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aha-chuu · 1 year

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So many Kavetham thoughts

I wanted to discuss Alhaitham and Kaveh’s canonical relationship now that we know all of Kaveh’s character stories and voicelines. I will not be going into event or quest leaks since I have not seen them, so rest assured this is just the information from Kaveh’s profile.

Short summary: Alhaitham is two years Kaveh’s junior, and Kaveh befriended him out of curiosty, since so many people had a low opinion of him. Kaveh himself described Alhaitham as his “best friend” at this time, and when they met it was when Kaveh had just started living on his own for the first time (an arrangement he very much disliked, thinking of home as a “cold and lonely” place). They end up working on a project together along with several other scholars, but all but them gradually drop off as they cannot keep up with Alhaitham and Kaveh’s overwhelming intellect.

Kaveh attempts to help his peers, stretching himself very thin and burning out as he takes up their workload so that they do not fall behind. It actually reminds me of Alhaitham’s story quest, where the scholar doing all the work behind the scenes is unappreciated and eventually hits a breaking point, taking his own life. Before Kaveh can get to such a point, Alhaitham confronts him:

“ Kaveh maintained that Alhaitham was too much of an egoist, that he could be much better welcomed amongst people if he would just care about helping out more often. Alhaitham for his part pointed out that Kaveh's impractical idealism was just a flight from reality, and that it would come to be a burden on his existence someday, and the source of Kaveh's altruism was naught but his inescapable sense of guilt. “

And this is the beginning of the end. Alhaitham uncovers the reality that Kaveh’s altruism is not born of his selflessness, but instead out of guilt for feeling that he cannot inconvenience others the way he encourages others to inconvenience him. It is a cutting and blunt remark from Alhaitham, one that Kaveh cannot cope with:

“ Kaveh felt cut to the quick by someone who was his best friend. Alhaitham had seen through the reality that he had never been able to face, causing him to feel reality's bite for the first time “

And some people have pointed to this as the reason their relationship fell apart, that Alhaitham’s words were simply too severe and he ignored how they would make Kaveh feel. While it is true that Alhaitham does bluntly hurt Kaveh's feelings here, it took two people to split them apart - Kaveh's response is:

" Kaveh steadfastly declares that he regretted making friends with this all-too-intelligent person. The two parted ways in a single stroke. Alhaitham would remove his name from that thesis, while Kaveh would rip his copy of the thesis apart in a fury — only to put it back together with deep regret. He sensed that he would not be able to change his friend, with the reverse also being true. "

The nail in the coffin wasn't Alhaitham forcing Kaveh to face the reality of his life, but instead that was the catalyst for Kaveh declaring that he regretted his and Alhaitham's friendship. Considering Kaveh is Alhaitham's only friend (or at least, the friend through which he met all his other friends), I can only imagine how that would have felt. And ofc Alhaitham is an exceedingly rational person, but he does have feelings.

I thought that in their current relationship, Alhaitham had let go of most of his anger and Kaveh was the one still caught up in the past. After all, Alhaitham often seems teasing in his jabs, where Kaveh sounds more genuine. While this does still seem true to an extent, Alhaitham's line "where were you when Sumeru needed you most?" feels worse now we know that Kaveh was the one to renounce their friendship. They both were "abandoned" in a sense by all the people closest to them, but while that made Alhaitham reserved and self-reflective it made Kaveh cling on to those around him to avoid looking inward at himself.

And Alhaitham removing his name from the thesis, reflective of a clean break. Kaveh, on the other hand, tears it to shreds - he's spiralling, angry and guilty, but he also can't face the truths that Alhaitham exposed to him. It's important, imo, that Kaveh then repairs the thesis. I take that as an implication that he wants to repair their relationship, he just does not know how to.

This can also be seen in Kaveh’s voiceline ‘About Alhaitham - It’s Complicated’:

“ Alhaitham helped me out a fair amount recently. If we were still as close as we were during our student days, then I'd be thanking him every chance I got. Now, though... I can't seem get a word of appreciation out of my mouth. Even if I could, I wouldn't want to give him the satisfaction. I guess you could say our relationship is something of a mixed bag these days? Honestly, with everything that's happened, it almost feels like the universe has been playing pranks on us... It's hard to make sense of it all... too much to process for one lifetime. I will say that it's not every day that you get to know someone like him — I just wish he could rein in some of the worst excesses of his personality. Okay, yeah, that's never gonna happen. “

I don’t think I can express how closely this links Alhaitham and Kaveh together. It’s not just old friends with differences of opinion; they quite literally make up parts of one another.

