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How do you picture Asshai?


Mrs.Grumpy

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Guest Thorrand

I pictured it as a dark mysterious city with obsidian buildings etc. Then I watched the show and heard Robb Stark's wife was from there, she doesn't strike me as particularly bright, mysterious, or interesting. Now I can only picture it as a generic run of the mill city with bad real estate


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I pictured it as a dark mysterious city with obsidian buildings etc. Then I watched the show and heard Robb Stark's wife was from there, she doesn't strike me as particularly bright, mysterious, or interesting. Now I can only picture it as a generic run of the mill city with bad real estate

She's from Volantis, not Asshai.

And we see Volantis in the books.

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Martin is a terrible world-builder imo. Compared to other geniuses like Isaac Asimov or JRR Tolkien.

He built Westeros alright, he just seems unable to get out of the more traditionally Europe-inspired fantasy setting.

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He built Westeros alright, he just seems unable to get out of the more traditionally Europe-inspired fantasy setting.

I don't know if you noticed but Westeros has the most retarded and incomplete geology in any fantasy setting i have ever seen in my life.

The Neck? Impossible

Dorne? Yeah, no.

The Reach? Ok.

The West? Somewhat less.

Beyond the Wall? Did some spill the milk?

Rivers appear completely randomly.

Etc...

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I don't know if you noticed but Westeros has the most retarded and incomplete geology in any fantasy setting i have ever seen in my life.

The Neck? Impossible

Dorne? Yeah, no.

The Reach? Ok.

The West? Somewhat less.

Beyond the Wall? Did some spill the milk?

Rivers appear completely randomly.

Etc...

Agreed, it's highly unrealistic.

I was more referring to the lore than the geological credibility of the world.

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Agreed, it's highly unrealistic.

I was more referring to the lore than the geological credibility of the world.

Lore? You mean one language for everyone in Westeros? Middle Earth has over 20 languages, realistic migration patterns, consistent history...

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I don't know if you noticed but Westeros has the most retarded and incomplete geology in any fantasy setting i have ever seen in my life.

The Neck? Impossible

Dorne? Yeah, no.

The Reach? Ok.

The West? Somewhat less.

Beyond the Wall? Did some spill the milk?

Rivers appear completely randomly.

Etc...

I agree with you, but I always wrote it off as it being due to the magical influence on the geography.

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Lore? You mean one language for everyone in Westeros? Middle Earth has over 20 languages, realistic migration patterns, consistent history...

I said it was alright.

I never said it was on the level with Tolkien.

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Great pic, I also imagine Asshai like this, but with a bit more eastern architecture.

As for Yi Ti, I imagine a more Chinese or Japanese city with a bit of the Middle East thrown in, in a state of eternal dusk, with crowded streets and alleys, tons of markets, crammed buildings, and full of exotic people of multiple races all wearing colorful yet dark robes and masks.

I really hope we get to see Yi Ti or Asshai, and I hope it's like I imagined.

Though it's unlikely for any character to go all the way there at this point in the story.

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Maybe it's found in a deep narrow valley or at the foot of mountains, someplace where the topography keeps out winds almost all of the time. This way the volcanic smoke can hang thick in the air to provide the permanent-ish "Shadow" we hear about. Not built to impress like Qarth because Asshai doesn't have to overcompensate--they know they really are at the center of the universe, living at one of the magnetic poles of magic on their world. Like if you lived within sight of Yosemite or some other awesome natural wonder, the Asshai'i probably go about their lives humbly and genuinely without needing any overblown architectural monuments to make the place seem like a big deal. (Looking at you, Braavos.)


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I don't know if you noticed but Westeros has the most retarded and incomplete geology in any fantasy setting i have ever seen in my life.

The Neck? Impossible

Dorne? Yeah, no.

The Reach? Ok.

The West? Somewhat less.

Beyond the Wall? Did some spill the milk?

Rivers appear completely randomly.

Etc...

Not being a geography expert I'd love an explanation for how the Neck and Dorne don't work, or how the rivers are completely random. The Neck was made magically anyway.

