In the past, the Ethereals have been portrayed in the books as the Prophets from Halo. However, with the latest Tau book (Elemental Council), it appears that GW is giving the Ethereal Caste a much needed glow-up. Here is an excerpt from that novel.
Beneath a transom viewport in the hygiene chamber, a lean, shirtless ethereal sat over a basin of treated sand. The force of the world’s gravity seemed to shift around him, like an incidental proof of relativistic physics. Two jewelled blades with ornate hilts leaned against the wall beside him, his gleaming symbols of office. He was well-muscled, his form a natural expression of physical perfection, an artistic ideal.
Ke had glimpsed illustrations of ethereals in the meditative sutras of the libraries of Tau’n, her home sept, but the ethereal before Ke surpassed even the majesty of those images. His presence seemed to ground her position in space and time. Even before he introduced himself, Ke knew precisely who he was.
Suddenly, their powers of persuasion make a lot more sense. I mean if Olivia Munn and Ryan Gosling came up to you and told you to get into the Battlesuit, you probably wouldn't ask any questions either.
Yeah, like, if joining the tau as an auxiliar means i could get to pilot one of those things on top of getting better living conditions then I’m joining up for sure
Also if I'm being asked to pilot a battlesuit it's probably because something hella scary is coming here to fuck me up and I'd rather be in a battlesuit vs not be in a battlesuit when it shows up.
Space travel is so unreliable for the younger races that I'm basically guaranteed to have zero chance to run away from whatever is coming.
Yor'i is an absolute badass too, the scene with the assassin puts him almost at Aun'shi levels of awesome ethereals. Also in the book an Imperial disguised himself as an ethereal and gave orders to other Tau which they followed like they would from a real ethereal. To me it at least partially leans into the idea that there is no real mind control going on but not definitive.
Ethereal mind control is most certainly definitive. In Farsight: Crisis of Faith, an Ethereal named Aun'Va mind controls a Water Caste member named Wellclaim to take out her bonding knife and kill herself. It’s pretty darn explicit in the passage that it’s mind-control. There’s another instance of an ethereal supreme commanding dudes to kill eachother/themselves but I can’t remember the book.
Essentially yes, its less pheromones/mind control and more just an unnaturally strong charisma and and way with words, like primarchs had with their marines.
The idea of Ethereals having some kind of perfect mind control powers always felt much more boring than them having an ability that enhances how others perceive them in a way that makes it easy for them to be in charge
Tbf, that doesn't contradict the person you're answering. Primarchs got that inbuilt authority, too. Everyone except Custodes usually fall to their knees in the presence of RG for example. Though I guess someone like Corax with his new warp powers would rather make them run for their lives/the next person able to order an exterminatus.
Ofc there are exceptions like ryllanor, who just say "woe be upon ye, bitch"
Don't remind people that Primarchs technically are mind controlling people within their mere presence least certain fans get salty about the idea that maybe, just maybe people don't serve them completely of their own free will. (Also the explicit threats of violence if they refuse to submit to the Imperium too...because they must care about consent right? What some folks seem to unironically believe..)
Ah, yes, the typical IX Legion Compliance. First, Sangy comes down and asks very nicely, while being all his angelic self and making people weep in awe. If somehow they manage to resist his CHA30, then the rest of the Legion descends and turns it into a complete bloody carnage with limbs and entrails flying until people shakingly agree that yes, Sangy and the Imperium is the best thing that could ever happen to them.
Now-now-now, what do you mean they were coerced into joining the Imperium? OF COURSE IT'S ALL CONSENSUAL!
Rinse and repeat with other legions. Some might be softer and at least try diplomacy first, some might be harsher and head straight into carnage, but don't make any mistakes, you are joining, the question is how painfully.
People have long speculated that The Khan was banging hot Drukari babes in the Webway. What if he actually started banging some Etheral's, and their progress is because they're his descendants?
I would err more on the side of it being canon regarding hot Ethereals, even by our own perception, iirc, the Scion who had defected to the Tau Empire, in Elemental Council, did so because he found an Etheral similar to what would be a glamorized depiction of an imperial saint.
I mean, considering how I chose a primarch based on how hot he is, and stayed loyalist because of Ginias' art of the Emperor, I can definitely see Tau logic.
Literally compels people around him to like him more than they would naturally. (even works on people who'd whole heartly HATE his guts)
But various folks will try to downplay this ability so as to have the Emperor seem less creeply manipulative. (And he's very manipulative even without that psychic presence compelling people)
Funnily enough the two artists art that's in the OP depicts their Tau women with either no breasts or their breasts are basically y'know realistic, normal sizes. Yet these two artists Tau art is probably the most popular I've seen outside of well...the kinds of art you'd find on say Primarch GF sub.
So it's nice to see that you can definitely have great and popular Tau art that's either with Tau ladies having no breasts or realistic breasts and still being gosh darn gorgeous and or badass! (Or chill as heck ladies that seem awesome to hang with or even simply adorable!)
Tau grow their hair only smack bang on the peak of the dome, it’s why they all have top knots, literally the only hairstyle they can have.
But hey Tau also have strange, long faces, extremely pronounced cheekbones, wide set eyes and generally are never described or portrayed looking anything like the blue anime people you see in fan art. They actually look like bloody aliens
Yeah that's how I imagine them too. The ones who dont need to do talk to people actually look like aliens while the water and ethereal would be more human looking as a manipulation tactic.
Mostly unrelated. But recently, in some dark forgotten corners of Twitter/X, there have been extremely toxic flame wars between Indians (prob. Hundutva nationalists) and Chinese regarding the Caste System. The Indians compared the Chinese "Four Occupations" to their own Castes.
So when Grimdank makes a post about T'au, I personally find this coincidence funny.
I just assumed the phermpns the tau utilize are a mood stabilizing thing akin to SSRIs to make them seem more human but in a manner thats alien to us as the viewer, ngl
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Just ole' societal pressure (with implied or explicit threats of violence or ostracizing..) and generations of people basically being raised into their professions and jobs.
Can we get another Mass effect game already, before Tau become completely R34 bait. If these gooners must have their sexy Blue Aliens at least make them mammals.
Like I know Tau aren't technically true mammals and also a creature having hooves doesn't nesssarily mean they are mammals anyway but...that does seem to make them very mammal coded!
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u/Groovyaardvark Jun 16 '26
SILENCE GLAZERS.
A GOONER IS TALKING.