וShadow Milk Cookie•×

Pronouns He/Him Age Adult Seriously, who can say "no" to a pinch of good old Deceit?! Shadow Milk Cookie (Korean: 쉐도우밀크 쿠키, swedoumilku kuki) is one of the five Beast Cookies of Cookie Run: Kingdom. He was the third to be released, being made playable alongside Head Icon Candy Apple Cookie in the Spire of Shadows update (v6.0) after first appearing as an NPC in the Secrets of the Silver Kingdom update (v5.0). He is of the Magic Magic type and his position is prioritized to the Middle Middle. Heralded long ago as the benevolent Fount of Knowledge, Shadow Milk Cookie is the antithesis of what his Witch-given purpose once was: he is a malicious trickster who relishes in chaos, confusion, and inequity. This sly entertainer spends his immortality in the Spire of Deceit, gaily weaving untruths and scheming to release Earthbread from its shackles of virtue with his lackeys Candy Apple Cookie and Head Icon Black Sapphire Cookie. Behind his mask of mirth, however, lies a lonely soul whose disillusionment wore him down to the cruel, manipulative individual he is today. Shadow Milk Cookie wields the power of Deceit, a corrupted side of the Virtue of Knowledge he once held. He was the original owner of Head Icon Pure Vanilla Cookie's Soul Jam, being stripped of it upon his descent into villainy. Game Description "Ahh, welcome, welcome! Why the surprised look? Oh, but we've met before, or have you forgotten? For I am the shadow living in your soul—a lie!" What could have happened to this Cookie, once heralded as the Fount of Knowledge, that made him become the Master of Deceit.(sic) Eons ago, when Earthbread was still young, the radiance of Knowledge was born to bless all that was with meaning. Yet, in the shadow cast by this light, dwelled its twin, Deceit. With time, all those disenchanted with the bitter Truth turned their eyes to the alluring tapestry of lies spun by the silver-tongued trickster. Masterfully juggling truths and falsehoods on the scene of a whimsical shadowplay, Shadow Milk Cookie has perfected his craft of shattering beliefs of the most stoic in a myriad of treacherous reflections. Applause, applause! It is time to raise the curtain, for the show to plunge the world into never-ending chaos is about to begin... Soulstone Description Shadow Milk Cookie's Soulstone This stone holds a piece of Shadow Milk Cookie’s soul. Bring this dazzling stone to your ear, and its incessant whispers will enthrall your heart. Appearance When Shadow Milk Cookie was first shown on 3rd anniversary, we showcased a lot of visual elements like clowns or circus themes. [...] [This time,] we aimed to depict a more magnificent being, as the master and origin of magic. We wanted to show something greater, showcasing a more profound essence of the Cookie. We wanted to convey an image that's elegant, bizarre, perhaps innocent, yet simultaneously terrifying. A turnaround reference sheet of Shadow Milk Cookie — Lee Jihye, CookieRun: Kingdom 4th Anniversary Update🤡 Developers' Commentary 💬 Shadow Milk Cookie is a spindly, average height Cookie with powder blue dough and two differently colored eyes: one cyan right eye with a black slit pupil and black eyelashes, and one cerulean left eye with a white slit pupil and white eyelashes. His mouth is sapphire blue and sly, having teeth which change between straight and sharp depending on his emotions. About his right eye is a pale blue, claw-shaped marking. He has white locks of hair near his face—two that fall against his forehead and one slicked back—azure curled sidelocks, and glossy, sharp, long hair in a dual-toned shadow and lapis style that resembles the extents of a jester's hat. Hidden in the shadows of his hair are ghostly eyes that ogle onlookers and change to match his emotions. Shadow milk sing Shadow Milk Cookie wearing his jester hat Shadow Milk Cookie wears an obsidian harlequin unitard with turquoise diamond appliques. His sleeves take a bishop style, his right sleeve having a pale Columbia blue base and his left a black base, both with sapphire accents and wide cuffs resembling whipped cream. The jester wears a ruff collar from which hang curling coattails with a ghostly blue lining and a black outside. Upon its lining are more gazing eyes. He wears his eye-like Soul Jam of Deceit as a brooch on his collar in the same place that Pure Vanilla Cookie wears his own Soul Jam. Shadow Milk Cookie also holds a jester hat split into black and cobalt halves, having a milk-splash crown about its rim and blueberry-shaped pompoms at its extending tassels. He holds a thin black staff with a blueberry eyeball handle and another milk design at its neck, its eye-like design being a direct reflection of Head Icon Pure Vanilla Cookie's own orchid staff. Personality Shadow Milk Cookie is a vicious trickster donning a harlequin costume, but he is not only a funny, silly clown. At times, he takes on a role of a show host, an MC. Sometimes, he is a storyteller making up fairytales on the fly. But as many-faced a character Shadow Milk Cookie is, he is definitely a Cookie whose goal is to inspire dread in the protagonist team. I think the greatest challenge in front of me was to find a way to make him sound actually terrifying. — Kang Soo-jin, Shadow Milk Cookie's Korean voice actor, Welcome to Beast-Yeast! 