5e Do So Again Until Dawn

The characters in Until Dawn are all flawed in some way or another; not one of them is perfect, which is an authentic reflection of man nature. There are always justifications presented for a grapheme'southward arguably immoral acts.

• Josh's psychologically damaging pranks were motivated by his wish for vengeance for the prank that led to his sisters' disappearance coupled with debilitating mental illness.
• Mike shooting Emily was due to the fear that she would plow into a Wendigo and kill them all.
• Emily'due south "bitchy" mental attitude could be attributed to beingness dumped past her boyfriend and having her best friend hook upwards with him.
• Matt "abandoning" Jess in the mines can be seen as unintentional, every bit he was maxim "look you come across that" as he ran off, suggesting that he didn't completely realise the extent of Jess'south injuries and how much it affected her mobility, causing her to exist chased down and killed.
• Sam potentially having Mike, Ashley and Emily killed in the explosion could exist because she causeless they would run for the get out too, equally the Wendigo'south attention was still on her so they could've escaped unscathed (except Mike if he was injured).
• Fifty-fifty Chris' decision to "shoot" Ashley in the saw-trap scene could be interpreted as being blameless because he was afraid she'd finish upwards dying anyway (that the Psycho was lying about the survivor being free to go out) and so he wanted to spare her from an agonising death.
• And Jess'southward high maintenance and bossiness towards Mike could be attributed to her latent insecurities and her want to conceal and overcompensate for these.

But Ashley is probably one of the virtually difficult characters to defend, equally she seemingly lets Chris die simply because he chose to "shoot" her. Many justify her actions with her sense of betrayal, self-preservation and fear equally a issue of Chris's choice. I however attribute her deportment to much more than than just the saw-trap scene, and I even believe that Chris being killed wasn't fully her intention. While I exercise agree that she is flawed, I do not come across her as being specially cold-hearted or cruel and believe that she is simply misunderstood past many Until Dawn fans. Allow me to explain.

1. Prior context - Chris is shown to not accept her seriously

Firstly, let's have a look at the nature of Ashley's relationship with Chris. They are shut friends who accept a mutual crush on each other, but while they evidently share a strong connectedness, they are blatantly unlike in personality. Chris is laid-back and is very mischievous, whether past cracking jokes or playing petty pranks on the others (eg. pretending to be a ghost past the window and chasing Sam and Josh dressed as a hooded monk)", non to mention his base of operations level honesty is one of the lowest in the entire collection of protagonists. On the other mitt, Ashley is a lot more serious, and her base level honesty is one of the highest among the protagonists. She is prone to existence hands spooked and can get extremely agitated and scared. So, colloquially speaking, nosotros accept ourselves a jokester and a scaredy-cat. Already we can come across that Chris is likely to underestimate how much his carefree actions affect the highly sensitive Ashley. Through his basic personality and grapheme stats alone we tin can see that trusting Chris is actually quite a tentative venture on Ashley'due south office. This is perhaps the reason why Ashley had not yet pursued a relationship with Chris - aye, he may be fun to hang out with, but is he someone she tin can rely on when times go more serious? I believe this is within her censor throughout the entire night - she wants to see if he is actually "boyfriend material", whether he will respect her and commit to her.

Chris is shown throughout the earlier chapters to question Ashley'southward honesty at crucial points, showing that he is not meeting her expectations concerning respect and consideration for her. For instance following the seance in Affiliate 3 he suspects that she was the ane manipulating the pointer on the Ouiji Lath, suggesting that he doubts her reaction was real:

Ashley: I don't blame him... that was crazy... The arrow flew right off the table!

Chris: I mean if- if you were faking it you lot were doing ane hell of a task-

Ashley: I wasn't faking annihilation... I recall we should do what it says. We should wait in the library...

Not Ashley's tone as she says "I wasn't faking anything". Just moments before she had been quite evidently spooked past the whole seance encounter, and here Chris is passive aggressively accusing her of deliberately upsetting his best friend as well as feigning her reaction. The indignation in her responses is abundantly articulate.

During Affiliate 6 in that location are several moments where Chris does not take her seriously. While investigating the basement, Chris constantly tries to dismiss Ashley's concerns nigh paranormal activity with alibis such as shock and grief over Josh'due south "death" earlier that night. His sarcastic remark "oh boy" to her initial discovery of the ghost exemplifies his scepticism:

Ashley spots a ghost walking at the stop of the hallway. Ashley gasps.

Ashley: Look a minute. Did you encounter that?

Chris: Uhh... Did I see what?

Ashley: That, Chris. That.

Chris: What "that" was that?

Ashley: It was like... a meet through shape. Like a ghost.

Chris: Oh boy.

Ashley: I'one thousand serious. Why don't yous believe me!? I said I saw it, doesn't that count for annihilation?

Chris: We've been through Hell tonight. Okay? Your heed is fried. My mind is fried. I don't even trust what I've been seeing.

An underestimated dialogue selection

Chris: Permit's just... let's merely keep our heads.

