#english ie talent

[stock-research-institute]

[Saturday Preview] Tencent Music, Jingdong, Sea, Walmart Earnings Coming, What to Watch Next Week in US Stocks

U.S. stocks closed higher Friday as the S&P 500 rebounded from the edge of the bear market, led by technology stocks. But all three major stock indexes are down more than 2 percent for the week. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell dismissed market speculation about a 75 basis point rate hike. Twitter shares plunged as Musk said the acquisition of Twitter deal is on hold for now.

The Dow fell 2.14% for the week, the Nasdaq fell 2.80% and the S&P 500 fell 2.41%.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

01、 Giant dynamics

According to the U.S. stock research agency closing observation: May 13 EST U.S. three major stock indexes all rebounded. Among them, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 466.36 points, or 1.47%, to 32,196.66 points; Nasdaq Composite Index rose 434.04 points, or 3.82%, to 11,805.00 points; S&P 500 Index rose 93.81 points, or 2.39%, to 4,023.89 points.

China and the United States nine major technology giants TMAANMG and Tencent, Alibaba all rose, including Tesla rose 5.71%, Meta Platforms rose 3.86%, Apple rose 3.19%, Amazon rose 5.73%, Nvidia rose 9.47%, Microsoft rose 2.26%, Google rose 2.84%, Tencent rose 4.27%, Alibaba rose 2.75%.

02、 Next week's forecast

Next Monday (May 16)

The New York Fed Manufacturing Index for May will be released on the same day.

Sohu (SOHU) and Ghanxi Bio (GRCL) will release new earnings before the US stock market on the same day.

Tencent Music (TME), Take-Two Interactive Software (TTWO), YALA, and Dada Group (DADA) will release new earnings after the bell.

Next Tuesday (May 17)

The monthly rate of U.S. retail sales for April will be released on the same day.

U.S. April monthly industrial output rate will be released on the same day.

May NAHB housing market index will be released on the same day.

U.S. March monthly business inventories rate will be released on the same day.

Home Depot (HD), Walmart (WMT), Tiger (HUYA), Jingdong (JD), Sea (SE), and Xunlei (XNET) will report new earnings before the market on the same day.

QUIK will release new earnings after the bell on the same day.

Next Wednesday (May 18)

U.S. new housing starts for April will be released on the same day.

Total U.S. construction permits for April will be released on the same day.

EIA crude oil inventories for the week will be released on the same day.

U.S. EIA Strategic Petroleum Reserve Inventory for the current week will be released on the same day.

DoYU (DOYU), Target (TGT), Lloyds (LOW), and TJX (TJX) will report new earnings before the U.S. stock market on the same day.

Cisco (CSCO) and GDS (GDS) will release new earnings after the market on the same day.

Next Thursday (May 19)

U.S. Philadelphia Fed Manufacturing Index for May will be released on the same day.

U.S. April Total Home Sales annualized will be released on the same day.

U.S. initial jobless claims for the current week will be released on the same day.

U.S. EIA natural gas inventories for the current week will be released on the same day.

Vipshop (VIPS) and Kanan Technology (CAN) will release new earnings reports before the US market on the same day.

Applied Materials (AMAT) will release new earnings after the market on the same day.

Next Friday (May 20)

Misty Core Technology (RLX) will release new earnings on the same day before the market on U.S. stocks.

03、 Stocks to watch

Solid growth in core business, CIMB says Tencent Music's paid subscriber base growth in the medium to long term is worth looking forward to

It is reported that Tencent Music will release its first quarter earnings report for 2022 on May 17, Beijing time.

Securities institutions generally believe that the quarterly earnings report can achieve a smooth start, and maintain confidence in its usual solid performance. CIMB said that in the medium to long term, Tencent Music's growth in the number of paid online music users is worth looking forward to, and the company's ability to link Tencent's ecology, deep plowing for content and functional innovation is outstanding.

From Tencent Music's latest financial data disclosed to the public, Tencent Music's total annual revenue increased to 31.24 billion yuan in 2021, up 7.2% year-on-year; the company's net profit under non-IFRS (Non-IFRS) was 4.33 billion yuan, achieving 13 consecutive quarters of profitability.

As one of its core businesses, Tencent Music's online music business continued to grow steadily and achieved a new breakthrough in paid online music users. in the fourth quarter of 2021, Tencent Music's online music subscription revenue grew 23.5% year-on-year to RMB 1.95 billion, and paid online music users reached 76.2 million, up 36.1% year-on-year, including a net increase of 5 million sequentially. The paid rate reached 12.4%, up from 9.0% in the same period of 2020 and 11.2% in the third quarter of 2021.

In the general environment of Chinese stocks under pressure, based on the bullishness of Tencent Music's solid performance and long-term development, a number of securities institutions such as CITIC Securities, Axiom Securities, Huatai Securities and Guoyuan International still maintain a Hold rating on Tencent Music.

2, Jingdong to pay $2 billion special cash dividend, Goldman Sachs, Citi reiterate buy rating

In May, Goldman Sachs issued a research report, reiterating its buy rating on Jingdong Group and adding it to its "Conviction Buy" list due to Jingdong's leading retail footprint and unique self-managed (1P) online direct sales, as well as its industry-leading in-house warehousing and supply chain capabilities.

Jingdong earlier declared a special dividend of $0.63 per share, or $1.26 per American Depositary Share, the report said. The bank believes the special dividend reflects management's confidence in Jingdong's long-term growth potential and strong operations. The board of directors will consider measures, including dividend payments, to reward shareholders in the long term.

Citi also reiterated its "buy" rating on Jingdong (JD.US) in a research report with a price target of $97, viewing any share price weakness as a buying opportunity.

The bank sees the proposed $2 billion special cash dividend as positive and a sign that Jingdong is confident in its business outlook and ability to generate cash flow and wants to improve shareholder returns in a more flexible manner.

