Circuit s edge play online

I didn’t play the current wipe, just wanted to see what’s new since I’ve heard a lot of issues about the new version. So if some one can give me a rundown with PvE, new editions, etc.
For reference I have EOD edition and I didn’t play this latest wipe with the armor changes.

I’ll preface this by saying that I am not some amazing player that got to master rank or anything. I got to Platinum 1 in my first week of playing(not super high, but I was proud of my progress), and made a ton of mistakes that cost me time, a lot of losses, and real money to fix. I’m writing this to show some other new players what I learned from this experience.
Probably the most important thing I learned was only to surrender if you’re getting frustrated beyond annoyance. If you’re super competitive, like I am, and you find yourself getting upset by a match to the point that it’s causing you to get mad, it’s worth just surrendering. But, other than that, you shouldn’t surrender. It’s crazy how many times i’ve won a game with an absolutely terrible opening hand, just because I used ash blossom on the opponent’s first card, and they just quit. Even if you play it out and lose, you will definitely learn something about the limitations of your deck, or how another deck functions from it. So, try not to surrender.
Speaking of Ash Blossom, craft and use all the staples that you see in most decks.
Next is to do some research on decks before you dump crafting materials, gems, or real money into a deck. Especially if you go into the game, like I did, and end up immediately crafting vehicroids or a toon deck, only to get bent over 40 times in a row by the Snake Eye special. If you like a particular archetype then, by all means, go for it. But if you want to be competitive, at least find a deck that is “rogue” and watch people play it.
Now that you’ve found your deck, watch YouTube videos from good players. I learned so much about my ExoSister deck from watching better players on YouTube. Sometimes you can find guides, but a lot of the videos are just them playing with no commentary. You learn a lot about interactions and when or when not to use certain effects.
Play through the solo mode with the loaner decks. You learn a bit about the different summoning mechanics. That’s what I got from it. Then play through it with your deck. You get a lot of gems to expand on your deck or build a second one. You also learn a lot about the limits of your deck, in an environment where you won’t get punished too hard by the bot. I learned a lot about my deck by doing this.
The next thing I did, that not only made me a better player, win more games, and teach me more, was to integrate a seperate engine into my deck. I found that people play ExoSisters with Dinomorphia, and I worked that in. I played in casuals and learned when to summon what, and what did and didn’t jive together. This made me think more about the plays I was making, while also giving me another weapon when you come across an opponent who is using a deck that completely counters yours. I noticed that a lot of decks do this.
Lastly, I learned that, for me, the best way to play this game is to have 2 decks. One for ranked that’s decently viable, at least. Then to have a casual deck that’s just for fun. People test things or try new things in casuals so you can afford to play your toon deck, or whatever and 9/10 games you won’t summon toon dark magician girl, then wait 10 minutes for your opponent to perform 745 actions, ending on Utopia 9/11: CIA inside job dragon, that burns you for the amount of degrees Fahrenheit it would take to melt steel beams.
Bettemore experienced players, feel free to drop other tips in the comments. These are all just things I wish I had known from the start that I learned the hard way. I spent about $150 on gems after the first few days, because I made mistake after mistake on what I crafted, deconstructed, and making decks that just weren’t good. I hope people can at least learn to make a decent deck with the free gems, instead of doing what I did.

In the last 3 films we have been introduced to multiple kaiju both from Toho and are original. They all have a connection with one another or had interactions with Godzilla: 1. Kong 2. Ghidorah 3. Skar King 4. Shimo
So to start with Ghidorah, before King of the Monsters Godzilla and Ghidorah fought against each other and it ended with Ghidorah frozen in ice for thousands of years which would coincide with the last Ice Age.
We later learned that Shimo played a role in freezing Ghidorah which means Godzilla didn’t fight alone. Also Godzilla and Shimo had a history where they fought and Godzilla won. However it is unknown whether this happened before or after Ghidorah was frozen.
Then somehow in the present day Shimo was a prisoner of Skar and his tribe. This leads me to Skar who tried to take control of the surface but was stopped by Godzilla. It was also mentioned that Skar was involved in and may have started the war between Godzilla’s and Kong’s race which resulted in the near extinction of Kong’s race on the surface and leaving Godzilla as the last of his kind.
Godzilla’s role in the war with the Kong’s isn’t really expanded but he did fight with a Kong and he lost but that was because he was very young and wasn’t as strong as he was in the present. This same Kong was also killed by Tiamat. However I don’t know whether this happened before or around the same time Godzilla fought against Ghidorah before king of the Monsters.
So I was wondering did Godzilla’s fight with Ghidorah happen close with the Godzilla-Kong War? Did Skar use the chaos caused by Ghidorah to launch his first attack to the surface and also capture Shimo after the end? Does that mean that there could have been a massive war between multiple titans around the last ice age?
What do you guys think of this theory?

