#I also had a professor that works in the same field and I'd like to keep in contact with her

[boyruggeroii]

Also one email is for a researcher that conducts research in a field I'm interested in and I found out about her existence today! So I want to write to her to know what kind of career she had and what was her PhD, and I don't know if she'll answer me but it would be cool

[mr-cha-n]

The Pen Pal Project

Pairing: Choi Seungcheol x reader

Genres: Fluff, fluff, and more fluff

Warnings: Profanities, sappiness, cheating (third party), a tinsy hint of angst

Word Count: 10.2k

Summary: Over a decade of handwritten letters later, you can happily say that the Pen Pal Project was your greatest success.

Reaching up into the top shelf of the wardrobe, toppling onto your tiptoes in order to do so, your fingertips brush against a satin, bowed box. Pulling the box down to your chest, you perch at the edge of your large, periwinkle-sheeted bed, gingerly untangling the pretty blue ribbon and lifting the lid off of the top. Leafing your fingers through the stacks of paper inside, you feel a wave of nostalgia enrapturing your body. Your head rolls back, eyes falling shut as your mind is overtaken by memory.

"Honey, the guests will be here soon!" Your husband yells out from down the stairs.

"I'll just be a few minutes! Can you take the cake out, my love?" You call back, praying you have the time to reminisce before everyone arrives.

You gently pull out the first letter from the top of the stack.

April 5th 2007

Dear pen pal,

I am writing to you because my class has signed up for the Pen Pal Project this year. Because I don't know who you are or anything about you, I am going to answer some of the questions my teacher has given us, and hopefully you can answer them too in your reply!

1. What is your name?

My mom said that I shouldn't give out any personal information, so I can't actually answer this question. My friends all call me Dusty, so you can call me that too.

2. What hobbies do you enjoy?

I am really into skating, starcraft, hockey and rocks. Yesterday, me and my friends went out to the outskirts of the city to see if we could climb the big oak trees, and I found a piece of dolomite next to the river! I really want to find a meteorite but they're very rare so I think it'll take a lot of searching. I also play in my school's field hockey team - my mom wants me to stop playing because last week I cracked one of my teeth, but I think she's going to come around when she sees our tournament next weekend.

3. What do you want to do when you grow up?

My dad is a teacher and my mom is a nurse, so my parents want me to go to university and become a doctor or a professor, but I'd quite like to be an astronaut or Indiana Jones, whichever pays better.

4. What's one thing you want to know about your pen pal?

I want to know everything about you (more than one, sorry)! What's your school like? What year were you born in (mine is 1995)? What do you do for fun? Do you like dogs? Do you have a phone?

I'm not sure if I'll get a response to this letter, but if you do want to, I hope we can keep in touch for a long time :)

Yours truly, 

Dusty

May 21st 2007

Dear Dusty,

I'm really glad I got your letter. Some of my friends got letters that didn't even have a return address, but thankfully I get to write back to you and answer some of your questions. I was also born in 1995 so we are same-age friends. I'm finding this year in school a bit harder because of all the tests we are doing, but we just started doing football again in Physical Education so it's not too bad. Sports are my biggest hobby - I do football and basketball and I want to start wrestling this year. I mostly like to go and play with my friends at the park. I'm on some of the school teams, but my friends tell me I'm too competitive to play professionally.

I also really like gaming and reading. I finished the Protoss campaign over the winter break, but I've had to stop now that school has started again. My friends are all really excited about the announcement of Starcraft II, are you too? Will you keep going with the original or switch to the new one?

When I grow up, I either want to do sports or I'll study to work a good job in business or finance. Being an astronaut would be so cool! You'd definitely be able to find a meteorite then.

About your other questions, I don't have a phone yet but I do love dogs. When I'm older I want at least one dog, if not more. Do you have any pets?

I hope that we can keep writing to each other too - it's fun to have a secret friend.

From,

Cherry

January 4th 2011

Dear Cherry,

Sorry it's been a while - I've been really busy over the winter break, but I just had my tonsils removed so I have a bit of free time in recovery to write this letter. Before you ask, no - I didn't wake up during the surgery which I was a bit disappointed about, but I did manage to swallow enough blood to make me throw up after waking up so that was kinda crazy.

I can't believe that your friend did that! One time my friend Jiwoo got suspended for unscrewing all of the lightbulbs in the science classrooms, but that was because of a dare, not her own free will! I've never been suspended before, but I came close for tardiness last year. Have you ever been suspended?

I also appreciated your inquiry into the Heiran - Hyunki situation. I can't believe I forgot to update you in my last letter, and you'll be glad to receive it! Unbelievably, they got back together. I know it's what we feared would happen, but apparently Heiran has made some of her own mistakes in the relationship, so she's willing to overlook the whole thing. Absolutely crazy - I think that she's just scared to break up with him, which I suppose is a fair concern - just not for a 16-year-old. The whole situation really made me think about the purpose of relationships and love. All of my friends keep rushing into relationships this year, and I feel like I'm being left behind. I just don't care as much as they do, but they act like I'm some alien creature for not wanting to make out with someone in the school locker rooms. Perhaps this isn't something you can relate to, but it would be nice to know if you think I'm justified in my opinion or if there really is something wrong with me.

The thought of starting school again after the break is actually making me want to run away to the mountains. My sister is leaving for university and I don't want to go to school without her. Of course, I can't tell her that, but it's going to be really lonely walking in on my own. Plus, my parents' attention is firmly on me now, so I can't mess up in exams this year. The amount of pressure is going to make my head explode. How are you feeling about the year? I guess because you have the football season to look forward to your mind is probably focused on that?

I'm thinking about rejoining hockey this year. Even though it was too much last year, I did really miss it and I think I can better manage my time now that I don't have to be in the choir anymore. I think my mom might have a fit when I tell her, but the way you talked about sports really made me miss playing. Plus, apparently, I need an outlet for all these teenage hormonal emotions seeing as I'm not getting it on in the McDonald's parking lot.

Anyways, I need to get going now so I have time to blend some fruit up before lunchtime.

Yours truly,

Dusty

A chuckle leaves your lips as you read back over your letter. You'd been so worried about who was dating who and, more importantly, who you weren't dating. You were always so grateful for someone to discuss your fears with - your friends at the time certainly didn't understand. You'd had your first kiss a few weeks after you'd sent the letter. A party at a friend of a friend's house had devolved into typical teenage party games and you'd been pressured into kissing a boy whose name you couldn't remember. In fairness, you remembered that he was cute - curly dark hair and sharp cheekbones - but you'd made a joke about not being able to engage in tonsil tennis and he hadn't laughed so you'd known he wasn't the one.

June 27th 2011

Dear Dusty,

I finally asked out Myunghee and she said yes -

Nuh uh, skip that one.

October 23rd 2013

Dear Dusty,

All the kids in the year have planned a big Halloween party to celebrate our last your of high school. It's pretty exciting - apparently, they've bought some major decorations and they're going to set out the host's house to have scary surprises in all the rooms. I wouldn't be surprised if someone dresses up and decides to chase drunk kids around all night. It's a bittersweet feeling - our last Halloween party, but perhaps our best? Do you have any plans for Halloween and the holidays? I'm thinking of doing a Superman costume, but I'm wondering if that's a bit too obvious?

I put off writing about it first because I didn't want to open the letter with bad news, but I wanted to let you know that me and Myunghee broke up. Even though it's pretty sad, I've known it was coming for a while. If you remember my last letter, I told you about the fight that we had about next year, and I think that was really the beginning of the end. I was hoping that we could make it work a bit longer, but she said that we'd just be dragging out the inevitable and I guess she's right. I think I'm still a bit annoyed about the rollercoaster of the last month seeing if she's known the whole time that we should break up but I'll get over it. It's mostly just weird not having her around all the time. Everywhere feels a lot emptier now. I'm glad I can write to you about this - it's a bit awkward talking about it with my friends because they are also friends with her, but I can actually be honest with you. 

Anyway, I hope you are doing a bit better than me. Your date sounded pretty cool - I've always wanted to go on an ice-skating date but I'd be a bit scared of falling over and making a fool of myself so I admire your confidence. If you are still seeing him, I hope he's treating you well. Chocolates and flowers at least once a month - and you can tell him I said so if he asks. If you're not seeing him, I (pre-emptively) can't believe he did that to you! What a jerk...

Are you watching the AFC Champions League final? A few friends and I are going to go down to the bar to watch it together and pray for a good result - either way, it should be fun. I suppose your dad will have it on in the house, but I'll be shocked if you tell me you're going to watch it with him after last time. Best to avoid the flying wrath of a TV remote. There's something about dads and sports, isn't there? I wonder if I'll be like that when I'm an adult. I hope not, but I already get too into it so maybe it's inevitable.

Yours,

Cherry

That date had been a good one as far as you remember, but the memory has become blurry after all the times your husband has taken you ice-skating since. You'd dated that guy for a few more weeks after this, but he made a weird comment to one of his friends when he didn't think you could hear it so you knew he wasn't the one.

Finishing high school and moving on to university had been a formative time for you. You gained a sense of identity that you'd lost as a teenager, and reconnected with your younger self. A smile crinkles your lips as you think about that time. The stupid escapades of adults let loose on their own for the first time, the lifelong friends you'd made, and the wealth of knowledge you'd gained about yourself and about the world. Your husband never attended university so he never experienced any of that, but you suppose he did have his own life-changing revelations during this time.

February 8th 2015

Dear Cherry,

I'm in crisis and I need your advice! I haven't spoken to anyone else about this yet, but I have a feeling building in me that needs to be released and you always give me the best advice. I'm thinking about dropping out of my program. 

I know this sounds super rash and stupid, but I really hate it. I find it so dull and confusing, and everyone else is much better at it than I am. And, if I'm really being honest, I only chose medicine because my mother wanted me to. I would feel so stupid revealing that to anyone else, but I think you already knew that was the case. I'm struggling to keep going with it without the passion that other students seem to have, and when I hear about my friends' courses they sound so much more interesting.

If I actually go through with it, this may be the last letter I write to you. But, given that I survived my mother's wrath, a life studying literature or archaeology sounds so much more fulfilling to my brain even if not my pockets. What do you think about all of this? Is it worth following a passion that may lead to nothing or sticking it out with a stable, reliable path to future success without enjoyment?

As you know, I make very impulsive decisions, so I need your help in deciding whether or not this would be one of those.

Yours truly,

Dusty

P.S. I got asked to the dance by this really attractive guy who works at the coffee shop on campus so not everything is going wrong.

P.S.S. I found a rock which I thought was a meteorite but it was actually a magnetite - better luck next time!

You'd dropped out of your medicine major the moment you'd received the reply. Of course, your pen pal was a lot more supportive of your decision than your parents were but they got over it in time. Your fate had been decided the moment you'd stepped out of your first archaeology class - heart beaming and mind brimming with all of your plans for the future. Despite your parents' apprehensions, it had been the right decision. It didn't take long for your burning enthusiasm and insatiable appetite for learning to be picked up by your professors, and by your second year in the major you'd been invited on an exclusive trip one of your professors was going on with a handful of other students. 

