2d4chan - User contributions [en]

Weeaboo

2020-06-14T00:00:05Z

2600:6C58:637F:E506:58AF:C3B7:CF47:97DD: /* What DOES make you a Weeaboo */

{{topquote|Ohio /tg/-kun, you are looking kawaii today uguu~ (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧. Shall we play [[pretend]] on the futon after we eat our bento boxes desu? (>^3^)> Don't be Tsundere, you baka! It'll be sugoi!|Sample text of a typical weeaboo}}
'''Weeaboo''', commonly shortened to '''"weeb"''' in most conversations, is a noun/adjective commonly used as a perjorative for people whose main interests revolve around [[anime]] and/or [[manga]], in such a way that they are insufferable to everyone around them. The term has some controversy around it, as nobody can agree on where the threshold is for what counts as a weeaboo. However, it is still a commonly used term due to the prevalence of anime-related content on the internet and in media, including many domains that /tg/ is interested in.

In a nutshell, a weeb is the anime-obsessed equivalent of [[That Guy]].

==Overview==
[[Image:PBF071-Weeaboo.gif|thumb|right|The original PBF comic.]][[Image:We're all weeaboo.jpg|thumb|right|Welcome to 4chan!]]
The name Weeaboo is derived from a ''Perry Bible Fellowship'' comic, reaching internet stardom after the term was used as a wordfilter for "wapanese" on [[/b/]]. Although used in the comic as a nonsense word, it has since become synonymous with "wapanese" (itself short for "wannabe Japanese") until it supplanted the original term altogether. The term typically refers to people who believe that Japanese stuff is better simply because it is Japanese, with implications of harboring an unhealthy obsession with the culture and media of Japan (such as [[anime]]) while simultaneously managing to know very little about it. The term has spun off to describe other types of obsessions, such as Teaboo (girls obsessed with stereotypical Proper British culture, specifically the new Sherlock show and [[Doctor Who|The Eleventh Doctor]]), Koreaboos (girls obsessed with K-Pop boy bands; considering the West hasn't really had actual boy bands since the 90s, it's not hard to see why) and Wolfaboo (kids obsessed with wolves, may or may not overlap with [[furry|furries]]).

They are also known to hate all other <s>Asian</s> cultures and think that Japan is the "Best <s>Asia</s> Country Ever!", despite not knowing that just seventy years ago (and before!), the Japanese and Japan itself was one of the most [[Imperium of Man|conservative, imperialistic, xenophobic, theocratic, fascist nations in the world]], hated or despised by almost everybody else, with the majority of the vote stemming from [[China]] and [[Asians|Korea]] (just open a history book you lazies). Modern Japan was given a rise in popularity due to American propaganda, as THE Capitalist Ally in the East, and the new Japanese generation, after being nuked to submission, putting on a new liberal democratic theme presenting themselves as sexually-liberal free-market libertarians with almost no similarity to their past conservative-fascist ancestors, to the point that they became the opposite. While conservative-Imperial Japan boasted a high population rise, modern anime Japan is almost sterile to the point of extinction. This isn't surprising, given their [[hive|issues with having space for everyone]] (fortunately, not as bad as it could be... yet). It helps that conservative-Imperial [[Japan]] arranged-married pretty much everyone. It was much quicker to get people making babies that way.

Aside from the association with a real-world nationality and culture, everything wrong with weeaboos (obsession to the point of breaking with reality, among other things) could just as easily be applied to [[bronies]], [[furries]], or [[That Guy|any fandom, really]]. Weeaboos simply get a lot of attention because it gets applied to a whole ''medium'' where many of the same tropes and stereotypes will cross-pollinate over many different franchises, thus making weebs very numerous and visible. Nobody really knows why weebs behave the way they do; some people blame anime itself, but more likely these people are just sad and lonely individuals who were badly socialized growing up, and likely didn't have enough sane friends to tell them when they were acting obnoxious and/or creepy.

==The Japanese side of the Coin==
In Japan, the Japanese have a similar concept they call the "Otaku"; there, an Otaku is basically a shut-in super-nerd who never leaves their room and obsesses over a typically nerdy hobby, and often leads to hoarding useless crap in their tiny apartment (in other words, a Japanese [[Neckbeard]]).

Weeaboos appropriated the term to simply mean "anyone who watches anime / reads manga", so be wary about applying the term across cultural boundaries. One key difference between otaku and weebs though is that otaku understand Japanese culture, and more importantly, social etiquette. With weebs, their only idea of Japanese society comes from anime/manga so they make the critical mistake of assuming that they're accurate depictions of Japanese social interactions, instead of being pure escapism.

People in real-life Japan emphasize being reserved and polite, with many, ''many'' unwritten rules of social interaction; this is very unlike the extroverted and loud characters you frequently see in anime. Visiting weebs who don't realize this quick may find themselves committing multiple social faux-pas without even realizing it.

Fun fact: Japanese people see no real distinction between eastern and western animation. If you ask someone what their favorite anime is, they're as likely to reply "Spongebob Squarepants" as "Naruto." Weeaboos, on the other hand, are extremely adamant that there is a massive fucking difference between Japanese anime and all other forms of animation, and that any non-Japanese animation that mimics anime isn't true anime (one such example is [[Avatar: The Last Airbender]]. Looks like anime, but made in America). It gets especially funny when you realize that reverse weeaboos exist; if you want some grade-A entertainment, go watch some Japanese people argue over dubs vs. subs on King of the Hill.

==On /tg/==
Because [[Moot]] originally intended for 4chan to revolve around the [[/a/]] board as a clone of Japan's 2channel imageboard, it's unsurprising that many 4chan users are heavily into anime. [[approved anime|Fa/tg/uys are no exception]], though many people will argue that it takes more than a love of anime to be a weeaboo. The key factor is the ''obsession'' and ''obnoxiousness'' that comes with being a weeaboo, which is what draws people's ire in the first place.

/tg/ has a tendency to use the word in a derogatory manner to describe anything <s>vaguely Asian in origin or inspiration</s> one does not like. This often incites the ire of fa/tg/uys who insist on the more precise definition of the term, resulting in [[rage]] all round.

Of course, the fact that /tg/ tends to name any female [[Original character, do not steal|original character]] [something]-chan <s>ironically</s> <s>unironically</s> who even knows anymore, and so many of the [[drawfags]] tend to have animesque art styles, means that fa/tg/uys are the most weeaboo people on the-- {{BLAM}}

In a weird way, one might say that weeaboo has made a full circle, and has returned to its origins--being of a word that means absolutely nothing, keeps getting repeated again and again, and leads to actions that are a complete waste of time.

'''tl;dr:''' [[DOOM: Repercussions of Evil|no fa/tg/uys, you are the weeaboos.]]

