#and by association that makes kaveh even more interesting

[raazberry]

oh my god canon disproved me with something even more gay

[intogenshin]

Why Alhaitham says Kaveh is his mirror

Alhaitham calls Kaveh his mirror because they’re based on the two outstanding traits of the same character from ayn rand’s rancid novel The Fountainhead.

Less like a homage and more like a challenge against the themes in the novel itself, though.

The Fountainhead’s protagonist, Howard Roark, is an intransigent young architect who battles against conventional standards and refuses to compromise with an architectural establishment unwilling to accept innovation.

This Kaveh in a nutshell.

Roark embodies what the author believed to be the ideal man, and his struggles reflect her belief that individualism is superior to collectivism.

Not quite Haitham but individualism is there.

The author of the novel is a rather controversial figure both in philosophy and politics. She’s the founder of objectivism and a capitalism worshiper that started preaching her beliefs right before the Cold War began to take form.

Nowadays you’ll only find libertarian incels who like her work.

(I wish I could be objective to her objectivism but those beliefs are what supported the USA’s imperialist foreign policies that destroyed my country in irreparable ways, so I can’t extend any kindness to her work)

But like I said, I don’t think Hoyo took her work seriously either. It’s more like addressing certain points from this novel and developing them in actually compelling ways, while also refuting some of them through Alhaitham and Kaveh.

Rand believed individualism to be the only means to achieve true freedom against concepts like collectivism, which she describes as sacrificing one’s own freedom to prioritize that of others. Unsurprisingly, she was also very anti Socialism.

She held the usual belief that Communism/Socialism was precisely about taking away a person’s individuality like a regular US person living in a bubble of propaganda, which is reflected on the novel’s plot of mob mentality.

Ellsworth M. Toohey, who writes a popular architecture column in the Banner, is an outspoken socialist who shapes public opinion through his column and a circle of influential associates. Toohey sets out to destroy Roark through a smear campaign.

Genshin addresses this through Alhaitham’s story quest, The Illusions of the Mob, making a far more interesting, compelling and smarter case based on this theme with the concept of the Hivemind, or the “collective consciousness” as they call it.

The novel revolves around its mary-suish character’s misunderstood genius, who falls victim of the smear campaign.

Everyone turns against him, even the woman he‘s in a situationship with, who gives up her own personal will and joins the mob against him out of resignation.

Dominique decides that since she cannot have the world she wants, in which men like Roark are recognized for their greatness, she will live entirely in the world she has, which shuns Roark and praises Keating. She marries Keating and turns herself over to him, doing and saying whatever he wants, and actively persuading potential clients to hire him instead of Roark.

There’s other characters who betray Roark (and their own principles) to follow the mob bc of outside pressure, which parallels the plot of Illusions of the Mob, where Siraj recruits multiple people who feel isolated to join his Hivemind - with the goal of getting rid of Alhaitham.

Rand’s argument stems from her anti socialist views, but it does make a point about “collectivism��� hindering personal freedom and taking away individual identity.

But as Alhaitham himself puts it tho, this concept of collective was flawed from the start. It’s not real collectivism.

Collectivism has already been addressed by Genshin’s narrative at this point through Nilou’s character and the Grand Bazaar, where the community functions by helping each other when they’re in need.

(I have this post that goes it)

So by contrast the collective consciousness is not what Genshin accepts as a legitimate example of collectivism.

Even Alhaitham praises the Grand Bazaar at the end of the archon quest:

Ultimately though, I think the biggest own against Rand’s novel is the confrontation at the end of the quest between Siraj and Haitham.

Siraj seeks power and recognition for himself, but unlike the antagonist in the novel he doesn’t hide this fact. His subordinates knew all along he wanted to become a sage, and they weren’t coerced nor fooled into joining, Siraj just took advantage of their situation.

He had nothing to do with the problems those scholars were facing, and his Hivemind offered them what the environment at the Akademiya did not. The scholars willingly chose this alternative.

