A Thousand Sons 2
Apr. 5th, 2025 11:15 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
quietbluejay(contains posts 3-5 of the original)
I just got through like 3 pages of purple prose to still be unclear on what exactly Ahriman is doing here.
Also?
As Phoenix Crag was battered from below, so too was it assaulted from the air. ‘As above, so below,’ whispered Ahriman.
That’s not what that means. And yes I am aware I’m being a pedant.
No sooner had his warning been sent than Eagle’s Talon banked sharply. Seconds later, a stream of shells tore empty air and exploded harmlessly above it. This was one of a score of warnings pulsing from Ahriman’s enhanced awareness, the vessels of the Thousand Sons dancing to his directions to evade harm. Each permutation altered the schemata of the future, each consequence rippling outwards, interacting with others in fiendishly complex patterns that only the enhanced mental structure of a specially trained Astartes could process.
I feel like this method is not perhaps the best for a complex battle with many moving parts?
this is way over-engineered.
meanwhile Russ’ mystery psychic shockwave straight up killed a chunk of the TS. This is the worst teamup ever.
The defeated kings offered terms of surrender, but Leman Russ was deaf to such pleas. He had sworn words of doom upon the Grand Annulus, and the Wolf King would never break an oath for something as trivial as mercy.
this is bugging me a lot and not just on a moral level. Sure, it’s a character note but…
it’s very stupid
this also isn’t the first time I’ve heard they do this kind of thing
doing that is a good way to make everyone fight like cornered rats and make the casualties you take much higher
because if you keep going past surrender then they know there’s no good in giving up
so you might as well fight and pull out all the stops you wouldn’t have before
isn’t there a huge time and resource investment in creating each Space Marine?
it’s also like, anyone you leave alive is highly likely to rebel against you when they see a chance, further tying down troops
especially if word gets out!
if people know you don’t accept surrenders anyways, they’re not going to surrender!
grahh
like okay it works as a character note but in terms of long term empire acquisition it’s a deeply stupid move to pull repeatedly
and should really have had consequences that didn’t happen
-the misuse of real world references is deeply cringe, i will possibly elaborate on the nature of this later
-Lorgar interrupts a jojo moment between Leman and Magnus
-finally i have run into the whole Russ hypocrisy thing and, they’re right it is hypocrisy but also he does have a point
a plague on both magnus and leman
i hope they die
i hope they both die
hand in man car door hook hand
ok fancy party at Ullanor
isn’t dressing up Magnus a bit below Ahriman’s station
I guess we can’t go by this without a mention of Magnus’ “muscled frame” I swear I’m going to twitch any time I read another book and it talks about muscles
‘How do I look?’ asked Magnus.
‘You will certainly attract attention,’ said Ahriman, stepping back from his primarch.
‘And why should I not attract attention?’ countered Magnus, throwing out his arms in an operatic gesture. ‘Am I not worthy of it? Fulgrim and his warriors may quest for perfection, but I embody it.’
Ahriman sounds like a parent asking their daughter if she’s sure she wants to wear a skirt that short
I’m
I’m sorry I read this line and can’t stop cackling
His horned breastplate was thrusting and magnificent,
every time I think I can take Magnus seriously, I remember the stupid chest horns
his helmet barely able to contain his slicked crimson hair, which was bound in three long scalp-locks.
Magnus comes off repeatedly as very immature and keeps using “epic clapbacks” that are what a teen fic writer would use in their first fic
like i realize that sounds mean to teen fanfic writers but it’s their first fic! this man has multiple published novels by this point
kjhsdflsdj Mortarion as the Obviously Evil guy we’re supposed to not like
so, naturally, I’m going to become a Mortarion fan
His sunken cheeks were those of a consumptive, and the deep-set amber eyes those of a man who has seen horrors without number.
yes I would like to add one (1) garbage man with thousand yard stare to my blorbo collection
-Magnus also continues to be immature and bad at social interactions but in a way that comes off as the author thinking he’s cool but…maybe it’s on purpose..???
-Ahriman visualizes a metaphor a bit too hard and then swoons only to get caught by some Luna Wolves (oh hi Abaddon cameo!) (wait how many times has Ahriman fainted so far in this book already?)
-Magnus sulks in his room (it literally describes him as sulking), thus not beating the immaturity accusations
-I am tormented by McNeill’s cursed and tortured metaphors
For six months, the Thousand Sons fleet suckled at the planet’s forges and materiel silos like newborns eager for the teat.
-Magnus refers to Leman as “my lupine brother” and at this point I am deeply surprised we haven’t gotten a reference to Ahriman’s sapphire orbs
-there’s more contemplation of Ahriman’s muscles. when will I be free.
undulant ridges of his pectorals.
