Synodic Scribe's "The Steady Change in Writing..." Video

[Bonoki]

There was a moment in Heavensward where the Warrior of Light clenched their fists, seemingly about to strike Emmanellain, before Thancred stepped in and did it instead. It was one of the rare times our character showed real emotion. Later, Yoshi-P apologized for this, acknowledging that it took too much agency away from how players felt their characters would have reacted. He even stated he wouldn’t do it again.

[Zackneifein]

There was a moment in Heavensward where the Warrior of Light clenched their fists, seemingly about to strike Emmanellain, before Thancred stepped in and did it instead. It was one of the rare times our character showed real emotion. Later, Yoshi-P apologized for this, acknowledging that it took too much agency away from how players felt their characters would have reacted. He even stated he wouldn’t do it again.

If that's what he wanted to do, he absolutly failed.
The WoL is everything but a blank character. And even then, "agency" in defining a personality for a character has nothing to do with "agency" in the story.

[JohnLakeside]

There was a moment in Heavensward where the Warrior of Light clenched their fists, seemingly about to strike Emmanellain, before Thancred stepped in and did it instead. It was one of the rare times our character showed real emotion. Later, Yoshi-P apologized for this, acknowledging that it took too much agency away from how players felt their characters would have reacted. He even stated he wouldn’t do it again.

See, now this was a great moment. This is the one of the few times where the WOL has shown complexity. That he was about to do something, but then didn't. He had to control himself. Whereas every other time WOL clenches his fist, its during the most obvious of moments.

[Merrigan]

See, now this was a great moment. This is the one of the few times where the WOL has shown complexity. That he was about to do something, but then didn't. He had to control himself. Whereas every other time WOL clenches his fist, its during the most obvious of moments.

It's a question of player expectations here. You see, typically, these are moments that I don't appreciate.

I don't play an MMOORPG character the way I play, say, Geralt in The Witcher. Geralt is a pre-existing character. He has his character, his quirks, his liabilities, and the reactions that are beyond my control are perfectly valid in that sense.

The WOL is, for me, a character similar to those I play as in a game of Dnd. It's a character I imagine from start to finish, whose personality I shape... So any intervention of the ‘clench your fists in rage’ type is exactly as Yoshi-P pointed out: an interference in my gameplay. Here, the only option I'd be happy with is the choice of punching this young aristocrat in the face - or not. So I appreciate exactly what you're describing: the fact that the WOL is a blank page on which I can draw my own personal interpretation. I wouldn't want anyone to try and develop an ‘independent WOL’, because that would trample on my character (a bit, to continue the comparison with Dnd, like those DMs who come and plaster their interpretations on your character).

To sum up: in one case you accompany a character for a while; in the other, you embody him or her. And in an mmorpg, it's generally the second option that's favoured.