🗺️ Developers' Commentary 💬 Shadow Milk Cookie was once a heralded champion of all Cookies, baked and empowered by the Witches themselves alongside the other Beasts. He was granted the divine Virtue of Knowledge, becoming known as the Fount of Knowledge. However, despite his nigh-omniscient perception of the world, he saw how Cookies often shied away from bitter Truths and chose to believe in sweet Deceits instead. Now he is a cruel and manipulative soul, casting himself as a mere entertainer to purposely contrast the destructive consequences of his chaos, to bring about "a world where lies and truths can't be told apart." Theater of lies cutscene asset shadow milk puppet Shadow Milk Cookie's very generous depiction of himself Shadow Milk Cookie is a theatrical villain, changing reality into an illusory counterfeit stage to host his performances. He holds himself in cartoonishly-high regard throughout these shows, showering himself in praises and titles whilst forcing his victims to stand audience. Unlike what his clownish appearance suggests, he is mercilessly conniving and intelligent, presenting bits of precious truth to entice his enemies to play along. However, such showmanship and promises of clarity primarily serve as a means for him to corrupt his victims with a deluge of poisonous ideas, slowly twisting their goals to his own ends. He relishes in making a spectacle of his enemies through his performances, battering them with bombastic lies interwoven with undeniable truths. Should opportunities to drive his hapless targets even further off the precipice of morality present themselves, Shadow Milk Cookie does not even hesitate to pursue them, even at the ultimate cost of his grand plans. As the antagonistic counterpart to Head Icon Pure Vanilla Cookie and the original owner of his Soul Jam, Shadow Milk Cookie embodies deception and chaos rather than truth and healing. He sees Pure Vanilla Cookie as both an unlawful thief of his power and a naive would-be savior doomed to also fall into despair, and thus torments him with truths and untruths alike. Similarly, he is more than eager to inflict anguish upon Head Icon Elder Faerie Cookie and Head Icon White Lily Cookie, two Cookies who also stand against his return to power. Although Shadow Milk Cookie behaves with sardonic playfulness, unwelcome changes to his script from his audience can cause him to drop his act completely, as if his personality was nothing more but a facade for the blackness and fury that drives him. Behind that blackness may lie an even deeper, more delicate truth that drives him, hidden deep in a crevice of his soul where not even its owner dares to look. Ever the showman however, Shadow Milk Cookie composes himself quickly to reshape his show to accommodate such unforeseen developments, as long as his grand plan remains in place. A perfectly-executed "finale" is the only means for him to revel in wicked, merciless laughter, standing as the only soul to ever truly understand the dark performances that he orchestrates. Character Inspiration Jesters Shadow Milk Cookie is primarily based on the court jester, contrasting Head Icon Pure Vanilla Cookie's role as a just king; jesters are directly tied to kings, as they were designated by decree to be the official entertainers of a royal court. They had the freedom to throw insults at anyone in the court without possibility of reprisal, even the king himself, and could even be the means of sharing bad news that no other messenger would risk delivering in person. Shadow Milk Cookie's seemingly-untouchable nature can be seen as a reflection of the court jester's immunity to reprisal, while his endless mocking of others serves as a clear extension of the jester's duties. But whereas jesters were subservient to kings, Shadow Milk Cookie subverts his role by wielding a cruel amount of power over his counterpart Pure Vanilla Cookie. The archetype of the jester and fool would be further reinvented in the plays of William Shakespeare, who often used them to be the orators of truths that other characters in the play failed to see. Later in history, traveling bands mimicking the court jester tradition would evolve into pantomime actors, who would occupy the stage and entertain crowds with comedic tales and enacted fables. The most relevant of these roles to Shadow Milk Cookie is the Harlequin, a role that took its name from Alichino, a devil named in Dante's Inferno. The Harlequin was a light-hearted, clever servant that wore a checkered costume and was capable of feats of acrobatics and magic, often undermining the master he served with his antics. Another relevant role is Harlequin's complement, the Clown: a buffoonish lower class idiot whose actions always resulted in chaos. Eyes & Christianity One of Shadow Milk Cookie's most common motifs is the eye, which is present in any space warped by his influence. Eyes can often symbolizes sight and recognition of one's material reality; conversely, a closed eye symbolizes blindness to reality.