SPOILER WARNING! this article may contain major plot or ending details
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I always thought... I was destined to wander in the shadows, unable to find a way out. Like I was merely a pawn in the hands of fate. And fate sealed off the path ahead of me a long time ago. Until her radiant starlight pierced through the darkness.
—Evelyn about Astra in "Astra-nomical Moment".
Astralyn is the femslash ship between Astra Yao and Evelyn Chevalier from the Zenless Zone Zero fandom.
Astra Yao is a famous celebrity being both a singer and actress who is well known throughout New Eridu, with Evelyn Chevalier serving as the manager and bodyguard of Astra Yao, and are both members of the Stars of Lyra faction. They first officially met one another two years when Evelyn, a professional spy from The Organization, was hired by Astra's rival company Fugue to become Astra's bodyguard and get close to her. However, from the moment she met Astra things began to change, and over time Evelyn who has always lived in the darkness and believed she always would had that darkness broken by the light that was Astra. Having been changed completely by Astra and finally caught a glimpse at the real life she had always longed for because of Astra, Evelyn's loyalty defected from Fugue and The Organization and was instead placed in Astra, dedicating herself entirely to protecting Astra and being by her side forever.
Evelyn would then become an indispensable person in Astra's life, someone she could rely on who always protected her and made her feel she can be herself around. In return with Astra, Evelyn was able to truly experience life and happiness, no longer trapped in the darkness, both of them having found the person they want to cherish. Yet they nevertheless make sure to showcase their professional relationship manager/bodyguard-employer relationship in public, whilst out of the public eye the two have an extremely close relationship built on their overall deep mutual trust, care, and affection for each other.
Goldfinch's Escape[]
At the beginning of "Goldfinch's Escape", the Proxy receives a message from someone called "Chaotic Fried Rice", namely Astra who they had met previously as Snap, asking them to come and rescue her. Once the Proxy meets with Astra and helps her escape from the bodyguards in black, the two are quickly almost caught by the bodyguards, before they are saved by the woman who runs the Lumina Square Newsstand, Eve. When Astra finds out her name is Eve she is surprised, remarking that it feels like people called Eve are always saving her. When the two return to the video store, the Proxy questions if the bodyguards were really bad people, but Astra firmly tells the Proxy they are not bodyguards, because only one person can be her bodyguard. After the Proxy asks Astra to sign a poster for her, she denies being Astra, but quickly gives up and states that she actually likes being recognized, but it was her manager who told her that when she was out by herself she had to stay lowkey and wear a disguise. Astra decides to go to Port Elpis and then Reverb Arena, and heads out with the Proxy. The two shortly decide to go up to the top of the lighthouse at Port Elpis, and after the Proxy finds out today is Astra's birthday she states that just for today she does not want to sing for anyone she does not like, and that Eve is not here when she needs her. At some unknown point Astra sends a private message to Evelyn informing her she is now going to Reverb Arena with her online friend.
When the two arrive at Reverb Arena they find a contest where bangboos are imitating Astra Yao imitating a bangboo. Astra decides to enter the competition for fun, but is only placed second because she is wearing sunglasses, something the "real" Astra would not. Determined to win, Astra takes off her sunglasses at this, asking what her score is now, however a voice rings out stating everyone in New Eridu now knows she ran away. Astra immediately recognizes the voice as Evelyn's. Evelyn appears and tells Astra they had made an agreement for her to stay lowkey and wear a disguise, asking her why she removed the disguise, but stating that the disguise did not have much of an effect anyway. Surprised, Astra asks Evelyn what she is doing here, and Evelyn responds that she should be asking Astra that as the whole company is looking for her and gossip online is blowing up, stating all she heard from Astra was she was heading to Reverb Arena with an online friend before she disappeared. Evelyn asks the Proxy if they are that online friend and they introduce themselves, with Evelyn introducing herself in return as Astra's manager and bodyguard. Evelyn then starts to say they that Astra leaving was a planned work event, but Astra tells her she already said she ditched work. Evelyn tries again, this time that Astra left because of a personal emergency, but Asta again tells her she already said she did not want to perform for TOPS. Evelyn sighs about Astra being too honest and not holding back, and says they can go back now and Evelyn will take care of the rest later but Astra does not want to go back and tells Evelyn this. Evelyn tells Astra she understands and blames herself for not being there for her, but makes it clear Astra really does need to go back to give both the company and her fans an explanation. Astra agrees and says goodbye to the Proxy, thanking them for everything before taking her leave.
Evelyn then stays behind and tells the Proxy she wants to discuss something with them. The Proxy assumes Evelyn wants to tell them to keep everything secret, but Evelyn tells them whilst that is true, she wants to thank them. Evelyn states that she realized right away that Astra's mood was slightly different this morning, but she had a special assignment she needed to do so she had to leave Astra after she dropped her off at the cinema, but had planned to make it up to Astra with a birthday celebration after the event. However, when she checked her phone she saw the private message from Astra saying she was going to Reverb Arena with an online friend. Evelyn thanks the Proxy for being there for Astra and doing what she could not, as she can tell Astra's mood is much happier now, thanking them again. The Proxy assures Evelyn there is no need to thank them as they enjoyed hanging out with Astra, and Evelyn says she needs to go now, telling them to keep everything they just discussed a secret. Astra appears right at that moment, asking Evelyn what she means by a secret, catching Evelyn off guard who asks her why she came back and tells her to go back to the car. Astra assures her she will in a minute but she remembered she needed to tell the Proxy something, telling them she still owes them a signed poster and will bring a bigger gift next time they meet. Astra then leaves Reverb Arena with Evelyn by her side.
