Ho Yay / Genshin Impact

General

The meaning of the rose only exists in our hearts...

• Dialogue towards the Traveler does not change outside of switching the pronouns or gendered terms used, so as Aether or Lumine, you can be hit on by characters of the same sex, and also flirt back or initiate flirting with them.
  • Until you encounter Jeht, who is smitten with Lumine, but establishes "just friends" boundaries with Aether.
• The ability to put Companions in your Serenitea Pot takes this to a new level with certain characters. Examples include Razor saying he likes your smell, Lisa calling you a cutie, Bennett wanting to go adventuring with you, and so on.

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Mondstadt

• The wind wisp that would become Venti was so profoundly moved by the Nameless Bard's desire for freedom that he participated in the revolt against Decarabian because of him. When the Nameless Bard died, Venti's grief was so great that he reformed himself in the Bard's image and sought to uphold the ideals that the Bard cherished as Archon. Even thousands of years later, Venti still impersonates the Bard's physical appearance, carries the eagle feathers that he wanted to gift his friend with him, and adopts a mortal's lifestyle for the Bard to "live" vicariously through him.
• Jean and Lisa:
  • Some of Lisa's and Jean's voice lines are interpreted as Ho Yay even if they're very subtle. Lisa calls Jean "dear", and Lisa's "Good Morning" line has her sleepily greet Jean before realizing that she's been woken up by the Traveler, while Jean has peace of mind when Lisa is around.
  • The description of "Sea Breeze Dandelion", Jean's summer outfit, states that Lisa was the one to provide detailed dimensions for the garment.
• The Dragonspine Spear's lore describes Durin's demise at Dvalin's hands in suspiciously intimate terms. Not only does it describe Dvalin piercing Durin's neck with his fangs as being like a "tender lover," but Durin holds no ill will towards Dvalin, thinking of him as a "lovely dragon" in his mind as he dies and wishing that they could have met in another time and place to sing and dance together.
• Kaeya and Albedo's relationship, although at first shown to be more one-sided on Kaeya's part, seems to have deepened as time passes.
  • In his voice lines, Kaeya implies that he's into Albedo while praising his talents. In the original Chinese text, he calls Albedo handsome in a fond manner.
  • During the "Midsummer Island Adventure" event, Kaeya calls Albedo's artificial flowers "beautiful" and says that Geo and Cryo visions are compatible.
  • Later events, such as "Zephyr of the Violet Garden", strongly implies the feeling is now mutual, with Klee confirming that Albedo spends "a great deal of time" painting Kaeya. During the Irodori Festival, Albedo explained that he draws and paints his subjects quickly, but when he spends time on them, it means he's interested in the subject.
  • There's also the fact that Kaeya and Albedo are both linked by the destroyed nation of Khaenri'ah; with Albedo being created shortly after its destruction and Kaeya's origin confirmed to be from Khaenri'ah (though his current allegiance is uncertain). Both of their voice lines in the game strongly imply they are concerned about their respective powers being used for destruction. It helps that both men also have tragic backstories.
  • Both are also considered primary caretakers of Klee, with the game referring to Klee being cared for by Kaeya and Albedo more often than Jean, with fans comparing the situation to them being surrogate parents for Klee. As of 2022, there's also an official advert for the game that went viral for highlighting Kaeya's keen interest in Albedo.
• The Windblume Festival is a major source of this for Mondstadt-based characters. As the Mondstadt holiday of love, most NPC characters celebrate it as a romantic time, whereas playable characters tend to simply get close to someone else (with the nature of the love kept ambiguous). Notably, it features Bennett reading his love poem to Razor and having the latter talk about the warm feelings that it inspired, Jean and Lisa, spend the festivities together under the guise of work while admitting that they really just need to hang out more, and Amber and Noelle nearly crashing into each other in what looks an awful lot like a Meet Cute while Venti narrates how some loves become closer only by chance.
• In a side quest, Draff and Timmie's father were noted to have been very close friends, with the two being hunting partners. Timmie's father even managed to convince Draff to stop drinking alcohol, but the two splurged on cider once in a while. To this day Draff continues to write Timmie letters pretending to be his father, and admits to the Traveler that even he had hoped that his friend wasn't truly dead and would show up one day.
• Eula's character demo created a number of Eula/Amber fans since it ends with Eula asking Amber to dance with her. Them being long-time friends ^note as revealed in Eula's Story Quest and having Amber's Genki Girl contrast to Eula's Tsundere makes for a popular dynamic, despite the two seeing each other as sisters and best friends in their voice lines and quests.
  • In the "Shadows Amidst Snowstorms" event, the two share more moments together, with Eula helping Amber out and even protecting her from an avalanche. One of the snowmen descriptions seems connected to Amber and Eula, as it says an Outrider's friend's usually stoic expression broke into a grin upon seeing the snowman. Eula even tells Amber that if she ever has missions with Bennett, Amber is to not do anything but wait for her to arrive. When Eula decides to take an ice bath in the frozen lake, Amber who, who isn’t used to the snowy atmosphere, asks to come along with her since she isn’t good at directions.
  • During the event "Of Ballads and Brews", Eula and Amber go together to the Traveler's baking shop, and Amber explains that both are still working, while technically still on their vacations together.
• Some fans feel that Diluc's and Kaeya's relationship was mistranslated as "adoptive brothers" in the English localisation (from the term ”义兄“ in the original Chinese text) when it should have been "sworn brothers", a popular Boys Love shipping dynamic in Chinese fan circles, and interpret their relationship as a Childhood Friend Romance. Canonically, both Kaeya and Diluc have willingly interacted and put up with each other and still care for each other despite their strained relationship.
  • During the "Midsummer Island Adventure" event, they both arrived together, with Kaeya reminiscing about the time they went to a beach as children and the two arguing Like an Old Married Couple.
  • In "Of Drink A-Dreaming", Kaeya jokes around with the Traveler while the latter takes up bartending during the event. Rosaria comes across as annoyed as she says she knows Kaeya only comes to the tavern to see its owner, who happens to be Diluc.
  • The caption for Kaeya's White Day 2022 artwork says that the wine-flavored chocolate he made is "great for people who can't drink" and "brings back a lot of memories".
  • The "Hidden Strife" event gives the players the chance to read certain letters addressed to Diluc over the past years. There's one letter from each of the people Diluc kept contact with... except for Kaeya, who wrote nine, all of which Diluc kept despite the tensions between the two. Kaeya, in turn, keeps the two letters from Diluc alongside his other treasured possessions, hidden in a secret compartment.
• Bennett and Razor share a very close friendship.
  • In Bennett's voice lines about Razor, he likes spending time with Razor, despite the later being quieter.
    Bennett: Wolvendom guy! Looks a little on the feral side... doesn't talk much... but he's alright! We both love eating meat, so we got that in common. I sometimes cook some meat for him, and he teaches me how wolves communicate in return. Haha! You should join us next time!
  • Razor, on the other hand, says Bennett talks too much, but he still doesn't mind having lunch with him.
    Razor: Bennett... Much talking. Eat with him, never full.
  • As mentioned above the Windblume festival, features Bennett reading his love poem to Razor and having the latter talk about the warm feelings that it inspired.
  • During the Windblume Festival, both get trapped together inside the Thousand Winds Temple, only separated by another fence between them. Bennett even gives Razor his last apple when he goes hungry. After the festival, both are still hanging out.
  • During the event Of Ballads and Brews, Bennett arrives at the festival looking for Razor, and gives him a Small Lamp Grass. Bennett tells that he tripped with it and he took it as a sign to help Razor with his ingredients search. Despite the others questioning how possibly could Bennett trip with a flower, Razor is clearly touched by Bennett's gesture.
  • When Bennett learns that Razor is researching how to make wine to learn more about his birth parents, Bennett keeps his chipper attitude, and while he admits that he doesn't know his parents either, Razor can notice a "smell change" when he touches the subject and can feel he is warm "like hay bed under the sun". Despite Razor's difficulty with words, he still can notice Bennett's true feelings.
• Rosaria and Barbara have some moments as well.
  • While Rosaria actively avoids the other nuns, Barbara is the only one who tries to be nice to her, despite Rosaria’s cynical behavior.
  • During the "Of Drink a-Dreaming" event, Rosaria orders a tea, and she describes the flavor with a bit of warmth since it’s the kind of tea Barbara makes her whenever she brings her desserts for tea time. Despite Rosaria’s antisocial behavior, she still appreciates Barbara’s kindness.
• Fischl and Mona have gathered quite a following, owing to appearing together across several events:
  • They first meet in "Unreconciled Stars", with Mona being vocally irritated with Fischl's antics, but they still end up bonding over the course of the event prior to Fischl's departure, especially after Mona saves the group from Scaramouche, who was revealed to be one of the Fatui Harbingers.
  • They next appear together for Summertime Odyssey. After Klee decides to offer Fischl a trip to the Golden Apple Archipelago, she invites Mona and the Traveler as first options, with Kazuha and Xinyan joining the group as well. By this point, Mona has gotten so used to Fischl's theatrics, she even plays along, acting the role of Fischl's Court Megistus. The first thing they do upon arriving on the archipelago is a swimming competition, sprinting across the beach together. You can later find a log of their repeated challenges.
    • When the group gets inside Mona's mirage, they find out that despite a reputation for frivolously spending her mora on astrology items instead of basic needs, Mona remains quite affluent. Fischl promptly gets mad at her, since she has been inviting her to eat with her family frequently ever since they became friends.
  • During "Of Ballads and Brews", they attend the Weinlesefest together, stopping by the Traveler's shop. According to them, Mona had been so deep in her studies that she almost forgot about the festival, and Fischl had been cooking for her the entire time, so Mona wants to purchase a cookbook, so she can learn to make Fischl something she might like in return. Fischl even breaks character, clearly touched by Mona's gesture.

