[Character Information] Canon / Fanon: Asch

[dissonates]

Canon Facts

• Asch has an absurdly long list of titles:
  
  • Special Operative Commander - his division title, listed in the Daath library's Oracle Knight hiearchy (he's also called 'Commander Asch' by the knights in-game).
    
  • Locrian Colonel - this is Dist's rank, and since he's at the same rank as Asch in every other way, this was assumed.
    
  • God-General - he's one of the six God-Generals, this is kind of a given.
    
  • Maestro - all his equipment is of Maestro rank (sword, robe, accessory). Also, he has access to some Closed Score prophecies.

• String it all together and you get Special Operative Commander Locrian Colonel Maestro Asch the Bloody, God-General. ...yeah it's a mouthful, which is why everyone calls him 'Commander' or 'Asch'.
  
  
• Asch knew about the Sephiroths and the Qliphoth prior to Akzeriuth. (Tales of the Abyss manga chapter 17.)
  
  
• Asch opened Luke's fon slots to connect with him in order to stop him from destroying Akzeriuth. However, he found out about Van's plan to destroy the Outer Lands using Luke after he attacked Luke in Kaitzur. He planned to use his position in the Order to keep track of Van's movements. (Skit 121)
  
  
• During the Tartarus assault, Asch's duty was to secure the bridge. Which he did by bitchslapping everyone with a fonic arte and trying to kill Luke. |Db (Asch Special manga, chapter 1.)
  
  
• He claims to not care when people treat him badly. His first instinct when he's hurt or unhappy is to lash out before he leaves himself open to further attack. Has a bad habit of yelling, "Shut up!" at people when they say something he doesn't want to hear.
  
  
• His favourite insults are 'dreck', 'idiot', and, in the case of Luke, 'replica'.
  
  
• He made two known canon promises with Natalia:
  
  1) While visiting Belkend, they sort-of promised (forced pinky-swear, on her part) to return together when they grew up. He said there was no point in pinky swearing, since his father never kept his promises. After that he left her to play with Guy. Natalia says to Luke at one point, "I thought you hated pinky swearing"). (Skit 129 + The Abandoned Factory.)
  
  2) Some time during their childhood, prior to his kidnapping, Asch made a vow to Natalia as Luke: "Someday, when we're grown up, let's change this country. Change it so that nobody has to be poor. Change it so that war never happens. Let's work to change our country. For the rest of our lives. Together." He repeated this vow with Natalia in Sheridan when she was doubting herself.
  
  
• Asch's last words to Natalia prior to his death were, "Shut up!" This is something of a depressing thought. However, it's not something he really thinks about. Insults and negativity are second nature to him- he's even made a few insulting remarks to Natalia (he's called her "idiot" before).
  
  
• He never follows orders blindly. Even when under the direction of Van or the other God-Generals' orders, he's constantly analyzing his actions and picking apart what's going on around him. When the God-Generals are attacking the Tartarus, he's bothered by the fact that all six of them were deployed just to find and capture Ion. Tactically, he's very intelligent and thinks carefully about everything. Socially is where he fails. (Asch manga, chapter 1.)
  
  
• He greatly dislikes being reminded of his orders, since he takes them so seriously to begin with. Don't tell him to do something twice, or he'll definitely bitch.
  
  
• Asch has an immense amount of personal pride and an unmatched sense of duty. If someone earns his loyalty and doesn't do anything to betray him, he will fight to the grave for that person and never hesitate. Van had his unquestioning loyalty for years before Asch started to get suspicious and defect, and even then it's only because Van was planning to create a world filled with replicas (something Asch hated more than anything) that he ultimately betrayed Van. It's not just to people, either; Asch's devotion to the nation of Kimlasca as a whole is on par with Natalia's- it was actually Asch who opened her eyes to the duties of nobility to serve their people just as much as they are served.
  
  
• Expanding on the above... Asch actually wanted to remain as Van's subordinate and his student, to help him recreate the world without the Score; if not for the replication plot, he would have continued to accept Van as his master and followed his orders without question. However, his hatred for replicas overwhelmed his desire to help Van.
  
