#he looks like a sour gummy ive been told

[time-woods]

Have you ever drawn Gerry Keay before??? I’m interested to see what he looks like in your style

gerry jus 4 you anon ! its been 10 months when i last drew him and i just had to redraw him n do him proper justice-

(oooold drawing belloww) )

the difference is so wacky to me- i didnt think my style changed that much but hey ! here we are ! i didnt change much cause im still quite hapy with the design but i did give him 2 extra piercings

[brelione]

Marvel Movies (Rafe,Topper,Kelce X Reader)

This takes place about a month after this.

Mentions of choking,fighting,Captain America Spoilers,Kelce being a Disney Hoe

Series Masterlist

You could hear the sound of “Lost In The Woods” from frozen two along with the sound of a car door shutting.You grinned,looking outside your window to see Kelce walking up to your front door.He had been obsessed with the sound track since you,Rafe,Topper and him had watched it last weekend.He swung open your door,pointing at you. “DONT YOU KNOW THERES PART OF ME THAT LONGS TO GO INTO THE UNKNOWN!”He sang,swinging his arms to the tune of the song that was now playing from his earbuds.

You smiled,taking out your phone to record him. “Kel,what are you singing?”You giggled,zooming in on his face. “Bitch,you already know!!!”He said it to the same tune,making you bite your lip to hold back a snort as you saved the video to your snap chat memories.He sat down nexto to you on the couch,pulling out his earbuds. “Rafe and Top are late?”He asked.You shrugged,checking the groupchat to check what time Rafe had left his house. “Kind of but like its fine.Its my night anyways.”You reminded him.Kelce nodded,pulling his legs onto the couch and resting them across your lap. “What are we watching?”He asked,looking up to see nickelodeon on the TV.

You smiled,telling him it was a surprise before throwing his legs off you and going into the kitchen to snack prep.He followed you,not wanting to watch nickelodeon. “Hey,do you remember those brownies we ate when we were little?Like the ones with the colorful chocolate things?”You asked,opening a bag of doritos and pouring the chips into a large bowl.His eyebrows furrowed as he thought about it,grabbing a capri sun from your fridge. “Debby Ryan brownies?”He asked.You turned to look at him,the empty chip bag in your hand. “Do you know who Debby Ryan is?”You asked,laughing at him.

The realization hit him,making him laugh too. “The girl from tik tok!The meme one!”He answered.You nodded,throwing the empty red bag away.You grabbed the bag of sharable m and m’s,pouring the colorful candies into a bowl as well before bringing them both into the living room and setting them down on the table.He somehow ended up laying down half on top of you,the back of his head resting on your stomach.You didnt even hear Rafe pull up,the door opening with him standing with a paper bag in his hand.You missed the way his jaw clenched and his eyes narrowed at the sight of Kelce laying on you,he quickly covered it with a smile.

Topper was right behind him,you turned your head to look at the blonde.You immediately burst into laughter upon seeing the pink,purple,yellow and green striped shirt he was wearing. “That’s gotta be the ugliest shirt ive ever seen.”You grinned,running your hand over Kelce’s curly hair.He rolled his eyes,sitting on the floor while Rafe put the paper bag down on the table next to the M and M’s,pulling out the contents.Sour gummy worms,dark chocolate chips,werthers caramels and a can of your favorite soda.He held the can,sitting at the end of the couch by your head so you could rest your head on his lap.He held the cool can to your forehead,knowing that you liked the feeling of the coolness.

You removed your hand from Kelce’s hair,putting on Disney Plus. “OOH-are we watching Winnie the Pooh?”Topper asked.You laughed,shaking your head as you went down to the row of Marvel Movies.Rafe had only ever seen Iron Man 2 so he wasnt very familiar with the films.Kelce preferred DC and Topper just sucked.You eventually came to The First Avenger,pressing on it.You squealed as the movie started,excited to annoy your friends.

 “I have a husband in this one too.”You smiled,remembering your huge Bucky phase in sixth grade that Rafe couldnt quite understand.He had only seen your Winter Soldier hoodie so he didnt really have a good idea of who Bucky actually was besides the fact that you loved 

him.During the scene where Steve received the Serum Topper had sat up,glancing between Steve and Rafe. “Am I the only one that sees a resemblance?”He asked.You sat up slightly,Kelce moving off of you so you could turn and look at Rafe properly.

