ASTERIANS Qrtly | Spring 2024

Asterians Asterians

THEARTOFASTER THEARTOFASTER

Letter from the Editors

Creativity is something that binds us Asterians together -- be it through beautiful screenshots, gorgeous glamours, writing, roleplaying,drawing,painting,videoediting, gif making, streaming, housing or interior design, giving characters voices, sharing a senseofhumor,inventingnewgamestoplay likeHideandSeek,andevencomingupwith a new raid strategy. As we see time and time again, it is magical what we can create, individually and together. This issue of the Asterians quarterly is all about celebrating the art of <ASTER> -- so let the inspiration flowandadmirethebeautifulworkofourFC friends.

Included in this issue are two exclusive interviewswithsomeAsterianswhoneedno introduction. First, set sail with a swash of colorfromThannaandOctoastheysharethe treasures of their travels. Next, we paint the night with Pup as we recap Art Parties. The interviewsareacelebrationofcreativityand a farewell to Endwalker. As we greet the dawnofanewhorizon,let’sgetmessy,make things,andbecreativetogether!

The

Asterian

AnEndwalker toRemember coverstory

Interview with Thanna and Octo

The dawn of the third astral moon has risen over the falls behind Splash Mountain, the Asterian’s headquarters in the Lavender Beds The cozy locale may seem an unlikely place to meet a renowned captain and a very unique carbuncle. Look a little closer and you will find pictures lining every wall with memories from past events and thrilling adventures. I take a seat at one of the tables in the common room across from the very dapper Thanna and the delightful Octo We order a round of coffee and cake for the table. You can almost hear the bellowing laughter in these halls and feel it in the sight of Thanna and Octo’s earnest grins

Kipih Jakkya: The Lavender Beds are absolutely stunning this time of year. Have you always lived in Eorzea?

Captain Thanna Hartwynn: Well, I grew up in Limsa Lominsa. Parents were killed by sahagin when I was a tot, so I had to fend for myself a while

K: I can relate It has just been my brother and I for a while before I started at the Mythril Eye – did you have anyone you could turn to?

T: You know how orphans get That is until Ior rather my old man stumbled across me when I tried to rob him. If you know your Lominsan history you might have heard of Jeroct Hart, left hand of the admiral, scourge of the sea, co-author of the Galadion Accord, father of the Rogues Guild Needless to say, there was no way a scrawny 14 year old could rob anything out of that man, and instead of sending me to see the Twelve, he took me under his wing, travelled all over Hydaelyn, he went off and died fighting during Carteneau, I retired from piracy for a while, and the rest is history

“I’lljustsayI’mavery uniquecarbuncle”

K: Jeroct sounds like he had a heart of gold –or at the least knew how to see that in you What about you Octo, have you always called Eorzea home?

Octo: Mine's a bit more complicated, so I'll just say I'm a very unique carbuncle it's a long story.

T: We really shouldn't get into that, it was a whole thing So just trust us, he's just a special little man [ruffles Octo's hair]

Seeing the way Thanna and Octo joke so freely like this makes me think of my brother Nhagi’a Jakkya– some of you, dear readers, may remember him as he set out as an adventurer last year The Guild assures me that he has stayed out of trouble and that’s all I can ask for as his sister. As I take in the sounds of their laughter, Thanna and Octo share more about their adventures

T: How was our adventure, huh? It's funny, you're not the first person to ask me that, so I suppose I should tell you what I told them. I hated it at first Still kinda hate it now, that's why I'm taking an extended vacation Not having a ship anymore made walking around such a drag, it took forever for me to get my land legs back; [redacted] and Merlwyb pff bossy that one isn't she? Actually, maybe don't put that part in... eh whatever, I've said worse to her face. [redacted – note to editors: please do not print this in Limsa Lominsa, fit to print anywhere else]

K: So was there anything special that made you stick with it?

