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Preface:
This ‘fic’ is the outline to an AU which I have taken to calling in my head the ‘Cookie Construct’ AU. The aim of this is to world-build a humanized AU for Cookie Run (Specifically Kingdom, because I’m less familiar with the plot and world of Ovenbreak, though I imagine it can be applied to either) that is as canon-compliant as possible so that in-game events can be easily re-imagined in a humanized form without many changes needing to be made.
This AU and its associated world-building is free for anyone to use and enjoy for their own fan-works. I would appreciate credit, of course, but otherwise you have free reign over this AU. All that I ask is that you don’t create anything hateful or excessively offensive with this concept, but I doubt anyone would do that.
(Yes, this does mean that NSFW content set in this AU is allowed. This document itself won’t be going into any NSFW details, as I want it to be accessible for young and old fans. But, if you are an adult content creator and you want to express that through the AU, that is fine by me. All I ask there is that you properly tag everything so that fans who don’t want to see explicit content do not have to.)
Otherwise, my last request before we get started is that I’d appreciate you showing me anything you create inspired by this AU! I’d love to see it :)
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Overview:
The world affectionately referred to as ‘Earthbread’ is one in which magic and cuisine are inseparably linked, and always have been. Magical items and constructs are designed by practitioners of magic purposefully to be edible, as it is considered a natural part of the magical process to eat the creations once their use has come to an end. That way, witches and wizards can re-claim the magical energy they once put into that object, recycling it into their future projects.
This cycle of magic and consumption is reflected by the land itself. Much of the land is edible and is rarely subject to the decay one might expect from food. It is common to see once manmade items such as candy and pastries growing from trees – which are also, most often than not, also made of sugar. It is an undeniably whimsical world, reflecting a whimsical spirit of magic which exists within it.
There aren’t many flesh-and-blood humans that live within this world, however those that do tend to live incredibly long lives, and still sit at the apex of the metaphorical (or literal) “food chain”. Due to their long lives and smaller population, humans are rather isolated from many of the other magical creatures of the world, seeing themselves as separate from them. In a way, they’re not wrong; these creatures – though self-replicating in the present day – were originally created by human witches and wizards. There is a cultural view in humankind that divides itself from what it created.
That, in part, may explain how humans treat their creations. The sentient pastries they conjure and bake are often seen as disposable, despite having minds that can be as complex as a human’s. They are seen as workers, curiosities, and even just artisan snacks with no other purpose.
A common creation for witches and wizards is that of the Cookie Construct, often simply referred to as ‘cookies’. These are creations made of common baking ingredients, formed and tempered with magic into sapient humanoids. Cookies are multipurpose creations, being used as servants, assistants, bodyguards, or even as living decorations to show off one’s magical prowess.
Then, of course, as all magical creations in this world tend to go… when they have outlived their usefulness, they are simply eaten.
While some witches have no problem eating something so humanlike in appearance, most do find the idea a bit macabre (though not enough so to just… not eat them), and so there is a common spell that is cast upon a deceased cookie, simply reducing their body to a platter of treats with no humanoid resemblance. Such is the fate for many cookies, and very few see it coming.
However, for those that do, and have the bravery to act upon this knowledge, they run. Some witches pursue the cookies that have fled, however, most just mark an escaped cookie as a loss they will have to accept. After all, these constructs may be complex, but they’re relatively simple to make. They’ll simply recoup their magic in another manner, and then make another.
The escaped cookies do not simply disappear, of course. Over the years, they have congregated together, far from their human creators, and slowly built up grand civilizations that dwarf those of their former masters. The witches are aware, of course, that their creations are achieving such things, but the opinion shared by the majority of humankind is ‘ah, well that’s odd’ and very little thought is given to it. It is a simple curiosity, and the witches are confident that if the cookies they once created deigned to attack them, they could decimate them all with ease. So, why not let them be for now?
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Physiology:
As they are created in the image of humankind, cookies largely tend to resemble humans. Of course, with such a diverse variety of creatures, there are exceptions, but the vast majority of cookies are humanoid. Cookies also tend to run slightly shorter in stature than their human creators as well, averaging at around 5’0 to 5’5. Once again, there are plenty of exceptions, but that is the norm.
Cookie physiology is a rather complex subject, so for simplicity’s sake, this section will be divided into sub sections to make it easier to understand.
Physiological Makeup: A cookie’s form is, as stated, meant to resemble a human’s. The main difference is the material that makes up their bodies. While humans are still creatures of flesh and blood, Cookies are constructed primarily of sugar and other confections.
-Skeleton: A cookie’s skeleton is made of hardened, crystalized sugar. Though the material is, on its own, rather fragile, the specific crystallization patterns give the substance the same strength as human bones.
-Blood/Veins: Cookies lack blood in the traditional sense, but there are vein-like canals of jam running through their limbs, adjacent to the bone. The lack of blood vessels and capillaries means that cookies will not ‘bleed’ jam unless cut particularly deep.
