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incorrectsprolden · 1 year

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your heartstopper faves if we could see more of their social media accounts lol: 3/?— NICK NELSON

i’d like to think that nick would try to plan his instagram feed but he’s a bisexual, so he’d be a little indecisive; but he’s trying his best. i love him lol

i really wanna do michael’s instagram next, so drop your fave fancasts of him and other suggestions!!

click the links to check out my other edits; we have CHARLIE and TORI done so far. feel free to like, reblog or comment– i really appreciate it!!

liked by imogen.heaney, reading_with_isaac, cfspring, and 50 others

nicholaszzzzz: a bisexual and “an ally” go camping

[tagged imogen.heaney in a post]

imogen.heaney: that was such an embarrassing moment for me ENOUGH 😭😭

cfspring: i love your little friendship its so cute

imogen.heaney: besties since year 7 (real)

darcytheegg: my fave bisexual with his fave ally

the.xu.tao: me & imogen 🤝 being your supportive straight friends

itsellesuniverse: STOP!! did the tao xu just admit he’s friends with nick nelson

reading_with_isaac: caught 📸📸

liked by nottorispring, michaelholden123, itsellesuniverse, and 101 others

nicholaszzzzz: hacked 🐶🐾

saharsguitar: nellie do you have something to say to the people? 🤨🎤

cfspring: she said “bork” she told me herself

saharsguitar: okay thank you for that follow up

nottorispring: this is so real of you nick

the.xu.tao: this is the only time i’ll like your post nick

michaelholden123: do you guys ever think about what dog breed you’d be? i think i would be goldendoodle or sheepdog

nicholaszzzzz: yes i have actually and we all know i’m the human embodiment of a golden retriever

cfspring: its true, i can vouch for that

liked by cfspring, the.xu.tao, darcytheegg, and 150 others

nicholaszzzzz: another year with my favourite boy. happy birthday my beloved, i love you darling 🤍✨

[tagged cfspring in a post]

itsellesuniverse: i’m literally obsessed with you two

nottorispring: happy birthday you aries legend ♈️

imogen.heaney: you cuties!! happy bday charlie!!

cfspring: i’ll cry nick- i’ll cry so loud

nicholaszzzzz: its my boyfriend privilege to announce your birthday to the world. i love you, my love 💙

tara.jones.xo: absolute cuties– happy birthday charlie!! 🎉

liked by tara.jones.xo, saharsguitar, itsellesuniverse, and 45 others

nicholaszzzzz: tell me you like the mcu without telling me you like the mcu… i’ll go first

nicholaszzzzz: also charlie got me the ‘i love you 3000’ sign and before you all ask, yes i cried

cfspring: you cried a lot, actually 🥹

the.xu.tao: we need to work on expanding your movie taste nicholas because this is a crime

nicholaszzzzz: then you’re gonna be real upset when you see my iron man shrine

tara.jones.xo: the colour coordination of the photo collage, we love to see it

itsellesuniverse: from one artist to another, yes

liked by reading_with_isaac, darcytheegg, itsellesuniverse, and 65 others

nicholaszzzzz: rugby szn ft. a charlie spring cameo

reading_with_isaac: does anyone here actually understand the game of rugby

the.xu.tao: nope absolutely not

tara.jones.xo: why do you think i do ballet?

darcytheegg: at least i got to know the local gays

saharsguitar: i just wanna watch one game

cfspring: SKSKSKSK YES COME WATCH!!

cfspring: @/nottorispring wanna come too? 👀

nottorispring: you would have to pay me so much money to watch a sports game, charles

liked by nottorispring, michaelholden123, saharsguitar, and 20 others

nicholaszzzzz: one thing about me, i LOVE minimalism 🪷

imogen.heaney: i think we as a society need to talk about how nice nick’s handwriting is bc- hello??!!

darcytheegg: okay pull through with the MUJI brand

cfspring: get ✍️ nick ✍️ more ✍️ muji ✍️ stuff ✍️

nicholaszzzzz: stop do not spend that much on me charlie

cfspring: don’t tell me what to do nick

the.xu.tao: stop flirting in the comments pls-

liked by reading_with_isaac, cfspring, imogen.heaney, and 200 others

nicholaszzzzz: staring at the sunset, babe 🌅

the.xu.tao: okay has anyone checked up on charlie?

nottorispring: he’s been screaming and crying for 10 minutes now lol

itsellesuniverse: the taylor swift lyric, okay i like it

saharsguitar: @/cfspring bestie, are you okay?? comment something to let us know

cfspring: OH MY GODDDDDDDDDDD 😭😭😭

cfspring: unfollow me now, this is gonna be the only thing i talk about for the next week

darcytheegg: rip charlie spring, nothing happened to him expect nicholas luke nelson

imogen.heaney: photo credits to me, you’re welcome

liked by cfspring, the.xu.tao, tara.jones.xo, and 159 others

nicholaszzzzz: the world is so obsessed with defining sexuality for everyone and attaching labels to it. any time any person openly leaves the sexual norm, their sexuality becomes, more often than not, the absolute defining characteristic of that person.

it becomes the first thing people think about and often the first thing they mention. every other part of that person all but disappears — dan pearce 💗💜💙

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thedailytao · 8 months

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Passage 35

She who follows the way of the Tao will draw the world to her steps. She can go without fear of being injured, because she has found peace and tranquility in her heart.

Where there is music and good food, people will stop to enjoy it. But words spoken of the Tao seem to them boring and stale. When looked at, there is nothing for them to see. When listened for, there is nothing for them to hear. Yet if they put it to use, it would never be exhausted.

