#PLUS THE WHOLE REPENT THING

[karasthoughtss]

guys im sure someone has posted this alr but i can never get over california dreamin

LIKE WDYM YK THE PREACHER LIKES IT COLD...

[sammygender]

THANK YOU OLI I don't get the season 8 hype. No Cas, Sam and Dean have the same conflict they've been having the entire show with no new angles like why????

YEAH LITERALLY. inital conflict is literally dean being angry at sam for trying to move on and heal which is just so intensely unlikeable and for some reason i was shocked by it and it made me genuinely dislike him. to me dean is at his most awful in s8..... like he's not. he's definitely not. gadreel possession in s9 and like most of s9/10 with the mark is much worse than anything he does in s8 and killing amy in s7 was sooo awful too. but dean is just so intensely a dick in s8 and i was so angry with him and not even in a fun way. like in s9/10 he is AWFUL but i enjoyed the drama. i didnt even enjoy the interpersonal drama in s8. which is when you know something is wrong

then again. im probably too harsh on it and am basing it off memories of sitting through the first half because i LOVE the trials and sacrifice and the great escapist so so much. and i love kevin <3 he's s8 right. but. to me s8 will always be the worst season. maybe i just hate what it brings to the shows canon. sam leaving dean for a girl and a dog (which is NOT EVEN WHAT HAPPENED... and if it WAS it wouldve been justified.... id support sam even if i thought he abandoned dean unprovoked idc.....) is constantly brought back like the worst of his sins even as late as like. s11. SHUT UP. first half of s8 is just upsetting for sam reasons and not in a fun way

[hairmetal666]

Eddie Munson doesn't believe in love at first sight. It's hopeless romanticism, childish fantasy, another way the straights just aren't okay. He's not wrong--look how love at first sight worked out for Romeo and Juliet, both dead by the final act. Couldn't be him.

This makes him strong, he thinks. Smart.

He won't end up like his parents, infatuated for six months, and then years of his mom's sleepless nights as his dad came home less and less.

He's never been sold on the whole white picket fence thing. The world's let him know that it's not meant for him, no matter how many millions of records sold and dollars earned. Plus, he's seen the most beautiful men in the world, slept with many of them, and none of them enticed him for more than a good time.

The band's on a break--after a hit record, a sold out world tour, a couple of Grammy's, they deserve it--plus, the other Corroded guys, they have serious relationships, families, the aforementioned white picket fence. It's been him and Wayne for as long as he cares to remember, and he loves his uncle more than anything, but when the offer comes in to solo headline a festival in Australia, he doesn't hesitate.

He has songs, plenty of them, that don't quite fit Corroded Coffin's sound. There's never going to be an Eddie Munson solo album, at least he's never really considered it, so why not play this stuff in a 'one night only' kind of deal? Plus, he loves festivals, the atmosphere, the music, the delirious rush of it all.

He gets a lot of flack in industry rags for being a music snob, and sure he has strong opinions about metal, but he listens to and loves a wide range of artists across all genres. It's why he's so good at his job. At any festival, he considers it a professional duty to check out as many of the acts as he can, especially the ones he doesn't know yet.

He's waiting for a performance right now, pushed up against the barricade, hoodie on, tattoos obscured, piercings removed, hair in a tight bun, dark glasses his hiding eyes. He hadn't recognized this name in the line- up, the stylized SH, and the only stage decoration is a black backdrop, white letters spelling out, "Shhh," the outline of a finger over cherry red lips. It's cute, Eddie thinks.

He checks his phone, just for a second, and in the space of that moment, the crowd begins to cheer. He looks up, eager for his first glimpse of SH.

A man crosses the stage towards the mic, guitar slung across his chest. He's wearing a yellow polo and a pair of Levi's so tight Eddie's already about to get down on his knees and repent. He's got this coiffed shock of brown hair, a face dotted with freckles, perfectly kissable pink lips. Eddie's seen the hottest men in the world, slept with most of them, but this guy, this guy, is the prettiest one, and somehow he'd never considered pretty.

SH lifts his arms to wave to the crowd, and his polo is short, right, maybe cropped, so the move exposes a large expanse of his stomach. And Eddie, he knows abs, but never before have they been this perfect for biting, can already imagining the give beneath his teeth.

Eddie is transfixed, mesmerized, totally enamored, and he doesn't realize at first that the noise of the crowd, of SH's banter, has blanked into nothingness. It's only the shape of him, the awareness of his existence, that bleeds through.

He watches the stage, mouth wide, as the man's fingers find their places on the strings, as he begins to play music Eddie can't hear over the electric sizzle of his blood, the fuzzed out distortion of his heartbeat.

He has a moment to think, no, this isn't supposed to happen to me before SH begins to sing. The crisp tone of his voice is the only thing Eddie hears, hits him like the sharp buzz of an amplifier, reverberates through him like a plucked guitar string.

Oh no, he thinks. Not this. But there's no outrunning it.

He watches the performance in awe, eyes never leaving SH, immovable for the entire set, slack-jawed with wonder and sensory overload. Too soon SH is introducing the band, names Eddie can't decipher, says, "I'm Steve Harrington, thank you!"

Steve. Steve Harrington. Steve dances in a circle around his brain.

Even once Steve leaves the stage, Eddie doesn't move. He stands at the barricade, knuckles gone white where they clutch the metal, mind whirling. He's done for, a goner, how could this happen, how could this happen, how could this happen.

He stays as the crowd drifts away, as crew pack up instruments and cords, and different crew brings out new equipment. He stays as people trickle up for the next scheduled act, until he's surrounded, and only then does reality click back into focus.

Shoving his way out of the crowd, he rushes backstage, hastily presenting his VIP badge to security. He's too late, he's sure. He spent too much time processing, and surely Steve is gone now, back to an RV or a hotel or boarding an airplane. And maybe that's for the best, Eddie isn't meant for this, Eddie isn't--

Voices stop him in his tracks, a gaggle of children shouting over each other, blending into a cacophony, and in the middle of it all is Steve.

"All I said was that your set starts in five minutes. Why are you yelling at me?"

A girl with long red hair puts a straw to her lips, a spitball hitting Steve square in the forehead.

"Who says we're mad?" She asks, as the wet paper unsticks from his skin, plopping to the floor.

With that, the whole crew of them bop towards the stage, leaving Steve with an annoyed smile on his face.

"Those fucking kids," he says to someone out of Eddie's line of sight. The undertone is alarmingly fond given the sentiment.

Suddenly, the distance between them is too much, and his feet are moving, bringing him closer.

Steve is still talking, but Eddie's movement catches his attention, has him throwing a glance down the hall. He stops mid-sentence, sitting straighter in his chair, a bemused little smile spreading across his mouth.

It's too much, stops Eddie in his tracks, takes his breath. It doesn't stop Steve, though. He's standing and crossing the distance between them before Eddie so much as blinks.

"Hi," he says, when they're toe to toe, when he can see every green speck in Steve's shining hazel eyes. He takes off his sunglasses.

"Hi," Steve answers in a half-whisper, awestruck.

They stare at each other, both smiling.

"Can I kiss you?" Eddie asks.

"Might die if you didn't."

He wraps his hand around the back of Steve's neck, draws him in, holds their lips a hairsbreadth apart. With a sigh, Steve closes the distance, slotting their mouths together.

