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dipperdesperado · 7 months

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i'm not sure about dialectical materialism...

I spend a lot of time talking about strategies and frameworks for IRL worldbuilding. This can be a bit problematic for a lot of reasons. I’ll start by looking at two: a “democratic centralist” ideological lineage that I disagree with, and a different, more insurrectionary response to that tendency. Now, that is something I have much more respect for, but don’t see it as being able to carry the torch the whole way.

I am someone who sees the importance and benefits of strategic thinking but also understands the negation-oriented spontaneity of uprisings, direct actions, and isolated confrontations. I don’t want (nor do I think it’s possible for) those things to stop, but I want them to be as effective as possible. This means that more people need to become collaborative and autonomous (in the self-directed, can-make-decisions-for-themselves sense). We have to organize around this, and we need a strategy so that we can both make it happen and iterate more successfully.

That’s all I’ll say about that section of things. Anti-organization/anti-strategic folks are dope, but they can’t get us all the way. The best case is that they widen the spaces for autonomy to flourish. The main thing I want to focus on is people who strategize and organize in a centralized way. I’m going to discuss dialectical materialism as it is conceived, and why I think that it blows.

Let’s talk about dialectics and materialism separately for a bit. Dialectics is a way to think about the world, a kind of mental model builder, that allows one to analyze tensions (or contradictions) in society and resolve them in a way more satisfactory than either choice. It is an undergirding idea that can animate further thoughts. Materialism, meanwhile is that the material world/reality itself is what promotes history and social development. Ideas aren’t what make history move, it’s the material conditions. So, the way that they are combined, becoming the philosophy of dialectical materialism is meant to be a framework to allows us to understand and critique society so that we can make it more liberatory.

Dialectical materialism is an idea that I’ll mostly attribute to Stalin that sees social change and history through understanding contradictions and material circumstances. It’s meant to understand the base of society, which is the economic mode of production, and the superstructure, which is everything that is birthed from that economic mode of production. So things like culture, art, ideology, etc. Base = economics, Superstructure = the rest of the pieces of society. Got it?

While this may sound great, dialectical materialism as a framework has some glaring blind spots. People don’t act purely from a place of rationality or determinism based on their conditions. Said otherwise, you cannot look solely at material conditions and understand why the world is why it is, or why people act the way that they do. We have to dialectically (ha) look at the tension between materialism and idealism, analyzing both of their places in the world. With this in mind, the way that dialectics are bundled with materialism (creating the philosophy of dialectical materialism) claims scientific rigor without proving it through a relationship of experimentation and iteration. There isn’t enough empirical evidence to support this conception of dialectical materialism.

It leaves me to question whether or not a more holistic, systems & complexity-oriented method/philosophy can surpass dialectical materialism. Complexity theories, namely the ideas of self-organization, emergence, chaos, and entropy are exciting and interesting ways to see how social change works. Rather than a simple machine, societies are complex adaptive systems that are more than just resolving tensions between contradictions. A useful mental model builder is DSRP (Distinctions, Systems, Relationships, and Perspectives) structures. Distinctions are about looking at the elements/agents within a system, where identifying one element implies the existence of other elements. Systems are an understanding whole that necessitates parts. Relationships are the actions and reactions between the other structures (Distinctions, Systems, other Relationships, and Perspectives). Perspectives are specific positions/points, implying a view. Using DSRP, we can construct models of systems and understand them on a holistic level, rather than reducing the fidelity of our analysis to our detriment. DSRP, similarly to dialectical materialism, is a fractal tool, creating as little or as much fidelity as we would like in our models.

I think that the most damning thing for dialectical materialism is a lack of understanding of how power functions within both the base and the superstructure, influencing and steering social forces. Power is a relationship between both people and their positions within a society. By not questioning the form that power takes (power-over vs. power-to vs. power-with), it cannot actually resolve the contradictions within society meaningfully. It undermines the whole project. We need to unpack the multifaceted nature of inequality, relating to all of the vectors that identity exists (race, gender, ability, sexuality, etc.) and seeing their relation to the structure as both of and from that structure. How social discourses, institutions, and practices reinforce matrixes of domination is very important to understand.

