#data skills for non-tech

[codecrafted]

Looking to Upskill? Here's Why You Should Join a Data Analytics Course Today

Take a moment to think about how much data you interact with every day—from your online shopping habits and social media feeds to fitness apps and digital banking. Now, multiply that by the activity of millions of users. The result? A mind-boggling amount of data being created every second. Businesses today are drowning in information—but without the right skills, this data becomes a wasted…

[nikhilvaidyahrc]

10 Tech Jobs You Can Get Without a Degree (That Actually Pay Well)

Published By Prism HRC – Leading IT Recruitment Agency in Mumbai

Let’s get one thing straight: the idea that you need a degree to work in tech is outdated.

Sure, there are still companies stuck in the “must have BTech or nothing” mindset, but the smarter ones? They care about your skills, not your paperwork.

We work with tech recruiters every day, and trust us, if you can do the job well, nobody’s asking what your college attendance sheet looked like.

So, if you’re self-taught, bootcamp-trained, or just switching lanes, here are 10 legit tech jobs that don’t need a degree but absolutely pay like they do.

1. Web Developer (Frontend / Backend)

Build stuff people actually use websites, dashboards, internal tools, you name it. Most devs we see started with small projects, not classrooms.

Skills you’ll need: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, React, Node.js Salary Range: ₹4–18 LPA Reality check: If you have a decent GitHub and can explain your code, you’re already ahead of most applicants.

2. UI/UX Designer

Good design is invisible, but bad design gets people to uninstall your app in 10 seconds. UX folks make sure that doesn’t happen.

Skills: Figma, design thinking, user flows, wireframes Salary: ₹4–12 LPA Insider tip: Your portfolio is your resume here; don’t skip it.

3. Digital Marketing Specialist

No code. No problem. If you can sell products, grow audiences, or manage ads that convert, you’re already in demand.

Skills: SEO, paid ads, email funnels, analytics Salary: ₹3–10 LPA Bonus: Freelancers who know what they’re doing can scale up even faster than full-timers.

4. Tech Support Executive

If you've ever been the go-to “tech person” in your friend circle, this might be your entry point. It’s the frontline of IT.

Skills: OS basics, troubleshooting, soft skills Salary: ₹3–7 LPA Growth path: System admin → Cloud support → DevOps. It happens more often than you’d think.

5. Data Analyst

Think Excel meets storytelling. You’re not just reading spreadsheets; you’re explaining what they mean in plain English.

Skills: Excel, SQL, Tableau, Python (basic) Salary: ₹5–14 LPA Reality: You don’t need to be a math wizard, just data curious and consistent.

6. Cybersecurity Analyst

While companies go digital, someone needs to protect their digital doors. That’s  where you come in.

Skills: Network security, threat detection, firewalls Salary: ₹6–20 LPA Tip: Certifications matter here, but hands-on labs and projects carry weight too.

7. Cloud Support Engineer

The cloud isn’t just someone else’s computer; it’s a massive job market. You help keep those services alive and efficient.

Skills: AWS or Azure basics, Linux, networking Salary: ₹6–15 LPA Heads-up: Cloud certifications like AWS CCP are way cheaper than a college degree and more useful.

8. Graphic Designer/Motion Designer

Brands need to look good, and you make that happen. From logos to explainer videos, visual creatives are in constant demand.

Skills: Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects Salary: ₹3–10 LPA Real talk: Your work should speak louder than your resume.

9. QA Tester / Automation Tester

Before an app or website goes live, someone needs to make sure it doesn’t crash and burn. That’s your job.

Skills: Manual testing, Selenium, test cases Salary: ₹4–12 LPA Note: Many QA testers get promoted into product, dev, or DevOps roles later.

10. Product Support/Customer Success

Not everyone in tech has to code. If you’re good with people and understand how software works, you can bridge the gap between users and devs.

Skills: Communication, product knowledge, CRM tools Salary: ₹3–9 LPA You’re perfect for this if you love helping people and you hate bad user experiences.

What’s the catch?

There isn’t one. But here's what does matter:

Your willingness to learn (and unlearn)

Real projects, even small ones

A portfolio, GitHub, or something that shows proof of work

The ability to talk about what you’ve done without sounding like ChatGPT

At Prism HRC, we’ve seen non-degree candidates land jobs at great companies simply because they knew their stuff. You don’t need a paper to prove you belong in tech. You just need skills, proof, and a bit of boldness.

- Based in Gorai-2, Borivali West, Mumbai - www.prismhrc.com - Instagram: @jobssimplified - LinkedIn: Prism HRC

[mostlysignssomeportents]

What kind of bubble is AI?

My latest column for Locus Magazine is "What Kind of Bubble is AI?" All economic bubbles are hugely destructive, but some of them leave behind wreckage that can be salvaged for useful purposes, while others leave nothing behind but ashes:

https://locusmag.com/2023/12/commentary-cory-doctorow-what-kind-of-bubble-is-ai/

Think about some 21st century bubbles. The dotcom bubble was a terrible tragedy, one that drained the coffers of pension funds and other institutional investors and wiped out retail investors who were gulled by Superbowl Ads. But there was a lot left behind after the dotcoms were wiped out: cheap servers, office furniture and space, but far more importantly, a generation of young people who'd been trained as web makers, leaving nontechnical degree programs to learn HTML, perl and python. This created a whole cohort of technologists from non-technical backgrounds, a first in technological history. Many of these people became the vanguard of a more inclusive and humane tech development movement, and they were able to make interesting and useful services and products in an environment where raw materials – compute, bandwidth, space and talent – were available at firesale prices.

Contrast this with the crypto bubble. It, too, destroyed the fortunes of institutional and individual investors through fraud and Superbowl Ads. It, too, lured in nontechnical people to learn esoteric disciplines at investor expense. But apart from a smattering of Rust programmers, the main residue of crypto is bad digital art and worse Austrian economics.

Or think of Worldcom vs Enron. Both bubbles were built on pure fraud, but Enron's fraud left nothing behind but a string of suspicious deaths. By contrast, Worldcom's fraud was a Big Store con that required laying a ton of fiber that is still in the ground to this day, and is being bought and used at pennies on the dollar.

AI is definitely a bubble. As I write in the column, if you fly into SFO and rent a car and drive north to San Francisco or south to Silicon Valley, every single billboard is advertising an "AI" startup, many of which are not even using anything that can be remotely characterized as AI. That's amazing, considering what a meaningless buzzword AI already is.

So which kind of bubble is AI? When it pops, will something useful be left behind, or will it go away altogether? To be sure, there's a legion of technologists who are learning Tensorflow and Pytorch. These nominally open source tools are bound, respectively, to Google and Facebook's AI environments:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/08/18/openwashing/#you-keep-using-that-word-i-do-not-think-it-means-what-you-think-it-means

But if those environments go away, those programming skills become a lot less useful. Live, large-scale Big Tech AI projects are shockingly expensive to run. Some of their costs are fixed – collecting, labeling and processing training data – but the running costs for each query are prodigious. There's a massive primary energy bill for the servers, a nearly as large energy bill for the chillers, and a titanic wage bill for the specialized technical staff involved.

Once investor subsidies dry up, will the real-world, non-hyperbolic applications for AI be enough to cover these running costs? AI applications can be plotted on a 2X2 grid whose axes are "value" (how much customers will pay for them) and "risk tolerance" (how perfect the product needs to be).

Charging teenaged D&D players $10 month for an image generator that creates epic illustrations of their characters fighting monsters is low value and very risk tolerant (teenagers aren't overly worried about six-fingered swordspeople with three pupils in each eye). Charging scammy spamfarms $500/month for a text generator that spits out dull, search-algorithm-pleasing narratives to appear over recipes is likewise low-value and highly risk tolerant (your customer doesn't care if the text is nonsense). Charging visually impaired people $100 month for an app that plays a text-to-speech description of anything they point their cameras at is low-value and moderately risk tolerant ("that's your blue shirt" when it's green is not a big deal, while "the street is safe to cross" when it's not is a much bigger one).

Morganstanley doesn't talk about the trillions the AI industry will be worth some day because of these applications. These are just spinoffs from the main event, a collection of extremely high-value applications. Think of self-driving cars or radiology bots that analyze chest x-rays and characterize masses as cancerous or noncancerous.

These are high value – but only if they are also risk-tolerant. The pitch for self-driving cars is "fire most drivers and replace them with 'humans in the loop' who intervene at critical junctures." That's the risk-tolerant version of self-driving cars, and it's a failure. More than $100b has been incinerated chasing self-driving cars, and cars are nowhere near driving themselves:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/10/09/herbies-revenge/#100-billion-here-100-billion-there-pretty-soon-youre-talking-real-money

Quite the reverse, in fact. Cruise was just forced to quit the field after one of their cars maimed a woman – a pedestrian who had not opted into being part of a high-risk AI experiment – and dragged her body 20 feet through the streets of San Francisco. Afterwards, it emerged that Cruise had replaced the single low-waged driver who would normally be paid to operate a taxi with 1.5 high-waged skilled technicians who remotely oversaw each of its vehicles:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/03/technology/cruise-general-motors-self-driving-cars.html

The self-driving pitch isn't that your car will correct your own human errors (like an alarm that sounds when you activate your turn signal while someone is in your blind-spot). Self-driving isn't about using automation to augment human skill – it's about replacing humans. There's no business case for spending hundreds of billions on better safety systems for cars (there's a human case for it, though!). The only way the price-tag justifies itself is if paid drivers can be fired and replaced with software that costs less than their wages.

What about radiologists? Radiologists certainly make mistakes from time to time, and if there's a computer vision system that makes different mistakes than the sort that humans make, they could be a cheap way of generating second opinions that trigger re-examination by a human radiologist. But no AI investor thinks their return will come from selling hospitals that reduce the number of X-rays each radiologist processes every day, as a second-opinion-generating system would. Rather, the value of AI radiologists comes from firing most of your human radiologists and replacing them with software whose judgments are cursorily double-checked by a human whose "automation blindness" will turn them into an OK-button-mashing automaton:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/08/23/automation-blindness/#humans-in-the-loop

The profit-generating pitch for high-value AI applications lies in creating "reverse centaurs": humans who serve as appendages for automation that operates at a speed and scale that is unrelated to the capacity or needs of the worker:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/04/17/revenge-of-the-chickenized-reverse-centaurs/

But unless these high-value applications are intrinsically risk-tolerant, they are poor candidates for automation. Cruise was able to nonconsensually enlist the population of San Francisco in an experimental murderbot development program thanks to the vast sums of money sloshing around the industry. Some of this money funds the inevitabilist narrative that self-driving cars are coming, it's only a matter of when, not if, and so SF had better get in the autonomous vehicle or get run over by the forces of history.

Once the bubble pops (all bubbles pop), AI applications will have to rise or fall on their actual merits, not their promise. The odds are stacked against the long-term survival of high-value, risk-intolerant AI applications.

The problem for AI is that while there are a lot of risk-tolerant applications, they're almost all low-value; while nearly all the high-value applications are risk-intolerant. Once AI has to be profitable – once investors withdraw their subsidies from money-losing ventures – the risk-tolerant applications need to be sufficient to run those tremendously expensive servers in those brutally expensive data-centers tended by exceptionally expensive technical workers.

If they aren't, then the business case for running those servers goes away, and so do the servers – and so do all those risk-tolerant, low-value applications. It doesn't matter if helping blind people make sense of their surroundings is socially beneficial. It doesn't matter if teenaged gamers love their epic character art. It doesn't even matter how horny scammers are for generating AI nonsense SEO websites:

https://twitter.com/jakezward/status/1728032634037567509

These applications are all riding on the coattails of the big AI models that are being built and operated at a loss in order to be profitable. If they remain unprofitable long enough, the private sector will no longer pay to operate them.

Now, there are smaller models, models that stand alone and run on commodity hardware. These would persist even after the AI bubble bursts, because most of their costs are setup costs that have already been borne by the well-funded companies who created them. These models are limited, of course, though the communities that have formed around them have pushed those limits in surprising ways, far beyond their original manufacturers' beliefs about their capacity. These communities will continue to push those limits for as long as they find the models useful.

