Au where Gingerbrave, Strawberry and Wizard are stuck in the Witches Castle for longer than in the Kingdom canon. Au that explores what a culture(s) in the Witches castle might look like. How cookies survived under a indifferent (at best) and cruel (at worst) god who's minion will gleefully hunt you for the sole purpose of a badge that doesn't mean anything really. Where there is a noticeable difference between cookies that are baked via witches vs cookies that were born from cookies lineages. Even when they finally escape the influence from their time in the castle steeps through.
I love this scene so much because Lily just asked Gingerbrave what the meaning of life is and he basically just said "You can do whatever you want forever" and it changed her life
I feel like there's been a lot of misremembering about the Silver Tree and Silent Salt's role in the binding of the beasts. A lot was happening in that time and a lot of it was kind of overshadowed by old man yaoi and silent salt just being cool AF and I personally was enthralled with the Monarch of Sloth at the time, so I wanted to talk about it and especially showcase why I think these two claims are true
Silent Salt betrayed the beasts first, and while it didn't play a role in what went down, it's still notable
Silent Salt acted on biased information for the sealing that was not fully true.
Which really can be boiled down to a main point of
Silent Salt has never seen himself or the other virtues as people but instead as just their virtues.
Please note this is using the English translation, I don't care if it's different in Korean, this is the way they want the story presented in English. This is also not an attack on him, but I find this to be very interesting characterization that gets brushed over.
Silent Salt and His Religious Connections
First I want to establish that as Salt of Solidarity that the devotion he and his followers held for the witches is what would eventually sprout off into the St Pastry Order. This is made pretty clear that the Order considers the Salt lands to be a very holy and important place. Often referring to it as consecrated or holy.
Pastry is FIERCELY protective of it, seeing the ghosts that haunt the lands as defiling intruders and being shocked to learn there are no other devotees here despite the land being seen as a very sacred pilgrimage that Pastry is taking.
White lily also notes the sign of the creators and even finds a fork, further confirming that out of all the Virtues, Salt of Solidarity seems to be the most faithful about their creators with direct references to them in architecture, and while we technically get no confirmation, this along with White Lily specifically saying the Order might have split off from the knights makes a link of devotion and worship towards the witches very blatant. A link the other beasts seemed to have lacked.
It is also noted that Silent Salt near immediately upon losing contact began chasing down any sign of them, finding the Faerie Kingdom in search of guidance. No other Virtue seems this rattled by the loss, while Shadow Milk comes close his instability is less one of faith and more of being given an impossible question that he can't escape. Even at his lowest point, he finds comfort in the idea of entrusting fate to the Witches, even if no one can ever know his own role in using their magic.
It's pretty clear that Silent Salt can be considered the Virtue most aligned with their creators. While the others have a more ambivalent or hostile relation, Silent Salt views them in the highest regard to the end.
Silent Salt's Original Plan
For this part I want to highlight Silent Salt's original plans for the Silver Tree and how in his efforts, betrayed all the other virtues in service to the mission he perceives he has.
It's worth noting this was done in secret with the other Virtues fully unaware so it played no role in the fall. It still shows an interesting pattern of thought on the fact he seemed to have decided on this plan without any other input from other Virtues.
Specifically, the plan to split the Virtues was in the work for a very long time, Elder Fairy and Silent Salt have been working on the tree since they first met after all. We don't know know the exact time span between the witch's vanishing and the fall to corruption, but we know it wasn't an immediate thing and almost certainly could have taken anywhere from decades to centuries.
However, Silent Salt had already kind of written them off from the moment the Witch's vanished. Due to his belief that the Virtues weren't good enough anymore, and a desire to create new Virtues. He viewed the Virtues even BEFORE they fell to have become crooked and distorted due to being attached to such powerful figures and became determined to find a way to make new Virtues.
We know this likely wasn't something the others know about, due to the talks and actions of the other beasts framing the soul jam splitting as a theft or crime against them, and they had no reason to believe Silent Salt had anything to do with the fall. If they had known, it seems likely at least there'd be some comment about the Silver Tree being Silent Salt's idea originally. However there's nothing of the sort.
So very likely this was being done in secrecy, especially as he wouldn't even tell his knights or other cookies he shared solidarity with where he was constantly going on long solo journeys and why.
Silent Salt Devotion to the Mission
For my next part I want to highlight how Silent Salt seems to care a lot about the "mission" that was given to him and the Virtues over anything else. The ancient values mean a great deal to him, and he prioritizes it over everything. Even at the idea of the other Virtues being in danger, he cares purely because of how that would damage the mission and shows no concern for their health or safety
When he believes he has failed his Virtue, he begs Elder Faerie to kill him for his failure. He views himself for his failure as inherently a threat to the safety of cookiekind for what happened. Then when he is made aware the Beasts have turned against their virtues, that is the moment he actually turns against them.