Ashley: Are we going crazy downwards hither?"

Note that if Ashley insists on what she saw, their relationship decreases. Fifty-fifty if she concedes she clearly hesitates to concur with his reasoning, non directly answering him when he asks if she is with him. She knows exactly what she saw, and she clearly resents Chris for questioning her honesty and her grip on reality, regardless of the player's choice of dialogue. This is supported by a later conversation where the dialogue is not changeable by the actor:

Chris: Ashley, I think yous're kind of ignoring what's actually happening here--

Ashley: Don't tell me you lot didn't see that translucent white figure only passing right by usa?

Chris: Nosotros... We could be seeing things--

Ashley: I'm not imagining things!"

Ashley also seems to insinuate to Chris having a cocky-righteous, know-information technology-all attitude if the player chooses to exist courageous when going downstairs to go on searching for Sam:

Ashley: Why are you always correct?

Chris: I'yard not always right.

Ashley: Well when you're right...you lot're right.

This could not only provide context to their human relationship only increasing if Ashley concedes in the before dialogue choice, but it could also provide crucial perspective on their overall relationship, highlighting what is maybe the biggest issue between them. The fact that Chris is suggested to be stubborn, nigh arrogant when it comes to existence right or incorrect is peculiarly significant because Ashley is much more than honest than he is, based on their grapheme stats. Also, it is worth pointing out that while their relationship stats increment regardless of histrion choice in this exchange, it increases more if Ashley responds tentatively rather than courageously. This may suggest that Chris prefers her to exist more dependent on him for support rather than beingness contained in this respect.

After on, Chris once over again dismisses Ashley's sightings as being attributed to stress and grief. This fourth dimension he downright rejects the idea of a ghost, without even seeing what Ashley saw for himself at this betoken. He even goes as far as to mock her suggestion that it may exist the spirit of one of the Washington twins:

Ashley sees the ghost and points.

Ashley: Wait! Chris-Chris-Chris-Chris-Chris!! The ghost!!

Chris spins around.

Chris: What?!

Ashley: Didn't you run into it? Chris: ...no...

Ashley: You were looking at your phone, y'all dip! What are you tweeting?! Hashtag there's a freaking ghost later us?!

Chris: Ash, at-home down, okay. In that location is no ghost hither. Ghost of what? You're freaked out considering of what happened with Josh-

Ashley: You lot're not paying attention. I saw it. I saw a ghost and it looked like Hannah! It looked like Hannah!!

Chris: Look wait wait WHAT?

Ashley: Or-or perhaps Beth.

Chris: Jesus, Ash...What exercise you think they followed us upward here from the seance?

Ashley: I don't know, maybe!

Chris: They didn't! Because ghosts don't exist, okay?

Ashley: Okay, who was talking to us at the seance, Chris?!

Chris: I don't know

Lastly, while his deductions in the following conversation are afterward revealed to be correct, his breathy condone for Ashley'southward emotional welfare is credible in his direction of her feet. Proverb phrases such as "irksome down" or "calm down" to an agitated person but serves to escalate the chaos as the speaker, from the recipient'southward perspective, is trivialising the situation by downplaying the severity of their emotions, making the recipient feel pathetic and even more than desperate for empathy and condolement; in fact Ashley herself demonstrates the futility of such phrases in trying to calm downwards an uncontrollably agitated person:

A ghastly face up suddenly appears on the screen, screaming.

Ashley: Ahh! Oh Chris-Chris-Chris-Chris!! What is going ON?!

Chris: Ash-Ash, slow down, okay?

Ashley: I can't handle this - ghosts, and these videos, and everything just flying around-

Chris: Calm downward, listen to me for a second-

Ashley: What? At-home down? Why should I calm downwardly, Chris? I am freaking out right now!

Chris: This has got to be someone messing with united states of america.

Ashley: What?

Chris: Retrieve about it - ghosts don't hook upward video cameras. They don't play games.

Ashley: Then who would prepare this all up? Seriously. I'm asking.

Chris: I don't know. Perchance the same person who tied you up and killed Josh.

Ashley: Oh... Correct.

Chris: The same person who might have Sam, right now.

Ashley: Perchance yous're right.

Chris: I wish I wasn't.

She eventually sees his signal of view and tentatively admits its possibility of existence truthful, yet this does not alter the fact that Chris is clearly shown to take a predisposition to distrust Ashley (despite her honesty stats), and he constantly dismisses and/or downplays her concerns, no matter how valid they seem for her. Regardless of the player'due south choices, past default Chris and Ashley have issues revolving around him not taking her seriously, so information technology is understandable that she might question how much he respects her. This is definitely appreciable in-game, and tin provide perspective on their overall relationship outside the events of the game. In my opinion, this underlying outcome in their relationship provides much of the provocation behind Ashley eventually "snapping", if Chris chooses to "shoot" her. The next section further explains.

ii. The Saw-Trap Scene - Chris'due south Redemption, or Proof of His Remorselessness?

