#*points* it Monomon :)

[friedri-ce]

the dreamers?!?!? are they real??

i wonder who's that

[raddest-laddest]

so yk how in the quirrel comic, he says “little food i need, and little rest” ?

i wonder if that’s because monomon was protecting him…

[breadmecoshy]

Talking to Lurien in a dream

I'm sticking with the Godseeker ending, with a number of headcanons of my own

For example, that the Dreamers were aware of themselves and their surroundings the whole time they were in the Dreaming. And they could also keep an eye on the real world through the reveries of the not yet infected bugs

So, Herrah slipped into meditation, a dream within a dream, and didn't follow the real world, as she didn't see the point of it, since she couldn't affect it in any way anyway (Herrah didn't even follow her tribe or Hornet. She was used to controlling her life and always fighting for it, so when control was taken away from her, she simply withdrew into herself, for there was no point in aimless watching)

Monomon was mostly absorbed in Quirrell's dreams, following his wanderings, and her own musings on the nature of the mortal world and the dream world. The dreams of ordinary bugs didn't bother her much (Her biggest problem was her inability to write down her ideas. After a while, she even tried scratching out words on rocks, but that was hardly possible for non-existent objects. Especially if you only had soft tentacles)

Lurien, living up to his title of Watcher, had been watching the world through the bug's dream all this time (and since the King's plan went to hell, he's been subjected to the inevitable self-digging and self-loathing for giving his life away for free for a shitty plan by a shitty ruler) He's just too damn tired and frustrated, forgive him

And, after the ending of Godseeker, the Dreamers wake up from their slumber, and try to do something about the ruins of their kingdom. Working for free again ¦D

[tonythr]

The Watcher's telescope view is a social commentary and here's why

Ok so let's set some things right first. City of Tears is amazing.

(Yes, Pale Court is also an amazing mod)

I've played Hollow Knight many times, and City of Tears is probably the one location I never get tired of. The scenery, the lore, the room layout, the music, the atmosphere - it's all perfect. It's the culmination of Halllownest's beauty, the peak of the game's art style, and the narrative's most essential location. City of Tears is the heart of Hollow Knight.

This game is a story about a Kingdom and its death, a tragedy of a society that was built on dreams of light but ultimately was consumed by the light so much that darkness became its only hope. And City of Tears stands at the center of this story. So it's fitting that the themes of corrupted dreams, society flaws, and dark hopes are what shape the lore and atmosphere of this beautiful, gorgeous location.

Did you ever notice that the tears of this Kingdom are dark despite them originating in a glowing blue lake, and the waters that flood the streets are almost as dark as the void in the Abyss? Do you ever think about how the vibrant blue color of the City is basically a culmination of how the color blue is presented in other locations (Howling Cliffs, Forgotten Crossroads, and later Royal Waterways being more of a remix of it), and how it's tied to the very essence of Hallownest (and how Resting Grounds, the location that contains Blue Lake and also uses a bright blue color, represent the very foundation of Hallownest's history, that being Seer's story about the Moth Tribe's betrayal that started the war between Pale King and the Radiance)? Do you feel like Soul Master basically represents the thunder and the lightning in this never-ending rain? Do you get it????

Anyway yeah, there are many things that can be said about City of Tears, and this is hopefully not the last time I make a post about it. What I want to talk about here is the City's society.

Basically, Monomon said it better than anyone could:

It's a very complicated topic. The narrative basically explores the inner mechanisms of a free mind, how its primary need is finding a purpose, and how its purpose turns out to be a constant need of... something. Anything. As long as there is something to want, a free mind will want it. As long as there is something to yearn for, something to enjoy, something to dream about, our minds are going to move in its direction, never wanting to stop. Because a stasis is worse than death. Because a world without dreams is an empty world.

But then again, isn't constant yearning another instance of, well, constance? If dreams never end but also never evolve, doesn't that create another kind of stasis?

