#and i think honestly he might quit his teaching job and enter the writing career just because

[hallawayheart-moved]

april took some time to work on her painting and andrew finally got to go on that family bike ride. also helena wins at like every single board game she plays? i was not expecting some random helena trivia to be that she absolutely destroys everyone at board games. 

[vex-bittys]

Flufftober 2020: Day Three

Prompt: College/University AU

Pairing: SpicyHoney

Category: Romantic

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Stretch walked into his Human Cultural Studies classroom on his first day of college and nearly turned around and walked right back out again. Of course his brother had criticized him about his decision to delay college for a few years… and then a few years more, but he never imagined that he’d put off his education long enough that a childhood friend (and unrequited high school crush) would end up being his professor.

Obviously, Edge considered his education and career a priority and had focused on it immediately following their high school graduation. It didn’t surprise Stretch. He admired the goal-driven skeleton for his ambition and tenacity, the very same attributes that made scoring a date with the other skeleton extremely unlikely for a dedicated ne’er-do-well like himself. As if to underscore this fact, Edge scowled at him the moment he slouched into the classroom and sank into a seat in the back of the room.

The scowl maintained its position on Edge’s angular features as the skeleton professor prowled through the room, handing each student a hefty course syllabus. When he arrived at Stretch’s seat, the scowl transformed into a smirk. Stretch reached for the syllabus, and Edge yanked it away, holding it just out of his reach.

“NICE TO SEE THAT YOUR MODUS OPERANDI OF PROCRASTINATION AND LAZINESS HAS SUBSIDED, CARROT,” Edge said, voice pitched low so that only Stretch could hear his words. Stretch could see that Edge’s tongue was still as sharp as his cheekbones, but he loved antagonistic repartee. 

“wrong as ever, Edgy McEdgelord. i intend to procrastinate lazily throughout my entire indenture as a student here until i receive a degree that i will never use as i pursue my preferred career of wasting my life entirely through inactivity,” quipped Stretch, loudly enough for the other students to overhear. Several of his classmates tittered, but Edge just gave him a slow, knowing smile.

“GOOD LUCK TRYING TO PASS MY CLASS THEN.” He slammed the syllabus down on the tabletop in front of Stretch and stalked off with his usual grace, though his usual grace involved a hip sway that Stretch couldn’t help staring at.

It was going to be a long semester.

The first near-perfect test score might have been a fluke, but the next few established a pattern that Edge couldn’t deny. He stood next to Stretch’s usual seat near the door, shuffling through mediocre and abysmal papers to present the highest score in the class to the student that he had expected to do the worst. Secretly, though, the grumpy skeleton professor was proud of Stretch for applying himself and showing off the intelligence that few knew he possessed.

“TOP SCORE AGAIN, CARROT. AT LEAST SOMEONE IN THIS CLASS IS PAYING ATTENTION.” He actually handed the paper with its marked absence of red ink to Stretch instead of tossing it down onto the table as he so often did.

“when you’re up front lecturing, i just can’t look away,” Stretch admitted honestly. His SOUL ached, feelings that he thought had been laid to rest long ago stirring again any time the professor so much as glanced his way with those dangerous red eyelights. “to be honest, though, i’m surprised you remembered me that first day. i didn’t think you ever noticed me in high school.” Stretch winced at his own babbling.

“OF COURSE I REMEMBER YOU. HOW COULD I FORGET SUCH A-” Edge closed his mouth abruptly, scrambling for a word to replace “handsome” and change the tone of the sentence “- SUCH AN UNRELENTING SLACKER.” Edge lifted the other students’ test results to cover his blush and hurried back to his own desk.

It was going to be a long semester.

By the time the course ended, the tension between the two skeletons had only gotten stronger. Edge avoided Stretch like a highly contagious plague, and Stretch’s notebook contained more sketches of his professor than lecture notes. The end of the class should’ve been the end of the awkward teacher-student interactions, but Stretch couldn’t help checking the online course list for more classes taught by his rekindled crush.

Stretch’s eyelights scoured the classroom for any sign of seating and found none. Perplexed, he watched Edge stroll into the classroom, wearing something that definitely was not his usual tailored shirt, tie, and slacks. To Stretch’s untrained fashion eye(socket), the outfit resembled pajamas- something Stretch might wear on the first day of class, but Edge would never leave his house in under normal circumstances.