Eventually the pair encounter the Psycho once once more and are captured. They are strapped in chairs facing each other with table betwixt them. Chiris'south right mitt is complimentary and at that place is a pistol on the table. After declaring his feelings for Ashley, Chris is presented with a terrible dilemma by the Psycho - shoot her or himself, with the survivor supposedly beingness spared from the descending blades. Many people claim that Ashley told Chris that she wanted him to shoot her based on what she says if he initially aims at himself. They merits that her letting him die because he "shot" her is hypocritical because she wanted to be shot. Upon looking closer at her Verbal words it is arguable that this merits is a misinterpretation, and that she has a unlike intention in mind:

"Ashley: Wait, stop, you tin can't exercise it Chris, it should be me. Yous chose to relieve me earlier, let me cull this time... Let me choose to save you (...) If I practice one concluding thing in my life permit me do this!"

She is saying "you can't do it (...) information technology should be me" as he is holding the gun at his jaw, the exact act he intends to bear out is to kill himself. It is evident that she does not explicitly country that she wants Chris to kill her; she simply wants to shoulder the burden by shooting herself, sparing him the torturous decision. She is basically saying "permit me brand the choice to shoot myself, it shouldn't be you who has to do that". Chris killing her is not allowing her to make that selection, and what she wants is to CHOOSE to save him past killing herself, therefore from her perspective if he "shoots" her it appears that he was willing to blatantly disrespect her wishes. She wants to exist in Chris's state of affairs, she does non want to be his powerless victim. This is supported past the fact that if the role player initially aims at Ashley she will hysterically plead for her life. If she truly wanted him to shoot her, she would non be panicking as much if he initially pointed the gun at her, she would near probable encourage him to practice it. Ultimately she does not want to die but if it happens, she would rather it exist of her own selection and doing.

Because all the behaviours Chris exhibited earlier (and perhaps pre-game incidents too), the effect of whichever option is given more context - if Chris "shoots" himself Ashley tin encounter that his earlier confession was 18-carat, and that despite his disrespectful behaviours higher up all he does care for her, causing her to forgive him for mistreating her. Sacrificing himself ultimately serves equally redemption for his earlier actions, allowing Ashley to go over that concluding barrier keeping them in the friend-zone and enable her to later initiate a romantic relationship. On the other hand if he does "shoot" Ashley he non only undermines his before confession, just he also denies Ashley'due south wish to shoot herself to let him to live. Him choosing himself over her is the final straw - it causes Ashley to come to the conclusion that he is unrepentant of his treatment of her and that he truly does not care for her, leading her to begrudge him for all the times he mistreated her, including but non limited to the saw-trap scene. She loses near all trust and respect for him as a issue.

One might wonder, if all this context contributed to Ashley locking Chris out of the social club why were in that location no flashbacks given of these events? Flashbacks nearly solely serve to reflect the player's earlier actions, rather than provide boosted exposition or context. Adding flashbacks of all these incidents before Ashley lets Chris dice would have been too disruptive from a player's perspective, as nearly of these incidents were default and not the player'due south choice. The sole purpose of the saw-trap flashback is to prove how the role player DID influence this outcome. The flashback is not an invitation to assume that this is the Simply incident to trigger Ashley to do this, whether controllable by the player or not.

3. Unconditional Dearest - Chris's Pick Does Not Affect Ashley's Feelings For Him

After learning that the Psycho is really Josh in disguise and that all the traps and unusual occurrences in the basement were all a part of his elaborate prank (and that the gun was loaded with blanks), Ashley and Chris are released by Mike and Sam, with Mike incapacitating Josh and tying him upwardly in the shed with Chris's help. Both end upward returning to the club when Emily (or the Stranger if Emily was killed earlier in the mines) makes a dramatic entrance, leaving Josh vulnerable to a Wendigo attack. Realising this, Chris resolves to recall his best friend. In response Ashley responds:

Chris: No. I'm gonna go become him.

Ashley: You lot can't go out there, Chris!

Chris: I'grand supposed to be his best friend and I allow him downwardly.

Ashley: No... he permit y'all downward, Chris - he allow all of the states downwards.

Chris: I don't care. I'grand going to get him.

Note that Ashley says this REGARDLESS of whether Chris 'shot' her or non. While this may have been an oversight past the writers, there must exist an in-universe explanation for this occurrence because information technology still happened and can continue to be considered canon unless stated otherwise past developers - Ashley still cares for Chris'south welfare. If she truly hated him, such words would not come to Ashley. Her concerned, empathetic tone and facial expressions remain identical regardless of these circumstances, and and so there's no sufficient in-game show to suggest that her agenda is whatever different at this indicate, or that she has developed any sort of murderous intention.