I need to create a box with softly beveled edges along the top and bottom perimeters.
To do so I’m wondering if there’s a way to create a rounded corner rectangle tube. Something to specify the radius of the tube and curve of the corners.
Any ideas?

45M saw the midnight screening of TPM in NZ 1999.
Online now there's been a debate around the PT hate vs ST. I was there and the reception was different vs now along with environment online.
Biggest difference is social media didn't exist as such (unless you count forums).
So in 1999 what were we doing Star Wars related? Well our group was playing Rebellion and Rogue Leader (N64 game). Somewhat recently Shadows of the Empire. They lined up for tickets I managed to score some midnight screening ones.
We didn't not hate TPM. The disappointment was very real though.
The 90s were kinda rough n NZ. Our group was a mixture of welfare kids through to reasonably well off kids. We consumed a lot of what is now legends material. Games and books comics were a bit harder to aquire in my part of NZ.
Internet was a lot less common back then no social media. A computer was around $2000 nzd in the 90s rent was cheap say $40-60 per week circa 1996-1999. I don't remember the conversion rate to usd minimum wage was around $6-8.
Buying a PC though was 6-12 months rent. I didn't own one in 1999 first used the internet 1996 to give you an idea.
I watched TPM disappointment was real but I didn't go online and slag it off. I wasn't online. There was also sobe really bad Star Wars media by tgen so it was far from the worst. That applies to Disney Star Wars now as well.
None of our group hated TPM anyway and we formed our own opinions. And those opinions were mostly self contained. Idk if there was online hate in 1999 but if there was it was easy to miss. Even if you had a PC an the net it as dial up. And you would gave to go Join a forum. 1999 was also the first year I saw a text message.
Fast forward a few years. 2001 was the first year I joined a forum. It was a D&D one but they gad another section for Star Wars RPG. My first discussions around Star Wars online were about the d20 and older D6 material. The D6 material was massively influential in early Legends material after Heir to the Empire. No one got to offended if you didn't like TPM but I don't recall people constantly dumping on it. Not saying it didn't happen but it was easy enough to miss.
Interdiction cruisers in Rebels. They are from legends and they got it from said D6 RPG materials.
Fast forward a few more ears and RotS has been released. Generally people online seemed to like that one (cf RoS). Not claiming it was universally loved but a common attitude seemed to be the PT was a bit meh except for Pt III. Once again social media didn't really exist or was in its infancy around 2005/6.
It was also a golden age for Star Wars games 2002-2008 although you could also claim 1997-2010 ymmv of course. Even if the movies were not loved there was plenty of other media to distract you. Once again there wasn't a lot of hate directed at the movies at the time. Not everyone loved them of course but the negativity was more disappointment, wish they were better, at least pt III was good.
And then social media blew up. I don't remember Twitter before 2012 and I think I used youtube for the first time 2010 late adopter.
So that's the key difference between then and now IME. Social media didn't exist, less people were online. Those that were more segregated into their own communities on forums. Most people didn't use forums or even knew what the were.
I did see my 1st meem 1996 or 97 comparing a politician to the Nazis. Godwins law 1997.
So I'm Gen X turning into my parents lol. Never used a dating site haven't been single since 2000 and barely single since 1996. No idea where to even start if I was.
But the rise of social media has resulted in a lot of anger and confusion and flow on effects I have noticed. Another simple example is dating and expectations due to tinder and porn. Younger female friends or relatives putting pressure on themselves and guys completely clueless. We just had to deal with things like playboy. I'll admit to reading them but stopped the 16 when one realized that girl you like probably doesn't like them.
Modern world is better in some ways worse in others compared with the 90s.

