#toss a coin to your podcaster

[monstrousproductions]

Meet Cassie! 😻✨

Cassie is four years old and lists his profession as, "His mama's trouble bubble" 😻 He likes animated talking cats and rainbows, and loves to wear rainbow shows - especially his light-up rain boots!

Cassie is one of our growing gallery of characters designed for our Scholar tier supporters! Thanks so much to @itsthekiks for her fabulous idea and for supporting the show 💖

We now have four tiers of support you can choose from on Ko-Fi: Stowaway (£1); Traveller (£3); Mechanic (£5); and Scholar (£12).

We've also updated our rewards, so that every single tier gets access to all our bonus art, annotated scripts, blog posts and alternate decision flow-charts, as well as an invitation to our Discord server!

Scholars also receive their very own alien, just like Cassie, drawn for them by @diabeticspoon92 🎨✨

Sign up today!

[gryffindorconsultingtimelord]

What are your thoughts on Liam Hemsworth as the new Geralt? Comment below!

[zoestorm]

Hi there, Sowerbot here. Huge fan of your work; "To Own the Libs" helped crack my egg and make me the girl I am today.

Anyway, I write "Grow A Pair (Not That Kind) over at scribblehub. I saw that you've been commenting on and liking my story, and I was hoping thay you could use your considerable platform to boost both the story and my ko-fi page. I'm trying to get donations for living expenses and HRT, and I was hoping that a promotion from a very well known and respected trans author could help with that.

I understand that you probably get a million asks like this a day, but I figured thay it couldn't help to ask, right?

Yeah, sure! Gladly :)

I really like this story so far. The protagonist is delightfully dumb/oblivious (dumblivious?), and it's just the kind of story I like to write and read. Fans of my work will probably enjoy it too, and if you do, toss Sowerbot a few coins in return :)

[eldritch-spouse]

HI AGAIN. Ever since I found your blog and also sent a totally normal ramble abt cannibalism I've been just. Gently tossing your guys back and forth in my head. You're a wonderful writer and I'm always excited to see you on my dash!!

Gonna throw my hat in as asking an actual question- How would your guys fare if their obsession had a particularly weird or morbid interest? I get the vibes that some of them would most certainly encourage it but I also feel like Vinnel would hit me with a hammer if I panic infodumped about ebola-

[Hellow, glad to see you again! Also, I know you probably just forgot, but "your guys" encompasses way too many characters to talk about at once, so I'll assume you were going for TCE staff.]

Morell especially likes hearing about your cannibalism infodumps. They're actually useful to him, since he's going to be living with you, and he needs to know what he can and can't feed you, as well as a possible child between you. It's actually interesting stuff, he'd like it if you talked about it to his family too, you're a smart piggy. Any other topics are usually met with less enthusiasm (unless kitchen/food related), and he'll ask you to quit it if you start talking too much about mushrooms. Overall, it's nice background noise to work to.

Patches is all about infodumping. In fact, you're subjected to it often too, even if he doesn't always stop to explain basic concepts you'd need to understand his rambling. He'll give you a recorder he has, so he can keep the sound of that boundless enthusiasm in your voice forever. He's much more participative than the others, asking various questions and tossing random scenarios at you that'll prompt you to learn even more. There's a potential he'll get distracted and stop working to just research this with you the whole day.

Gallon loves a weirdo -No offense- Feel free to dump all that morbidity on him, he soaks it up like a sponge (so does Martin, be careful). Although he prefers to let you speak unhindered, only egging you on when it seems you're getting passionately angry about things, there's a chance Gallon may begin his own little tidbit sharing regarding a variety of poisons and toxins. He's selective with what he lets slip, but figures it could interest you.

Santi likes listening to you. Doesn't matter what it's about. There's only one thing he doesn't want you to morbidly talk to him about, anything featuring kids. Other than that, you think a rant about the intricacies of cannibalism's effects will kill his mood? Hah, nice try. He usually doesn't have anything smart to say, but may actually pitch in with some first hand details if you mention something sexual and morbid.

