#asha ii
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Operation Stumpy Re-Read
ADWD: The King's Prize (Asha II) [Chapter 42]
Asha Greyjoy rode in the baggage train, in a covered wayn with two huge iron-rimmed wheels, fettered at wrist and ankle and watched over day and night by a She-Bear who snored worse than any man. His Grace King Stannis was taking no chances on his prize escaping captivity. He meant to carry her to Winterfell, to display her there in chains for the lords of the north to see, the kraken's daughter bound and broken, proof of his power.
Almighty tree, show me Stannis Baratheon's power.
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Between Deepwood Motte and Winterfell lay one hundred leagues of forest. Three hundred miles as the raven flies. "Fifteen days," the knights told each other.
"Robert would have done it in ten," Asha heard Lord Fell boasting. His grandsire had been slain by Robert at Summerhall; somehow this had elevated his slayer to godlike prowess in the grandson's eyes. "Robert would have been inside Winterfell a fortnight ago, thumbing his nose at Bolton from the battlements."
[...]
This king lives in his brother's shadow, Asha thought.
I'm guessing the brother inferiority complex will be present when Jon becomes king.
In truth, the young lord commander and her king had more in common than either one would ever be willing to admit. Stannis had been a younger son living in the shadow of his elder brother, just as Jon Snow, bastard-born, had always been eclipsed by his trueborn sibling, the fallen hero men had called the Young Wolf. Both men were unbelievers by nature, mistrustful, suspicious. The only gods they truly worshiped were honor and duty. - Melisandre I, ADWD
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"No man has ever died from bending his knee," her father had once told her. "He who kneels may rise again, blade in hand. He who will not kneel stays dead, stiff legs and all."
Does that count as another Asha / Arya similarity?
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Qarl and Tris and the rest who had survived the wolfswood were all she had to care about. Only nine remained. We ragged nine, Cromm named them. He was the worst wounded.
Nine? She had two hundred men and now she has nine.
Damn, I was wrong at the time, maybe she should have stayed in the castle.
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Stannis had given her their lives. Yet she sensed no true mercy in the man. He was determined, beyond a doubt. Nor did he lack for courage. Men said he was just … and if his was a harsh, hard-handed sort of justice, well, life on the Iron Islands had accustomed Asha Greyjoy to that. All the same, she could not like this king. Those deep-set blue eyes of his seemed always slitted in suspicion, cold fury boiling just below their surface. Her life meant little and less to him. She was only his hostage, a prize to show the north that he could vanquish the ironborn.
Stating the obvious. The man does not pass the vibe check.
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Her very womanhood seemed to offend him. Men from the green lands liked their women soft and sweet in silk, she knew, not clad in mail and leather with a throwing axe in each hand. But her short acquaintance with the king at Deepwood Motte convinced her that he would have been no more fond of her in a gown. Even with Galbart Glover's wife, the pious Lady Sybelle, he had been correct and courteous but plainly uncomfortable. This southron king seemed to be one of those men to whom women are another race, as strange and unfathomable as giants and grumkins and the children of the forest. The She-Bear made him grind his teeth as well.
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Even prisoners have ears, and she had heard all the talk at Deepwood Motte, when King Stannis and his captains were debating this march. Ser Justin had opposed it from the start, along with many of the knights and lords who had come with Stannis from the south. But the wolves insisted; Roose Bolton could not be suffered to hold Winterfell, and the Ned's girl must be rescued from the clutches of his bastard.
The mountain clans have doomed Stannis and I'm loving it.
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The king cut him off. "We all know what my brother would do. Robert would gallop up to the gates of Winterfell alone, break them with his warhammer, and ride through the rubble to slay Roose Bolton with his left hand and the Bastard with his right." Stannis rose to his feet. "I am not Robert. But we will march, and we will free Winterfell … or die in the attempt."
I believe you, ellipsis of truth.
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Whatever doubts his lords might nurse, the common men seemed to have faith in their king. Stannis had smashed Mance Rayder's wildlings at the Wall and cleaned Asha and her ironborn out of Deepwood Motte; he was Robert's brother, victor in a famous sea battle off Fair Isle, the man who had held Storm's End all through Robert's Rebellion.
Mance Rayder and his ragtag army were PARLEYING.
You had two hundred men, and ABANDONED THE CASTLE. He didn't even smash you, the mountain clans did!
Zero credit. None.
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Stannis need only bloody Bolton, and the northmen will abandon him."
So you hope, thought Asha, but first the king must bloody him. Only a fool deserts the winning side.
Trying to think of who this could be hinting at.
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It made no matter. Her father's lands would never be hers, no matter whom she married. The ironborn were not a forgiving people, and Asha had been defeated twice. Once at the kingsmoot by her uncle Euron, and again at Deepwood Motte by Stannis. More than enough to stamp her as unfit to rule.
It's true, that will be a problem. Asha needs a big victory for the ironborn.
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"Do you have brothers?" Asha asked her keeper.
"Sisters," Alysane Mormont replied, gruff as ever. "Five, we were. All girls. Lyanna is back on Bear Island. Lyra and Jory are with our mother. Dacey was murdered."
"The Red Wedding."
With their mother where?
The last time we saw Maege Mormont she was supposed to be sailing up the Neck to Greywater Watch. I would love to know how Lyra and Jory got to her.
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"Aye." Alysane stared at Asha for a moment. "I have a son. He's only two. My daughter's nine."
"You started young."
"Too young. But better that than wait too late."
A stab at me, Asha thought, but let it be.
The probability that Asha's pregnant is increasing.
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"No. My children were fathered by a bear." Alysane smiled. Her teeth were crooked, but there was something ingratiating about that smile. "Mormont women are skinchangers. We turn into bears and find mates in the woods. Everyone knows."
I'm surprised the Mormonts aren't ostracized from the rest of the north.
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The king stood outside his tent, staring into the nightfire. What does he see there? Victory? Doom? The face of his red and hungry god? His eyes were sunk in deep pits, his close-cropped beard no more than a shadow across his hollow cheeks and bony jawbone. Yet there was power in his stare, an iron ferocity that told Asha this man would never, ever turn back from his course.