  
• Asch is actually left-handed. He was born that way, but learned to use his right hand for everything since left-handedness is stereotypically seen as a commoner trait. Luke was never taught this because it would only be a few years until his predicted death, so there was little sense in trying to re-teach him that when he had so much else to learn, which is why he uses his left hand and Asch uses his right. (I seem to recall this being stated in the perfect guide, but I lack the exact citation. If I'm wrong, please tell me, and I'll have this moved to fanon.)
  
  
• Luke's replication was actually extremely painful for Asch, both physically (the process of extracting perfect replication data is difficult, he screamed during the actual replication, and he was imprisoned alone for some time until it was completed) and mentally, due to his abandonment by everyone he knew but Van. He often has nightmares because of this and sleeps somewhat sporadically (if at all) on bad nights. (Episode 9 of the anime.)
  
  
• After his replication, Asch escaped Daath and traveled alone across several continents to return to Baticul. He fought through monsters, stowed away on a ship to Belkend, traveled through Inista Marsh, and reached Baticul only to be beaten and kicked out of the manor as an imposter. He climbed over the fence and witnessed his parents, the maids, Guy, and Natalia all playing and caring for his replica, not knowing it wasn't him. Van appeared behind him (having shadowed him all the way there), explaining that he needed Asch, and no replica could replace hm. In despair, Asch tearfully clung to Van and returned with him to Daath to take his place at Van's side. This was the first time he was given the name 'Asch'. (Asch Gaiden, episode 9 of the anime.)
  
  
• Asch is pretty good with machines; he's able to work the Tartarus with very little assistance (a few times he dropped it off for the group to use) and he could work Dist's replication machinery with such ease that even Jade compliments him.
  
  
• Asch asked Spinoza about the experiments before the Isle of Feres dungeon. According to Spinoza, due to a fonon interference between the original and the replica (similar to hyperresonance) a big bang will occur. Asch believed this was the cause of his persistent chest pains and growing weakness, and would eventually cause his body to disappear, resulting in his death. That's why he was always saying he had no time, and was always in a big rush to get things done. The sidequest with the cheagles revealed the contamination effect, and the ultimate result of the big bang between perfect isofons:
  
  
  • The gradual emission effect caused by fonon separation results in the physical and fonic strength to gradually decrease as the original approaches the time of the big bang. The fonons will explode, disperse, and flow toward the remaining individual. This results in the fusion of the original and the replica due to fonon separation. (Paraphrased from various quotes, all canon sources.)
    
    
  • Upon the death of the replica cheagle, the original's life force flowed into the replica and revived it, causing the original to die. With perfected isofons, it seems like the survivor is meant to be the original. However, Asch died and gave Luke his power, but Luke's life wasn't sacrificed to revive Asch, so it doesn't seem to work that way. Since Luke survived, he was the only one to experience the big bang, thus his fonons traveled to Asch's body. It could be argued that Luke died to revive Asch after freeing Lorelei, which is why Asch's hand twitches, but the conclusion of the cheagle sidequest and Spinoza's words imply otherwise, and Jade seemed to have his doubts as well. (Please see Footnote B in regards to this, since it is a rather extensive matter of debate amongst TotA fans...)
  
  
• Asch tunes people out when he's angry; often times he storms off even at inconvenient times.
  
  
• He is kind of an idiot sometimes. ...A lot of the times. "My hair grows fast"? Come on, Asch, really? He's still more informed than Luke, however; he carries a lot of information about the world, including the Sephiroth and the Qliphoth (something very few people, even amongst the Order, know of) and can easily interpret Lorelei's messages. He also knows Ancient Ispanian.
  
  
• Asch insisted upon going to Eldrant alone; he forced Noir and her crew off the Albiore III, and only allowed Ginji to go with him because he needed a pilot. Immediately after the crash, Asch checked on Ginji to make sure he was more or less okay, told him to leave, and immediately went further inside, leaving Ginji to fend for himself.
  
  
• Though he rejected help throughout the entire game, Asch accepted help from four people in total: the three Dark Wings (Noir, Urushi, York) and Ginji. He paid Noir and co. to do various jobs for him, including investigations, instigating the mob in Baticul, etc. Ginji's responsibility was transporting him all over Auldrant from the Radiation Gate onwards.
  