Eddie Munson doesn't believe in love at first sight, but as Steve's lips part for him, he has to admit this might be one of the rare occasions where he's wrong. After that first taste, there's no doubt that his happiness begins and ends with Steve Harrington. Irrevocably, forever.

They part, gently, noses still touching. Steve's smile is like the sunrise, bright, breathtaking.

"I've been waiting for you," Steve says.

"You have?"

"My whole life."

"Sorry I made you wait, sweetheart. It won't happen again."

I swear that I saw a post with a pic from Djo's first Coachella set with a premise that it was Eddie's first glimpse of Steve and he falls hopelessly in love with him, which obviously inspired this fic, and I can't find that post at all to give credit. So, if anyone knows remembers a post like this, let me know so I can credit for the inspo!

[thanatika]

hot take: they should have used vlad jr. as the 4th kid in artemy's childhood friend group (the "apple basket gang") in pathologic 2, not bad grief.

so, artemy, rubin, lara, and vlad jr. here's my totally objective and non-haterish reasoning for why this would have worked better:

i think it's annoying that they aged bad grief down from a weird 56 year old queen to a relatable twenty-something

bad grief's whole dilemma in classic is about repenting after having lived a life of crime, which doesn't really work if they make him so young that his life is just getting started. in pathologic 2 he instead has a subplot about aglaya giving him an existential crisis, which they still could have kept.

hell, they could have kept basically everything except for the childhood friendship stuff and that campfire meeting. there was that tiny subplot that went absolutely nowhere about blowing up the train tracks to keep the inquisitor from showing up, artemy still could have schemed with grief on that.

it's lame that he went from being a guy who actually killed people and tried to PRETEND that he didn't (patho classic) to a guy who's all aww i never actually kill people it's just the people who work for me 🥺 i have no control over my gang 🥺

on the vlad jr side, incorporating him into the whole "reconnecting with your childhood friends" thing artemy has going on would have worked super smoothly, considering a major part of that seems to be artemy realizing that all his childhood friends are actually pretty racist to him! vlad jr obviously is that, but it could just go to show how the kinds of things you might not notice as a little kid become way more important once you're older

plus in general it would just give more space to flesh out the whole dynamic between the burakhs and the olgimskys, which i think is explored less in patho 2 than it is in classic

it ALSO would give some space for another dynamic that seems to have things going on in classic but is forgotten about in patho 2, which is vlad jr and lara. i'd have to go back and look but it's implied that the olgimskys helped fund her house of the living? and overall vlad jr and lara have interesting parallels in being invested in the idea of themselves as philanthropic good samaritans, which would have been interesting to explore.

hell, vlad jr ALSO has an interesting parallel with the other three in having "daddy issues" as a major part of his arc (see lara defining herself around her dead father and artemy and rubin around isidor). compared to bad grief who's kind of the odd one out in that regard.

[high-ashell-hargrove]

Father?

Priest!sam Wilson x priest!Steve rogers x priest!Bucky Barnes x plus size!reader

Kinktober/warnings: religious corruption, pussy eating, blackmail

A/n: bad writing! I’m gonna try to do a weekly kinktober post! Enjoy this shit show!

Guilt wound up inside you as you sat still as a mouse, your head bowed and hands clasped together. You were ashamed, there were no other words for it. Tears welled up in your eyes, you looked almost pitiful to anyone else who was in the church but you didn't care, you needed to repent for these thoughts running rampant through you mind.

You couldn’t bring yourself to leave your dirty thoughts behind, praying daily did nothing to ease your mind.

All three men come up beside you, looking up you’re met with their gaze burning into your body, I look back down. Face resting back onto your folded hands

"Let us help you angel" Sam said, lifting your chin so your eyes met his.

"The only way to flush out these thoughts is to confront them head on" james added on, you hadn't noticed until now he had crouched down in front of you, his big blue eyes enticed you even more

"We really just want to set you on the right path" Steve whispered, wrapping his arms around your waist. You could feel his fingers ghosting over your panties.

All their voices swirled around in your head making you dizzy. Your whole body burned, evidence of that was on your cheeks.

"Why don't we all go somewhere a little more private so we can discuss this" sam suggested, putting out his palm.

You muttered a small thank you and gratefully took it. Now with Steve's hand gently on your waist, Sam's hand in yours and Bucky trailing behind you let them guide you from the pew to god knows where.

There the three of you stood, in the small office like area where the priests would work when they weren’t doing their services.

Steve’s face was nuzzled into your neck, sucking on the delicate skin. Sam’s fingers played with the hem of your dress and James sunk to his knees, hands running up your dress, hooking onto your panties

“Father-“

Sam shushes you, Steve pulls back, grabbing your face he locks in your gaze.

“We’re going to help you, let us”

Next thing you know your underwear strewn across the room, James face buried deep in your cunt lapping over your folds, Sam holding you in place, Steve holding up a camera, snapping pictures.

You couldn’t help but writhe and gasp, the band tightening and warmth spreading over your body. Both men standing over you encouraging you to let go. Sam pulled your dress down, tits spilling out, the three men looked at you with half lidded eyes, Steve still snapping photos. James tongue circled your clit and your legs shook, your head lulling back onto Sam’s shoulder as he cooed into your ear.

You had never thought you'd be here, air heavy with euphoria- with your priests for god sake. With a gasp, you let go, pussy gushing, body shaking from the feeling of his mouth still continuing to assault you.

-

Days pass, guilt still poured out of your body like an open wound. You knock on the office door. Steve slowly opens it, a coy smile on his lips. Opening the door he guides you inside.

“What brings you in darlin.”

He sits back on the desk, legs spreading apart, his fingers running over his black slacks. Nervously you shift in your place, fiddling with your fingers.

“Father yesterday-“ he cuts you off with a sush, leaning back he opens his drawer, pulling out the Polaroids. He slowly flips through them. Landing on the most risqué one he turns it so you can see it.

“I’ll leave this as a reminder doll. This isn’t the end- I’m sure that’s what you came here to discuss”

Your eyebrows furrow, a gut retching feeling settles in you. You fuck up big time- trusting your pastors.

[thera-daydreams]

SCARLET & SHADOW

ᱬ The Darkling x Scarlet Witch!Reader ᱬ

[aleksander morozova x wanda maximoff!reader]

Warning: This will be very canon-divergent, considering that it will be a fix-it fic for the Darkling's story. Will contain elements of violence, manipulation, and gore present in the series. Plus, mentions of depression, trauma, regret (as W. Maximoff) and the inclusion of possible adult themes in the later chapters.

Majority of this will also be based on the Netflix show since I haven't read the entire books yet. There may be inaccuracies and a whole lot of changes. You have been warned!

Otherwise, proceed and enjoy! ♟️🌹

(Sidenote: So... okay. I'm deciding to write this and make it a formal fanfic—as per previous post one and post two—because I seriously cannot sleep with the overwhelming inspiration I'm getting from shipping these two characters. Aleksander and Wanda are practically the same person in different fonts. They both did shitty, selfish things but I need to give them a happy ending. Together. Somehow. And hate it or love it, I firmly believe this idea should be shared to the world. If you know my other JJK fic, you'll know Wanda is an obsession of mine. Also, also, also! Please bear with me if updates are scarce. I'm juggling my academic review, work, another unfinished fic, and my daily fangirling. 🥹)

1. once upon a dream

Aleksander had dreams of you long before he even knew you. Maybe it was the stress of this neverending war. Either way, you weren't real anyway... were you?