[[file:Weeaboo Heaven.gif|thumb|left|When a weeaboo enters /tg/]]

==What doesn't make you Weeaboo==
*A general interest in Japanese culture and history (this can knock a few points off the weeaboo counter if it goes for non surface level things that are the first things that people tend to absorb through pop culture, such as an interest in the social, economic, technological and cultural changes of the Edo period vs what kind of swords the samurai had).
*Watching anime and reading manga
*A general preference for said things over western fare of a similar nature (liking manga more then superhero comics for example)
*Eating Japanese cuisine
*Listing to Japanese Music
*Wanting to visit Japan
*Learning Japanese
*Liking cute shit
*Having a favorite character, specifically a "waifu" (though this can toe the line or worse depending on circumstances)
*Owning ''"normal"'' memorabilia of your favorite show (such as a T-shirt or poster or some action figures of robots)
*Calling yourself a Weeb ironically, self deprecatingly or purposely using it in the wrong context.

==What DOES make you a Weeaboo==
[[File:WeeabooDreamsShattered.png|thumb|250px|right|Weeaboo discovers the horrifying truth (From the manga ''Peepo Choo'', which tries to beat some sense into weebs)]]
'''Note''': This is a non-comprehensive list that includes all items that definitively make you a weeaboo; because the line between weeaboo and non-weeaboo is blurry, the traits shown here are deliberately on the [[That Guy|more extreme side]]. Someone who has traits that aren't quite as bad as the ones listed may still get called a weeaboo, but that's a [[skub|matter of debate]].

*Considering anime / manga as a superior art form just because it's from Japan
:* Galaxy Brain: complaining that early Japanese-made cartoons which still look more like the Western cartoons that inspired them (like [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htLKgRItMyA ''Danemon's Monster Hunt at Shojoji''] from 1935) aren't "real anime"
*Automatically thinking Japan and everything about it is superior to other countries for no conceivable reason, other than the fact that it's Japan.
*Complain that any Western work of fiction is ripping off anime using very weak evidence
*Getting [[rage|angry]] when someone doesn't watch your favorite show (borderline evidence; can be found in non-weebs as well)
*Refusing to acknowledge flaws in Japanese stories or merits in Western stories because of their origin
:* Note: Having intense arguments about which anime is better can still enter weeb territory
*[[Inquisition|Judging people's character based on their taste in shows]], especially if you're calling people who don't share your taste fake anime fans
*Accusing people who are watching a show you don't like of destroying anime
*Vilifying dubs as a matter of principle, regardless of actual dub quality.
:*For extra stupid: complaining about "dubs" and asking for the "original Japanese sub" for shows that were ''[[derp|made in English]]''.
:*Next level stupid: Only watching western shows in Japanese dubs with English subtitles.
:*Ultimate level stupid: [https://twitter.com/FlamingFreezer?lang=en| Harassing English voice actors on Twitter] [[what|and comparing voice acting in any language other than Japanese to bestiality and pedophilia.]]
*Eating Japanese cuisine ''exclusively''.
:*Bonus points: thinking the Japanese eat nothing but traditional Japanese food, despite the fact they've been taking a liking to western food for centuries (Tempura was brought to Japan by the Portugese in the 16th century).
:*Getting angry at people who eat Asian Fusion instead of "real" Japanese food
:**Alternatively: Only eating Panda Express / Asian Fusion because you have no idea what Japanese food is besides sushi and ramen
*Wanting to visit Japan [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWiI6JVX5PE and then getting disappointed that it's not like anime]
*Expecting all Asian people to have watched anime and be as big a weeaboo as you
*Learning Japanese poorly by watching anime, then slipping in the handful of words you know into everyday conversation constantly, whether your peers understand you or not (see above sample text)
*Shouting "Kimochi!" in public. The literal translation means feeling good, however the connotations are closer to "I'm cumming!", which is not something you use in a casual conversation. Bonus points for saying it in front of someone fluent in Japanese, who will either look at you funny and/or call the police out of [[Dark Eldar|fear of sexual harassment.]]
*Referring to everyone you know as -chan or -kun or -senpai at all times, despite you not being in Japan. (bonus points for using honorifics incorrectly or using them when describing yourself)
*Endlessly quoting shit from anime, whether it's appropriate or not
*"Glomping" (leaping at and aggressively hugging) people who at best only think of you as an acquaintance. This can be especially bad if you're significantly heavier than the intended target.
*Watching excessive amounts of [[/d/|hentai]] (look, we get it, for most people porn is porn. But there's a point where watching 30 cartoons a day about [[dickgirl]]s getting their [[anal circumference|asses rammed]] becomes a [[heresy|problem)]]
*Liking [[Lolicon]] or Shotacon (okay, maybe you're "just" a pedophile, but how the fuck is that better?)
*An obsession with Yaoi or Bishies, particularly stories with [[rape]] (most often applies to female weebs. The Japanese actually have a term for this: Fujoshi, which literally means "rotten girl.")
:*Taking your obsession into the real world by "shipping" real life dudes, whether they're gay or not (or you're just fucking creepy, in which case you're in the "Just as Bad" category as pedophiles).
:*Blackmailing creators into [http://www.newnownext.com/voltron-legendary-defender-blackmail-studio-mir-klance/05/2017/ making your gay fanfiction canon].
:*On rare occasion a Fujoshi may join your gaming group and become the female equivalent of [[That Guy]], usually by rolling up a flamboyantly gay character who sexually harasses the other male characters to an uncomfortable degree.
*Unironically rejecting all real-life women for cartoon women (aka "3D Pig-Disgusting")
:*Getting into arguments over how your [[waifu]] is superior and all other waifus are shit
:*Getting into arguments with artists over misrepresenting your waifu
:*Getting into arguments over whether or not having more than one waifu counts as infidelity
:*Getting angry at people drawing/fapping to porn of your waifu
*Running with your arms behind your back. [[Stormfang|No, it's not more aerodynamic]]. [[Orks|No, it doesn't make you faster]]. [[Derp|It just makes you look like a tool.]]
*Most of your wardrobe and possessions are related to anime in some way, such as [[Games Workshop|mountains of useless and expensive figurines]] (and before you say it, at least you can do something with [[Warhammer]] figurines besides look at them)
:*Owning expensive statuettes of your waifu
:*Owning expensive statuettes of your waifu that you legally can't show to minors
*Wearing cosplay outfits in public outside of conventions
:*Getting angry when a cosplayer isn't in character 100% of the time, or else is "doing it wrong"
:*Wearing cosplay when you are too fat to resemble the character's body type, especially if you insist that your cosplay is "perfect." Bonus points if [[Furry|you ''are'' the character now]], and everyone should treat you as such (though in all fairness there are plenty of Western media cosplayers who don't fit the body types either).
*''Unironically'' owning a [[wikipedia:Dakimakura|dakimakura]], because we all know what that's about.
**Going on dates with your dakimakura without a hint of irony
**Going on dates with your dakimakura in public that isn't part of a joke
*[[Katanas are Underpowered in d20|Believing Katanas are the best weapon ever and can cut through ANYTHING]] (and in the event that if they could do so if made from a hypothetical bullshitium alloy, that any other type of sword would not be able to do the same if made from the same metal)
*Going to the Holocaust Museum and taking a photo doing the Nazi salute because of Hetalia ([http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lmwdem2a6P1qf7xf0.jpg yes, that actually happened])
*Shoving Hetalia characters into geography or talks about it during a class of international relations and expecting people to get your reference
*Attacking movies as [[SJW]], then sabotaging review scores in favor of a live action adaptation of a manga or anime.
*Whining about [[/m/|Mecha]] anime being 3D when only Sunrise even brothers with 2D mechs anymore after the airing of a certain shitfest by Trigger.