We love a stupid stubborn man.
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"Torrhen's Square is not worth the mud beneath my heels. It is Winterfell that matters."
"Strike off these irons and let me help you take it, Sire. Your Grace's royal brother was renowned for turning fallen foes into friends. Make me your man."
"The gods did not make you a man. How can I?" Stannis turned back to the nightfire and whatever he saw dancing there amongst the orange flames.
Ser Justin Massey grasped Asha by the arm and pulled her inside the royal tent. "That was ill judged, my lady," he told her. "Never speak to him of Robert."
I should have known better. Asha knew how it went with little brothers. She remembered Theon as a boy, a shy child who lived in awe, and fear, of Rodrik and Maron. They never grow out of it, she decided. A little brother may live to be a hundred, but he will always be a little brother.
Bran is also a little brother, are we going to see that play out too?
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"Would that we were ravens," Justin Massey said on the fourth day of the march, the day the snow began to fall. Only a few small flurries at first. Cold and wet, but nothing they could not push through easily.
But it snowed again the next day, and the day after, and the day after that.
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On the third day of snow, the king's host began to come apart. Whilst the southron knights and lordlings struggled, the men of the northern hills fared better. Their garrons were sure-footed beasts that ate less than palfreys, and much less than the big destriers, and the men who rode them were at home in the snow. Many of the wolves donned curious footwear. Bear-paws, they called them, queer elongated things made with bent wood and leather strips. Lashed onto the bottoms of their boots, the things somehow allowed them to walk on top of the snow without breaking through the crust and sinking down to their thighs.
Bwahahahaha.
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Some had bear-paws for their horses too, and the shaggy little garrons wore them as easily as other mounts wore iron horseshoes … but the palfreys and destriers wanted no part of them.
Guys I'm starting to lose hope for a Dothraki Christmas.
We could have had it all! :(
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On the fifth day of the storm, the baggage train crossed a rippling expanse of waist-high snowdrifts that concealed a frozen pond. When the hidden ice cracked beneath the weight of the wagons, three teamsters and four horses were swallowed up by the freezing water, along with two of the men who tried to rescue them.
Foreshadowing for the The Night Lamp theory.
Long story short, Stannis will use a beacon of light to trick the Frey army into travelling over a frozen lake.
We'll cover it all in Theon I TWOW.
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That was the night that Asha first heard the queen's men muttering about a sacrifice—an offering to their red god, so he might end the storm. "The gods of the north have unleashed this storm on us," Ser Corliss Penny said.
[...]
The king said nothing. But he heard. Asha was certain of that. He sat at the high table as a dish of onion soup cooled before him, hardly tasted, staring at the flame of the nearest candle with those hooded eyes, ignoring the talk around him.
Speaking of foreshadowing, I think we all know what this is pointing to.
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Asha thought she had known cold on Pyke, when the wind came howling off the sea, but that was nothing compared to this. This is a cold that drives men mad.
What are you saying about Canadians and Russians, George?
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Later, when Ser Corliss Penny wondered aloud whether an entire army had ever frozen to death in a winter storm, the wolves laughed. "This is no winter," declared Big Bucket Wull. "Up in the hills we say that autumn kisses you, but winter fucks you hard. This is only autumn's kiss."
Peak asshole behaviour. Big fan of Big Bucket Wull.
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"A sacrifice will prove our faith still burns true, Sire," Clayton Suggs had told the king. And Godry the Giantslayer said, "The old gods of the north have sent this storm upon us. Only R'hllor can end it. We must give him an unbeliever."
"Half my army is made up of unbelievers," Stannis had replied. "I will have no burnings. Pray harder."
No burnings today, and none tomorrow … but if the snows continue, how long before the king's resolve begins to weaken? Asha had never shared her uncle Aeron's faith in the Drowned God, but that night she prayed as fervently to He Who Dwells Beneath the Waves as ever the Damphair had.
... good question ...
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The cold count, Asha heard it named. The baggage train suffered the worst: dead horses, lost men, wayns overturned and broken. "The horses founder in the snow," Justin Massey told the king. "Men wander off or just sit down to die."
"Let them," King Stannis snapped. "We press on."
The northmen fared much better, with their garrons and their bear-paws. Black Donnel Flint and his half-brother Artos only lost one man between them. The Liddles, the Wulls, and the Norreys lost none at all. One of Morgan Liddle's mules had gone astray, but he seemed to think the Flints had stolen him.
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On the twenty-sixth day of the fifteen-day march, the last of the vegetables was consumed. On the thirty-second day, the last of the grain and fodder. Asha wondered how long a man could live on raw, half-frozen horse meat.
Go home, Stannis.
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Finally, after a nightmarish day when the column advanced a bare mile and lost a dozen horses and four men, Lord Peasebury turned against the northmen. "This march was madness. More dying every day, and for what? Some girl?"
"Ned's girl," said Morgan Liddle. He was the second of three sons, so the other wolves called him Middle Liddle, though not often in his hearing.
[...]
"Ned's girl," echoed Big Bucket Wull. "And we should have had her and the castle both if you prancing southron jackanapes didn't piss your satin breeches at a little snow."
I'm stupid, is this where Middle Brittle comes from? Bwah!
The armorer considered that a moment. "Robert was the true steel. Stannis is pure iron, black and hard and strong, yes, but brittle, the way iron gets. He'll break before he bends. And Renly, that one, he's copper, bright and shiny, pretty to look at but not worth all that much at the end of the day." - Jon I, ACOK
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"Winter is almost upon us, boy. And winter is death. I would sooner my men die fighting for the Ned's little girl than alone and hungry in the snow, weeping tears that freeze upon their cheeks. No one sings songs of men who die like that. As for me, I am old. This will be my last winter. Let me bathe in Bolton blood before I die. I want to feel it spatter across my face when my axe bites deep into a Bolton skull. I want to lick it off my lips and die with the taste of it on my tongue."
How can I not stan Big Bucket Wull?
