#mk ashrah

I've posted a few times about having collected a lot of her drawings and such (and drawing my own, too), so I decided to share my TOP 5:

1. Flavio Luccisano

This gets the TOP 1 because it keeps that simple, graceful design while improving it and her facial appearance. Brown Ashrah with purple eyes? Yes, Flavio had the RIGHT idea, and these two elevated it to the top of my ranking! The frown? And the blood, too? Oh! Cherry on top! You can tell he UNDERSTANDS the character just by looking at this drawing.

Was this an inspiration for my Ashrah? Possibly an unconscious one. To be very honest, I didn't have this drawing in mind when I gave my Ashrah her fully purple eyes; that came from her natural skin, also purple, and purple came from its connection with pride and, in-world, its association with the balance of Jinsei (life) and Nether (death).

But yeah, I adore this!

2. MINagami

Next comes MINagami's artwork. No link because, unfortunately, it seems like she vanished from the internet. I had the honour of talking to her back on Twitter (yes, when it was Twitter and not a nazi bar), though, and like Flavio, she understood the character she was designing. This is very different from my take, both my take on MK and CotR Ashrah, but I can't help but be amazed by it.

The blend of mortal and demon is something I preached for Ashrah for a long, long time (including in the Kamidogu article I shared here recently), and seeing this awesome duality portrayed here so masterfully is incredible! I love how ethereal Datusha is as well! And that loooong braid? Such a unique touch!

3. Jack Meng Kirkman 孟奕余

This isn't only one of my favourite Ashrah drawings, but Jack is also one of my favourite artists and an inspiration for me as a beginner artist. And it all began precisely with this drawing! There's a story behind it, one that I didn't have the chance to talk with him about yet, buuuut I suspect her rivalry with Ermac might have a part to play here!

Anyway, I adore the outfit, the demonic arm (another person who understands the character and how duality is an intrinsic part of her... why doesn't NRS hire these people instead of the dumb fucks they have in their team?), the "soul lantern" she carries and how she'd wield that in gameplay:

Also, the horns on top of the hat are brilliant and something I've implemented in my MK Ashrah version as well... and again, I wasn't thinking about this drawing when I added that, but it might've been an unconscious thing because I did look at these drawings so many times, I love it 😂

4. Belzebbub

This is one of the first drawings of her I remember seeing, and it has been a favourite of mine ever since. This drawing exudes grace, which is one of Ashrah's core traits; the pose is wonderful, and the way the hat is positioned and the fabric seems to melt over her boots is just wonderful!

5. petrdrevenak

Last but certainly not least is one I've recently discovered and been obsessed with ever since. It's such a simple but powerful drawing: you have the grace, yes, but you also have that subtle fierceness behind her eyes that tells so, so much about this character—which was indeed the artist's intention, he told me! Absolutely incredible!

I found the article I wrote for Kamidogu and my hopes for Ashrah in the """"New Era"""", and ah... how naive I was back then, believing they would give a fuck about this incredible character :')

(Please read the entire text, not just the title) As I've said in a previous post, I pride myself on having collected what I believe is a big part of Ashrah's drawings, buuut that goes for the drawings posted on places other than here, since I haven't been here long. And even then, I have already found a few cool pieces here.

"Your boos mean nothing, I've seen what makes you cheer."

Thank you for the online buddy who introduced me to these two lines because aaaah, how they resonate with me and my policy on a certain subject. You blocked me because of my fierce and tireless defence of Ashrah's name? Honey, I see what you like, I see the misogyny and incompetence you cheer on, and not being in the same atmosphere as you is nothing short of a triumph!