#i have to eavesdrop on ambient conversation to be able to learn about you? give me a freaking break

[childofthestone]

thinking abt the veilguard companions and sighing heavily

[flyonthewallmedstudent]

Studying, while working and parenting.

Image from the minute school. Which in itself has good techniques for med school and courses in general. 

To think that studying stops or relents after med school is a complete fantasy. One I used to have in med school. 

In some ways its easier because everything is a bit familiar because you’ve been lectured and examined on it before. First pass is always harder. It’s also more challenging as you adapt to working and trying to implement studying into your schedule. 

The key thing is making studying a habit.  Whatever worked in med school, will be your go to crutch in residency or registrar training. Your best friend will always be past exam questions (or any Q bank in general). 

Conflictingly, what worked in med school, may not work anymore in residency. I.e. anything that was more time consuming isn’t going to work anymore. You become more time poor. What were time savers to studying in med school, will remain valuable in residency. 

Our director of education often tells us that we are now lifelong learners. And we’re going to have to figure out a process to facilitate this. 

What i’m going to add is that it can be dynamic, because life will always change on you. I had a different study method when I was living on my own and working, than when I was pregnant. And obviously now that I’m primary care giver in the midst of returning to work. My habits also shift when I’m on night shift. 

I’ve read a lot of study tips by students, here’s what I’ve tried (and what’s kinda worked so far) as someone who’s out of school with a young family:

Environment:

Ambience. Have an environment that feels conducive to learning. Entice yourself into it.

I used to love libraries and coffee shops. 

In covid times, or in times with a baby to chase around, it’s not always an option anymore. 

So, make-over your study space. If you have one. Or just spruce up where you live with a few things. Low budget items can be found on Society6 for instance or good old amazon. Facebook Marketplace is another source of 2nd hand cheaper items, it’s possible to request contactless pick up or use the postal service. 

Alternatively, even simpler is just recreating at least the ambient noise via youtube and having a screen devoted to it with a relaxing wallpaper. Most sleep resources for babies recommend white noise, and now I find it relaxes me into studying too. There’s a tonne of 3 hour to 8 hr or live 24 hr streaming of ambient background noise with rain, library sounds, coffee shops sounds, softly playing music etc. Even Victorian time street noises. 

Have a clean environment. I can’t remember the psychology behind this exactly, but if you have a messy space, subconsciously you can feel it. At minimum, make the bed, put laundry away. Out of sight. Out of mind. Deliberate practice. 

From minute school and the link above.  Like any skill to master (be it karate chops or scales on a musical instrument) the same goes with mastering clinical skills and knowledge. Work itself lends itself to this. Every patient admission, rounds or handover is the practice of medicine. 

At home, it’s reading up on the interesting case on rounds afterwards and talking to other residents about it or your study group.  Also flashcards. If you don’t want to make your own, download them. They’re everywhere. Ankicards are the best on the phone or laptop. 

the alternative to flashcards?  A white board or writing it down over and over on scrap or manila folders.  I miss my white board, we don’t really have space for it since having a kiddo, so it’s sits taken apart, under the bed. 

Having a single Qbank is also helpful. I find it less confronting than flashcards some days when I’m tired. There are super cheap ones out there, if you’re willing to experiment - such as PassMedicine (a UK based one for the MRCP).

Handsfree studying

It’s almost impossible to study while caring for kids. So many parents suggest ankicards, but i’m lucky to touch these unless they’re sleeping. Or unless they’re really small, or old enough to entertain themselves. 

So I get around this with just having something to listen to in the background. I’ll still have my ambient noise on. (It really feels like I’m at cafe again, down to eavesdropping on the other tables)

Podcasts.  My favourite is the curbsiders. But anything engaging and simple works, where it’s like a conversation on rounds. Something that is not a lecture, where the hosts ask the pertinent questions you always wonder but are sometimes afraid to ask or refer. Also a new fave, is the Curious Clinician. Saves a time consuming (and sometimes useless) google search or uptodate dive on why things we might come across on the wards happen. Like what causes fingernail clubbing - what’s the pathophysio?

Lectures are another option. It’s very passive learning and dry. I’ll be lucky to be able to get through 1 a week. But as they’re all recorded, it’s easy to leave in the background. It does require constant rewinding such that it can take hours to get through a single one hour lecture. 

Similarly, so are  other similar forms of teaching like case presentations now over Zoom are recorded. If low on time, I’ll pay close attention to Qs at the end or the feedback sessions. 

Final option, an app or Qbank that talks to you. Firecracker has this option, but is a subscription service. Anki cards has a voice record option.

Accountability staying on track or having motivation is hard.  So having someone to catch up with and present to is a must. For the FRACP if you’re in Australia, having a study group is essential for the written. Even if you have nothing prepared, or just have 2-3 answers to old exam qs. During busy peaks, that 2 hr window with my group could be the only time I have to study that week.  By clinicals, aim to present to someone senior at least once a week. That in itself has sufficient fear factor to study pre and post.  reading.  Old school. 

But read when you can, read the resources that easy to understand and digest. That jog your memory. 

Best things are the clinical practice texts like Talley and O’Connor. Nothing fancy. Oldie but goodie. I’m lucky to have an hour a week to do this, but as I’ve only so much time, it’s a high yield little hour. 

Scan the table of contents of high impact journals once a week. I maybe do this in line for coffee. Takes 5-10 minutes.  I’ve subscribed to NEJM 360 for residents, so it lands in my inbox. It’s easier to understand and asks you questions to think over. Wikijournals is also a quicker read. Relatively anyway.

