Every time someone's cubito walks into the house of a person who's offline I picture the house owner just... in bed sleeping while the intruder does whatever they're up to. Badboyhalo walked past a sleeping Roier and Cellbit to get to Mouse's room, also sleeping, and proceeded to place his prank in a comically loud manner without ever waking any of them.
When everyone is just hanging out in Cellbit's castle and he's not there? Yeah, he's just been upstairs sleeping the whole time. Sometimes they do go check on him to make sure he's still breathing, y'know just in case.
Mandatory rant about kaveh’s 2023 birthday letter incoming!!
Kaveh and Alhaitham’s birthday message subject lines are seen to mirror the other through their usage of punctuation, as Alhaitham’s subject line reads as: “…” as opposed to Kaveh’s: ‘!!!’.
A sense of familiarity evoked in their current living situation emanates from these mirrorings and within this message. Kaveh writes about him bringing coffee beans “home” in order to try, and then follows this with: “we compared the taste of each, we decided that this was the best”. Through Kaveh’s explicit usage of the word “home”, it is evident that the “we” refers to him and Alhaitham. This description establishes a sense of domesticity, only to be achieved in a mutually agreed ‘home’ as opposed to a ‘house’.
It is relevant to reference Kaveh’s understanding of “home”, as in a place in which words are not necessary and link it to the idea of companionship being more important than understanding. The latter idea consists of supporting a person, regardless of the ability to empathise with and relate to their particular struggles, should be valued over attempting to be understood by people who are not willing to listen in order to understand - established by Kaveh’s mother within his hangout.
In this, Alhaitham is offered as a companion to Kaveh, where he cannot empathise with Kaveh’s artistic and idealistic struggles, but he is willing to listen to him over offering empty words which cannot solve Kaveh’s particular problems.
Kaveh’s understanding of “home” as a place in which people are at ease with each other and support another regardless, can be seen within his relationship with Alhaitham.
Kaveh and Alhaitham split the chores according to Alhaitham’s character stories; they both make attempts to decorate the house; presumably they eat dinner together, according to Alhaitham’s Story Quest where he excuses himself in order to have dinner, only to talk to Kaveh; the two can be seen to share a study; when ordering out, Kaveh orders extra for Alhaitham – a common enough occurrence for Alhaitham to be confident in relying on this; and for Kaveh’s birthday they try coffee beans together to determine the best ones to send onto Kaveh’s friends - Kaveh’s close friends who are also Alhaitham’s.
Rather than the “cold” and “lonely” house which Kaveh was left with after the passing of his father and departure of his mother, this conjures the image of warmth and familiarity. In this, it can be inferred that the two have created a home together.
(Update: For more analyses like this, the essay this is taken from is now uploaded! It can be accessed here and here as as a pdf <3)
KAEYA LORE FROM THE KAEYA HANGOUT with some theories
Spoilers below!
It's a long one so get ready!
First of, let me mention the fact that the EN team surprisingly changed the dialogue post release of the Caribert quest.
The original dialogue (still the one in the genshin wiki) merely implies that the main goal of his father was to give him a happier life.
In my recent playthrough of the quest, however, they have now changed the dialogue into something more concerning. The way this was phrased, the happier life is not the main concern, but is instead to keep Kaeya alive. Was there a threat to his life? How unsafe must it have been to have his father leave him in a distant nation?
Ok, but then so what right?
They then hit us with the Kaeya hangout, and 2 certain routes that are very telling. The play ending and the Venti ending.
For the one with the play, we are introduced to a certain play called The Tale of Prince Qubad. It is a story about a war-hungry father doubting his son and putting him to trial by having his son walk thru raging fire. The prince is unscathed, proving his innocence, however, his father is still doubtful. He sends his son to the battlefield.
A quick search to the name Qubad will lead you to a book of poems called "Shahnameh", a pre-Islamic Persian book that translates to "Epic of Persian Kings".
What are the contents, you may ask? Fascinatingly enough, certain topics of the book includes talks of royal lineage, how their choices affect their people, and primarily, fathers and sons with fathers making mistakes.
I skimmed thru some summaries and found out that Prince Qubad is actually a King in the book. One who surprisingly trusted his son when the prince mentioned of a betrayal and coup against him. His reign continued.
(The book of poems also has a character named Rostam who arguably has the most popular story from the book)
Like the play we see in the game, the Shahnameh also pits fathers and sons against each other, most of the time ending in tragedy. It seems like its a cycle that plans on repeating.
Must it be so?
Prince Qubad decides to go against his fate. He decides to live in a distant land to maintain peace. His tutor, the one who he truly thinks of as a father, wishes him well.
This choice of the prince is what maintains peace, preventing unnecessary bloodshed and suffering, including a full eradication of their supposed enemies.
This brings several questions and theories?