Liyue

• Ningguang and Beidou are arguably one of the most popular fanon lesbian pairings in the fandom due to how much screen time they have together:
  • In their voice lines, despite some animosity due to their positions (and that Ningguang has stated that she doesn’t want a lover in her Character Story 5), both women do genuinely respect one another.
  • During the 2021 Moonchase Festival, when asked by Xiangling, the way they bicker over their choice of food makes them sound almost Like an Old Married Couple.
  • There are several moments during the Lantern Rite event of 2022:
    • Ningguang somehow managed to persuade Beidou to fish out all the lost items from the Jade Chamber that were still floating near the Guyun Stone Forest. When Paimon asks how Ningguang managed to make Beidou comply, Ningguang's answer is...
      Ningguang: (smirking) Payment is one aspect of it. But I also compensate her in other ways...Hehe, let's just say it's a little complicated.
    • In a conversation between Xinyan and Beidou, Beidou mentions that she got an invitation to a game of chess. When Xinyan asks if the invitation came from the Jade Chamber, Beidou — for some reason — awkwardly clears her throat and swiftly changes the subject.
    • In the event's denouement cutscene, the inhabitants of Liyue admire the fireworks display. Beidou's attention, however, is grabbed by Ningguang, who is coyly standing in front of the Jade Chamber wearing her event-exclusive gown. The two have a brief exchange:
      Beidou: Hey, check you out... Looking pretty fancy!
      Ningguang: Only a true treasure catches the eye of Captain Beidou. Seems like I've struck gold with this one.
  • The two of them show up on vacation together in "Of Drink a-Dreaming". Their ensuing interactions together are very much Like an Old Married Couple.
    • At one point in their conversation when they were reminiscing their younger days, Beidou jokingly says that no one can probably tell she was from an ordinary fishing village. Ningguang however, responds with full sincerity:
      Ningguang: I'd say Captain Beidou has eyes that can pierce the sea. You're an adventure-seeking pioneer who tames the wind and the waves...which is clearly indicative of someone who grew up by the sea.
  • The 2023 Lantern Rite has only one interaction between Beidou and Ningguang (it is in fact Beidou's only dialogue during the event) in a coda that is completely unrelated to the event and seems to exist just to fan the flames of this ship as the two discuss their games of chess in a way that can once again be very easily read as blatant innuendo as Ningguang wonders if Beidou's "unhappy about [Ningguang's] lack of novel ideas" during their games of chess and that Beidou needs to communicate how she can please her, Beidou suggesting that they make their "official affairs" public in the future that sounds like a proposal that they come out, and Ningguang proposing to invite a third woman (implied to be Yelan) to their chess games.
  • In the "Alchemical Ascension" event, Beidou, accompanied by Eula, asks for a potion that helps the drinker sleep, saying that a friends of her is having trouble sleeping. While she doesn't outright say who it is, Beidou's choice of descriptors, such as she "doesn't lack for anything" and that she's "no stranger to rare and precious treasures", suggests that the intended recipient is Ningguang. Note that Beidou doesn't clarify how she knows her "friend" is having trouble sleeping...
• Xiangling and Keqing have some moments during the Moonchase Festival where the two spend a good portion of it together. It's also revealed that the two were actually close friends. As the Traveler and Xiangling talk about Keqing's personality, the Traveler tells Xiangling that despite her looks, Keqing is a good person. Xiangling admits she actually didn't find Keqing all that scary and found she was easy to talk to. On Keqing's side, the way she confides in the Traveler about how she doesn't know how to act around Xiangling can easily be read as a girl being nervous around her crush and asking a friend for advice.
  • At first Keqing isn't sure on how to approach Xiangling, but she is pleasantly surprised to find out that Xiangling is equally as friendly regardless of their status differences.
  • Xiangling scolds Guoba for eating Keqing's Golden Shrimp Balls, knowing that those are Keqing's favorites and she didn't have a chance to try one.
  • After the Masterful Chefs contest, Keqing tells the Traveler that she feels bad for voting for Smiley Yanxiao instead of Xiangling, as she lost her head when his appetizers included Golden Shrimp Balls. Xiangling doesn't mind at all, since friendship shouldn't be in the way of fair competition, and both are happy to keep being good friends. By the end of the event, Xiangling tells Keqing that she managed to figure out her grandfather's recipe, which turned out to be Chili-Mince Cornbread Buns, which she already knew how to make. Keqing says that Xiangling managed to make them taste exactly how her grandfather used to make them.
• For Aether's birthday, Ningguang will gift him two silk brocades and ask him to give the second to his sister if they ever reunite. For Lumine, Ningguang will gift her the brocade and tell her she can have an outfit made with it.
• Xingqiu/Chongyun are often shipped together by fans due to being Childhood Friends.
  • The majority of official artworks depict Xingqiu and Chongyun together. Outside of birthday art, the number of times one is depicted without the other can be counted on one hand.
  • One of the branches of Chongyun's hangout event has him investigate the clue about the "Test of Courage" on Wuwang Hill, given to him by Xingqiu. Said test asks to "bring your best friend and test your courage together"...and also turns out to be a dating location.
  • Chongyun’s 2021 birthday mail to the Traveler contains Silk Flowers, which are Xingqiu’s ascension materials. Combined with the tone of the letter, it got interpreted by some of the fans as a love letter being originally meant for Xingqiu but sent to Traveler by mistake instead.
  • This official collaboration art◊ that makes it look like Xingqiu and Chongyun are on a date.
  • During the Moonchase Festival, Xingqiu teasingly asks Chongyun to read him a book, before Xingqiu decides to read one to Chongyun instead. He then suggests a title called, "Young and Hopelessly Smitten".
  • As of "The Exquisite Night Chimes", both attend Hu Tao's banquet along with Xiangling. Xingqiu doesn't miss the opportunity to mess a little with his friends by doing some small compliments as a tease, to Chongyun's embarrassment. He also picks up on Xingqiu always feeding him Xiangling's test dishes and has been slipping his carrots on his plate.
    • After dinner, Chongyun looks curious (if not a little jealous) that Xingqiu hasn't told him about Venti. While he believes his story about Venti being a friend of his parents, Chongyun also backs up his other cover-up story to Hu Tao and Xiangling, revealing that he runs errands for more books for Xingqiu on regular basis.
• Ganyu/Keqing has also become popular due to both of them having two voice lines about each other regarding their differing opinions on Rex Lapis and how they're starting to understand each other more. Having contrasting color schemes, playstyles, and matching Valentine's Day artworks doesn't hurt either. On top of this, the two are often paired together in official artworks and other media.
  • During "Fleeting Colors in Flight", Keqing's visit to Cloud Retainer's abode happens at the same time as Ganyu's own trip back home to Jueyun Karst, which an intrigued Cloud Retainer takes note of. The meeting itself comes off quite a bit as a "meeting the parents" moment, with Keqing doing her best to follow Ganyu's prior advice on how to impress the Adeptus. When Ganyu begins making excuses to slip away from Cloud Retainer's usual antics, Keqing steps in to aid in her escape, which Ganyu is visibly grateful for. Most tellingly, Cloud Retainer makes a big show of entrusting Ganyu's health to Keqing and the Qixing, to which Keqing responds by promising to make sure Ganyu takes care of herself. This pleases Cloud Retainer and earns Keqing the warmest approval the Adeptus had given a human yet.
  • During "The Exquisite Night Chimes", Ganyu makes good friends with Shenhe as fellow apprentices of Cloud Retainer, and invites Shenhe to hang out some day and have dinner along with Keqing. Despite the implication that said dinner will only consist on flowers and herbs, something Keqing might not be very fond of, it's nice that Ganyu is planing on presenting her girlfriend to her new friend and surrogate sister.
• During Lantern Rite, Cloud Retainer starts wondering if Moon Carver and Mountain Shaper ran off and left her behind to have fun with each other. Almost making them come across as a couple wanting some space away from her.
  • In Xianyun's Story Quest, she announces that she is moving out from Mt. Aocang to Liyue Harbor, and when the Traveler asks if she is going to tell Moon Carver and Mountain Shaper, she simply replies that she left a letter in her entrance, but doubts any of them will mind since they have already made a habit of meeting each other behind her back. The way she tells this is like she knows they are dating and they don't want her to find out.
  • During the Vibrant Harriers Aloft in Spring Breeze, Moon Carver and Mountain Shaper spend the whole event together, flying a kite that they bought, enjoying Gaming's Wushou performance and the sights of Liyue Harbour, and bickering Like an Old Married Couple in all the scenes they appear in.
• Smiley Yanxiao (The chef at the Wangshu Inn) shares both a world quest and a daily quest with a man named Jiangxue, who is a fisherman. All of the dialogue between the two reads Like an Old Married Couple, and though Yanxiao comes off as harsh as usual, the daily quest features you delivering a meal from Yanxiao to Jiangxue. Not only is the meal described as smelling good, but it's also packed full of food to the point that it's surprisingly heavy, implying that, despite his criticisms, Yanxiao enjoys making food for the other man. Additionally, the Lantern Rite 2022 denouement cutscene shows Jiangxue sharing the celebratory meal with Yanxiao and the Wangshu Inn owners, despite not being affiliated with the inn.
• The 2023 Lantern Rite event introduces Guizhong and Streetward Rambler/Madame Ping. They first started off as rivals with clashing theories on the meaning of music, but soon became extremely close, with Cloud Retainer saying that they were often seen discussing various topics. Streetward Rambler saw Guizhong as her bosom friend (the Chinese text specifically uses the term 知音, which literally means "(One that) understands (my) music")) and was so affected by Guizhong's death, that Streetward Rambler, who loved gatherings, became more solitary, and spent more of her time integrating her zither's tunes with the melody produced by Guizhong's Cleansing Bell. After finally perfecting the melody, she never played it again until near the conclusion of the Iridescence Tour, as it reminds her of the loss of Guizhong, whose she still mourns even three thousand and seven hundred years after her death. As she told Cloud Retainer:
  Streetward Rambler: Though the strings that played the melody survive, the one who inspired it is gone. Tell me, Cloud Retainer... when the one attuned to my soul is no longer here, who else could hope to understand this tune?
• Yun Jin and Xinyan are also established to be very close friends despite their different musical styles.
  • In Yun Jin's lines about Xinyan, Yun Jin admits to be secretly a fan of Xinyan's rock, but has to keep it a secret from her main audience, who are mostly opera snobs. Yun Jin likes that Xinyan can be very open about herself without caring about what others think.
  • In "Fleeting Colors in Flight", Yun Jin and Xinyan spend the Lantern Rite together at the Jade Chamber with the others. It's telling how Yun Jin, without worrying about how her behaviour will be seen in public, grabs Xinyan's hand and happily runs with her to see the lanterns and the fireworks.
  • During "Summertime Odyssey", Xinyan's mirage has some moments of her past that, far from getting her sad or upset, Xinyan just brushes them off. One of those moments include an elder telling her to be more graceful, to which Xinyan proudly replies that the best opera artist is her fan.
  • Another flashback from Xinyan's past is about her last birthday, which was organized by both Yun Jin and Xiangling, who Xinyan considers her two best friends.
  • In "The Exquisite Night Chimes", Yun Jin serves as a coach for Xinyan and Hu Tao's performance instead of performing to give them the turn at the spotlight. She is later seen rocking at Xinyan's presentation. They spend the rest of the Lantern Rite together talking about the next shows, and have to decline Hu Tao's invitation to the banquet because they have to attend some meetings together.
• There are some who interpret Zhongli and Xiao's dynamic as a more romantic master-subordinate relationship. Xiao has Undying Loyalty towards Zhongli after he rescued him from his former master who enslaved him and refuses to retire from his duties even after Zhongli stepped down as archon despite how much of a mental toll it takes on him, and is fierce towards anyone, even the Traveler, if he thinks that they are disrespecting him. In return, Zhongli treasures Xiao, having been shown to visit him multiple times to monitor his well-being and asking the Traveler to deliver the medicine he prepared for him to ease his pain. He is also actively trying to close the distance between them, telling Xiao that he doesn't have to be formal with him anymore, and of course during the climax of the Perilous Trails Archon Quest, he saves Xiao from being lost in the Chasm forever. Xiao (over 3,700 years old) and Zhongli's (over 6,000 years old) age gap is also comparable to Ei (over 2,600 years old since the end of the Archon War) and Miko's (500 years old) despite Xiao's teenaged appearance.
  • During Vibrant Harriers Aloft in Spring Breeze, Xiao runs into Zhongli flying a kite, at first thinking it was Hu Tao because of the ghost design. Zhongli then invites Xiao to test another kite with him and both have a nice and peaceful conversation about the kites and some stuff happening in Zhongli's life. Unlike previous occasions when Xiao is too respectful and doesn't dare to have a conversation as equals with the former Archon, Xiao now seems more relaxed around him and is well aware of what kind of tasks Hu Tao gives him. The conversation ends with Zhongli encouraging Xiao to take some time to visit him at his workplace.
    • One may intepret Zhongli visiting Wangshu Inn annually for "sesame oil" or any other mundane tasks that Hu Tao ostensibly asked him to do as Zhongli's white lie to Xiao so that the latter will not be so conscious and troubled by the notion of his lord's visit due to his deep respect for him.
• The 2024 Lantern Rite brings us Ganyu/Shenhe. While they're nominally adoptive sisters, both being raised by Xianyun, albeit several thousand years apart, there is an undertone of sexual curiosity and awakening in their interactions during the event's main quest line. This was especially notable when Shenhe asks to touch Ganyu's horns, which the latter says are "very sensitive," even asking Shenhe "to be gentle" the act of which causes her to shake "like a cat whose whiskers have just been touched." Even the Traveler and Paimon witnessing this moment is treated as them stumbling into a private moment, causing them to decide to leave the two alone.
  • Back in 2023 when they meet each other and have instant chemistry, Ganyu invites Shenhe to meet Keqing, see some flowers she has been growing at home, and then eat them. While Paimon and the Traveler are weirded out and worried about Keqing, Shenhe instead thinks it's a wonderful idea.
  • During the Lantern Rite itself, Ganyu and Shenhe can be seen spending the night together, flying the kite that they built, in what looks almost like a date. Ganyu even spends time fixing Shenhe's hair ornament.
• Lingyuan's proud and fierce demeanour belies how submissive she can be towards Fujin.
  • After thousands of years of Fujin's absence, Lingyuan attempted to return the soil and waters of Chenyu Vale to their natural state so that the latter could recover the strength she lost during the Archon Wars, at the expense of the humans who depended on the tea industry for their livelihood against Fujin's wishes. Lingyuan did not care if Fujin would hate her for her actions, "so long as she could regain her form and swim free once more", and tried to stop Fujin from sacrificing herself again for humanity. When Lingyuan is confronted, questioning her reveals that though she does not share nor understand Fujin's love for humanity, she saw that the Rainjade Rite made Fujin happy, and when Fujin spoke of it Lingyuan "could not help but listen" and remembered everything Fujin said. Eventually Fujin makes Lingyuan admit that she has protected humanity before and would still "go against nature and the principles (she) follow(s)" to do so because she wants to help Fujin make her wishes a reality. In the end, Lingyuan begrudgingly yielded to Fujin's wish to use up her powers to nurse the soil and waters for the people, reaffirming afterwards that if Fujin wanted things a certain way, "then (she) shall do what pleases her".
  Fujin: You acknowledged my answer, acknowledged me, and acknowledged that you made choices based on your own feelings. Now, let me ask you...
  Lingyuan: N—No... Don't ask.
  Fujin: You know what I'm going to ask you, right?
  Lingyuan: "...If I needed your help, would you still make the same choice?"
  Fujin: That's right. And what's your answer?
  Lingyuan: *sigh*...Yes. I would. Even should another thousand years pass, and even if you asked me a thousand more times, my answer would be the same...I promise you, Fujin. You have walked with humans for much time, and have learned their cunning, while I am but a foolish beast. My claws and teeth are sharp, but I am no match for you.
  • After the conflict is resolved, Fujin expresses happiness at seeing Lingyuan again and it's all but said that she had missed her as well.
    Fujin: And another thing, Lingyuan.
    Lingyuan: Speak. What else would you have me do? Or not do.
    Fujin: Nothing. I just didn't get to say this due to the circumstances that prevailed before, but...But it's so good to see you again.
    Lingyuan: I know.
  • The Traveler and Paimon go back to Chiwang Terrace later to find Lingyuan there because she doesn't have sufficient adeptal energy to enter Fujin's abode and, though she denies it, had been stuck waiting for the Traveler to return ever since. The Traveler can tease her about how she forgot to tell Fujin before she left, to which Lingyuan replied, "It is because I am a slow-witted beast. Seeing her, I think of many things, and forget many things. It is my fault."
  • When Fujin asks the Traveler why they had come to visit the Traveler can reply that Lingyuan was worried for her. Lingyuan tries to refute but immediately falls silent.
  • Fujin teases Lingyuan about her human form, and the Traveler requests to see it. One dialogue option has Lingyuan saying that she refuses to do so "unless commanded to by Fujin". The Traveler can then turn to Fujin for help.
  Fujin's Voice: ...Eh? R—Really? I—In that case, I think maybe we should just respect Lingyuan's wishes...?
  Lingyuan: I do not have any wishes. If you have some, tell me so directly.

