DATA LEDE:

• RBA minutes - Australia
• Said they will try not to excessively fine tune policy
• Future changes to cash rate are difficult to rule in or out
• CPI short term variation can be easily and reasonably overlooked
• Recent data does point to slightly increased inflation risks
• NEUTRAL/HAWKISH overall
• Australia consumer confidence numbers drop 0.3% MOM
• German PPI came 0.2% MOM vs 0.2% expected, in line with last months reading.
• YOY came in at -3.3% slightly below expected value of -3.2%. Came in light which is good for German inflation picture.
• Yellen Speech - no real meaningful comments
• EU balance of trade numbers hit a new yearly high. Points to improving world demand environment.
• Fed speakers include:
• Barkin, Waller, Williams, Bostic, Barr
• BoE’s Bailey to speak too

MARKETS:

• SPX: Maintained above 5300, now trading at 5311. Yesterday, touched 5325, before moving lower again. DJI: Trading at 39,813, just below 40k. Opened yesterday above 40k but moved lower on JPM weakness.
• Nasdaq: trading flat at 18,665. Support will now be at around 18,350.
• Ger40: Slightly lower today, at 18,600. Some slight profit taking near the highs.
• HKG50: Moving lower again for 2nd day in a row. Now at 19,240. Yesterday, was at 19,750 at one point. So down 2.7% across yesterday and today.
• Oil - hit 80 yesterday on WTI but was rejected off there. Lower today to 78, down by 1.5%. Back to range bound.
• Gold: Trading at 2418, Support at 2400.
• VIX: After getting crushed to 12 yesterday, bounced up off of there, now higher.

FX:

• DXY moving flat today and yesterday, around 104.5
• Had fallen to 100d moving average after CPI then moved higher, bouncing from there.
• EURUSD positioning still bullish, flat, slightly higher at 1.087
• GBPUSD moving higher again, trading at 1.272
• AUDUSD at 0.667,
• Has broken out of the long term downtrend.

EARNINGS:

• PANW Current Quarter:
• Revenues of 1.985B beat by 0.8%. Revenues rose 15% YOY
• Products revenue beat by 1.2%
• Subscriptions and support revenue beat by 0.3%
• EPS of 1.32 Beat expectations of 1.25 - beat by 5.6%
• Operating income was 508M, beat by 3.5%
• Operating margin was 25.6% , beat by 69 bps
• Billings came more or less in line
• Deferred revenue basically in line, slight miss.
• NEXT QUARTER GUIDANCE:
• EPS of 1.41 v slightly missed expectations of 1.42
• Revenue came in line with consensus at 2.16B
• Billings guidance beat consensus v slightly.
• FULL YEAR GUIDANCE:
• EPS of 5.56-5.58 beat estimates of 5.51
• Revenue of 8B beat estimates of 7.98B
• Billings of 10.15.5B was up 10-11% YoY
• CEO Nikesh Arora: Enthusiastic response to pjatformization and AI infused security outcomes.
• In conference call said that billings isn’t the only important measure, hence investors should overlook the slight softness in billings.
• Said cybersecurity demand will continue to grow for next several quarters, and PANW will benefit.
• Cyberattacks are scaling and aren’t going away. AI will increase these threats. So the tailwinds for PANW are very strong.

XPEV

• EPS of -0.75 was much better than the -2.06 expected
• Revenue of 6.55B beat estimates of 6.19B. Up 63% YOY, but down 50% QOQ
• Vehicle margin was 5.5%, which was up from 4.1% last quarter, and up form -2.5% last year SO VEHICLE MARGIN IMPROVED
• Vehicle sales came in at 5.54B yuan, up 50% YOY but down 50% QOQ
• Gross margin was 12.9%, up from 1.7% last year and 6.2% last quarter
• SO MARGINS IMPROVED, SALES WERE WORSE THAN LAST QUARTER
• In April saw 9,393 vehicles delivered
• Partnership with Volkswagen group on E/E architecture
• Release of AI powered functions
• GROSS MARGIN IMPROVEMENT DESPITE COMPETITION AND OTHERS CUTTING PRICES WAS A KEY BENEFIT.

NEXT QUARTER GUDIANCE:

• Revenue 7.5-8.3B miss by 15%
• Delivered of 29-32K. Up 30% YOY

MACYS:

• Current quarter:
• ADJ EPS $0.27 vs. $0.56 y/y, EST $0.14. BEAT
• EPS $0.22 vs. $0.56 y/y
• Net sales $4.8B, -3.7% y/y, EST $4.81B. IN LINE
• Gross margin 39.2% vs. 40% y/y, EST 39.6%. MISS
• SG&A expense $1.9B, -2.6% y/y, EST $1.98B. MISS
• GUIDANCE:
• Raised guidance from 2.45-2.85 to 2.55-2.9.
• Raised by 4%
• Beat estimates by 4%, although is a wide guidance
• Sees Net sales at 22.3-22.9B, raising bottom end up slightly from 22.2B.
• More or less in line with guidance.
• Merchandise margins down 100bps due to additional discounting
• Merchandise inventories are well positioned for upcoming summer season
• Credit card revenues down slightly due to higher delinquency rates
• Turnaround plan showing signs of progress as they beat and raise guidance.

LOWES:

• Current quarter:
• EPS of 3.67 beat estimates of 2.95
• Revenue of 21.4B was down YOY by 4%, but beat estimates by 1.3%
• Comparables sales were down 4%
• Reaffirms FY guidance:
• EPS of 12-12.3 vs estimate of 12.19. So miss slightly by 0.4%
• Revenue of 84-85B, basically in line.
• EXPECTS COMPARABLE SALES TO BE DOWN 2-3% vs estimates of 2.43% down.

MAG 7:

• MSFT yesterday, said that Copilot Plus PCs will be based on Qualcomm’s snapdragon X Elite chips, and will offer 15 hours of web browsing and 20 hours of video battery life. MSFT says it’ll outperform MacBook Air.
• On Copilot Plus, Neural processor enables new AI features such as recall for a searchable PC memory.
• MSFT estimates 50 million AI PCs will be sold over the next year. Said its rearchitectured Windows 11 is 58% faster than Apple’s MacBook Air.
• MSFT - restructures Windows 11 for better ARM hardware support and AI integration. Introduces prism emulator, launched to improve compatibility with older x86 and x64 apps. MSFT says Prism emulator is 20% faster than previous versions.
• AAPL - Files law suit to overturn $1.8B EU antitrust fine over App Store rules. AAPL is challenging a 1.8B fine.
• MSFT - OpenAI will be sued by Scarlett Johansson for basically copying her voice against her explicit instruction not to.
• TSLA - Tesla shareholder group still not happy with Elon Musk’s $56B pay package. Urged other investors to reject a $56B pay package.

OTHER COMPANIES:

• XPEV higher on their strong earnings
• MACYS higher on improving picture
• LOW - higher on earnings
• Crypto stocks higher on strong Bitcoin performance
• LRCX 10-1 stock split
• PANW lower on eanrings, seems harsh to me. Other crypto names down in sentiment.
• Chinese stocks lower as Hong Kong MARKET down 1.5% today.
• NOVA - Piper Sandler downgrades Sunnova Energy to neutral from overweight, lowered price target to 4.50 from 9. Analyst had upgraded sun nova in December on expectation of lower rates, but rates have stayed high.
• Li - postpones the launch of its all electric SUVs to the first half of 2025, citing inadequate charging stations and other constraints. CEO emphasised the need for sufficient branded charging stations and more display spots.
• DOWN 4% AGAIN TODAY ON THIS.
• BABA - Alibaba cloud slashes prices for its latest LLM model, Tongyi Qianwen, by up to 97%
• BIDU - in response to Alibaba’s move, BIDU made its ENITRE Speed and ENIRE lite models entirely free to use.
• So we are seeing price wars in AI market.
• JPM says that they will not be increasing buybacks of JPM stock at these prices. Will just continue with previously outlined buyback pace.
• Jamie Dimon also hinted at retirement in the speech, hence JPM lower yesterday
• DELL - Citi raises dell price target to 170 from 125. Optimistic they can gain market share more in AI.
• JD - announces a proposed offering of $1.5B in convertible senior notes, due 2029. Will use proceeds to repurchase shares and expand overseas business.
• PTON - plans global refinancing to address debt. Secured nearly $1.4B in new credit facilities.
• ASML and TSM said they have measures in place to remotely disable advanced EUV chip making machines if China was to invade Taiwan.
• QCOM - shares were higher yesterday after Several big companies including Dell and MSFT announced AI laptops using Qualcomm’s snapdragon X elite chip. MSFT says these devices will outperform apple MacBook Air M3.
• ARM - MSFT will announce Arm powered laptops
• WEN - launches a $3 breakfast deal, including small seasoned potatoes, choice of bacon, eggs and cheese or sausage, eggs and cheese muffin. Rivals Mcdonalds $5value meal
• DASH - expanded its partnership with ULTA beauty to offer on demand delivery in under an hour from 1350 stores across all 50 states.
• VFS - US regulators are probing a vin fast VF 8 Crash, that killed 4 in California.
• LLY - secures china approval for diabetes drug, Tirzepatide. Received approval in China for its diabetes drug.
• BA - one killed on Singapore Airlines Boeing 777 due to severe turbulence.
• DIS - Redburn upgrades to neutral from Sell. Price target 100.
• Samsung - appoints new chief for its chip business, amid competition.