But maybe this doesn’t mean that we fully discard dialectics and materialism. I see them as something that can complement complexity theory and a liberatory power analysis. Dialectics are a great way to look at shifting terrains and sites of struggle, based on our understanding of the complex adaptive system of society. We also need to understand the material world, which benefits from a holistic scientific framework like understanding complexity. Ecosystems (a descriptive, holistic science) are a much more useful touchstone for understanding society than physics (a prescriptive, reductionist science). Oppressive ideas come from material conditions and are shaped by power structures. We could critically employ dialectical materialism to get a fuller picture, but that comes from being in concert with other tools.

Instead of fully abandoning it, we can integrate some of the most useful insights from dialectics and materialism, blending them into more modern systems analysis and theories of power. This has to be done in concert with those marginalized by society. Fuddy-duddies are the ones who have bungled everything, so it’s time to pass the torch. If we can do this, if we can empower the folks on the furthest margin, they will be able to emancipate themselves with a theory that simultaneously facilitates a building of dual power, contesting oppressive power, and ushering in a new world.

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kaelidascope · 2 months

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“I can’t believe we got you to dance all night with us!” Sun crows gleefully as Blake approaches. Neptune cheers, and as one the newlyweds surge over to her: framing her from both sides as they kiss her cheeks, hugging her between their held hands. Blake hopes Velvet caught that; she’d love to have a picture like that for her desk. Something to zone out at when the words won’t come and she’s half-convinced no one’s actually fallen in love, ever—that no one ever truly feels that deeply.

An inspiration.

A goal.

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Velvet may not have captured it but Chef Kaeli certainly did! For @professorspork <3 Who so graciously made my job coming up with a birthday treat so much easier with this suggestion

Read this fic guys it's INSANELY cute and I was squealing the whole read. It's a short lil thing c'mon guys if I can shotgun this in one morning you can too. Give her some love, she is an absolutely hidden gem of an author and so far every work I've read of hers is excellent.

Also it's like her birthday so like yeah go on. Off with ya, go read. Comments are crack for us and we are shameless addicts

#rwby #seamonkeys #blake belladonna #sun wukong #neptune vasilias #READ SPORKS WORK #this is a threat #please my god she needs more attention we can do better than that #This is the literal queen of organic bees #You want something to reference irl? read this and you and me and this temptation #If its not like how spork writes the bees you don't want it trust me #I drew this with a 101 fever in under 3 hours this is the best you're gonna get NGFKNFGKJGF #no fr tho hmu if you want formal art of other stuff ilu

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lunasapphire · 7 months

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Witch tip✨:

Search:

Witchcraft worksheets, print said worksheets, recite/redraw worksheets, be that organized bad witch you were always born to be!✨🕯️🥰

#witchblr #witchcraft #witch #baby witch #magic #witch community #magick #witchcraft 101 #witch tip #witch tips #witchcore #witchcraft community #organized #organize

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fortunaestalta · 1 month

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#artists on tumblr #ai artwork #alternative #fantasy art #gruesome #“Occult Physiology 101”#horror art #macabre organics

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study-core-101 · 1 month

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#notion #notion aesthetic #studyblr #study motivation #study #study aesthetic #study blog #studyspo #study-core-101 #student #study community #studyinspo #studyblr community #studybrl #organization #study tips #study techniques #study help

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skamyak · 8 months

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my silly oc art 2020-2022 :o

#oc art #original character #my art #artists on tumblr #how the hell do i organize pictures in a post. i’m tumblr 101 help #HELP #ok i’ve figured it out

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wildrungarden · 9 months

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I actually did grow potatoes this year, and for my first time… I’m really happy about the turnout! 🥔

#indoor garden #container gardening #sustainable gardening #vegetable gardening #starting seeds #potato garden #growing potatoes #sustainable #gardening 101 #vegetable garden #purple potatoes #grow your own food #grow organic

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essential-oils234 · 1 month

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Writing 101: Tips and tricks for experienced authors to novice ones, or just a little reading for anyone who wants to learn something new.

