#no-code trading platform

[priyashareindia9]

The stock market can be a thrilling arena, offering the potential for significant growth opportunities. However, it’s no secret that it can also be a landmine for the unwary. Emotions, impulsive decisions, and the sheer complexity of market movements can all contribute to losses. This is where algo trading software steps in, offering a powerful tool for mitigating risk and potentially improving trading performance. Let’s explore how algorithmic trading software assists traders in understanding market dynamics and managing risks in stock trading scenarios.

[businessconstruct]

Essential Tools In Crypto Trading Game: Guide of 2023

Equipping yourself with the proper Tools In Crypto Trading resources is as important as a compass for a sailor in the ever-changing world of Bitcoin. Here’s a look at the essential resources to improve your trading approach and bring your crypto experience to the next level. Important Resources And Essential Tools In Crypto Trading Game Tools In Crypto Trading – Image…

[jamingbenn]

year in review - hockey rpf on ao3

hello!! the annual ao3 year in review had some friends and i thinking - wouldn't it be cool if we had a hockey rpf specific version of that. so i went ahead and collated the data below!!

i start with a broad overview, then dive deeper into the 3 most popular ships this year (with one bonus!)

if any images appear blurry, click on them to expand and they should become clear!

₊˚⊹♡ . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁𐙚 ‧₊˚ ⋅. ݁

before we jump in, some key things to highlight: - CREDIT TO: the webscraping part of my code heavily utilized the ao3 wrapped google colab code, as lovingly created by @kyucultures on twitter, as the main skeleton. i tweaked a couple of things but having it as a reference saved me a LOT of time and effort as a first time web scraper!!! thank you stranger <3 - please do NOT, under ANY circumstances, share any part of this collation on any other website. please do not screenshot or repost to twitter, tiktok, or any other public social platform. thank u!!! T_T - but do feel free to send requests to my inbox! if you want more info on a specific ship, tag, or you have a cool idea or wanna see a correlation between two variables, reach out and i should be able to take a look. if you want to take a deeper dive into a specific trope not mentioned here/chapter count/word counts/fic tags/ship tags/ratings/etc, shoot me an ask!

˚　　. 　 ˚　.　　　　　 . ✦　　　 　˚　　　　 . ★⋆. ࿐࿔

with that all said and done... let's dive into hockey_rpf_2024_wrapped_insanity.ipynb

BIG PICTURE OVERVIEW

i scraped a total of 4266 fanfics that dated themselves as published or finished in the year 2024. of these 4000 odd fanfics, the most popular ships were:

Note: "Minor or Background Relationship(s)" clocked in at #9 with 91 fics, but I removed it as it was always a secondary tag and added no information to the chart. I did not discern between primary ship and secondary ship(s) either!

breaking down the 5 most popular ships over the course of the year, we see:

super interesting to see that HUGE jump for mattdrai in june/july for the stanley cup final. the general lull in the offseason is cool to see as well.

as for the most popular tags in all 2024 hockey rpf fic...

weee like our fluff. and our established relationships. and a little H/C never hurt no one.

i got curious here about which AUs were the most popular, so i filtered down for that. note that i only regex'd for tags that specifically start with "Alternate Universe - ", so A/B/O and some other stuff won't appear here!

idk it was cool to me.

also, here's a quick breakdown of the ratings % for works this year:

and as for the word counts, i pulled up a box plot of the top 20 most popular ships to see how the fic length distribution differed amongst ships:

mattdrai-ers you have some DEDICATION omg. respect

now for the ship by ship break down!!

₊ . ݁ ݁ . ⊹ ࣪ ˖͙͘͡★ ⊹ .

#1 MATTDRAI

most popular ship this year. peaked in june/july with the scf. so what do u people like to write about?

fun fun fun. i love that the scf is tagged there like yes actually she is also a main character

₊ . ݁ ݁ . ⊹ ࣪ ˖͙͘͡★ ⊹ .

#2 SIDGENO

(my babies) top tags for this ship are:

folks, we are a/b/o fiends and we cannot lie. thank you to all the selfless authors for feeding us good a/b/o fic this year. i hope to join your ranks soon.

(also: MPREG. omega sidney crosby. alpha geno. listen, the people have spoken, and like, i am listening.)

₊ . ݁ ݁ . ⊹ ࣪ ˖͙͘͡★ ⊹ .

#3 NICOJACK

top tags!!

it seems nice and cozy over there... room for one more?

₊ . ݁ ݁ . ⊹ ࣪ ˖͙͘͡★ ⊹ .

BONUS: JDTZ.

i wasnt gonna plot this but @marcandreyuri asked me if i could take a look and the results are so compelling i must include it. are yall ok. do u need a hug

top tags being h/c, angst, angst, TRADES, pining, open endings... T_T katie said its a "torture vortex" and i must concurr

₊ . ݁ ݁ . ⊹ ࣪ ˖͙͘͡★ ⊹ .

BONUS BONUS: ALPHA/BETA/OMEGA

as an a/b/o enthusiast myself i got curious as to what the most popular ships were within that tag. if you want me to take a look about this for any other tag lmk, but for a/b/o, as expected, SID GENO ON TOP BABY!:

thats all for now!!! if you have anything else you are interested in seeing the data for, send me an ask and i'll see if i can get it to ya!

[loganwritesprobably]

Watching (S.R.)

Synopsis: Reader has a small crush on Spencer, one of their co-workers. It’s easy to get distracted and just stare at him. Tags/Warnings: Spencer/GN!Reader, goth!reader, bau agent!reader, pre-relationship, reader is never gendered but is specified to be wearing eyeliner,  Word count: 430 Notes: Don’t be fooled the anon that requested this is actually @queenmimi2817. Also this is short buttt she doesn’t mind

AO3 | Fanfic Masterlist | Request Rules | Fic Trades Guide

It was hard to not let your eyes trail after him, observing so blatantly as Spencer gesticulated while monologuing about something you weren’t entirely sure you understood. You’d figure it out later. Someone would explain it to you, probably, if you asked nicely. JJ probably.

You shifted in your chair to set your right foot on the ground, your thick platformed boot thudding against the wooden floor, while you swapped and lifted the left foot onto your opposite knee. The chains attached to your belt loops softly clinked with the movement, not enough to distract anyone but enough that you heard the sound and smiled. The clinking sound your chains made was one of your favourites. You took some small liberties when it came to your uniform, but you always ensured you were technically compliant with the dress code. A patterned shirt was one of your favourite ways to tailor your uniform to your own personal style, that day you’d chosen a black shirt with small grey embroidered skulls, they looked like spots from a distance so you generally managed to get away with it. You also had a small amount of eyeliner on, no wing, just some black eyeshadow smudged around your eyes, the same way you’d learned when you were just fourteen and looking up ‘emo aesthetic’ on tumblr.

Emily shuffled her chair slightly closer to you, making you glance over with a raised eyebrow, but she said nothing so you ignored it. She’d probably done it to see the images pinned to the cork board behind Spencer better. That line of thought drew your eyes back to his arms, he’d become more toned in the last six or so months, and with his shirt sleeves rolled up like they were it was easy to notice, and hard to look away from. Beside you, Emily coughed softly, leaning in closer toward you until your shoulders were touching. You rolled your eyes and turned to face her, brows raised to effectively communicate ‘what the fuck do you want?’.

“Could you get any thirstier?” Emily whispered, her amusement clear in her voice. You leaned further back in your chair and crossed your arms over your chest, ignoring her for a moment to watch as Spencer walked away to do something else, admiring his ass as he went.

“Probably.” You finally said, at a normal volume now that he was out of earshot.

“Were you even listening?” She then asked, standing as you did, ready to head out to do what was needed.

“Not a word. He’s so pretty, it’s distracting.”

Tag list: @claryeverlarkf @uselessboots @cainnoable @hyperfixationthingss

If you'd like to tip me you can head over to my Kofi

[sourplumtext]

A Guilted Hunger (Prologue)

Synopsis: Sylus buys you at an auction thinking things will be the same as before. You don't remember your past life with him.

(A/n: First fic on here. Not rly sure how to format things. Just wanted to write angst and smut. Will write this in parts)

჻჻჻჻჻჻჻჻჻჻჻჻჻჻჻჻჻჻჻჻჻჻჻჻

Sylus wasn't particularly interested in buying people.

It was a repeat occurance for him to be offered people to be sold in his auctions. Beautiful or ugly, young or old, rich or poor - there were too many circumstances to count that a person could end up being sold. But he always refused to feature people. In his opinion, it was a disgusting trade to be in. He would rather die again and wait another millenia to reincarnate as a fruit fly before stooping to that level.

Put simply, it went against his personal code of ethics, so any effort towards selling people was always shut down when it came to the auctions he sponsored.

That's probably why he was particularly livid when he was informed only seconds before a showcase that there would be a body on display.

"What?"

Sylus was across the hall when he got word. The curtain had already raised to reveal her as he made his way over. As always, he kept his anger unhurried. Whoever was responsible for this would get their punishment in due time. But at that moment, it was a matter of getting the body out of the auction. He would just have to pay his way through.

There were too many people surrounding the glass that encased her. He couldn't even see her face and yet, he felt the shift in the room. There were too many men. There was too much hunger.

What was shown was worse than he expected. His patience thinned. Suddenly it wasn't so irrational for him to gouge out the eyes of everyone in the room. He would have to make sure to personally deal with whoever caused this.

A spotlight bathed the platform in bright light, directly shining on a kneeling woman dressed in white silk, with hands bound behind her. A lace ribbon obscured her vision. She was nothing like the wild and exotic animals that came before her. But to Sylus, she was just as rare.

"Fifty million."

It was silent. No one dared to raise a paddle against him. This was his woman.

[sexymemecoin]

The Rise of DeFi: Revolutionizing the Financial Landscape

Decentralized Finance (DeFi) has emerged as one of the most transformative sectors within the cryptocurrency industry. By leveraging blockchain technology, DeFi aims to recreate and improve upon traditional financial systems, offering a more inclusive, transparent, and efficient financial ecosystem. This article explores the fundamental aspects of DeFi, its key components, benefits, challenges, and notable projects, including a brief mention of Sexy Meme Coin.

What is DeFi?

DeFi stands for Decentralized Finance, a movement that utilizes blockchain technology to build an open and permissionless financial system. Unlike traditional financial systems that rely on centralized intermediaries like banks and brokerages, DeFi operates on decentralized networks, allowing users to interact directly with financial services. This decentralization is achieved through smart contracts, which are self-executing contracts with the terms of the agreement directly written into code.

Key Components of DeFi

Decentralized Exchanges (DEXs): DEXs allow users to trade cryptocurrencies directly with one another without the need for a central authority. Platforms like Uniswap, SushiSwap, and PancakeSwap have gained popularity for their ability to provide liquidity and facilitate peer-to-peer trading.

Lending and Borrowing Platforms: DeFi lending platforms like Aave, Compound, and MakerDAO enable users to lend their assets to earn interest or borrow assets by providing collateral. These platforms use smart contracts to automate the lending process, ensuring transparency and efficiency.

Stablecoins: Stablecoins are cryptocurrencies pegged to stable assets like fiat currencies to reduce volatility. They are crucial for DeFi as they provide a stable medium of exchange and store of value. Popular stablecoins include Tether (USDT), USD Coin (USDC), and Dai (DAI).

Yield Farming and Liquidity Mining: Yield farming involves providing liquidity to DeFi protocols in exchange for rewards, often in the form of additional tokens. Liquidity mining is a similar concept where users earn rewards for providing liquidity to specific pools. These practices incentivize participation and enhance liquidity within the DeFi ecosystem.

Insurance Protocols: DeFi insurance protocols like Nexus Mutual and Cover Protocol offer coverage against risks such as smart contract failures and hacks. These platforms aim to provide users with security and peace of mind when engaging with DeFi services.

Benefits of DeFi

Financial Inclusion: DeFi opens up access to financial services for individuals who are unbanked or underbanked, particularly in regions with limited access to traditional banking infrastructure. Anyone with an internet connection can participate in DeFi, democratizing access to financial services.

Transparency and Trust: DeFi operates on public blockchains, providing transparency for all transactions. This transparency reduces the need for trust in intermediaries and allows users to verify and audit transactions independently.

Efficiency and Speed: DeFi eliminates the need for intermediaries, reducing costs and increasing the speed of transactions. Smart contracts automate processes that would typically require manual intervention, enhancing efficiency.

Innovation and Flexibility: The open-source nature of DeFi allows developers to innovate and build new financial products and services. This continuous innovation leads to the creation of diverse and flexible financial instruments.

Challenges Facing DeFi

Security Risks: DeFi platforms are susceptible to hacks, bugs, and vulnerabilities in smart contracts. High-profile incidents, such as the DAO hack and the recent exploits on various DeFi platforms, highlight the need for robust security measures.

Regulatory Uncertainty: The regulatory environment for DeFi is still evolving, with governments and regulators grappling with how to address the unique challenges posed by decentralized financial systems. This uncertainty can impact the growth and adoption of DeFi.

