40k Tau - Tumblr Posts
Hear me out
HEAR ME OUT
I do not wanna anger any t’au fans glance over to the empty desert of one person but like hear me out!!
Was chitter chatting with a friend and like-
They called T’au the ‘cows of space’ and like—
G U Y S
MOO T’AU dies
More mammalian faces to help endear people to them + tails for the character design appeal to go with their already precious hooves????? The babiesss!!!!!!
Like to be fair I think most T’au designs work fine and communicate alien very well and all and their planet is different and that’s why they look like that or whatever, but their cute with their little hooves and precious armor I’m just a sucker for animalistic character design (cough chaos gods designs cough) and like the canon designs are good!!!! I’m just a freak
Maybe these can just be some sort of cross between a T’au and some unnamed aliens UwU if we REALLY need an “reason” other than I love them your honor
So here’s my ramblings about this eye twitch
To start off I just have a few random doodles figuring them out and stuff, seeing how their faces would work and figuring out elements I’d keep and loose!
To keep them recognizable as t’au I decided to keep their lack of hair (mostly well talk about it—) and turn their little ‘nose’(?) situations into markings instead! They’re also still blue I just— didn’t color them :3
Imagine….i jest i jest….unless?
This is where they get their cow ears and tail and it will not be changing ever-
I also mostly went with their descriptions from various wiki pages and things and just took inspiration bits and bobs from artwork!
Fire caste are in the range of human heights and are the most muscular of the castes, they even have more muscle mass then most humans to counter their planets naturally harsher gravity. this also aids their prowess as soldiers!
The fire caste’s hooves come more to a clawed shape, their ‘dewclaws’ normally being larger and thicker than other castes. Some higher ranking officials even having dewclaws that resemble and have sometimes get used more like a rooster spur, the fire warriors in some cases of being brought into imperial custody have been recorded to attack with these claws and often are trimmed or ‘booted’ to counter act this risk (especially with the “spur” variants)
Ironically with their soldier classification they are actually, by certain imperials which will not be named, found to be some of the cutest. The caste have thicker ears (likely to minimize damage taken when fighting) and out of all 5 castes are actually incredibly fluffy- adding to the human mind finding them to be “cute” on some level. The fire castes’ also have tails on the shorter end with thick fluffy hair tufts on the end of their tails
The fire (and air) castes are the only two which have prominent claws, which again aid in battle and self defense when/of unarmed and it is not uncommon to see a young tau’s hands with little mittens to prevent the young infants motor control practice from harming themselves
Earth caste are the shortest of the castes, stockily built and often a bit heavier then most fire caste due to their dense builds and often being a bit fatter then other castes.
Their hooves are duller and much more ground down then the fire caste, their legs tend to be thicker and much much much more musclar (though mileage may vary as some members of the caste can be more muscular than others and vice versa) they have also been seen occasionally displaying the “spur” variation.
Their ears are thicker and firmer then the fire caste, they are second fluffiest of the castes and the shortest tails with thin fur tufts that remind much more of some sort of strange dog. Their faces are in a resting sort of puppy face due to the way their mouths curve and even when (slightly minimally) emoting their face remains the same :3
Air casters are the lankiest and second slimmest & tallest of the castes. Slightly shorter than the water caste they are a bit more muscular then them but no where near the fire or earth castes’ broadness. Their hooves as very similar to that of the water caste and are very slim and thin and almost horse like in nature, they also have the smallest dewclaw of the caste’s and are one of the only castes which lack the “spur” mutation.
They have some of the thinner and floppiest ears of the castes (these help planet side air travel or when fast winds blow it won’t irritate the ears). They take third place in how fluffy they are. The air caste feature slim tails with very spare and thin hair tufts, but are on the middling length when it comes to their tails. As well as being the only other caste with claws :3
Water caste are the thinnest and tallest of the castes but are much more evenly proportional than the gangly lanky air caste. Again their hooves are similarly slim and dainty with a horse like air to them, but can often be ornately painted or decorated with various items but especially jewelry depending on the individual.
They are the sparest furred of the four castes (most ethereal are hairless :3) and tend to be the most ornately dressed. Their tails tend to be the longest and fluffiest thickest furred and tend to be groomed and styled in various ways and specially adored with bangles and jewelry. The caste having a very strong affinity for shiny objects normally are adorned with jewels to match and slim but long ears are often pierced and bejeweled end to end and anywhere in between. They also tend to have the most control over and be the most expressive of the castes!