[1] Even prior to his fall, Shadow Milk Cookie's Soul Jam featured an eye slit, suggesting a power able to perceive the world around it, unlike its other fellow Soul Jams. However, Shadow Milk Cookie's eyes all feature a vertical slit which is a common feature of predatory ambush animals, alluding to their dangerous nature. Their colors often being dark-blue against a black background also give the impressions of unknowable beings that wait in the darkness, which are a common element of the cosmic horror genre, where terrible truths overwhelm hapless scholars who would seek them out. Shadow Milk Cookie's corruption drastically multiplies the eyes on his design and his surroundings, suggesting not a single entity but multiple ones, much like how multiple lies can each pretend to be the actual truth. Relating to Christian theology, the closest relevant example of the eye is the Eye of Providence, the all-seeing eye of God that sees and knows all things. Providence itself, however, is signified by the triangle that surrounds the eye; without it, the eye alone can only symbolize knowledge without divinity. This idea is especially represented in the Eye that appears behind Shadow Milk Cookie as he gains star promotions; the Eye first in only dark-blue colors, but adopts elements and colors symbolizing light and purity, such as a stylized rays of light colored tarnished gold. Thus does the eye represent the idea of a false Providence pretending to be the true one, which exemplifies Shadow Milk Cookie taking on the role of Lucifer—the Devil himself, a deceitful demagogue, to contrast Head Icon Pure Vanilla Cookie's role as a savior figure. The Middle Ages According to Cookie Run: Kingdom developers, Shadow Milk Cookie derives many of his themes from Western medieval art[2]—such as illuminated manuscripts—tying into his similarities with Head Icon Pure Vanilla Cookie as a representation of medieval monarchies. Such art was most often seen used to depict either Christian religious narratives or fictional recountations, again connecting Shadow Milk Cookie to the themes of religion and storytelling in his rivalry with his Ancient counterpart. One of these recurring elements is the serpent, a creature often tied to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and seen as an aspect of the Devil himself, who promised godhood to those who would follow it but instead only caused them to be thrown out of paradise. Another such element is the wolf dressed as a sheep, referencing cautionary fables such as Aesop's The Boy Who Cried Wolf and the biblical wolf in sheep's clothing. Aside from directly correlating to Shadow Milk Cookie's theme of Deceit, the wolf directly makes light of Pure Vanilla Cookie's role as a shepherd, both literally and figuratively. Milk In the Cookie Run franchise, milk is often used to represent Head Icon purity or Head Icon innocence; similarly, Shadow Milk Cookie's original role as the Fount of Knowledge can be seen as not only a "pure"-colored ingredient to represent purity of soul, but a source of sustenance for the growing Cookie populations of Earthbread. Subverted, milk can be seen as an opaque substance, obfuscating of what would otherwise be clear as water. Milk is also often associated with being a compliment to consuming cookies, a liquid where cookies are often immersed in to make them easier to consume. Much like how milk can render a cookie soggy beyond saving, Shadow Milk Cookie seeks to drown his victims in deception until they too reflect his twisted world, unable to see or perceive anything else. Other Motifs Other common motifs include the milk crown, which combines many of Shadow Milk Cookie's inspirations on top of referencing the Blueberry Yogurt Academy. Not only does it resemble a crown resembling a splash of milk, but it also mimics a jester's cap with bells on its ends, suggesting that Shadow Milk Cookie is constantly inauthentical Ancient Heroes Five Cookies, graced with Soul Jam of the purest kind. As kings and queens, they ruled the Cookies, bringing in a golden age of peace and prosperity. The Ancient Heroes, often referred to as the Ancient Cookies, the Ancients, or the Five, are the overarching protagonists of Cookie Run: Kingdom. They are a group of ageless Cookies graced with Soul Jam of the purest kind. Guardians of peace, they face off against the harbinger of chaos Head Icon Dark Enchantress Cookie at the beginning of the game during the Final Battle. Each is stated to have once ruled over a Kingdom of their own[1]. They were defeated by Dark Enchantress Cookie and their Soul Jams were shattered, setting off the events of World Exploration. Story In the distant past, after the chaos of iron and flame subsided, many creatures