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I haven't really found anything in the fluff to explain why, just "all librarians have blue armor, trimmed in gold".

Just wondering if there was any fiction or sources from another codex (i only have vanilla marines) that talks about why librarians all look like they bought their armor on Ultramar.

Its a symbol of their 'office' if thats the correct word. techmarines are red, chaplains are black and apothecaries are white.
Also its mainly in Codex chapters, some chapters use different colours for their specialists.

Mecha_buddha wrote:

why librarians all look like they bought their armor on Ultramar.

- because they bought it at Ultramar
- because blue armored marines are psykers

- or, its a codex adherent color which allows the UM to have their psykers blend in...

Plus, Mephiston and these SW Runepriests tend to be not blue at all.
Blue , red and white are used differently throughout the chapters, some wear a single color suit others just a shoulderpad or helmet in these codified colors.

1hadhq wrote:
[...]Plus, Mephiston and these SW Runepriests tend to be not blue at all.

Blood Angels and Space Wolves are Non-codex chapters and have their own heraldry and traditions.

1hadhq wrote:Blue , red and white are used differently throughout the chapters, some wear a single color suit others just a shoulderpad or helmet in these codified colors.

The colors are used in the way i described in fully codex chapters (The ultramarines being the perfect example, they follow the codex astartes to the letter.)
Yes i know that there are minor variations within the chapters but most chapters would stick to the codex pattern.

Good question. The red on Techmarines is to call back to the Adeptus Mechanicus on Mars, but I can't think that I have ever seen an explanation for the blue on Librarians. Maybe it will come up in one of the future Horus Heresy books, like the red sargeant helmet thing did.

 Daemonhammer wrote:

1hadhq wrote:
[...]Plus, Mephiston and these SW Runepriests tend to be not blue at all.

Blood Angels and Space Wolves are Non-codex chapters and have their own heraldry and traditions.

1hadhq wrote:Blue , red and white are used differently throughout the chapters, some wear a single color suit others just a shoulderpad or helmet in these codified colors.

The colors are used in the way i described in fully codex chapters (The ultramarines being the perfect example, they follow the codex astartes to the letter.)
Yes i know that there are minor variations within the chapters but most chapters would stick to the codex pattern.

The BA have librarians and libriarian dreads who are partially blue too.
DA have blue librarians.
Templars.....abhor the witch...

Basically we get Apothecaries in white because white seems to be the color to go for medics. We get red techmarines because the favorite color of the mechanicum is red. We get black chaplains because black is a "threathening color" . We get blue librarians because....?
So as a fluff answer, blue is the choice in codex astartes, written by an owner of a Legion of blue marines.
I think the question in the OP is valid, why are they blue?
Makes not much sense when your Legion or chapter stands in serried ranks of blue with a few specks of white, red and black. Wouldn't you want to identify the other specialists too?

Makes perfect sense, White apoths so that they can easily be spoted and called for, red tecy's as others said, mechanicum influence etc.

Blue libys so that the other marines know its a liby and can treat it as such (good or bad)

 1hadhq wrote:

 Daemonhammer wrote:

1hadhq wrote:
[...]Plus, Mephiston and these SW Runepriests tend to be not blue at all.

Blood Angels and Space Wolves are Non-codex chapters and have their own heraldry and traditions.

1hadhq wrote:Blue , red and white are used differently throughout the chapters, some wear a single color suit others just a shoulderpad or helmet in these codified colors.

The colors are used in the way i described in fully codex chapters (The ultramarines being the perfect example, they follow the codex astartes to the letter.)
Yes i know that there are minor variations within the chapters but most chapters would stick to the codex pattern.

The BA have librarians and libriarian dreads who are partially blue too.
DA have blue librarians.
Templars.....abhor the witch...

Basically we get Apothecaries in white because white seems to be the color to go for medics. We get red techmarines because the favorite color of the mechanicum is red. We get black chaplains because black is a "threatening color" . We get blue librarians because....?
So as a fluff answer, blue is the choice in codex Astartes, written by an owner of a Legion of blue marines.
I think the question in the OP is valid, why are they blue?
Makes not much sense when your Legion or chapter stands in serried ranks of blue with a few specks of white, red and black. Wouldn't you want to identify the other specialists too?

