Interpretation cheat sheet ecg abnormalities chart
21M Multiple abnormal EKGs with no follow up. Do I need to see a cardiologist ASAP?
2023.03.24 22:20 Antique_Cut7827 21M Multiple abnormal EKGs with no follow up. Do I need to see a cardiologist ASAP?
I hate to be that guy who just asks people to interpret test results on here, but I am concerned because none of the doctors that reviewed these EKGs ever said anything about them, and I don't see my primary care for several weeks.
I am a pilot so a heart problem could not only put me out of a job/career, but it could also be incredibly dangerous hence my anxiety/concern.
I am 21M and 130lbs now, however these were taken during a lengthy hospital stay where I was dealing with some digestive issues and suffering moderate-severe malnutrition which may explain the bradycardia IMO as a layperson.
Thanks in advance.
EKG-17-FEB23 hosted at ImgBB — ImgBB (ibb.co) Ventricular Rate 78 BPM Atrial Rate 267 BPM P-R Interval 136 ms QRS Duration 98 ms Q-T Interval 374 ms QTC Calculation (Bezet) 426 ms P Axis 7 degrees R Axis -5 degrees T Axis -34 degrees IP EKG Routine Diagnosis Normal sinus rhythm Voltage criteria for left ventricular hypertrophy Inferior infarct (cited on or before 21-DEC-2022) Abnormal ECG When compared with ECG of 23-JAN-2023 21:28, Current undetermined rhythm precludes rhythm comparison, needs review T wave inversion more evident in Inferior leads
EKG-23-JAN23 hosted at ImgBB — ImgBB (ibb.co) Ventricular Rate 85 BPM Atrial Rate 85 BPM P-R Interval 136 ms QRS Duration 108 ms Q-T Interval 364 ms QTC Calculation (Bezet) 433 ms P Axis 47 degrees R Axis 14 degrees T Axis 1 degrees IP EKG Routine Diagnosis Normal sinus rhythm Possible Inferior infarct (cited on or before 21-DEC-2022) Abnormal ECG When compared with ECG of 21-DEC-2022 10:24, Ventricular rate has increased BY 40 BPM
EKG-21-DEC22 hosted at ImgBB — ImgBB (ibb.co) Ventricular Rate 45 BPM Atrial Rate 45 BPM P-R Interval 138 ms QRS Duration 92 ms Q-T Interval 496 ms QTC Calculation (Bezet) 429 ms P Axis 25 degrees R Axis 18 degrees T Axis -2 degrees IP EKG Routine Diagnosis Sinus bradycardia Inferior infarct, age undetermined Abnormal ECG No previous ECGs available
submitted by Antique_Cut7827 to AskDocs [link] [comments]
I am a pilot so a heart problem could not only put me out of a job/career, but it could also be incredibly dangerous hence my anxiety/concern.
I am 21M and 130lbs now, however these were taken during a lengthy hospital stay where I was dealing with some digestive issues and suffering moderate-severe malnutrition which may explain the bradycardia IMO as a layperson.
Thanks in advance.
EKG-17-FEB23 hosted at ImgBB — ImgBB (ibb.co) Ventricular Rate 78 BPM Atrial Rate 267 BPM P-R Interval 136 ms QRS Duration 98 ms Q-T Interval 374 ms QTC Calculation (Bezet) 426 ms P Axis 7 degrees R Axis -5 degrees T Axis -34 degrees IP EKG Routine Diagnosis Normal sinus rhythm Voltage criteria for left ventricular hypertrophy Inferior infarct (cited on or before 21-DEC-2022) Abnormal ECG When compared with ECG of 23-JAN-2023 21:28, Current undetermined rhythm precludes rhythm comparison, needs review T wave inversion more evident in Inferior leads
EKG-23-JAN23 hosted at ImgBB — ImgBB (ibb.co) Ventricular Rate 85 BPM Atrial Rate 85 BPM P-R Interval 136 ms QRS Duration 108 ms Q-T Interval 364 ms QTC Calculation (Bezet) 433 ms P Axis 47 degrees R Axis 14 degrees T Axis 1 degrees IP EKG Routine Diagnosis Normal sinus rhythm Possible Inferior infarct (cited on or before 21-DEC-2022) Abnormal ECG When compared with ECG of 21-DEC-2022 10:24, Ventricular rate has increased BY 40 BPM
EKG-21-DEC22 hosted at ImgBB — ImgBB (ibb.co) Ventricular Rate 45 BPM Atrial Rate 45 BPM P-R Interval 138 ms QRS Duration 92 ms Q-T Interval 496 ms QTC Calculation (Bezet) 429 ms P Axis 25 degrees R Axis 18 degrees T Axis -2 degrees IP EKG Routine Diagnosis Sinus bradycardia Inferior infarct, age undetermined Abnormal ECG No previous ECGs available
2023.03.24 20:31 Dismal-Jellyfish Federal Reserve Alert! Federal Reserve Board releases annual audited financial statement: In 2022 the Fed paid $42 billion in interest to counterparties of reverse repos.
 | Today the Fed released it's audited financial statement for 2022:https://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/pressreleases/other20230324a.htmKPMGIt's worth noting that the Fed's audit firm, KPMG, has been involved in numerous scandals, including the use of stolen regulatory information to cheat on audit inspections, and has also experienced major audit failures, such as that of UK outsourcing giant Carillion, which collapsed unexpectedly in early 2018.Maybe Paul Munter was talking about these guys when he was throwing auditors under the bus last week? The Fed’s total Revenues: $170.1 billion (Up from $123.1 billion last year):
The Fed’s total Expenses of $111.6 billion, (Up from $15.5 billion last year):
The Fed's 'Earnings' for 2022: $58.8 billionThe Fed is generally a very profitable organization--for example, in 2021 earnings were $107.8 Billion.The Fed does not pay income taxes but remits it earning to the Treasury. However, since September, there have not been any earnings to report to the Treasury, hence the drop in earnings and building deferred asset: https://preview.redd.it/stscll5dnqpa1.png?width=1652&format=png&auto=webp&s=aead466801229abbfaefcea33bbc6a56734f141c REMEMBER: none of this 'matters' to the Fed. The Fed creates its own money, and cannot become insolvent. Again, the Fed is playing slight of hand here. Storing losses (-42.196 billion as of 3/22/2023--was -41.067 3/15/22)) on the balance sheet as an asset like what is happening above, rather than showing the loss on the income statement right away, is an old corporate accounting trick. The Fed explains this in footnote: The Federal Reserve Banks remit residual net earnings to the U.S. Treasury after providing for the costs of operations, payment of dividends, and the amount necessary to maintain each Federal Reserve Bank's allotted surplus cap.Positive amounts represent the estimated weekly remittances due to U.S. Treasury.Negative amounts represent the cumulative deferred asset position, which is incurred during a period when earnings are not sufficient to provide for the cost of operations, payment of dividends, and maintaining surplus. The deferred asset is the amount of net earnings that the Federal Reserve Banks need to realize before remittances to the U.S. Treasury resume. In other words, each week going forward, the linked chart will show the Fed’s total losses starting from September 2022. The bigger the negative number, the bigger the accumulated loss. So, 'wut mean'? This number will get bigger to indicate the amount of money the Fed owes the treasury (-42.196 billion and counting). The Fed gets to just sit on this negative balance and when it starts making money for treasury again (from money it makes on interest and fees, lowering its operating expenses, paying less on dividends), will see that negative number start to shrink (in theory). However, what this will mean for Treasury I am not sure--with the current debt ceiling nonsense seeing Yellen taking extraordinary measures to keep everything afloat through June. You can bet they wish the Fed was sending those weekly earnings while having to navigate this environment. TLDRS:The Fed's audited financials are in:The Fed's 'Earnings' for 2022: $58.8 billion The Fed’s total Revenues: $170.1 billion (Up from $123.1 billion last year) The Fed’s total Expenses of $111.6 billion, (Up from $15.5 billion last year) In 2022, the Fed paid $42 Billion in interest to counterparties of reverse repos. https://preview.redd.it/xl5792zfdqpa1.png?width=610&format=png&auto=webp&s=841f0d96961adfbd932ea957fb4307e064d4258d |
2023.03.24 15:07 Degermark [The Arcane Paladin] Chapter 43 - Updating the Quest Log
First Previous
Wiki RoyalRoad
Cover Art & Travis Portrait by Pedro Puglisi
Journal Entry #1
Heard the church bell ring while out checking the rabbit snares. Dropped the hare I was skinning and ran as fast as I could to the nearest gate. The town was in complete panic when I made it safe inside, and everyone was hysterical as they piled into the church.
Mom spotted me as I entered, then grasped me tightly in her arms as her entire body shook with intense sobs. She kept trying to speak, but couldn’t stop gasping for air as dad and Linn each put a hand on me, both with stern faces.
A knot twisted in my stomach, and I swiveled my head around, trying to find Petter, but my little brother wasn’t with us. I locked eyes with dad, too afraid to speak the words.
He shook his head, then spoke the infamous words that plague the nightmares of every single villager, “The monster got him.”
---
Travis
Windsday, the 25th of Eighthmonth
The veil of sleep pulled away from my mind, replacing it with absolute bliss as my body registered the soft and warm comfort of my bedsheets. Although it was tempting to stay in there all day, the increasing blood flow in my body was already making me grow restless, and eventually I couldn’t lie still.
“Good morning, I take it you’re feeling better?”
Looking over at the clock while I began my daily stretching routine, I noticed that it was the first time I’d awoken early since my encounter with Adamanrion and Apheros. It was also the first night I didn’t have nightmares waking me up in the middle of the night.
“Yeah, I guess so. Did I wake at all during the night? I can’t remember.”
“Nope, you slept like a log.” The room suddenly grew quieter, indicating that Arc must have casted a [Sound Barrier] to keep our next conversation from being overheard, “I know you’re starting finals today, but are you ready to talk about what happened at Adamanrion’s church?”
I let out a deep exhale, found a comfy spot on the bed, then picked up Arc to hold him in my lap, “I’m not sure how much I remember, and some of what I do went over my head.”
“I’d be shocked if you managed to retain everything. You were a bit preoccupied. What with you getting some very hard proof that I was talking to Addy.”
I chuckled, “I think I would have preferred the beard.”
“Can’t fault you for that, though I will say you handled it well, all things considered.”
I looked down at Arc, and narrowed my eyes, trying to determine if he was pulling my line, “You’re joking, right? I thought my heart was going to explode at one point, my vision kept going dark, and poor 5751054 had to endure me bear-hugging him in full armor wile I made a river of my tears and snot. How is that handling it well?”
“You remained standing and conscious despite physically feeling the presence of two gods. I can’t imagine what the overwhelming sensation was like for you.”
Gripping Arc’s handle, I thought back to the feeling I had when both gods invaded my attuned poleaxe, “Attuning something small is like drinking a cup of water, not too difficult unless you’ve already downed a few canteens. My poleaxe feels like I’m chugging a gallon of milk when I fully sync with it. Those gods… it was like my head was forced back, a waterskin was shoved into my mouth… and… when I looked up… it was attached to an entire ocean of water… the only thing stopping it was a hand pinching off the flow from drowning me.”
“That… that sounds horrifying… I guess that explains some of the night terrors you were having.”
Neither of us spoke for a few minutes as we sat there, enjoying the silence, but after taking a meditative breath, I finally thickened my bark up enough to start asking questions.
“So… you are a god?”
Arc sighed, “I guess I am? I’m still having a hard time believing it. It’s not like I can go around bending reality.” He paused, then sighed once more, “Then again, it’s probably a good thing I can’t. I’m already in enough trouble as it is.”
I smiled, “Things were simpler when I thought you were only a talking tree. I’m just glad you’re not being taken away from me.”
“Same here. Speaking of… your list of titles is starting to grow, how are you liking the new one?”
“Paladin of the Arcane… Why did you ask to include the article?”
“It sounds better that way. Trust me, it’s all about the presentation, a little gravitas can go a long way when you’re trying to make an impression.”
I rolled my eyes at my sword, “Great… you haven’t even been a minor god for a week, and its already going to your head. Are you going to start demanding I pray to you now too?”
“Umm… about that…”
My eyes narrowed at Arc, and I began to scowl, “Seriously?”
“Well… you see… you kinda… have been.”
That wiped the expression off my face, leaving me baffled, “Okay, please explain.”
“You know how we found out that all this time you technically didn’t have a blessing? Well… a prayer can be just about anything that you do to create a personal connection to a god, reciting prose, singing from a hymnal, practicing a divine tenet,” he made a quick pause, “giving them a friendly rub on their pommel…”
My eyes dawned with realization, “So, when Adamanrion said that you were sensing me trying to form a connection with you…”
“Yeah… not sure if it counts as heresy, but if it does, Apheros didn’t seem to care. Heck, he’s the one who officially made you my paladin. Even gave you a to-do list for your first duties.”
That sparked a memory, “Oh, that’s right, didn’t Apheros say I need to help you fix your housing or something? What did he mean by that?”
“He did…” Arc paused to make the sound of a deep breath, “Okay, before I can explain, I’m going to need to give you some very basic information about souls. So, no heroic sacrifices. Got it?”
Grinning, I nodded my head, “No promises.”
“Ugh… Well, for starters, every single sapient being, and a few non-sapient ones, have a soul. Souls expand in size and power by connecting to the physical plane of existence and experiencing life. Think of a plant sprout growing roots to collect the water in the soil. The soil is the physical matter your soul attaches to. For me, it’s my sword body, and in your case, it’s that growing meat sack you keep stuffing with food.”
As if on cue, my stomach growled from the lack of breakfast, making us both chuckle.
“Okay, I think I’m following so far, what do you mean by experiences though?”
“Anytime you interact with someone, something, or someplace, your soul will grow a little bit in size. Some experiences, however, will provide more nutrients than others. Remember back when you were training to trigger your mana for the first time? Challenging yourself by lifting just a little more weight, working hard to solve a tricky puzzle, exposing yourself to a new environment or culture, all of them are like adding liquid fertilizer to the soil for you to suck up.”
I nodded along, finding a lot of similarities between what Arc was saying and Apheros’ journey to obtain strength, knowledge, and wisdom. Which made sense, given the topic.
