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character:aster_aethersong:start [2024/06/16 16:49] – wingedasarathcharacter:aster_aethersong:start [2025/06/13 21:30] (current) – wingedasarath
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 ==== Relationships ==== ==== Relationships ====
 +===Familial===
 +==Mother==
 +Like most Viera children born in their home forests, Aster was raised primarily by his mother with the support of the rest of the village. She was named //Venase//, and whilst they loved one another, they sometimes had a tense relationship due to his adventurousness and rule-breaking. She remained warm yet stoic on the day he was taken away by his mentor, although in private afterwards she could be overheard crying.
 +
 +<WRAP left 300px centeralign> <box round=.5em>{{ :character:aster_aethersong:ffxiv_dx11_t9grakld1m.png?300 |}}</box> </WRAP> Some years later, whilst defending their village from a rampaging beast, she suffered a head injury whilst separated from the other Viera. When she came to, she had lost her memory. Not remembering who she was, nor where she was, she wandered for days, eventually by chance leaving the forest and finding her way ultimately to Doma. From there, she boarded a ship to Limsa Lominsa, and offered her services as a retainer.
 +
 +Not recognising his mother from the passing of the years, and she with no memory of her son, Aster was unknowingly reunited with her when he took her into his employ. Giving her the retainer nickname of Pipski, she took up fishing on his behalf, and - in admiration of his ever-increasingly heroic deeds as the Warrior of Light, adopted a new name, Astrid Aethersong, in admiration.
 +
 +In Aster's primary canon, neither still to this day know the truth of who the other is.
 +
 +==Father==
 +<WRAP right 200px centeralign> <box round=.5em>{{ :character:aster_aethersong:ffxiv_dx11_usb3wyxjwc.png?200 |}}</box> </WRAP> Aster has not seen his father since he was a toddler, during the man's final visit to his village. He does not even recall his father's name //(Arjm Foixewesfv)// nor what he looks like. When Aster was around four summers of age, his father stopped returning to their village, instead opting to choose a new one with which to raise another family. As such, Aster has no idea what became of him, if he has any half-siblings from the man, nor if he is even still alive.
 +
 +
 ===Platonic=== ===Platonic===
 ==Thancred== ==Thancred==
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   * His most grievous injury was the internal damage suffered in his fight against Zenos in Ultima Thule, though he thankfully made a full recovery.   * His most grievous injury was the internal damage suffered in his fight against Zenos in Ultima Thule, though he thankfully made a full recovery.
   * Aster is... not the best at remembering to shower/bathe. Which is very ironic given that during Shadowbringers he told Alphinaud to "Hurry up and shower, stinky".   * Aster is... not the best at remembering to shower/bathe. Which is very ironic given that during Shadowbringers he told Alphinaud to "Hurry up and shower, stinky".
 +  * He smells of cinnamon, sandalwood, and forests.
  
 ==Attire/Appearance== ==Attire/Appearance==
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 ==Personality== ==Personality==
   * Aster is very much a ‘stand with one hand on his hip’ person, and always hunches forward while sitting. He’s generally able to sit/stand pretty still, though will sometimes fidget with his nails. Even though his clothes are pretty flowy and embroidered, they’re also pretty flexible and don’t restrict his movement too much, so he can pretty much idle around however he wants (he wouldn’t want to be in anything that limits him too much).   * Aster is very much a ‘stand with one hand on his hip’ person, and always hunches forward while sitting. He’s generally able to sit/stand pretty still, though will sometimes fidget with his nails. Even though his clothes are pretty flowy and embroidered, they’re also pretty flexible and don’t restrict his movement too much, so he can pretty much idle around however he wants (he wouldn’t want to be in anything that limits him too much).
-  * Aster absolutely hates making big changes to himself, so once he’s found something he likes he sticks with it. His outfits have to be just right, and once he’s found attire he likes then that’s it; it’ll take a lot to make him change it, unless he’s the one initiating the change. That being said, his biggest change was his shift to his current favourite blue outfit. Prior to this, during the events leading up to and during Shadowbringers, he wore much mainly black.+  * Aster absolutely hates making big changes to himself, so once he’s found something he likes he sticks with it. His outfits have to be just right, and once he’s found attire he likes then that’s it; it’ll take a lot to make him change it, unless he’s the one initiating the change. That being said, his biggest change was his shift to his current favourite blue outfit. Prior to this, during the events of Shadowbringers, he wore mainly black.
   * He used to be quite a flirt, but as Aster has aged he tends to restrict it more to joking with friends and teasing G'raha. Though if an adventure called for it he would very much be up for flirting etc. to try and obtain information. He also has a very dirty sense of humour.   * He used to be quite a flirt, but as Aster has aged he tends to restrict it more to joking with friends and teasing G'raha. Though if an adventure called for it he would very much be up for flirting etc. to try and obtain information. He also has a very dirty sense of humour.
   * Aster is not allowed within 15 malms of a buffet. If someone says the words ‘free’ and ‘food’ in the same sentence, he's there.   * Aster is not allowed within 15 malms of a buffet. If someone says the words ‘free’ and ‘food’ in the same sentence, he's there.
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   * He’s particularly prone to going //“hmm”,// complete with the same chin-tapping with hand on elbow that Y'shtola does - he’s found himself subconsciously picking up the habit. Most of the time he’s not even aware he’s sighing/humming/muttering aloud.   * He’s particularly prone to going //“hmm”,// complete with the same chin-tapping with hand on elbow that Y'shtola does - he’s found himself subconsciously picking up the habit. Most of the time he’s not even aware he’s sighing/humming/muttering aloud.
   * He’s not generally the type to want to hurt someone maliciously, but if he really wanted to he’d absolutely go for the throat with whatever he knew their deepest inner pain was. But that would be a once-in-a-lifetime rarity event; it’s very unlike him.   * He’s not generally the type to want to hurt someone maliciously, but if he really wanted to he’d absolutely go for the throat with whatever he knew their deepest inner pain was. But that would be a once-in-a-lifetime rarity event; it’s very unlike him.
-  * If he’s in a relationship then he is fiercely monogamous. If he’s not, he’s much more open to exploring other things.+  * If he’s in a relationship then he is typically monogamous. If he’s not, he’s much more open to exploring other things. There are exceptions, however.
   * Aster can be a bit of a mixed bag: on the one hand, he likes to make teasing comments himself and tries to take things in his stride. On the other, if one knows the right buttons to push he flusters very easily. Those buttons include, but are not limited to: threats from Y'shtola, anything related to his romantic feelings, and anything involving the business dealings of Tataru, Ameliance, or Rowena.   * Aster can be a bit of a mixed bag: on the one hand, he likes to make teasing comments himself and tries to take things in his stride. On the other, if one knows the right buttons to push he flusters very easily. Those buttons include, but are not limited to: threats from Y'shtola, anything related to his romantic feelings, and anything involving the business dealings of Tataru, Ameliance, or Rowena.
   * He calls it //“controlled chaos”// because it’s all over the place, but his brain knows where he’s left everything. Everyone else just calls it a mess.   * He calls it //“controlled chaos”// because it’s all over the place, but his brain knows where he’s left everything. Everyone else just calls it a mess.
   * Aster has no qualms about clothes-stealing in relationships, and will happily poach gloves, jackets, shirts and anything else he fancies since it smells like his love.   * Aster has no qualms about clothes-stealing in relationships, and will happily poach gloves, jackets, shirts and anything else he fancies since it smells like his love.
-  * He is very much the type to waltz into a room and bust out the lamest pick-up line imaginable, even if it’s to the person he’s already dating. The cheesier the better.+  * He is very much the type to waltz into a room and bust out the lamest pick-up line imaginable, even if it’s to a person he’s already dating. The cheesier the better.
   * Aster is generally not a morning person, so he’ll still be asleep long after others have woken up. His sleep schedule is abysmal, and so he’s a huge fan of afternoon naps in the sun.   * Aster is generally not a morning person, so he’ll still be asleep long after others have woken up. His sleep schedule is abysmal, and so he’s a huge fan of afternoon naps in the sun.
   * He is the epitome of winging it; Aster goes wherever the wind blows, and just lets himself get swept away.   * He is the epitome of winging it; Aster goes wherever the wind blows, and just lets himself get swept away.