  
• Asch doesn't exactly reciprocate it, the Dark Wings and Ginji are kind of adorable in how they care about Asch. Ginji uses respectable titles and they all act very protective of his well-being... it's really cute, actually. And it's nice for someone to be looking out for him. (Asch did check on Ginji after the Albiore's crash in Eldrant, though, and he forced the Dark Wings out to keep them safe, so he does care about their well being.)
  
  
  
• Important Dates:
  
  ND 2000: Asch (Luke fon Fabre) is born in Baticul. (Remday, Lorelei-Decan 48)
  ND 2010: 'Luke fon Fabre' is kidnapped and replicated. The original is taken to Daath and the replica sent to Baticul to live as "Luke".
  ND 2018: Akzeriuth falls.
  [expand]

Personal Fanon

• Current significant possessions in Luceti:
  
  • Incomplete Key of Lorelei (acquired Christmas of 2008) & Jewel of Lorelei from Luke in 2013
    
  • Fon Slot Seal (acquired April of 2010)
    
  • Daathic Age Books (acquired Christmas of 2010)
    
  • A locket from Stella, with this symbol inside. It means... strong heart? I think. /needs confirmation
    
• Asch was afraid of lightning as a child. During storms he used to sneak out of his room and into Guy's to sleep with him, since Duke Fabre would never have allowed him to stay with Susanne. After he was kidnapped and taken to Daath, Asch slept in Dist's chair during storms whenever he could (without getting caught), because it smelled like fontech, ergo reminded him of Guy. This habit stopped within a year and a half due to Van's disapproval.
  
  
• He's still technically in love with Natalia, but he's pretty much reached the point where he knows he can't give her what she needs, or deserves. He does want to help her build Kimlasca into the great country it can be, but after all he's gone through, he'd rather work behind the scenes or in the shadows rather than on the throne directly.
  
  
• He still clings to his former identity; one of his very last lines is him re-introducing himself to his opponents as Luke fon Fabre. However, since Luke is alive, he can't take it back, so he's once again resigned himself to remain as Asch.
  
  
• There have been numerous times when Asch wished that he could have grown up properly, never being replicated, and fulfilled his Score by dying in Akzeriuth. Considering he died around the same age as was predicted, it's natural that he'd have preferred a happier life in Baticul rather than the life he led in Daath, growing up as angry and bitter as he did.
  
  
• Once as a child (between ages 7 and 10) he had a fever so terrible he was completely bedridden for days. Susanne attempted to stay by his side, but was forced away by the duke. Guy took over as his primary caregiver. As a result Susanne refused to speak with Fabre for a week.
  
  
• While growing up in Daath, Asch was picked on by his fellow soldiers and trainees (just like Tear was) because he was Van's chosen favourite. Van tried to mediate the issue, but for the most part Asch kept it to himself rather than making it worse by pointing fingers. As a result he trained himself harder than ever, as well as forcibly deepening his voice and changing his speech patterns to sound older and tougher, which is why he speaks in a deeper tone than Luke and doesn't speak like a noble the way Natalia does most of the time. He let go of most of his nobleman upbringing to be accepted more by his fellow soldiers, though he wouldn't really call any of them friends.
  
  
• Upon becoming Special Operations commander, Asch grew steadily more popular amongst a number of his younger soldiers, those who worked under him. His Specials Ops troops respected him a great deal, and while he never acted it, he trusted them a lot more than he trusted most others, including his fellow God-Generals. Not enough to rely on them when he defected, but with someone like Asch, every little bit makes a difference. Following his belief of helping ordinary folks instead of just high ranks, Asch learned the names of as many of his troops as possible- building morale builds respect, after all. Asch is a good soldier; it's just unfortunate that he was never able to form real relationships with them.
  
  
• Though he still cares for them, Asch hasn't yet forgiven his parents for not realizing he was replicated. He loves his mother dearly and would do anything for her, but considering Fabre never gave any indication that he loved Asch (escept that brief meeting before the Tower of Rem, and even then Asch looked uncomfortable), he's still estranged from his father. He tries not to think about it much, though, since he sort of doubts he'll ever see them again anyway.
  
