#so i go to their other clinic that has like. grad students getting their first clinical experiences while being supervised by a real doctor

[otaku553]

Ok a few questions...

1st - the little reaction character you draw for every ask is so cute have u learnt to draw or just an amateur? I mean I hardly am able to draw such quick sketches my work takes days to complete

2nd - your major is so much superior and brainy it hurts my brain ( as a med student I find tech people really brainy) and currently I am trying to do some research on Ai in med how shd I approach that ? At an under grad level where I am hardly having any independent clinical practice and any good knowledge on Ai? I mean I do try studying it but I won't ever be at par with proper Ai studies at tech institutes. Pls help.

1) As you might have guessed from my STEM academic background, art is mostly a hobby for me and I’ve never actually been professionally trained or taken lessons for it :) most of what I know comes from YouTube videos and books and stuff, accumulated over,,,,, I think 13 years now of drawing?? I’m lucky my parents really encouraged me to draw and kept nurturing that interest in me when I was young, haha

These quick sketches are actually all done on my notes app and are only so quick because going fast was the only way to get the nice line weight I wanted so I trained it up so I could do these in a minute or less :) if you dig up my oldest ask response doodles though you can definitely see where I started from haha

2) If you’re looking into the basics of machine learning theory at the undergrad level, Caltech has the entire introductory course available for free on YouTube! I don’t know if it’s the best way to learn but it’s pretty alright from what I remember? What you need will depends a lot on the scope of what research you’re doing, I think. AI in the loosest sense is a thing of data organization and prediction based on some funky math stuff. If you need help actually implementing it you might need some other online tutorial but since most of these models are already prebuilt on things like PyTorch and matlab you generally don’t actually need to thoroughly know the math background for it I think. (I think especially matlab has nice documentation so it’s especially easy to do your first implementation of models there but uhh take that with a grain of salt)

Otherwise, if you’re specifically researching the ways it interfaces with medicine, I’d recommend going to Google scholar and searching up academic journals and articles about it. If the jargon is a bit much, you can look up articles elsewhere like in the general news and then look at the articles from there. If you have a mentor for research, as well, I would definitely recommend asking them for literature to review. Happy researching!

[be-the-glenn-to-my-maggie]

Idk if you’ve answered something like this before but how does Grace fit into your modern AU?

I am so glad you asked, anon, I am excited people care about this au. Lol, I have a meme post in the works about this concept, which is that in every Avatar au no matter how many characters you decide lived, Grace has always gotta die so that Kiri can be a Sully. Oops lol.

I have vaguely touched on it, but I will expand even more lol.

-Norm, Tommy, and Jake were all in foster care together. Norm and Tommy clicked immediately, bonding over science and creativity, wanting to understand how every single thing worked. Jake just kind of fits, because he fits anywhere Tommy fits, and after a few years, he fits wherever Norm fits too. Jake calls himself dumb and a jock, but he is an excellent student. He can learn anything he puts his mind to, and Norm and Tommy know that. He just isn't interested in what they are, so sometimes he makes them play football or play video games. Norm and Jake are both deeply into movies and pop culture, while Tommy can't sit through a movie to save his life. They just all go together.

-Grace loves kids even though she hates wasting time. She thinks kids are smarter than adults a lot of the time, they ask questions regardless of how it'll make them look and actually state their intentions. They bring up points of view she hadn't thought of. So, even though she's been on tenure at the college she does research at for years, when she's on campus with her research students she holds a little week long summer camp for kids interested in science. Jake goes where Norm and Tommy go, and when they are thirteen they start attending.

-Norm and Tommy glue themselves to Grace from day one and she quickly learns the three are orphans and lowkey adopts them by the end of the week. She gives them her number and tells them they are welcome any time because they are so good at botany. They take this offer up all the fucking time. Jake is their little science bitch boy, just showing up and being asked to move a million different things. He knows so many science words he wishes he didn't. He likes visiting Grace though, because she always keeps a couch free for him to nap on.

-Norm and Tommy basically apprentice for Grace from thirteen on, Max calls them Pain and Panic, because they are like her little henchmen and because when they get stressed Tommy bangs his hand on a table and then always yells ow and Norm starts chewing off all his fingernails and freaking out.

-As soon as they graduate and get their degrees they go on research trip after research trip with her. One time during grad school a student who was having a hard time accused Norm of just getting his degree because Grace makes it easy for him and Tommy, and Norm laughed so hard he cried, because Grace is convinced that they learned the basics in middle school and makes their work harder.

-Norm gets into fostering because he wants to make life easier for the kids in the system like him and Tommy and Jake, and he knows how important the stable people like Grace and the twins were. After that he sticks in one place, teaching and going for a medical degree on the side, which is how he ends up volunteering at Mo'at's clinic.

-Tommy sticks with Grace, and that is why he is away on a research trip with her for four years in the jungle when Jake is paralyzed. This particular trip was the first Tommy's running and directing himself. This is why in my other post I mentioned Norm continuously threatening to tell Tommy what happened, because Jake didn't want to ruin his life's work because he knows Tommy would fly back right away. At first he was also totally embarrassed about what happened, sadly. Where I last left the au with the jeytiri post though, paralyzed, married, and now with a child on the way, now he's just too far deep in the hole.

-I think Tommy finds out, probably from Mo'at who got bored and decided to stir some shit up and tell Grace. Tommy's rage can be felt across oceans as he flies back instantly and leaves Grace to finish up the end of the trip. It's at the end of that trip that she dies, right after surprise Kiri is born and left in the custody of Jake and Neytiri. Grace had seen both of them grow up separately, and knows they are starting a family. What's one more kid?

[yardsards]

my hobbies include watching the sheer horror on new therapists' faces when i tell them about my childhood

[miekasa]

speaking of college boys, what do the college au aot babies study??

Okay, okay, I think I’ve talked about this in an ask before but I can’t find it 😭😭 but it’s okay, I love college aus, so I’ll talk about it again! Plus, now I’ve got more thoughts for more characters, so here we go

Levi — neuroscience and psychology of human behavior

He started out on track to do a bachelor of arts in psychology, but when they touched on the anatomy and biological parts of it during his first year lecture, he switched to a bachelor of science.

The focus is still psychology, but through a more clinical lens. Essentially, he gets the best of both worlds this way. He’s intuitive and analytical, so clinical and mental diagnosis is easy to dissect for him. He’s also canonically good at math, so the calculus and stats parts aren’t too bad, either.

This major also leaves him with a few options post-grad, which is a nice bonus for him. He’s likely going to medical school, but that’s not the only route open to him: law school, therapy, lab work, medicine and pharmacy, even teaching are all viable options without going to grad school.

Do not talk to him about Freud unless you wanna get punted off a building.

Be careful with him, because with a single glance he’s already got scarily accurate predictions about your parental and emotional attachment styles, your behavior in social settings, and the onset (or seemingly lack thereof) of your frontal lobe development.

He thinks he’s so smart making comments like, “I see those synaptic connections aren’t working so well for you today,” like mf come here let me lobotomize you and see how well your synaptic connects are working after that🙄

Eren — general health sciences

He’s interested in science and the discovery aspects of it, but picking a specific field of focus right now feels too final. He likes it this way, because his schedule and requirements are less restrictive, and he has more room to find out what really interests him.

He does best when he’s doing something he loves, so picking a major with a bunch of reqs that he couldn’t care less about would have sucked big time for him. It also would have affected his grades. There are still some classes he has to take that he’s not fond of (see: chemistry), but that’s to be expected. Science in general is cool to him and he hopes to make his own discovery some day, even if it’s microscopic.

He also plays a lot of sports, keeping his schedule flexible is important. The sports end up helping him excel academically, which is a nice bonus. Honestly, Eren uses his time at university to learn more about himself than anything, so having control and freedom to do what he likes the majority of the time was important to him. 

He uses his elective credits to take philosophy or history courses of his interest, or maybe even a course that you’re in just to spend time with you. He also uses you as a live model for his homework bye, congrats on being patient number one to him.

Armin — astronomy and physics

He’s still interested in marine biology, but unless he attended a school near a coast, or with a specialized integrated program for that, it’s unlikely he’d major in it during undergrad.

Space and ocean exploration aren’t all that different. Both are vast, largely unexplored domains that reel-in Armin’s interest for discovery. So, while studying astronomy, he still gets to study evolution and make his own predictions about what could be out there because there’s so much to know.

Physics comes with the territory of learning about planetary science, and he’s mathematically inclined, so it works out for him. Learning about the different physical properties of other planets and space masses is honestly pretty sick to him. Because math isn’t a struggle, he actually considered aeronautical engineering, but he didn’t want to be a part of the college to military pipeline; that is, he didn’t want any potential design of his to be weaponized. 

He still gets to study animal biology through his elective courses, and might even find a few focused on marine animals to satiate him. Plant and cell biology are also of interest to him, and are just further applications of his primary study anyway, so he’s got plenty of room to work with.

This boy is interning at NASA and still, with his whole chest out is like, “I don’t need to discover a new planet, you’re my whole world.” Armin, go check on the Mars rover or something please.

Mikasa — anthropology + minor in japanese language studies

Anthropology is virtually interdisciplinary in nature, and Mikasa is a pretty well rounded student, so she’s able to excel in a program like this. She gets to study history, science, cultural studies, and even a bit of art all at once.

She’s still debating between going to law school vs med school, so anthro this is a good in-betweener. She gets a taste of science through her anatomy and kin courses; and lots of practice with reading and dissecting texts through the historical and cultural lectures. So, when the time comes to decide, she’ll have some experience with both.

Don’t know whether it’s confirmed that she’s (part) Japanese or not, but either way I headcanon that she speaks/spoke some second language at home. She wanted to delve more into it, and courses were offered at the university so why not?

Cultural studies courses end up being her favorite. She likes learning about the history of people and their cultures, and it encourages her to learn more about her own family history and culture. It also propels her to apply for a study abroad opportunity, so she spends at least one semester doing an exchange program and absolutely loves it.

She would also encourage you to apply and go, too. You guys might not be in the same program, but if there’s an applicable program in the same country she’s going to, then she’d definitely want you to apply. Spending the semester away with you would be a dream come true.

Hange — bioengineering + minor in political philosophy and law

It’s almost self-sabotage to be in an engineering program and have a minor; the coursework for engineering alone is backbreaking, and bioengineering has the added weight of human intricacies, but of course Hange makes it possible. 

They’re nothing short of a genius, so of course they have time to work a completely unrelated minor into their schedule. It doesn’t surprise anyone that they go on to complete an MD-PhD after undergrad. Insane. 

Bioengineering is essentially the synthesis of chemical engineering and health sciences; Hange spends their time exploring biological sciences and applies the engineering aspects of their coursework to their understanding of (and interest in creating) medicine. Truly a one of a kind mind. 

They also have an interest in philosophy and justice, so when they found out they only needed a measly nine or ten courses to minor in, they went for it, of course. In honesty, they don’t find the studies all that opposing: both law making and medicine making both have some kind of philosophy or method to them in their eyes. 

Hange has... little to no free time pls. They don’t mind it, because they love their coursework, but this means you are essentially ducking into their labs or scrambling to find them in-between their classes during your time in undergrad. They appreciate every second spent with you tho, and will gladly rope you into long discussions about their work. 

Jean — biochemistry + minor in art sustainability

He was undeclared his first year, and took a little bit of everything: art, science, history, anthropology, english. Basically, anything that fit into his schedule. It was hard for him to pick one thing—he liked the science and lab applications of STEM courses, but not the math; and the obvious painting and creativity of art, but hated the pretentious air about art history.

What he wants to do is make a difference, which is how he ends up knowing that he wants to go to med school after, so he picks a science-heavy major, but uses his elective spaces to take art courses. When he mixes the two, he ends up on sustainability—and the complexities about it that are applicable to both science and art are what really reels him in.

Interdisciplinary studies end up being his forte. He can approach sustainability from a science perspective which impacts his art style and materials; and tuning into his creative side allows him to think about science not just from a purely clinical perspective, but from a human one, too—patients are people after all.

He believes that everything is connected somehow, even things as seemingly opposite as art and biochemistry. And he works towards finding the unique intersection where everything overlaps. His studies are pretty cool, and he’s very passionate about them, so ask him about it 😌

The art he makes is pretty sick, too, and often commentary about science; he’s proving they’re not so opposite. You also heavily influence his studies in both areas: caring about you so much inspires him to take the healthcare focus seriously, and your very nature is inspiration to his art. 

Sasha — nursing

She’s friendly and good at working with people, so nursing was an easy choice for her. She accredits most of her motivation to being around her younger family members, and learns that she finds a simple kind of joy in helping to take care of others.

She struggles a bit her first year when it’s mostly all grades and standardized testing, but when she starts getting clinical experience and working in the hospital on campus, things round out for her.

Patient care is her strongest point. A lot of people often forget that knowing everything isn’t everything; if you don’t know how to calm or even just talk to your patient, you’re not that great of a healthcare professional.

Pretty certain that she wants to work with kids in the future, but she’s open to public health and even being a travel nurse if she finds opportunity there!

Of course, she’s pretty doting when it comes to you and all her friends. She might want to go into pediatrics, but the basics of nursing and health care extend to everyone, so you’re guaranteed to be well taken care of with Sasha around. You might even have to switch roles and take care of her sometimes, because her coursework can get pretty out of hand.

Connie — computer engineering with a focus on game design

He might not look it, but Connie has a brain under that shaved head of his. Computer engineering is cool to him because he basically learns about how simple things he uses every day (ie: phone, computer, microwave) works.

