#313 Paranormal

[eeveecraft]

"Tulpa" and Cultural Appropriation

I cannot believe I feel so compelled to do this again, but after witnessing an announcement by Plural Nest that they're switching to parogenic terminology because they've been convinced by sysmeds that tulpa = appropriation while literally "sourcing" things from minors, singlets, non-Tibetans, and yes, of course, sysmeds is just so goddamn frustrating that I'm going to write this post. I will be referring to this Google Doc Plural Nest themselves linked in their announcement that contains a motley of blogs and accounts by various people:

Strap the fuck in because we're going to be here for a while.

Tulpa = Appropriation Is and Always Was a Bad-Faith Argument

I am prefacing this post with this idea because I want you to keep this in mind as you're reading. Something that has always bothered me about this "discourse" is that the people who go on and on and on about how they're protecting minorities and stopping actual harmful, real appropriation by attacking the Tulpamancy community never:

Go after actual harmful depictions of tulpa that actively profit off of sensationalizing the paranormal version of the word and deliberately linking it to Tibetan Buddhism (Supernatural, Mandela Catalogue, Slenderman, etc).

Uplift the voices of actual Tibetan Buddhists, even ones who disagree with them (which there ARE Tibetan Buddhists who are 100% okay with tulpa as a term, not just the Tibetan Buddhist AMA).

Explain how us using tulpa to describe our systemmates is actively harming Tibetan Buddhists. They just say it's harmful without providing any real examples of harm besides the word annoying them.

The intention of these people never was to protect vulnerable minorities, it was to deliberately blacklist a word a community has used for over a decade and a word that is literally being used in academic studies. If we as a community dropped tulpa, cold-turkey, 100%, we would lose access to so much of our history and access to scientific studies that the community NEEDS to be more accepted by the general public.

If these people actually cared and took the time to look into the Tulpamancy community, they would clearly see that the community very much stresses that tulpa is NOT the same as the paranormal term that IS sensationalized, and that all it means is a type of systemmate that was intentionally/unintentionally created through repeated interaction. And yet, that's not the case.

Oh, also, I found out that the Tibetan Buddhist Tulpamancer who did the AMA also has a Tumblr blog, and they even reblogged this post. And they even left this in the comments:

No one should feel ashamed of using the term “tulpa”. Buddhism, and practices related to it, are meant to be shared. That’s the whole point of the practice. And this greater community, is unique and distinct from Tibetan and related origin, it isn’t “appropriation” and even if it was, no one owns the term, and as I see it; use it as you wish!

So yeah, even further context!

Anyway, with that in mind...

Origins of Tulpa

One thing many people get wrong in the Google Doc is that tulpa directly is a Tibetan word. I have stated this in multiple places from my video on the history of Tulpamancy to my original essay back in 2020 on this very topic, but tulpa was derived from tulku and sprul-pa, which tulku specifically means the reincarnations of the Dalai or Tashi Lama, and sprul-pa means a type of "magically-produced illusion or creation." Alexandra David-Neel, a French explorer during the 1920's-1930's derived tulpa from these two words, and even in her own book, she admits they are not the same:

“These may be considered as veritable tulkus and, in fact, the demarcation between tulpas and tulkus is far from being clearly drawn. The existence of both is grounded on the same theories,” (David-Neel pg 313-314).

David-Neel, Alexandra. Magic and the Mystery of Tibet, Internet Archive, Translated by Claude Kendall, 1971 Dover Edition.

So, for all the people who keep saying that tulpa is a specific word in Tibetan Buddhism is incorrect, tulpa (paranormal) is BASED off of Tibetan language, but is not directly a part of the language, and the meaning was also changed. However, there is a further distinction I need to make:

Paranormal Versus Modern Tulpas

There is a very, VERY important distinction I need to make that a LOT of people who scream, "TULPA IS RACIST!" get wrong. Modern tulpas, the type created by the Tulpamancy community go by this definition (or any similar variation):

A sentient/sapient, typically intentionally created being that is conscious and autonomous, and can only be seen, heard, or felt by the host/system that can also think independently from the host/system. Essentially a separate person sharing a body with the person who created them.

Source: My own Tulpamancy guide.

When the term created by Alexandra David-Neel that is still used in horror media goes by (paraphrasing some bits):

A type of phantom created by a person's concentrated thoughts that when developed enough, it frees itself of its creator's to go onto be a "half-conscious, dangerously mischievous puppet" or just severely injure or even kill their creator.

This definition is cobbled together from David-Neel's own book since she doesn't directly give a definition for paranormal tulpa that I can just fully quote here that's concise enough. Another important observation I made is that David-Neel right afterwards also mentions her ability to see thought-forms, you know... the type derived from English Theosophy, the concept that's way more accurate to modern tulpas than "phantoms," that existed before David-Neel wrote her book? Funny, huh?

Why does this distinction matter?

It's pretty simple. The actual harmful word that horror media profits off of and sensationalizes for clout is the definition David-Neel derived. The word that people attack the Tulpamancy community for literally just means a type of systemmate and has no inherent paranormal or spiritual meaning. The former deliberately shows off the word's Buddhist roots for the sake of personal gain while the modern word is stressed as something on its own, its own concept and practice that is not related to Buddhism. Modern Tulpamancy is completely secular, you can be completely atheist (like me) and create a tulpa just fine. Anyone can. Not a single culture can claim something literally anybody can do by mistake.

Just that the word has a distant link in etymology to it and isn't actually a Tibetan Buddhist concept. By the logic of people who think tulpa is a racist term, any term derived from another language in English would be racist... which would account for 99% of the English language, and honestly kind of demonstrates that they low-key don't even know what racism means at that point.

So, please tell me why the latter is in the crosshairs of people who are supposedly protecting a minority? Why is it that I myself have had to call out things like the Mandela Catalogue for using the paranormal variant of tulpa and twisting it into an edgy story about body-snatchers as some kind of cryptid SCP creature, but I haven't seen anyone else do it? Why isn't there an outrage by these people on notoriously appropriative shows like Supernatural? Hmm.

(Also, important that another blog reblogged that post and mentioned that they've spoken to actual Tibetans on Facebook and how none of them think tulpa is harmful specifically because it's so far-removed from Tibetan Buddhism. Like, they're cool with it as long as the community doesn't try and link it to Tibetan Buddhism, which is literally what the community does and has been doing for YEARS. Love how sysmeds conveniently ignore that. Same with this AMA by another practicing Tibetan Buddhist on Reddit, which is REAL funny that Plural Nest doesn't link this AMA, but links another post by a person who converted to Tibetan Buddhism who agreed with their viewpoint, even if that post was extremely flawed).

People Who Tout This Claim

One thing that is extremely frustrating to see is all these POC systems go on and on and on about how white people shouldn't speak about POC issues, but then turn around and speak over other POC. In one of my original posts on this topic, I specifically made the comparison of a Chinese person trying to dictate what can and cannot happen in Japanese culture. Both are Asian, both are people of color, but they are not the same, and to imply that is racist. POC systems saying that they can dictate that a word based off of Tibetan language is racist as hell, even when they're not Tibetan, just because they're both Asian implies that POC culture is all the same that any person of color can dictate what happens in the other culture is disgusting. Full stop. It's generalizing a HUGELY varied amount of peoples and cultures, and just generalizes them as all the same, and quite frankly, that's insulting.

And even if we go by their logic that any Asian POC can dictate whether or not tulpa is racist also conversely means that any Asian POC can also dictate that tulpa isn't racist. I can literally just go to my best friend who's Asian and Buddhist and ask him if tulpa is racist as a term, he'd just laugh, and say this whole discourse is stupid. In fact, let me go do that:

(He sent me a GIF of SomeOrdinaryGamer laughing, LMAO.)

Anyway, this is what he said:

i am an asian, i believe that the word “Tulpa” is not racist nor cultural appropriation.

(FYI, he's also a Tulpamancer and has been for almost as long as I have.)

I can go on r/Tulpas or #RedditTulpas right now, make a poll for Asian POC systems, and ask them whether or not tulpa as a term is racist, and get hundreds of votes that no, it isn't. It means systems like The Cabin System who are also SE Asian who've openly stated that tulpa as a term isn't racist also have as much stake in the argument as the opposite side does.

Do you see how it devolves into a pissing contest between sides? What does this achieve? All it does is segregate the community and draw unnecessary lines, which is exactly what sysmeds want because it's ways easier to harass and kill smaller communities that way or turn them against each other until they eat each other alive. And they won't just stop with tulpa terminology, they're just using tulpa because they found a convenient scapegoat to attack it. Sysmeds literally find ANY excuse to demonize or take away a word from the endogenic community, it's no different here.

To further prove this point, sysmeds literally tried to say "system hopping" is a term appropriated from RAMCOA survivors, which was completely false. They are not afraid to pull the appropriation card on any word they can, tulpa isn't the only instance of it.

Just by looking in the #tulpa tag, you can see people who are equating people who use tulpa as racist, and want to split the community between "racists and non-racists."

Another key fact is that most people who have this view also have a comical lack of understanding of what Tulpamancy even is. For example, the system that coined willogenic specifically because they think tulpa is racist defined willogenic systemmates as:

“Willogenic system - A system that was purposefully created or “willed” into existence. There’s no connection to t/lpam/ncy at all.”

(Notice how the definition also excludes unintentional tulpas, which is roughly a third of the community? Fun!)

Yes, the actual definition is censored like that. So, the definition states that a systemmate can be ""willed" into existence," and is supposed to be a direct replacement for tulpa. No. No. Stop. You don't just "will" a tulpa into existence. If that was true, we wouldn't still get people on r/Tulpas making posts on how they've tried and tried for months or even years to create a tulpa and still failed.

Not just that, but it severely misrepresents the tulpa creation process as this super simple thing to "will into existence" when tulpa creation varies a LOT from person to person and is far more than just willing a fully formed tulpa into existence. I've mentioned this before, but I seriously do not like the broader Plurality Community attempting to force the Tulpamancy Community to adhere to their terminology that they created, and slapping, "Use our terms or you're a racist piece of sh!t!" on top of that has a REALLY bad connotation.

And remember when I made that distinction between the actually harmful paranormal tulpa definition and the community's definition? Yeah, like I said, most people who have this opinion also are conflating what we do to the paranormal definition.

All the Tulpamancy Community does is create a space where people can partake in tulpa creation and development. That's it. The majority of the community views it as 100% psychological, there's no paranormal ghost nonsense happening, and people are just trying to live their lives with their tulpas. It's not any more complicated than that, and labeling people who use a term like tulpa as racist is seriously scummy.

How "Tulpa = Appropriation" is Harmful

Ironically, this "discourse" has caused more harm to the Tulpamancy community than anything else. Like how I said that all the POC systems who said "tulpa" as a word has "harmed" them don't provide any examples of harm? Well, I can provide examples of how this whole thing has actually caused damage to people in the Tulpamancy Community.

Let's start with me. On multiple occasions, I have had multiple anons harass my inbox, calling me racist, calling me slurs, and even sexually harassing me in the comments of one of my posts specifically because of this issue. In fact, several sysmeds tried raiding our Discord server alongside harassing us on Tumblr because of what Amanitasys's post started, and this has also happened to @cambriancrew, @sophieinwonderland, and more because we happen to be blogs that intersect both communities.

The Widening Divide

Secondly, the widening divide between the Tulpamancy and Plurality communities.

The relationship between the Tulpamancy and broader Plurality community was already tenuous, and for most of the Tulpamancy community's history, it has stayed isolated from other Plurality circles. It was only within the past few years that the communities started to intermingle, but this drama can ruin that.

Because as someone who HAS been in the community for over half a decade, I can tell you that the majority of the Tulpamancy community thinks this drama is stupid and aren't going to change terminology for multiple reasons. Now, do NOT take this as the community going, "Tulpa is a completely unproblematic word!" when the community has debated the term's usage for YEARS. Nobody is saying the word is perfect, but it's what the community has used for over a decade now and every attempt to change the word has failed. And honestly, as someone who's reviewed the vast majority of Tulpamancy guides in existence, I likely know better than anyone else that if tulpa was blacklisted like some people want, the community would lose so much history and resources, it's not even funny.

Unlike the broader community, the Tulpamancy community has a focus on the creation and sharing of Tulpamancy guides and resources, and the vast majority of these resources directly have "tulpa" or "Tulpamancy" in the name, let alone the sheer volume of times the aforementioned words are used in these guides. If we completely dropped the word, the ability of new people to look up and find these guides becomes FAR more difficult. "Tulpa" is a unique and consistent word and makes it easy to look into the community, which in turn helps people discover resources that can help them on their tulpa creation journey.

And for the bottomfeeders who'll inevitably go, "Well, just change the resources!" I need you to go outside and touch some grass, please.

