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 TheSaintofKilllers wrote:
Honestly surprised no one's made mention of my avatar, It fits the discussion so well.

I'm old and my eyes are going. Your avatar looks just like every other anime/anime-esque thing rendered in a three-quarter-inch scale: a blur of colors and some incomprehensible text to a thing I've never seen, don't understand, and am vaguely disturbed by.

 Psienesis wrote:

 TheSaintofKilllers wrote:
Honestly surprised no one's made mention of my avatar, It fits the discussion so well.

I'm old and my eyes are going. Your avatar looks just like every other anime/anime-esque thing rendered in a three-quarter-inch scale: a blur of colors and some incomprehensible text to a thing I've never seen, don't understand, and am vaguely disturbed by.

Do I fit that bill?

The clips were eight minutes long and couldn't have been more on topic, but whatever.
Back on subject:
Average woman in a swordfight or good ole fashioned melee? Naw. Trained Women with guns? Yeah happens all the time.

 TheSaintofKilllers wrote:
The clips were eight minutes long and couldn't have been more on topic, but whatever.
Back on subject:
Average woman in a swordfight or good ole fashioned melee? Naw. Trained Women with guns? Yeah happens all the time.

Joan of Arc, Hua Mulan, Tomoe Gozen, Stiglata, Boudica, Achilia and many others would beg to differ.

Well, he did say average woman - and I take it that this means "no training". Not to mention the emotional aspects of confidence and zeal, something any soldier benefits from.

As the lady I linked earlier, who managed to beat several male competitors in the longsword competition, proves, training is rather important.

 Kain wrote:

 Psienesis wrote:

 TheSaintofKilllers wrote:
Honestly surprised no one's made mention of my avatar, It fits the discussion so well.

I'm old and my eyes are going. Your avatar looks just like every other anime/anime-esque thing rendered in a three-quarter-inch scale: a blur of colors and some incomprehensible text to a thing I've never seen, don't understand, and am vaguely disturbed by.

Do I fit that bill?

I see a lot of blue and white, some dynamic swooshes, and some teenaged boy in glasses that is probably a wizard or something.

 MWHistorian wrote:

 TheSaintofKilllers wrote:
The clips were eight minutes long and couldn't have been more on topic, but whatever.
Back on subject:
Average woman in a swordfight or good ole fashioned melee? Naw. Trained Women with guns? Yeah happens all the time.

Joan of Arc, Hua Mulan, Tomoe Gozen, Stiglata, Boudica, Achilia and many others would beg to differ.

Joan of Arc was a horrible fighter. I already said this, there is a difference between commanding on the battlefield at the safest place in a formation and personally killing 10 guys per battle like Alexander the Great who fought on the front lines, bragging about how he had tons of scars on his front but none on his back.
She never killed a man and would get in real trouble real fast if she lost her formations and it was just her and an enemy.
I thought you wrote a book?
Her whole shtick was her purity.
Apparently Hua Mulan is a (as far as any historian knows) a fictional character in a poem.
Tomoe Gozen was a concubine (necessary to have a body not typical of a warrior).....
Boudica went out pretty poorly, and is another example of not commanding on the front line.

Unrelated, but seriously berserkers were apparently an actual unit.
There was the berserker at Stamford bridge............
http://www.badassoftheweek.com/stamfordbridge.html

Can we please not get in to that argument again?

It got threads locked the first fourty times, and surprisingly it hasn't gotten any better with age.

Regardless of your opinions on IRL matters, the fact remains, the Imperium as a general whole doesn't give a gak about what gender you are. You are meat to be thrown in to the grinder. A number in the system. Human resources-- fit for strip-mining.

 Kain wrote:
You have no idea how hard it is to resist the urge to post a "Let me tell you about homestuck" image right now.

Don't do it. Don't give in to the dark side.

Be strong, Kain.

 Melissia wrote:
Can we please not get in to that argument again?

It got threads locked the first fourty times, and surprisingly it hasn't gotten any better with age.

Regardless of your opinions on IRL matters, the fact remains, the Imperium as a general whole doesn't give a gak about what gender you are. You are meat to be thrown in to the grinder. A number in the system. Human resources-- fit for strip-mining.

