#ruven

[hanon-akulai]

Also extra Night Lords from the Omnibus just because 🦇 A lot of Vandred because of a really powerful scene with him in one of the books and because I'm a creature artist deep in my heart ಥ‿ಥ

[reclusiarch-orm]

Outcast among Outcasts. Untouchable among Untouchables. Alone.

Talos and Ruven and all the world of differences between them. My half of a trade with @captainswank :}

Alternate color versions, closeups and composition notes below cut

so my whole concept here is just. Ruven and his isolation within his legion, contrasted with Talos and his many many bonds and brothers. Talos belongs, and Ruven is Enemy. No one will look at him or touch him.... because Talos disapproves. Because Talos has made him untouchable. Witch.

This is set shortly after Ruven was retrieved, while he is still showing starvation and has not received augmetics yet.

COMPOSITION: Every figure here looks away or turns his back to Ruven. All the "contacts" between figures happen on a different plane; I've made them distinct compositional groups in

-their poses: everyone stands but Ruven. they exist in the foreground, and he in the background. the only thing that somewhat inches into the middle space is his shackled foot... -their contacts: they all look at and touch each other, while Ruven *seeks* contact but gets none. He is looking with blind eyes and seeing no one. The only one who looks at him/acknowledges him is Talos, who is looking down on him. Ruven is below and separate. -color wise: Ruven is wearing a psy-blocking collar in this part of the story, which only further isolates him from a legion that won't touch him. I've made the others bright to match their souls, while he is weak and washed out and cold. he cannot see them and he cannot sense them. He is cut off from them in every sense.

Alternate colors:

Blue dominant (love blue)

VIII Legion Colors

Original Colors (how it was painted)

[keemun19]

Bath time with your "dog".😋

[carminanoctis]

thinking about the worst night guy Ruven again & the VIII's librarians

Ruven is easy to hate, but his behavior is pretty standard Night Lord behavior. Talos has a good reason to want him dead, but why does 10th company hate him to such an extent?

Remember how the Night Lords consider their librarians a poison to their legion (where have we heard that one before)? Talos mentions he was lucky to be favored by Curze, but I don't think he realizes just how lucky he is to be a passive conduit for prophecy & to have awakened late.

Even during the Crusade, the gift wasn’t a blessing. Sevatar describes the Night Lord librarians as hollow and bitter beings, who do not and cannot lead the legion. The same first captain Sevatar who shares the gift, but took great pains to seal and hide it.

During the heresy, with the chief librarian exiled, the remaining ones were forced to into servitude of the Word Bearers, to conjure and bind horrors of the warp. In Vathras’ own words “We were made sport of. Traded like cattle. Bartered away. We saw the claws of the Seventeenth, then. Knowledge to scar the soul! “

With that in mind, what bonds was Ruven breaking by betraying the Night Lords? The Black Legion must have felt like a step up, and had he known how to make allies, he might have been allowed to remain in a lesser role. Even so, it was his former brothers betraying the Warmaster that got him cast out by association.

Being of the VIIIth is also why Huron forced him to teach his librarians regardless of his wishes (what happened after is 100% his fault). Even in death his bones hung from the Echo of Damnation's bridge, the VIII legion battle barge crashing into Tsagualsa. It's like it dragged him back like a curse, dead or alive.

To be denied bodily autonomy to such an extent and on so many levels, even as a villain is pretty messed up.

Welcome to the grimdark universe.

[bravelittlescrib]

The reason Abaddon has yet to have an (actually) successful crusade is because he’s too distracted trying to keep his harem of sorcerers from killing each other

[teawithmagician]

Night Lords gopnik cusses vol1

If you believe that Night Lords are secretly gopnik, and you want to make their cussing more expressive, here's a list of best Russian cusses for you - translated & contexted. Let's roll!

а поебаться тебе не завернуть?

Translation: “Wanna wrap up and fuck off?”

Meaning: A dismissive, aggressive way to tell someone to get lost or stop bothering you, implying they’re wasting time.

Example: The Exhalted snaps at Talos in the Strategium, “A poebat’sya tebe ne zaveranut’?”

а сто хуев - большая куча?

Translation: “A hundred dicks a big pile?”

Meaning: A sarcastic retort questioning someone’s complaint or exaggeration, implying their problem isn’t a big deal.

