Nicu nursing concept map
Little guy in the NICU
2024.05.21 20:33 Ldtto Little guy in the NICU
[trigger warning: newborn breathing issues and all that go with it]
Hi all,
I had my baby yesterday, he’s beautiful.
He was born and it felt like something was a little off by his weakish vocalizations.
The nurses got him all ready and put him on me and we started golden hour. They left us with him and we were snuggling and working on feeding him for the first time.
After a few moments he started to seem a bit lethargic and began turning purple pretty quickly. We paged the nurses and about a dozen people came flying in and ended up taking him to the NICU for observation.
He’s been there nearly 24 hours and our world just hasn’t stopped reeling since. We haven’t really had much of an answer about what the problem may be, or even the solution. I’ve never had a baby or even a relative or friends baby in the NICU so I have no idea what I should even be expecting.
He started out on Oxygen, but they switched him to a CPAP and said he was doing pretty well on that.
They had him trying out just breathing on his own last night and it seemed he did okay, with a few dips in his oxygen levels.
I guess I’m just wondering if anyone else has specifically had issues with babies oxygen and maybe some words of wisdom for hubby and I.
We have no idea how long baby will be there, just taking it all day by day and trying our best to process it.
submitted by Ldtto to NICUParents [link] [comments]
Hi all,
I had my baby yesterday, he’s beautiful.
He was born and it felt like something was a little off by his weakish vocalizations.
The nurses got him all ready and put him on me and we started golden hour. They left us with him and we were snuggling and working on feeding him for the first time.
After a few moments he started to seem a bit lethargic and began turning purple pretty quickly. We paged the nurses and about a dozen people came flying in and ended up taking him to the NICU for observation.
He’s been there nearly 24 hours and our world just hasn’t stopped reeling since. We haven’t really had much of an answer about what the problem may be, or even the solution. I’ve never had a baby or even a relative or friends baby in the NICU so I have no idea what I should even be expecting.
He started out on Oxygen, but they switched him to a CPAP and said he was doing pretty well on that.
They had him trying out just breathing on his own last night and it seemed he did okay, with a few dips in his oxygen levels.
I guess I’m just wondering if anyone else has specifically had issues with babies oxygen and maybe some words of wisdom for hubby and I.
We have no idea how long baby will be there, just taking it all day by day and trying our best to process it.
2024.05.21 19:42 Far_Butterscotch8932 BINI’s youtube content is lacking
Tried searching for BINI content on YT last March kasi yun talaga una kong tinitignan whenever I start stanning a group. But I noticed sobrang liit lang ng content aside sa roadtrip adventures nila. Thank God for those Kumu replays we get to see their raw and candid moments. Big factor din yun sa popularity nila ha. Most bini core/funny clips sa Tiktok doon talaga nakukuha. Pero wala talagang consistent content lately that would capture how fun and entertaining these girls are.
The best way to milk their peak rn is to produce a variety/reality show talaga. Yung mala Going Seventeen or Treasure Map na theme where they have a concept/play a game each episode. Para makalaro naman sila ng ibang games aside sa Who’s Most Likely To hahaha. Or yung Blackpink House type talaga where balik ulit sila sa isang bahay or sa PBB House na tinirhan nila dati, where they stay for a few days as housemates ni Kuya naman this time (good promotion din to sa new PBB szn lol).
A reality show is less demanding than that though knowing na sobrang busy pa nila these days. Like cameras will follow them lang. Shoot the behind the scenes, like how they prepare every gig especially yung upcoming concert nila. I’ve seen from Alamat’s channel and dami nilang BTS content especially yung recording videos nila which I really like. No need naman heavy editing basta makuha lang yung rawness how they are backstage. Matagal na tong hinihingi ng mga Blooms and I hope their management is really thinking of producing one.
submitted by Far_Butterscotch8932 to bini_ph [link] [comments]
The best way to milk their peak rn is to produce a variety/reality show talaga. Yung mala Going Seventeen or Treasure Map na theme where they have a concept/play a game each episode. Para makalaro naman sila ng ibang games aside sa Who’s Most Likely To hahaha. Or yung Blackpink House type talaga where balik ulit sila sa isang bahay or sa PBB House na tinirhan nila dati, where they stay for a few days as housemates ni Kuya naman this time (good promotion din to sa new PBB szn lol).
A reality show is less demanding than that though knowing na sobrang busy pa nila these days. Like cameras will follow them lang. Shoot the behind the scenes, like how they prepare every gig especially yung upcoming concert nila. I’ve seen from Alamat’s channel and dami nilang BTS content especially yung recording videos nila which I really like. No need naman heavy editing basta makuha lang yung rawness how they are backstage. Matagal na tong hinihingi ng mga Blooms and I hope their management is really thinking of producing one.
2024.05.21 19:24 Redditor_AR Breastfeeding success and reflection
I had low supply and now donated 200 oz to the milk bank. Story time: My baby went to the NICU with low blood sugar for a few days and my milk didn't come in. I didn't get the golden hour and was up every two hours to go see her and try to pump. She was fully on formula.
After three months of triple feeding 8 times a day, I was able to exclusively nurse her. I was freezing a bad each day and slowly started reducing pumps. Finally stopped pumping when she turned 6 months.
In retrospect, while I feel proud, it really was not worth it. Because of this, not only was I extremely stressed out and sleep deprived, it delayed our bonding. Now she refuses the bottle and I have not spent more than 2 hours away from her. She also constantly nurses and is often up every hours or two and the easiest way to settle her is to nurse. Because of this, I've slept for a 3+ hours stretch at night maybe 10 times. She's 9 months old.
I guess I'm sharing because I had breastfeeding trauma but I'm also proud and if anyone could use some motivation but also because it wasnt worth it, especially if you're baby is partially breastfed.
submitted by Redditor_AR to breastfeeding [link] [comments]
After three months of triple feeding 8 times a day, I was able to exclusively nurse her. I was freezing a bad each day and slowly started reducing pumps. Finally stopped pumping when she turned 6 months.
In retrospect, while I feel proud, it really was not worth it. Because of this, not only was I extremely stressed out and sleep deprived, it delayed our bonding. Now she refuses the bottle and I have not spent more than 2 hours away from her. She also constantly nurses and is often up every hours or two and the easiest way to settle her is to nurse. Because of this, I've slept for a 3+ hours stretch at night maybe 10 times. She's 9 months old.
I guess I'm sharing because I had breastfeeding trauma but I'm also proud and if anyone could use some motivation but also because it wasnt worth it, especially if you're baby is partially breastfed.
2024.05.21 19:18 darksydex3226 An idea to lean into Yone's "Assassin" role
Disclaimer: I don't claim to be an expert or that this build will be any good, or that there aren't better item options, etc. I'm sure others can come up with something more viable. I just thought it was fun to think of Yone in a different way due to recent changes.
Thanks for your time.
Electrocute Yone
According to his character profile on the LoL website, Yone is an Assassin. I was thinking of ways to lean into this role due to the recent changes.
This Yone isn't looking for 3v1s vs the beefy boys, but instead looking to use clever angles, vision, and his dash-heavy tools for successful roams, and wreaking havoc on the back line during intense team fights, similar to Zed. Goes without saying, but I'm thinking with mid lane in mind. Sadly this build is way more team dependent, as it requires them to engage and eat CD timers.
Let's talk about the Electrocute Keystone. It doesn't scale well, but as we know Yone does, so this rune might be the answer to make up for poor early game. It's easy to activate as Yone can confirm a 3 hit combo with little to no effort. Utilizing this might be what he needs to keep his enemy laner on their toes or god forbid snowball a lead.
For the 3 primary runes, I'm looking at Sudden Impact. Yone has a kit full of dashes and blinks, and bushes are a big part of the game plan too. I'm also looking at Taste of Blood, but unsure. Perhaps if your opponent is a beefier mid lane like Galio this might be worth a try, but for the sake of this concept, I'm sticking with SI, but I can't rule out ToB, I think both are worth exploring.
Eyeball collector is obvious.
The third row is also worth exploring, I think Bounty is nice to scale faster, but ultimate hunter seems like a go-to choice, and even relentless hunter might not be awful for roams, sidelaning, and positioning. For now we'll go with Ultimate, but I feel like all 3 could be an option depending on enemy comp and what you're trying to accomplish on a game to game basis.
For the second tree, I am looking at Legend: Alacrity and Coup De Grace. These are consistent choices you'd run with a Yellow Keystone, might as well have them.
For tiny runes, Attack Speed, Adaptive Force, and matchup dependent for the third row, with perhaps the base health being a go-to choice for healthier trading and farming early, but with so much CC in the game, and it being our worst enemy, I think it's tenacity in most cases.
For the first item, I'm not going to break the mold. I think Zerker Greaves are still the prime choice. We need AD in our next item, so a recurve bow item is probably the best bet, sadly. I was looking at Bork, but there's also Kraken Slayer. This can add more burst damage, so I think this is it, but Bork also makes a great case with sustain and a slow effect for combo confirms. I'm on the fence about which one to take, but definitely one of the two. At least there's some build variance, perhaps KS into favorable and Bork otherwise. I can't recommend Wits End due to lack of AD, but that tenacity sure does look nice.
Now we desperately need crit, and a way to E back to our body before being killed, so I'm looking at the Shieldbow. I think, if you are ahead (by some miracle) an IE is the pick, but let's assume this is real life and you're not ahead. Playing around your Shieldbow CD will be crucial, and I wouldn't engage skirmishes/team fights without it unless circumstances are favorable (big CDs down, squishy on opposite side of the map of entire team and pushed past river, etc).
Item 4 is IE for sicko mode burst and you'll be able to assist your team in fighting frontliners after getting squishy kills... if you don't need to run off bloody and beaten. I think times like that'll be few and far between, but with this item you should be able to easily dispatch the backline and run away with a good team engage followed by your jump scare ambush.
For a 5th item, I think the Bloodthirster looks solid. It adds a lot of AD, well needed sustain (especially if you're Borkless), and it's another shield on top of your other shields. However, and hear me out... if you are having trouble recalling E due to CC, take a look at the Mercurial Scimitar. It comes with AD, Lifesteal, MR, and a unique active that ensures you can recast E. I'd say it's a good "training wheels" item if you aren't great at focusing on enemy CDs and dodging abilities.
The final item, the variable slot! I'm not sure how viable GA is because when you're jumping the backline all the Frontline has to do is back pedal from the teamfight and take you out after coming out of stasis, with that being said, if you went BT, Merc Scimitar might be good, and vice versa. I'm also thinking a Collector might not be bad for easier secures, but probably overkill. If the team has heavy healing there's the Mortals Reminder, which comes with a lot of components we like anyway. Lord doms for heavy armor, or a Spirit Visage for heavy AP as well as complementing your lifesteal and shields. If you need armor I think Death Dance makes a case with AD as well as a useful passive that can get you out of a sticky on takedowns. I haven't thought this part out too hard if I'm being honest, I feel like there's a lot of good cases to be made for the variable slot, and I'm not great when it comes to itemizing and synergies.
Clearing vision is paramount for successful ambushes, so be sure to have a pink ward and scanner handy in most scenarios.
Thanks for your time, and let me know if you gave it a try. I play on the phone exclusively now, and thankfully we still have LT, but I'm considering trying this build concept for fun in norms....
And to be prepared for when the inevitable day of reckoning comes.
submitted by darksydex3226 to YoneMains [link] [comments]
Thanks for your time.