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Even in his bulky fur cloak and heavy armor, Stannis looked like a man with one foot in the grave.
Every once in a while George abandons the art of subtlety.
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The next day the king's scouts chanced upon an abandoned crofters' village between two lakes—a mean and meagre place, no more than a few huts, a longhall, and a watchtower.
[...]
Asha crawled out from under her sleeping furs and pushed her way out of the tent, knocking aside the wall of snow that had sealed them in during the night. Her irons clanked as she climbed to her feet and took a breath of the icy morning air. The snow was still falling, even more heavily than when she'd crawled inside the tent. The lakes had vanished, and the woods as well. She could see the shapes of other tents and lean-tos and the fuzzy orange glow of the beacon fire burning atop the watchtower, but not the tower itself. The storm had swallowed the rest.
Night Lamp things.
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Somewhere ahead Roose Bolton awaited them behind the walls of Winterfell, but Stannis Baratheon's host sat snowbound and unmoving, walled in by ice and snow, starving.
Sounds like he's a wildling.
Final thoughts:
The Kraken's Daughter
The Wayward Bride
The King's Prize
Someone on Reddit made the great observation that despite her self-assurance, Asha is always defined by (male) others.
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asoiaf characters as posts that remind me of them pt 3
#the et one came to me in a vision#asoiaf#hotd#podrick payne#tormund giantsbane#otto hightower#sansa stark#margaery tyrell#house greyjoy#balon greyjoy#theon greyjoy#yara greyjoy#asha greyjoy#robb stark#aegon ii targaryen#asoiaf silly posting#asoiaf textpost
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Raven-Haired Ladies in Purple
#disney#purple#black hair#jasmine#princess jasmine#asha#esmerelda#jetlag#isabella madrigal#akima kunimoto#titan ae#wish#encanto#mulan#mulan ii#alana#the little mermaid#princess lubna#the knight and the princess#the hunchback of notre dame#mermaid#diversity#princess ting-ting
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MOTHERS AND THEIR ONLY DAUGHTERS
aemma fc: florence pugh, rhaenyra fc: amelia crouch, rhaenys fc: maria doyle kennedy, laena fc: hathfury, alicent fc: mallory jansen, helaena fc: ella jonas farlinger & tamzin merchant, jaehaera fc: dayana litoshyk, larra fc: naomi battrick, naerys: freya tingley, shaera fc: jessy schram, rhaella fc: ryan kiera armstrong & elizabeth mitchell, daenerys fc: unknown, joanna fc: annabelle wallis, cersei fc: adriana romanová-tarábková & charlize theron, princess of dorne fc: charithra chandran, elia fc: golshifteh farahani & deepika padukone, lyarra fc: emma watson, lyanna fc: bláthnaid mckeown, rhaenys fc: nisa sofiya aksongur, myrcella fc: viktoriya novikova, alerie fc: sally pressman, margaery fc: anna popplewell, alannys fc: gabrielle rose, asha fc: poppy drayton / song: “class of 2013” by mitski / painting: “woman and child” by robert cree crawford
AEMMA ARRYN & RHAENYRA TARGARYEN / RHAENYS II TARGARYEN & LAENA VELARYON / ALICENT HIGHTOWER & HELAENA TARGARYEN / HELAENA TARGARYEN & JAEHAERA TARGARYEN / LARRA ROGARE & NAERYS TARGARYEN / SHAERA TARGARYEN & RHAELLA TARGARYEN / RHAELLA TARGARYEN & DAENERYS TARGARYEN / JOANNA LANNISTER & CERSEI LANNISTER
THE PRINCESS OF DORNE & ELIA MARTELL / LYARRA STARK & LYANNA STARK / ELIA MARTELL & RHAENYS III TARGARYEN / CERSEI LANNISTER & MYRCELLA BARATHEON / ALERIE HIGHTOWER & MARGAERY TYRELL / ALANNYS HARLAW & ASHA GREYJOY
#aemma arryn#rhaenyra targaryen#rhaenys ii targaryen#laena velaryon#alicent hightower#helaena targaryen#jaehaera targaryen#larra rogare#naerys targaryen#shaera targaryen#rhaella targaryen#daenerys targaryen#joanna lannister#cersei lannister#the princess of dorne#elia martell#lyarra stark#lyanna stark#rhaenys iii targaryen#myrcella baratheon#alerie hightower#margaery tyrell#alannys harlaw#asha greyjoy#a song of ice and fire#asoiaf#web weaving
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tagging some moots under the cut <3
tagging: @dragonsbone @emilykaldwen @toilandtroubled @eddiemunscns
#reblog for a bigger sample size pls#give me your thoughts in the comments <3#asoiaf#game of thrones#house of the dragon#tywin lannister#sandor clegane#asha greyjoy#brynden tully#aegon ii targaryen#fyeahgameofthronesocs#polls
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State of the noble drow houses after the event of "Lolth's Warrior" — a Drizzt novel possibly set very closely before the events of Baldur's Gate 3.
note: the first book stated that it was set in 1490, two years before the events of BG3 (1492), it is not state clearly how long time has passed by the 3rd book (Lolth's Warrior), but I got an ask on here said it's set in 1491. Take it as you will.
Might be helpful if you have a drow noble Tav who's from one of the existing noble houses (and is romancing Minthara, who's from house Baenre, who had amazing insults for house DeVir in game)
To recap: The houses were in a civil war, one side fought against Lolth and her grip on drow (house Baenre and their allies: house Do'Urden/Xorlarrin, house Fey-Branche) and the other, for Lolth (or at least, against the Baenre and in fear of Lolth's wrath) (house Barrison Del'Armgo and their allies: house Melarn, house Mizzrym, house Vandree, house Hunzrin; & loyal Lolthian priestess Sos'Umptu Baenre). The loyal side won, with Sos'Umptu replacing her sister as Matron Mother of house Baenre, 2500-3000 drows left the Underdark including the former Baenre Matron, all part of the deal that placed Sos'Umptu to the throne. Around 3000 drows were dead in the conflict, countless demon banished for 100 years.
