#iron fists

[yandins-beleagured-historian]

The original take also drastically overestimates the availability of dreadnought chassis, for whom there's probably a waiting list longer than most mortal lifespans. But moving that aside though, there is a really interesting space to explore here with Space Marines and disability. For chapters whose doctrine or circumstances pressure them into putting as many bodies on the line as possible, bionics are a quick fix that gets them back in the fight as soon as possible. But for those that have the time and resources to take a battle brother off the front lines for a month or so, they can access vat-grown replacement organs or limbs, which could fully replace the functionality of lost or damaged flesh and leave only a gnarly scar at the point of implantation. So while you might not see battlefield mobility aids, it'd be totally reasonable to see an Astartes out of armour using something like this while his new legs grow in.

The interesting question to ask is how are these different treatments are viewed by their chapter. There are those dogmatic chapters that hold great sway in the purity of flesh or the strength of the machine, but are those with bionics viewed with admiration for wanting to return to duty so fast, or with scorn or pity for not having the time/resources to grow a replacement? Are those with vat-grown replacements admired for having the space to restore their flesh, or mocked for being obsessed with their looks? And then there's how the individual recipient reacts. Do vat-grown replacements feel alien to their recipients? Do they grieve their lost flesh, or does the new flesh feel stronger and healthier? Do they view bionics as an improvement or a hinderance? Do some prefer bionics as a show of how much they've sacrificed, and do some feel bad that their vat-grown replacements make them look less experienced to those who can't discern the scars? To draw on example close to home, this is Sergeant Westek, Tenth Squad, Second Company Iron Fists.

In 972.M41, during the campaign colloquially known as the Green Hunt, Westek lost his right arm and both legs when his position was thoroughly overrun by a Dark Eldar wych cult. With such injuries, any other chapter would have interred him in a dreadnought, but the Second Company's ability to secure good quality chasses has been so historically poor that they have a backlog of injured veterans waiting in stasis to be interred. It was Captain Tenebra's call to have Westek extensively rebuilt with bionics, rather than take an experienced warrior off the board (possibly for centuries) and disrupt the cohesion of a highly effective devastator squad - one of precious few fire support elements available to the Second. y When Westek awoke in the Tsiolkovan's apothecarion, he was sixty percent steel and a hundred percent surprised. Outwardly, he appears to have coped well with the augments - he adheres to the chapter's dominant philosophy of steel over flesh, and will happily espouse the enhancements to stability, fire control and resilience his new limbs provide him. Privately though, Westek hates the level of maintenance they require, and how much he has to rely on serfs and Savants to help with a workload he never even expected to have. He longs for internment more and more frequently, and he can't decide whether to despise those who respond with overt pity more than those who venerate him as the image of peak perfection in the eyes of the Omnissiah. The Flesh may be Weak, but Iron does not heal itself.

So, a friend was venting about this in the Discord Server, and the result was an interesting discussion about disability in 40k. And I don't know how much it might have been originally purposeful, but I do know that later authors have definitely explored how characters interact with the world and with disability.

To ignore disability in 40k is to miss a huge aspect of the setting and it's characters.

In the grimdarkness of the future, you'll probably lose a body part.

There is a post somewhere on Tumblr that talks about how, if you need glasses/contacts/surgery to see properly, you have a disability. And there were a lot of people who were upset by this, saying that it was so common, how could it be a disability? But they're right - glasses or contacts are disability aids. A simple one to use, sure, but it's still an aid.

I bring this up because in our current day and age, needing glasses/contacts is not considered unusual. You don't see someone with glasses at the grocery store and be like "omg what is even going on."

And I feel like this attitude is to any sort of prosthetic/augment in 40k. There's definitely a discussion to be had about the quality of the prosthetic/augment, and how that can show class differences (which is very much a common theme in 40k), but their existence and seeing people with them is not unusual.

There are also many parts of the narrative that does deal with the issues that arise from this. Maintenance, malfunctioning, replacement, sometimes phantom pain. There are a few people whose bodies reject the prosthetic/augment, and so their disability becomes more severe.

It is also brought up that, in more idyllic sci-fi, this is less visible. There can be many reasons for that. I think it was part budgeting reasons that in The Empire Strikes Back Luke's hand looks so surprisingly like skin. I'm sure part of that inspiration came from the desire to not want to have to deal with an extra costume issue for the future.

I wonder how often in live-action sci-fi that this was done. Or throwing a glove on a hand like Luke does in Return of the Jedi to hide that his fake skin on his hand was damaged.

But Warhammer started out with written descriptions and drawn illustrations, which gave a huge amount of freedom to imagining how the world would look. They were only limited by a writer's ability to describe a scene, or an artist's ability to draw it. There wasn't the restrictions of what practical effects could do for live action, or budgeting, or Actual Physics. Prosthetics/augments could be wild and crazy and common.

Time has gone on. We now have animated episodes and so many video games, and characters having prosthetics/augments are a part of the setting. At this point, it would honestly feel weird to look at a group of people (and this includes space marines out of armor) and not see at least a few people who have something.

It's as common to us as wearing glasses, and it sure as hell ain't virtue signalling.