There is a famous scene that many Chinese artists have depicted through the years, the same way that the same Greek myths are painted over and over by artists in the West. The scene is called “The Vinegar Tasters.”

It depicts a fictionalized scene in which Confucius, Buddha, and Lao Tzu are all standing around a big vat of vinegar, dipping their fingers in, and tasting them.

Confucius has a sour expression, because he believes that the world is sour and fundamentally disordered and that people were naturally sinful and in need of laws, order, and hierarchy in order to control them and prevent society from descending into chaos. Only through strict governance and organization could the evil behaviors of man be quelled. He sees the vinegar as polluted wine.

Buddha has a bitter expression, because he believes that the world is bitter and full of suffering, that people live in a natural state of misery that can only be corrected by relinquishing one’s value toward the material world and transcending the trappings of one’s physical body. Only in enlightenment could one escape the inherent pain of the world. Focused on his internal state, Buddha sees the vinegar as a bodily pollutant but also as he expects it to be: vinegar, a bitter-flavored liquid.

Lao Tzu has a sweet expression, because he believes that the world is sweet and perfect in its most natural form. Suffering and chaos are man-made constructions, but they are not fundamental to humanity. All one has to do is to unlearn these constructions and become their most innocent, basic self, a peaceful and whole person that has been inside them all along. He can appreciate the vinegar as vinegar without placing judgment on its flavor. He appreciates the vinegar for its mere existence.

I have mentioned before that Taoism is a tough sell, that it didn’t appeal to those looking to gain or maintain power, which cut down on its audience pretty significantly. It doesn’t promise answers, the way other philosophies promise answers. Confucius gave direct, unambiguous instructions for the right and wrong way to live one’s life. Buddha provided a narrative story for how he attained enlightenment. Lao Tzu can only give vague estimations, and even then assures you they are not true, not really. Yet, Taoism has appeal in this image: the opportunity to be content with life as it is.

#the daily tao #taoism #tao te ching

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ethanreedbooks · 3 months

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Thundercats #1 Soars: Dynamite's Epic Comic Series Surpasses Expectations

Dynamite's upcoming Thundercats #1 comic series has generated an impressive response from comic book stores following the final order cutoff (FOC) date. The initial orders for the first issue have surpassed expectations, totaling over 170,000 copies.

Scheduled for release on February 7, 2024, Thundercats #1 is written by Declan Shalvey and illustrated by Drew Moss. Priced at $4.99 with 32 pages and cardstock covers, the series follows the ThunderCats as they flee their dying home world, encountering challenges from their mortal enemies, the Mutants of Plun-Darr. Forced to divert to a planet called Third Earth, the surviving ThunderCats aim to rebuild their society in collaboration with the new world's inhabitants. However, the Mutants, driven by a desire to possess the ThunderCats' mystical gem, the Eye of Thundera, are in pursuit, forming an alliance with Mumm-Ra, the devil-priest of Third Earth.

Led by the inexperienced Lion-O, the ThunderCats must unite against this formidable alliance to safeguard their legacy. The premier issue boasts 24 story pages, and showcases cover art from acclaimed artists such as Declan Shalvey, David Nakayama, Lucio Parrillo, Jae Lee & June Chung, and Ivan Tao.

Dynamite's collaboration with Warner Bros. to produce licensed comic books based on Warner's properties and partnerships with Disney and other companies has contributed to the anticipation surrounding Thundercats #1. Renowned comic book artist Rob Liefeld played a significant role in boosting sales for the title. Liefeld's Thundercats variant cover, offered as a "FOC" variant, garnered attention on social media, further amplifying the excitement for Thundercats #1.

The new series, developed by Shalvey and Moss, is set to captivate fans with its engaging storyline and exceptional artwork. With strong support from retailers and a strategic promotional approach, Thundercats #1 is poised for a highly anticipated release on February 7, 2024.

#thundercats #dynamite entertainment #thundercats 1985 #Lion-O #tygra #cheetara #snarf #wilykit #wilykat #panthro

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linagram · 11 months

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[ 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚟𝚒𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚜' 𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚒𝚐𝚗𝚜 + 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚏𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚜 ]

they are finally here! so, as i've said before, the victims will be shown in a random order and their last names and personalities won't be revealed for now. their numbers are completely random and they're not connected to their murderers at all, same goes for their image colors, those are just their own personal image colors. it's possible that these guys will appear more often and maybe they will even get their own tags after their last names and official numbers are revealed.

(i feel like it's gonna be pretty easy to guess who their murderers were, if you just check their age or simply look at them and guess who they were related to, haha)

[ Victim 001: Hina ]

Name: Hina (暖) (her name means "warm, gentle")

Age: 21 y/o

Gender: Female

Birth date: August 28th (Virgo)

Height: 162 cm

Blood type: A

Occupation: University student and a part-time babysitter

Last words: "JUST WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!"

[ Victim 002: Takeru ]

Name: Takeru (暁輝) (his name means "dawn" and "radiance, brilliance")

Age: 22 y/o

Gender: Male

Birth date: May 2nd (Taurus)

Height: 177 cm

Blood type: AB

Occupation: Cashier

Last words: "IT WASN'T EVEN A BIG DEAL!"

[ Victim 003: Chise ]

Name: Chise (智世) (his name means "wisdom, knowledge" and "society, generation")

Age: 16 y/o

Gender: Male

Birth date: September 24th (Libra)

Height: 169 cm

Blood type: A

Occupation: High school student

Last words: "I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY, I'VE NEVER WANTED ALL OF THIS TO HAPPEN! PLEASE, FORGIVE ME! JUST GIVE ME ONE MORE CHANCE, PLEASE, JUST LET ME GO-"

[ Victim 004: Kae ]

Name: Kae (佳笑) (her name means "excellent, beautiful" and "laugh, smile")

Age: 24 y/o

Gender: Female

Birth date: January 21st (Aquarius)

Height: 164 cm

Blood type: B

Occupation: Nail artist

Last words: "Hey.. Isn't this a bit.. too much?"

