A COOKIE RUN SHRINE

HE/HIM

Red Velvet Cookie is very unique in that he is part cake. Though he was born without an arm, he got lucky (or unlucky, depending on your viewpoint) as he was born at the exact 1,000 year meeting of the witches in which White Lily Cookie was reborn into Dark Enchantress Cookie. Upon noticing the young, armless cookie, DE took pity on Velvet and bestowed upon him a gift: a cake arm, which inextricably linked him with his newfound breathren, the Cakes.

A very important part of CR lore to note is this: the Cakes are the enemies of the Cookies. Cookies view Cakes as unintelligible monsters who deserve to be slain. This is made clear in Kingdom's Tower of Sweet Chaos Story, where Pastry Cookie must confront the beliefs of the St. Pastry Order which, as Velvet puts it: "decrees pretty Cookies to live, and forsaken, burnt Cakes to be SLAIN!"

Yeah, meeting a "monster" who can speak, feel and think as Pastry does really fucked with her. But she's not the point here.

The point is that Velvet is someone who is marginalised by society. He is seen as a "monster" who does not deserve to live, and the same applies to the Cakes. However, Velvet does not accept this destiny. Or at least, he's not willing to take it laying down. Velvet, being half-cake, knows the Cakes can be just as thoughtful, empathetic and kind as Cookies. In fact, he is able to speak with and understand them - something no other cookie has even attempted to do. This understanding is why he fights, because what Velvet wants more than anything is a world where Cookies and Cakes are equal.

However, Velvet is more complex than that. One must always remember: he is on the bad side. Having been raised by DE, Velvet is one of her most staunch followers, and so it makes sense that he has been indoctrinated into her extremist ideology of destruction and recreation. To Velvet, there is no other way forward. The current world, as it is, is too far gone to be repaired. The Cookies, too stubborn in their beliefs, cannot be convinced otherwise. Thus, Earthbread must be destroyed so a new world can be made from its ashes.

This is, of course, untrue. But Velvet does not know this. He was born in the Tower, and he works tirelessly in the Tower, baking Cakes under DE's orders and training them to become fearsome warriors. Rarely does Velvet get the chance to interact with Cookies, and when he does, they are often like Pastry - Cookies who seek to destroy what they see as "monsters", and the source from which they came. It is like a self-fulfilling prophecy: by turning the Cakes into fearsome warriors, they become more feared by the Cookies, who become even more intent on slaying them. Yet, Velvet would argue this is the only way for the Cakes to protect themselves. And to some extent, he is correct. When Pastry was greeted by a mere cake hound - a friendly one at that, who did not initially attempt to attack her - her response was still to kill it without mercy. Of course, she had been indoctrinated into believing such a creature went against the wishes of the Gods, but to be so ruthless as to kill a harmless creature for its appearance alone?

It simply proved Velvet's point.

Velvet, who is constantly forced to witness the unfair reality where Cakes are not even spared a second glance before they are slain, sees no other choice. If the only way to rid the world of discrimination is to kill all who are prejudiced, that is what Velvet will do.

Yet, Velvet is not completely cruel, either. In fact, he is actually quite soft and caring. Velvet cares for the Cakes lovingly, considering them to be more akin to family than subordinates. In his in-game description, it mentions that when he commands his Cakes to unleash chaos, he always follows it with a whisper: a wish that they come back alive. He allows them to sleep in, takes them for walks, and even has a picnic with Chiffon and Brute on a sunny day.

Velvet is no heartless Cookie; he is someone who loves like no other. His love is great, passionate, endless. And, more than anything, he is loyal. To the Cakes, and to DE, and to his beliefs. He will never stop fighting for equality and justice for his beloved Cakes.

That is why I adore Velvet as a character so, so much. He has so much depth to him - someone who is fighting for all the right reasons, and yet who has ended up on the wrong side of history because he was indoctrinated into an extremist ideology. And why is that? Because no one else would take him in. No other Cookie sees the beauty in Cakes like Velvet does. No other Cookie tries to understand the Cakes. No other Cookie wants equality or justice for the Cakes. None, but DE. And why does DE want that? Well, she doesn't. She sees the Cakes as nothing but an army she can use in her war against the Witches. But she knows that if she can promise a better world to Velvet, she can keep him under her thumb, so that's what she does.

And Velvet, who has been so utterly and completely brainwashed, can't see past her lies. He believes that the Cookies are too stubborn to be convinced of the Cakes' worth, and that equality can only be achieved through the genocide of prejudiced Cookies. Because if they want to kill the Cakes, why is it so bad to kill them in return?