These standalone, "toy" models are derived from the big models, though. When the AI bubble bursts and the private sector no longer subsidizes mass-scale model creation, it will cease to spin out more sophisticated models that run on commodity hardware (it's possible that Federated learning and other techniques for spreading out the work of making large-scale models will fill the gap).

So what kind of bubble is the AI bubble? What will we salvage from its wreckage? Perhaps the communities who've invested in becoming experts in Pytorch and Tensorflow will wrestle them away from their corporate masters and make them generally useful. Certainly, a lot of people will have gained skills in applying statistical techniques.

But there will also be a lot of unsalvageable wreckage. As big AI models get integrated into the processes of the productive economy, AI becomes a source of systemic risk. The only thing worse than having an automated process that is rendered dangerous or erratic based on AI integration is to have that process fail entirely because the AI suddenly disappeared, a collapse that is too precipitous for former AI customers to engineer a soft landing for their systems.

This is a blind spot in our policymakers debates about AI. The smart policymakers are asking questions about fairness, algorithmic bias, and fraud. The foolish policymakers are ensnared in fantasies about "AI safety," AKA "Will the chatbot become a superintelligence that turns the whole human race into paperclips?"

https://pluralistic.net/2023/11/27/10-types-of-people/#taking-up-a-lot-of-space

But no one is asking, "What will we do if" – when – "the AI bubble pops and most of this stuff disappears overnight?"

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

https://pluralistic.net/2023/12/19/bubblenomics/#pop

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

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

--

tom_bullock (modified) https://www.flickr.com/photos/tombullock/25173469495/

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

[stellaspectral]

Could I request headcannons on how the rise! and 2012turtles would react to artist reader, who draws them for fun, is embarassed to admit it though but they catch a glimps of a drawing of them which they made? :)

A/N: Sure! 💖

Rise & 2012 Turts React to Artist!Reader

💚 ROTTMNT & 2012 Turtles/Gender Neutral Reader 💚

CWs: None. All characters are aged-up.

Rise!Leo

He’d spot your art with a smirk. “Well, well, well, what artistic endeavor are we hiding here?”

Once he realizes the artwork is of them, and especially him (hopefully in a dynamic, cool pose): “Oh ho ho! You’ve captured my good side! And my other good side!”

Finds it immediately hilarious and endearing. Like, “Aw, you’ve been drawing my perfect face this whole time?” 100% teases you about it but never in a mean way.

He’d absolutely lap up the attention, even if it’s accidental. He’d tease you good-naturedly about your “secret fan art.”

“Don’t be embarrassed! Clearly, you have excellent taste in subjects. Especially this handsome devil.” *finger guns*

Might start posing more dramatically around you “just in case” you want to draw him again. “You know, I am your muse now. That’s canon.”

Like he’ll dramatically fling himself onto the couch, “Oh, woe is me, struck by the sudden urge to be artistically rendered in a moment of heroic contemplation!” He’ll then wink.

Lowkey keeps checking your sketchbook when you’re not looking. Not to snoop—just in case you drew him again.

Rise!Raph

At first, upon seeing your art, he’d be like, “Huh? Whatcha got there?”

Once he sees it, especially if it’s a cool action shot of him looking heroic: “WHOA! Is that ME?! That looks SO COOL!”

He’d be genuinely impressed and flattered, not really understanding why you’re embarrassed. “Why hide this? It’s awesome!”

Raph will pretend he’s not paying attention, but he’ll definitely be flexing a bit more or holding his “cool big brother” stance a little longer if he thinks you might be drawing him.

Raph wouldn’t request, but if you drew a really good action sequence of him protecting his brothers, he’d stare at it for a long time with a big smile.

Gets all flustered but proud. Keeps sneaking peeks at your sketchbook like he doesn’t want to be caught doing it.

Sometimes acts nonchalant, but if you show him a drawing you’re proud of, he gets super shy.

If you ever draw him looking soft or happy, he’ll stare at it longer than he means to. Those are the ones he secretly likes most.

Rise!Donnie

He’d approach your art with scientific curiosity. “An unauthorized artistic rendering? Intriguing.”

He’d analyze the style, the accuracy of his tech and the anatomical proportions. “Hmm, the depiction of my battle shell’s articulation is surprisingly accurate. Did you have reference material, or is this from memory?”

He’d be genuinely impressed by the skill, even if his compliments sound a bit clinical. He might subtly suggest improvements for “technical accuracy” next time.

Probably starts asking technical questions about your process before realizing you’re blushing like mad. “Wait, you’re embarrassed? But you … nailed my jaw structure.”

Donnie might “casually” start working on a particularly intricate piece of tech nearby, angling it so you get a “good view of its complex inner workings, should you choose to document it.”

Donnie might offer to 3D print little maquettes of them for you to use as reference. “It would improve anatomical accuracy by at least 15%, though your current observational skills are, frankly, quite impressive.” He’d also be fascinated if you drew their mystic powers, analyzing how you interpret non-physical energy.

Starts leaving small upgrades for your drawing supplies—new pens, sketchpads, even a custom-built stylus if you’re digital.

Might ask if he can scan your sketches into his files for “data preservation.” (It’s 100% just because he wants to look at them.)

Rise!Mikey

Pure, unadulterated excitement upon seeing your art. “O! M! G! Is that US?! You DREW us?!”

He’d be bouncing off the walls, absolutely thrilled. “This is the COOLEST THING EVER! Look at me, I look so dynamic! And the colors!”

He’d be the most understanding of your shyness but also the most enthusiastic about getting you to share. “Aww, don’t hide it! This is amazing!”

Would probably hug you and the drawing (if you let him).

Mikey is your hype-man. He’d also try to “collaborate” by adding his own doodles or stickers to your sketchbook page if you let him (and sometimes if you don’t).

Wants to see every single page. Will not drop it even if you’re begging him not to look.

Might tape one of the sketches to the wall in the lair, claiming it’s “museum-worthy.”

Starts calling himself your “muse supreme” or “artspiration.”

2012!Leo

Sees the sketch accidentally while helping you pick up something. His leader instincts would kick in. “What’s this?”

Once he sees it’s them: a moment of surprise, then a small, almost imperceptible smile. “You … you drew us?”

He’d be quite touched. “This is … very good. You’re very talented.”

He’d be gentle about your embarrassment. “There’s no need to be ashamed. It’s clear you put a lot of effort into this.”

He’d appreciate the gesture deeply, seeing it as a sign of your trust and friendship, but might subtly ask if you’ve shown anyone else.

Leo might “coincidentally” practice his katana forms where you have a good vantage point, holding poses slightly longer. If you look up and catch his eye, he’d offer a small, encouraging nod before resuming.

“You drew me … with my swords out. That’s … really cool. And kinda flattering.” He’s a little shy about it but tells you he likes it. Probably doesn’t mention it again unless you bring it up, but will treasure the mental image. Secretly hopes there’s more.

Also secretly keeps a folded version of your sketch in a book or drawer. Doesn’t talk about it much, but it clearly means a lot. He’ll defend your art fiercely if anyone downplays it.

2012!Raph

“Hey, what are you hidin’?” Gruff as usual when he spots your art, but still curious.

Sees the drawing. Eyebrow ridge raises. A beat of silence. “… Is that supposed to be me?”

At first, he might joke a little to hide how touched he is. “Could’ve made me buffer, but okay.” Gets a little red in the ears. “Thanks … for drawin’ me, I guess.”

If you made him look tough and cool, a tiny, almost invisible smirk might appear. He’d scoff at your embarrassment. “What, you think it’s bad or somethin’? It’s … not terrible.” (Which is high praise from him).

Might try to act like it’s not a big deal, but he keeps checking if you’ve drawn him again.

If you catch him staring at a drawing for too long, he’ll grumble, “It’s not like I asked you to draw me lookin’ cool …”

You notice he starts sticking around longer when you sketch, trying to act casual. And he might leave little “suggestions” like: “If you’re gonna draw me again, maybe this pose would be cool. Just sayin’.”

Once, after a hard mission, you gave him a sketch of him looking strong and protective. He kept that one.

2012!Donnie

His initial reaction is genuine curiosity. “Oh, what have you got there?”

His eyes would widen slightly upon seeing the drawing. “Fascinating! Is that … us? Your grasp of our unique physiology is quite impressive! Did you use references? This foreshortening is impressive.”

He’d be technically complimentary. But then he looks up and sees you looking like you’re about to evaporate and realizes—oh. You were keeping that private.

He’d be understanding of your embarrassment. “Oh, please don’t feel self-conscious! It’s a wonderful piece of art. Perhaps you could even help me design some new tech interfaces with your artistic eye?”

He’d probably ask if he could scan it to “analyze the artistic rendering techniques for his database.”

Donnie might start explaining the mechanics of his latest invention to you in more detail, “hoping you can visualize it.” A subtle hint for you to draw it.

Donnie would scan them at high resolution and keep them in a password-protected folder on his T-Phone, possibly analyzing your evolving style over time.

He’d love a drawing of you and him working on tech together. He might even frame it in his lab.

2012!Mikey

Upon seeing your art: “What’s that?! Ooh, a drawing!” Then his jaw would drop. “NO WAY! YOU DREW US?! THAT’S AWESOME-SAUCE!”

He’d be incredibly hyped, grabbing the drawing (gently!) to get a closer look.

You’re dying inside but he’s already flipping through your sketchbook. “Why didn’t you show me sooner?! We could’ve been an artist team! I model, you draw—BOOM.”

He’d be completely oblivious to why you’re embarrassed, or rather, he’d try to overwhelm your embarrassment with pure enthusiasm.

Would immediately start posing and asking you to draw him right now.

Mikey would have a “super-secret awesome art stash” hidden somewhere only he (and maybe Ice Cream Kitty) knows about.

Wants to hang the art in his room. Constantly asks when the next “issue” of “Mikey Art” is coming out.

If you ever get insecure about your art, he’ll hug you tight. “Dude. You made me look awesome. That’s, like, peak talent.”

[fictionfanatic-wren]

The robin games

chapter 5/7. The Robin Games - Chapter 5 - Fictionfanatic_Wren - Batman - All Media Types [Archive of Our Own]

The small, dimly lit maintenance room was packed wall-to-wall with capes, armor, and confusion. Superman hovered just above the ground, arms crossed. Green Arrow was crouched near the half-eaten protein bar like it was a crime scene. Wonder Woman stood by the door, stone-faced. Hal Jordan paced, while Barry looked like someone had kicked his dog. “Alright,” Dinah said, hands on her hips. “Someone needs to explain why it smells like old coffee, protein bars, and deodorant for teenage boys in here.” “Because someone’s been living here,” Ollie grumbled, holding up the half-unwrapped bar with two fingers. “Look at this. Half-eaten. Not even wrapped properly. There’s coffee residue in the cup holder and prints on the terminal.” “That’s definitely not ours,” Barry added, squinting at the cup. “That’s the mug I’ve been looking for since yesterday. Yesterday, people.” “So someone’s been camping out on the Watchtower without us knowing,” Hal said, turning to Bruce with narrowed eyes. “Care to explain how your billion-dollar security system missed a freeloader living in the walls?” Bruce stood silent, face unreadable. “It didn’t miss them,” he said finally, tone low. “It found them just now.” “That’s not an answer,” Hal shot back. “I’m still processing the data,” Bruce replied smoothly, eyes never leaving the half-powered computer console. Clark floated a little closer, scanning the equipment with his x-ray vision. “There’s a whole tech setup hidden behind the panels,” he reported. “Wires, a motion sensor jammer, even a router spoof. This wasn’t slapped together. This was deliberate.” “So the real question,” Ollie muttered, “is which one of us brought a secret intern onboard.” Barry perked up, hopeful. “Maybe it’s a stowaway from Earth? A well-meaning super-fan?” “With access to League systems?” Diana said, one brow arching. “And the ability to bypass our security and, according to you, eat your pizza?” Barry deflated. “...Yeah, okay, probably not a fan.” “Let’s take stock,” Dinah said, ticking off her fingers. “We’ve had: stolen pizza, missing coffee mugs, glitter bombs in the armory, Green Arrow’s door screaming shame at him, and now someone is nesting in our walls. Someone very skilled.” Hal rubbed his temples. “Okay, real talk. If this is about the laser pointer prank from six months ago, I already apologized, Barry.” “That’s what you want me to think,” Barry snapped, arms flailing. “Maybe this is the long con. The real revenge!” “You are not important enough to sabotage with a long con,” Bruce said flatly, stepping past them to inspect the panel Tim had hastily closed. Everyone froze. “Spooky,” Clark said carefully. “That sounded kinda personal.” “Let’s not fight,” Diana said, sighing. “Let’s focus. Whoever’s here is skilled enough to hide, hack, and infiltrate without being caught for days. We need a plan.” “Oh, I’ve got one,” Ollie muttered. “We burn the whole maintenance wing and flush them out.” “Ollie.” “What? It worked with raccoons.” Bruce straightened from the console. “No fire” he said. “But we lock down non-essential areas. Increase patrols. Motion sensors, heat trackers, and set traps in likely routes.” Everyone nodded, except Barry, who just looked mournfully at his empty mug. “…I miss my coffee.”