T: Probably the Scions. They were like another family to me. Took me and my daughter into their folds and they treated us right Got up to a lot of shit, but it was fun while it lasted... but... we lost a lot of good people. Nearly lost a lot more on more than one occasion They make me worry constantly, but they're capable and stubborn. So, so stubborn. I suppose what help keep me going was knowing that if I called it quits, there would be no one to look after them

O: We have to look after you too sometimes you know! Do I need to bring up that time you jumped in front of-

T: Ok now, not in front of the nice reporter lady Ok, ok, we look after each other and watch each other's backs, are you happy?

O: Yes :3. What Mom is trying to say is the most important thing an adventurer needs is someone to watch your back

K: [Laughing] I suppose being a reporter is something like being an adventurer –depending on what we publish, I may be calling on you to watch my back too! With great companions at your side, I bet you have the most fascinating travels.

T: If I got into that, we would be here all week I quite literally accidentally stumble into some ancient Allagan ruin every other week, it's exhausting. But I suppose the most interesting place I've been to was the Great Gubal Library. There are a number of very interesting tomes in there that I have to BEG Master Matoya to let me study She's so unfair

K: Truly? I would love to visit the Great Gubal Library myself one day. You must find the most precious treasures!

O: I think the greatest treasure I've found was my husband, Pup. Hi Pup!

T: That’s adorable.

K: I hear that Pup is quite creative – I will be sitting down with him to talk about your famous art parties at Splash Mountain later. Do either of you have any creative pursuits?

T: That's not really my thing, I study magic sure, but that's not quite the same, I feel Octo here is the more creative one.

O: I like to draw, make music, sculpt, write poetry, make maps, make costumes, write plays and books, like right now, I'm writing a book based off the ancients and Hermes is the main character Oh, Hermes is an ancient that we met that tried to kil-

T: OK, don’t overwhelm the poor woman.

K: Oh, no, it is really no trouble! The entire free company seems to be full of talented adventurers like yourselves What are you looking for in your travels ahead?

T: I'm looking forward to something a little more lighthearted After the Final Days, I need some R&R

O: I'm looking forward to trying new food. Everywhere we go has such amazing food

T: Everywhere

O: Everywhere.

T: We'll talk about that later.

K: I hadn’t considered all the different cuisine you must try on your treks across the star! Aside from trying new dishes, what do you like to do for fun?

T: Ummmm heh Well I won’t go into all of my hobbies, but I'll say, I enjoy the leisure in life. The finer things, like wine, and dancing, and the occasional drunken brawl.

O: I like to adventure and hang out with my friends in the Asterians We do all sorts of fun things! And my husband is there!

T: So adorable.

Weathering theStorm highlights

a short story by Jon (Seishin Fuda) - sladez.tumblr.com

The summer sun warmed Seishin’s skin and glowed orange against his eyelids as he sat in the soft grass and breathed. His hair, untied, blew gently in the cooling breeze He focused on the bubbling sound of Yat Khaal flowing over rocks and against its banks to his right, whispering secrets in its ancient tongue But rather than the calming wind and water around him, in his head there was only fire.

His thoughts were so far elsewhere that he didn’t hear the footsteps approaching, or maybe the one they belonged to stepped lightly as a matter of course. It wasn’t like him to be so deeply lost He opened his eyes slowly as Styrnrael’s grandmother Maral plopped a low wooden table down in front of him.

“You’ve been out here all morning Trouble sleeping?” Maral placed a deep blue cushion down and sat on it cross-legged, across the table from Seishin. Her knees popped audibly as she sank into a comfortable position

“I’veseenthestorm ragingbehindyoureyes sincethedayyouarrived”

He smiled weakly at her “I’m sorry if I’ve troubled you It’s a habit of mine to wake with the sun. But yes, there’s been much and more on my mind recently.”

Maral wordlessly pulled from around her a lacquered rosewood box and set it on the table. The edges had a deep patina that spoke of its age and reverence She opened it by the side hinges and pulled out a large circular board. A kharaqiq board, Seishin recognized, and an extremely well made one at that She finally looked up at him after placing it on the surface.

