#i know he was from Khaenri'ah and was a spy for them | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

i-am-literally-deranged · 11 months

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Alright, I'm finally ready to talk about how THIS GUY

Kaeya Alberich, is not only an Anghel lookalike, but ALSO is EXTREMELY Yuuya coded.

So first of all, this is written very specifically for an audience of established Hatoful Boyfriend fans who know next to nothing about Genshin Impact and its characters. If this finds its way onto the dash of a Genshin fan who is unfamiliar with Hatoful Boyfriend and you decide to read it anyway, just know going into this that you will be lost, and there will be serious spoilers for Hatoful Boyfriend. I do heavily suggest playing the game for yourself, as it is short, phenomenal, and best enjoyed without spoilers.

As for my usual Hatoful audience, there will be spoilers for Kaeya's backstory. However, this isn't especially significant to the overall plot of Genshin, so I don't think these spoilers would seriously affect anyone's enjoyment of the game. These are only spoilers for the backstory of one out of the (as of right now) 72 characters, which is entirely optional to encounter anyway. But still, if you would rather not be spoiled on anything in Genshin Impact, then here is your warning.

So to start this out, here is a quick rundown on who Kaeya is, and what his story is all about for context. Essentially, here are the spoilers.

The country of Mondstadt is currently in a cold war with an organization called the Fatui. There is another nation, Khaenri'ah, that was previously wiped out. They don't like Mondstadt either. Kaeya is one of the few remaining Khaenri'ahns left, and his father leaves him in Mondstadt as a young child to be a sleeper agent, with the intention that he will rise to a high position, and one day Khaenri'ah will come calling on him to betray Mondstadt. He is left on the doorstep of the Ragnvindr family, who are something of small time nobility in Mondstadt. He is adopted into the family, and so acquires a father, Crepus, and a brother, Diluc. Kaeya and Diluc are close until their father's death. When their father died, Kaeya, wracked with grief, confesses to having been a spy. Diluc blames him for their father's death, and identifies him as a threat to Mondstadt, and so turns on him and attempts to kill him. Kaeya escapes, but their relationship is destroyed, and with it his reputation as well. He carries on as the city's local shady fop, distrusted by all, despised by some. All the while working in the shadows to continue to support Diluc, and tearing himself up over his torn loyalties. And that is Kaeya Alberich, abridged for your convenience.

The core thing that a person needs to understand about both Kaeya and Yuuya, is that they are people who define themselves by their devotion. Their identities are tied inextricably to the idea of "belonging to" a certain person or purpose. Both of them struggle with really having an identity of their own, and finding direction for themselves. So instead, they outsource that to someone else. They wholly devote themselves to something to give themselves direction. Instead of introspecting and figuring out what they really want in life, they live in service to something else. A person, an organization, an ideal, whatever. Something that they can give their lives to. You don't need to think about what you're doing if the answer is always "Whatever is best for _____" and this is how Kaeya and Yuuya both manage themselves. They give themselves a sense of purpose this way. For Yuuya it's a way of justifying himself and coping with his guilt. If it was all for something, then it's okay. He can cope with it if it was all in service of Sakuya. He can justify carrying on if it's for Sakuya. For Kaeya, it's because he was quite literally born to serve a purpose. He was told explicitly "You exist to serve this purpose" and even once he moves on from the purpose he was made for, he doesn't know any other way to live. Kaeya only knows how to exist in service of others, and not for himself. Also like Yuuya, Kaeya suffers under an immense sense of guilt, and copes similarly by giving his life in service of something. It's somewhere between "justification" and "repentance." Yuuya tells himself that it's okay for him to carry on living and to do bad things if it's to protect his brother. Kaeya tells himself that he has to keep on living to do enough good things for his brother to make up for what he's done wrong. Both of them have abysmally low self worth, and are coping with that through this devotion complex.

Kaeya specifically struggles with a lack of personal direction for himself. In the beginning, he was told that his purpose was to infiltrate Mondstadt as a sleeper agent, in service of Khaenri'ah. His purpose was to restore Khaenri'ah, and he was dutiful in fulfilling this. Hw worked hard to establish himself in Mondstadt. He was good, and he was loyal to his mission, for a while. But at some point, living with a loving family overwhelmed the initial loyalty that he had to his blood father who abandoned him, and to this home country he had never lived in. It clicked in his head that no matter what he did, he would be a betrayer. It was no longer simple to just be good, and be loyal, and obediently complete his mission, because to be loyal to his blood father would be to betray the father who loved and raised him. But to betray his mission to remain loyal to Mondstadt and to his new family would mean forsaking the purpose he was born for, and more importantly forsaking Khaenri'ah. The last words his blood father ever spoke to him were "You are our (Khaenri'ah's) last hope." So the guilt of that weighed heavily on him. Eventually though, he did decide that his loyalty lay with Mondstadt and the Ragnvindrs. Please note that this is considered contentious and unproven in the Genshin fandom, but there absolutely is proof of this, that I will touch on later. Kaeya is often framed as a sort of villainous figure, and this is both intentional and misleading, but a few too many people fell for this framing and believe Kaeya to be genuinely malicious rather than self depreciating. So to get back to my current point, which is Kaeya's lack of personal direction, we'll need to talk about Diluc for a moment.

In the comparison between Kaeya and Yuuya, a comparison must also be drawn between Diluc and Sakuya. Both of them were raised from a young age with the expectation that they would one day be leadership figures. They are both extremely headstrong and possess an incredibly impressive drive. When they set their minds to something, that something will be done, one way or another. They're smart, capable, and kind of a pair of assholes. Their view of the world was very heavily shaped by their fathers, who they respect above all others. Although I would never suggest that Crepus Ragnvindr, legendarily good father, is in any way comparable to Monsieur Le Bel. Diluc also has a bit of a penchant for xenophobia, but trust me, it is nowhere NEAR the degree of Sakuya's straight up racism. And crucially, they are the brothers that Kaeya and Yuuya have their dysfunctional relationships with, where both of their lives sort of orbit around this one person that they have placed on a pedestal. These are the people that they have devoted themselves to, and the way that Kaeya and Yuuya relate to their devotion is the core of their similarities, as it is also the core of their identities.

To the directionless Kaeya, Diluc's headstrong nature provided an invaluable sense of purpose. Diluc always knows exactly where he's going, and what he's doing. He's driven and opinionated, and this allowed Kaeya to slide easily into the roll of follower. When they were growing up together, Diluc would set his mind to something, and Kaeya would make it happen. Diluc would get them into trouble, and Kaeya would get them out of it. Kaeya essentially made himself into Diluc's sidekick, and that was what he was most comfortable being. He didn't need to forge his own identity, or decide on direction for himself. More than that, by backing up and supporting Diluc, he had a way to repay the family that took him in. Kaeya could sort of pay rent in the space he took up, by protecting Diluc. Beyond that, He loves his brother, and This is the way that Kaeya loves. However, Diluc's nature is also exactly what led him to turn on Kaeya. Decisive and justice driven, he views the world in very staunch black and white terms, and he doesn't hesitate to violently enforce this worldview. Diluc is an actual vigilante nowadays, but the seeds of that were always there. And when Kaeya did something that he saw as evil, he saw as a betrayal of their family and their home, he immediately brought down his personal justice upon him. It was a personal justice that Kaeya had previously supported, and encouraged. And it is a personal sense of justice that cost Kaeya his eye, and his home. After their father died, and Kaeya confessed to being a spy (more on this later) Diluc tried to kill him. And with that, Kaeya's sense of direction was completely gone in an instant. He could no longer follow Diluc, or substitute Diluc's direction for his own. This is the way that Diluc is what Kaeya has always oriented himself around, and how being deeply protective of Diluc was something of a coping mechanism for Kaeya. As we already know, Yuuya's path in life was also rather abruptly derailed by an act of violence between brothers. Then his life after that was shaped by dedicating himself to Sakuya. Very similarly, being deeply protective of Sakuya is a kind of coping mechanism for Yuuya, and Yuuya orients his entire life around Sakuya.

After Kaeya and Diluc's relationship fell apart, Kaeya couldn't stop caring for him. Although Diluc had completely severed all ties with Kaeya, and in every interaction they had since the falling out he would verbally abuse him, Kaeya continued as he always had. Orbiting Diluc, cleaning up his messes, and getting him out of trouble. All behind the scenes. The way that Diluc talks about Kaeya perfectly echoes the ways that Sakuya talks about Yuuya. It's the same sort of brutal character assassination for both of them. Yuuya spends his life working behind the scenes to protect Sakuya. To get him out of trouble. To make sure that he can keep living the good life that Yuuya paid so dearly for him to have. It's a dynamic where one brother outwardly hates and resents the other, openly insulting them, while living a life that is propped up on that brother's willing and loving sacrifice, made out of a mix of both genuine love and care and desire for him to be happy, and out of a sense of self loathing and pinning their entire personal worth on how happy their brother is.

That self loathing doesn't only manifest in actual sacrifice that benefits someone else, but also in an intentional sabotage of their own reputations. If anyone here remembers when we talked about Yuuya's reputation for being a playboy, and I brought up that I think he spread that rumor about himself, Kaeya behaves the same way. The same way that Yuuya will intentionally cast himself as the villain, and will outright tell people that he's an untrustworthy easy-come easy-go here today and gone tomorrow kind of fella. It's him pushing people away, and it's self sabotage, and it's a self destructive behavior born from his poor opinion of himself. People like Ryouta, who believe what they're told, have dirt low opinions of Yuuya. Kaeya is in the same situation. Kaeya intentionally makes himself look bad. He has this persona as a sort of villainous schemer, that you never know what he's really up to or whose side he's really on. In this case, Amber is his Ryouta. Amber is a nice girl. Amber is a girl next door type. Amber trusts people, and generally believes what they tell her. Amber will absolutely brutally shit-talk Kaeya like it's nothing. She repeatedly suggests that Kaeya is either just not doing his job, or else is out doing something actively malicious, in situations where we know that Kaeya was quietly working behind the scenes yet again. Amber doesn't say anything bad about anyone else, except for Kaeya, because everything she is passing along is accepted fact. Everyone knows that Kaeya is a no-good villain. Everyone will tell you not to trust him. Kaeya also very similarly to Yuuya will pose this image of himself as some kind of slutty playboy, but we never once actually see him flirt with anyone. It's all a mask that they wear. It's part of the persona they put up to both protect themselves and hurt themselves.

I think that a specific place that this reputation destroying behavior comes from is their self image of themselves both being that of a dirty traitor. Kaeya somehow managed to betray both Mondstadt and Khaenri'ah. Yuuya betrayed his unborn half brother. They have these deep feelings of guilt looming over them. It is precisely because both of them place such importance on the concept of loyalty that they feel like they are somehow disloyal. That they aren't loyal ENOUGH yet. And so they are traitors. Kaeya and Yuuya both have these moral codes with loyalty at the very tippy top, and see themselves and their own difficult situations as being morally reprehensible. While their sense of identity is pinned on their dedication to their brothers, this self loathing is also central to their sense of identity. Kaeya and Yuuya both think that they are dirty betrayers, and that that's the worst thing a person can be. You see this a lot on Yuuya in his self-sacrificial tendencies. Also in his outright refusal to defend himself when people insult him to his face. Kaeya does a lot of that too. He tends to just take insults and agree with them, and then complain about it in private later.

Yuuya and Kaeya are both compulsive liars. Whether it's a matter of destroying their own reputations with false rumors, or deflecting from their secrets, every word out of their mouths is a falsehood. They lie constantly. They put up personas, wear masks, deflect with humor, anything at all before being upfront with anyone. They're running from themselves, and they're running from connection with other people too. It's a necessity to protect these massive secrets that they are guarding with their lives. Yuuya's entire life has been shaped by safeguarding the secret of what happened to the egg, and Kaeya's entire life has been shaped by hiding the fact that he was an enemy spy. It's driven them apart from others. I think both of them have forgotten by now how to stop lying. It's been a necessity for them for so long, that they can no longer turn it off. And so we have Kaeya and Yuuya's compulsive lying.

I've always said that the key to understanding Yuuya is to invert everything he says about himself. If Yuuya says ANYTHING about himself, it's lies. So you know that the truth about Yuuya is anything but that. Kaeya is the exact same. You cannot trust a single word he says about himself. Kaeya is a compulsive liar, and he actively seeks to destroy your opinion of him self-destructively. The only way to understand Kaeya is to invert whatever he says about himself. One of the few trustworthy descriptions of Kaeya comes, somewhat ironically, from Diluc. When asked about Kaeya his response is "You can only trust half of what he says... at best." And that's about the only description of him that you can really take to heart.