It was around this time that you'd started wondering more about your pen pal. The flutters of your heart each time the small envelope appeared in your dorm pigeonhole had been drowned out by the rush of university life. Reflecting back, your obliviousness to your own emotions makes you shake your head in disbelief. But then, you'd met Daejung. He'd taken you out dancing, brought you flowers and laughed at your jokes, and you began to wonder if he was the one.

May 16th 2017

Dear Dusty,

Officially, you may know me better than anyone else. I know I already sent you a letter this month that you probably haven't even received, but I realised that it is the tenth anniversary since I received your first letter. Not to be soppy, but it truly means the world to me that we've been able to keep up this correspondence this whole time. 

As far as I'm aware, we won the Pen Pal Project. No one else I know stayed in touch with their childhood pen pal for nearly as long as we have, and I think that we deserve some kind of reward for it.

But, beyond any records we must have broken, I'm most grateful for the friendship we have developed. In any other circumstances, I would have said that it was impossible for people who have never met to be each other's closest confidants, but I can confidently say that there is nothing I wouldn't tell you. If it turns out you've been some 60-year-old man this whole time, consider me logged off from this life. 

My wish is that we can keep doing this for as long as we are able to hold pens in our hands, and even then I'd consider getting a scribe to write the letters for me.

As a gift, I feel that it's about time that I tell you my name - my real name. If you (and your mom) still don't feel comfortable sharing yours then Dusty is still perfectly fine for me, but the fundamental disconnect between telling a person your deepest secrets and not telling them your name has gotten too overwhelming for me, so it's time to rectify that.

Yours, 

Seungcheol

P.S. If you still want to call me Cherry that's also a-okay!

The first time Seungcheol revealed his name to you, you remember you'd dropped the letter in shock. As if knowing his name changed things, as if he didn't live a completely separate life from you already. It wasn't like knowing who he was would change anything about your life - you had no connection to him other than your letters - but the intimacy of his name had you staggering a few steps backwards, eye bulging from your head at the fallen letter. It seems rather overdramatic now, but in hindsight it always does.

This letter had been a bit of a turning point in your relationship, beyond the end of the nicknames you'd used for ten years. You'd always felt close enough to Seungcheol to pour your heart out to him in writing, but the closeness you felt was compounded in this letter. You wipe a few rogue tears from your eyes as you read back over it, moved by the raw declarations Seungcheol had been brave enough to express. If you really think about it, this letter was the first time you'd truly tried to picture what your pen pal looked like. Up until this point, you'd been enflamed by his words and unloaded all of your deepest thoughts to him in return, but this was the first time that you'd realised that your pen pal was a real man your age that you were already deeply connected to. The thought had been scandalous in your mind, and the shame that overwhelmed you when you'd met up with Daejung later that day made it hard to look him in the eye. Fantasising about a man you had never seen before had felt as bad as cheating, and the various forms of him that had appeared in your dreams for the rest of the week only compounded your guilt.

August 4th 2018

Dear Seungcheol,

Happy 24th Birthday! It's actually shocking to me to think that we're this old already, but I think mid-20s is a label that suits you well these days. Jokes aside, I hope you have a really lovely day doing whatever it is you have planned. I'll assume you're off bungee jumping with Jeonghan or on an all-inclusive golfing retreat until you tell me otherwise. In all cases, I hope that you are surrounded by friends and family to remind you how special you are.

Also, congratulations on your new job! I can't believe you didn't tell me that you were interviewing for it, but I suppose you didn't want to jinx anything by putting it into writing. I always thought that coaching would suit you - you could scare me into coming to practice any day! You should be really proud of yourself; I know that I am.

You'll never guess who got in contact with me this week! All out of nowhere, I got a message from Heiran of all people inviting me to her and Hyunki's wedding! I guess I was really wrong about that one... For their sake, I hope that their relationship is a bit better than it was in school. I was very surprised to be invited seeing as we haven't spoken in years, but I suppose it'll be nice to see everyone from school again. Perhaps I should tell Daejung that he can't come and you can be my plus one instead - I think you know the couple better than he does!

Another one of my friends just gave birth to a baby boy. All of this marrying and birth-giving is really screwing with my head. As far as I was aware, that's a thing that proper adults do and we're nowhere close to that yet. Even if I know that 24 is a very common age to be doing that stuff, it's still more than my brain can process. Once again, I am left behind as everyone else moves on to the next stage of life. I'm grateful, at least, that Daejung is pretty relaxed about all of that stuff. Hoping we can have a few more years before we start thinking about any of it - I still have so much travelling to do, things to see, and meals to eat before I flush all of my money down the toilet.

Jiwoo got really excited this week because she thought she saw Lee Byunghun walking past her work, so that made me feel a bit better about my life priorities.

Yours truly,

(Y/n)

P.S. I'm spending extra money to make sure this gets to you on time, so if it doesn't you cannot blame me.

P.P.S. My new address is - XXX

That year you and Daejung had finally moved in together. The apartment was small and in a less-than-nice area, but you'd been ecstatic at the chance to live with the man you loved. It had been a rough year before that - Daejung had missed out on a job offer for his dream role and you weren't able to go abroad on an excavation because he didn't want you to leave for months just as you were moving in together - but you'd seen the new apartment as symbolic of the new beginning you two would get together.

You'd also thought a lot about meeting up with Seungcheol that year. Looking back, it was crazy that you never did. Both of you expressed a will to do so, but something had always prevented you from actually doing it. You were completing your postgraduate degree part-time and working a service job that was supporting both you and Daejung at the start of the year, moving in together in the middle of the year, and Seungcheol had gotten busy with his new job in the latter half of the year. Even though you had never met up before, that you weren't able to that year was the first time it felt like a loss.

December 12th 2019

Dear (Y/n),

I've been thinking about you a lot recently. Writing to you has been the highlight of my month for a while now, and I'm so proud of you for everything you've achieved. It's amazing that you're already being asked to go on your first excursion as a proper expert, and I hope that Daejung comes around to the idea of you being away for so long. I'm sure that I'll miss your letters so I can imagine he's feeling much worse about it - but that shouldn't stop you from going. You might find an ancient vase and accidently release a curse upon the world, or discover a new dinosaur! Even if you go and are just digging up dirt with no results, I'll still be impressed.

One of the kids I mentor asked me if I knew what Starcraft was yesterday, and at that moment I really felt my age. I think it's led to some level of introspection I usually avoid, but one thing that has become clear to me is that I'm very grateful for this friendship. I hope that one day soon you can perhaps travel to Daegu and visit, or I can come see you in Seoul. Or perhaps it will take away the great fun of having a pen pal if we meet - you may be expecting someone completely opposite from me and seeing me may ruin the magic?

But the main reason I've been thinking about you is because I finally finished Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982. You were very correct in your recommendation - I can't believe it took me so long to read it! Summary of thoughts: I'm raging and also apologising to my mother and grandmother every time I see them. You have to send me another recommendation now that I'm finished - maybe some sort of mystery or thriller if you know any?

Yours,

Seungcheol

P.S. I suppose I should send you a whip and brown fedora and then you can officially say you're Indiana Jones. 

January 7th 2021

Dear Seungcheol,

I'm glad you had fun on your trip! The picture you sent of the mountains was absolutely gorgeous and was a hilarious reminder that I have no idea what you look like. I keep saying I want to go to Japan but can hardly find the time, but after seeing the picture I really must go now.

I have some big news.

Daejung proposed and we're getting married!! 

I know it's a bit out of the blue - I was surprised too. He's been putting off any mention of marriage for the last few months so I assumed he just wasn't interested but I guess that was all a cover to stop me from suspecting the proposal. It happened a few days after I got back from Vienna. It was really sweet - he threw this big party with all of our close friends and family to celebrate the end of my project and proposed at the end of the night. I was pretty shocked which I suppose was the point, but I'm really just excited that we're taking that step together.

My main purpose for writing is that I wanted to invite you to the wedding. It's a big step, but it wouldn't feel right to get married without one of my oldest friends there. If you decide you don't want to and you want to keep our friendship strictly on paper then I'd totally understand. But if you do want to come, we'd love to have you with us. I'll cover any travel and hotel fees if it means I can have you here.

Your continued support via letter means the world to me. 

Yours truly, 

(Y/n)

The wedding. Oh, the wedding.

A few nights before your wedding Daejung had come to the hotel you'd been staying in that week to finalise all of the preparations and observe some old-fashioned pre-wedding rituals your mother insisted on as if you and Daejung hadn't lived together for years before that. He'd given you a marriage gift a bit early because you were supposed to go straight to your honeymoon in Japan on the day of the wedding. Your heart fluttered in excitement as you opened the box, electrified at the surprise of what your future-husband could have gotten you to symbolise your union together. The reality had been, you could now admit, disappointing. The necklace had been pretty, and certainly not cheap. A silver heart set with a gleaming diamond to match the ring that Daejung had picked out for you. You'd smiled, thanking him for the gift and tried to ignore the discontent brewing in your own heart.

The first time you saw Seungcheol was at your wedding reception. Because of his job and the distance, he hadn't been able to make your morning ceremony, but the fact that he even chose to come all that way meant a lot to you.

"Who's the hunk with the green scarf?" One of your bridesmaids, Jiwoo had asked, pointing out a man standing alone by one of the drinks tables. 

For a moment you didn't want to believe that it was him, but who else would be at your wedding that you didn't recognise? Tall and broad with fluffy hair and a handsome-beyond-belief face, Seungcheol had been a picture to witness. All dressed up in a suit, you thought he looked rather like a super spy or a CEO from one of those corny romance books. In any case, you were shocked to your core that that was the man you'd spilt your darkest secrets to for over a decade now.

"Oh, I think that might be Seungcheol," You breathed, voice wavering with uncertainty even though you were now certain it was him.

"Seungcheol - hmm, why does that name sound so familiar?" Your other bridesmaid, Mirae, pondered, her brow crinkled as she tried to identify the name in her memory.

"Oh my god, you invited your pen pal to your wedding?!" Jiwoo exclaimed, spinning on her heel to give you an incredulous look. 

"Of course I did, I've known him for almost as long as I've known you!" You stuttered, your head still trying to play catch-up after the dizzying appearance of said topic of conversation.

"Why didn't you tell me that your pen pal was so hot?" Mirae scoffed, mock fanning her face in a way that made you feel shamefully irritated.

"Surprisingly, he didn't mention it in his letters." You responded, offering her a deadpan look and an eyebrow raise. She shrugged, but you'd known that wouldn't be the end of that conversation.

About 15 minutes later, you'd finally managed to make your way over to Seungcheol's perch. It was hard to decipher if your delay was because of all of the people trying to talk to you at the same time (perks of it being your wedding) or because of the unexplained fear and anxiety that was bubbling inside you at the prospect of finally meeting him face-to-face. As you finally made eye-contact, and he'd flashed his teeth at you in an infectious grin, you'd felt all of that melt away from you.

"Hi," You greeted, not able to wipe your own smile from your face.

"Hi," He responded, a peace settling between the two of you. "You look really beautiful."

Your face was all ablush and you felt a sense of dread at what would happen if you started like this. Starting down at your dress, you were unable to look back up at him.

"Thank you, I had it specially made," You smiled, your eyes gleaming as he chuckled at your joke. "I really appreciate you coming all this way, it means so much to me that you're here. Please let me know if there's anything you need - have you eaten yet? I can get you some-"

"It's okay, I'm feeling great." His hand reached out to still your own, which you hadn't realised was nervously picking at at skin around your nails.

