You may kill me this day, but know this! Snape kills D********* and Bruce Willis is a ghost!
And furthermore you lost the game!
And furthermore you lost the game!
last stand one-liner time
- Thread starter Theo Rob
- Start date
I think it's time we blow this scene. Get everybody and the stuff together. Ok, three, two, one let's jam
For that is all that can and will be said.
For that is all that can and will be said.
Throughout history there have been those placed in situations from which there is no means of retreat. Rarely does this result in a last stand because in order to reach this most desperate of circumstances one has to believe one of two things: either that surrender will result in death just the same or that, by holding the line, they might achieve something even when the battle is lost. People often remember the most famous last stands such as the one at Thermopylae or the Alamo or eve Rorke's Drift (though the latter wasn't really a last stand as the element survived the assault while inflicting terrible casualties upon the enemy) but few remember the last stand of the Swiss Guard or the nearly unknown Battle of Camerone.
It is from the latter that a most memorable quote arose from legend. For those unfamiliar with the exploits of the French Foreign Legion, a quick primer is in order. The Legion is, simply put, the most famous mercenary organization in the world with a history well over 100 years long. It has been seen as the last resort of desperate men for generations and is an organization renowned for both incredible personal skill in combat and the unshakable resolve made possible by being a group largely composed of people with nothing left to lose but honor and their miserable lives.
In 1892, during an ill advised French military intervention in Mexican affairs, a group of 62 legionaries was set upon by 600 Mexican cavalry. The leginaries simply moved into a box formation (where the element basically forms such that there are weapons facing in all directions, a maneuver commonly used in the face of cavalry as it ensured there was a bayonet pointed at any angle from which they might approach thus making an outright charge against the element incredibly dangerous) and engaged in a fighting retreat. The only piece of cover nearby was a small Hacienda surrounded by a high wall. The Legionaries made it inside and the commander of the Mexican cavalry demanded they surrender. The commander, Captain Jean Danjou, of the Legionary element refused the offer and stated "We have munitions. We will not surrender" and swore a fight to the death.
Hours into the battle the Mexican forces received reinforcements bringing the number to well above 1,000. It should be noted that while the Hacienda provided some measure of protection, it was not a fortress and thus a great many of the Mexican soldiers surrounded the complex from elevated positions and began raking the courtyard with fire. In spite of the fact that the mexican army was largely armed with weapons utterly incapable of hitting a person at that distance, the sheer number of men meant that the makeshift fort was taking a weight in fire equivalent to a minigun. Needless to say, the French sustained heavy casualties with Captain Danjou falling midway through the battle. Five hours later the Legionary element was reduced to five men under command of the last officer still alive. They Mexican forces had gained the walls and the Legionaries had but one volley left to fire which they promptly did. Then they mounted a bayonet charge.
That last point bears repeating: they were outnumbered more than 100:1, they had clearly lost the battle long before and they were holding terrain for no discernible military purpose and they charged the Mexican forces, who were still armed with musket, with what amounted to a pike. Two of them were killed outright and one legionaries threw himself in front of the remaining officer in an attempt to save him from return fire (he was marginally successful though the officer was wounded). Reduced to 2 men still in a condition to fight the legend says that surrender was again offered as an option.
Two men still standing. Over a thousand Mexican Soldiers all armed with muskets. The longest odds you can imagine. These men had been engaged in brutal combat for more than 12 hours with neither food nor water to sustain them. Defeat was certain, a mere formality to be handled as readily as appending one's initials to a form at the bank and they were graciously offered the chance to escape with their lives. They refused.
The exact wording of the exchange has been lost to history but the gist of what the Legionaries requested was safe passage home, that they keep their weapons, that they keep the Regimental Colors and that they be allowed to escort the body of Captain Jean Danjou from the field. The Mexican commander, Captain Francisco de Paula Milan, is said to have agreed to these terms by saying "What can I refuse to such men? No, these are not men, they are devils".
To this day April 30th is celebrated in a fashion equivalent to the Marine Corps birthday is in the US. It also gave rise to the Legion's unofficial motto of "The Legion dies, it does not surrender", an oath often upheld throughout their storied history.
For the record, according to wikipedia, the numbers looked something like this:
Mexican Army:
800 cavalry
1200 infantry
Legionary "Army":
3 officers
62 soldiers
Mexican Army Losses:
90 killed, 300+ casualties (wounded)
Legionary Losses:
43 killed, 19 captured of whom 17 wounded. Some died of wounds
So, if you're facing down impossible odds and your chances of survival are non-existent do something incredibly stupid and then ask for something impossibly absurd. Who knows, you might just get it.
It is from the latter that a most memorable quote arose from legend. For those unfamiliar with the exploits of the French Foreign Legion, a quick primer is in order. The Legion is, simply put, the most famous mercenary organization in the world with a history well over 100 years long. It has been seen as the last resort of desperate men for generations and is an organization renowned for both incredible personal skill in combat and the unshakable resolve made possible by being a group largely composed of people with nothing left to lose but honor and their miserable lives.