With a net cash balance of approximately $26.4 billion as of the end of 2021 and resilient fundamentals, the bank is confident in the company's strong capital capacity to maintain flexibility and support continued investment and shareholder returns, the report said. In addition BOE said it may continue to pay regular dividends in addition to its existing share repurchase program where appropriate.

3, Sea exit India after e-commerce business losses are expected to shrink, but there is macro uncertainty in Southeast Asia business

Sea Limited will announce its fiscal first quarter results on May 17 before the U.S. stock market.

Morgan Stanley analyst Mark Goodridge said: Continue to maintain Sea Limited (SE.US) "Hold" rating, the target price is still set at $ 220.

Morgan Stanley analyst Mark Goodridge sees this as "a clear positive" after Sea Limited announced yesterday the closure of its e-commerce business in India, Shopee India.

There are two key reasons for this: the risk/reward ratio of entering the Indian market is no longer attractive, and the exit is expected to help contain losses in its growing e-commerce business.

The analyst continues to view Sea as an "emerging super-application in Southeast Asia" and stresses that its e-commerce business is undervalued. The analyst currently has a "hold" rating on the stock and a $220 price target.

Meanwhile, Stifel lowered its price target on Southeast Asia Internet and mobile platform company Sea Limited (SE.US) to $160 from $200, and maintained a Buy rating on the stock.

Stifel analyst Scott Devitt lowered his Q1 and full-year estimates for Sea Limited, primarily due to macro uncertainty in the company's core markets, partially offset by higher expectations for digital financial services. To 40.2%.

4, Walmart launched Love & Sports brand betting on the sports market, increasing gasoline offers to attract Walmart+ members

US stock research agency learned that Walmart (WMT.US) will launch Love & Sports, a premium sportswear and swimming brand created by fashion designer Michelle Smith and SoulCycle coach Stacey Griffith, according to WisdomTree News.

The sportswear segment became hotter during the new crown epidemic, but also more competitive. Sales in the men's and women's apparel category rose from $52.3 billion in 2019 to $70.8 billion in 2021, a 35 percent increase in two years, according to the NPD Group.

However, as the category booms, so does the number of brands vying for market share, according to NPD, which shows the number of sportswear brands has climbed from 1,600 in 2014 to 2,400 in 2021. The segment includes Lulu Lemon (LULU.US) and Nike (NKE.US), as well as private labels launched by companies such as Target (TGT.US), Kohl's Department Store (KSS.US) and Dick's Sporting Goods.

NPD Group analyst Kristen classid-zummo believes sportswear will remain popular this year and beyond, but the growth rate will be lower than the double-digit rate in 2021. That will increase competition for the industry, she said.

In addition, as gas prices climb, Walmart (WMT.US) announced it will offer greater discounts on gasoline to drive more customers to join and renew their Walmart+ subscriptions.

Walmart+ members receive a 10-cent-per-gallon fuel discount at more than 14,000 gas stations. Walmart has offered fuel discounts before, but through its partnership with ExxonMobil (XOM.US), it has doubled the discount and more than quadrupled the number of eligible stations.

Chris Cracchiolo, senior vice president and general manager of Walmart+, said everyday expenses are a concern for many shoppers, "especially in a very high inflation environment." He said Walmart recently surveyed consumers, and about half said they are changing their behavior because of rising fuel prices.

With U.S. inflation at a 40-year high, Wal-Mart is using low prices as a competitive advantage. Wal-Mart CEO Doug McMillon said last year that the company would use inflation as an opportunity to win customers. That strategy carries over to Walmart+.

#investing #economy #finance #business #us stocks #stock #stock market #english ie talent #stocks #yahoo!

[glorious-blackout]

Have some ESC-related song recs, because it’s been over a month and I’m still having a lot of fun digging into the back-catalogues of my faves from this year!

Bear in mind that I’ve barely scratched the surface for some of these artists so if anyone has any other recs, please let me know. I’d love to hear them 🥰

Käärijä (Finland) - I’ve honestly liked everything I’ve heard from him (which is surprising as I’m not usually a massive fan of rap) and can highly recommend his entire Fantastista album, but if I have to narrow my choices down to a few absolute faves then I’d recommend the following to begin with:

Mic Mac

Viulunkieli

Paidaton Riehuja 

Välikuolema

Rock Rock (Daun Lou Remix)

Joker Out (Slovenia) - Again, I can highly recommend both of their albums and it’s difficult to narrow down faves, but these are the songs that made me want to listen to more of their work:

Demoni

Novi Val/New Wave (the latter is an English version performed with Elvis Costello which I love just as much as the gorgeous Slovenian version)

Ona 

Umazane Misli

Tokio 

Katrina

Lord of the Lost (Germany) - ie. talented kings who deserved so much better:

Loreley

One Last Song

My Better Me (I’ll be honest, most of my appreciation for this song comes from Chris’s parody where he reworks it into a love song for Matt Bellamy from Muse)

noituLOVEr (Happy Pride Month everyone 🌈)

Cha Cha Cha (technically cheating with this one but their cover was honestly fantastic and apparently they’re hoping to perform it live with Käärijä one day!)

Voyager (Australia) - ie. the reason I desperately need Australia to stay in Eurovision next year:

Colours

Ascension 

Submarine

Dreamer (this one was their entry for Australia Decides in 2022; it won the televote so in another timeline this song would have competed in last year’s ESC)

And have some additional recs by artists whose ESC songs I adored but whose other work I haven’t had a chance to fully explore yet:

Luke Black (Serbia) - Olive Tree (@aeolianblues you might be more familiar with Luke's other work than I am at this point 😅)

Blanca Paloma (Spain) - Plumas De Nácar (this woman’s voice is heavenly and I’ll happily listen to anything she releases)

Vesna (Czechia) - Płakały

#I could be here all day with Käärijä and Joker Out recs so their lists are far from comprehensive #but if anyone has more recs for the artists mentioned please let me know - I'd love to hear more from all of them 🥰 #Käärijä #Joker Out #Lord Of The Lost #Voyager #Luke Black #Blanca Paloma #Vesna #Eurovision #Esc 2023

[nocturnalazure]

sweet beginnings tag

This tag is all about looking at your past. All you need to do is to find one of the first screenshots you ever took (preferably also published), and post it beside the recent one! And tell everybody when you took that first picture! Oh, and don’t forget to tag your posts! #sweet beginnings tag

Thank you for tagging me @descendantdragfi, @greenplumbboblover, @obscurus-noctem and @eternal-infamy!

