Why would it be a problem to put the Emperor in the art book? Do you think the story is spoiled if you see a named, independent Mindflayer in there? It's not like they have to give a detailed description even though they literally do that in the case of the Nightsong, spoiling that particular quest in the process. I also wouldn't say that the Emperor is the single biggest reveal either. That would probably be the Netherbrain (which gets spoiled if you read a book in Ketheric's bedroom btw.).
I have no idea what you're trying to say in regards to the soundtrack here. That's not the point people commonly bring up. It's not even a bad strawman version of it. The point many people have made is that it's weird that the Down by the River (one of the first OSTs they released iirc) soundtrack which previously featured in the dream sequences with Daisy got pretty much entirely axed from the game. People also drew a parallel between the bliss that characterised the dream sequences and the voice lines of many of act 1's enthralled NPCs who are in a state of deluded bliss while they serve the Mind Flayers/the Absolute. The song seemed to tie into the seductive promises from your dreams and its ominous last line "Don't wake me up just leave me there dreaming" was then interpreted as the potential outcome of giving in to the Absolute causing her to put you in the proverbial matrix and making you dream of whatever your heart desires while the world around you falls to her designs.
In regards to using the Tadpole, you're not really addressing what I said. Originally, you would only get dream visits if you actually used it which also gave you the prompt that "you lost something you’ll never get back". So Daisy could only reach out to you if you strengthened the parasite by using it (which again, gave you prompts implying that it's eating away at your brain). The Emperor will communicate with you no matter what you do and all he does is advise you to strengthen your powers by eating more parasites. The previous dream figure seemed in control of your parasite because it directly bestowed you with a gift (something the Emperor does not seem to be capable of until you physically meet him in the Astral Prism and he gives you the special tadpole).
Also why would you need to "let the Emperor in"? Unlike Daisy, the Emperor can appear to you and talk to you whenever he wants. Also why would he need to use the tadpole to talk to you? Mind Flayers are capable of telepathic communication either way. The line only makes sense with the old dream visitor who relied on you to use the parasite to invite them in so they could communicate with you through dreams. So, yeah. "Let me in" only makes sense if you, you know, can't actually get in because there's something holding you back... like a certain mind controlling "God" whose influence on you is kept at bay by a mysterious artefact... or a dormant tadpole that can't reach the next step of its life cycle because it's in a magical stasis.
"Your enemies will fall. The world will bow. You'll have everything you could ever desire. Just let me in", Daisy says to you after you stabbed someone and overlook a burning city. Come on, dude. This isn't exactly ambiguous. In what world is this in line with the characterisation of the Emperor? In what context would the character we see in the finished game ever say something like this? All these scenes are clearly meant as a seduction by an unambiguously evil being triggered only by using shortcuts provided by your parasite. It's a very classical story with a very simple framing.
You've also said two times that there were clues that the Emperor was already a thing in the EA but you haven't given a single example. Why bring it up if you're not going to support that claim?
Last edited by Nerovar; 04/02/24 12:01 PM.