I also would like to mention that, while it was done in obvious poor faith, that the Politician of Deceit did attempt negotiations with him before hand. Negotiations that went absolutely nowhere because Silent Salt took one glance at the letter and tossed it due to being from a Usurper and someone who wants power. Which while he was right that the letter is in bad faith and I cannot stress that enough, it still shows a very black and white single mindedness, as even if the letter was so easily read as a way to seek power. Not replying at all or opening any kind of communication with an enemy who's trying to open up that avenue is still a really bad move.
Even if he never planned to give her what she wanted, from a strategic angle he should have at least tried to get information out of her, especially as he's aware of the turning sentiment against his knights and the growing instability of the nation. Even if he never planned to see her as someone to bargain with or give her anything, slamming it closed and making the only option force was a really bad move. Especially when she could have information on the location of the Fount of Knowledge.
It's this complete and utter cold shoulder of the attempt to negotiate that makes them jump to the next viable option, full out war. Something most of the Usurpers (Overlord of Destruction notwithstanding) wanted to try and avoid.
It's his dismissal of the Usurpers as just average tyrants and not the chosen virtues that leads to them getting the jump on him. Even with how as even he knows conflict is coming, he's still going out to meet with Elder Faerie because he underestimates them. In his inability to get back in time is what leads to the destruction of the order, especially as the Usurpers managed to get their hands on that information that he is gone for prolonged periods of time
Silent Salt heavily defines himself with his Virtue to the point of it as the sole focal point of his existence, even after all the terrors done by the usurpers, he still singles out him and the other virtues as being Other and overly defined by their mission and is only when Elder Faerie directly tells him of their falls does Silent Salt finally turn attention to him.
Elder Fairies Bias
Which leads into an interesting point! Elder Faerie is the main source of information on what happened to Silent Salt. It's through his perspective does Silent Salt hear about what happened, and while he has things right... he got stuff wrong as well. He claims all of them abandoned their virtues of their own accord but... we know that isn't true!
Eternal Sugar genuinely believed she was still fulfilling her duty, she never forsook anything, she just grew into a toxic mindset on the definition of happiness! To her, Sloth and Happiness are identical. Sloth is true happiness, and she wants to give it to everyone.
Mystic Flour did not fall of her own accord, instead it was the direct result of an attack against her that killed her greatest protector with meditations showing her that the only way to avoid the greed of the cookies tormenting her was apathy. She was very much pushed into a corner where she had to defend herself.
While Shadow Milk and Burning Spice could more properly be argued to have forsaken their virtues of their own accords, Eternal Sugar and Mystic Flour on the other hand either did NOT forsake their virtue and it became instead twisted like Eternal Sugar or was pushed into an intense life or death situation while trying to find more answers like Mystic Flour. Elder Faerie is wrong about the nature of the falls, and is colored by his own bias against them. He also says they hid from Silent Salt from behind their fallen virtues but while they did all cut contact, we have no idea why. Which feels odd, you'd think Shadow Milk at least would give SOME kind of taunt? The framing makes it seem more personal then it actually seemed to be.
Things get a bit murky here though because right after he tells Silent Salt this, it enters into a flashback. However, it's impossible to actually... tell how diagetic this is. It's fully possible the Silver Tree is showing these things, as we know it can show things from Elder Faerie witnessing the carnage of the Barren. Especially since we've been seeing lots of flashbacks throughout the story that Silent Salt has not seen. So it's possible this is him being shown what happened to them, or it could just be for the audience. Either way though Silent Salt accepts the narrative of them all willingly falling at face value with no thought about why or how this happened and immediately jumped to the sealing.
In Conclusion
It seems clear that Silent Salt from the start lacked solidarity with the other Virtues, showing little concern for them being missing beyond the danger it would bring to the continent. So focused on the mission to the point of fully defining himself on it, he does not seem to see himself as a normal cookie, but instead only an avatar of his virtue fully.
He also seemed to have spread that vision of seeing himself as only as good as he can give his virtue to the others Virtues. Which we can infer from how he schemed behind their backs to take power from their soul jams to create better virtues. Seeming to show no care for how this will impact them and showing no evidence that any of them know that he has decided that the virtues have become twisted. Instead focusing on how this will aid cookiekind per his mission.
He is solely focused on his perception of his mission and virtue to the point of neglecting other avenues that could have been utilized to avoid tragedy and showing no concern for his own life. While he tries to give solidarity to all, he's very susceptible to a binary good or evil, and accepts the narrative given to him by others.
