#from kaeya's perspective this time

[anantaru]

— his love language

including. diluc, wriothesley, kazuha, neuvillette, ayato, scaramouche, kaeya, childe

genre. fluff & crack, gn! reader

at a regular pace, diluc opens up to you and with such, he reveals that to him actions spoke louder than words, mainly when it came to your loving relationship. the master of the dawn winery wasn't one of sensual speech, in fact, sometimes he was simply at loss of words— hence why showing you instead was all the more easy. it begins in his eyes, how they're always focused on your frame and immediately pick up on when you feel fatigued, the weary expression on your face worrying him the moment you step inside. voicelessly, diluc guides you to your shared bedroom before telling you to relax— afterwards he'll pamper you, boundlessly, do whatever you need him to do even if it consisted of multiple tasks. easy to say, he will still check up on you, be there for you and most importantly, always anticipate your needs, never failing to provide support without hesitation.

everyone knows that words hold the power to uplift and reassure people and their souls, in addition to building bridges between two individuals and so did wriothesley find this to be the most wonderful gift on this planet. he speaks through heartfelt compliments he'd never let you pass on, encouraging affirmations whenever you had a bad day or an artful expression of his emotions through his phrases. within the lively city of fontaine, the man will watch you with earnest eyes and swollen cheeks, "you're so pretty, so beautiful," he was silly, right? making you flustered in front of everyone, yet his words flow like poetry, forcing you to melt as he expressed admiration for your person— a verbal drapery woven with sincerity and love.

since you have been in a relationship for quite a long time, you were aware of kazuha and himself being an adventurer at heart, never failing to perceive solace and joy in the quiet moments shared with you. it doesn't matter where you are, but when he invites you on a journey, you know it's going to end up becoming one of your most dearest memories. in the quietness of the night, kazuha's presence was a calming force and to him, love was found in the gift of uninterrupted time spent together, immersed in meaningful conversations and shared experiences, tender kisses and subtle touches. the connection you had was strong— everlasting, the presence and the beauty within embracing each passing moment.

neuvillette held a lot of personal knowledge which he accumulated throughout the trajectory of his life, although when it came to the relationship aspect of things, he was rather inexperienced. when you two started dating he picked up the habit of expressing himself through physical touch— not necessarily in a sexual way, but in the reassuring kind which brought forth tenderness and closeness, whether it was a hand on your shoulder or a comforting embrace after a long day. the iudex was fluent in intimacy, connection, and the sacred power of making you feel loved in the simplicity of his touch. without wasting time, he always has one arm around you or loved holding your hand as you settle down on his lap, perhaps even offering to massage your shoulders with his soothing touch.

granted, from an outside perspective seeing ayato spoil you with artificial goods might come across as insincere, yet people do not realize that every single gift had a special meaning attached to it. the yashiro commissioner always took it serious, going through the carefully selected goods as he prepared a custom order, securing the gift with a personal meaning and significance. expressing his love for you through gifts and handmade material shone of thoughtfulness and well, there was one necklace that might be your all time favorite. it was when he surprised you with it on your anniversary— and as you inspected it much closer, you admired the complexly designed metal with symbols of his love and the harmony in your relationship— it's utterly beautiful, you tell him as he helped you put the necklace on, the little diamonds attached to it reflecting a deep appreciation and desire to convey his feelings to you.

opening up was hard for scaramouche, yet he realized that if he wanted this relationship with you to be harmonic, he needed to learn and work on it. the moment you feel him open up to you, you couldn't be happier, truly— not only was it a clear sign of effort on his part, but also the willingness to share a hidden piece of himself. despite his rather aloof demeanor, he possessed a subtle way of showing you his trust, in fact, he always needs you to show him that you accept his past no matter what. was it tiresome? not at all, despite some people believing that a relationship like that could become troubling in the future. yet they cannot fathom the deep link you both have and how it came to be. ah well, how beautiful when he holds you in his arms and kisses your forehead before starting to open up, your expression softening momentarily at the calm look in his eyes. it's right there, look close now, when you catch a rare glimpse of appreciation and a hint of vulnerability beneath his composed facade. he's in love, truly, and so are you.

a world without laughter, sounds scary, correct? kaeya believes that everything works more efficiently if you add a little comedy on the side. in your relationship, there was nothing he adored more that laughing together— because in a way, it felt like it strengthened your bond and eased the burdens in your life. spontaneity was another important aspect, you'll never know what the charismatic cavalry captain has in store for you next and you couldn't help but love that about him. really, he had a magical power for defusing tension with a well-timed joke or cheeky banter, finishing it off with messy kisses all over your face and demanding for you to give him a kiss back, in fact, as one might already guess, a world without laughter and without kisses might be straight hell in all of teyvat.

the eleventh harbinger's heart burnt for two different things— first of all it being you, his loved one which he would quite literally do anything for you to be happy, while the second being the thrill of adventure and the willingness to embrace spontaneity, face challenges head-on and earn boastful scars all over his body as a form of trophy. childe's enthusiasm was contagious to the point where the both of you would go on adventures together, or simply try out new things in order to feel a shared sense of adrenaline. freedom was everything in his life, but what mattered the most is for you to be safe— hence why he would never put you in any danger, instead he'd rather get in trouble himself so you could patch him up afterwards. childe knows it's not healthy to get himself hurt on purpose, but feeling you take care of him with your soft hands tracing all over his chest was making it worth it in his eyes.

©2024 anantaru do not repost, copy, translate, modify

[toomanyideasandfandoms]

Can you do kaeya for death seeking creator please?

Oh I absolutely can! I apologize if how I characterize him is inaccurate. But I hope you enjoy it either way!!

Typical death warnings here, plus some possible psychological horror from Kaeya's perspective? Idk

News of imposters had been sprouting up frequently within the confines of the bar, it seems that's what most talk about lately. Kaeya never paid much mind to it as he felt the topic of such gruesome punishments that befell them were inappropriate to drink to. Though with a more hazy mind he would call himself a hypocrite, as he also would be in agreement for those who defiled the Primordial Mother's image to receive such punishments.

But as of now he had a clear mind, obversing everything he can as he looked down at the dirty individual before him. They're eyes were wide in fear, hands clutching onto the grass below as if ready to run any second. It was clear they were terrified, thinking their life was about to end. And while he would happily will it, he has a more...humane method in ridding the world of such heretics.

"My, you look a bit worn-out. Do you need any help?" He asked, pitching his voice to give off the false concern he wished to show. He reaches out his hand in help, his smile just barely there. He can see them hesitate, very much in disbelief at his 'kindness'. He couldn't blame them, no one would be kind to someone as disgusting as them. "Let's find some shelter you can use. I have some preserved slabs of meat to cook up, as I'm sure you're hungry."

A growl from their stomach answers him, causing him to laugh from the sheer predictability of these people. He gently guides them towards a safer area, ignoring the shine in their eyes as they followed. He sets up a tent and a cooking fire easily, refusing to let them help him.

As the meal cooks he asks the imposter before him what their situation was, only half listening as they prattled on about them not being at fault and they were just born that way. Something he has heard before from the recountings of others who have come across such vial people as this one. He responds with feigned sympathy, telling them how sorry he was for the tragedies they faced.

Once the food was finished he gave them a large helping, saying they needed all the food they could get if they wished to find another safe place somewhere else. He was able to hold in his expression when the dirty individual gave their thanks, looking at him as if he was some savior. In some way he was, he would delude to himself sometimes, for he would give then this false hope before they were to close their eyes for the final time.

As the sun was setting over the horizon, Kaeya grinned as the imposter yawned loudly. Their eyes drooped as a hazy look settled over, before falling over to snooze against the dirt below. The sleep potion had worked wonders, as he knew it would. Carefully picking them up, he gently placed them a few meters away from the campsite, as to not get blood on his equipment.

Taking his sword in hand, he presses it against their throat, watching them shiver in their sleep as the cool metal touched their skin. He studies their face, fascinated in how it was a one to one recreation of the god who not only gave him and everyone life, but that also guided him guided throughout his years.

"Apologies my friend." He says in a whisper, with only the wind to hear. "At least you got to go in peace."

And with a quick and precise movement, he turns away as to not watch their disgusting blood seep into the grass. He walked back over to his camp, not bothering to bury the dead creature. As he looked up at the stars twinkling in the sky, he couldn't help but wonder if the Primordial Mother above was watching.

-

News of the Primordial Mother's return spread faster than any other imposter rumor had ever done. It was all anyone could talk about these days, no matter the conversation their god was always brought up. The church was bustling as many patrons were quick to pray and give offerings for when the creator would appear in Mondstadt.

Even Kaeya himself was cheerier as he watched the people around him buzz in excitement. Though it seemed to be growing a bit too much for him, as he decides to patrol outside the city for the sake of some quietness.

As he strolled towards Windrise he could feel the strong breeze, as if even Barbatos himself was celebrating. Arriving at the tree that symbolizes the old hero of Mondstadt, he looks around to take in the sights. A bit further away he could see a small patch of flowers that bloomed brighter than any other he's seen, he recalls that area was familiar but decided to held no importance.

His thoughts are quick to stop as he hears the snap of a twig, alerting him to something nearby. He quickly materializes his sword and points it in the direction of where he heard the sound, surprised to find a dirty and unkempt individual. Their hair was overgrown and matted, covering their face fully from his view. Their clothes were ripped, barely covering their form and making their golden scars apparent.

His eyes narrowed as he takes in their form, dissecting them with his gaze. He doesn't feel anything threatening from them, but a knight must always be cautious. Keeping his sword at his side, he addresses them. "My, you look a bit worn-out. Need any help?"

The person doesn't respond, they only stood there. They swayed side to side a bit, causing him to worry to them being injured. He takes a step forward, still cautious as to what movement they could use. "Are you alright?"

They still don't respond, a sense of dread enters Kaeya as he slowly moves forward. Just as he reaches out to brush their hair out of their face, they jump forward. Surprised he quickly swings his sword, causing them to scream as they fall to the ground in pain. Every nerve in his body was on high alert, his instincts telling him something was wrong. Something was very wrong.

He attempts to calm himself down, not fully believing what just happened. But the person lunges at him again, making him swing his weapon once more to slice against them. They scream in agony, drops of shining gold landing onto the grass below.

This wasn't right, nothing in this situation was right. This person, this...thing, it couldn't be bleeding the blood of the Primordial Mother. They were supposed to be graceful, elegant, clean, purity itself. Yet the figure in front of them was screaming like a beast wishing for death, it was horrifying.

"Just do it?" He hears them mumble, confusing him even more.

"Wha-"

"Just do it! Kill me again like you've done before!" They raged, their fierce gaze keeping him frozen in place. "I know your methods! The one time I thought someone was on my side, you killed me in my sleep!"

He killed them? He killed the Primordial Mother before? Nothing they said made sense. He would never have killed them. Never!

That imposter he ended ages ago, that wasn't them! There's no way! No one should have the ability to kill a god! Less of all the one who created everything!

This can't be!

It just can't be!

They lunge once more, every thought in his body screamed at him to move. If they get him they'll hurt him! So with the scream of confusion, rage, sorrow, any emotion he couldn't decipher, he swings his blade down for the final time that day.

As he watches them writhe in pain, he realizes he wasn't breathing. He grips at his chest, feeling his heart try to burst out. He drops to the ground on his knees, watching as their body withers into ash and flies off into the wind.

What had he done?

[ultimategenshintournament]

Ultimate Besties Tournament: Finals

Propaganda below cut

Ragbros (submitted 2 times):

From a storytelling perspective, in a game where the premise is reuniting with your lost sibling, these two are excellent foils as siblings who are technically separated but always within reach of each other. I bet that drives the traveler batty, that these two could technically reconcile at any time but Don’t. If you guys aren’t using your free ‘reconcile with your sibling’ card, then give it to them. And one’s even got connections to Khaenri’ah and the Abyss Order! Are these two good siblings to each other? Well. No not really. But the way they were best friends when they were kids and are now bitterly awkward after Diluc’s fratricide attempt (I know he was in a terrible headspace but cmon man. Should’ve at least apologized afterwards.) yet still hang out even in the beginning of the game (see: hanging out in Venti’s story quest and family vacation in GAA 1) is very entertaining. The mask is off now, Diluc. Do you still care about your brother? Kaeya’s internal conflict is very tasty too, still considering Diluc family even if he doesn’t really count himself a Ragnvindr anymore (if he ever did…), and it’s a wonderful narrative metaphor for his conflict of whether he considers himself a Mondstadter despite loving his second home. Kaeya’s a character with a lot of depth from his origins alone, but his personal relationships with the other Mondstadt characters really elevate that and his internal struggles, and none are as important as the family that welcomed him into Mond in the first place. With the exception of the travelers (and Paimon!), I think this is the most important platonic relationship in the game.

Ragbros angst and love makes the world go ‘round

Redemption Arc (submitted 4 times):

My dickhead son and his plant based alternative mom

She saw that he had good in him despite being a villain; knocked him down to his absolute lowest and then helped him pick up the pieces; The level of unspoken communication between them is so sweet. Ex. Nahida sends Wanderer to various events under the guise of "making sure nothing goes wrong" but actually she's getting him participating in things to get him out of his shell; Conversely I think observing him helps Nahida understand the world/relationships between humans; They're just so cute I love the soft spot Wanderer has for his adoptive mother.; headcanon that he rants about her "annoying" him but 100% would turn around and beat someone up for talking smack about her

Two people who just escaped The Horrors choosing each other as family……… yes please

[admiral-mason]

Ultra-Impact Part 3

Idea based on @valeriele3's Live Stream post.

Forgot to mention this in the last posts (I've edited in though), but reader is Gender Neutral (GN)

Warning: Violence and gore. Also Hakita saying things that he likely has never said.

0-2 0-3 << YOU ARE HERE 0-4

PRELUDE /// THIRD WEIGHT OF TWO WORLDS

TWO WORLDS ARE BINDED THROUGH A SINGULAR SCREEN.

A complete and utter destruction of the senses.

This is the best way to describe the current event: V1 blasting the absolute hell out of the 3AM Among Us Potion Knights of Favonius with his arsenal. Peeking from behind a rock at a distance, you watched V1 blast a swordsman Knight in the face with its shotgun before parrying an arrow from another and shooting him with the revolver.

It then proceeded to ground slam into a small group of them before knuckleblasting them, leaving nothing behind but guts and blood puddles on the floor (and you wincing silently). Then, Amber manages to land an arrow on V1; unfortunately, it harmlessly bounces right off and V1 turns its camera-like head right at her and swaps to its Sawn-On shotgun. As you slowly looked away, flesh squelching and bone breaking accompanied the outrider's screeching screams of agony.

In the head of the battle, you attempted to gather your thoughts and deal with the pain in the right arm thanks to Amber's arrow. Is this how it felt to witness Ultrakill in real life? You never expected weapons such as the Knuckleblaster and shotgun to create ear-piercing noise that no Earth weapon matched.

You also noticed how V1 never used any explosive damage; not even projectile boosts, despite its ease of accomplishment. In fact, its current actions force the Knights to focus on it and not you. Perhaps Teyvat sent it here to guard you in this Impostor SAGAU world. Your arrow pain dwindled quicker than normal too; probably another random little power gimmick.

However, your time to dwell on such thoughts ran out when noises best described in the onomatopoeia "BRRRRRRRTTT" followed by the sounds of penetrated flesh resounded in the air. Peeking over your rock, you witnessed V1 blast the last of the Knights including Kaeya with its nailgun.

Looking at the carnage V1 left in its wake, you noticed something bizarre.

Instead of laying limp, the blood and flesh of the dead knights began fading away into glowing red dust.

Much of [streaming platform] buffered and suffered an outage for a good couple of hours, with the cause of the sudden shutdown leaving even the site's administrators and management team fumbling in confusion.

Coincidentally, many users reported that their instances of the game Ultrakill suddenly crashed and refused to boot up afterward despite their computer and Steam page acting normally. Hakita put out an official statement regarding the matter:

"Okay, I will be real. I can't do anything to the game on my end either. I can't edit it, open any files, get assets, hell even all of my videos on my YouTube channel are missing without reason. So for now, all we have access to is this Discord server."

(Some people thought that he did this after a petition to reconstruct V2 exceeded twice its supporters)

A few people watching your stream coincidentally noted that it suddenly ended without explanation before [streaming platform] died.

The combination of these events spurred mass panic on the internet; Videos theorizing that some foreign nation or 'master hacker' committed a cyber attack to steal valuable information ran rampant on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, you name it. Meanwhile, users on [streaming platform] took to platforms such as Reddit and Discord to share their perspectives on what happened, with a select few even touting that God had shut the sites down as a warning to humanity's current sins.

Thankfully, the anomalous instances reverted and disappeared in a few hours, except for your account on [streaming platform]. Instead of displaying your past streams, it simply displayed a single live stream:

THE FIRE IS LIT.

It bore a thumbnail shot of what appeared to be somewhere in Genshin, looking at a small camp with a tent, a campfire, and a pot boiling over said campfire. The chat slowly started with one or two messages before rapidly exploding with "what is this" or "what happened" responses or something along those lines. Then, two familiar figures showed up on-screen:

It was you and V1, and the latter carried you in a bridal style.

Of all the things you expected to do in life, having V1 bridal-style carrying you wasn't on the list. After it killed all the Knights of Favonius, it took your right arm and inspected the area injured by the arrow before swiftly pulling it out much to your discomfort.

After you gritted your teeth and grimaced in response to the sudden pain, V1 made a small dent in one of its arms allowing its blood to flow onto your wound. Miraculously, the blood let the injured area grow back and your pain rapidly dissipated leaving you both amazed and bewildered.

During this time, you noted how V1 managed to fit its three left arms all placed on its side; a sort of circular device connecting the arms to the torso allowed them to cycle between one another.

V1 then let you go and handed you a revolver; specifically, the regular Sharpshooter revolver. "For me?" You asked the supreme machine, pointing to yourself as you did so. It simply nodded in response and gestured for you to take it. You did and put the electric gun in your right pants pocket, hoping no misfires occur.

Once that happened, V1 suddenly scooped you into its arms before dash-jumping away with you deeper into the forest. Oddly enough, the smell of a soup or stew grew ever stronger the more distance you two covered in the woods. After a couple of minutes, V1 put you down at your destination.

The robot brought you to a campsite with an open campfire and a pot over said fire. It's safe to assume that the pot contained the soup or stew that currently emanates the smell. A crude tent seemingly stolen from an adventurer stood behind the fire.

The last noteworthy object in the area caught your attention: a black-and-white splotched Terminal. Located right next to the tent, the terminal displayed your Twitch chat on the left side and its main screen on the right. Once you stood in front of it, it printed out:

"GREETINGS, GODFATHER. PLEASE TAKE SOME TIME TO INTERACT WITH YOUR FOLLOWERS IN THE OTHER WORLD."

