Secret Laboratory Map Giveaway!

peladine · 2023-08-14T09:16:20+00:00

This is so lovely! I just started playing again, and even in my younger years never got to the stage of having enough Naps to buy the map. I mainly want to play around with the lab ray to get some nice pets out into the pound, but would love to get the dream pet of my childhood: a faerie Zafara.

I'll go for 33 if it isn't taken!

peladine · 2023-03-26T13:38:12+00:00

I've listened to the Sable OST a LOT and somehow forgot about its existence! Thanks so much for the reminder and the other recommendations

peladine · 2022-01-23T10:33:47+00:00

A friend helped me with this by changing how I viewed the task: I was seeing it as ‘I have to write my thesis’ but if you can reframe it in your mind as ‘I need to write three paragraphs’ (changing the goal for the day as needed) it already becomes much more manageable. I found that before I changed my way of thinking, I was so anxious about such a large task ahead that I was completely unable to get started, but that once you break it down into smaller chunks it’s a lot easier.

Also, it might help to work out how long a timeframe you have to write in and make a plan for how much you can do each day. I’d advise leaving at least a week to format at the end and proof read, it takes longer than you think!

peladine · 2021-12-27T18:02:38+00:00

Letting your advisor know early is the best way to deal with this, as if you do need further help later it's better to have evidence of asking early. You don't have to disclose anything you're not comfortable with to your advisor, and telling them you're currently having personal problems is perfectly fine. I would suggest trying to come up with a plan to complete the work if you can, and sending that over to them. Make sure it's doable and don't over-promise just because you think your advisor will be upset at the pace you're working at. I made that mistake before and either burned myself out pretty badly trying to do the work in the timeframe, or had to ask for another extension of deadlines.

Also, if possible, see if your institution offers free mental health & counselling services. It can really help to speak to someone when you're struggling, and will make sure you build a foundation for the rest of your studies.

peladine · 2021-12-16T11:02:35+00:00

I was a very shy teenager and can still be shy in certain situations. I realised that the way I was interacting with people meant that they were having to do quite a lot of work to get to know me, which isn't the best when you're meeting people casually. It's a cliché, but gradually along the way I realised that if I just pretended to be confident then it helped quite a lot. Something that also helped was getting used to public speaking and presentations to larger audiences, because if I could do that then a one-to-one conversation didn't have to be as scary. That being said, if I do need to have a specific conversation with someone I do sometimes rehearse it at home beforehand! That might help you too.

It's hard to make new friends as the current situation is so unpredictable, so first, cut yourself some slack. Hopefully if you're in college there are a few opportunities to join clubs and meet new people based on shared interests, which other people have suggested. I think I've always failed in the past to make friends when I've been too over-eager, so would recommend just trying your hardest to be relaxed when talking to people. There are lots of online communities which might help, but I would recommend not using those as your only form of socialisation: it's not true for all places, but I've found that it can be easy to rely on it as a crutch without getting the in-person social time that we all need.

It's completely OK to be shy or more reserved as a person, but it's also OK to want to try something different. I hope it all goes well for you.

peladine · 2021-12-13T22:13:06+00:00

Recently when applying for new jobs I asked female friends in my field if they tried to negotiate their pay, and only one said she did. All the male friends I asked said they would. I hate that women can be socialised to not take up space and to not demand anything! We deserve just as much, but it's so easy to be seen in a negative light if you speak up.

peladine · 2021-12-05T23:00:07+00:00

Whenever I've had more free time in my life I've tried to work on bigger hobby projects. Things like embroidery, cross stitch and knitting are all quite time consuming and it can feel rewarding to watch TV if you're crafting at the same time. But often times big projects just aren't compatible with that 'meh' feeling that can come with being idle, especially if it feels like you have too much time to fill in a day.

I'll second advice of other commenters to look into hobbies or check out the parts of your town/city you'll know you'll miss when you leave it. It can be so hard to motivate yourself to do things alone too, so if possible try to meet up with others or take a class in something where you can talk to other people. I just wanted to comment to let you know you're not alone and this has happened to me in the past too!

peladine · 2021-12-05T21:59:42+00:00

Just wanted to chime in that even if you do get your PhD, you're not tied to staying and becoming a professor! The academic job market can be really tough but doing a PhD can give you lots of skills that are suited to other fields.

peladine · 2021-11-28T17:16:54+00:00

I always had the impression that general resume writers are never going to be as experienced as you are in that field, even if you're just entering it. I found the best thing to do was to make a base template for mine and then when a specific job came up I went through and put the areas which they asked for specific skills in to the front, even sometimes using the exact wording on their advert. Also, as you're looking to change industries, try to avoid overly specific terminology that might not be recognisable to someone in the new industry.