Scalability: DeFi platforms often face scalability issues, particularly on congested blockchain networks like Ethereum. High gas fees and slow transaction times can hinder the user experience and limit the scalability of DeFi applications.

Complexity and Usability: DeFi platforms can be complex and challenging for newcomers to navigate. Improving user interfaces and providing educational resources are crucial for broader adoption.

Notable DeFi Projects

Uniswap (UNI): Uniswap is a leading decentralized exchange that allows users to trade ERC-20 tokens directly from their wallets. Its automated market maker (AMM) model has revolutionized the way liquidity is provided and traded in the DeFi space.

Aave (AAVE): Aave is a decentralized lending and borrowing platform that offers unique features such as flash loans and rate switching. It has become one of the largest and most innovative DeFi protocols.

MakerDAO (MKR): MakerDAO is the protocol behind the Dai stablecoin, a decentralized stablecoin pegged to the US dollar. MakerDAO allows users to create Dai by collateralizing their assets, providing stability and liquidity to the DeFi ecosystem.

Compound (COMP): Compound is another leading DeFi lending platform that enables users to earn interest on their cryptocurrencies or borrow assets against collateral. Its governance token, COMP, allows users to participate in protocol governance.

Sexy Meme Coin (SXYM): While primarily known as a meme coin, Sexy Meme Coin has integrated DeFi features, including a decentralized marketplace for buying, selling, and trading memes as NFTs. This unique blend of humor and finance adds a distinct flavor to the DeFi landscape. Learn more about Sexy Meme Coin at Sexy Meme Coin.

The Future of DeFi

The future of DeFi looks promising, with continuous innovation and growing adoption. As blockchain technology advances and scalability solutions are implemented, DeFi has the potential to disrupt traditional financial systems further. Regulatory clarity and improved security measures will be crucial for the sustainable growth of the DeFi ecosystem.

DeFi is likely to continue attracting attention from both retail and institutional investors, driving further development and integration of decentralized financial services. The flexibility and inclusivity offered by DeFi make it a compelling alternative to traditional finance, paving the way for a more open and accessible financial future.

Conclusion

Decentralized Finance (DeFi) represents a significant shift in the financial landscape, leveraging blockchain technology to create a more inclusive, transparent, and efficient financial system. Despite the challenges, the benefits of DeFi and its continuous innovation make it a transformative force in the world of finance. Notable projects like Uniswap, Aave, and MakerDAO, along with unique contributions from meme coins like Sexy Meme Coin, demonstrate the diverse and dynamic nature of the DeFi ecosystem.

For those interested in exploring the playful and innovative side of DeFi, Sexy Meme Coin offers a unique and entertaining platform. Visit Sexy Meme Coin to learn more and join the community.

[notdefendingtaylor]

I know this is controversial but ever since Taylor started dating Travis, her brand and image has gone dangerously close to MAGA conservative in a way that feels creepy given how much trad-wife and conservatism has slowly made its way to the mainstream. For example, Nara Smith becoming a prominent pop culture figure and the increase of incels and young male with conservative views in this Trump/Elon era. The way she dresses has become either too on the nose with the grotesque brand marketing or too feminine “50s core” to the point it looks like she’s intentionally trying to appear a certain way. Someone spoke about this more eloquently but her dating a typical macho men that represents patriarchy stereotypes is making her fit into that role in a weird way.

Taylor is extremely male centered and lives stock in her high school era. If anything her music makes it known she graves that validation and nothing screams more ”American” than dating a football player she can full-fill her dreams with.

The truth that a lot of swifties don’t want to accept is that Taylor was raised republican and rich. Most importantly, in the South. Her parents are fully Trumpies for sure. So, her “liberal views” were things she acquitted either because of past partners (aka Joe Alwyn) or the idea that she needs to start appearing “woke” to fit into the quota that was moving main op culture with pop stars being more experimental and political aware. Particularly because Reputation flopped and she needed a stronger comeback. She has never done a major thing - her attempt at being LGBT+ was picky-bagging on pop stars with more courage.

The only reason she endorsed Kamala was because she got involved in the Trump campaign and that brought attention to her endorsement. If she actually wanted to support Kamala she would’ve appeared in one of her rally’s or being more obvious about her endorsement. Taylor does not care unless it directly benefits her monetary.

Young acts with so much more to lose that don’t have an established career like she does are standing their ground constantly on the matter.

And her delusional fans would say her association with MAGA every other week is not indication of her views, but they do. And her silence only makes it more obvious. Dating MAGA is her new identity.

anon i can tell your third eye is open. i agree! and to add a few points:

i am not sure her total timeline of being raised in pennsylvania versus the south but PA famously went for trump in 2024 and was considered a decisive boost to him. raised in affluent PA or the south, she has never been insulated against conservative values

i mean yes her dad is DEFINITELY maga. points in favor of this would be him trying to urge her not to endorse a liberal candidate in "miss americana," and the fact that since Reagan if not before, Republicans have powered the transfer of wealth upwards while selling the lie that it will 'trickle down' to the working class. they are currently cutting social services viciously and pretending it should be up to non-profits and private donors to make up that gap (which simply can't replace programs like SNAP/medicaid). as a third gen bank president, he definitely supports the wealth hoarding party.

i've seen the literal term 'travwives' used on this platform, extremely close to tradwife. she does seem to be following the jojo siwa 'edgy/provocative/defiant to wifey aesthetic' pipeline. i have no problem with anyone being in a supportive relationship, for the record. but her wardrobe is very 'my bf's sports team is my personality/identity' coded.

her boyfriend's friends, regardless of quality, even if they are accused of SA (Jackson Mahomes, the Bussin podcasters), are now HER friends. she is 'one of the boys' now when it will cement her image as travis' #1 supporter. the trade off is him being a prop for her eras show, i guess. either way, cringe...

i would say a possible difference between her and younger stars is this: older millennials can actually remember a world that, on the surface at least, looked like it was worth conserving. before endless foreign wars, growing inflation/wage stagnation, and the very obvious wealth inequality we are all painfully aware of now. that's not to say these problems haven't been bubbling under the surface the whole time, ESPECIALLY racism, but there was a kind of sheltering from that during a 90s childhood. there was a more robust middle class. now, gen z kids KNOW the urgency of the world we are in. they grew up in the internet age where it is visible every day.

[the-nox-syndicate]

SysNotes devlog 1

Hiya! We're a web developer by trade and we wanted to build ourselves a web-app to manage our system and to get to know each other better. We thought it would be fun to make a sort of a devlog on this blog to show off the development! The working title of this project is SysNotes (but better ideas are welcome!)

What SysNotes is✅:

A place to store profiles of all of our parts

A tool to figure out who is in front

A way to explore our inner world

A private chat similar to PluralKit

A way to combine info about our system with info about our OCs etc as an all-encompassing "brain-world" management system

A personal and tailor-made tool made for our needs

What SysNotes is not❌:

A fronting tracker (we see no need for it in our system)

A social media where users can interact (but we're open to make it so if people are interested)

A public platform that can be used by others (we don't have much experience actually hosting web-apps, but will consider it if there is enough interest!)

An offline app

So if this sounds interesting to you, you can find the first devlog below the cut (it's a long one!):

(I have used word highlighting and emojis as it helps me read large chunks of text, I hope it's alright with y'all!)

Tech stack & setup (feel free to skip if you don't care!)

The project is set up using:

Database: MySQL 8.4.3

Language: PHP 8.3

Framework: Laravel 10 with Breeze (authentication and user accounts) and Livewire 3 (front end integration)

Styling: Tailwind v4

I tried to set up Laragon to easily run the backend, but I ran into issues so I'm just running "php artisan serve" for now and using Laragon to run the DB. Also I'm compiling styles in real time with "npm run dev". Speaking of the DB, I just migrated the default auth tables for now. I will be making app-related DB tables in the next devlog. The awesome thing about Laravel is its Breeze starter kit, which gives you fully functioning authentication and basic account management out of the box, as well as optional Livewire to integrate server-side processing into HTML in the sexiest way. This means that I could get all the boring stuff out of the way with one terminal command. Win!

Styling and layout (for the UI nerds - you can skip this too!)

I changed the default accent color from purple to orange (personal preference) and used an emoji as a placeholder for the logo. I actually kinda like the emoji AS a logo so I might keep it.

Laravel Breeze came with a basic dashboard page, which I expanded with a few containers for the different sections of the page. I made use of the components that come with Breeze to reuse code for buttons etc throughout the code, and made new components as the need arose. Man, I love clean code 😌

I liked the dotted default Laravel page background, so I added it to the dashboard to create the look of a bullet journal. I like the journal-type visuals for this project as it goes with the theme of a notebook/file. I found the code for it here.

I also added some placeholder menu items for the pages that I would like to have in the app - Profile, (Inner) World, Front Decider, and Chat.

i ran into an issue dynamically building Tailwind classes such as class="bg-{{$activeStatus['color']}}-400" - turns out dynamically-created classes aren't supported, even if they're constructed in the component rather than the blade file. You learn something new every day huh…

Also, coming from Tailwind v3, "ps-*" and "pe-*" were confusing to get used to since my muscle memory is "pl-*" and "pr-*" 😂

Feature 1: Profiles page - proof of concept

This is a page where each alter's profiles will be displayed. You can switch between the profiles by clicking on each person's name. The current profile is highlighted in the list using a pale orange colour.

The logic for the profiles functionality uses a Livewire component called Profiles, which loads profile data and passes it into the blade view to be displayed. It also handles logic such as switching between the profiles and formatting data. Currently, the data is hardcoded into the component using an associative array, but I will be converting it to use the database in the next devlog.

New profile (TBC)

You will be able to create new profiles on the same page (this is yet to be implemented). My vision is that the New Alter form will unfold under the button, and fold back up again once the form has been submitted.

Alter name, pronouns, status

The most interesting component here is the status, which is currently set to a hardcoded list of "active", "dormant", and "unknown". However, I envision this to be a customisable list where I can add new statuses to the list from a settings menu (yet to be implemented).

Alter image

I wanted the folder that contained alter images and other assets to be outside of my Laravel project, in the Pictures folder of my operating system. I wanted to do this so that I can back up the assets folder whenever I back up my Pictures folder lol (not for adding/deleting the files - this all happens through the app to maintain data integrity!). However, I learned that Laravel does not support that and it will not be able to see my files because they are external. I found a workaround by using symbolic links (symlinks) 🔗. Basically, they allow to have one folder of identical contents in more than one place. I ran "mklink /D [external path] [internal path]" to create the symlink between my Pictures folder and Laravel's internal assets folder, so that any files that I add to my Pictures folder automatically copy over to Laravel's folder. I changed a couple lines in filesystems.php to point to the symlinked folder:

And I was also getting a "404 file not found" error - I think the issue was because the port wasn't originally specified. I changed the base app URL to the localhost IP address in .env:

…And after all this messing around, it works!

(My Pictures folder)

(My Laravel storage)

(And here is Alice's photo displayed - dw I DO know Ibuki's actual name)

Alter description and history

The description and history fields support HTML, so I can format these fields however I like, and add custom features like tables and bullet point lists.

This is done by using blade's HTML preservation tags "{!! !!}" as opposed to the plain text tags "{{ }}".

(Here I define Alice's description contents)

(And here I insert them into the template)

Traits, likes, dislikes, front triggers

These are saved as separate lists and rendered as fun badges. These will be used in the Front Decider (anyone has a better name for it?? 🤔) tool to help me identify which alter "I" am as it's a big struggle for us. Front Decider will work similar to FlowCharty.

What next?

There's lots more things I want to do with SysNotes! But I will take it one step at a time - here is the plan for the next devlog:

Setting up database tables for the profile data

Adding the "New Profile" form so I can create alters from within the app

Adding ability to edit each field on the profile

I tried my best to explain my work process in a way that wold somewhat make sense to non-coders - if you have any feedback for the future format of these devlogs, let me know!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Disclaimers:

I have not used AI in the making of this app and I do NOT support the Vibe Coding mind virus that is currently on the loose. Programming is a form of art, and I will defend manual coding until the day I die.

Any alter data found in the screenshots is dummy data that does not represent our actual system.

I will not be making the code publicly available until it is a bit more fleshed out, this so far is just a trial for a concept I had bouncing around my head over the weekend.

We are SYSCOURSE NEUTRAL! Please don't start fights under this post

[vermilionsun]

We always thought we were alone out there. Not in the galaxy—no, that dream died fast. I mean alone… in ourselves. Human.

Centuries ago, we broke Earth’s gravity with nothing but desperation and data. We were running—from ruin, from rot, from each other. But we didn’t stop at the stars. We colonized them, carved cities into comets, hung solar farms between moons, called it home.

But it wasn’t just our bodies that changed out here. It was our minds.

Pluto was the furthest reach—the quiet end of a dying signal. They built Eridia there: a haven for thinkers, neuralists, soul-engineers. They studied what space does to the human psyche. And they found something.

They called it "The Hunger" A psychic sickness. A rupture in the way we connect. It spread like a system glitch—slow, silent, and deep within humanity. Affection became dangerous. Touch became lethal.