Let's face it, this is going in one of Grimbly's eardrums and out the other. Unless, you can talk like you're in a true crime podcast, then he's all ears. Grimbly typically responds to these interests by bragging to others about how his Mommy's "so smart" and "cultured" and he learns so much with you! You should start a YouTube channel!

Nebul likes to hear what you think is morbid. He'll let you ramble when you've been good enough to earn his attention, or if it allows you to keep obeying him. He has his own morbidities to share with you, as a wraith who has seen the darkest parts of many a mind. Surely, you of all people would be fascinated to know how the brain reacts to very invasive types of trauma only some monsters can inflict...

Vinnel will use this to his advantage during shows. You're placed in dangerous games where the whole goal is for you to explain said morbid concepts to the audience while Vinnel or Jingles try to destabilize you so you'll fall into painful contraptions or get cut/bruised/undressed. Sometimes Vinnel pays attention to your infodumps, other times he openly doesn't, it's a coin toss.

Belo sincerely discourages you from seeking such dark information in your brain. A lesser's mind is like a canvas, and it shouldn't be furnished with such desolate knowledge... If your morbid interests somehow can shine a glimmer of positivity or utility, the angel will be a little more inclined to letting you keep pursuing these topics. Otherwise, Belo actively attempts to distract you.

Sybastian doesn't understand about 80% of what you're about to tell him, but he has all the time in the world to sit and listen to his favorite person spit words. He's not verbally communicative during these episodes, but he may clap depending on how impressive the information is, and he remembers things you say enough to sometimes present you with paraphernalia vaguely related to the topics of your morbid interests.

Fank-e is a good bet because he can add onto your information in real time, or correct small detail you may get them wrong. He's generally happy to give you links to more information sources and try to match your level of knowledge, uncaring of how dark the subject theme may be.

If there's one thing you can infodump to Krulu about, it would be diseases. Plagues and ailments of several types are his specialty, the chances of him imparting bits of knowledge you absolutely should not possess on this matter are high. Another thing you may infodump to him about is corvids. It gets him in very favorable moods, surprisingly.

[theoutcastrogue]

In 1584, Reginald Scot published The Discoverie of Witchcraft, a book that sought to debunk the whole idea of magic – though not the supernatural in general [it ain't a witch or a fairy, but it could be a miracle from god!]. He said that people who claim to be witches are either frauds, fully aware that they don't possess any supernatural ability, or mentally ill, suffering from "melancholie" due to an imbalance of the humours. This was mostly about people concocting herbal remedies and potions and such, or casting curses and "an evil eye", claiming or thought to invoke fairies and assorted supernatural elements in the process. But there was another kind of magic.

"After dismissing the belief in witchcraft and related supernatural ideas, he then described how certain people employed tricks to deceive people. Though the discussion was intended to reveal what he considered to be frauds and cheats, it was really one of the first textbooks on the art of magic, and the tricks he described are still performed by modern magicians on stages all over world. He didn't call it magic. It called it juggling, using that older and broader sense of the word juggle as a magical or incredible feat [N.B. as opposed to the modern sense of tossing objects in the air]. For example, he described the sleight of hand used in card magic like the use of false shuffles and the way a card player manipulates the deck to control the location of certain cards in the deck. He described how people made coins and little balls disappear in their hands through misdirection, and he described an early version of "cups and balls" where the conjuror makes balls appear and disappear under various cups through misdirection and sleight of hand. He also described how to make a coin appear to pass through a table or disappear into a handkerchief. He described how conjurors used boxes with false bottoms to create an illusion in which one type of grain in the box appeared to change into a completely different type of grain. And he even described how to use a fake blade to give the appearance of passing a knife through a persons arm or tongue. Throughout the discussion, Scot emphasized that these were merely tricks, and not actual magic or witchcraft." – Kevin W. Stroud, The History of English Podcast Episode 168: "Witches, demons, and fairies"

In the book, the chapter on "the art of juggling" presents several categories of magic tricks:

cups and balls (a precursor to the shell game)

coin tricks

card tricks

fast and loose

various illusions and cons

various sleight of hand tricks

body horror: fake sword swallowing (there's a very real version, which is not examined here), passing a knife through your hand or a ring through your cheek, presenting someone's head on a plate, etc (see pics!)

