SAM AND MAX
FULL NAMES: Sam McNamara and Max Conjeo
SHIP NAME: makesmelaugh🐰🐶.rom
SHIPPED WITH: Vi Inkwell
TROPES: childhood friends, ot3, and they were roommates, height difference
SONG: MIKA - All I Wanna Talk About
SHIP PLOT: Sam and Max are already married by the time they reunite with their childhood friend, Vi Inkwell. They run into Vi whilst they're still working as a minion and, after some confusion, Vi quits their job and helps out Sam and Max.
Excited that the old gangs back together they invite Vi to stay with them as long as they need. Vi eventually felt comfortable enough to join the boys on their cases becoming an honorary third freelance police member.
None of them are really sure when their feelings stopped being platonic closeness and became romantic, but none of them really mind. Their relationship is very chill, goofy and mostly just... the same as it was before, only they're all dating now.
CROW
FULL NAME: Crow Adolwolf-Carrion
SHIP NAME: birdbrain⚙.rom
SHIPPED WITH: Sharp Flugslys
TROPES: rivals to lovers, battle couple, villain couple
SONG: Stiff Dylans - Ultraviolet
SHIP PLOT: Crow met Sharp when the Blackhat Org team were stealing a McGuffin that Crow just so happened to also be after. The two enaged in some homoerotic combat with Sharp ultimately being victorious.
They bumped into each other a few times after - beginning a rivalry that later developed into a close friendship. The two didn't realise they had romantic feeling for each other until much later - and struggled admitting it not just to each other but also themselves.
Despite that, once the awkwardness of confessing was over and done with the pair became a dangerous villainous duo - though Crow would curb some of Sharp's more... dangerous impulses.
ASTORIA CARLTON-RITZ
FULL NAME: Astoria Carlton-Ritz
SHIP NAME: darling💎.rom
SHIPPED WITH: Eclipse
TROPES: idiots to lovers, giant dorks, from different worlds, height difference
SONG: Anna - Dream a Little Dream of Me
SHIP PLOT: Astoria gets kidnapped by the Decepticons because her father was a famous inventor - despite the fact Astoria can't even touch technology without it failing.
While trying to figure out a way into her fathers technology she's left in the "care" of Eclipse. Quickly gathering that Eclipse will do anything Astoria asks in order to keep her happy Astoria begins ordering Eclipse to do things for her.
At the fair the pair bond over the fact they don't match up to their parents/superiors expectations and neither have any real friends.
Astoria gets "rescued" by the Autobots, but she and Eclipse remain friends. Astoria has a crush on him from the first time they met but doesn't act on it initially.
RAUNIP
FULL NAME: Raunip
SHIP NAME: withtraps🔮.rom
SHIPPED WITH: Umbra
TROPES: rivals to lovers, tsundere, monster romance
SHIP PLOT: Raunip and Umbra always had a unique relationship. Umbra - a trickster and playful by nature - often caught Raunip's ire for messing with the gelfling he was friends with.
Their relationship however deepened as they began to relate to each other as creatures that did not exactly belong.
The two would seperate and reunite much later - hundreds of years later - and Umbra finally found it in themself to admit how much Umbra cared for Raunip.
FORZEN
FULL NAME: Forzen "Ultimate Dragoon" Ender (YES he chose it himself)
SHIP NAME: artificialidiocy👾.rom
SHIPPED WITH: Redacted Coolatta
TROPES: enemies to lovers, size difference, battle couple (hlvrai), size difference, idiots to lovers (y2kvr)
SONG: Lemon Demon - Aurora Borealis
SHIP PLOT:HLVRAI
The pair didn't like each other until the timeskip between HL1 and HL2, staying with Kleiner they bonded over their relationships with Benry and missing him. At some point they just started... hanging out all the time.
Eventually Forzen just asked Red out and they decided to try it out. They're in the early stages of their relationship when Gordon comes back.Y2KVR
Forzen and Red are friends! As the both of them are on the creative side they bond a lot over it. Forzen actually encouraged Red to ask Spork to change their hair and pronouns while Y2K was still in development.
Red actually realised they had feelings for Forzen when under the effects of the ILOVEYOU virus but wasn't comfortable admitting it when they got un-lovecored so there's a mutual pinning phase.
SASHA NEIN AND MILLA VODELLO
FULL NAMES: Sasha Nein and Camilla "Milla" Vodello
SHIP NAME: mindmeld🧠.rom
SHIPPED WITH: C.B Cortex
TROPES: ot3, opposites attract, girlboss/malewife/malewife (nonbinary)
SHIP PLOT: Sasha and CB first met when they were both interns under Otto Mentalis. The two had an odd, aggressive and homoerotic rivalry with one another.
After a traumatic event, CB has a psychic breakdown and had a brief stint as a villain. Ultimately they were brought back to the Psychonauts by Sasha and, at the time new recruit, Milla.
After recieving some help, and a long recovery period, CB was brought back into the Psychonauts as an agent, though they were given lighter responsiblities and was not often let out on missions.
Their recovery was mostly aided by Milla, who became a good friend of both Sasha and Milla - which in turn helped smooth out some of the rougher edges of their relationship.
Their relationship is beginning to take a turn towards romance at the beginning of Psychonauts 1, when CB tags along to Whispering Rock as a camp nurse.
KURURU
FULL NAME: Sergant Major Kururu
SHIP NAME: spicy🐸.rom
SHIPPED WITH: Cyber
TROPES: opposites attract, size difference
SONG: nelward - Never Wanna Fall in Love With U
SHIP PLOT: Kururu and Cy only ended up becoming something resembling friends after Cy moved in with Saburo. Cyber was intially intimidated and considered Kururu the biggest threat towards the planet should the frogs turn on them, but after seeing how much he genuinely cares for Saburo they soften on him.
After that Cy makes it their job to annoy Kururu until he falls in love with them. As a joke, of course.