1.) There are literally hundreds of guides, not even including website domains like Tulpa.info, Tulpa.io. Tulpa.net, and many more. There are literally academic studies that use tulpa, and if the community (not just the Tulpamancy community) wants any hope of being accepted by the general public, we NEED those studies to back our existence (as frustrating as it is). Don't forget all the articles, podcasts, and videos we couldn't even change if we want to! Again, over a decade of history.

2.) The VAST majority of the people who wrote these guides are no longer in the community and it is disrespectful to the authors to take and change their work without their permission (if ANY of you tried taking my guide and replaced every tulpa-related term with something else, I'd be PISSED).

3.) Literally every alternative to tulpa has some critical flaw in one way or another (I made a post about this here) and literally nobody can agree on a single term. The amount of fragmenting this would cause would make the aforementioned issue of discoverability EVEN WORSE.

4.) The rate at which resources are created has slowed dramatically since the community's early days. People are just complacent with what they have now, and I don't think labeling tulpa as a racist term is suddenly going to get more people to write more guides, just to change a few words around.

I feel this issue can get to a point where the Plurality community literally starts banning the usage of tulpa-related terminology completely, thus excommunicating the Tulpamancy community from most plural spaces. Places like Plural Nest where the staff OPENLY say that tulpa is appropriative sets this precedent, and even though Plural Nest (at least right now) is still allowing people to use tulpa terminology, other places might pick up on what Plural Nest did, but worse. That ends up excluding people like us from plural spaces and just undoes all the work that's happened to connect the two communities.

Like, systems like us, Dragonheart already have to avoid sysmed servers, but now, even with "inclusive" servers, we might be run out because the owners/staff think tulpa is a racist term. So now we have an extra layer of anxiety when trying to join new communities. That's fun.

It's literally creating what endogenic systems already deal with in the plural community, but now even parts of the endogenic community are bullying another subset of their own community. It's terrible.

So, in the Tulpamancy community's perspective, we either: A.) Give up our most used word and people lose access to so much history and resources, and create a huge divide in our already fragmented community.

Or:

B.) Stick to our guns, but be excommunicated and villainized by the broader Plurality community.

There's no winning here. Regardless of what the Tulpamancy community does, it's going to cause a lot of damage. Sysmeds win regardless with their goal being to divide and fuck up our community, and it deeply upsets me.

What Tulpamancy Really Is

So, what are people trying to attack so hard and blacklist from plural spaces? What are people fighting so hard against to conform to their standards, or be labeled as racist? What Tulpamancy is, for a lot of people, is a means to living a better life. I cannot tell you how many stories I have read of tulpas stopping their hosts from taking their own lives, how creating a tulpa has hugely improved the mental health of others, or how tulpas encourage their hosts to socialize and take care of the body, or how just making a tulpa connects you to a community with the mutual interest in self-improvement and self-love, and so, so much more. Tulpamancy improves people's lives, and Tulpamancy techniques are not exclusive to us.

Any system, or even singlets can learn from the Tulpamancy community to improve their own lives. And yes, that means Tulpamancy helps a lot of people of color as well, as well as a lot of other vulnerable minorities! Whether it's learning vocality to better communicate with alters or using switching techniques to control switching, or even learning how to make a mindscape or improve visualization skills. I don't understand how this community can be labeled as a bunch of racists (even though there are scumbags like Kopase that sadly exist (why don't you guys RIGHTFULLY sh!t on people like him?)) when literally the entire point of the community is self-betterment.

And like what @dharmayokeyodasampa, the Tibetan Buddhist Tulpamancer stated before, "Buddhism, and practices related to it, are meant to be shared. That’s the whole point of the practice," and the same can be said for Tulpamancy. Tulpamancy can be for everyone if it means making their lives better. It's meant to be a positive thing that can truly be life-changing, and seeing people trying to label that practice with one of hatred and harm is just... horrible.

The Tulpamancy community doesn't have some secret agenda to silence people of color or mock any kind of religion or practice. We're just a bunch of lonely people wanting companionship and are tired of being alone.

Conclusion

"Tulpa" as a term, at best, is murky. Nobody is arguing that David-Neel was a saint. She wasn't, and she's dead and buried. Tulpa isn't her word anymore. People in the Tulpamancy community are just fed up with outsiders trying to dictate how their community should be run. We know the term has issues, we know its history is not all sunshine and rainbows. We do not need outsiders barging in and stating the obvious and acting like they know more than we do about our own community and history.

And look, I know some people who believe tulpa is appropriative have good intentions and just want to be non-offensive, but people take advantage of that. Sysmeds took advantage of people wanting to do right and weaponized people into being their mouthpieces under the guise of, "We just want to be racially-sensitive." But instead of actually protecting minorities, all it did was harm another minority while ignoring groups who are taking advantage of the word, and using it for clout and profit. That is exactly why I started this LONG essay with why this whole thing is a bad-faith argument.

I've said it before, I'll say it again: this is the Plurality-equivalent of "queer is a slur." Drama deliberately caused by bad actors who spread rumors of a word being bad, leading it to be picked up by well-intentioned people, and being turned into the pawns of those bad actors without realizing it.

I'm so pissed I had to make this post, but after seeing what Plural Nest did, and then learning that they KNEW some of their sources were by sysmeds who have ACTIVELY professed their hatred of tulpas and decided to use them anyway to a community of over a thousand users just led me to being fed up. It gave this indication that if large plural spaces like that are echoing a statement meant to divide us, things aren't looking good, and I'm not going to sit here and watch a community I've been in for over half a decade get wrongfully demonized.

If Plural Nest staff just said they're changing terminology because they just don't like tulpa or or the fact that it's conflated with horror media, I would've been fine with it. That's a perfectly understandable reason not to like the term. We're not forcing you to use the term! Use whatever term you want! It was the motivation behind it that I take issue with and the precedent it sets. I don't know where this community is heading, but I hope things go all right.

7-22-2023

[hihimissamericanbi]

Wip snippet

Hello world! Long time no chat. I haven’t been writing much but I am trying an experiment with dear @basiatlu where I attempt to write a custom smut for her OCs. If this goes well, I may be able to actually take on smut commissions!! How… stirring

Anyway, long lost lover @thisliminalspacedaydreams tagged me in a WIP post so please enjoy some silly banter between Bosh’s delightful original characters: Zeke the mischievous ghost and Andy the surly art kid, forced to share a tiny apartment in the rather paranormal lakeside town of Springcliff, USA.

Excerpt from Paint Me Like One of Your Ghost Boys

An original smut by MissAmericanBi 💋

“Your little walk in the woods didn’t go well, I take it?” Zeke asks through a yawn, stretching like a cat in the last bit of sunbeam from the dusty skylight of apartment 313.

“Fuck you, ghost freak,” Andy the Almost Artist mutters as he stalks the two feet from the entryway to the kitchen, grabs a PBR from the fridge, and stalks the remaining two feet to the couch to sit unceremoniously on top of Zeke’s long legs.

“Hey, watch it!” Zeke manages to avoid having his legs bent back painfully by blinking into transparency and letting Andy slide right through his body. He shifts over and re-solidifes next to him. “You know I hate it when you do that. You always feel so… wet.”

Andy scowls and cracks his beer. “So stop laying all over my furniture. Can’t you go haunt someone else for once?”

“Aw, come on now Andy, you don’t really mean that,” Zeke needles, his long tongue flicking playfully in Andy's direction. If he were to wiggle a little closer, he may even be able to lick Andy’s stubbled cheek, taste the fresh air on his skin.

Zeke leans over and licks his ear instead.

“Eurgh, what is wrong with you?!” Andy splutters, cringing away violently and rubbing his ear against his shoulder like a disgruntled parakeet. “Ugh, and you made me spill my beer.”

Zeke tuts and turns somber. “Those things will kill you, you know—”

“Not this again—” Andy mutters under his breath.

“—would hate for you to end up like me… deceased. Dead. Left to haunt Springcliff all by my lonesome—”

“You literally just had one of your little cryptid friends over last night.”

“—wasting away in solitude, not knowing the pleasures of life—”

“You smoked all my weed and ate my leftovers.”

“—never again to feel the sweet caress of vitality beneath my skin, flowing through my veins—”

“He threw up plasma all over the bathroom.”

“—doomed forever—”

“I had to clean it up while you sang “Take On Me” over and over until 2am.”

“—alone, unloved—”

“And don’t think I don’t know you both fucked in my bed before I got home.”