The librarian training scheme was created by Magnus the Red, the primarch of the Thousand sons, so that must be a connection to them in some way.

The paint used on SM armour is psycho-reactive, and turns blue in the presence of a psyker. That's why Grey Knights use polished metal, rather than painted armour. Otherwise they'd all be blue, and look too much like Ultramarines.

 Kaldor wrote:
The paint used on SM armour is psycho-reactive, and turns blue in the presence of a psyker. That's why Grey Knights use polished metal, rather than painted armour. Otherwise they'd all be blue, and look too much like Ultramarines.

Psycho-reactive paint?
You surely want to share the source with us?


Now, back to the T-sons idea, blue and yellow are tzentch colors... librarians marked this way per the codex .....

 Kaldor wrote:
The paint used on SM armour is psycho-reactive, and turns blue in the presence of a psyker. That's why Grey Knights use polished metal, rather than painted armour. Otherwise they'd all be blue, and look too much like Ultramarines.

Can you give me a quote or a link?

 Daemonhammer wrote:

 Kaldor wrote:
The paint used on SM armour is psycho-reactive, and turns blue in the presence of a psyker. That's why Grey Knights use polished metal, rather than painted armour. Otherwise they'd all be blue, and look too much like Ultramarines.

Can you give me a quote or a link?

I'm not sure if he's serious or just joking.

Buttons wrote:

 Daemonhammer wrote:

 Kaldor wrote:
The paint used on SM armour is psycho-reactive, and turns blue in the presence of a psyker. That's why Grey Knights use polished metal, rather than painted armour. Otherwise they'd all be blue, and look too much like Ultramarines.

Can you give me a quote or a link?

I'm not sure if he's serious or just joking.

Im totally serious, i never heard about that paint stuff before and i would like to know where he got it from.
Thats not to say i think he is liyng, i just would like to see the source for myself.

Did nobody read "and look too much like Ultramarines"?

It's a joke, ya'll.

Why does everyone hate/make fun of Ultramarines so much?
Sure, they might not be perfect but they seem more like some kind of a joke to people than a mighty space marine chapter :/

In an older thread regarding this topic, Kilkrazy pointed out an interesting theory:

Kilkrazy wrote:In the modern era, librarianship is principally a woman's occupation.
To be a librarian is to be intellectual. The traditional name for intellectual women is 'bluestockings'.
Consequently, blue is the traditional colour of librarians' uniform.

*shrugs* Makes as much sense as anything, I guess. The chief reason is obviously to have them stand apart - perhaps just to denote a specialist, or perhaps rather because a Librarian is "something to keep an eye on" - but I've not seen an actual GW explanation for why this particular colour was picked. The Index Astartes article on Librarians sadly does not mention it with a single word.

Daemonhammer wrote:Why does everyone hate/make fun of Ultramarines so much?
Sure, they might not be perfect but they seem more like some kind of a joke to people than a mighty space marine chapter :/

People have different perceptions, affected by their own personal preferences. I for one like the UMs, because they are one of the few Chapters that care for whatever happens beyond their own fiefdom's border and actively seek to help out the IoM as much as possible. Perhaps it is this "betrayal" which makes them less liked in the eyes of those who think of Space Marines as "awesome" because they stand apart from the "corrupted" leadership of the Adeptus Terra. Because being a rebel is totally cool, or something.
Other people pointed out the Ultras' supposed lack of flaws and "vanilla-ness" as a source for their dislike, coupled with the fact that they have the largest number of successors and a whole empire of their own. To this, however, I will add that I do see a characteristic potential weakness in their strict codex adherence. Some off-the-screen comments by Matt Ward have also been blown out of proportion in attempted propagation of the "smurf hate". *shrug*

 Lynata wrote:
[...]Some off-the-screen comments by Matt Ward have also been blown out of proportion in attempted propagation of the "smurf hate". *shrug*

What did he say that annoyed so much people?

I'd actually give the psycho-active paint some credibility....Thousand Sons are blue now, aren't they?

Probably just to distinguish them in battle, like apothecaries, techmarines and chaplains.