Systems and coding are actually the easy part for him, especially when they get into the application of it and aren’t just stuck looking at examples. That’s how he gets into game design.

The part about math and electricity and magnetic fields… well let’s just say he needed to make friends with someone who likes math and hardware his first year to get through it. But the struggle was worth it, because by his junior year he’s found a professor willing to mentor/supervise him as he works on his game and other projects, so life is good.

His school work is definitely hard, which is why the lives by the mantra of “work hard, party harder.” It’s only fair. 

He makes you a little avatar so you can test out his games for him <33 best boyfriend things <33 He’d also… build a game about your relationship. Every level is a different date you guys went on, and he definitely includes something cheesy, like “There are unlimited lives because I love you forever babe <3”

Porco — kinesiology + maybe mechanical engineering

He’s pretty into athletics and working out, but didn’t wanna go down the sports psychology route; he wanted something that left him with a few more options, so he ended up in kinesiology.

He was surprisingly pretty good at biology in high school, so something stem-oriented works out in his favor, and it turns out he’s pretty damn good at anatomy, too. He’ll probably end up in physical therapy after graduation.

He’s also got a knack for cars, which is where the engineering comes in, but he doesn’t care so much for the math part of it (he doesn’t care for it at all actually, fuck that); he just wants the hands on experience of building/fixing things and working with his hands. So, if he can get a minor in it and not struggle through 4 years of math, then he’d do that. If not, he’d take a few workshop-like classes.

Because he wants to go into physical therapy, you are essentially his practice patient. Your back hurts? Not a problem, he’s basically a professional masseuse. Muscle aches? He’s got a remedy and understanding of why it’s happening. Don’t let him catch you hunting over your desk grinding away at your homework, because he will poke your neck and correct your posture (he’ll also massage your shoulders, but after the scolding).

Pieck — classics + minor in philosophy

Ancient studies interest her, but more than that, the language of ancient Greek and Roman culture fascinates her, so classics is the way to go.

Because her focus within Classics ends up being Greek and Latin language studies, she is essentially learning both languages at the same time. She gets farther with Latin that she does with Greek. For whatever reason, the former comes almost naturally to her, so her written and translated work is more complex in Latin.

However, she finds cultural studies relation to Greece more interesting than that of Rome, so it’s a give and take with both; better at languages for Roman studies, better at culture and history for Greek studies.

Her minor is a natural evolution from her primary coursework. Ancient Romans and Greeks set the foundation for a lot of modern day philosophy, so it comes up in her major classes, but she wanted to delve further into the philosophy, and not just look at it historically, so she takes more courses to fulfill the minor.

Can be found laying on a blanket in the quad on a hot day, with her books spread out all around her, highlighter in hand as she works through her reading. You’re always invited to sit with her, and more often than not, it ends up with Pieck’s head in your lap, a book in her hands, and your own schoolwork in yours as you both read in each other’s company.

Bertholdt — computer science and coding

He’s level headed, good at planning, and above all, patient, so he’s cut out for this. He doesn’t consider himself to be particularly creative, which is why he doesn’t pick a speciality with lots of design; but he’s good at streamlining and ideas to life.

The patience really comes in when his code doesn’t run. It’s frustrating to scroll for two hours just to find out that the issue is a missing semi-colon in line 273 that he overlooked, but Berty will sit there until he finds it.

He’s also good at fixing issues. That’s not limited to issues in the code itself; it can mean finding shorter ways to produce the same function or loop, or integrating new aspects into existing code.

Also, he’d just be so cute, coding away on his computer. Just imagine: Berty working on his homework in the library, he’s got his signature crewneck + collared shirt look going for him, his blue-light glasses, a cup of coffee nearly as tall as him sitting at the corner of his desk. Adorable.

He’d make little codes/programs for you, too, even if it’s silly. A simple code that helps you decide what to eat for dinner or where to go on a date, one that shuffles different reminders for you, hell he’ll even forgo the torture of design engineering just to build you a little robot that says “I love you” to you.

Reiner — english + minor in justice & political philosophy

Everyone expects Reiner, star quarterback of the university’s rugby team, to be a business student or communications student; but no, he’s an English major, and he loves it.

Just imagine a guy as huge as Reiner absolutely manhandling someone on the field, just to show up in his lectures with a tiny paperback of The Great Gatsby tucked between his fingers with his reading glasses on. It’s so precious.

He’s always running a bit late to class—either coming from the gym, or practice, or oversleeping from exhaustion—but he’s so sweet to his professors and genuinely interested in the literature that they don’t give him a hard time about it. They can tell that balancing school and sports is difficult, and they just appreciate that he takes his studies seriously.

Yeah he’s in a book club and he dog-ears his books. What about it. They’re doing poetry this month and Reiner actually likes Edgar Allen Poe. Who said jocks can’t be sentimental.

He also reads a lot outside of his classes, and has a soft spot for coming of age stories. He usually empathizes with the main character somehow. His ideal weekend plans after a week of grueling games and essays is taking a long, relaxing shower at your place, while you both share a bottle of wine, and maybe even get you to read a chapter or two of his current book out loud to him.

Annie — clinical psychology/neuroscience

Almost scarily analytical and methodic, so this major was calling her name. Localizing brain legions is… insanely intuitive to her it’s incredible. She’ll be an insanely impressive doctor someday, even if she doesn’t end up working with patients directly. 

She doesn’t care too much for the more philosophical/reading heavy parts of psychology. Even experiments and research closer to the social end of the spectrum aren’t all that interesting to her; but the brain science behind it it.

Nobody should be good at cellular biology. Nobody should be able to ace cell bio and neuro and calc and work towards their thesis proposal in the same semester, but Annie proves it’s possible.

Ends up working in one of her professor’s labs by her junior year. She was offered three TA positions working with first year students, but she swiftly turned them down. Teaching isn’t her thing.

She doesn’t bring up her studies to you unprompted, but if you ask her about them she’ll explain it to you. Her notes are color coded and it’s super neat, and very cute; coloring them is somewhat relaxing for her. She usually saves the coloring part for when you guys study together; there’s extra comfort in doing it with you around.

[justmaybee]

Stocks

Summary: Knights of Favonius college AU at the Ren Faire ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ w/ hinted Kaebedo b/c it’s me

A/N: October is over but my procrastination knows no bounds ✨ so imma just keep doing the prompts I had planned…whenever I happen to get them out. It’s supposed to be for fun anyways, right? So have this ridiculously specific combination of things and I’ll catch y’all in a month or so~

Once more, from the top. Repetition is the key to memorization after all.

Miss Lisa, a clinical psychology major, currently in her final year of post-grad and well on her way to an outstanding PhD program.

That one’s easy. Lisa was among the first people whom Albedo met when he enrolled. It was a stroke of luck, getting a job in the library alongside the school’s brightest PhD candidate. Though it’d taken a while for Albedo to grow accustomed to her naturally flirty way of interacting.

Next, Miss Jean. Criminal Justice and Conflict Resolution, a dual major, with plans to apply for law school come the next year or so, if Albedo recalls correctly.

The difference between Lisa and Jean’s mannerisms is stark, but somehow balanced, in a way. Lisa brings a sense of calm to Jean’s strict—borderline overbearing—work ethic, and Jean motivates Lisa to act on the boundless potential she carries.

How very complimentary.

And the last piece to the puzzle, for today.

Mister Ky— Ki? Kae?

Albedo can’t remember seeing it on paper. He’ll have to mention that to Sucrose later.

But yes, Kaeya. Albedo doesn’t actually know what his major is. They’d only met fairly recently, and he’d quickly taken to conversation without any of the usual ‘icebreakers’ used by students.

He’s a childhood friend of Jean, growing up in the same neighborhood. And via Jean, Kaeya met Lisa. An awful combination, Albedo must say, even if he’s only known the combined pair for a short time. He has no doubt any one victim to their teasing would combust rather quickly.

Okay. Hopefully he can remember everything as they make their way throughout the day. He’s never been that great with names or faces, especially in groups. And Sucrose isn’t here to assist him, so he’ll really have to stay on top of things.

How long he’d been wrapped up in his head, Albedo isn’t sure. But when the car comes to a lurching stop, he knows it must’ve spanned enough time for them to arrive at their destination.

Kaeya announces their arrival, gesturing outside with a flourish. Jean offers a little cheer that has Lisa laughing softly in response.

This is Albedo’s first time at a Renaissance Faire. He didn’t have a lot of expectations going into it, but his first view of the fair grounds certainly delivers.

The door to his left pops open, startling him from his train of thought. He hadn’t realized that everyone was already on their way out. Kaeya stands beside Albedo, thankfully blocking most of the now beaming sun. His hand is on the door handle and his lips tilt up into a smirk.

“Coming?”

———

To say it again, Albedo’s never been to a ‘Ren Faire’ before. He can’t remember who’s idea it was either, just that he’d been dropped into a group chat very suddenly a few days ago.

He didn’t have too much of a preference going or not going, but when Amber had to drop last minute to help her partner from dance class—

Well, Albedo found the decision being made for him.

He made sure to thank Amber for her spare ticket—it was the polite thing to do—but he did worry a little.

Sucrose had a biochem exam approaching, so she couldn’t make it. Timaeus…didn’t know any of the others all that well.

And…Albedo didn’t really have any other friends his age to consider.

(The idea of bringing his little sister did flutter at the base of his head for a second before he shooed it off, a tad embarrassed.)

Thankfully, things seem to be going decently well. Lisa is a familiar presence. Jean is wholly accommodating. And Kaeya—

Albedo has the patience to deal with types like him, he’ll just say.

That’s why he does little more than roll his eyes, an amused smile tugging at his lips, when Kaeya immediately directs the group to a period-catered costume shop upon entrance.

It seems a bit much, but Albedo’s silence is outvoted unanimously.

There is the option to rent consumes but—

“That doesn’t seem sanitary,” Jean mumbles, hand at her chin while she frowns at the advertising sign.

“I don’t think ‘sanitary’ was a major concern in this century,” Kaeya offers when he walks by, an assortment of clothes already on his arm.

“But it is the present, so I’m sure they’d be fine,” Lisa chimes in, lightly pulling Jean’s hand from her face.

Wrist in hand, Lisa begins leading Jean off to a corner of the store. Her voice fades.

“You won’t be needing those anyways though, dear. I’ve got just the thing for you.”

———

Albedo hadn’t gone into this with the knowledge he’d be purchasing a costume, but he did bring an ample amount of spending money—just in case—so it doesn’t pose much of a problem.

He isn’t exactly sure what he should be buying though, so he just purchases what he can find on a similarly sized mannequin.

That leaves him in a white, long sleeved shirt that he cuffs to his elbows to match the display. It’s a bit—um—poofy? But the collar keeps it settled on Albedo’s shoulders fairly well. There’s a pair of baggy, but otherwise generic, brown pants on his legs and a yellow sash around his waist—for an accent? He supposes? That’s really the gist of it.

It’s not bad, Albedo thinks, but the rest of the group definitely took the idea to heart.

Lisa’s gown is a rich purple, complimented by the flowers in her hair. Roses, he thinks. Do roses come in purple? That’s beside the point—

She looks like royalty, elegant and poised. Albedo hopes she doesn’t overheat.

Jean’s dress is much more subdued, though that isn’t meant to come off negatively. Albedo doesn’t have the fashion background to describe it, but the dress seems well-fit to Jean’s style.

A white peasant dress with a blue bodice, flowing loose around her ankles. The sleeves hang off her shoulders and puff out, much like Albedo’s. A simple chain of daisies sits on her head, a subtle statement in her golden hair.

Kaeya’s outfit is the only one he can’t recall seeing in the store. Which is strange, since Albedo has an almost photographic memory.

His pants are almost identical to Albedo’s, just black and—obviously—a size larger.

His top…

….

It’s…another white top, long sleeved and of a thinner material. There’s ruffles or ruching—Albedo doesn’t know the specific terminology—around the neckline, which, ah—

—drops, a bit low. In a v-shaped cut that ends about mid-sternum and it—

It looks good — on him. Albedo will leave it at that.

…though leaving it there would mean glossing over the corset fitted around his waist. Navy blue and secured snugly on his lower abdomen.

How can a man be so tall and yet have a waist so small, it’s just—

“So that’s where that corset went.” Lisa says, slipping into Albedo’s line of sight.

Kaeya only shrugs his shoulders, a ‘guilty as charged’ smile on his face.

“Oh, you’re lucky you got ahold of it before I could. Jean has a figure to die for, and that would’ve gone a long way in getting others to properly appreciate it.”

Albedo doesn’t miss the look of relief on Jean’s face, nor the thankful smile she shoots Kaeya over Lisa’s shoulder.

———

From then on is a blur of vibrant colors, spirited music, and brisk, autumn air.

Kaeya leads the way, for the most part. Albedo follows gladly; the last thing he wants is to lose himself in this bustling faux city. Thankfully, Kaeya’s height makes that difficult to achieve.

There are many stalls set up, lining the walking paths of the town, but the group gets only a few steps in before someone starts taking an interest in one of the shop’s wares.

Lisa is taken by the handcrafted jewelry, glass pieces that catch the light and make it dance on the dirt path. Jean’s attention is stolen a minute later by a batch of artisan wind chimes, as beautiful in craft as they are in sound. Kaeya gets stopped by a weapons display, which doesn’t entirely surprise Albedo. But the way he slowly approaches a small tray, picks up a modest, old slingshot with an expression that’s almost—wistful…

Some part of him wants to ask, but he doesn’t.

Albedo doesn’t find much interest in the shops. He browses over the items when the others choose to stop, but the clothes on his back will be a significant enough momento as is. He doesn’t find himself pausing until they’re passing by the live music.