The reference to the ‘universe’ is intriguing - while Kaveh is a romanticist who would use this flowery sort of language, in Genshin fate is a thing that plays a huge role. And his confession that it’s too much for a single life time, on top of the fact that their research project was on King Deshret (of whom Kaveh and Alhaitham share qualities)... I am not saying there is a reincarnation situation, but but Genshin often does use characters to reflect their historical figures.

In Alhaitham’s character stories, it’s revealed he considers Kaveh a mirror:

“ Kaveh is a familiar face, similarly lacks familial attachments, and is the polar opposite of [Alhaitham] as a scholar — that is to say, an excellent mirror “

and now Kaveh seems to agree, as this is from the end of his character story 5:

“ Rationality and sensibility, language and architecture, knowledge and human feelings... Things that can never be integrated are what constitute the two sides of the mirror — indeed, of the entire world. “

I made a whole other post about this after Kaveh’s drip marketing, but there’s even more now. One thing I personally find quite relevant is their attitudes towards other people; where Alhaitham is an extraordinarily self-reflective individual, Kaveh obsesses over the lives of others. He speaks about wish to “rein Alhaitham in” and an important part of his arc through his character stories is recognising that: “the most unshakable part of one's past is a friend that will never change”. Alhaitham, on the other hand, obsesses over looking inward at himself, claiming that that’s the reason he enjoys Kaveh living with him.

Why are they so different in this way? Simply put: Kaveh is afraid of looking inward, of self-reflection because of the guilt he’s held onto for so many years. He’s extroverted and personable, he has no issue constructing the fantasy of his life for other people to see him through. But Alhaitham can look past all of that, like Kaveh says he’s the only one who truly knows Alhaitham, Alhaitham is the only person who really understands Kaveh.

But Alhaitham isn’t perfect - he’s so focused on himself because he can’t handle others. He doesn’t understand; he can’t comprehend why Kaveh acts like he does even they he knows him so well, and talks a big game about how emotions and logic combine to create human intention/action, but Alhaitham himself falls short of ever really getting it. To him it’s all a formula to be followed - he can get to the correct answer, but he doesn’t know what to do with it.

Kaveh writes in his journal about the project he and Alhaitham undertook, and it goes as follows:

“ Page 31: Some academic notes and architectural drawings. Postscript: "Our views are aligned, and they are complete." This line has been struck out. "Our views are contradictory, but it is through contradiction that more speculation and philosophy may be born." This line has been retained. Page 42: The cover of a thesis that has been torn up, then put together again. No postscript. “

Between them, there is this push and pull. They are completely alike but then entirely different. I’m not even talking specifically from a shipping point of view, their relationship is based around the idea that they are two necessary parts of one whole. Unironically, they would make excellent dual grand sages.

I’m really glad that Kaveh’s character stories dove into their complexity while not sacrificing Kaveh’s individuality as a character. In fact, Alhaitham talks about Kaveh way more in his voicelines than vice versa - perhaps a sign that Alhaitham is more at peace with their relationship? Kaveh believes that “Alhaitham never did perform a good deed unconditionally“ but in the archon quest, Alhaitham claims that he “does not keep track of favours”.

I think Alhaitham was hurt by Kaveh moreso than Kaveh was hurt by Alhaitham. After all, for Kaveh the painful part was being forced to reconcile with the reality of his life, it just so happens that Alhaitham was the one to reveal it to him. Meanwhile, Kaveh denounced their entire friendship just because Alhaitham told him the truth - that is a conflict based solely in their relationship.

They need to have an open and honest conversation, but Kaveh refuses to trust Alhaitham and Alhaitham never asks the right questions. It’s a genuinely tragic dynamic that could be rectified, if only either of them could do what they always fail to. If Kaveh could self-reflect on his own issues, he might be able to recognise that he’s partially to blame for their woes. If Alhaitham could truly attempt to comprehend Kaveh’s actions past “irrationality”, then he might get out of his own head long enough to wonder about how Kaveh sees him.

