#bg Kevin Small

[black-plumbob]

[batbabydamian]

The Boy Wonder #2 by Juni Ba rambling about Gotham's fearsome hunter

added Jason to this issue's collage since it was mainly from his perspective!

ramble for issue #1 here!

starting with the cover again, but now in contrast to the first:

Dick and Barbara are presented as statues in the bg for the first cover where they’re established heroes in a secure time in their lives, and Damian is obviously the highlight! For #2's cover, the autumn leaves motif returns, but this time featuring Jason!! Apparently, Damian isn’t the only one to go through a “season of change” in this series, as Jason takes his own steps forward by the end of this story 🥺 also the literal layers on Jason - his angry Red Hood helmet and the beaten down Robin head...

The issue opens with Joe the robber and his hostage "Merle"! The glasses feels like a giveaway that this is Carrie(??) narrating Damian's story, so the final issue could end with her perspective for where Damian currently is in his journey as Robin and where she plays a part.

Jason as the "hunter" of this fairytale is such a cool concept, especially upon his introduction pages!! He's surrounded by his recent "prey" with a nice contrast of their fancy jackets, pinstripe pants, and dress shoes to Jason's own tattered hoodie, pants, and sneakers.

Just like the past issue (or just Ba's work in general lol), THE BACKGROUNDS ARE SO LOVINGLY DRAWN. Makes Jason's stroll through inner Gotham so enjoyable from the bustling activity of the people, shop signs, and advertising to the quieter area of the cemetery. It's so lived in, especially feels like each citizen in the bg has a story to tell!

some bits of interest to me: is that scaly lil arm reaching for the rat supposed to be Croc LOL; just neat visual of old Joker posters leering over Jason; the name of the cemetery a nod to Kevin Conroy? and from T. Wayne - Thomas Wayne?

Despite showing how much of an intimidating and hardened exterior the Red Hood has, there's plenty of suggestion that he has soft edges! from his act of revenge for a beloved member of the community, his familiarity with the people even greeting him, and down to his chocobar...

might be my overthinking but the layers of that close up shot of the chocobar really got me 😭 it's like such a piece of innocence when seen in his scarred hand, especially when "Wayne Sweets" is visible - is it more emphasis of Jason clinging to a safer time and Bruce Wayne himself?? or is this brand just his favorite lil treat

EITHER WAY, incredibly funny to me Jason seems to hide it once Damian shows up

Seeing Ba's storyboards has me even more curious about his process with O'Halloran - like, it's a small detail but the traffic light in the foreground being red! added emphasis on the red theme this issue, or a warning for these two to Stop heading into a trap? ANYWAY DAMIAN HESITANTLY ASKING ABOUT HIS MOTHER I'M THROWING UP AWWGH

also love critically acclaimed animated film "The Cheetah King" haha! ALTHOUGH, Jason's story does line up with Simba's - a lost prince that feels like he's failed his father. Even believed to be dead for a period of time lol

Rok the demon's design is so slick!! Seems to take after a peacock with how fanciful he is, plus his tail details in his other form! A dapper demon definitely ready for the gala!

A GLIMPSE OF BA'S HEAVIER ACTION ART!! THE POUNCE!! the Robins being entirely made up of motion lines, even the details for Jason's helmet; and i'm always a sucker for those light streaks from the eyes!! THE PUNCH!! the quick panel of Jason's fist before arcing into that POW!!

and i say a glimpse, because in just the two other books i've read from Ba so far, he draws so much more action. lil Monkey Meat promo BUT LOOK!! have i mentioned how much i love his sfx lettering...that "AAAH" getting motion lines when closer to the camera...crazy...

dropping another small element from one of his books, Djeliya! just a really cool visual of casting magic!!

I love this sequence leading up to the Joker vision! The shapely flames that dwindle into the shape of TEARS!! We don't get the extent of how deeply the Joker affected Jason until this moment and the man is terrified.

First thing Damian does after getting shot is insult Jason, DAMIAN IS SO FUNNY. Also absolutely love the wiggly woggly lines of EVERYTHING in this panel.

Considering what Damian said earlier: "We both know you'd rather not have to explain your failure to father if anything happens to me that you could have prevented." As if Jason didn't already feel like a failure before this!! of course he'd turn into jiggling jelly realizing what he's done.

After 27 pages of a narrow-eyed Red Hood, including an early tease of him about to take off the helmet for his snack, this full page of Jason unmasking himself is such a heavy reveal. Adding the aching piece of dialogue?? BRUTAL

Damian responds in kind to the vulnerability with his own confession and something Jason really needed to hear after burdening himself for so long with the idea of being a failure.

After Damian leaves, the camera pulls back to show The Door in the dark of the room. Damian quite literally presents Jason a window of opportunity to face his past, and it goes so hard. Just like the buildup of frowning mask-to-face reveal, Jason's few expressions have mostly looked sad. So the shadowed eyes before the glare of determination makes this quiet moment feel extra epic!! also reminiscent of the Red Hood mask he wears!!

Beyond the door of Jason's "past life" is complete darkness. Jason has been hoping for Batman to pull him out of it (as further suggested by the newspaper clippings), but in the final page, the door is leaking light!! Jason finds his own way forward :')

The first issue introduces the Robins with specific labels, and so far the narrative either delves deeper into those claims or challenges it. Damian is unimpressed by "kind and brave" Dick and even forms some kind of rivalry. By the end, Damian’s learned how those simple traits are essential to becoming the person and hero Dick has become and gains a newfound respect for him.