He doesn’t stop intentionally, just steps more and more slowly, lingering beside the small amphitheater. It’s upbeat music, though not in the sort of way he’d describe any music today. The percussion is light, the strings are vibrant, and the woodwinds ring distinctly clear in the white noise of people.

He’s startled by the applause that sounds around him when the piece ends, finding himself in the middle of the group. He—didn’t expect them to leave him, but—

“You know, for as many times as I’ve come here, I can’t remember the last time I stopped to really take in the music.” Kaeya says, standing to Albedo’s left.

He meets Albedo’s eyes, then shuts his own in a smile. “Thank you for that.”

They continue walking. Albedo wonders briefly whether the heat is getting to him.

The browsing continues on like this for another mile or so before something breaks the cycle.

“Oh, would you look at that.”

The amusement is clear in Kaeya’s voice, though Albedo can’t say at what in particular. Not until Kaeya sidesteps past him and up to a hunk of wood off the side of the path.

There’s a decent amount of space around the wooden stocks, sitting in a circle of dirt beside the main road. They’re not the most popular of attractions, as far as Albedo can tell, so it’s not a problem getting their group of four situated around them.

It’s Albedo’s first time seeing something like this in person, and it’d be underwhelming if he had any expectations, but he really doesn’t. Two boards of wood with a few holes split between them. Albedo doesn’t see the appeal.

Kaeya still seems to be interested though. He fishes around in his pockets, eventually finding his phone and handing it off to Jean.

“Take a picture, would you please? I’d like to send it to Diluc. I think seeing me locked up will make his day.”

Albedo doesn’t know the circumstances, but the way Jean muffles a giggle behind her hand makes him want to.

Kaeya lifts the top piece gingerly; the hinges squeak, probably from disuse. He slots himself into place, bending at somewhat of an awkward angle to compensate for his extra height. Lisa assists in carefully repositioning the top piece before stepping back out of frame.

The first picture is all smiles. Bright and sunny in a way that completely contradicts the setting. Kaeya flashes a peace sign and Albedo has to feign a cough to cover up his laugh.

“Kaeya, you’re a prisoner,” Jean reminds behind the camera.

Kaeya’s smile drops, to what could only be called a pout, for a moment before he ‘gets into character’. Hanging his head in defeat. Gazing blearily off to the side. So dramatic — a good thing, in this circumstance, Albedo supposes.

Eventually Kaeya calls Jean over to look at the pictures. Though he chooses to remain in the stocks while he scrolls through his phone, for whatever reason. He hums his approval, saving at least a couple of the pictures Jean took to work with later.

“Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time,’ Lisa purrs, draping herself over one side of the stockade.

Kaeya sighs, overdramatic as he hangs his head once again. “Yes, of course. I’ve seen the error of my ways now.”

Albedo holds back from rolling his eyes. He can see where this is going.

“Oh? And how am I meant to believe that?” Lisa coos.

“I’ll be a model prisoner going forward.” Kaeya presses. “I’ll accept my punishments graciously and be good from here on out.”

It’s so cheesy, Albedo considers turning around and leaving. They’ll catch up eventually. But his attention is taken by a weird sound — almost like a…yip? — before he can move.

The angle Kaeya bends to fit into the stocks leaves him just about level with Albedo, so it’s easy to see when his hands tug suddenly against the wooden frame. Like the stocks intended though, he doesn’t budge.

“H-hey, wait now—“

Kaeya’s tone has changed completely. He’s dropped the prisoner act, voice going cautious, even wavering a little.

“Hm?” Lisa hums, smiling sweetly. It sets off multiple alarms in Albedo’s head, even though he’s fairly sure it’s not meant for him.

“Now, I thought you were going to be good for me?”

“Hmph—“

Again, another weird noise. This time obviously from Kaeya, muted and kept in his throat. His wrists rotate in the stocks’ hold, but there’s no slipping them out.

Albedo blinks, processing. He feels like he’s missing a piece of the puzzle.

He can see Kaeya fidgeting—trying to casually remove himself from the stocks, but the loss of his cool is visible as the seconds tick by. His jerky movements against the wood increase in frequency, until eventually his eyes shut, lips pressing together like his life depends on it.

Lisa, on the other hand, has all the cool Kaeya doesn’t. She’s still lounging lazily against the stock mount. Though it’s quite obvious now that her position was intentional, resting atop the frame to keep it shut over Kaeya’s twitching body.

Albedo doesn’t get the joke. Not until Jean intervenes.

“Oh,” Jean frets, stepping from behind Albedo to get closer to Lisa. She peeks over to get a better view of the stocks’ back side. “Don’t go too close to his back. He used to scream whenever his brother—“

“Jea-hean!”

And that one shout is all it takes to loosen the iron seal of Kaeya’s lips. The air is immediately filled with bright, bubbly giggles as Kaeya loses his grip. He tries, more than once, to bottle the sound back up, but every attempt leaves him sputtering and squeaking in failure.

Ah, so he’s ticklish.

“Oops! Sorry, Kaeya!” Jean cries, hands flying to her mouth.

Albedo takes one step to his left, adjusting his view to the back of the stocks. Where—apparently—all the action’s been happening.

Now he can see Lisa’s hand—delicate and dainty—with long, painted nails that—in this situation—must be absolutely brutal. She scribbles a fast back and forth motion up and down Kaeya’s side. Starting at the top of the corset, hugging his waist, then sliding up the curve of his side and the bony protrusions of his ribs.

The way she lingers, spidering around each divot and bone of Kaeya’s rib cage makes something sympathetic flutter in Albedo’s own chest.

With no way to hide it now, Kaeya seems to have given up on keeping his composure.

Shuffling his feet, shaking his head, and laughing entirely unfiltered. His arms pull against the wooden boards sporadically, getting especially jumpy whenever Lisa’s hands venture too high.

He can’t stop his yelp when Lisa’s hand finally does poke around his armpit, but he does lower his head, hiding the redness of his cheeks under a mane of messy blue hair.

“Oh, hun,” Lisa trails, all smiles despite—and probably because of—Kaeya’s predicament. “Don’t make her feel bad. It’s not like I didn’t know about that spot already…”

As if to prove her point, Lisa moves her hand, inching towards the expanse of Kaeya’s back. She scratches with what seems to be the slightest use of pressure yet, and it’s got Kaeya folding in on himself. Half-standing, half-crouching as his legs give out. All from one finger gently scratching along the inside of his shoulder blade.

“L-Lisahahaha! Aha! Mph—n-nohoHOHOHO!”

“No?” Lisa tilts her head. “I don’t recall prisoners getting to choose their punishment—“

She adds another finger, pressing more firmly against the bone. Kaeya’s body lurches forward. The stocks must be keeping him upright for the most part now. He shakes his head, squeaking out partially intelligible pleas and apologies between his frantic laughter.

Albedo didn’t know the back could be so ticklish, but he’s getting a first-hand account of what a very bad spot it can be.

Kaeya’s hands curl into fists, his back arching and jerking away from Lisa’s precise and deadly touch. There’s a slight wheeze to his exhale, already breathless with laughter, that pitches to a fresh whine when Lisa reaches over to mirror her touch on his opposite side.

And as entertaining as this is—truly—Albedo thinks they may be causing a scene. He’s seen at least a few people stop and laugh before continuing their stroll down the main road. Fortunately—or unfortunately, depending on perspective—Kaeya speaks up before Albedo has to.

“Okay! Okahahay! E-enou-hah! Enohohohough!” Kaeya gasps, tapping his hand against the wood desperately.

Lisa’s giggle is barely audible above Kaeya’s laughter, but she finally grants him mercy, removing her hand and stepping back from the stocks.

The hinges squeak loudly when Kaeya frees himself, arms wrapping around to hug his sides as soon as he’s able. His hands rub at the ghostly sensations, letting the last of them fade with his laughter.

It takes him a minute to unstick his arms from his torso, but, when he can, Kaeya eventually plants his hands on his hips. He attempts to glare at Lisa, but his lips are so wobbly with leftover laughter, it’s impossible to take him seriously.

Lisa definitely doesn’t, moving to ruffle his messy hair fondly.

“Wha-! No!” Kaeya squawks, batting away her hand. He tries to fix himself up, but it’s basically a lost cause at this point.

“You can’t play nice now,” Kaeya huffs, getting his hair to a moderate level of disheveled. His arms settle to cross over his chest. “Taking advantage of a poor, innocent soul like that.”

Lisa is—understandably—unphased, the remnants of a winning smile still on her face. Jean doesn’t help when she muffles a laugh into her hand. Albedo is just lucky to have mastered the art of a convincing poker face.

It’s probably why, before he can blink, Albedo has an arm resting over his shoulders. Kaeya stands firmly beside him, shooting the others a haughty look.

“I’m treating Albedo and I to a cup of mead. You two can join us when you’ve thought over what you’ve done.”

Then he turns back towards the path, dragging Albedo along with him.

———

What a strange situation to be in — with someone he’s only recently met nonetheless.

Albedo can’t possibly be feeling this comfortable around what’s practically an acquaintance. But there’s no other way to describe the ease he feels, stepping alongside Kaeya as he leads them through the fairgrounds.

It must be this feeling which prompts him to say what he does next.

“And if I decide to take advantage—?” Albedo reasons, tone light. “—of what I just learned?”

Kaeya’s arm disappears in an instant.

It snaps back, elbow pressing to his side, hand reaching around to cover a tiny portion of his back. When Albedo looks, he finds Kaeya wide-eyed and already fighting back a nervous smile. Albedo’s never seen him like this.

His laugh breaks the tension, Kaeya’s relieved chuckle following suit.

“Don’t worry,” Albedo smiles, taking up their earlier stroll. Kaeya quickly falls into step beside him. “Your secret’s safe with me.”

Not to say that Kaeya would always be safe from Albedo but — that’s an experiment for another day.

[exeggcute]

Hi I haven’t been following you for very long so sorry if you’ve talked about it before but how did you get into technical writing? Like, professionally? Every job listing I’ve ever seen for anything in that field has required like 5+ years experience and a Master’s degree so I have no idea how to get started (save for going to grad school which I do not have the money for lol)

unfortunately you're not gonna like this answer but I got into technical writing 100% by accident lol. when I was in college (for undergrad. not grad school. I did not go to grad school) I got cc'd on an email to the entire literature department saying that a local clinical psychologist needed a student writer to help write some reports, and I had an essay due the next day, so instead of writing my essay I decided to procrastinate by writing a resume and applied and somehow got the job. did that for a couple years (as a part-time gig, mind you) and then managed to weasel my way into the software industry, partly by leveraging that experience and partly by telling some strategic truths (e.g., lying). might also be worth mentioning that the first software company I worked for went under about a year later when the CEO got arrested for securities fraud but experience is experience, right?

that said:

(1) I promise you do not need to go to grad school, lol. if you happened to have an advanced degree in a relevant area then that would be super helpful in certain industries (like, idk, biotech?) but at least in software that would be the exception and not the rule. (if anything, you could look into a cert or a code bootcamp or something, but a master's degree is def not necessary.) part of the problem here is that most job descriptions are written by hiring managers, and very few people know shit about technical writing but hiring managers especially don't know shit about technical writing, so they all just copy/paste each other's shitty job listings with the same bogus requirements over and over.

(2) in a similar vein, you can usually subtract about a year or two from the listed experience for almost any job listing. as much as they'd like to hire someone with five years' experience, most places would settle for three years from a solid candidate. (thanks in part to the fact that people who DO have five years of experience are probably gonna be applying to places that are asking for six to ten!) so if you're, like, entry level, any "associate" level position asking for 1-2 years of experience would be within your reach.

(2a) things are a LITTLE funky right now with this "stock market" shit happening and alleged layoffs, but overall it's still very much a job seekers' market. every time I look at the job boards there's like five thousand technical writer listings (with very few applicants to each), which means people are desperate, which means you can get away with meeting a lot fewer requirements than you otherwise might. there's really nothing to lose by applying!

(3) for more detailed information about Getting Experience and whatnot, I'd highly recommend /r/technicalwriting—with the caveat that you read the pinned posts, top posts, and search around for stuff before you submit anything. you may not actually need to submit your own post, since this is a pretty good source of knowledge, but every day there's at least a couple people who ask some oblivious question that makes it obvious they didn't read the sidebar/pinned/other similar posts asking the same question and they occasionally get torn to shreds, lol. I don't think this is a reddit thing so much as a "part of technical writing is finding information independently so if you come to a subreddit and don't even read the pinned post we're gonna be annoyed" thing. other than that the community's pretty nice, though.

anyway I wish I could offer more concrete help but uhh... good luck! and feel free to DM me off anon if you have any specific/personal questions that would better suit a 1:1 format!

[whatifyoulivelikethat]

erotica iii, m | myg

pairing(s): yoongi x reader

summary: Min Yoongi has been wanting this all this time. Him. His female roommate. The shower. Water everywhere. Time to play.

warnings: rated M (18+) for language, smut (fem reader, shower sex, fingering, handjob, m-receiving oral); non-idol!AU; pretty damn fluffy; Yoongi’s POV

indeed, I heard the song and I needed to write this immediately. don’t have to read the previous chapters, but they explain why this smut is significant. yes. I just called this significant smut.

–

part i | part ii

-

now playing - drown by baekhyun

Min Yoongi was pretty sure he had never been so hard in his entire life. 

He was quite satisfied with masturbating. Him and his right hand? Well acquainted. No introductions needed. Some mental simulation by reading some smut and he was good to go. Words got him off better than waiting for a video to buffer. Also, nothing was worse than watching something that instantly turned him off. Don’t even get him started on involving other people. Yoongi did not really like other people. No, no, better to stick to the written stuff. 

