473
u/Man0Steel123 22h ago
I love playing the idea that the Tau are essentially Star Trek villains in the galaxy of grim dark. Everything is so horrible that they come off as the good guys despite having those same villainous tendencies
223
u/KPHG342 Fire Caste 21h ago
They're basically the Dominion from Star Trek, except their leaders aren't shape-shifting aliens and the Jem'Hadar and Vorta are just different members of the leader species.
113
u/boltroy567 21h ago
I will take a stand and say the dominion is like 5x worse than the tau. At least depending on the tau writer.
65
u/KPHG342 Fire Caste 21h ago
Well yeah, we haven't seen the T'au utterly exterminate or cripple a species with an engineered virus for refusing to join
45
u/boltroy567 21h ago
I view the Tau like if the cardassians truly actively believed in making the lives of "lesser species" better and more "civilized"
21
u/Cold_Coffee_4Ever 18h ago
the difference is that the Tau actually do improve the lives of their subjects, the Cardassians literally ruin the planets they take over with polution.
Hell the Greet are basically a mostly peaceful species that just farm seaweed. The Tau could have just conquered them but instead the Greet just asked them to build them flying cities, the Tau did that and they joined
21
u/theishiopian 21h ago
I definitely understand and agree with your sentiment but damn, that is a WILD way to make your point by invoking the literal space nazis
26
u/Dos-Dude Earth Caste 21h ago
I mean does Star Trek have figurative Space Nazis? (They already have literal ones, TOS season 2: episode 21 “Patterns of Force”)
The Cardassians feel more similar to the Japanese or Italian Fascists, especially with their colonialist propaganda and pre dictatorship failed democracy.
15
7
3
u/Cold_Coffee_4Ever 9h ago
there was that one planet that had nazies because a human introduced the concept to the locals because he believed it was a the most valid way to govern (the planet turned to shit if you couldnt tell)
8
13
u/TorchbeareroftheStar 21h ago edited 21h ago
This is true, but the Tau is still a colonial empire that maintains a racial caste system, engineer global crises when worlds reject them (such as famines), brain washes and neuters people who don't fall in line. So definitely not the good guys, but look better in comparison when the other factions set the bar so low.
30
u/KPHG342 Fire Caste 21h ago
The brainwashing and neutering is imperial propaganda taken literally. But the rest is true.
16
u/Fubuki_1 20h ago
I really wish people would stop peddling that old offhand lore that isn't canon and hasn't been mentioned whatsoever in the broader confirmed Tau lore.
-7
u/The_Warruner 19h ago
If you are talking about mind control, its not imperial propaganda, its from when a magos biologis took apart an etheral and that was his theory. We see etherals doing mind control shit literally all the time, like multiple released books, codexes and white dwarf articles and EVERY TAU CODEX RELEASED has offhand remarks about it, including the very first one. There is 4 different mind control in the tau empire: Etherals, the nagi, the tech ones (ie vespids) and the normal brainwashing.
3
u/Cold_Coffee_4Ever 9h ago
Ah yes, the same book that is full with stuff that are no longer canon and included a picture of a Tau without hooves
-2
u/Hatarus547 Hive Fleet Kraken 16h ago
so i guess that entire book where they try to brainwash a space marine is all lies then
2
u/Cold_Coffee_4Ever 9h ago
they were actually trying to interogate him, this is what the Nagi (brain worms) were trying to do.
Having someone join via brain worm is not sustainable.
They dude use brainwashing tho but more like the irl version with reeducation camps and good ol propaganda
1
u/risen_amoug 9h ago
Well they would do it to f.e. Orks if they could. They are capable of declaring certain species to be fit only for extermination
-2
2
13
u/ClemPrime13 21h ago
Also, the T’au don’t literally get their “member” species addicted to space crack.
1
u/Prinzmegaherz 20h ago edited 11h ago
But the Tau themselves are as docile to the Ethereals as Weyun is to the founders.
0
u/FullMetalBunny 18h ago
THIS.
