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.
Keep thinking about how Bravetrio, Red Velvet Cookies and the Beasts are both created by and victims of the Witches and I think there is an interesting conversation there. Like. All of them are incredibly different and yet idk. I think you could do something interesting with it.
Y’know Truthless Recluse isn’t actually a liar, if anything he could be considered far more truthful then Pure Vanilla. He’s super blunt all the time and doesn’t dress up his words. This is probably a reason Shadow Milk was able to trust him more then Pure Vanilla, Truthless Recluse doesn’t spare anyone’s feelings. He’s Pure Vanilla but lacking a lot of the compassion.
In a way both PV and TR use truth as a form of control while also believing that it comes from a lack of control.
PV keep his doubts and truth close to his chest to focus instead on avoiding conflict and working in the background to ensure nothing bad happens or nothing truly conflicts with something is a bad idea because that means someone might get upset. He doesn’t think he can change anything, so he enables and stays quiet on his own thoughts and uses that to keep things where he’s comfortable. Because to speak up is to invite disagreement and to disagree is to hurt so why speak.
Meanwhile TR doesn’t believe anything can change, so he just bluntly skips all pretext to get straight to the point because it’s going to happen anyways so why waste time. He doesn’t think he can change anything, so no one can change anything so he refuses to even let them try so he can keep things where he’s comfortable. Because to try is to fail and to fail is to hurt so why try.
It’s by remembering the point of compassion beyond just conflict aversion and gaining the understanding that things like conflict and disagreement aren’t enemies to fear but instead tools for richer more complex understandings and discussions is when he’s able to awaken to being Pure Vanilla the Compassionate. He no longer tries to control the narrative while also pretending he has no say over it because he understands the narrative is not a fixed point he has to just accept but instead that the future is something ever-shifting and overlapping that he also gets a say in, even if he isn’t the only say.
Or as an example;
If Pure Vanilla hates your hair cut, he’ll just kinda awkwardly tell you it looks fine and move on silently wondering on what it means and how he didn’t want to make them feel bad for something they’ve already decided and can’t really change now.
He’s more concerned with keeping the peace then actually giving the truth, trying to dictate that things always happens smoothly. Focused on the past and forgetting how the future can being new opportunities.
If Truthless Recluse hates your hair cut, he tells you as bluntly as possible that he hates it and you’ll regret it without any moment of pause
He doesn’t care if he’s honest in his truth, he’s just speaking with no filter to force his way to the conclusion he thinks is inevitable because if everything ends the same why does being nice about it matter. Focused on the future and forgetting how the past influences and changes that future.
But if AWAKENED Pure Vanilla hated your hair cut he would think on why he hates it, and then earnestly say that while it’ll take some time to get used to it, he’s glad they feel like they can be more like themselves around him.
Truthful, honest, and with the understanding that things are fluid and ever-changing. Knowing that he doesn’t get to try to control that change like he had been, only try to understand it and follow it. He acknowledges the future and the past but stays firmly in the malleable present
I always belived that Truthless was Pure Vanilla doubling down on his on his "conflict adversion habits". Hiding himself and others away from reality because he belives its all hopeless. Which is the lie, because there is always hope.
I see it as Truthless is going to the oposite extreame than Pure Vanilla: If he liked your haircut and you asked him if he does, he'd coldly respond with "Why do you care?" To intentionally give you the impression the he hates it without saying it, and ending the potental converation before it began. Why have a kind bonding moment with someone, when he can quickly be left to his own devises.
Truthless is a doomer who isolstes himself from everything because he is so wraped up in his own self hstred and hoplessness towards the world, he denies any positivity or connection to maintain the lie that everything, exspecially himself, is hopeless.
He will honestly tell you he hates the haircut with the hopes that you'll be offended by remark, leave without question and ever ask for his opinion again. He is honest when its nagetive, but if you'd press further for more feedback, he's try to dismiss it to get you off his back.
Hes the opposite of pre BY 8 Vanilla who would pretend everything is fine, even if it is awful. Truthlese Recluse would pretend everything is awful even if it is fine.