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   * Whilst he's mostly accepted he'll never be able to return to the forest where he was born, he would still like to visit one day if times change. He secretly hopes that one of the Scions' adventures will take them there so he might have a reason to go back.   * Whilst he's mostly accepted he'll never be able to return to the forest where he was born, he would still like to visit one day if times change. He secretly hopes that one of the Scions' adventures will take them there so he might have a reason to go back.
   * He is an absolutely terrible teacher, and is useless at explaining how he knows stuff.   * He is an absolutely terrible teacher, and is useless at explaining how he knows stuff.
 +  * In all verses except for his main, he is a disaster in the kitchen and should never be allowed to cook at all costs.
  
 ==Preferences== ==Preferences==
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 As a sin eater, Aster's skin is pale and marble-like, criss-crossed with dark cracks seeping a faint golden glow. Two golden halos float above his head, akin to Forgiven Obscenity, and golden wings sprout from his back. His eyeballs are now pitch black, with glowing gold irises. His new form wears very little: a golden collar with dangling ornament, golden wristcuffs and rings, golden earrings, a golden laurel upon his head, a golden thong, and golden strapping lacing down his legs. He still wields a cane, but it is transformed to suit his new appearance. As a sin eater, Aster's skin is pale and marble-like, criss-crossed with dark cracks seeping a faint golden glow. Two golden halos float above his head, akin to Forgiven Obscenity, and golden wings sprout from his back. His eyeballs are now pitch black, with glowing gold irises. His new form wears very little: a golden collar with dangling ornament, golden wristcuffs and rings, golden earrings, a golden laurel upon his head, a golden thong, and golden strapping lacing down his legs. He still wields a cane, but it is transformed to suit his new appearance.
 +
 +His transformation was painful, skin already turning white and cracking like broken marble before he finally succumbed. Before the newly-born Lightwarden could attack its former friends, the Crystal Exarch used the last of his strength to teleport the Scions to safety. Left behind, however, he was demeaned by Emet-Selch before the other disappeared into the Rift, leaving the sin eater to play with its new toy. The Exarch was then painfully devoured, but not before the last shreds of Aster's consciousness found the strength to force out an apology.
  
 <WRAP center 600px centeralign> <box round=.5em>{{:character:aster_aethersong:ffxiv_dx11_f6jcgnx7xf.png|}}</box> </WRAP> <WRAP center 600px centeralign> <box round=.5em>{{:character:aster_aethersong:ffxiv_dx11_f6jcgnx7xf.png|}}</box> </WRAP>
  
-<p></p>+<WRAP center centeralign><blockquote footer="'Predator/Prey', Wondrous Tails Prompt Oneshot">//“Get back!” Thancred shouted, readying his gunblade and holding out an arm to shepherd the others behind him.
  
-<blockquote footer="'Predator/Prey', Wondrous Tails Prompt Oneshot">//“Get back!” Thancred shouted, readying his gunblade and holding out an arm to shepherd the others behind him.+With a ghastly splintering noise, the cocoon tore apart, beams of light arcing out until its husk fell aside and the Lightwarden within came forth. The sin eater had retained much of its human form, by some miracle. Its body was that of Aster’s, still ivory and cracked, but a pair of golden wings sprouted from its back, and the halos which had formed above his head mere minutes before shone with greater intensity. It floated several ilms in the air, pure white hair drifting from the currents of aether. The Warrior of Light’s weapon had been twisted into a golden cane; his clothes, too, morphed by the overwhelming light into little more than the scantest cover around its waist and golden straps latticing its legs. It truly was a creature of terrible beauty.//</blockquote> </WRAP> 
 + 
 + 
 +===Pirate AU=== 
 + 
 +<WRAP left 400px centeralign> <box round=.5em>{{:character:aster_aethersong:pirate_aster_fancy_bg.png?400|}}</box> </WRAP> The year is 1694, and the setting is a version of the map of Etheirys with a cultural and technological level akin to the real world’s Golden Age of Piracy. The ship our heroes sail is The Seventh Dawn, crewed by a ragtag group of pirates called the Scions. 
 + 
 +Aster Aethersong 
 +Born: 15th July 1669 (Cancer) 
 +Height: 6’1” 
 +From a wealthy Eorzean family who forced him to study medicine to take over the family pharmaceutical business. However, he yearned for adventure and ran away to become a pirate. Ended up aboard the ship as its doctor. Initially unbeknownst to anyone else, he is cursed to turn into a merman whenever he gets wet, and has seemingly chosen the worst place to attempt to hide this – at sea. 
 + 
 +Aster is in a relationship with Tyr Haragin (the First Mate) and Phoenyx Eldritch (crewmate, initially taken prisoner from a rival ship). 
 + 
 +The story currently has 10 chapters, spanning the time period 14 February 1694 to 26 June 1696: 
 + 
 +**Chapter 1: It's Probably Pirates** 
 +Establishes Tyr and Aster's original captain, Adonis, and Phoenyx's original captain, Vairemont, and the rivalry between the two. Phoenyx is taken prisoner when his ship is boarded, and discovers Vairemont doesn't care if he dies, despite raising him since he was 5 years old. He's allowed to explore and help on Adonis' ship under Tyr's direct supervision. Tyr falls under some sort of enchantment that makes him act like a dick to Phoenyx; he almost kills Phoenyx. The curse is broken by a ‘true love’s kiss’ when Phoenyx kisses Tyr as the latter runs a sword through him, causing it to break. Phoenyx survives. As the ship's doctor, Aster is in charge of healing Phoenyx after Tyr's spell is broken.  
 + 
 +**Chapter 2: The Merman Incident** 
 +Phoenyx and Tyr discover Aster's merman curse when Phoenyx trips and spills a bucket of water on him, witnessing the transformation this causes. Aster begs Phoenyx and Tyr not to let slip his secret, and the trio eventually grow close enough to form a relationship. 
 + 
 +**Chapter 3: Enter the Kraken** 
 +Aster is kidnapped by Byron – the right-hand man of Asahi: a sadistic psychopath with a seething hatred for merfolk. Phoenyx and Tyr set off to rescue him. When they finally ascertain his approximate location, Phoenyx and Tyr split up to look for him. However, Phoenyx is cornered by Asahi and is forced to make a deal. He agrees to exchange his soul for Aster’s, in exchange for the man’s location so they can free him. They both use a knife to slice open their palms and seal the agreement with a bloodied handshake. Phoenyx does not know exactly how Asahi will claim this debt. Phoenyx’s hand is marked with the black spot. He doesn’t know what this means but decides it’s best to cover it with gloves as soon as he can. When they reconvene and finally find Aster, they discover he has been brutally and horrifically tortured during his captivity. 
 + 
 +<WRAP center centeralign><blockquote footer="'A Ponze of Flesh' ficlet">//“P-please, no…” he whispered, tears beginning to bubble up in the corners of his eyes as he looked down at the blade. Now he understood why it was stained so: Asahi liked to keep the blood of his previous victims upon it as a souvenir. 
 + 
 +Aster trembled, fingers grasping uselessly at the air above him. That seemed to please Asahi – his dark eyes lit up with fervour for the first time since he had entered the room. “Do try to be loud,” he goaded. “That’s the best part.” 
 + 
 +Aster screamed. 
 +//</blockquote> </WRAP> 
 + 
 +A few days later, a kraken attacks the ship, slaughtering most of the crew and tearing it apart. It's there under Byron's command to claim Phoenyx's debt. Realising this, Phoenyx surrenders himself to his fate, though he is terrified, and Tyr is forced to say goodbye as he carries Aster over his shoulder and leaps overboard to escape the final destruction of the vessel. As he's carried away, Aster witnesses Phoenyx being torn apart by the monster. 
 + 
 +<WRAP center centeralign><blockquote footer="'Phoenyx Eldritch – 1670-1694' ficlet">//As Tyr turned and Aster could at last see Phoenyx properly, he screamed. He screamed and screamed until he felt his lungs would give out. His cries were like those of a wounded animal, and all who heard them knew the purity of his pain and anguish. His arm reached out, grasping desperately at the air towards Phoenyx as the tang of iron filled his throat, his gut-wrenching pleas having burnt it raw. 
 + 
 +All he could do was watch, as if in slow motion, as the Kraken loomed up above the man. 
