#etfs explained

[neturbizenterprises]

Transform Spare Change into Wealth with Acorns!

Discover why having acorns in your pocket can transform your spare change into a powerful investment tool. Meet Acorns, the app that rounds up your purchases—like that $3.50 coffee—to the nearest dollar and invests the extra 50 cents for you. It’s like a smarter piggy bank!

Imagine turning daily habits into a diversified portfolio of ETFs effortlessly. With options for recurring investments and retirement planning through IRAs, Acorns simplifies investing for everyone—from beginners to experts. Don’t let your change sit idle; make it work hard for you! Download Acorns today and start growing your wealth one coffee at a time.

#InvestSmart #AcornsApp

[innova7ions]

Transform Spare Change into Wealth with Acorns!

Discover why having acorns in your pocket can transform your spare change into a powerful investment tool. Meet Acorns, the app that rounds up your purchases—like that $3.50 coffee—to the nearest dollar and invests the extra 50 cents for you. It’s like a smarter piggy bank!

Imagine turning daily habits into a diversified portfolio of ETFs effortlessly. With options for recurring investments and retirement planning through IRAs, Acorns simplifies investing for everyone—from beginners to experts. Don’t let your change sit idle; make it work hard for you! Download Acorns today and start growing your wealth one coffee at a time.

#InvestSmart #AcornsApp

[nkogneatho]

MY MOM SAW MY TUMBLR THEME I AM DEACTIVATING

[katlanacross]

via tj bell on instagram february 14th 2023

[inbarfink]

So the Japanese Dubs for Invader Zim the Show and Enter the Florpus (or perhaps I should say ‘Florpus Keikaku’*) are actually pretty consistent. Even if they couldn’t get every VA for a side-character back, they at least got the same VAs for the Main Four (and it’s not necessarily a bad thing that some VAs did get switched, ETF!Japanese!Membrane is much better than Show!Japanese! Membran tbh). There’s a few tiny inconsistencies but I think most of them can be explained with them either only using a few episodes as reference rather than the whole show or maybe relying on the VAs memories from all these years ago?

For example, in the Japanese dub of the show, GIR usually refers to Zim as ‘Boss’ both in Regular and Duty mode. This quirk of his was retained in ETF for Normal Mode, but in Duty mode he used ‘sir’ instead. The use of 'Boss' as the consistent specific term for how GIR addresses Zim tells me they were probably trying to be consistent with the show’s original dub, but like... maybe Wasabi Mizuta didn't remember what GIR used to say in Duty Mode, or they didn't rewatch any episode where GIR is in Duty Mode for a significant amount of dialogue time.

And both the show and the movie refer to the Tallest both as just ‘Tallest’ transliterated, or as 司令官 (shireikan, literally ‘commanders’). But the show heavily favors “shireikan” and the movie heavily favors ‘Tallest’ - to the point the discrepancy is noticeable. 

And in the show, Gaz and Dib generally address Professor Membrane as as とおさん (tō-san) - but in the movie they use パパ (papa) instead. Which isn’t technically an inconsistency between the movie and the show because there are a few episodes where they do use ‘papa’ as well, it’s just not as common in the grand scheme of the show. So maybe they just had those episodes where 'Papa' is used.... or since ‘papa’ is a lot cuter and more affectionate, that might’ve been a deliberate choice to go with ETF’s shift in the characterization of the Membranes.

So really, most 'inconsistencies' are not real inconsistencies at the end of the day and... actually, I can say....

That the most major actual change between the dub of Invader Zim the Show and ‘Enter the Florpus’ is that in the show, the Robo-Parents refer to Zim as ぼうや (‘bōya’, an affectionate but not necessarily familial term for a young boy). 

But in ETF, they call him ‘Zim-chan’.

(*translator’s note: keikaku means plan)

[kissycat]

What they don't tell you about testosterone is that after 2 years on it you will be at a barbecue explaining ETFs to someone and saying "maybe I should train for a half marathon". It can happen to you or someone you love. Watch out

[bitchesgetriches]

Aunties, can you tell us about REITs and the messed up housing market? I feel like something has to give or change with companies buying up all the homes, and I'd like to diversify my investments but do REITs just make it worse?