Astra-nomical Moment[]
After failing to get tickets to Astra's concert, the Proxies are commissioned by Astra to help her retrieve a record of Astra's idol, Jordan de Winter's, final performance from the Ballet Twins Hollow. Astra is able to successfully locate the record with the Proxies' help and then leaves the Hollow, spirits high. Astra holds the record up to the sky to admire it, happily proclaiming she finally found it, but the record vanishes immediately right under her nose. Surprised, Astra turns to look for it, only for her forehead to be flicked by Evelyn's finger as she teasingly remarks she caught Astra whilst Astra yelps and dramatically lets out a series of "Ow"'s, before giggling and affirming Evelyn did catch her. Holding out the record for Astra to take, Evelyn smiles at Astra and reminds her to keep improvisations like that only to the stage. Astra hugs the record and then begins to follow Evelyn to the car as Evelyn requested, before stopping and giving the Proxy the "autograph" she owed them.
Once the two are in the backseat of the car together, Astra notices Secretary Hobson on the car's videophone shouting angrily, before he is quickly muted by Evelyn. Astra asks Evelyn what he was yelling about this time and Evelyn remarks that it was probably some version of "Please don't run off alone and stay safe before the show.", before going on to tell Astra that rather what she means is if Astra has anything she needs done to please give Evelyn the orders and not put herself at risk. Astra asks Evelyn if she is angry at her, but Evelyn says she is only giving a straightforward and calm protest with no whining. Astra tells Evelyn to please not be mad, and shows her the record that she found of Joran's last performance, reminding Evelyn she told her about it before as she was there as a child.
Astra expresses her happiness and gratitude to the Proxies for being there to guide her, yet Evelyn is more suspicious, telling Astra she trusts too easily as she has no idea who those Proxies really are and what their motives are. Astra tells Evelyn that the Proxies were her the siblings she is friends with who run the video store. At this Evelyn asks Astra if she already knew they were Proxies why she made an Inter Knot post instead of sending them a DM on Knock Knock, and Astra stammers before saying she was just being stubborn, apologizing to Evelyn. Evelyn expresses she is reassured by the fact the Proxies are cautious and reliable due to hiding their identity properly, wondering if she could invite the Proxies to Astra's concert as they would be useful. Astra remarks that Evelyn is surprisingly generous at complimenting other people, before asking if Evelyn intends to run a background check on them. Evelyn tells Astra that when she has every bit of information she is able to prepare for any scenario, such as Astra running off, which prompts Astra to ask how Evelyn knew she ran away this time. Evelyn reveals that she knew everything Astra did: borrowed the makeup artist's phone to make the Inter Knot post, opened a bathroom window before the press conference, and in Evelyn's opinion creatively, rode a public bike into the Hollow.
Astra laments that she thought her plan was flawless, praising Evelyn's sharpness and asking what her job was before she became a manager, wondering if she was a detective or a PubSec officer. Evelyn tells Astra her guesses were close enough, but Astra remarks that Evelyn is so secret and begs her to tell her, even promising to not run off next time. Evelyn gives in immediately and tells Astra she was a professional spy, which causes Astra to laugh and say that is so cool, wanting to use it as inspiration for a song. Unimpressed, Evelyn asks Astra if she is genuinely planning on singing a song about being a professional spy for the New Year concert, and Astra answers genuinely asking if that is not allowed. Evelyn changes the subject and asks Astra how the song she plans to sing at the concert is coming along, as today is the deadline. Astra stutters in response, giving herself away so Evelyn reminds her that they went against the entire board to acquire the Starloop Tower for Astra's New Year concert and publicly announced her new single. However Astra is unbothered, already knowing that Evelyn had prepared many fallback deadlines for her. Evelyn sighs and Astra jumps to tell her she will do it right now, before realizing there is no piano in the car, asking Evelyn if she can help her by singing for her. Evelyn tells Astra she does not sing, which Astra knows, but Astra tells her she can hum instead along with her. Evelyn obliges and hums "Shining" for Astra, leaving Astra in awe once she finishes, but Evelyn questions if Astra was tricking her into singing for her. However, the mood quickly changes as Evelyn detects danger and pins Astra down onto the car floor. Surprised, Astra asks what is wrong and Evelyn reveals they are being tailed by cars, telling Astra there is a Companion Hollow in the area that they can use to lose the pursuers.
The two shortly enter the Hollow and Evelyn engages in battle with the enemies tailing them. Having already arranged for someone to meet the two of them before they even entered the Hollow, Evelyn attempts to get Astra to follow her to meet them, but is confronted by more enemies. The enemies snidely ask Astra where she is running to, annoying Evelyn who coldly tells them she is their opponent and they are not worthy of speaking to Astra. The enemies make more snide remarks, stating that Astra's true strength lies in Evelyn and she is just a talentless company puppet, which further angers Evelyn who yells at them to shut up. Having successfully defeated all the attackers, Evelyn and Astra meet with the security Evelyn contacted. Astra immediately asks if Evelyn is okay and Evelyn tells her she is fine, asking the security to take Astra back. Astra protests right away, asking why Evelyn is not coming as it is dangerous to go alone, but Evelyn tells Astra she needs to investigate the goal of the attackers. At Evelyn's reassurance that she will be there shortly, Astra's protests die and she agrees to go back, understanding that Evelyn must have her own reasons, telling Evelyn to please come back safely to which Evelyn promises she will. Relieved to see Astra leaving safely, Evelyn begins to wonder who could have leaked Astra's schedule and how, as she is clearly being followed, going over to investigate the communicators she had knocked off in battle. Upon discovering they had been wiped completely, Evelyn goes to Sixth Street to meet with an "old friend", namely the hacker Rain.
Evelyn is reluctant to disturb Rain since she managed to escape from The Organization, yet as it is a matter concerning Astra's safety she firmly knows she must do it. Evelyn contacts Rain and the two agree to meet, so whilst waiting for Rain to arrive at the meeting spot Evelyn investigates Sixth Street for suspicious things. When Evelyn investigates the outside of Random Play, she once again remarks how she needs to do a background check on Belle and Wise, wondering why they are trying to get close with Astra, hoping they have no ulterior motives as she can not help but worry about how trusting Astra is of everyone. Speaking to Elfy has her ask if Astra's album is still being sold, and is pleased to learn it was all sold out a few days ago, with Elfy commenting Evelyn seems happy to hear that. When Elfy remarks that Astra is talented, diligent, one of a kind and she highly recommends her, Evelyn says she agrees. After noticing the Gadget Store Evelyn decides she will take Astra there next time, thinking that Astra would probably go all out and buy out the entire store. Evelyn also notes there is a poster of Astra's at Howl's Newsstand.