This extends back into his intense worship of the witches, seeing them as a source of hope even when going to bind himself. He shows a heavy unwavering loyalty and certainty in his creators beyond any other virtue. The devotion his dehumanization of himself and the other virtues stem from comes from blindly following everything the witches say and going to any extreme in what he believes is for the mission he gave them
While this was tempered by his solidarity and attempts to help everyone, his level of faith he had in the witches and he inspired in his followers would eventually split off to create the St Pastry Order, a very dangerous death cult in regards to how blind their devotion to the witches are. An organization that still sees his stronghold as a holy site. Even if it is a worship that has truly twisted out of control, the fact it's starting point was with Silent Salt is very telling about his level of devotion.
TLDR; Silent Salt's blind obedience and othering of himself and the other virtues are big parts of his character and why he makes certain choices. His blind devotion to the idea of his mission as a virtue is a big part of his downfall as he make choices in the name of his mission for the greater good of cookie kind without considering the impacts on on the other virtues. He does not deem himself or the other virtues to be people the same way someone like Elder Faerie is.
I have a very interesting theory about the Ultimate Cookie and how Gingerbrave actively changed it for the worse (not by choice tho; he was trying to help so badly ;-;)
So, clearly something changed between Gingerbrave's interaction with the Ultimate Cookie and when Shadow Milk took a piece, because the assimilation element is no longer its goal. Originally, the Ultimate Cookie wanted to assimilate all cookies into one being, but we have not seen such behavior at all. In fact, the hosts seem much more important personality and motivation-wise now, even if distorted to fit the Ultimate Cookie's narrative
So then, why would it's outlook on personality change? Well, cause Gingerbrave. The reason he didn't join their cause was his staunch belief in personal identity. And even if the Ultimate Cookie did seem frustrated with him for it, I'm sure they realized that identity is an important part of the process of manipulation. Because had they said "we can become a part of you" rather than "you become a part of us"? Had it been seen as a rescue and not a takeover?
Gingerbrave would've accepted instantly. And I think they know that, and won't let another mistake like that stop them from becoming the most powerful cookie of all
Even if that means making a hivemind of hosts that all have their own connecting goals to do it
I loved this section, but maannn I wish there'd be more in-depth there's so much that could come from it and I hope it's not as rushed in the next episode-
The wrath of Truth. The antipode of Deceit. It is often cold, pragmatic, focused merely on facts that have already been rooted into Earthbread itself. But sometimes, Truth can be as warm as a pair of angelic wings that wrap around a cookie. It can both soothe a soul, or completely destroy it.
Jesters are often thought to be advisors of Kings. But Pure Vanilla Cookie almost fell for the Beast's puppet show. Despite breaking out of temporary darkness, the shepherd felt as if he had let too many sheep escape his grasp and abandoned them. He was supposed to be a reliable king, yet he had let so many of his friends crumble. Too afraid to take the necessary steps for cookiekind. With the desire to set everything right, he embarks on another journey and relentlessly pursues answers - ones that could surely challenge the Master of Deceit. However, he would fall into a rift that contained more than the truths he sought. Something so horrific for such a soft-hearted cookie to handle.
What emerged from the mysterious rift, was the new harbinger of Truth that embodied both its majesty and cruelty. Taking lost sheep under his wings for guidance and protection, and striking ravenous wolves with newfound power. A kind ruler who had learned how to be harsh - he learned that sometimes, he had to play the monster's role.
The Moonflower Bard would be seated on a bench amongst the flowery meadows, watching the orchids sway in the gentle breeze. Then, she'd gaze up at the floating kingdom above with a glistening tear that not even she noticed had ran down her face.
(im ngl im not super satisfied with the description but IM RELALY hopign this works - also i hope his 2nd form is still readable enough as a design! TT)
I have an Crk AU where GingerBrave is baked earlier and gains a souljam... right after the dark flour war, he helps a lot on the aftermath which is how he gains a souljam , whoever being a plain cookie he isn't recognized as a wielder and discredited most of the time
I affectionately call this the Ancient Janitor AU (Get it? Because he clean up the other's mess but his efforts aren't noticed?)
I want to talk a lot more about this AU since the other au depends on the current Crk story which is not enough for now (I will finish that comic btw don't worry) but if anyone is interested in this AU let me know 🥹❤️🩹
Devsis please stop FUCKING ragebaiting us I can't take it
what do you mean HE ALREADY TOLD EVERYONE ABOUT THE OVEN?? When did this even happen? Because not ONCE before has he EVER mentioned this, not to mention that the trio in general have apparently already told everyone that they escaped from the witch????
