#((question is: were they like that before or after coming to Hallownest)?))

[hello-universe-lovers]

Traveling outside of Hallownest problem no.2:

BOUNTIES

Ghost has...a reputation, prior to coming to Hallownest. They never cared about what other bugs thought of them before. And so they gathered...a lot of people wanting them dead. It wasn't a problem before because they walked alone. But now with a whole crew...they're gonna have to be careful with what town they stop at.

BONUS, THEIR REACTION TO SEEING GHOST'S WANTED POSTER.

[mrspiffy123]

Hollow Knight's Adventures with Dewi

"Okay, dad! I'm heading out to the woods for a bit!" Dewi threw his bag over his shoulders and tied up his boots. He wanted to spend every possible moment in Hallownest that he could. His dad called back, "Again? You've gone out every day for the past month… just be sure you have your walkie talkie so I can reach you." Dewi was already halfway through the door as he shouted back, "Don't worry, I got it!" and leapt out of the front door, heading back to the cave to meet up with Ghost, Hornet, and all is other insectoid friends.

After some time, Dewi reached the cave Hornet had first brought him to. He'd gotten better at navigating with each visit. Just as Dewi was grabbing the flashlight out of his backpack, he heard a rustle coming from behind. Whatever it was, it sounded much larger than the squirrels and small prey he was used to seeing. He quickly turned around, but didn't see anything. Dewi held the flashlight close in case he needed to bonk anything and run. Suddenly, from a bush popped up to… horn? Antlers? They didn't look like any animal Dewi had seen before. Quickly, the rest of the figure followed until out from the bush appeared… a small, cloaked child. They looked even younger than Dewi, and the wooden mask they wore looked exactly like his friend, Little Ghost.

"Uh… hi?" Dewi lowered his flashlight.

The figure nodded.

"Sorry, I was just… um… meeting some friends here. Do- do you know them? They go by Hornet and Little Ghost- er, just Ghost… I guess"

They nodded again, this time more enthusiastically. The figure pointed to itself.

"You do know them? That's why you're wearing that mask, right?"

They shook their head and again pointed at themselves.

"You… Ghost, is that actually you?"

The figure nodded and walked up to Dewi. Even though Dewi could now see eyes through the mask, their gaze remained empty as usual. He did, however, notice a small sword hanging by their side. "You, still have your sword I see… no, what did Hornet call it? A nail! Though… I guess sword would be more appropriate now." Ghost followed Dewi's gaze and slowly unsheathed the sword. It hesitated in almost every action, like every movement was a conscious effort.

The sword was real, no doubt about it, but it was a far cry from the glowing, pure white metal either of them were used to. The edge was noticeably sharp, but the blade itself was made from a dull, gray alloy. As Ghost put the sword back in its sheathe, Dewi couldn't help but keep asking questions, "What's happening? Did this happen to anyone else? Are they okay? Are you okay? What's going on?" Ghost waited for Dewi to catch his breath before simply shaking their head once. "Nothing, you don't even know or why this happened? W-what's the last thing you remember? Can you act it out?" The little one thought for a moment. It took a step back and started mimicking vague actions. Old habits die hard, it seems, for even with its new limbs and dexterity, Ghost couldn't manage much beyond stiffly waving its arms about.

"I'm sorry, I- I'm not getting anything from that. You can stop." Ghost came back and sat on a nearby rock. The two sat together in silence for a minute, both trying to process what they've found themselves in. After a while, Dewi took off his backpack and began rifling around in it, "Are you… hungry? Do you still need to eat? Did you need to eat before?" Just as he asked, the two heard a rumbling straight from the little one's stomach! Ghost nearly fell off its seat in shock before quickly readying a hand on its sword. Dewi just let out a small chuckle, "I guess that answers all three! Here! It's the best thing I could pack this early in the morning." He handed Ghost a small foil packet. It took the packet, and simply… held it.

"Oh, right. You're probably not used to wrapping, let me get that for you," Dewi grabbed the snack and tore the top open to reveal two pink frosted poptarts. He handed one to Ghost, who again gave nothing but an empty gaze. "It… goes in here," Dewi pointed at his mouth a took a bite from his own poptart to demonstrate. Ghost followed suit, slipping the confection under its mask and pulling it back to reveal a small chunk taken from the corner. "Now chew it, like this," Dewi started chewing through his food, heavily exaggerating the motion. It took Ghost a moment to figure out the movements, but it eventually got a hang of the process. Dewi tried explaining the rest through a mouthful of frosting and jam filling, "now, you shwallow…" He grabbed his water bottle to wash down the rest. He was about to offer it to Ghost before seeing it clearly struggle to figure out the mechanics of swallowing. Dewi couldn't help but giggle at his friend so clearly out of its element.

"Dewi? Ghost? Is that you, little ones?" The two whipped around towards the voice. Behind them stood a woman much taller than Dewi. Her perfect posture would have made her look quite elegant if it wasn't for the ragged cloak she was wearing. In her hands were a ring and a small harpoon, both attached by a long thread of twine, and she wore a mask just like Ghost, only ceramic instead of wood. Dewi recognized her voice immediately, and her mask was unmistakable. Whatever happened to Ghost, it had happened to her too.

"Hornet!" Dewi nearly leapt at her with a hug. She tried to stop him, but the kid's enthusiasm broke through her guard and toppled them both to the ground. "Dewi, please refrain from doing that again! I am not yet familiar with having only four limbs." She nearly had to pry Dewi off her. "Sorry! You don't know how long I've waited for that, now that we're the same size! Well… human sized, at least," he did his best to help Hornet as she slowly got up from the dirt.

"Dewi, what have you done. How have you made us both higher beings such as yourself?" Hornet straightened her mask and dusted off her cloak.

"I didn't do anything! I don't know how to turn bugs into humans!" Dewi was getting increasingly exhausted with Hornet's insistence on Dewi's status as a "higher being". He sat back down on his tree stump, defeated. "To be honest, I kinda hoped I'd get to be a bug and explore Hallownest with you guys. That place sounds so cool…"

"I wouldn't wish such things, Dewi. Even after you and Little Ghost triumphed over the Radiance, Hallownest is still a dangerous place. With your luck, you would wind up alone, or worse, stuck with Lemm." Dewi perked up at the name, "Who's Lemm?" Even in the current situation, he couldn't stop asking about Hallownest. "Just a crotchety old hermit. Lives in the City of Tears, hoarding and obsessing over his relics. I do not believe he would take kindly to your presence, Dewi. Apologies, I did not mean that as an insult."

"Uh… none taken? Oh! You're probably hungry! Ghost is it okay if I…" he plucked the poptart out of Ghost's hands. It hadn't taken more than that first bite, anyway. "Here!"

"What is this?" Hornet eyed the pastry with suspicion.

"It's food!" Dewi continued to offer it with a smile, "it might be a little sweet, but I really like them!" Hornet grabbed the popart cautiously before breaking off a piece and slipping it under her mask, being sure to keep her face hidden from Dewi. She chewed for only a few seconds before spitting on the ground.

"PLEH! This is the food of higher beings!? Is this even natural?!" She was kind enough to give it back to Dewi instead of the ants.

"Well… my dad says they have all kinds of preservatives. He doesn't like me eating too many. Calls them 'an affront to the natural order' but I think they're really tasty!" He breaks a piece off for himself before giving it back to Ghost who continues to hold it absentmindedly. "Here, have some water," he offers the bottle to Hornet.

She grabs the bottle, "This is simply water? Not another disgusting concoction of higher beings?"

"Well you don't have to be mean about it… but yeah, it's just water." He takes the bottle when Hornet's finished and sets it back in his back. He offers Hornet a seat at their new, impromptu meeting spot, to which Hornet silently obliges.

"Dewi, we need to know what is happening, and we are unfamiliar with your world. We do not know if this has happened to anyone else, or who. Are you willing to guide us?"

@lilybug-02 @violetthunderstorm

[progenycursed]

Chapter 4.5

The pale king stood watch over the palace from his perch on the empty balcony. The cavern stretching above, it’s distant gems reflecting the palace light, his light, appearing as stars deep underground. The palace fanned out over the majority of the cavern floor. Though much of it was hidden in mist, he could sense every building, every mind, every footstep or dropped plate, every speck of soul and essence drifting into the air. Though he gave his new body sight, it was never his first means to see the world. He was always distantly aware of how many and who was in the palace at any given time. So he felt the moment the White Lady entered the cavern below.

The setae along his body curled into his carapace. The thick binding he covered himself in was all that stood between the floor and certain destruction by means of his tail burrowing into it. She hadn’t been to the palace in sectors. Though they were always connected by their shared soul, he always missed when she was near. A feeling even his dread for what was to come, could not fully stamp out. Though it did muffle it severely.

He knew his mind would spiral into that dread if he let it. And the White Lady was not the fastest when it came to movement speed. Plenty of time to spiral to a place he did not wish to go again. Instead, he opted to think about their history.

Their relationship was a unique one in many ways. It was uncommon for a higher being to tolerate other higher beings. Unheard of for them to actually like each other.

The mortals saw them as a romantic couple, but neither of them had the capacity for that kind of love. Both of their kinds left their partners after mating. As it wasn’t a partner, it was a threat to the survival of their offspring.

New born saplings were expected to take care of themselves the moment they emerged. Their siblings just competition for resources, including what little attention their parent was willing to provide. A second parent would only steal resources from the saplings.

A new born wrym was costly, requiring constant food, attention, and safety for hundreds of cycles. And worship meant little to the bottomless stomach of a fledgling god. The requirements for two adults and minimum of two offspring, would lead to environmental devastation. Condemning any nearby civilization to die if it wasn't consumed already.

His parent had been unique. Earth-Shaker had enough power and territory to feel confident in raising two offspring simultaneously. Having a newborn even when their last offspring was still a juvenile with many hundreds of cycles to go before full independence. They were all very close, they taught him how to hunt, gather, subjugate, and fight. For his first hundred cycles he had never been alone.

He knew what is was to love a parent, a sibling, even followers. But no idea how to love the way the mortals thought how he loved the White Lady. It had been lost to Hallownest history how their relationship first started. Yet he remembered vividly. She annoyed him, at every moment she could, with her constant offer to breed with him.

But she was persistent, and patient. She grew on him, sometimes literally. They could spend days together. One talking about their new interest while the other not only listened, but engaged. Understanding and asking questions. They began to enjoy each others company, even in silence. The White Lady even lessened her ‘offers’ to breed. They built Hallownest together. Became the inseparable monarchs of a thriving civilization.

Until recently.

“My wrym,” her voice rang like wind through leaves. She walked onto the balcony, her bindings draping across her form like a dress. A cluster of her roots erupting from the back, complimenting the crown of elegant branches that defined her silhouette.

Her soul curled around him like her roots, prying into any cracks it could find, any hint to what he was feeling. He’d closed himself off so much for this plan, she couldn’t feel his emotions anymore then the vessel could. Even her essence pressed against his, like a warm embrace inviting him to relax.

“My root,” he rushed out as he turned away from her. Causing a guilt that weighed down his stomach to mingle with the anticipation that was churning his insides. It was a sickening combination. He was grateful his foresight had warned him not to eat. Not like he’d done that in cycles anyway.

“You requested my aid?” She joined him in gazing out over the cavern.

Though she stood next to him, it felt as if the chasm itself stood between them. Like the void on his hands, like the Radiance within the minds of their people, their relationship had been tainted. Being the monarchs they were, they had come up with the plan together. They were in it together, but he was the one to enact it. He was the one who knew how to fight, the one who could create the spells and glyphs to hold their ancient enemy. The god of the mind, capable of sensing the thoughts and emotions of any creature no matter how small. Something a vessel needed to lack for the plan to work.