Tim Drake moved quickly through the narrow metal duct, his body pressed low and knees aching from the awkward angles. He was running on pure adrenaline now, he’d narrowly escaped being discovered in the maintenance room, but not without losses. His spare toolkit, the laptop charger, and Barry’s coffee mug were all left behind. “Fantastic,” Tim muttered under his breath, the distant hum of voices below fading as he crawled deeper into the Watchtower’s belly. “All because someone decided to trigger an alarm right next to me.” He paused at a junction in the vent, twisting to glance at the corridor below through a slatted grate. Then, Thump. The faintest vibration in the metal above him. He stilled. Every instinct screamed caution. Someone else was in the shaft. Tim slowly reached for a small baton from his belt and turned. From the shadows, a low voice spoke: “You’re incredibly loud for someone who’s supposed to be stealthy.” Tim froze. A small figure crouched just ahead, perched in the shadows like a gargoyle. Damian. The youngest Robin looked perfectly at ease, barely winded, his cloak tucked tightly around his small frame, expression full of judgment. Tim narrowed his eyes. “You tripped the alarm, didn’t you.” Damian tilted his head. “Of course I did. This is a competition. Only the competent deserve to win. You were getting too comfortable.” Tim exhaled sharply, crawling closer so they could talk without echoing. “You little gremlin, I had a whole system running. I was fine until your stunt brought the League breathing down my neck.” Damian’s eyes gleamed in the dim light. “You were growing complacent. And it was funny.” Tim pinched the bridge of his nose. “You know if they’d found my stuff-” “Then you would’ve lost. You should thank me for teaching you the importance of vigilance.” Tim stared at him. “You sound exactly like Bruce when he’s being a hypocrite.” “A compliment.” Tim groaned. “You stole Dick’s gear too, didn’t you?” Damian didn’t answer, but his smug silence spoke volumes. Tim muttered something under his breath that was definitely not appropriate for younger ears. The two stared at each other in silence, crouched in opposite corners of the vent. For a moment, there was a grudging, still tension between them. Then Tim sighed. “Fine. Truce. Just for today. I need a new hiding spot.” Damian raised a brow. “I’m not sharing my camp.” “I don’t want it. Just a direction that isn’t crawling with League members and panic.” Damian considered this. Then he jerked his chin to the left. “Upper deck. Storage vents near the armory. Leaguers don’t patrol there much.” Tim paused, then gave a curt nod. “Thanks.” Damian arched a brow. “Try not to get caught. It would be… disappointing.” Tim rolled his eyes and began crawling away. “Right back at you, gremlin.” Damian smirked as he disappeared into the shadows, already thinking of his next move.

Jason pressed himself against the cool metallic wall, breathing shallowly as he listened to the distant sound of boots echoing through the corridor. Way too many boots. He peeked around the corner. Green Arrow. Black Canary. Flash. All moving in different directions, radios buzzing on their hips. “Maintenance room sweep’s clear,” Dinana’s voice crackled over the comms. “Yeah, but somebody left a thermos of my coffee in there,” Barry hissed. Jason ducked back, swearing under his breath. This was bad. The League was in full lockdown mode now, walking around like a bunch of angry substitute teachers trying to catch kids passing notes. All because of one little triggered alarm and a missing mug. Okay. And maybe the trip wire in the gym. And maybe the slightly rigged training bot that randomly screamed insults at ollie for two hours. And, yeah, okay, a few pranks. He crept backward into a dark corridor that led to the utility crawlspaces. His old hiding spot in the storage bay was now way too risky, at least three League members had passed through in the last hour. Jason muttered to himself as he climbed into an access tunnel. “Could’ve just let Tim or Damian take the fall, but nooo. I had to switch Barry’s toothpaste with marshmallow fluff and now the whole tower’s on DEFCON 1.” He crawled deeper until he found a narrow space behind a ventilation conduit, the metal panels warm against his back. He took off his helmet, wiping sweat from his brow, then pulled a granola bar from his pocket and bit into it like it owed him money. Footsteps passed by again above. Jason closed his eyes, forcing his breathing to slow. This was fine. This was manageable. He’d hide here for a bit, wait for the tension to cool, maybe frame Hal later if things got dire. No one suspected that Red Hood himself was in the watchtower. Yet. But the moment his eyes started to droop, a voice blared from a nearby intercom: “Reminder: motion sensors have been temporarily enhanced in this sector due to recent… incidents. Please report any suspicious movement immediately.” Jason sighed, then shoved the rest of the granola bar into his mouth. “I swear to god, if I find out Tim set this up…”

Watchtower, Sector B1, Personnel Quarters Dick Grayson moved like a shadow, a very annoyed, gearless shadow. His crawlspace hiding spot had been compromised hours ago. And without his tools, he was flying blind in a nest full of superheroes and security systems. Damian had swiped everything from his little rooftop nook, even his emergency chocolate bar. The betrayal stung. "Never trust a ten-year-old with murder training," Dick muttered under his breath as he crept through a dim hallway, every motion smooth but fueled by pure desperation. His Nightwing suit, while flexible, was now a beacon without the signal disruptors. The sleek navy blue made him far too recognizable for someone trying to stay unseen. He needed a disguise. Fast. He turned a corner, and stopped. Room B1-04. The door was heavy, black, and marked only by a biometric scanner and a simple nameplate: RESTRICTED, ACCESS LEVEL 10 Most of the League assumed this room was storage or an unused system control station. But Dick had known the truth since his early Robin years. Batman’s quarters. He hesitated for exactly two seconds. Then: “Desperate times…” Dick bypassed the lock with a quick override Bruce had taught him back when trust between them wasn’t a limited resource, and slipped inside. The room was spartan. Clean. Every corner obsessively organized. A minimalistic bed, a locked trunk, and a closet lined with armor and utility gear. But no personal touches. No photos. No journals. Classic Bruce. Dick moved to the closet. His heart thudded in his ears as he flipped through the suits, mostly standard Bat-armor, backup units, and even one older prototype with an awkward yellow emblem. Finally, he found it: a slimmed-down, stealth-variant Batsuit. Jet black, lightweight. More flexible than the others, probably one Bruce wore for espionage operations. Perfect. Dick stripped off his Nightwing gear in record time and pulled the suit on. It clung to him like a second skin. The cowl, smaller than Bruce’s standard, fit well enough once he adjusted the chin plate. He looked into the darkened windowpane and smirked at the reflection: “Well. I guess I’m Batman now.” He paused. Then shook his head. “Nope. Not saying that out loud again.” Just as he secured the last piece of armor, he heard footsteps outside the hallway.

Dick didn’t expect to be stopped. That was the whole point of wearing the suit. But as soon as he turned the corner, he nearly ran straight into Green Arrow, Canary, and Martian Manhunter, all looking like they’d been mid-conversation until the second he appeared. “Batman,” Ollie said with a nod, stepping aside to let him pass. Dick managed a stiff nod back. “Arrow. Canary. J’onn.” He deepened his voice slightly, not a full growl (he wasn’t going to parody Bruce), but just enough to pass. It seemed to work. At least for a second. Until Green Arrow squinted. “You look… thinner than usual.” “I changed my diet.” Dinah tilted her head. “And you’re walking weird.” “My leg was injured in Gotham. Minor strain. Nothing worth filing.” Martian Manhunter stared. Hard. His glowing eyes narrowed like he was scanning something just off. Dick’s internal panic flared, was the suit giving him away? Heat signature? His height? He subtly adjusted his posture and folded his arms across his chest, classic Bruce. “If there’s nothing else, I need to return to my work.” Canary blinked. “We were going to brief you on the Star City gang forming. You skipped the last two meetings.” “I was busy,” Dick said, already turning to walk past them. “And I read the reports. Proceed without me.” He held his breath as he walked away, back rigid, cape swishing just enough to look dramatic. The moment he turned the next corner and was out of sight, he bolted into the next maintenance shaft like his life depended on it. Inside the vent, he slumped against the wall, yanked off the cowl, and exhaled. “Never again,” he muttered. “I need a double the cookies when i win. And therapy.”

[idhren]

March 1, 2025

A letter to the American People:

For over 11 years, 18F has been proudly serving you to make government technology work better. We are non-partisan civil servants. 18F has worked on hundreds of projects, all designed to make government technology not just efficient but effective, and to save money for American taxpayers.

However, all employees at 18F – a group that the Trump Administration GSA Technology Transformation Services Director called "the gold standard" of civic tech – were terminated today at midnight ET.

18F was doing exactly the type of work that DOGE claims to want – yet we were eliminated.

When former Tesla engineer Thomas Shedd took the position of TTS director and met with TTS including 18F on February 3, 2025, he acknowledged that the group is the “gold standard” of civic technologists and that “you guys have been doing this far longer than I’ve been even aware that your group exists.” He repeatedly emphasized the importance of the work, and the value of the talent that the teams bring to government.

Despite that skill and knowledge, at midnight ET on March 1, the entirety of 18F received notice that our positions had been eliminated.

The letter said that 18F "has been identified as part of this phase of GSA’s Reduction in Force (RIF) as non-critical”.

"This decision was made with explicit direction from the top levels of leadership within both the Administration and GSA," Shedd said in an email shortly after we were given notice.

This was a surprise to all 18F staff and our agency partners. Just yesterday we were working on important projects, including improving access to weather data with NOAA, making it easier and faster to get a passport with the Department of State, supporting free tax filing with the IRS, and other critical projects with organizations at the federal and state levels.

All 18F's support on that work has now abruptly come to a halt. Since the entire staff was also placed on administrative leave, we have been locked out of our computers, and have no chance to assist in an orderly transition in our work. We don’t even have access to our personal employment data. We’re supposed to return our equipment, but can’t use our email to find out how or where.

Dismantling 18F follows the gutting of the original US Digital Service. These cuts are just the most recent in a series of a sledgehammer approach to the critical US teams supporting IT infrastructure.

Before today’s RIF, DOGE members and GSA political appointees demanded and took access to IT systems that hold sensitive information. They ignored security precautions. Some who pushed back on this questionable behavior resigned rather than grant access. Others were met with reprisals like being booted from work communication channels.

We’re not done yet.

We’re still absorbing what has happened. We’re wrestling with what it will mean for ourselves and our families, as well as the impact on our partners and the American people.

But we came to the government to fix things. And we’re not done with this work yet.

More to come.

[zylentrix]

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At Zylentrix, our workplace is a launchpad for creativity and collaboration. Here’s what defines us:

Lifelong Learning: Monthly workshops, innovation challenges, and tuition reimbursements keep our team ahead of trends.

Agility in Action: When the world changes, we pivot faster—like shifting to virtual career fairs during the pandemic.

Collaborative Spirit: Cross-departmental “sprint teams” solve client challenges, blending tech experts, educators, and recruiters.