===Things that don't necessarily make you a Weeaboo, but are commonly associated traits===
*[[Mortarion|Bad Hygiene]]
:*Body Odor
:*Bad Breath
:*[[Neckbeard|Ungroomed facial hair]]
:*Greasy hair or skin
*Overweight
*Ill-fitting / dirty clothes
*Basement-dwelling
*Extreme social awkwardness
*[[/tg/|Frequent tantrums]]
*No verbal filters or social boundaries
*No volume control
*Elitist attitudes
*Getting anal-retentive about adaptations and rejecting them by default in favor of the original material
**This said, some adaptations are absolutely terrible and should never have seen the light of day to begin with.
*Constantly telling inside jokes that aren't even that funny to begin with
*Wanting to exclusively date Asians (assuming you're not Asian yourself)
*[[Matt Ward|Terrible fanfiction]]/[[original character, do not steal|unoriginal character]]s with [[Tau|strong anime themes]]
*Inability to relate to people or serious discussions without constant references to fiction
*Delusional behavior (e.g. being unable to separate reality from their favorite work of fiction)
*[[Slaanesh|Violating people's personal space]] or [[Blood Ravens|personal property]]
*[[Khorne|Reacting violently to shit that doesn't actually matter]]
*Stalking behavior
*Outright sexual harassment in the most extreme cases
*Calling Yourself or others a "[[Dere|Tsundere, Bakadere, Coodere, Dododere,]] or [[Dere|Dandere,]] but [[Dere|Yangeres]] are excluded"

==Litany On The Weeaboo==
Suffer not them to live 
their evil kind causes good men 
to have angry faces, emotions livid. 
Their kind is cringe 
bad to the core 
it makes the sane become unhinged. 

Thought for the day: Beware the furry, the weeb, the heretic.

==See Also==
*[[Anime]] & [[Manga]]
*[[Battle for Dominus Pillowus]]
*[[BESM]]
*[[Katanas are Underpowered in d20]]
*[[Maid RPG]]
*[[Mary Sue]]
*[[The Book of Weeaboo Fightan Magic]]
*[[Tau]]
*[[Ribbon]]
*[[Rising Sons]]
*[[Tanto Cuore]]
*[[Waifu]]
*[[Mecha]]

==Links==
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBfWKmRFTjM| A compilation of weeaboos found in the wild.]
*[http://gunshowcomic.com/ac/part1/ The Gunshow] shows us the social dynamics of a typical anime club.
*[https://i.redd.it/j8z2wup79gm01.jpg Let's see...] Annoying broken Japanese? Check. Fetishizing Asian dudes? Check. Implying he's gay with his best friend? WE'VE HIT THE TRIFECTA FOLKS!
You think we were kidding about the war crimes? [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanking_Massacre]]. [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_war_crimes#Crimes]]. [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unit_731]]
[[category:Weeaboo]]
[[Category:RAGE]]

Queen's Blade

2020-06-13T19:58:42Z

2600:6C58:637F:E506:58AF:C3B7:CF47:97DD: /* Queen's Gate crossover aka the version with characters you actually want to play */

{{stub}}

'''Queen's Blade''' is a series originating from Japan that is a perfect representation of how /d/ and /tg/ can get intermixed. The setting/series began its life as a Japanese spin-off to the Lost Worlds, an [[Old School Roleplaying]] game revolving around the use of "visual combat" gamebooks to depict battle between selected fighters. Queen's Blade took this basic idea and gave it an ecchi slant, creating a slew of characters who were all sexy women, and even a few [[monstergirls]], but still using the basic game mechanics.

This being released in Japan, it took off, and eventually inspired a series of novels, anime (serial and OVAs), manga and videogames.

==The Setting==
Being basically somebody's [[magical realm]] writ large, it's not hugely complicated to get the basic gist of it: the Queen's Blade setting takes place in an [[Amazon]]-themed world, where ruling is taken care of by powerful female warriors. Every four years, a grand tournament is held in which any warrior-women who wants to enter can compete; last woman standing gets to be queen of the world until somebody manages to kick her off the throne in a subsequent tournament.

There's more background to it - for example, the world used to be run by a conventional aristocracy, but they got themselves into a war so big and destructive that the gods themselves came down from heaven, slapped the shit out of them, and set up the Queen's Blade tournament that has ruled ever since - but the above paragraph is all you need to know going in.

One notable aspect is that the series is very much an ecchi shonen slant on the Sword & Sorcery style; as such, magic is portrayed as evil, with "real" fighters instead relying on semi-mystical fighting techniques and magical weapons instead.

==The Characters==
...Where do we even start? This series is crawling with girls from different story arcs and continuities, ranging from the fairly ordinary every-girl protagonist to lesbian elf mercenaries who wear trained snakes in lieu of panties to [[slime]]girls who disguise themselves as pink bunnygirls to perverted [[angel]]s.

Let's take it from the top, then...

'''Leina Vance:''' Middle daughter of the Vance family, who used to rule the world before the gods slapped them off of the throne and instituted the Queen's Blade program. Ran away from home hoping to become a strong warrior. Protagonist of the anime, mascot of the franchise as a whole. In the Hide & Seek manga continuity, she's not only aware of her sisters' incestuous desire for each other, but wishes they would actually get together.l

'''Claudette Vance:''' Eldest of the three Vance sisters, the problem is that she's Count Vance's bastard daughter and so prohibited from inheriting any sort of power. She wants daddy's love, but he treats her like shit, perhaps ''because'' she's the strongest of his daughters despite being illegitimate. She has incestuous lesbian desires for her youngest sister, Elina, which are more prominent in the manga "Hide & Seek".

'''Elina Vance:''' Youngest of the three Vance sisters, a sadistic, incestuous, lesbian who serves their father as an assassin. She wants to fuck both her sisters. Is human, but has a [[catgirl]] motif.

'''Nanael:''' A mischievous, lusty, arrogant angel disliked by others for both her trouble-making ways and her deformity of having assymetrically sized wings. Heaven ultimate tries to get her out of the way by sending her to Earth with orders to partake in the Queen's Blade tournament (which she mostly sees as an excuse to chase after handsome guys) and attempting to handicap her by demanding she carry & not spill a bottle of "Holy Milk".