#2 deviates from #1 by following “brash and rageful” Jason's perspective! Damian is under pressure from the legacies of all the Robins before him, and even if he relates to Jason the most there's still tension. This time around, while Damian does learn what lies behind the mask, he's the one to impart some knowledge to his fellow Robin.

ending ramble with a panel of the small beans

"Look Damian, everything the light touches is our kingdom."

TBH this ramble took forever to start because after reading Djeliya and Monkey Meat, i was so floored by how much MORE Ba has to offer. Everything i raved about from the first issue of The Boy Wonder...Ba's done it all in his previous work and MORE SO?? on top of writing, whimsical paneling and lettering, fun action scenes, deliberate coloring, kickass character designs and worldbuilding... the man does it all?? 😭

Monkey Meat 🐒

Djeliya: A West African Fantasy Epic ✌️

Mobilis: My Life with Captain Nemo

The Unlikely Story of Felix and Macabber

i may save the last two books for after The Boy Wonder ends because imagining the end of the series makes me so sad LOLL orz i may cave just because Mobilis is a pleasantly giant book...praying for DC to give the collected edition of The Boy Wonder this treatment...his pages are brimming with energy they deserve to be blown up with an oversized printing 😭

[ourloveiselectrifying]

OLIE MONTHLY UPDATE!!! :3

Hello everyone, sorry have been busy, I'm not going to be answering many asks because I wanna focus on the game! But I'll answer a few here and there until the updates out, then I'll just answer everything if I can >:))

Stuff I've been working on (Spoilers!!)

THAT DINGO IS ANIMATED !!!

I've mostly just been replacing the old sprites with the new ones! It's really neat! The old sprite was just a ton of different images that take up a silly amount of space and makes it tedious making new slightly different sprites as Kevin has two forms, 5 outfits, a helmet, will have various bodily fluids on him, ect. SO the new sprite is a composite, every similar to the MC customiser! We playing dress up with him :3

It's also great because I can quickly take any expressions or outfits and easily update them in the future when my art abilities improve!

Kevin's sprite is much more dynamic and expressive now :3 Have some happy Kevin wagging gifs

Most of the fav animals are in the screen/not hidden within other animals now!

Added a few small additions to the sprites

Sketching out new BGs & CGs

Updated a few keychains that I was unhappy with, here is two of them!

New logo/presplash that's a lil' animated!

Side images! Have a look it moves! (Only on the first sentence and then is static until Kevin's face is in shot/final sentence, then it hides!) Also bonus Kev upside down because idk how to code

Writing the routes and figuring out the story some more!

Working on the dream buddy a little more!

New textbox character icons

[jihyoruri]

I mean if Kevin and Richgirl!y/n are cousins I just know he won’t sit still (if he is close with y/n) since he’s very vocal about unfairness and all.

Lmao moon siblings out to get everyone (Jae and Daeun it’s about time you both start sticking up for your younger sister 🙄🤨)

idk anything about bgs like that (I stan a very small amount) so this was interesting to read

[beardedmrbean]

This weekend (July 6-7) probably the biggest pop culture event in Bulgaria took place. Over 25,000 fans of cosplay, manga, anime, gaming, comics, cinema and graffiti gathered to have fun in the company of popular actors, artists and talents from around the world. Two days, 4 halls and thousands of emotions! The diverse program allowed everyone to immerse themselves in their world and be themselves among like-minded people. Dozens of zones with games and surprises, panels with movie stars, gaming tournaments, meetings with celebrities from the small screen, workshops, contests and a show program are just a part of everything that Aniventure Comic Con will leave a mark on the hearts of the audience. After the fantastic end of this year's edition, the organizers have also announced the dates for next year, namely July 5 and 6, 2025!

As part of Aniventure Comic Con 2024, fans had the opportunity to meet live with actors Ross Marquand, Dan Fogler, Anna Shaffer, Vincent Regan and Maria Bakalova, who with a smile and a very warm attitude welcomed their fans for photos and autographs. In addition to these close encounters, the actors talked about themselves and shared interesting moments from their lives and careers during special interviews from the stage of Hall 1.

They were joined by Julian Kostov and Josh Wichard, who took us to another dimension and explained what it's like to be a video game actor. The topic excited dozens of guests who crowded the gaming area of ​​A1 and Lenovo, where tournaments and challenges were held on the most popular and current games such as Brawl Stars, Clash Royale, League of Legends Challenge, FC24, FORTNITE with 4a1a.

Visitors had the opportunity to meet live the artists of comics such as "Tony Pateto", Neda Malcheva, Christian Duce, as well as the author of the series of books from the universe of "Dune", "Star Wars" and "The X-Files" - Kevin J. Anderson, who revealed more details and little-known facts about his work on the super hits.

One of the hot spots during the event was the Meet&Greet area, which met us with the most popular influencers and YouTubers such as Slavi from The Clashers, Aide BG, The World of Vankata, Mirela Ilieva and Teodora Mudeva from "Games of Will", Hyperkong and Elizabeth Kravets, Philip Bukov, Krisia, Atanas Mishev-Nasi Svej, Maggie Tomova, Ekaterina Todorova, Valeria Dakova. For the first time, all the "Bachelors" of Bulgaria gathered in one place - Viktor Stoyanov, Evgeni Genchev, Alek Mladenov.

Of course, we can't help but mention the extremely exciting cosplay, manga and anime contests, which peppered the event with incredible images and favorite characters that came to life on the main stage. There were also numerous workshops, panels, lectures and screenings dedicated to Asian culture, which filled Hall 2 with fans.