Inazuma

• Kazuha and Tomo became an immediate ship the moment their backstories revealed them as close friends. Kazuha even often refers to him as a "dear friend" and travels across Teyvat in order to find a way to reawaken his friend's empty Vision and pass on his courage to a worthy successor while also investigating the nature of Visions. When he confronts the Shogun again, Kazuha briefly reawakens the empty Vision while clearly recalling the defiant words of his friend.
• Gorou and Kazuha get some small moments, with Gorou trying to help Kazuha up as he faces the Raiden Shogun. Both Kazuha and Gorou even have voice lines where they talk about one another. Kazuha says they are close to each other while Gorou talks about liking to nap in the sun next to Kazuha.
• Yae Miko and the Raiden Shogun, or rather, Raiden Ei , with emphasis on Yae's entire motivation in the Inazuma storyline being to save Ei from her own isolation, Yae being described as the only person who is able to see her or has access to her when she's closed off, Ei trusting her with the Gnosis, Yae teasing her and claiming 'she wouldn't mind' with a wink, and the final conversation between the two in the Archon quest.
  • In Raiden Shogun's second story quest, Yae asks the Traveler to go to Makoto's realm of consciousness to make sure Ei is safe and help her if need be, her wording specifically being "leaving my God in your capable hands". Later on, when they reconvene at the Grand Narukami Shrine, the Traveler can try to tell Ei about how Yae called Ei "her" God, and Yae immediately threatens the Traveler to shut up and pretends that it's nothing; this is about the closest thing we've come to see Yae being embarrassed.
  • In Irodori Festival, there is a light novel called "Pretty Please, Kitsune Guuji?" which is pretty popular in Inazuma at the moment. The novel is chock full of ship tease between Ei (who was a man reincarnated as the Raiden Shogun) and Yae, which is really blatant because the cover is practically Yae Miko herself, and the fox shrine maiden in the story is named Yae Masako. The novel has the Raiden Shogun being dependent on Yae Masako, who greets her with what seems be a "Dinner, Bath, or Sex" Offer (though she doesn't finish her question before she mentions the third option) when the Shogun arrives back from patrol, and ends with Yae feeding her Rainbow Aster mouth-to-mouth. This is a reference to one of the Honkai comics where Yae Miko's Expy fed medicine in the same way to the woman she rescued and would later fall in love with.
  • Their birthdays are a day apart. First arrives Ei's letter... which was written by Yae because Ei couldn't come up with anything. Along with what Yae knows Ei would say to the Traveler in the letter, Yae also sends some treats she knows are Ei's favorites.
• Itto's voice line about Gorou has him say that Gorou makes him feel warm and fuzzy inside, as if Gorou understands his innermost feelings, even though he barely knows him. As it turns out, Itto is a big fan of Ms. Hina, Gorou's magazine columnist alter ego, and he's probably subconsciously recognizing that Gorou is "her."
  • In "Akitsu Kimodameshi" they finally meet. Itto casually tells Gorou about a big fish he caught and how he wrote a letter to Ms. Hina about it, while Gorou mentions his part-time job at the editorial and a letter about the same subject he got. Itto still fails to figure out that Gorou is Ms. Hina. They stay together during the whole festival, and even bond over fishing, making plans to go fish at other spots later.
  • In Gorou's 2023 birthday letter, he tells that the soldiers wanted to celebrate his birthday and he chose to organize a martial arts tournament, so he invited a few friends to take part. Among them, Itto was the first and quickest to answer.
• Itto and Takuya. They are literal Red Oni, Blue Oni and Takuya tries to sacrifice himself to keep in line with the story of the blue oni making themselves the bad guy to give the red oni a better life amongst the humans. Despite that, Itto still goes in to save Takuya as the hideout is crumbling to the ground. He even promises Takuya he'd take care of the other blue oni's after this entire situation.
• Thoma's devotion to the Kamisato family includes a very close friendship with both Ayaka and Ayato. When we finally meet Ayato during his Character Story quest, his very first scene is winning against Thoma in a game of shogi, with Thoma commenting on how talented Ayato is at playing strategy games.
  • While on a mission, Ayato still remembers to send his most trusted ninja to deliver a sample of the newest drink he just tried, even if said drink is a rather odd combination of milk and either Lavender Melon, Seagrass or Sea Ganoderma. Apparently, Ayato does this on regular basis, and Thoma is incapable of rejecting any of these, no matter how weird the sample is. By the end of the story, Thoma comments on Ayato's real plan during the mission, showing how well he knows his master's mind, and Ayato invites Thoma to continue the shogi match where they left it.
  • According to Ayato, he offered Thoma the chance to leave the Kamisato state and avoid the problems that might come with public life. Thoma refused and chose to stay out of devotion to him, and Ayato counts him among the few people he can trust completely. Said declaration of devotion is also what earned Thoma his Vision.
  • In Thoma's lines about Ayato, he is aware of Ayato's duties as head of the clan, and he has made it his own duty to take care of Ayato's needs whenever he is home.
  • In the Interlude Chapter Act III, Furuta tells the Traveler that Ayato tries to eat at home whenever he can because he enjoys Thoma’s cooking the most.
  • In the "Receiver of Friends from Afar" cooking event, Ayato immediately understands that Itto can't eat the dish because it contains tofu, so he manages to get Itto's part as the leftovers for his family at home. For once, Ayato sends Thoma some decent food.
• Thoma and Itto have some interactions even before their proper meeting during the Irodori Festival.
  • In Itto's voice line about Thoma, Itto only feels jealous that the Shogunate orchestrated a full-on ceremony to get Thoma's vision, while he didn't have one. Meanwhile, Thoma says he wants to meet Itto despite the reputation he has because he finds the idea of befriending an oni very interesting.
  • Upon meeting during the Irodori Festival, both Itto and Thoma are aware of who they are and the kind of fame each has. Thoma manages to find the proper motivation to get Itto to stop hogging the photo booth and help at the festival, by offering him the exclusive drink the gang was after.
    Itto: Oh... so, uh, Thoma, my bro, my guy, my dude, maybe I didn't explain properly. When I said two points, that's out of a total of two.
  • When Thoma finds out about Itto's allergy to soy products, he feels responsible about the incident, and carries him away to take care of him during the rest of the event.
  • On Day 4 of Itto's festival, Thoma sent him a box of Onikabuto because he is aware that Itto likes beetle fights, along with a friendly note.
    Hey, bro! Haven't seen you since the Irodori Festival. I hope you're doing well. I didn't know you were gonna be hosting a huge festival - you sure kept that quiet! Nice work!
    If you ever wanna host another festival in the future, feel free to come and discuss it with me first. If you need a venue or furnishings or anything else, I'll see what I can do. Everything's negotiable!
    By the way, I know you like beetle fighting, and I remembered that I had a couple of King Onikabuto at home. I left them on the wooden box over there. Enjoy!
• Sara's loyalty to the Raiden Shogun, where her first introduction is her standing beside the Shogun. She has devoted her life to protecting Inazuma and looking out for the Shogun's interests first and foremost.
  • During the Irodori festival event, she attempted to get a limited figurine of the Raiden Shogun. When the Traveler finally gifts it to her, she starts going through the proper ways of taking care of the figurine and had even created a shrine for it. When Ei ends up walking into the scene, Sara initially doesn't notice but when she does, she flusteredly leaves the situation, abandoning the figurine in the process. Afterward, Ei kindly chooses to gift Sara one of her own copies of the figurine, even mindfully putting the Traveler's name on the gift to save Sara the embarrassment of receiving the gift directly from the Raiden Shogun.
  • Sara is so devoted to the Shogun that she not only has one figurine of the Shogun. She has five at home.
  • Sara’s specialty is a sweet egg roll with the Shogunate stamp (instead of the Kujou crest). It’s interesting to note that Sara doesn’t like sweet dishes, while the Shogun does.
  • According to Yae Miko’s voice lines about Sara, she spent an entire day asking Yae about all the things the Shogun might like, to the point Miko got irritated with her.
• Itto and Ayato also have some of these interactions.
  • In Itto's voice lines about Ayato, Itto excitedly refers to Ayato as "my bro Ayato" and says that Ayato regularly plays trading card games and beetle fights, and Ayato's kind words encourage him to never give up on games, despite losing all the time. On the other hand, Ayato considers Itto an interesting person and while he wasn't trying to give him a pep talk, he still appreciates that Itto took his words at heart. Despite not sharing the same enthusiasm about beetle fights, he still goes along with Itto.
  • On Day 3 of "The Almighty Arataki Great and Glorious Drumalong Festival", Ayato sent Itto a limited edition set Genius Invokation TCG limited-edition gift box as soon as he heard about Itto's festival, knowing well that he would appreciate it, and even left a friendly note on the announcement board.
  • In the "Receiver of Friends from Afar" cooking event, Itto and Shinobu run into Ayato at Wangshuu Inn, and Itto excitedly invites everyone to have lunch, with the only dish fitting his budget “Humble Enough”. Unaware that the dish contains tofu (made of beans, which Itto is allergic to) as the main ingredient, Itto was set on ordering it to commemorate his encounter with Ayato, so there was no other choice but for the others to eat it before Itto could to protect his pride and his health. Ayato immediately understood the situation without needing an explanation and helped distract Itto.
    • The reason why nobody wants to tell him that the dish contains tofu is because Itto would eat it anyway to keep face, especially after declaring that this was going to be the dish that symbolizes his bond with Ayato.
    • Ayato starts showing more interest in Onikabutos, especially Itto's stories. Despite trying to avoid crowds during his trip to Liyue, he still made time to hang out with Itto.
    • Itto gets very excited when Ayato compliments him and even calls him “bro” back. Ayato also uses Itto’s words to connect with him.
  Ayato: Excellent choice, Itto. I’m no fan of culinary ostentation either. Heh… Sometimes a bro just knows, hmmm?
  Itto: A bro just knows… yes, a bro just knows! Bros don’t suppose, 'cause bros just knows!