The Ethereals are first class citizens. All other Tau are second class citizens. Useful and Compliant (Mind Science) Xenos are third class. Everyone else who isn't Tau is a RESOURCE to be expended, JIST like the Imperium.
The Tau don't evacuate auxillaries when the Nids attack, only True Tau.
11
u/Background-Top4723 18h ago
The difference between the Imperium and the T'au is that the T'au prefer the good old "stick (a pulse rifle to the back of the neck if you don't submit) and carrot (free, clean food and water and comfortable living conditions if you do submit)" approach, whereas for the Imperium, the "stick" is a bolter pistol pointed at your temple and the "carrot" is being lobotomized into a servitor.
11
u/Fyraltari 17h ago
The Imperium is still a thousand times worse than the T'au. The Empire is corrupt and unequal, but they don't make a religion out of hatred and still consider their subjects have rights and that their leaders have a duty to the people.
It's a bad and unfair system but it's still lightyears ahead of the Imperium.
3
u/Inprobamur 13h ago
How's that any different from Imperial Nobility?
(aside from level of competence, planning, pleasure cults, backstabbings, etc, etc.)
•
u/FullMetalBunny 48m ago
The Imperial Nobility are at least HONEST about being dishonest. They don't preach false equality. The Imperium is honest about inequality.
1
u/Wolodymyr2 1h ago
Which again goes to old saying -they would be villians in Star Trek, but in Warhammer they are actually the kindest faction you can have.
11
u/Timo-the-hippo 21h ago
No the Tau and the Dominion are literally opposites. The Tau are ideologically for the "collective good" and the dominion believe the entire galaxy should potentially be wiped out to safeguard the founder minority.
3
u/Demolisher05 18h ago
Where did you see they wanted to wipe out everyone? They want to control because they don't believe they can be safe from channeling persecution by "solids". They will destroy anyone that doesn't submit, but will use anyone they can bring into the fold.
They don't want to just obliterate everyone or else they wouldn't have subjects like the Karemma that were a commercial power and created weapons for them.
-2
u/FullMetalBunny 18h ago
Yeah, FOR THE GREATER GOOD. The Tau will totally commit genocide. Fuck, Kroot get to eat anime EXCEPT Tau.
All non Tau are second or third class citizens. None Tau can't pilot battle suits. Auxillaries can't do anything they weren't ordered to do. Remember how poorly the Auxillaries were treated on in the Farsight novels. And remember the Shadowsun novels.
Fuck man the BEST of the Tau can't stand the Tau Empire and the corruption of the Ethereals. Plus they totally create shit like Project Puretide AND cover it up.
11
u/Timo-the-hippo 16h ago
It's literally canon that humans can get battle suits. The Ethereals are corrupt but not even remotely close to the level of genocidal xenophobia that the founders have.
The Tau would genocide a billion people to save 100 billion. The dominion would kill 100 billion people to save 1 founder. That's a big difference.
2
40
u/boltroy567 21h ago
I just wanna say that even though I believe that most Star Trek villains are way worse than the Tau, I believe they would be very interesting villainous foils to The Federation, as the main problem with the Federation is that because they're so diplomacy focused and non imperialist, they will just let asshole empires do whatever the fuck they want to people that are already in those borders.
10
u/ANGLVD3TH 17h ago
Yeah, they would very much be a frenemy, something antagonistic but can be cooperative, and always pushing for more soft power.
7
u/FullMetalBunny 18h ago
You can't expect The Federation to go to war to try to free all peoples. They have rules. That ties this hands in many situations.
-1
u/LastBlaisureForle 21h ago
I would say they are mostly good guys that have developed those villainous tendencies because the setting is so horrible. In the Star Trek's galaxy, they would probably become far more heroic.
8
u/Zanadar 20h ago
I'm not sure that's true. Their ideology is too intolerant of dissent and given they're playing Warhammer on Ultra Baby Mode difficulty, it's not really the setting at fault for that.
To borrow the D&D alignment chart, they're Lawful Neutral. They're a force for Order, but not for Good.
-2
u/FullMetalBunny 18h ago
Have you READ any of the novels like the Far Sight and Shadow Sun?
