Ari Parata

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## Phillip Parata

</aside>**Ariki Parata** known in their female form as **Ariana** and sometimes as **Ari** is one of the nine main protagonists in Until Dawn.

## Appearance

Ari is a young Maori teenager man with short black hair and brown eyes.

Ari always wears a reversible red and blue bracelet on their wrist, the orientation of which displays his gender (blue for male, red for female). Notably, during the final interview, they is not wearing it for the first time and is turning it over in their hands, flicking it from one colour to another.

## Until Dawn

### Biography

Ari is the new Academic Prefect for Holy Mary College, a surprise appointment for many who pegged them as a future All Black. With a gift for maths and statistics and the support of a loving family behind him, Ari has their eyes set on a bright future. This isn't the only surprise Ari has in store, however. With their closeted genderfluidity, there's far more to this gentle giant than meets the eye.

In a perfect world, this future would involve their new girlfriend, Kyra. The two have had a rocky start, but there's nobody either trusts more on this earth, even if their relationship could be described as being a little one-way.

#### Chapter 1

Ariki is male during this chapter. He and Kyra are some of the last people to arrive at the lodge, apparently, after Jacob but before Harper. It is noted that last October, Kyra had asked him out, and the two had been delighted when they were both made prefects. Ariki is primarily concerned with ensuring Kyra feels safe and is helping her carry her bags to the lodge when Jacob jumps out at them. Ariki is civil and appears to reach an uneasy truth with his girlfriend's brother, though he is still disheartened by Jacob's disdain for him. After Jacob leaves, Kyra tells him that she needs to go back to Margarita, and while Ariki doesn't like the idea, he agrees. He notes as he is walking away from her that he understands she feels she has to prove her own confidence and respects this about her.

He runs into Kiri at the top of the path, scaring her through the binoculars. Kiri stops him from looking through the binoculars, and they walk to the lodge together.

#### Interviews

* After being rescued and taken into a police department for questioning, they will talk about how powerless they felt about it all despite trying their best to protect everyone.
* Ari will also be mentioned by Kyra. She will ask the interviewer if they're "done looking at him" and if they know that she's "devoted to him".
* When Keiko and Isabelle are mentioned, Ari will be shocked, and will ask how Kyra reacted to the news, and what Isabelle had said about her.
* This is the only time throughout the book that Ari is referred to with the "they" pronoun, indicating that he has an unclear gender identity at this point.

## Killed Victims

* Ari does not kill anyone during the course of the book

## Relationships

### Keiko

Not much is known about Keiko and Phillip's relationship. It is initially unclear if they were aware of each other's existence before the incidents of a year ago. They, along with Harper, are the only two characters not to be made aware of Keiko's survival until the Interview.

### Isabelle

> "*So why did he still feel like he was encroaching on someone else’s territory?*"
> ― Ariki considering his relationship with Isabelle
>
>

Ari has a healthy respect for Isabelle, largely stemming from their concerns over dating her ex. They have concerns that they are violating the relationship, despite knowing that the girls had a rocky relationship even before Isabelle's disappearance. Their respect for her also likely stems from knowledge of her as an Academic Prefect.

When they find out she is alive in the Interview, they are shocked and expresses relief. However, their first concern is the nature of her relationship with Venus, showing that the latter is truly their priority.

### Venus

Ari is incredibly close with Kyra and appears to truly love her. They appear to be almost solely concerned with ensuring she enjoys the trip and doesn't feel threatened by her brother or anyone who believes she doesn't have a right to be there. They find her overbearing nature endearing and are aware of the fact that it stems from her insecurities. She, in turn, is the only person present at the lodge who knows about Ari genderfluidity, calling him "Ari" in front of their friends while they are female, and "Ariana" when they are in private. She also has helped normalise "Ari" as a nickname for them, as being gender-neutral it can help with their dysphoria and relieve the frustration of been called a male name when they are female.

Ari also respects Kyra enough to trust her to walk back to talk to Margarita alone. Though they express concerns for their safety, they acknowledge her independence, something that Kyra appreciates. Nevertheless, Ari is still protective, lashing out at Harper when they feel she is threatening their girlfriend.

### Asher

Phillip and Asher have a hostile relationship, largely because Asher is unhappy with Phillip dating his sister. Initially, it is unclear as to the reason why Asher disapproves, and Phillip themselves is confused, noting that from Asher's perspective the relationship was a far simpler one than Venus and Isabelle's. Phillip becomes angry at Asher's attempts to guilt them into disagreeing with Venus, though they later expresses doubt and it is implied Phillip wants them to be friends. After seeing Asher and Venus hugging through the binoculars, Phillip becomes visibly agitated.

### Sherry

Though Sherry and Phillip do not interact often, they appear to be relatively close. She is seemingly ok with Phillip scaring her, though still shaken, and they are genuinely upset with the idea that he may have gone too far with the joke. Sherry also expresses genuine concern when he becomes upset after seeing Venus and Asher together, and is surprised by what appears to be an uncharacteristically hostile reaction.

Phillip also notably avoids the use of the words "man," or "bro," when referring to Sherry, something other characters are less concerned with.

### Eli

Eli and Phillip do not interact much at all. It is implied that their relationship is tarnished due to either Sherry discussing Eli's antics with Phillip, earning their disapproval, and/or Eli's jealousy over Phillip's succession to Academic Prefect, a role he'd wanted in order to be closer to the spirit of Isabelle.

## Trivia

* Their dream job is to be a team statistician for the All Blacks.
* They were voted most likely to be an All Black.
* In ten years, they see themselves married with kids and with a great network of friends.
* They love statistics and hates people who assume they're only good at sport.
* Phillip's favorite quote is by Riche McCaw: *I don't believe in magic, I believe in hard work"*
* Phillip is the only closeted member of the LGBTQIA+ Community out of the protagonists, with only Venus being aware of their genderfluidity.
* Though male-presenting for the sake of remaining closeted, Phillip's gender changes on five occasions throughout the book. (male to female, female to male, male to female, female to male, and male to unclear)

## Phillip Parata

### Relatives

Julianna Parata (Elder sister)Thomas Parata (Younger brother)John Parata (Younger brother)

## Physical description

### Eye color

Dark brown

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