❤️‍💜💚🖤

This is going to be long.

I had already posted the very first picture I ever took with the Sims but I can't find it anymore. Anyway, here it is (dated May 2010): get ready to be dazzled.

Such talent already. Much awe and impress.

The man in the picture is a Golzine, of course. Sid Golzine to be precise, ie Laurie's great-great-grand-uncle. Lisa will give birth to Emily and Tim's grand-father. In fact, their family bloodline is the true one. Laurie's bloodline originates from Sid's brother Ludo who adopted a son.

But this is not the first pic of the story and definitely not representative of what I do today. It just can't be compared to anything.

For a more relevant comparison, maybe I should show you how I used to write AFATWG at the time. So this is what my very first post on WordPress looked like in January 2013. It is no longer available (published privately only) and has not been translated from French.

The first pic is of little Paula Leneuf, who will be Theo Golzine's mother, ie Laurie's great-grand-mother. (In my defense, I wasn't taking pics to illustrate the story at the time. I wrote it for myself, and was using pics as prompts. Then I started taking more and more pics... and well, here we are.)

This here Tumblr was opened in July 2013, and I initially only used it to summarize the WordPress updates, like in this post here. Looking at it made me tear up a little: I was right in the middle of writing Seth and Nathaniel's teenage years. 🥹 This is what the WP updates looked like in July 2013 (the update was about Seth having a part-time job as a mechanic. That guy - whose name I can't remember - was the first to give him a chance.):

In 6 months' time, I had switched to writing fully in English, mostly dialogues and A LOT MORE pics.

The switch to "graphic novel" happened 2 years later, in January 2015, precisely with this update about Hector (a forgotten character that went to live in Isla Paradiso - the one who got cast away if anyone remembers that part?). I was trying out some stuff.

The Sunrise on Pluto update that was published at about the same time is a lot closer to how I do things today. I was using Superlame for the bubbles at the time (although debatable, that is the name of the program, not my skills).

Since then, I've gone back and transformed quite a few updates into a graphic novel style. Not everything, because I didn't always have enough pictures to illustrate and still needed an descriptive text for what happened in between.

You already know the way I do things today. It's not that different from 8 years ago. Maybe more interesting frames? Probably better sized speech bubbles. Certainly better graphics.

For the sake of completeness, this is a side-by-side comparison of my first photo shoot and my most recent one.

...Not much difference, no?

I think everybody and his cousin has done this tag, so not tagging anyone this time but please feel free to do it if you'd like!

#text post #random #ts3 #sims 3 #sims 3 stories #sweet beginnings tag #tagged

[fyeahcompetentwomen]

Barbara Gordon vs. Dr. Helen Magnus

Remember: don't vote on "who would win in a fight", but on "who, when given a task that fits her skillset and talents, would do that task better: more comprehensively, faster, with more pizzazz, with less collateral, etc."

Endorsements! "What is she good at?"

Barbara Gordon, DC: Batman but better. She’d the og batgirl, obviously kicks ass, but most importantly after batgirl she becomes oracle the smartest and most competent person in the extensive batman gang. shes the girl on the computer, she runs everything behind the scenes, she knows everything and if she doesnt know it she will find out if you give her two minutes also shes a wheelchair using queen

Dr. Helen Magnus, Sanctuary: Medical doctor, doctor of xenobiology, doctor of cryptozooology (think that was the term), a doctor of asskicking, did Science™ with Nikola Tesla that gave her long life and him vampire powers (and Jack the Ripper the ability to zorb/teleport), runs a secret network of safe houses called The Sanctuary for "abnormals" ie anyone with special abilities/weird genetic make up/Bigfoot/werewolves (although they get called HAPs and she adopted one). She's 275+ years old by the end of the show - she did science with Nikola Tesla and Jack the Ripper in the Victorian times and the show is set during the late 2000s/early 2010s. She was in Carentan (behind enemy lines) during the D-Day Landings leading a mission to stop the Germans using an elemental in a war machine. She says Bloody Hell a lot, and speaks with an English (tinged with Canadian) accent. She's canonical bisexual (which is important to me as it helped me figure out a few things about myself) and tends to adopt people. And she outsmarted a proper vampire (seen in the show as the super intelligent race who want to enslave everyone).

#fuck yeah competent women #fyeahcompetentwomen #bracket #round 1 #group 1 #barbara gordon #batgirl #oracle #dc #dr. helen magnus #helen magnus #sanctuary

[strangebrew]

thank u to @gegengestalt for tagging me ^_^

Are you named after anyone? technically i named myself after my mom! lee's my moms middle name.

When was the last time you cried? the other day but it was more like a frustrated weep

Do you have kids? oh no

What sports do you play/have you played? i used to play softball but that was a long long time ago. i also used to be in chess club but the sportness of chess is debatable

Do you use sarcasm? too autistic for that, but occasionally

What is the first thing you notice about people? this is going to sound incredibly hokey: their "vibes" i hate saying that but thats generally what i notice - the way they carry themselves. its a little hard to explain

What’s your eye colour? blue

Scary movies or happy endings? scary movies

Any talents? i """"like"""" to draw. yapping!

Where were you born? very populous city in midwestern america

What are your hobbies? nature and foraging, drawing, reading, writing from time to time. i want to start playing guitar

Do you have any pets? a kitty and a puppy :3

How tall are you? 5'3

Favourite subject in school? english

Dream job? professional garden gnome...ok but for real i want to be an archivist or a librarian of sorts

tagging my pals @cdfreak @hopelesscalico @b0ngwat3r0v3rd0s3 @clownbugg-ie and any/all mutuals if u want to!