Electrocute Yone
According to his character profile on the LoL website, Yone is an Assassin. I was thinking of ways to lean into this role due to the recent changes.
This Yone isn't looking for 3v1s vs the beefy boys, but instead looking to use clever angles, vision, and his dash-heavy tools for successful roams, and wreaking havoc on the back line during intense team fights, similar to Zed. Goes without saying, but I'm thinking with mid lane in mind. Sadly this build is way more team dependent, as it requires them to engage and eat CD timers.
Let's talk about the Electrocute Keystone. It doesn't scale well, but as we know Yone does, so this rune might be the answer to make up for poor early game. It's easy to activate as Yone can confirm a 3 hit combo with little to no effort. Utilizing this might be what he needs to keep his enemy laner on their toes or god forbid snowball a lead.
For the 3 primary runes, I'm looking at Sudden Impact. Yone has a kit full of dashes and blinks, and bushes are a big part of the game plan too. I'm also looking at Taste of Blood, but unsure. Perhaps if your opponent is a beefier mid lane like Galio this might be worth a try, but for the sake of this concept, I'm sticking with SI, but I can't rule out ToB, I think both are worth exploring.
Eyeball collector is obvious.
The third row is also worth exploring, I think Bounty is nice to scale faster, but ultimate hunter seems like a go-to choice, and even relentless hunter might not be awful for roams, sidelaning, and positioning. For now we'll go with Ultimate, but I feel like all 3 could be an option depending on enemy comp and what you're trying to accomplish on a game to game basis.
For the second tree, I am looking at Legend: Alacrity and Coup De Grace. These are consistent choices you'd run with a Yellow Keystone, might as well have them.
For tiny runes, Attack Speed, Adaptive Force, and matchup dependent for the third row, with perhaps the base health being a go-to choice for healthier trading and farming early, but with so much CC in the game, and it being our worst enemy, I think it's tenacity in most cases.
For the first item, I'm not going to break the mold. I think Zerker Greaves are still the prime choice. We need AD in our next item, so a recurve bow item is probably the best bet, sadly. I was looking at Bork, but there's also Kraken Slayer. This can add more burst damage, so I think this is it, but Bork also makes a great case with sustain and a slow effect for combo confirms. I'm on the fence about which one to take, but definitely one of the two. At least there's some build variance, perhaps KS into favorable and Bork otherwise. I can't recommend Wits End due to lack of AD, but that tenacity sure does look nice.
Now we desperately need crit, and a way to E back to our body before being killed, so I'm looking at the Shieldbow. I think, if you are ahead (by some miracle) an IE is the pick, but let's assume this is real life and you're not ahead. Playing around your Shieldbow CD will be crucial, and I wouldn't engage skirmishes/team fights without it unless circumstances are favorable (big CDs down, squishy on opposite side of the map of entire team and pushed past river, etc).
Item 4 is IE for sicko mode burst and you'll be able to assist your team in fighting frontliners after getting squishy kills... if you don't need to run off bloody and beaten. I think times like that'll be few and far between, but with this item you should be able to easily dispatch the backline and run away with a good team engage followed by your jump scare ambush.
For a 5th item, I think the Bloodthirster looks solid. It adds a lot of AD, well needed sustain (especially if you're Borkless), and it's another shield on top of your other shields. However, and hear me out... if you are having trouble recalling E due to CC, take a look at the Mercurial Scimitar. It comes with AD, Lifesteal, MR, and a unique active that ensures you can recast E. I'd say it's a good "training wheels" item if you aren't great at focusing on enemy CDs and dodging abilities.
The final item, the variable slot! I'm not sure how viable GA is because when you're jumping the backline all the Frontline has to do is back pedal from the teamfight and take you out after coming out of stasis, with that being said, if you went BT, Merc Scimitar might be good, and vice versa. I'm also thinking a Collector might not be bad for easier secures, but probably overkill. If the team has heavy healing there's the Mortals Reminder, which comes with a lot of components we like anyway. Lord doms for heavy armor, or a Spirit Visage for heavy AP as well as complementing your lifesteal and shields. If you need armor I think Death Dance makes a case with AD as well as a useful passive that can get you out of a sticky on takedowns. I haven't thought this part out too hard if I'm being honest, I feel like there's a lot of good cases to be made for the variable slot, and I'm not great when it comes to itemizing and synergies.
Clearing vision is paramount for successful ambushes, so be sure to have a pink ward and scanner handy in most scenarios.
Thanks for your time, and let me know if you gave it a try. I play on the phone exclusively now, and thankfully we still have LT, but I'm considering trying this build concept for fun in norms....
And to be prepared for when the inevitable day of reckoning comes.
2024.05.21 19:03 ArmNo7369 New Grad seeking some advice
I've browsed many posts on this subreddit and found some valuable information but still have some questions. I'm a recent grad looking for a job in CA (unableto move out of state). My dream since childhood is NICU although I know odds are against me starting out here as a CA new grad. I'd be happy to start in pediatrics, L&D, or postpartum. I've taken neonatal resuscitation on my own to try and show my commitment, I have a bachelor's in biology (not sure if this is even relevant or helpful), I'm a certified doula, but not other real work experience in these departments. I've put a handful of applications in over the last few days including one to a position in L&D specifically advertised as a new grad position. My main queation is how long should I wait to hear back before checking on my application. And when I do check on my application who do I contact? How do I find the nurse manager or HR that I should be contacting? I'm so anxious to start working and even more anxious after reading how long it took some people to get employed as a new grad in CA. Thanks in advance for any advice!
submitted by ArmNo7369 to nursing [link] [comments]
2024.05.21 18:48 harriano It's very late but I have to ask: was OW1 Doomfist designed to be played like he was?
I remember trying to learn to get good at Doomfist in OW1, and the Youtube guides would basically say he's a flanking DPS that gets in with his punch (as it had the shortest cooldown), slams, uppercuts to kill the squishies, then escapes with a punch. And the way they got in was basically punching off slopes and taking advantage of the games physics to go soaring across the map. Now it might just be me but I don't think Blizzard designed his mobility with this in mind. Not to mention giving his supposed main form of movement (the punch) a one-hit kill against squishies kinda feels like that was supposed to be his main way to kill his enemies, but players found a much better way to use him. What do you think? Doom's kit to me just always felt weird, it's like they came up with a cool character concept first before they knew they had to make a playable character out of him (after all he was mentioned in the very first cinematic trailer).
submitted by harriano to overwatch2 [link] [comments]
2024.05.21 18:18 Natse1028 Pass on first attempt AT/AT/AT with less than 2 weeks of preparation
 | Hi Reddit! Want to make this post since I couldn't have done it with just weeks of prep without the help of the community. I'm terrible at managing my time due to various commitment and didn't begin revision 2 weeks before exam day. My way of tackling it with the amount of time that I have is to achieve the bare minimum - to pass the exam. Meaning my method and process is very exam oriented, so scoring AT/AT/AT is truly a surprised. Sharing my experiences below and happy to answer any questions! submitted by Natse1028 to pmp [link] [comments] A bit about myself - Former management consultant with experiences in digital/ system implement/ PMO. Still in my early career (~5 yrs of experience). Currently a PM in Finance. https://preview.redd.it/xgxal9rw1t1d1.png?width=2062&format=png&auto=webp&s=0af6a7b83279e1d0f3d9e1f8168b296127d9faa2 Application process & Audit:
|
2024.05.21 18:09 VentureswithBooks Oura vs Ringconn app insights
Hello everyone! First I want to shoutout this subreddit for providing so much information to help me narrow down to these two!! I know the ringconn app gives a ton of information/insights and that the oura app gives more insight and less information. But my question is does ringconn give too much information? Does it feel overwhelming with not enough explanation? I’m mostly looking to use the ring for sleep tracking, stress tracking (I’m an NICU nurse), and basic functions cause I can’t wear my Apple watch at work. Thanks so much!
submitted by VentureswithBooks to SmartRings [link] [comments]
2024.05.21 17:51 Polibiux The Night the Realms stood still.
Just an idea I had bouncing in my head for a licensed chapter based on the 1951 science fiction movie The Day the Earth Stood Still. Even though the movie isn’t horror, the idea having an alien being a survivor sounds interesting to me. Not sure on the perks to give them, but I wanted to share this concept.
Killer: The Robot (Gort)
Survivors: Klaatu
Map: Washington DC’s National Mall and Klaatu’s UFO.
submitted by Polibiux to dbdconcepts [link] [comments]
Killer: The Robot (Gort)
Survivors: Klaatu
Map: Washington DC’s National Mall and Klaatu’s UFO.
2024.05.21 17:42 CuriousTumbleweed617 Am I in over my head? Adult to PEDS ICU
Hi! I have 2.5 years of adult ICU cardiac experience. I recently switched took a PEDS icu float position. I knew that it was going to be a learning curve but I was assured that I would get “easy” patients. I had 4 weeks of orientation. 2 weeks in a PICU and 2 weeks in a NICU. We never did any IVs, admissions, transfers, drips while on orientation.
Now that I’m off orientation I’m getting all of that. While I’m doing well and getting by, I’m solely relying on my adult experience and feel like my licenses is on the line because I don’t feel super prepared. I’ve been on my own since March but I’m getting anxious every time I go to work. No one is super helpful bc they know I’m the float nurse but at the same time things are so different. I floated to 5 different units within the first month. I don’t feel grounded. I love the peds population though. So not sure if I should just let time pass or go somewhere else?
Also, I take the most critical patients on my adult ICU and I’m PRN there so I’m a great nurse. I’m just feeling defeated in this new role.
Any advice?
submitted by CuriousTumbleweed617 to nursing [link] [comments]
Now that I’m off orientation I’m getting all of that. While I’m doing well and getting by, I’m solely relying on my adult experience and feel like my licenses is on the line because I don’t feel super prepared. I’ve been on my own since March but I’m getting anxious every time I go to work. No one is super helpful bc they know I’m the float nurse but at the same time things are so different. I floated to 5 different units within the first month. I don’t feel grounded. I love the peds population though. So not sure if I should just let time pass or go somewhere else?
Also, I take the most critical patients on my adult ICU and I’m PRN there so I’m a great nurse. I’m just feeling defeated in this new role.
Any advice?
2024.05.21 17:32 BoringTown3367 Opinions on a clothing brand idea ?
So I’m starting a clothing brand and I’m gonna cater to different trades construction, nursing police firefighter, etc. I’m gonna choose construction for example cause I’ve been in the trade for 18 years , I’ve come to realize over the years that people are very passionate about their trades .So my idea is to come up with funny slogans for each trade so for an example I’m in construction. I’ve seen shirts that said “sawdust is man glitter”. My girlfriend is a nurse in urology and she has a pin that says” urine good hands” as another example, basically what I’m asking for you folks if you’re in any of these trades, if you could shoot me some of your ideas of any, funny slogans that you’ve come across along the years . ~Ps . What are your thoughts on this concept as well ?
submitted by BoringTown3367 to NoStupidQuestions [link] [comments]
2024.05.21 17:17 Learuis Band of Outcasts (PC, PVE, Casual RP, NO MODS, Custom Content)
Have you been wandering the Exiled Lands? Craving community and adventure?
Band of Outcasts offers a casual, community-driven RP experience on the Exiled Lands. The server launched in October 2022 and is currently in its 6th season! This is a vanilla server that uses no mods (and we never will!), yet we go beyond vanilla survival with:- Custom Quests: Visit the Quest Hub to discover quests to earn Eldarium and recipes like the Witch Doctor (undead) pets!