So they rewrote humanity—dampeners, inhibitors, neural locks. No more empathy spikes, no more entanglement, no more touching. It worked for a while. The Hunger hasn’t gone away; it has evolved. And those who feel too much… burn out.

You shouldn’t be alive. And yet—here you are. You weren’t born with the Hunger. With your own motivations in mind, you travel to Eridia, seeking answers about the one thing only you have.

Your hopes are to The Pantheon Circuit; A religious-techno body worshipping the ancient pre-human code—fragments of consciousness scattered through the galaxy.

Chose your backstory;

✩ The Conduit

You were wired to a forgotten AI-god, left floating in the void. They asked questions no one else could hear. You gave answers the system feared. People treated you as a seer, a signal booster, a danger to system control. You escaped before they could erase you.

✩ The Drifted

They found you in a half-dead cryo-pod, memory fogged. You wore a military tag that doesn’t exist in any records. As you traveled with your saviours, someone redirected your ship, causing you to crash into a nearby moon. Every crew member, and every record of their findings died. All but you.

✩ The Vessel

Biotech-enhanced and artificially immune to “the hunger” by design. Someone tried to build a cure into you, and you killed them getting out. Your "mother" found and took you in, but she's colapsing under the Hunger, and you leave to find help

You crash-land on Pluto with a celestial train, and are discovered by a rogue AI that was smuggled into Eridia.

Chose your Love Interest;

✩ Ais

Code Shaman — repairs forbidden AIs, speaks with machines, implants psychic firewalls.

Talks about Ȩ̴̻͚̟̳̬̣̮̿̀̈́̋̑̿̀̐̅̂̈́̄ȑ̷̡̢̢̝̬͔͚͔̲̯͖̜͊͊́͛̑̔̑̓͐̄͂̅͝͝o̵͈̙̩̍̓͐͋̅̉̊̔c̸͕̖͕͛̐͂̉̏͗̀̓͑͂̽͘

✩ Leander

Sensory Dealer — runs simulated emotion dens, trades stolen memories, fakes affection until yours feels real.

✩ Kuras

Ex-Pantheon Ascendant — a spiritual anchor turned apostate, carries forbidden relics from the Core

✩ Mhin

Scavver — builds illegal augment limbs, hides in The Drift’s ghost tunnels, allergic to vulnerability.

✩ Vere

Phantom-Operative — genetically altered for silence and cruelty, works for The Pantheon Circuit

Other; The Spire & The Drift

"Up there, they breathe clean air. Down here, we survive."

✩ The Spire: A tower city scraping the dome’s edge, flooded with reflective chrome and corporate cults. Rich in synthetic light, dead in soul.

✩ The Drift: Underground, near the reactor slums. Neon gutters, rusted platforms, mod markets. People here splice their DNA for coin or survival.

[naomikozura]

Playing With Fire: Chapter 6

Jason Todd (Red Hood) x Fem!Reader (Criminal)

Trope: Enemies to Lovers, Forbidden Romance

Warnings: strong language, mentions of guns, drinking (all overage), tiny tiny tiny angst (if you squint), stealing/heist, illegal coding (meh barely a warning), not too many this chapter but lmk if I missed any!

WC: 10K

Summary: In the heart-pounding midst of a daring heist, you encounter him for the first time behind the mask. As partners in crime, the stakes are high—this job could reshape your future. But amidst the adrenaline and danger, a connection sparks, complicating everything. Will you emerge unscathed by consequences, or will you find yourself entangled in a precarious dance where risk and intimacy intertwine, forcing you to confront the true meaning of loyalty?

Series Masterlist

Chapter 5 || Chapter 7

The night was filled with people from all backgrounds, business owners, CFOs, CEOs, COOs, jewelry heiresses, stock brokers, even those who dabbled in international trade and shipments of luxury goods were in the room. Every person with any sense of power on the money side of Gotham was present tonight. You were wearing a gorgeous golden dress with fabric that hung around your chest and drooped over your shoulder, covering the gunshot wound that you’d received a week ago. The dress complimented your skin and hugged your figure perfectly. Every curve of your body hugged by the fabric, showing off your form in a delicate yet seductive and classy way. You had your necklace under the wrap around neckline, but wore the matching green earrings adorning and balancing the outfit. It was simple and perfect for the occasion. You had your hair up in a slick back ponytail, the length hanging perfectly, giving you a soft glowy look versus your dark seductive alter ego. You wanted to be seen as the charming, beautiful, supportive partner that worked with Calvi himself. 

Your heart was beating in your chest, pounding like a wild animal trying to escape from its cage. After weeks of preparations, the night was finally here. Ambushing and infiltrating Sionis’s business to make him crumble from the inside out. You hadn’t spoken to Red in a few days, his plan perfectly laid and seemed fool proof. One of the calls was ceased communication. It was the only way to ensure the plan would work in the end. You couldn’t be in ties with him since he had his own role to play which he had started before asking for your help. Befriend and gain the trust of Calvi’s business partner, Marcos. A powerhouse in Gotham’s elite. Working in foreign exchange, luxury goods, and security, he was almost as devastating as Calvi himself. Only he was more egotistical and cocky than Calvi was. He didn’t have the same charm or the same sense of formality. He was new money rich, everything spiraling and taking off after he created his security platform, Python. 

You finished applying your lipstick, fixing your hair and grabbing your designer clutch off the sink. You needed to play the part of being the daughter of a wealthy businessman, trying to cover your tracks so no one could wonder how easily you had access to Calvi and ended up on his arm this night of the Gala honoring him. Calvi already knew your background as you were able to create a false one that lined up perfectly with the daughter of a businessman who’d disappeared and gone off grid. The family kept it a secret so as to not be caught in a scandal, so you stepped in as the replacement and since you were a beautiful, young woman with interest in luxury goods, everything checked out. No loopholes, no openings. 

~~~

It was all selfish. It was personal. It was for your freedom. That’s what you kept telling yourself when you paced in the outskirts of the city, waiting for Red at the secluded location he’d embedded into the file for future meetings. 

Could you actually manage to pull something like this off? Was it all a ploy or did he truly believe this could work? 

“Y/n”, you turned at the sound of his voice. 

“Red”, you breathed, your shoulders tense. 

“You came.”, his voice had a hint of humor in it, but serious quickly took over as his body stopped only a foot away from you, his proximity sending you over the edge. He had a deep musk to him, a woodsy scent that filled your nostrils and made your veins flood with a sensation you couldn’t quite place. 

“How serious are you?” your voice was a whisper, but the intent was loud. You weren’t here to play games. You needed answers. 

“I’m dead serious about this, sweetheart.”, he replied. “I take you overlooked everything.”

“What interest do you have in the Blue Moon of Josephine that you need to steal it from the museum that Black Mask has under his protection?”

“It’s a hefty hit and a hefty payout. I thought you’d be the first to jump all over this.”

“It’s a suicide mission!”, you raised your voice slightly, your eyes slightly widening as you held back your confused frustration. 

“It’s your ticket out of here. It’s my ticket to a direct hit at that son of a bitch and getting closer to completing my work.”

Your eyebrows furrowed as you looked at him, your eyes glossy with emotion you couldn’t quite place. Was it anger, frustration, false hope, or a sense of trust that you knew you shouldn’t be placing in him in the first place? 

“You always seem focused on escaping this shit city, and now I’m giving you the chance and you’re doubting it.”

“I don’t want false hope.”, you clenched your teeth. 

“The evidence was all in that drive. You can see for yourself it isn’t false anything.”, he replied as stared at you intently, his focus on you as he waited for your answer. His silence made the air around the both of you fill with tension, there was more to it than he led on. You took a step back, not noticing how his close proximity had affected you. You needed to focus. 

“If you’re serious, if you truly believe we can pull this off…” Red noticed how you were overthinking the situation, his voice ringing out again. 

“I won’t force you to do something you’re not confident in doing.” 

You let yourself sit in the silence, his body still radiating heat and his hand on your chin to meet his eyes. You basked in his presence for a moment, snapping yourself out of the trance and looking at him intently. 

“No.”, you breathed. “I’m in.”

~~~

“Ready, my dear?”, Calvi stretched an arm towards you as you wrapped your hands around him and walked elegantly next to him. He was tall, around 6’5, even taller than Red. You were wearing heels so your height would be closer to meet his eye line, but you were still far shorter than the both of them. 

“Are we meeting any of your partners tonight?”, you asked softly, your eyes examining his face, his demeanor very relaxed and laid back. 

“A few, but only one catches my attention tonight. He has a new development and I want to be the first to have it.”, he mentioned nonchalantly.

“You look stunning tonight. I don’t know how you get more beautiful every time I see you, Vivian”, his breath smelled like mint, his natural scent overwhelming with overpriced cologne. It was almost too much for your senses, giving you a slight headache. 

“You clean up nice yourself, Cal. You sure you’re not holding back on me?”, you smiled as your words left in a flirty tone.

The two of you walked through the halls, taking in the cases full of jewelry spanning from rings, necklaces, crowns, bracelets, everything worth tens if not hundreds of thousands of dollars. Everything here was priceless. But you weren’t here for scraps. 

You moved around, looking at the well dressed statues that were clothed in beautiful custom gowns that were hand crafted by the best designers in the city. You admired them deeply and loved the complex colors and the reflection of the light making the diamonds, emeralds, rubies, pearls, all the jewels illuminate beautifully. 

Calvi followed behind but remained close at your side, allowing you to take your time as you moved through the entrance halls and into the main room, the music and the chatter of people filled the atmosphere. There wasn’t a single inch of the room that didn’t have a person standing in it. Servers, musicians, security, attendees, everyone was here. 

It was almost as impressive as the Wayne Galas. 

Almost. 

It was a grand hall full of beautiful, timeless decorations, the curtains reaching the roof and the chandeliers hanging around the room as the music played in a lively tune that allowed people to have drinks and mingle with one another. The attendance list was full of the rich, powerful people of Gotham, all having their own born right to be here. Many of the names on Red’s drive were old money, generations of wealth passed down through each new member. Others were self-made businessmen and women, they had gone from middle class citizens to the highest ranking in the city, making them more respected by those who kept a watchful eye on them. 

Calvi motioned towards the small bar area, walking over with you in hand as he ordered a glass of his favorite whiskey while you ordered your wine. You leaned into Calvi, reeling him in as he placed a hand on your waist, turning towards him as you smiled and lifted a hand to your face, brushing a small piece of hair back. How easy it was to have men wrapped around your finger and at your command. 

“Is that Calvi Calbera?”, you turned to be met with the very man you were anticipating the whole night. Marcos Maroni. The unknown son of Sal Maroni. Except here, no one knew he was a Maroni. He did well hiding his background from everyone in this scene. Only you and Red knew who he was, who he really was. 

“Marcos Morona”, Calvi walked up to him, shaking his hand and patting him on the back, laughing as they greeted each other. 

“Excuse me, forgive my rudeness, but who is this lovely lady?”, Marcos turned to you, his charming smile hiding the intrigue in his eyes not missing the way they darkened as they skimmed your body quickly. You would’ve missed it if you weren’t so good at reading men and their mannerisms. You stood from your seat, stretching your hand out towards him as he took your delicate hand in his broad, rough one. “Vivian Lancaster”, you said softly, batting your eyelashes at him, letting him notice your obvious observation of his movements. It would inflate his ego, just like every other man in Gotham who took a liking to you. You knew you were beautiful, you knew men gravitated towards you. It made your line of work easy, especially when it came to getting intel you needed from these men. Just like Calvi. 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”, he smirked at you before he kissed your hand and turned back to Calvi. “I heard you were looking for me. Wanting to take a look at my new software?”

Calvi let out a chuckle, taking a sip of his whiskey before setting it back on the bar. “I heard it’s better than Python. I want to see it and be the first to bid on getting the system for my trades.”

“You flatter me, Calvi. It is a good system, I worked with a programmer who is beyond my time and my years. I didn’t realize Bludhaven produced such intelligent people who worked in system informatics and security programming.”

“You can never underestimate people. Especially when you came from the same background”, Calvi mentioned calmly. The false life Marcos had made for himself was filled with the lie that he was completely self-made. A nobody that came from a small town in New Jersey and grew his skills and his company from the ground up. Yeah, right. 

“That’s why we have to take risks when it comes to new minds.”, Marcos rambled for a few more moments, a part of you anxious of when your partner would show up. He hadn’t made his appearance yet, you wondered if he was actually planning on coming or if all of this was just to get you away from him for another night. He had been cutting communication off for the past week so it would make sense if that was his reasoning.

“There you are.”, you looked up from your glass, you had zoned out and didn’t realize until Marcos snapped you back to their conversation. “Calvi, Vivian. I want to introduce you to one of my partners. His intelligence and deduction skills are far beyond anything I could ever imagine trying to find outside of Gotham.”

You looked behind Marcos, your heart stopped in your chest. Out of everything you expected tonight, from the risk of getting caught to the possibility of leaving empty handed, you could have never expected this. 

