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Okay, so I bought some to be hero X merchandise! Specifically the red card box - it comes with less cards, but all of them are acrylic and shiny and I'm just a girl, I LOVE shiny.
(also, it's the only way to get the tarot cards. And they are. Spectacular.)
ANYWAYS here is what I got! I think it's supposed to be 10 cards in total (I don't know if the small card with a Trust Points code counts, since I did get one)
As you can see, I was VERY blessed by Lucky Cyan hehehe
If there is anyone in Europe who would like to trade that double Cyan card DM me btw! I will take anything X, really hehe
Okay so I made a superficial analysis of the OFFICIAL MBTI TYPES OF THE TOP 10 HEROES IN TO BE HERO X OMGGG!
Oooooooohhh this is very interesting! Let's see!
Disclaimer: Yes, I know MBTI is not true and I know it should be assigned and analyzed using the cognitive functions. However, I very much doubt most of the people checking their MBTI OR whoever made this list went to those extremes, so I'm just going to check the most superficial and stereotypical characteristics for each MBTI! I think it would actually be more accurate that way, since I feel like this list was created more as a tool to help casual viewers to get a casual idea of how each character is, rather than actual cognitive analysis (which would be pretty cool to do btw!)
So! Let's start!
- Li Ling - ENFJ (Protagonist)
Protagonists are inspirational optimists who are quick to take action in pursuit of what they believe is right. They are skilled at organizing and coordinating people and resources to achieve their goals and also are persuasive communicators, able to influence others to adopt their point of view.
Keywords: Inspiring, enthusiastic, energetic
This makes a lot of sense for Li Ling, I think! He is very much an enthusiastic and inspiring person (gaining the trust from the fans with his identity reveal, constantly coming with ways to cheer Moon up when they were locked in the flat), and he definitely is someone who will fight for his ideas (leaving behind his identity as Nice to save fake!Moon). He is also a very good organizer and a skilled communicator, which can be seen both by his previous job creating ads and slogans and how easily he can make people (both new fans, Moon, Miss J, etc) believe in him! So yeah, he checks out!
- X - INTP (Logician)
Logicians are rational, independent, and curious, they are skilled in analysis and logical thinking and enjoy exploring theories and concepts. Logic and reason are the most important traits and preferences of INTPs, which explains their nicknames. Keywords: Rational, strong logic, curious.
Another one I think makes a LOT of sense! I know a lot of people were expecting X to be extroverted, but I'm pretty sure that's only part of the "persona" he puts out as X. When we have seen him as a civilian, he seems to prefer to be by himself (going for coffee without talking to his colleagues, eating a burger by himself, etc). But now, the most obvious correlations between INTP and X - logic and curiosity and the exploration of concepts. He needs to have a very curious but analytical mind to blend his reality altering powers so seamlessly during his fights: he needs the curiosity and perspective for new things to picture what he's going to do and the possibilities of his powers, while keeping a good load of logical thinking for it to make sense and now destroy reality with an oopsie. And lastly, the most glaring similarity between X and INTP: X has been REPEATEDLY shown playing chess, and he has equated heroes/humanity with chess pieces played by fate. And what symbolizes a logical but flexible mind more than chess? Perfect, 10/10
- Lucky Cyan - INFP (Mediator)
Mediators are poetic, kind, and altruistic people, always eager to help a good cause. They have a deep sense of empathy, understanding, and connection with the emotions of others. People with the INFP personality type long for deep, soulful relationships, and they feel called to help others. Keywords: Emphatic, loyal, kind.
I feel like I don't even need to say anything, INFP clearly describes Cyan. She is one of the kindest characters or the series, someone who feels deeply and fights for what she thinks is right and the people she cares about! She's also deeply emphatic and loyal, going back to the orphanage just to understand what was going on, and then to save a friend she had created a strong connection with and was loyal to. Enough said, give her a Grammy.
- Nice - INFJ (Advocate)
Out of all the MBTI personality types, the INFJ is the most unique as it is the result of a combination of preferences that generally exclude one another. Keywords: Emphatic, altruistic, firm.
Okay, this one is low-key funny because I've heard that INFJs, when they are fighting for what they think is right, can be either the best people or the most evil... And guess what Nice's mystery is hahaha. But yeah, I think Nice does showcase that contradiction: as a hero, he has to be empathetic, he wants to help people, he is very driven... but at some point that "perfect" image gets too much and he breaks. We don't really know enough about Nice to make a deeper, "documented" analysis tho, so I'll leave this as it is!
- Queen - ENTJ (Commander)
Commanders are confident, and decisive, possess leadership qualities, and are adept at formulating strategies and achieving goals. The extroverted nature of 指挥官 (Zhǐhuīguān) allows them to engage with people easily and gives them the ability to motivate and persuade others to do their best. keywords: Strong leadership skills, confidence, decisive.
I've seen several comments of people who are very surprised at Queen being a ENTJ, but I think they forget that most of her arc is basically her "fall", when she faces the first real obstacle in her life, the first time she cannot conquer something through work and effort and her talents alone. Before that, we see someone who is confident enough to graduate from university is two years, give a speech that inspired multiple women into heroism and still give herself a higher goal - to become X as soon as possible and change the world. She creates a step-by-step plan to do so while inspiring countless people around her, and when she fails she recuperates quickly, acts to help Cyan and then even after just waking up at the hospital tried to stumble into a fight with the other top 10 heroes. If Queen is not a driven, inspiring leader I do not know what she is. 10/10, she's perfect, she's beautiful, she looks like Linda Evangelista, she's a model.
- Ghost blade - ISTJ (Logistian)
Logisticians are known for their practicality, reliability, and meticulous attention to detail. They are practical and fact-minded individuals, whose reliability cannot be doubted. The methodical approach of 物流师 (Wùliúshī) to problem-solving makes them excellent planners and organizers. Keywords: Reliable, enthusiastic, decisive.
I mean, this man not only logiqued his way into becoming and assassin, he also created a comprehensive map and journal to learn even the smallest detail about his daughter. Do I need to say more.
- E soul - ISFP (Adventurer)
Adventurers are free spirits who thrive on exploring new experiences and expressing themselves in unique ways. They are sensitive and often drawn to helping others and making the world a more beautiful place. Adventurers have a keen eye for aesthetics and often excel in artistic pursuits such as music, visual arts, and design. Keywords: Gentle, perceptual, kindhearted.