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📩 Connect Today 👉 Explore our services: Zylentrix 👉 Follow us on Social Media for tips on tech, careers, and sustainability. LinkedIn Facebook Instagram TikTok X Pinterest YouTube Quora Medium 👉 Email consult@zylentrix.net to schedule a free consultation.

[laughhardrunfastbekindsblog]

Lost and Found

Summer of Bad Batch 2024 | Week 2 | Prompt: Comfort Zone

Summary: Tech had only lived on Pabu for a short while; but as soon as he saw it again, with the knowledge that his family was somewhere down there, waiting for him, he knew: he was home. POV: Tech, Crosshair, Phee (Word Count: 5397)

Read on Ao3

Tech sat back in the passenger seat, datapad resting on his lap, his eyes burning slightly from fatigue after having spent the past few hours of the trip researching the habits of a specialized breed of hounds called lurcas. He had wanted to pilot the ship himself; but Omega had been so excited to show him firsthand how much she had progressed with the skills he had taught her, and he just hadn’t been able to say no. Besides, his piloting skills, while still more than adequate to handle flying especially during a non-combat trip like this, were mildly hampered by the nerve damage he had sustained to his left arm – he could still use the appendage, thankfully, but it remained significantly weaker than his right arm and fatigued rather quickly.

He remembered the flying lessons with Omega so well now - those were among the clearest of his memories, memories it had taken him well over a decade to recover.

There were still some small pieces of his life he couldn’t remember. How he had survived the fall from the railway was one of those pieces: apparently he had been delirious, or so he had been told, when the small band of native Eriaduans – intelligent beings, though so primitive and so reclusive with their dwelling places hidden deep in the forests that the other intelligent species on the planet paid them no mind – had found him; and he had sunk into a coma for months, before waking to realize he had no idea who he was, though thankfully he still knew how to speak, understand, and read Basic.

It hadn’t helped matters that he could barely see anything… until a few days after waking, when he had discovered that looking through a piece of curved glass brought his vision into sharper focus; and with this observation staying forefront on his mind, as soon as he was able to start hobbling around on his own, he had proceeded to gather materials and construct himself a pair of spectacles without really consciously thinking about how to do it, almost as if… as if he had done such a task several times before.

This had seemed so familiar, and he had learned very quickly to lean into familiarity as far as he could in his efforts to rediscover himself. It had been this feeling of familiarity that had drawn him, like a moth to a flame, to the recently downed shuttle near the natives’ village. It had been this feeling of familiarity that had guided his hands and his thoughts as he had successfully repaired the shuttle. It had been this feeling of familiarity that had led him to decrypting and reviewing the mission reports and data logs in the shuttle’s databanks; and he had found he recognized the basic facts of the Clone War and the aftermath, he knew the Empire went against everything he stood for, he remembered flashes of battles and he knew he must have been involved in the war somehow, though he didn’t look much like the clones who had formed the GAR. But, while most of his procedural memory had remained intact, and his semantic memory had returned at a rather astonishing rate as he researched what he could from the databanks, the brief flashes of episodic memories that he did have, much of the knowledge he remembered… there had been no context for it. He hadn’t known how he fit into it, or who or what had been important to him. And it seemed that the more he tried to consciously hold on to the personal memories in order to analyze them, the more quickly they slipped away altogether; faces and names in particular remained frustratingly out of reach. So he had soon learned to let these images, these episodic memories flicker across his mind without trying to think about them.

Still, he had kept leaning into the familiar as much as he could for countless months, and as the forests of Eriadu had become increasingly known to him, he had resigned himself to living out the rest of his life there… until Imperial soldiers had begun searching the forests for rebel cells, and he had intuitively known he should not be discovered. The native Eriaduans had refused to leave the planet with him, and he had let it go, knowing chances were high that the Imperials would leave the natives alone so long as he wasn’t with them. And so he had followed the feeling of familiarity that prompted him to pilot the shuttle, leaving Eriadu behind and entering the somehow reassuring white void of hyperspace.

The next decade had been a blur as he found and settled on the remote planet Tintha. He had been drawn to one of the tiny towns there, where he eked out a living doing what he had recognized best: engineering, mechanics, tinkering, decrypting, exploring, researching. What’s more, he had realized these things weren’t just familiar – he enjoyed all of it.

But he still hadn’t known who he was.

His skills, already appreciable on their own but even more noticeable given how secluded the planet was, had drawn the attention of a few influential people first on Tintha, then the wider system of Torus, until one day a man with cybernetic implants and the rather cryptic name of Echo – no surname – had visited him to ask for assistance decrypting information that turned out to be top-security Imperial intelligence. Then, after posing some rather probing questions about who he was and where he had come from - questions he couldn't very well answer - Echo had abruptly asked if he would agree to meet a young pilot named Omega to assist her with a rather more complicated task. He had agreed to meet the pilot, but hadn’t wanted to commit to joining the Rebellion – of course these strangers were rebels, he had figured that much out, though Echo had mentioned nothing by name – sympathetic though he might be to the cause. Besides, Echo and Omega kept acting so strangely around him, as if there was a lifetime of secrets they wanted to tell him but didn’t dare mention.

Well, most people seemed to act oddly around him. Or maybe he acted oddly around people. That awkwardness was all too familiar, and he had a feeling that things had always been this way, even before losing his memories.

Still, both Echo and Omega, these strangers he had only recently met, felt so familiar to him; and, following his usual method of leaning into familiarity, he had trusted them enough to let them take some scans and a blood sample – “Maybe we can help you find out who you are, in exchange for your help,” they had said. And he had allowed it; of course he had run his own blood sample before, but these rebels likely had access to more databanks than he did on this remote planet.

And then Omega had asked for his help recovering recorded data from an extremely familiar pair of broken goggles. And the first item he had found was the old back up copy of the picture of Clone Force 99, taken shortly after Echo had joined the squad.

And he had started to remember.

“Omega?” he had said tentatively, gently, turning his gaze to the tall, confident, energetic, brilliant woman next to him, so similar yet so different from the adolescent sister he had so quickly grown to love all those years ago.

Omega had instantly known that he remembered her – really remembered her, and her eyes had filled with tears. “Yes, Tech, it’s me,” she had whispered.

Tech.

Yes, that was his name – finally, he could remember his name. The Eriaduans had called him a term in their native tongue – Esha’Nu, Lost One – for so long, and he had gone by the name of Nu for years here on Tintha. But upon hearing his real name, it had been as if all – well, almost all – the discrete and nonsensical and decontextualized flashes of memory started clicking back into place.

His follow up question, however, had had nothing to do with the return of his memories.

“You recovered all this recorded data years ago, didn’t you?” he had asked Omega shrewdly.

Omega had laughed. “Yes,” she had said, nodding – and then her jaw had started to tremble as tears began streaming down her face. “It… it was all we had left of you. I had to find a way to restore it all, and I did. But,” and she had sat up straight, clearing her throat in an effort to stop the tears, “I was hoping that maybe the goggles or the pictures would help jog your memory, more than just being told you were a clone.”  

All those years – his family had believed him to be dead.

If only he could have remembered who he was sooner. But there was no way to change that now. He had lost so many years with his loved ones - which meant there was no time to spend wallowing in regret over the lost years, over circumstances he had had no control over anyway. And a lot of the old memories were still frustratingly distant, vague, unclear - he had to address this issue before turning to the task of catching up on all the developments he had missed with his family. 

“I would prefer to keep these to review the information when you go back to your mission for the Rebellion, Omega,” he had said matter-of-factly, indicating the goggles.

And Omega had smiled. “Tech, you are my mission now.”

Reviewing the recordings with Omega and Echo had done wonders in further clarifying Tech’s memories. He had lived for years trying to rediscover himself and had even been partially successful, though, despite Echo’s and Omega’s reassurances, he now knew his mind wasn’t nearly as exceptional as it had been before – still genius-level intellect, perhaps, but he recognized he couldn't retain quite as much information as he had before the fall and his mental processing speed was slower. But all of that hardly mattered. What mattered was that, now, he could remember at least 85% of the life he had forgotten; he could recall nearly everything, including that fateful choice on Eriadu, his final glimpse of his family before everything had faded to blackness.

Or what he had thought would be his final glimpse.

Tech, his eyes closed against the glare of the ship’s interior lighting, now smiled. He was with Omega and Echo now; he would be reuniting with his other brothers soon; there were certain friends he hoped to meet again eventually.

He was about to see his whole family again.

“We’re coming out of hyperspace now, Tech,” Echo called over his shoulder from the co-pilot’s seat next to Omega.

Still smiling, Tech opened his eyes and walked to the front of the flight deck, staring into the white blur of hyperspace for several seconds until…

There was Pabu.

He had only lived on the planet for a short while; but as soon as he saw it again, with the knowledge that the rest of his family was somewhere down there, waiting for him, he knew: he was home.

**********

Crosshair, standing outside the Archium with Wrecker and Hunter, saw the ship approaching and suddenly felt like he would throw up.

Ridiculous, he scolded himself. He had been impatiently anticipating this reunion for weeks, ever since Echo and Omega had told them the unbelievable news that they had found Tech, alive – a blood sample and a clone identifying code scan had definitively confirmed it. And, even more miraculously, they had been able to help Tech remember his true identity.

Crosshair had searched for happiness and peace for so long, and had finally found it in abundance with his family after their victory on Tantiss.

It had taken months, but he had eventually come to terms with the fact that Tech was gone.

It had taken even longer, but he had eventually let go of the guilt and regret he had felt over Tech’s sacrifice to save the entire family – including him, Crosshair – on Eriadu.

He hadn’t thought it possible to ever feel more happiness, until he and Hunter and Wrecker had received Omega’s transmission, her words only barely intelligible given the sheer amount of glee in her voice, that Tech was alive.            

Crosshair had been in shock – all of them had been – until Wrecker had broken the stunned silence with an enthusiastic whoop so loud the ceiling of their cabin had actually shaken; and Crosshair hadn’t been able to stop smiling as a wave of almost giddy relief had washed over him while Hunter had eagerly inundated Omega with follow up questions. The next few weeks had been a whirlwind of preparation and discussion – they had to make up an extra bed; what kind of food did Tech like to eat now?; would it be a good idea for Tech to meet Batcher right away or should the hound stay in the back room?; would the reunion be too overwhelming?; they should ask Shep and the other Pabu residents to allow the reunion to be private; would it be too calm?; what was he like after so long, and would it be too much to take in given how much they had changed? But in spite of the busyness, Crosshair couldn’t help but feel that the days were passing by far too slowly: he wanted to see his brother now.           

Well, “now” had finally come; and, standing here as Omega’s ship came in to land, Crosshair thought of the last time he had seen Tech, and his heart sank. Their parting on Kamino had been rather less than amicable on his, Crosshair’s, part, even as his brothers had invited him to rejoin them. Crosshair had just stood there sullenly on the platform, refusing to even look at his brothers as Tech had turned first to prepare the Marauder for departure while the others had followed one by one. Even knowing then that his commitment to the Empire meant it was highly unlikely he and his brothers would willingly cross paths, Crosshair had never really thought that critical moment could be the last time he would see Tech.

For years since the devastating event on Eriadu, the idea of the family ever truly being whole again had been an impossibility, even as they all did their best to honor Tech's sacrifice. Now that the impossible was suddenly imminent, Crosshair wanted so desperately to see Tech again, but he had to wonder: did Tech really want to see him? After all, if he, Crosshair, had just gone with his family after they had saved his life on Kamino, Tech would never have needed to sacrifice himself on Eriadu, and would never have been lost and alone for well over a decade.

After all Tech had been through, did he want to have Crosshair back as a brother?

The ship’s ramp lowered, and Crosshair suddenly found he couldn’t move as he saw Tech slowly descend. Omega had told them that the primitives who had helped Tech on Eriadu hadn’t exactly had the best medical equipment, and Crosshair could clearly see this to be true given the multiple prominent scars crossing Tech’s face, the pronounced limp that bore evidence of once-shattered bones in his right leg and pelvis that hadn’t quite been set properly, and the slight yet still noticeable weakness of his left arm that hung rather limply by his side. What’s more, Tech now wore thin-rimmed spectacles, his hair was slightly longer and liberally streaked with gray, and the wrinkles developing around his eyes and mouth were readily apparent despite the scars.