Hi everyone! After not having taught elementary music for a couple years, I'll be returning to that age level this fall. I'm looking for recommendations on your favorite online curriculum to use. I've used MusicPlay Online in the past, but I always felt like it was a little cheap and poorly structured. Perhaps I just never utilized it to its full extent. That said, what does everyone like to use? Thanks in advance!

Hey folks,
just recently started another run, trying to do it solo for the first time, wanted to ask specifically if it’s still a blast, considering that my farthest run ended right after the elder, on a multiplayer family server which just wasn’t operated anymore.
When I played Valheim for the first time it was just like playing Minecraft for the first time when I was a teen, a feeling I didn’t ever had again for a freaking long time.
Since I didn’t even met bonemass yet (explored crypts though) is there much more to experience? I mean, off, literally there is 4 more biomes, but what I mean is are there more wow moments like seeing and being chased by a troll for the first time or sailing across the ocean?
May sound silly but as one gets older and have their own children, there isn’t much time to play, a couple of hours per week max. Is it worth it to invest that time into valheim? Because of my little playtime, playing multiplayer is just not worth it though, if someone always needs to wait for the other person
What are your thoughts?

Or, more aptly, give Google Gemini feedback. Taking the PE in 12 weeks and kicking off 3x/week study sessions. Let me know if you have any topic suggestions or other comments to what Google Gemini gave me when i asked " I'm taking the PE - Power exam in 12 weeks. Make me a 12 week study schedule "

12-Week PE Power Exam Study Schedule

This is a general schedule to get you started. You can adjust it based on your existing knowledge, preferred study methods, and available time.
Resources:

• NCEES PE Power Exam specifications (https://ncees.org/exams/pe-exam/electrical-and-compute)
• Your chosen study materials (textbooks, practice problems, online courses)

Weekly Breakdown:
Weeks 1-4: Focus on core topics (40% of exam)

• Week 1: Power Systems Analysis (30%) - Review fundamental concepts like power flow, stability, and symmetrical components.
• Week 2: Machine Analysis (20%) - Understand motor and generator operation, including starting characteristics and synchronous machine analysis.
• Week 3: Protection & Control (20%) - Focus on protective relaying principles, circuit breaker coordination, and control system basics.
• Week 4: Power Electronics (10%) - Grasp the concepts of power converters, inverters, and power quality.

Study Activities:

• Review relevant chapters in your study material.
• Take detailed notes and highlight key points.
• Solve practice problems from your chosen resource or past NCEES exams (https://account.ncees.org/exam-prep/).
• Form a study group (optional) to discuss concepts and test each other.

Weeks 5-8: Address specific topics (35% of exam)

• Week 5: Transmission Lines (12.5%) - Learn about transmission line parameters, power flow analysis, and voltage regulation.
• Week 6: Distribution Systems (12.5%) - Understand distribution system analysis, fault calculations, and grounding principles.
• Week 7: Power System Economics (5%) - Review economic principles related to power generation and transmission.
• Week 8: Power Plant Engineering (5%) - Study different types of power plants, including their operation and maintenance.

Study Activities:

• Follow a similar approach to weeks 1-4, focusing on specific topics.
• Consider incorporating online resources or video lectures for more in-depth explanations.
• Start practicing full-length practice exams under timed conditions.

Weeks 9-11: Review and Practice (25% of exam)

• Week 9: Review weak areas identified from practice exams.
• Week 10: Focus on Codes & Standards (12.5%) - Study National Electrical Code (NEC) and other relevant codes for proper electrical installations.
• Week 11: Practice more full-length exams under timed conditions. Analyze mistakes and refine your approach.

Study Activities:

• Revisit challenging topics from previous weeks.
• Focus on memorizing important code requirements.
• Analyze performance on practice exams and address knowledge gaps.
• Consider taking additional practice exams from different sources.

Week 12: Final Touches (Pre-Exam Week)

• Review key concepts and formulas.
• Get a good night's sleep before the exam.
• Relax and be confident in your preparation.