A camera then revealed itself above the screen and you knew what you had to do. Stepping in front of the camera, you waved. "Hello? Chat can you see me??"

And then, the floodgates busted wide open.

Adm!ra1-M4son: Oh my god GUYS OUR BOY'S ALIVE

johnifer: Holy shizzle drizzle crick crack he's fucking alive

valeriele3 donated $5.00: "Oh my god! Are you okay??"

"Yeah- I'm fine. Thanks for the donation by the way even if I have no idea how to use it right now..."

V1 then proceeded to make itself known as well. Moving you a bit to the side, it waved both of its hands seemingly eager to introduce you to your fans. The chat went wild again.

hiraya: omg is that V1??

LiNk29: Nah man bro got isekaid with the gopro...

BeeseChurger: SOMEONE SEND THIS TO HAKITA RIGHT THE FUCK NOW

Yuormethor: On it chief.

Simply put, this strange terminal allowed you to see your Twitch followers again, which was nice. V1 then left its spot in front of the terminal and checked on the pot. Sure enough, when you moved on over to it, there was a soup with radishes and tomatoes as its main ingredients. V1 likely got them from theft, but you didn't care- food is food after all.

The robot used a ladle in the pot to scoop some stew into a wooden bowl, which it then handed to you along with a spoon. Taking in its aroma, smells of radishes, tomatoes, and some mint filled your nose and you slowly took a small sip.

(A/N: Guess the soup.)

The soup's taste bore both a tart and sweet flavor, with a little bit of refreshment with some added mint. As you savor your first meal in Teyvat, your chat watches you do so.

kpfjillion: give me that fucking soup

XxcSHARPxX: Give this man peace for the Impostor SAGAU shit he's gonna come across lmfao

hiraya: he'll be fine! I'm sure of it.

After the fifth sip, you heard mechanical footsteps behind you before they stopped. You turned around and saw a familiar adversary V1 fought, and the two of you stared into each other's gaze.

"Well, nice to meet you in person, godfather."

V2.

Taglist: @valeriele3, @bunniotomia, @feetusdeletussthenyeetus

[pigeonpeach]

Yandere Genshin

Prompt: youve caught their eye but… you’re already taken… that won’t be a problem…

Cw: yandere duh, mentions of murder and violence, manipulation, kidnapping, etc. fem reader

Characters: Jean, Diluc,Yelan, Neuvillete

Jean finds herself more and more infuriated with your commitment everyday. A simple hunter from Springvale is the one that catches your eye? How absurd! She knew she should’ve been more forward with her tatics. Oh this frustration and heartbreak has been tormenting her, impacting her work ethic as she tries to give you space. But its hard because you work for her. A cutesy little maid. You belong to her.. you’re everything she could want in a partner. So delicate, so plump, you’re the perfect bride. There’s no way she’s letting a man who can’t read s kid’s book without struggle surpass her!

So… she staged a little accident lets say.. she happened to cut the patrols in the area, making them closer to the city itself. That way there still was protection for the city… just not for the hunters. For awhile they’d been complaining sbout how the patrols spooked the boar. Even though those patrols were meant to cut down and discourage hilichurl camps. From a political perspective she just gave the hunters what they wanted. To up the anti more she had Kaeya tell him about a legendary boar deep into the wilderness. How the boars get bigger in hilichurl camps because they’ve started to fence them off and fatten them up, if he goes at night when they’re asleep, he could surely nail himself a big boar and pass it as a authentic catch…

The short of it was this. Your almost boyfriend snuck into one of the biggest hilichurl camps without the knights patroling nearby. And Kaeya knowing Jean’s work was negatively impacted by him.. may or may not have done something to alert the hilichurls to the the intruder. Quickly he was overwhelmed and beaten. With no knight in sight he was all alone. His struggle only made the hilichurls more violent. They threw him out, beaten to a pulp. When he saw Kaeya he was relieved thinking he was saved. But Kaeya had orders to finish the job of need be.

His death? A accident. Later hunters found him rotting near the camp, no foul play found. No one knew of his idea or who gave it to him, or who gave that person the idea. In your devastation you ended up right in her arms weeping.

“I am so sorry for your loss. I’ll make sure patrols return to normal and those camps are wiped out soon enough. I won’t let you experience such hardship ever again.” Crying to your boss felt so unprofessional but Jean was just so comforting to you. You had been putting on a brave face until now. You stood as she held you. “Lisa bought me this tea recently. It helps to steady my mind when I’m stressed, would you like me to give you some. I know it won’t remove your pain but it should help you somewhat. Unfortunately I can’t give you time off as two others are currently sick. But once they’re back I’ll give you some vacation okay?” She wiped your tears as you nodded.

“Th-that’s reasonable.. th-thank you.. oh god i must be such a burden. You’re already so stressed i didn’t mean to make it worse for you-“

“That’s not the case at all. I care about you. I want you to be safe and happy as every citizen in Mondstadt should be.” She kissed your forehead as she handed you the cup she prepared. “Here drink some tea. It was originally for me but I figure you need it more. I haven’t dranken from it.”

“Y-you’re sure that’s okay? I don’t mind waiting for another cup.” You asked. Oh how innocent you looked. Jean hated how she had to come to this, asking Lisa for a love spell to be put into the tea. But she couldn’t risk doing this to every suitor who got close to success. She needed to make sure you chose her otherwise she might go further next time.

“Its fine.” She said. You drank it with no further complaints.

Diluc was certain this was some sick prank. You, his beloved little maid, in love with nothing more than a simple merchant? Its not uncommon for the route from dawn winery to be used. But a certain merchant he purchased seeds from seemed to be getting far too close to you. Sure you two weren’t dating, he hadn’t even made the first step. But now he was absolutely was going to take drastic measures.

The first step: Distract you. You found yourself being assigned to chores more indoors an less outdoors. Diluc could sense how you would look out beyond hoping to see him again and he didn’t want that to continue. The second step was to lure said merchant back on a day you weren’t working. His arrival was horrible as the maids had all gone home leaving Diluc and Adelinde to recieve him, on a new moon, there was no moon to illuminate his path home so Diluc offered him to stay the night. He thought of this gratefully, originally the death Diluc planned was a simple killed in his sleep. But when he asked about you… oh it activated something in him. He even brought you a gift… how thoughtful… Diluc struggled to maintain his composure.

The merchant never did make it past the night. Despite his struggles. His body found beneath the bridge near Stone Gate. A investigation launched but ultimately blamed on bandits. With it his gift was smashed. You were devastated yes but your employer seemed to suddenly be more attentive than usual. He offered you meals and tea. Often requesting just to talk to you.

“Its getting late. I really should be going.” You set the tea cup back. “This was nice though. I wouldn’t mind doing this again but… oh.. is it raining?” You look out to see water coating the windows as what sounding like rain came from outside.

“Oh my it appears to be. At this hour you would be most vulnerable if you left now. You have no pets correct?”

“No.. oh dear…” you silently began to worry.

“You could always.. stay over. There is many a guest room and there’s spare pajamas for you. I’m certain it’ll be better than getting sick. Besides there’s bandits on the roads at these hours. You remember what happened to that merchant.” His voice luring you to s false sense of safety.

“Yes… I’ve been quite nervous going home now to be honest. Do you know if they ever found who did it?”

“Still nothing. Guards are posted more though. But it wpuld be easier. You do have a early shift here anyways in the morning so you wouldn’t need to go home right away. If that sounds alright.” He says, you jolted slightly as his hand gently grazed yours as you held your jacket. At that moment thunder clapped, startling you.

“I suppose that makes sene. I’ll take you up on that offer then..” you smiled shyly.

“I’ll lead you to your room then.”

He wasn’t going to let you leave.

(A/n: this is a alternative route to my other work Yelan vs Pantalone, dont consider this cannon to that piece but as its own spinoff)

Everyone has secrets. And Yelan’s is the fact that she stole a bride straight from Pantalone. It was mostly just to spite him, and also because she’s a sucker for a pretty face and couldn’t stand letting that happen. But oh they’re far more irresistible than she could’ve imagined. Now that they’re safely hidden in the jade chamber, working as a intern. She’s been visiting them when she comes to visit Ninguang, lucky her that Ninguang would allow her little damsel to stay in the jade chamber. But while her back was turned to her former life, she set her eyes on the people once known as parents to them. Her little Damsel cannot return to her former identity ever. And thus its better for her to believe that Pantalone went back on his word and killed them.

And that’s exactly what ended up happening. The Fatui’s search was halted and stopped because the Millieth wasn’t going to let the Fatui kill civilians just because they lost a bride. Even though they insisted they didn’t all signs pointed to that. She then forged documents to show to her beloved little damsel that this was the plan from the beginning, that Pantalone would have killed her parents upon acquiring her. Like the others so far, she used this opportunity to soothe them and bring them closer. At least this way they are alive and safe rather than in the hands of their families killer. Only… they are infact in the arms of their families killer. All seemed well until some stupid guard started poking around. He seemed more interested in courting them, believing they myst secretly be from s powerful family outside of Liyue and hiding. It was a rumor she purposely started to cover for their true identity. But now it backfired as this man saw a opportunity to climb up the social ladder. She isn’t quite sure what his exact plan was but her guess was he intended to make her fall for him and then marry him when she returned to her life, this guaranteeing a life of luxury. Unfortunately for him that won’t be the case. But Yelan can’t go killing her own. So she decided to simply use her influence to have him demoted to ground work instead. Convincing Ningguang that if allowed to stay he’ll uncover their scheme. The reason given to him was that apparently he was too loud or social than was acceptable in such environments. Afterwards he died to a hilichurl raid. Whoops.

“You.. you got my stuff?” You were surprised when she came to you with a crate.

“Yes, since legally you’re dead, your parents stuff was sold at auction at request of your family members. I grabbed what I remembered you valued myself.” She said with s smile as you beamed at the sight of your old things.

“It won’t raise suspicions will it?” Yu asked.

���I won’t let it. Don’t worry your pretty little head about the details.” She said patting you.

“I-i don’t know what I could do to repay you. You’ve done so much for me i-i truly have never had someone like you in my life.” You looked at her expecting a sort of humble brush off or something to actually be named.

“A date would be nice. Once everything cools down of course.” Her voice was like a purr, making you flustered.

“O-oh sure.. as long as it won’t cause you any trouble.”

“Perfect.” She said. You didn’t see it but she was considering drugging your tea that sat on the table behind her. A love potion, how typical but how effective. But seeing your blush she could tell you had infact fallen for her already. Which made the potion more of a backup if you ever lost feelings.

Neuvillete is anything but dishonest. But… seeing you cling to the arm of a guard, how happy you two looked.. it left him green with envy and red with wrath. To control himself he decided to simply change the guards routine to be out of your way. But you just went to meet them after work. His favorite little employee falling for the guard rather than him.. he felt deeply insulted.

Time for more drastic measures. He asks a favor from the clueless and happy Sedene (a simple melusine) to sneak into his house. To which she happens to find something. Just as planned he spends his time arranging scenarios to increase suspicion causing the other guards perform a check up right as he is planted with primordial sea water. He is quickly taken away to be questioned. Meanwhile you are distraught. You never thought him capable of such feats. But alas he was hardly the man you thought he was.

“I-I’m so sorry.. i truly didn’t know anything… i- Oh god ll this time..” you were hyperventilating as you were brought into questioning. “I-i.. oh god.. am i in danger? I could’ve ended up just like those missing girls..” Neuvillette’s hands reached out to your space as if to tell you to quiet down.

“I understand this situation is difficult. If necessary I’ll give you a moment to compose yourself. There isn’t any reason I have to suspect you but I still have to take precautions. You agreed to the random house search and no trace of seawater was found. I’m simply asking if he told you of anything suspicious or gave you any implications of his true nature.” He lowered his voice in a more gentle manner than he would in court. You sniffled as you wiped your tears.

“He.. he did keep inviting me to his place. I never went though. I didn’t think we were far along to do such things.. you know like… intimacy..” you nervously muttered. He still heard you, he was pleased to know you two didn’t get too serious.

“Were you two officially a couple?”

“No.. but we were close… i was going to ask him but then this all happened and… you know the story from there.”

“Hmm.. I see. It appears you infact were a target. Is there any reason you can think of?” He says. The sight of you so heartbroken and shaking is strangely attractive to him. So timid, so easily manipulated.

“No.. no not at all.. i don’t understand why?” You seemed more and more frightened. “S-should i not leave the house for a bit. This sounds very scary.. i don’t know if I can continue my routine as normal like this!” You whimpered as your hands seemed to get closer to your body. As if you retreating into she’ll to hide in.

“Fear not, I’ll have the secret patrol watch over. And each guard will undergo inspections from here onward. But i will be seeing you more. I want at least weekly updates to know of any strange activities or unexpected changes. Understand?” He said. You nodded. “With my life, I promise you, you will be safe. And I will let no harm come to you.. ever.”

[phantomenonmenon]

An Explanation About Kaeya's Adoption In CN Lore

This post is about exploring Kaeya's adoption in the chinese lore, with references. It will be quite long. Before I start, here are some disclaimers. Please, read them before interacting.

This post is not meant to criticize or upset anyone's shipping preferences. Instead it's meant to be about information from lore and some of my thoughts too. This is not about shipping or anti shipping! Please do not take this post as an attack and continue to do whatever you want, enjoy the story however you like.

I am kind of doing this for myself and I also wanted to put it out there for people who might find it interesting.

This post is about lore based explanation and also some of my takes. Please, engage kindly if you will, but I am not interested in engagement or discussion as I can not spare time for them at this stage of my life. Im putting this here mainly for myself to read and update because I like Kaeya.

Please don’t use this post of mine to stir discourse as I am not comfortable being in the middle of any type of debate(of course you can use points I talk about on your posts if they made sense to you) and thank you for understanding!

I know and realize there might be very different interpretations and I do not claim absolute certainty over my points, I want to offer perspective on the topic. This is my interpretation based on what I could gather from the lore and wording. I'm not trying to debate or change anyone's mind, and I genuinely respect other readings/interpretations and translations. I tried to be as precise as possible in terms of meanings, context and historical uses, but I recognize there may be room for error. The historical uses and word nuances are from what I gathered after checking various sources. I appreciate your understanding if I had any misunderstandings or misstatements. Language is flexible. Nothing in language, especially in translation and fiction is ever fully fixed and I know this well.

Also, at the end of the day, this is a game. Everyone is free to interpret and enjoy the story in their own way. Headcanons are a huge part of what makes fandoms fun and meaningful. This post simply offers perspective based on what I could gather and it's not meant to invalidate others' readings or enjoyment. Besides, Genshin language is sometimes vague on purpose too, for there to be room to interpret and for more content to be produced by fans, so please feel free to embrace whatever interpretation brings you joy.

This post is not targeted to any other post or reading and is detached. The reason I included other possibilities of interpretation of the same thing and why I might agree or disagree, and the reason I included questions is to make my points clearer and to answer questions that might appear in one's mind while reading my post.

I did my best to approach this thoughtfully and respectfully. If anything I said comes off as offensive, or disrespectful, I sincerely apologize, that was never my intent.

I am not going to discuss what Kaeya actually felt towards Crepus or Diluc or whether he took them to heart, meaning their true (deep and emotional) relationship in this post. This is not a character analysis.

Lastly, I apologise if all this is a bit untidy

Start

养=養(meaning and pronunciation is the same, one is simplified and one is traditional chinese.)

Here are the general topics I will talk about:

-Meaning and use of 少爷

-Segments from Kaeya's Vision Story/Character Story 5

-Kaeya's Hangout Quest dialogue

-Meaning and use of 养子 and 兄弟 in the dialogue

-How 养子 (yǎngzǐ) and 养父 (yǎngfù) are used in more detail

-Venti Story Quest Kaeya and Diluc's dialogue

-About fostering and adoption

-Some other stuff from Mondstadt Events

-Meaning of "sworn" and it's use

-Another voiceline about "Swornship" (This part is not about proof or supporting ideas, just something I wanted to add. You may skip if you want)

-Some examples from sources for 兄弟 usage (Not about proof or supporting ideas, just some examples for people interested)

-Non-biological ties are acknowledged in Mondstadt

-Conclusion

---

The long parts of the post also have summaries you can read since this post is very long and may get boring. Unfortunately they are of course oversimplified and might still leave you with questions. Either way, just read them if you want.

Some points near the end are about the English translation but I put some notes on what they used in Chinese as well, the major and important parts are from Chinese original texts. I apologise for not being able to get them all in original chinese texts, but some of these are from specific events and from specific moments, I can't get back to them. If I can find the original Chinese text I will edit them in. Though, the English text parts are not about words uses or nuances, so I figured they wouldn't exactly be necessary.

少爷 Meaning and Use

Adelinde, Elzer, Tunner and Connor can be seen referring to Kaeya as 少爷 in his hangout quest multiple times.

1. Title of Status

少爷 (shàoyé) means "young master" and is a title given only to sons of wealthy, noble, or important families. It’s not a casual term for any young man. They have to be part of family to be called 少爷.

2. Respect and Hierarchy

It shows respect and acknowledges the person's high social rank or family status. Calling a stranger or unrelated person 少爷 would be inappropriate and confusing.

3. In Context

In the HQ, a servant of Dawn Winery, Adelinde calls Kaeya 少爷, which fits perfectly because Kaeya is part of the household (adopted son of Crepus). A stranger or random person wouldn't use this term without knowing his background. She is not the only member of staff who refers to Kaeya by the term, the other members use it for him too in the chinese dub too, in the same quest.

4. Could it be used for a temporarily taken in child/foster child?

No, typically not. A temporarily taken in child would not be called 少爷 unless they were officially adopted and treated as family. Calling someone 少爷 suggests they have an ongoing, recognized role in the family hierarchy.

Summary:

少爷(young master) is a specific, respectful title reserved for recognized young masters of a family, it can’t be casually or randomly applied. It's given to sons of noble families. A person must be recognized as part of household.

Segments From Lore(Kaeya's Vision Story/Character Story 5)

(More explanation on 养子 and 养父 later)

身為養子的凱亞始終陪在一旁，卻無法真正融入這一場父子慘劇。

As the adopted son, Kaeya was always by their side but could never truly become part of this father-son tragedy.

— This clearly states Kaeya's status as 养子, meaning he was an adopted member.

---

「這樣的世界,真是……有趣。」 共同的「父親」倒在了血泊之中,兩位少年在這一夜走上分歧的道路。

"Such a world, truly... interesting."

The shared "father" lay in a pool of blood, and the two boys took divergent paths that night.

他與迪盧克共同的「父親」操縱著來歷不明的不詳力量擊退魔物,隨即被力量反噬,死於非命。

He and Diluc's shared "father" used an unknown and ominous power to repel the monsters, but was immediately consumed by that power and died an unnatural death.