- Treasure Hunts: Search the Exiled Lands to uncover hidden riches from the Isle of Siptah, like recipes, sigils, pets, and warpaints!
- Community Boons System: Players can temporarily boost certain server settings (like XP rate) via quests!
- Custom Discord Bot: Enables the systems above, plus player registration, permanent warpaints, clan / player lookup, roleplayer search, feat restoration, event reward system, character renaming, server amenity map markers and more!
- Regular Light-RP Events: Market Nights, Tavern Nights, PVE challenges & PVP tournaments!
- Barbaric Difficulty: Our server uses the Barbaric difficulty settings, so enemies hit harder and take more hits to kill. XP is at 0.5x and Harvest Rate is at 1.0x
- Starter Kit: Players can optionally start out with light armor, iron tools, and a horse for a quick leg up! Great if you've been server hopping, looking for a home.
- Age/Chapter-Based Season Schedule (Server Wipes): We love Conan Exiles here, and we feel that the best way to experience the content in each new update is with a fresh start. It also gives the opportunity to try new RP character concepts, base locations or builds! We wipe the server and begin a new season approximately every 90 days, in sync with the Chapter Release schedule. Our 6th season began on April 3, 2024, so there's plenty of time to play before the next wipe estimated in early July 2024!
- 18+ Community: As Conan is an 18+ rated game, it is expected that you are at least 18, and your character is at least 18..
- Respect: Be respectful of other players. If you have an issue with another player, it is your responsibility to be an adult and talk to them about it.
- Hate: Hate speech, racism, sexism, bigotry, racial slurs, and bullying are not permitted and will result in an immediate ban. If your profile, username, or messages contain anything of the above you will be removed.
- Thirst: Do not be thirsty, creepy, make inappropriate comments to other members, or DM them without permission. If someone is not responding to your advances, do not persist and make them uncomfortable.
- Discreet ERP: We are a community of adults and Erotic Roleplay (ERP) between consenting members is permitted. If you choose to engage in ERP, please do so privately.
- Enforced Rules: Rules on our server are enforced as fairly as possible, with mod-team discussion to handle situations reasonably. Moderators and server staff also have specific rules that they must follow, which are available to read in discord.
2024.05.21 17:12 Individual_Usual3784 FTM, Reflux, Sugar Fluctuations..
My surviving twin was born 25+3, now 39+2 and we are currently still in the NICU, hoping a few more weeks to go!
This past Friday the OT and PT decided to take away her support noodle(sleeping on her side), bring her crib head elevation flat to sleep flat on her back. She doesn't like changes so she's been having spit up(noticed a bit more after we introduced her to bottle feeding on the Thursday) our primary nurses made the choice to elevate her head a bit, put her on her side with a rolled blanket for support which definitely helps. We are also trying to maintain her sugar levels too, as she's still on SB feeds, currently at 60mins and trying to get down to 45mins. Everytime we're about to adjust the feed time, she drops us a low sugar or borderline so the doctors have to bump up the time again 😔 they put her on diazoxide, so hopefully it helps!
As we inch closer to home time, does anyone have any similar experiences and or suggestions on what would help her transition be more smooth? Any sleep sack recommendations or useful products that helped? Did your babies sugars fluctuate?
submitted by Individual_Usual3784 to NICUParents [link] [comments]
This past Friday the OT and PT decided to take away her support noodle(sleeping on her side), bring her crib head elevation flat to sleep flat on her back. She doesn't like changes so she's been having spit up(noticed a bit more after we introduced her to bottle feeding on the Thursday) our primary nurses made the choice to elevate her head a bit, put her on her side with a rolled blanket for support which definitely helps. We are also trying to maintain her sugar levels too, as she's still on SB feeds, currently at 60mins and trying to get down to 45mins. Everytime we're about to adjust the feed time, she drops us a low sugar or borderline so the doctors have to bump up the time again 😔 they put her on diazoxide, so hopefully it helps!
As we inch closer to home time, does anyone have any similar experiences and or suggestions on what would help her transition be more smooth? Any sleep sack recommendations or useful products that helped? Did your babies sugars fluctuate?
2024.05.21 17:05 Rusty99Arabian Zombie horde for 1 player?
My players will be visiting Neverwinter this week for a low-stakes 'beach/shopping episode', and splitting up to look at the things of interest to them in the city. The necromancer PC, who has been chafing at the bit at the fact that they haven't yet acquired enough skeletons to animate, will go to the graveyard teeming with undead along with a DMPC. I plan to let them sneak in for a chance to get some extra-fun flavored skeletons I've stocked the place with, like centaurs, bone nagas and ankylosaurus - ones that will still have skeleton stat blocks once re-resurrected, but just look cool. (This PC lovingly decorates and cares about each of their skeletons.)
The general concept I came up with is that as the area is filled with undead, they can take down and nab *some* of them before the hordes descend, and then once they escape those, they have to scale the giant walls and avoid detection from the city guards. I plan to have most of this be rolls/theater of the mind, but I'm stumbling a bit on the undead hordes - namely whether to have an actual battle map that fills up with pieces, not to mention having them take down the undead that they plan to grab. It would be so much cooler if they had to choose between an undead horned cambion and an undead giant spider when they can only grab one safely.
On the one hand, the idea for this all is to be a fun and rewarding lite session after some very difficult (and unrewarding) battles the team went through and, most importantly, this is all happening to one PC. The last thing I want is to have an hour-long battle for one player while the others sleep at the table.
Buuuuut the second to last thing I want is for skeleton-nabbing from the forbidden graveyard to feel trivial and consequence-free. I think that there's some line I can walk between "roll to see if you get the kenku skeleton. Okay, roll to see if you avoid the skeletons next to it" and "someone hand me the second box of minis, this battle is about to go into its 15th round." How would you handle this?
submitted by Rusty99Arabian to DMAcademy [link] [comments]
The general concept I came up with is that as the area is filled with undead, they can take down and nab *some* of them before the hordes descend, and then once they escape those, they have to scale the giant walls and avoid detection from the city guards. I plan to have most of this be rolls/theater of the mind, but I'm stumbling a bit on the undead hordes - namely whether to have an actual battle map that fills up with pieces, not to mention having them take down the undead that they plan to grab. It would be so much cooler if they had to choose between an undead horned cambion and an undead giant spider when they can only grab one safely.
On the one hand, the idea for this all is to be a fun and rewarding lite session after some very difficult (and unrewarding) battles the team went through and, most importantly, this is all happening to one PC. The last thing I want is to have an hour-long battle for one player while the others sleep at the table.
Buuuuut the second to last thing I want is for skeleton-nabbing from the forbidden graveyard to feel trivial and consequence-free. I think that there's some line I can walk between "roll to see if you get the kenku skeleton. Okay, roll to see if you avoid the skeletons next to it" and "someone hand me the second box of minis, this battle is about to go into its 15th round." How would you handle this?
2024.05.21 16:54 CDown01 Eagles Peak Pt.6
Previous Part
At some Point Bianca and I both fell back asleep. It was all I could do at this point, getting whisked away back to those mines seemed inevitable so I might as well sleep. The morning did not go well, largely due to Bianca, who threw me off the couch with a scream when she woke up.
“What’re you doing!”
Bianca squeaked, hand darting towards her pants pocket where her dagger would usually be. I woke up very quickly somewhere between the couch and the floor. I was fully awake by the time I was pushing myself back to me feet, raising my hands in a gesture of surrender.
“What’s going on?! You’re fine you just fell asleep on my couch!”
“Why were you… why was I?”
“Hey, calm down alright. We had a few drinks last night and I guess we both fell asleep on the couch together, that’s all that happened.”
I explained, leaving out the part where she pulled me back when I tried to go to my own room earlier.
“Yeah… yeah ok. Ugh my head is killing me.”
Bianca groaned, taking a breath or two then putting her head in her hands. I didn’t have the heart to tell her she was probably hungover so I just went to the kitchen to make something for her.
I decided on toast and some bananas, it was always a go to for me after a long night. In hindsight I probably should’ve seen her reaction coming. Look at what she did in the caves because that guy grabbed her, it can’t be that much better waking up on someones shoulder and not quite remembering it. The whole thing did give me second thoughts though. If she was such a live wire did I really want her stressing out over the trials and whatever that would bring? I suppose it was too late for that though, she’d already moved herself into my house so she could keep watch, for all the good that did seeing as Shaoni waltzed right in last night.
I still had a lot on my mind when the smell of burning toast sobered me up. I swore and ran over to salvage what I could of the blackening toast.
“What’s burning in here?”
Bianca asked a little worry creeping into her voice. She still had her head clasped firmly between her hands as she walked into the kitchen.
“Breakfast”
I replied flatly, holding my arms out to either side gesturing to the mild chaos I was causing. Bianca gave me an questioning, “thanks” and grabbed the plate I had made for her while I tried to think of what to do next. Like it or not, Shaoni had people coming to pick me up and take me back out to those caves today. I had to come up with some kind of game plan and right now, it seemed letting Frank and Stein know was the best idea.
Bianca stayed back at my place nursing her hangover when I left to visit the mad scientist duo. I had no problem with that, in fact it was probably best because I’m sure she would’ve insisted on going with me if she heard I planed to take Shaoni’s “invitation”. I wasn’t sure if Shaoni would let me take Bianca with me and personally I’d rather not push her buttons and try to negotiate bringing a plus one.
“Have you seen Bianca at all?”
Frank asked hurriedly as I came in. I was afraid of this, She hadn’t told them anything and just disappeared.
“Yeah, she pretty much moved the contents of her room to my couch yesterday. Something about keeping an eye on me, she’s fine though, I wouldn’t worry.”
I answered, a little worried myself that I’d catch hell from them if they knew she was currently working her way through her first hangover on that same couch. Frank seemed to calm down at that and finally got to asking the important questions like why was I back in the house… again.
“So let us get this straight, you just plan to go right to Shaoni?”
Frank and Stein said together in disbelief as the three of us sat at the kitchen table.
“It’s not like I really have a choice in the matter, besides I can’t really fight her if she wants me to go somewhere. If I try a stunt like that things go from bad to worse for me.”
They both shook their heads in solemn agreement, recognizing I was right.
“Anyways, I had a thought on the way over here, Thunderbirds are something from native American legend right? Well, if we’ve found a real one wouldn’t she have ties to a tribe or something in the area? She was sleeping here when they woke her up in the mine, maybe there was a reason for that, maybe she was close to home?”
I explained, hoping g they’d catch on to what I was asking.
“What exactly are you getting at then Keith?”
Frank questioned, furrowing his brow with an intrigued look on his face. Stein just remained silent but I could tell he was thinking, maybe even coming to the same conclusion as I had.
“What I’m thinking, is we check reservations in the area. Maybe they know something about the creature from their legends that just so happened to be sleeping nearby. I know it’s a stretch but maybe we could learn something useful. I’d go myself but I’m not going to have the chance. You guys though, you guys could take Bianca and Rocco with you and ask around.”
I explained, hoping I was onto something. I was pulling at straws but it was the best idea I had at a moments notice. Plus it would get Bianca out of town for a little while when I was figuring out what exactly Shaoni’s trails would mean for me.
“Keith that’s… no that actually makes sense let me check some maps.”
Stein agreed, walking away and into the basement. He came back a few minutes later with a map in his hand.
“There’s a Seneca reservation not to far from here, maybe 30 miles. That’s not the only one but I have a friend there from years ago, someone I helped. There’s a good chance he’d be willing to return the favor.”