Additional Tips:

• Develop a realistic study schedule: Be honest about how much time you can dedicate each day/week.
• Find a quiet study space: Minimize distractions and maximize focus.
• Take breaks: Schedule short breaks to avoid burnout.
• Maintain a healthy lifestyle: Eat nutritious food, exercise regularly, and prioritize sleep.
• Ask for help: Seek clarification from colleagues, professors, or online forums if needed.

Remember, this is a sample schedule. You can adjust it based on your strengths and weaknesses. Consistency and focused studying are key to success. Good luck with your PE Power exam!

Anyone else follow the owner on Instagram? Someone should really start documenting her on “how not to run a business.” She attacks customers online, complains about any and everything and she spends more tome globetrotting, cooking at food & wine events than she does cooking at her own restaurant. I’ll admit the food itself is good but she’s left a bad aftertaste.

Hello everyone! I have recently come across two fairly priced watches that are in my budget. I’m decently new to garmin watches, so please help me out here. The two watches that I’ve been trying to decide between are a black forerunner 45 or a sea foam instinct. They’re both about the same price used online and I’ve been trying to decide which to get. From what I’ve seen the instinct comes with more features, but is slightly older and has a older generation sensor. Not sure if that matters but I wanted to get everyone’s opinion!
Thanks

I haven’t played this game seriously since 2019 but right now I have a dragon ball itch. Is it worth starting over? Is grinding moves and skills a pain or did they ease up on that? Is the online scene active or will I be mostly solo?

Graded baseball cards
Both pop 1 Justin $100 obo Abel $100 obo

So imagine with me for a sec. Witness is toast, universe is saved, champagne all around. What should we do next? Have a season long party! Let the Guardians take to the town, have a parade, go out for karaoke, and help lighten the mood for the next golden age. Each week could have some event or mission based around each of the major characters that help us get this far. Play crucible matches with Ikora, throw Zavala a retirement party, and have a beer with Cayde to help catch him up on everything he’s missed. Bring SLR back maybe idk. We’ve been fighting gods for years, I’d say it’s time we kicked back a bit.

I'm a 30-year-old introvert who enjoys the quieter moments, but I also have a sense of adventure. I'm into traveling abroad, hiking through beautiful landscapes, and exploring new places. I have a short social battery, so I tend to recharge with some downtime, but with the right person, I can be a great companion. Ultimately, I'm looking for something serious and long-term. I would like to have kids someday and dream of building a home in a remote mountainous area where I can enjoy nature and peace.
I'm 5'11" with an average build, and I hit the gym regularly to stay in shape. I work full-time and also study part-time and recently have setup a business so I keep pretty busy. When I do find some free time, I like playing video games, especially puzzle-solving ones, and I also enjoy coding. I’m a big fan of Christopher Nolan, and my favorite movie is Memento, which I've wached so many times.
One of my favorite things to do is engage in deep conversations. I love thinking about big questions and discussing them with someone who’s equally intrigued. If you’re into that, I think we’d get along great.
I'm not into social media like Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, etc. If that's a big part of your life which you're also looking for in a potential partenr, I might not be the right person for you. I prefer to spend my time with people in person or through meaningful conversations over the phone or via messages.
I'm looking for someone who also enjoys deep discussions, likes adventures, and is either introverted or extroverted—it doesn't matter as long as you respect my need for occasional alone time. Ideally, you don't have kids, you don't smoke, and religion isn't a deal-breaker for you, as it's not a significant part of my life (I don't believe in God).
I'm open to a long-distance relationship but I'd like to meet in person regularly once we're both comfortable. To set expectations, I may not share a picture of myself with you until I'm comfortable with who you are.
If this sounds like you, I'd love to chat and see where things go.

