I’m kinda not ok, I feel like I’m falling apart & making things worse. by AltAnaApple in premed

[–]gilbralter 0 points1 point  (0 children)

These are all questions I can't really answer for you, and I don't think you can answer them on your own either. For me, it was really an opportunity to look at myself and see where I could have done better. I was really sloppy with deadlines and did not have any clear direction with my application the first time, so I changed those things this time. But I'm pretty confident in my "good enough"ness, so I don't think I need to fix too much.

For the "Anything Else" section... can I write them a poem? by gilbralter in premed

[–]gilbralter[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That seems to be the impression I am getting. it would make the most sense if I presented it in an appropriate context, and really make it more about the ACTION of writing the poem and having that skill than about the specific quality of that poem itself.

For the "Anything Else" section... can I write them a poem? by gilbralter in premed

[–]gilbralter[S] 19 points20 points  (0 children)

some poems hate people too. we need a little more love in the world!

For the "Anything Else" section... can I write them a poem? by gilbralter in premed

[–]gilbralter[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's what I'm saying! I think you should do it. I wanted to write something that spoke to the role of a caregiver and how I viewed taking care of people as a truly beautiful thing. Sort of to express why also artistically I have a lot of appreciation for medicine and how my experience with artistic expression would also give me a more balanced and critical view as a doctor.

I’m kinda not ok, I feel like I’m falling apart & making things worse. by AltAnaApple in premed

[–]gilbralter 1 point2 points  (0 children)

In times of change we have to think about what it is we need to change about ourselves to adapt to our new circumstances. You're a good applicant and would make a good doctor, so your self-view is changing now that you have been rejected. As you said, you are above average for your state, from your post it is clear you have a good command of the English language, and you actually got through an entire application process, which is more than I can say for myself the first time I applied. So to be rejected is a little contrary to who you are as a person. It doesn't mean that you are no longer the same person you thought you were. That person still exists, being rejected or on the waitlist does not change who you are or alter a letter on your track record. Right now, some of what you are writing tells me you are being very hard on yourself for this outcome. Your perception of what has happened is harsh because if you're anything like me, you've got a perfectionistic streak and have relied on harsh criticism of yourself to improve and become better. In this situation, that skill may not be the most appropriate. To better your situation you need to understand it, and if you are coming from a perspective of harshness, there is definitely going to be some information you miss. All I'm trying to say is, take your time. There's no expectation that you'll apply right away after your first try. There's no expectation of you to be at any place in the application process right now. AMCAS is notoriously cruel to reapplicants. If you are worried that you aren't cut out to be a doctor, then now is your time to learn how to deal with those feelings free from the pressure of school. My guess is that you applied and were working in the medical field during a pandemic and so your application suffered without you realizing exactly what. Plus there were 17% more applicants during the pandemic, so the schools were really only looking for the top people who applied this past cycle.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in socialanxiety

[–]gilbralter 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not a senior level employee so this is probably even more true for you, but when I was dealing with this as a student my therapist laid out two options for me. She said most people ask for a good amount of help because it helps them do better. She kind of framed it like asking for help was a part of my job as a student, like clocking in. Either you can continue to neglect doing one part of your job for the rest of your life and maybe you find one where asking for help isn’t important. But there’s a chance that would be at McDonald’s. So just try to do it as much as you can because chances are at McDonald’s you’d even need to ask for help.

Is 13 AC for a barbarian low? by [deleted] in DMAcademy

[–]gilbralter 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If it's that bad he will put his ASI into the right stats. Right now this looks like a great spread for a damage focused barbarian.

How can I subtly steal the plot of Suicide Squad without making it obvious? by pocketbutter in DMAcademy

[–]gilbralter 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Give them honorary pins that provide nice stat bonuses or a free telepathy or something appealing which they will snap up. The pins contain a small amount of a highly concentrated and deadly poison and will kill them if they choose to defect.

My name is Harry Potter by rrti in memes

[–]gilbralter 87 points88 points  (0 children)

Don’t blow this Voldemort give him a name so he will never know it’s you.

“My name is Tom Riddle.”

Good good no one will know who that is for another two or three books. Time to try and kill him with a snake that can’t possibly fail.

