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dawn-til-duskk · 2 months ago

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Kaeya Ragnvindr: A Headcanon Post

This is the second draft of this post that I've made because I tried to give detailed explanations of everything but it was like borderline unreadable with how many words there were so this time you get no explanations. Bare minimum context, just the headcanons (watch me still word vomit like 6k words). I did try to organize it by topic though.

also disclaimer: I probably can't claim some of these hcs as strictly original because many of these have been developed via unholy amounts of yapping with @applesandcecilia about this man so some of her ideas have probably leaked into this but it's too hard to say what's what anymore just know she's involved but I also don't speak for her so formally these are mostly mine EXCEPT for these first few ones about his maternal family she came up with the names and helped develop them for our siren AU and I have once again usurped them for canon (much like my Fatui Crepus post)

He's basically my OC at this point I love him.

ANYWAYS in honor of Kaeya's 5.6 return and just in case they do something wild with him that I dislike I present to you: my main Kaeya headcanons

Kaeya's Bio Family

Kaeya's mother, Arushi, was an adventurer from Sumeru who, after heading out on her own as a young adult, fell in love with Kaeya's father, and mistakenly wound up in a severely toxic marriage.

I'm not even going to attempt to theorize about who Kaeya's father is or how he escaped the curse or whatever, but I am firmly in the Kaeya's Dad Sucked camp. He likely hid everything about the Abyss/who he was until she became pregnant with Kaeya and then effectively kidnapped her in order to start preparing whatever plan it is that makes Kaeya "Khaenri'ah's last hope"

Kaeya doesn't remember much about his early childhood. He remembers pieces of Arushi, the fact that he would sneak into her (separate) bedroom whenever he had a nightmare, how kind and gentle she always was with him, her stories about his pirate grandfather, but most of it he truly can't remember, not that he would want to. His father was strict and tried to limit his bond with Arushi as much as possible, so most of the parenting was done under his cruel hand.

After Kaeya's father abandoned him in Mondstadt, Arushi was told that Kaeya had died in an accident. Though the grief was overwhelming, she continued with the escape plan she was developing for her and Kaeya and managed to return back to her family in Sumeru a few years later.

Arushi's parents are Deesha and Aroush, and Aroush was in fact a pirate (more of the adventurous finding lost treasures type, not the plundering type), though probably not quite as mystical as the stories Kaeya makes up in his story quest. He gave Arushi his "lucky" eyepatch when she left, and she passed it on as a gift to Kaeya, which is part of why he became so attached to it.

I am a heterochromic one gold eye Kaeya believer, and while it doesn't strictly make sense for Khaenri'ahns to have gold eyes in canon, I imagine it either came from his father or is somehow related to the Abyss (I don't hc the full black sclera situation, just a gold iris) which is why he enjoyed wearing the eyepatch at various points in his life before his injury.

Arrival in Mondstadt/Childhood

Much like Arushi, Kaeya was also given a false story when he was brought to Mondstadt, but rather than being told she was dead, he was told she had abandoned/no longer wanted him, which is why he never really tried to seek out his grandparents. He may have been considering it when he did the stowaway trip to Sumeru, but I imagine that trip was a spur of the moment decision that just kind of came out of a lot of emotional turmoil. In true kid fashion, I don't think he really knew what he wanted to do there, he just knew Khaenri'ah was near there and he had family there, and maybe hoped he'd suddenly be found by a relative who would tell him that they wanted and loved him and that he hadn't actually been abandoned.

(Crepus would have sought out Arushi and her family if he knew, if for nothing else than to chew her out for what he thought had occurred, but Kaeya never told him about them. When Crepus brought him back from Sumeru the explanation he got came through a blubbering mess of tears and he was more focused on expressing to Kaeya how much he loved him, and afterwards tried not to discuss it again with him because it was clearly a difficult subject)

(And yes I do headcanon that one day as an adult someone tells him he looks like he belongs to this one Sumeran family and after some angsting finds them and reunites with Arushi and gets the real story but that's not super relevant to this post)

As for the "Khaenri'ah's Last Hope" thing, I don't think that Kaeya was told much else beyond that. He knows he's there for a reason (personally I think there's something about the Loom of Fate that requires an Alberich for one reason or another but that's a theory for another time), but he doesn't actually know what the mission is. His father certainly made it sound like a spy situation ("don't draw attention to yourself, just blend in and make them like you"), but no one ever came asking for updates or with further instructions. Of course Kaeya, the poor anxiety ridden child he was (and still is), still considered this something to be guilty for, and it takes a lot of convincing from several people as an adult to get him to see that he was just a child and therefore innocent.

