Brainrotted by Axel

(also applies to Operetta from Monster High)

(exaggerating, mostly, don't take the title too deep)

I'm not saying that she's a historical example of a character with layers and her writing is worth an award, but she's pretty well written considering she competed in only three episodes and only appeared for four in total. She has better backstory in three episodes than some current characters have to this day.

She's a polite, trusting and gentle cowgirl whose entire life revolves around the farm, just like she is in current/canon. But where she's different is that she doesn't seem to like the farm. She says in conversation with Lill that (in simple terms) it's restrictive and she would love to have more freedom, and implies in her audition that she's only applying to the show because she wants to get away from the farm and the responsibilities she has there. She also suggests that her family is poor and they could really use the money if she won, which follows her into current/canon DVC. All of these things are about as gradual as you can get in three episodes and isn't just immediately dumped on you out of nowhere like a lot of current characters, which is also a huge bonus.

Maybe I just see Ashley in general through rose colored glasses, although her backstory in the beta isn't really anything special it's definitely more well written than some current characters. Nothing special, but really good considering its the BETA with less than ten minutes total screentime. And yes I'd still argue she has more depth than current/canon characters. She's dumbed down to just being a dumb blonde type, which is definitely more prominent in the beta, but even current/canon Ashley isn't safe from being overlooked and watered down so some things really never change

Also completely unrelated side note but she's absolutely adorable. LOOK AT MY BABAYYYY

Spoilers for Disventure Camp 1 + All Stars

I find it bizarre that both in canon Disventure Camp and in the fanbase, Ashley is said to be pretty stupid (for example Ellie saying her "intelligence matches her home life" implying she's dumb) when she's actually quite smart.

Ashley doesn't get enough credit for her contributions in the alliance with Lill, or in season one on the whole. Some people say that Lill was the only competent person in that alliance and that the other three were dragging her down, even though Ashley wasn't a problem at all. She sussed Fiore out with Lill pretty early, but she was probably just too polite to say anything. She also did well in episode four when she outsmarted Dan, so she's good at quick thinking/thinking on her feet. ALSO ALSO she was the one to come up with a more solid plan to expose Fiore when she and Lill were on the chopping block, even it was too late.

In All Stars she was able to use Fiore to advance in pre-merge, then dump her when she wasn't useful to her anymore without anyone having any idea that this was what she was doing, including Fiore ! I think it shows her intelligence even though this part was hugely downplayed. It was also smart to get rid of the person with the most tricks up her sleeve before she can use those in the merge. Alec says that she was the glue that kept the heroes' alliance together, because she's the only one who was actually coming up with good ideas on how they could advance further in the game. Which to me sounds like BASICALLY "Oh wow she's actually pretty smart next to the others. That's gonna be a problem later, she's a little bit of a threat"

She proved again that she was good at quick thinking when she used her lasso to stop Fiore from getting back in the game, keeping the Villains' alliance lower in numbers. There are other examples in the game where she thinks on her feet in physical challenges like when she used her equestrian skills to gain points in the very first challenge, and even her silly moments in that one ball challenge where she rolls the ball by walking on it. She also put the most effort into finding clues in the space challenge, so obviously she's not THAT stupid

Ashley has never been eliminated because of her own errors, and this can go as far back as the beta. In canon she has only ever been eliminated because someone in her alliance (cough cough Nick and Jake) was too stubborn to cooperate with her, which hinders the alliance's majority vote, which boomerangs back onto Ashley sooner rather than later if not literally immediately. Jake directly cost Ashley the game ! It's really frustrating that both of her eliminations follow almost identical formulas but I digress

Especially in Gabby and Ashley's elimination, when the clip cuts from the campfire to the bus stop and the first thing you see is

I wonder what Gabby was thinking

I feel like having all of your belongings burned in a campfire then it also being blamed on someone you were veryyy close with, while having a past like SPECIFICALLY Ashley's is also a fair enough reason to hold a grudge, but each to their own I guess

She has to stand on Ripper's shoes then tiptoe to even kind of reach his height