HOOOOOO BOY do we have THOUGHTS.

First off, here's our explainer on the housing market (and we worked really hard on it so we hope you like it):

The Rent Is Too Damn High: The Affordable Housing Crisis, Explained 

Now, on to REITs (real estate investment trust). These bad boys are sort of like the ETFs or index funds of real estate investing. It's a way for people without a ton of capital to invest in real estate when they can't afford to, say, buy a whole-ass building. You are correct that they are 1) a good way to diversify your personal investments, and 2) contributing to the housing market fuckery.

BUT...

I think you can still invest in REITs ethically. You just need to choose industrial REITs, rather than residential.

For example, you can invest in REITs that represent warehouses, cell phone towers, industrial space, and office buildings (though we don't recommend that last one just now because... well, have you BEEN downtown recently?). Personally, I invest in Prologis, which is an industrial REIT that I'm comfortably certain isn't contributing to the housing crisis.

As with all investments, we recommend you research thoroughly before diving in! It's super hard to invest ethically under capitalism, but if you care, you can get pretty close to at least reducing harm. Here's more on ethical investing:

Season 4, Episode 1: “Index Funds Include Unethical Companies. Can I Still Invest in Them, or Does That Make Me a Monster?” 

Did we just help you out? Tip us!

[austin-in-taiwan]

July 17 - Taipei - Aborigines Museum, Fulbright Center, Boba Tea

This morning, I started out very productive! We had to meet at 9:30, so just before then, I asked the front desk where I could go to mail some postcards I wrote yesterday. A mail collection box was right in front of the 711 next to the hotel. Since I was there, I decided to get a 711 coffee since I hadn't tried their coffee yet. I successfully ordered my drink entirely in Chinese, specifying the cup's size and that I wanted ice in it!

We then spent our morning at the Taiwan Fulbright Center. If you don't know what Fulbright is, it's a program sponsored by the U.S. government that exchanges students with about 160 countries. TThe one in Taiwan offers grants for master's programs, and majorly, their ETA/ETF program allows U.S. students to come for 11 months and teach English in one of numerous places on the island. We received a few lectures about the program and met the program executive director, Randall Nadeau. In addition, we were also served numerous Taiwanese drinks and snacks (including Asparagus juice, which literally smelled and tasted like asparagus). We were also served a Bento Box (at least, I'm pretty sure that's what they called it), which was a hot bowl with chicken, rice, and cabbage. I actually really enjoyed it, and the chicken was cooked perfectly. Overall, I am definitely considering the program, but I'm still not sold as I'm not entirely sure I would want to go abroad for a whole year after graduation rather than get a job in the United States.

Finally, we went to the Shung Ye Museum of Formosan Aborigines, a museum that teaches about the Native Indigenous people of Taiwan. I found it very similar to museums, and what I've learned about Native Americans in the U.S. was very interesting. I enjoyed this Museum's interactive sections, including a game that had us learn a dance. I scored 415, which was the highest score of the group. On our way back to the hotel from the Museum, Peter, our tour guide, treated us to a boba/tapioca tea! It was super interesting as they had us pick how much sugar (100%,90%,70%...0%), ice, and which style of tea (regular tea, milk tea, combinations, etc). I got Peter's recommendation and got a Milk/Green tea (奶绿). It was delicious!

Academic Reflection

When it comes to writing an academic reflection today, there was really only one topic I learned about Taiwanese history, which was at the Shung Ye Museum of Formosan Aborigines. The only prior knowledge I had of the Taiwan Indigenous People was that Native Americans were in the U.S., forced to integrate and take on their invader's cultures and languages. Peter explained to us how they were forced to learn Japanese, participate in Japanese Culture, and get Japanese names when the Japanese took over, and then do the same thing for the Chinese when the Chinese took over. However, today, I was glad to hear that democratic Taiwan has at least apologized and is trying to make steps toward preserving the Indigenous cultures, languages, etc. Unfortunately, after a long period of integration, it is nearly impossible to fully bring back their culture on the scale it had originally. Peter told us that only 10% have legally changed their names back to their original language, while the rest kept their Chinese or Japanese names since they had been forced to use them for decades.