What could have been a really important, dramatic reveal was done off-handedly and offscreen. I WANTED TO SEE THEM HAVE THAT CONVERSATION WHAT THE FUCKKK
Not to mentioned that none of the characters are worried about this? Like everyone's treating it like "oh yeah haha that thing" and GingerBrave isn't even sensitive regarding the topic. Like I'm sorry, isn't the oven the cookie equivalent of HELL?! He should have PTSD! Not to mention that someone should have mentioned this in ep 15 when he got thrown in an oven AGAIN (and he definitely should have been freaking out more when that happened).
These writers suck dude, how do you waste the MAIN CHARACTERS' BACKSTORIES to this degree. Strawberry was the ONLY ONE to be like "That whole thing was actually really scary" and the others should have had that too! But noooooo instead of dwelling on the protagonists' genuinely really interesting backstories, we get shadow milk aurafarming and angst AGAIN. It's pissing me off
yeah I don’t really get it can you explain please? (/genuine /lighthearted)
It’s the fact that NO ONE IS SURPRISED. The fact that this knowledge wasn’t known and was the CATALYST FOR THE ENTIRE STORY and they NEVER ACTUALLY REVEALED IT. We don’t even know if they retconned it entirely or had the most important reveal in the ENTIRE GAME happen offscreen WITHOUT EVEN TELLING THE VIEWER. And the thing is they KEEP doing this. First they don’t give GingerBrave any PTSD from the oven or Witch, and then have him casually mention that he escaped the oven DESPITE THE FACT that up to this point he has gone out of his way to lie in order to hide this information. Strawberry has NEVER told anyone about this aside from the start of the game, and now with no explanation, she’s openly speaking about it and nobody’s batting an eye?!
Pure Vanilla has been SHOWN to have worshipped the Witches in the past, and it was shown as recently as Beast-Yeast episode 14 that he still didn’t know. Even SHADOW MILK (former FOUNT OF KNOWLEDGE) and THE BEASTS don’t know. The entire first arc hinged on this forbidden information about the Witches. And it was never revealed by Dark Enchantress or White Lily, and now every character somehow knows and doesn’t have a problem. As if this isn’t worldview-shattering information. As if this revelation isn’t the most horrifying thing anyone could learn about the deities they have worshipped their entire lives.
Imagine you’re religious, and suddenly find out that without a doubt, the gods you worship created you as food. Not for sustenance, not even as a delicacy, just a silly little sweet treat. I don’t think you could EVER refer to that information casually for as long as you live, let alone presumably only a few weeks after finding out. ESPECIALLY when you’re on your way to where said gods reside.
One of the things that drew me to Bravetrio as characters and cookie run as a franchise was this exact information. It’s SUCH an interesting concept to have a society of characters worshipping gods than unbeknownst to them made them to eat them. Child characters who have witnessed this information FIRSTHAND and then been forced to stay quiet about it and go along with the popular narrative that Witches are good for the sake of everyone else’s sanity and peace of mind are INTERESTING! That’s why I fell in love with these characters, the concept is incredible and I’ve never seen another piece of media that has something like this.
And they wasted all that potential, retconned all that worldbuilding and information and events OFFSCREEN.
I wanted to see them reveal it SO BAD, to see everyone’s reactions, how it went, who did it and why, and what the trio would do after their secret was blown wide open.
But Devsis never delivered, and is pretending that they never promised the viewer that they would. When you have a setup like act one created, it communicates to the audience that this information will be revealed, especially since it was Dark Enchantress’s ENTIRE MOTIVATION. And she somehow never revealed it in the finale.
THIS is why I don’t like devsis’s new writing. They’re taking away so much of what makes them interesting characters, and harming other characters in the process. Because if everyone knows this about the Witches, how the hell do explain White Lily’s reaction at the banquet? Was she just stupid or something? And you could argue that they learned it after the finale, BUT WE WEREN’T SHOWN THAT. WE CAN’T KNOW. Because the writing is BAD. This was a conversation that deserved to be on screen.
I feel like I’m starting to talk in circles now, so I’ll end my rant here, but good god Devsis has ruined possibly their best plot point. It makes me really sad.
I wrote this pretty quickly, so there might be some mistakes
WHY ARE YOU GOING BACK: A Strawberry Cookie Analysis
SPOILERS FOR TIMELINE OF FATE EPISODE 3:
I'M OUT OF HIBERNATION LET'S DO THIS.
They ALMOST HAD ME. For a second I thought Strawberry wasn't going to come. I thought she got World Exploration Episodes 17 and 18ed and written off.