[ Victim 005: Satsuki ]

Name: Satsuki (咲秋) (her name means "blossom, bloom" and "autumn, fall")

Age: 35 y/o

Gender: Female

Birth date: June 30th (Cancer)

Height: 171 cm

Blood type: A

Occupation: Singer

Last words: "I.. To be honest, I'm not feeling so well, haha.. I'm sorry, honey, I promise we'll go to see that movie tomorrow-"

[ Victim 006: Karin ]

Name: Karin (佳倫) (her name means "excellent, beautiful" and "ethics, morals")

Age: 20 y/o

Gender: Female

Birth date: October 15th (Libra)

Height: 160 cm

Blood type: B

Occupation: University student + Blogger

Last words: "You.. you really are insane.."

[ Victim 007: Yue ]

Name: Yue (友恵) (his name means "friend" and "blessing, grace")

Age: 18 y/o

Gender: Male

Birth date: October 31st (Scorpio)

Height: 178 cm

Blood type: O

Occupation: High school student

Last words: "But you will join me, right?~"

[ Victim 008: Misao ]

Name: Misao (操) (his name means "to control, to manipulate")

Age: 20 y/o

Gender: Male

Birth date: May 27th (Gemini)

Height: 182 cm

Blood type: O

Occupation: University student

Last words: "Hm?.. Wait, what are you doing-"

[ Victim 009: Tao ]

Name: Tao (大凰) (his name means "big" and "phoenix")

Age: 10 y/o

Gender: Male

Birth date: March 26th (Aries)

Height: 137 cm

Blood type: O

Occupation: Elementary school student

Last words: "Shut up! I know you don't care what happens to me! So stop acting like you're worried about me!.." *sighs* "I'll be home soon."

[ Victim 010: Rion ]

Name: Rion (偉恩) (his name means "great, distinguished" and "kindness, favor")

Age: 24 y/o

Gender: Male

Birth date: December 3rd (Sagittarius)

Height: 185 cm

Blood type: B

Occupation: Journalist

Last words: "Okay, let's just calm down, let's take a deep breath and-"

[ Victim 011: Neiro ]

Name: Neiro (音色) (his name means "sound, noise" and "color")

Age: 15 y/o

Gender: Male

Birth date: January 18th (Capricorn)

Height: 155 cm

Blood type: A

Occupation: Middle school student

Last words: "JUST LEAVE HER ALONE!"

#listen. i know that it's probably not the best idea to reveal everyone's designs and names since it kinda ruins the mystery and all #but also. i love coming up with character designs too much #and also i just can't keep calling them “a white-haired boy” or “that one kid naomi murdered” LIKE LOOK AT THEM!! THEY HAVE NAMES NOW!!#not a fan of how i drew yue honestly. this guy is shorter than some other male victims but look at him. he looks like he's 190 cm tall #and yes most of them are either kids teenagers or in their twenties. again. i can't draw older people to save my life #uhhh how should i even tag this

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kumomist · 8 months

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Hiya! 📕 :D?

*giggles and twirls my hair* hehehe— WAIT WHICH DO I PICK TO TALK ABOUT

uhhh les go with the genshin/bnha crossover NOT dimension travel ^^

so basically— au where teyvat is just bnha’s pangaea and the archons are bare legends and stuff if anything. im leaning towards a no traveler au but either way it doesnt matter

sometime after the genshin plot is all done and over with, the leylines start drying up, the archons go dormant, people stop getting visions, etc etc until eventually it gets into prequirk era, and then quirk era and bnha plot. SOME genshin people are still around, and technically the archons are hibernating but they have little ‘graves’/shrines and whoevers still around visits them

this isnt really a full fleshed story fjkdbdj mostly an excuse to have crossover interactions while keeping the canon backstories in the same world sortof thing. and more emotional competency. yknow crossover fics where characters from different fandoms are friends bc of some similarity/shared backstory? yeah <3

note that i havent watched/read bnha at all, i just read a lot of fic

specifics under the cut

main highlights are:

xiao and hawks. they both are birds and were ‘enslaved’ (xiao and his former master, hawks and the heros commission) they both they. them

in this verse xiao is still around and suppressing whatever karma he finds. at some point baby hawks-keigo’s dad gets inflicted with karma and xiao stops it, finds keigo and takes him in. little baby keigo growing up with xiao-ge around stories of the archons and duty and legends oughdjsn. eventually keigo decides he wants to rejoin society and become a hero so xiao drops him somewhere to be found by authorities. once he gets his own apartment or something they start meeting more regularly again.