House Baenre: Sos'Umptu Baenre is now the Matron Mother. She's a devoted Lolth High Priestess, Mistress of Arach-Tinilith, daughter of Yvonnel the Eternal and sister of former Matron Mother Quenthel Baenre, who's now in exile on the surface. Two of Quenthel's children stays, including her eldest daughter. Half of the drider-turned-drow soldiers stayed. Yvonnel Baenre II is not dead, but currently is banished somewhere unreachable by the Avatar of Lolth.
House Barrison Del'Armgo: Matron Mez'Barris Armgo (and some of her priestesses) is dead at the hands of her mind-controlled grandson — weapon master & Lolth's Warrior — Malagdorl Armgo.
House Melarn: Matron Zhindia Melarn got blown up in their house compound, possible structural damage there. Lolth's Web fell, wounded many including those of house Melarn.
House Xorlarrin/Do'Urden: Matron Zeerith Xorlarrin became Zeerith Do'Urden for the restored house Do'Urden and now reverted to Zeerith Xorlarrin, having embraced Lolth once again and turned her back at Quenthel Baenre and Yvonnel's cause. The Matron's daughter — her heiress left the Underdark with her brother.
House Fey-Branche: Matron Byrtyn Fey is the mother of Minolin Fey and grandmother of Yvonnel Baenre II. She got turned into a drider, implied to be Zhindia Melarn's handiwork. She's alive still and so is her daughters.
House Mizzrym: Miz'ri Mizzrym & allies stormed and seized the compound of house Fey-Branche. Matron Byrtyn Fey was captured during this raid and turned into a drider.
House House Faen Tlabbar: Stayed out of the conflict. Remained intact.
House Vandree: Matron Asha Vandree is alive. Lost a nephew in this conflict.
House Hunzrin: Matron Shakti was held captive at the hands of house Baenre, but is implied that they're to be released when Sos'Umptu take charge of house Baenre instead of Quenthel.
#lore#read: lolth's warrior#ive edited this post too many times i think im just gonna. hit post#minthara#drow
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Lone star season 5 wishlist:
Owen calling Carlos son
More Reyes sisters content/Reyes family backstory
Tarlos referring to each other as husband every chance they get
Carlos bonding with Lou II
Iris joining the Catan gang (she and Mateo would be chaotic bffs)
More Andrea and Owen - Owen could offer a good shoulder for her to cry on
TK calling Andrea mom or mama
Carlos calling Owen dad
More Paul/Asha, Nancy/Mateo, Marjan/Joe (or Nancy/Marjan if Tim is feeling generous)
Judd's glorious return to the 126
A new probie at the 126
Mateo ends up in hospital (it's his turn now)
Lexi Mitchell!
More Carlos at work
Tommy suggesting Andrea joins her grief group
The Vega twins visiting their mother at work and ditching her when Carlos stops by the firehouse for lunch
Wyatt's miraculous recovery
Judd coming to terms with the fact he's (going to be) a grandfather
The rest of the crew teasing him about it
Loved up tarlos
steamy season 1 style tarlos scene (they're newlyweds, let them be horny for each other!)
Owen getting a new hobby because TK 'doesn't need him anymore'
Owen babysitting his grandchild for tarlos (Lou II)
TK learning Spanish or a mention of the fact that he is
I was bored on the train home
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Earlier I had mentioned how ‘Arya’s’ marriage to Ramsay Bolton is the thread that connects all the plots in the North in ADwD and I could not help notice how it’s mentioned or is the driving force for what is happening in four different locations or about 70% of the North plot.
Reek I (Theon I) - We are first introduced to this wedding in the North in this chapter when Ramsay tells Reek that he is to be wed to Arya Stark and needs Reek to stick around in better conditions.
Davos III: Davos is brought before the Manderlys with the Freys and Lannister/Bolton spies in attendance. Lady Wylla Manderly sticks up for Lady Arya Stark by telling everyone what an absolutely rotten fellow Ramsay Bolton is.
Reek II (Theon II): Reek meets ‘Arya’ and understands what is happening. This is Jeyne Poole, not Arya Stark.
The Wayward Bride (Asha I): The Boltons send off the wedding invites. Over at Deepwood Motte, Asha Greyjoy gets one written in the blood of dead Ironborn. This is also where she learns that her brother Theon is alive.
Jon VI: An interesting parallel with Asha and Theon here when Jon also gets a wedding invite at the Wall and learns that his little sister Arya Stark is alive and to be married to Ramsay Bolton. A lot of soul searching and angst happens before he decides he can’t help.
Davos IV: Manderly reveals all and the North Remembers. Manderly and Robett Glover proclaim Ramsay evil by birth and blood and tell Davos they need Ned’s son, Rickon, to prevent the Boltons from claiming Winterfell through Ned’s daughter Arya. They promise to support Stannis if Davos gets them Rickon Stark and Shaggydog.
Melisandre I: The red priestess convinces the Lord Commander to send Mance and the spearwives to rescue Arya based on her visions of Arya fleeing her marriage and heading to the Wall.
Reek III (Theon III): The Boltons get news that Stannis has left the Wall, won Deepwood and is marching on them. They strategize and decide to wait at Winterfell because Roose is confident that the Northmen with Stannis will reach Winterfell come what may to save Arya Stark.
Jon VII: Jon prays for Arya and gets a letter from Stannis with a recap of all that’s happened, promising to do his best to save Arya and find a better match for her (Presumably after killing Ramsay). Jon makes plans to send Arya to Braavos
The Prince of Winterfell (Theon IV): The Wedding of ‘Arya Stark’, given in marriage by Theon Greyjoy to Ramsay Bolton. There’s a feast, lots of interesting dynamics and political games played between various houses. Roose is vary of Manderly and Abel the Bard is there with his ‘Die Hard’ mission to get a Stark maiden secretly out of Winterfell.
Jon VIII: Jon and Val discuss Mel’s visions in her fires. Jon hopes that her visions of Arya are true and that Arya gets to the Wall safely.