The Internet Archive has the 1584 edition here, and a much more easily readable 1886 edition here (chapter starts at page 321).

[worst-ships-poll]

welcome to the worst ships tumblr poll!

I was inspired to make this blog based on seeing this post [tumblr post link], and looking it up to see if a blog like this already existed. (one does, but I didn’t like the submission rules there so I wanted to make my own) and I thought the carnage such a poll would create would be fun, so here we are.

I’m opening submissions now for ships to add to the bracket. submit them here: [google forms link]

submission guidelines:

you can submit up to 3 ships. that means you can submit less, but cannot submit more. if you submit more, I reserve the right to either toss your submission or choose which of your recommended ships I prefer to count.

please use the full names of the characters being shipped inbetween slashes or an “x” instead of the fandom-coined ship name and character nicknames. ex: “Tony/Loki” instead of “Ironfrost,” “Kylo Ren x Rey” instead of “reylo,” and “Dean Winchester x Castiel” instead of “Dean/Cas.” I know some characters have multiple names, but this is so I can know who is who if I’m not in a fandom, so use your judgement. if ships submitted don’t follow this guideline, your submission might get tossed because I don’t want to spend my time deliberating over which characters or ship you really meant, or recounting submissions because some people’s submissions were vague.

include the relevant fandom name/s the ship is from--no acronyms unless it's something very obvious like the MCU. just imagine you are explaining the ship to someone who has never heard of your ship, the characters, or the fandom, because you might be. acceptable examples: "Tony Stark/Loki Laufeyson | MCU", "kylo ren/rey from star wars", "Dean Winchester x Castiel supernatural."

ships can be from any fandom (movies, books, bands, myth, anything hate-worthy), any popularity (mostly), and any gender (M/M, F/F, M/F).

this poll is purely to cause drama because I’m bored and it’s funny and because I think it’s time someone made this poll on tumblr, the wild discourse site. your submissions do not have to be a top tier controversial ship, but it should ideally not be a niche ship from somebody’s podcast with 100 views on Spotify that has 2 fics on ao3. I reserve the right to ignore a submission from something that I or most poll-takers have never heard of.

similarly, I accept submissions for genuinely bad ships on all axises, but please don’t go out of your way to find the worst ship in your fandom that you rarely see and is really disgusting and even most ppl with bad ship takes in your fandom don’t ship. no one wants to see that. this poll is for fun.

as long as the ship is horrible and/or annoying and/or gets enough submissions, it’s good, basically.

feel free to tell me in the submission as well why you think the ship deserves to win. I will not be posting reasonings on the poll themselves, but I’d love to see the hate.

and most importantly: submit ships you really, genuinely hate to see! ships that are horrible in your fandom, ships you can’t escape on ao3 or in tags, ships that just really fucking annoy you, ships that caused a site-wide ship war in 2013 or something! go wild.

submissions will be open for 1 week: from today (Sunday, April 16th) to April 22nd. happy hating :)

[we-are-trickster]

Hey friends! Your favorite Trickster is trying to get back in the saddle! I’ve started up a new Patreon for my 5e content called Sneaky Coyote Productions. It’s going to be the new home for the Ka’alban Frontier setting as well as my Dungeon Master education blog. Posting up some older content for free right now, so you’ll be able to get a taste of what I have to offer, but if you feel like tossing some coins my way to help get the project up off the ground, that’d help a whole lot. I’m hoping to get a new podcast up off the ground, as well as other projects like creating a full Ka’alban Frontier setting guide.