“I’ve seen the storm raging behind your eyes since the day you arrived at our iloh Styrnrael’s as well, and all of the companions she has brought home with her. Whatever is troubling you may not be quelled in a single morning, but perhaps a game might help you weather some of it?”

“I don’t know that this will help,” Seishin laughed softly and waved his hand in front of his nose

“Well, the Naadam is but suns from now As the Steppe chooses its leader in this season, so too does every tribe their khan. The Malqir are no different And I’m going to need the practice if I am to retain my title ”

“If you need to train, why don’t you take Bertram as an opponent? He is far more skilled at this game than I ”

“It is a wise warrior that teachers, is it not?”

Seishin smiled and bowed deftly spoken All right t accept your challenge.”

highlights|weatheringthestorm

Maral began removing the game pieces from the box and grabbed the light and dark horse pieces, one of bleached and carved dzo bone and the other of a deeply blue azurite, richer by far than the dark stone of other boards Seishin had seen She took one in each hand and shuffled them behind her back. Seishin considered a moment, then pointed to her left and she held out her hand to reveal the light piece “The bone horse. Fitting; it matches your horns. It seems I will play earth, from which we came and to which we will all one day return ”

Seishin looked away. His eyes clouded as his vision was filled with an image of Meffrid’s face, anger and shock and sadness veiled behind blood and unfulfilled promise; and the kinslayer, her rage at what? the world? twisting her face into an infinite snarl as she shook his blood from her blade The first visit to his homeland since he was a child, full of naught but betrayal and death. The cold rain of that night felt as real as the sunlight on his arms in the now Seishin shook his head to clear it. Maral stared at him, curiosity playing in her wrinkled eyes, as he reached for the piece and began arranging the bone side of the board As he did, Styrnrael’s brother Siban, with his long dark hair behind his ebony horns, came out of a yurt with a tray of tea He placed the cups before them and poured it, followed by a quick spot of dzo milk, which furrowed in the amber liquid like mist spreading on a fallow field The smell was strong and pleasant, and Seishin’s mind felt a little calmer. They thanked Siban before he bowed to Seishin and squeezed Maral’s shoulder and departed, leaving the kettle on the side of the table

“I’m glad I don’t have to explain the rules to you,” Maral chuckled as she finished setting up the earth pieces on her side of the board. “Do you play Kharaqiq much where you’re from in Eorzea?”

“No; honestly, I had never heard of it before Styrn taught me on the day we met.”

Maral nodded. “The girl has a talent for the game She is still raw and a little unrefined, like her mother was But I’m beginning to see the glint of a gem in there.” Seishin could have sworn he saw her wink. “Well then, shall we begin?”

Maral immediately moved a Bardam pawn into position to take one of the contested territories in the right center board, and Seishin did the same on the opposite side, rather than fighting her for the same space When he did take the territory he had sought, Maral was right there ready to snatch it back from him, and so on the game went, the clattering of stone and bone joining the river’s steady susurrus in the undersong of the summer morning She forced him on the defensive early on, and try as he might, he struggled to protect his pieces from her. She was a true master, hers on another level from any other game he had played; every exposed position was full of traps. After his gambit to defend a segment of his territory with a Khun Chuluu piece failed as she found an easy way around it, Seishin put his hands in his lap and breathed deeply. The anger that had simmered in him the last several weeks before arriving in Othard bubble back up as frustra to push that down, to star had left his patience lyin Rhalgr’s Reach, crushed u and he struggled for it now

highlights|weatheringthestorm

Maral watched him closely as he tentatively made another defensive move “You are wiser than your years let on. You approach this game with the eyes of a philosopher, rather than a general And that is why you will lose to me today ” The beads on her indigo coat jangled as she moved the prized red horse around the edge of the board, surrounding his last bastion Like taming an impetuous stallion, the red horse could be taken over by a player and quickly turn the tides of battle.

