#mystical heresy

[sunderedandundone]

Teaser (UrSkek edition)

Y'all, SilSol was one of the ones just resolutely refusing to give up their origin story to me, but lately they've begun HINTING in its direction and it's just.........kinda fucking weird so far, and I'm trying to make sense out of it.

I mean yeah they were a Musician, because of course they were a Musician. And given that pretty much all UrSkeks can make lovely music just by saying "Good morning, I see your tomatoes are flourishing"...and given that all the magic/high tech among that species makes prolific use of sound and music...and given that the Crystal itself is held to communicate with UrSkek primarily by Singing...well, being a pro Musician among UrSkek IS kind of a big deal. Not just from an artistic or a renown standpoint, but also from a power standpoint. (Really all the professions the Twice-Nine followed had some element of specialized magic/tech skill, but if a Musician were ever to go to the Dark Side -- I HC -- they could do a lot of damage.)

And you'd think that me being a musician too (also pro, but alas, doubtless well short of UrSkek standards), what would naturally spurt out of my brain would be any of a zillion plot arcs I know musicians tend to fall into? But no, no, of course not. Instead, this UrSkek goob is trying to get all boutique with my ass. All boutique with my booty. Telling me that their whole problem with society was they had *too much* insight into it for their own good. And they'd started using that insight to try to actually improve it, suns forbid -- and BY THE WAY the Homeworld Eldest are the biggest bunch of fucking hypocrites to be found in any Realm of the Crystal, and you're looking at a MINIMUM 2 million realms there with over 16 quadrillion sentients, at least within the known vortex network. -_-

This puts SilSol *mostly* into the category of UrSkeks whose Deviance is entirely intentional and freely-chosen, rather than inborn or shaped by some great misfortune. Though I'd have to guess they were always at least a *bit* beyond the norm...perhaps, though, in the way that, had they made other choices, would have brought them to great honor. (UrSkek society tends to be distrustful even of benevolent outliers because of their extremely conformist/communitarian ethos, but they also recognize the social necessity of having the *occasional* benevolent outlier, and when one who unquestionably does do great good comes along, credit will be given as due. At least in retrospect.) Or perhaps they'd just have been put down as an acceptably mild case, what UrSkeks might call an 'eccentric' by their innocent lights. ^^

It's still fuzzy, but I think what happened is that SilSol gradually came to a realization that even though UrSkek society isn't *supposed* to really have power dynamics -- AT ALL -- as in, sure there are ranks and roles and responsibilities and privileges that go with rank and role, but those things are *absolutely not* to have *anything* to do with the occupant's personality or their personal needs -- it totally does have power dynamics. They're just very subtle and deniable, a hidden undercurrent, to the point that most UrSkeks have no trouble rationalizing it away (and indeed, largely not even letting it into frontal consciousness).

SilSol chose not to explain it away, but to investigate it. It's possible this originally arose out of something to do with their work, some 'artistic differences' shit? :-D -- or some ongoing disharmony with a superior. Or they might have taken an interest simply because they also served as conductor sometimes -- and a conductor definitely has to use a combination of technical and people skills to successfully bend an ensemble to their vision for a piece.

It could even be just...something they noticed over time; that hey, there *are* certain UrSkeks who just -- seem to have things go their way more often than other UrSkeks. And it could be they then felt a driving need to understand why such a baseline contradiction should lie at the foundation of their 'perfected' society.

In other words, they...kinda discovered manipulation and hypocrisy? And therein lay their doom.

I think SilSol knew from education or past experience that other, 'lesser' civilizations and worlds have much more visible power relations (both hard and soft). Accordingly, they began consuming a lot of ::lowers voice:: *foreign media* -- just to see more clearly how these "intentional persuasion" and "charisma" and "selective reporting" kind of things work.

...As in, they literally took notes watching other peoples' comedy-dramas/reality shows/election coverage. O_o

Which any UrSkek should know is treacherous ground. There totally ARE UrSkek scholars of foreign things, on Homeworld and in the colonies. There are even, perforce, scholars of conflict. But after all, *they* have the training, the professional practices, the long trine of reflection and self-purification that are considered necessary to undertake that work. It's not supposed to be the kind of thing that Homeworld's angelic master Musicians would expose themselves to -- even Musicians who've consciously figured out that they too exercise 'soft power' whenever they use their art to move an audience. Or a mountain. :-) And who've now resolved that while they're not at all against being moved per se (I mean -- MUSIC), they *would* like to know when it's going on, thank you very much, and *why*. And whether it's always really the right course to go along, and by the way, how do you even decide what's right in a case where you suspect a lot of other people are just going along?? If not by the easiest consensus, how does one judge?

(Side note: Such foreign media is, of course, also kind of exciting. That's another of the many dodgy things about it. Really unwise, especially without proper hazmat so to speak.)

Then things get foggy again. But I know for sure that Professor SoSu -- who was definitely already teaching their Heresy, though it hadn't quiiiiite crossed the bright line over into criminality yet -- would've struck the newly woke SilSol as a superbly charismatic figure exercising a powerful, if often subconscious, influence over others. They also would've noticed that the (often young) UrSkeks who most closely flocked to SoSu were the ones who seemed a little bit.........*sus*. As in, poooossible closet Deviants.

This was no longer necessarily a bad thing, though. In fact, SilSol probably came to fervently believe that UrSkek society *needed* to have a conscious, revolutionary reckoning with all this over-conformity and hypocrisy...whatever growing pains that might cause in the meantime. And that ironically, what amplifying SoSu's message of radical honesty and acceptance really required was an advisor who could wield and explain these arcane 'persuasive' arts -- this 'primitive' wisdom that even the best, most illustrious people of other worlds were not ashamed to use in bringing people to a good cause.

Besides, was SilSol really doing anything in this that they hadn't always done, less directly, with their music? Trying to inspire imagination and compassion in their kith; trying to remind them that even their immortal kind couldn't stay completely untouched by time, joy, and loss, and that very fact might be the ineffable will of the Uni-Verse itself?

And everyone thought THAT was all right. Well, within certain bounds...though now that we bring it up, about those bounds --

SoSu, for their part, was not averse to studying this obscure branch of sociology/psychology, especially not from the academic standpoint -- though they always did caution SilSol against bringing more than the tiniest particle of it into real public discourse. UrSkeks as a species were certainly NOT ready for the full Monty on these things...nor was it probably wise for them to ever become so.

Well, obviously the both of them ended up coloring wayyy outside the lines in spite of the Professor's warning. :-) And I have a pretty good idea of the final 'trigger' incident that got the Twice-Nine banished (it really *was* done with the best of intentions, but an outside, less naive perspective would have no trouble foreseeing why the planet's authorities considered it an absolute deal-breaker). But I still need to work out a few more general things about the trine preceding that incident.

So anyway. Maybe it's not all THAT weird, but it's definitely not what I would have *expected* the likes of SilSol to start dictating to me about their Ages of UrSkekery? Hope to get it more filled out and cleaned up soon, opinions are of course always welcome in the meantime. ^^

***

PS: I've always had some trouble with SilSol just in basic concept. Not with UrSol...not with SkekSil...just with SilSol. :-P This is also very silly, because I've actually lived *some* of their slightly contradictory duality. I'm a lifelong musician who has also spent a bit of (way too much) time in politics. It's been almost all activist politics, but yanno, that IS probably the most comparable to any kind of politics SilSol would've been able to get involved with as an UrSkek anyhow. And as noted above, there is a common element of *persuasion* to the two fields. Not manipulation as it's usually thought of, although it can also be that -- but there is a certain deliberate pushing of audience's emotional buttons when you're a musician or any other kind of creative. You're trying to entertain people or show them meaning, give them happy release or sad catharsis or sweet love-thoughts or buzzing energy, all mostly for its own sake. In politics, at its best, you're trying to inspire people to cooperate towards some shared good goal -- and at worst, you're trying to convince them to uncritically hand you power. Some labor under the delusion (or the unfortunate factual knowledge) that getting the former to happen is going to require the latter. But OTOH sometimes there are people that just, you know, want to be handed power because they like it.

That last wasn't within SilSol's personality, even if it's since taken up a place within SkekSil's -- that's just a little too far outside the UrSkek spectrum for me to consider plausible. But even there, despite some life-history similarities and the fact that I really *can* relate to SilSol on a lot of stuff, there's still just a LOT I really find it hard to get into their head on. Because me personally? I only got into activist politics because I perceived an all-hands-on-deck emergency and didn't see anybody else leaping up to help. I mostly hate the work itself. Mostly. Even in semi-retirement/sabbatical/whatever this is, I still desperately want to just hand the whole damn thing over to someone else who IS personally into this shit, someone who IS a Deviant UrSkek for Great Justice. :-P

But I do think *SilSol* does need to be a bit more naturally curious about and interested in the workings of power, particularly 'soft' power, than I've ever been. Despite the fact that they were doing it all for what they thought a magnificent cause. AND despite the fact that even old SkekSil -- as smug a smipp as they've turned out to be -- still always has Reasons why they want the power they seek, and a fairly clear plan of what they're going to do with it.

(Which is more than can be said for preeeeetty much all the other Skeksis by the period of AoE. Not least, the increasingly decrepit/unhinged/paranoid Emperor. Indeed, petty preening Skeksis do NOT appreciate Chamberlain! ^^ )

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Silver, Azul: Equal Parts Noble and Naive

... Why's he making a Malleus "r u lost bby ghorl" face while also copying Lilia's chin-in-hand pose/Malleus’s Dorm Uniform pose 🤡 There's another Malleus parallel in the vignettes; Silver comments on the same Philip-Aurora dancing painting (that is shown in Malleus's Groovy) and says that he took up dancing too since he admired the prince. Boy was ready for GloMasq/j Malleus glaring at the happy couple and Silver determined to stand firm against a fearsome foe... ;v;

I don’t know if I should be concerned or not given the Groovy and potential foreshadowing for book 7 😂 since there’s fan theories about how Silver could be the “sword” that slays the dragon… *rubs hands together* but it would be fun if it happened…

Fun fact about this Groovy: it had to be corrected because during the initial drop the devs forgot Silver's eyeshadow www The first time this mistake happened, I believe it was on Platinum Suit Vil's chibi.