So getting back around to where Kaeya's loyalties truly lie, and why I don't buy it for a second when people think that Kaeya is still on the fence about his loyalty to Mondstadt. First of all, we know that almost everything he says are lies. So every time he tells us to our face that he is dangerous and untrustworthy, is a lie. But the real thing that seals the deal for me is that if Kaeya had ANY intention to remain a spy for Khaenri'ah, then telling ANYONE about that would be throwing his mission. ESPECIALLY Diluc of all people. So if he was still seriously on the fence, then why did he confess? What reason could Kaeya have possibly had to tell Diluc that he was a spy, if not that he was defecting. And it was Diluc's hair-trigger temper and extreme black and white worldview, paired with the fact that his father had died in his arms mere hours ago that led him to be so reactive and interpret Kaeya telling him that he had been a spy as meaning that he was still a spy. That's the sort of mistake that only a person like Diluc would make. If someone confesses to you that they are a spy, why would you EVER think that that means that they still have intentions to betray you? In that moment Kaeya showed his whole hand. He had all the cards on the table with Diluc. That's a show of loyalty. Then the fact that he has continued to look after him and protect him even after Diluc took his eye in retribution (and disinherited him. And made him homeless at 17. And generally destroyed his life. What Diluc did to him was really fucked up, actually.) While Yuuya might be kind of a crummy spy who makes it really obvious that he's a spy, that isn't something that he shares with Kaeya. Kaeya is a brilliant strategist, and he was able to keep the fact that he's a spy under wraps for a good eight or so years before he confessed. If Kaeya didn't want anyone to know, then no one would know. Kaeya is actually really good at keeping secrets. That's part of his undoing actually. Kaeya is so good at keeping secrets that he keeps them from the audience too, and so a lot of people fail to see what's really going on inside of his head. If Kaeya doesn't want you to know something, you won't know it. So then why did he tell Diluc that he was a spy? If Kaeya had ANY intention of completing his mission, why did he make sure that Mondstadt's greatest protector knew about it? It's simple. He wouldn't. No matter how you slice it, him coming clean to Diluc means that he never intended to complete his mission. Even if afterwards he grappled with his decision more because now loyalty to Mondstadt felt sort of pointless since he no longer had the people in his life who made him care about Mondstadt in the first place, he was never going to complete the mission. Kaeya's decision was made from the moment he confessed to Diluc. And it's a decision he has been backing up ever since then. From returning Diluc's vision to him after he gave it up, to exacting vengeance on the man responsible for Crepus's death, to painstakingly sabotaging every attempt to uncover the identity of the masked vigilante ensuring that he will be able to continue protecting Mondstadt, to how much of a home he has made for himself in Mondstadt. Kaeya has sent a very clear message of where his loyalties lie. And I know that I am contradicting myself here somewhat by citing something that Kaeya directly said, but six years after the falling out with Diluc when far away from Mondstadt, Kaeya ALSO confesses to the player about being a spy, and he says that while he used to be very torn up about this, but has long since moved on and accepted that Mondstadt is his home. Again, Kaeya is showing his hand in a way that he definitely doesn't need to, to a powerful person who would intervene if he were ever to turn on Mondstadt. If Kaeya was actually planning to betray Mondstadt, Diluc and the player character would be two of the worst possible people to know what he was up to. But those are the two people he chose to confess to. I just can't believe that Kaeya would do something that stupid.

Another thing that, to me, speaks to Kaeya's loyalty to Mondstadt, and specifically to the Ragnvindr family, is the way that he has kept Crepus's legacy alive. Diluc is deeply and personally haunted by his father's death. But I find that in an odd way, Kaeya is doing a better job of doing what Crepus would have wanted. After Crepus died, Diluc ran away from Mondstadt and went on an extended trip hunting down and killing Fatui agents to avenge his father's death. Crepus had always wanted his sons to join Mondstadt's Knights of Favonius, and they did. But when the knights covered up Crepus's murder to save face, Diluc quit on the spot to dedicate himself to vengeance full time. Kaeya stayed behind, remaining a knight, and personally rooted out the corruption that caused that to happen. He got rid of the knights who were personally responsible for the cover-up. Crepus was a big supporter of the knights. When they proved themselves unworthy of that respect, Diluc turned on them. Kaeya stayed and made the Knights of Favonius into what Crepus had believed them to be. Crepus loved both of his sons, and would have wanted them to take care of each other after his passing. Kaeya has continued to dutifully look after Diluc all this time. Diluc permanently disfigured Kaeya and kicked him out of the house. Crepus was the kind of person who had his doors open to everyone, and you can see that clearly in the fact that he adopted Kaeya with no questions asked. Kaeya has carried this legacy on by being really personally involved in taking care of the children of Mondstadt. From adopting Klee (She is technically a ward of the Knights, but Kaeya has been shown to be her primary caregiver, and has also been referred to as her guardian on two separate occasions) to potentially having taught Benny sword fighting (Benny shares Kaeya's attack patterns, and the sword he carries in his official art was formerly Kaeya's). There's also little things like Kaeya sharing Crepus's passion for wine, while Diluc dutifully carries on the family wine business but hates the taste of wine himself. Diluc looks like Crepus. Diluc killed the people responsible for his death. Diluc carried on the family business. But Kaeya is the person who really carried on Crepus's spirit. He did the things that Crepus would have done if he had been here. That doesn't sound like the actions of a traitor to me. And to be honest, the way that some people believe that Kaeya is still a spy for Khaenri'ah makes me angry at how badly they have misinterpreted him, and have fallen for the negative talk that you hear about him. Kaeya is a liar, not a traitor, and spending just one minute listening to his actions rather than his words will tell you that.

Kaeya and Yuuya's arcs both pretty heavily feature the loss of fathers, but their relationships to those fathers is very different between the two of them. Kaeya's birth father used him, and abandoned him. Yuuya's birth father seemed to be a good man, and Yuuya loved him. The nobleman who adopted Kaeya after he lost his birth father loved and cared for him, and set him on the path to become the man he is today. The nobleman in Yuuya's life…… well, the less said about him, the better. But in both cases, they have the death of a good father looming over their heads, and somewhere out there still living is a father that they resent to the death. And in both cases, it's difficult to tell just how much influence their dead fathers have over their identity today, but that influence is clearly there, to whatever degree. Another one of these parallels that exists but sort of only in name, is their spy careers. Kaeya was a sleeper agent, and his arc is about his split loyalties and defecting to the group that he was originally sent to spy on. Yuuya turned to being a spy as a way of escaping from his situation. Both of them lose themselves to the role a bit, and use it as yet another crutch to get around forming a solid identity. But their spy careers are pretty different. Kaeya was very very good at being a spy, until he decided to stop. Yuuya kind of sucks at it a little, but he's definitely no turncoat. So it's a little hard to say who is the worse spy between them.

I feel like I have a lot more to say, but also like I'm starting to run out of the energy to properly expound upon my points, so we're going to do a lightning round of comparisons to rush through all the points that I felt are important, but I'm struggling to really organize my thoughts about. Yuuya's arc feels like it should be described as a redemption arc, not because Yuuya actually did anything he needs to be redeemed for, but because Yuuya himself is seeking forgiveness and redemption for his guilt complex. But it's really ambiguous who exactly it is that he is seeking forgiveness from, if it's Sakuya, the universe itself, or his own forgiveness. I talked about this in my big Sakuya essay. Kaeya's story is also a redemption arc, but not for crimes he has actually committed. It's hard to say WHAT exactly it is that Kaeya is so overwhelmed with guilt for, other than like, once upon a time having had bad intentions towards people who he learned didn't deserve it. And it's even harder to say who he is trying to seek forgiveness from, because it's distinctly not Diluc. Kaeya very much feels that Diluc owes HIM an apology, and not the other way around. Which, to be fair, he's definitely correct about. Again, reminder that Diluc disinherited him, kicked him out of the house leaving him homeless at 17, disfigured his face, attempted to kill him, and made him into a social pariah. It might be that he feels like he feels like he took advantage of Crepus's kindness, and feels a need to repay him for that. To be totally honest, I don't think even Kaeya knows who it is that he wants this forgiveness from. He just knows that he feels crushed by guilt. He hides all of his good deeds as best he can, and seems to feel that being widely hated by his peers is a kind of repentance. Very Catholic of him tbh.

That also leads me to my next point about their reputations, both Kaeya and Yuuya deeply long for social connections but push everyone away as hard as they can. Then through the persona they play in public, they take on this big gregarious hyper-extroverted character, and they are ridiculous, and make a clown of themselves for attention, and use flirtation as a sort of social crutch. They flirt, but it's empty. They are big and loud and colourful, yet somehow sort of detached. There is so much distance between who they are and the character they play that no amount of social interaction they might get through that mask ever actually reaches them. There's this deep and aching loneliness to them. They're so far away through these layers of walls and deception and personas that no matter how bright and warm they might act, it's cold inside. None of that warmth ever reaches into their genuine core, which is freezing and so so desperate for genuine connection to another person. Also they both play characters that are way more outgoing and extroverted than they actually are. Yuuya might actually be an extrovert, just less OVERWHELMING extroverted than the character he plays, but Kaeya is definitely not. The real Kaeya is 100% an introvert, and the loud, silly, playboy persona is a complete fabrication. The moment the spotlight is off of him, he's quiet. He likes to sit back and let other people do the talking. Kaeya never knew how to talk to people. When he was younger he was content to let Diluc do 100% of the talking to other people, and would just follow his lead. It kind of feels like the persona he plays now is meant to cover for that. Kaeya doesn't know how to talk to people, so he pretends to be someone who does. He fakes being someone who is confident and extroverted and vibrant, to cover up for the fact that he's kind of out of his depth having to deal with people on his own, and not having a home base person to go back to anymore. Kaeya knows how to manipulate people. He knows how to fill a stage, how to keep an audience. He knows how to make you think what he wants, or do what he wants. To call him "socially incompetent" wouldn't exactly be accurate. But Kaeya has no idea how to connect with others, or even how to interact on like a basic level, when he isn't playing some game, or trying to get something from them. Kaeya's social skills are invested 100% into deception and manipulation. And now he can't hold a basic conversation without being in character as this or that. Kaeya has forgotten how to just be Kaeya. It's just this weird mix of introversion and loneliness that leads him to pretend to be the most extroverted person in any room that he enters, and it reminds me so much of Yuuya. They use the exact same crutches to fill this gulf of loneliness caused by their compulsive lying and secret keeping. Yuuya plays the role of a suave James Bond type spy, and Kaeya that of a swaggering swashbuckling pirate.

Another common theme between the two of them is the question of whether or not self sacrifice is, in a way, a selfish act. You're forcing this burden of debt onto someone without asking them. Sakuya has no say in owing Yuuya a life debt. I talked about this before, the resentment that Sakuya feels in regards to owing Yuuya as much as he does, and how Sakuya was sort of robbed of his agency and his ability to forgive Yuuya on his own terms (or to NOT forgive him) because now he owes him to much and if he doesn't let him back into his life, he would be a huge asshole. Diluc is constantly trying to escape from Kaeya's support to stand on his own, but every single time he falters, he finds himself being caught by him again and again, and he seems to kind of resent that. In both cases, they are being so self sacrificial partially for selfish reasons. It's to satisfy their own need for martyrdom, to quell their self-loathing. But the objects of their devotion didn't really consent to this, and they are both the proud kind of person who hates owing anyone. And now this debt has been forced on them. Yuuya and Kaeya are simultaneously selfless and selfish. They don't care about whether or not their brothers actually want their help or their sacrifices. They will do it regardless. They also have completely outsourced their identities and sense of validation to their brothers, who never agreed to being the crux of their entire self image.

Another comparison point is the topic of race, and how the people around them tend to brand them as some form of "dirty" because of their parentage, and they sort of implicitly accept this because they view themselves as dirty as well. There's this theme of filth, both moral and physical. Yuuya is constantly harassed by Sakuya for being a "mongrel" for being a commoner, for being some form of bird mixed race. Because Sakuya is racist. Khaenri'ah is literally a cursed bloodline, and the fact that Kaeya is only half Khaenri'ahn is actually somewhat plot relevant. Kaeya is mixed race and as a result is literally cursed by his filthy blood. And Diluc has some xenophobic tendencies, and ALSO makes some bigoted comments about Kaeya. Both of them let this behavior go completely unchecked, because 1. They never defend themselves from slander, and 2. They seem to have internalized this stuff to some degree, specifically because it jives really well with their self loathing tendencies. They WANT reasons to hate themselves. So there's a confirmation bias at play here that's making them be just the tiniest bit racist, but only towards themselves.

The last comparison point I wanted to touch on is actually a notable contrast between the two of them. Yuuya seems to have ended up as a bit of a pacifist since the egg incident. He always runs rather than fights back. Kaeya is very much not like that. Yuuya has this terrible gentleness to him, but Kaeya has this almost sadistic streak. But it is also through Kaeya's much more aggressive stance that some more of his true loyalties shine through. Like the fact of just how truly fucking vindictive he is towards people who have been a threat to Mondstadt or to his family. He fucking destroyed the knight that covered up Mr. Ragnvindr's murder. When he found another child sent into the walls of Mondstadt to destroy it, just the same as he was, he almost MURDERED A LITTLE GIRL WITHOUT HESITATION. The only reason he did not kill a child to protect Mondstadt was because someone intervened. And while that's definitely something dark about him, it's also really telling. It's telling of his true loyalties, and telling of how deeply protective he is. And it also makes his nonviolence against Diluc speak that much louder. In contrast, Yuuya's gentleness is sweet and endearing, but is also so fucking stupid. Yuuya is bringing Vash The Stampede ethics without bringing Vash skills. And of course, every single Hatoful Boyfriend character is morally wrong for not having murdered Shuu with their own hands by now. Every single one of them (except for Nageki) bears that sin, but Yuuya especially. So like, on this one specific trait I feel like Yuuya is good (derogatory) and Kaeya is bad (affectionate) and it's another way that I can't help but see them as mirror images of each other.