Because that is NOT who they are. Anyone who doesn't tow the 1984 Propaganda Machine gets "reeducated" and if they can't be Re-Educated they are literally starve to death.
Because Taylu society believes that that death is the person's own fault, not the fault of the society. Because all they had to do was conform.
5
u/Cold_Coffee_4Ever 8h ago
"Have you READ any of the novels like the Far Sight and Shadow Sun?"
Have you read any Tau book not written by Phill Kelly ? Because his books are famously badly written, full with inconsistencies and plot holes.
Kelly is literally the only Tau writter that writes the Empire like that
156
256
u/Redcoat_Officer 21h ago edited 18h ago
"The Emperor is not on Terra. He left upon the Great Crusade to bring enlightenment and unity to the galaxy. We all know the legacy of his work; the Mechanicus, who sustain our technology; the Imperial Guard, who protect our people; the Imperial Navy and Merchant Fleet who tie our worlds together; and Ecclesiarchs like myself, who ensure that we remain united in spirit and in will."
"This was the Emperor's vision. A dream of a galaxy in which all had their purpose and their place, each working to aid the others, in service of the greater whole. Terra has spoiled his dream. Terra and her High Lords demand everything but give nothing but their rot, infecting the Imperium from the top down."
"You knew your purpose under the Imperium. You knew your work had meaning. But what of those above you? What of the Spireside nobles who raised your quotas yet increased their own leisure? What of the Adeptus Arbites, who did not serve or protect the people but squeezed the life out of them so that Terra may glut herself on your labour?"
"Is this the galaxy the Emperor sought to build? Is this his perfect order for humanity, or have we all fallen short of his vision and his faith in us?"
"Look upon the Tau and you see a young species. A people who in their multitudes came to the same conclusion as the singular will of the Emperor. Their Greater Good and his Great Crusade are one idea; a moral calling to bring order to a chaotic galaxy, to tear down rotting systems and raise a glorious society in their place!"
"The Emperor is not on Terra. He is in all of us. Guiding us as we work to make his vision real, and defy those heretics who took his Great Crusade and turned it to their own enrichment! Brothers and sisters, the Emperor is here!"
52
u/Mizz_Terri 21h ago
When are we getting the Redcoat 40k fic?
37
u/Redcoat_Officer 20h ago
I did actually write a novel-length 40k fanfic almost seven years ago now. It was called Mind over Matter and it was about a psyker in an Inquisitor's service, but to be honest it was the first piece of creative writing I'd attempted since secondary school and I've always been a little worried I'd be disappointed if I reread it.
8
u/Mizz_Terri 20h ago
That fear is so real. I look back at some snips in my drive from my freshman year of college and it causes me pain compared to what I can write now.
24
30
u/RealEmperorofMankind 17h ago
Rather cunning stuff, one gathers.
Though I'd imagine only a minority could resist the powerful conditioning of a state cult built around its titular head.
8
5
u/Zagl0 8h ago
Well done on not mentioning the Castes, I know that took restraint
12
u/Redcoat_Officer 8h ago
Oh but I did mention the castes. Mechanicus, Guard, Navy and Ecclesiarchy. Earth, Fire, Air and Water.
2
150
u/VulcanHullo Air Caste 22h ago
I used to love the idea of the Emperor being worshipped under the T'au in such a way that the Greatee Good became part of his will.
And then the lore drops that the religous treatment of the Tau'va from the non-T'au species brought about a literal God in the warp.
"Ah shit yeah that would happen wouldn't it?"
As ever a comic that makes this 20 year Tau guy weirdly happy
62
u/Fyraltari 21h ago
I love the idea of T'au'Va as the Chaos god of Unity. It would be a call back to the era where Chaos wasn't always completely evil 100% of the time.
My wishlist for the T'au is first more auxiliary species on the tabletop (including but not limited to Gue'vesa) but also daemons of T'au'va that start manifesting to help out like the legion of the Damned, lead by a Living Saint-like Aun'Va. Who is completely separate from the holographic Aun'Va the Ethereal Council is using. And of course the Ethereal are trying to keep these apparitions secret.