A Tale as Old as Time.

There was a magic to two sets of parallel lines, bound together to form a quadrilateral. A great number of things could be contained within it. Upon a storybook's page or a painter's canvas, endless possibilities and mystical beings.

Silver gazed at one now.

A spindly dragon, horned and with massive spines protruding from its back, was poised in a platinum frame. Its belly was a violent shock of violet, its scales black as the night. Leathery wings splayed, gaping maw glowing green, trails of smoke exuding from its nostrils, the fearsome beast was prepared to strike down any warrior foolish enough to approach it.

"This is the Thorn Fairy in her dragon form," Silver murmured, his expression set in seriousness. "I'd always dreamed of seeing it for myself someday."

"How wonderful that your dream has now become a reality," a slick voice crooned. It belonged to Azul, who had sidled up to him like an all-too-eager used car salesman. "Ah, but you seem to be troubled. What ails you?"

“It's just... for the Thorn Fairy to have assumed this form, it means she felt as though she was in danger. Someone may have threatened her or put her in this situation."

“That’s true.” Azul nodded. “As I recall from our Magic History lectures, fae tend to be reclusive creatures with rather tumultuous relations with other races.

“In the days when magic was branded as heresy, fae were particularly ostracized due to their natural affinity for it. Humans far and away wide feared them. It's possible that this painting depicts a struggle of a similar nature."

“A struggle…” The corners of Silver’s mouth turned down. “Yes, humans and fae have historically been at odds with one another. We are fortunate to live during an era of relative peace."

“Quite! My own people—the merfolk—have also had a strained relationship with humans. It was through the union of a mermaid princess and a human prince that we were able to begin efforts to mend that bond. I am most gracious to them! It is because of the mermaid princess that I’m afforded the opportunity to study on land.”

“That’s great, Azul. I’m happy for you.” Silver gave a smile that was as softy and airy as dandelion fluff. “It’s nice that we’re able to meet and share ideas with people from different walks of life. It makes the world a richer place.”

He looked to the painting again, his eyes tracing the curved horns of the dragon and stopping at the sharp tips. His liege, too, had a pair like those.

“… As much as I hate to admit it, it will be a while before fae and humans can reach that level of understanding." Silver folded his arms. "Sebek says the differences are too numerous, but I… I want to believe that we are capable of bringing about that kind of a future.”

His vision, so clear, so pure. It sparkled like the face of a polished mirror.

Azul pushed his glasses up, his hand concealing a smirk.

"Fufufu. Perhaps it is possible to achieve with your endless optimism and empathy, Silver-san. After all, I don't believe I've witnessed you losing your cool even once with Malleus-san, Lilia-san, or Sebek-san. That kindness and patience is your strength, stronger than any sword you could wield."

He pretended to hesitate. "Though... I do wonder what should happen if--no, never mind. Please forget that I said anything."

"What is it? You can tell me," Silver reassured him. Dread surged up from his stomach--but the spike soon settled.

"Well--" Azul made a little show of choosing his words carefully, as though he were thoroughly coming through ingredients lined up on a shelf. "Consider: what happens if the day comes when you are forced to point your sword at your master?"

"At Malleus-sama?! I can't imagine..."

"If, if. This is entirely hypothetical," his peer tutted. "Let us say that Malleus-san were to make a decision--a decision which has dire consequences for you, for all of humankind. Silver-san, would you be able to salvage that precarious peace?"

Surprise lasted for a second before it vanished from the knight. Back was a quiet stoicism, steel sharpening the delicate colors to his gaze. A hand clenching his chest, as if to keep his heart still.

Finally, he spoke.

"I will do what has to be done. I will not back down. If there comes a time when my lord strays from his path and into the darkness, then it is my duty as his retainer to return him to the light."

“And you are not concerned for what awaits you in the aftermath?”

“No,” Silver replied matter-of-factly. The answer was simple. “I will offer my hand.”

“I beg your pardon?! Am I hearing this correctly? You plan to help the person you just opposed back up after you defeat them?”

“That’s the right thing to do. Everyone deserves a chance for their feelings to be heard. If we listen, then we can find a solution together and keep the same misunderstanding from happening again. That’s my hope.”

His wish was like the buoyant notes of a bell. Clear, crisp, resonant. It flitted up, rising above the boys’ heads, at last bursting like a bubble and letting the words rain down on them in thoughtful flecks.

"… I see,” Azul mused. “So that is the type of person you are."

How noble. How naive. It seems that Silver-san is a very bit like the prince from the story he so deeply cherishes. Neither will recoil from foes, no matter how formidable.

The valuable piece of information, he tucked away for a rainy day. With his probing settled, Azul brought his hands together and flashed a winsome grin.

Here was a hero in the making, and he, the sponsor to the champion.

“Your character is commendable!! I look forward to witnessing your many friendship-fueled triumphs.”

[talonabraxas]

Sophia (Greek: Σοφíα, wisdom)

The Wise Bride of Solomon by Jews (see the Song of Songs in a book of the Hebrew bible*), as the Queen of Wisdom and War (Athena) by Greeks, Isis , the mother of Horus and the first daughter of Geb, god of the Earth, and as the Holy Spirit of Wisdom by Christians. She is known as Chokmah (pronounced HOK-mah) in Hebrew, and Sapientia in Latin.

To the Gnostics, Sophia was the feminine aspect of the Divine (as well as being analogous to the human soul) who came down from God with a special message delivered through the image of Jesus (notice that I use the word "image" because the Gnostics did not necessarily believe that Jesus actually lived as a human). Since Gnosticism downplayed Christ's historicity and resurrection and proclaimed that Christ as Wisdom could be realized individually, it was declared a heresy by the early church.

However, in Eastern Orthodox Christianity Holy Wisdom is understood as the Divine Logos who became incarnate as Jesus Christ. God was seen in this tradition as a trinity of God the Father, Mother and Son.

If it had not been for Sophia, the experience of the noumenous, or spirit, would not have been part of the creation. In the Pistis Sophia (5th or 6th century Gnostic text), Christ is sent from the Godhead in order to bring Sophia back into the fullness of God (Pleroma) she having fallen from the light (though this is refuted by some as ever having happened). Many saw Jesus as embodying Sophia and had come to the world to bring humanity back to Gnosis (knowledge and enlightenment—the meaning and purpose of all things, communication with the mind of God as in a profound spiritual understanding, or transformed consciousness where everything is perceived as a unity—One. This is not unlike the teachings of Buddah.

Essentially, the Greeks saw Sophia as the wisdom aspect of God. Some Christian mystics such as Hildegard of Bingen celebrated Sophia as a cosmic figure representing the wisdom of God and thus eternal.

[portraitsofsaints]

Saint Maximus the Confessor

580-662

Feast Day: August 13

Father of the Church

Saint Maximus the Confessor, also known as Maximus the Theologian, was born to nobility and worked for Emperor Heraclius before he became a monk. He worked with Pope Martin I against the Monothelitism heresy, the doctrine that Christ had 2 natures but one will. He attended the Lateran Council in 649. He was falsely accused of treason for his orthodox positions, taken prisoner and at 82, tortured (his tongue cut out and right hand cut off) and died. He’s noted for his 90 works on theology, mysticism, and dogmatic instructions and writings.

Prints, plaques & holy cards available for purchase here: (website)

[di--es---can-ic-ul-ar--es]

Maybe I'm girldrunk / high on the fumes / opposite of postnut clarity, but she was talking about how she studied historical and sociological takes on the Bible for a while, and said something about spirituality that made a lot of sense and softened my internal nu atheist

Like, "the holy trinity" or "the holy ghost" has long to me been a "nobody knows what it means, but it's provocative" situation. It's what dennet called a deepity, a statement with barely even superficial content that takes on a profound vibe, that leaves you with the sensation of something profound if you're not careful to actually check if there are any insights that give you an edge navigating reality.

And she said, "if you never heard music, and someone described music to you, you'd be like 'I don't believe you'"-- which really clicked for me! Like mysticism is about things that are like music in that way. So if you say "the holy trinity makes no sense to you. I get it tho" you're effectively telling me, a deaf person, about music.

So she said this one biblical historian she was reading said "all the debates and hesaid/shesaid about heresy are pointless" when it comes to what the holy trinity actually "is", because "is" is the wrong question, etc.

Pretty basic, to you maybe. But to me I'm like, huh, spirituality is like sensory information that people fail to communicate about.

[robot-roadtrip-rants]

so the horus heresy is some real gotterdammerung shit, right? it’s operatic, it’s dramatic, it’s got betrayal and heartbreak and deceit and wacky mystical hijinks, all that good stuff that works best with the bombastic music of richard wagner losing his gotdam mind. right, so who is the chick who rides her horse into her lover’s funeral pyre singing up a storm, burning down Walhalla in the process? i feel like this is a crucial question but it yet remains unanswered

[kiersau]

I'm sure someone has posted about this already, but I was curious about the book Sister Illuminata wanted to destroy. Long post under the cut.

The book is "The Mirror of Simple Souls" and it is a long poem written by Marguerite Porete around 1300. Porete was an educated woman associated with the beguine movement (a lay religious order), which allowed her more freedom to write and travel than most women of the time had.

The poem is a work of Christian mysticism and deals with "agape," or Divine love. It's unique in a couple of ways, not only because it was authored by a woman. It was in Old French at a time when Latin was the only approved language for religious texts, which was already a strike against her in later investigations. The book was also very popular - until, of course, it was condemned by the church. All existing copies were seized and burned, and circulation of the text was banned.

Marguerite Porete was arrested by inquisitors, likely around 1308 after she gave a copy of her book to a bishop. She was tried before William of Paris, the Inquisitor of France, where she staunchly refused to cooperate with any of the proceedings. She would not recant her views nor commit to stopping circulation of her work. She was burned at the stake for heresy in 1310.

I don’t understand it well, but from what I can wrap my tiny little brain around, the book essentially covers the way to unite one's soul with God, and includes characters like Love, Reason, and the Simple Soul. By giving up reason, she says, the soul can be filled with only Love and achieve oneness with God, transcending earthly troubles. She says a soul that is filled only with God's love has its sinful nature erased and therefore cannot sin - this is likely where the claims of heresy arose.

