#beast-yeast episode 8

[driftwoodmfb]

BEAST-YEAST EPISODE 8 SPOILERS FOR THE FINAL SCENE UNDER THE CUT

There's a line at the end I find veeeeeery odd.

Pure Vanilla Cookie said that, yet didn't elaborate.

If it was just about Smilk looking sad/lonely/hurt/etc. I feel like Nilla would have just said that since he already was openly talking about how Smilk just wants a friend.

Plus Smilk seems to be looking at his own reflection here; and that reflection if far from feint

No, no, no. I have another theory. That doesn't happen to be... Silent Salt Cookie, is it?

Am I reaching? Perhaps, but that shadowy figure seems to be the only candidate to what Pure Vanilla was talking about

Not to mention there's a pattern of the Beasts sharing similar story beginnings

Flour and Cacao betrayed by someone (everyone for Flour) close to them that they thought they could rely on. Spice and Goldie watching a kingdom(s) fall, Vanilla and Shadow Milk's belief in Truth faltering. It wouldn't be a stretch to theorize that Silent Salt betrayed the Beasts like Lily Dark Enchantress betraying the Ancients.

Once solidarity, now only silence

[orweo]

friend…?

[kookieinablanket]

I can't-

WHAT THE FUCK???

This is killing me. What the fuck is wrong with them......

What is this?!?!

AND DON'T GET ME STARTED ON HOW SOFTLY SHADOW MILK SAID "FRIEND"

[snakes-on-skates]

theyre so siblings

side note i fucking love this guy so much

what a freak

[morallyunhelpful]

my fav illustration from episode 8. thank u devsisters for making shadowvanilla canon /j

[marokra]

I KNOW WHAT YOU ARE

[axriven]

something something i started crk and he hasn't come home

[kuronokunoku]

kinda a lazy doodle but i like it sorta

[milkyraee]

okay so ep 8 sure was something.

SLIGHT EP 8 BEAST YEAST SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT- !!

I really like PV with long hair, like his short hair is cute too but.. it's just so fun to draw

Okay but ep 8 was such a ride.. I loved it soooo much- the writing, the new shmilk sprites, awakened pv,, omgggg I LOVED IT. ITS INFESTING AND GROWING. AS. WE. SPEAK.

the other ancients kinda beat the shit out of the beasts while PV kinda beat the shit out of him with kindness, and bro was so attacked 💔

but at the end of the day.

PV looks so fucking majestic, so happy he gets a win

Shmilk is so butthurt, but im holding out hope

they make me so ill- get them away from me.. RIGHT NOW. PLEAAASSEEE

[abyssboo]

Liveblogging beast yeast episode 8 core

I could write a fucking essay on these two holy shit

Thank you to my friend @curufinwesimp for dealing with my brainrot <3

[crankaser]

SPOILERS FOR YEAST BEAST EPISODE 8!!!!!!!!!!

[benisbeaaaaans]

The Corruption of Knowledge

Based on the new Shadow Milk costume

Warm up sketch I did

[ciel-the-resident-weirdo]

*crawls out of episode 8 of beast-yeast shaking and covered in blood*

hey crk fandom…..especially shadowvanilla shippers…..how we feeling after that one?

[tuftedbunting]

My thoughts on Beast Yeast episode 8 (spoilers)

Peak. Just peak.

I'm vomiting my words out at 11 PM at the time of typing this on my phone, so it might not be even slightly comprehensible, and I didn't take any screenshots either (was way too excited lol), but going through the episode and seeing Pure Vanilla and Shadow Milk's interactions was SO good.

I have been a Pure Vanilla fan ever since the release of Hollyberry. He is and always will be my favorite character. I've actually always wanted him to have a narrative foil (besides White Lily and GingerBrave), like Shadow Milk. When I returned to the game after a year break, and I played through the first episode of Beast Yeast, I was overjoyed. Pure Vanilla finally was getting character development.

Look, I'm not gonna lie. The formula of episode 8 is still your average "ancient falls, they have a magical transformation, they kill beast" type of story, and maybe I'm biased, but oh man, I feel like this episode has left me with more questions than answers, which is something the other episodes haven't done for me. I would hate to see Pure Vanilla and Shadow Milk's potential relationship stop there, and I really really hope Devsisters revisit them in the future (I will only be slightly devastated if they don't).

What caught me by surprise the most was Shadow Milk's glimpse of weakness. His supposed loneliness builds a layer of depth on his character, and when he refuses Awakened Pure Vanilla's generosity, you can almost see the tragedy that'll inevitably come out of it. Both for Shadow Milk and Pure Vanilla. If they do come back to it, I wonder what might happen. Still sad there was no full-on redemption, but what did I expect? Shadow Milk is a war criminal lol.

I'm also kind of disappointed that there were no scenes of the uncorrupted Shadow Milk costume in the story (I thought he would change to his previous form to trick Pure Vanilla or something like that). I thought because Truthless Recluse, who appears in the story and will get a costume, Shadow Milk would receive the same kind of treatment. I guess not, and I was over-dreaming.