Evelyn arrives at the meeting place and meets with Rain, discovering in the process from an encrypted message that the attackers were sent by Fugue, the rival industry of Astra's Odeum, to not let Astra have Joran de Winter's record. When Rain reveals the IP of who sent the encrypted message, Evelyn is shocked, prompting Rain to ask if it is bad news for her. Evelyn tells Rain that it is not bad for her, but rather very bad for the person she wants to protect, which causes Rain to remark Evelyn really is doing well. Evelyn is surprised, asking why Rain said that and Rain tells her it is because she has someone she wants to protect no matter what now. The two part ways and Evelyn makes her way to return to Astra, worrying about how the IP was a company IP and therefore an insider who leaked Astra's location.
Later on, Astra and Evelyn are together at the Starloop Tower's observation deck when Evelyn reveals to Astra that the group they were attacked by was indeed affiliated with Fugue. Astra wonders if it is her or the company that is being targeted and Evelyn tells Astra that Fugue's goal was instead to take Joran de Winter's record as they believed his legacy could not fall into the hands or a corporation like Odeum. Astra asks how they found out so quickly when she only just found the record in the Hollow herself, and Evelyn reminds Astra that her movements are always being watched by both fans and reports but also people who want to harm her. Evelyn quietly states that that also applies to those close to her as the enemy's infiltration is deeper than Astra could think, and this is exactly why they need to be extra cautious. Disheartened, Astra thinks of how she was called a product propped up by capital, but Evelyn right away tells Astra to not let Fugue's slander affect her and to stay true to her heart. Astra admits that she really wants to just shout "Get lost!" at both Fugue and Odeum, expressing her wish that the world could be simple enough that her music was just her music. Evelyn tells Astra that even though covering Joran de Winter's songs at the concert was the company's idea, Astra is the one who would end up with the bad reputation because of it, expressing her worry that Astra could follow down the same path as Joran de Winter in becoming a victim sacrificed among the Fugue-Odeum power struggle. Astra tells Evelyn there is one line of Joran's that she adores: "Every heart is a lonely note", and she believes his songs truly have a special power.
Astra begins to tells Evelyn about the night that Old Eridu fell after she had been rescued by the HIA Investigators and was sitting in a makeshift shelter, wondering where her parents were and what had happened to them. She says that she knew she was lucky to have survived even though her life was bought at the cost of the HIA Investigators, even though she had been told be her rescuer to be happy and live on with a smile she could not manage to stay strong. However right then, one of the speakers at the shelter started playing a song, one of Joran's songs and subconsciously his music melted away all of Astra's fear and loneliness. The tears that were falling from her eyes were no longer sad tears but tears that cheered her up and allowed her to face the future with a smile on her face. As she wiped her tears Astra realized that everyone else there who had heard Joran's song had rediscovered a connection between hearts after their painful losses, and it was in that moment because of Joran Astra realized music has the power to deeply captivate the human heart. Astra states that every era needs a songstress who everyone places their hopes on and brings them hope, therefore if every heart is a lonely note she wants her voice to weave the staff lines of their time. Astra declares that she will open the curtains so that hearts are no longer divided, and everyone's voice will be heard, echoed, resonated, and stretched together into the most powerful melody, putting Joran's record away as the curtain of Starloop Tower begins to lift. Now standing in the center of the empty stage with Evelyn off to the side, Astra declares that music is magic whilst looking at Evelyn, and as she begins to sing. The stage lights fly into the sky and circle around Astra, creating a dazzling and magical aura which leaves Evelyn stunned and in awe as she gazes up at Astra. As Astra continues to sing, Evelyn speaks to herself, in response to Astra's statement that music is magic, that maybe she really has been enchanted by some sort of magic, as it makes her believe that even someone like her could be worthy of protecting the radiance of the star that is Astra. Evelyn steps onto the stage and walks towards Astra, giving her a gentle smile which Astra returns as they stand there watching the view.
Having received invitations from Evelyn to go to Astra's concert at Starloop Tower as VIPs a few days prior, on the day of Astra's concert the Proxies and Eous arrive at Starloop Tower. After having a discussion with some of Astra's fans, Evelyn approaches the Proxies and says Astra has told her so much about them, apologizing for being unable to thank them in person previously. Evelyn welcomes them to Starloop Tower but immediately reveals she knows they are Phaethon and explains how she figured it out, including how the main reason was because Astra knew they were inside Eous. Evelyn states Astra is very lucky to have their help and hopes they can all continue working together as Astra needs talented individuals, but before she can finish speaking, Hobson comes over and interrupts their conversation by asking who Belle and Wise are. Evelyn introduces Belle and Wise as Astra's guests, and upon learning this Hobson instructs Evelyn to attend to them, which Evelyn reluctantly agrees to, having wanted to handle the security.
After taking Belle and Wise on a tour of Starloop Tower, the three engage in discussion where Evelyn casually mentions that Astra's performance today is an entirely new one, but when asked what it is Evelyn simply says it is a secret and to wait for Astra's big surprise. After being glared at by Hobson, one of the Proxies expresses their sympathy to Evelyn for having to work under him, but she tells them it is not as she only serves Astra. The topic turns to Astra when Evelyn mentions that Hobson has to be someone who judges other based on usefulness and one of the Proxies mentions Astra is not like that at all, which Evelyn agrees with and says despite it all Astra never looks down on anyone nor sees herself above others, which is exactly why she is so precious. Evelyn confesses that before she met Astra she never believed someone like her could really exist in the world and at first was waiting for Astra to drop the act and show her true colors. One Proxy agrees with Evelyn whilst the other expresses their concern Astra might get hurt by being her genuine self, but Evelyn firmly states she will not let that happen, seeming to be reassuring herself more than actually telling anyone else it. Right at that moment, Astra interrupts by running over and begging for Evelyn to help her. Evelyn is immediately worried and panicked, asking Astra what is wrong, yet her mood calms down when Astra reveals the director just scolded her. Evelyn asks Astra how her final song is coming along as today is the final day to get it done after going through all 20 other deadlines. Astra laments that she can not use an ordinary song and it will be fine once she has inspiration, and Evelyn asks if this means she needs Evelyn to protect her from the director until Astra has inspiration. Astra says that Evelyn promised to protect her from anything so now would be the perfect time to save her from the "berserk deadline-chasing director", but Evelyn laughs and tells Astra that is beyond her capability. This causes Astra to teasingly sulk and the Proxy comments on the closeness of their relationship, yet their conversation is interrupted by the director now coming out and yelling at Evelyn for covering for Astra. Astra quickly grabs the Proxies and runs away, with Evelyn following behind being very much used to situations like this.