After all, we ended the last episode with Strawberry being the most hesitant of going to the Witch's Hut because well, that's kinda just how she is. That place traumatized her and mostly likely shaped her into the individual she currently is.
Her fear was kinda shot down.
I get it, it has to be done, we have to go to the hut but DAMN. AGAIN? That is diabolical. Is this going to be the new World Exploration Episode 10, what is it with the game dismissing Strawberry's trauma.
And I've heard that it was frankly kinda out of character on Gingerbrave's part to sort of brush her off which... yeah. He cares about his friends, Strawberry in particular so you would think he would at least talk to her. Especially when you factor in that he already brushed off when she told him cookies being made to be eaten.
But you're starting to see a slight shift in his character where he's starting to care more so about the greater good (a few of my friends compared it to Pure Vanilla's philosophy of the great good above individual good and I thought that was interesting, Pure Vanilla's morals are bleeding into Brave's). Gingerbrave recognizes that the journey to the First Oven, to the hut must be done. Brave has always been good aligned, but now the stakes are higher than ever.
So, by the time we started off with Gingerbrave, Wizard, Pure Vanilla, and then Madeleine with no Strawberry in Episode 3, I was concerned.
Until she spoke up.
-> Side point: These vas had rent due oh my God, Strawberry being sick and scared made ME feel sick and scared.
She was quiet for a hot minute when it started, she didn't even greet Madeleine. Then when she does speak, she's already scared but still wary to speak her mind.
Strawberry's hesitance to go to the hut was talked down this time. She was also actually kinda comforted which was nice to see.
But in the end, it didn't really go anywhere. This isn't the type of conversation that is one and done, one conversation won't be enough to tackle this.
Similarly, I find it odd because Gingerbrave and Wizard seem a bit too eager to return. But to be fair, they were never confirmed to have seen the Witch eat a cookie and they have separate reasons to make the trip. I don't doubt the experience wasn't traumatizing for them as well, especially considering Brave's later hallucination because of the fog but you would think they'd be a little more sympathetic.
I also thought there would be more fanfare about Bravetrio being baked by Witches but there wasn't.
Luckily (for me, not her), Strawberry does end up going but not before earning some really concerning remarks.
For starters, out of everyone currently on this expedition, she's being mentally and physically affected by it the most. She's pale, practically ill, and she talks about her head hurting just yikes all around. And she was already pale before they even reached the sea. Like imagine the trip over here, likely days steadily building up her anxiety and it just kicks in full force.
For a bit, they make it seem in the story that Strawberry is just scared since that's just in her nature but let's be honest...
...She saw the Witch eat a cookie. And unless they retcon that- which I actually wouldn't have any words for- that's obviously awfully traumatizing. We saw a tiny glimpse of her fear during Beast Yeast Episode 15 when she saw Dark Enchantress (because y'know battlefield on fire with cookie bodies and jam and a Witch looking thing calling cookies snacks is gonna bring back memories) but it's here where it REALLY starts to become apparent.
She is also one of three- two. Oh. Two, she's now one of two with the firsthand experience of witnessing a Witch eat a cookie. And as far as she knows, the only one.
Let's tie this back to previous episodes, it's very likely Strawberry thought she was never going to return to the hut. So, imagine how she felt when it was declared her friends were going back to the hut in the previous episode. Immediately. From her point of view, they don't even look scared, in fact they are extremely willing to return.
Which when you're someone like Strawberry who is constantly anxious, it's not a stretch to think "Hey, maybe they didn't believe me when I said the Witch ate a cookie." Especially when you're not holding a conversation about the topic for more than a couple lines with other cookies and they don't seem nearly as concerned as you are.
Overall, I like how they acknowledged that Strawberry was scared, I was praying they were going to carry it over (it would be ooc otherwise in my humble opinion) and thank goodness they did, but this isn't something you tackle so briefly.
Also, no one cared about Witches eating cookies?
I am not going to lie, I was shocked when this was dropped so casually.
Were the beans spilled off screen? Like both cans? Can 1 being cookies being eaten and Can 2 being Bravetrio was baked by a Witch as common knowledge (which from what I remember was in Strawberry's affection chat logs but that's REALLY obscure). I thought we worshipped those Witch guys? At the very least, I thought that cookies being made to be eaten forbidden knowledge? Did that not make Dark Enchantress? That's... I feel like that all deserved to be on screen. Also, Dark Enchantress told Pure Vanilla about cookies being eaten during the Prologue so is he now realizing she was telling the truth?
I guess he owes her a talk now hahaha- oh.
Plus, considering the last cookie who saw a cookie be eaten drove Arc 1 I would be caring. Do they want a White Lily 2 Electric Boogaloo?