OThER NEWS:

• BTC higher to 72K.
• ETH popped 20% yesterday on renewed optimism for ETF, that SEC might green light spot ether ETFs ahead of first deadline later this week.
• Yardeni research sees Dow Jones DJI at 60k and SPX at 8k by 2030
• Mester’s comments yesterday:
• 3 rate cuts this year is no longer appropriate.
• April CPI was good, but too soon to say what path inflation is on. She said she doesnt think about rate cuts in terms of when. We can raise rates but its not base case. That’s bearish, but also unrealistic. I think there’s less risk now that we are too restrictive, and inflation risks are to upside.
• BEARISH COMMENTS FROM MESTER OVERALL
• Jefferson’s Comments yesterday:
• April inflation was encouraging. Labour market coming into better balance. Inflation decline isn’t as fast as we had liked. Policy is restrictive. - NEUTRAL comments, I’d say.
• Following these comments, Bank of America said that whilst the bar for rate hikes is still v high, rate cuts are still far off. Said Services inflation still running way above target.
• Bank of America believes markets got excited at the print, said markets pricing 50bps of cuts are likely to get disappointed.
• Did push back on stagflation narrative.
• SPACEX Q1 launch report shows that SpaceX is now launching 87% of all payload to orbit, a new record high.
• New Yorkers on average earned $89K last year, meaning that without spending more than 30% of annual income on rent, they can afford $2,216 on housing. That’s only enough to afford 4.4% of rentals.
• Marko Kolanovic held his bearish outlook on stocks, urging clients not to buy. So not all bears are capitulating.
• Fidelity ethereal fund says that the trust’s Ether will not be staked.
• IMF official expects next stage for BOE is to ease rates, says UK monetary policy is at inflection point. Actions by UK authorities are paying off.
• Said BoE should cut rates by 50-75bps in 2024.
• Upgraded UK growth forecast to 0.7% this year from 0.5% previously
• Dubai Airport expects record passenger traffic this year, set to top 100M by 2027.

Hello all,
I have checked with the moderator before posting this, everything here is deliberately vague so it's not a form of promotion of my services.
Background
I was diagnosed at the age of 32 in 2014. After some initial improvement from medication, about three years, things just reverted to hopeless and a lot of the bad of ADHD somewhat turned my life upside down. I was in pretty poor shape from late 2018 until 2023.
Anyhow, I am Irish, but now living in Barcelona since late 2022. One big upside to that move was it's so much easier to get help here. Proper help from serious Adult ADHD specialists, and no real waiting lists to see them. I am now doing very well and have been for months, it feels very different living with ADHD now than ever before under their care.
I really feel for you guys back in Ireland, I really had such an underwhelming experience of getting help for almost decade before I emigrated, despite multiple attempts to seek it. I ended up in Barcelona over-medicated, fed up and at a total stage of denial about ADHD after giving up on it ever getting any better.
ADHD Coaching
As part of the new approach to my treatment, I was sent to an ADHD Coach by a psychiatrist, who was quite dismayed with how I presented to him considering I'd be diagnosed for a decade and apparently "treated".
I was so impressed and improved by Coaching, on top of my medication, of which I'm now taking less than before and doing much better, I decided to leave my 20+ successful and senior career in tech behind me and trained to become a coach myself.
So, I have left my job and have been working for many months full-time to reach where I am at now. I will also be offering Business Training and Consultancy on how employers can deal with ADHD in the workplace.
Coaching offer
So, after committing to this career path, I've reached the end of the formal learning part of an CPD accredited ADHD Coaching course. At this time, I am required to submit a video of a coaching session to go along with my test.
Rather than fake this somehow, I am willing to offer two people here ADHD Coaching, of four sessions, at no cost. To note, I have been doing practice coaching calls for a couple of months, but I want to do something more aligned with a real-world use-case.
There is a purpose to the four week period as one session is not enough to make any progress but it is enough to dig into at least one challenge in a comprehensive way. I can't commit to a full up to 10-12 week engagement at no cost though. That said, I will only require one of the four sessions from each person to be recorded, the other three do not have to be.
The sessions will be conducted online, at one week intervals and be one hour in length each.
Coaching focus
I am particularly interested in working with adults in the workforce, entrepreneurs and managers who are struggling to find their way with ADHD.
This is closest aligned with my own experience and interest. However, my only real "rule" is, even though I could and have trained to, I do not feel comfortable or could work with anyone under the age of 18 and will not be offering any services here in future.
With that in mind, while I will consider anyone over the age of 18, I may feel I need prioritise my focus area over first-come-first-served, if multiple people do reach out. I hope you can understand.
How to apply
If you are interested, please DM me and I'll send you a link to the website which is currently not published as I don't intend to advertise for about a month. I will ask that you not to share this with anyone.
I'll also outline everything including privacy and agreement, before going ahead with any sessions.
Thanks, Gary

ANALYSIS section will be posted separately on my sub Tradingedge
DATA LEDE:

• RBA minutes - Australia
• Said they will try not to excessively fine tune policy
• Future changes to cash rate are difficult to rule in or out
• CPI short term variation can be easily and reasonably overlooked
• Recent data does point to slightly increased inflation risks
• NEUTRAL/HAWKISH overall
• Australia consumer confidence numbers drop 0.3% MOM
• German PPI came 0.2% MOM vs 0.2% expected, in line with last months reading.
• YOY came in at -3.3% slightly below expected value of -3.2%. Came in light which is good for German inflation picture.
• Yellen Speech - no real meaningful comments
• EU balance of trade numbers hit a new yearly high. Points to improving world demand environment.
• Fed speakers include:
• Barkin, Waller, Williams, Bostic, Barr
• BoE’s Bailey to speak too

MARKETS:

• SPX: Maintained above 5300, now trading at 5311. Yesterday, touched 5325, before moving lower again. DJI: Trading at 39,813, just below 40k. Opened yesterday above 40k but moved lower on JPM weakness.
• Nasdaq: trading flat at 18,665. Support will now be at around 18,350.
• Ger40: Slightly lower today, at 18,600. Some slight profit taking near the highs.
• HKG50: Moving lower again for 2nd day in a row. Now at 19,240. Yesterday, was at 19,750 at one point. So down 2.7% across yesterday and today.
• Oil - hit 80 yesterday on WTI but was rejected off there. Lower today to 78, down by 1.5%. Back to range bound.
• Gold: Trading at 2418, Support at 2400.
• VIX: After getting crushed to 12 yesterday, bounced up off of there, now higher.

FX:

• DXY moving flat today and yesterday, around 104.5
• Had fallen to 100d moving average after CPI then moved higher, bouncing from there.
• EURUSD positioning still bullish, flat, slightly higher at 1.087
• GBPUSD moving higher again, trading at 1.272
• AUDUSD at 0.667,
• Has broken out of the long term downtrend.

EARNINGS:

• PANW Current Quarter:
• Revenues of 1.985B beat by 0.8%. Revenues rose 15% YOY
• Products revenue beat by 1.2%
• Subscriptions and support revenue beat by 0.3%
• EPS of 1.32 Beat expectations of 1.25 - beat by 5.6%
• Operating income was 508M, beat by 3.5%
• Operating margin was 25.6% , beat by 69 bps
• Billings came more or less in line
• Deferred revenue basically in line, slight miss.
• NEXT QUARTER GUIDANCE:
• EPS of 1.41 v slightly missed expectations of 1.42
• Revenue came in line with consensus at 2.16B
• Billings guidance beat consensus v slightly.
• FULL YEAR GUIDANCE:
• EPS of 5.56-5.58 beat estimates of 5.51
• Revenue of 8B beat estimates of 7.98B
• Billings of 10.15.5B was up 10-11% YoY
• CEO Nikesh Arora: Enthusiastic response to pjatformization and AI infused security outcomes.
• In conference call said that billings isn’t the only important measure, hence investors should overlook the slight softness in billings.
• Said cybersecurity demand will continue to grow for next several quarters, and PANW will benefit.
• Cyberattacks are scaling and aren’t going away. AI will increase these threats. So the tailwinds for PANW are very strong.

XPEV

• EPS of -0.75 was much better than the -2.06 expected
• Revenue of 6.55B beat estimates of 6.19B. Up 63% YOY, but down 50% QOQ
• Vehicle margin was 5.5%, which was up from 4.1% last quarter, and up form -2.5% last year SO VEHICLE MARGIN IMPROVED
• Vehicle sales came in at 5.54B yuan, up 50% YOY but down 50% QOQ
• Gross margin was 12.9%, up from 1.7% last year and 6.2% last quarter
• SO MARGINS IMPROVED, SALES WERE WORSE THAN LAST QUARTER
• In April saw 9,393 vehicles delivered
• Partnership with Volkswagen group on E/E architecture
• Release of AI powered functions
• GROSS MARGIN IMPROVEMENT DESPITE COMPETITION AND OTHERS CUTTING PRICES WAS A KEY BENEFIT.

NEXT QUARTER GUDIANCE:

• Revenue 7.5-8.3B miss by 15%
• Delivered of 29-32K. Up 30% YOY

MACYS:

• Current quarter:
• ADJ EPS $0.27 vs. $0.56 y/y, EST $0.14. BEAT
• EPS $0.22 vs. $0.56 y/y
• Net sales $4.8B, -3.7% y/y, EST $4.81B. IN LINE
• Gross margin 39.2% vs. 40% y/y, EST 39.6%. MISS
• SG&A expense $1.9B, -2.6% y/y, EST $1.98B. MISS
• GUIDANCE:
• Raised guidance from 2.45-2.85 to 2.55-2.9.
• Raised by 4%
• Beat estimates by 4%, although is a wide guidance
• Sees Net sales at 22.3-22.9B, raising bottom end up slightly from 22.2B.
• More or less in line with guidance.
• Merchandise margins down 100bps due to additional discounting
• Merchandise inventories are well positioned for upcoming summer season
• Credit card revenues down slightly due to higher delinquency rates
• Turnaround plan showing signs of progress as they beat and raise guidance.

LOWES:

• Current quarter:
• EPS of 3.67 beat estimates of 2.95
• Revenue of 21.4B was down YOY by 4%, but beat estimates by 1.3%
• Comparables sales were down 4%
• Reaffirms FY guidance:
• EPS of 12-12.3 vs estimate of 12.19. So miss slightly by 0.4%
• Revenue of 84-85B, basically in line.
• EXPECTS COMPARABLE SALES TO BE DOWN 2-3% vs estimates of 2.43% down.

