So, I had this story idea that I'd like to know an outside opinion on. I was thinking that maybe the person originally narrating the story, aka the main character/protagonist, actually is revealed to be the antagonist later on. Then, the original antagonist is revealed as the protagonist on the 'good side' and it then switches to the new protagonist's POV. Is this plausible? Is it good? Is it something you would enjoy reading/think would be interesting?
Done right, this can be a really good idea, but there will be some complications as I'm sure you've thought about. The main difficulty you're going to have is hiding the fact that your hero is really the villain and your villain is really the hero. I saw this on a writing prompt once, but didn't have any ideas on how I would go about doing this. If you succeed in doing this, let us know, if you would
I agree with @Lord_Hellstrande 100%
One thing is that you need to know the difference between Antagonist and Villain. Antagonists are characters that directly oppose or go against the protag's beliefs or morals (not necessarily good ones). A Villain is a character who does inherently bad things, while the hero does good.
So if you're going just for Antag/Protag then it will be much easier because it'll have conflict with your MC's morals and beliefs, bad ones in this case, and have them believe they are a good person.
Or you could make this into a short story and not reveal the beliefs of the two sides until the end, ultimately throwing your first MC into a bad rut with the reader and making them switch sides.
Idk just some suggestions. Hope this helped! I'm rooting for you! :D
Thanks guys! I think my main problem would be figuring out how to reveal the fact that the original protagonist is actually, well, not good in a way. Would it be sudden? Probably not, as any protagonist can make mistakes. I was thinking of a sort of slow reveal, where the 'protagonist' slowly reveals their twisted morals and more about the 'antagonist's goals are revealed. Perhaps the original antagonist is actually trying to fight the original protagonist because they're trying to break into/destroy their kingdom. The 'antagonist' would likely be some sort of king, queen, or person of authority who would send people after the 'protagonist repeatedly tries to hurt people or break in. The way that the original protagonist narrates the story makes it seem as though they are good and always in the right, and that the 'antagonist' ruler is actual a dictator or unjust ruler that must be taken down. Then, the morals and goals are slowly revealed for both, and the original antagonist is trying their best to protect their people and the original protagonist actually wants to take down the ruler so that they could steal their position, using any means necessary to do so. Then, it would switch perspectives to the new protagonist, aka, the original antagonist.
Have the reveal be at the end or close to it. Do it as their plan comes to a close, but don't give away any clues that might suggest that it's bad until the end. Have them look like a revolutionary trying to overthrow a dictator but later prove them to be the cruel and ruthless leader. The most evil men in history have always believed that they are doing good.
Maybe… I was thinking the reveal would be sort of in the middle or midend, and since the story would narrate the 'protagonist's thoughts, it would slowly give subtle hints to the reader that their mind is a bit twisted and their morals are… a bit… not, protagonistic, in a way. And then it would reveal the 'antagonist's intentions, which is just to protect their people.
another way you could reveal the switch is include a backstory that shows the characters true colors. For example, the 'protagonist', or person A, rules a kingdom and the 'antagonist', person B, tries to over throw it, then when you want to switch show that to kingdom was originally person B's parents's kingdom and they rightful deserve it and are trying to get the kingdom back because person A stole it from them. Does that make sense?
Yeah, that makes sense! That's an interesting idea ^^