Well well well if this isn't ironic. (Actually it's not ironic. I think this one is very sad). So. Obviously, Yang Cheng as we know him in the present is nothing like this (at least according to, you know, the Murders). But I do think that this description does fit the original Yang Cheng, after all he was an actor, worked on his own custome, enjoyed listening to music and spent his free time becoming the best friend of a little kid that was a bit lonely. He was genuinely a good, kind, sensitive person, until Rock messed with his head. 0/10 you made me CRY you bastard.
- The Johnnies - ESFP (Entertainer)
Entertainers are the life of the party, bringing joy and excitement wherever they go. They are spontaneous and playful, always eager to explore new experiences and share them with others. Entertainers have a natural ability to make others feel comfortable and appreciated, often using their charm and wit to create a fun and lively atmosphere – life is never boring around them. keywords: Friendly, lively, optimistic.
I feel like there is not much to say here, it's pretty spot on! Both Big and Little Johnny have shown time and time again to deeply care for others and how they are feeling, providing conform for them (think about Big Johnny jumping into Queen's arms or how Little Johnny kept trying to strike up a conversation with Ghostblade and accommodate him with his silence, even though it truly didn't work as intended). He has also been shown creating cute commercials to help with wildlife! He's one of the nicest characters in the settings atp! 10/10 they deserve everything.
- Loli - ESFJ (Consul)
Consuls, identified by the personality type ESFJ, are known for their warmth, sociability, and strong sense of community. Consuls are caring and supportive individuals who thrive on helping others and creating harmonious environments. They are often the glue that holds groups together, whether in family, work, or social settings. Keywords: friendly, conscientious, strong social skills.
This one I actually feel like, while it does describe some parts of Loli's personality, is a bit "meh". She IS very social and likes to create a community and make the people in it feel better (she fights against bullies, she encourages Nuo Nuo to confront her "stalker", etc). But I feel like she's a bit more than that, she is also highly driven and is not afraid to fight for her goals and confront the people she doesn't agree with! So while technically correct I think this description is slightly lacking.
- Dragon Boy - ESTP (Entrepreneur)
Entrepreneurs are savvy, energetic, and very perceptive people who truly enjoy living on the edge. They are known for their energy, boldness, and knack for taking action. Their natural charisma and persuasive communication skills make them effective negotiators and leaders, often inspiring others with their confidence and drive. Keywords: pragmatic, good at debating, resourceful.
Well, I cannot say much because we barely know anything about Dragon Boy, but I think we can agree that he does enjoy strong emotions and living on the edge! In basically all his appearances we have seen him either beating someone or getting beaten, so I would definitely say that there is adrenaline in there. I don't really know about the good communication part tho, although he is charismatic! We'll have to wait and see.
- Ahu - ISFJ (Defender)
Defenders are very dedicated and warm protectors, always ready to defend their loved ones. They are known for their kindness, dedication, and strong sense of duty. Defenders are supportive and reliable, often going above and beyond to help those in need. They are nurturing and protective, making them excellent caretakers and trusted friends. Keywords: friendly, loyal, kind.
Again, we don't know much about Ahu, but what we do know is that he would do absolutely anything to keep his owner, a little girl, happy and feeling safe. We have seen him shapeshift to entertain her and face a band of thugs barking head on to keep them from approaching her... So yeah, I think friendly, loyal and kind are accurate! 10/10, the bestest boy.
And that's all! Hope you enjoyed the explanation, I think a lot of the types make a lot of sense!
Alternatively: detail deep dive gone way out of control
Anyone remember her?
To Be Hero X, Episode 1: Nice [4:09]
The totally random, never mentioned, only depicted in posters woman? In an ad/poster in the same playing card like style as the X one shown right before this one? Shown with a fucking O or 0 symbol on her card?
In the process of compiling suspicious/interesting details in background billboards in the show as well as trailers and such, I think I stumbled across a partial answer that’s both somewhat solid and absolutely hilarious. More under the cut
First of all, I highly doubt her depiction is in any way coincidental. Obviously because there’s thought behind every billboard’s content that we see (and good lord are there many in just the 1st ep), but also because she’s not a recent addition. This very same ad/poster thing on a different screen was already shown in X‘ concept trailer from two years ago:
taken from To Be Hero X: X Concept Movie [5:25 to 5:28]
all in all, I have high hopes for her to appear in the show, even if that might not be in season 1.
This clearer look at her symbol reveals it‘s neither just an O or a 0, but instead 3 intersecting circles/ellipses. I’ve doubted that the symbol could be a zero before as well, simply because I feel like billboards with zero on them as a personal symbol of someone would probably not be approved. Zero was responsible for the near-apocalyptic Dawnfall incident, a villain beyond compare to their world. Someone adopting his symbol would most certainly be a villain/perceived as one, not to mention the publicity nightmare that could cause. No doubt this would be banned so as to avoid destabilising public opinion, or feed into public fears surrounding another Zero (which in this world would somewhat directly contribute to there maybe being one). Hence why I‘m going to be referring to her as O for simplicity’s sake from here on out.
The framing here is also peculiar: the matching card theme presenting them as a duo/part of a set, the black & white contrast, to just X facing right while O is facing left. Opposites, enemies maybe? Though that’s somewhat unlikely, because why would they put up posters like this if she is a (publically known) villain?
Another point against this is that when DOS is shown investigating X, the ‘associates‘ or maybe ‘connections’ they managed to dig up (whatever the hell their sources are, please tell us mickey) don’t include O. Or perhaps she‘s the alien looking person with “multiple abilities“, but rn I’d say they’re different people. The investigation we saw was in Year 38, while the posters I could find so far are all from Year 41, which leaves two possibilities:
A) DOS didn’t catch everything (extremely plausible, especially considering how barebones their stuff looked. Trying to find info about a person who’s been shown to alter reality pretty much at will is extremely fucking hard, even in the panopticon their world seems to be. Not to mention the hints at X‘ semi-omniscience, so potentially everything they do have is basically by his grace only, which, uh. Scary)
B) the X/O connection is more recent than Year 38 & may or may not have been added to DOS’ doxxing file
We have no way to know that yet, but at least I think her symbol reveals her (likely) affiliation. Thanks to Ep 1‘s shot at [2:13]
Wait, what’s in the upper left corner?
Huh… that looks familiar….
Though a bit blurred, the O-Bank (maybe just bank & the symbol is supposed to be a coin? Idc O-Bank is funnier) logo has the 3 intersecting shapes match suspiciously well, just with an added thick circle around it.
Conclusion: O is likely affiliated with the O-Bank, either as a banker important enough to get billboards, or as a high ranking person like CEO.
