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prev tags: this makes me Feel Things™️like i am vibrating at what this makes me feelive been off my adderall for a whole fucking week so i dont know WHAT it makes me feelor what to DO with that feelingBUT BOY I SURE AM FEELING STUFFhollow knighthk hollowmy poor precious baby child im so sorryinjuryhk fanartfanartanyway i want some good whumpfic. and/or h/c

(The tag that hit me bad enough to do this nicer follow up of sorts)

Bonus:

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thk scribble pages (2/593)

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Mating Systems Among Tribes in Hallownest

Because I have a midterm on sexual selection tommorrow and this is an interesting topic to begin with. Please note that in this case, monogamy/polygamy-polyandry do not refer to the social preferences of the bugs, but the mating system itself: a bug in a polygamous society, for example, may have a social bond with one individual, but mate multiply because that is the most efficient way for their species post-civilization. It varies. Also because these are bug-people, the mating systems are scrambled up with social systems, so it's not a 1-1 as we see it in the wild.

*No explicit content is actually in this post, hence the lack of a mature label

Beetle Tribe: Overall favors lifetime or genetic monogamy, with a sprinkling of polygamy in differential beetle species that have persisted from pre-civilization times. Competition for the other's affection is fierce, and mates are jealously guarded, with biparental care resulting in distinct family groups. Pairbonds can be broken, but it is very rare, and during the duration of the pairbond, genetic monogamy (essentially, no cheating/open relationships) is expected. While Hallownest is by no means a strictly beetle society, the City of Tears is where most of the beetle tribe resides, and so the culture tends to be beetle-dominated. Being openly promiscuous isn't seen as a moral faliure, but it is heavily frowned upon because it's seen as inviting conflict, as many beetles still compete physically to impress their partners.

Deepnest: Group-living promiscuity with group care of the offspring, though a variety of species means some variation in breeding systems. This breeding system came about because female spiders still have the very strong desire to eat their mate in the height of passion, which means permanant pairbonding just doesn't work. This behavior also evolved because mating multiply ALSO increases the odds that someone is there to stop you from eating your mate, which keeps the gene pool nice and open. Spiderlings are reared together and are tracked through the mother's lineage, with the whole village expected to provide for them. Socially speaking, having multiple casual partners is extremely common, and multiple significant romantic bonds can also arise, though they are expected to remain fluid.

The Hive: Eusocial polyandry, obviously. They haven't changed much from how they were before grouped civilizations were a thing. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

The Shrumal Warriors: they continue to breed as mushrooms do. Don't ask, it's complicated.

The Mantis Tribe: Polyandry is more common, with females competing fiercely for males, and higher-ranking females have multiple mates. They also have the instinct to eat their partner still knocking around in there, but the fact that there's only one species that makes up their tribe means that competition is much more fierce, so males are a resource that must be hoarded, with the highest-ranking females having the luxury to do what they wish with them and high-ranking males having the luxury of more mates available to pick from. Socially speaking, there is no difference between male and female rank, and biparental care is common up until the young reaches its adolescent moult, after which they are raised communally so that they can start to establish their role in the pecking order.

Moths/Butterflies: Lek-display polygynandry with group rearing of offspring and scattered groups of socially affectionate partners that are not necessarily sexually exclusive to each other. Essentially, both males and females will do displays to attract mates, and mating with multiple partners can happen even if this display results in the start of a romantic relationship occurring. Because paternity can be scrambled in clutches, individuals tend to recognize the wing patterns of those they mated with, and deposit their eggs together to be reared in a large extended family of siblings and half-siblings. First the family takes care of the child, and then the rest of the village. This mostly differs from the spider way of doing it in that with spiders, the one who produced the egg generally gets the most parent recognition, while in this system the displays allow for at least some memory of who sired who.

Wyrms: Serial monogamy. I know I said that PK is polyamorous (and he is), but serial monogamy is when a pair is only monogamous for a breeding season, and may either mate again next year or choose different partners. So socially, he might have multiple romantic partners, but if he breeds with an individual (say, Herrah), he will remain with her until the clutch is hatched and the offspring is in a stable position (in theory). In the wild, wyrms live in a harsh climate where resources are scattered or fiercely guarded, meaning that feeding their young takes a lot of effort, and potential partners are often far away or dangerous to encounter. A pair that went through the rigorous ritualistic pre-mating fights to establish the bond will nest together for just long enough to see the offspring leave the nest, but will also mate multiply if other wyrms cross their paths just in case their partner's genetic contribution wasn't good enough + to confuse paternity (as a wastelander wyrm will kill any offspring it doesn't think is its own- so if you coupled up with another wyrm, you either hope their genes were good enough, or you mate so many times with them that a mixed-paternity clutch makes it difficult to sus out which wyrmling belongs to who). So, essentially, they're socially monogamous but have open relationships and may not join up next breeding period; wyrms like PK who stay with one or two mates and do not seek out more sexual partners on the regular are very rare

Mosskin: Tbh I have no idea how these guys function, but imma go with lifetime monogamy with biparental care and an expectation of genetic monogamy. Essentially, they pick a life partner, mate only with them, and care only for their own offspring, because even if Greenpath seems lush with fruits, the dangers of the acid pools means that the stakes for childcare are pretty darn high.