“Great, then I’ll count on you. I’ll let Bianca know, I’m sure she won’t be happy about it but I’ll feel better if she’s with all of you.”
I walked out in a rush to get back home, almost stepping on Rocco on my way to the door. He made a frightening chittering hissing sound at me as he leapt out of my path. I briefly wondered where he was going and what he was up to, probably better I didn’t know though. As I got onto the bike and headed back towards home I hoped I’d be able to talk Bianca into going along with this plan. I was sure she’d rather come with me but after this morning I wasn’t sure she was ready for that. Don’t get me wrong I’m sure she wants to help and I know she means well but she’s jumpy and snaps at the littlest things. I didn’t want her to make things worse by accident or get hurt because she froze up again. My mind was made up as I drew nearer to my house but as it turned out I’d never have the chance to talk to Bianca. As soon as I rounded the corner I saw the rusty pick up waiting in front of my house, I’d arrived just in time to meet Shaoni’s “helpers”.
The men looked normal, just like the people in the cave. Come to think of it they could very well be those same people. I waved them over as I came to a stop in-front of the house.
“Can I just go in and grab a few things?”
I asked the three men sheepishly as I walked up.
“No, your late as it is, we’ve got to get going.”
A scruffy looking man with a gruff voice said from the drivers seat. Two men got out from the back of the truck and grabbed my arms, pulling me into the back seat. They weren’t rough with me but they were very firm. Like they wanted to hurt me but were ordered not to so they just made a show of force. After I was loaded into the back I saw the reason for their demeanor. One of the men, the one in the front passenger seat, was wrapped in bandages. The bandages covered his abdomen and snaked up around the back of his neck. It was pretty obvious to me that this was the man Bianca had stabbed. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say these four were probably the same ones we had encountered in the cave. As I turned and looked out the window I saw Bianca’s face peaking out of it. She looked angry and scared, like she knew exactly what was happening but she didn’t move. Bianca just sat there, watching me be taken away and I cursed myself for not being just a little bit faster on the ride back.
We took a way out of town I’d never seen before, turning away from the road leading to the dirt path we had biked down on our expedition into the forest. Instead we drove back through town, past Bianca’s house and the Eagle’s Roost before hanging a right onto a road I’d never been down. Eventually the road made its way into the forest and ended at a wooden sign warning that the road was impassable ahead. The driver stopped the truck and got out as another man emerged from the woods, holding up his hand and opening it to reveal the eagle tattoo I’d become so familiar with. The driver rolled up his sleeve and showed his own similar tattoo. Without a word he got back into the truck and the other man moved the sign off the road. It didn’t fill me with confidence to see the entrance to this place watched in such a way. It would make sense to have it hidden but being so brazenly out in the open meant they didn't really care who saw it. Not that anyone would think anything other than that the road was impassable but still. The truck eventually pulled off the road and into the woods, following a newly made track that lead to the entrance of the old mine that we escaped from just 2 days ago.
“I think you know your way in.”
The driver growled at me, parking the truck and signaling me to step out.
“Your just letting me walk myself in? Couldn’t I just run?”
“You could but do you think you could outrun her?”
He asked threateningly, pointing up at the sky. I knew exactly who he was talking about and no, I didn’t like my chances of running from Shaoni.
“She gave us all orders to leave any runners to her.”
At that moment I decided it may be good idea to be on my best behavior.
“Yeah that’s what I thought.”
The driver barked back at me as I obediently walked towards the entrance.
Walking into the mine I realized it had undergone a huge transformation in a very short time. The walls were now host to several torches that lit the pathway back down to the coliseum. It felt like I was walking into the dark ages as I made my way down into this pit by torchlight. Although I had to admit it was homey in an “evil layer” kind off way. The coliseum was lit up with torchlight as well but its not what drew my attention. Where the awful metal structure met the stone roof of the cave I looked into a brewing storm. Lightning flashed across the roof but there was no sound of thunder. Raindrops shown in the shadows cast by the lightning but I felt none of them on my skin. I had to admit, it was a pretty impressive trick. Paintings adorned the walls, all of them seeming to be tribal in nature. Many seemed to be various depictions of the thunderbird.
“Well at least she doesn’t have an ego”
I chuckled to myself as I walked into the center off the coliseum.
There were four other people waiting in the center of the floor. A clean shaven, well dressed man relaxed against the wall of the arena. He had perfectly trimmed slicked back blonde hair and a chiseled face. His rippling muscles seemed to be for vanity rather than strength. Just by looking at him I could tell I wasn’t going to like him. The only one of the bunch I knew, Robert, stood on the far side of the coliseum, watching me approach. He looked about the same as he had from the brief glance I got at the Eagle’s Roost. Balding white hair and a unkempt beard hung off his sagging face. Despite his age he carried himself with purpose, like he deserved to be there and wanted everyone else to know it. Then there was the blonde bombshell that was making her way towards the chiseled blonde guy. She seemed incredibly confident in herself but none of it was a show. Her confidence came from a place that made her absolutely sure of it. The final person stood in the corner and seemed to be talking to himself. He was a middle aged man of native American descent with a mess of black hair atop his head. He carried a look in his eyes that spoke of wisdom beyond his years.
I walked past all of them and took a seat on the floor, trying my hardest to ignore them. The effort was ultimately wasted as the muscular blonde guy walked over and held out a hand.
“Hey, my names Brooke, you are?”
My blood turned to ice as he said that, it couldn’t be the same Brooke Bianca told me about, could it? I stared dumbly at him for a moment before I responded.
“I’m… uh… Keith. Any idea what we’re doing here?”
“No clue, only know that the thunderbird wanted us here so we came. Hopefully she makes good on her promise, to me at least.”
His voice sounded like the “to cool for you” bully from any 80’s movie, it was almost annoying to listen to him.
“So you’ve met everyone else I take it?”
“Yeah, the weird guy in the corner is John, we don’t know much about him but apparently him and that Robert guy, the old one with the beard, worked for the thunderbird. Katrina, that beauty over there is a wild card, no-one seems to know anything about her but she looks like she’s hot shit and well, just plain hot.”
As Brooke gave me the run down of everyone in the room I quietly wondered to myself if Shaoni had given everyone the same offer as me. The way Brooke had said it, “promise”… that wasn’t how I would’ve phrased it. Maybe Shaoni cut everyone here a unique deal.
“…Anyways, I’m gonna go see if I can’t figure out that bombshell’s deal, I’ll see ya later Keith.”
Apparently Brooke had been talking to me the whole time but I only tuned in for the tail end of it as he walked off toward Katrina. I wondered where exactly Shaoni was, I had expected her to be here already but, as it turned out I wouldn’t have to wait long.
A thunderous boom cracked out above our heads and we all looked up at once, but the sound was coming from outside. I heard the flap of wings as Shaoni came in for a landing somewhere above our heads. It went so silent we could’ve heard a mosquito cough, then Shaoni stepped into the room. Not from either entrance but from a balcony above us I hadn’t seen before. She was wearing the same thing she had been when I ran into her in the cave, once again looking like a hardened, tattooed Pocahontas.
“Welcome everyone! I take it you’ve gotten to know each other?”
She thundered down to us as we all shot to attention.
“I’ve gathered you here to give a gift to one of you, but you must prove yourselves deserving. I’ve told some of you what I intended to do here and others may be hearing it for the first time. So for those of you who are gathering here for the first time pay attention. There will be three trials held here, one to test your morals, one to test your strength, and one to test your judgement.”
At this point Brooke spoke up in the way only a spoiled little shit like him could.
“You made me a promise! You never said anything about trials! I got all the way out here to this shitty little backwater and now your telling me I’ve got to compete to earn what you owe me?! Sorry, but I’m going to need more than that.”
Shaoni looked like she could’ve ended him right there. She was the judge and jury here, if Brooke wasn’t careful she’d become the executioner too.
“What you asked me for is in this town, that’s all I will say on the matter.”
Shaoni responded with less venom than I had expected judging by her expression. She didn’t actually seem to care that she had to tell him something to shut him up. It was the insult of being interrupted that struck a nerve. I was a little concerned by what she said, if he was looking for something that was in town and Bianca was there… could he be looking for her? “…Today though, just enjoy the company of one another. You’re all welcome to stay here at the camp I’ve had prepared for you outside. If you wish to return to town you may but you will be watched. No-one is to leave town until the trials are completed.”
Shaoni finished, I hadn’t really been listening to her welcome speech. She said everything I cared about when she told us what the trials where going to test for, after that I kind of tuned out. Shaoni disappeared in a flash, just like she had back at my house the day before and with that the five of us were alone again. I left, heading back outside to see this camp she mentioned. The others talked with each other but I really had no desire to. That didn’t stop Robert from running to catch up with me, wheezing when he got there.
“Hey you’re the one who ran out of the bar the other night! She’s said a lot about you, I’d almost think she had a favorite.”
Robert huffed out between breaths, punching me in the arm in a friendly but wholly unwelcome way.
“I’ve heard you know nothing about the supernatural, I’d be happy to tell you what I’ve seen working with Shaoni.”
Robert offered, fishing for any reason to hold a conversation with me.
“No, that’s alright really, I’ll manage. What do you guys do anyways, working for her I mean? I get the sense she could really run this whole operation on her own if she wanted.”
“She probably could do this alone. Most of the time we don’t work directly with her, this is a special case for those of us she’s got helping with the trials. There’s maybe 50 of us total and not just here, I mean 50 of us overall. She’s very selective with the followers she keeps so there isn’t many of us. We tend to sit around up-holding her ideals till she asks something of us through dreams, like the ones that brought you here.”
Robert explained, confusing me a little bit. I found it hard to believe a crew of 50 people got everything here done. I guess it wasn’t to outlandish when put in perspective though. If you told me Shaoni got all this done herself I probably would’ve believed you so 50 people organized by her, yeah I could see that.
“Wait, so you guys barley ever actually work with her, and what are her ideals exactly?”
“Have you heard the legends of the thunderbird? A lot of it depicts the thunderbird as a spirit of justice that fights evil spirits from the underworld, that’s really watered down but you get the point. I’ve never seen her do anything like that but she does uphold a certain sense of justice and that’s what she expects of us. Sure, she seems really intimidating but she wants to right wrongs that no one else will, it makes her a little harsh but she has to be. We just do that same thing when we aren’t getting orders right from her. Maybe you think she’s in the wrong here because she pulled you into this but we really want to help, sometimes there’s a price for that.”
Robert lectured, you could tell he really believed in what he was saying though. He may have been older but when he was telling me about the thunderbird and what she stood for he was filled with vigor again. Maybe he’s not as bad as I thought, I wanted all these people working for her to be some kind of weird cult like in Imalone. The more I heard the more I doubted that. They were people who followed her for a reason, not just because she gave them some kind of power. In reality I think what she really gave them was purpose. That sort of thing is more than enough for most people to follow someone.