'''Melpha:''' The "healslut" meme incarnate, this priestess from the capital city of Gainos is known for two things; her ''fuck-off-huge'' boobs and her use of "Holy Poses" as a combat mechanic, basically unleashing divine magic spells through sexually provocative stances and actions.

'''Tomoe:''' A female [[samurai]]-miko from the island nation of Hinamoto. Dresses quite sensibly (by this series' standards), and is incredibly pissed off by just how slutty everybody in the mainland seems to be, finding great offense in the skimpy clothes and sexual antics she's constantly surrounded by.

'''Shizuka:''' A rogue [[ninja]] who is Tomoe's best friend, despite being a busty girl who likes wearing skimpy clothes. She ends up getting herself killed in order to motivate Tomoe to fight harder in the tournament.

'''Melona:''' A [[slime]]girl who takes the form of a pink-haired bunnygirl. Speciality attack is squeezing her huge tits in order to spray gouts of corrosive slime at her foes from afar. She works as a spy and assassin for the Swamp Witch, the closest thing this setting has to a [[BBEG]], which is somewhat undermined by her being a huge attention whore.

'''Menace:''' A "[[mummy]]" who takes the form of a near-naked sexy girl. Originally the decadently hedonistic and self-centered lesbian queen of the lost kingdom of Amara, she was betrayed by her favored concubine, who worked with an outside force to topple her kingdom before throwing her into the palace's slave-pens, where she was beaten & raped to death. Revived by the Swamp Witch as a minion, she refuses to serve her, instead trying to rebuild Amara and pursue an unlife of eternal carnal bliss.

'''Airi:''' A soul-eating [[wraith]] who takes the form of a cute girl with a scythe who dresses in a [[maid]] costume. One of the Swamp Witch's main warriors.

'''Nowa:''' A perky, skimpily clad [[half-elf]] who refuses to let the contempt she is regarded with by most of the pure-blooded elves get her down. Decided to enter the Queen's Blade tournament just for kicks.

'''Alleyne:''' An elven combat instructor and veteran warrior.

'''Echidna:''' An elven mercenary, infamous for being one of ''the'' biggest perverts in the entire setting; it's not just that she's a shameless lesbian pervert, but she runs around completely bottomless, save for a trained snake that she wears coiled around her privates like panties. She's even been known to use this snake to rape other women.

'''Queen Aldra:''' A youthful seeming (but not [[loli]]) half-demon with a petrifying gaze attack, the current bearer of the title of Queen.

'''Irma:''' The scantily-clad head of Queen Aldra's secret police. Really hates Echidna, her former tutor and first lover, for just walking out on her without a word.

'''Cattleya:''' Perhaps ''the'' most infamous member of the Queen's Blade cast; an [[Amazon]]ian MILF with both [[musclegirl|rippling arms]] and the biggest tits 'n' ass in the series. A weaponsmith by trade, she joined the tournament to search for her missing husband Owen. Carries a "Giant-Killer" greatsword that [[Guts]] would find admirable.

'''Ymir:''' Daughter of the [[Dwarf]] King, who enters the tournament to prove the superiority of dwarf-made weaponry. Looks like a pointy-eared human [[loli]] with an extravagant twintail hair-style.

'''Risty:''' A busty female bandit who robs from the rich to help the poor.

'''Nyx:''' A peasant girl who once worked for Elina Vance. The experience drove her so insane with the need for vengeance upon her abusive mistress that she willingly partnered up with the sapient, perverted magical staff Funikura, which powers itself up by raping her with tentacles, so she could use its magic to destroy Elina.

==Queen's Gate crossover aka the version with characters you actually want to play==
This is the only reason anyone who isn't a otaku/weeb would even play Queen's Blade. As it has game books allowing players to use female characters from various video games and other franchises. Though some are nerfed compared to their canon counterparts. As the likes of Dizzy or Noel with access to their full power would solo just about any scenario on their own. Seriously, none of the cast of Queen's Blade would actually stand a chance would stand a chance if pitted against the likes Kasumi, Ivy Valentine or Mai Shiranui. It wouldn't even be [[rape]], just an old school curb stomping.

[[Category: Weeaboo]] [[Category: Monstergirls]]

Legion of the Damned

2020-06-13T19:50:50Z

2600:6C58:637F:E506:58AF:C3B7:CF47:97DD:

{{awesome}}
[[File:Legion of the damned huge.jpg|800px|center|thumb|[[Chaos]] is [[rape|screwed on multiple levels]].]]
{{Infobox Spess Mahreen Chapter
|Name = Legion of the Damned, formerly Fire Hawks (maybe)
|Heraldry =
|Battle Cry = None. They don't need one because they are terrifying as hell
|Number =
|Founding = [[21st Founding]]
|Successors of = [[Ultramarines]] (maybe)
|Successor Chapters = None
|Chapter Master = Stibor Laezaerek (at time of disappearance) (Try to pronounce that on your 1st try)
|Primarch = [[Roboute Guilliman]](Maybe, we don't know)
|Homeworld = ''Raptorous Rex'', formerly Zhoros and Cousteau XI
|Specialty = Showing up to turn the tide (and being awesome as fuck)
|Strength = No more than 200
|Allegiance = [[Imperium of Man]]
|Colours = Black with bone and flame coloring (though that may be actual flames), formerly red and yellow
}}

{{Topquote|We are the Angels of Death|Space Marine motto}}

They are literally undead space marines that are on warp-fire. And it's epic. Perhaps one of the most [[Awesome|BADASS]] [[Space Marine]] Chapters. '''EVER'''

They are Space Marines that were [[Troll|mutated, killed, and trapped in the warp]], all the while remaining faithful to the [[Emprah]]. Put simply, imagine the [[LARP|zombie/spirit]] of a Space Marine that kills things that are [[Chaos|bad]]. They constantly suffer, but make up for it popping up from the Warp and saving endangered IG regiments.

[[GW]] [[What|has given them an ID crisis, because it can't make up its mind between an ever-growing army of badass GOOD dead people, something original, or a dwindling group of badass mutated Space Marines that are slowly getting killed by mutation.]]

Recently got a new squad look that comes with a Sergeant that looks like a [[Rage|GODDAMNED]] [[Chaplain|CHAPLAIN!]] (Recent as in 2009....11 years ago...Figures GW would make something cool but forget they exist until reminded by players.)

==Fire Hawks==
[[File:Knight Terminator.jpg|200px|thumbnail|left|Even before their transformation, the Fire Hawks incorporated flames into their armours.]]
[[File:RogueTraderFireHawk.png|200px|thumbnail|right|Rogue trader era Fire Hawk (Note the chapter symbol).]]
(Note: the below has been heavily retcon'd and implied to either be no longer true, or only true if you apply liberal use of time travel. Granted this IS the Warp we're talking about...)
The Legion of the Damned was originally a Space Marine chapter known as the "Fire Hawks", made from the geneseed of the [[Ultramarines]] ([[A Game of Pretend|or so they claim]]). They made a name for themselves during the Age of Apostasy, where they fought well and were rewarded with the destruction of their homeworld, Zhoros, by thermal bombs. After this, Sebastian Thor gave them a massive Great Crusade era void fortress, the ''Raptorous Rex'', in commemoration of their deeds. They became a fleet based chapter as a result.