Most lectures and podcasts will refer to the landmark trials and give you the key points anyway, so I don’t allocate too much time to this.

adapt.

Being time poor requires adapting.  But in the time that you do have to study, ironically your focus is so much better then when you had endless time. 

There’s no perfect system.  Any suggestions? Keen to find out if anyone else has time poor study tips!

[scaredofheroin]

Captain N - Chapter 18: Urban Champion in the Making

When Captain N's eyes met Ryu's, he felt his foundations weaken. Ryu was built like a mountain, almost towering over him. He looked over him suspiciously, taking in Captain N's unusual appearance. A chill traveled down Captain N's spine as Ryu's eyes scanned him. An awkward silence filled the room, and Captain N almost felt suffocated by the tension. The ambient buzz of the fluorescent lights above was the only thing accompanying the two's silent greeting. Eventually deciding he should do something, he raised his hand out to him, cleared his throat and introduced himself with "Hey, I'm Pet- Captain N.". Ryu squinted his eyes at him, making his heart beat faster. Was he supposed to say that? Should he have waited for Ryu to introduce himself? All Captain N could do was keep his hand held out and hope for something to happen. After what felt like an eternity, Ryu met him halfway, took his hand and gave it a firm shake. "Nice to meet you, Captain N." Ryu's bold voice said in a surprisingly quiet tone. Captain N his the pain he felt from Ryu's crushing grip and maintained a strong form as he shook in return. Releasing him from his grip, Ryu took a step back and looked over to Little Mac and Doc Louis. "Do you know them?" He asked the two. Little Mac shook his head. "Nope, you're meeting them with us." he answered. Ryu looked over to the three accompanying Captain N. He gave Pit and Falco a solemn nod, and bowed graciously upon seeing Zelda. "It's an honor to meet you all." He said to them. "The honor's all mine! I'm a huge fan of your fighting!" Pit giddily responded, nudging past Falco to get to Ryu. He smirked slightly, apparently used to having fans. "So what brings you all here? I assume you've been looking for me." Ryu asked the group. "How'd you know we were looking for you and not Doc over here?" Falco asked. "Oh, don't flatter me, son. I 'aint as popular as I used to be." Doc Louis chuckled in between bites from a chocolate bar. "We were hoping you would guide us to Suzaku Castle." Zelda spoke up, moving closer to Ryu.

His expression grew more stern as he heard the castle's name invoked, heaving a deep sigh. "You're hardly the first to want to know the location of Suzaku Castle." Ryu responded. "But it IS real?" Pit asked eagerly. With only a nod, Pit pumped his fist in the air victoriously. "Ha! Told you so!" He bragged to Falco, who rolled his eyes, annoyed. "Why would you want to know where it is? It's a secret not lightly held." Ryu asked. Captain N stepped forward, his mentally prepared speech ready.

"These weapons I hold are proof that I'm the hero that ancient prophecy was talking about. We've already reclaimed the weapons from the secret chambers in Peach's Castle and Castlevania, and we believe the next weapon is hidden in Suzaku Castle. Without those weapons, it'll be essentially impossible to defeat the three kings terrorizing Yamajiro." Captain N declared, presenting his Zapper for Ryu's inspection. His expression grew more suspicious, eyeing Captain N's less than idea physique. After a moment of Ryu mentally mulling over his options, Captain N spoke up, asking "So can you tell us where it is?".

Another moment passed.

Doc Louis and Little Mac moved away from the conversation, giving them their space.

"Come on, where's the castle?" Falco impatiently asked.

Another moment passed.

"...I can't tell you." Ryu finally answered.

"What!?" Captain N, Pit and Falco responded in unison.

"Surely you can't mean that!" Zelda insisted, taken aback.

Ryu ignored them, and walked over to the punching bag laying on the floor. "You're in no shape to take on the forces of the three kings." Ryu bluntly stated, hanging the bag from the ceiling. Captain N felt wounded by the comment, but didn't let that become visible. "But we managed to go up against Dracula! We defeated him!" Captain N assured him, walking over to Ryu. "Dracula doesn't have the weaponry or the influence of Bowser, or K. Rool or Dedede. Just from looking at you, I can tell you're not a one-man army." Ryu reminded him. Zelda stormed right up to Ryu and straightened her posture with a stern look on her face. "As Princess Zelda of the kingdom of Hyrule, I command you to reveal the location of Suzaku Castle!" She demanded. Doc Louis and Little Mac tried to look busy, while also trying to subtly eavesdrop. Ryu didn't even acknowledge her as he adjusted the punching bag. "I have a sworn oath to keep the location of the castle secret from the outside world. If too many people found its secrets, the consequences would be disastrous." was Ryu's only response. Zelda huffed frustratingly, turning to the other three with a "Can you believe this?" look painted across her face. "But you can trust us! Destiny says I'm gonna save the world!" Captain N reminded Ryu. Once the punching bag was secured, Ryu turned to face Captain N. "Punch the bag." He instructed.

"What?"

"Punch the bag."

Still incredibly confused, Captain N stepped up to the punching bag. The bag swayed slightly, with a barely audible squeaking noise coming from the chain harness above. Captain N mimicked Little Mac's form in the ring, steadying his footing, putting up his hands in front of him, and with a deep breath, struck the bag with a swift punch. The punch stung his fist slightly as the bag reacted by swinging away. Rubbing his sore hand, he looked over to Ryu. "There's work to be done." Ryu bluntly stated. "What do you mean?" he asked him. "You need to prove to me you deserve to know the location of Suzaku Castle, and that you deserve your prestige." Ryu answered. "So you'll help us?" Falco asked from across the room.

