Line #70 Fridge/IfTheEmperorHadATextToSpeechDevice


1	[[folder:Fridge Brilliance]]
2	* The Emperor fully believes his speech of Humanities potential. Sure it is sort of obvious, but it really shows when you pay attention in how he interacts with people.
3	** After a brief talk with Decius, the Ecclesiarch, the symbol of all what the Emperor hates, comes to see the error of his ways, Decius goes on his way to improve the Ministorum to fit the Emperors idea, now instead of worship they look up to him as something to emulate.
4	** He pays Karstodes a genuine compliment when the man vows (and so far has followed) his promise of self-improvement.
5	** He pays Boy no mind, but that does not mean he is dismissive of the most insignificant being in the entire cast, paying him compliments when they are due, and overall not mistreating him. But he does not pay attention to him most of the time, because the young Serf constantly improves himself on his own volition, doing a job that would terrify most people, taking lessons from Rogal and overall being a reliable person.
6	* When Rogal tells the Emperor what he did after the Heresy, he sounds distressed (or as close to distress as Rogal Dorn can be) and the Emperor notices it, he is constantly trying to cheer him up or trying to "absolve" him of any perceived guilt the Primarch has. But it comes of as caustic, because the fact the Emperor talks with his Text to Speech Device, instead of a struggling father trying to comfort his distressed son.
7	* In the "Warp Hijinks" update, Leman Russ comments that the Inquisitors' chances in the Warp have increased by at least two wolves. This might be yet another demonstration about Leman Russ' obsession with wolves, but remember one thing: wolves live in packs. The pack lives because all of the wolves work together for their communal sake, instead of going at it individually. By saying this, Leman indicates that the chances of survival have increased as if the pack's number increased in two.
8	** Of course he could also be saying that they're [[BackhandedCompliment collectively worth about as much as two wolves]]. And while he may refer to Fenrisian wolves, those still would only last so long against Daemons.
9	* Magnus' utter disregard for Karamazov's threats and screams becomes understandable once we see [[spoiler:just how easily he deals with what he estimates to be 80% of the Inquisition.]]
10	** He's lasted for MILLENNIA inside the Warp, particularly in Tzeentch's labyrinth. At this point if he couldn't use the most advanced magic imaginable then he wouldn't have lasted that long. It also helps that he is a Primarch, and his siblings would probably be able to deal with them similarly, albeit with less magic and more bullets.
11	* Of course Kitten knows everything about nearly everything in the Imperium--[[spoiler:he's one of the High Lords of Terra. He probably has received reports since getting the job on everything in the entire Imperium]]. Or it could be the fact that [[spoiler: there is a direct portal to the Black Library from the imperial palace]].
12	* Tzeentch wasn't able to know the outcome of his game with Kitten because, according to Magnus, Kairos the Fateweaver didn't tell him. [[spoiler: Of course he couldn't. Kairos just got his shit wrecked by Adrielle in the Warp because he made the mistake of telling an Ordo Xenos Inquisitor that he was a Genestealer.]]
13	** Also, Tzeentch wasn't just figuratively cheating in the duel. In the upper right corner there's a display of all the cards that Kitten has in his hand, which only goes away when Magnus intervenes. He's ''literally'' using a cheat program.
14	* Going with the above, Kairos proved to be remarkably short-sighted [[spoiler: during ''Gathering Storm III'', where despite his supposed omniscience he utterly failed to foresee Skarbrand leading a Khornate army to attack him and [[SpannerInTheWorks allow Guilliman and some of his forces to escape in the process.]]]] This makes a whole lot more sense [[spoiler: when you consider how he got absolutely shitstomped by Adrielle, a single Inquisitor who proved powerful enough to take on ''an entire genestealer cult.'' Assuming Kairos survived the attack at all, he very likely suffered severe and extensive head trauma that screwed with his foresight and prevented him from detecting and repulsing Skarbrand's attack.]]
15	** [[spoiler: As of episode 26, we see that he ''has'' survived. His judgement is ''still'' questionable, allowing his hatred of Adrielle to overwhelm him into launching an attack that catches Skarbrand in the blast radius. Not only does this show that he is in no way infallible, but it provides a pretty good reason for why Skarbrand attacked in the first place!]]
16	* Look closely at Cegorach's hand when he confronts Ahriman about the library card. His hand is flexing in time with Ahriman's speech until he realizes Cegorach is tricking him. The entire discussion up to that point was Cegorach manipulating Ahriman just to make him even more of a joke.
17	* Cegorach's theme is dark but fantastic accordion piece... right up until the end when it becomes obvious the whole thing is a riff built on the ''Seinfield'' theme song. Even with his ''music'' Cegorach is trolling people.
18	* The Dark Angels [[spoiler:failing to recognize Cypher as he's standing right in front of them]] might not necessarily be a statement on the [[TooDumbToLive Dark Angels' competence]]: [[spoiler:the Angels have been chasing Cypher for over ten thousand years, and as such are not even sure if he's a single individual with a supernaturally enhanced lifespan or a LegacyCharacter, and most confirmed appearances of Cypher tend to be determined after the fact, meaning it's not out of the question that even the canon Angels would not be sure of what he looks like.]]
19	* Of course Kitten would think that the Engine of Woes is absolutely horrifying. He's spent the last ten thousands years surrounded by incredibly ornate, baroque and Gothic architecture of varying shades of gold, and taught and believes that this is the pinnacle of mankind's beauty and architectural prowess. When confronted with a [[spoiler: lime-green Smart Car]], of course he's horrified by what he sees. Especially because it looks like [[spoiler: something that the Tau would design.]]