Y’know Truthless Recluse isn’t actually a liar, if anything he could be considered far more truthful then Pure Vanilla. He’s super blunt all the time and doesn’t dress up his words. This is probably a reason Shadow Milk was able to trust him more then Pure Vanilla, Truthless Recluse doesn’t spare anyone’s feelings. He’s Pure Vanilla but lacking a lot of the compassion.
In a way both PV and TR use truth as a form of control while also believing that it comes from a lack of control.
PV keep his doubts and truth close to his chest to focus instead on avoiding conflict and working in the background to ensure nothing bad happens or nothing truly conflicts with something is a bad idea because that means someone might get upset. He doesn’t think he can change anything, so he enables and stays quiet on his own thoughts and uses that to keep things where he’s comfortable. Because to speak up is to invite disagreement and to disagree is to hurt so why speak.
Meanwhile TR doesn’t believe anything can change, so he just bluntly skips all pretext to get straight to the point because it’s going to happen anyways so why waste time. He doesn’t think he can change anything, so no one can change anything so he refuses to even let them try so he can keep things where he’s comfortable. Because to try is to fail and to fail is to hurt so why try.
It’s by remembering the point of compassion beyond just conflict aversion and gaining the understanding that things like conflict and disagreement aren’t enemies to fear but instead tools for richer more complex understandings and discussions is when he’s able to awaken to being Pure Vanilla the Compassionate. He no longer tries to control the narrative while also pretending he has no say over it because he understands the narrative is not a fixed point he has to just accept but instead that the future is something ever-shifting and overlapping that he also gets a say in, even if he isn’t the only say.
Or as an example;
If Pure Vanilla hates your hair cut, he’ll just kinda awkwardly tell you it looks fine and move on silently wondering on what it means and how he didn’t want to make them feel bad for something they’ve already decided and can’t really change now.
He’s more concerned with keeping the peace then actually giving the truth, trying to dictate that things always happens smoothly. Focused on the past and forgetting how the future can being new opportunities.
If Truthless Recluse hates your hair cut, he tells you as bluntly as possible that he hates it and you’ll regret it without any moment of pause
He doesn’t care if he’s honest in his truth, he’s just speaking with no filter to force his way to the conclusion he thinks is inevitable because if everything ends the same why does being nice about it matter. Focused on the future and forgetting how the past influences and changes that future.
But if AWAKENED Pure Vanilla hated your hair cut he would think on why he hates it, and then earnestly say that while it’ll take some time to get used to it, he’s glad they feel like they can be more like themselves around him.
Truthful, honest, and with the understanding that things are fluid and ever-changing. Knowing that he doesn’t get to try to control that change like he had been, only try to understand it and follow it. He acknowledges the future and the past but stays firmly in the malleable present
I always belived that Truthless was Pure Vanilla doubling down on his on his "conflict adversion habits". Hiding himself and others away from reality because he belives its all hopeless. Which is the lie, because there is always hope.
I see it as Truthless is going to the oposite extreame than Pure Vanilla: If he liked your haircut and you asked him if he does, he'd coldly respond with "Why do you care?" To intentionally give you the impression the he hates it without saying it, and ending the potental converation before it began. Why have a kind bonding moment with someone, when he can quickly be left to his own devises.
Truthless is a doomer who isolstes himself from everything because he is so wraped up in his own self hstred and hoplessness towards the world, he denies any positivity or connection to maintain the lie that everything, exspecially himself, is hopeless.
He will honestly tell you he hates the haircut with the hopes that you'll be offended by remark, leave without question and ever ask for his opinion again. He is honest when its nagetive, but if you'd press further for more feedback, he's try to dismiss it to get you off his back.
Hes the opposite of pre BY 8 Vanilla who would pretend everything is fine, even if it is awful. Truthlese Recluse would pretend everything is awful even if it is fine.
Now try finding a GingerBrave fic that isn’t just shadowvanilla with him in the corner of one scene with the approximate narrative impact of a chair. I don’t even try searching his character tag anymore I just use his angst one 😭
I usually do that, buts it’s still kind of annoying. And when I DO do that it cuts down the amount of fics by like over half. Which is kinda ridiculous (and in most of them he’s still a minor character, there’s just different characters as the focus)
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 🥹❤️🩹