MAG 7:

• MSFT yesterday, said that Copilot Plus PCs will be based on Qualcomm’s snapdragon X Elite chips, and will offer 15 hours of web browsing and 20 hours of video battery life. MSFT says it’ll outperform MacBook Air.
• On Copilot Plus, Neural processor enables new AI features such as recall for a searchable PC memory.
• MSFT estimates 50 million AI PCs will be sold over the next year. Said its rearchitectured Windows 11 is 58% faster than Apple’s MacBook Air.
• MSFT - restructures Windows 11 for better ARM hardware support and AI integration. Introduces prism emulator, launched to improve compatibility with older x86 and x64 apps. MSFT says Prism emulator is 20% faster than previous versions.
• AAPL - Files law suit to overturn $1.8B EU antitrust fine over App Store rules. AAPL is challenging a 1.8B fine.
• MSFT - OpenAI will be sued by Scarlett Johansson for basically copying her voice against her explicit instruction not to.
• TSLA - Tesla shareholder group still not happy with Elon Musk’s $56B pay package. Urged other investors to reject a $56B pay package.

OTHER COMPANIES:

• XPEV higher on their strong earnings
• MACYS higher on improving picture
• LOW - higher on earnings
• Crypto stocks higher on strong Bitcoin performance
• LRCX 10-1 stock split
• PANW lower on eanrings, seems harsh to me. Other crypto names down in sentiment.
• Chinese stocks lower as Hong Kong MARKET down 1.5% today.
• NOVA - Piper Sandler downgrades Sunnova Energy to neutral from overweight, lowered price target to 4.50 from 9. Analyst had upgraded sun nova in December on expectation of lower rates, but rates have stayed high.
• Li - postpones the launch of its all electric SUVs to the first half of 2025, citing inadequate charging stations and other constraints. CEO emphasised the need for sufficient branded charging stations and more display spots.
• DOWN 4% AGAIN TODAY ON THIS.
• BABA - Alibaba cloud slashes prices for its latest LLM model, Tongyi Qianwen, by up to 97%
• BIDU - in response to Alibaba’s move, BIDU made its ENITRE Speed and ENIRE lite models entirely free to use.
• So we are seeing price wars in AI market.
• JPM says that they will not be increasing buybacks of JPM stock at these prices. Will just continue with previously outlined buyback pace.
• Jamie Dimon also hinted at retirement in the speech, hence JPM lower yesterday
• DELL - Citi raises dell price target to 170 from 125. Optimistic they can gain market share more in AI.
• JD - announces a proposed offering of $1.5B in convertible senior notes, due 2029. Will use proceeds to repurchase shares and expand overseas business.
• PTON - plans global refinancing to address debt. Secured nearly $1.4B in new credit facilities.
• ASML and TSM said they have measures in place to remotely disable advanced EUV chip making machines if China was to invade Taiwan.
• QCOM - shares were higher yesterday after Several big companies including Dell and MSFT announced AI laptops using Qualcomm’s snapdragon X elite chip. MSFT says these devices will outperform apple MacBook Air M3.
• ARM - MSFT will announce Arm powered laptops
• WEN - launches a $3 breakfast deal, including small seasoned potatoes, choice of bacon, eggs and cheese or sausage, eggs and cheese muffin. Rivals Mcdonalds $5value meal
• DASH - expanded its partnership with ULTA beauty to offer on demand delivery in under an hour from 1350 stores across all 50 states.
• VFS - US regulators are probing a vin fast VF 8 Crash, that killed 4 in California.
• LLY - secures china approval for diabetes drug, Tirzepatide. Received approval in China for its diabetes drug.
• BA - one killed on Singapore Airlines Boeing 777 due to severe turbulence.
• DIS - Redburn upgrades to neutral from Sell. Price target 100.
• Samsung - appoints new chief for its chip business, amid competition.

OThER NEWS:

• BTC higher to 72K.
• ETH popped 20% yesterday on renewed optimism for ETF, that SEC might green light spot ether ETFs ahead of first deadline later this week.
• Yardeni research sees Dow Jones DJI at 60k and SPX at 8k by 2030
• Mester’s comments yesterday:
• 3 rate cuts this year is no longer appropriate.
• April CPI was good, but too soon to say what path inflation is on. She said she doesnt think about rate cuts in terms of when. We can raise rates but its not base case. That’s bearish, but also unrealistic. I think there’s less risk now that we are too restrictive, and inflation risks are to upside.
• BEARISH COMMENTS FROM MESTER OVERALL
• Jefferson’s Comments yesterday:
• April inflation was encouraging. Labour market coming into better balance. Inflation decline isn’t as fast as we had liked. Policy is restrictive. - NEUTRAL comments, I’d say.
• Following these comments, Bank of America said that whilst the bar for rate hikes is still v high, rate cuts are still far off. Said Services inflation still running way above target.
• Bank of America believes markets got excited at the print, said markets pricing 50bps of cuts are likely to get disappointed.
• Did push back on stagflation narrative.
• SPACEX Q1 launch report shows that SpaceX is now launching 87% of all payload to orbit, a new record high.
• New Yorkers on average earned $89K last year, meaning that without spending more than 30% of annual income on rent, they can afford $2,216 on housing. That’s only enough to afford 4.4% of rentals.
• Marko Kolanovic held his bearish outlook on stocks, urging clients not to buy. So not all bears are capitulating.
• Fidelity ethereal fund says that the trust’s Ether will not be staked.
• IMF official expects next stage for BOE is to ease rates, says UK monetary policy is at inflection point. Actions by UK authorities are paying off.
• Said BoE should cut rates by 50-75bps in 2024.
• Upgraded UK growth forecast to 0.7% this year from 0.5% previously
• Dubai Airport expects record passenger traffic this year, set to top 100M by 2027.

For more of my content, please join Tradingedge

ANALYSIS section will be posted separately on my sub Tradingedge
DATA LEDE:

• RBA minutes - Australia
• Said they will try not to excessively fine tune policy
• Future changes to cash rate are difficult to rule in or out
• CPI short term variation can be easily and reasonably overlooked
• Recent data does point to slightly increased inflation risks
• NEUTRAL/HAWKISH overall
• Australia consumer confidence numbers drop 0.3% MOM
• German PPI came 0.2% MOM vs 0.2% expected, in line with last months reading.
• YOY came in at -3.3% slightly below expected value of -3.2%. Came in light which is good for German inflation picture.
• Yellen Speech - no real meaningful comments
• EU balance of trade numbers hit a new yearly high. Points to improving world demand environment.
• Fed speakers include:
• Barkin, Waller, Williams, Bostic, Barr
• BoE’s Bailey to speak too

MARKETS:

• SPX: Maintained above 5300, now trading at 5311. Yesterday, touched 5325, before moving lower again. DJI: Trading at 39,813, just below 40k. Opened yesterday above 40k but moved lower on JPM weakness.
• Nasdaq: trading flat at 18,665. Support will now be at around 18,350.
• Ger40: Slightly lower today, at 18,600. Some slight profit taking near the highs.
• HKG50: Moving lower again for 2nd day in a row. Now at 19,240. Yesterday, was at 19,750 at one point. So down 2.7% across yesterday and today.
• Oil - hit 80 yesterday on WTI but was rejected off there. Lower today to 78, down by 1.5%. Back to range bound.
• Gold: Trading at 2418, Support at 2400.
• VIX: After getting crushed to 12 yesterday, bounced up off of there, now higher.

FX:

• DXY moving flat today and yesterday, around 104.5
• Had fallen to 100d moving average after CPI then moved higher, bouncing from there.
• EURUSD positioning still bullish, flat, slightly higher at 1.087
• GBPUSD moving higher again, trading at 1.272
• AUDUSD at 0.667,
• Has broken out of the long term downtrend.

EARNINGS:

• PANW Current Quarter:
• Revenues of 1.985B beat by 0.8%. Revenues rose 15% YOY
• Products revenue beat by 1.2%
• Subscriptions and support revenue beat by 0.3%
• EPS of 1.32 Beat expectations of 1.25 - beat by 5.6%
• Operating income was 508M, beat by 3.5%
• Operating margin was 25.6% , beat by 69 bps
• Billings came more or less in line
• Deferred revenue basically in line, slight miss.
• NEXT QUARTER GUIDANCE:
• EPS of 1.41 v slightly missed expectations of 1.42
• Revenue came in line with consensus at 2.16B
• Billings guidance beat consensus v slightly.
• FULL YEAR GUIDANCE:
• EPS of 5.56-5.58 beat estimates of 5.51
• Revenue of 8B beat estimates of 7.98B
• Billings of 10.15.5B was up 10-11% YoY
• CEO Nikesh Arora: Enthusiastic response to pjatformization and AI infused security outcomes.
• In conference call said that billings isn’t the only important measure, hence investors should overlook the slight softness in billings.
• Said cybersecurity demand will continue to grow for next several quarters, and PANW will benefit.
• Cyberattacks are scaling and aren’t going away. AI will increase these threats. So the tailwinds for PANW are very strong.

XPEV

• EPS of -0.75 was much better than the -2.06 expected
• Revenue of 6.55B beat estimates of 6.19B. Up 63% YOY, but down 50% QOQ
• Vehicle margin was 5.5%, which was up from 4.1% last quarter, and up form -2.5% last year SO VEHICLE MARGIN IMPROVED
• Vehicle sales came in at 5.54B yuan, up 50% YOY but down 50% QOQ
• Gross margin was 12.9%, up from 1.7% last year and 6.2% last quarter
• SO MARGINS IMPROVED, SALES WERE WORSE THAN LAST QUARTER
• In April saw 9,393 vehicles delivered
• Partnership with Volkswagen group on E/E architecture
• Release of AI powered functions
• GROSS MARGIN IMPROVEMENT DESPITE COMPETITION AND OTHERS CUTTING PRICES WAS A KEY BENEFIT.