20	** Vulkan had to fill the Engine of Woes with his hate and sorrow and angst. But since it's [[LoveFreak Vulkan]], that would be kinda hard... so of course he just shoved [[spoiler: Corvus Corax]] into it to make up for that.
21	** If you look at the background during Episode 21 while Corvus Corax is writing in his angsty diary, you can see that the environment is actually [[spoiler: the blurry interior of a Smart Car]].
22	* Everyone's Paradox-Billiards-Vostroyan-Roulette-Fourth Dimensional-Hypercube-Chess-Strip Poker strategies represent them in some way:
23	** Kitten's deck is cat-themed and moderately underpowered, but also has a lot of cards with effects that give him answers to the big splashy plays that his enemies have--basically reflecting his role as the OnlySaneMan. Also, his cards tend to synergize well, with cards sacrificing each other to bring other cards into play, and each card boosting the other cards' effectiveness, which really does show how the Imperium of Man fights most effectively: as a unified force, each faction supporting the other's weaknesses, and individuals sacrificing themselves for the greater whole.
24	** Emperor's deck is basically a way of using a lot of sacrifices to take a shortcut to create an ultimate creature, similar to how he himself was created. It's also a design by someone who clearly thought just the one strategy was infallible, since the whole setup collapsed and left him utterly defenseless with just ''one'' card. The Emperor, once again, was too confident in himself and his clever setup (and horrendously powerful assets) to think that something might fail and lost to something he clearly never saw coming.
25	** Literally ''every card'' Tzeentch plays is either a {{Counterspell}} or a card that relates to change in some way--generally by digging through his deck to find the cards he needs. Morphing Jar actually {{Subvert\|ed Trope}}s it since it changes into...itself, dumping most of Tzeentch's deck into the graveyard in the process. One might interpret ''that'' as a metaphor for how Tzeentch actually ultimately [[StatusQuoIsGod maintains the status quo]] with his schemes, since it's ultimately the roil of change and not the end result that feeds him.
26	** Magnus doesn't play, but his deck for "[[TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering a card game that is actually good]]" is Red/Blue, representing the intersection of fiery passion and thirst for knowledge, which represents well his goals in life. And in terms of playstyle, the combination's strategy is usually heavily based on blitzkrieg-style bouts of spellcasting both destructive and disruptive, which fits Magnus' own, similarly destructive psyker powers well.
27	*** In the lore of Magic the Gathering, the Izzet League, which represents the intersection of Red and Blue, is known for their passionate, if not downright obsessive, seeking of knowledge, just like Magnus.
28	*** He is also himself [[https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/3/6/367cc265-ccfb-4236-9053-1b63ffe767a3.jpg?1674059612 a red blue card]] in said game
29	* Dorn's response to Magnus' transformation and rampage was to immediately [[MemeticMutation fortify his position]]. As shown in his flashbacks, Dorn had to [[CreativeSterility rely on his Pain Glove to come up with new ideas and solutions to problems.]] Without a Pain Glove to give him a better idea, he fell back on what he knew, which was building a huge fortification that was warded against Magnus' psychic powers.
30	* Dorn's literal-mindedness may not just be from Dorn himself. If you read up on the background and workings of the Centurion suits, you'll find that many of them have very powerful machine spirits (read: angry artificial intelligences) that the pilot must forcibly synchronize with and bring under their control. Afterward, the pilot and the machine spirit are bonded together, and the longer the pilot spends linked to his suit, the harder it is for the Centurion's operator to disengage and the closer they get to their machine spirit. Rogal Dorn has apparently been puttering around the Imperial Palace in a Centurion armor for several thousand years, meaning he's likely linked to the AI in his suit to an extreme degree, which can go a long way to explaining his cold, calm, mechanical, literal-mindedness. Plus, it could explain why he gets angry at seeing Lucius smashing desks, because the machine spirit in his armor is getting pissed off at the sight of other devices getting broken.
31	** Also, the Centurion armor makes perfect sense for Rogal to hide in, as not only does it completely cover his body and match his stature, but it hides that he's missing his hand. Since Centurion armor involves the pilot sitting inside the torso section with their arms encased in the armor, and the limbs being entirely mechanical, no one would be able to see if his hand was an augmetic one or natural one.
32	* In ''If the Emperor had a Podcast - Episode 0'', words on the voxcaster are censored if not Ecclesiarchy-approved, much to [[SirSwearsALot the Emperor's]] annoyance. This includes sexual references like "fuck" and scatological references like "shit", as well as downright blasphemous or heretical terms like "Chaos" and "[[SatanicArchetype Horus]]" (inconsistently at least, or possibly just the phrase "Fucking Horus"). The reasons for the blasphemous words being censored [[TheFundamentalist should be obvious]], but hey, isn't there a [[GodOfEvil Chaos God]] representing hedonism, debauchery, and excess, such as the sexual content expressed in the word "fuck", and also a Chaos God associated with filth, disease, rot, and decay, such as that expressed by any literal reference to feces? Given the corrupting nature of the Chaos Gods, [[TheExtremistWasRight it just might not be too extreme a protection against heretical behavior]]...
33	* In ''If the Emperor had a Podcast - Episode 0'', the Q&A section includes a letter from a planet torn apart over holy wars concerning whether or not [[SillyReasonForWar it should be Taco Tuesday or Taco Thursday.]] Emps claims it's Taco Friday and provides a logical reason, but if you think about it he probably picked Friday because had he picked Tuesday or Thursday, the side that was "wrong" would have hurt feelings and might refuse to stop the fighting.