When I broke away from Robert and got outside I found a huge camp had been set up while we were in the cave. Tepees of various sizes had been constructed all around the entrance to the old mine and one big canvas tent had a huge table running through it filled with food. For 50 people these followers of the thunderbird sure worked fast. I hadn’t decided if I wanted to go back to town yet. I hoped Frank and Stein had convinced Bianca to go with them, at least then they could get some answers while I was stuck here. If they were gone though what reason did I have to go back? As long as I was out here surrounded by people who work with Shaoni maybe I could get some answers of my own. I wasn’t really sure what information about Shaoni would do for us but she was a mystery to me. Everyone was here for a reason, I agreed to take on a burden, Brooke was here because of some promise Shaoni made, and I’m sure the rest had similar stories. Shaoni gained nothing from any of that though, besides this burden I had agreed to take. I’m not sure why, but it felt like figuring out what She stood to gain from this was important. If I could do that maybe I could put the pieces to this puzzle together. Two people had pointed out I knew nothing about the supernatural as well, Shaoni and Robert. That didn’t seem to matter to much to me but if all the others here had some experience in it maybe it should. It seemed like we were all on a level playing field though, Brooke hadn’t heard about the trials and neither had I. Robert and that strange John guy probably had some idea but they worked with Shaoni, I would expect them to know. Katrina, the blonde was probably just as surprised as Brooke, if I had to guess. None of us knew exactly what the trials would test for, so why did everyone keep brining up not knowing about the supernatural like it put me at a disadvantage?
“Why indeed.”
A familiar voice said, sending lightning through my veins and breaking my train of thought. I just about tossed the turkey leg I’d been eating directly at the source of the noise.
“Shaoni, you have got to stop doing that.”
I said, crawling back into my skin after she scared me out of it. Shaoni still looked just as she had when she addressed us earlier, adorned in her animal skins and feathers. It took me a second but it finally clicked that she had said something strange when she sat down next to me.
“Hang on a minute, can you read my mind? Was I thinking out loud or something?”
“No, you just looked lost in thought and I figured I’d chime in.”
“Oh, alright… why?”
I squeaked out, abruptly realizing that this was Shaoni, the thunderbird who was sitting next to me. There was a second there where I wasn’t as intimidated by her as I normally was but it had passed quickly.
“I wanted to know how your doing, I know all this can’t be easy to take in.”
“I’m doing fine, I think I’m adjusting pretty well but I did want to ask you some questions.”
An amused look ran across Shaoni’s face at this. She wasn’t being as commanding as before either, she almost seemed to genuinely care about my well-being.
“Would you walk with me, I’ll answer your questions on the way.”
Shaoni asked, standing and waiting for me to follow her. Not seeing any better options I stood up and left alongside her.
We walked around the perimeter of the camp, out of ear shot of anyone else. I’m sure she did that on purpose, though I wasn’t sure if it was so no-one could hear my screams if I asked a question she didn’t like or if she just wanted privacy.
“Why me Shaoni? Why chose me out of everyone, was it just a coincidence?”
“Straight to the point hmm. Think Keith, when I found you in the position you were in you needed my help. Sure, I planned to dispose of the cultists that were threatening you anyways but I stopped to help you. You saw me descend from the sky, swoop down, and bring them to their knees, I extended an offer to you and you just took it. You didn’t bargain or ask for anything more after I shattered your perception of what does and doesn’t exist, just accepted my offer. Most people would have bargained, tried to look for a better deal for themselves but you saw what the price of my help would be and paid it, no second thoughts. That interested me Keith, you recognized what had to be done and didn’t try to avoid the cost, that’s why I chose you.”
“So I appealed to whatever sense of justice you have? That’s it, that’s the only reason?”
She looked almost hurt as I asked this and she stopped walking. I definitely stepped on a nerve, I expected her to snap but she didn’t, She just asked very quietly,
“Do you think I’m a monster Keith?”
I was stunned by the question. Could I really say she was a monster? What had she done so far? Save me, that’s what, was that really so monstrous? Sure it may have come at a cost but nothing is ever free. Shaoni even came to warn me about the trials ahead of time, just barely ahead of time but it was something.
“No Shaoni, you’re not a monster just… someone with the powers you have… it’s terrifying for a normal person. Can you really say I’m in the wrong for being afraid of you?”
Even as I said it I knew it was a lie, at least partially. I wasn’t just afraid of her, I wanted her to be evil and she just wasn’t, not really. Maybe she was a bit intense but everything she had done to me so far couldn’t be called evil.
“Fear is only natural when you see something like me, but I’m not a monster. The thunderbird has always stood for justice. That’s what I represent, I can’t be everywhere but I make it a point to uphold justice where I am. Those who I’ve chosen to follow me hold my justice in their own town, in their own lives. I can be harsh but I am just.”
She said this with such intensity I had no choice but to believe her. Her conviction to justice was zealous but I still wanted to pry a little bit more.
“So what does justice mean to you then? I don’t mean to be disrespectful but I want to hear it from you,”
I asked, growing a little more confident in talking to Shaoni. For once I didn’t feel like she would kill me on a whim. Give her a reason, and Shaoni would do it without a second thought but I don’t think she cared that much about my questioning.
“Justice is black and white, right and wrong. Normally there’s a pretty good system in place to punish those that deserve it but sometimes things slip through the cracks, that’s where I come in. I take care of the heinous acts people get away with, people that think they’ve gotten away with murder, so to speak.”
“So your a vigilante then? That’s what I’m hearing here.”
“I wouldn’t be so crass but yes, I suppose you could call me a vigilante but I promise you that’s an oversimplification. Suffice it to say my opinion on matters of serving justice is respected.”
Shaoni seemed a little uncomfortable at the word “respect”, I think a better word would’ve been “feared”. I wasn’t going to say it to her but I knew she suspected it. I could see something about that really hurt her. I couldn’t put my finger on it, the reason Shaoni didn’t want to be feared. Despite being the scariest thing I’d seen so far she didn’t want to be known for that.
We talked for a while longer about a whole lot of nothing. Eventually we got back around to the camp and she bid me goodnight despite the fact it was 3 in the afternoon at the time. She was probably right though, I was going to need the rest if I wanted to be ready for the first trial tomorrow. I found my way to a tepee conveniently marked with my name. I didn’t remember it being marked before and I didn’t understand the point of giving us specific tepees, privacy I guess? The fur sleeping bag was a rustic but welcome touch and despite lacking the amenities of a usual home the tepee was quite comfortable. As I settled in for the night I heard a rustling on the far side of the tepee, then a voice, one whose heavy accent I recognized immediately.
“So, turns out they don’t check under the truck. Ya got me here with you now.”
Rocco said, emerging from a blanket in the corner. That revelation didn’t exactly set my mind at ease. Rocco must’ve sensed my apprehension to the fact that he was anywhere near me right now.
“What?! I’m here to help out! I heard you going on about a trial or somethin’ so I figured I’d tag along under that truck when they picked you up, can’t have enough back up ya know.”
He continued, pulling a belt with several tools out from under the blanket as he spoke. I wasn’t pleased to have him here but maybe I could make use of him.
“I was hoping you’d go with Bianca and the other two but honestly, it might be nice to have a friendly face around here. Just… try to stay out of trouble.”
“Trouble? When do I ever get into trouble?”
I hoped he was being sarcastic, you can never tell with him. I bit my tongue as Rocco walked out into the camp, silently praying no-one would see him. With that I settled into my sleeping bag and tried to think of what I could expect from the first trial tomorrow.
submitted by CDown01 to AllureStories [link] [comments]
At some Point Bianca and I both fell back asleep. It was all I could do at this point, getting whisked away back to those mines seemed inevitable so I might as well sleep. The morning did not go well, largely due to Bianca, who threw me off the couch with a scream when she woke up.
“What’re you doing!”
Bianca squeaked, hand darting towards her pants pocket where her dagger would usually be. I woke up very quickly somewhere between the couch and the floor. I was fully awake by the time I was pushing myself back to me feet, raising my hands in a gesture of surrender.
“What’s going on?! You’re fine you just fell asleep on my couch!”
“Why were you… why was I?”
“Hey, calm down alright. We had a few drinks last night and I guess we both fell asleep on the couch together, that’s all that happened.”
I explained, leaving out the part where she pulled me back when I tried to go to my own room earlier.
“Yeah… yeah ok. Ugh my head is killing me.”
Bianca groaned, taking a breath or two then putting her head in her hands. I didn’t have the heart to tell her she was probably hungover so I just went to the kitchen to make something for her.
I decided on toast and some bananas, it was always a go to for me after a long night. In hindsight I probably should’ve seen her reaction coming. Look at what she did in the caves because that guy grabbed her, it can’t be that much better waking up on someones shoulder and not quite remembering it. The whole thing did give me second thoughts though. If she was such a live wire did I really want her stressing out over the trials and whatever that would bring? I suppose it was too late for that though, she’d already moved herself into my house so she could keep watch, for all the good that did seeing as Shaoni waltzed right in last night.
I still had a lot on my mind when the smell of burning toast sobered me up. I swore and ran over to salvage what I could of the blackening toast.
“What’s burning in here?”
Bianca asked a little worry creeping into her voice. She still had her head clasped firmly between her hands as she walked into the kitchen.
“Breakfast”
I replied flatly, holding my arms out to either side gesturing to the mild chaos I was causing. Bianca gave me an questioning, “thanks” and grabbed the plate I had made for her while I tried to think of what to do next. Like it or not, Shaoni had people coming to pick me up and take me back out to those caves today. I had to come up with some kind of game plan and right now, it seemed letting Frank and Stein know was the best idea.
Bianca stayed back at my place nursing her hangover when I left to visit the mad scientist duo. I had no problem with that, in fact it was probably best because I’m sure she would’ve insisted on going with me if she heard I planed to take Shaoni’s “invitation”. I wasn’t sure if Shaoni would let me take Bianca with me and personally I’d rather not push her buttons and try to negotiate bringing a plus one.
“Have you seen Bianca at all?”
Frank asked hurriedly as I came in. I was afraid of this, She hadn’t told them anything and just disappeared.
“Yeah, she pretty much moved the contents of her room to my couch yesterday. Something about keeping an eye on me, she’s fine though, I wouldn’t worry.”
I answered, a little worried myself that I’d catch hell from them if they knew she was currently working her way through her first hangover on that same couch. Frank seemed to calm down at that and finally got to asking the important questions like why was I back in the house… again.
“So let us get this straight, you just plan to go right to Shaoni?”
Frank and Stein said together in disbelief as the three of us sat at the kitchen table.
“It’s not like I really have a choice in the matter, besides I can’t really fight her if she wants me to go somewhere. If I try a stunt like that things go from bad to worse for me.”
They both shook their heads in solemn agreement, recognizing I was right.
“Anyways, I had a thought on the way over here, Thunderbirds are something from native American legend right? Well, if we’ve found a real one wouldn’t she have ties to a tribe or something in the area? She was sleeping here when they woke her up in the mine, maybe there was a reason for that, maybe she was close to home?”
I explained, hoping g they’d catch on to what I was asking.
“What exactly are you getting at then Keith?”
Frank questioned, furrowing his brow with an intrigued look on his face. Stein just remained silent but I could tell he was thinking, maybe even coming to the same conclusion as I had.
“What I’m thinking, is we check reservations in the area. Maybe they know something about the creature from their legends that just so happened to be sleeping nearby. I know it’s a stretch but maybe we could learn something useful. I’d go myself but I’m not going to have the chance. You guys though, you guys could take Bianca and Rocco with you and ask around.”
I explained, hoping I was onto something. I was pulling at straws but it was the best idea I had at a moments notice. Plus it would get Bianca out of town for a little while when I was figuring out what exactly Shaoni’s trails would mean for me.
“Keith that’s… no that actually makes sense let me check some maps.”
Stein agreed, walking away and into the basement. He came back a few minutes later with a map in his hand.
“There’s a Seneca reservation not to far from here, maybe 30 miles. That’s not the only one but I have a friend there from years ago, someone I helped. There’s a good chance he’d be willing to return the favor.”
