here for the whimsy

I rewatched some parts of the AQ again and I don’t know how to express how this conversation sounded 10x funnier in CN towards the end lmfaoo

Some old habits never change, even for love roflll

I usually play the quests with JP dub first since I love the seiyuu voices, and also because playing in CN while reading EN subtitles can be too distracting/hard for me to focus since my bilingual brain tries to process both at the same time. But I always enjoy rewatching everything again in CN because I love the flavour of Kavetham with their original voice-acting (honestly my favourite characterisations beside JP dub).... The way both of them have zero qualms just gossiping about the Pillars when they're right there before devolving into bickering again LOL. I think it's interesting (amusing) how Kaveh is almost always the one who seeks out Alhaitham's presence and opinions first (as Alhaitham rightfully points out in another scene later on). From his hushed, but still-friendly (conspiratorial, even) tone at the beginning here, it's obvious that Kaveh wanted a conversation with Alhaitham and probably expected to exchange a moment of shared amusement with Alhaitham then; that Alhaitham would at least agree with his assessment about the Goat King's disposition. But when Alhaitham offers a differing opinion, Kaveh jumps to the worst assumption (as he's still prone to do, it seems) that Alhaitham is using this moment to criticise his personality, even though I feel like Alhaitham wasn't actually doing so?? Lol. But then, Alhaitham being Alhaitham, also didn't try to convince Kaveh further and somewhat did end up pointing out one of Kaveh's flaws—projecting on Alhaitham by making everything he says about himself (Kaveh).... which then really ticks Kaveh off to almost lose his cool completely hhjdkjksssj why are they always like this, stop iiiitt lmaooo

And that sudden hand-flick.... paisen, I know you like being touchy with him, but you can be really catty and mean to your kouhai sometimes....

Still can't believe Thoth officiated the Kavetham arranged marriage renewal rites in King Deshret's Mausoleum. "Arranged marriage" whAT?? I mean, Nahida un-divorced them and made them do it to save Sumeru and I'm not even half-exaggerating about that part:

I love Sumeru LOL.

But okay, jokes aside, I really love how this whole section was written, with all its (not-so-hidden lol) subtext and ambiguity. Especially feeling unhinged over Thoth's earlier speech about the enduring friendship, love and affection between Deshret, Nabu Malikata and Rukkhadevata (now only remembered as Nahida, after Rukkhadevata's existence was erased and rewritten) and how it parallels the way Kaveh and Alhaitham's own complicated friendship changed over the years; how they're still in the process of figuring it out and mending old wounds because despite all the hurt and pain of their fallout, a lingering emotional connection still persists between them, and the feelings of deep concern and affection remain regardless.

And I absolutely adore Thoth's line about finding "wisdom between in the tangible and intangible, to convey the incommunicable through the simplest of mediums", and all while having Kaveh and Alhaitham work together again to decode and re-code Deshret's ancient runes and architectural technology. The subject of the very same collaborative research they had left unfinished and incomplete in the past due to their clash of perspectives and (seemingly) irreconcilable differences—now given a second life to continue, and for them to metaphorically pick up and fix the torn pieces of their thesis together once more now that they've had time away to grow and mature individually. To evolve from "Our views are aligned, and they are complete" to embrace a newer, and perhaps more all-encompassing perspective together in their pursuit towards wisdom and enlightenment: "Our views are contradictory, but it is through contradiction that more speculation and philosophy may be born."

ok