Red Thirst, Black Rage, and Blood Rage?

[ElectricPaladin]

Ah, see, that's pointing out something that isn't normally visible in the descriptions I see around the forum. People separate the anger, violence, and aggression of the Angels wholly into the Black Rage, while the Red Thirst is described as nothing but the urge to drink blood. This creates an odd image where the Blood Angels seem to be perfectly normal people that just happen to want to drink blood, until one day a switch is flipped, and they're suddenly crazy.

The description you point to however sticks more with the 'original' fluff, where the Red Thirst isn't just a desire for blood, but also a source of their violent dispositions, which they have to struggle to restrain all their lives. So that makes me happy

See, I don't think that's it. I think that even in the current incarnation, there is a measure of aggression in the Red Thirst - remember that the Red Thirst on the table in 5th Edition gave squads Furious Charge. The difference is that the Red Thirst represents aggression that can be fought, controlled, and had no element of disconnection from reality, whereas the Black Rage is completely uncontrollable once it descends and carries with it a delusional madness.

[tylerw]

The Red Thirst is what makes them psychos.

The Black Rage is when they finally snap and can't control it any more, with some PTSD and a touch of "Seeing mommy Wayne and daddy Wayne get shot in an alley," over and over again.

[Firepower]

I largely agree with the both of you.  My one sticking point is on the nature of the Black Rage.  As I see it, the Black Rage is permanent in that there is no coming back (bar one instance) but it is not all or nothing.  The point of the Death Company is in giving Blood Angels a chance to die honorably before they are completely consumed by the Black Rage.  

 

So for instance, Blood Angel Bob (we'll call him Bab) is found slurring during prayers, and taken aside to be analyzed by the Chaplains, before they decide that he is indeed falling to the Black Rage beyond hope.  He will begin to see things, with moments of lucidity or control, but as the Black Rage progresses those moments will become fewer and far between, until reality ceases to exist altogether.  Eventually, there's nothing left of the Bab that was, or potentially even his visions of himself as Sanguinius.  He's mindless, nothing but rage purified without pretense or cause even in the form of the hallucinations.  The Death Company exists to give Blood Angels a dignified death before that final stage takes them.

[tsijben]

Ah, see, that's pointing out something that isn't normally visible in the descriptions I see around the forum. People separate the anger, violence, and aggression of the Angels wholly into the Black Rage, while the Red Thirst is described as nothing but the urge to drink blood. This creates an odd image where the Blood Angels seem to be perfectly normal people that just happen to want to drink blood, until one day a switch is flipped, and they're suddenly crazy.

The description you point to however sticks more with the 'original' fluff, where the Red Thirst isn't just a desire for blood, but also a source of their violent dispositions, which they have to struggle to restrain all their lives. So that makes me happy

I always remember it as bloodthirsty.

Perhaps people mistook that for drinking blood? Because they also drink blood, but that is besides the Red Thirst.

Bloodthirsty doesn't mean you want to drink blood, it means: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/bloodthirsty

Murderous, cruel, taking pleasure in bloodshed and violence, etc.

All Marines can and often do drink blood.

The Blood Angels just do it more often, it gives them the memories of the victim or something in that direction.

Or to put it in my own words:

Blood-drinking: No idea why, because GW likes Space Vampires.

Red Thirst: Because you're a Blood Angel you are extra violent and want to mess up things with your chainsword.

Black Rage: You think you're Sanguinius, you go insane and are released upon the enemy.

Which is also one of the reasons why I dislike Boltgun-DC, it doesn't really fit the flavour imo.

[Firepower]

Ah, see, that's pointing out something that isn't normally visible in the descriptions I see around the forum. People separate the anger, violence, and aggression of the Angels wholly into the Black Rage, while the Red Thirst is described as nothing but the urge to drink blood. This creates an odd image where the Blood Angels seem to be perfectly normal people that just happen to want to drink blood, until one day a switch is flipped, and they're suddenly crazy.

The description you point to however sticks more with the 'original' fluff, where the Red Thirst isn't just a desire for blood, but also a source of their violent dispositions, which they have to struggle to restrain all their lives. So that makes me happy

I always remember it as bloodthirsty.

Perhaps people mistook that for drinking blood? Because they also drink blood, but that is besides the Red Thirst.

Bloodthirsty doesn't mean you want to drink blood, it means: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/bloodthirsty

Murderous, cruel, taking pleasure in bloodshed and violence, etc.

Yes, I'd say the definition of Red Thirst I chafe against is largely just a very narrow literal interpretation. 'Red Thirst...so they thirst for blood. Simple as that. Rage is in a whole other condition, because it says so in the title.'

[marine7312000]

I agree with Firepower. The Red Thirst has always been the bloodlust and rage of the BA. The Black Rage is the fury of Sanguinius unleashed. I imagine the Death Company as fighting like a true berserker, not caring whether they lived or died, only that they killed as many enemies as they could.