Like I said, it's very complicated. Let's go back to what I was getting at in the first place. What I actually wanted to say is this:

Theese guys fucking fucked up as a society.

It's classic dystopian shit (or maybe I'm using the wrong word, but you get the point). Rich people are living in luxury while the rest are suffering. They're making gold a fucking religion and are seeing it as the only beauty in the world. The corrupt upper class are using heavy gatekeeping on the lower class.

Literally.

What's interesting is that, at first, we barely see any lower class bugs in the City. There's suspiciously few regular husks in this location, compared to how many rich guys are on the eastern side. But then we get to Soul Sanctum and it all starts to make sense.

There are no red cloaks in those corpse piles. Only the poor were killed for those experiments. It can't be a coincidence. It's straight-up elitism-based genocide (again, I don't know if I'm using the right terms, correct me if there's a better way to say that, but the point is clear).

Also, see how many streets are flooded on the western side in comparison to the eastern side.

Point is, the bugs that ruined the kingdom by always wanting more (what Monomon wrote about) are most likely theese rich ones. It's a very fitting thing for this dystopian narrative: neverending greed that leads to the downfall of a civilization.

There's a note in the Hunter's Journal that describes it in the best way possible:

For every location in the game, there is a place that functions as the center of its essence, its narrative heart, the culmination of its themes. For Queen's Gardens it's the White Lady's cocoon, for Greenpath it's the Lake of Unn, and for City of Tears (or at least its eastern part, the one with the upper class) it's the Watcher's Spire. The tallest building of the great capital. The home of (evidently) the most rich and influential bug of the City's high society. Literally the top of this social hierarchy.

He is also arguably the most mysterious dreamer out of all three. I mean, why does he have only one eye? What type of bug is he? How did he get this much power? Does he really have some kind of connection with the Collector? Is he a motherfucking fluke? Why does he seem to have an obsession with serving the King?

That last question is kinda answered by the cut content though.

That last sentence is kinda confusing. Is it regret? Is it humility? Is it pride in his sacrifice? In any case, here we see that Lurien actually knew that the Pale King was literally a god, and desired to worship him, like any other bug yearns to worship some kind of deity. So while other bugs of Hallownest worshiped PK because he was a monarch, albeit a godlike one (for all they knew he could be just an extraordinary bug, but a bug nonetheless), Lurien worshiped him as an actual god. And the intricacies of worshiping a god are one of the central themes of the game. From the moth tribe's betrayal of Radiance leading to the birth of the Infection to the Godseeker's shenanigans leading to the birth of the Shade Lord - the game makes multiple statements about gods, religious devotion and the semantics of divine power. Just that one idea that a god takes its power from the ones that worship it deserves its own post - heck, it deserves its own book.

So yeah, Lurien's devotion to the King is an important part of the story. He sure is an important character in this narrative. He also got a cool house. Being able to observe the entirety of the Hallownest's capital is badass.

But there's one thing I find odd about all that, and it's the moment we get to actually look through his legendary telescope.

Is it just me, or does this feel kinda... Underwhelming? Almost disappointing? I mean, don't get me wrong, I love this view, it's beautiful, and I would certainly love to be able to see something like this with my own eyes irl, but, looking at this picture, I can't help but wonder...

Did he actually see anything from up there?

In cut dialogue, Lurien talks about how he loves the City's streets, and his hidden lore tablet contains words about his love for bugkind, but... I see neither any streets on this image, nor any bugs (that are not vengeflies). Only spiked rooftops and rainy fog, clouding the view of the actual City.

And sure, the Spire has many windows and even had multiple watchers who were helping Lurien with overseeing the capital...

But his own spot was always this one.

His telescope was sealed in one place, letting him see only a small portion of the City and its life. Almost like his own worldview was stuck in one perspective.

