Honestly it is almost naive to think we are more than a NPC dancing around in the world of others. That is also why I try to not bother too much. On Hive actually I have the (maybe even more naive) idea that since the community is small, there is still something to say.
But also..for me this is just a hobby so trying not to make it too crazy. I do understand thst when the stakes are a bit higher than dolphin, that it would be totally different.
I had the same surprise as you with the plot 'suddenly' turning into something else. I actually bought a next grain plot after this, to balance it out a bit more. But yeah...all of this surprised me a lot as well haha. Oopsie!