-Musculature: A cookie’s flesh (muscles, fat, et cetera) varies greatly based on what materials a cookie was created from. It is a dense, cake-like substance that bears whatever ‘flavor’ the cookie is identified as being. Like human muscle, these pastry ‘muscles’ can grow and shrink based on physical activity and lack thereof, and are very similar in placement and structure to that of their creators’.
-Internal Organs: Though perhaps a bit macabre to think about, cookies do have internal organs, constructed of a gummy-like substance. These organs function purely based on magic, which perhaps makes their existence a bit less… visceral to consider. A cookie’s tongue and eyes are also made of this gummy-like substance as well.
-Dermatology: A cookie’s skin is a thin, smooth substance, similar to the ‘skin’ found on baked goods such as pound cake or the top of a muffin. However, it has the approximate strength and resilience of human skin. A cookie’s hair is made of finely-spun strands of sugar… which is, mercifully, not water soluble. Lastly, their nails are made of the same kind of sugar as their hair, though this time hardened into appropriate shapes.
Body Temperature: Cookies have quite a lot of variation when it comes to their body temperatures. As magic tends to be rather whimsical in its interpretations, cookies can run particularly hot or cold depending on their ‘flavor’. For example, a cookie themed around snow may run colder than a cookie that is particularly spicy, even though neither trait should translate directly to physical temperature.
Temperature also varies based on mood and emotions. For example, a cookie who is experiencing rather strong emotions may physically warm up, while a cookie who is experiencing very muted emotions will cool down. There are also cases where the overuse of magic can also fluctuate body temperature. While the limits vary from cookie to cookie, there are cases in which temperature fluctuations of the extreme variety can result in symptoms of illness similar to human influenza.
Lifespan and Aging: As cookies are magic-based beings, the rate at which they age can be quite hard to observe. It seems that cookies age at a relatively similar rate to humans, but that slows down considerably upon reaching adulthood. From there, it seems a cookie shows signs of aging only as they age psychologically. Death by old age is rather rare for this reason, and it is far more common for cookies to die in other manners.
Cookies that are born from other cookies (a process that will be explained later) begin their lives as newborns. Cookies born ‘artificially’ (such as from witches’ ovens or magical mishaps), however, are often ‘born’ as adolescents or adults. These cookies will have the psychological makeup matching their physical age but will have some naivete about the world due to their lack of actual life experience.
Cookies that are particularly powerful in magic seem to sometimes be functionally immortal. They can still be killed by outside means, but upon reaching adulthood their aging appears to stop completely. The most notable example of this in history is that of Pure Vanilla Cookie, who lived to be hundreds of years old, yet still maintained a youthful appearance.
Cookies can die in almost any way a human can. Their bodies cannot function when damaged to a certain extent, and the magic that fuels their existence will fade out. The only thing is that cookies tend to be resistant to bleeding out, as a wound needs to be particularly deep to even reach their ‘bloodstream’ of jam.
Aversion to Water: The idea that cookies die when submerged in liquid is one based on superstition and myth. In reality, it is just that the sponge-like nature of their flesh means that they absorb water at an increased rate. This leads to cookies that are submerged fully in liquid to begin feeling sluggish and ‘weighted down’ as their bodies absorb large amounts of the water. While this can lead to fatigue, which can cause drowning, there are otherwise few risks to becoming waterlogged outside of simply not feeling well.
Still, very few cookies feel comfortable in water due to this. While being doused in water (such as when showering or bathing) is not an issue, full submersion is considered largely to be unpleasant, unless a cookie’s unique physiology allows them to not retain large amounts of liquid.
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Religion and Beliefs:
Just as the world of cookies is diverse and comprised of many cultures, so too do their religious beliefs and faith vary greatly. The most prominent religion is that of Pastrianity, with the main church being known as the St. Pastry Order. Pastrians follow the belief that the Divine Bakers, a pantheon of nameless yet benevolent gods, are the creators and protectors of cookies. On the other side, there are the Witches, seen as figures of evil and selfishness that use the powers of the Bakers to create and torment cookies. Very few in the church are privy to the knowledge that the Bakers and the Witches are one and the same.
Though there are many other smaller religions, most common is the reverence of important historical heroes, such as the Five. As ‘Soul Jam’ is a physical substance that can be studied and observed, the vast majority of cookies do believe in a soul that persists after death, residing amongst the stars to watch over cookiekind. Cookie nations often have festivals dedicated towards certain cultural heroes, which are regarded as important celebrations and times of joy and elation.
Most of the time, this exalted status is only granted to cookies that have already passed. However, perhaps there are some cookies that have lived to see their names become exalted to the status of minor deity…
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Family Life:
Cookies can be born into the world through many means outside of being created by a Witch. In lieu of sexual reproduction, cookies that wish to produce offspring with their partner take part in a magic ritual that will combine their jam into a new cookie. Most major cities have what is called a ‘family center’, in which cookie families can make appointments with the mages present to have a child created. In smaller villages or more remote settlements, however, access to such rituals can be limited, and so the village’s healer will often try to undertake the task of performing these rituals themselves.