Notice the wording here. It's not "The Seals must remain". It's "Bonds must remain". He's not thinking just about the Seals containing the Infection. He's thinking about the whole Kingdom needing to stay unchanged. His dream is the stasis that the Knight (and also Monomon, Hornet and, in a sense, even Radiance) want to end. The stasis that the Pale King wanted to create in order for his Kingdom (and therefore himself) to be eternal. The stasis that would allow for both Pale King and Lurien's worship of him to remain forever.

But there is always a cost to ascending higher than others, and it's that you can no longer see what's going on below or who's suffering down there. I think Lurien, sitting atop the tallest tower, was actually detached from the struggles of regular bugs. He and his Spire are the culmination of the City's upper class' ignorance towards the ones who were below them on the social hierarchy. A dreamer who dreamt of watching over the very heart of the holy civilization lived so high up he could no longer see his beloved world in its complicated, detailed entirety – and the tears of the stasis created by those like him only blinded him more.

All those flooded streets, those broken buildings, those empty halls, those starving bugs, those sealed doors - even though he watched over them, he couldn't see them.

I'm pretty sure Lurien didn't even know about the Soul Master's experiments, despite the fact that the Soul Sanctum was located right next to his Spire.

Or maybe he knew but chose to turn a blind eye to it (pun intended).

But it's kind of poetic, isn't it? It's the beauty of the tragedy of this game's characters. A Beast who had to surrender everything to the opposing civilization. A Teacher who could no longer teach. A Watcher who couldn't see the truth.

And all that makes me wonder... How much suffering could the Pale King see, standing on that platform at the top of the Abyss, facing away from the pit where his children died?

TL;DR: Lurien's point of view was too high up to actually see what was truly going on down there, both literally and metaphorically. His desire to worship the Pale King made him ignorant of the struggles of regular bugs. Similarly, the extreme elitism of the high society of Hallownest lead to ignorance, discrimination and greed, which ultimately caused the sprawl of the Infection. This side of Lurien's story might also parallel the Pale King's with his ignorance towards the discarded vessels.

TL;DR²: Eat the rich

[galactic-knightmare]

The tADC fam but BUGS

...I had the sudden urge to draw Hollow Knight stuff but I'm still hyperfixated on tADC, so the solution? CROSSOVER ...which is weird. I'm usually really not into crossovers, and I don't generally like them all too much, but for some reason my brain thinks their Cool with tADC?? and I end up thinking of lore and stuff for them?? idk man my brain is. going through something lmao. AAaaannyway, lore n' stuff under the cut!

starting wiiiiithhh Kinger! :

Since Hollow knight doesn't have computers- or they do? I have no idea how to describe Monomon's lab. so instead he's kinda like a scientist but not? whatever it is that Monomon is. big brain boi.

Anyway he worked with Monomon and the Pale King on creating the vessels, but had no idea exactly what they were- he thought they were just going to be like the kingsmould- just mindless machines that are shaped like bugs. he did not know they were essentially the king and queen's kids, which were being experimented and killed en mass. So naturally, when he found out, he was pissed.

So when Hollownest starts falling after the failed sealing of Radiance, he ends up accidentally finding a surviving vessel, albeit a strange one. he ends up kinda loosing it due to guilt and stuff, so we end up with our beloved Kinger we all know and love (just fluffier and a bug)

Queenie :

Queenie is a retired Wasp warrior in this, having either come from a different Kingdom, or the arena of fools. She ended up acting as a guard for hire, and ended up meeting Kinger and becoming a sort of extra guard at Monomon's lab where they were working. One thing leads to another and eventually they end up married.