  
• After Yulia City, Asch remained connected with Luke while he slept in order to try and open his eyes to the world around him, teach him what his power has done to the world. Despite his low opinion of Luke overall, he wasn't able to get past his belief that Luke, as his replica, was his replacement, and shouldn't be inferior or less competent than Asch himself. Opening his replica's eyes to his recklessness was Asch's attempt to help Luke, though it for his own sake instead of Luke's. After all, why would he want to admit that his replica is a thoughtless idiot? He can say it to Luke's face, but not admit it to himself, and he reveals this at the end of the game. (Grand Chokmah confrontation here.)
  
  
• Asch isn't much of a music fan. Growing up in a church turned him off of that. He prefers to work in natural environments or just quiet everyday life sounds.
  
  
• Asch's hair is absurdly important to him. As the symbol of Kimlasca's royal bloodline, he's allowed it to grow without much more than a trim since he was kidnapped, because after losing everything else, it's really all he had left of his family and his heritage.
  
  
• A few years after his kidnapping, Asch went on the Daathic pilgrimage to visit all the island's monuments. Just as he reached the last one, he happened upon his mother, escorted by Guy, while she was on her own pilgrimage to pray for health and Luke's lost memory; he bumped into them, and would probably have been recognized if not for his cloak. It was the first time he was tested about his new identity, and he always regretted not speaking up after that.
  
  
• Asch sleeps more soundly in an airship than in a bed, since the jerking motion of it means that they're in the air, and the only ones around him are Ginji and the Dark Wings, four people he feels safe around; the Dark Wings, because they're on his payroll, and Ginji, because the kid couldn't hurt a fly even if he wanted to. In a bed, he doesn't feel safe because it's too quiet, and without the noise that kept his sleep light, he risks nightmares.
  
  
• Despite his gruff attitude, Asch likes animals. Mieu was annoying, but he envied Luke for having a pet like that. Whenever he went to Sheridan for whatever reason, he'd wait till no one else was around and pamper Star with a few pats and maybe a treat or two.
  
  
• When Asch sleeps alone he's on his back and doesn't so much as twitch, but often has nightmares; when Asch has company in bed he clings, cuddles, and curls up like a snake. Guy's lucky he can even breathe at night.
  
  
• This is sort of from the Asch manga, but also conjecture and factoids are always fun- Asch can connect with Luke without Luke knowing about it. If the fonic connection is kept to a minimum, Asch can hear Luke's thoughts, watch his actions, and observe his surroundings with his replica none the wiser. It's how he found out that Luke and Van were planning to 'save' Akzeriuth instead of evacuate, cluing Asch in to Van's real plans, among other things.
  
  
• Asch is actually pretty good at drawing/sketching, though only from a technical standpoint; he can sketch out something with reasonable accuracy, but very little colour or life to it. It's more of a way to convey information without speaking than to show his creativity, and it's one of the few things that kept him occupied in Daath when he wasn't training or studying.
  
  
• Asch has a lot of experience with riding the animals of Auldrant- he can ride Arietta's monsters with no problem whatsoever and often practiced riding those lizard horses (I forget the name /awesomeface) during his free time in Daath.
  
  
• On the flipside, he is terrible with driving fontech, especially vehicles. He needed Ginji to fly him around in the Albiore III, and the Dark Wings drove his fontech car in the anime. He claimed to have needed the extra hands while using the Tartarus after Akzeriuth fell, but considering his track record with fontech vehicles, I seriously doubt he could have driven it without Jade's help. That's why he gave it back when the party split up again- he couldn't use it on his own. He's a bit of a traditionalist in that sense.
  
