Umm... wait, how do I tag and stuff again-?

Even though I see the potential of plot depths to be explored, like really understand to an extent on what the writers want to show in the game, there's just too many things that they missed that just ruined the immersion for me. If the highest points of praise I can offer is mostly on Episode 2 in terms of plot, while Prologue on introducing a pre-existing character from the same franchise yet originated from a different game years ago, Episode 3 and 4 basically for me... Is just missing the potential depths to explore and too much in terms of dialogues despite all the good things I can type in.

Episode 3 "Unidentified Entity Detected!" while amazing on introducing the SCOOP organization and the scale of threat it will have, the rest just- Fumbled in a way. Again, why are we heading straight to the Witch's Hut with just the usual team on Beast-Yeast Episode 7 and 8 plus Madeline? Why aren't we going through the motions first on the discussions between the Ancients and their close compatriots, like having arguments on why should they go or not? WHY ARE WE HEADING BACK OUT OF THE SHORE AFTER MENTAL ORDEAL, PLUS WHY ARE THEY PREPARED BEFOREHAND?!?!! Goodness... While can already see that poor Pitaya Dragon is not doing well and affected by Ultimate Cookie's dough (how the fuck there's so many even though Shadow Milk only took a fragment of it???), its better that they don't talk to show that they've been reverted to the core survival and instinctual mindset.

While Episode 4 "Prognosis: Doom" showcases the threat becoming more dire, there's too many dialogues to scour through and stuff. Really really questioning on why Gingerbrave's group goes to the Magic Academy, aka Blueberry Yogurt Academy, instead of not back towards either the Vanilla Kingdom, Faerie Kingdom, or even the Spire of All Knowledge (or at least what remains of it and called Spire of Shadows) since the last two have more historical information that what was dated while the ones in the academy got the possibilities of information being filtered by a ton to restrict forbidden knowledge from being let out into the public or the staff in general. As much as I like Black Sapphire and Candy Apple remain devoted to Shadow Milk while the former is growing suspicious on Shadow Milk's condition that the latter remains blinded to, sometimes silence speak louder than words. Show and don't tell remains as a rule of storytelling for a reason, after all. Why is anyone not questioning on Gingerbrave's condition and change of mood being that of a downer, especially connecting the dots to something that happened in the Ultimate Oven back in Beast-Yeast's Episode 15? Why are the writers involving White Lily back into the plot after her removal from the story and straight to the conclusion? Again, why now out of all times that Hollyberry recognizes Pitaya Dragon instead of much earlier with the speech, while Pure Vanilla for all of his declaration to care about Shadow Milk, doesn't seem to care of what happened to the Beast that leads the latter to doing this? ALSO WHY, FOR ALL AMOUNTS OF TEASING AND SUCH FROM TIMEKEEPER'S TEASER, DO THE CORRUPTED ANCIENTS GOT LESS THAN 10 SECONDS OF REVEAL AND ONLY TEASED AGAIN IN THE LAST CUTSCENE OF THIS EPISODE?!??!

Interesting that we're focusing on Ash Salt's becoming and manipulated by Shadow Milk

Animation on Shadow Milk diverting the canonical event is just being cut off every few seconds, which I dislike since they can just finish one part of scene in its entirety before going to the remaining half

Interesting that the future that Shadow Milk sought is that of the Beasts' freedom being the main priority, though... Kinda strange that I didn't see the corrupted form of Shadow Milk from the diverged timeline

Poor Beasts' acquaintances are barely mentioned, since with Black Sapphire and Candy Apple showed up directly like- What happened to Cloud Haetae, Peach Blossom, Nutmeg Tiger, Pavlova, and Salt Cellar? What happened to the Beasts' respective areas in Beast-Yeast?

I hate the EN interpretation sometimes, since it's not a full on translation to understand what's going on-

The Time Balance Department is now involved, yaaay! But also oh no, we're gonna have a lot of confusion going on

As much as I like String Gummy and Pain de Campagne showing up and present alongside Croissant, I'm worried if their personalities are mixed up in the writing or is it just me overthinking things

You know that something's going really wrong when Timekeeper's going serious for once to do her job properly, beneath the whimsical and chaotic neutral demeanor she has despite her capability to see all possible events from past, present and future

Huge, huge love to seeing Diverged Timekeeper in action, especially the sprite on her appearance when giving Croissant the confidence boost and safeguard of the handmade modular to time travel. Plus the slight clue of mentioning that Croissant herself is the one who made it, leaning to confirmation that Timekeeper's Croissant from different future like in Ovenbreak!

I love seeing Timekeeper doing her duties and having a conversation/ hearing a confession of sorts from Diverged Timekeeper, definitely the concept of 'The End of Time' where the time and space itself is no longer manageable and cannot be salvaged or when the Timekeeper of that timeline had enough of what they've experienced is definitely interesting... But also heartbreaking (I recommend watching MirratheArtist's analysis of Timekeeper Cookie on YouTube, definitely amazing to look into if you're into character depths)

Now that the review of Episode 1's done, time to delve into what I think about the additional stage in the Prologue, which is 'Truth Concealed by Time'. This episode shows what happened after Silent Salt had sealed himself and the remaining four Beast cookies into the Silver Tree, focusing on Elder Faerie's perspective on the aftermath of the sealing and his first and only meeting with the Light of the Virtues.