Aaaand now we have two options for this- the Angst Option, or the less Angst Option.

the Angst Option is that, like how she abstracted in the series, in this AU she ends up with the infection, and either dies completely or ends up with her infected corpse hidden inside a locked room in their house. very depressing and stuff.

the non-angst option is that she got injured pretty badly while defending their home from some Infected bugs, and ended up bedridden, so she doesn't leave their home that much anymore, thus why you don't generally see her.

aaand now Pomni! :

Pompom is one of the three known survivors of the Deepnest tribes. (the others being Hornet and Midwife, four if we're counting that unknown weaver we see at one point) She's stuck as a lone hunter, usually sticking to greenpath since there's more things to hunt. eventually she meets Kinger and they end up befriending each other. as scatterbrained as the moth is, he's one of the few non-infected beings around now, so she's happy to have some company now.

despite coming from a family of weavers, Pomni really isn't fond of weaving. She's somewhat like Hornet, with preferring battle over words. despite how quick to attack she is though, its mostly due to nervousness. they can't attack you if they've already been stabbed. outside of battle she's the Pomni we all know and love- nervous and anxious to an extreme.

While she's fond of Kinger (and Queenie in the non-angst version) she's got mixed feelings with the weird Vessel that lives with the two. More often than not, she ends up either wanting to slap him or hug him. the two usually end up on patrols around Greenpath together, although hardly any hunting gets done during those.

Aaaand finally my beloved boi, Caine :

He's the vessel! obvs. but something went a bit wrong. either he got into something he shouldn't, or he ended up experimented on by someone else. (or maybe he just had a brief encounter with a grimmkin that decided yes, this smol pale child shall now have some of my powers for shits and giggles). Either way, he's ended up as a hybrid of the two, with the raptor-claws, tail, and facial markings of a Grimmkin, but the spikes and everything else of a Vessel. The grimmkin glow/nightmare energy however is a liiittle fucked for some reason though, since it's blue and green instead of the normal red.

either way, he managed to escape the void unlike most of the millions of vessels, and ended up in the care of Kinger (and Queenie) eventually. He usually follows the two around like a lost puppy, though since meeting Pomni, he's started following her around too. he steers clear of Hornet obviously- his bio half-sister scares him (as she should- we all know how she handled vessels before Ghost)

Hes also unusually short for a Vessel, and a Grimmkin honestly. he's not that much taller than Ghost, who's still in the child-stage of a Vessel. his tail also isn't fully right either- instead of the spiked tail of a Vessel or the Scorpion tail of a Grimmkin, it instead doesn't even have a tailtip, and is instead constantly leaking soul/nightmare energy. Its concerned Kinger greatly, but theres not much he can do about it.

He's also not genderless like other Vessels- or he is, but prefers he/him. or hes a gremlin like how I picture Caine, and is technically in a way genderfluid? idk how to describe my son lmao

[birdbonechai]

wip/concept Monomon gijinka to practice costume design, 4th or 5th version at this point because I'm indecisive. This is before she became a dreamer, so she doesn't have the mask or cloak.

[violetdawn001]

What is with the Dreamers' Houses?!?! Monomon's Archives

Okay, we can all agree that Team Cherry put a LOT of thought into crafting the backgrounds and environments of Hollow Knight. But why is nobody talking about the designs for the Dreamers' houses?! Especially compared with their base forms?  Well, let's start talking about it!

Behold! Monomon's Design!

Taken from Monomon-the-Teacher.jpeg (1280×720) (punishedbacklog.com)

Taken from: https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Yn7QtF-wkSY/maxresdefault.jpg

When you meet the Teacher, the first reaction is either "She's beautiful…" or "WHAT IS A JELLYFISH DOING IN A KINGDOM OF BUGS????" If one isn't your first reaction, then it will most certainly be your second.

I could go on about how Monomon pairs her elegant beauty with her mysterious origins, but then I would be repeating words all day. Let us pause and consider how Monomon, as THE Teacher, would teach Physics…while defying them. It isn't too much of a stretch to say Monomon would float outside of her tank when the all the other Jellies in game do.

Next is her Archives that to my knowledge, lacks books.

We are immediately treated at the entrance of Monomon's Archives.  The only word that could sum it up would be awe: awestruck due to the beauty and the mystery. Looking at Monomon's house from the front can't help but remind one of how Jane Austen would describe a character's house…and how the house perfectly matched the character.