Anyway, I'm just happy Pure Vanilla is gonna be meta again. I've been waiting years. And now I can have him and shadow milk on the same team so they can smooch- I mean support each other in the meta.

Most of all, I can't wait to see the beautiful fan works that will spawn out of another great story. Grab your pens, papers, brushes, whatever you use, and propagate the shadowvanilla propaganda my friends /lh

[maludiasdi-blog]

Omg they are sibling coded

Brother and sister that hate each other when mom isn't looking, yet they still gossip like 2 high-school girl's.

[crystallinecardinal]

“The strings are wrapped around you,” or, a discussion about Truthless Recluse, Pure Vanilla, and an idea of an awakening

One of the things I’ve been hung up on ever since finishing A Game of Truth and Deceit’s story is the fact that the things Truthless Recluse says does not feel exactly in character for Pure Vanilla. I’m sure this is the point. You’re supposed to get that feeling out of hearing him, Gingerbrave even directly points it out.

So, other than the corruption, why the so sudden change? Why is he suddenly turning against everyone? And most importantly, how is he supposed to get out of it?

Or, a CRK analysis/theory of sorts regarding Beast-Yeast episode 7, as well as how episode 8 might go, split into sections below the cut.

1 - An Introduction

I will start off by saying that before this update came out, I was one of the people adamant that Pure Vanilla was not going to end up corrupted. Not because I didn’t want anything bad to happen to him, but because I couldn’t see a reason why.

For as much as Shadow Milk could break him, dig into his biggest fears and insecurities and make them appear real, there wasn’t a reason to me for him to suddenly turn against everyone on his own— not when those around him had consistently helped him, bringing him out of what might have been the worst dips of his bad mental state. Not unless Shadow Milk was able to really manipulate him into it.

Then again, I knew what Shadow Milk could do. I knew he could control the will of other cookies (seen with the faerie cookies), and disguise himself in another form (see: every time he impersonates the Light of Truth). I also knew Pure Vanilla would be vulnerable to him, both with the bad mental state, and by the fact that the first time they encountered each other, he was already struggling. The right strings being pulled could just make him snap.

And then, I saw Truthless Recluse. And I lost my mind.

So, the point of all this. I had been TERRIFIED before this update how Pure Vanilla would fall. I thought he’d have his sense of self broken, all his emotions toyed with, sure, but I wasn’t ready for a FULL CORRUPTION. Then I got to thinking: it’s been a pattern this happens, right? In the Ancient vs Beast chapters, they encounter each other, fight in some way, and the Ancient somehow loses their connection to their respective Light. They only awaken after, picking themself back up from the brink of defeat. And we already know Awakened Pure Vanilla exists, so that leaves the question: how do you help him? How does he come back from where he is now? How does he awaken if he’s already been “defeated?”

That’s what I’m here to discuss.

2 - The Spider-Man meme problem

So! Fortune Teller. That guy.

Almost everyone I saw took one look at him in the trailers and KNEW he was Pure Vanilla. Had to be. The voice was the same, appearance the same, motifs the same, the character design was a pretty big giveaway. If it walks like a duck, talks like a duck, yknow. It’s probably a duck.

And that presumption was right! Fortune Teller is Truthless Recluse, and by extension, Pure Vanilla.

How can that happen, though? If Pure Vanilla talks directly to Fortune Teller, how can they be the same? Luckily, the game decides to answer this question on its own!

So, if this is a space the future of the past (the present) and the future of the present (just the future) can both exist… that means Fortune Teller, and by extension, Truthless Recluse, are likely from the future. Not only because we’ve seen PV walking around in the present, but because we KNOW how TR talks about PV like he’s dead, as well as because of a fun little quote from Shadow Milk!

“In the end, you will become me.”

This is what I’m going to be building the rest of this off of. Stick with me here.

3 - What’s that, puppet boy??

Lies. Manipulation. Deceit.

These are the things Shadow Milk lives for. But any good snake, any good spider weaving a web, knows that the best lies have a hint of truth to them. This is what I intend to dissect.

It feels... a bit strange to think that Pure Vanilla could become someone like Shadow Milk. And yet, the signs are already there. He isn't honest with himself, tells white lies in the hopes that it may make someone feel better rather than the cruel truth, and his mental state is already in a horrid place. Of course, none of these are particularly bad things, they're human, and I can't blame him for any of it. But they're also all undeniably things that could lead him to snapping. What's the point doubt is all that's left? What's the point that he delves into the comfort of the lie of fantasy? What's the point that reality is too much agony to bear? Is that not how the Fount of Knowledge became the Master of Deceit, finding that cookies enjoyed the sweet lie more than the cruel truth?

“In the end, you will become me.”

And so, he just might.