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theinnerunderrain · 1 year

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The Soldier, the Poet and the King [Yan! Genshin]

The Soldier is someone who will battle for his principles even if it means becoming coated in blood, sweat, and tears as long as he is victorious and able to obtain his treasured prize, that being you. Due to his ambition and perception that violence is in his horizon, he enters the violent world partly as a result of his own judgments. However, that voyage of violence seems to have been worthwhile when you are at the other end. As you extend your arms for his hug, you appear to be gleaming at him with a brilliant smile, but that appearance is merely a deception played on his mind, a greeting that only fools who are in love cannot see through.

After a long day on the battlefield, when he closes his eyes to drift off to sleep, you are the only image he can see as you are everything he has ever dreamed of. He was aware that it was immoral to want you, to lust after you like such a succubus, and to desire to knead every curve within your figure. He was aware that wanting to embrace you and tainting your innocence with his blood-stained fingers and the souls he took was wicked.

Nonetheless, he was driven by self-interest.

He wouldn't have survived this long if it weren't for you. In a quest to become a closer to you, he toiled so hard for you that he slaughtered and endured several scars from the Gods above. He partially gave up his pride, his family and childhood all just for you.

After all, he is a soldier. He must be brave, no matter what.

Will you not fulfil his one and only wish? To simply love you? Merely to be with you? In light of what he has accomplished, he is not really asking for much.

Don't be selfish now.

Consider those who had to die as a result of your actions. Think the women and children he had to massacre. All the homes he burned down, all the people he slaughtered.

Don't you think it would be a shame to have their sacrifice go to waste? Are they nothing but burnt corpses to you?

You don't want their lives to be wasted like that, do you?

Do you?

The Wanderer, Cyno, Childe, Capitano, Alhaitham, Traveler.

The poet is a serene being who values beauty and lyricism, and in his eyes, you are perhaps the most beautiful person in the world. Curiously delicate and appearing to be reserved for you and you alone, his words would stream from his lips much like roses spewing from water, pure and innocent. The poet would captivate you with one of his many talents, whether it was alchemy or simply simple poetry. Despite the absurd number of warning signs that are flashing in your face, it wouldn't take you long to become infatuated with him since all you can hear are his alluring words and assurances of an eternal union. But keep in mind that not all of what he says is truthful, even a poet is capable of telling lies.

One might even contend that poets are the greatest liars since they are so clever and skilled with language that any falsehood would be easily revealed.

You are his dearest muse, but that does not mean you are exempted from his lies, lies that are meant to protect you from the dangerous world. The poet wants to be able to depict your beauty, whether it be through writing, sketching, or even more nefarious tactics that involves a more scientific means. Even if his experiments of curiosity are a little strange sometimes, don't worry too much.

You are guaranteed to be safe.

Despite being arrogant, he was aware of his capabilities. Even you, who he longed to believe was immortal, knew that people were frail and continually constrained by the bonds of existence.

That's why he is in such a frenzy to acquire as many recollections of you as he can through songs and poems, artwork and literature, as well as by collecting pieces for your hair and dead cells that you left behind within your blankets.

He desired to be continually captivated with you and to retain a fragment of you with him forever.

You are his finest creation, after all.

One that he wants to keep around forever and ever.

Kazuha, Albedo, Dottore, Tighnari, Kaeya.

The King is an individual who feels the gravity of needing to oversee and undertake responsibilities for the entire world, so it is not strange that he feels a sense of obligation to you. He believes he must carry out his obligations and adhere to social demands because they are unavoidable.

Regardless of whether the king aspires to be a poet, he is always restrained by that notion of responsibility. In his heart, the monarch longs to be free to frolic and parade through the streets without the need for a care in the world. His people, his feeling of responsibility, though, bind him.

He felt some freedom and comfort in your presence, and that was enough liberation for him. You gave him the freedom to speak without worrying about being judged or making a mistake. Just by being there, he would lavish you with gold and diamonds, as well as opulent clothing and delectable cuisine.

So, he couldn't comprehend why you would be attempting to escape him.

He didn't understand.

He thought everything went well.

So why are you running?