"Yes, but only once he's proven he can put up a fight."

"Does that mean you're gonna teach him Ansatsuken?" Pit excitedly asked, leaning forward.

"No, but I can teach him how to fight before he competes tomorrow." Ryu answered, making Pit's expression fall slightly.

"Compete?" Zelda asked.

"You don't mean in the World Warrior Tournament, do you?" Captain N nervously added.

"You'll be taking my place in the tournament." Ryu informed him. Doc Louis nearly choked on his chocolate bar, and Little Mac was thrown off by this revelation. "But he's not ready!" Zelda objected. "Sure he is, destiny's on his side, after all." Falco semi-sarcastically spoke up. "We can train here to prepare. Only after your performance tomorrow will I decide if you deserve to know where Suzaku Castle is." Ryu calmly answered. "Well shoot, we better get going, then!" Doc Louis declared, getting up with a slight groan. "You know if we have any spare gloves in the back?" He asked Little Mac. He darted off to the office to check, and Doc Louis climbed into the ring. "Come on in here, Cap." He invited, which Captain N somewhat awkwardly obliged. Ryu stood right up at the edge of the ring, with Zelda, Falco and Pit standing next to him. Not too long after, Little Mac returned with two red boxing gloves, and gave them to Captain N. Standing in the corner of the roped edge of the ring as he slipped on the gloves, he spotted Ryu patiently observing, Zelda watched concerned, Falco watched with subtle interest and Pit hopped slightly in place, eager to see the action up close. He could tell the gloves haven't been washed recently, but otherwise felt comfortable. "Lucky you, getting trained by such legends to compete in the World Warrior Tournament!" Pit said giddily, gripping the rope below. Captain N nervously chuckled as he adjusted the strap on the gloves. "It'll be the first fight I've ever gotten into one-on-one. I won't be able to rely on dear friends like you to bail me out." He sheepishly admitted. "Plus it'll be broadcast all over the world for everyone to see you take on some of the best fighters in the world. No pressure, though." Falco chimed in nonchalantly. Pit nudged him for not helping. "Wait, what about the Koopa or Kremlings or any of those guys? It'll be, like, impossible for them to not notice me." Captain N realized, growing more worried. "If that happens, we'll be nearby to come to your aid. We took down an airship on our own, need I remind you." Zelda assured him. Captain N wasn't entirely persuaded, but decided that his time would be better spent training, so he turned away from the audience and towards Doc Louis wearing his own boxing gloves in the other corner, with Little Mac behind him.

"So you've never boxed someone before?" Doc Louis asked to clarify. Captain N answered with a shake of the head. "Well, you're gonna learn today!" He chuckled, tapping his gloved fists together. Captain N raised his fists up and steadied his posture. Doc Louis started approaching him, and he carefully made his way towards him. "I just wanna say it's an honor to be teaching someone of such reputation." Doc Louis said to him, making Captain N slightly flustered. "What can I say, my reputation precedes me." He responded. "Yeah, well, get ready for some old school!" Doc Louis declared, getting into a fighting stance. Realizing he was relaxing his posture, Captain N snapped into a posture matching his opponents. He could feel the eyes of his audience burn into him, Ryu's careful gaze making him feel slightly unsteady. The bell dinged, and round one had begun. Doc Louis danced around Captain N slightly, him trying to keep up with the surprisingly agile older man. Out of the corner of his eye, he could spot Pit bouncing in place, hyped up. Doc Louis suddenly pulled back slightly and yelled "Dodge!". Before Captain N could react, he was met with a strong boxing glove across the face, knocking him gracelessly onto the matted floor of the ring. Falco could barely hold back his snickering as Zelda gasped in surprise. "Come on! You can do better than that!" Pit cheered him on, Ryu remaining silent. Captain N's face stung like never before. His right cheek was already a bit swollen and tender to touch. He was content to lay on the mat where safety was somewhat guaranteed, but he knew he would have to face his elder opponent eventually, and with a quiet groan, got back up on his feet and put his gloved hands back up. "Try to listen up next time!" Doc Louis advised. "I doubt my opponents will be as sporting as you." Captain N remarked. "Hey, that's training. You gotta walk before you can run. You wanna go up against someone like Ryu in your first bout, be my guest." Doc Louis remarked. "As much as I enjoy watching you get your butt kicked, you should probably listen to him." Falco spoke up. Paying him no mind, Captain N re-steadied his stance and braced himself for the next strike. Doc Louis quickly got into a rhythm with him, each carefully maintaining a short distance from each other. "Dodge this one!" Doc Louis suddenly warned him, but this time he was prepared. As Doc Louis unleashed a mean right hook, Captain N dodged out of the way, finding an opening to strike his opponent. Before the window could close, Captain N struck Doc Louis several times before his opponent stumbled back to the ropes. "Good going, kid!" Doc Louis congratulated him. Zelda offered polite applause, where Pit happily cheered him on. Ryu remained silent, and Falco wasn't too eager to make any kind of remark yet. Doc Louis got back up from the ropes to get close to Captain N again. As the two held their fists up, Captain N waited for his opponent's next warning. "Block this!" Doc Louis suddenly exclaimed, which Captain N had barely enough time to register. Holding his arms together to block the right jab, he stumbled back somewhat, thrown off by Doc Louis's strong punch. "Try to stay anchored to the floor!" Doc Louis advised him. Regaining his footing, Captain N nodded along.