(3.9k words)

2. coincidence

The Black General finds himself magnetized by the seemingly inconspicuous gardener in the Little Palace. He gets to know you, contemplating life. Just when he thought you were just a strangely wise, young otkazat'sya woman, he finds out why exactly you decided to work in the Little Palace.

(2.5k words)

3. reflection

You are confronted by a certain Shadow Summoner about your motives in bringing the kids to the Little Palace. He realizes that you've loved and lost so deeply, eerily the same as he had. Perhaps that's the reason why he was so drawn to you; he could see his reflection in your eyes. But the more answers the Darkling got, the more questions he had. Unfortunately for you, Aleksander was a patient and persistent man who would stop at nothing to get what he wants.

(4.8k words)

4. haunted

You were no powerless otkazat’sya, Aleksander finds out the hard way. He’s pushed you too far, and he’s left to deal with the aftermath of the new knowledge he half-regrets he gained. On the other hand, you see something bad about this new world that wished you had never seen.

(6.0k words)

5. ?

(tba)

... more chapters?

Synopsis:

"No more magic." You swore to yourself after the madness that you'd spiraled into; the chaos you'd wrecked upon the Multiverse under the influence of the Darkhold. Now, you had destroyed the Darkhold in every universe.

The last universe that had a Darkhold? Safe. Book of the Damned, gone. It was a land with no heroes, gods, or sorcerers... just... normal people and... Grisha? Either way, it was time for your atonement. Your repentance for your mortal sins.

But when you save and bring three orphaned Grisha children to the Little Palace, working as an otkazat'sya gardener to secretly keep an eye on them, it turns out that a certain Shadow Summoner begins to have his eye on you, instead.

taglist: @idohknow @robertthehoover @the-desilittle-bird @pearlstiare

[tinydefector]

Star Gala dress

(Mtmte) Starscream × human reader

A small little thing I enjoy is Senator Starscream of Vos, and this also gave me the excuse to write about this dress.

WARNING: hints to future smut, mentioned nudity.

Wordcount: 2k

Request and ask open, read pinned post

Starscream masterlist

11

111

________________

The young human liaison stands off to the corner of Starscream's office desk reading through appointments and schedules for upcoming events. "Sir, I have more council data for you," they call out to the Seeker as they turn and walk closer to him, transferring the schedules and meetings.

Starscream barely acknowledged the young human, continuing to pore over reports and schematics on his desk. As they approached, he let out an exasperated ventilation and raised his optics to meet their gaze.

"What is it now? I'm a very busy mech, in case you hadn't noticed." He gestured imperiously at the datapads stacked high around him. "I don't have time for the trivial matters. So this had better be important."

The seeker leaned back in his chair, folding his arms across his chromsteel cockpit impatiently. , he had little patience for being interrupted while working. But as the human was his earth embassedor, it was his unfortunate role to deal with their petulant requests and demands.

"Well? Out with it. I don't have all cycle," Starscream snapped. His piercing red optics bored down at the human, he knows he shouldn't be snapping at them, but the stress of the cycle was already getting to him.

They sigh softly, "There's gala that you have been requested to be at as one of the 'Repentant' and also new senator of Vos. They have asked that we both attend for publicity purposes. They want both the senator and the human ambassador attending. I believe they want you to do some speaking or such after the incident with those protested outside your home, but from what I can read its mainly just other higher ups of Cybertron's social networking coming together for political face value again" they reply while scrolling throught their own data pad.

Starscream let out an irritable ventilation at the news. "Another one of these pointless mingling exhibitions, I presume?" he hissed derisively.

Playing the politician was not something he had ever seen himself doing, he had been a military leader and scientist, but he had little choice as one of the few remaining Vosian Seekers with enough knowledge on political matters. Since the fall of Vos, he had taken up representing his Seeker constituents on Cybertron - whether he wanted to or not.

"And I suppose they think parading you around with me will make me seem more 'palatable' to the masses," he scoffed, glaring down at his little ambassador. As if mingling with snobby council mech wouldn't do his prossesor in more.

Still, he had little choice if he wished to hold onto the dwindling scraps of power and influence he had left. With a frustrated huff, Starscream rose from his seat. "Very well, we'll attend this affair," he grumbled begrudgingly. "But make no mistake - you are to stay by my side the whole even, primus knows im not hunting you down if one of those council mech get their servos on you. Try not to embarrass me."

A soft laugh leaves the embassdors lips'. "Sir considering you already put up with me as is, I won't be leaving your side regardless. Plus you enjoy my charming wit and gossip to much. But yes I believe they wish for you to show off our alliance" they reply with a smile to the Decepticon as they move closer to wards him.

Starscream let out an impatient vent at the human's response. "Your company is a necessary chore at best, fleshbag," he retorted. He glowered down at the tiny organic, wings flicking irritably.

They walk up closer staring him in the optics with a raised brow ans crossed arms . "A chore huh?, I didnt realise getting kisses being a chore Mr, guess i won't be sharing the bed with you tonight since its such a chore" they teases their lover, knowing full well they had caught starscream in a fib.

Starscream's optics flashed dangerously at the human's teasing remark. "Careful," he growled softly."

However, his armour flared subtly in reaction to their challenge. As much as he loathed admitting any weakness, this tiny organic had somehow managed to work their way past his defenses. Against his better judgment, the Seeker  found himself strangely enamoured with the human.

Leaning down until his facial plates were mere inches from their upturned face, Starscream indulged in a quiet vent. "You know as well as I that appearances must be maintained in public," he stated lowly. "But in private...well. Let's just say I find your company... not entirely objectionable."

His clawed digit reached out to delicately brush their cheek in a rare unguarded moment of affection. Despite his cold demeanour, Starscream cared deeply for his consort, however much he refused to show such vulnerability openly.

A soft laugh leaves their lips as they run a hand across starscream's faceplate. "Hmmm, keep telling yourself that handsome," they reply before pressing a kiss to starscream's lips. " For all your snark and scowling, you're not as big of an asshole as you try to act." they hum contently.

Starscream's optics flashed at the human's brazen words, but he made no move to rebuke them further. Instead, he vented softly as their lips met his own, the gentle contact stirring something deep within his spark.

"In matters of politics and power, have weaknesses make you easy prey," he stated gruffly, though without his earlier bite. Seekers valued strength and cunning above all else.

Still, behind closed doors was another matter. "You have a most insolent mouth... but I confess, where you are concerned, I find I do not entirely mind."

His clawed digits reached to ghost almost tenderly along their cheek. Starscream found he was willing to set aside his usual façade. They had come to mean more to him than he ever dared admit.

"Hmm, glad you enjoy when I talk my mind, Stars." They pressed another kiss to his lips before just resting against starscream's bulk. "Fuck I need to find something decent to wear if I'm going to get paraded around a social gathering" they mumble softly. They weren't initially prepared for an event like that, most times they stuck to the office and were never far from the seeker.