Stretch hid his confusion by calling out a question as Edge strode past him. “what am i in for this semester, Edgelord? philosophy of ancient civilizations? monster-human history and politics?” Stretch had picked a more advanced course, looking for a challenge… and another chance to impress the other skeleton.

“THIS IS ADVANCED JUDO,” Edge stated flatly. 

For once, Stretch had no response, and a wide smile crept across Edge’s features when he realized that he had the upper hand. Moving as swiftly as a striking cobra, Edge grabbed Stretch, spun, leaned, and tossed the slacker over his shoulder and onto the mat. Stretch laid on his back on the ground with an audible “oof,” completely stunned and just a little bit in love. 

“nice pajamas,” he wheezed.

“IT’S A JUDO GI,” sniffed Edge loftily, staring down at his student. “I AM GUESSING THAT YOU SIGNED UP FOR THIS CLASS SO THAT YOU COULD SPEND YOUR TIME LOLLYGAGGING AND BEING UNCONSCIOUS ON THE FLOOR, BUT I AM HERE TO TEACH YOU. NOW GET UP.”

Edge offered Stretch his hand. Not suspecting any foul play, Stretch tried not to blush when their hands touched. Edge tugged Stretch upwards, then dropped backwards, falling to his back and using one leg to propel Stretch over his body and onto the mat behind him.

It was going to be a long semester… but Stretch kind of liked it.

The moment enrollment opened after the summer break, Stretch sat at his computer, scrolling through a list of professors to see which classes were available from Edge. He considered filling his entire semester exclusively with those classes, but he needed to work his way through the recommended curriculum if he actually wanted a degree and not just a chance to stare longingly at a handsome skeleton professor.

“is this advanced judo 2?” Stretch asked, a picture of innocence as he sank gratefully into a chair at the back of the classroom. Edge paused midway through writing a lesson outline on the whiteboard.

“NO. THIS IS PHILOSOPHY OF ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS, THOUGH I’M NOT ABOVE PUNCTUATING MY LECTURES WITH JUDO FLIPS IF YOU’D PREFER THAT METHOD OF LEARNING.” The writing resumed.

The judo flips proved to be unnecessary; Stretch aced the course as easily as he’d aced the others. The lanky skeleton was a single semester away from an Associate’s Degree with a sterling 4.0 grade point average and the acclamation of every professor and department head that he encountered. His chosen degree entailed English credits, though, and Stretch could no longer put them off. He was pleasantly surprised to discover that Edge led the English department and handled all of the high level courses personally. 

Basic English and literature classes filled quickly, but the high level classes required Edge’s personal stamp of approval for any student who dared to request them. Stretch submitted his course schedule online, and Edge invited him for an interview the very next day. This would be a one-on-one meeting in Edge’s office, and Stretch found himself uncharacteristically nervous at the thought of facing Edge alone.

Stretch knocked on the door to the English administrative office, and when Edge called for him to enter, he did so with an attempt at his trademark humor.

“is this the Doki Doki Literature Club?” he asked, stepping into Edge’s unsurprisingly spartan workspace.

“I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THAT IS,” Edge answered drily, “AND I SUGGEST YOU ACTUALLY READ YOUR COURSE DESCRIPTIONS IN THE FUTURE. NOW HAVE A SEAT, OR WOULD YOU RATHER CONDUCT OUR MEETING FROM YOUR BACK ON THE FLOOR.”

Stretch pretended to consider the offer, and Edge stood up and reached for him across the desk as if to grab him for a flip. His face moved close to Stretch’s, and without thinking, the lazybones leaned forward and kissed him.

Startled, Edge kissed back, taking far too long to shove the other skeleton away. “SUCH BEHAVIOR IS INAPPROPRIATE BETWEEN TEACHERS AND STUDENTS,” he rasped, shaken, and Stretch, face flaming with an orange blush, fled the office and the campus. Edge regretted his severity immediately, but immediately was too late.

Taking any English classes at the college would now be impossible for Stretch. The conflict of interest could cost Edge his career as a professor. Edge had rejected him anyway; seeing him on campus would hurt too much.