Entering the Archives, we quickly guess that no one has been here in a long time.

But walk in far enough…

And you can't help but guess what an awesome place this must have been.  Take a look at the detail!

The insane amount of knowledge stored here is amazing…and we're on the first floor!

Though we can't read most of it…and what we can read…

Why Monomon, why? Even STEM students need to be proficient in spelling. Source: my engineer brother.

Moving on, the pathway to Monomon's tank is very straight-forward. So much so that we never get a chance to see all of the Teacher's Archives. One point that strikes me is that we never get a chance to see any classrooms. We see Monomon as a researcher as noted by the Charged Lumafly tank and entry:

We know Monomon as a collector of information:

We even get glimpses of Monomon being a mad scientist by creating the Uomu, Oomu, and Uummu.

But the only sign of Monomon being a teacher is by her relationship with Quirrel and the name of her Archives. Unless I am missing something, (or we are simply not able to enter the classrooms) the Archives are more of a library and research center than a school. While I am of the mind that we simply do not see the whole Archives as we are so dead-set on getting to Monomon herself, it really says something about Monomon that we can only see the Madame as a Teacher in her relationships with others.

I would love to further this point, but this essay is for the Dreamers' houses, not necessarily the relationships the Dreamers had unless the relationships are implied in the housing designs themselves, such as the masks in Herrah's Den. Another essay would be required so the Dreamers' relationships can be given the focus and care they deserve.

Returning to Monomon's Archives, it is strange that of all the rooms we get access to, it is not ones that Monomon's students can enter. The pathway to Monomon's tank is blocked by acid.

Yet we are the ones able to see Monomon in her resting place.

Besides Quirrel. But Quirrel has a habit of getting into places most wouldn't dare enter. And it is fitting that Quirrel, Monomon's closest student, is the one to enter Monomon's inner sanctuary.

The Tech in the room is simply amazing and begs more study. Atlas, I fear I might have missed a great deal when it comes to the Teacher. If there is anything more, I hope another member of the Hollow Knight community will step up to fill the void, pun intended.

Now, let us discuss a resting place not for Monomon, but for the player.

Is not this place so elegant in its decay? The perfect symmetry and the framing of the moss ceiling…it is a terrible pity we could not see the Teacher's Archives in Hallownest's prime.

Moving past the pity, let me share a little detail. Team Cherry, when designing each location, placed signs of the ruler of said location in the framework of the place, usually in the fencing. For Teacher's Archives…

It's right at the bench! Which means Monomon is in charge!

The above statement, while made in good jest, possibly bears more weight than on a passing glance. We see no Hallownestian Seals or crests imbedded within the walls. There are also no King's idols or any item to be retrieved from the Archives. Everything in the Archives is centered around Monomon and her research.

This idea gives rise to a theory that perhaps the Teacher's Archives was not part of Hallownest, but rather neutral territory where ANYONE could come to learn about anything in peace. This would not be the first time in media where such a place existed. The TV show "Babylon 5" tells the story of a space station created as a place where the different alien races can learn about the other races in neutral territory for the purpose of creating peace.

 To answer some objections, yes, "The Pilgrams' Way" does pass through Fog Canyon, but it also passes through Greenpath which technically belongs to Unn, not the Pale King.  And the Archives is one of the few places that has its own, unique bench. 

If the Archives is not part of Hallownest, what does this neutrality tell us about Monomon? If the Teacher's Archives is indeed neutral territory, it shows how much emphasis Monomon puts on knowledge being open to everyone as the purpose of the Archives is a place to store all the knowledge she collected.

But if Monomon was neutral, how did she get involved with the Dreamer plan? Simple. Monomon cared about her students. Monomon welcomed everyone from anywhere, and everywhere was infected by the Radiance. To save her students, the majority of whom came from Hallownest, Monomon became a Dreamer. Unfortunately, it was all in vain as the world fell into stasis as one by one Monomon's students either died or fell to the Infection. The Archives, where you could find anyone from anywhere in Hallownest, now only holds jellyfish…

Before we wallow in sorrow, let us escape to the City of Tears and to the final Dreamer. Wait for part 3.0 coming soon!