  
• In Daath, he used to have a houseplant in his room: a flower, though he can't remember the breed. It was a gift from a little girl, a daughter of one of his oracle knights who had a crush on him. (God knows why.) He suspected it was because he was too old and she was at a rebellious age. (He's wrong: it was his hair.) He tried to take care of it at first, honestly, mostly because he had nothing better to do between missions and he figured if all he has to do is water it, it's pretty low maintenance. But he came back from a long mission one day and it had started to die while he was away. He'd assumed it was dead or doomed when it didn't perk back up after he watered it, so he threw it away, and since she'd asked him how the flower was every time she saw him, he started avoiding her after that. After that she got engaged, or died, or something- he honestly can't remember, or didn't particularly care. He kept the pot, though. To this day it sits in his dorm in daath; it is now a pencil holder and is the only vaguely colourful thing in his room.
  
  
• Asch has never actually been afraid of the dark, unlike most people. Rather, what scared him was sudden changes of light and darkness, eg. lightning in the middle of a thunderstorm at night. The way it illuminated everything in strange shapes for a split second is what terrified him, not the thunderstorm itself. He was never afraid of storms if they happened during the day, but at night, the flashes are what caused him to start sneaking into guy's room to sleep with him. Even now, asch dislikes thunderstorms, though he's not afraid of them anymore. He can't sleep through them, so instead when they happen, he gets himself a cup of tea or cocoa and sits by the window to watch it until it passes.
  
  -Luceti-only: Currently Luke and Asch's fonons are linked so completely (due to keeping the connection open over a long period of time while Luke was awake during each of their kidnappings) that feelings, thoughts, and even locations are carried between the two at random. Asch has taught Luke how to open the connection himself so it doesn't hurt Luke, though it still causes some discomfort to both. RESET DUE TO NEW LUKE EH
  
  
• Luceti-only: Due to his death, Asch lost the ability to use hyperresonance; on the flipside, Luke gained second-order hyperresonance in the process. Asch is most definitely not happy about this, but since he can't fix things on his own and he outright refuses to trust a scientist to help, he'll have to live with it. He's angered by the fact that Luke has the power of hyperresonance and he doesn't, because that power was one of the few things that made him stand apart in Van's eyes, and his master's approval still carries a bit of weight with Asch, but it's not something he's likely to discuss with anyone, least of all Luke. Reset; new Luke + removal of Asch's Death Penalty.
  
  
• Luceti-only: Asch arrived in Luceti on April 14th, 2008, and according to his timeline, Rem Redecan 38. He was 18 at the time (having turned 18 over the course of the game). He turned 20 on July 24th, 2010. (Footnote C)
  
  
• Luceti-only: Asch had a second birthday in Luceti on August 29th, 2012. He is now 21.
  
  
  [this is a work-in-progress and probably always will be. D|]
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Footnotes
  
  Footnote A - The Closed Score:
  
  "ND2000. In Kimlasca shall be born the scion of Lorelei's power. He will be of royal blood with hair of red. He shall be called 'the light of the sacred flame' and he will lead Kimlasca-Lanvaldear to new prosperity."
  
  "ND2002. The one who would seize glory shall destroy the island of his birth, a land named Hod. War shall persist between Kimlasca and Malkuth for a full cycle of the seasons."
  
  "ND2018. The young scion of Lorelei's power shall bring his people to the miner's city. There, the youth will turn power to calamity and be as a weapon of Kimlasca, destroying himself and the city. Thereafter, the land of Rugnica will be enveloped in
  war, and Malkuth shall lose territory. Kimlasca-Lanvaldear shall thrive, and this shall lead to unprecedented prosperity."
  
  
  Footnote B - The Cheagle Replica Sidequest
  
  There are two cheagles in Ortion Cavern; the right side is the replica, the left is the original. The replica is shown to have a fire-breath at full power, while the original is much weaker. Jade explains that its degraded abilities are the result of the cheagle's replication.
  
  Later on, Asch visits Ortion Cavern to meet with Van, and one of the cheagles is missing- the left one, the original. After noticing this, Asch thinks, It's gone, just as I thought... and says, "I have no time." ( 1:05. )
  
  ...Ignoring the fact that there is clearly still a moving cheagle in the original's cage... lazy programmers. :|
  
  Anyway, the cheagle replica is taken to Sheridan. His name is "Star".
  
  This scene is Jade's discussion with Star about the replication: 4:25-5:10.
  