Starscream let out a soft vent as their lips met once more. "In private, you may say what you wish, fleshling," he replied in a rumble. "But do try to mind your glossa in public. Less i have to get involved"

The Seeker peered down at their smaller form resting against him protectively. "As for appropriate attire, I may have something in storage that could suffice for your diminutive size."

During Vos's heyday, the Seekers had many diplomatic functions requiring certain getups. While the outfits were tailored for flightsuits and armour, perhaps a piece could be tailored down further for a human or some that were originally for pets of past senators.

"Come. Let us search my archives and see if any pieces are in presentable enough condition after vorns of neglect," Starscream said, extending a clawed digit for them to climb onto. The public face he showed the world was cold and severe, but in private moments, his consort brought out a softer, rarer side to the fierce Seeker.

Testing on clothing for a gala wasn't what they had planned, but it was enjoyable except for the fact that Starscream wasn't happy with anything they had been tired of yet. "Stars, this is the 8th outfit. Are you really that picky?" They ask while grabbing another outfit.

they slowly changed into it, making sure the chains hung  the right way and the choker was set in place. They walk out wearing a shimmering black dress, which showed skin of their hips, neck chest, and arms. It makes starscream stop to admire. "What about this one?" The call out while double checking everything was in place.

Starscream's optics roved appraisingly over the human as they emerged wearing the shimmering black dress. "Hmm, not bad..." he murmured appreciatively. As much as he grumbled about the task, the Seeker did appreciate aesthetic beauty. and this particular outfit did justice to their form. "Spin," he says while making a motion with his servo.

"The material compliments your organic optical structure and plating," Starscream observed. As a scientist at Spark, he couldn't help but be intrigued by alien biology, however primitive. And he had to admit, the fragile frame could produce pleasing visual and tactile sensations on occasion.

Venting softly, the Decepticon stroked a clawed digit gently down their arm. "I suppose this one will suffice to showcase our...alliance, as they say. It highlights certain appealing assets while maintaining... some modesty." His mouthplates twitched in a rare half-smile. "You clean up passably well for a human, sparkbug."

They roll their eyes at starscream before grabbing his servo and pressing a kiss to it. "Glad you like how I clean up, Mr. demanding, your privilege is showing again," they reply with a teasing smile. "You could use a new lick of paint before the event too, don't want these little scratches on show" the state with a wink before walking to go get changed out of the dress and to store for the gala.

Starscream let out an amused vent at the human's spirited retort. "Insolent creature," he said with a hint of affection. 

Still, he made no move to rebuke them further. As loath as he was to admit any chinks in his armor, this human was right, he did indeed need a new coat of paint before the event, less the other mech and femme figure out the scratches were from the ambassador.

The Seeker watched appreciatively as they began to change out of the dress, leaving their back exposed to him. "Do try not to damage that piece before the gala. It would reflect poorly on me to have my...consort attired in anything less than their best." His mouthplates quirked faintly.

"I'll make sure to keep it safe and ready for the gala," they reply only to gasp softly when they feel starscreams lips against their back.

Starscream rumbled softly as his intake pressed gentle kisses to the human's neck, relishing their pleased reaction.

"See that you do, sparkbug," he murmured against their spine. "I wish to show off my talented...consort to my peers." His gaze held an unfamiliar warmth as he gazed upon the tiny organic, his servos wrap around their waist, digits spreading out Across their soft skin.

Humans were primitive, fragile things, but this one stirred something within the Seeker none had before. With surprisingly tender digits, Starscream traced idle patterns against their side, lingering to savour the minute but pleasing tactile feedback their skin provided with tiny bumps.

"Now, let us complete preparations for this tiresome political display. But know that after, your frame is mine and mine alone to clain," Starscream murmured possessively against their ear, relishing their shiver of reaction. His human may be small and fragile, but they had become his in a way none ever had before.

They laugh. "I didn't realise you liked the dress that much, hmm shame you have to wait three cycle before you get to rip it off me" they teases him with a quick kiss, as they try to flee his grasp.

Starscream let out an irritated vent at the human's teasing words. "Insolent little pest you are," he growled, capturing their intake in another firm kiss to wipe the smug look off their faceplate. 

While he cherished this fragile organic, their boldness tried his patience at times. "Three cycles, is it?" The mighty Seeker rumbled against their ear again, glossa flicking out teasingly. "Very well then, bug. But know that when the time comes, I fully intend to savour stripping that fine material from your form... and everything underneath. I intend to have you bed bound for a while. " His clawed digits tracing almost affectionately over their frame left no doubt as to his meaning.

"I very much look forward to it, my handsome shooting Star," they reply.

[wistfulnightingale]

Forgiveness & Absolution (or, Holy Hot Chocolate, Jim!)

Mini Meta Musing #9

Did any other wayward churchgoers notice that, when Crowley gives Jim his hot chocolate in his personalized angel-wing mug, Jim receives it like a worshipper receiving communion??

He gazes at it reverently, accepts it with great care.

I think that there are interesting religious parallels in that entire encounter, although not strictly following any one religious practice. There are potentially religious metaphors there for a far different (and much more complicated!) process of forgiveness than we saw in Episode 1 between our Ineffables! (Talked about in Finding Forgiveness, Text Barrages and Apology Dances)

Jim is an innocent. But he was far from innocent as Gabriel. The afternoon of the hot chocolate, Crowley is suddenly hostile, worried that Jim may become the powerfully dangerous Gabriel again. He comes with a fierce and threatening accusation. In the process, a confession is made, penance is done, and forgiveness is achieved.

The Accusation:

The chummy camaraderie they briefly shared is gone. Crowley goes full demon -- he will always protect his Angel!

The Confession and Repentance, or Contrition (Jimbriel Accepts Responsibility and Apologizes):

Jim is sincere -- he really feels sorry, and even though he can't remember it, he owns it.

The Penance (A voluntary outward expression of repentance):

It's almost funny, almost silly... but... Jim is genuinely ready to destroy his corporation if it would somehow help make things right.

Healing/Resolution (In this case, a processing or discussion of the process of changing oneself):

This strikes me as incredibly tender and vulnerable. Crowley is literally on his knee in front of Jim, lowering his guard. Like you might talk to a sad child, even when you're frustrated with them. In a religious context, Crowley is almost "ministering" to Jim.

A Renewal (Being ready to start anew, to begin again):

He literally rises up! (Geez, do I wish I knew how to make a gif of the whole adorable pop-up-and-blink!)

Absolution/Forgiveness:

Their tentative new relationship is repaired, Crowley's cautious trust is restored, and the offer of hot chocolate is a gesture that forgiveness is granted. Plus, he almost, sorta, kinda accepts the compliment of "nice!"

"...You're really nice."

"...I'm not... Nobody'd believe you anyway."

Yeah, that's pretty close to an admission...!

[hypewinter]

We all love making Clockwork the supportive grandfather or at least the pleasant acquaintance but you know what? We need more asshole Clockwork in the work. Hear me out:

Clockwork is constantly holding the events of TUE over Danny's head. He's basically all like "you need to repent for all the bad things your future self in another timeline did". To this end, Clockwork is constantly having Danny do paperwork for him or run interference with the Observants. But worst of all, he keeps sending Danny on time quests. Sometimes the quest is to help a certain historical figure. Other times, it's restoring parts of a time stream after events have knocked it out of wack. But at all times, Clockwork seems to pick the most inconvenient of times to send Danny on these missions.