A difference in her attitude towards Chris but becomes evident right earlier he goes out with the Stranger to rescue Josh. If he didn't 'shoot' her, she volition affectionately see him off with a kiss. On the other hand if he 'shot' her, she will coldly glare at him as they get out. Every bit she behaves the same regardless of choice until this point, it is possible that her actions here are a response to their brief exchange when discussing Josh as detailed in the in a higher place quote. If he spared her, she has come to realise how much he respects her, and this in turn causes her to respect him even more, allowing her to sympathize with Chris'southward desire to rescue his best mate, and his insistence on doing then. Seeing that he truly can be both serious and selfless she will ultimately cull to honour his conclusion, despite her worries, kissing him goodbye in example he does not return.

If he did 'shoot' her, her reaction to their exchange about Josh will be very different. In this instance, she is reacting to his dismissal of her comforting. Since she has lost much respect and trust in him due to the saw-trap scene (and the events leading upwards to it) she does not accept him rejecting her concerns lightly, seeing that over his desire to rescue Josh. It only serves to escalate her feelings of resentment towards Chris for the manner he downplays her concerns, and his edgeless use of the words "I don't care" does not help this. What further escalates this resentment is that Chris appears to offer no apology or explanation for his choice, and information technology is understandable that she would detest being arbitrarily sacrificed with no signs of guilt or remorse. While he may have assumed he was forgiven due to the saw-trap beingness a prank and therefore not life-threatening, he withal demonstrated the INTENTION of killing Ashley to save himself as he was unaware of the bullets being blanks. This however does not mean that this is a permanent state of hatred towards Chris, she is but worked up almost him undermining her once again.

Equally the gameplay is focused on Chris and the Stranger once they leave the club, it is impossible to know exactly what Ashley was doing or what she was thinking nearly in the minutes she was lone waiting for Chris to return. However she is final seen by the door instead of with the others in the basement and will still be there when Chris makes his sudden return, indicating that she is acting on her earlier concerns and standing past the door. In this time she may accept been reflecting on his overall handling of her, whether he redeemed himself or whether he continued to relentlessly degrade her. It is interesting, and is actually quite crucial, to note her exact location while waiting for Chris - if he spared her she will be right by the door, but if he 'shot' her she volition be further back, nearly the other cease of the room. Either manner this affects how much Ashley tin can encounter exterior, and helps support the case that she did not fully intend on Chris being killed. The following department volition explain further.

iv. Field of Vision - Ashley'due south Perspective of the Wendigo Chase

Field of vision involves how much of the world around the states our eyes can perceive. Our FOV is approximately 180 degrees, spanning from either side of our heads. In the instance of Ashley waiting for Chris, much of her FOV is taken upwardly by the lodge's interior, with sight of the outdoor area being funnelled through the windows in the door. The amount of outdoor area visible from Ashley's perspective is directly affected by how far abroad from the door she is. The further away Ashley is from the door, the 'narrower' her view of the outside globe is.

After Chris jumps from a minor cliff (and evidently hurts his leg in the process), he continues to run for the lodge, which is now in sight. He is halted when the Wendigo reappears atop a building frame-like construction on his far right (far left from Ashley'due south perspective). After shooting it he volition remain towards the right, and the Wendigo volition recover and lunge at him once more. Later shooting it (or the nearby barrel) the Wendigo will be briefly incapacitated as he dashes for the door. Since Chris's direction of travel and the location of the Wendigo is always the same, information technology is clear that regardless of her human relationship with Chris at this point, she is (initially) unaware of what is chasing him. Her letting him in if he spared her is not a conscious act of saving him from expiry, every bit she asks Chris "what's happening" after she lets him in. Therefore, despite standing by the door, Ashley is completely unaware of the Wendigo and must not take been looking outside.

The top picture should take a wider angle for Ashley's FOV, deplorable

In fact, Ashley is even less likely to see anything if he 'shot' her than if he had spared her. Every bit previously mentioned, when situated further abroad from the door more of her FOV is taken upwards past the lodge's interior, with a smaller amount of vision existence funnelled in a parallel fashion out of the door windows. Both Chris and the Wendigo have non been in line with the door, meaning that Ashley is unable to see the Wendigo, as it attacks Chris from the far right side of the thespian's screen (far left from Ashley'south perspective), well out of her FOV of the outside world which is limited to what is in line with the door.

Some might debate that she could run across through the slits in between the wooden blinds on the lodge's other windows, merely as previously shown with the window doors, these slits get 'narrower' and harder to see through the farther away a person is. Combining this with angles, concrete sight barriers (the beams from the external structure would block her view of the Wendigo) and the darkness of dark, even if Ashley could see outside from her position the chances of her spotting the Wendigo are slim.

In both cases, it takes the Wendigo 13 seconds (starting when Chris begins running to the door after the concluding QTE) to recover and make it to the lodge's deck, with the Wendigo jumping in front of the door and into Ashley's view if she let Chris in, or the Wendigo grabbing Chris to kill him if she did not let him in. If she does not let him in, she starts bankroll away from the door after 8 seconds, indicating that the Wendigo had recovered by this indicate and was moving enough to make its presence known. As the circumstances are identical for the Wendigo, information technology is presumable that it nonetheless takes the Wendigo 8 seconds to recover if Ashley lets Chris in. Every bit she is focused on Chris by this point she is not focusing her view outside, meaning that she fails to see the Wendigo recover and will only come across it when it jumps onto the deck directly in front of the door. However if she does non let him in, she hesitates for long plenty to be able to run into the Wendigo recover (beingness at the door and focusing her sight outside, the Wendigo is at present inside Ashley's FOV).