 +//</blockquote> </WRAP> 
 + 
 +<WRAP center 600px centeralign> <box round=.5em>{{ :character:aster_aethersong:phoenyx_ship.png?600 |}}</box> </WRAP> 
 + 
 +With Phoenyx trapped in Davy Jones' Locker, Aster and Tyr resolve to rescue him. They set out to obtain a new crew and ship; Thancred Waters, Urianger Augurelt, Y’shtola Rhul, Estinien Varlineau, G’raha Tia, and the twins Alphinaud and Alisaie Leveilleur all volunteer to be form the crew. In addition, at the guidance of Y’shtola, they obtain the services of Silas Prince, whom they have learned has the special map required to navigate to the Locker and back. In return for his map and assistance, he demands alcohol and the Captain title. They also recruit the services of Nigen Avagnar, who appears to have a history with Silas. 
 + 
 +To access the Locker, the plunge their ship over a waterfall, which destroys it. Having found Phoenyx within the Locker and been reunited, the three men and their crew need to return to the living world. They find the Seventh Dawn, somehow intact, within the Locker, and the Scions busy themselves preparing that for their escape. It is Silas who solves the riddle upon the map and successfully pulls off their escape. 
 + 
 +**Chapter 4: The Bastard's Hunt** 
 +Silas begins to take charge of the ship’s course, but is cagey on where he is navigating it to. In actuality, he is fleeing from Aurelio – his Demon father from whom he escaped, and who is hunting him down. Ultimately, the Scions vow to take down Aurelio, and start to formulate a plan. 
 + 
 +Realising they will need support in this endeavour, they end up making a deal with Byron. They agree to aid him in taking out Asahi in return for his assistance. What they didn’t realise, when they confront Asahi, is that Byron can’t just control the Kraken… he can control other aquatic beasts too. In actuality, he is a servant of Davy Jones' Locker, and its greatest debt collector. He, completely unprompted, shoves Aster over the edge into the sea. Tyr and Phoenyx just stare in disbelief and confusion. And then, before they can say anything, Aster backflips out the water. Except… this isn’t his usual form – it’s far more monstrous, scales covering much more of his body, hands clawed and webbed, teeth rows of sharp spikes, eyes slitted, and spines running the length of his back. Leaping from the waves once more, he grabs Asahi, dragging him over the edge of the ship and into the ocean. As the man feels himself being pulled into the waves, he looks up to see Byron standing at the railing and smirking for the first time since he came under Asahi’s employ. “Time’s up,” Byron says. Then with a feral, inhuman shriek from Aster, Asahi is dragged screaming beneath the waves, which quickly turn crimson with blood. With Byron taking command of Asahi’s ship and crew, he sails his boat alongside theirs ready to take on Aurelio. 
 + 
 +**Chapter 5: The Trouble With Tyr** 
 +Escaping from a tussle with Aurelio’s minions, Tyr is the farthest back as the group flee, and finds himself captured. Their pursuer wants to know where the others would flee to, but Tyr refuses to give them up, and is handed to Aurelio. Tyr is imprisoned and tested upon by Aurelio with a number of experimental curses. The first is tailored uniquely to him: he will feel nothing and will never be satisfied. The second will slowly transform him into a monster. The final one will resurrect him should he die, which Aurelio intends to test shortly. Following his period of imprisonment, Tyr is dragged to the gallows. 
 + 
 +In the meantime, the Scions have been formulating a rescue plan. They reach the site of the execution just in time to see the hatch drop and Tyr be hanged, though he cannot see them. His neck does not snap, leaving him hanging and slowly strangling. The others race forwards, most of the crew holding their enemies back whilst Phoenyx and Aster sprint for Tyr. He’s unconscious before he has the chance to know anyone has come to rescue him. The pair cut Tyr down. He’s not breathing. Frantically, Phoenyx begins to try to resuscitate him. After what seems like eternity, just as they begin to think he’s gone for good, Tyr gasps as he regains consciousness. 
 + 
 +Once his initial outburst of emotions subsides, an uneasy feeling settles upon Phoenyx: he was certain he had sensed Tyr had died… and also that his soul had somehow come back to him. As Aster continues his checks, Phoenyx simply stares at Tyr with a haunted expression. The other thing unnerving Phoenyx is… where did he //get// that ability? 
 + 
 +Following his brush with death, Tyr seems to slowly begin acting strangely. With his sea witch sensitivities, Phoenyx picks up a hint of Tyr’s curses and tries to tell him, but the man brushes it off. Silas detects it immediately, but says nothing and simply observes. Tyr gradually begins to change: he finds he can breathe fire. He begins emotionally shutting down and pulling away. It starts smaller, with quieter reactions, until one days there is simply… nothing. His responses are short, his hold is stiff, and he rarely kisses Aster and Tyr anymore. 
 + 
 +Tracking down Aurelio for a final confrontation, Phoenyx, Silas, Tyr, Aster, and Nigen form a boarding party to raid the demon’s ship. They swing aboard and begin fighting with Aurelio’s men. Silas kills Aurelio, finally getting his revenge and securing his freedom from the man. However, something seems wrong with Nigen. In an all-consuming rage, she calls upon her saviour from the sky (Nidhogg), whose power overwhelms her. She uses it to destroy Aurelio’s ship, but her control is slipping. The other’s are forced to frantically flee, mostly swinging and leaping, back to the Seventh Dawn to escape as Aurelio’s vessel is disintegrated around them. 
 + 
 +They find that killing Aurelio does not break Tyr’s curse, but //does// weaken it. Aster recalls how Byron controlled the Kraken and his merman form, and concludes he likely has extensive knowledge of the supernatural. Byron still terrifies him after the Asahi incident – he still has nightmares about losing control like that, feeling his body warp so much... feeling the crunch of bone beneath his jaw and the hot iron tang of ripped flesh in his mouth – but Phoenyx cut a deal to save him, so it’s only right he be prepared to do the same in turn. He loves both Tyr and Phoenyx so much, and it's breaking his heart to see what's happening, so he puts on a brave face, steels himself, and approaches Byron to seek his knowledge. Byron agrees to a deal: the knowledge that only True Love’s Kiss will break the curse, in return for something from Aster – and his heart for the man who fills it seems a fair price. Aster asks for a little time before Byron claims on the debt, to which he agrees. 
 + 
 +Up on deck, Aster tries to convince Phoenyx to join him in saving Tyr together, but he's too traumatised from Tyr's cursed behaviour and leaves. Aster, sobbing, breaks the curse alone with a kiss. 
 + 
 +<WRAP center centeralign><blockquote footer="'True Love's Kiss' ficlet">//Each footfall was slow and hesitant, as if his legs were made of lead, but when he at last reached the man he dropped to one knee before him, taking his face in his hands. Aster pressed their foreheads together, gulping down his sobs as his shoulders visibly shook. 
 + 
 +“I-I'm sorry, Tyr...” he whispered. “I... I know it's not your fault... Please...” His tone was hushed, but fervent. “Please... come back to us...” 
 + 
 +Tentatively, he tilted his head to press their mouths together, salty tears still coating his lips, and he ever-so-tenderly moved them against Tyr's. His fingers gripped tighter into the man's hair, clutching him like a talisman of prayer, as he poured all of his hopes and heart into his wish that this might work. At last, after time had seemed to drag on for eternity, he gently parted them, grazing his thumb over Tyr's cheek as his glossy eyes roved the man's face for any trace of emotion. 
 +//</blockquote> </WRAP> 
 + 
 +This works, and after several days, Phoenyx and Tyr eventually reconcile. As time passes, Aster begins to act more and more anxious and outside his norm. Phoenyx picks up on this and senses something is deeply amiss, particularly as it reminds him of his own behaviour before he was consumed by the Kraken. However, before things can escalate, Aster comes to the realisation that he’d been so deeply hurt when Phoenyx didn’t tell them about his deal, that he’d just be perpetuating the same cycle by doing the same. And so one night he sits his boyfriends down to tell them about his debt. He explains about the deal, but reassures them that it’s going to be okay. And truly, they’re the only ones he trusts to look after his heart – it’s going to be fine. And he suggests that they build a chest together to store his heart in: one with two locks and a key for each of them, one with a P engraved upon it, one with a T, and the lock frame with an A upon it. Phoenyx still begins crying, saying that he’s sorry, he should have been there for him, and that he should have been stronger then Aster wouldn’t have needed to do this. Aster just cups his cheeks like he did for Tyr and presses their foreheads together too. He murmurs softly how much he loves him, and that he did it //because// it's been too much for them to bear alone, but that's why they share the burdens out together between them. 