Who is who in this story? Who is the enemy faction? Is this about Celestia vs. Khaenri'ah? This specific dialogue is for sure talking about the effects of it (with both the Fatui and Abyss Order gunning for a fight with Celestia)
Was this about Kaeya? Left in a foreign land by his tutor rather than his biological father? Is Kaeya's biological father perhaps the true threat to his own life then? (Damn, imagine losing 3 fathers. Spiderman-core). Is this why he mentions that Kaeya is their only hope? To prevent another devastating war?
Was him being left in Mondstadt a means to continue the peace in Teyvat? So should Kaeya return to Khaenri'ah...
Or perhaps this is this his father's story in a sense that it was King Qubad in the book who for once changed fate and trusted his own son? Was he on the run from the clan, fully against their choices and opinions, to save Kaeya from said fate? This could also explain why Kaeya is cut off from certain things and how Dainsleif is not familiar with him.
All in all, I can at least be certain that Kaeya wishes to challenge his fate. It's as if he knows how things will end and is repeatedly lamenting on the idea of "is this really his fate?" " can he change it?" and "can he leave the narrative?". He is literally wondering if there is a way to escape a horrid fate and maintain the peace. That is his true wish in all of this, because at the end of the day, Kaeya wants everyone to make it to the end.
Before moving on, this part is curious to me... is he implying that Celestia is making the people of Teyvat play a role into things? Criticizing the script everyone has been given and wanting everyone to go against it? He is asking people to wake up... and when the traveller questions his thoughts, he immediately backtracks.
Now to connect this with the Venti ending
I think we can all agree that both Kaeya and Venti know of each other. It was absolutely hilarious to see the way they talk to each other like "I know that you know that I know that you know-" (reminiscent of the time Venti went to Liyue and just started the very same type of dialogue with Zhongli lmao)
Kaeya seems to want to remove himself from the narrative, "leave the stage" you could say, once his role to things is done. He does the same thing after the play, running off once the people who wished to talk to him put their eyes off of him. He chooses to move away to the background and simply watch the seeds of his efforts bloom from a distance. Does he think he does not deserve to be part of it then? ( Did he not do the same for when he prepared for Jean's party? Sitting alone in the tavern rather than mingle with others by the end? And how he nearly left Dawn Winery after being invited for dinner? He keeps wanting to leave...) Venti criticizes him on this. Venti wants both Kaeya and the traveler to see the ending.
And then Venti proceeds to gift Kaeya with a poem (the same way Kaeya and Venti seem to converse with each other for most of the time... more poems huh? It seems we have a perchance for poetry when it comes to Kaeya)
What an interesting poem. If i were to interpret this, I would say that he is talking about how Kaeya was left with a cruel fate and given a life full of trials and hardships, and yet Kaeya strives forward despite it all. Kaeya's troubles are unheard to many, but Kaeya also has his eyes facing forward, onwards to a brighter future that he strives for.
Clearly Kaeya wants to see the ending too, whether he thinks he deserves it or not. Kaeya keeps deciding to bring himself out of endings every single time, but the people around him thankfully bring him back and want him there.
Venti will want Kaeya to come back home by the end of everything. How's that for a poetic ending, hmm??
I wish i had more patience with myself, my brain feels like its in overdrive trying to figure out how to sort all the little silly ideas i have. As for now though i finished the diner’s staff designs!
Introducing Poppy and Howdy, the two owners of Poppy’s Diner! (Or just called “Poppy’s”!)
(rambles below! beware!)
I like to think originally Poppy had owned the diner by herself, and that Howdy had a little juice bar/smoothie place somewhere nearby! The two were friends long before they had started each of their own businesses, so Poppy suggested to merge!
(it would also be nice to have a friend around, especially when she gets anxious with any appliances!) Poppy’s diner was probably a bit small, but with the money and popularity of Howdy’s juice bar, she got a considerable upgrade!
(i will draw the diner at a later date! promise!)
the diner now has a space where Howdy’s bar resides, he usually stays behind the counter there, serving drinks or milkshakes or whatever you fancy! He’s your guy! (I like to think he does deserts as well, haha!) Poppy handles the food side of things, so they both work together to serve their patrons with quality food and service!
Rainy’s here too! (admittedly, i’m not very proud of this design, but i tried! but this design may change in the future- or it may not, who knows, it may grow on me!)
Rainy’s a waiter! and their only one! He works very hard to make sure he has everyone’s orders written down and ready to be served! He’s still a daydreamer by heart, and can zone out of a conversation if it goes on for too long, he tries to make up for it though! He can be very attentive when he wants to be!
I imagine he had came later into the staff once Poppy & Howdy became owners together. Not sure how he got the job, maybe he knew Howdy when he ran a juice bar solo? Who knows! It’s up in the air!
For some reason, these three hold a little special place in my heart, they’re like a little trio! Ready to smother you in food if you so desire!
Akechi seems particularly intrigued by a certain gift you can give to him...