At this, Zeke pauses mid-monologue, lets his mouth curl with a devious little grin. “Oh, darling,” he purrs in a voice he knows Andy knows means nothing holy is about to come out of his mouth. “If you wanted us to wait for you you should have said.”

~~~~

Stay tuned for more! We are exploring first times, vulnerability, ghost possession sex, and of course the requisite character growth through dirty talk. Plus a touch of voyeurism and lots of art metaphors.

Tagging some friends in case you have any projects you want to share!!

@impishtubist @lizlemonbennet @theresthesnitch @r33sespieces @honeybcj @xmiuux @theheartofthestar

[mysterycharacterbracket]

191st place

191st place goes to character 117, aka Pugsley Guttman from From the animated series Dead End: Paranormal Park!

Propaganda: He is a good boy. He's very loyal to his family and friends and will do anything to protect them while only being 2 foot tall. He'll learn magic, fight and even be willing to do his duty and give up his life to save the most important person to him. He does all of this while wearing a cute hat and has an awesome singing voice. He is the best friend anyone would want.

In round 1, poll #39, he received 59 votes out of 234, or 25.2%.

In round W1, poll #28, he received 18 votes out of 41, or 43.9%.

And in round L3, poll #29, he received 18 votes out of 38, or 47.4%.

So in all, he received 95 votes out of 313, or 30.4%.

[neozhelps]

welcome to kwangya !!

mira, não binárie, elu/ele, 26 anos. blog de helper e desabafos sobre a rp br. tracking usermira. a like from this blog means the post is in the queue!

lendo: doce como sangue, de dan rodriguez (kindle); contos de imaginação e mistério, de edgar allan poe (físico).

jogando: stardew valley; coteries of new york; assassin's creed i.

assistindo: chicago fire (temporada dois); one piece (marineford); renascer (episódio sete); mania de você (episódio três).

meus outros projetos: @neozverse, central de universos para a tag indie; @neozwrites, informações sobre minhas histórias originais e trechos de alguns contos; @aencrgy, blog de turnos indie; @svperncvx, blog de muses.

serviços oferecidos:

guias diversos;

indicações de faceclaims;

compartilhamento de conteúdos gratuitos;

tradução de guias gringos;

prompts para personagens;

leituras de tarô;

conversa fiada;

guias em progresso:

sobre o mundo das trevas (vampiro a máscara): movimento anarch, sabá, coteries, jyhad, golconda, arquétipos disponíveis nos livros;

sobre o universo de ordem paranormal;

sobre o universo do rick riordan;

sobre livros-jogos e como criar dinâmicas parecidas nas comunidades do tumblr;

sobre paganismo e como fazer personagens bruxos modernos (em slice);

sobre o espiritismo segundo kardec e como explorar isso em um personagem ou jogo;

não apoio: fãs da jk rowling ou de harry potter no geral, bolsonaristas, apologistas de israel, terfs, transfóbicos, racistas, islamofóbicos, e pessoas que se aproveitam de causas importantes para disseminar ódio.

é proibido usar meus recursos para: jogar rps de hp (1x1 incluso), rps com tópicos que são taboo (incesto, pedofilia, etc), interpretar celebridades reais.

GIF PACKS

in progress: duda santos (0/271), humberto carrão (64/310), juliana paes (0/82), kim okvin (0/313); teo yoo (0/194); uiliama lima (0/52).

suggestions: miya horcher, xu jiaqi, úrsula corberó, heejin, jesuíta barbosa.

bigger plans: law school main cast; renascer (juan paiva, sophie charlotte, marcos palmeira, vladmir brichta, camila morgado, malu mader); família é tudo (daphne bozaski, nathalia dill, daniel rangel, juliana paiva, ana hikari); novo mundo (isabelle drummond, letícia colin, shay suede, gabriel braga nunes, ricardo pereira, agatha moreira, sheron menezzes, romulo estrela), rock story (alinne moraes, nathalia dill, marina moschen, nicolas prattes, joão vicente de castro, danilo mesquita).; mania de você (gabz, agatha moreira, nicholas prattes, mariana ximenes, chay suede, alanis guillen, adriana esteves, rodrigo lombardi, eriberto leão, paulo rocha).

[brick-a-doodle-do]

I posted 1,658 times in 2022

That's 1,658 more posts than 2021!

313 posts created (19%)

1,345 posts reblogged (81%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@baka-monarch

@brick-a-doodle-do

@.utahlive

@beckyu

@data-expunged-0

I tagged 803 of my posts in 2022

#ask - 201 posts

#talking brick - 118 posts

#nmw - 105 posts

#g/t - 92 posts

#mcyt g/t - 77 posts

#mw - 68 posts

#ask game - 67 posts

#dsmp g/t - 60 posts

#dream smp g/t - 59 posts

#brickfic - 50 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#tbf this has nothing to do with anything cause it was the photo that looked like robert not dream himself but now dream does look like robe

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Aha I’ve got something written! Finally! I’ve had this idea for a while and I finally got the motivation to put it on paper, and even more motivation to actually post it. If it does well I may turn it into an AU, but for now this is just a one shot. :]

Briefly read over, if you see any grammatical errors, nope, you don’t!

Curiosity Killed The Cat

_WC 2.4k

_TW: Mention of death, swearing

———————————————————————

Close-minded or not, the house was unsettling. It stood out like a bruise, its darkened color palette failing to blend in with the much warmer colors the rest of the street had. Various vines wrapped the house, some looking to come from the windows. Now, the house wouldn’t be as weird if it was abandoned, but someone clearly lived here. The only way to tell was through the way lights in different rooms would flip from on and off from time to time, but the point still stood — someone lived there. 

Personally he hasn’t heard anyone speak of the resident leaving the home, so either they were fucking immune to eating, or some paranormal shit was happening. 

Tommy had gotten hired as a newspaper boy a few weeks ago through a friend of his, who was looking for jobs himself but thought it would suit Tommy since it was primarily a quiet and easy job. He did enjoy it, sure, but it got boring.

He wanted some excitement, so excitement he decided upon.

He had tossed the second to last newspaper onto a porch when he was forced to face the dark house. There was no ominous streak of lightning when he gazed upon it’s curtained windows, but he swallowed as he looked at the growing pile of past papers. They were there when he originally got the job, so he wanted to make sure he could end the one-sided cycle before it got too overwhelming for the old house, and before it was too big of a collection; he really didn’t want to end up spending longer than he’s comfortable with while trying to clean. 

He bit at the inside of his lips as he silently complained through his thoughts. 

He scoffed at his worry and stepped onto the concrete path leading up to the house, at one point stepping on a flower he didn’t know could even begin to thrive on the nearly dead lawn. 

Tommy placed his foot onto the first step leading up to the porch, applying pressure to make sure he wouldn’t fall through the damn thing. Once confirming he wouldn’t commit property damage, he climbed to the top slowly and crouched down to gaze at the papers covered in plastic. He brushed a bug off of one gently and picked it up, cringing at the date from two months ago. 

He guessed that was the last time someone took the opportunity to clean it, since the entire street would’ve been bustling if someone came out of the door leading into the house. He took a plastic bag out of his pocket — Phil originally told him to bring it in case he decided to do what he was doing now, since he’d been bugging Tommy about it for a while now — and shook it a couple times to make it unfold. Once it did he started shoving papers in as quickly as he could, grabbing as much as four at a time while trying to make more room in the bag. 

It filled up at about halfway through the newspaper, so he tied it and opened the flap of his satchel and began removing the other half. When his job was finished he stood up, plastic bag in hand as he prepared to leave. He got down one step before his phone buzzed a custom ringtone set for Tubbo only. He looked into the closest window of the house and muttered to himself, setting the bag down and sliding his satchel off. He took his phone from his hoodie pocket and unlocked his phone, scrolling through pages until he found the Discord app. He looked at the house again nervously while he waited for it to load. 

tubbo    Today at 8:27 AM

hey did u get to the house yet? is it still covered in the newspapers? 

tommyinnit    Today at 8:28 AM

yeah i just cleared it off

it’s creepy as fuck dude why’d you make me get this job??

tubbo    Today at 8:28 AM 

stfu 

Tommy smiled slightly at his friend’s text, shutting his phone off and moving to grab both bags. When the light that once shined through one of the windows turned off, a wave of curiosity spread through him. The logical thing to do was run, but.. only satisfactory brought back the cat that died of curiosity, so clearly he should definitely be the biggest man and check it out so he can live to tell the tale of whatever he does find in there. 

The bag and the satchel were rearranged to where they were hidden in a corner. He picked his phone up from where he’d set it down and he stepped onto the dull, flat welcome mat, where he felt through his hair for the bobby pin he kept in there for the usual event where he forgets his house key. Techno taught him when he was around four years old how to pick a lock, and ever since it’s his go-to thing to do, even if it’s when he’s breaking into Tubbo’s house because he hasn’t answered any texts. 

He eventually found it and pulled it out slowly while being cautious of either dropping it or pulling his hair, then stretched it open so he could have a better grip on it. Tommy put it in the keyhole and pushed it around for a while, and let him say he was completely aware of every little noise that happened around him while he did it. He had to erase his progress once because he was convinced someone was coming outside across the street. 

Once he did get it, though, it was only smooth sailing from there. He pocketed his phone and returned the bobby pin to his hair after fixing it, put his hand on the doorknob, and slowly turned it. The door opened with ease, and he sent one more glance behind himself before finally slipping in and shutting the door. 

He turned around, prepared to start looking around, but he was only met with surroundings a good hundred times his size. In a panic he reached back, but he only hit the wooden door. He thought for a moment that he missed the knob but as he turned his head back he bit back a curse upon realizing the door had been scaled up just as much as the rest of the house.

“Fuck..” Tommy said in a whisper. He felt frozen in place while his eyes looked at every detail of the furniture, walls, floors, everything. He.. really let curiosity get the best of him, didn’t he? 

The best plan of action was to find an exit, like a window. However, he couldn’t really do much when he was fucking small, now could he? Stressed, he ran a hand through his hair while he thought, every idea he had being pushed into the back of his mind like a crumpled piece of paper being thrown into the bin once it was deemed useless.

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88 notes - Posted July 19, 2022

#4

not quite ready (i)

sup! wilbur chocolate au is here! fun fact: i wrote this while eating wilbur chocolate :DD (very good btw,,, some of my favorite chocolates even tho i don't rlly like chocolate)

okay just fyi this is a boring chapter—chapter two will definitely have a lot more angst. not to say this one doesn't, it definitely does.

alr, now have the fic >:))

tw !! ⚠️ mention of fatal vore/mouthplay, mention of vore, mention of su1c1de attempts, su1c1dal thoughts, mention/implication of dehumanization/mishandling of a humanoid, panic, swearing ⚠️ !!

words: 2180

—-—

There came a time, where the hope Wilbur had simply died down. It shattered to the ground, letting light for the intrusive, negative thoughts. They pushed any positivity firmly in the crevice of his mind, and never allowed them to simply take a look out. And because of this, there was no acceptance. He never would accept this hellhole of a home.

Essentially, a merry-go-round of hell, where every single fucking time a human comes by, they simply give him a hell-ride and walk off, not bothering to even notice the protests that come from his mouth. He still attempts them, despite knowing damn-well the type of store he’s in; if there is a human that steps foot into this building, they are looking for his kind. They’re looking simply for a treat. Wilbur, although he used to deny this, has finally come to terms with his ultimate fate, between two rows of teeth, completely content with shattering the bones and life of an innocent, who’s only flaw is a size not taller than a finger. Somehow, some way, it makes his life have a lesser value. And perhaps Wilbur has seen the truth to that statement. 

So, Wilbur continues to sit, counting seconds among minutes in his head despite knowing full-well they were nothing but inaccurate to what the time truly was. But, with little but a pinhole for his source of light, and he woefully admits his breathing, he’s become plenty used to error in his technique of containing his sanity. Some days were more successful than others, where he simply paced along the rocky path the chocolates created, simply thinking and rethinking over his life, wandering down every metaphorical path, as if it could change the outcome of his current life. But, there are others, where he sits against the pinhole, with his knees curled firmly to his chest, and where his hands wrap them. Where he buries his head in his lap and simply sobs. And other, more exhilarating days, where he finds the wrath in him has become tired of sitting still and accompanies his grim thoughts. 