In 1892, during an ill advised French military intervention in Mexican affairs, a group of 62 legionaries was set upon by 600 Mexican cavalry. The leginaries simply moved into a box formation (where the element basically forms such that there are weapons facing in all directions, a maneuver commonly used in the face of cavalry as it ensured there was a bayonet pointed at any angle from which they might approach thus making an outright charge against the element incredibly dangerous) and engaged in a fighting retreat. The only piece of cover nearby was a small Hacienda surrounded by a high wall. The Legionaries made it inside and the commander of the Mexican cavalry demanded they surrender. The commander, Captain Jean Danjou, of the Legionary element refused the offer and stated "We have munitions. We will not surrender" and swore a fight to the death.
Hours into the battle the Mexican forces received reinforcements bringing the number to well above 1,000. It should be noted that while the Hacienda provided some measure of protection, it was not a fortress and thus a great many of the Mexican soldiers surrounded the complex from elevated positions and began raking the courtyard with fire. In spite of the fact that the mexican army was largely armed with weapons utterly incapable of hitting a person at that distance, the sheer number of men meant that the makeshift fort was taking a weight in fire equivalent to a minigun. Needless to say, the French sustained heavy casualties with Captain Danjou falling midway through the battle. Five hours later the Legionary element was reduced to five men under command of the last officer still alive. They Mexican forces had gained the walls and the Legionaries had but one volley left to fire which they promptly did. Then they mounted a bayonet charge.
That last point bears repeating: they were outnumbered more than 100:1, they had clearly lost the battle long before and they were holding terrain for no discernible military purpose and they charged the Mexican forces, who were still armed with musket, with what amounted to a pike. Two of them were killed outright and one legionaries threw himself in front of the remaining officer in an attempt to save him from return fire (he was marginally successful though the officer was wounded). Reduced to 2 men still in a condition to fight the legend says that surrender was again offered as an option.
Two men still standing. Over a thousand Mexican Soldiers all armed with muskets. The longest odds you can imagine. These men had been engaged in brutal combat for more than 12 hours with neither food nor water to sustain them. Defeat was certain, a mere formality to be handled as readily as appending one's initials to a form at the bank and they were graciously offered the chance to escape with their lives. They refused.
The exact wording of the exchange has been lost to history but the gist of what the Legionaries requested was safe passage home, that they keep their weapons, that they keep the Regimental Colors and that they be allowed to escort the body of Captain Jean Danjou from the field. The Mexican commander, Captain Francisco de Paula Milan, is said to have agreed to these terms by saying "What can I refuse to such men? No, these are not men, they are devils".
To this day April 30th is celebrated in a fashion equivalent to the Marine Corps birthday is in the US. It also gave rise to the Legion's unofficial motto of "The Legion dies, it does not surrender", an oath often upheld throughout their storied history.
For the record, according to wikipedia, the numbers looked something like this:
Mexican Army:
800 cavalry
1200 infantry
Legionary "Army":
3 officers
62 soldiers
Mexican Army Losses:
90 killed, 300+ casualties (wounded)
Legionary Losses:
43 killed, 19 captured of whom 17 wounded. Some died of wounds
So, if you're facing down impossible odds and your chances of survival are non-existent do something incredibly stupid and then ask for something impossibly absurd. Who knows, you might just get it.
Love a good Andromeda reference.Nunya Business said:
Mine would be "I am Ripper... Tearer... Slasher... Gouger. I am the Teeth in the Darkness, the Talons in the Night. Mine is Strength... and Lust... and Power! I AM BEOWULF!" Not a particularly good movie but a good line or "Yippee ki-yay ************!"
Depends on how badly I'm injured.
This is definitely going on my personal bucket list.FarleShadow said:
Well, somewhere in the end section.
I would just shout SQUIRREL!!!!! and then run for my pathetic life or at least crawl slowly away.
"(looks at watch) can we speed this up? i need to dine in hell soon"
i would be content with such a death
i would be content with such a death
A mans gotta do what a mans gotta do./all in all, it's been nice./I don't suppose anyone here knows how one piece ends?
Something witty would just end up failing and there are too many quotes to choose from.
*EDIT*
/salute
I AM DAVE EXCLAMATION MARK YOGNAUT, AND I HAVE THE BALLS!
Something witty would just end up failing and there are too many quotes to choose from.
*EDIT*
How could I not think of it.Popadoo said:
/salute
I AM DAVE EXCLAMATION MARK YOGNAUT, AND I HAVE THE BALLS!
Can't make up my mind.
"Igalang ang kamatayan. Tayo ay nabubuhay para makipaglaban!"
"Pomni, ya vsegda ryadom, Sev!"
The first was our mantra in 4th Company. The second is a reminder of whom I fight for. But something tells me people would be asking, "What the hell does that mean?"
So I guess I just have to say something like, "I will make you proud, Jack Bauer!"
"Igalang ang kamatayan. Tayo ay nabubuhay para makipaglaban!"
"Pomni, ya vsegda ryadom, Sev!"
The first was our mantra in 4th Company. The second is a reminder of whom I fight for. But something tells me people would be asking, "What the hell does that mean?"
So I guess I just have to say something like, "I will make you proud, Jack Bauer!"