Like, yeah, he's a villain, but there is logic behind his beliefs. He's not evil because he wants to be evil, he was forced into a corner and took the one way out that was offered to him. It just so happened that that out was offered by DE.

Like. It's so. Ugh. His character is just so Good. It truly hurts my heart to see how he has barely appeared in any other storyline aside from BAD4 and the 2023 Spring Picnic event. Genuinely, I would love to see more of him - especially in the main story. I want, so badly, for him to confront the main cast and their beliefs. And I want him to realise that not all Cookies believe the Cakes are bad, and that even if they do, they can be convinced otherwise. Seriously, a Velvet redemption arc would be so fucking good.

Oh, also, as a silly little sidenote: I've cosplayed as Velvet before! Actually, Velvet was my first ever cosplay, and I went to Comic Fiesta 2022 Day 1 as him. That was also my first con, and it was so much fun!! I even got to meet other CR fans who took pictures with me, and I got LOTS of Velvet fanmerch! So much so that I built him a little shrine next to my bed. The shrine also features Brute, Lico, Shroom and Pome because a lot of the merch was mainly BAD4-themed, and I thought it was cute.

Honest to God, I have such bad brainworms for this guy.

HE/IT/SHE

Brute is an incredibly interesting character who has unfortunately been somewhat mishandled by Devsis. A cake (the first playable character of his kind), a crossdresser, a hound desperate to shed his aristocratic lineage and be appreciated not for his blood but for his strength and power (yet, he secretly still enjoys the occasional cup of tea).

When we are first introduced to him, he is but a simple underling to Licorice Cookie. He helps Lico in his schemes and displays terrifying strength, though he is ultimately defeated by the main group (because of course he is- they are the main group after all). Yet he continues to come back again and again, popping up in various places throughout the main campaign alongside Licorice, Batcat, and other characters apart of what the fandom affectionately calls "the dark gang" (which is just all the characters working under Dark Enchantress Cookie).

However, the first time Brute truly caught the attention of many players - myself included - was in Episode 11 and 12. Why? Well, before we get into that, there's a little bit of context needed.



The main plot of these two episodes is that the Pitaya Dragon has grown bored without someone of capable strength to spar with. They used to spar with Hollyberry Cookie, but she has disappeared from the Hollyberry Kingdom for a long time now. As such, they have threatened to destroy the kingdom if a worthy opponent is not presented to them.

The current rulers of the kingdom, Queen Jungleberry and King Royal Berry (yes, this is a matriarchal monarchy) are unfit to spar the dragon, and their daughter Princess Cookie has been away on her adventures for so long that they're afraid she may not return home anytime soon. So, to find a new heir to the throne - who, preferably, can stick around to actually carry out their princess duties - and who is fit to spar with the dragon, the queen and king have decided to host a Princess Contest.

This is where Brute comes in. That's right - Brute, alongside Licorice and Batcat, are placing to take over the Hollyberry Kingdom by participating in the Princess Contest! And who better to be a Princess than Brute, the former aristocrat? (This is the line of thought which I presume Licorice and Batcat use to persuade Brute to become their princess. Also, yes, they are exactly like Team Rocket from the Pokemon franchise.)

At first, Brute does show some reluctance towards carrying out this plan. Wizard Cookie notes that the dress is not exactly well tailored to Brute's size, and Brute complains that it's long and uncomfortable to wear. Nevertheless, she goes along with the plan and participates in the various trials of the contest. Slowly but surely, Brute becomes more and more invested in the competition, forgetting her original goal and genuinely wanting to win in order to prove her worth as a princess.

Eventually, Brute and the main group make it to a rather unusual trial. The host explains that a princess must keep her composures during even the most stressful of situations. Thus, in this trial, the participants must dance on wooden barrels and keep their balance for as long as the music is playing. Simultaneously, they are also being attacked by assassins hidden throughout the ballroom!

Yeah, uh, it's very contrived. Also there are legit assassins (who are extremely shocked and confused when they hear that part of the trial). Genuinely, I can't tell if that part of the trial was made up on the spot by the host who realised the situation, or if it just coincided with the original planned trial.

In any case, Brute manages to pass this trial! However, there are some sore losers in the crowd... Cranberry Cookie insults and demeans Brute, calling her a "barbarian" who "doesn't deserve to win". Blueberry Cookie also joins in, arguing that she deserves the coveted title more because she's "way more cute".