** this is a long rant
We broke up yesterday — after 16 months together and what was both our first relationship (both around 18-19 y/o). I met him online, me in nyc and him in LA. We both got into the same college and our first interaction was nothing but sparks. There was no consideration for looks, background, and what nots. To me, that was the purest form of connection and intent of interest. Fom my daylight to midnights, our hours were full of conversations, flirts, and little did I know, the beginning of love.
After three months of talking, he traveled across the country to meet me and those memories felt like scenes out of a Hollywood movie. Those memories I kept on as we did LDR for the next 5 months until college started. While it was hard, I learned with the time difference and schedule differences, it’s not the quantity of time you spend with each other but if the person on the other end is worth waiting for. I waited.
When college rolled around, he filled his schedule once again with student govt campaigns, clubs, and networking events (we go to a highly competitive school). I waited. I gave him my all (my firsts of everything) and we went on dates here and there but it felt nothing of what he promised: the quinesstenial college romance of holding hands down campus, studying in the library, watching the first autumn leaves fall. I asked why we can’t do all of this and he told me he’s busy and that there’s that insecurity in him to show personal life in public. I empathsized as his touch and his care behind the door meant more that what was displayed. So I became accustomed to waiting.
During winter, I reflected on our relationship: the imbalances of love. I asked am I receving as much as I’m giving? My love langauge is acts of service and physical touch. His, as I came to conclude, is quite rare. Because of his ambition, time is his most valuable asset — no matter how busy he is, he always makes time to spend time with me. I know that he loves me because he’s a person who puts up a strong front, a big smile, and what seems to be never-ending energy, but when he’s with me, he’s able to let it go. Like a bird who everyone sees soaring but only I can see when he’s down, with his wing tucked, and defenseless. I came to treasure this trust between us and proud of how deeply connected we became from just talking through a screen to be spending arm and limb next to each other.
-Yet, I couldn’t heal him. No matter how hard I’ve tried, he feels as if he lost himself in with the amount of things he’s trying to accomplish in college and as he tries to find his passion to pursue. Because we only spend nights together in the comfort of my room when both of us are tired from the day’s schedules, that old spark of never-ending conversations of random topics disappeared. For him, he enjoys my company but sometimes he feels as if this relationship felt like an obligation. Because I spent so much time invested to him, I also lost sight of who I was coming into college, full of aspirations to do and explore.
We talked about this issue, and I told him, yes we need to redirect our focus but it doesn’t have to mean the chopping board. As students, the most and least I can give is my time for when he needs support and comfort. I want to be with him along this journey and come out into real adulthood with memories and success to share. But as the stubborn soul he is, he reaffirms that he doesn’t want us to cling on and salvage the bare minimum. he told me, “if I have a chance at loving you again after college, I will fall even harder.”
This love was becoming cancerous. From one day to the next, our love catching closer to the end depsite our souls becoming more saturated with depth. Why can’t love be everlasting like the fairytales promised.
I miss him so much and I don’t know how I should treat him. should i wait for him until we’re ready? what are the boundaries of us? we both agreed to continue to talk because we care and support each other but will he still be soft and gentle to me because he loves me but we’re not in a relationship? will he wait for us?

