#astoren

[fatewalker-phoenix]

Febhyurary 2026 Day 22: Future

To be gifted with an Echo that shows not only the past, but many possible futures, is a curse. And to be beloved by Eden is to find yourself the subject of many a future ending in tragedy.

(Astor belongs to @tiredassmage)

[astorenupdates]

The stuff some of your beloved authors do behind closed doors (Or... one of them at least. Meet Tilly, our resident problem /affec)

[tiredassmage]

*clenches fist* the inherent intimacy of eye contact

[fatewalker-phoenix]

Their future. Their story.

[tiredassmage]

Heavensturn is when Eden and Astor take the opportunity to celebrate Eden’s nameday, since they’re not sure when it actually was. Astor is, of course, still very much enamored with his wife, and always glad to see another year with her. <3

(Eden belongs to @fatewalker-phoenix)

[tiredassmage]

Astor - 1

Shay - 15

I'd invest in little images to go with these, but it'd probably at least double the amount of time it takes me to get through them all, so I'll just stick to the relevant character or ship banners. :3

1 - "Don't Leave"

Set at the end of Heavensward, post Baelsar's Wall. No warnings apply. I almost kept going with this one, but they are meant to be short prompts, lmao... sooo... this is technically part of a bigger scene I've intended to write for ages that I may return to and properly finish off in the future. Also one of the few things I've written in present tense because I guess exhausted me who tried to write this at like 12:30 am last night thought that was cool. And I'll put a read more here just to save people the scrolling ksnflskf

“Eden-!” His hand catches on her arm, but quickly retreats to uneasily dig at the back of his neck. Her brow knits as she turns back to face him, her head inclined quietly in silent question.

“I-I’m sorry,” he stammers quietly, his gaze dropping hastily to the floor rather than risk meeting hers for too long. “I… I don’t mean to impose and… I… I know I have… no real right to ask, but I…” He’s already shaking just thinking about it - how the silence will settle thick in the darkness in the absence of another presence. He needs a distraction - anything to keep his mind off of… that. All of… that.

She releases a faint sigh, trying not to let an uneasy frown slip to her lips as she closes her eyes for a moment. She has a feeling she knows what he’s going to ask and… truthfully, she’d… “Astor..,” she tries quietly, “you should get some rest…”

She was the last person he should ask. He… He deserved better than what she could offer. Not when she was responsible for what haunted him.

Odeve would be so much better at this… It wouldn’t be her place to call upon her, but she was better. She’d already… They already…

“Please…”

Fuck. Her teeth sink into the inside of her lip. Against her better judgment, she takes him in - one arm wrapped around himself and anxiously clinging to his other as his hand restlessly tugs at his messied, braided hair.

He never deserved to be so broken. And yet she’d left him…

“Don’t go…” Hot tears sting his eyes though he struggles to maintain a modicum of his composure. He’s not the only one in need of rest. This is his home. He’s imposing. She doesn’t need to deal with his burdens tonight on top of everything else, but- “I… I can’t be alone tonight… I just can’t… Not… Not tonight… Not after…”

Eden deflates with another sigh of defeat. “Alright.., I’ll stay.”

15 - Trembling Hands

Set in Shadowbringers, shortly after the battle against Innocence. No warnings apply.

She’s so fragile. And so very, very small. She’d still felt almost weightless in his arms the whole way down that cursed mountainside.

He’d seen this coming. He had. From the way her gentle hands had brushed at her bangs, fingers working quietly against her temple in a way she’d tried to brush off as general fatigue from battle and ceaseless responsibility to the paling hue of her eyes. But he knew better. Hells, he knew her better than he knew himself, it felt…

But something in his soul had almost screamed of it. Was it the blinding radiance of the ceaseless Light in the sky and the crash after blood-rushing battle that had left his mind spinning and aching, or the crawling sense of some… twisted deja vu..?

One trembling hand balled into a fist as tatters of ancient promises and bygone partnerships echoed in whispers in his mind, against the hot sting that had not stopped threatening his eyes.

She was so small against him, where his free hand continued to thread through her golden hair.

Emet-Selch was going to pay. They were all going to pay.

He wouldn’t let a single one touch her. Even if it killed him.

Even if it cost him her trust.

He’d promised… He promised.

[tiredassmage]

For once, I said ‘let me do that thing,’ and then actually promptly did it, so here we go! Some shippy banners for... shippy asks or the like, lol.

Another yell to my bestest good friend @fatewalker-phoenix for ownership of the lovely Eden and Airi that have so stolen my beloved boys’ hearts (and mine ;D)

[tiredassmage]

2, 4, 6, 8!

who do we appreciate?  i’m so sorry you brought this upon yourself. anyway. rotating some of our favorite scenarios in the microwave, i see, lmaooo. okay, i’ll be normal for everyone for once and do my XIV ships. god only knows how long this will get kasnflkdansflksdf (i’ll put a read more for the others, i promise, or in reblogs. we’ll see which i find easiest.)

2. What would they do if the other woke up in a manic state after a nightmare?

Given the nature of Eden’s echo (the ability to see multiple or all possible futures, with no guarantee whether or not it’ll actually come true), this is... way more common than they would like. So, for Eden, Astor has found out the best assurance he can give her is his physical presence, to reassure her that he’s still there, they’re both alive, this is them, this is what’s real. He’ll often frame her face and gently brush her bangs back from her eyes to draw her attention and then... let her take his hands, let her tell him what she needs from there. If that means they’re up for another two hours while she just holds him, checks him over, makes sure he isn’t hurt, then that’s what they’ll do.

Astor is on the other end less often, but it certainly has happened. Similarly though, being held once he’s a bit more grounded to his bearings again is usually the way to go. He doesn’t like to be alone afterward, often worried even about being across the room from her, so he’ll often curl up against her with his head against her chest or in her lap. Braiding his hair has always been one of the easiest ways to soothe him, regardless of the circumstances.

Other answers below, just so this doesn’t hork up any dashes ^.^

4. Which one is more protective? Who needs to be ‘protected?’

I’d say Astor and Eden are on a relatively even playing field against each other for their own reasons. Astor’s a natural worrier as the healer main husband and often fusses at her over self-care related reasons. But Eden’s tricky Echo has worried her way more times than she’d ever be able to count about his future and it’s fueled her sometimes reckless need to protect him. Ultimately, if the scale tipped either way, it’s probably in Astor needing a bit more protection because he’s also somewhat brutally selfless, so in addition to needing to look out for her, he can still neglect to check in with himself. They both can, really. It’s a bit of an endless cycle, lmao.

6. Who would beg the other not to leave? Who has to leave to protect the other?

Sort of bouncing off the last one then, it’s... been a lot of Eden trying to race ahead to meet danger before it can really sink its claws into Astor. He doesn’t always catch her before she gets this idea in her head, so it’s left him begging her to trust him, to speak with him more about what troubles her over the growth of their relationship until now, of course, where they’re much better at it than when they were. They still have their moments, of course, but such is love.

And since this is a fair many to put in one post and I have... a lot of ships I could talk about, I think I’ll actually just end here for the moment and maybe revisit these for other characters/ships in separate posts, that way it’s easier to find the specific content people might be looking for. ^.^