 + 
 +Phoenyx and Tyr accompany Aster to settle his debt. They head to Byron's quarters, where the man has Aster sign a contract in his own blood as a formality. Byron then rips out his still-beating heart, giving it to the others for safekeeping as Aster collapses to the ground. 
 + 
 +<WRAP center centeralign><blockquote footer="'The Keepers of His Heart' ficlet">//The ginger Viera couldn’t help but lean back slightly as he neared. He was acutely aware that the seconds of his mortal life were draining rapidly. His pulse quickened, and he felt his breath start to come out in rasps. Despite all he willed it, his eyes shimmered with the prickle of fearful tears, and he squeezed his partners’ hands so tightly his knuckles went white. 
 + 
 +“Please make it quick…” he breathed. 
 + 
 +Byron regarded him reticently. His head tilted to one side, and he took another step closer, until Aster could feel the man’s every exhale of air upon his face. 
 + 
 +“It wasn’t quick for me,” he whispered in reply, inaudible to all but his imminent victim. 
 + 
 +Aster was not given the luxury of time to react. The last grain of sand slipped through the hourglass of his life as a hand reached up and through the skin of his chest. There was no bleeding, no external sign of injury, but he gasped as he felt a visceral wrongness to the limb’s presence, and the sickening feeling of ice-cold fingers wrapping around his desperately beating organ. 
 +//</blockquote> </WRAP> 
 + 
 +Phoenyx realises that the reason Byron chose this particular price is that it is one he himself has paid. Both Phoenyx and Tyr wear their keys on necklaces to keep them close to their hearts and at less risk of being stolen or lost. The separation from his heart renders Aster effectively immortal unless it is stabbed, but his emotions will grow fainter the greater his distance from it. 
 + 
 +Nigen’s curse has particularly intensified after the incident during the fight with Aurelio. She has progressively become more prone to snapping, more easily irritated, has isolated herself more and more, and no longer allows anyone to touch her. Nidhogg’s growing calls for her are becoming ever harder to manage. Eventually she stops sleeping due to it, the weariness clearly visible on her face. One morning, Tyr finds Nigen by the ship’s railing, staring out into the ocean. She feels a kind of kinship with him, due to how similar their draconic curses are, and discloses to him that she doesn't have much time left, and that the next time they call at a port she plans to leave the ship and go her own way. She explains that what's left in her - beside the anger - is fear, that if she doesn't go find what's calling to her, it may come and find her instead. And if what was left of Aurelio's ship is any example to go by, that could have disastrous consequences for the Seventh Dawn and its crew. The last spark of humanity within her cares about them, and doesn't want them to come to harm because of her. Tyr understands getting every emotion chipped away until one has nothing left…. He knows how dangerous that could be and he’s torn. He wants her to stay because she’s his friend, but he knows how much danger she could be, and he’s quiet as he thinks about it. He suggests leaving only as a last resort: they will do their utmost to find a way to free her until it comes to that point. And even if she leaves they’ll keep looking, and when they find something they’ll seek her out again. 
 + 
 +Nigen sneaks away and leaves the ship as they make port. Silas is the last person to find out she’s gone. She did not tell him about her plan, and asked Tyr not to say a word, so that he only discovers she’s missing once it’s too late to stop her. This causes an argument to break out between Silas and Tyr on deck that decends into a fight. Tyr wins. 
 + 
 +**Chapter 6: Jörmungandr** 
 +Phoenyx and Tyr declare vows to each other in a ‘wedding’ amidst a whirling maelstrom. Following this, Phoenyx, somehow (partially as a side-effect of all the curses now afflicting the crew) ends up pregnant with an egg inside him. And somehow, he knows it's Tyr's. Aster, as the ship's surgeon, is concerned and closely monitors their health, particularly when the egg seems to be causing the two of them to be acting strange. Eventually, Aster is forced to surgically remove it, and the three of them watch as from it hatches Jörmungandr: the World Serpent. Aster finds the hatchling a bucket of water, and they start to raise it. 
 + 
 +**Chapter 7: How Do You Solve A Problem Like Y’dehlya?** 
 +By now, the boys are getting pretty famous across the sea: the witch who escaped from hell, the sea dragon, and the siren. However, after everything that has happened, tensions with Byron and his vessel are rising. This finally culminates in a battle between the two ships, with a smaller boat containing Monroe, Crash and Kouh’to (who have been following the Seventh Dawn whilst investigating a mysterious locket belonging to Kouh'to's ancestor) becoming caught up in the midst. Monroe is captured by Byron and held aboard his ship, the Ragnarok. Attempting to escape, she ends up in a swordfight with the man, whilst Crash and Kouh’to try to row over to help her in a lifeboat. Monroe, realising she’s losing and wanting to keep the locket out of Byron’s hands, sees the boys down below and tosses the locket to them. It falls into the waves but Crash dives in after it. He and Kouh’to are hauled up onto the Seventh Dawn. The locket, bearing the soul of Byron's long-dead lover Y'dehlya, has a similar – albeit weaker – effect on the man as his heart being nearby - causing him to actually feel emotions. Phoenyx and Tyr order their not-so-little-anymore Jörmungandr to destroy Byron’s ship. Monroe is knocked into the water by the beast’s emergence, with the boys rescuing Monroe from the water up onto the Seventh Dawn’s deck. Byron calls upon the sea serpent Leviathan in turn, but it is defeated by Jörmungandr in a titanic battle which destroys Byron’s ship. 
 + 
 +With Byron held above the Seventh Dawn's deck in Jörmungandr's jaws, Phoenyx pulls out the man's heart and threatens him with it. Y'dehlya's spirit, at the sight of what’s happening, manages to manifest a more physical to – much to everyone’s surprise – get between Byron and Phoenyx, delcaring, “I’ve seen //enough//.” Aster wants to hear Byron’s story. This man decided to cut out his heart in some sick poetic cycle and he wants to know exactly why. He feels that after all that he has a right to know the whole truth. Aster crouches down in front of Byron and rips the man's shirt open to reveal their matching scars, then demands in a cold, calm voice //“Tell me why.”// Byron begins to tell his story from the very beginning. With Dehlya’s assistance, and using his powers to project a vision of it over the area for all to actually see for themselves. Byron explains how he and Dehlya fell in love. How she was cursed similarly to Tyr and was made the intended summoning vessel for Leviathan. How they only found out when it was too late that – unlike for Tyr – killing the man who cursed her would kill her too, as part of the summoning ritual. Byron, with the powers he then freshly gained from the Locker, managed to snag a piece of her soul, somehow completing the ritual and transforming it into Leviathan. The remainder of her soul, broken by this, ended up bound to the locket he had gifted her. After Byron finishes his story, Aster suddenly grabs him by the throat with one hand, choking him and growling through gritted teeth, “You knew. All this time you //knew// what it felt like. And still – //still// you inflicted that pain on us.” He throws Byron to the ground and stalks off below deck, threatening, “My mercy is letting them decide your fate.” 
 + 
 +Phoenyx, however, pities Byron, and extends him a hand. Suddenly a figure appears on the deck, curling out of dark mist and walking towards them. “A fine mess you’ve made of things here, Byron.” Byron recognises him as Hades, the physical manifestation the Locker itself uses to interact with the mortal world. Hades sighs, irritated. Not only is his favourite and finest debt collector //feeling// things again, but Phoenyx is walking around free and Aster has a contract that is draining his resources every time he has to heal. He gives a vivid demonstration of just how powerless Byron has been as a thrall to resist him: he commands him to retrieve Aster from the lower deck, with specific instructions to use any means necessary but to keep him alive. With his heart in such close proximity, it is plain on Byron’s face that he does not want to do this, but his body is moving on its own. Byron brings Aster back roughed and tied up and hoisted over his shoulder, anguish returning more and more to his face the closer he gets. He deposits Aster gently at the feet of his master, then crumples to his knees. 
 + 
 +Hades offers them a wager. A //test//. “If you win, Byron gets to keep his freedom. If I win, I drag him, you, and all of your silly little crew down into the depths once more.” Phoenyx, being the impulsive person he is, and still a little high off his own power after taking down Byron, agrees immediately to these terms. He goes so far as to bargain further: “But it's only fair if my prize matches yours. When I win, you let all of us continue as we are. Byron, Y'dehlya, and I freed, Tyr and Aster and the rest of my crew spared from your wrath. I know my connection to you can never be severed so long as I still live, but I will not be indebted to you for it.” Hades agrees, and temporarily frees Byron and grants Y’dehlya a physical body. The trial won’t be yet; there are matters to attend to first. 