I’m pretty sure pectoral muscles aren’t supposed to undulate. Oh no, Ahriman, watch out, it’s the flesh change!!
Past the 50% mark!
the narrative goes out of its way to talk up how cool and amazing Magnus is
Magnus brushed past, touching Lemuel’s shoulder, and the sheer joy of the contact swept any concerns away.
It went on in this vein for a bit.
Lemuel is able to notice Magnus is arrogant even through the primarch aura!
wow that’s some level of arrogance
-Mortarion is weird about the number seven. good for you babe, take your exactly 49 steps
-Magnus and Ahriman come off a lot more like teenagers than 200 year old sorcerers
-I also can’t take seriously that they call Mortarion’s scythe “his manreaper”
-Mort indulges in some dramatics with his scythe, which continues to endear him to me
‘Now I do not accuse my brother of such barbarism, but no evil begins with such monstrous acts. If it did, no sane man would ever consider it. No, it begins slowly, a small step here, a small step there. By such acts is a man’s heart turned black and rotten. A man may begin with noble intentions, believing that such small trespasses are minor things compared to the good he will do at the end of his course, but every act matters, from the smallest to the greatest.
Great! Correct! Now apply that to your entire war of conquest!
I mean he’s right in the abstract buuuut, what they miss is that they are none of them starting from a morally neutral position
I’m trying to rally my thoughts on this speech given it’s describing the entire Imperium
“you will become the means you employ” not to bring transformers into it i am ONCE AGAIN ASKING PEOPLE TO READ IDW 2019
Ahriman once again swoons this time from looking into Magnus’ eye.
Magnus was every inch the gentleman polymath who never forgot himself, even as his enemies united against him.
[footage not found].
We. We literally just had a bit about him melting the stone around them because he was mad!
-then we get a 3 page retelling of Plato’s shadows on the wall story with a changed ending, instead of an actual argument. it does kinda sell Magnus as not being able to understand other viewpoints and taking it for granted that everyone has the same value system as he does. but also. it was very annoying to read. I get that Magnus had to lose the council but. it would have been nice to for once in this book actually show that he’s intelligent.
-Magnus has a vision about the heresy and is like “okay we gotta go back to Prospero right now no time to explain”. I see where Ahriman got his “not explaining anything” trait from
Sanguinius had ashen tears painted on his cheeks,
Given the prose I can’t tell if Sanguinius just cries grey OR if he decided to go emo with his makeup
Okay. Nikaea over.
I just got through like 3 pages of purple prose to still be unclear on what exactly Ahriman is doing here.
Also?
As Phoenix Crag was battered from below, so too was it assaulted from the air. ‘As above, so below,’ whispered Ahriman.
That’s not what that means. And yes I am aware I’m being a pedant.
No sooner had his warning been sent than Eagle’s Talon banked sharply. Seconds later, a stream of shells tore empty air and exploded harmlessly above it. This was one of a score of warnings pulsing from Ahriman’s enhanced awareness, the vessels of the Thousand Sons dancing to his directions to evade harm. Each permutation altered the schemata of the future, each consequence rippling outwards, interacting with others in fiendishly complex patterns that only the enhanced mental structure of a specially trained Astartes could process.
I feel like this method is not perhaps the best for a complex battle with many moving parts?
this is way over-engineered.
meanwhile Russ’ mystery psychic shockwave straight up killed a chunk of the TS. This is the worst teamup ever.
The defeated kings offered terms of surrender, but Leman Russ was deaf to such pleas. He had sworn words of doom upon the Grand Annulus, and the Wolf King would never break an oath for something as trivial as mercy.
this is bugging me a lot and not just on a moral level. Sure, it’s a character note but…
it’s very stupid
this also isn’t the first time I’ve heard they do this kind of thing
doing that is a good way to make everyone fight like cornered rats and make the casualties you take much higher
because if you keep going past surrender then they know there’s no good in giving up
so you might as well fight and pull out all the stops you wouldn’t have before
isn’t there a huge time and resource investment in creating each Space Marine?
it’s also like, anyone you leave alive is highly likely to rebel against you when they see a chance, further tying down troops
especially if word gets out!
if people know you don’t accept surrenders anyways, they’re not going to surrender!
grahh
like okay it works as a character note but in terms of long term empire acquisition it’s a deeply stupid move to pull repeatedly
and should really have had consequences that didn’t happen
-the misuse of real world references is deeply cringe, i will possibly elaborate on the nature of this later
-Lorgar interrupts a jojo moment between Leman and Magnus
-finally i have run into the whole Russ hypocrisy thing and, they’re right it is hypocrisy but also he does have a point
a plague on both magnus and leman
i hope they die
i hope they both die
hand in man car door hook hand
ok fancy party at Ullanor
isn’t dressing up Magnus a bit below Ahriman’s station
I guess we can’t go by this without a mention of Magnus’ “muscled frame” I swear I’m going to twitch any time I read another book and it talks about muscles
‘How do I look?’ asked Magnus.