Howdy. I am officer M (only M, privacy reasons, could lose my job if I was exposed). I’ve been investigating these three cases for the past few years, and I wanted to see if anyone had any clue how to solve them.
I normally wouldn’t go to places like Reddit for this, but I’m desperate. Everyone else I’ve tried has said that this is some kind of webseries project thing. It isn’t.
I’m gonna show you the transcriptions of three sets of video tapes. The first set is from James Barlowe, the second from Daren Redd, and the third from Nick Robin.
Well, I’d better get on with it.
[- - -]
There’s only one tape in this section. It begins with a man in a priest’s uniform (identified as James Barlowe) in the driver’s seat of a car. The person holding the camera is in the passenger’s side.
CAMERAMAN (LATER IDENTIFIED AS NICK ROBIN): “So! What’re we doing, James?”
JAMES: “Oh, uhm, we’re going to a haunted house to perform an exorcism.”
NICK: “Hell yeah we are!”
Nick turns the camera towards his face.
NICK: “Someone tipped us off on a haunted house recently, so we’re gonna go check it out. And James is gonna use his cool priest powers or whatever to get rid of the ghosts! Right James?”
The camera pans to James.
JAMES: “Ah- Yeah.”
The camera turns back to Nick.
NICK: “Now, I’m not gonna be in this one too much, since James is gonna be doing his stuff on his own.”
JAMES: “Wait what?”
The tape cuts off here, and picks back up with James holding the camera. He’s in front of a run-down, abandoned house. He seems nervous, fidgeting with the stole around his neck.
JAMES: “Okay, so, uhm. I am Father Barlowe, and, uhm..I kind of thought Nick was gonna be here. He- He told me he was gonna be here. I dunno. Uhm. Today I’m going to exorcise this ghost. I, uh, don’t know if I’m allowed to do that anymore. But I know how.”
James turns the camera around, and starts to walk into the house. The front door opens into a hallway, which leads to a living room. The camera shakes as James fumbles with his pockets, then brings out a cross. He holds it out in front of him.
JAMES: “Uhm, if there are any ghosts here, show yourself.”
Nothing happens. James mutters something about editing. He waves the cross around dramatically.
JAMES: “Ghost, or demon, or whatever you are, please come and-”
A loud bang comes from somewhere within the house. James seems to flinch. He can be heard heavily breathing as he turns the camera towards the sound.
JAMES: “Uhm..Okay. That’s okay. I’ve got a cross. I’m okay.”
James begins to walk down the hall, where the sound was heard. The camera is shaking, and James is holding out his cross.
JAMES: “Okay, uhm- I think..I think the ghost is in there.”
James points to the doorway at the end of the corridor, then advances towards it. He walks through, and into what appears to be a study. There is a desk and chair in the corner. The chair has a pitch-black figure in it.
JAMES: “Oh god, okay, uhm- Okay. Okay. Uhm. Uh- Demon!”
The figure turns to face James. He holds out his cross with a trembling hand.
JAMES: “Foul creature, begone from this home-”
The figure stands up and begins to walk towards James. The camera is dropped.
JAMES: “Oh God, oh God!”
James can be heard running away.
[- - -]
This first tape is very intriguing to me. The figure has not been identified. At least, not as anyone in the town.
I interviewed both Nick Robin and James Barlowe (they had not gone missing after this video. quite the contrary, in fact. James Barlowe is the one that brought the video to police), and they revealed that most of the content in their videos was fake.
They said that the events of the video were not planned.
[- - -]
The camera appears to be moved around a bit, before setting up to show a man in a red hoodie (identified as Daren Redd) sitting in an office chair. It can be assumed that he’s at his desk. He smiles at the camera.
DAREN: “Uh- Hi. This feels weird, haha. I don’t think I should introduce myself? I don’t know. No one but me’s gonna see this anyways. Unless I make, like, a giant scientific discovery. Or break a world record.”
Daren fidgets with the strings of his hoodie, twirling one between his fingers.
DAREN: “So. My sleep schedule sucks. I’ve been trying to fix it for weeks now, it isn’t working. I’ve decided, fuck it, I’m just gonna roll with it. So! I’m gonna try and stay up for 12 days straight.”
Daren grabs the camera, and shows a calendar up on the wall. The month and year are cut off. Two days are circled (Tuesday, then the next Saturday).
DAREN: “I’ve got a calendar here so that I can figure out how long I’ve been up. If I do more physical stuff, maybe I’ll stay up longer! Haha.”
The camera pans back to Daren.