As the two slightly danced around each other, Captain N suddenly got an idea. Right after Doc Louis gave his warning in the form of "Dodge!", Captain N opted to duck down and strike his stomach with a right jab, rather than dodge out of the way. Doc Louis clearly wasn't expecting this, and stumbled backwards onto the ropes. The feeling of triumph he felt course through his body helped him stand up taller, feeling triumphant in his ingenuity. Looking over to the small audience, Falco nodded approvingly, Zelda seemed pleased with his actions, Pit was clapping excitedly, but Ryu remained as stoic as ever. Little Mac looked over to check on Doc Louis, but he got back up just fine. "Now you're getting the hang of it!" Doc Louis commented, approaching Captain N. He felt more determined than before, maintaining his distance from his opponent. His ears perked up slightly, anxious to get Doc Louis's next warning. This time, the warning came later than usual. Tensions were high as Captain N danced about on the tips of his toes, eager to spring into action. His instincts were kicking in, and he could feel Doc Louis peer into his eyes, much like how he was doing the same. He could feel each individual bead of sweat decorate his forehead. He could feel the air move around him. "Block!" came Doc Louis's voice suddenly boomed. Captain N's instincts took over, and as he weaved out of the way of his jab, he delivered the strongest uppercut he could summon and knocked Doc Louis down onto the mat. He stepped away to observe his opponent. Before he could worry if he ended up seriously hurting his sparring partner, Doc Louis got back up, chuckling heartily. "That's the spirit, son! You've got the spirit of a real fighter in you." He remarked, stretching his back. Captain N let out a laugh of built up nervous energy, relieved that the match has seemingly ended. "Hooray for Captain N!" Pit cheered with eager applause. "Oh, please. He was literally told what to do. It's about as great an accomplish as a connect-the-dots picture." Falco shrugged off. "Pay him no mind, you're making admirable progress." Zelda assured him. He smiled warmly, taking pride in his admittedly minuscule achievement. "So what next?" Captain N asked Doc Louis. "First, take five." He answered, tossing Captain N an unopened water bottle. He managed to clumsily catch it in his arms, and greedily gulped down its refreshing contents. Wearing his jacket wasn't helping how much he was sweating. He sat down in the corner of the ring, near the four watching. "This is such a waste of time, can't you just tell us where the castle is?" Falco impatiently asked Ryu. He remained firm in his stance. "The tournament will go for two days. I need to see that he's worthy of knowing where Suzaku Castle is." Ryu stated. "And you're SURE you can't use your magic to just find it?" Falco turned to Zelda. She sighed softly, looking down. "It's been attempted before, but to no avail. Plus, I... I'm not terribly confident in my navigational abilities after I almost led us to our defeat in Castlevania." She glumly admitted. Falco groaned, annoyed. "Oh, come on. You're telling me there's NOTHING on where Suzaku Castle is?" He asked. "You didn't even think it was real yesterday." Captain N reminded him. "Then how'd you hear about it?" Falco interrogated Pit, who put his hands up in defense. "I dunno, I heard a couple rumors!" Pit nervously answered. Captain N spotted Little Mac talking with Doc Louis on the other end of the ring, just out of earshot. Not paying them too much mind, he took a couple more swigs of the cold water, feeling incredibly refreshed.

"Alright, break time's over, Cap. Time for round two!" Doc Louis declared. Captain N jumped onto his feet, ready for action. But instead of climbing back into the ring, Doc Louis opened the ropes up for Little Mac to get in. "Normally I wouldn't move you along so quick with your training, but since your big day is tomorrow, we gotta hustle." Doc Louis explained. "That means I'm gonna be sparring you." Little Mac continued, putting up his gloved fists. Captain N's worry returned, turning to his audience for some kind of help. "Don't worry Cap, I'm sure he won't hurt you too bad!" Pit reassured him. Falco smirked slightly, but seemingly got a mental instruction from Zelda to not make any witty remarks. "Relax, I'll go easy on you to start, but it's gonna get tougher later." Little Mac explained to him. "After all, I can't have the chosen one getting all bruised and bloody before his first official competition." He remarked. Captain N didn't want to get into a real fight like this, his face still stung from when Doc Louis got his punch in. But he knew that he was going to have to get stronger if he was going to save Yamajiro. He steeled his nerve, tossed the empty water bottle out of the ring, and put his hands up. The bell rang, and Little Mac marched forward. Only when he got closer did Captain N realize he was actually taller than Little Mac. Not by much, only a couple inches, but it still surprised him. He shoved those thoughts to the side and met his opponent in the middle. Mimicking the stance he's learned, he crouched slightly behind his two raised arms. The two carefully moved in a circle around each other, waiting for the other to make the first move. But almost in the blink of an eye, Little Mac attacked Captain N with a right hook. He was quick to react, and hid behind his arms to block the attack. "You coulda dodged that!" Pit noted from outside the ring. "Thanks for the tip, coach." Captain N sarcastically replied, moving back from Little Mac. He still didn't react any further than that, carefully trying to maintain a safe distance from Little Mac. His small stature betrayed his skill, his prowess radiating off his bold form. Right as Little Mac let loose another right hook, Captain N dodged out of the way and jabbed at his torso. The impact pushed back Little Mac a bit, who chuckled once recovering. "Nice shot!" He congratulated. "Heh, than-" Captain N was about to say, but was cut off by being crossed across the face by a surprise left hook, knocking him to the floor. His face felt sore from the impact, but he felt his pride was more wounded. "Don't get distracted, that's how they'll get you!" Little Mac advised him. "Yeah, save the flirting for post-match." Falco remarked. Captain N waved him off and quickly got back onto his feet, guided by his fighting instinct.