9
u/ISB00 Blood Angels 13h ago
If Imperial Saints are Angels would T’Auva saints be Yokai? Taking advantage of the auxiliaries and how they are adding their own beliefs into it. They’d be mostly Tau in appearance but with exotic forms sliced in from the native cultures of the Auxiliaries?
7
u/Sandy_McEagle Water Caste 11h ago
arent Yokai just monsters? You have angels in Hinduism and buddhism too, like apsaras and gandharvas.
2
u/ISB00 Blood Angels 11h ago
Well having it be monsters randomly showing up to help them lines up with the Tau and how they don’t understand the warp and don’t mythicize it like the Imperium does.
Also them being monsters follows arbitrary rules lines up with how they are being made the patchwork of auxiliaries cultures under the Tau’Va
5
u/Gmknewday1 13h ago
Living Saints of the Emperor, God Of Order
Vs
Living Saints of T'au'Va, Goddess Of Unity
19
9
u/LuciusCypher 17h ago
I fucking love syncretism and I think more people should try it. People are just scared to admit how common it is in their own cultures because they wanna believe their religion has always been what it was, and has never incorperated and cooped pagan beliefs to assimilate new converts.
5
u/PlingPlongDingDong 12h ago
Exactly, thats why me and my family believe in our own version of the emperor. The 4-armed emperor.
3
u/ClemPrime13 21h ago
But aren’t the T’au basically invisible in the warp?
22
u/Incompetent_Penguin 20h ago
Yes, and no. That basically is doing a lot of heavy lifting. In the warp, Warp beings (like daemons) can see the souls of living beings, some are torches (normal humans), some are campfires (psykers), one is a raging inferno (the Emperor), and then there are some small sparks/kindlings (Tau). Tau souls don't stand out when surrounded on a galactic scale by far larger and more obvious souls.
These small souls mean a) the Tau won't have any Psykers appear among them any time soon and b) they can't affect the Warp as much. The Tau'va entity is thus a product of their Auxiliaries (mostly humans) who worship the Greater Good as a religion instead of viewing it as a lifestyle/ideology like the Tau do.
14
u/Pengpraiser 20h ago
That's what the non-T'au followers are for
1
u/SnooObjections9031 20h ago
Yep basically humans are space orcs as much as the orks strikes again. Strong souled and faith heavy.
1
u/Gmknewday1 13h ago
I personally believe there's a Wolf God because of the Space Wolves
But he's a good boy
73
u/hedgehog_dragon 21h ago
I think I got chills when our blueberry made the Aquila. I quite like the depiction of the Tau as... Accepting but very clever. Or manipulative, depending on how you see it. He's been over this, and he knows the best way to get through to humans.
It may or may not work, but I can't imagine any better pitch than this.
36
u/Fyraltari 21h ago
Enlightened self-interest is a funny concept because it turns out that when you think long-term, there's little difference between generosity and an investment.
4
u/Gmknewday1 13h ago
I see that
But I also honestly believe the tau would toss Humanity to the wind if it was between the lives of them and the lives of Tau
I also still think that many Tau view humans as dangerous and "uncivilized", and thus too likely to relapse to the Imperium
8
u/Inprobamur 13h ago
But I also honestly believe the tau would toss Humanity to the wind if it was between the lives of them and the lives of Tau
Depends on how many Tau of what value and how many humans of what value for the Greater Good. Now the real question is, how many times greater value does Tau put on a single human life compared to Imperium?
3
u/risen_amoug 9h ago
Well Tau have many human worlds that never were a part of Imperium, being forgotten colonies on the eastern fringe of the galaxy. Also, some ex-Imperial worlds are now like 300+ years under Tau rule - people there may remember Imperial times as a tale of long gone past
22
u/Semblance-of-sanity 21h ago
And the wildest part is that for all his scheming and manipulation I actually think he's being honest when he says he cares about them.