34	** Which of course makes the argument with Dorn even funnier- since both agree that "Thursday is pancake day," the Emperor might very well think Dorn is ''right'' to claim Taco Tuesday, but clings to Friday due to his staunch refusal to ever be wrong about anything and frustration that Dorn is unintentionally interfering in his peace-keeping efforts.
35	** An extra level of Fridge Brilliance kicks in when you question why Dorn would consider Tacos such serious business. At first it seems rather random that [[ComicallySerious Dorn]] would care so much about something as minor as an old Mexican dish... and then you remember his [[https://1d4chan.org/wiki/Crimson_Fists other second founding chapter]]...
36	*** and you get an extra layer of Fridge-meta-logic when you realize that Alfabusa is from Sweden, and Taco Fredag or "taco friday" is a tradition in that country.
37	** Moving away from tacos, this isn't the first time the Emperor tried to quell fighting with lies. Rogal Dorn might not be arguing for tacos as much as urging him to tell the truth.
38	* The podcast's second episode (''[[NonindicativeName Episode 1]]: The Last Church'') has Rogal Dorn showing Boy a serious amount of kindness even while the Custodes act like complete jerks to him. To the Custodes, Boy's needs and position are so far below them that he shouldn't even be in the Emperor's presence. To the Emperor, while Boy hasn't had a chance to know or be any better than he is as an individual due to the myriad failings of the Imperium, he's still just one of a great mass of ignorant baseline humanity who need to be uplifted and improved in ways only the Emperor knows, by any means necessary. But think of what Rogal Dorn and the rest of the Imperial Fists value: stoic resilience in the face of overwhelming danger, determination to do one's duty, and unshakeable loyalty to the Emperor. These are the traits of the people of Inwit, the frigid Death World on which Rogal Dorn was raised. Boy did not complain when the Emperor changed his name. Boy, while obviously failing in the stoic department, being frightened by the creepy half-naked supermen standing over him and taunting him, still does his duty as he was commanded. Boy is no SpaceMarine, nor even a BadassNormal. He's a malnourished and terrified child standing in a room full of people who are bigger, stronger, smarter, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking and]] [[GoldColoredSuperiority more golden]] than he ever will be. But despite all that, he embodies as much as he can of the very same values believed in by the people of Inwit. Rogal Dorn may see in Boy some spark of the same things that every Imperial Fist inherited from their Primarch, and it may well impress him on some level.
39	** Furthermore, Dorn's actions towards Boy are somewhat grandfather-like, such as letting the kid sit on his lap for story time. Dorn was [[RaisedByGrandparents raised by an adoptive grandfather]], meaning this is him caring for Boy the same way Dorn's caretaker cared for him.
40	* During the Podcast (The Last Church) The Emperor seems only mildly annoyed with Custodisi for calling him an asshole. That may be attributed to his Text-To-Speech patter of talking. But then you remember that Custodes also had the duty of advising the Emperor aside of acting as bodyguards. Add that Custodisi is a Tribune and one of his Companions you understand that the Emperor is not angry because Custodisi is doing his job!
41
42	* The revelation that the three custodes are Tribunes makes their holding back Daemon!Magnus hilariously appropriate given the insanely broken rules attached to Custodian Tribunes.
43	* Why is Vulkan so prone to dumb decisions that tend to get him killed? He's got resurrective immortality, he literally can't die no matter what, couple with being infected with Ork logic, it becomes clear he simply doesn't see a reason to get concerned over his own death if he's just gonna come back fine a few minutes later.
44	* In the ''Black Templars'' Podcast episode, Custodisi gets upset about the Emperor's hypocrisy and specifically brings up the Council of Nikea- which he refers to by the nickname "The Trial of Magnus." Remember when Custodisi showed sexual interest in Magnus during Episodes 23 and 24? Mayhaps these two things are related...
45	* The Emperor allowing LIIVI to have relations with Taldeer seems off, as the Emperor is known to spout out just how perfect humanity is and how the Eldar have problems. Then we learn that the main reason the Emperor made the Imperial webway is so he can get it on with Eldar hookers. As we all know, the Emperor is always right. By this reasoning the Emperor has to allow the relationship or else he would seem like a hypocrite.
46	** On a practical level, he's also stated that he genuinely doesn't mind aliens as long as they don't target humanity or they are under his control. So having LIIVI in a relationship would not only endear a powerful Farseer to humanity, which would make her group a little safer for mankind as a whole.
47	* Dorn's wall name "Adorable" (later "A-''[[{{Pun}} Dorn]]''able"...) in the Podcast episodes is him trolling the Emperor who, before learning that the centurion he used as a hug toy was Dorn, referred to him as adorable.
48	** Alternately, it's to acknowledge the Emperor as his father by using the name he gave him, no matter how inadvertent. Salt and sweet go well together.
49	* Dorn insists on being referred to by his wall name because he is not ready to reveal to his children that he is still alive (Naturally, they slip up and use Dorn's real name at least once, but this passes unnoticed by the participants).
50	** Even when they do use his real name, it's a recording in-universe, not a live production. They can (and have) edit the footage in post-production to avoid spilling state secrets.
51	* Why doesn't Calgar want Astropath Illiyan to have any screen time? Because he is most likely not canon anymore. Illiyan is most likely Chief Librarian Astropath Illiyan Nastase, who dates back to when 40k was still called ''Rogue Trader''. While he has never outright been declared non-canon, the fact that he is ''half-eldar'', and a half-eldar Space Marine at that, means that he ''probably'' not canon.