The Snail Shamans: It's a scramble, made even worse with their declining numbers. They used to have social monogamy going on, but post-void civ fall, it's become more of a free-for-all out of necessity. Bloodlines are still tracked, though, so inbreeding is kept as minimal as possible.

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i have so many feelings about hollow knight y'all

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| VOID HEART |

Always thought it would have been interesting if the reflection in the egg turned to a shade if you'd already done Embrace The Void or Dream No More in prior runs...

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Hollow Knight askmeme: 1, 6, 11, 13, 15!

1. Favorite character?

this may be weird, but it's probably a tie between The Knight and the Hollow Knight! two innocent children emotionally and physically abused by their father, but willingly choosing to suffer to protect others from harm... hmm yes i see i continue to be EXTREMELY on-brand

(also just. the little details about gameplay that tell you SO MUCH about the knight as a person/character and how your own experience with the game changes how you view them... uwu)

6. Favorite boss battle?

probably Hornet (Greenpath), although I do enjoy the Mantis Lords as well.

11. Favorite area?

oooof, tough choice! i probably have to go with greenpath. it's SO pretty, and i think it probably has my favorite gameplay - the acid and thorns were scary the first time around but relatively easy once you get the hang of it, and it has a lot of great enemies

also lake of unn and the moss knight at the lake , who is my blorbo.

the only bad thing about greenpath is that i find it very difficult to differentiate, visually/thematically, from the fungal wastes. they have just enough stuff in common that i struggle sometimes to remember where i am on the map.

13. Favorite part of the sound track?

"City of Tears" is incredible, I love it so much. "Broken Vessel" is a close second, with incredibly different vibes lmao.

15. Favorite charm/charm combo?

GRUBSONG MY BELOVED, YOU HAVE SAVED MY ASS A THOUSAND TIMES.

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“You’re going to grow so big and strong..”

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i know nothing about hk sooooo 16 + 17?

asdlkjfhasljasdf i almost didn't want anyone to ask these ones, because the answer is too. fucking. long.

16. How many hours have you played in your longest playthrough?

almost one hundred and three.

(102 hrs and 49 min)

17. How many hours have you played total?

according to switch.... 290 hrs or more. i'm guessing that means more than 290 hours but less than 300. that will change before the end of 2022 i'm sure.

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this is similar to what i said on instagram but i feel like not a lot of people look at hollow & ghost’s relationship from a perspective of fear and guilt. to both ghost and hollow they are each the only living vessel they’d seen at the start of the game (for hollow, probably at all.) ghost slipping and falling to their death (at least that’s what it looks like to hollow) would weigh so much guilt on their shoulders. and when they finally see each other again and hollow realizes ghost survived, even through the radiances influence and control for a brief moment, hollow feels relief and comfort. only once. AND THEN KILLING THE RADIANCE KILLS GHOST FOR REAL. “should have been me” kind of survivors’ guilt with hollow no i will not shut up ever

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also while we're on the subject of bug anatomy and genitalia...

hk fandom: the wyrm's crown is part of his mouth/mandibles!

me: did you know that most lepidopteran (i.e. moth and butterfly) males have claspers around their genitalia?

me: did you know that the claspers of the male regal moth look like this

also me: did you know that the larval form of the regal moth, known as the hickory horned devil, has spiky bits that have a lot in common with the exterior of the cast-off shell?

did you consider that when you walk inside the cast-off shell, you find an egg sack? which pk apparently hatched from?

also im not 100% sure if the colosseum is part of the wyrm's corpse or not, but if it IS, it's definitely the front end, cuz it has eyes:

conclusion: pk's crown is actually his dick, thanks for coming to my ted talk.

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in unrelated news, i have done far, far too much research into various aspects of arthropod reproduction over the past hour and a half. insect dicks are fucking wild

when will bad dragon make one of these bad boys.

