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- You know why I like you? It's because you don't believe something just because it was said by a god. You make up your own mind. You ask the questions everyone else is too cowardly to ask, and when you don't get an answer, you keep looking till you find one. Oh don't worry — your way is definitely the right way. Who says gods don't make mistakes, anyway?
- —Keqing's voiceline from "About Us - Pursuing" in Genshin Impact, presumably talking to Aether
Aeqing is the het ship between Aether and Keqing from the Genshin Impact fandom.
Canon[]
The two first interact in Act III of Liyue’s Archon Quest, where the Traveler fights and defeats the Millelith troops guarding the Guizhong ballista on their way to the Jade Chamber. The altercation ends when Keqing approaches, asking what is going on. She introduces herself to the two as she realizes that they are Ningguang’s invited guests. They have a brief discussion about Keqing’s skepticism of the gods, afterwards commenting the Traveler is a good listener. She then gives Aether the directions to the Jade Chamber and departs.
Keqing would later on be present for the battle against the Overlord of the Vortex alongside Aether. She fought together with him against the Fatui as they attacked the Guizhong Ballista. Following the conclusion of the battle, she approaches him at the Rite of Parting area and offers to repay them for their aid during the Osial confrontation. Aether requests help in setting up missing person posters around Liyue. She later comments that if he were looking someone, he could have just told her in private.
On Keqing's birthday, players received a letter from her directed towards the Traveler. Keqing offers to show Aether around Liyue Harbor. She says she'll disguise herself so they can spend time together, just the two of them.
In her voicelines, Keqing talks about a variety of topics with the Traveler. She gives him an electro lantern on his birthday for when he needs light in his life. At one point Keqing calls the Traveler the person of her dreams, but notices his surprise and clarifies that she meant her dreams for the future of Liyue. In her final ascension voiceline she asks if the Traveler will still be by her side when her dreams come true.
Moonchase Festival[]
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Lantern Rite[]
Keqing's reaction after Aether invites her to watch fireworks with him.
After Aether talked to Ningguang in the new Jade Chamber, they both went out to see Keqing. After they saw Keqing giving orders, they both noticed that Keqing has been working without rest since the preparations for the upcoming Lantern Rite. Ningguang then requests Aether to persuade Keqing to have a rest from working intensely since Keqing can be stubborn with Ningguang's words. Aether and Paimon went out to see Zhongli to ask advice on how they can persuade Keqing to take a break. Keqing then suddenly appeared catching them by surprise. Keqing asks Aether to accompany her to see the Liyue adepti and leave gifts for them. Keqing promises to make the errands quick so they can finish early and Aether replies that after the work is done, they will both see the fireworks together. With this, Keqing was caught by surprise in Aether's reply that they will see the fireworks together.
Aether and Keqing enjoying the Lantern Rite.
After they left gifts for the Liyue adepti, an urgent problem arises in Qingce Village saying the fireworks were stolen. Keqing and Aether investigated this matter of urgency and the treasure hoarders who are responsible for the incident were successfully arrested. Going back to Liyue, Aether and Paimon talked to Zhongli to prepare the story on how they can make Keqing to take a rest. Aether and Paimon then went to see Keqing and they all went to the new Jade Chamber and told Keqing the story. Keqing then shared that deep down inside her, she wants to have the time to spend walking around the city, see the people she wants to see and watch the fireworks. Thus, thanking Aether for having the time to watch fireworks together with him. Keqing wishes Aether and Paimon a happy Lantern Rite as the fireworks display begins, then mysteriously and unexpectedly repeats the sentiment as the fireworks display dies down, surprising them both.
Quotes[]
- “I've tried to talk to her, but you know how she is... She uses her wit to talk circles around anyone...
Traveler, you are quite close to Keqing, why don't you try talking to her? Maybe she'd listen to someone as experienced as you.” - — Ningguang about Aether and Keqing's relationship, in Fleeting Colors in Flight.
- “We've been on our fair share of adventures together, haven't we? The more time we spend together, the more I think you're the person of my dreams, and— Huh? Why so shocked? You're a crucial part of my dreams for the new Liyue.”
- — Keqing
- “I want you to make me a promise: come and visit when the new Liyue Harbor is born, I will show you around. After all the help and support you've given me along the way, you deserve to see Liyue reborn with your own eyes. I owe you that much.”
- — Keqing
- “I feel I have grown immensely from my travels with you. If, one day, I finally manage to make my dreams a reality... I wonder, will you still be there by my side?”