This is a part series to see if I can fit everything in. I hope you enjoyed Monomon's Archives!

Part 1.0: Herrah's Den : Here

Part 2.0: Monomon's Archives (You are here)

Part 3.0: Lurien's Spire : Here

Part 3.25: More of Lurien's Spire: Here

Part 3.5: Lurien's Spire: Pillows and Patriotism: Here

Part 3.7 Lurien's Spire: What is wrong with Lurien's Office?! Here

Part 3.8: Even, even More of Lurien's Spire: Secret Room: Click here

Part 3.9 Watcher Knight Boss Room! Here

Part 4.0 What We Know We Don't Know About the Dreamers' Houses: Click Here

Link to essay on Ao3: Here

[sincerely-sofie]

i know u haven’t posted about him much but in the spirit of hollow knight, do u have thoughts on quirrel, my close personal friend quirrel,

oh boy. buddy do i EVER. These are some notes for him based on the various fics and AUs I’ve cooked up over the years:

I like to think that Quirrel is the son of some minor nobility. Nobody really noteworthy in the grand scheme of a monarchy, mind you, but it was enough to get him access to a fancy library and a level of education that would eventually lead to him working alongside Monomon.

Back when I first joined the fandom people weren’t decided on what species he was, but I think the general consensus is that he’s a pillbug nowadays? Either way, this man is a pillbug 100%.

He and Ghost are on the same wavelength at any given point in time. It’s not so much that they share a braincell as much as they’ve both got Issues Of Vaguely Similar Flavors and their vibes complement each other.

He can do various sleight-of-hand magic tricks.

He becomes Tiso’s Jiminy Cricket-esque friend that keeps him (vaguely) in line.

He was on the fringes of the research involving vessels, but Monomon and the Pale King were very tight-lipped about things. He knows a fair bit about them though.

He’s a bit slow in most fights (he’s capable of ridiculous speed but tries to pace himself and manage his energy for extensive battles) but he hits way harder than anyone with his stature has any business doing.

Everyone who knows him and knows Mato thinks they’d get along amazingly. While he’s too polite to ever say as much, Quirrel actually doesn’t like Mato that much. He doesn’t think poorly of him or anything— they just don’t click. Quirrel’s enthusiasm for knowledge of pretty much everything but using a nail is baffling to Mato, whose entire life revolves around mastery of the art. Mato is pretty frustrated by Quirrel’s talent in battle but lack of enthusiasm for it.

He knew Eternal Emilitia personally. He holds the opinion that the noble class of Hallownest was correct to oust her from their ranks. He does not like Emilitia in the slightest and doesn’t leave any of his loved ones alone in a room with her.

He knows three recipes and can cook them beautifully and present you with the most delicious meal you’ve ever had. If he tries to cook anything other than those three dishes it WILL taste like he dug it out of the Royal Waterways.

[naamah-beherit]

Shades of Flame; chapter 13

[ canon divergence • Grimm Troupe!Ghost • wip at 56k so far ]

A chapter in which there are murderous intentions, world-shaking revelations, and Hornet gets a nail, not necessarily in that order.