In conclusion, Kaeya Alberich is for the Hatoful girlies.

#hatoful boyfriend spoilers #genshin impact #kaeya alberich #yuuya sakazaki #wheeew been a while since I last did one of these #I've been thinking about this for literally years now #Finally organized it enough in my head to put into words that at least kind of make sense - ish #Significantly more fleshed out version of that word bomb I dropped on Ash the other day #LOOK EVERYONE NEEDS TO KNOW ABOUT MY SPECIAL LITTLE GUY OKAY?#HE'S MISUNDERSTOOD AND IT DRIVES ME UP A WALL #but I know that you guys will understand #You will understand his Yuuya-coded goodness #I NEED him to be everybody's Blorbo-In-Law

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shitposting-puppet · 1 year

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A list of Genshin character headcanons and personal ships that Just Make Sense

This will also feature Aether as the traveler, im sorry-

Heizou was a victim and a perpetrator of the VHD. He lost his vision about 8 months in.

As a result he has difficulty with his emotions as well as the emotions of others. He's very inept, a genius but emotionally inept.

Kaveh and Al Haithem don't hate each other, but they definitely are not good friends.

Speaking of, I think Kavehthem is super toxic. Source? My parents were just like them before getting divorced and now they dont talk to each other.

Kaveh's hurt line of: "I've been through worse" yeah... He had a shitty ex.

The ex was a Dottore clone.

The same Dottore clone is how Lisa found out she was lesbian lol.

Diluc and Eula get fake married.

Eula so that she's finally rid of all ties to the Lawrence Clan

Diluc because he's so tired of getting hit on at the tavern...

Dehya and Yoimiya have prosthetics.

Poly5WIRL

(-Wanderer.) That man is so aroace istg

Heizou is also dating Tighnari. No I will NOT elaborate.

Meanwhile Aether is additionally dating Kaeya and Albedo

(who are also dating cause why wouldn't they?)

Heizou and Sara are each other's chosen family.

They eventually legally change their last names so that they're legally siblings too.

Heizou originally wanted to live on Watasumi, but the first time he escaped there he was found and dragged back home.

Speaking of: Heizou was born and raised on Yashiori, specifically in Higi Village.

When Heizou ran away to Watasumi, thats where he met Kokomi and Gorou.

Gorou is trans mtf. Her name is Hina. You cannot change my mind.

Hina and Koko? Married.

Ayato and Itto? Dating. I love they.

Thoma is a fucking wolf hybrid you cant change my mind! He can shape shift!

Also Noelle is his little sister i just

holds them gently

Cynonari is married, Collei is their long-suffering daughter.

Cyno continues to try and ask Kaveh out.

Kaveh continues to be super oblivious.

Kaveh 🤝 Collei = Trauma from Dottore.

Wanderer chose to go to college over hanging out with Traveler and their friends....

Only to end up talking to them anyway. He is Suffering.

Kaeya has Pyrophobia from the Fight.

Al Haithem is a dick. Like he won't bring up trauma or misgender you, but he's still an absolute asshole.

Why is he an ass? Because he knows and deliberately hurts others feelings. He is aware of what he's doing.

Al Haithem is also deaf + autistic. Yes, you can be disabled and still be an asshole.

Kaveh and Al Haithem are Autistic on Autistic Violence

The Nameless Bard's name is Raven, because I am a sucker for Dramatic Irony. Also because I like it.

Childe has chronic pain and early-onset arthritis

Shenhe is actually Chongyun's mom, she gave him away when he was a baby for his safety, and the cover story she and the village gave was that she's just an aunt.

Opposite to how Chongyun's energy is pure Yang, Shenhe's is pure Yin, making her much more likely to attract demons

Heizou and Sango genuinely cannot get along.

Kaveh is actually from Aaru Village. Well, before his dad moved them to the rainforest.

Kaeya actually resent his Khaenri'ahn heritage, as it gave him the impossible burden of spying on a nation.

Btw, Kaeya would choose Mondstadt over Khaenri'ah anyday.

Diluc has a room for Venti at the Winery.

Also, Diluc and Jean are not the only ones who know Venti is Barbatos. He aint that slick.

Albedo, Sucrose, Kaeya and Hu Tao also know.

Sucrose and Albedo? Figured it out themselves.

Kaeya? Found out by accident after Venti got too drunk.

Hu Tao? She already had suspicions that Zhongli was Morax, and Venti showing up along with him, Zhongli and Xiao all being awkward just confirmed it.

Heizou and Yanfei are pen pals. They're besties, Your Honor.

Kazuha and Heizou once did it on the fucking beach during VHD.

This was also 2 years before they started dating. And 3 before they met Aether.

Heizou's a bottom btw. a bratty one.

He and Sango tried dating once while they still got along, but broke up long before they split off

Technically, because of the Irminsul wipe, Venti is still the youngest of the archons. Nahida doesn't know how to feel about this. Neither does Aether.

XIAO IS CANONLY OLDER THAN VENTI ISTG IM NOT JOKING XIAO IS 4000+ AND VENTI IS AROUND 2600 IM FERAL

Anyway

Heizou is allergic to mangoes. And Lavender Melon, and- actually this guy is allergic to near every fruit... Except for sunsettias and pineapples, strangely enough.

This doesn't stop him from eating candy. Much to Sara's horror.

Dw, she has the bfs gang up on him.

Heizou struggles with depression at times. And it's something he goes to therapy for. He hasn't done anything, but for a while it was pretty bad, especially right after the decree ended.

Kaeya has hEDS (Hypermobile Ehlers Danlos Syndrome)

It means his bones are more likely to dislocate and pop out of socket if he's not careful.

KAEYA FUCKING DUEL WEILDS SWORD AND CATALYS PLEASE MIHOYO GIVE ME CATALYST KAEYA I PROMISE TO BE GOOD

Kaeya is also autistic with some pretty weird sensory issues. The second water gets in his boots this man will toss them off faster than Signora died.

He hates wet socks. Despises them

Yes I'm projecting.

Speaking of Signora. Aether and Venti held a small unofficial funeral for her on Cape Oath. They only had her mask to bury...

Faruzan has all but adopted Kaveh as her grandson. Kaveh has accepted this.

She/they Paimon.

Aether is older than everyone (because, well, physical manifestation of a star) and doesn't tell anyone. He finds it funny

Hes also lactose intolerant. Lumine too.

Aether doesn't let it stop him. Lumine hates this about him.

Fischl is a system

The events of the Aranyaka quest and the Pari quest happened around the same time. How you ask? Aether didn't go to Sumeru alone, he brought Heizou and Kaeya (this is before Hei joined the polycule-)

Its also when Tighnari and Heizou eventually started dating because Heizou kept running off and dragging Kaeya with him when they were supposed to be recovering from the Samsara and Tighnari went "Oh godsdammit i like him..."

Cyno and Nari talked it out and Collei was also cool with it so Nari shot his shot and... It took longer than expected for Heizou to notice...

ANYWAY PARI QUEST

Along with Heizou and Kaeya, Kaveh and Nilou also went with them.

As you've spotted, there isn't a single healer among them

Heizou preoceeds to give Kaeya his spare catalyst and turns that boy into a healer.

"Sorry Aether, I turned your boyfriend into a healer"

The catalyst was the Inazuma craftable one...

Kaveh and Heizou actually hit it off pretty well, bonding over being geniuses in their respective fields

Nilou is Mom friend. Im correct. She calls people "darling" and "sweetheart"

Anemo should be allowed to swirl Dendro so it does in my universe.

Kaeya and Heizou are the ones to find the door to Khaenri'ah... Kaeya doesn't react well and all Heizou has to go on is that maybe the Abyss hurt him somehow

He's kinda right, but its not the full picture.

Also Cynonari have absolutely no clue where those two are at this point... They are Freaking Out because Aether is off doing other things and told them to keep those two in Ghandarvah Ville...

Heizou punches Al Haitham in the fucking face.

Lyney has longer hair, and it's braided over his shoulder like in Lisa's alt skin.

Lyney's outfit is also 30% more slutty because holy shit its an abomination.

The twins are both cats. Lyney is SUCH a catboy (derogatory)

I want that Twink Obliterated.

One-sided LyneyxAether. Lyney gets over it... eventually.

Barbara and Freminet is such a cute ship yall are sleeping

Lyney is canonly Down Atrocious for Aether omg that poor magician

Freminet occasionally drags the twins swimming with him. But only in shallow water cause Lynette doesn't like the water. Lyney does though.

Freminet has killed a man that looked at Lynette wrong. He will kill again.

Lyney: Autistic ADHD

Lynette: Autistic

Freminet: Autistic Agoraphobic (Agoraphobia is the fear of people)

Freminet and Lynette tag team Lyney when he's talking bad about himself

Can you tell i love these guys?

Wriothesley and Clorinde are.... they got Something goin on

Neuvillette and Furina are married.

Heizou punches Lyney in the face after the trial

Is immediately sent to Solitary Confinement for Inciting a Riot... In front of Wriothesley

"Oh this is bad... This is really bad!" Heizou

"What's wrong man?" Cyno

"I kissed Aether!" Heizou

"Woahhhhhh... I owe Nari and Yanfei so much mora" Cyno

After 4.2 Furina moves in with Venti at the Dawn Winery.

Diluc walked in to see her and Venti playing cards and went "I'll go set up a room."

Also canonly? Heizou is fucking buff. Never forget he can take down the ENTIRE POLICE STATION WITHOUT A VISION

Lyney is just "He could have rocked my shit...why was that hot?"

Wriothesley is Suffering because he lost a match to a twink

Heizou is Not friends with the Orphan Trio lol, but he is friends with Chevreuse. They bonded over shitty dads

Heizou also just goes home with the Inazuma cast after the Fontianalia Film Festival

Yanfei and Cyno also go home lol cause Natlan would not be the best place for them

Heizou, Kano Nana, and Gaming are cousins on their mother's side. Their moms were sisters and grew up in Konda Village.

Gaming and Amber are cousins on the paternal side

Gaming does NOT forgive his father during Lantern Rite. He's also angry at Aether for telling people his private matters.

Heizou is there during Lantern Rite because Favoritism Privilege. Heizou is also upset because he's been there.

Heizou's brother is named Yamashi and his mom is Kanae. The father stays nameless bc fuck him.

#genshin impact #genshin impact headcanons #shikanoin heizou #kaveh genshin #5wirl #wanderer genshin #genshin impact characters #puppet speaks #alhaithem #lyney and lynette #freminet #neuvillette #furina #focalors #clorinde #wriothesley #gaming #genshin cast

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3am-starry-night-sky · 1 year

Note

Kaeys was obviously lying to look more naive and ignorant regarding his past to Dainsleif, even Dainsleif doesn’t 100% buy it, it contradicts with his ingame story and how he he dealt with the Abyss Order before.

I am pretty sure what remained of Khaenri'ah converted to the Abyss Order

Once again I myself am yet to play the quest. But since I don't care for the spoilers, I've seen the clips and am aware of the contents of the quest, though mostly regarding Kaeya. And I am going to read all the wikis regarding the Albrich Clan. Laying this info out just so I can say "But maybe I'm just missing something"

(NB! This kinda ended up longer than I wanted and sort of wheeled off to other directions and became a full-blown theory post, but but please stay with me, I think I might have cracked the code)

Anyway, I have been thinking about something similar!!!

The quest played out in a way that it implies Kaeya to be in the dark about his linage and the history of his descent. The way he handled the convo, how he was surprised, and how he let out some info and yet didn't know about some other things. It seems almost as if all Kaeya had been told was that he was a khaenri'ahn and the rest of info he has learned and explored himself.

That seems awfully weird and wrong for someone who's supposed to be "The Last Hope of Khaenri'ah". Like, you're telling me your "last hope" is a child who doesn't know about his lineage and barely knows suff about Khaenri'ah. Yet knows (implied in-game) hillichurlian and how to identify a pure-blooded Khaenri'ahn (there's probably more). Idk, seems like sending a spy on a mission without telling them the info/giving them the evidence regarding the mission.

The biggest red flag in his situation is I think – If Kaeya knows this little about Khaenri'ah and overall has little connection to the place, THEN WHY WOULD HE CARE SO MUCH.

Why would he be so torn between Monstadt and Khaenri'ah?

Why would he be so scared of a war between the two sides?

Why would he care about a nation that, A doesn't exist anymore, and B a nation he simply has some blood ties to.

If he wasn't aware of something big and deep, why does he have such a hard time letting go off his Khaenri'ahn past?

To explain potentially why, I've come up with some possible explanations:

As you've said. Kaeya bluffed it all. As usual, he played with the truth. He's actually aware of the baggage clinging to his surname. He was acting unaware, to push aside and cover up the possibly huge role he's been given. "I'm an Albrich...Oh, I don't know anything about my lineage and their plans, how could I possibly be of any threat :)"

And while this is highly possible and I think to a certain extent Kaeya was holding back some info definitely and acting unaware. I've stumbled upon some info that has guided me to form a wider and more extensive theory.