These and many more emotions captured Inter Expo Center, and what awaits us next year, we have to find out on July 5 and 6, 2025. Tickets at a promotional price are now on sale in the Eventim network!

[twtangel-arts]

Unpopular opinion/thought

But I have this small fear that some Streber x Kevin shippers will call Sr. pelo ‘a queer baiter’ just bc of the bathroom BG

Am I wrong for this? Probably but it’s a genuine fear :/

Like I mean, when the next spooky month episode comes out and it’s shown that Streber and Kevin AREN’T together… people will start saying that shit and IM NOT UP FOR IT????

[jojen-hewitt]

XIII. DEATH

Upright: End of cycle, New Beginnings, Change, Metamorphosis

Reversed: Fear of change, Stagnation, Holding on

My Death card for the @aftgtarotzine. I chose Jean and Kevin because I think both of them just embody the meaning of the card; changing, but also the resistance to change. Plus the symbolism of the setting/rising sun and the crowns and racquets scythe just seemed really appropriate for these two as well.

Also, I added the Kevin side up because, again, the meaning can work in reverse, but also because I just really like how both orientations turned out and I couldn’t decide which to post. 😆

I can go on and on about this one because it’s probably my favourite thing I’ve drawn all year, but I’ll just leave it at that.

This was such a great project to work on and I highly recommend you check out the rest of the zine! You can get it HERE ! (if its still available, sorry this took me so long to post =__=“ Otherwise they have a lot of other peoples on the tumblr, so again check them out! Its a fantastic zine!)

You can find my Magican card HERE !!

[siren-virus]

welp, I've finally came up with a schedule for asking you questions. Every 2-4 days after you answer something I've sent I shall make an ask, changing the themes between your OCs and their world, and Luckyboy!Ben AU. That way I won't burn you out accidently with asking about the same thing all the time XD And since my last ask was about your OCs, it's time to return to Luckyboy!Ben AU :D

Ok, first question, Would Gwen here have the necrofriggian babies? Big Chill babies (but named differently obviously)? I suspect that she would have them considering that that was something that came up from a... defect, bug, glitch, purposefully put design? in the Omnitrix, as such she should have birthed them regardless of the differences with cannon. Would anyone else know about the babies, considering it was treated as a secret in cannon but maybe not in this AU?

Also, what about Zs'Skayr? He (Is Zs'Skayr gendered? I'll treat them as male for the rest of this ask to avoid complications) is also someone that's independent of the events of the prime universe, and as such I'd imagine that he would still be a threat in this universe.

And the Loboan transformation that Ben went through in the OS, would Gwen also go through it in here as well? We know that that transformation was triggered by Werewolf when the team was attacked, forcing Ben to go through a gradual transformation.

Now back to Nekomata :D Would Ben ever reveal his identity to someone? Maybe Gwen and grandpa Max? Perhaps Rook if he manages to gain the complete trust of Ben first? What kind of situation would allow for Ben to reveal his identity as Nekomata that wasn't a life-or-death one? Because let's be real, in a life-or-death situation anyone would reveal their identities XD

We know that Ben is the favourite barista of the coffee, and with good reason, considering he's a charismatic info brooker that will kick the ass (or alien equivalent) of anyone making trouble, while also being respectful of the clients (because that's mandatory in a job like that one, but isn't it hard to find employees like that in this universe) and keeping their dietaries needs in mind. But does He has any favourite client, someone he's waiting to come because he geniunly sees them as friends even though they only see each other in the coffee? Nekomata interactions don't count for this XD I'd imagine it would be one of the plumbers kids, Kevin or Argit, But who knows? this might as well be a time to make any background character shine :P Not that I remember any of them anyways XD

NGL Im already burnt out on luckyboy (it dont take much rlly, just bored of the idea haha ;;) I'll entertain ur questions tho. maybe it'll spark me back to life. Currently hyperfixated on artfight!

I'm conflicted about this. Idk if that episode was supposed to be a metaphor for teen pregnancy (i still find it hilarious that it's a cannon mpreg episode rip!), but with Gwen it wouldn't rlly work(?) She's quite responsible, and considering her personality she'd get way too attached.

So- I would say that she has a lot better communication with Azmuth then what Ben did, and Azmuth took into consideration a lot of Gwens suggested tweeks. So, no babys- srry. They'd nerf Gwen completely. (poor thing crys over the littlest things...)

You know what? what's the harm in a little childhood trauma, we'll have Zs'Skayr. Gwen never took back control of Ghost Freak after the events of Zs'Skayr. She also never defeated him the first round, it irritates her to know end how much of a coward she was as a child. But she was a child! She's too hard on herself a lot of the times.

Oh geez this brings back memories~ I remember sitting in my loungeroom watching this episode and loving it every time.

The only reason Ben turned into the Laboan was because he chased after the OG wolf man.

I would say Gwen's a lot more cautious in those cases and stuck close to Max. So she didn't end up collecting the Laboan DNA until a lot further down the track.

Maybe similar events happen with a different alien however, something Gwen can't avoid.

Before I dive down into Nekomata I just wanna make note of some Gwen stuff.

Gwen is still quite headstrong, intelligent and cautious when it comes to fighting. Quite similar to how she functions in the OG her fighting is more Defensive. Her fighting style is built off Taekwondo (I think thats what she practised in alien force...) So she's more built for self defence. She's very analytical of her opponents. Her best alien would be XLR8 (my one of my faves ngl). Using her quick thinking she can do small attacks that can weaken her opponent.

Now then:

I usually don't like to reveal big REVEALS to anyone even myself. Which can straight up nerf me when it comes to developing my own characters cause I won't spoil myself.

