H.E.A.L.I.N.G.

Eric Jones Psychology Professor at University College London. Former husband. Former dad. Technically alive Bio

[arekgriffiths]

Arek ran through the park at an even pace, his dog, Arson, at his side. The blonde labrador/beagle mix had been his most loyal companion for years now, and he more often than not went running with her on a leash. Today, though, she was off her restraint. He should have known that she would go running off to places she didn’t belong, so when Arson raced over to a stranger, away from him, Arek went sprinting after her. 

“Arson!” he scolded, coming up to the dog and the person she had caught up to. “Sorry,” he apologized, heavily breathing as he slowed down. “Normally, she doesn’t run off.” The dog looked between the two of them, tongue out and panting along with Arek as they both caught their breath. “She won’t bite,” he promised. 

[eric-jcnes-blog]

A nice day like that deserved something special. Eric even searched at the internet some interesting events to attend. Lack of options was not an issue in a city like London, from live concerts to trivia nights. Eric had so many options, but...  he didn’t really feel like going to any of those. The professor had no one to invite to those places, and it going by himself should be odd. So, instead, he went for a walk in the park. Not exactly an adventure. But it would do. To his own surprise, Eric had an unexpected surprise. A dog, running into him. He had been lucky not to be taken down by her. The professor tried to avoid the pet but in a nice gentle way. 

“Nah, It’s okay. I actually like dogs a lot. She just caught me by surprise.” a little calmer, the man dared to bend forward, and petted the animal with a friendly smile. “Nice to meet you, lady.”

[eric-jcnes-blog]

jossrhodes‌:

Joss shrugged. “Depends on if you were going anywhere,” he said. He gave one more glanced over, still unsure of the other guy. “Well, as long as you two are having fun?” he raised an eyebrow. “Are you heading home then?” he asked the other male

“Yeah, Finally. It was a long day at work.” he said tilting his head with a sigh. The musicians finished their song, and some people even bothered to clap, Eric included. “Finals will be soon gone and I will finally have some time to sleep.” 

[eric-jcnes-blog]

crossedtherubicon‌:

With the car en route towards their destinations, Brady was somewhat starting to relax. She was still fairly keyed up, but she was starting to organize all of the things in her lap so she didn’t appear quite as much of a mess. “Oh, a professor. That’s…really cool, actually. What ah…what do you teach?” she asked, head tilting towards the man as she spoke. “I’m just on my way to work, though. Um. Big meeting with some potential investors for a like. We’re filming a movie?” After being so successful in the spheres of gaming and animated shows, Brady’s company was making a big leap into a full length, live action film.

“Psychology. I teach mostly at London College, but sometimes I am invited to speak around, like today.” Her answer baffled the professor, so was speechless for a moment. Was he sitting down right next to a celebrity of some sort? he was never to pick up with this stuff, would it be bad if he didn’t know much about this? “Wow... a movie? that sounds really exciting, I guess. Much more exciting than a lecture on the Pavlov experiment. Can I ask what kind of movie is it?”

[eric-jcnes-blog]

savon-hale‌:

Savon glanced at the offering with curiosity before she hummed her agreement and took the money. “Yes, I can do that,” she responded before glancing around and spotting the guitar case where the musician had clearly left open for tips. Stepping through the crowd carefully, she sent the musician a grin before dropping the man’s money into the case before reaching into her pocket and pulling out a hundred and depositing it in the case as well. Walking back, she took up her previous position by the man. “Done! Their pretty good. I wonder if they have a demo CD..” She didn’t see one up there but maybe she’d have time to ask them before she went on her way. 

“Thank you.” Eric said offering a smile of appreciation. A big city like London was often populated by people who didn’t have much time for each other, so finding someone who was willing to help was always pleasant. “Maybe they have the band’s name written down somewhere so you might find them on Spotify or Instagram, stuff like this. People don’t really do demos anymore, do they?”

[eric-jcnes-blog]

iriiidescent‌:

“Oh, it’s Believer by Imagine Dragons,” she said to him as she looked over once more, the smile still present. “I saw them live last time they were at the O2 arena, they were amazing!” She definitely had an appreciation for good music and she had to give the street musicians some credit for really doing the song justice. “This really isn’t an easy song,” she said, watching them for a moment longer. “Do you often stop to just listen to performers on the street?” she asked, genuinely curious.

“Oh, of course. Imagine Dragons has some pretty good stuff, hm?” how could he have forgotten? The song was a hit a few years ago. Well, Eric was in a darker place back then, maybe this was understandable. Still, he felt a little ashamed for not knowing it. “Hm, not really. Usually, I’m too busy trying to get home as soon as possible. But I worked until late and thought since I am here I might as well enjoy the moment. I guess you are a greater music lover than I, right?”