They do comfort her though, but they also tell her there's nothing to fear and that they're going to be okay since they're together. And she apologizes for being scared.
Which kinda makes me feel really sad. She's sorry that she was traumatized? She's not being a 'scaredy-cat,' she's having a valid reaction to trauma. She's pale, her head hurts, she feels sick because of that fear, but she doesn't know what to do. She's being rational if anything, there is definitely something to fear and they may not be able to power of friendship their way out of this one.
Thankfully, what is continuation to me is that she doesn't have to go but she still is. She's there for her friends. Wizard wants answers, Brave wants to help the Light, however Strawberry stands to gain nothing but lose everything (her friends).
With Gingerbrave having his whole dynamic with the Light and Wizard's search for answers driving them both to want to go back the hut, it places Strawberry on the opposing side of that goal. Because she's actively TERRIFIED. She doesn't want to go back, she's here for her friends.
Will they do anything with it?
...EH-
Me when I'm in a getting the short end of the stick competition and my opponent is Strawberry.
This is a lose-lose scenario for her if anything. She has the option to stay back but be so real, how would she feel leaving her friends who are going back to the Witch's hut?
...Oh someone's gonna die. Jokes aside, Strawberry's anxious, rightfully so because there is no way this trip is gonna end well. And even if she stayed back, she would have no idea how her friends are faring. Imagine if one of them DIED on that trip, that would destroy her.
Also, this new image they released for the SCOOP website is so funny to me, everyone's looking at the screen and she's just terrified. A true encapsulation of her life right now.
Final things:
Still working on asks.
Still working on The Brave, The Smart, and The Cautious.
-> Which fun fact specifically stated the Witch's Hut was not by a seaside to explain one thing. ...WHAT THE FLIP FLOP DEVSISTERS.
Real fast analysis btw, there's a lot more I can dig into but I'm on a trip tomorrow. Normally, these take a bit longer but I had to rush it ):
And a couple of my friends who asked to be tagged: @strawbrave @c00lgv1
story analysis of the Diverged Paths costume set story with pure vanilla's truthless recluse and shadow milk's sage of truth, chunk by fucking chunk because i am INSANE and the parallels keep stacking up. they are the same in every universe. even this one.
this is an essay post and it is long. i am rambling a lot. i dissect certain lines in the story and talk about word choice. i also talk about how many parallels there are in this story to beast-yeast ep 7-8. i swear to god it makes sense. i am a writer by the way. fuck. anyways enjoy my insanity.
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"Quiet, quiet! Our lecture will resume shortly! Please take your seats in a timely fashion!"
A sonorous voice filled the old, quaint square. The voice belonged to a peculiar Cookie dressed in white and gold. Surrounded by a crowd of spectators, this mysterious Cookie now stood in the center of the square. He had just finished reciting an epic poem and was now explaining a convoluted philosophical concept to a freshly-baked flock, wide-eyed with wonder.
"The Sage of Truth," they called him.
Setting the scene here, this is an "old, quaint square". The Sage is described here as "peculiar" and "mysterious", indicating that the cookies around him think he's odd. I'll return to the word "mysterious" later.
The word "flock" used here is also an interesting choice; a "flock of sheep". It's a backhanded way to call these cookies "sheep", which is used often in a derogatory way to indicate someone is unable to think for themself or unable to think critically at all, and just plays follow the leader instead of forging their own beliefs.
What's also an interesting thing to note is that the cookies call him "the Sage of Truth". The way this is phrased implies he didn't come up with that name, that he let the cookies name him. That, or he was waiting to be asked his name and was never asked, which I believe is also likely.
It almost seemed as if the Sage of Truth had always stood in that spot, sharing truths and teachings with anyone interested. With time, more and more Cookies came to listen to the Sage. Some said he was a professor of magic, others claimed he was an archivist, until an eager disciple decided to put an end to this dispute with a question. As always, the Sage welcomed the query with a graceful gesture.
Pointing upwards, he uttered, "I hail from a peak so tall and narrow, it pierced the firmament itself!"
His confounding reply caught everyone by surprise. Only then did the disciples realize that never once had the Sage spoken about himself. Yet, they wished for the lectures to continue and chose never to pry again.
The phrase here, "always stood in that spot", makes him seem more like an object, and less like a person with his own thoughts and feelings. The fact that the cookies begin to come up with things to say about him, that being that he's "a professor of magic", or that he's "an archivist", instead of asking him directly further lends to this line of thinking of him as an object.
This next part, where he is finally asked a question about himself, he exhibits two pieces of body language that show up later in the story at crucial moments. First, when he "welcomes" the query, he is being truthful about it; he wants more of these types of questions about himself. Second, when he "points upwards", he is lying; he claims to "hail from a peak so tall and narrow, it pierced the firmament itself!"