Of form there is the mystery of why Ashley did not accept a closer await outside with the audio of gunshots and/or exploding barrels (or the flash of those exploding barrels, peculiarly the one correct in front of the gild), merely however it is evident that Ashley was not aware of the Wendigo at the fourth dimension when Chris got to the door, regardless of where she is in the lodge. Therefore, his potential decease at the hands of the Wendigo is not her pure intention. The next department elaborates.

5. Ashley'southward Motivation - Karma and the Greater Skilful

At present let's await at Ashley's motivation during this situation. Note that motivation is not confirmable unless stated by developers, all the same we can draw speculations based on before observations throughout the game. Equally previously explained, the saw-trap scene marks the brand-or-break signal in their human relationship. Post-obit Chris'due south continual condescension towards Ashley (both in-game and pre-game), this choice determines whether she forgives him for this or not. While some people interpret her actions as being purely selfish, it can be speculated that not only are her deportment understandable, but that she is actually being considerate of the rubber of Mike, Sam and Emily (if alive) by non letting Chris in.

If he spares her, she volition forgive him for his earlier deportment and finally open up upwards to a more intimate relationship with him, respecting his wishes to rescue Josh. As she waits for him she reflects on the evolution of their relationship. When he aimlessly returns she immediately lets him in without wasting time scanning the outdoor surface area, because she trusts him plenty to be honest nearly the danger, fifty-fifty though she herself is unaware of exactly what is happening at this point.

On the other manus if he 'shot' her it seals her suspicions of him not trusting or caring for her. This is even further concreted when he says "I don't care" in response to her expressions of business concern and comfort for him right before he leaves. As she waits for him to return, she stews over the incidents where Chris has wronged her in the by. Every bit Chris gets to the door and begs her to open it she doubts his sincerity, having lost almost all religion in him. This is karmic, as it direct reflects how Chris dismissed/downplayed Ashley's concerns earlier that night. She hesitates at the door long plenty to see the Wendigo recover in her peripheral vision. When Chris begins to say "Ash? Wha-what are you lot doing?" information technology indicates that Ashley has begun backing away from the door, even so we do not run into her facial expression at this critical moment, which could have helped determine exactly why Ashley chose to dorsum away. For all nosotros know, she could have mouthed "I'm pitiful" or given him a remorseful look earlier backing abroad. Of class this is mere speculation, but for the sake of expressing my theory I will proceed. Existence ignorant of the Wendigo's capabilities and seeing it close in fast she could haves realised was is likewise late to allow Chris in, as the Wendigo could besides become in and impale everyone within the lodge. Seeing the risk every bit being too high, peculiarly considering how poorly he has treated her, she steps back, sealing Chris's fate.

Many people believe her reaction to Chris being killed in front of her is cold and remorseless. This however is based on the assumption that she hates Chris and wanted him to die, which I have already suggested to be an oversimplification of her behaviour. To me, her reaction is not one of callous indifference but rather one of daze, guilt and cognitive dissonance. Her expression is not one of particular malice or a glorified sense of exacting justice, information technology is more like her emotions are so overloaded and conflicted that she most completely shuts down. After witnessing Chris'due south decapitation she is completely dazed, every bit if in shock. She closes her eyes in disbelief and guilt every bit Mike enters the scene. Her grief has not ready in yet because she is dealing with the fear of seeing the Wendigo for the kickoff fourth dimension, guilt for her inaction getting Chris killed and the trauma of witnessing his brutal death as well every bit feeling resentment towards his treatment of her. She is and then emotionally overwhelmed and conflicted that she is detached from reality, and her expressions are numb. As Mike freaks out she then repeatedly mumbles in a trembling voice "it was too tardily..." and reaches out her hand towards the door. To me she is not trying to deflect her responsibility for Chris's death, but rather it is a reflection of how she was too slow in realising that Chris was in danger. Even as Mike tries to get her to focus she still looks at Chris's beheaded body with a lost expression.

Of class, many people believe that Ashley is feigning this reaction and playing victim in order to avert being held responsible by Mike. Simply this fails to take into consideration that overall she is one of the game's almost honest protagonists. Even if her honesty can fluctuate throughout the game depending on the thespian's choices, this is purely situational and does not mean that she has permanently become more or less honest - this is an oversimplification of human nature. The claim that she is faking does not explain why she reacts in genuine grief if Chris didn't go far to the door, even if he "shot" her, and she tearfully apologises. In this particular scenario she is completely lone, and so she has no reason to adopt a facade of grief. If she genuinely hated Chris and wanted him to die, she would non react in such a manner; the circumstances behind his death would not affect her reaction. She may exist apologising for not talking to him later on the saw/shooting scene, when they could have worked out their problems and figured out possible solutions. Either style it is clear that she does non want him to die, no matter what selection he made; she grieves if he shot her and did not make information technology to the door considering they never got the gamble to resolve their problems, while she is catatonic when he dies in forepart of her considering she is in shock and feeling guilty for not realising the danger he was actually in. In neither of these cases did she desire or intentionally let him die.