It doesn't matter if Danny is in the middle of an important test or is beating back a rogue, Clockwork will just pluck him out of time. To make matters worse, the Ancient doesn't always put Danny back at the right time. Sometimes he's put back a few minutes later than he left, other times it's a couple hours later. Once Danny was put back a whole two days later. That had not been fun.

Overall, between all of that, plus school, plus fighting his rouges, Danny is absolutely tired and absolutely fed up. So the next time Clockwork sends Danny to fix a time stream, he gets a little revenge. He doesn't put the timeline back exactly how it's supposed to be. He alters tiny things here and there. Minor things that wouldn't effect the world too much. Or at least they were supposed to be minor.

Or Danny may or may not be partially responsible for flashpoint.

[aphidclan-clangen]

Wait- if starclan is like god in this universe. And sometimes clan cats say “ star damned” instead of “god damned” dose that mean pearls stars pronouns are: god and godself!?

I mean, if a Saint Tine made their pronouns glow/glowself it would definitely be a bit awkward lmao

(shine/gleam/light/glimmer/radiance/etc. pronouns would be fine however)

In that case it would be closer to giving yourself god/godself pronouns (which I’m certain is a real thing!), but in my mind Starclan, as an Aphidclan-specific religion, isn’t really…a religion so much as it is a generalized belief that 1. nature and the sky are interwoven with mystical, spiritual forces, and 2. belief in souls/an afterlife. (infodumping mode activated /lh /affectionate) As a wild cat colony, they’re just naturally very strongly and culturally connected to the spiritual side of the wilderness and the cosmos, more so than a kittypet or city cat ever would be. They don’t believe in any god or any central force controlling or designing the world, I don’t think they even have a “creation myth” or an idea that there could ever be a sole “god”/deity-like figure. They believe in souls and an afterlife because their ventures into the spirit realm showed them the souls of their ancestors, friends, and even complete strangers. They know the dead can go whenever they please after life, because some cats have reported seeing these spirits in the woods with them, or standing out amidst the plains. But they’ve also seen the spirit realm largely resemble the sky, so they probably assume the souls of the dead live up there, and may fly down to earth whenever they please.

(plus the sky is also just generally a very..incomprehensible, mystical, “larger-than-life” powerful force to look at, especially when you’ve got 0 light pollution and look up to see a whole wide galaxy of beautiful unknown above you each night)

Perhaps the souls of their loved ones can even grant gifts and boons, or even curses, since the spirit of the wilderness and the sky is woven everywhere, and can surely influence the movement of a log, the calling of rain, the way of the winds, and maybe even the sickness of the land. Nonetheless, the wilderness takes lives as it gives food and water and a home, they believe this to be an entirely natural cycle. The wilderness gives, the wilderness takes, the wilderness eats and devours whole, and when you die, you’ll fly up into the sky, where you might even get to speak with your loved ones again someday, either through random sightings in the woods, in dreams, or intentional astral projection in more…energistically charged locations.

Even the Saint Tines don’t believe in The Glow as a person, but nonetheless a more congealed, solid entity than what the clan cats believe. It is a force of nature as well, but a specific one. The force of decay, of sickness, of life, of glory and triumph in living, that is hungry and gluttonous and never satiated. In AphidClan, you’ll never have to prove your worth or character to the way the winds blow, but to a Saint Tine, if you are impure enough, the Glow shall eat you whole, and you shall rot for all of eternity (and this is a bad thing). It is a strict and demanding force that will punish the unworthy and the impure. It is all very morally attached, very heavily wrapped around the idea of sin and repentance and innate existential value. The Reverend has a very large influence over the doctrine and the opinions of The Glow, as its speaking voice and the head of the church. (In reality, “the glow” is just the nuclear radiation they saw in the power plant the colony used to live in, before the power plant horribly collapsed for reasons unknown.)

In that way, the Saint Tine Church is a closer analogy for a Christianity-like religion, while Aphidclan’s beliefs are closer to that of general pagan spiritualist beliefs. The Saint Tines are a god-fearing people, while Aphidclan just believes in the innate spiritual power of the earth and the universe, who would be confused by the idea of a central god or entity controlling the name of the game.

As for Pearlstar, I think like…they’d be totally chill with pronouns, names, or titles that call back to the spiritual nature of the wild in some way or another, and in fact, it’s already a common thing interwoven into the culture. I mean, they call their designated spiritual leaders of the colony “star,” to honor their leader’s connection to the spirit realm and their initiative to walk between both worlds. If anyone is expected to revere the spiritual and integrate it into their daily life and identity, it would be the spiritual leaders of the colony. Cats are given prefixes and suffixes to reflect aspects of nature that they see themself reflected in. If names are viable territory for integrating the wild, the natural, the spiritual, then why not pronouns? A cat with breeze/breezeself pronouns is respected as a reflection of the wind, a cat with star/starself pronouns is respected as a person with a strong connection to the cosmic aether and the universe beyond. I imagine their kintypes work under similar beliefs as well, as the creatures or entities or energistical forces they see themselves very strongly in. A cat could tell their clanmates that they believe they were once a bird, and feel such a strong connection to flight, to soaring through the air, the clouds, the breeze on their wings, and that before their life as a cat, their soul once resided in an avian animal, and that’d be a common precedent that would totally work with the general cultural belief system.

So to summarize, glow/glowself pronouns would definitely result in getting odd looks and judgemental comments from Saint Tines (not Aphidclan cats though), but star/starself pronouns are totally normal, common, respected, and even a little expected in Aphidclan, and are…pretty much on the same level as giving yourself leaf/sky/cloud/tree/growth/breeze/etc. pronouns. S’just another factor of one’s identity that the wild may influence and make its home in, as it often does

[realitycheckin]

Tahajjud Tangent: "The Good for the Good"

There’s a verse in the Qur’an people love to quote: “The impure are for the impure, and the pure are for the pure.” (Surah An-Nur, 24:26) But every time it comes up, people use it to push a point, not to reflect. They shrink it down to who deserves who, as if Allah’s message was only ever about people’s pasts.

But that’s not the whole verse. And that’s not the whole truth.

In fact, Allah tells us over and over in the Qur’an to think, to reflect, to look beneath the surface.

“Indeed in that are signs for a people who give thought.” (Surah Ar-Rum, 30:21) “Will they not reflect upon the Qur’an?” (Surah Muhammad, 47:24)

But instead of thinking, people turn the Qur’an into a slogan for shame. They quote one verse, forget its context, and use it like a stamp, pure with pure, impure with impure, as if that’s all Allah was trying to say.

This verse was revealed after the slander against Aisha (RA), when people spread lies about her honour and accused her of zina without proof. So when Allah said:

“The impure are for the impure, and the pure are for the pure…” it was a defense of her purity, not a rulebook about who gets to marry who. It was about truth over false accusation, about character over gossip.

Yet people skip over all that and reduce it to: "If someone sinned, they can’t be with someone who didn’t." As if repentance doesn’t exist. As if Allah isn’t the One who transforms hearts.