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original tags: also why is everything tentacle dicks i can't believe i'm saying this but i'm so BORED of tentacle dickslet's get WEIRD people!!!horny on mainmonster fuckerworld buildingstory ideasme: why don't i just do a ton of research and invent an entire psycho-social paradigm for this fantasy species so i can write weird smutwhy doesn't anybody ELSE do a ton of research and invent an entire social paradigm for their weird smut

not to be a monsterfucker on main, but why doesn't anybody ever play with nonhuman anatomy in fantasy/sci-fi stories. like. why did you decide that fucking bugs kiss each other with their lips and bite each other with their teeth, real life bugs don't have lips or proper teeth and if you just sat and thought about it you could probably come up with a very interesting equivalent that uses actual bug anatomy and social behavior.

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[Now on YouTube!]

The full version of my interpretation of Myla's song ("Bury my mother, pale and slight..."), based on the tune she hums. Sung by me (at 2am) (with a cold). I'm… actually pretty proud of how this turned out!

Context: When the city was condemned, were the miners still in Crystal Peak left outside? Did they wonder what happened to their families left within? Did they sing for them? For the knight and dreamers whose memorial they may once have seen? For the desperate hope for a brighter future? Even just a chance to mourn?

Additional Context: The really fun thing about rounds is how one by one the voices inevitably die off until there is only one remaining. :)

(I really didn't expect so many people to want to hear the whole thing! Many thanks to The Embraced One and Camellia Flingert on Youtube, whose recordings of Crystal Peak ambience provided the perfect background noise/pickaxes/ominous rumbling.)

Full lyrics under the cut.

Ma-na-na, ni-ne-na, ye-mi-ye-ta Ma-na-na, ni-ne-na, yo-na-la (Ke-ti-ya) ma-na-na, ni-ne-na, ye-mi-ye-ta Ye-le-ki, ye-la-ka, no-na-na ye-le-ko

[Chorus:] None shall enter, none shall leave, the king has sealed our kin. But we yet breathe, unite and grieve and sing for those within. Gates will open; we take hope and mourn ‘till morning comes. Soon the knight will bring the day – it’s this the crystal hums!

Oh, bury my mother, pale and slight, Bury my father with his eyes shut tight, Bury my sisters two by two, And then when you're done, let's bury me too!

Oh, bury the knight with her broken nail, Bury the lady, lovely and pale, Bury the priest in his tattered gown, Then bury the beggar with his shining crown!

[Chorus]

Oh, bury the traitor marred by pride, Bury his daughter at her lover’s side, Bury the sage and his sons all three, But save by their grave a space for me!

Oh, bury the smith and his blood-soaked art, Bury the writer with a broken heart, Bury the fool with their shield stained red, But ask them thrice to be sure that they are dead!

[Chorus]

[As a round] Oh, bury the teacher in her hallowed hall, Bury the watcher in his tower tall, Bury the beast in her silken cave, Then bury the one who dug their graves.

Ma-na-na, ni-ne-na, ye-mi-ye-ta Ma-na-na, ni-ne-na, yo-na-la (Ke-ti-ya) ma-na-na, ni-ne-na, ye-mi-ye-ta Ye-le-ki, ye-la-ka, no-na-na ye-le-ko

...

This started as a ditty to sing while chopping wood and ended with three separate ambience loops, boss scream cameos from the Radiance and the Crystal Guardian, and the realization that the official soundtrack has a perfectly good cover of someone going na-na-na to the tune of the main theme already, why not throw that into the chorus somewhere quietly while we're at it…

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prev tags: i see him and im just like you are my dad! you're my dad! boogie woogie woogie

DAY 17: PROTECT

He's just doing his best...

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Nice cloak you got there

Doodle related to my huge list of headcanons for the Vessels

Basics are that the inside of their cloak changes color when they mature. In that conclusion Ghost is technically an adult, but they kept their baby size

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original tags: i haven't even gotten to the final phase of the battle yet and i KNOW i am gonna struggle so hard with it i hate the aerial shit i hate stuff that doesn't have a ground also why i'm not looking forward to eventually completing the path of pain fanfic authors that give radi a redemption story; you are stronger and far more forgiving than i

Why torture yourself, aren't games supposed to be fun?

feeling like i am getting better is fun! and if i'm really frustrated with her i only do one run, it's just. i don't want to forget the skills/muscle memory that have let me get as far as i have

like. if it becomes genuinely something that makes me not want to keep playing or where i'm like "i wanna play but i don't want to have to fight the radiance beforehand" then i'll stop doing it, but for now it's kind of like. a reminder that i haven't done this thing yet and i need to practice.

that said, how does anybody EVER beat the radiance i literally have spent at least four hours JUST trying to fight her and i feel like i've barely gotten anywhere ;_;

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literally every time i want to play hollow knight i make myself have a go at the radiance first, and i've started referring to it in my head as "the radiance tax" and.

it is SO ANNOYING.