I'm gonna party like it's my civil right

── history.

Asher’s earliest memories were of being raised by everybody and nobody all at once. His mother was either happy and overbearing or she hardly had the patience to handle him or his siblings at all after long shifts down at the local diner. A busy household full of kids, he had been the youngest for five years of his life. That did not mean he was doted on, but rather, passed around.

His father was a frail ghost of a man, a hollowed-out shell whose presence cast an uncomfortable pallor over the home that over time. He ended up laid off at his construction job early in Ash's life, and he became a man Ash grew to resent when he felt more absent despite his consistent presence in their trailer. Molding to the recliner in the living room, only paying mind to the television.

His oldest sister held things together, for the most part, along with his older brother. They were a cohesive unit to help around the house as their mother worked long hours and their father sat in his favorite recliner watching reruns to his favorite shows.

Until the day his older brother decided enough was enough and he left, his mother screaming while he disappeared. Asher was already prone to bouts of fiery frustration, next in line as the middle child he helped shoulder some responsibilities with his eldest sibling for the sake of his younger twin sisters.

A tumultuous home life bled into school, and not one to tolerate bullies – not for himself, and even less so for the two girls – Asher lashed out frequently on both of their behalf. He also lacked his own emotional regulation, and when things got to be too much, too fast, expressing the frustrations was not an easy task for him. He'd shut down or he'd lash out, no in between.

He was always moving, always a part of him fidgeting. His knee incessantly bouncing under the table and hands touching anything within reach never failed to eventually make his mother snap at him, and, having not realized he was doing it, he would comply. Give it a couple minutes later, he’d be thinking about something else and would be at it again. Itching to move, unable to focus. He needed stimulation of some sort, distractions, to have multiple things to divide his attention with until it was too much. A diagnosis of ADHD only led to medication that Asher tried and then after weeks of brain fog, he flushed instead.

The first thing he stole from an actual business was a pack of gum from the gas station he was working at. After then it was some hygiene products and next, cigarettes, even though he didn’t smoke at the time. That's when he learned there was something addictive about the thrilling feeling of theft, and he reveled in the anticipation of making sure he didn’t get caught. Not to mention the lucrative venture it was to resell any stolen products from cartons of cigarettes to pints of booze. It is only expected he had a few petty-crime arrests, but that just taught him to be sneakier about it.

Somewhere along the lines, Asher decided he was done with Scottsdale, Arizona, so when he was twenty-three he decided to follow his older brother's footsteps. His youngest sisters were old enough now to fend for themselves, and half the cash he made reselling stolen items was stashed in an envelope that he taped behind his dresser. So, he hopped on a bus and headed West.

Passed Phoenix and through Nevada, he ended up getting off somewhere near Los Angeles. Apartment prospects were slim, and it took a minute before he found himself sofa surfing via Craigslist adds. He paid those who allowed him to sleep on the couch as he bounced around until he headed out of the bigger city life and south.

Once again, he hopped on a bus and took it to a nameless destination. That ended up being Aurora Bay. A smaller beach town that is more laid back, right on the water which Ash has grown to love, and easy to navigate as his feet search for firm ground. He's still wet behind the ears, but his ability to adapt as made it easier for him to make it home. Between his wages and the occasional… petty theft… he found a studio to live in. Even with his mattress on the floor still, it's home for now, and he couldn't be more content.

── personality.

Asher is notorious for floating through life, grinning, cracking jokes, offering a hand to anyone who needs it. He never really worries about needing a plan, but that is because he rarely ever has one. He’s the type of guy to have a hundred friends, and it can make him seem flaky, or shallow, but there are a select few that really know that he is more than that fun-loving friendly guy below the surface. 

He acts first, thinks later - that is, if he does at all - but this can lead to him becoming easily overwhelmed. He will duck and hide from conflict, whether he was the direct cause or only involved by being in close proximity. Facing conflict head on is not one of his strong suits, and he can infuriatingly let them roll off his shoulders over seeking a resolution. Hoping for it to blow over is always easier.

