Guide to my Aster-Related posts
I know I promised to do this like months ago, but I got dissuaded because of my low self-esteem. No matter what, I have a bad habit of believing that people don’t really care about my OCs, even though I’ve seen plenty of instances where that isn’t true.
Maybe higher self-esteem can be my new year’s resolution, huh?
The Aster Empire is a universe I created for an OCT Entry in which a royal family called the Mazdaks rule over a space empire where they conquered 5 five suns’s worth of planets, starting with complete domination of their home planet, Aster. I based the society on ancient Persia and other ancient middle-eastern civilizations.
A special note about the royal family, is that the crown is only ensured to the last sibling alive, after their father’s death. Thus, fratricide ensues immediately after the last Great King Dies.
A partially-finished post of the history of their royalty can be found here. Someday, when I finish and revise the bios of each of the characters, it will be posted here. There are already some errors, such as the fact that Neferure isn’t mentioned on the family tree. While she isn’t a Mazdak or royalty, she is important.
Therefore, any post I make related to the Aster Empire OCs will now have the general tag:
#Aster Empire
After this, things get a little more complex. I’m a big fan of AUs/Alternate Universes and therefore there are a few which I’ve made comics for. I will now be using the following.
1) #Aster Good Ending
The main plot line of the OCT and comics I make that take place afterwards. These comics often take place on Planet Retria, where the protagonists end up after the end of the tournament. It is Pyrrhus’s home planet. Niloofar becomes queen in this AU, which is the best outcome.
2) #Aster Bad Ending Esta Dies / Esta Dies
Cyrus manages to kill all his siblings off and reigns as king. Pyrrhus and Esta secretly have a child who Cyrus raises as his own.
3) #Aster Bad Ending Esta Lives / Esta Lives
This is an AU in which Esta would become the Queen of Kings, the female title of the Great King. Sometimes these figures are referred to as The Great Queen, or the Female Great King. Esta’s survival depended on Pyrrhus organizing the deaths of all her siblings. It saved Esta’s life, but ultimately placed a rift in their relationship. Esta feels guilty for being alive, and Pyrrhus does not understand why she isn’t more thankful.
4) #Aster Queen Esta I
While not technically an AU, this time period refers to Esta Shohreh’s Great Grandmother. Queen Esta I was the only female, absolute monarch to hold the Aster Empire’s crown until Queen Niloofar I. This serves as a prequel to all previous tags.
There are also several characters that I usually tag by name because they’re the ones I usually use. Please note that their posts can refer to several different AUs or plot-lines.
#Esta Mazdak / #Esta Shohreh Mazdak
Princess Esta Shohreh Mazdak was the protagonist of my OCT entry, and is still the character I draw the most. She’s often seen with Pyrrhus Libertus, her boyfriend and later spouse.
#Pyrrhus Libertus
(Outfit above is not canonical, but the eye-patch is) Pyrrhus Libertus, also known by his birth name Alcibiades Megalos, was a previously-enslaved servant of the Aster royal family, specifically Esta. He’s a manipulative character, which is why he’s my favorite next to Esta. He’s also often depicted in a love-triangle with Cyrus and Esta.
#Cyrus Mazdak / King Cyrus 13
Esta’s oldest brother, and only full sibling. (It’s a long story and explained in the OCT). He’s Esta’s main adversary for the majority of the tournament, even if he wasn’t physically there, he loomed as a psychological threat. Cyrus is missing an eye because of an injury he sustained during capture. He spent one year of his life imprisoned by an enemy force. He also had a crush on Pyrrhus. Pyrrhus’s rejection ultimately resulted in Cyrus taking his eye. Due to the hyper-conservative nature of the Aster Empire, Cyrus spent his life closeted. While a villain, he is also a victim of the world he grew up in.
#Niloofar Mazdak
The only child who was actually worthy of the throne without becoming (a) a passive ruler who let their spouse act however they wished or (b) a violent tyrant. She dethroned Cyrus, imprisoned him for life, and used her power to end the absolute monarchy. She is Esta and Cyrus’s half-sister.
If you made it this far, thank you so much for reading my post!