The thing about Pastry that I find troublesome isn’t really to do with her religious coding. It’s what exactly she says in the name of her religion. No matter what she does in her story, it won't change her permanent dialogue or the way that she's essentially frozen in time.
Just like how Cyborg's standard dialogue will never become positive or reflect their growth and recovery (despite the outcome of their story, and newer cutscenes that show how well they're doing) Pastry’s dialogue will never change. She will never stop telling me that she missed morning prayer or that my lack of faith is disturbing.
I’m not trying to say that I wish that Cookie Run was scrubbed clean of any religious imagery at all. Most people, including myself, don’t really get mad about the mere presence of religions like Christianity and Catholicism in Cookie Run, or video games in general.** I am a Jewish person, but I don't feel all that bothered (or I can at least tolerate it) when there's a Carol Cookie and a Pudding Cookie, or holiday events where you decorate a tree with candy canes and lights.
However, Pastry’s dialogue isn’t exactly harmless. It’s a painful reminder of the many points in time where hundreds of thousands of people were murdered in cold blood in the name of similar ideologies. This isn't just a religious presence. This is an inclusion of religious violence.
I know that it can be hard to understand, but it’s painful. There’s lines of dialogue that Pastry directs at Red Velvet that are things I would expect to hear directed at me because I am Jewish.
I understand that they may have wanted to depict an intense struggle that Pastry is having with herself, but, refer to point one. She won't ever “change”. If she’s ever brought up again in the future, a new player 3 years from now won’t ever know about it.
I want to like these games. Ovenbreak has been a source of comfort for me for a long time, but Devsis has repeatedly let me and countless other fans down. It feels like as soon as one cookie I can hardly stand to look at becomes irrelevant, they double down or add on with something worse. Not to mention that every time I say something about it, the othering comes back in full force with insults and shitty remarks from fans that refuse to criticize a game development company full of grown adults. It’s always a slap in the face to try and find solace in a community who largely cannot be bothered to care about minorities.
** Side note: if someone was upset by a religious presence, it would still be valid because people are ALLOWED to have religious trauma and not want to see certain things. It’s their business.
- Mod Roguefort, with much editing assistance from Mod Timekeeper