‘You will certainly attract attention,’ said Ahriman, stepping back from his primarch.
‘And why should I not attract attention?’ countered Magnus, throwing out his arms in an operatic gesture. ‘Am I not worthy of it? Fulgrim and his warriors may quest for perfection, but I embody it.’
Ahriman sounds like a parent asking their daughter if she’s sure she wants to wear a skirt that short
I’m
I’m sorry I read this line and can’t stop cackling
His horned breastplate was thrusting and magnificent,
every time I think I can take Magnus seriously, I remember the stupid chest horns
his helmet barely able to contain his slicked crimson hair, which was bound in three long scalp-locks.
Magnus comes off repeatedly as very immature and keeps using “epic clapbacks” that are what a teen fic writer would use in their first fic
like i realize that sounds mean to teen fanfic writers but it’s their first fic! this man has multiple published novels by this point
kjhsdflsdj Mortarion as the Obviously Evil guy we’re supposed to not like
so, naturally, I’m going to become a Mortarion fan
His sunken cheeks were those of a consumptive, and the deep-set amber eyes those of a man who has seen horrors without number.
yes I would like to add one (1) garbage man with thousand yard stare to my blorbo collection
-Magnus also continues to be immature and bad at social interactions but in a way that comes off as the author thinking he’s cool but…maybe it’s on purpose..???
-Ahriman visualizes a metaphor a bit too hard and then swoons only to get caught by some Luna Wolves (oh hi Abaddon cameo!) (wait how many times has Ahriman fainted so far in this book already?)
-Magnus sulks in his room (it literally describes him as sulking), thus not beating the immaturity accusations
-I am tormented by McNeill’s cursed and tortured metaphors
For six months, the Thousand Sons fleet suckled at the planet’s forges and materiel silos like newborns eager for the teat.
-Magnus refers to Leman as “my lupine brother” and at this point I am deeply surprised we haven’t gotten a reference to Ahriman’s sapphire orbs
-there’s more contemplation of Ahriman’s muscles. when will I be free.
undulant ridges of his pectorals.
I’m pretty sure pectoral muscles aren’t supposed to undulate. Oh no, Ahriman, watch out, it’s the flesh change!!
Past the 50% mark!
the narrative goes out of its way to talk up how cool and amazing Magnus is
Magnus brushed past, touching Lemuel’s shoulder, and the sheer joy of the contact swept any concerns away.
It went on in this vein for a bit.
Lemuel is able to notice Magnus is arrogant even through the primarch aura!
wow that’s some level of arrogance
-Mortarion is weird about the number seven. good for you babe, take your exactly 49 steps
-Magnus and Ahriman come off a lot more like teenagers than 200 year old sorcerers
-I also can’t take seriously that they call Mortarion’s scythe “his manreaper”
-Mort indulges in some dramatics with his scythe, which continues to endear him to me
‘Now I do not accuse my brother of such barbarism, but no evil begins with such monstrous acts. If it did, no sane man would ever consider it. No, it begins slowly, a small step here, a small step there. By such acts is a man’s heart turned black and rotten. A man may begin with noble intentions, believing that such small trespasses are minor things compared to the good he will do at the end of his course, but every act matters, from the smallest to the greatest.
Great! Correct! Now apply that to your entire war of conquest!
I mean he’s right in the abstract buuuut, what they miss is that they are none of them starting from a morally neutral position
I’m trying to rally my thoughts on this speech given it’s describing the entire Imperium
“you will become the means you employ” not to bring transformers into it i am ONCE AGAIN ASKING PEOPLE TO READ IDW 2019
Ahriman once again swoons this time from looking into Magnus’ eye.
Magnus was every inch the gentleman polymath who never forgot himself, even as his enemies united against him.
[footage not found].
We. We literally just had a bit about him melting the stone around them because he was mad!
-then we get a 3 page retelling of Plato’s shadows on the wall story with a changed ending, instead of an actual argument. it does kinda sell Magnus as not being able to understand other viewpoints and taking it for granted that everyone has the same value system as he does. but also. it was very annoying to read. I get that Magnus had to lose the council but. it would have been nice to for once in this book actually show that he’s intelligent.
-Magnus has a vision about the heresy and is like “okay we gotta go back to Prospero right now no time to explain”. I see where Ahriman got his “not explaining anything” trait from
Sanguinius had ashen tears painted on his cheeks,
Given the prose I can’t tell if Sanguinius just cries grey OR if he decided to go emo with his makeup
Okay. Nikaea over.