  Jade: Star, are you an original? A replica test subject?
  Star: Yes.
  Jade: Did they make a replica--a copy of you?
  Star: Yes. An icky man named Dist did it to me.
  Jade: I thought so. And when was this?
  Star: About half a year ago, I think.
  Jade: If he learned at Choral Castle that Luke and Asch are perfect isofons, then the timing matches... One last thing. What happened to the other you?
  Star: ...I think he died.
  Jade: ...You think?
  Star: Actually, I died once. And then after that, I felt something flow into me, and then I wasn't dead. And then the other me was gone.
  Jade: Does this mean Dist completed the perfect isofon research? That those research results weren't just coincidence...?
  
  I'm assuming this translation was an error in some way- either that or the cheagle was confused. In the game, this cheagle was very clearly stated as being the replica; the fact that he is the replica and was stronger, while the original was weaker, was an important factor in the cut scene about replication degredation. Star was in the replica's cage, and when Asch looked at the original's cage, he thought, 'It's gone...' indicating that he knew the original was going to disappear.
  
  On the flipside, there's also the post-Nebilim discussion Jade has with Dist, found here @ 0:40:
  
  Jade: Asch has died.
  Dist: ! The big bang?
  Jade: ...If you're asking that, I presume that means it was nearly time for Asch's big bang?
  Dist: Yes, and if you're asking that, then it sounds like you're saying Asch's death was not caused by the big bang effect.
  Jade: Correct. I see even you are intelligent enough to figure that out.
  Dist: ...Regardless of what caused his death, at this point in time, we can assume the big bang had begun.
  Jade: ...It may not have begun.
  Dist: What is that supposed to mean?! You're the one who finalized the theories on perfect isofons! Do you not believe your own research?! The Jade I knew--Jade the Golden Child--isn't someone who would say something like that!
  Jade: Please don't give me disturbing nicknames.
  Dist: Or is that replica that important to you? More than your best friend, Saphir?!
  Jade: The dust on the floor has value compared to you.
  Dist: Listen, Jade. The contamination effect cannot be prevented. Even with your talent.
  Jade: I know that. You're speaking to the person who failed to revive the dead. Fate cannot be changed.
  Dist: ...His memories will remain.
  Jade: No, nothing but his memories will remain.
  
  My overall response to this is "OMGWTF?" because really, omgwtf. Since Jade assumed that a) Dist completed the research and b) his original research, namely that the replicas don't survive, I figure that Jade's come to the conclusion that the replica is ultimately the survivor, though he's waiting to see what happens to Luke before he gives the final verdict. I doubt he'd say much on the subject of Luke's return at the end of the game. However, if the cheagle's confusion about his existence is due to the fact that the original's memories were transferred into the replica's body (due to the big bang effect), resulting in the replica's death, then that would indicate that at the end of the game, Luke's memories were transferred into Asch's body (since his own body was fading and Asch's wasn't- his mind just wasn't there anymore) resulting in Luke's survival. The question of whether or not Asch's memories survived the transfer is sort of up for debate, but this is the theory I follow while playing Asch.
  
  
  Footnote C - Asch's Coming of Age
  
  -Game starts Rem Decan 23, ND 2018. Asch is 17.
  -Asch turns 18 on Lorelei Redecan 48, 2018.
  -One month post-Absorption Gate was Gnome Decan 28, 2019.
  -Eldrant was stormed on Rem Redecan 38, 2019. Asch arrived in Luceti originally from the Tower of Rem; during his time in Luceti he turned 19 (on June 27th, 2008). The new year started 13 days later (Rem Decan 1 = July 10th, 2008). He was sent home during an event and updated to Eldrant. His birthday still stands- he wasn't on Auldrant long enough for the change in date to matter.
  -As of the day of update (May 4th, 2010) it is Rem Redecan 25, 2020. Asch is 81 days away from his coming-of-age.
  
