This line has a WHOLE new meaning
MAJOR spoilers for Shadow Milks Dominion of the Beast. Aka the Fount of Knowledge backstory.
We’re shown that a large factor to the Founts corruption was the types of questions being asked on a daily basis by the cookies around him. Questions that were well stupid. Cookies would ask the dumbest questions known to cookie kind.
It was pure ignorance and because the Fount was created to be of service to cookie kind they likely knew that and took advantage of that fact.
The Fount was designed to know everything about well everything and to a lot of cookies this meant that The Fount could solve all of their problems.
It created this cycle where cookies would ask The Fount these ridiculous questions that had no real purpose or meaning. It was nothing more than pure laziness.
It’s been theorised for a while now but this just proves the fact that the cookies of the past never actually saw The Fount as a real cookie. He was merely a tool at their disposal. The level of actual thought that goes into their questions shows this lack of care, this lack of wanting to actually know more. They wanted quick easy answers but they weren’t bothered to figure that out themselves.
So instead they went to The Fount knowing he’d have to give them an answer as that was his job inscribed by the Witches themselves.
And it’s these questions on top of the fact that cookies prefer deceit over truth and how they lie to gain and advantage above others is what lead to The Founts downfall. He begins to question himself, his purpose. Was this truely all he was destined for? The Fount had been made to be knowledgeable about everything yet from The Founts perspective treated it more as a joke.
Which is why I think it makes sense for The Founts to become a jester. If you take a look at each of the Virtues designs and Beasts designs they’re all similar in some way. Yes Silent Salts armour is different but he’s still a knight. They all still have a similar appearance to their original pre corrupted forms.
But take a look at Shadow Milk vs The Fount. There is a very noticeable difference in design. His clothing changes, his hair changes, his eyes change, the marking on his face changes, his soul jams position changes.
Him taking on the role of a Jester, an archetype that instills trickery, mockery, storytelling and comedy makes a lot of sense when given some thought. Jesters aren’t taken seriously and it’s likely that The Founts felt like he wasn’t being taken seriously either with the nonsense questions he was being asked everyday. So the role of a jester was a perfect fit for him.
Now how does this tie back to The Sage of Truth? Well yes The Fount and The Sage aren’t the same person at least from what I’ve seen we know that they’re still the same person, connected through Shadow Milk and I think the line “Do I really need to spell out everything? Come on, think!” Feels very much like a nod to his past as The Fount of Knowledge.
The Sage goes on constantly about the truth in his dialogue in game, which makes sense given the fact that he wields the soul jam of truth in this alternative universe (where Pure Vanilla as the Truthless Recluse takes on deceit).
To me the line “come on, think!” Comes off as a way for Sage, once Shadow Milk, once The Fount to be a bit more rebellious. Back in the days of the Fount he would likely been looked down upon and shunned by other cookies if he ever dared to say something like that. So yea I’ll be honest that line “come, on think!” Sounds like one big ‘FUCK YOU GUYS!”.
Reality is that Cookies never saw The Fount as ‘person’. He’s a tool merely at their disposal and that line from The Sage feels like The Fount has finally found peace of mind, well at least partly. He know understands that he has a choice. He doesn’t need to answer every little ridiculous question. And yea it took him thousands of years being worked to exhaustion, being treated like a tool and having cookies lash out the second they didn’t like the answer but he made it.
And now in this alternative universe as The Sage of Truth he can now tell cookies to think for their damn selves.
