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123 » feeling lost and i don't know what to do now
[They'd been interesting students, Aether and his sister — both had majored in history, with concentrations in sociology and ancient civilizations respectively. Not a common thing to study in today's day and age, but they had both been unwavering, unshakable in their decisions. They'd both excelled in their fields of study, as well: Lumine had chosen to focus her graduate thesis on Mondstadt's aristocratic area, putting her in touch with Venti, but Aether had written extensively about ancient Liyue, landing several remarkable publications in national science and history journals, all of which he'd run past Zhongli, department chair, for editing.
And yet, after graduation, Lumine had landed a highly respected archaeological survey in far-flung Sumeru, and Aether...
Aether, for some reason, had stayed behind.
Was there not enough room for two more researchers on the team? Had they just found Lumine the better candidate? More importantly, have there been no other opportunities for Aether since graduation? That's difficult to believe, given the quality of his graduate work, but it can't be denied that he hasn't seemed to have done much of anything in the field of history since he earned his degree. He's had no publications, no movements in his public profile; he doesn't even seem to be actively seeking employment.
In person, Aether's been vague about his prospects. Mysterious, even. And yet, despite everything, he's stayed in touch with Zhongli — stayed in touch with Zhongli and Zhongli alone, of all the professors he used to work with as a graduate student. He's gone to dinners and lunches and networking events with Zhongli; he's met him for coffee and tea and walks through local parks. It might be fair to say that they've moved past being professor-and-student and instead become simple colleagues and friends.
Case in point —]
And yet, after graduation, Lumine had landed a highly respected archaeological survey in far-flung Sumeru, and Aether...
Aether, for some reason, had stayed behind.
Was there not enough room for two more researchers on the team? Had they just found Lumine the better candidate? More importantly, have there been no other opportunities for Aether since graduation? That's difficult to believe, given the quality of his graduate work, but it can't be denied that he hasn't seemed to have done much of anything in the field of history since he earned his degree. He's had no publications, no movements in his public profile; he doesn't even seem to be actively seeking employment.
In person, Aether's been vague about his prospects. Mysterious, even. And yet, despite everything, he's stayed in touch with Zhongli — stayed in touch with Zhongli and Zhongli alone, of all the professors he used to work with as a graduate student. He's gone to dinners and lunches and networking events with Zhongli; he's met him for coffee and tea and walks through local parks. It might be fair to say that they've moved past being professor-and-student and instead become simple colleagues and friends.
Case in point —]