Explanation:

The phrase 共同的「父親」 ("shared 'father'") highlights that both Kaeya and Diluc have the same father figure, whether biological or adoptive.

The use of quotation marks around 「父親」 suggests complexity in their relationship, the "father" is Crepus. Quotation marks might be used here for a couple reasons generally.

Not a father,biologically or emotionally. (Could be the case, Crepus is not both of their biological father. Only Diluc's. But also, Kaeya might be conflicted on whether he feels that he is truly worthy of calling Crepus father. )

Social or symbolic father( Could be used for symbolic father or adoptive father or guardian or father figure. This would perhaps make sense too since we know Crepus is 养父(adoptive father) )

Speaker might be distancing themselves from the label or confused about it (Kaeya might feel conflicted about his relation to Crepus since he feels that he betrayed him and also feeling as if he disrespected his biological father with this use.)

Ironic use of the word(I'd say it's not likely. Because he is for sure Diluc's father as in, he is a father at the very least )

This adds depth to their relationship. Kaeya knows he is not a biological son and also feels distanced, he knows he was a traitor. After all, he was sent as a spy to Mondstadt. In the end, "their father" is mentioned multiple times in Kaeya's lore and this tells us that their relationship is complicated and filled with conflict.

(This part is more subjective, but I still wanted to add this part and you can decide for yourself): He wouldn't feel this amount of guilt and conflict if he were just an outsider, a child only taken in out of pity and raised for a short while. He wouldn't feel conflicted for the term "father" used here if it hadn't had some truth to it, as in, he was adopted by him, raised by him, cared for by him but still feels he might not be worthy of using that word or feels distanced, or he feels as if he is disrespecting his biological father while using that word for Crepus, or maybe he just doesn't feel like a part of the family. This is up to interpretation.

---

狠心捨棄他的生父與收留撫養他的養父，他應該幫助誰？

Having cruelly abandoned his biological father and the adoptive father who took him in and raised him, whom should he help?

— This mentions both 生父 (biological father) and 养父 (adoptive father), meaning Kaeya recognizes two father figures.

---

而克利普斯之死打破了天平的平衡。凱亞因而感到解脫，又為這份自私感到羞愧。作為養子，他本該救下克利普斯。卻來晚一步；作為義弟，他理應幫迪盧克分擔痛苦，卻躲在兄弟背後...

And the death of Crepus broke the balance. Kaeya felt relieved but ashamed of his selfishness. As the adopted son, he should have saved Crepus but was too late; as the sworn younger brother, he should have shared Diluc’s pain but instead hid behind his brother...

— Here, 养子 and 义弟 (sworn younger brother) are mentioned.

What this shows:

Kaeya is the adopted son (养子) of Crepus. Crepus is his 养父 (adoptive father). Crepus is also described as 共同的「父親」 meaning, shared "father" of Diluc and Kaeya. These are all supported by Kaeya's vision and character story.

Kaeya’s Hangout Quest Dialogue and Meaning:

(This part could be seen as more focused on 兄弟(brother) by the way but the rest of the post is not. I talk about 兄弟 and 养子(adopted son) both here on the first part, and wanted to offer my perspective on this dialogue. The reason I included 兄弟 explanation is because it was relevant to 养子 in the context in my opinion. )

In the conversation, a servant (Adelinde) calls Kaeya 少爷 , a respectful term for young master. A man then asks Kaeya, surprised, about his relation to Dawn Winery:

Guangzhi: ……少爷………嘶,恕我眼拙,请问凯亚先生是晨曦酒庄的……?

Meaning:

"Young master... uh, pardon my poor eyesight(I didn't recognize you) , but may I ask, is Mr. Kaeya from the Dawn Winery…?"

Kaeya replies:

我是克利普斯老爷的养子，迪卢克老爷的兄弟，一直在西风骑士团工作，不常出现在酒庄。

Meaning:

"I'm Master Crepus's adopted son and Master Diluc's brother. I've been working with the Knights of Favonius, I'm not often/rarely seen at the winery."

Guangzhi: …是我的不是,如果刚刚有什么礼数上的疏忽,还请谅解。

"...That's my fault. If I was rude just now, please forgive me."

Kaeya: 光之先生可能有点误会,虽然我是迪卢克老爷的兄弟,但我并不住在晨曦酒庄。

Meaning:

"Mr. Guangzhi, you may have misunderstood. Although I am Master Diluc's brother, I don't actually live at the Dawn Winery."

---

In Chinese, 兄弟 (xiōngdì) means "brothers" (plural)

But in context, Chinese often doesn't mark plurals explicitly like English does. So:

我们是兄弟 , "We are brothers." (plural from "we")

他们是兄弟 , "They are brothers." (plural from "they")

他是我兄弟 , "He is my brother." (singular from "He")

我只有一个兄弟 , "I only have one brother. " (singular from "one")

我是他的兄弟 , "I am his brother" (singular from "I")

他把我兄弟还给我了 , "He returned my brother/brothers to me." (we can't know for certain if it's one or more brothers in this example)

So, 兄弟 can be singular or plural depending on context, and this is natural in everyday Chinese. This goes for both literal and figurative meanings of 兄弟. [I added more examples from sources near the end if you are interested]

Think of it like this in English: if someone says "He is family," "family" is a collective noun, but it clearly refers to a single person and is used to mean singular. Similarly, 兄弟, while having plural meaning, can function to define a single person in a sibling relationship within context.

我是X的兄弟 would mean:"I am X's brother"

This use would be natural for either:

-Close male friend/buddy/bro meaning

This meaning would be commonly used in casual and day to day settings between men

-Literal brother meaning

It could be used for either scenarios: if I am one of X's brothers or if I am X's only brother. Meaning, it does not automatically imply there are other siblings even if 兄弟 is plural in its original meaning, its still flexible. In other words, the listener won't know if there are other siblings. It would be translated as just "I am X's brother". This use also does not clarify whether the speaker is the older brother or younger brother, since it just means "brother".

If;

Seniority is irrelevant and/or,

You want to be neutral about age and/or,

You primarily need to clarify your relation to X to a third party who doesn't know you (You're summarizing family roles or relationships) and/or

You are speaking in a slightly more formal, distanced, or narrative tone and/or,

The context and/or previous words already establish that this is a discussion about family (for example talking about family members, lineage, or family events) and sometimes,

In cases of adoption, the brotherhood may be recognized socially/legally but may not carry the same hierarchical weight as biological siblings. Because of this, even if an adopted brother is older in age, his seniority or rank within the family might not necessarily be considered higher. Therefore hierarchy and seniority can be less rigid or less emphasized socially. (This is context dependent, the way the family views the adoption and the reason behind the adoption is important.)

then this sentence can be used and would sound natural.

Outside these contexts, it may sound vague. People would usually use 弟弟(younger brother) or 哥哥(older brother) to be more specific. (Though, it is not required. 兄弟 can still be used and appropriate in the contexts mentioned especially when seniority is irrelevant and relation/famillial status is emphasized) Also, when casually referring to their sibling (talking about them) or talking directly to them, people usually use 弟弟 or 哥哥

[You can also think like this, saying "I'm his sibling" would sound vague in english, since there are already words like sister and brother, so this sentence it wouldn't sound too natural. But in some contexts, for example if you want to be neutral about your gender, if you are talking to a third party and the relation between you and your sibling is more important and emphasised, not your gender, it would be appropriate and understood. ]

-Comrade/ally/sworn brother meaning

In military, in gangs, or between people with shared struggles and goals

Without more context we won't really know for sure which meaning is implied. Because 兄弟 is used ambiguously to mean a series of things.

In everyday Chinese, the "close friend" meaning of 兄弟 (brother) is very often used between people. But unlike modern day casual Chinese or Chinese spoken on the internet using slangs; in historical Chinese or classical Chinese contexts, the word 兄弟 was more likely to be used to refer to actual brothers or sworn brothers/comrades than close friends.

And Mondstadt Mandarin isn't exactly casual modern day Chinese (where the use of 兄弟 to mean close buddy is more common). It's a bit more old-fashioned, with noble tone. It's not classical Chinese but stylized, historical flavored and fantastical type of modern Mandarin, where the literal or comrade use of 兄弟 would be more acceptable and maybe even expected. Mondstadt is most likely inspired from medieval times of Germany/Europe.

Why Kaeya meant he was adopted by Crepus and why Kaeya's use of "兄弟" here isn't for figurative meanings:

As I said, in everyday chinese, the "buddy/bro" meaning of 兄弟 (brother) is very often used between close friends casually. I completely understand why some people interpret 兄弟 in this dialogue as "buddy" since it's a common and natural usage in casual contexts, and that's a valid reading I respect. There may also be other valid reasons someone might choose that translation, and I don't mean to dismiss those reasons. However, I'd like to share my reasoning behind my perspective. So here is why I think there might be more to it:

(This post isn't about Kaeya's personal feelings or a deep character analysis. I'm only focusing on the wording used in this particular scene. I included 兄弟 here because I believe it is relevant to 养子 in the context when understanding what Kaeya meant and how he expresses his famillial status. This is not meant to define how Kaeya truly feels about Diluc, it's an interpretation of this specific dialogue)

1. Formal Context and Tone

Guangzhi has done business with the winery before but doesn't know who Kaeya is. [More context explained in the "Although" segment] So Kaeya is responding to a formal question about his relation to the winery. He introduces himself as the 养子 (adopted son) of Crepus and the 兄弟 (brother) of Diluc. This is a direct, factual and confident statement about family ties.

Kaeya uses 养子(adopted son) [See more about this term in "About 养子 and 养父"] which is a straightforward and familial term to mean an adopted son. If he meant that this relationship was only a temporary one and/or without familial bond and/or it was only figurative, he wouldn't have used this phrasing and term. He could've instead said he was raised at the winery. He did not mean that he used to be a boy only temporarily staying there. [See more in "Kaeya's Context" part in "About 养子 and 养父" , and in "About Fostering and Adoption"]

He wanted Guanzhi to understand he was adopted because the man is confused about the use of "少爷"[young master, explained in "About 少爷"] by the servant Adelinde that suggest he is part of the household and the son of a nobleman (In this case, Crepus) thus the sentence provides an explanation. Guangzhi even says "excuse my poor eyesight" meaning he didn't recognize him and he clearly didn't expect Kaeya to be adressed like that. Kaeya doesn't have a reason to mislead him here, his reply is meant to be direct and clarifying.

Kaeya using 老爷 (lǎoyé) (master) adds formality and respect, showing Kaeya isn't being casual, he's acknowledging Crepus's authority and status. "老爷" is a respectful title used for heads of noble households or wealthy families. This makes the sentence more official and serious, reinforcing that he truly is Crepus’s adopted son, not speaking figuratively.

Usually, using 老爷 for family is odd and unnatural. However, there's a distinction that makes Kaeya's usage normal and appropriate in this scenario:

Kaeya is not directly addressing Crepus or Diluc. He is referring to them to a third party (the confused guest) in a formal context within a noble household. Diluc is current master of Dawn Winery and Crepus used to be the master, so these were their titles in the household. This is a formal setting and using formal titles is expected, it shows proper respect, etiquette and using them is natural here. It's meant to show a complex relationship that's both familial and formal. He doesn't live there anymore after all. One could argue that this puts distance between Kaeya and them, which could be the case, I can't be certain. However, this does not lead to denial of the terms he used for them nor does it mean he used them figuratively.

2. Parallel Structure and Context Again

"我是克利普斯老爷的养子，迪卢克老爷的兄弟"

The sentence links two formal and familial relationships:

Saying he’s the adopted son of Crepus and then immediately calling himself Diluc’s brother shows a legal or family bond, not just a friendly closeness. The two terms together confirm a family relationship. The 养子 shifts the conversation into the family realm. If he meant he was only Diluc's close friend/mate/comrade, that wouldn't really explain the man's confusion over the young master term that is only used for members of the house nor would it explain the fact that Guangzhi actually understood what Kaeya meant and his situation after this explanation was given, he even apologised for possibly disrespecting him. Guangzhi previously came to the winery mainly knowing Diluc from there and not Kaeya, so this statement Kaeya makes goes for both making it explicit that he is the adopted son of the previous master but also the important and known figure, Master Diluc's brother. This logically defends the use of 少爷(young master).

Saying "I'm Crepus's adopted son and Crepus's son's buddy" would not only be a bit confusing for Guangzhi (if the asker Guangzhi knows who Crepus is as in, knows he is Diluc's father) but also not very fitting in the sentence overall (even if he doesn't know). Because switching from a formal term like "adopted son" to a casual one like "buddy" within the same sentence creates inconsistency. The casual use of 兄弟 to mean "buddy/close friend" usually appears in informal speech, and would normally need more explanation in this case if he means it that way. We could say, the literal and formal meaning of 养子 wouldn't match with the figurative meanings of 兄弟.

-

Adopted son of the father (Master Crepus) Brother of the son (Master Diluc). It’s structured like a family tree, not a casual bond. The whole sentence was formal, structured, tied to household status and uses family/legal terms. Again, the 养子 shifted the conversation into the family realm already. So the use of 兄弟 to mean sworn brother or buddy would not exactly fit here.

Crepus老爷的养子，Diluc老爷的兄弟

It creates grammatical symmetry. Both phrases use 老爷, then possessive 的 and then the relationship term. This parallel structure may suggest equivalent types of formal relationships. So both terms were used in their literal and famillial meanings.

3. Because Kaeya says "迪卢克老爷的兄弟" for Diluc, the use of "老爷" (Master) again emphasizes formality and social hierarchy.

Using this title when referring to Diluc shows that Kaeya acknowledges social rank and family roles.

It supports a familial, adoptive brother relationship, not a casual one. As I've mentioned, "老爷" makes the tone formal and respectful. Kaeya uses it for both Crepus and Diluc. It shows Kaeya is being serious and respectful, not speaking casually. The "close friend" use of 兄弟 is most commonly found in casual speech and wouldn't exactly be compatible with the use of 老爷.

Also, in formal Chinese introductions, if someone refers to themselves as a 兄弟 without any clarifying terms (like 义兄弟 for sworn brother), it generally implies a literal, familial brother. Or in an informal setting, to indicate close friendship people can use terms like 好兄弟 (hǎo xiōngdì), meaning "good brother", which would mean "good buddy". So, if it were meant as a close friend or sworn ally, it would typically be specified or explained further.

4. Guangzhi's surprise and apology

"...That's my fault. If I was rude just now, please forgive me."

The man didn't know Kaeya's status and apologizes for not recognizing him, which fits better if Kaeya is actually part of the family.

This could possibly mean that Guangzhi understood the whole sentence about 养子 and 兄弟 in a direct and literal way, not questioning or having doubt about any other possible meanings. (Of course I don't know what actually went through his head, but I base this off his answer.)

5. Kaeya’s clarification:

"Mr. Guangzhi, you may have misunderstood. Although I am Master Diluc's brother, I don't actually live at the Dawn Winery."

光之先生可能有点误会, 虽然我是迪卢克老爷的兄弟,但我并不住在晨曦酒庄。

He uses 兄弟 again here, in the same structure but with an addition of "Although" at the beginning of the sentence. If this meant a "buddy/bro" type of friendship, this sentence would be a bit strange. Why mention living arrangements when talking about close friendship? "Although I am Master Diluc's buddy, I don't actually live at Dawn Winery (Diluc's house)." wouldn't make much sense as people don't typically live at their buddy's/comrade's/mate's/sworn ally's house. There's no inherent expectation for a buddy/close friend to live at their friend's family estate. Unless, he means he is actually family here, when using the phrase again.

Kaeya's second statement is a way of saying, "Yes, I am part of the family, but my residence is elsewhere". Kaeya had moved out after the fallout, so he doesn't live at the winery now despite being an adopted member. Kaeya even clarifies he was Diluc's brother one more time, to not cause misconception about who he is, he still is family. (The same sentence was used, naturally the former literal brother meaning follows here and also makes socially logical sense as explained) And he also gives one of the clear reasons why him being a resident would seem like the case too, when he says "Although I am Diluc's brother..." of course because Diluc lives here, and he is his sibling, he is mentioning the contrast between the two situations. And since Guangzhi mainly knows Diluc, making the contrast with being his brother makes sense.

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(This part is detailed and long, you may skip if you want, it's not something important. Jst an explanation about the use of "although" and some context and other info about the quest is explained if you are interested. )

When the guest hears Kaeya is a "少爷" (Young Master) of the winery and then learns Kaeya is "Diluc's brother" and "Crepus's adopted son", as someone unfamiliar, the image he has of Kaeya is now of an important family member who is intricately tied to the estate. Being the 少爷 who is not recognized, can naturally lead to assuming he lives here or his base is here but he's often absent. So since Kaeya said he rarely/not often appears the guest can still think, "So, his home base is here and his stuff is here, he just travels a lot or has responsibilities elsewhere (about the mentioned Knights of Favonius work, because KoF is in the city part of Mondstadt and the winery is far away, so perhaps he works there until evening and he comes down from the city to sleep here), or perhaps he has two places he calls home (he has another place he spends time in that's closer to the city maybe), but this is still his family estate and residence, and his home. He is a son of the late owner and Diluc's younger sibling and equal, he belongs here, he manages tasks here as he was the one in charge when Diluc wasn't around, but is often absent. How could I miss such an important man?" because Kaeya says in that same sentence that he works for the Knights of Favonius before saying he doesn't appear there often, hinting at a cause-effect. He has work in the city part of Mondstadt and the winery is further away. Therefore, Guangzhi made assumptions about: where Kaeya belongs to, what his role is in the family, and his importance to the winery; and some are correct. Of course, what Guangzhi thought of is not mentioned, he only apologised and I based this off things Kaeya said and the context, since Kaeya didn't really say he lived there either, but he doesn't contradict it and other points and context I mentioned clearly support the assumption well. What we can surely say is that the guest assumed Kaeya's presence and involvement here to be more significant than it is (or more significant than Kaeya feels it is)

Guangzhi's strong apology stems from the fact that he did not know or notice Kaeya's relation and status, so he was being rude to the young master of Dawn Winery, and he feels he showed disrespect by not recognizing an important family member and someone who is also involved and connected with the winery immediately or by implying he wasn't important enough to know. So he apologises for possible rudeness and ignorance. He mentions before that he has done business with the winery before this time, meaning he knows the place, but he doesn't know of Kaeya at all hence why he asked his name before. Now Kaeya might assume, the guest thinks that this is still Kaeya's residence and he belongs here, and he just didn't recognise him or know how important he is, or that the guest now thinks he's a central figure at the winery, perhaps expecting him to know everything about the management and business. So, when Kaeya uses the word "although", this clarification Kaeya makes is about his residence and involvement, not denial of relation, not about familial status. He is saying that his residence is elsewhere entirely and he isn't a house member here anymore, because familial ties don't equal to residency or authority over the winery. And that the guest was not being disrespectful or offensive by not knowing he was a family member here. That's of course a natural thing to assume for Kaeya in Guangzhi's case, Kaeya knows he isn't around much or involved much. It wasn't rude to assume he wasn't from here at all. Kaeya probably wanted to emphasize his independent role with the Knights and also avoid misunderstandings about his involvement with the winery with his explanation while also being modest. So with that explanation, Kaeya basically means, "You didn't overlook someone important to the winery's day-to-day, it's really not your fault and you don't have to apologise excessively, you didn't disrespect me. I'm part of the family, yes, but I don't live here. So it's only natural you didn't recognize me or use the correct honorifics right away."