“Is that why Apheros no longer walks amongst us anymore?” His soul grew too big?”
“Probably. If your average person or animal is a flower, a minor god would be the size of a bush, and then a god would be the tree towering over everyone. Sadly, there is a downside to growing so large. Our bodies are like flowerpots, the bigger your soul gets, the harder it is to find a pot that you can fit in.”
The still fresh memory of being connected to the two gods and sensing their ocean-like enormity sent a shiver down my spine, “Yeah, I can’t imagine anything being able to contain that kind of power.”
“Exactly, it’s why I didn’t even consider the possibility that I’m a minor god. Though, I guess it’s possible that my definition is incorrect, given that it sounds like I’m not the only soul trapped in a weapon. But, back to the original topic, my housing. It’s not an immediate concern, but I am slowly running out of room for my soul in here. And I’m not sure if it’s related, but I also think I’m at my limit for mana density, I’ve only added a few motes over the past month.”
I activated my mana sight to give Arc a thorough look, but, like usual, his insides were a messy kaleidoscope of different mana types. Not just the blend of basic elements throughout, but a good portion of Metal Mana inside the fuller, a smudge of green Wood Mana near the tip, and even speckles of violet Ice and pink Lightning mana near the cross-guard.
“How can you even tell? Everything’s a jumbled mess in there.”
“Hey! Don’t body-shame me. I raised you better than that.”
Letting out an annoyed groan, I decided to get back on topic, “Sorry. Do you know what we need to fix?”
“Umm… I’m not sure… I guess we should have asked. Apheros mentioned that a necromancer wrecked my sword, scaring off the creature that was originally in here, so if I can figure out what its original condition looked like, maybe I can start fixing things.”
I frowned, “How did they even damage your body in the first place? I literally whacked you against a pile of Order infused stone and you didn’t even gain a scratch.”
“Huh… That’s a good question… Maybe that’s what I should focus on to fix my sword-body.” Arc began to groan, “Ugh, so many questions… And I never did get an answer to why it was my soul that was planted in here.”
“Yeah… I assume Torbolt or Aelder were supposed to tell you why, but I… kinda took you away before Torbolt’s Chosen could come get you.”
“True, but that’s not what’s irking me. What really scrapes my boat bottom is, ‘Why didn’t they tell me before placing me in this sword?’”
That left me stumped. Admittingly, Apheros isn’t known for being very intelligent outside of his domains, hence why he likely didn’t think anything was amiss with having Aelder babysit. But although my knowledge of Torbolt is lacking, I know one of his domains is military tactics. Not giving a pre-mission briefing before deployment seems out of character for him.
“I have a feeling we’re not going to find an answer anytime soon. Unless we figure out a way to ask Torbolt or Aelder.”
“Great… our options are an unreliable perpetual child, and a war god who’s super pissed at us.”
I sighed, letting out a long breath, “Oh yeah, we’re also supposed to figure out how to make amends with Torbolt. I hope you’re keeping track of all of this.”
“Don’t worry, I updated the quest log.”
Light and Shadow Mana drifted off Arc, and into the air in front of me before swirling into a readable text.
Quest Log:
· Buy posters and other decorations for room.
· Buy an apology gift for Issac
· Buy a secure lockbox for the aelderwood scraps Father Viburnum sent you.
· Get ear pierced so you can wear the gift Seleyna gave you.
· Help Arc fix his housing.
· Find a way to apologize to Torbolt.
· Carve mana channels into poleaxe.
· Make some drunken mistakes at a brothel, preferably with non-human companions.
I read through the list, preferring it greatly over having them spoken aloud, but raised my eyebrow at the last line, “Seriously, you added that?”
“He did ask nicely, maybe he’ll even give you a blessing if you father enough future spartans?”
I waved my hand through the list with a groan, disrupting Arc’s mana, then changed into my uniform and made my bed. Walking out of my room, I overheard Drozuk’s alarm going off, and was about to leave after grabbing my mail, but stopped when I noticed a wrapped gift in the wall-embedded mailbox.
“Who’s it from?”
“Hmm… don’t see a tag…” My hand began to reach forward to open it but was halted by Arc shouting.
“Wait! Don’t open it. There’s an object with a high amount of Metal Mana inside, and a glass container filled with something dense with Wood Mana.”
“You think it’s something harmful?”
“Well, you did anger a bunch of nobles from all three kingdoms just the other day and are now establishing a personal connection with the crown. I might just be paranoid, but a gift-wrapped explosive sent by a jealous rival wouldn’t be too surprising.”
I examined the gift with my own mana sight, annoyed that I couldn’t make out what was inside either, “Great, what do I do now? I don’t know how to disarm a bomb, I’m not a commando.”
“You got your Messaging Stone? Maybe Sir Tracy can help.”
Oh, that’s a smart idea. I haven’t talked to him yet, but he did say to Message him for help if I found myself in trouble.
I reached into my secured valuables pouch, then touched the stone, syncing a newly formed [Message] spell to match the same frequency as the stone’s, “Hello, Sir Tracy? Are you there?”
The sound of a groan, followed by a yawn emanated from my spell before the Royal Knight’s voice could be heard, “Travis? Is that you?”
“Yes, sorry for waking you, but… umm… I received an unmarked gift in the mail today… and, I’m probably just being overly cautious, but…”
“Ah, say no more. Just give me a sec, and whatever you do, don’t open or disturb the package.”
I stood there in silence, awkwardly still holding the gift in my hand, too scared now to set it down.
“Okay, just hang tight, I’ve sent a commando to assist.”
“Thanks, sorry again for the trouble.”
“None at all. I’d rather be safe than sorry. Besides, you and all the other students on campus shouldn’t be receiving unmarked packages. While we’re waiting, was there anything else I could help you with?”
“Umm… I do want to ask about what happened in the palace before I was suddenly forced to take four of my practical exams early and all at once, but I’d imagine that to be a long tale.”
Sir Tracy chuckled over the channel, “Yeah, that could take a while. It’d probably be easier for me to tell you in person, then I could bring in flow-charts to help disseminate all the political maneuvers and under-the-table deals everyone was trying to make. Speaking of, have you told anyone about the gift Seleyna gave you?”
“No, I’ve kept that hidden in my valuable’s pouch. Hey, I suppose I could ask you. I don’t know anything about artifice piercings, is there a particular spot on my ear it’s supposed to go?”
“There’s some flexibility in where you place it, but I’d recommend putting it in the inner conch of your ear. That way it will be difficult to see, even with mana sight.”
A knock came from my nearby door, and I checked through the door’s peephole to see a figure dressed in dark molded leather and cloth. I opened the door to allow them entry, and after they tilted their head towards the potential explosive in my hands, I handed the gift over to them.
“Okay, commando is here.”
The commando whipped out a tiny razor blade hidden in their sleeve, stepped into my bathroom, then shut the door. The sound of my shower running could be heard briefly, then after a few more moments, they walked out and handed the gift back to me with a thumbs up.
“False alarm?”
They nodded.
“Travis?” Drozuk shouted from his room, “Is someone here?”
“Just Bridget’s dad disarming a bomb.”
“What the?” Drozuk popped his head out of his room and frowned, “Ha, ha, really funny.” He then shut his door to get ready for breakfast.
Confused about his reaction, I turned back to thank the commando, but startled when I realized that they vanished.
“You still alive?” Sir Tracy’s voice echoed out of my spell.
“Sorry, all clear.” I opened the gift’s lid to look inside, “Oh, it’s just a fancy shaving kit. I don’t see a note or anything to indicate who it’s from though…”
“Could it be a late birthday gift?”
“Maybe? I’m not sure why someone would get me one, unless… ugh, they were trying to get underneath my bark…”
“Underneath your bark?”
“Err… parking the manure wagon a yard away from the pen?”
“What? No, I understood the first expression. Why would a shaving kit be a backhanded gift?”
Groaning with embarrassment, I explained over the channel, “My beard development has been painfully slow, and my friends are more than aware of my disdain.”
I looked down once more at the insulting gift. Everything was included, there was a single-edged razor blade, a bar of peppermint scented soap, a thickly bristled brush, a mug to foam up the lather, and a bottle of oil to apply after finishing.
“I’ll admit, it is a nice kit, the blade is even made of mid-grade dwarven steel.”
“Hmm… It’s possible it was given in earnest. When I was training to learn Blade enchantments, one of the things we used were shaving razors. Since they’re so small and thin, you need excellent mana control not just to create the spell formation, but to manipulate it afterwards. Trust me, you learn very quickly when even the slightest nick will make your neck spray out a geyser of blood.”
I joined Tracy as he chuckled over the channel, “Huh, you might be right. I heard we’ll learn weapon enchantments next semester, so maybe the person who gifted me this knows that?”
“Sounds like a reasonable assumption.”
“Hmm… that doesn’t really narrow down who could have given it to me though.” I sighed as my stomach grumbled, “I’ll have to worry about that some other time though, I’ve got more important things to do right now.”
“Right, it’s finals week. You’re up to your eyeballs in exams.”
“Actually, I was referring to breakfast, but you’re not incorrect. My schedule is still packed full, even with four less exams. I’ll try to find an hour to chat later this week. If not, I’m sure I’ll get bored while traveling for my assignment next week. Or are you going to be busy with your own Fall Expedition?”
“Sadly no, with the bulk of the kingdom’s military outside of the capital, the city’s defenses will be at their weakest, so I’ll be on watch here. Feel free to Message me whenever though, especially during your return trip, I’ll probably be just as bored. Monster attacks on the capital nearly drop down to zero towards the end of the Fall purge.”
“Okay then, it was nice chatting with you.
“Likewise.”
---
Arc
I impatiently waited for Travis to finish his second exam of the day, this one for Wind Spells 1, still irritated about how he made me repeatedly promise after lunch that I wouldn’t help him. To add insult to injury, the little bastard even pulled out a pen to write down his answers! My focus hovered over the vexing test booklet, the trace amounts of Wood Mana in the ink camouflaged perfectly into the Wood Mana of the paper, making it impossible for me to read both the questions and answers.
Honestly, the lack of trust really hurt. It’s not like I’d tell him the answers, just… maybe make a subtle cough if he got something wrong, or…
Travis closed the exam booklet, gave his neck a good stretch before standing up, then headed to the front of the room where his professor and teacher assistants were waiting.
“Travis,” Professor Quinsandoral motioned the teen over with an enthusiastic grin, “come chat for a bit while I have you. I haven’t had a chance to congratulate you yet.”
Travis walked over to the high elf, looking up at him with an inquisitive look as the professor waved their hands to weave their synced Wind Mana in the air into a formation. The mana lines formed a double-walled lattice, creating a [Sound Barrier], but there were a few additions to the standard spell.
Professor Quinsandoral chuckled as Travis used his mana sight to see the spell also, “A one-way Sound Barrier, really nothing too fancy, just attaching a Message spell to transmit sound through, but it does have a few advantages. Namely in that it prevents overly loud noises from entering.” He clapped a hand on Travis’ back, “Ah, look at me, already too impatient to wait for next semester. Let me start by saying how absolutely delightful it was to see the ambassadors teeming with anger after Queen Claudette teased that even if you were secretly a twenty-four-year-old knight, that it would hardly lessen your displayed skill.”
Travis pulled his head back in surprise, “People think I’m twenty-four?”
He chuckled boisterously, “That was my reaction as well. I didn’t even know you were eighteen until the registrar’s office told me that you’d be going on a Fall Expedition this year. Was quite upsetting actually, I was hoping to include you and Mattius in a… oh! Speak of the duck.” His arms extended outward, then gestured as if opening a curtain to create a part in his spell formation, “Young Master Tatian, come join us! I have something to give you.”
Mattius, clearly uncomfortable from the sudden attention, scratched the back of his head as he entered the [Sound Barrier], “You… seem to be in a good mood today professor.”
“I certainly am.” The high elf beamed, “Not only did I get to make Maeralya eat her words, but that advice you gave me worked like a charm.”
“Advice?”
“The suggestion to send my son on a camping trip.” Professor Quinsandoral paused to chuckle to himself, “He finally found out my scheme this morning and stormed into my office, had a full-blown temper tantrum, and screamed obscenities at me for nearly half an hour. I think it was the longest conversation I’ve had with him in months.”
Travis and Mattius exchanged glances as their professor giggled to themself while reaching into a satchel, then pulled out a folder, “Here we are.” He handed it to Mattius, “This is your copy of exemption for the practical exam. You’ve more than demonstrated competency in this semester’s curriculum during the guided practices in the spell range. I do apologize by the way, this was supposed to have been submitted before schedules were delivered, but… one of the elven consulates had to throw a duck into the works after they found out that Travis had the gall to perform well in classes.”
Mattius turned to look at Travis, who gave an awkward shrug in return, prompting the Packer to shake their head, “I guess nine exams are better than ten.”
Quinsandoral grinned, “Expect to receive a similar gift during your written exam for Earth Spells, Ingotborn has been very impressed with your skills, particularly in how you’ve been exercising your affinity.”
“Oh, umm… thank you. Your advice to keep a journal has helped out greatly, there’s a lot of inconsistencies with my affinity compared to everyone else’s.”
“That reminds me, how did your meeting with the Archmagus go?”
Mattius scratched the back of his head, “It was… interesting… They asked me a bunch of strange questions, then gave me this…” he reached into one of his side pouches to pull out a…
a…
A void of nothingness?
I moved my focus in close to double-check, but the cube-shaped hole in the universe was still there.
Huh, that’s weird. I’ve seen plenty of mana-dead spaces before (Wind spells often generate them when creating vacuums), but never an object that was completely void of mana. Even the least mana dense rock has enough traces of Earth Mana to still look like it’s made of clear glass.
Professor Quinsandoral looked down at the object and rolled his eyes, “Oh, one of Avem’s puzzle boxes. I take it for your initiation you’ll be expected to solve it?”
Mattius nodded, “Yeah, they said I could take my time, but to preferably return it before I die of old age.”
Quinsandoral shook his head, “Well, keep that maddening thing away from me. Avem’s warned me multiple times not to help anyone directly with those. It’s supposed to be you and you alone who solves that.”
