start the shift. The mc falls into despair and the girl takes on the mantle as the hero.
You'd have the mc that tries doing everything on his own. Someone who believes he HAS to do everything on his own or everything will fall in front of the antagonist. But on the other side the girl who witnessed the loneliness of her father figure, and how those around him struggled with morals and stubbornness, and once she takes over as the hero she'll change the system as she includes those around her and builds off their strengths and weaknesses.
Sounds legit. Especially if the readers can see how the MC is struggling with the burden of heroism throughout the story, but if you're going to continue focusing on the first MC and their personal and emotional journey so that they eventually that allows them to become the hero they were meant to be it sounds more like duotagonist rather than switching MCs.
It's not about validation nor reassurance. I'll write it regardless as long as I find it fun to write about it.
It's about sharing ideas. I find myself being the most creative when looking at other people's ideas. Besides, what's wrong about asking on a reddit meant to do exactly that? I want to write the best possible story I can and while doing that have the most amount of fun as well.
If someone else reads this post and comments something that might make the story better of more fun to write then isn't it worth a shot to post it? And who knows, maybe someone reads my post and gets inspiration for his own work.
If the MC gets changed out, I'm not going to mind *as long as we're given reason to care about the new MC*.
Look at Game of Thrones. GoT consistently messed with who the MC was, and even killed off the person most everyone thought was the MC in the first book. Didn't keep us from reading all the rest of the books, though!
I'll take your word for it. I couldn't get into GoT personally.
Can be completely fine, but might feel like a bait and switch if it is handled poorly.
\*Raiden enters the chat\*
\*Kaede Akamatsu enters the chat\*
OMG KAEDE
Passing the torch kind of thing is a decent end to a series and lets an author to setup another brand new series in the same universe with a new set of characters. It’s often used in superhero stories too.
It's an exciting idea and a way to keep a series or story fresh. Main characters pass the torch all the time, and it can be done very well, or it can be done poorly. Often, books feature main characters taking up the torch from another hero or their mentor, and your character appears to be continuing that cycle. Perhaps that's thematic to your story and your world? It will be important for your second main character to feel like their own person, with their own thoughts, feelings, motivations, and goals. They will need to have their own satisfying arc. How do things work between both protagonists? Will they eventually team up and work together, or is it a "there can only be one guy in the suit" kind of situation? Most importantly though, you're going to answer how the heck this "rando" can take over the main character's burden if they themselves lack the innate ability that made the main character the chosen one in the first place. If this new person is so awesome they can step in for the chosen one, why do I want the old main character back anyway? Good luck and happy writing!
Depends on what the overarching threat is. JoJo managed to do the passing of the torch nicely by just how much of a menace DIO is to the Joestars. The ending of part 6 is the closet thing I can remember to be similar to what you want to do, but there will be massive spoilers: >!the MC throughout the part was Jolyne Joestar who had to deal with DIO’s loyal servant/boyfriend. The boyfriend’s name is Pucci. He is a priest that decided to enact some crazy plan DIO had left behind before he was killed by Jotaro, Jolene’s father.!< >!Pucci also had a brother that ended up with the nickname Weather Report due to having his memories be stolen by Pucci because of reasons that will take too long explain. While being an amnesiac, Weather Report became on of Jolyne’s allies. However, when he got his memories back he went straight ahead to kill Pucci. Weather Report unfortunately lost the battle, but in his last act he forces Pucci to turn Wheater’s ability into a disk. A disk Jolyne recovers from the aftermath!< >!Fast forward a bit and you have Pucci succeeding with the his big plan and wants to cap it off by killing all of the good guys. Jolene fights to the bitter end, but all she can do is save Emporio. The youngest member of the group that is only in this mess because Pucci killed his mother.!< >!Having a loose thread bothers Pucci so he halts his plan right before the finish line so that he can eliminate Emporio. Doing so traps Emporio in a world when everybody except Pucci will follow a specific path. It seems that all is lost, but Emporio uses the fact that Pucci can change the world. Because when Pucci goes for the kill, Emporio protects himself with a disk. That disk being no other than the one containing Wheater’s ability. It turned out that Jolyne hadn’t only saved Emporio, but also given him such a vital item.!< >!While Pucci is originally angered by being tricked he eventually scoffs at the effort. Weather’s abilities might have been impressive, but he had already beaten the original holder and Emporio did not possess the skill required to handle such power anyway. Assured of his victory Pucci attacks one again. Only for him to suddenly collapse to the floor and have blood come dripping from his eyes. Emporio’s eyes also starts bleeding!< >!It turns out that there was a hidden ability that Weather was unable to access. However, when wielded by Emporio that ability is to finally manifested. That being the ability to create oxygen. The ability goes on autopilot and causes both Pucci and Emporio to suffer from Oxygen poisoning.!< >!It is an ability Pucci has no counter for. An accumulation of the karma he has built up by ruining people’s lives. Pucci can do nothing more but plead for at least his plan to still be finished, but instead he receives a massive beat down.!< >!While how the ability itself works is awesome, what really makes Emporio being the final victor work is the connection between Jolyne, Pucchi, Weather, and Emporio. All of the three good guys have suffered personally because of Pucci. Jolyne got sent to jail and had her father be put into a coma. Weather got his memories stolen and a bunch of other worms I don’t want to open ATM. Emporio had his mother murdered.!< >!However, despite the pain inflicted the three managed to become friends and protect each other as much as possible in the ensuing battles. Weather came awfully close to snuff out his brother, but was beaten right at the last moment. However, his ability still did the killing blow. Jolyne had fought hard and long, but like her father she decided to save somebody else in the end. Emporio was arguably the weakest of the group, (there are more members, but this is long enough) but thanks to all the efforts of his friends he was finally able to obtain victory for them.!<
This is 100% an execution thing
It often kills a franchise.