Overall, all of this information about forced integration, the asking for forgiveness by the national government, and even the artifacts that were in the Museum from history all reminded me of Native American culture that we are taught about when we are younger in the United States. It makes sense that something similar has happened throughout the entire world throughout history, but it still surprises me when I find something very similar around the globe.

[goobfan]

Goobfan there's been a gc lore update except none of us know etf the lore is send help

DM me this lore. I explain.

[akanksharai000]

What is Nifty ETF | Bajaj Finserv

Wondering what is Nifty ETFs are? Bajaj Finserv, a leading financial services provider in India, offers a variety of products, including loans, insurance, and investment options. Check out their YouTube video for a detailed breakdown of Nifty ETFs (Exchange-Traded Funds). The video explains what Nifty ETFs are, how they function, and why they’re important in the financial market. Watch it to get a solid grasp of Nifty ETFs and discover how they can enhance your investment strategy.

[professormembranexreader]

Membrane x Male! Assistant! Reader (Smut)

AU: ETF but Zim stays schmoopy.

(Y/N)’s POV

I adjusted Membrane’s signature collared lab coat as the sound of people entering rang in from the house to backstage. Situated in front of the two of us was a gigantic television screen connected to a camera monitoring the house.

One wouldn’t expect him to be nervous, but Membrane was. He was terrified. He had been made aware of electrical problems in town, and was worried his son, Dib, might try to bring — what did he call it? His “jalada no científica”? That sounds about right. He was worried basin might try to bring that stuff to the keynote and divert attention to himself. He didn’t want his son to be made a fool of. No one should want that for their child.

But that nervousness was making him look disheveled.

I finished fixing his appearance and watched as he ran a hand down his hair spike, smoothing it. “You’re on in one minute.”

He nodded and stepped onto the platform that would rise to meet the stage. Once I gave him a thumbs up, the platform began to rise, and he spoke.

“Ladies and gentlemen!” His voice boomed through the speakers embedded within the stadium. The crowd roared ruthlessly, awaiting his every word.

He waited for the platform he was in to rise before beginning, “I am so very proud to announce…” When he was flush with the floor, he continued. “The new, Peace Day Edition… MEMBRACELET!”

The crowd was screaming his praise. But they grew quiet when he held a hand out to signal the cheering should momentarily cease.

“But I’m sure you’re wondering, ‘Why do I need a new Membracelet?’ Well, my dear consumer, I’ll tell you.”

“The Membracelet was originally meant for children to stimulate their minds as well as help them keep in touch with the ones they hold dear. It can run sensory engaging apps such as Peanut Simulator, and newly added Bloaty’s Puzzle Hog, that sharpen the reflexes of children across the world.”

“‘But Professor’, you’re saying, ‘What’s so different about this version other than a few new apps?’” He paused.

“Well, it’s simple. As you know, tomorrow is Peace Day, and nobody is as excited for the celebration as I am!”

A random man from the crowd waved his arms, screaming “I AM!”

Membrane shot up towards the man, rocketing up the stairs to shout in his face: “NOT SCIENTIFICALLY POSSIBLE!”

“Miguel, get back to the stage like a good boy.” I whispered into my earpiece. He shrank away from the man, doing as I asked.

Sighing, and regaining his composure, he resumed his speech. “Children. We discovered they generate an energy field of limitless chaotic potential. We call that child energy: CHILDERGY. The new Membracelet harnesses that Childergy and channels it outward as pure PEACE and JOY.”

The crowd ooh-ed and aah-ed as he explained how the device worked.

“Tomorrow, children will hold hands, encircling the planet in Membracelets, to bring about a peace unlike any the wORLD HAS EVER KNOWN!”