Mattius turned to Travis, “Actually, they said I could ask you for help, but you’ll have to follow the same rule. No asking any person, god, or object for help, but we are allowed to ask the terrain.”
Oh, that is just…
Travis looked up from the mana-less cube to give Mattius a grin, “Ok, I’ll tell my sword not to help.”
The professor and Mattius both looked down at me, then at each other, before Mattius whispered, “He’s been really stressed out the last couple of days. I don’t think we need to worry just yet.”
---
Voltsday, the 26th of Eighthmonth
Of course, the one exam that I can see with my mana sight, is Travis’ best subject…
Travis’ hands moved with the dexterous precision of a watchmaker as he worked on the tiny cubic artifice, finishing the assembly of the outer metal casing, checked to ensure the aperture in the front opened when turning the dial, that the foldable legs on the other three sides seamlessly closed, the d-ring on top could be flipped up with a fingernail, and that the mount on the bottom could securely clip onto his helmet.
Satisfied with his inspection, he began attuning to the item, raising the pulse-rate until the condensing array inside ramped up high enough to reach critical mass and form a tiny [Light Orb] inside the palm-sized cube.
Travis smiled, taking a minute to play with his mana-powered flashlight/lantern, then proudly walked to the front of the classroom to submit his artifice for examination. The professor did a basic function test, pulled a slab of slate from a nearby pile, then began writing down measurements using an Earth inscribed stylus.
Curious, I brought in my focus, and was able to see how the artifice pushed on the surface of the stone tile, creating a trench on the stylus’ side and a protrusion on the other. Professor Oresword eventually finished marking down the measurements for minimum mana frequency input, Travis’ military identification number, the current date, and then handed the flashlight back to Travis.
“Excellent work, you’re getting full marks.” They chuckled as they passed the slate tile to the assistant next to them, “Not going to lie, I was a little worried that you did a rush job with how fast you worked, but I’m guessing you must be versed in tinkering? Clockmaker’s assistant perhaps?”
“I’ve taken apart a windup clock before, but I’d say most of my skill comes secondhand from working with the woodworker of my village. He had a book on fancy wood joinery that he let me try out and did highly detailed wood burnings in his free time.”
The professor nodded along as the assistant next to them placed the carved tile in a small printing press, pulled one lever to roll a coat of ink over it, then placed a card inside before pressing down. The beardless assistant then gave the still wet card to Travis.
“Here you are. Take good care of that lamp, should last you quite a few years before the dust needs to get replaced.”
Travis stepped back, completely left a gasp, “Wait, I get to keep this?”
The entire table broke out into laughter. Well… all but Durinn, who was shifting uncomfortably in their seat, fiddling with a puzzle box in their hands, and looking highly anxious overall.
“Durinn, are you okay?”
“I’m fine!” Durinn snapped, “I’m not some youngling who can’t keep their fingers clean.”
Whoa, something’s clearly bothering the new artificer. Even the table was stunned by the reaction.
Professor Oresword gestured Travis to lean in so they could whisper, “They might not be in their right mind. Us bearded sometimes… forget about certain things when trying to meet a deadline.” They then took a piece of slate to carve out a picture of a shovel with one hand while holding up a finger to their lips with the other.
“Ooh…” / ‘Ooh…’ Travis and I both realized in unison.
“If they can burden the first eight hours, they’ll have a week or two… err… actually, their braidless, so probably only a few days to get their affairs in order before the need to survey locations grows too strong. I’ll send them your sympathies once their head finally clears up.”
---
Travis
Burnsday, the 27th of Eighthmonth
Bridget and I sat down for an early supper, enjoying our brief respite between exams by discussing our future plans.
“My aunt is making me join the wards for a training camp.” Bridget complained, “I know I need the martial combat training, but I just know they’re going to spend both months trying to convince me to switch weapons.”
“You mean a family of commandos don’t approve of you brutally smashing in an opponent’s skull with your mace?” I teased.
She glowered, “No… it’s because Ahkazriel was a member of the Mortymer family.”
“Ahkazriel!” My grin dropped in exchange for a shocked expression, “The minor god of healing? Ally of Trebellia, the Chosen of Torbolt?”
Bridget picked up my grin, “That’s the one. Unfortunately, since I want to study medicine after graduation, I’m expected to follow family tradition and use a staff.”
“Do you have to make one out of bound bushtail antlers and quill-dragon spines like he did as well?”
“Thankfully, no. I am allowed to change things up. Adding a spear tip, making it out of metal, attaching a flail for example, but… it still has to be a ‘staff.’”
“Well, if you ever decide to give in to familial pressure, just let me know. I’ll lend you the blueprints for the one I carry around.”
Bridget started laughing, “I might just do that out of spite.” She kept chortling as we finished our food, then made a show of looking around before leaning in, “Have you… umm… talked to Adrian lately?”
Puzzled about the shift in conversation, I leaned in to join her, “Not really, I only see him during group study nowadays, that new girlfriend of his keeps squirreling him away.”
She rolled her eyes at me, “I was hoping that you could fill me in on why he’s been acting so distant lately. I asked him last week if he’d be interested in visiting my family’s estate over the break, but he… dodged the question, and didn’t answer.” She paused, looking downtrodden, “Do you think he’s intimidated by my family?”
“I’ll admit, it’s stressful having to suddenly adapt to being around nobles. I was fortunate enough to get eased into it for the most part, but every now and then, I still have moments where I can’t shake the strong feeling that I simply don’t belong here. Maybe he’s feeling the same way? I know I keep forgetting that you’re from an inner-ring family, an invitation to visit might be too big of a step.”
Bridget leaned back in her seat to mull over my words, giving Arc a chance to chime in, “I suggest telling her you’ll talk to Adrian, he’s got a lot of things weighing on him right now, and has been hesitant to talk to anyone. I bet he’ll open up if you have a private conversation with him.”
I gave Arc a friendly rub for the advice, then reached across the table to give Bridget a pat on her shoulder, “I’ll pull him aside for a talk before I leave.”
---
Steelsday, the 28th of Eighthmonth
“Drozuk,” Professor Lambertson spoke to my orkish friend as we turned in our exams, “I’ve got that list of books for you. The marked ones are the references I recommend you purchase; the others should be available at the library here.”
Drozuk thanked him as we stepped out of Mage Civics 1 and made our way to the cafeteria. Just one exam left.
I looked up at the tall orc, “Doing some reading while you’re on expedition?”
Drozuk grunted with annoyance as he looked down at their list, “Yeah, it’s for…” He waved his free hand around, hoping to grasp what he wanted to say, “Remember last week’s lesson on fortresses?”
“Yes, did something in particular bother you?”
He nodded, “Okay, so… for context, my dad and uncle raised me at Coldwater Spring Fortress, located right against the Western Mountains and close to a mountain pass to the Elven Kingdom. We moved there because my dad wanted more consistent work that didn’t require leaving for long periods, and because my uncle’s coven is headquartered there.”
“I’m surprised there’d be more work. Wouldn’t the roads have higher security to protect the trade route?”
“You’d think so, but the area off the mountain paths is both craggy and swampy, practically a breeding pen for monsters.” Drozuk placed the list into his side pouch, “So, back to my point, the army only protects the roads; they don’t venture out to eliminate monsters before they become a problem since that’s the job of hunters.” He let out a huff, “I used to have to sit in the fortress lodge, listening to the soldiers and spartans complain loudly about how the local hunters were slacking off, and I’d grow furious because my dad would be on bed rest from nearly dying earlier that week.”
I gave the big guy a pat on his shoulder as he wiped the snot off his face, “So when Professor Lambertsen explained last week that any local Jarl can request an army battalion to come assist in eradicating monsters…”
Drozuk drooped, “Yeah, request. As long as the fortress and villages aren’t breaking any laws, the Queen won’t send out a battalion without being asked, and any Jarl requesting aid would get voted out the next election cycle by the hunters and witches for ruining their potential bounties.”
“Really? But… you just said…”
He sighed, “I know… I don’t like it one bit. Especially now that I know why dissemination of magical knowledge is so restricted.”
I let out my own sigh, “Yeah, necromancers tend to ruin everything.”
Drozuk snorted, “Ha, not for you, that attack on your village has turned into a footnote for your life’s story.” He turned to look at me, “Speaking of, have there been other attacks? I’ve haven’t heard or read about any follow-up attacks on villages.”
I shrugged my shoulders, “Not sure, but… I’m probably not the best person to ask. I barely have the energy to read the school’s paper every week.”
“Don’t your inner-ring buddies keep you up to date?” he teased.
“No, they’re too busy gossiping about their school clubs.” I switched to a sarcastic tone, “Did you know that the captain of the Dark Drakes got caught cheating on his fiancée with the wicketrunner of the Copperdillos?”
Drozuk tilted his head in clear confusion, “Umm, what’s a wicketrunner?”
“The ball carrier in Ruggleball. Their job is to grab the ball after the bowlers roll it back to them, then take cover behind the batters and listen to the captain shout movement commands. If they manage to carry it all the way to the opposing team’s wicket and touch it with the ruggleball without getting hit by a pigskin, they automatically win the game.”
My friend shook his head as we got into line for supper, “Never mind, I can’t be bothered to care. I just got my practical exam for Water Spells on Woodsday, and then I’m finally done. How about you?”
“Just got my written exam for Water Spells left, and I’ll be heading there after I’m done eating.” I gave his arm a friendly nudge, “Nice not having to take any general education exams, isn’t it?”
Drozuk smirked with his toothy grin, “I’m going to walk directly to the tavern after my last test. How about you?”
A familiar voice called out before I could answer, making me turn around, and then down towards a pink-haired dwarf.
“Travis! I was hoping to find ya. Durinn and I are hosting a kegger in a couple of hours over at the burrow. Think you can stop by with that poleaxe of yours?”
“I got an exam in an hour, but I’ll be free afterwards. I take it Durinn’s feeling better?”
Thramreat chuckled, “Oh, you could say that…” They then pulled out a sheet of paper and wrote out directions, “Here ya go. I’ll save you a mug.”
Drozuk and I watched the dwarf walk towards the carryout counter to rejoin the group they came in with, then pick up a massive order of boxes requiring half a dozen people to carry.
I grinned, “Looks like I’ll be having fun tonight.”
Drozuk twisted back to me, “You’re insane. You know that, right?”
Taken aback, I stammered in surprise before finally asking, “Umm… no, I don’t. Is there something I should know?”
He shook his head at me, “Be easier for you to see it yourself. Just don’t eat any of the food, or drink from the punchbowl. Oh, and bring earplugs.”
submitted by Degermark to HFY [link] [comments]
Wiki RoyalRoad
Cover Art & Travis Portrait by Pedro Puglisi
Journal Entry #1
Heard the church bell ring while out checking the rabbit snares. Dropped the hare I was skinning and ran as fast as I could to the nearest gate. The town was in complete panic when I made it safe inside, and everyone was hysterical as they piled into the church.
Mom spotted me as I entered, then grasped me tightly in her arms as her entire body shook with intense sobs. She kept trying to speak, but couldn’t stop gasping for air as dad and Linn each put a hand on me, both with stern faces.
A knot twisted in my stomach, and I swiveled my head around, trying to find Petter, but my little brother wasn’t with us. I locked eyes with dad, too afraid to speak the words.
He shook his head, then spoke the infamous words that plague the nightmares of every single villager, “The monster got him.”
---
Travis
Windsday, the 25th of Eighthmonth
The veil of sleep pulled away from my mind, replacing it with absolute bliss as my body registered the soft and warm comfort of my bedsheets. Although it was tempting to stay in there all day, the increasing blood flow in my body was already making me grow restless, and eventually I couldn’t lie still.
“Good morning, I take it you’re feeling better?”
Looking over at the clock while I began my daily stretching routine, I noticed that it was the first time I’d awoken early since my encounter with Adamanrion and Apheros. It was also the first night I didn’t have nightmares waking me up in the middle of the night.
“Yeah, I guess so. Did I wake at all during the night? I can’t remember.”
“Nope, you slept like a log.” The room suddenly grew quieter, indicating that Arc must have casted a [Sound Barrier] to keep our next conversation from being overheard, “I know you’re starting finals today, but are you ready to talk about what happened at Adamanrion’s church?”
I let out a deep exhale, found a comfy spot on the bed, then picked up Arc to hold him in my lap, “I’m not sure how much I remember, and some of what I do went over my head.”
“I’d be shocked if you managed to retain everything. You were a bit preoccupied. What with you getting some very hard proof that I was talking to Addy.”
I chuckled, “I think I would have preferred the beard.”
“Can’t fault you for that, though I will say you handled it well, all things considered.”
I looked down at Arc, and narrowed my eyes, trying to determine if he was pulling my line, “You’re joking, right? I thought my heart was going to explode at one point, my vision kept going dark, and poor 5751054 had to endure me bear-hugging him in full armor wile I made a river of my tears and snot. How is that handling it well?”
“You remained standing and conscious despite physically feeling the presence of two gods. I can’t imagine what the overwhelming sensation was like for you.”
Gripping Arc’s handle, I thought back to the feeling I had when both gods invaded my attuned poleaxe, “Attuning something small is like drinking a cup of water, not too difficult unless you’ve already downed a few canteens. My poleaxe feels like I’m chugging a gallon of milk when I fully sync with it. Those gods… it was like my head was forced back, a waterskin was shoved into my mouth… and… when I looked up… it was attached to an entire ocean of water… the only thing stopping it was a hand pinching off the flow from drowning me.”
“That… that sounds horrifying… I guess that explains some of the night terrors you were having.”
Neither of us spoke for a few minutes as we sat there, enjoying the silence, but after taking a meditative breath, I finally thickened my bark up enough to start asking questions.
“So… you are a god?”
Arc sighed, “I guess I am? I’m still having a hard time believing it. It’s not like I can go around bending reality.” He paused, then sighed once more, “Then again, it’s probably a good thing I can’t. I’m already in enough trouble as it is.”
I smiled, “Things were simpler when I thought you were only a talking tree. I’m just glad you’re not being taken away from me.”
“Same here. Speaking of… your list of titles is starting to grow, how are you liking the new one?”