But Allah says clearly:

“And do not come near zina.” (Surah Al-Isra, 17:32) “And they guard their private parts.” (Surah Al-Mu��minun, 23:5) Yes — Allah commands us to protect ourselves, to stay away from zina. But He also says: “Except for those who repent, believe, and do righteous deeds — for them Allah will replace their evil deeds with good. And Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.” (Surah Al-Furqan, 25:70)

So how can we read all this… and still act like someone’s past defines their worth forever?

The Prophet ﷺ told us the one who repents is like the one who never sinned. And he ﷺ was angry when a Sahabi killed a man during battle who had just said his shahada. He asked:

“Did you open his heart?” Because only Allah knows what’s real inside us. Only Allah sees the sincerity in someone’s return.

So when people say, “She’s not pure enough,” or “He sinned, so he can’t be with someone better,” they forget that purity is not just about the body, it’s about the heart. And in the eyes of Allah, a repenter can be cleaner than the one who never saw their own flaws.

This obsession with the physical… it misses the spiritual. We don’t talk enough about the sins of the heart: arrogance, pride, envy, judgment. Sometimes that’s worse than any outward act. And yet, we give passes to those who “look clean,” while rejecting those who’ve actually been cleaned by Allah.

Plus, it’s a sin in Islam to expose your past. The Prophet ﷺ said:

“All of my ummah will be forgiven except those who sin openly…” So why are we asking people to reveal things they’re supposed to hide for the sake of Allah?

I’m not saying the verse isn’t true. I’m saying it’s deeper than how people use it. It’s not about reducing someone to their mistakes. It’s about justice, truth, and inner purity.

Allah is the One who pairs souls. He knows the stories no one else sees. And He is the One who purifies.

So don’t let people shrink Allah’s mercy into their narrow views. Don’t let them define who is “good enough” for you.

Because the Qur’an is full of signs “for those who reflect.”

ٱلسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ

[petitprincess1]

Is Hazbin just The Good Place?

I mean, in the sense of them both dealing with versions of Heaven and Hell, then I guess so. However, that's an incredibly surface level observation.

(SPOILERS!!) The main characters of TGP didn't even know they were in The Bad Place to begin with. Plus, their "sins", while disruptive to their lives, weren't anything all that bad, excluding Jason, who was an actual criminal. Although, simply being Floridian makes you susceptible to The Bad Place lol. Eleanor even points out that it's not like any of them killed anyone. That they all deserved their own Medium Place.

Plus, no one in TGP was really a "bad guy". Not even Shawn was really much of an antagonist, considering he does turn around in the end. The system itself was entirely rigged to the point where both "demons" and "angels" were suffering because of it. Neither of them could correctly fulfill their roles of either torturing or rewarding those who had died. The show focused on the concepts of Heaven and Hell and the philosophy and/or ethics that goes along with it.

Hazbin under cut:

Hazbin Hotel is a little harder to talk about since it only just started. Hazbin doesn't seem to have too much of a bad guy, in the sense of who is running Heaven and Hell. However, there ARE villains/antagonists in the show. Like Adam and The Vees, for example. They actively do their best to go against the main characters. Granted, Shawn did, as well, but not nearly as damaging as the aforementioned villains.

The whole point of Hazbin is questioning who truly deserves redemption and who is "beyond saving". As we get introduced to all these Sinners, we already have ideas of those who truly need to stay down in Hell. However, Charlie's whole goal is to prove that anyone can get into Heaven if they attempt redemption and WANT to repent.

However, unlike with TGP, her mindset is put into question here. We, the viewers, know that this is a flawed experiment bc we see characters like Alastor, who can't be redeemed. We know the horrors people are capable of. We know the questionable nature of what she is trying to do, even tho she has good intentions.

However, that does not mean these people deserve to be killed by genocide. Plus, this makes us wonder why these specific ppl are beyond redemption. Why are there some who do deserve and those that don't, even though they all are in Hell?

Unlike with TGP, we don't see many characters that are in this "medium" area. We know that Hell is overpopulated, but we have yet to see those who don't deserve to be there. The most we know is that Heaven has strict rules, but not even they know why. They don't even know how ppl get into Heaven, while the "angels" in TGP were (and still are) certain about who belongs where.

Again, it's hard to give a deep analysis of Hazbin bc it only just started. The two shows do have similar concepts, somewhat, but all that matters is the execution of the ideas. Their executions couldn't be more different. While both are focusing on the same thing, TGP deals with the philosophical nature of the afterlife, while Hazbin Hotel questions the morality/humanity of it.

At least, that's how I view it xP sorry for such a long post

[after-nine-at-the-oasis]

Post for The Rookie 7x11!!

Everyone ATE at their jobs today!!! And I'm so glad everybody (including all the hostages) is okay :'D

Lucy did really well as a practice sergeant! I still don't know if that's the path for her given that she likes being in the thick of it (like undercover) but I support her :). I get why she doesn't just want to stay where she is forever, even if it's not her first choice (I actually really get that as I was recently accepted to my second choice program for something lol)

Tim also did great stepping back - he has been a TO for years lol! Also, I'm SO GLAD Chenford actually talked for a second 😭 like with words. And while I'm not as insistent on Tim being drastically- I don't know, in need of repentance xD, I'm glad Lucy said she hasn't forgiven him yet. It's clear, they're still there for each other, and maybe they'll have something in the future (I mean we all hope/know so but maybe to them), but she's not ready to forgive him. And that's totally fine ❤️!! Glad they just finally TALKED ABOUT IT!! Lol xD

Celina did great on her first real undercover assignment 🥳. And I see why they had her be revealed - left Nolan, with more experience, on the bus (plot wise). But she handled everything really well, as well as keeping track of her mental state afterwards, and I'm super proud of her :D.

Bailey ate too of course!! And yeah, my gosh adoption money o.o and just kid money in general xd. But y'all will figure it out <3. Also though, regarding recklessness 😬. . . I know it's different shows and universes guys, but if Tarlos can't get a kid from recklessness, you can't either xD 💀. Y'all are reckless in different ways but still xD. I do hope it works out though <33.

Loved seeing Grey and Miles work together!! It sucks that Miles had to sell his ring :((. But hopefully he'll come up with the money <3. Also the barbecue bit was silly lol and cute :'D. The whole thing reminds me of Jackson <3..

Also phew for Lucy and myself that Seth isn't here xD the stress man. But I did see a fascinating looking breakdown on YouTube and then realized it was his ACTOR so I am very interested in watching that!!

Angela and Nyla again 😭. This is why you wait for SWAT xD. Nah, but I'm glad they're okay <33. I will say I briefly when just quick glancing at the Wopez tag to see if they were in this episode basically lol (plus I was only pretty sure there was an episode last night xD) I saw Monica mentioned, so when Angela saw the footage I thought it was her for a second, with barely a reaction xD. But, it was, of course, the pregnant lady. Still, O.O. Monica is not doing ANYTHING good, and I'm wondering if it has to do with Oscar. Elijah could have tipped him on to her, and we haven't seen anything with him since his escape.

I will say yes Monica's been hanging on for a little while but I'll let it slide because I need some Wopez/Wesley angst xD like imagine Elijah recommends her to Oscar and they're working together (with Elijah's help). But even though Oscar doesn't really have a personal grudge against them, Elijah's condition is that he makes Wopez pay. Sooo also maybe imagine a repeat or reminder of 2x06 for that trauma damage 👀. Anyway, don't get me started on how Wesley's trauma connects xD.