Kaeya truly or at least partially wasn't aware of the full extent of the info regarding his lineage. Because Kaeya's father was the first to bend the truth and cherry-picked what he told his son. So Kaeya's reaction was sort of genuine but he also left out all the stuff he does know. Basically the truth from his side. The truth of who his lineal and direct ancestor is!

Back in the hidden strife event, we learn that Kaeya's dad told Kaeya that the Albrich Clan took up as the regents for King Irmin when he couldn't keep ruling.

Reading the Albrich Clans wiki, I've discovered that in Sumeru, while exploring the abandoned Golems, we as the players learn of the Schwanenrotters, who were led by Knight Marshal Anfortas, WHO ALSO declared himself the Marshal REGENT Anfortas after King Irmin became "indisposed."

Anfortas led his army in the Cataclysm and fought heavily against the dark beasts. Yet it's said that Anfortas fate remains unknown after the bigger events.

I think it's safe to assume Kaeya's dad is referencing the same person, which connects Anfortas to the Albrich lineage and basically makes him the ancestor mentioned in Kaeya's letters.

Anfortas and Clothar both existed at the same time during the Cataclysm, meaning they could not be descendants of each other unless they were in a parental-child relationship. So they were brothers or cousins at best. At this moment I'd add that Clothar, while being of noble class was not close to the king, while Anfortas was (he basically replaced the king). And due to Clothars relationship with a Monstadt commoner, which his family and the Clan weren't too fond of, Clothar was pretty much cast out from the Clan/Family.

Based on all these connections and the fact that Kaeya's dad mentions Anfortas of all the ancestors. I believe that while Clothar is one of the ancestors, but probably a collateral one. It's Anfortas, from whom Kaeya's dad and Kaeya are lineal descendants. And the reason why Kaeya wasn't aware of Clothars exitance or more so his fate, was because the Albrich Clan basically cast him out due to Clothar having a relationship with a commoner Monstadter. So Clothar could potentially be like the weird uncle who your family doesn't speak about.

So Kaeya's dad didn't tell Kaeya about one of their ancestors Clothar being the founder of the Abyss Order, because:

a.) Kaeya's dad genuinely didn't know about Clothar's existence or fate

b.) Kaeya's dad was aware of Clothars existence and fate, but didn't feel it to be of such importance to tell his son. Since their not direct descendants of him. Or he didn't want to spoil the mood with such heavy baggage.

c.) Kaeya's dad was aware of Clothars existence and fate, but due to the Clan having cast Clothar out, their Clan is forbidden to talk about him.

BUT LET'S KEEP GOING FURTHER!! :D

Theoretically, Anfortas could also possibly be Kaeya's Grandfather.

Because going back to way beginning. In Kaeya's story quest, we kind of learn about Kaeya's grandfather. The ever-popular

"Look at my eye patch! I inherited it from my grandfather and this is solid proof that we are related by blood!"

line becomes pretty meaningful in a newer context. This means Kaeya's grandpa had an eyepatch which possibly implies an injured eye.

Well well, Anfortas also had an injured eye, more specifically he injured it during the cataclysm while fighting with Hadura, one of the Schwanenritter. And over all Kaeya's heroic description of his grandpa matches with Anfortas heroic actions as a Regent and a Marshal. Also also, Kaeya says in his story quest "Yesterday I was glancing through the notes my grandfather left...". Could those notes have been from the secret letters Kaeya saved from being burnt, that describe the Albrich lineage, more specifically Anfortas.

Going a bit further because I can't help but notice the parallels between Anfortas and Kaeya. Both have injured their eye in a fight stemming from betrayal. Anfortas was betrayed by one of his comrades. While Kaeya and Diluc betrayed each other's trust during the fight. But the difference was that Kaeya's injured eye is the right one and Anfortas' was the left.

But what would this mean:

Well, there's the whole question of how far related Anfortas and Kaeya would be and if Kaeya is pure blood or a half-blood. And how is Kaeya so human then, seemingly unaffected by the curse. And right now I don't have answers for those.

But regarding Kaeya's position on the chess board. Kaeya, or more so his father's plan is not connected with the Abyss. It's quite possible Anfortas Albrich's lineage is following a 3rd plan which imposes both the Fatui and the Abyss. I think Kaeya's dad's plan is to stop something from happening. The reason for leaving Kaeya in Monstadt and giving him the heavy mission of being "The Last Hope" was because he's hiding his son from something until it's time for their action.

That is pretty much all I have to say right now. This search opened up a new bag of theory worms regarding Anfortas. And I've gotten a pretty new perspective on the whole Albrich Clan matter and Kaeya's descent.

#genshin #kaeya #abyss order #khaenri'ah #analysis #Clothar #Genshin 3.5 #dainsleif #Albrich Clan #theory #And I ooop made a theory uncounsiously #Anfortas

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insertsomthinawesome · 2 years

Note

*pokes head out of the great expanse of information that is the internet* DID I HEAR YOU SAY KAEYA ZHONGLI BESTIES AGENDA do elaborate because I am. I am. in need.

AHAHAAHAHAHAHAH YES YOU DID HEAR CORRECTLY. Look They have so much inherent angst based on Kaeya's origins and Zhongli's orgins. And I'm definitely going to get into some fanon/headcanon territory here. But like- I headcanon that whatever part Zhongli played in destroying Khaenri'ah he feels horrible about it. Meeting Kaeya would be a grenade of emotions for him. Like on one hand: Hey! This guy is a living Khaenri'ahn, maybe i can do small things to pay him for what I've done Not that I could ever total repay it ON the other: OH SHOOT I MESSED UP SO BAD BY HIM I SHOULD JUST NEVER SPEAK TO HIM EVER AND IF HE WANTS ME TO PAY FOR MY CRIMES I WILL. Initially Zhongli would probably just be a good ole formal acquaintance. Being pretty normal about everything (he's good at compartmentalizing and burying pain) except in weird instances where he'd get really intensely invested in Helping Kaeya. Kaeya is like "Okay this dude is strange. Nice! But strange." Eventually the truth would come to light and that would be a mess, not exactly sure how it would go down? I usually play with the idea of Kaeya being pretty angry with Zhongli and softening when he realizes how much Zhongli regrets and how human he is. The start of their actual friendship would be climbing over the hurdle of Zhongli.... well being overly gracious essentially?

Kaeya would have to slap him being like "Dude you need to not bend to my every request for star's sake." Like, kaeya can understand given how much he feels like he messed up, but at this point he genuinely wants to be friends with Zhongli, not have Zhongli be his dutiful archon butler. It'd take a bit for Zhongli to shake the behavior because the guilt complex runs DEEP. Also Kaeya would have to open a lot. Zhongli is old as dirt (ha) So he can probably see through Kaeya waaaay more than he's comfortable with. Zhongli is thankfully not horribly heavy handed? But I can see him being somewhat petty or poking at Kaeya before he's ready.

Kaeya would have the bonus of Zhongli already knowing his Origins! But he would still have to contest with worrying about him flipping out over the spy thing (not to mention Zhongli was the Contracts lord.) Zhongli would also not be super cool with kaeya's more reckless and under-explained stunts. Its probably already somewhat nervewracking for him that most of his friends are mortal. Them making ill-advised decisions would not sit well with him. but with time I think they'd have a beautiful friendship! They're both protectors and have Older Family member vibes (grandpa and older brother) Zhongli would be invested in seeing Kaeya grow past his trauma and the horrible things that happened to him and his people. And Kaeya would be invested in seeing Zhongli live a happy unburdened life (he understands too well holding what feels like the weight of the world.)

And just in general I think the way they can play off of each other is really fun? Just personality wise. They're both really smart but also feel like they'd have a great time discussing stuff over tea, Really random or inane stuff. I imagine they're both kinda fed up with the Anime Plot they're born into xD

I feel like they're both little things people. LIke zhongli going on and on about the flowers being beautiful this morning and Kaeya would just be sitting there like "yeah :]" They realize how much that stuff matters.

Somebody save Zhongli if Hu Tao and Kaeya are in the same room tho. SFDLSDIHGDFIGLDHFGLASIDGHDFG Also they'd both be doing "Woe, therapy be upon ye" at each other SADLFIHSDGLIDFHGDFGHFG

Also both of them adore kids. ;;v;; The capacity they have for understanding each other's pain. Just being the "stop being strong, I know, you can't hide it from me." and "i'm sorry you have this burden, you should've never had it." and "i'm so afraid of what I am harming the people I love." THere could be so much solidarity and comfort and understanding. And conflict and frustration too! I can see them easily being very hypocritical with each other without intending too xD

So yeah! Just their whole deal can be so fascinating and fun, both of them would have so much baggage to work through with each other. And I can see every step of that journey being delightfully fun to dig into and play out in different ways!

#Ask #anonymous #genshin impact #zhongli #kaeya #isa screams #I love they so much #i'm so soft for their frienship ToT

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dandelion-wings · 1 year

Note

kaeya, 34? I love your writing!

Thank you! :> I was rotating this one a bit because I was trying to move away from the usual suspects (I love the kind of confrontation that line suggests with both Diluc and Jean, but I've written Kaeya a lot with them lately), and that led me to a very fun thought, so I hope you enjoy it too!

I looked up a bunch of Hilichurlian for this and even bashed together an equivalent sentence, and then... did not end up using it because the lexicon on the wiki doesn't have two words that were too important to this dialogue to substitute, so. Translation convention holds instead!

ETA: Now archived on AO3.

---

It isn't the first time Kaeya has killed a hilichurl.

Everyone goes rabid, for a little while, when the final transformation takes them. Not forever; they come back eventually, though 'to themselves' would be an exaggeration. The person who was is not the person who is now. But they become a person again, given the chance. It's just not always safe to give them that chance. Kaeya has had to defend himself before.

But there's defending himself, and then there's picking a fight. Diluc has decided to do the latter.

"Come on," he urges when Kaeya hesitates in the bushes where they're hiding to spy out the hilichurl camp. "It's good practice! You'll be an apprentice knight next year, and you'll be expected to be able to handle a hilichurl or two. I'll take care of the samachurl, if you want."

Kaeya swallows and looks up at the bright-eyed, flame-haired, too-passionate boy he's supposed to be pretending is his brother. "Do we have to? They're not doing anything."

What they're doing, actually, is a ritual dance. Kaeya isn't sure which one it is. The hilichurl culture here in Mondstadt is similar to those he knows, but it has its differences. All the same, there's the fire, and the dancing, and the samachurl conducting. And the hilichurls are too relaxed, too happy to be dancing with each other and too tragically unwary, for it to even be a pre-battle ritual.

He's not supposed to know all of that, though. He can't tell Diluc. Honestly, he doubts that Diluc would even care. All he cares about is gaining more glory in the Knights, and his father's praise in turn.

No, that's uncharitable. He cares about Kaeya's success, too. When Diluc has good fortune--and the blessed of Celestia always seem to have good fortune--he wants to spread it around. He just doesn't understand that not everyone wants what he so generously tries to share. Kaeya doesn't need glory or a false father's empty praise. He needs to carry out the mission he came for, and do his duty to the remains of Khaenri'ah. Of which these hilichurls are part.

(He does have dispensation for this. He'd written a personal note to go with his ciphered observations into a dead-drop when he'd realized that his mission was going to take him into the Knights, and thus to this, and had actually gotten an answer. Not from his true father, as he'd secretly hoped, but the only sign since he was left here that anyone in the Order still cares. "Sacrifices are necessary for the greater good," the answer had read, in an unfamiliar hand. "Your duty matters more."

It wasn't until Kaeya had double-checked his decryption and confirmed the words that he realized that what he'd been hoping for was not dispensation, but release. This message was only confirmation that he wasn't allowed to go home. Unlike his father's words, snatched from the fire, the missive hadn't been difficult to make himself burn.)

"They're not doing anything now," Diluc says, "but if we don't deal with them soon, they'll only be a bigger threat later. The hilichurls up by the gorge are always pushing this way. Let them spread, and we'll end up with them on the Dawn Winery, in among the vines."

Where there's food easy to find, sweet grapes on the vine and boars in plenty. Kaeya doesn't see how Diluc can blame them. What do they have in the winters, up there in the wilds that Mondstadt's own people have decided aren't worth settling? But that's not the argument an admiring little brother can have with his brave, heroic, just-knighted elder. He can get away with hesitation, even protest, but not reasoned logic. And certainly not with horror. Not if he's pretending to be someone who's always lived under this sky.

"Okay," he says, rising from his hiding place and drawing his sword. He can't hide his reluctance, but Diluc seems to take it for timidity and just gives him a grin and a nudge with his shoulder before charging at the hilichurls with a yell. Kaeya follows a few feet after.

The hilichurls break off their dance and scramble for weapons at Diluc's so-convenient warning. Kaeya bites back the urge to shout at them to run. Whether in their language or Mond, it would be obvious; it's not something that he can explain later, when Diluc inevitably has questions. Besides, they have no idea who he is, so why would they listen?