52	** It should be noted that Illiyan was '''never''' implanted with gene-seed or '''actually made''' into a Space Marine. The Ultramarines at the time of his fluff allowed non-Astartes to work within their ranks. Maybe Calgar considers a non-Astartes Chief Librarian to be an OldShame?
53	* Disturbing as they may be when they get ''really'' insane, it makes sense that the Custodes are so unhinged. They were practically emotionless automatons before the Emperor was placed on the Golden Throne and they've had ''thousands of years'' for that emotionless mental conditioning to degrade, leaving them to be overwhelmed and made unstable by emotions they don't know how to process. It leans a bit into FridgeHorror when you realize that the cadre of elite [[SuperSoldier Super Soldiers]] who are only succeeded by the Primarchs themselves in advancement have been left with emotions they don't understand, and no one to explain how to cope with said emotions to them.
54	* Rogal Dorn only "fortifying" when Magnus starts rampaging makes sense when you look at later episodes where he has apparently already seen through the Emperor's plans and knows he intentionally set things up so that Magnus and Kitten would go off adventuring together. In retrospect, it's obvious that he saw what the Emperor was planning and allowed Kitten to solve the problem on his own instead of interfering, since that was obviously what the Emperor wanted.
55	* For those wondering how the Fabricator-General was able to [[UnexplainedRecovery seemingly die and come back like nothing happened]] so often, Episode 27 explains that [[spoiler: it was through the use of the Proteus Protocol, which allows someone to BodySurf]].
56	* Magnus treats Boreale and Diomedes of the Blood Ravens like annoying children because they essentially are his children. The background lore for the Blood Ravens Chapter strongly hints that they're a loyalist offshoot of Magnus's Thousand Sons Legion, making him their genetic primogeniture.
57	* So, Emperor never expected Magnus to succeed in any of his new plots. Magnus has similar (and correct) opinion on Ahriman. Which seems strange in regards to such a powerful psykers and overall intelligent beings. But they're both chosen of Tzeentch - Demon Prince and champion respectively, and Lord of Changes is not about winning, but about trying. In other words: they're cursed to fail in everything they plan. Well, it could be argued Magnus got his soul back and is now technically free from Tzeentch, but he still got his warp-essence in him.
58	* In Episode 27 we are introduced to Santodes, the 4th Pillarstodes, a Contemptor pattern dreadnought. We also see Custodisi killed by the Emperor. Not only was Custodisi killed in the correct order as the 3 main Pillar Men from Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure, so was Santodes as he was technically already dead.
59	* In the 6th special, Magnus gets pretty upset when Magnar Buckethead is accidentally killed off, complaining that he spent at least a week writing up his character and backstory. This includes a set of stats that allowed him to be killed in the first place, despite the Provost Marshal pointing out that [[LordBritishPostulate you shouldn't stat anything you don't want killed]]. All of this despite the fact that Magnus only became GM a few hours ago. That's because Buckethead was originally the character Magnus intended to play as, before circumstances forced him to make Buckethead a {{GMPC}}. Made all the more obvious by the fact that Magnar Buckethead sounds suspiciously like Magnus the Red.
60	* Also in the 6th special, it actually makes perfect sense that the Gorger Lord has such measly Willpower - since he is in truth Custodisi, and the Custodians have already proven to be very weak-willed (i.e. completely unable to restrain themselves from making double entendres and, in all probability, acting upon them off-screen. Custodisi in particular owes his current situation to being unable to restrain himself from hitting on Magnus while in the Emperor's presence, even after a warning blow with a hammer).
61	** As for why the Custodes would be weak-willed in general? Consider the Emperor's greatest flaw: his pride. [[NeverMyFault Any order he gives, anything he says, is either completely right because he knows better, or wrong through no fault of his own]], so his closest companions[=/=]soldiers, the Custodes, would, in his mind, have no need for a strong will of their own since he'd be there to command them.
62	* Again in the 6th special, as Sir Whamri's damage begins to stack up on the Gorger Lord (actually a displaced Custodisi) he begins to emit a radiant glow, enabling him to do something that should be completely impossible by ''cutting off a Custodian's arm with a medieval weapon.'' Impossible for a regular Knight of Bretonnia, but not for a [[EmpoweredBadassNormal Grail Knight]], showing that his defiant LastStand in the face of an angry god who was actively trying to kill him (either Custodisi or Magnus would qualify) earned Sir Whamri the Lady's blessing.
63	** Furthermore, his defiant last stand was to [[AndThisIsFor avenge his friend Bulgo]]. Bulgo, who not only was a halfling, but also of a lower social class than the noble Knight. By caring enough for him to try to avenge him, Wharmi has shown great Compassion and Empathy for others, which are amongst the Virtues needed to reach [[KnightInShiningArmor Grail Knighthood]]
64	* While the lack of Elves among the party seems minute trivia due to Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay's human-heavy nature, the fact that many Imperium characters (including more open-minded individuals like Emperor and Kitten) had shown prejudice against Eldar--Warhammer 40k's Elf equivalent--might also reflect their choice with Rogal's Dwarf character and Administratum's Halfling character being given a pass due to Squats--Warhammer 40k's Dwarf equivalent--and Ratlings--Warhammer 40k's Halfling equivalent--being tolerated as Abhumans.
65	* Once more in the 6th special, the Emperor telekinetically throttles the Grand Provost Marshal during an argument over the game's mechanics. While at first it might just seem like the Emperor's usual petty assholery, he doesn't actually do anything but bicker until the Marshal slips up and [[BerserkButton calls him a God.]]