- — Keqing
Birthday Mail[]
- “I've put a few more hours in these last two days to finish all the work I might have in the near future. Since it's my birthday, I'll show you around Liyue Harbor. The night markets here are full of places to go. Between the shops that sell artisan handicrafts and those who hawk little gadgets and trinkets, even a light stroll is well worth your time. I'll change into more ordinary clothes, and disguise myself a little, so I don't get recognized by the citizenry. That way, we can spend some leisure time shopping together — just the two of us.”
- — Keqing's First Birthday Mail
- “I've been up to my neck in work lately, and before I knew it, it was my birthday again. It was only then that I also realized that it's been a long time since we last met up. How have things been lately? You're always so busy with your travels, never stopping, not even for a moment. I suppose we're alike like that — always seizing the day. It's good to live to the fullest. Time waits for no one, but the fruits of our labor, the growth we experience... These are worthy harvests that will see us through in the days ahead. But of course, rest is also paramount. I have enclosed some flowers and plants that I usually make tea with. They dispel heatiness and help to relieve fatigue. Take care of yourself out there. We'll catch up when you're back in Liyue.”
- — Keqing's Second Birthday Mail
Valentine's Day[]
- “Here, these chocolate cookies are for you. I mixed the ingredients myself to ensure a perfect balance between bitter and sweet. Thank you for spending this special day with me. I couldn't be happier. Now then, where to? Do you need me to recommend somewhere?”
- — Keqing's Valentine's Day quote, in the official Genshin Impact Twitter/X account.
Fanon[]
Despite their limited interactions in the main story, many people ship Aether with Keqing. Since the Second Lantern Rite in 2021-2022, it is Aether's most popular het ship in Liyue and was formerly the most popular het ship in the entirety of Teyvat. However, since Ayaka's arrival to the Genshin Impact cast, Aeqing is overshadowed by Ayather and is in a direct competition with other Aether's het ships from Liyue, like Aethyu or even Shenther, since Hoyoverse no longer makes cutscenes about Keqing's interactions with the Traveler. This makes Aeqing further overshadowed even by more popular slash and femslash ships, such as Ganqing and Xiaother. Many fans were driven to support Aeqing due to the letter sent to the Traveler by Keqing in honor of her birthday and from her voicelines. On AO3, there are currently over 280 fanfictions of this pairing. It is the third most written ship for Keqing.
Gameplay[]
Since Keqing has always been available since Genshin Impact version 1.0, shippers had the opportunity to carry Aether and Keqing together during explorations, whether to explore chest locations or fight enemies for fun. This was helped by the fact that Keqing was the only DPS Carry, alongside Diluc. However, META players considered Aether and Keqing to have poor synergy because none of Aether's elements favored Keqing: Aether's Anemo Whirlwind pushes enemies away, preventing Keqing from being near them to fight; while both can also cause Electro-Crystallize to create a shield to protect themselves, Aether's Geo element cannot buff Keqing's attacks due to her not being a Geo element, and finally, since the Dendro element was not yet available, Electro Aether and Keqing cannot fight decently even if they were supported by an Anemo character.
This all changed with the arrival of the Dendro element since version 3.x. Favored by the fact that this element is considered the best that Aether can have, many fans now consider Aether and Keqing to have a good synergy due to the best reaction they can do: Catalyze (Quicken, Spread and Aggravate). This allows to multiply the damage caused by Keqing to the enemies that Aether has applied the Dendro element to (Aggravate). As for the characters that are used more to support them, Yae Miko and Baizhu are currently used more to improve their performance and survivability, due to the fact that Yae Miko excels more in Catalyze reactions and Baizhu also helps applying Dendro, heals and grants a shield at the same time. However, this team is currently in competition with Nilother (Aether/Nilou) and their Bloom Team.
In the case that Free To Play players can't afford Yae Miko and Baizhu, they use Fischl and Yaoyao instead, because of them having similar skills.
These circumstances may change with the arrival of Pyro and Cryo elements for Aether. Not to mention that Hydro is considered the worst element for Aether because he doesn't apply it properly and Electro-Charged isn't a very popular reaction for players to want to team up Hydro Aether with Keqing.
Fandom[]
- FAN FICTION
- Keqing/Aether tag on AO3
- Aeqing stories on Wattpad
- Aether x Keqing stories on Wattpad
- TIKTOK
- Aether x Keqing tag on TikTok
Gallery[]
Official Art[]
Gameplay[]
_-_Keqing_-_Fischl_-_Yaoyao.png "Portraits Aether (Dendro) - Keqing - Fischl - Yaoyao.png (369 KB)")
_-_Keqing_-_Yae_Miko_-_Baizhu.png "Portraits Aether (Dendro) - Keqing - Yae Miko - Baizhu.png (381 KB)")