  
  
  
  
  Random Notes
  
  
  Asch's movements throughout the game:
  
  -Asch began to suspect that Van was up to something around the time when Tear found out about Van's plans. Van ordered Sync to keep tabs on him because of this. (In-game + episode 10 of the anime.)
  -Asch is sent out on an unspecified mission with the other five God-Generals prior to Luke and Tear's hyperresonance; Ion is able to escape from Daath with Anise and Jade due to their absence. (Tales of the Abyss manga, Chapter 00 Gaiden.)
  -He is sent with the rest of the God-Generals to ambush the Tartarus and capture Ion for the sake of opening the Daathic seals. Prior to Ion's recapture, he disappears.
  -Asch attacks Luke in Kaitzur, much to Van's surprise, and disappears again. He then arranges for Arietta to kidnap the engineer and force Luke and Ion to come to Choral Castle. Luke is captured and his fon slots are opened by Dist and Sync.
  (actions unknown)
  -Asch and Sync hire the Dark Wings to take Ion out of Baticul and meet with them at the Tartarus outside the abandoned factory exit. Luke recognizes his face for the first time and Asch escapes. He later informs the party of Ion's whereabouts via the fonslot mindlink, and Ion is rescued as a result. He watches the battle between the party, and Sync and Largo, but does not participate.
  -Asch contacts Luke via the fonic link once more in Chesedonia and tries to force Luke to attack Tear. Luke passes out.
  (actions unknown)
  -Upon discovering Van's plans for Akzeriuth, Asch tries to stop it by contacting Luke again. The warnings are ignored and Akzeriuth is destroyed; Asch is carried off by one of Arietta's griffons but escapes and stows away on the Tartarus in order to confront and defeat Luke in Yulia City.
  -Remaining connected with Luke, Asch and the party (sans Luke and Tear) return to the Outer Lands in the Tartarus and go to Belkend. Guy leaves the group, and the rest visit Ortion Cavern to investigate Van's fomicry research. Afterwards he cuts off his connection with Luke.
  -Asch escorts Natalia and Ion to Daath, where they are captured by Mohs. Anise and Asch escape to warn Jade about their capture (while he was fixing the Tartarus), and Asch leaves them in Daath Bay to work elsewhere.
  (actions unknown)
  -During the rescue of the people of St. Binah, Asch explores the Shurrey Hill Sephiroth. He then moves locations and his home base to Chesedonia to avoid drawing too much attention to himself in Daath. (Asch Manga, volume 2)
  (actions unknown)
  -After the party splits up during the war escorts and regroups in Chesedonia, Asch contacts Luke for a brief conversation about Lorelei and explains how to lower the land.
  (actions unknown)
  -After their capture in Daath, Asch is sent to rescue everyone in Baticul by Ion. He rescues Noelle from Dist in the process and brings her to Belkend to meet the others on the now-flightless Albiore II. He delivers "Genesis of the World" to Jade.
  -Spinoza eavesdrops on the party and Asch chases after him; Luke attempts to find him first despite Asch's demands to do otherwise.
  -Though Asch catches up to Spinoza, the God-Generals "got in [his] way and took Spinoza." He then sends Hencken and Cathy to Sheridan. After that, he searches for Spinoza once more and investigates the meaning of the core vibration.
  -He orders the Dark Wings around the time of the party's capture in Daath to organize everyone in Baticul to help Natalia escape and bring the Belkend researchers to Sheridan. Asch takes his irritation out on them, apparently |D
  (actions unknown)
  -After the party finishes the Tataroo Valley Sephiroth, Asch speaks with Natalia in Sheridan about returning to Baticul.
  (actions unknown)
  -Before the Mount Roneal Sephiroth, Asch travels with Tear to Ortion Cavern to meet with Van. He is wounded and thus is unable to fight in the Absorption Gate, since he refuses to let anyone heal him. He was trying to stop Van while the Oracle Knights move the Belkend facility materials/equipment elsewhere. This is when he discovers Van is creating a replica world. (Asch Manga, volume 2)
  -Immediately before the Outer Lands were lowered and Van was defeated, Asch went to Sheridan to borrow the Albiore III and its pilot, Ginji. He used it to go to the Radiation Gate, adding his hyperresonance to Luke's in order to lower the Outer Lands. He receives the Key of Lorelei and disappears for a while.
  (actions unknown)
  -Asch returns briefly to Sheridan with Ginji for maintenance a month later (a day or so before Luke's arrival) and then leaves for Yulia City, trying to find out how to get to the core.
  -Guy meets Asch in Grand Chokmah, where he warns Guy to watch the God-Generals, and tells him he's going to St. Binah, searching for a way to set Lorelei free. Peony asks Guy to look for Asch.
  -Asch speaks with McGovern about entering Shurrey Hill. ("My hair grows fast.")
  -"Asch was removed as Commander of Special Operations for breaking military procedure." - Tear at the Shurrey Hill Sephiroth, the exact date of his dismissal is unknown, but it's probably safe to assume it was during the Oracle Knight reorganization after Van's defeat.
  (actions unknown)
  -At some point around here (likely during one of the group's trips to Baticul) Asch hears about his mother falling ill and goes to Mushroom Road. He spends a lot of time searching for the Rugnican Death Cap; if you don't find it the first trip or give up, you can return up to six times to get different quotes out of him.
  -Following Ion's death, Asch visits Belkend and then goes to Mt. Roneal. (percentage quote!) Turns out he's been traveling from Passage Ring to Passage Ring in search of the Jewel of Lorelei.
  -More searching, no contact with the group.
  -After the Isle of Feres and Arietta's death, Asch contacts Luke demanding another meeting. Luke convinces him to meet at Fabre manor, where he forces Asch to meet with the duke and Susanne. After the meeting, Asch disappears again.
  -Traveling to the Tower of Rem, Asch meets with the replicas and proposes the plan to destroy the miasma entirely with a mass suicide, using himself and the Key of Lorelei as the catalyst. He asks that they decide by the time he returns and leaves for Daath.
  -Asch meets the party in Daath and fights with Luke over who will die with the replicas. He goes to the tower and is kicked out of sacrificing himself by Luke; he adds his hyperresonance to Luke's and the miasma is neutralized at last.
  -After Largo's death, Asch fights with Sync at the Absorption Gate. They meet with Van at the entrance.
  (actions unknown)
  -After Mohs' death, Asch meets with the group in Grand Chokmah, argues with Luke, and leaves to go to Eldrant himself. The Albiore III crashes and he enters Eldrant alone, and falls into (presumably?) Sync's trap.
  -Luke falls in as well, and they fight; after his defeat, Asch opens the door for Luke and stays behind. He defeats all the Oracle Knight replicas, but dies in the process, sending his hyperresonance to Luke.
  