Toohey is Roark’s antagonist. He is Rand’s personification of evil —the most active and self aware villain in any of her novels.

Toohey is a socialist, and represents the spirit of collectivism more generally. He styles himself as representative of the will of the masses, but his actual desire is for power over others. He controls individual victims by destroying their sense of self-worth, and seeks broader power (over “the world”, as he declares to Keating in a moment of candor) by promoting the ideas of ethical altruism and a rigorous egalitarianism that treats all people and achievements as equally valuable.

Siraj believes Haitham to be a equal though, someone who has been ostracized by society due to their non conventional ideas, much like Roark in the novel (who btw dynamites a building from a project he was working on bc it didn’t follow his creative vision)

Alhaitham doesn’t care about neither recognition nor acceptance, his freedom comes from placing no value on outsider’s perspectives about him and staying true to himself.

However, this is not a statement of superiority. We get to meet characters like Ilyas who had other constraints besides just being emotionally vulnerable, having a family to support and a career that demands connections. Haitham’s is not an accessible path to everyone.

But, as the Acting Grand Sage, he does take care of the issue to make the working conditions of the Akademiya less suitable for this kind of mob mentality problems. Although the tradition of labeling people as genius and isolating them does persist I guess.

Alhaitham also has his own views challenged during the archon quest, where he finds a collective/team where he does fit (despite the disputes): the desert gang.

It is precisely because their emotions and principles collided that they were able to put together a plan, and why they were able to fool the Akasha so it would stop predicting Cyno’s moves.

Alhaitham is not a character used as an argument against collectivism or having social connections.

He goes on to befriend Cyno, Dehya and Nilou with no problem. The archon quest comes across as a rather significant character development for him.

Now, on to Kaveh:

For Rand and libertarian incels, altruism is about sacrificing yourself for others. And that’s quite the statement, since altruism is just about attending other people’s needs, but that’s precisely what Kaveh’s character is about.

He’s not just an altruistic person, he voluntarily sacrifices himself in order to help others.

And Hoyo makes a point of it being something that affects his life negatively while also acknowledging he’s just going too far in the pursuit of this principle.

Yet Kaveh isn’t just a once dimensional antithesis to Haitham’s individuality. Like Roark in the novel, he embodies the pursuit of artistic innovation and the struggle against established values. Just, y’kno, not in a stupid way like Fountainhead.

As a field that combines art, technology, and business, it allowed [the author] to illustrate her primary themes in multiple areas. Rand later wrote that architects provide “both art and a basic need of man’s survival”. In a speech to a chapter of the American Institute of Architects, Rand drew a connection between architecture and individualism, saying time periods that had improvements in architecture were also those that had more freedom for the individual.

Roark’s modernist approach to architecture is contrasted with that of most of the architects in the novel. In the opening chapter, the dean of the architecture school tells Roark that the best architecture must copy the past rather than innovate and improve. Roark repeatedly loses jobs with architectural firms and commissions from clients because he is unwilling to copy conventional architectural styles. In contrast, Keating’s mimicry of convention brings him top honors in school and an immediate job offer. The same conflict between innovation and tradition is reflected in the career of Roark’s mentor.

In Rand’s views, this is more about praising capitalism, but in Genshin the Akademiya functions as capitalism itself does so Kaveh’s rather fighting the suppression of arts in the professional field against the prioritization of capitalist interests.

Anyway. Yeah. Haitham and Kaveh portray the two main themes depicted thru the protagonist in Rand’s novel, engaging with her philosophical ideas but discrediting her flawed point of view to offer a more interesting and compelling analysis of personal freedom & artistic innovation.

(Of course you can interpret kavetham with a romantic lens or frame thei relationship as romantic on the basis of that line but it most definitely was motivated by this narrative)

[superman--yoosung]

@imjustabeanie thank you so much for reaching out about this matchup exchange, I've had a blast doing this again!!

Your matchup is.................................

ALHAITHAM !!