[eric-jcnes-blog]

crossedtherubicon‌:

Brady felt pretty immediately guilty about hopping in the cab once she realized someone else had gotten in at the other side, but the rush she was in made it easier for her to just roll with it. Thinking for a moment as he spoke, trying to pull up a map of London in her head, Brady gave a slow nod, teeth chewing into her lip. “I - yeah, no that’s totally fine. It’s only life fifteen minutes from where I’m at and um. It’s so fine to head wherever you’re going first?” she offered with a shrug. It would take her slightly longer, but it would still be faster than getting out and finding another cab. Brady would still try to pay for the entire cab service, as she felt it was entirely her fault that she’d barged her way into the back seat as she had. It only seemed fair that she cover the cost and let the man get where he needed to go first. “Where ah…where are you off to in a rush?”

“Oh, Bedford Square, please.” he said to the driver, but also answering her question. Once the car started moving, Eric folded down his white cane and finally game his body a moment to relax. Now that he was on his way he could relax. He even pulled his hair back, realizing that he didn’t have much time to fix it before leaving home. “I am a professor, and hopefully I’ll be in college on time for the first class today. And you? Where are you heading to?”

[eric-jcnes-blog]

jossrhodes‌:

“Warm light?” Joss squinted, looking up and then around. “Okay…” he said and cleared his throat. He wasn’t sure what the other man was referring to but whatever that meant, that was fine by him. “Not sure if that was supposed to be you being sentimental or you do that all the time,” he said. “So a little much? Possibly.”

“Well, I’m not even sure myself.” he scoffed with a shy smile. That was a lot like him in fact, a little bit sentimental, somehow socially awkward. “But I guess you know somehow what I mean, otherwise, you would not have stopped to listen.”

[eric-jcnes-blog]

agathafriedrich‌:

               ❛ It’s fine really. I just trying to find an excuse for not working right now anyway. ❜ If it is, to be honest, Agatha didn’t want to work tonight, and the thought she has to throw herself on the other’s people body, literally. And kissing strangers… She much rather going out with old people, because sometimes they just want to chat, and this is something she’d down to do. She tapped on her pocket, and found a ciggy and light it up, as the Irishwoman stared at the male.

“Well, working on a Friday night doesn't sound much fun, really. I don’t blame you.” The smell of the cigarette made Eric wrinkles his nose, but nothing was said about it. He respected people’s life choices. Some people smoked cigarettes, others looked for professional help, others preferred crying alone in their rooms. They were all just people.

[eric-jcnes-blog]

iriiidescent‌:

Rush hour, what a joy. Friday evenings tended to be the worst after a long week of work. Everyone was trying to get home, some people more hurried than others. Emory’s week had been more than just exhausting. Not only had she lost a huge case, she also had to deal with the anger of her client. Truthfully, there had been nothing she could have done to change the outcome of the whole thing. The opposing side had thrown a curveball before Emory could even object to the whole thing. Frustratedly, she set one foot in front of the other, her black Nike trainers not exactly fitting the dress and blazer she was wearing, yet convenient for the commute. Her heels she had left at the office – after all, why should she put herself through that pain on her way home? 

It wasn’t often that Emory stopped in her tracks to listen to the performance of someone in the city, but right now she had time and hoped to relax her mind a bit, and so she humored the street musicians, listening to the piece they were playing for a moment when she was spoken to from her left. “Hm?” she glanced over, her mind finally registering what she had been asked. “Oh! Yes of course!” she said, her American accent lacing her words. And with that she carefully reached for the 50 pence coins, leaning forward and letting them fall into the guitar case. “They’re really not bad!” she then said to him, a smile on her face. He might not be able to see her smile, but perhaps, she thought, he could notice the friendly tone of her voice.

“Thank you.” he smiled back (and he could tell she was smiling). He took note on her accent but didn’t assume she was a tourist, after all, London was populated mostly by people from all over the world, having so few real Londoners. It felt refreshing knowing that someone else would take the time to enjoy such a mundane moment like listening to street performances in the subway. “I can’t really put my finger on the song they are playing, but I am quite sure I’ve heard it before...”

[eric-jcnes-blog]

9, 10

9. Losing someone is always traumatic. But there is probably no pain compared to losing a child. He would be six by now.

10. Defending my Master’s theses in front of huge names of psychiatry was probably the scariest thing I have done in my whole life. They could probably eat me alive, but thankfully I survived. 

[eric-jcnes-blog]

12 and 19

12. There is no better place to be alone than in the bathtub, especially if you have your headphones on.

19. My wife, I mean, my ex-wife was addicted to teen drama TV shows. She often asked me to watch with her just so she wouldn’t do it alone. I’ve always told her (and everyone) else they were stupid, but to be honest I grew very fond of some of them. I am currently watching Teen Wolf and Riverdale, but please don’t tell anyone.

[rppanda]

Ask my muse extremely personal questions!

If you could change anything about yourself, what would it be and why?

How do you take your anger out?

Have you ever been severely depressed? If so, why, and how did you handle it?

Who is someone you’ve cut out of your life, or wanted too, and why?

What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever worked for?

Have you ever faced discrimination? If so, what was it?

Has someone close to you ever said something that hurt your feelings? If so, what was it, and did they ever make up for it?

Have you ever been hit by someone close to you? If so, who hit you, and did they ever make up for it?

What’s some trauma you have, and how did you get it?

What was the scariest moment you’ve had in public?