He furrowed his brow at Little Mac, more determined. Tension was cut short as Little Mac tried to jab at him. Captain N quickly got out of the way and landed two more punches at Little Mac. But this also left himself open, so his opponent was also able to punch his side. The punches made him feel more sore, but he couldn't quit now. The two danced around each other, anticipating their next move to subvert and strike. "It might be a good idea to take on a more offensive technique." Zelda suggested, watching closely. Ryu offered no suggestion of his own, silently watching the match. Captain N locked his gaze onto Little Mac's face, keeping his wandering eyes from giving away where he would attack. Finding a small opening in his lower torso, and tried to quickly jab at that region. Little Mac was too quick, and blocked the jab, knocking Captain N back onto the ropes. "Perhaps not..." Zelda shrunk back, slightly embarrassed. He wasn't going to keep getting pushed around, so Captain N re-approached Little Mac, ready for more. He waved out of the way, but jabbed at Captain N. He blocked the jab, and unleashed a powerful uppercut on Little Mac. Taken completely by surprise, Little Mac fell back onto the mat. He tapped the mat twice, indicating that he's done sufficiently enough. "Heh... not bad!" Little Mac noted, slowly getting back onto his feet while rubbing his jaw. "I'm glad you think so!" Captain N chuckled, taking this opportunity to catch his breath and relax. "See, you're making progress!" Doc Louis noted approvingly. "Was that impressive enough for you?" Captain N jokingly asked Falco. "Eh, could've been better." Falco shrugged. "Never mind him, your skill is improving ever more." Zelda assured him. Captain N sheepishly thanked her for the praise. "Thank goodness you didn't beat him too bad, could've embarrassed him in front of the Princess here." Doc Louis joked, whereupon Little Mac rolled his eyes. "I could've beaten you if I really wanted to, you know that, right?" Little Mac asked Captain N. "Yeah, I got it." Captain N answered, with a small smile.

"Now what?" He asked Ryu.

"Next you fight me." Ryu stated.

Captain N froze in place.

"...Huh?"

Ryu climbed into the ring and walked to the opposite end.

"Your competition tomorrow will be fierce and relentless. If you are as promising as I'm seeing, you'll need to do well against me."

"Ryu, I'm not so sure this is such a good idea." Little Mac spoke up, but Ryu was undeterred. He adjusted his gloves and did some minor stretching, not helping Captain N's nervous state. "I'm sure he won't hurt you too bad. This is only training, after all." Doc Louis said, trying to ease the tension. "Yeah! Plus there are a TON of people who'd love the opportunity to have a fight with Ryu himself!" Pit added. Falco and Zelda shared a look, both deciding that there was nothing too drastic to worry about. "Do be careful with him, we've only got one." Zelda requested of Ryu, using humor in attempt to alleviate the tension. This did little to aid Captain N, who was almost shaking in place at the thought of having to fight this mountain of a man. "Are you ready, Captain?" Ryu asked him.

Captain N nodded.

The bell rang.

Ryu approached Captain N, and he followed his motion.

He instinctively put his guard up, but it did little to block Ryu's powerful punch. He was knocked to the floor, doubling over in the severe pain. Ryu simply stood over him as he writhed on the floor, trying to recover as soon as possible. Captain N eventually rolled away from Ryu and slowly got back up, putting his guard back up. As Ryu approached him, Captain N watched him carefully to detect where he would strike next. In almost the blink of an eye, Ryu swung his leg around and kicked Captain N's legs, knocking him back onto the floor. "Wanna call in an assist?" Pit asked him. Captain N waved off the suggestion, and slowly got back onto his weakened legs. He saw an opening in Ryu's defenses, and swung him arm out to strike him in the abdomen. His rock-hard abs almost deflected the blow, and all it took was one uppercut with a powerful "Shoryuken!" to knock Captain N back down, this time for good. He groaned in pain, clutching his nose and hoped it wasn't broken. No blood ran down from his nostrils, which assuaged his fears. All Ryu offered was a simple. "Hmph." before exiting the ring and retrieving his punching bag. Shame came over Captain N as he realized what losing meant. He looked down at the floor, avoiding looking at Ryu. No one in the room wanted to comment on the match, not even Falco. "At least you'll have your weapons." Ryu noted, throwing the bag over his shoulder. "Huh?" Captain N said, perking his head up. "Weapons are allowed in the World Warrior Tournament, I assumed you knew that." Ryu went on. "Then why'd you have him get beat up? You're not wasting his time only, you know." Falco interrogated him. "It's unwise to rely solely on weapons, especially if so much rests on one's shoulders." Ryu calmly explained.