Wilbur Soot will not deny that he absolutely despises his very existence. He loathes his size, barely the size of a human finger – making it next to futile for him to defend himself, and he often feels he’d find more peace dead than he will just simply sitting, taking in the void. Wilbur has wished so hard for it to end, but no matter how many thoughts begged the universe for it, he never got results. And he’s attempted to rid of himself, but each attempt ends in failure, where he’s forced to spend another day in an agonizing, miserable hell that is, what looks to be, a simple bag of candy. He wants it to be like that. But, alas, it is not. And he is very much still alive and sulking in the middle of the bag, just gazing at the miniscule hole, like it holds secrets he yearns to be revealed.

The lights were on – the hole was glowing a certain color that told him the store was open. Wilbur did not have a proper way of knowing how much time had passed and when, but he does understand the basics of a store. Lights on means it’s open, lights off means it’s closed. Simple. 

A shadow passes the hole, blocking the light just slightly. Wilbur’s interest perks at this, but not enough to spark any kind of hope. He knows better than to assume the best for himself. He shifts his position slightly, leaning against the back of the wall as he continues to watch the small sample of the world he’s been given. Tire nags at his eyes, but he doesn’t dare sleep. Perhaps it’s because some part of him really does wonder, really does hope, that he’ll be getting out. 

–

He’d first moved there not only to get away for a bit, but because he realized that his thoughts were starting to get to him. Constantly having intrusive and careful thoughts fighting in his mind, all while skimming the ground to ensure he wouldn’t be misstepping, was a task he did not enjoy. He holds no prejudice against the smaller beings, they are no less human than he, however it can get distressing to worry nearly every moment of the day where he’s doing a thing as simple as walking.

But, he finds that the streets of New York are unfortunately far more crowded than those in London. While trying to avoid hundreds of tourists coming at him eye-level, with the addition of tinies – it becomes overwhelming. Which is why one afternoon when he deemed himself frustrated and over-tired of worrying, he took temporary shelter in a store, located in a particularly odd part of town, yet still busy as normal.

It looked oddly isolated, like it was not meant to be seen by the public. He still managed to find it, though, so he wondered if it was that hidden. Bells chimed softly as he entered, almost startling the cashier in the back of the building. Tommy offered him a quick smile before he allowed himself to get lost in isles among isles, eyes scanning over the contents in the store. Ultimately, after he had circled the small store, he concluded bitterly that everything looked unfortunately unappetizing. 

He returned to the middle of the store, grabbing mindlessly at a bag of Wilbur Chocolate. Hopefully he’ll feel up to eating it by the time he returns home. If he even makes it home without starting a crime scene.

Tommy ambled to the back corner, where the cashier sat at a stool, looking unusually alert of everything he did. Like he was noting it in the back of his mind. And he did not miss the small smirk under the man’s lips. Avoiding the odd look, he set the bag down on its side and patted himself for whatever money he had on him. “Ah, good choice,” The man said. Tommy nodded. 

“Twenty dollars and twenty-six cents.”

Tommy’s eyes widened. “Twenty dollars? For that?” 

Something in the cashier’s eyes shifted, and his smirk returned, this time far more curious. He raised his brow and said, “They aren’t exactly cheap, sir. I can’t go giving them out for free,”

“The…. chocolates?” 

The man huffed in amusement, nodding. “Sure, the chocolates.”

Americans. “Here.” He handed the man the extra bills he’d fished from his pockets and grabbed the bag sourly. He bid a small goodbye out of habit and made his way back to the glass doors. “I hope you enjoy the chocolates, sir!” 

Prime, why did he move here?

—

Wilbur no longer has the wish to be free. Deep down inside of him, the feeling of freedom would be refreshing, but the actuality of the situation has finally sat in him. And he cannot be more afraid, more unwelcoming, about what is to come. Wilbur does not want to be handled by a human, to be tossed around like some fucking toy, when he simply is not that. He knows that his fate will be sealed when he finds his frail, emotional body being crushed under the weight of two rows of teeth as he feels the life being sucked out of him completely, just because of a simple height difference. A major one, however still one that makes him human.

Wilbur is nervous as he feels the bag swaying with every step the human takes. He heard their conversation. The human had been hesitant, but only when he initially heard the price – when the god-awful cashier just had to make a little comment, that’s when he was being purchased, fucking bought willingly. Without any damn hesitation. His nails dug into the candy below him, sure to leave deep dents in it. His breathing had gone haywire since his realization, and it hasn’t gone back to normal since. Beads of tears built up in the corner of his eyes and he couldn’t help but just allow himself to sob. One final time, he will sit in this bag and cry. 

Minutes after minutes pass by, and his surroundings continue to sway. The only thing he can hear is the crowded chatter of passing humans, where their shadows continue to make his natural light flicker. Wilbur wishes to scream. But, before he can develop that sudden thought, the swaying stops. And there is a gentle, quiet gush of wind as he’s set down. The movement is followed with the closing of a door.

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88 notes - Posted September 23, 2022

#3

Favorite Dsmp duo and favorite trope

My favorite DSMP duo changes depending on what it’s for, but, for G/T, my favorite duo is easily T!George or G!Dream (or vice versa,,,)

My favorite trope changes so often!! Right now, though, I think it's a giant seeming eerie and terrifying, despite them trying to be funny/playful. And they've got no idea the tiny is scared shitless :)

(Unintentional fearplay lol)

I saw a video about Manhunt in George's POV and it was super cool so obviously I gotta make it g/t 😎 (this video should definitely be watched beforehand cause my descriptions are slacking lol)

Soooo have this lil thing :D

(also have the tiktok cause damn it’s awesome)

oh, george

tw: vore, un/intentional fearplay (kinda both), panic/hyperventilation

wc: 1614

First hunter, first to die. That seemed like a false statement, but, after having been through this very thing innumerable times, George can only stand face-to-face with agreement. While he may have had more experience with Dream as a person, he has had no change in his agility or stamina since the very first time they’d tried this rather irritating game. To go against a giant, for him, would be welcoming his demise with open arms. And while he’s done it before, he is not looking for a second death when they’re only less than half an hour into the hunt. So, he’s taken a shortcut.

Water splashed around him as his boots collided with the ground under the river rushing harshly downstream. A subtle wave of pain traveled through his body as he took a hint of damage. He steadied himself, keeping himself from falling directly into the strong water.

 “Geoorge~”

George froze at the calling of his name, a flutter in his stomach erupting instantly. His hands inches to his pathetic excuse of a weapon: a dull wooden sword that he was lucky enough to craft in the short time span he was given. His breathing picked up, creating an eerie echo. George’s eyes couldn’t seem to find a resting place as they looked every-which-way, darting from cavern to crevice to wildlife as he tried to find even a clue that Dream was nearby. He’d not expected to be followed after his death. In fact, he wasn’t aware that Dream knew where he was at all, especially considering the fact that he’d looked rather busy with the other four members of his party.

“I’m gonna kill you, George!” Dream laughed softly. He sounded delighted to speak these words, like it was a pleasure to create pain for the hunter. George panted, finally pulling the weapon from where it rested on his side. His knuckles became white from the intense grip he had on the handle, but, despite the pain, he stuck to the grasp. George’s mind begged him to crouch in the small indent in the stone ‘wall’, however he knew there would be no use in hiding from Dream. It’ll simply be taunt, after taunt, after taunt, until he forces George out. That being through mental manipulation or Earthly damage. He stayed put. As if any kind of defense he attempted would truly wound the giant enough to disable him.

George looked up, taking in the scenery before he’d be momentarily visiting the afterlife. The tip of the ravine was littered in green trees, a sign of early Spring. George looked down when a branch snapped from the water, startling him out of his gaze. “George,” Dream drawled. He sounded like a child calling for a cat, or perhaps a cat calling for a mouse. George’s panicked respires returned once more, and fear laced his body once again. 

He aimlessly spun at a slow speed, eyeing the rock formations above him. He exhaled shakily.

“Where, oh where, is Georgenotfound?~” Dream said in a sing-songy tone of voice, his words soft, taunting. It sounded far too close to a  doll with a whiny old voice box.

 George continued his mindless movements and uncontrollable hyperventilation as he stood there in nothing but anticipation. Dream’s mask, his voice, any sign of him, really. Or, just simply his demise. Perhaps a boulder or a tree. George shuddered, then exhaled shakily at the thought of being in such a vulnerable position, and still, although he told himself otherwise, kept drifting towards the only thing that could really be called safety.

George was startled into looking elsewhere for the second time, as the subtle sound of stone hitting stone resonated in the thin space. He caught sight of it instantly, watching as little more than a pebble drifted downwards from the very top of the ravine. George’s heart sunk, and somehow his deathly grip on the weapon became significantly stronger. He inhaled, trying to gather what little confidence he had remaining.

Dream laughed. And, it wasn’t a lighthearted, amused laugh. It was a taunt, with a tone so similar to the last sentence he spoke. If nothing else made him frightened, it would now be this. It echoed around the canyon a hundredfold, adding to the eeriness his repeated pants created. A string of swears flowed through his mind, just as the water did. The sound rang in his mind, efficiently giving him more goosebumps than he could grasp. Every time he thought the wretched echoes of a laugh had finally taken their leave, he’d just shudder again. Until, eventually, it did stop. As the very last, unfortunately loud, vibration of Dream’s voice bounced back and forth from stone wall to stone wall, Dream spoke up again, “Come here, George!”

A shadow fell over where he stood. George knew painfully well what was to come. He directed his worried eyes upwards, instantly dropping the wooden sword as he stared with intense eyes at the hand coming at him at a speed far too quick. “No!” George yelped, screamed, as skin was all he could see.  He had yet to properly register what was happening, until four fingers were closing over him like a cage, with Dream’s thumb securing him to the palm, as if somehow he could attempt, or even successfully, make an escape.

George huffed, freeing one of his arms from the gentle, yet firm, grip Dream had on him. He drew his hand to his face, pulling up the goggles that cover his eyes. And, right as he did so, sunlight drifted back onto his tiny form, welcoming him with a ripple of fresh air. He gasped, struggling against the thumb. “Hi, George,” Dream undoubtedly grinned behind the awful mask that covered his face. “Dream, you are so annoying, put me down,” He didn’t have it in him to be scared. George’s memory was not awful, he knew that Dream had four other human’s to be worried about. He knew that, when he died, he was paying attention to them. But, now, he’s here, distracting both himself and George.

Dream tilted his hand so that it was laying flat, then positioned his fingers so he was able to give George free room to move, while still creating somewhat of a barrier against him. “Why are you bothering me? Shouldn’t you be like…hiding?”

“You were…far easier to get to.”

George rolled his eyes, shifting upwards. 

Dream rose a hand to his face, gripping onto the edge of the mask to pull it upwards, only to where his mouth was visible. George scrambled back into the fingers, instantly knowing exactly what was happening. “Dream, seriously, you are so annoying. Put me down,” He muttered, trying unfortunately hard to cover the shake in his voice.

 “Why? You’re just going to die if I do. I’m just keeping you safe, George,” Dream hummed, opening his maw and drawing George closer to it. He titled his hand, and even though he tried his utmost hardest to avoid falling into Dream’s open mouth, he failed, and gravity did its terrible job of making George tumble past a row of too-sharp teeth and right onto his friend’s tongue with a small groan of protest.

“Dream!” He called out, watching with a frown as he saw he now was covered in darkness. He sat up, then slowly rose to his feet. The surface under him, or rather the wet muscle under him, twitched as he tried his share at walking along it. Instead of making it more than five steps, however, he instead stumbled back down. 