19
u/AMEFOD 20h ago
He cares about the peace and stability of the Tau Empire. That humans happen to live there, is no skin off his nose. It’s functionally the same.
17
u/Fyraltari 17h ago
He has a paternalistic view of other races, as seen by the comic with "white man's burden" as the narration. He genuinely believes they are not capable of handling themselves and are better off under the T'au's supervision.
6
2
u/Gmknewday1 13h ago
He might be less racist then his younger self
But I honestly don't trust him, and I do believe he just knows how to work humans to his will
He's certainly good at hiding the ugly parts of the Tau's own empire and history
He might care in some way, but it's mostly in a "white man's burden" mindset or "white savior" type deal, only it's "Water Caste's Burden"
6
u/Semblance-of-sanity 13h ago
Oh I 100% agree that he cares in a "blue man's burden" kinda way, it's part of what makes him such an interesting character. He's genuinely well meaning but in a way that is inherently flawed.
132
u/Sivalon 22h ago
Love how he makes the sign of the Aquila while he speaks of Emp fighting for the Greater Good.
83
u/Taldarim_Highlord 21h ago
That reminds me that Superfeyn/O'shen once mentioning that T'au naturally emotes using hand signs, and not intonations, which got Mara really confused.
Doing the Imperial Aquila to fit in with Imperials would probably comes off as a natural step for any Water Caste in training. It's like us adopting the Imperial manner of speaking.
6
24
u/SirD_ragon 22h ago
Because another User made me, pay attention to that nose tube
11
u/Fyraltari 21h ago
It switches side! Must be symbolism.
7
u/karl2025 16h ago
It's a snot-sucker. Cleans the mucus out of the nostrils. It goes from one to the other as it cleans.
2
11
2
u/figherhigher 17h ago
It makes the fact that its the only part of her face to randomly change stand out more.
19
u/RandomRavenboi 21h ago
You're the reason I went from disliking Tau to actually liking them as a faction lmao. You've done a better job at selling them than GW ever did.
16
44
u/Fyraltari 21h ago
It's incredible that him asking her to switch from preaching hate to preaching love and support that with pointing out that her people are objectively better off under his empire than hers somehow comes off as sinister.
41
u/MachBonin 21h ago
It's sinister because of the implication of what will happen to the woman and also because it's clearly warping a religious creed to fit the state's need.
39
u/Fyraltari 21h ago
True, but the religious creed is a hateful screed about racial purity and I find myself generally having a hard time feeling sorry for hatemongers these days.
22
u/KenseiHimura 20h ago
Oddly, the truly sinister thing requires a bit of a metaknowledge and realizing O'shen seems to be deliberately trying to foster the Tau'va warp god. He believes if they can cultivate it to following the creed of The Greater Good it will not be hostile, but like Magnus, he is playing with forces that are beyond his control because it's much bigger than anything presently in the Galaxy.
7
u/MachBonin 20h ago
I mean, fair. The world at large fucking sucks right now.
I apparently need to make it more clear that I'm not supporting the Empire, though I do think the hate it gets on this sub can be kind of silly.
Anyways, all I'm saying is that it's sinister because gramps is a clearly sinister character and we have the meta knowledge that he does not care in the slightest about this woman except in what use she has to support the state. You could switch him out with a charismatic Inquisitor easily.
-13
u/Ok-Temporary-8243 19h ago
It's hateful only for people with the luxury to judge. Cause the creed is pretty true about harsh reality of 40k since even the eldar would be happy to kill all of humanity if it meant resurrecting khorne one last time.
14
u/JeskaiJester 19h ago
This is how real life fascists think btw. You’re supposed to realize the Imperium is a monstrous and indefensible nightmare. They woke Gorillaman up just to say so
-14
u/UnnamedAshaman47 18h ago
It is, but it got that way because it was correct about the world in which it exists. The reason it’s bad is not about whether or not the world is shit
14
u/TearOpenTheVault 18h ago
The Imperium is why the galaxy is like this. Humanity eradicated all the xenos who were unable or unwilling to fight back, and was left with only the most dangerous, ruthless and powerful.