“Paladin of the Arcane… Why did you ask to include the article?”
“It sounds better that way. Trust me, it’s all about the presentation, a little gravitas can go a long way when you’re trying to make an impression.”
I rolled my eyes at my sword, “Great… you haven’t even been a minor god for a week, and its already going to your head. Are you going to start demanding I pray to you now too?”
“Umm… about that…”
My eyes narrowed at Arc, and I began to scowl, “Seriously?”
“Well… you see… you kinda… have been.”
That wiped the expression off my face, leaving me baffled, “Okay, please explain.”
“You know how we found out that all this time you technically didn’t have a blessing? Well… a prayer can be just about anything that you do to create a personal connection to a god, reciting prose, singing from a hymnal, practicing a divine tenet,” he made a quick pause, “giving them a friendly rub on their pommel…”
My eyes dawned with realization, “So, when Adamanrion said that you were sensing me trying to form a connection with you…”
“Yeah… not sure if it counts as heresy, but if it does, Apheros didn’t seem to care. Heck, he’s the one who officially made you my paladin. Even gave you a to-do list for your first duties.”
That sparked a memory, “Oh, that’s right, didn’t Apheros say I need to help you fix your housing or something? What did he mean by that?”
“He did…” Arc paused to make the sound of a deep breath, “Okay, before I can explain, I’m going to need to give you some very basic information about souls. So, no heroic sacrifices. Got it?”
Grinning, I nodded my head, “No promises.”
“Ugh… Well, for starters, every single sapient being, and a few non-sapient ones, have a soul. Souls expand in size and power by connecting to the physical plane of existence and experiencing life. Think of a plant sprout growing roots to collect the water in the soil. The soil is the physical matter your soul attaches to. For me, it’s my sword body, and in your case, it’s that growing meat sack you keep stuffing with food.”
As if on cue, my stomach growled from the lack of breakfast, making us both chuckle.
“Okay, I think I’m following so far, what do you mean by experiences though?”
“Anytime you interact with someone, something, or someplace, your soul will grow a little bit in size. Some experiences, however, will provide more nutrients than others. Remember back when you were training to trigger your mana for the first time? Challenging yourself by lifting just a little more weight, working hard to solve a tricky puzzle, exposing yourself to a new environment or culture, all of them are like adding liquid fertilizer to the soil for you to suck up.”
I nodded along, finding a lot of similarities between what Arc was saying and Apheros’ journey to obtain strength, knowledge, and wisdom. Which made sense, given the topic.
“Is that why Apheros no longer walks amongst us anymore?” His soul grew too big?”
“Probably. If your average person or animal is a flower, a minor god would be the size of a bush, and then a god would be the tree towering over everyone. Sadly, there is a downside to growing so large. Our bodies are like flowerpots, the bigger your soul gets, the harder it is to find a pot that you can fit in.”
The still fresh memory of being connected to the two gods and sensing their ocean-like enormity sent a shiver down my spine, “Yeah, I can’t imagine anything being able to contain that kind of power.”
“Exactly, it’s why I didn’t even consider the possibility that I’m a minor god. Though, I guess it’s possible that my definition is incorrect, given that it sounds like I’m not the only soul trapped in a weapon. But, back to the original topic, my housing. It’s not an immediate concern, but I am slowly running out of room for my soul in here. And I’m not sure if it’s related, but I also think I’m at my limit for mana density, I’ve only added a few motes over the past month.”
I activated my mana sight to give Arc a thorough look, but, like usual, his insides were a messy kaleidoscope of different mana types. Not just the blend of basic elements throughout, but a good portion of Metal Mana inside the fuller, a smudge of green Wood Mana near the tip, and even speckles of violet Ice and pink Lightning mana near the cross-guard.
“How can you even tell? Everything’s a jumbled mess in there.”
“Hey! Don’t body-shame me. I raised you better than that.”
Letting out an annoyed groan, I decided to get back on topic, “Sorry. Do you know what we need to fix?”
“Umm… I’m not sure… I guess we should have asked. Apheros mentioned that a necromancer wrecked my sword, scaring off the creature that was originally in here, so if I can figure out what its original condition looked like, maybe I can start fixing things.”
I frowned, “How did they even damage your body in the first place? I literally whacked you against a pile of Order infused stone and you didn’t even gain a scratch.”
“Huh… That’s a good question… Maybe that’s what I should focus on to fix my sword-body.” Arc began to groan, “Ugh, so many questions… And I never did get an answer to why it was my soul that was planted in here.”
“Yeah… I assume Torbolt or Aelder were supposed to tell you why, but I… kinda took you away before Torbolt’s Chosen could come get you.”
“True, but that’s not what’s irking me. What really scrapes my boat bottom is, ‘Why didn’t they tell me before placing me in this sword?’”
That left me stumped. Admittingly, Apheros isn’t known for being very intelligent outside of his domains, hence why he likely didn’t think anything was amiss with having Aelder babysit. But although my knowledge of Torbolt is lacking, I know one of his domains is military tactics. Not giving a pre-mission briefing before deployment seems out of character for him.
“I have a feeling we’re not going to find an answer anytime soon. Unless we figure out a way to ask Torbolt or Aelder.”
“Great… our options are an unreliable perpetual child, and a war god who’s super pissed at us.”
I sighed, letting out a long breath, “Oh yeah, we’re also supposed to figure out how to make amends with Torbolt. I hope you’re keeping track of all of this.”
“Don’t worry, I updated the quest log.”
Light and Shadow Mana drifted off Arc, and into the air in front of me before swirling into a readable text.
Quest Log:
· Buy posters and other decorations for room.
· Buy an apology gift for Issac
· Buy a secure lockbox for the aelderwood scraps Father Viburnum sent you.
· Get ear pierced so you can wear the gift Seleyna gave you.
· Help Arc fix his housing.
· Find a way to apologize to Torbolt.
· Carve mana channels into poleaxe.
· Make some drunken mistakes at a brothel, preferably with non-human companions.
I read through the list, preferring it greatly over having them spoken aloud, but raised my eyebrow at the last line, “Seriously, you added that?”
“He did ask nicely, maybe he’ll even give you a blessing if you father enough future spartans?”
I waved my hand through the list with a groan, disrupting Arc’s mana, then changed into my uniform and made my bed. Walking out of my room, I overheard Drozuk’s alarm going off, and was about to leave after grabbing my mail, but stopped when I noticed a wrapped gift in the wall-embedded mailbox.
“Who’s it from?”
“Hmm… don’t see a tag…” My hand began to reach forward to open it but was halted by Arc shouting.
“Wait! Don’t open it. There’s an object with a high amount of Metal Mana inside, and a glass container filled with something dense with Wood Mana.”
“You think it’s something harmful?”
“Well, you did anger a bunch of nobles from all three kingdoms just the other day and are now establishing a personal connection with the crown. I might just be paranoid, but a gift-wrapped explosive sent by a jealous rival wouldn’t be too surprising.”
I examined the gift with my own mana sight, annoyed that I couldn’t make out what was inside either, “Great, what do I do now? I don’t know how to disarm a bomb, I’m not a commando.”
“You got your Messaging Stone? Maybe Sir Tracy can help.”
Oh, that’s a smart idea. I haven’t talked to him yet, but he did say to Message him for help if I found myself in trouble.
I reached into my secured valuables pouch, then touched the stone, syncing a newly formed [Message] spell to match the same frequency as the stone’s, “Hello, Sir Tracy? Are you there?”
The sound of a groan, followed by a yawn emanated from my spell before the Royal Knight’s voice could be heard, “Travis? Is that you?”
“Yes, sorry for waking you, but… umm… I received an unmarked gift in the mail today… and, I’m probably just being overly cautious, but…”
“Ah, say no more. Just give me a sec, and whatever you do, don’t open or disturb the package.”
I stood there in silence, awkwardly still holding the gift in my hand, too scared now to set it down.
“Okay, just hang tight, I’ve sent a commando to assist.”
“Thanks, sorry again for the trouble.”
“None at all. I’d rather be safe than sorry. Besides, you and all the other students on campus shouldn’t be receiving unmarked packages. While we’re waiting, was there anything else I could help you with?”
“Umm… I do want to ask about what happened in the palace before I was suddenly forced to take four of my practical exams early and all at once, but I’d imagine that to be a long tale.”
Sir Tracy chuckled over the channel, “Yeah, that could take a while. It’d probably be easier for me to tell you in person, then I could bring in flow-charts to help disseminate all the political maneuvers and under-the-table deals everyone was trying to make. Speaking of, have you told anyone about the gift Seleyna gave you?”
“No, I’ve kept that hidden in my valuable’s pouch. Hey, I suppose I could ask you. I don’t know anything about artifice piercings, is there a particular spot on my ear it’s supposed to go?”
“There’s some flexibility in where you place it, but I’d recommend putting it in the inner conch of your ear. That way it will be difficult to see, even with mana sight.”
A knock came from my nearby door, and I checked through the door’s peephole to see a figure dressed in dark molded leather and cloth. I opened the door to allow them entry, and after they tilted their head towards the potential explosive in my hands, I handed the gift over to them.
“Okay, commando is here.”
The commando whipped out a tiny razor blade hidden in their sleeve, stepped into my bathroom, then shut the door. The sound of my shower running could be heard briefly, then after a few more moments, they walked out and handed the gift back to me with a thumbs up.
“False alarm?”
They nodded.
“Travis?” Drozuk shouted from his room, “Is someone here?”
“Just Bridget’s dad disarming a bomb.”
“What the?” Drozuk popped his head out of his room and frowned, “Ha, ha, really funny.” He then shut his door to get ready for breakfast.
Confused about his reaction, I turned back to thank the commando, but startled when I realized that they vanished.
“You still alive?” Sir Tracy’s voice echoed out of my spell.
“Sorry, all clear.” I opened the gift’s lid to look inside, “Oh, it’s just a fancy shaving kit. I don’t see a note or anything to indicate who it’s from though…”
“Could it be a late birthday gift?”
“Maybe? I’m not sure why someone would get me one, unless… ugh, they were trying to get underneath my bark…”
“Underneath your bark?”
“Err… parking the manure wagon a yard away from the pen?”
“What? No, I understood the first expression. Why would a shaving kit be a backhanded gift?”
Groaning with embarrassment, I explained over the channel, “My beard development has been painfully slow, and my friends are more than aware of my disdain.”
I looked down once more at the insulting gift. Everything was included, there was a single-edged razor blade, a bar of peppermint scented soap, a thickly bristled brush, a mug to foam up the lather, and a bottle of oil to apply after finishing.
“I’ll admit, it is a nice kit, the blade is even made of mid-grade dwarven steel.”
“Hmm… It’s possible it was given in earnest. When I was training to learn Blade enchantments, one of the things we used were shaving razors. Since they’re so small and thin, you need excellent mana control not just to create the spell formation, but to manipulate it afterwards. Trust me, you learn very quickly when even the slightest nick will make your neck spray out a geyser of blood.”
I joined Tracy as he chuckled over the channel, “Huh, you might be right. I heard we’ll learn weapon enchantments next semester, so maybe the person who gifted me this knows that?”
“Sounds like a reasonable assumption.”
“Hmm… that doesn’t really narrow down who could have given it to me though.” I sighed as my stomach grumbled, “I’ll have to worry about that some other time though, I’ve got more important things to do right now.”
“Right, it’s finals week. You’re up to your eyeballs in exams.”
“Actually, I was referring to breakfast, but you’re not incorrect. My schedule is still packed full, even with four less exams. I’ll try to find an hour to chat later this week. If not, I’m sure I’ll get bored while traveling for my assignment next week. Or are you going to be busy with your own Fall Expedition?”
“Sadly no, with the bulk of the kingdom’s military outside of the capital, the city’s defenses will be at their weakest, so I’ll be on watch here. Feel free to Message me whenever though, especially during your return trip, I’ll probably be just as bored. Monster attacks on the capital nearly drop down to zero towards the end of the Fall purge.”
“Okay then, it was nice chatting with you.
“Likewise.”
---
Arc
I impatiently waited for Travis to finish his second exam of the day, this one for Wind Spells 1, still irritated about how he made me repeatedly promise after lunch that I wouldn’t help him. To add insult to injury, the little bastard even pulled out a pen to write down his answers! My focus hovered over the vexing test booklet, the trace amounts of Wood Mana in the ink camouflaged perfectly into the Wood Mana of the paper, making it impossible for me to read both the questions and answers.
Honestly, the lack of trust really hurt. It’s not like I’d tell him the answers, just… maybe make a subtle cough if he got something wrong, or…
Travis closed the exam booklet, gave his neck a good stretch before standing up, then headed to the front of the room where his professor and teacher assistants were waiting.
“Travis,” Professor Quinsandoral motioned the teen over with an enthusiastic grin, “come chat for a bit while I have you. I haven’t had a chance to congratulate you yet.”
Travis walked over to the high elf, looking up at him with an inquisitive look as the professor waved their hands to weave their synced Wind Mana in the air into a formation. The mana lines formed a double-walled lattice, creating a [Sound Barrier], but there were a few additions to the standard spell.
Professor Quinsandoral chuckled as Travis used his mana sight to see the spell also, “A one-way Sound Barrier, really nothing too fancy, just attaching a Message spell to transmit sound through, but it does have a few advantages. Namely in that it prevents overly loud noises from entering.” He clapped a hand on Travis’ back, “Ah, look at me, already too impatient to wait for next semester. Let me start by saying how absolutely delightful it was to see the ambassadors teeming with anger after Queen Claudette teased that even if you were secretly a twenty-four-year-old knight, that it would hardly lessen your displayed skill.”
Travis pulled his head back in surprise, “People think I’m twenty-four?”
He chuckled boisterously, “That was my reaction as well. I didn’t even know you were eighteen until the registrar’s office told me that you’d be going on a Fall Expedition this year. Was quite upsetting actually, I was hoping to include you and Mattius in a… oh! Speak of the duck.” His arms extended outward, then gestured as if opening a curtain to create a part in his spell formation, “Young Master Tatian, come join us! I have something to give you.”
Mattius, clearly uncomfortable from the sudden attention, scratched the back of his head as he entered the [Sound Barrier], “You… seem to be in a good mood today professor.”
