#reliability engineer jobs | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

theonottsbxtch · 1 month ago

Text

THE OTHER GUY PT.6 | FC43

an: and we've reached the final part of the series! i hope you guys have enjoyed this as much as i have, it was very fun to write and i can't wait to write something soon :) remember my requests are always open!!

ynpiastri

liked by oscarpiastri, logansargeant, landonorris and 30,382 others

spain, i'll miss you 🥲

*tap to load more comments*

userone: spain yn was my fav yn

usertwo: is that franco? 👀

userthree: it's probably oscar or logan

oscarpiastri: i have an idea, i pay you to stay in spain for the rest of your life and you never come to the track again

logansargeant: i need her there, you're not a reliable source of gossip

ynpiastri: if you don't invite me, i have other ways of being there

userfour: franco? 👀

userfive: your honour i love them

lilyznimer: can't wait to see you again

ynpiastri: @/oscarpiastri HA SHE LOVES ME MORE THAN YOU 😹🫵😹🫵

usersix: yn, we're all here for franco confirmation. give it to us.

twitter

francolapinto

liked by alex_albon, williamsracing, ynpiastri and 985,352 others

back to work, i hate this country 🌧️

*tap to load more comments*

alex_albon: next time take me to spain too

francolapinto: yes boss

userone: no yn confirmation ☹️☹️

williamsracing: franco...

francolapinto: no amount of media training will make me lie about this country

usertwo: where's yn?

userthree: we want to see FRANYN!

userfour: she's in his likes. im connecting dots.

userfive: stop being delusional, you ain't connecting shit.

twitter

ynpiastri

liked by oscarpiastri, logansargeant, francolapinto and 29,453 others

me when i remember that i actually have a big girl job and living off of oscar's money in his spare room isn't actually what i do with my life.

*tap to load more comments*

userone: wife

usertwo: she has a job?? i thought she just went to gp's with oscar

ynpiastri: SHE has a masters in engineering design and technology 💅

userthree: cleared

oscarpiastri: move out please

ynpiastri: no 😁

userfour: still no franco

userfive: girl they both have full time jobs

usersix: MOTHERRRRR

logansargeant: you're a psycho for bringing your laptop to the beach btw

ynpiastri: i don't think i asked for your opinion, hope that helps lo! 😘

interview with franco colapinto

twitter

ynpiastri

liked by oscarpiastri, logansargeant, mclarenracing and 31,439 others

supporting my favourite mclaren driver (not oscar)

*tap to load more comments*

userone: I WANT TO BE HER

usertwo: I WANT HER

oscarpiastri: funny joke

logansargeant: or is it..👀

userthree: imagine living her life

landonorris: i thought your favourite driver didn't race for mclaren [this comment has been deleted]

userfour: she's so pretty

userfive: still no sign of franyn

twitter

francolaptino

liked by williamsracing, alex_albon, ynpiastri and 924,235 others

the only women in my life btw (not that anyone asked)

*tap to load more comments*

userone: oh😀

usertwo: i don't believe it

alex_albon: this guy

userthree: he's so unintentionally funny

williamsracing: how cute

imessage between logan and yn

twitter

ynpiastri

argentina

liked by oscarpiastri, logansargeant, francolapinto and 31,435 others

would rather date traffic cone (holiday dump coming soon x)

*comments have been turned off*

offseason 2024

The golden Argentinan sun hung low in the sky, casting a warm, amber glow across the quiet, coastal villa. His family home sat nestled on the edge of a cliff, overlooking the endless blue stretch of sea. The scent of saltwater drifted in on the breeze, mingling with the fragrant citrus trees that lined the garden.

You and Franco sat on a cushioned wicker sofa in the sunroom, the wide-open windows framing the breathtaking view. The room had a rustic charm—whitewashed walls, terracotta tiles, and soft, earth-toned furniture. His arm was draped lazily around your shoulders, pulling you close as you both idly scrolled through your phones, the sounds of crashing waves and distant seagulls filling the peaceful silence.

But neither of you were really focused on the phones. The fan speculations and social media drama had become a background hum—amusing, but distant. For months now, you’d both kept this secret relationship hidden, playing the game of cat-and-mouse with the public, teasing and trolling them into thinking you were still enemies.

“Do they really still think I hate you?” you muttered, your lips curving into an incredulous smile as you glanced at a fan comment. “I’ve done too good a job convincing them.”

He chuckled, his voice low and smooth as he leaned in closer to peek at your screen. “Well, you have been pretty savage online. You didn’t hold back with that last post, hermosa.”

Your eyes flicked up to meet his, playful. “Says the guy who told the press I’d have to beg for a date. I never forgot that one.”

He grinned down at you, his light brown eyes twinkling with amusement. “I mean, to be fair, you did tweet that you wouldn’t date me if I were the last man on earth.”

You rolled your eyes, nudging him with your elbow. “Touché.”

His laughter faded, replaced by a softer, more thoughtful expression. His fingers tracing slow, absent-minded circles on your arm, and his gaze shifts from the ocean outside back to you. The silence stretched out between you for a moment, and you could feel the weight of what’s unspoken.

“We can’t keep this up forever, you know,” he finally said, his voice quieter now, more serious.

You paused for a second, his words catching you off guard. You’d grown so used to the secrecy, to sneaking around and playing up the rivalry for the fans. It had become a game, but now, here in the warmth of his family’s sunroom, with the sea breeze gently ruffling your hair, the reality of your relationship felt different. Realer. More solid.

You sat up a little straighter, turning to face him fully. “What are you saying?”

He met your eyes, his lips curling into a small, meaningful smile. “Maybe it’s time we tell everyone. Stop pretending.”

Your heart skipped a beat. The thought of going public, of finally letting the world see what’s been building between you, sent a thrill through you. But it was also terrifying. What would people say? How would the fans react? You’ve been holding onto this secret for so long, the thought of exposing it felt almost... vulnerable.

Still, as you sat there with him, in this secluded little bubble away from the world, the idea didn't seem so scary anymore. It felt exciting. Liberating.

A slow, playful grin spread across your face. “If we’re going to do this, we have to do it in the most ridiculous, out-of-pocket way possible.”

He raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “Like what?”

You leaned back against the sofa, the sunlight warming your skin as the wheels in your head begin to turn. “Something so cheesy and over-the-top that people won’t even know if we’re serious or still trolling them.”

His lips quirked into a smirk, rubbing his chin as if considering it. “What, like one of those cringey TikTok couple challenges?”

You nodded eagerly. “Exactly. The kind of stuff that makes people cringe, but they can’t look away.”

He let out a low chuckle, clearly warming up to the idea. “You mean the ones where people do those obnoxiously cute couple things, like finishing each other’s sentences?”

You grin. “Exactly. Go so hard that no one can tell if we’re serious.”

He leans forward, grabbing his phone from the coffee table. “I like it. Let’s do it.”

You blink, a little surprised at how quickly he’s jumping on board. “Wait, right now?”

He shrugs, that familiar mischievous glint in his eyes. “Why not? We’ve kept this quiet long enough. Let’s have some fun.”

Your pulse quickened with a mixture of excitement and nerves as you both adjusted your positions on the sofa, sitting up a little straighter, leaning in close to each other. His arm slid around your waist, pulling you just a little closer, and you could feel the warmth of his body against yours. The soft hum of the waves and the distant calls of seagulls faded into the background as the moment intensified.

“Alright,” you said, barely keeping a straight face, “let’s do this.”

He raised his phone, the camera pointed at both of you, and the screen lights up, casting a soft glow on your faces. “First question,” you began, doing your best over-the-top rom-com voice. “Who said ‘I love you’ first?”

He smirked, nudging you playfully. “Easy. You did.”

You gasped dramatically, placing a hand over your heart. “I did not! That was totally you.”

The playful banter flowed easily, the chemistry between you undeniable. The air between you crackled with tension, but the laughter kept things light. Each question grows sillier than the last, your teasing jabs masking the real emotions simmering beneath the surface.

As the game continued, the joking faded. The answers become more meaningful, more intimate. He reached out and takes your hand, his thumb brushing over your knuckles, and the teasing spark in his eyes shifted into something softer.

Then, as if the playful mood couldn’t hold any longer, he lowered his phone and set it down on the coffee table, turning to face you fully. His gaze was intense, his eyes locking with yours in the fading sunlight. “Maybe we should stop messing around and just... tell them.”

Your breath caught in your throat. “For real?”

He nodded, his voice a little quieter, a little rougher. “Yeah. I’m tired of hiding. I want people to know.”

You hesitated for a second, the weight of the official decision settling in. But then, a surge of boldness rose within you. “Okay. Let’s do it. But first—” You held up your phone, turning off notifications before tossing it onto the sofa. “I don’t want to deal with the chaos immediately.”

He chuckled, grabbing his phone, posting the video and then,following your lead and shutting off his phone. “Smart. We’ll get spammed for sure.”

Once the phones were off and forgotten, you exchanged a glance, and then both of you dissolved into laughter, the weight of secrecy lifting off your shoulders. The relief, the excitement—it was overwhelming in the best way.

As the laughter died down, the air between you shifted slightly, becoming heavier, charged with something far more intense than before. His eyes darkened as they traced the curve of your lips, and your breath hitches, feeling the pull between you like a magnetic force. Neither of you speak for a long moment, the silence thick with unspoken desire.