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The Day of Brilliant Wishes[]
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In the third round, the Proxy goes to meet with Evelyn and Astra at the beginning of the day to prepare for this round of the competition, and when talking to Evelyn before Astra, she tells them that Astra is waiting for them, and if the Proxy chooses to ask Evelyn what about her, she says she is here to keep Astra safe.
In the fourth round whilst talking to Hugo Vlad, the main character teases Astra about her identity causing her to become flustered and say she knows that Evelyn's protection is what allows her to do this and she always thanks Eve. Later after winning the fourth round and finding out the theme for the final round Astra, and the Proxy decide to go to Lumina Square, so Astra speaks to Evelyn privately and Evelyn drives the two to Lumina Square. When at Lumina Square Astra makes a comment that she rarely gets to shop at Lumina Square because she does not want to trouble Evelyn. When Astra remarks that even though the Proxy is a Proxy they are outgoing and approachable and takes her life seriously, and after the Proxy responds Astra says that if she could be as relaxed as them Evelyn might worry about her less.
In the fifth and final round, the Proxy meets with Astra and Evelyn like always, and is met with Astra's determination that she wants to win. When the Proxy says Eous said the same thing Astra is surprised, but Evelyn says that Astra has taught Eous a lot so it makes sense. Astra is very happy to hear that Evelyn thinks that and declares she feels even more confident now. After Lycaon expresses his concerns to the Proxy that Hugo did something to Astra's microphone, when checking it she notices a scratch that she says she can get Evelyn to fix. After some discussion with Victoria Housekeeping, the Proxy approaches Astra and Evelyn once more right when Evelyn asks Astra if she is content now, to which Astra declares she is 90% content, and it will only be 100% once she completes the Yearlight Ceremony. The Proxy goes to talk to some of their friends and then comes back to see Astra and Evelyn, upon which Astra expresses her envy of Proxy as she has never had the chance to make any friends, and has become dependent on Evelyn. Astra says that she hopes she can befriend some of the Proxy's friends, but quickly asks Evelyn if she minds, and Evelyn states that she does not mind at all as as long as Astra is happy, she is content. Everyone heads to Lumina Square to watch Astra and Eous complete the Yearlight Ceremony, with Evelyn watching Astra from the bridge with a smile. After it is over, the Proxies along with Astra and Evelyn look out at the fireworks from the bridge as Astra wonders where will she be next year, as last year she never would have expected so many things to happen, including finding out about Evelyn. Astra wonders if she seizes every moment will the future she hopes for come true, and both Evelyn and Wise tell her right away that she will, and Astra believes that if they both say so she knows she can believe it. The four have a longer discussion before Belle and Wise head back.
Quotes[]
“Eve? Your name's Eve too... Huh... feels like I'm always being saved by an Eve...”
— Astra about Evelyn in "Goldfinch's Escape".
“Trust me, they're not my bodyguards! There's only one person who can be my bodyguard...”
— Astra about Evelyn in "Goldfinch's Escape".
“You know, I actually think that being recognized is kinda cool, but I made a deal with my manager– she said "When you're out on your own, you have to stay low-key and wear a disguise."”
— Astra about Evelyn in "Goldfinch's Escape".
“Just for today... I don't want to sing for anyone I don't like, no matter what... And Eve isn't here when I need her...”
— Astra about Evelyn in "Goldfinch's Escape".
Evelyn – “Now, the whole of New Eridu knows you ran away.”
Astra – “Ah, that voice...”
— Astra and Evelyn in "Goldfinch's Escape".
Astra – “Eve! What are you doing here?”
Evelyn – “I should be asking you that. The whole company is looking for you, and the gossip online is blowing up. All I got from you was "I'm heading to Reverb Arena with my online friend," and then you disappeared.”
— Astra and Evelyn in "Goldfinch's Escape".
Evelyn – “Okay, fine. Let's head back first. The car's parked over there. I'll take care of the rest later...”
Astra – “I don't wanna go back, Eve. Not today.”
Evelyn – “I get it. It was my fault, I should have been there for you... but you still need to go back and give everyone an explanation. Not just to the company, but also to your fans. They're still waiting for you at Lumina Square. Are they also people you want to avoid?”
— Astra and Evelyn in "Goldfinch's Escape".
“Thank you. I also want to thank you. I realized she was a little off this morning, but I had a special assignment as well, so I had to leave after dropping her off at the cinema. I planned to make it up to her after the event with a proper birthday celebration, but the next thing I know, I get a message saying she's heading to Reverb Arena...”
— Astra about Evelyn in "Goldfinch's Escape".
“Lucky you were there for her. She's in a much better mood than she was earlier today. You've done what I couldn't. Thank you.”
— Evelyn to Proxy about Astra in "Goldfinch's Escape".
Evelyn – “I need to go now. And please, everything we talked about has to stay secret...”
Astra – “What secret?”
Evelyn – “Why did you come back?! Get in the car!”
— Astra and Evelyn in "Goldfinch's Escape".
Evelyn – “Miss Yao is waiting for you.”
Proxy – “What about you?”
Evelyn – “I'm here to keep Miss Yao safe.”
— Evelyn and Proxy in "The Day of Brilliant Wishes".
“Don... Stop teasing me! I know that Eve's protection is what allows me to... I... I always thank Eve!”
