#some ff2 nonsense too trying to push the two narratives into one timeline

[glarehand]

hcs for kain’s childhood/family (im writing too much and will need separate posts like these for at least cecil too...)

kain’s birth father, phillip, was killed during AN emperor’s raid on deist (when kain was ~5?) and elena fled with richard to the outskirts of baron (baron is near water but not so much so that it has a sufficient navy AND deist is an island so a middle point between the two is near the water outside of baron) until richard’s death at the hands of emperor mateus when kain was seventeen (making him the same age as firion and his group)

elena had also traveled back to deist at the time of richard’s rumored disappearance before his death and has connections with firion’s group/considers them her kids too

she did return to baron though once richard was confirmed dead and firion’s group was already moving on to other locations

kain became commander of the dragoons immediately which forced him away from his mother (emotionally taxing on the both of them) though he still returned home some nights to maybe eat or sleep (despite it being easier to sleep in the castle than to walk home in the woods post-training)

due to the close proximity to the sea, kain can swim (whereas the others can’t, save for edge) and has a preference for seafood (even in stews, rather than the beef eaten closer inland) (this also is a similarity he shares with edge oddly enough)

kain styles his hair just like phillip and it’s the same silky, platinum blonde (richard’s is a sandy color and texture, elena’s is almost sun yellow) 

he only started growing it out just before richard’s death (richard doesn’t disapprove of the long hair but he is a bit abrasive/overly-questioning when he speaks and it’s intimidating) but even then, elena and richard would get emotional seeing it

he also has phillip’s lean build but richard’s full legs, despite not being related to the man

he has his mother’s eyes (plus the same tendency for strong emotions and to cry) 

kain considers both phillip and richard his fathers especially for their (albeit differing) influences on him as a dragoon

he has the laidback ease of phillip (showing concern for cecil by joking, just telling him to sleep it off, the whole then you have nothing to fear + smirk thing) almost like arrogance, but he’s serious like richard and often seems callous though he’s not trying to be (he’s not great with words and gets VICIOUS as a warrior if he dislikes you)

he has a strong sense of duty and respects his opponents unless they clash with him morally (think the “you’re brave to stand against us” dissidia nt line vs the lugae fight/”i’d like to see you try” or the “you’re just prey” nt line and i’m pretty sure he asks lugae to beg for mercy)

but he can get really violent, verbally and physically

it’s justified but understandably intimidating

he hated this same strictness in richard but also understands that richard was also not good with words

but regrets not being able to express love for him before his passing (the feeling’s mutual, kain)

dragoons in deist didn’t jump but would often mount the wyverns with the wyverns already flying, which necessitated some sort of a leap

baron dragoons would perch themselves around the castle towers/would hang out the windows but would climb the stairs to get there

kain just combined both- a high jump to make defending the castle easier

kain sends all the money he makes as commander to his mother (save a small amount to fix his armor or weapon, or when he, cecil, and rosa exchange gifts for w/e occasions) up until the events of the main game

during his disappearance/the whole war ordeal, elena moves into baron for safety reasons and becomes close with rosa’s mother (bc they’re mothers and widows, both coincidentally of dragoons) despite rosa’s mother’s distrust of kain (and cecil) (because she thinks they’re bad influences with their violence and darkness and difficult personalities and erotica reading)

elena only hears of kain’s betrayal/subsequent atonement and disappearance and does not see her son for about two years (the span of the war + a brief stint on mount ordeals where kain has the workings of a dragoon and a holy dragoon, still struggles with himself, isn’t ready to see anyone really BUT knows if he stays longer, it will not only do no good but he will never come home)

he starts at home obviously and he really only needs to go home because he knows he’s already been forgiven even if he can’t understand or feel it (like, whereas golbez feels first and foremost like he must help rebuild, kain feels he has to self-reflect)

he shows up at his first, childhood home in the woods and elena somehow knew she had to be there

she answers the door late in the evening and is shocked and it’s emotional and almost overwhelming but she still first says “you should’ve told me you were coming home, i would’ve made dinner”

he struggles to justify his presence in baron and in society as a whole but justifies it best through his support of his mother

he rejoins the dragoons a few weeks later and they are overjoyed to have him (they missed him!! but were controlled as well- they don’t and can’t blame him)

cecil has to hold back the urge to give him the red wings too (kain just returned ive missed him so much i know he could lead us well but i cant overwhelm him with this i’m already overwhelming him with how much i’ve missed him)

elena permanently moves into baron (kain only ever returns to his childhood home if he’s out and needs and place to sleep or if he truly feels the need to pray/be alone/deeply think about his father)

she doesn’t need to worry about money as she is sustained well by kain’s pay (which he tries to refuse as cecil and rosa have already set aside funds to care for family) and uses any extra funds to buy seafood to be cooked and then lovingly forced upon the residents of the castle

similarly to how long it takes kain to reconcile everything about himself, what he’s done, where he draws his power from/how to use both light and dark, and how to justify the relationships he has (friendship and romance), it takes a long time for him to understand his father’s strict attitude (aka trying to push kain to be stronger and prouder but it coming off as richard saying kain wasn’t strong enough or deserving of that pride) because it made him feel insecure and not good enough as a dragoon (which then seeped into everything else)

the general realization of sometimes what people say and do isn’t a clear enough indication of what they meant (coughcough kain trying his absolute best to not ruin his relationships with the two people he cares about most and then doing that exact thing) and that things like that are and will always be difficult is rly what pushes him to stay and try his hardest to be with the people who love him

#follows some canon some fanon #some ff2 nonsense too trying to push the two narratives into one timeline #hc #also i spell ricard as richard bc lets be honest here which of those two is alread a name #a LOT of canon divergence though so #ill do another on relationships too bc why not #the relationship one might step on some toes though bc everybodys ships r different u feel