>side fic thingy where canon hawks travels to this verse. at this point keigo has graduated whatever hero school he went to and is a ta at ua. they are the same age. cue weird interactions where hawks is unnerved by everyone knowing his birthname and acting familiarly. on the reverse end everyone else (ua staff) is having complicated feelings about the very suspicious circumstances of the 23?yo that is somehow a fully fledged hero with the commission. at some point keigo gets xiao and hawks to meet and they have some vague complicated talk about being trapped by circumstances, freedom, etc

wanderer and izuku. idk something something the shared sentiment of being considered useless and abandoned for it but still striving to prove their worth yadayada.

im not entirely certain on how they meet but i kindof want izuku getting lost and stumbling upon ei and makoto’s graves while wanderer’s there. at this point wanderer is much more at peace with ei and her grief over makoto and etc and ends up telling izuku about the inazuma shoguns. izuku is charmed and wanderer gets conned into visiting him and telling him stories

idk i just feel like izuku would have feelings about raiden shogun considering: two equals who ruled a whole nation together ~ him and bakugou wanting to become heroes together. the idea of being an irreplaceable one of two, something like that

albedo is around but is mostly secluded in some underground lab maybe. he goes out sometimes for lab data but usually its for art breaks. sometime quirk era he gets accidentally arrested somehow for not having documents. later it gets sorted out and he gets publicly put down as having an immortal quirk or something. they dont know hes a homunculus tho, albedo doesnt volunteer any information so they only end up recognizing him by his artist penname, calx

some adepti/adepti-blooded are still around, as well as some ghosts. they live mostly in some pocket dimension that cloud jumper somehow managed to keep maintained. idk who exactly is around. hu tao is definitely a ghost but only to haunt the other ghosts into passing over

#txt #my snip #genshin fandom is so disappointing to me… god all the potential and barely any fics to read #all my wips are *characters having feelings together* *character development* but the only thing i can manage to write is *introspection*#i love reading emotional competency! if only i had it :’)#i have a bunchof of wips that are small/nonexistent fandoms so i just sit on them and go insane fhjbdm #i have like 4 crossover ideas and this one is the biggest #lately tho ive had an original story sitting in my head and its CRAZY i am scribbling notes and emotional dialogue everywhere like a madman

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jnpwt · 1 year

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The necessary Union of Taoism and Anarchy

Refers to:

-Tao Te Ching by Laozi

-Adam Curtis' BBC Anarchist propaganda

-Past Experiences when at one with the Tao/at True Anarchism (not longer the case)

If you watch Adam Curtis' "Can't Get You Out Of My Head" an emphasis is made on certain individuals, contrasting them with the emotional state of their societies at the time. These individuals share many things, the most common being their fight against Power Structures. The most interesting, which only takes into account a set few of the individuals chosen to be observed, are those whose Ego seems to be immense. The case of Jiang Qing is the most fascinating in how clear the demarcation between the Rise and Fall are.

Jiang Qing wanted to be the best actress in 1930s New China, post Qing collapse. Her abilities to act were excellent, but she came across a better actress, Li Lili, who upstaged her in the production of "Bloodshed on Wolf Mountain". The Director chose Li over Jiang. The Power Structure of cinema at the time got in the way of Jiang. Therefore she left, and found herself allied with the most determined Revolutionary in China at the time. Revolutionaries whose purpose was to destroy Power. Jiang and Mao were a glamourous couple, together, they were undefeatable and could not be stopped. All the Chinese Communists were enthralled, and for all the flaws of the couple, they were doing their best as Revolutionaries. Then, a man more powerful but more cynical, Stalin, split the couple on behalf of a jealous few within the existing Communists. This marked the end of the inspiring couple, and both fell into cycles of despair, jealousy and all sorts of negative emotions, while retaining their skills in Charisma. Such Charisma ensured Mao could make the mistake of the Great Leap Forward, and Jiang's Charisma enabled the CCP to act out its Cultural Revolution. All traceable back to a moment where the USSR, a more powerful nation, interfered with the affairs of a couple who were truly glorious.

The pattern of proud, inspired individuals or couples throughout history, excelling in their field and encouraging others to join their revolutionary cause, whether in arts or politics, is made extremely clear by Curtis. Fortunately, the details of when the Power Structure interfered and made these individuals fall from their heights is left in so the viewer can connect the dots. One may look back at the legacies of Political Revolutionaries such as Mao and Lenin, as well as Artistic Revolutionaries such as John Lennon or Eduard Limonov, and be able to see them as good people until a certain point in time. The point in time when a pre-existing Power Structure was unable to be broken, as they are not all connected directly. It takes effort to convert Political Power to Economic Power (the effort of corruption), and therefore one could imagine a pair of structures, where the biggest one (nowadays economic power) dominates the other, and therefore dominates those who try to destroy such power structure. Money Corrupts even the most ardent geniuses, whether they be a genius in art, politics, crowd charisma, or humour (one can realise that these strengths are one and the same, but applied to different contexts).

And now we get to Taoism. Not the entirety of it, simply the original text of the Tao Te Ching by Laozi, who is attempting to describe their current state of "Enlightenment" with the language at hand. When wanting to completely understand the concept of reaching either Enlightenment, Nirvana, monotheistic Salvation, the original Brahmin, the Ubermensch, or in this case, Tao, one must also take into account the language such texts were written in. Latin became crucial due to the Bible, Arabic from the Koran, and of course Mandarin, enabled by the works of Laozi and Confucius, who "wrote down" what sages were sharing verbally, making history of tradition. The Tao Te Ching makes many references to different kind of ideas regarding morality, morality which the sages at the time spent much time understanding. Reaching Tao is an attempt to transcend morality by placing oneself in the shoes of all, not just all people, but all things, as the Tao is all.

Quote drop:

-Being and non-being produce each other.

-> everything is relative

-If you overvalue possessions, people will begin to steal.

-> unnecessary pride causes jealous envy

-The Tao is like an empty container

->reaching Tao frees one of desires that are to be considered sins

-Heaven and Earth are impartial

-> there is NO OBJECTIVE MORALITY OF ACTION

-The best leaders are those the people hardly know exist. The next best is a leader who is loved and praised.