NEXT QUARTER GUDIANCE:

• Revenue 7.5-8.3B miss by 15%
• Delivered of 29-32K. Up 30% YOY

MACYS:

• Current quarter:
• ADJ EPS $0.27 vs. $0.56 y/y, EST $0.14. BEAT
• EPS $0.22 vs. $0.56 y/y
• Net sales $4.8B, -3.7% y/y, EST $4.81B. IN LINE
• Gross margin 39.2% vs. 40% y/y, EST 39.6%. MISS
• SG&A expense $1.9B, -2.6% y/y, EST $1.98B. MISS
• GUIDANCE:
• Raised guidance from 2.45-2.85 to 2.55-2.9.
• Raised by 4%
• Beat estimates by 4%, although is a wide guidance
• Sees Net sales at 22.3-22.9B, raising bottom end up slightly from 22.2B.
• More or less in line with guidance.
• Merchandise margins down 100bps due to additional discounting
• Merchandise inventories are well positioned for upcoming summer season
• Credit card revenues down slightly due to higher delinquency rates
• Turnaround plan showing signs of progress as they beat and raise guidance.

LOWES:

• Current quarter:
• EPS of 3.67 beat estimates of 2.95
• Revenue of 21.4B was down YOY by 4%, but beat estimates by 1.3%
• Comparables sales were down 4%
• Reaffirms FY guidance:
• EPS of 12-12.3 vs estimate of 12.19. So miss slightly by 0.4%
• Revenue of 84-85B, basically in line.
• EXPECTS COMPARABLE SALES TO BE DOWN 2-3% vs estimates of 2.43% down.

MAG 7:

• MSFT yesterday, said that Copilot Plus PCs will be based on Qualcomm’s snapdragon X Elite chips, and will offer 15 hours of web browsing and 20 hours of video battery life. MSFT says it’ll outperform MacBook Air.
• On Copilot Plus, Neural processor enables new AI features such as recall for a searchable PC memory.
• MSFT estimates 50 million AI PCs will be sold over the next year. Said its rearchitectured Windows 11 is 58% faster than Apple’s MacBook Air.
• MSFT - restructures Windows 11 for better ARM hardware support and AI integration. Introduces prism emulator, launched to improve compatibility with older x86 and x64 apps. MSFT says Prism emulator is 20% faster than previous versions.
• AAPL - Files law suit to overturn $1.8B EU antitrust fine over App Store rules. AAPL is challenging a 1.8B fine.
• MSFT - OpenAI will be sued by Scarlett Johansson for basically copying her voice against her explicit instruction not to.
• TSLA - Tesla shareholder group still not happy with Elon Musk’s $56B pay package. Urged other investors to reject a $56B pay package.

OTHER COMPANIES:

• XPEV higher on their strong earnings
• MACYS higher on improving picture
• LOW - higher on earnings
• Crypto stocks higher on strong Bitcoin performance
• LRCX 10-1 stock split
• PANW lower on eanrings, seems harsh to me. Other crypto names down in sentiment.
• Chinese stocks lower as Hong Kong MARKET down 1.5% today.
• NOVA - Piper Sandler downgrades Sunnova Energy to neutral from overweight, lowered price target to 4.50 from 9. Analyst had upgraded sun nova in December on expectation of lower rates, but rates have stayed high.
• Li - postpones the launch of its all electric SUVs to the first half of 2025, citing inadequate charging stations and other constraints. CEO emphasised the need for sufficient branded charging stations and more display spots.
• DOWN 4% AGAIN TODAY ON THIS.
• BABA - Alibaba cloud slashes prices for its latest LLM model, Tongyi Qianwen, by up to 97%
• BIDU - in response to Alibaba’s move, BIDU made its ENITRE Speed and ENIRE lite models entirely free to use.
• So we are seeing price wars in AI market.
• JPM says that they will not be increasing buybacks of JPM stock at these prices. Will just continue with previously outlined buyback pace.
• Jamie Dimon also hinted at retirement in the speech, hence JPM lower yesterday
• DELL - Citi raises dell price target to 170 from 125. Optimistic they can gain market share more in AI.
• JD - announces a proposed offering of $1.5B in convertible senior notes, due 2029. Will use proceeds to repurchase shares and expand overseas business.
• PTON - plans global refinancing to address debt. Secured nearly $1.4B in new credit facilities.
• ASML and TSM said they have measures in place to remotely disable advanced EUV chip making machines if China was to invade Taiwan.
• QCOM - shares were higher yesterday after Several big companies including Dell and MSFT announced AI laptops using Qualcomm’s snapdragon X elite chip. MSFT says these devices will outperform apple MacBook Air M3.
• ARM - MSFT will announce Arm powered laptops
• WEN - launches a $3 breakfast deal, including small seasoned potatoes, choice of bacon, eggs and cheese or sausage, eggs and cheese muffin. Rivals Mcdonalds $5value meal
• DASH - expanded its partnership with ULTA beauty to offer on demand delivery in under an hour from 1350 stores across all 50 states.
• VFS - US regulators are probing a vin fast VF 8 Crash, that killed 4 in California.
• LLY - secures china approval for diabetes drug, Tirzepatide. Received approval in China for its diabetes drug.
• BA - one killed on Singapore Airlines Boeing 777 due to severe turbulence.
• DIS - Redburn upgrades to neutral from Sell. Price target 100.
• Samsung - appoints new chief for its chip business, amid competition.

OThER NEWS:

• BTC higher to 72K.
• ETH popped 20% yesterday on renewed optimism for ETF, that SEC might green light spot ether ETFs ahead of first deadline later this week.
• Yardeni research sees Dow Jones DJI at 60k and SPX at 8k by 2030
• Mester’s comments yesterday:
• 3 rate cuts this year is no longer appropriate.
• April CPI was good, but too soon to say what path inflation is on. She said she doesnt think about rate cuts in terms of when. We can raise rates but its not base case. That’s bearish, but also unrealistic. I think there’s less risk now that we are too restrictive, and inflation risks are to upside.
• BEARISH COMMENTS FROM MESTER OVERALL
• Jefferson’s Comments yesterday:
• April inflation was encouraging. Labour market coming into better balance. Inflation decline isn’t as fast as we had liked. Policy is restrictive. - NEUTRAL comments, I’d say.
• Following these comments, Bank of America said that whilst the bar for rate hikes is still v high, rate cuts are still far off. Said Services inflation still running way above target.
• Bank of America believes markets got excited at the print, said markets pricing 50bps of cuts are likely to get disappointed.
• Did push back on stagflation narrative.
• SPACEX Q1 launch report shows that SpaceX is now launching 87% of all payload to orbit, a new record high.
• New Yorkers on average earned $89K last year, meaning that without spending more than 30% of annual income on rent, they can afford $2,216 on housing. That’s only enough to afford 4.4% of rentals.
• Marko Kolanovic held his bearish outlook on stocks, urging clients not to buy. So not all bears are capitulating.
• Fidelity ethereal fund says that the trust’s Ether will not be staked.
• IMF official expects next stage for BOE is to ease rates, says UK monetary policy is at inflection point. Actions by UK authorities are paying off.
• Said BoE should cut rates by 50-75bps in 2024.
• Upgraded UK growth forecast to 0.7% this year from 0.5% previously
• Dubai Airport expects record passenger traffic this year, set to top 100M by 2027.

For more of my content, please join Tradingedge

We’re excited to introduce you to the LOPE NFT project, a groundbreaking initiative set to expand the horizons of the LOPE memecoin ecosystem. Let’s dive into what makes this project truly special. 🚀
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(f18)
does anyone have any idea what could possibly be wrong with me?
over the past four years, i've been convinced that a mildly famous decesased 'celebrity', who passed away before my birth, deeply loves me. though i sometimes doubt it, the mere thought of it being false is crushing, pushing me back to this belief to seek comfort. this belief permeates every aspect of my life, making me feel like this person intimately understands me, even to the point of believing we communicate to one another. it's affected various aspects of my life throughout the years, but i've only started to realize how bad it really is in the past few months. i literally think about them every second of every day. i interpret everything as a sign from them, convinced they watch me every day, knowing everything about my life. i only shower in the dark now because i feel like they are watching and talking to me. they've become my entire world, plunging me into a deep depression. to me, this is very real. i'm wondering if anyone else has experienced this and if they have any tips on coping. i've tried, but without success. i'm very aware i most likely sound crazy, and i ask for understanding rather than judgment. a close family member of mine was diagnosed with schizophrenia at one point, and i'm concerned that i may have/be developing the same condition. i am currently on prozac, but i have not told my doctor or anyone else about this.

Hello, ​Spotify 👋
I am a 24-year-old student from Czechia and an indie app developer. A few weeks ago I released a simple called Demus: Easy Music Streaming that allows you to import your Spotify playlists and then listen to them without ads and with unlimited skips simply by playing the songs from YouTube. It's so easy that you can start listening just 3 seconds after installing it!
Demus requires no Spotify account, contains no subscription, works completely on your phone, and collects no personal data.

Key Features

Create Your Music Library
Add your favorite songs & music videos to your collection with a single tap. All songs in your library will be automatically sorted by album and artist allowing easy searching and navigation.
Create playlists and fill them with your favorite songs. Demus also supports importing playlists directly from YouTube and Musi!
iCloud Sync
Whenever you add a song to your music library, it will be automatically added to all devices connected to your Apple ID, allowing for a seamless experience on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, and even Apple Vision Pro. Your music library follows you wherever you go!
Listening Statistics
Demus locally stores information about which songs and artists you listen to the most. At the end of the year, you can view a summary reflecting on your musical journey similar to Spotify Wrapped or YouTube Recap. Last.fm scrobbling is also supported!
Lyrics & Artist Bio
Demus supports real-time synced lyrics and also allows you to view artist bios on Wikipedia. Dive deep into the world of your favorite musicians with a single tap!
AirPlay Support
Stream content effortlessly to any device supporting AirPlay. Demus will connect to your Bluetooth speaker, stereo, TV, or even computer.
CarPlay
Control playback through your car or stereo. Demus supports all important controls such as skipping, seeking, and rewinding. Apple CarPlay support is planned in will come soon!
Get Demus for Free on the App Store now and join us on this musical journey like never before.