It was just a vessel. Yet he still found himself here, brought low by primal instincts that he still couldn't stamp out. He shouldn’t need to bring her into this. She shouldn’t have to suffer like him. He could feel her gaze bore into him. He couldn’t meet it. Not with what he needed to request.

“I ask that you check the vessels purity,” he curled into himself. Even beneath the bindings, his tail dug into the stone floors.

A pause. He could only image what thoughts she hid behind her eyes.

“Who performed the tests?” She finally asked.

“I did.” He remembered watching as the vessel stood motionless for arks when given the puzzle sphere. It hadn’t even looked down at it after he left. The way it threw itself at Drya for even longer. Only stopping when it’s body failed it. Void shivered on and off all the way to the springs, but underneath there was nothing. No curiosity, no irritation, no heartbeat, no muscles, no organs, no breath, no soul, no hint of anything alive within.

It was just a vessel.

“All of them?” Her roots began to reach across the floor. He wanted to reach out, to feel the comfort in her touch. He curled tighter into himself.

It was just a vessel. A dead body dictated by void, only the imprints in its mask and lingering fragments of animalistic instincts left untouched. It was just a test.

His claws tore into its skin like silk. Deep gouges digging through its mask with little resistance. It was flung back into the spring. Its waters unable to heal the wounds before it had to crawl out.

It was just void. No different than what already stained his claws. Yet he could still feel its blood on them. Still feel the stains after countless washes as the sensation seemed to burrow into his carapace.

“Which was missed?” She kept her voice level, diplomatic. The voice of a Queen addressing her court.

It was just a vessel. An empty container to imprison the Radiance. It stood before him, shivering from fatigue, void spilling from its many wounds, quickly staining the front of its cloak.

It was just a test. A simple movement, a small pressure, and data. All he had to do was reach forward with razor sharp claws…

“The final phase of the pain test,” she must think him weak. At least he could be confident that she wouldn’t attack him like any other higher being would.

She shifted, her regal tone slipped. Concern and warmth slipping between the formalities. Something he hadn’t heard in what felt like an age. One the sickening lump in his abdomen told him he didn’t deserve.

“But that test must be performed to appraise the vessels reaction to extreme stimuli,” Her hand brushed across what most bugs called his forehead, across what only a higher being of light could see. A single scar where his light shown a little darker.

“I know,” he pulled away. He still remembered that day, that vessel, that lesson. “But I was unable to complete the task.”

It was just a vessel. An empty mask filled with his antithesis. The emptiness that would consume him with as much vigor as his nemesis if given the chance.

“It just looked so…”

It starred up at him.

It was just waiting for orders.

Shaking.

It was just fatigue.

Bleeding.

It was just a test.

Waiting for what he would do next. Helpless to stop it.

It was just a c-

“Please,” his throat felt dry. “As it’s other creator, as another god of life, you may have a different connection than I. You may sense something I can not.”

It wasn’t his, it was just a tool.

Her roots wrapped around his tail, gently prying it from the floor and curling around it. Her soul reaching for his. Sympathy, concern, longing. How could he ask this of her?

When she next spoke, it was no longer as the queen, but as his root. “Do you truly believe there could be a mind within?” He could feel a flicker of hope within her soul. He was ashamed he put it there.

“Or is there another reason for this doubt?” The flicker dimmed, tempered by cycles of disappointment. Cycles waiting above an empty cradle that would never be filled. Her roots coiled around his tail, holding it tight.

It was supposed to be a vessel. A means to save his people from a tyrant who lost a popularity contest he wasn’t even aware was happening.

“I…” Yet he could not stamp out the false hope, the doubt, that it could be more than just a vessel.

“I need to know for certain.” He was selfish, foolish, cruel even for asking this of her. He was supposed to be better than this. The price was his to pay.

Her soul reached forward again. Trying to connect like they had before this bleak plan. He pulled away. She didn’t need to know how close he was to failing. How much he wanted-

Her roots tightened around his tail “I can do this for you,” she whispered.

A tension released from his body. One he didn’t know he had been holding. Yet his chest felt heaver than ever.

“Thank you,” he wanted nothing more than for all his feelings to burrow into the abyss and die. It already felt like much of him had.

She didn’t let go right away. Didn’t move to leave the palace, return to her gardens. She just stood by him and watched the mist swirl in the cavern around them. He missed this, wanted her to stay with him more often, to be as open with each other as they used to. But he couldn’t ask that of her. To share a home with a creature that wore the face of her dead child. Not after what she had been through.

“Do you think it possible?” Her voice quiet, with a flicker of hesitation. He dared to glance up to her. Her eyes were distant. “That the void could do what we could not?”

It was a thought that had been in his mind since the first vessels crawled out of their egg within the abyss. One that reasserted itself with every vessel that failed. Feeding a hope that shouldn’t have been there. One that should have died when the first ‘pure’ vessel did.

Even in its final moments, with all the evidence that created doubt, he never sensed a mind. Never felt emotions. Never heard a sound out of them in reality or dreams.

“Which would be the brighter path?”

A bitter laugh caught in his throat, only silenced by the tightness in his chest. The void opposed time, it was immune even to his foresight. Blanketing everything it touched in a fog of uncertainty and shadows. The brightest paths were the only clears ones, the ones that fell to the Radiance. The only chance for the kingdoms salvation lay within the darkness. In paths he couldn’t clearly see.

If it was more than just a vessel, then the kingdom was doomed. Tens of thousands would succumb to her plague of mind, would be lost to her dream forever. Everything he and Root worked for, wiped from the world. But they would have a child.

It should be an easy decision. A choice with the clearest of outcomes.

Yet some sick part of himself held on to that vain hope.

Maybe she would find something. Maybe it could be more than a vessel.

He wanted to answer her, tell her something reassuring, but he didn’t know what would do that. His foresight couldn’t help him, his instincts couldn’t be silenced, his emotions couldn’t be hidden. Not from her.

“I do not know,” it was all he could say.

She shifted to move closer, but stopped. Instead, she just squeezed his tail once more. He was grateful, her gentle touch, her comforting presence, would break the last strands of resolve he had left for this plan. He couldn’t afford to break, Hallownest couldn’t afford him to break. No matter what it cost him, he had to save his people.

[bubba-draws]

Ok I'll bite; in the Radi Vessel AU, what would Hollow's relationship with Ghost be? Would they be hostile toward them, welcoming as long as they don't try and stop them, or protective toward them to try and make up for the past? Heck, I could even see in that case Radi!Hollow trying to keep Ghost at their side at all times and learning to gaslight them into staying with them?

OK SO It took me a bit to answer this because to me the relationship between Ghost and Hollow is very unusual, especially bc of personal Headcanons I have about them

To me Ghost and Hollow were somewhat closer the moment both of them hatched in the Abyss, maybe not 100% attached to each other, but they still did care about the other, up until Hollow was picked by PK and they just decided to go with him, not thinking too much about their decision at that moment bc, well, you cannot expect a kid to take good decisions HAKDHAJD

I don't think Ghost felt betrayed? Just very confused as to why their sibling isn't there anymore? and lonely because there was barely any living vessel down there and the ones that lived didn't want anything to do with them (kinda like when u take a puppy from their litter and it misses their presence)

After they escaped the Abyss and went out of Hallownest, Ghost would eventually forget about Hollow (because bugs that leave Hallownest lose their memories), in the other hand though, Hollow does remember Ghost, and as they grew older they would always wonder happened to them (They were definitely dead, right? Just like the rest of their siblings down there, right?) But as the Hollow Knight they forbid themselves to think too much about it and then as the Radiance Vessel there was no point on wondering, even if they left the Abyss to exist, they could no longer go there, for their light was dangerous to the void and vice versa, if they were dead finding their mask was hopeless, if they were alive they would def try and attack them or hide from them

In the game Ghost comes back to Hallownest bc of Hollow no longer being able to hold on the Radiance, their scream (or rather Radi's scream, though I'd like to think part of the call came from them as well, even if they don't really have a voice?? It's weird ahskshdjd bc to me rather than following the call of the Radiance it was the vessels trying to find the sibling that called bc they're in lot of pain) calling the vessels towards them, if we go by this au, it would be because Ghost would accidentally stumble back into Hallownest, no call to answer, just coming to a kingdom that is far too eerie

At this point I am not sure how they reach their meeting, but I know it's not gonna be a pleasant one. It would take time for Hollow to recognize Ghost, but by the time they do they wouldn't just accept them with open arms, mostly bc I think at this point Ghost tried to pull an Ultrakill in the kingdom AJDJAKFBSKJG so it's a bunch of mixed feelings

But when the anger of their reunion dies down I think the guilt Hollow felt back then would crawl back, the thoughts they stopped from forming many times finally appear and the grief they were trying to ignore comes in waves, bc hey, the sibling they missed was alive all along! But they don't seem to remember them at all and is 100% down to throw fists

So, to summarize: First there's hostility, then guilt and sadness, then annoyance at Ghost's attempts to fight Hollow but also protectiveness because despite everything, Hollow wants to give Ghost the life Hollow wish they could've had (plus if somehow they make Ghost not wanting to attack anything Radi related then maybe they can use that as a case so Radi can let Hollow search for any other sibling that may stay still alive)

All of that could happen if Hornet does not intercede Ghost before they go bonkers in Hallownest HAKDHSJD

Hopefully this answered ur question! If u got any more or any ideas you'd like to share I'm open to hear them :3

[bluegekk0]

Does the Grimmchild exist in your FPK AU?

(sorry if this was asked before-)

Yes, but not in the way most of the fandom sees it. It's not a child of Grimm, it is simply one of the stages in his physical body's cycle. The name is meant to differentiate between his mature form and its previous stage, so it's not meant to be taken literally as "Grimm's child". It doesn't grow gradually, instead it morphs into the full form once it consumes enough nightmare essence. The way I imagine it is that it gets engulfed by flame and then the fully mature body appears in its place. Then Grimm's old body burns down and its flame gets consumed by the new one.

The Grimmchild itself is an incomplete body, and although it shares the mind with Grimm (as does any physical manifestation of NKG, as they're all the same being; The Nightmare Heart is simply a source of power, so it is also technically part of that being), it is more like a drone than a living being at that point. It does what it was created to do - to consume flame and grow into its final stage. It can't speak and simply follows whoever holds the Grimmchild charm. As for the charm itself, it works a bit differently than in the game. It's more like a mark than a way to spawn the Grimmchild, and anyone tasked with helping with the ritual wears it to signify their mission. However, if the charm breaks, the Grimmchild loses focus and if it doesn't find its way back to Grimm, it gets destroyed to make way for a new Grimmchild (to prevent Grimm from wasting time trying to bring it back). This is why the Grimmchild that followed Ghost for a while ceased to exist after they entered Godhome and defeated The Radiance. Grimm was forced to complete the ritual elsewhere, as the additional nightmare essence collected by the Grimmkin during the ritual was not enough to restart it.*

So in short, Grimmchild is a thing in the AU, but it's not a separate being. And since the ritual happens outside of Dirtmouth, it doesn't interact with the rest of the family.