Kaeya was only 7 when he was left at the winery, and Diluc was 8 (they're 7 months apart, Kae arrived in the middle of summer)

Kaeya started having panic attacks at a very young age, typically brought on by thunderstorms. The only thing that could calm him down was curling up by the fireplace next to Luc who would stroke his hair (something Crepus always did to calm Luc himself down), and eventually, once he grew to trust Crepus, his new dad sitting by softly singing Greensleeves (which I hc as a children's lullaby that probably goes by a different name in canon) to him.

The first time Kaeya showed he fully trusted Crepus was when, instead of crawling into Luc's bed after a nightmare, he went into Crepus' room instead (and totally didn't make Crepus ugly cry nope definitely not)

Speaking of sharing a bed with Luc, Kaeya sleeps like a rock as a result of frequently doing that for several years as a kid (Diluc snores like a freight train)

Teenage Years/Development of His Adult Personality

This is probably an unpopular headcanon, but I actually don't think Kaeya's adult personality came after the fight with Diluc, nor do I believe it's all a facade. Though it was mostly unintentional, I believe Kaeya's personality came from Crepus (Diluc takes more after his late mother).

I hc that Crepus was a lot like the Kaeya we see in-game; a little cocky, charming and flirty (though not nearly as suave as Kaeya), a bit of a self-proclaimed fashionista, and a fan of pushing the limits and getting on people's nerves.

As is often the case with teenagers, the once rambunctious and mischievous Diluc slowly grew into a more reserved and introverted (dare I say nerdy too) and he was definitely the pinnacle of Awkward Teenager, and as the result of what was probably a subconscious need to balance him out, Kaeya became more outgoing and stereotypically "cool". Upon discovering he had quite the silver tongue, Kaeya became the bigger troublemaker between them, rather overconfident in his abilities to talk them out of anything, often leaving Jean to drag them out of trouble.

After the fight with Diluc and taking over the role of Calvary Captain, Kaeya did develop a mask, but it's not a total facade. Instead of the free-spirited attitude of his teenage years, his charm and cavalier nature gained a more guarded and calculated layer. His flamboyant theater-kid energy was reigned in to become more selectively displayed. Everything about him became tailored to let people see what he wanted them to see when he wanted them to see it. And then of course, there came the appearances.

One of the primary changes after his fight with Diluc was that Kaeya became a control freak. Not overtly, and not about everything, but in some very impactful ways. Feeling like his life was (once again) slipping through his fingers, he scrambled for things to hold onto, and found it in unexpected places.

First, it was his clothing. To be honest, he's not entirely sure for himself how that started. It had mostly been something of a joke, purchasing something ridiculous to reflect how out of control everything felt, and somehow it had suited him. And there was something cathartic about planning out every small detail of every outfit he donned, making sure everything looked just right. The flashiness was practical too, giving him an eccentric air that drew people in, making them easier to sway in whatever direction he desired.

The skincare came of necessity. His skin had been dry to begin with, and the side effects of his new vision had just made things worse. He hadn't planned on branching out beyond a simple lotion or cream, but the woman at the beauty store Lisa had recommended to him was so enthusiastic and well-meaning, he found himself inclined to let her sell him on some other extraneous items. It seemed rather trivial, considering he couldn't be bothered to take care of himself in more important matters (eating, sleeping regularly, drinking anything other than alcohol), but something about the rigid routine of slathering a dozen different products on his face kept him sane even on the worst days.

The makeup, however, surprised even Kaeya himself. Befriending a group of mercenaries hadn't exactly been on his bucket list, but it seemed that once you had earned their respect, there was no turning back. Dehya, apparently deciding she was now his big sister of sorts, had scolded him for his lack of eye protection, and soon enough he found himself sitting in front of a mirror being taught the ways of Eremite makeup. Though it had practical use for the desert, its aesthetic purposes intrigued him, and it was certainly a more entertaining activity than staring at the empty walls of his house on lonely nights he didn't feel like being in the tavern.