The crowd returned to its raucous state. But suddenly, the power went out. Screams rang out from a few frightened individuals, but that’s what you get for holding a keynote event in a town with unreliable energy. The backup generator quickly kicked on and the screams quieted.

I saw sweat bead on his forehead. It wasn’t that noticeable, but I knew where to look. He let out a deep exhale. “Well, now that we’re a bit less powerless...” The screen behind him switched to a picture of the Membracelet in four different colors. “We have Membracelets in multiple colors — for all styles and fashions!"

The crowd rejoiced and Membrane returned to the platform in the stage. “Good job, Professor,” I said over my earpiece. He slowly was lowered to my level under the stage. He turned off his mic and slowly walked over to me. “Professor?” I asked. But I got no response, as he slammed me to the wall.

He glared at me through his goggles. Shit...

“What’s wrong, Professor?” I asked, tilting my head, playing coy.

“If you want to act like you don’t know, I’ll show you,” he growled. I gulped. He was so hot when he was pent up. It was almost as if I’d planned this.

He pulled down his high collar and pressed his lips against mine in a rough kiss. He squeezed my ass as I moaned into the kiss. But he abruptly pulled away.

“But not now, sabroso. Not now...” He let go of me, “I have a few questions to answer for the press.”

As he walked up the stairs leading to the reserved parking (where reporters were inevitably waiting), I slumped against the wall. Every time I tried to toy with him, I got toyed with right back. And I absolutely loved it.

Does that make me a brat?

Shit, maybe...

In a moment of desperation, I went back to my house, painfully pent up. I knew I’d have to take care of this sooner rather than later. I briskly walked into my modest house and marched to the bedroom, slowly stripping on the way there.

By the time I had gotten to my bedroom, all I still had on were my pants and the boxers underneath. And with a bit of struggle, those were off too. I laid down on my messy bed and started pumping my cock. As I stroked, I may have gotten a bit too into it... I started moaning out Membrane’s name. And while this wasn’t unordinary for me to moan that, I typically had him with me. After all, what are friends with benefits if you’re only friends?

It was only when I heard a throat being cleared that I realized I was being watched. Caught, red handed. And by Membrane, nonetheless. How picturesque it must have been.

I only noticed I was holding my breath when he spoke, “Did I tell you that you could stop?”

I shook my head, indicating a no, and returned to pleasuring myself. I watched from a distance as the large figure of Professor Membrane moved to unbutton his lab coat. I stole a glance at his uncovered face. Screw the rest of him, I’d seen his torso and legs a million times over. His face, however? That was new. He pushed up his goggles and stared into my soul with his chocolate brown eyes. It was only when his gaze flicked downwards that I realized he was on track to fuck himself too.

“Chingados, (Y/N). You truly are a sight...” he gasped out between strokes, staring at me like I would disappear if he didn’t. I couldn’t help but moan and lean my head back as I got closer to a climax.

“Professor~” I moaned out. I heard Membrane’s breath hitch as I groaned.

“(Y/N), if you keep making noises like that…”

I looked at him the best I could, smirking as I whispered, “You’ll what?”

He growled and pounced on top of me, pinning my hands above my head. “Stay there,” he commanded as he let go of my wrists. He quickly pulled down his slacks and boxers. He made quick work of pushing my legs forward as to start preparing me for anal.

He slowly inserted a gloved finger into my ass and soon another. He began scissoring my insides. I almost came from that alone. But right when I was about to, he pulled his fingers out.

I whimpered, but he shushed me. He took off his gloves, revealing robotic arms. I’d seen them a few times before, but never in this kind of setting. But that’s beside the point. My focus was quickly shifted to the sensation of his dick entering me. I couldn’t help but groan as he pushed farther and farther. I wrapped my legs around his torso the best I could, and grabbed onto his neck.

Tears pricked my eyes.