---

Some additional rambling below the cut, not really related to the question:

* - I say collected by the Grimmkin since in the AU they do that every time a ritual takes place. Extra nightmare essence comes in handy since it speeds up every ritual, allowing Grimm to get a hold of a fresh new body way sooner. But it's not enough for a complete ritual, which is why he's forced to travel to other lands, with dead kingdoms/towns being perfect territories as that's where the essence tends to linger. The essence is primarily attracted to nightmares, which is why it can be found in smaller amounts in places that aren't dead, but it tends to linger and swarm in places which experienced death and tragedy. Using Hallownest as an example, the death associated with the infection attracted the essence, which made it a very good ritual ground. However, as it slowly returned to life after The Radiance was defeated, it stopped being a breeding ground for the nightmare essence. The essence can still be harvested from the bugs living in it as they experience nightmares, but it's not enough for a ritual, which forces Grimm to travel elsewhere to collect more once it's time for a ritual.

I'm also toying with the idea that Grimm's relationship with the essence is kind of similar to a predator-prey interaction. I do love the idea that the nightmare essence, as well as other similar concepts like the dream essence, soul, void and lifeblood, were there first before the existence of their corresponding gods. I'm still brainstorming the details so I'll leave that for another time. But in short, since Grimm relies so heavily on the essence (unlike other gods which evolved to draw their power directly from their higher plane), he has to make sure the essence remains in balance, which is why he chooses lands with an excess of it as ritual grounds. It's like how overhunting can negatively affect the ecosystem, there needs to be a balance between the predator and prey populations. This might be a bit convoluted now, but I want to sit down and properly explain it in the AU info page

---

Also as a little additional note, the wings and long tail on Lewk are inherited from the Grimmchild form. I'm not exactly sure how the genetics would work there, but perhaps those traits are still present in his final body as some kind of recessive gene (or an equivalent of it), making it possible for his biological children to inherit them. The extra fluff all over the body could also be one of those traits, as his mature form has fur only on his limbs, tail and face.

This is different to what's present in Vyrm's new form. His new body is basically like a new organism, instead of the old form morphing into his current body. This is why he left a carcass of it behind after changing forms. For that reason, none of his children show traits found in the rest of his species, such as elongated bodies and the weird mouth structure.

That being said, there are some traits still found within his new form, which makes sense since he used the old body as a base for his reduced form. For example, since he's leucistic and wyrms are normally brown in the AU, I like the idea that this is one of the genetic traits that remained in his new body. Perhaps that's why Asta has dark brown fur all over her body - instead of that color coming from Grimm, she inherited the gene for dark skin from Vyrm, which results in a much darker fur than her two brothers.

[vulturereyy]

In your Lurimol head cannon, what is Lurien's relationship with the other 4 Great Knights after he and Hegemol get together? Do they interact more? Or is he just on their peripheral as an important member of the court who also happens to be important to Hegemol?

I can imagine if they didn't pay much attention to Lurien before, that at least Ogrim and Isma would check on him every once in a while after Hegemol succumbed to the infection.

HOOOOOGH thank you so much for this ask because holy shit I think so much about the other knights even if I don't post, and this answer is going to Hurt Me in the most bittersweet way. This is going to be a long one, because I feel like there's a lot of context in my 'canon' that influences how these questions can get answered.

To set the stage first and foremost: In my timeline, Ze'mer is the only one who knows about Lurien and Hegemol's relationship up until the very tail end of it. Ze'mer is the closest to Hegemol out of all the knights, as in my timeline she was the second to join the Pale King's service. Hegemol was responsible for getting her settled in the kingdom, and the two developed a mutually close bond that culminated in them both essentially considering themselves kindred. Hegemol, likewise, is the only one who knows about Ze'mer's relationship with the Traitor Lord's Daughter for a while, though Ze'mer does eventually tell Isma as well.

Lurien's relationship with the remaining Great Knights is cordial and friendly, though I feel he would be hesitant to call any of them friends. The man is quite private, and guards his sense of trust like a hound wounded. He is far from unfriendly towards them, and does trust them with his protection if needed, but does not let them into his personal life. He would have been closest to Ogrim and Isma next given their proximity to the city, though I feel he would have had a high preference for dealing with the latter of the two. This may be a lackluster answer, but I do feel like he would have been far more coworkers with the other four than anyone else. Hegemol and Lurien kept their relationship extremely private, and for good reason:

Both agreed it was an extreme conflict of interest.

Both agreed that they would have to make sure it was not.

Hallownest would always have to come first for the two of them. Hallownest would always have to be the first choice in any decision, without hesitation. That was their duty, after all: to serve their kingdom. The moment they faltered from that path, in their minds, they would have to take measures to ensure that another misstep would not happen again.

The reason that Hegemol and Lurien never let themselves be seen together, never let themselves have a single date in public. They never even let themselves even truly label their own relationship mutually (even though the words 'I love you' were writ in every single cup of tea shared, every single night spent listening to the rain, every single extra hour lain in bed if only to get some more rest beside each other).

The Watcher and his Knight loved Hallownest above all else. Even as they cultivated a small sliver of rebellion together in the form of gentle touches behind velvet curtains, and whispered dates in shops long since closed for the day. They had to love Hallownest above all else, as that was their duty. That was their purpose. That was who they had sworn fealty to. Not the King, not the Lady, but the protection of their Kingdom.

Which is what makes the reveal of their relationship so painfully bitter, when that sense of duty was stripped from anything the Pale King revealed about them.

Hegemol was the most outspoken of the Five against the vessel plan. He was born and raised in a loving family, who ingrained in him from a very young age that all life is precious, and the right to a mind was not only intrinsic, but could be instilled over time. Hegemol was born before Hallownest, before the Pale King granted bugs higher minds. I fully believe there were still some small societies (as evidenced by the fact other bugs can go beyond the kingdom and still be mentally able to hold meaningful social bonds). Hegemol grew up watching bugs that were far more instinctual 'beasts' become more worldly with the gift of masks and the ability to focus themselves. For those reasons alone (there are others, but for simplicity's sake because I know I'm rambling), he voiced active opposition to the plan.

The Pale King, meanwhile, has the gift of foresight. In my canon, he knows that the vessel plan and the Hollow Knight is the only way Hallownest survives, even if it is... In shambles. He does not have the time to consistently defend himself against Hegemol, as much as he (very secretly) applauds his knight's sense of will that he would go against him like this. Hegemol is a testament to the Pale King's triumph through instilling such emotion in a former kingdom of beasts... But now, that mind could spell the downfall of Hallownest.

PK is no fool (at least in this instance). He knows the reputation Hegemol has garnered, especially among his fellow knights, is very well founded. He knows that they look to him for guidance, for example, as a revered older brother who is far, far closer to them than he, as king, would ever be. PK knows keenly the doubts in his judgement that Hegemol has sown into the other's minds, and it's for this reason that he has to nip them at their source.

(My PK has a LOT of mixed feelings about this. This is NOT an easy thing for him to do. But because I also plan to explore this as a main focus in my fic, I want to save all of that struggle and strife for WCWTD ;) )

The way that the other knights (sans Ze'mer) find out about Lurien and Hegemol's relationship is through the Pale King holding it up as leverage to discredit Hegemol's judgement. He uses it as a way to wither away any of the questions the knights had growing on their mind; because to them, this came as a shock. If Hegemol had hid his relationship from them... Then what their king says about it clouding his judgement may have been true. That he was fighting fang and claw against the plan because he did not want to lose his secret lover. This distrust does not happen quickly, but it does come to fruition. Especially when Hegemol succumbs further to the infection and is rendered unable to continue his protests. PK turns their opinions against him, despite how much he and Lurien worked, mutually, to avoid such a fate. And it. Hurts.

To answer your last question, I think Lurien would have isolated himself further after Hegemol's death. I think he would have been gutted not only by the loss of his beloved, but by the betrayal of his king that had to go alongside it. The night of Hegemol's death and PK's plot coming to light is the first and only time Lurien has ever uttered the words 'Hallownest be damned', alone and grieving in his tower. I think he would have refused to see Isma and Ogrim personally, though they would try to at least ensure through conversations with Aedmond, Lurien's butler, that he was still doing... Well enough. Of all the knights, with Hegemol gone, I think Ze'mer would be the only one he would ever allow to step foot in his tower after this, knowing that she and Hegemol were close, and she was likely the only one who admitted to him that she had lost faith in the king, but could see no other way to save Hallownest. And even then, the only time she visited would be to offer him a private trip to Hegemol's grave in the Howling Cliffs, and to leave him with a flower. One to match the bloom she buried alongside her best friend.

Lurien would never take her up on this offer before he became a Dreamer, knowing himself too well that he would have refused to go through the plan if he had to dwell on what transpired any longer.

Eternal sleep was likely a welcome relief for the Watcher.

[nonuggetshere]

HELLO AGAIN i just scrolled through your faaf au tag for about 15 minutes straight and i would like to ask.

what the hell is going on there. pls explain

KDHDJDJD YEAH THATS A VALID REACTION

So the basic premise is that Pure Vessel (who is names Flower in this AU) is outed to not be hollow before the sealing

Some key points:

They're like 5 years older than Hornet, who also knew about them being alive and helped them sneak out so they could get a break

They have a secret relationship with two people, Petunia and Lummis, who Flower keeps in the dark about their true nature and the whole vessel project

The secret comes out around their 21st birthday, on the day they were supposed to be sealed. They panic during their knighting ceremony and grab the sword before running off. PK doesn't react well.

They tell their partners everything afterwards, and they react considerably better to this reveal

Their relationship with their parents was...alright but complicated, until the reveal. Afterwards, PK and WL pull away from them. Flower's relationship with them (and generally relationship dynamics exploration) is the main theme of this AU. PK cares about them and wants to keep them close and safe, but it hurts to keep them too close, so he makes them a regular guard at the palace.

They find Ghost and the two of them team up to kick Radiance's ass (she's alive and in Hallownest, just. Mortal now)

This ignoring and being treated like a servant eventually gets too much for Flower and it all comes to a head when they challenge their father to a duel that gets a little too violent and personal. They lose, and as he walks away they yell at him and beg him to just look at them when they're talking to him. He doesn't, which is just more salt in the wound.

Afterwards Flower leaves the palace and cuts contact with their parents for a few years. Obviously at this point the two realise they fucked up and try to apologise but it's way too late.

After some therapy and a few near death experiences that make Flower realise their parents care, they decide to give bending their relationship another go. They take their parents into the Abyss to show them what they went through, and also they sign up for family therapy.

Afterwards it focuses on them rebuilding their relationship and Flower's own little family they've built for themself

There's a bunch of other stuff but that's the most basic bare bones and quick explanation I could give so I'm not here 2+ hours, sorry if it makes little sense it's almost 7 am here LMAO

If you have any specific questions lmk 👍

I am writing a more comprehensible summary and a detailed timeline for the AU but it's gonna be long ways away before that's ready

[featherlouise]

I ask this like every person who's into HK that I follow so I'm also dropping this question off at your feet too;

How do you think Hollow's reunion with White Lady would go after the whole Radiance/sealing fiasco? Perhaps Pale King too if the fucker's alive?

FUCK ITS BEEN A WHILE SINCE U ASKED THIS HUH

(I'm gonna put this under read more bc it's kinda long (and all over the place so I apologise in advance))

OK SO

I think, with the state she's in during the game, she'd probably be pretty dismissive?? Like, she'd likely comment on how they're free and the infection's gone, but as much as I'd love to say it'd be a tearful reunion, I don't really think that'd be the case ://

PK on the other hand!!! There'd be A LOT of tearful apologies, ESPECIALLY once he sees their missing arm and other scars, bc HE did that to them, HE put them in the position to get hurt and HE convinced himself and them that they'd be able to forever contain a wrathful goddess with thousands of years of experience on them. The fact that they're even alive in the first place is a miracle in itself, nevermind the fact that they're able to walk around.