"I'll head to the arena to arrange for you to compete in my place. I will see you there tomorrow at 5 PM." Ryu stated as he walked out the door, before anyone could bid him farewell. "Wait, where are we gonna stay for the night?" Captain N asked. "It wouldn't be a good idea to search for a hotel, with so many of the three king's forces patrolling New Donk City." Zelda noted. "Yeah, plus we shouldn't keep asking for free stuff." Pit added, making Falco respond with a smug "Tch.". "I've got some cots in storage, you four can stay here for the night." Doc Louis spoke up, opening the door to the storage closet. "Oh, no, we would hate to impose." Zelda tried to object, but Doc Louis was undeterred as he got four cots out and set them up, with assistance from Little Mac. "I trust you four won't be causing much trouble, although I wish I could offer something more fitting for a Princess." He said. "It's more than what we could ask of you, thank you for your kindness." Zelda thanked him. "Yeah, I don't know how I would've gotten by without the kindness of strangers." Captain N added.

"We'll be back at around 7 AM, have a good night, you'll need it!" Little Mac said over his shoulder, carrying his gym bag as he exited the gym with Doc Louis, who tossed a set of keys to Captain N. Once the two left, Captain N locked the door behind them, looked back at his three allies, then at the four less-than ideal beds.

"...Hey, come on, this isn't so bad. Two nights ago we slept on the ground!"

[mysdrymmumbles]

Andraste’s Witch - Chapter 69 - SFW

Pairings: Slowburn Cullen x F!Witch!Inquisitor, Eventual Adoribull

Rating: M for later chapters which will include violence, PTSD, withdrawal,  angst, body horror (think red templars), and possibly other stuff that I will be sure to tag. This is not actually a grimdark story, but I just wanna give people a heads up for stuff that will happen. There will also be fluff and friendship and magic (though to be fair, this is Thedas, so magic will not always be positive and very rarely as adorable as that last statement implied).

Genre: Action/Adventure with elements of romance  

Summary: Dorian finds himself a bit more popular than he’s used to. 

Still no clue on when I’ll have a consistent update schedule, but thank you for sticking with me and reading anyway! Ya’ll are great!

Andraste’s Witch 

Chapter 69 - If It’s Not One Thing...

Skyhold felt a bit empty, even though Dorian was absolutely certain that there were more people present than ever before—granted, they were mostly in the ever-growing village by the river, but that was hardly the point.

The illustrious herald and her advisors had headed off to Denerim, taking a sparse few party members with her, and while Dorian understood why she’d left him behind—the King wasn’t fond of mages, and he doubted that one from Tevinter would be seen in a better light—he couldn’t help but feel a little put out by it.

He hadn’t really come south to save the day, but he’d…

Well, he had expected to be at least a little bit useful.

It was bad enough that he’d lost the library to the tranquil. They were so eerie that it made his soul cold just standing near them, staring into their lifeless eyes and listening to them drone on in absolutes, never feelings.

Worse, they couldn’t be reasoned with. They knew how to organize their books, and they were not open to more practical methods.

He’d tried going to the rebel mages to see how they generally dealt with the tranquil only to learn that most of them had a tendency to simply pretend they didn’t exist.

Truly, the south was a baffling place.

He supposed he understood not wanting to face what could be done to oneself, but still…they were—had been mages. Did they no longer count as brethren?

He’d considered asking time and time again, yet somehow…it didn’t seem appropriate.

And while Grand Enchanter Fiona and a handful of other mages were grateful to him for the help that he and Felix had provided them, most of the mages were wary the second they heard his accent.

It was understandable, considering how they’d nearly become slaves to Tevinter mages, he supposed, though it was yet another moment where he was mostly annoyed without being able to explain why.

He knew he would be viewed as a villain down south. He’d been used to it in Orlais.

Yet it still stung when someone new eyed him with caution or stopped mid-sentence and hurried away.

Not that he’d let them see it. No need to give them proper gossip.

And anyway, he heard more interesting things eavesdropping while pretending to read than in any conversation.

For example, Lady Vivienne was searching for Cole along with a few other mages, though they’d been unsuccessful in finding him. Dorian half-suspected that the creature had left with Finley. It would have if it was smart, anyway.

The mages were divided on what to think of Finley, as were the templars. A few were calling for a phylactery to be made, ‘if’ she came back from Denerim.

As though she wouldn’t.

Add to that that Varric had left with his old friends to gather red lyrium or something completely foolish.

Without Finley, Dorian had little reason to associate with Solas or Vivienne or any of the others. Without Varric, he had little reason to lounge about the main hall.

Regardless of whether the dwarf was there or not, it had become an unspoken truth that the hearth was his and no one else’s.

Dorian had sat at the table once, without thinking, but the looks people had given him as they’d wandered past had made him most uncomfortable.

It was a damned table. A rickety, miserable one, at that. What did it matter if he sat there?

In the end, he’d left it because of how eerily empty it felt, rather than the annoying stares of those who thought he was trying to usurp the writer’s position.

He’d been eavesdropping in the library from his little corner that he’d managed to get the tranquil to leave alone—it was not a victory, considering all he had to do was take a few steps to see that the organization of the books was all wrong—for most of his evening, idly listening as mages debated the usefulness of having the inquisitor be a mage and whether things might actually change—it was the same droll topics as always just in different voices—when he’d decided to go elsewhere.

Big as Skyhold was, he had few places he could truly go. Mother Giselle frequented the gardens, and she was always giving him a critical eye, as though she expected him to abruptly start twirling his moustache and cackling maniacally as he recited prayers to the Old Gods.

He’d been tempted to do so on more than one occasion, just to see what she’d do, but thus far he’d behaved.

It did, however, leave the gardens somewhat off limits if he wanted time to relax. He avoided the undercroft most of the time, as the new arcanist was a bit too talkative, and it could be a mite exhausting trying to keep up with her train of thought.