Example: Uzas laughs as a brother complains about a lasbolt grazing his armor. “Sto khuev—bol’shaya kucha?” he cackles.

в душе не ебу

Translation: “I don’t fucking know.”

Meaning: A blunt admission of ignorance or confusion, often with frustration.

Example: Xarl glares at a tech-priest babbling about a malfunctioning warp drive. “V dushe ne ebu,” he mutters.

война - хуйня, главное маневры

Translation: “War’s bullshit, maneuvers are what matter.”

Meaning: A cynical dismissal of grand conflicts, emphasising strategy or survival over ideals.

Example: Cyrion ducks a daemon’s claw and sneers, “Voina—khuinya, glavnoe manevry,” chopping off the creature’s head.

голосуй не голосуй, вот уже получишь хуй

Translation: “Vote or don’t, you’re still fucked.”

Meaning: A nihilistic jab at futility, suggesting outcomes are rigged or inevitable.

Example: Mercutian watches slaves beg for freedom at a mock trial. “Golosuy ne golosuy, vot uzhe poluchish khuy,” he drawls.

дневальный! подай станок ебальный!

Translation: “Orderly! Fetch the fucking-machine!”

Meaning: A crude, barked order, often humorous, for a mundane item, like a shaving tool.

Example: Variel, flaying a prisoner’s skin for armor, hisses at a trembling serf, “Dneval’niy! Poday stanok yebal’niy!”

ёбарь-перехватчик

Translation: “Cock-blocking interceptor.”

Meaning: A playful or mocking term for someone who ruins plans or interrupts pleasure.

Example: Talos curses as a Harlequin jetbike foils his ambush. “Yobar’-perekhvatchik,” he snarls.

ебись оно конем

Translation: “Let it fuck a horse.”

Meaning: A dismissive curse, wishing something frustrating would go away or fail spectacularly.

Example: Xarl glares at a jammed plasma cannon, sparks flying. “Ebis’ ono konem,” he spits.

ебать мои саночки

Translation: “Fuck my little sledge.”

Meaning: An exasperated exclamation, often humorous, for a situation gone wrong, like “damn it all.”

Example: Uzas slips on ice mid-charge, his chainaxe skidding. “Ebat’ moi sanochki,” he roars.

заработать хуем по затылку

Translation: “Earn a dick to the back of the head.”

Meaning: To deserve a harsh, humiliating punishment for stupidity or failure.

Example: For their efforts, the First Claw was on many occasions dangerously close to "Zarabotat' khuem po zatylku" from the Exhalted.

и рыбку съесть, и на хуй сесть

Translation: “Eat the fish and sit on the dick.”

Meaning: Wanting to have it all—greedily seeking two incompatible rewards.

Example: Mercutian catches a brother hoarding both gold and sacred relics. “I rybku syest’, i na khuy sest’,” he scoffs.

каждый кулик на своём хую велик

Translation: “Every snipe’s a king on his own dick.”

Meaning: Everyone boasts about their own importance, no matter how small their domain.

Example: “Kazhdy kulik na svoyom khuyu velik,” Mercutian says thoughtfully, looking at Abaddon from afar.

какая пизда тебя родила

Translation: “What cunt birthed you?”

Meaning: A harsh insult questioning someone’s origins or worth, implying they’re despicable.

Example: Talos faces captive Ruven. “Kakaya pizda tebya rodila?” he marvels at the traitor.

кого ебёт чужое горе

Translation: “Who gives a fuck about another’s grief?”

Meaning: A callous dismissal of others’ suffering, emphasising self-interest.

Example: Xarl ignores pleas from fleeing civilians. “Kogo yebot chuzhoye gore?” he growls, bisecting a militia leader.

на моих золотых полчаса как спиздили

Translation: “My golden half-hour got fucking stolen.”

Meaning: Complaining about wasted time, especially precious moments.

Example: Uzas curses a delayed duel with a World Eater. “Na moikh zolotykh polchasa kak spizdili,” he snarls.

на одном месте не уебёшь — надо перетаскивать

Translation: “You can’t fuck it up in one spot—you gotta drag it around.”

Meaning: A sarcastic remark about spreading chaos or failure across multiple efforts.

Example: Cyrion watches a botched boarding action spiral. “Na odnom meste ne uyebosh—nado peretaskivat’,” he mutters.

