i find it shocking that bikke's "shinkuu yuusetsu" is not talked about more. it's essentially a sentinel/guideverse story that predates the more mainstream trope by almost ten years, and asks a lot of interesting questions about the nature of intimacy and partnership

also rereading that second chapter (orso e intellettuale) makes me feel like, "ah, this is yakkuk's family tree" even though i have no reason to believe that's true. it's just that their writing/pacing feel like kindred spirits.