Wrecker, tears already pouring down his face, bounded forward to pull his brother into a bone-crushing hug, and didn’t release him until Tech managed to wheeze “Wrecker” in a voice indicating impending risk of suffocation. Hiccupping slightly, Wrecker set Tech back down on the ground and stepped back to allow Hunter, a warm if somewhat shaky smile gracing his face, to grasp Tech’s forearm and clap him on the back in Hunter’s signature greeting.

Crosshair hung back, rooted to the spot, hopeful and happy and scared and apprehensive all at once.  Tech’s voice was the same, he had the same welcoming closed-lipped smile, he appeared as calm and quietly happy as he had ever been when near the squad – his family.

But Crosshair hadn’t been part of the family when Tech had fallen. Tech had spent months thinking Crosshair hated them all, yet had still wanted to rescue him, only to sacrifice himself and be left behind…

Tech abruptly looked over and met Crosshair’s eyes, and his smile widened as he relinquished Hunter’s arm and limped toward his youngest brother.

It was now or never: Crosshair had to say something.            

“Tech,” he croaked.

“Crosshair,” Tech returned casually. “Omega told me you had returned.” And he placed a reassuring hand on Crosshair’s shoulder in greeting.

Crosshair wasn’t really the hugging type, and he certainly wasn’t one to initiate a hug. Neither was Hunter. Or Echo, for that matter. Wrecker and Omega were the only ones who gave hugs freely and without hesitation. And Crosshair knew Tech had always been the most touch-averse of all of them; though, according to Omega, Tech had readily accepted and returned her hugs as she had been growing up.

All of this passed through Crosshair’s mind as he stared in near-shock at his long-lost brother, the one he had thought he would never see again, the one he had wanted so desperately to reconcile with…

Crosshair couldn’t help it: before he even realized what he was doing, he had wrapped his arms around Tech’s shoulders and was hugging him with all the strength he possessed.

What was worse: he was crying. He, Crosshair, the one who prided himself on being more emotionally stoic than even Echo, the one who had made it through Tantiss and beyond without letting one stray tear leave his eyes (that one time on the Tantiss bridge didn’t count, that was rain, not tears), was now sobbing so hard onto Tech’s shoulder he was positive that, any moment, his brother would awkwardly pull away to avoid being drenched.

Instead, Tech gingerly placed his hands on Crosshair’s back, and lightly returned the embrace.

“I’m happy to see you too,” Tech said quietly.

All of Crosshair’s anxiety, doubt, and fears were erased, washed away by sheer relief, gratitude, and joy.

No matter what had happened before, they were still family, they were still brothers.

Tech was home.

**********

Phee approached the door of the cozy, well-lit cabin tucked against the mountainside, striding confidently and resolutely up the path; yet she paused ever so briefly to take a deep, calming breath before opening the door and stepping inside.

Hunter had contacted her a few weeks ago to inform her that Echo and Omega had found Tech, alive and relatively well, but having spent the past near decade and a half since Eriadu as an amnesiac. He had now recovered his memories, he knew who he was and who his family was, and he was coming home.

“He asked about you, Phee. He wants to see you.”

Phee had agreed to return, but had told Hunter it would be some time before she had wrapped things up enough to come back to Pabu. In truth, she ended up taking far more time than she needed to conclude her business and make the trip to the island planet. She had never been through the ordeal of losing one’s own memories and identity, living lost and alone for years before rather abruptly rediscovering them; but she could well imagine that such an experience would be overwhelming at minimum, and intuited that it would likely be best for Tech to have time to reconnect with his family first.

Besides, she needed some time to figure out how she felt about all this.

She had always liked Tech. Even in the very beginning, when his awkward and seemingly know-it-all behavior had initially turned her off, she couldn’t deny she had felt an instant and persistent attraction to him; and as time had passed and she had come to know him better, the attraction grew, and what had at first been rather annoying traits and quirks of his became endearing. After she had introduced his family to Pabu, she and Tech had spent more time together and had certainly grown close, close enough that her liking of Tech had turned into – well, she wouldn’t have called it “love” at that point, but definitely a hope that their solid friendship could soon become much, much more, could perhaps become love.

And then Tech had died, and Phee had been devastated, but she had hidden her feelings as best she could – after all, she had just been a friend, she wouldn’t lose her cool and make Tech’s bereaved family feel obligated to comfort her. And besides, she still liked the band of misfit clones that were Tech's siblings. And so she had continued to do what she did best – liberating ancient wonders – while also dabbling in much riskier intelligence acquisition and prison breaks in order to help Tech’s family save their imperiled brother and sister. And then she had subsequently maintained her friendship with the family, visiting Pabu frequently for their sakes as much as for Shep and Lyana, all the while knowing deep down that she was doing all of this as much for Tech’s memory as she was for the sake of her own friendship with his siblings…

Okay, fine, she had loved Tech, loved him as far more than a good friend. And knowing now that he was alive, with an airtight reason for having not shown up before now, and was asking to see her – well, all those feelings were reawakening at a frighteningly quick pace.

Thing is – she had fallen in love with the Tech of over ten years ago, before he had spent years not knowing who he was and therefore quite possibly discovering new things about himself in the interim. Would she, could she still love him as he was now?

“Omega says he was a little different when she and Echo first found him; but now that he’s recovered his memories, he’s become much more like his old self,” Hunter had said. “Still some differences – he’s definitely quieter, doesn’t interrupt nearly as much, not much of a risk-taker, insists he’s not as brilliant as he used to be…”

“So he only rates four times higher than genius intelligence level, instead of five?” Phee had quipped.

“More like only nine times higher instead of ten, by Echo’s estimation, but you get the point,” Hunter had replied levelly. “And… well, you know clones were engineered with accelerated aging…”

“Old people don’t scare me,” Phee had scoffed lightly. “I still talk to you, don’t I?”

And Hunter, rolling his eyes in exasperation, had chuckled in reply.

She wanted to stay in love with Tech, and nothing Hunter had said to describe Tech’s current state had indicated he had drastically changed. But there was also the fact that Phee still didn’t know for sure how Tech had felt about her – she had become well accustomed to Tech sometimes being oblivious to social cues and “normal” social interactions, but he had been almost uncharacteristically standoffish during their last parting, and while she had brushed it off at the time as Tech being Tech and resolved to have a definitive discussion with him as soon as he returned… well, he had never returned.

If he hadn’t returned her feelings then, what were the chances he would now?

But hey, Phee thought practically here in the present, as she stepped over the threshold into the cabin, it’s not like I’ll be any worse off in the romance department than I am now. Holding out a hand to prevent Batcher from knocking her over as she closed the door behind her, she glanced around, nodding at Omega, Hunter, Wrecker, Crosshair, and Echo, who were all seated in their customary places around the central open-floor room, before her eyes fell on the sixth figure just a few feet away from Echo...

There he was, seated at the small table that bordered one side of the room. She recognized him instantly: still bespectacled, still with piercingly intelligent yet warm brown eyes, still on the lanky side, still with his hair slicked back off his forehead making his hairline more pronounced; though now with a scarred face, graying hair, even more of a tendency toward hunched shoulders, and more wrinkles around his eyes and mouth.

In other words, he was even more handsome than ever.

And he was looking right at her, calmly regarding her with his typical thoughtful expression.

Phee, being herself as always – no point in pretending to be anyone else, after all – fixed him with a sarcastic stare.

“Well, look who’s finally decided to show up.”

“Better late than dead, I believe is your phrasing,” Tech replied steadily. “Or it used to be.”

Oh stars, his voice - his confident, soothing, practical voice - was the same…

And yet, steady though his voice may be, there was a hint of hesitation in his eyes, and Phee suddenly realized: he was just as uncertain about how much she had changed, as she was about him.

Well, she’d just have to show him who she was.

“That phrase still holds true,” she conceded airily, sitting in the chair across the table from him and leaning back, crossing her arms. “Good to see you all,” she addressed the rest of the family.

The others greeted her in return; and, determined to make this visit as natural as possible, Phee forged ahead to engage them in light conversation, not leaving Tech out but not focusing specifically on him either. Hunter, as could be expected, seemed to pick up on her intention first; and with their combined efforts, Wrecker soon stopped glancing meaningfully between Tech and their guest and instead joined in the discussion, with Echo, Omega, and even Crosshair then following his lead.

Apart from interjecting a few minor corrections to some details Hunter and Wrecker elaborated on regarding events on Pabu over the past few days, Tech seemed content to just soak it all in, quietly watching the scene while idly stroking Batcher who had serenely parked herself squarely next to his chair.

Then again, Tech had always been most at his ease around his siblings. It had taken weeks on Pabu before Tech had started to seem more relaxed around Phee, even as he had given every indication that he wanted to be around her; and it had also taken her some time to come to terms with what she had initially mistaken to be mixed signals.

Phee was glad that Tech had so quickly readjusted to life with his family. And maybe – just maybe – this could mean he may soon be comfortable around her again.  

It was nearly half an hour before the brothers and Phee had caught each other up on recent happenings – well, all recent happenings apart from the most significant development, which was currently sitting right across the table – and Phee turned to Omega, who was still laughing over Wrecker’s retelling of the latest fishing expedition gone wrong.

“Omega,” Phee said, “I want to hear all about your rebellious exploits before you disappear again.”

“Some of those exploits are supposed to be classified, Phee,” Omega replied solemnly.

“So?”

Echo glowered, but Omega broke into a grin. “We’ll catch up as far as I’m allowed,” she promised, before her eyes darted briefly to Tech and she added, “Later.”

Phee, knowing it was time, took the hint and turned to directly face Tech. Crosshair, of all people – bless that man, though of all Tech’s brothers Phee would never have thought that Crosshair could be so insightful in situations like this – rather forcefully drew his siblings’ attention away from the table’s occupants by complaining loudly about the current toothpick shortage on Pabu. Tech, still engaged in his siblings’ discussion, opened his mouth – probably to explain precisely why certain supplies were low on the remote island while the galaxy at large was at war – but promptly turned his attention to Phee when she spoke.

“I see Batcher has taken a liking to you,” she said casually.

Tech smiled a bit as he glanced down at the aging hound. “I have always been fascinated by creatures of all kinds, but I never saw the purpose of maintaining one as a companion,” he said conversationally. “This has been especially true the past few years – there was no reason to permanently take on the care of an animal when I didn’t really know who I was. Even now I can’t say lurca hounds are of a temperament that would make them my first choice of pet. But this one in particular is exceptional. Omega did well domesticating her.”

The more Tech talked, the more Phee's spirits rose; but she kept her demeanor relaxed and straightforward. “Yeah, Batcher is fine, but Mel is the closest thing to a pet I’ve ever wanted to have. Apart from her, I’ve pretty much always travelled alone.”

Tech glanced at her with an openly interested expression.

“You haven’t taken up traveling on a permanent basis with any other pirates or smugglers since we last spoke, then?” he asked.

Cheeky. Phee raised a brow at him, immediately recognizing the reference to their last conversation – the one she had replayed countless times in her head in the intervening years – but now wanting to hide the fact that she was simultaneously impressed, shocked, and strangely elated.

If he not only remembered their last conversation but was now willing to reference it, could that possibly mean he had loved her too?

But she had to stay cool. “I believe I was the one who told you not to run off with pirates or smugglers while you were gone,” she retorted.

“Yes, well, there were surprisingly few members of either category in the vast forests of Eriadu, or on a world as remote as Tintha,” he returned a trifle stiffly, in the manner Phee recognized as the one he used when he knew he hadn't picked up on all the subtext of a statement but still felt obliged to respond. “I couldn’t have run off with one even if I had wanted to.”