 + 
 +**Chapter 8: w[h]ei mor[n] herr[n] no[n]** 
 +Witch hunters connected to the Ishgardian Church have set their sights on Phoenyx. They have hired a number of independent mercenaries and bounty hunters for this task, and have paid Ren – a self-serving outlaw – to infiltrate the Seventh Dawn crew and get a pre-prepared crystal pendant upon the sea witch. Unbeknownst to the protagonists, the same Church are the ones responsible for a number of their other misadventures, including paying Phoenyx’s former crew for information, and leaking Aster’s location and knowledge of his merman status to Asahi. They prefer to work by orchestrating events at a distance, from the shadows. Byron, Dehlya, and Monroe have split from the Scions temporarily to pursue a lead and take some time for Byron to experience actual humanity for the first time in over a century. The Scions decide to hire an extra pair of hands or two temporarily to account for this, which is how Ren gets onboard. After a short while, she gifts Phoenyx the necklace as a token of her appreciation for being allowed as part of the crew. 
 + 
 +During a regular physical checkup, Aster notices that Phoenyx is decidedly unwell. His pulse is slowed, skin pale, and his reflexes are dulled. Phoenyx asks the crew to make port for that evening, as he’s feeling unsteady on the water, and so they dock in a nearby harbour. Aster and Tyr find Phoenyx sitting out on the deck at night. He’s staring out at the waves, and admits that the sea feels so… //distant//. The cold is cutting through him but he doesn’t move, and is cold to the touch when Tyr picks him up to bring him to bed. However, once his partners are asleep, Phoenyx heads off-ship into the port town, his worsening trauma and fear making him want off the ship as soon as possible. It’s then that he is kidnapped by the witch hunters and bundled into the cargo hold of their own ship. Ren takes his key to Aster’s heart chest during this and sends it away to those who hired her, then returns to the Seventh Dawn undetected. 
 + 
 +The next morning, Aster and Tyr search for Phoenyx in a panic. Tyr finds the only evidence initially left behind: Phoenyx’s coughed up blood spattered on the ground. Once they’ve checked the ship, Tyr searches the port whilst Aster dives into the harbour in case he had fallen into the water. It is during this search that Byron, Dehlya, and Monroe return, two learning of the situation as they board the Seventh Dawn whilst the third runs into Tyr scouring the docks. Upon returning to the ship, they find a bird of prey has dropped a taunting ‘ransom’ note with a lock of Phoenyx’s distinctive hair attached. //‘We have him. Alive, for now. Find us if you want to keep it that way.’// Dehlya can detect a supernatural ‘trace’ on the note, which she is able to track akin to a dog following a scent. Tyr and Silas argue again as they are now searching for Phoenyx once more whilst they still have not started looking for Nigen. The heated exchange is broken up by Crash and Kouh'to, who rush in front of Tyr. Crash gives him a pleading look, whilst Kouh’to holds up Koana - the ship's cat - in front of him with large kitty eyes. “Mister First Mate, sir, stop fighting the Captain, you’re making him sad.” 
 + 
 +Meanwhile, Phoenyx’s body continues to gradually decompose as he’s held prisoner, bloating slightly with gas and increasingly coughing up blood. He’s taken to a cape, where he’s held trapped on land a little away from the shore to keep him severed further from the Locker. Dehlya tracks the supernatural trace from the ransom letter to a second note, which, to everyone’s horror, contains a piece of Phoenyx’s ear. She then tracks this note to a third, which is covered with Phoenyx’s blood and contains co-ordinates to his location… //which is back in the opposite direction from where they’ve been led.// As soon as they have the location, however, they move quickly. Byron calls upon Leviathan to carry as many of them as possible quickly, whilst Tyr calls upon Jörmungandr to tow the Seventh Dawn. Aster, meanwhile, dives into the sea and begins to swim there as fast as possible, his raw desperation bringing out his full merman features. Upon seeing Phoenyx's state, they slaughter the kidnappers (with Tyr tossing some into the waters for Aster to rip apart) and remove the necklace from Phoenyx, destroying it. Aster and Tyr keep watch over Phoenyx during his painful recovery. 
 + 
 +Aster approaches Silas with a plan to save Nigen. He proposes to use his siren song to lull her into a trance and keep her subdued as they help her. They're still missing the piece of the puzzle needed to free her from Nidhogg's grasp, but it's a start. Through Thea’s connections, it is discovered that an artefact which they believe can help weaken Nidhogg’s hold on Nigen is locked up in the catacombs beneath a cathedral owned by the Ishgardian Church. Monroe is the only one with the right skillset to sneak in without being detected by the Church. She successfully steals the artefact, but in doing so ends up in a dual with one of its guards whilst silhouetted against the cathedral’s stained-glass window. 
 + 
 +The crew track down Nigen’s location, and prepare to confront her. Nidhogg himself turns out to be an entity trapped in the eye of a raging storm; his body cannot be seen in its entirety, merely the shape of //something// moving amongst the clouds as lightning rains down around it. It is at this eye, in his lair, where Nigen awaits. Aster attempts to sneak in first and subdue her with his song. Nigen begins to react to it, and it appears as if it’s working, but Nidhogg becomes enraged and causes her to attack, slitting Aster’s throat to silence the song. The rest of the crew rush in, using the artefact to weaken Nidhogg’s grip upon her. They fall one-by-one, until Silas is the only one left standing. Silas walks up to Nigen and embraces her. “I know you’re still in there,” he tells her. “Don’t you //dare// let him win.” After all this time, Nigen cannot be brought back as her own separate person, but to save her life she //can// be merged with Nidhogg with the scales of control tipped in her favour. The artefact they found resonates: it was never something to sever the connection, but the artefact which was originally used to summon Nidhogg in the first place. And it can facilitate the fusion. The combination of Silas, her love for him, and her own resilience is enough to make the merger succeed. Nigen collapses into Silas’ arms. Her physical form is mostly unchanged, although her eyes now appear more draconic. 
 + 
 +**Chapter 9: Sanctimonious** 
 +Asarath Erasychion, high ranking member of the Ishgardian Church, has been passed the key obtained from Phoenyx during his kidnapping, along with intelligence upon the location of the other key and the contents of the box they open. She arranges a trap to kidnap Tyr as part of a twofold plan: obtain his key, and use him as bait to also capture Phoenyx and Aster. When they next make port, Tyr finds a note left for him: //“I have information on your sister’s whereabouts. Meet me at dusk behind the Fallen Priest tavern. Come alone.”// When Tyr takes the bait, he finds himself kidnapped and transported to a cell in Ishgard where he is imprisoned. 
 + 
 +A day later, in the middle of the night, Phoenyx’s former crew, an Ishgardian ship, raids the Seventh Dawn and kidnaps Phoenyx, then flee. They were working for Asarath, and Phoenyx finds himself locked up in a cell next to Tyr’s. As the Seventh Dawn pursues a skiff they believe may be holding their comrades, Aster spies some of Tyr’s scales and locks of Phoenyx’s hair floating in the water. Silas sees what the man is about to do and calls out, “No, Aster //wait-!”// but he’s too late; the Viera dives into the water after them, and falls right into the trap as the skiff reels in the net it was towing behind it, scooping up the merman and hauling him in. Aster ends up imprisoned in a cell adjacent to the other two. He knew the scales and hair would be trap, and that he was walking right into it, but deep down he didn’t actually care because he just wanted to be with Phoenyx and Tyr again, even it if meant being held captive. All cell bars in the prison are made of a core of the same anti-supernatural crystal used on Phoenyx, plated with metal, to prevent their escape by use of any powers. Asarath sets about torturing the boys in a variety of ways. including sewing Aster's mouth shut so he can't use his siren song. Once she’s unlocked the heart chest, she has the keys and lock melted down into a branding iron that she uses to brand the three men with matching marks. It’s a mark used by the Church to brand heretics, and she places it on each of them at the base of their spines. 