• Shikanoin Heizou’s hangout gives us Heizou/Gorou.
  • In Gorou’s voice lines about Heizou, Gorou admits he is a good detective and is most wary of his connections with the Shogunate. He still had him under extreme surveillance during his entire stay at Watatsumi.
  • In Heizou’s lines about Gorou, apparently Gorou kept him under surveillance, but Heizou understood that he was just being Properly Paranoid considering his own day job and considered it “the most eventful thing of his vacations on Watatsumi Island.”
  • When they finally talk in person, Gorou is very polite to him, but both Heizou and the Traveler are able to tell that he was hiding something.
  • If the Traveler chooses the option to follow Heizou’s instincts of staying in Watatsumi Island, they find out about the Island getting resources from illegal contraband through pirates. Despite being an officer from the Shogunate, Heizou agrees that he saw nothing during his uneventful vacations. Afterward Gorou apologizes for the whole situation and remains on good terms with Heizou.
• Kazuha and Heizou also have some moments.
  • Kazuha's lines about Heizou have him recognizing his talent as an investigator and expressing admiration for his sharp focus on cases, aware that his happy-go-lucky disposition can be deceiving.
  • Heizou has two voice-overs about Kazuha, feeling that Kazuha's sensitivity is akin to his own intuition. In the other line, Heizou implies that he has been delaying Kazuha's arrest until the Vision Hunt Decree was lifted, making plans to invite Kazuha to solve some cases with him.
  • In the epilogue of "Akitsu Kimodameshi", the players have the opportunity to chat with every character who was involved in the event — except for Kazuha and Heizou, who are too busy chatting about some cases they might solve together, with Kazuha agreeing.
• Ayaka and Yoimiya had a very sweet time during their trip to Fontaine in the 4.3 "Roses and Muskets" event. Ayaka ordered local desserts for Yoimiya which they tried together, then they held hands before diving into Fontaine's waters when they went exploring.

Sumeru

• Dehya and Dunyarzad's relationship as Lady and Knight is fertile ground for Les Yay:
  • Dunyarzad refers to Dehya as her "guardian knight" while the latter calls her "my lady" in the earlier half of Chapter III, with Dehya continuing to address Dunyarzad as such even after resigning as her bodyguard during the conclusion, saying that "Old habits die hard".
  • Despite not sharing Dunyarzad's enthusiasm about celebrating the Sabzeruz festival, Dehya secretly sold her greatsword, an essential tool for her work, to get money to donate to the festival anonymously. This results in her getting injured later on while protecting her employer against kidnappers as she was not used to her replacement greatsword, causing Dunyarzad to cry when she found out.
  • At one point, Dehya thanks the Traveler and Paimon for making Dunyarzad the happiest she has seen for a long time. Paimon points out that she carries a soft spot for her, but she denies it and claims that she's doing it out of professionalism while blushing.
  • Despite not being able to see her real self when the Traveler and Paimon first attempted to convince her that they were stuck the Sabzeruz festival samsara and the Dunyarzad she was protecting was simply a puppet, Dehya managed to become convinced by them by somehow sensing Dunyarzad's presence and feelings of regret and disappointment nearby.
  • When the Traveler asks Dehya about her real thoughts about Sumeru, particularly about Kusanali, she clarifies that her resentment is solely towards Akademiya and that she had long since decided to trust in Kusanali's decency as an individual thanks to Dunyarzad's personal testimony of the god's kindness.
  • After Dunyarzad's recovery from Elezar, Dehya mentions accompanying Dunyarzad on day-long hikes from early morning to night, then they make plans afterwards to visit the desert together.
    • The promotional web event for Dehya's release Scarlet Sand Sojourn has Dehya and Dunyarzad made good on their promise and enjoy each other's company as Dehya guides and looks after Dunyarzard during their trip to the desert (which also can be interpreted as a date). In turn, Dunyarzad also worries for Dehya and gives gifts to assist Dehya's philanthropic efforts for homeless children in the desert.
  • In Dehya’s story quest, Dunyarzad keeps insisting Dehya they go together to the desert since she wants to know the place where Dehya grew up. Dehya is hesitant since she doesn’t want Dunyarzad to be in danger, so she tries to deflect. Dunyarzad immediately takes notice and encourages Dehya to tell her what’s wrong, knowing very well that something is bothering Dehya.
  • When Dehya finds out the truth about her father’s story, the Traveler and Paimon invite her to have dinner to cheer her up, and later invite Dunyarzad along. When they tell Dunyarzad everything, she is even sadder than Dehya, to the point Dehya has to console her instead. This shows how deep their bond got beyond their initial bodyguard-client relationship.
  • The art from Dehya's CN exclusive 2023 birthday web event shows Dunyarzad happily combing Dehya's hair while standing up as Dehya is seated and conversing with the Traveler. Take note that Dunyarzad is a noblewoman from the rainforest and Dehya's former client in Sumeru, where the Eremites are more often than not treated as little more than their roles as Private Military Contractors, and desert dwellers in general face discrimination from the elites of the rainforest, but here Dunyarzad is performing a task usually done by a Lady-In-Waiting for Dehya.