Phee smirked. Tech might be able to recite all the definitions and detailed components of flirting like the walking dictionary/encyclopedia combined that he was, but he would never be able to effectively put flirting into practice. And she loved him for it.

Oh, yes, she still loved this man. She couldn’t wait to get to know him again.

And it was her turn to answer the question.

“Well, you know, there was one man I would have considered traveling with on a permanent basis,” she said, deliberately borrowing Tech’s own words. “Not a pirate or a smuggler, but a handsome fella, strong, brave, wicked smart. He disappeared, though, and for a long time I thought he’d never come back.”

Tech surprised her by looking almost… disappointed? “Oh, I… didn’t know that,” he said, as if at a loss for words. “I… I hope he returns someday.”

Oh, poor Tech – okay, now was obviously not the right time for teasing or subtlety.

“In case I wasn’t clear,” she said slowly and distinctly as she leaned forward, rested her arms on the table, and caught and held Tech’s gaze, “the man I was talking about is you.”

Surprise, relief, uncertainty, and hope all passed over Tech’s face in equal measure before his expression settled on unreadable, and he was silent.

And Phee was suddenly acutely aware that, despite the low voices in the background indicating Tech’s siblings were ostensibly still talking amongst themselves, all ears were open and straining to keep track of this particular conversation.

Shaking her head slightly as she chuckled, Phee pushed her chair back from the table. “Let’s go for a walk, Brown Eyes.”

Tech readily agreed, his expression brightening as a small hopeful smile dawned on his face; and when she took his hand as they exited the cabin, he didn’t shy away.

@summer-of-bad-batch

[ieatmoonrocks]

MHA DR-Self Hero Profile

(I'm not an artist but I tried ;~; )

Hero Name: Impulse

Considering MHA's fantastical laws of physics and such, I'm taking some liberties here, I know EMP's don't necessarily work this way :)

Quirk: Electro-Magnetic Pulse (EMP)

I can use and manipulate EMP’s to affect anything that can use or run on electricity to my will. At some point I learn to control biological tissue by manipulating electrical signals in the cells. I can do anything from diagnosing issues in electronics to accessing any information (even the most confidential) as long as it’s on the device or connected to the internet in any way. Firewalls and encryption can take a bit longer to navigate through, but in general are no issue. No trace is left behind; my activities cannot be traced, even if I pull up the information on a computer for others to see. I can interface with tech and view everything in my head, so battery usage in devices is minimal due to there being no need for screens or physical input. Outside electrical sources are not needed to manipulate most objects.

Skills:

Some of these skills are gained and perfected in my time at UA.

Parkour:

Agility and Speed: Enhances my ability to move rapidly through urban environments, chase villains, or reach areas inaccessible by conventional means.

Escape and Evasion: Allows me to evade capture or dangerous situations.

Rescue Operations: Facilitates swift navigation in disaster zones.

Skateboarding: Translates into Hoverboard use

Quick Transportation: Provides a fast and agile mode of transportation, allowing me to cover ground quickly.

Enhanced Maneuverability: Helps me perform sharp turns and evasive maneuvers during pursuits or escapes.

Combat Utility: The board can be used as a tool in combat, either as a weapon or a shield.

Krav Maga:

Self-Defense: Equips me with practical combat skills to neutralize threats quickly and effectively.

Close-Combat Proficiency: Enhances my ability to handle hand-to-hand combat situations.

Situational Awareness: Trains me to remain vigilant and responsive to immediate threats.

Electronics and Programming:

Tech Control: Allows me to interface with and control technology.

Hacking: Enables me to hack into security systems, disable electronic traps, or access critical information.

Repair and Modification: Equips me with the skills to repair damaged tech or modify devices on the fly.

Cybersecurity:

Counter-Hacking: Allows me to defend against cyber-attacks from villains.

Data Protection: Ensures the safety of personal and mission-related data.

Tech Defense: Helps me implement security measures on their own devices.

Neurobiology:

Safe Manipulation: Enables me to manipulate biological electrical signals safely.

Medical Assistance: Provides the knowledge to offer medical aid, such as stabilizing heartbeats or alleviating pain.

Enhanced Strategy: Offers insight into how opponents' nervous systems function, aiding in the development of effective, non-lethal combat strategies.

Tactical Thinking and Strategy:

Mission Planning: Helps me develop effective plans for complex missions.

Adaptability: Equips me to adjust strategies quickly in response to changing conditions or unexpected challenges.

Team Coordination: Enhances my ability to work with and lead teams, coordinating actions and resources.

Leadership and Communication:

Team Leadership: Prepares me to lead teams of other heroes or rescue personnel, making critical decisions under pressure.

Public Interaction: Equips me to communicate with the public, media, and authorities.

Conflict Resolution: Enhances my ability to de-escalate situations and resolve conflicts peacefully when possible.

First Aid and Emergency Response:

Medical Assistance: Allows me to provide critical care in the field, stabilizing injured individuals until they can receive professional treatment.

Disaster Response: Equips me to manage disaster scenarios, providing aid, organizing evacuations, and ensuring public safety.

Self-Care: Enables me to tend to my own injuries during missions.

Support Items:

Smart Visor:

Augmented Reality Interface: Displays real-time information overlay, including maps, data streams, and tactical readouts, directly in the user’s field of vision.

Enhanced Vision Modes: Includes night vision, thermal imaging, and x-ray vision.

Universal Integration: Can connect to any electronic device or network within range.

Communication Hub: Functions as a secure communication device.

Mental Command: Responds to mental commands for hands-free operation.

Insulation: Protects against electronic surges.

Retractable Smart Wires:

Grappling hooks: Equipped with small yet extremely strong and durable grappling hooks that can latch on to most surfaces, or grip to self when wire is wrapped around an object.

Electric Conductivity: Can channel the user's EMP directly through the cables.

Durable and Flexible: Made from a thin high-strength, flexible material that can withstand extreme conditions and physical stress. Made from a Material that while remaining flexible, does not tangle with itself.

Automatic Retraction: Retracts into a compact, portable spool when not in use.

Variable Length: Length can be adjusted as needed, extending up to several yards.

Collapsible Hoverboard:

Folding Mechanism: Folds down from the size of a skateboard deck into a compact, pocket sized form.

Electric Propulsion: Uses a high-efficiency electromagnetic propulsion system for smooth and silent movement, easily controlled by the user’s quirk.

Remote Summoning: Can be summoned to the user’s location.

Stability and Control: Features advanced gyroscopic stabilization for smooth rides over various terrains.

Speed and Maneuverability: Capable of high speeds and sharp turns.

Pocket Tech:

Micro Bugs

Micro Cameras

Micro Drones

Mini Bombs

Costume:

Sneakers:

Shock-Absorbing Soles: Provides superior cushioning to absorb impact during high-speed movements and long jumps.

Conductive Fabric: Allows me to channel EMP.

Magnetic Traction Pads: Ensures superior grip on the hoverboard, maintaining stability.

Lightweight and Breathable: Keeps the feet cool and dry, enhancing comfort and reducing fatigue during long missions.

Reinforced Toe and Heel Caps: Provides extra protection against impacts and enhances durability.

Socks:

Conductive Fibers: Allows me to channel EMP.

Moisture-Wicking Fabric: Keeps feet dry and comfortable.

Compression Zones: Provides targeted compression to support key areas of the foot and ankle, improving blood circulation and reducing fatigue.

Shock-Absorbing Padding: Enhances comfort by absorbing impact and reducing stress on the feet.

Antimicrobial Treatment: Prevents the growth of odor-causing bacteria, keeping the socks fresh and hygienic.

Seamless Construction: Reduces friction and prevents blisters.

Thermoregulatory Properties: Keeps feet warm in cold conditions and cool in hot conditions.

Reinforced Arch Support: Provides additional support to the arch, enhancing stability and reducing the risk of injuries.

Pants:

Durable Fabric: Provides protection against wear and tear.

Conductive Threading: Allows me to channel EMP.

Moisture-Wicking and Breathable: Keeps me cool and dry.

Reinforced Knees and Seat: Provides extra durability and protection.

Flexible: Ensures a comfortable fit that adapts to my movements, providing flexibility and reducing restrictions.

Multiple Pockets: Provides ample storage space for tools, gadgets, and personal items.

Thermoregulatory Properties: Keeps me warm in cold conditions and cool in hot conditions.

Harness:

Durable Material: Ensures the harness can withstand the rigors of combat and daily use.

Ergonomic Design: Provides comfort and support during prolonged wear, distributing weight evenly.

Adjustable Fit: Provides a customizable fit, ensuring the harness stays secure and comfortable.

Attachment Points: Allows me to attach additional gear, tools, or accessories.

Quick-Release Buckles: Ensures the harness can be easily and quickly donned or doffed.

Integrated Power Conduits: Allows me to channel EMP, enhancing my ability to manipulate the smart cables.

Reflective and High-Visibility Elements: Increases visibility in low-light conditions, ensuring I can be seen by allies and avoid hazards.

Shirt:

Conductive Fabric: Allows me to channel EMP.

Moisture-Wicking and Breathable: Keeps me cool and dry.

Compression Zones: Provides support to key muscle groups, improving blood circulation and reducing muscle fatigue.

Reinforced Seams: Enhances durability and prevents tearing.

Thermoregulatory Properties: Keeps me warm in cold conditions and cool in hot conditions.

Flexible and Stretchable: Ensures a snug fit that moves with my body, providing full range of motion and reducing restrictions.

Antimicrobial Treatment: Prevents the growth of odor-causing bacteria, keeping the shirt fresh and hygienic.

Gloves:

Conductive Fabric: Allows me to channel EMP.

Ergonomic Design: Provides a natural fit that reduces hand fatigue and enhances dexterity.

Reinforced Palms and Fingers: Offers extra protection against abrasion and impact.

Touchscreen Compatibility: Allows me to interact with touchscreen devices if needed.

Breathable and Moisture-Wicking: Keeps hands cool and dry by allowing sweat to evaporate quickly.

Adjustable Wrist Straps: Provides a secure fit, ensuring the gloves stay in place.

Shock-Absorbing Padding: Reduces impact and vibration, protecting the hands.

Antimicrobial Treatment: Prevents the growth of odor-causing bacteria, keeping the gloves fresh and hygienic.

Jacket:

Insulated Fabric: Provides superior warmth without adding bulk.

Waterproof and Windproof Outer Layer: Protects against rain, snow, and wind.

Conductive Threading: Allows me to channel EMP.

Heated Panels: Integrated heating elements providing adjustable warmth on demand.

Breathable and Moisture-Wicking: Keeps me dry and comfortable by drawing sweat away from the skin.

Adjustable Hood: Provides additional warmth and protection, and can be removed when not needed.

Multiple Pockets: Provides ample storage space for tools, gadgets, and personal items.

Reinforced Seams and Elbows: Enhances durability and provides extra protection in high-stress areas.

Reflective Elements: Increases visibility in low-light conditions, ensuring I can be seen by allies and avoid hazards.

Stealth Version:

Light-Absorbing Fabric: Reduces visibility by minimizing light reflection.

Sound-Dampening Fabric: Reduces noise generated by movement.

Minimalistic Design: Reduces the risk of snagging or catching on obstacles, ensuring smooth and silent movement.

Hood and Mask: Provides additional concealment.

+1 Brownie point if you read this whole thing :)

[ahmedbakran]

How Ahmed Bakran Transforms Ideas into Impactful Stories

Today, there are a lot of ideas, but not many people who put them into action. Ahmed Bakran stands out as a master maker of change. He doesn't just come up with business ideas; he turns them into stories that have meaning, inspire people, and have an effect that can be measured.

Bakran is an American businessman, engineer, and investor who has made a name for himself in many fields. Software advice, foreign employment, niche job sites, real estate development, and non-profits are just some of the businesses he has started or helped start. All of these businesses began with a simple idea. They were strong stories of growth, connection, strength, and change, but Bakran turned them into powerful ones.

How does he do it? How does he turn simple ideas into things that matter in the real world? He has a special mix of vision, strategy,

understanding, and technical skill that makes him the best person for the job.