The Turncloak (Theon V): Lady Barbrey and Theon Turncloak discuss the intricacies of the alliances between the different houses and the impact of Lady Arya’s tears in galvanizing the North to unite against the Boltons.
The King’s Prize (Asha II): Asha is introduced to the bad-ass mountain clans marching with Stannis Baratheon, who make it clear that they are going to save Lady Arya Stark come what may, no matter that Winter has clearly come to the North. The Boltons were right about them.
Jon IX: Jon’s hopes are dashed when Mel’s visions of a girl in grey fleeing a marriage on a dying horse turns out to be Alys Karstark and not Arya Stark.
A Ghost in Winterfell (Theon VI): Stannis reaches Winterfell! Theon ponders on the uncertain loyalties of the lords who are only there at Winterfell because of Arya Stark. Mance’s Spearwives approach Theon.
Jon X: Jon compares Alys’ bravery to Arya and gives her in marriage to Sigorn, Magnar of Thenns, in a wedding that is clearly meant to contrast the darkness of ‘Arya’s marriage to Ramsay in Winterfell. Melisandre warns Jon of ‘daggers in the dark’, a warning that Jon refutes because she was wrong about Alys being Arya.
Theon VII: The escape. The Spearwives approach Jeyne and tell her that they are taking her to her half-brother at the Wall, Lord Crow. Even as the Spearwives are trapped and possibly caught, Jeyne Poole and Theon Greyjoy jump the walls to freedom.
Jon XI: Jon walks the Wall, worried and concerned for Arya. He misses her and hopes that Mance succeeds in his mission and gets her home to him.
The Sacrifice (Asha III): While the king’s men and queen’s men complain about the march to Winterfell, the loss of life and lack of food and doubt if they can make it, the Northern army and mountain clans are adamant about taking Winterfell and saving Arya. Asha is then finally united with Theon (and Jeyne).
Jon XIII: The Pink Letter. Ramsay demands his bride back, along with Reek and Stannis’ family. Jon decides to go attack the Warden of the North with an army of Wildlings. This leads to mutiny, assassination and his death.
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And this is why GRRM considered Jeyne Poole essential to the story he was telling in the books. Without it, everything changes and story is now different on the TV show compared to the books or two different canons as GRRM puts it.
It’s incredible how Arya Stark is not even in Westeros and yet the entire plot in the North location in ADwD pivots around her marriage to Ramsay Bolton, in terms of House Stark politics in the North.
#Asoiaf#Arya Stark#Jon Snow#Theon Greyjoy#Asha Greyjoy#Davos Seaworth#Stannis Baratheon#Melisandre#Jeyne Poole#ADwD#The North
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So I recently caved and watched Hazbin Hotel. I like animation, musicals, and animated musicals, so I feel like I'm kind of obligated to watch this new animated musical cartoon. After watching the show, I can't help but compare it to other animated productions that have also been released within the last year, namely that of Disney's Wish. I have a lot of thoughts, so here's this essay I spent like 2.5 hours writing :D
Slight disclaimer, I do acknowledge that Wish and Hazbin Hotel have very different themes, target audiences, production methods, pipelines, all the things. As someone who just enjoys animation, I'm going to disregard this for the most part, largely because I just want to ramble about the animation industry as a whole and probably could for hours.
Hazbin Hotel features a cast of characters trying to rehabilitate the sinners of Hell to save them from dying a second (and seemingly final) death in the afterlife. I have my own thoughts on the show itself, but I generally thought it was good. You can tell there was passion behind it and that they were allowed a lot of creative freedom, rather than having to pander as much to studio higher-ups.
I'm choosing not to summarize Wish and trusting that if you've read this far, you have at least a fragment of an idea of what the movie is about (not that there is much of a memorable plot, anyways). I don't like Wish. The characters are static and flat; there's no growth or character development and we have little to no reason to root for the main character, Asha. The story overall is unmemorable. The animation is fairly lackluster and looks unfinished. Lastly, the songs, one of the most important parts of a Disney animated musical, are just bad and incohesive and don't fit whatever vibe Disney and its producers were going for. I want to add that I don't think these qualms are the fault of the creatives behind this movie, rather, the fault of Disney executives stepping in.
Compared to Wish, Hazbin Hotel has interesting and dynamic characters, a solid art and animation style, and a wonderful soundtrack. Hazbin Hotel, despite being a show about the afterlife, has life and soul to it. This isn't to say I'm a big fan of the show, I do have criticisms of my own. My question is, how does Hazbin Hotel, an animated adult cartoon practically birthed from the internet, manage to be infinitely better than Wish, a movie by fucking Walt Disney Animation Studios? The fact that Disney, the studio behind The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast (or even more recent things like Moana and Encanto), is the same studio that produced a movie as flat and lifeless as Wish is baffling to me.
My speculation as to why this show is so much better than Wish is specifically because it was cultivated from random people on the internet who were passionate about their projects opposed to a company like Disney, who made Wish just for money (and to promote their anniversary). Disney has changed from what it once was and no longer takes risks in their storytelling or animation, only pursuing whatever writing, casting, or cost-cutting decisions that will line their pockets best. As someone who grew up watching these movies so much as a kid and learning about animation and storytelling and music from them, it's so disheartening to see any creativity within this corporation be crushed. Walt Disney Animation Studio's latest animated films since 2018 (Ralph Breaks the Internet, Frozen II, Raya and the Last Dragon, Strange World, and Wish) have all been lackluster in one way or another, with Encanto being the one exception. Disney has historically had dips in the quality of it's content, but this new trend in addition to the rise of streaming platforms (and even the introduction of AI) leads me to have little to no hope for Disney's animation going forward. Passion projects such as Hazbin Hotel are what makes me have any semblance of hope for the future of animation as a whole. Seeing one of the leading animation producers dwindle to this extent and kill any creativity brought to the table is just sad.
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HELLO THERE LOVE I HAVE TWK ASKS
Apologies if you’ve answered these prior!