[stormfireproductions]

Thanks to an incredibly generous set of donors, Experiment #3: ALI AND THE TOWER is now 100% funded. The Storyteller Project is an experiment in our collective investment in storytelling, and that means that any funds we raise will be held in escrow for another storyteller who wishes to run this same experiment. We need more stories, and we need to support those who make them. Thank you for supporting storytellers in your community. If you'd like to contribute more, the fund will be open until tomorrow, Monday August 7. Toss a coin at the link in bio, or in our stories. #audiodrama #podcasts #folktales #fictionpodcast

[monstrousproductions]

Treasure Planet, Peter Pan and the Flying Dutchman were just a few of the inspirations behind the ghost ship of Episode 22.

Read more about Matt's artistic process in this week's blog post! 🥰🚀

[gryffindorconsultingtimelord]

The Witcher: Blood Origin is just🤯

[ameliapodcast]

We wish you a merry Christmas, we wish you a merry Christmas...

We are only on Day 5 of our Indigogo Campaign for the Amelia Project Advent Calendar, and we already have 64 backers?! This is Intern, now in full Christmas mood, eying all of you womderful people out there - how amazing can people be?!

Toss a coin to your podcaster - Amelia edition.

I am not saying that if we get to 69 today... i mean.... would that not be really... nice...?

Pip and Oystein both have Covid at the moment, so I figured... I'd quietly chime in? Because if you back our Campaign, you will get amazing rewards. Starting with our eternal gratitude, going over to the actual files of the episodes, Alvina's year report or even... A cocoa stained script?! If I made you curious, look at the rewards here. We'd be more than happy if you could help out, we really want to make this happen. And! Good news and good feelings help recovery! So if you want to send a get-well-soon to Pip and Oystein, you can do so here, on Twitter, or on Instagram. Or, of course, by donating to our Indigogo if you have the means... Just saying...

[tenpointstoq]

Some posts from my The Witcher unsolved fanfics Instagram.

[wzrdchsn]

‘ So what’s going on over here right now? ‘

STRANGE AEONS — WE MADE A LONG FURBY / SENTENCE STARTERS

“That is an EXTREMELY good question, and one I do not have an answer for. But if I had to guess, I’d say something screwy, and MAGICAL, and what not.”

[interact-if]

Umm hi 👉👈 I realized that most of the asks you guys get are about games and rec lists. You guys deserve so much recognition for the work you put in this blog, so I wanted to ask if I can do a little get-to-know-the-mods thing? If that's okay!

1. Besides writing, what are your hobbies?

2. Do you have a niche interest right now?

3. Any fave songs/artists/bands?

4. Any fave movies/tv shows?

5. On a scale of 1-10, how likely would you survive in your wip's world?

You can totally ignore this if you guys want, no pressure. Anyway, much love to all the interact-if mods! You guys are incredible! ❤

We saw this ask and we went 👀 👀 👀 so we’re happy to answer! Thank you so much for the fun ask!

 We also rated our survivability in all of our collective games, since Mars isn't an author! Fun stuff! Spoilers, though: it’s really not looking so great for me (Dani) but that’s fine!!!  😌

1. I’m a photographer as well as a graphic artist (but not like. A painter/drawer kind of artist!) and, on a general level, a maker and a tinkerer!

2. Fountain pens! I only write with ink, and only with fountain pens, and I use bottled inks/converters!

3. I’m pretty eclectic with music, but my top genres are alt rock, indie, indie pop, etc, as well as top 40s and some rap.

4. I feel like this is the hardest one for me to answer? Favorite movies/shows? Avatar: the Last Airbender has been a favorite show of mine since I was a little kid, but I have a harder time thinking of shows I would call a favorite in recent years. There are shows I’ve liked, and a lot of shows I’ve watched. But I’m picky! And demanding! It takes a lot to earn a place in Dani’s Trophy Case of Favorites. 😌 I would say I quite liked A Quite Place (movie), and I liked Us (movie). When it comes to TV shows, I have a hard time being pleased with them if they don’t end well. As a result, I have a penchant for a good limited series/miniseries (because they’re stories that have an end in mind and the plot reflects that, dagnabbit).

5. Heh. Okay.

In The Goodfellows? I think I stand I chance. I can exercise my sparkling wit and lovable personality to the best effect. I’m gonna give myself an 8/10 survivability rating. Even if I don’t have the right skills, I can go crying to the person who does and they’ll save me. Maybe.