Also Wesley calling them at the end was great lol <3. I love him and Angela, as always :')) 🥰. And I hope Wes never stops worrying (not just because I like angst lol), at least a little bit <3. They're sweet about it :').

Also the next episode looks O.O. A) CHENFORD 👀👀😳 WHAT THE FREAK ARE Y'ALL DOING XDD 👀👀🤭!! And O.O yes there is a way people will believe it, or at least use it to try and fight in court xD. Anyway it looks O.O, the night time tone really sets it for feeling dark and creepy. Love it, looks exciting!!

Loved this episode :D!! Everybody was really great and the way everything worked with the hostage situation was cool :). And Monica knowing how it would go o.o she continues to be smart, let's be real. Also at first with the accomplice lady I was like "bestie they're gonna find that phone xD" but then I realized there was a drain there lol 😬. Maybe some days it'll get picked up, buuuut probably not xd. Again, glad everyone's okay ❤️! Amazing episode :D!

[digimontamerlayne]

I'm playing Cyber Sleuth for the first time because I got it on sale, and I am now angrily glaring at past me for not looking for it on deals sooner cause I love it. So here's my over excited rant of my general experience. I actually cut this short remarkably.

I am only on Chapter 4, so my info only goes to after defeating the Eater in the Subway.

At the start I felt pressed on the whole Pokemon Starter-esque way you gotta choose between Terriermon, Palmon, and Hagurumon. But you can still get them all later which is nice. The need to choose just put me on the spot.

Normally, I'd have jumped at getting Terriermon (I prefer Lopmon but you can't go wrong with Terriermon), but I wound up doing "wheel of fate" and got Hagurumon.

And now I'm attatched to it. I digivolved it to Clockmon cause I knew one digivolution was Guardromon, so I was curious about the others' possibilities. I could tell one was Scumon, though, and that was not happening. Thank you.

My current team set up is Clockmon, Gabumon BLK (I got attatched to him too), Fanbeemon originally but it has been switched for Lopmon for now, and Impmon in my reserve because the moment I found out Kuramon and then Pagumon digivolve to Impmon that felt mandatory to do.

Story thus far is pretty cool. Interesting characters. Kyoko Kuremi is pretty and rather interesting, but she needs to have her coffee pot removed from her office immediately. Anyways, she and Nokia feel a bit on the nose to pull in specific audience through use of "attractive allure" (*eye roll*), but I was told for Nokia it's part of her character of how she likes presenting herself and I know people who do the same and especially when they were 17 like she is, so she does make sense to me. But half the time that outfit of her's does not. It defies logic, I swear. Pretty or not. But Nokia's connection and partnering up with Agumon and Gabumon is pretty freaking cute and feels like a hint at her true colors underneath the choice of flashy-ness.

Arata felt pretty enigmatic, though less than Yuugo because Arata had just enough "I'm deliberately acting too cool" and was just enough of a smirking "jerk" to counter most of the enigmaticness. And then he gushed about the Cyber Sleuth thing after trying to brush off his interest. He revealed his true colors: he's a geek like the rest of us. I will hold that and the fact he ditched me to escape Crazy Detective Date on my own over his head whenever I talk about him. But the rest of him still feels "mystery" enough.

I'll talk more about other characters some other time when I feel more connected or understand them better. Right now, I only really got connected to Nokia (plus Agumon + Gabumon) and now Arata enough to give opinionable interest. Except one, dude. I'm gonna gripe about Jimiken here in a minute for a reason.

But anyway, I love a lot of the side stuff going on too.

Example: Mirei sending me to make hackers abusing Digimon repent is nice. But in the second round, the Three Scammers Siblings you go after, I was not ready for that! The oldest sibling as a nonbinary character with motives linking towards their identity and how pressed they felt having to "choose", and how their scams (which were mostly just catfishing compared to their brother's scams) link back to their harsh emotions towards that. Not justified (especially if you look at the "forcing their digimon to do the work" part which is why you're confronting them) for what they wound up doing to others, but clear in what motivated them. I was neither expecting nor ready for that, and I love it. And the fact we get to give them a pep talk about how they were strong and are a great sibling to their brothers to cheer them up was awesome. I am sorta sad that the dialog where they ask for our digiline wasn't actually interactable. C'mon, in Pokemon Soul Silver and Heart Gold, you get more numbers than you can keep up with. Why not with this?

So, I'm having the time of my life with this game.

Although I found out the hard way about the Game Overs when you lose a battle. I loath Jimiken and the chapter and a half BACK he sent me. What I felt on par with "not saving in Pokemon and your device dying" level of despair. I had to redo chapter 2 and then my progress through chapter 3 back to that stupid fight, saving every few minutes out of sheer paranoia! It undid digimon I had converted and digivolutions I had done!

I was cussing out his Devimon and Meramon while fighting it. I was having flashbacks to Adventure Devimon, just channeling 12 year old me's emotions to relive that hatred of Devimon for this fight... But that died the moment Jimiken blamed his Digimon for losing. I became this specific Devimon's number 1 advocate cause screw this Paul Stanley wannabe. It is not this Devimon's fault you suck. This Devimon was Hella strong and made me scream cause it took me from just under half health to no health on my reserve digimon when he himself had just one last hit point before I beat him (can you tell I'm still a little sore on that?).

This was an amazing moment for me. I hated Jimiken so much it somehow bulldozed right over the loathing I had for Devimon in general that my introduction to Digimon drilled into me in a matter of moments. This is a bizarre development for me I'm still getting used to.

Also, WHAT IS CRAZY DETECTIVE LADY DATE!? What is her problem? It's funny but she is unsettling with her yelling.

Alright, I'm cutting this rant short here before I keep going over board.

I got carried away in the tags, so there's a rant in there, too.

[asma-al-husna]

Allah calls Himself Al-Hafeedh— The All-Preserver, The All-Heedful, The All-Protecting— on three occasions in the Quran. He is the One Who created and preserves the worlds and what they contain. Al-Hafeedh is heedful of all we do and He protects us from things we do not even realize, giving believers many opportunities to earn His special protection!

The Ultimate Preserver, Guardian, and Protector

Hafeedh and Haafidh come from the root haa-faa-dhaa, which points out to three main meanings. The first meaning is guarding, protecting, retaining and taking care of. The second main meaning of this root is to prevent from perishing or becoming lost and the third is to be watchful, mindful, attentive, and vigilant.

This root appears 44 times in the Quran in eight derived forms. Examples of these forms are haafidheen(“guardians”), mahfoodh (“guarded, protected”), and wahaafidh’naahaa (“and We have protected it”).

Linguistically, haafidh is used for someone who memorized the Quran. Al-Hafeedh is the Ultimate Preserver, Guardian and Protector of the whole creation.