He blushed,turning his head and looking away so you had to cup his face and get him to look at you.He bit his lip slightly,looking down at you.Topper rolled his eyes,regretting bringing it up in the first place. “Steve is more handsome.”You grinned,returning to your place on his lap.Kelce broke into laughter along with Topper,Rafe just a red mess as you continued watching the TV. “Isnt Spencer your husband?And 10K?”Kelce asked.You nodded,still watching the movie. “I thought Spencer was the love of your life?”He waited for your answer.You rolled your eyes. “I can have multiple loves of my life.”You answered,still watching the movie. “Can you pause this?”Topper asked,looking up at you from the floor.

You paused it,a bit annoyed. “What?”You asked.He opened a bag of sour gummy worms,popping one in his mouth. “How many husbands do you have?”He asked.You bit the inside of your cheek,thinking about it.Spencer Reid,Newt,Draco,Percy Jackson,Jack Frost,Peter Pan,Zuko,Prince Eric,Kristoff,Aladdin,T’Challa,Killmonger,Dallas Winston. “Uh...16.”You answered.Rafe laughed,fingers brushing against his chin as Kelce just looked up at you with wide eyes. “Who?”He asked.You blushed,counting off on your fingers. “Spencer,Newt-”Topper interrupted you. “Who is Newt?”He asked.You glared at him. “Do you not pay attention on Movie Nights?Eight months ago we watched The Maze Runner,the handsome blonde boy with the british accent.”You explained.He tried not to laugh at your passion for the topic.

 “Draco Malfoy,Percy Jackson,Jack Frost-”You were interrupted again,this time by Kelce. “The animated dude?The albino one?”He asked.You sighed,nodding.Rafe’s eyebrows knit together,frowning down at you. “You have a crush on an animated albino?”He asked.You sat up,looking between the boys. “You’re gonna tell me hes not cute as hell?Dont even act like you’re not a simp for Meg,Rafe.You too,Kelce,I saw the way you looked at Elsa when she let her hair down!”You reminded the boy.Topper laughed,forgetting that you knew all his secrets. “Dude,you were in love with Ariel when you were 10!”You exclaimed,making the boy shut up. “Who else?”Rafe asked,still curious. “Um...Peter Pan,Zuko-”You were cut off once again. 

“Birth mark dude from Avatar?”Rafe asked.You huffed loudly,stealing the bag of gummies from Topper and eating one. “ITS A BURN!”You nearly shouted. “You have such terrible taste in men.”Topper rolled his eyes.You glared at him,biting hard on your lip. “Get out.”You told him.He bit back a smile,looking up at you. “What?”He laughed.You pouted. “Go stand in the rain for two minutes.”You told him.He shook his head until you got off the couch,grabbing his hand and dragging him to the door. “You’re being mean so you have to stand in the rain.”You told him,opening the door.

He blushed,stepping outside and into the rain.He would never do this for anyone else but the smile on your face was worth it.Rafe looked outside the window,recording Topper standing in a T pose as water drenched his ugly shirt and hair.Once the two minutes was up you opened the door again,letting the wet boy come inside.He smirked before hugging you tightly,getting you completely wet. “TOPPER!”You shouted,pulling off your wet t shirt. “Dammit.”You huffed,pulling off your wet shorts and leaving yourself in just your bra and underwear. Dancing in bikinis multiple times so it wasn't that big of a deal but you didn't notice their wandering eyes. You turned to walk upstairs to change into new into new pants while top or just stood a blushing mess. 

At this point you'd forgotten about the movie and you were more focused on annoying your friends.Topper  knew better than to sit on your couch in wet clothes but unfortunately he hadn't brought a new pair to change into. So when you return downstairs in a tank top and pajama bottoms you saw topper in just his boxers sitting on your couch watching the movie.You went to sit on the couch,being pulled into Topper’s lap.When the scene of Bucky falling off the train came along Kelce had become attached,standing up to shout at the tv while you started crying a bit,Topper kissing your forehead lightly. “WHERES THE NEXT ONE?”Kelce asked.You grinned,grabbing the remote and moving on to Winter Soldier. 