-> Goebbels and Hitler (who shared a hatred of the Elite which they foolishly believed to be entirely composed of Jews, a foolish take that became evil action)

-> Mao Zedong and Jiang Qing (Mao was loved, but Jiang aided in the background, leading her to not be seen as "valuable" by the other communists, especially Stalin)

-> Eduard Limonov and Yelena Shchapova (allied in the arts until Yelena switched to sucking up for money, leaving Limonov seething against money and become anti-capitalist radical, but no longer an inspired poet)

-If a ruler abides by its principles, then their people will willingly follow. Heaven would then reign on earth, like sweet rain falling on paradise. People would have no need for laws, because the law would be written on their hearts

->The best leaders of any particular Power Structure are those that have reached Tao, due to their inability to be corrupted

-The Tao of Heaven nourishes by not forcing. The Tao of the Wise person acts by not competing.

-> The most interesting quote, as at no other point in the text was the detail that two forms of Tao exist.

end of Quote Drop

This last distinction is the most important, as we can pivot off this to understand the successes of Monotheistic Philosophy and Eastern Philosophy. The term Monotheistic Philosophy is used because an absolute conviction that a God exists can be used for a person to reach a form of Tao. A Tao where one is nourished by not forcing, emotionally nourished knowing that this anthropomorphized version of morality will give them Heaven. The catch is, God doesn't exist. Christ did. He had reached a form of Tao where one could nourish the confusion of others by not forcing. That is until the Power Structure of the Roman Empire got in the way.

Christ was an early Anarchist. He wanted to give the people around him a morality that superseded the laws of the Romans, who themselves simply applied what made the most sense to them, as Urban Dwellers with cool lore. In the stead of Christ, were born something strange, unexpected. Martyrs. They wouldn't teach morality, but apply it, in whatever way they knew possible, which when confronted with the unknown, would fail. Martyrs made great tales for the Bible and for the effort of conversion, but also inspired Crusaders to go on a pilgrimage, one that necessitated bloodshed due to the politics of the time (another issue of Power, but one too complex to flesh out here). Martyrs and Crusaders were trying to reach a different form of Enlightenment, where you would give yourself up to another person, a brave, proud individual who would fight against evil, you would be nourished for purpose by not forcing away the teachings of another, one more wise.

Europe re-learnt this lesson as they grew sick and tired of incompetent leadership. France begun the tradition of Western Anarchism, in the forms of democracy, unions and strikes. Robespierre inspired a nation to get rid of not just the King, but a corrupt and self-serving court. Unfortunately, bloodlust once unleashed cannot be stopped. Robespierre did not try to describe morality, as all the efforts of French Intellectuals at the time could only go as far as to say "I think, therefore I am", without anything practical. Such philosophies were philosophies of destroying Power Structures, but not one of finding good leaders. And then a drunk neuro-divergent German, pissed off at the control money had over his life and his marriage, wrote a Manifesto. One that would inspire a century of Revolutions, a century of Great Leaders, Enlightened Leaders. And yet, none managed to sustain the connection between the Tao of Heaven and the Tao of the Wise due to Power Structures splitting such individuals up. Communism for Morality, the Morality of all being equal in the eyes of Power, or whatever structure we delegate resource management to. Anarchy as a system to allow flexible changes of leadership, so that those who have reached the Tao can rise as far up as they are required to.

TO BE NOTED: in some cases ignorance holds power over an individual, this need not exist thanks to the Internet.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

-criticize my work. It sucks, my writing style was developed independently of any criticism. write something better

-encourage me to write more

-reach Tao, through meditation with moral mantras (the Tao Te Ching has many useful mantras to be used)

-be moral, but understand that without amorality, there is no morality. pity, then forgive those that are currently amoral, and encourage them to be more moral. this applies to yourself too. what is morality? just guess lmao no one rly knows, as long as you keep doing your best relative to your limitations (including the limitation of your current position relative to whatever power structure stops you from doing what you REALLY want)

#adam curtis #can't get you out of my head #taoism #laozi #anarchocommunism #anarchism #tao te ch #jiang qing #eduard limonov #karl marx

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d0ntw0rrybehappy · 9 months

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Marseille and Cannes

(Lola lent me Mars Review of Books and I read it bc am trying to be more intellectual… predictably for me tho (political reasons) found it total bullshit…

At best these essays are like, extremely mediated cries for help? Like maybe the best way to read them is as outsider art — alienated ppl coming up with, literally, conspiracy theories as metaphors for how alienated they feel. So maybe you can’t take them at face value bc they’re all kind of ironic artistic expressions — but in a literal sense, the conceptual basis of these articles and the logic of their arguments is so weak lol. For example (and correct me if I’m wrong): the Marie Kondo essay is trying to say, like, “Kondo’s new book offers pleasant and accessible ways to attain joy in the workplace, but she disguises the fact that modern work fundamentally sucks.” The next essay by Tao Lin has the same structure, but instead of “sucky modern work” as tragic and inescapable social ill papered over by popular media, it’s “glysophate,” which apparently causes autism (Lin acknowledges that genetics is widely accepted as the main cause of autism but then heavily implies throughout the essay that environment is the main factor lol).