Monomon prevents a regicide before breakfast. It is, all things considered, a mundane and uncomplicated endeavour. Herrah arrives at the Archives first thing in the morning with her daughter strapped to her back in swaths of silk and a mighty hiss that has long left the budding-in-thorax stage and now rumbles loud enough for everyone to hear and know there’s a feral spider on the loose. She’s got words at the ready, plentiful, each more vicious than the other, and against her best intentions Monomon mutes the rant somewhere after the first few sentences. The Gendered Child is simply too delightful to watch in her mixed-breed glory; neither a spider nor a wyrm, which will probably bring her a lot of despair in the future but alas, that future is not yet here and might never come to pass. Their future, as all futures are, is somewhat uncertain, all the more so by being tied to Hallownest’s fate that is looking gloomier by the day. “You’re not even listening,” Herrah says at some point. “I am!” Monomon objects, which in itself is the best sign that she is, in fact, listening. It’s for her to know that listening and registering what’s being said are two different things. She can listen all right. She’s got Quirrel for registering. “Are you, now? Then what did I say?” “Many words, none of which are feasible. Look, Herrah.” She leans over the table a bit, at which the Gendered Child makes a delighted chirp and tries to grab one of Monomon’s tentacles. “While I am sympathetic to your plight and wholeheartedly agree with you, I don’t think storming the White Palace and, ah, ripping the King to bite-sized pieces is going to solve anything.” “Maybe, maybe not. But it will sure make me feel better.”

Read chapter 13 on AO3 | Read from the beginning

[probablyanalienindisguise]

entire minute ½ of me playing heart attack simulator

It makes me both sad and afraid

So funny thing is that I've never actually beat the game, instead most of the main storyline got spoiled and I found no interest in continuing the save I had by that point because "What's the point", come back like 4 years later to my old save, find out I forgot most of what happened/ had no clue of little storylines so decided to play again simply for the characters and get more understanding of the story.

So far I've been jumpscared about 14 different times and got my ass kicked by mantis women WAY more than that (beat them though after try 17)

Galien is probably my worst dreamer enemy, still havent got him. Look he only has two attacks but they are BEATING me up 😭😭

Had Quirrel's storyline spoiled for me, and it's the only reason I'm really hesitant on killing Monomon because I don't want him gone man. He's the only one I know of what happens to though so I have maybe higher hopes for my other favorites living through the game safely.

Cloth and Tiso are probably my other favorite npcs you find throughout the game :)

I hope nothing bad happens to either of them because they're so silly and I love them. I WILL say I doubt anything will happen to the Last Stag and Lemm because they're either a shopkeeper/ transportation so I don't have to worry much about them luckily, hopefully actually.

[raddest-laddest]

how it feels to see mono-mom mentioned under my art

[cupcakeshakesnake]

Out of curiosity, what was your route for the 10/5 hour achievements? Did u get extra mask shards or abilities or charms? As someone who recently completed those, I’m really interested in how other ppl did it.

(Btw u can answer this publicly if u want)

This charm setup, plus 1 extra mask and 1 nail upgrade.

More under cut:

Run order:

Crossroads (False Knight, Gruz Mother, Sly, Salubra)

Greenpath (Hornet/Dash)

Fungal (Mantis Claw)

City (Soul Master/D.Dive, Broken Vessel/Wings, Dung Defender/Isma's Tear + detour to Kingdom's Edge for Quickslash + easy geo)

Stag to Dirtmouth, buy lantern

Peaks (Crystal Dash, D.Dark)

Fall to Resting Grounds, get Dreamnail

Stag to Dirtmouth, then Crossroads to Canyon (Monomon)

Canyon to Queen's Station to Fungal to Deepnest (Herrah)*

Stag from Distant Village to King's Station (Lurien)

Stag to Dirtmouth, then THK.

*Guides often told me to get to Deepnest through Queen's Gardens, but I ain't touching the Gardens with a ten foot pole. Screw those mantises.

Other points of interest:

Grabbed relics, geo and bought what I could along the way.

Dive was the only spell I upgraded; I did not get any upwards spells at all.

I already had the muscle memory to one-shot most of the bosses; I put in extra practice for the Watcher Knights in Godhome in a separate save.

Watched guides on YouTube for extra help. (A video on the different pre-attack movements of the Watcher Knights helped quite a lot.)

Benched often and kept track of the map on my phone so as to not get lost (still did, a couple of times...)

Getting all the movement skills before the Dreamers definitely helped.

Prioritized healing over dealing damage in bossfights.