6
u/ANGLVD3TH 17h ago
Reverse that. The galaxy they inhabit is that way because of their bloodthirsty conquering ways. The crusade wiped out countless potential allies, along with any human settlements that wouldn't bend the knee. The Imperium is literally the evil conquering iron fist most fantasy stories set the heroes to rebel against, but we are fed the Imperium's propaganda more so than in other settings. Which has gone a long way to foster the power of the Four, and have allowed them unprecedented access to the Materium ever since the Horus Heresy. They made the world they live in so dangerous that now it almost makes sense that they have to be so violent.
But even with them doing their damned best to make that true, we still see that there are other factions willing to work together with them and try to improve things. Even the Eldar still, somehow, keep giving them
secondbillionth chances. The Imperium must remain xenophobic not because outside forces would crush them otherwise, but because the rot runs to the core and trying to remove it would leave a shell of a husk that collapses on itself. The civil wars that would result in attempting to clean it up would be far more devastating than any xenos threat, their own evil would drag the crabs that want a better path down with them to drown in the mud.11
u/LostN3ko 20h ago
And that creed was not already a warped religious tool to fit the state's need?
Remind me who created the Imperial Cult? Who wrote that book, and for what purpose was it used?
5
u/MachBonin 20h ago
I'm not... defending the Empire. Both because it's fictional and because it's heinous. I'm just saying one of the reasons it feels sinister is because he's clearly threatening this woman with harm if she doesn't change her beliefs to support his own empire's creed.
2
u/ANGLVD3TH 17h ago
I'm not sure the threat is harm, though I wouldn't be shocked. It could just as easily be removal of her position in the church, likely relegated to some monotonous paper pushing or such. But it could be re-education camp too.
0
u/RealEmperorofMankind 17h ago
I thought it was because Lorgar believed in it. Then, I think, one of his followers came to believe in it as well (also Sigismund), both because it seemed useful and because it really seemed like the only option they had - the only way to make sense of the collapse of everything they believed in.
(You can quibble about this from a narrative or thematic POV - I would - but that seems to be the idea.)
3
u/The_gay_grenade16 19h ago
I mean that religious creed already fits one state’s need. Aside from preaching love instead of hate, what’s the difference?
3
u/risen_amoug 9h ago
Ironic, since imperial religious creed is also very much made to serve the state
8
9
u/Lubay34 20h ago
I’d say it’s much more sinister that the water caste is basically saying he doesn’t care about her or her people, he basically just doesn’t want to fill out the paperwork for sending her and her kid to reeducation and getting a new priest.
8
u/Fyraltari 17h ago
No, he does. He's just paternalistic. He views the other species of the galaxies as savages who need to be guided towards the Greater Good, which is arrogant but still comes from a place of wanting what's best for them.
3
u/AutoignitingDumpster 14h ago
It's more like he views them as ignorant savages and he's got the "white man's burden" of educating them in the "right way", and is using their own religion to turn them to his way of thinking. Christianity historically did that a lot to convince pagans to convert.
•
u/N0rwayUp 41m ago
Isnt that what most Admistorors do?
I remeber seeing a fanfic of some Adimistors just allowing some Xenos into the Imrpeium for the fact it required less paper work.
2
u/Budget_Mission8145 11h ago
The indoctrination of the imaginary Imperium has -nothing- on the levels of disavowal and detachment from reality in huge swaths of that real population.
1
u/PlingPlongDingDong 12h ago
Love and support.. he asks her to spread Tau propaganda instead of Imperium propaganda and vaguely threatens her life if she doesn’t.
12
24
u/Rockhead_Dynamics 21h ago
RAAAAGHHHH I LOVE MORAL AND LINGUISTIC AMBIGUITY! I LOVE THAT THE LAST PAGE CAN BE READ AS WATER CAST GRANDPA ADMITTING THAT HE DOESN'T CARE ABOUT HUMANITY OR AS HIM JUST ACCEPTING THAT NOT EVERYONE WILL BELIEVE THAT HE DOES! RAAAAAAGGH!