Frequently Asked Question

Is it legal?
Demus works within the strict limitations of the YouTube API. Playing requires a constant internet connection. No media content is stored on your device and therefore neither downloading nor offline playback is supported. All playback is done through an integrated Safari-like view.
Do music artists still get paid?
Yes! Listening to any song in my app counts as a view on the YouTube website and will therefore generate per-stream revenue to the artist.
How do you make money from your app when it's free with no ads?
There is an optional one-time in-app purchase which gives you access to some cool features such as color themes, app icons, and more advanced listening statistics.
Can it support iOS 16 and lower?
Demus uses the latest and most up-to-date frameworks which are sadly not supported on older versions of iOS. But fear not, my app will be waiting for you when you upgrade!
How about an Android version?
I am actively working on porting Demus to Android. It should be available later this year!

Other Useful Links

I have created a subreddit demus where I regularly post sneak peeks on new upcoming features. Make sure to join so you don't miss any ;)
I have also created a Crowdin project for people who would like to help me translate Demus into different languages. Your help is very appreciated!
I would also like to say a big thank you to those who participated in the TestFlight.
Feel free to drop your thoughts, feedback, and questions below. Happy listening! 🎶

• Simon, the developer of AppRaven

One of my biggest gripes i personally have with both 3 and New Vegas is the carryweight system. Not because i don't want a carryweight system at all but because it is completely useless. There's no real rhyme or reason to have such a system in either 3 or New Vegas. It adds nothing to those games and, much like New Vegas's hardcore mode, feels tacked on and like an annoyance just to waste your time.
I say this because in 4, the carryweight system, combined with the new looting mechanics of every piece of scrap being worth something makes Fallout 4 feel like a genuine scavenging experience over 3 and New Vegas. I find myself strategizing a lot more in 4 than in the previous two entries of where i'm going to go and what i'm going to do. In 3 and New Vegas, if i discovered a building while on my way to a quest i didn't think too much of it and just immediately entered it and explored it. Not the case with 4
Because of the fact that pretty much everything that can be taken in 4 has a certain worth i have often found myself heavily considering whether or not i would enter certain places depending on the things i need. I've genuinely gone on actual pure scavenging runs in 4 from my settlement and back just to get what i need. So if i need adhesive i would specifically seek out factories and workshops so i would scavenge closer to the main part of Boston proper. If i needed rubber and cement i would specifically seek out quaries and construction sites, if i needed radioactive material i'd venture into the Glowing Sea. It is the first time in a Fallout game i've genuinely felt like i was part of the world instead of being its savior (Survival mode really helps with this) and the added pressure of the carryweight system adds to this feeling

I'm considering pursuing a master's degree in education, but I'm wondering about the perception of online programs versus traditional in-person programs.
Has anyone here experienced any negative impacts or pushback from employers when applying for teaching jobs with an online master's degree in education? Or has it been viewed just the same as an in-person master's?
I'm particularly curious about experiences in the US, as I'm looking at opportunities in states like California. Any insights you can share would be really helpful as I decide the best path forward for my graduate education.
Thanks in advance for your thoughts and experiences! I'm trying to weigh the pros and cons of online versus in-person programs, and hearing real-world perspectives would be invaluable.

Welcome to the Daily Vechain Discussion!

Please check out the sidebar for important information and resources, including wallets, developer information and official news & media channels.
Please use the daily discussion to introduce yourself, ask questions and share your thoughts on the latest developments. We're an open forum, but please remember to be respectful and considerate of others. If you have any problems, please send a DM via Modmail, or PM u/SolomonGrundle directly.
Keep yourself up to date by following vechain's official media channels! You can also find all useful and official links via the Linktree page below.
Official Vechain Linktree

About VechainThor

VechainThor is the leading global public blockchain for real world adoption of distributed ledger technology, with 300+ enterprise partners and over 3000 enterprise users. The VechainThor blockchain is used for a diverse array of use cases, from medicine to energy, authenticity and provenance to hobby developers, NFTs, GameFi & more. VechainThor is versatile, scalable and cost-effective, having solved many of the issues facing the adoption of the majority of public blockchains.
VechainThor connects blockchain technology to the real world by providing robust infrastructure combined with IOT integration, cloud technology and in-house developed NFC/QR technologies. The launch of vechain ToolChain, vechain's off-the-shelf blockchain platform, has allowed the protocol to rapidly accelerate adoption by leveraging the client networks of key channel partners such as DNV and PwC, through white labelled applications of the technology and innovative products such as PwC's 'AirTrace', and DNV's 'MyStory, Tag.Trace.Trust, MyCare and more
In the now-live PoA2.0 upgrade, VechainThor becomes the first blockchain to combine the power of Byzantine Fault Tolerance with Nakamoto Consensus, eliminating the weaknesses of the two most common blockchain consensus types while harnessing their strengths - VechainThor will be fast, scalable and secure while offering instant finality - a first in the space and an important factor for real world adoption. VechainThor is undergoing a re-brand with a focus on delivering sustainability and carbon management-focused tools and services, enabling digital transformation for the economy and the environment.
Disclaimer:
This is a community-governed subreddit and posts/comments do not necessarily reflect the views of the vechain Foundation.
Please remember to always operate within the Reddit and subreddit rules. If you have any problems, please message the mods, or PM u/SolomonGrundle directly.

Recently, I had a small gastrointestinal issue and while I'm completely fine now, it caused a downward spiral of thoughts leading to a personal hell for me to live in. I am thinking about people who get diagnosed with awful diseases and told they have x amount of time left in this world. Then I think what I would think and feel if I was that person. Then I think about how my life (which has, objectively, never been this better) would lead to inevitable despair and finitude after such an event. Whenever I spend time with friends and try to have fun, my mind puts these mental images in front of me and I feel a really bad combination of despair, anxiety, and helplessness. It becomes even worse when I want to get my mind off these things through scrolling on reels or yt and the algorithm puts such stuff in my feed.
I used to think one's life would generally be fair and full of purpose, but after seeing these stuff happen to everday people, I feel like there will never be joy in my life because it will eventually happen to me. I tried to fix this through learning more about carcinophobia (fear of cancer) and death anxiety, but somehow made it worse. I also recently had someone close got diagnosed with this disease and sometimes I wonder and simulatenously fear what they would think during their ordeal.
For the last week or two, I wake up and sleep in complete desperation, feeling the existential threat looming upon me. My anxiety causes me to get ready for everything beforehand and while it works well when it comes to exams and all, thinking about getting ready for these diseases and death makes me feel so awful I can't even find the words to describe it. I want my old mindset, back when I didn't come to this realization. But that's not possible anymore.
I don't know how to move forward knowing that this might as well happen and I can never be actually ready for it. I am only 18, and I don't know how I can be happy and have real life goals and aspirations knowing that they may become dust in any moment??
TL;DR: 18 y.o having an existential crisis about the inevitability of death and illness and the fact that there is no way to mentally get ready for it. Not knowing whether he can have a fulfilled and happy life he had before, after coming to this grim realization.

i think she handled her 15 minutes very poorly. she should’ve stayed exclusive and not hung out with every group we all know a friend to everyone is a friend to none. and we want to watch real people real content REALness in this social media world that’s so hard to find. Her aesthetic did make her different bc at the time it was all old money vibes but now we all it’s kinda just poser vibes yes she may have been wearing the same lil t-shirts and wanna be alt but it worked. until she started talking so much and acting the complete opposite which exposes its all for show. I’m sure she’ll change her clothes soon enough. another thing, she acts way too immature for her age and that’s just weird, it only appeals to the young audience and sadly those won’t stick. she could’ve stayed having us older 23 and up audience if she just acted her age and kept it real. on every interview/ podcast she loves to bring up how she’s been on YT forever like ok and ? we didn’t know and that’s for us to find out if we’re interested in YOU which will give u the sympathy you’re looking for and respect to your name but instead she yaps too much in such a i’ve always been a superstar! way now you’re an influencer that’s slowly drifting away. so much more could’ve came out of this girl it’s literally disappointing

Introduction

Welcome to the tuesday book club and Revolutions podcast thread!

Upcoming

Week 122: No More Vietnams Chapter 4 and The Shah Chapter 14
As follows is the scheduled reading a few weeks out:
Week 123: No More Vietnams Chapters 5-6 and The Shah Chapter 15
Week 124: Republic (Plato) Chapters 1-2 and The Shah Chapter 16

More Information

The Full list of books are as follows:
Year 1:

• Classical Liberalism: A Primer
• The Road To Serfdom
• World Order
• Reflections on the Revolution in France
• Capitalism and Freedom
• Slightly To The Right
• Suicide of the West
• Conscience of a Conservative
• The Fractured Republic
• The Constitution of Liberty
• Empire​
• The Coddling of the American Mind

Year 2:

• Revolutions Podcast (the following readings will also have a small selection of episodes from the Revolutions podcast as well)
• The English Constitution
• The US Constitution
• The Federalist Papers
• A selection of The Anti-Federalist Papers
• The American Revolution as a Successful Revolution
• The Australian Constitution
• Democracy in America
• The July 4th special: Revisiting the Constitution and reading The Declaration of Independence
• Democracy in America (cont.)
• The Origins of Totalitarianism

Year 3:

• Colossus
• On China
• The Long Hangover
• No More Vietnams< - We are here
• Republic - Plato
• On Obligations - Cicero
• Closing of the American Mind
• The Theory of Moral Sentiments
• Extra Reading: The Shah
• Extra Reading: The Real North Korea
• Extra Reading: Jihad

Explanation of the 2024 readings and the authors: Tuesday Book Club 2024
Participation is open to anyone that would like to do so, the standard automod enforced rules around flair and top level comments have been turned off for threads with the "Book Club" flair.
The previous week's thread can be found here: No More Vietnams Chapters 1-2 and The Shah Chapter 12
The full book club discussion archive is located here: Book Club Archive

Hey WebDevMauritius community,
Whether you’re just starting out or looking to expand your skills, finding quality learning resources can be a game-changer in your web development journey. I’ve put together a list of some of the best free resources available in 2024 to help you on your path. Feel free to add your favorites in the comments!

