Ningguang is the Tianquan of the Liyue Qixing, arguably the most politically powerful character in Teyvat, and the ambitious, watchful eye over all of Liyue. She’s a savvy businesswoman, ruthlessly competitive, but tender and kind when it comes to her interactions with the everyday people of Liyue. Prim, proper, and always maintaining the eloquence of a swan, Ningguang is the opposite of Beidou. As the fearless, harsh leader of an armed ship, The Crux, Beidou is admired by her crew for her strength and well-known for her bold interactions with Ningguang. Their relationship always strikes me as one of the most bizarre and interesting in Genshin Impact, and that’s why I’m pining to see them get together.
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Genshin Impact’s writing makes for some of my favorite stories happening in games right now. I love that the delivery of each patch means it’s an adventure not too overwhelming, and I adore characters like Ganyu. Beidou and Ningguang add to the list, because I think Mihoyo’s writers have crafted two brilliantly complicated women that maintain this interesting dance that toes politics and friendship. Their story is mostly relegated to in-text lore drops, not leaving a ton for cutscene interactions between the two, but it’s one I’ve been intrigued by since Genshin Impact’s infancy. I think, given what we’ve seen so far, the two deserve to continue along this path while escalating their relationship. They deserve each other.
Despite being rather beloved to her people, Ningguang also commands respect in a way you’d assume the world’s most powerful businesswoman and ruler would. Scared may be too harsh a word, but I don’t think the common folk in Liyue really let their guard down around her and just spout off whatever is on their mind. Beidou, however, doesn’t give a damn. In her interactions with Ningguang, she’s brash and unconcerned with whatever title the woman holds. There’s a level of familiarity between the two, even though it sometimes seems a bit hostile, that makes my queer little heart swell.
Like most characters in Genshin Impact, you can dig into their extra voice lines by checking out their profile options. Beidou’s got her blunt opinions about everyone, but she notes that despite usually playing coy, Ningguang will be frank in how she feels about Beidou. I’m not asserting this is necessarily a good thing. Beidou even mentions it could go either way because Ningguang likes her or hates her, but it’s still that familiarity between the two that they don’t seem to have with others. It’s reaching a bit, I know, but Ningguang is the Liyue Qixing, the head honcho, so I’m assuming she’s not on casual terms with most folks.
In Beidou’s voice lines, she’ll also hint to some degree of special treatment by Ningguang, noting that the other doesn’t really enforce some of Liyue’s rules upon her in regards to how she handles The Crux. While a lot of Ningguang’s own lines just indicate annoyance, Keqing has something different to say that backs up the idea that Beidou may be a little special.
If you inquire about Beidou, Keqing will say, “That captain is always flouting the rules, and her personality really rubs people the wrong way. That said, The Crux Fleet is indispensable to Liyue Harbor. It’s a bit of an art, knowing when to enforce the rules and when it’s in everyone’s interests to be more lenient. Thing is, the Tianquan is supposed to be the one enforcing the rules, but she always seems to be too busy…” Perhaps it’s a lot of nothing, but to me, it’s that Ningguang isn’t in command over Beidou in the same way she is over Liyue.
Things don’t end there, either. When you first stumble upon Beidou as the Traveler, she’ll reveal that she already knows about you through Ningguang. They’ve met up, praised your accomplishments, and for someone seemingly so regal, Ningguang apparently has a lot to reveal about you to Beidou. Their moments mentioned in cutscenes are few and far between, but later on, Zhuhan, a quest NPC, will indicate Beidou is with Ningguang at the moment for a meeting and they’re at odds again. Kazuha comments on the nature of their relationship too, noting they’re always butting heads, but he doesn’t seem to say it in an “oh no, this is a problem” kind of way. It’s more of a silly, recurring “problem” that makes them sound more like an old married couple. Again, I probably wouldn’t consider this anything to write home about had Ningguang not already been characterized as an untouchable, unbreakable force within Teyvat.
In my little fangirl heart, Beidou must mean something to Ningguang to be allowed in, to be permitted to talk back to the Liyue Qixing with such bold confidence and straightforwardness. To send me swooning further, Mihoyo has spun up a couple of videos showing the two together playing chess and sharing tea dates. These aren’t canonized in-game moments, but it’s filling in the gaps on what I would assume is happening when people like Zhuhan and Kazuha tell you the two are off together, yet again.
My eagle eye keen on shipping some of my favorite ladies together initially chalked it up to being smitten with Mihoyo’s best characters, figuring it was likely a me thing. It wasn’t until recently that I discovered there’s a nice little chunk of the fandom out there that has lovingly dubbed them “Beiguang,” showering the two in fanfiction and fan art. I reckon they never wind up together, but boy, do I wish they would. They play off each other so well in their limited screen time, and I adore the roles Mihoyo has crafted for them. So this one is for you, Beiguang shippers, I hope we all get our wish. Their adorably contentious chemistry deserves it.
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