— Astra about Evelyn in "The Day of Brilliant Wishes".
“After all, I rarely get the chance to shop here. I don't want to trouble Evelyn and everyone else.”
— Astra about Evelyn in "The Day of Brilliant Wishes".
“Pfft... If I could be more relaxed like you, Eve might worry less...”
— Astra to Proxy about Evelyn in "The Day of Brilliant Wishes".
Astra – “Eh? Did Eous say that too? Wow...”
Evelyn – “You've taught Eous a lot, after all.”
— Astra and Evelyn in "The Day of Brilliant Wishes".
Evelyn – “Are you content now?”
Astra – “I'm 90% content! There's still 10% left!”
— Evelyn and Astra in "The Day of Brilliant Wishes".
“And I've grown dependent on Eve...”
— Astra about Evelyn in "The Day of Brilliant Wishes".
Astra – “What about you, Eve? Do you mind?”
Evelyn – “...Not at all. As long as you're happy, I'm content.”
— Astra and Evelyn in "The Day of Brilliant Wishes".
“Heh, she's really something... Sorry, I shouldn't laugh.”
— Evelyn to Proxy about Astra in a Rank Up Trust Event.
“Alright, we're all here. Eve hasn't tried Sixth Street's noodles yet. Come on, I'll show you. They're delicious!”
— Astra to Proxy and Evelyn in a Rank Up Trust Event.
Astra – “So? Not bad, right? The food's tasty and the manager is great... but most importantly, it's open late!”
Evelyn – “Alright. It's about time we get going. We've got a busy day ahead of us tomorrow. Wait here and I'll send you a message. I'll go get the car.”
— Astra and Evelyn in a Rank Up Trust Event.
“Awesome! This one's now number one on my list of favorite noodle shops. It's a shame that Eve won't let me come during the day, she says it would attract too much attention. In the past, whenever we've gone out to eat at other restaurants, I always end up getting recognized by fans almost immediately, no matter what disguise we use.”
— Astra to Proxy about Evelyn in a Rank Up Trust Event.
“Actually, I enjoy the feeling of being recognize by fans and taking selfies with them. But Eve always ends up pointing at the noodles that have gone cold after sitting there for so long and saying, "They're so unhappy that they've clumped up into a ball."”
— Astra to Proxy about Evelyn in a Rank Up Trust Event.
“Ah, I just got a message from Eve. Looks like the car is waiting for me by the side of the road.”
— Astra to Proxy about Evelyn in a Rank Up Trust Event.
“Actually, I wanted to go to Reverb Arena, but I had no idea the paparazzi would zero in on me as soon as I stepped out the door. Eve kept going on and on, saying "I can't let anyone snap a photo of you at Reverb Arena." So we had to think of a way to lose them.”
— Astra to Proxy about Evelyn in a Rank Up Trust Event.
“Don't worry, as long as Eve is around, no paparazzi will get close enough to even ask that kind of question.”
— Astra to Proxy about Evelyn in a Rank Up Trust Event.
“Eve, let's switch!”
— Astra's assist voiceline with Evelyn.
“Miss, I will protect you.”
— Evelyn's assist voiceline with Astra.
“It's my tu~rn~”
— Astra's assist voiceline with Evelyn.
“It's dangerous here, get behind me.”
— Evelyn's assist voiceline with Astra.
“Eve, this time I'll protect you!”
— Astra's death voiceline with Evelyn.
“What happens when you harm Miss, you will learn shortly!”
— Evelyn's death voiceline with Astra.
“Hehe, want to see what I look like without my makeup? Only Eve has seen it before!”
— Astra about Evelyn in Hollow Zero.
“Miss, it's time to get up. We're going to be late– Fine, just one more minute. Just one.”
— Evelyn to Astra on Astra's character profile.
“Wow, you're so sharp, Eve! What did you do before becoming a manager... a detective? Or a PubSec officer?”
— Astra to Evelyn on Evelyn's character profile.
“Miss Yao is currently enjoying her private time and will not be taking any interviews.”
— Evelyn about Astra on Evelyn's character profile.
“You watch the perimeter. Don't let any suspicious individuals near Miss Yao.”
— Evelyn about Astra on Evelyn's character profile.
“No one gets closer to Miss Yao than my position.”
— Evelyn about Astra on Evelyn's character profile.
Fanon[]
Astralyn first gained slight attention as a ship back in November 2024 when Astra and Evelyn were leaked as playable characters and Astra's dialogue mentioned Evelyn and how she was the only one to have seen her without makeup. Players who favor femslash ships were particularly interested in this, thinking they would likely have a shippable dynamic and saw potential in them.
Once Astra and Evelyn were both drip marketed and more of their relationship was revealed, quite a few more people took an interest in them as a ship and their potential with one another. Even more so after the release of Version 1.4 and the short quest "Goldfinch's Escape" showed their dynamic right in action, filled with a strong amount of ship tease and very interesting dynamic. Astralyn's popularity continued to release with the build up to Version 1.5's release and them receiving more and more content.
After Version 1.5 was officially released, Astralyn saw a significant increase in popularity, so significant that even non ZZZ players took an interest in them, with some even starting the game just for them. Shippers were beyond happy with the way HoYoVerse wrote the entire quest, showcasing the beautiful dynamic that Astra and Evelyn have with one another, as well as the fact Astralyn felt like the first very clearly implied ship they had written in a long time. Shippers find their dynamic beautiful but tragic, with how Astra was the one to save Evelyn and change her entirely, making her start to believe in things she never thought she could and lighting up her darkness filled world. The CG of Astra stroking Evelyn's cheek and smiling at her was a very hot topic of discussion due to the very intimate nature of it and Astra's acceptance of Evelyn being worded very romantically, the original Chinese text especially.
Astralyn is regarded as canon by almost all of the shippers across both the Western and Eastern fandom due to the "Astra-nomical Moment" Special Episode, which very heavily suggested both Astra and Evelyn had feelings for one another with the suggestive dialogue and many lines they said worded as a confession or romantically. Shippers especially like how they fulfill many popular tropes like Bodyguard x Celebrity, Manager x Celebrity Soulmates, Falling In Love With Your Target.