In one case once more information technology is important to emphasise that flashbacks are virtually exclusively used to show the player the consequences of their earlier choices, not necessarily to provide exposition of what the character is thinking about. And even and then contextualising the graphic symbol'due south behaviour with additional occurrences, as I have done with Ashley, helps to explain their reasoning in a more realistic manner. Relying on the flashback of the saw-trap scene disregards all other in-game evidence which provides more depth and complexity to Ashley as a person, too equally her reasoning for her fatal decision.

Chris shot Ashley and fabricated it to the door https://yard.youtube.com/sentinel?five=ut-u9L9qyi0

Chris shot Ashley and did not make it to the door https://m.youtube.com/lookout man?five=Jzj84ksIUAw

6. Emily's Shooting - The Eyewitness is Wrongly Blamed

Ane of the most prominent reasons many people hate Ashley is because of her supposed function in having Emily killed in the basement. They blame her for iii chief reasons:

1. Giving Mike the idea that Wendigo bites are infectious and plow people into Wendigos

2. Trying to make Emily get out

3. Provoking Mike to grab the gun and try to shoot Emily

These claims are all easily debunked upon looking into the exact conversation. Firstly, it was Mike who said that the bites were infectious; Ashley merely agreed with him. Secondly, Mike was the one who first suggested that she should exit, and continually tries to convince her to do then. At most, all Ashley did was quite vocally agree that Emily should leave on Ane occasion, however Chris agreed to the idea as well, albeit less bluntly, and then Ashley cannot be solely targeted for this. Therefore, to address the tertiary point, Ashley had minimal contribution to Mike'south decision to threaten Emily. She did non suggest violence in whatever form and her reactions were simply out of fear. Anyone else could have discovered Emily's bite, Emily could accept even mentioned information technology herself, and Mike still would have reached the aforementioned conclusions because the things that people blame Ashley for were actually Mike'due south actions. Fifty-fifty if she and Chris agreed with his reasoning, they cannot exist blamed for Mike's deportment as he made those life-threatening decisions freely with no encouragement from anyone else. Information technology is clear that people who blame Ashley have things the incorrect manner around - it is MIKE who provokes Ashley to lash out against Emily, rather than vice versa:

Ashley: Em, what is that?

Emily: ...huh?

Ashley: What is that?

Emily: Ash...

Ashley: Em... oh my God oh my God oh my God! Oh no, oh no, oh no!

Emily: It's aught, it chip me and-

'Ashley: It bit yous? What bit you?

Emily: The ah... the

Mike: The what?

Emily: Information technology'due south nothing, actually, it's non a big deal-

Sam: You okay?

Mike: Shit.

Emily: It doesn't injure anymore. Really. It's not that bad.

Mike: Em... If that thing bit you...

Emily: I know what yous're thinking, and I'm fine...

Mike: Are you? Emily: Yes!

Sam: Emily, at least allow the states check it out.

Mike: Emily, if the Wendigo bit y'all... You could turn into one of those things.

Sam: Oh that's ridiculous!

Ashley: He said it was from eating each other, remember he said that!

Sam: Wait is that how it worked?

Ashley: Yeah! Information technology happens if it bit you, you're gonna plough into ane and then yous're gonna plough on us oh my God oh my God oh my God!

Mike: You lot can't be down hither with u.s..

Emily: What?!

Sam: Mike!

Mike: You gotta go.

Emily: Are you lot kidding me?!

Mike: You're putting us all in danger!

Emily: Similar hell I am!

Mike: Emily... you tin can't stay here!

Sam: Mike, just cool your head okay? Nosotros don't know if it works like that. Perhaps it'southward just a bite.

Chris (if alive): I've seen what these fuckers can do. I don't desire to see it again.

Emily: What is this. Guys? What are yous doing?

Mike: Door'south right hither. I am letting y'all practice this voluntarily. Emily: Oh no you lot're just making yourself feel better about sending me to my death since y'all know at that place'due south a Wendigo out there rip me to pieces similar it did with-

Ashley: Oh my God will you just get! Go, go out of here!

Mike grabs the gun and points it at Emily.

Sam: Whoa!

Emily: ...Okay...

Sam: Whoa, whoa, whoa, Mike... calm downwards!

Emily: Yous're going to shoot me? Mike... me?

Mike: This is the safe room, Em!

Emily: Please! ' Mike: It's not safe as long as y'all're in it... Not for us!

Emily: No... Don-Don't practice this!

Mike: I'k really deplorable...