He'd probably claim them as his child and try to "make up" for their shitty childhood in any way he can. Which. Isn't much considering the kingdom is in shambles. Whereas before the fall of Hallownest he'd be able to shower them with presents and build a statue in their honour or name a stag station after them or something, the most he can do at this point is like. Hunt for them. And do they even need to eat?? With the whole technically not alive thing?? Eh it's the thought that counts.

On the other hand!! I think the outcome of the reunion entirely depends on where Hollow is in their recovery.

If they're barely healed and only just starting to confront the horror that was their upbringing, they'd still be battling with A LOT of guilt. As far as they're concerned, it's their fault for not being hollow that the kingdom fell. They're broken, and they were too selfish to admit that before it was too late, and now everyone is either dead or EXTREMELY traumatised.

The WL reunion would probably set back any progress they make if it's early on enough, bc they were honestly probably looking forward to the reunion. They know how much she wished for them to have been a real child, and now she can have that!! Sure it's a little late, but any relationship with their mother would be better than the cold dismissal they faced while growing up.

And then they walk into her chamber and she's nothing like the woman they remember, and they know it was childish and silly to believe she'd be exactly the same, but after coming across Dryya's body (something they will file away and confront much later, because Dryya is dead wtf how) they'd foolishly hoped that maybe their mother would take them into her arms like she saw her do so often for Hornet and their father.

But instead she barely acknowledges their presence, and dismisses them outright. As if they're a pest, not her child who has been locked away for centuries. And maybe she's right. Who are they to claim her as their mother when she's never wanted anything to do with them. So they leave.

If Hollow is later on in their recovery, like they've built up a support system, they've found themselves, figured out who they are outside of the Pure Vessel persona, I think they'd be able to recognise that their mother isn't well, and be able to stomach the dismissal and off handed insults in favour of trying to get her help. They'd definitely make use of that support system, but I think knowing their own worth would go a long way towards whether or not they let WL's comments get to them. And I think eventually, they'd be able to have afternoon tea and chat or something. But that would take A WHILE.

PK TIME OK

So I think the outcome of the PK reunion wouldn't change a TON, but there'd be a few key differences:

If Hollow is early in their recovery, they'd be VERY confused as to why their father is apologising to THEM. Bc they should be the one apologising right??? It's their failure to be what they were supposed to that led to the fall of the kingdom right?? Why is their father bringing them food??? He's never done this before?? And holy shit is he crying??!?!

Also hc that Hollow is the type of person to start crying if someone they care about is crying. So. Make of that what you will.

Overall, it'd be a mix of guilt and confusion and also relief?? Bc wow my father doesn't hate me that's a shock. I imagine the Radiance would use their wish for PK's approval against them A LOT so it's not unlikely that they've got a scenario in their head where their father proclaims that he despises them and then fortnite dances on their body after smiting them.

Later on in their recovery however, they'd be at a point where they can acknowledge that the way they were brought up was cruel, and they didn't deserve to be treated like an object, but I also don't think they'd be able to bring themselves to be angry at PK.

As the Pure Vessel, they were around PK in a lot of private moments, and it's not unlikely that he'd vent to them in the same way a person would vent to their favourite teddy bear. He'd vent about his guilt, his worries, sometimes even directly addressing them about how he wished things could be different. And bc I also headcannon Hollow to be EXTREMELY empathetic, they can UNDERSTAND why he made the decisions he did, and how he genuinely believed that he had no choice.

Honestly though?? I don't think the actual reunion would go much differently here. Maybe they'd be a bit quicker to hug back, maybe the tears would come sooner, maybe they'd be far less stiff and finally allow themselves to collapse against PK and let him hold them for the first time since they were tiny, but overall?? He'd still bring them presents out of guilt, and they'd still be confused as to why tf their father is trying to feed them so much.

OH ALSO PK would definitely go through a period of being ridiculously overprotective, like someone goes to pat Hollow on the shoulder and suddenly they've got a bitey Wyrm hanging off their arm. (Someone's overcompensating for 2 decades worth of protective instincts methinks)

Hollow's response to that would probably be a mix of embarassed and pleased, bc holy shit father wants to protect me but also nooo that's my friend he needs his arm get off

[cryptidblue1]

RoF Chapter 2

Title: Reversl of Fate (It is Never Easy): Circle of Gold, Circle of Ebony

Chapter: 2/???

Chapter 1: Here

Fandom: Hollow Knight

Chapter Characters: Pure Vessel/Sealed Vessel, mentions of other characters, Random Voices

Warnings: Canon typical violence, gore, body horror, psychological torment, time shenanigans, Hollow (Sealed Vessel) is not having a good time and likely is not going to have a good time for a long while.

Chapter Summary: Questions, questions, but if you answer them a door may open that should have stayed closed. What is the price of undoing other's mistakes? Is it a price one can pay?

There was a voice that whispered in the silence now. A sigh within the echo of each infected drip in the puddle that forms, formed, yet to form under their suspended body. Constant questions asked to them, of them, for them. Maybe they had succumbed to the infection to the point they were dreaming wild dreams of nonsense and fears mixed with wishes and hopes. Like the odd dreams some would speak of in jest or as portents of fortune when they had stood like an ornament within the palace. Practicing and projecting the feeling of being empty, of being pure. Even as they listened and watched those around them live and dream.

They had not dreamed before they were sealed. At least they did not think they did. They were not meant to sleep at all, but they knew there were times where they would fade, drift away and come back slowly or abruptly back into awareness. Those moments they had trained themself to not start or sway. To remain upright and still so none could see or question, to know they were not empty and throw them away.

The new voice liked to whisper questions on why they feared that so much. They did not answer, though, after they had stopped counting the cycles of waking up whole and in the dark they began to think about how they had left their siblings in the dark.

(Do you mourn them?)

They should have stopped hurting and caring as fiercely as they had started for the little vessel, their sibling, the one their sister called Little Ghost of Hallownest.

(How fitting a name, if you had a name would you match this Ghost or separate from them?)

Yet, they still cried out in their mind for them to flee to leave and never return to this place. To let them remain rotting and dying in the egg of their false sacrifice. If that small vessel ever heard them they never answered or paused in their quest. A foolish quest, much like how the Gendered Child protected those few who remained within the dying gasp of a kingdom crumbling. Why do either of them not give up?

(Why do you never give in?)

Another crack, but it’s different. Cold dread overcomes the scorching heat of infection, and numbs the agony of their mask slowly being split open a small crack at a time from viscous orange pus. Then they feel a sensation of falling and their mind is filled with dreams that are not dreams, but not the same as those that come with the dark and cold of when they first became sealed.

(If another made a sacrifice, would you accept it?)

No.

(If one loved you enough to disappear, would you accept it?)

Flashes of a place of gold tinted light and fights that seem endless as little Ghost somehow changed the cycle, is not in Hallownest, but is and fights so many they know from dreams repeating. Hornet fierce and unrelenting. The Nightmare King of scarlets and reds, themselves as they were once meant to be if they had truly been Pure, the Knights they had admired and feared in equal measure for their strength and their closeness that they would never know. Her in full power and rage as the little Ghost fought on and on, and darkness crept ever up into this gold painted realm as if seeking something.

No.

(If they erased themselves from existence to save you, would you accept it?)

The Void awake, given form, given purpose, given Rage. Their sibling, all of their siblings that were never given a chance, never saw anything but the void and the pain of cracked masks. Gone. One with that which all return to. Where they want and yearn to return to.

(Is their erasure from everything something you can accept?)

They were free? She was gone from mind and soul, but it hurt more then if She had remained. All because they knew, they knew that the one who saved them was gone. A drop in an ocean that was the Abyssal Sea. 

They were alone.

(Is this existence worth living with their lives being chains around your soul?)

Hornet was alive, but she could survive without them, without their presence a reminder of all that was lost and gone. They did not deserve this life, this chance.

(If it brought you Agony, would you undo it all and take the toll so they could live?)

They felt something warm and pale, weak and powerful, flickering and steady within them. It flowed back and forth, in a circle that could be remade.

(Would you hold the Sins of this land? Just for a chance they could be happy?)

They Pulled.

(You would choose to suffer to save those you have loved from the moment you were made aware of love?)

Somewhere, deep, deep, deep in the Abyss. As eggs of two beings of light rested in the nest of darkness. That which was The Shade Lord and the Ghost of Hallownest stirred and dreamed of a repeated journey to save a sibling tricked by Light. They stirred and settled, but now changed.

A once sealed vessel, broken and far from empty stirred as the final groan of a door being shut echoed in the dark. This was not the dark of their tomb.

Below the ledge they lay, eggs began to hatch.

(You would choose a Fate far worse than the one your sibling gave you. Is it for forgiveness or selfish love you do so?)

You hold the chains to revert their deaths…if you can withstand the agony of the Sin of undoing so.

The vessel slept. Clutched in their scarred and only hand, a pale flower that had been left at their feet in countless, countless loops by a sibling that had failed to save their life from the machinations of gods. 

[cotillion-the-rope]

Shade Lord Ghost Drabbles: The Gray Wyrm

Summary: what happen when ghost meets an actual benign god

+

what would happen if outside gods or even wyrms were to come to hallownest, whether meaning to conquer it or not.

[A/N] Another 2 requests in one, yay!

~

Another wyrm had come to Hallownest… supposedly. Until it was confirmed, it was just a rumor. Something powerful certainly had arrived though, Ghost could sense it even despite its attempts to hide itself, making finding it easy.

Like the other gods that had come to Hallownest, this one had set up their followers at the base of the Howling Cliffs, a short distance from Dirtmouth. The tents were fairly standard in size and shape and all the same shade of muted gray.

Possibly waiting for Ghost’s arrival, seemingly the entire retinue stood outside in a neat column. Almost as if ready to march off to war if not for their lack of weapons. At their head stood a being that uncomfortably resembled the Pale King – a wyrm indeed then, though one that like the Pale King had cast off their larger form for one reason or another – but gray instead of white. The crown was a bit different in shape as well, though not by enough to ease Ghost’s immediate discomfort. But even if they had good reason to distrust wyrms, this one had not displayed malice yet and so Ghost continued their continued their approach.

“Greetings Void God,” the wyrm said as Ghost came to a stop a short distance in front of the group, looking down at them. “You may refer to me as the Gray Wyrm.”

They had an almost friendly tone but Ghost didn’t trust that for a moment so… “Why are you here?”

“I understand that you are wary, most are when not just a god but a Wyrm shows up on one’s doorstep, understandably so, of course. I assure you however that I, and my followers are pacifist in nature. Violence only begets more violence, we seek to raise above such base bestial instincts and live as part of a free and peaceful society.”

A pacifist that was also a god of any sort seemed a contradiction to Ghost. The closest they’d encountered before was peaceful Unn but even she would defend her domain with violence if need be and if she stood a chance at being successful at it. Likely this Gray Wyrm was at best exaggerating, at worst just plain lying in hopes of Ghost putting their guard down. Especially since they hadn’t answered the question.

“Why are you here?” Ghost repeated.

