• at the age of 18,   ashton still receives his powers during an energy surge caused by another vigilante.   the same year,   he starts his blue boy nonsense in new york city,   which seems to be full of powered persons who want to try to step up and be heroes or use those abilities to their own advantage.   maintaining a secret identity keeps him alive.

• ashton is not an avenger,   and he's uncertain if he'd take the title if it were offered to him.   this doesn't stop him from helping them out when needed though !

• by default,   ashton is not necessarily called upon to help in infinity war because he's still a new hero at the time   ( he's 18 actually ),   but this is certainly something that can be on the table.

• by default,   ashton does survive the blip,   though most of his friends do not.   it becomes difficult for him to decide what he's still fighting for,   but he's decided that it's a chance to see them again.   with many people gone and little hope remaining,   he continues the blue boy charade,   though his methods become much more...   unhinged.   he's using his abilities extensively,   knowing this aids them in growing stronger,   which he will need if given a chance to bring his loved ones home.

• by default,   ashton does help in the final battle associated with endgame.   he's 23 at the time.   he doesn't arrive until at least halfway through   ( think about the time wanda & carol arrive ),   but he's quite the force on the battlefield.

• at the age of 23,   shuffled in the chaos of everyone returning home,   ashton still encounters an incident where he inevitably publicly reveals his identity as blue boy.   life is never the same for him after that day.   tony stark could do it,   so he should be fine,   right?   well,   tony wasn't a nearly-broke trans man who recently graduated college.   balancing this new reality is incredibly difficult for ashton,   and now he's eternally putting himself and his loved ones at risk.

bear with me for specifics!!!!

• ashton's family,   particularly his father,   sent him off for experimentation with compound v when he was an infant.   it didn't seem as though hew as developing any abilities,   nor was the drug necessarily hurting him either.   however,   seeming to not be a prime candidate,   experimentation ceased.   his parents keep the truth from him,   and it doesn't help matters when his father leaves for good.

• when ashton is 18,   a traumatic car accident triggers his abilities,   once dormant,   to become active.   he is gifted with molecular telekinesis,   and when he tells his mother,   he finally gets an explanation about his history.

• ashton adorns a blue suit as he tries to make the best of his situation,   truly a low-tier hero despite his abilities making him a high risk.   at first,   the attention is really what he's after,   and it quickly gets to his head...   until he realizes that he actually wants to be a hero,   not just some face in the magazines   ( better just keep to himself than gain the attention of the seven ).

georgia born and raised.   when the fowlers fell onto difficult times,   needing to support their young son danny,   ashton’s father jerry took a position at a local lab under project mkultra.   the job,   if it could even be called that,   was utterly brutal.   although he was receiving financial compensation,   the extensive psychedelic drugs and borderline torture were a rollercoaster.   at the time,   little did the fowlers understand that mkultra was a nationwide operation by the cia attempting to tap into mind-control techniques.   ultimately,   when the treatment doesn’t seem to be working,   jerry’s booted from the project.   ashton is born the following year,   and things seem…   normal.   when ashton was ten years old,   his family up and moved to hawkins when his dad received a new job offer that he simply couldn’t refuse.   rumors started that jerry was having an affair,   and when his wife confronted him… well,   he left the house and never came back.   leanne never talks about that night,   and her boys have never gotten an answer about what their parents really fought about.

hawkins was…   odd.   not at first,   but the energy of the place grew uncomfortable over time,   like an unreachable itch deep within his veins.   until one day in 1983,   when the world just…   feels different.   no one else seems to understand,   so ashton tries to shrug it off and go about his normal day.   he really did try to be a good kid.   however,   far too many days did he return home with scrapes from getting into trouble.   that day was nothing different.   impulsive and reckless,   a one-man car accident   ( from him speeding,   of course )   lands ashton in a ditch on the side of the road.   as he squeezes out from the shattered windshield,   falling down to the earth,   bloodied fingers strain while reaching for the door handle.   then it happens.   a surge of energy sends the handle clean off the door frame and right into his grip.   telekinetic abilities that he’s always had,   simply dormant until the gate opened,   are now a secret piece to his life.   he doesn’t even tell his mother,   yet if he understood the true depth of his father’s involvement with mkultra… she would have his answers.   he’s still a regular teen in some ways,   like playing as a guitarist in a local soft rock band called the golden flight.   ashton enjoys being in the spotlight,   even for a moment,   when they get to play various gigs around town.

managing his abilities wasn’t easy,   yet with time,   he had full control over when they were active and what he moved.   there were still quite a few risky moments back in gym class.   fresh out of hawkins high school,   ashton has plans for college,   but… they’re a little far off in the future compared to what his mother would like for him.   in the meantime,   he’s hoping to make some money from his guitar.   when that doesn’t seem so simple,   he gets a job at the local record store for some extra cash.   typically clad in leather and denim,   he lets rock music enlighten his soul while speeding down the old town roads.   yeah,   looks like he didn’t learn the first time.   although he adores partying and simply living in the moment,   the strange happenings in hawkins start throwing a wrench in his plans…   or lack thereof.   but maybe his little telekinetic gift will actually be useful.

• ashton’s age in this verse is flexible to fit in with the gang,   but i treat it like he’s around 19.

• ashton’s mom,   leanne fowler,   is close friends with karen wheeler.

• at hawkins high school,   ashton wasn’t necessarily part of any particular clique.   extroverted by nature,   he’s able to fit in with most people   -   although admittedly most of his time was spent with his fellow band members.

• it’s difficult being openly trans and bisexual in the 80s.   ashton doesn’t want to hide that he’s trans,   yet that’s a fact privy to those he cares about.