“Theres like a ton of movies between these two but like we can watch those eventually.”You shrugged,ending up wedged between Rafe and Topper,Rafe’s fingers twisting your hair and tracing figure eights along the back of your neck. “On your left!”You spoke at the same time as Sam,grinning.Kelce grinned. “So thats why you always say that!”He put the puzzle pieces together.When Nat pulled up you saw the way Topper’s jaw dropped,you smiled. “I know,right?Shes like really fucking pretty.”You grinned,head against Rafe’s chest.Topper had began to doze off when Bucky came on with his metal arm,waking up fully again when he heard you whisper “He could literally choke me with his metal arm.”under your breath.He burst out laughing for a reason that Rafe nor Kelce could understand,plotting to use it against you in the future.

Somehow Topper had managed to fall asleep against your leg while Rafe had gotten you onto his lap,your head in the crook of his neck as you watched Steve get the living shit beat out of him.Kelce was on the edge of his seat,completely invested in the story. “Can we watch the next one?”He asked.You smiled,pleased with his excitement. “Tomorrow morning,okay?”You asked.He huffed but nodded,grabbing the blanket he usually used.Rafe pulled a blanket over the two of you,allowing you to sleep on top of him.The four of you must’ve slept in pretty late,waking up to your 1 P.M alarm that told you to take your daily vitamins.You groaned,attempting to move but being held by Rafe.

You yawned,seeing Topper in his deep,drooling double-chin sleep.You flicked Rafe across the head so he’d wake up,the brunette waking with a grumble. “Rafe,you gotta let go.”You smiled,kissing his nose tiredly.He grinned,letting you off his lap.You shook Kelce’s shoulder as you walked by,your shorts riding up.Kelce got up with a groan,the blanket rolling around his body like a burrito as he stumbled into the kitchen.You got yourself a glass of water,putting your four vitamin pills into your palm.He watched as you took them,grinning at you. “Good girl.You want breakfast?”He asked.You shrugged,still tired.Topper walked into the kitchen,wiping his face of drool and carrying the bowl of m and ms.

 “Hey,do you still have those frozen strawberries?”He asked.You nodded,watching as he grabbed the bag of fruit from your freezer along with almond milk,whipper cream,hot fudge and banana. “Where’s Rafe?”Kelce asked,his question being answered by the universe when the Steve Rogers look alike walked in,turning on the keurig.Kelce put some bread in the toaster,taking out the eggs and a frying pan and starting to make some scrambled for Rafe,some fried for you and an m and m omlet for Topper.Speaking of the blonde,he was pouring frozen strawberries,fudge,banana slices and almond milk into the blender,switching it on and dancing to the sounds of the strawberries being crushed.As the eggs began to cook Kelce quickly handed Rafe his mug before grabbing a glass,putting a layer of m and ms and whipped cream at the bottom,adding two spoon fulls of sugar,some milk and mixing it all together until it was a colorful slop,pouring ice in the cup before brewing some italian coffee to top it off.

As it brewed he rushed to flip the eggs,cursing when he realised the edges were burnt.He tossed it onto a plate,sprinkling some italian seasoning on it and taking the toast out of the toaster for you.He grabbed a jar of your favorite jelly,spreading a thin layer on both slices,reaching over Rafe’s head to hand you the plate.You thanked him,ripping the slice of toast in half.Topper turned off the blender,pouring its contents into a glass and making a huge mountain of whipped cream before sitting across from you.You smirked,reaching your fork over to get some whipped cream.He gasped,jaw dropping as he stared at you. “So you’re gonna put me in the rain for two minutes and now youre taking away my whipped cream?Do you wanna fight?”He asked,leaning forward.

You used your fork,knocking over the mountain of whipped cream before getting up and running down the hall.He ran after you,grabbing you by your wrist and pinning you against the wall of the guest room,panting.You two stared at eachother for a while,his bare chest pressed against you.His eyes flicked between your eyes and your lips,leaning down so his forehead was pressed against yours.So much was happening at once,you couldnt even comprehend it.But then from the kitchen you heard an argument starting,Topper letting go of your wrists as they two of you went back to the kitchen. “The third one is the best!” “FUCK YOU IN THE ASS,BITCH!”You walked in,looking between the two boys. 