Afterwards, they participated in the [[Badab War]] on the side of the loyalists, where they were reduced to about 22% effective strength (though the ''Rex'' was instrumental near the end of the war).

They were next called into action against [[Eldar]] pirates, and made the 120 light year warp jump with their entire chapter (the ''Rex'', five other ships, and more than 800 battle brothers).

They never arrived.

20 years after they disappeared, the Bell of Lost Souls rang 1000 times in their honor and they were declared lost in the Warp. Supposedly, the Emperor himself ordered a black candle lit for them. The Fire Hawks were no more and the Legion of the Damned was born.

==Return==
[[Image:Legion of the Damned.jpg|400px|thumb|right|A Legionnaire helping out the [[Blood Angels]].]]
The emergence of the Legion of the Damned was slow at first, starting with destroyed worlds and unmarked coffins containing marines whose equipment serial numbers matched Fire Hawk records but whose bodies had unnaturally decayed beyond recognition. A few years after their disappearance, however, they emerged to help an Imperial garrison besieged by [[Orks]]. They quickly dispatched the xenos and vanished, leaving behind only a recorder, some sealed items and their chapter banner on which was inscribed the words "In dedicato imperatum ultra articulo mortis" or for those of you who don't speak Gothic [[awesome|"For the Emperor beyond the point of death"]]

The recorder revealed what happened to the ill-fated Fire Hawks. Basically, they got their shit royally fucked. After making the transition to warp space, they were caught in a terrible warp storm. Only their star-fort the ''Raptorus Rex'', and possibly another ship known as the ''Absolute'', and only 200 marines escaped the warp, appearing in the galactic east; so far east, in fact, that they were beyond even the Emperor's light. Not only this, but all their geneseed had been rendered unusable and the survivors were afflicted with a [[AIDS|warp affliction]] which caused them to rot, slowly destroying their bodies and sanity. But, unlike some [[Death Guard|failures]], they manned up and decided to use it to their advantage and continue their fight for the Emperor. They decided to repaint their armor black (possibly because even in their insanity they remembered how awesome chaplains were) and cover themselves with bones and fire. They also did away with any kind of organization, instead becoming an unstoppable horde bent on destruction. Most lore describes the Legion of the Damned phasing in and out of reality and instead of having flames painted on their armor they are instead wreathed in warpfire and their armor is pitch black and destroyed in some places which reveals the bones of the wearer, further emphasizing on the zombie ghost space marine theme.

===Theories===
Their new codex says that it's not actually known for sure if the above is really the case. Most of the [[Imperium]] (other than the [[Space Marines]], who stand by the Fire Hawks theory) believes they are the ghosts of dead Space Marines, and the [[Eldar]] (along with the late Inquisitor Quixos of [[Eisenhorn]] fame) are convinced that they're the Imperial equivalent of Daemons.

Note that similarly [[Kaldor Draigo]] has also been lost in the warp without being dissolved instantly by the raw stuff of chaos, but [[Matt Ward|obviously]] retains his purity because he's a [[Mary Sue|Grey Knight]] Chuck Norris in space, and instead of getting wet when falling into water, he makes it chuck instead, basically willing the warp to become still around him, yeah. The Fire Hawks were already known for being particularly devout and close with the [[Ecclesiarchy]] and [[Sebastian Thor]] and so could conceivably prevent themselves from melting too through sheer faith and willpower.
Also, [[Cypher|certain]] [[Fallen Angels]] manage to be deposited across space and time causing [[What|chronological inconsistencies]] and no end of [[derp|debate]].

They supposedly figure out where they are needed most by using the Emperor's Tarot, a deck of psychoactive crystal cards that are said to be linked directly to the Emperor. I'd imagine how frustrated they would be when they discover that Emperor's Tarot was made by [[Lorgar]] <s>(not doing a good job of proving you're a God, Emps)</s> {{BLAM}} {{BLAM|Heresy!}}. The [[Ordo Chronos]] (what's left of it, anyway) thinks that they might actually be using time travel to do this,''(see also the '''Sollemnis''' below)'' but every time they've tried to observe the Legion directly to test this, they've been delayed by freak accidents that just so happen to keep the Ordo Chronos away long enough for the Legion to vanish by the time they show up.

Another theory that links to the time travel one is that they're Marines from an alternate even more grim and dark timeline, or as one anon puts it "in the grim grim darkness of the far far further future, there are only flaming-time-travelling-teleporting armor-ignoring-zombie-space-marines-ghosts" sent back to stop whatever bad is happening to prevent their future from ever happening in the first place.
[[File:Damned Legionaire and Filthy Eldar Xeno.jpg|800px|thumbnail|right|Legionaries are bros. End of story. Don't believe in the hypocrisy of what others say about them.]]
In other words, [[Awesome|they're erasing themselves from existence to save humanity]].

Nobody's entirely sure of the truth anymore, perhaps none of them are true or perhaps '''all''' theories are true and the Fire Hawks are just one set of unfortunate space marines to become Damned Legionnaires after becoming lost in the [[Warp]].

'''Tl;DR:''' Very [[grimdark]].

===Solid Theory===
The warp is often described as an ocean, with currents, storms, eddies and sea (Warp) creatures. The currents themselves are allegedly 'random' and they can block off systems from Warp travel due to storms or other anomalies, slow down ships and even displace them or swallow them entirely. We also know that they can send a ship to a different time; there are some references to ships arriving at their destination before they even left etc.

1. The reason that the Warp's currents are considered random is because no one has the sensor capacity to analyze the activity and patterns of the Warp. To be fair, such an endeavour would require a huge number of Warp sensitive sensors placed across the entire galaxy and would probably need many years/decades/centuries of data collection.

2. If the Warp is like an ocean as so many describe it, then at least some of the currents should be predictable and constant, like our currents on Earth. Now, taking this a step further, even if 99.9999% of the currents are forward-moving in time, somewhere in the ridiculous amount of space in the galaxy there is a high probability that there must be constant/predictable currents that take ships back through time.

3. The next question is, how far back in time could you go? I believe the maximum limit would be to the origination of the Warp current that takes you back in time. Unfortunately, there'd be no real way to tell how far back you could travel until you tried and found out. Another problem is that it still takes time (in your personal frame of reference), to go back in time. For example, you might spend a year travelling in the Warp current to go back ten years in real time, or (!) ten years in the Warp only to go back one year in real time. The ratio itself wouldn't be known until the current was used and even then it might not be constant.