So it takes a lot of willpower to do this. It's my AU and I say what's canon!

WHEEEEZE BUT TO BE HONEST I LIKE TO SWITCH THINGS UP SO DON'T TAKE THIS AS OFFICIAL OFFICIAL CAUSE I MIGHT END UP CHANGING MY MIND. I'M SO INDESCISIVE!!!

The big reveal:

You know what, I thought about this a while ago. Rook is realsing that perhaps the plumbers are in the wrong. So he only whishes to hear Nekomata out. He ends up finding Nekomata after a big fight. He's quite injured and bleeding out, he can't retain his anodite form (add a bit of a concussion in the mix). Rook panics and has to throw the mask off, because the majorite of blood is under the mask. (mans know first aid). He's hesitant, all this chasing, all this fighting. Surely he couldn't! but He does. He pulls of the mask AND, oh shit, the barista!

I think around this time the plumbers had caught on to Rooks faulty allegiance and had followed him, so He finds himself surrounded. Rook places the mask back on and trys to talk with the plumbers.

They're not hearing it. And Ben, in his weary state, pulls out one of his little teleporter rocks (i forgot to mention he carries around of a lot of them, preinfused with mana as a just in case scenario) grabs Rook by the ankle and teleports them away.

Through a series of events his identity is revealed, to the public and he's on the run. Not sure how that'll go, but it extends the overall storyline!

....

...

You're right, the BG characters really don't get that limelight. So..... Blukig and Driba. He genuinely enjoys their little back and forths. Also in this universe they're gay. I can't imagine those two loving anyone else but each other.

[black-plumbob]

Anyway, this is my very last Bellagrave post 😔

I made my first Bellagrave post on May 29th of last year, so I've been playing this save for a little over a year (it's June when I'm scheduling this, and I have no idea when I did the scripted events).

Leaving this save is kind of bittersweet. But I wanted to make some lifespan/ACR changes, which would get extremely complicated with some households having already done close to 2 rounds while I haven't even started others. There's also a potential for ACR to cause problems regarding tokens and the fertility curve.

Either way, I'm kind of excited to start a new save that starts from the very beginning, since I played through Bellagrave's scripted events without taking any pictures, and the Pleasants/Burbs were the only Pleasantview households I took any pictures of (excluding Mortimer Goth and Dina Caliente, whom I moved to downtown).

[lostcryptids]

There are Adam Sandler movies where he's not the main character?????

Like movies his production studio happy madison did with people like kevin james and he’s a bg character or has a small role. i’m sorry that i know so much about this 

[angelkitten135]

Gen-z/Millennial and Highschool EENE

What if the Ed's were Gen-z/ Millennial meme disasters.

(Also some of these go with my highschool headcanons)

ED

The kid that bonks his head on things like door frames and runs into lockers.

Screams like a goddamn moose

Best hugs

Big ass puppy dog

Wants everyone to get along

"FIVE SECOND RULE"

Cusses a little

MUST hold his hand when you go out in crowded places, he WILL get lost like a small child

Bit of a dumdum

Burns water

Cannot hold himself back if he sees a cute animal

Everyone's little bro even tho he's one of the oldest.

Unsupervised Child Friend™

"No Ed you can't do that dangerous thing" means "yes Ed do the dangerous thing"

Wears the same clothes for 2 or 3 days

Will down a medium pizza and a 2 liter of Mountain Dew to himself

"Hey I'm Ed and I'm 19, and I never learned how to read"

Likes neon colors

Drinks a lot of slushies

Watches musicals

"FREEZE YOUR BRAINNN"

Still loves horror movies.

Makes b-list movie references

Eddy

Also screams for no reason

#1 at scare and office pranks

Does the "Hi I'm Marie and I wear to much makeup to hide the fact I have no ass HHHUHH" "Hi I'm Kevin and Im a ginger so i have no soul HUUHH" "My names Eddward and I act all innocent but i lost my virginity in high school huhhh" meme to everyone

Bi disaster

Is short till Junior year, then he's a goddamn beanstalk.

Still shorter then Ed and Rolf

Cusses like an Army Sergeant(his gramps was one so)

Crazy dumb jackass but still passes his eocs

Goes to therapy and takes antidepressants/anxiety pills

"THIS BITCH EMPTY, YEET"

makes old school references no one gets

Is a surprisingly good cook

Does let's plays

Lowkey loves animals, especially dogs

His therapist introduced him to sketching and now he does so in his free time.

Is actually really good at it, his books are filled with the kids(mostly Ed and Edd) and his parents

Watches Game of Thrones

"Whaddaya mean you don't watch Game of Thrones??"

Binge watches Netflix

Low self-esteem

"Oof"

Will often smack Kevin in the back of the head and run away cackling like a gremlin

Kevin wallops his ass each time, but he keeps doing it

Steals his hat a lot too, longest time he had it was 6 days

Drinks too many energy drinks and eats to much beef jerky

Addicted to mountain dew

Can walk in heels

Is in theater club

Has big ass nerd glasses

Keeps breaking them

His parents eventually got him contacts

He falls asleep in them a lot, so they had to get him a special kind

Overall big pain in the ass

Gremlin Friend™

Sexually frustrated

Twunk™

Likes salty foods

"Cat shit, bat shit, dirty old twAt, 69 assholes tied in a knot, hurray, lizard shit, FUCK"

Stuck in the 70s-90s and dresses like it

EDD

As payback, "Hello I'm Eddy and I make fun of people online cause I'm too short to say it to their face"

Is a petty prankster

Holds grudges over petty shit, like sitting in his spot

"That's my spot"

"It's too early for your bs Eddy"

"Hold on, *Sips black coffee with 99 shots of espresso in it* ..proceed"

Only cusses when drunk, high, really tired or really stressed.