George yelped as he was tossed to the side of  Dream’s mouth; his cheek. The very same tongue he was on just a moment before prodded at him, coating him in a disgusting layer of saliva. He groaned, “Dream, you’re actually disgusting–” George stood there, at a total loss for words as he felt a familiar feeling of revulsion circulating inside of him. Then, after a short second, his body was unwillingly being moved to a different area. He somehow ended up situated atop Dream’s tongue again, more saliva pooling under him. He nearly gagged at the sticky feeling. “Dream, please, let me out of here, it’s disgusting,” he tried.

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93 notes - Posted October 4, 2022

#2

Hello fellow G/T enjoyers! I have come with a gift. I’m not sure if this has been done before, but I haven’t seen anything so far!

I’ve made a G/T tier list including tropes & sizes! Open to anyone, comments for this post and asks are always there if anyone has any suggestions on what to add, I’m open to all ideas! :]

Also tw this tier list includes mentions of noms

Here’s the link,,

@a-xyz-s look, I made it :D

106 notes - Posted August 4, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

experiment 👋😎

i'm just trying an experiment rn

if you are a dsmp g/t enjoyer: INTERACT WITH THIS POST!!

i'm doing this because a. i'm curious where those 600 people come from on other dsmp g/t posts, and b. i posted oh george and over half of the likes on it were from people i'd never seen around here,,,

the dsmp g/t community isn't dead, it's very much alive. it's just that there is a significant lack of creators (which is totally fine!). @smog-frog-0 made a good post on the consumers in this community. i'd like to talk a little about it while i'm in the mood to ramble! :]

sooo, i totally agree with smog, the consumers in this community are what keep the content coming. it's totally find if you're a lurker and get shy or whatnot, but even a like helps the confidence of a creator so much!! i can talk from experience, most of the people here are so kind and socially awkward that it's a treat for them to talk to you (/lh /pos)

^ also considering the last part of this, asks are also a hugeeeee motivation booster! chat with us! add comments!! feedback, even if it's just a few tags like "woo this is awesome" would make the next part of the fic come out sooner. (no promises, a personal life of a creator also exists,,)

i know that there are over 600 of you lovely dsmp g/t enjoyers because i have seen it! so many people!! the community is still alive, but the people are spread out over the platform. i'm sure there's a similar circle of creators just like ours somewhere else on this hellsite.

i propose an idea: let's expand. morph together. honestly the group we have on here is so active i wonder why they don't get more clout for the things they do?

seriously, just interact with this post. reblog, tell me who your little circle is, like it, EVERYONE in this community, consumer or content creator, interact!!!

also for all you lurkers, send asks! you can be an anon, so you can keep your secrecy. give feedback, prompts, questions, headcannons, checkups, anything!! we love everyone who comes into our askbox and activity.

here, smog did it, so, it's my turn!

here're the people in our circle 👀 all of you who don't like being tagged, tell me, 'cause it might happen again,

(TOOK OUT THE LIST BC IT KEPT TAGGING PEOPLE DESPITE ME ADDING A .)

SORRY THAT LITERALLY IS SUCH A LONG LIST BUT LOOK AT OUR COMMUNITY! I'M SURE I MISSED A LOT, BUT HERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE IN MY FOLLOWING!! DSHGDS

And I'm not tagging them for clout, but because these people are fuckin' awesome and deserve a loooot of love on their work, everything they do is lovely, and they should be much more known! Anyone who see's this, please go to their blogs and give them love! their fics are awesome >:D

146 notes - Posted October 6, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[bewitchingbooktours]

Author Interview- Storm's Convergence by Valerie Storm #YAFantasy

What inspired you to become an author?

I started writing fanfic of video games when I was about ten years old. The love of creating my own world with characters I admired, combined with being a voracious reader, set me on this path.

How did you come up with the title for your latest book?

Storm’s Convergence was actually a last-minute change suggested by my publisher, when I told her I wasn’t certain how I felt about the title. I wanted something about storms, but that implied there were many of them coming together.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

The biggest lesson I want readers to gather from Demon Storm, but specifically Storm’s Convergence, is to learn to trust those who love you, as well as yourself. The world is hard and dark, and we can’t make it through alone.

What books/authors have influenced your life?

Many, many books. Percy Jackson, Harry Potter, the Magic Circle series, the Elemental Trilogy…the biggest for the Demon Storm series (and thus my life) as a whole was probably Sara Wolf’s Bring Me Their Hearts.

Can you share a little of your current work with us?

I’m currently working on an anthology story that will present in Shadow Spark Publishing’s Cozyish! I’m also going through basic edits for Demon Storm’s book 6, The Storm Breaks.

Who designed the cover of your latest book?

My covers are all drawn by Ginka on Twitter (@Ginkahederling). For Storm’s Convergence, I had Azshure (@Azshure13) sketch the concept and Ginka did the rest!

Do you have any advice for other writers?

Don’t stop writing, no matter what anyone says to you. Follow YOUR passion, and the rest will follow. I would have given up so many times if I didn’t believe in myself or love the story I want to tell.

Just for fun - if you could have one paranormal ability, what would it be?

I would choose telekinesis! The idea of being able to move things with a thought sounds so amazing.

Storm's Convergence

Demon Storm 

Book 5

Valerie Storm

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Publisher: Shadow Spark Publishing

Date of Publication: 2/13/24

Cover Artist: @Ginkahederling

ASIN: B0CRYQJRN1

Number of pages: 313

Word Count: 78962

Tagline: The Fire Witch ruined Kari's life once before

                Now she's back

                And she's not alone

Book Description: 

The calm can only last so long.

Now a member of Freehaven's Council, Kari tries to put her past behind her and settle down in her new home with her ever-present Lord and love, Ari.

Cracks in her mind, parting gifts from the heart eater, make planning the upcoming Spring Festival a struggle, but Kari is determined to do her best, even after Guine departs the town.

When a mysterious child appears at the festival and marks Kari, all semblance of normalcy is banished.

A triple threat from her past awaits beyond the walls of Freehaven and options are thin. Not willing to spill any more blood, Kari takes it upon herself to stop them—with Ari by her side.

Amazon

Excerpt:

The girl grabbed the neckline of her shirt and jerked her closer with too much ease. Kari stiffened as the girl’s cheek touched hers.

“Funny wolf demon, hiding in this wretched town.” Her voice was low and cruelly amused. Kari tensed, prepared to jerk free and throw a fist, but the girl hissed, “Ah, no, don’t move. There are many innocents here, though I would not call demons innocent. I know you would not want them hurt.”

She suddenly realized the closeness of so many villagers, as if she’d been ripped out of reality and dropped harshly back into it again.

Kari bit back a growl. “Who are you?”

She knew, though, before the small girl laughed. The boastful yet righteous arrogance of someone who believed truly and wholly in her cause—it could be no one else.

“I feel your defeat. You’ve answered your own question.”

Kari’s throat was dry. “Ri…Riniko. What are you doing here? Why—”

“Since you’ve yet to heed our warning, I’m here to play a little game.”

“Kari!” Ari called.

Riniko’s small hands tightened. “Tell him to leave. We’re busy.”

She hesitated. Ari yelled for her again, and now she envisioned him pushing through the crowds, looking for where she’d gone.

“It’s fine,” she yelled back. “I…I’m helping someone. I’ll catch up!”

Riniko’s grip didn’t loosen. “Your boy is insistent.”

Kari turned her head with some difficulty, given Riniko’s grip. The little witch traded, wrapping her arms around Kari’s neck with a giggle that cracked against her eardrums.

Visible between passersby, Ari made his way to them. His brows raised at the sight of the girl around her neck.

“Who is…”

Kari smiled, big and wide, and prayed he didn’t notice her trembling lips. “She’s lost. I’m part of the Council, so she came to me. Go back to Rathik and Essie, I’ll catch up.”

Ari saw something in her face; his eyes constricted, his jaw pulsing, uncertain of what to do. Please walk away, Ari. It’ll be okay this time. I promise.

When she did not say anything more, he relented. “Alright. Meet us over there, okay?”

Kari nodded, jostling Riniko. Ari glanced between them, then jogged off.

Riniko giggled again, quieter this time. “Good.”

Kari grabbed her around the waist and yanked her off. There was something insanely surreal about holding a small child in her hands, a child whose eyes burned with unmatched cruelty and fire.

“What do you want?” she snarled.

Riniko wrapped too-small fingers around Kari’s wrists and met her eye with a cool, even gaze.

“You know what we want. I’m only here to set the fire of action a little higher for you.” Her palms, pressed against Kari’s skin, warmed. Kari’s eyes widened, and she struggled with the instinct to fling the small child away.

“We do not want to burn this entire village to the ground. Despite the way these villagers associate with demons, they are still good, innocent people. The demons can be excused as long as they remain thusly. But you cannot. You must come and face your fate.”

Her arms were burning; Kari bit back a scream. “I keep telling you, I don’t want to hurt anyone! Why can’t you just leave me alone?”

“Tell that to those poor people in the east. They probably thought you didn’t want to kill them. But now they’re very, very dead.”

Kari staggered back. There were fewer villagers out now, less to see this odd pair, but Kari dreaded what Riniko would do if even one was drawn to them. She inched away from the square, edging toward an alley between two buildings.

“Isn’t it enough that I died once? What more can you want?”

Riniko laughed. “Oh, yes, but Zina got cold feet. Superstition, I guess. She couldn’t let it die with you. No, she believed it would go on, despite having no body. So here you are, her little pet wolf demon, but she won’t be here to save you a second time.”

Cold feet? Let it die with her?

The burning on her arms increased, snapping her attention back to Riniko’s young-girl face. “I’ll come to you,” Kari croaked. “Does that make you happy? I’ll leave and find you.”

Riniko’s eyes lit up, though she did not remove her hands. The heat continued to rise until Kari thought she could smell her flesh cooking.

“Oh, do you promise?” Riniko asked, her voice girlish, sickeningly sweet. “Pretty please?”

“Please stop,” Kari whispered between her teeth.

Little hands lifted, releasing her from the agony of fire. Kari trembled, then froze as those hands touched her cheeks.

“It was easy to infiltrate this place, Kari. It would be even easier, now, to set it all ablaze. You remember my previous work.”

Kari’s hands around Riniko’s waist shook with the effort to not squeeze her into pieces. “You’re the monster, witch,” she snarled.

“It takes a monster to slay one,” Riniko responded. “Remember that if you decide to hesitate any longer. I’m tired of waiting for this final show. My sisters have both seen that I was right and now it’s time to end this.” Riniko raised her hands. “Put me down.”

Shaking profusely, Kari set Riniko on the ground, where the little witch-girl brushed off her plain, brown dress. She fluffed her hair, then raised a finger to her lips.

“Remember your promise,” she said, then spun and skipped away into the darkness.

About the Author:

Valerie Storm was raised in Tucson, Arizona. Growing up, she fell in love with everything fantasy. When she wasn’t playing video games, she was writing. By age ten, she began to write her own stories as a way to escape reality. When these stories became a full-length series, she considered the path to sharing with other children & children-at/heart looking for a place to call home.

Blog https://rantsofawriter.home.blog/ 

Twitter https://twitter.com/valerie_storm 

Tumblr https://www.tumblr.com/valeriestorm 

Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/valeriestorm3135/

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/valeriestorm_author/ 

Newsletter Sign-Up https://mailchi.mp/038f1013a6c2/valerie-storm

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100082414584775 

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[indigomarketing]

New Release Blitz ~ Stone & Chains by Aurelia T. Evans (Excerpt & Giveaway)

New Release Blitz ~ Stone & Chains by Aurelia T. Evans (Excerpt & Giveaway)

Stone & Chains by Aurelia T. Evans Book 1 in the Meridian series General Release Date: 20th December 2022 Word Count: 86,428 Book Length: SUPER NOVEL Pages: 313 Genres: ACTION AND ADVENTURE ANGELS AND DEMONS BONDAGE AND BDSM CONTEMPORARY EROTIC ROMANCE FANTASY PARANORMAL Add to Goodreads Book Description The fates of an angel’s daughter, a reformed gargoyle and an unrepentant incubus are bound…

[bubblegumbeech]

Bee’s 2021 Fic Review

I was inspired by @floralflowerpower to join the Phandom this year with the event Invisobang.

Stole the format from @aj-itated and @kawaiijohn

Works: 51

Danny Phantom Works: 49

Other Works: 2

Crossovers: 5

Word Count: 202,837 