66	* During his game against Kitten, Tzeentch mentions that his plan may be leading to a "Most combustible demise on [Kitten's] part." We later find out his deck is focused on a OneTurnKill using effect damage, making it a ''[[StealthPun burn]]'' deck.
67	** [[spoiler:In the latest (and final?) episode, Kitten dies in an explosion, making Tzeenth's comment doubly meaningful, though purely by coincidence]].
68	* When calling Cawl, the Fabricator-General uses an old-time, 1960's style phone (it even has an actual cord!), reflecting that the Adeptus Mechanicus are very much stuck in the past and obsessed with old technology. By contrast, Cawl picks up using a ''smartphone'', something that looks more modern than almost anything we saw used so far in the series, reflecting that, much like with developing the Primaris Marines, Cawl is the only Archmagos to look forward and trying to develop new things.
69	** Alternatively, both the 1960s phone and the smartphone are pieces of ancient technology in the 41st Millenium. The Fabricator General and Cawl are both high ranking enough to use rare archeotech as their primary means of communication, but the Fabricator General has the older (rarer and more sacred) type of phone because of his seniority.
70	* Depending on your point of view, Azrael's HeelRealization and IgnoredEpiphany is either really funny or really sad. However, it does set up the Dark Angel's eventual redemption. In the lore, Azrael and Belial are two of the most reasonable Dark Angels. While still obsessed with their secrets, they do try to help the Imperium. For instance, in VideoGame/SpaceHulkDeathwing, Belial is horrified about the prospect of his chapters genes being stolen by the Tyranids and used against the Chapter. He refuses to let all part of his chapter "betray" the Imperium even their because of their own DNA being stolen. The Dark Angels are assholes and they a bunch of paraniacs who often put the Chapter first, but they are loyal deep down. [[spoiler:Since it was Cypher that framed the Dark Angels and gave the Fabricator General the secrets of the Dark Angels (on televised holovid, no less) and that the Emperor seems to have plans with Cypher (who hints that Cypher may be loyal), it is likely the Dark Angels will be pardoned especially since he ordered the death of Custodes. This is proven when you translate the binary at the end of the negotiations. The subtitles say "fine" while the binary says that he'll just have the whole group assassinated in L33t speak. For the other interpretation, see Fridge Horror.]]
71	* Rogal Dorn asks for twelve thousand laborers to make a tree house. Seems excessive, but Terra is an overpopulated, polluted city with no natural water. He needs the laborers to grow the trees first, and those trees have to be sturdy and big enough to hold whatever massive structure he would put on top. A grove of giant trees would take centuries to grow and a lot of caretakers.
72	* Neither Kitten nor Karstodes know the meaning of the words 'pay' or 'money' (episode 19 and the Black Templars podcast), even though the Emperor claims to pay them.
73	** On the 'being paid' side: In the Last Church podcast, the Emperor is annoyed that an artist didn't accept his 'payment' of honors, prestige, and exposure. ''That's exactly what he's paying the Custodes''. Their duties as [[MouthOfSauron the Emperor's representatives]] renders them nigh-untouchable; the Inquisition, which can press-gang High Lords, can't boss around Custodians, and they're not required to obey Primarchs [[note]] note that "not required to obey" is not the same as "will not listen to"[[/note]]. In terms of prestige, they could walk up to the Brides of the Emperor when the Briders were shooting everyone who came close to Vandire, and the Inquisition accusing them of heresy is a sign that they lost it. Not to mention that they get the chance to directly serve their Emperor. Also, immortality, the best wargear in the Imperium, a gigantic golden palace to live in, and no worries about food.
74	** On the 'paying other people' side: What shopkeeper in the Imperium would try to get money from the PraetorianGuard? That, or all supplies are taken straight from the tithes.
75	** That's also why the Techpriests are never given their toasters: the Custodes oversaw the installation, and none of them thought they were obligated to do anything in return. After all, it's every citizen's duty to serve the GodEmperor.
76	* Why did it take so long for the text-to-speech device to be installed? Finding one might be difficult, but using one is easy... unless you're an immobile skeleton. The Emperor doesn't type with a keyboard; he creates small fluctuations in space around him. The hard part was salvaging something that can detect those fluctuations, creating a system that corresponds to keystrokes, and making it compatible with the speech device.
77	* The reason of the Jopall Indentured Squadrons, renamed the Jopall Fiscal Fighters after the Jopall rebellion, to join Vulkan and Corvus's Crusade [[RightForTheWrongReasons have a few holes, but they arrived at a reasonable conclusion]]. They joined [[spoiler:to make enough money to bribe the Inquisition once they find out they executed their leaders]].
78	** [[spoiler:Money]] won't keep them safe because Inquisitors [[spoiler:can requisition anything, and generally have no need for money]]. They're safe because all of their Astra Militarum regiments off-planet are now under the protection of two Primarchs, and Magnus already took care of the Inquisitors insane enough to attack, say, the Emperor's sons (Corvus could give [[spoiler:the revolution]] his blessing in writing, except most of the Imperium thinks he's dead).
79	*** Plus, as He'Stan puts it, Astartes don't have money.
80	** Even if the Inquisition did investigate, it would be to check for possible Chaos and Xenos infiltration. [[spoiler:Oppression-induced revolution, especially one sanctioned by a Primarch]], doesn't fall under either of those categories. Those knockoff gland Marines, however, have heresy written all over them.
81	** And while the Inquisition has no reason to kill anyone over [[spoiler:a planet's worth of nobles being executed]] (not that it'll stop them), the Commissariat would be infuriated over the murder of one of their own.
82	** Vulkan and Corvus can argue that the Commissar who was killed during the rebellion on Jopall had failed to recognise and come to the aid of a loyalist Son of the Emperor.