#lee.txt

[marley-manson]

5 questions and 15 mutuals

ty for the tag @majorbaby and @transgayhawkeyepierce 💖

tagging: @beansterpie @professormcguire @kissing-monsters @undecimber-of-joy @v-e-l-v-e-t-g-o-l-d-m-i-n-e @rescue-ram @pigtailedgirl @assignedishmaelatbirth @creepydai @hetakiba @penguinhug @pomegranate @lyesander @partlyironic @charlesemersonwinchesteriii

Were you named after anyone?

Nope.

When was the last time you cried?

Hm, it's been a while. Might be the last time I watched the mdzs Safe and Sound animatic lol, which would've been a couple months ago.

Do you have kids?

Noooooo

Do you use sarcasm a lot?

Depends who I'm talking to, but often with certain friends.

What’s the first thing you notice about people?

lol idk, unless 'general physical appearance bc obviously' counts.

What’s your eye color?

green

Scary movies or happy endings?

this is a very arbitrary dichotemy lol, lots of horror movies have happy endings. I'm saying happy endings because scary movies is too narrow a category.

Any special talents?

no lol, all my talents are mundane or the usual nerd stuff like video editing/writing/etc.

Where were you born?

alberta 😔

What are your hobbies?

fandom, ie writing meta, writing and reading fic, and vidding; i'm into link to the past rando but only casually and as a viewer lol; singing and one day i will join a choir again.

Have any pets?

not currently. had budgies and hamsters and a dog growing up.

What sports do you play/have you played?

none really. I played badminton in middle school one year lol. went indoor rock climbing relatively recently and really enjoyed it, but not enough to take it up as a dedicated hobby.

How tall are you?

5'4"

Favorite subject in school?

hs: english (or choir if that counts lol. one of the choirs i was in counted for credits at least) uni: gender and horror perhaps? canadian cinema was a surprisingly good course too

Dream job?

frankly, cashier in a world where full time is 20 hours a week and you can easily live on minimum wage.

#15 ppl doesn't feel like enough lol #text post #ask meme

[senualothbrok]

Thank you for the tag @hotnerdywizard , this is such a cute game 🫶

1. Are you named after anyone? Nope! I'm the one and only lol

2. When was the last time you cried? A few weeks ago, I think. I can't be sure. I also cry a lot while consuming media so it may have been more recent than that 😅

3. Do you have kids? No human children, but I have two doggo babies!

4. What sports do you /have you played? I used to box / kickbox, but am taking a break from it for health reasons. When I was younger I played netball and basketball. I did some horse riding but I now prefer to hang out with them without working them.

5. Do you use sarcasm? Yes, and I love it, almost as much as I love puns.

6. What's the first thing you notice about people? Whether they are warm, actually. That comes out in a variety of ways eg how they behave, whether they smile, eye contact, tone, voice etc

7. What's your eye colour? Black (very dark brown)

8. Any talents? I love, love, love writing. I think that's probably my main talent 😅 I'm struggling to think of more. I guess I'm also good with animals.

9. Where were you born? In East Asia.

10. What are your hobbies? I love reading and writing, mainly prose but also poetry. I'm trying to write a novel but the Gale brainworms have been consuming me so I'm mainly writing fics at the moment. I'm a gamer, though I'm currently hyperfixated on BG3 (ie Gale) and can't move on lol. I love spending time with my dogs and I also volunteer at a horse sanctuary every week.

11. Do you have any pets? I have two dogs - a lurcher and a greyhound. I used to have a cat but he passed away a little over a year ago. I adore them all.

12. How tall are you? 5'2"

13. Favourite subject in school? Philosophy and English Literature. What I wouldn't give now to be able to study Sylvia Plath!!!

14. Dream job? I'd love to be on the writing team of a narrative driven video game (hire me, Larian). I also wouldn't mind being a horse groomer/carer.

I'd like to tag @madforhoran @dolceaspidenera @practicallydeadinside-blog @orehuna @meishuu

No pressure to play of course!

[nerdby]

hey sorry if im relitigating something you want to forget but i saw you arguing in the notes of the fanfiction pacing post and wanted to ask what you thought the difference between fanfiction and published fiction is on a technical level? as someone who both writes fanfiction and is a published short story author, i definitely think there are fundamental craft differences that affect the pacing, and there's definitely a different type of skill involved in either thing, but i'm curious to hear the other side.

There is no difference because being a published author has very little to do with talent and skill, and everything to do with how much money your idea will make the publishers. Considering you go through a traditional publishing house, that is. That's why it's impossible to go through a publishing house these days without having 100,000 followers on TikTok and IG. That's an exaggeration by the way.

So, really, the only difference between being a published author and fanfic author is the platform where your work is published and who owns the copyright agreement. Because if getting a book published really had anything to do with skill there wouldn't be so many bad books making the bestsellers' list or being made into movies -- IE The Godfather or The Devil Wears Prada or Twilight.

If you think fic authors lack skill it's because a lot of them are children with little to no writing experience and who are experimenting with fanfiction to learn to write better. Then you have people who don't speak English as a native language or who -- like me -- are neurodivergent or have other mental health issues or learning disabilities that sometimes effect grammar and overall skill level. Holding yourself above those people is not only pretentious but also racist, xenophobic, and ableist -- and that's not something that only supposedly published authors are guilty of. Their fans are guilty of it, too, like Anne Rice's fanbase since it's her batshit paranoia that began the stigma against fic authors in the first place.

If you think you're above fic authors cause you've been published you're wrong.