Once Mike picks up the revolver Ashley backs off and is not seen or heard from the actor'south perspective once more until after Mike has shot or spared Emily, so we cannot tell her immediate reaction to Mike's drastic deportment. However based on how her relationship with Mike will drop to zip if he shoots Emily and her fearful distaste towards him afterwards if this happens, it is apparent that she profoundly detested the idea of Emily beingness killed and that murder was never Ashley's intention. Even though she did non try to stop Mike from killing Emily, she is a timid person and seeing that not fifty-fifty Sam could calm him down, it was really sensible of her to stand up dorsum rather than risk him shooting her in his unpredictable state.

Plus, it is worth pointing out that Mike AND Emily both create a false ultimatum in this situation - in reality, in that location would be more options than those presented in the game. Firstly, Mike could have resorted to other, less lethal options of getting Emily to get out such as physically dragging or carrying her out and then locking the door. Perhaps some other choice would be to confine Emily to another part of the basement, every bit the basement was shown to have several sections separated past lockable doors. Another would exist to physically tie her downwards like they did to Josh. While these may seem cruel, they are much more humane than outright murder. Also Emily had every chance to leave, and even when Mike points the gun at her she had the take a chance to say "woah, in that location'due south no need for that, I'll go, but please don't shoot me" only instead she adopts the office of a powerless victim and forces Mike into making a drastic conclusion. Information technology is clear to me that Mike's impulsiveness and Emily's stubborn pride are the true catalysts backside this incident, non Ashley'south fear.

Furthermore, Emily goes on to arraign Ashley for MIKE'S deportment, proverb "that bitch almost let him", and then proceeds to chastise and fifty-fifty slap her to the ground. In actuality, EVERYONE in the room let Mike brand that decision; Chris every bit well every bit Ashley kept abroad, and while Sam briefly tried to take away the gun even she backed off when it was clear that Mike would not dorsum downwardly. Aiming her wrath solely at Ashley is quite unreasonable when looking dorsum at the exact dialogue during this incident. So why does she blame Ashley but not Mike? Based on Emily's past relationship with Mike and seeing that they are yet shut in the earlier capacity and in their base of operations relationship level, information technology is possible that her lingering feelings for Mike forestall her from beingness able to fully accept that he was responsible for the incident. In order to cope, she needs someone else to blame. She cannot reasonably blame Sam because she oftentimes tried to defend Emily; blaming Chris would be largely unjustified considering he barely contributed to the discussion. This leaves the highly neurotic Ashley as her default scapegoat.

While her relationship with Mike does drop to zero even if he spares her, making this theory seem implausible, as I take shown with Ashley regarding Chris, characters are capable of maintaining positive feelings and interactions with 1 another even when their relationship is low or even minimal. For case, Ashley and Sam are still on expert terms and working cooperatively in the mines in Chapter ix, even if Ashley lied well-nigh the bites and their human relationship dropped to zero as a effect. Sam and Mike maintain a constructive alliance when rescuing Josh and during the concluding confrontation with the Wendigos in Chapter 10, even subsequently Mike has killed Emily leading his relationship with Sam to completely lesser out. It is articulate that relationship status is non concrete and is purely used to represent characters based on the histrion's CHOICES.

7. Chris's Behaviour Remains Largely Unchanged

Whether an oversight or a deliberate inclusion past the developers, if Chris survived the Wendigo chase in Chapter 8 he continues to show inconsideration towards Ashley for the residual of the game, causing the genuineness of his feelings for Ashley to remain dubious.

If Emily was bitten, Mike spared her and Ashley told the truth nearly the bites subsequently reading that they were not infectious subsequently all, he will non retaliate when Emily smacks Ashley to the basis; he does not even bother to check that she is okay afterwards. This is inconsistent with his earlier behaviour, where he punches Josh in the confront for giving Ashley a black-eye (if she stabbed him with scissors as The Psycho). While I am not stating that he should have smacked Emily for slapping Ashley (as past his ain words to Josh, "you don't hit a girl"), he could have stood up to her in other ways such as defending Ashley'southward innocence, criticising Emily'south reaction as being uncalled for or highlighting Mike'south responsibility for the incident. While he comforts her if Emily was killed and she tells the truth, information technology is unclear why he does non do so if Emily remained alive. Perhaps he does not fancy rubbing Emily the wrong mode past continuing upward confronting her, although this itself casts doubt on the sincerity of his feelings for Ashley since this would mean he favours social approving over Ashley'due south welfare.

In Chapter 9 when the group traverses the mines in search for Mike, Chris'due south injury from the Wendigo chase is clearly taking its toll and he tin barely go along up. Ashley can either agree to take the group motility on and let him rest, or insist that the group wait for him to recover. If he does remain with the group as a result of Ashley insisting that she will not get out him behind, he does not extend her the same courtesy when she remains backside to close the drain. He makes no attempt to have the group wait for her, even when she did and so for him just minutes earlier. This not merely suggests ungratefulness for her loyalty and compassion (which by the mode guarantees his survival until dawn as he cannot dice after this point), simply it also suggests a double standard in their relationship where Ashley must compromise herself without whatever repayment in order to keep their relationship "stiff" (this is likewise credible in the Insist vs Concede choice outlined in Section 1).

