Thread by @sqiouyilu

so many anime and jrpg are about understanding that people just have different natures and your goal is to optimize your skills in accordance with your nature, whereas a lot of western narratives are about overcoming your nature to become an exception

my wild theory is: the concept of acting despite original sin creates a narrative expectation of transgressing boundaries in western narratives, but zen & taoist principles like 無為 are about maximizing the space utilized within boundaries, like in east asian cultivation stories

I mean, one isn’t necessarily narratively better than the other, and in fact I actually allude to this dichotomy in #InTheWatchfulCity

are you secure, or are you pigeonholed?

are you free, or are you in precarity?

would anima thrive in vessel’s city? would vessel thrive in anima’s? the answer is not “yes” or “no,” it’s “only one way to find out! *throw them in the city, see how they live*”