#about asha

[shadowbinding]

let’s do a weird headcanon thing.

1. what they smell like: earth, smoke, blood, produce 2. how they sleep (sleeping position, schedule, etc): sitting upright, sometimes with her arms wrapped around her knees and head resting upon them; often, she finds herself laying on her side (still huddled) when waking up. (this is all considering she sleeps at all, as at night she'd typically wide awake.) 3. what music they enjoy: asha likes traditional music, from ancient hylian hymns to the percussion-heavy chants of the goron. she's skilled at several instruments herself (carrying her qanun and hulusi flute with her everywhere), and is fond of singing - it seems to better soothe creatures that would otherwise flee when they're crossing paths. she doesn't feel comfortable singing around others, but will occasionally join the troupes that pass by stables she's staying at. 4. how much time they spend getting ready every morning: washing her face, feeding leyla, and her routine morning stretches/training warm-ups, she takes a total of twenty/thirty minutes so that after checking through her inventory, she and the crew are good to hit the road. 5. their favorite thing to collect: star fragments, maps, trinkets like jewels and masks, unique weapons, rare books. 6. left or right-handed: ambidextrous. 7. religion (if any): doesn't consider herself religious, though does hold the seven heroine in high regard, as well as malanya and satori; she holds faith in them, and finds hope through the influence they've had upon her life. prophetic dreams associated with her lineage boon her with their prophetic guidance at times, via dreams and other signs. 8. favorite sport: shield-surfing! she's absolutely unstoppable when tearing up the desert, which makes larger monsters like the molduga less frightening. 9. favorite touristy thing to do when traveling: n/a, her traveling often consists of slaying monsters and yiga alike - many times, having to rescue unwitting travelers (and korok) in the process. the enjoyable parts of it are hunting rare finds, or discovering a new cave system. 10. favorite kind of weather: fog when traveling her path (reduced visibility for anything that may try to attack, and she knows her route like the back of her blade/her sheikah abilities are not hindered), rain whenever at a stable, sunny though cloudy when roaming the desert. clear nights, where stars are aplenty. 11. a weird/obscure fear they have: eating food prepared by other people, and the meat be undercooked. 12. the carnival/arcade game they always win without fail: seven stones! though festive occasions also call for sand seal races (asha clears, almost every single time)

[worldbecomefantasy]

rules: your muse has just died. they just dropped dead. as they were dying, they thought of these five things:

001.  Ezra where’s Ezra? 002.  Kel? Jipp? Rhunn... anybody 003.  Don’t let me die alone please don’t let me die alone I don’t want this! 004.  Sabine take care of him 005.  I’m sorry I wasn’t enough

tagged by: I stole it tagging: @specfive @salt-water-and-glaives @chosenbythecrystal @dxgmygrxve @nsurana and anyone else that wants some pain

[shadowbinding]

Asha's trade route!

[shadowbinding]

bloodmoon hcs;

leyla more closely resembles a stalhorse to those that cannot see through the illusion

keese that typically flock to asha practically swarm her, making the sight of her atop a "stalhorse"-ed leyla and a dark fairy (ambra) to her side particularly harrowing

ambra, born of the light of the bloodmoon, usually appears before these nights as an omen; he is one of the few male fairies known to exist

eyes of malice split wide open and close shut unceremoniously all along asha's limbs, across her face, basically everywhere visible - its said the sight of this can cause insanity

good moment to note- those familiar with stories of (as she's come to be called these nights) the blood-moonlit marauder, have no idea this night rider is asha herself

she's good at code-switching, room-reading, and magical-girling her way through life, thanks to keeping a relatively low profile and being on a "need to know" basic (basically, private af)

while she had peel away from society during bloodmoons throughout her childhood/teen years, her cave-dwelling lifestyle makes it much easier to conceal this secret now

her augmented "all nights mask + hero's charm" face shield combines both treasures' boons: keeping her "awake"/lucid during bloodmoons, as well as allowing her insight into the life force of her foes

another good moment to note, that from nightfall to daybreak, everyone in her path becomes foe-coded c':

injuries inflicted upon her heal at an alarming rate that, by day, they're visibly gone for the most part aside from light scarring

whereas asha once felt shame for this affliction, she's grown to consider the malice as another part of her 'being' - she still doesn't grasp what it means to be a descendant of sages, so if anything, being able to "name" malice for what it is brings her an odd sense of comfort

[shadowbinding]

Asha of the Arashi, Demon of Storms Incarnate, may be lofty a title but it is fitting for the first in the line of ancestors to be donned the family name. A tribe of early Sheikah, they used magically-augmented wings to soar the skies before the Surface World became repopulated; as harmless as most of the tribe were, their figures remained imposing on the horizons long after settling beneath the clouds.