These are all reactions from Goro Akechi for all the gifts you can give to him (of course, he has special reactions towards a particular taste of his gift preferences 😏)
But... like the other guys you can give gifts to (except Yusuke because he’s special), he’s still not fond of giving him a Heart Ring 💍
🇬🇧 Louis was missing a taste of home. It seems Louis was back at Olde Ye Kings Head again in Santa Monica when he took the pic with the fan today (17 May 2023) x
They also have framed pics of Louis and staff in the restaurant from that time we knew he was there ❤️ via @ bottledchaos28 x
Guess who got back into playing genshin y'all!!!! Did the cat event, big fan of that!! Drew this based on how Mona absolutely jumpscared me when I was petting this cat (image under the see more part alone with version with cat face!!)
(This is a reworked excerpt taken from my Haikaveh essay! If you're interested you can check it out here or as a pdf <3)
Family is an important theme, particularly in regard to Kaveh, as the reason for his guilt is based upon his belief that he destroyed his own family. For Kaveh, family – home – is a place in which “words [are] not necessary” since companionship is valued above all:
Family is also important for Alhaitham, however, as there is a particular focus on the relationship between him and his late grandmother within his character stories, as her influence over him incentivised him to pursue the “peaceful” way of life he seeks to maintain:
After the death of his grandmother, Alhaitham lived alone and attended the Akademiya, just as Kaveh did as his mother left for Fontaine after his enrolment. Kaveh’s loss of family leads directly into him meeting Alhaitham. This establishes a direct correlation between Alhaitham and family, indicating that Alhaitham filled a role recently lacking in Kaveh’s life. This is relevant to Alhaitham, as he had enrolled in the Akademiya after the passing of his grandmother, meaning that, similar to Kaveh, he, too, had no family.
The idea of found family, as in, a tightly knit support network built with mutual sentiment between unrelated people, is introduced in Sumeru as the joint-thesis. Academic family is highly valued amongst scholars and comes into fruition through the working together on projects. This can be observed within the dynamic between Tighnari, Cyno, and Collei, as during the Windblume event, they describe themselves as a family formed outside of academia, even assigning themselves titles akin to a real biological family.
Alhaitham and Kaveh then established this found family in each other upon working together on a joint thesis, although additional scholars initially worked with them before dropping out. Their argument culminated in Kaveh ripping up their thesis, which effectively ended their friendship, and familial bond, made mutual by Alhaitham removing his name from the project. Kaveh, however, is described to have pieced the thesis cover back together with “deep regret”, and placed it in his old sketchbook.
In this, Kaveh regrets the loss of his connection with Alhaitham, and the family that their joint thesis established. Although he has pieced together the thesis cover, their family remains severed as reconciliation is perceived as implausible due to their differences:
Most notably, it is the building which serves as Alhaitham’s house which is crucial to the motif of home. Due to their combined efforts in their joint thesis, the Akademiya gifted the two a research centre, as the results of their thesis had significant impact despite not being completed. When Alhaitham took up the property after graduation, he heard through a third-party, sent by Kaveh, that Kaveh was relinquishing rights of the property due to him not being in need of a house. It was after this that Alhaitham invested in the property, converting it into a house, where he took up residence, and then invited Kaveh to live with him, after the two met in the tavern. Although it is understood to be Alhaitham’s property, since Kaveh relinquished his right to it, Alhaitham considers Kaveh to be his “roommate” rather than a tenant, despite Kaveh paying rent.
Kaveh and Alhaitham split the chores according to Alhaitham’s Character Story, although they mostly fall to Kaveh; they both make attempts to decorate the house; presumably they eat dinner together, according to Alhaitham’s Story Quest where he excuses himself in order to have dinner, only to talk to Kaveh; the two can be seen to share a study; when ordering out, Kaveh orders extra for Alhaitham – a common enough occurrence for Alhaitham to be confident in relying on this. Rather than “cold” and “lonely” this conjures the image of warmth and familiarity. In this, it can be inferred that the two have created a home together.
Referring back to Kaveh’s understanding of “home”, as in a place in which words are not necessary, and linking it to the idea of companionship being more important than understanding introduced in his hangout. The latter idea consists of supporting a person, regardless of the ability to empathise with and relate to their particular struggles, should be valued over attempting to be wholly understood by people who are not willing to listen.
In this, Alhaitham is offered as a companion to Kaveh, where he cannot empathise with Kaveh’s artistic and idealistic struggles, but he is willing to listen to him, rather than offering words which cannot solve Kaveh’s particular problems.
By Kaveh’s understanding of “home” as a place in which people are at ease with each other and support another regardless, this can be seen within his relationship with Alhaitham. As Kaveh has pieced together their ripped up thesis cover with “deep regret” of what it symbolises, the severance of his and Alhaitham’s relationship, Alhaitham inviting Kaveh to live with him serves as mirroring actions of reconciliation.
Kaveh's idea of 'home' in encapsulated in both the building and the company Alhaitham provides. The building that had initially served as a physical representation of their severed harmony of ideals, aborted friendship and dissolved found family, has been transformed into a house, and now a home for the two to share.