“What is going on?”You asked.Kelce looked over at you,spatula in hand. “Which Descendants film is better?Two or Three?”He asked.You shook your head,sitting back down to eat your toast. “Fuck-dammit,Topper!You made my toast untoast!”You exclaimed,waving the uncrunchy bread.Kelce frowned,eyes softening. “Do you want me to make you more?”He asked.You shook your head. “No,its fine,Kelce.”You grinned,taking a sip of your coffee.It was sweet and creamy and pretty good,somehow Kelce always made the best coffee no matter what he put in it.Rafe looked between you and Topper,sensing that something had happened in the room.He hoped that Topper wouldnt intentionally hurt him like that,hoping Kelce wouldnt either.A plate of scrambled eggs was put in front of Rafe along with a bottle of barbecue sauce,making you stare at him in disgust. “I cant believe you put barbecue sauce on your eggs.”You shook your head,taking a bite of the toast and getting excited when you heard a crunch. “Oh-hey,dont worry!It didnt untoast”You grinned,enjoying it.

@sexytholland​ @28cnn​  @popcrone818​ @fttayla​ @cherryobx​ @n1ghtsh4d3-67​ @drewstarkeyobx​ @poguestyleskye​ @judayyyw​ @jjtheangel​  @outerbongs​  @copper-boom​ 

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[clubdolan]

Baby Dolan #4

“What’s up, guys?! We’re back!” Ethan and Grayson said at the same time. Their video was sponsored, testing foreign candy. Packages sat in front of them with writing they couldn’t understand. They tried a cheese flavored gummy, a sour candy that tasted like watermelon, and Ethan was opening a horrible smelling bag as his phone vibrated in his pocket.

He ignored it, handing a smelly, stick like object to Grayson. “I do not want to even be holding this.” He tried to read the bag, no words looked familiar. “It smells like... fish and dirt.”

“Dirt and spoiled meat.” Grayson guessed, smelling it again. Ethan’s phone vibrated again as they tried it, immediately spitting it out into their buckets. Water, milk, other candy; nothing got rid of the taste.

Grayson’s phone started going off sitting next to him as he dug through the box of candy for their next try. He grabbed out a neon yellow package. seeing bananas on it, “This looks safe.”

Ethan pulled his phone from his pocket, “E, really? Not during filming, now we have to do that again.” Grayson groaned, tossing the package back in the box.

“It won’t stop, yours is going off too.”

1 Missed Call: Val

2 Text Messages: Val

4 Missed Calls: Izzy

2 Missed Calls: Emily

2 Text Messages: Emily

Grayson grabbed his as Ethan looked, “Why is Emily calling me--

“Val! Baby!” Ethan screamed, jumping off the couch and digging for shoes, “Drive me there! Get your keys!”

Grayson was still looking at his phone.

“Izzy said that they’re at the hospital, Val’s--- oh.” He followed Ethan’s lead, grabbing shoes and digging for keys on the counter.

Somehow Grayson drove them there safely, letting Ethan off at the door before taking off into the lot.

He found Emily in the entry way, “She’s upstairs getting tests done, we went to lunch and she went to pee and she came out crying and said there was blood so we rushed her here and they said she might be going into premature labor but we don’t know anything past that.” She grabbed his arm as he tried to go around her, “Don’t, you can’t get in the room now. She’s going to be okay.”

It seemed like they were in the waiting room for hours but it was really twenty minutes before a nurse came out and got them. Ethan went in first, stopping himself as he walked in, trying to prepare for what could be around the corner.

The all white room was full of machines, all hooked up to Val. When she heard the door close she looked up, everything seemed to be washed from her. Her skin seemed white, her hair was pulled back, her face was damp from crying, one hand was covered in IVs and she could barely turn her head towards him.

“I’m so sorry, we were filming and didn’t think it was anything. You’re not due for another month and a half, what’s going on?” He leaned over, pushing her hair from her face. “C’mon babe, talk.”

Trying to hold back tears Val spoke, “I-I-I was going to the bathroom and it-it-there was blood. I just-I told Em and we came here and I got hooked up and blood taken-I-I-I don’t know-they haven’t said anything. It was a lot more than anything normal, like it was a lot-I don’t know-I just-don’t-”

Ethan shushed her, sitting down next to her and hugging her the best he could. “It’s going to be okay.” He mumbled into her messy hair, “You’re both going to be okay.”

They sat in silence for a few minutes and were startled when her doctor came in followed by nurses.