All castes can have any variety of hair styles really, and depicted outfits/“unifroms” are not one size fits all and naturally the castes can see various changes depending on rank, line of work, individual preferences and more
The chart below also depicts the tallest of each caste, at their maximum heights, most caste members range a bit shorter then theses Water caste stands in at 7 feet tall (~213 cm), Air caste tend to max out around 6 feet 5 inches (~198 Cm), the fire caste again tend to be in the human height ranges but max at about 6 foot (~182.88 Cm), Eath caste meanwhile as the shortest tend to max out around 4 foot 11 inches (~149 Cm)
Early concept sketches
I’ve yet to decide on some designs on etherals but I’ll get there. These alone were really fun but very time consuming lol even if most of these doodles I had finished prior but shhhhh I love these goobs a lot tbh they’re so silly….i love designing each caste and picking out little reasons for the design tidbits. I think one of my favorite things is character design and Augh this was so fun.
Honestly could probably ramble for ages on the design variations and lore change ideas I have for these goobs
Do hope you all enjoy my little guys
The tau post was just so I could post some oc stuff =w=
Everyone meet Solomon Silverworth and his child friend travel buddy tau ‘associate’ Al’vah.
They’re a pretty simple duo and I only have so much lore on them settled rn but gehehehehe I lurv them
Their story is pretty early but basically what happened is Silverworth, a member of the Ordo Xenos the irony I know, is doing his work. Taking and cleansing a Xenos ship trespassing imperial airspace and not heeding his warnings. Upon their mission however he begins to realize this ship has various civilians in it, his own moral code and tragic past catch up with him and he is starting to have a breakdown when- gasp?! One of the few tau left get into a fist fight with one of his soldiers giving Silverworth a chance to rectify this even if only a little.
So he saves Al’vah from the soldier and in that moment decides “huh….new child” bc old man is a big old baby and misses his wife and kids very very very much pls pls pls god emperor he misses them— and needs something to keep his mind off that void.
So new child acquired :3 wdym he can’t love a xenos like his own child? You get a divine smite from the gauntlet and a firm talking to.
I love them so fucking much…
I dunno what/if there is an equivalent in “T’au years” but Al’vah is about the equivalent of an 18-19 year old human ^^
The tau post was just so I could post some oc stuff =w=
Everyone meet Solomon Silverworth and his child friend travel buddy tau ‘associate’ Al’vah.
They’re a pretty simple duo and I only have so much lore on them settled rn but gehehehehe I lurv them
Their story is pretty early but basically what happened is Silverworth, a member of the Ordo Xenos the irony I know, is doing his work. Taking and cleansing a Xenos ship trespassing imperial airspace and not heeding his warnings. Upon their mission however he begins to realize this ship has various civilians in it, his own moral code and tragic past catch up with him and he is starting to have a breakdown when- gasp?! One of the few tau left get into a fist fight with one of his soldiers giving Silverworth a chance to rectify this even if only a little.
So he saves Al’vah from the soldier and in that moment decides “huh….new child” bc old man is a big old baby and misses his wife and kids very very very much pls pls pls god emperor he misses them— and needs something to keep his mind off that void.
So new child acquired :3 wdym he can’t love a xenos like his own child? You get a divine smite from the gauntlet and a firm talking to.
I love them so fucking much…
Be still, Bleeding heart
Warhammer 40k writing practice + Oc lore
The guardsman froze, yanking their guns to a resting position they stared in confusion. The soldiers stared on in disbelief, they recoiled as their inquisitor in his hulking armor ripped a huge clawed hand forward, throwing one of the men aside who had been attacking one of the xenos.
“STAY BACK” he roared, falling to his knees as his huge armored hands lifted the small xenos pulling the shivering form close to his chest, heaving like a rabid animal. Silence fell over the soldiers, shock and horror at the inquisitor’s reaction. One they had never seen nor expected from him. He practically bristled with rage, palpable as he hunched over the xenos. Incomprehensible fear filled cries wailed from the xenos, at least incomprehensible to the guardsman that looked on, The large clawed gauntlet gently patted the back of the small xenos. Their inquisitor cooing back in that strange language, the men took yet another appalled step back.
“S-sir what are you-?” one man began with a brave step forward, Too far for the inquisitor it seemed.
“BACK AWAY!” he roared as he slammed his fist against the ground, pulling the whimpering xenos closer. He bore his teeth like a rabid animal. he looked pale, Sweat poured down from his head as he clasped the xenos tightly. He huffed and struggled to catch his breath as he again spoke in that strange language, the Xenos’ language, comforting the small shape. The inquisitor had been acting strange while they were cleaning out this Xenos vessel and now hugging and protecting one? their worry was growing.