Yeah. Well. 

What if said writer of the written stuff was right next to him all along?

What if said writer of written stuff was with him in the shower right now, head tipped back, water cascading down her naked body, curving into rivets as it slid down her breasts, dripping off her large nipples, slipping between the curve of her legs?

Yeah. 

His female roommate. 

The one he thought was nothing but a nerdy grad student studying Clinical Psychology. The one who was also the author of the erotica blog he had been reading for, er, far too long. Then she found out. Long story. 

She wrote it, in fact. 

She lowered her head, hair glossed to her scalp, lips parted, lashes covered in droplets, wet, delicious, beautiful.

Yoongi was very sure he'd never been so hard in his entire life. 

Did he maybe have some kind of weird water kink because he witnessed her masturbating with the bath faucet? Literally right here, in this very bathroom?

Er.

Long story. 

See above. 

She licked her lips, pretty pink tongue twirling in the air. They were close. So close. Her hands slid up his naked chest, tracing his skin. He gasped as her fingers spread out. The water was warm, falling around them, steam rising in soft wafts.

"You..."

Why couldn't he breathe? Every fucking time. How did she do this to him every time?

"You look so good in the shower..."

He lashes lifted, peering up at him. 

"Why, thank you, Yoongi-ssi."

Ugh, even the way she said his name, like it was her favorite song on repeat, like it was her favorite meal to order, like it was as good as sex itself. 

"I suspected that's why you asked to shower together."

His ears burned, but her hands snaked around him, pushing his body up against hers. He moaned her name softly, pressed against her wetness, her large nipples rubbing into his chest, his rock-hard cock sliding in between her wet thighs. So good. Oh, so fucking good. 

"Look at me."

His eyes opened halfway, blinking away the water as he watched the showerhead pour down on her back and shoulders, small smirk on her lips, chin tipping up so she could bring her face close to his. He loved this. This closeness. Yoongi did not like people, but this… to him, she was her stories themselves, alive, every fantasy and dream he ever had, from words to reality.

"You ready?"

She wasn’t some random person trying to get something out of him.

She was erotica.

"Y-Yes..." Pause. She didn't ask, but the word came out. "Please..."

She reached up and pushed his wet black hair back, flattening it against his scalp. 

"I... I don't look good like that..."

"Shh."

She took one of his hands and slipped it between her legs. Gasped with him as his fingers touched her core, so hot, the wetness different there, thicker, more viscous. 

"You look good all the time," she breathed, cupping his hand with hers. "To me, you are so, so sexy, Yoongi."

She pushed one of his fingers into her folds, moaning against his lips as he sank into her slickness, his cock rubbing against their joined hands and her soft thighs. Her lips pressed against his, kissing him deeply. Sensual and unreal, pumping his finger inside her as she kissed him, taking another and sliding it in as well, tightening around them, fuck, he could feel everything, so wet and warm. Her walls closing in around his joints, pulsating and intense. He took over the pace, pushing in and out of her. Sweet cries into his mouth, mingling with her kisses, so many kisses, her free hand holding his waist, nails digging in. Her hand wrapped around his cock and stroked him, pressing the sensitive head against her smooth thigh, lubricated by the constant water raining down, down.

Yoongi was drowning.

Drowning in her body.

He did not think it was possible to want to please another body so much, even more than his. She moved so perfectly, rolling her hips into his hand, kissing him almost sloppily because of how much he was making her moan, her hand matching his pace, jacking him off as he got her off. Her sounds were addictive, the way she panted his name, needy and intoxicating, lifting her leg so he could thrust in deeper, feeling her clench around him, so tight, so hot, her juices sliding down his hand. The sound of her pussy squelching with every plunge, so dirty and yet so sexy at the same time. The sound of her hand furiously stroking his cock, pleasure shooting up his core, the head further stimulated by her thigh, pre-cum smearing on her skin and mixing with water.

Yoongi didn’t even care if he came or not.

He just wanted her to cum on his hand.

“Cum for me,” he breathed against her lips. “Please… need you to cum for me.”

Her lashes lifted, droplets falling onto her cheeks, mouth open and panting. Staring into his eyes, hers glazed over with lust, pupils dilated, wet hair sticking to her face, humping his hand, pumping him at the same time, warm water drizzling down on them.

“Yoongi, fuck…”

The first time she had been able to say his name as she came.

Yoongi would remember it forever.

She tipped her head back, eyes closing, moaning deeply, pussy throbbing around his fingers, gushes of thick liquid pouring out. Even though the water was washing it away, he could still smell it, sweet-sour and lovely, still rolling her hips all the way to his knuckles to ride out her orgasm, letting him feel her walls pulsating and massaging his fingers.

The image was so sexy that Yoongi gasped, his cock twitching in her hand as she kept pumping him, increasing the speed now, the hand on his waist holding her steady as she brought her fucked-out gaze back to him.

He did that.

Him.

“You’re so fucking beautiful when your body is wet.”

Yoongi didn’t know if he was delusional or what, saying things like that, but he did anyway, because she made him feel so fucking good, so fucking sexy, and all she did was look at him.

“Want to watch your face when you cum,” she purred, pressing her forehead to his. “You don’t mind, do you?”

Yoongi shook his head. If he was braver, he would have said, watch me, but he wasn’t and he was too fucking close to talk. It wasn’t his hand and it wasn’t his pace, but pleasure radiated everywhere, mixing with the warm steam, all his muscles tensing as he stared into her eyes, focused on him and only him.

“A-ah…”

His teeth sunk into his lower lip, whining as he came, shooting onto her leg, thick white strings dribbling on her skin for only a second before the water washed it away, a single second that burned into his memory, the perfect picture of his cum painted on her thigh. He could feel it all over, the moment of euphoria, taking over him, his legs shaking. She leaned in, kissing him lightly, before she slid down, dropping to her knees. Took him in her perfect mouth, hot and wet, the sensitive head draping onto her tongue, soft lips closing in. He moaned, lost in the small licks and gentle swirls that shot sparks up his spine.

“H-Holy fuck…”

She stayed like that, delicately licking his softening cock all over, probably for a good few minutes. Yoongi looked down, gasping at the sight of her wet hair and spread thighs. She popped her mouth off his cock and kissed his balls, light pecks. For some reason, that felt good too. Everything she did felt good.

She stood back up, pulling him to her by the waist, kissing his jaw, nuzzling his cheek with her nose.

“You want to make this a regular thing?” she whispered against his neck.

“Hah…” Her kisses made it so hard to think straight. “What?”

“The shower,” she chuckled, catching his earlobe with her teeth. Yoongi moaned, hands resting on her waist. “Showering together.”

Fuck, yes. “S-Sure.”

She smiled against his skin. Pressed her lips to his ear.

“That’s good.”

Yoongi couldn’t wait to read what she wrote next.

He would definitely jack off to it.

--

masterpost

[the-bat-collector]

SUPERBAT Rec List!! AU NO POWERS ish PART 1

I love NO POWERS NO CAPES AUs but its been so hard to find them!! so decided to make this list to help y’all in your search  :D

The length varies, but I prefer long fics so most of these are 10-20k up to 200k 

Heart and Soul by Pandamomochan

E - 150,044

Clark Kent used to be a renowned composer who was said to be able to write masterpieces that were designed uniquely for each individual player. Famous musicians around the world would flock to him in hopes that he would write for them because his pieces were always said to bring out any player's crowning performance. That is, until one day Clark loses his wife in a tragic accident and decides never to write again.

Years later, Clark's son, Jon, gets admitted to the famous "Gotham School of Performing Arts". It is there that Clark meets Bruce Wayne, a strict, uptight, by the book piano instructor who is said to be able to craft the best musicians around the world.

this is one of my favorites. I'm not really into Hurt/Comfort but this is so beautiful!! highly recommended I'm biased cause I play the piano

Seeing Bruce Wayne by Evilpixie

E - 15,089

Clark Kent is the only male midwife working in Metropolis General. Bruce Wayne the residential pediatric surgeon.

I'm so into medicine/doctor AUs this is also one of my favorite fics!if you have to pick one from this list, pick this one!!!

On The Cusp by vesper_house

E - 47,378

Clark's life isn't going so well. He's in his thirties, he works at a coffee shop run by his old crush, his journalism career is going nowhere, and he's broke. It takes only one tall, dark and handsome stranger to change everything.

COFFE SHOP AU COFFESHOP AU!! We need more of these, the dynamic between Bruce and Clark is Great!!!!

A Game You Can't Win by NightFoliage

T - 78,328

Injustice is the hottest MMORPGs available to play! Set in a world where superpowers exist, players can become civilians, heroes, villains, and anybody in-between. Designed by Hiro “Toyman” Okamura, and Timothy Drake-Wayne, Injustice was created with the best Wayne Industries technology available and has the most human NPCs. The game is beyond it's time and is planned to be at the top of the charts for a while.

By accident, Clark finds himself pushed into the spotlight and new found fame. To him, Let’s Plays are a means to stay in touch with friends and to make money. He never got into LPing to become famous.

Bruce, who funded the game after Jason’s accident, is irritated (not jealous) that a video game player is such a big topic among the kids. After the nth time they mention him, Bruce decides to take matters into his own hands and see what all the fuss is about.

link to art

ONE OF MY FAVORITE SUPERBAT FICS OUT THERE!!!!!! this is great and fun and Clark is the best!

As We Grow by butterflyslinky

E - 23,451

Clark Kent is a farmer deep in debt to Lex Luthor.

Bruce Wayne is a billionaire with seven children and no luck in love.

But their families have a scheme to get them together and hopefully make life a little bit better.

Modern Medicine by BuckinghamAlice

G - 5,208

Pediatrician Dr. Clark Kent becomes beloved to his patients, the Wayne boys... as well as to their doting father Bruce.

ABSOLUTELY lovely and adorable, you get the feels!

Hellooooo, nurse! by weirdraccoon INCOMPLETE WIP

T - ?????

Clark enjoys his job at the Free Clinic. He loves helping people and tending injuries. Saving lives. But this man... Bruce Wayne is going to kill him if he doesn't get killed first.

Bruce is still Batman on this one but HERE ME OUT, Clark is a nurse! is incomplete but looking forward to the following chapters!!

Two Cities by EllenD

E - 96,152

Clark Kent, is simply Clark Kent, junior reporter for the Daily Planet who moved to Metropolis from Smallville with big dreams. Bruce Wayne is a billionaire playboy from Gotham, who also happens to be Batman. They meet, date, and fall in love, though not without hurdles because mild-mannered Clark is also socially awkward as heck. But when the most dangerous criminals in Gotham are gunning for Batman, Clark gets caught in the middle of it all. (He's basically Batman's Lois Lane) Meant to be set in the Dawn of Justice movie universe, but also draws inspiration from video games, comics, and those awesome Batman cartoons.

This is part of a series, but this is the main fic of it. Love this trope of Clark is just a civilian and Bruce is Batman. Warning this fic does contain disturbing topics so read the tags.

Here Comes the Sun by batsy_rocks

T - 18,815

Clark Kent is a kind-hearted reporter working in the big city. Bruce Wayne is a stressed dad of four with no idea of what he's doing.

Then they meet.

Seasons of Love by littlechinesedoll

G - 4,603

Clark Kent took over that farm at the edge of the Town of Smallville. He likes Smallville's resident doctor, Bruce Wayne.

The best gifts for Bruce are ginger ale, salad, coffee, and any kind of flowers. He hates gems, and bars of copper, silver, and gold.

Petals and Ink by drunkraiinbow

T - 12,976

With a new kid joining the family, Bruce tries a new tattoo artist to continue the tradition of adding them to his sleeve, but he won't trust just any artist. Clark manages to win him over with his incredible talent and his farm-boy friendly demeanor, and he may even have begun to win Bruce's heart. However, Clark might have a few things to learn first.

FLOWER SHOP TATTOO PARLOUR AU! what else is there to say, this is extremely cute and a fast read! :D

Faceless Killer by Batsymomma11

E - 51,519

Detective Bruce Wayne from the GCPD and detective Clark Kent from the MPD have been asked to create a joint task force in an effort to catch the John Doe Killer that has been ravaging their sister-cities. Aside from their long-standing animosity towards one another, it should be a breeze to work together. Besides, lives depend on them getting along.

They never expected they'd trip headlong into a romantic entanglement that feels a lot more serious than even the killer they're chasing.

The Tailor by maderi

E - 16,026

When Clark is assigned to cover the Wayne gala, he finds himself in need of a professionally tailored suit. His tailor though is drop dead gorgeous, which brings up a lot of awkward situations during their appointments.

Heroes of the Squared Circle by Mithen

M - 226,687

They've gone by many names: Billionaire Brucie, Country Clark, the Kryptonian, the Dark Knight. But no matter what their stage names are, one thing has always been true: Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne are the world's finest wrestlers.

Six's a crowd by Untoward INCOMPLETE/ABANDONED

G - 10,133

When Alfred has to make an emergency trip back to England, Bruce soon finds out he can't manage running a business and taking care of six kids all alone.

He turns to a nanny agency for help, and is astonished when he finds Clark Kent, who seems like he can handle anything.

Clark not only can take care of the kids incredibly well but seems to be breaking Bruce's walls down rather well too.

After Hours by ????

E - 3,175

At the end of a long semester Clark can't hide his attraction to Professor Wayne any longer. Grad School AU.

This is practically a one-shot, not really my type of fic but worth adding!! Haven't come across this professor trope in Superbat so if you got any recs, send them my way!