This raises a ton more questions, including why the hell X would share some kind of publicity campaign with her like does he even control where they put his face or is it just a free for all bc he‘s got no agency to enforce his right to his own picture? does he just snap delete when they put him somewhere without permission? who manages his social media, ads & campaigns anyway, why they’re juxtaposed like enemies/nemeses(?) when O is literally just a businesswoman and more. But
The fact that X‘ greatest enemy according to this might be a fucking financial institution? I N C R E D I B L E. Pouring gasoline & oil into the ‘X is broke’ fire because he’s never beating the allegations like this.
Anyhow, that’s all I got about O right now, will edit this post if I find more during further deepdiving!
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I love tbhx giving each hero their own song/theme which tells us something about the heroes, either their personality, dreams, arc, or overall mood.
It remind me in how amazing it is for a character have a dedicated song for them. Some even sung by the actual Voice actors.
Anyways, back to why I created this post. I just found out the that TBHX opening is written from X' pov, while the visuals reflects his power. I'll be focusing on the song. I'll put my thoughts below the cut
Okay, so based on the director's (translated) tweet, the opening "Inertia" is written in X' pov.
Here's the link of the tweet:
So..... basically, X has two themes.
The first one, New Type of Hero, showcases his confidence, carefree attitude, and hints his power. And a flex as well.
Link of the translation of the Director's comment about "New Type of Hero":
Then the second one, which the opening "Inertia", tells us probably what he thinks, believes, and strives for.
I think it is kinda cool how it reflects or is in the same situation with his double life as a hero and civilian.
One has the carefree, confident, and an in your face aura-farming flex energy that he exudes in hero form. Then the other has the dreams, thoughts, hopes, and beliefs, sung in a more quieter and personal way that fits his more mundane, but still very confident self.
"Inertia" being the main opening fits,since the thought behind the song can represent anyone and not just X, which fits his civilian form of everyday man. It also resonates with the other top 10 hereos and not just his if you interpreted it or didn't know it is from X' pov. (Like how someone interpreted each verse/line to a specific character within the show)
"New Type of Hero" on the other hand just screams, "I'm the top/best", which you would think of someone with the title X. It's also very distinctly about his Hero form/personality. From the attitude and lyrics, which can not be applied to an everyday person or other heroes.
Two distinct sounds, both about being a hero (the grand and the mundane), just like how X has two distinct appearance (Hero and Civilian) but one goal.
Sure he’s not a comedian, but let’s just say that the network was struggling to find comedians that could fit taskmaster into their schedule idk. The batkids are fans of the show so when Bruce is like “what’s taskmaster and why are they asking me to participate?” They are like “YOU HAVE TO SAY YES!!”
Anyways, imagine the inner turmoil Bruce would be in. I hc him as very competitive, so he has to juggle being the ditzy playboy and actually wanting to win the competition. And the thing is he’s fucking good. Like as Batman he’s constantly thinking outside the box for villains like Riddler and Joker. He tries to downplay it but because he’s surrounded by heroes he kinda… forgets?
Like one time, he has to climb a tree for some reason, and he gets a good way up until he realizes… normal people can’t do that. So he has to fake falling down.
Also, for one of the prize tasks, they have to bring in an item that is precious to them. So Bruce brings in his mother’s pearl, complete with the evidence baggy. Greg is bewildered, the crowd is going crazy. “My back up was my children’s adoption papers.” Bruce says once everyone calms down.
There’s not a soul on that stage that is not absolutely terrified of Bruce Wayne from that point on.
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"The next Hunger Games book should keep tradition and be about a Tribute" "We've had enough of Tributes, the next Hunger Games book should be about a Mentor!" "You are all mistaken, it should obviously be a Victor!"
You fools. The next Hunger Games book should be about Effie Trinket
I'll post some of the results now! Firstly, I'll write about how I processed the data for those interested in details. (Please inform me if you see anything wrong or want to suggest a different method. I'm just an average person with an undergrad degree...)
If you just want to see the analysis, skip the data cleaning and test assumptions part! As a disclaimer, I don't know if this is all for now or if I can bring myself to work more on it soon 😭
Special thanks to @xavieslittlestar and @m00nchildwrites for sharing this on bluesky and twitter
Data Cleaning
I realized that some of you guys didn't do the test and wrote the numbers by yourself 😊 And it took me hours to clean the data
As expected, there were some typos, and I corrected them before deciding which participants to exclude. For instance, some wrote 29/20, and since the sum of the subfactor scores is equal to your main factor score, I was able to confirm that it should be 19/20 by doing main_factor_score—other_subfactors = target_subfactor.
After dealing with typos, all participants who entered random values like 0000 and values that didn't align with the main factor scores were excluded.
In the end, the sample size was reduced from ~2600 to 1929.
Test Assumptions
The normality and homogeneity of variance were checked. Most of them fulfilled the homogeneity of variance(Levene's Test), but normality was problematic. I assessed normality based on Kolmogorov-Smirnov(KS), kurtosis, skewness, and Q-Q plot. There were some outliers, but most of them were a natural part of the data, so I didn't change anything about them. Although KS values were lower than .05 , I assumed normality if kurtosis and skewness seemed average (-2 to +2 for kurtosis, -1 to +1 for skewness). For others, I tried trimming, LOG, SQRT, Z, and LN transformations, but still couldn't normalize... Winsorizing would probably work, but there are too many participants(yes, I'm lazy). So, I'm gonna be relatively liberal about normality.
Results
Please note that all of them have small effect sizes (0.2 Cohen's d or 0.1 η2). So regardless of the p values, the actual association between your personality based on the big five and character choices in lads might be small in degree. Also, this is an observational study, which means you shouldn't try to infer a causation or a strict relation (so use it just for your enjoyment, not for fandom chaos~). But I'll put my personal comment under them because I need to enjoy myself too lol
Also, I realised that some of those are changing or disappearing when I compare poc(people of color) and non-poc within themselves. Therefore, the effects might be moderated/mediated by cultural differences as well.
===Trust====
Sylus mains had the lowest mean score in terms of trust(M=11.2, SD=3.42). Yet, they significantly differed only from Xavier mains who had the highest mean(M=12.1, SD=3.28).
Personal comment: I don't know what to make of it. But let me put those here as well.
==Conscientiousness and Agreeableness==
I'll write this together because I have a theory about these results.