“Calvi, Vivian. This is Jason Todd. My partner in building my new security software and convincing me to take a risk on my programmer from Bludhaven. Not to mention the son of our beloved Bruce Wayne.”

Your lips parted from the shock. You were left speechless. He had dark hair that was slicked back neatly, exposing his face and making his jaw appear more sharp and defined than it already was. He was wearing a dark suit and a dark burgundy tie that made it obvious who he was to you. Only to you. His eyes were a deep, dark green that pulled you into a trance. His lips pulled into a charming smile, his eyes focused on your appearance as you noticed that same emotion in his eyes that you knew was in your own. Your face remained neutral, but you knew your eyes gave you away the second he looked at you. He was devastating, handsome, his eyes gentle and full of emotion as they took you in, your heart pounding in your chest while trying to remain calm. 

You felt time stop, everything around you had disappeared and the two of you stared at each other for what felt like an eternity. His eyes bore into yours, holding an unwavering amount of attention, skimming down your frame and drinking in every inch of your body. He dressed in a suit that fit him perfectly, made him look muscular, toned, and perfect. You’d wondered what he’d look like under it all, what it would feel like against yours, the heat rising in your body as the darkness in his eyes swirled into something more. Something you couldn’t quite place. You noticed the way his hand flexed slightly but quickly relaxed. You held his gaze for what seemed like forever until his smooth, clear voice pulled you out of your trance.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Jason Todd”, he stretched out his hand, letting him take yours and kissing the back of it. “What a lovely woman you have with you tonight Calvi.” Jason spoke, never taking his gaze off of you. You hadn’t broken eye contact since he waltzed in. 

“Vivian Lancaster. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”, you said, taking your hand back after noticing how he rubbed the back of your hand with his thumb. 

You felt your skin ignite on fire, his green eyes holding you gaze as a small smile tugged at his lips.

“She is beautiful. We’ve been working together for some time. Who knows what the future holds for us, right my dear?”, Calvi spoke as he looked at you, your eyes still under siege by Jason’s green ones. How did you go this long, never seeing his face, his eyes… he..

“Right.”, you snapped out of Jason’s stare when Calvi wrapped an arm around your waist, almost like staking his claim. You looked at his face, no emotion showing in his eyes and his jaw was relaxed. So why was he being weird?

“Calvi, let’s catch up in the meeting room before they start the auction. I’m sure Jason can keep Vivian company for a short while.”, Marcos said as he and Calvi said another snide joke under their breath and walked away.

You watched as they left before meeting Jason’s gaze again, your heart absolutely betraying you in your chest. He looked at the ground, his smile spreading across his face as he met your gaze again. He cocked his head, pointing towards the balcony that was on the other side of the room and you followed him outside, stepping into the fresh, cool air leaving your skin feeling relaxed as the soft breeze hit your warm skin.

“You clean up nice”, you said, trying to keep yourself from stuttering. You needed to focus on why you were here, not on how devastating the man in front of you looked. 

“I’d say the same to you. This dress really suits you.”, his voice was deep, suave, flirtatious, and it drove you absolutely insane. This was the first time you were seeing him like this, the first time you were on mutual grounds and he had this hold over you that you couldn’t shake. 

“So, Jason Todd.”, you said as you looked at him, that charming smirk playing at his lips again. “Son of Bruce Wayne, I thought this was supposed to keep a low profile.”, 

“It’s my real name.”, your eyebrows raised slightly, your head turning to look at him as he looked down at the garden, one hand on the railing. 

“Your real name? Seems believable enough.”

“It is. Jason Peter Todd.”, he looked at you, meeting your gaze again. 

“Do you really want me to take that seriously? Do you really think I am that gullible?”

“I know you’re not.”, he spoke again. “And, I really am the son of Bruce Wayne.”

You stared at him. The silence growing and the tension slowly getting thicker. You couldn’t believe him. He was pulling a prank on you. There’s no way he’s… 

“Why do I feel like you’re lying to me?” “When have I ever lied to you?”, he was right. Over the course of the past few months, he never lied about anything he was doing. He wouldn’t tell you complete thoughts, sometimes keep small tidbits of information from you, but lying? He never did that. 

“You’re Bruce Wayne’s son?”, you asked again, almost as if asking for confirmation of the truth once again. 

“Yes.”, at this point, he was full on facing you, his hands in his pockets as he stood tall over you. His eyes bore into your soul, almost like he was breaking apart every one of your walls and getting under your skin, making you burn in your dress.

“Does he know… that you..”

“No. He doesn’t even know I’m back in Gotham.”, he answered. 

Back in Gotham? Does that mean he left at one point? Where did he go? How long was he gone? Why did he leave?

“I see.”, you were at a loss for words. You felt like there was something about his background that just… left you wrecked. Why did you feel betrayed? Because he was a rich kid with a father who had all to Gotham in the palm of his hand? Did you feel deceived, did you believe he was just another vigilante fighting to make ends meet and he had no other choice but to enter this life like you had? Or was he just rebelling against his father?

You felt an ember of anger growing in your chest. You couldn’t look at him, couldn’t stand next to him. You just felt like you received the worst confession in your life. Jason Todd, son of Bruce Wayne, was the one trying to take out Black Mask’s business to take a shot at his money and make him miserable. A rich pretty boy was trying to take out one of Gotham’s most ruthless mob bosses in the city. He could get away with killing all those people because Bruce Wayne would convince the world it wasn’t his son, there was no proof either. He wasn’t known as Jason Todd, no one knew it was him. He was just Red Hood. The annoyance grew in your chest as you remained silent and lost in thought. 

Did you even have the right to get mad at him? He’d helped you so many times, could’ve killed you throughout the past few months. He hadn’t shown anyone else within the city any form of sympathy or second guessed killing them, so why you? More importantly, why were you so bothered by the truth of who he was? 

He owed you nothing. 

You forced yourself back to the reality of the situation: get the job done.

“We can head back to my apartment once we’re done, just to get out of sight from the guards around here.”, you murmured, your eyes scanning the room in practiced scrutiny. Your focus on examining each attendee before arriving was paying off, but there were still internal updates that could have happened in the span of the past three days leading up to the Gala. Your eyes turned back towards Jason, his eyes looked at you in a soft glance, his focus on your words and actions as you scanned the room. He hummed lightly before creating distance between the two of you, your slicked hair showing off your features in a delicate manner that left him soaking in the sight for a second longer before turning away. 

“If the blueprints are accurate and they didn’t move any of the jewels around, they should be located by the main entrance where the guests came in and every one can see them.”, his response was practical, focusing perfectly on the very reason both of you were here tonight. 

Your mind raced through all the details, recalling every base of your plan down to the nitty gritty. You had calculated everything, trying to remember the blueprints exactly. Your memory was borderline photographic when it came to jobs like these. “We can leave at different times before the speeches and auction. We hack into the security system and set the cameras on loop, reprogram the sensors on the cases but we’ll only have around 10 or 15 minutes to get what we need and get out before the sensors turn back on.”

“What if we move the cameras into a blind spot that's only a few inches to the left of the main hallway?"

Your surprise was evident. "How do you know there’s a blind spot?"

"Hacking into the camera system a week ago helped a lot. I took it upon myself to cover the bases for a plan B in case we needed it."

You couldn't deny his resourcefulness, but the revelation of his background left you on edge. His clear, confident voice contrasted with the dissonance you felt in your bones. Your perception of him shifted, your judgment clouded by this deal with him and the payout at the end of this suicide mission. 

“Let’s finish what we came here for.”, his deep voice rang out. Deep, smooth, not hidden behind distortion. He was clear, articulate, and it irritated you knowing his background. It’s like your entire opinion of him just… shifted. You moved around him, slipping back into the main room and finding your way through the hallways, leaving him alone while you carried out your part of the plan. 

Back in the main room, Jason felt a tug in his gut, watching you with his deep green eyes, never leaving your form as you walked through the crowded room. He swirled his drink before throwing back the amber liquid, the burn offering him a momentary distraction from the irritation growing in the pit of his stomach. He watched as a group of men swept their gazes towards you, his hand tightening around the glass as he buried the annoyance under focus. If there was one thing he despised more than Galas, it was the people. He hated the social scene more than anything, everyone in this room included with the exception of you. 

He’d noticed how quickly your body language changed at the mention of who he was, it left him with a strange sensation wondering if you’d really gotten upset at his identity. Your sudden change in attitude made him question if his true self would change your perception of him, if it would change your alliance and the results of the job. His jaw clenched as he snapped back to focus. Regardless of how much he wanted to contemplate his actions or breakdown your reaction, he had a job to do.

He slowly moved through the room, his body tall in confidence as he noticed some of the women staring at him, blushing as they whispered between one another. He couldn’t help but feel strange, he’d always been hidden in his brother's shadow, women never particularly liked him but now that he’s older he can’t help but notice how the attention has changed. It was a complete contrast to his past, used to be overlooked and now everyone noticed him. He couldn't care less about it though, he didn’t care about anything here except for a particular woman who just walked out on him. 

He exited into the hall, walking past several people and groups of businessmen, giving them a slight nod in greeting before continuing through the corridors. He had turned down a particular hall, one he remembered from his intel and the blueprints he’d downloaded for this very night. It was the main server room, he could get to any of the cameras and completely shut them down to make the night easier on both of you. He couldn’t plant the chips there yet, he needed to touch base with you first. 

He turned into the main hall, scanning through different bodies of people until he saw you in front of a painting in all your glory. He hadn’t admitted it out loud but the pang in his chest at how you were dressed tonight left him on edge. 

“Van Gogh.”, he spoke out as he walked up beside you.

“Yeah..”, you replied softly, your attention briefly on the painting before looking down in contemplation. 

After you’d left the main room, you walked through the halls with other groups and couples, seemingly talking harmlessly but then you took in every piece of information and camera angle to the best of your ability. You stopped to admire one piece in particular, a kick to the gut but when Jason placed a hand on the small of your back, you looked at him. To anyone else the gesture would have been discreet and simple, but between the two of you it carried weight - a silent form of comfort. All you couldn’t place if it was due to his reveal, or just the stress of tonight, but you knew he’d intended the subtle gesture as a comforting touch. 

He turned to look at you, his eyes softening before flicking down to your parted lips, your lipstick beautifully painted as he took into account every detail of your presence. His jaw clenched before he removed his hand, turning back to the wall and you turned your head, not letting the heat show on your face due to his touch. 

“It’s a beautiful painting.”, you looked up at him, turning and continuing down the hall. Jason had lingered behind a moment longer, his chest filling with a rush of emotion before following behind you. Now wasn’t the time to dig up hidden meanings and make sense of them.

Not now. 

There was only half an hour before the auction started off, even less time than that before speeches and dinner started. You and Jason needed to be quick, needed to plant the chips, hack into the security system, and return before anyone caught on to your antics. You nodded at him, silently giving him an unspoken confirmation to complete your individual tasks before rendezvousing back to the main hall.

You had carefully taken in every inch of the building, watching and taking note of everything that came into proximity. You had to get to the server room and set up the security system to a no detectable loop, ensuring the system couldn’t be traced back to anyone just long enough to get what you needed and leave. You navigated the halls in focus, quickly scanning through while keeping complete composure and even nodding at a few people who walked past you to lighten suspicion. 

You quickly hurried through the hallways until you backtracked, heading down a hallway that was more dim than the rest and noticing the nameplate next to the door. You stood a few feet away to stay out of sight of the camera, trying to have as little mess to clean up as possible as you examined the door silently. You played through every possibility in your head within seconds, trying to find the best route of action to move forward with. 

You were able to find an opening just a few inches from a camera, a minute blind spot but it was all you needed to succeed. You had been keeping tabs on the security system long enough to see the actual entrance to the security room was blocked off. It gave you the perfect in to pick the lock, place the chip, set pre recorded footage, and delete any footage that showed your and Jason's entrance into the event and anything that could put you as suspects. You needed 10 minutes to pull the whole thing off. 

You knelt down to the handle, inserting the pin you can tucked into your hair, and began to work on the lock. It was a simple thing even for being placed in an event like this. After a few seconds, the subtle clicks gave away the opening of the lock, turning the handle and pushing the door open.

It was empty.

That eliminated one concern you had. If someone was in here you’d have to get your hands dirty. 

You closed the door, walked over to the desk and pulled the chair back to sit in it. You overlooked everything quickly, taking in every angle of the event being monitored in high definition. You could see the main room, the hallways, the club rooms, the library, the fountain where the art and jewels were displayed, even see the entrance to the gala as well as the outside cameras. Everything was here all in 30 tiny screens. You smirked at yourself. 

They really knew how to cover bases when they needed to. No doubt they did an in depth review of every inch of the location to ensure tighter security. 

You quickly typed in a virus code, connecting your chip to the server and watching the file download. You glanced at the camera that pointed into the hall next to the room you were in. Still empty. A good sign but it also left you on edge. You needed to hurry. 

You watched the file download, turning green in completion as you quickly added it to the server and set the programming to start with the looped footage in 15 minutes. You needed to hurry and program your chip to delete footage from the past hour, coding it into the system as fast as possible. 

