Name: Alfrid Davenport (Prof. Davenport to most, Alfie to family/close friends)

Age: 26. One of the younger, most recent hires and has been here since last year

Gender: Male/masculine

Pronouns: He/him are preferred

Sexuality: Homosexual, Monoflexible (has not really considered polyamory, or even getting into a monogamous relationship for that matter, but can be convinced with time.)

What subject you teach: English/Literature. He can teach a wide variety of classes, including American Literature and World Literature, as well as smaller elective classes like Creative Writing and Poetry.

Appearance:
Alfrid is a slender, borderline skinny young man, slight and with no real bulk muscle or fat to speak of. He stands at 5'8 and weighs around 130 pounds. He has ash brown hair with light darker brown highlights, usually neatly combed down. He has vivid hazel eyes that constantly seem to be shifting color based on his mood, from grey to green to brown to somewhere in between. His skin is fair, borderline pale, but often flushed with embarassment or sunburn (whichever comes first.) His ears are pierced and he wears earrings only about 50% of the time (read: if he feels like wearing them)

His style is very light academia-y, although quite a bit more casual. Muted colors and shades of brown, sweaters, high-waisted pants and ties are his game and he's almost never seen in just a t-shirt and jeans. Being sharply dressed helps him feel better about himself and more confident. And he does have quite an eye for what looks good.

Personality:

To most Alfrid comes across as very polite, well-spoken, energetic, proactive and friendly. To strangers he can be very welcoming, open and talkative, and he is a very engaging speaker, able to suck people into whatever subject he happens to be talking about within moments. He can come off as very efficient and put-together, always showing up to meetings and events 15 minutes early, getting everything graded and planned out on time, and seemingly managing to balance an objectively large workload (usually 3-4 classes per term) with energy and ease. He loves his subject, Literature, and can usually at least instill a baseline of casual interest in his students. He is an excellent teacher and was chosen for a reason - he really is a huge fan of literature of all kinds, and is very well-versed in his subject. He can talk for hours about poetry and short stories, about what symbolizes what, and what the author meant by that, and can come across as very nerdy and dorky at times (only adding to the prevalent young, immature vibe that makes other teachers take him less seriously.) He is pretty social and attentive to other people, able to read their moods fairly accurately and respond accordingly. And often, between work and outside social events, his schedule is quite full. He is a very creative, open-minded and warm individual, able to see the potential and beauty in things others may overlook. He does his best to be very open, honest and genuine to everyone he talks to, and one-on-one many find that opening up to him about their struggles is easy. He is not a judgemental person and tries to respect and understand all he meets.

However, and some may pick up on this immediately, while others may not see it until later, there is a certain sporadic, overwhelmingly anxious energy that he brings with him wherever he goes. His overachieving, punctual and high-energy demeanor can read as him just being super dedicated to his job (which he is.) But under the surface, most of the charisma and confidence he projects crumble to dust. He is so attentive to others, and can read their moods so easily, because he fears disappointing or annoying them. Being a young teacher, especially a college professor, means he feels his colleagues are looking down at him for his lack of experience.

Alfrid suffers from diagnosed Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), which he has gotten more open with talking about, but still avoids talking about his struggles with it and still widely refuses help. He is remarkably high-functioning though, and he (subconsciously or not) works very hard to convince people he is mostly fine and it isn't actually that bad. Because he seems so successful and vibrant, most believe him and don't see the stress and pain he puts himself through to keep operating how he does. He suffers from frequent insomnia, and the moment he comes home to his room for the day he will completely collapse with exhaustion. Despite being an introvert by nature he finds it hard to say no when offered new responsibilities, meaning he often takes on unnecessary burdens just because someone asked nicely. He has gotten better at saying no to things and maintaining boundaries, but some days he still wears himself out.

Likes: Tea, peace and quiet, reptiles, playing piano (he's pretty good at it too) his work, literature (poetry in particular), reading for fun or work, music, art, interacting with his students and helping them reach their creative potential, being a mentor of sorts, connecting with people, writing, painting/drawing sometimes (although he isn't particularly good), his own space, feeling helpful and like people like/appreciate him, feeling valued, respected and/or accepted by others, discussing his interests, sweets of all kinds, taking walks, being outside/nature, feeling secure and like part of the group, keeping the ones he cares about safe and happy. Feeling genuinely energized, relaxed and content. Hanging out one-on-one or with a small group, as opposed to a large gathering.

Dislikes: Loud, chaotic places (he can tolerate them but never willingly), alcohol most of the time, presenting (does it all the time though), not having enough energy to function (does it all the time though), his anxiety and giving into it, people seeing him at his worst, surprises of ANY KIND(!!), large dogs and horses (he likes them from a distance but they're big and strong and unpredictable, no thank you), water deeper than 2-3 feet, THE OCEAN, feeling helpless, out of control, exhausted, and/or hated by others. He goes out of his way to avoid obnoxious, overly-confrontational, rude or judgy/gossipy people.

Soulmate: Unknown...? He knew who his soulmate was going to be from a young age, before the red string even appeared to him. But his predestined soulmate drowned tragically when they were both only 13, after he fell into a river when he and Alfrid were playing alone. Unable to swim, he watched him drown with horror, unable to do anything but watch his one true love die. The event left him completely traumatized, terrified of accidentally hurting anyone else he cares about (after which his horrified mother, not knowing how to handle the situation, freaked out at him and did not help at all) and without the other end of his red string. He has to fight through the dating game the old-fashioned way now - through good old trial and error. And most days love just doesn't seem possible, or even worth the energy.

Family

Mother: Silvia Davenport (alive, they have a good but withheld and dishonest relationship)

Father: Victor Copperfeld (divorced, not in contact with the family, no relationship with Alfred at all)

Sister: Regan Davenport (alive, 17 years old so much younger, very good relationship with Alfred and he feels incredibly protective of her youthful and joyful nature)

Backstory: See "Soulmate" and "Family". I don't want to write it out again...

Other: His only pets are a ball python named Hyperbole ("Hype" for short) and rescued pair of female fantail goldfish named Toil and Trouble. He got all three pets from (separate) friends who couldn't care for them anymore, so they gave them to him. Hype, despite the name, is very sweet, calming and friendly. But he doesn't take her out into the public eye usually.