The text did survive the inquisition, though, and it was circulated anonymously until Porete was identified as the author in the 1940s. It is a foundational text for people studying Christian mysticism and the beguine movement.

(And if you wanted a translation of the above images, here is my own shoddy attempt:

"The soul touched by God and empty of sin in the first state of grace is ascended by the divine graces to the seventh state of grace, the state where it possesses its perfection in full in the land of living by divine enjoyment.

"Love says here:

"O, you active and contemplative, perhaps even annihilated by true love, you who will listen to those wonders of pure love, noble love, uplifted love of the liberated soul, you who are going to listen how the Holy Spirit has set his sails both in it [the soul] as in his ship. I beg of you out of love: listen, with great application, to this subtle understanding that is within you, and with great diligence. Otherwise, for lack of being so disposed, all those who hear this will misunderstand it. Now understand, with humility, a simple example borrowed from mundane love, and apply it equally to divine love.")

[apollosgiftofprophecy]

Suspend Your Disbelief. Seriously.

One thing I've taught myself when it comes to interpreting literature, no matter what it is or where it comes from, is when something is left unsaid, I assume the best-case scenario.

An example: Greek Mythology.

Greek Mythology is notorious for having very...disturbing things happen. And yeah, it happens to even your favorites.

But something that ticks me off (on this website in particular) is exaggerating a myth.

I think Apollo is a very good example of this. I have heard "Apollo raped [insert name here]!" so many times, but you know what? They never back it up with actual sources! Just heresy!

Daphne? He never even touched her. Chased her? Yes, but people also tend to disregard Eros's own involvement in that matter. (i made a post about it and other things)

Castalia? Same as Daphne. also was a very late addition by the Romans and is not Greek

Cassandra? This is literally a case of a woman being given autonomy! If Apollo was literally any other god, she would have been raped - but he didn't! Curse her? Yes and there's a lot more to unpack here but that's another post but he never assaulted her! "But she was coerced-" NO SHE WAS NOT. AS A MATTER OF FACT SHE LOVED HIM. YEAH THAT'S RIGHT CASSANDRA LOVED APOLLO. PROOF IN THE TROJAN WOMEN:

Farewell, ye garlands of that god most dear to me! farewell, ye mystic symbols! I here resign your feasts, my joy in days gone by. Go, I tear ye from my body, that, while yet mine honour is intact, I may give them to the rushing winds to waft to thee, my prince of prophecy

also this is after the curse situation. so. they have NUANCES! and i like that. euripides be giving us NUANCES and i SALUTE him GIVE ME THE NUANCES PLEASE

I could go on and on. But one myth is a very good example of this "assume the best happened" vs "assume the worst happened" mindset.

Bolina. She was a mortal who Apollo fell in love with, but she threw herself off a cliff. Apollo turned her immortal to save her life, and that's the end of the story.

Yet I have heard people use Bolina's myth as "proof" that Apollo's a rapist.

First of all, I have a whole post basically debunking this notion, but also, where does it say. at any point. that Apollo raped Bolina?

(screenshot from Theoi.com)

Where.

That's right. Nowhere.

Sure, I guess you could assume it was done after Apollo turned Bolina immortal, but honestly, in my opinion, that's just grasping at straws. That's looking for something to complain about.

What I've learned is to assume the best happens. And guess what? That makes me enjoy mythology more! Suspend your disbelief! Not that difficult! Just because these myths are from ancient times doesn't mean terrible things happened all the time!

And I say this as an enjoyer of Mythology. This is not my religion, or my culture, but I am an avid enjoyer (particularly of Apollo's myths, hence why I used him as an example) and I do get irritated when these myths are twisted around in someone's quest to "prove" that a certain god usually Apollo is The Worst.

and it's kinda funny how people are determined to make Apollo this terrible, misogynistic asshole when...he's not. Then turn around and call the goddesses feminist girlbosses when they have also done fuck-up shit to other women.

Suspend the disbelief. You'll be happier.

[twistedtummies2]

Top 20 Lion King Songs

Today is a big day for Disney fans (and many a furry, for that matter): it marks the 30th Anniversary of one of Disney’s most successful movies, “The Lion King.” While the actual celebrations by Disney itself for the event have been…controversial, shall we say? It is worth pointing out that the movie is extremely worthy of commemoration: it was, and still is, one of the most successful animated films ever made, and many people I talk to have said it’s one of their favorite movies of all time. It’s not hard to see why, either: it’s grand and epic on a scale that seldom few Disney films before it quite reached, in terms of scope and human emotion…which is ironic, since there are no actual humans in the story. It also spawned no less than two animated TV shows, a couple of direct-to-video sequels, a (very bad) CGI remake, and one of the single biggest stage musicals of all time. Interestingly, both the movie and the musical were considered fool’s projects. Many people thought neither would work. So to see how successful they’ve been is certainly intriguing, if nothing else. 

One of the things that has made the Lion King, in nearly ALL its forms, so successful is undoubtedly the music. It’s very, very rare you’ll find someone who DOESN’T say the songs in the original film are among the greatest in any musical, movie or not…and the stage show and other spin-off pieces have only continued this tradition, introducing new songs all their own that are often equally fantastic, if not more so. Therefore, after some consideration, I decided to do a sort of deep-dive countdown of my favorite songs from the franchise’s history. Now, one important thing to note is that this list will NOT cover the Timon & Pumbaa TV series, the direct-to-video film “Lion King 1 ½,” and the aforementioned CGI remake. In all these cases, it’s because I can’t really remember too many original songs from any of them, and the ones I do recall I wouldn’t place on this countdown anywhere. That, however, still leaves us plenty of material: this list will cover the original movie, the stage musical, the sequel “Lion King II: Simba’s Pride,” and the TV series “The Lion Guard” - an entire sequel series that told the story of Simba’s son and his friends protecting the Pride Lands, taking place between “Simba’s Pride” and the original film. With that said…it’s time to praise the Circle of Life. These are My Top 20 Lion King Songs!

20. Beware of Poa.

Just a heads-up right off the bat: fifty percent of this whole countdown will be tunes from “The Lion Guard.” This is primarily due to the simple fact that, being a TV series with no less than 75 separate episodes, there’s a lot more music to be found there than either of the films or the stage show. And it all starts with our first choice: “Beware of Poa.” This song appears in the episode “Poa the Destroyer,” where one of the Guard members - a young hippo named Beshte - starts inadvertently causing trouble at the mystical Tree of Life. Beshte doesn’t mean any harm, but he apparently doesn’t know his own strength, and his size causes many a headache for those who live at the Tree. This culminates in the character Pinguino singing a song about the mysterious “Poa the Destroyer,” believing Beshte to be some sort of monster out to ruin the Tree of Life, and rallying other animals to his side. The song is visually delightful (which goes for most melodies on this countdown), and very catchy, but ultimately just isn’t as “important” as other songs on the list, in terms of story, character, and context. Still, it’s a lot of fun - one of my personal faves from the series as a whole - so I decided to give it a place.

19. I Just Can’t Wait to Be King.

Yeah, I know, placing this song so low in the ranks is tantamount to heresy for some people. One of the things I considered when both choosing and ranking songs, however, was a simple question: how often do I actually come back to the song? How often do I sing it, how often do I reference it, and how much do I look forward to it when watching the piece? And when considering all those facts, this number actually fell somewhat short compared to a lot of other tunes. Do not misconstrue this to mean I dislike it, however: not only is this song very fun - arguably the most outrageous song, visually, in the entire original movie, for a start - but it’s also rather important. This is the song that shows us where Simba’s journey as a character begins: he’s young, simple-minded, cocky, adventurous, and doesn’t fully understand the responsibilities that have yet to be heaped upon him. He’s a showboating spoiled brat at this point, and while we see the humor in what’s going on, that is a point worth noting: almost immediately after this song is when things start to go wrong in his life, and from that point on, he faces increasingly harder challenges he has to not only survive and endure, but learn from. In that sense, it’s a remarkably necessary tune…but I guess I prefer songs that are slightly less “kiddy,” on the whole. Speaking of which…

18. Hakuna Matata.

Depending on who you are, seeing this song so low in the ranks will either be the most heinous blasphemy known to man…or seeing it here AT ALL will be the same. “Hakuna Matata” seems to be a very polarizing number; I tend to find that most people loved it a lot as kids, but as we get older we gravitate more towards the other songs in the film. There are also some people who just love the song in general…and, one should add immediately, some who think the song is annoying and always have. I fall into the formermost category: I remember as a little kid singing this song and enjoying it a lot, but as a grown-up it’s probably one of the songs I skip over most with this franchise. And while it kind of has become its own unique phenomenon, it must be noted that the song serves an important purpose in the original film. First of all, it musically introduces us to the core philosophies of Timon & Pumbaa: letting go of the things that one can’t change or doesn’t like to think about and simply moving on with one’s life. Second of all, the philosophy itself is an important theme in the film, as Simba has to balance what to throw away and what to cling to from his identity and his past from this point on. Third and finally, it serves as the primary comic relief number of the movie…and to its credit, that comic relief is pretty sorely needed, since the scenes that preceded this song for the past ten to twenty minutes, at least, were pretty intense: among the most dramatic, dark, and adrenaline-inducing in the whole film. A bouncy little ditty that translates to “don’t worry, be happy,” is actually sort of important: it gives an audience hope, as well as levity. Overall, I still think it’s a tune worth some merit…but, just like “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King,” there are plenty of other songs I like more.