You froze at the sound of the handle of the door turning, your heart pounding in your chest as you quickly finished the code. At least if you were caught they wouldn’t be able to trace this back to you. You removed your chip and shoved it into the inside of your dress, replacing the pin into your hair as you moved away from the computers. 

The turning of the handle made you freeze, not wanting to take out the gun you had strapped to your thigh. You pressed your back against the wall, holding your breath as the door opened with a soft creaking before watching someone walk inside. A tall muscular figure walked into the room, probably a guard, you quickly rushed him from behind, feeling the turn of his body as the both of you slammed on the ground. 

“If you wanted to get on top of me, all you had to do was ask, sweetheart.”, your eyes snapped up to him, your body completely flush with his as his hands laid perfectly on your curves. You felt a heat rise into your face, the flexing of his fingers on your waist making you burn hotter. 

You pushed yourself off of him, fixing your dress and glaring at him. “You’re insufferable.”, you muttered as he smirked at you. 

“I planted my chips. We have 15 minutes.”, he rolled his eyes, ignoring your momentary frustration. “We need to move.”

He gestured for you to follow as both of you slipped into the hall and navigated through the ornate corridors of the building, blending seamlessly among the guests. You couldn't deny the rush of adrenaline coursing through your veins; working with Jason was like walking on a knife's edge—exciting, unpredictable, and dangerous.

You both moved through the corridor, trying to make your way back to the main room in time to make your rounds before moving into the final stages of your plan. You’d haven't thought about Marcos and Calvi, knowing they’d probably be preoccupied in the sitting room doing their usual sketchy business. You didn’t see them on the cameras during your search earlier, but yet again, the probability of a secret room with no surveillance wasn’t too far off from what would be considered a possibility. Besides, it was better if Calvi stayed out of the way, especially when it would make things far more exhausting having to manage him and this operation. 

You tried to focus, your head swirling with a hundred different thoughts but if you lost even a minute detail, the whole operation would go to shit. Jason seemed a lot more focused, maybe the years of practice or just being gifted with that skill. Either way, it made him a good partner in all things criminal, even if you wouldn’t admit it out loud. 

Slipping back to the main room, everyone seemed to be within the grand walls of the ballroom, either socializing or in the middle of the open floor. You and Jason both slipped through the crowd, trying to make it back where Calvi and Marcos had left you before the harmonizing of orchestra instruments caused you to come to a sudden halt. 

Shit.

You could not get caught in this right now, it would set your entire plan back. You grit your teeth before turning to find confirmation in Jason to get out of this situation but your irritation grew when you looked over at him. You watched him extend a hand towards you, your eyes widened slightly in shock as you hesitated to touch his palm.

He could not be serious right now.

His eyes urged you forward, showing the seriousness in reminding you of the role you had to play tonight despite the reminders it gave you of your past. You couldn’t raise suspicion. 

You slowly grabbed his hand, letting him lead you onto the dance floor as the orchestra played a simple waltz. You felt him get into perfect position, your body moving in sync with his. It felt like he was almost trained to attend events like these, he truly did commit to the part but then again he was the son of Bruce Wayne. You were sure he had more experience with Galas than you did.

You recalled the moments you spent living with The Family, forced into a position of learning how to waltz and dance in order to better fit into the mold of their image. You didn’t mind it too much but you found it redundant, tiresome, tedious. 

Jason’s body moved in sync with the orchestra music, his movement smooth and in pace. You could barely keep up with him as he twirled you around before bringing you back in, your chests meeting each other as you sucked in a silent breath. You felt his breath slightly on your lips, your eyes meeting his as your faces hovered only inches from each other. You held his gaze as you saw an underlying burning in his eyes, they were dark and hazy almost like he was a man starved. You breathed, your lips parting as your eyes flickered down, focused on everything that had to do with him and nothing with the reason why you were here. 

You felt paused in time, like only you and him existed in this moment. Everything faded into nothing as the orchestra continued to play the waltz as it blurred into the background. You watched as his head tilted a millimeter, barely but enough to notice at the proximity you were at. His eyes flicked to your lips for a split second only to meet your eyes again. His body heat burned your skin, your pulse skyrocketing into a pounding sensation and slightly praying he couldn’t feel or hear it. His face was too close, his lips just a breath away from touching yours, everything in him burning at the proximity. 

The clapping from tonight's attendees broke you out of your trance, forcing you out of the moment you shared with Jason and snapping you into reality. You blinked, stepping back as he removed his body from yours only to give the traditional bow and walk away. You watched as he headed to the bar, your eyes looking around at everyone going back to their conversations and ignoring the people on the dance floor. 

What was that?

You felt a pang of emotion in your chest, your irritation brewing as you walked over to the bar where you watched him order another drink and down it in one go. You stood next to him, your heels helping you meet his eyeline as you tugged his arm back and forcing the green eyed man to look at you. 

“What was that?”, you whispered in a sharp tone, only loud enough for him to hear you. 

His hooded eyes looked at yours, he looked exhausted or maybe just drunk but you couldn’t bring yourself to care at that moment. Whatever was going on with him internally he needed to figure out outside of this mission before he ruined everything. Your eyes narrowed at him as a half-assed smirk appeared on his lips. 

“I’m keeping appearances, wasn’t that the plan?”, he said lazily, his demeanor completely changing. This wasn’t his usual act, so why was he putting it on?

“You’re going to blow our cover.”, your spit through clenched teeth. “You’re going to ruin everything.”

“I think we both know that’s not the reason you’re upset, sweetheart.”, he retaliated. 

“That wasn’t keeping appearances, Red!”, you whisper yelled at him, the burning in your eyes growing stronger as he stood upright. 

“Maybe not.”, he shrugged, his voice carrying a hint of something you couldn’t quite place. His eyes flickered with an unreadable emotion. 

You took a step closer, your voice a low murmur laden with urgency and frustration. "We have a job to do. This isn't about personal feelings or playing games."

“Yes, Ma’am”, he did a mocking salute before looking over your shoulder. “Let’s just get this over with.” 

Why did he become an asshole all of a sudden? You were about to spit something back at him before you felt a hand on your waist. 

“Vivian, Jason. Apologies for being gone so long, I hope the two of you were able to keep each other company?”, Calvi looked at you with deep eyes, his smile forced but he didn’t need to know you could tell. 

“Everything has been pretty calm here. I think they may start the dinner soon.”, you smiled at him as you felt the dark stare coming from Jason. 

“Then, let’s get to our tables shall we? Jason, I believe you and Marcos are with us tonight.”

“Let’s find our seats then.”, he pulled out a fake charming smile as he followed behind the both of you. The atmosphere crackled with unspoken tension, the weight of your shared moment just a few minutes ago hung between the two of you. You couldn’t deny whatever pull Jason had on you, but you needed to shove the thoughts away. Outside of this job, he was still a name on your list of targets. 

Calvi pulled out your seat once you’d reached the other room where the dinner would proceed. Several other guests were already sitting at their tables as they surrounded the main stage, waiting for the speaker to come up for the night and proceed into the auction. Your heart pounded in your chest as you looked at the clock on the wall. You had less than five minutes to find an opening or you would lose your only advantage. 

“Calvi, I need to step out for a moment. I'm just going to head to the washroom”, you asked trying to sound as calm as possible. 

“I'll accompany you, I have a call I need to make.”, Jason’s voice rang out, Calvi nodding slightly as he looked towards Jason. “I can walk with you."

“Thank you, Jason.”, you forced. “I’ll be back before they even start with the first round of appetizers and the opening speech.”, you placed a soft kiss on Calvi’s cheek, trying to keep up the appearance of his adorned partner. 

You followed behind Jason closely, his shoulders tense as he parted in the opposite direction once you exited the dining hall, leaving as you went into the women's restroom. You pushed the door open, opening the final stall and locking it behind you. You quickly removed the hidden compartment behind the wall. To anyone else it looked like the normal wall in the restroom, but you had managed to sneak your undercover clothing into the empty space behind it. You quickly removed your dress, pulling it off gently as you changed into the simple kitchen staff clothing. Black pants, black button up, non slip shoes and tying your hair into a bun. You had opted for makeup that was easy to put on and take off, quickly taking off parts of the eye shadow before letting yourself look more natural. The same with your hair as it only remained in a slicked back ponytail, making it easy to twist into a bun. You quickly put on the tie and the hat you had that the kitchen staff wore in order to hide your face. 

You quickly zipped your dress into a seal proof bag and shoved it into the wall along with your heels, fixing it before looking down at your watch. You had less than 2 minutes before you needed to look for the diamond, 8 minutes to find the case and retrieve it, all while keeping a low profile. 

You pushed through the door of the restroom and walked confidently through the halls, your eyes taking in the different cases being showcased around you with all the different jewels. Some of them remained in cases, but according to your plan book, it would be on display tonight for the auction. 

You paced through the halls, seeing dressed in all black Jason walk up next to you, his attire matching the security guards uniform as his words dropped into your ears. “We need to move quickly.”, he breathed as his eyes glanced over at the other servers moving through the halls carrying trays. 

You hummed in agreement, your focus sharp as you fell into step with him before breaking apart once again. He went towards the east wing and you to the west, both wings holding different jewels but only one holding the one you needed. 

45 seconds until the outage. 

You moved through the halls quickly. Your eyes skimming every jewel showcased on the mannequins that were also dressed in beautiful gowns and wore other expensive jewels. 

30 seconds. 

Jason paced the east wing, his eyes taking in every case, keeping a close watch on the cameras and making himself look as normal as possible. Being dressed in security clothing and observing the rooms would cease suspicion. It was the perfect cover. 

15 seconds. 

You felt your heart pound as you looked at the last of the people head into the dining hall. 

10 seconds. 

Jason felt a tug in his gut as he heard the announcer start speaking in the other room, signaling his opening in a few seconds. 

5 seconds.

You could hear the announcer in the other room, then complete silence before you heard the scream of one of the guests. The power had gone completely out and you watched the camera intently as the red light signaling its recording flickered off. You felt yourself go into overdrive, your body quickly searching through the mannequins as your watch gave you the alarm that you only had 8 minutes before the cameras and the security locks on the cases turned back on. 

Adrenaline surged through you as the darkness acted as your cover, the loss of power would only give you so much time. You knew each second counted, quickly moving as you scanned each mannequin with precision, your senses heightened due to the lack of light. The echo of distant voices carried down the hall, the subtle sound of rushed footsteps heightening your awareness. Your heart pounded in your chest every time there was a noise down the hall, but you couldn’t let your anxiety get to you if you were going to pull this off. You needed to focus on this and only this. You only hoped that if you couldn’t find the diamond here, Jason had it already. 

Time blurred as you felt the pressure slowly start to build as you felt the reality sink in. Where was it?! 

You looked at your watch, only having 4 minutes to retrieve what you needed, get back to the restroom and change, find Jason, and return to the dining hall before security inevitably took everyone to evacuate the building. The adrenaline and pounding of your heart only increased as you watched the time go down, Jason still not having sent the signal to your receiver that he had found it on his end. 

In the east wing, Jason felt himself struggling to keep his composure. He knew you only had mere minutes before the both of you would have to return empty handed or with the diamond in hand. He contemplated just taking a different diamond out of its place, but none of them would hold the same weight as Josephine would towards making a direct hit at Black Mask. Jason looked at his watch, not having received a signal from you yet. Would all of this have been for nothing?

His watch told him he only had 2 minutes left. His jaw clenched, the plan was to be back in the main room by the time 1 minute hit, he had to leave and get changed now if he was going to erase suspicion. 

Dammit.

He turned, rushing back to the restroom and quickly changing, shoving the clothes back into the hidden compartment behind the wall as he fixed his suit and swept his hair back in his neat, yet messy style he had when he had arrived at the event for the night. He walked out of the restroom, fixing his cuffs and trying to wipe the sweat from his forehead as he navigated carefully back into the main room, the sound of chatter and mild chaos breaking out as the announcer called for everyone to follow the guards leading them to exit the building. 

The hum of electricity signaled the return of power, followed by the faint buzz of security systems coming back online. Jason’s eyes moved through the crowd as he blended in, trying to find any sign of you within the sea of bodies. Everyone walked around him, the security yelling before Jason felt a hand grab him. 

“Jason!”, Marcos’ voice rang out. “C’mon. We have to go.”

“What happened?”, his voice deep in confusion although he wasn’t naïve to the situation. 

“Security breach. They’re evacuating everyone.”, Marcos said, annoyed as Jason followed next to him, his eyes still skimming through the crowd. 

Where were you?

“They don’t want to be at risk for a possible hit. Apparently there have been too many raids around the city targeting the luxury businesses in Upper Gotham.”, Marcos continued. 

Jason really couldn’t care at the moment, but he followed behind everyone as they made their way down the stairs and through the security checkpoint. The security were patting down each person, ensuring they didn’t carry anything from the inside out. It made Jason’s heart pump as he watched Marcos get patted down, him following closely behind as he continued to skim through the attendees getting checked by the line of guards. 

The guard rushed him forward after being checked, fixing his cuffs Jason looked over at Marcos as he called for his car. “Do you need a ride?”, Marcos asked silently. 