 Kain wrote:
You have no idea how hard it is to resist the urge to post a "Let me tell you about homestuck" image right now.

Don't do it. Don't give in to the dark side.

Be strong, Kain.

We're on Dakka, threads like this will continued to be locked because they go on past "normal humans are fodder to almost everything so the more bodies the better/ thread" answer that's correct and perfectly reasonable.

 TheSaintofKilllers wrote:

 MWHistorian wrote:

 TheSaintofKilllers wrote:
The clips were eight minutes long and couldn't have been more on topic, but whatever.
Back on subject:
Average woman in a swordfight or good ole fashioned melee? Naw. Trained Women with guns? Yeah happens all the time.

Joan of Arc, Hua Mulan, Tomoe Gozen, Stiglata, Boudica, Achilia and many others would beg to differ.

Joan of Arc was a horrible fighter. I already said this, there is a difference between commanding on the battlefield at the safest place in a formation and personally killing 10 guys per battle like Alexander the Great who fought on the front lines, bragging about how he had tons of scars on his front but none on his back.
She never killed a man and would get in real trouble real fast if she lost her formations and it was just her and an enemy.
I thought you wrote a book?
Her whole shtick was her purity.
Apparently Hua Mulan is a (as far as any historian knows) a fictional character in a poem.
Tomoe Gozen was a concubine (necessary to have a body not typical of a warrior).....
Boudica went out pretty poorly, and is another example of not commanding on the front line.

Unrelated, but seriously berserkers were apparently an actual unit.
There was the berserker at Stamford bridge............
http://www.badassoftheweek.com/stamfordbridge.html

Joan of Arc fought and killed people by the sword. She only had a month or two of training. I'd say that was pretty good when going against professional soldiers.
Tomoe Gozen was widely known for her lethality with the sword. One of her most famous deeds was pulling a man off his horse and cutting his head off in combat. She was a famous warrior and a concubine. Not mutually exclusive.
Hua Mulan, legend yes, but also not as rare as you'd think. At that time along the border of the China, women were trained in combat. There were several legends of Chinese women entering combat so chances are, Mulan came from an actual instance of a woman soldier rising through the ranks. (Almost every war has instances of that happening.)

And next time you should find out the actual history make sure you're right before being so condescending and dismissive.

 Psienesis wrote:

 Kain wrote:

 Psienesis wrote:

 TheSaintofKilllers wrote:
Honestly surprised no one's made mention of my avatar, It fits the discussion so well.

I'm old and my eyes are going. Your avatar looks just like every other anime/anime-esque thing rendered in a three-quarter-inch scale: a blur of colors and some incomprehensible text to a thing I've never seen, don't understand, and am vaguely disturbed by.

Do I fit that bill?

I see a lot of blue and white, some dynamic swooshes, and some teenaged boy in glasses that is probably a wizard or something.

Close, he's a god.

 Melissia wrote:
Can we please not get in to that argument again?

It got threads locked the first fourty times, and surprisingly it hasn't gotten any better with age.

Regardless of your opinions on IRL matters, the fact remains, the Imperium as a general whole doesn't give a gak about what gender you are. You are meat to be thrown in to the grinder. A number in the system. Human resources-- fit for strip-mining.

 Kain wrote:
You have no idea how hard it is to resist the urge to post a "Let me tell you about homestuck" image right now.

Don't do it. Don't give in to the dark side.

Be strong, Kain.

You're right.

A digression to explain Homestuck to the uninitiated would derail the thread even further.

So about them Scythian warrior women...

Gods fall under the "or something" category. I was spot-on.

Having a spot of trouble finding it from my work PC, but I was recently linked to an article about a woman winning some major swordfighting tournament (not fencing, medieval longsword fighting, in plate armor and all), which I will (if and when I find it) post here to expand on the concept that swordfighting as a men-only club is a fallacy. It's buried in my FB feed somewhere, I'm sure.

And whether or not Joan of Arc ever personally fought in combat is still being debated by historians. There's a lot about that girl we simply don't know.