Have you ever gotten into a slump where writing feels like a failed career and nothing you write ever seems to turn out well? (I know I have). Maybe you're itching to write something, it's been so long since you've looked at your notebooks of inspiration or google docs of madness. Maybe you just don't know where to start, and it feels like you've failed before you even begun.

Well, I have a few tips that just might remedy that!

(I'm in no way an experienced writer. I've read a lot of books, watched a lot of character analyses on Youtube, but I'm only at the start of my writing journey. So please don't take this to be expert advice and don't feel disheartened if my methods don't work for you. Everyone has a unique style of writing, and it's only through trial-and-error that you can really begin to find yours too.)

So, without further ado, here are some tips and tricks that helped me organize my thoughts and plan out chapters, develop my characters, and resist the call of procrastination.

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"What do I want from this story?"

It's a question that sounds elusively simple, but it's one that's more tricky to answer. For me, at least, it's hard to pinpoint a few ideas that manage to encapsulate what I want the readers to feel or understand from my story. It's even harder when I try to summarize my thoughts into broad themes/ideas, such as love, compassion, hard work, etc.

I usually start a story on the basis of something really small, and then I work out from there. For example, I'm currently working on a Genshin Impact fic that I only started writing after watching an animatic. An animatic. (The link will be at the end of this post, if you guys want to check it out and show some love to the creator.)

A whole freaking story started on the basis of an animatic that is 1 minute and 41 seconds long. It's kinda crazy how that worked out. But in a way, it makes sense. The biggest creations start from small, simple ideas that slowly grow over time.

What I'm trying to say is: don't disregard those silly little ideas that you think don't hold much importance over trying to figure out the big, important plot. Oftentimes, it's those silly little ideas that make up the big important plot. So I'd advise you to turn to a blank page or start a new google doc and write that question at the top. "What do I want from this story?" Your answers could be anything, from little details like "he goes back to his birthplace to confront his family" or more broad ideas like "they have a conversation about loss and how to cope with that". Bullet points or sentences, whatever you choose, this is your dumping ground for all the stupid ideas you have that might not ever make it into your story. The point of the question is to exercise your mind and get it thinking about the main plot, as well as a helpful organization tool for all those scattered thoughts that don't really fit anywhere else.

2. "What if I can't start writing a story because I just don't have any ideas?"

That is a harder question to answer, since writer's block has a multitude of solutions that work for some people and don't for others. My advice is, keep focusing on the small things, since it essentially forces you to start minimally and branch out from there. Inspiration is all over the internet, and those small ideas can help jumpstart your brain into creating something new. If you see a few posts about 'cottagecore' on Pinterest and that inspires you to write a fantasy story about witches, then go for it! If you read a book and want to write something similar, except with a different ending, go ahead! (Except if you're posting it on the internet, please credit the original creator.)

Don't feel guilty for "stealing someone else's idea" or mad at yourself for "not being able to come up with anything original". We all have to start somewhere, and it's okay if what you write isn't completely novel. (That's what fanfiction is for, after all!)

Oftentimes, our brain puts us in a corner where we convince ourselves that we just can't write anything because we don't have any ideas. Maybe that's true, but the thing about writer's block is that you really won't have any ideas unless you start actively thinking about potential plots or characters. Searching up 'writing prompts' on Tumblr will no doubt feed you with a slew of interesting ideas that you can build off from there, and Pinterest is a gold-mine of creativity. The main thing, of course, is to have fun in the process. In the end, the person who you're really writing for is yourself.

3. "Okay, I have a few ideas and plot points, but what about organizing it? How do I go about organizing a multi-chapter story?"

This question is from people who are mainly like me, who like organizing their chapters out before they actually write them. It's good to have a reference point to come back to if you take a writing hiatus, and it's just nice having everything jotted down somewhere I can easily find.

