i really wish genshin had its playable characters scattered in the overworld or occasionally appear in commissions for fun. itd make the world feel a lot more alive and as if these characters are living in the background even as the player moves on to other nations.
i’ve said it once i’ll say it again. no character trope will ever hit as hard as "i have every reason to hate the world and watch it burn, but i will choose to love instead. every time i will choose to love."
nilou is an incredibly important character in the sumeru aq but ppl sleep on her just because shes a woman and is kind. i know for a fact yall would adore her if she was a man bc she literally repeatedly performs despite it being frowned upon and later fully illegal. 1/5
the genshin fandom’s biggest mistake was taking alhaitham’s deadpan tone and bluntness as seriousness when that mf is actually the silliest goose in teyvat
as annoying as it is that 4ggravate cannot function in the same team comp due to them all being on-field dps units, i also appreciate that fact because it is extremely in character. theyre all opinionated and have strong personalities so it makes sense.
certain alhaitham likers when you tell them he isnt a cool intimidating and suave rich man character (hes a lazy nerd who studied linguistics for crying out loud)
enough with alhaitham being flabbergasted at or insulting kavehs weird questions, i think if kaveh asked if he would still him if he was a worm then alhaitham would deadpan reply “yes” then go into detail abt how they would share a dirt tunnel
kaveh’s love and kindness is not naive or childish or stupid. its resistance against an unkind world, a calculated effort to survive grief and hardship. its done out of the belief that if you show everyone compassion, then someone will perpetuate it. kavehs empathy is his weapon.
i think we as a collective need to make more art of alhaitham being gentle. not even just to kaveh, but to his friends, to the kids in aaru village, to animals that wander sumeru city. lots of good potential there.
the beautiful irony of the akademiyas scribe who knows multiple languages but cannot fully articulate his love so he shows it in his actions… the light of ksharawar who is famous for his creations but affirms his love through words bc actions dont feel like enough…
@fifisillies
YESSS layla in the house of daena, neuvillette in his office at the palais mermonia, venti and diluc at angel’s share!!! itd be really fun!!!
what they dont what you to know is that alhaitham’s ahoge is actually a radar for detecting kaveh’s location within a 100 ft radius. it turns into a heart shape when kaveh approaches.
i think we need more of kaveh and alhaitham both being horrible flirts. alhaitham believes his subtle fond staring is enough to get the message across that hes in love and kaveh thinks his ranting abt socio-economic issues is flirting
i hope alhaitham does get a 2nd story quest bc now that we have the temple of silence, alhaitham and kaveh are bound to be curious abt all the knowledge stored in it. something there might even strike their fancy, and prompt them to work on a new research project together…
the way everything comes in pairs with them, all the ways they’re connected and have redecorated what was once simple housing for research purposes into /their home/.
bunny!kaveh is all well and good but lion!kaveh is rife with potential. its the symbol for his darshan ofc, but theyre also smart, determined and proud creatures, much like him. and theyre pack animals, they thrive when they have community, something kaveh relates to as well.
one of sumeru’s themes is wisdom coming in many forms from people of wildly different backgrounds, and they showcase this well. alhaitham may have been the main formulator of their plan to rescue nahida but it was only possible with the wisdom of everyone involved. 2/5
chat imagine kaveh always making sure to kiss alhaitham before he leaves the house, even if its just a quick peck on the cheek or lips while in a rush, because alhaitham gets pouty if kaveh doesnt
including cyno and dehya and candace and the traveler and ESPECIALLY NILOU. she was KEY for their plan by distracting the guards outside the akademiya by dancing. she performed KNOWING it was illegal and the plan couldve fallen apart had it not been for her courage to do so. 3/5
you ever think about how kaveh needs mourning flowers to ascend, flowers that bloom in former sites of grief, war, and bloodshed. and how kaveh himself blooms despite his misfortune and grief, actively chooses to live in the face of an unforgiving and cruel world.
a favorite phenomenon of sorts that has occurred in the hkvthm fandom is that akademiya era kaveh is almost always portrayed with longer hair specifically styled in a side braid
she is kind and caring and humble but also fearless and willing to fight for what she loves and believes in, which is the power art holds. art beckons community, and community beckons change. she persistently performed at the theater bc she knew how important it was to ppl, 4/5
and how important it was to fight against the akademiya who continuously devalued and shamed artists. nilou is an essential character bc she symbolizes resistance and the power of art. she is just as wise and intelligent as other characters, but she is still undervalued. 5/5
ill always be a romantic poet alhaitham truther. he describes kaveh reverently, like a divine being has graced teyvat. even after their fallout alhaitham cant help but continue to write about how the light of kshahrewar’s touch haunts his dreams. when kaveh moves in, alhaithams +
thinkin abt how as alhaitham gets older, in his 30s-40s maybe, he’d probably be less active fitness wise (especially if he has kids) and get a little chubby… he’s still strong, but his abs become less defined, his arms less toned. in love with that concept.
something i love about haikaveh is how mundane it is. their important scenes are mostly just conversations between them, with newer ones being more civil and lighthearted to show that their bond has grown. theyre shown most often to us in secret, intimate scenes because their +
anyway my two cents on the “is alhaitham a loser?” debate is that you reach peak enlightenment and understanding of alhaitham’s character once you realize hes not some mysterious hot guy from a kdrama and is just a goth nerd who likes philosophy and his husband
kaveh and alhaitham being people who get more honest when drunk but for kaveh it just makes him looser and be more like /himself/, whereas for alhaitham he doesnt think as much when drunk, doesnt keep himself in line and thus is more willingly affectionate or blurts out stuff.
also a little detail i love about cyno’s sq is candace and dehya’s internal dialogue when you use nahida’s skill. candace praying for the trio, and dehya wishing them safe travels is really sweet, and shows how much of a family the sumeru cast is.
“stop analyzing media so intensely, its not that deep lmao” thats how they fucking GET YOU. ppl that dont want you to question things and search for deeper meaning are the bane of humanity’s existence. it is so important to analyze, question, critique, learn, and understand.
on a pedestal of my haikaveh roman empire will stand the fact that alhaitham didn’t wield just one weapon of makhaira’s lover but of two. how can you be this devoted…
alhaitham: generally stoic, non judgmental, minds his own business, has a job that lets him live comfortably without doing much work, only teases ppl he’s close with, grandma’s boy, curious but respects logical rules, etc.
some of yall: omg hot daddy
thinking about alhaitham getting sick with a mild cold and being overdramatic and pouty about it just because he wants an excuse for kaveh to dote on him...
tighnari really is peak character. forest watcher, transgender, has an autistic wife that is down bad for nari like his life depends on it, hates the government and ppl who abuse power, survived a life threatening lightning strike with a cool scar to boot. what more could u want?
@nem0ys_
related to this, another flaw which i think can be missed since it’s often emphasized how calculating he is, but alhaitham is also incredibly impulsive. that and pettiness is a dangerous combination but is an interesting flaw for a man who, to most people, is stoic & strategic