.𖥔 ݁ ˖
The inquisitor and his men had boarded the t’au ship, it had invaded enemy space and as a member of the ordo xenos it had to be cleansed. Naturally all went as planned, Xenos soldiers set upon them as they boarded, though…something had felt off right away. The way the Xenos spoke was with…a strange distress he’d never heard before on military ships. They cried out something about evacuation, then some words he didn’t quite recognize or at least didn’t recall. Nevertheless, an inquisitor must naturally hold stead fast in the face of resistance. So he pressed on with his men- then it began. Unarmored xenos darted to and fro, some struggled to even hold their weapons- it disturbed the inquisitor. He again heard those words he didn’t recognize, it sent a chill up his spine. It felt- it felt familiar. He couldn’t place why but he didn’t like it, that’s when…it happened.
He rounded a corner, his restless and battle hungry men roaring with cheers at the ease this had provided. His eyes widened at the realization of what lied there. Several of those xenos soldiers loaded smaller shapes and xenos clinging even small little bundles into escape ships- his heart leapt out of his chest. There were civilians on the ship! He staggered backward as words caught in his throat, it all felt too familiar. His skin crawled as he felt himself begin to anxiously perspire, eyes darting all around as soldiers fell and a few unarmed fell. Luckily those already loaded into the Xenos’ saviour pods were able to escape before the bloodbath, but the few left were gunned down to Silverworth’s horror. He staggered forward as his eyes darted left and right, their cries filled his ears- any others. Any others he might not have cared- but unarmed and untrained civilians? It was slaughter. It was barbaric- it- it- it wrenched his heart. Staggering forward he hoarsely wheezed those agonizing words that had caught in his chest moments ago, then his eyes darted back down the hall. One of his soldiers was shouting, then he heard a xeno’s cry out, a lasgun fire and then the sound of a struggle!
In a flash, he rushed to the noise. His heavy armor clattered against the ships floor and walls as he moved with reckless abandon, startling the soldiers with him and the man wrestling the Xenos to the ground. Sure enough as he stomped forward he saw the poor shape, much smaller than the rest but certainly no baby. From his study likely a fully grown Xenos but not by much. It set flames in his mind, he saw red. Rage and painful memories soaked his thoughts as without thinking- THWAP the man was thrown aside with one fell swoop of the back of the inquisitor’s gauntlet.
“STAY BACK” he rumbled, the noises- the words he strung together burned in his throat and boiled in his chest like lava. Dropping down he scooped up the quivering shape in his arms as he tried to catch his breath, hugging tightly to the poor young xenos. Judging by the way the poor thing had barely put up a fight if it had any training it was minor and fresh. ‘Do not worry- they will not hurt you. I will not hurt you-‘ he crooned to the Xenos in its tongue, the T’au empire’s language was complex to some degree certainly but it had always felt so curious against his lips when he practiced it— a fact he dare utter to none, naturally— so it was a rather obvious choice for the language he wished to learn. The smaller shape seemed shocked at its own language ringing back at it from a humans lips, a human soldier leader no less. its lip quivered in fear as a large clawed hand patted their back.
A soldier stepped forward, eyes wide and filled with almost a feral look to them snapped back to the soldier “BACK AWAY” he snarled again, embarrassed to say he bore his teeth like some kind of feral animal- but in the moment he didn’t feel much but rage at the arrogant approach of the guardsman. He slammed his fist, a loud clang following, to let the man know he was serious. He could feel their stares but he didn’t care, his mind focused on the poor xenos, the poor shivering shape that he clung to. It…It reminded him of his son. The way the small child had clung to him as the little one had wailed for him. He could see it vividly now. He could see his son there, there in his grasp, shaking. Shaking and sobbing, begging for his father to ‘take away the pain, please!’ And his heart wrenched as he couldn’t. The blood that stained his shirt and his hands from his little boy’s wounds- it washed away his anger, that…sensation. It sunk its teeth into his heart and tore. Tore so harshly and violently he didn’t hear his men murmuring as tears began to roll down his face, shoulders jerking and breaths skipping as he sobbed. Even the Xenos now looked up at him with confusion as he hunched over their smaller shape, pressed them against his chest plate and sobbed.