“You’ve gone into pre-mature labor, it wasn’t blood but the fluid from your amniotic sack, it’s filled with the babies fluids as well.”

“She’s not due for--

“We know, that’s why we’re going to monitor everything and take our time. She’s been experiencing small contractions fifteen minutes apart. We’re going to keep an eye on your blood pressure and the babies heart beat. Try to keep yourself comfortable--

“Am I having my baby now?” Val asked, knowing she wasn’t ready at all.

“At least within the next one to two days. Once your amniotic sack has broken you have to give birth.”

She felt nauseous, dizzy, confused, and was imagining the pain she might have to go through. A nurse stayed in the room and continued to explain to them that within twelve hours if contractions didn’t get more intense than they would have to induce her. They said they would bring food when she needed it, that they could have everyone come back in, what visitors needed to do if they showed up...

But Val couldn’t pay attention.

Her parents were 2 hours away in San Diego, Ethan’s parents were across the country. They didn’t have the nursery ready. The baby wouldn’t be ready to come out this early. They hadn’t even bought the necessities for having a baby. Ethan was barely moved into her house; he had been lagging in the moving department.

“I have a meeting tomorrow.” She sat up, interrupting the nurse, “The big meeting with Urban Outfitters.”

“I’m sure they’ll understand.” Ethan said, pushing her to sit back.

“No, it’s huge. I’ve had it planned for months. My site depends on the--

“Valerie, you need to calm down. It’s not good for you or the baby.” The nurse said, typing on the computer next to her. “I’ll let you be for a while, if you need anything, push the button. Would you like me to get your guest?”

“No, I’ll get them in a second. Thank you.” Ethan smiled. “Babe, you’ve got to calm down. I’ll have Emily talk to your manager about the meeting and anything else you have scheduled. Your focus right now, is the baby.” He placed his hand on her stomach, “When you’re calm, the baby is calm.”

“But I--

“I know you’re a control freak, especially about your site. I’ll get your computer and you can make a post about it. Everyone will understand. Make a list of things you want from your house, I’ll go get stuff later--

“You can’t go.”

“Okay, Emily or Izzy will. You’ll have to let them know where it’s all at. I’ve got to call my parents so they can get on a flight as soon as they want--

“My mom. My dad. I have to tell them.”

“We will. Let’s get everyone in here and get something planned. You have to stay calm, you have to keep your blood pressure down, you have to keep her safe for as long as you can.”

“But she’s going to come out too early--I-I-I can’t --

“Val, babe, come on.” He hugged her, knowing that her mind had to be racing at double the speed of his.

-

Plans were made, parents were notified, Grayson was packing stuff for Ethan, Emily was packing stuff for Val, Izzy was helping keep her company while nurses checked on her every so often.

Afternoon went into night, her contractions hadn’t gotten much worse but they were still waiting it out.

valerierose.com

A Quick Update!

I’m currently in the hospital, attached to six different machines, waiting for Baby Dolan to make her appearance.

Yes, I’m a month and a half early! My water broke while I was at lunch & they think due to how small I am that my body went into pre-mature labor.

Since my water has broke there’s no stopping her! Within 24 hours I will hopefully have a baby! (Or I’ll break out of this hospital and Uber to my comfortable bed at home.)

There are scheduled posts that will be coming here on my site as well as Emily & Izzy here to update my other social medias if they need to.

Thank you all for the well wishes, they’re much appreciated!

--Val

Since she had announced it, Ethan put a quick update on his media.

A simple picture of his wrist, a white band on it.

Dolan, Ethan GUEST 1

Gordon, Valerie Rose

Labor/Delivery 59442 - NICU 12

Dr. William S. Hanson

ethandolan: I guess she doesn’t want to wait. #BabyDolan coming soon(er than we thought)!

camerondolan: Last minute flights to LA? Check. Hold on Baby D. We land tomorrow morning! (& I told graysondolan I would be the first one to hold her.)

It was 8am the next morning and Val had only dilated a little bit. Her contractions remained steady as well as the baby’s stats.

Her parents were almost to the hospital, Ethan’s were on a plane; Grayson, Izzy, and Emily had all made themselves at home in the hospital room.

They had waited till the last minute to start her on Pitocin which should begin to heighten her contractions and cause her to dilate more. It was just another IV going into her arm.