I've had two works published in local publications in my hometown (under my deadname). One was in my local newspaper when I was in sixth grade and the other was in my high school's yearly art journal or whatever. An anthology, I guess, it could be called. Both of them were original works -- one was a poem and the other was a short story inspired by my best Xmas cause back then I was really drinking up the evangelist Kool-Aid (tbf I was twelve at the time). But these days, I don't even write fanfiction so what do I know, right?🙃

[adoranoia]

CHARACTER SHEET ―

FULL NAME. saeyoung choi NICKNAME. yungie, god seven, sev, cat dad, defender of justice ㅤ ALIASES. 707 EXTREME (agent title), luciel choi (baptismal name) PRONOUNS. 'he/they' mainly, 'she' occasionally, usually when in drag HEIGHT. 6'5" / 195.58 cm AGE. 23~ (internationally) 24~ (korean) ㅤ ZODIAC. gemini (western), metal dragon (chinese) SPOKEN LANGUAGES. is fluent in korean, japanese, and english, but has ‏vary -ing level of skill in 17 other languages, ranging from intermediate to advanced.‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎

𝐏𝐇𝐘𝐒𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐋 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐂𝐒 ―

HAIR. orange-ish red, and has a slight curl to it. always a bit messy, sometimes vanderwood tries his best to tame it with a brush, but to only limited success. ‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎ㅤ FACIAL HAIR. usually clean-shaven, but sometimes he'll let it grow out to a light scruff for a time, just as a change of pace.‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎ EYES. light honey brown, looks pure golden when the light catches them. big and puppy-dog-like, animated, often sparkling with either happiness or mischief. ㅤ SKIN TONE. pale, but with warm undertones, lots of freckles ㅤ‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎ BODY TYPE. ectomorph, long arms and legs, with some light squish around the middle, ie hips, stomach, etc, considering his eating habits (mostly snack foods) VOICE. nerdy, playfully nasally, on the higher end, though can drop slightly lower when he's trying to be more serious. also, he snorts when he laughs. ‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎ DOMINANT HAND. left-handed.ㅤ POSTURE. usually slouches forward, relaxed, but when having one of his more animated moments, he's bolt-up-right, and gesturing a lot SCARS. multiple, a knife cut starting at his jawline, going across his right cheek. bullet wounds in his right shoulder, a stab wound just above his left hipbone. shrapnel scars run up his right leg. missing his ring finger on his right hand. ㅤ BIRTHMARKS. a heart-shaped mark on his left ankle, saeran has a matching one. MOST NOTABLE FEATURES. wears yellow and black striped square glasses, tattoo on his left upper arm (reference), identification number on back of neck.‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎ ‎

𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐃𝐇𝐎𝐎𝐃 ―

PLACE OF BIRTH. xxxx, korea ㅤ HOMETOWN. xxxx, korea ㅤ SIBLINGS. saeran choi, twin brother, saeyoung is older by five or so minutes, and hasn't ever let the other forget it. PARENTS. saejoong choi, his father, the current prime minster of korea who denies the twin's existence due to being 'illegitimate'. and, his mother, ho-sook choi, an abusive alcoholic who blackmails money out of him. they're both terrible.‏‏‎ ‎

𝐀𝐃𝐔𝐋𝐓 𝐋𝐈𝐅𝐄 ―

OCCUPATION. is hacker for a illegal intelligence agency, sometimes does field or undercover work, but his real talent lies in securing digital data. CURRENT RESIDENCE. xxxx, korea ㅤ CLOSE FRIENDS. the RFA, (yoosung, zen, jumin, jaehee, v.), and ofc, vanderwood, his work partner, informant and handler. FINANCIAL STATUS. well-off, not as rich as say, jumin, but he's got money.ㅤ DRIVER'S LICENSE. yes.ㅤ CRIMINAL RECORD. oh, plenty of things due to his job, but anything that could possibly be on record is promptly wiped clean by his own hand, hacking-wise. VICES. mostly frivolous things, shopping, video games, those sort of little distractions. and lying, too, he lies as easy as he breathes. ㅤ‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎

𝐒𝐄𝐗 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄 ―

SEXUAL ORIENTATION. bisexual, heavy male preference. PREFERRED EMOTIONAL ROLE. switch.ㅤ PREFERRED SEXUAL ROLE. switch.ㅤ TURN OFFS. people that smoke or drink excessively around him. TURN ON'S. good sense of humor, enthusiasm about something, anything, really--‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎ LOVE LANGUAGE. physical touch, acts of service. RELATIONSHIP TENDENCIES. tends to avoid relationships due to ‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎ his line of work being so dangerous, but does crave it, sometimes. once past all his usual walls, he's still his usual goofy self, of course, but has a serious, sappier side, too. very enthusiastic and excited, puts 100% of his love into whatever he does, he has big puppy dog energy, basically.‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎

𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐂𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐄𝐎𝐔𝐒 ―

CHARACTER'S THEME TUNE. geniusly hacked bebop (in-game theme), superstar by toybox (ring-tone), dumb dumb by mazie, alien boy by oliver tree (misc songs.)‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎ HOBBIES TO PASS THE TIME. programming, inventing/robotics, car mechanics, video games, making/wearing cosplays, mischief, etc etc. ‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎ㅤ LEFT OR RIGHT BRAINED. right-brained, for sure. ㅤ‏‏‎ ‎ SELF-CONFIDENCE LEVEL. pretends to have high self confidence, but in reality it's shaky at best, seeing himself as 'the happy, funny one', and not much else. ‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎

#* && OOC #* && PROMPTS #* && 707 : HAPPY-GO-LUCKY / HACKER . #PLS WITNESS THIS I SPENT 5EVER ON IT BAHAHAHA #stole this bad boy from a mutual you know who u are. mwah #feel free to steal it from me ofc !!! :jazzhands: do u care him. #abuse mention tw #alcoholism tw

[spoolofthreat]

My most useless but awesome talent is being able to read in write in binary but only the way a human would understand. Ie, not computer language just english characters and punctuation in ascii.

You all probably know this already so whatever. I dont care. Im sharing it with you <3

[stock-research-institute]

Today's stock recommendation

#stock market #investing #business #economy #finance #english ie talent #stock #stocks #us stocks #yahoo!