Really, all that was left was the Herald’s Rest, and it wasn’t particularly enjoyable, either.

There were a few mages who would beckon him over to sit with them, but for the most part, he was drinking alone, and well, one could do that anywhere.

And yet, despite it all, he’d headed to the Herald’s Rest anyway.

Now, he couldn’t help but wonder why he was there. Even as he considered going off to his private chambers for the night, the bench creaked beside him, dipping so that he almost slid to his right.

Looking over, incredulous, he found the qunari mercenary Finley seemed to hold in high regard had taken a seat beside him. The hulking man was watching the crowd wax and wane in the main part of the bar, as though he didn’t realize he’d caught Dorian’s attention.

“Don’t you normally stay near the wall?”

“Sorry, this your table?”

With a snort, Dorian looked away from him, nursing his current drink. “Hardly.”

A silence settled over them, though Dorian couldn’t even remotely call it comfortable. At least not until he glanced over to see that The Iron Bull looked rather relaxed, reclining where he was as he people watched.

The tavern’s ambient light did wonders for the qunari’s biceps…

A thought that was fleeting at most as Dorian looked back out as well.

Dorian bristled when he heard The Iron Bull let out a low hum. When he glanced over at him, The Bull motioned out toward the far side of the tavern, to a mage who was tentatively talking to one of the soldiers—a templar, if his armor was any indication. “Bit of an odd pairing, wouldn’t you say? Want to wager how long it will last?”

It was such a casual thing to say, so…

It made no sense. Of all the people in Skyhold, he’d rather expected the qunari to be the least likely to come to him for idle conversation, considering their people’s history.

“What exactly is it you want?”

The Bull appraised him a moment, finally giving Dorian his full attention, and he couldn’t help but feel a little overwhelmed by that. The Bull was huge and…

“Word is that there’s a bet that dwarf writer—Varric—is hosting.” Dorian stilled as the words sunk in, eyes widening slowly. “Something to do with whose luck will win out first? A certain templar’s or a certain ex-templar’s?”

Immediately, Dorian slid closer to The Bull, glaring up at him. “Who told you about that?”

“I have my sources.”

Dorian’s lips dipped into a pronounced frown as he glared up at the bastard. He should have figured out no one would be sidling up beside him to talk to him…

“Well, as you said, Varric is hosting the bet. So I hardly see why you’re talking to me about that.”

The Bull’s grin said he was enjoying this conversation a little bit too much. “Well, you are in on it, aren’t you?”

“I see no reason to answer that.”

“My men and I were just wondering how we might get in on that, seeing as it seems like—considering how many people are getting interested—it might be a lucrative win. Half of us guess one way, the others guess the other. We split the profit regardless. We can’t lose.”

“You can’t just guess so generically,” Dorian snapped, though he instantly felt like an idiot, as The Bull’s grin widened. Sitting up a bit straighter, Dorian let his gaze wander from his current company, glancing around for anything he could feign interest in. “It’s a matter of who and when. And Varric is the one keeping track of all that, so again, no point in talking to me.”

“Let’s say I bet next week for the Lady Seeker and her beau. If nothing happens by then, can I change mine? Or would I have to place another bet?”

“Vishante kaffas,” Dorian hissed. “Do you listen?” When he found The Bull staring expectantly regardless, Dorian closed his eyes and took in a slow breath. There was no point in answering the man’s questions, considering he was just going to keep prying.

Instead of giving him what he wanted, Dorian shot to his feet, striding out of the tavern without much thought to where to go from there. As soon as he was out in the cool night air, however, he found that he wasn’t going to be afforded a moment to himself.

“You should read this.”

Dorian turned his head slowly to see that damned…what was he even? Spirit? Demon? Conjured minion?

So much for him being smart enough to leave with Finley.

“I have free will,” Cole assured Dorian, though that was hardly a comfort.

The spirit was holding out a folded piece of paper that had dark splotches upon it, which—when Dorian reached for it—he found to be blood.

Fresh blood.

For the second time in minutes, he was cursing in his native tongue. Glancing around for anyone who might be watching to damn the wicked Tevinter for associating with malevolent spirits carrying bloody messages, he gripped Cole by the arm and dragged him around the corner, into the shadows.

“What is this?”

“Important.”

Dorian reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose, but stopped himself as he realized his thumb was still bloodied. With another quiet curse, he looked around for something to wipe his hand on. Finding nothing, he glared at the spirit. “If it’s important—”

“Solas doesn’t know all the words, and I just know the intent is…bad.” The spirit shuddered as though a cold wind had swept over them, and then held out the note again. “There’s no one else I could ask to help.”

Despite feeling like dragging the spirit all the way to wherever Solas slept to ask him to keep his pet in line—he was the one declaring Cole safe, after all—Dorian’s gaze slid down toward the envelope. “If I read this will you go away?”

The spirit nodded quickly, and even in the dim light, Dorian could see the simple smile on the creature’s face.

Mouth a thin line, and brow pinched together, he held his hand out.

No sooner had the paper touched his hand, he was alone.

It was little consolation.

However, he was certain that creature would be back if he didn’t keep his end of the bargain, and so he slipped back toward the front of the building until he could see clear enough to read without needing to conjure anything himself.

Whatever he’d expected the letter to read, it hadn’t been this.

Dorian’s mind blanked, and then he blinked a few times, looking around, suddenly wishing the spirit hadn’t left him so quickly. Where had he gone?