Someone could be a resident of a place (meaning their home is there, they keep their belongings there, maybe they come to sleep there) but still not often/rarely appear there if they travel a lot, have a demanding job elsewhere, or simply prefer to be elsewhere most of the time. This is why Kaeya had to clarify his residence. First explanation is about frequency and the other is about permanent residence and involvement. He already gave a logical reason for not being there often while also not negating the possibility of his main residence being the winery. So he needed to make it clear that not only does he not appear here much but also, he doesnt even live here. If he meant to cast doubt on being an adopted son or a family member, he would address those, not talk about where he lives or not. His first sentence is not softened with other words to mean something else, it's quite straightforward. Saying that he doesn't live there doesn't clarify anything about how he was raised or what he meant by saying he is an adopted son or brother. He only explains why he's unknown or unfamiliar, or softens expectations around his status possibly out of modesty, but that doesn't negate or redefine 养子 or 兄弟.

It is a progressive statement, first he says he doesn't often appear there and later clarifies he does not live there. Again, this indicates a real family connection with household.

6. Why didn't Kaeya use "养" again for his relation to Diluc, as in 养弟 since he used it with Crepus?

养 (yǎng): to raise, to bring up [He uses this for himself to mean adopted son of Crepus]

弟 (dì): younger brother

养弟: adopted younger brother

Similarly, 养兄弟 would also mean adopted brother without specifying age this time.

养弟/养兄弟 may sound odd and too literal, or constructed. It is actually a less commonly used term unlike 养子(adopted son). (I am not saying he couldn't have used it though) "养" is more commonly used for parent-child relationships. Him not using this term does not mean he is denying brotherhood here. Since he already clarified this was an adoptive relationship when he said 养子 he won't really need to say it again, as people usually use 兄弟/弟弟/哥哥(brother/ younger brother/ older brother) and then clarify the adoptive nature of the relationship in another way or use more words like Kaeya did. So the sibling relationship is understood without adding 养 again. Saying 养弟/养兄弟 explicitly calls attention to the adoption status of the sibling, which can feel a little awkward or overly literal, overly formal. Using 兄弟 here is natural and normal even for an adopted sibling.

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Summary:

So in this scene, 养子 literally stands for "adopted son". And 兄弟 is used in its "brother" meaning, not a word for “close friend" or "mate/bro". The formal context and tone (Kaeya was stating why he was called a term meaning son of nobleman and answering Guangzhi's question), use of " master", parallel structure pointing to equivalent types of relationship, the use of "although..." points to this conclusion. It reflects Kaeya’s adoptive family ties with Diluc and Crepus. One could always argue he does not actually feel this way towards Diluc and Crepus which this post will unfortunately not provide an answer for. Again, this analysis here is not to define Kaeya and Diluc's true relationship, it is about this scene in particular.

About 养子 (yǎngzǐ) and 养父 (yǎngfù)

养子 (yǎngzǐ) = adopted son (child through adoption)

养父 (yǎngfù) = adoptive father (parent through adoption)

1. Meaning:

养子 literally means "raised son", a son who is taken in and raised by someone who is not his biological father. In both modern and historical chinese, it is used for adopted son.

2. Legal and social implication:

In Chinese culture and language, 养子 is not metaphorical or symbolic, it's specific and mostly unambiguous. It primarily and most commonly refers to a real, formal adoption. A raising relationship that is long-term, defining legal and social role. It also suggests a geniune relationship. The adoptive parent has parental rights and responsibilities over the child. Even if the word's literal meaning is "raised son", it is not used to mean any child being raised as son in Chinese. It has a familial meaning.

In historic Chinese, even if the adoption was not formally legalized, the term still carries a sense of genuine familial bond, not just symbolic. It still meant a son recognized as true family and meant that the relationship was permanent. The child was legally or at least socially equal to a biological child. [Ancient chinese use is mentioned again in "Fostering and Adoption"]

A 养子 was someone brought into the family as a true son, with expectations of inheritance rights, and ancestral duties.

It was not symbolic, as in, "I take care of him like a son." It meant: "This person is my son, with social and often legal implications." in historic chinese.

3. Common usage:

When someone says "我是克利普斯老爷的养子" (I am Master Crepus's adopted son), it means they were officially adopted and taken in by Crepus, not just calling him a father figure or mentor casually and the listener would naturally understand it as adoption.

The counterpart to 养子 is 养父, which means "adoptive father", the man who adopted and raised the child. They basically hold the same weight and meaning in terms of relation (though in historic chinese 养父 could be a bit less unambiguous or context sensitive) Like 养子, this term is also not symbolic or metaphorical in most contexts. When a person refers to someone as their 养父, it indicates that they see (or at least describe) that person as a true father, not just someone they lived with temporarily or someone who was "like a father" It implies that this man had a significant, ongoing, and usually recognized paternal role.

4. In Kaeya’s context:

Kaeya saying he is 养子 in his HQ confirms a formal or at the very least socially accepted form of adoptive relationship in the fictiomal world, rather than just being a "child taken in" or "like a son." It reflects his family ties and obligations. It shows he was recognized as family, and he wasn't only a foster son that was temporarily looked after, or a ward that was merely guarded without being recognized as part of family. A ward wouldn't typically use 养子 or 养父. [Further detail in Note part of "Fostering and Adoption"] and a fostering relation could easily be explained by using other terms if Kaeya wanted to make it clear.

The fact that he does not live at the winery now does not suggest he was only fostered or in temporary care. He had a fight with Diluc after Crepus's death and left on his own.

If Kaeya had only been temporarily taken in as a child or not seen as part of family, he would not have been addressed as 少爷 (young master), a title reserved for the biological or adopted sons of nobility. Nor would he have introduced himself as "我是克利普斯老爷的养子" (I am Crepus's adopted son), which is a quite clear, confident and direct confirmation of his status with no softening language that could easily be used if he did mean something else. In this scene, Kaeya is responding to Guangzhi's visible confusion, the use of 少爷 implies noble lineage or household belonging, and Kaeya provides clarification using a familial and official term. His choice of 养子 (adopted son) aligns with the context and clears up why he is referred to with such respect.

He could have used guardianship terms such as 监护人 (jiānhùrén, guardian) that would be used by a ward, said "He guarded me/took care of me" or something of the sort, said Adelinde just called him young master out of habit, or used clear fostering terms such as 寄父 (jì fù) or 寄养父 (jìyǎng fù), said he was just raised at the winery (for example: Master Crepus raised me/looked after me), or just softened his sentence and use of 养子, but instead he just said he was adopted straightforward, because he wanted the person who asked to understand his position in the house. And Guanzhi seems to quickly understand his role and apologise.

Obviously, we will never see his actual adoption documents, but we don't need to see them to understand he was adopted. We could say he was adopted in a sense that is essentially the same as formal adoption in the modern and real life we have.

Kaeya refers to Crepus as his 养父 (adoptive father), and himself as 养子 (adopted son) in his lore.

As I've mentioned, these terms are not symbolic or honorary such as "义父" (sworn father) or "义子" (sworn son). [See more in section "Sworn" for these terms]

So when Kaeya’s character lore and vision story clearly state that he is Crepus's 养子 and Crepus as 养父 multiple times, it means he was actually adopted. The terms hold legal and social weight, within Chinese familial terminology.

This of course supports the idea that Kaeya is canonically part of the Ragnvindr household as a son, regardless of emotional distance or personal conflict.

Summary:

养子 and 养父 are direct and unambiguous terms meaning adopted son and adoptive father and they don't carry casual or figurative connotations. When used, it confirms a genuine adoptive relationship and being part of family. Kaeya uses them in dialogue and lore combined.

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Why Kaeya uses 父亲 (father) as a mutual father, with quotes

父亲 is the standart term for father in Chinese. It does not necessarily mean adoptive or biological father.

In the conversation between Diluc and Kaeya in Venti's Story Quest:

Kaeya:

你不是常卖东西吗？父亲的旧宅也是你卖掉的。

(You're often selling things, right? You even sold Father's old residence.)

Here, Kaeya uses 父亲 (father) without adding "your" (你的), indicating a shared father figure rather than talking about someone else’s father.

What this means:

1. Shared Father:

By saying 父亲的旧宅 ("Father's old residence"), Kaeya implies that the father (Crepus) belongs to both him and Diluc, they share this paternal figure in the family.

2. Not "Your father" but "Father":

If Kaeya meant only Diluc's father, he might say 你的父亲 (your father). Instead, using just 父亲 expresses that Crepus is the father for both of them, their mutual father.

In Chinese, when referring to someone else's father who is not a shared parent, the possessive "你的" (nǐ de) (your) is typically included for clarity. Omitting "你的" before a family term like "父亲" typically suggests that the parent is shared between the speaker and the listener. It's like saying "Did dad take out the trash?" to a sibling. People wouldn't typically say "Our dad" here. [This typical use in english is not the exact same in chinese in every context by the way, but I figured this would be a helpful analogy. ]

So, chinese typically adds "你" (your) when someone specifically means your father (not mutual). Though this is not the case in every context. In formal writing, historical speech, or when previous words made it obvious whose father is being talked about already, Chinese may use just "父亲" to refer to someone else's or one's own father without a possessive pronoun. In our context, as Kaeya is confronting Diluc about something in a casual and almost teasing speech, the meaning is mutual.

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Diluc does not find Kaeya's wording odd and instead replies with:

"I see no reason to cling to things that have outlived their purpose."

Meaning, Kaeya might be using this wording already and Diluc was not taken aback by it or surprised, he did not respond with something such as "He is *my* father. " or something suggesting he disagreed with the use.

Summary:

Kaeya’s use of 父亲 here reflects the formal, shared family bond with Crepus, emphasising their connection as adoptive and biological sons under the same father. Diluc does not find this use odd in the conversation at all. This also supports he was adopted. He refers to him as "father" here.

Fostering and Adoption:

(Again, I am not arguing wether Kaeya truly felt like he was a true member of the household or not)

Now, this is a fictional fantasy world, and I will not be talking about the core/philosophical meanings behind adoption, or fostering but I can make analogies. In Mondstadt, we don't know how exactly adoption or fostering works as in, the legal process and papers. So we can't know everything with absolute certainty.(Other nations rules about adoption, if they have them, I wouldn't say they can exactly define it for Mondstadt because well, Natlan has motorbikes and Mondstadters ride on horses. They are kind of independent, with different cultures, and it's almost as if they are in different centuries too. So most likely their laws are different as well) My point is that if an adopted person with internal conflict and ties to their biological family were in the world of Teyvat, it would be like Kaeya's case. The reason I do not count this as fostering is because of the points I made before (basically, the terms he uses in lore and the way he is adressed in the winery, the words he uses when stating his legal status and his emotional closeness to the winery [All mentioned and explained below again]) and there is nothing really suggesting he was only temporarily taken care of or only guarded for a period of time based on game material. [Surname explained below]. No mention or suggestion of temporary care, or expressions such as "Until I left..." or "I was raised here until I could take care of myself" . We would expect him to perhaps eventually leave in a few years(1-3 perhaps) from being taken in or at least Kaeya mentioning such a process, but instead he left on his own after Crepus passed away because of the fight he had with Diluc. So, he was not to be left to his own when he reached a certain age, it wasn't a short term relation where he only would stay for a while and leave.

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The way I define fostering would be: Temporarily taking care of a child until they can take care of themselves or be given to another family or their biological family, usually spending less years (And in fact, an avarage fostering time length is around 1-3 years worldwide from what I've gathered but does vary country to country. It is common to look after someone for less than a year too) with them than if you adopted them, not inheriting and not integrating fully. The goal is for reunification with biological parents or eventual adoption. In Mondstadt/Teyvat in particular, especially if we had to diffrenciate fostering from adoption, fostering can be defined as taking a child in as kind of like a guest to take care of them for a while, and they won't fully be part of the family since its not long term.

As opposed to adoption that would involve integration into the family, they would be recognized as part of family, it would be a long term (life long typically) and in Mondstadt/Teyvat we will probably not see any adoption courts or papers but there should be a socially or officially accepted adoption process equal to the legal adoption we have in our world.

(This part is just something I wanted to include) I don't actually know how long Kaeya stayed with Ragnvindr's exactly but from what I've read, he was around 8-10 when taken in, I've mostly seen that he was considered to be 8 on the internet. (The game doesn't exactly say it but most info is from his character story when he talks to Varka but we don't know at what age he talked to him, we can predict) And when Crepus died, Diluc was 18. So Kaeya was 17? Perhaps. He is younger but not by a lot is what I know. I apologise for not knowing much about this but we can suggest he stayed more than lets say 6 years at least. If he was 8 when taken in and 17 when Crepus died, that makes 9 years of living at the winery.

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If your definition of fostering is much closer to adoption, then our interpretations might differ, that’s understandable. If you do think that fostering is basically adoption in a social way especially in a fictional world like Teyvat then go ahead and call it that. Also, I don't actually know how each country today defines foster care, in some countries it might basically be adoption with small differences.

In fact, in ancient China, There was no strict distinction between "adopted" and "fostered" the way we think of today generally. The primary motivation for both adopting and fostering children was to ensure the continuation of the family line, particularly through male heirs. This was crucial for performing ancestral rites and maintaining family honor. The line between the two practices were blurred. Although Mondstadt or Teyvat chinese is not exactly completely modern, it is also not ancient so I don't know if this would be true for Mondstadt. But other than that, adoption and fostering could be counted as the same thing if we go by the ancient meanings. A child legally/socially accepted into the family as a son/daughter without biological relation. But so I don't explain it every time over and over, let's go by my definition of fostering I've mentioned above.

If one also argues that we won't really know if Kaeya was legally adopted, then I can't show them Kaeya's actual adoption papers unfortunately. But I can at least show in my post why I believe he was adopted in the social or official sense inside a fictional world, like Mondstadt and why it would essentially be the same as a formal adoption in the real world.

(I do not mean to offend or hurt anyone who was fostered, and I believe they can become part of family if they want to be, fostering even leads to legal adoption sometimes, we are in modern times and fostering is different and requires legal action and integrating now. My argument in Kaeya's case is just different and permanent in my opinion, thats all. )

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About Sworn: The word 义父 means sworn father or righteous father. [See more in part "Sworn"] It emphasizes a moral or chosen bond, not a temporary fostering arrangement. It doesn’t deny adoption with its meaning, instead, it refers to a non-biological, long term (in fact, it was typically meant to be life long bond) and deeply respected father figure, often tied to loyalty, duty, and emotional connection. It's not exactly about legal or familial status whether that means adoptive or foster relations. It's use wouldn't suggest a fostering relationship because it isn't used to mean any upbringing/ nurturing or caregiving, or short term relationship.

In chinese history and literature, this could be used by adopted children (especially if adoption was not codified in society and if the adoption was more ritualistic) for their fathers especially if the father is a nobleman and they were adopted later in life, and when the bond is emphasised to be more about respect and loyalty. However 养父 would still be preferred to emphasise the legal adoption especially if nurturing and raising the child was involved.

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About Surname: The fact that Kaeya did not change his surname is something many adopted people also do (even in historic china); it doesn't mean they aren't adopted. (Even though taking the surname is more commonly expected) This could be done out of convenience or ties or respect to biological family if they were adopted later in life, to honor their origins and perhaps Kaeya also felt undeserving of the noble surname. (I don't know which surname Kaeya used before the fallout so I assume it was Alberich but I actually have no support for this. Do we know which one he used I wonder?) Though I understand why some people might interpret that he was only fostered because of this reason, if this is the case for Kaeya. My point is that this is not exactly proof for him being fostered. (I fully respect differing opinions, my intention isn't to impose interpretation on others.)

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While 养子 can less commonly be used for "foster son" in Chinese, it still often and primarily refers to adoption (permanent) both in the modern Chinese we have today but also in the more traditional and semi historical chinese context in Mondstadt (and Mondstadt still uses modern Chinese). 养子 means a son recognized as family unless there is strong context suggesting otherwise. In Mondstadt's semi historic context, it would have still meant a permanent relationship even wtihout legal documents. There are also still other words Kaeya/his lore could have used if he wanted to emphasize temporary care. For example, 寄父 (jì fù) means "foster father" and is used to refer to a man who only fosters you (no adoption involved) in historic chinese and literature (this word is a bit archaic in modern day, but we can assume he could've used it since the use of "sworn father/son" is also historic and rare in modern times. Mondstadt Chinese is still modern even if it's time period is medieval Europe) or he could use a more modern and used term such as 寄养父 (jìyǎng fù) that also means foster father with no adoption involved. He could've used guardianship terms, referred to Crepus as a guardian of his. And as I've mentioned before, he/the lore doesn't use expressions such as "Until I left..." or "I was raised here until I could take care of myself" or says anything that suggests a temporarily care. Kaeya says he was raised in the winery and grew up there in his hangout quest instead. No mention of expectation of leaving after a period of time.

It was long after Crepus has already passed away, yet he still referred to him as 父亲(father) to mean mutual father to him and Diluc, a very familial term. (As in, if he were fostered, then fostering or temporary care would be long done and irrelevant at that point so he probably wouldn't have used such a familial term.)

He also still visits the Dawn Winery to this day, even sleeping in his old room after the fallout with Diluc because he missed it, still calling Dawn Winery his home. A part of the Kaeya Hangout Quest is called "Taste of Home" in which Kaeya visits the Dawn Winery. [See more in the events part] He is missed by the servants and his presence is longed for, he is told to visit more (Elzer directly says "We all miss you very much" and other servants express this too), Adelinde even says he will always be part of the Dawn Winery family. (Not proof, supporting ideas)

Note: A ward is under guardianship, not necessarily adopted. The relationship with a guardian is primarily one of legal protection and oversight, not necessarily parenthood. A guardian ensures the ward's well being, finances, and legal rights, but the ward doesn't become a "son" or "daughter" of the guardian. It is different from foster care. While temporary, foster care aims to provide a nurturing, family environment. Foster parents are expected to provide emotional support, guidance, and a sense of belonging, even if the child eventually leaves. There's an expectation of providing a home environment that mimics a family. But in ward-guardian relationship, the legal duty and protection is emphasised, and emotional bonds are not necessary. If the ward hasn't gone through the adoption process, calling themselves 养子 or their guardian 养父 would typically misrepresent their actual legal and family status, and would lead to confusion. Similarly in historical chinese, the use of these terms implies a deep familial relationship, not exactly aligning what "wardship" conveys, so again, a ward wouldn't really use them.

