ThomaTo

"The game of politics is fraught with peril. Saying too little is not good, but saying too much is also bad. But don't get me wrong, my Lord does not take any joy in these 'battles.' For him, it's just... a matter of duty."

- Thoma about Ayato

ThomaTo is the slash ship between Thoma and Kamisato Ayato from the Genshin Impact fandom.

Canon
Thoma is a loyal servant of Ayato and Ayaka, but even so, him and Ayato are close friends. Thoma mentions Ayato in stories and his voicelines. Same goes for Ayato, Thoma is in Ayato's story quest and is mentioned in his voicelines.

It is strongly implied that Ayato was the one who inspired Thoma to the point where he received a vision. After the death of the Kamisato siblings' parents, he tells Thoma due to their passing, the trouble in the Kamisato clan would only grow worse. He asks Thoma that because he was someone that could see what was at stake, whether or not he would take this chance to leave. Thoma, after deliberation, replied that he would be staying because he would lose his loyalty and righteousness if he had decided to abandon them in the trying times. He predicts that in the future, the siblings would most certainly need Thoma as a helper.

Story Quest
In Ayato's story quest, "Cypressus Custos Chapter", Traveler enters the Yashiro Commision Headquarters expecting to see Thoma and Ayaka. Instead, Traveler sees Thoma and Ayato, seemingly playing some kind of board game. Thoma compliments Ayato's skills saying how he ruined Thoma's strategy in one move without even looking at the board. When seeing Traveler, Ayato asks Thoma if they happen to be the Traveler which Thoma answers with a yes. Traveler and Paimon ask about Chisato and Kamaji rumored wedding which turns out to be true, Thoma says that he'll be sure to pay them a visit to send the best wishes of the Kamisato Clan but Ayato tells Thoma that he doesn't need to as Ayato will visit them personally instead. This makes Thoma confused, saying that Ayato has other things to be doing. Ayato says that the Kamisato Clan must demonstrate an appropriate level of respect as it's a marriage between the Kujou Clan and Hiiragi Clan. After the traveler and Ayato talk for a bit, Ayato lets Thoma know that he'll be heading out with Traveler and Paimon and that he'll leave the residence in Thoma's capable hands. Thoma tells Ayato that it shouldn't be a problem and tells Ayato to "take care, my lord".

Near the end of Ayato's story quest, the Traveler and Paimon leave. Thoma appears saying that everything seems to be resolved now. Thoma states that everything was perfect expect for a minor detail, that being that Thoma somehow ended up with a glass of very peculiar-tasting milk. Ayato replies by saying that he distinctly remembers Thoma saying he's quite partial to exotic flavors. Thoma laughs with a worried expression on his face and Ayato adds on by saying that Traveler also had some as well. Thoma says that Traveler must of made a great impression on Ayato. Ayato talks about how he was glad Traveler was there as Traveler played a critical role in this case. Ayato is sure that both families would've been more guarded against him if it weren't for Traveler. Thoma responds saying "There you again, my lord. Placing the focus on other people while discreetly performing your job to perfection." Ayato says that now that Thoma and him are free, they should finish up that game of chess they started a few days ago.

Voicelines
In Ayato's voiceline about Thoma, he says that he has no doubt about Thoma's loyalty to the Kamisato Clan. A long time ago, partly to see where he stood, Ayato advised Thoma that he would be better off leaving if he didn't want to get drawn into the never-ending disputes that plague public life. Still, Thoma chose to stay, and in all the time Thoma's been with them, he's spared Ayato much worry. Ayato adds on by saying that there are very few people that he trusts completely, but Thoma is one of them. Ayato has another voiceline that mentions Thoma. In his Least Favorite Food voiceline, he says that he mixed up his salt and sugar and so he'll go and give it to Thoma.

In Thoma's voiceline about Ayato, he states that as head of the Kamisato Clan, Ayato in a tough position. With all the political upheaval, Ayato has to contend with public disquiet on one hand and a bunch of self-serving, degenerate public officials on the other. Thoma says that all he can do is make sure to look out for Ayato when he's at home. Same as Ayato, Thoma also has another voiceline mentioning Ayato. In the voiceline labeled About Thoma: Housekeeper, Thoma states that it was never Ayaka's or Ayato's intention to make him the housekeeper. Thoma volunteered and says that he likes this kind of work.

Quotes
"As head of the Kamisato Clan, he's in a tough position. With all the political upheaval, he has to contend with public disquiet on one hand and a bunch of self-serving, degenerate public officials on the other. It's best not to dwell on it. All I can do is make sure to look out for him when he's at home."

- Thoma about Ayato

"There is no doubt in my mind about Thoma's loyalty to the Kamisato Clan. A long time ago, partly to see where he stood, I advised him that he would be better off leaving if he didn't want to get drawn into the never-ending disputes that plague public life. Still, he chose to stay, and in all the time he's been with us, he's spared me much worry. There are very few people I trust completely these days, but Thoma is one of them."

- Ayato about Thoma

Fanon
gained some popularity even before Ayato's appearance was revealed, as they already quite liked how loyal and intimate his mentions in Thoma's voice lines were. Even though headcanons generally give the ship the same 'servant x master' dynamic as Ayaka x Thoma, the ship's fanfiction has some significant differences, as Ayato's personality seems to be completely opposite compared to his sister's. It is commonly compared to Thomaya because of the similarities that Ayato shares with his sister otherwise. Right now, ThomaTo is Ayato's most popular ship.

In other ships, Thoma is often portrayed as the active side due to his charismatic and playful personality; however, fans of this ship often see him subservient to the more dominant and intelligent Ayato. Before Ayato was revealed, Ayato was often headcannoned as a confident, intelligent, cunning, and sarcastic young aristocrat. In fan art and illustrations, Thoma often tends to be depicted as a loyal but naïve and pure servant being seduced by the former. Since Ayato and his ship with Thoma gained some popularity before his appearance was revealed, quite a few illustrations portray him as a kind of genderbent version of his sister, Ayaka.

Usually, people who ship ThomaTo also ship Ayamiya. Ayamiya is Ayaka's most popular femslash ship while Thomato is Ayato's most popular slash ship.

There are currently 830+ works for this ship on AO3.

Fandom
FAN FICTION

TUMBLR

TWITTER

Trivia

 * The ship name "Ayathoma" could also be used for the ship, but it could also be confused with the ship that Thoma has with Ayaka. "ThomaTo" was a mutually agreed-upon name in the fandom, with the slight humor in it sounding like "tomato".
 * Because of this, the tomato emoji is a common symbol used for ThomaTo.
 * Ayato's title is "Pillar of Fortitude"; Thoma's is "Protector From Afar".
 * Arataki Itto's character teaser has a voice-only cameo of both Thoma and Ayato. They comment on Itto's performance before Ayato brings up how the Tenryou Commission has come to take Itto away.
 * Like how Thoma calls Ayaka "Milady", he calls Ayato, "My Lord"
 * Hiratsuka notes that whenever Ayato hangs out with Thoma, he ropes him into eating strange food, causing Thoma to become terrified whenever he sees him.
 * In Ayato's character teaser, Thoma welcomes Ayato home and says that he'll go start some tea.

Variations

 * KamiThoma refers to the ship between the two and Kamisato Ayaka
 * ThomaToLuc refers to the ship between the two and Diluc Ragnvindr