By the time her parent’s had arrived her contractions were worse, but she had somehow gotten her body into a comfortable enough position to take a nap and no one dared to wake her.

She had to wake up for a mandatory check up by her doctor, but the good news, “You’re six centimeters dilated.”

A sudden sigh of relief and terror went through Val. Relived that she was finally getting somewhere but also terrified because soon, she would have to go through labor.

Four hours later it seemed like hundreds of people were in their room, but it was all family. Their families talked, ate food, discussed future plans, all while Val bounced on an exercise ball and ate ice chips; pausing every now and then for a painful contraction.

Every mom in the room had given her tips on going through labor, she scrunched up in a ball on the bed while they gave her an epidural, and she silently pleaded with the baby to come out as soon as possible.

With the epidural her pain had calmed down and she had somehow fallen asleep for a few hours.

“Hey babe, wake up, it’s almost time.” Ethan pushed hair from her face and rubbed his fingers on her cheek. “You’ve got to get ready.”

Val woke up majorly confused, gripping Ethan’s hand as he helped her move up in the bed. “Where is everyone?”

“The doctor’s here, they are all waiting, we let you sleep while everything got set up.” She looked around at a room prepared for a baby, multiple nurses, her doctor, a small wheel cart for the baby, and a bright light aimed right at her.

“No one ever sleeps that long this close to birth.” The doctor joked, feeling around, “Just at nine centimeters, time to start.”

Birthing class all came back to her, push through contractions, don’t forget to breathe, listen to the doctor, don’t tear off Ethan’s hand, and most importantly, stay calm.

Val’s legs were propped up and it seemed like the whole world was looking at her down under. Ethan kept whispering in her ear, wiping off her face with a wet cloth, “She’s almost here, Val. You’ve got this.”

She nodded, her breathing started to pick up, she squeezed the handles of the bed, and did as the doctor said, “Push!”

Thirty-some minutes later she felt a relief, the nurses scurried around, Ethan let out a sigh of relief, she felt a weight on her chest and opened her eyes to a baby..

Her baby..

Their baby.

[galeadair-blog]

PERSONALITY:

Equal parts logical and emotional, pragmatic and wild, cold but incredibly soft beneath the ice – Gale is a walking study in contradictions. Her head and her heart are constantly at war. From a distance, she’ll approach any problem she’s given with cool, clear logic. But catch her on the spot, in the heat of a moment? She’s prone to acting before her head can fully catch up to her, all fire and adrenaline. Gale calls it trusting her gut when it works out, and letting her emotions get the best of her when it doesn’t. Whip-smart and determined, she lacks the silvery veneer of the other Adairs and prefers blunt, straightforward communication that’s as efficient as the computers she spends so many hours with. She knows she’s the smartest person in almost any given room, even among the highbrow politicians her parents keep company with, and she enjoys watching other people squirm, scrutinizing and picking them apart because she’s never felt it was her job to make other people feel comfortable. Suffocated in a giant house where she was ignored no matter how large she made herself, Gale holds herself to an even higher standard than her brother because it’s the only way to prove she’s better, even though that still falls on deaf ears. Part of her thinks she owes much of her success to her family, as much as she begrudges them for it: it’s spite, after all, that has driven her all these years. Spite and the knowledge that she must look out for herself above all else, because no one else is going to do that for her. At least, that’s what she tells herself. At her core, however, is nothing more than the overwhelming desire to be accepted and loved, but she’s learned to bury her softness under sharp edges, used to being disregarded now matter how much she does to prove herself. She just isn’t sure who she’s even trying to prove something to, anymore.

HEADCANONS:

i. As if she wasn’t already suffocated enough in a home where her sole function was to be a glaring reminder of Sophie’s only mistake – homeschooling kept Gale even further confined, separated from other kids her age. Her parents told her it was because she was so advanced; she’d be miserable sitting in a classroom with kids years above her, girls in training bras and boy sprouting facial hair while she stood feet shorter. They were probably right. Gale always preferred the solitude of her room and speaking to people through a computer screen as opposed to face-to-face interactions. But it didn’t matter that they were right. What mattered that their reasoning was a lie. Gale was something to hide as her mom’s political career was taking off, a mistake swept under the rug for as long as possible until they knew she and Charles could both be trusted not to spill the family’s secret. Until they couldn’t keep them under their roof any longer, more like. With a high school diploma and a slew of AP scores under her belt at 16, Gale left for college only two years after her half-brother (and determined to graduate at the same time). Stanford was the obvious choice; one of the nation’s top schools in both computer science and mathematics, it was also the farthest Gale could get from D.C. without leaving the country.