Wings and Fangs by DanielleN3

E - 17,224

Clark thought he could never fall in love with anyone, especially not after being alone for such a long time… but all of that changes when he encounters a sexy vampire in Gotham.

TECHNICALLY they both have powers in this one but there are soooo different from cannon that I think this fic still qualifies for this list

thirteen by CapnWinghead

T - 22,890

Drowning in student loans, Clark Kent takes a summer job as the Wayne family nanny.

OKAY. so this is not entirely NO POWERS, but I mean Clark is a NANNY so this is great! TRUST ME

Kiss me, take my breath away by J_Jubilee

E - 37,934

There were legends about Gotham Reef. Legends that said it was haunted by a beast of foul temper. Stories told of a ravenous sea beast that feasted on the flesh of men, and was said to be more hideous than Satan himself. Others told of a woman with eyes that glowed like gold to lead sailors to their death. Some even spoke of a witch that cursed men and wreck their ships, taking all their treasures with it. When Clark’s catamaran is wrecked by a terrible storm, he learns that the stories were oh so far from true.

Baby Bats by AlmondRose

G - 4,003

this is a short series of adorable and simple domestic fluff

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Haven't read this one but heeey the art is sooo pretty soo decided to add it anyways

Dragon Heart by Hells Angel 921

T - 27,660

Kal wants to make up for his past.

Bruce tries to move on with his future.

They eventually meet in the middle.

link to art

I didn't know that Dragon/DragonSlayer was a thing but hey... apparently it is, so here it is.

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hehe and so my rant ends here! let me know if you know fics that fit any of these tropes! I’m all ears

[songofsaraneth]

an incomplete list of the Bullshit ive gone through this year (2021 only), for personal edification:

I am in grad school trying to do research as well as TA a lab class during a global pandemic

My car is broken into in late February outside of my apartment. $1700+ of my backpacking/camping gear and personal items were stolen from it. Ironically they did not find the $20 cash I had. 

Car battery begins mysterious dying if left overnight and have to call for rescue from AAA 4 separate times over the course of March. I suspect it is related to being broken into but can’t prove it without a mechanic’s diagnostics.

First mechanic I bring my car to does nothing for the entire MONTH they have it, except break my air conditioning of all things. I live in a desert. It is now 90º every day. At one point they call me to say they can’t get the back doors to open. I walk 2 miles back to them from campus and demonstrate how the automatic doors work on a 2005 minivan. I begin to have regrets about my mechanic choice but the sunk fallacy cost keeps me there for several weeks.

Mid march I also wake up one day to severe jaw pain/a weird “loose” feeling, like my mouth is slanting sideways. It is midterms and I do not have time for this, so I take a lot of ibuprofen and eat soup for a week. After 3 days I shove pillows and blankets around my face one night to keep my jaw aligned and when I wake up the next morning it is severely tight instead of loose, and I have to carefully stretch it open whenever I leave my mouth closed for more than an hour. I guess I just have TMJ now.

At this point I am walking everywhere until bike supplies arrive to fix my flat tire since the bike store is too far away to walk to; including walking back and forth to campus since I can only bring 2-4 out of 8 students into the lab spaces at a time and so effectively have to run each weekly lab 2-4 times per week; as well as going back and forth for greenhouse experiment monitoring/helping undergrads on our NASA contest project

Early April I go to the dentist for a crown on one of my back molars, which I must pay for out of pocket because my new dental insurance purchased when I moved last September has a 1-year waiting period and so will not cover it ($1200). Stretching my jaw open so far for the procedure reignites my new TMJ back to high pain levels.

While still waiting on car in mid-April I have a severe averse reaction to the second dose of the Covid19 vaccine, resulting in painful ulceration of all the soft tissues in my body (mouth, stomach, genitals). It is a very bad time for 3 days and I book an urgent care appointment for the first time ever.

Urgent Care nurse-practitioner does not believe me when I describe what’s happening, and misdiagnoses me with herpes.

I am still biking everywhere but now I’m extra mad and in pain about it so take car back from mechanic so I can get groceries etc. I make an appointment with the dealership but it will be a week until they can take it. In the meanwhile I have to drive it every 8 hours so it won’t die which means getting up at 2am to drive it for 20 minutes in the middle of the night so it will still turn on in the morning. 

I have a terrible reaction to the numbing cream given to me for the painful open sores over my body, because of a lifelong mint sensitivity, resulting in an even greater amount of pain

The dealership can fix my car over the following week but its $1800 and now insurance isn’t sure they want to cover it after all

Herpes test comes back negative and nurse apologizes profusely and recommends a non-mint OTC numbing cream alternative that works (yay) and a numbing spray that does not work because it turned out to use an alcohol based propellant which should not be combined with open wounds esp on the genitals (ouch ouch ouch). I try to tell the nurse why I was right about my diagnosis and she was wrong but she still believes it was a latent virus of some other variety and and not an immune response alone, despite the published case studies I have brought to back me up. I decide I have bigger hills I need to die on right now and stop arguing. Sores persist into May but eventually do go down and numbing cream keeps me moderately functioning.

Car is fixed and I can drive again but it takes 2 hours of crying on the phone to my insurance company for them to agree to cover the cost of repair

I make a primary care appointment for the first time in years so I can have a doctor in this state if something like this happens to me again, in June I do intake/bloodwork/set up appointments to check out some other issues ive been having

Grad school finals happen which i wont get into but Yeah. Finals stress triggers another outbreak of canker sores, but mostly clustered in my mouth and only 2 on my vulva rather than 8-12. I eat only soup for another week. 

I get a referral to the local mental health clinic and call about setting up an appointment for an ADHD evaluation. They tell me to download and send in some paperwork and they will call when they have available appointments

I am supposed to be doing all my labwork over the summer but the committee member I need escapes my clutches and we don’t manage to set up a meeting to plan it out/for him to explain the protocols until late June

Bloodwork shows I am critically low in vitamin b12 and low in D, which may explain some of why I am so tired all the time

Ultrasound shows a 1.8cm mass in the adnexa near my left ovary. There are several options for what it can be (folicular cyst, other kind of cyst, tumor, ectopic pregnancy i nearly laugh at my Dr and reassure her the last one is not possible if nothing else). It may go away on its own or it may not. Follow up scan in 2 months

I remember I was supposed to email forms to the mental health clinic and finally send those in mid July. It seems cruel to make me be the one to remember this considering I am calling about a formal ADHD diagnosis.

I also finally pin everyone relating to my labwork down and have a follow up meeting + make a list of what we need to order, but the staff who place orders are on vacation and when they get back several reagents are backordered

I have my follow-up ultrasound. The tech takes lots of photos which indicates the mass is still present, but I won’t know any details until my next PCP appointment when they send over the analysis to her in mid-August

Beginning of August the reagents I need for the first steps of the process arrive exactly 1 day before I leave town for a wedding and the lab manager is about to leave town for the entire next week

After the wedding, severe thunderstorms and tornados trap me in Chicago for 4 extra days. I spend a lot of time at the airport or on my way between the airport and my parents house. A facebook friend gets video of the funnel clouds which at least gives me something to sadly email my advisor and committee members when I have to join our planning meeting from my gate at O’Hare

I lose my drivers license at the security checkpoint on my last trip through the airport and don’t realize until I am boarding the plane because of course that is happening to me now

On the shuttle from El Paso back to Las Cruces after this ordeal the driver stops and picks up a box labeled HUMAN BLOOD and puts it in the trunk and i am too tired to care anymore

I stay up all night making the world’s most pitiful r graphs for my meeting the next morning and everyone takes pity on me and does not call out how useless they are

I spend the weekend trying to motivate myself to actually go into the lab and start my procedures, and fail to leave my apartment. This reminds me it has now been a month (Aug 15th) since I sent in my paperwork and the mental health clinic has still not called me back about up an appointment

I get overwhelmed with Everything and make this list

So that’s where I’m at at the moment. And this doesn’t even include anything from 2020 thats just been continuous like, y’know, a global pandemic and having a bad breakup of a 4 year relationship and moving to a new city where I know no one for grad school etc. I feel like I’m falling apart/unable to do all the shit I need to right now but you know what? Actually its been a really bad time and maybe falling apart a little is justified ;_; 

[psycholojosh]

Road to RPsy: A master's student's guide for Filipino psychology graduates in making a career headway in the Philippines - Part 1

Let's paint this picture for a moment...

You get into your psychology program (or any other program) in a Filipino college or university. You study hard. And then, you achieve your well-deserved bachelor's degree. While you shake hands and celebrate for about a month (just as you should), you sooner realize and ask, "Now what?" Then, you ponder on how to get your career in clinical psychology started. Possibly, you got anxious, confused, or maybe even determined.

If this is (or was) you, don't worry! You're perfectly okay. Trust me, I've been there before... and we shouldn't feel ashamed for this.

Which is why I'd like to take this time to write about my personal and professional experiences as a college graduate of psychology in the Philippines, and how I managed to craft my own headway into getting clinical training and graduate studies for clinical psychology. I sincerely hope that this little article would help a fellow psychology graduate craft their own headway into clinical psychology (or any other field of the sort). I'd also like to share some tips from my past and present mentors, colleagues, coworkers, and professors that I find useful to take note of.

I separated this into a series of articles to keep reading concise and organized. For this part, I start off with discussing...

What psychology careers in the Philippines looks like

How goals can be set in order to get an RPsy; and

Selecting the postgraduate school or program for you

Keep reading to find out more!

Key Points (TL;DR)

There are many myths and misconceptions that narrow one's view about psychology and its careers; but there are actually a lot of opportunities.

Keep yourself open to opportunities, be it for training or career, that will help propel you to snatching an RPsy license.

Clinical experience is key. But, do not discount non-clinical experiences as well.

Practice 'SMART' (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound) goal setting for your career.

Choosing a school is dependent on your preferred training, scholastic interests, career goals, personal motivations, and (financial) resources.

Before I begin...

I'd like to first disclose what my biases and limits are, and what potentially could be a matter that you, dear reader, should consider before taking any advice from me. So, here's a little bit about myself...

Firstly, I am a young adult and pretty much novice to the field of psychology. I have gone through two years (and counting) of clinical experience as a licensed psychometrician. I do not declare myself an expert yet, nor do I pride myself as the most reliable person in the field of psychology. This article is written purely in my personal perspective and experiences. That said, I will do my best to offer you up-to-date information and objectivity that may support or criticize my views.

Secondly, I come from a very middle-class family. My parents made just about enough for us to pay the bills, to feed, clothe, and shelter us, and to give us a decent education. I firmly think this disclosure is very important since not everyone has the same privileges in terms of education, opportunity, and resources. There are some career decisions that I have made or experienced because I had the capacity to make them so despite certain critical tradeoffs (like, getting less pay). As of writing, I would say that our status is still the same, even if I make my own profit with my college degree. I will do my best to be considerate about the differing backgrounds among people, especially when it comes to privilege offered by social class.

Lastly, I'd like to emphasize that my word is not gospel and should not be taken easily by those who seek importance or utility to what I will share. The tone I will use will be very personal - as this is my personal blog. Plus, I will be largely biased towards clinical psychology, as it is the field I am in. You may find that some pieces of advice will resonate more with you than others. Conversely, you might find that some pieces of advice may be unhelpful for you. Hence, I welcome any criticism to my personal views and open myself to a healthy discussion. (Feel free to reach me through my Ask page here on my blog.) I highly encourage you, dear reader, to look for more opinions from more seasoned professionals in the field.

Now, on to the article...

The current scene of psychology careers in the Philippines

As I was graduating, it was important for me to look for information about careers in psychology in the country. After all, as you will see later, getting an idea of psychology's zeitgiest (a term used by historians to refer to the salient "mood" or "spirit" of ideas or beliefs of, say, an academic field) this country will inform you in your career goal setting and considering options that will lead you to where you want to be.

Psychology in the Philippines has a lot of stereotypes, myths, and misconceptions brought about by pop psychology spread across the masses. Here are some of the popular ones (and my personal favorites) which you may have already heard from people around you:

"Sa HR mapupunta ang isang Psych grad." ("Psych grads end up in HR [work].")

"Psych ka? Magme-med/Maglo-law ka ba?" ("You study Psych? Are you pursuing med/law?")

"Wala naman masyadong pera/future sa Psych." ("There's no money/future in Psych.")

"Psych? So yung mga baliw yung trabaho mo?" ("Psych? So you work on crazy people?")

And there's plenty more where that came from. Funnily enough, my college friends and I used to do a game where we take a shot of liquor for each myth said to us. (Drink responsibly, kids!) But, as psychology graduates, we know that these aren't completely true.

Now, let's take a look at how we can argue in psychology's defense and dignity and accept what the common person has gotten correctly.

Psychology practice in the Philippines

It's important to note that the term 'psychologist' or 'psychology practitioner' has different meanings in various contexts. Often, we think about psychologists as those who does therapy and plays around with psychological instruments. While this is somewhat true, a more academic language would refer to a 'psychologist' or 'practitioner' as someone who earned their degree in psychology - regardless of specialty - and has built their career in praxis of psychology. As I go along in this section, I'll refer to the 'psychologist' as the latter definition.

Clinical and counselling. In a 2004 article by Cristina Montiel and Lota Teh published in the International Handbook of Psychology, the authors enumerated on and expounded the most popular fields and specializations that psychology practitioners work in. Clinical or counselling practitioners lead in this list, often delving into psychotherapy, interventions, and assessment in various settings -- of which I have had experience on. I think this appears to be only partially true today, which I'll explain in a bit. You would find most practitioners doing their clinical practice in private clinics, hospitals, and schools. It's important to note, however, that most practitioners of this subfield have postgraduate degrees, and - since the year 2014, when Republic Act No. 10029 was enacted - a board license from Philippine Professional Regulation Commission (PRC). These licensed professionals have the names: 'RPsy' for psychologists.

