Andurin Marvak

No, but this is merely an update on a fundraiser that was previously approved to be posted about, I'd have posted in the old thread but did not want to be guilty of threadomancy. The content of the stories are a bit of a mixed bag, ranging from standard fiction to fantasy to sci-fi. Somehow we wound up with a higher number of Arthurian stories than other categories, but, given that all of the authors donated these stories free of charge and in many cases wrote them specifically for the Anthology, we were happy to take what we were given, and were blessed that what we were offered was solid material.

Battle Brothers, you all might remember me posting about this awhile back. The long and short of it is, my sister has dealt with some pretty severe spinal and connective tissue problems for a long time now, and while she's had the first surgery to make sure she doesn't die from her spinal cord being stabbed by her own vertebrae or her brain plugging the opening in her skull that cerebro-spinal fluid travels through, she's still got a long way to go. With the rarity of her condition and the small number of doctors in the US that can handle this kind of surgery, naturally the costs were high, and though time and time again with other surgeries she and her husband have worked their way out from under a mountain of debt, this time it's just so large they can't do it alone. Now, if you remember me posting about this before, you're probably asking, why am I doing it again, with a different link? Well, because we're having to get creative with how we fund-raise. I happen to know a few authors, and they reached out among their peers and cobbled together an Anthology of twenty short stories, all relating to overcoming difficult odds, to give out as a reward to anyone who donated. Even if it's just a dollar. I've edited these myself, alongside actual professionals, and we had professional cover art done, thanks to a talented aunt of ours. I can tell you the work is well worth the price of admission. You can find out more about all this in the link below. We're Warhammer 40,000 fans, and Space Marine fans to boot. We know the literary (and actual) value of a hard-fought victory, and that's what this whole thing is about. If you want some good fiction, donate, and we'll shortly send you a dropbox link on GoFundMe so that you can get the digital file. If nothing else, please share this. Publicity for the cause is always appreciated. Thank you for your time, and keep us in your hearts and prayers. https://www.gofundme.com/f/impossible-hope-bonnie039s-anthology?fbclid=IwAR101JV3rgKeOxvHPAfSVbucWb8Vt4GMxM_etL5MEkawTVpEj1Ae_-JSZFk

Why do I love the Blood Angels? Why should I choose them as the parent chapter for my DIY? If I wanted to be succint, I would say simply this: I am Roman Catholic. But I am inclined to be lengthy in word, so I shall elaborate. It is not too often, at least in my experience, that you find players like myself who choose the hobby for Christian themes and imagery (alongside the "cranked up to 11 feel and hodgepodge nature). My compatriots are largely of opposite ideological background, and chose the universe for love of old literature, negative caricatured portrayals of non-fictional evils, and the like. I am sure many on this board did the very same. I am also fond of such things. To me, the Blood Angels are an echo, and a strong one at that, of my much beloved Faith, which by nature encompasses those values and cultural edifices that I hold most dear in This World. How can I look at the Noble Sanguinius, a nigh-seemless artistic combination of Saint Michael the Archangel and Jesus Christ, and not be shot through to the core with the Glory of it? Here we have a character which takes the fight to the "devils" and casts them down alone before the golden gates, in a display of iron resolve and nigh-unmatched martial skill. A character who shines almost as bright as his father (Michael means "he who is like God", and many a priest has remarked to me that it was Saint Michael's purity and rejection of taint that drove Satan from Heaven, that the force of his Fiat alone was enough for the battle to be won.) and who is bourne aloft by samite wings and shines in golden armor above the dirty bloodbath below. And most glorious of all, a character, who like the one being I love more than all else, knew at the outset that he was to die at the hands of those he loved, and without Pride or Vainglory sallied forth on his appointed day to meet the Enemy and be struck down so that Humanity might not just survive, but truly live. And if that wasn't enough, his legion, his followers, like my Brothers and Sisters in Christ, stand like heroes against not only a Universe of horrors and machinations by dark forces and their own mortality and weakness, but against the dark and deadly desires in themselves. Through prayer, meditation, and the creation of beauty through their art, they resist these forces with all the strength of their being. Many have fallen, and many more will fall, but they still fight on against all odds. And while they fight, they seek to better their Universe. The Blood Angels, along with the Space Wolves, Salamanders, and Ultramarines, are among the most humane forces of the Imperium. They know of the precious worth that humanity is heir to, and they fight not for power alone, or mere survival, but for the future and the very soul of mankind. Yet there is still more to be said: their recruits? Those who join them in their war for Mankind's Salvation? Wretches, twisted, broken humans who through the consumption of the Blood of the Primarch become heroes, and who are sustained by the continual reception of this blood. For someone who draws his own strength from the Eucharist and has to be repeatedly washed clean and made perfect by his Savior's Blood in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, very little, if anything, could be more poignant. That is why I love the Blood Angels.