1. FreeCodeCamp

FreeCodeCamp offers a comprehensive curriculum that covers everything from HTML and CSS to JavaScript, React, and even backend development with Node.js. It’s perfect for beginners and offers hands-on projects to build your portfolio.

2. MDN Web Docs

MDN Web Docs is a go-to resource for web developers of all levels. It provides detailed documentation on HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and more, along with tutorials and guides that are invaluable for both learning and reference.

3. The Odin Project

The Odin Project offers a full-stack web development curriculum that is free and open-source. It covers a wide range of topics, including Ruby on Rails, JavaScript, HTML, CSS, and databases, all through a hands-on, project-based approach.

4. Coursera and edX Free Courses

Platforms like Coursera and edX offer free courses from top universities and institutions. While some features are paid, you can audit many courses for free. Look for courses on web development, computer science, and related topics.

5. Codecademy (Free Version)

Codecademy offers interactive lessons on various programming languages and web development skills. While they have a paid Pro version, there are still plenty of free resources to get started with HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and more.

6. YouTube Channels

• Traversy Media: Brad Traversy’s channel is packed with tutorials on web development, covering a wide range of topics from HTML/CSS to more advanced frameworks.
• The Net Ninja: Shaun Pelling offers clear and concise tutorials on JavaScript, React, Node.js, and more.
• Academind: Maximilian Schwarzmüller provides in-depth tutorials on modern web development tools and practices.

7. CSS-Tricks

CSS-Tricks is a fantastic resource for learning and mastering CSS. It offers a plethora of tutorials, articles, and a lively community forum where you can get your questions answered.

8. W3Schools

W3Schools is a classic resource that provides tutorials and references on web development languages like HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, SQL, and more. It’s beginner-friendly and provides interactive coding examples.

9. Khan Academy

Khan Academy offers free courses in computer programming and web development. Their interactive tutorials are great for learning the basics and building a strong foundation.

10. Project-Based Learning Sites

• Frontend Mentor: Provides real-world projects to help you practice HTML, CSS, and JavaScript skills.
• Codewars: Offers coding challenges that help you practice problem-solving and coding skills in a variety of languages.

Conclusion

These resources are just the tip of the iceberg, and there’s a wealth of knowledge out there waiting to be explored. Remember, the key to learning web development is consistency and practice. Dive into these resources, start building projects, and don’t hesitate to ask questions here in our community.
What are your favorite free resources for learning web development? Share your recommendations and experiences in the comments below!

Just the other day I dreamt that the world was being taken over by a green, moss-like organism that would cover people's bodies and take them over, like an alien invasion. I spent the bulk of the dream with a few people (don't know them in real life) trying to remove this substance from surfaces and people. Eventually we appear to finish and are celebrating. Then it suddenly comes back extremely rapidly, to the point that it begins covering the sky and I am alone trying not to touch any surfaces with my skin, claustrophobia setting in as the sky is blotted out.
Think of "Creepshow", where the guy touches an asteroid and his body is slowly but surely covered by a green mossy substance. Strange but I had not thought of that movie in the longest time until this. Anybody have a clue what this dream could be about? I'm stumped. XD

She got up in the dark, with only the dim ambience of soft blue lighting to accompany her. She stretched all four arms, her two legs, and rolled her neck. It struck her as mildly interesting in that moment, how something so small could connect them to humans, The thought was fleeting as she took another step forward to kneel down on the floor. There, in a little alcove in the wall, she had set a volcanic rock from Anin, dried moss, and other paraphernalia from her home world. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath resting her hands together.
Praise and respect to the spirits of Anin. Praise the fathers and mothers of war gone to their rest below the moss and the earth. Praise their spirits that watch from the sky and peer through the ether down upon us.
She continued the slow mantra in the style of Prayer learned from Naktan and pulled her concentration to her core, ignoring anything and everything around her. A deep state of meditation overtook her. She would never have done this if she thought there were any chance that she was in danger, but below she knew Earth glowed like a sphere before their orbiting ship. There was no worry of invasion.
She thought she heard something at one point, but chose to ignore it as she continued her mantra.
Eventually, and after an unknown amount of minutes, she stood and turned slowly to find-
She stopped, and crossed her arms over her chest.
"What are you doing?”
Adam burrowed his way further down into her blankets, nuzzling his head up against her pillow,
"So warm, and comfy!"
She tried not to smile,
"You dumbass."
He pulled the blankets tighter around himself,
"You know, I did come here to talk to you, but now I actually am really comfortable, so come back in two hours."
"I- This is MY home!"
He closed his eyes and pretended to snore loudly.
She rolled her eyes as she watched him theatrically pretend to sleep. She looked around mildly for a moment, before picking up another pillow and glancing at the door. She casually walked over, dropped the pillow on his head and then held it down as if she intended to smother him.
”Die human scum!”
That got him up and moving.
Before long the two of them were grappling for the upper hand, him trying to put her in a choke hold, and her using her lower arms to pinch him.
He yelped,
"Ouch! Pinching is illegal!”
"Sissy."
He clamped his legs around her lower arms, pinning them in place.
She struggled for a minute and then went limp.
She could feel his smug smile,
"I win, I beat the saint of Anin. Everyone bow at my feet."
"You say that, but if this were a real fight, since you’re a human male, you're the one with a self-destruct button."
"Self-destruct button...?"
"Meaning if this were a real fight, I would have punched you in the balls."
"Yaoooutch… Oh god… Please don't."
Finally, he let her go, leaving the two of them to lay on her bed, sheets scattered on the floor around them, and her pillows in disarray. Adam put his hands behind his head and sighed.
She glanced over at him,
"I don't suppose you came to just hang out. Here on Admiral-ly business?"
He groaned, pulling one of her pillows over his face,
"Please smother me for real this time."
She leaned up on one of her elbows,
"Why?"
"I don't wanna be an adult anymore!"
She tilted her head to the side, watching in amusement as he attempted to throw a childlike tantrum, but only really had the energy to kick his feet once,
"It's boring and lame and they won’t let me wear heelies to important meetings... also children don't have to pay taxes."
She laughed, pulling the pillow from his face,
"Adam you are many things, but 'adult' is not one of them."
He grinned slightly,
"True enough."
He sighed again and rested his head back against the pillows,
"I just want to get back to what we are supposed to be doing, exploring the universe and making cool alien friends."
He threw up his hands in frustration,
"But suddenly I find myself embroiled in stupid annoying politics that I don't understand, being used by people who are, let’s face it, WAY smarter than me, constantly finding myself getting manipulated."
She huffed,
"They aren't smarter than you Adam, they're just manipulative, and you aren't."
He sighed,
"Fair enough."
Then he looked at her, bright green eyes reflecting the soft ambient blue light,
"I just, I miss this, I miss us, I miss hanging out and doing stupid shit, and all of the things I could do when I wasn't so important and this operation was smaller."
She smiled rather sadly reaching one hand over for his, lacing the four of her fingers through the five of his,
"Well someone has to do the hard things, who better than you?”
He glanced over at her, raising an eyebrow,
"Or you, miss saint?”
She rolled her eyes again,
"Can't seem to get you off of that. I'm still the same person I used to be."
"But with power."
She elbowed him gently and he grinned,
"But really, I am proud and impressed and... Let's be honest super super smug that 'I' know you personally."
"I know, I am pretty terrific."
The two of them laughed for a minute before settling down again. He glanced over to her little shrine on the wall,
"What were you doing just then?"
She looked up at the ceiling, following the lines of metal and rivets with her eyes,
"Praying to the spirits of Anin."
Embarrassed, he shifted,
"I didn't know you were... Well I didn't think you were all that religious?"
She shrugged,
"Don't feel bad, it's sort of a new thing. Back before all this, it was sort of just stories to me. Like I believed it because that was what everyone believed, but I didn't really accept it, or feel it the way I do now. After everything with my mother, it was hard to feel connected to something I felt I wasn't a part of... But then after visiting my mother, after becoming a saint for a religion I never really followed... Well, it started to make more sense. It feels real now in a way that it never did."
She turned to look at him, finding him watching her, the UV blue stripes in his skin glowing blue.
"I believe in the spirits of Anin more than I ever have."
He smiled at her and squeezed her hand,
"I'm glad to hear it."
They lapsed into silence for a long moment, staring up at the ceiling before, inevitably he broke it,
"So this makes you like, space Moses right?”
She frowned and turned to look at him,
"What is a “Moses”?"
He grinned,
"A guy from one of the Earth Religions. You know, guy follows god's directions to lead his people away from slavery, climbs a mountain, receives the word of god, comes down to give it to the people, that sort of thing."
Sunny tilted her head slightly to the side,
"Are you religious?"
He paused, frowning,
"I... well I... don't really know. My family has been some flavor of Christian for a long time."
"Christian?"
"Uh yeah, the general idea is that there is one all-powerful deity who created everything. He has rules and laws that you are supposed to follow, the general tenants of this specific religion mostly boil down to: love everyone and don't be a dick, which humans are notoriously bad at. You sin you go to hell, a very bad place after you die, and if you are a good person you go to heaven. Problem is everyone is a sinner and breaks the rules, so really no one was going to get into heaven."
"That sounds bleak..."
"Well, that's where the other stuff comes in. Basically, this all-powerful deity sent down his son in human form to live a perfect life, so when he was martyred he took on the sins of all of humanity and paid for them in the greatest act of mercy to open the gate for the rest of us into heaven."
Sunny shifted as he tilted to the side to lay in the crook of her arms,
"Of course that is just one religion among tons on earth, we aren't really as cohesive in our beliefs as Drev are... As for me... I'm not really sure."
She tilted her head to the side, cheek resting against his hair,
"After seeing space, I become more and more convinced of some... Thing that created everything, but beyond that it's sort of a tossup."
She ran one hand through his hair, coarse but still soft somehow.
"You know my name comes from that religion?”
She turned her head to look at him,
"Oh, really?”
"Adam was the first man."
"What do you mean!?”
Adam shrugged,
"He was supposedly the first man that god created, from the dust of the earth... I think?"
She gave him a sidelong glance,
"Look, and you get to be the first idiot in space."
He snorted and poked her in the ribs.
"There were PLENTY of idiots in space before me, believe you me."
"Mmm I don't know, you are pretty dumb."
He laughed, grabbing a pillow and hitting her with it. She rolled over so she was lying on top of him and then went limp.
He struggled,
"Get your big ass off me."
"Oh no, I have been attacked by a sudden acute case of the “my spine doesn't work anymore”-disease."
"If you don't move, you'll suddenly find yourself with a case of “fist in your face”-disease."
She laughed and rolled off him, making sure the hard parts of her carapace were sticking down for maximum discomfort.
He grunted.
They returned to lying down next to each other in the half darkness. Sunny reached over and turned on some quiet music in the background as the two of them sat and talked, and laughed.
"I can't wait to get back to deep space."
He closed his eyes and hummed softly at the thought,
"Just the crew and the darkness and nothing ahead of us but an endless frontier."
Surprisingly, she found the thought to be more than a little comforting, and closed her eyes thinking about the vast reaches of blackness and the endless spinning galaxies.
"And while we are out, we can drop Conn into a pulsar."
He snorted,
“Why? Well first of for scientific reasons! If a marshmallow causes a nuclear blast, I wonder what dropping Conn would do… but at least he’d be dead.”
"That billowy bastard would survive and you know it."
She huffed,
"Still though, if I have to hear one more smug lecture how he has a child with you, I'm gonna wring his scrawny neck."
He grinned teeth flashing blue in the light,
"Is someone... Jealous?"
Sunny laughed, almost tipping him off the bed and onto the floor with her mirth,
"Yes Adam, I am totally jealous, really I am, ‘kay?. I mean who wouldn't want to have a child with YOU, big dumb, dork. Really the perfect place to put my superior genes."
"Superior genes, says someone who can't reach the top shelf."
She kicked him, foot clanging off his prosthetic,
"I am a foot taller than you."
He placed his hand next to his ear,
"What was that, I can't hear you over how short you are."
Sunny shook her head,
"At least I have binocular vision and both my knees."
"So we are gonna ignore that that binocular vision is due to a prosthetic now after the whole “your mom” incident? And also, veeery important: weird neck nostrils, don't forget about those!"
"Oh yes, so I can’t house them on my face like you and your bigass nose."
"Low blow, low blow."
"There are... Lower things... I could make fun of."
He snorted,
"Can't make fun of it if you've never seen it. You on the other hand, walking around in the nude..."
"You're welcome. Who wouldn't love…"
She gestured to herself,
"This."
"Mmm yeah... chitin, very sexy."
"I am a gift to the universe, and should be appreciated by everyone."
He brushed a hand through his hair,
"Well I find that real gifts are gift wrapped, so jot that down."
"Oh yeah, like a prank gift when you put something lame in a box for something cool."
He frowned at her,
"You wound me. My feelings are so very very hurt. I might even cry."
"I drink human tears."
"That… that's really gross.'
She laughed and then they lapsed into silence. She could hear him breathing quietly next to her in the darkness, his chest rising and falling under the ambient blue light. She looked across the room to where her saint armor was hanging in its climate-controlled case illuminated to a pearly sheen.
"Adam?"
"Yeah?”
"You know I'm just kidding about calling you dumb right?"
"Yeah I know."
"I'm proud of what you've been doing."
Adam turned to look at her rather incredulous,
"Me, of what? I haven't been doing shit."
"So, we are just going to ignore you overthrowing a maniacal politician while simultaneously piloting a 2,000 year old spacecraft?"
"That was more Conn and Eris than it was me."
"It was your idea."
"Let’s not forget Admiral Kelly."
Sunny pulled him closer,
"I am sorry, I will not be accepting anything other than you acknowledging that you did a good job."
"Screw you!”
"You'd like that wouldn't you?”
He sighed,
"You've been talking to Ramirez WAY too much."
She was only slightly smug as she rested her head back against the pillow,
"I really should get up and train..."
"We should yeah..."
Neither of them moved.
"Alternatively, we could just... Lay here... All day and do... nothing."
She looked up at the ceiling for a long moment and pretended to be in deep contemplation before…
"Well it's official, you have convinced me. You and your silver tongue."
"I am a master negotiator."
He shifted position putting one arm behind his head,
"Think about it, by this time tomorrow we will be back to space exploring and doing what we should have been doing all along. I can't wait."
"That makes two of us."
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Intro post by me
OC-whole collection
Patreon of the author