In Creatures’ Cradle? I’m super $**!%d. 😌 1/10 survivability rating. And that 1 is me being nice to myself. The day the apocalypse breaks out I would probably be patient 0. I am self-aware. I would not do well in an apocalypse. Zombies care not for aforementioned sparkling wit and lovable personality, and I have all the muscle of a boiled spaghetti noodle. So it’s a no go.

Greater Than Gods (Cruz): Well. I’m going to be optimistic. And say that I have the wisdom not to do things I shouldn’t do and not to rock boats I shouldn’t rock. I’m going to give myself a 7/10 based on insider information, but also based on reckless optimism!

Vardir (Cruz): Cruz says this is a lighthearted game, so 10/10 LOL.

When it Hungers (Roast): I’m giving myself a nice, mediocre 5/10. I think I could put my mind to work here; I joke that I’m the village idiot, but I’m actually pretty smart! Unfortunately, I’m also curious, and maybe a little bad with authorities who won’t answer my questions. So I knocked off a lot of points due to the fact that I’d probably poke the metaphorical bear. So it’s a real coin flip as to whether I’d really make it or not.

Orthall Bay (Nines): Considering the genre is “horror” and the game intro includes the words “monster” and “maim,” I’m giving myself a whooping, enthusiastic 3/10. Yes, folks, I am that confident in myself! Once again, I can’t charm the socks off a monster (or can I?), so one of my greatest weapons is snatched from beneath my feet. Alas!

1. Beloved I’m a college student in the middle of a pandemic... i can hardly even write LOL i do draw at times which u can see in my personal blog (nothing too good really) and i used to do karate before things went to shit <3

2. Nothing niche I believe? All I do is leave Netflix as bg noise every day n play popular videgames (genshin)

3. Porter Robinson <3 I love Bea Miller a lot as well but lately I’ve been feeling Porter a lot

4. The Good Place <3

5. My WIPs:

Greater than Gods: Highly situational, the world GtG is set in is as broad as the real world LOL so I don’t have an universal answer. But keeping it vague, and knowing my own personality, I feel like 5/10. depends on my luck.

Vardir: 10/10 no one dies in Vikgade, unless you’re a hunter but I wouldn’t be a hunter <3

Others’ WIPs

I'm gonna give myself a solid 5/10 in all other WIPs because y'all aren't writing lighthearted stories either. I feel like as long as I avoid the role of the MC I will be mostly fine. I hope. But as Dani said I'm also prone to fight the wrong person and dig my own grave so 😌

1. Well, writing is a very, very, very, distant hobby since Words Hard, but I like to crochet and sculpt a little! Anything to do with fiddling with my hands and I’m good to go. And like, debatable but graphic design is my passion [insert clown emoji here since Tumblr said No]

2. Oh yeah a bunch! DnD yelling at people, thinking of arson, crocheting, rock climbing and simply vibing. I got into podcasts a few years ago and I’m always looking for more recs, so if you have some, hmu 😤

3. Pls,,,,my music taste is,,,so weird do not let me expose myself with lack of consistency but uhh. Current songs that are stuck in my head include; Cult of Dionysus , Achilles Come Down and The Last Shanty  

4. If you’ve ever spoken to me before, I probably yelled about Pacific Rim to you or at you. Plus I love all The Mummy films and really enjoyed Castlevania (s3 excluded, we do not perceive that) as well! 

5. Ah, mod survival simulator pt. 3

Alright, let’s go!  I don’t have a WIP because again, words hard, but like, considering how feral I am when not tryna seem professional hm... 

The Goodfellows: I wanna say a solid 7/10 because I’d hardcore vibe with the Traveler and probably instigate so much nonsense. I can also bribe with blueberry cake so maybe. 

Creature’s Cradle: maybe a 4/10 and only because of pure spite keeping me alive long enough to smack someone. I’ve prepared for hypothetical  zombie apolcapyses and I won’t hesitate to bap, but will be bapped back because I’m weak as hell. 