Events: Invisobang | Phic Phight | Dannymay | EctoberHaunt

Here’s my  fics/series cause I cant do all of them as separate fics I’d die.

Lost Memories and How to Find Them (Phic Phight and Ectober) 3 work Series | Gen, Wc: 13,969, T+ | Danny wakes up from a coma, luckily his parents are there since he doesn’t seem to have many memories. And the ones that he does have? Well they don’t make any sense...

Haunted Towers and Hidden Truths (Phic Phight) Fic | Gen, Wc: 7,262, G |  After everything Danny and his friends have been through, sneaking into the haunted clock tower that's been a constant presence in Danny's dreams should be a cakewalk.

A Darker Age (Phic Phight and Ectober) 3 work Series | Dark Ages, Wc: 28,002, T+ | Pariah was chosen because he was the Ideal King. He was powerful, fearsome, and Duty-bound. It was a shame what happened next.

Exploring the Zone  (Phic Phight, Dannymay, and Ectober) 13 work Series | Minor Dark Ages, Lost Time, Wc: 12,882, T+ | Even the Ghost Zone has its cryptids, stories of beings that sound fascinating but can't be real, at least not with any sort of proof. So how did Danny find one accidentally?! (Some crossover fics)

Housewife (Dannymay) Fic | Dark Ages, Wc: 3,539, M | Fluff <3 (With the caveat that this description is sarcastic. Please head the tags.)

What use is a Memory Compared to a Future?  (Dannymay) Fic | Dark Ages, Wc: 2,028, T+ | He doesn't know who he is, but he sure as hell knows what he wants.

Wish Away (Dannymay) Fic | Dark Ages, Wc: 404, G | She made a portal.

Distracted (Dannymay) Fic | Implied Dark Ages, Wc: 314, G | It happens sometimes, when he looks at the stars. 

A Collection of Things (Dannymay and Ectober) 2 work Series | Dark Ages and Lost Time, Wc 3,233, T+ | Would you heed a mother's warning? For how long?

Closer  (Dannymay) Fic | Dark Ages, Wc: 313, T+ | Gravity doesn't work on ghosts, the inevitable pull that you can't escape no matter how hard you try nor how long you attempt to put it off. Clockwork though, has an inkling of what it might be like, a human caught in earth's gravity.

Conversation (Dannymay) Fic | Gen, Wc: 69, G | What is a core but a ghost's foundation?

Can you Not (Dannymay) Fic | Gen, Wc: 754, G | Human's have a bad habit of not understanding boundaries

Fairytales aren't real  (Dannymay and Ectober) 3 work Series | Dark Ages, Wc 4,453, T+ | Clockwork kept an eye on the time throughout the dance, he'd wanted it to last as long as possible while still giving him time to flee.  (A Collection of retold Fairytales)

Birthmarks  (Dannymay) Fic | Gen, Wc: 256, T+ | Every ghost has a scar

SPR and Co (Invisobang and Ectober) 2 work Series | Gen, Wc: 47,671 M | Danny and Jazz are visiting Japan to work on Jazz's thesis, "The Psychology Behind the Paranormal and Those most likely to Experience Prolonged or Repeated Interactions" Mai, for her part, is excited to finally not be the child of the group. Danny? He's just trying to not get exorcised. (Ghost Hunt and Danny Phantom Crossover)

The Librarian's Trick (Ectober) Fic | implied Dark Ages, Wc: 2,455 G | Five times Wes tried to prove Cassius Dark was a ghost and the one time he still couldn’t prove it because he’s a modern day Cassandra and his life sucks.

All that Glitters is Nothing to You (Ectober) Fic | Dark Ages, Wc: 1,204 G | Pariah wants to get a gift for Clockwork. In general Pariah fashion.

Are You the Abyss or Are You Lost in It? (Ectober) Fic | Gen, Wc: 6,515 T+ | Sung Jinwoo finds the place between. (Solo Leveling and Danny Phantom Crossover)

Two's a crowd (Ectober) Fic | Amethyst Ocean, Wc: 605 T+ | Something's wrong with Sam.

A Different Deck (Ectober) Fic | Gen, Wc: 1,011 G | These cards were different, Constantine had been pretty sure of that. They were certainly creepy. (DC comics and Danny Phantom Crossover)

Dinner Date (Ectober) Fic | Dark Ages, Wc: 243 G | Pariah visits often, Clockwork rather wishes he'd be left alone.

Last Song (Ectober) Fic | Amethyst Ocean, Wc: 280 T+ |  It's an ancient Tradition, but Sam's grandmother would probably be mad that Sam beat her to it.

Pieces of Time (Phic Phight and Ectober) Fic | Lost Time and Background Dark Ages, Wc: 8,901 T+ | Some questions don't have answers, some answers aren't worth having and some make you wonder where the truth is being hidden. Danny asks Clockwork a question, now, what about the answer?

Real or Myth? (Ectober) Fic | Gen, Wc: 379, G | Sometimes Sam and Tucker ask Danny what legends they know are real. It's starting to get a bit out of control. 

Beyond (Ectober) Fic | Gen, Wc: 306, G | Sometimes, he dreams of the sky... 

Monthly Routine (Ectober) Fic | Gen, Wc: 421, G | Every month its the same thing. Danny’s starting to think he got the shorter end of the stick.

A Repeating Mistake (Ectober) Fic | Gen, Wc: 3,037, T+ | She had to save him. She had to. It was the only reason she got up in the mornings, to fix her mistake. Based off the Manhwa "If you Touch my Little Brother, you're all Dead" for the "They knew Each Other while alive" AU

Secret Keeper (Ectober) Fic | Gen, Wc: 501, G | Sam and Tucker aren't allowed to have plans before consulting with Danny anymore...

Reach for the Stars, and Pluck Them from the Sky (Ectober) Fic | Dark Ages, Wc: 11,584, E | It's only fair, that if Pariah was going to dedicate himself entirely to his Goddess, that his Goddess should look only at him. Right?

Non DP Fics

Beneath Different Stars (Star Wars) Fic | The Mandalorian/Corin The Stormtrooper, Wc: 2,962 of 38,981, T+ |  A role-reversal that has Dynn Jaren, a stormtrooper with an attitude problem running away with a stolen asset. And Corin, a Mandalorian bounty hunter that’s supposed to be hunting him down for the good of his clan. Except, what happens when the “asset” isn’t what he thought it was? And the “stormtrooper” he was chasing packs a bit of a punch?

Beaten Heart  (The Magnus Archives) Fic | Gen, Wc: 1,265, M | You won't tell anyone right? What Carra did? I don't think I could forgive myself if anyone found out about it from me...

[lit-society]

As the weather turns from summer into fall, the librarians at LITSOCIETY have been hard at work preparing the library for fall. You’ll notice cobwebs decorating the entrance and several grinning pumpkins around the book shelves. We hope you’ll also be excited to join us in our fifth book fair: CHILLS & THRILLS. 

How to participate: 

pick a book that has some sort of supernatural or suspenseful theme 

read this book during the book fair which will take place between October 1st and October 31st 

if you have any questions, please contact the head librarians 

once you’ve finished your novel, create something (graphic, moodboard, gif, etc.) to showcase in the library

when posting use the caption “@lit-society​ book fair 5: chills & thrills + caption”

library assistants: make sure to use the tags #f. [book title] #m. [your name] #book 5 when sharing your piece with the library

remember to tag #litsociety in any creations made, so they can be added to the library

This book fair is open to all, whether library employee or patron. We hope you enjoy your choice of book this month. For your aid, we’ve added a list of a few books that would fit the theme of this book fair below the cut. 

Blind Goddess – Anne Holt (343 pages, mystery, crime, thriller) 

Boy, Snow, Bird – Helen Oyeyemi (308 pages, magical realism, retellings, fantasy) 

Broken Things – Lauren Oliver (408 pages, YA, thriller, mystery)

Bruja Born – Zoraida Córdova (336 pages, YA, urban fantasy, witches)

Cemetery Boys – Aiden Thomas (352 pages, YA, fantasy, LGBT) 

Diary of a Haunting – M. Verano (313 pages, YA, horror, paranormal)

Dracula – Bram Stoker (488 pages, classics, horror, paranormal)

Dread Nation – Justina Ireland (455 pages, YA, fantasy, historical fiction)

Far From You – Tess Sharpe (341 pages, YA, mystery, LGBT) 

Forty Acres - Dwayne Smith (372 pages, adult, thriller, mystery)

Her Body & Other Parties - Carmen Maria Machado (248 pages, adult, horror, LGBT)

House of Salt & Sorrows – Erin A. Craig (403 pages, YA, horror, mystery)

Jar of Hearts - Jennifer Hillier (311 pages, adult, thriller, crime mystery)

One Little Secret - Cate Holahan (313 pages, adult, crime mystery, thriller)

Rules for Vanishing - Kate Alice Marshall (416 pages, YA, horror, fantasy)

Sadie - Courtney Summers (308 pages, YA, crime mystery, contemporary)

Sawkill Girls - Claire Legrand (447 pages, YA, horror, fantasy, LGBT)

Shutter - Courtney Alameda (384 pages, YA, horror, paranormal fantasy)

Slasher Girls & Monster Boys - April Genevieve Tucholke (400 pages, YA, short stories, horror, anthology)

Ten - Gretchen McNeil (296 pages, YA, mystery, horror)

The Bone Garden – Tess Gerittsen (370 pages, thriller, historical fiction)

The Eighth Girl - Maxine Mei-Fung Chung (480 pages, adult, mystery thriller)

The Forest of Hands and Teeth - Carrie Ryan (310 pages, YA, horror, dystopian, zombies)

The Last Final Girl - Stephen Graham Jones (216 pages, adult, horror, halloween)

The Lost Ones - Sheena Kamal (343 pages, adult, thriller, crime)

The Merciless - Danielle Vega (279 pages, YA, horror, paranormal fantasy)

The Plague of Doves - Louise Erdrich (313 pages, mystery, historical fiction)

The Vegetarian - Han Kang (188 pages, adult, horror)

The Widows of Malabar Hill - Sujata Massey (385 pages, mystery thriller, historical fiction)

They All Fall Down - Rachel Howzell Hall (320 pages, adult, mystery, thriller)

Untamed Shore - Silvia Moreno-Garcia (304 pages, adult, thriller, historical fiction)

[booksociety]

Book Society presents its July Reading Event! The members have chosen Books to Screen as the theme and Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman as the optional book of the month. We invite you to join us by picking up a book that has been (or will soon be) adapted into a movie or TV show. While we do recommend the books in the list below, the same may not hold for their corresponding adaptations; watch them with caution. Please also be mindful that some adaptations feature inaccuracies, such as in casting. This event is open to everyone, not just our members.

✧ how to participate:

optional: reblog this post; check out our network and members

read (or reread) either Good Omens (urban fantasy, humour; tv show; 412 pages) or a book of your choice that fits this month’s theme

share what book you’ve chosen, creations, reviews, thoughts, reactions, etc.

use the tag #booksociety in your posts, and include “@booksociety’s Books to Screen event: [insert book title here]” in the description of your creations

the events starts on 1 July and ends on 31 July

✧ reading recommendations (under the cut):

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness (fantasy, paranormal romance; tv show; 579 pages)

A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin (adult, epic fantasy; tv show; 848 pages)

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle (middle grade, classic, fantasy, sci-fi; movie; 218 pages)

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver (young adult, contemporary; movie; 470 pages)

Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan (contemporary, romance; movie; 403 pages)

Divergent by Veronica Roth (young adult, dystopia; movie; 487 pages)

Eragon by Christopher Paolini (young adult, high fantasy; movie; 503 pages)

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling (middle grade, contemporary fantasy, magic; movie; 223 pages)

Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones (young adult, fantasy, romance; anime movie; 329 pages)

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo (classic, historical fiction; movies; 1463 pages)

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (classic, historical fiction; movie*; 449 pages)

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs (young adult, portal fantasy, paranormal; movie; 352 pages)

My Hero Academia by Kohei Horikoshi (young adult, manga, superhero; anime tv show; 192 pages)

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon (adult, romance, historical fiction; tv show; 850 pages)

Paper Towns by John Green (young adult, contemporary, romance; movie; 305 pages)

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (adult, classic, romance; tv show & movie; 279 pages)

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (sci-fi, litrpg; movie; 374 pages)

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn (adult, thriller, mystery, crime; tv show; 254 pages)

Simon vs. the Homo Sapien Agenda by Becky Albertalli (young adult, contemporary, romance, lgbt+; movie; 303 pages)

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey (young adult, sci-fi, apocalyptic; movie; 457 pages)

The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket (middle grade, mystery; movie & tv show; 176 pages)

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (young adult, historical fiction; movie; 550 pages)

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken (young adult, dystopia; movie; 488 pages)

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (young adult, contemporary, romance; movie; 313 pages)

The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien (epic fantasy; movie; 398 pages)

The Giver by Lois Lowry (young adult, classic, dystopia; movie; 208 pages)

The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman (young adult, fantasy; movie & tv show*; 399 pages)

The Goldfinch by Donna Tart (contemporary; movie*; 771 pages)

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (classic, historical fiction, romance; 134 pages)

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood (adult, dystopia; tv show; 344 pages)

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (young adult, contemporary; movie; 444 pages)

The Host by Stephanie Meyer (young adult, sci-fi; movie; 620 pages)

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (young adult, dystopia; movie; 374 pages)