I don't mind as long as the new MC is actually someone we should care about and not think of as just a replacement.
The Abhorsen series by Garth Nix is an example that, in my opinion, does this well. So yeah it can be done!
I really wish more series would do this.
If you’re going to hand over the reins to a new protagonist then I believe the most important thing is that it has to be done earned. Passing the torch should be one of the most built up moments in the story.
In my current draft, it's a young street orphan that the MC saves during the first arc. He then decides to take her with him since she loves exploring and learning magic. Then as she grows she witnesses her 'hero' become more and more broken. The more he breaks, the more she yearns to help him which pushes her to overcome her lack of talent through hard work and determination. And in the climax of the (maybe first) book, the MC crumbles as the antagonist wins. This would then mark the moment when the shift would begin.
For years now, I’ve wanted to write a story about two peers, one successful and the other not, with the successful one our POV character who mentors the other. She would die at the end of Book I, and the mentee would carry out her will to its end in Book II. The most recent iteration of that idea was the project I tentatively titled “The Queen Who Never Was”, the mentor being that titular character, a vivacious, larger-than-life princess prophesied to die if she falls into ambition and goes gunning for the throne. She does so anyway, dismissive of things like destiny and confident that, with her wits and charisma, there is no obstacle she can’t overcome. Her lady-in-waiting, the mentee, is a shy, straightforward girl the princess takes under her wing, and over the course of Book I, she grows and embodies the princess’s cunning and boldness, without forgetting her roots and humility. This mix of the two’s best traits is what allows her to do what her mentor failed to, learning from the princess’s mistakes and carrying out some goal of hers I haven’t decided on yet. It sounds good in theory, but I don’t know if it’ll work. Readers who would’ve finished Book I would’ve done so because they liked the princess; not necessarily the mentee. Would they continue reading with the mentee as the new main character, even if she’s become more like the princess, or would they feel like they were cheated? I think the story might work better if the mentee starts off as the main character to begin with.
I think this could work as long as the mentee is as interesting as the princess. If you give the mentee enough screentime and increasing the scenes in which she shines and learns through the experiences of the princess, it could become quite engaging. I love stories where the mentor somehow fails and leaves everything to the next generation. :)
I think [Thundergun 4: Maximum Cool](https://itsalwayssunny.fandom.com/wiki/Thunder_Gun_4:_Maximum_Cool) sums up my feelings.
The idea sounds really interesting to me so it would probably work well as long as you write it well. written in a way so the readers can see the writing on the wall as the MC struggles with his addiction. Not introducing the 'false' hero outta nowhere obviously haha You could maybe play with perpective changes gradually to help the readers with the shift. The readers start out from the MC's perspective but small little parts with the fake heros perspective pop up. The fake hero gets more and more of the perspective spotlight until the tranfer of the heros burden happens. Then the fake hero is the majority of the perspective with little spots here and there of the first MC
I really like the idea of slowly changing the perspective!! Thanks for that, I'll certainly use it and see if it works.
glad to help. Good luck!
Yes totally fine. This a typical story where the main character has a flaw, overcomes a challenge and becomes a better person because of it. The lesson being that by helping others he helps himself, etc. I would say you can't "end" a MC journey mid story. It has to be at the end of the story. If there is a book 2, then the MC is not this character but the character going to replace him. Just on purely how things are written you just can't have a MC switchover middle of the story. You can, but its hard and rough.