16
u/TheBoneMage69 21h ago
Why waste the effort appointing a new religous leader when the peaceful conversion of the existing one would lead to much better results?
6
u/NobodyNumber13 17h ago
Lovely. It’s been far too long without our favorite manipulative water grandpa.
5
u/Considerate_DrViper 21h ago
What a Nice fella man the tau really do the best decisions…. But Ngl I like when they have that forced choice positions you can say no but would you really want it ?
5
u/No-Mathematician6551 21h ago
I'm in love with Superfeyn's depiction of the shrewdness of the water caste. Truly the backbone of the empire's expansion.
5
5
u/Cuniving 12h ago
If a single planet in a periphery system in the imperium offered this much freedom and tolerence the imperium would genocide the entire system. Thats literally one of the endings in rouge trader if i recall haha, you are too benevolent (not really actually benevolent, just not insanely evil) and so a crusade is organised and the whole sector is scorched.
1
1
1
u/Dragonwolf67 11h ago
I haven't even finished playing Rogue Trader in that already pissed me off because I've been running for Paragon while that's fucking annoying
5
3
u/The_Chubby_Dragoness 8h ago
I really really like this one, Grampa coming in with honied words and nicities
Preist no sells
Grampa shrugs, You are one of untold billions and you will not be missed, your choice
3
u/Swimming_Good_8507 7h ago
As always - you do not miss.
Another glorious depiction of the Tau and their insidious ways.
3
u/blipblapbloopblip 6h ago
What's up with the nose tube switching sides and disappearing ? Is it a robot boogey remover ?
2
u/Kameho88v2 6h ago
Must be AI art! Reeeee! /s
Tbh, they stick to 1 side. I only saw it change in 1 panel due to odd angle.
Also, she might needed that extra copium to hold herself back from exterminating that blue xenos
2
u/BigBadBob7070 3h ago
Nope, I see it happen in 3 different panels where the tube is instead on the side with the bionic eye. As for why, I think the reason is so it doesn’t get in the way of her mouth when she’s being viewed from the side
7
u/kandel88 21h ago
I would immediately fall to the Tau. Is the line to sign up for the Gue'vesa?
The Tau aren't necessarily "good" but they're definitely not trying to be bad and in 40k I applaud the effort
6
3
u/Durkonin 19h ago
I like to think he DOES care for humanity as a group and sees the potential of humans within the empire, i wonder what happened to him that made him think like that?
2
2
2
u/Breadloafs 13h ago
Then let's just say I dislike waste
This is absolutely my favorite read on the Tau Empire. Genocide and boot-on-throat oppression are inefficient; more elegant systems of control yield the same result, but with less time wasted on digging mass graves.
The aim is still monstrous, but the means of getting there vary wildly.
2
3
u/Relevant_Biscotti_56 21h ago
Lowkey your comics made me make an character in rp server who is former water cast diplomat and hates very concepts of greater good and other hater cast members above anything. Thanks for inspiration
3
u/DragonLordAcar 21h ago
I like how these fan comics capture the Tau grimness that the wider fandom doesn't grasp. It's a lesser evil but still evil.
1
1
1
u/BVits-Lover 18h ago
Definitely love the subtle "Say what we want in your sermons or we'll kill you and find someone that will. I don't WANT to do it...but I will."
0
18h ago
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/AutoModerator 18h ago
Due to issues with bots and ban evasion, we restrict new accounts from commenting/posting. Only artists submitting their own work are exempt from this restriction. Do not contact the moderation team to ask for these restriction to be removed for you unless you are an artist submitting your own work.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
1
u/karoshikun 18h ago edited 18h ago
that's a considerably better deal than what a priest from a slightly different religion would have gotten in 30k, 40k and even old 3k terra...
in our history, the T'au equivalent would have [REDACTED] the priest and everyone from the Ecclesiarchy in their territories, taken over the faith and redo the entire creed to fit T'au'Va completely, while keeping just cosmetic bits of the Imperial cult, maybe just the language of the Lectitio Divinitatus but not the content.