“I certainly am.” The high elf beamed, “Not only did I get to make Maeralya eat her words, but that advice you gave me worked like a charm.”
“Advice?”
“The suggestion to send my son on a camping trip.” Professor Quinsandoral paused to chuckle to himself, “He finally found out my scheme this morning and stormed into my office, had a full-blown temper tantrum, and screamed obscenities at me for nearly half an hour. I think it was the longest conversation I’ve had with him in months.”
Travis and Mattius exchanged glances as their professor giggled to themself while reaching into a satchel, then pulled out a folder, “Here we are.” He handed it to Mattius, “This is your copy of exemption for the practical exam. You’ve more than demonstrated competency in this semester’s curriculum during the guided practices in the spell range. I do apologize by the way, this was supposed to have been submitted before schedules were delivered, but… one of the elven consulates had to throw a duck into the works after they found out that Travis had the gall to perform well in classes.”
Mattius turned to look at Travis, who gave an awkward shrug in return, prompting the Packer to shake their head, “I guess nine exams are better than ten.”
Quinsandoral grinned, “Expect to receive a similar gift during your written exam for Earth Spells, Ingotborn has been very impressed with your skills, particularly in how you’ve been exercising your affinity.”
“Oh, umm… thank you. Your advice to keep a journal has helped out greatly, there’s a lot of inconsistencies with my affinity compared to everyone else’s.”
“That reminds me, how did your meeting with the Archmagus go?”
Mattius scratched the back of his head, “It was… interesting… They asked me a bunch of strange questions, then gave me this…” he reached into one of his side pouches to pull out a…
a…
A void of nothingness?
I moved my focus in close to double-check, but the cube-shaped hole in the universe was still there.
Huh, that’s weird. I’ve seen plenty of mana-dead spaces before (Wind spells often generate them when creating vacuums), but never an object that was completely void of mana. Even the least mana dense rock has enough traces of Earth Mana to still look like it’s made of clear glass.
Professor Quinsandoral looked down at the object and rolled his eyes, “Oh, one of Avem’s puzzle boxes. I take it for your initiation you’ll be expected to solve it?”
Mattius nodded, “Yeah, they said I could take my time, but to preferably return it before I die of old age.”
Quinsandoral shook his head, “Well, keep that maddening thing away from me. Avem’s warned me multiple times not to help anyone directly with those. It’s supposed to be you and you alone who solves that.”
Mattius turned to Travis, “Actually, they said I could ask you for help, but you’ll have to follow the same rule. No asking any person, god, or object for help, but we are allowed to ask the terrain.”
Oh, that is just…
Travis looked up from the mana-less cube to give Mattius a grin, “Ok, I’ll tell my sword not to help.”
The professor and Mattius both looked down at me, then at each other, before Mattius whispered, “He’s been really stressed out the last couple of days. I don’t think we need to worry just yet.”
---
Voltsday, the 26th of Eighthmonth
Of course, the one exam that I can see with my mana sight, is Travis’ best subject…
Travis’ hands moved with the dexterous precision of a watchmaker as he worked on the tiny cubic artifice, finishing the assembly of the outer metal casing, checked to ensure the aperture in the front opened when turning the dial, that the foldable legs on the other three sides seamlessly closed, the d-ring on top could be flipped up with a fingernail, and that the mount on the bottom could securely clip onto his helmet.
Satisfied with his inspection, he began attuning to the item, raising the pulse-rate until the condensing array inside ramped up high enough to reach critical mass and form a tiny [Light Orb] inside the palm-sized cube.
Travis smiled, taking a minute to play with his mana-powered flashlight/lantern, then proudly walked to the front of the classroom to submit his artifice for examination. The professor did a basic function test, pulled a slab of slate from a nearby pile, then began writing down measurements using an Earth inscribed stylus.
Curious, I brought in my focus, and was able to see how the artifice pushed on the surface of the stone tile, creating a trench on the stylus’ side and a protrusion on the other. Professor Oresword eventually finished marking down the measurements for minimum mana frequency input, Travis’ military identification number, the current date, and then handed the flashlight back to Travis.
“Excellent work, you’re getting full marks.” They chuckled as they passed the slate tile to the assistant next to them, “Not going to lie, I was a little worried that you did a rush job with how fast you worked, but I’m guessing you must be versed in tinkering? Clockmaker’s assistant perhaps?”
“I’ve taken apart a windup clock before, but I’d say most of my skill comes secondhand from working with the woodworker of my village. He had a book on fancy wood joinery that he let me try out and did highly detailed wood burnings in his free time.”
The professor nodded along as the assistant next to them placed the carved tile in a small printing press, pulled one lever to roll a coat of ink over it, then placed a card inside before pressing down. The beardless assistant then gave the still wet card to Travis.
“Here you are. Take good care of that lamp, should last you quite a few years before the dust needs to get replaced.”
Travis stepped back, completely left a gasp, “Wait, I get to keep this?”
The entire table broke out into laughter. Well… all but Durinn, who was shifting uncomfortably in their seat, fiddling with a puzzle box in their hands, and looking highly anxious overall.
“Durinn, are you okay?”
“I’m fine!” Durinn snapped, “I’m not some youngling who can’t keep their fingers clean.”
Whoa, something’s clearly bothering the new artificer. Even the table was stunned by the reaction.
Professor Oresword gestured Travis to lean in so they could whisper, “They might not be in their right mind. Us bearded sometimes… forget about certain things when trying to meet a deadline.” They then took a piece of slate to carve out a picture of a shovel with one hand while holding up a finger to their lips with the other.
“Ooh…” / ‘Ooh…’ Travis and I both realized in unison.
“If they can burden the first eight hours, they’ll have a week or two… err… actually, their braidless, so probably only a few days to get their affairs in order before the need to survey locations grows too strong. I’ll send them your sympathies once their head finally clears up.”
---
Travis
Burnsday, the 27th of Eighthmonth
Bridget and I sat down for an early supper, enjoying our brief respite between exams by discussing our future plans.
“My aunt is making me join the wards for a training camp.” Bridget complained, “I know I need the martial combat training, but I just know they’re going to spend both months trying to convince me to switch weapons.”
“You mean a family of commandos don’t approve of you brutally smashing in an opponent’s skull with your mace?” I teased.
She glowered, “No… it’s because Ahkazriel was a member of the Mortymer family.”
“Ahkazriel!” My grin dropped in exchange for a shocked expression, “The minor god of healing? Ally of Trebellia, the Chosen of Torbolt?”
Bridget picked up my grin, “That’s the one. Unfortunately, since I want to study medicine after graduation, I’m expected to follow family tradition and use a staff.”
“Do you have to make one out of bound bushtail antlers and quill-dragon spines like he did as well?”
“Thankfully, no. I am allowed to change things up. Adding a spear tip, making it out of metal, attaching a flail for example, but… it still has to be a ‘staff.’”
“Well, if you ever decide to give in to familial pressure, just let me know. I’ll lend you the blueprints for the one I carry around.”
Bridget started laughing, “I might just do that out of spite.” She kept chortling as we finished our food, then made a show of looking around before leaning in, “Have you… umm… talked to Adrian lately?”
Puzzled about the shift in conversation, I leaned in to join her, “Not really, I only see him during group study nowadays, that new girlfriend of his keeps squirreling him away.”
She rolled her eyes at me, “I was hoping that you could fill me in on why he’s been acting so distant lately. I asked him last week if he’d be interested in visiting my family’s estate over the break, but he… dodged the question, and didn’t answer.” She paused, looking downtrodden, “Do you think he’s intimidated by my family?”
“I’ll admit, it’s stressful having to suddenly adapt to being around nobles. I was fortunate enough to get eased into it for the most part, but every now and then, I still have moments where I can’t shake the strong feeling that I simply don’t belong here. Maybe he’s feeling the same way? I know I keep forgetting that you’re from an inner-ring family, an invitation to visit might be too big of a step.”
Bridget leaned back in her seat to mull over my words, giving Arc a chance to chime in, “I suggest telling her you’ll talk to Adrian, he’s got a lot of things weighing on him right now, and has been hesitant to talk to anyone. I bet he’ll open up if you have a private conversation with him.”
I gave Arc a friendly rub for the advice, then reached across the table to give Bridget a pat on her shoulder, “I’ll pull him aside for a talk before I leave.”
---
Steelsday, the 28th of Eighthmonth
“Drozuk,” Professor Lambertson spoke to my orkish friend as we turned in our exams, “I’ve got that list of books for you. The marked ones are the references I recommend you purchase; the others should be available at the library here.”
Drozuk thanked him as we stepped out of Mage Civics 1 and made our way to the cafeteria. Just one exam left.
I looked up at the tall orc, “Doing some reading while you’re on expedition?”
Drozuk grunted with annoyance as he looked down at their list, “Yeah, it’s for…” He waved his free hand around, hoping to grasp what he wanted to say, “Remember last week’s lesson on fortresses?”
“Yes, did something in particular bother you?”
He nodded, “Okay, so… for context, my dad and uncle raised me at Coldwater Spring Fortress, located right against the Western Mountains and close to a mountain pass to the Elven Kingdom. We moved there because my dad wanted more consistent work that didn’t require leaving for long periods, and because my uncle’s coven is headquartered there.”
“I’m surprised there’d be more work. Wouldn’t the roads have higher security to protect the trade route?”
“You’d think so, but the area off the mountain paths is both craggy and swampy, practically a breeding pen for monsters.” Drozuk placed the list into his side pouch, “So, back to my point, the army only protects the roads; they don’t venture out to eliminate monsters before they become a problem since that’s the job of hunters.” He let out a huff, “I used to have to sit in the fortress lodge, listening to the soldiers and spartans complain loudly about how the local hunters were slacking off, and I’d grow furious because my dad would be on bed rest from nearly dying earlier that week.”
I gave the big guy a pat on his shoulder as he wiped the snot off his face, “So when Professor Lambertsen explained last week that any local Jarl can request an army battalion to come assist in eradicating monsters…”
Drozuk drooped, “Yeah, request. As long as the fortress and villages aren’t breaking any laws, the Queen won’t send out a battalion without being asked, and any Jarl requesting aid would get voted out the next election cycle by the hunters and witches for ruining their potential bounties.”
“Really? But… you just said…”
He sighed, “I know… I don’t like it one bit. Especially now that I know why dissemination of magical knowledge is so restricted.”
I let out my own sigh, “Yeah, necromancers tend to ruin everything.”
Drozuk snorted, “Ha, not for you, that attack on your village has turned into a footnote for your life’s story.” He turned to look at me, “Speaking of, have there been other attacks? I’ve haven’t heard or read about any follow-up attacks on villages.”
I shrugged my shoulders, “Not sure, but… I’m probably not the best person to ask. I barely have the energy to read the school’s paper every week.”
“Don’t your inner-ring buddies keep you up to date?” he teased.
“No, they’re too busy gossiping about their school clubs.” I switched to a sarcastic tone, “Did you know that the captain of the Dark Drakes got caught cheating on his fiancée with the wicketrunner of the Copperdillos?”
Drozuk tilted his head in clear confusion, “Umm, what’s a wicketrunner?”
“The ball carrier in Ruggleball. Their job is to grab the ball after the bowlers roll it back to them, then take cover behind the batters and listen to the captain shout movement commands. If they manage to carry it all the way to the opposing team’s wicket and touch it with the ruggleball without getting hit by a pigskin, they automatically win the game.”
My friend shook his head as we got into line for supper, “Never mind, I can’t be bothered to care. I just got my practical exam for Water Spells on Woodsday, and then I’m finally done. How about you?”
“Just got my written exam for Water Spells left, and I’ll be heading there after I’m done eating.” I gave his arm a friendly nudge, “Nice not having to take any general education exams, isn’t it?”
Drozuk smirked with his toothy grin, “I’m going to walk directly to the tavern after my last test. How about you?”
A familiar voice called out before I could answer, making me turn around, and then down towards a pink-haired dwarf.
“Travis! I was hoping to find ya. Durinn and I are hosting a kegger in a couple of hours over at the burrow. Think you can stop by with that poleaxe of yours?”
“I got an exam in an hour, but I’ll be free afterwards. I take it Durinn’s feeling better?”
Thramreat chuckled, “Oh, you could say that…” They then pulled out a sheet of paper and wrote out directions, “Here ya go. I’ll save you a mug.”
Drozuk and I watched the dwarf walk towards the carryout counter to rejoin the group they came in with, then pick up a massive order of boxes requiring half a dozen people to carry.
I grinned, “Looks like I’ll be having fun tonight.”
Drozuk twisted back to me, “You’re insane. You know that, right?”
Taken aback, I stammered in surprise before finally asking, “Umm… no, I don’t. Is there something I should know?”
He shook his head at me, “Be easier for you to see it yourself. Just don’t eat any of the food, or drink from the punchbowl. Oh, and bring earplugs.”
2023.03.24 01:44 Timthe7th Is there entry-level information about what role Saturn plays and what the central thesis is regarding Saturn worship and related symbolism?
I'm fascinated about theories regarding alternate history, esoteric mysteries, and Apocryphal texts. I don't do deep dives, but I enjoy skimming the surface of these things, even if I don't necessarily believe them.
If I wanted to learn about Roman history, it would be fairly easy to get a summary. Heck, if I wanted to know about the history of people hypothesizing about Agartha or Atlantis, I could just enter the terms into Youtube or google and find summaries. If I wanted to know about the Nephilim, that's easy; just read the book of Enoch.
But I still have no clue about this Saturn thing. I joined here hoping to find some comprehensive, straightforward information.
But when I just see post after post of people making the OK sign and everyone just seems to nod like there's some secret code, it doesn't really mean anything to me.
What are the fundamentals? What's the main thesis? I'm aware of the hexagon on Saturn, I'm aware that Saturn worship is an ancient thing, I'm aware that somehow some people think Saturn was our first sun, I know my Greek mythology, and I'm aware that certain symbols exist. But that's it, and it's all very vague.