The group eventually returns to the lodge in Affiliate 10 to find that several Wendigos have entered from the basement. Chris does not help Ashley escape; in fact he is the first person to make it out, doing so before the player can even regain control of Sam and permit the others to safely go out. He essentially ditches everyone, INCLUDING Ashley, to save himself from death, whether by the Wendigos or by the fiery explosion set off by Sam or Mike. Some might contend that his earlier injury may have limited his ability to assist others, therefore he was simply trying to avoid existence a liability for the group. However he shows no credible struggle or hurting when running away from the Wendigos in the basement, and is in fact running ahead of the able-bodied Emily and Ashley (if live).

What happens afterward the group survives until dawn is peradventure Chris'due south biggest display of questionable feelings towards Ashley. During the interviews at the terminate of the game Chris does not make a single mention of Ashley, not even if she died at whatever bespeak during the night. Of the six protagonists in an intimate relationships (there are three in-game couples), Chris is the only 1 not to reference his supposed "love interest" at all during the interviews. If Jess died, Mike will mention his failure to rescue her in time; Jess shows concern for Mike's welfare regardless of relationship status; Matt volition be devastated to hear of Emily'due south death; Emily will mention Matt if he died (although her responses vary greatly depending on their human relationship status); and Ashley will mention him if he died regardless of the choice he made during the saw-trap scene. Her focus will vary between grief and trauma depending on this choice. Considering all the previous context to their relationship, having Chris be the only one non to mention his significant other hardly seems to exist a mere oversight or coincidence. Of grade, in that location is every possibility that we but do not get to run across the part of the interview which he does talk about Ashley if she died; still since the developers went to the effort of giving the other couples definitive closure, it does not make sense that Chris would be an unintentional exception.

In brusque, even later on their relationship has supposedly been maximised, Chris continues to treat Ashley in the same manner as he did before. Even after she (unwittingly) saves his life from the Wendigo he continues to brandish inconsideration of her, and even a blatant indifference to her decease. In my opinion, Chris is actually worse than Ashley, morally speaking, because he appears to exploit their closeness and underestimates her emotions and sensitivity. If given the run a risk, he chooses self-preservation over Ashley, the woman he supposedly cares so much nearly. In comparing, Ashley's "negative" traits such as her paranoia and timid personality are picayune at all-time.

8. Ashley's Responses - The Reasoning Behind Them

As with all the surviving protagonists, Ashley's dialogue during the finish-game interview is affected by diverse choices the role player made throughout the game. Many people criticise Ashley's responses concerning Chris, peculiarly if she "allow" him be killed by the Wendigo.

Ashley: I couldn't move... I was and then scared. And I saw it. Tear him apart. Right in front of me.

As with her response if Chris initially aimed the gun at himself in the saw-trap scene, many people misinterpret her words in this scenario. While I do concord that she does seem to be lying when she says "I couldn't motion" every bit she did back away from the door, the reasoning backside her words is where the distinction lies. Many people may believe that she is lying because she does not want to accept responsibility for Chris'south death. Yet, based on my before findings, I feel that her response is more of a reflection of her guilt for not seeing the Wendigo and letting Chris in sooner. Ashley'southward base level honesty is just too significant to dismiss her words every bit deceit;

Her use of the words "couldn't move" could be interpreted in a literal, physical way or a more figurative, emotional way. When she says "I couldn't move" she could exist referring to her UNWILLINGNESS to open the door for Chris, rather than paralysing fear. As I have previously mentioned, this morally-driven inaction is most likely caused by her resentment towards him for mistreating her, her ignorance of the danger and considering of her dubiety in Chris's pleas as a effect of his earlier actions. If her words are interpreted this way, it can be seen that she is actually telling the truth. MORALLY she could not "move" (as in, let Chris in) even if she had wanted to, because by the time she realised that he was in legitimate danger she could not take a chance the Wendigo getting into the club and killing everyone inside; particularly just to attempt and save the man who continuously degraded her and showed a willingness to kill her in the proper noun of self-preservation.

It is too worth mentioning that EMILY can outright prevarication during her interview, with explicit language which leaves her message and intention blatantly clear. If her relationship with Matt is depression, she will angrily mention that Matt abandoned her when the fire tower collapsed, even if he did try to save her (making her interview particularly ironic if he was killed in Chapter 6 because he chose to salvage her and did not have a usable weapon to defend himself). In comparing, Ashley'southward manipulation of the truth through her wording is much less harsh.

In decision, I do not come across any reason why Ashley is the worst character in the game; her behaviours reverberate her truly circuitous persona and are a direct result of multiple occurrences both in-game and pre-game. Taking her actions out of the game's context oversimplifies her personality, and does not accurately represent her as a person or graphic symbol.

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Source: https://until-dawn.fandom.com/wiki/User_blog:Emery_Rosso/A_Few_Reasons_Why_Ashley_Is_NOT_The_Worst_Character_In_The_Game

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