What’s the relationship like between you and your parents?

Where do you go to be alone?

Have you ever put your hands on someone? If so, who, and did you ever make up for it?

What’s the craziest thing you’ve done with another person?

Who’s the first person you contact on a lonely night and why?

What’s your biggest regret and why?

If you could pick only one person in your life, who would it be and why?

What gives you nostalgia?

What’s something embarrassing that you enjoy doing, and why is it embarrassing?

How would you describe yourself?

[eric-jcnes-blog]

jossrhodes‌:

“Huh? Yeah,” Joss nodded, taking the coins. as he took his hands out from his coat pockets. He had been lost in his thoughts and lately, that happened a lot. Being pensive was not his usual thing, but he was tired from a long day of sessions at work, having to work double time because a couple of other therapists were out on leave. He looked from the street performer to the other man on the street. It was getting late already so he didn’t know how long either one would be out there.

He tossed them into the guy’s guitar case, adding a couple more from his wallet. He gave the man an acknowledging nod, before turning his head. “Enjoying yourself I presume?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Good music, well played at during a warm night... I wonder how people even manage to go on with their lives without giving it a moment to fill up their souls.” Eric suddenly felt he was talking too much. Maybe it was the long hours teaching, he felt the duty to always have something to say. Even when it was obviously just small talk. He tilted his head feeling somehow embarrassed. “Sorry, that was a little too much, right?”

[eric-jcnes-blog]

agathafriedrich‌:

Friday night… It’s usually the time where she has a lot of clientele. Normally when she arrives at the club, she knows the name of the client for the night. As she was in the middle of the way for work… She heard a stranger making her a question. She checked out her purse and throw a few coins to the musicians. ❛ I guess so. ❜

“Thank you” he said with a smile. However, something seemed a bit odd, he suddenly felt some discomfort. He was not sure if it was the choice of words or the tone of her voice. “Hm, I’m sorry I asked you for this. I didn’t mean to take you out of your way or anything...”

[devwright]

Some days, Brady wasn’t even sure how she managed to keep herself alive. After waking up and realizing she had no food in the house, thirty minutes before her first meeting of the day, and a lost pair of keys, Brady knew it was just going to be one of those days. Were it not for the fact that she was hungry, she likely would have called off the meeting and just stayed in bed, but food was a sound motivator for Brady. Rushing out of the house with her hair a mess and various things halfway falling out of her bag, Brady jogged across the street to hop into the first cab she could find. Uber and any other ride apps were a no for Brady, who trusted them very little. Not, of course, that a cab was really any better, but the established history of them made her feel slightly more secure with her decision. Tossing her stuff into the cab and vaulting in, Brady looked up with a groan when she realized that someone had just started to get in from the other side. “Fuck. I’ll pay the fee if we can share it. I’m like. Mad late right now,” she pleaded with the other person, her eyes imploring them to cut her a break on a morning that just wasn’t going her way.

[eric-jcnes-blog]

Mondays were always the worst. Eric was either all in or all out of it considering his work. The transition between the weekend and the beginning of his activities at faculty always had him questioning his life choices. He thought about calling in a sick day, but he remembered he had done it not long before, and summer break was not all that far away. He finally took a deep breath dragging himself out of bed. Around one hour after his alarm clock had first rung. But he did it. So, not that bad. The male rushed through breakfast (a.k.a. a big cup of earl grey and some old biscuits from the tin) and got ready to leave. He was already late, after all. While going downstairs, he came to realize that at this hour the subway would be crowded, a taxi would be the best option. His doorman pointed out a cab parked a few steps away from his building. Wow, not too bad for a Monday. He folded his white cane as he walked inside, realizing his luck wasn’t all that great.

“Oh, my I’m sorry I thou--” he didn’t finish his sentence, as they both basically started speaking at the same time. The professor even opened the door once again, ready to leave, but once he heard the lady’s proposition, it didn’t sound all that bad. “Well, I’m heading to Bloomsbury. If your destination is around the area I don't mind sharing the fee. I mean, I’m not exactly with a lot of time in my hands either.”

[eric-jcnes-blog]

It was actually Friday. Eric could hardly believe it. And even though he had a 5GB folder full of student’s essays to revise, at least he would be able to do it resting his feet up. He had been on campus until late with a couple of interns putting some paperwork up to date. With summer break coming soon, they all had their hands full. On a high note, the subway was not nearly as busy as usual. For someone navigating with a white cane (even an experienced pilot like Eric himself), this was some great news. 

It was nice not having to push his way around and actually enjoy the city. More often than not, the stress of work and the standards of modern life could obscure how great that city really was. The professor got his attention caught by a group of musicians performing some not-so-famous piece. He knew the beat but had some hard time remembering the lyrics. He laughed at himself, choosing to ignore the passing train to have a few more minutes of the performance. Most footsteps either coming in or out of the train’s doors, but he noticed someone refusing to go with the flow. Probably someone who, much like himself, could find joy in something as simple as watching a street performance.

“Hey, would you be kind enough to give them this?” he showed the other person a couple of fifty pees, hoping the musicians had a hat or a guitar case to take them.