"I can't believe that this is how we're first meeting," You breathed, a sense of shyness overwhelming you at the feeling of his skin against yours.

"If you ask me, we've definitely met before. Just not physically." His words had your head spinning so much that you were struggling to remember that you were both at your wedding.

"Poetic," You agreed, trying to present at least outwardly calmer than you felt inside. 

"Oh! Before I forget, I got you this." Seungcheol extended a hand out with a small, wrapped box in his palm. "It wasn't on the registry, and really it's only for you so I thought I should give it to you personally instead of putting it on the gifts table."

"That's really generous of you, you didn't have to." You offered him a shy smile, taking the gift from him. The neatly wrapped box had been laced shut with a pretty blue ribbon, and you remember the thumping of your heart in your chest as you undid it. A small gasp involuntarily left your mouth, your hand moving to cover it in shock. 

"Important backstory - I found it a few years after you told me you were looking for it. I wanted to just send it to you then, but I thought that I should keep it for when we met. I never thought that it would take so long to do so, but I hung on to it just in case."

A small chunk of dark meteorite sat in the box in your hand. Looking up and down between Seungcheol and the rock, you felt your eyes well up with tears that you had to force back down to not ruin your wedding makeup.

"Oh wow," Your voice cracked, "Seungcheol, this is seriously so sweet. I'm shocked that you kept this for me."

You felt unable to tell him all of your emotions, hoping that the gratitude in your eyes was enough to express them all to him. The sweet, adoring expression on his face told you that he understood without you needing to say any more.

That, unfortunately, had been the highlight of your wedding.

Not an hour later, it had all gone to shit, starting with a well-intentioned comment from your best friend.

"The wedding is so gorgeous (Y/n), I'll have to take notes for my own." Jiwoo gushed, pointing at all the flowers that had now been revealed as people moved into the outside area of the venue.

"I know, Daejung did a really good job picking out this place." 

"I'm so happy for you two, especially after the whole Vienna situation."

A bolt of alarm rang through your bones as you a struck still by the comment. You didn't miss the panicked look Mirae sent Jiwoo, who looked equally as confused as you felt.

"What-" You tried to compose yourself amongst the rushes of fear that were threatening to render you completely useful. "What do you mean the Vienna situation?"

Jiwoo was now floundering, looking between you and Mirae with a gaping mouth.

"I just meant - I mean, nevermind - I thought... I thought you knew?" The last whispered part had your heart sinking to the bottom of your chest. Mirae was refusing to meet your gaze, and that was telling you all you needed to know.

"Did something happen when I was away?" You demanded, your voice slick with emotion.

"(Y/n)..." Mirae started, but the withering look you gave her immediately stopped her placating.

Four words later and your entire life had exploded. He cheated on you. Whilst you were away, no less. And then, as if it would magically make everything better, proposed instead of telling you.

The look on your then-husband's face when you stormed up to him demanding to know the truth was enough to convince you of the reality of your friend's words. You could now admit, amidst all of the hurt, anger and disgust you felt towards Daejung at that moment, your overriding emotion was utter panic at the thought of having to tell all of your guests that the wedding was to be stopped and annulled. A trivial emotion amongst the personal grief you were experiencing, but undoubtedly the cause of your greatest distress at the moment.

You didn't see Seungcheol as or after it all happened. Any pretence of calm instantly slipped the moment you began speaking to your family and friends - a speech which ended with you in floods of tears being escorted away from the hosts of shocked guests. It was only hours later that you realised that you hadn't said goodbye and, worse, that you'd invited him all of this way just to witness the shitshow that was your failed marriage. Too ashamed to burden him further, you chose not to write to him for months afterwards He gave you space too, and you weren't sure if you felt grateful for it or utterly alarmed that he may just never want to speak to you again.

May 6th 2021

Dear Seungcheol,

I'm deeply sorry for my complete silence, although I suppose I do not need to explain to you the reason for it. My hand has been itching to pick up my pen and write to you every month that goes by, but only now have I overcome my own shame and disgrace to do so. First of all, I have to sincerely apologise for making you waste your time coming to such an awful event. I can only hope that you managed to get a slice of cake before it all fell apart so that I could at least offer you the condolence of a delicious snack. I also must apologise for completely abandoning you during your trip to the city. I was really looking forward to showing you my favourite spots, and I let my own misery get in the way of being a good host.

I hope you are well. As I haven't heard from you in a little while, I don't know what's going on with you so I have little to comment on. But, at the very least, I wish for your good health and general happiness. If you are worried about me, you don't need to be. I have taken the last few months to put my life back together, and I feel like I'm making better progress these days - hence the letter writing. I'm thinking of getting a dog for companionship since I have vehemently sworn off men for the foreseeable future.

I also wanted you to know that I treasure your gift. As it turns out, meeting you and getting a meteorite was the best part of that night, if you'll believe it. I have it kept in a special box on my desk just to make sure that it's safe and that I'll never lose it. I wish I could have given you something in return. If we end up meeting again I'll have to start planning now to make sure my gift is just as good as yours was. Speaking of, you are welcome to come and stay with me any time you want, and we can rain-check that city tour. Alternatively, if you want to ignore this letter and never speak to me again, I'd also understand.

Yours truly,

(Y/n) 2021

May 19th 2021

Dear (Y/n),

I'm so glad to have heard from you, and that you are doing okay. As much as I appreciate all of your apologies, none of them are necessary. If anything, I feel that I should be apologising to you for leaving you in the dark for just as long as you left me - you had a much better excuse too. Although I didn't want to overwhelm you with letters after such awful news, I realise now that leaving it so long was not the right course of action.

I think getting a dog is a fantastic idea. Company is something you'll never lack with a dog around, and I can agree that dogs are much better companions than men.

As for me, I am doing well too. It's mostly just been a cycle of work and sleep, so I haven't got much to report, but I'm hoping for a more eventful summer. Visiting the city would be a wonderful way to achieve this, so perhaps closer to the time I'll write again to arrange coming to stay with you. I would love to see you again soon. My only other news that I know you'd be interested in is that Jeonghan has seemingly met someone. He's keeping all of the details close to the chest, so I'll have to update you in the next letter when I know more, but it's an exciting revelation. He seems very happy, which is all I can hope for.

When I told you that I wouldn't stop writing to you until I could no longer hold a pen in my hand, I meant it. I hope that you will never again think that I wouldn't want to speak to you -it's the highlight of my day.

Yours,

Seungcheol

P.S. I'm sure you don't want to talk about the wedding, but just so you know - he was a fucking fool to let you go.

You remember the relief you'd felt at getting that letter. The uncertainty of whether or not Seungcheol still wanted to talk to you was enough to keep you on edge for the entire 13 days that it took for you to get his response. But, as always, your friend was reliably there for you.

The time you'd taken over those last new months, and the few months afterwards had been tumultuous, but cleansing. In your post-marriage clarity, you'd realised all of the opportunities you'd missed because of Daejung. Deciding that you wouldn't let him take anything else from you, you'd arranged to go on a long excursion you'd waved off for wedding planning when you'd first heard about it. Learning about the project from one of your old professors who'd transferred to Cairo University, you were offered a position on the ongoing expedition in Saqqara. Although Egyptology was not your speciality, your master's dissertation on the mummified scarab beetles found at Saqqara in 2018 and your tutor's reference got you onto a low-level position on the expedition.

Six months in Egypt had been exactly what you needed to move on from Daejung. At that time, your relationship with your closest friends was also on the rocks, and it was really only Seungcheol and your family that you missed during your time abroad.

December 23rd 2021

Dear Seungcheol,

I've finally got some time off over the holiday break, and I'm ready to give you the download of everything that's happening here in Saqqara! But, first, I'm going to have to beg you for the details of your double date with Jeonghan and Jooyeon. How was it!? Was Jooyeon's friend nice? Were there sparks? How many times did Jeonghan bring up embarrassing stories about you as a kid?

I hope it went well - you deserve all of the happiness in the world.

Now, onto the important stuff!

I'm not sure if you saw on the news, but we've made some pretty huge finds since I got here, Obviously, I can't give myself all the credit, but just being part of the team that made it happen is pretty incredible. We've found multiple tombs of dignitaries from the reign of Ramses II. I'm doing a bit of research on one of the tombs, belonging to a military leader called Hor Mohib, but I have to keep taking breaks every 20 minutes to pinch my arm and remind myself that this is reality.

My Arabic has gotten significantly better now - I was rather rusty when I first got here. I'm able to have reasonably complex conversations with the Egyptian members of the team and the locals helping out, and it's pretty cool for my nerd brain to be surrounded by a group of people equally as excited to be digging up ornamental graves as I am.

I'm really glad I came. It's hard to admit, even to you, but my life really fell apart after the wedding. Honestly, I didn't even know if I wanted to keep working in archaeology or if I wanted to jet off to Iceland and buy a farm. And the worst bit is that it's been so lonely since. Losing Daejung was one thing, but I haven't spoken to Jiwoo or Mirae since. I can't bear to look at them knowing that they hid that secret from me for so long. Maybe one day I'll be able to forgive them, but it certainly won't be now. Your letters have been my only sanctuary of human connection in these past few months, and that's something I'll have to add to my list of neverending gratitude I hold for you.

I realize now that I haven’t been very good at expressing how much your friendship means to me, how it's been my lifeline in this mess. Your letters are the only constant, the only thing that feels like home even when I am surrounded by ancient wonders and new colleagues.

And so, I have a confession. I want to see you again. I want to tell you all of this in person. I can't say what will come of it, but I know that after all of these years, after all the letters and confessions and secrets shared, we owe it to ourselves to meet in a way that isn't rushed or overshadowed by anything else.

Maybe we could meet halfway between Seoul and Daegu, or I could take the train down to visit you? I need to see you again, not as a guest at my ruined wedding, but as Seungcheol, the one person who’s known me at my best and worst, and still chooses to write back.

Let me know what you think.

Yours truly, 

(Y/n)

P.S. I've included a small rock I found on the dig - nothing special but it reminded me of our old conversations. I hope it makes you smile.

P.P.S. Please don't feel pressured to say yes, but know that I would really like to see you again.

You can't quite recall what possessed you to write such a bold letter. Perhaps it had been the desert sun, the thrill of discovering something new in something old at Saqqara, or simply your immense loneliness.

Days had turned into weeks as you anxiously waited for a response, checking your makeshift mailbox daily. Then one morning, there it was—a simple white envelope with Seungcheol’s familiar sloping handwriting.

January 17th 2022

My Dear (Y/n),

I've thought about meeting you countless times since our first encounter. After reading your words, I realise that I've been waiting for this just as much as you have. How's this - I'll take the first train up to Seoul when you're back and we can spend the day together. No distractions, no interruptions - just you and me, finally getting to know each other beyond the pages of our letters.

I'm looking forward to me, more than I can express. Until I see you again, take care, and know that I'm counting down the days.

All yours,

Seungcheol

P.S. the best bit about the date was spending time with Jeonghan. No more needs to be said.

You stare down at the letter, your heart pacing as fast as it had the first time you'd received it. Beautiful words from a beautiful man with a beautiful soul.

