#empe

[jeeaark]

Will GGold bring Emps a doggy bag from his adventures saving Lae’zel?

Well-

I may have had more inspiration for this question than was needed

Don't ask how Greygold got they acquired clown brains.

Bonus Thought:

I think Greygold should have a momentarily skewed perspective on the power of friendship. As a treat.

[stlptr]

[mittthrawnuruodo]

"Once you take an illithid by the talon, there's no telling how deep into the abyss it might drag you." (for @theemperorweek)

[magmethius]

squiddy forehead boops, a commission from @venacoeurva the emperor's just another babygurl who doesn't have time for kisses vena's linework is so unbelievably gorgeous ;o; thank u so much

[shortycreates]

Some fun horror-inspired emperor expressions for funsies.

[irradiatedsnakes]

SQUIDZ

(left to right gideos from the infernal tides comics, emperor, my tav pennybun, and omeluum)

[xdraonarts]

happy pride to this dude

[goodboytown]

[wolf-tail]

This is an absolutely bizarre thing to say but I find it funny and comforting that so many of the scariest, meanest, war crimiest 40k characters were babies once. Like, barring certain weird scientific exceptions, everybody was a baby once. The bloodsoaked Night Lord about to turn you inside out was once a tiny helpless baby. Tyberos of the Red Wake? He was a toothless infant once. Kharn the Betrayer? Once upon a time, thousands of years ago on Terra, he was born, wailing and needy, not even able to walk, let alone bear a chainaxe. All the Primarchs started life as babies, and though they didn't stay that way for long, they were still babies. There was even a time once, in ancient days before even Mesopotamia, where you could hold the Emperor of Mankind in your arms and coo at his widdle feetsies and chubby cheeks.

[queer-enderdragon]

sometimes i wonder why do i genuinely like doing backgrounds,,

now i just gotta render this,,

[tavtime]

There is something skittering around in my brain tonight about the way that BG3 intends the audience to view mind flayers as individuals vs as a species, and the way that plays out in the player's relationships with Omeluum and the Emperor.

I mean, one of the primary gears upon which the story turns is that when a person becomes illithid, the soul they previously had is destroyed (but not their memories of the person they were). This is presented as an insurmountable wrong - literally socially aberrant - and it certainly is so from both the point of view of the gods concerned with mortal souls, and illithids' mortal prey concerned with keeping their brains in their heads.

The Emperor's storyline takes this to the conclusion that the condition of being soulless is, in and of itself, a complete destruction of the individual; that whatever it was before, the illithid will be invariably manipulative, inherently untrustworthy, and unable to reconcile its needs and desires into peaceful coexistence with non-illithids. It's certainly the conclusion you're intended to draw from Duke Stelmane's story, as well as numerous supporting texts, most notably from the creche.

But then... Omeluum offers the refutation to that. Here he is, leading a peaceful life because he just... wants to. Absent a soul or comprehensible mortal desires to operate as a moral compass, Omeluum still chooses to contribute to the Society of Brilliance. He voluntarily and at personal cost researches alternative food for himself so that he doesn't need to feed on sentient beings. He helps the player character multiple times, despite the fact that doing so carries variable risk with little promise of reward.

So clearly, being illithid in and of itself is not what makes someone manipulative or untrustworthy: it's not a baked-in species trait. The Emporer isn't Like That solely because he's a mind flayer; he's like that because... he's like that. That's who he is as a person. That's what he has become, in his current incarnation, and yes, some of it is certainly due to his transformation (having your soul shredded and your will broken would screw most people up pretty badly, I imagine), but not all of it! If something about his circumstances had been different, maybe he could've been different as well. Maybe his moral compass would have pointed in a similar direction as Omeluum's.

[jeeaark]

For a while, Greygold had some apprehensions for how they'd handle their new appetite, but you know what? Omeluum was onto something with the whole 'Devouring The Enemies Of Who You Care About' dietary plan.

Favored enemy now has new meaning to Greygold. Their orcish heritage would be proud.

Unlike DnD's warding bond spell, nothing is more sexier than BG3's warding bond having no ranged limitations. Maybe Greygold is tightrope-walking the star-crossed lovers tragedy. Maybe Greygold likes a challenge.

[ghostcouncil]

hidden lord :)

[sandumilfshou]

"um actually 🤓☝️ the emperor is an abusive psychopath who enthralled and raped duke stelmane and you're an idiot to fall for his tricks because obviously he's a villain he's a mind-flayer!"

have you considered that bg3 really likes to subvert stereotypes and the entire point of the emperor's character is to prove whether you should or shouldnt trust a guy who obviously you would inherently not trust because of his species and tactics?

also re: the duke stelmane stuff have you considered that by rejecting him over and over and only seeing him as an evil manipulative villain that he gives up on trying to prove to you he's trustworthy and starts rolling nat20 deception and intimidation and you fell for it???

[trustymikh]

an unfinished starwatch piece

[jayninjago]

When the (formerly) unconcious robot whose ‘Ice Emperor’ programming you accidentally enabled while rebooting him is kinda cute so you strike him a deal he cant say no to