'''One more step'''

I believe at least one of these currents has been found and is being capitalized upon.

The Fire Hawks were a chapter of Space Marines who disappeared in the Warp and were declared lost. Some survivors from their fleet were seen 25 odd years later with different colours and fighting styles, and they were then named 'The Legion of the Damned', as you all know.
The LOTD has appeared at locations and relatively recent moments in time, where their limited numbers (200 odd marines), could make a huge difference. I believe this is no coincidence and unlike some theories (such as they are directed to where they are needed by the Emperor himself via the Tarot etc.), I have evidence to support mine.

The Fire Hawks Chapter was lost in 963 M.41 and became the LOTD after that event.
Look below at 'Known Encounters' and you can see that some form of Time Travel has taken place because they've been active since before the Fire Hawks were officially lost.

I believe that the LOTD has found a constant current that can transport them back in time. The reason why and how they can appear at the exact time and places where they are needed is because to them it has already occurred and they are simply travelling back in time to moments where their limited numbers can change the course of history for the benefit of the Imperium of Man.

'''Now you're wondering, why don't they go back to the Horus Heresy and prevent everything bad from happening Etc. Etc.? There are a couple reasons potentially as to why not:
'''

1. The Current itself may not go that far back.

2. The amount of time they would have to spend in the current to go that far back may not be feasible. We don't know how long it takes them to go back 1 year in real time. For example, for all we know it could take them 5 years of travelling to go back 1 year, and therefore they'd have to live to at least 50,000 years old to make it back to the HH.

3. Every trip back in time alters history. The further back they go the more they will effect. They are probably wary of going too far back in time, just in case they somehow prevent their chapter's formation and their very existence, and everything they have ever accomplished. It basically risks too much. This makes even more sense considering that the Heresy was the cause of the Space Marines being split into Chapters to begin with, so without it, there probably wouldn't have even been Fire Hawks to begin with.

Considering that the LOTD has been going backwards in time to critical moments where they could make a difference, we have no idea how long (in their frame of reference), they have been doing it and they might be nearing the end of their natural lifespans. If that is the case, soon there may be no more LOTD. Therefore I believe the most important question, upon which perhaps this entire theory hangs, is why haven't they told the Imperium of that specific Warp current?
Maybe they did..... and maybe it caused a lot more problems and perhaps they rectified that mistake as well. The problem is, I don't believe we'll ever know.

Another explanation for the existence of the Legion of the Damned would be that they are the spirits or ghosts of fallen Space Marines which continue to serve the Emperor even in death. This makes perfect sense, as in the book 'The Chapter's Due', Ultramarines Captain Uriel Ventris of the Fourth Company encountered the Legion while engaged in a battle with the Iron Warriors in the Tomb of Remus Ventanus on Calth. On one of the Legion's shoulder pads he saw a 'barely legible, inverted omega symbol'. This member of the Legion of the Damned was stated to have other traces of Ultramarines symbology and was heavily inferred to be Remus Ventanus, a former Ultramarines captain who died ten thousand years prior. Before he and the other members of the Legion of Damned faded away, the ghost of Remus Ventanus whispered the true name of the daemon Lord M'kar and gave Uriel the dagger that was necessary for slaying the daemon. This fits with the Legion of the Damned well, as they once again saved Imperial forces from destruction. Furthermore this doesn't rule out the Fire Hawks being members of the Legion of the Damned, that would probably be the case. However they would not be the only Space Marines to be part of the Legion. Although this theory doesn't rule out time travel, it negates the need for it, as there would have been plenty of potential LotD members prior to the Fire Hawks being lost in the Warp. Later in 'Master of Mankind,' the Emperor apparently summoned fiery manifestations of Space Marines, and even Custodes as well as a [[Ferrus Manus|giant with silver arms and a hammer]], to hold back the daemonic tide before sealing the Eternity Gate.
Quite possibly, the Fire Hawks were the core group of the LotD. Then, as time went on, more Marines, but just the very dedicated ones, were pulled in to serve. This would explain why the LotD isn't absolutely enormous, and featuring troops from every age, with Crusade Suits mingling with Corvus, Heresy, to shiny new Gravis pattern.

Interestingly, there is a Chaos Space Marine Warband called the [[Warp Ghosts]] that are both time travelers and ghosts (though not solid ones, they have to possess the bodies of other marines). This does show that several of the theories about the Legion of the Damned are definitely possible.