Among all of those associated with the Akademiya, none are considered as calculatingly cold as the former Acting Grand Sage and his girlfriend. Students and Sages alike tend to tread warily around them both, lest they earn their sharp ire and harsh denouncements.

Of course, among those who consider them their friends, such worries are unreasonable (though not, admittedly, entirely unfounded). If a person is on the receiving end of their criticism, it is most certainly because it is deserved. Nor is the matter of how that criticism is taken either of their problems to deal with. After all, to both Alhaitham and his partner, brutal honesty is not "brutal" - it simply is.

Fun details:

The two of you definitely met because of an overlapping interest in a personal research topic. The fact that it continued to overlap again and again - well. Whether it was intentional or not, neither of you will admit to it one way or another, even under Cyno's line of questioning. (This is partly out of spite, but mostly just to see your friend group's frustration upon failing to get a straight answer out of you.)

Both of you are misunderstood by the majority of Sumeru. Alhaitham is perfectly fine with this. You tend to simply not notice. Whenever Kaveh or another friend brings it to your attention, you both logically remind them that the opinions of your friends matter more than those of complete strangers.

You and Alhaitham will be the death of Kaveh, by the way. There's a distinct lack of care for the fallout of your barbed words - those egos of yours, really! - that he tasks himself with trying to clean up for you afterwards. Maybe one day he'll learn to let it be - in the meantime, you and Alhaitham can amuse yourselves with the many shades of red his face turns.

You both HIGHLY value honesty. Admittedly, Alhaitham acknowledges that truth sometimes "means nothing at all" - but between the two of you, it is one of the greatest tenets of your relationship. It's what makes it truly work so well, your openness to feedback and complaints as they crop up.

Not to say that you don't have your differences. You indulge your friend's bad ideas often enough that Alhaitham is not unused to hearing about the consequences of your own actions, and being entirely unsympathetic to any resulting plight. Meanwhile, you think Alhaitham could stand to live a little more - there is only so much to be learned through words on a page, after all, much as you both enjoy reading. But you respect one another's choices.

You are both not the types to bring your baggage out to air in public. Or private, either, really. Whatever skeletons you each may have in your closets, neither of you will ever try to pry the other's open - that is to say, you'll let them come to you with those things if and when they're ready to share that burden.

Alhaitham can definitely keep pace with your racing mind, managing to follow your leaps of logic and thoughts without you having to explain them often. The two of you value sharing time with one another - most evenings are spent in one another's space, whether it's cuddling as you discuss your days and engage in lively debates or silently sitting on the couch, nudging each other with your feet as you read into the night. Learning for learning's sake is a shared love of yours.

Alhaitham is not the type to be overly physically affectionate, but he shows his feelings through actions and gifts. Dinner, brought home after a late work night; a new book over your shared interest topic, with a brief handwritten note slipped inside the front cover; a new piece of clothing to replace the one mucked up recently by a scuffle with some fungi, in the exact same shade and size as the old one - he gives you things he considers both valuable and practical. (Unfortunately, anything "aesthetic" he gets you will probably be... erm... eclectic. 50/50 whether it'll actually match YOUR aesthetics.)

He likewise values your thoughtful gifts to him. You'll find them proudly on display and scattered around the house, or carefully tucked along the bookshelves near the things he inherited from his grandmother. (The rest will fit in his pockets, somehow, or be incorporated into his daily routine.)

Maybe you're both a bit too harsh, in the eyes of some. Those opinions hold little stock in the grand scheme of things. Certainly, to your boyfriend, they have little meaning to them. Simple pleasures - having fun among friends; slipping a new book into place on your desk and watching the way your eyes light up at the sight of it; opening a present you give him to discover it's just what he's been needing this week; falling asleep and opening his eyes to the sight of you, warm and content beside him - these are the things worth time, worth effort, worth keeping. Those shared, stolen moments between the two of you are the most meaningful of all.