"Fuck off Eddy" Eddy,*Surprised Pikachu*

Is 100 percent done with his friends but he still loves them

Crazy smart but his common sense is a bit weak

Wants to lowkey die

Mom Friend™

Loves to record his boys being cute

And being complete idiots

Has given up on telling Ed and Eddy "no".

"No.. Don't do that.. You'll get hurt.. Come back.. *pulls out camera*"

"Hey, how ya doin, yeah I'm doin just fine, I lied, I'm dying inside"

Eats in the background of Eddy's Let's Plays.

One time he tripped and fell in the BG and was like fck it and just went to sleep. Eddy found him later and was like tf

Do not offer him raw veggies he will eat all of them

Watches The Office

Runs on caffeine and mere willpower

Goes to hipster coffeeshops

Can also walk in heels

Twink™

Has cussed out both Eds in French and Japanese on several occasions

Writes in cursive in school so Eddy cant copy him

Sarcastic humor

Can fall asleep anywhere

Is small enough to fit anywhere

Flexible af

Compact

Secretly listen to rock music

Everyone is in love with him

Hates his gap but everyone else love it

Eddy has picked him up and yeeted him before

Once he fell asleep in class leaning on his hand and Eddy pulled his arm out from under him and he hit his head on the desk

As revenge, he waited till Eddy fell asleep in class then he tied his shoelaces together.

Likes pastels

All 3 of them smoke weed

[hostingnewsfeed]

Stocks To Watch: Tencent Music, Starbucks And Under Armour In Focus

New Post has been published on http://rentts.org/stocks-to-watch-tencent-music-starbucks-and-under-armour-in-focus/

Stocks To Watch: Tencent Music, Starbucks And Under Armour In Focus

Welcome to Seeking Alpha’s Stocks to Watch – a preview of key events scheduled for the next week. Follow this account and turn the e-mail alert on to receive this article in your inbox every Saturday morning.

Investors are prepping for another week of volatility as concerns over the China trade deal and the impact of the U.K. Brexit withdrawal bill are sure to linger. Add in the drama of a yield curve that inverted on the short end and it’s small wonder that the Santa Claus rally is having a hard time materializing. With major indexes having now erased their gains for the year, expect to hear some noise from value investors after seeing the one-month drops in names such as Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) -25%, Target (NYSE:TGT) -22%, Tiffany (NYSE:TIF) -22%, Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) -19%, Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) -18%, Halliburton (NYSE:HAL) -15% and Altria (NYSE:MO) -15%. On the economic front this week, new reads on producer prices, consumer prices and retail sales will be closely watched.

Notable earnings reports: It’s a very thin week for earnings reports, but companies due to spill numbers include Ascena Retail (NASDAQ:ASNA) and Stitch Fix (NASDAQ:SFIX) on December 10; American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) and Dave & Buster’s Entertainment (NASDAQ:PLAY) on December 11; Phototronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) and Oxford Industries (NYSE:OXM) on December 12; Adobe (NASDAQ:ADBE), Costco (NASDAQ:COST) and Ciena (NASDAQ:CIEN) on December 13.

IPOs expected to price: Tencent Music Entertainment (TME) is pressing ahead with its IPO as the company looks to take advantage of the 90-day pause on tariffs between the U.S. and China. The music streaming service plans to sell 41M ADSs in the offering and selling shareholders will also unload just under 41M ADSs. Tencent Music owns three streaming music platforms in China – QQ Music, Kuguo, and Kuwo – with a count of over 700M monthly active users. Heading into the IPO, Tencent (OTCPK:TCEHY) holds a 58.1% stake in Tencent Music and Spotify (NYSE:SPOT) owned a 9.1% stake.

IPO lockup expirations: Greenpro (OTCQB:GRNQ) on December 10; US Xpress Enterprises (NYSE:USX) and Charah Solutions (NYSE:CHRA) on December 11; Avalara (NYSE:AVLR), Verrica Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRCA) and Puixin (NYSE:NEW) on December 12.

Analyst quiet period expirations: Vapotherm (NYSE:VAPO) and Eton Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ETON) on December 10; Weidai (NYSE:WEI) on December 11;

Projected dividend changes (quarterly): Abbott (NYSE:ABT) to $0.30 from $0.28, AES (NYSE:AES) to $0.14 from $0.13, Amgen (NASDAQ:AMGN) to $1.39 from $1.32, Boeing (NYSE:BA) to $2.08 from $1.71, Franklin Resources (NYSE:BEN) to $0.25 from $0.23, Lilly (NYSE:LLY) to $0.57 from $0.5625, Realty Income (NYSE:O) to $0.221 from $0.2205, AT&T (NYSE:T) to $0.51 from $0.50, Ventas (NYSE:VTR) to $0.81 from $0.79, ABM Industries (NYSE:ABM) to $0.18 from $0.175, Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC) to $0.46 from $0.42, SEI (NASDAQ:SEIC) to $0.32 from $0.30, Urstadt Biddle (NYSE:UBA) to $0.275 from $0.27, WD-40 (NASDAQ:WDFC) to $0.59 from $0.54.

60 Minutes: Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) CEO Elon Musk was interviewed by Leslie Stahl for the weekly news show. In a clip already released, Musk said “I don’t really want to try to adhere to some CEO template.” Musk also stated that the EV automaker would have interest in setting up shop in an old General Motors (NYSE:GM) plant if one is available.