[theninthdoor]

rosé || how idols perceive her; tarot reading

✦ General impression she gives off before any direct interaction:

cards: queen of wands, wheel of fortune, four of cups (the star)

Idols definitely see Rosé as someone who was born to be a star. She's charismatic, talented and confident, and may always present herself as a friendly and outgoing individual. She's not intimidated by being in the spotlight, and others surely recognize the passion she has for her career and for the whole world of entertainment that she's in. I should also mention that idols do tend to view her as someone who's very attractive, dresses well and takes good care of herself. Basically, she's always looking good whenever they see her, so they often associate her with great looks. Besides that, her name and image always carry the reminder of her big career achievements and the skills that led her up that path. At the same time, though, there's still a feeling that luck was also involved in getting her where she's at right now. She was able to get into a big company, have a successful debut and become a top star in the industry - as that is not possible for just any idol, they consider her one of the lucky few. And, because she is a top star, they don't find her all that easy to approach, despite her looking quite friendly. This can be either due to the way her company handles public appearances (during award shows or music shows, for example), because of the strict way the industry goes about seniority or status, or because idols know that being close to other famous people isn't always easy and can bring a lot of trouble (ie. backlash from the public or the fans).

✦ How idols perceive her after a first direct interaction:

cards: knight of wands, eight of pentacles, six of wands (eight of cups)

Very, very sociable and vivacious. They see her as someone who's always on the move, talking with people and playing around, filling the room with strong her energy. Rosé definitely knows how to bring out her charm and make herself noticed, however, at times, it might come off as too strong for some people. Really, she doesn't seem the type to be afraid of approaching a stranger or the type to ignore/reject someone who tries to approach her. It just may happen that she's too direct and energetic, and people are taken aback. Additionally, and similarly to what we saw before, idols still perceive her to be very passionate and serious about her career - perhaps even more than they did before meeting her. She may share a lot of her knowledge and interests with them or simply talk a lot about music/songwriting/performing/etc. So, with this, they understand very clearly that this is a very big focus for her and it's something that she truly dedicates herself to all the time. On the other hand, but still along the lines of what they perceived her to be like before interacting with her directly, they recognize that she's not someone who's available to build immediate friendships/connections with just about anyone. Not only does she have a lot going on in her life, but they also get the sense that she lives in a completely different reality from them (mainly because of where she's at in her career at the moment). It would just be very hard to connect with her, given all that her life involves.

✦ What is Rosé's overall reputation among idols:

cards: six of swords, seven of swords (four of pentacles), queen of pentacles

Someone who has reached a stable place in her career, with lots of abundance. They know that Rosé has already made a lot of money and is living well; her position in the industry is pretty safe (as in, she's not gonna lose everything if she doesn't put out music for a year or rejects a job); and she's also well connected, not only in South Korea, but internationally as well. Relating to that too, she is well known for being a foreigner/for being born outside of SK. Her social media posts (written in english), her public speeches and style may emphasize this a lot, and so there's never a chance for them forget about it. Or, alternatively, she could also be known for travelling a lot more than others and always being around foreigners. Finally, Rosé also has the reputation of someone who hides a lot of things or is kept hidden/separated from the rest of them. Everything about her is so well managed that they don't even hear whispers about her in the halls; everything is kept under lock and key by herself/her company.

(Disclaimer: all readings are alleged and for entertainment purposes only.)

#kpop #kpop tarot #blackpink #blackpink tarot #blackpink rosé #rosé #rosé tarot reading #rosé park #roseanne park

[quintupleaaaaabattery]

I’m mad at the live action HTTYD. I know it’s simple don’t watch it. That’s probably what y’all gonna say. But this is for many reasons

1. CGI - I don’t see them not butchering this. It’s like you are starting from scratch making dragons try to look realistic and yet diverse. Like there are so many different types of dragons, ranging from terrifying to cute (or in Toothless’s case both). Also the RED DEATH that’s gotta be major scary so it looking really bad CGI takes away the scare factor. It has a very high probability of taking away from the film if the CGI is bad, and also lessens the impact of how we see the dragons.

2. Now onto the casting. (Just making a note, in no way am I doubting the acting talent of those cast, I know that they will kill it.)

First off I couldn’t give a fuck, about Nico Parker playing Astrid.

Oh that takes away blonde Scandinavian representation, it’s historically inaccurate. The whole plot is Vikings riding dragons. It’s not supposed to be historically accurate it is a fantasy world.

Also what Scandinavian representation. The vikings characters either have Scottish accents, whilst all the young dragon riders have American accents. Yes I know Vikings were in America, but they still wouldn’t have an American accent or speaking English. Scandinavian characters does not equal Scottish. They are two different cultures.

The Vikings are also not represented right in the first place, ie it’s a loose representation. They didn’t have the horns on the Helmets, the names are wrong. Astrid’s last name would be Hofferdottir (daughter of Hoffer), for example and Hiccups would be Stoickson (Son of Stoick). There is a paternal naming system with a clear divide on the gender binary (I hope that makes sense, I’m no expert when it comes to Viking naming and I don’t know how to explain it with the correct terms.

Additionally they even present the God’s wrong. If you are actively apart of the fandom re. watched all the content in the franchise not just the movies (no I’m not counting nine realms or rescue riders rest assured), season 1 episode 8, Portrait of Hiccup as a Buff Man, of ROB, mentions Freya as the goddess of fire. In Norse mythology she’s not the goddess of fire, that’s Logi (well he’s the god, and no I don’t mean Loki, I had to do I quick google search as my mythology knowledge is somewhat limited to the Riordan books). Freya is the goddess of love and beauty, and that kind of stuff.