17. You Best Not Mess With Mama.

The villain songs throughout the Lion King franchise are pretty darn great, and if there’s anything one can take away from this countdown, that’s probably it: at least a quarter of this countdown - more if you count the Honorable Mentions - are beats from the baddies. The series, as a whole, has a talent for creating antagonists that are equal parts entertaining and utterly awful, like so many other fantastic Disney Villains, and their musical moments are a big part of what make them all so fun to watch. Case in point: Mama Binturong, one of the main villains from Season 3 of “The Lion Guard.” Mama is a cantankerous old crook who obsessively hoards tuliza plants - her favorite food (which may or may not be fictional) - and has an army of porcupines as her enforcers. Her song more or less just enforces her character, but what makes it great is the style: first of all, the visuals are done in monochrome - the only spot of color being the purple tuliza flowers - with aged film-scratches on the screen, giving it a unique look that none of the other songs ANYWHERE in the franchise have, as far as I can find. This and the sort of jazzy vibe of the music plays up Mama Binturong as a rather different villain. She feels almost like an old-timey gangster in binturong’s clothing, which helps her stand out. There’s not much else to this one, but just like “Poa the Destroyer,” it’s a lot of fun, and the aesthetics make it highly memorable.

16. My Own Way.

This is a case where I think the original singer is the primary reason this song works so beautifully. “My Own Way” is another case of a song from “The Lion Guard” that doesn’t really serve any long-lasting purpose, but more is just a stepping stone in the episode it’s a part of. The character in focus is Fuli the Cheetah, a member of the Guard. In the episode, “Fuli’s New Family,” her friends worry about how much time she spends on her own, and their attempts to give her more company get on her nerves. “My Own Way” is essentially Fuli cementing her outlook on life, while venting about her frustrations with the situation: it’s not that she dislikes her friends, but she values both her privacy and her own sense of independence. She’s not really lonely, nor is she antisocial. She simply enjoys her “me time” and the feeling of having no one else to worry about now and again. Fuli’s voice actor - as well as her singing voice - is performer Diamond White, whom some may know for the voice of Marvel’s Moon Girl, or as Frankie Greene from “Transformers: Rescue Bots.” And while this show had plenty of awesome singers - some unexpectedly so - I think White’s voice is the most singularly breathtaking of the entire cast. Anytime Fuli sings, it is BLISS on my ears. Her voice is so clear, with this beautiful blend of purity and power; it brings a lot of soul and spice to the character, and makes relatively simple songs like this one feel far more impactful. The song is good on its own terms, but I think it’s White’s vocals that really give it most of its punch. It’s my favorite solo tune from the character.

15. May There Be Peace.

This is the last sort of “one and done” song from “The Lion Guard” on the list: by which I mean, the song serves a purpose in the episode it hails from, but it doesn’t really impact the show or the characters as a whole. After this point on the list, the tunes featured from the show tend to have much more impact on the overarching plot of the series. With that said, there’s nothing wrong with “one and dones,” and this is a spellbinding example of that. This song serves as the centerpiece of the episode “The Ukumbusho Tradition,” which tells the story of the Guard and their families attending a holiday celebration. The event commemorates a peace treaty made between the lions and the elephants many years ago. It’s a cute episode, and the song itself is very sweet, with a tender message that pleas for not only peace between peoples, but also for people to do what they can to make that peace happen - a topical concept in just about any era of human history, I’d say. Overall, however, neither the episode nor the song do much to further the characters or the show on the whole, like I said…but as far as bits of fluff go, it’s a very, VERY nice one. Gentle, soothing, yet poignant.

14. When I Led the Guard.

Now things from “The Lion Guard” side of this list get interesting. In Season 2 of the series, Scar was resurrected by two of the main antagonists from Season 1 - Janja and Ushari - and thus began a long-running and elaborate scheme to gain revenge on Simba and destroy the Pride Lands. This scheme came to its climactic conclusion in the Season 3 premiere, “Battle for the Pride Lands.” That’s where this song comes in: “When I Led the Guard” tells the story of how Scar not only gained his namesake, but also began his descent into darkness. It also serves as important foreshadowing, since Scar plots to put Kion - the main character, Simba’s son - through the same tortuous trial. There is a LOT that makes this song great: the performance from Scar’s actor in the show (due to a decided lack of Jeremy Irons OR Jim Cummings), David Oyelowo, is genuinely stunning. The instrumentals give a lot of weight to the tune, as well. And of course, the foreshadowing of what’s to come is great. My only real problem with the song is the backstory itself: there are some issues with it I’ve addressed in the past that I just can’t overlook. Still, it is cool to SEE that backstory, and provides some interest comparison and contrast with what’s to come. It may not be on par with “Be Prepared,” but it’s still a great musical moment from the Lion King’s first and greatest villain in its own right.

13. A New Way to Go.

In the words of Rafiki, “change is good.” A recurring theme throughout the Lion King franchise is characters learning from their mistakes and changing for the better. Not every character learns, of course, and those characters usually end up being the villains…but sometimes, even a villain can learn to become something better. Case in point: Janja the Hyena. Janja is the main antagonist of the first season of the Lion Guard, and remains a major villain going into its second season, as one of the ones responsible for resurrecting Scar. He is, in essence, for the first two thirds of the series, the Guard’s arch-nemesis, even more than Scar: Janja has been a thorn in their sides literally since all of them were children. He seems one of the least likely characters to have a chance at redemption…but over the course of the show, we do start to see some soft sides pop up now and again with his character. Things reach a turning point when Jasiri - a rival hyena who is actually friends with Kion, and an ally of the Guard - saves Janja’s life. This leads into this song, which occurs (like our previous pick) during “Battle for the Pride Lands.” It’s revealed that being rescued by one of his enemies has caused Janja’s whole world view to turn upside-down: he suddenly finds himself wondering if bringing Scar back and serving him was really the best decision, and if joining Jasiri and making peace with Kion and the Pride Landers might be better for him and his clan. At the same time, however, he isn’t sure if he CAN turn over that new leaf: after everything he’s done, is redemption even possible for someone like him? The use of color throughout this sequence, as well as both visual and lyrical callbacks to earlier scenes and songs, make this moment of a villain questioning their morality and trying to decide whether it’s time to make a change or not all the more interesting to see and hear. Janja had many fun songs throughout the series, but I think this number really cemented him as possibly my favorite character in the show. What can I say? I love a good redemption arc.

12. Tree of Life.

In Season 1 of the Lion Guard, Janja was the main antagonist. In Season 2, it was Scar. So, with Scar (and Ushari) defeated for good at the beginning of the third and final season, and with Janja reformed in the same storyline…who was going to take over the reins of main villain in the episodes to come? Enter Makucha: a gluttonous leopard who appeared a couple times in the show prior, but had never really seemed to be THAT big a threat. He was a fun antagonist, but he only showed up in two or three episodes: compared to characters like the ones I’ve just mentioned, among others, he was more of a nuisance than a real menace. So I imagine it must have been quite the surprise for fans when he suddenly returned and became the main antagonist of the final season. As if to cement his new status as the next “big bad” of the franchise for the remainder of the show, he was given a villain song all his own…and one with a delightfully ironic title. “Tree of Life” is the point where Makucha changes from just an annoyance to a real danger: obsessed with the thought of finding the titular mystical hideaway, Makucha declares his plan to find a guide who can lead him and his fellow leopards to the Tree, for the sole purpose of devouring every single animal he can get his jaws around once there. This becomes the main antagonistic conflict of the Season, as Makucha tracks the Guard across their journey, gathering followers along the way, amassing an army that can conquer the Guard. The song isn’t as “intense” as many other villain songs in the show, but the irony of the title, the importance it has in the series - as well as for Makucha’s character - and the performance of the singer (veteran voice actor Steve Blum) makes it one of my favorite villain songs in the entire franchise.

11. We Are One.

FINALLY, we can move away from the Lion Guard for one gosh-danged minute! Instead, let’s talk about the ORIGINAL sequel to the Lion King, “Simba’s Pride.” This song focuses on Simba and his daughter, Kiara. The young princess - following an encounter with an Outsider named Kovu (more on him later) - feels some uncertainty about her status and her future. She often feels rather cooped-up by her role as princess, and isn’t sure whether she should follow her heart or stick with the traditions that have been established. Simba - wanting to comfort his daughter - sings this heartfelt but playful song about family, saying that while she may not know what to do now, she will know in the future. And as her father, he will do what he can to support and to help her. The song is sweet, but it’s also EXTREMELY ironic: to be blunt, Simba’s kind of one of the bad guys in this story, or at least I would argue as much. He’s not a villain, by ANY means, but he does make some decidedly non-heroic choices, and has been making them even before this point. He’s become obsessed with preserving the safety of his family and the Pride Lands, after everything that occurred in the first film. And sure enough, as the movie goes on, his choices become increasingly more questionable: it later is, funnily enough, Kiara standing up to him and going against his wishes that ultimately makes him realize his own folly, and how he’s been betraying the very ideal he tried to teach her as a cub. As a result, the song serves as a starting point for BOTH characters’ story arcs, as Kiara has to eventually choose between her own heart and her family, and Simba has to realize that “We Are One” does not only apply to those who share the same blood. It’s a lovely song on its own terms, but the context makes it all the more fascinating.

10. Kwetu ni Kwetu.

Aaaand we’re back to the Lion Guard. Don’t worry, we won’t be sticking with the show too much longer. XD This song appears in the the episode “The Hyena Resistance,” in which the aforementioned Jasiri and her clan have to decide whether to officially join forces with the Pride Landers and take a united stand against Scar and his cronies, or simply run and hide. Jasiri, as you may or may not suspect already, is not the “run and hide” kind of person. Tired of all the havoc Scar and his henchmen have been causing for her and her friends, she sings this song to convince the rest of her clan to join in the fight and take a risk to protect their homeland. I absolutely love Jasiri as a character: from minute one she was a lot of fun to see in action, and she only got more and more interesting as the series went on. This song is one of her crowning moments…and I say that with a double meaning. (If you’ve seen the series, you’ll get the reference there.) It’s fairly short - like most songs in the series, to be honest - but it does a great job with the time it has. It’s basically the Lion Guard’s version of “Do You Hear the People Sing?” A rallying cry that is fairly short, but very strong.