DAREN: “I’ve got my room-mate watching over me. He’s actually in here right now- Say hi, Nick!”
(PRESUMABLY) NICK, IN THE BACKGROUND: “Hey.”
DAREN: “I rested up real good to prepare for this, so I’m hoping that my plan works. So, uh..Yeah. D-Man out.”
The next tape starts out with Daren holding the camera up to Nick Robin.
DAREN: “Niiiiiiiick.”
NICK: “Why are you recording me?”
DAREN: “Nick how long have I been awake?”
NICK: “Since yesterday, I think.”
Daren flips the camera around to face him. He has a large grin on his face.
DAREN: “That’s right, baby! D-Man has been awake for one whole day! Well- Two? One? Since Tuesday. It’s, uh, Wednesday.”
Daren shows the calendar to the camera. Tuesday is crossed off.
DAREN: “So far, nothing weird has happened yet. I’m tired, but I’ve been drinking a ton of Monster.”
The camera pans to a trash can, with several cans of Monster in it.
DAREN: “So! I should be able to stay up as long as I need. World record, here I come!”
The third tape begins with Daren dragging a trash bag outside.
DAREN: “Ok so I forgot to record a tape today, and I know that if I don’t do it now I’m gonna forget again. But, uhm, I’ve been up for..Uh..I dunno. Time is a concept, anyways. It’s Thursday now, though!”
Daren heaves the trash bag into a can. He walks back inside, and sighs with relief as he enters.
DAREN: “Whew, I love air conditioning.”
NICK (IN THE BACKGROUND): “Dude- Why don’t you take your hoodie off?”
DAREN: “Ah, y’know.”
NICK: “I really don’t.”
DAREN: “See, you get it!”
Daren chuckles and brings the camera into his room. He sets it down on his desk, and sits down in the office chair. He has bags under his eyes, and his hair looks messier than usual.
DAREN: “So. Recently, I’ve been tired. Like, horridly tired. To the point where even sitting down is a..” Yawn. “Risky move for me. But, working from home is keeping me on my toes. Who knew that writing reports could be so exhilerating!”
He looks over his shoulder for a moment, before turning back to the camera. His eyes appear wide and frightened, but he’s still smiling.
DAREN: “Uh, pro tip, maybe don’t try this stuff! I’m stupid enough to try and get a world record, but you, uh, shouldn’t be. Anyways, uhm, D-Man out.”
The fourth tape shows Daren in the hospital, sitting next to Nick, who is in a bed with an IV in his arm. Daren’s eye bags have gotten worse.
DAREN: “Hey, uhm. I don’t know if I’m supposed to record in here. I had to drive Nick to the hospital- He had a dairy allergy thing.”
NICK: “I said he could record in here, don’t worry.”
DAREN: “Yea, he- He said I could record this. I think I’m gonna stay the night here- People do that at hospitals, right? But, uh, they don’t need a bed for me. Because I’m not sleeping! I’m just gonna, uh, play on my phone for the night.”
Daren looks over his shoulder, before turning back to the camera.
DAREN: “Well! It’s Friday now. Been, uh, four days, I think? Yeah. I’ve been awake for four whole days! Well, uhm, this is more filler than anything. Nothing to note. D-Man out.”
The fifth tape is corrupted. Nothing is salvageable.
The sixth tape begins with Daren sitting at his desk. He looks tired beyond comprehension. His knee is bouncing, and he’s tapping his fingers on the table.
DAREN: “Uh, day..Six. I think. It’s Sunday now. The Lord’s day, ha-ha! I’m- I’m not religious. But, uhm, I know one of Nick’s friends is. James something. Maybe I should call that guy. I-”
Daren cuts himself off by looking over his shoulder. He looks back. His eyes are wild and terrified.
DAREN: “I think this was a bad idea. A horrible idea. I- I tried to sleep yesterday. But I couldn’t. I can’t- I can’t close my eyes for too long. Uhm..Nick has been in the hospital since Friday. He’s- He should be back by now. His visits never take this long.”
Daren chuckles. His voice sounds nervous.
DAREN: “He should be back soon, though, right? Right. He’s just taking a bit longer than usual. Uhm, Darry out.”
The seventh tape shows Daren sitting under his desk. He sets up the camera and brings his knees to his chest.
DAREN: “Nick came back today. He, uhm. He’s acting different. I was- I was talking to him, and he, uhm. He forgot he had a dairy allergy. He just..Forgot. I reminded him and he went- He went, oh, yeah. Like he didn’t go to the hospital for it a couple days ago.”
Daren appears to be trembling. He pulls his hood over his head.
DAREN: “..Been awake for seven days, ha-ha. So close! Just, uhm..Five? Four? Something around that. That many days left. I don’t- I don’t wanna do this. But I think I have to. I think it’ll leave me alone if I..”
Daren looks up at something offscreen, and screams.
[- - -]