You'd gotten back to Seoul by the end of March 2022, and, as promised, Seungcheol came to visit you that first weekend in April. When he'd stepped off the train in the bustling station at the heart of the city, you were there to greet him. You'd spotted him standing there, taller even than you'd remembered, with that same easy smile that had always leapt off of the page.

The world around you had seemed to blur as you walked toward each other, nerves fluttering in your stomach but quickly dissolving as he pulled you into a gentle, lingering hug. The connection between you, once confined to words on paper, felt more real than ever.

You spent the day wandering through the city, visiting old bookstores, sipping coffee in quiet cafes, and talking as if no time had passed since that fateful wedding reception. Every shared laugh, every story swapped, deepened the bond you'd forged in ink.

June 14th 2022

Seungcheol,

It feels like only yesterday that we were wandering through Seoul together, but at the same time, it feels like a lifetime ago. I keep finding myself replaying that day in my mind - how easy it was to talk to you in person, as if we'd done it a hundred times before. It's strange, isn't it? How someone can feel so familiar, even when they're a whole new experience at the same time.

I've been thinking about our conversation in the bookstore. You said something about how some stories are better left unfinished, that sometimes the best part of a tale is imagining what could be. I can't stop thinking about that - about how some stories do need an ending, and how others are meant to keep going, even if we don’t know where they’ll lead.

There's something I've been meaning to tell you, but I haven't found the right words yet. I guess I'm still figuring it out myself. It's just that being around you feels different to how I expected. There's a comfort, yes, but also something more, something I can't quite define. It's like we're on the edge of something new, and it's exciting and a little terrifying at the same time. I'm not sure if you feel it too, but I hop you do.

Anyway, I don't want to get too ahead of myself as usual. I'm just really glad we've reconnected, and that we've managed to keep in touch after all these years. 

It means more to me than I can say. Let’s make sure our next meeting isn’t too far off—I’m already looking forward to it.

Until then, take care of yourself, and don’t work too hard. I’ll be watching the clock until I see you again.

Yours, 

(Y/n)

That day in April 2022 hadn't been the last time you saw Seungcheol. You'd made that mistake once in the past, and neither of you was willing to do so again. He continued to come to Seoul to see you, and you travelled down to Daegu to meet him and his friends. Your letters ceased for a while over this time due to the frequency you were seeing each other, but for the first time that didn't bother you.

You remember, with teary eyes, the day that you finally confessed your feelings.

It was 25th September 2022, after a whole summer spent together, and the air was tinged with the first hint of autumn's chill. THe leaves were just beginning to turn, painting the streets in warm hues of amber and crimson as you walked side by side in a quiet part in Seoul. The easy laughter and conversation that had marked your friendship over the years felt heavier that day, as it something unspoken was lingering in the crisp air between you.

You had spent countless days together that summer - visiting museums, trying new restaurants, even embarking on a spontaneous week trip to the coast. Each moment with Seunngchaeol had felt like a dream, a slow realisation that your heart was no longer just content with friendship. But with that realization came a fear you hadn't expected. What if this was enough for him? What if risking everything by confessing how you truly felt would unravel the beautiful bond you had spent so many years cultivating?

That evening, as the sun dipped low on the horizon, casting long shadows across the park, you found yourselves sitting on a bench overlooking a small pond. The water was still, reflecting the fiery colours of the sky, and for a long moment, neither of you spoke. Seungcheol had been quieter than usual that day, his expression pensive as if he, too, was wrestling with unspoken thoughts.

You felt your heart pound in your chest, each beat louder than the last as you tried to summon the courage to speak. The words were caught in your throat, but the fear of losing him if you didn’t say them was stronger. Finally, unable to hold it in any longer, you turned to him, your voice trembling as you broke the silence.

"Seungcheol," you began, your hands nervously fidgeting in your lap. He turned to look at you, his eyes soft and attentive, encouraging you to continue. "There’s something I need to tell you… something I’ve been feeling for a while now."

His gaze didn’t waver, but you noticed the slight hitch in his breath, the way his fingers tightened slightly around the edge of the bench. The world seemed to shrink to just the two of you, everything else fading away as you gathered your thoughts.

"I—" You paused, trying to find the right words, but there were none that seemed adequate to express the depth of your feelings. "I think I’ve fallen in love with you."

The admission hung in the air between you, a fragile confession that you could no longer take back. For a moment, time seemed to stop, the world holding its breath as you waited for his response. You searched his face for any sign of what he might be thinking, every second feeling like an eternity.

Then, without a word, Seungcheol reached out, his hand gently cupping your cheek, his thumb brushing away the tear that had escaped down your cheek. There was a tenderness in his touch, a warmth that radiated through you, calming your racing heart.

"I’ve been waiting to hear those words," he whispered, his voice thick with emotion. "Because I’ve been feeling the same way for a long time too."

His words washed over you, a wave of relief and joy so overwhelming that you felt your breath hitch. You had been so afraid, so uncertain, and now, with his quiet confession, all those fears melted away. He leaned in slowly, giving you time to pull back if you needed to, but you didn’t. You closed the distance between you, your lips meeting his in a gentle, tender kiss that felt like a promise—one of many yet to come.

Hearing the doorbell ring down below you, and the sound of your husband's voice calling out to say he'll get it, you rush forward to reach your favourite letter - just one more before you return to reality.

November 3rd 2023

My dearest (Y/n),

I'm so glad you're having such a good time in Rome - I'm rather jealous of all of your sightseeing and pasta-eating. Kkuma and I are holding the fort down at home, although I had to be scolded yesterday for breaking the toaster when I tried to make Kkuma some breakfast. I sent some more suncream over in the mail because I know you've already run out and forgotten to get some more - I'm not sure if this letter will reach you first, but if it does look out for the parcel.

Now, I'll admit, the main purpose of my letter is something a little different than simply catching up, as much as I love those letters too. I thought about doing this once you returned home, but you've already had one man declare his everlasting intentions to you after you returned from an excursion, so I thought it better to avoid rehashing those memories (we'll do this again when you're home, but I thought it might be fun to do it this way).

If you have the suncream box already, then you may have a sneaking suspicion of what I'm about to say.

I've loved you for as long as I've known you. As a twelve-year-old kid, I didn't know that was what it was, but the level of obsession I had with writing to you and receiving your replies was beyond any normal friendship. You were always so fascinatingly cool, out of reach, and genuinely yourself. Being in love with your pen pal isn't always an easy thing - the cold sweats I would wake up to after dreaming about meeting for the first time, the constant updates about a life that I wasn't a part of, the announcement of your engagement to another person. I tried to pretend it wasn't real for a long time, see other people, because of how silly I felt about being in love with someone I'd never met.

And then I saw you standing there, in that beautiful white gown with your hair up and that gorgeous smile on your face. Did you know that my hands were sweating when I gave you that gift? I don't think I've ever told you that before. I became certain then that I was completely screwed. Entirely head over heels.

I'll never be happy that that marriage didn't work out for you - all I've ever wanted is your happiness, be that with me or someone else. But I won't lie and say that nothing has made me happier than the consequences of it.

This past year has been the happiest time I've ever known. Every moment with you is filled with such joy, and every moment without I'm left with a record of memories to remind me of the time we've had together. When I look at you, I don't just see my past, but also my future. I see a lifetime of shared experiences, of laughter, or quiet moments that mean more than words ever could. I see us growing old together, supporting each other, and playing trash hockey on the wooden floor of our kitchen.

You are my best friend, my partner, the love of my life. And I want to spent every day making sure you know just how much you mean to me.

So, that being said, will you (Y/n) (Y/l/n), do me the honour of marrying me?

All yours,

Seungcheol

P.S. Please don't feel pressured to say yes, but know that I would really like it if you did.

You fiddle with the precious ring on your left hand, your fingers lingering over the smooth chunk of dark stone in the centre.

A gentle brush of a hand on your shoulders brings you back to the real world, tears now flaking on your cheeks as you sniffle at the words on the page.

"Are you okay, darling?" Seungcheol asks gently.

"Yes, sorry, I know the guests are here now - I just wanted to look at these," You reply, holding up the letters for your husband to see.

You watch his expression soften, a suggestion of moisture in the corner of his eyes as he looks over the written words.

Swooping down, he places a long, loving kiss on your forehead, letting your bodies rest together in harmony for a moment.

"I can't believe they still make me cry," You huff, letting out a soft laugh. "And I don't even think I can brush it off as hormones."

"Seeing that just looking at them has me tearing up, I don't think I can either." Seungcheol smiles, stroking the back of your hair affectionately.

"They're probably getting antsy downstairs, right?" You say, beginning to pile the letters back up into the box.

Standing up, you lean forward to press all of your passion and adoration onto your husband's lips. You can feel his intensity matching yours, his hands finding the side of your hips to keep you stable.

"They can wait," Seungcheol replies, his forehead leaning softly against your own. "They're not the ones who are pregnant after all."

You laugh, a sound filled with both joy and contentment, feeling the warmth of his love surrounding you. "I suppose you're right," you say, a smile spreading across your face. You take one last glance at the box of letters, a testament to the incredible journey you've both shared—one that began with innocent childhood exchanges and blossomed into a love story more profound than you could have ever imagined.

Hand in hand, you and Seungcheol make your way downstairs to greet your guests, the letters safely tucked away in their satin box. As you step into the room, you know that no matter what the future holds, you'll always have those words, those memories, and most importantly, each other.

[pr0cyon-lotor]

Hi, if you don't mind, I'd love to hear about the Scumcumplane AU. Like *how* fluffy would it be? Would there be murder? I think no one we care about if it's fluff, right? Is it more like a fix it for all or only a 'canon but fixing it for the ship'?

I always have so much fun to read your ideas. If this too pushy, don't feel like you need to answer or anything.

Have a nice day<3.

I won't lie the scumcumplane AU is in the same AU I made Shen Yuan a fifty year old man before he transmigrated. I didn't mention it because I forgor

He's a well known academic that specializes in classic literature and psychology studies, and is a xianxia nerd in his free time. I'm slightly basing this on a college professor I had (pretty chill guy, like a grandpa and also surprisingly a weeb).

When Shen Yuan transmigrated, he's in the body of a thirty something year old rogue cultivator. He meets Shang Qinghua during a supplies run, and they clock each other as transmigrators instantly. I'd imagine Shen Yuan was Shang Qinghua's professor at some point and probably was a whole sexuality crisis for him (something something silver fox Shen Yuan).

But yeah in this AU Shang Qinghua was working on helping Shen Jiu with varying success, at least the scum villain trusts him. So when Shang Qinghua comes around and introduces a rogue cultivator, he isn't immediately releasing the hounds.

It's a pretty fluffy AU and it has my favorite flavor of Shen Yuan (completely unfazed by everything because he's seen some things).

Him and Shen Jiu bond over literature, and Shen Yuan does clock a few of Shen Jiu's mental health issues and tries to help where he can. Shen Jiu just likes the have occasional pampering and people to complain to.

I just find the idea of Shen Jiu accidentally bagging two (mentally) 50-60 year olds a little amusing. Shen Yuan and Shang Qinghua are complaining about their backs hurting and how they need to take a nap. And then Shen Jiu just slots himself in-between like a cat during its afternoon nap.

If there was murder, I'd imagine the most reaction it'll get from Shen Yuan is "Oh no. We're probably going to have to work on that, aren't we?" He's a professional in his field, he learned how to be unbiased.