  
  The "Black Dream" circus/Dark Wings is composed of Noir (the woman in pink), Urushi (fat dude with the stick), York (skinny eyepatch dude with the horrifying belly-button).
  
  
  Desert Oasis bit:
  
  Asch: Has anything strange happened? Like your mind being mixed with someone else's?
  
  -he knew Engeve had started to fall |D
  -he gets messages from Lorelei? idk.
  -he calls Natalia an idiot, fff. and stupid. D|
  -to Jade: "I can never tell what's going on in that head of yours."
  -he knows the passage rings are connected. He knows a lot about the core and the Sephiroth O.o (Van told him this stuff)
  -"What, you want to pinky swear? Don't be absurd." << he's smiling! while looking away from her
  -"There are no guarantees in this world. That's why, before, I... ...I'm going now. You all should too."
  
  
  Cathy: He reminds me of a young Iemon. He's probably shy and lonely.
  
  
  Belkend:
  
  Asch: ...You sure sleep enough. Sooner or later, your brain is going to melt.
  Luke: ...And sooner or later, your face is going to freeze into that sneer.
  Both: >:[[[[
  
  - Nirni River = route to the Meggiora Highlands Sephiroth
  
  -Van doesn't think that Luke can destroy Lorelei; Asch is required.
  
  -Abyss Silver quote: "The embrace of heartless silver that doth carve the barren wilds!" (actually part of a hidden fonic verse, for the "Deciphering Ancient Texts" subquest.)
  
  -The Keterburg Spa is called "Megalofrederica Spa".
  
  
  Extra Shit:
  
  Aselia Wikia Link
  Matcha's Hyperresonance Analysis