监护人 (jiānhùrén) meaning guardian would be the right term to use as a ward, for the one taking care of them. 被监护人 (bèi jiānhùrén) could also be used for themselves, meaning the one being guarded.

General summary:

Kaeya did not refer to Crepus as "寄父 (jì fù) or 寄养父 (jìyǎng fù) meaning foster father and instead 养父 meaning adoptive father and 义父 meaning sworn father to emphasise the emotional/social/legal aspect and the respectful/chosen/non biological aspect of his relationship. He refers to him as 父亲(father) to mean mutual father. He was most likely referred to (in the past) and is still referred to as 少爷 meaning young master by multiple servants working at the winery that is reserved for a son of the master of the house. He stayed in the winery for years until leaving after a fight he has with Diluc. He uses 养子(adopted son) to describe his social status and it is used in his lore as well. He is missed by the servants, he misses the old meals and sleeps in his room while Diluc is away, and still thinks of the winery as his home. He/the lore doesn't mention an expectation of leaving the winery which would be the case for a fostering arrangement. This all leads to the idea that he was not only taken in temporarily as nothing in lore or dialogue really suggested that he was. He was raised in the household, recognized as part of the family, and still connected to the winery long after leaving.

Events From Mondstadt

This part is mostly about the english texts, but it already doesn't have much to do about specific word uses and nuances. It's mostly about how Kaeya views the winery and how he is viewed there. If the specific word choice mattered in my opinion, I did try and find the original version.

Of Ballads and Brews Act 2 Bonds of Melody Event

Here, is a segment of a dialogue between Kaeya and Diluc.

Kaeya says: "Don't forget that this is my home too. I'm fairly certain that taking a trip home during festival season is a universal custom... "

(I could not find the chinese version as I have already played this event and can't get back to it my apologies. He uses the word 家 (jiā) for the winery here which means home or family. It has a warm, emotional meaning, like the place where you belong or your family lives.)

Diluc replies:"Please get to the point"

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Letters to Diluc in Hidden Strife Event All's Well That Ends Well:

A Letter With Clear Handwriting: -Master Kaeya took leave and stayed at Dawn Winery for a few days.

-In a rare turn of events, he decided to stay in his original bedroom. He would pace about the grounds when idle, and even asked Adelinde to make him his favorite dishes.

-Ah, it really does take me back.

-I shall be honest with you, but I was quite surprised to hear Master Kaeya say that he wanted to stay for a few days.

-We did not refuse him, however. We believe that even if you were here, you would not refuse him outright.

-The house is made by those who live in it, and Master Kaeya's uncommon arrival did end up livening the place up significantly. [Awwee :C]

The Grapes of Warmth from Kaeya's HQ, Homecoming part

This part is after Kaeya's HQ dialogue mentioned before. Adelinde said this to Kaeya:

"All I really wanted to say is... You will always be part of the Dawn Winery family, Master Kaeya. "

The chinese version probably isn't too different from this, but I will see if I can find it. Apologies, I will edit it here when I do.

In Act 1 Shenanigans And Sweet Wine, there is a quest named "Taste of Home" where Kaeya visits the Dawn Winery and brings people gifts from Sumeru

The Chinese text version is: 家之味 meaning "The taste of home". 家 (jiā) is used here again, meaning home. It is an emotional word closely tied with belonging, roots and comfort.

Summary:

While these are not proof, but supporting ideas. Kaeya does view this place as home, and does come here to even sleep, he even stayed in his original bedroom because he probably missed it, he also wanted his favorite meals cooked that he probably loved eating as a child. Why he doesn't visit often now is probably because Diluc is around nowadays, these letters were sent while he was away. Of course, he can still visit, but I think it may not be as easy as when he is away.

The way the servants speak about him as if he is so dear to them(Tunner, Adelinde) in his HQ could also support that he was a beloved member. He was loved in the winery, and they miss him, and express this.

"Sworn"

义 means righteousness, loyalty, moral duty.

义兄 or 义父 indicates a bond not by blood but by oath and choice.

Moral or ritual bond, they are respecful terms. They emphasise a relationship that's often based on a personal bond, a sworn oath, a bond not by blood relation but traditional/cultural recognition and respect rather than a formal legal guardianship or formal adoption.

Kaeya's lore and Caribert Quest uses the terms 义兄 (sworn brother), 义子(sworn son) and 义父 (sworn father) along with the other terms I mentioned before, multiple times.

Distinction:

养父 (yǎngfù) Adoptive Father: A man who raises a child as his own. This is a familial, practical relationship, often with emotional closeness. There is nurturing and upbringing involved.

义父 (yìfù) Sworn/Righteous Father:A non-familial, honor based title. It's mostly used when someone chooses to recognize an older man as a father figure usually due to deep respect, gratitude, or shared values , not necessarily close or emotional like a real parent. It is not inherently a warm, familial term that suggests nurturing and raising a child and caregiving, nor is it a legal term. It's often ceremonial or symbolic, like in brotherhood oaths, or military loyalty.

Even then, 义父 could actually be translated to adoptive father (in chinese to english translations) in some cases in literature for example:

-In classical/historical settings, where formal legal adoption wasn't as codified, but the ritual or social act of becoming someone's father was just as meaningful as legally adopting someone today.

As I've mentioned in "Fostering and Adoption", In chinese history and literature, adopted children (especially if adoption was not codified in society and if the adoption was ritualistic) particularly those adopted later in life by noble families, might refer to their adoptive father as 义父(yì fù) when emphasizing a bond of respect or moral duty rather than child rearing and raising. Though 养父 (yǎng fù) is still the more common and typical term for a legally adopted father, especially in settings where adoption should be clarified and if there was raising and nurturing involved.

Another as I've mentioned before, the fact that Kaeya did not change his surname is something many adopted people do; it doesn't automatically mean they aren't adopted, it could be done out of pure convenience or respect/ties to biological family perhaps to honour them. (I don't know which surname Kaeya used before the fallout, I assume it was Alberich but I have no proof for that.)

Kaeya uses both 养父 and 义父 to show different aspects of the relationship. 养父 means adoptive father, a real parent-like role. 义父 means sworn father, it is more symbolic, showing respect or sworn loyalty. Similarly, 养子 means adopted son, while 义子 reflects a chosen or honorary son role, based on loyalty. Why don't the two uses contradict eachother? Because the way Kaeya uses them might be important. An adopted person can actually use sworn father and adoptive father for the same person (like Kaeya does) especially since Teyvat or Mondstadt is not set in modern time but in the past. Kaeya is quite the complex character already.

In emotional moments he used 养父 (when Crepus was dying and when he felt guilty) where we could assume he felt closeness and fear perhaps, subtly acknowledging what Crepus was to him in the official/actual sense and what he was to Crepus. And when he needed to state his relation to the winery(he was stating his legal/social identity) he directly he used it again. When talking to Diluc he also used 父亲 which meant "our father", meaning he referred to him as father. Him using 义父/义子 in regular times (The lore doesn't exactly say whether he used to use these terms on the regular, he probably still used 养父[adopted son] when another person asked him his relation to Crepus but in other times, he might've commonly used 义父 to refer to him) could mean he wants to show his respect to him but also could suggest a distance. He uses them in parts of his lore, and while talking about him in the Caribert quest multiple times.

There might be very different interpretations but here is what I've come down to:

1. So we could say that to reflect both the legal/adoptive and emotional; and personal and respectful sides of their father-son bond he uses both words. Because he uses both we can also assume that 义父 was used to emphasize that the bond was chosen and non biological while also showing respect. One could say this use of sworn just adds a layer to their relationship, and makes it rich and complex.

2. This could also possibly mean that Kaeya doesn’t fully see himself as part of the Ragnvindr's. That he still feels tied to his biological father(Which seems to be the case sometimes since he feels divided between Crepus and his biological father). And it might mean that he always puts a bit of distance between himself and Crepus. Perhaps he never saw Crepus at the same level of familiarity as his biological father. We know he probably felt very guilty and divided for years, and maybe this is why this distance formed.

However, this does not mean he was not adopted. Crepus still adopted him, took care of him, raised him, and was probably a good father too.

I am not debating Kaeya's personal feelings and views of Mondstadt, what his feelings toward Diluc and Crepus are, or whether he truly took them to heart. But I am arguing that he was adopted by Crepus. Well, some people hate their mothers, or despise their siblings. Some people are closer to their friends than their own brother and sometimes they don't even talk to them. An adopted kid may not feel like she can call her adoptive parent "mom" because she feels it's too intimate or close. This also doesn't mean they aren't family. (Not the best examples I know, but maybe you get my point)

What I mean is: Individual feelings, no matter how strong or valid, don't alter a person's standing in a family. Their status remains intact regardless of personal sentiment.

Besides, adoption is quite complicated and if we are being realistic, many kids may not feel like they belong even if they are actually counted as part of family legally, at least for some time before adjusting if they weren't adopted from birth. (Kaeya is fictional of course and has wildly different problems but we could say he is still human and feels ties to his roots and also he was of course, an actual spy sent to Mondstadt) And from all I've gathered, I'd say this case is a representation of an adopted person feeling conflicted between their roles and devotions and distressed because they feel conflicted. (This is of course a simplified version of my views it is not this simple)

Summary:

Kaeya using both 义父 and 养父 to adress Crepus is not him denying his adoption but adds layers to his character instead. It is respectful and typically means the bond is by oath and non biological. Kaeya might be using 义父 in regular times to put distance between them because he felt conflicted and divided, and/or because he felt undeserving of calling him 养父 , wanting to emphasize respect and distance. In other times he uses 养父 and 养子 directly in emotional moments and also when he is identifying himself. Both can coexist and do not have to override eachother, especially in a complex story Kaeya has. Him feeling distant or conflicted wouldn't cancel out an adoption.

---

Voiceline about Swornship

Not translating 义兄 as "sworn brother" or 义父 as "sworn father" is a mistranslation since it does not mean literal brother or literal adoptive father.

But here is something worth mentioning: English translators have used "sworn sibling". Meaning, they maybe could have translated 义兄 as sworn brother or 义父 as sworn father but chose not to.

This part is not about proof or supporting ideas, just something I found worth sharing. It is still a mistranslation. And of course as I said, swornship does override adoption already. If they had actually translated these terms correctly into english, this would still not erase Kaeya's adoption but I found that it is something interesting.

Xingqiu uses the phrase "sworn siblings" in his voice line titled "About Us: Swornship"

He says: "We should become sworn siblings, let's go to the altar at Jueyun Karst. Nope, no ifs..."

Here is the whole chinese voiceline:

我要和你结拜，就去绝云间的祭坛那边。不行，不能拒绝。你知道了我的底细，也就知道了一直被我掩饰着的真实的自己…我不能放你走。除非…你答应我不会撒手不干！

He uses 结拜 (jiébài) here, meaning, the act or process of swearing siblinghood. So he is basically saying "let's do the oath of sworn siblinghood" there. This is the ceremony or act of swearing loyalty. 义兄 is the role you gain after the 结拜 ceremony. They are not different kinds of relationships, both based on oath and sworn siblinghood.

This could possibly mean that Hoyoverse was capable of translating 义兄 accurately from the beginning but chose not to. Therefore maybe, translating Kaeya's "brother" and "adoptive father" lines in cases where the chinese version was " sworn brother" And "sworn father" (义父) could be a narrative choice.

It might have been on purpose to not complicate things and just say "adoptive" instead of sworn here, since most EN players would typically not know these chinese words and their actual meanings (naturally).

(Translating 养父 as adoptive father and 养子 as adopted son was accurate of course. )

Other mistranslations have been fixed in the past (not all mistranslations unfortunately but they do fix them) meaning they are capable of doing it. And this kind of mistranslation happened so many times since "brother", "adoptive father" and "adopted son" is mentioned many times in English lore and dialogue and there seems to be no fixing and it has been many years.

Again, this is not proof of course, mistranslation still happens a lot. And being in a sworn relation doesn't have to override adoption already.

---

Example uses for 兄弟

These are some examples I got, they can be found near the end of the source mentioned and in the examples part of second source. The translations provided are from the source but also explained. Without further context, these would be understood as talking about a single actual brother. As I've mentioned before, 兄弟 is used regularly to mean close friends, it can mean comrade or ally. It can also be used to mean a group of brothers (at least two), or to mean one brother depending on context.

Source: https://chineseforliving.com/how-to-say-brother-in-chinese/

他的兄弟是个医生，经常帮助需要的人。

His brother is a doctor and often helps those in need. - (This leans towards single actual brother meaning. As in, without more context and just this sentence, the single actual brother meaning would be understood, not close friend. The source also translated as such)

-

他的兄弟在外地工作，他们每个月都会通电话。

His brother works in another place, and they talk on the phone every month. - (Again, leans towards a single actual brother meaning. The common understanding without context would be the single literal brother usage.)

-

我和我的兄弟一起长大，我们有很多共同的回忆。

My brother and I grew up together, and we have many shared memories. - (The same, leans towards a single actual brother meaning)

-

我和我的兄弟关系非常好，我们经常一起出去玩。

I have a very good relationship with my brother, and we often go out together. - (The meaning leans towards actual brother.)

-

Source:https://dict.cn/search?q=%E5%85%84%E5%BC%9F

和他兄弟不同，他有种幽默感。

Unlike his brother, he has a good sense of humor. (Likely means a single literal brother, the source also translates as such)

-

别对你兄弟这么刻薄

Don't be so unkind to your brother. (The same explanation as the example above)

---

Again, something I found worth mentioning:

Adoption or non-biological family ties are acknowledged in Mondstadt

Varka, Rosaria and Razor show that non biological familial ties are recognized.

Paimon's quotes:

"Brother and sister...? Varka...?"

"Oh, Paimon gets it. Varka is a father figure to both of them, so that makes them family. Just not by blood."

Rosaria quote:

"Well, blood relations are overrated anyway, don't you think?"

---

Conclusion: Kaeya is a complicated and rich character with ties to both his biological father and Crepus. He was adopted by Crepus, and even if he may not feel like he belongs to the Ragvindr's (I am not saying this is how I define how he feels, thats about character and would need a different type of analysis) this wouldn't negate the adoptive relationship. These elements can coexist, complexity doesn't erase one's standing in a family.

Thank you for reading! I hope this came across in the respectful tone I intended. As mentioned before, this is a game and everyone is free to interpret and enjoy the story in their own way.

[fancyfeathers]

Nothing you can take from me was ever worth keeping

Yandere Neuvillette x reader, songfic

part two to this post

There are two sides to this story and the next part will be written from Wriothesley’s darling’s perspective

“Nothing you can take from me was ever worth keeping

Oh, nothing you can take was ever worth keeping”

You listened your friend sing in the apartment above the shop you’ve been working at. You two were allowed to stay here as long as you two earned your share in the shop owner’s store, the shop owner was a kind old lady who was sympathetic to your situation. You were now run aways from you homeland, Fontaine who had made your way to the nation of Mondstadt in search of safety. Everyone was very kind, and you had already have made quick friends with many of the knights of the city and a strange bard who there was something off about but you couldn’t quite place it. 

“Can't take my charm

Can't take my humor

Can't take my wealth

Cause it's just a rumor”

When you left Fontaine you had to leave much behind, only a few articles of clothing, a keepsake or two, and of course your friend was able to grab her guitar. She now played it after a long day’s work, a harsh and proud song, not that she had much pride left, neither of you did not after what happened. She tried for crimes she didn’t commit, a set up, and you jumping in after her, breaking her out before she was to be sent away. You did what you had to in order to survive and if that means leaving your entire lives behind, so be it.

“Nothing you can take was ever worth keeping

No, nothing you can take was ever worth keeping”

You stood up from your chair at the dining table and walked over to your friend you sat in the windowsill, singing and playing her guitar. The windowsill was wide enough for you both to sit down in it, you didn’t say anything and neither did she, only sang while you watched the streets of Mondstadt from the window as the sun set.

“Thinking you're so fine

Thinking you can have mine

Thinking you're in control

Thinking you'll change me, maybe rearrange me

Think again, if that's your goal”

You were in trouble with the law in Fontaine and here in Mondstadt perhaps illegally, neither of you really knew but you did know if that was the case surely Neuvillette and or Wriothesley would have tried something by now but everything was uncomfortably quiet, not even a peep from Fontaine. The silence was becoming unbearable but it was moments like this, sitting in the window with your friend that kept you sane. It felt like old times, just in a new home.

“Can't take my sass

Can't take my talking

You can kiss my ass

Then keep on walking”

Then there was a knock at your door, the guitar stopped. You stood up and walked over to open the door, and it was the shop owner, looking a bit shook up. “There is someone here to see you.” When you heard this your heart sank, the way she spoke, it couldn’t be one of the.knights. When Kaeya or Lisa stopped by she was always so cheerful about it, but now she looked terrified. 

“Nothing you can take was ever worth keeping

Oh, nothing you can take was ever worth keeping”

You looked over at your friend and it looked like she was about to throw up, it seems you both knew who wished to see you two. Looking out the window you didn’t see any knights about the streets, keeping watch, so if you were to scream or something were to happen no one would hear you two. You stepped out of the room, leaving your friend in your guy’s apartment. You stepped down the stairs that lead into the shop on the first floor that was closed for the night. Sitting at one of the shop’s tables where you would serve coffee, tea, or some sort of sweet was a man. His gaze was fixed on the window that looked over the landscape of Mondstadt along with the setting sun. You slowly walked up to him, you were glad you couldn’t make eye contact because if you did you thought you may be sick. 

“Nothing you can take me from me is worth dirt

Take it, 'cause I'd give it free

It won't hurt”

You stood in silence for a long moment before you finally spoke up, venom in your words. “Little strange that you came all the way here, Supreme Justice.”

He hummed in response, his eyes still stuck to the window. “I would have come sooner but I simply did not have the available time in my schedule.” His eyes drifted from the window to you, a thin smile forming on his face. “You pulled a very bold move coming here. It took almost a month to pinpoint exactly where you were.”

“Let me guess, you’re here to arrest us?” You questioned but Neuvillette only shook his head. 

“No, not yet anyway. I have an offer, sit please.” He gestured to the seat across from him which you begrudgingly sat down in before he continued on. “If you come with me quietly, all charges of destruction of government property that you committed when breaking your friend out will be forgiven. You will be able to live a normal life as long as you don’t run off again. If you reject, I will have to file your crimes with the knights and you will eventually be returned to Fontaine and be placed under my custody as a criminal.”