So I definitely see Shen Yuan being pretty unfazed by most things because of the things he's helped other people with in the past.

[gattnk]

Oh, the mysteries of the Universe! Even with eternity at their disposal, there will always be something new for Cimentus and Putzo to discover and teach.

Here we go! My second-to-last pair of teachers :D I've had way too much fun working on the Golden School staff, I'm almost sad to see them finished.

Cimentus and Putzo are among the many cut characters that didn't make it into the show, which is a shame: other than Arkan and Temptel, I'd argue they're among the best adult characters, their role as comedic relief is impeccable. Here's my usual notes on my work process:

I love working on comedic characters, they give so much room for goofy and eccentric shapes and proportions! I focused on the already exaggerated physical traits present in the source material and brought up as many key features as I could to the forefront.

The comic established both characters' classes as scientific in nature. To represent this, Cimentus and Putzo dress like the archetypical good and evil scientist, respectively: perfect for their new role as Academic Deans of the Cosmic Biophysics faculty. Their eccentric and exaggerated features are meant to combat the misconception that STEM classes are boring: class can't be boring when the teacher looks like that, you know?

The good scientist archetype is easily to distinguish: thick glasses, disorderly hair and, most importantly, a white lab coat. Cimentus already fit the first two criteria, so donning the white lab coat came very naturally to the design. It's also easy to infer his work is associated with a safe class environment: you can tell a lot about a professional's work environment by the type of protective gear they're required to wear in their field. Just needing a cotton lab coat says a lot about angel students as a whole.

The same can be said about Putzo and the evil scientist archetype: rubber boots and the classic Howie lab coat were already present in his original design; my inclusion of rubber gloves and tinted protective glasses simply reinforces the idea that Putzo works with hazardous materials on the regular... probably the devil students themselves. Fun fact: he's the only devil sporting round glasses.

I really loved Cimentus' colors in the comic: blue, white, lavender and cheddar yellow. While I tweaked around the hue and saturation, it remained largely the same. I brought purple to the forefront since it was my darkest color and it contrasted much better against his bright yellow pants. Unspoken rule of funny characters: bright-colored pants are your best friend, make them pop!

Putzo's colors were challenging. I wanted to keep his original palette of reds and greens and tweak it so it would evoke "sickness": finding the right balance between the hues so it conveyed this "air of disease" I was looking for, but also were appealing enough to look at in a cartoon character, was very difficult. He risked looking like a Christmas tree one too many times in the process :V

These two are the only two teachers with a significant age gap between them. Putzo is old enough to have wrinkles and graying hair in addition to his clawed wings and a tail, but it's nothing compared to his counterpart. Cimentus is decidedly the oldest professor in the entire school, which is apparent thanks to his three pairs of wings and his carved halo worn "the old-fashioned way" (the shape was inspired by a protractor).

Small adendum: don't worry about the rat, it's sleeping I swear. I put it there as a joke in my initial sketch and I just had to keep it lol.

I'll Fly With You (rewrite fic) Art masterpost

[jamisonwritestf2trash]

What sort of jobs do you think the mercs would have if they weren't, y'know, mercs?

What Would The TF2 Mercs Jobs Be If They Weren't Mercenaries?

————————————————————

Ough, I love this. It's a very cool suggestion, Anon. Thank you for asking! I've thought about this a couple of times, and I'm glad to get a chance to rant >:)

————————————————————

Demo would get into pyrotechnics for a while, (shocker I know, but bare with me) he'd find himself setting up fireworks shows, making fireworks, teaching safety courses and all that fun stuff, but I don't think he'd be fulfilled in the same way being a merc would. He'd find himself being bored with the monotony of it all, only doing it for the money. After a while of this he'd finally just say fuck it, and try and look for other work opportunities, found an animal shelter in desperate need of new hires, submitted his application, and with in two weeks had become absolutely enthralled with his new job. He finds out he loves working with animals! He makes friends with every animal in the shelter right away, and gets a good chunk of them adopted each year or so.

————————————————————

Engie would have most likely gone on to become a very successful engineer. Shocker, I know. He would have probably specialized in biomedical engineering. I think he'd go in with no particular job in mind, but then would be introduced into the idea of building prosthetics and become a prosthetist. He likes being able to help people with his creations. (MINI HEACANON / STORY) The first time he ever made a prosthetic was for a little kid who lost his leg due to a car crash. He was super traumatized from the accident and refused to let anyone near him, Engie spent about a year working with the kid to, one be able to measure and fit him for his prosthetic, and two, to just make the kid smile and make him less scared. When the job was done the kid was so happy, grinning ear to ear, he hugged Engie and was literally crying out of joy, that's when Engie knew he loved his job 😭

————————————————————

Heavy has a doctorate in Russian literature, so I'd assume he'd go into the teaching field with that as his specialty. He'd find a university in need of a professor and work with students to help them better themselves. He just likes being able to share his experiences and perspective with those who want to learn. Very much a "Tuesday's With Morrie" type of teacher. Will literally do anything for his students by the way. He love each year he spends teaching, also loves hearing from his students after they graduate. Really just wants to make an impact on peoples lives anyway he can. He'd probably end up being a writer if he couldn't go into teaching for some reason. He'd write fiction mainly, maybe some life experiences too, for the same reasons above.

————————————————————

Medic would have found a way to get his medical license back, legally or illegally (most likely the latter). And went on to continue practicing medicine, most likely in a country with more lax laws on human experimentation. If that failed, the local morgue is always hiring graveyard shifts, and when no one really cares too much about what happens to the corpses, Medic would find ways to keep himself very entertained. I also think he could be content working as a librarian! I don't know, like the gap between librarian and doctor is huge but I can just imagine him and Archimedes running a little library together, (Kind of like uh Blue and Linda from Rio, I'm really pulling out random media this prompt, 😭) I just feel like even though he's batshit insane nine times out of ten he can still enjoy a quiet, peaceful life if he wanted too. Probably still does a bit medical stuff on the side though, you just can't stop him.

————————————————————

Scout is another case of me being unsurprising. He'd be a baseball star. It's really a toss-up on whether he gets super famous or just enjoys quiet success. If he's super famous you bet he's signing contracts for advertisements and other things you'd expect multimillionaires to be doing (He'd also be so thrilled to be a multimillionaire he'd be giving his mom her dream life) and just generally enjoying the fame. If he didn't make it into the big leagues, he'd still be successful in minor leagues. I'll even go as far as to say that even if he didn't make it big or even semi big, he'd become a coach little league/ high school /college and love it. Honestly, he would cry if one of the kids he coached went pro one day. (Maybe a Twitch streamer would also fit, but that's silly, right?)

————————————————————

Sniper has always been into wildlife photography. He absolutely loves animals. He's naturally good at photography. I think him having good aim and a steady hand are a mix of a natural talent and years of training. His years of training would have just gone into photography instead of, you know. He gets very good very quickly, takes pictures you'd see hung up as decoration pieces, and definitely had a fair share of curious animals wandering up to him to check out his work. For a guy who loves animals, he's living the dream. Haz had a few less than steller run-ins during his time, but generally appreciates being able to enjoy nature and animals as part of his job.

————————————————————

Spy being an actor would come naturally for him. He's great at switching his style, mood, character, etc. So he'd naturally be interested in a job where that skill would be valuable, then he finds out about how much money he can make off of acting and just goes straight in. I think he would end up being a really popular actor, people liking him in almost any role he plays, and would generally have little to no hater or bad press. He loves going over every new script and building up his character in his mind, then giving them a place off the page. He also loves going to fancy parties, so... Also, the first time he got a bad/negative review or comment on his acting, he cried lmao.

————————————————————

Soldier would so be a historian. Like, hands down, only job I think he could have outside of being a merc. He can rant for hours about American history and knows so much about other countries too due to their involvement with America and a general curiosity, that he'd be a perfect to teach about history in museums, classrooms, or even just uploading videos online. Just put someone who needs to learn about history of any kind in front of him, and they'll learn more in the time with him than they ever have. Also! I'm not sure what these people are called, and I'm way too tired to look it up, but I think that Soldier would help new immigrants with leaning English and with getting their citizenship. Solider would also help refugees. Also also, he'd hold support groups for veterans.

————————————————————

Pyro is normally headcanoned as a fire fighter or ex-fire fighter I'm pretty sure, but I think it's easy to forget that while Pyro likes fire, they like making firsvl, you know what else they like? Making art! So naturally, being a glassblower would be a great fit for Pyro. They love the job! The molten glass is mesmerizing to them. The artistic freedom is liberating. It's all just so great to them. They make a lot of flame themed pieces that and animal themed pieces. They mainly do pieces and sell them at markets instead of taking commissions for them. They're super happy with this life and have multiple pieces of their work displayed in their home. They sometimes get this feeling of missing something, like a vague memory, but they just continue to make new art to fix that, but oddly enough, they end up reminding them more of those distant memories. I wonder what that's about.

————————————————————

I swore I'd get this out today, and I held myself to that, even though I almost passed out. (Not me posting this 5 minutes to midnight lmao) I only had three paragraphs left, and I was not giving up on them. I swear I'm trying to get better at consistency 😭

Anyways enough of that, I hope you enjoyed this! I had fun writing it. Trying to come up with different jobs for them is both really fun and oddly difficult. Anyways! The schedule for new posts will hopefully go as follows:

Mercs favorite books

Medic and Creepypasta

How the Mercs would react to a close teammates death

(Then any asks that come in would follow!)

So yeah! Busy weekend, but I'm not complaining:D

[rattlyglitch]

All the Sights to be Seen

Silver sat on a bench next to Grim looking in the central square while drinking the grape juice he had gotten. It was really good and refreshing. He had even tried some of the grapes and those were so good as well. Silver knew that when Malleus arrived he would share some of the juice and grapes with him too. "Ah, there you are." Silver looked up and smiled before hurrying over to Malleus grape juice safely in his hands. "Mallie you're here!" Silver held the cup of grape juice up to Malleus.

"Try it! It's really good!" Sebek seemed as if he wanted to say something but Malleus only gave him a look before smiling to Silver and kneeling taking the cup carefully from Silver's hands and having a sip. He seemed to brighten up some after drinking the juice. "You are right Silver this is good. Did you get it from one of the stands?" Silver nodded and pointed over to a stand further back. "I did! Ooh, also I got you, Sebek, and Papa, something." Silver went back over to Grim and put his juice down before he returned to Malleus digging into his pockets and brought out the three gargoyles he had gotten.

"You and Sebek get to choose which ones you want but leave one for me ok?" Silver said holding the three out to Malleus. "Of course Silver." Malleus' gaze looked over the three gargoyles and took the taller-looking one. Silver walked away from Malleus and over to Sebek with the other two and held them up to him. Sebek looked over the gargoyles and settled on the one that seemed hunched over more than the rounder one Silver was left with.

"Thank you for this gift Silver! It is fitting for the three of us!" Silver was glad that Sebek seemed to approve of the gift and walked back over to Malleus. He leaned against Malleus when Professor Trein started to talk about what sounded to SIlver like more boring history stuff. Grim walked over and stood next to Silver and pointed towards the tents. "Hey is it just me or that tent over there a stage? The biggest one?" Silver followed the direction of where Silver was pointing and nodded.