What is also extremely common, being that magic often runs wild within the earth, is that a cookie can be born from a magical anomaly. For example, abandoned Witch’s Ovens that still have a high level of magic energy in them can sometimes ‘melt down’ and produce a cookie. Other cases include magical fault lines with volatile magics producing a cookie spontaneously, with the ‘ingredients’ being based on the surroundings of the site. These young cookies will often instinctively seek out cookie settlements, walking long distances with an internal sense of which way to go.
As the creation of a ‘biological’ child is rather involved, most parent-child relationships amongst cookies are adoptive. As many cookies are created as orphans, instinctively seeking out adult cookies to aid them, most cookie families include one or two children that are adopted. Cookies that are ‘born’ as adults often have similar relationships with more experienced cookies, though the relationship is less like a parent and child and more like a mentor and apprentice.
Creating a cookie entirely from scratch is something that is believed to be impossible without the aid of a Witch. However, such a feat is something mages are always working to achieve, and there are of course many urban legends and rumors about cookies creating other cookies without the need for donating their own jam.
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Gender and Sexuality:
Being made in the image of humans, cookies have a similar sense of gender and sexuality that humans do, however with noticeably less rigid ‘rules’. While some cookie societies are more conservative, and in turn a bit more judgmental, the vast majority consider gender identity to be a largely malleable thing, and there is very little judgement towards those that identify as transgender or entirely genderless.
Sexuality is much the same. While some societies have heteronormative standards for cookies to follow, most consider such an idea to be arbitrary and ridiculous. As sexual reproduction is not a concept within Cookie society, there is no reason for opposite-gender couples to be considered any different than same-gender. For this reason, most cookies are pansexual, having little to no preference on the gender of their partners. There are of course still some who prefer one gender and not another, but most find gender to be a nonissue when choosing a romantic partner.
For the societies that do hold a stricter view on sexuality and gender, however, such prejudices are often linked to Pastrianity and related religions. Even though there is little foundation for heteronormativity in Cookie society, these communities find that they should imitate their creators as closely as possible. Even if their understandings of how humans operate are often woefully incomplete, they seem to be aware of how only opposite-sex couplings in humans can result in children. And so, despite their own species not abiding by such rules, Pastrian cookies sometimes favor opposite-gender couples over same-sex ones as they feel cookies should be emulating their creators.
Gender transition, for cookies, is a relatively simple affair. There are quite a few spells and magic that can serve to slightly alter one’s body, meaning that presenting as one’s preferred gender is easy and rather reversible if need be. Combined with the fact that many cookies tend to be androgynous in general build and body shape, as well as the fact that most cookies don’t push the expectation onto others to ‘pass’, makes gender transition uncomplicated and accessible.
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Naming Conventions:
Back when Witches first created cookies, they were simply referred to by the type of food they were based on. As a remnant of that, cookies tend to name themselves after their ‘flavor’ or other identifying features. Addressing someone as “[Name] Cookie” is considered respectful and formal, much like how a human would use Mr. or Ms. (though cookies do occasionally use those titles as well), while in casual settings it is more appropriate to simply call each other by given name alone.
As there are many cookies of each ‘flavor’, nicknames are very common, but considered somewhat intimate. Even if there are five ‘Almond Cookie’s in a room, you would not nickname any of them unless you were particularly close with one. This leads to some confusing moments for some of the more common cookie flavors but is usually resolved by addressing each cookie as just ‘you’ accompanied with a point. While pointing is considered rude in human culture, the same is not true for cookies. As long as a cookie avoids gesturing to someone they are not addressing, it is considered completely normal and socially acceptable.
It’s also not uncommon at all for cookies to change their names. For example, one may be born as ‘Vanilla Icing Cookie’, but upon finding an aptitude for magic, may rename themselves to ‘Light Mage Cookie’. This is considered completely normal, and as long as one doesn’t rename themselves to something rudely boastful or completely inaccurate, will be largely accepted by others. Even more conservative and religious societies are accepting of this, as names are not seen as particularly sacred. They are merely ways to refer to one another.
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Conclusion:
This concludes what I have for the Cookie Construct AU for now. While this document will remain the main resource for the AU, I may add onto it further (as subsequent ‘chapters’) and I’m happy to take feedback and requests in the comments!
As stated prior, I’m happy to let anyone use this AU in their fan-works. This is a labor of love meant for the fandom to enjoy! All I ask for is credit and if you wouldn’t mind, for you to show me your works. Posting them in the comments or @-ing me on Twitter (PrinceWinter15) are great ways to get in touch with me!
Alright, that’s all for now – stay brave, everyone!