Greater Than Gods: a toss up between 2/10 and 7/10! I can vibe and be chill but I also have terrible impulse control so... 

Vardir: hm....I think pretty good survival rates all around? If you ask me to fight then like, okay sure, your knees are mine. So maybe a 8/10? 

When it Hungers: .......8/10 just because I’d refuse to die if I can be a cool creature. Living for the aesthetic can and will drag me outta hell. But I’m also clumsy as hell so I’d probably crash as a porcelain or hold a rooster and perish (aka, real rating is a good 3/10) 

Orthall Bay: 2/10, nope. Nope I’d be taken out in a heartbeat. Monsters can go pspsps and I’d head straight into the dark creepy forest like a fool if someone comes @ me. Half the time I’ll just assume it’s sfx makeup and vibe until it’s too late. 

god, never put me in a universe where I cannot squawk like a bird and throw pebbles from a window. Oof

Anon, you're so sweet! I give you a forehead smoomch <333 As for your questions...

1. If I'm not writing, I'm usually watching video essays on Youtube. My go-to channels as of right now is Disrupt and Aperture! I just really like their videos. Aside from that, I recently got into podcasts. Currently going through Hello From The Hallowoods and Shelter and Warning, which are made by queer creators!

2. Oh oof, there's quite a bit so I'm just gonna put down one thing. For some reason, I really got into collecting tiny astronaut things? I recently bought this astronaut desk light, and I've got a package coming in for the miniatures I ordered. No purpose for them other than I think they're neat <3

3. I'm a bit private with my music taste (even tho I have Spotify connected on Discord lmao), but there's 5 songs that I'm currently obsessed with. I keep replaying them over and over again. Just squeezing all the serotonin I could get outta them.

4. I can't really say I have a fave TV show or movie because I can't really just pick one, but my current fave is 9-1-1 and Resident Alien. 9-1-1 because I just really love the found-family dynamics and how the show tackles sensitive topics, and Resident Alien because it's lighthearted comedy. My all-time fave movie is Flipped! I have the book too and I like rereading from time to time <3

5. You're in for a doozy, anon, because we're rating each other's games <333

The Goodfellows: 7/10

Listen. Shenanigans with the Traveler. I would get up to so many of them and that is what'll get me possibly bodied, not the actual environment itself <3

Greater than Gods: 7/10

I like to think I have enough common sense to uhhh not recklessly flip stones that should not be flipped <3 I'm a cautious and skeptic person irl so I think I'll hold up well? Then again, it's a vast environment change and while I can adapt pretty quick, I wouldn't like the lack of control in the unknown.

Vardir: 10/10

Going off what Cruz said, Vardir is lighthearted and focused on personal growth so I think I'll be okay! Self-growth here I come, babey!

Creatures' Cradle: 8/10

Maybe I'm overestimating myself, but I think I'll be able to survive in a supernatural post-apocalyptic world! Ah, but it depends on the motivation though. I like the idea of rebuilding communities and eventually societies, but the survival turmoil would be a constant battle I'd have to overcome. If we're talking survival itself though, I think I'll do well.

When it Hungers: 8/10

That's probably my wishful thinking but I think I'll be fine. Maybe. Possibly. Don't like the idea of being regulated by an organization so if I was a non-human creature that could pose a problem but I can roll with it <3

Orthall Bay: 6/10

Assuming I'm not playing as MC, my chances of survival uhhh changes quite drastically. Not enough to guarantee an untimely demise, but certainly enough that it would constantly keep me on my toes. I think that's the safest answer I can get without spoiling anything lmao

Thank you so much for asking! It's super sweet of you <3

1. Too many :'D I knit, I sew, I do carpentry (well, learning), I bake, I'm hammering away at HTML and CSS, my job kind of encourages learning new things and I take that to picking up new hobbies!