==Known encounters==
* '''003.M40''' Vilidad Prime: The Legion repel the forces of [[The Flawless Host]] and one hundred [[daemonettes]]. As the forces of chaos retreat, they blast open fresh adamantium seams which are [[Just as Planned|later used for Astartes war materiel]].
* '''prior to 343.M41''': [[Inquisitor]] Quixos postulates that the Legion of the Damned are creatures of the Warp similar to [[Daemons]], but in their case were shards of the [[Emperor]]s will given form. ''This indicates there MUST have been enough additional sightings of the Legion prior to this point to begin study of them.''
* '''343.M41 (according to the Codex)''' Ghodba: Hive Fleet Moloch invades and the Legion arrives to create a cordon around the superheavy tanks to give the crews time to man them. ''(note: the FIRST tyrannic war was in 745, and Moloch arrived in 998)''
* '''806.M41''' [[Deathwatch (RPG)|Jericho Reach]]: The frigate ''Sollemnis'' is spewed from the [[Warp|Hadex Anomaly]] around one-hundred and fifty years into its own past ''(from 963.M41)'', remaining on location only long enough to transmit a warning of contagion before disappearing into the Reach.
* '''817.M41''' [[Deathwatch (RPG)|Jericho Reach]]: The Sollemnis reappears three times in as many weeks to combat the enemies of the Imperium. On the fourth encounter, the Legion of the Damned are first reported to support a [[Deathwatch]] kill-team combating a daemonhost.
* '''852.M41''' [[Craftworld|Craftworld Idharae]]: The [[Invaders]] chapter launch an ill-advised attack on an Eldar Craftworld, ''(which they pay for later)''. The Legion of the Damned arrive at the same time as the [[Avatar of Khaine]] and find that their flaming weapons cannot harm it, so they cause the great dome to come crashing down on themselves instead, winning the battle that way.
* '''922.M41''' Andraxas: the Legion come to the aid of [[Varro Tigurius]] against the Orks, but also assist in the recovery of what appears to be [[Malcador the Sigillite]]'s Force Staff, which contained valuable information about the [[Golden Throne]] within it.
* '''940.M41''' Timeaon: The [[Iron Snakes]] are ambushed by the [[Tau]] during the battle for Timeaon, only for the Legion of the Damned to launch an assault on the Tau flank.
* '''963.M41''' En-Route to Crows World: The '''Fire Hawks''' go missing, lending credence to the theory that the Legion of the Damned can time travel ''(if they are the same chapter)'', or they have simply been around longer ''(if they are daemons or spirits)''
* '''967.M41''' Thersuis: The Legion rescue Marshall [[Helbrecht]] after being captured by the [[Kabal of the Black Heart]] and the [[Cult of Strife]], even forcing [[Lelith Hesperax]] to take flight. His sword brethren get embarrassed.
* '''983.M41''' Terra: The [[Administratum]] officially declares the Fire Hawks a Lost Chapter, and the Bell of Lost Souls rings one thousand times for each fallen Marine.
* '''986.M41''' Jakor-tal: [[Imperial Navy]] vessels encounter unexpected devastation amongst Ork-held territories, indicating that the Legion of the Damned DOES operate independently and are not necessarily working in direct aid of Imperial Forces.
* '''987.M41''' Maran Sub-sector: a Naval patrol vessel has a near collision with an unidentified vessel, after going WTF and scanning the area, they discover two standard space coffins with matching serial numbers to missing Fire Hawks equipment. The bodies contained within could not be identified.
* '''988.M41''' An Imperial research station falls under attack from Orks, only to be saved by mysterious power-armoured figures who vanish after half an hour of fighting, leaving several hundred ork corpses in their wake. The marines leave the Fire Hawks chapter banner behind, bearing the motto ''In dedicato imperatum ultra articulo mortis'' (For the Emperor beyond the point of death)
* '''996.M41''' Certus Minor: While the [[Excoriators]] 5th Company is fighting the Cholercaust Blood Crusade on the cemetery world of Cerus Minor, the Legion of the Damned begin appearing all over the capital killing Khornate berzerkers. The lone frigate defending the world against the fleet is rescued by a badly decayed Ramilies-class star fort (the ''Raptorous Rex'' was of the same pattern). At the end of the night Captain Zachariah Kersh is the only survivor of the defenders (the women and children having been placed in stasis coffins and [[Grimdark|buried alive for their own safety]]).
* '''999.M41''' Calth: When [[Uriel Ventris]], his [[Command Squad]], one Ultramarines Tactical Squad and one [[Raven Guard]] command squad are cornered by [[Warsmith]] [[Honsou]] during the [[Bloodborn]] invasion, Space Marines in black and red armour with bones appear and begin using the [[Iron Warriors]] as target practice. Never explicitly confirmed to be the Legion of the Damned, but the description fits their MO.
* '''999.M41''' [[Phalanx]]: Warsmith [[Shon'tu]] invades the ''[[Phalanx]]'' with an army of Iron Warriors and daemons, forcing the [[Imperial Fists]] Third Company to fling the ''Phalanx'' into the Warp. While in the Warp, the Legion of the Damned appear to support the Fists, but even their combined <s>plot armour</s> determination is only just keeping the Chaos army at bay. As of Fall of Cadia, the combined forces of the Imperial Fists and Legion of the Damned defeat the Iron Warriors and then aid in the evacuation of Imperial Forces.
* '''Unknown Date.M41''' Terran Crusade: The Legion of the Damned arrvies to help Guilliman and the rest of the crusade's forces escape the [[Blackstone Fortress]] they were imprisoned on. The Legion engages [[Skarbrand]] and buy enough time for Guilliman and the others to escape via a secret webway tunnel.
* '''Unknown Date.M42''' [[Devastation of Baal]]: The Legion of the Damned arrives, assisting the [[Blood Angels]] as they make their final charge against Hive Fleet Leviathan.
* '''Unknown Date.M42''' Various Locations: The Legion of the Damned are reporting in mulitple worlds, assisting the forces of the Imperium.
* '''Unknown Date.M42''' The Legion of the Damned assist an Imperial Fists force under Darnath Lysander against Daemons. They were forced to retreat and the planet falls to Chaos. Noted as one of the very few times the Damned have been defeated in battle

==In Game==
[[File:Sgt._Centurius_closeup.jpg|400px|thumb|left|Sergeant Centurius. A badass among a chapter of badasses. And that's something.]]
Many people consider them limited due to their high point cost and slow and purposeful special rule. This is [[FAIL|"balanced"]] by being able to reroll their deepstrike, 2 base attacks, and a 3+ invulnerable save (plus access to heavy and special weapons). Sadly, being slow, they will probably get stuck somewhere and not do much and, though a suicide melta squad sounds like a good idea, they are generally considered too expensive for such a task.

In 2nd Edition they had a special character, Sergeant Centurius, who had a skull that ate souls and brought a downed legionnaire back into the fight (White Dwarf U.S. #195, pp. 12-15).

Thankfully, [[6th edition]] buffed them by changing the Slow and Purposeful rule: now, instead of taking Difficult Terrain tests every turn, they simply can't Run in the Shooting phase or make Sweeping Advances. [[Awesome|Yeah, they can move the full 6 inches every turn now, just like normal marines]].

In the 6E Space Marine codex , they gained the Fear (making them scarier) and Flaming Projectiles (all ranged attacks have Ignore Cover) rules. Not only that, their special weapons and heavy weapons became cheaper than the previous edition. If you give them plasma guns and plasma cannons, they can become really nasty with the Flaming Projectiles rule. Despite their fluff ("The bolters carried by the Legionnaires, though in aspect no different to those borne by other Space Marines, discharge flaming projectiles that can pierce the strongest armour"), the Flaming Projectiles special rule simply makes their shots ignore cover. With a description like that, you'd think they'd have something like the Thousand Sons, and have AP3 bolters or something.

'''Nostalgia:''' - Rules for the Legion of the Damned first appeared in the Rogue Trader era (White Dwarf U.S. #99, pp. 39-42). In 2nd Edition their rules were in the general Space Marines Codex, Codex Ultramarines (pp. 74-75). There used to be [[Warhammer_40,000/Tactics/Chapter_Approved/Cursed_Founding|rules for ''entire armies'']] of Legion of the Damned way back in 3rd Edition, in the good old days of [[Chapter Approved]] which used the Space Marine codex as a base and offered variant rules for gameplay ''(much like modern day supplements... except they were only the cost of a [[White Dwarf]])''. While they were not as badass as they became in 6th, you still got an entire army of space marines with 6++ saves and the ability to deep strike.

We recently got a digital Legion of the Damned Codex, and like all digital codices there's barely any crunch to it. Basically you must take one squad of Damned Legionnaires, but the mandatory squad doesn't take up an elites slot. Also Damned Legionnaires are scoring, and they get an actually useful warlord traits table. That's it. Sergeant Centurius' special skull is back, and it's explicitly stated in promotional materials that it allows you to use a sergeant to represent him. It's also impossible to field them on their own since the whole army starts in reserve, unless you are playing a very specific mission against Orks, and even then you are forced to ally with Ultramarines; if you do try to field them on their own you will be forced to concede turn 1 every time unless you're playing planetstrike... but then you may still end up accidentally conceding first turn if you roll badly on reserves.