I'm not going to get too specific here, since everyone has their own way of writing notes, but after I have a bunch of main ideas that more or less make up the whole plot, I start narrowing those ideas down into chapters. I have sections of bullet-points for each chapter, which have general ideas that aren't too specific, since I tend to figure out the specifics as I'm writing. (ex. He has a flashback that shows his past before switching back to the present) If you're a person who's pretty gung-ho about these things, you might lean towards the idea of "figuring it out as you go along". If you're super organizational, your chapter notes might go down to the most minute detail before you actually start writing.

I also have a few 'braindump' sections that are pretty much like the "What do I want from this story?" notes, except they're a bit more relevant to the plot instead of just random details and dialogue I want to insert sooner or later. I also have sections where I write about important themes in my story that require further elaboration (ex. the concept of morality, what it means to be human, etc.) It's important to flesh out these ideas beforehand so you have a good idea of how to show these underlying themes in your actual story.

Last but not least, please, please, please flesh out your characters before you start writing a story. It's honestly my least favorite part of writing, but it's incredibly important because your characters are what makes up your story. A good story is known from it's good characters. I, personally, create lists of traits/flaws for my main characters so I can, as a writer, understand them better and know how to show their personalities in writing. I also write lists of attributes before and after they go through ✨character development✨ so I can understand how they've changed and grown and start formulating ideas on how to show that in my writing.

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So, we've reached the end! Yay, that took way too long and I didn't even get to talk about procrastination!!🎉🎉 Hopefully, this will not be the first and last 'Writing 101', since there's plenty more I'd like to talk about and plenty more to learn. If you have any questions or anything you want me to talk about next, don't hesitate to drop a comment or ask me anything! I'll try to answer to the best of my abilities. If you liked this post, please leave a like or a comment. It's really motivating and just feels great to know if people like my content.

(Here's the link to the animatic I mentioned earlier: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REBxGWSMRn4. It's been a huge source of inspiration for my writing and art, and the person who made it is insanely talented. If you're into Genshin Impact or just want to see some good art, go check out their other animations and comment/leave a like!)

I hope your writing journey is nothing short of spectacular and creatively amazing, and I'll see you in the next one!

#genshin impact mentions #genshin impact fic #animatic #writing 101 #this took like 2 hours I've been sitting in the same position for 2 hours #writing tips #writing advice #writer's block #first official post #brainstorming #organization #planning #chapter planning #how to start writing

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depressedraisin · 3 months

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do any of you also think that this peak late 2010s-2020s culture of packaging EVERYTHING into neat little easily consumable boxes of microaesthetics is also seeping into the music industry or am i just thinking too much

#one more time i see an album/artist being described as somethingsomething-core #without any constructive discussion of the piece's themes/craft/sound #i WILL burst a vein #like....... i love when bands and artists have their own unique visuals and aesthetics etc that *complements* the music they make #but these days for a lot of them... it just feels really not organic. more like “how to get viral on tiktok 101”#i mean you can't blame them especially the up and coming ones bcs that's just how music marketing works now #but i miss when artists/bands did not give a fuck

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sqlmn · 9 months

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Seeing as the person who drew this for me and listens to me yell about these two and Rudyard is currently Illegal For Tumblr, I have been given permission to post this!

So a huge thank you I'm crying @ gunhorse ;0; my kids look great and I wuv them... I'm sobbing.

(And for those wondering, the agent named Bravo encounters Katale a fair amount though completely intentional from her. He thinks that she's just a very nice woman who got mixed up in the wrong crowd and she doesn't seem to wish him hard and he doesn't wish her harm so in the end when he sees her he's putting his gun away into a shoulder holster because he's a Good Boy.)