You must take into consideration that this man was nevertheless a king, a monarch capable of starting war in another country with the snap of his finger, so perhaps it was a mistake for you to assume that he might appear to be a carefree poet in your presence. He was a man who was capable of coldness and savagery, and he could have your head in a matter of hours.

Thus, wouldn't you like to explore a little more with his game?

So do play around with his game a little further won't you? Apologize to him for running, and you will not bear any punishment.

Zhongli, Venti, Pantalone, Ayato, Diluc.

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stray-dog · 1 year

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You can take it, can't you? (Al Haitham x Male!Reader)

A/N: I GOT ALHAITHAM WOOH… I spent a few bucks but we ight. Anyway, now that he’s home, I had the impulsive decision to write smut about him – as a thank you for coming home. I haven’t done the quest and I’ve never actually seen how this man acts besides.. Smut fanfics - not proof read

WC: 1.4K

CW: Slight humiliation, dom/sub undertones, light manhandling, edging/orgasm denial, overstimulation, multiple orgasms, dumbification(?), stomach bulge, blowjob, cum as lube, hair-pulling, pwp, minors dni

“Go on,” Al Haitham encourages, “touch yourself.” You sat there, legs open and naked in front of him – “Aren’t you the slightest bit ashamed?” He whispers seeing how obedient you were. Already reaching for your hardened cock, slowly stroking yourself up and down, one hand holding the base of your cock while the other was focusing on your tip. The Grand Scribe smiles, truly just how shameless were you?

You let out soft groans, barely able to look him in the eyes while he was seated down, observing you from above with a humiliating look in his eyes. You arch your back, sticking your ass out more while you try so hard to let your cock rub against his leg. He scoffs at how helpless you looked, “I haven’t laid a finger on you, yet you’re acting like this?” All hazy with the thought of him just fucking you while he paid little attention to your needs.

Your head laid against his leg, still stroking yourself, your pace quickening when you felt your orgasm coming close. Al Haitham noticed and quickly grabbed a-hold of your hand, a whine escaping from your lips with how harsh his grip was. You couldn’t help but buck your hips at the loss of friction, tugging at your arm to continue jerking yourself off.

Your lips ghost over his clothed cock. He shows no emotion nor interest in your teasing, however his body says otherwise. The growing erection in his pants looked more prominent by the second. Kissing his erection lightly while he threw his head back and releasing your arm, his hand already finding its way to the back of your head, tangling his fingers in your hair.

“You try too hard– to seem uninterested, but your own body says otherwise–”

You comment, feeling his hands move from the back of your head; reaching for your nape before he cuts off your airways. Pulling out his cock from his pants, feeling some relief that his cock is not strained anymore from his pants. Prodding his dick on your mouth, slapping it softly on your tongue when you opened your mouth.

“Since you want to constantly use your mouth, I think I have a better use for it.”

You felt tears building up on the corner of your eyes as Al Haitham slid his whole dick down your throat, the tip already touching the back of your throat. He showed no mercy, ramming his cock in your throat, releasing your neck just to grab on your hair and simultaneously moving his hips and pushing your head down his cock. His hand moved to pinch your nose, you clawed at his thighs, finding it hard to breathe with his cock in your mouth and him pinching your nose, you felt dizzy at the lack of air.

Al Haitham huffs, a grin displayed on his face, noticing the tears that rolled down your cheeks, “Perhaps you’d think twice before getting all smart with me, or maybe you anticipated this?” His hand caressing your cheeks, wiping the tears off before he beckons you to straddle him. Your legs feel strained from your position earlier.

He stands up, holding by your waist while your legs locked around him for support, laying you down on his soft bed, lifting your leg to his shoulder before he rubbed the tip of your dick to collect your pre-cum, rubbing it against your hole, inserting a finger, pressing it in and out before adding another finger, stretching your asshole before he strokes his cock and positioned his dick, teasing the head of his cock in you.

You cried at the stinging pain, twisting your body to find comfort from the pain. Gripping the sheets beneath you, your mouth hung open, drooling on the bed. Al Haitham continues thrusting, his pace unchanging and his cock never pressing – even brushing against your prostate. You were completely on your side, giving Al Haitham an erotic view of your hardened dick, as well as your chest.