To the Gray Wyrm’s credit they had the smarts to shift uncomfortably under Ghost’s stare but also the bravery to hold their ground and and continue to look up to meet Ghost’s gaze. “We are merely passing through. We are nomadic, partially by choice.” With how long the barren lands stretched, places where kingdoms could thrive were hard fought over. So if they were truly pacifist they likely wouldn’t be allowed to hold such a place for long, necessitating being nomadic as well. “I hope that we are welcome to stay for a bit? Refill our supply wagons and such. I had heard that you are a kind god else we would have skirted around this place.”

Ghost was tempted to tell them to leave. The Gray Wyrm looked far too much like the Pale King but… them both being Wyrms did not have to mean that they were similar in nature. The Pale King was the only Wyrm, Ghost had any experience with after all. The Gray Wyrm could be lying of course and almost certainly wasn’t telling the full truth but until they did something wrong, it wouldn’t feel right to kick them out. So…

“Very well. You may stay for however long you like or until displease me.” At which point Ghost wouldn’t hesitate to kill if their crime warranted it or they stuck around too long after being told to leave.

Not waiting for a reply, Ghost teleported away to the hot spring bath that had been built for them in the Crossroads. Thinking too much about the Pale King always made them angry and thus they could do with some relaxation time.

[thevoidknights]

reyna-the-divine​:

Siva hums. “Lack essence…I wonder if that’s necessarily true.” She muses as she snatches a mote of Void from around Ghost. “I can see these with my Source vision. I believe I’ll just take this one as a sample to study back on the surface. Wendigo, let’s go, we can teleport back.” She says. She then looks to Hollow. “And when you return, I would personally like to speak with you, Hollow.” She adds.

Wendigo nods, taking Siva’s hand. “Safe journey, my lady, King Ghost, Knight Hollow.” She says bowing her head, before the two teleport back to the surface.

Reyna watches as the two leave, then looks back to Ghost. “We can teleport safely to any place we have been previously. Though it requires a significant amount of power, Wendigo and Siva are quite capable in that right. Either way, I am curious as to what she’ll find about your Void. She never was one to simply roll over and accept answers while she has questions.” She muses. As for why she wanted to talk to Hollow, she already had an idea as to why. “With that done, I believe we are ready to teleport further down.” She says, holding Radi close, and having a magic field keep her safe, in case the void Ghost uses causes a reaction.

@thevoidknights

Ghost blinks and shrugs a bit, unsure themself actually. It wasn’t like the Void motes looked like Essence to them after all. Besides that they were only recently ascended to being a god as well. They were going off knowledge that the Void itself had given them along with their own research. They didn’t mind that Siva took a sample since it may even give them a better answer. 

Hollow meanwhile chirps a bit in confusion as to why Siva wanted to speak with them specifically. It made their plates twitch in mild anxiety but outwardly they remained looking calm and almost still like a statue. Like how they were trained their entire childhood to be. Ghost gives their twin a sympathetic glance but knew from past experiences that Hollow wasn’t aware of the habit themself. Instead the pair bow to the ladies before they teleport away. The monarch then looks to Reyna and nods.

“That’s good that they won’t get lost getting back then. Hopefully they’ll find the children have been behaving,” there’s a chuckle from them at that statement knowing how wild their children used to be. At the suggestion of teleporting the monarch nods and beckons them all to come closer. “Alright, don’t let go during this or I can’t guarantee where you’ll land.” They take the other’s hands, Hollow being used to this by now looked rather calm. Once everyone is ready it only takes a moment for Ghost to focus on their destination before they appear there in a blink. The Void that surrounded them was cold and beyond black with the feeling of thousands of eyes watching them at once before the sensation stops after that brief moment. 

The area itself that they land in is nothing grand, in fact it was more a tomb than a place one expected to find a goddess of life. There were several mantis corpses piled at the entrance to the room with evidences of a great battle. There was one lone body still there of a white bug clutching her weapon even in death, the cause apparent from the many injuries she’d sustained in the great battle. She was leaned against a great cocoon, taller than both Ghost and Hollow, with glowing white roots coming from it and up in the soil above and below. Ghost pauses to give the fallen knight a moment of silence while Hollow actually appears shocked and mournful. This was their first time learning the fate of one of the Five Great Knights of Hallownest... Their teacher... The closest thing they’d had to friends. 

“... I’ve been unable to reach this sanctuary after growing so she has not had a proper burial... For that I apologize... Dryya, you guard your mistress even in death.” Ghost says it softly and with a fair amount of remorse before turning to their twin to wrap an arm around their shaking shoulders. While Hollow has seen and was used to death they weren’t used to it being those they’d been close to. It was hitting them harder than expected.

@reyna-the-divine​

reyna-the-divine​:

Reyna hums. The way they talk about ‘Root’, she can’t help but wonder who it is. Hollow seems to care about them greatly, and even Ghost seemed somewhat perturbed. Regardless she initially begins following them before Unn speaks to her. She listens to Unn’s warning and nods sadly.

“…I understand. I had a similar issue when I was obtaining the power I have now.” She says gently petting the head of the little ball of fluff in her arms. “I wouldn’t that to happen to her. She deserves a chance to live a better life.” She says softly, before looking at Unn. “And…if she ever needs help, can you please help guide her when I cannot?” She asks with a respectful curtsy.

The goddess watches as Ghost begins to lead the group away again being respectful of Unn’s desire to speak with Reyna more privately, though they are careful to not go too far ahead. Ghost meanwhile pauses just outside of Unn’s chamber with the others to pull out their map so that they could map out the fastest course to their goal, Hollow standing nearby on guard though obviously ready to head out.

Unn switches her attention back to Reyna and listens to the request. She hums softly, debating it in her mind before finally nodding in agreement. “I shall do what I can... Take care Reyna... And do keep an eye on those two... While I do not bemoan the Root for what she took from me.... She may hurt those two with just as little care.... Goodbye for now...” With that the slug goddess slipped back into the acid to return to her recovery. Ghost looked over at the commotion and noticing that Reyna and Radi were now alone they trill and beckon them over. 

Once she’s closer Ghost holds up the map, “I believe I figured out the best route to the Root... There will be some narrow passages I’m afraid that neither me nor Hollow can fit through with our new height. I have been there before and could teleport us there in small groups, if that sounds doable for now? I could take you, Radi, and Wendigo then Siva and Hollow next.”

[chipper-smol]

Hollow Knight Telephone Round Two: Vanilla Chain 1

Prompt: Ghost remembers each time they died and that’s how they’ve progressed through challenges most bugs wouldn’t even dream achieving. However, no one else seems to remember and instead they wonder why Ghost reacts badly to simple casual touches.

By @ink-of-void

A dull drone of rain pattered down across the cool stone below. The rain had only served as a buffer to the dull, passive steps of the bugs in the city, or the ever so gentle wing beats in the distance. Occasional creaks and groans would whine from the structures of the city, begging for maintenance or to finally be allowed rest. Each sound, each moment only served to further cement itself in the cacophony of white noise. A symphony of empty sound that echoed into the city's ambience.

It had been hours since the Ghost had stopped in front of the statue. Its small head tilted upwards to face that of the stone, carved to the likeness of its sibling. The inscription below spoke of sacrifice. An Eternal sacrifice. It was almost ironic. How the one forced to suffer was put on display at the apex of the ‘City of Tears’.

Memories began to rise, welling up and bubbling in its shell. They could remember their sibling screaming. How the sound of their cries echoed on deaf ears, or that easing their pain meant rending their own flesh in a desperate attempt to stop the torture. It was a waking nightmare.

They had failed their sibling. Try as they might, time and again, they could not bring it upon themselves to strike that final blow. The cries of the ‘Hollow Knight’ screeching into the black egg as they faded away from consciousness for the umpteenth time. A pang of discomfort manifested in their shell.

Slowly Ghost’s mind went from just their sibling to all the other bugs. Each one of those who slaughtered Ghost without mercy, killed with reckless abandon, or just proved to best them in combat. They were the ones it had defeated in the past. Bugs that had caused them to relive the same ritual of failure repeatedly before finally earning that place of victory. Every misstep, every badly timed jump, every poorly executed attack, It all ended in the same punishment over and over. 
CRaCK.

The pain was almost palpable just thinking about it.

It felt just as new as the first time they were ever defeated. A cold sting of its shell cracking, body being torn limb from limb, crumbling beneath them like old stone. Void spilling from its head and pooling into a free floating shape among those lost to the sickness or those who simply proved superior. Though, the empty feeling of losing its corporeal flesh paled in comparison to what came next.

It was like floating up into an entropy of empty space and confusion. The dark land was void of any life or warmth, disorienting all that passed into its wake. Yet every time, it would be waiting to welcome the vessel back again and again into its crushing, desolate embrace. It felt itself being split in two, one being given back to the world, while the other was forced to remain in limbo until it was saved. But it wouldn't matter, as they would re-awaken only moments later, sitting patiently on a bench back where they started.

The overwhelming sense of exhaustion and dissonance took a toll each time they came back. Missing half of their being and having to fight themselves just so they can regain the broken piece back. All the while, no one else seems to take notice, or even remember what had happened prior. Hundreds of failures, hundreds of deaths, and Ghost could never seem to get used to it. It truly was a burden, one that Ghost often sought refuge from by simply resting a while longer at the bench.

It was a dance with death that always ended in what could be considered a ‘mercy’. The lack of claim to its shade, allowed them yet another chance. But perhaps mercy wasn't the right term. Having to battle your own face, a fragment of your own being… it hardly seemed kind, or fair. Even after returning the shade to its rightful place, the fight wasn’t over. Most of the time, it was only just beginning. There would be no rest. There was never any rest.

However to the spider in red, this tiny bug formed of the void and pale, felt nothing as it cut down everything from vermin to gods. Acting as if death was simply part of a long list of chores, they made it seem effortless. So when she first responded to Lemm’s call, she would be lying if she didn't find it the slightest bit odd that Ghost was simply standing idle. She reached out to them, barely grazing their back with her fingers. “Ghost?-”


Without another moment passing, the vessel whipped around, nail in hand. The slash was quick, the sharp song of the blade ripping through the air as Ghost’s reaction went into motion. Time seemed to slow for a moment, its blind attack not revealing the consequence of its actions before it was far too late. Ghosts cloak finally revealed the bug into its immediate view. Upon seeing the figure, their body tensed, hanging onto the blade with an iron grip. 


Hornet didn’t even realize what happened until she glanced down at her arm. Seeing the deep blue blood dripping from the new slice in her shell was telling enough. It was nothing more than a surface wound if she was honest. Easily fixed with time and bandages. But that wasn’t her concern at the moment. Letting her hand close, she looked over to Ghost with a worried expression.

The vessel stood ready, both hands on its nail as it simply held the weapon in place. A tiny shake was visible at the end of the nail it was brandishing. Their face held no expression, yet its body told Hornet all she needed to know.

“Little Ghost?” She asked quietly, holding up her hands to show she wasn't a threat. “Are you… alright? Lemm asked me to come check on you. He says you’ve been here for hours now.”


Ghost paused for a moment, clicking its head towards Hornet. Realization struck them, causing them to slowly lower their weapon. Their gaze fell to the floor as the nail hit the stone sidewalk with a light clink. Their blade’s shimmering reflection bounced back to the vessel's sockets. Part of it was stained with the blood of their sister, obscuring some of the brilliant reflection. The water occasionally dripped down and cut the image in two, washing away the blood as it did.

Hornet sighed, going over to them and gently knelt down.

“Is something the matter, little Ghost?” the spider chimed softly, going over to touch their shoulder. Ghost recoiled, pulling their shoulder away in a rather aggressive manner. Their head didnt lift, turning instead to focus on their path. They put their nail on their back and began their leave. The spider stood up after a moment, bowing her head with a little shake as Ghost began to disappear


“Even you need to rest sometimes, little one. Please I’m, try to get some.”