"Yeah, I think that's a stage. There are also a lot of smaller ones next to it. I wonder what those are for." Idia seemed to have also overheard them and decided to join the conversation. "The smaller ones have little performances and merch and stuff." Silver felt excited about the thought of seeing others perform. "Saaay, Professor Trein? Since we're doing field work and all, could we take a look around the square?" Grim looked at Ruggie like a saint and quickly joined in on trying to convince the professor they could look around. "Well…. I don't see why not. We have a bit of time before the show starts. All right, everyone can go observe the festivities."

Silver quickly gripped Grim's paw when Professor Trein agreed. "Let's go explore." Silver took off to the right side of the festival area with Grim doing his best to keep up with Malleus, Yuu, Sebek, and Deuce making sure to keep up with the two of them. Silver looked up in awe when a tall person with yellow and orange pants started walking towards them. Grim gripped Silver's arm and looked up terrified. "Ack, monster alert! And it's got super long legs!"

Malleus patted Grim's head gently while looking at the tall person. "Those are stilts. That is almost assuredly an ordinary person in costume. The human climbs on top of the poles and then walks on them to make themselves look exceedingly tall." Grim let go of Silver's sleeve. "Huh. So if I used those things, I'd be taller than you, Horton!" Silver couldn't help but laugh at what Grim said even more so when Deuce rolled his eyes and said the same thing as Silver afterward which was "Why are you trying to fight with Malleus?"

Throughout the banter, Malleus had a smug look on his face. He seemed fairly certain that Grim couldn't get taller than him even on stilts. Silver couldn't help but agree with Malleus. He had seen how the fae prince looked in his dragon form and it was rather big. As the two bickered Silver's attention was drawn to a person on a rope. Silver pulled on the cuff of Deuce's shirt and pointed over at the person on a rope. "Deuce what are they doing?"

Deuce whose attention had been brought to the person on the rope was quick to have a reply. "It's called tightrope walking. I've never seen someone do it in the middle of a city though!" Silver watched the person walk his head tilting as the person did if they seemed to be off balance. He found it entertaining but Grim and Azul both seemed terrified.

Silver felt relieved when the person managed to get to the other platform safely. "Hm? Those people in front of the tent over there… I think I've seen them before." Silver saw a bunch of students that looked like they came from another school. The name Royal Sword Academy was brought up which delved the Malleus and the others into a conversation about other schools. The festivities though seemed to be beginning.

"The festivities are beginning please sit at the tables." Even though sitting should have been normal Sebek still seemed to find a reason to quarrel about it with Grim. Eventually Silver felt that it was so bothersome that he looked at Sebek. "How about this Grim sits in Yuu's lap and I'll sit in Malleus' that way you have room to sit next to us?" Sebek almost looked like he was about to protest.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea Silver. Thank you for suggesting that" Malleus replied before lifting Silver into his lap. Sebek sat next to the two keeping silent as the main show of the festival began. "You're attention, please! It's time to put down your work, leave your worries at the door, and celebrate Topsy-Turvy Fest!"

Silver saw a jester appear. His hair was black and mid-length and accompanied by a goatee. A large blue hat with a yellow feather sat on his head and his face was adorned with, a purple mask, even the clothes he wore were the same color as his hat and mask but were a mix match of yellow, purple, and blue. Silver had been wondering what the Topsy-Turvy Fest had meant for himself and had his unasked question answered when Grim asked Rollo.

"The idea is that the participants' social standings are inverted - hence festivalgoers need not worry about titles or status. The weak become strong and everyone can play the part of a king." Silver turned his attention back towards the performance the jester had taken out a puppet that looked to be a duplicate of him. The two seemed to be going over how the puppet had never heard of the Kindly Bell Ringer. That was when the performance truly did begin.

"Our tale begins in the small city where the Righteous Judge lived. The Righteous Judge was fair and just. Everyone respected him and abided by his judgments. But no one adored him more than his own disciple- the Kindly Bell Ringer!" Silver felt he saw a resemblance between Sebek and Malleus. He did adore Malleus but Sebek most likely had him beat in most adoration. "Neither rain nor wind would deter the Bell Ringer from ringing the bells to announce the time throughout the town. But one day… Disaster struck the peaceful city."

Silver gasped when the jester spoke of the disaster. He may have heard it mentioned but something felt more intimidating when it was brought up in the puppet show. Silver turned his attention to Rollo when he spoke of a fiery crimson lotus. The jester seemed to continue. The first crimson engulfed the city, throwing the people into terror and chaos… But the Kindly Bell Ringer rang his bell and gave courage to the people. He then valiantly fought to protect the city." Silver wanted to learn more about the Kindly Bell Ringer. He sounded far more amazing than the Righteous Judge.

"And what did the Kindly Bell Ringer love most of all? Topsy-Turvy Day! A long time ago, when this festival was called Topsy-Turvy Day the townsfolk chose the Bell Ringer to be their king, and oh, how they celebrated! What a wonderful man he must have been and what a wonderful celebration this is!" Silver clapped happily with all the others who watched the performance. The jester looked out among the crowd smiling. "We've got lots of fun in store, whether you're local or just visiting, It's time to kick off Topsy-Turvy Fest!" With those words spoken confetti shot into the air along with some kind of sparkling glitter.

Dancers followed coming out in fluttery and beautiful clothes as their scarves moved gracefully behind them while playing tambourines. Everyone joined in with the dancing. The jester seemed to be going out around and giving people bracelets. When he brought one over to Silver he accepted it gratefully. It was made of brown and green beads with a crown in the middle. "Beware the name Russia, Silver. The man who speaks it means harm." Silver turned to the jester confused by what he had said but by the time he did the man was gone.

(The Jester is supposed to resemble Clopin Trouillefou.)

[excalculus]

I've been told I should in fact flame Pokémon characters for PPE violations, so let's go.

Specifically I'll stick to the professors and use their appearance from the main game they first appeared in, because I've played almost all of those. Most if not all of them are implied to be biologists or bio-adjacent. I've done my time in academia on top of my current job still being in bio labwork so I know how this is supposed to go.

As for criteria, let's say basic bench science PPE standards (close-toed shoes, long pants, and no long dangling hair or accessories), and in the interest of fairness I'll only go after people who are at least attempting to dress for lab by wearing a lab coat or other obvious PPE item. I also won't worry about things that can be fixed up in a minute or two before going into the lab itself, like buttoning up the lab coat, putting on gloves, etc. Honestly wearing a lab coat outside the lab isn't really supposed to happen, but it's not the end of the world and also if I stuck to that I'd have to cancel everyone.

(Am I being a horrible pedant? Maybe, but I've also never had to fill out lab accident paperwork, so I think I'm still winning.)

Oak

This is normal except for his shoes looking alarmingly like slippers. I suspect that's an issue with this specific piece of art though, since later versions do clearly show normal shoes. Do not wear slippers in lab.

Elm

Really short labcoat, possibly just a weird art choice? Also more or less normal. Looks amusingly like my cell bio professor if you squint a little.

Birch

If this is supposed to be for lab you need long pants, and something that isn't sandals/flip flops. If this is supposed to be for the field, better shoes and pants are probably still a good idea, and the lab coat is useless - it can't protect you from basically anything out there, and if you're worried about contaminating the environment it's also woefully inadequate. To be honest though, the fact that he couldn't deal with a level 2 Zigzagoon makes me think he isn't a field biologist at all. I've met those people at conferences and they'll casually do things like run back towards a probable tornado when their data or equipment is on the line. I heard two (2) angry jaguar stories at the same dinner and in both cases the reaction was basically "If I die, I die". In conclusion I think this is a really bad lab outfit and not a kind of suspect fieldwork outfit, and the only thing I can say in its defense is that I did in fact see someone try to do cell culture while wearing shorts back when I was in SoCal. More accurately, I heard him getting busted by the lab manager from the other side of the lab.

Rowan

Not dressed for lab at all, so no comment. Looks like a math professor.

Juniper

The miniskirt is very bad. Credit where credit is due though, good job on the comfortable nonslip footwear - you'd be surprised how easy it is to go flying if someone's gotten a bit of water on the floor. I've also decided at this point that I'm not going to worry about interesting style/art choices on the lab coats themselves, like whatever is up with that collar.

Sycamore

Roll down your coat sleeves before you go in and this is fine. On a real person I'd say that length of hair likely needs to be secured somehow, but if we assume it stays in position via anime physics instead of falling into things we can ignore that.

Kukui

No shirt, short pants, open shoes, no science. +1 for safety glasses -1000 for everything else. EH&S is coming for your ass.

Magnolia

Some places are okay with a long skirt or dress instead of pants, given that the main idea there is to not have exposed skin that can either get hit by a chemical spill/dropped object or shed contaminants. The dress, shoes, and no socks combo here is... maybe not the greatest? However if I remember right she's basically retired when we see her in game, so it may not be an issue if she's not doing lab work anymore.

Turo

I hate to say it, but technically this passes. The only immediate issue I see is that in the rare case that you do spill something bad on yourself you need to yeet both your coat and any affected item of clothing as fast as you can, which might be challenging with the space onesie. If it's impermeable to whatever got spilled that's theoretically okay, but I've seen the chemical compatibility charts. Nothing is immune to all possible spills even if you stay away from the nasty shit the chemists have.

Sada

[EXTREMELY LOUD INCORRECT BUZZER]

[rav-rabies]

Hi Fi Rush Headcanons/ideas: pt 1 Heroes

got a few ideas bouncing around mostly just backstory stuff I wanted to write down to clean up my head and thought I'd share.

Pt 2

Possible trigger warnings: discussions of family fights, age gap relationships

Chai

Sun sign: Cancer, Moon: Sagittarius, Ascending: Sagittarius

Is smarter than he lets on

Grew up in a small town and got himself into trouble because there wasn't much else to do.

Never knew his father. He left home to pursue his dream of being a Rockstar and disappeared.

Chai created an idealized version of his father. Wants

Majored in Business as his mother wished but negotiated to study Music Theory as a minor. Got mostly A's and a few B's.

Quit school after being discouraged by an asshole professor and because he wanted to live his own life on his terms.

Couldn't find work after dropping out because ableism and struggled on disability payments.

Peppermint

Sun: Sagittarius, Moon: Capricorn,  Ascending: Virgo

Was an invitro baby and was conceived around the same time as Kale.

Roxanne and her husband had been separated for three years when there was an accident at the treatment center Peppermint's zygote was stored in. Roxanne was relived one of her zygotes survived and she and her estranged husband agreed to bring the child to term.

Her father died when she was barely a year old so she never got to know him.

Has a small tattoo of two intertwined violets on her back to represent Sapphic love.

More interested in environmental science and politics then robotics but was supported by Roxanne as both fields a line with her worldview.

Is planning on returning to school soon after her mother gets everything back on track at Vandelay.

Macaron

Sun: Libra, Moon: Taurus, Ascending: Pisces

Spent his vacation reconnecting with his old friends outside of Vandelay.

He was that kid who took things apart. His parents were great though and supported his interest. Just they made sure to redirect his curiosity towards lest destructive

First learned about Roxanne when he was finishing collage and wanted to become a part of something bigger. He was drawn to her ideas and drive.

Korsica

Sun: Virgo, Moon: Scorpio, Ascending: Aries

Had not been working at Vandelay long before Chai came along.