• Alhaitham and Kaveh's many, many interactions manifest as a Like an Old Married Couple dynamic that stems from a uniquely deep understanding of each other built upon years of relationship, but Alhaitham's lack of tact and Kaveh's unresolved emotional trauma caused them to suffer from communication issues that broke them apart, and still strains their relationship in the present. They still care very much about each other, however.
  • Alhaitham’s introductory description features Kaveh’s opinion about him. Despite the vitriolic dynamic between them, Kaveh still mentions all his positive qualities. They are one of three pairs (the other two pairs, Cyno and Tighnari, as well as Xingqiu and Chongyun, being popular Ho Yay ships as well) as of 3.6 to mutually introduce each other during their announcement as playable characters.
    Kaveh: I can't deny that he's very smart. However, it's a shame that a man of such talent only pays attention to the truth itself and not to the people around him. Or perhaps this is due to an extraordinary sense of individualism, which causes a lot of problems. For example, he doesn't seem to respect his seniors... Of course, I'm not referring to myself specifically.
  • In Alhaitham's demo:
    • Kaveh is hanging out in a tavern with Cyno and Tighnari in the middle of a debate about Alhaitham's fighting style. Kaveh in particular seems interested in learning about Alhaitham's hidden strength and make this expression◊.
    • Kaveh mentions that he saw Alhaitham in the desert while he was looking for inspiration, and complains that they could have gone together and split the bill of the trip.
    • Just as Alhaitham is about to sit down, Kaveh can be seen warning Tighnari and Cyno not to mess with Alhaitham regardless of his strength.
    • Alhaitham can be seen watching over Kaveh as he goes to take his seat just before Kaveh's voice fades back into the scene.
    • Once Alhaitham arrives and takes a sit with them, he asks the group how much they have been talking behind his back. It turns out that they were all waiting for Alhaitham to join them at the hangout that Kaveh dragged him to, which looks more like a double date.
  • Voice-lines from various characters support how much they are aware of the presence Alhaitham and Kaveh occupy in each other's lives:
    • According to Collei, Kaveh could only talk about how annoying being roommates with Alhaitham is during when he came over to Gandharva Ville for dinner, and the others (Tighnari and Cyno, according to Cyno's voice line) could only listen to their roommate drama while hiding their amusement.
    • Alhaitham has four voice lines mentioning Kaveh, even mentioning Kaveh's name four times in his voice line about Tighnari.
    • According to Tighnari, after Kaveh went broke, Alhaitham was nice enough to let Kaveh live with him despite his cold personality. Kaveh’s fifth character story later confirmed that Alhaitham was the one who invited Kaveh to live with him after they reunited in Lambad's Tavern and he spent the night attentively listening to Kaveh bemoan his troubled life, implying that he cares for him despite his attitude.
  • Kaveh makes his first in game appearance in Chapter III Act V, seeking out Alhaitham for information on the sages going into exile. Rather than sticking to his usual calm, no-nonsense personality, Alhaitham is uncharacteristically vague about telling Kaveh what happened, causing the entire conversation to unnecessarily devolve into an argument that makes them reminiscent of a married couple.
    • In one part of the conversation, Alhaitham sarcastically praises Kaveh for being a master builder and craftsman that has the potential to become a sage, a comment which Kaveh dismisses.
    • After speaking to Alhaitham after their argument, he'll say he should leave before Kaveh returns, saying it's a "nuisance." However, exiting the room and returning shows that not only did Alhaitham wait for him to come back, he intentionally eggs on the argument they have while explaining to Kaveh what happened likely fueled by the fact that Kaveh doesn't believe what he's saying and believes that he's mocking him, which Alhaitham, in part, actually does.
  • In Alhaitham's story quest:
    • Kaveh behaves like a House Husband to Alhaitham, tidying up the house and decorating their home for them. When Alhaitham arrives back, he immediately rushes over to ask Alhaitham to survey the portrait he had hung up in an entryway but is interrupted by the unexpected presence of the Traveler and Paimon.
    • When asked about their friendship, Kaveh particularly looks a bit sad when he tells Paimon that they aren't friends.
    • After overhearing Alhaitham, the Traveler, and Paimon discussing the events that previously happened in Alhaitham's character quest, Kaveh decides to inquire further about what happened. The Traveler and Paimon explain to him what happened, and Kaveh's immediate reaction is to look directly at Alhaitham and passive-aggressively declares that if he stayed inside that day and helped him with the housework, the entire situation could have been avoided, with his reaction being akin to a wife guilting their lazy husband. Not only this, but his wording suggests that he wanted Alhaitham to stay home with him to avoid trouble.
    • From that same conversation, Kaveh has a moment of being Tsundere where he hesitantly asks Alhaitham if he was okay after what happened. Naturally, Alhaitham's response is to snark back by criticizing the painting Kaveh hung, much to his annoyance.
    • Alhaitham actually smiles during his interactions with Kaveh, even when he's insulting him. The non-English language dub-overs have this "bullying" come off as a little more light-hearted with the delivery, rather than as mean-spirited as in the English version, justifying his seeming lack of seriousness during these interactions.
    • During the conversation where Alhaitham discusses his plan to resign from being the Acting Grand Sage before the position becomes permanent, the Traveler commends him for having a clear direction for himself. In response, Alhaitham says that it's important to keep one's priorities straight, all while the camera pans over to an angle where Kaveh can be seen in the background examining the painting he had hung earlier.
    • Kaveh complains about Alhaitham not helping him out with the housework, in particular pointing out a stack of unsorted books that had been collecting dust in the living room. After the room falls silent, Alhaitham, with the books being the background focus, seems to think over it for a moment before choosing to snark at Kaveh over his lack of social skills. However, while it seemed like Alhaitham was initially dismissive of Kaveh's complaints, scanning Alhaitham with Nahida's skill reveals that he plans to tidy up his books and send the unused ones to the House of Daena, implying that he actually took notice of what Kaveh said.
    • Humorously, both the Traveler and Paimon seem off-put by how much Alhaitham and Kaveh argue, and loudly whisper about them both being problematic right in front of Alhaitham.
    • Alhaitham practically rushes the Traveler and Paimon out of his house so that he could go to dinner. However, once they leave, rather than leaving his house, he sticks around to discuss what happened with Kaveh instead, and it, predictably, turns into another quarrel. At one point, Kaveh insists Alhaitham take him along when he goes furniture shopping and buys him drinks afterward. For a strained tenant-landlord relationship, the architect is unusually comfortable with making an active effort in decorating his landlord's space and demanding him to spend his money on his tenant without expecting payback, especially when Kaveh's character story states that he is unable to "accept pure goodwill" and "believes that he should be punished" for the choices he makes.
    • The final section of Alhaitham's Story Quest is titled "Pride And Prejudice", and not only covers the events that demonstrate Siraj's pride and his prejudice against Alhaitham, but also formally introduces Kaveh to the player. Their Like an Old Married Couple bickering and level of familiarity is elaborated upon, showing how both men are equally prideful and have prejudices against each other due to their opposite philosophies and personality, possibly making the quest name a Double-Meaning Title that references the famous novel Pride and Prejudice, which is about two opposites learning to overcome their biases in order to fall in love and marry. Going even further, Alhaitham's personality is comparable to Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy's; both are snarky men who lack social skills and have an air of arrogance to them, which causes them to look down on others whom they believe to be lesser than themselves, and both are extremely blunt to the point of rudeness. As for relationship dynamics, Alhaitham's treatment of Kaveh is akin to how Mr. Darcy initially regarded Elizabeth; with contempt. However, like Mr. Darcy who hid his affection for Elizabeth behind tactless behavior, Alhaitham's fourth Character Story betrays that he enjoys being around Kaveh despite his treatment of him, as he appears to view their debates as a learning experience.
    • Alhaitham's living room table has multiple sets of cups designated for two people. Given Kaveh says that Alhaitham never has guests over, and Kaveh himself is unlikely to have people over due to his living situation being a secret, it's likely that the two of them spend time in the living room together.
  • The event "Parade of Providence" gave the pair a few good shippy moments:
    • Kaveh's interactions with others reveal that he only shows his bratty, familiar side to Alhaitham, and is friendly and mild-mannered with everyone else he encounters. This mirrors Alhaitham's cocky change in attitude toward Kaveh, as he also maintains a casual distance from others he's less familiar with. Kaveh is also comfortable enough to make demands of Alhaitham in front of others.
    • Alhaitham is revealed to have a particularly stoic variant of Anger Born of Worry toward Kaveh, explaining why he's particularly critical of him most of the time. Specifically, after Faruzan mentions Kaveh's "tribulations in the desert", Alhaitham immediately crosses his arms and his eyes look up and down at Kaveh as if scanning him to check on his health condition. Afterwards Kaveh told the Traveler word-for-word about the argument they had about his poor decision making stemming from his Guilt Complex, accurately mimicking Alhaitham's mannerisms and accent and repeating his criticisms while the Traveler and Paimon exchange glances.
    • The end of the event has Alhaitham dismissing the dinner party Kaveh hosted when Paimon tells him about it because he believes that Kaveh would have packed up some food to take home for him. Scanning Kaveh with Nahida's "All Schemes to Know" reveals that Kaveh intended to order more food to take home, implying that Alhaitham's intuition was correct.
    • Tighnari and Collei call Kaveh out on his tendency to bring up Alhaitham unprompted.
    • There's an extra conversation between them at the end that can be unlocked if the player either chooses not to inform Kaveh about his father's involvement with Sachin 20 years ago, or if they fail to unlock and complete the side quest that uncovers this situation; in either scenario, because Alhaitham had went out of his way to investigate the matter, he would find Kaveh and tell him about it instead, showing that he cares for Kaveh in his own way. At the end of their interaction, Kaveh shyly thanks Alhaitham for telling him, and Alhaitham teasingly tries to trick him into repeating his gratitude a third time, even saying "please". In the Japanese and English dub, he sounds genuinely surprised that Kaveh thanked him at all; it stands out particularly in Japanese where the voice actor tends to voice him stoically, as his voice is slightly pitched higher when he says "What?" As well, this comes sometime after Alhaitham told the Traveler and Paimon not to thank him because he's never cared about keeping track of personal favors, meaning that Kaveh's thanks were special enough to him that he wanted to hear them multiple times.
  • In Kaveh's Hangout Event:
    • In one route, after the Traveler lets slip about Kaveh's poor mood to Alhaitham, Kaveh tries to stop the Traveler from elaborating further. In response, the scribe directs Kaveh's attention to the books that the architect had previously annotated in order to ask the Traveler privately about the specifics while he’s gone with a concerned tone. In contrast to Alhaitham's caustic or The Gadfly remarks when he bickers with Kaveh, his words after the Traveler's explains the situation to him are less critical of Kaveh and more understanding, reinforcing that he views him as the leading genius of the Kshahrewar who should have the right to use his status as such to deal with difficult clients instead of enabling them to take advantage of his personality, but respecting that this is the way Kaveh is. Kaveh then comes back with his mood improved because he found a thank you note from a scholar for his annotations, with his Relationship Values meter even going up by a heart as he proudly points the comment out. It's implied that this was what Alhaitham had intended, as he comments on Kaveh's improved mood. He even encourages Kaveh, albeit in his usual unaffected manner, to explain more about his previous successful projects to the Traveler, and supports Kaveh's testimony that his work on the arch bridge at Port Ormos received no complaints, calling it "a most impressive achievement."
    • Unlike most Hangout Memories, where there is usually at least one Ship Tease interaction in the images between the Traveler and the character they're hanging out with, Kaveh doesn't have any with the Traveler, with the only one that looks even semi-shippy being the one where it at least looks like Traveler and Collei are stumbling on him, Alhaitham, Tighnari, and Cyno having a double date. It's also revealed in the route that leads to this Hangout Memory that all Kaveh, Alhaitham, Tighnari, and Cyno's fathers were all acquainted in the past, suggesting that it was fate that their children all became friends and making it doubly Ho Yay for both Kaveh, Alhaitham, Tighnari and Cyno.
    • Other than the above mentioned routes, Kaveh brings up Alhaitham unprompted in the routes where he and the Traveler confront the client. In the branch where the Traveler and Kaveh follow the client to Aaru Village, Kaveh will have a long discussion with the Traveler on how his altruism partially stems from his Guilt Complex (the issue that Alhaitham brought up during their friendship-ending argument), then complains about how he has continuously argued with Alhaitham over his principle of being kind to others because he has the ability to do so, and thinks that Alhaitham will simply let people suffer their bad fates. As Kaveh concludes his reflection, he says that even if he does tire himself out, he believes that he will be saved, though he momentarily second-guesses himself before continuing with more confidence that he has "already been helped like that before". It should be noted that as elaborated in Kaveh's character story below, Alhaitham was there at Kaveh's Darkest Hour and gave him the means to climb out of his despair. Furthermore, in the branch where Kaveh and the Traveler tries to secure sponsorship for the construction of the desert library, the Traveler has the option of telling a merchant off for asking without thinking things through, to which Kaveh will exclaim that they are "starting to sound like Alhaitham". Truly, Alhaitham has had a significant influence on Kaveh, and lives rent-free in his mind...
  • Their profile stories combined give the full truth of their relationship from a third-party, neutral point-of-view:
    • For all of their arguing and seeming dislike for each other, Alhaitham holds Kaveh in high regard, seeing him as a mirror (or rather, the other side of the mirror in CN) that perfects (and completes) his human vision. The original Chinese text also uses the term "相互知根知底" to emphasize on how both men know each other inside-out. Kaveh seems to be the exception to Alhaitham's "live freely and remove all annoyances" rule, despite Alhaitham being very much open about how big of a thorn in his side Kaveh can be and how little patience he has for things and people that are bothersome. The fact is that Alhaitham on numerous occasions has gone to lengths to maintain his lifestyle, while never quite committing to removing Kaveh as part of it, even helping Kaveh in his own discreet way as seen in the 3.6 Interdarshan Championship and the route in Kaveh's Hangout where he finds Kaveh at the House of Daena. It also suggests that Alhaitham to some extent enjoys his quarrels with Kaveh, which would explain why he goes to such lengths to act like The Gadfly to him.
      As far as Alhaitham is concerned, Kaveh is a familiar face, similarly lacks familial attachments, and is the polar opposite of himself as a scholar — that is to say, an excellent mirror. Human vision is limited, but it can be perfected through the presence of another genius. Taking this opportunity, Alhaitham will be able to observe other aspects of this world and thus understand more things that may have otherwise been unfathomable.
    • Kaveh's fifth character story confirms that they were once best friends despite their differing personalities and philosophies. However During their joint project, Kaveh's efforts to help the other scholars keep up with him and Alhaitham were not only in vain, but also wore him out, which frustrated Alhaitham, and his poorly-worded attempt at convincing Kaveh to stop doing so led to the explosive end of their friendship. In the present, Kaveh still habours deep regrets about the "least pleasant" memory of his Akademiya days, and is unable to let go of the thesis he had torn. But even after they went their separate ways, they still fought each other through academic journals, and Kaveh keeps a copy of both of their essays in his old sketchbook. Furthermore, out of all the friends that Kaveh met while he was drowning his sorrows at Lambard's Tarven after he became homeless, Alhaitham was the only one who knew immediately that Kaveh was struggling, as well as the one that Kaveh felt comfortable enough divulging his woes with, with Alhaitham attentively listening to him all night. Despite their complicated history, Alhaitham chose to accept Kaveh back into his life and help him get his life back together, not only giving him a roof over his head but also renewed Kaveh's determination to live by his ideals, asking for little in return except rent money as well as giving household chores for Kaveh to do on Kaveh's request. It is also stated that throughout the turbulence in Kaveh's life, even if he annoyed by Alhaitham, he has found comfort in the fact that Alhaitham has not and will not change.
  • There is an official art of what can be interpreted as Kaveh and Alhaitham's Genius Invocation TCG date in Puspa Café. Of note, unlike their other appearances at dining establishments like in Alhaitham's demo or the conclusion of the 3.6 Interdarshan Championship, they are alone, without Tighari or Cyno present, and the match invitation letter on Kaveh's side of the table implies that Alhaitham had invited Kaveh to a match even though neither of them have the same level of interest in TCG as Cyno. Alhaitham even appears to have one of his rare smiles on his face (at the very least, he does not have his usual stern expression), albeit a very tiny one.
  • Most birthday mails have the characters invite Traveler to spend the day with them. Kaveh's first birthday mail has no such invitation, nor mentions his birthday in the first place. Instead Kaveh writes about buying several varieties of coffee beans and taste-testing them "at home" with Alhaitham (using "we" to refer to the two of them), and sending a bag of the one they deemed best to Traveler. Keep in mind that for Kaveh, a house is not the same as a home, and it's the people that live in the house that turn it into a home.
    • In general, Kaveh continuously refers to Alhaitham's house as his "home", not only in his first birthday mail, but the original Chinese, Japanese and Korean caption on his first birthday art also specifically has him ask the Traveller and Paimon why they came to "our home" early. One of Kaveh's idle teapot lines is also him muttering "I have to go back" despite the Traveler inviting him to "relax...and make (him)self at home" in the realm.

