#Grad Students

[tarvek-sturmvoraus]

i love classes in grad school, where "it's debatable whether-" is code for "it absolutely does not and i will physically fight you about it"

[mothshrub]

Hey, this is cool!

[merthurao3recs]

Whatever a Moon Has Always Meant

Author: prettyboyporter

Rating: Explicit

Word Count: 7,723

Details: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon, Merlin (Arthurian), Arthur Pendragon, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - College/University, Term Papers, Academia, Getting Together, Happy Ending, First Kiss, First Time, Romance, Smut.

Summary: modern grad school AU. Arthur and Merlin are two tortured students at Northwestern University, and someone’s carrying a big torch.

[digiknow]

[leifandthorn]

Needed a physicist for the Leif & Thorn plot, so I came up with Russ Raifort. Then they needed some ducklings to follow them around, pushing buttons and chewing on pens in the background...so I drew these three.

Like with the vampire servants a couple books earlier, their "names" are all based on their color schemes! Like with Russet, they all have plant names that double as the names of neutral-warm colors.

Cinnamon is from Kinyon, Saffron is from the United Islands, and Burgundy is from Beal.

[wordpress-blaze-15182341]

Missiles and Meal Service: The Hidden Toll of Flying in War-zones

Common occupational hazards in aviation; the not so new flight deck stressors would encompass turbulence, delayed pushbacks, and that one passanger having an issue with someone reclining their seat (this is so very common, believe me). Let’s not forget another one who thinks the seatbelt sign doesn’t apply to them while on active runway (because they are just itching for a snack they left inside their carry-on luggage in the overhead bin. Opens bin, then bag falls off on them and everyone around. SMH)

Back to business. Pilots and cabin crew flying over the Middle East lately, especially in and out of Qatar, well, there’s a new, less subtle source of anxiety: missile attacks. Who doesn’t know the news by now?

Yes, flying into Doha these days might involve dodging airspace closures, U.S. airbase targets, and the occasional Iranian and Israeli news. Glamorous, right?

Very.

While passengers worry about delayed in-flight meals and Wi-Fi speeds being too slow or disconnecting , the crew up front and in the aisles are dealing with something much much heavier: the psychological toll of flying through a region where geopolitics are very unpredictable, stormy, and always just over the horizon.

What Happened in Qatar Exactly, you ask?

In resent years, we’ve witnessed sensitive airspaces and in response, airlines have shut down their airspaces. Flights being rerouted faster than a teenager dodging chores have become commonplace, and airline dispatchers around the world had one collective panic attack.

Now just imagine this. Inflight, flight crew are prepping beverage carts while air defence systems light up the radar. Boom-Chaka-Boom! Just another day in the skies.

Cabin Pressure: Flying with a Side of Adrenaline

Yes, crew (deck crew and cabin crew) are trained to handle demarcates, but war is not an average Emmergency! It’s one thing to worry about fuel efficiency. It’s another to fly over a region where missiles are a real-time hazard.

There is a huge difference between trusting an aircraft, the team, and trusting geopolitics.

Constant anticipatory anxiety.

Hypervigilance, even on layovers.

The unsettling knowledge that their aircraft might share airspace with defense drones, military jets, and… well, more missiles.

Hospitality Meets Hostility

Cabin crew, as you know, are the face of calm, smile and all. Even so, smiling while you serve fish, beef and a gluten free meal on a flight skimming a conflict zone? That’s dark art right there.

Results:

Crew becoming emotionally disconnected from their jobs.

Guilt when evacuating people while others are left behind. 2020 clears throat!

Luxury inflight service inside a pressure cooker floating mid air at 40,000 feet while those on ground are ducking. Definately dystopian!

More Fuel, More Detours, More Fatigue

Yep! Practical stress:

Flights being rerouted to avoid hot zones, adding hours to duty time.

Longer flight hours mean more fatigue, which affects both performance and emotional bandwidth.

There’s no glamour-AT ALL in a 15 hour turnaround because there is no clearance to land.

What Airlines Are Maybe doing

Critical Incident Stress Management teams.

Therapy appointments.

Pre and post dispatch briefings.

Even so, lots of crews feel out of the loop. Why you ask?Because, you get the news that you’re flying a risky zone when you’re already on it.

