Letter From the Collective (Crystallize)

Apr 28, 2024

Editorial Board

Salutations! This issue’s theme is Crystallize. Our creators who followed this theme could take many routes: whether it was about a subject that seems to be stuck - crystallized - in history to this present day, it could be about fiery pain or immense pressure (vital steps in the formation of crystals), a current application of crystals (ex: how crystals are a big part of the witchtok movement and all the cultural appropriation that comes with it), something beautiful or clear like a crystal, and more! Various submissions in this piece include the theme word, see if you can spot them all!

We gather here today to mourn the loss of our wonderful technomancer - ch0ccyra1n - who is stepping down from the ed board this term. In her time here she has completely revamped the Insurgent website into its current beauty, has transformed Insurgent’s reach and accessibility by digitizing countless issues, and has made our collective more secure with her techy magic and open source resources. We see you, your talents, and appreciate you!

Feel free to support her future projects at ch0ccyra1n.gitlab.io

and follow her on Mastodon @ch0cyra1n@emeraldsocial.org

Nephrite

I implore everyone to reject the melodic mediocrity of audio industry giants - apple, bose, beats, JBL, etc. - and to instead join me in delighting in the beautiful bliss of Chi-Fi IEMs. Chi-Fi opens the door to Hi-Fi audiophile quality music at a range of very affordable prices. IEMs allow music to sparkle and shine, highlighting the intricacies of the music at CD quality, and create a whole new dimension to music immersion. Additionally, the IEM chassis are more fashionable, as well as more sustainable. There is modularity between IEMs, cables, and eartips that allow for a fully customizable experience, as adjusting any of these factors will produce a whole different sound, highlighting different levels and layers of the music. Check out head-fi.org and r/Chifi as beginning resources to learn more.

Alexa Cruz Abarca

Hey there!! I’m Alex(a) and I’m the outreach coordinator and I’m the illustrator of this and past covers. Right now I am absolutely cooked by how audio compression enhances music quality. When I would watch crappy anime AMVs as a kid on shitty earbuds all that juvenile edge sounded so beautiful I craved more. Recently, I attempted to listen to all the songs that were popular in that internet era and it genuinely felt off, they were the right versions and remixes but were uncompressed! Bit crush effects are my beloved but we live in an era where the audio quality is so crisp and as intended but I miss the audio hiccups that would arrive from tech prior. I ache for the cassette tape skip, how my father would burn me CDs of music and its varying qualities, camcorder recordings of music on the radio or the buzz from old radios. I always don my headphones and I would rather backflip than not have a soundtrack playing whilst I walk around campus but I miss these imperfections in my audio, they feel so lived in and special.

Eclipse

Hello! I’m Eclipse! You might see some of my work showing up in the Insurgent! I’m a first year political science student, so keep an eye out for any political theory/practice writings. Hopefully, my ideas will help advance the struggle against capitalism, xenophobia, and patriarchy. I’ll write for those of you who are struggling to find joy in life, struggling to cope with the whirlwind that is being alive in 2024. I want to help you find love and joy in small places where you don’t expect it. I’m convinced that love is everywhere, especially where it’s the least expected. I love cats (I’m perishing without mine), reading sci-fi and fantasy books, and being outside- rain or shine. I do my best to bring a little sunshine to the world around me, and I hope you’ll find my work to be uplifting, thought-provoking, and maybe a little controversial :)

Lynx

Hi everyone, I’m Lynx!! I submitted a lil poem for the Nostalgia issue, and plan to continue submitting to The Insurgent (despite not participating in this issue oops I’m sorry editorial board) from here on out! I’m a second-year studying Theatre Arts and Linguistics, and have no idea what’s going on half the time. BUT I’m always trying my best to find out, because there is so much beyond what they teach you in school. I have a dog who’s a little shit and I think Gorillaz is the perfect background music if you ever wanna feel like you’re walking around in an RPG. In the wise words of this one guy from America’s Got Talent: “I will not remain silent. I will not give in. I will die before I let Big Parma win.” Big Parma meaning parmesan. bye :3

Amaru

There’s just something… about… McDonalds sprite that sends an electric icy zing from the tip to the back of the tongue. Soda is bad for you though! Anyways, America has some massive crisis’ going on- yall stay safe, don’t be indoctrinated, stay questioning the norm and fuck being a basic ass barbie bitch. MWAH, good day y’all.