── headcanons.

⊹ his favorite nonalcoholic drink is strawberry lemonade. as for alcoholic, he has a preference for beers, especially any sort of craft IPAs. though he is also more than happy to settle with a bottle of corona.

⊹ he doesn't take medication for his ADHD. one trial run on something he cannot remember the name of turned him into a zombie for three months - his words. he didn't feel the same, his mind was foggy, he had no drive. that was enough for ash to just avoid any prescription aid there on out.

⊹ his favorite video game is fallout.

⊹ although he has admitted to knowing the hoe down throwdown, he also knows the dance to that song in the goofy movie partly because of his little sisters, and partly because it's his favorite movie. he's not super graceful, but does he give it his all...  

⊹ asher travels light when he moves, abandoning all thrifted possessions to donation bins, but the one thing he does hold onto forever are photos he has with anyone important..

⊹ asher has a stick and poke tattoo of a sun on the inside of his middle finger that matches gillian's.

⊹ he has had to wear an ankle monitor before, after sentenced to house arrest and a curfew when he was about sixteen to seventeen years old. he'd been caught breaking and entering, and charged with attempted burglary.

⊹ asher understands spanish better than his speaks it. his father did a piss poor job teaching him anything beyond expletives, otherwise the rest had been picked up over the scarce visitations with his grandparents.

⊹ asher has an ill-mannered pit mix puppy he found on the streets. she's friendly as anything, but she jumps and isn't trained. he named her sedona (gillian's influence) and calls her his 'dona girl.

⊹ his current new hobby is trying to learn how to play a ukelele.

⊹ asher has a rule that anyone who enters his home writes their name on a sticky note and sticks it to a smiley face on this poster.

⊹ absolutely loves kesha.

── current connections.

♡ @ulyflynn - best friend, anchor to aurora bay, and unofficial scary dog privilege for asher. ♡ @leomlarson - party buddy, joint sharer, late night talkers, yo. ♡ @thegillyxliang - blast from the past, an old more-than-friends, deeper than friends-with-benefits relationship, now going two years strong in a relationship. ♡ @helenasoarcs - beach kegger crasher and spontaneous drinking buddy. ♡ @wesxevans - ex-friends, ex-somethings? hooked up after years of online friendship, then ash left him in his wake. ♡ @cricketcampbell - known through gillian, supporter and unlabeled mentor to his relo. ♡ @dilcne - his dog might have dug up her flowerbed one or two or a hundred times. ♡ @leomlarson - house party hopper, fellow smoking buddy, and friend. ♡ @thevaleriaxortiz - older sister, raised him from five years old and on. ♡ @edietello - sharer of twisted teas (once but it counts), uly's girlfriend, and someone ash knows better than to mess with.

── connection ideas.

These are silly, and their purpose is to encourage off brand connections that are less predictable!

♡ surf rivals - there are constant arguments over who owns the break at the locals' surf spot, and they have dropped in on each other more than once. forget the fact the pacific is big, this beef is bigger.

♡ amazon package thief - ash has stolen their package off their porch a few times.

♡ destroyed mailbox - ash is a terrible driver. whoever lets him behind the wheel should know better, but he's run over your muse's mailbox once, or twice.

♡ their dogs are besties - they might not know each other, but their dogs do, and they chat at the dog park while the pups play. somehow have yet to hang out outside of it...

♡ neighbors who smoke cigarettes on each other's patios - one is always bumming a cig off the other, and asking if they have a lighter or match. they do small talk and joke around, and sometimes even when the cigarette's been long since put out, they keep chatting. taken by @vladmarkovic

♡ general ideas - surf shop customers, pizza shop frequent fliers, seabrook neighbors, beach buddies, he always borrows their sunscreen, ex-hook ups are plausible from march 2023 through mid april 2023 (small window)

── links.