1. He Starts With a Problem Worth Solving

Every story with an effect has a problem at its core. He doesn't start with fads; he starts with real issues. He looks for problems that other people miss, like how inefficient it is to hire people from other countries, how niche job seekers aren't seen, or how standard real estate models don't serve certain areas well.

Bakran doesn't ask, "What can I build?" He asks, "What needs to change?" He can see opportunities where others see problems because of the way he thinks.

His ideas are real because they are based on this basic truth. When an answer has deep roots in a problem that affects people, the story that follows is naturally interesting.

2. He Uses Technology as a Narrative Engine

Bakran is a seasoned engineer who doesn't just see code as code. He sees it as the framework that makes the story possible. His small software consulting company wasn't started just to make apps; it was started to help businesses bring their processes up to date and become more efficient.

Through his niche job boards and employment businesses, he used technology to bring people together from different places, skill levels, and cultures. It wasn't just websites; these were places where stories could be told. Each job situation that went well was its own personal success story. Each hire helped a business grow or come up with new ideas.

Bakran moves the story along with data, design, and tools. Tech to him is not a product but a story device that helps people find answers.

3. He Builds Teams That Believe in the Vision

Bakran knows that ideas can't grow without people. One important part of turning ideas into stories that is often ignored is the ability to bring people together and motivate them. Bakran spends time with people who share his belief in making a difference for the long term, not just for the short term.

He carefully builds a culture of ownership and understanding in everyone, from technical teams to real estate producers to charity leaders. The people on his team don't just have jobs; they also have parts in a bigger story that they can be proud of.

One of the main reasons his businesses stay honest and grow over time is that he can get people to work together toward a shared goal.

4. He Balances Structure with Flexibility

Every good story needs a plot, but it also needs room to grow. Bakran thinks about his projects like an editor would. He creates robust business plans, roadmaps, and objectives, but also leaves room for adaptation and learning.

For example, in his foreign hire business, he established processes that could be scaled to handle hiring people worldwide while remaining adaptable to local needs and economic changes.

His ideas stay useful even as the market changes because he has a focused but flexible mind. It makes sure that his stories don't end well but keep getting better and more powerful over time.

5. He Measures Impact, Not Just Output

Too many business owners stop at getting things done. Bakran goes even further; he checks the effect. He makes sure that every project leaves a measured mark, whether it's on the lives of thousands of people through non-profit work or on the neighborhoods that are changed by real estate growth.

Bakran thinks that an idea is good even if it doesn't make money. It's one that makes life better. For example, he runs his charities with the same

level of focus as he runs his businesses. They're not meant to help, but to bring about change.

Every big event can be used to tell a story: a job that helped a family, a building that made a neighborhood better, or a grant that changed the future of a student.

6. He Embeds Empathy in Every Venture

In the end, what makes Ahmed Bakran's stories powerful is that they are about real people. There is always someone being helped, a barrier being broken, or a voice being heard behind the code, the cash, and the contracts.

He has started non-profits that give impoverished areas more power. He has helped talented people from poor countries get jobs by hiring them from other countries. He has built homes and businesses that make people's lives better.

This focus on people comes from the heart of his business. And that heart is what makes business success important to society.

From Vision to Legacy: The End

It's not luck or even just cleverness that helps Ahmed Bakran turn ideas into powerful stories; it's his purpose. He thinks of each thought as the start of a story, and he writes that story with planning, understanding, and never-ending action.

He always follows the same steps: start with a purpose, build a structure, and produce with ethics, whether he's making a tech answer, a social project, or infrastructure. As a result? Projects that matter. Long-lasting stories.

We live in a world that loves big launches and popular trends, but Bakran offers something deeper. He reminds us that the most powerful ideas are those that become stories of real-world change. And the story goes on with every project he works on.

[womaneng]

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- Learn to tell a story with your data. Tools like Tableau and Power BI can be game-changers! 📈📉

5. Build a Solid Foundation 🏗️:

- Understand databases, data cleaning, and data wrangling. It’s the backbone of effective analysis! 💪🔍

6. Machine Learning Basics 🤖:

- Get a taste of machine learning concepts. It’s not mandatory but can be a huge plus! 🤓🤖

7. Projects, Projects, Projects! 🚀:

- Apply your skills to real-world projects. It’s the best way to learn and showcase your abilities! 🌐💻

8. Networking is Key 👥:

- Connect with fellow data enthusiasts on LinkedIn, attend meetups, and join relevant communities. Networking opens doors! 🌐👋

9. Certifications 📜:

- Consider getting certified. It adds credibility to your profile. 🎓💼

10. Stay Updated 🔄:

- The data world evolves fast. Keep learning and stay up-to-date with the latest trends and technologies. 📆🚀

. . .

[fereldanwench]

Valerie Powell Master Post

જ⁀➴₊⊹ This is a refresh of my previous master post for Valerie (available here).

✧ BASICS ✧ Full Name: Valerie Irene Powell Pronouns: She/her Date of Birth: 12 Oct 2041 Place of Birth: Charter Hill, Night City Height: 5'10" (178 cm) Weight: ~150 lbs Body Type: Athletic, curvy Eye Color: Dark blue-gray Hair Color: Blue (cerulean or sapphire) (brown-black naturally)

✧ PERSONALITY & SKILLS ✧ MBTI: ISFJ Lifepath: Corpo-rat Combat Style: Pistols, long-range rifles, tech attacks/hacking Languages: - English (native) - Japanese (full professional proficiency) - Spanish (elementary proficiency)

✧ RELATIONSHIPS ✧ Father: Sebastian Powell (deceased) Mother: Ava Powell (née Mercan; deceased) [tag] Siblings: None Other Relatives: - Edward Powell (uncle; estranged) - Nicolas Mercan (uncle; estranged) Closest Friends: - Jackie Welles - Viktor Vektor Notable Partners: - Kristen Hughes (ex; committed relationship) - Viktor Vektor (ex; fling) - Goro Takemura (married in 2081)

✧ NOTES ✧ - Although in-game she has the corpo lifepath, Valerie's career history is pretty varied before she joins counter-intel: Biotechnica data analyst, a slew of random service jobs, hostess (with a side hustle helping Jackie con some of her more notorious clients), and Arasaka security (which is how she met Jenkins). - Valerie doesn't dye her hair blue--She did when she first made the change, but she uses a cosmetic nanotech implant to alter the color of the strands at the root. - She had a very non-traditional education: Valerie was in the Night City public school system for elementary school, but she was pulled out when her maternal grandparents insisted on funding extensive private tutoring until she was 18. Learning Japanese was a part of that curriculum. - Her father was also very steadfast about the right to bear arms, and she was just 7 years old when she first learned how to handle firearms. - Valerie doesn't drink alcohol or do drugs. Addiction runs in both sides of her family, and she made the choice to go sober when she was about 27 years old. (Caffeine is the one exception--She needs several strong cups of coffee to get through the day.) - She doesn't have any tattoos, but she does have multiple piercings in both ears and a naval piercing. - A more comprehensive character sheet is available at Pillowfort!

Tags and relevant links updated under the cut:

Last updated: 24 May 24

✧ VALERIE'S TAGS ✧

💙 oc: valerie v powell

💖 fave: valerie v powell

🖼️ art: valerie v powell

🔖 fic: valerie v powell

✨ oc inspo: valerie v powell

💑 ship: goro x valerie

💖 fave: goro x valerie

🖼️ art: goro x valerie

🔖 fic: goro x valerie

🎬 outtakes: goro x valerie

🪄 muse fuel: goro x valerie

✧ ALTERNATE UNIVERSES & TIMELINES ✧

🐺 au: cyber witchers More or less a "retired" AU--This was born out of learning how to mod and putting Goro in the Witcher jacket

🌊 au: corpo naiad Also a retired AU--Just experimenting with some new locations and mods

🛡️ au: corporate loyalty An alternate timeline in which Valerie turns on Jenkins and sell him out to Abernathy, resulting in Valerie becoming head of counter-intel

🏜️ au: the open road An alternate timeline in which Valerie seeks refuge with the Aldecaldos rather than following Jenkins' orders to kill Abernathy

🧭 au: i only play for sport An alternate universe inspired by Tomb Raider in which Valerie is an intrepid treasure seeker and Goro is the bodyguard for a powerful kumichō

☢️ au: no gods no monsters A Fallout crossover--Details pending!

✧ CHARACTER SHEETS & MEMES ✧

Valerie Character Sheet

Valerie and Goro Ship Sheet

Valerie's Style Evolution (2060-2079)

Valerie's Corpo Lookbook

Valerie's Speech Mannerisms

Valerie's Character Influences

Valerie OC Profile

Valerie Aesthetics I

Valerie Aesthetics II

OC Tarot Card

OC Tag: Song Challenge

Unusual Muse Associations

Valerie's Affiliations

Valerie + Goro Relationship Card

Valerie's Name Meanings

Late Summer Aesthetics

Valerie's Rage Language

✧ META & PERSONAL REFLECTIONS ✧

Valerie and validating my sobriety

Valerie if she was a canon character

Valerie as an ISFJ and how she expresses love/sexuality

Valerie and being "Goro's thief"

Valerie and marriage

Valerie and not trusting Johnny

Gushing about Valerie!

Valerie on Evelyn and "straddling worlds"

On sex in the corpo world

Valerie and Jenkins' relationship

Valerie and being sensitive & honest in a cruel world

She's Valerie, not V (also BTS lore about her surname)

No love at first sight here

Musing on Valerie's background in Arasaka security

Summary of counter-intel events and Valerie's career history

Valerie's ability to read people

No one is ever free in Night City

Wanting to play more "pro-corpo" as a corpo

Valerie does think being with a corp is her best choice

Thoughts on my first experience with the Devil ending

Giving Goro and Valerie a happy ending

Early musing on the endgame options and being an engram

Valerie taking in the early morning views

✧ VIDEOS & CLIPS ✧

Valerie leaving a voicemail to Jackie post-heist

Valerie's In-Game Playlist on YouTube

"See a woman here with blue hair?"

[xpressluna]

I Hate Seeing Writers Not Making MoneySo Here Are 8 Ways to Make More as a Writer

Here’s the truth: great writing alone doesn’t guarantee great income.

I’ve seen too many talented writers underpaid, undervalued, or stuck in passion projects that don’t pay the bills. And it frustrates me — because writing is a skill that’s in demand everywhere. You just need to know how to position it, sell it, and scale it.

If you're ready to stop writing for exposure and start earning what you're worth, here are 8 practical, proven ways to make more money as a writer.

Freelance for High-Paying Clients (Not Content Mills)

You don’t need to accept \$20 blog posts when there are companies and entrepreneurs willing to pay \$300–\$1,000+ per article. The secret is targeting niches that need content to drive business, like:

SaaS and tech

Personal finance

Healthcare

B2B services

Pitch directly, build a niche portfolio, and learn how to charge by value, not word count.

✅ Pro Tip: Start by rewriting your services to focus on outcomes — like “I help SaaS brands attract customers with SEO content” vs. “I write blog posts.”

Offer Ghostwriting Services

Ghostwriting is one of the highest-paying forms of writing — and most clients don’t care about you getting credit; they care about results. You can ghostwrite:

LinkedIn thought leadership

Executive blogs

Nonfiction books

Email newsletters

It’s creative, lucrative, and repeatable.

✅ Rates: Ghostwritten LinkedIn posts can earn \$200–\$500/post. Books? Thousands.

Sell Digital Products

Turn your knowledge into scalable income with digital products like:

Ebooks

Notion templates

Writing guides

Pitching scripts

Once created, they can sell indefinitely with no ongoing labor. Perfect for writers with an audience or niche expertise.

✅ Tools: Use Gumroad, Payhip, or Podia to start selling fast.

Start a Paid Newsletter

If you love writing essays, storytelling, or niche commentary, why not monetize it with a paid newsletter? Services like Substack or Beehiiv let you build free + paid tiers.

You don’t need 10,000 subscribers — just 100 people paying \$5/month = \$6,000/year in recurring income.