• Sudabeh, a young girl in the village looks up to Rana and declares her intentions of marrying her when she's older. When asking the Traveler for a story, she specifically asks for a story about a "distinguished lady who is smart and powerful!"

• Cyno and Tighnari, as their dynamic with each other and Collei are often interpreted by the fandom as a case of co-parenting. Canonically speaking, Cyno left Collei to Tighnari's care after the events of the manga and still visits them often at Gandharva Ville despite his busy schedule as General Mahamatra.
  • At the end of Cyno's first story quest, Tighnari chews him out for his recklessness and points out that his Perpetual Frowner tendencies would only make Collei warier of him. Upon hearing this, Cyno then inquires about Collei's well-being, and Tighnari assures him that she's growing well, though her grades left much to be desired...
  • Afterwards, Tighnari tells Cyno and the Traveler about Collei's task of giving ad-hoc lectures about Canned Knowledge. He then turns towards Cyno and asks him to look after Collei, to which Cyno affirms as if it's the most obvious thing to do.
  • In Chapter III Act V of the Archon Quest, in an attempt to alleviate the Traveler and Paimon's concerns regarding Tighnari, Cyno assures them that Tighnari would surely assist them despite not being privy to all the details of the plan. He mentions that he and Tighnari have "a very close relationship", and that given how well they know each other, Tighnari would know that he wouldn't make jokes about things like this.
  • In Alhaitham's demo, Cyno and Tighnari are playing Genius Invokation TCG with Kaveh watching them in a cafe, and the three of them start debating about Alhaitham's fighting style. Once Alhaitham arrives and takes a sit with them, it turns out that they were all waiting for Alhaitham to join them at the hangout, which looks more like a double date. When Alhaitham explains that he prefers to extend his analysis time and minimize the battle effort, both Cyno and Tighnari look at each other in the eye, and Speak in Unison "not really."
  • Cyno and Collei's voice lines about Kaveh both recount the same incident in which Cyno invited Kaveh over for a meal and then proceeded to rant about his situation with Alhaitham. According to Cyno's voice line, Tighnari was also there, and couldn't hold back his laughter as well as Collei could, which Cyno found funny.
    • From a shipper's perspective, one could interpret the entire scene as being a family dinner featuring a family friend that one of the parents invited over.
  • Tighnari's Character Story 4 focuses on how Tighnari caught Cyno's attention; Cyno initially perceived Tighnari as a threat before concluding that Tighnari helped others out of the goodness of his heart rather than out of selfishness. While this was a misinterpretation of Tighnari's character on Cyno's part, Cyno viewed Tighnari as upright and reliable, dropped the guard he had up against scholars, and decided to befriend Tighnari.
  • Genshin Impact EP - A Handful of Golden Dreams has Cyno as the focus character. The third track "Sleepless Night" shows Cyno and Tighnari hanging out, playing Genius Invokation Cards at Lambad Tavern. Many players took it like they were on one of their usual date nights.
  • In the "Windblume Breath" event, Cyno and Tighnari take vacations to keep Collei company during her trip to Mondstadt. Cyno's constant dad jokes, his insistence that they roleplay during the trip, and Tighnari's reactions to them cement their Like an Old Married Couple dynamic, as Tighnari's comments show that he has been on enough vacation trips with Cyno to get used to his eccentricities.
    • On Day 2 of the event, Cyno admits to Lisa that he sees Tighnari and Collei as his own Family of Choice, as a clear nod to the fandom's image of Collei being like their adopted daughter of them.
  • In the "Parade of Providence" event, Tighnari retires from the second round because of the heat and the Ley Lines. Cyno first interrupts his own quest to help him, very worried about Tighnari's health. He plans to win and dedicate his victory to both, to which Tighnari responds to stop talking like he died. When Cyno wins the second round, Nilou asks him if he wants to say something after his victory, to which Cyno uses the oportunity to dedicate his victory to Tighnari... by quoting a speech from his favorite novel "King of Invocations". Later Cyno offers to help Tighnari recover by refreshing him with more of his humor.
  • In the afterparty dinner with Kaveh, Cyno decides to use his brand new card, and Tighnari, despite leaving his deck at home, borrows a deck from Collei, who also took on Genius Invokation as well.
  • In Kaveh's hangout, one of the endings have Tighnari inviting Kaveh to a dinner party to gather ideas for Collei's enrollment to the Akademiya. Since Cyno is with Tighnari from the beginning, and later Alhaitham joins the group, the hangout ends up looking like a couple inviting their friends on a double date to have a conversation about their daughter's academics.

• Cyno and Alhaitham have an antagonistic dynamic that eventually evolves into mutual respect by the end of the Archon quest. However, some fans have interpreted it as a foe yay dynamic.
  • Both have the same type of personality —completely logical and stoic— but Alhaitham is more pragmatic and motivated by his quest for knowledge, whereas Cyno has strong morals and a sense of justice. They respect one other as fellow members of the Akademiya, despite the fact that they are frequently at each other's throats because of their differences.
  • In Cyno's lines about Alhaitham, he starts saying that he doesn't like people who are too smart because they tend to be too controlling and take risks. Despite this, he says Alhaitham is one of the more reliable ones because he averts danger and is actually in control.
  • They are quick to call a truce once they discover that the Akademiya is up to something bad. Once the truth is revealed about what is really going on at Sumeru and Lord Kusanali's real situation, they decide to work together for the greater good.
  • Despite being busy with the aftermath in the Akademiya, Alhaitham agrees to be at Nilou's banquet in celebration of Cyno's reintegration into the Matra. Apparently, the whole experience upgraded their relationship with Fire-Forged Friends.
  • As seen in Alhaitham's demo, Cyno and Alhaitham started to hang out regularly along with Tighnari and Kaveh after the events of the Archon Quests. While discussing Alhaitham's fighting style, Cyno defends Alhaitham, arguing that he doesn't want to show off, and Kaveh teases Cyno that maybe Alhaitham is stronger than him. Cyno just scoffs at the comment and denies it. Once Alhaitham arrives, Cyno seems relaxed and casually asks if Alhaitham is the type of person who keeps his cards close to his chest, while looking at him with a smile.
  • During the "Parade of Providence" event, Cyno wins the second round and gives a speech to honor Tighnari and his own victory directly quoted from the novel "King of Invokations". Rather than annoyed by Cyno being a geek as usual, Alhaitham only responds with a deadpan "no comments on King of Invokations", which shows that Alhaitham doesn't get annoyed by this unlike Cyno's other friends.

• Among his friends Kaveh appears to have the most pleasant relationship with Tighnari, as he only has praises for the forest watcher in his voice-line about him. Tighnari was also the first one to ask after Kaveh after Sachin's remaining consciousness dissipates, and during Kaveh's Hangout Event, he chides Kaveh for day-drinking (and the Traveler for not stopping him), then invites him to his dinner party because he noticed his sour mood.

• Candace and Dehya are canonically very close friends who have each other's backs, and Dehya shows great familiarity with Candace's way of thinking.
  • In Dehya's Character Demo, Candace throws her staff at the Eremite that Dehya was fighting against with what is clearly a headshot. The Eremite was only spared because Dehya blocked the staff before it could hit him, and Candace accepted Dehya's lie that they were simply sparring at face value.
  • Dehya continuously offers to take Candace out of Aaru Village, brings new clothes, accessories and makeup for her and encourages her to spend more money and dress up, even roping in members of her Eremite brigade to watch Aaru Village in Candace's place to provide opportunities for Candace experience things from outside, though Candace keeps turning her down due to her dedication to her role as guardian.
  • In the 3.6 Interdarshan Championship event, the two of them went shopping together for the first two story acts, which can be interpreted as a date (though they did invite the Traveler to join). An optional conversation in Act I has Dehya buying yet another fashion item for Candace, even though it was more expensive than the former had expected. Furthermore, when Layla tells Dehya not to move during the first round in an attempt to capture a swiftfly, Dehya, who mistakenly assumed that Layla was an assassin, immediately becomes extremely defensive and reassures Candace that she alone would be able to handle the Akademiya student.

• Even outside of Alhaitham and Kaveh, Haravatat and Kshahrewar students tend to have a lot to do with each other according to various pieces of lore, with a notable example coming from Faruzan's Character Story 2 in which a Ksharewar researcher stepped out of line when trying to convince her to join their Darshan, which resulted in said researcher being scolded to tears and drinking away his sorrows at Lambad's tavern, with his friend, a member of the Haravatat, consoling him all night while plotting to avenge him, only to end up in the same situation the next night after receiving a similar scolding from Faruzan.

• Farhad and Hushang are both men who often appear together, especially when it come to Nilou and the theater. Even ignoring a few of the campy tendencies the former has. The two clearly spend a lot of time together and have a sort of playful banter with each other that make it clear that they are close. What pushes the two from possibly being just friends is the fact that Farhad actually is a sort of dock worker while Hushang sells toys in the Grand Bazaar. Meaning the two have to go out of their way to meet up together. Yet talk like they see each other everyday.