Caleb mains' scores were the lowest in terms of conscientiousness (M=74.3, SD=13.7) and agreeableness(M=84.4, SD=13.8). For conscientiousness, they significantly differed from Zayne and Sylus mains. And for agreeableness, they significantly differed from Zayne and Xavier mains. [Agreeableness showed unequal variances, so I used Kruskall-Wallis test]
Personal comment: Honestly, I'm surprised. (Caleb and his girlies not beating red flag/villain allegations)
If anything, I would expect Sylus mains to have lower agreeableness and conscientiousness (first impressions don't disappear).
Then I thought, what if it's related to Caleb being MC's adopted brother? Listen before shooting me. To feel at ease with this setting, you should have higher (but healthy) dissociative tendencies to detach yourself from its real-life associations. And guess what— low agreeableness and low conscientiousness are related to high disassociation [refer to:https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1130527417300373]. Secondly, having a lower need to conform(related to agreeableness and conscientiousness) with others might be making it easier for some people to choose Caleb as their main love interest.
(But as I said, these results are liable to change. For instance, for the non-poc sample the lowest mean value of conscientiousness belongs to Rafayel mains)
===Emotionality===
Caleb(M=14.7, SD=3.49) mains had the lowest emotionality score, and the difference between them and Zayne(M=15.6, SD=3.04), Rafayel(M=15.5, SD=3.11), and Sylus(M=15.5, SD=3.33) mains was significant
Personal comment:......Babes lolololol. Is Caleb's robot alter taking over his mains?? Did they get a Toring chip as well? It's so funny omg
===Self-Discipline===
Rafayel(M=10.1, SD=2.96) and Caleb(M=10.1, SD=2.97) mains had similarly low scores of self-discipline, and they differed from Zayne(M=10.8, SD=2.87) and Sylus(M=10.8, SD=2.79) significantly.
Personal comment: As a Rafayel main, I can confirm this.
=Second Love Interest=
Most of Zayne mains chose Sylus as their second love interest. The other most preferred second love interest was Caleb, but since this test was done just before Caleb's new myth, the results might be affected by our excitement for it. Also, Zayne mains showed low preference for Rafayel.
A note about less significant/non-significant observations:
As a whole, we have low extraversion and average conscientiousness, as well as high openness to experience, neuroticism, and agreeableness
For subcategories, we have the highest mean for imagination and the lowest mean for gregariousness. (perfect combination to date fictional men)
Sylus and Zayne mains had similar mean scores in many main factors and subfactors of the Big Five test. Likewise, Rafayel and Caleb mains' scores were close to each other, and they contrasted with Sylus and Zayne(not always significantly tho). Xavier mains generally had balanced scores.
None of the groups differed significantly in terms of openness to experience, neuroticism, extroversion, and these factors' subcategories.
To check if the data gives standard results, I checked socioeconomic status(SES) and its relation to neuroticism since previous studies indicate higher neuroticism for low SES groups, and it was the same for this dataset as well. Anxiety, depression, and neuroticism showed a slightly decreasing trend as the SES increased.
Some studies suggest that people of color have lower trust scores, but in this study, poc had higher trust than non-poc. However, it might be due to the differences in exposure to discrimination between poc who live in the US and those who are natives of other countries.
This is so interesting! I'm not actually a Caleb main (I like Caleb, Raf, Xavier and Sylus), but if I were to be absolutely pushed I would stick with Caleb and Sylus...
... and when I did the big five test for myself I did score lower that average in consciousness (46%) and agreeableness (35%) - and I scored quite "high" in numbers, which makes me think that most people just give themselves a lot of points in the answers.
I remember seeing that and thinking "well, people like to think of themselves as nice people, so it checks out that the average points are higher that what they would be if everyone were more realistic"
And THEN I realized that that's a pretty cynical point of view, so the low agreeableness checks out HAHA
Comparing Phaidei and Other Hoyo MLM Ships (Part 1)
I barely know how to begin, honestly, because I'm still so taken aback by the absolute Phaidei feast that was 3.1. But perhaps because we were so overfed by the patch, I was actually jarred a little out of the story itself--too busy turning over the broader ramifications of such blatant queer-coding of two male characters in a modern Hoyoverse game.
Of course, Hoyo isn't remotely new to queer-coding their characters (or to queer-baiting, either, gacha games gotta hustle at all times). They absolutely have a history of hinting at both WLW and MLM ships and of including fanservice between the player's MC and other playable characters regardless of gender. Strangely enough, due to the unique confluence of their target audiences' tastes, the Hoyoverse team has an active profit motive to create gay characters:
WLW ships are appealing to heterosexual male players.
MLM ships are appealing to heterosexual female players.
Simultaneously, WLW and MLM ships are appealing to queer players.
Heterosexual ships with characters other than the MC are unappealing to a large percentage of the game's playerbase, particularly to heterosexual male players who want to keep their waifus to themselves but also to female yumeshippers.
Hoyo's market is literally telling them that 1) male characters sell better when they're ship-baited with other male characters, and 2) players don't actually want heterosexual ships between playable characters if the MC isn't involved. (Hell, look at Firefly--players hate romances with the MC too lol!)
But at the same time as the market is telling the devs to keep making queer characters, Hoyoverse also faces immense social pressure to avoid including actual queer content.
Let me hold off on the political and legal consequences of including gay characters in Chinese media for just a second, and look at the situation from the perspective of Hoyo's target audiences first:
Take this data with a grain of salt though; I'm not sure where they got their numbers.
First, Hoyoverse games are increasingly global and surprisingly popular in conservative/religious countries such as Russia, Malaysia, and the UAE. The western world as a whole is shifting increasingly right on LGBT+ issues. For the games to be marketed well across the globe, they've got to avoid challenging the morals of these highly varied audiences. (Perhaps this is why past Hoyoverse titles seemed more open to LGBT+ content than present Hoyoverse games do; a broader audience actually means more restrictions on content.)
Second, even though conservative heterosexual male players are actually surprisingly fine with MLM ship tease, that only applies so long as it stays at the level of "I can pretend I don't see it." As long as anti-LGBT+ players can write off any MLM content as "just close friends," the dev team can get away with frankly shocking amounts of queer interaction between male characters. (I'm sorry to any straight male fans reading this [could there possibly be any?], but half of y'all could win gold medals if mental gymnastics were a sport. The lengths I have seen some male Genshin players go to try to explain away Haikaveh are honestly awe-inspiring. 😂) However, the boundary must be respected. The moment a male character's queerness exceeds subtext and becomes text, when even mental gymnastics cannot come up with a heterosexual explanation, and the plausible deniability goes out the window, it is no longer acceptable to anti-LGBT+ players, and they will be "turned off" from pulling that male character en masse. In essence, the market is telling the devs: 1) Huge amounts of queer-coding = a-okay, but 2) Actual canon queer content = that's gayyyy, no wayyyy.