Seishin considered her words for a moment and rubbed the ivory scales on his chin “But the Malqir tribe uses Kharaqiq as a way of making decisions, do you not? If there’s a metaphor to be had, wouldn’t it be helpful to think of it as a game of philosophy?”

“But what if it burns too hot? If you scald yourself and those close to you?” Seishin closed his eyes and thought again of Fordola and her wrath, incinerating everyone around her, and his jaw and fists tensed

Maral gestured to the center of the iloh, and Seishin followed her arm to the large firepit in the common space between the yurts, where in the distance Bertram was helping others from the Asterians stack fresh wood from Reunion to keep the flames going. “A fire properly kept burns without raging It warms us in its violence, and we must be

“Oh, the two are not mutually exclusive. But in playing to think, rather than to win, you are holding yourself back from both ” Maral put her hands on her knees and looked deep into Seishin’s face. “You have much anger in your eyes, in your muscles, in your fingers, in your very tendons But I don’t see it in your play It’s as if you are damming it in your mind rather than feeling it, letting it flow. Anger is not a force to be feared, son of Azim Stoked as a fire it can accomplish great things ”

this?”

highlights|weatheringthestorm

“The Yol can move diagonally and fly over other pieces until it’s ready to strike It exercises patience and foresight.” His mind wandered to his own Yol, with its deeply iridescent wings, which he and his fellow Asterians had tamed only days before, a prerequisite to participating in the Naadam. Maral slid another piece in its place. “The dzo?”

“Stubborn and obstinate It represents determination.”

Maral surprised him by skipping over the tiger piece to the earth horse with its deep blue mane, azurite of the same color as her skin. She held it up and raised an eyebrow, and in her expression he saw Styrnrael, that first night on the shores of Thanalan: The horse can move as far as it wants in any one direction, she had told him. It’s free, like the spirit of the Steppe, and that we all have inside us Satisfied, Maral replaced it, and picked up the tiger swiping the air with its claw. “The Baras pounces in its movement; it represents speed and agility,” Seishin said Maral cocked her head and smirked “You have to look deeper than that, my boy,” she chastened. “The Baras does not move straight; it lurks, it prowls It waits The Baras is quick, yes; but what it represents is opportunity. Brute force only works against us in many ways. It’s often better to lie in wait for the perfect opening to strike ” She brought the piece back with a force that clacked loudly on the table. “But make no mistake: there is a difference between patience and hesitation And missing those opportunities is often worse than trying and failing. If the Yol represents foresight, the Baras is the taking of those opportunities that foresight yields to us ”

Seishin was silent a long time as he stared at the pieces on the board Finally he said, “There is so much I have yet to learn. Every time I face Styrnrael or Bertram in this game I glean something new from it, as I have against you today ” Maral laughed and crossed her arms. “Full glad am I to hear that, my child. I can see understanding dawning in your eyes The Malqir do not believe that playing Kharaqiq itself makes you wise, but it is the wisdom that you bring to the table that is mixed into the flow of time When you play a new opponent you take some of their wisdom into your own life, and you in turn impart it to others. I meet my ancestors in every turn on the game board

“But there is still one piece we have yet to discuss ” She picked up a pawn, a Bardam piece, chiseled in the shape of a Xaela warrior. EverytimeIface

highlights|weatheringthestorm

“I’m sure you have guessed that this piece represents the people, not just of the Steppe, but of the Star. It has the slowest movement, but it is the most plentiful, and all major pieces can promote to it This is because in numbers are we strong We can accomplish great things, but only together. Look at this world,” she said, sweeping her arms out and around her, her beads rattling noisily, and Seishin looked up at the azure sky and over the sweeping verdant plains of the Sea of Blades, towards the towering Dawn Throne, further to the distant ilohs dotting the horizon and the base of the mountains with vibrant spots of color, at the bustling crowds of Reunion in the distance He turned with her in the other direction, toward Malqir Iloh, as farmers robed in deep dyed indigo tended flocks of sheep and dzo, balanced stones from the quarries of the Fanged Crescent, sat in the common area around Kharaqiq boards, preparing to test their mettles during the Naadam. And in the center of the common area, he watched Styrnrael leave a yurt in a coat of her tribe’s indigo colors and wander over the fire and place a hand on Bertram’s shoulder before sitting next to him on a log, their backs turned to Seishin in quiet dialogue, listening to the soft drone of a morin khuur. He felt Maral’s eyes on him as his gaze lingered on the two of them. She cleared her throat