• Ziri and Minum are two male Eremites involved in an Aranara quest. The player meets them out in the jungle alone. When asked why they are out here they can't come up with a good reason to be out this far from Sumeru city. The Traveler can suggest they might be on a date. They don't actually deny it and choose to stay quiet instead.

• The Genius Invokation TCG inventors, Garvipidam and Gulab, had a very close relationship as Childhood Friends. Garvipidam was Gulab's Only Friend due to the latter' Eleazar, and during their days at the Akademiya, Garvipidam always referred to Gulab as the real genius of the duo and the one destined to greater things if it weren't because of his illness. When Gulab's health deteriorated, Garvipidam visited him at the hospital everyday, saying that he preferred to spend time in his company than on his work. Garvipidam was also extremely distraught at the likelihood of Gulab's inevitable death that he was angrily in denial about it, so Gulab tried to help him move on by making the Casket of Tomes so that he could find other Genius Invokation TCG players easily. Even when Garvipidam harshly rejected Gulab's gift, he still kept it. After Gulab's death, Garvipidam was so heartbroken that he couldn't play Genius Invokation without seeing Gulab everywhere, to the point he retreated to Vimara Village. It's not until Kirara delivered a package from Gulab that he finally makes peace with his friend's departure, with Gulab's last wish for Garvipidam being to make more friends through the game they made together, accompanied by a trading card of both in their childhood.

• Nesmil, a hostess at the Djafar Tavern in Port Ormos, claims to have left the Eremites because of her fellow hostess Roshana. Additionally, she calls Roshana "gorgeous, gentle, and powerful." She then bribes the Traveler with 3 dishes of Fish with Cream Sauce to shut them up about what she said so that Roshana wouldn't mistake her compliments for nagging and subsequently give her the cold shoulder. Reading her mind with Nahida's skill also reveals that she's happily thinking of Roshana.
  Nesmil: (Hehe...I like Roshana a lot...)

Fontaine

• Navia and Clorinde:
  • Even before Fontaine was released, these two built up a following as they were seen clashing against each other in the Version 4.0 trailer, not helped by the devs saying that they have a "complicated connection" with each other in the livestream. The fact that the same trailer showed them wielding weapons from the same series (Iron Sting and Whiteblind, respectively) didn't go unnoticed either.
  • The reason their history is so complex is because Navia's father chose to die dueling Clorinde rather than allow his case to go to trial. Navia doesn't understand why he'd do something so foolish and futile, as in doing so he threw away his only chance to live and be proven innocent in a trial as opposed to dying in disgrace, and her frustration towards her father leaks over into her interactions with the people who could have stopped him, which naturally includes Clorinde given that she is the one who took his life. For Clorinde's part, she promised Callas that she would protect Navia after he died, which she does when but despite even Navia recognizing Clorinde's good intentions and lack of malice, she is too hung up on her father's death to let Clorinde in. Navia finally makes peace with Clorinde when the Champion Duelist obliges her request for her testimony on how Callas's intention for the duel was to die rather than avoid trial, and Navia takes Clorinde out for a meal afterwards as thanks.
  • During the brawl at the end of Furina's demo, Navia and Clorinde curiously seem to be off in their own world. The scene breezes past them a bit too quickly to see too much, but those brief moments are enough to catch glimpses of rather tender, almost intimate face-touching, a stark contrast to the hilariously chaotic violence surrounding them.
  • By the time the Archon Quest ends, Navia is on good terms with Clorinde, to the point Navia initiates playful banter with her. In the aftermath, both are casually talking about having tea with Wriothesley, then they make plans to have tea together, and Clorinde offers to share her new lipstick with Navia.
• Neuvillette and Wriothesley:
  • Without having any intel on Neuvillette's plan to get the Traveler and Paimon in Fortress of Meropide, Wriothesley decides to give them a tour personally, and openly tells them that he is giving them this welcome because he trusts Neuvillette's judgment.
  • When Neuvillette arrives to deal with the Primordial Sea crisis, Wriothesley tries to have some playful banter with him before immediately understanding what he is about to do, and leaves with Clorinde so he can do his thing.
    • Wriothesley and Clorinde had a Side Bet on whether Neuvillette would arrive with an army or deal with the situation by himself. Wriothesley guesses right that Neuvillette could do it alone and cheerfully declares that he won the bet. Instead of getting annoyed about it, Neuvillette asks if Clorinde has to give him more tea baskets.
    • Apparently Wriothesley has made a habit of sending Neuvillette and Furina tea baskets of many varieties each time. Considering that Neuvillette prefers to drink plain water and enjoys any liquid foods, he likely greatly appreciates the tea baskets, despite not commenting on them.
  • Neuvillette's words about Wriothesley show that he has a lot of respect and trust in him, despite not saying it explicitly.
    Wriothesley is a trustworthy man. He fought hard for the title and reputation he now has. I expect you to think that I've simply been duped by his flattery and appearance of loyalty... But to that, I would quote the Inazuman proverb: "The words unspoken are the flower." Which means, some things are best left unsaid.
    • Neuvillette's trust in Wriothesley is even more meaningful considering that Neuvillette himself was in the trial that sent him to Fortress of Meropide. He knows that Wriothesley commited a horrible crime, but understands the circumstances and notes that Wriothesley immediately pleaded guilty.
  • Wriothesley, on the other hand, shows some concern towards Neuvillette, and recalls one time he saw him sad in the rain. He approached Neuvillette with an umbrella, but was worried about upsetting him because of his expression.
    I was once summoned by Neuvillette to discuss some matters with him in his office. When I approached the Palais Mermonia, I saw him standing by the road, completely drenched in the rain. I held out an umbrella for him, and while he thanked me politely, his expression was a little... distressed, I guess. I can only assume that I had disturbed him in the middle of something.
  • On several occasions, Neuvillette mentions that he avoids forming personal relationships, believing that close personal ties will lead to suspicions about the justness of his judgments. Nevertheless, the very first thing he says about Wriothesley is that he has a personal relationship with him.
  • In the Epilogue of “Vibrant Harriers Aloft in Spring Breeze”, Neuvillette used his rare half-day time off to get some souvenirs and a ceramics course at Liyue, and since he was leaving earlier, he accepts to deliver Clorinde’s gift for Wriothesley. He not only delivers Wriothesley the goods, but he also gives him some gifts of his own, as in his exceeding tea packs^note Granted, he got scammed into buying a lot of tea and a special ceramic tile of the Law Codex as a reference to the throw-away joke between Wriothesley and Clorinde. Wriothesley is amused by Neuvillette’s attempt to have some sense of humor and gracefully accepts the gifts, not without sarcastically telling him that he is going to exhibit it in his Exhibition Hall at the Fortress, to Neuvillette’s embarrassment.
• Furina and Arlecchino shot up in popularity after the release of Chapter IV Acts III and IV due to Foe Yay Shipping and Power Dynamics Kink. Arlecchino is contemptuous towards the Archon of her land of birth and easily intimidates her into submission, while Furina struggles but continuously attempts to maintain/regain her dignity as Archon.
• Alain and Rene are both Child Prodigy geniuses from the Narzissenkreuz Institute who became shipped due to their Magic Versus Science contrast and Foe Yay Shipping.
  • When the children had to leave the Narzissenkreuz Institute and were adopted by different people, Alain gave Rene a gift: the Nymph's Constancy pocket watch that he crafted himself.
    • In the Search for the Algae Sea quest, the Four Orthants all need to be unlocked with an object that answers a certain riddle. To unlock the Orthant of Souls, Jakob used a pocket watch to represent "love".
  • After they reunited at the Institute of Natural Philosophy, Alain and Rene were said to frequently discuss pneumousia together, and that no one else could understand what they were talking about.
  • Upon his defeat at Elynas, Rene/Narzissenkreuz said that he had no grudge against Alain, and that there would be a place for him and his sister in the new world.
• A more tragic example, Navia's quest introduces an NPC named Colter. Another member of the Spina that has been around since Callas was in charge. He worked alongside Melus and is shocked to learn that he's gone after returning from the Fortress of Meropide. As the Quest continues, he eventually gives Navia a "The Reason You Suck" Speech which includes accusing her of taking everything he loved, including Melus. Even worse, while he's angry at the current state of the Spina and Poisson. It's the loss of Melus that is implied to have been the thing that pushed him past a Despair Event Horizon. Showing how close the two men were and implying they had a bond that was much more then working for the same man.