Currently, Astralyn have 55+ works on AO3, being the most written femslash ship and the 7th most written overall ship under the Zenless Zone Zero tag.
Astra mentions Evelyn in several of her Trust Events.
In one of Astra's Trust Rank Up Events, after running into her at the cinema upon which they wondered if Astra being calm and composed in public was because of Evelyn, the Proxy received an unusual signing from Astra and returned later to investigate upon which they met Evelyn. When Evelyn asks the Proxy if they were there for Astra, they show Evelyn the signed poster which causes her to laugh when she reads it and remark Astra is really something, but then apologizes for laughing and asks the Proxy if they want another poster. Astra appears right after and reveals that Evelyn has never tried Sixth Street's noodles before, so they are going to go there. Satisfied that there will be no people around to notice them, Evelyn agrees and the three go to Sixth Street. After having noodles Evelyn goes to get the car as they have a busy day tomorrow, and whilst the Proxy chats with Astra she mentions that Evelyn does not want her to come to the noodle shop during the day as it attracts attention, telling a story about how whenever they used to eat out at restaurants they would get recognized immediately and Evelyn would always end up pointing at the cold food and stating the food was so unhappy it clumped into a ball. Shortly afterwards Astra receives a message from Evelyn and goes to meet her at the car.
In another of Astra's Trust Rank Up Events she comes to RANDOM PLAY to escape from paparazzi and mentions she originally wanted to go to Reverb Arena but Evelyn told her she could not let anyone take a photo of Astra at Reverb Arena, the reason being a popular singer who performs there wrote a song mocking TOPS and Evelyn was worried about what that would do if Astra was seen there, so they had to think of a way to lose the paparazzi. When Astra later teases the Proxy about exposing their identity to paparazzi, she assures them that there is no need to worry because as long as Evelyn is around no paparazzi can get close enough to her anyway.
In one of Astra's Trust Events where she reveals she is collecting bottle caps from people at Reverb Arena to make a mosaic, the Proxy thinks that if Evelyn saw Astra going around like a waiter collecting bottle caps she would be shaking her head and clenching her fists.
One of Astra's Trust Events has the main character find her wanting to adopt a stray cat on Sixth Street despite being unable to have a pet because of work. When the Proxy gives her advice she decides to create her own animal shelter and hire people to rescue stray animals from the Hollow, and decides to check with Evelyn right away on how the procedure would go.
Additionally, in "Astra-nomical Moment" when Evelyn investigates Sixth Street, when she meets Inky she compares herself to him stating she used to be just like him, which brings an undertone of a second meaning into Astra liking cats, and calling a "stray" adorable yet feral, as well as the Proxy being able to tell Astra she would be giving the cat a place to call home if she adopted one.
In another of Astra's Trust Events, if the Proxy chooses to mention they like reality shows, to which Astra is surprised and says to her variety shows are still a job, and Evelyn said the same thing to her; "You cannot disappoint the audience. Your established image must not be destroyed."
An Astra Trust Event has the Proxy find her at Ballet Twins looking for inspiration for the new movie she is starring in. If the Proxy chooses to ask Astra if she is worried that will affect her image as "The Queen" she says that Evelyn shared the same concern and wanted her to be careful.
In one of Astra's Invite Trust Events where the Proxy invites her to get noodles together, Chop asks Astra for advice, and she tells him that she is a food expert as the chaotic fried rice she made even earned the approval of Evelyn who said she had never had fried rice that tasted that good.
In Astra's Trust Promoter Event when watching a reality show she appeared on with her mother as a child, she asks the Proxy to guess what she said she wanted to be when she grew up, thinking not even Evelyn would be able to guess it.
In the "Astra-nomical Moment" TV Schedule, "Harmonic Pact" Astra and Evelyn enter the Hollow together to collect Etheric Matter for Astra's Harmonic Core as she had told Evelyn that she needed more. However, Evelyn tells Astra that she can handle it properly and Astra does not need to come, but Astra states that she wants to skip the exhausting and boring company social events and travel with Evelyn instead. Evelyn reminds Astra the Hollow is not a resort and Astra assures her she is taking it as an important business trip. Astra explains how the Harmonic Core works and how she needs the right match of Etheric Matter and tells Evelyn that she told Secretary Hobson just this, to which Evelyn jokes that coming up with such complicated words must have been difficult. Astra assures her she did not make it up and Evelyn tells Astra she understands but reminds her they can not stay in the Hollow for too long, preparing to begin for today's battle.
The next day, Astra remarks about how they were still unable to find the right type of Etheric Matter and Evelyn notes Astra does not seem to be discouraged by that. Astra tells her that is because being with Evelyn on this trip gave her a lot of inspiration, to which Evelyn is surprised as Astra never lacks inspiration, but Astra tells her she is surrounded by interesting people who inspire her so she wants to "gather" them. Evelyn recognizes that she was "gathered" and Astra tells her she is her prized collection, but Evelyn reminds Astra is not good to be exposed to so much danger and remain in the Hollow, and the two head back early.
On the final day, Evelyn expresses her concerns that they have been coming to the Hollow too often, but Astra tells her this is because she discovered the Hollow's hidden potential of being perfect for singing. Evelyn asks Astra if her audience is the Ethereals then and Astra agrees that she thinks they love her singing right as the Ethereals come towards them, and Evelyn states that the Ethereals really are passionate then. After Astra finishes performing, Evelyn notes that the last song Astra sung was sad, and Astra tells her this is because it was a Requiem. Evelyn notes that the Ether Matter is glowing in a unique way and Astra agrees that it is the perfect match she was looking for. Astra shares her thoughts that despite what the HIA say she believes the Ethereals can still resonate with humans so Evelyn tells her that she has heard when passing hearing is the last sense to fade. Astra remarks that is proof of how music is connected to everyone's souls and everyone remains connected until the very end through sound. Evelyn reminds Astra they need to go back now and Astra complies but requests a moment to properly say goodbye to the Ethereals before they leave.
