X gage nathaniel dahley was the planned, only child of samuel and nicole dahley, two very career driven individuals who also happened to have start a family on their 5 year plan. at that point in their lives, sam and nicole had been around the world and back, had gone to school and established themselves in their chosen fields. there wasn't much else to want for. sam was working his way to his current position as an aerospace technologist in the biological studies department/earth science division at nasa in dc. and nicole had more than her foot in the door, working as a speech writer for prominent politicians particularly of the republican party.

X the entirety of gage's life has been spent in the same home in arlington, va. neither of his parents' families are from the area. it just happened to be where their careers had brought them. his mother's family is based out of delaware, while his father's family comes from rhode island. gage's parents have always been open to frequent travel, so going the distances to see extended family on holidays, or owning vacation homes across the country or even making the decision to send him to school in vermont was never out of the question.

X gage has always been enrolled in private schools, but he was always within the dc area until high school. after evaluation of the nation's soccer programs, and consideration of particular states that appealed to his parents, the decision was made to send gage to foxcroft prep in vermont. gage got no say in the matter. but he wasn't particularly upset to make the move, probably because he wasn't necessarily attached to the school he was attending or the handful of friends he had made. up until that point, gage had been somewhat on the shy side and hadn't learned to branch out yet.

X gage has a better relationship with his father than he does with his mother. his father accepts the fact that gage is gay and supports him and his relationships. he often takes up for gage when gage's mother gives him a hard time and tries to set him up with girls or passes it off as a phase. his dad is very smart but has the ability to relate to people and talk to everyone on their level. he's positive and has a cultured vibe and is also very athletic and got gage interested in soccer. he doesn't pressure gage too much. the pressure that gage feels to impress his father with sports and academics is more self induced. he tends to turn down and reject things his mother suggests that he do.

X gage is usually a laid back guy. he doesn't like to take the leadership role, and generally prefers to be a sidekick or behind the scenes support. he is extroverted in most ways, and would rather be around people than be alone. as emotions go, he can be a little high strung, and feels things deeply. he lives in the now which makes everything a big deal. gage doesn't always know how to handle himself and this can flair up his temper which he is still learning how to control.

X during his early years, gage really struggled in school. he was behind the other kids and tested horribly. but it seemed like he knew the material and the core concepts. he was also getting in trouble a lot for talking, getting out of his seat, disrupting and a handful of other minor infractions that all seemed to suggest that he might have adhd. after getting the professional opinion of two doctors to backup what his teachers were telling his parents, they were ready to accept that it was true. though, medicating him was never an option they wanted to take. instead, they worked with his teachers and found schools that had an engaging curriculum and catered programs to help him succeed.

X soccer was introduced to gage as a motivator to do well in school and for a release of all his restless energy. it had always been a passion of his father who was more than happy to work with gage on the fundamentals to give him an edge over the other kids. the love of soccer was instant and it consumed so much of gage's young life. there were school teams and rec teams to play on and camps all over the east coast to go to. the dedication paid off and it's clear that gage is not the average player. he does get a little showy on the field, trying to pull off risky moves and being a bit flamboyant when they work out. not to mention, he's a bit notorious for his temper and frequent unsportsmanlike behavior.

X the adhd continued to creep into gage's life and disrupt his academic performance. because his parents were using other forms of treatment than medication, gage felt like he had to try harder to overcome the obstacles that got in the way of proving he could hold his own and perform as expected at foxcroft. after looking into it himself, gage nearly had to beg his parents to let him take medication for it. after multiple family discussions, it was decided that it might be for the best. at the beginning of sophomore year, gage went to a doctor who prescribed him adderall. getting used to taking it was a lot more than gage expected it to be. it wasn't the quick fix that he was looking for, but it definitely changed things up for the better. he's still not used to the side effects completely or remembering to go to the health center to take them when he's supposed to.

X gage is usually high energy and his mind is constantly working so he exhausts himself pretty frequently. typically he passes out in the middle of doing something like watching tv, talking to someone or texting.

X he rarely sits still and is mostly seen fidgeting. if he really wants to see a movie and really take it, it usually takes about two tries and a valiant effort to sit through it.

X he has an oral fixation and tends to bite his nails, put his fingers in his mouth or chew on pens subconsciously.

X he has no idea what he wants to do with himself and the more he thinks about it the more frustrating it becomes. there is far more pressure coming from his mother who likes to remind him how much they are paying for his education.

X though gage had been around his friends drinking and had spent a handful of nights taking care of them at different times, he himself had never even had more than a sip until recently. the situation and desire never really arose before and he's been nervous to drink since he started taking adderall. his first drunk experience was at a party in his own dorm in january of 2015, as part of his desire and promise to himself to try new things in 2015.

X loves peanut butter, a lot.

X for a short period of time, right after valentines 2015, he could be seen wearing this cuff frequently.

X gage believes in ghosts but he hates the idea of it. rather than intrigue him, he gets creeped out and prefers to steer clear from the topic altogether. he hates pretty much anything to do with the horror genre and how macabre it has become. so scary movies and the whole zombie craze are out.

X he prefers sitting on the floor, or on counters or in nooks than on furniture.

X gage had a huge pokemon phase in elementary and middle school. he still kinda likes it, mostly out of nostalgia and likens himself to pikachu.

X likes: peanut butter, mango, environmental science, making playlists, the beach, soccer, pokemon, long random talks, froyo, flip flops, scarves and bandanas, learning how things work, making out, hipbones and wrists, traveling, history and culture, finding out about people, testing his limits, helping people/volunteering

X dislikes: the green flavor of most things especially skittles, grapes and grape flavored things, rejection, being ignored, sitting through most movies, how he finds it hard to say the right things or express himself clearly, reading, math, his relationship with his mother, having to wait for things, being ignored, when people walk away from him