✅ Best Niches: Personal finance, creator economy, niche analysis, industry trends.

Teach What You Know (Courses & Workshops)

Writers often forget — the way you write, think, and communicate is a teachable skill.

Package it into:

Online courses (e.g., “How to Write Better Cold Emails”)

Cohort-based workshops

Private coaching for new writers or business owners

✅ Platforms: Teachable, Circle, Maven, or even Zoom + Stripe to start.

Monetize with Affiliate Writing

If you write product-based content or reviews, affiliate marketing is a great passive income stream. You write once, and earn commissions every time someone buys through your link.

Best niches: Software, writing tools, education products, lifestyle gear.

✅ Pro Tip: Focus on high-ticket or recurring commissions (like SaaS tools).

License Your Writing

You can earn money by licensing your existing content to brands, newsletters, or websites. If you’ve written a high-performing article, offer a non-exclusive license to republish it for a fee.

Also consider:

Licensing quotes or content to marketers

Offering a “writing bundle” to creators or agencies

✅ This works well for evergreen, data-driven, or inspirational content.

Write for Yourself — Then Monetize It

Blogging, storytelling, or journaling can become income if you build a brand around it. Writers like Morgan Housel and Anne-Laure Le Cunff built huge audiences through consistent, personal writing — then monetized with books, speaking, courses, and sponsorships.

✅ Just start: Build your platform. Even 1,000 loyal readers can turn into six figures over time.

Final Thoughts

Writing is not a dead-end job. It's a high-leverage skill that can create freedom, income, and impact — if you treat it like a business.

If you’re a talented writer struggling to make money, it’s not a lack of skill. It’s usually a lack of strategy.

Pick one or two methods from this list. Go deep. Get paid.

And never again write “just for exposure.”

[mariacallous]

The FBI, working closely with an international team including the Czech and Baltic intelligence services, has helped link a series of international cyberattacks to a shadowy unit associated with the Russian secret service, the GRU.

According to a joint cybersecurity advisory report issued on Friday, the cyberattacks were undertaken by a group tied to Unit 29155 of the GRU.

Previously, the same unit has been blamed for an explosion at an ammunition site in 2014 in Vrbětice, deep in the Czech Republic’s southeast, as well as “attempted coups, sabotage and influence operations, and assassination attempts throughout Europe.”

However, in 2020, Unit 29155 expanded its portfolio “to include offensive cyber operations.”

Among other objectives, this offshoot group was used to collect information for espionage, cause reputational harm by stealing and leaking sensitive information, and destroying data.

“Unit 29155 cyber actors [are assessed] to be junior active-duty GRU officers under the direction of experienced Unit 29155 leadership,” said the report.

“These individuals appear to be gaining cyber experience and enhancing their technical skills through conducting cyber operations and intrusions,” it continued. Additionally, the report assessed that non-GRU officers had also been recruited, including known cybercriminals.

The unit is believed to be responsible for unleashing WhisperGate, a multi-stage wiper that has been deployed against the Ukrainian government, non-profit and tech organizations since January 2022. In addition to launching WhisperGate against Ukraine, the group has also targeted NATO states as well as countries in Latin America and Central Asia with its activity, including website defacements, infrastructure scanning, data exfiltration, and data leak operations. “Since early 2022, the primary focus of the cyber actors appears to be targeting and disrupting efforts to provide aid to Ukraine,” the report revealed. Furthermore, over 14,000 cases of domain scanning had also been recorded, with these impacting 26 NATO members and several other EU nations. “Whether through offensive operations or scanning activity, Unit 29155 cyber actors are known to target critical infrastructure and key resource sectors, including government services, financial services, transportation systems, energy, and healthcare sectors of NATO members, the EU, Central American, and Asian countries,” said the report. Led by the FBI, the investigative operation also involved teams from Britain, Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Estonia, Latvia, and the Czech Republic. Together, their joint findings have enabled the Cybersecurity Advisory to develop tactics, techniques, and procedures to thwart further actions by Unit 29155.

[sidecrime]

𝐍𝐀𝐃𝐉𝐀 𝐉𝐀𝐅𝐀𝐑𝐈

BASIC INFORMATION full name: nadja "nia" jafari   nickname(s): "nia" age: 29 height: 5’7” ethnicity:  middle eastern (iranian-american)   eye color: dark brown hair: dark black, straight, shoulder-length occupation: information extraction specialist (freelance) DISTINGUISHED MARKS › a small crescent moon tattoo on her left wrist, a symbol of resilience and transformation.   › a faint scar along her collarbone from a knife wound during a previous mission.  

PERSONALITY & TRAITS mbti: intj (the architect)   enneagram: type 5, the investigator   temperament: melancholic (calm, collected, sometimes reserved) mannerisms: speaks in a calm, measured tone but can be blunt when needed. prefers minimal gestures, only using body language when it counts.  often taps her fingers when deep in thought or making quick calculations. CORE TRAITS ✅ analytical, disciplined, independent, highly strategic, perceptive. ❌ detached, emotionally reserved, can appear aloof or distant, overly focused on logic  

BACKGROUND & HISTORY › nia grew up in gotham as the daughter of two first-generation immigrants. her parents were both highly educated but struggled to balance their professional ambitions with raising a family in a city with few opportunities. nia, highly intelligent and resourceful, excelled in school and developed a keen interest in technology and data analysis at an early age. 

› her aptitude led to her being recruited by a covert government agency straight out of college, where she trained as an operative with a focus on cyber intelligence and tactical operations. while she wasn't as physically imposing as some of her colleagues, her quick thinking and ability to analyze complex situations made her a crucial asset in high-stakes missions.

› she left the agency after an operation went wrong, a betrayal by someone close to her causing her to reevaluate her commitment to that world. she moved back to gotham, seeking a quieter life as a private investigator and data analyst for those who can afford her skills. though she’s no longer part of the covert world, she still has ties to it and often finds herself reluctantly drawn back in when the stakes are high enough. 

SKILLS & ABILITIES › expert in data analysis, hacking, and cyber surveillance.   › skilled in hand-to-hand combat, particularly using her agility to outmaneuver opponents.   › strong strategic thinking, able to plan several steps ahead in complex situations.   › proficient in using firearms, though she prefers non-lethal options unless necessary.  › multilingual: fluent in english, persian, and conversational in french.  

EQUIPMENT & TOOLS. › a high-tech tablet for gathering and analyzing data quickly on the go.   › small, concealed handgun (glock 43x) for self-defense.   › customized lockpicking kit, which she always keeps hidden on her person.   › miniature drone for surveillance in high-risk areas.   › tactical earpiece connected to a secure communication network.  

PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE. greatest strength: her ability to stay calm under pressure and analyze situations quickly.   greatest weakness: difficulty forming close emotional bonds due to past betrayals, leading to isolation at times.   deepest fear: losing control of a situation that she’s too emotionally invested in, or being betrayed again.   moral code:  while not a strict adherent to the law, nia believes in justice and helping those who can’t protect themselves, even if her methods are unconventional. she does not tolerate manipulation or dishonesty and seeks to uncover the truth, no matter how dangerous it may be.

[fixtopsmobiles]

Quickly Diagnose Laptop Problems with Fixtops

Laptops are the backbone of modern life. From business meetings to online classes, we rely on them every day. So when your laptop starts acting up—slowing down, refusing to charge, or dropping Wi-Fi—it can bring your routine to a screeching halt. Fortunately, you can diagnose device issues fast with the help of Fixtops, an AI-powered platform that gives you instant clarity and support.

This guide walks you through how to identify the most common laptop problems quickly and accurately—no tech background required.

Why You Need to Diagnose Device Issues Fast

Laptop problems often start small—an app that won’t load or a battery that doesn’t last as long—but they can escalate into major breakdowns. That’s why it’s important to diagnose device issues fast and take action early.

🔍 Fast Diagnosis Helps You:

Prevent permanent hardware failure

Save time by skipping guesswork

Avoid costly repairs by fixing small issues early

Maintain productivity and reduce downtime

Protect sensitive data from loss or corruption

The longer you wait, the worse it gets. Acting early keeps your laptop healthy and reliable.

Most Common Laptop Problems & How to Spot Them

Many laptop issues can be diagnosed quickly if you know what to look for. With Fixtops, these problems can be detected in under 5 minutes.

🖥️ Performance Issues

Laptop takes too long to start

System freezes during basic tasks

Apps lag or crash frequently

Loud fan noise or overheating

Fixtops Insight: These symptoms often point to memory problems, excessive background apps, or outdated drivers.

🔋 Power & Charging Problems

Battery drains rapidly

Laptop only works when plugged in

Charger feels loose or heats up

Sudden shutdowns

Fixtops Insight: Faulty charging ports, dead battery cells, or power supply issues are common culprits.

🌐 Network & Connectivity Errors

Wi-Fi keeps disconnecting

Slow internet despite strong signal

Bluetooth won’t pair with devices

Fixtops Insight: Could be outdated network drivers, corrupted files, or hardware failure in the Wi-Fi card.

🎧 Audio & Display Glitches

Sound not working or distorted

Screen flickers, turns black, or displays strange colors

HDMI or USB ports not responding

Fixtops Insight: These issues may stem from internal motherboard problems or driver corruption.

How Fixtops Helps You Diagnose Laptop Issues Fast

Fixtops is designed for users who want fast, reliable solutions without needing tech skills. Its built-in AI scans your device’s software and hardware behavior to diagnose device issues fast and present clear next steps.

🔧 How to Use Fixtops:

Go to Fixtops.com or open the mobile app

Select your laptop model (Windows, Mac, Chromebook, etc.)

Start the “Instant Diagnostic” tool

Answer basic questions or let the system scan automatically

Receive a full report showing:

The root problem

Severity level

Suggested fixes

Option to book a certified technician

In just a few clicks, you’re on your way to recovery.

What Sets Fixtops Apart?

With so many tools out there, why choose Fixtops?

🚀 Fast & Efficient:

Diagnose problems in under 3 minutes.

🤖 AI-Powered Accuracy:

No guesswork—Fixtops delivers pinpoint analysis.

👩‍🔧 On-Demand Technician Support:

Book trusted experts for remote or in-home service.

💡 Simple & User-Friendly:

Even non-tech-savvy users can understand and act on the results.

🆓 Risk-Free Diagnosis:

You only pay if you need a repair—diagnosing is 100% free.

Whether you're a student, remote worker, or business professional, Fixtops ensures you diagnose device issues fast and stay connected.

Real User Stories: Fast Fixes with Fixtops

“My laptop was overheating during video calls. Fixtops showed I needed a fan cleanup. I followed the DIY guide and fixed it in one hour.” — Chinyere, Abuja

“I thought my battery was dead, but Fixtops pointed out it was a charger issue. Saved me from buying a new laptop!” — Samuel, Lagos

“I kept losing my Wi-Fi connection. Fixtops identified a network adapter error and even found the driver I needed. Problem solved instantly.” — Grace, Port Harcourt

Bonus: Proactive Tips to Avoid Future Laptop Issues

Diagnosing is great—but preventing issues is even better. Follow these habits to keep your laptop in top condition:

📦 Don’t block air vents—keep the laptop on hard surfaces

🧼 Clean ports and fans regularly to avoid dust buildup

🔋 Avoid overcharging and unplug once fully charged

🔄 Run regular scans with Fixtops to catch problems early

🔐 Update antivirus and OS software frequently

💾 Always back up your files

Conclusion: Take Control and Diagnose Device Issues Fast with Fixtops

Laptop problems can happen to anyone—but they don’t have to slow you down. Whether it’s performance lags, battery troubles, or Wi-Fi dropouts, you can now diagnose device issues fast with confidence using Fixtops.

No long queues. No overpriced diagnostics. Just fast, smart results you can trust.

👉 Try Fixtops now for a free laptop diagnosis Because your time—and your device—deserve better.

#DiagnoseDeviceIssuesFast #LaptopHelp #FixtopsAI #QuickLaptopFix #TechSupport #FixYourLaptop #DeviceTroubleshooting #FixWithFixtops