The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski (high fantasy, short stories; tv show*; 292 pages)

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan (middle grade, contemporary fantasy, greek mythology; movie; 408 pages)

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis (middle grade, classic, portal fantasy; movie; 206 pages)

The Martian by Andy Weir (sci-fi, humour; movie; 369 pages)

The Maze Runner by James Dashner (young adult, sci-fi, post-apocalyptic; movie; 384 pages)

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky (young adult, contemporary; movie; 231 pages)

The Princess Bride by William Goldman (young adult, classic, fantasy, romance, adventure; movie; 398 pages)

The Promised Neverland by Kaiu Shirai (young adult, manga, horror, mystery; anime tv show; 192 pages)

The Shamer’s Daughter by Lene Kaaberbøl (middle grade, fantasy; movie; 240 pages)

The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks (epic fantasy; tv show; 726 pages)

The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon (young adult, contemporary, romance; movie; 384 pages)

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han (young adult, contemporary, romance; movie; 355 pages)

Twilight by Stephanie Meyer (young adult, paranormal romance; movie; 498 pages)

* = to be released

[fridaynightfreakshow-blog]

Para Not So Normal

Para Not So Normal

In this episode (which is very late in getting posted, my apologies for that) we chat with Marv, Tracy and Jason from Deeper Than The Grave and 313 Paranormal.  Marv and Odd go way back, as does Tracy and Odd. Deeper Than The Grave is a paranormal based podcast that you can hear on Podcast Detroit. 313 Paranormal is an investigation group based out Detroit Michigan run by Jason Nadaskay. Jason is…

[colemckenzies]

ok lads ive made a lot of community posts this evening so im gonna round it off by alienating everyone with my bad opinions here is every episode of community RANKED

as a disclaimer it’s really really hard to do accurately because there’s just so many and the only ones i actively dislike are the last 10 or so because i really do love this show a lot.

1.           210 Mixology Certification

2.           320 Digital Estate Planning

3.           216 Intermediate Documentary Filmmaking

4.           204 Basic Rocket Science

5.           203 The Psychology of Letting Go

6.           214 Advanced Dungeons & Dragons

7.           206 Epidemiology

8.           221 Paradigms of Human Memory

9.           219 Critical Film Studies

10.       307 Studies in Modern Movement

11.       303 Remedial Chaos Theory

12.       208 Cooperative Calligraphy

13.       505 Geothermal Escapism

14.       211 Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas

15.       120 The Science of Illusion

16.       604 Queer Studies & Advanced Waxing

17.       202 Accounting for Lawyers

18.       121 Contemporary American Poultry

19.       209 Conspiracy Theories and Interior Design

20.       304 Competitive Ecology

21.       613 Emotional Consequences of Broadcast Television

22.       606 Basic Email Security

23.       201 Anthropology 101

24.       319 Curriculum Unavailable

25.       108 Home Economics

26.       215 Early 21st Century Romanticism

27.       305 Horror Fiction in Seven Spooky Steps

28.       312 Urban Matrimony and the Sandwich Arts

29.       504 Cooperative Polygraphy

30.       112 Comparative Religion

31.       103 Introduction to Film

32.       224 For a Few Paintballs More (Part 2)

33.       316 Virtual Systems Analysis

34.       314 Pillows and Blankets

35.       311 Contemporary Impressionists

36.       512 Basic Story

37.       310 Regional Holiday Music

38.       212 Asian Population Studies

39.       511 G.I. Jeff

40.       114 Interpretive Dance

41.       315 Origins of Vampire Mythology

42.       322 Introduction to Finality

43.       408 Herstory of Dance

44.       508 App Development and Condiments

45.       213 Celebrity Pharmacology

46.       119 Beginner Pottery

47.       104 Social Psychology

48.       222 Applied Anthropology and Culinary Arts

49.       301 Biology 101

50.       309 Foosball and Nocturnal Vigilantism

51.       317 Basic Lupine Urology

52.       412 Heroic Origins

53.       321 The First Chang Dynasty

54.       403 Conventions of Space and Time

55.       111 The Politics of Human Sexuality

56.       106 Football, Feminism and You

57.       409 Intro To Felt Surrogacy

58.       601 Ladders

59.       105 Advanced Criminal Law

60.       405 Cooperative Escapism In Familial Relations

61.       110 Environmental Science

62.       605 Laws of Robotics & Party Rights

63.       507 Bondage and Beta Male Sexuality

64.       509 VCR Maintenance and Educational Publishing

65.       109 Debate 109

66.       116 Communication Studies

67.       101 Pilot

68.       117 Physical Education

69.       122 The Art of Discourse

70.       113 Investigative Journalism

71.       123 Modern Warfare

72.       217 Intro to Political Science

73.       223 A Fistful of Paintballs (Part 1)

74.       218 Custody Law and Eastern European Diplomacy

75.       302 Geography of Global Conflict

76.       308 Documentary Filmmaking: Redux

77.       402 Paranormal Parentage

78.       313 Digital Exploration of Interior Design

79.       306 Advanced Gay

80.       513 Basic Sandwich

81.       607 Advanced Safety Features

82.       602 Lawnmower Maintenance and Postnatal Care

83.       125 Pascal's Triangle Revisited

84.       318 Course Listing Unavailable

85.       411 Basic Human Anatomy

86.       207 Aerodynamics of Gender

87.       413 Advanced Introduction to Finality

88.       608 Intro to Recycled Cinema

89.       506 Analysis of Cork-Based Networking

90.       115 Romantic Expressionism

91.       102 Spanish 101

92.       107 Introduction to Statistics

93.       610 Basic RV Repair and Palmistry

94.       124 English as a Second Language

95.       603 Basic Crisis Room Decorum

96.       220 Competitive Wine Tasting

97.       609 Grifting 101

98.       205 Messianic Myths and Ancient Peoples

99.       611 Modern Espionage

100.    406 Advanced Documentary Filmmaking

101.    118 Basic Genealogy

102.    410 Intro To Knots

103.    401 History 101

104.    612 Wedding Videography

105.    502 Introduction to Teaching

106.    407 Economics of Marine Biology

107.    501 Repilot

108.    503 Basic Intergluteal Numismatics

109.    510 Advanced Advanced Dungeons & Dragons

110.    404 Alternative History of the German Invasion

[ricexpress]

Sin Tematica

01. I wanna meet

02. 50 cosas de mi

03. This is me

08. Querido yo del pasado

13. My Guanxi’s Crush.

15. Gift

18. Paint.

20. Humor.

26. 5 Fetiches

27. Draw my Life.

29. My Chibi Version.

44. Movies for Crying.

46. My Perfect Outfit.

47. Colorful Hair.

48. Funny Moments

49. Fears.

55. Love Place.

56. I Wanna Live…

58. Admire.

59. Help.

60. Romantic Movie.

64. Cosas embarazosas sobre mi.

67. Colorful person

69. Singing for them.

71. Bed story.

76. My position: circus life

83. I’ll never do that.

84. One Word

85. My Youtube Channel.

88. My favorite youtuber

89. LGBT.

91. Songs jokes

92. Roast yourself.

94. Make up someone.

96. Drop the mic.

98. Guanxi’s cake.

104. Dispatch

109. Arte.

110. Temáticas Frustradas.

111. Hechizo.

115. Send love.

118. Placeres culposos: Comida

119. My favorites MV’s

121. Dear Ex

125. Entrevistando a un Guanxiano.

126. Guanxi’s News.

127. My child toys.

129. Dear angel.

130. Mi propia caricatura.

131. Creencias.

132. Flowers to guanxi’s.

133. Recetario.

154. Hey dude! She/He is cheating on you.

147. My stuff: Disney Movies.

153. Estaciones de año.

154. Random decision.

156. Annoying: my situation.

160. Inspiration.

162. Mis doblajes favoritos

163. Nota Informativa.

168. Mis Personas Favoritas.

170. Acrostico: My Guanxi’s Crush.

172. 7 Things I Hate.

173. My Collection.

176. Matching Love.

179. My Team Avengers.

184. Crucigrama.

185. Make Someone Happy.

186. 15 Days Of Photos.

187. Weather.

189. Relax Time.

191. My Speech

193. My Timeline.

195. Suponen sobre mi.

197. Funko Pop!.

202. Family photo

203. My favorite character.

206. My body: eyes

207. Good Words

209. Say yes.

210. Perfect medicine.

211. Alphabeth with…

212. Dispatch.

216. Moments That Had Me In Shook.

217. Color palette.

220. Shopping in Disney

221. The closet

236. My paranormal experience.

238. Taking out the trash

239  My autumn starter pack.

240. My top: nightmares.

244. Parents starter pack.

259. Supongo sobre ti

260. Sexual fantasies

261. My sweetheart color palette

262. Letters to my Friends

275. Future Teacher

277. New Things

278. You rock my world

279. Hearthbreaker

280. Crossing my life

284. Mi don, mi maldición

286. Making Friends

288. Fashion Designer

298. Reorganice Ideas

295. Meeting songs

293. Video reaction

300. Past, present & future

301. Ranking

308. Team Doramas

309. Go to Miniso

313. Garage

314. CV Directo

315. I Hate

316. In The Past

318. Abro hilo

325. Dramatic Things

330. Creepy Things

336. First Impression

359. Ask; preguntale al admi

368. Diario Emocional

376. En la escala de...

377. ¿Qué tipo eres? 

383. My favorite interview

386. Orgulloso de...

389. Material para temática

390. Fanpage

391. Abrir si

392. Generador de excusas

400. Rare Conversation

403. Journal

404. You can be it!

406. Querido Diario

410. Outfits

418. Mi receta

421. Gustos Culposos

422. Hábitos extraños

501. My hair as nature

502. Jugito para...

503. Frases con significado

504. Bola de la suerte

505. Datos sobre mi

506. Mirror me

507. Botella de hechizo

508. Una poción para

509. Music Mood

510. Bola de cristal

521. Mensaje no enviado

522. Un Oscar para...

524. Red vs Green Flag

525. Mis éxitos

526. On / Off

527. Significado de mi nombre

528. Sun Or Moon

529. ¿Qué vibras doy?

534. Mi Tweet 

535. El abecedario de...

544. Hearts of happiness

545. ¿Quieres ser mi amigx?

546. Dark-Light Mode

547. Para heridas

548. Canción con la que

549. ¿Que es lo que amo?

550. Identification Card

551. Veladora pa’

552. Tecitos

553. Good-Bad Side

554. Google Search

555. Instagram

556. Yo siendo

592. Tres maneras

594. Mi inicial

595. Situaciones

596. Para ser feliz

597. Cosas que me hubieran gustado decirle

599. Lo que pienso vs lo que digo

[bookclub4m]

In our one hour and 22 minute long Best of 2016 episode we talk about our favourite reads from the past year, what it even means for a book to be “best”, how we are not very good at tracking our reading, and what to read when you’re on painkillers. [Our apologies for the sound quality (as usual), someday we’ll get everything to work perfectly.]

You can download the podcast directly, find it  on Libsyn, or get it through iTunes or your favourite podcast delivery system. Plus! We're now on Stitcher and Google Play!

In this episode

Anna Ferri | Meghan Whyte | Matthew Murray | Jessi 

Favourites from things we read for the Book Club

Fiction

Anna: His Majesty’s Dragon - Temeraire Series by Naomi Novik (Historical Fantasy)

Runner up: A Short History of Indians in Canada: Stories by Thomas King (Aboriginal/Indigenous/First Nations)

Jessi: The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro (Historical Fantasy)

Matthew: The Girl With Ghost Eyes by M.H. Boroson (Historical Fantasy)

And Ride a Mule the short story set after the novel

Runner up: The excerpt of Red Spider White Web by Misha Nogha from Walking the Clouds: An Anthology of Indigenous Science Fiction (Aboriginal/Indigenous/First Nations)

Meghan: Your Republic is Calling You by Young-Ha Kim, translated by Chi-Young Kim (Spies/Espionage)

Runner up: The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle (Historical Fantasy)

Runner up: Godless but Loyal to Heaven by Richard Van Camp (Religious Fiction)

Non-Fiction

Anna: Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar by Cheryl Strayed (Self Help)

Jessi: Ghosts: A Haunted History by Lisa Morton (Paranormal/Supernatural Non-Fiction)

Runner up: National Geographic Ultimate Guide to Supernatural Places: Close Encounters, Haunted Houses, and Other Spooky Hot Spots Around the World by Sarah Bartlett (Paranormal/Supernatural Non-Fiction)

Matthew: Corporate Spies: the Pizza Plot (article) by Adam L. Penenberg and Marc Barry (Spies/Espionage)

Meghan: Yurei: The Japanese Ghost by Zack Davisson (Paranormal/Supernatural Non-Fiction)

Runner up: Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer (Aboriginal/Indigenous/First Nations)

Favourites from everything else

[We cheated so bad that we had to split Fiction favourites into Prose and Comics.]

Fiction (prose)

Anna: Marked in Flesh by Anne Bishop (and the entire The Others series)

Jessi: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz

Matthew: Dear Committee Members by Julie Schumacher

Meghan: You Too Can Have a Body Like Mine by Alexandra Kleeman

Fiction (comics)

Anna:  Rat Queens, Vol. 1: Sass & Sorcery by Kurtis J. Wiebe and Roc Upchurch

The new series of Rat Queens comes out March 1st

Article about Roc Upchurch (the original artist on Rat Queens) being arrested for domestic violence

Jessi: This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki

Matthew: Paper Girls, Vol. 1 by Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang

Meghan: Yowamushi Pedal, Go! Vol. 1 by Wataru Watanabe

Non-Fiction

Anna: A Week at the Airport: A Heathrow Diary by Alain de Botton (and a bunch of his other books)

Jessi: On the Farm by Stevie Cameron

Matthew: Adulthood Is a Myth (Sarah's Scribbles) by Sarah Andersen (an internet monster)

Meghan: My Body Is Yours: A Memoir by Michael V. Smith

Other books mentioned

Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift (Wikipedia)

Moby Dick by Herman Melville (Wikipedia)

United States of Delirium: The Race Across America by David Houghton

