The amount of time Blathers spent studying meant he was well prepared for anything his professors through at him, like today's pop quiz for example. Professor Cheeseworth surprised the class with their very first pop quiz, but Blathers was the only one excited to write it. The rest of the class all grumbled as they received the question sheets.
It didn't take very long for Blathers to finish and make his way to the Professors desk.
"My my, you're rather quick! Although I can't say I'm surprised, you have shown to be quite a studious young man." Professor Cheeseworth said as he received the quiz from Blathers.
"Why, thank you, Professor. I do try my best!"
"You know, Blathers, the University offers quite a few extra curricular activities, a lot of them could be quite beneficial and not to mention look quite nice on your transcript. There's a case competitions for the students in the Archaeology program. You should think about signing up."
"Hoot! I'm not sure I'd be the type to participate in such activities. To be frank, I much prefer to stick to the courses I'm enrolled in rather than distracting myself with school competitions."
"I see. Well it would be a great way to get to know your future colleagues and a fantastic way to stretch your archaeological muscles. Most of it is outdoors and helps student put into practice what they've learned in the classrooms."
"Yes, indeed. Although I must say that does sound like a grueling task, being out in the dirt, digging and brushing off the dust. I'm not sure I would enjoy it very much."
Professor Cheeseworth laughed, "But Blathers, if you're going into the archaeological field, then you should expect to be doing quite a lot of outdoor work in the dirt and dust."
"Yes I suppose you are right. Another time, perhaps. Thank you for letting me know." he waved the professor goodbye as he walked out of the lecture room where all the other students were still hard at work on their quizzes. He thought about the professors words for a moment. One day he really would have to spend his days outside in the dirt, sometimes in rough conditions. As a child it was all very appealing to him, but as he's gotten older he's been so focused on reaching his goals that he never stopped to consider if he was actually capable. He shook the thought out, of course he was capable! He'd learned everything there was to know about the field of archaeology. In fact, he was sure he'd aced that pop quiz.
The campus was quite active tonight. Many students were spending their free time sitting out on the field passing a football around, while others spent their time reading in different spots made specifically for the purpose of studying. There were plenty of great spaces for studying on campus, the University made sure of that. The library was always a great choice, but tonight Blathers decided to sit at a picnic table near the residential area of the campus. There was plenty of lighting from a nearby lamppost and the area was quite empty, perfect to get some reading done.
He sat comfortably and pulled out some textbooks. He was caught up on all of his classes except entomology. He wasn't behind by any means, but he wasn't as ahead as he'd like to be. Reading about insects in great detail made it quite difficult for Blathers to retain any of the information. A lot of what he read he wished he could block out for good. By the end of the term he needed to identify an insect by its size then colour, and lastly by its luster. Blathers shivered as he read each page. "How on earth am I going to finish this paper?" He thought to himself.
His attention switched over to some music he could faintly hear in the distance. Maybe it was time for a little study break. He left his books on the picnic table and followed the sound of the music. As he got closer to it he could hear more than just music. It was the sounds of people cheering, laughing, yelling and having a good time. It was an outdoor party right outside the campus dorms. There were some banners hung up, a ping pong table laid out and a decently sized group of students standing around conversing and holding red solo cups. Some of them were dancing, some were playing games. Blathers got close enough to spot Kevin among the crowd of students. Kevin spotted him too.
Blathers tried to double back, but Kevin gave him a wave and ran over to where he was standing.
"So, you decided to join the party?" Kevin teased.
"Oh stop, you know I would never participate in such a thing."
Kevin laughed and took a sip from his cup, "So then... what brings you to this side of campus? Just observing the fun?"
"I was studying nearby but I came to see what all the racket was. Quite distracting really. They should really try and keep it down at these late hours."
"It's only 9:45pm. And don't you stay up all night anyway? You'd fit right in at the party with your sleep schedule!"
"I need to get back to studying."
Kevin started making his way back to the dorms. Blathers called out for him "You know, Kevin..." Kevin stopped and turned to look at Blathers, "About the other night. I didn't mean to be as rude as I was."
"Hey, don't sweat it! We all have our moments." Kevin looked at the party and then back at Blathers, "Why don't you give it a shot?" Blathers looked at him confused. "The party I mean. I feel like it's safe to say you've never attended a college party?"
"Well... I can't say that I have, but..."
"So come on then. You can't be a stick in the mud forever."
"I can't go even if I wanted to. I have a lot of work to do. In fact, I was wondering if maybe... we could get together and work on the entomology paper together."
Kevin gave him a smile, "Of course, buddy. Look, I have a ping pong challenge to win down there, but what do you say we go back to my dorm on Friday and work on it together?"
"Yes I think that would be alright. Friday after class then."
"Perfect! Now if you'll excuse me, ping pong awaits." Kevin started rushing back to the party.
"Good luck, Kevin!" Blathers blurted out. Kevin smiled and waved at him. Blathers watched as Kevin returned to the party and joined in on the fun. It really did look like they were having quite a bit of fun.
He returned to his study spot and opened his textbook. He could still hear the music in the distance and then a sudden cheer. Perhaps it was Kevin winning at ping pong. He let out a smile and continued his studying.
----- Author's Note -----
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A Young Academic Named Blathers
Fanfiction[Animal Crossing Fan Fiction] After many accomplished degrees, Blathers makes his way through his final semester ending his academic career, ready to graduate with a doctorate in archeology. Before he can receive his PhD, however, he needs to hit th...