i don't know if it's just me getting older or what, but lately, it feels like everything in the world is just... fake. like, you can't trust anything or anyone anymore. everything's so polished and perfect on social media, people only showing the highlights of their lives, and it's hard to tell what's real and what's not.
i remember when things felt more genuine. conversations with friends were deeper, family gatherings were less about getting the perfect instagram shot and more about actually enjoying each other's company. now it feels like we're all just actors in each other's lives, performing for the likes and validation.
and it's not just social media. even the news feels biased and sensationalized. you have to dig so hard to find the truth, and it feels like everything is designed to manipulate you in some way. advertisements are everywhere, and they all seem to promise happiness if you just buy this or that product. it's exhausting trying to keep up with it all.
and don't even get me started on dating. it's like everyone has a persona they present online, but when you meet in person, it's a whole different story. people ghost you without a second thought, and meaningful connections seem so rare. it's like we've lost the ability to truly connect with each other.
i just miss the days when things felt more real, when people were more honest and less focused on their online personas. it's like we've traded genuine connections for superficial interactions, and it's really starting to get to me.
sometimes i wonder if anyone else feels this way, or if i'm just stuck in the past, longing for a time that doesn't exist anymore. i just want to know that i'm not alone in feeling this way. anyone else tired of the fakeness of the modern world?