Without warning, he leaned in, his hand sliding up to cup the side of your face, his thumb brushing tenderly along your cheek. The touch sent a shiver down your spine, and your heart pounded in your chest, anticipation crackling in the air around you. He was so close now that you could feel the heat radiating off his skin, the scent of his cologne mixing with the salty sea air.

Your pulse quickened as his gaze locked with yours, and for a second, time seemed to stop. Then, he closed the gap, capturing your lips in a kiss that was slow and deliberate, yet filled with an undeniable hunger. His lips were soft but firm, moving against yours with a heat that left you breathless.

You responded immediately, your hands gripping the fabric of his shirt as you pulled him closer, needing more. His kiss deepened, and the intensity built. The taste of him is intoxicating, like you had both been waiting for this moment for far too long. His other hand snaked around your waist, pulling you flush against his chest, and you could feel the strength of his body against yours.

The kiss grew more urgent, your bodies pressed together as if the space between you was unbearable. His fingers threaded through your hair, holding you in place as he kissed you harder, deeper, like he couldn't get enough. You lost yourself in the sensation—the way his lips devoured yours, the heat of his breath mingling with yours, the low, barely audible groan that escaped from deep in his chest.

As you kissed him back with equal fervor, your entire body tingled, your senses overwhelmed by him—the way his hands gripped your waist, the way his lips tease and explore yours.

When he finally pulled back, his forehead resting against yours, both of you were panting, your hearts racing in sync. His eyes, dark and full of desire, met yours, and a slow, satisfied smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

“Guess I can do that more often now,” he murmured, his voice husky and low.

You smiled back, your lips still tingling from the kiss. “With my brother in that same paddock? Not a chance?”

francolapinto and ynpiastri

liked by logansargeant, schecoperez, oscarpiastri and 984,348 others

it wasn't a joke btw

*limited comments only*

williamsracing: franco...

oscarpiastri: that's my sister pal

francolaptino: oops?

logansargeant: this hurt more than my replacement

ynpiastri: shut up?

logansargeant: yes ma'am

the end.

taglist: @iimplicitt @isaadore @iamred-iamyellow @justheretoreadthxxs @obxstiles @how-what-why-huh @raizelchrysanderoctavius @sainzzreputaticn @xxx-betty @dukeofjjune @dejavuontrack @littlegrapejuice @mxdi0 @st4rgirl-ellie @dullypully @cinderellawithashoe

#f1 #f1 imagine #f1 smau #f1 fanfic #logan sargeant #williams #franco colapinto #franco colapinto x reader #franco colapinto x you #franco colapinto x yn #oscar piastri #oscar piastri sister #williams f1 #williams racing #williams formula 1 #logan sargeant angst #logan sargeant smau #f1 social media au #franco colapinto smau

605 notes · View notes

myconetted · 2 months ago

Text

something ppl often forget when it comes to software: the reason it doesn't "just" do something that seems really easy is cause there are dozens of other such things, and also every time you add a new thing to your software, your software gets more complicated. sometimes you're barely treading water with the systems you already have, and adding this simply-looking thing would actually require re-architecting a bunch of other stuff to be able to support it

why is it like this? well first of all, software is Bad. but have you ever played a game where you have so much shit going on the game starts to slow down? yeah. imagine that but it's happening on the backend servers, and the backend engineer's job is to secretly rearrange shit in the background to fix it without you ever noticing. they probably had to do some cool tricks to keep it fast and reliable, and those tricks may or may not work when you introduce your proposed new feature

so feature development has to include the part where you tell the backend engineers about your cool idea and then they start sweating and drawing boxes and muttering about qps. then you put them in a cage match with the product manager who has spreadsheets about how much people really really want the feature and you have them fight to see who wins

oh yeah and make sure this doesn't break anything for people visiting the website from their toaster because otherwise you'll make the one engineer obsessed with toaster compatibility really mad. and we need her happy because nobody else knows how to fix the main database when it hits the funny error nobody else has ever seen before in their lives

anyways welcpme to software

#my:poast #compute

621 notes · View notes

reasonsforhope · 17 days ago

Text

"New York is marking the early achievement of its Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act statutory goal a year ahead of schedule, announcing that 6 gigawatts (GW) of distributed solar have been installed across the state, enough to power more than one million homes.

New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) president and CEO Doreen M. Harris broke the news onsite at a distributed solar project in New Scotland, NY today. The project, developed by New Leaf Energy and owned by Generate Capital, participates in the state’s Solar for All pilot program with utility partner National Grid, meaning its generation benefits low-income households. The site’s 5.7 MW solar array will generate 6.7 million kilowatt-hours of solar energy annually, powering about one thousand homes.

“New York State has provided a replicable model for others to deliver clean, low-cost renewable energy to more consumers,” asserted Harris. “Our public-private partnerships are the catalysts which have helped us to achieve our 6-GW goal well ahead of target, trailblazing New York’s path to an equitable energy transition.”

Governor Kathy Hochul says this achievement brings New York one step closer to a reliable, resilient, zero-emission grid. The Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act contains goals to generate 70% of the state’s electricity from renewable sources by 2030 and 100% zero-emission electricity by 2040.

“Distributed solar is at the heart of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, expanding the availability of renewable energy, and delivering substantial benefits for our health, our environment, and our economy,” Hochul added.

New York achieving its distributed solar goal of 6 GW has generated approximately $9.2 billion in private investment across the state, according to NYSERDA, creating more than 14,000 solar jobs from engineering to installation. Three years ago, Governor Hochul directed to expand the goal to 10 GW by 2030.

“While we’re incredibly proud of the work and partnerships that have led to this achievement, we’re more excited that it can be repeated and multiplied. With the State’s continued leadership, we’re confident we can get to 10 GW and beyond,” predicts New Leaf Energy director of policy and business development Sam Jasinsk.

The state says it has another 3.4 GW of distributed solar projects already in development, making a 10 GW goal quite feasible.

“Customers and consumers are asking for access to clean energy, and New York state is listening,” Generate Capital Investments managing director Peggy Flannery said. Generate Capital operates 69 projects and counting in New York.

In 2023, New York installed more community solar capacity than any other state. Last year was also the state’s most productive year ever for solar installations, with 885 MW of capacity installed.

In April, NYSERDA was selected to receive nearly $250 million from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Solar for All program to enhance New York State’s existing portfolio of solar deployment, technical assistance, and workforce development programs for the benefit of over 6.8 million residents that live in low-income households and disadvantaged communities. As part of the grant funding, the New York State Housing and Community Renewal, the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, and New York City Housing Preservation and Development, will implement new programs that target specific barriers to solar deployment for this population."

-via Renewable Energy World, October 17, 2024

#new york #ny #nyc #solar #solar power #distributed solar #community solar #united states #north american #clean energy #climate action #climate hope #good news #hope

325 notes · View notes

callooopie · 4 months ago

Note

CALLOOOPIE‼️❗️‼️❗️‼️❗️‼️❗️‼️❗️

DROP A MODERN!CREGAN HEADCANON LIST. AND MY LIFE, IS YOURS. 🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶

Modern!Cregan Stark headcannons (pt. 1)

Forgive my northern attitude, oh I was raised on little light — Northern Attitude // Noah Kahan

okay… we did not get much Cregan.. so these modern vibes might be a little off. I looked long and hard (🤨) at a photo of him and these were the vibes I conjured up.

This man.. is so serious. Whenever you look at Cregan he looks like he’s going to pop a blood vessel with how tense he is. He’ll tell you not to worry, this is his natural state (“natural state?!?!”) you don’t think you’ve ever seen him relaxed… although there are times he lets loose, it’s reserved and calm. If he does relax it’s still oddly tense or as if he’s on edge. He’s mastered the art of being both chill but perceptive of his surroundings to a headache inducing degree. “Hm? Yeah I’m fine. Don’t worry about me, honest. One of us needs to be alert here.”

Immediately dipped after college. He got his degree in environmental engineering, he’s out of there. You, Jace, and Davos once planned a summer trip to Cregan’s cabin way up north. Now, way up north? Think like the Yukon or the bush of Alaska—that’s where Cregan would make his home. It’s secluded, no one bothers him, and he can live off the land in relative peace. You three get lost, of course. It’s like you have to take a seaplane, and then hike for a bit to the nearest town, and then you’ll have to wait for him to pick you all up. “You guys kept running around town. It took me forever to find you. Texts? I don’t get those traveling from the cabin… oh well—you’re all here now. The air will do you idiots some good.”

Dog dad. Dog dad. Dog dad. Cregan’s got big dogs, he’s got little dogs. A livestock dog to care for his chickens, some other big dogs for hunting, and a lap dog for emotional support purposes. It’s a hearty mix of Labrador, Pyrenees, mountain dog, maybe even a shepherd of sorts. But the little dog? I feel like it’d either be a dachshund or a corgi. A corgi is a reliable herd dog on top of being just a little guy. But a dachshund would be something he would hold as he walked around the perimeter of his land. Or even better he would have both. But this is his herd, his squad. “Hey!—settle down everyone. Sit down.. down now! Sorry about them, they’re just excited to see you. They’re usually pretty lax, except around you it seems.”