-------------------------------

By https://twitter.com/Hell_Yena

-------------------------------

By @nonbinary-ghost​

Rain patters down against your shell like thousands of tiny, icy stones. The drum of it inside your mask and the prickling of it against your small body would normally be unpleasant enough as to be overwhelming; but lost as you are in your thoughts and the twisting waves of emotion trying to drown you, the rain is scarcely enough to ground you. You feel disconnected and distant, as if you aren’t really in control of your body, merely being carried along by the steady movement of your legs.

You gradually realize that you have been wandering like this for a while now. How long, you can scarcely guess, but long enough that your cloak is soaked through, and any scrap of warmth has left you. Dirtmouth had been celebrating the first twelve span of being free of the Infection, and while you had been just as happy as the next bug about the recovery of the town, the celebration had filled you with a nameless, twisting dread. And then all the lights and the sounds and the smells and the touching had left you reeling and sick. So you ran.

It could have been hours since then. You have no way of knowing. You don’t quite remember deciding to come to the City of Tears either. You just let your thoughts blur into a black haze, pointed your mask to the ground, and let your feet carry you wherever they wanted to go. You hadn’t expected to find yourself standing before the statue of your sibling. You simply realized that you were staring blankly at the inscription along the statue’s base.

“Through its sacrifice, Hallownest lasts eternal.” Something hot and prickly bubbles up inside of you at the words, making your shell itch and crawl like when you fall in acid. Hornet had once explained the feeling as anger. Why are you angry? You puzzle over it for a moment, resisting your initial urge to strike at the plaque with your nail and scratch out the offending inscription. Instead, you read over it again, feeling the anger boil deep in your belly.

Sacrifice. That’s the part that makes you angry. Sacrifice implies choice. Hollow had no choice in sealing the Radiance. You hadn’t had any choice. None of your siblings had any agency over anything that happened to them. No, none of you were giver the choice to make sacrifices – you were the sacrifice. And for what? Hallownest still fell. So many bugs died, so many cultures were consumed by the plague and lost to dust and rot. All of your siblings, but Hollow and Hornet especially, still suffered and struggled. Yes, you had eventually killed the Radiance, but that hadn’t been part of the Pale King’s plan. He didn’t even know about Godseeker, didn’t even consider that there might be another way that didn’t involve condemning his child to an eternity of suffering. No, your “Father” had expected all of you to “sacrifice” yourselves to the seals and suffer in silent mystery to keep the Radiance contained. How dare he imply any level of choice in what happened to your siblings.

“Ghost?”

The soft question yanks you painfully from your thoughts and you feel as if you slam back into yourself. You are suddenly very aware of the rain hitting your mask, of your hands clenched into fists.

Of the dark shadows that had begun to flicker like flames around you receiving back into you. You spin to find Hornet standing on one of the nearby signposts, her red cloak so damp it nearly looked brown and her needle poised as if prepared to zip away at any moment.

“Are you alright?” Her stance relaxes somewhat as the shadows fade. You don’t know how to answer, so you simply turn away. You look up at your sibling’s likeness looming over you, proud, regal, poised. Not at all like the desperate, brutal Pure Vessel you were forced to fight in Godseeker’s Pantheons. Not at all like the sick and injured bug that you freed from the black egg temple after killing the Radiance.

“Do you need to be alone?”

You shrug. The happiness and celebration in Dirtmouth had been overwhelming, and you had wanted to be alone then. But now, a part of you mutters discontentedly. You’re lonely, and maybe Hornet of all people could understand these feelings. She was the only one besides Hollow who might. “I’m angry,” you sign, pointing at yourself and making a sharp gesture with both hands. Hornet has slowly been teaching you and Hollow the sign language used in the Hive, but none of you are all that good with it yet. It often requires body language and facial expressions for certain distinctions between similar signs – a difficult feat to accomplish when your face is a mask. Hornet follows your gaze and hops down to join you.

“About the statue?”

You point to the inscription.

“We didn’t have a choice,” you sign furiously. “We failed. And now what’s left?”

You stop, a dawning realization creeping through you. That was why you’re angry. Why you’re discontent even though by all accounts you had succeeded. You defeated the Radiance, ended the Infection, freed your sibling, and even survived channeling the Void Entity. You are free to do whatever you want now, but you slowly realize that this new freedom is what has you feeling so distant. You and your siblings were all created with a purpose, and now, with that purpose gone, you have nothing left. You have no other skills but fighting. No passions, no home, no culture to rebuild. You and Hollow are free, but now what is left for you? Your Father had sacrificed your futures, not just your lives, and now you are feeling lost and separate from the bugs around you. They had all suffered through the plague, lost loved ones and homes. But they had passions and dreams to guide them and give them hope. You only have nightmares that keep dragging you into the past, making it impossible to look forward to the future.

“Who am I supposed to be, now?” you finish limply. The anger is gone, replaced with a choking sorrow. Your breathing feels thick and heavy. Hornet holds out a hand, hesitating before touching you to make it an offer, and you lean into it, letting her hand rest lightly between your shoulders.

“What the Pale King did, what he demanded of all of us, was unjust,” she said at last, an ember of her own rage warming her words. “There is nothing that can change that. You and Hollow and all the others deserved so much more. But Ghost,” she kneels so she can look into your mask with such honest ferocity that your breath hitches in your chest. “You are so much more than what our Father made you. You are not just a weapon or a tool. You never were. There is a future for us now, because of you. I know it will be had. It will be scary. Change always is. But we have each other – you, me, Hollow, all of Dirtmouth – we are all here to support each other. We are all learning and growing past everything that happened. I promise, none of us are going to leave you behind again.”

A tightness forms in your throat at her words and your vision blurs as that heaviness in your chest tightens. That promise to not be left behind again stirs a confusing blur of emotion that you can’t make any sense of. It doesn’t feel good, but it doesn’t feel bad either.

“Can I hug you?”

You nod and lean into her touch, the weight and warmth of your sister’s arms doing more to ground you that the rain. For once you feel … safe. Something inside you cracks, like an old shell you’ve grown too big for, and suddenly you’re crying. For everything you went through, for everything you lost, for everyone who didn’t survive to see the same light of freedom. You sob, clutching at Hornet’s cloak.

You finally let yourself mourn everything that brought you here.

And tentatively hope for everything that might come to be.

-------------------------------

By @brimal-baspid​

-------------------------------

By @martin-ftw​

The rain pours heavily in the city of tears.

The knight walks up to the fountain square. They look upon the fountain, where the Memorial to the Hollow Knight resides.

The knight inspects, "In the Black Vault far above. Through its sacrifice Hallownest lasts eternal." as Hornet dashes in with her needle.

"Again we meet little ghost." Hornet started, "... seek the Grave in Ash and the mark it would grant to one like you."

After finishing her guidance for the knight, she added, quietly, "Are you, perhaps, even a little, afraid?"

The water flows through the fountain endlessly, yet the knight remains emotionless.

Hornet giggles to herself, "hmmhmm, that's right, no voice to cry suffering, best of luck to your journeys little ghost."

After a few seconds of silence, Hornet raised her needle and hopped onto the ceiling.

The knight pauses, and dashes right to the opened door, leaving only the sounds of rain splashing the water fountain and flapping of wings from the lumaflies.

At the front door of the Pleasure House, the knight inserts the simple key and opens the door, walking in as Hornet follows. With the beautiful singing by Marissa, the knight goes on the long elevator ride as Hornet clings onto the elevator.

“About to learn your troubled past, aren't you little ghost?" Hornet asks inside the hot spring, while the knight sits on the bench.

The knight nods while opening their map and picking off one of those scarab markers, moving it to the bottom right of the map.

"Though I have underestimated your power, do you think you've got what it takes? To preserve the future of hallownest?" The knight does not know how to answer, they stand up from the bench and pack up their map.

"Exit's on the right, break the wall down to King's station," Hornet says while thinking to herself, could this one succeed? The knight swings their nail at the wall, breaking it open with a loud crack, and heads downwards.

Hornet sat in the spring by herself.

Guarding the cast-off shell is her job - she knows she has to fight the knight one more time, to ensure the knight is ready to finish their quest even after seeing their conception and past. She sighs, all rested, and stands up; knowing she's much faster than the knight in traversing the Hallownest, she raises her needle and swings out of the pleasure room, down to the Kingdom's edge she goes.

“Perhaps this one would be strong enough. They made it so far, don't fail me now little ghost" She quietly mumbles, before pointing her needle towards the entrance of the arena,

"So you'd pursue the deeper truth? It isn't one the weak could bear. Prove yourself ready to face it. I'll not hold back..."

With the wind blowing harder and louder in the edge of the world, the fight begins, the sentinel of a fading land and the vessel to save Hallownest.

-------------------------------

By @potentialforart​

-------------------------------

By @starstress​

They crouch, body full of tension, and they stare on ahead at their target. The platform is right there, waiting for them like a pedestal.

They jump.

Soaring through the air, quick and steady, they reach out, claws stretched and yearning.

There, they think. Right there.

And as the edge comes right by them, confidence blooms inside their chest, sure that they'll reach it. Their outstretched claws brush by a single tiny pristine leaf, one in a dozen, green and lush. It bounces right back into place as they are claimed by gravity.

They fall onto the lower platform, the moss softening their landing. They look up, and disappointment is a small bitter ball in their stomach, but they brush it aside. The stone edge they were aiming for now looms above them unforgiving. They will not let it discourage them, they will try again.

They want to know. They need to know. Who that red-clothed bug was, and why they felt such a pull to her.

----

Through stretching lush highways and seeming ceilingless and bottomless caverns, they push onwards. They’re spurred ever on by glimpses of rushing red, pale horns and swishing silk.

They would have expected the constant green to become monotonous by the time they reach a bench locked behind a gate, guiding them ever higher, but the shrub and moss-covered land surprises them still. From keeping them on high alert constantly and mercilessly, to undeniably charming them through towering leaf-embroidered architecture and statues, simple but beautiful blooms filling the air with glittering pollen, and soft chimes of birdsong, Greenpath has carved a spot in their heart that they can’t believe can ever be topped.

Still on they go, for though they wish to properly explore, they know that that can wait. They heal themselves, fill in the map with all the paths and twists and turns that they have crossed, put on the few charms that they have gathered, and stand up. They look ever upwards and hope they’re drawing closer to wherever the red-clothed person might be leading them.

----

There--

They rush forward, into the air and off the moss-covered stone ledge, eyes locked onto the red figure. Behind them, a gate slams closed, but though the sound echoes in the small clearing, they pay it no mind.

They land on steady feet, leaf softening the sound of their fall.

There she is--

They've found her.

The red-cloaked bug, in all her stern and decisive figure.

She is encompassed by engraved and moss-covered pillars of stone, but still she towers over them, despite only being about twice their own height.

Her dark eyes, but not as dark as theirs, no one with as dark as theirs, never, track their every move, ready to act, ready to cut down. They stare at her and she stares at them, a contest of wills.

She raises her blade - her needle - and they rush to mirror her.

Soft light streams down, from in between greenery, though they not know not its source, and halos her in pale light.  And though this is their first proper encounter with her, the red bug feels familiar, like they know her mask, the shape of her eyes, like they once gazed, even briefly, upon those features in a past life.

Nevertheless, her stance is rigid and unforgiving.

No further, her eyes scream even before she deems them worthy of words, no further I will allow you, until you prove yourself.