Daren Redd went missing after this video. I’ve been looking for him for years. I’m trying to stay professional here, but I really don’t know what’s going on. I still sometimes try to figure out what he was looking at in the last tape. But there’s no reflection in his eyes- No shadows anywhere. Nothing. Could he be hallucinating?
I don’t think he is. I think he’s seeing things, sure, but they’re real. They have to be real.
[- - -]
This last section begins with Nick Robin in a car. He’s driving this time, with the camera on the dashboard. James is in the passenger seat. There’s camping gear and a few bags in the back seats.
NICK: “Hey! Welcome back to the PDC (later identified as Paranormal Discovery Channel, the youtube account that both Nick Robin and James Barlowe share), today we’re gonna be exploring a whole abandoned town! It’s called, uh..What was it called again?”
JAMES: “Sasbol heights.”
NICK: “Right, right. Sasbol heights or whatever. Anyways! It’s gonna be cool. Oh- There it is! Dude dude dude- Look!”
The camera points to a charred-looking town. Maybe burnt down?
NICK: “We’re gonna get settled, then get back to all of you. I’ll see y’all soon!”
The next tape begins with Nick sitting in a tent.
NICK: “So! It’s been, like, a day. The first night was pretty underwhelming- Just some creepy old town with bugs and stuff. Nothing too special. Just a bigger version of a haunted house.”
Nick looks off screen- Presumably at James. Nick chuckles.
NICK: “James is sleeping right now. Apparently he’s been having nightmares? That’s, uh, pretty normal for him, though. Oh! Today I started setting up the ghost hunting stuff. Unpacking, putting up cameras, all that jazz.”
There’s shuffling from behind the camera. Nick smiles at (assumedly) James, and winks at the camera.
The third tape starts with Nick and James going into one of the abandoned houses. Nick seems much more enthusiastic than James.
JAMES: “We’re gonna put a voice-over on this, right?”
NICK: “Yea, yea. Something something, abandoned house, something something.”
JAMES: “Good, good, uhm..Nick, man, you know I like doing this and all..But I don’t think I like this episode. It’s like- It feels wrong, y’know?”
NICK: “Mm..You’re right, you’re right. But hey! Think of the money we’ll get from this. Our reactions are gonna be authentic and shit. Plus, we’ve only got a day left.”
Nick pats James’ back, and James smiles.
JAMES: “Right. You’re right.”
The fourth tape is corrupted.
The fifth tape doesn’t include James or Nick’s face, but we can assume who is talking.
NICK: “Listen, man, it- It just got corrupted. It’s fine, right? It’s cool. We can redo it-”
JAMES: “I’m fucking serious, Nick! This isn’t normal! None of the shit we saw yesterday was planned!”
NICK: “I know, I know, but come on man! I need this money!”
JAMES: “Money isn’t worth it, at this point. Please, God, let’s just leave.”
NICK: “If you wanna leave, just go! I can do the video without you.”
JAMES: “I’m not just leaving you with these demons!”
Both Nick and James are quiet for a while. Nick silently walks back to the tent, bringing the camera with him.
The sixth tape is shot from within Nick’s car. Nick is driving, the camera is on the dashboard. He seems terrified.
NICK: “I’m not publishing this. I’m keeping this for myself, and- I don’t know! The police, probably! Jesus Christ- I’m fucking speeding. Are there even road laws here?”
Nick looks at his gas tank, seeing the needle nearing the E. He begins to tear up.
NICK: “Fuck- Uhm. What happened. James tried to kill me, and- And I don’t think he’s James anymore. I really don’t. He’s- He’s not that guy I went to high school with. There’s actually no way.”
He looks at the camera briefly, doing a quick double take.
NICK: “What- No. No. No- Goddammit! Leave me alone!”
The car swerves, and the camera topples over.
[- - -]
I’ve been thinking about these cases since I found them. The actual police department doesn’t know about them- And I haven’t told my superior about them. These tapes just kind of appeared at my doorstep one day, along with a camera.
I looked at the camera’s film, and found three images.
The first one is a picture from the first set of tapes. It seems edited, though. James has a halo.
The second one is from the second set. It shows an image of Daren, with some kind of pitch-black figure behind him.
The third one is, supposedly, from the third set. Though nothing like it is seen anywhere in the tapes. It’s an image taken from the driver’s seat of Nick’s car, showing the camera from the video on the dashboard. On the screen of the camera is Nick. The image is edited to show a car tire over Nick’s face.
If anyone knows anything about James Barlowe, Daren Redd, or Nick Robin, please tell me at [xxxxxxxxxxxxxx]@gmail.com.