Randomnesses

well i was thinking about what that’d look like for UA:

Then so can they.

✨Just some of my unconscious faves ✨

hello ari and dante enjoyers <33

surprisingly this wasn’t the part he cried the hardest at (it was “dos oruguitas” both he and dante cried the most at)

1. this is how you lose the time war unlike anything i’ve read before. i didn’t know a blend of poetry, romance and science fiction was possible but i was completely mesmerized by it! it’s really an Experience

2. aristotle and dante dive into the waters of the world of course it was amazing. of course. what are you waiting for? read it 🗡️

3. one last stop really liked it. it’s better when you go in not knowing much so i’ll just say that it has the most relatable single bisexual early-20s main character (&all the characters are great), it’s set in new york and really makes it feel like home, and the plot will surprise you

4. first kill it’s just a short story but damn it’s everything i knew i needed. they’re making a tv show out of it and im already a fan. vampire x vampire hunter, but with girls?? come on 💕💕💕

5. on a sunbeam i am once again recommending tillie walden’s graphic novel to literally everyone. science fiction, beautiful art, fish spaceships, mysteries and secrets, lots of lesbians, no men, and one nb character who uses they/them

6. the seven husbands of evelyn hugo it’s actually really good! i couldn’t put it down (despite the length). dramatic but i love stories that span a lifetime; evelyn is very badass and relatable

7. kissing the witch: old tales in new skins feminist retelling of fairytales (like cinderella, snow white, etc). i loved it! the atmosphere was dreamy and grave at the same time, with a focus on witch characters and women’s empowerment. the medium of tales always makes for very meaningful stories and it was done perfectly here

8. she drives me crazy if you’re looking for a simple romcom with a bit of drama (but well written) this one is great! esp. for fake dating and enemies to lovers fans

9. written in the stars yeah well i am not immune to modern pride and prejudice retellings. if you’re into romantic comedies, astrology, and fake dating, you will like this one

10. crier’s war & iron heart interesting concept! it was well written and there’s a lot of potential here, even if some parts of the narrative felt a little too mechanical for me i still enjoyed it a lot

11. king of scars/rule of wolves nina zenik making all of fjerda open-minded one enemies to lovers romance at a time!! however it’s not the only plot, it’s more like a random subplot of nikolai and zoya’s story, so you can’t just read it for nina

12. the invisible life of addie larue i was pleasantly surprised when it was revealed that both mcs were bisexual. they both get the bare minimum of one ex of the same gender, and then have their m/f romance. the story was interesting though, urban fantasy deal with the devil type

13. the dark wife retelling of the myth of persephone but here hades is a woman. nice reimagination of the myth. the narration was a bit hard to follow though, maybe because the tone and style were unusual for me

14. history is all you left me i only read that one because the girl i like was obsessed with it, and i am obsessed with her. it’s super sad and basically deals with grieving your ex boyfriend who you still have feelings for, and then there’s some additional drama. not my favorite but not that bad i guess?

the book itself is written from Aristotle's point of view. everything we know about Ari tells us that, while he's very introspective and has a lot of complex, deep emotions, he's still just a teenage boy- and a repressed teenage boy at that. and out of the two of them, Ari is absolutely more "blunt and harsh" than Dante. he never gives himself enough credit and never gives himself the opportunity to be anything else, and you absolutely see that in the way his words are written. its simple and quick and a lot of surface level description and dialogue and it makes sense for him.

even his deeper, complex thoughts are very straight and to-the-point. he they're so nonchalant and are often very small parts of the chapter, or even the sentence, yet they hit the hardest. they have the biggest impact. his words aren't incredibly descriptive yet they tell us everything we need to know. they tell us about how he's feeling, they tell us about all of the confusion and anger and numbness brewing inside, they tell us how deeply he cares for Dante without ever realizing it himself.

it makes me wonder how different the book would have been if it were written from Dante's point of view. Dante is so much more sure of himself; he’s more confident, he's more outspoken, he's softer, he romanticizes more, he likes the finer details within conversations. Dante's point of view wouldn't be nearly as blunt and harsh. Dante would be soft and loving and we would know so much sooner that he loves Ari.