i think ashe is one of the most agonizing characters for me to think about because she’s just like me
her family is a shitshow. i’ve never seen people acknowledge that her parents were genuinely abusive past “ashe’s family sucks.”
neglect is abuse, manipulation is abuse, and it’s implied in a one-off that her mother threatens to hit her
so, long long ramble analysis of ashe’s parents
Graduation Day
ashe’s day starts well, excited to graduate, finally be out of a shitty school with shittier peers. her parents promised to be there, and they weren’t. this also isn’t the first time, according to ashe
she’s upset, she wants to be alone. unfortunately, being alone is what gets her into trouble
The Fight
so obviously a 17yo girl getting cornered by two teenage boys is definitely not a great situation, and the cops not believing ashe was defending herself baffles me
her parents have me even more confused. do you have so little care for your kid that you’re more worried about your image than your safety?
they tell her they’ll disown her, which is fucked. this is a threat, this is abuse
Calamity
when the original gang(tm) have her come up with a code name for their trip to cutthroat trout’s, ashe doesn’t think of a nickname or something badass, she thinks of her mother fussing at her over an accident
The House
this is the biggest piece to me.
ashe’s parents are home on her birthday, they’re angry, they’re either unaware of or unbothered by the fact a kid (cole) has been kidnapped off their property, they’re unbothered that their daughter was inside a burning building, they’re more bothered by their money being at risk
“Oh honestly, Elizabeth,” she said, sounding exasperated, “did you really believe we were going to disown you? Our only child?”
Ashe blinked at her parents, utterly bewildered.
“You were out of control,” her father continued. “You needed to be taught a lesson. Yes, it was a drastic step to make you think we were going to cut you off, but something needed to be done to convince you to clean up your act!”
The world seemed to warp around Ashe, twisting in some way she couldn’t comprehend. Were they telling the truth? Or was this simply a performance, a rewriting of the punishment they’d threatened, in order for her parents to save face in front of Bellerae’s police force?
Something needed to be done.
You needed to be taught a lesson.
to me, this implies that ashe’s parents rewrite their punishments frequently when it doesn’t go how they want to emotionally confuse her
Her mother looked surprised, but only for a moment. Then her eyes went hard. “You know, Elizabeth, I used to think you were misguided, a little too spirited for your own good. I thought having to confront the idea of being on your own would be to your benefit. But now I know better: At your core, you’re nothing more than a base, common criminal.”
“Strange,” said Ashe, glaring right back. “I would have thought that made me the perfect candidate to work with you and all those corporate buddies whose boots you line up to lick.”
Her mother’s hand flickered up, as if she was about to slap Ashe, but it stopped halfway. “Sheriff,” she called instead. “Get over here.”
wow! ok! even if she doesn’t actually hit her, its still wrong to threaten people (let alone your kids) with physical violence
The Aftermath (Part One)
Less than an hour later, she was free. And poor, once again. Her bail, covering the many crimes she was accused of, had been astronomical—taking almost everything there was in the gang’s shared account. That had left a feeling like a hole in her gut, but it was nothing compared to the one eating deeper and deeper as the minutes ticked by and the Diamondbacks still had [Cole]. And yet, she couldn’t help but reflect on how her parents’ interference had left her exactly where they had intended—eighteen, penniless, and without anywhere to call home.
But even if her blood relations had cast her aside, Ashe had found a new family to take their place.
And one of those people was in trouble.
ashe’s family isn’t blood anymore. her parents have hurt her over and over again for eighteen years, and to me i can interpret this of her being drained of every possible drop of love for her parents. they don’t seem to love her, why should she be obligated to love them? the gang treats her better, they respect her, they’re an emotionally stable environment.
The last few months had been the first time in years she’d been happy in this house. Now she was walking its halls for what was likely the final time.
The thought didn’t bother her half as much as she might have expected.
the house is devoid of ashe’s real family (the gang), making it worthless to her in the end.
Packing only some clothing and a few personal items. Everything else, she was happy to abandon. It wasn’t her, not anymore. In the end, the entirety of her life at Lead Rose Manor came to less than half a rucksack.
nothing in the manor mattered to her, i interpret this as her only things she brought was things she bought with her own money
If her parents had kept their promise, she never would have met [Cole], or Julian, or Frankie. And that opened a bigger hole in her than the thought of never seeing Lead Rose again.
This was no longer her home. Arbalest was no longer her company. And her parents were no longer her family.
<- refer to last excerpt’s comment
The Aftermath (Part Two)
right after ashe declares the gang is her only family, it’s revealed that julian is the one who betrayed her. obviously this is messed up, it’s upsetting, and she’s angry.
Frankie’s expression turned even stonier than when she’d looked at Julian. “I’m not saying I don’t understand, but … I’d never betray you—or Jesse, or even B.O.B.—like that. I thought you’d know that by now. But I’ll give you that one mistake.” She locked eyes with Ashe. “Next time you doubt me, I’m done. That’s not something I’ll forgive twice. Understood?”
to me this feels like ashe’s treatment in her childhood has altered her perception of others. her parenrs betrayed her and broke promises a lot, at least as far as we’re told. obviously ashe is quick to jump to conclusions, but luckily frankie is willing to give her a chance to learn not everyone is like that
But even though [Cole] was smiling, one of his eyes was nearly swelled shut, and there was dried blood on his chin from a split lip.
Ashe wheeled on Bez and shoved him into the wall of the cavern. “What did you do to him, you son of a—”
this isnt super important, to me it’s just ashe taking on the overprotective role her blood family never did for her
Seeing them now, gathered and wearing their new insignia for the first time, triggered a strange feeling, one that was so unfamiliar it took her a moment to identify it.
Home. This felt like home.
“But more than a gang,” she continued, “we’re a family. And like a real family, once you’re in Deadlock, you’re in it for life.”
ashe’s blood family is gone, but she has the gang now. maybe her methods are harsh, but she does it in a way they gives out the feeling of love and safety her parents never provided for her
The Aftermath (The Finale)
although we don’t see cole’s betrayal, to me it’s implied he was forced to cut contact with ashe. maybe it’s just a throw away line, but ashe remarks that cole promised he’s right, yet he never did. ~20 years with no contact doesn’t seem like something usual for cole, even if he was disagreeing with how deadlock was straying from its original path.
ashe had been stabbed in the back before, first her family, then julian. of course it hurt when she thought cole betrayed her, the first person to attempt to even understand her, the person she was willing to risk her life to save.
cole having contact with ashe probably wasn’t forcefully cut off, but he instead decided it was safer for her and the rest of the gang for him to not contact him, in preparation of his contact being tracked by overwatch to potentially do another operation on the deadlock gang
okay it’s 4:30am and i’ve been writing for 2hrs now and i’m done uhhh i would love any additional content and observations and analysis ^_^ i like seeing other people’s interpretations