He continues to torturously tease your hole, feeling his orgasm come close, The Grand Scribe had finally lost his composure; burying his cock deep in you, finally cumming, his head tossed back at the pleasure he felt. He looks down on you after calming down from his orgasm, scoffing at your pathetic state – all tired when you still haven’t came, not even once.

Your head was buried in one of his pillows, your grip still tight on his sheets. He pities you, changing your position, face down, ass up. You let out a long, tired moan when you felt the familiar feeling of his cock entering you. In contrast to his previous pace, he went slow and deep, but you were a fool to believe he’d go slow just for you.

You felt a sharp pain on your ass, jolting at the pain he gave when his palm landed on your ass. You buried your face deeper onto the pillow, your grip was harder, pulling and tugging at the sheets. You felt his mouth kiss your back, leaving marks on your back. Biting on your shoulder while you let out a muffled cry.

His hand played with your nipple, rolling and tugging on the bud while he continued ramming his cock in your ass. His other hand pulled you by your hair, raising your head up, unable to stop your moans, you bit your lip hard.

“No, no. Keep going– You wanted to be all noisy and a tease right? Keep moaning like the shameless slut you are”

You obeyed once more, tongue lolling out of your mouth while you moaned, eyes rolling to the back of your skull when he relentlessly fucked you stupid. Feeling his cock kiss your deepest parts, his hand keeping your head up while he occasionally tugged at your hair when you stop moaning. Just a bit more, you thought when he pulled out of you.

He sat on the bed, pulling you close, your legs wrapped around his waist. He lifts you up by your ass, his cock still inside you while he slowly descends you down, you scratch his back, burying your face on the crook of his neck, biting down when he harshly drops you down to his full size. He didn’t move, you lazily moved your head to look at him;

“You want to cum?”

He asks mockingly, rubbing circles on your ass, massaging and groping it. He rolls his hips, making you arch your back before you could answer, feeling your body all hot and heavy.

“Do it yourself, I can’t do everything for you.”

He says, rubbing your stomach to where you saw his dick was bulging against. You tried to lift yourself up, looking at your stomach and seeing the bulge disappear and reappear when you hump on his cock. Al Haitham looked at you, kissing and biting on your neck while you continued to reach your orgasm. Fortunately for you, Al Haitham did nothing to stop you from cumming.

Seeing how your dick twitched, he knew you were close. You spurt out strings cum, dripping down from the tip to the base of your cock. He thrusts his cock into you again, causing you to let out a high-pitched moan, throwing yourself onto him and scratching his back, biting his shoulder to prevent you from moaning too loud.

Your body spasms at the overstimulation, jolting ever so slightly whenever he hits that one specific spot you absolutely loved. You were sure you left scratch marks on Al Haitham from how hard you were clawing against his skin. “No more– please, no more–” You begged desperately, feeling too too much pleasure when he started to bite and suck your nipple.

“You can still cum one more time– Ah, you can– take it.”

Kissing your chest and collarbone, feeling his cock twitch in you and his thrusts getting sloppier, you both came, your cum messily shooting up and spreading on your pelvic area. He sits you down on his bed, slowly pulling out of you, making sure you were looking as well.

He watched his cum drip out of you, shame and humiliation finally getting to you when The Grand Scribe towered your body. Yet you were too tired to do anything, his feather-light touches still making you jolt from your climax, he rubs your stomach up and down, finding it cute how even if he wasn't in you; you were still sensitive and under his control.

#al haitam x reader #al haitham x male reader #genshin smut #al haitham #alhaitham genshin #genshin fanfic #genshin x male reader #al haitham smut

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venticuliao · 1 year

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The power of words in haitham’s quest

So basically they take down a cult that wanted to cancel alhaitham, examination of figures of power within a community, plus a minor trolley problem.