I. Where did you get the name Antares?
II. How many songs from the canon movie are you keeping in?
III. How are you planning to show the songs? (Ie, writing, animatics, etc.)
IV. Are you doing any lyric changes?
V. Do you have voice actors decided yet?
VI. Where did you get Leo, Gillia, and Dextrous’s names?
VII. How old was Asha when Mag and Amaya took her under their wing?
VIII. Will we ever see TWK!Asha in a purple dress like her canon counterpart?
IX. What happened to Asha’s mom?
X. Why are wishing stars only allowed to help grant two wishes?
Feel free to skip or ignore any of these if it’s spoiler territory! <3
1. I got the name Antares when I was searching names that mean “star” because I didn’t want to name the star boy, Aster.
2. I’m only going to be keeping “This Wish” and “At All Costs” and “Knowing What I Know Now” so I’m keeping three from the canon, and I’ll be replacing “I’m a Star” with Antares’ song, “Down There”, as well as “This Is The Thanks I Get?!” with the villain duo song “Our Command”.
3. I’m going to start of with writing the story and then I’m going to be working on the animatics/animations afterwards, for the musical numbers, I’m going to start composing some of the numbers on BandLab and then I don’t know about singing them, we’ll see.
4. Not yet unfortunetely, but I’m open to any suggestions!
5. Their names were used while I was researching names that meant their fitting personality which makes it a bit more interesting.
6. She was only 6 when her father died on the wishing tree, so she was taken at the age of 7.
7. You will see her in a purple dress towards the ending or even on the middle, what I could do is to try and create a wardrobe for her in her outfits that she’ll wear throughout the rewrite.
8. She unfortunately gave up Asha after her father’s death when she realised that his nature was the purpose as to why she felt alive, she also felt like that she wasn’t good enough to be a single parent just yet and wishes to do better, the rest is spoilers so I won’t summarise.
9. Wishing stars are only allowed to grant 2 wishes because they represent the past and the future of rebuilding your wish to make them come true, after a star grants all 2 wishes, they start slowly fading into cosmic dust back to the sky. The rest is also spoilers.
@annymation @emillyverse @uva124 @mythartist21 @kstarsarts @frogcoven88 @oh-shtars @tumblingdownthefoxden @thisnameisnotspokenfor @rascalentertainments @signed-sapphire @gracebeth3604 @gracebethartacc @kmixon @lunellasflo @synergysilhouette @flicklikesstuff
#ask me anything#the wishing kingdom au#twk au#wish disney#wish fandom#kingdom of wishes#wish fanart#wishing star#wish starboy#animators on tumblr#animation student#writers on tumblr#passion project#wish asha#wish rewrite#wish au#disney 100#disney concept art#disney animation#disney movies
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no sibling fuckers allowed!!! you can daydream about it but you can’t do the deed!!!!!!!!!!!
#i actually still don’t know what my answer is as i’m posting this#polls#no arianne/quentyn bc he literally does not think about her like that. none of the other siblings tried to kill each other.#they have tj have actively tried to murder each other.#theon & asha count bc they were leaving him for dead with the rebellion.#if i’m forgetting a real obvious one i’m gonna kms
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I really love the names in HotD.
Rhaenyra, Rhaena, Rhaenys, Rhea, Aegon II, Aegon III, Viserys, Viserys II, Daeron, Daemon, Aemond, Jacaerys, Jaehaerys, Jaehaera…
In one scene, Rhaenyra, Rhaena, Rhaenys can talk about Rhea! To think that Asha's name was changed to Yara in GoT, because it could be confused with Osha :P
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OPERATION ICEBERG: THE TIER LIST
THEORY:
Asha's pregnant
TIER:
Possible: These theories could be true, but additional evidence is needed, as different interpretations or errors are possible.
[Tier list overview.]
EVIDENCE:
The first time we meet Asha (Esgred), she makes an unusual remark.
"Poor lordling." She released him and stepped back. "As it happens, I'm a woman wed, and new with child." - Theon II, ACOK
Asha shows off her axe and dagger.
Theon had time for a choked gasp before Asha snatched the axe from the air and slammed it down into the table, splitting his trencher in two and splattering his mantle with drippings. "There's my lord husband." His sister reached down inside her gown and drew a dirk from between her breasts. "And here's my sweet suckling babe." - Theon II, ACOK
Later in the story, Asha (symbolically?) loses her axe and dagger during a moment of passion.
"I'd sooner fuck you." One quick slash unlaced her jerkin. Asha reached for her axe, but Qarl dropped his knife and caught her wrist, twisting back her arm until the weapon fell from her fingers. - The Wayward Bride, ADWD
x
When she slipped back beneath the furs, Qarl was asleep. "Now your life is mine. Where did I put my dagger?" Asha pressed herself against his back and slid her arms about him. - The Wayward Bride, ADWD
Asha is quickly captured by Stannis, leaving her no opportunity to brew the moon tea.
Her breasts were sore, and Qarl's seed was trickling down her thigh. She would need to brew some moon tea or risk bringing another kraken into the world. What does it matter? My father's dead, my mother's dying, my brother's being flayed, and there's naught that I can do about any of it. And I'm married. Wedded and bedded … though not by the same man. - The Wayward Bride, ADWD
At a minimum, Asha has been with Stannis for 32 days (it's much longer than that), and there has been no mention of her menstrual cycle.
On the twenty-sixth day of the fifteen-day march, the last of the vegetables was consumed. On the thirty-second day, the last of the grain and fodder. Asha wondered how long a man could live on raw, half-frozen horse meat. - The King's Prize, ADWD
Out of the blue, the formidable fighter and mother, Alysane Mormont, cautions Asha about waiting too long to start a family.
"Aye." Alysane stared at Asha for a moment. "I have a son. He's only two. My daughter's nine."
"You started young."
"Too young. But better that than wait too late."
A stab at me, Asha thought, but let it be. "You are wed."
"No. My children were fathered by a bear." Alysane smiled. Her teeth were crooked, but there was something ingratiating about that smile. "Mormont women are skinchangers. We turn into bears and find mates in the woods. Everyone knows."
Asha smiled back. "Mormont women are all fighters too." - The King's Prize, ADWD
The author prevents Asha from having more than a sip.