And third, the obvious: China's stance on LGBT+ people is weirdly stricter in media than it is in "real" life. It is not illegal to be gay in China but it is illegal to be gay in a video game in China. Restrictions on media portrayals of gayness are significantly more strict than restrictions on actually being gay (which is interesting cognitive dissonance for those from outside the country, but that's an essay for another day). Hoyoverse legally cannot show characters engaged in any explicitly queer behaviors--at least that can't be explained away.
Furthermore, the rules apply very differently for male and female characters. WLW content gets way more of a pass from the censors. Bronya and Seele can blush at each other, but Alhaitham and Kaveh cannot. You would never see "Rondo Across Countless Kalpas" happening with male Hoyoverse characters. The censors literally would not allow it, strictly because Chinese standards for portrayals of men are different--and more strict!--than standards for portraying women. Legally, there are strong and serious limitations on what Hoyo can do with their male characters.
Summing all of this up, in trying to create their male characters and content, Hoyoverse is actually fighting a battle of conflicting pressures: Male characters sell better when they are queer-coded, but their interactions can never rise to the level of being canonically gay.
Everything must exist in the realm of implication.
(Yes, I can hear you: "Can you please get to Phaidei already?" 😂)
All of this foreword was to lay a foundation for the actual point I want to make about Phaidei: Because Hoyoverse can only queer-code and not actually queer their male characters, they have (in their modern games), fallen into a sort of pattern with their MLM ship bait. Certain plots and personalities keeps reappearing again and again. They've developed a sort of short-hand set of traits to give to their male characters--the Hoyoverse "queer-coded MLM starter pack" if you will lol.
While not every popular MLM ship in Hoyo's games has the same traits (obviously not), certain elements seem central to creating the delicate necessary gray area between "They're just baiting fangirls" and "The devs intended these two characters to be canonically gay but just couldn't state that textually."
And yet... And yet...
You're not imagining things: Phaidei is actually different.
To demonstrate just how different though, I wanted to take the time to compare Phaidei with other popular Hoyoverse MLM ships, looking at both the similarities (the patterns that Hoyo relies on to reliably queer-code their characters) and the noticeable differences (where Hoyo pushed their own boundaries in surprising ways).
Unfortunately, in the interest of full transparency, my own Hoyoverse experience is limited, so I can only use examples from Star Rail and Genshin Impact. I just haven't played HI3 or ZZZ, so I don't feel comfortable trying to use examples from those games, although I think there may be many ships that fall into similar patterns in those games as well. (Maybe some people can share in the comments?)
Anyway, let's start with similarities:
1. A Pair of Equals
The number one "rule" for popular Hoyoverse queer-coded MLM ships is that the two characters must be evenly matched. This isn't to say they have to have identical levels of physical strength (although that is also often the case); instead, the audience needs to perceive them as being on equal footing in some way. They must either be intellectual equals (Alhaitham and Kaveh), political equals (Ratio and Aventurine; Neuvillette and Wriothesley), equal in social standing (Tighnari and Cyno), or, yes, actually physically equal their capability for going toe-to-toe against each other (Blade and Dan Heng; possibly Zhongli and Childe; for those who ship it, Diluc and Kaeya).
For modern Hoyo games, queer-coded MLM ships with noticeable discrepancies in power dynamics are particularly rare; possibly the only one that comes to mind is Ayato/Thoma (though this is mitigated by the game deliberately telling us that Ayato treats Thoma like family, rather than like a servant). And I think this actually says a lot about the devs' thought process: They are deliberately avoiding scenarios in which one male character seems capable of "preying" on another, where the queer-coding could accidentally be perceived as sexual perversion due to a discrepancy in power dynamics.
They're intentionally averting the "depraved homosexual" trope by--sometimes literally--spelling out for the players that both male characters in their queer-coded MLM ships perceive each other as, and are interested in each other as, equals.
We see this explicitly with Ratio and Aventurine in Star Rail:
And Alhaitham and Kaveh in Genshin:
Even Blade and Dan Heng are likened to "a pair" of identical objects:
So of course, Phainon and Mydei push this to an extreme. Phainon describes himself and Mydei as "friends and foes," and the game goes out of it way to reiterate over and over that they are perfect equals. Although they compete in everything they do, there is never a clear victor; their score card is constantly balancing out because they match each other's skill and power perfectly.
But there are even hints in the game that this isn't just happening naturally, but also by choice: Even when one of them triumphs over the other, they both backtrack and insist on getting on equal standing again. Whether you win or lose the "competition" in Kremnos in 3.0, the outcome is the same:
Phainon and Mydei perceive each other as perfectly matched (in strength, right, right...) and are actively working to keep it that way.
The game also goes out of its way to insist that Mydei and Phainon aren't just equals in terms of strength but also in social standing. It theoretically should be impossible to match Mydei's place on the social ladder--he's the literal crown prince of an entire nation of world-renowned conquerors. Even Aglaea is not a queen; we see her on screen being forced to contend with Okhema's Council who are fighting her for power. There technically isn't anyone in Amphoreus (at least that we've met so far) who should be able to stand on equal political or administrative footing to Mydei.
Except, of course, for Phainon, who supersedes all others by virtue of being the literal prodigal son, the "Chosen One."
The game insists on putting this in our faces over and over again: Mydei may be a king in the making, but Phainon is the "Deliverer." They are equally matched in terms of authority.
The game even goes out of its way to tell us they're perfect mirrors in personality too:
Hoyo, in the kitchen cooking up another gay ship: LISTEN GUYS, they're equals, do you understand me? A MATCHING SET.
But also...
2. Diametrically Opposed
It isn't enough for the queer-coded men to be each other's perfect equals. They also have to be opposites, typically in terms of their personalities. This is the pattern that repeats itself most consistently across Hoyoverse MLM ships with strong textual support: the two men may be equal, but they're also nothing alike. (At least on the surface.)
Alhaitham and Kaveh's entire plot hinges on their directly opposing personalities and morals, representing the clash between rationality and sensibility. Dan Feng was reserved and cool-tempered, while Yingxing was "arrogant" and brash. Hell, Xingqiu and Chongyun are "refined and clever" versus "forthright and trusting." I actually think Zhongli and Childe, despite being the most popular Hoyoverse ship in the western fandom, have very little canonical support, yet they still fit this pattern, with Zhongli as the refined gentleman to Tartaglia's blood knight tendencies.
We know how Ratio sees himself and Aventurine:
Hoyo really said "Opposites attract" and ran with it for every single MLM ship they ever teased.
