…bro. the brothers karamazov parallels in infinite jest. it all makes sense. a dead patriarch whose legacy clings like an unremovable bloodstain over the family. tennis as the fatal hereditary vice. orin/dmitri involved in a dubious love triangle with a woman and his own father. hal/ivan as the brilliant one who eventually becomes insane. and good, pure mario/alyosha, often overlooked/underestimated by others
Relationships that have real king/lionheart energy, that whole “I have sworn myself wholly to you, I am your sword arm, I am your dog” to someone else’s “you are the one person in this world I can rely on, and I am both bolstered and burdened by your absolute faith in me” vibe, but it’s in circumstances that are like. so low stakes. Manager of a movie theater/the one usher who doesn’t smoke weed at work.