Sensuous Science Fiction from the Weird and Spicy Pulps edited by Sheldon Jaffery

Uprooted by Naomi Novik (Recommended)

The Birth of Kitaro by Shigeru Mizuki

Princeless, Vol. 1: Save Yourself by Jeremy Whitley and Mia Goodwin

Saga, Volume 1 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples

Y: The Last Man, Vol. 1: Unmanned by Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra

Runaways, Vol. 1: Pride and Joy by Brian K. Vaughan and Adrian Alphona

Eyeshield 21, Vol. 1: The Boy With the Golden Legs by Riichiro Inagaki and Yusuke Murata (Canada is shown to have lost to Germany 63-0 at the beginning of chapter 313) (Recommended)

The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins

Ghosts by Raina Telgemeier

“Raina Telgemeier’s ‘Ghosts’ has a 500,000 copy first printing”

United States of Delirium: The Story of the Race Across America by David Houghton was the book about endurance cycling that Meghan mentioned.

Links and Other Things

Reading 500 Graphic Novels in a year

“DragonForce are a British power metal band” (Wikipedia)

Ju-on: The Grudge (Wikipedia)

The Ring (Wikipedia)

Six-day bicycle racing  (Wikipedia)

Akihabara (the “otaku” district of Tokyo) (Wikipedia)

The Best and Worst Manga panel Matthew went to at San Diego Comicon

Questions

How do you define “best”?

What were your favo(u)rite reads of 2016?

What are your favo(u)rite “best of” lists?

Check out our Pinterest board and Tumblr posts for all our favo(u)rite books we read in 2016, follow us on Twitter, and join our Facebook Group!

Join us again on Tuesday, January 17th, when we discuss Coming-of-Age books!

[riniivanka-blog]

Rini Ivanka Hadist yang membenarkan Arba' Mustamir jatuh pada Bulan Safar.

Sering menjadi Perbincangan Teman saya Soal Bulan Safar Arba' Mustamir ini adalah Bulan Panas (Malapetaka),350.000 Bala Akan Menimpa kata Teman-teman saya.Sontak saja sebagian dari teman saya takut melakukan Maksiat semacam berbohong ataupun menjaili Teman.Terus apakah benar Bulan Safar yang dikatakan merupakan Bulan yang akan Allah Turunkan Bala pada bulan tsb ?

Dikatakan Bulan shafar karena kebiasaan orang arab saat dibulan-bulan itu meninggalkan rumah mereka dalam keadaan kosong. Dan ini Penjelasan dari http://www.piss-ktb.com/ : Keterangan dalam kitab alMughni dan an-Nihaayah �karena kebiasaan orang arab saat menamai bulan disesuaikan dengan keadaan zamannya, mereka menamai ramadhan karena bulan ini bertepatandengan masa terik panas seperti mereka menamai dua bulan robii� (robiiul awal dan robii�us tsani) karena bertepatan dengan musim semi, begitu juga bulan-bulan lain meskipun kenyataannya pada musim-musim tertentu tidak sesuai dengan apa yang mereka namai. Ramadhan = saat bumi terbakar karena panas yang terik Syawwal = saat unta menaikkan ekornya pada wadah Dzul Qa�dah = saat merendahkan kendaran untuk dinaiki Dzul hijjah = saat menjalani haji Muharram = saat diharamkan peperangan atau niaga Shofar = saat orang arab meninggalkan rumah mereka dalam keadaan kosong Robii� (awal dan tsani) = saat musim semi Jumada (ula dan tsani) = saat air membeku Rojab = saat pepohonan berduri Sya�ban = saat mereka meninggalkan untuk selama-lamanya seperti kembali Hawaasyi as-syarwaany III/371 Hadist Kurang Kuat Tentang Arba' Mustamir Dalam hal ini kalangan Fuqaha memilih hati-hati menyikapi keberadaan amalan yang berkaitan dengan ARBA' MUSTAMIR (lihat dokumen "sholat rebo wekasan") karena sandarannya tidak terdapatkan dalil berupa al-Quran dan as-Sunnah.

Arba Musta'mir didalam Alqur'an tidak disebutkan,juga dalam hadist tidak terdapat masalah ini.Namun kalau kita berpegang kepada Faham Ahlussunnah Wal Jamaah" mengenai Arba musta'mir ini ada dsbutkan,misalnya terdapat dalam kitab"Kanzun Najaah was Suruur"halaman 25 sebagai berikut (artinya):menyebutkan sebagian orang-orang Arifin,bahwasnya diturunkan pada tiaptiap Tahun 324.000 bala,seluruhnya diturunkan pada hari Arba Mustamir yg akhir dari bulan Safar,mka jdilah hari itu paling sulit hari dalam setahun.

Oleh karna itu orang-orang shalihin mengantisipasinya dengan dsunnatkan hari itu membca surah yasin 1 kali,kmudian apabila sampai kpd kalimat salaamun qoulan mirrabbir rahiim diulang mmbacanya sbanyak 313 kali.lalu mmbaca do'a shlawat tunjina sampai selesai,dsmbung pula dgn do'a:Allahummashrif annasy syara maa yanzilu minas sama_i wa maa yakhruju minal ardhi innaka'alaa kulli syai'in qodiiru.

Andaikata hari itu sama saja,kenapa Imam Al-Ghazali mengarang kitab spesial/khusus yg diberi nama oleh beliau dgn"al-aufaq"antara lain dsebutkn bhwa ada hari yg dsebut naas itu,dan Allah sendiri melebihkan hari jum'at dari hari yg lainnya,demikian pula bulan dan tahun.itu artinya ada hari,bulan dan tahun yg terbaik dari yg terbaik. 

Hadist Kuat   �Tidak ada penularan penyakit (dengan sendirinya), tidak ada thiyarah, tidak ada kesialan karena burung hantu, tidak ada kesialan pada bulan Shafar.� (HR. Al-Bukhari 5437, Muslim 2220, Abu Daud 3911, Ahmad (II/327)) Hadits ini telah disepakati keshahihannya. Sebagihan ulama berpendapat, hadits shahih LA SHOFARO Tidak ada shofar yang nahas, tdk bertentangan dgn keyakinan bakdhus shalihin tentang arba mustmr.Sebab tdk ada bulan apapun termasuk shafar yg dgn sendirinya bisa bikin sial. Selamat dan sial,smua Allah yg bikin. Tetapi sunnatullah menunjukkan bahwa dirabo terahir bulan Safar Allah turunkan banyak bala.Jadi Kedua Pendapat tsb bisa di Jami'kan. Terlepas dari Kedua Hadist tersebut Kita Harus Waspada dan jangan banyak melakukan Maksiat pada Bulan Safar ,Karena Allah tidak akan menurunkan Bala kepada orang-orang Sholeh kecuali itu sebagai Cobaan untuk Mereka. Menganggap sial bulan Shafar termasuk kebiasaan jahiliyyah. Perbuatan itu tidak boleh. Bulan (Shafar) tersebut seperti kondisi bulan-bulan lainnya. Padanya ada kebaikan, ada juga kejelekan. Kebaikan yang ada datangnya dari Allah, sedangkan kejelekan yang ada terjadi dengan taqdir-Nya. "Pada dasarnya hari dan bulan dalam satu tahun adalah sama. Tidak ada hari atau bulan tertentu yang membahayakan atau membawa kesialan. Keselamatan dan kesialan pada hakikatnya hanya kembali pada ketentuan takdir Ilahi."  Pernyataan diatas berbeda dengan Kitab karangan Imam Al-Ghazali : "Ada hari yg dsebut naas itu,dan Allah sendiri melebihkan hari jum'at dari hari yg lainnya,demikian pula bulan dan tahun.itu artinya ada hari,bulan dan tahun yg terbaik dari yg terbaik." Tetapi Imam Al-Ghazali tidak menyebutkan soal Arba Mustamil ,Jadi Kesimpulan saya Sih dari Pernyataan diatas adalah memang benar ada kalo Hari Jum'at adalah hari yang dilebihkan oleh Allah dan Ramadhan adalah Bulan yang dilebihkan oleh Allah,Arti dari Allah Swt melebihkan Hari dan bulan tsb tiada lain maksudnya adalah hari dan Bulan tsb lebih Suci dan lebih baik untuk mengerjakan Amal Sholeh.Qada dan Qadar itu adalah rahasia Allah dan tidak ada seorangpun yang bisa mengetahuinya kecuali Makhluk yang dilaknat Allah telah mencuri Informasi tsb dari Langit. Makhluk yang mencuri Informasi dari Langit tiada lain dan tiada bukan melaikan Makhluk yang membakang terhadap-Nya.Iblis mencuri Informasi dari langit untuk membagikannya kepada Paranormal ataupun Dukun.Percaya sama Dukun dan paranormal adalah Termasuk perbuatan Syirik dan Perbuatan yang tidak diampuni oleh Allah swt. Sumber http://hadayaistifadah.blogspot.com/2010/02/bulan-safar-arba-mustamir-antara-mitos.html Ritual Bid'ah yang dilakukan menghadapi Arba Mustamir Ritul Tolak Bala Ritual tolak bala merupakan Ajaran Islam.Ritual itu cuma sebagai Tradisi dan dijadikan oleh sebagian Masyarakat sebagai Atribut dalam Islam.Ritual ini disalah gunakan oleh sebagian orang sehingga bisa menjadi perbuatan Syirik. Ritual tolak bala� tidak bisa dikatakan sebagai fenomena kultural semata, karena dalam perspektif Islam, hal itu bertentangan dengan akidah. Selain itu, ritual tolak bala� justru menjadi syariat agama-agama di luar Islam, seperti Konghucu, Budha, dan sebagainya. Dengan demikian, mempraktekkan ritual tolak bala�, sama saja dengan menjalankan syari�at agama non Islam yang paganis alias berhalais.Berdoa agar Bala dijauhkan bukanlah Perbuatan Syirik ,tapi melakukan Ritual yang jauh dari akidah Islam itulah yang menyebabkan Perbuatan Syirik. Macam-macam Ritual Tolak Bala. Sumatera Barat,Padang Di kawasan ini, ritual tolak bala� disebut dengan nama Karu. Di tempat lain, seperti Kubang, Kolok dan sejumlah daerah lainnya di kawasan Sumatera Barat, dinamakan Do�a Tolak Bala�. Bila ritual Do�a Tolak Bala� dilaksanakan pada malam hari sambil berkeliling kampung dan mengunjungi tempat-tempat yang dianggap keramat, Karu justru dilaksanakan pada siang hari, dan terpusat di Situs Bala�i Batu Sandaran sebagai Pusat Desa. Karu tidak sekedar memanjatkan do�a serta puji-pujian kepada yang Maha Kuasa menurut penafsiran mereka, namun dilanjutkan dengan Baureh dan makan bersama. Baureh adalah prosesi memercikkan air yang dilakukan oleh dukun nagari kepada masyarakat yang hadir. Air dipercikkan dengan menggunakan alat bantu berupa tumbuhan alam yang terdiri dari Sitawa, Cikumpai, Cikarau, Sidingin yang telah dimantra-mantrai dan diasapi bakaran kemenyan. Mungkin mirip pendeta Hindu di Bali saat memercikkan air suci kepada penganut Hindu. Menurut sebuah media lokal, ritual tolak bala� menjadi bagian tak terpisahkan dalam keseharian warga Minang, bahkan mereka selalu berusaha melestarikan adat tersebut. Misalnya, sebagaimana terjadi pada 21 Mei 2011 lalu, di Lubuk Kilangan, Padang. Menurut masyarakat Lubuk Kilangan, tolak bala� adalah acara adat yang berisi doa keselamatan agar dijauhkan dari bencana dan marabahaya, juga untuk meningkatkan hasil pertanian masyarakat lubuk kilangan yang mayoritas petani. Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam Selain di Sumatera Barat yang terkenal dengan adat basandi syarak, syarak basandi kitabullah, di Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam yang diberi kewenangan khusus menerapkan syari�at Islam ini, ternyata ritual tolak bala� juga masih terjadi. Misalnya, sebagaimana terjadi di Desa Meloak Ilang, Kecamatan Putri Beutung, Kabupaten Bener Meriah, NAD. Di Desa Meloak Ilang ini, ritual tolak bala� sudah menjadi tradisi tahunan. Prosesi yang ditempuh adalah menghanyutkan sesajian berupa ayam jantan putih ke Sungai Alas oleh para tetua kampung. Mirip prosesi larung sesaji di Jawa. Mereka meyakini, ritual itu dapat menangkal datangnya bala�. Pada tahun 2010 lalu, ritual tolak bala� berlangsung pada hari Ahad tanggal 06 Juni. Banjarmasin Di Banjarmasin, juga ada tradisi tolak bala� yang digelar menjelang akhir bulan Safar, memasuki bulan Rabiul Awal yang juga dikenal dengan nama bulan Maulud, mirip Basafa di Sumatera Barat. Ritual tolak bala� versi umat Islam di Banjarmasin ini, berlangsung pada setiap hari Rabu terakhir di bulan Safar, sehingga dinamakan Arba Mustakmir. Tujuannya, agar terhindar dari segala malapetaka, bencana, penyakit atau wabah yang tidak diinginkan selama setahun ke depan. Pada tahun 2011 ini, Arba Mustakmir dimulai sejak terbenamnya matahari pada hari Selasa tanggal 1 Februari 2011 (bersamaan dengan tanggal 27 Safar 1432 Hijriah), hingga tenggelam matahari pada hari Rabu tangal 2 Februari 2011 (bertepatan dengan tanggal 28 Safar 1432 H). Antara lain berlangsung di Masjid Al Ikhwan jalan Veteran, juga di Langgar Baitur Ridhwan, Jalan Dahlia, Banjarmasin. Ritual tolak bala� biasanya diawali dengan shalat sunat Dhuha berjamaah, kemudian dilanjutkan dengan membaca ya basith sebanyak 10 kali, membaca astaghfirullah lil mukminin wal mukminat, sebanyak 10 kali. Selanjutnya membaca doa khusus sebanyak tujuh kali, yaitu: ��subhanallahi mil almizan wa muntaha ilmi wa mabladzarridha wa jinatal arsy. Walhamdulillahi mil almizan wa muntaha ilmi wa mabladzarridha wa jinatal arsy. Wa la ilaha ilallahu mil almizan wa muntaha ilmi wa mabladzarridha wa jinatal arsy. Wallahu akbar mil almizan wa muntaha ilmi wa mabladzarridha wa jinatal arsy�� Bahkan ada yang melengkapi �peribadatan� Arba Mustakmir-nya dengan membaca surah Yaa Siin dengan tata cara yang berbeda. Yaitu, ketika sampai pada ayat 58 yang berbunyi salaamun qaulam mir rabbir rahiim, dibaca sebanyak 313 kali, barulah dilanjutkan ke ayat berikutnya sampai selesai. Bagi sebagian umat Islam yang bernaung di bawah majelis taklim tertentu, pembacaan surah Yaa Siin dengan tata cara berbeda ini, juga dilakukan pada hari-hari biasa. Namun ayat 58 yang berbunyi salaamun qaulam mir rabbir rahiim, hanya dibaca sebanyak tiga kali saja. (Banjarmasinpost.co.id � Rabu, 26 Januari 2011). Banyuwangi Banyuwangi ada ritual tolak bala� yang secara khusus dilaksanakan pada bulan Syawal, yaitu Seblang. Ritual Seblang yang berlangsung pada hari ketujuh pada bulan Syawal, bertujuan untuk membebaskan dari marabahaya (tolak bala�) dan berharap selalu mendapat lindungan dari Allah SWT. Ritual Seblang antara lain masih diamalkan oleh warga Desa Olehsari Kecamatan Glagah, Banyuwangi, Jawa Timur. Bentuknya, berupa tari-tarian yang diperagakan oleh gadis muda berusia belasan. Di tempat acara, di atas pentas penari akan memasuki tahapan tidak sadar diri karena sudah kemasukan roh halus (kesurupan), setelah disematkan mahkota (omprog) seberat 2 kilogram yang terbuat dari berbagai bunga seperti bunga kantil, kamboja, sundel, bunga pencari kuning dan putih. Roh halus yang merasuki sang penari Seblang, dipercaya sebagai roh nenek moyang. Pada saat penari Seblang sudah kemasukan roh halus, maka itu merupakan pertanda bahwa desa mereka akan terbebas dari marabahaya. Di luar bulan Syawal, masyarakat Banyuwangi juga punya ritual tolak bala� bernama Kebo-keboan. Khususnya, tradisi kebo-keboan ini amat dikenal masyarakat Alasmalang, Banyuwangi, Jawa Timur. Konon, Kebo-keboan ini sudah berlangsung sejak ratusan tahun silam, dan selalu dilaksanakan pada tanggal 10 bulan Muharam. Tujuannya, antara lain untuk memohon turunya hujan saat kemarau panjang, dan terhindar dari penyakit aneh yang mewabah. Sumber http://www.nahimunkar.com/ritual-tolak-bala-di-negeri-mayoritas-muslim/ Kelanjutannya silahkan baca >>Disini<< tapi buat 18+