The counselor, unaware of Stretch’s reason for dropping out of college in his final semester, argued for him to stay. Stretch refused. Dropping out of college seemed fitting for someone with such slothful habits. The only thing he truly regretted was running away without telling Edge how he felt. Hood pulled over his lowered head, Stretch left campus for the last time…

… and bumped into someone carrying a box full of odds and ends.

“WATCH OU- CARROT?”

“professor?”

“WHY AREN’T YOU IN CLASS?”

“i dropped out. i didn’t want you to risk your job…”

“I QUIT MY JOB,” said Edge. “I DIDN’T WANT YOU TO DROP OUT IF…”

“if?”

“IF WE STARTED DATING.”

The two skeletons stared at each other. Edge had already resigned. Stretch had already dropped out. The staring continued until Stretch broke the silence.

“soooo, boyfriends then?”

Edge let out a long-suffering sigh. “YES. BOYFRIENDS.”

READ ON AO3

DAY TWO | INDEX | DAY FOUR

[cabotcreekuniversity]

Dear Jasper Murphy as portrayed by MAR,

Congratulations! On behalf of Cabot Creek University, I am pleased to announce your admission for Fall 2017!

The academic and personal accomplishments reflected on your application for admissions are exactly what Cabot Creek University embodies and represents.

We cannot wait to greet you this coming school year.

Please [ check here ] for further instructions on accepting the offer of admissions. We look forward to working with you.

Name, Age, Timezone, Pronouns: Mar, Twenty-Three, Eastern Standard Time, She/Her

✯ IC Questionnaire ✯ Answer the following OOC about your character:

Character name: Jasper Murphy

List some jobs they had before coming to Cabot Creek University: ◣ᴛᴜᴛᴏʀ | 1995-2005◥  During his time in secondary and postsecondary schooling, Jasper spent quite a bit of his free-time tutoring his fellow students. He had a knack for explaining things, and since his scattered mind had no idea where he was going at the time, he knew just a bit of everything. This lead him to become an ideal candidate to teach at all levels, and made some nice cash on the side. ◣ʀᴇsᴇᴀʀᴄʜ ᴀssɪsᴛᴀɴᴛ | 2003-2006◥  Once he entered the days of his graduate program and studentship, Jasper became far too busy to do much else than work on his thesis and aid in the new project of his favorite undergraduate professor. Minus the restless nights and weeks spent asking the same questions over and over to various people, it truly was a dream. ◣ʟᴇᴄᴛᴜʀᴇʀ | 2006-2009◥  Jasper’s big break came when another Psychology Professor was due for maternity leave, and he was recommended to fill in her place as a temporary lecturer. Before then, Jasper had appeared as a guest or tutor to his superior’s classes, but never on his own. He knew teaching was his calling, and grabbed the chance by the horns. His status only went up from there. ◣ᴘʀᴏꜰᴇssᴏʀ | 2010-2017◥  Finally settling down into his own research, Jasper became a fully-fledged professor at a quieter University than his own Alma Mater. When it was time for a change — one that needed to be big — the furthest, most obscure opportunity Jasper could grasp happened to be in Cabot Creek, Vermont.

Briefly describe their teaching style and/or philosophy: Professor Murphy is a rambler, there’s no doubt about it. His lectures are questionably planned, although he does always somehow manages to cover all the correct material in the right amount of time. Yet he is horribly known to go off topic and discuss seemingly trivial things. Class discussions are his guilty pleasure, and more often than not he pulls others into these rambling sessions. You don’t raise your hand in Professor Murphy’s class, you just pop in your opinions and statements when he pauses. Those who speak too much or at inopportune times get hushed, with Professor Murphy slowly raising a finger to his lips, keeping a small smile there to prevent insult. This motion often leads to a little sauntering around the desks and aisles, until everyone settles down, and then the quieter students get asked for their input instead. If they state a lack of interest in answering, or as having no thoughts on the matter, Professor Murphy takes that as a challenge. The best way to describe the man and his class is as being interactive.

Does your character have any family that they currently live with?: Jasper certainly works to distance himself from everyone he knew before moving to America. This means that any family and friends were left behind in England. If they were ever to insist on visiting, he would lie about his whereabouts and find them elsewhere. In other words, no. He remains entirely independent.