9. On the Last Night.

If “Kwetu ni Kwetu” was the Lion King universe’s version of “Do You Hear the People Sing?” then this is that same world’s version of “One Day More.” It’s also our last song from the oft-before-mentioned “Battle for the Pride Lands” on the list. The scene is kind of what it says on the tin: it’s the final evening before the titular battle, when the Pride Landers will have to face Scar’s army. The setup is both tense and yet serene: everything is peaceful. There’s no immediate danger occurring. It’s even quite a beautiful time. But over all this tranquility is the looming Sword of Damocles: the realization that, by morning, things will be different. There’s no telling who will win, who will lose, or what exactly will happen. The Guard members gather together to reassure one another and make a final, solemn vow to do all they can to win and stick to their ideals in the chaos to come. It’s…a surprisingly heavy moment, all things considered, and the song matches it perfectly. There’s a quality to the music and vocals that is both soothing and yet suspenseful. It is the lead up to the biggest, most dangerous moment in any of these characters’ lives so far, and even though they have great confidence, there’s still plenty of doubt and uncertainty. I get shivers - literal, genuine, I’m-not-exaggerating-at-all SHIVERS - almost every time I hear this one. It may not be from one of the films, nor the stage show, but it’s definitely on par with many of the more famous songs in this franchise. No question it belongs in my Top 10.

8. One of Us.

We now return to “Simba’s Pride”...which is ironic, because this is probably Simba’s lowest point in the story, as a character. For those who don’t know, the sequel film to “The Lion King” is essentially a Disney-ified rendition of “Romeo and Juliet.” Kiara, as you might guess, is Juliet…which leads us to our Romeo figure, Kovu. This young, dark lion is the adoptive son of Scar, and has been raised by Zira for the sole purpose of assassinating Simba and taking over the throne. However, Kovu falls in love with Kiara, and starts to realize how wrong all the things Zira taught him were. Simba starts off distrusting of the lion (not helped, likely, by the fact he bears an uncanny resemblance to his evil uncle), but eventually starts to open up…and this song occurs after everything goes to absolute Hell in a teapot. Zira, tired of waiting on Kovu, and worried he’ll back out of the plan, ambushes Simba with her followers, wounding the great King. Although Kovu renounces his allegiance to them shortly thereafter, Simba is not only unaware of this, but really wouldn’t care if he did: in his mind, Kovu has proven himself to be a traitor, and so he publicly denounces the young lion and banishes him. Now, the dark lion has nowhere to call home: both of the prides he once served have exiled him forever. “One of Us” is sung by the wrathful Pride Landers, as they basically chase the browbeaten Kovu out of their territory. This song isn’t exactly a villain song, but it’s certainly not a happy one: it’s a very tragic and depressing moment, as this character we’ve come to care about is left totally alone through really no fault of his own. In some ways, it’s one of the darkest songs in the Lion King catalogue…although I will say, the lyric “See ya later, Agitator!” is…honestly really freaking silly. Come on, guys, we know you could do better. XD

7. My Lullaby.

If “One of Us” is one of the darkest songs in the Lion King universe, I would honestly argue this one - also from “Simba’s Pride” -  IS the darkest. It is, if nothing else, the most viscerally brutal and downright sadistic song in the entire franchise. This is performed by Zira, the main antagonist of the sequel: a follower of Scar who plots revenge against Simba and the Pride Landers, after she and her fellow Outsiders were banished to the farthest reaches of the Outlands. Left to raise Kovu, whom Scar intended to be his heir, Zira plots to train him to be an assassin and find a way to use him to destroy Simba and his family. “My Lullaby” is essentially Zira reveling in her own bloodlust, as she fantasizes about the carnage and horror she has in mind for the future. She doesn’t just want Simba dead, she wants a BLOODBATH, and the lyrics - combined with Suzanne Pleshette’s snarly, vicious vocals - make that abundantly clear. The only thing that really keeps it out of the Top 5, for me, is that - for once - the visuals are a bit lacking for me. There’s some great moments, make no mistake, but a LOT of this song - especially visually - feels like “Diet Be Prepared,” which is a shame. Overall, however, the song itself definitely stands on its own feet…or, rather, paws (ba-dum-tss) as a marvelously malevolent melody.

6. Shadowland.

After a very, VERY long list already, we finally come to our first entry on the countdown native to the stage version of “The Lion King.” While most of the show’s songs originated in the animated film, there are a couple of numbers that are exclusive to the musical. One of the most notable is “Shadowland.” In the original film, despite being one of the major characters, Nala - Simba’s best friend and future love interest - never gets a song to herself in the movie. In fact, we don’t even see her as an adult until she’s already left the Pride Lands, in the final cut. While this does work for the film by making Nala’s return to the plot and appearance before Simba more of a surprise, the musical is able to give her some more focus, and show us how she, like Simba, has grown and changed. In this song, after facing unwelcome advances from Scar (awkward), Nala realizes that the only way the Pride Lands can be saved is if she finds help elsewhere. So, unsure of what will happen or when/if she’ll return to the home she’s always known, she flees and escapes into the Outlands, bidding farewell to her mother and the other lionesses on the way. The song is sad and spooky: Nala is going through a LOT of emotional turmoil here. On the one hand, the world she knew is decaying, dying, and doomed. There’s nothing left for her there, in more ways than one. But on the other hand, leaving means leaving the family and the values she’s always held dear. And while she does plan to return, it’s not clear what’s going to happen or what she’ll come back to. The song is set to one of the most touching melodies in the original score, only heightening the impact. It’s one of the few changes the musical makes to the plot, and it’s an effective alteration.

5. Can You Feel the Love Tonight?

It’s honestly hard to think of what to say about this romantic classic. I just…really love it. It has some personal connections to me, which is part of the reason why…but that IS only PART of the reason. The rest of it…I’m not sure. I simply think it’s a beautiful song that touches a chord, and I’m not even the romantic type! The song occurs in the original film (and the Broadway show) after Simba and Nala reunite as adults. After so many years apart, they start to feel things for each other they probably never felt before…but even as these new, romantic feelings flow through them, there’s uncertainty on both ends. The reunion is happy, but also unsteady: Nala isn’t sure why Simba disappeared so many years ago, and Simba is afraid to tell her the entire truth. The song is both jubilant and yet tremulous, as each flips between soaking in the atmosphere and discovering their emotions, and then pulling back as they realize things aren’t quite as perfect as they seem. It’s a sweet song, and it’s one I really enjoy…I just don’t have a lot to talk about with it. Don’t worry, the next one will give me PLENTY to ramble about. :P

4. We’re the Same (Sisi ni Sawa).

We’ve returned to “The Lion Guard” one final time, and I have to say it: this is quite possibly the single most important song in the entire show. It might even be one of the most important for the franchise as a whole. At first glance, and without full context, you’ll probably wonder why: this takes place in the episode “Never Judge a Hyena,” which is one of the earliest episodes in the show. It introduced Jasiri, and established her as a friendly hyena in contrast to Janja and the trio of Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed from the film. The tune is sung as a duet between herself and Kion, as the lion prince learns not to judge a proverbial book by its cover, and that he and the hyenas - as a whole - are not so very different. Good lesson, classic trope for a kids show…but what’s the big deal? The song isn’t bad, obviously, but what makes it so special? Well, simply put, this song involves all of the major themes in this franchise all at once. I mentioned that one major overarching theme in the series is growth and change, and this song - this scene, this episode - marks one of Kion’s major turning points in his story arc. But it also plays into two other themes, which are especially pronounced in the TV series: duality and tolerance. Throughout the whole franchise, and especially in this show, the protagonists and antagonists alike have to learn to work together with animals of different species and/or walks of life in order to achieve their goals. The thing that ultimately sets them apart is that the antagonists can never fully settle their differences, which is part of what leads to their downfalls. The protagonists are able to coexist harmoniously with other people. This covers tolerance, and as for duality…in this series alone, the catchphrase of this song comes up NUMEROUS times as the show goes on. It’s used as a way of showing that the villains and the heroes are never really all that different from each other: a lot of these characters, both good and bad, have common ground, and could easily have gone down a different path if circumstances and certain choices had been different. In short, “Sisi ni Sawa” basically sums up EVERYTHING that the Lion King is about, and does so in a cute, catchy, fun way. The more I see/hear it and the more I think about it, the better the song becomes in my mind; it easily earns a place in my Top 5.

3. Circle of Life.

While “Sisi ni Sawa” may well summarize all the major themes in this franchise (especially in retrospect), I think “Circle of Life” DEFINES what the themes and ideals of this franchise are - both in terms of its messages and its sense of scope and style. This song, purely and simply, is EPIC: from the opening, bold, almost shocking notes that herald the iconic sunrise, to the traditional African chants that fill it through the course of the number, to the way the music swells and crescendos once again…it is a song that brings you on a journey, and at the same time sucks you into this world. The music, on its own, promises something grand and almost operatic in its size and values, while at the same time delivering a message that is remarkably simple and clear: life moves on, change is constant, and we should respect everything that goes into that. It’s not a surprise that this tune both opens AND closes the story of the original movie; everything cycles back and around. It really tells us the message of the whole movie in a nutshell: life is full of doubt, tribulation, and big change. To survive, you must both hold true to who you are, and learn to adapt; do so, and you can - hypothetically - achieve great things. It’s just as poignant and impactful onstage as it is onscreen, and one of the most iconic songs and sequences not just in this franchise, nor even just in a Disney movie, but arguably from any film ever made. I’d say, for those reasons above all else, it deserves a place in the top three.

2. Be Prepared.

Look, I know Circle of Life is epic, but…come now. If you know me, it shouldn’t be even REMOTELY a surprise I feel this song tops it. “Be Prepared” is widely regarded as one of the greatest villain songs of all time; most people I know would easily name it among their Top 5 Disney Villain Songs, in particular, at the very least. For me, I’m not AS huge a fan of it as most people (you can blame Vincent Price and “The Nightmare Before Christmas” for that one), it’s still among my top ten Disney Villain musical numbers, and it’s easily the crowning glory for all of the villain songs in this franchise. The lyrics are mincing, the instrumentals have a great sense of weight to them, and the rhythm itself has a sort of twistedly playful quality to it; it’s both a funny and a threatening song, matching the villains involved as Scar and the Hyenas declare their intentions to kill Simba and Mufasa so they can take over the Pride Lands. (Mostly Scar, to be fair.) Something interesting about this number, though, is the context it takes place in during the story: this is really the last scene where I think the audience can genuinely say they unironically love Scar. Why? Because the very next sequence after this is Mufasa’s death: while Scar is still enjoyable after that point, the fact he actually succeeds in not only killing a protagonist, but all of the details that go INTO killing that protagonist, makes us see him in a different light. Only a couple minutes ago, we were enjoying the wild ride of wickedness with him, and now we’re afraid of what’s coming next, as we see that not only is he WILLING to go the distance…but, unlike many other Disney Villains, he’s SUCCEEDED in doing so. It honestly reminds me of Shakespeare’s Richard III (who I honestly think is more comparable to Scar than Claudius, despite the Hamlet influence): Richard starts off as a dastard, sure, but he’s also something of an underdog. Once he’s on top of the world, he only becomes an even worse monster, which makes the audience’s feelings about his character more complicated. “Be Prepared” is the story of where Scar starts off…making it the beginning of the end for so many good things the characters in the story value, and heralds our change in outlook on this antagonist. It is a master stroke.