 MWHistorian wrote:

 TheSaintofKilllers wrote:

 MWHistorian wrote:

 TheSaintofKilllers wrote:
The clips were eight minutes long and couldn't have been more on topic, but whatever.
Back on subject:
Average woman in a swordfight or good ole fashioned melee? Naw. Trained Women with guns? Yeah happens all the time.

Joan of Arc, Hua Mulan, Tomoe Gozen, Stiglata, Boudica, Achilia and many others would beg to differ.

Joan of Arc was a horrible fighter. I already said this, there is a difference between commanding on the battlefield at the safest place in a formation and personally killing 10 guys per battle like Alexander the Great who fought on the front lines, bragging about how he had tons of scars on his front but none on his back.
She never killed a man and would get in real trouble real fast if she lost her formations and it was just her and an enemy.
I thought you wrote a book?
Her whole shtick was her purity.
Apparently Hua Mulan is a (as far as any historian knows) a fictional character in a poem.
Tomoe Gozen was a concubine (necessary to have a body not typical of a warrior).....
Boudica went out pretty poorly, and is another example of not commanding on the front line.

Unrelated, but seriously berserkers were apparently an actual unit.
There was the berserker at Stamford bridge............
http://www.badassoftheweek.com/stamfordbridge.html

Joan of Arc fought and killed people by the sword. She only had a month or two of training. I'd say that was pretty good when going against professional soldiers.
Tomoe Gozen was widely known for her lethality with the sword. One of her most famous deeds was pulling a man off his horse and cutting his head off in combat. She was a famous warrior and a concubine. Not mutually exclusive.
Hua Mulan, legend yes, but also not as rare as you'd think. At that time along the border of the China, women were trained in combat. There were several legends of Chinese women entering combat so chances are, Mulan came from an actual instance of a woman soldier rising through the ranks. (Almost every war has instances of that happening.)

And next time you should find out the actual history make sure you're right before being so condescending and dismissive.

It's well known Joan of Arc technically never killed anyone (on the battlefield or murdering)
http://www.history.com/news/7-things-you-didnt-know-about-joan-of-arc
Her own Words: But I loved my banner forty times better than my sword. And when I went against the enemy, I carried my banner myself, lest I kill any. I have never killed a man." In Her Own Words, p. 27

"...I loved that sword, because it was found in the church of St. Catherine, whom I loved."
You're wrong friend.

"Well known" doesn't mean that it's a fact. Pardon me for invoking Godwin's Law, but something like eighty years ago it was "well known" that the Nazis were upstanding guys.

 Psienesis wrote:
Having a spot of trouble finding it from my work PC, but I was recently linked to an article about a woman winning some major swordfighting tournament (not fencing, medieval longsword fighting, in plate armor and all), which I will (if and when I find it) post here to expand on the concept that swordfighting as a men-only club is a fallacy. It's buried in my FB feed somewhere, I'm sure.

Goes by the stage name of "Samantha Swords".

She also designed her own swords, though it doesn't say if she forged them herself (probably not).

 Melissia wrote:
"Well known" doesn't mean that it's a fact. Pardon me for invoking Godwin's Law, but something like eighty years ago it was "well known" that the Nazis were upstanding guys.

 Psienesis wrote:
Having a spot of trouble finding it from my work PC, but I was recently linked to an article about a woman winning some major swordfighting tournament (not fencing, medieval longsword fighting, in plate armor and all), which I will (if and when I find it) post here to expand on the concept that swordfighting as a men-only club is a fallacy. It's buried in my FB feed somewhere, I'm sure.

Goes by the stage name of "Samantha Swords".

She also designed her own swords, though it doesn't say if she forged them herself (probably not).

These are her own words. Come on she was a teenager during most of those fights and like 4'11-5'2.
Edit: Sword wasn't a claymore or bastard sword. My mistake. To the unitiated claymores are a good 20 pounds.
Edit: Well mine is but it's gold, silver and platinum plated and 57 inches long.

Yes, those are her own swords. She designed them personally.

As for claymores, they aren't that hard to wield. You need to become acclimated to a style useful with larger swords is all.

 Melissia wrote:
"Well known" doesn't mean that it's a fact. Pardon me for invoking Godwin's Law, but something like eighty years ago it was "well known" that the Nazis were upstanding guys.