83	** One can also argue that the Commissar who was killed was ''not'' a Commissar. The Commissariat is ultimately assigned to the Logistical divisions of the Imperial Army, and they are most '''certainly not''' assigned to Planetary Defense Forces, which the Jopall Indentured Squadrons definitely were. That guy was most likely just a desk jockey minion of Cashback who just wore the Commissar gear to feel and look important to the whole thing.
84	*** The [[https://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Jopall_Indentured_Squadrons Jopall Indentured Squadrons]] are canonically Astra Militarum, so yes, that ''was'' a real Commissar.
85	*** Technically, there are PDF Commissars. Unlike Guard Commissars, who look after a single regiment (and sometimes share the burden with other Commissars), PDF Commissars are in charge of entire planets or sectors, so most soldiers under their wing don't know they exist.
86	*** Given that the Commissar tried to have a Son of the Emperor executed, he would probably be disowned. Sure he didn't realize it, but the Ciaphas Cain series shows that if a Commissar goes berserk, they can be charged with treason and turned into drug enhanced suicide soldiers.
87	** The Imperium doesn't care who rules their planets as long as they pay their tithes on time. The Fiscal Fighters might not need to bribe the Inquisition, but they'll certainly need that money to pay their taxes.
88	* Similar to the split between the Eldar and Dark Eldar, the Custodes that don't indulge in nudity have regular jobs. Judging by their leaders, the Shadow-Keepers are among the sanest, and they regularly fight mechanical abominations underground. The Emissaries might not be able to go out, but they still hold meetings. And this might be why Kitten has such an insane workload; he needs to occupy his mind and time because he already slipped into madness.
89	* Kitten takes the spot of Emperor’s Favorite rather gracefully, considering the [[Literature/HorusHeresy last person who held the title]]. He’s flattered when Magnus calls him Stepmother, but he’s not too stressed about the position, considering that he’s the Emperor’s personal ButtMonkey. [[TeamMom Non-Warmaster]] personality and UndyingLoyalty conditioning aside, he can handle the attention because he knows he’s not really the favorite. The position of Daddy Emp’s Favorite Son is permanently occupied by Sanguinius, and favorite person overall is Malcador. While it can be upsetting that he can never live up to them, it can also be liberating to know that he doesn’t need to.
90	** Similarly, he handled his fall as Caretaker fairly well. Both he and Horus thought the Emperor betrayed him by replacing him, but the Custodes were already supplanted by the Primarchs and Astartes. Kitten’s been replaced before. Also, Horus thought he’d be culled like the Thunder Warriors once the Great Crusade ended; Kitten knows the Thunder Warriors were an exception because the Custodes are still around.
91	* Hammurabi Unferth is one of Kitten's supporters, but he's still not above some passive-aggressive sniping. The Emissaries' job is to receive and interpret visions given to them by the Emperor, and announce his will to the populace; thanks to Kitten and the text-to-speech device, the Emperor can speak for himself. The Emperor's return lost him his job, and since [[AndThatsTerrible that's a good thing]], he can't complain directly about it. Alternately, due to the sheer amount of pique being shoveled out of Eternity Gate on a daily basis, the Emissaries are working overtime announcing his word (in diplomatic language) for the first time in ten thousand years.
92	** Hammurabi also claims that the Emissaries would have stripped if they'd gotten the memo. Since they're TheFace of the Custodes, it's possible that they were deliberately kept clothed as to uphold the dignity of their office, the same way the Navigators only let the most human-seeming scions represent them in public.
93	* Kitten and Magnus message the Alfa Legion under the fake banner of the Crimson Tigers, which have a MeaningfulName. Magnus the Red represents "Crimson", and Kitten represents "Tiger".
94	* He'Stan and Tu'Shan's 50 year labor contract might sound like a random large number, but the numbers are consistent. 24 hours of work earned them 0.01% towards redemption, and 10,000 days of solid work is around 27 years. Using a 20-hour work day (Astartes only need 4 hours of sleep), around 33 years. The other 17 years can come from living fees (most likely inflated), anticipation of supply outweighing demand (as difficult as it may be in Warhammer), or interest.
95	* The Emissaries' use of the guilt trip as part of their arsenal is RuleOfFunny, but it does make sense. It wouldn't be part of a normal diplomat's routine, but it works in the Imperium because everyone is supposed to worship the Emperor fanatically. The same way some children try to behave better before Christmas, when the Emissaries show up, your average non-zealous Imperial Citizen would probably try to make up for all their inevitable sins by appeasing the Emperor's representatives as well as they can. Playing off of that guilt would be easy.
96	* The Asshailer's name is a portmanteu of "Assault (Vox)hailer" or alternatively "Assistant (Vox)hailer", and also close to Wassailer, another word for caroling or loud carousing.
97	* Saint Celestine comforting the Nurglite cultist and making him apologize seems kind of odd, considering that she executes him a moment later. But it makes sense in the context of the afterlife: she knows there's an afterlife alongside the Emperor, and by repenting, he can go into the light instead of suffering in the Warp. And since he just committed high treason by summoning a daemon, he can't live in the Imperium anymore. Killing him right away [[MercyKill is his only chance to go to heaven]].
98	* Boy's vocabulary and prose have improved by a considerable amount. He mentions sometimes travelling up to the palace with Custodies in his interrogation, which means he likely spends some time talking to them. His improved vocabular makes sense in this case, considering the Custodies tendencies to be eccentric. He is likely learning all these words and ways of speaking from the Custodies and as such would have a much better grasp on what everything is and how to describe it. It also explains his use of RIP, spoken as Rip. He likely heard this from the Emperor and knew from context that it meant something to do with a person now being dead. Boy is learning how to speak well by imitating the Custodies, Lord Adorable, and the Emperor himself.