At first, I was understandably angry at how the Light of Virtues intentionally willing to separate themselves to the purified Soul Jams being spread through Earthbread in search for new owners and the corrupted Soul Jams remained with the Beasts, essentially pushing the Beasts further into the worst parts of themselves more. But the more I calmed down and try to rationalize it through... Aren't the Light of Virtues being like pure, idealized concepts? Tainted by the ideals and personalities of the Virtues themselves prior to the separation, sure, but still an unnamed concept without ever realizing what to do to bring the represented concept into reality. If that's the case, then that would make me speculate more on the what-ifs on how the Virtues interact with others before their eventual corruption. Are they guided by their respective Soul Jams first before suddenly stopped receiving that very guidance along the way?

Alright, so! Having tarot cards to pick out the episode and linear layout to pick a stage to go through really threw me off since I'm used to map background throughout Crispia and Beast-Yeast, but nonetheless appreciate the changes! Plus, the background on the episode is really amazing to look at. With total of 11 episodes in Timeline of Fate (yes, I counted-) and three being the introductory ones, kinda wonder what the other tarot cards are going to be here since for Prologue we got the back cover of the tarot cards of both Shadow Milk's and Pure Vanilla's, Ash Salt being reversed The Hanged Man, and Timekeeper being upright Wheel of Fortune.

To be honest, I thought the stages takes on a more linear path that I just went with the first one at the very start and switching stages every one at a time when they're closer to the one I finished. But turns out I gotta finish the line at the top first before going for the one at the lower one LMAOO- Nonetheless, combat-wise think of the stages is like Beast-Yeast where enemies are powered up that only certain cookies are either immune and/or powered up as well in each episode. Even though I only finished the Prologue and not Episode 1 yet...

Storyline is pretty tame, even though there's plenty of animated scenes that I hoped to not be cut midway for dialogues and instead focus on finishing the animation first before the aftermath is discussed between the characters present in the scene. It presents the incoming danger quite well for Pure Vanilla's side of things, with concern and confusion on what's going on with Shadow Milk messed him up mentally even further, plus building up the stakes that the Time Balance Department has to face while Timekeeper for the most part, is nonchalant from their dialogues went. Even Ash Salt's involvement, although still wondering how and why she's in the present timeline, has danger that Timekeeper had to interfere to prevent current timeline collapse! Yep, we're going with visual novel style of multiple choices here! Thank goodness I rationalized that Dark Cacao's more experienced on going on the frontlines and ambushes, considering with Ash Salt's appearance and abilities that she specializes in quick movements and precise attacks on the first pick aaaaa-

Then came the dialogues and... Going to be for real here for a quick second, it felt like even more of dialogues and words too confusing that could've been just simplified with existing words than it already has in the main focus of Beast-Yeast's episode 15. For example, there's a part on where Pure Vanilla (I'm back to talking about Timeline of Fate's Prologue by the way-) is both haunted on the lack of guidance that he's having nightmares he doesn't share with his fellow Ancients ever since White Lily's sacrifice to bring down Dark Enchantress, but it's gone on for really long that I even wonder what he's trying to say by the end of it. It would've been better that he first mentions that he dreams of White Lily during their time together at the Yogurt Academy and together with the others when they first got their own Soul Jams, followed by having nightmares far more terrifying than the war that Dark Enchantress had caused. That sets the bar for remembrance with longing for one that won't come back and the sense of loss followed by terror on what he should do afterward, with the one he sought to understand the most, both as White Lily and Dark Enchantress, is no longer present in reality. Not to mention, the bare mentions of the cookies that appeared in the credits sequence at the end of Beast-Yeast, it feels like a waste for the ones who just played or didn't make it to the end of the 15th episode during Sugar Swan's update, because it can be made to an additional episode or something consisting of just story stages alone to share the aftermaths or what comes after the Dark Enchantress War.

Please don't mention the coherency, because I saw and read through that one event... Just, what do you mean there are losses? Where are the losses and conflict post-war? Since all I saw are just happy endings and resolutions, with grief all over.

Soo... yeah, that's all I got for now. I might be going for finishing and reading through the 1st Episode to Timeline of Fate, but at this point, I'm just focusing on every detail on the dialogue and stuff before wondering and possibly cursing which of the writers approved of the dialogues being made here. Because literally, I'm just suffering because of the powercreep, the lack of involvement that means having more stakes are in place, and the dialogues that just went on and on is starting to nag me to the point of annoyance.

Oh right, there's also a story stage on Prologue that just popped up when I'm trying to gather the tokens for an enemy section. Hopefully it can explain things somewhat, buut...

Looks to the side to see a mob or something at a far distance*