Terrible driver. But not because he’s bad at it, but because he’s literally in the wilderness, there are no traffic laws to obey. He’s driving down a hill full speed no braking. You’re in the passenger seat holding on for dear life as the car literally shakes and jolts you around. But Cregan? He’ll be holding a simple conversation with you, voice not even shaking from the sudden movements of the jeep or truck as he navigates the country road. I cannot figure out if he has more truck vibes or more Jeep vibes. I feel like either would work—as long as they got the job done. And either way, both cars would be muddied and somewhat damaged—filled with survival gear, winter gear, more things tied down on top with bungie cords and hooks. “What do you need? Oh, yeah that should be in the back.. somewhere. Probably in one of the bags—lemme go check for you. Hang tight, be right back.”

This man fishes. Not like “leaving my bitch wife to go fishin’ with my boys” more like “I’m catching the radioactive catfish of Chernobyl and no one’s stopping me” type fishing. He gets into it, he goes crazy. Cregan’s out on a boat at sea looking for Cthulhu. Y’all know the show River Monsters? That’s Cregan’s type of fishing. Sure he does more ‘relaxed’ fishing once in a while, he enjoys the mix of adventure but also the quiet and the patience of the fish. He will talk about how beautiful the fish is, like Steve Irwin levels of talking to fish (and animals in general). Cregan’s a catch and release king, but if he does choose to use the fish he will use all of it from the head to the bones. Everything’s getting used and processed into something. “Let’s see what you caught.. oh nice, that’s a chinook salmon. A beauty too, look at the size of that thing. You caught that beast yourself without my help? It’ll taste better on an open fire, c’mon I’ll teach you how to gut it… don’t frown at me.”

Master chef I would think. It’s not Michelin star cooking, but cooking with the freshest ingredients possible? Cregan makes a mean salad from the veggies in his garden (a pretty big garden too, he built those wooden garden beds himself) and when he hunts he uses all the meat and bones from the animal as said before with the fish. He’s not overly hunting either, he gets enough for you and him to last a while. “Good harvest today, real good—everything was ripe and ready. What do you think? It all looks good? ..that’s.. that’s good. I’m glad.. save room for dessert too then. Have you ever had acorn cake?”

You know what? He’s a park ranger. Or a state ranger. He’s got a job where he can take care of the land and teach people about the environment and how to respect it. Cregan’s all about teaching little kids what plants are poisonous and then on the next call he’s busting folks for throwing litter into a river. He is the type that if he spots you maybe hiking or doing something while he’s on duty he will pretend to bust you over for something heinous or embarrassing. Bonus if there’s people around you, now you’re getting arrested for leaving a dildo attached to a tree. But usually? It’s silly reasons laced with compliments that make you blush or smile. “..Whatcha doing out here? Hiking? Suuure. Y’know we heard some reports about a.. a very um—beautiful person wandering looking lost.. just saying, I know my way around..”

Such a good listener. Cregan is for the people who just need an ear to listen to them. If something’s bothering you, upsetting you, or you’re just not feeling like yourself; he’ll lead you out to the back porch, gesturing for you to sit down on the step beside him. It’ll be quiet, except for the sounds of nature surrounding the cabin and the woods. You can see mountain ranges in the background, the midnight sun casting a hazy glow over the land. And the next thing you know is you’re pouring your heart out to him. Cregan would remain silent, unless you ask him for advice or support. He’s the type to not want to impose on you if you don’t wish to hear unsolicited opinions or comments on a matter—so you’ll need to tell him you want to hear his advice.

Busted ass cabin. It’s so good. There’s a nearby lake, there’s mountains in the distance. The woods are thick and beautiful. The people yearn for such a place. It’s such a relaxed vibe too, take off your shoes in the house though. There is a lot of cleaning that goes on however on account of the dogs around the home. But the cabin is lived in and homey. It’s cool and refreshing in the summers with the windows open, and it’s warm and cozy in the winters with the fireplace roaring. It’s not too big, but it’s not too cramped either. “Not too warm? Too cold maybe? …well if you’re cold there’s a good way to fix that—“

Cregan loves teaching you how to live off the land. It’s basically a part of what he does for his job. But with just you? It feels more special, more intimate. You’re eager to learn, and he’s more than happy to show you how to start a fire in an emergency, how to skin an animal and use all its parts for different things. What to do if you’re in a bind in the woods and what you should do first. It’s good advice honestly. Pure survival skills. His hands would be over yours, guiding them through the motions of something. His chin resting atop your head or on your shoulder as he explains each step or how something can be utilized to its fullest potential.

Don’t take his silence or his lack of reactions as something negative. Cregan’s just the type to silently revel in your presence first and foremost, no talking required. Most of your fishing or hunting trips are filled with silence, save for the sound of music from an old portable radio and the occasional sound of a beer can opening. Sometimes you read, sometimes you fish alongside him. But know that he does enjoy your company heavily, and if you do say something don’t worry he’ll respond. Sometimes he does worry maybe he’s a little too aloof or reserved when it comes to you. Reassure him that words aren’t always needed, and sometimes it’s good to just be next to one another without adding anything to it.

With you he can get a little silly. Cregan would lean against your side of the truck, a stupid smile on his face as you talk to him. If you’re hiking and there’s a muddy spot, he will pick you up and carry you over it. He’s the type to serve you food first before him, and if he’s having a snack he’s the type to share it without needing you to ask him. It’s like the phrase to be loved is to be seen. Fresh flowers for you every day, he wakes up early to make you coffee in bed. If you’re the squeamish type about hunting/fishing, he won’t go into the details of your dinner. And if you’re with him, he’ll take care of the food far off from you so you don’t need to see it.

#cregan stark x reader #cregan x you #cregan fanfiction #hotd season 2 #hotd x reader #hotd cregan #house of the dragon #cregan stark

328 notes · View notes

monst · 1 month ago

Text

Day 3: Saving a Lantern

Sex pollen | Jason Todd

Warnings: 18+ content (MDI) Gn. Reader, Sci-fi, action, Dubcon (cause of the pollen), guided masturbation, Pre-relationship, Praise, mild possession kink (He wants you to be his so bad) Boomerang wielding reader, Fucking around with canon: Kyle Rayner, the controllers, and Effigy. You know how you have the main storyline and then there are small sometimes one-issue mini-series based on it? This is kinda written like a one-issue spin-off.

Wc: 8.2k

The explosion that rattles off to your left drops you to your knees. The air of the blasts skids you across the metallic floor, your body collides with the steel wall before you can right yourself—light sparkles above you, a plasma shot to the wall before you. The missed shot leaves a sizzling ring in the metal. That was close, closer than you’d like. You crouch around the corner, drawing your weapon from your belt. Gunfire clicks against the wall, the resounding bangs growing louder as your pursuers advance. You angle your boomerang around the bend and count the guards.

Too many. Your vision blurs with how quickly you observe your surroundings. The visor of your mask pings with potential solutions and you toss the boomerang. It soars through the corridor before impaling itself on the wall just before the guards. You don’t wait around for it to do its job, but the heat of the explosion still manages to lick at your back. You almost pass the hanger you were searching for in your haste, doubling back with a bounce. As expected, the area is empty. Regardless of your certainty, you clear the room.

As you get closer, your silhouette expands against the steel of your getaway capsule. The blinking scarlet lights startle you before the blaring alarm starts up. And you quickly tap the sensor by your ear.

“C’mon.” You tap your foot as static plays in your ears. “C’mon. That should’ve given you enough time.”

The timer on your screen has you reaching for the door latch. You hesitate and flip through a few more channels. “C’mon Jay.”

“Yo!”

‘Thank fuck!’ You feel your shoulders drop from your ears. “Jeez, cutting it close aren’t ya Hood.”

“Handcuffs needed a specific key, Warden had e’m” You hear him grunt. “Where are you?”

“EPR-13.” You shut the door behind you as the spacecraft powered on. The buzz of the engine vibrated the flashing console. You pushed your worry for its reliability out of your mind when your comms picked up Jason’s voice again.

“Turned on my location can you see me?”

“Yeah, according to the prints, all you need to do is take three lefts and a right to EPR-37.”

“No imma double back to the main chamber blow up their-”

“Done, it’s rigged to blow as soon as we’re off the ship.” You only hear the clink of his footsteps before he barks out a laugh.

“Can’t believe you set up explosives without me!” You bite back a grin at his enthusiasm, your fingers flipping over familiar-looking levers on the dash. “Have I told you how grateful I am that you joined Team Outcast?” With how busy the other members have been you’re tempted to tell him that it’s more of ‘The outcast duo’ as of late.

“Only about a thousand times this month.” You press down on the button that connects the pod to the mothership, the metal doors shutter as they expose the spotted ink of deep space.

“Well consider this a thousand and one.” You can tell Jason’s reached his escape pod when you hear the hiss of the opening door. “Talk to you later.”

Your vessel shoots forward just as Vilgaxian guards pile into the hanger. They drop to the ground as you zip past, flames oozing from the exhaust. You peel away from the large ship, catching sight of another beam of red heading for the asteroid belt ahead. From behind you comes a blinding light, and turbulence shakes your vessel as you steer into the massive boulders. You kill the engine knowing not a single guard deployed. You don’t let the knowledge slow your momentum, the Vilgaxians are hardy and resentful. You have no doubt they’ll be on you two as soon as they regroup; if they haven’t sent out an APB already.