Asha, however, was rebellious to frightful extremes. She found that the ushering of her peoples from the skies and into the shadows of the surface was beneath her, and not only figuratively. Her disdain grew all the more as word of a holy artifact created by the Golden Goddesses spread, a sacred treasure that could grant the beholder the wildest of their dreams.

Be it revolution, or destruction.

Skilled at wielding black magic, Asha of the Arashi, along with other souls sharing her vile aims, gained access to the Sacred Realm where this power was within grasp - up until the Light Spirits (commanded by the goddesses) siphoned her dark magic into the 'fused shadow', and trapped both her and her fellow dissenters in a cold, lifeless world devoid of light.

Eventually, there came the realization that escaping this realm would be impossible. As opposed to fighting the world's influence, the sorceress poured her black magic back into herself - transfiguring into an immortal beast, unrecognizable.

Eons would pass, and the Twili would come to populate this dark world appropriately known as the Twilight Realm. As Asha of the Arashi's lineage continued on in the world of light, her influence also kept this same momentum in the world of shadow.

Today, the Twili are blessed by a descendent of hers, a powerful sorceress by the name of Aurashi. Unlike her parallel kin, she has grown to possess a sage's soul at the opposite end of the spectrum, serving as the Twili's very own Sage of Light.

[shadowbinding]

common wares & services found at "asha’s exchange of essentials, trinkets, & treasures".

Asha has some staples among her wares, though does keep a rotating stock that only changes whenever she finds there is a particular demand. But, essentially, the breakdown of her wares by days of the week is necessary to display the full scope; also, to help break up her traveling during her totk-verse (due to how difficult travel is these days).

Arrows (bundles only) are sold all the time, and for loyal customers, Asha is willing to part with her handmade arrowheads (also by the bundle only.

Saturdays (all day) & Sundays (morning): Tabantha Stable

Usually carrying 3 to 4 cooking ingredients, including but not limited to: courser bee honey, Tabantha wheat (when in Gerudo) or Goron Spice (when at the Tabantha Stable), rock salt, milk and/or eggs, and meat from game she has hunted.

In addition, she will often sell pre-made meals in bulk.

Sunday mornings, she sells whatever ingredients she has half-off to lessen the load back. She primarily sells weapons and certain elixirs before leaving this stable to continue her travels.

Mondays (all day): Outskirts Stable

Asha will post up all Monday (and sometimes into Tuesday) at Outskirts, primarily selling things she's foraged: minerals, monster parts, and other non-edibles.

One of her favorite things to pawn off here are treasures she's found around the desert and the canyons surrounding it. These can include rare finds, like books or weapons, masks, anything she can find that is both unique and eye-catching.

Asha's rotating route means that she typically is expected one weekend at the Tabantha Stable and then the next at Kara Kara Bazaar, making these particular stops bi-monthly. To visualize, if Asha is stationed at Outskirts on a Monday, then her next scheduled stop won't be until the Thursday of the following week.

Tuesdays through Fridays: traveling days

She spends much of these days trading along her route back to the desert, only stopping to gather more wares and/or seeking treasures she's caught wind of during her time at the stables. But, she isn't setting up shop these days for the general public - only quick barters between other merchants.

Fridays: Gerudo Canyon Stable -> Kara Kara

As the canyon stable is currently closed post-Upheaval, Asha will only pop by to say hello and to perhaps rest her legs.

By nightfall, she has generally made it to the bazaar, where she will usually get a soft bed before the weekend in the desert.

Consider these days still reserved for travel and rest, essentially.