“Great, then I’ll count on you. I’ll let Bianca know, I’m sure she won’t be happy about it but I’ll feel better if she’s with all of you.”
I walked out in a rush to get back home, almost stepping on Rocco on my way to the door. He made a frightening chittering hissing sound at me as he leapt out of my path. I briefly wondered where he was going and what he was up to, probably better I didn’t know though. As I got onto the bike and headed back towards home I hoped I’d be able to talk Bianca into going along with this plan. I was sure she’d rather come with me but after this morning I wasn’t sure she was ready for that. Don’t get me wrong I’m sure she wants to help and I know she means well but she’s jumpy and snaps at the littlest things. I didn’t want her to make things worse by accident or get hurt because she froze up again. My mind was made up as I drew nearer to my house but as it turned out I’d never have the chance to talk to Bianca. As soon as I rounded the corner I saw the rusty pick up waiting in front of my house, I’d arrived just in time to meet Shaoni’s “helpers”.
The men looked normal, just like the people in the cave. Come to think of it they could very well be those same people. I waved them over as I came to a stop in-front of the house.
“Can I just go in and grab a few things?”
I asked the three men sheepishly as I walked up.
“No, your late as it is, we’ve got to get going.”
A scruffy looking man with a gruff voice said from the drivers seat. Two men got out from the back of the truck and grabbed my arms, pulling me into the back seat. They weren’t rough with me but they were very firm. Like they wanted to hurt me but were ordered not to so they just made a show of force. After I was loaded into the back I saw the reason for their demeanor. One of the men, the one in the front passenger seat, was wrapped in bandages. The bandages covered his abdomen and snaked up around the back of his neck. It was pretty obvious to me that this was the man Bianca had stabbed. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say these four were probably the same ones we had encountered in the cave. As I turned and looked out the window I saw Bianca’s face peaking out of it. She looked angry and scared, like she knew exactly what was happening but she didn’t move. Bianca just sat there, watching me be taken away and I cursed myself for not being just a little bit faster on the ride back.
We took a way out of town I’d never seen before, turning away from the road leading to the dirt path we had biked down on our expedition into the forest. Instead we drove back through town, past Bianca’s house and the Eagle’s Roost before hanging a right onto a road I’d never been down. Eventually the road made its way into the forest and ended at a wooden sign warning that the road was impassable ahead. The driver stopped the truck and got out as another man emerged from the woods, holding up his hand and opening it to reveal the eagle tattoo I’d become so familiar with. The driver rolled up his sleeve and showed his own similar tattoo. Without a word he got back into the truck and the other man moved the sign off the road. It didn’t fill me with confidence to see the entrance to this place watched in such a way. It would make sense to have it hidden but being so brazenly out in the open meant they didn't really care who saw it. Not that anyone would think anything other than that the road was impassable but still. The truck eventually pulled off the road and into the woods, following a newly made track that lead to the entrance of the old mine that we escaped from just 2 days ago.
“I think you know your way in.”
The driver growled at me, parking the truck and signaling me to step out.
“Your just letting me walk myself in? Couldn’t I just run?”
“You could but do you think you could outrun her?”
He asked threateningly, pointing up at the sky. I knew exactly who he was talking about and no, I didn’t like my chances of running from Shaoni.
“She gave us all orders to leave any runners to her.”
At that moment I decided it may be good idea to be on my best behavior.
“Yeah that’s what I thought.”
The driver barked back at me as I obediently walked towards the entrance.
Walking into the mine I realized it had undergone a huge transformation in a very short time. The walls were now host to several torches that lit the pathway back down to the coliseum. It felt like I was walking into the dark ages as I made my way down into this pit by torchlight. Although I had to admit it was homey in an “evil layer” kind off way. The coliseum was lit up with torchlight as well but its not what drew my attention. Where the awful metal structure met the stone roof of the cave I looked into a brewing storm. Lightning flashed across the roof but there was no sound of thunder. Raindrops shown in the shadows cast by the lightning but I felt none of them on my skin. I had to admit, it was a pretty impressive trick. Paintings adorned the walls, all of them seeming to be tribal in nature. Many seemed to be various depictions of the thunderbird.
“Well at least she doesn’t have an ego”
I chuckled to myself as I walked into the center off the coliseum.
There were four other people waiting in the center of the floor. A clean shaven, well dressed man relaxed against the wall of the arena. He had perfectly trimmed slicked back blonde hair and a chiseled face. His rippling muscles seemed to be for vanity rather than strength. Just by looking at him I could tell I wasn’t going to like him. The only one of the bunch I knew, Robert, stood on the far side of the coliseum, watching me approach. He looked about the same as he had from the brief glance I got at the Eagle’s Roost. Balding white hair and a unkempt beard hung off his sagging face. Despite his age he carried himself with purpose, like he deserved to be there and wanted everyone else to know it. Then there was the blonde bombshell that was making her way towards the chiseled blonde guy. She seemed incredibly confident in herself but none of it was a show. Her confidence came from a place that made her absolutely sure of it. The final person stood in the corner and seemed to be talking to himself. He was a middle aged man of native American descent with a mess of black hair atop his head. He carried a look in his eyes that spoke of wisdom beyond his years.
I walked past all of them and took a seat on the floor, trying my hardest to ignore them. The effort was ultimately wasted as the muscular blonde guy walked over and held out a hand.
“Hey, my names Brooke, you are?”
My blood turned to ice as he said that, it couldn’t be the same Brooke Bianca told me about, could it? I stared dumbly at him for a moment before I responded.
“I’m… uh… Keith. Any idea what we’re doing here?”
“No clue, only know that the thunderbird wanted us here so we came. Hopefully she makes good on her promise, to me at least.”
His voice sounded like the “to cool for you” bully from any 80’s movie, it was almost annoying to listen to him.
“So you’ve met everyone else I take it?”
“Yeah, the weird guy in the corner is John, we don’t know much about him but apparently him and that Robert guy, the old one with the beard, worked for the thunderbird. Katrina, that beauty over there is a wild card, no-one seems to know anything about her but she looks like she’s hot shit and well, just plain hot.”
As Brooke gave me the run down of everyone in the room I quietly wondered to myself if Shaoni had given everyone the same offer as me. The way Brooke had said it, “promise”… that wasn’t how I would’ve phrased it. Maybe Shaoni cut everyone here a unique deal.
“…Anyways, I’m gonna go see if I can’t figure out that bombshell’s deal, I’ll see ya later Keith.”
Apparently Brooke had been talking to me the whole time but I only tuned in for the tail end of it as he walked off toward Katrina. I wondered where exactly Shaoni was, I had expected her to be here already but, as it turned out I wouldn’t have to wait long.
A thunderous boom cracked out above our heads and we all looked up at once, but the sound was coming from outside. I heard the flap of wings as Shaoni came in for a landing somewhere above our heads. It went so silent we could’ve heard a mosquito cough, then Shaoni stepped into the room. Not from either entrance but from a balcony above us I hadn’t seen before. She was wearing the same thing she had been when I ran into her in the cave, once again looking like a hardened, tattooed Pocahontas.
“Welcome everyone! I take it you’ve gotten to know each other?”
She thundered down to us as we all shot to attention.
“I’ve gathered you here to give a gift to one of you, but you must prove yourselves deserving. I’ve told some of you what I intended to do here and others may be hearing it for the first time. So for those of you who are gathering here for the first time pay attention. There will be three trials held here, one to test your morals, one to test your strength, and one to test your judgement.”
At this point Brooke spoke up in the way only a spoiled little shit like him could.
“You made me a promise! You never said anything about trials! I got all the way out here to this shitty little backwater and now your telling me I’ve got to compete to earn what you owe me?! Sorry, but I’m going to need more than that.”
Shaoni looked like she could’ve ended him right there. She was the judge and jury here, if Brooke wasn’t careful she’d become the executioner too.
“What you asked me for is in this town, that’s all I will say on the matter.”
Shaoni responded with less venom than I had expected judging by her expression. She didn’t actually seem to care that she had to tell him something to shut him up. It was the insult of being interrupted that struck a nerve. I was a little concerned by what she said, if he was looking for something that was in town and Bianca was there… could he be looking for her? “…Today though, just enjoy the company of one another. You’re all welcome to stay here at the camp I’ve had prepared for you outside. If you wish to return to town you may but you will be watched. No-one is to leave town until the trials are completed.”
Shaoni finished, I hadn’t really been listening to her welcome speech. She said everything I cared about when she told us what the trials where going to test for, after that I kind of tuned out. Shaoni disappeared in a flash, just like she had back at my house the day before and with that the five of us were alone again. I left, heading back outside to see this camp she mentioned. The others talked with each other but I really had no desire to. That didn’t stop Robert from running to catch up with me, wheezing when he got there.
“Hey you’re the one who ran out of the bar the other night! She’s said a lot about you, I’d almost think she had a favorite.”
Robert huffed out between breaths, punching me in the arm in a friendly but wholly unwelcome way.
“I’ve heard you know nothing about the supernatural, I’d be happy to tell you what I’ve seen working with Shaoni.”
Robert offered, fishing for any reason to hold a conversation with me.
“No, that’s alright really, I’ll manage. What do you guys do anyways, working for her I mean? I get the sense she could really run this whole operation on her own if she wanted.”
“She probably could do this alone. Most of the time we don’t work directly with her, this is a special case for those of us she’s got helping with the trials. There’s maybe 50 of us total and not just here, I mean 50 of us overall. She’s very selective with the followers she keeps so there isn’t many of us. We tend to sit around up-holding her ideals till she asks something of us through dreams, like the ones that brought you here.”
Robert explained, confusing me a little bit. I found it hard to believe a crew of 50 people got everything here done. I guess it wasn’t to outlandish when put in perspective though. If you told me Shaoni got all this done herself I probably would’ve believed you so 50 people organized by her, yeah I could see that.
“Wait, so you guys barley ever actually work with her, and what are her ideals exactly?”
“Have you heard the legends of the thunderbird? A lot of it depicts the thunderbird as a spirit of justice that fights evil spirits from the underworld, that’s really watered down but you get the point. I’ve never seen her do anything like that but she does uphold a certain sense of justice and that’s what she expects of us. Sure, she seems really intimidating but she wants to right wrongs that no one else will, it makes her a little harsh but she has to be. We just do that same thing when we aren’t getting orders right from her. Maybe you think she’s in the wrong here because she pulled you into this but we really want to help, sometimes there’s a price for that.”
Robert lectured, you could tell he really believed in what he was saying though. He may have been older but when he was telling me about the thunderbird and what she stood for he was filled with vigor again. Maybe he’s not as bad as I thought, I wanted all these people working for her to be some kind of weird cult like in Imalone. The more I heard the more I doubted that. They were people who followed her for a reason, not just because she gave them some kind of power. In reality I think what she really gave them was purpose. That sort of thing is more than enough for most people to follow someone.