However, bachelor's degree holders were also permitted to practice with their own little license: an 'RPm' or 'registered psychometrician' - which I have. These licensed professionals, get to practice assessment and several other supportive clinical functions - but not psychotherapy. The catch? You legally and ethically need to be supervised by a licensed psychologist. I'd like to get into the nitty-gritty differences and nuances of these two licenses, but I'll save that for another article. In the meantime, you must understand that these two have disparities in terms of their education attainment, clinical skills, and professional autonomy.

During my oath-taking ceremony as a psychometrician in 2018, Dr. Regina Hechanova-Alampay, a known Filipina in the fields of industrial-organizational and community psychology (and the mom of one of my dear friends), stated in her keynote address that the approximate ratio of each RPsy to each Filipino citizen is 1 to 100,000. A 2018 study has pointed this approximation to be accurate. Similarly, my former clinical supervisor approximated that the ratio of RPsy supervisors to RPm supervisees is 1 to 2,000. These numbers are quite a lot! Needless to say, there is a shortage of supply of clinical practitioners for the demand and a large influx of RPm's that have less clinical autonomy. And with an ever-growing relevance and awareness to the field of mental health in the country, these numbers are concerning. But -- hold on. If there are a lot of RPm's being produced yearly, where do they go?

Industrial-organizational and human resources. Montiel and Teh accounted that the second most abundant field in the country is in industrial-organizational (I/O) psychology or human resources (HR). This is where I think most psychology graduates usually end up in after college these days. Daresay, this is the fastest way to earn money as a fresh college graduate. But does that mean that the stereotype is necessarily true? It really depends on the way an employer values the employee and how much one is capable of doing a job. Sometimes, you get paid more, just right, or less.

I/O psychologists or HR practitioners often deal in corporate or organizational settings, often concerned with their person-related matters. They have skills like recruiting talent or labor, assessing worker needs, evaluating individual performances, or developing workers of a company - just to name a few. Do they need a license like an RPsy or RPm? Not necessarily.

You would often find job postings for HR positions that would often "prefer" a psychology graduate with a license, but sometimes "require" it. Therein lies some grey areas about how the professional licenses' stipulations are interpreted. But, let's not get into that just yet. But in my opinion, if people saw the utility of getting a license (which has its own financial costs of acquiring) as a way to improve compensation or marketability in the workforce, then they should get it.

Not all industrial-organizational psychologists, however, delve into the office hours and paper works. Some others go into research - particularly on topics like employee behaviors, group dynamics, and so on. It's important to think that these types of practitioners are just as versatile as other subfields in psychology.

Academia and other niches of psychology. As per Montiel and Teh, another large chunk of practitioners often end up in the academe. They become educators in various levels, researchers, or expert consultants depending on their interest, skill, and reputation. For example, developmental psychologists (or those who specialize in child psychology) get hired in preschools or alternative modes of learning. It was also mentioned briefly that social psychologists often find themselves in the social development sector, like the National Economic Development Agency (NEDA) or the Department for Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). Other common settings for psychology graduates to work in includes government facilities and the military, where their knowledge about human behavior are often found useful.

Research skills are also found useful in areas like market research and analytics. Because psychology graduates have knowledge about fundamentals of statistics and psychological measurement, a lot of these businesses employ their help in order to understand their target market's consumer behaviors and make informed decisions to increase profit. Other information about making a career in business can come be read in a lot of psychoeducational websites, like in Verywell Mind.

Overall, there is a plethora of careers a psychology graduate can delve into, especially for a fresh graduate like yourself. Over time, you would find that certain subfields would resonate more with you than others. You may often wonder which one - or a combination of more - would lead you to your career or personal ambitions. Now that you know how vast a career in psychology can be, it's a matter of choice and planning ahead, which leads me to the next section.

Goal-setting: Which road to take and what to expect

Eyeing the precious RPsy license won't be an easy task. Then again, would the hardships matter if it's worth it anyway? It's important for you, dear reader, to think about how you want to get to that goal.

Should one want to take a straightforward path, she or he would have taken their master's or doctorate studies in clinical or counselling psychology for the following three to five years (with coursework, practicum, and perhaps thesis or dissertation), then take the board exam from the PRC. I have a couple of friends who have done so, and it works for them.

However, for the likes of many of us - myself included - we may not have the same luxury of time or resources to afford us this direct route. Because of many personal needs (ahem-- financial), we may need to find a way to secure these as we go along our road to the RPsy. And how could I forget the costs of postgraduate studies alone? Which is why we'll need to earn or find income.

The best job or experience that can afford you a good head start in clinical psychology is the one closest to it. As my former supervisor, Paula, once said, "Clinical experience is key." For example, you can find psychometricians assisting with psychological assessments in various settings. Others delved into social or community work -- sometimes as a volunteer. The likelihood for one to get accepted in clinical or counselling training programs, like a postgraduate degree or certification training, is increased when one has had a hand on a similar line of work. But this is not to say that any other job is unimportant -- no. There's growing research on the various applications of mental health practice on non-clinical settings, like schools, offices, and even micro-communities. The possibilities are actually numerous. That said, I cannot guarantee how abundant these opportunities are.

There are a few things to consider when looking for a job or a source of income:

In terms of career, what are your yes's, maybe's, and no's? Make individual lists of the occupations you can say these three answers to.

How soon are you planning to achieve an RPsy license? As soon as the next four years? Or, maybe you want to take it slow and say ten?

What job and/or study opportunities are available to you at the moment? How comfortable will the setup be for you?

How much resources and time are available to you for work, study, and personal matters? Which of these do you prioritize more?

How much are you willing or do you need to be compensated to afford such a lifestyle?

As you formulate answers to these questions (especially, the last two), keep in mind that a more effective goal setting follows a 'SMART' process. That is: it is specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound. (More info about this process right here.) Patterning our goals to these dimensions helps us look at ourselves objectively and find an integrated way to live our lives productively.

In my personal experience, after graduating college, I took a two month break to enjoy the fruits of my hard-earned college degree with a "vacation" (which mostly staying home, if I'm being honest). In my mind, I knew that getting a master's degree is a must for me; a ladderized doctorate program was also amenable but I wanted to get that training abroad. But, I wanted to make myself more immersed in the field before I can enter a graduate program. I applied to different jobs - a psychological services consultant (which I primarily wanted), a personal development teacher in senior high, and a research analyst. Luckily, I got the job that I wanted and reaped clinical experience. (I'll write more about my first experiences in the clinic in another post.) A year later, I applied and got into the clinical program of the University of the Philippines. And now, I've been taking coursework on clinical psychology while working as a research associate of a particular office in the same university.

I understand, however, that not everybody could find the "perfect" balance or ideal solution to all of these concerns. In fact, I don't think anyone can -- unless you were blessed with such a life. Why? This is where I reflectively talk about my privilege (as I did at the beginning). Awareness of your own opportunities makes us think fully or subconsciously about our own status in the social system. Whether we like it or not, it affects many of the career - and more broadly, life - decisions depending on where we stand in our lives. Which is why I advocate for practicality. We may not always select the ideal -- but the principle of survival is important, especially in an underdeveloped country like the Philippines. As Montiel and Teh pointed out, poverty and economics have affected psychology practice and it opportunities in the country.

Can goals or plans change? Short answer is 'yes'. There are many reasons why our plans change. It may be because we find ourselves being presented by new or better opportunities. Or perhaps, we discover more personal insights and realizations about the career we want and how to get it. Life can be complex to influence our decisions within or without our control. Whatever the reason is, it is important for one to be able to evaluate one's strengths and weaknesses, limits and boundaries, and our emotions and motivation to keep us going.

Choosing your school: Which one should I go to?

It's very common for a psychology graduate to ask: Where should I get my clinical training? Again, this is dependent on your resources, time, and preferences. Coupled with these is the opportunities (or as Bandura would put it - chance encounters and fortuitous events).

Locally, there are about 60% of schools that offer master's degrees in clinical or counselling psychology as per Commission of Higher Education (CHED). A fewer percentage offers Ph.D. or doctorate equivalent degrees in clinical or counselling psychology, the three most famous being (as per Montiel and Teh): the Ateneo de Manila University, the University of the Philippines, and University of Santo Tomas. However, there is a growing number of urban and rural schools that offer postgraduate studies and attract local aspirants to enroll in their programs. At the top of my mind, St. Louis' University in Baguio City has been regarded as one of the best in developmental psychology (currently considered as a viable alternative to clinical psychology). Likewise, the De La Salle University in Manila, a member of the colloquially regarded "Big Four Universities," is gaining traction for their clinical program very recently.

Focusing on a school's reputation is not enough, however. What, us, clinical psychology hopefuls often look over is the training itself. Circling back to my guide questions on goal setting, preferences often come into play when deciding your training. For most, who prefer a general track in clinical psychology, many schools offer a flexible education to ensure you get the wide knowledge of the field, without undermining the core or essentials. Others may teach clinical psychology in a more specific way, favoring practical experiences like internships over theorizing in the classroom. Factors like faculty composition and expertise, paradigm, and school culture often influence how these training programs are developed. What I find helpful to attain this information is to ask these departments and institutions directly. Another approach is asking a friend taking up a program in that school. No harm in inquiry! Ask away.

Of course, like what I have also emphasized in this article, is the sensitive yet important issue of money. To be specific, your tuition. Clinical training in the Philippines ranges from ₱10,000 to ₱50,000.00 a year. The trend (as I've observed from applying in different schools) is that the more privatized and more "complex" the education, the higher the cost. Public schools often come cheaper than private schools. Consider your capacities for funding your education (including where it comes from) and weigh it with your preferences to make an optimal choice of school or program.

A popular notion among graduate students, or those heading into graduate school, is that public schools, like where I study, often take longer to finish a master's degree than others. Well, there are many factors to this. One is faculty size, for example. How many qualified teachers does the school have that supplies a smooth progression for a graduate student to complete their degrees? Another factor - which many often forget to attribute as well - is the student's motivation. It is not uncommon for a graduate student to fluctuate in wanting to accomplish their degrees. It really depends on how determined one is to see things through (which takes a lot of doing, if I do say so myself).

Overall, choosing a school is much less of an issue when it comes to time, but more so when it comes to practicality. In my opinion, any school that gives you basic competencies, regardless of reputation, is enough. In fact, most of my supervisors did not even settle for their graduate training alone. The field of clinical psychology (much like the other fields) is ever changing and adapting to the times. You often find a lot of trainings, seminars, and specialization programs that practitioners study or enroll in order to keep their practice up to date and ethical. Learning and personal growth, especially as clinicians, should not stop after we receive our degrees and licenses. Again, this calls back to the point of keeping an open eye and open mind on the opportunities that come our way.

--

Now that we discussed the first three tips, I plan to take a break here and let you, dear reader, reflect on things that will help you make your headway to that RPsy license. Do more reading. Ask questions. Seek answers. And explore yourself and the world to get a better sense of the pathway ahead.

I do hope that this discussion helps! See you on the next one.

[vetisntdead]

What are pathology internships/residencies like? I’ve been working as a tech at an ortho/neuro specialty hospital for about four years now, and watching the interns there has made me strongly question whether or not I want to go to vet school. They’re overworked and miserable. But I’ve also heard that surgical internships and residencies are some of the most intense out of any specialty. Pathology is the specialty that I’m most interested it, so I’m curious what your experience has been like so far.

So I have been in my residency position for a grand total of 5 weeks, but I will attempt to answer this anyway (please excuse any typos, I have stitches in my left index finger).  @lizziedoesvetpath​ will be able to tell you more from her side as she is a pathology resident in the USA.

I spent a year in clinical practice, mainly small animal welfare work, along with volunteer and reception work at a private practice since high school. While it’s gratifying to be able to help pet owners and their animals, it’s not what my heart is ultimately set on. I had known from a very young age that I wanted to work with dead animals and all it entails (I was a weird child). This hasn’t changed much throughout me growing up and going to university, it was in fact cemented. Are you more interested in anatomical/diagnostic pathology (post mortems and histopathology) or clinical pathology (blood work and cytology)? What I’ve said isn’t all these two specialties contain, it’s just to differentiate.

Residencies and internships are worse than regular work as they force you to work and learn at the same time, usually with a miserable salary. I can’t account for specialties other than my own. I do expect to be overworked and miserable at times, I knew this when I applied and I am (hopefully) prepared for it. My residency is 3 years long and requires me to complete a dissertation slightly smaller than your average master’s. I will also be expected to do clinical duty in the path hall once I know more or less what I’m doing. I’m fortunate in that the teaching I receive is fairly informal, since I’m at the only veterinary faculty in the country and I am the only first year resident. This informality doesn’t mean it’s easy though. I have a huge amount of self study ahead of me and I foresee long nights ahead reading articles and textbooks. But I really like what I’m doing. The work is physically challenging, I’m small and some of the carcasses I work on are enormous.

Now, about vet school. You won’t be able to become a veterinary pathologist without slaying this dragon. You need to ask yourself if you’re willing to push through. Vet school usually comes with a huge amount of debt, physical and mental exhaustion as well as the obligatory vet-school assigned mental illness. This is even before the incredibly long working hours, compassion fatigue, imposter syndrome and general disappointment in the average human being (you’re already in the industry so I assume you have experience of these things). I’m not trying to scare you, I just want to be realistic. It has taken me 5 years to come to terms with the fact that I was depressed to borderline suicidal because of the academic pressure (it started in high school already, since there’s only one veterinary faculty in the country, I had to get incredibly high marks to outcompete the other 7000+ applicants for one of the 180 places in first year.) I am in a much better place now, and I think the fact that I’m not dealing with Cushingoid yorkies and their anal glands on a daily basis any more.