More generally, the arguments go: corporations, government, liberalism, mass media, and the life of the managerial class/‘content creator’ are bad; some bygone way of existence — like maybe that of the Native Americans? — was probably better than what we have now; and also, maybe the things our society says are ok to say/do vs. not say/do don’t totally make sense. Which, yeah, don’t disagree, very classic opinions, but the reasoning (fluoride makes us gay, vaccines cause autism, work was somehow once “better”) all just abysmal. Why? Because they’re fucking badly researched and deliberately misleading)

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lionofchaeronea · 7 months

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The Harvest Dance, Joseph Henry Sharp, 1893-94

#art #art history #Joseph Henry Sharp #genre painting #Native American #American Indian #indigenous peoples #Native American religions #indigenous religions #Taos Society of Artists #American art #19th century art #oil on canvas #Cincinnati Art Museum

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pigeonprobe · 1 year

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Dr. Handlove: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Stroke Calvin Westra’s Dong

Spoiler alert for the works of Calvin Westra

Calvin Westra is playing in the graveyards of great artists he isn’t even inspired by. With the serialization of his first novella, NEET, he introduces the world to characters in similar dire straits as those in Great Expectations while maintaining the same form. Calvin doesn’t need Dickens or Faulkner. He’s the reason I stole Shoplifting From American Apparel, Taipei, Leave Society, and Bed by Tao Lin. Calvin knows to make something new you have to be new, but you can’t be afraid to recontextualize and repurpose old ideas.

Calvin’s work is in your face with this fearlessness and global understanding of art forms. He’s cribbed magical realism and told a fantastic tale about olfactory issues and drug use. In “Tarkovsky’s Air Bud” he imagines a new life for the slow cinema pioneer. Calvin can also ruin your day, week, or month, reducing you to tears, in 100 words or less. “Blades of Glass” on Back Patio Press is one of the shortest stories I’ve ever read that I return to often. In Donald Goines it’s understood that people living in the Edo period didn’t know what they don’t know. Westra is aware of the things he doesn’t know, and is unafraid to become a master of the things he does. He makes it look easy and effortless. You don’t see the forty drafts or the hours on end up analyzing the smallest of phrases. Calvin gives you everything hot and ready, digestible, and then he sneaks up on you in your GI tracts and roots himself to a home in your body forever.

The first moment it settled in with Calvin showing his reader just how much he knows without forcing his reader to think like that is his discussion of the character Emmanuel in Donald Goines. Emmanuel is a kid who has a good and normal life. He is an occasional drug user, but largely unconcerned. He wants to make movies and he describes movies with climactic finishes. Kagu, a rare bird, is bored by these action epics. Donald Goines leaves you sobbing in the end with an exchange over a cup of water. These are small moments that burrow into your soul. Calvin can give you the shootout and ruin your day, but he doesn’t need to go that big. He doesn’t seem to want to. He realizes that’s how you deflate everything else.

Calvin’s first three major works form a trilogy. It’s up to the reader to decide if that’s what they see. I know it’s what I see. NEET begins with an unemployed man having an encounter experience with a trash monster. In 2018, the trash monster is a golem of guilt and pain and shame. In 2022 the trash monster is introduced in chapter 50 of Donald Goines. He is a puppet made by the Society for the Preservation of Rare Birds and his trademark behavior is insulting people. He says people are not enough. He mocks their voices. The trash monster targets the Great Indian Bustard. Is Great Indian Bustard the protagonist of NEET? Are Oen, Florian, Honduran Emerald, and Ben the same person? I struggle to know if each character is an individual facet of Calvin’s personality or if they are people he knows or both. These characters depict highly specific patterns of people reacting to loss, pain, grief, and alienation. Happy characters that sit alone doing drugs slowly become sad people for the exact same reason. Something bad happens to them and the why looks all different.

Great Indian Bustard is targeted by the trash monster in chapter 50 and begins puppeteering in chapter 51. Kagu gets the Pig connect first. He frets about it at Tacos. Honduran Emerald is couch surfing, experiencing homelessness, by the time the gang goes to Tacos. Kagu and Honduran Emerald visit the Pig first in chapter 68. They’re concerned for their friend’s dying sinuses. They want better drugs because they won’t stop drugs. By chapter 74 almost the entire Society for the Preservation of Rare Birds is visiting to get drugs. It takes one friend, one neg, one good moment, and everyone is in. It doesn’t feel like it could be something risky at the start. It’s friends. Together.

Honduran Emerald works to ignore the puppets in the same way he works to ignore the Radios manager and his Chemistry teacher. In NEET the first encounter with the monster is a debate as to if this is in Ben’s head or not. There will always be someone reminding you you’re not enough, usually the part of you you don’t want to be you. Even if that’s not true the security guards remind you that someone will be there to tell you. Someone will always find a reason to remind you as to why you’re not enough. It’s easy to want to silence that with drugs.

Calvin is concerned with evil. In Family Annihilator Lee and Oen are both meditating on their relationship to evil. Oen is writing Family Annihilator which is about a lot of things. Lee loses access to her medicine and is concerned with the possibility that she’s an evil person, evil to her core. Lee is concerned about delivering an effective speech to her AA group. Evil and bad because her family said so. Evil and bad because she is. So evil and bad that recovery is the only option. This was my introduction to the works of Calvin Westra. In the trilogy this piece likely comes last. This piece comes last because it is about the redemption, moving forward from what we can’t change, acknowledging those things and using them as building blocks to make something better. Goines is the first part. We watch the creation of the antagonist of NEET. NEET is the middle, an extended precontemplation stage that explores just how much movement happens in inertia. The desperation to change your life with art and then see that your life is not understood is palpable.

What is this all about? Evil. Maybe the loneliness or felt isolation that leads us to evil. Maybe the ways we isolate after encountering the evil. Calvin implies that evil is around us and we can partake in it, but that doesn’t guarantee that we’re evil people. Some people do evil things and change their lives. It is as simple as that. Some people do evil things because they’re coerced. Some people do evil things because they’re lured. Some people are evil even when they’re not because they’ve decided that’s how they are known.