I also have to add if this were era appropriate, and culturally accurate Astrid and Ruffnut and Heather, they wouldn’t be part of the action. Don’t get me wrong Viking women were some feminist queens who lived in a society that was more progressive. They were allowed to divorce their husbands, for mistreating them may it be that they were abusing them. However they still were not expected to fight, their lives and chores were still housebound. If this franchise cared about the ‘culture’ or the ‘historical accuracy’ we would not see these three queens grace our screens being badass and menaces to their adversaries in battle.

Instead it gives POC representation. (And no I am not a POC myself, I’m White so I can’t speak for the experiences of a POC woman because I don’t face the same type discrimination, feel free to add your input if you are POC.) Astrid being a love interest, and a character who is seen as others as a symbol of beauty. So it’s not Eurocentric beauty (blonde hair, blue eyes), but that makes it more impactful. Astrid is this three dimensional warrior goddess who is determined and strong and her being blonde never drove the plot or her character’s actions. Her biggest insecurity is that people view her as less tough because she is pretty not because she is blonde.

Quote, “Just because she's beautiful, people think she's not tough. But you should never underestimate me.”

It doesn’t matter she’s not blonde because she is still beautiful. This allows POC girls to be better represented (I do know that she is still light skinned).

I do think she is a bit too old for the role. Like she’s 18, you haven’t started filming and she just looks older, I mean 21 she doesn’t look 15. So I’m a bit iffy on that, but otherwise let’s get to why I am really boycotting this movie.

I don’t see anyone complaining about the casting of Hiccup, it’s all Astrid. Yet the casting of Mason Thames as Hiccup is problematic.

The main reason as to why I wasn’t looking forward to a live-action adaptation was that I knew that they would butcher it to be an ableist mess. Why isn’t anyone talking about how this movie is taking away disabled - amputee representation. Hiccup, a amputee, is being played by a abled bodied actor.

Now I’m disabled. I’m not physically disabled like Hiccup, so my experiences, limitations and how I am discriminated against are different as I am Autistic (also have ADHD to be mentioned). Let’s be honest though that boy definitely is AuDHD, but that’s not the point. So hopefully you can see why I am upset. (Feel free to add your input if you are physically disabled/an amputee)

By doing this they are taking away one of the only protagonist who is an amputee- and don’t say what about Luke Skywalker - because his disability was magically replaced with a lifelike copy, as if he never lost a hand in the first place, which is problematic in its own right.

Hiccup Haddock clearly is an amputee and is permanently affected by it, their is no cure, but this doesn’t make him any less of a person and whilst he does have limitations, he can still live out a happy fulfilling life. This is a defining aspect of his character and is essential to the plot and moving the story forward.

Now I know your counter argument, but Hiccup only lost his leg at the end of the movie. I know they can CGI it off for that little bit of time and find a way to show a prosthetic leg, but it is still takes away representation. You’re claiming you want these characters to be portrayed accurately but you don’t care if disabled representation is being taken away.

It isn’t authentic representation when a person who doesn’t live as an amputee to play an amputee. They don’t share those experiences. Thus this casting is ableism at it’s finest.

I know Hiccup is a abled bodied for most of the film so that’s why you think it would be more practical for an abled bodied actor, but when they make the sequel what are they gonna do for that? Hiccup is disabled for the rest of the franchise, so it’s counterintuitive in away. They might as well have casted an amputee actor from the beginning.

You might argue that how would they do that as Hiccup loosing is foot is less impactful if he is an amputee from the beginning of the film but have you considered that they just put a boot over it/ cover with clothing. I’m not to sure with the mechanisms but I’m sure they could have figured something out.

And if you are going to argue that it would harder to do and film action/practical scenes, whilst it might be harder (I’m not denying that and might being the key word) but friendly reminder about a certain character who is an amputee from the MCU being Echo (whose currently in line of getting her own series).

I’m honestly wondering why they are doing this in live action in the first point, and I am disappointed in not only the casting but the reactions to the casting, mostly how people aren’t even acknowledging the ableism of the casting and focusing on slamming the casting that was more inclusive and forward thinking. But no, clearly people are to focused on race, (being that all characters in the Viking times have to be white, the least oppressed group and the most represented, which I do include myself as I am aware of the privileges I get because of it) instead of focusing on the erasure of amputee representation.

So that’s it sorry for the long rant/post.

#httyd movies #httyd franchise #httyd hiccup #httyd astrid #how to train your dragon #hiccup how to train your dragon #hiccuphorrendoushaddockiii #hiccup haddock #astrid hofferson #astrid httyd

[grapecaseschoices]

15 questions for 15 mutuals

tagged by @likesomethingblooming

and tagging: @yes-prisoner @mistyeyedbi @lizzybeth1986 @roxaro @paptalk @dumortains @dakotawritesif @magebastard @callmebeem @bakuyonce @indestructiblehearts @andthatisnotfake @amlovelies @anotherbeingsworld @plasticdodecagon

1. are you named after anyone?

Sort of. My mom wanted a first name similar to hers. My middle name is from my dad and my confirmation name (which is technically one of my middle names) is also from my dad.

2. when was the last time you cried?

Well, I cried laughing with @quaxorascal when we talked about the character stuff. And yall make me tear up regularly, but I don’t remember the last time I cried cried (which doesn’t mean much -- my memory is shit). Probably my uncle’s funeral a few months ago?

3. do you have kids?

No. 

4. do you use sarcasm a lot?

It’s genetic. I can’t not. 

5. what sports do you play/have you played?

I used to do karate. I used to “play” soccer/tennis (ie was forced to). But I refuse to sport. Is walking a sport? Trying to get back into walking.  Maybe one day karate. 

6. what’s the first thing you notice about other people?

I don’t know. Probably the thing they don’t want me to notice. My eyes just zeroes into the most random thing. 

7. eye colour?

Brown.

8. scary movies or happy endings?

Happy endings. Especially if they sweat for it. But I do love a good fluffy.

9. any special talents?

Um. I can bend my thumb behind the back of my palm. Not as well as I used to when i was younger. But.