And there's a logical reason for this. Making the two male characters dead opposites actually slightly decreases people's ability to argue that they're "just friends"--if they have next to nothing in common, they're not usually bonding over mutual hobbies or basing their connection on shared similarities. It becomes harder to portray two male characters as "bros who just get along great" when they're deliberately written with opposing tastes and personalities. (Real friends can sometimes be dead opposites, obviously, but most friendships are built on mutual interests rather than opposing ones, while romantic relationships hilariously have the "opposites attract" stereotype.)
There's no reason to shove polar opposites together again and again except to watch the sparks fly.
Even Hoyo's male characters' color schemes are often perfectly opposite. Plenty of people have figured out if you palette swap Alhaitham and Kaveh, Dan Heng and Blade, and Ratio and Aventurine, you end up with the same colors. Ayato and Thoma match the pattern here too ("red and blue gays" is a well-known trope).
But once again, the devs pulled out ALL the stops for Phaidei:
They're red versus blue. They're sun and moon. They're outgoing versus introverted. They're a king and a peasant (if we believe what Phainon's telling us about Aedes Elysiae). They're the "outsider" and the "golden boy." One fights with strength and the other with technique, brains versus brawn (actually they're both kind of idiots though, so take this one lightly lol).
However, what I think is most interesting about Hoyo's pairs of MLM opposites that is that the devs deliberately subvert expectations by assigning the opposing traits to the "unexpected" character. In both Haikaveh and Ratiorine, it's the rational scholar who is more overtly caring and attuned to their partner's feelings. In Renheng, it's the kind-hearted Yingxing who is consumed by anger, while the aloof, expressionless Dan Heng's voice trembles in wonder at the mere mention of Yingxing's name.
For Phainon and Mydei, this inversion of opposite traits occurs with their personalities specifically. People expected Mydei to be a gruff, hot-headed, battle-hungry berserker with a sarcastic or arrogant personality at best.
Instead, Mydei is an extremely thoughtful person, who struggles with his fate not because of what will happen to himself but because of a desire to bring the greatest good to the greatest number of his people. He's a respectful, gentle (when he needs to be), and even sentimental young man who continues to hold on to love for those who have long passed away. He's reserved around strangers but generous and warm to his companions, and struggles to express himself but has a clear desire to be considerate of others.
We also know he's deeply aware of and emotionally affected by the racism his people are experiencing in Okhema; one NPC in Okhema reports how Mydei, despite being new to Okhema himself, stood up to the very council still plaguing Aglaea in order to protect his people:
Despite having difficulties expressing his own thoughts, he even scolds Phainon for approaching their farewell with a nonchalant expression--Mydei doesn't reject emotions or shy away from becoming close with people he cares for.
Instead, it's Phainon who actually struggles to be honest. While he might connect easily with others on the surface, seeming outgoing and kind-hearted, he is actually a much more private person, one who is reluctant to show his true feelings and dismissive of questions about his past and identity. As opposed to Mydei's desire to avoid Nikador's power, Phainon is (despite his doubts) eager to prove himself, spurned on by the pressure of the prophecy telling him he needs to achieve greatness. We're told that he craved the power of strife specifically, while Mydei summarily wishes to reject it.
It's Phainon who frequently has to be reined in by others--he was ready to kill Oronyx for delaying his rescue of Mydei--and Phainon who fails to let go of his hatred and desire for revenge, causing him to fail Nikador's trial, which Mydei easily clears.
By inverting the traits of the characters, creating designs which visually oppose each other while assigning the actual opposing personality traits to the "mismatched" character, the devs hammer home an implicit message: These two characters complete each other. They fill in each other's gaps. What you expected to find in one of these men, you will instead find in the other. What they wish to be, they will be drawn to in each other.
(Frequently bought together, do not separate!)
3. The Distance is Artificial
Okay, so if they're so obviously written as a "pair," being perfect equals and perfect opposites, how are they just "queer-coded" and not explicitly queer? How is Hoyo keeping up the illusion of the characters not being an obvious couple when they're literally written to complete each other?
Hoyo has one major tool in their arsenal to do this: Prickly personalities.
With the exception of Renheng, which I'll get to in a second, Hoyo has a favorite method for enforcing the rule of plausible deniability, the idea that "Nooo, we promise, they're not in love; they don't even like each other, see??"--and that's giving one of the characters an intractable personality.
This can manifest, like Alhaitham and Kaveh, as constant bickering, where the pair's main method of communication is to devolve into petty arguments or sarcastic quips.
Fans who support the ship can view this as an "old married couple" dynamic; but for those who do not support the ship and choose to insist that Hoyo isn't actually queer-coding their male characters, they can lean on these arguments as "proof" that the characters don't actually love each other.
A similar pattern was recently repeated with Sethos/Wanderer, with Wanderer's prickly personality being used to keep Sethos at bay.
By placing the characters at odds with each other through bickering, Hoyo introduces just enough doubt to make the "They're only friends/roommates, we promise" argument hold some water. This allows them to get--quite honestly--a lot of queer content past the censors and past homophobic audiences too.
We see them repeat this trope with Aventurine and Ratio in Star Rail, introducing the two characters as initially "at odds" with each other and trying to pass it off as Ratio despising Aventurine.
Even after revealing that they were plotting together, the game insists on introducing some lingering doubts, suggesting that Aventurine fears Ratio would actually betray him.
This creates the necessary "gray area," the gap that Hoyo can use to hide in--no, Aventurine doesn't trust Ratio at all, see? Maybe they don't even like each other? Who knows! The doubt doesn't exist because the story particularly needs it, but simply so that Hoyo has a shield to hide behind if people begin to question how close the two male characters are.
Even in comedic material, Hoyo intentionally keeps this "necessary distance" in order to allow themselves wiggle room. Is Ratio an enamored tsundere who can't spit his real feelings out, or does he actually think Aventurine is illogical, mediocre, and ridiculous? Was the "Keeping Up With Star Rail" video an example of Hoyo deliberately baiting by making Ratio flustered over Aventurine "on air," or is he being Aventurine's biggest hater in this clip?
It's just questionable enough that those players who hate MLM to interpret it as the latter, and provides just enough doubt to help Hoyo slip queer-coding under the radar. Those who want to see it will see, while it's written just vaguely enough that those who don't want to see it will not see it.
(That's the point Owlbert, that's the point.)
When in doubt, and when stuck with a pair of characters who aren't likely to bicker with words, Hoyo sometimes has to progress to the next level: making them actual enemies.