“No. I have my own car, thanks though.”, Why was he on edge? He was sure you’d gotten out, maybe you were already back at the rendezvous point. You both agreed to meet there in case anything fell through. His jaw tightened as he grew deeper in thought, waving mindlessly as Marcos left in his car and he walked through the streets until he reached his hidden motorcycle in the back alleys of the city. 

He placed the black helmet over his head, kicking up the motorcycle stand as he revved the engine to life, the screeching of tires sounding out as he drove through the city pushing his top speed. His unease gnawed at him as his mind raced through each second he spent on the road. He forced himself to remember you were smart, resourceful, and were probably the best to get out of a tough situation. Yet, the weight of uncertainty hung around him like a 500 pound weight.

His anticipation made him tighten his grip on the handles as he sped through the city streets, weaving through traffic with his timely precision he’d honed throughout the years. The wind enveloped him in a blanket, doing little to ease the anxiety growing in his bones. Every turn, every stoplight, it all heightened his sense of urgency. He needed to be sure you made it back safe, that you were in your apartment and didn’t get caught. 

As he pulled into the neighborhood, his focus intensified. He chose the familiar route he’d taken hundreds of times before, trying to find the fastest way to your apartment. He kicked down the stand on his bike as he left it in the alley, rushing up the stairs to your top floor apartment, his heart pumping faster no thanks to the stairs and the rush making him not even think about using the elevator. Each step, each floor, each second made his heart beat inside of him, he felt his anxiety creeping into his veins. 

He jumped the last few steps, using his long legs to hurry up the stairs two steps at a time as he finally reached the floor you lived on. He knocked with a rush, the seconds elongating into excruciating seconds as he paced. He knocked again, the sound echoing through the night, his pulse pounding in his ears as he waited. 

Did Calvi take her back to his estate?

Did she get caught looking for the diamond? 

Did she get lost?

Just as he was about to turn and knock again, the door swung open, there you stood in your golden dress, your hair done as perfectly as it was when you arrived for the event tonight and your makeup still flawless. Your eyes were wide as you stared at him, the silence hanging in the air as he stared at you with shock in his eyes, 

Relief flooded through him, overwhelming any lingering anxiety. "Y/n," he breathed, his voice rough with emotion.

“Jason.”, you breathed as you watched his eyes flicker into a calmness, almost like relief. “You didn’t use the window.” you said amused. 

Jason ran a hand through his hair as he let out an airy laugh. “Figured this was more suitable for the occasion.”

You moved to the side, letting him enter the apartment as you closed the door behind you and locking it silently. You felt your heart calm from the anxiety you felt at not being able to find him during the final moments of the Gala. You had gotten lost and when Calvi found you, he rushed you out the exit and brought you home in his private car. When you arrived the only thing you worried about was if Jason was able to remember your plan to meet back at your apartment if anything had gone wrong, hoping he’d eventually show. 

“I couldn’t find you after the power came back on.”, he muttered as he leaned on the kitchen table. “I didn’t find it.”

You met his gaze, letting the silence hover between the both of you as you let out a small laugh. Jason looked at you with confused eyes, his lips twitching as you laughed even harder. Were you laughing because the entire mission was a failure? Did you also fail in retrieving the diamond?

He watched you intently as you lifted the fabric to your dress, his hand twitching as it gripped the table. You showed off the part of your leg that held your gun, a small pouch attached to it. You carefully detached the small bag, your leg still on full display as Jason’s eyes lingered on your body, a flicker of lust burning inside of him as he forced himself to focus. 

He watched as you opened the small velvet bag slowly, placing the 12 carat diamond ring on a silk cloth on the counter. The deep blue color radiating a kind of beauty you couldn’t recreate in a lab, it was definitely one of a kind. You walked over to the small cabinet you had against the wall, taking out a kit used by high end jewelers to decipher the worth and validity of diamonds like this one. He watched you intently, wondering why you could pull out a diamond loupe unless you suspected it was fake. 

Though, he knew it was a good idea to do so. 

He watched as you held the diamond carefully, examining it in the light and under the loupe to look at every detail and intricate curve within the jewel. You tried to work carefully, using your knowledge to properly decipher the validity of the diamond or if everything tonight had been for nothing. Your hands moved gently as you used the different tools in your kit to check every aspect of the diamond to leave no doubt that it was real. 

The air between the two of you crackled with anticipation, the weight of your accomplishment hanging heavy in the room. Jason’s gaze flickered to you briefly, a smile hanging on his lips as he stood impressed by your resourcefulness and grace under pressure. 

It was a 50/50 chance that the diamond was actually real, especially since it wasn’t uncommon for high profile events to use fakes in order to not take the risk of something getting stolen, the insurance would surely cost them a fortune.

$48.6 million was a lot of money.

You left him on edge, wondering why your silence had prolonged as he watched you.

It had been 15 minutes. 

Was it a fake?

You pulled back, your shoulders slumping as you placed the diamond gently on the silk rag, a shuddered breath leaving your lips. He stood upright, his heart pounding at your body language. You slowly turned your head, meeting his gaze. 

"Congratulations, Jason," you praised softly, your words carrying a mix of admiration and pride. "You're officially a millionaire.”. You pushed your baby hairs back, trying to let yourself calm down from the high as you turned towards him. “Oh my god, Jas-”

Jason's response was immediate and primal. In one swift motion, he closed the distance between you, pressing your back against the kitchen counter. His hand slid possessively around the back of your neck, fingers tangling in your hair as he slammed his lips on yours in a passionate kiss. His other arm wrapped firmly around your waist, pulling you flush against him, your body freezing at the sudden contact. Your heart pounded in your chest, your head spinning as he moved his lips against yours in a powerful and hungry way. His hold tightened as you moved your lips against his, breathing in his natural musk. 

His hold on you became desperate, possessive, his muscular arms wrapping around you to make your frame push against his even more. His lips moved in a dominant manner, biting your bottom lip as he let himself lose all form of self control. Your hands found their way to Jason's shoulders, fingers tangling in his tuxedo jacket as you responded to his kiss with equal fervor. His toned body flexing under your fingers almost like it burned him but it left him wanting more of you. 

The world outside faded away as you stood locked in a dance of desire and danger, your hearts beating in sync with the rush of adrenaline that still coursed through you. The kiss deepened, a testament to the electric connection that had sparked between the two of you amidst the chaos and danger of your mission. He couldn’t get enough of you, his mouth finally pulling away so the two of you could catch your breath. You opened your eyes slightly, looking at his hooded ones as his eyes flickered to your swollen lips. 

Was it the adrenaline? 

Was it the high? 

Was it him? 

Was it everything around you that led you to this moment?

“Jason…”, you whispered against his mouth as you tried to catch your breath. 

You couldn’t even catch your breath before his mouth devoured yours again, pressing his body against yours and pushing you against the wall behind you. His body hunched over slightly due to the height difference but his dominance was overwhelming, pushing you into overdrive. Your hands tangled in his hair, his lips leaving your mouth and kissing down the side of your neck. Your body shook from the pleasure, your nails digging into his arm as his hand reached your lower back and pulled you against him again. His teeth bit the curve of your neck slightly, licking the sensitive area as a soft moan released from your lips. 

In that stolen moment, as you kissed amidst the quiet of your apartment, everything else melted away—the heist, the risks, the uncertainty of your future. There was only the heat of the connection, the electricity that crackled between you, and the undeniable truth that you both had crossed a line you couldn't un-cross.

As you finally pulled apart, breathless and flushed, You looked up at Jason with wide eyes, your heart racing in sync with his. Jason rested his forehead against yours, your eyes locked in a silent exchange that spoke volumes of unspoken promises and newfound intimacy.

“Jay…”, his name slipped from your lips in a desperate tone, your body betraying you by reacting to the final swipe he did on your skin, nipping on your neck before pulling back. 

“Y/n….”

Jason rested his forehead against yours, his voice husky as he murmured, "We did it."

You smiled, your fingers tracing lightly along Jason's suit. "Yeah, we did," you whispered, your lips swollen and missing his as you spoke.

In that moment, as you stayed in his hold and met his gaze in silence, you felt in your bones the truth of your relationship with him. Despite the anger, the hatred, the stupid hits at one another, Jason wasn’t the threat you believed him to be. The tension that had grown between the two of you, the moments of uncertainty where doubt had threatened to cloud your judgment, the anger that had been placed inside of you by Sionis, it all disappeared when you met his gaze.

You felt a familiarity in him, despite your denial, you couldn’t push it away. Not when there had been so many times he had helped you, taken you out of harm's way, and refused to make any hits that would result in serious harm. 

You’d believed for months that he was irritating, a nuisance, the bane of your existence and yet… here you were completely wrapped up in him.

The cold realization sank into your bones…

What have you done?

AN:

Hey guys!

I want to thank you guys for being so patient with me and the release of this chapter. Uni has been picking up and being between summer classes and fulltime at work, sometimes my posting has to get delayed! So i really appreciate the grace in this!

This series is hitting its mid way point, so there will be more picking up of everything pretty soon!

Also I have a few drafts of a JJK fanfic that I made, one with SukunaxReader and one with GetoxReader that I will be posting either while I write this series or after. I still haven’t decided yet!

Please continue to leave feedback and comments! I love reading them esp the personal messages i’ve received from many of you!

See you next week! xx.

[priyashareindia9]

Over the past few years, the Indian stock market has witnessed a significant transition, moving away from traditional manual trading to more advanced and efficient algorithmic trading, all thanks to the power of Artificial Intelligence (AI). This shift has been further accelerated with the advent of free AI stock trading software, which has democratised access to sophisticated trading tools that were once the exclusive domain of institutional investors. This blog post delves into the reasons behind the growing popularity of AI stock trading software among Indian retail investors and which risks they should avoid in AI-powered trading.

[warframestuff]

Hotfixing will be paused while we move to an Interim Cert Update! During this “Hotfix dark” phase, the team will continue to log your bug reports & feedback for continued fixes towards 1999 and Techrot Encore content.

One important note: during this downtime, the iOS team may continue to Hotfix to tackle performance improvements exclusive to the Mobile platform!

Also, Devstream 187 is being primed for you! Join us on April 25th at 2 p.m. ET for a ‘sillier’ look at all things Warframe development, PLUS get a sneak peek at designing a new Warframe Augment Mod! Tuning in from start to finish will net you 3 items from our ‘Cursed x Blessed Grab Bag’ Twitch Drop!

Like always, our next Cert Update includes further code fixes. Code describes changes made directly to the engine, which requires Certification from each Console platform to pass its checks, such as ensuring an Update doesn’t crash the machine itself. 

We also need to ensure Cross Platform Play parity so all Tenno can continue to play together! 

You can find further details on the “Code” and “Cert” processes here! 

Curious about a few of the resolved issues from our ‘Known Issues’ list? You can expect to see the following issues resolved*:

Gyre's Conductive Sphere Augment applies an electricity bonus to enemy bullets as well.

Yareli’s with Evade subsumed can’t gain Evade duration on headshot kill whle riding Merulina.

Initial Combo doesn’t grow while Mesa or Jade’s Exalted Weapons are active.

Coda and normal Catabolyst primary fire always causing screen shake.

Coda Motorvore inherits IPS damage Mods from Exalted Melee Weapons that are using Melee Doughty.

Wirematrix Ephemera can cause stuttering on lower-spec machines

Cloaked appearances in settings doesn’t apply to Archwings or Railjacks when invisible.

First Archgun Mod in Archwing is ignored if player is below MR30 and has used all available Capacity on the Archgun.

Unveiled Rivens that were unveiled by completing the challenge will be hidden by "Hide Equipped" toggle in the Trading Menu if it hasn't been equipped on a weapon since unveiling.

This causes players to think their Rivens are not available to trade, when they are secretly considered "equipped" on the backend and therefore hidden by this toggle.

Falling out of the Concert in the Technocyte Coda Showdown means instant fail on death in subsequent runs.

As well, we’ll have some quality of life improvements coming with future Updates, such as:

Adding the ability to modify your Warframe loadout from the Archimedea menus.

* The bounty of issues on our Known Issues list is still a priority, but some aren’t in a state to confirm as 100% “fixed.” Additionally, we’ll continue to test the above fixes to ensure they are fully resolved on all platforms should any outlying issues arise. 

Like always, we’ll be present in our usual spots! Whether we’re hunting bugs, gathering feedback, or talking directly with you, we’ll be here:

Prime Time, Warframe International and Devshorts!

Devstream 187 is primed for April 25th!

We’ll be at PAX East 2025, bringing along our Devstream 188 on May 10th at 3 p.m. ET! Tune in to hear more about our next big Update!

Thank you for your patience and understanding, Tenno. We’re looking forward to discussing even more Warframe with you at Devstream 187 and Devstream 188 shortly after!

[wanderinginksplot-writes]

Gar Cyare Chapter Twenty-Four

Alpha-17 x fem!reader fic

Word Count: 3,500

Warnings: Treasure-hunt style adventure, references to past threats, threats of danger

Previous | Next | Masterlist

---

Oya'karir (Hunt)

It always seemed like big events should happen at specific and notable times. The beginning of a day, midnight on a Friday night, during a lunar eclipse… Those were times when one expected things to happen.