And it's not as though Tolkien's geography was always the best anyway. I seem to remember reading somewhere that Mirkwood should have been a huge desert from the rain shadow of the Misty Mountains. In any case, Martin admits he is not as great a world builder as Tolkien. He's made comments in the past IIRC that whereas most writers just create the illusion of a world, of history - Tolkien actually built a world. The language thing is certainly a fault, although theoretically Martin could have introduced a feasible way for all of Westeros to speak one language. Originally Westeros should have been a hodge-podge of Languages before being taken over by the Andals at which point they'd all be speaking Andalish. But over the centuries that too would have split off into multiple languages and dialects. However with the Targaryen's uniting Westeros under one king, he could have had all of Westeros speaking High Valyrian, with the languages of the various kingdoms remaining in the more backwater areas.

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I see Ashai as a place in semi darkness, very foggy,but not cold like bravoss but hot and muggy, with lots of markets selling silks, carpets, potions, birds in cages, monkeys, kind of how I imagine a middle eastern or north African bizarre. and street performers,magician, tricksters, music etc in the streets. With guild halls and library's and proto universities. in the surrounding streets. Large merchants houses, like sprawling complexes, temples, and alleys, fountains and sculpture but no parks or trees as the shadow would block out too much light.


People in robes and masks like Quaith wandering around and all in the shadow of a volcano, huge and ever present. A bay obviously as its described as a port. Ships lining the bay from all over the world. and sailors and drink holes and prostitutes in the port area, fortune tellers too.


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For a more random perspective....



My picture of Asshai, is a bit more fantastical/mystical.



I pictured a vaguely Middle Eastern themed city, but possibly with some small European influence (a bit similar to Constantinople). Not really sure why I thought it was Middle Eastern, except maybe just projecting a "map bias" with the way the map is drawn, somewhat vaguely resembling Earth and trying to match things up from there.... I felt it would be warm, and sandy.



As far as why it would appear more "mystical", I really see the city being a perpetual night time, maybe at the very best, lighting up briefly near high noon, but always as if there was a thick cloud cover, and always "off color" (like the sky would be red, or something), but in general never being brighter than say a sunset (but without a visible sun). I feel like the rest of the time the place would seem very otherworldly, as the only sources of lumination would be fires (both magical and regular) and abundant bioluminescence, specifically "ghost grass".... Also, I pictured their flames/fires to burn blue or even purple, more commonly than the normal red/orange.



I always just pictured it to be a kind of place where, like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, you'd just know you weren't in Kansas anymore... Even if GRRM has really shown absolutely nothing approaching that level of surrealism, especially with regard to magic or places.


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Asshai is the New World. Have you noticed that GRRM describes a million meals in minute detail but nobody in this world ever eats potatoes. That's because it's the Old World. Potatoes evolved in America after it split from Pangaea.



That's why Dany can't feed her people. But in Asshai she'll learn the truth about potatoes.



Then she'll cross the Sunset Sea to land in Lannisport. To reach the west you must go east Once there she'll teach the people of Westeros how to grow potatoes.

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Not being a geography expert I'd love an explanation for how the Neck and Dorne don't work, or how the rivers are completely random. The Neck was made magically anyway.

And it's not as though Tolkien's geography was always the best anyway. I seem to remember reading somewhere that Mirkwood should have been a huge desert from the rain shadow of the Misty Mountains. In any case, Martin admits he is not as great a world builder as Tolkien. He's made comments in the past IIRC that whereas most writers just create the illusion of a world, of history - Tolkien actually built a world. The language thing is certainly a fault, although theoretically Martin could have introduced a feasible way for all of Westeros to speak one language. Originally Westeros should have been a hodge-podge of Languages before being taken over by the Andals at which point they'd all be speaking Andalish. But over the centuries that too would have split off into multiple languages and dialects. However with the Targaryen's uniting Westeros under one king, he could have had all of Westeros speaking High Valyrian, with the languages of the various kingdoms remaining in the more backwater areas.

The Franks took over Germany and France but they went in completely separate ways linguistically.

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