Al-Hafeedh Himself says: “… and you will not harm Him at all. Indeed my Lord is, over all things, Guardian. [Quran 11:57] … We might make evident who believes in the Hereafter from who is thereof in doubt. And your Lord, over all things, is Guardian. [Quran 34:21]

Knowledge, preservation, and recompense

Allah ‘azza wajall negated forgetfulness on Himself; He will protect and guard knowledge and never forget it. Musa ‘alayhi sallam testified to this fact, saying: The knowledge thereof is with my Lord, in a Record. My Lord is neither unaware nor He forgets. [Quran 20:52]
We should know that haafidh is made of three aspects; first knowledge (‘ilm), then preservation (hifdh) and then recompense (hisaab). For example, removing a small piece of dirt from the floor so it wouldn’t make someone slip. Even though no one saw it, you need to be sure Allah knows about it, then you should be sure He will preserve it (hifdh) and finally you should be certain that Al-Hafeedh will recompense you for it.
This goes for anything anyone does for Allah’s Sake! Therefore there’s a relation between the beautiful names Al-‘Aleem (the All-Knowing), Al-Hafeedh (The All-Preserving) and Ash-Shakoor (The Appreciative).

How Can We Live By This Name?

1. Be motivated by Al-Hafeedh.
Al-Hafeedh is heedful of everything you do by His knowledge, He orders His angels to record everything you do. Even the smallest deeds, like coming to an Islamic lecture, sitting nicely, and making notes— Al-Hafeedh will preserve and appreciate it. When you know this you will really be a slave of Allah ‘azza wa jall and not of people.

2. Fear Al-Hafeedh.
He is also Al-Hafeedh when you do bad actions. Remember even with your “very small” wrong deed He sees, preserves, and will recompense you for it unless you repent. For example in prayer you need presence of the heart; khushoo means presence of the heart (hudoor al qalb) plus understanding (fahm).
Maybe in only one rukoo you remember Allah and the rest of the time your heart is distracted or heedless. Allah is hafeedh and He even knows you only remembered Him in rukoo’; then He will keep this remembrance in rukoo’ for you and will reward you according to this. Depending on whether your deed was good or bad al-Hafeedh will reward you or punish you, so this name gives you both hope (rajaa) and fear (al-khawf or khashiyah).

3. Remember people.
One of the sifaat ul mu’mineen – attributes of the believers— is being mindful and attentive to others. Maybe you met someone once and you lent her your pen and she remembers that so many years later, you would feel happy. The best example of this quality of remembering is the Prophet sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, who never forgot Khadeejah radiyallaahu ‘anha.

4. Memorize the Quran.
Work hard to be of those who preserve His Book, the Quran, by memorizing it. When memorizing His Book call upon Al-Hafeedh and ask Him to preserve and keep it in your mind.

5. Purify your heart.
For example you talk bad about someone just because you dislike them. Al-Hafeedh will never forget what you did; this knowledge will be preserved with Him and maybe after a period of time you will be put in the same situation where you are innocent and yet someone accuses you wrongly or says something untrue about you. When this happens it is for you to recall and repent for what you did to someone else. Al-Hafeedh is giving it as a test to nurture you because He has this knowledge preserved whereas maybe you forgot or saw it as insignificant.

6. Strive for the special protection of Al-Hafeedh.
Aboo Tayyib At-Tabaree , an early scholar, was about hundred years old and he was physically strong like the young man. Once after an exhausting journey, Aboo Tayyib At-Tabaree jumped off the boat on the land. People were amazed. He said: When I was a young man, I preserved these bodily limbs from the disobedience of Allah and Allah preserved them for me in my old age. [Ibn Rajab]
To receive the special protection of Al-Hafeedh in your religion and your worldy affairs, the Prophet said: Guard Allah (His commands) and He will guard and protect you. [Ahmad, At-Tirmidhee]

7. Be thankful to Al-Hafeedh.
Al-Hafeedh preserves your body in an amazing way; only imagine if your blood would freely flow into your brain. Be thankful to Al-Hafeedh for the way He preserves you and protects you in ways you don’t even realize.

8. Reflect on your environment and increase your awe for Al-Hafeedh.
Look around you and be amazed by the way Al-Hafeedh is able to preserve even the biggest creations. It is He Who preserved the sky from falling on us. We come up with ways by His leave to preserve even the food in fridges and by salt so we can use it longer, as well as the money in the bank. Allah is Al-Hafeedh and He guides humans for a means to even preserve food, health, and wealth.

9. Repent to Al-Hafeedh.
This name should shake you even more than the name Al-‘Aleem, because Al-Hafeedh not only implies that He knows everything, He even remembers the smallest things. You need the forgiveness of Al-Hafeedh, so another important impact of this name is that it will make you not delay but hasten to repent.

O Allah, Al-Hafeedh, we know that You preserve all there ever was, is, and will be. Give us your special protection by aiding us to fulfill Your commands, help us to be mindful of even the smallest sins, and make us rush to repent and be thankful to You for Your protection. Honour us by making us of those who memorize the Quran and support us in our belief and awareness of Your knowledge, preservation and recompense so we will strive to please You and earn Your Gardens, ameen!

[purlty23]

blue! just saw your post abt religious rhetoric & the fandom. do you have any specific instances or "takes" you could give us that youve seen? i know for myself peronally i have very little knowledge on religion as a whole, and could always stand to learn something ♡

Hello crow!!! Always a joy to see you in my notifs<3 Tbh, I’m not an expert either! I’ve only very recently in the past few years gained a big appreciation for theology of all sorts. Ghost was a huge part of the motivation for it, too. Most of the reading I’ve done has been though online resources. Here’s my personal library of PDFs! You can find the Satanic Bible, Greater and Lesser Keys of Solomon, and loads more (plus some misc fiction) I would say the biggest thing that I see in fan interpretations of Ghost and Ministry lore is confusing Catholic virtues with Satanic ones. I’m going to disregard a lot of modern Satanism for the sake of the fantasy lore that Ghost has here, since a lot of modern Satanism isn’t actually even related to religious worship of Satan as a figure, but of the values he as a character has held throughout time. Modern Satanism, especially Laveyan Satanism, is more about worship of the self. Ghost is really interesting because it puts Satanism into the same state of popularity as Catholicism in its lore. Imagine if the Vatican was Satan themed instead. That big. However, some people tend to act as if that means it holds the same values or rules as Catholicism, which simply isn’t true. Ghost Satanism falls more into old classical Satanism (devil worship, summoning, magicks, etc etc), which means it likely does ascribe to the biblical story, same as Catholics do but on the opposite side. While Catholics repent and avoid sin, those who follow the religion in Ghost would STRIVE for sin, and encourage those kinds of actions in order to appease Satan and grow chaos, disorder, and ruin throughout humanity. Where Catholicism has made a name for itself through fear, shame, and the threat of exocommunication, the Ministry would likely value confidence, doing what it takes to reach your goals, and the uglier sides of human nature. Classical Satanism is a bloody affair, after all Of course, all of this can differ depending on how you see the plot of Ghost. Does the Ministry value these things, and if they do, do they act on it? Was Sister’s murder of the Papas in line with these values, and if not, are there newer ideas of what’s pious under Copia’s reign? It’s difficult to say, but one thing can be said for sure.

Ghouls would not abide by these values. By any values but their own, likely. Demons and the undead aren’t known for being particularly good at following rules TL;DR: When puritan culture and ways of thinking derived from shame, religiously motivated fear, and doing the ‘right’ thing are placed onto these characters it doesn’t really make sense. It’s important to ask yourself where your thoughts are coming from, especially if you’ve been raised in a highly religious background. (In fact it’s important to ask yourself where ALL thoughts and opinions you have come from in order to fight bias, societal constructs, and ESPECIALLY prejudices against others and against even yourself)