Analyst/investor meetings: Arthur Gallagher (NYSE:AJG), Enbridge (NYSE:ENB), American Water Works (NYSE:AWK), ServiceMaster Global (NASDAQ:SERV), TreeHouse Foods (NYSE:THS) and Crown Holdings (NYSE:CCK) on December 11; Aimmune Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AIMT) and Hess (NYSE:HES) on December 12; ImmunoGen (NASDAQ:IMGN), Health Insurance (NASDAQ:HIIQ) and Danaher (NYSE:DHR) on December 13; Hartford Financial (NYSE:HIG) and Centene (NYSE:CNC) on December 14.

Spotlight on coffee: Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) hosts its biannual investor day event on December 13. The meeting will occur about a month after Starbucks announced a round of corporate-level job cuts. While the company isn’t directly in the line of fire of tariffs, an escalation of the U.S.-China trade battle could end up hurting its business if Beijing slows the regulatory process or a consumer backlash pops up.

Spotlight on Under Armour: Under Armour (UA, UAA) will hold an investor meeting on December 12. CEO Kevin Plank, President, COO Patrik Frisk, CFO David Bergman and other Under Armour execs will provide an overview of the company’s long-term strategy, financial outlook and key initiatives to deliver sustainable, profitable growth and shareholder value.

Capitol Hill watch: Google (GOOG, GOOGL) CEO Sundar Pichai is due to appear before a House panel on December 11 in a hearing rescheduled from last week. Height Capital Markets expects the tough questions to be asked to Pichai by lawmakers to be just the start, not the end. The firm thinks Big Tech companies will be exposed to regulatory headline risk into 2019, even as it predicts final legislation will be tough to pass both houses. The House is also slated to vote next week on a bi-partisan measure that would punish drugmakers trying to game Medicaid’s rebate system to garner bigger profits.

FCC watch: The FCC is due to start its quadrennial review of some media ownership rules, including the issue of owning multiple stations in a single market. Companies watching the developments include Entercom (NYSE:ETM), Emmis Communications (NASDAQ:EMMS), Cumulus (NASDAQ:CMLS), Cox Radio (CXR), Clear Channel, CBS, Disney (NYSE:DIS), Beasley Broadcasting (NASDAQ:BBGI), iHeartMedia (OTCPK:IHRTQ).

Short report: Nasdaq is due to issue a new short interest report on December 11 for positions settled by November 30. Stocks with the highest level of short interest as a percentage of total float at the time of the last Nasdaq report included GNC Holdings (NYSE:GNC), Lannett Company (NYSEMKT:LCI), J.C. Penney (NYSE:JCP), Carbo Ceramics (NYSE:CRR), Carvana (NYSE:CVNA), Buckle (NYSE:BKE), Revlon (NYSE:REV), RH(NYSE:RH), Dillard’s (NYSE:DDS), Camping World (NYSE:CWH), B&G Foods (NYSE:BGS) and Pyxus International (NYSE:PYX).

M&A tidbits: Lumentum’s (NASDAQ:LITE) acquisition of Oclaro (NASDAQ:OCLR) is expected to close on December 10. Shareholders with Akebia Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AKBA) and Keryx Biopharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:KERX) vote on the merger between the two companies on December 11. A special meeting is scheduled on December 11 for shareholders of Dell Technologies (NYSE:DVMT) to vote on the Class V common stock exchange transaction. CVS Health (NYSE:CVS) has a deadline of December 14 to issue a briefing defending the Aetna (NYSE:AET) deal.

Sales updates: Franklin Resources (BEN) on December 10, TD Ameritrade (NASDAQ:AMTD) on December 11; E*Trade Financial (NASDAQ:ETFC) and Charles Schwab (NYSE:SCHW) on December 14.

More Prime Time: It’s another notch on the belt for Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) as its streaming service launches on Comcast’s (NASDAQ:CMCSA) Xfinity X1 platform.

Cyberwatch: Zix (NASDAQ:ZIXI), Calix (NYSE:CALX) and GigCapital (NYSE:GIG.U) are scheduled for one-on-one meetings at the Cowen 5th Annual Networking & Cybersecurity Summit on December 12.

Barron’s mentions: The share price drop on Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) looks overdone, reasons Jack Hough. He notes that a midyear price increase by Caterpillar on machines helped offset higher costs related to steel and other tariffs, while booked orders are strong for 2019. Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) is also seen as being on the cheap side, with shares trading at only 10X forward earnings. That’s despite the huge upside for Applied Materials in AI chips. There’s also a deep dive on Lam Research (NASDAQ:LRCX) after the company’s bumpy road.

Sources: Nasdaq, EDGAR, Reuters, CNBC, Bloomberg

Editor’s Note: This article covers one or more microcap stocks. Please be aware of the risks associated with these stocks.