Real life was seldom so organized, so the text comm came through at mid-morning on a Tuesday. 

Translated message: Start beneath the beginning, at the level of experimentation. 

It had taken an embarrassingly long time for you to recognize the comm frequency. Ordo had sent you the message. That could only mean that they had managed to crack Ko Sai’s secret code. This must be the first clue. 

Adrenaline surged through your veins, making your fingers tremble as your legs ached to stand and rush off. Instead, you forced yourself to take a deep breath and think critically. You copied the decoded clue down onto a piece of flimsi in case something happened to the original version, then sent a message to Alpha. 

Comm from O. 

You hadn't discussed how to alert each other if and when you heard something. Honestly, Alpha had been convinced that it was only a matter of time before the Nulls managed to decode the message. You had been much more skeptical. 

Only minutes later, Alpha sent a written comm back: 

Lunch.

Alpha was waiting at your table in the mess hall, a group of ARCs-in-training nervously eyeing his back from several tables away. As soon as you got your food and joined him, Alpha leaned in close enough that no one could overhear your conversation. “Show me.” 

You silently passed him your comlink, watching as he read the message, then read it twice more with a frown furrowing his brows. When he eventually looked back up, it was with a scowl. “Karkin’ kaminii. Can’t make anything simple.”

You laughed, and Alpha frowned even harder. “Sorry, Alpha. I thought you might know what it meant. Let me just-” 

A single question mark was the only thing in your message back to Ordo. The minutes stretched long as you waited for an answer. In the meantime, you and Alpha ate your lunches. 

“I think we should get started tomorrow morning,” Alpha announced. “You have the day off and I can get Trem to cover for me.” 

“Probably a good idea,” you agreed. “If we both had to take a day off, we would be at risk of attracting attention.” 

“And if-” Alpha cut off as he glanced down at his comlink. Wordlessly, he tilted it in your direction. 

Laboratory level, below the sample.

You glanced back up at Alpha, excitement building in your chest. “Sounds like we have an answer.” 

His smile was sharp, glinting eagerly. “First thing tomorrow, then.” 

By ‘first thing’, Alpha truly did mean to get started early. He woke you up shortly before 5 in the morning, passing you a steaming cup of caf to stifle your complaints. He was disgustingly awake - fully dressed and armored, his helmet clipped neatly to his belt.

Once you were upright and dressed, he led you to the place Ordo had indicated in his message. You were on the lab levels, somewhere you rarely had cause to be. Not only were they among the lowest levels on any platform, but they were also some of the most well-guarded. 

Gathering information about the laboratories themselves had been your least-favorite part of compiling your report. The Kaminoans guarded their trade secrets as fiercely as any competitive industry would, so your time in the labs had been spend under such heavy scrutiny that you had jotted down the answers to your questions and little else before you had left. 

That was probably the cause of the tension singing through you as you followed Alpha down the hallways on the laboratory level. You weren’t really surprised that Alpha knew exactly where he was going. Spatial reasoning was emphasized during the clone troopers’ flash-training and Alpha had proven to be better at it than most. You had only the vaguest idea of where the Fett genetic sample was in relation to the labs, but Alpha seemed as though he could have confidently located the exact place beneath the sample with his eyes closed.

When you reached it, he came to an abrupt halt. “This is it.” 

You checked your chronometer. “We’re making good time. What now?” 

“How would I know that?” Alpha asked, absently looking around. “I saw the same translated clues that you did, little one.” 

“Fair enough.” You also looked around, searching for anything that might serve as a clue about what the next step would be. “I was just hoping you saw something that I’m missing. I don’t see anything that might be a sign of where else to go.” 

“I don’t either,” Alpha said eventually. “We knew it would be well-hidden, though.” 

“Yeah, but I was holding out hope that it might be sitting out in the open,” you admitted. “What if they translated the clue incorrectly? Or the Kaminoans have renovated and removed whatever was here in the first place? Can you imagine how the Nulls would react if we had to tell them we got stuck on the first clue? They might kill me for real that time.” 

Alpha shook his head at you. “We both know I wouldn’t let that happen. But I want you to keep looking. I think maybe you’re hoping we get stuck so you can go back to bed. I see you yawning when you think I’m not looking.” 

You took a swig of coffee at the sight of his pointedly raised eyebrows. “Excuse me if I thought ‘first thing tomorrow’ could mean at nine or something. This isn’t a normal hour to be awake, let alone working…”

Alpha sighed at your complaining while you dramatically leaned against the wall. You both froze at the metallic, nearly-imperceptible click!

For someone who had been longing to go back to bed just a moment before, you leapt away from the wall with alacrity. Alpha studied the door panel with one arm holding you behind him. The panel itself was the same flat white as the rest of Tipoca City’s architecture, and had been perfectly invisible until your leaning had jarred it open. 

After studying the hinges as closely as he could without opening the door any further, Alpha turned to face you, pushing you gently backward. 

“Alpha,” you protested. 

“No,” he shut down flatly. “Ko Sai could have build a dozen nasty surprises into her directions. What better way to make sure her research stay a secret than to kill the first people to decode her message and go looking for the backup notes? I need you to follow my directions, even if I tell you to walk away. Especially if I tell you to walk away.” 

“I don’t like you putting yourself in danger,” you answered, striving for honesty. 

“Then you understand how I feel.” Alpha’s knuckles rapped sharply against the heavy white plastoid protecting his chest. “But I’m better suited to handle anything this place throws our way. Stay back or this adventure ends now.” 

Unfortunately for your urge to keep arguing, that was a good point. Alpha took advantage of your momentary confusion to pick you up and set you further away while he opened the panel. 

Instead of it creaking, snapping, or otherwise seeming to be damaged, the entire panel swung smoothly forward, opening into the hallway where you and Alpha were standing. By the time you rounded the panel itself, Alpha had already stepped through the opening in the wall. 

He held up a hand in your direction, freezing you in place as he stared intently around the space, studying every facet of the area. He bounced up and down slightly on his toes as if he was testing the floor itself, then gave a satisfied nod. You joined him in the wall itself, but he shook his head. “Wait a minute, neverd-”

You lifted your chin at him. “Alpha, if you think I’m just going to stand here and let you figure out these clues alone, I have an unpleasant surprise for you.” 

Alpha chuckled, eyes warm, and you relaxed slightly. “Udesii, sweetheart. We can’t leave this panel open behind us and I want to make sure we can get out if this is the only way. I want you to stand out here while I try to open it from the inside. If I can’t figure out the mechanism, I’ll need you to open it like you did the first time.” 

You stared at him, eyes narrowed. Alpha laughed again, holding both hands up, palms out. “No tricks. I’m not trying to leave you behind. I just need to make sure we have a way out.” 

“Fine, but if you leave me…” 

“Why would I?” Alpha asked. “You’ve already found more of the clues than I have. Of everyone on this rock, you’ve got the best shot at finding those notes.”

You weren’t sure that was true - if anything, you knew it was false - but it was still enough to distract you until Alpha could usher you outside and close the panel behind himself. 

Even nervous that you were being left behind, you couldn’t help but marvel at the engineering of the wall panel. When it was closed, there was no visible seam between the hinged section and the wall around it. If you hadn’t happened to lean against that spot, you weren’t sure whether you would have ever found it. 

Just as you were starting to worry that the panel and wall were soundproofed and that Alpha had been asking you to reopen it, the panel pushed gently open once more. Alpha beckoned you inside, then latched it firmly behind you both. 

Kamino was never loud as a rule, but the interior of the panel felt even more quiet. Perhaps it was because it was a secret, or simply because the ever-present harsh lighting was dimmer here. Either way, you found yourself in another hallway. Other than the different lighting, it felt like an exact mirror of the hallway you had just left, stretching in either direction until it hit corners, following the parallel corners of the main hallway. 

Either way, Alpha clearly felt it, too. He leaned a little closer as he said, “I found it. There’s a latch, but it’s up higher on the panel than you would expect. Built for a kaminii, not a humanoid.”

“Since we have a way out, we can move on,” you pointed out, perhaps unnecessarily. “What’s the next step?” 

He shrugged. “We’d better comm the Nulls.” 

You sent a short, semi-coded explanation of your progress. Ordo sent a text comm in reply almost immediately: 

West. 18:00

The addition of a time didn’t make sense, but you assumed it had something to do with how far down you were meant to travel. And if you were correct… “West is this way.” 

Alpha stopped you with a hand on your shoulder. “Wait, neverd’ika. That is west, but not Kaminoan west.” 

You squinted at him. “What is Kaminoan west?” 

“Kaminoans don’t measure directions like beings on most planets do,” Alpha explained, leading the way down the hallway. He was walking the opposite direction of where you had been going. “Since there is no naturally dry land on the planet, the ancient kaminii never developed a multi-directional system. Instead, there are only two directions for them: following the tide or leading away from it. In this spot, at this time of year, using the tide at eighteen-hundred hours as a basis, west is actually east.” 

“That seems incredibly imprecise,” you grumbled. 

Alpha snorted. “It is. Most Kaminoans use the cardinal directions now, but what better way to make sure that secrets directions are as coded as possible?”

You didn’t have an answer to that, so you turned your attention to the hallway. The ceilings were high and the walkway was wide enough for you to walk beside Alpha without your hands brushing. It was a space that was clearly built to be comfortable for a Kaminoan, though it wasn’t quite as generously proportioned as the spaces in the main Tipoca City labs. To a Kaminoan, it may have seemed like a slightly narrow and low-ceilinged tunnel. To a pair of humans - even with one of those humans being as large as Alpha - it was spacious.

Once more, your mind turned toward how you and Alpha would know when to stop. Unless the hallway simply ended, you would need something definite to signal that you had found your next step. 

Alpha must have been thinking along the same lines. He pressed a button on his comlink and lifted it to his mouth. 

“I hope your comlink is encrypted.” 

“By you, di’kut,” Alpha snapped back. “As long as you and Mereel know what you’re doing, it’ll be fine. What is the next clue?” 

“It says, ‘move the transport’,” Ordo reported. “Nothing else.” 

“The transport,” Alpha repeated, brow furrowing. “A ship couldn’t fit in here.” 

“Maybe there’s an entrance to one of the hangars,” you suggested. 

Alpha glanced down at you with a thoughtful look on his face. “Could be. We’re not close to any of them, though.” 

“Part of the idea behind this jare search was that you would update us on what you find,” Ordo complained. “Where are you?” 

Alpha scowled at the comlink like Ordo could see his displeasure through it. Without a further explanation, he jabbed at the button that would sever the connection. 

Roughly two seconds after the call dropped from Alpha’s comlink, yours began to ring. You tilted it in Alpha’s direction, but he shook his head. “I don’t recognize the frequency. Can’t be a coincidence, though. Go ahead and answer it.” 

“Yes?” you asked as you accepted the call. 

“I can’t blame you for wanting to avoid my brother,” a new voice said. 

Alpha growled. “Thought I told you never to talk to her again, Mereel.” 

Mereel’s voice sounded offended, even through the small speaker. “I happen to be her favorite, especially after I stopped trying to convince the others to get rid of her.” 

Alpha took your hand and severed the connection on your behalf. You grinned despite yourself at Alpha’s glare, especially when the silence - six seconds, that time - was broken by another call. 

When Alpha looked at the third incoming frequency, his expression cleared. “Go ahead and take this one, neverd’ika. Explain what’s going on so they’ll leave us alone.” 

“Hello?” 

“I should probably thank you,” Prudii said. “It’s been a while since both Ordo and Mereel were knocked down a peg. Too many successful missions in a row makes them cocky.” 

“Anytime,” Alpha growled, turning back toward the hallway. 

Prudii used your name, drawing your attention away from following Alpha. “Jaing sends his apologies. He’s on a mission right now, or he would have been the one to talk you through this. We all remember that you trusted him more than the rest of us.” 

“No offense,” you offered with a shrug. “Though if it helps, I trust you more than most of the others.” 

“Thanks,” Prudii accepted, an edge of laughter in his voice. “Can you tell me what you’ve found so far?” 

You agreed, and filled Prudii in on everything you had done so far. It wasn’t much, but the existence of secret tunnels inside the Kaminoan network of hallways was new information, even for the Nulls. 

“And here I believed we had found all of Kamino’s secrets,” Prudii marveled. “It sounds like you’re going in the right direction. But Ordo was right: the next clue just says to move the transport. From what you’ve told me, Alpha is right. You aren’t near any of the hangars, and I doubt Ko Sai could have fit a transport in there, or added a landing platform without someone noticing.” 

“Not helpful.” Alpha was still ahead of you, leaving you to scurry after his long strides. “All you’ve been able to tell us is that we’re right and you had nothing to add. We already knew that.”

“If I had some secret insight into Ko Sai’s mind, I would have found those notes while we were on-planet.” 

Alpha stopped and made a grab for your hand. You danced backward, talking quickly. “Okay, Prudii, thank you! I’ll let you know when we find anything that looks like it could match the next clue.” 