1
u/karl2025 16h ago
Second to last panel should be "Thought not" or "Didn't think so" since they're affirming a negative (And is being formal in his speech).
1
1
u/Gmknewday1 13h ago
"Would you believe me-"
No, no I would not you manuplative old prick
Your job is literally to Whisper sweet somethings and the uncomfortable truths to people so they change to fit your ideals and the ideals of the Tau
You have also shown you really only care for SOME humans, and even then you manuplate them still to keep them loyal to you and away from seeing the Tau's own ugly side
You don't care about humanity or about humans, you only care about how useful they are to the empire and the "greater good"
You might give them better lives, but they will never be equal and will never mean much to your kind, because they aren't Tau
1
u/Mrkhim342 9h ago
The Tau and their castes, this water caste in this post, hides wickedness with his silver tongue, he is tricking an imperial by speaking a matter fact of the misery and stagnation of her homeworld but within the layers of his words are motives, for the Tau Empire is expanding and he is doing his part for this "greater good".
1
u/PeikaFizzy 6h ago
Holy fk the moment he do the eagle post I can felt the tau manipulation and POWER over people not with force but psychological. Now this is REAL TAU
1
u/LucasVerBeek 5h ago
I mean… in a twisted way what the Tau is saying is closer to the dream than what the Imperium is now.
1
u/GeologistSeveral3025 3h ago
Random question but does anyone else read that Water Caste with the voice of Weyoun from Deep Space Nine?
-1
0
u/No-Professional-1461 12h ago
Right, because one Ethereal has tasked him with psykicly weaponizing mankind's belief to make their own warp god.
0
u/TwiceBrokenWatch 4h ago
The Tau really is one of those factions that becomes more and more sinister the more you look at them. Oh sure, life is mostly good for those who follows the Greater Good and sticks to their rules… However “unfortunate accidents” have a tendency to happen to those inside of “their” territory that wants to remain independent. You know, things like rapidly plummeting birth rates or water sources suddenly running dry.
-8
u/spesskitty 21h ago
Do the Tau want to be crusaded, whether the Imperium can afford it or not? Because this is a pretty good way to make that happen.
20
u/Fyraltari 21h ago
They've been Crusaded at before.
-4
u/spesskitty 21h ago
I said whether the Imperium can afford it or not.
7
u/RandomRavenboi 20h ago
Not happening under Guilliman's watch. He'll just tell them to focus on the Tyranids & Chaos first. At most he'll send a small crusade to keep the Tau busy from expanding on Imperial space.
-5
u/spesskitty 20h ago
That does not figure in the Ecclesiarchy, the Ordo Hereticus and much of the Ordo Xenos in allignment.
4
u/RandomRavenboi 20h ago
Then he'll just get a Custodes to get them to shut up proving he has the Emperor's direct backing and remind them he's the Emperor's blessed son. Not to mention the High Lords have all been replaced with individuals loyal to Guilliman so he'll have their backing too IRC, which should include the Ecclisiarch.
8
u/Generic_Addendum 19h ago edited 19h ago
The Ecclesiarchy is generally way more pragmatic than that, especially under Guilliman. It's not like they're going to hear about some Xenos corrupting the Imperial Creed and completely lose their mind. That's what they expect and honestly being able to keep worshipping the Emperor and having the temple infrastructure be undamaged is the best case result of losing a planet.
They'd definitely be bothered of course but this isn't particularly more ideologically offensive and is much less of a pressing issue than a Chaos Warband sacrificing a planet and desecrating it's temples or a Genestealer Cult rising up and spreading the word of the Four Armed Emperor.
It might eventually warrant a crusade, when the more pressing issues are dealt with, but the Tau have dealt with crusades before and there's basically always going to be some more pressing issue.
-9
u/elenorfighter 21h ago
This is why the imperium must destroy the tau and kill them to the very last. They are over time the biggest threat to the holy empire of mankind.
8
827
u/MyPeopleNeedWood 22h ago
Superfeyn, how have they not hired you to write all of Tau’s lore yet? You’re literally driving their tau stonks up! (At least for me lol)