So, consider. If present and future can both at once in Shadow Milk's domain, if Fortune Teller is not merely an illusion, then who's to say Truthless Recluse isn't who Pure Vanilla is destined to become?

The best lies have a shred of truth. This is our (hypothetical) truth. If nothing changes, if Pure Vanilla falls to Shadow Milk's games, lets himself be broken, plays the role he's had laid out for him ever since he was young (once again, if we choose to take that as truth and not an illusion), then his fate is sealed.

"Despair follows in your footsteps... A river lies on your path. Cross it, and you will face unfathomable dread. Turn back... Turn back before it is too late. Turn back before the cold flames of doubt swallow you whole."

That river is fast approaching, if it hasn’t already.

4 - Finding truth, breaking strings

Let's circle back to one of my first points.

"Then I got to thinking: it’s been a pattern this happens, right? In the Ancient vs Beast chapters, they encounter each other, fight in some way, and the Ancient somehow loses their connection to their respective Light. They only awaken after, picking themself back up from the brink of defeat. And we already know Awakened Pure Vanilla exists, so that leaves the question: how do you help him? How does he come back from where he is now? How does he awaken if he’s already been ‘defeated?’"

Is episode seven not still following the same formula, yet iterating on it in its own unique way? Pure Vanilla comes directly into contact with Shadow Milk, and tries to defend himself the most he can. However, he's a lot more vulnerable than the others this time around— after all, lies and truth cannot exist without the other. They're not entirely opposites. After having his sense of self shattered, Pure Vanilla falls from the Spire. Somewhere, he loses his connection to his Light of Truth. Enter: Truthless Recluse.

We know Pure Vanilla will eventually be awakened (see: dev commentary), so how does he leave the state he's in? How do you come back from falling so far?

This is where our "Truthless Recluse is a future version of Pure Vanilla" idea comes in handy! To put it simply: he hasn't become him yet. Not in reality. The present Pure Vanilla has fallen somewhere deep, deep down, into the darkest abyss... And has yet to come back. It sets a perfect scene to trick those closest to Pure Vanilla to believe the lie wrapped in truth of his ‘death,’ doesn't it?

It also solves our characterization problem from the very beginning of this post. I never said he immediately becomes Truthless Recluse. Given that in this interpretation, TR is what PV will eventually become, it provides a reason for Truthless Recluse to say the things he does, and act the way he does. Maybe Pure Vanilla wouldn’t have said or done those things, but to Truthless Recluse, that part of himself has long been dead.

So. Where does Pure Vanilla find his truth?

It could be a lot of things. However, one of the main things I've seen reiterated is just how much Shadow Milk toys with the mind. Right now, Pure Vanilla likely believes his entire life is a lie. Not once has he had free will. Since birth, he has been a marionette on strings, a plaything for a being beyond everything he ever knew. Every action, every decision, it was just part of an Oscar-worthy performance. Everything he may have once defined as himself is null.

And even worse: there's no one to drag him out of it this time. White Lily is gone, off on her own mission. Gingerbrave and his friends have Truthless Recluse to deal with. The Light of Truth is silent. Everyone, everything he may have depended on isn't there. It's just him, the Other-Realm, and eyes that have been watching for his entire lifetime.

To get out, he has to break the strings. Just as he once awoke from his prison when he needed to confront his past, he can do it again. But this time, it isn't going to be while he hides under another identity, it isn’t going to be while telling himself a lie. Outsmart the snake, remember, remember, remember. Hold onto the love, the care, the things that are true. No amount of deceit can change how he once felt. They say the heart is true. Maybe that's the key out.

To put it more simply: no matter what it ends up being that causes it, he needs to realize himself that he is in charge of his own destiny. The truth of the question "who am I" is "whoever you want to be." It isn't an question that can be answered by someone else. You only become fully truthless, only fully wall yourself away from everyone if you choose to do so. It isn't fate.

And so, in the end, I think Pure Vanilla will awaken. By proxy, if my entire idea here were to be true, Truthless Recluse would cease to exist. Paradoxes are funny that way. There's no way for that ending to exist if it's no longer the future that lies ahead.

5 - A conclusion

I have absolutely no clue what's coming in episode eight. I'll say that upfront. I have no clue, and it terrifies me. I love Pure Vanilla, I want him to make it out of this, but I know he won't make it out unscathed. The tragedy could stay, it could just be for this episode, it's unclear. We just have to wait until episode eight goes live.

Regardless, I want him to struggle. I don't think it makes sense for him to get out of this easily. Not when he considers himself pathetic, not when he can't trust the voice of the Light of Truth, not when he's been questioning himself. Let that doubt sink into him. Let him rebuild himself, piece by shattered piece. It makes for an emotional story, and makes me like Pure Vanilla even more as a character. Maybe that's just the Omori fan in me, but I love delves into characters' minds like that.

It may not be anything like what I've discussed here, but I'm very excited to see what Devsisters does. This is all I'm going to be thinking about until then.