“Be caref-” 

“He was just telling us to be careful,” you informed Alpha reproachfully. 

Alpha released your wrist. “We wouldn’t need to be careful if he and his brothers hadn’t set you up to find their precious notes.” 

“I thought we agreed that it was a better choice than letting them keep trying to kill me,” you pointed out. “I remember asking you if you thought it was a good idea.” 

“I-” Alpha glanced down at you and heaved a sigh. “I did. At least, it was a better idea than having to watch your back around them. But I didn’t think there would be this much danger.” 

“What danger?” you asked. Alpha sent you a reproachful look and you doubled down. “I’m serious! What danger? I haven’t seen anything that seems overly dangerous yet. Are you seeing something that I’m not?” 

“No, just that Ko Sai went to a lot of trouble to keep this place a secret.” Alpha gestured around you both. “If she thought these notes were important enough to program an automatic self-destruct into it, the physical copy will only be better guarded. I don’t like the idea of going through all of this trouble just for the Nulls.” 

“Is it just for the Nulls?” you pressed. “I gathered that what they learn from the notes could be big enough to impact all of the clone troopers, not just those six.” 

“Maybe,” Alpha conceded. “But that’s the shadow of a chance. It’s much more likely than one or both of us will be injured or worse trying to find the notes. That’s what we deal with as ARCs - weighing the chances against each other. If there’s a five percent chance that the Nulls will get useful intel from the notes and an eighty percent chance that we’ll risk our lives getting it, the mission is more trouble than it’s worth.”

“Do you want to go back?” you asked, stopping in the middle of the hallway. You weren’t exactly in Alpha’s line of sight, but he halted immediately to look back at you. “I’ll tell them that we can’t help find the notes.” 

Alpha’s lips twisted in a smug sort of smirk. “They’d be thrilled.” 

“They don’t matter to me as much as you do.” You reached out to take Alpha’s hand. “If you’re really worried, we can stop right now.” 

Alpha paused for a long moment, fingers wrapping around yours. “Don’t suppose you’d let me continue the search without you.” 

It hadn’t been a question, but you still shook your head in answer.

He sighed. “Fine. Let’s keep going. But if we don’t find something in the next ten minutes, we’re going back.”

“Deal,” you agreed. Alpha set off down the hallway once more as you rushed behind him. 

Exactly seven minutes down the hallway, Alpha turned a corner and hesitated. You ducked out from behind him immediately, and found yourself looking at a small sitting area. Two Kaminoan-sized chairs were placed side by side, angled slightly toward each other as if to facilitate a conversation between theoretical occupants. Between the chairs was an ornate display table bearing a statue of an aiwha.

Alpha eased closer. “Ko Sai doesn’t seem like the type to invite guests so close to her secret research.” 

“No, she doesn’t,” you agreed. “Kaminoans in general don’t seem to like alcoves like this.” 

“No dust,” Alpha noted, studying the statue and both chairs. “I didn’t see or hear anything in the entrance that would indicate that this whole area is hermetically sealed. Maybe she had some kind of specialized air filtration system set up around this area.” 

“If so, we have to be close,” you summarized. 

Alpha motioned for you to stay there, then walked determinedly to the next corner in the hallway. He turned back almost immediately. “The hallway ends in another 20 meters. This has to be it.” 

While he walked back, you examined the seating area. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen Kaminoan chairs that don’t drop out of the ceiling.” You frowned at the statute. “Or decorations like this. I always thought they considered them frivolous-” 

You reached out for the statue, ignoring the warning Alpha growled as you did so. The instant your fingertips touched the smooth, cool surface of the carved aiwha, the floor opened under your feet and you dropped like a stone.

---

Author's Note - Uh, oh! A cliffhanger! Sorry about that.

Just to give you an idea how bad I am at estimating, I wrote this adventure to take place over one chapter. It ended up being almost 12k words, so it will be split over three different chapters.

Please note: this first chapter was pretty light-hearted, but mind the warnings on the other two. I had to write with my gut instead of my heart and things get a little... dark.

Thank you for reading!

[mariacallous]

These days, when Nicole Yelland receives a meeting request from someone she doesn’t already know, she conducts a multi-step background check before deciding whether to accept. Yelland, who works in public relations for a Detroit-based non-profit, says she’ll run the person’s information through Spokeo, a personal data aggregator that she pays a monthly subscription fee to use. If the contact claims to speak Spanish, Yelland says, she will casually test their ability to understand and translate trickier phrases. If something doesn’t quite seem right, she’ll ask the person to join a Microsoft Teams call—with their camera on.

If Yelland sounds paranoid, that’s because she is. In January, before she started her current non-profit role, Yelland says she got roped into an elaborate scam targeting job seekers. “Now, I do the whole verification rigamarole any time someone reaches out to me,” she tells WIRED.

Digital imposter scams aren’t new; messaging platforms, social media sites, and dating apps have long been rife with fakery. In a time when remote work and distributed teams have become commonplace, professional communications channels are no longer safe, either. The same artificial intelligence tools that tech companies promise will boost worker productivity are also making it easier for criminals and fraudsters to construct fake personas in seconds.

On LinkedIn, it can be hard to distinguish a slightly touched-up headshot of a real person from a too-polished, AI-generated facsimile. Deepfake videos are getting so good that longtime email scammers are pivoting to impersonating people on live video calls. According to the US Federal Trade Commission, reports of job and employment related scams nearly tripled from 2020 to 2024, and actual losses from those scams have increased from $90 million to $500 million.

Yelland says the scammers that approached her back in January were impersonating a real company, one with a legitimate product. The “hiring manager” she corresponded with over email also seemed legit, even sharing a slide deck outlining the responsibilities of the role they were advertising. But during the first video interview, Yelland says, the scammers refused to turn their cameras on during a Microsoft Teams meeting and made unusual requests for detailed personal information, including her driver’s license number. Realizing she’d been duped, Yelland slammed her laptop shut.

These kinds of schemes have become so widespread that AI startups have emerged promising to detect other AI-enabled deepfakes, including GetReal Labs, and Reality Defender. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman also runs an identity-verification startup called Tools for Humanity, which makes eye-scanning devices that capture a person’s biometric data, create a unique identifier for their identity, and store that information on the blockchain. The whole idea behind it is proving “personhood,” or that someone is a real human. (Lots of people working on blockchain technology say that blockchain is the solution for identity verification.)

But some corporate professionals are turning instead to old-fashioned social engineering techniques to verify every fishy-seeming interaction they have. Welcome to the Age of Paranoia, when someone might ask you to send them an email while you’re mid-conversation on the phone, slide into your Instagram DMs to ensure the LinkedIn message you sent was really from you, or request you text a selfie with a timestamp, proving you are who you claim to be. Some colleagues say they even share code words with each other, so they have a way to ensure they’re not being misled if an encounter feels off.

“What’s funny is, the low-fi approach works,” says Daniel Goldman, a blockchain software engineer and former startup founder. Goldman says he began changing his own behavior after he heard a prominent figure in the crypto world had been convincingly deepfaked on a video call. “It put the fear of god in me,” he says. Afterwards, he warned his family and friends that even if they hear what they believe is his voice or see him on a video call asking for something concrete—like money or an internet password—they should hang up and email him first before doing anything.

Ken Schumacher, founder of the recruitment verification service Ropes, says he’s worked with hiring managers who ask job candidates rapid-fire questions about the city where they claim to live on their resume, such as their favorite coffee shops and places to hang out. If the applicant is actually based in that geographic region, Schumacher says, they should be able to respond quickly with accurate details.

Another verification tactic some people use, Schumacher says, is what he calls the “phone camera trick.” If someone suspects the person they’re talking to over video chat is being deceitful, they can ask them to hold up their phone camera to their laptop. The idea is to verify whether the individual may be running deepfake technology on their computer, obscuring their true identity or surroundings. But it’s safe to say this approach can also be off-putting: Honest job candidates may be hesitant to show off the inside of their homes or offices, or worry a hiring manager is trying to learn details about their personal lives.

“Everyone is on edge and wary of each other now,” Schumacher says.

While turning yourself into a human captcha may be a fairly effective approach to operational security, even the most paranoid admit these checks create an atmosphere of distrust before two parties have even had the chance to really connect. They can also be a huge time suck. “I feel like something’s gotta give,” Yelland says. “I’m wasting so much time at work just trying to figure out if people are real.”

Jessica Eise, an assistant professor studying climate change and social behavior at Indiana University-Bloomington, says that her research team has been forced to essentially become digital forensics experts, due to the amount of fraudsters who respond to ads for paid virtual surveys. (Scammers aren’t as interested in the unpaid surveys, unsurprisingly.) If the research project is federally funded, all of the online participants have to be over the age of 18 and living in the US.

“My team would check time stamps for when participants answered emails, and if the timing was suspicious, we could guess they might be in a different time zone,” Eise says. “Then we’d look for other clues we came to recognize, like certain formats of email address or incoherent demographic data.”

Eise says the amount of time her team spent screening people was “exorbitant,” and that they’ve now shrunk the size of the cohort for each study and have turned to “snowball sampling” or having recruiting people they know personally to join their studies. The researchers are also handing out more physical flyers to solicit participants in person. “We care a lot about making sure that our data has integrity, that we’re studying who we say we’re trying to study,” she says. “I don’t think there’s an easy solution to this.”

Barring any widespread technical solution, a little common sense can go a long way in spotting bad actors. Yelland shared with me the slide deck that she received as part of the fake job pitch. At first glance, it seemed like legit pitch, but when she looked at it again, a few details stood out. The job promised to pay substantially more than the average salary for a similar role in her location, and offered unlimited vacation time, generous paid parental leave, and fully-covered health care benefits. In today’s job environment, that might have been the biggest tipoff of all that it was a scam.

[darkmaga-returns]

The European Union, long positioning itself as the globe’s top tech regulator, has officially flipped the switch on its voluntary "disinformation" code, transforming it into a compulsory censorship mechanism under the Digital Services Act (DSA). No longer content with passive cooperation, Brussels now demands that tech giants submit to invasive audits, algorithmic scrutiny, and aggressive content policing—all under the guise of "digital safety." Yet, behind the bureaucratic jargon lies a far-reaching crackdown on free speech, one that risks igniting fierce trade tensions with the U.S. while tightening the EU’s grip on online discourse. As the DSA’s mandates expand mid-February to ensnare more platforms regardless of size, critics warn that Europe’s latest power grab isn't about protecting citizens—it's about silencing them.

Key points:

The EU’s once-voluntary "Code of Practice on Disinformation" is now legally binding under the DSA, forcing platforms to comply with strict censorship rules or face penalties.

Large tech companies—Meta, Google, Apple—are under heightened scrutiny, with yearly audits assessing their ability to suppress so-called "disinformation."

U.S. officials warn the DSA could trigger a trade standoff, recalling Canada’s failed digital tax clash under Trump.

The EU is expanding its censorship apparatus beyond major platforms, signaling a broader crackdown on alternative media and independent creators.

The law’s vague definitions of "harmful content" and "disinformation" empower governments to silence dissent under the pretext of public safety.

[isaacsapphire]

re: Abundance Dems, I do think you've drifted away from the lib-left sphere, and as such don't see its internal divisions as much. Solar farms split the US greens between "muh bird sanctuary, muh straw ban" and "stop/mitigate climate change", with people realizing that the former was often using the latter to rent-seek and borrow support for fringe issues. At the same time, MAGA has mostly eaten the libertarian faction of the republican party, so it's not like they're promising progress on deregulating housing. Crises create pressure to answer them. Before the recession, the idea of an anti-international trade faction having any legs in the republican party would have been a pipe dream, and it was dismissed for about a decade after. Unless that pressure finds an outlet on the right (and I don't think illegals living twelve-to-a-room or in some shack on a ranch is really driving the housing shortage), Abundance or something like it will become a real force in liberal politics.

Idk about illegals, but “cheap rentals” mean immigrants. “Less immigrants = less demand rentals = lower rent” at least sounds plausible. The people who want to build solar farms are left-libs? At this point I was starting to wonder if the solar people were centrists or even right of center.

I did drift away a bit socially from both sides tbh, settling down relationally and not being out at events in general got me away from irl stuff and my careful crafted equalized social media sphere of 2016 didn’t really survive the first Trump election, let alone the second two Trump elections, the pandemic and associated rioting, the Ukraine Invasion, and October 7th, as a lot of people’s politics shifted substantially over that period, and there was a lot of blocking, deleting, going nuts/psychosis, and even some dying (rip Kontex).

Like, I would love it if the dems decided to build housing, but “blue state” and “high cost of living area due to housing shortage” are basically synonymous.

I just don’t think that the Democrats are likely to actually run on deregulating building codes because 1. Alienate their base 2. Alienate donors 3. Why the heck would anyone intelligent enough to understand the plan believe a “we’re running on unfucking the problem we created” platform?

I seriously saw an affordable housing development held up over a deer trail a couple months ago. I don’t think the Democrats are going to change, as much as I hope they do.