He waited patiently for permission to move as I got adjusted to the feeling of him inside me. I slowly moved to hold his face and nodded. He grabbed my hips and began fucking himself with me. I moaned out louder than before as I felt him shift inside me.

His pace was relentless. It started off slower, yes, but it was brutal. Every time I got used to the pace he set, he increased the speed of his thrusts.

However, nothing lasts forever, and that was beginning to be my reality. My fingernails raked down his back as I moaned out obscenities.

“Say my name, guapo,” he groaned softly into my skin.

“Miguel~”

“Louder!”

“Miguel!”

“MÁS ALTO, POR EL AMOR DEL DIOS.”

“MIGUEL!”

White streaked my chest and clouded my vision as I wrenched my eyes closed. A few more thrusts from him and I felt him release inside me, overstimulating me even more.

He stayed inside me for a minute or two, but eventually pulled out. I whined. But it was inevitable. Almost immediately I felt cum leak out of me.

“Now who’s a good boy? Hmm?” Membrane asked, smirking.

I yawned, exhausted from how rough it was. “Still you.”

He chuckled, and he picked my bear limp body up to wash me off. All I could do was hum contently, as I knew I was going to be taken care of.

Translations:

- jalada no científica — unscientific bullshit

-sabroso — tasty

-chingados — fuck (interjection)

-más alto — louder

[ace-malarky]

Mist Worlds Overview

anyhow I guess I might just? do a mist worlds ramble? girlie got big and I don't think I've ever actually explained what it all is exactly, so

The Mist Worlds are a series of interconnected worlds - there were 22 of them originally, three get destroyed via Some Shenanigans.

They all have theoretically different tech/magic levels, along with different native species and geographic makeup but also there are two Earth-like ones because the EtF world was a late addition to this and by that time I already had another Earth-equivalent, so like. Convergent evolution or whatever

Each world has a funky little Elder God in the core of it that is the source of its magic/Vibes

In The Beginning (before the gates are stabilised), portals between worlds had a habit of disappearing and reappearing on a whim, meaning travel was Tricky and also not always by choice. The only creatures that could safely travel the Mist were the Fair, dragons, unicorns, Erinty, and potentially other mythic creatures

Then Ye Local Arch Mages from Astranys decide that maybe, they also deserve safe travel that won't dump them wherever and whenever because frankly, too many people are lost that way, so they set to and lock almost all the dragons across the worlds into the Mist and let it feed off them so that the gates are stabilised and those Mere Mortals can travel as they will and return home safely

This causes problems.

problem #1 is Shekonys, a world which is split into two when the Elder God at its centre is the one drained for this spellwork. It's locked away from the rest of the Mist, with gates between the parallel worlds few and far between (and mostly in the sky). Gradually, they forget that there were ever other worlds. One half forgets that there was ever magic and a whole race that could summon themselves wings.

problem #2 is that Leritheyar's dragons say "hey fuck you" and lock Leritheyar away in an effort to save themselves, which. to be fair, it works! Leritheyar just also starts disintegrating at the same time, which isn't great. Their local mages go "wow what the fuck" and set about trying to stabilise that by uhhhh pulling some Load Bearing People into the world in hopes that they will fix that. Those people being Leiri, S'ray, and Melisande. This is WereCreature Chronicles!

But apart from them, everything is peachy and honestly it's not like people knew how many worlds were out there, so like. really? no one knows they've lost anything

The next Big Event is that the Bran Rhi, local story telling prophecy guru, creates the wyverns of Kukipia as story repositories for the rest of the worlds and also seals Kukipia from the Mist. No one's quite sure why but she seems to know what she's doing. This eventually leads to Wyvern Queen and thence to Wyvern Call.

Literally the year after that Osseorye, home of the Charm Witches, is destroyed. There's enough warning (or there's been enough travel by now) that some of its people survive amongst the rest of the worlds, largely settling on Idriarea in various enclaves. Unbeknownst to everyone, this also creates the first Erinty from the remains of the Elder God, and they are... well, they're a mixed bunch. They're the immortal remnants of a world's core, shattered 21 ways (one for each of the remaining worlds). If they find each other again, who knows what the fuck might happen.