#two crime bosses and a very good boy #i had a different tag plotted for them but i have long since derailed lol #its now the katale show and she holds it all together so were scrapping the agent based title #also the names are clifford is the agent but he goes by bravo cause it summarizes his entire personality #bravo is the name of one of the 101 dalmatians in some iteration (thank you 101 dalmatian wiki)#b is for bravo as in code word and hes a spy slash agent #and also he is immensely weak to praise and bravo can be said to approve and praise #therefore its his whole personality bc mans a puppy #and also clifford (name suggested by gunhorse actually and im keeping it) bc big pubby and my childhood #also well known as clifford the big RED dog which is very fun bc the crime bosses are constantly wearing red #and they end up befriending the good little agent so him being a part of the red crew in name is a good thought uwu #and then katale meaning stronger than you is the woman and she is actually second in command by choice #she doesnt WANT to be number one she wants to have someone else do That Stuff #but shes known crime her whole life as she had multiple relatives in the crime organization #and then rudyard belzer the top dog now actually worked his way up from a henchman type status #and i love them all dearly #tw blood #long post #i forget if later tags are counted still and i will be so sad if they arent i just forgot ...#i wanted to talk about ocs so bad...#gift art

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kitebird-hockey · 2 days

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#FYI. if you are doing something where you have reason to believe you will come into contact with p*lice. e.g. pr*testing.#1. good 2. if you do not have organizing experience- talk to people who do. reach out to your local leftist organizations.#but do this BEFORE you start pr*testing. this is helpful so that we do not have to scramble to e.g.#give you Arr*st Training 101 remotely #find a friendly l*wyer willing to work weekend overnights for an unknown number of potential clients.#etc etc #oh and 3. for the love of god have a comms strategy

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internetbizlife · 1 month

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The Homesteaders Handbook by Tim And Amber Bradshaw

DONATE: http://www.cash.app/$internetbizlife {Affiliate Disclaimer}: This blog post may contain affiliate links. This means that if you click on a link and sign up to a platform, or make a purchase, I may receive an incentive, or commission, at no additional cost to you. However, I only recommend products or services that I believe in and that I think would be valuable to my…

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inky-thoughts · 1 month

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hi! i know you said you're not continuing your how to zine posts anymore, but i just wanted to share my appreciation! i made the jump into running my first zine after modding for a few and i really appreciated your guidance :,D at one point i had about 9 different zine guides pulled up to reference and yours was the one i kept going back to - there were so many little details i never thought of that you pointed out and i appreciate the time and effort you put into them, they're invaluable ⭐

Congrats on your first zine, I hope it worked out well!

And thank you so much, I'm glad the series is still appreciated and that I did something right with it. ngl I was so surprised to suddenly get so many asks for it the last week or so, so apparently it's still relevant!

It also made me think of the series more and if I should reactivate/write for it again. Especially with looking at the history and variety of zines, the upcoming topics about design just feel very elitist because I love to see more handmade zines! They are fun and quirky and artistic and I don't want people to feel bad about going down the copyprinter zine route compared to the "fanthology" professional-looking zines that were quite the rage a couple years back (and I was used to when I started making this series.)

This turned out much more rambly than I expected haha

Anyway, thank you so much, this really made my day and I hope you have a good one too 🖤

#ask box #tell it inky #htoaz101 #how to zine #how to zine 101 #how to organize a zine 101

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lunasapphire · 2 years

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Some books that I have read and would suggest to a beginner or for anyone to read! They are very good in my opinion, I do suggest you read Wicca by Harmony Nice as a first option, she goes into a lot of detail about her path but also paths in general and how everyone is different but also is the same thing and how no one person is better then the rest, it’s a great read. 10/10 recommend!

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ahollowyear · 11 months

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EAT IT, MATERIAL REALITY,I KNOW HOW U WORK NOW

#next is organic chemistry #bak2skul #chem 101

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study-core-101 · 29 days

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[sorry, there is no picture]

Today I (in my productivity marathon to catch up, oh god im gonna die when i start college if it´s like this)

Did both of my biology study guides (covering 3 units)

Wrote down the Mathematical Logic notes/theory of the classes i missed and did the school work of those.

Wrote down the notes for Technology & Telecommunications class and Introduction to Informatics class (thank god there wasnt an assignment)

Failed attempt at getting some of my textbooks

Started my Communication assignment (did like less than 10% of it, but hey, something is better than nothing)

Cleaned my room

Did my english homework and work from one of the classes i missed

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