Red Hood is outside your pod before you're ready to step out. You triple-check the jet fuel levels on your boots, the tap against the metal door draws your attention and you see him give you a questioning thumbs up. You return the gesture before venturing out into the stars with him. You travel from asteroid to asteroid. Until you finally land on the one that answers back. The camouflage on the ship flickers, when Jason also lands on it.

Once inside you can finally breathe, a grin on your lips when Jason’s fist reaches out towards you. Your gloves meet in a powdery cloud of dust and you're grateful for the full coverage your suit allows. Jason then pulls out a small cylinder tube, pointing to it triumphantly. “And they said we couldn’t do it.” He scoffed.

“That’s cause the controllers obviously have ulterior motives.” You frown. “You really think this will be enough to clear his name?”

“Has to be.” He huffs. “Rayner doesn’t have much of a defense”

“And we can’t get anyone to testify?”

He shakes his head no and pockets the video file. You unlatch your helmet and follow him into the navigation chamber. “Wouldn’t make a difference.”

“What do you mean?”

“Look for yourself.” You turned toward the monitor. On the screen was the broadcast of Kyle’s unfair trial. The lantern's fight with Effigy was currently being presented. The unmistakable green shimmery trail was left behind once Van Wyck was defeated, his unconscious form drifting off.

“..Yeah that doesn’t look good.” You took a seat as Jason made to peel out of the asteroid belt. The Vilgaxian's burning prison ship grew smaller as you reached the outskirts of the galaxy. Usually, you’d take the opportunity to marvel at the celestial bodies but you were reviewing all the facts presented thus far. “But shouldn’t the fact that they tossed him back on earth originally make this whole thing make no sense? Because if they’re viewing him as property then didn’t they discard him first?”

“They’re saying that it was the ‘incubation phase’. To let his new abilities manifest”

“What a load of bullshit!” Jason agreed.

“Yeah, but at this point, it’s a mess of he said she said.” Jason’s palm laid flat over his chest, “But this is actual proof that Kyle wasn’t responsible for Van Wyck’s psychotic break.”

You’re both watching the screen when Batman speaks, unaware of the fleet zoning in on you. “This video only corroborates Green Lantern’s side of the encounter. As stated earlier, he came to confront the beings that took Effigy. And was subsequently met with hostility, during the very fight we’ve just observed you can see that Van Wyck’s faculties aren’t intact-

“Objection! Are you saying that we damaged o-”

You clicked your tongue in annoyance at the buffering screen. “Honestly, this whole thing could be over and done with if we could find the Spectre. It’s not like he killed Effigy.” You huff. “He can put him back together and let him speak 'cause he didn’t even agree to the experimentation in the first place!” At Jason’s silence, you pause your rant. You almost jolt out of your seat when the ship swerves sharply.

“Shit!” Jason’s jaw is tense, he can’t see them behind you. “Long-distance missiles?”

“Probably?” You click your seatbelt into place. “But they couldn’t have regrouped that fast!?”

“Paid off,” he grunts turning the wheel to avoid another blast. You don’t think his assumption is too far off considering how far the controllers are willing to go to get their hands on Kyle. “Gonna jump hold on.”

You squeeze your eyes shut and prepare for the vertigo that always comes after a hyperjump. The engine whirrs in preparation causing electric blue flames to spit out of the exhaust, and you lurch forward. You're zipping through space and about to pick up momentum when something slams into the ship, with the right engine blown the hunk of metal veers off course. You’re not sure which is louder the robotic voice repeating ‘warning’ or your screams as the ship spins out of Red Hood’s control.

“We’re gonna land!” Jason shouts above the noise.

“Where!?” You peel your eyes open when he says ‘There!’ and you’re met with a rapidly approaching sphere. “Slow it down!”

“Trying” He hisses through gritted teeth, miraculously he manages to get the vessel parallel before you break through the planet's atmosphere. He’s got both feet on the brakes as you both speed towards the ground. The planet's vegetation comes into view and for a moment you think you're gonna splatter before you can clear Kyle’s name. The canopy trees get a trim while they try to slow your descent. And it’s just your luck that your seatbelt gives and you go sliding across the floor of the ship.

You find your footing but brace yourself against the emergency latch. You catch your name being shouted before the high-speed winds begin to lash your body. The air roars as you cling to the latch, and to Jason’s horror the hinges give and the door flies off with you.

It hurt. Your body that is, although now that you think of it hurt is such an insufficient word to use in such a precarious situation. Your knees threatened to buckle with every step, each advance causing you immense agony. Whenever the plants of your heels hit the ground it sends painful shockwaves throughout your body.

Your lungs constricted in excruciating effort to keep themselves with even an ounce of oxygen. Scratchy wheezes escaped your lips as you tried desperately to fill the sacks with air. You could hear your red blood cells crying in agony begging you to stop, praying you’d give them the chance to do their function. But like hell you would. Stopping, even if for a moment would mean certain death.

You were no longer running on adrenaline. You were running with grit, fierce determination, and one set goal. Live. You ran, ducked, and dodged through the dense forestry. But this wasn’t an epic written by Tolkien and the trees weren’t as kind as to part for your escape. It seemed as though they grew closer, probably angry about their haircut as they huddled together to hinder you, mocking you with their falling leaves as you occasionally collided with their rough exterior.

Within a fraction of a second you slipped, the fortunate misfortune graced you with life as you saw feathers burrowing themselves in the wood where you had once been. Thankfully the thickets that slowed you also slowed your pursuers. The dense foliage was however still to their advantage as their laced arrows whizzed through the air. You felt tears prick at the corner of your eyes as you saw a bright light ahead. A light that signifies an open field. ‘Fuck!’

Without a choice, you were forced to continue your sprint up the hill and towards the open space. You knew death was certain if you crossed the threshold of trees. There would be no cover….. Why were you still running if your fate was certain? In the haze of such disheartening thoughts, you faltered and as a result, you heard a dreadful thud. Your shoulder had been hit with such force that it dropped you to your knees. Still, you persisted, crawling up the hill in hopes... In hopes…?

“Agathana!” The shout was clear but you had no knowledge of the Mugoian language and with one final drag you were sent tumbling down the hill into the clearing. You lay upon the purplish grass and looked up into the sky for the last time you assumed. You wondered if Jason survived the crash, the smoke clouds left behind would put him just a couple of miles ahead. You hope he did. But, your eyes could barely remain open as you looked up at the various moons of the planet.

“Unnghh” the groan slipped past your chapped lips as you regained consciousness. Tears blurred your vision as you tried to peel them open. The biggest sun on the planet beamed brightly assaulting your vision with its warm rays. A breathless gasp left your body and with heavy limbs, you turned to your side. Laying on your back wasn’t such a great idea. You tugged on the broken arrow that had pierced your shoulder. Luckily it had snapped when you had laid to ‘rest’ and hadn’t burrowed deeper, but it wouldn’t budge. With great effort, you sat up and pressed your fingers into the front of your chest plate just above your collarbones. The audible click was met with a release of pressure as the armor split and fell off your torso.

The arrow had pierced through your armor, however, the metallic-looking tip had barely scraped your shoulder regardless you knew it was responsible for your grogginess. Your brows furrowed as you observed your surroundings…

“What the” You winced, it felt as if someone was repeatedly poking your brain with a stick. You grit your teeth clutching your head to your knees waiting for the pain to subside. When the thumping became slightly bearable you began to reassess your situation. You felt your heart leap when you noticed the Mugoi just behind the tree line. You reached for your holster and grasped at air.

“Fuck.” You sighed dejectedly. You must’ve lost it during the fall. You gazed at the lanky creatures warily, wondering why they hadn’t come down and killed you yet. Pale long fingers beckoned you closer. You scoffed and promptly flipped the tall alien motioning you to the treeline off. You had figured that something was holding them back. Hell, they weren’t even shooting at you…

This did not bring you comfort. Your intent wasn’t death and you sure as hell didn’t want them to be picking their razorlike teeth with your fibula, but their hesitance was… Concerning, to say the least. Somewhere in this new territory, or on this field was something even the Mugoi were wary of. It wasn’t surprising. You recognized the planet, Jutangai, and it was bursting at the seams with undocumented danger.

However, as far as your eyes could see nothing was alarming. The suns were just as warm as they’d been when you passed out and the purple grass swayed gently in the wind, the blades soft under your fingers. Everything seemed relatively normal, you even brushed off this planet's version of ticks off your legs… ‘So then why are they so scared…?’

You had laid there for what seemed like hours before you got to your feet. This alerted the Mugoi and they chattered amongst themselves. You paid them no heed even as they began to hiss and try to call out to you in their ungodly screeches. It was then that you noticed how there was no sound save for their collective yips. The air around you seemed to grow stagnant.

An inexplicable chill shuffling up your spine. You moved but a step when even the voices of the Mugoi were silenced. You could hear the pounding of your heart but you couldn’t explain the fear that had begun to grasp at you. You took a shaky inhale and looked ahead, the field ended and from there, the forest continued. It was then that you noticed that something was very very wrong… The grass in the forest was green...

The ground beneath you rumbled, you swayed with the movement but remained standing. Odd protrusions poked up from the purple blades. They rose and fell slowly. Whatever was underneath the patch of earth had sensed your movement. The creatures weren’t near you but it was a long run to the tree line ahead. And even then you had no way of knowing if there were more Mugoi’s waiting for you on that side.