Yeah, that's something I was thinking about. So the second MC is for now his adoptive daughter that follows him around after he takes her in. What if, after a certain event that completetly breaks the mc, the perspective of the pov slowly changes. With each passing chapter, more passages follow the girl instead of the MC until the last chapter where the mc decides to leave everything to her while he does something else (or dies IDK yet haha)
Sounds a lot like *Dune/Heretics of Dune/Children of Dune*, where Paul conquers the known universe but then is crippled by doubts and reversals until he leaves, blind and alone, into exile in the desert. His children take over as MCs, specifically his son Leto. Paul returns briefly after his exile, but only to set his son on the right path before he is killed (going from the protagonist to the mentor role essentially). The unique thing about Dune though, is that it is so epic and plot driven (similar to ASoIaF), that the Protagonist role is, if not lessened, then at least reduced in importance. If your story is mostly character driven, then readers may become too attached to the first MC, and disappointed when they don't continue as the main focus. The real question then, becomes whether the replacement MC makes the story more or less cohesive. A regular story involves a protagonist with a goal, an antagonist who's preventing them from reaching that goal, and their conflict involving stakes of such importance that both are transformed by the end. If your second MC doesn't share the goals of the first, you're not living up to the promises you initially made to the reader. That can lead to a disjointed story and reader disappointment. Personally, I would find a way for your original MC to overcome his struggles without needing to "ease his burden..." There are plenty of plots where the MC is overwhelmed and quits (only to return when all is seemingly lost), but the temporary replacement is never as heroic as the original. Plus, making things easier for a protagonist isn't the author's job, and readers who have rooted for this character throughout will enjoy the story more if he finds a way to solve his problems. In your particular case, either have the first MC have a breakthrough in the use of his power so that it isn't as crippling any more, or else have him resolve the conflict *without* his power, using his human capacity without the need for borrowed power. Those are the kind of underdog-to-victor struggles that readers enjoy.
So one of the themes I wanted to explore was the difference between loneliness and solitude. Where the mc feels lonely because of his burden and the stakes of the world, the mc that follows his footsteps builds upon solitude. Where the first mc fights on his own, and each battle and war HAS to be won by him. The second mc first the battles that other's can't. He takes on the big bads while entrusting the rest to his entourage. Also the second MC is currently planned to be his adoptive daughter, she would be a constant presence during the story. She would witness the events unfolding and see the changes that each war, each battle has upon her father figure. While the MC is slowly breaking down, his breakdown is shaping her character into becoming a better version of what he was supposed to be.
i think it is alright but often kinda sad. and for some readers they might decide it's their exit point for the series. however i do think there is one method that works for me and that is making us WANT to read the new story and perhaps be GLAD this character is stepping out of the limelight for a while. As depressing as your story sounds from that summary I can see that actually being a happy ending for the character and we WANT them to not continue to be the main character for a while. Likewise if we give characters other happy endings we might end thinking good, I don't want to see them put through any more drama and trauma. Basically if you leave their story feeling REALLY complete then it can be more exciting to follow a new character than to continue to follow this current one for some contrived reason. Also this is true even for stories that keep the same main character throughout, but remember to get us invested all over again for each new book. Just like you probably put a lot of effort into the opening and main character of the first book to grab people and get them invested, remember to do that all over again. I see a lot of series flounder when they just ASSUME we must be interested in these new characters because the torch got passed and that must legitimize them in our eyes. It doesn't. Expect resistance and skepticism and win us over. Also it helps a lot if the new character is drastically different. We resent being told "y is the new x" because we're like, well what the hell was wrong with keeping x then? but if y is replaced by 2 then we understand why a change had to be made. however this also means a fundamental part of your series is now different. in this case it can be best to keep much of the rest of the series the same--setting, plot, supporting characters. if there's some new thing we don't care about, leave some things we DO care about to carry over until we realize actually the new character rocks and there's no hurry bringing back the old one. if you can introduce that new main character a little early in the process and basically build secret hype during the first book it won't likely be a big speed bump having them take over. give us flashes of insight into what this character's story will be and why we would be so lucky to get a whole book about them.
I'm currently writing it as a young girl he adopts from the streets after some event that accompanies him through out his hero's journey. Learning and observing as her savior and the person she regards as her father, starts to crumble from the weight and the accumulating failures. So she'd be there during the whole story. Then once the main antagonist and the mc clash for the first time and the mc loses, I'll start the shift. The mc falls into despair and the girl takes on the mantle as the hero. You'd have the mc that tries doing everything on his own. Someone who believes he HAS to do everything on his own or everything will fall in front of the antagonist. But on the other side the girl who witnessed the loneliness of her father figure, and how those around him struggled with morals and stubbornness, and once she takes over as the hero she'll change the system as she includes those around her and builds off their strengths and weaknesses.
Sounds good to me.
Sounds legit. Especially if the readers can see how the MC is struggling with the burden of heroism throughout the story, but if you're going to continue focusing on the first MC and their personal and emotional journey so that they eventually that allows them to become the hero they were meant to be it sounds more like duotagonist rather than switching MCs.
It’s okay if done right
Instead of talking about your idea just write it. You don't need any validation or reassurance from us.
It's not about validation nor reassurance. I'll write it regardless as long as I find it fun to write about it. It's about sharing ideas. I find myself being the most creative when looking at other people's ideas. Besides, what's wrong about asking on a reddit meant to do exactly that? I want to write the best possible story I can and while doing that have the most amount of fun as well. If someone else reads this post and comments something that might make the story better of more fun to write then isn't it worth a shot to post it? And who knows, maybe someone reads my post and gets inspiration for his own work.