I can curl my tongue. That’s rare right?

10. where were you born?

Someplace in Queens, NY. 

11. what are your hobbies?

Life.

Currently making playlists and learning psd. But I still consider writing and reading and watching TV among them tho those are rarely done.

12. do you have any pets?

No.

13. how tall are you?

5′3.5

14. favourite subject in school?

History/Social Studies. Then English. Psychology  & Spanish too in high school

15. dream job?

I don’t know.

#songs about me #tag meme #long post #grapecase posts

[thebirdandhersong]

tagged by @permanentreverie thank you <3

are you named after anyone? yes, but not my English name (I have four names) I was named after a character in a martial arts novel for one of them (lol) and I was also named after Joni Eareckson Tada for another (but in the language this was in, it's pronounced "JOAN-ie" instead of "JOHN-ie"

when was the last time you cried? actual breakdown being two days ago because I missed my grandfather. Cried briefly yesterday for the same reason

do you have kids? only fictional ones. Tons if you count my Sunday School kidos

do you use sarcasm a lot? sometimes.

what's the first thing you notice about people? their smile, their eyes, their voices!

what's your eye colour? dark, dark brown. You can only tell they're brown under direct sunlight

scary movies or happy endings? This is the happy endings club..... there are enough sad endings in the world. I'm not about to fill my head with a fictional sad ending on top of that

any special talents? I can cook for ten :) learned to while living in a community house!

where were you born? Southeast Asia

what are your hobbies? reading, writing, embroidery, crochet, watercolour painting, drawing, going on walks

have you any pets? no, alas. I had an imaginary cat called Oliver in middle school (I was very lonely)

what sports do you play/have you played? basketball briefly, which was one of the most exasperating experiences of my life. It is very embarrassing to be the slowest member on the team when you're also the oldest and still have lingering middle school awkwardness

how tall are you? 5'2 (5 feet 2.8 inches to be exact) (for people to whom this means nothing I'm 161cm)

favourite subject in school? English, art, Christian Studies

dream job? Author!

#songbird again #thanks lindsay!!

[author-a-holmes]

15 Questions tag

Thank you @shellyscribbles for the Tag! I've not seen this one about before so I might save a copy in my drafts and answer as a character at a later date, but I'm gonna answer as me this time around <3

Tagging forward, with no pressure, to @faelanvance @minamoroz @queen-kass-the-writer @blind-the-winds @duckingwriting and @oh-no-another-idea Also anyone else who wants to play, consider this an open tag.

Rules: Answer the 15 questions as your OC or yourself. Tag up to 15 people.

Answering as myself below the cut & there's a blank set of questions at the bottom for easy copy/paste <3

1 - Are you named after anyone?

Yes. My pen name, Arista Holmes, I chose because 'Arista' is an old name for the brightest star in the Virgo constellation, Spica. Virgo being my starsign, I thought it was apropos, but 'Holmes' comes from one of my favourite literary characters; Sherlock Holmes.

I decided to do that because my mum actually named me, my real name that is, after HER favourite literary character; Jo March from Little Women by Louisa May Alcott.

My middle name was also chosen to be the female form of my paternal grandfather, but I genuinely dislike it so I don't actually share that name with anyone other than very close friends.

2 - When was the last time you cried?

I don't remember? Probably the last time I was in a lot of pain so maybe... 6-8 months ago? At a guess.

3 - Do you have any kids?

No, and I never will.

4 - Do you use sarcasm?

Sometimes. Not as often as my brother. He's a master at it, and I'm very jealous. I can write sarcasm, when I have time to think about my answers, but it doesn't often come to me naturally.

5 - What's the first thing you notice about people?

At a distance, the way they're standing and/or body language; ie whether they're going to be a threat. Up close, I more often notice their eyes. I'm a sucker for pretty eyes so I tend to be drawn to them fairly quickly when observing people.

6 - What is your eye color?

Light brown/dark honey brown.

7 - Scary movies or happy endings?

I can deal with scary movies IF they have happy endings... So probably the answer is happy endings :D

8 - Any special talents?

Does my writing count? I don't know to be honest. The first time I ever picked up a recurve bow at a fairground, I hit a bullseye. The person running the stand gave me an additional 6 arrows for free and kept teaching me tricks, and then invited me to join the archery club they were a part of, so... Does that count?

9 - Where were you born?

In a hospital in the South East of England.

10 - What are your hobbies?

Reading, Writing, Computers, Computer Games, D&D 5E, making Dreamcatchers.

11 - Do you have any pets?

Yes. I've HAD both dogs and cats, but at the moment I only have 1 cat. It's difficult to go on holiday with a dog, but in a year or two we might look at getting another dog or cat to join the family.

12 - What sports do you or have you played?

I'm physicallly disabled from the hips down so not many. I used to be VERY good at swimming. The water resistance helped strengthen my legs, without putting strain on the joints. I've also enjoyed a spot of archery in the past, when there was a local club to join, but I haven't done swimming or archery in years.

I also used to enjoy horseback riding as a kid, but that was before my knees got worse. I can't get ON a horse now, so that's no longer an option in the future.

13 - How tall are you?

5 foot 7 inches.

14 - Favorite subject in school?

English, obviously. But IT Essentials was a close second.

15 - Dream job?

Self Published Author ^_^

***

1 - Are you named after anyone?

2 - When was the last time you cried?

3 - Do you have any kids?

4 - Do you use sarcasm?

5 - What's the first thing you notice about people?

6 - What is your eye color?

7 - Scary movies or happy endings?

8 - Any special talents?

9 - Where were you born?

10 - What are your hobbies?

11 - Do you have any pets?

12 - What sports do you or have you played?

13 - How tall are you?

14 - Favorite subject in school?

15 - Dream job?

#15 questions tag game #fifteen questions tag game #15 questions #fifteen questions #tag game #tumblr tag game #author interview #writeblr #writeblr community #writing #writing community #Ari Speaks #Arista Speaks