#I don’t intend this necessarily as ashrym

[blazingstar24]

So Ashton and Orym? Their dynamic is so very interesting.

Ashton has repeatedly referred to Orym as a person of stability in their group. Despite how true or untrue that may be, it’s clear that they see Orym that way. Ashton looks to Orym in situations of crisis, they look to him to know what to do, how to rally everyone. And Ashton could have been antagonistic to him. There could have been the dynamic of Ashton, chaos gremlin #2, seeing Orym as a stick in the mud or boring af. Yet, Ashton seemingly puts a lot of faith in Orym’s calm and steady nature. They may be rock, but Orym is their rock.

And Ashton’s life has clearly been so chaotic. Lost their parents, thrown into an orphanage, skipped town, did crime, almost died, friends left. They have never known stability or someone who sticks to their guns. It’s not the goodness of Orym that Ashton likes. Because it’s very different than their relations with FCG. FCG is the almost naive goodness that Ashton wants to protect. But with Orym, it’s that he tempers Ashton. He’s someone they can rely on to be there to pick up the pieces.

In a way, it’s also because they want someone to be watching them. Ashton said so when talking to Fearne. They only get into fights so much because they want to know someone is watching them. And in a way, Ashton pushing Orym into this leadership role. Into being a stability check for them. Is because they know Orym keeps an eye on the group. He’s highly in tune with the group’s mood and feelings. Orym is watching. And for Ashton, who has been abandoned, who has lost so much, the simple fact that Orym will be there when shit gets real, is why Ashton puts him on this pedestal.

On the flip side, I think Orym, like he does with the rest of the group, wants what’s best for Ashton. And what’s interesting is that the way he interacts with Ashton is kinda what Orym needs from others for himself. I think that Orym has picked up on the fact that Ashton sees themself as a weapon. Only good for beating the shit out of people. They are gruff and tries to distance themself from the more sentimental side of the group. But Orym’s picked up on the fact that that is totally not true. Ashton fucking gives a shit about the Bell’s Hells. They literally switched from “I would have ran too” to “Nobody gets left behind!”.

Orym knows that Ashton really just wants something they can rely on. And that the mindset of just being a weapon isn’t healthy. So he interacts with him in ways that break down all those walls. Better than FCG can by trying to get him to talk. Orym just treats him like a person. He respects their boundaries of course, but he also gets Ashton to join the group more in happy relaxed moments (like the Sun Tree touching) He grows plants to help with their nosebleed. Orym isn’t necessarily trying to get Ashton to open up, but he’s going to treat him like a person and not just a brawler. Not just the muscle. But he also knows that Ashton does like fighting too and is so willing to let them come up with combos. Which does feed into Ashton’s seeming need for connections to people.

(And Orym kinda needs that sort of thing too cuz god this halfling is throwing himself on the blade and no one has done anything about that yet.)

It’s just so interesting, their dynamic. It’s a bit heavier on Ashton’s part at the moment. But still very interesting.