“What of my friend? What will happen to her.” You asked, eyebrows knitted as you questioned him.

“There is nothing I can do about her, she has already been tried for her crimes, she will be taken to the Fortress of Meropide and placed under the custody of Wriothesley-“

“So either way she’s screwed over.” You huffed, your gaze going to look out the windows he was once looking at, refusing to make eye contact with the judge.

“The fortress is not absolutely horrible, besides I doubt that Wriothesley will treat her like the other criminals.”He spoke calmly like he has this entire conversation, meanwhile you could feel a fire brewing inside you.

You stood up from the table suddenly and gazed down at the Iudex of Fontaine with a look of pure anger. Before he could speak up to calm you down, reaching out to touch your hand, you swiftly stepped back, turning your back to him. “You may leave now, because my firm and final answer is no.” You made your way to the staircase and spoke without looking at him. “Have a safe trip back to Fontaine, alone.”

You left him sitting alone in the silence. Neuvillette sat for a long moment before reaching for his cane and his bag he brought with him. He reached into his bag and took out two files, seemed like he had a place he needed to stop by before leaving the city.  Meanwhile you and your friend had to hit the road again and fast before you were wanted here as well, so much for the city of freedom.

“Nothing you can take was ever worth keeping

No, nothing you can take was ever worth keeping”

[witch-hazels-musings]

Chivalry

warning: princess!reader, knight!character (slight AU* Prince and Princess) | sfw | slight hurt (due to different social statuses, arranged engagements,etc), comfort* (happy ending yayayay) | forbidden love | pre-relationship | character perspective 

citation: *song lyrics - Just for Now, Michael Crean

Knight!Diluc x fm reader | anthology (Albedo, Kaeya, Jean - coming soon)

Diluc

He knew every assignment wouldn’t be enjoyable. As much as he’d prefer to be wandering the plains of Teyvat searching for those who would do his Kingdom harm, it wasn’t possible. Still, out of all the knights, out of all the assignments, why did it have to be this one? 

Diluc sighed and did his best not to roll his eyes as he watched the Princess he was sworn to serve finish her discussion with a foreign dignitary. As the eldest of daughters, she was tasked to handle foreign affairs as well as the kingdoms resources while her younger sister and brother were able to be more free in their day to day. The older brother, the Prince in line for the throne was not well liked which made Diluc assume his sister would be the same. She wasn’t. 

Still, Diluc found most of his time was standing off in the corner while meeting after boring meeting was held in the castle. He’d once climbed the coldest mountain in the land and, honestly, that sounded far more enjoyable than listening to another Fontainian talk down to the person whose patience knew no bottom. 

“I understand you are frustrated by the swiftness of our response,” you said, hand moving to rest against the ambassadors arm. Diluc noted how his face flushed at the contact. “I cannot guarantee we will solve each problem, but rest assured I will not let a day go by without checking in and assessing how we can continue our support.” you bowed slightly and smiled. 

ugh, the tediousness of talking to diplomats, Diluc frowned at it all. 

Once the ambassador left, you wandered back to your seat to gather the notes, forms, and other documents you’d ultimately review until passing out in your room. Dark circles were starting to appear under your eyes from all the sleepless nights. He made his way to you, picking up the stack of books before you could. 

“Is your schedule free?” He asked, twisting slightly away from as you tried to grab the items he picked up. You were stubborn, but so was he. 

“Yes,” you said and sighed, “but not for long. The Favonius knights have requested more arms, and the masons require stone for the eastern wall. I didn’t get to these yesterday, so I’d like to attend to them before dinner.” Settling the items in your arms, you did your best to push the hair that continued to brush against your cheek away with puffs of air. It wasn’t working. 

“Do you not think it is better to rest?” If his superiors were around, they would shame him for speaking so directly. ‘Royalty is to be tended to like a fragile flower, otherwise they will be tarnished,’ he could hear his mentor recite all the while forcing the knights in training to hold 40 lbs barrels over their head. 

You looked into his eyes before moving on to appease him. “You always look after me, Sir Ragnvindr. I’m alright,” you smiled but he could see the exhaustion in your expression. A fragile flower, yeah right. “Anyway, I’m sure you’d much rather be beyond the castle walls.” You reached for the books he was holding, “I know being my guard isn’t very exciting, so please don’t let yourself be trapped for my sake. I can manage to make it back to my room without incident.” 

Your hand touched his on accident. Quickly, you pulled back, apologized, then tried again. With a roll of his eyes, he scooped the items in your arms, adding them to his. 

“S-Sir Ragnvindr!” You protested as he made his way to the door. He was much faster due to his long legs. Diluc couldn’t hide his smirk as he heard you rushing after him. It must have been hard to keep up in a dress as decorated as yours. “Please, it’s too much --” he stopped in front of the door only to feel you bump into him. When he twisted to look, he noticed you cupping your mouth and nose. He swore he saw a dab of color on your cheeks. “Sir, I cannot ask you to --” 

“And yet I can ask you to carry all of this?” He cut you off and watched the implication of his words settle in your mind. Diluc wondered if you disliked the rules and expectations of royalty as much as he did. After all, before he was a knight he was a nobleman - he understood the pressure of this world better than most. 

Deflated, defeated, you backed down. “If you insist.” He could tell you hated being doted on. In every interaction he’d seen between you and an attendant, you were always respectful, helpful, and often insisted upon doing the task yourself. At the end of the day, who could deny the eldest princess her request? Well, other than him --- “But as soon as we get back I can --” 

You were cut off by a voice down the hall. If it was possible for the walls to have ears in this castle. 

Diluc watched as you prepared yourself, stepped into the hallway and greeted the stranger. They were one of the Prince’s scribes, and a rather annoying one to boot. Diluc had a bitter taste in his mouth every time he showed his face. There was just something about the way he looked at you ... 

“I was informed you were free,” he said with his head lifted as if to look down on you. 

“That is the case, but ...” 

“Do come with me then. I have work for you to attend to since it seems you cannot get them done without a watchful eye,” he reached for your wrist and Diluc moved before realizing it. With one step, he was in between the both of you but his cold gaze was seen only by one. The man’s hand retreated so quickly it was like Diluc’s proximity had burned him. 

“The Princess has other priorities at this moment.” 

“How dare --” 

“As the Princess’s guard, I am to ensure she can fulfil her duty to the kingdom.  Do you not think the Ambassador of Fontaine would be surprised to find his request delayed yet again because the Princess was pulled to another task?” Diluc stared the man down, commitment unwavering. He heard you start to say something so he stepped further in front of you. 

“How da- I -- I’ll be speaking to your superior,” the man spat before turning on his heels and loudly walked back the way he came. Diluc didn’t move until he was out of sight. 

“Sir Ragnvindr, you didn’t have to go that far,” you expressed as he turned to face you. Your head had dropped, your eyes looked to the floor while your fingers pinched their neighbors. “I will write a letter to Mrs. Gunnhildr explaining the situation.” 

Diluc wasn’t sure why you were looking after him, he was capable of standing up for himself and dealing with whatever punishment might come his way. Besides, it was bound to be far less painful than watching you spend any amount of time with that man. 

Wait ... what?

“Don’t fret over it. Let’s go,” Diluc quickly passed by you, his head shaking to remove his strange thoughts. He heard you catch up to him. From the corner of his eyes he could see you were still unsettled by what had happened. 

“I um - I do want to thank you.” 

“For?” 

“For standing up for me. I - um - As you know it’s hard for me to say no,” you sent him an appeasing, sad smile. “Though I do feel guilty. Perhaps if I -- ah! Sir--” 

Diluc put his hand against your back and pushed you forward just enough so you couldn’t turn around. “Don’t make me carry you too -” The words fell from his mouth so fast he had to snap his lips closed to not say anymore. 

What in Teyvat was coming over him. You riled him up so much-

You let out a hearty laugh and his heart skipped a beat. “Haha! That would be a sight to see,” you covered your mouth but he wished you wouldn’t. “Sir Ragnvindr carrying the Princess through the halls of the castle. Can you imagine?” 

He could imagine. Though the sight wouldn’t be pretty, nor proper, since the only way he’d see that happening is if he tossed you over his shoulder. Nevertheless, he was glad you were laughing at the idea rather than being appalled. Diluc put his hand back on the items he was carrying now that he knew you weren’t going to rush back down the hall. 

For a moment he listened to the sound of your footsteps, to the soft giggles echoing in the hall. Why was the weight of his armor suddenly so noticeable? 

“You can refer to me by my first name,” Diluc said as your laughter started to fade. 

“Oh, but Sir Ragnvindr is so natural to me.” You tapped your chin before turning to look at him as you walked, “Sir Diluc --” 

“Just Diluc is fine,” 

You paused, unsure of what to say. Eventually, you turned to look down the hall, hands returning to hold onto each other. He wasn’t sure what was going on in your mind but, honestly, he wouldn’t have been prepared even if he did.

“Diluc ...” the sound of his name on your tongue nearly made him fall over. Instinctually, he clenched his jaw over and over again. “Um, actually, if it’s alright with you, I think I’ll stick with Sir. Ragnvindr for now ...” you explained in a panic.

Diluc didn’t dare look at you. What expression would he have it he met your gaze? So, he gave a curt nod and a quick, “Alright,” and the two of you made your way down the hall in silence. 

-- 

Every once in a while you’d try to push him away. Though he wasn’t sure if it was because you needed a moment alone or if his wistful gaze toward the window drew too much attention. Out of the two, he’d much prefer you the latter, especially since his other stare was directed at you.

Weeks went by and he settled into a nice routine. It was difficult when he first arrived, but you asked him on several occasions if there was anything you could do to make his stay more comfortable. Even the smallest things; you did your best to get him what he asked.

Diluc didn’t want for much, so your offers were often left unanswered; however, he did notice a steady supply of grape juice in the kitchen when he was sure there hadn’t been before. He only mentioned it once.

At times he'd forget himself. Forget that he needed to hold an expression of disinterest. Forget to pull himself back when he was starting to soften each time his eyes landed on you, each time you stood close by, each time you turned to search for him.

You found him and he could breathe again. 

He was forgetting how very high the wall was between the two of you and every day he spent in your shadow, it became blurrier and blurrier. 

--

“I’m going to win!” You shouted, hair wiping around your face as you pushed forward. The horse you were riding picked up its pace with a flick of the reigns, pushing you past Diluc. How did he end up racing you again? 

You cackled as you passed by and he couldn’t help but be swept up by the noise. With a deep, “hya!” he squeezed his thighs and tapped his horses belly, urging it to increase its speed. It did, and soon he was rushing past you and laughing at the sound of your fading protests. 

When the path began to taper out, Diluc slowed his horse bit by bit until it was at a standstill. He patted its neck and praised it for its hard work while it raised and lowered its head, breathing heavily. Twisting so he could see behind him, he found you making your way toward him and your voice began to cut through the thicket of trees. 

“---er! --eater!!” You reigned your horse in, coming to a soft canter until stopping beside him. Panting, you repeated yourself, “cheater.” 

“I did no such thing,” 

“You did!” Patting the neck of your horse, you moved up beside him, punching him in the leg when you were close enough. 

“Hey-” 

“Cheater--” You pointed at him, making him laugh. Carefully, he took your hand his his and moved it back toward you. 

“Did you forget I’m also a Calvary Captain?” You scrunched your face in protest but quickly relaxed into realization, “Hah, you did!” 

“Shut up--” Diluc laughed, louder than he had in so long. His hand pressed into his stomach and his eyes began to water. “Stop it --” you pleaded, the notes of laughter laced in your request. “You hardly ever talk about yourself. Sorry for not remembering something you told me almost a year ago.” You turned your head away from him, moved your hands to fix the hair that had fallen free from its holding. He found himself looking a little too long at the back of your neck. 

“I don’t mean poke fun,” there was a stick in your hair but you didn’t seem to notice it. “Here,” with expert skill, he dismounted his horse. In a matter of seconds he had the reigns looped around a low hanging branch and had made his way over to you, his hand resting against the horses neck to let it know he was there. The horse bumped his head and he smiled. “Allow me to help,” he said, offering you his hand. 

“Don’t need it,” you replied, fixing your clothes. You were wearing a pair of form fitting pants and a dark green top that pressing against you underneath a warm, cream vest. It was one of the only times he’d seen you not dolled up in what your maids forced you to wear every morning. He liked it. 

Ignoring his hand, you began to dismount but, as he had expected, it’d been a while since you last rode so you weren’t as graceful as he was. Your hand on the saddle slipped but he was there to catch you. 

“Got you,” he reassured you with an arm wrapped around your back, a hand gripping the waist of your pants before pulling you toward him. Your body collided into his chest. The heat of contact, the wave of your perfume, shampoo, crashed into him causing him to stumble backward. He’d caught whiffs before, hints and hypothesized about what it would be like. He never anticipated becoming overcome by it so intensely.  Diluc held you while your toes scraped the ground, arms coiled around his neck for support. 

Let her go -- he told himself but couldn’t do it. 

“S-Sir Ragnvindr ...” your voice was shaky. He set you down and took several steps back, bowing. 

“Are you alright?” he asked, tone even, professional. 

“Mmhm,” he glanced at you. His jaw clenched at the sight of your discomfort. You wouldn’t make eye contact with him, began to wring your hands like you did when you were uneasy. He wondered if his teeth would break by how hard he bit down. Without saying anything, Diluc grabbed the reigns of your horse and brought it over to his. “Um, that ride made me hungry,” you began so he looked back to you, “those trees provide good shade, if you’d like to eat with me? I brought enough for the both of us.” 

“Alright,” he agreed without protest, grabbing the pack off his horse and brining it to the place you pointed to. You quickly laid out the blanket, taking up space near the tree. He was glad you did, it would be much harder for anything to attack you with it at your back. Diluc offered the basket to you which you took and began to put several items on a plate. Soon, you offered one to him.

“I tried to bring things you’d like,” Diluc looked at the plate. He wasn’t planning on eating anything but when he saw several of his favorite items, he changed his mind. 

“I thought you didn’t remember things about me?” He teased, a rare occurrence.

You pursed your lips into a pout before answering, “I can remember some things.” 

“I see.” He popped one of the finger foods into his mouth. The taste wasn’t exactly the way he imagined but it was still good. “Thank you for requesting these, Princess.” 

“Y-You’re welcome,” you replied, making your own plate. “but - um - I made them. So, if they aren’t very good you don’t have to eat them.” 

Diluc looked at you with awe, “you made these?” you nodded, “when did you find the time?” 

Shrugging, you took a bite of your own food. “I had a spare moment. Though it was hard to keep it a surprise when you’re always around.” You stole a peek at him, “Are they good?” 

Diluc felt his lips curl into a smile as he looked at the food on his plate. Now that he gave them a careful eye, he could see they were done by novice hands, “Very,” he told you and ate another. 

The two of you enjoyed the rest of the picnic in quiet peace. Diluc leaned back against another tree, let his body stretch out on the blanket while you maintained your trained posture. Legs bent to your side, back straight. The wind tussled your hair, making it difficult for you to review the paperwork you brought. Of course you’d still be working, even outside of the confines of the castle.

Soon, a soft hum drifted on the breeze. Peeking through half-closed eyes, he watched you sing to yourself. He’d seen you do it times before but, just as you did then, you stopped. “Sorry,” you appologized. 

It was so comfortable, so relaxed that he couldn’t help but close his eyes. The horses were close by that if they sensed anything he could hear their agitation. The woods had been cleared prior to this excursion anyway, he made sure of that - perhaps that’s when you found the time to make him lunch.

Funny, while he was scouting thinking of you, you were thinking of him. The thought made his chest tight. 

“I don’t mind.” 

“It’s not proper.” 

Who told you that? He wondered. “I’m the only one here.” 

“Somehow that doesn’t help,” you chuckled and he swore your cheeks changed color but maybe that was the light passing through the shifting leaves above, “um, do you have any requests?” 

You’d never asked him before. He wasn’t sure what to say. “Your favorite one then?” 

“Okay.” The world grew quiet. As if it were settling to listen to your song. When you began he lifted his arms, folding them behind his head like a pillow, eyes closing again. 

Take me And I will fix you for the night Hold those breaking lights Dreaming past those eyes

feel me  breathe me to the sky ... 

The song was gentle, sad. He’d never heard it before so he paid careful attention to the words.

So scream Your voice it can't be heard To no one else but you So sing as loud as rain And run until you break

Diluc’s brow furrowed at the sound of your trembling voice, at the motion of your hand as it brushed over your eyes. You tried to keep it in but didn't make it. Your hands covered your face as you cried; cried in the wind, cried under the sunshine sky, cried in front of the man who realized, in this moment, he never wanted to see you this way. 

And yes Just for now Just for these small hours You can fall beneath the ground You can break...

...without the pain

You cried, bent over in the shade of the tree and all Diluc could do was watch and wonder why.

--

A few days later he learned the truth. Your brother had convinced the king to accept a proposal for your hand without consulting you. Somehow this was still endorsed, still expected. You were forced to accept it but Diluc couldn’t. 

He rushed through the halls practically burning the tapestries that lined them. He didn’t even wait to knock on the door to your inner chamber, he just opened it, freezing when he found you sitting on the couch as if this were any other day. 

It wasn’t any other day to him. 

He wanted to fight, wanted to yell, wanted to free you from your station. He swore to protect you, to shield you. So how could he let this happen? Diluc was in turmoil - every inch of him was struggling; strangled by the expectations of his duty and his devoted heart. 

When you heard him enter, you looked up from the paperwork on the coffee table, eyes puffy, swollen - how much had you cried today? 

“I wasn’t expecting you, Sir Ragnvindr,” you explained, but the tightness in your throat told him you were suffering. How terrible was this suitor? What archaic laws shackled you to him and not ... 

Diluc made his way toward you. 

“I’m sorry but I’d like some time a-alone,” your voice cracked. He didn’t listen. With ease, he knelt on one knee before you. His eyes searched your face until your red-tinted eyes landed on him. “P-please,” you tried to smile, tried to pretend but he was okay if you didn't. He rested his arm on his knee and touched your fingers. Biting your lip, you looked at him and shook your head. Your breathing became unsteady, tears pooled in your eyes. “I’m alright,” you lied. With every tear-drop you lied. A quite sob escaped your throat so you covered your face with your hands and said the one thing you shouldn’t have, “Diluc --” 

Diluc, going against everything he was taught, everything he swore to uphold, to commit to, opened himself and took you against him. His arms wrapped delicately around you, his hand found the back of your head, fingers weaving in between the strands of your perfectly brushed hair. 

“I’ll fix it,” he vowed, knowing he couldn’t. 