 + 
 +Two months later, Asarath has arranged a very large public execution for the three men. It’s designed as a spectacle, with a large gallows and crowd baying for their blood. She whips up the onlookers into a frenzy before the men are even led out, stripped bare with hands tied behind their backs. They’re beaten and bloodied, Aster’s mouth still sewn shut and Tyr’s back is missing many of its scales. She starts her performance, dropping Aster first since he can't die, and letting him choke as she has his heart brought out on a silver platter. Her guards force a potion down Tyr's throat that causes an even greater draconic transformation, and Phoenyx is forced to swallow shards of the same crystal pendant which had nearly killed him. Before matters can proceed further however, the Scions and their allies interrupt proceedings. Byron leads the charge, come to collect on a debt to the Locker, even though he is now technically freed from it. Byron commands the guards to cut the trio down, using powers from the Locker over those who owe it a debt (and the Church has taken quite a number of items from it). They mindlessly obey, and Asarath’s eyes widen as she realises she’s been quickly outnumbered.  
 + 
 +Asarath grabs Aster’s heart and begins to flee, with Tyr giving chase in fear and anger that she’ll destroy it. He pursues her all the way to the top of the cathedral, where, cornered, she turns and pulls out another dagger, threatening to stab the heart if he comes any closer. Tyr calls her bluff on his reflexes, decapitating her. He returns from the cathedral with her head carried roughly in one hand and Aster’s heart cradled delicately in the other. Aster, meanwhile, is cradling Phoenyx, and is forced to perform emergency srugery to remove the crystal shards from him. 
 + 
 +**Chapter 10: Nightmare** 
 +Phoenyx, Tyr, Aster, Byron, Y’dehlya, and Monroe are all have the same shared nightmare of the Kraken attacking the ship. Each one wakes up as they die in the dream. The next morning, Phoenyx apologises to Tyr and Aster. He knows why they all had the dream - it's a preview of what will happen should they fail the Locker's test - and he’s so sorry that his choices are hurting them. He swears that, whatever the Locker’s test is, he won’t fail it. 
 + 
 +<WRAP center 600px centeralign> <box round=.5em>{{ :character:aster_aethersong:2024-08-20_18-53-13-060_off.png?600 |}}</box> </WRAP> 
 + 
 + 
 +===Co-WoL Verse With Phoenyx=== 
 +[UNDER CONSTRUCTION] 
 + 
 +<WRAP center 50px centeralign> <box round=.5em>{{ :character:aster_aethersong:untitled_artwork_1.png?50 |}}</box> </WRAP> 
 + 
 + 
 +===Co-WoL Verse With Phoenyx & Tyr=== 
 +[UNDER CONSTRUCTION] 
 + 
 +<WRAP center 50px centeralign> <box round=.5em>{{ :character:aster_aethersong:untitled_artwork_1.png?50 |}}</box> </WRAP> 
 + 
 + 
 + 
 +===Co-WoL Verse With Y'dehlya=== 
 +[UNDER CONSTRUCTION] 
 + 
 +<WRAP center 50px centeralign> <box round=.5em>{{ :character:aster_aethersong:untitled_artwork_1.png?50 |}}</box> </WRAP> 
 + 
 + 
 + 
 +===Co-WoL Verse With Tyr=== 
 +[UNDER CONSTRUCTION] 
 + 
 +<WRAP center 50px centeralign> <box round=.5em>{{ :character:aster_aethersong:untitled_artwork_1.png?50 |}}</box> </WRAP> 
 + 
 + 
 + 
 +===Band AU=== 
 + 
 +<WRAP left 400px centeralign> <box round=.5em>{{ :character:aster_aethersong:80064050.png?400 |}}</box> </WRAP> Modern AU using the Etheirys map. Some fantasy elements like the various spoken races, aether etc. remain. The most popular social media app is called Meteion (analogous to real-world Twitter). 
 + 
 +Follows the adventures of the Seventh Dawn band and their associates. 
 + 
 +The band consists of: Tyr (drums), Phoenyx (bass), Silas (rhythm guitar), Y’dehlya (lead singer), Monroe (lead guitar), and Aster (keyboard). 
 + 
 +Byron is their pet ‘Normal Guy’ who is a TA in a local university and Dehlya’s long-term partner. 
 + 
 +Estinien is a former member who is replaced by Phoenyx when he leaves to do his own stuff. He is also Silas’ boyfriend. 
 + 
 +Nigen is Silas' childhood friend whom he met while bouncing around foster care; they meet again during one of the band’s concerts. She can’t play any instruments but has a nice singing voice. She hosts a podcast with Ysayle. 
 + 
 +G’raha Tia is Byron’s roommate who starts off in the dark about Byron’s connections to a famous rock band. He eventually ends up dating Aster. 
 + 
 +The partners of band members (and some honorary others) have a group chat known as the Boyfriend Chat they co-ordinate through. Members of the chat are: Estinien, Byron, Nigen, Aymeric, and eventually Raha. 
 + 
 +Some members of the band have social media accounts for fan interaction. Aster posts gratuitous selfies on his, whilst Dehlya uses hers to like the thirst selfies which Silas posts on his. There is a popular fansite for the band, which Byron skims. Aster and Dehlya share a secret anonymous account to ‘leak’ photos and join in the conversations without anyone knowing its them. 
 + 
 +**Aster’s Backstory** 
 +Age: 25 
 +Primary instrument: Keyboard 
 +Secondary instruments: Vocals, Flute 
 +Aster joins the band after they’ve initially formed, once the founding members have graduated school. He comes from a rich background, where he had been made to learn piano and sent to a private school for his education, and helps to fund the band’s equipment and costs. 
 +He is, however, disowned by his parents for this – specifically his father. His family wealth comes from their ownership of a Big Pharma company with cartel connections, and his father is abusive. He had groomed his son to take on the family business when he passed on, and was disgusted when Aster chose to throw that away.  
 +He is actually Monroe’s older half-brother. His father had an affair, and in retaliation his mother, Astrid, had one of her own. Aster was only a child at the time, and so only has vague, mostly repressed, memories of the event. His father forced his mother to dispose of the baby as he wanted to keep up appearances and refused to have a child who was not his by blood be a potential inheritor. 
 + 
 + 
 +Once G'raha learns the truth about his roommate Byron's girlfriend, and his secret connections to the band, he begins to spend more time with them, and eventually, following quite a bit of dancing around their feelings, ends up dating Aster. 
 + 
 +Following a long series of conversations between Aster and Monroe on their respective pasts, and Aster’s vague recollections that his mother had maybe had another child when he was very young, the pair do a DNA test and discover they truly are half-siblings. 
 + 
 +As the pair bond over their newfound shared blood, they open up to one another about their pasts. Aster tells Monroe about how abusive his father was, owning a large pharmaceutical company with cartel connections, and how he’s pretty certain that’s why his mother was forced to give Monroe up. He describes how the man was controlling and violent, and whilst he had groomed Aster to be his heir, he had been the one to insist on disowning him when Aster left to pursue his dreams in the band. 
 + 
 +At Monroe’s encouragement, Aster sings a verse in a diss track Monroe writes about his father and how much of a twat the man is. Seeing this, however, and at the media attention and scrutiny it brings upon him, Aster’s dad decides to leverage his cartel connections to have his son and Monroe kidnapped as a threat. Their mother tries to stop him, but fails, and the threat to her children’s lives gives her the impetus to finally leave him and file for divorce. 
 + 
 +Aster and Monroe are kidnapped whilst out shopping, bundled into a blacked-out SUV with fake plates as they walk home from the store. They find themselves tied to chairs in an abandoned warehouse, and are roughed up by the cartel whilst there. Monroe does her best to help Aster keep calm during it, as she’s been beaten up before and knows to keep her head down. Her brother, meanwhile, tries his best to keep their kidnappers focussed on him, not her, to shield her as he believes a big brother should. Monroe calls him an idiot (in an affectionate ‘I struggle to actually say I care’ way) and puts herself between him and the kidnappers. (It does, however, get her in the heart that he //cares// enough to try). 
 + 
 +As the band and their inner circle realise what has happened, they begin to take action. Tyr drives around where they were last seen to see if they somehow escaped. Byron has a panic attack. Dehlya and Silas set out to attempt to rescue them themselves. The others (sensibly) await the authorities. 
 + 
 +Following their safe (enough) return, the kidnapping is traced back to Aster’s father, who is investigated by authorities and ultimately sentenced to life in prison for his criminal activities. 
 + 
 +The siblings’ mother tracks them down and reconciles with them, telling them she’s proud of them and that she’s sorry she didn’t do more to stand up to her husband. She tells Monroe that the name she gave her at birth was ‘Svana’. After getting to know her more, and warming to her after realising her mother truly does love her, Monroe decides to take this as her middle name. 