I would suggest you speak to a student/new grad in the country and preferably the vet school you’re thinking of applying to as they will likely have insight and advice I do not. It would also be a good idea to speak to people in pathology close to where you are, they should be able to tell you more about what to expect when you start working.

Thank you for asking!

[ifeveristoday]

I got out my DVDs for this rewatch (that’s not actually a big deal. I only have season 3 on DVD. 😂) so let’s get to it.

I forgot they did a cold open for this episode!

I know it’s for ambiance but man does Angel have a lot of candles displayed. Probably too ‘mainstream’ for his taste but the thought of Angel furtively going to a Bath and Bodyworks in the mall during their semi-annual sale and just buying out their whole candle selection gives me the purest joy. Let’s be real though, Angel would shop at some boutique/hole in the wall owned by a wizened old character with a twinkle in their eye and everything marked up 20%. Or it would be a steel and glass monstrosity with a collection labeled Candles for Men. That’s the range.

Back to the enormous fire hazard that this scene is -

Wait. Does fire burn on stone?

Shout out to the stunt doubles.

I think that Angel getting food for Buffy for a sort of alfresco picnic while training is really sweet, actually. Also, can't miss the opportunity for both carbs and phallic symbolism ala bread.

Everyone is so embarrassingly horny in this moment. I'd say get a room except they're in a whole giant mansion.

Always remember the bread! What did Angel do with the food after Buffy fled? Fed the no-doubt cursed pigeons that live in Sunnydale.

Thanks for the workout (insert stereotypical dirty laugh).

Oh yes, the awkward 'let's talk about your birthday without mentioning the last birthday you had at all because it's horrifying' chitchat. God, the anxiety Angel is radiating here and Buffy trying to smooth it over. You can't unfrost that trauma cake!

Angel, you utter dork. You're lucky Buffy finds you pretty. Very powerful himbo energy here. And it's nice to see some light-hearted flirting/banter between them.

How do you know when someone's aura's dirty? Buffy is only asking the reasonable questions everyone has.

Do you hear yourself, Giles. "I'm aware of your distaste in studying vibratory stones..." I can't imagine what that section of the Slayer handbook looks like. Are there pull-out charts?

Faith being conveniently gone for this episode. Boo, hiss.

That workout really did a number on Buffy. I see what you're doing with those crystals.

One of the sad parts of rewatching Buffy is that you just don't have the first time discovery feels of watching it - that magic is gone, but even though I know why Buffy's wobbling in her fight, the reveal is still upsetting. Thinking about how in Season 5, when she does get staked, just as she's questioning her powers - and here, where she's losing them.

Also, obvious observation is obvious - the sexual violence imagery is really, really blatant here - with the vampire crouched over her with the stake aimed toward her heart, just as she playfully staked Angel earlier in a more romantically set scene.

AND THEN THE THEME KICKS IN. Like, damn! Three minutes and you can pretty much tell what the plot is going to be - Buffy and Angel's UST is getting out of hand, Buffy's lone Rangering it, and something is wrong with her. And it's her birthday.

And Buffy's resourcefulness saves the day.

Perhaps you shouldn't be throwing knives in the library, Buffy.

Did they do a geography lesson on Cuernavaca? It's also just fun to say. Like La Cienega. Brief moment to ponder yet again about a show set in Southern California, actually shot in Southern California, with the huge Latine population we have and the Spanish-influenced names and culture and - getting sidetracked by all this casual 90s racism.

"We do it every year for my birthday," except your seventeenth, presumably because of the murderous ex-boyfriend stalking the town you live in and all your loved ones. [Or, he did take her and it was not shown on screen!] Sometimes I wonder if the continuity editors just go, you know, I'm going to let this one go for the 'emotion' and not just so years later, a Virgo with a deep-seated need to obsess over throwaway details will go into a thought spiral to make it make sense.

I think this is also the last time Hank Summers was spoken of with any real affection because then he was Deadbeat Dad for the remainder of the show. Oh, look. The Scoobies are surprised about the traditional birthday ice show that I'm going to nitpick about forever.

Oz is so supportive, and then the clunker of a 'deep' line of ice being cool because it's water then it's not. I do like the Whedonesque school of dialogue, but sometimes you gotta reel it back. I remember the dialogue on Dawson's Creek was getting pinged for the teenagers talking like grad students.

Quiet reflection. Oh you poor girl, you have no idea.

Quarterly projections - is a convincing filler phrase for when you don't need to know what the job is, because it's boring but sounds vaguely official. What does Hank actually do? Who cares! He's an asshole.

Sunnydale Arms, because of course, Sunnydale has a broken down abandoned murder hotel.

Quentin Travers. Boo. Hiss.

The scary music is very scary. Also one of the Council flunkies looks like a very young Vincent D'Onofrio.

This scene with them in the library is so bittersweet because Buffy is fishing for Giles's attention as a father figure substitute ("very sophisticated people go!" breaks my heart) and he pointedly is rejecting this for training talk.

Look for the flaw at its center. THE FLAW IS YOU GILES. YOU YOU YOU.

it's just so terrible, this scene because of how methodical and clinical it plays out. And Buffy is just not there, and then Giles smiles like nothing has happened.

Buffy makes it through another night - next day (another reason why this trial is so horrifying is that it takes place over several days - it's not on Buffy's birthday but leading up to it, so the idea of her getting weaker and weaker and unable to fight to make it to 18 in the first place) and it's time for the Cordelia has had enough of toxic masculinity scene!

Also, Willow blithely ignoring a person's feelings and treating Amy as just a rat is played for laughs and cuteness, but yeah...you can't treat people like puppets or rats [law and order sound]

I love Cordelia's coat. And also, while it does suck that she stood him up, he's not entitled to her time or attention and certainly not to threaten her. Go, Cordy! Fight like a girl! Yes! Pummel him into the hallway.

I also love Willow's outfit here because I think the colors are so complementary and warm and it's a cute outfit. Okay, the knit wooly hat is a bit too Blossom-esque, but whatever.

Buffy is tiny, we all know this, but I do think they purposefully dressed her in larger than her size coats in this episode to make her look even more tiny and vulnerable.

Giles is TOO BLASE for this scene also shut your mouth about throwing knives like a girl

"It's an archaic exercise in cruelty." SO WHY DID YOU GO ALONG WITH IT, BRAIN TRUST. (I am going to be very mean to Giles this whole rewatch, deal with it.)

"But I'm the one in the thick of it." No, you're not. You are going to be adjacent to it, at best.

Hey it's that guy!

Okay, in better lighting, flunkie does not look like Vincent D'Onofrio.

It's impossible to pin down one type of Vampire in the Whedonverse, except for the delineation between Grunt Bait Vampires, and Special Guest Star/Master vampires, but Kralik is the only other example of a vampire with mental illness besides Drusilla, yet he's medicated. Makes me wonder how exactly they got Kralik...he was a monster before he was a vampire, but who vamped him? I don't put it past the Watchers to have vampires created for this purpose.

Curse against lawyers!

Xander and Oz bonding over comic books is so fun. I regret they didn't really get closer until after Xander and Willow cheated because Oz was the one male friend Xander had.

They mentioned her birthday! Thinking about Buffy's love of poetry later on, this is a nice little detail, and it *is* a thoughtful, sweet gift. Also those poems: horny. Oh yes, maybe in a restrained way, but Elizabeth Barrett Browning knew what was up.

The Buffy and Angel relationship in season three is full of these starts and stops that I can see why and agree with others about how it's frustrating on a number of levels. They know why they can't be together, but they still try to find a common ground because they want to need the other one. They still have their identities to figure out - Buffy as the slayer and a young adult, Angel as a person, separate from Buffy and being Buffy's ex sort of maybe.

But this conversation in Helpless is genuinely sweet and a glimpse at what a normal couple at the crossroads would talk about - I think I'm also being soft on this because the other Important Male Figure in Buffy's life in this episode lets her down so spectacularly bad, that Angel being supportive and kind in his awkward way is a nice respite. It's good to be away from the angst and the horror that their relationship has had.

And the self-aware puncturing of the Moment between them is something Buffy does very well. "Taken literally, incredibly gross - I was just thinking that too". Look, it's cute and soft and I will allow it.

The horror of this episode (and there are so many) is that we have to watch Buffy become the helpless blonde in a slasher flick who is being chased by the monsters and she can't do anything about it - that she has to be rescued or die. That the real world with men catcalling and bystanders who ignore women's cries of distress is far scarier than the literal demons that inhabit the town - and Buffy brokenly saying she can't just be a person, she can't be helpless like that [like women are, still, today] is a gut punch. It's uncomfortable and unhappy because Buffy is supposed to be the hero, the [sigh] strong female lead who can kick ass and take names, and this episode is all about finding who Buffy is, separate from her super powers. Also an exercise in emotional torture, but must be Tuesday.

The physicality - the weakness that both Buffy and Giles display in this scene is so, so good. The way Buffy's hand trembles toward the needle in the case and the dawning realization of what Giles has done, has chosen to do - and he bloodlessly tells her what the Cruciamentum is.

Her tiny little "Liar."

GOD WHY DIDN'T SHE GET AN EMMY (rhetorical we all know genre tv only matters if it was Game of Rapey Thrones)

"You will be safe now, I promise you." LIAR.

Another puncturing a heavy moment - Cordelia as cavalry - I love it. Cordelia taking the most obvious approach to the situation - 'oh Buffy might have lost her memory, well he's Giles,'

I can't believe they robbed us of a conversation in the car scene with Cordy and Buffy.

Kralik had to have found a polaroid camera and a metallic sharpie for this whole scenario -- OH I KNOW WHO HE REMINDS ME OF. The Night Stalker and any number of serial killers that terrorized SoCal. Is the show being self-aware of the problem with mothers and parents in general?

Probably a glib accident.

I don't have much to say about the part where Buffy hunts Kralik because it's so masterfully done with the atmosphere and music.

Nice of Giles's backbone to enter the chat now.

This is not business. Ooo.

Buffy's "I thought I killed a man" emo overalls!

Like it's shadowy, but there's still enough light to see facial expressions. Lighting guy, I salute you.

Little red riding hood metaphor. Oh, that's so her stunt double.

CREEPY SEXUAL VIOLENCE REARS ITS DEFORMED HEAD AGAIN

Jump stair scare. I remember the first time I saw it, I jolted in the living room.

Serial Killer Shit. Why are vampires such drama queens?

THAT'S RIGHT, BUFFY DID THAT

The ending scene in the library is cathartic in that Buffy gets to stand up for herself finally, and recognizes what Giles gives up by helping her, delayed as it was, also there's the feeling of hate punching Quentin Travers via your eyes.

Still don't think she should have forgiven Giles so easily, but we don't get to see a lot of aftercare for Buffy when she gets hurt, and it is a very tender scene.

The Scoobies are being way too upbeat if they knew about the fact that Giles poisoned Buffy, which is why I'm assuming she told a very abbreviated version of events ending with Buffy killed the bad guy and Giles got fired, oops.

Xander's big strong man comment and then looking immediately to Willow to open the jar and not Oz...

I could watch this episode again with episode commentary from David Fury, but another day.

[eatsweatrepeat]

Life update - nursing

So what has been happening since the last update

Job

So I left uni with a job on a private unit with the local NHS hospital. This unit had been closed since January 2020 and wasn’t open, at least as a private unit, by the time I was due to start. Due to this, I was set to start on a surgical ward that I wasn’t very happy about, nearer the time I was asked if I would like to start on the discharge lounge which was currently occupying the unit. This I jumped at, it’s not a very clinical role, if at all, but was much better than the surgical ward. I started there on 14th November, by 14th December things weren’t looking good and I was asked to pick a ward I would be happy to work on. I picked 3 wards all of which came back as having no space, so I ended up on the surgical ward!

I lasted 3 1/2 months before leaving. It was so busy, was basically surgical plus everything else, and I felt like I was being treated as an experienced nurse rather than an NQN. The staff were lovely but as the ward was so busy there wasn’t time to offer the support I needed. I started looking for a new job around Feb 2021 and secured myself one soon after. I ended up getting a role in a nursing home on nights, 3 nights a week, and much much more money than I was making within the NHS. In fact, I wouldn’t be able to go back as a band 5 as I would drop too much money.

This role had or has its issues. The staff I work with are lovely but some of the residences can be challenging, mainly down to dementia but I am coping very well with these people. There is one resident that is causing staff to leave or agency staff to not return. He is very rude, bad-tempered, argumentative, aggressive, etc, etc. He has recently had assessments with the dementia crisis team & MHA team to possibly section him. I don’t feel he needs that but the home isn’t the right fit for him. Finally, the manager has seen it too and he will now need to go somewhere more appropriate. He basically wants help, but doesn’t want help, calls the staff names, throws things, etc. He was once a very powerful man but now needs help and can’t accept that.

I have been there since April and since July I have felt very at home there, more relaxed and confident in my abilities. I had my first death the other day and it wasn’t as daunting as I thought it would be. I have been offered lots of training, which I wasn’t before.

Poeple say leaving the NHS is a bad move but so far I don’t think so, I am learning skills I wouldn’t in a hospital and if I ever do go back, I’d learn the skills needed then.

University

So I came out of university with a 2:1. I was very impressed with that, I feel that if I’d tried harder in 2nd year I would maybe have gotten a high 2:1 but I’m happy with a 2:1 none the less, it’s what I need for post-grad study.