99	* Boy finally shows up in the main series in episode 29. Why? Because, as we saw in his special, he's officially been moved into the Imperial Palace.
100	* The Star Child being the Emperor's compassion - and what the subsequent ''lack-there-of'' has done - can best be seen in his jokes: from the moment he shows up, his sense of humor seems to mostly consist of puns, good-natured teasing, and dad jokes. Contrast that with the Throne Emperor's caustic, biting, and sometimes downright ''cruel'' sense of humor.
101	** Related to that, the fact that Throne Emperor is more open with his disdain for baseline humans, such as referring to the hapless Guide as a "jester for his amusement" after the Star Child has manifested could be because he's openly ''admitted'' to his compassion being independent of his Throne self and thus no longer bothering quite so hard to keep up the appearance of still having any.
102	** In addition, the Star Child says he'd be right at home with Fyodor. At first, it sounds strange until you realize that he doesn't mean it sounds exactly like traits he sees in himself. Quite the opposite; Fyodor is the perfect vessel because, like the Throne Emperor, he has thrown his compassion aside. It'd be exceptionally roomy in there.
103	* As much as he hates them, Kitten's ''Stellaris'' strategy echoes the Tau: both are considered optimistic and naive in a galaxy of war, both take in refugees from other races, and both try not to get mired in war.
104	** Why Kitten's pacifist strategy blindsides everyone: the players who don't know him personally would assume that he would employ the typical Imperial strategy of throwing bodies at every problem, no matter how minor. Everyone else knows how he would fight and command in real life, but their knowledge isn't applicable because Kitten would normally command a small group of elites rather than a large army of mooks.
105	** Kitten's strategy is basically how he lives: he can't save the whole galaxy, but he guards his little garden of prosperity.
106	* You would think that the various Imperial players in ''Space Game Pain'' would hesitate to oppose the Emperor's federation or treat him as flippantly as did ''Boy'' of all people, among other interactions that are strange when you consider the in-universe identities behind the empires - until Vulkan reveals that he doesn't know the other players while asking to add them to his friends list; that carries the implication that ''nobody'' in the game recognizes each other (save Eldrad and the Emperor), letting them interact without any personal biases or real-life allegiances getting in the way.
107	* When Kitten attempts to tell Magnus his full name, Intermission from ''Monty Python and the Holy Grail'' plays. There's a famous ''Series/MontyPythonsFlyingCircus'' sketch about a composer with an OverlyLongName (starts with Johan Gambolputty de von Ausfern).
108	* Kitten's recent achievements include being a dietitian for the Custodes, so his (earned) full name starts with things like "Graham" and "Cornknob".
109	* During the second [[TabletopGame/YuGiOh Paradox-Billiards-Vostroyan-Roulette-Fourth Dimensional-Hypercube-Chess-Strip Poker]] special, players of the actual card game would notice that there seems to be an intentional yet crucial mistake, namely the infamous "MST Negates" mistake.[[note]] Many new players mistakenly believe that using Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy a spell or trap in response to it being played negates the card, when in reality it simply destroys it and, unless it was a continuous spell or trap, does absolutely nothing due to the fact that played spell or traps go to the graveyard on resolution anyway.[[/note]] It seems odd that the play wouldn't be ruled illegal... until you remember they're dueling in the [[ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve Warp]] and Kitten barely knows how to play the game. The reason it works is because Kitten believes it does.
110	* Custodisi Gorger lord armor not only fits as he has similar stats to an ogre tyrant as noted on his page, but because the armor's most noticeable feature is the horns mounted on the chest, mirroring his beloved Magnus's own armor
111	* In the Top 20 Primarch's Vox-Logs, Whammudes saying he can relate to Angron makes some sense considering he was screaming "MAIM! KILL! BURN!" on repeat in the Black Templars Voxcast. He definitely has a choatic temper.
112	* [[spoiler:Kaldor Draigo's ability to survive inside of a sun and then eat/destroy it seems par for the course of his insanity. Until we find out that he has a shard of The Outsider inside of him, what did the C'Tan do before and even after they were turned into god-like beings? ''Eat suns'']].
113	* Why does Kitten [[RunningGag persistently refuse]] to turn off Roboute Guilliman's life support? ''Because he isn't stupid''. If he does this, the Ultramarines would be out for his blood -- and he'd be a dead transhuman walking, since [[ComicallyInvincibleHero no force in the galaxy]] would be able to stop them.
114	[[/folder]]
115
116	[[folder:FridgeHorror]]
117	* Vulkan's LoveFreak tendencies cause him to give big hugs to those around him. He's [[TheBigGuy the biggest]] [[SuperStrength and strongest of]] the Primarchs. His hugs can be "merely" painful to other Primarchs, WordOfGod says they can cause a degree of injury to [[SuperSoldier his sons]] [[SpaceMarine the Salamanders]], it's probably somewhere in between for the Adeptus Custodes like Kitten who are to a Space Marine as a Space Marine is to a normal human but who are still less than the only-technically-not-gods Primarchs... [[DoesNotKnowHisOwnStrength What happens when Vulkan]] [[AndCallHimGeorge tries to share his friendship with]] ''[[KilledOffForReal normal humans]]''?
118	** Well, if Straken counts, then it is painful, but they survive. Granted, Straken is about a quarter cybernetic and a Catachan, so normal is a bit relative...