Hidden Costs: Forget Fuel and Insurance

Mental Health RiskWhat It Looks LikePTSD or traumaFlashbacks, fawning, sleep interruptions, avoidanceBurnoutEmotional numbness, lack of purposeAnxietyReccuring worry, overanalysing proceduresIsolationFeeling detached and lack of support on layovers or at home

These risks don’t show up on a flight log, but hey, they impact safety, morale, and retention. We talk about maintaining aircraft fatigue limits. What about crew fatigue limits?

Where Do We Go From Here?

How about a Flight Plan for Mental Health in Conflict Zones:

Transparent Security Briefings.

Weight & balance before takeoff is paramount, so is mental health balance.

Flight Debriefs After High-Stress Flights.

Better Global Oversight, meaning ICAO, IATA and other relevant bodies must update protocols for mental wellness involving high-risk routes.

Bottom line, pilots and cabin crew are indeed professionals for they train, adapt, and make sure to get the job done. But, they are people too and not robots. People who fly into the world’s most dangerous zones with nothing more than a safety manual and nerves of steel.

We owe them patience, understanding, protection and genuine support as they navigate war zones with grit and grace.

Fly safe. Check on your crew friends, and just maybe skip the missile jokes during boarding.

Source: Missiles and Meal Service: The Hidden Toll of Flying in War-zones

[istra-ish-sucha-geek]

I legit ran into a level 2 of these research papers in the wild for school last term, and I chortled gleefully for 37 minutes.

academic bias is so funny because you’ll be reading about the same historical event and one person is like “Despite the troubles that befell his homeland and near constant criticism of the court King Blorbo remained strong in the face of adversity” and the other one is like “after letting his people carry the brunt of his cringefail decisions Blorbo the Shitface refused to listen to any reason and continued to be a warmongering piece of shit. Also he was ugly.”

[onceandfutureclotpoll]

Title: Wafels and Destiny

Author: asilentherald

Rating: Explicit

Summary: In which Merlin works a waffle truck in Manhattan and accidentally seduces Arthur by eating whipped cream straight out of the spray can.

Or, stupid, awkward boys are graduate students at NYU and take a little time, several instances of poor communication, and a blind date to get their heads out of their asses.

[smart-macademia]

the key to surviving grad school (also maybe life but definitely grad school) is to pick a side quest every few months or so. something that brings you joy and that you can get better at over time, independent of whether or not your research or classes are going well. put your need for academic validation to use in a non-academic setting and everything will feel less dire and you will learn you are more than your work

[how-to-get-away-with-study]

Got finally accepted into my chosen Grad School and I'm so excited to start! 🥳

What are your tips or things you wish you knew before starting grad school? 📖

[meltinii]

hualian fits!

[imafraidoftomorrow]

One of the applicants we JUST accepted into our program like a week ago lost his mother on Monday to a horrible hit and run car accident... I was scheduled to give him a tour of our learning spaces on Friday when he had to call and cancel and explain why... My heart is fucking shattered for him.

His mother was walking alongside her property besides the highway when someone struck her while driving, and the God damn coward just sped off... From his interview, I know that his mother raised him all by herself, and now he's lost her...

I picked up a sympathy card for our program to sign and send to him, but my heart just wants to weep for him. To be so young and to Iose your only parent in such a horrible way... To probably find her in the state she was after... To have one of the happiest moments of your life be so tainted by total tragedy not even a week later... They probably went out and celebrated his acceptance, not knowing it was the last time they would celebrate anything together. That his mom, who undoubtedly supported his dreams of becoming a PA and who was probably so proud of him for getting a step closer, will never see him be a PA now...

I can't think about it without wanting to cry...

[scsulibrary]

Join Rebecca Hedreen from SCSU’s Buley Library for some quick tips that will save you some time and trouble as you as you move forward in the thesis/dissertation process. Wednesday, Oct 11, 2023 3:00pm - 4:30pm EDT, Graduate Study Room (BU443) More at https://calendar.southernct.edu/event/26227-preparing-your-thesisdissertation

[outragedtortilla]

a message to my fellow grad students

[ribbittrobbit]

The adventures of the Wizard Sorrow & Boshi (working title): a WBN Umora OC comics collab with @yeehawpim!!!!!

Pim did the story + layout and then let me run wild (and pop in at odd hours with questions about Boshi's design) See Pim's mad composition genius + OC lore over here Sorrow lore here & here

👀 more to come perhaps 👀

[digiknow]