Diluc crashes into the pair with shields with his claymore alight, still shouting enthusiastic Ordo battlecries. His first two swipes stagger both of them, and he rushes on towards the samachurl with the two of them staggering behind, shouting in pain and fury, waving now-flaming clubs. That leaves the two with bows. One of them focuses on Diluc's back; Kaeya doesn't have to worry about that one. Or about Diluc, whose Vision lets him shake off far more than Kaeya thinks he even understands. But the one who turns its crossbow on Kaeya, that one has to be his concern.

"Stop," he mouths at the hilichurl, hoping it will understand.

The bow's Electro keeps charging. Kaeya dodges it twice, as in the corner of his eye Diluc continues to decimate the others, and then, with no choice left and Diluc moving, rushes forward and knocks the hilichurl over.

Kaeya sees the moment when it looks up and catches sight of the star in one eye and his grandfather's oversized eyepatch over the other and realizes, at least, something of who he is. "Brother," it croaks, and looks down then at his sword. "Are you going to kill me?"

It sounds young. Hilichurls always do, Kaeya has heard his father say, but that doesn't change that it speaks like a child, addressing him in the respectful register it might use for a lawachurl or a mage. It sounds young and it sounds afraid. Kaeya stands there, sword out, all too aware the screaming as Diluc roasts the other shooter alive on the end of his blade mere feet away from him, and has no idea how to answer.

(He's also heard his father say that most hilichurls were children. Those who change early most often become hilichurls; those who change later in their lives often become more powerful as all the strength they've gained in that time is twisted by the Abyss. Kaeya will live human long enough, grow strong enough, to be at least a herald, or so the mages have promised. But he had siblings once, when he was so young that he only vaguely remembers them as shadows. He was the only one who stayed human long enough to be entrusted with this plan.

He isn't this one's actual brother, not any more than he is Diluc's. But he could well have true brothers, and if so, they would look just like this.)

"Kaeya!" Diluc is beside him now, wreathed about with the reek of burning blood and charred flesh. His claymore is hefted high, still aflame. "Do you need me to take care of it?"

Burning, Kaeya thinks, is supposed to be a terrible way to die. He swallows again and raises his blade in a shaking hand.

"Sorry," he whispers, just loud enough for the hilichurl to hear, as he bends low and slides the tip of his blade under the mask and takes it straight in the eye, through to the brain, as swift and painless as he knows.

As he straightens, Diluc is looking at him with confusion marring his grin of pride. "What did you say?"

"Sorry," Kaeya repeats in Mond. "I- I choked up."

Diluc thumps him on the shoulder. "It's all right. It's hard the first time. It was for me, too. They almost seem like people."

Kaeya turns and looks at him, smiling wide, smeared with ash and hilichurl blood, his blade still burning, Celestia's blessing bright and hot at his hip. Hate rushes through him for this bright-eyed, flame-blessed, arrogant, ignorant boy. This is what Kaeya has to remember when the time comes to call them all to account and bring the false sky they think means freedom crashing down upon their heads. However kind these people are to the unsullied human they think he is, they'll never truly be his kin.

#'how kaeya feels about killing hilichurls' is one of those things where i hold a half-dozen incompatible headcanons simultaneously #and tbh in any fic where they're an enemy and it's not the plot 'it's a mercy' is the default as it's the easiest #but this is another i'm quite fond of #and it was fun to collapse the waveform in this direction today!#(obviously this takes place while kaeya is still very young and new to mondstadt and things get more complex once he's older)#(but this is one that definitely goes towards complexity and not any kind of happy resolution)#asked and answered #why not meme i guess #kaeya is a bundle of knives behind a smile #ascended fic

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wynndynights · 2 years

Text

Kaeya x Reader Angst

No specific pronouns mentioned

Word count: 1,521

Warnings: Spoilers for Kaeya's backstory and friendship level cheracter story, Character death, A lot of mentions of blood, Angst with an ending that I guess could be counted as comfort but also could not I dunno??, I give my OPINION on what I think could go down with Khaenri'ah but it's also just me bullshitting to set the scene for the pain so don't come after me about it being inacurate, I also know this isn't really how Celestia works but shhhh yes it is.

Written mostly for @ashelexa who wanted me to write them angst. Enjoy the pain, bestie. This made me cry and I don't even simp for him.

I also wrote it at 3 am in a splurge of creative energy so there may be some grammar mistakes and whatnot.

Kaeya had always known this would be his fate. Since the very moment he set foot in the Knights of Favonius as a member of their ranks, the question had echoed endlessly through the broken abyss that was his mind. If war should ever break out as his people had always intended, what side would he take? On one hand, there was his blood family. The father who he had been born to, but who had abandoned him at the first opportunity. On the other, there were the people of Mondstadt. People who, despite knowing nothing about him, had welcomed him with open arms. The people who had given him a family held together not by the bonds of blood, but by trust, loyalty, and undying devotion to one another.

Now, in the face of the war that for so long he had been expecting yet dreading, his question had been answered. He belonged to neither side, his divided loyalties tearing him apart from the inside out. His own people, the ones who had sent him there in the first place, had turned him away. After all, what good was a soldier who was unable to truly dedicate themselves to their cause. What good was a soldier who could turn on them at any moment under the disgusting influence of love and friendship from the very people they called their enemies?

The people of Mondstadt, on the other hand, had been blinded completely by the searing pain of betrayal. They didn’t want to believe it, none of them did. Their Captain. Their hero. Someone they had placed their lives in the hands of willingly for years, had been there only as a spy. As someone present solely for the purpose of bringing them down when they were at their weakest. He had pleaded for their forgiveness, begged with everything he had. After all they had been through together, he could never hurt them. But after the years of lying, there was no way they could be sure that these were not simply more heartless lies. They, too, had turned him away, telling him that if he truly wanted to prove himself, he would have to do so in battle.

Now, stuck in the middle of an endless war with his own mind, he turned to the one person he had left. The one person who he had hurt the worst by far, yet who stuck by his side nonetheless. You.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” you begged, voice broken and raw from the sobs that ripped through your throat. “We could have worked something out. You should have told me. I could have protected you. I-”

Your words were cut short as he reached up to cup your cheek gently in his hand. His strength was leaving him, you could feel it. Even with the horrific battle raging in a seemingly endless tide around you, the only thing you could focus on was him. The love of your life, who now lay bleeding out in your arms. Win back their trust in battle, he had been told. And that was exactly what he had done. Fight for them. Win for them. Die for them.

“You can’t blame yourself,” he pleaded, looking up at you through pain clouded eyes. Even through the pained look, you could still see the love and adoration in his gaze. “There was nothing you could have done,” he assured you. “I would rather die a million deaths here than have put you in harm's way with the weight of such a heavy secret.”

“No, no.” You shushed him quickly, gently rubbing a thumb over his scarred eye and down his cheek, wiping away the tears that he had tried and failed to hold back for your own sake. “You won’t die here. I won’t let you. You’ll make it through this, and everyone will welcome you back, I’ll make sure of it,” you promised him. He could feel his heart ache at the blatant pain in your voice. He could see in your eyes that you knew as well as he did that your words held no truth. Even so, you refused to give in to the harsh reality.

“You have to let me go,” he whispered, reaching his other arm up weakly to hold your face in his shaking hands, his thumbs swiping away the heavy tears that rolled freely down your cheeks. “You have to promise me that you’ll live for me. If you were to die here too, my sacrifice would be in vain.” Another sob tore through your throat at his words and you clutched him closer to your chest, burying your face in his matted hair as the truth of his situation finally settled upon you. He had lost too much blood now. Even if you could reach Barbara and the rest of Mondstadt’s medical team on time, there was no guarantee they would take him in.

“I’ll remember you,” you swore to him, pressing your lips against the top of his head. The strong metallic scent of blood overwhelmed your senses, but you could care less. All that mattered to you now was these last moments you had with your lover. “And someday, when my time reaches me, we will meet again in Celestia.”

“Celestia,” he snorted at your words, the sudden intake of air sending him into a fit of coughs that ripped violently through his body. When the coughing had ceased, blood dribbled from the corners of his mouth. He smiled weakly, forcing a sarcastic laugh as he wiped it away. “Celestia would never have me. I’m a lying traitor. You truly think the god’s would want someone like that amongst their numbers?” he chuckled dryly. You pulled away from him so that you could look him in the eyes, your gaze filled with stubborn determination.

“No,” you objected quickly. “You’re so much more than you think. Kaeya, you’re a hero. You’re my hero.” Your voice cracked at those words and you took a moment to gather yourself before continuing. “No traitor could ever have done what you did here today. While your mind may have been conflicted, your heart was with the people of Mondstadt. It always has been. You put your life on the line to protect those people, and they’ll remember you as a hero throughout all of time. I promise you that.” Tears filled the corners of Kaeya’s eyes once again as he stared up at you, vision growing increasingly blurred.

“Archons, what did I ever do to deserve you?” he laughed weakly, tangling his hands into your hair to pull you against his chest with whatever strength he had left. You laughed at his words, shaking your head against him.

“You didn’t have to do anything. You already deserve the world,” you responded, pulling away only to lean in again and press your forehead to his. His gaze softened, his signature smirk crossing his face even through the ever growing pain he was experiencing.

“Funny,” he hummed lightly. “Because you are my world.” You laughed weakly again between the sobs that once again bubbled in your throat at the slowly dying light in his eyes.

“I love you,” you sobbed as he once again reached to cradle your face. “So, so much.” You closed your eyes, tears dropping from them and splattering onto his quickly paling cheeks.

“I love you too, (Y/n). More than anything in this world. And I always will.” He forced one final smile with the very last of his strength. “I will see you again in Celestia then, my darling, my hero, my (Y/n). Let that be my promise to you.” with those final words, his body fell limp, hands leaving your cheeks as his arms fell to rest loosely at his sides. A scream tore through you as you clutched his limp body desperately against your chest, begging to the heavens for the gods to give him back. Your words fell on deaf ears, your sobs drowned out by the raging battle around you.

Even after the battle had ended with the people of Mondstadt at last driving Khaenri’ah’s forces out of their land, You could not bring yourself to rejoice or celebrate along with the others, instead setting to work on fulfilling your final promise to him. You ensured that Kaeya’s name was remembered as that of a hero to the people of Mondstadt, passed through generations as a story of true strength and loyalty. You filled the hole in your heart by spreading his tale, dedicating your days to ensuring he would forever be remembered in a good light by the people he had given his life to protect.

Even as you neared the end of your own days, you worked tirelessly. And as your time finally came, his final promise to you came true just as yours had for him. You felt no fear or pain as you at last met your own end, only the warmth of a promise fulfilled. The promise that you would indeed meet again in the halls of Celestia.

#✮Wynndy Writing✮#genshin x reader #kaeya x reader #kaeya x reader angst #kaeya angst #kaeya alberich #kaeya alberich x reader #genshin angst #genshin #genshin impact

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genshin-impact-writings · 2 years

Text

The Abyss Prince: Ch.2

(Kaeya x gn!KOF!reader)

Synopsis: Kaeya and you have been dating for a while now and you both honestly couldn't be happier with each other - until Jean sends you on a mission that reveals Kaeya's deepest secret. And you learn that a dark past and your unwavering sense of duty could be enough to destroy a relationship that has always been too good to be true.

Chapter summary: Kaeya muses about your relationship and how you changed everything for him. But he also knows that he can’t run away from his fate forever. (Title taken from: Ramin Karimloo – Why am I falling. The chapter is also heavily inspired by that song, by the way.)

Word count: ~4k

The masterlist for the series can be found in the navigation post on my blog.

Ch.2: Why am I falling

Hours later, when the night had already settled in and you were sound asleep next to him, Kaeya once again wondered if perhaps it had been fate that had led him to Mondstadt – and to you, of course. There was something oddly comforting about that – thinking that his father had left him here all those years ago because he, Kaeya, had always been meant to meet you, not because they needed him as a spy whose only purpose was to figure out how he could bring a fallen kingdom back to its old glory. A kingdom he had never seen with his own eyes, for the record. And yet, everyone there counted on him to save them all (if he could believe his father’s words, that is).

Despite all of that, no one had ever told him what exactly they expected of him. His father had abandoned him with so little information that it had taken Kaeya years to figure out his true identity. Thankfully, the Knights of Favonius’ library had proved itself a mine of information about Khaenri'ah and the cataclysm that had destroyed the entire nation five centuries ago. Not that the Knights openly shared these books but Kaeya wasn’t stupid. He had his methods to get hold of the documents without anyone noticing that they had been touched at all.

Of course, he hadn’t focused on these things as a kid when his mind and heart had been filled with childish hopes and dreams and the wish to find a place he belonged. He had only started to take his secret mission more serious when he turned 16, partly because he was so curious about his supposed homeland and its history, but also because he had never given up the hope that his biological father would come back for him once he had figured out how to help Khaen’riah. But of course, he never came back. So, at one point, young Kaeya stopped his research and decided to focus on the family he had instead – the Ragnvindrs.

And then, in a cruel twist of fate, he also lost them. When Crepus, the only father figure Kaeya had in his life at that point, died, he suddenly realized that there were more important things than pleasing the father who had left his only son behind in the blink of an eye. In that particular night, Kaeya learned that family wasn’t about blood – it was about shared memories, love and trust. Looking back, it really was no wonder that he suddenly started to loathe himself for keeping secrets from Diluc for so long, even more so when he understood that he would never be able live a happy life in Mondstadt if he couldn’t let the past – and his true identity – go. And so, Kaeya, young and foolish and hopeful as he had been, had told his brother the truth, hoping and praying for his help, only to realize that his honesty was enough to destroy their relationship forever. In that night, Kaeya had not only lost his family. He had also lost his faith.