Last September I started a B.S degree with the University of the People. This is an online US university that caters to students worldwide, who wouldn’t normally be able to afford college/uni or don’t have the qualifications. Each course is $100 and you can get scholarships if needed. There are many however that already have degrees who are changing careers or doing it out of interest. I am doing Health Science previously name Community Public Health. The previous title put me off a few years ago as I felt it wouldn’t cater for me & the UK health system rather the US health system. Also, it is very science based so Health Science is a better fit. There is however an internship at the end and I’m unsure if I’ll be able to do these but I have time to find out.

From October 2021, if I get student finance approved, I will also be started a BSc Sports Science degree with The Open Uni. This I will talk more about if I do start it.

For postgrad, I want to do either clinical trials, public health, or health research, sometime after 2024. I have started to look at degrees and norow done my options.

[blue-eyed-korra]

Lauren and Kieran’s Relationship: Action not Words

*Mini rant before the actual post:

So apparently someone shared my post about Kieran to the Purple Hyacinth group on Band (shoutout to @lanxyuu​​ for showing me this) and a bunch of people there liked it including Sophism herself which is crazy because this comic has become my life??? And the work she and Eph do is amazing??? And she said she liked my brain!?!?!? AHHHHHHH- sorry I’m still shook but I honestly can’t believe that she actually liked my work just... AHHHHHHHH!

*Mini rant ended here*

Anyways, seeing as how I’m currently a broke, unemployed, soon-to-be-grad student under quarantine, I have no coins to fastpass the last episodes of PH. Believe me it is the greatest tragedy of my life. But I still wanna write more about PH so what should I do? Well I decided to write about how we can learn more about Lauren and Kieran’s relationship through their non-verbal interactions. By looking at how they act around each other rather than just what they say, we can get a better sense for what their relationship was like before episode 43, and where it may go from there. Now I’m not gonna talk about every single time they interact with each other because some are irrelevant, it would take way too long to write and this post would become even more of a mess than it already is. 

Now you might be thinking this is just an excuse to discuss one of my favourite ships because their relationship in the comic isn’t the greatest rn and I don’t want to/can’t accept that they may not get together (in the foreseeable future), and you’d be right. Let me have this. 

Ok so the first scene I wanna talk about is the very first physical interaction they have where they’re not actively attacking/trying to kill each other. I’m talking of course about when they make the deal to work together in episode 11.

What I like about this is that it’s both impersonal and intimate, because they’re both doing this for their own reasons and they both see the other as a means to an end, but it’s also a blood pact. Kieran cuts his hand and offers it to her, and Lauren accepts in kind. They’re becoming bound to each other, but all in the common interest to take down the Leader.

The same can also be said for when they go dancing; it’s just an act. A way to blend in and find Anslow. They tango and banter and get all close and we all lived for it (hell I’m still living for it), because it’s hot and the sexual tension is insane but to them it’s just apart of the operation and doesn’t really mean anything. Like when she later seduces Anslow to get him alone. It’s all a part of the plan

I’d say the moment we see the biggest shift is after the whole Blakelsey situation. They’re back at the cave and Lauren is pretty shook because not only did Kieran save her life, but he showed her that he really does try to avoid killing when given the choice. So when she sees he’s injured and struggling with his bandages, she goes to help him.

Sidenote: This is completely unrelated to anything in this post but I just wanted to say that I never realised how attractive a back could be until I saw Kieran’s so thank you Soph for giving this to us🙏🏻

You can see this is part of her way of thanking him for saving her before she actually tells him. You can see that she’s beginning to reevaluate the idea of him that she has in her head, because his actions that night contradict everything she assumed about him. This is the moment she begins to see his humanity. And he’s pretty shocked too because he’s accustomed to doing everything alone and her of all people offering her help and thanks is wild to him, but more about how Kieran feels later.

Things change the most for Lauren after the whole Grim Goblin incident. She’s jumped out of a hotel window, into a tree and fell several storeys to the ground. Kieran finds her injured and trying to play it off as nothing because 1) She’s a strong, independent woman who don’t need no man, and 2) Because she’d rather not get the help of this man in particular. But he calls bullshit and scoops her up bridal style. Again, she’s shook because the Purple Hyacinth is carrying her bridal style, but it wears off quickly and she begins struggling out of his grip. The piggyback is clearly a compromise where he can still carry her but it’s less intimate and, dare I say, ‘damsel-like’ than before. I also think Lauren was ok with the piggyback because it made her taller than Kieran and therefore more in control lol.

Then they get to his apartment and she one again tries to brush off her injuries but the the turn tables and Kieran is the one helping patch her up. He picks her up, puts her on the table and rips her sleeve off to get a better look at her cut.

One thing I wanna point out is her reaction to him being so close.

She’s clenching her fist on the edge of the table because he is way into her personal space. You can practically feel his breath on her neck. He’s being very clinical about everything and probably can’t feel her discomfort, but we as readers can feel just how uncomfortable and anxious she is. This man just carried her to his home and is checking her wounds and is gonna patch her up and it’s breaking every preconceived notion she had of him in her head. He’s not some murderous monster *wink wink* whose sole purpose is to spread misery and pain. He’s just a man who lives in an apartment and likes to read and draw and eats and breaths just like any other person. Logically, she knows that he’s a human, but actually seeing it is another thing entirely. And her realizing this now only makes everything that goes down in episode 43 hurt that much more.

I realize that most of this word vomit essay is about how Lauren feels, but what about Kieran? What can we lean about how he feels about Lauren? Well, that’s gonna be a bit trickier. For one thing, Lauren is the main character, therefore we spend way more time in head than his by a long shot. We know less about his motivations and personality than we do about hers. All of this contributes to the mystery that is Kieran White. But there are moments we can learn things about him, especially when his true feelings shine through.

One thing that demonstrates this a lot is when Lauren surprises him. There are times when Lauren says or does something and for just a second, it throws Kieran off and has him really think about the mystery that is Lauren Sinclair.

We see this happen a few times: First when they’re preparing to go get Anslow and he sees her disguise and the gun strapped to her thigh, Next when she’s thanking him for saving her life and finally when he sees her the morning after she sleeps over.

With the first one he’s more pleasantly surprised than anything, seeing officer goodie-twoshoes being this resourceful and sneaky. He expected her to be more of a straight-lace killjoy, but now he’s seeing more of her ‘bad girl’ side and it’s interesting.

He’s more shocked than surprised when she thanks him for saving her. Like I said before, he’s an assassin. When do you think the last time he was thanked for saving a life rather than taking one? Probably never honestly. And now this woman, who he knows doesn’t like him very much, is helping him with his bandages and offering him gratitude and he’s kind of in awe of it all. Of course we see him try to brush it off by being a jackass (and we love him for it) but still, I see you Kieran👀.

I think the final scene is the most interesting tho. Because he comes back from getting her stuff at the cave and just sees her standing there. She doesn’t do anything or say anything out of the ordinary. She’s just standing there... in one of his shirts and basically nothing else... in his apartment... the morning after sleeping in his bed. 

He was confused as to why he brought her there the night before and he’s never brought anyone to his home before, so I think seeing her like this, all casual in his space despite everything, is really driving home just how close they’ve become and how he hasn’t had anything remotely close to a friend or companion or whatever they are in years.

But once again, this was all before episode 43, which still hurts my soul. I know things are gonna be different after everything, but I hope that Lauren and Kieran are able to express themselves more with each other as the story continues.

So yeah, this is a mess. If you’ve made it this far, congrats! Now this post was more of a labour of love than I initially thought because it took literally a whole day to write and then got deleted the next day! So this is the rewrite. Lowkey happy it got deleted because this is far less rambling than before. Take a moment to let that sink in. As I’m writing this episode 48 is only a couple hours from being made free for everyone. Watch me come back on here and post another essay about it lol. Looking forward to doing more of these though! Thanks for all the feedback and remember to send the creators some love!

[drferox]

Job Hunting for New Grads

@thegoliard said to @ask-drferox​: Hi Dr Ferox, I've been following you for a while now as I progress through vet school in NZ, and am now in my fifth and final year!! It is coming to the time where we all start job hunting. I was wondering how you found your first job out of vet school, and what advice you would give a new grad looking for a job? Also, what qualities do you think are particularly important in a new graduate? Thanks

It took me a few weeks out of vet school to land my first job, though admittedly I was looking for them a few months before graduating.

The job I actually accepted, i found on Kookaburra Vets (which does have a section for New Zealand but this position in Tasmania catches my eye, as I worked with Sally-Anne and have a high degree of faith in her taking care of a new grad). A lot of clinics advertise on Kookaburra Vets because it’s so easy and a relatively low fee to do so with no commission.

Vetlink is another site I used, but didn’t end up taking a job through. It has a large number of jobs but works on commission. You fill out your profile and may have an interview with vetlink and they attempt to match you to positions available. The jobs advertised there might have slightly higher salaries, but it has a number of downsides. Because vetlink is paid commission based on your wage for the first 12 months, you will probably not get a pay rise in that first year. They also don’t state which clinic the job is at, or exactly where the job is at, until you express interest in applying so that you can’t go an apply without them, so you might end up applying for a ‘bad’ clinic. And that’s a real issue, as with some experience I can guess which clinics are advertising based on the description or recycled phrasing, and I know which clinics are notorious for how badly they treat staff. Still, it’s not a bad place to look, as such.

The Australian Veterinary Journal has a classifieds section in which they will advertise jobs, and I expect NZ has an equivalent, but it doesn’t seem to have as many jobs advertised as Kookaburra, and you need a membership to access it. Fortunately the universities usually have a membership, and it’s cheaper for students, but you still need the membership.

Some veterinary wholesalers also have classifieds in their magazines, but there’s not nearly as many. Kookaburra, Vetlink and the industry journal were the main places I looked.

I know some graduates had jobs lined up before they graduated, but to be honest it was mostly male students (a rare resource that were basically ‘poached’ by clinics they did work experience at) or students that lived very close to rural clinics that otherwise had hard times attracting and retaining staff.

When we’ve been looking at hiring new graduate vets in the past, the things I’m looking for are:

Excited to be there, even if nervous

Honesty. I can’t teach a liar.

A complete human being.

Just no big bad red flags.

Where they did work experience.

A new grad is a nearly blank slate, so I’m mostly looking for ‘keen, nothing bad’ and who they are as a person rather than a page of academic statistics.

I’ll link some other advice answers below, but I think the single most accurate piece of advice I can offer new grads considering a job is ‘can you see yourself in the staff here’. Can you see yourself turning out like the other staff already there, those that would be your mentors and colleagues because they will shape you if you work there. And would you be happy if you turned out just like them?

New Grad Job Interview Tips

Job Advert Red Flags

Taking a job far from home

General New Grad Job Tips

[abcd-adventures]

Are you willing to share more about your classes and experiences as a "nontraditional" student? I had a series of questions composed but then Tumblr ate them and wouldn't send my ask. I am also a nontraditional student but my program has a fair number of other nontraditional students.

Hi Anon! Always nice to know of other non-traditional students! :) I actually start my second semester of grad school tomorrow, so such a good time to answer this, I guess! I technically counted as a non-traditional student in undergrad because I had already been married and divorced and I had a kid, so this is my second time as a non-traditional student!

I guess the difference, for me, is that I’m not super immersed in the culture of being a college student--I’ve never lived in a dorm or had a roommate; I’ve only been to one college sporting event and that was at my husband’s campus in undergrad, not mine; I’ve never eaten a meal on campus or been to any of the places on “the drag;” I was in the honor society in undergrad, but otherwise I’m not really a joiner of groups. . .basically, I’m not very involved. I was never a joiner in high school either--I don’t like committing my time. It’s not that I don’t care about certain causes, but I support them in my own way and without the pressure of a schedule or certain meetings or events I “should” attend.

This is a pretty boring answer, honestly. The only thing I care about are my classes. I am definitely disappointed that so far all of my classes for grad school have been zoom classes because my favorite thing about college is the discussion. Especially in professions centered around people, classmates can teach me as much as professors sometimes and even the best professors simply can’t make zoom discussions feel as open and organic as in-person discussions. Because I went to undergrad in Killeen (where there’s a huge military base), pretty much all of my classmates were non-traditional students from all different cultures and backgrounds and I learned SO MUCH just from talking to them and hearing their perspectives. I still learn things from my classmates now, but there’s only, like, five of us who haven’t come straight to grad school from undergrad in my cohort--these kids are so YOUNG! Most of them, just by nature of having lived almost two fewer decades than me have fewer “life experiences.” You know? It’s certainly not a knock against them, but I do think it matters to a point (in general--I know age isn’t everything, for sure)! I LOVED school in undergrad! I would have been happy to continue immediately on to grad school! But, I wasn’t ready to take on that expense, and I knew the only reason I would go to grad school was to become a therapist and I wanted (a) to make sure I really wanted to do that, and (b) to gain some life experience first because I personally wouldn’t want a 22/23 year old therapist for the types of work I want to do. Call me ageist if you will, but it’s a personal preference and it’s my life and my career, so *shrug*. Because I eventually want to become an LCSW in private practice, I am taking the clinical track at school which involves a lot of classes learning about direct counseling work, diagnosis, trauma, psychopharmacology, theories, interventions/techniques, etc. I’m also getting an additional certification in military social work, so I’ll be taking some extra trainings and  workshops for that and my internship will likely be with the VA.

I think school is what you make it. For me, I just want to learn and work toward a goal. I’m not really interested in the rest of the college “experience.” I did order a school tank top for the “spirit day” that was mentioned in one of the many campus emails. Lol. . .so, there’s my nod to college pride!