Answer the following questions IC about your character. Feel free to use a gif to respond if you’d like:

What is an issue you feel most passionate about

      “MENTAL HEALTH, without question. I personally believe that years of suppressing invisible illness has really torn us into a miserable society, and that the stigma goes as far as to suppress those from seeking the help they need. It goes without saying that the wait times to receive said help can be horrendous in many countries at best.”

Describe your thoughts on social media?:

         “I FIND IT IMPOSSIBLY fantastic. If I wasn’t such an old geezer, I would make far more use of it myself. But I think the way it brings people together from even the greatest distances, and the instant insight you can have just by looking at someone’s social media, is more than phenomenal as a concept.”

What is your favorite fandom or movie or TV show or book series (choose one)?:

       “I HAVE, AND ALWAYS will always recommend one book to students and strangers alike to get started on any field of Psychology, and that’s Kahneman’s work with Thinking, Fast and Slow. I suppose that wouldn’t necessarily fit in your description of a fandomthough, would it? The Office might be up there for me. That, along with other parodic works like Community, can entertain me for hours.”

Opinion on love and romance?:

       “I FIND IT VERY natural to crave, and undeniably important in creating a healthy mental state in almost all people. Finding the right person, in so many words, is a very biological need, obviously, and more often than not — and don’t let anyone know I told you this — those who state disinterest in the fact are rarely speaking absolute truth in a healthy mindset.”

✯ Optional Extras ✯

Background:

Jasper grew up in an upper-middle-class family, and did a fair job at doing well enough in school and work to set annoying expectations for his three younger siblings. His father was a Mechanical Engineer, while his mother completed her studies to become a surgeon about three years after he was born.

Jasper had always been the helpful, selfless type, which created a strong bond with his family members.

He and his siblings attended an independent school for practically his entire youth, being able to afford it with a mix of bursaries and budgeting on his family’s part.

Jasper always knew he wanted to work is Psychology or something much less hands-on than his parents, much to their dismay.

He received a B.A., MPhil and Ph.D. at Cambridge University, all focusing on Psychology.

While his parents were incredibly well-off, they pushed for their children to be independant. In his youth, Jasper grew to be pretty materialistic and, trying to focus on his studies, didn’t appreciate his lack of funding.

During the years before moving to America, Jasper was in a long-term relationship with a woman he considered the love of his life. She died of Radioactive exposure the very month Jasper decided to move. For this reason, most of his family accepted his distancing and pitied him enough to leave him be.

Headcanons:

Jasper speaks Standard English with Received Pronunciation, as well as a hint of an old Dorset Accent from his, rather outdated, parents. He typically tries to hide this to pass as defaultly-British as possible.

He writes in cursive.

Jasper’s parents pushed a more ‘solid’ career path, so they didn’t take his desire to study Psychology too well. His constant switching between what exactly he was going to do after graduating didn’t help.

Speaking of which, these ideas included: social work, counselling, speech therapy, working as a psychologist, therapist and even market research analyst.

Jasper’s closet consists of sweaters, dress shirts, dress pants, and maybe three blazers and two pairs of jeans. He only has one piece of jewelry, that being a watch he wears constantly, and everything happens to be in varying shades of grey, brown and black.

Jasper seeks nothing more than to stay low on everyone’s radar, and curses any sort of extra attention.

Jasper’s surroundings are always incredibly clean and organized, if only because he uses maybe 3 appliances a day.

He prefers hard candy, because they make him feel occupied for longer periods of time.

His research often focuses of how certain emotions can affect a person in the long-run. More specifically, his current work is on the manifestation of guilt (huehuehue)

Plot Points:

I would love a moment where Jasper’s past gets intertwined in Cabot Creek somehow. Whether it be by a nosy student or coworker, on accident, or pure guilt, the emotional effect and reaction from him — not to mention the following turmoil and overall effect this would have on their relationship — would be way too fun to play out.

Of course, if he were ever to get found out or otherwise reveal something to someone, would it pin him as an immediate suspect? Would the trustee remain trustworthy to him when another crime happens?

Just his relationships in general, honestly. Seeing how his secrecy would affect otherwise pleasant friendships would be interesting to play out and watch as other characters react. Would they want to be nosier? Would they just shrug it off and let him do his thing? Push him to squeeze more information out? Guilt him into possibly lying? Snoop around themselves? Grow annoyed? Would it prevent him from forming any true bonds?

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