He could still remember the hatred and betrayal in Diluc’s eyes, the same eyes that had always looked at him with so much compassion, and how they had fought each other that night, their clothes drenched from the rain and their own blood.

And after the fight, Kaeya had realized that there was no point in protecting a city that didn’t care about him. What was the purpose of starting a new life here if he had no other choice than leading a lonely, miserable existence? So, instead, he had started to focus on his task again, his purpose, the only reason why he was here. And if saving Khaenri'ah meant to tear the City of Freedom down, well, then he was more than ready to pay that price.

After Crepus’ death, Kaeya had turned into the cunning, reckless spy his father had hoped he would be. Cold and adamant as the Cryo vision that had saved his life during his battle with Diluc, Kaeya had sworn to do everything in his power to fulfill his mission, promising that no one would ever be able to stop him.

And then, he had bumped into you. And his whole world turned upside down in a matter of seconds.

---

With a sigh, Kaeya closed the book in front of him. Sword fighting techniques in other nations of Teyvat. Not what he had hoped to read today but it was one of these days where Lisa watched everyone in the library like a hawk, making sure that no one even tried to take one of her precious books with them, let alone cause damage to them in any way. He assumed it had something to do with the fact that some of the young recruits always tried to sneak books out of the library to keep studying even after closing times. Or at least, he hoped so – because if Lisa was here to keep an eye on him, he would have a hard time snooping through the secret documents the Knights hid in their archive. But then again, why would she suspect anything? After all, he had never given her – or anybody else, for the record – a reason to doubt his loyalty.

Lisa raised her head, almost as if she had noticed that someone was watching her, and when she met his gaze, she smiled and waved at him. Calmly, Kaeya returned her smile. No, he was absolutely sure that the attentive and smart librarian didn’t suspect anything. And he would do everything in his power to ensure that it would stay this way. After all, he had promised himself years ago that no one would ever be able to come between him and the success of his secret mission.

With that thought in mind, Kaeya pushed back his chair. He had wasted enough time with this boring book. Time to focus on more important things.

He picked up the book to bring it back to the shelf it belonged, knowing very well that Lisa would only start to lecture him if he didn’t do it. The organization of the library was almost something sacred to her, and he knew how mad she could get when someone disregarded her rules.

“You’re leaving already?” she asked when he passed her desk, looking up from the manuscript in front of her. The liquid in the tea cup on a tray next to the document emitted a sickly sweet smell, a mixture of spices, honey, caramel and something Kaeya couldn’t recognize. To him, it was truly baffling that someone like Lisa loved extra sweet tea so much.

He shrugged. “Duty calls.”

Sometimes, it still surprised him how easy it was to lie to everyone. Only a couple of years ago, he had started to sweat, his hands shaking, whenever he couldn’t tell the truth but now, lying felt as natural and normal as breathing. Despicable, really. But it had to be done.

Lisa chuckled. “My, aren’t you eager. But let me tell you something: Taking a break from time to time doesn’t hurt. In fact, it’s quite beneficial for your work! It helps you to regain your strength and see things from a different point of view.”

“And of course no one knows these things better than you,” Kaeya replied, joining in her laughter, “but I really don’t have time to rest now. There’s something I have to take care of.”

The librarian sighed. “Ever so dutiful. Well, good luck, then. And don’t forget to come around and visit me again soon!”

“Of course.” He was already at the door, smiling at her one more time, although a huge part of him was glad that he could finally leave. Sometimes, he felt like Lisa could see right through him (and everyone else too, for the record), although he was pretty sure that she wasn’t able to read minds, despite her vast knowledge about almost everything. But she was indeed an acute observer, and that made her dangerous, even more so since her and the Acting Grand Master were such good friends. It wouldn’t surprise him if Lisa told Jean about him, should she ever be able to figure out his true identity.

He was so lost in his thoughts and musings that he didn’t pay attention to his surroundings. The next second, someone already had bumped into him with full speed, almost knocking him over. Kaeya stumbled backwards as he tried to regain his balance, his back eventually hitting the wall behind him.

“Ouch,” he mumbled.

“Lord Barbatos, I’m so sorry!” he heard someone exclaim. Then, an unfamiliar face came into view, eyes filled with concern. “I’m so sorry,” you repeated, clutching the books in your arms tighter. “I wasn’t paying attention where I was going and – You’re not hurt, are you?”

For a few moments, Kaeya could only stare at you, speechless. It was rare that he was at loss for words, quick-witted and charming as he was, but there was something about you that left him stunned. Maybe it was the way you looked at him with those pretty eyes, clearly worried that you might have hurt him when you ran into him.

He shook his head, a fruitless attempt to get these thoughts out of his head, and finally replied, “I’m afraid I’m just an ordinary knight, not Lord Barbatos. And please don’t worry about me. I assure you it takes more than this to knock me out.”

“Oh.” You bit your bottom lip. “Okay.”

Were you already losing interest in him? And, the more important question, why did it bother him? He should be glad about it – the more people he let into his life, the more difficult it became to keep his true interests hidden. But a part of you really wanted you to stay here with him just a little while longer. Unfortunately, every statement that came to his mind right now was either incredibly stupid, way too flirty or completely irrelevant. So, what else could he say to you?

Think, he urged himself, think, you idiot!

“So, um…” He cleared his throat when the silence between the two of you got uncomfortable. “You’re a knight, too?”

What a stupid question. The familiar crest on your jacket had already told him that much. But still, you smiled, and almost instantly, his whole world turned brighter. “Yes, I’m (Y/N). I work with Captain Eula and the 4th Company. My pleasure to meet you.”

Before he even consciously decided to do it, Kaeya was already smiling back at you. He wanted to look away, he really did. But something about you made him feel like he was glued to the spot, like his body had actually forgotten how to move. But honestly, who could blame him when the sun was looking right back at him?

When he finally managed to reply, his voice still sounded a bit too breathless for his liking. “Kaeya. And the pleasure is all mine, (Y/N).”

---

Around four weeks had passed since Kaeya had first met you, and strangely enough, he suddenly had a hard time focusing on his research about Khaenri'ah and his heritage. Whenever he stared at the pages in front of him, all he could see was your face and the way the skin around your eyes crinkled when you smiled. He didn’t know why but he couldn’t get you out of his head.

And he desperately wanted to see you again.

Maybe that was the reason why he spent so much time at the library recently instead of the archive where the Knights kept the more delicate documents, including all of their collected information about Khaenri'ah and the cataclysm. He was well aware that he had started to neglect his mission since you bumped into him, and while he knew that it probably wasn’t wise to get too distracted by you, he just couldn’t help it.

Not when it felt like he had escaped after being trapped inside nearly unscalable walls for all these years. Not when he started to wonder if it really was possible to break all the locks he had so carefully placed on his heart to make sure he wouldn’t get hurt ever again.

Kaeya sighed deeply. It was truly unbelievable how quickly his priorities had changed, just because someone with pretty eyes had smiled at him. But who would judge him? His father wasn’t here and probably never would be, Diluc ignored him most of the time (and besides, he had no idea that Kaeya had actively started to try saving Khaen’riah after their fight), and Lisa would most likely just tease him for falling for someone he barely knew in just a matter of seconds. So, there really was not one single reason why he couldn’t see you again.

And only a few days later, his patience finally paid off. He was casually flipping through a book about Alchemy because he vaguely remembered Albedo mentioning once that they used a more advanced form of Alchemy in Khaenri'ah back then (the Art of Khemia, he had called it, Kaeya believed), and he had somehow hoped that this book would give him at least a few hints about this topic. But much to his disappointment, the book didn’t even mention the Art of Khemia, not even once.

A bit more abruptly than necessary, Kaeya closed the book, glaring down at the cover with its golden twirly letters like it had just become his personal nemesis. “What a waste of time…”

“Books are never a waste of time, Captain Alberich.”

Kaeya jumped with fright at the sound of the familiar voice. Out of all places, of course you had to meet at the library, right under Lisa’s watchful eyes and her uncanny ability to read through every emotion in a split second. But then again, why should he care about Lisa when the way you looked at him was enough to make his heart skip a beat?

He cracked a smile and darted another glance at the book in front of him. “Believe me, this one is. And please, let’s just skip the formalities. I’d prefer if you just called me Kaeya, like everyone else.”

You frowned. “But wouldn’t that be… inappropriate?”

“Please, I insist.”

“Oh.” You paused, a brief smile flashing over your face. “Alright… Kaeya.”

He could’ve sworn his name had never sounded more beautiful.

---

When spending your time with Lisa, you could never be sure what would happen next. Sometimes, she just initiated a friendly conversation about a topic she found particularly interesting on that day while she would spend the entire time complaining about the library users and their poor respect for books on other days. And sometimes, she would start to ask personal questions until the conversation had turned so awkward that the person opposite her was nothing but a blushing and stuttering mess.

Today was one of these days. And her victim was none other than Kaeya.

Not once in his life had he regretted inviting her to Good Hunter to grab something for lunch that much.

“You’ve been spending quite a lot of time with (Y/N) recently,” Lisa said, carefully placing down her tea cup after taking a tiny sip.

Kaeya looked up from his plate, a frown on his face. “And by that you mean…?”

“Don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about. I’ve seen you at the library more than once, and Amber told me she spotted you at Windrise together. Oh, and Venti recently mentioned that you even invited (Y/N) to join you for a drink at Angel’s Share, although you usually prefer to spend your time there alone.”

“That is-“

“Nothing but the truth,” Lisa interrupted him with a gleeful smile. “Come on, you can tell me – I promise I won’t chatter away. You enjoy their company, don’t you?”

“I don’t think you and me should have this conversation. Please excuse me,” Kaeya said, putting his cutlery down, “I suddenly remembered there’s somewhere I need to be.”

Lisa chuckled. “My, my, Kaeya, you really are impatient today. Is there an important event you have to attend? A date with Captain Eula’s lovely field officer, perhaps?”

“What? No,” he replied quick like a shot, although he already knew that the way his face heated up in embarrassment was enough evidence that he wasn’t telling the truth. Lisa raised her eyebrows, her lips curled into a knowing smile. “You’re a terrible liar, sweetie.”

“It’s not a date. (Y/N) and I… we’re just friends.”

She let out an exaggerated sigh. “You can fool yourself, Kaeya Alberich, but you can’t fool me. I know a thing or two about love and it’s incredibly obvious that you would like to be more than just their friend. And a little birdie told me that this feeling is mutual. You know, it’s almost a bit funny how you have this massive crush on each other and are both too scared to confess.”

“Lisa, please. Stop.”

The librarian laughed again, clearly amused about the absolutely exasperated tone of his voice. “I’m sorry, darling. I’ll stop teasing you about that – for now, at least."

“Lisa…”

“Enjoy your date!” she chirped, followed by an amused giggle, as Kaeya pushed his chair back and fled the scenery, his face still burning like fire.

---

Weeks turned into months, and there was rarely a day where you didn’t see each other. If your duties kept both of you busy throughout the entire day, you would still meet for a walk once you had finished your tasks for the day.

Today, you had dragged him to Windrise once again. Kaeya had no idea why you loved this place so much but if it made you happy to just sit under the giant oak tree, your head resting on the Cavalry Captain’s shoulder as you enjoyed each others’ company, well, who was he to tell you No?

Kaeya sighed quietly. If his father could see him now… well, he’d probably call him pathetic, maybe even weak for giving up on his mission for a fleeting and foolish thing like love.

Wait. Love? Was he really… in love with you?

He felt his heart skipping a beat. Up to this day, he had never allowed himself to even think about love, and a part of him had even believed that he was simply incapable of loving someone – until you had bumped into him and proved him wrong so quickly that he sometimes still wondered if you had put a spell on him. It felt like he was falling into a bottomless pit of dreams and hopes he had given up years ago.

Funny that he hadn’t realized sooner how much you really meant to him, even after Lisa had pointed it out. He had no idea how you did it but whenever you were by his side, everything he did wrong in the past suddenly seemed to vanish into thin air, like he had never thought about engulfing Mondstadt in the abyss, should it be necessary for the success of his mission. With you, all of his bad decisions and foul deeds suddenly didn’t matter anymore. And more often than not, he caught himself dreaming about the future the two of you could have if he finally gathered the courage to confess his feelings to you. (Although he knew very well that he probably shouldn’t be dreaming about all of this. After all, a lying traitor like him really didn’t deserve a happy ending.)

“Kaeya? Are you listening to me?” Your voice snapped him out of his thoughts. You had lifted your head from his shoulder, looking at him with those stunning eyes, clearly concerned. “Are you alright?” you asked with a frown. “You… you seemed to be miles away.”

He stared at you, his heart thumping like mad, his mind going completely blank in just the blink of an eye. How could he tell you how much he adored you? How could he tell you when he felt like every letter and every syllable he had learned dissipated on the tip of his tongue?

“Kaeya?”

By the Archons, even the way you said his name sent a shiver down his spine and made him weak in the knees.