[businessfrontrunners]

Entrepreneurial Heavy Hitters Bring Impact To Small Business Conference In 2021

https://authoritypresswire.com/?p=32822 Unique from other business gatherings, this retreat requires speakers to sit in the audience with attendees, as well as speak from the stage and conduct workshops. “Something I love, is you look around the room at the GROW Retreat, and here's a speaker having a conversation with five attendees and another is eating lunch with another group of business owners,” says GROW Disrupt Founder, Stephanie Scheller. The lineup includes Jeff Hoffman, serial entrepreneur and best known as a founder and CEO in the Priceline.com family of companies. Hoffman will share how attendees can scale their businesses using the same seven principles he gave to Amazon, Apple, and Virgin. Another successful serial entrepreneur is Claudia Harvey, founding partner of the BG Wealth Group. Claudia has started several multi-million-dollar companies, including DigIt® Apparel which Kevin O’Leary of Dragon’s Den fame invested in. Business owners will learn the 3 pillars of success that enabled Claudia to build a successful business during a recession.Returning speaker, Carl Gould, CEO of 7 Stage Advisors, also built multi-million-dollar businesses all before the age of 40. He will talk about how to create an offer so obnoxiously expensive that people can’t help but buy from the company. On day 2, he will then show business development done right so participants can get the business they deserve using that obnoxious offer. Marketing must connect with potential customers at a new level for businesses to positively impact their customers. Bringing their unique take on how to truly connect with prospects at a deeper level are Jeffrey Shaw, author of the book, Lingo, Christina Daves, founder of PR for Anyone, and Shannon Hernandez, creator of the Content Personality wheel.Shaw rose to fame photographing the rich and famous. He learned the power of speaking their language to be able to draw them in and become his clients. He will be sharing those secrets from the stage and in a workshop, empowering attendees to differentiate themselves by speaking their customers' language.PR can be very expensive. But PR guru, Christina Daves’ clients had more than a billion views on YouTube in 2019! Christina will show the power and process of getting PR and media for free! Participants will learn the process she uses for herself and her clients that gets massive exposure that’s affordable. Stories make a powerful impact on prospective customers. Shannon Hernandez teaches thought leaders from around the world to market products and services that are true to their hearts. In her presentation, she will help attendees build the kinds of stories that will speak to clients on a deep level, attracting the right clients to their businesses.Every business owner wants to build a company where employees take ownership of their work. Enter Dr. Terrence Young. Dr. Young is the owner of one of the largest OB-GYN practices in New York. Working with a psychologist, he said, “All of our research is around how to create a culture of leadership from the actual leader down to the janitor.” His talk and workshop about creating that culture will help business owners transform their companies into strong businesses that will impact not just the company but also the lives of the employees and everyone they touch."Speakers play full out, giving generously to the attendees both days," says Ms. Scheller, "And that's one of the things that makes this retreat more valuable than any other event of the year." To learn more, go to https://www.thegrowretreat.com.

[flowerconcept-blog]

boyfriend!jae

you work as a staff member at after school club! your job is basically to make sure everyone on set has what they needs! it's not a particularly exciting job and you're sort of a glorified intern, but it pays well enough

and your dream is to be a producer one day! you got a degree in media studies w/ a concentration on production but you have to smart small so..... here you are at asc

when you first started the job you were really nervous, but pretty soon you hit it off with jimin because you were the youngest two people on set and life got easier after that!!!!

then jae started as a mc and…….. honestly he really intimidated you

not because he was rude but because you found him really really really cute and funny and obviously it was a bad idea to have a crush on a kpop idol, even one as laid back as jae

and every time you interact with him, even if it’s just for a second you feel your heart racing like you’re a high schooler again and you’re like….. y/n….. do NOT like park jaehyung. do NOT!!!!!!! he may be tall and adorable and dreamy but you CANNOT like him

because you are…… kind of an awkward person….. your solution to this is to avoid him as much as possible

which you figure will go unnoticed as long as you still do your job!! there are so many staff members that jae would never notice that one of them … never talks to him! right?????

wrong!!!! jae totally notices that you are doing The Absolute Most to avoid talking to him :”( because you’re the cutest staff member and he really likes watching you joke with jimin and kevin and he’s like…..why not me :(

you: *roasts jimin* jae: god i wish that were me

he starts to ask for random things just so you have to interact with him…… he asks you for water every 3 minutes and ends up having to go to the bathroom all the time and everyones like ???? stop drinking water and jae’s like I CAN’T

except the whole time he doesn’t even realize he’s got a big fat crush on you, he’s just like i just want to be friends! i just think they’re cool!

jimin is [detective emoji] totally aware of the situation because watching you guys be around each other is painful so she cooks up a plan with a bunch of the other younger asc staff members who are also tired of your crushes

so you all go out to karaoke and jimin dares jae to take a bunch of shots and of course he does it. and u think sober jae has no filter? meet drunk jae, the biggest loudest mess of all time

you can kinda see how it goes from there but by the end of the night you’re pretty tipsy too and the two of you are flirting heavily and you do a bad duet and everyone is like…...could the romantic nd sexual tension BE more obvious????? (no)

nothing happens that night but once the two of you have gotten over your awkwardness thru your drunk karaoke, you start to hang out more and more and flirt more and more, going out for drinks after shooting and texting constantly and just being cute

jae is really bad with like……….corny romance and he doesn’t know how to tell you he genuinely likes you but it’s pretty clear that you two are into each other, and one day you’re making out with park jaehyung in your apartment after an intense mario kart game

after that you two make out every time you hang out! and it’s honestly perfect

you never actually clarify your relationship until like a month later jae calls you his s/o and you’re like “oh so you’re my bf?” and he’s like OBVIOUSLY WHO ELSE ARE YOU CALLING BOYFRIEND

once you get that out of the way………...jae gets increasingly cheesy throughout your relationship but acts like he’s totally not cheesy at all

you start bringing him coffee and snacks to filming because you know he forgets to eat sometimes and jimin and kevin go “awwwww” and jae is like damn right we’re cute….. and ur like wtf because if you call him cute he’s up in arms immediately

buys you matching couple shoes and ur all “jae that’s so sweet!!!!!” and he’s like “they aren’t the same size so they aren’t technically matching don’t think i like you or anything” (you: “jae we had sex yesterday” jae: “BUT I DONT LIKE YOU THO”)

gives you his jacket when you say you’re cold but then complains about being cold….and then when you roll your eyes and tell him he can have his jacket back he’s like “no way”

sneaks some of his hoodies into your apartment so he can see you wear them and it’s so sweet that you don’t call him out for once