1. He Lives in You.

I have to be honest, I was strongly, STRONGLY tempted to name “Be Prepared” as my number one choice. However, the more I thought about it, the more I realized…no. As much as I love Be Prepared, THIS is the song that I think of first when I think of the Lion King franchise in general. Invented for the stage musical, the song later became even more famous when it was used as the opening number for “Simba’s Pride.” In its original context, the song first appears in the scene where Mufasa tells a young Simba about the Great Kings of the Past. It is famously reprised later, when Rafiki guides Simba to the place where he sees his father’s ghost, and Simba chooses to accept his role as the one true king and return to the Pride Lands. In “Simba’s Pride,” the context is obviously different; essentially, it serves the same purpose as “Circle of Life,” and evokes much of the same imagery, but it establishes that this isn’t the same story: “He Lives in You” has a more determined and yet comforting sound to it. It’s a song that indicates a story continuing, or a story changing, not a story beginning. For a sequel, this works brilliantly, indicating the same ideas as “Circle of Life” in a different manner. In the stage show, it works even better, as it powerfully delivers the messages Simba needs to hear most. Something about this song is so haunting, and yet so inspiring; it doesn’t get quite as many kudos as “Circle of Life,” but it really is one of the most powerful in the franchise. And for me, it’s one of the songs I listen to most from the whole thing. It’s kind of funny ending this list on a song that WASN’T from the original movie, but I guess that’s kind of poetic in its own way: over the course of three decades, “The Lion King” has evolved and stretched out. Things have changed, and as the movie itself points out, “change is good.” I have no problem whatsoever declaring “He Lives in You” to be My Favorite Lion King Song.

HONORABLE MENTIONS INCLUDE…

Long Live the Queen.

Lions Over All.

Outta the Way.

Chow Down.

[wonderingwarlockofthenight]

Baphomet, a controversial figure that has been associated with various occult and mystical practices throughout history. The first known mention of Baphomet was in a letter written in 1098 by Anselm of Ribemont describing the Siege of Antioch during the First Crusade. Anselm stated that the Turks “called loudly upon Baphomet.” Most scholars believe that the word refers to Muhammad, the founder of Islam.

Baphomet was later linked to accusations of heresy and idol worship among the Templars. However, it wasn't until the 19th century that Baphomet took on a more concrete form as an occult icon, thanks to the influential French occultist Éliphas Lévi, who depicted it as a hermaphroditic winged figure adorned with esoteric symbols.

Due to its association with Satanism, Baphomet can be viewed as a demonic or subversive symbol, and thus stand in for something considered evil or deviant. It can also serve as an identifying marker for those aligned with the occult.

However, many occultists view Baphomet not as demonic but as an idol or deity that harmonizes cosmic opposites, a god of duality, e.g., good and evil, light and dark, man and woman, human and beast.

[madmonksandmaenads]

How do I do a religion build for a Wretched playthrough? Time sensitive

Ok, so early game you are speccing into a major monotheist religion for easy access to resources. Get yourself some levels in church theology and perhaps join a scholarly order to gain access to rare texts.

Next, you are going to become a heretic(make sure it's one of the cool ones, AVOID Triclavianism). This will really open up your build potential, and until you start trying to be loud about your heresy, you might even go unnoticed for a while. From here, start developing a personal understanding of the divine and study the sacred forces internally.

Now, the reason most guides don't recommend heresy is because it will get you kicked out of the church and cause you to lose all your property. HOWEVER, if you start specing into mysticism and asceticism, this is actually an upside! Go into a cave or the desert and meditate until you achieve an ineffable understanding of the divine.

As a full-fledged mystic, you are theologically untouchable. You can laugh off any logic or belief based attacks and counter-attack with a cutting truth or confounding riddle.

[portraitsofsaints]

Saint Maximus the Confessor

580-662

Feast Day: August 13

Father of the Church

Saint Maximus the Confessor, also known as Maximus the Theologian, was born to nobility and worked for Emperor Heraclius before he became a monk. He worked with Pope Martin I against the Monothelitism heresy, the doctrine that Christ had 2 natures but one will. He attended the Lateran Council in 649. He was falsely accused of treason for his orthodox positions, taken prisoner and at 82, tortured (his tongue cut out and right hand cut off) and died. He’s noted for his 90 works on theology, mysticism, and dogmatic instructions and writings.

Prints, plaques & holy cards available for purchase here: (Website)

[borntolurk]

METATRON: or an explanation about why his inclusion in the S2 and S3 narrative is fascinating and weird, actually

Originally, this was going to be a stupid, unlikely, and mildly cynical theory about what I think is going to happen in S3 and how it might compare to my third least favorite TV show finale.

But while I was writing it I went down a Metatron rabbit hole and honestly? It's pretty crazy. Like, really crazy.

Part 1: Metatron

So who is Metatron, anyway?

(This gets a bit detailed but I promise it pays off!)

I think a lot of people, because Metatron is in the book (which is a Book of Revelation parody), assume that he was also a figure in the New Testament- or barring that, in the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible. But he wasn't! In fact, Metatron isn't in Christian scripture or early literature at all.

Metatron is really a (very nearly, he's also mentioned in Islamic texts) Jewish figure. The exact origins are a bit fuzzy to me, as while I'm a scholar of Jewish history this isn't my era (it also gets pretty mystical and my worst grades were on mysticism-related papers), but essentially you're not seeing the name until a century or two after the Common Era at the very least. In antiquity, the name is largely found in the 3rd Book of Enoch (and later other Merkabot/Hekhalot literature) and in the Talmud.

The 3rd Book of Enoch is a work whose origins date back to anywhere from the 1st to the 5th century CE and it continues the themes of the 1st and 2nd books which discuss Enoch, the seventh generation from Adam in the Book of Genesis. In Genesis, Enoch is noted as having been taken by God rather than dying, and the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Book of Enoch expands on this idea of Enoch being a massively powerful figure in Heaven (keeper of treasures, God's right hand figure, leader of the archangels, etc)- and even potentially being a lesser/dual version of God. In the 3rd book in particular, the word Metatron is used to describe him.

For those who are aware of Jewish theology, it might have occurred to you that the idea of there being a duality of God in any way is a pretty fraught one; Enoch is largely non-canonical in Judaism*, but it was still cited reasonably frequently by Jews in the early Common Era. In the next few centuries, we start to see more mentions of Metatron (at this point, not explicitly identified with Enoch) in Jewish literature, and this becomes a pretty big deal.

We then have three Talmudic mentions of Metatron, and one of them (Avodah Zarah 3b) is relatively minor, but does suggest, importantly, that God deputizes Metatron to do tasks that God would otherwise do. The other two are more interesting here. In Sanhedrin 38b, we see a debate between Rav (Rabbi) Idit and a heretic, who suggests that perhaps Metatron, which Rav Idit has mentioned as a representative of God, should be worshipped on par with God; Rav Idit makes clear that this is not correct.

The most interesting, though, is the story in Chagiga 15a, which tells the story of Rabbi Elisha ben Abuyah, otherwise known as Acher (the Other, signifying that he is a heretic). The story of Acher is a quite famous one, but here it's told with a particular twist that didn't make it into the versions that I learned in Jewish day school- the involvement of Metatron and its influence on the precise nature of Acher's heresy.

Rabbi Elisha ben Abuyah was a 1st century rabbi and teacher who was one of the leaders of his generation who is described as having been one of the four rabbis who entered the "Pardes," or orchard- and he cut down the saplings, becoming a heretic. This is usually interpreted to mean that he was exposed to deep, fundamental understandings of God which caused him to turn away. In this particular version of the story, what he saw was a vision of Heaven in which Metatron was sitting in God's presence. To Elisha ben Abuyah, this was a massive affront to God- surely one should stand in God's presence! This led him to believe that maybe there were two powers in Heaven, and thus led him down the road to heresy and the epithet Acher.

The story continues that as a result, Metatron was beaten with fiery rods to make a statement that he was not parallel to God, contrary to what Acher believed. Metatron was also asked why he hadn't stood up when Acher arrived, to avoid the conclusion. The answer is that the Metatron had permission to sit in order to "write the merits of Israel."

And, because of this heresy by Acher, Metatron is given permission to erase Acher's good deeds. There is a voice from Heaven saying that all sinners may return- except for Acher. This leads to Acher's purposeful slide into heresy more broadly (his first stop is literally to a sex worker, something that would be unacceptable for a rabbi, to PROVE that he's now gone bad).

(Also worth noting- in the Jerusalem Talmud, an entirely different reason is given for Acher's heresy- not that he believed in dualism but that he was angry about unfair human suffering.)

The story of Acher is interesting, in this context, for two reasons:

it's another indication that Jewish tradition is going to absolutely reject any possibility of duality and

it gives a clear indication of what Metatron's power is

So... we know all that. Now what? (You may already have some inkling.)

Part 2: Cosmic Megatron

I've called this section by this name because everything I'm going to say should be foregrounded by my belief that most of this is likely coincidence.

Metatron is a character in the original book of Good Omens, and as far as I can tell is there to fill two functions- to have a heavenly representative and thus avoid having to write dialogue for God, and so that they can have a joke where Pepper confuses him with the Cosmic Megatron, apparently a toy made of plastic, which features laser cannon and can turn into a helicopter.

(He's also called the Metatron- I'm not 100% sure why.)