baked by the Witches scattered across the world. Among them were the Five. Five Cookies, graced with Soul Jam of the purest kind. Wise and powerful, they rallied others to their cause. As kings and queens, they ruled the Cookies, bringing in a golden age of peace and prosperity. But this age was not fated to last. A Head Icon harbinger of darkness appeared and let shadow and evil infest the land. And once more, the world erupted into chaos. But the five Cookie heroes, guardians of peace, have risen. Twilight falls, and the war for the Cookies' destiny has begun. {{{alt 1}}} — Cookie Run: Kingdom official website Eons ago, the Ancient Heroes were first born as normal Cookies, only acquiring their sacred Soul Jam through their achievements and virtuosity. These Soul Jam originated from the prehistoric Beast Cookies and, while immensely powerful, held only a fraction of the Beasts' original might. Each Ancient Hero other than Head Icon White Lily Cookie[1] soon went on to erect and lead diverse civilizations, ushering in an age of peace through their accomplishments and inter-group cooperation. Odyssey cutscene memory ancients The Ancient Heroes in their youth This peace was shattered with the onset of the Dark Flour War, in which the Five were defeated by Head Icon Dark Enchantress Cookie; their leader Head Icon Pure Vanilla Cookie's soul was sealed in a void between dimensions, the power of the Soul Jam was diminished, and much of the infrastructure and peoples raised by the Heroes were obliterated. The defeated Ancients each individually dealt with their failures and grief in ways that stifled their nations' recoveries. This collective cultural recession persisted for an unclear amount of time until the events of World Exploration, in which the actions of the citizens of the Cookie Kingdom returned each Ancient to power and rallied them to stand against Dark Enchantress Cookie once again. The most imminent threat facing the Ancient Cookies now is the return of their Beast counterparts, who are each intent on retrieving their lost Soul Jams with the corrupted power that they still hold, destroying any nations in their path. Such times of intense strife are inciting catharsis in the Heroes and causing them to Awaken, in which their Soul Jams recognize their true virtues and return to their original, unfathomable power. The Five Beasts Once promised saviors, the five became twisted apostles of evil and brought forth darkness and devastation. The Five Beasts, also known as the Beast Cookies or simply the Beasts, are a group of primordial once-heroes who parallel the Ancient Heroes. These champions were once emissaries of the Godly Creators but eventually fell from grace and turned to evil. The story begins when this very Silver Tree was only a small sapling... When the World of Desserts was at its infancy. The Witches baked five Cookies to help them in their creation of the world. "... harness the radiance bestowed upon you for the betterment of this world..." And the five Cookies imbued with absolute powers walked Earthbread as almighty envoys of the Great Creators. Knowledge, Volition, Happiness, Change, and Solidarity. The Dessert World bound by these Five Virtues was nothing short of paradise. Alas... The perfect age was short-lived. Absolute power begets nothing but arrogance. It inevitably corrupts its wielder, bringing them to the most tragic of ends... A fate even the Witches were unable to foresee. One by one, the Five, once regarded as saviors of the Cookie World, gradually turned to Darkness. And thus, the Five Virtues, too, became distorted, twisted... Reduced to Deceit, Apathy, Sloth, Destruction, and Silence. Now known as the Five Beasts, the apostles of evil began their dark crusade... And forth they brought great destruction and suffering. The Witches could not bear to see what fate had befallen their creations. They punished the Beasts by sealing them away deep within this land. And planted the seed of the Silver Tree to ensure their evil power never sees the light of day again. From then on, this land where the Beasts were put to sleep, was called Beast-Yeast. The Witches then gathered the last vestiges of power bestowed upon the Beasts, untouched by their corruption. They further cleansed, purified it, and in the end... Soul Jam was created. {{{alt 1}}} — Head Icon Elder Faerie Cookie The Beasts were both the first Cookies baked by the Witches and the first to possess the divine power of the Soul Jams, even prior to the Ancient Heroes. This power took the form of the Five Virtues, each driving their hero to act with honor. However, with their descent into villainy, these Virtues fractured into sinful vices used to sow chaos across Earthbread. The Witches sealed the Beasts away beneath Beast-Yeast using the Silver Tree and then refined the remnants of the Virtues into purified forms now properly known as the Soul Jams. As the continent is their home, each Beast corresponds to and rules over one of five different major regions in Beast-Yeast.