нас ебут, а мы крепчаем

Translation: “They fuck us, and we get stronger.”

Meaning: A defiant boast about resilience in the face of adversity.

Example: Talos rallies his squad under orbital bombardment. “Nas yebut, a my krepchayem,” he roars.

ни в пизду, ни в Красную Армию

Translation: “Neither to the cunt nor the Red Army.”

Meaning: Something utterly useless, unfit for any purpose.

Example: Uzas tosses aside a jammed lasrifle. “Ni v pizdu, ni v Krasnuyu Armiyu,” he growls.

носим ношеное, ебём брошенное

Translation: “We wear what’s worn, fuck what’s abandoned.”

Meaning: A grim acceptance of scavenging and taking what’s left behind.

Example: Variel patches his armor with looted ceramite. “Nosim noshenoye, yebom broshennoye,” he mutters.

понеслась пизда по кочкам

Translation: “The cunt’s off bouncing over the bumps.”

Meaning: Things have spiralled into a chaotic, unstoppable disaster.

Example: Uzas laughs as explosions rock the structure and the debris starts falling. “Poneslas’ pizda po kochkam,” he cackles.

таких друзей — за хуй да в музей

Translation: “Friends like these—grab ‘em by the dick and stick ‘em in a museum.”

Meaning: A sarcastic jab at unreliable or useless allies, suggesting they’re only good as relics.

Example: Cyrion glares at a renegade marine who fled mid-battle. “Takikh druzey—za khuy da v muzey,” he chuckles.

соси хуй утопленника!

Translation: “Suck a drowned man’s dick!”

Meaning: A crude, dismissive insult, telling someone to get lost or do something repulsive.

Example: Xarl shoves a begging scavenger away. “Sosi khuy utoplennika!”

слово за слово, хуем по столу

Translation: “Word for word, dick on the table.”

Meaning: An argument escalating to a point of no return, like a crude showdown.

Example: In the Umbral Claw’s war room, Talos and the Exhalted communication often followed "Slovo za slovo, khuem po stolu" pattern.

шахтёрам — кресты, инженерам — пизды, директору — нары, владельцу — Канары

Translation: “Miners get crosses, engineers get fucked, the director gets prison, the owner gets the Canaries.”

Meaning: A cynical take on societal hierarchy, where workers suffer, bosses escape, and the rich thrive.

Example: Ruven watches slaves toil under the whips. “Shakhtyuram—kresty, inzheneram—pizdy, direktoru—nary, vladel’tsu—Kanary,” he notes to himself.

хуй сосали комбайнёры

Translation: “The harvesters sucked dick.”

Meaning: A crude dismissal of someone’s failure or incompetence, often mocking their efforts.

Example: Variel scoffs at a serf’s failed attempt to repair a looted machine. “Khuy sosali kombaynory.”

[sebesun]

Frog

[fourgods-nobrakes]

I was looking up Ruven-related things for other reasons today and came across this bit of flashback in Void Stalker (to when the Ultramarine successors were trying to eliminate the Night Lords), and DAMN I wish we'd had more of this:

All five of the Praetors had left the safety of their cover. All five stood in the open, their limbs locked tight, shuddering as spasms wracked their bodies. As First Claw watched, two of them dropped their weapons. Their unburdened fingers trembled and curled, all control lost. A figure stepped into view behind them. Horns curled in an elegant rise from his skull-faced helm, and his T-shaped visor looked upon the scene in expressionless silence. In one armoured fist, the figure held an ancient bolter; in the other, a staff of mercury-threaded black iron, topped by a cluster of human skulls. The Praetors’ shaking helms clicked with flawed vox signals, as they tried to vocalise their torment. Smoke hissed from their melting armour joints, and their epileptic quivers redoubled. As holes appeared in their armour-plating, the screams finally broke free from the molten decay. One by one, they collapsed to the hangar decking, liquidised organic filth spilling in slow gushes from each armoured suit. The figure lowered its staff, and walked calmly towards First Claw. ‘You weren’t thinking of leaving without me, were you?’ asked Ruven. His voice lacked even the shadow of emotion. ‘No,’ Talos lied. ‘Not for a moment.”

Somebody pls draw him with his elegant horns and his skull staff and his monstrousness <3

(Book club question: did Ruven decide to betray them before or after First Claw made it Very Clear that they held him in contempt and wanted to be rid of him however they could?)