It is an exaggerated fib about the truth. This statement is immediately described as "confounding", meaning surprising or confusing especially in the context of not aligning with the inquirer's expected answer. The disciples then immediately realize that the Sage had never spoken about himself. Paired with such a confusing statement, one might think that such a realization would prompt more questions about the Sage himself, but instead, the disciples decide to focus on the knowledge he gives instead of wanting to learn about him, and so, never ask him another question about himself again.
This is why the Sage is described as "mysterious". They have never asked, and he has never told. The one time he was asked about himself, he said something exaggerated and outlandish; one can only assume he was trying to bait more questions of that nature, only for them to never come.
Another day, another fascinating lecture came to a close. The sky above began to tinge with red and Cookies headed back to their homes when a stranger entered the square.
The visitor was draped in a dark cloak and donned an enormous hat that cast a shadow over his face. The Cookie stood there without saying a word and watched the Sage. The silence was broken by the Sage’s courteous greeting, his eyes having already discerned the shadow of despair hanging over the guest.
"I don't believe I've seen you here before, my friend…! Alas, today's lecture is over. Care to come back on the morrow?"
Yet, the dark visitor paid no heed to his words.
"Stop teaching about the Truth."
"Why must I?" inquired the Sage.
Setting the scene again for the debut of the Truthless Recluse. He approaches the square when the sun is setting and the sky is turning red, which is a nice bit of contrasting symbolism to Pure Vanilla representing the sun itself.
The Sage takes initiative to greet the Recluse, and immediately defaults to letting the Recluse know that he's done lecturing for the day instead of asking the Recluse about himself (not even a "How are you doing?"). One could speculate that this is a learned behavior; he is used to being used by the cookies who want knowledge from him, is never asked about himself, and as such, never asks personal questions of anybody else either.
But next, the Recluse addresses him directly, talks to him directly about the nature of what he does instead of asking for knowledge or treating him like something to wring answers from. This is probably the first time he's been talked to like this. It's a command, and he answers with a question of his own; the holder of the virtue of knowledge... answers with a question. "Why must I?"
The guest only grinned in reply and stepped closer. For the first time, a ray of light illuminated his face, and the Sage of Truth exclaimed delightedly.
"Aaahh, if it isn't the Truthless Recluse himself. To what do I owe such a pleasure?"
His monocle glistened with genuine curiosity.
"It is said that the Truthless Recluse never descends from the Peak of Truth… How may this humble scholar be of service to you?"
It's interesting that the Sage recognizes the Recluse as soon as his face is revealed. It might indicate that they've met before, especially considering the Sage previously claimed to hail from what we can assume is the same peak the Truthless Recluse has stationed himself at.
The Sage is delighted to see the Recluse, and finally asks the Recluse a personal question, but phrases the question in an interesting way. "How may this humble scholar be of service to you?".
Calling himself humble could mean two things; that he is really a prideful person and is lying by calling himself humble to hide this fact, or, that, in choosing a passive adjective to describe himself with, he is attempting to deflect any aggression he might receive by asking a personal question. It could be both.
He also takes care to point out that he is "being of service".
The Recluse's eyes brimmed with sorrow.
"Stop pretending. You know all too well that there is nothing at the Peak of Truth."
The Sage clapped his hands.
"Eureka! At last, the answer to the age-old question is found! Why the Recluse never leaves his beloved peak vacant! Why every Cookie who neared true enlightenment was inevitably pushed back from the ascension they so craved!"
The Recluse directly calls him a liar. "Stop pretending". The Sage of Truth is a liar! He tells lies and the Recluse can see right through them! But at least he has one thing going for him; he didn't name himself the Sage of Truth. The cookies did. They assumed he would never lie, and because nobody questions him, he has never been caught lying.
Cross referencing to canon Shadow Milk, we know that he holds resentment towards other cookies for just believing every word he said was truthful; being called out on a lie is probably something that's never happened before, especially not to the Sage of Truth.
On top of that, the Recluse is previously described as "a stranger", and the Sage mentions never having "seen him before" in the square where this takes place. All of that tied together means that the Recluse never heard the Sage's exaggerated fib about being from the Peak of Truth, and yet, somehow knows that the Sage is from the Peak of Truth. This is further evidence that the Sage and the Recluse have met before.
Upon being called a liar, the Sage of Truth reacts with delight, only to immediately deflect and deceive again. He turns the subject away from himself.