“Our clan makes a habit of not interfering with the other tribes of the Steppe, and as a matter of course we do not compete in the Naadam. My granddaughter will compete in it in the coming days, and for a second time at that And the crazy part is, I think she can win. But she cannot do it alone.” Maral turned and placed her hands over Seishin’s. They were small on his and felt like soft leather “I love Styrnrael deeply I know you have come far and accomplished much and more together. Now it is your turn to protect her You and Bertram both, as you all have thus far You are weathering your own storm right now, as she is hers, as Bertram his. But only together can all of you succeed Only together can you keep each other safe, no matter the outcome of the contest.”

“Thisisbecausein numbersarewe strong.Wecan accomplishgreat things,butonly together.”

Seishin shifted his hands to take hers and squeezed them gently, nodding at her as she did him “I promise,” he said, and for the first time since leaving Ala Mhigo did his voice resonate with his usual resolve. Maral smiled and patted his hand.

“Well, the day is getting on,” she said, leaning back and pulling back her Kharaqiq pieces

“But I think I have one more match in me before lunchtime. What about you?”

TheArtofAster coverstory

A conversation with Pup Zooc

Pup Zooc is a triple threat – talented, chaotic, and a genius with the bow When he’s not traveling across the star or searching for buried treasure on map nights, you can catch him hosting art parties for the Asterians Free Company What is an art party you might ask? It’s a gathering of creative people from all over the realm to make things together. The attendees become the muses and all one needs to bring is a little creativity Art parties have taken Eorzea by a mighty whorl, and it is no doubt that when I approach Pup, he is already busy planning an upcoming art party I take my seat across from him and raise an eyebrow at the plans. They appear to be sketches of costumes based on fictional characters

Kipih Jakkya: Those must be for the next art party how many have you hosted now?

Pup Zooc: I’ve hosted two of the art parties, with help of course My sister, Styrnrael, has helped and supported me a lot with the preparations and hosting.

K: Seeing all the preparations you are working on, hosting must take a lot of support from the Asterians. Tell me more about the free company, what are they like?

P: [Laughs at the mention of the Asterians] They’re chaotic and wonderful They mean the world to me. My partner is among them, Octo.

K: Octo is a gem! My other interview is with Octo and Thanna They shared a lot of memories of their adventures and about their many travels. What has been some of your favorite memories from the road?

P: I have a few. I think meeting the Redbills is one of them. That incident led to a fascinating adventure of exploring the Void Ark and the Weeping City of Mhach Oh! And Dun Scaith! There’s something about the ruins that is absolutely fascinating. I wish I had more time to explore them

K: I imagine exploring anywhere with the Redbills must be incredible and inspiring. What inspired you to start adventuring in the first place?

“Theyarechaoticand wonderful.Theymean theworldtome.”

P: When I left Thanalan to journey to The Black Shroud for archery training, I wanted to enlist in the Immortal Flames, but Rauer…General Raubahn strongly suggested I take time before enlisting to see Eorzea.

K: Now that you’ve seen a lot of the realm, where are you inspired to explore next?

P: [Laughing] I don’t know. Maybe somewhere with a beach? A beach would be nice I would like to explore ruins Maybe spend some time doing some work for the botany guild! Of course, I’d love if Octo could come me And Styrn of course

K: A beach certainly would be nice! Aside from hosting art parties d li d you have any other hob you?

P: I like to sew and tailor c foraging and harvesting fo is relaxing. If I have the ch spend the days out fishing run into some trouble whe