i like xenoblade 2 cuz it’s a world where ppl *are* fighting for each other but failing. and how our fragility and mortality kinda guarantee that. (we’re too small and ignorant for it to be otherwise.) and what you do after you realize that.

for the most part, you know who the good guys and bad guys are. not only is that refreshing, but it allows the narrative to deal with harder moral questions (questions that are actually complex, not the typical morally “grey” junk that hobbles so much literature).

the real world is full of wonderful people, miracles, divine intervention, beauty, nature, peace, healing, the gamut. and we’re *still* a mess. and that’d be true even if the intentionally cruel ppl weren’t with us (it’d be less severe tho).

and i think it’s precisely this space where the most healing, the most wise, the most creative, and the most valuable writing occurs.

the space im talking about: the discussions about goodness that can only come *after* we’ve fully committed to doing good, and only with ppl who trust us to *choose* good and whom we trust back.

and trust is so important because we need to handle stuff that hurts us and scares us and terrifies us and we need to be challenged in our beliefs, but for all that we really, really need someone we can trust.

[originally formatted for twitter, so please excuse the choppiness]