In my first read of Family Annihilator I was put off and distressed. Why are their lines that to me seemed without point referencing people strapped to hospital beds claiming to be raped by staff? There’s concern that the massage therapist in the intro has done something bad. The narrative is circular, ending where it starts, asking you to wonder what the entire chronology is. Calvin Westra’s work nonjudgmentally explores how someone winds up in situations that the statistically average or above average person would not imagine themselves in.

Statistically average is central in Donald Goines. When Honduran Emerald is kicked out of his home it is an aside in a paragraph in the Tacos chapter. It’s not central to that chapter’s point, which is about having a better drug connect and blabbing about it at the wrong time. When Dunie gets kicked out her parents tell her all the ways they tried to love her. They force her to be aware of the things they did, not just out of love, but to guarantee their child was not a drug user. As a drug user she’s kicked out of the home. She’s ostracized from her family. She is not given the opportunity to recognize a mistake and begin again. The love is rescinded, making you wonder if it existed at all.

Dunie gets addicted to drugs because she’s in love. Dunie does drugs once, just to see. She does them because her boyfriend is a user. He asks her to come buy drugs with him so she can get more. He says it will be weird, completely understating the reality of the situation. Honduran Emerald is introduced as a guy willing to put people into bad situations for his own benefit, but he’s still our hero. He’s at least one of them. She is traumatized from the sexual assault of a drug dealer, but enjoys the drugs enough to risk all the hurt again. She wonders about using alone, just a little, to regulate how much she needs and guarantee a good time. She wants to use alone to make it cheaper, to get some free drugs regardless of the psychological toll, and to have the experience she wants. She wonders about how to have a good relationship to the drugs. She wonders about her wonder. She didn’t want to be a drug user, but the first time was fun and maybe the next time will be closer to the last time. She’s in love with a young man who doesn’t realize he’s scary. This man doesn’t scare Dunie in the way he scares a homeless man on the street or other drug users. It’s implied he scares people in school. When her addiction takes over and they stop speaking she is afraid of him. She is afraid he’ll show up. The relationship is described as “rocky” once and an outside observer says it’s obvious you two had problems. These lines hit like bricks, they’re never returned to, and it’s up to you to remember how to weigh their importance in the face of scoring drugs.

I started doing drugs again because I met a woman that didn’t like drinking and did like pot. I stopped dating people or stopped dates when they’d try to get me to do coke. I’m more of a scaredy cat than I let on, but most see that. My pot habit was nice, because I am in love. I love to drugs with my partner. That’s true. It still is. I’ve also watched something fun become something I need. Not so fun to think about. Where I live it’s okay to be addicted to pot. I don’t drive high. I take a lot of naps. Unless I’m going to aspirate on my vomit or have an asthma attack while passed out I won’t die. People think this is pretty okay. Not really a user’s user. I’ve had sex for drugs, but I was also having sex to have sex. A meal too. I felt like I was gonna puke, from the drugs probably, a lot of the time doing that. Not a user’s user. My family doesn’t speak to me really, but they’ve got their problems too. Not a user’s user. Calvin destroys these walls. I’m not someone losing everything. Not like I’ve seen in my family. I don’t have much though. I have degrees I refuse to use in their fields. I write for myself, which I see as my actual life preservation, and I am a drain on a lot of people. More than I’d like to be.

Calvin’s work speaks to me. I am a NEET, hoping to end that part of my existence. I have an intense addiction to pot, which many claim isn’t a real addiction, that has had debilitating effects on my life. I don’t do anything and it’s getting to the point where I can’t afford to exist that way. I struggle with my relationship to alcohol. At points in my life I’ve been called a gamma species alcoholic due to my family predisposition and daily college drinking habit. My mother drinks every day and isn’t an alcoholic because she functioned well enough to retire. My dad is an alcoholic who has lied about his sobriety at many turns. He likely never hit the four or five years he claims. If he did he was white knuckling and dry. As his illnesses got worse and it was understood he’d never get his license back he started drinking in secret.

Calvin understands those pivot points. It isn’t what is happening until it’s over. It isn’t what’s happening until it’s been years and then years have flown by in a moment. These lives are high stakes at every moment, like the inability to shit on opiods, and blunted to the point of near unfeeling, like each business being a destination for only one thing. When you’re on drugs you get Tacos. For me it’s Gyros. You go to Gods or you don’t, because you don’t wake up early. Life is as simple as those small choices. It’s hard to make those choices. It’s hard to commit to any choices, and some make the commitment for you.

If you read the first sentence of each chapter as its own story in Donald Goines you get a smooth portrait of people visiting a dealer, first as individuals and then everyone. You get the dealer obsessed with sex and violence, a victim of violence. You don’t get the why’s of the users. You get the why of the dealer. You see Duniei get lured in, stop thinking about school and work, and start thinking about collecting cans. You see relationships fray and fall apart. Calvin’s work builds laterally and vertically. You can read NEET, Family Annihilator, and Donald Goines as a large epic. You can read them as individual stories of vice and painful histories. You wonder if the sex cult is different from the Society for the Preservation of Rare Birds. It must be. It’s the beautiful men in the cult. They have money. I think they’re on the sports teams. You don’t know much of anything about the users in Goines. You know The Pig is fat so most people must be thinner than him. The detail is in the body damage. Loss of smell, cuts up the arms, sinuses failing and constant colds. The drugs disconnect you from your mind and your body. They make one run on autopilot and the other move slow. The sex cult targets people with disabilities, visual or otherwise. I reread the book and think about the baby arm girl at my school. I think about how she was nice to me and everyone. I think about how beautiful she was. I think about how I thought about if people manipulated her then, because of her arm.