Had a tentative "friendship" with Zanzo due to both being bottom of the social hierarchy.

Has zero interest in Chai and Peppermint as romantic partners. Though that can change for peppermint. Her age is the only hurtle really. (NOTE: I do love this ship and have no problems with age gaps in shipping or sometimes irl. But, as someone in their thirties, I feel comfortable saying that we're not as inclined to date younger unless we're kind of immature like Zanzo or said 20 something is really chill.)

CNMN

CNMN doesn't need headcanons from me he's perfect as is.

Roxanne Vandelay (Heads up she gets Rose Quartzed a little)

Sun: Capricorn, Moon: Sagittarius, Ascending: Aquarius

She values altruism above all. She believes the purpose of creation in both science and the arts is to better the world.

Also values hard work and sacrifice, not to insane levels but again to the point she lacks some sympathy for those

Has a hard time accepting others as driven as her. She isn't actively mean but she's not very understanding of those with different values.

She and her husband both wanted to create a better world and fell in love while working for it. After Kale was born Her husband became devoted to his son. She believed both still/would support her vision and spent as much time with her family as she could and hoped love would be enough.

It wasn't. Overtime her son grew to resent his distant but caring mother and her husband grew sad and frustrated.

Arguments started and the rift got too big for anyone to ignore. She left.

After her husbands death Roxanne found herself a CEO of a rapidly growing company and a single mother to an unruly teen who just made a strange new friend.

[titleknown]

KAIJUNE NEO: MR BRIGHTSIDE

First of all, I want to tell you, this was not at all my fault. If they'd have listened, if they'd have gone along with the fucking plan, none of this would have happened.

The stupid thing wasn't even alive when they brought it to me. But, even I will humbly admit, it was ingredients of high quality. Primeval flesh frozen by time and strange vapors, the tools of the United States government, the very eitir of the earth...

...Yes, I refuse to call it liquid God. Beyond the apellation of false notions of divinity, it isn't just one thing, there are nuances I would be willing to explain if I believed you had the capacity to understand it. But I digress.

Now, there were initial setbacks. There were the few interlopers, who suggested that I was ethically unfit for this project, that the resource expendatures could be better-used to prevent the beasts out there culling the expendable hordes, that the whole idea of the creation of one of these creatures was deranged vanity project. 

Luckily, the people providing the resources were of like minds, even if their sights was far too low. Leave it to the US military to avoid pretensions of compassion when they see a work to be compleated.

It was going well, at first. Why, I hadn't had this much of a fruitful field since my time with the Blue Rose! They let me be, they didn't say no, and I hadn't had this much access to subjects since... well. The Blue Rose.

I will tell you, it's far easier to test the processes of life and power when they know enough to let you use a few expendables, unlike some idiots.

And then one of these puritanical SHITHEADS had to break in for one of my subjects. I don't even know what the fuss was about, I'd already used up the one he was looking for. And the idiots didn't even shoot him! Just now you get cold feet?! Just now?!

And now it is awake. And ungrateful. What's wrong you giant oaf, I thought you were a god-being, lashing out like a child over a little pain is pathetic!

At least the combative capabilities were functional, as evidenced by the plasma "fires" they still failed to put out. A small blessing, amongst the carnival of incompetence as my handlers failed to handle it.

They use the pretense to call me a creature of hubris, a terminal miles glorosius. They underestimate my skill. 

They even had the gall to call me a Faustian figure, how fucking dare! I would never make a deal with anything I couldn't cut the throat of and sip the juices from their neck.

And I will regain control over this creature, and I will enact my special plan for this world. For who is greater, God or the chymist who built God in a bottle...

-The notes of professor Thomas F. Johnson

-----------------

...So, when starting this I knew I was going to have to have some variety of dinosaur here. Lucjkily I found this cheapo toy at the Swap Meet and, as you can see, heavily modified it. This one out of all of them was one of my favorite models in terms of how it came out, I will say.

I basically picked the name of the poor tormented thing because I just thought Mr Brightside by The Killers sounded like a neat name for a kaiju, also the neon-on-black color scheme was probably a part of it.

If you're wondering why the profoundly evil professor (Who was heavily influenced by Dr Pretorius from Bride of Frankenstein and Jeffrey Combs' Herbert West, for the record) has my name, they're actually a pre-existing character from my Creepypasta Creatures of the Woods, who I made the choice to give my own name despite him being hilariously far from me. 

Again, like Devlin, this is this universe's version of the guy, not the exact same guy... maybe. It's always hard to tell with that jerk...

Ability Notes: One word: Plasma. Of all kinds and horrors, usually sort of a weird electrical fire-y green, though the fact that he's in constant pain makes it hard for him to focus on channeling it beyond wanton destruction. It's theorized where he mentally coherent, he could potentially output pulsar levels of power.

Bonus Trivia: If you want to know Professor Johnson's backstory, just watch the Behind the Bastards episodes about Scott Adams and note what they say about the man's early pre-Dilbert life. Now imagine he'd gone into mad science and things had... escalated.

And, in that grand (exceedingly late) Kaijune tradition, this character and all related narrative elements are under a CC-BY 4.0 license, as long as I, Thomas F Johnson, am credited as their creator. 

[fangirleaconmigo]

Okay, hi! I'm the anon that had been looking for the four fics! I did end up finding the fic that includes the MCD and I just want to quickly inform everyone that Jaskier is basically a zombie in this one!

If anyone was hoping to read it, it's called 'all that was good, all that was fair (all that was me is gone)' by xdandelionxbloomx + if anyone wants any more of undead Jaskier, I'd also recommend 'Kill Me Slowly' by safiraneo

Thank you to everyone who has been helping in finding the fics!

(Also the fourth fic was definitely 'ask me tomorrow', thank you so much :D)

Hi Nonny!

Ok, so in summary here are the fics you asked for and what we found:

- The first takes place after the mountain breakup and Jaskier encounters another Witcher, who I believe is Lambert?? Basically he becomes Lambert's new travel companion, even creating some new songs for him. He eventually takes Jaskier to the keep, which Geralt is at as well, and they just kind of try to make Geralt jealous, even going as far as to pretend they had sex in the room next to him. Yeah, he's hurt... but they work through it.

Ok, this one is Let Someone Love You by @contemplativepancakes thanks @stinastar for the tag

We have more recommendations of similar premises from the comments: (thanks @tiikafiredancer and @ambitiousstripper)

The Path not Taken by Sospes on ao3

strings of fate binding us together by winterbitch (WinterLadyy) on ao3

witcher of convenience by operacricket on ao3

Blue Skies Are Coming (Being Rewritten) by cloudspeck on ao3

- the second I'm not sure when it takes place, but Jaskier had died. It's a non-human/creature Jaskier. He sprouts up in the middle of a field and basically begins wandering around. we follow him as he goes through this and begins to relearn everything he once knew. There's a scene where he (unintentionally) terrorizes a family at a camp, and as they flee, the father feels for Jask, despite him being well... a monstrous being.

So this one is:

all that was good, all that was fair (all that was me is gone) by @xdandelionxbloomx

(thanks to everyone who found this one for me, I can't wait to read it)

(here is the link for the other one you recommend, 'Kill Me Slowly' by safiraneo)

- The third one is kind of a modern au. Since witchers get to live long, he and the rest of the gang (including Ciri, Yen, Regis, etc.) have just lived through everything until the 21st century. Jaskier, having been mortal, died a long time ago. But recently, his body had gone missing. Julian is a professor, I believe he's a uh History professor? Nonetheless, all i remember is that Roach is a van and they got hunted by vampires at some point. I think Geralt owns a villa at a town in which Yen is the mayor. Julian's parents do NOT like Geralt because he's a witcher.

This is the only one we don't have! Anyone with a lead on this one, let us know.

- The last i believe is an established relationship fic. But basically, Jaksier is hit with a curse or something, but it's causing him to age backwards now. So of course this leads to him forgetting about Geralt. That's just kind of it, they're trying to enjoy the time they have left with each other and their memories. It ends when Jaskier turns 18 once again, the same age at which he met Geralt.

Ok, you said this was ask me tomorrow by @theaceace

A fic with a similar premise highly recommended by @ambitiousstripper and @anie6142 is Time Again by didoandis on ao3 (can't find their tumblr, if anyone knows, let me know)

Ok, that's what we have so far! Hopefully we find the third one at some point.

Thanks for dropping in nonny, and a shout out to the amazing fic writers of the witcher universe xoxoxo

[sixty-silver-wishes]

Do you know of any good paying jobs for writers? You've mentioned getting a certification for editing while in college (?) and I was wondering how you did that

unfortunately I'm still looking! I'm currently doing a bit of freelance with BlueCat Screenwriting Competition, where I'm reading and reviewing people's scripts, and getting paid $25 per feature script review. This isn't that much, but it's mainly to build my resume; I currently work in retail as my main job, although I'm hoping to quit as soon as I can find something that pays better. The writing world is all about connections; it's super competitive, and many of my peers whom I graduated with are in the same boat as me for now. As of now, I'm mainly doing freelance and applying for internships and jobs in publishing, but also anywhere that might need editing, proofreading, or communications work, which many companies do, not just publishing houses; you may find yourself looking outside just publishing in order to land a writing job. However, if you are looking into publishing, PublishersMarketplace.com and Bookjobs.com are both sites that regularly list job opportunities. In addition to browsing those frequently, I'm also on Linkedin trying to network with my former professors and classmates. I've gotten to the point where I'm finally getting interviews after applying for jobs for months, so fingers crossed!

As for my certificate, I earned it along with my Bachelor's in Creative Writing in college; if you're currently in college, I'd recommend asking your advisor if that certificate is offered. It's a bit like a minor, but with a few less qualifications (I would have taken a minor if it was offered, but my university only had the certificate). Nonetheless, it was quite rigorous and required a number of classes that the Creative Writing degree didn't, including graphic design, advanced English grammar, some linguistics courses, and a course on the editing industry. I also was able to work on the staff of the university literary magazine for credit for the certificate; if you're able to do this, I highly recommend it. Lit magazines look good on your resume if you're going into publishing, and while they're very intensive, you'll learn and apply a variety of skills- editing and proofreading, communicating with student authors, organizing tasks and coordinating events, graphic design work, and learning to manage your time within strict deadlines. It's basically intended as a preview of professional editing, so if that's what you want to do, I'd recommend looking into it. Good luck!

One more tip- if you're in writing classes, or in any other humanities field, make friends! Yes, the industry is competitive, but don't think of your classmates as competition; they may be the people who will help you get a leg up in the future. Workshop together, collaborate, critique each other's works, and keep in touch! I still try to communicate with people who were in my classes; we can let each other know which opportunities we've found, keep each other updated on our creative projects and career paths, and encourage each other's writing. :)

[bsdndprplplld]

I can relate to your undergrad experience! And I think it might be a good sign looking forward, because you've developed insights and ways of thinking and motivation to go beyond undergrad and seek out new spaces where you can do your own work. That's by no means common, I know many fellow undergrads who are a) as mystified when they retake a class as they were the first time round, and b) feel accomplished enough to have passed eg Introductory Analysis and have no drive to look onward. You seem to know very much what you're good at, what interests you and which areas you'd like to grow in. I'd argue that undergrad studies, which give you an introduction and overview of the field and teach basic reasoning skills while not expecting any really original problem solving aren't exactly made for people like you. Talking to your professors or Masters or even PhD students is a really good idea!

thank you for your input, it brings a huge relief!