 + 
 +Following these events, Aster gets a touch more protective of Monroe as a result, including giving her partner //the talk//. This involves staring up at Aymeric whilst Aster, the least threatening twink on the planet, tries his best to look intimidating. 
 + 
 + 
 +===Pantheon AU=== 
 +<WRAP right 200px centeralign> <box round=.5em>{{:character:aster_aethersong:ffxiv_dx11_ychufmwxo1.png?200 |}}</box> </WRAP> A verse wherein there exist two rival pantheons of deities. Each god has a True Name, a Godly Name, and their Title. Mortals do not know their true names. 
 + 
 +Aster is his True Name, Baldr is his Godly name, and his title is Warrior of Light. He is a god of nature, healing, and light. He is part of the same pantheon as Tyr, the god of war - the Hellenes. 
 + 
 +He is beloved by many of the other gods, and nothing can harm him except for the aster flower. As a result, the other gods of his pantheon make a game out of throwing things at him to watch them bounce off. During some of their celebrations, Silas (the trickster god Loki from the opposite pantheon) murders him with an aster flower, inciting the war and rivalry between the two pantheons. 
 + 
 +As the one who killed the deity decides which underworld they are sent to, Aster ends up in the hell of the other pantheon, known as both Hel and The Sunless Sea, which is ruled over by Phoenyx (Deimos, god of death). Phoenyx does not take kindly to Aster's light being brought to parts of hell that it doesn't belong. However, Aster finds that the darkness there starts to snuff him out little by little, apart from one small patch where he sleeps which manages to bloom a handful of flowers. 
 + 
 +<WRAP left 200px centeralign> <box round=.5em>{{ :character:aster_aethersong:ffxiv_dx11_he6eadma7b.png?200|}}</box> </WRAP> Whilst down there he occassionally suffers at the hands of Asarath, who is Phoenyx's daughter. He made her long ago using clay from the underworld to take on the role of the god of fear and torture, as he had a penchant for going too far when left in charge of the torture of damned souls himself. He cut half of that part of himself out, and put it into her. 
 + 
 +The various underworlds are all connected by rivers, and it is theoretically possible - if one had the vessel and knowledge - to sail between them, though it is a perilous journey. The only death god who can resurrect a killed god is the one from their pantheon, whom for Aster is Hades, and they must be in their own underworld, which motivates Aster to want to attempt the journey eventually. 
 + 
 +The time comes when Phoenyx is kidnapped and imprisoned by Hades. Aster seeks the aid of Y'dehlya (Maguayan) and the ferryman of the underworlds, Monroe (who has many names, but to Aster's pantheon she is Charon). Monroe demands a toll be paid, and Aster offers the last of the flowers that bloomed where he was sleeping down there - a perfect balance of light/life and dark/death, and containing a tiny fragment of his divine power. 
 + 
 +One day, far in the future, a hero on a quest needs to unpetrify the unpetrifiable, and completes a task for Monroe to earn the flower Aster paid that day. For the hero was told: "Nothing can turn this maiden back from stone, for Hegemone is the most ancient of basilisks, except mayhap for the singular flower said to have been given by Baldr to Charon in return for passage back to his underworld." 
 + 
 +When Tyr rescues Phoenyx and fulfils an ancient prophecy by the two falling in love, Aster joins the revolution against the established order of the pantheons which they incite. Upon returning to Hel, they discover Asarath - who was for a long time content with her role as a torturer - has looked to claim the realm for herself, and she is sitting on upon Phoenyx's throne, the place decorated with flayed souls of the damned and her with a goblet of blood made from a skull to sip from. 
 + 
 + 
 +===Cowboy AU=== 
 + 
 +Aster is the deputy to the town Sheriff (Byron). He's young and hotheaded, and when he's not working he spends a lot of time in the local saloon, The Crimson Chocobo, run by Dehlya (which he has been kicked out of for a day or two before, for bad behaviour). The town was cursed by a young woman (Monroe) hanged there long ago for suspected witchcraft, and she summoned a devil (Silas) as she died. In the present, Nigen - a bounty hunter of the supernatural - has arrived in town and made a deal with this same devil. 
 + 
 +Phoenyx, new in town, quickly falls for a local cowboy, Tyr. Aster, Dehlya, and Byron were placing bets on how long until they got together - Byron won. Shortly after, however, Tyr is afflicted by the curse, raising intense suspicion on Phoenyx. Aster confronts him in the saloon one day: 
 + 
 +<WRAP center centeralign><blockquote footer="Cowboy AU scene">//Tipping his hat down, Aster says, "Well, now. It sure was mighty suspicious of you to waltz right into town and capture that there man's heart riiiiight before he gets cursed..." 
 + 
 +"I don't know what in the hells is happening in this town, but it is not my fault. I won't apologize for loving him. And I'm gonna do my damn best to save him, especially since all your sorry ass seems interested in is pointing fingers instead of actually helping." 
 + 
 +"Settle down, settle down. Could just be mere coincidence that he got cursed right after you showed up." Y'dehlya tries to calm the arguments. She flicks Aster's hat off his head. "And //you// should know better than to accuse right off the bat, Mr. //Deputy Sheriff//." 
 + 
 +Aster picks up his hat, replacing it on his head. He crosses his legs atop the table and cocks his revolver at Phoenyx. "You wanna say that again? Way I see it, shootin' you's a win-win. So I suggest you say you're sorry, and mosey on outta this here saloon 'fore my trigger finger gets twitchy." 
 + 
 +Byron grabs Aster, looking him dangerously in the eye. //"Stand. Down."// 
 + 
 +"What the fuck is your problem?" Phoenyx responds, raising his arms. "It's really comforting to know the law enforcement here's so happy to shoot someone for calling them out on their own bullshit. Be sure to write in your report that you shot an innocent man because you had a bit too much to drink and got a little pissy." 
 + 
 +Aster holsters his gun and looks between Byron and Phoenyx, frowning. He stands up, and strolls out, shoulder checking Phoenyx as he goes 
 + 
 +Byron sighs and looks between Y'dehlya and Phoenyx. "I apologize for my hotheaded partner, I really do. I try my best to set him straight." He grimaces, shaking his head. "And I'm going to have to //again// now..." 
 +//</blockquote> </WRAP> 
 + 
 +Part of the motivation for Aster's behaviour is jealousy; he's liked Tyr for a while, and is envious that a stranger has swooped into town and stolen him before he has a chance to get anywhere: 
 + 
 +<WRAP center centeralign><blockquote footer="Cowboy AU scene">//Aster gets all up in Phoenyx's face in the street. "It's not right, dammit! I don't fucking get it! You waltz in here, up to him, and do in //days// what I couldn't-" 
 + 
 +Phoenyx backs up and says, "Look, man. I'm sorry. I don't know what your deal is or history or whatever. I just know I care about him. And whatever the hells is going on here, I ain't got nothing to do with it. We just...clicked. And I'm sorry if that hurts you, but it doesn't mean I hurt him just because it feels like the easiest solution for you." 
 + 
 +Aster grabs Phoenyx by his shirt and pulls him back closer. He looks up into his eyes, searching for //something...// "What is it about you?" he whispers to himself. 
 + 
 +Phoenyx yanks him off and pushes him away. "Get your hands off me." He growls, trying to walk away. 
 + 
 +"W-wait! Please!" Aster calls out, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I... I'm sorry... I've wronged you. I... I shouldn'ta taken my frustrations out on you... That ain't how I was raised..." 
 + 
 +Phoenyx stops and looks at him. His expression is still dark and guarded but he softens slightly. "I..." He both wants to tell him to fuck off and to forgive him, but he can't commit to one or the other. "Yeah. Threatening to shoot me with no evidence was not cool." He settles on. 
 + 
 +Aster looks away at the ground. "Yeah... The Sheriff's told me before about doing that... Last time he had me mucking out the stables for a week... I don't doubt it'll be twice as long this time." He kicks at the dirt. "Tell you what. Lemme make it up to you. You said you were going to find out what happened right? I may not know much about curses an' the like, but I do know this area an' all the folks in it like the back of my hand. Maybe we could work together?" 
 +//</blockquote> </WRAP> 
 + 
 + 
 +===Supernatural AU=== 
 + 
 +<WRAP right 200px centeralign> <box round=.5em>{{ :character:aster_aethersong:ffxiv_dx11_u9abrrevfq_edit.png?400 |}}</box> </WRAP> Aster, a vampire, is one of many students attending a college for supernatural beings. 