“You…Cole?” he whispered the name, a hiss into the night.

When no boyish figure materialized in front of him to clarify things, his gaze snapped back to the letter.

It was written in Tevene.

Of course it was written in Tevene. Who in their right mind would bother to plot in any other tongue? Aside from Orlesian, perhaps.

Hold plans in their fortress. With what we’ve got in the capital, it may not be necessary.

And that was it.

No signature, no specifics as to what capital or anything. Maker’s ass, they could have been talking about Minrathous or Val Royeaux or…

“What’s this?”

“That’s what I’d bloody well like to—” Dorian cut himself off as he realized who he was talking to and looked over his shoulder to see The Bull standing there, peering down at the letter in his hand.

The bloody letter in Dorian’s Tevinter hands, written in Tevene, that implied there was a plot afoot, likely against the Inquisiton.

“How’d you get that?” The Bull demanded, straightening up and crossing his arms. “I’ve been trying to get Krem to get in with those Tevinter spies for weeks, but he just gripes at me that he’s not one for subterfuge. I figured asking you would be pointless, but…” He cocked his head, appraising Dorian with new interest.

Dorian took in a slow breath, glancing from The Bull to the paper and back. “You…know this wasn’t me? That I’m not involved?”

“Yep.” Even as Dorian’s mind scrambled for the word ‘how’, The Bull grinned at him. “I have my sources.”

“They must be good sources; I’ll give you that.”

The Bull shrugged.

“Then…” Dorian hesitated as he eyed the qunari, wondering if asking questions would really be a good idea. “Do you know what this is about?”

“You don’t?”

“Clearly.”

Cracking his neck one way and then the other, The Bull motioned toward the paper. “The Venatori are looking for a way to bring down the Inquisition. There’s a few around Skyhold. The Spymaster and I are keeping an eye on them.”

Dorian let out a huff. “Even I could piece that much together.” He hit the paper with the back of his free hand. “This says something’s going on in a capital. Does this mean…” Perhaps it was the wine that made his mind register what had to be the most obvious answer a bit slower than he should have. “Finley and everyone are headed to…the Venatori must be planning something in Denerim.” His gaze snapped back up to The Bull. “We have to warn them.” He ran his fingers through his hair, trying to remember that ridiculous bird spell that Finley had shown him. It was conjugated atrociously, and he had yet to get it to work properly.

He started toward the main building, thinking to go up to the rookery, but stopped, abruptly turning back to The Bull, who still stood where he’d found Dorian. He paced back to the qunari, holding up the note. “Who here is working for the Venatori?”

“We don’t know all of them.”

“Vishan—” Cursing wasn’t going to fix this problem. A proper curse might, but not…

How could he send a message? What if the person he sent it through was Venatori or just working for Corypheus? What if the person who relayed the message or received the message was?

They had to warn Finley.

Maker’s balls, but all the important members of the Inquisition were in that group. If something happened to them, there would be no Inquisition.

“Where are you going?”

The Bull’s words were in his ear as he matched Dorian’s pace. “Someone’s got to warn them.”

“So you’re just going to…what?” The Bull peered ahead as they rushed down the stairs. “Saddle up a horse and ride off in the dead of night? That won’t be suspicious.”

“To the Void with suspicions!” Dorian snapped, starting to turn on his harasser, but instead continuing toward the stables. “My reputation is already in shambles, what do I care if I have a few more wary looks cast my way when I get back?”

“Assuming you do get back.”

“Is there a reason you’re trying to talk me out of this?”

“No, no.” The Bull reached out and caught Dorian’s arm, stopping him in the middle of the lower courtyard. “By all means, go. But we’ll come with you. Anyone wanting to keep this quiet will think twice about coming after a mercenary company instead of just a lone man.”

“A lone Tevinter mage.”

“Altus.”

Whatever Dorian was about to say, it was forgotten with that clarification.

The Bull gave him a quick wink. “We’ll gather supplies and leave just before morning. It won’t tip anyone off if we all go together. We can say we’re going to clear some bandits off the roads.”

It made sense.

More so than running off alone in the dead of night, anyway.

Dorian glanced up at The Bull, frown in place. “How do I know you’re not a spy?”

The grin that immediately lit up The Bull’s face was…something.

“The Boss is discrete. I appreciate that.” Motioning to himself, The Bull leaned down. “I am a spy. Just not for Tevinter or Corypheus.”

Dorian tried to wrap his head around that. “If you’re a spy, why would you—”

“Come on, now. Of all the things I need to worry about, a Tevinter mage accusing me of being a Qunari spy is not one of them.”

Though Dorian opened his mouth to retort, the truth of it was clear enough. There was no way anyone would believe him if he accused their only qunari of being a spy for the Qun. Not when he was from the only country at war with them.

Grasping for some way to salvage his pride and out-maneuver The Bull, Dorian stood a bit straighter, motioning to him. “And how do I know the Qun doesn’t want the Inquisition dead in the water?”

“We like our world with a few less demons, too.”

As much as he would have liked to argue with The Bull until he could trip him up, it hardly seemed worth it, considering what needed to be done. Dorian held his head a bit higher as he nodded once. “Fine. We’ll do things your way.”

“Now, that’s something I like to hear.”

With that, The Bull clapped a hand down onto Dorian’s shoulder and then turned to head back to the inn. However, he’d barely made a few steps when he turned back, motioning for Dorian to come with us. “So then, about that bet…”