Daemonhammer wrote:What did he say that annoyed so much people?

iirc, it was some interview offhand-comment about many Chapters seeing themselves as "spiritual lieges" to the Ultramarines (makes kinda sense when you keep the number of Successor Chapters in mind), which the usual Chinese Whispers online game that seems to be especially strong with Astartes fluff then turned into "every Space Marine wants to be an Ultramarine". Naturally, people who weren't familiar with the original comment quickly picked it up and began complaining about how they don't like that this is "forced" upon "their" SM army.

So that you may know that your books have been overdue, and weep in despair

 Daemonhammer wrote:

1hadhq wrote:
[...]Plus, Mephiston and these SW Runepriests tend to be not blue at all.

Blood Angels and Space Wolves are Non-codex chapters and have their own heraldry and traditions.

1hadhq wrote:Blue , red and white are used differently throughout the chapters, some wear a single color suit others just a shoulderpad or helmet in these codified colors.

The colors are used in the way i described in fully codex chapters (The ultramarines being the perfect example, they follow the codex astartes to the letter.)
Yes i know that there are minor variations within the chapters but most chapters would stick to the codex pattern.

Blood Angels ARE a codex chapter. Being a codex chapter is more than just taking your list from C: SM.

 Lynata wrote:

Daemonhammer wrote:What did he say that annoyed so much people?

iirc, it was some interview offhand-comment about many Chapters seeing themselves as "spiritual lieges" to the Ultramarines (makes kinda sense when you keep the number of Successor Chapters in mind), which the usual Chinese Whispers online game that seems to be especially strong with Astartes fluff then turned into "every Space Marine wants to be an Ultramarine". Naturally, people who weren't familiar with the original comment quickly picked it up and began complaining about how they don't like that this is "forced" upon "their" SM army.

IIRC it's actually a quote from the Codex, with Mr. Ward's usual fanboyidm and complete failure to include any kind of tongue-in-cheekness.

 Alkasyn wrote:

 Daemonhammer wrote:

1hadhq wrote:
[...]Plus, Mephiston and these SW Runepriests tend to be not blue at all.

Blood Angels and Space Wolves are Non-codex chapters and have their own heraldry and traditions.

1hadhq wrote:Blue , red and white are used differently throughout the chapters, some wear a single color suit others just a shoulderpad or helmet in these codified colors.

The colors are used in the way i described in fully codex chapters (The ultramarines being the perfect example, they follow the codex astartes to the letter.)
Yes i know that there are minor variations within the chapters but most chapters would stick to the codex pattern.

Blood Angels ARE a codex chapter. Being a codex chapter is more than just taking your list from C: SM.

The 'How to paint Space Marines' supplement refers to blood angels as a "Non-Codex Chapter with unique heraldry and organization"

It depends how technical you want to be about it. They are a mostly codex chapter is the closest thing to true

Why not blue?

They could have chosen any color except for white, black, or red.

We kinda want to stick to basic colors here so whats left?

Yellow. Ewww,

Purple. Not basic enough,

Green. Maybe,

Blue. Cool,

Orange. No, just no.


Blue is a pleasing color. its not so in your face like other colors, but it also can command respect.

Because the current Imperium owes more to the traitor legions than it does the Emperor who promoted atheism, not religion.
The religion of the Imperium was created by Lorgar, Primarch of the 'Word Bearers'.
The organization of psyker marines into librarians was done by Magnus, Primarch of the 'Thousand Sons'. Magnus was in league with Tzeentch long before the heresy, he just didn't know who Tzeentch was at the time and blue and gold are that god's colours.

And Librarians were blue long before the Horus Heresy fluff had been explored in any great detail I'm pretty sure that the first even librarian models from RT or 2nd ed were depicted with blue armour to make them stand out a bit. Also Librarian blue is different to Ultramarines blue.

Blue should in theory have no link to The Crimson King (or Tzeentch, as its a weapon against Tzeentch), as his Legion wasn't in blue themselves at the time.

cadbren wrote:
The organization of psyker marines into librarians was done by Magnus, Primarch of the 'Thousand Sons'. Magnus was in league with Tzeentch long before the heresy, he just didn't know who Tzeentch was at the time and blue and gold are that god's colours.

erm... weren't the thousands sons originally red?

It wasn't until after the heresy he took Tzeentch's colours, pretty sure Magnus only became in league with Tzeentch after the Space Wolves almost wiped his leagion out