In Ellen Joe's TV Schedule, "The Troubles of Ellen the Shark", Astra hires Ellen to help her excavate every single Crystal Flower stamen from the Hollow to make Crimson Venom perfume as a New Year's gift for her "closest friend", and she wanted it to be handmade to show how much she cares. Whilst it is not specified who the "closest friend" is, it is only possible for it to be Evelyn as only she and the Proxy could clarify as Astra's "closest friend", but when Ellen describes the Proxy as the person she wants to get a gift for, Astra says she knows someone exactly like that who she is also preparing a gift for. Astra also takes a fondness to Ellen as she had said Ellen reminds her of the "closest friend".
In Evelyn's Agent File, it is mentioned that Evelyn is an irreplaceable pillar behind Astra, with an entertainment magazine stating "In terms of commercial value, if Astra Yao represents the 1, then Evelyn is all the 0s that follow,". It goes on to mention that Evelyn makes sure to ensure Astra's safety always and if anyone wants to get close to Astra they have to get past her.
In Chinese slang, "1" signifies "Top" and "0" signifies "Bottom", therefore this suggests that Astra appears to be the dominant one in the relationship with Evelyn.
In Astra's Agent File, it is mentioned that Astra's brilliance would not be possible without the protection of Evelyn, and that offstage Astra is a cute, hapless girl who depends on Evelyn in her daily life.
In Astra's Mindscape 5 "Proxy and Silk", she mentions to Evelyn that she discovered the shocking secret that both Evelyn and the Proxy are tall and slim, when Evelyn inquires what Astra means, Astra smiles and reveals that both Evelyn and the Proxy are her favorite person.
Evelyn's Mindscape 2 "Dance of Fire", features Evelyn recalling the first time she met Astra with a rare softness in her tone, stating: "To me, that light was unfamiliar, something I should have steered clear of, but it broke through every barrier, as though it was trying to remind me that beyond the darkness, there was something worth chasing."
In Evelyn's Mindscape 4 "Fate's Melody", Astra tells Eve that every time she meets someone important to her her heart beats "thump thump", which Evelyn merely sighs to, but once Astra leaves and she is along, she mutters "thump thump", as Astra is someone important to her.
Evelyn's Mindscape 6 "Bond of Light and Shadow" features the text: "Where there is light, there will always be shadow. It silently hides, tracing the light's path, guarding each bright burst. The shadow never tries to steal the light's brilliance, but at every turn, it quietly fills those corners the light cannot reach. The two have never been separated, nor can they be — light is whole because of shadow, and shadow exists because of light. It's an eternal pursuit, an unspeakable connection." From the name to the text is about Astra and Evelyn, as Evelyn mentions in the main story that she had always been someone living in the shadows, until Astra was the light that pierced through the darkness.
The sub-mission in "Goldfinch's Escape" where Evelyn finds Astra at Reverb Arena is called "The Princess and the Knight".
In the original Chinese text, when Astra meets Eve at the newsstand, she says "伊芙，您也叫伊芙吗…还真是…不论在哪里都被伊芙保护着…" (Eve, you also are called Eve... Really... No matter where I am Eve protects me...).
On Evelyn's official character profile, when Astra compliments Evelyn on being sharp and asks what her job was before she became a manager, it states that Astra was "hoping to get answers by using flattery and acting cute".
In the official Zenless Zone Zero TGA video both Astra and Evelyn were revealed and Evelyn can be seen keeping an eye on Astra from the shadows as she explores Sixth Street.
In the Version 1.5 livestream, several remarks and facts were shared about Astra and Evelyn's relationship by the developers.
The only reason Astra is able to eat three meals and attend every event on time is because she has Evelyn by her side.
Now that Astra has Evelyn in her life, she is a safe haven where Astra can be herself, and in return it is only because of Astra that Evelyn can experience life, as in the past Evelyn was a person with almost no material desires.
In Japanese, the line about Evelyn being able to experience life because of Astra is translated as "そしてイヴリンもまた 彼女から生きる温かさを知りました" (And Evelyn also learned the warmth of living because of her).
Whilst in public their relationship is that of a professional one yet in private they are extremely close, more specifically that with Astra for the first time Evelyn has something like a "home".
At one point, one of the devs said that Astra's pure song would not be possible without the protection of her "knight", namely Evelyn.
In "Everyday Scenes - "Good Morning!"", Astra is spotted being filmed by a person who wants to take a closing shot of her, however Evelyn approaches Astra and Astra immediately comments on the time and asks Evelyn if they can go get hotpot. Evelyn reminds Astra that it is still breakfast time, prompting Astra to hold up her hands and make puppy dog eyes at Evelyn. Evelyn agrees immediately and accompanies a delighted Astra down the hallway as Astra begins listing what she wants in the hotpot.
In Evelyn's Character Demo "In My Name", it is revealed that Astra was going to be Evelyn's final target, and that for her mission with Astra as her target, Evelyn had used her real name, Evelyn Chevalier, rather than a fake identity. Right afterwards when Evelyn walks into the VIP Lounge, Astra greets Evelyn happily and welcomes her back. After Astra's greeting and the use of "Evelyn", Evelyn's lifeless eyes immediately shine with new light as blank expression turns into a smile.