We know from what Neil Gaiman has been saying that he and Terry Pratchett wrote the book in a pretty casual way. Obviously, the book is written with a certain amount of knowledge about the Bible and Judeo-Christian** religion, which from things that Gaiman has said I think he attributes to their being two bright, well-read men who were educated in a Christian-majority country but which I'm sure also included a decent amount of research- hence the bit in the beginning with different calculations for the year of creation. (Gaiman is of course Jewish but I don't get the impression that he had any formal Jewish education, though I could be wrong.) But it seems to be written largely as satire of some pretty well known Christian concepts, for the most part, though nicely detailed.

That's why my assumption is that Metatron must have been included as an offhand joke, by one of them who had heard of him as a spokesman figure in some other context. Because despite the fact that the Book of Enoch is known within Christianity, that's largely the 1st Book of Enoch, not the 3rd, which is the one where the name Metatron is identified with Enoch. If there are any scholars of Christianity reading this, please correct me if I'm wrong, but- I don't think that Metatron would be a familiar angelic/heavenly figure to the average person given a cursory de facto Christian thinking in purely Christian terms. Therefore, presumably the name was one that either Pratchett or Gaiman had heard in another context and that one of them (possibly Pratchett, as he was apparently the one who mostly wrote the kids) thought would make for an entertaining joke about plastic toys that turn into other plastic toys.

We then know that in a hotel room, after they wrote Good Omens, Pratchett and Gaiman plotted out a potential sequel, tentatively titled 668: Neighbor of the Beast. We know that this was going to feature more of Heaven's side, as Gaiman said in the run up to the expanded S1 (which of course featured the new-to-us characters of Gabriel, Uriel and Michael) that the angel characters were already part of the plan for the sequel. We also know, of course, that S2 is meant as a transition to S3, which is the actual plot to the sequel book.

Obviously, we don't quite know yet what that plot is going to be- but presumably, at some point in it Aziraphale was going to go up to Heaven. But presumably Gabriel, who we can now be quite confident was written out of S3, would have been part of that story in the book! The fact that we AREN'T getting Gabriel in a S3 that's based on a sequel idea that specifically included Gabriel (or so we're told) means that that role must be filled by someone.

It seems very likely that

what would have been Gabriel's role is being filled by Metatron and

Metatron wasn't necessarily supposed to be in the sequel, and thus (in theory) S3, at all.

Now Point 2 is only a guess, and it's entirely possible that it's wrong. But I wonder (and this is a totally separate theory, in some ways) whether the role that Metatron played in S2 is one that would have been played by Gabriel if Jon Hamm had wanted to stay. The casting of Sir Derek Jacobi in S1 was not one that implied to me that this was a character who they had plans for- it was a one-scene role in a show with a decent number of minor cameos for well known actors. His return this season was honestly a pretty big shock to me- and seems to be setting him up as a significant figure in the upcoming season. (Which, incidentally, seems like one that can be pretty easily acted in voiceover/green screen, making it a good role for an actor who may not want a full six episode season of a show.)

So- whether we accept my above hypothesis as true or not- why Metatron?

Part 3: Cosmic Metatron

So mostly these are questions. I obviously don't know the answers any more than anyone else does. I could even be wrong about some of my basic assumptions as far as the timeline.

But regardless, I think that the use of Metatron will be incredibly interesting this season for a few reasons.

First of all, let's discuss the Book of Life. It is, unlike Metatron, actually in the Bible- both Hebrew Bible and Old/New Testament. (In fact, the Book of Life is mentioned in the Book of Revelation- the main source material for the book/S1!) In Judaism, the Book of Life is actually something that is still part of Jewish tradition to this day. On Rosh HaShana, the first day of the year, our prayer for a new year is so that our names can be put in the Book of Life due to our good deeds.

We already know, from Part 1, that Metatron is God's scribe, who writes down people's good deeds- and while the story of Metatron and Acher above is never directly connected to the idea of the Book of Life, the thematic similarities are undeniable and it seems pretty clear that they're talking about the same idea. So we have a potential connection between Metatron as a potential character in Good Omens with the Book of Life as a potential concept in Good Omens- along with the fact that a person can be erased from the Book of Life with eternal ramifications.

It seems pretty clear that, whatever reason Pratchett and Gaiman may have had for including Metatron in the book, he now has a pretty solid reason for being here in the show, based on what we already know.

Also relevant is the status of Metatron. In the 3rd Book of Enoch, we know that he is God's right hand, head of all the archangels, and even is given a title that connotes him as a "lesser God." Which is, as noted, pretty theologically wild for Judaism, and a big reason why Metatron and Enoch don't get a lot of play in contemporary Jewish theology (besides for mysticism). We also know that it's the idea that there can be TWO powers behind the throne that led Acher to be eternally condemned as a heretic.

Someone posted a VERY interesting meta here- I can't find it right this moment- which suggested that God is no longer really around in the world, and that the Job minisode- the final time in the show's chronology when we hear God's voice as anything but narrator- Heaven is bathed in golden light, whereas afterward it has a more sterile and empty white light. I find that to be an fascinating idea- that Metatron is actually serving in some kind of parallel-God role in God's absence.

I'm not going to pretend to know WHY this is. There are lots of interesting potential plot angles- you could have Metatron deposing God, you could have God purposefully withdrawing from humanity/the bureaucracy of religion (maybe something similar to in Pratchett's Monstrous Regiment, which would actually make quite a bit of sense if this was part of the unwritten sequel as he could have recycled the idea), you could have some kind of a power struggle, etc. But it does seem clear- we have Metatron as what is essentially a Godlike figure, with enough power to completely depose Gabriel, shut down the other angels, and elevate Aziraphale (if that's indeed what he does- he is at least able to convince Aziraphale that he has that power, which is something).

We have a Metatron strong enough for someone to, potentially, question whether maybe HE'S the one exercising Godly power. And potentially face the worst of consequences for those questions, consequences that we know Metatron is able to deal out. Consequences which were already threatened in S2.

Now that would certainly fit in VERY well with the kinds of plots we might expect from a Good Omens 3...

It also could lead to a fascinating dynamic if they give Metatron an origin story of being Enoch. Having the big cheese in Heaven be someone who used to be human? That's a fantastic concept, just like how S2 centered a character for whom so much can be explained by the fact that he's a demon who was once an angel.

Basically, I think there is the potential for some interesting stuff here.

Caveat

None of this answers a separate question that I have- why bring in a Jewish angelic figure for a story as intensely Christian as the Second Coming? I have a feeling that the answer is going to be "because it's fun"- regardless of how Metatron is used. That said, if there ends up being a narrative where there's Metatron representing the vengeful God of the Old Testament and Jesus as a nice dude who represents something more forgiving then... Idunno, I'm not gonna be super thrilled.

And also- I'll put it out here now- I didn't love S2. Among other things, I think it was pretty simplistic and I don't think that it developed its ideas to their full potential. I don't know that I trust S3 to be as interested in these details to have ANY of this show up in the plot. It could totally be that Metatron is only there because he's in the book, and the Book of Life is only there because it's in the Book of Revelation. Obviously, I don't know.

But I do think that, whatever Gaiman does write if the show gets renewed, there's a lot of material here for him to work from, if he wants to.

*with the exception of among Ethiopian Jews- in fact, the only extant complete version of the 3rd Book of Enoch is in the Ethiopian religious language Ge'ez

**this is a terrible term and I use it only under protest

[lcatala]

Let's say there really is such a thing as "spiritual need", that at least some people have a valid emotional need to feel transcendance, to believe in values, in a purpose greater than themselves, to find a source of meaning outside of themselves; that this need is just as important and vital, at least for a subset of people, as the need to feel loved, to have community, to be respected.

In other words: religion is needed, and it can't be a purely atheistic, secular, humanist religion, it must contain a part of mysticism, or irrational, of transcendence, something that is forever beyond the grasp of empiricism, for which empiricism is simply off-topic.

Let's say that the above really is true.

I will still argue that Christianity is uniquely terrible at fulfilling that purpose.

This is because, if you look at the history of Christianity (the actual history, not the narrative Christianity tells about itself), how it was formed, the politics around it, why these particular sets of beliefs and rituals became official Christianity while a whole bunch of others were declared heretical, it is pretty clear that Christianity was never designed and optimised to meet the spiritual needs of its followers.

It was designed and optimised to gain followers at the expense of other religions.

The entire idea that not only Christianity is the only true faith in the entire world, that other faiths are not only false, but in fact manifestations of the Devil, that Christianity is a universal religion that is mandatory for everyone to follow, outside of which there can be no salvation, that entire communities can be collectively punished if just some among them are insufficiently christian, this is all clearly designed to scare people into Christianity, to make them enthusiastic about abandonning their current faith and join Christianity.

Of course, this doesn't work at all when it comes to satisfy the spiritual needs of existing followers.

First because spiritual needs, as emotional needs, cannot and will never be a one-size-fit-all. They are a very individual business, the needs of which will never be met by a standardized faith that serves the exact same factory-made dogma to hundreds of millions.

Indeed, the need for individual, family and community-specific spirituality has made so that Christianity has never actually managed to be united — not once in its entire existence. Protestants vs Catholics, Catholics vs Orthodoxes, Eastern vs Oriental Orthodoxes, Orthodoxes vs Nestorians, Niceans vs Gnostics, Marcionists, Arianists…, Gentile Christians vs Jewish Christians… Even Paul didn't preach the same Christianity as Jesus!

This factionalism is the direct consequence of wanting Christianity to be a homogeneous, uniform, indifferentiated faith — with means that any difference that actually arises is a potential split, so most of the energy of Christianity outside of gaining converts is dedicated to playing whack-a-mole with a never ending spring of "heresies", which in almost any other religion would just be seen as local/personal quirks, something that makes the religion richer and contributes to its vivacity, rather than being a threat to its integrity.

And of course, this means that Christianity has been particularly hostile to mysticism in its history and regularly purged it from its ranks, since nothing say "heterodoxy" like the idea of secret knowledge revealed to select individuals thru intense spiritual experience. Unfortunately, mysticism is kind of the whole selling point of religion, a central aspect of actually getting those pesky spiritual needs met. The more a religion operates on a purely literal, rational level, the less emotionally satisfying it is for its followers.