It was honestly a toss-up between Childe and Alhaitham; Childe would match your chaotic energy and enthusiasm for life more than Alhaitham would ever be able to, but he's also deceived people canonically more than Alhaitham has, too. In the end, they would both be excellent matches with you, but I hope you enjoyed this one!

[liminalpsych-in-teyvat]

Genshin character feelings

First off, when I start thinking about Genshin characters, I find myself saying "aaa I love this character" about almost all of them. Which is a rarity for me! I tried making a "favorite characters" list and it was too long, so I'm going to divide it up into categories instead.

Characters I resonate with

Either I relate to these characters personally, or they're characters I'd absolutely play in a live action roleplaying game because they fit the archetypes I like to play.

Alhaitham: His pursuit of knowledge and seeking deeper understanding of the world, his affinity for language, his sharp read of people, and how others find him hard to read.

Kamisato Ayato: Parentified, observant, introverted, masks his feelings heavily.

Baizhu: Intellectually-oriented healer with a hunger for knowledge, understanding, and ambitious goals. Also the healing transference trope is one of my favorites. And with snake associations!

Nahida: Existential psychology Gestalt therapist! And a really balanced focus on knowledge, compassion, and seeking to understand others.

Xiao: I just really like roleplaying a tortured soul who's in a service role. Less that I resonate with Xiao personally and more that he's an archetype I enjoy roleplaying.

Kaveh, in an uncomfortable way: A lot of Kaveh's behaviors and tendencies are ones that I've spent many years training myself out of and working to heal from. So I relate to Kaveh, I remember being a lot like Kaveh, and also I know how harmful some of those deeply insecure behaviors can be, and how unhealthy the rescuer/over-empathic bits can be.

Characters I'd want to be friends with

Yoimiya: She's just so wholesome, without being naive. The most healthy positivity I've ever seen, someone who looks at the darkness and says "well, that'll let the fireworks burn brighter and more colorfully". Most well-adjusted person in the entire game. I adore her.

Nahida: We could have so many good conversations on humanity, psychology, sociology, existence, meaning-making…!

Zhongli: The sort of person I already hang out with a lot. Let's go experience cultural things and talk about history and context.

Thoma: Compassionate, caring, adventurous, interpersonal, relationally perceptive. Thoma just seems like a really good friend in general.

Kuki Shinobu: A whole ADHD mood. I too like to collect skills and hobbies to have something interesting to do. And she's pragmatic, and doesn't just do things because other people want her to, and still watches out for the people she cares about.

Sanganomiya Kokomi: Spoonie friend! But also lots of intellectual discussion options.

Favorite characters to play in game

Arataki Itto: His play style is fun, and his voice lines never get old. First character I triple-crowned.

Kamisato Ayato: I love his play style and his voice lines. He's such a delightful asshole.

Zhongli: Hooray for pillars and endless shields!

Cyno: Dynamic interesting playstyle, very engaging and fast.

Ningguang: Dynamic playstyle, and helpful to have when running around the overworld.

Characters I love to watch

They might be terrible people, they might be someone I'd never want to spend time with, they might be someone I'd find difficult or annoying to interact with in real life… but they're so much fun to watch.

All of the Harbingers

Venti, Yae Miko, Yelan, Arataki Itto, Klee, Lyney, Tighnari, Kamisato Ayato

Characters who are an entire gender

Unrealistic transition goals, really.

Baizhu: The moment I saw Baizhu, I went "…I must know who this is, I want his entire aesthetic". The best compliment I ever received was when my metamour (my girlfriend's partner) was playing Genshin, not knowing my reaction to this character. They got to the part where you first meet Baizhu in game and paused, calling my girlfriend over before they even talked to Baizhu, saying "Look! It's liminalpsych!"

Arlecchino: She gets called Father, she has an incredible visual kei style, she's so dapper and androgynous and poised and clawed and

Alhaitham, Kamisato Ayato, Kaeya, Kaveh, Xiao, Neuvillette: Style, clothing, and presence, basically.