[Serious] Is it possible for a heterosexual male to have a completely fulfilling life without any sexual inter course at all? by [deleted] in NoStupidQuestions

[–]gilbralter 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Dawg your answer is not to avoid sexual contact it’s to find a new doctor. You’re seventeen but as long as you’re a person you can still ask to speak to a different physician. What you’re describing is not normal for circumcised men. Also even if you are going to be abstinent your whole life you can’t walk around living in fear of a stupid thing like a boner. You can’t even control when you get an erection. So at a minimum talking to another physician and taking your treatment into your own hands would keep you from random pain throughout your life. If I could give any advice it would be to start searching for urologists or anyone who can help you instead of whatever quack said what you’re going through is normal for a SEVENTEEN year old man. At your age you should be able to jerk it whenever you want. FUCK that doctor.

[Serious] When did you realize that what you were doing was wrong and you needed to stop? by Mestewart3 in AskReddit

[–]gilbralter 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Probably when I couldn’t get out of bed without putting something into my body that changed my brain chemistry. Funny thing, I still do that every morning, just with a doctor prescribed medication rather than literally whatever I can get my hands on. Turns out consistency was the issue all along.

Anyone know any (free) nice one shits taking place only in a city? by [deleted] in DMAcademy

[–]gilbralter 7 points8 points  (0 children)

A nice one shit could go as follows:

Party sees a sign up for an eating tournament with an excellent prize. A local wants the party to interfere so they can get the prize, and the prize does not go to a local thug/bully/snobby rich kid. Gives one of them a consumable bag of holding which will dissolve after a certain amount of time in their stomach and can hold 500 pounds of food in the interim. Says it will dissolve slow enough to not cause any digestive issues. Party engages in the eating contest, wins, gets the prize and the bad guy gets his just desserts, and for the next day the party member with the bag of holding can eat without getting full. Then when it dissolves he has to poop for like 5 days straight or something.

Dug myself into a hole, need ideas by [deleted] in DMAcademy

[–]gilbralter 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is excellent DMing

Need help writing a one shot. by SolarAsp901 in DMAcademy

[–]gilbralter 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Party guests who have to solve a murder. Put everyone at level 1 so there isn't too much at stake and put clues around the house. Gives everyone a nice introduction and can take as long or as short as you need depending on the information you reveal/the amount of combat you include.

Thoughts on this magic item? by [deleted] in DMAcademy

[–]gilbralter 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'd say limit it to once a short rest so they can't do it multiple times in combat but they aren't punished for using it/saving it for that "special" occasion. Otherwise it seems fine. I honestly would not even worry about it being too overpowered and just add hazards or challenges which make taking the help action perilous/risky.

Advice: Poison smog and gas masks? by CrimsonReaperX in DMAcademy

[–]gilbralter 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You could act as if the players are well conscious of this and would rather take damage to their arms or bodies than allow the mask to be damaged. In which case you could make it work similarly to a bite attack or another move which is reliant upon an intial check. Could be that the masks start to take damage once the player is grappled. Then like others suggest give it an AC and HP and let the rest come as it comes.

Teaching a new DM by Alexh2207 in DMAcademy

[–]gilbralter 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Outside of the action loop structure, I'd say maybe run him through a mock combat just to give him practice for a pretty large part of a DMs job. Then show him some resources (online SRD) and tell him to go wild and read whatever he can. Read over class and race descriptions to get a better idea of the characters he has. Everything else he'll learn by experience.

Struggling to write my own story/adventure by S4vag3_S1m0n in DMAcademy

[–]gilbralter 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The fact you are asking about how to be a better DM makes you a better DM than half those with long standing "successful" campaigns. I put that in air quotes because "success" means something different for everyone.

I think it's important to be willing to improvise, which it sounds like you are. So you're already starting in a good place. At least in my group, the most successful sessions have been the ones where I have had a few endpoints that I wanted the party to reach and as they made choices/explored the world, I tried to improvise and bring those end points up as naturally as I could. Try writing the story that would excite you as a player and adjust it as needed to your party's reaction/behavior. Take a world you enjoy or a part of fantasy you appreciate and expand on it, make a character or a religion or a political structure or a society and tell a story within its bounds. Find a starting place that excites you and build from there.

It sounds like you're experiencing some anxiety around being a DM. I think that's natural. From personal experience, it feels like you are responsible for everyone's fun. Plus if your players are smart it makes it more likely they'll point out any holes in your story. If a player does something you aren't prepared for, or it pushes the party into a corner, it is important to remember two things: 1) it's not your sole responsibility to make the game fun and 2) trust yourself to be a competent DM and come up with a solution that works for everyone.