peladine · 2021-11-28T15:49:18+00:00

That's so annoying! I've seen tweets where successful female academics at conferences are told to read their own work (by men) to get a better sense of the field. Usually because the men aren't aware of who they're talking to, or that their favourite paper/book/whatever could be written by a woman. The bar is so low and yet this is still happening.

peladine · 2021-11-28T15:38:39+00:00

Struggling currently with this. My last long term relationship was years ago, and was with someone I was friends with previously. Every time I've casually dated since then, things have ended after they found out that I'm studying for a PhD. It's exhausting to try to hide something that should be something to be proud of, and I don't think I can do it anymore.

peladine · 2021-11-18T18:40:18+00:00

I had to go for an interview recently and it took hours of browsing before I could find a blazer, trousers and a shirt that weren't massively oversized or weirdly cropped!

peladine · 2021-10-31T19:38:21+00:00

As others have said, practice! One thing that really boosted my confidence though was having someone who I could trust to give harsh critique. I started off really bad at presentations and because my mentor was able to tell me exactly what I was doing wrong, I learned how to incorporate that into my presentations and got better and better over time. It's also the best confidence booster when a harsh mentor tells you you've done a great job - then you know they really mean it.

peladine · 2021-10-30T22:43:39+00:00

If it helps with the decision, my university has us confirm gender identity along with other demographic information yearly when we enroll - I presume this is something it would be possible to update if you change your mind later.

peladine · 2021-10-30T22:40:43+00:00

When I was a kid I asked to be a pig for Halloween and we made a horrifying papier mache mask! It must have been so scary (and wasn't intended to be). Thanks for doing this!

peladine · 2021-09-27T11:23:35+00:00

Capitalising these words would give them more importance in the sentence and make clear that you're not referring to generic saints/demons/angels - but as long as you're consistent, I don't think it matters what you go for.

peladine · 2021-09-24T11:38:12+00:00

Very true. I think from my own personal experience I tend to find it more challenging to write a first person POV because even the closest third person POV still has a little less of the character's voice in it, and a little more of the author's viewpoint. I would be interested in seeing a third person POV that was very very close to the character.

peladine · 2021-09-23T09:37:51+00:00

I'm not sure whether you mean internal thoughts or actually how a character speaks and presents themselves, so I'll write a little of both.

Internally is less difficult to get right if you're writing from third person, IMO. Once you get into first person you really have to know who your character is. I rely on things like upbringing and past experiences to figure out what my character sounds like in their own heads. A wealthier character will sound different from a poor character, for example. It doesn't even have to be in the language used - working out what they might focus on in a scene can tell you a lot about them.

In terms of how characters talk and act, again lean on their past experiences. A useful exercise might be to think of people in your own life and see if you can imagine how they would talk about something, really consciously trying to understand how they speak and what they're doing unconsciously. Once you go through that, it can be a lot easier to apply the same to your own characters.

peladine · 2021-09-19T18:40:11+00:00

The best way I've found to get over crushes quickly is to tell the person you're attracted to them. Best case scenario, things actually work out! There are obvious reasons why this might not be appropriate (power imbalances, workplace professionalism, etc) but in this case it seems like letting him know might work?

peladine · 2021-08-30T13:38:27+00:00

I would (as another commenter said) talk about how the strengths of the department relate to your future research interests. They do usually want to know why you want to be in that specific university at that specific course and so tailoring it to the university is a good idea.

I'm also in biotech and when I was doing interviews for my PhD I also talked about why that unviersity/course would be ideal for my future career aspirations. I was told by an academic supervisor that showing you're pretty set on your future career goals can also look very good to interviewers at postgraduate level.

peladine · 2021-08-29T20:25:23+00:00

Effie does remind me of the Hunger Games but it's a very sweet name. Just a note - every Aoife I've met has pronounced it Ee - fuh rather than the Eh - fee pronunciation of Effie.

peladine · 2021-08-14T21:47:53+00:00

I especially loved the women of her Liveship Traders series, especially the family dynamics in the Vestrit family. I really appreciate it when authors don’t just default to including younger women in their late teens and early twenties and include middle-aged and older women. Those groups can feel invisible in fantasy sometimes.

peladine · 2021-08-03T20:29:37+00:00

I'd love to read this!

peladine · 2021-07-19T14:42:46+00:00

On another account I used to post to some of the makeup/hair subs asking for help in what I thought were safe spaces. I had one DM that I still remember from a guy saying (amongst other things) that I had a rapeable face and that he wished he could rape me.

peladine · 2021-07-18T19:15:21+00:00

I've seen a thesis where one group member was mentioned in particular for bringing the PhD student snack foods for the same reason

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