"The Emperor is a corpse. The Empire is bloated and corrupt"
And how many people know that? Roboute Guilliman, sure, I can give you that.
"Why do I still live? What more do you want from me? I gave everything I had to you, to them. Look what they've made of our dream. This bloated, rotting carcass of an empire is driven not by reason and hope but by fear, hate and ignorance. Better that we had all burned in the fires of Horus' ambition than live to see this."
I can see romantic angle for him.
But average soldier of The Imperium? That's a hard sell. Well kinda, those who say those things quickly get Commissar's treatment. Others do believe in the The Emperor quite stronngly
Or the romantic alt take on that. The Emperor is a corpse, living a every moment a half life of agony. If he can sacrifice so much for us, how can we not give our all?
I should power through the Horus Heresy series of books but they do get tedious. I've listened to the first two audiobooks – Lupercal!
As a fan of the Dark Angels (third edition 40K) I am fond of their Primarch Lion El'Jonson and the lore of the chapter. And then there's Cypher, that mysterious, crazy guy with the pistols. I always wanted that miniature. There is a charm about their aesthetic and ritualistic nature.
In later years (9th edition onwards) I bought into the Death Guard and have been a servant of Papa Nurgle ever since.
I always read the Marines differently. You spend each day with your best friends and brothers in arms. But all accounts, monestaries were pretty comfortable places where you pursue technical competence. All your time is scheduled, so you don't know what you're missing. Sure, you lack the empty pleasure of a chaos marine, but what could feel more meaningful than a life of service for god and humanity? Sure, you right demons and monsters, but that just emphasizes how important and powerful you get to be. It probably changes depending on what chapter and who is writing the Marines.
"The Emperor is a corpse. The Empire is bloated and corrupt"
And how many people know that? Roboute Guilliman, sure, I can give you that.
"Why do I still live? What more do you want from me? I gave everything I had to you, to them. Look what they've made of our dream. This bloated, rotting carcass of an empire is driven not by reason and hope but by fear, hate and ignorance. Better that we had all burned in the fires of Horus' ambition than live to see this."
I can see romantic angle for him.
But average soldier of The Imperium? That's a hard sell. Well kinda, those who say those things quickly get Commissar's treatment. Others do believe in the The Emperor quite stronngly
Or the romantic alt take on that. The Emperor is a corpse, living a every moment a half life of agony. If he can sacrifice so much for us, how can we not give our all?
I am reminded of this great animation though
https://youtu.be/vhHJC3PAN4A?si=BE5jFqqir4g2Bf8z
I should power through the Horus Heresy series of books but they do get tedious. I've listened to the first two audiobooks – Lupercal!
As a fan of the Dark Angels (third edition 40K) I am fond of their Primarch Lion El'Jonson and the lore of the chapter. And then there's Cypher, that mysterious, crazy guy with the pistols. I always wanted that miniature. There is a charm about their aesthetic and ritualistic nature.
In later years (9th edition onwards) I bought into the Death Guard and have been a servant of Papa Nurgle ever since.
Dark Angels were always my jam too. Best aesthetics by far! And 3rd edition as well! :D
I always read the Marines differently. You spend each day with your best friends and brothers in arms. But all accounts, monestaries were pretty comfortable places where you pursue technical competence. All your time is scheduled, so you don't know what you're missing. Sure, you lack the empty pleasure of a chaos marine, but what could feel more meaningful than a life of service for god and humanity? Sure, you right demons and monsters, but that just emphasizes how important and powerful you get to be. It probably changes depending on what chapter and who is writing the Marines.
What you describe as the hell of being a Space Marine sounds an awful lot like what Plato described as the perfect State in /Republic/ and /The Laws/.