It was hardly a surprise when she found herself thrust into a boys’ club, the smallest and the youngest and the low man on the totem pole. But this wasn’t like her home. Here, Gale couldn’t be ignored, not when she so easily surpassed everyone else in her classes, when she was the first to answer questions or provide a sarcastic response whenever a classmate or a professor got something wrong. She quickly realized that she didn’t mind being resented so long as she was being acknowledged., and in no time at all she was thriving at school, all her free time spent hunkered down in her dorm room working on a code of her own development and ignoring her roommate’s requests that she please stop typing until 4 am.

ii. It was during those late nights in her room that Gale stumbled upon the thing that would make her truly Great. It started as a project for a coding class, something she might simply have abandoned after receiving perfect marks had her professor not told her he believed she was on to something. So it was that she started to pour herself into Walkie-Talkie, a messaging app that allows users to send a voice message as easily as a text. She threw in all the capabilities of other popular messaging apps and an option for highly sophisticated encryption, and suddenly she had a hit on her hands. With a bit of hard work and marketing, Talkie (as it’s commonly referred to by end users) blew up, and Gale brought on a team to help manage its success and look to the future. She didn’t want to be limited by one app, to be a one-hit wonder that faded off to the background. That wasn’t enough, at least not enough for her mother to take notice. So she kept working. She built up an entire tech company, making money off data aggregation and predictive analytics along with marketing and advertising. She created a dating app that build off of Talkie. She leads philanthropic efforts to help connect villages in third-world countries to the Internet. Three years after graduating Stanford and she’s a millionaire on her own merit, and Knot47 is a contender in the tech market right alongside Alphabet and Apple.

Gale put a lot of thought into the name of her company. It had to be something catchy but not cheesy, something with her stamp on it without just sticking her name on it and making some pun about gale force winds. Not that she necessarily hates that comparison. In fact, Gale prides herself on how much she’s lived up to her name, an unstoppable force that nearly always indicates a storm coming. She took her inspiration from that, from the fact that she and her company are going to take the world by storm. It’s a bit obvious for a metaphor, but Gale’s skill set has always been for numbers and computers, not flowery writing. Still, she wanted it to be something harder to decipher. Something people would have to think about (and hopefully not be able to understand, even then). Thus, Knot47 was born. 47 knots, the strongest gale force wind, and a name that says nothing about what her company does. Because Gale knew she’d make it big enough everyone would simply know.

And she’s done a good job of it. Two years in and she had a corporate headquarters based just outside D.C., in Silver Spring, Maryland. The campus consists of three buildings connected by indoor skywalk, complete with nap rooms, a cafeteria that provides free breakfast, lunch and dinner, game rooms, and state-of-the-art tech. Everything required to keep her employees at work as long as possible. She’s not an easy boss to work for, but Knot47 is a tough company to get a job at, pays extremely well, and looks great on a resume.

iii. As much resentment as she has toward her mother, there’s also some admiration there as well. Sophie Adair has never been one to take no for an answer, never let her gender or the color of her skin define her, and that’s a mindset Gale embraced as well. A feminist who tries her hardest to hire qualified women whenever possible – she now boasts the highest number of women in development and management positions of any tech company, though that percentage still isn’t anywhere near her liking – she prides herself on how far she’s come in her industry. That isn’t to say, however, that she always identifies as a female. It confused her for a long time; weeks or months where she identified strongly as a woman, especially when she found herself surrounded by men who tried to put her down for it. But there were also times where she felt decidedly unfemale. Not male, not female – just other.