119	* In BRO TRIP 40,000: A Tale of Two Primarchs, Vulkan cheerfully tells the Catachan Barking Toad that they "shall be friends for a lifetime". Considering that Vulkan's boop caused the toad to explode and kill Vulkan [[RunningGag again]], he was technically right.
120	* Magnus is going to be in alot of trouble when Leman Russ returns to the material realm and finds out about all of Magnus attacks on Fenris that happen over the last 10000 years.
121	* The implications for the end of Episode 28 are potentially far-reaching and devastating; the fact that [[spoiler: the Dark Angels apparently MURDERED the Fabricator-General means that:]]
122	** 1) [[spoiler: The Adeptus Mechanicus, which in canon is notorious for how fractious and paranoid they are against each other is now leaderless; and while he was shown to be corrupt, malicious and incompetent, the Fabricator-General's death means there will likely be a power struggle or even civil war among the Mechanicus, which would devastate the Imperium's industrial and technological base]]
123	** 2) [[spoiler: The Dark Angels just straight up MURDERED one of the High Lords of Terra with little provocation; not only have they now potentially damned themselves to be declared the traitors they desperately proclaimed they weren't, the rest of the Unforgiven Chapters may well rally to their side to defend them against the Imperium, leading to an entire legion of paranoid, homicidal super soldiers waging war against the Imperium]]
124	** 3) [[spoiler: Either the Emperor DIDN'T foresee the above impending catastrophes, meaning the Dark Angels [[NiceJobBreakingItHero have potentially crippled the Imperium and the Emperor's plans]]...or He DID and [[IDidWhatIHadtoDo deemed the potentially massive bloodshed and loss of innocent life they entail a necessary sacrifice to break the stagnation gripping the Imperium]]. ]]
125	** For the other interpretation, see the Firdge Brilliance entry above. While motive does matter, the Emperor can claim that the Dark Angels were right for the wrong reasons and exonerate them. How the Mechanicus react will depend as many of his subordinates are shown to not like him.
126	** Alternately, [[spoiler:since they left shortly before his demise, the Custodes could be blamed instead. The Imperium could save face by declaring that the Dark Angels acted independently and blame the Chapter Master; the Custodes don't have that luxury because they report directly to the Emperor. So the blame would either fall to the Emperor, which would shatter the peace treaty with Mars, or Kitten and the Custodes, which brings up the terrifying implication that the PraetorianGuard is disloyal]]. Of course, the point is moot if security cameras exist.
127	* Slaanesh's [[BewareTheSillyOnes far more serious tone]] in the third Vox-Logs compared to all the other times we've seen it makes a horrifying amount of sense upon thinking about it more. Up until now we've only seen Slaanesh interact with the other Chaos Gods, all of whom are more powerful than it, and those weaker deities than it who are under the protection of the aforementioned Chaos Gods. These are ''mortals'', and for as weak as Slaanesh is when compared to the other Chaos Gods, there isn't a mortal alive that can hope to fight it, and it ''knows this''. It doesn't need to hold back, it doesn't need to curtail its true nature for its own sake, it can simply indulge and ''play with its food''.
128	** Not to mention, these are eldar, who have a '''special''' relationship with said chaos god as its creator race, being fundamentally damned for all eternity if they die without protection such as a soul stone or even feeling an emotion too strongly. Not to mention, merely saying [[SpeakOfTheDevil Slaanesh's name if you are an eldar]], leads to a very grisly death, as shown in the vox log, hence the alias "she-who-thirsts", which is unnecessary for other races, who use said name freely, chaos aligned or otherwise without fear of reprisal.
129	* In Boy's vox-log, he says that he has to dodge taco insurrectionists. Does this mean that Rogal went ahead with the Dorn Heresy? Who's fighting who? Did the Imperial Fists turn on Terra?
130	** In all likelihood, the "taco insurrectionists" are random Imperial citizens who heard the broadcast wherein the Emperor and Dorn debated on which day tacos should be eaten on and promptly began holding their own civil war over the topic, simply because that's what happens when you have an entire culture made up of blind fanatics constantly looking for any sectarian excuse to do violence to each other. The most horrible thing about this is that the Emperor and Dorn probably don't even remember their squabble, but it's kicked off a bloody war... until you realize that nobody in the palace probably even ''knows'' about this war, because there are so many pointless feuds like this on Terra already that nobody would have bothered reporting it to them.
131	* Likewise, during his vox-log, he mentions a rat imperium being underneath the Imperial palace. Anyone who knows even a little about ''TabletopGame/WarhammerFantasy'' or ''TabletopGame/WarhammerAgeOfSigmar'' will know that [[Characters/TotalWarWarhammerTheSkaven the]] [[Characters/WarhammerSkaven Skaven]] being on Holy Terra itself does ''not'' herald good things.
132	* Facius Bile managing to COMPLETELY recreate Arhiman's psychic sorcery into an unfinished clone that straight-up managed to [[HorrifyingtheHorror scare the warp-crap out of Lucius the Eternal, High-Champion of Slannesh!]] Even those who know the lore of Facius's dark ambitions to clone the Emperor but is dumber than a warp-tainted plant does not spell well for the galaxy's heath. Considering the Emperor is accumulating all the psychic souls of the Imperium and is dueling all 4 Chaos Gods, having an unstable clone of him with said magic may straight-up completely ANNIAHLATE all the souls in the galaxy as well as dooming Chaos a rapid and extremely painful death that even the Chaos Gods do NOT wish to partake!!!

Context Fridge / IfTheEmperorHadATextToSpeechDevice