You exhaled in relief as the ground flattened once more. You turned your head gazing into a couple of curious black eyes. ‘Great an audience’ you thought. You had no idea how quick the things underground were, your legs were sore and the path ahead was uncertain…

You buried your teeth into your bottom lip as you bent your knees to pick up your chest and back plate. You risked another move. This time you put your dominant leg behind you as you shifted toward the Mugoi’s. The ground bubbled once more and you inhaled sharply drawing your arm back.

You threw the heavy piece like a frisbee and watched with bated breath as it soared through the air and landed close to the edge of the forest near the lanky beings. As soon as the metal bounced off the earth something broke through the ground…. It scared the shit out of you. And apparently, it spooked the Mugoi and they scampered away. The thing had around twelve very thick, very sharp legs.

A hard shell seemed to cover its body but you could make out various milky eyes. To your relief, it couldn’t see but its legs pierced your armor with ease, its mandible chewing through the metal like paper. To your horror, more erupted from the earth. Some smaller, some... Bigger. While the creatures congregated around the protective piece you yelled at yourself mentally. ‘Run, Go! Now, Run!’ You hesitated, and rethought your plan, even if you threw the piece they could be on you in seconds.

‘Think, Think, Think!’ You looked at your lower half. You knew what you were going to do. Hell, it was going to leave your flesh very vulnerable but you needed to somehow divert their attention long enough for you to reach the other side. There were so many that you knew some might follow you exclusively but it was a heck of a lot better than all of them on your tail.

Once they were off you felt lighter and you were ready. You turned quickly and sprinted towards the treeline. You heard them take off after you and dropped a piece. You could hear it getting torn to shreds and tossed the other two pieces laterally. You didn’t dare to look at anything but the trees in front of you. Your heart was in your throat as you ran and you could feel the unnatural warmth of the creatures right at your heels. You felt one get close to nipping your skin and you pushed yourself to run faster.

‘C’mon (Name)! C’mon! We’re almost there!’ Your eyes were wide with panic ‘Don’t fucking trip! Don’t trip!’ Tears rimmed your bottom lid as you heard one of the creatures growl very very close. Just as you burst into the tree line you turned around bringing your arms out in front of you. The ghastly being pulled its grotesque head out of its shell elongating its neck to snap at your arms with its foaming mandible.

Your body crashed to the ground as the creature closed its teeth around your arm guards. You felt it give way and quickly brought up your feet. You kicked at it frantically screeching along with it as it pierced your flesh with its strong jaw. With a final kick, it was finally off of you. It wailed as its body touched the green grass of the forest. The thing quickly crawled back into the purple field while hissing at you menacingly.

Your chest rose and fell hazardously as you tried to regain your breath. Your entire body trembled. You could feel the wet tears slipping down your neck onto the floor as you curled up and hugged your body into yourself. You lay there listening as the creatures creaked and croaked back into the earth. You allowed yourself time to calm down but every so often you shook and no matter how tightly you hugged yourself the shaking did not end. ‘Probably the poison? Was it even poison?’

The smallest sun had taken its place in the center of the sky and in the dimmer light of it, you allowed yourself to weep...

“Jason.” You mumbled deliriously. Your body felt clammy, your skin burning but your body shivering. You felt as if you had a mouthful of cotton and your nose had decided to close port leaving you gasping pitifully through your mouth for air.

“Jay don’t go” you whimpered. Your legs shook as you stood on them and your world rocked sideways while you grasped onto trees to search for him. But no matter how much you stumbled you couldn’t reach his voice. You could hear him loud and clear. He was calling for you. In your delusion, you continued your struggle.

You traversed through snaggly thorns and tripped on veiny floors till your legs gave out. “Stupid limbs.” You groaned “He’s just up ahead….?” Your vision swam as what felt like lava traveled through your veins. You brought your hand up to your forehead, the heat of your forehead brought you out of your delirium. It was then that you noticed a secondary pulse in your being.

A whine passed through your clenched jaw as you tried to pry off your arm guards. However, you gave up on the task as your inflamed forearm pulsed. You were alarmed at how fast you had acquired an infection. “Guess that’s why the Mugoi stay away from e’m” You slurred while reaching into your pant pocket. To your immense relief, your hidden pack was undamaged. You wasted no time in pulling open the box and preparing the syringe.

“I can’t believe I hallucinated Jason calling.” You mumbled feeling relief flood your system as the drug healed your body. “Alien medicine you are amazing.”

You let yourself relax for a moment, you had no idea how long you’d been sick. It could have been a couple of hours or days. Standing to your feet once more you shook off the lingering nausea and figured that you should press on. ‘I need to find water.’ A terrifying growl made you grimace ‘And food…. And Jason’

You glared at the beams of light shuffling through the canopies as you trekked to where you hoped you’d find water. You hated planets like this, too many moons too many suns, and no way to tell how much time had passed. Fortunately, due to the medicine, the dull ache in your legs had subsided, although your arm still throbbed but nothing unmanageable. You rushed ahead when you heard rushing water.

You jumped straight into the clear river, your lower extremities were soaked and they only sogged up further when your knees hit the squishy ground. You didn’t hesitate and dripped your hands into the water to drink. You didn’t worry about the contaminants of the water as the super drug was still in your system ready to wipe out anything potentially harmful. Once you had your fill you looked around. So far there was no immediate danger….

There was a mountain straight ahead, the vantage point would probably help you locate your teammate. A rustle in the bushes had your shoulder hiking up to your ears. Before you could ready yourself for an attack a large figure burst from the treeline. You fell backwards into the water clutching the wet fabric of Jason’s shirt tight. “Oh thank fuck.” He breathed “I thought you… god, I thought you had” He trailed off, but the slight tremor you felt underneath your fingers betrayed his thoughts and fears.

“No.” You replied wetly. “But it sure was close.” His following laugh was ugly, and he kept you close when you both stood.

“I’ll bet.” He muttered. “Second night here I was taken by a bird with six wings. And I was almost eaten at least five times yesterday.” He scoffed.

“Well, they know a snack when they see one.” You joked. At your jest, you could see the tension melt from his shoulders.

“Haha.” He took a moment to look you over and you followed suit. Aside from a couple of scrapes, he looked fine. “What happened to your arm?”

“Blind, twelve-legged spiders from hell.” He blinked at you slowly, then flicked his eyes around searching. “It’s fine they can’t leave the purple grass.”

“...Right.” He coughed. “Looks infected, we should head back to the ship.” To your relief, it wasn’t much further and it wasn’t long before you were sat in a cot Jason hovering over your arm in concern.

“I took some antibiotics, so the swelling should go down soon.” He nods and continues to clean your wounds. He’s wrapping your arm when you ask. “How long have we been here?”

“Three days.” That explained your headache. “Comms?” He shakes his head.

“Still down. Haven’t finished the repairs but I’ve been switching channels on the monster.” Of course, the monster survived. The ‘monster’ is the biggest blockiest transmitter you’ve ever seen. Old as balls but probably the most reliable equipment in the Outlaw’s possession.

“And the trail?” Jason doesn’t hide his grimace, but his hand comes down on your head gently. “Don’t worry about that, get some sleep.” You want to ask, ask if Kyle’s now going to take Effigy’s place as the controller's pawn but he’s helping you lay down, and as soon as your head hits the pillow you're out.

You wake to the sound of sizzling metal. Your limbs pop when you stretch and as your arms are above you, you notice that the swelling on your arms has gone down. There’s a bottle of water on the table in front of you, next to that is a roasted fish. Your stomach growls and you take care of that before getting cleaned up. Finally feeling like yourself you make it to the control room. You see Jason fusing a panel.

“Morning!” You chirp.

“G’morning.” He grumbles, sliding out from beneath the console. “Feel better?”

“Mm. Thanks for the food.” You catch his smile before he has time to turn away. He grunts in reply and you almost mention how Bruce like that is. But you're quickly distracted by the sheet dangling where the door should be.

“Fuck.” You groan.

“Hn?”

“The door.”

“Where is the door?” He asks.

“Oh don’t get me started.” You groan. He motions for you to continue, picking up the torch to continue working while you speak. “I wasn’t lucky to know where we were when we landed but landing in the middle of a Mugoi village was a dead giveaway”

You put your hands to work, helping with the repairs while telling him about the fun chase through the woods. “It did cushion my fall but to be fair to them, Their very important-looking structure was kinda destroyed by the door.”

“We’re gonna have to fight them to get it back aren’t we?” He sighed.

“Probably… Maybe…”

“Great.”

While you both were making steady progress with the repairs, now that you knew the other was safe you were both more concerned with getting information. And, since a break was in order the two of you took the time to climb up the mountain. You avoided the steeper side of the peak, where you saw the six-winged bird Jason mentioned. “Wouldn’t the rocks interfere with the connection?”

Jason paused his hike to look back at you. “Usually but we’re running out of options.” He kept fiddling with the knobs as you climbed higher until miraculously a voice came through.

“Batman to the Outlaws come in.”

“B!” Jason exclaimed.

“It’s been days Batman… Maybe it’s time to give it up, they’re deciding today. We should be brainstorming not-” Whoever spoke was promptly ignored. “Batman to the Outlaws come in.”

Jason adjusted the channel “Outlaws to Batman” He grinned.