I already talked to two of my professors and they said that there is nothing to worry about. my advisor said that in his opinion learning new concepts while working on some problem is the right way to learn and from his experience this is way more rewarding than learning for school or even "just to learn". he also said that if I'm interested in working more on open stuff then he will let me know when he finds some questions I could ponder. the other professor said that it's a good thing, because from his experience a lot of people tend to get discouraged when there is no way of knowing how long solving the problem will take or how much new theory is needed, and I seem to be the other way around, so the work I'll be doing in the future probably won't scare me as much

I talked to some of my friends who are about to finish undergrad like me, and there are people who feel the same way as I do. coincidentally, those are the people who had the same situation as mine, that is, they were lucky enough to find an advisor who gave them an open question to work on. other people I talked to seem to be fairly content with studying for the classes and completing homework assignments, and they didn't get to work on something open yet, so maybe it has something to do with getting the taste of the good stuff haha

I can see now that the future looks good and I'm motivated to go exploring. I am aware that I have so much more to learn, but having got the reassurance that I'm probably doing it right, it doesn't sound as scary anymore

[grapenehifics]

Chapter 47

(Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/40473339/chapters/109815567)

Is 180,000 words into a 300,000 word fic a weirdly long time to wait to introduce a major character? Probably! But that's just how it worked out. Anyway, this is the chapter where we meet Padme for the first time.

Even Anakin, notorious late-sleeper that he is, can appreciate a nice, slow morning waking up to the sound of rain outside his window every once in a while.

I needed to do a load of laundry while on vacation once and the laundromat near the hotel had pinball and air hockey tables and I thought it was the absolute best thing ever. Why are all laundromats not like this? You're stuck there with a pocketful of quarters anyway!

I know the Christmas chapter literally just happened but I like that Ahsoka and Anakin both wear the hats Satine knitted for them last chapter. Hell, let's say Obi-Wan and Satine are wearing their scarves, too, why not.

The case Satine is working on is the plot to the Chris Evans/McKenna Grace movie Gifted.

Ontario seems like the kind of place that would be hosting a conference. Not to expensive, but right next to an airport, and it's got lots of hotels. (And, yes, I checked, Amtrak from LA Union Station to Ontario Airport is about an hour.)

Gnocchi is something, like sushi, I thought would be way more trouble than its worth to make at home, but I tried once and it's actually pretty easy! Time-consuming (although I'm sure I'd get faster with practice), but easy to do.

One of my aunts found her cat at a community college in basically this same way, only hers was in a box left underneath her car. She came back to the parking lot after class and was like, uh, don't want to drive over that, so she pulled it out and wow, there was a kitten inside! Anakin doesn't have a car, so I modified it a little for this story.

'Sniff the scented tampon' is a real thing that happened to me in 9th grade health class. Like Ahsoka, I thought it was one of the stupider things that had ever happened to me.

I also like to use up random leftovers in my fridge, throw it into a blender and call it pesto!

Besides being a famous jazz club, 'Blue Note' was also the name of a racehorse in the Paul Newman/Robert Redford movie The Sting.

I know this is fiction and all and I probably don't need to say it but, don't flirt with your professors! Even if they are really attractive! (I flirted with a teaching assistant once but I was so bad at it I think I got away with it.)

Obi-Wan having Christmas crackers for his birthday is a callback all the way to chapter 20, when Anakin and Obi-Wan go out to dinner and talk about their past birthdays.

'Having' to put something in every drawer in a hotel is a joke from the Cremona episode of Cabin Pressure, and "it's the LAW" is from the Qikiqtarjuaq episode.

'Forced family fun' is something my mother used to say when she wanted us to go to something we didn't want to go to. "You have to! We're having forced family fun!"

The Clippers did, in fact, have a pretty good 2012-2013 season.

I assume social work is, like mine, a field that's small enough that you end up seeing people you know at state conferences.

[riemmetric]

greetings!!

i am soon applying for college and maths is honestly one of my favourite things and I think I'd enjoy studying it in greater detail. The problem is, I also really enjoy computer science, and chemistry, and biology, and quite honestly almost every stem area I got the privilege of learning about. One other issue is that while i think I'd enjoy studying maths more than most other things i like, I can't really think of a job that I would enjoy doing later. Finances?? School?? A bank????? really not my thing. And I'd still have at least some contact with mathematics in all those other fields that im also interested in. like.... i know it won't, naturally, be the same, but i feel I'd also mourn not getting to study something else if maths is what i end up choosing. any advice, as someone who did study maths??? if you have a job, do you find it interesting??

thanks in advance :)

Hi anon!

I actually didn't start with math, I went to university to study automation engineering, because I enjoyed computer science in high school and wanted to have a cool job. Being a math teacher (pre-university level) looked like something that would be boring and I was also scared of the responsibility of taking care of minors and dealing with parents. But math has always been the love of my life and so, after finishing my engineering degree, I did my masters in math and pursued a phd in math (which I defended this year).

Now, my circumstances are special for two reasons: 1. I genuinely do enjoy teaching and 2. there is a vacancy at my university that I will apply for and have a very good chance in getting. So my career prospects are working in academia, with half my job dedicated to teaching and the other half dedicated to research. I don't have much information about jobs you can get with a math degree outside of academia.

Here's a few thoughts: since you said college, I assume you're from the USA. As far as I know, you have some freedom in your first year to choose different classes without having to commit to a major yet, right? Pick all the stem classes you are interested in and see which one you miss most when they're over. Ask your professors about research opportunities, they'll know better. Would you like to get into pure math? Then I'm afraid academia will be the only career option. Do you enjoy applied math? Then from the stories I hear from my professors and colleagues, applied mathematicians are sought after in many different fields that require data analysis (like biology and chemistry).

You say you really enjoy computer science. I think an objectively good decision would be to always keep computer science in your back pocket. Take computer science classes, do extra courses, get some piece of paper that attests that you can program a computer to solve a problem. I had some very interesting research and career opportunities come my way just because I know what Matlab is; I study pure math (infinite dimensional manifolds) and a lot of older researchers don't like computers at all. But you know, mathematics is something really special. If you love it, if it makes you happy, if you enjoy the struggle of writing proofs and endless learning, do pursue it. There's nothing quite like it.

[lauvra]

Lost/Found Notes Pt. 11. 17/02/22 Remembering the body communicates it's needs, I wonder why mine suggests I swallow the ocean. Is this what they call the mind's corruption? This renewed ease in turning away? Is living in accordance with the true nature of things to devour, after all? Perhaps I am to rewrite the mind in order to allow others leave with their lives. Swim free, you functional scaly holograms. Reprogram me, I want the flicker of system failure just long enough to fall off the ladder. Maybe I'll wake as a pixel glint in the eye of some anonymous user's design. I can barely reason with deniers of reincarnation, it's all that's ever made much sense to me, naturally. I saw the Vulture on screen at the movie theatre last night and cried in silence. What gives any the grand belief they'll come back breathing? Maybe I'll return as the moment Donkey Kong's adversary realises he's been struck by a barrel. Just one pause out of trillions of indistinguishable discoveries. 23/2/22 A new freckle fell from the sky and landed on my arm. 26/2/22 I can't bring myself yet to contest my peace, it has been so long wandering toward this clearing in which I finally find myself and I know I'll not stay long, for even if I do, time will eventually overtake. The sun and rains will tempt the clearing into overgrowth and I will become again entangled. So I'll just sit here, and not drag guilt or grief into this field. 8/3/22 On my street the trees are emerging through the asphalt, victorious. Reclaim us. 15/03/22 I wake at intervals in defiance. In dreams I am chained inside frames that make me make sense to others. I wake at intervals to poetry unfolding faster than I can tack it down. I wake at intervals as what I am. I strip in my sleep, waking naked and for an instant I can see. I wake with a saintly grace, then forget myself. 15/03/22 People don't want to be wrong about even their worst assumptions. 17/3/22 Some people had no chance against intellectual thought. He says I'm to wait two weeks for the next book we'll read together. I like to visualise laying beside somebody, reading our respective books in peace, reaching over to pat the curvature of soft linen every so often, just to be sure. In this time I've read Lispector's 'An Apprenticeship or the Book of Pleasures', it's about Lori, a disconnected teacher who meets a philosophy Professor who waits. People don't wait for each other anymore, I've been guilty of it. What happened to courtship? I've been reading Andy Warhol's book. I read it a decade ago, but I was different, then. I'm so taken by what reads as his accurate portrayal of his own aura and presented vision that I sat the book down to contemplate what I'd say of myself. How could somebody so fixated on nothing, be so well drawn? Where does the time go when I do this? I devour it, yet it shits me out? Okay. 18/3/22 My friend said "Mirrors don't work for you like they do for other people." 23/03/22 Intimate understanding of another has only ever been a brief illusion, a beautiful idea. Temporary commonality found on grounds ever shifting. I believe we are alone.

4/4/22 [BTW, for as long as you allow them.] How many times do people think they can dismiss you and expect you'll still open up about your inner life to them? How many times can someone mock your belief system, judge and mischaracterise it, claim to hold the answers as only a radical would and find you capable of coexisting? How many times can someone show appreciation for all your tolerance, then decide at a whim they're unique and dismiss where the similarities really lay. People think love bombing isn't sincere, unfortunately it often is. That's why it works. People think devaluing is a momentary lapse, but that too is also authentic, at the time. I don't want to hear how great I am, the negative cycles back around and I hear the same insults, again. If you think I should ignore recurring behaviours that impact me negatively, that you exhibit compulsively, then you're the problem. My problem is that I keep thinking I can explain this to you. No one should expose themselves repeatedly to people who don't respect them. 17/4/22 Triumph of comprehension.

[ckameley]

Also, I feel like there are so many things I want to read but not enough time

I want to (and will) finish Song of Night by Glenville Lovell. I wanted to read fiction stories by Bajan authors and his was the only book I had access to without having to buy it (thankfully there was a copy at the university)

I will get to The Word for World is Forest and eventually The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin eventually, but I may push it back so I can continue reading non-Le Guin works. (I trust that I will become absorbed into her writings so I'd rather save those stories for after I read new books -- same logic goes towards rereading/finishing the Earthsea Cycle.)

I want to read a Black scholar's dissertation because it's in a field I have no academic background in but the topic interests me and I am interested in exploring what the standard is for literary academics (and reading an early-career professor's dissertation whose life I've been following for the last couple of years seems like the perfect way to learn about her work)

There are a few books from the AnthroBiology podcast that were recommended by some guests that seem interesting to learn more about their research

My dad suggested I read some self-help books to help me get some guidance on how to approach my future and career. He has suggested them in the past when I was younger but didn't feel lost in a way where I'd need them, but now I'm open to the idea since I do feel uncertain about what direction I'm going in. (Also the books he likes/has recommended have been written by old white men, but he mentioned I could find some that "stick" with me, which helped me realize that there has to be self-help books by Black women/woc who share their life wisdom)

I am grateful to have rediscovered this enjoyment for reading, and to have the ability to read so that I can learn and imagine. I know not everyone in this world is afforded the right to learn how to read/write, and it's so easy to take this mode of communication for granted