[deleteddewewted]

Astartes Sex Ideas: P1

Ok, so random thought. The Astartes ports...... What if you fingered them, and because they're connected to their muscles and nervous system they just felt everything you do in a more intense manner. You play around with their ports as their already fucking into you and it only makes the act of sex more euphoric for them. They finally grasp why its so good to have sex and they want you to do it again.

Your Astartes has you on your back as he's fucking into you hard and rough and the moment you push your fingers into their port by their chest it sends chills down his body as the sensation feels good. It's so good that he stops moving and he starts panting like a dog in heat.

[domjordanillustration]

choose your fighter

[yandins-beleagured-historian]

Entry #001.v2.final

I have had the pleasure of meeting Yandin once before, in the aftermath of the Indomitus Crusade's arrival over Taralus. The navigator records on the Macragge's Honour had listed that dusty old ball of drab rock and snow as an Armoury World, so there was a fair amount of bemusement all round when we got word of a sizeable contingent of Astartes dug in on the planet's surface. Initial communications indicated they'd been holed up for some time in an old ruin near one of the old space elevators. They identified themselves as Iron Fists, and were claiming the planet as their ancestral chapter world. By all account, Crusade Command spent no small effort to screen them for foul play, corruption or infiltration. While the Iron Fists' claim to Taralus was eventually upheld, there was a general interest from higher up in gathering more information about the chapter and verifying some of the accounts that were coming out of Taralus. Remembrancer Anjelika Biscari led the effort, and took a small team down to the planet's surface to conduct interviews, appraise structures and write reports. I was still fairly new to the role then, and my visit to the Godspire anchorage terminal was the first time I worked alone in the field. Biscari had gone down a few hours before me and had emphasised an unusual need for brevity. "Broad strokes only", I believe her words were, and I didn't understand what she meant until I stepped out of the lander and saw the planet surface for the first time. The sights of war stretched all the way out to the horizon, and the ragged landscape of the Godspire mountains were littered with the husks of drop pods, tanks and bunkers. You couldn't walk twenty meters without passing a pile of burning dead, and it was here I first encountered sergeant Cosrau Yandin, sixth squad, second company Iron Fists. The moment stuck in my head rather prominently, as I recall he was helping a couple of disposal operatives clear a maintenace passage. The two men had been struggling with the body of a metahuman, still in its power armour, and as the sergeant reached in and dragged it out, I decided on a  bit of a whim to snag a pict-capture. It was only once I looked up that I realised I'd just got my first ever look at a Chaos Space Marine. Regrettably, I was only able to spend a few hours with the sergeant on Taralus. Broad strokes, Biscari had asked for, so that was all I could really capture. The Crusade did not linger long at Taralus, and before long the Iron Fists were well behind us. It's only been in recent months, as the Grand Conclave of Baal winds down, that I've had the opportunity and freedom to track the Iron Fists down and produce more of a complete history of the Chapter. It also gave me an opportunity to present Yandin, now Captain of the seventh company, with the pict-capt I took on our first meeting. (or rather, a remaster: most of my original pict-logs were scrambled quite badly during a brush with the bleak coil two years ago, so I had a colleague of mine, Artov Ilqar, recreate the pict with oil on canvas. See attached.) I've since had the opportunity to interview Captain Yandin on a number of aspects of his chapter's history, and hope to catalogue some of the more notable testimonies, treatises and accounts here. Throne willing, Hester Vinchix Calimorre, Historiographer-Moderatus, Logos Historica Verita.

[wakethedevils]

[wellfine]

Some highlights from my One Piece birthday art stream! Thank you so much to everyone who attended, I had an amazing time ♥

[motilyochek]

Sketchy Six Fanarts challenge

[yandins-beleagured-historian]

I forwarded this to Captain Yandin about four hours ago and he's just got back from a ring-round of theTelsiad to make sure his subordinates feel valued. He is currently conducting the sulkiest review of training logs I've ever seen.

Edit: Apparently the Chaplain gave him a lecture about "Codex-Mandated Command Attitudes." Sergeant Varden also called him "Cringe". He seems more upset about that than anything else.

Edit 2: I did overhear two of Karidos' infiltrators on E deck talking about how nice it was to be appreciated for once. Glad to see some good has come of this.

- H.V. Calimorre.

Well apparently for many people loyalty is not its own reward. Never will be. When Lion said that line I don’t think you are supposed to celebrate it. Not to mention how that idea tormented the future-Fallen. Loyalty needs reward. one way or another. It’s not despicable to need it. And if you don’t provide, those loyal to you will get their gratification elsewhere. Primarchs, captains, sergeants - go give hugs and headpats and praises and warm affirming looks RIGHT FUCKING NOW

[coochiekrab]

Itll make for a unique and memorable first date

[l3monghosts]

gf told me that marvel rivals came and she's been telling me all about it so here's some of her favorites so far after a night of playing!! please forgive me if i didn't do them justice as its my first time drawing them !!

