i also have to wonder if you can change the portraits based on the character emotion or if the emotes in the corner are the only option
Oh goodness this is my bad - you're right, they do look like emotes, but the emotions will indeed change the FRAME of the portrait (the emotes are just squares I put at the corners of the different frames to differentiate them). The actual emotes are the "pop-ups" that appear in little speech bubbles above the character's head.