2. My time is kind of consumed with school work and work work and WIP work so not a lot of time to pursue niche interests right now. I've been watching a lot of horror game playthroughs, true crime youtubers, and an adorable show on Netflix called the Repair Shop <3

3. My taste in music is "what am I vibing with atm?" I've been listening to a lot of 80's music atm (don't @ me), but also Lo Fang and Kaleo, and whatever spotify recommends me on my discover weekly which is usually complete chaos.

4. I love the Mummy even though it hasn't aged 100% well (I'm a librarian, of course it's one of my gotos LOL), Legally Blonde, Leverage, Jumanji (the original), I'm....very bad at having recent tastes... and very bad at remembering my favorites when asked.

5.

The Goodfellows: I'm a creature of comfort, 5/10 if I can just luxuriate in town and not actually interact with the story sfjkdbsdkf

Creature’s Cradle: I'd like to think I have a 50/50 shot XD 5/10, I want to think I'd be decent at a zombie apocalypse but ultimately would suffer an early fate.

Greater Than Gods: 10/10 if I'm just vibing, less so if I'm involved in the actual story XD

Vardir: I'd still suffer without technology but I can also knit for a living in this world so I'm down 8/10

When it Hungers: I feel like I could vibe here, there's tech if dated, hot showers, telephones are around by now... might still get bored. 7/10 though it'd be cool to be another creature....I should make a 'what creature of snv are you' quiz!

Orthall Bay: 7/10 idk I feel like after the first monster of the week I'd just skip town XDDDD I'm the worst protagonist, I see danger I just leave.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

The rotten culture of the rich

In his 2019 book Dignity, Chris Arnade left his Wall Street job and traveled America, talking to poor, marginalized people, mostly at McDonald's restaurants.

Now, in a new essay for American Compass, Arnade delves into the "rotten culture of the rich."

https://americancompass.org/what-about-the-rotten-culture-of-the-rich/

Arnade starts with observations about how rich people talk about poor people: "we talk too much about policy and not enough about culture" - meaning that poor people's fecklessness, lack of self control and pleasure seeking results in poverty.

But the wealthy are loathe to examine their own culture, especially that of the "iconoclastic men who felt held back by outdated social norms from pursuing their individual pleasure" who went on to run hedge funds and private equity firms.

These are the people who gave us "junk bonds, leveraged buyouts, distressed debt, and other complex financial products whose goal is intentionally unclear," all of it "making obscene amounts of money with little regard to how or the impact to society overall."

It comes down to this: "Why isn’t it considered bad behavior to sit in front of a wall of screens filled with flashing numbers making bets on those numbers?"

And this: "Why isn’t it considered bad behavior to find a mid-sized company, load it up with debt, strip it of its valuable assets, and send jobs overseas to the country with the lowest labor cost and least environmental regulations."

These are just the visible manifestations of the sick culture, though: Finance's purpose is to "help the powerful bend rules and regulation...The more complex and devious your financial product, the more celebrated you are on Wall Street."

Or as the Trashfuture podcast folks put it recently, fintech exists solely to create unregulated banks.

https://trashfuturepodcast.podbean.com/e/greensill-2-green-harder/

The wealthy have elaborate justifications for their selfishness, grounded in turgid Ayn Rand novels and deliberately impenetrable economics jargon, all to handwave away the indefensible business of "getting rich by being clever, without regard to the larger impact."

The cultural mores of Wall Street are: "cleverness trumps hard work"; and "disregard for the rules trumps playing it straight."

Wall Street's message is "Why diligently work your way up the corporate ladder when you can smooth-talk enough people into lending you enough money to take over the corporation, fire the board, leverage it up with debt, and then dismantle it while pocketing a few billion."

Arnade refers us to American Compass's Coin-Flip Capitalism project, which quantifies the extent to which high-flying venture capitalists, hedge fund managers, and private equity looters underperform a coin-toss when it comes to picking winners.

https://americancompass.org/essays/coin-flip-capitalism-a-primer/

This project includes a Returns Counter that "aggregates returns data from multiple sources to create a simple metric—a 'Returns Counter Average' that can be directly compared against public market benchmarks."

https://americancompass.org/projects/coin-flip-capitalism/returns-counter/