And indeed, Christianity is terrible at retaining followers. It's good at gaining them, because the euphoria of conversion is enough to sustain the first few generations. But once the amount of people born-into-it starts to greatly outnumber the number of potential converts, Christianity can only retain its followers by locking the doors: everyone can get it, but no one is allowed to get out.

Christianity endured for so long only because whenever Christians became numerous and influential enough in a country, they made Christianity mandatory. Opting out wasn't an option, under penalty of death.

With a completely captive audience, Christianity didn't have to make any effort to meet the spiritual needs of its followers (nor to ensure that its theology was sound and made at least some sense — there's a reason why Judaism is theologically much more sound than Christianity; Jewish Talmudic students are encouraged to ask difficult, "bad faith" questions to their Rabbi, whereas Christian theology students are chastised and punished for doing the same), and so, over the centuries, Christians grew more and more spiritually starved, until the hunger was too strong and shared by too many, and the hold of Christianity broke down.

And once the doors were open, as soon as leaving was permitted, hundreds of millions of people enthusiastically rushed out. Is this what you expect to see from faith that meets all of its followers' needs?

The bleeding out is so strong that it even overcomes demographic trends. In the 1990s, US Evangelicals boasted that they were going to outbreed everyone else. They are now at their lowest percentage ever in the American population, and their decline has accelerated rapidly in recent years. It doesn't matter how many children you are having if most of them end up leaving the faith.

Religion may yet return to the West, but until Christianity has a complete overhaul and radically changes its design plan and its focus, it will continue to creep toward extinction in the general public.

[clocktowerechos]

Factions of the Grand Alliance

"Our enemies are numerous, powerful, insidious, and dangerous beyond reckoning. Tis good we have friends just as formidable. I cannot fathom having to stand alone in such a galaxy." ~ Imperial Diplomat toasts his allies during a feast on Craftworld Ulthwe

The Brightest Night AU is a lot more clear with who it counts on the good end of the moral spectrum and who it doesn't. This doesn't mean people are perfect, but they're at least mostly good by nature and try to be better. The Grand Alliance is what stands of the "civilized" races of the galaxy, an united bulwark against the abyss that threatens to consume them all.

The Interstellar Imperium

The Imperium of Man as we would know it and the successor state to the Greater Human Dominion from before the Dark Age of Technology. Ruled by the God-Emperor Aurelian, they are far less totalitarian and xenophobic than in canon, their faith is far less fanatical and count abhumans and even some xenos as Imperial citizens. As demonstrated by his marriage to Isha. Instead of the glorification of a holy human form in a physical sense, they value the concept of Humanity as people who can work together towards a greater goal. They can be seen as a galaxy spanning Interex and have adopted their method of dealing with Chaos with mixed results. People are generally more aware and can protect themselves better, but those who do fall often fall faster and further than they otherwise would have. As the Horus Heresy never happened, the idea that betrayal can happen at any time from within while still present, it not all-encompassing. However, plenty of planets and forces have been corrupted, just never all at once in an empire-splitting civil war. Faith remains a pervasive aspect of life in the Imperium, especially Emperor still being alive who is able to put some top down power to reign in the worst parts of the Imperium at times.

The Mechanicum

The largest of Survivor States that rose after the fall of the Greater Human Dominion, they are the most heavily intigrated of them. As the Imperium in this AU operates more akin to a federal system instead of an autocracy, the Mechanicum retains enough independence to the point of never having been forced to integrate and become the Adeptus Mechanicus. Still steeped in their techno-mysticism, technological advancement is glacial at best and often just as restrictive in canon. While technology is still stagnant and they hold the lion's share, some technology remains available in M41 such as jet bikes and volkite weaponry (albeit expensive and rare). AI remains completely outlawed in Mechanicum space and they're constantly pushing against the Tau's utilization of it. Their worst tendencies have mellowed out, going from callously apathetic to just iron-plated dicks. Given the Imperium can rely on other Suvivor States, the Tau, and even the Kyn Leagues for some tech, the political influence they wield is strong but not overpowering.

Confederation of Eldar Craftworlds

Less arrogant and self-assured of their own supremacy than in canon. Especially after Eldrad Ulthran brokered a pact between the Craftworlds and the young Imperium to aid one another in the War of the Beast and then an impossible raid on Nurgle's Garden to free Isha. It was this Hail Mary sucess that formed the foundation of the Grand Alliance and the eventual marriage of Isha and Aurelian. In exchange for their aid, the Eldar repaired and upgraded the Astronomicon and shared anti-Chaos technology and measures to the Imperium. With the rescue of Isha, hope has been restored to the Eldar. While they are a long way off from being a "dying race", their population at least grows even at a tectonic pace. Although their corrupted kin, the Shadishari, or "Chaos Eldar", still vastly outnumber them. She is the most potent anti-Chaos weapon the Alliance have, able to use her divine power to cleanse corrupted worlds with her presence but even with the constant movement of the Celestial Court, she can only be in so many places at once.

The "Imperial" Aquilla (the Alliance Aquilla in this timeline) and its twin heads in this AU actually represent the Imperium and the Craftworlds, not the Imperium and the Mechanicum.

The Exodite Enclaves

Also known as "Medari", they continue their low-tech existence on Eldar Maiden Worlds. There is usually a singular, technologically advanced settlement on their worlds, meant as a space port for their Craftworld cousins and the Imperium, but even then the technology is heavily regulated. Exodites are far more prickly and selective when it comes to dealing with outsiders and are granted special rights upon their worlds that not even the Craftworld Eldar can ignore. They exhibit more Wood Elf-tendencies as well, favoring the use of Ghostwood over Wraithbone which they cultivate in Ghostwood Glades. While often relying on treaties of defense with the Craftworlds, they are capable of rousing "forest spirits" in the form of Ghostwood Dyrads, Ents, and Treekin. Not to mention the various dangerous fauna they keep, most famous being the dinosaurs their knights ride into battle.

The Tau Empire

The largest of the allied Xenos races, they were independent for several millennia, resisting the advances of both Humans and Eldar until they finally joined in M39 after a series of devastating catastrophes and a brief civil war that saw the Farsight Enclaves break away. Their caste system and loyalty to the Ethreals is the result of cultural traditions and social engineering; it's possible for a Tau to go against an Ethereal but those who do probably aren't welcomed in the Empire to begin with or often feel deep shame for doing so. They're genuinely well-meaning with their entrance into the alliance being the biggest boons in millennia, but they're coming to grips with the reality and the vastness of the galaxy as well as its dangers. They weren't stupid enough to trust the Dark Eldar with cultural exchanges, but the Drukhari still took their due with successive raids during their "Bloody Teared Years" leading to a huge amount of animosity that is uncharacteristic for an otherwise famously, levelheaded people. Their AI technology is still highly advanced and they do butt heads with the Mechanicum over it. They are technically immune from its anti-AI strictures but a close, covert eye is kept out of fear they might trigger another Men of Iron-like revolt. Most of the time though, the Tau don't really quite believe the scale and scope of the universe they're in, still somewhat sheltered by their relative youth.

The Leagues of Votann

Technically abhumans, they are officially classified as "Xenos Amicis" (aka Friendly or Allied Xenos) in Imperial and Alliance records for what amounts as galactic tax evasion as being counted as an abhuman Survivor State would involve a great deal more integration than what most Leagues are comfortable with. Not to mention the additional burdens Survivor States are expected to provide for one another. However, they're still happy to work with the other members of the Alliance, giving tech, resources, and expertise in exchange for goods and oaths of defense. The true nature of their Votann AI is a closed secret known only to the Emperor with not even the Mechanicum fully let in on it. Some have their speculation, but it is a "don't ask questions to answers you don't want" situation for everyone involved.

[tempestforged]

Capitano: Light, Dark and the realms between.

Returning once more to that little leather book, only slightly more singed now for his troubles. The man beneath the mask is old, so old that he's long since taken to rounding his age to the nearest 0 rather than care about the specific digit at the end of the sequence. Of course, said long life hasn't been without benefit, giving him ample time to document the myriad powers running through the continent and even those that exist far beyond the bordered sea. Mind, he doesn't proclaim to be a scholar as to the nature of the world, that, in his opinion, is better left to the more mystically inclined.

He's lived through the cataclysm and the forgotten years after it, when the world and ley lines struggled to recover from the long night that unleashing such dark powers had brought. He watched, patient and Stoic, as a sea of ash came to rest over the land, which sacrificed all in an attempt to stem the hubris of a Sinner. Once he had tugged at ropes under the guise of a northern sailor, bringing a great yet remorseful Leviathan to rest amidst ancient waves, watching as its ichor flowed away to give shape to new life.

He remembers meeting the Jester, seeing the fires of an ancient kingdom in his eyes, and indulging him as story after story fell of the world that predated the archon war and the divine thrones. The hulking man will gladly admit to being intrigued by the stories, that lingering hunger for knowledge of all things fuelled by the need to understand a lifelong enemy. It's easy, in a way, to accept that offer, knowledge in return for his strength, even as he is steadfast in his refusal to accept a power, a delusion, that feels so similar to the long dark night and the ichor that continued to corrupt the land.

No, his power, his strength is born of the light of life. A higher element that permeates the land where lay lines refuse to linger. There is a deep, unspoken respect in his breast for the peoples that use that power to commune with the descendants of ancient dragons. He is remorseful, in his own way, for the science he'd been forced to turn a blind eye to, even as that obsidian blade had been levelled at the lesser ranked immoral scientist who relished in experimentation.

Even now, as he stares out at the sea of lava that has sealed away the land of ash, a part of him regrets not unsheathing the blade in full, to call upon revered strength as a means to reunite the delightfully mortalised Second with the deceased Fourth before the bell toiled for him naturally. In his eyes, these experiments in Heresy are sooner ended before another Sinner is allowed to join the ranks of the Five that he hunts in the darkest corners. The being, the one dubbed First has seen all the folly of mortals time and time again, the part of him that clings to ancient oaths rattling at the bars to ensure that the realm between light and dark will no longer suffer their wars.