This Xenos…he couldn’t allow it. Life so young, something so precious and new to this harsh galaxy. He couldn’t allow it. He had to- no. No, NEEDED to protect it…to protect them. Protect them with his own life, protect them with his last breath, with all his strength in his body- it didn’t matter. He has to protect this small…child.
Darling dividers by @squishyowl
Hi, It's me again! With a surprise gift once more! They are wonderful and I love them! :D Thank you for sharing your cool, cool world with us!
BESAAGHHHDHH
Aaaahhhhhhhh I love them I love them I love them!!!! Tysm 😭😭😭😭🥺🥺🥺 they’re precious!!! Arghhh
Genuinely cannot put into words how much I love seeing your little surprise gift of my goobers 😭 tysm tysm
Explodes
BAGH!!!! MY BABY!!!!!!
Cau (Cow Tau) Al'vah experiencing terran nature:3
@lazywriter-artist I love him very much
Only skin deep
Warhammer 40k writing || Original character mini fic
Al’vah rested amongst the guardsman, gently rubbing his aching legs. Their regimes of exercise were no joke! He stretched out his legs before something caught his eye, he glanced now to the semi exposed back of another soldier. Hesitating, the young T’au tramped over, glancing at the large marigold yellow-y eagle head that peaked from under the man’s tank top. Al’vah made a small noise pointing to it, “what’s…that?”
He sheepishly asked, his voice still fresh and new to the oddities of the high gothic language most humans on the ship spoke. The guardsman, a bit startled at first, glanced back around before he got this big grin. Off came the tank top as he flexed his muscles, showing off an intricate design that took up a large portion of his back. A huge double headed eagle, clearly meant to be the golden one plastered all around the imperium but the color of the thing a bit faded and naturally no where near as shiny, claws reaching forward with a banner in its grasp which held lettering that read ‘Purge the unclean’. A few other imperial and inquisitional symbols the young T’au didn’t really (aside from the inquisitorial rosette of course) rested around the Eagle creating a sort of triangle about the large winged creature. He flexed his arms forward squishing his pecs a bit as he showed off the picture
“My inks, ya like it?” He smirked with another flex of his muscles, the sweat trickled down the Eagle and made such a strange glimmering effect. Al’vah, ever curious, carefully approached the man further as an absent minded hand reached forward to touch the strange composition. He felt the muscles of the guardsman bristle under his touch, a low noise from the man as Al’vah brushed over the lines of the design. The shapes created by the wings of the two headed creature, spanning over the skin and strangely almost feeling as if the Eagle was bout to leap from the man’s back! He had heard of the imperial soldiers scarring themselves, some T’au did the same after all, and he had felt and seen the strange implants other imperials used for these— pictures. Though, those were mostly the strange robot ones and they felt much different. As he traced over the intricate designs of the Eagle they felt…well like skin! The muscles tensed and flexed with ease as the guardsman chattered with the other two guards members, who looked over Al’vah’s shoulder admiring the thing with the T’au. Much different then the other…skin decoration he had seen. Electoos he seemed to recall? They buzzed with energy and seemed to rise ever so slightly from the skin, pulsing with energy. Solomon had a few actually! This, was much different.
“What- is this?” he blinked in confusion looking up now to the guardsman as he finally lowered his flexing arms.
“Tsk, a tattoo! Don’t ya blue skins got em?” he smirked some as Al’vah shook his head, blinking as he took in the strange shapes “no…not like this— ours are…not this….” he couldn’t find the word, his hands tracing gently over the shapes, a low sound from his throat as he muttered something in his language, finally recalling the words Solomon had used “elaborate…”
“Ah yeah! Hurts like a bitch tho!” he chuckled seeming to confuse Al, and already the guardsman knew he needed to explain “Tch, this ain’t that fancy implant shit, real men and womens’ inks are done with these tattoo guns, some little needles that put the ink right in ya!”
Al’vah’s eyes widened in slight horror, blinking as he looked down to the large tattoo again “w-what— that must hurt-“ he blinks as he looks on thinking of the size of the tattoo…how long was he being- stabbed for?! “Did— Didn’t you fear bleeding out?!”
“nah! No worse than the scarring most folk do!” the guardsman shrugged with a chuckle “sides I thought you blue skins are supposed to be tough little buggers?”
“No we-“ Al began before pausing for a second, shifting some as he thought for a moment. A low noise came from the little T’au again. He supposed the guardsman did have a point, even if he didn’t fully understand why.
He muttered to himself, his hands again gently tracing the tattoo in awe as the guardsman conversed. He was lost deep in his thoughts now, such stunning and strange creatures humans are….