FYI, this is a story COLLECTION. Lots of standalones technically. So, you can basically start to read at any chapter, no pre-read of the other chapters needed technically (other than maybe getting better descriptions of characters than: Adam Vir=human, Krill=antlike alien, Sunny=tall alien, Conn=telepathic alien). The numbers are (mostly) only for organization of posts and continuity.
OC Written by Charlie Stastarrfallknightrise,
Typed up and then posted here by me.
Proofreading and language check for some chapters by u/Finbar9800 u/BakeGullible9975 u/Didnotseemecomein and u/medium_jock
Future Lore and fact check done by me.
Awwwww! So cute!
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She got up in the dark, with only the dim ambience of soft blue lighting to accompany her. She stretched all four arms, her two legs, and rolled her neck. It struck her as mildly interesting in that moment, how something so small could connect them to humans, The thought was fleeting as she took another step forward to kneel down on the floor. There, in a little alcove in the wall, she had set a volcanic rock from Anin, dried moss, and other paraphernalia from her home world. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath resting her hands together.
Praise and respect to the spirits of Anin. Praise the fathers and mothers of war gone to their rest below the moss and the earth. Praise their spirits that watch from the sky and peer through the ether down upon us.
She continued the slow mantra in the style of Prayer learned from Naktan and pulled her concentration to her core, ignoring anything and everything around her. A deep state of meditation overtook her. She would never have done this if she thought there were any chance that she was in danger, but below she knew Earth glowed like a sphere before their orbiting ship. There was no worry of invasion.
She thought she heard something at one point, but chose to ignore it as she continued her mantra.
Eventually, and after an unknown amount of minutes, she stood and turned slowly to find-
She stopped, and crossed her arms over her chest.
"What are you doing?”
Adam burrowed his way further down into her blankets, nuzzling his head up against her pillow,
"So warm, and comfy!"
She tried not to smile,
"You dumbass."
He pulled the blankets tighter around himself,
"You know, I did come here to talk to you, but now I actually am really comfortable, so come back in two hours."
"I- This is MY home!"
He closed his eyes and pretended to snore loudly.
She rolled her eyes as she watched him theatrically pretend to sleep. She looked around mildly for a moment, before picking up another pillow and glancing at the door. She casually walked over, dropped the pillow on his head and then held it down as if she intended to smother him.
”Die human scum!”
That got him up and moving.
Before long the two of them were grappling for the upper hand, him trying to put her in a choke hold, and her using her lower arms to pinch him.
He yelped,
"Ouch! Pinching is illegal!”
"Sissy."
He clamped his legs around her lower arms, pinning them in place.
She struggled for a minute and then went limp.
She could feel his smug smile,
"I win, I beat the saint of Anin. Everyone bow at my feet."
"You say that, but if this were a real fight, since you’re a human male, you're the one with a self-destruct button."
"Self-destruct button...?"
"Meaning if this were a real fight, I would have punched you in the balls."
"Yaoooutch… Oh god… Please don't."
Finally, he let her go, leaving the two of them to lay on her bed, sheets scattered on the floor around them, and her pillows in disarray. Adam put his hands behind his head and sighed.
She glanced over at him,
"I don't suppose you came to just hang out. Here on Admiral-ly business?"
He groaned, pulling one of her pillows over his face,
"Please smother me for real this time."
She leaned up on one of her elbows,
"Why?"
"I don't wanna be an adult anymore!"
She tilted her head to the side, watching in amusement as he attempted to throw a childlike tantrum, but only really had the energy to kick his feet once,
"It's boring and lame and they won’t let me wear heelies to important meetings... also children don't have to pay taxes."
She laughed, pulling the pillow from his face,
"Adam you are many things, but 'adult' is not one of them."
He grinned slightly,
"True enough."
He sighed again and rested his head back against the pillows,
"I just want to get back to what we are supposed to be doing, exploring the universe and making cool alien friends."
He threw up his hands in frustration,
"But suddenly I find myself embroiled in stupid annoying politics that I don't understand, being used by people who are, let’s face it, WAY smarter than me, constantly finding myself getting manipulated."
She huffed,
"They aren't smarter than you Adam, they're just manipulative, and you aren't."
He sighed,
"Fair enough."
Then he looked at her, bright green eyes reflecting the soft ambient blue light,
"I just, I miss this, I miss us, I miss hanging out and doing stupid shit, and all of the things I could do when I wasn't so important and this operation was smaller."
She smiled rather sadly reaching one hand over for his, lacing the four of her fingers through the five of his,
"Well someone has to do the hard things, who better than you?”
He glanced over at her, raising an eyebrow,
"Or you, miss saint?”
She rolled her eyes again,
"Can't seem to get you off of that. I'm still the same person I used to be."
"But with power."
She elbowed him gently and he grinned,
"But really, I am proud and impressed and... Let's be honest super super smug that 'I' know you personally."
"I know, I am pretty terrific."
The two of them laughed for a minute before settling down again. He glanced over to her little shrine on the wall,
"What were you doing just then?"
She looked up at the ceiling, following the lines of metal and rivets with her eyes,
"Praying to the spirits of Anin."
Embarrassed, he shifted,
"I didn't know you were... Well I didn't think you were all that religious?"
She shrugged,
"Don't feel bad, it's sort of a new thing. Back before all this, it was sort of just stories to me. Like I believed it because that was what everyone believed, but I didn't really accept it, or feel it the way I do now. After everything with my mother, it was hard to feel connected to something I felt I wasn't a part of... But then after visiting my mother, after becoming a saint for a religion I never really followed... Well, it started to make more sense. It feels real now in a way that it never did."
She turned to look at him, finding him watching her, the UV blue stripes in his skin glowing blue.
"I believe in the spirits of Anin more than I ever have."
He smiled at her and squeezed her hand,
"I'm glad to hear it."
They lapsed into silence for a long moment, staring up at the ceiling before, inevitably he broke it,
"So this makes you like, space Moses right?”
She frowned and turned to look at him,
"What is a “Moses”?"
He grinned,
"A guy from one of the Earth Religions. You know, guy follows god's directions to lead his people away from slavery, climbs a mountain, receives the word of god, comes down to give it to the people, that sort of thing."
Sunny tilted her head slightly to the side,
"Are you religious?"
He paused, frowning,
"I... well I... don't really know. My family has been some flavor of Christian for a long time."
"Christian?"
"Uh yeah, the general idea is that there is one all-powerful deity who created everything. He has rules and laws that you are supposed to follow, the general tenants of this specific religion mostly boil down to: love everyone and don't be a dick, which humans are notoriously bad at. You sin you go to hell, a very bad place after you die, and if you are a good person you go to heaven. Problem is everyone is a sinner and breaks the rules, so really no one was going to get into heaven."
"That sounds bleak..."
"Well, that's where the other stuff comes in. Basically, this all-powerful deity sent down his son in human form to live a perfect life, so when he was martyred he took on the sins of all of humanity and paid for them in the greatest act of mercy to open the gate for the rest of us into heaven."
Sunny shifted as he tilted to the side to lay in the crook of her arms,
"Of course that is just one religion among tons on earth, we aren't really as cohesive in our beliefs as Drev are... As for me... I'm not really sure."
She tilted her head to the side, cheek resting against his hair,
"After seeing space, I become more and more convinced of some... Thing that created everything, but beyond that it's sort of a tossup."
She ran one hand through his hair, coarse but still soft somehow.
"You know my name comes from that religion?”
She turned her head to look at him,
"Oh, really?”
"Adam was the first man."
"What do you mean!?”
Adam shrugged,
"He was supposedly the first man that god created, from the dust of the earth... I think?"
She gave him a sidelong glance,
"Look, and you get to be the first idiot in space."
He snorted and poked her in the ribs.
"There were PLENTY of idiots in space before me, believe you me."
"Mmm I don't know, you are pretty dumb."
He laughed, grabbing a pillow and hitting her with it. She rolled over so she was lying on top of him and then went limp.
He struggled,
"Get your big ass off me."
"Oh no, I have been attacked by a sudden acute case of the “my spine doesn't work anymore”-disease."
"If you don't move, you'll suddenly find yourself with a case of “fist in your face”-disease."
She laughed and rolled off him, making sure the hard parts of her carapace were sticking down for maximum discomfort.
He grunted.
They returned to lying down next to each other in the half darkness. Sunny reached over and turned on some quiet music in the background as the two of them sat and talked, and laughed.
"I can't wait to get back to deep space."
He closed his eyes and hummed softly at the thought,
"Just the crew and the darkness and nothing ahead of us but an endless frontier."
Surprisingly, she found the thought to be more than a little comforting, and closed her eyes thinking about the vast reaches of blackness and the endless spinning galaxies.
"And while we are out, we can drop Conn into a pulsar."
He snorted,
“Why? Well first of for scientific reasons! If a marshmallow causes a nuclear blast, I wonder what dropping Conn would do… but at least he’d be dead.”
"That billowy bastard would survive and you know it."
She huffed,
"Still though, if I have to hear one more smug lecture how he has a child with you, I'm gonna wring his scrawny neck."
He grinned teeth flashing blue in the light,
"Is someone... Jealous?"
Sunny laughed, almost tipping him off the bed and onto the floor with her mirth,
"Yes Adam, I am totally jealous, really I am, ‘kay?. I mean who wouldn't want to have a child with YOU, big dumb, dork. Really the perfect place to put my superior genes."
"Superior genes, says someone who can't reach the top shelf."
She kicked him, foot clanging off his prosthetic,
"I am a foot taller than you."
He placed his hand next to his ear,
"What was that, I can't hear you over how short you are."
Sunny shook her head,
"At least I have binocular vision and both my knees."
"So we are gonna ignore that that binocular vision is due to a prosthetic now after the whole “your mom” incident? And also, veeery important: weird neck nostrils, don't forget about those!"
"Oh yes, so I can’t house them on my face like you and your bigass nose."
"Low blow, low blow."
"There are... Lower things... I could make fun of."
He snorted,
"Can't make fun of it if you've never seen it. You on the other hand, walking around in the nude..."
"You're welcome. Who wouldn't love…"
She gestured to herself,
"This."
"Mmm yeah... chitin, very sexy."
"I am a gift to the universe, and should be appreciated by everyone."
He brushed a hand through his hair,
"Well I find that real gifts are gift wrapped, so jot that down."
"Oh yeah, like a prank gift when you put something lame in a box for something cool."
He frowned at her,
"You wound me. My feelings are so very very hurt. I might even cry."
"I drink human tears."
"That… that's really gross.'
She laughed and then they lapsed into silence. She could hear him breathing quietly next to her in the darkness, his chest rising and falling under the ambient blue light. She looked across the room to where her saint armor was hanging in its climate-controlled case illuminated to a pearly sheen.
"Adam?"
"Yeah?”
"You know I'm just kidding about calling you dumb right?"
"Yeah I know."
"I'm proud of what you've been doing."
Adam turned to look at her rather incredulous,
"Me, of what? I haven't been doing shit."
"So, we are just going to ignore you overthrowing a maniacal politician while simultaneously piloting a 2,000 year old spacecraft?"
"That was more Conn and Eris than it was me."
"It was your idea."
"Let’s not forget Admiral Kelly."
Sunny pulled him closer,
"I am sorry, I will not be accepting anything other than you acknowledging that you did a good job."
"Screw you!”
"You'd like that wouldn't you?”
He sighed,
"You've been talking to Ramirez WAY too much."
She was only slightly smug as she rested her head back against the pillow,
"I really should get up and train..."
"We should yeah..."
Neither of them moved.
"Alternatively, we could just... Lay here... All day and do... nothing."
She looked up at the ceiling for a long moment and pretended to be in deep contemplation before…
"Well it's official, you have convinced me. You and your silver tongue."
"I am a master negotiator."
He shifted position putting one arm behind his head,
"Think about it, by this time tomorrow we will be back to space exploring and doing what we should have been doing all along. I can't wait."
"That makes two of us."
Previous First [Next](link)
Want to find a specific one, see the whole list or check fanart?
Here is the link to the master-post.
Intro post by me
OC-whole collection
Patreon of the author
Thanks for reading! As you saw in the title, this is a cross posted story written by starrfallknightrise and I'll just upload some of it here for you guys, if you are interested and want to read ahead, the original story-collection can be found on tumblr or wattpad to read for free. (link above this text under "OC:..." ) It is the Empyrean Iris story collection by starfallknightrise. Also, if you want to know more about the story collection i made an intro post about it, so feel free to check that out to see what other great characters to look forward to! (Link also above this text). I have no affiliations to the author; just thought I’d share some of the great stories you might enjoy a lot!
Obviously, I have Charlie’s permission to post this and for the people already knowing the stories, or starting to read them: If you follow the link and check out the story you will see some differences. I made some small (non-artistic) changes, mainly correcting writing mistakes, pronoun correction and some small additional info here and there of things which were not thought of/forgotten or even were added/changed in later stories (like the “USS->UNSC” prefix of Stabby, Chalar=/->Sunny etc). As well as some "biggemajor" changes in descriptions and info’s for the same stringency/continuity reason. That can be explained by the story collection being, well a story collection at the start with many standalone-stories just starring the same people, but later on it gets more to a stringent storyline with backstories and throwbacks. (For example Adam Vir has some HEAVY scars over his body, following his bones, which were not really talked about up till half the collection, where it says it covers his whole body and you find out via backflash that he had them the whole time and how he got them, they just weren't mentioned before. However, I would think a doctor would at least see these scars before that, especially since he gets analyzed, treated and goes shirtless/in T-shirts in some stories). So TLDR: Writing and some descriptions are slightly changed, with full OK from the author, since he himself did not bother to correct these things before.