He tilted his head, expecting a confirmation. "All this time, my best hypothesis was that the Peak of Truth had been seized for good by some petty curmudgeon. Do you mean to say you sought only to protect seekers from disappointment?"
The Recluse did not bother to deny the Sage's words for he loathed the Sage for guiding Cookies right into the maw of the cruel Truth.
"I, too, once made the same mistake, and for that, faced despair upon the Peak… There was no Truth expecting me. No Truth to save us all. And I cursed myself hundreds, thousands of times over for my folly."
And all his sorrow and despair surged forth in a single question.
"Why do you persist?!"
"... seized for good by some petty curmudgeon". There's so much going on in this sentence.
If the Sage really does hail from the Peak of Truth, saying it was "seized" puts himself into a "helpless" position. If he cared about the Peak of Truth, what's stopping him from going to take it back? He is, after all, the holder of the virtue of knowledge, a godly power in his own right. Saying it was "seized" puts him in a helpless position and absolves him of any blame for anything that happens to it. Holding the power that he does at his fingertips also implies he doesn't care about the Peak of Truth at all, and is content to let it fall.
He says he'd thought the Truthless Recluse was a "petty curmudgeon"; I'll admit I had to look this word up, but it means a stubborn, ill-tempered person, typically an old man. Really funny actually, but he's negating this insult.
The Sage asks if the Recluse is turning cookies away from the truth to protect them from disappointment. The Recluse doesn't deny it; he "loaths" the Sage for guiding cookies towards the truth. Inverting that sentiment would imply that the Recluse turns cookies away from the truth to avoid disappointment, and uses deceit out of compassion for them. This is to prevent them from getting hurt, because "he too made the same mistake" of ascending to the truth, finding only despair instead.
The truth being described as a "cruel" "maw" is also such interesting imagery. It reminds me of Shadow Milk's snake that devours the sheep on the loading screen of the Awakened Pure Vanilla update. I'll also point out the fact again that the Sage's listeners were explicitly referred to as a "flock".
And finally, the question the Truthless Recluse asks the Sage of Truth. "Why do you persist?"
Because as far as the Recluse is concerned, he just got done explaining why the truth isn't worth it, so why should the Sage continue to preach it? Why do you persist?
It's a question asked out of a genuine, haunting, need to know why the Sage continues to send cookies into the hungry, crushing maw of Truth. It's asked out of desperate compassion for those cookies.
To that, the Sage only pointed upwards and said, "Alas, the Truth is imperfect by design… and yet, one must not turn away from the light of one's own Truth."
And with a welcoming gesture, he added,
"Not unlike yourself whose Truth is to protect others from anguish."
The Recluse never answered. The Sage knew the answer anyway.
Here, the Sage points upwards; a previous indication that he's being deceptive. The statement he gives, "One must not turn away from the light of one's own Truth", seems to imply that he wants anyone listening to him to think that he thinks the truth is a good for cookies, of course, why wouldn't it be? However, throughout the entire story, the truth is regarded by the Sage as something negative, something that's been used to hurt, used to treat him like an object. So to truly answer the Recluse's question, what he's really implying here is that he guides cookies towards the truth because he's hurting, and he wants them to hurt too.
Next, he welcomes; a previous indication that he's being truthful. A welcoming gesture; spreading his arms wide, inviting the Recluse in. He truthfully wants the Recluse to call him out on this lie. He truthfully wants the Recluse to continue to speak with him. He sees an equal, a companion in the Recluse. Someone who understands.
This is such a blatant parallel to Compassionate Pure Vanilla offering friendship to Shadow Milk in episode 8, I would just like to point that out.
The Recluse never answers, but the Sage knows the answer anyway. Whether or not that "answer" is an agreement of companionship or a rejection of it is unclear, and is probably meant to be left ambiguous.
A long night passed and a new day dawned.
Yesterday's guest was long gone, and the square was as peaceful as it could be…
But the Sage could hear them. The footsteps of many seekers, stepping forth towards the Truth.
"The square was peaceful... But... the Sage could hear them."
This ending is very painful. The cycle of hurt continues. It would imply the Recluse rejected the Sage's offer of companionship, which is probably more likely here. However, the nature of the ambiguity means the Recluse could have accepted, and the seekers of truth may be what links the Sage and the Recluse now that they are apart. It's less likely.
Either way, they are the same in every universe. Even this one.
As I put it in a previous post, the difference between Pure Vanilla and Shadow Milk, no matter which path either of them are on, is their compassion.
The Truthless Recluse pushes cookies away from the cruel truth, while the Sage of Truth encourages them to seek out what he knows will hurt them.
Because even on diverged paths, Pure Vanilla will always care, and Shadow Milk can't ever find a reason to.