When I broke away from Robert and got outside I found a huge camp had been set up while we were in the cave. Tepees of various sizes had been constructed all around the entrance to the old mine and one big canvas tent had a huge table running through it filled with food. For 50 people these followers of the thunderbird sure worked fast. I hadn’t decided if I wanted to go back to town yet. I hoped Frank and Stein had convinced Bianca to go with them, at least then they could get some answers while I was stuck here. If they were gone though what reason did I have to go back? As long as I was out here surrounded by people who work with Shaoni maybe I could get some answers of my own. I wasn’t really sure what information about Shaoni would do for us but she was a mystery to me. Everyone was here for a reason, I agreed to take on a burden, Brooke was here because of some promise Shaoni made, and I’m sure the rest had similar stories. Shaoni gained nothing from any of that though, besides this burden I had agreed to take. I’m not sure why, but it felt like figuring out what She stood to gain from this was important. If I could do that maybe I could put the pieces to this puzzle together. Two people had pointed out I knew nothing about the supernatural as well, Shaoni and Robert. That didn’t seem to matter to much to me but if all the others here had some experience in it maybe it should. It seemed like we were all on a level playing field though, Brooke hadn’t heard about the trials and neither had I. Robert and that strange John guy probably had some idea but they worked with Shaoni, I would expect them to know. Katrina, the blonde was probably just as surprised as Brooke, if I had to guess. None of us knew exactly what the trials would test for, so why did everyone keep brining up not knowing about the supernatural like it put me at a disadvantage?
“Why indeed.”
A familiar voice said, sending lightning through my veins and breaking my train of thought. I just about tossed the turkey leg I’d been eating directly at the source of the noise.
“Shaoni, you have got to stop doing that.”
I said, crawling back into my skin after she scared me out of it. Shaoni still looked just as she had when she addressed us earlier, adorned in her animal skins and feathers. It took me a second but it finally clicked that she had said something strange when she sat down next to me.
“Hang on a minute, can you read my mind? Was I thinking out loud or something?”
“No, you just looked lost in thought and I figured I’d chime in.”
“Oh, alright… why?”
I squeaked out, abruptly realizing that this was Shaoni, the thunderbird who was sitting next to me. There was a second there where I wasn’t as intimidated by her as I normally was but it had passed quickly.
“I wanted to know how your doing, I know all this can’t be easy to take in.”
“I’m doing fine, I think I’m adjusting pretty well but I did want to ask you some questions.”
An amused look ran across Shaoni’s face at this. She wasn’t being as commanding as before either, she almost seemed to genuinely care about my well-being.
“Would you walk with me, I’ll answer your questions on the way.”
Shaoni asked, standing and waiting for me to follow her. Not seeing any better options I stood up and left alongside her.
We walked around the perimeter of the camp, out of ear shot of anyone else. I’m sure she did that on purpose, though I wasn’t sure if it was so no-one could hear my screams if I asked a question she didn’t like or if she just wanted privacy.
“Why me Shaoni? Why chose me out of everyone, was it just a coincidence?”
“Straight to the point hmm. Think Keith, when I found you in the position you were in you needed my help. Sure, I planned to dispose of the cultists that were threatening you anyways but I stopped to help you. You saw me descend from the sky, swoop down, and bring them to their knees, I extended an offer to you and you just took it. You didn’t bargain or ask for anything more after I shattered your perception of what does and doesn’t exist, just accepted my offer. Most people would have bargained, tried to look for a better deal for themselves but you saw what the price of my help would be and paid it, no second thoughts. That interested me Keith, you recognized what had to be done and didn’t try to avoid the cost, that’s why I chose you.”
“So I appealed to whatever sense of justice you have? That’s it, that’s the only reason?”
She looked almost hurt as I asked this and she stopped walking. I definitely stepped on a nerve, I expected her to snap but she didn’t, She just asked very quietly,
“Do you think I’m a monster Keith?”
I was stunned by the question. Could I really say she was a monster? What had she done so far? Save me, that’s what, was that really so monstrous? Sure it may have come at a cost but nothing is ever free. Shaoni even came to warn me about the trials ahead of time, just barely ahead of time but it was something.
“No Shaoni, you’re not a monster just… someone with the powers you have… it’s terrifying for a normal person. Can you really say I’m in the wrong for being afraid of you?”
Even as I said it I knew it was a lie, at least partially. I wasn’t just afraid of her, I wanted her to be evil and she just wasn’t, not really. Maybe she was a bit intense but everything she had done to me so far couldn’t be called evil.
“Fear is only natural when you see something like me, but I’m not a monster. The thunderbird has always stood for justice. That’s what I represent, I can’t be everywhere but I make it a point to uphold justice where I am. Those who I’ve chosen to follow me hold my justice in their own town, in their own lives. I can be harsh but I am just.”
She said this with such intensity I had no choice but to believe her. Her conviction to justice was zealous but I still wanted to pry a little bit more.
“So what does justice mean to you then? I don’t mean to be disrespectful but I want to hear it from you,”
I asked, growing a little more confident in talking to Shaoni. For once I didn’t feel like she would kill me on a whim. Give her a reason, and Shaoni would do it without a second thought but I don’t think she cared that much about my questioning.
“Justice is black and white, right and wrong. Normally there’s a pretty good system in place to punish those that deserve it but sometimes things slip through the cracks, that’s where I come in. I take care of the heinous acts people get away with, people that think they’ve gotten away with murder, so to speak.”
“So your a vigilante then? That’s what I’m hearing here.”
“I wouldn’t be so crass but yes, I suppose you could call me a vigilante but I promise you that’s an oversimplification. Suffice it to say my opinion on matters of serving justice is respected.”
Shaoni seemed a little uncomfortable at the word “respect”, I think a better word would’ve been “feared”. I wasn’t going to say it to her but I knew she suspected it. I could see something about that really hurt her. I couldn’t put my finger on it, the reason Shaoni didn’t want to be feared. Despite being the scariest thing I’d seen so far she didn’t want to be known for that.
We talked for a while longer about a whole lot of nothing. Eventually we got back around to the camp and she bid me goodnight despite the fact it was 3 in the afternoon at the time. She was probably right though, I was going to need the rest if I wanted to be ready for the first trial tomorrow. I found my way to a tepee conveniently marked with my name. I didn’t remember it being marked before and I didn’t understand the point of giving us specific tepees, privacy I guess? The fur sleeping bag was a rustic but welcome touch and despite lacking the amenities of a usual home the tepee was quite comfortable. As I settled in for the night I heard a rustling on the far side of the tepee, then a voice, one whose heavy accent I recognized immediately.
“So, turns out they don’t check under the truck. Ya got me here with you now.”
Rocco said, emerging from a blanket in the corner. That revelation didn’t exactly set my mind at ease. Rocco must’ve sensed my apprehension to the fact that he was anywhere near me right now.
“What?! I’m here to help out! I heard you going on about a trial or somethin’ so I figured I’d tag along under that truck when they picked you up, can’t have enough back up ya know.”
He continued, pulling a belt with several tools out from under the blanket as he spoke. I wasn’t pleased to have him here but maybe I could make use of him.
“I was hoping you’d go with Bianca and the other two but honestly, it might be nice to have a friendly face around here. Just… try to stay out of trouble.”
“Trouble? When do I ever get into trouble?”
I hoped he was being sarcastic, you can never tell with him. I bit my tongue as Rocco walked out into the camp, silently praying no-one would see him. With that I settled into my sleeping bag and tried to think of what I could expect from the first trial tomorrow.
2024.05.21 16:53 adondshilt Ditch the Cram, Embrace the Flow: Mastering College Assignments
 | College can feel like a constant barrage of deadlines. But ditch the all-nighters! Here's a method to conquer assignments and actually retain knowledge: submitted by adondshilt to Compliant_papers [link] [comments] https://preview.redd.it/md26kmiims1d1.png?width=1280&format=png&auto=webp&s=dfda911cc2c30cbff75ffb24f5ace4bf3f537fc9 1. Plan and Chunk: Don't wait till the last minute. Look at your syllabus, break down large assignments into smaller, manageable tasks. Schedule specific times for each task – dedicate 30 minutes a day to research, an hour to writing. Consistency trumps cramming. 2. Active Learning: Textbooks are great, but don't just passively read. Take notes, summarize key points in your own words, and actively engage with the material. Explain concepts to a friend, draw mind maps, or use flashcards to solidify understanding. 3. Embrace Resources: Professors are there to help! Utilize office hours to clarify doubts. College libraries offer workshops, research assistance, and quiet study spaces. Don't be afraid to leverage online resources like academic journals or reputable educational websites. 4. Spaced Repetition: Cramming overwhelms your brain. Instead, space out your learning. Briefly revisit key points from previous sessions throughout the week. This "spaced repetition" strengthens memory and helps information stick. 5. Find Your Flow: Create a study environment that works for you. Whether it's a quiet corner in the library or a bustling coffee shop, find a place that fosters focus and minimizes distractions. Experiment with different techniques like the Pomodoro Technique (25 minutes focused work followed by a 5-minute break) to find your concentration rhythm. Bonus Tip: Reward yourself! Completing tasks is an accomplishment. Celebrate small victories with a healthy snack or a short break – positive reinforcement keeps you motivated. By embracing this method, you'll transform from a cramming zombie to a confident learner, ready to ace your assignments and truly grasp the material. Remember, consistent effort and active learning are the keys to college success! Alternatively, the best way to avoid cramming and ace your academic work is seeking help from compliantpapers.com website.an online service revered globally for time management and quality work it provides |
2024.05.21 16:50 AccordingSkin5555 I don't understand why won't Yandev reduce the amount of 20xx's rivals?
I mean, we all know why: the man's hella stubborn. He had already dissapointed everyone hoever and it's clear that implementing 10 rivals in an acceptable state is beyond his capabilities. (Now: I'm aware that 1980's mode exists, the rivals are all just cardboard cutouts tho and the dev is still "improving" Ryoba's mode despite everyone wanting to see that effort put into the actual game)
submitted by AccordingSkin5555 to Osana [link] [comments]
- Mida Rana could get scrapped notably due to the recent grooming controversy
- Although a nurse rival is an interesting concept, the execution is not it. Muja, you're out.
- Asu who?
- Hanako... the incestuous "moe sister" rival... she won't be completed in this century.
2024.05.21 16:46 raygunstan Mod Announcement/Idea: The Odyssey
I’ve been floating this idea around in my head for awhile, especially in light of some ‘ancient history’ mods we’ve received in the past.
Though this mod is far from guaranteed (please don’t get your hopes up), and may take continuous trial and error, I would love to present to you all Homer’s classic epic in TCT format.
It would certainly be a challenge, especially with the map and all having to incorporate most of the Mediterranean, considering Odysseus traveled a good chunk of the known world at the time in the myth. Further, the Odyssey certainly wasn’t an election, which TCT is all about (shocker!). So, we’d definitely have to tinker extensively with the code to make something work and make it make sense, which has been done in the past for other concepts and mods that didn’t focus on an election for its premise.
Not sure if there’s any other Greek mythology nerds here, but I’d love to hear your feedback on this potentially becoming a mod.
submitted by raygunstan to thecampaigntrail [link] [comments]
Though this mod is far from guaranteed (please don’t get your hopes up), and may take continuous trial and error, I would love to present to you all Homer’s classic epic in TCT format.
It would certainly be a challenge, especially with the map and all having to incorporate most of the Mediterranean, considering Odysseus traveled a good chunk of the known world at the time in the myth. Further, the Odyssey certainly wasn’t an election, which TCT is all about (shocker!). So, we’d definitely have to tinker extensively with the code to make something work and make it make sense, which has been done in the past for other concepts and mods that didn’t focus on an election for its premise.
Not sure if there’s any other Greek mythology nerds here, but I’d love to hear your feedback on this potentially becoming a mod.