Another world is destroyed as the harpy with no name finishes the quest she started years before. She gets the harpies their wings 24/7 with no need to shift back and forth between two not-quite forms, but loses any chance at a stable home. The Eternal Queen takes her harpies from Kedditara and looks for a new roost.

Everything is peachy for a while! Travel between worlds becomes more widespread. Cities and gates and beaurocracy build up around the main ones in each world. some places might be invaded and kickstart their own problems. Erinty are making mischief on the outskirts, finding each other, growing stronger, you know how it goes

The last world to be destroyed is Aesserial, home to the Visualisation Mages. Razar Ori would like it on record that he saw this coming and tried to stop it, but the most he could do was drive the people responsible over the edge and then help the refugees out into the Mists.

Some of the groups I talk about are formed - the Guardians, dedicated to stopping another world being destroyed, whether by mortal or Erinty or what-have-you. The Magic Thieves, driven by their need for fun/revenge/a way home/money. Four Erinty form a pop group and become wildly popular and figure that this is better than hunting down their siblings for sport and power.

Then the Magic Thieves break into where the dragons are held captive and free them. The gates hold! Everything is fine! Except now there are dragons and that takes some adjusting.

One by one, the remaining worlds rejoin the Mist. First Shekonys, its parallel worlds situation sorted and the Phoenix created from its ashes. Then Leritheyar, where Kaithr has managed to stabilise its magic after a long life of uhhhhh well, eating its magic and trying to fix themself. And finally Kukipia, where they've heard all these stories about the other worlds via their wyverns, but never believed they were real.

And of course, in and around all of this frankly ridiculous amount of time, people are fulfilling prophecies, becoming superheroes, fucking around in time, vanquishing vampires (being resurrected without their memories), being nosy little shits, and just generally making stories of themselves while trying very hard not to lose everything in the making of it.

[inbarfink]

If I may ask do you feel Gaz being warmer to Dib in Florpus was natural development or too ooc? It felt kind of jarring to me at first glance.

It's funny, I actually have a Very Long Post buried very deep in my Drafts that takes a very deep look at the Membrane Sibling Dynamic and their interactions - focusing on the actual main show itself, but also keeping the existence of ETF in mind. And while I am not just gonna dump it here (it still needs to be polished a bit), my main conclusions are

There were a few Shifts in the way Gaz and her relationship with Dib was written within the show itself.

Her behavior in 'Enter the Florpus' is actually perfectly in line with most of her actions in the show. Especially when you consider ETF was really a perfect storm of Special Circumstances we haven't really put Gaz in the actual show - a situation where she has to see Zim as a genuine threat, where she is genuinely as emotionally invested as Dib is in the Stakes, a situation where she has to see her brother be Actually Emotionally Vulnerable and admitting his own faults to her face.

And even the few episodes where it doesn't work quite as smoothly is more like... the general Shifts in characterizations when we're dealing with serial media written by a collective of people. Like I mentioned above.

And especially when you consider my personal reading of Gaz's character as just... a very messed-up kid who has a lot of Genuine Frustrations she is channeling out in some really Bad Ways. It's not an Absolute Objective Fact but her Big Emotional Moment in ETF to me reads less as her explaining to Dib something she always knew she felt and more like her figuring out herself that she has limits to how much she wants to watch Dib suffer.

Really the thing that bothers me more in terms of OOC-ness in ETF is not Gaz, but Professor Membrane -

[sos-amchespin-sendhelp]

The Caravan

(Pictured: In the early morning hours, Grovyle (♂) explains the intricacies of Zero Isle's temporal disentanglement, such that midday on one floor bleeds into midnight on the next — a starlit sky transplanted from a night from several weeks ago on the other side of the world; a kind of self-contained time travel. To the right is a Shiny Tentacool named Flaubert.)