LOVES when you laugh at his jokes it gives him such a power rush but he also just wants you to think he’s funny

you have a bunch of ugly pics/memes of him saved and he has a bunch of ugly pics of you saved and it’s a running competition to get the Ugliest Pic Possible of the other

the two of you go to karaoke a lot and get drunk and jae always plays day6 songs if they have it and makes you sing along with him and it’s goofy and you end up kissing with be lazy playing in the bg

also really loves when you come to concerts and seeing you in the crowd singing+dancing along because he’s got his bandmates who he loves….his music who he loves…. you who he loves…. it’s just amazing for him

the most annoying asshole boyfriend who is sooooooo clingy when you’re at his dorm or at your apartment, always cuddling you even when you want to make dinner or something and then pretends you started it

in public you’re a little more lowkey (especially because he’s famous lmao) but he does like holding your hand when he can

u guys roast wonpil together :’) and sungjin :’) and dowoon :’) and brian :’) you have never in your life called brian youngk and jae is SO proud of you for that

calls you “babe” super naturally and likes when you call him babe as well, but will cringe if you use almost any other pet names….. angel? no. sweetheart? no way would he be caught dead calling u that

even though he says he “””doesn’t really like you””” and roasts you all the time (you roast him back of course), if he realizes you aren’t in the mood for joking around he turns on his Caring Boyfriend Mode

Caring Boyfriend Jae wraps you up in blankets and turns on your favorite movie and makes you tea and kisses your forehead and just makes sure you’re okay…….is super sweet basically

will support you to the end of the world and you’re the same w/ him

he’s the softest when you’re going to sleep together, really really really loves hearing you breathing next to him and waking up to your sleep mussed hair because it feels so intimate and he doesn’t have to joke around or anything, he can just be with someone he loves and who loves him back

writes songs about you that are super corny and would never ever ever let the boys see them but he plays u one for your anniversary and you cry probably and he’s like i know my voice is beautiful but usually people don’t cry and you’re like SHUT up I LOVE YOU

the two of you eating pizza on the couch and kissing and jae laughing and saying “babe you taste like pizza” and you laughing and being like “you do too idiot” and then kiss again

[thebackwoodslife]

Shot some video of the new Small Town Thrown Down mix from Antler King with Todd and BG. Kevin on the cam. #hunting #backwoodslife #antlerking #brantleygilbert #outdoors #foodplot #doingwork (at Alabama)

[hidingmonster]

Harmless but not..

I heard the other day from a friend, how crazy some things stick in your mind. No matter how small or harmless it was at the time- can cause redflags and anxiety to course through your blood like fire.

Like the other day when an online friend said "ohh a little bit of this and a little bit of that" and my mind raced back to BG, when he would say that too me to be as vague as fucking possible. Instantly i retreated back and set up my wall.

Could this be him in disguise? Pretending to be someone else, to be a friend just to fuck with me all over again?...my mind is still guarded.

----

I got into an argument with my girlfriend today, that escalated into loud yelling and me bursting into tears. She'd never yelled, nor ever really raised her voice to me, but a striking loud "shut the fuck up" into the side of my ear inside a closed car sent my self into fight or flight mode. Every single moment of fighting with Bryant in my car or in his truck flashed before my eyes. Every ounce of anger and frustration, fueled by sudden PTSD relapse of living with a monster for 4 years shot to the surface of my skin. My scars burned, my chest tightened and i shot out of the car as quickly as i could to get away from the moment.

I havnt cried that hard in a long time. So much i gave myself a headache and bloodshot eyes.

I can admit, once im emotional and frustrated, its almost impossible to talk to me about anything. Once old issues you thought were healed come screaming back into your being, all else tends to fade away and your left stuck in the darkness again. You cant help it, but once you realize whats happening its too late and the damage is done.

Granted, we never have moments like this, i think it may have been our first actual...large argument that escalated to that point, no thanks to me and my emotional state.

----

I was talking with Tyler the other day, and he mentioned "oh that looks like the motorcycle i used to have" and instantly my mind went straight to "bullshit".

Granted, who am i to say if he ever really had one or not? He could have, how would i know? Despite never seeing a picture, license, general knowledge of one...

And i couldnt stop my brain from thinking he was lieing..

And what else could/has he lied about? My mind went straight to Kevin, when i was talking to him for that short amount of time and how compulsively he lied about everything, just to impress me.

To me thats just dumb, i hate lieing, but i guess i gave him the benefit of the doubt, but ohh so help me if i find out hes lieing.

Thats it.

I dont tolerate it specially after everything.

----

After being with the people ive been with, been around, i find my mind always holding onto things.

Being skeptical, always weary, always thinking somethings a lie, things dont add up. I will piece together information someone, or multiple people tell me, and can easily catch the errors. I find myself feeling crazy... i cant tell if im just over reacting, or if im actually catching on...

It ususlly results in people telling me im wrong. That im crazy, and it makes it worse.

And i dont know if im better or worse this way. A broken piece of myself, splintered and freyed with burnt nerve endings. Sure, i feel better now, im happier, but the damage is done, and i dont think it can be helped.

Shes helped a little but i think its mostly self healing that needs to happen.

Good luck with that. No one hates me more then i do. And hate is a powerful thing.

--