-- 

The following weeks dragged by. Preparations for your engagement were planned. Even though you were in the room when the decisions were made, you gave no opinion on them. Not the flowers, not the dress, not the food which you had little interest in lately. It seemed all you could do was devote yourself to your work and nothing else. 

Diluc lay awake at night thinking about how to solve this problem. What could he do to break off the engagement. Surely he could take drastic actions - what was a life of imprisonment if you could be free? His step-brother told him to be patient, be rational, but his heart refused to let him. He was spiraling, and jealousy was right in the middle of it all. 

Agitated, he lifted himself from his bed and made his way to the door that led to your chambers. On the other side you were sleeping, safe, untouched by anyone. He pressed his forehead against the harsh wood, gripped the doorknob with so much strength he worried it would bend to his will. He wanted to see you, wanted to hold you - to keep you - but you weren’t his. Would never be his. 

Shaking, he pried himself away, threw on a shirt, and made his way down the hall to cool off. 

On the other side of the door, you sat with your knees to your chest, head resting against the wood with eyes flooded in tears as you silently cried in the color of the rising sun. 

--

The day of your suitor arrival had finally come. You did your best to smile, to hold yourself high. You’d practice these skills for so many years but Diluc could tell you were struggling. As you rose from your chair to greet the man who’d soon be your husband, Diluc took a step closer to you hoping to ease your anxiety.

“Your majesty,” he bowed, low and proper. His smile was unsettling, his eyes darted around the room until they landed on you and the flash of excitement Diluc saw in them made him drive his claymore deeper into the ground. “Ah, and my beautiful fiancé,” he took several steps toward you so you extended your hand as far as it could go to create space. Diluc was enraged at how familiar he was; grabbing your hand and pressing his lips to it. Rubbing your arm without a care. The man flashed his eyes to Diluc but Diluc didn’t turn away. 

“Welcome to the Royal Capital, Prince Calmin Velena. I’m sure you are tired from your journey. Please do take --” 

“I am eager to hear of the wedding plans and celebrations, your majesty,” the man interrupted you, his hand still holding yours as he pulled you toward him and the king. Diluc had to restrain himself from cutting that hand off. “Am I to be boarded next to my sweet Princess? I do wish to spend as much time with her as possible,” he glanced back at you and, instinctually, you tried to retreat toward Diluc. 

“Prince Calmin, do understand that while you are in our kingdom, there are certain, etiquettes, that must be followed. You will have your own room in our guest quarters. They are lavishly furnished as you will find.” The King gestured to an attendant who appeared suddenly before the group. With a scoff, the prince released you allowing you to go back to your original spot. Diluc watched how your hand shook as you hid it behind your back.

You can’t protect her if you kill a prince, he reminded himself. 

“Yes of course, then I will retire for now. Until then,” he turned and blew you a kiss before following the attendant out of the grand hall. At which time you collapsed into your chair. 

“Daughter --” The King rose from his seat, moving toward you but before he could continue, your brother got in the way. 

“Father, don’t mind her, we have much to discuss.” The King looked at you and you shot him a desperate look. A pleading, ‘please’ to which he closed his eyes and followed after your brothers persistent pushing. 

When they left, you tried to stand but found your legs unsteady. Diluc noticed, offering you his hand, never taking it away. 

“I feel unwell,” you whispered while other attendants moved about the room. 

“Let’s away for now,” with ease, he pulled his cape around you, blocking you from the eyes of the would-be onlookers. You tucked yourself under his arm, brushing against his hips every once in a while. 

Would this be all he ever had? Fleeting, accidental touches while that rat had the rest of you. The thought made his chest burn, blood boil.

Diluc looked at you, vowing to ensure nothing but his presence could get close. 

--

Every interaction he saw the two of you have made him furious. Prince Calmin was disrespectful to you. He flirted with others in front of you, talked down to you as if you were nothing, second guessed your decisions and even tried to take over your duties. The amount of times you had to quell the fires of the ambassadors because of his stupidity -- it was giving Diluc a headache. 

Complaints were passed to the King but your brother always managed to stop them. Somewhere in the back of Diluc’s mind he suspected foul-play. Why was this man being pushed so hard when - even if he hated to admit it - there were other, better suitors out there. Just what was your brother playing at? 

Diluc did his best to investigate, asked his most trusted to assist him when he couldn’t. The day’s to your wedding were drawing closer so he didn’t dare leave your side. Not while that snake continued to slither his way into places he wasn’t wanted. 

Several nights before the wedding, Diluc heard your voice on the other side of the shared door. You sounded upset. When he went to investigate, he found Prince Calmin pushing his way inside your room. It took all of his strength not to break every bone in his body but - luckily - the prince backed down, running away as fast as he could, and you were able to quell the rage in him by reassuring him you weren't hurt. 

Even still, Diluc spent the rest of that night in front of your door. 

What nightmares would await him in the next few days. What nightmares would befall you that he couldn’t stop. He needed a solution, fast. 

-- 

The day before the wedding came, and while others were celebrating in high spirits, you did your best to keep your mask up. Even though you smiled and acted pleasant, people were noticing that you didn’t stand in the middle of the room like brides often do, didn’t raise your glass to the toasts wishing you well, didn’t react when your fiancé touched you. 

You were like a statue. A commodity. And your faithful knight was forced to watch. 

“Hey there,” a familiar voice broke his concentration. His brother, Kaeya, had slipped into the festivities without an invitation, as customary. 

Diluc stood with his arms crossed in the dark shadows of the grand hall. Eyes locked on your ‘would be husband’ - searching for the slightest movement that would allow him to end his life.

If he hurt you, would the king pardon the knight sworn to protect the princess? He clenched his jaw. 

“Did you find anything?” Diluc asked, desperate. Kaeya could sense it too and let out a sigh. 

“Just tell her you love her.” 

“Kaeya -” 

“Perhaps a kings heart can be swayed by the profession of true lov-” 

“Did you find anything?” Diluc barked, causing Kaeya to throw his hands up. 

“Alright, here,” Kaeya offered a roll of papers to Diluc who snatched them faster than lightning. “You’re senses are always spot on ya know - well, except for where it counts.” 

Diluc read the papers over and over again. When he was done, he looked at Kaeya.

“I’m good, what can I say?” Kaeya shrugged but Diluc was already gone, “I’ll take my thank you in a bottle of wine. Do you hear me??” Kaeya shouted, throwing his hands in the air when he got no reply.

Diluc’s heart pounded as he pushed through the crowd. Nothing was set in stone yet, this was it. The chance to save the love of his life. 

“My king!” He shouted over the crowd, through the music bouncing around the room. He picked up the pace, running. “King!” 

The royal family and its intruder looked toward him. You sat up in your chair - the first sign of life you’d had all evening. The crown on your head slipped but you didn’t fix it. 

“What is the meaning of this?” Your brother stood, the scraping of his chair putting a stall on the noise in the chamber. “How dare you interrupt us!” 

“I apologize king,” Diluc knelt, bowed his head and lifted himself up again before extending the rolled up parchment toward the King. “I will take whatever punishment you decide fitting for my interruption, but first, read this.” Diluc held out the documents but when the Prince tried to snatch them away, Diluc grabbed his wrist and shoved him back. 

“Sir Ragnvindr!” The King stood and the knights in his charge moved out from the shadows. 

“Wait!” You shouted while your brother tried to scramble for the document. Unfortunately, you had a hard time getting any closer as your fiancé yanked you back toward him. 

The parties’ attention turned to the commotion at the royal table. Diluc held his ground even as the threat of drawn weapons drew closer. “I have entrusted you with the safety of my daughter and yet you slander this celebration?” 

“Her safety is my highest priority which is why you must read this!” The prince grabbed the documents before the King could and Diluc felt his heart drop in his chest. 

“What rubbish. Have I not tried to warn you father, this knight has means to harm my precious sister. He must be dealt with -- away with him!” Diluc refrained from drawing his sword, if he did he would look even more like the enemy. 

“Your majesty, please,” Diluc bowed to hide the fear in his eyes but also show he meant no harm. Please -- please hear him -- Hands touched Diluc’s shoulders and began to pull him back. He could hear your shouts and the quieting demands of your soon to be husband. 

I failed 

“Is this true?” 

“Be still.” The King demanded and the room stilled. Diluc’s head shot up, his heart flipping as the king reached for the parchment. The prince did his best to plead, to explain that it was nothing but when the King didn't back down, he reluctantly handed it over. Diluc’s heart pounded, he felt his hands burn as he looked on only to find you still bound by the hands of that man. 

Read faster, be begged.

“Yes, Majesty,” Diluc confirmed. “Take notice of the seal on the last page.” The King flipped to the last page, grimacing at what he saw. When he snapped his head to Prince Calmin the fear in the man’s eyes was clear. 

“Unhand my daughter. Seize him!” 

“W-What?” the prince stuttered, backing up with you in his grip.

Your brother reached for the king's arm but was shoved off. “Father what are you doing!?” 

“Be silent, child.” The King moved toward Prince Calmin who grabbed a knife hidden in his clothes and held it out, while his other hand held tightly onto your hair.

“Back away! G-Got it?? I-I was promised -- you promised me!” Calmin screamed at the prince who was cowering in his chair. The commotion grew as the kings guard closed in but all Diluc saw was the fear in your eyes, and how your trembling hand extend to him. 

“Let her go,” Diluc reached for the table and tossed it out of the way. The thick wood and metal bindings kept it in place as it slid down the steps narrowly avoiding several patrons as it went. He didn’t care about them, he didn’t care about anyone, he only cared about - “I won’t say it again.” 

Diluc’s claymore appeared in his hand, ablaze. The Prince forcefully moved you in between him and the fire but Diluc knew enough about his vision to control every microscopic flame. 

“Get off her!” In an instant, the room was filled with a flash of light. You covered your face as blue and green flames whipped past you, smacking directly into your captor. He screamed, releasing you, shoving you. As you stumbled forward Diluc caught you so you wouldn't fall. 

“What have you done?! You’ll pa-pay for this ---” Calmin screamed, toppling over in pain as flames clung to his skin. Diluc held you against him so you couldn’t see and hoped the sound of his cries wouldn’t linger in your memory forever. 

The king's guard shackled and carried Calmin away. They hauled off the prince as well, who in a state of bumbling cries revealed he had plotted against the kingdom for riches, and a power greater than visions. As long as he got the princess to marry this 'prince'.  It was through this plot the king learned of an uprising to the east, spurred on the by hands of the northern archon. If they had been successful, the kingdoms resources would have been wiped out.

You slid your arms around Diluc, unwilling to let go and placed his hand on your back. he’d thank Kaeya profusely for saving more than he could ever imagine. 

--

As the party goers were escorted out of the hall, and the energy in the room died down, Diluc stewarded you to the balcony for air.  

“You’re shaking,” he commented, removing his cape and draping it over your shoulders. 

“How could he do this ...” you mumbled, “my own brother.” 

“But, y-you saved me --” 

“Power and corruption are one of many slivers of the darkness that plagues this world. I never wished for you to be exposed to them.” Diluc rubbed your arms, called on his vision to warm you as best as he could. He might have saved you from a sham of a marriage but he failed everywhere else. “I am beside myself for what has happened to you,” he lifted your chin, looked at you but wished he could do more. 

This proposal was one of many you'd get. How was he going to survive the next one?

“Did I?” 

You began to speak but the sound of footsteps interrupted you. Diluc took several steps back and bowed. 

“My daughter, how are you?” 

“I’m alright,” you extended your hand toward the King and he pulled you close. Diluc kept his gaze to the ground. 

“You are unharmed?” 

“Yes,” the King breathed a sigh of relief. He took note of the color wrapped around you, turning his attention to the knight at your side. 

“And you, Sir Ragnvindr?” 

“I am fine, King,” he bowed again, missing the expression you sent to him. 

“Good. Then, if you can spare us a moment I’d like to converse with my daughter in private.” 

“Of course,” Diluc excused himself through the balcony door but made sure to keep you in his line of sight.

--

For several days after, Diluc couldn’t get close to you. He was frustrated, annoyed that his duties kept pulling him away. He rarely fought assignments, but this constant distance was making him insubordinate. 

Finally, he was allowed to return to the castle but no matter where he looked he couldn’t find you. Every room he searched was empty, even your chambers had looked unused for days. The pain in his chest began to burn his throat. 

Where were you - what happened to you - why couldn’t he find you

A figure moved in his peripherals, he spun toward it -- 

“Ah, there you are.” The Kings voice shattered his focus. Within seconds, Diluc was kneeling. “Oh, well. Always do dutiful. Please rise, my boy,” the King chuckled and Diluc did as told. 

“Your majesty. How can I be of service?” 

The King made his way to Diluc who’s head had stayed lowered since the King called on him. There was an uncomfortable silence blanketing the scene, he did his best not to fidget. 

“Diluc Ragnvindr,” hearing his full name, Diluc lifted his eyes but kept his head lowered, “You have sworn to protect my eldest daughter, is that true?” 

“Y-Yes your majesty.” 

“Does that also include her heart?” 

Diluc was hesitant, but he straightened to his full height, coming into direct eye contact with the King. “Sir?” 

“I have watched you care for her, help her, protect her, and though there are suitors who do the same there are none whom she looks at the way she does you.” 

Diluc could hardly breathe. 

“Would you protect my daughters heart the same way you have protected her life?” 

“Yes.” Diluc spoke with conviction. Unsure if what he was vowing too was the one thing his heart yearned for. As stupid he was to believe it, he let himself. 

“Then,” the King took Diluc’s hand in his, one resting on the top and the other cupping the bottom, “You have my blessing. Though I should hardly have the authority to give it.” 

“... I ...” 

“Go. She’s waiting on the balcony.” 

Diluc looked toward the doorway. He swallowed, swore his heart was going to break out of his chest and kill him. He loved you. He wasn’t supposed to - told himself he wouldn’t and yet 

he loved you 

“E-Excuse me,” Diluc bowed, slipped free of the Kings embrace and moved toward the one thing he had wanted but was never allowed. 

There you were, standing with your hands on the marble railing. Your back too him, hair fluttering in the wind. The gown you wore was beautiful. Long trains of white with thick red fabric billowing out behind you. 

Diluc called out your name and, slowly, you turned toward him. He didn’t move, you didn’t move. 

“Did you see the king?” You asked and when he nodded you smiled with tears rolling down your cheeks. Diluc walked toward you as if he were in a dream. “What’s your decision? Could you ever love the princess you swore fealty to--” 

Suddenly, he moved faster than he ever had. His hands cupped your face as he kissed you. He’d never known such a feeling as your lips. Never thought warm tears would feel so invigorating against his hands. 

He had you 

He finally had you 

“Marry me,” he professed above your lips. 

“Tomorrow?” You teased but he didn’t protest. If he were allowed, he’d marry you this instant if it meant you could spend one second more as his wife. 

Laughing, with love rushing through his veins, he hoisted you into the air and let you fall against him as you cupped his face and kissed him in the mid-day sun.

“Wherever you go, whatever you do,” he said in between kisses, “I will follow you. I am yours --” 

“And you are mine,” you vowed. 

@sarahslolitaportfolio​ (these are gonna be long soooo i’m making it a series lol) 

[leifyposting]

Your name is Diluc Ragnvindr. 

Or are you misremembering again? You’re forgetful, these days. 

Your name is Diluc Ragnvindr. You are certain of this. It meant something, once.

It is so cold out here. At least, you think it ought to be cold. It’s probably a bad sign that you are starting to feel warm. Or… don’t some of the native Snezhnayans make houses out of snow? Maybe that’s the reason you’re suddenly feeling warm, warm and toasty, like you’re snuggled up by a fire. When was the last time you sat by a fireplace? Do you remember?

Your name is Diluc Ragnvindr. Your father’s name is Crepus. 

No, that’s not right, is it? Try again.

Your father’s name was Crepus. 

Right. Because you killed him, don’t you remember? 

It was an act of mercy.

Put your hands around his neck and squeezed until the life faded from his eyes. 

It was an act of mercy!

Or maybe you placed your hand on his chest and pumped flame into his heart until it stopped beating. Wouldn’t that be poetic, the coveter killed by the very thing he had so coveted?

Your Delusion gleams on your chest, the same colour as the blood that’s blooming on the snow underneath you. It winks out at you from the bird that adorns your coat, like it knows something you don’t know, like it knows something you have forgotten. You have forgotten a lot, lately. 

He would have died from his injuries anyway. You simply couldn’t watch him suffer anymore.

Does that help you sleep at night?

No. It doesn’t. 

You haven’t slept well in a while. Three years, now; three years of tossing and turning and waking up from nightmares in a cold sweat. You can mark the time down to the day. No one tells you that when you turn 18 you forfeit any claim you had to a good night’s rest. That happens to everyone, right? Or is it just you? What happened on your 18th birthday that robbed you forevermore of rest? 

What else do you remember?

You have one brother. 

Oh?

Had one brother. His name is Kaeya. 

What happened to him?

You… You don’t remember. 

You do. Try harder. 

You don’t remember. 

He can’t have meant that much to you, then. 

He did! He does!

Then why don’t you remember?

You… 

Red against the night sky. Raindrops hit your blade and sizzle, sending steam into the air. You swing your claymore blindly, your vision obscured by flame, towards someone standing in front of you. Are you aiming for him, truly? Are you simply overtaken by grief? Either way, the effect is the same. When the steam clears, there is frost on the ground — an acknowledgement of the gods’ favour upon him. You turn and do not look at him again.

You had a fight, the two of you. 

Ah, there we go. What about?

It was after your dad died. 

And?

And he told you… something. Something that made you hurt him. Why can’t you remember?

Was it important?

It felt important at the time. 

And now?

Now it doesn’t seem worth much of anything. 

The snow is melting underneath you. You have always run hot, even before you received your Vision. You sink further into the snowdrift and it cradles your body like the mother you never knew. High, high up above you, an eagle makes slow circles in the air. You try to look around, but you are too weak to lift your head. 

Death has a way of putting things into perspective.

You’re not dying. Are you?

Sure looks like you’re dying, little prodigal. 

Kaeya will save you. He always has before. 

Kaeya’s not coming. You disowned him, remember? You tried to kill him. 

You didn’t mean it. 

That doesn’t change what you did. And now there is no one but yourself to save you. 

You remember… a boy on his knees in front of you, cradling a newly granted Vision to his chest. You remember the charred sleeves of his jacket, the skin of his arms raw and red, the blood that’s oozing from underneath his eyepatch. You remember the look of horror on his face. You don’t remember what you did to put it there. You don’t remember who he is. You don’t remember who you are.

It is so cold out here.

Stop that. 

And you are so tired. 

Enough of this. Who are you?

You don’t remember. 

Think. 

You don’t remember. 

