Kavelou

Kavelou is the het ship between Kaveh and Nilou from the Genshin Impact fandom.

Canon
Kaveh and Nilou both work in fields relating to the arts. Kaveh is an architect, who was a student of the Kshahrewar Darshan of the Sumeru Akademiya. Nilou is a dancer belonging to Zubayr Theater in the Grand Bazaar. The arts were often looked down upon within Sumeru, as the nation valued wisdom and knowledge over creative pursuits. While Kaveh and Nilou are highly regarded for their talents, they have often been met with resistance when expressing themselves artistically.

Sumeru Archon Quest
As seen in the early acts of the Sumeru Archon quest, performances at Zubayr Theater were subject to being shut down by the Akademiya. This was in large part due to the preconceived notion that performing arts don't offer any educational value. During the fifth act of the Archon quest, Akasha Pulses, the Kalpa Flame Rises, Nilou is involved with a plan to overthrow the Akademiya Grand Sage and rescue Nahida. She serves as a distraction by dancing in front of the Akademiya's guards, an act that nearly gets her arrested. After the plan proves to be a success, Nilou and the rest of Zubayr Theater are able to perform freely.

Character Stories
While Kaveh has very little involvement in the Archon quest, his Character Stories provide an insight into his own personal struggles. Kaveh graduated the Akademiya with honors and is one of Kshahrewar's most respected alumni, earning the moniker “The Light of Kshahrewar". However, he struggles to get by as an architect, with his magnum opus, the Palace of Alcazarzaray, leaving him in severe debt. When his artistic vision goes well over the project's budget, he decides to take out a loan from Dori, who commissioned the palace, in order to see his vision through. To Kaveh, the chance to create a true work of art was more important than turning a profit from his work.

Kaveh and Nilou have both gone to great lengths to preserve their artistic integrity. Nilou risked getting arrested in order to save the Zubayr Theater and be able to dance freely, while Kaveh put himself in considerable debt in order to create his magnum opus to its fullest potential. Their dedication to their respective crafts is an integral aspect of both of their lore.

A Parade of Providence
While Kaveh and Nilou have been shown to at least know of each other from their voicelines, their first interaction in game is during the Version 3.6 flagship event, A Parade of Providence. Kaveh was a participant of the Interdarshan Championship, while Nilou was one of the commentators alongside Alhaitham. Throughout the competition, Kaveh is faced with a myriad of set-backs and difficulties. When expressing discouragement after losing a challenge, Nilou comforts him and helps boost his morale. She also congratulates him after he wins one of the challenges.

Nilou is shown to be worried about Kaveh's condition during the event. Although he ends up winning the Interdarshan Championship, he forfeits the prizes as they conflict heavily with his morals. It is through a moment of mental anguish, that he breaks the Diadem of Knowledge, to which Nilou has a strong reaction and attempts to console him alongside the others.

"Kaveh..."

- Nilou

Voicelines
Kaveh and Nilou both speak highly about each other's work in their voicelines. Nilou expresses how the artistic process of Kaveh designing the Palace of Alcazarzaray could be similar to how she feels when she dances before an audience. Kaveh mentions how Nilou possesses a great amount of talent as a dancer and how he admires her personality. He also expresses an interest in attending one of her performances.

"Nilou's talent as a dancer is indisputable. Zubayr Theater really lucked out when they recruited her. I've heard that she has a great personality too — she always smiles and says encouraging things to her audience when she's performing. Once I can find some time, I'll have to catch one of her shows."

- Kaveh about Nilou

"I heard he was the one who built the magnificent Palace of Alcazarzaray. He must have had a wonderful time making such a masterpiece, like when I'm in the middle of dance practice. Just thinking about dancing for everyone gives me so much happiness and motivation."

- Nilou about Kaveh

Serenitea Teapot
Kaveh and Nilou both favor the outdoor teapot set, Of Twirling Dances Unfettered. In the set's description, it is said to imitate the festivity of Zubayr Theater perfectly. Nilou calls the set a "spitting image" of the theater and suggests performing on the stage. Kaveh mentions his love for theaters and says that they make him feel free and forget about problems.

GiGO Colab
During the Version 3.8 livestream, HoYoverse announced their collaboration with a Japanese company called GiGO, which features artwork and merchandise of Kaveh and Nilou together. In this artwork, they are in modern apparel, with Kaveh wearing a white suit and Nilou wearing a dress. While this collaboration does not have any actual connection with Genshin Impact's lore, the artwork is considered official as it comes from HoYoverse themselves.

Fanon
Kaveh and Nilou have a deep appreciation for beauty, which is something that not many people in Sumeru value. This has led to the idea that Kaveh and Nilou could potentially find understanding and acceptance in each other as they share many of the same values. They also have similar personalities, both being friendly and kindhearted.

Fans also appreciate the motifs of home and family between both characters. Nilou and Kaveh both grew up in loving homes and have or had deep connections with their families. Nilou has what she considers a "little family" (her parents) and a "big family" (those within Zubayr Theater and the Grand Bazaar). She values both her blood family and found family equally. Kaveh used to be close with both of his parents until his father’s passing and his mother, grief-stricken by her husband’s death, left for Fontaine and remarried. This left Kaveh alone in their family home, which he eventually sold as the isolation and grief became too much to bear. Fans of this ship often share a similar headcanon, in which Nilou accepts Kaveh into her "big family" since he no longer has a family of his own.

Fandom
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Kavelou hashtag on Instagram

Trivia

 * Nilou and Kaveh's kits within the game synergize very well, as they both focus on Bloom damage. Nilou is a Hydro character, while Kaveh is a Dendro character. When these two elements react in combat, it creates the Bloom reaction.
 * Kaveh's passive talent, An Architect's Undertaking, allows him to heal from Bloom damage every 0.5s, while Nilou's passive, Court of Dancing Petals, gives her buffs if she's used in a team consisting only of Hydro and Dendro characters.
 * Both characters also feature similar voicelines when casting their elemental bursts:
 * Nilou: "All eyes on me!"
 * Kaveh: "Feast your eyes!"


 * In Korean promotional video for Genshin Summer Festival, Kaveh is shown watching Nilou's performance.