When the three of is (Auburn, Leiland and I) first plotted our course to Zero Isle, we found, regrettably enough, that we were in need of both transportation and a solid excuse. With the Exploration Team Federation in the sorry, splintered state that it's in today, Zero Isle is effectively in a quarantine of criss-crossing quasi-governmental interests, burgeoning regional stigma, and Lapras Travel Liners unwilling to cut a path across dungeon waters* unless passengers have a damn good reason.

Caravan Master Kricketune's avid group of cryptid-hunters have such a reason, flimsy though it may be. Striving to validate urban legends is right up the ETF's alley, and Dr. Slowking — the hometown practitioner for both Leland and I, seen below — scrounged up enough connections to give us an "in."

Previous quarries of theirs allegedly include so-called "Paradox Pokémon" (middling success), the "Grandmaster of All Things Bad, a.k.a. The Wigglyman" (catastrophic failure), and now a "Candlewick Phantom," which no one thus far has deigned to tell us anything about.

(Pictured; isolated from larger image: Dr. Slowking (♂), who has begrudgingly joined this misadventure to Zero Isle as a favor to "an old flame" (likely Kricketune). Doesn't realize everyone can tell that flask of his contains hard liquor. Specializes in treatments for mental instability and issues such as retrograde amnesia. Would not be the person I am without him.

It would otherwise be a little awkward to have your doctor accompany you on a mission of such gravitas, but Slowking is "kinda fun at parties despite being a skeevy windbag" (to quote Leland) and "an invaluable asset, I suppose, if you look at it from a specific angle." (to quote Auburn). Regardless of what you may or may not hear about him, Slowking is a genuinely wise soul who I am happy to have along.

We joined the Caravan proper at a Sand Continent harbor as the merry troupe secured carriage after carriage onto the back of an uneasy-looking Gigantamax Lapras.** When asked why they didn't simply travel to Zero Isle from the Grass Continent, Caravan Master Kricketune muttered something about "The Wigglyman" and pointedly refused to elaborate. He has since politely asked not to be photographed.

Another notable character is Grovyle, someone Kricketune has hired as a "temporal consultant." Leland can't fathom what job experience you'd need to get credentials for that, and when pressed Grovyle remarked it's "not anything I'd recommend." He has nonetheless proved his worth many times over.

(The Mystery Dungeons of Zero Isle have degenerated to such a horrid state that temporal paradoxes and even temporal retrogression become legitimate possibilities. Everything swiftly congeals into nothing when one delves too greedily and too deep.)

Absolutely no relation to that Time Thief which the rumormongers jabber on about; Grovyle says he was born after. He apparently just has one of those faces.***

(On the other hand, as I'm writing this a more zealous member of Kricketune's troupe is accusing Grovyle of "canoodling with time legendaries" which caused him to legit spit-take his hot beverage all over Leland. So, uh, maybe something's going on with him, but he's also the most rational of any of us, so why poke the poodle?)

(Pictured: Flaubert (-) the Shiny Tentacool, who's one of the few with appendages able to manipulate the touch-screen phone camera. They mostly use it to take stylish photos of themself, but goddamn that is good camerawork.)

Also there is Flaubert.

Flaubert is stylish as fuck. It's an immense feat for a Tentacool to walk on land to begin with, but this mfer can dance. Every step they take oozes with charisma. If this were a tabletop game he would be the Face of the party hands down. They're, like, Bayonetta incarnate.

Also somehow strongest in terms of sheer combat prowess apart from Grovyle and perhaps Dr. Slowking (who's taken a hippocratic oath so who knows). If you're dungeoneering you want them on your side. Apparently they come from an ex-mercenary background.

How a miles gloriosus like Kricketune is able to recruit these kinds of people is a riddle for the ages.

Only issue is whenever Auburn catches sight of me even just talking to this Tentacool, he breaks down into hysterical laughter. Usually nothing ever phases that yellow rat, is there some kind of joke I'm missing? No one will give me a straight answer.