“Red hood.” You hadn’t known Bruce out of the cowl for long but anyone could hear the relief in his tone.

“Hey.”

“Report.” Somehow you knew Batman knew that Jason’s eyes were rolling.

“We’re fine no need to ask.” he scoffed. “We’re grounded but we’ve got the evidence. Days before Kyle’s fight with Van Wyck, Effigy was spotted attacking the Vilgaxian’s prison ship. Soon after the controllers pick him up. Possibility of an exchange between them, as soon as we left their ship we were surrounded. Long-range missiles not typical for Vilgaxians.”

“Hm.”

You share a look with Jason but before you could question him, he was crowding you up against the side of the mountain and into a shallow crevice. “They’ve picked up our transmission.” You peek from around his broad shoulders, three ships have entered the planet's atmosphere and begin to scan the terrain. Rocks come into view when he presses you further into the space, your back meeting the cool surface of the mountainside. The radio is silent for a moment but you don’t comment on it too busy moaning in disgust.

You had placed your hand on the stone to support yourself but your palm had sunk into something squishy. The cool rubbery substance oozes between your fingers but you keep still until you hear Batman's voice.

“We’ve got another piece of evidence to declare. I’ve just received a video from one of our colleagues.” “Let us see it” “Not until it’s been properly analyzed we’d like to verify the authenticity of it first. Now if you’ll excuse me”

“He’s good.” You muse. Jason scoffs but doesn’t deny your claims.

“B They’re pulling back” You watch as they zip back into space and out of sight.

“Good. As soon as you're up and running I want that file uploaded. In the meantime, we’ll look for a paper trail. We'll send backup for you two just in case. This is exactly what we needed thanks, chum.”

And he clicked off.

“Well… That’s that I guess.” You hum. You duck your head to hide your grin at Jason's reddening ears. He grumbles to himself his eyes widening when he notes how he's crowding you in. When he pulls away you're reminded of the icky goo, you curl your lip as you shake the slime-like substance off. “Yuck” you wipe it against the rock. “Eww, that’s nasty what is it?”

“Not sure.” He replies. “I came across it yesterday, tingled a bit till I washed it off.” You shrug and follow his lead, rinsing off your hand in the river and thinking nothing of it. Jason goes to spear some more fish while you work on getting the system running to send the clip. When he returns you switch. It doesn’t take long to fix what you need but it does take about an hour for the file to send.

You get an incoming call while Jason’s working on the ship’s exterior. Kori’s vibrant green eyes are the first thing you see when you accept the call. “(Name)!”

“Kori Hi!” You swirl your head toward the doorless entrance to call Jason in. “Jay!” He comes rushing in as soon as you call him, seafoam green eyes scanning the area for any immediate threat till he sees Kori and Bizarro on the screen.

“Oh.”

“What not happy to see us?” You can hear Roy’s laugh in the background. “Art how long till we reach Jutangai?”

“Two days? You two can hold out that long right?”

“Of course.” You grin. “I can do two more days of fish you?” Jason snorts.

“This whole lantern thing is crazy.” Roy sighs.

“Tell me about it.” Jason frowns. “(Name) and I think they want him because he can host Ion.”

“Whose Ion?” Artemis asks.

“Long story,” Kori interjects.

“We do have time.” You’re sharing goodbyes with Bizarro when Kori begins to tell Artemis of the cosmic entity. You slump back into your chair when the call ends.

“I’m beat.”

“We’ve already done our part, we can take a break.” So you do, you spend it chatting about what Jay was doing during the time you two were apart. He’s telling you about a giant mantis he fought but he pauses his tale when you yawn. “Boring you?”

“Nu-uh.” You yawn again. “Just tired. I wanted to take a shower before bed but with how cold that water is”

“I got the water heater fixed last night.” You jump to your feet eager for a hot shower. “We’ll put a pin in this, I wanna know how you got away.” You don’t see how his eyes follow you when you leave the room.

You stay under the spray for far longer than you anticipated, you were relaxed and the hot water paired with the water pressure has you practically melting. By the time you come out, Jason’s gone from the control room, you don’t see him in the small kitchen, the bedrooms, or storage. Out of concern, you can’t fall asleep, you sit on your cot Jay’s book in hand as you debate on going out and looking for him. ‘What if he’s hurt? Maybe the bird came back?’ You are about to spring to your feet to find the man when he comes through the door.

His face is flushed, sweat causing his shirt to cling to his muscles. You’re only mildly ashamed for ogling, but worry overrides the feeling. He steps towards you, his body heat radiating off him in waves. You are about to question him when his fingers pinch a wet strand of your hair. “Y...You okay?”

“Yeah, Just needed some air.” His voice is rough. “G’night.”

“Good night?” You don’t press him but you do fall asleep bewildered.

He’s good as new the next morning, He’s working on the jagged scrapes along the hull of the ship. You want to ask, but you're not sure how to. You mull over how you’d approach him while you test the repairs. You’re prodding at a couple of cables when you start feeling angsty. You are not sure why but heat begins to pool in your lower belly. And your skin itches to be free from the confines of your clothes. You rest your hot cheek against the metal of the ship walls but it’s stuffy in the ship.

You press your thighs together feeling your core pulse. ‘Maybe a dip in the river will cool me off’ You muse. You push past the fabric ‘door’ and Jason quirks a brow at your rushed out. “Need some air!” You throw a “Going to the river for a swim.” to let him know where you’d be. He doesn’t pay much mind to it, only telling you to stay safe while he gets back to work. The main sun moves a couple of inches across the sky and he figures he should join you, and cool off a bit.

On his trek to the river, he thinks back to last night. The odd fire that filled his loins. He’s had thoughts about you before but the way in which he was consumed the previous night didn’t seem quite normal. Maybe foreign subs-

“Hnngh” He paused at the sound. He was close enough to see the river, your head peeking out from behind a rock. When you whimpered again he heard his boots hitting the earth. He was next to you in seconds, eyes roving over your form to find out where you were hurt.

“Are you” The words died in his throat. “..Okay.” He quickly averted his eyes, but the image of you with your hands between your thighs was already burned into his retinas. While a million thoughts raced through his head most of them along the lines of you being as attractive nude as he’d imagined. The one that rang out the clearest was ‘Last night.’ The same thing had happened to him. He cleared his throat remembering how long it took for him to finish. Your broken moans pulled him from his analysis.

“J-Jason.” You whined pitifully, it felt wrong, the way his stomach swooped at your tone.

“Y-Yeah?”

“I can’t” You whimpered, he chanced a look at your face and his heart sank. Your brows were pinched, your lips wobbling as tears cascaded down your cheeks.

“Can’t what sweet thing.” He frowned and reached out to wipe your tears pausing when he thought of the possibility of recontamination. ‘The thing on the mountain?’

“Cum.” The air was knocked out of him.

“J-just keep doing what you’re doing b-” He paused before he could call you baby. You weren’t his no matter how he felt. “Just keep going I’ll.. I’ll be at the ship sorry.”

He was about to get up from his knees when you wailed “No please stay! Help me.” He couldn’t.

“I can’t your not, We’re not.” He blew out a long line of air. “You are under the influence of some type of aphrodisiac, you should be fine if you cum a couple of times.” He felt the tips of his ears burn at his words.

“M’ not asking for you to touch me.” You gasped, the wet sounds of you playing stimulating yourself were getting harder to ignore. But your words caught his attention. He was caught between being hurt and confused. How’d you want him to help you?

“Jay please.” Your voice was going to haunt his dreams. “Help me!”

“H-how?!” He breathed, his eyes not moving any further than your chin.

“I can’t get off without…”

“Without?”

“..Asmr.” You mumbled.

“Asmr?” he parrots. “What do you-

“Ugh! Just talk me through it!” His cheeks bloom a cherry red at your ask.

“O-okay Um, shit.” He holds his breath for a couple of seconds to settle himself. “Okay. I want you to keep doing what you’re doing, mm yeah just like that but not so fast. Go slower for me sweetheart.” He bit his lip at your shaky okay.

“You like that?” It’d be easier if he could see but once your head was clear he wasn’t sure you’d appreciate that.

“Yeah, Jay feels good~”

“Yeah?” “Mhm” “Wanna be good for me?” At your teary yes! He asks you to go faster and press a bit harder.

“God you’re so sweet, you just do what you’re told huh?”

“Yes! Only for you! Ah! Jason~” He knows you’re just saying that. But if he only knew how much you wanted him to.

“For me? Then cum for me. You can do that, right? Cum all over your fingers for me.” You do just that your sex dripping from your release but the fire in your veins is still scorching.

“M-more Jay need you to Mmm fuck! Tell me you wanna fuck me!” Oh, he does. He really does want to. And while he knows he shouldn’t his calloused palm cups your cheek tenderly, his thumb pressing your chin up so that your hazy eyes can look into his. He doesn’t look away from your face, watching your lashes flutter with each word.

“Of course, I wanna fuck you baby. I’d make sure my baby feels real good. I’d kiss these perfect lips” He dares to brush the rough pad of his thumb on your lower lip. “Till you’re dizzy.” He whispers.

“Gasping for me and gripping my hair as I lick down your pretty neck.” You mewl eyes shutting as he paints you a picture. “You’ll be so sweet for me right?”