They tighten their grip upon their nail, and shove back into their void all pangs of sadness. This is a fight for their life, and, more than ever, a fight for their existence.

Maybe, after they defeat her, they can ask her why she feels like family - lost, but found again.

-------------------------------

By @dovalore​

-------------------------------

By @jonsilverstone​

https://soundcloud.com/jachym-hajek/vanilla-1-july-21-jon-silverstone-hornet-v-hollow/s-8IcY8UIzrtg

-------------------------------

By @alaska-ren-works​

“Do you want to just fulfill the wyrm’s standards or do you want to make me proud, Princess of Hallownest?”

Hornet tightened her needle’s grip and lowered her stance. Heart calm and mind steady, she didn’t feel the rise of a subtle smirk on her face. This was her moment she had trained for in the Hive. Not to be the pale wyrm’s spawn, but to be the Daughter of Deepnest.

“You will see my answer soon, Mother.”

Weavers and bugs alike stood in solemn excitement as Herrah, Beast and Queen of Deepnest, circled the princess. Her white mask hid her emotions, but Hornet could more than feel the queen’s wide grin. Herrah twirled her own needle in her hand, a feat that impressed Hornet to no end as that very needle was longer than she was tall.

“Very well.” With a final step, Herrah faced Hornet with her needle at the ready. “You know the rules and so do I.”

Hornet nodded. As the lower-ranked of the two, Hornet must make the first move. Everyone and everything turned still. Watching. Waiting.

With a resolute bang of a drum, Hornet yelled, “Garama!”

The crowd roared with the start of the duel, but Hornet only heeded her opponent. She speared her needle forward and as Herrah jumped away, she reeled it back. Herrah dodged the attack and closed in on Hornet. The young spider darted away right before Herrah’s needle slashed through the space she just left.

When it came to brute strength, Hornet would lose in an instant. But she was smaller, faster, and more agile. If she could avoid a direct hit, she might have a chance at winning this.

Hornet rolled away as another strike whistled too close for her liking. She slashed her needle upwards, forcing Herrah to jump back. Taking this, she jumped into the air and released a storm of silk.

When her feet landed, Herrah slammed into her. Her breath wrenched out of her chest as she flew then skidded on the floor. It was a miracle she was still on her feet. With her head bent, she did not see the pride glimmer in her mother’s eyes before the queen composed herself.

Herrah’s head turned when the ravelling of silk sounded above her. The whistling of an incoming needle alerted her and the Beast parried Hornet’s thrust.

In Herrah’s moment of distraction, Hornet covered the arena in sticky silk traps. Now, this was where Hornet shines. She darted between the silk

strands and rushed at Herrah, the bigger spider now pressed for space. Strikes and slashes were landed and blocked, and Herrah growled. The next second Hornet rushed in, Herrah took hold of her and used her momentum to throw her far. Hornet flipped in the air but stumbled on her landing. Looking up, Herrah’s needle swung in a wide arc, destroying the nearby threads.

Mother and daughter studied each other from opposite ends of the arena. Hornet felt fatigue settle in her bones and her lungs struggled with big gulps of air. Herrah stood tall and her giant nail held steady, but Hornet could see her chest moving quickly.

“What do you think about heading over to the hotspring after this, huh?” Hornet’s eyes widened at Herrah’s invitation.

“Y-yes, Mother!” Hornet reddened at her stuttering voice. She cast out her exhaustion and readied her stance.

Herrah grinned as she raised her needle once more. “Then let’s make this worth it.”

[ganymedesclock]

I have a little question about your PK fanfic if you don't mind? before the events of your AU, so around the time where the infection resurged and the kingdom declined after the HK's sealing, how much time had passed between that and PK escaping/making the jump to his dream realm? did he immediately run away? And did he come to the conclusion that the HK wasn't empty/pure or what did he assume what had happend?

So in RFR, my goal is to actually not change actual textual game events, but rather write a rationale and timeline that seems to fit in with the implications and explanations we're told.

Evidence like the City of Tears tablet that talks about the sealing of the City Gates suggests, to me, that the downfall of the kingdom was prolonged. WL also speaks of this if you show her the defender's crest- that the kingdom's golden age where Ogrim was a Great Knight and WL the queen was relatively short compared to its decline.

There's two pieces of big evidence that led me to believe PK moved the palace relatively early in the decline: first is the number of Royal Retainers we find scattered around the Ancient Basin and some other parts of Hallownest, suggesting they were evacuated from the palace before it disappeared rather than PK waiting until he didn't have servants left (and the Retainers we encounter in the palace are clearly figments of PK's imagination- they don't leave a physical body behind, conspicuously unlike the defeated Kingsmoulds, especially the ones we find attending the throne room- or PK himself)

The second is that we see a very large number of people who died pleading or praying for PK to come back and save them.

This ties in big time to that last part of your question.

Basically, in my read, PK was already very unstable and obsessive by the very start of the vessel project. Mental health was never his forte and there's a lot of good evidence in-game that even he was overwhelmed and disgusted by what he did. Evidence suggests he went about what he did at the abyss in a clandestine, shameful manner- and sealed it off, when implications like the room where you get the Void Tendrils journal entry suggest he was not previously disgusted by it- he seemed to even like spending time there. The fact that his palace was so close to the void, as opposed to Radiance's holy site at Hallownest's Crown which is literally as far from the void as you could possibly ever get on the map, or that he appointed a royal retainer to personally watch the lighthouse down there, suggests it was formerly more important- but after the vessel project he may have actually been in such a hurry to get out of there and never look back that the lighthouse keeper was condemned at the same time as the vessels.

So PK... was kind of going hard off the rails. Even if Hollow's martyrdom had worked out the way that PK thought it would, I doubt PK would've had the emotional wherewithal to stay in power- he was coming apart at the seams in an ugly manner. The one thing that he could rationalize it with...

...well, it's his canon dream nail dialogue: no cost too great.

The thing is, when anybody says "no cost too great" the obvious implication is right there in the word 'cost'. Something isn't a cost if it isn't a price you pay for something. PK did an absolutely horrible thing- an inventive new horror, industrialized and mechanized. The sheer scale at which the vessels were born and condemned staggers the mind. And he was able to- briefly- be at a kind of dysfunctional peace with it because he rationalized it as a price to pay.

For a person whose badge of office was a brand burnt into his own flesh, it seems to come easily to him to pay gruesome prices- either himself, or- under the justification "himself" is a difficult resource to replace- demanding it of others as their god-king. One could even argue this is PK's fatal flaw.

But the catch to that kind of thinking is twofold. First in what we obviously see at the Abyss that PK didn't like what was happening but not only justified it to himself but justified it so well that he at no point even considered that he might be wrong, not just in sacrificing thousands of his children but in his basic underlying theory about what the void WAS...

And second, it means that the only time anything you do is justified is if it succeeds.

So you can be totally at peace with something-

(you think. you tell yourself. you absolutely don't get obsessed with treating your born-to-die sacrificial child like your only valid heir; you don't desperately want to make sure that your allegedly mindless and emotionless knight understands and observes the kingdom that they are saving)

-and then it fails. The peace and perpetuity you thought you purchased with your actions is not actually paid. Because you had no agreement with anyone or anything that this was going to work out- and the "other party" is never going to under any circumstances concede ground or go "well, gosh, you worked so hard and threw your own already-shaky morals in a trash can and set them on fire off a cliff, I'll be Nice about it" because Radiance is not a 'getting over things' dame in general and few people are decorous about their own execution-to-be.

So suddenly PK is hearing reports, urgent concerns, that the plague of madness has returned. A thing that shouldn't be possible- that he assured all of them would not be possible.

And the real knife that PK set up for himself: nobody knows what PK's miracle cure for the plague was, really. The Great Knights are close enough to suspect. White Lady knew. The Dreamers took it to their grave.

The average laybug? As Lemm says, there's no evidence left behind in Hallownest that even mentions the Hollow Knight besides their fountain.

From their perspective, their god did a miracle. And surely, as long as the god is strong and healthy, they can do it again; as many times as need be, right?

They have no idea what the cost of it was- or that PK in fact cashed an enormous horrifying debt in blood and innocent lives to buy what was ultimately, I suspect, a very short-lived peace- that the first plague and its return happened within an ordinary bug's lifetime. An eyeblink to someone like PK with a much longer life.

I don't really have a hard number on it, but I feel like the moment it became clear Hollow hadn't successfully and entirely contained the plague, PK... just kind of shut down, comprehensively, and vanished long before the City even went dark. A "noble" take might be that he felt he was no longer qualified to be a god to others and actively tried to starve himself away from their worship- I feel like more prominently he had no idea what to do with himself because his own obsessions with perfection made no room to deal with it and just kind of wanted to stop thinking by any means, which is not really a good look for a god whose main stock and trade is "precious mind"

In RFR, I've kind of been giving PK a perspective in hindsight about it- that at the moment of, he kind of didn't really process most of the implications as they struck him because of aforementioned things. He's slowly kind of dragging himself into admitting Hollow had feelings all along, and that maybe the vessels all did.

This is, in essence, the context behind his pretty weak apology to the Greenpath vessel's body:

“There was nothing you could have done,” he told it instead. “The process was flawed from the start. No exertion of effort could succeed before such impurities.”

It's not quite a pure, wholesome acceptance that his standards of purity for the vessels were both immoral and factually incorrect- but PK as I write him tends to be a person paradoxically ruled by completely insufferable god-scientist hubris and absolute unflinchable self-loathing. At this point, he's been knocked off the hubristic certainty that he totally knows everything about the void and about the vessels and it's fine to make plans for their entire lives and deaths because he knows everything they're capable of, so now he's mostly gone straight into self-loathing and firmly believes that whatever went "wrong" with the vessels was his fault entirely, he made them wrong or otherwise cursed their existence from the cradle- which is a bold step towards "actually being sorry about the ones who weren't his Favored Child" but not the only one he needs to take.

So, very short version:

PK blew that popsicle stand like it was going out of style like .5 days after it became obvious the plague wasn't stopping which meant the vast majority of the downfall of Hallownest was probably at least exacerbated on account of the acting sovereign suddenly kicking everybody out of his house and peaceing out into a pocket dimension made of his own horribly repressed emotions.

At this point in RFR he has a cognitive understanding that something went wrong with Hollow, and has not really developed a critical theory on it besides that it's probably his own damn fault, he gave that homunculus-heir Ideas.

It will probably at some point occur to PK that he's a horrifically lonely repressed nerd who on average wouldn't know a feeling if it bit him and this probably contributed seriously to at least some of the problems with the vessel project- which was really not so much a project as it was a whole bunch of problems wearing one man's deific artsy breakdown as a self-important hat.

[transmogrified-in-the-void]

(prompt) some human wakes up to find their quirrel plush has become the real quirrel

I am. so sorry this took so long it literally was bc i couldnt find a good name for the human ;-; but i hope you enjoy!

Amalia's had their Quirrel plush since they were ten years old. Having been enamored by the world Team Cherry had made, and further drawn in by the pillbug met throughout the Knight's journey, their parents had gotten it as a gift. One that they cherished with everything they had.

The Quirrel plush had seen them through some of the hardest moments of their life. Their parents divorce, Grandma Gigi's death, moving across the country, everything that went down in high school, he was there for it all. During the nights where Amalia couldn't hold it in anymore, he helped with the tears.

He was even there for the greatest moments of her life, too. Meeting their best friend, graduating high school, college, moving into their first apartment, he followed. After two decades of intense love and many cuddles, he had become worn down and faded, but loved no less.