 + 
 +Born as a regular mortal, he had not long moved out to go to university when he found himself the subject of a certain miqo'te's attention. Unbeknownt to Aster, G'raha Tia - the man flirting with him - was part of a long line of vampires, and was out 'hunting' alone for the first time in his life. Having successfully seduced the viera back to Aster's own bedroom, G'raha proceeded to bite him. However, as the man struggled and cried out in pain, the vampire found himself faltering. Unable to see it through and drain him completely of blood, G'raha fled, leaving Aster to pass out and undergo a transformation into a vampire himself. 
 + 
 +Waking up the next morning, Aster attempted to open his curtains, only to find the light caused searing pain. Quickly shutting them again, he tried to check the mirror, only to find himself reflectionless. Upon pressing his fingers to his neck, he found the twin puncture marks left there. Despite struggling to come to terms with what seemed to have happened - given vampires were supposed to be just myths and fantasy - Aster is forced to accept it as he grows weaker by the day. Regular food is now unpalatable to him, and his body instinctively rejects it. Unable to continue his studies or engage with the world due to the confines of nighttime, he finds himself homeless and starving, seeking shelter on the streets all alone in a wet cardboard box. 
 + 
 +That was when a representative from the school found him, and offered him a place and a home there. 
 + 
 +What Aster was not expecting, however, was to be placed as dormmates with the very man who had turned him to begin with. The viera refuses to speak to G'raha at first, things tense, but as the days and weeks go by, he eventually relents and softens, learning more about the miqo'te's background and culture, and eventually developing feelings for him. At last he plucked up the courage to ask G'raha out, and the pair began dating. 
 + 
 +Their other roommate is Byron, a werewolf, placed with the two vampires due to the races' historical animosities, as part of a 'Fostering Interspecies Relations' programme. The two vampires have bedrooms with coffins, rather than traditional beds, and their shared living area contains a small fridge with blood pouches for the pair. 
 + 
 +In his life at the college, Aster makes several friends: Y'dehlya, an elemental; Monroe, a shapeshifter; Phoenyx, a 'mortal' with telekinesis and other powers; Nigen, a demon (though their friendship is tenuous at best); Silas, a half-vampire, half-weredragon; Tyr, a weredragon; and August, another weredragon. 
 + 
 +As a vampire who was turned, rather than someone who was born one, Aster's eyes typically remain their normal blue, and his teeth their normal length, until he either feeds or his vampiric instincts are triggered. Then, his eyes shift to crimson, and his teeth lengthen into the typical vampires fangs. 
 + 
 +In addition, given his mortal upbringing, Aster is often one of the few members of his friend group (along with Phoenyx) who ends up teaching the others about life, customs, and activities in the mortal world. Whilst he is usually bubbly and overjoyed to teach them how to celebrate the various holidays, due to his family believing him to be dead, he can be found curled up with a photo of them and crying at certain times of the year, such as Starlight. 
 + 
 + 
 +===Alien AU=== 
 +[UNDER CONSTRUCTION] 
 + 
 +<WRAP center 50px centeralign> <box round=.5em>{{ :character:aster_aethersong:untitled_artwork_1.png?50 |}}</box> </WRAP> 
 + 
 + 
 + 
 +===Cyberpunk AU=== 
 +[UNDER CONSTRUCTION] 
 + 
 +<WRAP center 50px centeralign> <box round=.5em>{{ :character:aster_aethersong:untitled_artwork_1.png?50 |}}</box> </WRAP> 
 + 
 + 
 + 
 +===Final Fantasy XVI AU=== 
 +[UNDER CONSTRUCTION] 
 + 
 +<WRAP center 50px centeralign> <box round=.5em>{{ :character:aster_aethersong:untitled_artwork_1.png?50 |}}</box> </WRAP> 
 + 
 + 
 + 
 +===Alternate Shadbowbringers - Bite AU=== 
 +[UNDER CONSTRUCTION] 
 + 
 +<WRAP center 50px centeralign> <box round=.5em>{{ :character:aster_aethersong:untitled_artwork_1.png?50 |}}</box> </WRAP> 
 + 
 + 
 + 
 +===Blood Lily AU=== 
 +[UNDER CONSTRUCTION] 
 + 
 +<WRAP center 50px centeralign> <box round=.5em>{{ :character:aster_aethersong:untitled_artwork_1.png?50 |}}</box> </WRAP>
  
-With a ghastly splintering noise, the cocoon tore apart, beams of light arcing out until its husk fell aside and the Lightwarden within came forth. The sin eater had retained much of its human form, by some miracle. Its body was that of Aster’s, still ivory and cracked, but a pair of golden wings sprouted from its back, and the halos which had formed above his head mere minutes before shone with greater intensity. It floated several ilms in the air, pure white hair drifting from the currents of aether. The Warrior of Light’s weapon had been twisted into a golden cane; his clothes, too, morphed by the overwhelming light into little more than the scantest cover around its waist and golden straps latticing its legs. It truly was a creature of terrible beauty.//</blockquote>  
  
  
 ===Silasverse=== ===Silasverse===
 [UNDER CONSTRUCTION] [UNDER CONSTRUCTION]
 +
 +<WRAP center 50px centeralign> <box round=.5em>{{ :character:aster_aethersong:untitled_artwork_1.png?50 |}}</box> </WRAP>
 +
 +
  
 ===BNUUYVERSE=== ===BNUUYVERSE===
 [UNDER CONSTRUCTION] [UNDER CONSTRUCTION]
 +
 +<WRAP center 50px centeralign> <box round=.5em>{{ :character:aster_aethersong:untitled_artwork_1.png?50 |}}</box> </WRAP>
 +
 +
 +===Vampires and Werewolves and Elementals, Oh My! - Medieval Supernatural AU===
 +[UNDER CONSTRUCTION]
 +
 +<WRAP center 50px centeralign> <box round=.5em>{{ :character:aster_aethersong:untitled_artwork_1.png?50 |}}</box> </WRAP>
 +
 +
 +===Mirrorverse===
 +[UNDER CONSTRUCTION]
 +
 +<WRAP center 50px centeralign> <box round=.5em>{{ :character:aster_aethersong:untitled_artwork_1.png?50 |}}</box> </WRAP>
 +
 +
 +
 +===Space Pirates AU===
 +[UNDER CONSTRUCTION]
 +
 +<WRAP center 50px centeralign> <box round=.5em>{{ :character:aster_aethersong:untitled_artwork_1.png?50 |}}</box> </WRAP>
 +
 +
 +===Jurassic Park AU===
 +<WRAP right 200px centeralign> <box round=.5em>{{ :character:aster_aethersong:ffxiv_dx11_bjch9uqnat.png?400 |}}</box> </WRAP> Dr. Aster Aethersong, a specialist in gene therapy and gene-based medicine is flying back from a conference, where he had met one Dr. Byron Attikos (who had coincidentally ended up in the hotel room next to his, and whom he had tentatively spent a few evenings with during the event). The pair end up sitting next to one another on the flight, by complete happenstance.  Unfortunately, their flight crashes onto Isla Nublar, an island which had once been the site of a planned park full of genetically-recreated dinosaurs. The park lies abandoned and the dinosaurs loose.
 +
 +The plane splits upon crashing, with the section containing a party of teenagers (returning from a school trip) becoming separated from most of the rest of the passengers.
 +
 +Aster and Byron learn the hard way the dangers of their new surroundings, when an attack early on injures the latter's arm, and Dr. Aethersong puts his medical knowledge to use patching the man up.
 +
 +Having found the schoolchildren attempting to hole themselves up in the park's main building, the pair make their way towards the breaker room to attempt to restore power to the security systems to protect them. As they make their way through the kitchen en route, they are set upon by raptors. As one lunges for Byron, Aster desperately shoves the man out of the way, taking a fatal claw to his stomach. Knowing that his disembowling will be fatal, as he collapses to the floor he gives Byron an apologetic look and whispers, //"Please, go."//
 +
 +Byron nods, still in shock but with tears already streaming down his cheeks, and manages to say - before taking off and not looking back - is a strained, //"I love you..."// Byron does his best to cover his ears as he flees, so the last thing he hears from Aster isn't the cacophony of agonised screams the man lets out as he's torn apart alive. 
 +
  
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