“Yeah promise”

“Promise?” His deep voice grumbles the words and you rut into your hands with a repeat of the word. “Hmm, then you’d have to stay real still for me as I explore that gorgeous body. I wanna lick you everywhere, gonna kiss and tease you till you squirm.”

“Please!”

“Don’t gotta beg sweet thing, I’ll give you everything, my fingers, my mouth my tongue my cock all yours. Just tell me how you want it.”

“I’d want you inside.” You gasp.

“Then I’d have to go down slow, get you nice and wet with my tongue, stretch out that pretty little hole so you can take me. Do you want it nice? Slow and deep, or do you want me to stir up that sloppy hole hard and fast?”

“Shit! Jay!” You see him through tears, the pressure in you winding tight with each word. “Yes!”

“Which one?”

“B-both! Wanna be yours.” Your breath hitches and one of your hands leaves your body to grip his forearm. Your nails bite into his skin when you cum again. Jason lets out a shaky breath when your mouth drops open in a soundless moan. He hasn’t looked down at you once, but your face and voice are doing it for him. He doesn’t touch himself, he painfully hard but he’ll let it go down. He thinks you’re good now and you feel his grip on your face loosen.

“O-one more, s-still feels hot.” And while yes, your body is still heated it’s not so much due to the aphrodisiac. He can feel your breathy pants against his fingers and he wets his lips willing himself to stare into your glassy eyes. He can do this, watch you fall apart one more time for him. ‘Just one more’ His dick was so stiff that it was becoming uncomfortable.

“Wanna be mine huh? You want me to put my thick throbbing cock into your tight little hole? Gonna let me cum inside? Make you mine from the inside out?” You hissed out a string of yeses. No doubt raw from the overstimulation. “Mmm yeah fuck need you to milk my cock with your perfect hole, gonna make you all sloppy and loose and have you thank me for it, show you how much I lo- want you, get you all drunk off my cock” He feels your hand speed up and he continues “You won’t want anyone else right?”

“No! Just wan’ you.”

“Just me?” You nod “Gonna be all mine.”

“Yeah, all yours!” Your voice cracks a tiny bit and your cum for the third time with his name on your lips, your body slumping over the cool rock as you catch your breath. Jason’s still cradling your face, his eyes glued to your shiny lips. He doesn’t know when he leans in, you don’t know when it happens either. But his rough lips press against your softly, the lightest of pressures but it leaves you more breathless than his filthy words had. Your eyes snap open when you feel him pull back, his pretty seafoam eyes are wide, his lips parted. He wrenched back looking vaguely horrified as if your lips burned him.

He doesn’t turn around when you call his name. He’s avoiding you. Or are you avoiding him? You sort of feel like you may have taken advantage of him. That last one you didn’t really need it maybe you’d pushed to far? Or maybe he knows you like him and he’s pulling away? What if he only sees you as a friend?! What if this changes things? What if he kicks you off the team? The what-ifs follow you into fitful sleep. Unbeknownst to you the what-ifs plague Jason throughout the night.

He’s devastated, because how could he take advantage of you like that? He has no right to kiss you. You were under the influence, you were saying whatever. What if he ruined things and you want to leave the team? What if you never wanted to speak with him again? And while he likes the rest of the team he’s not complaining about it being the two of you most of the time. But after today will you even feel comfortable being with him alone? Was he too obvious? Did you know?

You both looked wretched in the morning. Lack of sleep was apparent as you wished each other a stilted good morning. He worked silently on the hull while you finished up inside. The nerves were killing you and the incoming call did nothing but grate them.

“H-Hi Biz.” Bizzaro furrowed his brows at your expression. “Couldn’t sleep.” You lied, it didn’t look like he believed you. “What’s up?”

“Bad news! We’re a minute closer!” He beams.

“Oh, That’s great!”

“Don’t tell red him.” He waves at you before cutting off the call. You steel yourself and walk outside. Jason almost drops his tools when you come to stand behind him. He readies himself, determined to hear you out.

“Bizzaro says they’re an hour away.” ‘Oh.’ He wonders if that’s what you want. To pretend it didn’t happen. But you don’t leave and before he can turn around and tell you he won’t mention it your apologizing to him? “I… I’m sorry.”

“What?” This time he does drop his torch. “Wait? Why are you sorry I should be the one apologizing?”

“The thing wore off after the second orgasm- Huh? For what?” You ask.

“What do you mean for what?” He frowns. “Kissing you. Huh?!”

You both gawk at each other for a moment before one of you snorts and the other laughs.

“I like you,” Jason confesses.

“I like you too.” You smile. You’re both smiling at each other until you hear the six-winged bird screech in the distance. “We um.. We should probably get back to work?”

“Yeah.” He watches as you quickly shuffle over and is stunned when you press a kiss to his cheek before you can skirt behind the curtain door into the ship he catches your hand. His gaze flickers down to your lips and you don’t need any further invitation. Sure you’d probably have to have a proper conversation about whatever this was but for now his lips against yours were enough.

The rest of the Outlaws touch down an hour later, the first one off the ship is Roy who throws his arms over both of your shoulders “I guess we have two things to celebrate!”

“How could you possibly know?” Jason asks.

“I didn’t” He grins. “You just confirmed it.”

Kori flies out of the ship and squeezes the three of you into a hug. You hear the breath get knocked out of Roy when Bizzaro joins and you all wait for Artemis to reluctantly join. “Group hug!”

It isn’t long before you are all sitting around a fire and Artemis is telling you about how the Guardians of the Universe opened an investigation on the Vilgaxians. “Turns out they really just wanted him so that they could trap Ion”

“So how’d the infiltration go?” Kori asks Jason. He’s telling the redhead trio about your quick mission while you chat and chug beers with Bizzaro.

“Not been long” He huffs.

“Yeah, it has.” You sigh, you're pleasantly buzzed watching as the campfire light reflects off the faces of your friends. While you like being a duo with Jason there's just something about having the whole gang present. You grabbing another drink when Roy spots your arm.

“What did that?”

“A blind, twelve-legged spider from hell.”

“Oh, this I have to hear.” When you finish, Kori snaps her fingers “It’s a Kn’vg!” You all butcher the pronunciation when Roy claims it’s his turn to tell a story about a close encounter with death! While Roy yaps Jason's hand reaches yours tentatively and you curl your fingers around his. You’re glad that although everyone sees how you're now leaning into each other no one says anything about you two. You know they’ll ask but not right now, not when this thing between you is still so new. Your friends continue to chat into the night that is until Artemis snorts at Roy’s tale. “No way that happened.” Jason tucks you under his arm as the shit show begins.

“It did” he frowns.

“Is this one of those and everyone clapped moments?” Kori asked.

“Sounds real.” Bizarro huffed his arms crossed over his chest.

“It is.” Before Roy can properly defend himself Jason tosses out a “Bullshit!”

“What?! You mother fucker! You were there?!”

The next morning you catch Jason's eyes and look away. His smile is shy when he says good morning, you're wrapping your arms around him to pull him into a hug when you hear someone ask.

“Hey, where's the door?”

“I drew a map!” You exclaim, you all group around it. “Here is the purple field and there’s the Mugoi village, the door should be right in the center.”

“Biz can not fly and get it.” He shrugs.

“No I can get it, I want to see the Kn’vg creatures.”

“We can all go,” Kori suggests. Roy straps on his trick arrows before taking the map and heading off in the direction of the lavender field.

“The first one to it wins!”

“Hell yeah!” Jason takes off after him after latching on his hood. Kori and Bizzaro speed off and Artemis has already caught up to both Roy and Jason promptly tripping them as she passes. You shake your head at your team but strap on your boomerangs all the same.

“Wait for me!”

You'd have to talk with Jason later, have a real serious conversation about this, you know the two of you. But right now, you needed to get to that door before your maybe-boyfriend and friends.

Kinktober2024|Masterlist

#“Pretty sure this counts as harassing the locals…” (Name) Probably #jason todd x reader #jason todd smut #red hood x reader #red hood smut #jason todd x you #red hood x you

226 notes · View notes

triviallytrue · 5 months ago

Text

Idk I think if you aren't going to do the work of becoming a technical observer and trying to understand the nuances of how these models work (and I sure as hell am not gonna bother yet) it's best to avoid idle philosophizing about "bullshit engines" or "stochastic parrots" or "world models"

Both because you are probably making some assumptions that are completely wrong which will make you look like a fool and also because it doesn't really matter - the ultimate success of these models rests on the reliability of their outputs, not on whether they are "truly intelligent" or whatever.

And if you want to have an uninformed take anyway... can I interest you in registering a prediction? Here are a few of mine:

- No fully self-driving cars sold to individual consumers before 2030

- AI bubble initially deflates after a couple more years without slam-dunk profitable projects, but research and iterative improvement continues

- Almost all white collar jobs incorporate some form of AI that meaningfully boosts productivity by mid 2030s

#ai #not particularly well-defined ones but y'know

285 notes · View notes

mostlysignssomeportents · 6 months ago

Text

AI is a WMD

I'm in TARTU, ESTONIA! AI, copyright and creative workers' labor rights (TOMORROW, May 10, 8AM: Science Fiction Research Association talk, Institute of Foreign Languages and Cultures building, Lossi 3, lobby). A talk for hackers on seizing the means of computation (TOMORROW, May 10, 3PM, University of Tartu Delta Centre, Narva 18, room 1037).