Amalia had thought that the Quirrel plush that had seen them through so much would stay with them forever. At least, that would have been the case if it wasn't for the fact that they had to puppy-sit their best friend's dog.

They don't even know how he got within eating range of the puppy, but he did while they had been in the bedroom trying to find something. And they had returned to see gaping holes in his body, and fluff everywhere.

They gently, quickly, took plush Quirrel out of the puppy's mouth and gave her the dog toy she was supposed to chew on, and barely made it to the closest room with a door before she started to cry.

Amalia knew, logically, that they could get Quirrel fixed, but at that point it wasn't going to be the Quirrel that had lived more than half a lifetime with them, not anymore. So they cried and mourned the loss of their dearest possession, and most trusted confidant, until the sky was dark.

So Amalia put the puppy into her kennel, and went to bed.

---

Quirrel is left in a box on the highest shelf until Amalia's best friend comes to take her back. Then, and only then, do they take the box down.

And almost drops it when there's the sound of a small voice inside.

They put the box on the table and carefully peer over the side, expecting to see a motion activated soundbox and the remains of Quirrel, only to see . . . Quirrel?

"Oh my! What is this?" The small, moving, real Quirrel hums. He can't be bigger than Amalia's hand, and, taking a closer look at the box, it seems that his nail (sword? it looks more like a sword) is sharp enough to semi-cut through cardboard.

They look back at Quirrel (living, breathing Quirrel), who's staring up at them, and Amalia realizes that they never answered.

"Um, hi? I'm Amalia." They tell the pillbug, who blinks and tilts his head.

"Amalia? I've certainly never heard that name before. Then again, my memory comes and goes now." He mumbles to himself, before perking up slightly. "I'm Quirrel. Where are we, and do you have food and water?"

How . . . How long has he been here? They quickly look up what a pill bug eats (to which Quirrel looks even more confused, somehow), and sighs. At least he won't go hungry.

And they're realizing that they've forgotten to answer a question. Again. "You're in my apartment right now, in Boise. But I don't think city and state matters, since you probably came from Hallownest, right?"

"Are you a Higher Being?" Quirrel asks, and Amalia laughs.

"No, no, just a human." They say, and see Quirrel squint his eyes at them. "A human is like, if a bug's outside shell was a blueprint for their body, but the blueprint was inside and all the squishy stuff was outside. And like, a thousand times larger." Never in their life had they ever thought that they would have to describe humans in relation to a bug, to a bug. "Food and water?"

Quirrel relaxes slightly, and nods before sitting down. Amalia takes an apple out of the fridge, slices it, and puts two slices in the box, as well as a dipping sauce cup full of water.

Taking his nail (sword?), he cuts some of the apple off and spears it before bringing it closer to him. "Thank you, Amalia." He nods at them.

As they watch him eat, they can't help but think that this is just the beginning.

-------

and i was gonna add more but this is all i could write. who knows, maybe i add more to the adventures of amalia and quirrel

[abyssembraced]

Every battle with an illusion began the same. The Colosseum of Fools' beloved God Tamer would leap from her roaring beast, swinging her blade with a predictable and easily evaded attack. One by one, the Watcher Knights would be roused by the infected lumaflies circling above, always in the same order. The winged variant of Nosk would force them to sit through its entire transformation, as though they weren't already aware that the beast was merely a mockery of their sister's form. No matter how many times Ghost might decide to challenge them, their opponents’ actions before the fight never changed, constantly following a predetermined routine.

This time, however, Sister Hornet had called out to them. A deviation from the script.

This was no simulation. This was real.

She was real.

They weren't alone.

They had come here on a mission. It wouldn't do to forget that. Seeing the other and hearing the emotion in her own voice, however… Something within them softened.

How long had it been..?

Ghost was not a hollow, empty husk of a creature. They may have begun their life that way, but the time they spent in Hallownest had changed that, allowing them to grow into something more. Thus, they too were prone to emotions both good and bad, and it seemed that loneliness could count itself among those.

Their sister approached them, and they silently clutched the edge of her cloak between their two tiny hands, holding onto it like a lifeline. They didn't meet her eyes, but rather bore holes into the fabric they held, expression unreadable (as it always was).

She asked them a question, and Ghost nodded. They were them. She was her. They were with someone—a real person—who wasn't just one of the Godseekers. Their grip tightened.

…They missed this. They missed being around their friends, listening to them ramble about whatever came to mind. They missed her.

They couldn't afford to stay like this for long, Ghost knew—they had tried to contact her for a reason, after all. If Sister Hornet could help them escape this endless dream, then they could spend time with her and all of their other friends in the waking world whenever they wanted. Plus, if they took too long, there was the possibility that the lead Godseeker would eventually become annoyed by the lack of fighting and decide to intervene.

But… Maybe it was okay to wait just a little longer.

where was the little ghost ?

she remembers it clearly . the sound of a bell , the ringing cheers , and the taste of refreshing defeat at the hands of her sibling . she remembers the ceilings adorned with gold and bronze , the unmistakable thrum of anticipation as the little ghost continued on their way . what she remembers most , however , was the crash . she was not present for the destruction of the Light , for the fall of such a deity - but she felt it . waking with a start , a buzzing pain flowing through her body as she had struggled to push herself off of the rusted bench she had lay upon - needing to use two sets of legs to steady herself . she could've sworn the world shook with unholy atonement , that the very essence of the void was eating away at the earth from the inside out , though no one had seemed bothered as she had been . she had ran , she recalled , ran as fast as her legs had carried her to the temple of the black egg . and there she had found her sibling . staggering about , sword swinging with a wild incompetence - something so different from the sibling she grew up with as a hatchling .

she had drawn her needle , ready to fight , ready to put them out of their misery if need be , even as the orange globules disappeared around her . however , to her surprise , they had simply stopped . they had planted their nail in the ground , sinking to their knees with a residual thud , the orange pustules on their body glowing even more dim , their full weight hit next with the force of unconsciousness . she regrets that she had know thoughts of the little ghost . only a newfound worry - one she hadn't felt in so , so long . she had lugged her sibling out of that blasted temple , using all legs she had at her disposal . she felt lucky now , however . as the corpses that once haunted the halls of these forgotten crossroads fell silent and still , the scent of decay filling the rooms . she remembers managing to pull her sibling up , watching as the townsfolk scrambled to help her , as they managed to get her sibling situated in an empty home , one big enough that they could get out of if they woke . if was a nasty word , hornet couldn't help but think .

months had passed now , and with her sibling still in their dreamless slumber , hornet had a lot more time to think about the little ghost . in the early days , she had expected them through the town at any , running around with the little winged godspawn . she expected them to run into their siblings home and impatiently point to their sleeping figure , to look downcast when she explained their situation . but they never did . and how very unlike them that was .

even still , she still wondered . she knew they weren't dead . at least , she hoped she knew . she was mature , she had slain many of her kin before and she knew death was inevitable . but she refused to believe they could just perish , leaving no trace of themself upon the world . she sighed at the thought , standing quietly above her other sibling , still fast asleep with no sign of stirring . she worked quietly as she dipped a silken rag into a small bucket she retrieved from the shopkeep , which costed an annoyingly hefty amount of geo to buy . a good investment , however , she couldn't help but think as she wiped down her siblings scared torso , the only completely solid part of their body . the faint color of orange still remained , but she was pleased to see it dissipate more with each passing day . she had cleaned their cloak , too , but she hadn't bothered to fix it just yet . hollow wasn't too careful with their clothes , quick to tear fabric , a difference she noticed between them and the little ghost .

it was almost immediately after she had that thought , that hornet felt an overwhelming sense of tiredness , a weariness that was difficult to fight . months ago , she would've refused the call of slumber , cursed the gods above and taken back to her sentinel work . but now , she allowed the weariness to take its place , dropping the rag back into it's bucket before slipping down onto a cushion beside her siblings resting figure . and for once , she willingly closed her eyes to rest .

the ring of a bell , the shine of bronze , the overwhelming cheers . hornet blinked at the feeling of it all . an arena - one she had seen before , upon fighting the -

" little ghost ! "

the beastspawn couldn't help but call out , her expression flooded with a mix of emotions . was this truly her sibling ? had her grief and stress all culminated into this dream . of the arena where she had last seen them ? but as they threw down their nail , she knew this was real , knew that the ghost of hallownest was here . she didn't loosen her grip on her needle , however , prepared to strike if she were to be wrong . before slowly squatting beside their smaller figure .

" ghost ,, this is truly you ? "

[bluegekk0]

It is kinda interesting the parallels between Holly and The Knight. They were the only two vessels to make it up to the top(even though The Knight fell off the ledge, they were able to hold on to the last platform so it counts in my eyes). They both (probably in The Knights case) didn't grow up loved by those around them. And then they were both sealed up willingly to protect Hallownest, though the Holly failed at that and The Knight did it themselves as void was unpredictable.

It is almost ironic that The Knight listened to WL in taking Holly's place in sealing the infection, though The Knight sealed something far more dangerous than the infection. And since I am kinda on the topic, did fpk or Holly ever know that WL told The Knight to take Holly's place despite the plan being a failure in the first place? Or did she keep that to herself?

Yeah the parallels are certainly there, especially if you go with the "main" ending, though in the AU Ghost ascended Godhome and then defeated The Radiance as The Shade Lord. After that, they returned to the Abyss, "killing" The Shade Lord and letting the vessel shades become one with the void and move on in peace. So the parallels don't exactly go all the way in this case. I'm not sure if you meant that they sealed the void away literally (like in the main ending) or if this is what you had in mind (which I could see, they did kind of "seal away" The Shade Lord in the Abyss). But I wanted to clarify, just in case there was any misunderstanding.

That being said, WL did ask them to replace Holly in the temple, still convinced that it would work and that Holly was simply not pure enough, though they figured out a different way that actually worked. It's entirely possible that she assumed that they listened to her, as shown by the infection stopping, and didn't learn the truth until FPK told her. But would she admit that she urged them to take Holly's place? I think so. It would show that, while she is making an effort into becoming a better person, deep down she still sees the vessels as nothing more than objects. Of course, FPK would tell her that she's wrong, that the vessels were never pure and they deserved love, and perhaps seeing Holly would make her rethink her stance. But not before admitting to FPK's face that the years in bindings didn't change the mindset that made them divorce in the first place. Which did make FPK question whether she could actually change, and if he wants to remain on friendly terms with her. Ultimately, he decided to give her a chance, especially since she did show signs of remorse in relation to their marriage, so there was an attempt at improvement. Small steps at a time. Not to say they're close friends, there is certainly a barrier between them that likely won't ever break, but he keeps her in his memory enough to visit her from time to time.

Holly wouldn't be happy to hear it, though. They experienced the suffering first-hand, and were permanently injured as a result. And now they learn that their mother wanted to send another of their siblings to inevitably meet the same horrifying fate? They never had a close relationship with her, but that would only sour it even further. If their father was able to show remorse, and give them the love they deserved, what's stopping her? Holly isn't the type to hold grudges, they are very forgiving as seen with their relationship with FPK, but they have their limits. They wouldn't blame FPK for trying to stay on good terms with WL, though, they'd understand where he's coming from. But they have no love for their mother, and they prefer to avoid her and focus on those family members that see them as a person, not an object to order around. So if FPK wants to see her become a better person, all power to him, but Holly doesn't want to be a part of it. Not unless she starts seeing them and their siblings as living beings and not just empty vessels without feelings.