Is there a "cheat sheet" summarizing the significance of these symbols and the beliefs about what Saturn worship is occurring, who's doing it, what precisely is being accomplished, and what it all means? What are the schools of thought (e.g. how do Christians, Muslims, Pagans, atheists, the people who believe our world is run by reptilians, and everyone in between interpret it)? I'm interested in it because these types of stories are often fascinating (again, see Agartha), but I have no idea where to begin, and every time I look it up, I just see people nodding about symbols like everyone already understands the underlying narrative(s).
Thanks!
submitted by Timthe7th to SaturnStormCube [link] [comments]
If I wanted to learn about Roman history, it would be fairly easy to get a summary. Heck, if I wanted to know about the history of people hypothesizing about Agartha or Atlantis, I could just enter the terms into Youtube or google and find summaries. If I wanted to know about the Nephilim, that's easy; just read the book of Enoch.
But I still have no clue about this Saturn thing. I joined here hoping to find some comprehensive, straightforward information.
But when I just see post after post of people making the OK sign and everyone just seems to nod like there's some secret code, it doesn't really mean anything to me.
What are the fundamentals? What's the main thesis? I'm aware of the hexagon on Saturn, I'm aware that Saturn worship is an ancient thing, I'm aware that somehow some people think Saturn was our first sun, I know my Greek mythology, and I'm aware that certain symbols exist. But that's it, and it's all very vague.
Is there a "cheat sheet" summarizing the significance of these symbols and the beliefs about what Saturn worship is occurring, who's doing it, what precisely is being accomplished, and what it all means? What are the schools of thought (e.g. how do Christians, Muslims, Pagans, atheists, the people who believe our world is run by reptilians, and everyone in between interpret it)? I'm interested in it because these types of stories are often fascinating (again, see Agartha), but I have no idea where to begin, and every time I look it up, I just see people nodding about symbols like everyone already understands the underlying narrative(s).
Thanks!
2023.03.24 01:40 alliebrazinski Helppp. My ekg is abnormal
 | submitted by alliebrazinski to ReadMyECG [link] [comments] |
2023.03.23 10:57 LifebeSour Lost all respect for this teacher.
So I had a teacher (female) who taught us social science....and she was the reason I started to hate this subject's lectures.
She would just enter in our classroom, waste half of the time by talking to boys and go back. I never understood why she even paid any attention to them. She was amused to be involved in the boy's conversations (My class's boys were the worst), Few of the boys in our class made sexual remarks about her which another boy told us about and some of the girls later told that teacher about it because we felt it was necessary to let her know.
However, she didn't care a bit when we told her this, we thought she pretended to be strong but was hurt inside BUT the next day and the next week, she pretended like nothing happened and still talked (too sweetly) to those specific boys. We didn't wanna judge her for that because she was a teacher.
She would also treat us very differently from the boys, she ignored us (girls) while she played T&D with the boys. I remember when I was the only girl present on that specific day (she didn't teach that day because 4 girls were absent and "boys toh padhte hi nahi hai"- her, even though the strength of the class was good that day)
A boy asked which student she liked the most and she said _____ (a girl) because she was very sweet etc etc, Now It was ironic because that same girl judged our CT, she literally said "𝙃𝙖𝙧 𝙧𝙤𝙯 𝙖𝙡𝙖𝙜-𝙖𝙡𝙖𝙜 𝙗𝙪𝙨 𝙨𝙚 𝙖𝙖𝙩𝙞 𝙝𝙖𝙞, 𝙥𝙖𝙩𝙖 𝙣𝙖𝙝𝙞 𝙠𝙞𝙨 𝙠𝙞𝙨 𝙠𝙚 𝙂𝙝𝙖𝙧 𝙨𝙚 𝙖𝙖𝙩𝙞 𝙝𝙤𝙜𝙞." I was shocked to hear this because she looked so modern and smart but judged a woman especially a teacher like that (She was also our CT's fav) but that's a different story.
When that same boy asked "which student has the most attitude or which girl do you dislike the most", she said nothing and just looked my way and that group of boys said "samaj gaye" while grinning. I was really sad that day because I was a introvert and had social anxiety so I didn't talk much in the class, I barely smiled because I was conscious of that too but she interpreted it as if I was showing her attitude. Nobody really talked to me in the class because they all thought I had this so-called attitude. The boys would use phones during her class and all she said was "𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙖, 𝙖𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙯 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙞 𝙠𝙖𝙢 𝙠𝙖𝙧 𝙡𝙤 𝙣𝙖𝙖𝙖𝙖𝙖𝙖".
As someone who liked Social Science, I had already read chapters like Nationalism in India, The Making of the Global World, Print Culture, Globalisation etc, So when she used to teach us I already knew the info beforehand and could detect that she was teaching us wrong. A line in Nationalism in India was that Gandhi ji thought that women should be good mothers and wives but She told us that Gandhi ji was a great man because he supported women etc etc and she was a huge BJP supporter so that was definitely not intentional, she was teaching us wrong and that was just one incident. There are plenty of them.
From December, She didn't even bother to teach us or complete the syllabus, she would come and ask us to study on our own because "𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙚, 𝙩𝙪𝙢 𝙡𝙖𝙙𝙠𝙞𝙮𝙖 𝙩𝙤 𝙠𝙖𝙧 𝙝𝙞 𝙡𝙤𝙜𝙚, 𝙮𝙚 𝙡𝙖𝙙𝙠𝙤 𝙠𝙤 𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙙𝙙𝙝𝙤" and we then studied on our own. We forgot that teaching us was the sole reason to why she was getting paid in the first place.
These were all minor ones but the incident which broke me the most was when we were giving our pre-boards and she was the invigilator. That favourite student of hers helped the boys cheat (one of the boys was that one guy who made sexual remarks about her) and she said nothing. When the time was over, she took away my answer sheet but gave that girl extra time because she "helped" those boys. When I asked her about this, she really said "𝙩𝙪𝙢𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙝𝙞 𝙪𝙣𝙠𝙞 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙥 𝙠𝙖𝙧 𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙞 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙝𝙞𝙮𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞 𝙥𝙝𝙞𝙧, 𝙞𝙩𝙣𝙖 𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙙𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙙𝙖 𝙝𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙨𝙚 𝙠𝙖𝙖𝙢 𝙣𝙖𝙝𝙞 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙡𝙩𝙖, 𝙮𝙚 𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙙𝙚 𝙠𝙞𝙨𝙞 𝙖𝙪𝙧 𝙠𝙤 𝙙𝙞𝙠𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙖". As she said this, those boys had a grin on their faces.
All I did was to ask her politely as to why she didn't give me extra time but gave her.
I had tears in my eyes because I don't see as to why I should help those students pass who are just straight up vulgar (that same boy who told us about sexual remarks about our teacher told us that those boys "look" at us disgustingly), sexists, racists and think education is a joke, they didn't wanna study at all (I do help some students to cheat but only when they show efforts).
I immediately lost all the respect I had for her at that moment. I scored the highest in this subject all throughout the year and she would use me as an example infront of the other students saying things like "ise bhi to mai hi padhati hu, phir iske itne marks aur tumhare itne kam kyu?" but then will continue to talk shit about me behind my back to those same students.
submitted by LifebeSour to CBSE [link] [comments]
She would just enter in our classroom, waste half of the time by talking to boys and go back. I never understood why she even paid any attention to them. She was amused to be involved in the boy's conversations (My class's boys were the worst), Few of the boys in our class made sexual remarks about her which another boy told us about and some of the girls later told that teacher about it because we felt it was necessary to let her know.
However, she didn't care a bit when we told her this, we thought she pretended to be strong but was hurt inside BUT the next day and the next week, she pretended like nothing happened and still talked (too sweetly) to those specific boys. We didn't wanna judge her for that because she was a teacher.
She would also treat us very differently from the boys, she ignored us (girls) while she played T&D with the boys. I remember when I was the only girl present on that specific day (she didn't teach that day because 4 girls were absent and "boys toh padhte hi nahi hai"- her, even though the strength of the class was good that day)
A boy asked which student she liked the most and she said _____ (a girl) because she was very sweet etc etc, Now It was ironic because that same girl judged our CT, she literally said "𝙃𝙖𝙧 𝙧𝙤𝙯 𝙖𝙡𝙖𝙜-𝙖𝙡𝙖𝙜 𝙗𝙪𝙨 𝙨𝙚 𝙖𝙖𝙩𝙞 𝙝𝙖𝙞, 𝙥𝙖𝙩𝙖 𝙣𝙖𝙝𝙞 𝙠𝙞𝙨 𝙠𝙞𝙨 𝙠𝙚 𝙂𝙝𝙖𝙧 𝙨𝙚 𝙖𝙖𝙩𝙞 𝙝𝙤𝙜𝙞." I was shocked to hear this because she looked so modern and smart but judged a woman especially a teacher like that (She was also our CT's fav) but that's a different story.
When that same boy asked "which student has the most attitude or which girl do you dislike the most", she said nothing and just looked my way and that group of boys said "samaj gaye" while grinning. I was really sad that day because I was a introvert and had social anxiety so I didn't talk much in the class, I barely smiled because I was conscious of that too but she interpreted it as if I was showing her attitude. Nobody really talked to me in the class because they all thought I had this so-called attitude. The boys would use phones during her class and all she said was "𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙖, 𝙖𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙯 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙞 𝙠𝙖𝙢 𝙠𝙖𝙧 𝙡𝙤 𝙣𝙖𝙖𝙖𝙖𝙖𝙖".
As someone who liked Social Science, I had already read chapters like Nationalism in India, The Making of the Global World, Print Culture, Globalisation etc, So when she used to teach us I already knew the info beforehand and could detect that she was teaching us wrong. A line in Nationalism in India was that Gandhi ji thought that women should be good mothers and wives but She told us that Gandhi ji was a great man because he supported women etc etc and she was a huge BJP supporter so that was definitely not intentional, she was teaching us wrong and that was just one incident. There are plenty of them.
From December, She didn't even bother to teach us or complete the syllabus, she would come and ask us to study on our own because "𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙚, 𝙩𝙪𝙢 𝙡𝙖𝙙𝙠𝙞𝙮𝙖 𝙩𝙤 𝙠𝙖𝙧 𝙝𝙞 𝙡𝙤𝙜𝙚, 𝙮𝙚 𝙡𝙖𝙙𝙠𝙤 𝙠𝙤 𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙙𝙙𝙝𝙤" and we then studied on our own. We forgot that teaching us was the sole reason to why she was getting paid in the first place.
These were all minor ones but the incident which broke me the most was when we were giving our pre-boards and she was the invigilator. That favourite student of hers helped the boys cheat (one of the boys was that one guy who made sexual remarks about her) and she said nothing. When the time was over, she took away my answer sheet but gave that girl extra time because she "helped" those boys. When I asked her about this, she really said "𝙩𝙪𝙢𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙝𝙞 𝙪𝙣𝙠𝙞 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙥 𝙠𝙖𝙧 𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙞 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙝𝙞𝙮𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞 𝙥𝙝𝙞𝙧, 𝙞𝙩𝙣𝙖 𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙙𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙙𝙖 𝙝𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙨𝙚 𝙠𝙖𝙖𝙢 𝙣𝙖𝙝𝙞 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙡𝙩𝙖, 𝙮𝙚 𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙙𝙚 𝙠𝙞𝙨𝙞 𝙖𝙪𝙧 𝙠𝙤 𝙙𝙞𝙠𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙖". As she said this, those boys had a grin on their faces.
All I did was to ask her politely as to why she didn't give me extra time but gave her.
I had tears in my eyes because I don't see as to why I should help those students pass who are just straight up vulgar (that same boy who told us about sexual remarks about our teacher told us that those boys "look" at us disgustingly), sexists, racists and think education is a joke, they didn't wanna study at all (I do help some students to cheat but only when they show efforts).
I immediately lost all the respect I had for her at that moment. I scored the highest in this subject all throughout the year and she would use me as an example infront of the other students saying things like "ise bhi to mai hi padhati hu, phir iske itne marks aur tumhare itne kam kyu?" but then will continue to talk shit about me behind my back to those same students.
2023.03.23 06:55 -_SiLKy_- Advice for sub?
I'm a relatively new sub (usually for middle school, occasionally elementary school) and I've found it to be super enjoyable but there are a lot of struggles I face and I would love advice from teachers and experienced subs.
TLDR; I need advice for rule setting and what a reasonable class should look like for a substitute teacher.
submitted by -_SiLKy_- to Teachers [link] [comments]
- Enforcing any blanket rule is challenging because the expectations in every classroom are extremely different. How do you determine which rules you should and shouldn't strictly enforce when you have nothing to reference? Having a strict seat policy in a class that promotes collaboration is usually very frustrating to students and teachers don't always make it obvious if the work should be independent or collaborative. Asking students to spit out gum or throw out/put away food in a class where teachers normally allow it leads to arguments but usually there's no way to know if it's allowed. The list continues but it doesn't seem like any two classes have the same student expectations and enforcing something abnormal sucks for students but letting them break rules is also not okay.
- With computers being central in education now, what do you have students do if the internet is slow/not working or a program they need is down? Teachers rarely leave printed back up work, usually it's the opposite where the extra or back up work is online. I've had a number of classes where necessary programs wont load and I have no idea how to productively occupy the students for the class period. Sidenote: What tasks do you give students who claim they're done with everything (including other classes) and what activities (on or offline) should always be off limits at school? What do you do with students who clearly rush work just to get to free time?
- Every student has a million excuses and it's hard to know which kids are telling the truth and which aren't. How do I figure out what's a valid excuse and what isn't? I never want to be too hard on a kid who has a justified reason for doing something out of the norm but most will lie through their teeth if it means they can get out of doing work. Kids will often ask to go to another teacher's room to work and it may be completely honest, but they may also just be looking for an excuse to wander the halls after they know they've been marked present by the sub. I've had a student go to the bathroom and a few minutes later another student came to me with an emergency (in this case a menstrual emergency) and it may be true, but they may also just want to go hang out in the bathroom. How do I make the right call on something like that?