What's better for creating plausible deniability than one of them trying to kill the other? (They definitely were not fooling around in a past life. We promise.) In an ironic twist with Renheng in particular, the fandom seems to have somehow come to the (mistaken) consensus that Dan Feng and Yingxing were "confirmed canon" (truly, I see this stated everywhere; we love when reading comprehension fails in the right direction for once lol), leaving only Dan Heng/Blade as being of questionable "canonicity." However, this still works as far as Hoyo is concerned, because only Dan Heng and Blade are left on screen.
By insisting on their present inability to reconcile, Blade and Dan Heng are able to introduce just enough doubt into the equation to offset even significant ship tease for Dan Feng/Yingxing.
Enemies to lovers 150k+ slow burn, please look forward to it.
Okay, but back to Phaidei. At first, it seems like Phaidei is going to follow this pattern to a T: When Phainon first introduces Trailblazer to Mydei, the two seem to be at odds, bickering over how Mydei is choosing to confront the enemy. Mydei even calls Phainon out for an unintentionally insensitive statement (when Phainon demands to know why Mydei isn't "protecting the citizens," Mydei asks "Who are you implying is not a citizen here?" i.e., "Are you saying because I'm Kremnoan I don't count as a citizen?" You can see Phainon practically bite his tongue to take back his words.)
Also known as: Mydei experiences a microaggression.
Mydei's very first line directly to the Trailblazer is to insult Phainon's hospitality, and we know they definitely have plenty of silly insults to lob at each other while competing.
But this is actually where we see the first deviation from the pattern for Phaidei. Although there's a few cursory lines throughout their early dialogue, that's all there ever is--just cursory attempts at suggesting the two bicker and don't get along.
Within one scene, the "tension" present in their first meeting entirely devolves into purely playful banter, and it is clear by the time we finish 3.0 that Phainon and Mydei are actually very close and get along well, with virtually none of Haikaveh's biting comments, Blade and Dan Heng's violence, or Aventurine and Ratio's questions of loyalty. Phainon and Mydei took one look at the rest of Hoyoverse's MLM ships and said "How about we skip that will they-won't they?" lol.
But I'm not quite ready to talk about the places where Phaidei departs from the normal pattern yet, so I'll leave this point by just saying that Hoyo did start Phaidei on the same path as a majority of their other MLM ships, making a vague attempt at using their rivalry to suggest they wouldn't get along--thereby allowing for the alternative interpretation to quiet the haters (and the censors).
4. The (Physical) Distance is Non-Existent
Okay, but if Hoyo uses personalities to inject just enough distance into their queer-coded pairings to avoid crossing any boundaries, then what do they do to tantalize the audience, to make it seem like the characters might actually like each other?
They use body language!
First, just to reiterate a basic video game design principle: All animations and character placements have to be programmed by someone, and that means that all animations and the physical locations of characters in scenes are intentional. Nothing happens in cutscenes by accident.
Designers are constantly making a series of choices any time they have to put together a cutscene, and one of the key choices they have to make is how to express each character through their movements and their positions relative to other characters. (I've talked before, for example, about how Aventurine frequently turns his back on people, forcing their eyes to follow him throughout his cutscenes, taking physical control of the reactions of people around him.)
Hoyoverse games have somewhat standardized scene layouts for conversation cutscenes, with characters typically being placed at different distances from each other depending on their relationships. A majority of conversations happen from a generally cordial conversational distance, which means that any time characters cross this gap and close the distance, the dev team is intentionally sending the players a message.
Like, no one mistook what this was about, right?
Heterosexual jumpscare in my queer post; I'm sorry, I was just too tired to find a video with Lumine lol.
Repeating for good measure: Unless it is with a male playable main character (where the presence of the female main character is what lends the deniability), Hoyo legally cannot show their male characters engaging in physical contact that could be construed as romantic. Male characters can't hold hands; they can't even really hug unless it's "caught you as you fell after battle" (props to Dan Heng for being the only male character in Star Rail to get a "hug" with Jing Yuan lol.) There's a boundary that Hoyo male characters do not cross, and that's almost universally the realm of physical touch.
But Hoyo can place their queer-coded male characters into scenarios of physical closeness that they don't typically show among other characters.
Alhaitham and Kaveh's table says hello.
So does Tighnari and Cyno's single tent from this same quest; Cyno's Story 2, truly the quest that kept on giving.
Aventurine, a character who traditionally keeps half a room's distance between himself and the people he's talking to, suddenly doesn't seem to mind closing the distance with Ratio:
And even Renheng, the eternal enemies, are depicted as crossing physical boundaries, explicitly "getting in each other's faces." Yes it's a battle, but also, I've seen yaoi with less domineering poses lol.
You might think these lightcone examples are a stretch, but seriously: Go look at all the lightcones in the game. Does a single heterosexual couple have a lightcone where they are in each other's space in this manner? No, because physical closeness is actually a tool Hoyo is consistently using to queer-code. (Well, there would probably be more heterosexual closeness too if the incels weren't so weird...)
Anyway, when I saw the devs might be heading the direction of baiting Phaidei, I fully expected that we would see them side-by-side more consistently and with less of a gap between them than between other characters. But I wasn't remotely ready for the degree to which Hoyo would take that.
Here is an example of Phaidei exhibiting the "normal" Star Rail conversational distance:
Andddd... here's where they spend the other 90% of their scenes together:
The unnecessarily large distance between them and the Trailblazer gets me every time. Like they are not leaving room for Jesus Kephale.
Even when they aren't standing practically on top of each other, the devs deliberately choose camera angles that frame them both in the cutscene at the same time, which is relatively rare for Star Rail (not unheard of, but usually the camera will just go for the "first person POV" when two people are speaking, allowing for a close up of the speaking character). Instead of back-and-forth close ups, many of Mydei and Phainon's conversations are framed from a "behind-the-shoulder" angle, to catch them both in the frame. This creates the illusion that they're standing closer together than they are, and also reinforces a sense of intimacy in their conversations--the camera (and thus the player) becomes an "outsider" while their bodies turn toward each other.
Again, Hoyoverse is under pressure to avoid showing physical contact between male characters that could be construed romantically. They can't show Mydei and Phainon tangoing like Black Swan and Acheron. When it comes to queer-coding male characters, they have to use the tools available to them, and their primary tool for visually signifying the possibility of romantic closeness is physical closeness.
The camera is telling you that Mydei and Phainon are close.
Anyway, just one more point I wanted to make before moving on to discussing how Phaidei completely crushed the mold for Hoyoverse queer-coding, but...