“Hey…” Carefully, you put your hand on his arm, a slightly insecure smile flashing over your face as his gaze flickered from your eyes to your lips and back to your eyes again, “talk to me. Please.”

“I love you.” The words were out before he could stop himself. (Later that night, he would start wishing he had the time to come up with a more eloquent way to confess his feelings to you.)

“You – what?” There was no judgement in your voice, just genuine astonishment as you tried to comprehend what he had just said. Kaeya’s lips curled into a soft smile. “I said, I love you.”

For a couple of excruciating seconds, you didn’t reply anything. Then, you shifted closer to him, raising your hands to cup his cheeks. “I was hoping you’d say that one day,” you confessed quietly, your pupils blown wide as you looked back at him. “Because I really love you, too.”

It was right then and there that Kaeya kissed you for the first time. He hadn’t planned on doing it but in that moment, under the soft light of the moon, it just felt right to lean in and press his lips to yours in a soft kiss.

He would never forget how you wrapped your arms around his neck, pulling him closer and kissing him back, as if you had just waited for him to finally make the first move. Even years later, this would be one of the best and worst memories he had.

The best because it marked the beginning of brighter and happier times, the beginning of his life with you by his side, the beginning of many, many moments he would share with you.

And the worst because he knew that, no matter which road he decided to take in the future, your whole relationship would be based on lies, lies, lies.

---

It was almost funny how vividly Kaeya still remembered all these things, almost like every single detail was etched into his memory. He could barely recall his life before he came to Mondstadt, let alone the face of his biological father, but he could easily call everything that had to do with you to his mind.

He rolled over and propped himself up on his elbow to get a better look at you. This was something he would never get tired of – how peaceful and calm you looked in your sleep, like no one had ever hurt you. Careful not to wake you up, he brushed his fingertips over the smooth skin of your cheek before he lightly started to trace the outlines of your face.

Goodness, how did he get so lucky to have someone as kind and beautiful and compassionate as you in his life? With everything he did in the past, there was no denying that he didn’t deserve you. And yet, here you were, smiling in your sleep as you shuffled closer to him to snuggle up against his body.

Kaeya lied down again and wrapped his arms around you, slightly adjusting his position, so that he could rest his chin on top of your head as he held you close. “I love you,” he whispered, although you probably couldn’t hear him. “I love you so much.”

This house had never felt like a home. But every time you came through the door and greeted him with this loving, genuine smile that always made him a bit weak in the knees, the dim rooms seemed to brighten up, the feeling of loneliness slowly fading away with every step you took towards him. With you by his side, Kaeya could almost believe that this was where he truly belonged.

But of course, all of that was nothing but a foolish illusion, a lie that he had carefully built over the years and that would ultimately shatter into a million pieces, should you ever discover the truth. After all, no one, not even a prince, could run away from their fate forever.

Thank you so much for reading! If you enjoyed it please consider giving me some feedback and/or reblogging this chapter. I'd really appreciate the support!

Taglist: @kaeyas-beloved @ajaxstar @the-gayest-sky-kid @justrandomselfships @caesars-bubbles @the-fifteen @quixoticmirror (If you want to be added to the taglist send me an ask. Same if you want to be removed. <3)

#kaeya x reader #kaeya alberich x reader #genshin impact x reader #kaeya x you #kaeya x gn!reader #kaeya x y/n #the abyss prince #jj's series

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meili-sheep · 1 year

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Sorry for pushing my KaeHei agenda too much 😅

But how will Heizou react when he discovers Kaeya's secret?

Here he is, the love of his life, Kaeya, in front of him, and yet...

But I decided to sprinkle more angst with Diluc being a witness to this scene

I don't think Heizou will be violent like Diluc was but they all are having war flashback, literally

When it happened with his friend, he couldn't apologized because he was killed, dying in his arms. Now that it's his lover, will everything be repeated again? Is Kaeya going to die too? Or fate far more worse than death?

Now Heizou found out who he is, is he going to be left alone again? Kaeya has to pick his words carefully because one wrong word might cause more damage. He can't repeat the same mistake, not again.

It's like all that 4 years before again, the same moment he had with his brother. There's no way out of this now but there has to be a way to talk things out between them. It breaks his heart to witness this.

I think he'll asks Kaeya where his heart lies, Mondstadt or Khaenri'ah and trusts his intuition with whatever Kaeya answers. Probably need some time alone too

But how do you think things go down? 🧐

Haha angst juice, my favorite drink 🧃🙂

I feel that I have sort of become a rare pair haven.

Come, weary traveler. I know it's a harrowing journey out there looking for content between characters who don't have a snowball's chance in hell of ever having a canon interaction. Come and rest your weary bones. And I, the lord of talking out my ass, will give you crumbs.

But first, let me say. Diluc and Heizou are very different scenarios, with Diluc having had his father die only moments before and his only family telling him he's a spy. So while Diluc and Heizou have a similar trauma, Kaeya telling Heizou isn't really on the same level. And shouldn't be come paired.

Second. While I think Kaeya felt lonely when Diluc left Mondstadt. I think he understood. I think he realized telling Diluc right then was an incredibly selfish action that ended up hurting them both. So he while he's lonely, he gets that Diluc needs that time away. And He's currently lonely for a different reason. Sort of related but more because he feels that his being truthful with people will only hurt them, and is selfish so he can't be himself. So it's less related to Diluc because he respects the space Diluc wants from him.

Third. I think Kaeya is questioning the truth of why his father left him. Especially after that last update. Where he says he thinks his father left him to lead a happy life.

So I have trouble thinking he would tell Heizou. Unless it was necessary. And if that did happy. There are 2 things that could make you happy. 1) Heizou trusts his gut and can see the turmoil this is causing Kaeya and Honestly. Heizou probably knows the Kaeya have never been 100% truthful with him. And while this truth hurts Heizou he understands the reason Kaeya might keep it. And might appreciate the truth... even if it hurts (I'm thinking of that one thread in his event hangout)

2) if Diluc were there. He would probably pull Heizou aside. And actually make an argument for Kaeya. Not that I think Heizou would need it, but he would feel it's his duty. To protect Kaeya when from himself at times. And I wholeheartedly believe that Diluc thinks Kaeya wouldn't betray Mondstadt, not honestly.

#diluc and kaeya #diluc #diluc ragnvindr #kaeya #kaeya alberich #shikanoin heizou #heizou #Kaehei

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kaeyachi · 1 year

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what if kaeya added the khaenrian accessories as a means to remember those who did not survive the cataclysm (like survival guilt type) or like a way to remind himself no matter if he was a favonius captain or a legal citizen of mond he was still a sinner and a spy…idk i just want kaeya angst

Kaeya is a very sentimental person. He is very vocal about missing home and how he feels about Diluc's choices on selling the main manor. He also stated that he wished he could age in reverse, being jealous of the youth and how free they are.

He keeps pages he shouldn't have that were made by his father, he keeps seashells he collected with Diluc, he holds the littlest things of value (probably because while people can leave him, the things he got from them stays)

I'm sure Kaeya feels trapped by the past, and his nature is to hold onto it anyway. He lives in Mondstadt. He serves for Mondstadt. He would die for Mondstadt.

He can't forget that he is from Khaenri'ah.

So what's a couple of stars to remind him of his ancestry (that he can't seem to let go of, no matter now much he says he doesn't know much about it)

#kaeya just...loves living in the past #dont get me wrong #he moves forward and he never stops moving forward #but he also...just carries the past along with him #kinda like dragging a heavy sack around #kaeya #kaeya alberich #kaeyachi asks #thanks for the ask anon!#its kaeyangst hours again

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bread-knife · 8 months

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Loved the explanation on my genshin post💗💗 BUT JUST TO PUT IT OUT THERE.

This was my reaction to every single explanation:

-Noora

thats how i feel and im in the fucking thick of it 😭😭😭😭 what do you MEAN diluc (some redhead rich twink with a bigass sword basically) went to genshin impact russia and went genociding and maybe joined a cult because the fatui (genshin impact russia's government/military/basically everything) killed his dad (dottore indirectly killed the guy too L. dottore is the cause of probably like 90% of the problems in recent in-universe history by the way). what the FUCK is going on with khaenri'ah. in the sumeru arc they bring up the casual existence of Information That Makes You Instantly Go Insane (feat. TWO spectacular relevant cutscenes) that not only makes you go insane (what the fuck) but ALSO causes basically cancer in the entire world lol AND causes eleazar ("FUCK your nervous system + cope + ratio + gradually get scaly + eventually die idiot" chronic disabling illnesss) what the hell is in that stuff. they first call it Divine Knowledge as a marketing thing in-universe bc of course you'd want to know what the gods know. It's not like there are an insane number of stories telling you precisely why you shouldn't go for that kind of stuff. & then it's called Forbidden Knowledge because this is NONE of the divinities' business. and then they just havent talked about it again since, like, aranyaka (10+ hour long questline deadass) and such.

tl;dr, daddy issues, one of the playables is maybe a straight-up cult member, dottore sucks and is evil, and khaenri'ah got hiroshima'd AND nagasaki'd AND horrifically cursed ON TOP OF THAT, including completely innocent normal people who never did anything wrong & the nation's children. there is information that makes you go insane if you learn it, which causes eleazar & basically cancer to the world itself. & aranyaka (OVER 10 HOUR LONG QUESTLINE!!!!) exists. i did aranyaka in one sitting :3

LONGER and more specific form of the post:

diluc ragnvindr, some redhead noble twink, gets horrifically traumatized on his, like, 18th birthday because his dad is mortally injured protecting him & their entourage from a monster known as "Ursa the Drake" that was summoned by the fatui putting a literal bug on their wagon that lets out a special frequency. his dad either dies in front of him OR he's forced to mercy kill his own father, leaving him an orphan. there was also the attempted murder thing with Kaeya, his adoptive brother and also basically the only person in Mondstadt who isn't hex code #FFFFFF

building off of diluc's problems, Kaeya Alberich is a pureblooded Khaenri'ahn (identifiable by special pupils) who was NOT hit with the racism curse so he's fine i think. his bio dad left him in mondstadt for diluc's dad (important nobleman) to run into and hopefully adopt in order for the SMALL CHILD to act as a SPY for a TORMENTED AND NEAR-DEAD NATION. after diluc's dad died in front of him kaeya swung by and discovered the scene & was like ohhh shit. and then he was like "i need to tell diluc that i was planted here as a spy Right Now". so diluc, understandably betrayed & angry, tried to kill him & then fucked off to snezhnaya (genshin russia; this took me a while to learn to spell right consistently) to go kill Fatui for like 2 years i think. and join a cult maybe i guess

Khaenri'ah's purebloods were cursed into horrible immortality that causes them immense suffering forever & ever, & the non purebloods were transformed into monsters, including hilichurls, the setting's stock mob goblins/orcs/whatever. Caribert is an especially horrendous example; his dad, Chlothar Alberich, was a pureblood, while Caribert wasn't (mom is long-dead at this point). so Chlothar has been a single father to his son, who has been turned into some horrific Thing with an intellect barely above that of an animal. Chlothar has ALSO been DESPERATELY SEEKING A CURE FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS. he is DESPERATE ENOUGH TO PRAY TO THE ARCHONS THAT SLAUGHTERED HIS PEOPLE. this guy is Kaeya's ancestor, and also the founder of the Abyss Order (khaenri'ahns transformed into monsters now seeking revenge on Teyvat).

Also, there was this kid who literally fell into The Abyss, basically Genshin Impact Hell sort of, when he was 14. He eventually escaped, but his family soon discovered that their beloved son was suddenly... different. Tartaglia (his title as a Harbinger of the Fatui), to date, is the ONLY playable character in Genshin Impact with NO light in his eyes.

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jiangwanyinscatmom · 2 years

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Hello! This is the same anon who asked the Kaeya and diluc sibling relationship compared to Wei Wuxian and Jiang CHENG. HSHSHSHS. Okay, so I'm playing the game now, done with the quests, and I got that they're like... have a complicated relationship. From only playing the game, I got that they're pretty indifferent to each other but I was also like "???" the whole time. After exploring and reading the Manga, I just don't get them anymore LMAO. But yes, they're definitely different from WWX and JC. I've only been playing for a little while, and found it really fun. The lore is really interesting. If it's okay, can I ask what you thought of the recent archon quest? I couldn't stop screaming actually. We had little interaction with Kaeya on that quest but so many to unpack lol. He's so sus. Sorry ended up ranting about genshin. Hope you have a good day, Orion!

Hello!

I think in present time at least Kaeya may want to have a friendship, at least, with Diluc. Whereas Diluc wants to choose indifference between them due to their past and his lack of trust in Kaeya anymore. In that sense, I suppose I get him as he had been manipulated at the start of that relationship, regardless of how Kaeya may have felt and changed with his feelings about the Ragnvindrs. Trust once broken, isn't something you can get back if the other doesn't want to give it. But I think Kaeya has made peace with that regardless in the present as he has built a life for himself outside of that family.