- If a teacher doesn't provide a seating chart, how do they expect me to keep students focused on their work? It seems like every time I turn my back a student is up to something, but at least when you can keep them in a seat and at a table with with students who don't distract them you have an element of control, but as soon as they're out of seats, sitting with friends, crowding around desks, etc. you have no control over behavior. I've even had plans that say "they know where there seats are and are expected to sit in them, please remind them of that" but no seating chart....how could I possibly enforce that or even report on it when I have no idea where they sit?!? (they were also clearly out of their seats assigned that day)
- As a sub I'm sure both the teacher and myself have a mutual understanding that students will inevitably be more disruptive because they know the sub won't know the rules (plus it's usually an easy work day) but really what is the expectation? Obviously it depends greatly on the sub plans (if the plans are super specific then thats exactly what I'll follow), but mainly when it's a day of packet work day I usually have the mentality that the class will be a bit more laid back than normal and as long as I see students working I will allow something like sitting in a different seat or 5-10 min game at the end of class. Is that something a teacher would be fine with or do they usually expect more structure? How much talking should be expected in a class period? If it's not clearly stated should it be assumed students should still remain at a desk or do teachers often let students crowd around desks and work together?PS- If you're a teacher and have access to a sheet of student names with their school photos it makes a subs day so much easier! Figuring out names is usually the hardest part, especially when you have 6-7 class periods with new kids every day.
TLDR; I need advice for rule setting and what a reasonable class should look like for a substitute teacher.
2023.03.22 16:29 RROD93 Why Manual Backtesting is Worth the Hassle: 6 Benefits You Need to Know
"Backtesting is the backbone of trading. Without it, you're just another amateur jumping into a market with a pocket full of hope and a head full of dreams. And while automated backtesting has its advantages, I firmly believe that manual backtesting is the key to unlocking profitable strategies. It forces you to really understand the market, to see the patterns and trends that a machine might miss. It takes time and effort, but in the end, it's worth it."
Linda Raschke, professional trader and author.
When it comes to trading, backtesting is an essential tool for analyzing the effectiveness of a trading strategy.Backtesting allows traders to simulate their trading strategies on historical data to evaluate how well they would have performed in the past.
There are two main methods of backtesting: manual backtesting and automated backtesting.
In short, manual backtesting involves you, a chart, an excel sheet to note down the results your buy and sell rules give you and, not less importantly, a big chunk of patience, since this is a lengthy process.
Conversely, automated backtesting, in short, is just you inserting your buy and sell parameters in a software, clicking 'run test' and receiving a plethora of data about the results achieved.
Although automated backtesting sounds appealing and has indeed plenty of advantages, namely:
- Speed: Machine backtesting can process large amounts of data much faster than manual backtesting.
- Consistency: Machines do not make mistakes or become fatigued, which can help to ensure consistent and accurate backtesting results.
- Scalability: Allows traders to test multiple strategies at the same time, which would be extremely time-consuming and difficult with manual backtesting.
Deeper Understanding:
Manual backtesting requires traders to analyze and interpret the data themselves, which can lead to a deeper understanding of how the strategy works and how it performs under different market conditions, which execution obstacles are expected, whether it fits or not a trader's personality and risk tolerance.Having the chart in front of you and delving into it, allows you to get a proxy feeling of how it would be to actually execute the strategy. You wouldn't be just seeing numbers.
In short, all this time, all this chart time spent in seeing, feeling how executing your strategy is like before you do, will force you to critically think about its pros and cons and whether you withstand them or not.
Ability to Spot Patterns:
Manual backtesting allows traders to spot patterns and trends that may not be apparent with automated backtesting. This can lead to the development of more profitable trading strategies.That same chart time will bless you with a lot of hunches and ideas on how to improve the average returns of your strategy, smoothen the drawdowns or improve its execution.
Better Strategy Optimization:
Manual backtesting allows traders to optimize their trading strategies by testing different parameters and indicators. This can lead to the development of more effective and profitable trading strategies.Again chart-time. Trying things that you feel could work … retesting them, measuring what comes out. This is a serendipity prone method.
Improved Risk Management:
Manual backtesting can help traders identify potential risks in their trading strategies and develop risk management strategies to mitigate those risks.Because you are forced to spend time thinking and feeling the execution in advance. This is not just an instant data bunch on your screen.
Greater Confidence:
Traders who manually backtest their strategies may have greater confidence in their trading strategies than those who rely on automated backtesting. This is because manual backtesting provides a better understanding of how a strategy performs under different market conditions.You've been through all the hassle. You were able to refine the strategy through the hassle. You know it works. You know what to expect in different market conditions. You know how to execute flawlessly. You will trade it assertively,
Greater Flexibility:
One of the most significant benefits of manual backtesting is that it provides traders with greater flexibility. With manual backtesting, traders can adjust the parameters of their trading strategy on-the-fly and quickly see the results of those changes.There are simply some buy triggers which you will struggle to express in software terms. You won't face this hurdle with manual backtesting.
In conclusion, although automated backtesting is loaded with advantages over manual backtesting. Manual backtesting trumps automated backtesting precisely because of its main "disadvantage", forcing you to invest a lot of time.
If you like our content you will love our store. :)
Cheers,
Ruben
https://www.tenacioustribe.com/why-manual-backtesting-is-worth-the-hassle-6-benefits-you-need-to-know
2023.03.22 03:04 Brutalar Regular direct feedback from a reliable person is essential
There is one thing above all else that is required for people with body odour conditions, for those diagnosed, undiagnosed, seasoned and new suffers alike: Direct, reliable feedback. Without this, you're a ship in a storm without a captain.
Direct feedback is essential as it allows you to determine:
Reliable people include:
Reactions
If you do not have anyone (which is often the case here) then you fall into the trap of relying on reactions. These may be something like:
The only way to differentiate between an actual body odour and ORS is to find one reliable source of truth who can identify the smell regularly. The smell they describe needs to match the intensity of the reactions you see, otherwise you're probably engaging in referential thinking even if you do have a diagnosable body odour. Ie; if a friend says 'sometimes you smell a bit funky, it's not too bad though' but you're seeing people coughing 30 metres away, it's very likely you're misinterpreting the reaction.
In the literature on body odors, emphasis is frequently placed on multiple consultations to reduce the risk of misdiagnosis, and also asking the individual to have a reliable confidant accompany them to the consultation who can confirm the reality of the reported symptom. ORS patients are unable to provide such confidants as they have no objective odor.
Please, find someone who can smell you. If you can't, then speaking to a doctor and a psychologist about how you're feeling, and getting some counselling around anxiety and depression is going to help much more than any new diet or supplement.
submitted by Brutalar to TMAU [link] [comments]
Direct feedback is essential as it allows you to determine:
- If there is a smell
- If the smell is you
- If you smell regularly, and how regularly
- What the smell is (sulfur, fish, garbage, musty, fecal, etc)
- Where the smell is coming from (mouth, scalp, body, groin)
- How bad it is (does it choke them up, how far away can they smell it, does it linger?)
- If a diet and or treatment plan is working
- If you've beaten it
Reliable people include:
- Family (parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, grandparents)
- Friends, roommates, housemates
- Support people (school nurses, teachers, HR representatives, managers, trusted colleagues
- Medial staff (doctors, dentists, nurses)
- Preamble: "This is going to be a super awkward conversation, but do you mind if I ask you a few questions about a bit of a taboo topic, about me? I'm pretty sure I have a body odour condition. I'd like to figure out how to manage it, treat it or mitigate it as much as possible, but I need some honest feedback so I can work on it. Would you be able to help?"
- Do I smell?
- Do I smell regularly?
- Have I ever smelled?
- Have you heard anything from anyone about my body odour?
- Would you be able to let me know what it smells like? (sulfur, fish, garbage, musty, fecal, etc)
- Would you be willing to help me to check if it's coming from my mouth? (both walk to a new fresh room with your mouth closed, get them to check your general body odor, then breath)
- How bad is it?
- Does it linger or is it detectable from a long way away?
- Would you be able to let me know (discretely) in the future if you can smell it, so I can fix it up?
- Would you be able to be a support person or vouch for me with a doctor so I can get further tests?
- Would you be able to let you know if your new diet is working?
Reactions
If you do not have anyone (which is often the case here) then you fall into the trap of relying on reactions. These may be something like:
- coughing
- sneezing
- turning of the head
- opening a window
- facial expressions
- sniffing
- touching nose
- scratching head
- gestures
- moving away
- avoiding the person
- whistling
- when being in proximity to others who are talking among themselves, thinking that the conversation is about his or her odor
- the actions of animals (e.g. barking of dogs)
The only way to differentiate between an actual body odour and ORS is to find one reliable source of truth who can identify the smell regularly. The smell they describe needs to match the intensity of the reactions you see, otherwise you're probably engaging in referential thinking even if you do have a diagnosable body odour. Ie; if a friend says 'sometimes you smell a bit funky, it's not too bad though' but you're seeing people coughing 30 metres away, it's very likely you're misinterpreting the reaction.
In the literature on body odors, emphasis is frequently placed on multiple consultations to reduce the risk of misdiagnosis, and also asking the individual to have a reliable confidant accompany them to the consultation who can confirm the reality of the reported symptom. ORS patients are unable to provide such confidants as they have no objective odor.
Please, find someone who can smell you. If you can't, then speaking to a doctor and a psychologist about how you're feeling, and getting some counselling around anxiety and depression is going to help much more than any new diet or supplement.
2023.03.21 23:43 cancerengineer 29M LAFB, IRBB, Saddleback V2?
 | 29M, dizziness/near syncope probably non-arrythmogenic. Left axis deviation/LAFB is normal in pt. V1 and V2 showing IRBBB or Saddleback brugada. How are the two distinguished? submitted by cancerengineer to ReadMyECG [link] [comments] |
2023.03.21 23:23 lemonalchemyst Data experts: how to export from infinite campus grades and attendance?
Looking for a succinct how to guide. We use infinite campus and in PLCs my department is tasked with analyzing student progress grade and attendance. I’d like to export a CSV that has student name, period, progress grade, class attendance, class tardies. Then I can upload that into google sheets and aggregate the data and visualize different trends. I’ve seen some guides about ad hoc and query wizard, but I’m not sure if that is what I’m looking for or what the steps would be.
We are English teachers so we are essentially fumbling around in the dark. Someone used to softball pitch data charts to us, but with the changing of the guard and for reasons I cannot fathom, we have been told we need to gather, aggregate and interpret the data on our own.
I’m positive the way we are doing it is the worst idea ever, but I want to be able to bring in a solution. (We have been advised to manually enter each student name, grade, and attendance count into a table in a google doc. Needless to say, this is unnecessarily time consuming and ultimately useless as far as what you can do with that data.)
I would be floored if there isn’t a quick and efficient way for campus to do this. How do I get the program to run this report?
submitted by lemonalchemyst to Teachers [link] [comments]
We are English teachers so we are essentially fumbling around in the dark. Someone used to softball pitch data charts to us, but with the changing of the guard and for reasons I cannot fathom, we have been told we need to gather, aggregate and interpret the data on our own.
I’m positive the way we are doing it is the worst idea ever, but I want to be able to bring in a solution. (We have been advised to manually enter each student name, grade, and attendance count into a table in a google doc. Needless to say, this is unnecessarily time consuming and ultimately useless as far as what you can do with that data.)
I would be floored if there isn’t a quick and efficient way for campus to do this. How do I get the program to run this report?