5. Oh God, We're Turning Into Your Parents
Listen, I'm a reasonable person. I can fully accept that I play games with LGBT+ goggles on at all times. Despite being fantastically aroace myself, I love yaoi. I love yuri. I even like plenty of straight ships. I'm a fangirl first, academic second, so believe me when I say that I understand how skeptics might view some of the points above. "You're just fangirling. Being equals and opposites doesn't automatically imply romance. The devs might have intended close friendship, not a relationship." This counter-argument is valid!
So I want to end with one more point which I think is actually the lynch pin to proving that Hoyoverse isn't "accidentally" making their male characters come across as queer. Hoyo's queer-coding for certain ships is very intentional and even sometimes very overt. In a few cases prior to Phaidei, they were already skirting the upper limits of plausible deniability, and I think the modern ship that previously pushed the boundary the most is Haikaveh.
You can say what you want about other Hoyo MLM ships and their lack of canon textual support (I love you ZhongChi, even if the devs actually hate you lol), but I believe people who unironically say "The devs are not baiting Alhaitham and Kaveh as a ship" are so media illiterate that it's actually embarrassing to share air with them. Whether you think the devs are just doing it to cash in on yaoi fangirls or because they actually want to depict gay characters, it is indisputable at this point that Alhaitham and Kaveh have in-game ship tease. They just do, and one of the most obvious and unmistakable instances of this is when Kaveh's hangout paralleled Kaveh's relationship with Alhaitham to the heterosexual marriage between Kaveh's mother and father.
To draw a direct connection between Kaveh's father and Alhaitham, who is repeatedly described as not being able to understand Kaveh's artistic sensibilities and idealistic world view but nevertheless chooses to stay by Kaveh's side through his many troubles, while simultaneously reinforcing the idea that Kaveh is his mother's spitting image, both physically and emotionally, can really not be interpreted in any other way.
Hoyoverse took a queer relationship and made a one-for-one analogy to a heterosexual relationship--Alhaitham and Kaveh are a direct reflection of Kaveh's very married parents.
This isn't something that can happen on accident. This is deliberate and unmistakable queer-coding.
Which makes it absolutely wild that it happened twice.
I've posted already about the obvious parallels between Mydei's parents and Phaidei, and I'm actually almost out of room for new images here, so I can't post the images again, but I hardly need to at this point: Mydei's parents met when Gorgo challenged Eurypon at the Kremnos Festival. They fought for ten rounds, determined that they were (what do you know) perfect equals, and Eurypon proposed on the spot. Eurypon is explicitly described as a swordmaster, while Gorgo used a spear.
Later, the game repeatedly (and in various separate instances), emphasizes that Mydei and Phainon's first meeting consisted of a duel lasting ten days and ten nights, where neither of them could secure the victory, proving them to also be each other's perfect equals. Phainon's role as Okhema's swordmaster is emphasized, while Mydei wields a spear just like his mother when killing his father and after taking on Nikador's divinity.
Then there's... everything that came after. Eurypon betrayed Gorgo, effectively stabbing her in the back, and took her life. The foreshadowing that Phainon will do this exact same thing to Mydei is unmissable.
Phainon has even expressed an explicit desire to take part in the same competition where Mydei's father crowned the winner his wife:
In the (very limited) Kremnoan dictionary, I'm pretty sure this is how you say "I'm down to fuck."
Just as in the case with Haikaveh, there is no way that this parallel could have occurred by accident. The devs did not go out of their way to give us entire flashbacks of Gorgo and Eurypon's meeting and downfall for no reason. You're supposed to see the one-for-one connection between Mydei's very heterosexual, married parents and Phainon and Mydei's relationship.
Simultaneously, the devs also parallel their MLM ships to heterosexual relations by incorporating shades of domesticity normally reserved for "traditional" male-female relationships into their MLM ships--including levels of domesticity that heterosexual ships in Genshin and Star Rail usually don't rise to. One of Genshin's most popular MLM ships shares a single-family home and has a chore chart. Thoma is Ayato's housekeeper. Tighnari and Cyno are just flat-out joint raising a child. Jiaoqiu cooks and Moze cleans. Yingxing and Dan Feng accidentally(?) made a baby.
And Phainon and Mydei aren't any exception. They live an apocalyptic world that is constantly calling them away to battle, but the devs went out of their way to tell us Mydei is an extremely good cook who prepares everyone's food and deliberately ruins Phainon's when he's annoying, which is definitely old married couple behavior lol. Mydei is framed repeatedly as being good with children, not just in the distant fatherly way but in the "plays house" and follows-along-after-unaccompanied-kids-like-a-mother-hen way. Yet when Mydei has to leave, taking the classic "I'm going off to war" ancient Greek exit, he doesn't depart without leaving Phainon his people--with the camera panning specifically to the little Kremnoans. Phainon got the kids in the divorce. D; The tragic domesticity is already off the charts, and then they hit you the second punch when Mydei's last question (just one or two lines later) confirms that it was Phainon who got the ring for him. Hoyo couldn't actually have given us a more heavy-handed "parting husband and wife" parallel if someone held them at gunpoint. That whole thing was some Odyssey level bullshit. I see you devs, I see you.
You might be tempted to say that is just heteronormativity, which it could be, but I actually think it serves a very specific place in Hoyo's queer-coding repertoire. In comparing gay relationships to heterosexual marriages, the devs effectively "legitimize" their queer characters, suggesting that the relationships between gay male characters are no less real or valid than those between men and women. In demonstrating that male characters can achieve stable and healthy domestic lives with each other, the devs reiterate that players are not supposed to notice a difference between gay and heterosexual relationships.
There isn't any clearer way for Hoyoverse to legally say "We want you to think of these two men as romantic partners" than to say "Wow, isn't it interesting that their relationship is identical to a married couple's." It's on purpose; at this point, you really can't say the queer-coding isn't deliberate without looking like you can't read, and if it was intentional when Haikaveh paralleled Kaveh's parents, then it was doubly so the second time Hoyoverse pulled this trick to parallel Phaidei to Mydei's parents.
PHEW! Okay, I finally made it through the foundational traits for Hoyoverse MLM ship-bait and where Phaidei fits in with those. Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk! 😂
But... the whole reason I started this post was actually because I wanted to talk about differences between Phaidei and other Hoyoverse MLM ships, and particularly how bold Hoyo actually was in 3.1, pushing the envelop to an extreme degree to ship-tease Phainon and Mydei.
So, since the post was way, way too long, I've spit the rest of my point off into a second post.
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