"WEEK TWO"

Saturdays & Sundays (all day): Kara Kara Bazaar

Along with treasures from the canyons or goods from other regions that she's acquire on the way to Gerudo Desert, Asha's variety is tenfold when at the bazaar: Saturdays, much like when in Tabantha, one can find her selling ingredients and meals - though, when at the bazaar, these ingredients include rarer finds like another staple of hers: endura carrots.

Sundays are a mixed bag of anything one could imagine, with everything from armor sets to weapons to rarer materials like Hinox or Molduga parts, even star fragments, being made available. Asha's clearance sales typically go on, as well.

By night, she prepares to continue her trek back northward, sometimes stopping into town to visit at the tavern before heading out early the next day.

Should she ever fall behind schedule or have other plans come up, Asha is punctual in letting the right people know so that word will carry - she's come to be expected, after all, at least on nights there is no full moon.

Mondays through Thursdays: traveling days

Much like previously mentioned, Asha spends the middle of each week largely traveling through the gorge, acquiring things from her cave outposts along the way in between bartering for goods to sell at her stables.

Asha's extensive knowledge of the cave systems around Gerudo has become useful, not only as places of residence but also storehouses, where a lot of her goods are carefully stored. When staying at one of her cave camps, she will sort through her inventory, taking account her stock as well as re-pricing things that may have less demand and/or should expire soon.

Thursdays (all day): Outskirts Stable

Where Asha will sell items she's picked up from the desert, goods that she is aware are in high demand from other merchants that come from all areas of Hyrule. Ingredients, monster parts, and weapons are all present per usual.

Thursday nights, she prepares meals to order. Afterwards, she typically retires for a short while before heading out the next morning.

Fridays: traveling days

Because the Nima Plains are such a trigger for her, Asha likes to bulldoze through this part of the route without stops. She will typically make it to the Tabantha Stable by nightfall, if she hauls ass. It is generally a seamless trip as well, should monster counts be low in the area.

Saturdays & Sundays (morning): Tabantha Stable

Rinse and repeat from the top of the post!

[shadowbinding]

weaponry + skillz

Magic and tech-related abilities aside, Asha is supremely nimble in combat. Her sharp reflexes make ambushing her virtually impossible, her senses honed to frightening levels even before being transformed by the Blood Moon - sight and sound always at high alert, even in pitch black settings.

Though deadly, she's cautious: a lot of her powers scare her, frankly, and at times she can become concerned of her own strength. Holding back, especially when dealing with enemies that are human, has become a learned trait.

Being a blacksmith in her own right, Asha's knowledge of weapons has all come to her through trial and error. She's especially frightful with a bow, her specialty arrow heads rarely missing their marks; she is an exceptional sniper, even at incredible distances.

Spears and harpoons are other staples, Asha using them to vault across battlefields as if dancing across the air before delivering that final blow. When she's still about keeping distance, boomerangs are common weapons she utilizes - a large one, carved of bone, is among her only weapons to not become brittle after gloom infests Hyrule post-The Upheaval.

Daggers and other knife-like options are for close combat, as are martial skills that are a mix of self-taught combat from her days in Lurelin, to more Gerudo-specific techniques she learned after arriving to the town in her teen years (Asha, however, much prefers having distance away from her foes whenever she can (if she had it her way completely, she'd stick to her bow)).

She's naturally limber, what with constantly moving, constantly chasing treasures and rare items, her unparalleled (nearly!) skills of shield-surfing and spelunking... it is when she has doubts in the moment that Asha finds herself tripping up the most, so perhaps her biggest weakness is... herself? O:

[shadowbinding]

only the ancestors from OoT & TWW/Great Sea Era have faces & verses btw;

Ásan aka Bongo Bongo

his great-granddaughter, Shahla;

and Asha (II/the second, technically);

Both ladies are kinda the pivotal posts in Asha's overarching plot, Shahla being present pre-and-post timeline split after taking the role of Sage from OoT's Impa, and Asha II being present around the timelines' rounding about again a la the voyage of the Great Seas.

Ásan is there to be tragic and pretty and to tie Asha of today's roots back to her OG OoT verse. As splotchy as it is, I refuse to let go of what little memory of that verse I've salvaged