Fun fact: "The Tragedy Of the Commons" is a hoax created by the white nationalist Garrett Hardin to justify stealing land from colonized people and moving it from collective ownership, "rescuing" it from the inevitable tragedy by putting it in the hands of a private owner, who will care for it properly, thanks to "rational self-interest":

https://pluralistic.net/2023/05/04/analytical-democratic-theory/#epistocratic-delusions

Get that? If control over a key resource is diffused among the people who rely on it, then (Garrett claims) those people will all behave like selfish assholes, overusing and undermaintaining the commons. It's only when we let someone own that commons and charge rent for its use that (Hardin says) we will get sound management.

By that logic, Google should be the internet's most competent and reliable manager. After all, the company used its access to the capital markets to buy control over the internet, spending billions every year to make sure that you never try a search-engine other than its own, thus guaranteeing it a 90% market share:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/02/21/im-feeling-unlucky/#not-up-to-the-task

Google seems to think it's got the problem of deciding what we see on the internet licked. Otherwise, why would the company flush $80b down the toilet with a giant stock-buyback, and then do multiple waves of mass layoffs, from last year's 12,000 person bloodbath to this year's deep cuts to the company's "core teams"?

https://qz.com/google-is-laying-off-hundreds-as-it-moves-core-jobs-abr-1851449528

And yet, Google is overrun with scams and spam, which find their way to the very top of the first page of its search results:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/02/24/passive-income/#swiss-cheese-security

The entire internet is shaped by Google's decisions about what shows up on that first page of listings. When Google decided to prioritize shopping site results over informative discussions and other possible matches, the entire internet shifted its focus to producing affiliate-link-strewn "reviews" that would show up on Google's front door:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/04/24/naming-names/#prabhakar-raghavan

This was catnip to the kind of sociopath who a) owns a hedge-fund and b) hates journalists for being pain-in-the-ass, stick-in-the-mud sticklers for "truth" and "facts" and other impediments to the care and maintenance of a functional reality-distortion field. These dickheads started buying up beloved news sites and converting them to spam-farms, filled with garbage "reviews" and other Google-pleasing, affiliate-fee-generating nonsense.

(These news-sites were vulnerable to acquisition in large part thanks to Google, whose dominance of ad-tech lets it cream 51 cents off every ad dollar and whose mobile OS monopoly lets it steal 30 cents off every in-app subscriber dollar):

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/04/saving-news-big-tech

Now, the spam on these sites didn't write itself. Much to the chagrin of the tech/finance bros who bought up Sports Illustrated and other venerable news sites, they still needed to pay actual human writers to produce plausible word-salads. This was a waste of money that could be better spent on reverse-engineering Google's ranking algorithm and getting pride-of-place on search results pages:

https://housefresh.com/david-vs-digital-goliaths/

That's where AI comes in. Spicy autocomplete absolutely can't replace journalists. The planet-destroying, next-word-guessing programs from Openai and its competitors are incorrigible liars that require so much "supervision" that they cost more than they save in a newsroom:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/04/29/what-part-of-no/#dont-you-understand

But while a chatbot can't produce truthful and informative articles, it can produce bullshit – at unimaginable scale. Chatbots are the workers that hedge-fund wreckers dream of: tireless, uncomplaining, compliant and obedient producers of nonsense on demand.

That's why the capital class is so insatiably horny for chatbots. Chatbots aren't going to write Hollywood movies, but studio bosses hyperventilated at the prospect of a "writer" that would accept your brilliant idea and diligently turned it into a movie. You prompt an LLM in exactly the same way a studio exec gives writers notes. The difference is that the LLM won't roll its eyes and make sarcastic remarks about your brainwaves like "ET, but starring a dog, with a love plot in the second act and a big car-chase at the end":

https://pluralistic.net/2023/10/01/how-the-writers-guild-sunk-ais-ship/

Similarly, chatbots are a dream come true for a hedge fundie who ends up running a beloved news site, only to have to fight with their own writers to get the profitable nonsense produced at a scale and velocity that will guarantee a high Google ranking and millions in "passive income" from affiliate links.

One of the premier profitable nonsense companies is Advon, which helped usher in an era in which sites from Forbes to Money to USA Today create semi-secret "review" sites that are stuffed full of badly researched top-ten lists for products from air purifiers to cat beds:

https://housefresh.com/how-google-decimated-housefresh/

Advon swears that it only uses living humans to produce nonsense, and not AI. This isn't just wildly implausible, it's also belied by easily uncovered evidence, like its own employees' Linkedin profiles, which boast of using AI to create "content":

https://housefresh.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Advon-AI-LinkedIn.jpg

It's not true. Advon uses AI to produce its nonsense, at scale. In an excellent, deeply reported piece for Futurism, Maggie Harrison Dupré brings proof that Advon replaced its miserable human nonsense-writers with tireless chatbots:

https://futurism.com/advon-ai-content

Dupré describes how Advon's ability to create botshit at scale contributed to the enshittification of clients from Yoga Journal to the LA Times, "Us Weekly" to the Miami Herald.

All of this is very timely, because this is the week that Google finally bestirred itself to commence downranking publishers who engage in "site reputation abuse" – creating these SEO-stuffed fake reviews with the help of third parties like Advon:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/05/03/keyword-swarming/#site-reputation-abuse

(Google's policy only forbids site reputation abuse with the help of third parties; if these publishers take their nonsense production in-house, Google may allow them to continue to dominate its search listings):

https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2024/03/core-update-spam-policies#site-reputation

There's a reason so many people believed Hardin's racist "Tragedy of the Commons" hoax. We have an intuitive understanding that commons are fragile. All it takes is one monster to start shitting in the well where the rest of us get our drinking water and we're all poisoned.

The financial markets love these monsters. Mark Zuckerberg's key insight was that he could make billions by assembling vast dossiers of compromising, sensitive personal information on half the world's population without their consent, but only if he kept his costs down by failing to safeguard that data and the systems for exploiting it. He's like a guy who figures out that if he accumulates enough oily rags, he can extract so much low-grade oil from them that he can grow rich, but only if he doesn't waste money on fire-suppression:

https://locusmag.com/2018/07/cory-doctorow-zucks-empire-of-oily-rags/

Now Zuckerberg and the wealthy, powerful monsters who seized control over our commons are getting a comeuppance. The weak countermeasures they created to maintain the minimum levels of quality to keep their platforms as viable, going concerns are being overwhelmed by AI. This was a totally foreseeable outcome: the history of the internet is a story of bad actors who upended the assumptions built into our security systems by automating their attacks, transforming an assault that wouldn't be economically viable into a global, high-speed crime wave:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/04/24/automation-is-magic/

But it is possible for a community to maintain a commons. This is something Hardin could have discovered by studying actual commons, instead of inventing imaginary histories in which commons turned tragic. As it happens, someone else did exactly that: Nobel Laureate Elinor Ostrom:

https://www.onthecommons.org/magazine/elinor-ostroms-8-principles-managing-commmons/

Ostrom described how commons can be wisely managed, over very long timescales, by communities that self-governed. Part of her work concerns how users of a commons must have the ability to exclude bad actors from their shared resources.

When that breaks down, commons can fail – because there's always someone who thinks it's fine to shit in the well rather than walk 100 yards to the outhouse.

Enshittification is the process by which control over the internet moved from self-governance by members of the commons to acts of wanton destruction committed by despicable, greedy assholes who shit in the well over and over again.

It's not just the spammers who take advantage of Google's lazy incompetence, either. Take "copyleft trolls," who post images using outdated Creative Commons licenses that allow them to terminate the CC license if a user makes minor errors in attributing the images they use:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/01/24/a-bug-in-early-creative-commons-licenses-has-enabled-a-new-breed-of-superpredator/

The first copyleft trolls were individuals, but these days, the racket is dominated by a company called Pixsy, which pretends to be a "rights protection" agency that helps photographers track down copyright infringers. In reality, the company is committed to helping copyleft trolls entrap innocent Creative Commons users into paying hundreds or even thousands of dollars to use images that are licensed for free use. Just as Advon upends the economics of spam and deception through automation, Pixsy has figured out how to send legal threats at scale, robolawyering demand letters that aren't signed by lawyers; the company refuses to say whether any lawyer ever reviews these threats:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/02/13/an-open-letter-to-pixsy-ceo-kain-jones-who-keeps-sending-me-legal-threats/

This is shitting in the well, at scale. It's an online WMD, designed to wipe out the commons. Creative Commons has allowed millions of creators to produce a commons with billions of works in it, and Pixsy exploits a minor error in the early versions of CC licenses to indiscriminately manufacture legal land-mines, wantonly blowing off innocent commons-users' legs and laughing all the way to the bank:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/02/commafuckers-versus-the-commons/

We can have an online commons, but only if it's run by and for its users. Google has shown us that any "benevolent dictator" who amasses power in the name of defending the open internet will eventually grow too big to care, and will allow our commons to be demolished by well-shitters:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/04/04/teach-me-how-to-shruggie/#kagi

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/05/09/shitting-in-the-well/#advon

Image: Cryteria (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HAL9000.svg

CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en

Catherine Poh Huay Tan (modified) https://www.flickr.com/photos/68166820@N08/49729911222/

Laia Balagueró (modified) https://www.flickr.com/photos/lbalaguero/6551235503/

CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

320 notes · View notes