I think the quest was very straight forward, at least fresh out of it I don’t have much to analyze lol it did its job of pointing out who haitham isn’t, instead of displaying who he is. It showed a negation of the truth to highlight how incongruent with reality it is (something like sarcasm), that is to say, they made up a guy who personifies certain assumptions (prejudices, if u will) one might have when encountering a character like alhaitham and they painted him as a fool just so say ‘yeah no that’s not our guy’

From haitham’s story 3:

“...his occasional sarcasm in part reflects his philosophy. Society (or the collective) relies on rules to regulate individuals, and language is one of these regulative tools. Turning a language against its original design serves to challenge unreasonable rules, and one can thus stay out of trouble”

Haitham is a man that understands all too well the human mind as well as the human heart, from an individual to a collective web of interpersonal relationships, which is why he figured out how to take down the hivemind right from the beginning. He says himself that it was thanks to the power of words.

I think haitham speaks directly from experience.

Haitham and kaveh share a language of unspoken affection that hides their true feelings in plain sight. Mostly behind banter and sarcasm.

Words hold power they prefer not to face, so they resort to the safety of negating the truth in a way that doesn’t seek to fool the other, just to maintain the status quo they’ve built (their rules as a collective of two), but that they’re very much aware of and unwilling to change as of now.

#Genshin spoilers #haikaveh #kavetham #only tagging for muting purposes #genshin thoughts

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ac-liveblogs · 1 year

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Alhaitham Quest, ch1

This is a quest where 3/4 of it is irredeemably boring and the last 10 minutes are fantastic. Mysteriously, it’s for the same reason that something similar happened in the Sumeru Archon quest.

Hmm, I wonder what it could be-

I’ll get back to that.

The main thrust of Alhaitham’s quest is this; the Akademiya is stagnating due to the loss of the Sages and the Akasha Terminals, Alhaitham doesn’t want to be Grand Sage anymore, and an old classmate of his wants revenge on him because Alhaitham shut down his project (creating a collective human consciousness) years ago.

Shenanigans ensue.

I don’t think this quest had anything particularly interesting to say about ‘collective consciousness’ or ‘hiveminds’. I have a few trains of thought about what happens in this quest and I apologise in advance for the second one.

1) Wow, Sumeru must really suck

This is like, the second quest where people try to escape the horrors of reality in some esoteric vaguely psychologically horrifying way. Can Nahida maybe work on that?

2) Alhaitham's ‘conflict’ with the Matra (everybody hates(?) Haitham)

There is a minor plot point at the start of Alhaitham’s quest about a minor power struggle he is having with the Matra - Aarav, the main Matra in this quest, is allegedly concerned that Alhaitham might be trying to exert more control over the Matra than his station allows.

We know this because Alhaitham tells us. We skip both the scene where Alhaitham decides to brute force his way onto an investigation he doesn’t have the authority to join, and the actual Matra-side of the investigation because Alhaitham has us hang back while Aarav does the dirty work and explains why we’re not allowed to join him (because he doesn’t want the Matra to think he’s stepping on their toes. Which he is.)

We don’t actually get Alhaitham interacting with Aarav in any meaningful way about this. We barely see any tension or fallout from the Matra’s dislike of the guy.

This entire plot point is immediately dropped once we split up with Aarav - we meet up with the Matra, Cyno in tow, again at the end of the quest when they do some arrests, but the plot point about Alhaitham taking over and resolving an investigation he wasn’t meant to be on is never brought up - not even when, after Alhaitham points out the Matra aren’t under his control, but he gives Cyno orders anyway, and Cyno follows them. And doesn’t even mention Alhaitham stepping into his jurisdiction when he’s not supposed to.

Like, what’s the point of this? Obviously, Alhaitham’s issues with the Matra don’t matter. The fact that he took over their case doesn’t matter. His relationship with Cyno, tragically, doesn’t matter - if any of this did, I’d imagine it would just be easier to have Cyno be there from the start and have him accompany Alhaitham on the case, and the two could bicker about methods or responsibility the whole time. So...

We get to see that Alhaitham is Very Smart for navigating this minor power struggle - by having him explain it to us, not by seeing it ourselves, but we get to know he’s smart for figuring out how to navigate it.

And this is the big one - we get to know that Alhaitham isn’t liked or trusted by the Matra, but we’re shown this information in a way that doesn’t matter. This minor dispute doesn’t affect the plot at all! We just get to know that some guy in the Matra - not even the important guy in the Matra - thinks Alhaitham is shifty.

See, Alhaitham is an intentionally obnoxious character with a terrible personality. We know this, because we have spoken to him and he has waxed pretentious poetic about ~objectivity~ at us, and oh boy do his interactions with Kaveh let us know it.