A Twitter post posted by Astra's official Twitter account states that Evelyn gets nervous when she enters into the kitchen. It can be assumed that Astra may not be an amazing cook, as it is shown Evelyn is usually the one who cooks for her, also being implied Evelyn may live with Astra.[1]
A Twitter post made by Astra's official Twitter account in honor of Christmas states that Evelyn's cooking is next level delicious and "Having meals with someone special feels so good", the someone special (Chinese: 重要的人, Important person) being Evelyn.[2]
A video posted by Astra's official Twitter has Evelyn enter Astra's room and remind her she has to hurry up otherwise they will be late, reminding her there is a 9am online meeting with Odeum management and another online meeting at 2pm. Astra tells Evelyn she is coming but begs Evelyn to please help her grab her going out stuff first. Evelyn tells Astra of course but again reminds her to hurry up and get ready. Evelyn goes to get Astra's stuff and then notices one of Astra's gemstones looks exactly the same as her other ones. Astra comes back and announces she is here, telling Evelyn she is the best and complimenting how everything is tidy and perfect, but becomes slightly awkward once she realizes what Evelyn is looking at. Evelyn tells Astra that Astra knows she supports her to buy things she likes, but buying so many identical gemstones is still shocking. Astra laughs and tells Evelyn to let her explain, that although they look similar they are very different. Picking up one of the gems she tells Evelyn it has one hundred and eight facets which catch the light beautifully like the glimmer of rippling water. Astra then picks up another gem and tells Evelyn this one has exceptionally high clarity and is super rare. Astra picks up another one, attempting to come up with an excuse to clarify why it is different, but apologizes that she has now run out of excuses to make up. Evelyn laughs at this, and Astra is surprised, stating any gem that makes Eve laugh must surely be a good gem, and now their value just became even higher. Evelyn reminds Astra that the meeting starts in twenty minutes, but Astra states that is plenty of time and today is off to a great start and she can already see everything going smoothly.[3]
In Astra's "Behind the Agent Interview Notes" Daily Life, Astra signals to Evelyn to give her her earrings, which Evelyn puts on for her, and Astra asks for Evelyn's approval on if she looks perfect.[4]
In the "New Eridan Vol. 01" preview for Astra's skin, the Bangboo comment remarks about spotting Evelyn and Astra, and after fawning over Astra's skin wanting to interview Evelyn, but noticing her coming towards it. In the same post, it is revealed by Astra that the necklace and collar pin on her skin were picked out by her and Evelyn together, and Astra originally wanted a flashier diamond necklace but Evelyn did not want to risk her getting recognized.[5]
In Astra's "Plastic-Wrapped Journal", she asks Evelyn to let a life sized standee of her take over her appointments, and Evelyn remarks that even though the people need their diva even a diva needs a break. Astra suggests that they go out to Sixth Street all the way to the lighthouse at Port Elpis, and she has a feeling that journey will inspire her.[6]
The Twitter post "Stars of Lyra | Always By Your Side", Astra remarks that many things went wrong during her concert but she is glad it ended on a high note and there were so many positive reviews, and Evelyn says that it was all because of Astra's hard work and she will make sure Astra's new song has full media coverage. On the Message Board, Astra excitedly remarks that her new song is out and everyone in the comments in very excited, wondering what their favorite songs are. Evelyn tells Astra she already read through the message board 76 times and really should turn off her phone and sleep, but Astra tells her they need to prepare for the next album because she wants to see everyone again. Evelyn reminds her that she would need to create at least 3 new songs for another album, but assures her there is no rush as the fans can wait.[7]
In Evelyn's "Behind The Agent" upon noticing that Astra had a ticket to an entomological exhibition, Evelyn remarks that she does not know where Astra got the ticket from as Astra is terrified of insects and always needs Evelyn to deal with them for her. Interested in the rare species of moths, Evelyn wonders if she and Astra could look at them on their day off, but states that on the day of the exhibition there had been an issue in one of Astra's photoshoots so they missed it, but it was nevertheless a happy day together.[8]
As Evelyn mentions in one of her trust invite events, she likes moths, therefore it may be likely that Astra had gotten the tickets for Evelyn despite being scared of insects herself.
An official art for the Chinese Lantern festival holiday shows Astra and Evelyn making lanterns together, where Evelyn tells her to maybe shape her snake lantern like a lightstick instead.[9]
The "Evelyn's Late Night Cafeteria" Twitter event prompt is that having worked tirelessly throughout the night, Astra had forgotten to eat so Evelyn was preparing to cook her a midnight snack.[10]
In the "Should I Be the Stars of Lyra" Web Event, Astra mentions to the Proxy that she is not as good as planning the future as Evelyn is.
When calling Evelyn as a support Agent in Hollow Zero, the dialogue to refuse her reads "Go ahead and take care of Astra, I'll be fine."
Many of the lyrics of the song "Shining" (闪亮), which Evelyn originally hummed for Astra when they were together in the car and Astra performed to save the Star Ring, appear to be about Astra and Evelyn, and overall Evelyn.
The lyrics to Evelyn's EP "Stars Align" are also about Astra and Evelyn's relationship, more specifically about Astra from Evelyn's perspective, and can be interpreted romantically.
In Evelyn's EP, it is shown that both Astra and Evelyn are terrible cooks, but Evelyn studied hard and took note of Astra's food preferences to become an amazing cook in order to be able to cook the best food for Astra.
It is implied that Astra and Evelyn may live together considering everything, mainly how Evelyn's EP seems to imply they moved in together and how Evelyn is always there to cook for Astra and wake her up in the morning.
As revealed in Evelyn's Agent File, amongst Astra's fans many of them ship Astra and Evelyn together as a CP.
Evelyn's Knock Knock profile picture is of Astra.
Astra and Evelyn are both shown to like cats a lot, being cat people.
Astra and Evelyn have matching Dynamic Wallpapers, with both of them being shown standing in front of the same limousine.
Astra is 176cm, whilst Evelyn is 173cm, giving them a height difference of 3cm.
Astra's birthday is January 31st, whilst Evelyn's is October 7th, with Evelyn's birthday being 249 days after Astra's, as well as making them a Aquarius and Libra respectively.
Due to both being members of the same faction "Stars of Lyra", and the fact Astra's kit buffs and enables further chain attacks, Astra and Evelyn are each other's best teammates.
A leak posted on Telegram on 2024/11/13 that revealed Astra and Evelyn as upcoming playable characters revealed some of their Hollow Zero dialogues. Both Astra and Evelyn mentioned each other in one dialogue, revealing that only Evelyn has ever seen Astra without makeup, and Evelyn wants to be Astra's manager-bodyguard forever.
Astra: "Hehe, want to see my appearance without makeup? Before this only Eve has seen it!"
Evelyn: "Future? I haven't planned it. Because I hope, my future will be the same as it is now."
Astra and Evelyn's JP VA's, Endō Aya and Hikasa Yōko, have worked together a total of 35 times currently.