I also have to wonder if Kaeya is settling to run again from his past, until it blows up once more because of his continued secrecy he doesn't disclose. As for the recent quest, it may end up being that Kaeya knows far more about the other sibling than anyone else in story that we know of. He had been raised and left in Mondstadt as a spy of Khaenri'ah and that sibling is explicitly trying to restore that civilization actively against the Seven. They've been in charge of the Abyss for several centuries at least. So I wouldn't find it surprising if he knows more and is sidestepping both the Abyss sibling as well as by Dainsleif as his way of avoiding his past, per what he sees as assimilation with Mondstadt that he does love.

But I do feel Kaeya's lesson of hiding things will probably turn out badly for him once again and he has yet to really learn of that consequence in full.

And thank you as well anon! Feel free to ask me about Genshin any time!

#genshin impact #yuanshen #diluc ragnvindr #kaeya alberich #genshin spoilers

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protect-namine · 11 months

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I like navia. when she's out, she's definitely replacing albedo in my spy team

albedo shouldn't even be there because he's officially with the knights, and the only reason he's there is because he's tangentially related to the hexenzirkel and khaenri'ah and doing a lot of non-government and allegedly potentially-catastrophic research. he's definitely working on things varka and jean don't know about.

but the only other people who would fit in a spy team are the shuumatsuban characters and, well. three of them are legally tied to the yashiro commission and kamisato clan. the only other one would rather take a nap so like. no undercover work for you, sayu.

yelan and wanderer do work with their nation's leaders, but they both are not officially in the papers. like, "officially" yelan owns a casino and wanderer is doing his thesis as hat guy lmao. he would rather argue about someone's (very wrong) tatarasuna papers before associating himself with the matra or corps of thirty.

diluc is mondstadt's batman, we all know this already. but he also was involved with an underground intelligence network while he was away from mondstadt before the game started (in that same time period, he was also banned from snezhnaya and declared persona non-grata and like. I'm not saying these two facts are related, but... maybe?? when is genshin gonna give us THAT story)

anyway. I like this team because it's fun doing world quests with them and pretending they're cleaning up teyvat's messes because for some reason the knights / corps of thirty / matra / millelith / etc are either not competent enough to do so or can't do it themselves in an "official" capacity

#mine musings #liveblogging genshin #genshin keeps giving us interesting factions that we have to wait years to see what they're about #like. it took us three years to get something substantial about the hexenzirkel #and three years for a hint of the origins of chongyun's weird yang constitution (still no sign of the tianheng thaumaturges though)#when are we getting temple of silence (cyno and alhaitham) and whoever diluc was working with #i'm iffy with the shuumatsuban but more because of inazuma's writing like..............#they had too much going on okay. they had kokomi and yae and ayato and they couldn't balance that #the shuumatsuban to me is more like the marechaussee phantom

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deciessomnia · 1 year

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My silly little ideas I said I would post earlier in hopes my brain will focus on acutally doing something like writing replies. Wheather or not these actually happen are up in the air as they are just silly little ideas. Or uninentaionally become a to do list.

TWISTED WONDERLAND

TWST Ozma, Headmage of an all girls school that a sister school to both NRC and RSA. On good terms with Crowley and Ambrose.

TWST Glinda the Good Witch, Vice Headmage to All Girls School. It all the negative aspects of her character that get Twst.

TWST Arista, this will actually be a thing, so ye. non-binary half Merfolk-Fae. Can read the flow of magic. Love music and loves to surf (in human form).

TWST Cinderella's Mom, that's basically it. A TWST of Cinderella's mom, since she like dead before the reader even get a chance to meet her. (if you know, you know)

TWST Pleasure Island, a Twisted Wonderland location. Not exactly sure what I'm going to do with this, but ye. Something something underground labortory ran by an exil Shroud member??? Don't know, but it something.s

TWST ATLANTIS, another Twisted Wonderland location. It exactly that and an excuse to give some oldie muses a home. i.e. Sigurd, Dainsleif, and Halfdan.

Figure out what the hell it is I'm trying to do with Trein, Sam, and Crowley as I HC them being non-human.

TWST verses, for crossover muses. i.e. Merlin (FGO), Sigurd (FGO), Dainsleif (GI), Halfdan (GI), etc. etc.

Insert the other ideas I don't recall right now.

KATEKYO HITMAN REBORN

What exactly is Sepira doing in the present, when, by all accounts even to the Famiglia she founded she is dead.

Secondo Giglio-Nero Head? Sepira's daughter she gave birth to without a partner? Idk, I was going somewhere with this, but then lost the idea.

Byakuran used all the garlic and isn't one bit sorry about it.

The rest of the ideas kind of ditched so...

The other ideas I forgot...

GENSHIN IMPACT

Genshin Verse for Sigurd, a Kheari'ahen knight that has lived since the kingdom's founding? Curse? Immortal? Like to give the younger knights a hard time. His favorite knight to annoy is Dainsleif. Dainsleif tries to find the retired knight a partner. Go away old man.

Idea that Crepus was originally from Khaenri'ah, but died during the Cataclysm was reborn as a Ragnvindr, died again, revived by the Abyss for whatever and now serves as a spy for the order. No memory of his previous life, because the Abyss Ordeer did an oopsie and accidentally erased/sealed Crepus's memories away.s

Celestia with an All Being/Person that disappeared one day and hasn't been seen since due to a power struggle?

GESNHIN VERSE for SU, former Celestial representing Dendro. Went into hiding during Celestia's power struggle and hid where would one day become Sumeru. Get mistaken as one of Sumeru's deities. They are okay with this. Pending...

GENSHIN VERSE for Himeko Murata, older twin sister to Diluc and took care of the Winery while Diluc went on his journey of self discovery. She knows exactly what he was doing as Himeko had developed her own spy/information network. She just glad Diluc came back in one piece. Went back to tinkering with things after Diluc returned. NOTE: specifically for my Diluc. Otherwise has no connection to other Dilucs unless otherwise plotted between muns.

GENSHIN VERSE for Malleous Draconia, a work in progress because I really haven't thought much of it through yet.

Think of what to do with Kaeya's Fake Prince Story. Canon decided to do something interesting and I'm all 👀 with trying to incooperate all the good stuff.s

Insert the 50-bajillion other ideas I forgot.

MISCELLANOUS

Readd my Sailor Moon muses because I forgot to put them back! Mamoru Chiba and Haruka Tenou. Mamoru is somewhere between homosexual and homoflexible as Usagi is and will be the only woman that will get his heart going doki-doki. Haruka didn't exactly approve of Mamoru dating Usagi, for her no one was good enough to be her Princess, but since she saw how happy Usagi was with Mamoru she relented.s

Add The Little Mermaid's Arista to blog. Contemplate if I really want to add my Star Rail Muses here. Been writing them on Discord.

A MAJOR TO DO: Work porfiles, cuz oh boy I really need to to that.

The other million ideas I don't recall at the moment, cuz lol they kind of hid.

#📣ㅤ⊰ ㅤmun speaks ` yin doesn't say enough #( this actually came out longer than I thought #( questions? gripes? concerns? please feel to ask #( brain go brrrr right now

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hellonoblesky · 2 years

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hi. kaeya a nd diluc lore please

YIPPEE Under the cut. Because I am insane and ramble sooo much

Kaeya:

Kaeya's birth family, the Alberich Clan, rose to a place of prominence after the Cataclysm, because the ruling family of Khaenri'ah, the Eclipse Dynasty, had fallen, and the Alberich Clan took the initiative to gather survivors and protect them.

This is important because, due to the Alberich Clan's importance and prominence, Kaeya ends up being sent away as a spy.

(And I say spy very lightly, because I think it's more likely that he was sent to Mondstadt because 1) Mondstadt has a safer environment to grow up in than Khaenri'ah probably does, 2) If there's someone from Mondstadt, who Mondstadtian people Like and or look up too, who also understands Khaenri'ahn struggles and their way of life, it can make coming to peacefully agreements between the two a LOT easier, 3) if the worst case scenario does happen and Mondstadt and Khaenri'ah go to war against each other... Kaeya's knowledge of both nations will make him a very important asset)

So, at an undefined age (Personally I assumed it was 7-10 ish, because all we know is that it was a YOUNG age), Kaeya is left alone, in a rainstorm, outside of famed Mondstadt winery, home to the Ragnvinder Clan, the Dawn Winery, his father's last words to him being "This is your chance. You are our last hope. Forgive me, Kaeya," before Kaeya, as a young boy, was left to navigate an Archon's nation alone.

Kaeya, of course, ended up adopted by the Ragnvinders, Crepus Ragnvinder (Diluc's father) finding him on the road and hurrying him inside before the rains got harsher, deciding to have the boy stay as he got along with Diluc, and his father showed no signs of coming home.

So there Kaeya stayed.

Kaeya Alberich, one half of a pair, the left to Diluc's right, the gentle chill to Diluc's burning glory. They were a pair, Diluc, the Knight's youngest Cavalry Captain, and Kaeya, his right hand. Both of them battling as brothers through and through, enjoying life as siblings, in joy and care.

Until Diluc's 18th birthday.

Because on Diluc's 18th birthday, a dragon, known as Ursa the Drake (despite not being a Drake at all, Ursa was fr just a normal dragon, I have like a whole different post of thoughts abt him tbh), swept down and attacked the cart that Diluc and his father were traveling home in.

Crepus died jumping to Diluc's defense that night.

To Diluc, this was a massive blow, him and his father had been so close for as long as he'd lived, he didn't know how to handle the death, how to handle someone so important to him being DEAD. He is distraught, wrapped up in a anxious frantic worried thoughts.

But at least he had Kaeya, right?

Right?

Well, Kaeya, having lost his second father figure, was also severely rattled by it. Of course he was, Crepus was important to him, he was family!

But some part of him, the part that held it's loyalty to his original mission, to the people of Kahenri'ah, was almost relieved. Because with Crepus gone he didn't have as much to worry about when it came to being found out, or to complications in when he had to chose a side (and he WOULD likely have to choose a side).

But Kaeya still loved him as a father, and was wreaked with guilt over feeling that way.

So, Kaeya decided he didn't want to hide his past anymore.

And came clean to Diluc.

About everything.

Or at least, enough of everything.

He told him he was a Spy, he told him he was an Agent of Khaenri'ah, that he was of a nation wreaked in Abyss and hidden from the stars.

Diluc didn't take it well.

So he drew his blade, and the brothers battled almost to the death on the steps of the Dawn Winery.

That was how Kaeya got his Vision. In a battle of rain and fire and betrayal and grief and AGONY, he, who held no reverence to the gods, not really, was granted Celestial might, given a cold gem of ice.

And so the brothers parted ways.

And now Kaeya sees his Vision as a stern reminder that he must ALWAYS live his life bathed in lies. He must keep the shroud drawn over his true self at all times. He cannot afford to mess up or he will die or be hated, or be run out of the city, any number of horrid things that he can't afford.

(THAT'S ALSO WHY HSI VISION ONLY HAS TWO WINGS ON IT INSTEAD OF THE STANDARD MONDTSADT THREE!! ITS BECAUSE OF HIS CONFLICTED LOYALTY!!!!!)

So he took up the position Diluc left open in the Knights, and became the new Cavalry Captain, all silver-tongued and gently woven of spiderwebs.

Diluc:

Diluc got his Vision when he was 10, a symbol of burning resolve when he decided to become a Knight.

The Knights, of course, welcomed such a burning young prodigy into their ranks! Especially the son of the esteemed and loved Ragnvinder Clan!!!

And so Diluc, with his dear adoptive brother, strove to be the best the Knights had ever seen. And for a while, he was!! He really was!!

But then of course, his 18th birthday happened, and everything came apart.

You see, aside from the stuff with Kaeya, Diluc also had to confront a hidden past of his father's. Because Crepus had been dealing with the Fatui. Ursa the Drake's attack was orchestrated BY the Fatui (I assume it's because Crepus wanted to stop dealing with them and was cutting their business to an end and he didn't want that, but that's not rlly made clear), forcing Crepus to use the Delusion they'd given him to defend Diluc, the usage of which killed him.

And yet that wasn't all.

Because the Knights refused to acknowledge Crepus's sacrifice, instead intending to frame the incident as a tragedy that DILUC prevented from being of greater harm, despite Diluc's protest and clear discomfort with it.

So Diluc left.

He threw his Vision to the floor of the Knight's Headquarters along with his jacket and left, picking up the Delusion that had once been his father's and setting off to find his own answers in the world.

And for four years he made the lives of the Fatui HELL. He tore their strongholds apart in his search for answers, killed and maimed and became such an efficient destructive force that the HARBINGERS THEMSELVES took to hunting him down until he escaped their grasps by joining an intelligence network and returning home to Mondstadt.

He didn't pick his Vision back up until he broke his Delusion breaking out of Fatui custody after taking the fall for an escaped Fatui prisoner (Collei <3), and Kaeya gifted it back to him in a vase (that you can actually interact with in the Dawn Winery !!)

So now he dedicates his time to defending his home. He'll fight for Mondstadt until he dies. And maybe that doesn't bode well for the future, but it's what he's always done, and having been a Knight since childhood? It's really all he knows how to do in order to feel "Normal".

#I KNOW the Kaeya part is so much longer but Kaeya is THE blorbo of all time. I love him. Kissy him on the forehead.#I didn't write a 100k character study/whumpfic for him for nothing #turtledove answers #genshin impact

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