2024.05.21 16:39 lulolemons310 Stopping Milk Production / Milk Donation
FTM here hoping that the experts can give me tips to help me stop my milk production. My LO is 10 weeks old and had exclusively breast milk until about 8 weeks. I was essentially exclusively pumping (only nursing like once a day—he was a NICU preemie so did much better with a bottle). Baby was incredibly colicky, gassy, had reflux, and basically cried all waking hours. After lots of back and forth with the pediatrician, we figured out that he has CMPA. I tried to cut dairy from my diet with no changes, so we suspect he has some other sensitivities, too. We switched him to a hypoallergenic formula (Nutramigen) at about 8 weeks, and the difference is truly night and day. He’s a completely different baby—happy, cooing, smiley, sleeps well, etc. I only wish we had done it sooner.
So, with that, I’m trying to wean from pumping. I’ve been weaning for about two weeks but am still producing a lot. I had worked really hard to get my supply up, so I’m sure my body is confused. Currently, I’m pumping every 6-7 hours to relieve discomfort for about 8-10 minutes. I was previously pumping every 3 hours for 15-18 minutes. Even cutting pumps in half, I’m still producing a lot when I pump and leaking like crazy in between. I sometimes have to hand express to relieve discomfort in between pumps. I’ve also been using ice and cold compresses. I ordered the “No More Milk” tea from Amazon to give that a try. Otherwise, I’m looking for more tips to try to stop my production and not have it take a ton of time…if that’s possible! Note that I can’t take Sudafed because I have high blood pressure.
Along the same lines, I’m also looking for ideas/thoughts about how to donate my frozen milk from the past 10 weeks and what I’m continuing to freeze as I wean. It all contains dairy, so LO can’t have it (and the pediatrician confirmed that we won’t be reintroducing dairy within the timeframe that the frozen milk will still be good). I’ve contacted a couple of milk banks (I’m in Ohio in the U.S.), and they don’t accept milk that contains blood pressure medication. I’ve been on blood pressure pills for my entire postpartum/pumping timeline because I had severe preeclampsia. Any other ideas about how I can make sure that the milk goes to a baby who can benefit from it? Being that I had a preemie (and probably a dash of postpartum anxiety…), my cleaning, sterilizing, labeling, etc. was really stringent.
Thank you in advance!
ETA: I also had a blood transfusion after my c-section (TLDR: things went completely off the rails, and I had a very traumatic birth). I understand that disqualifies me from donating, too. But I'm just wondering if there's some use for these hundreds of ounces of frozen milk. It feels so sad to throw them out.
submitted by lulolemons310 to HumansPumpingMilk [link] [comments]
So, with that, I’m trying to wean from pumping. I’ve been weaning for about two weeks but am still producing a lot. I had worked really hard to get my supply up, so I’m sure my body is confused. Currently, I’m pumping every 6-7 hours to relieve discomfort for about 8-10 minutes. I was previously pumping every 3 hours for 15-18 minutes. Even cutting pumps in half, I’m still producing a lot when I pump and leaking like crazy in between. I sometimes have to hand express to relieve discomfort in between pumps. I’ve also been using ice and cold compresses. I ordered the “No More Milk” tea from Amazon to give that a try. Otherwise, I’m looking for more tips to try to stop my production and not have it take a ton of time…if that’s possible! Note that I can’t take Sudafed because I have high blood pressure.
Along the same lines, I’m also looking for ideas/thoughts about how to donate my frozen milk from the past 10 weeks and what I’m continuing to freeze as I wean. It all contains dairy, so LO can’t have it (and the pediatrician confirmed that we won’t be reintroducing dairy within the timeframe that the frozen milk will still be good). I’ve contacted a couple of milk banks (I’m in Ohio in the U.S.), and they don’t accept milk that contains blood pressure medication. I’ve been on blood pressure pills for my entire postpartum/pumping timeline because I had severe preeclampsia. Any other ideas about how I can make sure that the milk goes to a baby who can benefit from it? Being that I had a preemie (and probably a dash of postpartum anxiety…), my cleaning, sterilizing, labeling, etc. was really stringent.
Thank you in advance!
ETA: I also had a blood transfusion after my c-section (TLDR: things went completely off the rails, and I had a very traumatic birth). I understand that disqualifies me from donating, too. But I'm just wondering if there's some use for these hundreds of ounces of frozen milk. It feels so sad to throw them out.
2024.05.21 16:29 ciwust Kingmaker is a great campaign for experienced players
First of all, let me say this: that I think Kingmaker is a great campaign for everyone, no matter the experience level of the players (but the GM must have some experience, since there is a lot of content to keep track of). But, now that I've been GMing it for some time, I noticed some things that make it specially appealing to the more experienced players.
Here are my points:
For instance: they are now at a point where they need to do more hexploration. Instead of having the main characters to this, they hired another group of adventurers (this was actually suggested by one of my players).
Since my group is kind of new to PF2e (they are experienced in D&D, though), they are enjoying the chance to try different characters, while still playing the same story.
To everyone who played/GMed Kingmaker: what were your thoughts on what makes Kingmaker stand out among other campaigns?
submitted by ciwust to Pathfinder2e [link] [comments]
Here are my points:
Players are much more involved in world building
Once my players founded their Kingdom, I asked them for several stuff related to world building.- What is their kingdom concept and values?
- What is their capital map?
- Who are the NPCs that aid them in their leadership roles?
It allows the players to experiment more
The PCs are still the heroes, but the main story is the Kingdom story. This makes everything less dependent on their specific characters, allowing them to experiment.For instance: they are now at a point where they need to do more hexploration. Instead of having the main characters to this, they hired another group of adventurers (this was actually suggested by one of my players).
Since my group is kind of new to PF2e (they are experienced in D&D, though), they are enjoying the chance to try different characters, while still playing the same story.
To everyone who played/GMed Kingmaker: what were your thoughts on what makes Kingmaker stand out among other campaigns?
2024.05.21 16:22 firebird8541154 Thoughts on a new Cycling App I'm developing?
I'm reaching out because I'm looking for some validation for this idea I've been building a proof of concept of.
A little about me to set some context, I, along with my roommates, make free cycling related tools in our spare time, including a routing tool, https://sherpa-map.com, a physics simulator tool for cycling, https://sherpa-map.com/cycling-route-calculator.html, and a GPX activity racer tool https://sherpa-map.com/activity-racer.html .
I've made a few others as well, but this post isn't about that, I just wanted to showcase the fact that I can build the upcoming idea, but I'm wondering if it would be worth it to develop it for anyone else.
The idea:
A phone app that lets users import a route GPX file and/or start an activity. The app is designed to work entirely offline, in your pocket, without much of a GUI, providing voiced turn-by-turn directions if following a route.
While you are riding, it allows you to ask questions or give commands into your Bluetooth headset, like, "What's the distance until the next aid station?", "Route me back to the beginning on the flattest possible route.", "What's my best 20-minute normalized power so far?", "What's my current distance?", "What's my net elevation gain?", "What mile has the beginning of the biggest climb on the route?".
Utilizing the physics simulator code and your riding so far, it could even determine when you'll be where, so you can ask, "How much longer until I'm back on pavement?", "When should I start heading back to avoid the sun going down when cycling?".
I also plan on having it continuously monitor and analyze your ride, so if you finish a climb it can recognize this and state "Nice job! You managed 340 watts for 3 minutes up the last 300ft climb!".
Basically, the idea is, that this could replace your head unit (or accompany it nicely).
I even intend it to have rerouting capabilities, i.e. "take me to the nearest gas station".
So far, I've managed to develop a functioning Android app that works entirely offline, monitoring for speech using webRTCVAD, recording speech to memory, transcribing speech using a specially trained Mozilla Deepspeech model, on the phone, tokenizing the transcription with a WordPeice algorithm, and feeding it to a specially trained BERT Tensorflow model which maps your intent to a particular function.
I plan on developing this app no matter what for my purposes as I feel having practically limitless knowledge of the entire route, and the activity thus far, as well as voiced turn-by-turn directions that function entirely offline could help me with upcoming gravel races. However, if people find this concept interesting, I'd buy a MacBook to make an IOS version and flesh out the interface to be more user-friendly and have things like, a login, a connect with Strava feature, etc.
submitted by firebird8541154 to cycling [link] [comments]
A little about me to set some context, I, along with my roommates, make free cycling related tools in our spare time, including a routing tool, https://sherpa-map.com, a physics simulator tool for cycling, https://sherpa-map.com/cycling-route-calculator.html, and a GPX activity racer tool https://sherpa-map.com/activity-racer.html .
I've made a few others as well, but this post isn't about that, I just wanted to showcase the fact that I can build the upcoming idea, but I'm wondering if it would be worth it to develop it for anyone else.
The idea:
A phone app that lets users import a route GPX file and/or start an activity. The app is designed to work entirely offline, in your pocket, without much of a GUI, providing voiced turn-by-turn directions if following a route.
While you are riding, it allows you to ask questions or give commands into your Bluetooth headset, like, "What's the distance until the next aid station?", "Route me back to the beginning on the flattest possible route.", "What's my best 20-minute normalized power so far?", "What's my current distance?", "What's my net elevation gain?", "What mile has the beginning of the biggest climb on the route?".
Utilizing the physics simulator code and your riding so far, it could even determine when you'll be where, so you can ask, "How much longer until I'm back on pavement?", "When should I start heading back to avoid the sun going down when cycling?".
I also plan on having it continuously monitor and analyze your ride, so if you finish a climb it can recognize this and state "Nice job! You managed 340 watts for 3 minutes up the last 300ft climb!".
Basically, the idea is, that this could replace your head unit (or accompany it nicely).
I even intend it to have rerouting capabilities, i.e. "take me to the nearest gas station".
So far, I've managed to develop a functioning Android app that works entirely offline, monitoring for speech using webRTCVAD, recording speech to memory, transcribing speech using a specially trained Mozilla Deepspeech model, on the phone, tokenizing the transcription with a WordPeice algorithm, and feeding it to a specially trained BERT Tensorflow model which maps your intent to a particular function.
I plan on developing this app no matter what for my purposes as I feel having practically limitless knowledge of the entire route, and the activity thus far, as well as voiced turn-by-turn directions that function entirely offline could help me with upcoming gravel races. However, if people find this concept interesting, I'd buy a MacBook to make an IOS version and flesh out the interface to be more user-friendly and have things like, a login, a connect with Strava feature, etc.
2024.05.21 15:08 Real_Neighborhood240 Uncovering Solutions and Embracing Optimism: Your Journey with The Best Infertility Doctor in Thane.
 | https://preview.redd.it/bl6uyjhx2s1d1.jpg?width=5583&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3723ca69662ebd5b1fd5f31316716c0358c0f284 submitted by Real_Neighborhood240 to u/Real_Neighborhood240 [link] [comments] IntroductionStep into a realm of hope and endless potential, guided by none other than the best infertility doctor in Thane. In the face of infertility's hurdles, Dr. Rita Modi's profound expertise and steadfast support offer a beacon of hope. As your reliable companion on the path to parenthood, Dr. Modi is devoted to transforming your dreams into tangible joys. Whether you're on the lookout for infertility doctors in nearby or in search of best fertility doctor in Thane, Dr. Rita Modi's unmatched proficiency and dedication position her as the prime selection for those seeking infertility solutions in Thane.Deciphering Infertility:Infertility, a condition where couples struggle to conceive after a year of consistent, unprotected intercourse, impacts both genders. Amidst this journey, turning to the best infertility doctor in Thane is paramount. These proficient specialists provide tailored care and individualized treatment strategies, accompanied by empathetic support, to navigate couples through their path to parenthood. Dr. Rita Modi, distinguished as the best fertility doctor, offers holistic care and invaluable guidance to individuals seeking resolution for their fertility challenges.Diving into the Different Facets of Infertility:
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