Ser Justin found them places on the bench and fetched supper for the both of them—ale and chunks of horsemeat, charred black outside and red within. Asha took a sip of ale and fell upon the horse flesh.
[…]
Broken quick as that, thought Asha. My champion is made of suet. Even so, Ser Justin was one of the few who might object should the queen's men try to burn her. So she rose to her feet, donned her own cloak, and followed him out into the blizzard. - The Sacrifice, ADWD
[If there's any evidence I've overlooked, please bring it to my attention.]
STUMPY'S THOUGHTS:
This is like knowing someone is guilty, but having only circumstantial evidence.
VOTE:
I welcome discussions. Feel free to reblog, respond, or challenge my perspective — I won't be offended by any of it.
Please note, if "no" is the eventual winner (or it's close), there will be a second poll to determine the proper location.
NEXT THEORY:
Daario Naharis = Euron Greyjoy
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Wish spoilers ahead.
The start of Wish is exactly like that of Encanto but without all the heart. It is literally the meme of "Can I copy your homework?" "Yeah but change a few things so it is not too obvious."
Also Asha deserved a pretty dress in the end like wth are you going to sell to little girls Disney you are all about money and you failed miserably even at that.
And it is for real soooo unfair how the queen did get a pretty dress the whole movie and Asha only got some lazy ass sparkles added to her boring ass dress.
Asha... not bad, ok, but she is copy paste Anna, Mirabel, and Rapunzel. Youtuber ModernGurlz is right about Disney's "adorkable" problem. All their main girls since Rapunzel have the same "quirky" personality save a few details. I have liked them all but it is getting boring. Give me a princess with a monotone, sad personality, give me a shy princess who only smiles and talks around close friends, give me back the classic super girly personality Aurora and Snow White style, give me an angry girl with a brutal sense of humor like Merida. Be creative, please!!!
I love the queen's design, super gorgeous. Too bad her character added nothing. Her help was barely needed since Asha's friend had already sneaked them into the castle and it was her who deciphered the king's magic. A super villain couple would have been way more fun.
Oh, yeah, Asha's friends. There were so-damn-many of them and only like 3 were rememberable or needed for the story.
The villain is a complicated issue. I appreciated Disney's attempt at another fully evil character, I liked how he wasn't yet another badly set up "twist villain" revealed only at the end. But I didn't like the end result that much.
His backstory was super underdeveloped and to "get" his motives better, if they really wanted to make him evil-yet-complex, they should have shown us a flashback of him losing his family Encanto style (They copy pasted the start might as well do the same with the antagonist backstory.
What the hell was the missing piece of tapestry for if it wasn't going to have any significance later on? Did the writers just forget or what even?
Worst part for me: The stakes were low as fuck. Disney doesn't respect its target audience, nowadays it thinks that children can't handle anything worse than a main character getting disappointed. The worst this "super evil" villain does is make people sad temporarily, for like two minutes (Kid you not), like one character stays sad for longer but MOST people in the kingdom seem happy and normal after giving up their wishes, he legit just makes people sad a few minutes (Again, I kid you not, no one dies, the wishes he "eats" to make himself stronger come back, nothing he does has a permanent, devastating effect, he is not even revealed to have killed Asha's father in a dramatic way or something). Yeah he makes people forget their wishes which is pretty sketchy but up to that point he seemed to have complex reasons for that, reasons that seem to disappear or have never even been there the second half of the movie when he magically becomes more evil due to a forbidden green spooky magic he uses, and then suddenly he becomes Maleficent (The cool, perfect villain version, not the woobie one) style evil in a very, very rushed and over the top way. I feel like he should have started up as fully evil with no backstory (Just a simple, Gaston or original Maleficent style, self centered guy, who wants more and more power and adoration), and simply gotten worse and stronger OR given more complexity as to why he became that way, but instead we got this weird thing in between where it is clear he just wants power and love from the people for the sake of it and yet he has this half-made sob story on how his family died.
There was a great lack of originality in this movie at the climax as well. Anyone watched "The little mermaid II"? That was pretty much it. Villain gets power boner, says he will enslave everyone (Worst thing he does in whole movie and yet no one trying to defy him dies at least off screen or gets hurt in any meaningful way). Then heroine saves the day.
The funniest part of this movie is that the villain's fate is worse than anything he ever did in the movie I swear. He gets trapped in a freaking mirror and then locked up in a cell (Similar to the Little mermaid II villain's end too lol). That is straight up torture till death, it is so fucked up. And his wife who literally sees how the green spooky magic is the main thing responsible for his bad day (If we are being honest that is all it was, other than the taking wishes part he seemed to be a good king) leaves him to rot and becomes queen Catherine II style, it is hilarious. Like girl, you turned against your husband like five minutes ago because apparently through decades of seemingly loving marriage, you never knew he was evil but now somehow you are ok with him rotting in solitary confinement till the end of time? So dorky and silly. So bad, so bad.
Lastly, that goat was annoying as hell.
#disney wish#wish#asha#asha disney#disney princess#disney prinesses#rant#disney rant#wish rant#wish review#disney wish review
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The Fallen Star ✨
A Wish rewrite
Asha redesign 💜
Hehe hi Anny sorry I’m basically stealing your reimagining format… let me know if you want me to change it
Anyways hi! Inspired by so many amazing Wish reimaginers (yes that’s a word shut up), mainly @gracebethartacc/@gracebeth3604 and the aforementioned @annymation, I decided to post my own rewrite! This being the character details.
Now, unlike the prior AU Ashas, my Asha acts less like a Cinderella and more of a… Kusco. If you catch my drift.
But don’t worry! Our girl is going to go through some major character development!
But first… let’s get to meet her!