Calvin Westra is one of my favorite writers and he knows this. He trusts his readers to find things on their own. He doesn’t need to explain to you. He may even acknowledge that you’ve found something he hasn’t. He isn’t concerned if you bounce off his writing or don’t get it. He knows that it’s there for those who are willing to engage and time will tell all truths. I hope Donald Goines continues to grow in popularity. I hope it encourages people to read all of his work. I think Calvin Westra is one of the best writers working today, and I know he knows it, and I wish I could be as cool as him watching the world begin to catch up.

This is your loyal observer at Pigeon Probe. Remember to look up for the shit!

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nancydrewwouldnever · 6 months

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Gustave Baumann, Ghost Ranch, 1940, oil/panel (New Mexico Museum of Art, Santa Fe)

#gustave baumann #art #painting #taos society of artists #landscape #20th century

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ancient-reveala-1976 · 3 days

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the benefits of positive social capital formations via arts

IntroductionIn recent years, there has been a growing interest in the relationship between positive social capital formations and the arts. Social capital refers to the networks, relationships, and trust that exist within a community, while the arts encompass a wide range of creative expressions that have the power to foster connections and inspire change. By examining the ways in which the arts can contribute to the development of social capital, we can gain insight into the mechanisms through which communities can build resilience, foster cooperation, and promote well-being. This research seeks to demonstrate the tangible benefits that accrue from investing in positive social capital formations via arts-based initiatives, shedding light on the transformative potential of creative expression in strengthening social bonds and enhancing community cohesion.

Understanding Social Capital in the Context of ArtsUnderstanding social capital in the context of arts is crucial for recognizing the intertwined relationship between cultural participation and social cohesion. Social capital, defined as the networks, relationships, and norms that facilitate collective action, can be fostered and strengthened through engagement in artistic endeavors. By participating in arts activities, individuals create bonds with others who share similar interests, forming a sense of community and belonging. These connections can lead to increased trust, reciprocity, and social support within a group, ultimately contributing to the development of positive social capital . Moreover, arts engagement has been shown to bridge social divides, promote diversity, and enhance communication among diverse groups (Dario Castiglione et al., 2008-04-17). Therefore, exploring how the arts can cultivate social capital offers valuable insights into its potential benefits for fostering inclusive and cohesive societies.

The Positive Impact of Social Capital Formations through ArtsThe Positive Impact of Social Capital Formations through Arts lies in its ability to foster cultural heritage, educational value, and promote environmental and social responsibility within a community. Drawing on postmodern cultural theory and the principles of the Triple Bottom Line, arts engagement not only enriches individuals aesthetically but also contributes to the holistic development of society. Postmodern music culture has introduced new concepts and experiences to vocal art, reflecting the societal shifts towards deconstruction and anti-traditional ideologies (Tao Liu, 2018). Moreover, the Triple Bottom Line framework emphasizes the importance of economic, environmental, and social responsibilities for enterprises, highlighting the sustainability and ethical dimensions of social capital formation through arts (Qun Wang, 2016). By integrating these insights, the positive impact of arts in fostering social capital formations is evident in promoting cultural understanding, sustainable practices, and responsible governance, thus enhancing the overall well-being of a community.

Case Studies Demonstrating the Benefits of Positive Social Capital Formations via ArtsThe exploration of case studies reveals the transformative power of positive social capital formations through the arts. Johnson's analysis of cities like Glasgow, Bilbao, Singapore, and Geelong illustrates how the arts can activate individuals, rebuild communities, enliven the polity, aid physical regeneration, and reorient economies, highlighting the instrumental role of the arts in addressing economic and social challenges. By delving into the historical contexts of these cities and their unique approaches to cultural strategies, Johnson emphasizes the importance of sustainable arts agendas that distribute benefits equitably and minimize adverse impacts on urban landscapes. These case studies exemplify how cities, particularly those experiencing economic or social decline, leverage the arts to rejuvenate their societies, foster community engagement, and promote long-term cultural, political, and economic sustainability. Through these examples, the profound impact of positive social capital formations via the arts emerges as a catalyst for urban revitalization and societal transformation.

Implications for Society and Policy RecommendationsThe implications of positive social capital formations through the arts extend beyond individual well-being to influence society at large. As Beacom et al. (cite7) suggest, effective governance strategies are essential in navigating systemic risks that impact sustainable development, with a particular focus on societal transformation processes. Considering the interconnectedness of agents within systems and the homomorphism of systemic risks across various domains, such as migration phenomena, a scientific approach rooted in complexity science is crucial for informing policy decisions. By recognizing the potential for arts-based activities to enhance social capital and foster community cohesion, policymakers can leverage these positive elements to address societal challenges. Policy recommendations should prioritize the integration of arts initiatives into broader social and economic strategies, thereby harnessing the transformative power of creative expression to build resilient and inclusive societies. Informed by empirical evidence and theoretical frameworks, such policy interventions hold promise in promoting sustainable development and mitigating systemic risks associated with social dynamics.

ConclusionIn conclusion, the findings of this study underscore the significant benefits that positive social capital formations through engagement with the arts can bring to communities. By fostering connections, trust, and mutual support among individuals, arts-based social capital can contribute to improved well-being, mental health, and overall quality of life. Through avenues such as community arts programs, festivals, and workshops, individuals are provided with opportunities for self-expression, creativity, and collaboration, which in turn can strengthen social ties and networks. Furthermore, the cultivation of shared values, understanding, and empathy that often result from participation in arts-based activities can help to bridge divides and promote social cohesion within diverse communities. Thus, investing in and supporting the arts as a means of building social capital can have far-reaching positive effects on individuals and communities alike.

#https://www.samwell.ai/essay/17ff37ce7764d3

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