 Psienesis wrote:
Having a spot of trouble finding it from my work PC, but I was recently linked to an article about a woman winning some major swordfighting tournament (not fencing, medieval longsword fighting, in plate armor and all), which I will (if and when I find it) post here to expand on the concept that swordfighting as a men-only club is a fallacy. It's buried in my FB feed somewhere, I'm sure.

Goes by the stage name of "Samantha Swords".

She also designed her own swords, though it doesn't say if she forged them herself (probably not).

Exactly the one I was talking about, thanks.

ETA: History-dot-Com is owned by the same company that produces the History Channel that provides equal credence to alien ancestry theorists as it does actual archaeologists, so pardon me if I don't take anything they post as fact, but simply the results of their often-shoddy research.

 Melissia wrote:
Yes, those are her own swords. She designed them personally.

As for claymores, they aren't that hard to wield. You need to become acclimated to a style useful with larger swords is all.

I said those were her own words not swords. Still referring to Joan of Arc.
I also think you might be a "little" taller and stronger than Joan of Arc.
I don't like longswords because they don't have real power or length. They're also a bit too heavy when adorned to be wielded with skill and (lightning/ theatrical) quickness.

The actual, two-handed claymore (c. 1400-1700 AD) didn't weigh 20 pounds, more like a quarter of that. What makes them "unwieldy" is their length, requiring getting used to sweeping gestures rather than rapid chops or thrusts.

And while 20 pounds is heavy, it wouldn't be impossible to wield. And I don't think she would have used a sword that big in the first place. She would have used a different sword.

 Grey Templar wrote:
And while 20 pounds is heavy, it wouldn't be impossible to wield. And I don't think she would have used a sword that big in the first place. She would have used a different sword.

It would be impossible to wield one handed. The weight and distribution of a very heavy, lengthy sword makes it dramatically more difficult than swinging a similar weight object. You'd need to be a strongman to do that effectively in a fight. There are a lot more factors with two handing than just two hands to share the weight.

 Grey Templar wrote:
And while 20 pounds is heavy, it wouldn't be impossible to wield. And I don't think she would have used a sword that big in the first place. She would have used a different sword.

I don't think there are any twenty pound swords. Even huge Zweihanders weighed less than ten, tops.

 Kain wrote:

 Grey Templar wrote:
And while 20 pounds is heavy, it wouldn't be impossible to wield. And I don't think she would have used a sword that big in the first place. She would have used a different sword.

I don't think there are any twenty pound swords. Even huge Zweihanders weighed less than ten, tops.

Again mine is gold, silver, and platinum plated, 57 inches long, with a 3 1/2 inch wide blade, with a hilariously ornate massive guard and pommel.

That's a wall-hanger, though, not something meant to be used in actual combat.

Regardless, Joan of Arc wouldn't have carried a claymore, ever. Even if she had been a real-life Brienne of Tarth, the claymore is a Scottish weapon, she was French, and she lived during the time of its earliest incarnations. The French would not yet have imported and replicated its design.

So yours isn't a real sword, it's more of a mantlepiece.

Probably has a rat-tail tang, too.

 Melissia wrote:
So yours isn't a real sword, it's more of a mantlepiece.

Probably has a rat-tail tang, too.

That's a pretty big insult to a sword. It's not I've abused it constantly. Made of 540 steel, with a full tang, with some beautiful heat tempering.

 TheSaintofKilllers wrote:
That's a pretty big insult to a sword

Not everything is a functional piece of equipment . A twenty pound sword is anything but functional.

I bet a space marine could use that sword just fine. That sword is 38,000 years ahead of its time!

 TheSaintofKilllers wrote:

 Melissia wrote:
So yours isn't a real sword, it's more of a mantlepiece.

Probably has a rat-tail tang, too.

That's a pretty big insult to a sword. It's not I've abused it constantly. Made of 540 steel, with a full tang, with some beautiful heat tempering.

It's still twice as heavy as the largest swords that ever actually saw combat.

Rosie the riveter for the Imperial Guard



PFC Jenette Vasquez

Now that's the way GW needs to make the IG females look.