Who are you?

Your name is– Your name is Diluc Ragnvindr. 

And?

You are 21 years old. Your father’s name is Crepus. Your brother Kaeya…

You hear crunching on the snow behind you. Footsteps, growing louder and faster as they spot you. A flash of blue in your peripheral vision, half obscured by the blood in your eye. Kaeya? Is that Kaeya?

Your brother Kaeya is not coming to save you.

Someone sinks to their knees next to you. “Gods, kid. Always getting yourself into trouble, aren’t you?” A woman’s voice. She gets her arms underneath you and lifts. You feel the earth fall away, blood and melted snow dripping from your coattails. “Let’s get you home.”

You don’t remember what home is. 

Yes, you do.

You remember a fireplace. The smell of wine. The feel of dirt beneath your feet, the gleam of a crystalfly outside your window, the dense heat of a summer evening before a storm. You remember a woman’s voice, gently chiding you for trekking mud into the house. You remember your brother’s obnoxious grin as he bends to take his boots off, ever the rule-follower. 

That’s not the home she��s taking you to.

You know that. She’s taking you back to headquarters.

Is that a good thing?

They will keep you from dying.

Is that all you want?

That’s all you deserve. 

But is that all you want?

No. It isn’t. 

Oh, little prodigal. Isn’t it time to go home?

[operatedness]

One thing abt Diluc and Childe that rlly gets to me is how and what family means to them.

-To Childe, there’s a group of people he loves so dearly but knows he can’t be as close to as he wants because of his job/mentality. There’s always a loose rope he wishes he could pull tighter but he cannot. (Maybe this is just more fanon thoughts but bear with me)

-And then there’s Diluc, who has lost/cut off some of the most important people in his life (losing his dad, his distaste for his brother Kaeya), and yet he has a chance to get closer to them, but he does not.

And that type of difference of a dynamic is so interesting to me, like if it was a topic of a conversation between them. Especially with Childe hiding his job from Teucer.

- - - -

Diluc flexed his hands into the grip of his gloves, the angry leather tightening against his fingers as the sensation of heat tingled agaisnt his palm. His vision that hung from his belt would glow ever so slightly brighter.

“You can’t expect him to not find out eventually…and when he does, are you prepared for him to hate you?” His voice came off as flat, but there was a bitterness he held that he edged inside of his throat.

Childe froze, whatever banter he was raging on about before had completely left him as he turned to the Pyro user before him. Childe cocked a brow, a curious smirk on his face as he seemed to be surpised by such a remark from him.

“My my, that’s a very strong assumption to have,” Childe turned his full attention now to Dilucs statement, as before he had leaned himself against the wall, looking out the window of the Dawn Winery admiring the glow of the stars above them.

“Pardon me for my own assumption, but it sounds like you’re speaking from a personal perspective?” Childes voice came across not as mockery or offense to Diluc, but the way he continued to smile as he spoke just made Dilucs grip get hotter. What was it about this guy that just made Diluc get so angry so easily.

Besides his… status.

“I don’t owe the Fatui any explanation.” His voice became more clear with bitterness this time, a tone laced with venom coating his every word.

And Childe just kept smiling.

— - - - - -

Hehe lol anyways I full send just pulled that out of my ass ignore any typos it may have I am legit still at my job 😁😁😁😁💥💥❤️🧡

[dandelion-wings]

Re-reading the Kaeya de-aging fic this morning and a comment made me think about the external, longer fic idea that it came from and I am never writing. But in that larger framework, this scene, from Diluc's perspective, is actually crucial to the overall arc:

"And now I've injured him, and frightened him badly enough that he tried to run away. Jean certainly won't be impressed."

"I'm sure you can apologize," Adelinde says soothingly.

"And tell him I won't do it again? That would be a lie."

"Master Diluc-"

Diluc holds up a hand to cut off Adelinde's protest. He takes a deep breath and tries to swallow down his anger before he can frighten his employees. Not that either of them look frightened. They know the only person he's angry at is himself.

That night in the rain--he's still not sure if Kaeya deserved the lashing-out he so cruelly and deliberately provoked. Diluc has lost sleep for years now to that question. But right now Kaeya is only a child, and doesn't deserve any injury at all.

Even if he's seemed to expect it. The way he looks at Diluc even before Diluc hurt him, when he wasn't making a heartbreaking pretense of being harmless and helpful and happy to see him.... And now that injury, however accidental, has confirmed all of his fears.

"Was he always this scared of me?" Diluc asks aloud, only barely managing to bite off the follow-up. *Did I deserve it?*

He thinks perhaps he does. His memories of his youth are faded, jumbled, too many fading into a yawning blackness that had spread over them like spilled ink, the blot growing wider every step he took away from his abandoned Vision. But he remembers resentment, even fury, at seeing Father so delighted in another child. As if Diluc wasn't *enough*.

The memories linked to that feeling exist only in snatches, now. Smashing Kaeya's fingers in a drawer knowing that he would bite his lip to stay quiet and never tell Father. A locked closet and telling Jean he didn't know where his new brother went. Kaeya covered in mud and hunching his shoulders as Father scolded him for ruining his new jacket, which Diluc had been very careful only to tear, not to scorch.

Fierce satisfaction when Kaeya vanished in the chaos of a new business endeavor, simply *gone*, out of Diluc's life at last. Sickening, aching regret as Father grew pale and anxious and people started to whisper about hilichurls and bandits and business rivals, and the worst things that could happen to a small scared child if those who took him didn't even know the ransom in their hands. Guilt, when he realized how thoroughly he'd failed at all the responsibilities his future knighthood demanded.

"Not always," Adelinde says, soft and gentle and looking at him with so much understanding, so much *confirmation* in her eyes that Diluc wants to tear his gaze away. She holds it, though, as she goes on, just as gently, "He did get over it, given time and care. He will get over it again, if you give him the chance to do so."

Even as Diluc's gut twists with regret, there's relief in Adelinde's calm assurance. Diluc trusts her more than he trusts himself.

"I intend to," Diluc tells her, and is rewarded by her proud smile.

[dragon-ascent]

My gosh the way you write is just 🤌🏻 not enough words are out there to describe how good it is- just like how Zhongli makes us feel with his presence.

The more I read about zhongli from your perspective. A little insect at the back of my head goes- ‘start writing kaeya’ 😭 I have been maining him ever since I started playing lol (Rn I have enough adventure exp to jump from AR 45 to AR 53 or smth-yes i have been procrastinating the accession quest)..its another thing that I have been into the game around the time it was released-

Eeeee thank you very muchy! I do my best with the time I have these days~ at the end of the day my Zhongli brainrot stands proud!

Ooh, tell me about it; I've been procrastinating on the Natlan quests since foreverrrr. Gonna force myself to sit down and do it soon lol. ;u; and wow Kaeya main! My friend used to main him until she got Itto, he's her current fave and main haha.

[ultimategenshintournament]

Ultimate Besties Tournament: Round 4

Propaganda below cut

Ragbros (submitted 2 times):

From a storytelling perspective, in a game where the premise is reuniting with your lost sibling, these two are excellent foils as siblings who are technically separated but always within reach of each other. I bet that drives the traveler batty, that these two could technically reconcile at any time but Don’t. If you guys aren’t using your free ‘reconcile with your sibling’ card, then give it to them. And one’s even got connections to Khaenri’ah and the Abyss Order! Are these two good siblings to each other? Well. No not really. But the way they were best friends when they were kids and are now bitterly awkward after Diluc’s fratricide attempt (I know he was in a terrible headspace but cmon man. Should’ve at least apologized afterwards.) yet still hang out even in the beginning of the game (see: hanging out in Venti’s story quest and family vacation in GAA 1) is very entertaining. The mask is off now, Diluc. Do you still care about your brother? Kaeya’s internal conflict is very tasty too, still considering Diluc family even if he doesn’t really count himself a Ragnvindr anymore (if he ever did…), and it’s a wonderful narrative metaphor for his conflict of whether he considers himself a Mondstadter despite loving his second home. Kaeya’s a character with a lot of depth from his origins alone, but his personal relationships with the other Mondstadt characters really elevate that and his internal struggles, and none are as important as the family that welcomed him into Mond in the first place. With the exception of the travelers (and Paimon!), I think this is the most important platonic relationship in the game.

Ragbros angst and love makes the world go ‘round

The Protagonists (submitted 4 times):

they're found family and both are extremely underrated and paimon is way too overhated. JUSTICE FOR MY OVERHATED QUEEN AND HER IRRITATING OLDER SIBLING!!

That’s their baby sister ur honor

they pals :)

Paimon haters go suck a lemon I love my emotional support pixie and always will; "BECAUSE THATS WHAT IT MEANS TO BE BEST FRIENDS" I'M SOBBING; They have such sibling energy fr tho. Only thing keeping Traveler sane on god

*Disclaimer: "Ultimate Besties Tournament" is simply the best name I could think of. Characters do not necessarily have to be besties or even friends. This tournament is about the most interesting platonic dynamic.

[followfire]

I really really liked the end of Summertide Scales and Tales for reasons (Jean and Kaeya) but also I get a twinge of frustration every time Alice is mentioned because it always seems... too easy?

I like Alice a lot, but I like Alice as "powerful witch who has good intentions but doesn't realize that sometimes what is good for an almost immortal being is not good from a mortal human perspective" and not as much as just "powerful witch who has good intentions"... as she is often portrayed... I like Alice because she doesn't care about the consequences of her actions. I'm disappointed because the story doesn't always paint it as a problem, but she's interesting because it's a problem, so why sweep it under the rug? We could sincerely thank her for the vacation invitation, while staying a bit wary of her...

Also I strongly headcanon that Jean is (secretly) not very comfortable with Alice so I get even more frustrated when there's something that implies them both but doesn't have an ounce of animosity, because sadly I doubt Hoyo will take this route as characters tend to all get on well, but I want to believe as long as I can T^T

[bladesandstars]

Tell me more about your favorite Genshin ships. Tell me more about your favorite dynamics. Tell me about your favorite characters. Tell me about the stories you've got stuck in your head, waiting for an outlet. TELL ME. 0u0

Okay, this got so INCREDIBLY long. Thank you so much for asking! I'm gonna keep this post to everyone's favorite rock grandpa, though I do love many other characters and ships. Here we go:

Zhongli

I am probably the most excited about him as a character. He's sweet and funny and angsty and complex and potentially terrifying based on his past. I love him. I want to write him all the things. Details below. Spoilers abound, up through Fontaine and including Zhongli's character quest.

- the concept of erosion is so good from a writing perspective. I particularly like this juxtaposed with Neuvillette, who is supposed to be gaining information and serving as a memory for humanity. But I also love it with Baizhu, who is eroding in his own way and presumably much faster.

- war god Zhongli is wonderful. I envision writing him with Xiao here, because their canon interactions are so good. There's also Azhdaha, who breaks my heart every time I think about it. The flavor of writing that ship before and up until Zhongli does what he needs to do? Delicious. But also Guizhong? Canon is ambiguous but I do hc him as smitten and in love with her - the plains bear their ship name and I'm emo about it. (She tops. Lmao. I'm still getting used to the fierce t/b tagging in this fandom - I do my best to be polite, but my brain loves to switch everyone so it's hard.) 

- flashes of former war god with Childe is sucha  delicious concept as well. Something about their contrasts - I can see why they have the fandom in a chokehold. I'm there too. Zhongli's ancient presence, having experienced so many things, slow to anger but so powerful in his anger - next to young hothead Childe who wants to Fight Everyone but still has that "what happened to you in the Abyss, son" mystery and Foul Legacy complexity to him. And he's a good af fighter and I love an ancient being surprised by a relative newcomer.

- Ningguang. My favorite ship for her is Beidou, but Zhongli having a deep, quiet respect for her that grows into something more is so good. He thanks her for taking such good care of the city, she shows him around his human body a lil....it's good. If the Jade Chamber is a-rockin', don't come a-knockin'.

- this doesn't even include the age-old Venti shenanigans or how I think the old man would deal with someone like Kaeya or Alhaitham, both very funny in different ways.

[nightlytoxicpassion]

Yandere Kaeya Headcanons.

Gender neutral reader/darling MDNI Content Warning: Poor horny writing, grammar errors, NSFW, yandere themes, stalking, jealousy, food kink, spit kink, virgin kink, overestimation, choking/smothering. degradation, praise, manipulation. isolation, kidnapping, mentions of throat fucking and slapping/stepping genitals. (Let me know if I missed anything)

Kaeya’s love isn’t something gained in a instant, just as his love for aged wine. It’ll take awhile before this new addiction takes hold. Your relationship starts off normal if not too sweet; its something out of a fairy tail. A knight recusing you from whatever peril you might be in. Wither you’re in actual danger or, just tripped; leaving groceries scattered. He’ll be the handsome hero to lend you his aid. It’ll be such a meet-cute moment. Although it will be just that, a moment not even worth remembering. Harsh but, from Kaeya perspective you’re another citizen. A adorable citizen but, a citizen none the less.

You’ll eventually bump into one another again and, again. All these sweet interaction will start lingering in his mind, maybe little fantasies swirl in his thoughts from time to time.  All these little fantasies are feeding into delusions of a perfect life. He doesn’t even love you at this stage, just has a big’ol puppy crush is all. It’ll stay that way until you show any ounce of interest in him. He’ll ask you out in a very public setting, knowing it will be harder for you to reject his offer. Beside he plans on this being a one time occasion. Just one little fun night between acquaintances. Kaeya will be the perfect gentlemen, pulling out a chair for you, complimenting your outfit, and softly holding your hand as you two take a short stroll after dinner. His hands will never wander, staying appropriate the whole time. By the end Kaeya walks you home, bidding you a goodnight before giving your hand a whisper of a kiss. As he lays in bed, those little fantasies come back ten fold. You were just too fun and sweet to forget about. Maybe this won’t be a one time thing.

This is when his obsession starts. Stalking isn’t something he has time to do but, he does have resources to get all the answers he wants. He’ll know almost everything there is to know about you and, with all his info he’ll start to put it to use as he takes you out on more and more dates. As time goes by even Kaeya will change himself to fit what you’d find to be a good- No perfect partner. But perfect partner don’t stalk one another do they though? They don’t break into the others house and, steal clothes to jerk off into. No no, perfect partners don’t do these things but, he’ll allow himself to not be perfect when no one is looking. He’ll spit into your drinks or foods so you’ll have a part of him inside you. Might even put some cum into them if he’s feeling daring. Once stole a bottle of your wine and, took it home. Drew himself a bath, with candles and rose petals. Your wine mixed with the warm water.  Used the bottle to pleasure himself with, The tip of his cock covered with your underwear as he (tries to) fucks into the open end of the bottle pretending its your virgin hole. His skin was slightly stained red afterwards,  he called in sick the next day.

Enjoys blackmailing other possible love interest you may have. Even if he can’t find in real evidence for blackmail he’ll find a way to discourage them. For Kaeya its nice knowing on one is perfect for you other then him. Well he’ll make himself perfect for you anyways.  

Everything will seem normal for a long time. Everyone, including you sees a sweet couple with little to no issues. Kaeya doesn’t feel that way. What if you get bored? Could you be cheating on him? You were 15 minutes late for dinner last night, were you fucking someone else because he’s saving himself for you on your wedding night? Are you going to fall out of love with him for no reason and, leave him like everyone else? He’ll pop the big question once these thoughts get to loud. Please don’t say no. His heart won’t be able to take it.

A perfect fairy tail wedding something he’s been dreaming about for years. Once at the altar he’ll no longer be the suave Cavalry Captain of the Knights of Favonius but, as whole heartedly Kaeya Alberich a man with a damaged golden heart, a man so pathetically addicted to you. Crying out his vows of undying love for you, its almost embarrassing to watch if not for Barbara and Jean sniffling during the whole speech. The final kiss will forever lock you two together, forever intertwined fates never to separated. Kaeya is absolutely shameless once you’re out of the public eye. Grinding hard and, heavy on you. So loud with his wants, even if your too tired to make love that night he’ll want to cuddle you nude but, tomorrow you are getting it for sure. Although he’s a virgin he has knowledge, romance book knowledge but, knowledge none the less. His rough hands ghost over you form, gently removing your clothing, all the while he kissing your sweet lips desperately. He shaking once you’re completely nude, even if he seen many pictures of you in a naked state, nothing can compare to seeing it in person. His mouth is covering every inch of your body, nothing left untouched. Small praises mutter between each kiss,  after sucking lighting on your nipples he’ll move down to you groin. Truly he doesn’t mean tease you but, he wants this moment to be special. Kissing and licking around the areas you wanted touched. He’ll look at you lusty eyes and, ask for you to be vocal in exactly what make you feel pleasure. With that said he is diving back down, spiting on you genitals rubbing it all over before putting his mouth back on you. With his wet hand he’ll slowing jerk himself off as he taste you. Will listen to everything you want and will not stop till you have an orgasm. Wither its sucking, licking or fingering he’ll do it for you. Accidentally overstimulates during your high, he just can’t get enough of your sounds or taste. You’ll need to ask him to stop a few times.

After giving you both a short break he’ll get back to work. Grabbing you hand he’ll lead it to his hard cock. “Can you feel my love darling? Come on, guide me in.” He’s tearing up the second he is in you and god forbid you’re actually a virgin too. Last 2 minutes before blowing his load, crying out love you’s like he’ll die if he doesn’t and, with little sorry mixed between. Wants to go again and will whine until you say yes. Kaeya will start opening up about his true extent of his love, saying thing like; “No one can fucking touch you now, you’re all mine sweet heart.” “You’re my little slut, just for me. You can stop being a whore.” “You smell so much lovelier fresh.” He’ll shut up if you looked too cornered. Over all he does a good job hiding his obsession when his darling is consenting, and if your not he’ll just make it to were you will want nothing but him. Doesn’t want to kidnap you but will if you reject him or try to leave. He just want a perfect fairy tail relationship with you, and forcing into his basement is anything but that. A lot of domestic training, all that sweet couple crap is his goal. Greeting him at the door when he back, setting the bath, making dinner and, all that jazz. Will give you little rewards for listening to him.

Punishments are rarely physical but can be if you’re really bad. A hard slap is the hardest he’ll ever want to go but, a rough throat fuck never killed anyone. Maybe the rope around your wrist are too tight and, cut into you. Slapping or stepping on you genitals might put you in your place. Choking isn’t off the table either. Actually refuses to have sex with you as a punishment, it really ruins his delusions of you just being a kinky brat. Isolation is more of his cup of tea, that and, manipulation. “Darling you’ve brought this onto yourself. Everything was perfect till you decided to play the cheating whore.” Kaeya will make to be your fault that this all happened, if you never tried to leave him, to be so unfaithful to him. This would have never happened. He still love you though and, nothing can or will ever change that.