(Ignore the shit quality this is the only art I have of her atm since I don’t have my ipad with me… will update with better photos later)
Princess Asha Arabella Arman is the heir to the throne of Rosas, the kingdom of wishes
It was founded by none other than her adopted father, Magnus Arman
She was raised by Magnus and Amaya for the past 8 years, and has been coddled quite a bit
All three of the Armans lost their homes to to the evil Stars, so Asha is against everything to do with Star magic
Just like the movie, Asha is 17 years old, and can’t wait until she turns 18 and can wish to become a great magician like her papa
No matter how hard she tries, wish magic doesn’t work for Asha, something she finds extremely frustrating
When this happens, she has a tendency to lash out and snap at people
Many servants have been fired for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, but they understand
At least, the older generation does
Stars destroyed their homelands with their greedy magic, and Asha just wants to be as great as her parents
Though… they do think she could be nicer about it
Asha’s parents are always quick to come to her rescue and smooth things out after her temper blows up, rehiring staff and gently reprimanding Asha
They’re not the best parents but like they adopted her when she was 9, they don’t know how to deal with kids
Still, they love Asha as their own
Gonna get more into the king and queen of Rosas in part ii, back to Asha!
Becaude her parents are such great heroes, Asha feels very strongly that the citizens of Rosas should be treating them as if they are the most grand royalty ever
And as their daughter, she should be awarded some of the same privileges
Except none of the teenagers her age seem to like hanging around her, always calling her snobby and self-centered
Excuse me? She was not self centered! Asha just believed her kingdom deserved the best, and their rulers even better! Obviously!
Personality traits
Stubborn
Loyal (to those she deems worthy)
Spoiled
A bit naïve
Insecure but covers it up with WAY too much confidence
Bad liar. Will be important later on.
^But SUPER good at pulling out her “I’m your princess I’m better than the air you breathe” face when needed
Never seems to take her duties seriously… think Rise!Leo if you can
Backstory
So my rewrite’s epilogue is posted already, but imma put her angst here too anyways~
Stars used to help people fulfill their own wishes, until one day they got lazy and started simply granting them instead
This method messed with the system and drove the Stars crazy, mad with power, and they started destroying kingdoms to get more magic
Little Asha’s village was unfortunately one of the victims
Sakina and Tomás barely had time to react before the glowing streaks of light crashed through their roof
Screams echoed through the chaos, and giant hands made of twilight ink scooped up villagers
Tomás and Sakina grabbed their little girl and huddled over her protectively as another blast of scorching light exploded through their roof
When the dust settled, and the harsh glow had faded away, there was only one sound left in the village
The sobbing of a 9-year-old girl, crying and begging for her parents to wake up
That’s when Magnus came across Asha, and took her under his wing
He could fight away Stars, so Asha stuck with him
It took a WHILE for her to learn that Magnus wasn’t going to harm her, but hey, Magnus had her back through it all
After he and Amaya founded Rosas, Asha was reassured that she would never have to see a Star destroy everything she loved ever. Again.
Oh, Asha, if only you weren’t the protagonist of your story
Design
BEFORE I DO ANYTHING I WANT TO GIVE A HUGE SHOUTOUT TO @mythartist21 BECAUSE THEY DESIGNED BASICALLY THE WHOLE LOOK FOR ASHA AND CIELO GIVE THEM A ROUND OF APPLAUSE AND GO CHECK THEM OUT
*Ahem* So I did a bit of a deep dive into Asha’s design in the “pilot” over here BUT for her fully updated design today, notes below (a lot of it copy-pasted from here)
Asha’s concept art was inspired by Moroccan and Amazigh fashion, so @mythartist21 added a bunch of inspiration from that in her design
Our girl has her hair accessories back!
I gave her fuller lips and a longer nose bc we only had Jasmine for the nose rep in Disney Princesses, and she’s Afro-Hispanic! Show off her black features!
I also darkened her skin bc… I get that people from North Africa can have lighter skin, heck, Pepa from Encanto showed good rep for the lighter skinned Colombians! But like… we only have one other black princess. Let’s show off that skin color diversity
She also has wider shoulders, a bigger chest, neck, and waist, bc she’s not white but also WOMEN WITH MUSCLES>>>
Asha isn’t super jacked but she does have muscle defining and I want to write in a scene where she has no sleeves on so we can appreciate her arms
RatLD had Namaari’s back and my bisexual ass needs some more women to simp for
Eyeshadow as a reference to Elsa but also I felt she needed some color on her face. Miiiight change it later on when I add in her hair beads but for now she has eyeshadow
Gonna keep the many Rosas symbols bc she’s the princess of the kingdom, what do you expect?
Also she just looks older in general (even though she’s still seventeen like canon!Asha) which I think lends itself to her royal status idk
+ technically more realistic proportions which ig can be a callback to the times when animators did rotoscoping?
Dimples. Bc they’re fantastic
I TRIED to draw Asha with her fine braids, but people were complaining that canon!Asha looked too much like Isabella Madrigal, and with TFS!Asha having darker skin + longer nose structure + more haughty personality? Yeah, I gave Asha back some body in her hair
Idk I tried to make them look like the braids from this concept art ⬆️ (imagine they’re like this… I did the art at like 3am okay)
I HC that Asha’s canon outfit is her younger self’s outfit, down to the detailed braids done lovingly by Sakina
But after the incident with the stars…
Let’s just say Amaya tries her best, and Asha appreciates it
I also finally modeled our girl a crown! Based off of Amaya’s weird ass canon one, and the tiara look of the early Disney Princesses
Gotta make one for Maggie too…
#saph doodles#the fallen star#the fallen star au#asha#asha x star#disney wish#princess asha#star x asha#human star#starsha#wish 2023#based on the concept art#idk#art wip
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"What little peace and order the five kings left us will not long survive the three queens, I fear."
AFFC, Alayne (II)
Who do we think is Little Finger talking about here? The three queens? One is certainly Cersei, Margaery could be a second, but who’s the third? Asha?, but couldn’t be because she Pyke had its own succession crisis going on then. Could it be Olenna but she’s no queen in any right. Could LF be talking about Sansa because in his mind she’s the queen in the north? And why does he not answer sansa after she asks him what he’s talking about. He’s weirdly secretive about seemingly such a benign statement.
#asoiaf#asoiaf meta#three queens#sansa stark#cersei lannister#margaery tyrell#asha greyjoy#olenna tyrell#olenna redwyne
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