2023.03.21 18:59 nikechristmas March 2023 DAT breakdown (25AA/24TS/24PAT)
 | Hi everyone, I took my DAT earlier this week and thought I might do a breakdown. Before I took the test I learned a lot of helpful information from others’ write ups, so hopefully this information can help somebody else! submitted by nikechristmas to predental [link] [comments] https://preview.redd.it/clm6ujuws4pa1.png?width=628&format=png&auto=webp&s=c31553609d3715079b98b84d78f05671cb9de6bf Scores: PAT – 27 QR – 25 RC – 28 Bio – 26 GC – 27 OC – 21 TS – 24 AA – 25 Background: I’m a senior Biochemistry major with a 3.5 GPA. I took a semester off so there were parts of biology from bio 1/2 that I had to work to relearn. Last semester I took molecular biology and genetics so those sections were very fresh (didn’t spend as much time reviewing) Materials used:
I began planning for my DAT prep in September of last year. I decided to go with the 12 week schedule because a good amount of material was no longer fresh in my mind (I took organic 1&2 ~1.5 years ago, bio 1&2 ~3 years ago). In addition, the majority of my studying would take place during my senior spring semester. I’m only taking 2 classes, but both have labs, and they’ve ended up being pretty time consuming. I think my workload ended up being equivalent to taking three classes. On average, I spent 3 hours a day on DAT prep. I stopped doing RC and PAT practice (aside from on the mock tests) at around the halfway point. I felt like I was getting decent scores, and needed to spend the time on the science sections. I didn’t do many of the gen chem optional videos. Towards the end I hit the study notes for all sections fairly hard. I think they are very well written and concise. I began studying December 20th. I took my test March 13th which was roughly 12 weeks. At the time, Booster hadn’t updated the 12 week schedule, so I just used the 10 week one until the 12 came out, and then swapped out for the updated 12 week schedule. The change was seamless. A few tips I would go back in time and tell myself: -If you miss a day don’t panic. Actually, even if you miss several. There were a few times where I had to chop up a day or two and add it to other days. This worked fine and it seemed like Booster wasn’t designed to be used one single way. -Slight modifications are not just fine, but good! I have difficulty paying attention to lectures on the computer compared to in person. Most of the videos I watched on 1.5x speed, and I spent more time reading the study notes. If you’re like me and forget a lot after watching a video, you might benefit from spending more time on a different format. -Try to take the practice tests in a quiet, individual desk space. I used my library’s cubicle desks and the experience was very close to what it was like at the test center. Practice test scores: Bio (13,18,19,20,22,19,19,23,21,22) GC (17,25,21,21,21,20,20,22,26,20) OC (20,19,21,22,20,22,16,20,19,21) PAT (19,22,24,21,21,21,22,24,20,22) RC (21,21,22,23,22,24,26,24,24,26) QR (19,22,24,23,23,23,23,30,25,25) Day of Exam: The day before I felt very nervous about the test. Booster suggests you take the day completely off studying and I’m glad I did. Hanging out with my friends and family helped take my mind off the test. Bio (26): The bio questions felt easier than the Booster practice tests. I’ve heard other people talk about studying for “breadth over depth” in biology and I agree. Very few questions were the type of highly-specific, pointed questions that I was afraid of encountering. I would recommend memorizing as much of the Booster bio cheat sheets as you can as they covered A LOT of the content on the test. I spent a lot of time studying for this section and I feel very lucky to have gotten a 26 on this section. Bio doesn’t come easy to me and I had to study a lot of material over and over, even during the final week. GC (27): This section felt slightly easier than the practice tests but very close. I felt like more questions were conceptual than the on the practice tests, in particular the ones about enzyme kinetics, rate of reaction, free energy, and thermodynamics. Overall I think doing all the extra practice problems and reviewing the study notes was very effective in preparing for the questions on the real test. OC (21): This was the section I had the most difficulty in overall. I didn’t really improve much on my practice test scores or the actual section on the test. Although I was hoping to do slightly better I was happy that I got the score I did. On practice test 7 I got a 16 on this section which definitely made me panic a little during the prep. After getting that score I started reviewing a lot heavier and I started using the ACS study guide in addition to redoing all the extra practice problems on booster. This section I felt was very balanced in terms of the kinds of questions asked and that it covered a wide range of topics without overemphasizing anything in particular. I would try to commit as many solvents/unique reactions to memory as I think I got tripped up on the products of certain reactions. PAT (24): I felt this section was much easier than the practice problems/practice tests. I think they were about the same difficulty as some of the easier generator problems. For almost every question on the keyholes, TFE, and pattern folding, I was able to narrow it down to one of two options, and the correct option was not hard to deduce. The angle ranking, cube counting, and hole punching felt closer to booster practice tests but maybe a little easier. I would make sure to practice floating cubes for the cube counting section, I had a couple on there. Overall since the KH/TFE were easier I had a bit more time than usual on the practice tests to review answers at the end. RC (28): I think I had a fair bit of luck on this section because in all honestly this section felt slightly harder than most of the practice tests. The passages were a bit denser and I felt like the sentences had more details than I was used to. When studying for RC, I tried all the methods but settled on hunting and pecking the answer for each question as I got the same score for this method as the others while having more time to review answers. I would do as much RC practice as you can until you feel very comfortable with your technique. QR (25): This section felt very close to the booster practice tests. There seemed to be a lot of graphing questions, I had one or two covering the equation of a circle on a graph. Overall there were no surprises on this section, what helped me during studying was just marking every question I missed and reviewing the concepts/strategy and redoing them until I was getting them right. There were also a good amount of multi-part graph interpretation questions where they asked you to do some math on different numbers on the graph. Ending Advice I’ve read a lot of great write ups from other people and after taking my DAT I realize there’s no single correct way to prepare for this test. I think being very honest with what you know/don’t know is critical for using your study time effectively. I was nervous at times because I was hoping to study around 5-6 hours a day and ended up doing ~3 hours a day. However if you dial in while studying and minimize distractions, you prepare very effectively even with a tighter schedule. Some good advice I got from a friend who took the test before me was that you likely won’t feel confident until close to the end of your prep. I definitely experienced this. After the end of the learning phase (first 7 weeks) I did not feel like I had retained almost any of the material. As you do the practice tests, you will be able to gauge your strengths and areas more accurately for improvement. Good luck and you can do it! |
2023.03.21 10:47 alamat103 Cardiac Dysrhythmia, symptoms of inappropriate tachycardia
Could someone enlighten me on my diagnosis. I am 30 YO, asian male, (159 cm, 60kgs) who was recently diagnosed with Cardiac Dysrhythmia, symptoms of inappropriate tachycardia. I was admitted due to palpitations (HR: 115 bpm - 140 bpm). I was given Propanolol (Inderal 10mg) as my current take home medication which manages to reduce my heart rate to around 75bpm - 85 bpm. Current laboratory and imaging results are summarized as follows
ECG/EKG RESULTS: *HR: 114 bpm (0.522) *QRS axis/interval: 5 deg/0.086 sec *RV5: 0.8 mV *SV1: 0.49 mV *QT/QTc: 0.282 sec/0.39 Interpretation: Sinus Tachycardia
2D ECHO FINDINGS * Normal left ventricular geometry with good resting systolic and diastolic function with calculated Ejection Fraction of 65%.
24 Hr HOLTER MONITOR *Basic rhythm is sinus with an average heart rate of 78 beats per minute (range: 44 - 147 beats per minute). *No atrioventricular conduction delay nor intraventricular conduction delay. No significant sinus pause. *Low frequency premature atrial contractions occurring singly. No supraventricular tachycardia. *No premature ventricular contractions. No ventricular tachycardia. *No significant ST segment shift. *Symptoms of mild headache were not associated with abnormal ECG changes (heart rate of 84 - 94 beats per minute).
All other test results (Thyroid, FBS, xray, etc) as well as other vital signs (BP, temperature, etc) are within normal limits.
I am constantly experiencing dizziness after 15 min of walking and have experienced 2 episodes of sudden walking up and catching my breath at night. Is there any underlying issue that I need to address to my cardiologist? Appreciate all the responses.
submitted by alamat103 to AskDocs [link] [comments]
ECG/EKG RESULTS: *HR: 114 bpm (0.522) *QRS axis/interval: 5 deg/0.086 sec *RV5: 0.8 mV *SV1: 0.49 mV *QT/QTc: 0.282 sec/0.39 Interpretation: Sinus Tachycardia
2D ECHO FINDINGS * Normal left ventricular geometry with good resting systolic and diastolic function with calculated Ejection Fraction of 65%.
24 Hr HOLTER MONITOR *Basic rhythm is sinus with an average heart rate of 78 beats per minute (range: 44 - 147 beats per minute). *No atrioventricular conduction delay nor intraventricular conduction delay. No significant sinus pause. *Low frequency premature atrial contractions occurring singly. No supraventricular tachycardia. *No premature ventricular contractions. No ventricular tachycardia. *No significant ST segment shift. *Symptoms of mild headache were not associated with abnormal ECG changes (heart rate of 84 - 94 beats per minute).
All other test results (Thyroid, FBS, xray, etc) as well as other vital signs (BP, temperature, etc) are within normal limits.
I am constantly experiencing dizziness after 15 min of walking and have experienced 2 episodes of sudden walking up and catching my breath at night. Is there any underlying issue that I need to address to my cardiologist? Appreciate all the responses.
2023.03.19 18:47 312az Arrhythmia and tachycardia follow up advice
Hi, for the past 5 days I have been experiencing tachycardia and palpitations. I’m following up with my PCP tomorrow and would like advice on what to speak with her about to further investigate this issue. My insurance covers the cost of all lab work, so I am not concerned about the cost associated with having multiple labs done.
The first event happened while sitting at my desk on Wednesday (I work in a hospital based Audiology / ENT department). I initially noticed my ears, cheeks, and nose get red and hot and about 10/15 minutes later my resting heart rate noticeably increased to about 120 (per Apple Watch). After a couple of minutes I decided to walk over to the nurse in the ENT clinic and ask her to check my vitals. By that time I was hot and clammy. My Apple Watch was showing a heart rate in the 130-140 range and my blood pressure was 140/90. My peak rate was 151. One of the ENT providers came in and checked my levels and did a quick check of my neck. At that time I also had a tremor and he noticed the fingers on my right hand were swollen. For the two weeks prior to this I’ve had what I thought was chilblains on 4 fingers on that hand and I noticed the fingers were swollen for approximately two days. I had also been having flair ups of a burning sensation across that hand in the evening for about an hour at a time and Tuesday night my right ear was also red and burning at the same time. In early January I had a brief <2 min episode of palpitations when laying on the couch. Since that time I’ve experienced a fluttering sensation in my chest. Initially, I thought I was being paranoid after experiencing palpitations, but now I know that is not the case. My heart rate stayed above 100 bpm for about four hours. Once it went back down I felt fatigued and had a headache. I wasn’t able to sleep much Wednesday night because I felt hot all night.
Thursday morning around 11 I started feeling the same as the day before. I work in a hospital, so I initially went to the employee walk-in clinic and they sent me to the ED for evaluation. I have had less noticeable episodes each day since.
Additional information:
Chief Complaint: Patient presents with Palpitations
Patient is a 32-year-old female with a history of hypothyroidism, Hashimoto's disease(dx 2017), and depression who presents the emergency department for palpitations. Patient states she for soon as her palpitations yesterday while at work. Patient states her resting heart rate was 105 and then eventually increased to the 130s and also elevated to 151. Patient states when she went home at 5:00 p.m., her heart rate went back to normal and was in the 80s. Patient states she felt warm during the night and did not sleep well. Patient states she felt palpitations again just prior to hospital arrival. Patient states that it feels like a fluttering in her chest but denies chest pain, shortness breath, dizziness, lightheadedness, nausea, vomiting. Patient denies feeling ill or sick contacts. Patient does report a rash to the fingers on the right hand for 2 weeks. Patient states the rash is red around the nail beds. Patient takes her medication daily as prescribed without missing doses.
Patient History:
Any advice will be greatly appreciated!
Edited to improve formatting and add link
3/20 update:
submitted by 312az to AskDocs [link] [comments]
The first event happened while sitting at my desk on Wednesday (I work in a hospital based Audiology / ENT department). I initially noticed my ears, cheeks, and nose get red and hot and about 10/15 minutes later my resting heart rate noticeably increased to about 120 (per Apple Watch). After a couple of minutes I decided to walk over to the nurse in the ENT clinic and ask her to check my vitals. By that time I was hot and clammy. My Apple Watch was showing a heart rate in the 130-140 range and my blood pressure was 140/90. My peak rate was 151. One of the ENT providers came in and checked my levels and did a quick check of my neck. At that time I also had a tremor and he noticed the fingers on my right hand were swollen. For the two weeks prior to this I’ve had what I thought was chilblains on 4 fingers on that hand and I noticed the fingers were swollen for approximately two days. I had also been having flair ups of a burning sensation across that hand in the evening for about an hour at a time and Tuesday night my right ear was also red and burning at the same time. In early January I had a brief <2 min episode of palpitations when laying on the couch. Since that time I’ve experienced a fluttering sensation in my chest. Initially, I thought I was being paranoid after experiencing palpitations, but now I know that is not the case. My heart rate stayed above 100 bpm for about four hours. Once it went back down I felt fatigued and had a headache. I wasn’t able to sleep much Wednesday night because I felt hot all night.
Thursday morning around 11 I started feeling the same as the day before. I work in a hospital, so I initially went to the employee walk-in clinic and they sent me to the ED for evaluation. I have had less noticeable episodes each day since.
Additional information:
- Diagnosed with Hashimoto’s in 2017 - taking levothyroxine since.
- Covid infection in July 2022 - symptomatic for 7 to 8 days.
- Delay sleep phase syndrome- since childhood. Confirmed by sleep medicine doctor. (Current PCP has a specialty in sleep medicine)
- Began experiencing sleep maintenance insomnia in July after having covid. Thought this was possible due to sleep pattern being disrupted by nightly coughing fits while having covid. Started taking 5mg of sonata nightly.
- For a few months I have also woken up hot and sweating (don’t really sweat much in general). This contributes to my sleep disturbances.
- Medication change: I changed my anxiety/depression medication from Lexapro to Zoloft in December due to feelings of emotional blunting in December. This seemed to help a little, but I still feel off.
- Mold exposure concerns- July 26, 2022 my apartment suffered minor flooding from heavy rain. My landlord dried the apartment but never came in to repair the damaged baseboards.
- ADHD inattentive type- I’m take 50mg of Vyvanse daily. Initially started taking in 2010- have switched to Adderall from time to time.
- Drink 1-2 cups of coffee in the mornings.
Chief Complaint: Patient presents with Palpitations
Patient is a 32-year-old female with a history of hypothyroidism, Hashimoto's disease(dx 2017), and depression who presents the emergency department for palpitations. Patient states she for soon as her palpitations yesterday while at work. Patient states her resting heart rate was 105 and then eventually increased to the 130s and also elevated to 151. Patient states when she went home at 5:00 p.m., her heart rate went back to normal and was in the 80s. Patient states she felt warm during the night and did not sleep well. Patient states she felt palpitations again just prior to hospital arrival. Patient states that it feels like a fluttering in her chest but denies chest pain, shortness breath, dizziness, lightheadedness, nausea, vomiting. Patient denies feeling ill or sick contacts. Patient does report a rash to the fingers on the right hand for 2 weeks. Patient states the rash is red around the nail beds. Patient takes her medication daily as prescribed without missing doses.
Patient History:
- Recurrent major depression
- Circadian rhythm sleep disorder, delayed sleep phase type
- Hypothyroid
- Depression
- Anxiety
- No pertinent surgical history
- Constitutional: Negative for chills and fever.
- HENT: Negative for ear pain and sore throat.
- Eyes: Negative for pain and visual disturbance.
- Respiratory: Negative for cough and shortness of breath.
- Cardiovascular: Positive for palpitations. Negative for chest pain.
- Gastrointestinal: Negative for abdominal pain and vomiting.
- Genitourinary: Negative for dysuria and hematuria.
- Musculoskeletal: Negative for arthralgias and back pain.
- Skin: Positive for rash. Negative for color change.
- Neurological: Negative for seizures, syncope and headaches.
- All other systems reviewed and are negative.
Physical Exam - ED Triage Vitals [03/16/23 1109]
- Temp: 37.3 °C (99.2 °F)
- Pulse: (!) 138
- Resp: 20
- SpO2: 100%
- BP: 134/88
- ECG rate: 125
- ECG rate assessment: tachycardic
- Rhythm: sinus rhythm
- Ectopy: PVCs: Infrequent
- QRS axis: Normal
- QRS intervals: Normal
- Conduction: normal
- ST segments: Non-specific
- T waves: non-specific
- Previous ECG: Unavailable
- Interpretation: abnormal
- Recommended follow up: further workup in the ED
Any advice will be greatly appreciated!
Edited to improve formatting and add link
3/20 update:
- TSH 2.87
- T3 2.5
- T41.39
- slept for 9.5 hours last night (typically average 7 hours)
- headache all day today
- HR ranged from 41-152, including during PCP visit
- going for a 24h holter monitor on Friday