The main villain of this quest is someone that hates Alhaitham, and has convinced (long story short) a whole lot of other people to hate Alhaitham too. So like, naturally, you’d think - oh, it’s Alhaitham’s awful personality and arrogance that made people dislike him, right? That’s coming to bite him in the ass and he might have to reflect on that?

Lmao

Nope!

Amazingly, he doesn’t get punched in the face for that.

The villain hates Alhaitham for rejecting his research paper, and being Arrogant and Looking Down on Him - really fixating on Alhaitham’s arrogance in doing so. Except Alhaitham monologues about how actually, Alhaitham isn’t arrogant, the villain is just projecting on him, he was actually very objective! It was the villain’s own insecurities that led him to hating Alhaitham, really.

He is apparently correct.

The mob that hates Alhaitham was also wrong to do so, because one member learnt “oh you’re not that bad actually” and spread that with everyone else, who later lament that they didn’t actually know Alhaitham that well and just blindly hated him because they were essentially told to do so.

Instead of it being Alhaitham’s shit personality that burnt him, it was a villain that was projecting his insecurities, and a bunch of people that just didn’t know him that well that were willing to believe he sucked.

TL;DR Alhaitham is a horrible person who is a jerk to others. But not in a way that matters or has consequences despite this being a chapter about people that hate him.*

Cool.

Presumably that’s because uhhh writing that kind of introspection or character growth would be hard. I guess. This is a baffling choice to me. I guess it’s more of the Sumeru-brand of “wake up, Sheeple!” we’ve gotten accustomed to but man is it bizarre to see it like this.

also what happened to him being a “lunatic”. that’s pretty absent in this chapter. he’s actually presented as extremely pragmatic.

*i will get to kaveh later

3) Alhaitham solves a mystery (and it’s very boring)

There is a mystery in this quest, and Alhaitham solved it about 10 seconds after he realised it existed. That is not remotely an exaggeration. He then spends the rest of the quest refusing to explain the mystery and setting up the villain to take a fall later.

Despite the fact that Genshin’s investigation scenes are hilariously bad on the rare occasions they exist (I loved walking about 20 meters with Yelan the expert tracker to find a criminal in today’s Lantern Rite Quest), I think given Alhaitham’s character, that setup is fine on it’s face. It just gets boring when that’s all that’s happening. If you aren’t going to do a real investigation, you would theoretically fill that space up with character interactions where you learn more about Alhaitham or his relationships with others; in typical Genshin fashion, that time is once again about the NPC instead of the player character.

You know what I had a lot of fun doing? Watching Alhaitham and Kaveh bitch at each other in their own home. It was really good writing. IMO those two have an established pattern of the best interpersonal writing Genshin has. And you know what I thought afterwards?

“Wow, wouldn’t that have been so much fun during the actual investigation phase?”

Alhaitham is a boring, obnoxious character when he’s not with Kaveh. That is because Kaveh is the only character the writers are willing to write him having an actual dynamic with, and it has NOT escaped my notice that all of their conversations take place in casual settings where they can easily get into rambling arguments and not, like, anything serious.

Given the nature of their relationship, that’s fine, but given Alhaitham barely had meaningful interactions with any of the rest of the cast in the Archon Quest and Cyno was snubbed in this one... you REALLY start to notice that Alhaitham can be a super fun character, but HYV just isn’t able or willing to write him as one when they also have to balance a plot...! So when shit needs to happen, he’s just a jackass, and no one picks a fight about it, until shit doesn’t need to happen and then Kaveh can get up in his face about it...!

It does read as very amateur, yeah.

4) Kaveh and Alhaitham need to fuck, right. The UST is palpable. Cut that shit with a knife. They’re “secretly”dating except all of Sumeru knows, except they’re not actually dating at all, everyone just assumes they got married YEARS ago but they didn’t. They haven’t. One day. But not yet. I want this sitcom. I need it in my life.

god neither of them have the emotional intelligence for this but I'm pretty sure. Alhaitham knows how he feels.

Kaveh does not.

5) Hey, wouldn’t this have been more fun/interesting if we were using Dottore and his segments to-

#ac plays genshin impact #genshin spoilers

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