This triggers Brute. A lot. She has a full on break down, believing that she's about to be disqualified for not being as cute and "civilised" as a princess should be. This causes her to lash out, challenging the princesses to a duel to prove that she too is worthy of being a princess!!

Unfortunately, despite having the aid of Licorice and Batcat, she loses this duel... only to find out that, actually, she was never going to get disqualified in the first place. It was only after acting out violently against other participants that she is now disqualified. Horrified at her own actions and failure, Brute, alongside Lico and Batcat, run away from the contest.

Something important highlighted in this section of the story is that Brute, to a degree, enjoys being an aristocrat. However, due to his own nature, he is unable to be a particularly good one. Throughout the story, it is pointed out to us that Brute is somewhat clumsy and not as posh or well mannered as the other competing characters. Yet, she still gives her all into every activity, from feasting to negotiations to dancing.

Though it is not presented in this particular story, Brute also loves tea. This is demonstrated in his overworld interaction with Cherry Blossom Cookie, where he accepts her offer of tea "just this once". As well as this, there's the 2023 Spring Blossom event mini-story where he accepts Red Velvet Cookie's invite to a picnic with tea (as long as Velvet keeps it a secret, of course).

Brute is, to be blunt, embarrassed about his heritage. Or rather, he wants to put as much distance as possible between him and his lineage. My personal headcanon, based on what I've already described above, is that he was unable to meet the standards of aristocratic society. In fact, he likely found it stifling and suffocating with its many restrictions and expectations. Thus, I believe he ran away in search of a freer life where he is appreciated by those around him not for meeting extrinsic societal expectations, but for his intrinsic attributes. Namely, his strength.

It's very clear Brute values his own strength highly, considering it's what he puts the most emphasis on. He frequently portrays himself as a mighty beast whose thunderous roar and gigantic hammer send shivers down the spines of all who fear him. Yet, the truth is, he's actually quite the opposite: as much as he claims to hate it, he does enjoy spending time with his friends and drinking tea and dressing up.

Like, seriously, look at that smile! I think the number one thing that Brute wants most in the world is simply to be respected and appreciated by others.

Which is why it's disappointing how his release was handled by Devsis. Yeah... remember when I mentioned that at the start? Well, in his pursuit to distance himself from his aristocratic background, Brute also changed his name to Choco Werehound Brute. More specifically, he chose this name because he thinks it sounds strong and powerful.

However, his birth name is the name used not only in his character screen but even in the story by others such as Licorice (which Brute, unsurprisingly, reacts poorly towards). Despite his demands, the game itself refers to him by a name which he adamantly rejects and which causes him distress and anger. Which, like. I'm not going to delve into the parallels to deadnaming and the subtle underlying transphobia, but it's there. This character is very strongly trans-coded, so I have no clue why the devs would choose not to use their preferred name.

There were a lot of complaints from the community during Brute's release, but alas, it was never enough for us to receive any change. Now that several months have passed since Brute's release, the anger around this issue has mostly died down. Most people just choose to refer to Brute as, well, Brute. And many headcanon him to be nonbinary or genderfluid. To be honest, I don't really have a concrete gender headcanon for him myself, but I enjoy consuming fanwork of Brute regardless of the portrayal of his gender and relationship to it.

I love Brute for his non-conformity. I love his vague and fluid relationship to gender, despite the undeniable flaws in the storytelling and ui choices made. I love her gorgeous purple dress and adorable eye highlights. I love his complex and conflicted relationship to aristocracy and his past. I love that despite her countless failures, she continues to put her all into everything she does with the hopes that one day she might succeed. This character is so important to me.

I wanted to add this but I never found the right place to do so, so it's going at the very end. Brute headcanons!

• he sees Red Velvet as an older brother figure, and often goes to him for advice and comfort
• he's secretly terrified of DE and Pome and will do anything they ask
• he respects Dark Choco's fighting capabilities and holds him in high regard
• Licorice and Batcat are his best friends, but he often feels insecure around them. He especially hates being around Licorice after a defeat or failure, because Lico has a tendency to project his own insecurities onto others. He will insult and demean Brute and Batcat, treating them like underlings rather than as equals
• yet despite that, he has a lot of good moments with Licorice too. It's a very toxic, codependent relationship. But they're working on it.
• Brute hates Affogato... something about him just makes Brute super uncomfortable.
• Brute doesn't really understand Poison Mushroom or why the others like them so much, but he doesn't mind them either. Chill, but not close

HE/HIM

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HE/HIM

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