We've met several other friendly folk in the caravan, but for the sake of

shit ive got to something's come up posting this now

* (The majority of Mystery Dungeon encroachment — for now — is localized far out at sea, driving most ocean-dwelling Pokémon closer to continental waters for fear of being swept up in their eldritch gyre and assimilated into the generation algorithm, both lost forever and endlessly duplicated. The ocean's currents are in a constant state of Fucked Up, which is influencing natural disasters across the globe. Nowhere is this more evident than in the trecherous waters surrounding Zero Isle. Those on land may wish to downplay the problem however long they like, but those at sea know differently.)

** (The same catastrophic event that levelled most of the Sand Continent long ago scattered "Power Spots" all across the country. With careful application of Magnagate tech upon said Power Spots, the Sand Continent has become the lifeblood of the shipping industry, as Gigantamax Lapras Cargo Liners can not only navagate dungeon waters no problem but can do so with a metric shitton of cargo.)

*** (Auburn is fervent in his belief that the tragedy surrounding The Great Dusknoir's disappearence were a prolonged smear campaign to discredit the Exploration Team Federation as a governing body, and I am inclined to agree. Any hypothetical Time Thief would be, at minimum, a despicable maniac who deserves no recognition at all. Grovyle appears to echo these sentiments.)

Artwork compiled using assets from Drinka Mercep, Kaz_Creations, u/Windicious, JatersArt, et al. and official sources.

[rissynicole]

14 and 23 :)

Hey, Faith! It’s been a little while. Hope everything is going well!

14) Unpopular opinion about your fandom?

In essence, I think the release of Enter the Florpus poisoned the fandom.

Let me explain my reasoning behind this: people who only joined the IZ fandom after ETF may have immediately assumed the fandom was always toxic and full of arguments and discourse. After all, that’s the case with many fandom communities online. However, it was simply not true for IZ. I certainly didn’t see discourse on that scale, anyway. I credit the release of ETF for making the landscape of the fandom a very different place because it introduced TONS of new people to IZ. That’s awesome, and I’m always glad to have new people to talk to. Definitely don’t want to come across like I’m gatekeeping a fandom. What I’m saying is that the huge influx of people brought with it a lot of toxicity and turned what was once a very relaxed, chill fandom into a fandom wracked with conflict and discourse.

The toxicity didn’t exist (or was incredibly minimal) prior to August of 2019. Then, with the release of the movie, a huge surge of people came. The new people brought with them petty squabbles and disturbing ways of harassing others. A few of my friends who were longtime fans left the fandom out of fear, which still breaks my heart and leaves me more than a little resentful even years later. Some of these people had been actively making art and fic for the show for over a decade prior to ETF. Many of them weren’t even doing anything deemed “problematic”; they were just worried they’d be harmed somehow in all the collateral damage. Seeing them disappear off the internet out of straight fear was awful.

The rise of toxicity is the reason why I block liberally and vet people when I meet them, which is something I didn’t worry so much about before.

Not to sound like a snob or an old-timer, but I sure wish folks could see what the fandom looked like before ETF.

(All of that said, I’m not generalizing. Both bad and good people joined the fandom following ETF. I’m still close with many of those people today. Without ETF, I never would have met some of my best friends.)

23) Unpopular character you love.

This is a tough question because I feel like I usually have the opposite problem. Everyone will fall in love with a certain character, and I’m stumped by it because I have no strong feelings on the character one way or another.

I guess one character that I think gets slept on in this fandom, however, is Larb. I’ll never understand how Tenn could show up once in canon as a one-off character and get fics written about her, fanart drawn of her, and headcanons thought up about her. Larb, however, appears multiple times in canon and is shown to be the bootlicker poster child for the Irken Empire and nobody in the fandom wants to do anything with that.

[usnewsrank]

Investing Basics: Avoiding ETF performance pitfalls

  Measuring performance should be simple but the same investment can look quite different if you check it on different websites. To make sure you’re not caught out, we explain the main performance pitfalls and the most important differences between various calculation methods, so that you know you’re always comparing apples to apples – by Dominique Riedl   The major factors that can alter an…