Also, the rattail is NOT canon get that out of my face my man has luxurious L'Oreal model hair. Particularly a wavy hair texture (for all my Kaeya appearance headcanons, just look at @applesandcecilia's art her Kaeya is my favorite). He's also very meticulous about his haircare, though that's partially also out of necessity because wavy/curly hair is a pain in the butt.

And for the love of all that is good in this world Kaeya is NOT a womanizer/playboy/whatever other term you want to use. I don't typically openly criticize other people's headcanons because everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but this is a subject I don't play around with. That man drinks his respect women juice on a daily basis. He may flirt and charm to get what he wants out of someone, but messing with someone's emotions on such a deep level is entirely off limits.

Beyond that, I don't even believe Kaeya is capable of dating/sleeping around because that man is afraid of all forms of intimacy and you cannot convince me otherwise. He is the king of trying to forcibly hold people at arm's length and seems to fight off all urges to want to connect with someone on any kind of deeper level both platonically or romantically. If he does ever reach the point of letting some of that guard down, it would be over a length of time and definitely not with just anyone.

Additional Misc Adult Headcanons

Because of his struggles about choosing between Khaenri'ah and Mondstadt, Kaeya is most drawn towards people with strong opinions and enjoys surrounding himself with them (including Jean and Diluc). He likes sparking debates and playing Devil's Advocate to see how these people's minds work. For him, winning a debate isn't about proving his side right, as he typically doesn't care about the side he's chosen. His goal is to get the other person to either admit they're wrong or admit that there is no clear right or wrong side, which fuels his inner turmoil and justifying his inability to choose.

So in a way, there's a part of him that enjoys losing debates of that kind, because I believe that deep down he's already chosen Mondstadt, he's just afraid of the consequences of "betraying" Khaenri'ah. People with strong convictions give him hope that it is possible to choose something so impactful and be willing to face whatever that decision brings.

I won't get into all my headcanons about the Ragbros and their reconciliation bc that's a whole separate post, but I thoroughly believe that after Kaeya and Diluc finally talk things out and begin the process of restoring their relationship, Kaeya goes sober. Nothing delights me more than taking away Kaeya's alcoholism (STOP romanticizing it in all of your characters hoyo it's not cute).

Also-- and I'm aware this can be very controversial topic in the Ragbros community, this is just my opinion-- Kaeya takes the Ragnvindr name again once he's comfortable with Diluc again (hence the title of this post). I believe Kaeya was officially adopted and by choice grew up as a Ragnvindr (in all honesty I don't think Kaeya ever told anyone his last name was Alberich until he renounced the Ragnvindr name after the fight, but either way Crepus would have let him choose whether he wanted to call himself a Ragnvindr or not).

Kaeya had wanted to change back the moment he got his first hug from Diluc since the fight, but was too afraid to ask if that would be welcome. It wasn't until Diluc himself (knowing what Kaeya's father had been like) hesitantly asked why he was keeping the Alberich name that Kaeya explained and was reassured that he had every right to the name.

After building back his relationship with Diluc, Kaeya had to scramble to fake decorate his apartment/condo/house/whatever he lives in. After having to get his own place after the fight, it never really felt like home. There seemed to be no reason to make it comfortable because to him it was simply a waiting place. Waiting for what, he didn't know, considering he wasn't expecting to ever reconcile with Diluc. Perhaps he thought that at any given moment the Abyss would show its ugly face and come finish off the job of ruining his life, so there was no point in settling down.

When Diluc suggested crashing with him after vigilante activities, Kaeya realized he had to make sure Luc never found out about how he really lived. Every time Luc goes over, he gets the feeling that there's something off about the artwork and lamps and other miscellaneous "homey" things, but he's never brave enough to confront Kaeya about it.

Kaeya is also an Actual Disney Princess. It's unclear why (probably a Ragnvindr trait, Luc has the same issue) but most small animals absolutely adore him. If he took a nap in an open field, he would wake up surrounded by cute little critters. Stray cats in particular adore him, and if he thought he was responsible enough to take care of them he would probably have a whole house full (he settles for sparing some treats and scritches whenever he can)

TL;DR: Kaeya is the love of my life I cannot summarize all those thoughts but if there's one thing I want you to take away it's that his primary coping mechanism is being a Diva that is all thank you for coming to my Ted Talk

#aurora's ramblings #genshin impact #genshin kaeya #ragbros #kaeya ragnvindr #kaeya alberich #genshin headcanons

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