International ships

• Venti and Xiao. They were hinted on from Xiao's character quest, and their opposing personalities make them a cute pair, endearing them to fans.
  • In the past, after a particularly hard battle, Xiao almost lost himself to his karmic debt and was pulled back from the brink by the sound of a flute, which alleviated his pain and gave him a momentary respite. The player of the said flute was later revealed to be Venti, and Xiao was left quite touched by that, to the point where his name card notes that he longs for a day when he can dance to the sound of "that flute" in a sea of flowers.
  • There's multiple pieces of lore that hint that Venti visits Xiao often, but especially every Lantern Rite, in order to play for him to subdue his karmic debt. This level of commitment, from someone as lackadaisical as Venti, is only seen towards Mondstadt and his people, and only when Mondstadt calls for aid.
    • The book "Yaksha, The Guardian Adepti" talks about how the people of Liyue can hear the sound of a flute but never see a flutist. Venti is capable of disappearing in the air as seen when the Traveler interrupts his attempt to calm Dvalin. Xiao calls the book "fanfiction", but it could be because people think he's the one playing the flute.
    • In the "Endless Suffering" trailer, Venti is already waiting for Xiao at Wangshu Inn and invites him to drink with him; Xiao isn't surprised to see him there, and in the Chinese dub Venti even calls Xiao "friend", almost like it's a regular thing between them.
    • In the epilogue of "The Exquisite Night Chimes", Xiao recounts how he already met Venti early on that day, and Venti says that he did so due to his profession as a bard, impliying this encounter was another instance of him playing for Xiao.
    • Xiao is the only person to ever mention Venti playing the flute, as every other character knows him as a bard who only sings and plays the lyre. This seems to imply that Xiao is the only one Venti ever played the flute for.
    • Xiao's Birthday' web event (2022) shows the Traveler playing the flute (badly) in Dihua Marsh and Xiao appearing immediately, most likely associating any flute playing with Venti, no matter how bad it sounds.
    Xiao: "...this tune, it reminds me of some past events."
  • At the end of the "Endless Suffering" Short Trailer, Xiao returns to the Wangshu Inn balcony late in the evening, and finds Venti already waiting for him there under the bright light of the moon, inviting Xiao to join him for a drink. The archive description of Wangshu Inn mentions that "They say that Wangshu Inn is a haven for lovers' moonlit rendezvous."
  • On the last day of "The Exquisite Night Chimes", Venti crashes the party and manages to get invited by Hu Tao. Xiao looks both nervous and overwhelmed since he clearly knows who Venti is in reality. After taking Xiao outside and the player chooses the option "It's all Venti's fault", Xiao stutters and almost shyly denies it, instead praising Venti's carefree nature almost like if he's jealous of his capacity to fit in with humans.
  • Xiao's voice line about Venti have him about to comment on the bard's music in a very tender voice, but he gets cold feet at the end. Considering how much he cherishes Venti's tunes, it looks like he got too flustered to talk after being reminded of him.
  • Many fans of the ship noticed that Venti's final Windblume poem could as well be talking about Xiao, especially with lines like "Who was it that stroke your bloodied, determined visage" and "I'm leading you by the hand, into the night where lanterns shine bright." Funnily enough, when Venti recited this poem during the first Windblume Festival, it was just one month after the first Lantern Rite event, in which Xiao finally allowed himself to contemplate the lanterns, implying Venti is aware and glad that Xiao did so.
  • In the "Genshin Impact Orchestral Concert 2023" promotional video and official art, Xiao is seen playing a traditional Chinese flute with a jade tassle attached to it; way back in the "Yaksha, The Guardian Adepti" short trailer, Venti is seen playing that very same flute, tassle and all.
  • Xiao seems to have a preference for Dihua Marsh and the Liyue-Mondstadt border, despite being sworn to protect all of Liyue. The marsh famously is the place where Venti saved his life, and so Xiao seems to want to stay close to it for sentimental reasons or he's even hoping Barbatos would pass by again; he is implied to had roam the marsh long before Wangshu Inn was constructed by the Qixing to serve as his closest thing to a home and, while it wasn't the intention, the inn is so high above ground that you can actually see Barbatos' statue all the way in Mondstadt.
• Zhongli and Tartaglia. Their interactions during the Liyue Archon Quest, how miHoYo tends to pair them in official art and merchandise, and how they appear in each other's character videos, Tartaglia and Zhongli make one of the most popular ships in the fandom. It also helps that Zhongli is one of the few characters who talk about Tartaglia in character voice lines, having one of the lines implying they still go out for drinks even after the events that transpired. Tartaglia even asks about Zhongli and still wants to fight him in his own voice lines about Zhongli.
  • In a chart of the character's social interactions, it's revealed that Tartaglia only has a direct connection to Zhongli (and no one else) in the current playable cast.
  • In Liyue Archon Quest, it's revealed Tartaglia often pays for Zhongli and they frequently have dinners together. The Stone Harbor Treasure web event also shows this in action, as they're shown exiting from Luili Pavillion when they meet the Traverler outside. Also in the Liyue Archon quest, it's mentioned how Zhongli is a close associate of Tartaglia as commented by some NPC.
  • In Zhongli's teaser trailer, he gifted Tartaglia a pair of dragon-and-phoenix chopsticks for him to practice using. Apparently, a gift of dragon-and-phoenix chopsticks in Ancient China can symbolise "marital bliss” as well as “good fortune” and “prosperity” between family and friends.
  • In Tartaglia's first Genshin Impact EP video, "A Warrior Far from Home", Zhongli makes a cameo appearance at the very end as Tartaglia reads a letter on Yujing Terrace.
  • In Zhongli's first Genshin Impact EP video, "The Divine Stone Sees the World", and in Tartaglia's second EP video, "He Who Wanders Untrammeled", fans noticed both characters looking off to the distance to where Inazuma/Liyue's general direction in. The silent contemplation with a teacup in hand for both characters also didn't go unnoticed by fans.
• Zhongli and Venti. They are the last two remaining Archons from the original seven Archons and are also an Odd Couple due to their differences in personalities and lifestyles, making for an interesting pair.
  • The first time Zhongli talks about Venti, he tells the Traveler that he hasn't been in Mondstadt for a long time when he used to go visit an old friend for drinks together.
  • In Zhongli's lines, he expresses that Venti is one of the few people who can make him lose his patience. Take into account that Zhongli is friends with Tartaglia. He and Venti are the characters who know each other the longest, so it says a lot about how familiar they are with each other.
    • Apparently Zhongli is so used to Venti's alcohol antics that he already knows what kind of tea can deal with hangovers.
  • Zhongli's 5th character story is basically about him missing his friendship with the original archons, with emphasis on the last remaining original archon, Barbatos. It details how the two first met, how Venti often visited Liyue Harbor, and there's even a line of how "Nor would the wind ever return (to his side)^note In the Chinese version again," implying that Zhongli longed for Venti's companionship during Venti's 500 years of slumber after the cataclysm.
  • As of "The Exquisite Night Chimes", they reunite again after a long time. Despite having to pretend that they don't know each other, both look glad to be in the same room again, even if they are paying each other over-embellished phony compliments.
    • Apparently both have been up to each other's moments in Mondstadt. Venti knows that Zhongli went all the way to Mondstadt to order a complicated tea from the "Of Drink A-Dreaming" event, and Zhongli is aware of Venti's reputation of being a very talented bard at the taverns in Mondstadt.
• Xingqiu and Albedo, due to being a writer and artist duo that collaborate frequently on projects.
  • Despite not knowing each other personally, Xingqiu feels honored to have a great artist like Calx working on his novel and respects him immensely.
  • Albedo mentions that he only illustrated Xingqiu's novel because he got interested in the story, and has rejected offers from other authors because he doesn't need the money. Xingqiu’s novel is the only one that has inspired him to produce art for it.
  • When they finally meet at the Irodori Festival, Xingqiu is very excited at the prospect of meeting the artist that worked on the illustrations of his book. Albedo, for his part, has just met Xingqiu in person briefly and could already deduce he was hiding something. After the truth is revealed, Albedo takes it upon himself to find a solution to Xingqiu's problem.
• Collei and Amber. Collei talks about Amber early on in the Sumeru Archon Questline very enthusiastically, to the point where it's easy to get the impression that Collei has a crush on the Outrider.
  • This goes back to the webcomic prequel. Amber was the only person who defended Collei during the whole incident, even before finding out that she was suffering both from her illness and the consequences of being the experiment subject from the Fatui.
  • When Collei finally makes her introduction in the game, she apparently has taken inspiration from Amber to mold herself in her new life, taking after Amber's enthusiasm, and gliding talents, and even naming her Elemental Burst "Culein-Anbar", which is also a doll she uses in combat, just like Baron Bunny.
  • Collei tells the Traveler that she and Amber still keep in touch as pen pals, and Amber tells her everything, that's how she recognized them as soon as they reached Sumeru. The only thing Collei doesn't tell Amber is about her Eleazar getting worse since she doesn't want to worry Amber.
  • Her vision has a little orange bow, very similar to the one Amber uses on her head.
  • In the original Chinese text, Collei describes Amber as having 'shuài qi', a flattering term for being attractive and good-looking.
  • Collei's special dish Yearning, is described as a reminder of "a certain enthusiastic girl in red", and a reflection of Collei's admiration for her.
  • After the 3.2 Archon Quest, Amber has a new line about Collei. Now that she is cured from her Eleazar, Amber can't wait to see her again and give her a big hug.
  • During the "Second Blooming" event, Lisa spends her last day of vacation visiting Collei at Gandharva Ville and catching up with her, since they haven't seen each other for a long time. If the player reads Collei's mind with Nahida, Collei is thinking frenetically about whether to ask Lisa everything about Amber.
  • In "Windblume Breath", Collei feels anxious because she doesn't know how to integrate herself into Amber's group of friends. When Collei starts to open up and be friends with Sucrose, Amber tells Eula, Noelle, and Klee to give them space. Despite adoring Collei, Amber knows that what Collei needs is more friends, so she won't feel dependent on Amber, which shows how her first priority is always going to be Collei's growth as a person.
• The "Solitary Sea-Beast" world quest gives us the NPC duo Kumi and Anisa, both of whom are away from their hometowns for research purposes. Both of them become very flustered around each other, especially when it comes to giving compliments and worrying about each other. They both care about each other very much and worry about each other's well-being a little more than your average pair of friends would. When the Traveler rescues Anisa from the hilichurls and says that Kumi sent them to check on her, Anisa is way too happy that Kumi was worried about her and starts gushing over it, much to the confusion of Paimon and the Traveler. The end of the story quest has Anisa suggesting that they continue to study together on Watatsumi Island despite their initial mission being completed. Considering the context of them both being from elsewhere, sounds an awful lot like she's asking Kumi to settle down with her. Kumi agrees. While blushing.
• Cyno and Albedo meet for the first time during the 3.5 Windblume festival, and get along quite well almost immediately:
  • Albedo indulges in Cyno's roleplaying and adds his own joke after Cyno tells his "ground nuts" pun.
  • He accepts Cyno's commission to draw his cardbacks despite usually not taking private commissions because he was touched by Cyno's passion for Genius Invocation TCG and dedication to travel all the way to Mondstadt to find him without even knowing what he looked like. He even sincerely requests for Cyno to tell more of his jokes in exchange, finding them fun even if he doesn't laugh at them. When the Traveler and Sucrose come back to where they were after checking on Sucrose's cooking, Tighnari informs them that Cyno had already told the same joke five times.
  • When Albedo reveals himself as the artist Calx, Cyno momentarily becomes embarrassed when Tighnari mentions that he had been talking non-stop about meeting him after spending much of his screen time unabashedly roleplaying and continuously telling bad jokes.
  • If the Traveler goes to see Albedo at the end of the event, Albedo tells that he got so impressed by Cyno’s passion for the Genius Invokation TCG that he might give the game a try.
• Sucrose and Collei end up bonding during the "Windblume Breath" event.
  • Both share a lot of personality traits regarding their social awkwardness, that both are apprentices of medium-model geniuses, and gentle disposition to be helpful.
  • Sucrose makes her main goal of the festival to help Collei with the riddle Collei found in a book, to the point she even builds a mailbox for the others to leave their answers, reasoning that this may be one way of cheering Collei up and make her stay in Mondstadt as nice as possible.
  • Despite her own social anxiety, Sucrose goes all the way to talk to other people just to make it easier for Collei to get into the conversations as well. Keep in mind that Sucrose can barely talk to people who aren't in her closer inner circle.
  • After trying to socialize with Amber's group of friends, Sucrose and Collei are content with just sitting in silence and only talking whenever the other feels like it. Despite the silence, the chemistry and the bond between the two of them are prominent.
  • When Collei finally gets her spirits up, Sucrose almost forgets to get Collei’s breath of happiness, which was the entire point of helping Collei in the first place. Sucrose got to care so much about Collei as a person that she ended up putting an experiment on the bottom of her mind.
• Neuvillette and Tartaglia.
  • When Tartaglia arrives in Fontaine and is arrested, Neuvillette gives him a fair trial and a chance for Tartaglia to defend himself despite his background as a Fatui. Tartaglia initially says that he wants to duel with Clorinde, but after seeing Neuvillette, he also wants to challenge him. He definitely has a thing for dragons.
  • After neutralizing him and despite Neuvillette finding Tartaglia innocent of the women's abduction, he issues an apology for the verdict made by the Oratrice, promising to investigate further.
• Ayaka and Chevreuse. The two play the lead roles in a movie adaptation of the book "The Two Musketeers". After the filming is wrapped up, the two are shown together during the festival expressing desire to visit each other's nations more often while promising to keep in touch.
• Ayato and Neuvillette in the 4.3 "Roses and Muskets" event give some hints. While doing all his backstage work, Ayato is seen in a discreet location talking with Neuvillette about some diplomatic deals between Fontaine and Inazuma. The polite and charming way they talk to each other is equally as refined and sounds like they had a closer discussion before and they are just having a subtle flirtatious exchange.
• Charlotte and Keqing
  • During the kite flying contest that's part of the 2024 Lantern Rite Festival, Charlotte, who's helping organize the event, ends up taking more than a few shots of Keqing, who's accompanying her during the festival. The latter, on the other hand, seems more than happy to pose for her guest.

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