[wh40kartwork]

Primarchs

by Mauro Belfiore

[ladymirdan]

I did the same thing once in the store 😭

Fun fact, Iron Fists are an existing chapter, so we can both pretend we just ment these rather obscure Iron Hands successors instead of being wrong 😅

First Captain Sigismund of the Imperial Fists for Marine Meat Monday. Again.

During his happy days at the beginning of the Great Crusade.

[yandins-beleagured-historian]

Behind the Curtain #1

Despite the standard tone of the Warhammer 40k universe and the tendency to play even the most ridiculous factor's straight (Which I'm happy to hold my own hand up for, given half the posts on this blog), there's a hugely refreshing catharsis that silliness and absurd humor bring when applied to 40k. It's one of the things that I love about this side of the community, where every angle, be it happy, horny, silly or wholesome, can be explored with full-throated enthusiasm. And after almost a decade in the more morose, right-leaning, edgelording side of the community, giving a daemon engine the name Wesley and the disposition of a small puppy feels like a sign that nature is healing. That being said, I asked a loved one today about which parts to use on a Biker champion I'm currently kitbashing. The models I have of the Iron Fists' Fourth Company are somewhat neglected, having been quickly and badly painted in preparation for a schools league tournament I never got to play in, but something's compelled me to revisit them and have another go this last week.

Here's the piece I was asking about.

They took one look at this part and said "Oh, it's a name-brand sword. Like Gucci."

The connotations of these weapons as prestige symbols in theory but showy garbage in practice is already spectacular enough, but this isn't even the only such weapon in the squad.

So not only has this conversation accidentally manifested Balenciaga Imperialis / Gucci Honour into existance, but it's also painted the entire command squad of the Iron Fists Fourth Company as some band of vapid armoury fashionistas. This effect is magnified by the fact that the captain of the Fourth, one Katon Cantabricus, is primarily known for being away on a hunt while over 80% of his command exploded in the opening moves of the Siege of Taralus. So congratulations all, we have inadvertently acquired the high-velocity mean girls. I love it here.

[evans-endeavors]

ABILITY FORMS LEDIAN #166

The idea of giving pokemon different forms/designs based on their abilities is so charming. Had to draw my favorite little guy!

Original idea by @n0rtist

[jacobpking]

THE PRIMARCHS - Sons of the Emperor (NEW!) I've made a bunch of tweaks and improvements to my Primarch chart, including a bigger key, better lighting and shading and better contrast. With this project, I wanted a diverse set of Primarchs to reflect more of the human race. - Dorn as an Inuit - Lorgar as Levantine (Christ) - Alpharius as Persian (Order of Assassins) - Corax as Native American (Cree) - Horus & Magnus as Egyptian With better lighting I can show that vision more clearly

[yandins-beleagured-historian]

"Privileged to call you kin. If I may offer you some words of encouragement, from one successor to another, know this. When our gene-fathers discuss the weakness of the flesh, there is an assumption that is being made - that iron does not fail. Iron cannot be broken." "This is a lie we know all too keenly. Iron breaks. But even a modest smith can smelt its wreckage down, cast fresh ingots, and grind new edges. Iron may be remade, time and time again, no matter how badly it breaks. And so long as we know how we were broken, how we might be broken in future, so long as we understand our failure, we can bolster ourselves against it." "I wish you the greatest of luck with your own reforging. May your edge cut ever onward, and may you always rise from the anvil anew, to overcome what broke you last time. " - Cosrau Yandin, Seventh Captain, Iron Fists Chapter.

I wanna tell yall about a Iron Hands Successor I cooked up and yall tell me if you’re into it

They’re named the Blood Forged, led by their Chapter Master Morgun Tenkred (Twins… they were…), who wields a modified Mars pattern Heavy Bolter named “War Feeder”

They’re a fleet chapter, their capital ship is named the Holy Petrifier (<- Not the final name), and they float around the systems nearest to Medusa

Their history is tragic, as all things in 40k are. Originally they were known as the Steel Bound and were sent to reinforce Raven Guard in a siege defense. It was a great and terrible battle, a Pyrrhic victory at the most optimistic. Tenkred was almost one of them, and as he woke up in the infirmary he looked out at a sea of marines in black Ceramite and ruined heraldry. He watched blood, coolant, and oil all spill from marines lying lifeless on gurneys, Apothecaries scurrying around trying to save any marines they could. They all looked so similar to Tenkred, and such a thought refused to leave him even after he had recovered. As the council decided what was to be the fate of what Steel Bound were left he threw himself into reading the words of his genefather.

It was there the Blood Forged was born, for his father’s words finally… *Clicked*. He realized it wasn’t bioaugmentation that would make him strong like his father, it was discipline. It was what differentiated a warrior from a soldier, a predatory beast from a man with purpose.

It’s in that moment he felt a great shame, his own augmented arm clicking restlessly as he prayed for some way to repent his weakness. His prayers would be answered in the grimmest way.

He was summoned before the council, and told he was the last ranked officer in his chapter, and seeing as how they didn’t have a chaplain to spare, he was offered to lead what was left of the Steel Bound. He took it gratefully, founding the Blood Forged during (maybe) the Ultima Founding, sparing the new Primaris the dogma he crawled out of