Genderfluidity wasn’t something she knew existed until extensive googling at the age of fourteen, and there was a sense of relief at the realization that she wasn’t alone in what she felt. For the most part she prefers feminine pronouns to define herself, if only because she wants the world to see a strong woman making success for herself in a male-dominated field. But she slips easily between identifying as female and agender. She’s not giving anyone the excuse to claim her success in the industry has anything to do with her not being female at all times. Some days she’ll show up to her mother’s events in a nice dress or skirt and makeup; other days she’ll show up plain-faced in dress pants and a button-up, with no qualms over how the inconsistency gets to her parents. If anything, that just makes her enjoy herself more. For the most part, she doesn’t give her gender much thought anymore, not since she figured herself out. She does and dresses what she feels from day to day, and that’s that.

iv. Raised in a household that demanded perfection in all things – from her, if not from Charles – perhaps it’s a wonder Gale didn’t go off to college and seek out the wildest parties she could find. But teenage rebellion was never her MO, and quite frankly the idea of getting within a hundred feet of a room full of drunk, sweaty, horny Ivy League students sounded like something out of a nightmare. No, Gale explored her newfound freedom in the same way she did everything; her own way. Namely, by forgetting everything her parents had ever taught her about healthy eating habits and the dangers of sugar. Where her much older peers indulged in drugs and alcohol, Gale indulged in candy, and its a habit that’s stuck with her. She’s a sugar addict, plain and simple, and it’s just one more way she sets herself apart from her family. With as much going on in her life as Gale has, she lives on coffee, mixed with sugar and cream until it’s so light in color it’s unrecognizable, and then adding a little more just for good measure. There’s an entire drawer in her office her assistant is responsible for keeping stocked with candy bars and gummies, and she always has at least one package of watermelon sour patch kids in her purse. It’s not uncommon to see her munching on them at a press conference, wiping the sugar off her fingers on Charles’s pants.

v. Gale has never dated. Being homeschooled meant few opportunities to meet other kids, and those she did all reminded her too much of Charles: spoiled, pretentious, more obsessed with their images than anything else. No, thank you. She was perfectly happy left to her own devices, focusing on her studies and the various coding and chess competitions she was involved in. Once she got to college it was much of the same. Significantly younger than the rest of her classmates, Gale was hardly in a position to be dating at Stanford and she much preferred to stay dedicated to her classwork and on track to graduate early. And nothing has changed for her. A young professional, she’s much more interested in her work than she is in going on dates. Not to mention – the thought of going on a date with anybody makes her more nervous than she’d like to admit, even to herself. She’s always been better with screens than with people, and she’s perfectly happy to remain that way.  

vi. Naturally energetic and with an affinity for sugar, Gale is nearly constantly fidgeting. Tapping her foot or fingers, clicking a pen, fiddling with the ring she wears on her right hand or picking at her nail polish, she’s always been bad at sitting still (perhaps the one area where Charles has always bested her). She’s also almost always got her cellphone in her hand – Android, not Apple – typing away as she shoots off emails and messages to her assistant and employees whenever she’s not at the office. Even when she’s in the middle of a conversation, it’s not uncommon for her to stop talking (or listening) to pull out her phone and type out a quick note for herself, be it something she’s said she wants to remember later, or a new thought she wants to look into further. Her mind is always moving and she’s learned to jot down the significant thoughts if she doesn’t want to lose them later. If it’s not recorded somewhere, it’s not real.

vii. Gale adores brain teasers and strategy games, anything that lets her work her mind and encourages her to think creatively. Chess was perhaps the one activity that bonded her to either of her parents, though she only ever got tips for improvement when she started to beat them, while Charles was praised constantly despite his losses.

viii. Gale technically still lives in her parents’ home for now, as much as she’d prefer not to. It’s not because she needs to save the money. It’s certainly not because she likes it there. But for as much freedom as she has, she knows her parents hate the idea of her living out from under their watchful eyes during the election season. She’s always been the wild card of the family, and the last thing either of her parents need is for Sophie’s dirty little secret getting out. So at home she stays, for now, only because she isn’t finished taking all she can from her last name. It’s the only thing her parents gave her, after all; Gale isn’t above using their connections to further her own success, at least until she gets to the point where she doesn’t need them anymore. But this isn’t to say she’s home frequently. More often than not, Gale can be found crashed over her desk at Knot47 HQ after a late night of work, enough so that she finally put a loft in her office and started leaving some clothes there.

ix. Years of homeschooling and private tutoring left Gale which a handful of extraneous skills. She speaks spanish and french fluently, plays the tuba and the piano, and even has a few (painful) years of ballet and tennis under her belt.