As of 8th Edition, Damned Legionnaires are [[Awesome|back as an Elites choice, and you can take as many as you like]] (poor old Centurius is still missing though, unfortunately). They have narrower weapons options than Tactical Squads (they only get heat-based special and heavy weapons - Meltas, Flamers, Plasma guns, Heavy Flamers and Multimeltas) but they have three extra special rules on top of '''And They Shall Know No Fear''': All their attacks ignore cover ('''Flaming Projectiles'''); they all get a 3++ ('''Unyielding Spectres'''); and they can deploy off-board then materailise at the end of any of your movement phases, anywhere on the board that's more then 9" from an enemy ('''Aid Unlooked For'''). They're twice as expensive as a regular Tactical Marine at 25 rather than 13 points each, and statswise they've got 1" less movement, +1 Attack, and a Leadership of 10 rather than 7 (and you've still got ATSKNF on top of that).

Also their models are out of print; they've been stricken from printed rulebooks, and moved to the Warhammer Legends series, a mark of honor where GeeDubs knows we love a certain unit too much to just [[Squat]] them entirely. The bad news, they aren't being considered for a price drop anytime soon (and that 25 points per model ''really'' hurts them). The good news, Legends rules are listed for free online, you no longer need to lug around the Index books just to play with your awesome loyal flaming zombiemarines, and they'll likely still be supported if 9th edition ever happens.

== Writefaggotry ==
You are Guardswoman Sonja Larsson, 427th Valhallan. Your regiment was ordered to hold a world in the face of one of Abbadon the Despoiler's Black Crusades. Reinforcements are promised, but everyone knows they won’t make it in time.
As the Warp becomes ever more unstable, heralding the coming of the massive Chaos fleet, your regimental commander, the Colonel, loses all contact with outside forces. The 427th is cut off.
You dig in, knowing that no matter what happens, the regiment, and you, will die here. One way or another.

But you are Imperial Guard. You are the only thing standing between the innocent men, women, and children living upon this doomed world and the ravaging hordes of Chaos.

So you do the only thing you can. You are Imperial Guard. You hold the line.

Your comrades die in the hundreds, in the thousands, but they die standing. They die facing the enemy, firing and slashing with bayonets, shouting battle-cries as they die for the Emperor and Humanity.

The outer lines are overrun.

Ammunition is dangerously low, and the medics have long since run out of supplies.

Night falls.

The Colonel walks the lines, as he has every night the 427th has been here. That's the kind of man he is.
As he passes your position, he pauses.

He looks down at you kindly as you sit there behind the heavy bolter.

He asks how you're holding up, as he does every night, to every soldier in the regiment. You smile wanly and answer, "The Emperor protects, Sir." It is the same answer you always give him, but this time, it carries a note of finality.

You see it in his face, too - you both know that this is the last time he'll be able to ask that question. You both know this will be the last time you can answer it.

He begins to turn, to walk to the other Guardsmen, when a shout comes from a lookout post, and the mortar thumps as a star shell is fired over the outer lines.

You look out, and by the fierce, pale light of the burning shell, you see the ground moving toward you. It takes you a moment to realize that it isn't the ground - the soldiers of Chaos are so tightly packed that it only seems so.

As the shell bursts and lights up the night, a huge, grating scream comes from those lost souls, and they charge heedless toward your pitiful defenses.

You rack the charging handle on the heavy bolter and open fire, the muzzle flashes ruining your night vision, the deafening report slamming your ears.

You cut down ten, fifty, you lose count. The bolter clicks empty, and you reach for a fresh belt, only to stop as the Colonel jams one into the feeder.

You squeeze the trigger again, bolter thundering, but it isn't enough. It can never be enough. Still, they come.

They crest the breastworks and pour into the trench, screaming blasphemous epithets as they throw themselves upon the defenders.

You abandon the emplaced bolter and take up your lasgun, firing heedlessly into the enemy.

You fire and fire and fire, never once missing - how could you miss? There is nowhere TO miss.

You are overrun.

The Colonel shouts the order to fall back, then pitches forward on his face, a cultist's bayonet planted in his back.

You shoot the man, shoot him again and again, until your lasgun's power cell runs dry.

Then reason reasserts itself, and you run. You climb the defensive wall and run for the final, inner defense. As you reach it, a head pops up from the trench. On its face, you see the Eight-Pointed-Star of Chaos.

There is no inner line. It has already been overrun.

You stand there, in shock. Cultists before you, behind you, on all sides. The Colonel is dead. Emperor only knows if ANYONE is left alive after that.

You have an urge to give up.

To sit down and accept your fate.

You lost.

It's over.

You remember your oath, the one you swore on that bright, proud day when you joined the regiment. You swore to protect the citizens of the Imperium, to the last breath and the last round.

You snap a new powercell into your lasgun.

You are Imperial Guard.

You will hold the line.

As this thought flashes through your mind, the night splits open around you.

From nowhere, huge, hulking figures in shining black armor appear from the shadows.

Tongues of flame leap from their hands, and some corner of your mind distantly notes that it sounds like bolter fire.

The figures surround you, shielding you from the Chaos tide. Their fire never slackens, and no matter how many times they are shot, are wounded, they do not falter. They do not fall.

They stand guard over you throughout the night, firing and slashing with their screaming blades.

The Chaos assault breaks against them like a wave upon a great rock, and they fall back in howling disorder.

Moments later, you hear the whistling of artillery rounds overhead, and the world explodes before you as the mighty Earthshaker cannons of Captain Petrenko's Basilisk squadron go to work. In minutes, not a single Chaos cultist stands before you.

Dawn breaks in a glorious, red sunrise.

As you watch, the figures - the Space Marines, you realize - begin to fade with the dawn, vanishing as silently as they appeared.

You snap out of your fugue state, then run to the nearest Marine, falling to your knees at his feet.

Voice shaking, you thank him for saving you, for saving the 427th, for saving this world. He looks silently down at you, and you shrink away from that silent gaze, slightly. It is no mean feat to bear up under the gaze of the Astartes, especially one such as this.

His armor is black, and emblazoned with flames, skulls, and bones. His bolter smokes slightly from the muzzle.

He begins to fade, and you shout.

"Who are you? How did you get here? Why did you save me?"

The Marine pauses, and then, for the first and last time, a Damned Legionnaire speaks.

"We are the Emperor's Will. We came because there was need. We saved you because you held the line."

The sun clears the mountains, and the Marine is gone.

== Gallery ==
<gallery>
Image:Legion Of The Damned Squad.gif|Back in 2nd Edition.
File:TheLegionOfTheDamned_5th_ed_minis.jpg|Their 5th Edition minis.
Image:Up-the-irons-40k.jpg|Notice how the Imperium banner is not getting consumed while the Chaos Star is starting to melt away.
File:Epic_Legion_of_the_Damned.JPG|Their Epic minis.
</gallery>

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[[Category:Warhammer 40,000]][[Category:Imperial]][[Category:Space Marines]]