Muting the game and playing calm music helped reduce anxiety lol

[starringmoon]

I've seen a lot of people compare the dichotomy of Radiance/Pale King to Sun/Moon. But I have a different take on this.

I believe that the Pale King is meant to represent artificial/industrial light. He did, after all, industrialize Hallownest (tramways, cities, etc). He granted the bugs "higher thought", redeeming their base instincts. This, and the fact that he had a workshop where he designed his guards, makes think of him as a science-y man, which is why I see him as artificial light.

As a side note, Monomon had a whole archive in which she investigated and experimented with electricity, which further proves this point.

I don't know if this has been said before, I am open to conversation if anyone has a different point of view ^^ I just love talking about this game

[littlebittyhollowbugs]

Infection timeline/time freeze theory

So this is the timeline as far as I could figure out, starting from the sealing of the infection within the hollow knight. But first important note~

The void has a unique power to freeze time. Or in other words time does not pass within the void, this is hinted at in different parts of the game, but would also really explain how vessels such as Ghost who spent most of their life trapped within the abyss do not age, while on the outside the hollow knight does.

So the timeline~

The sealing happens.

Hollow knight becomes infected after sleeping. Which must take some time, (enough for the statue to be dedicated for example. Just long enough for people to think they're finally safe.) but not too long, I imagine a few months to a year.

(Anyway it is easy for Hollow not to sleep because of both A- being a higher being and void entity with not as much need to, and B- the void within the black egg keeps time frozen there.) Still I can't imagine that the infection was sealed away for very long, And when it finally came back, it came back full force.

Knowing that their one hope has failed them, the king becomes desperate, He has the city gates sealed in attempt to save as many bugs as possible. (Failed attempt of course.)

He and the whole basin are slowly becoming swallowed by his regrets. (The void) During his final hours, as the fact that he doomed his child and all the dreamers, and all of it for nothing would certainly be tearing him apart.

Now the time freeze Hallownest is under, either began because the whole kingdom was so filled with regret/it's ruler especially, and the void was able to get control from that, or because the king purposely created a spell, utilizing void, to freeze time as a last ditch effort to stop the spread of the infection. Either way the void played a role here. And the Kingdom was put into a hundred year (multiple hundred year?) stasis.

And the infection still spread, though at this point most would have been driven away or had already died anyway.

Skip ahead to Ghosts arrival in Hallownest!

The zombification of the infected bugs did not happen until shortly before Ghosts arrival. The hollow knight, though very powerful and resilient, has still been slowly dying, being infected this entire time and is finally at the point of near death.

That's when Ghost is called. (And Quirrel! By Monomon.)

Radiance has more power now, and uses her power to bring to life the bodies of the infected, to aid in her escape.

When we meet Quirrel, who had arrived not long before us, he says~

"For so long I've felt drawn here. So many tales full of wonders and horrors. No longer could I resist. I just had to see it for myself. And what a time I chose to arrive! This dead world has sprung to life. The creatures are riled up and the earth rumbles. The air is thick. I wonder what could have brought it all about?"

Which implies that the dead have only recently been awoken, the Radiance only recently having gained more power. (With the hollow knight weakening.)

Anyway then the events of the game play out!

That is the timeline of the infection as far as I could figure it out! At Least my theory!

[analog-autistic]

I just had the best idea for a hollow knight mod EVER but I don’t know how to code never mind to I have the time or energy to do so

basically, you beat the games true ending, but Ghost (the main character, that’s what I call them) comes back. They get up, (a few months after the fight) put their shell back together, and now they have crazy shade lord powers that let them teleport to any room in the game using the map

now. the FUN PART.

every mob, boss, and npc is alive and well, not infected, and you can interact with them.

the dreamers are awake, and you can speak with them. Monomon is back to being a teacher, Herra is ruing her kingdom once again, and Lurien watches over the City of Tears once again. They all talk to you quite friendly, exept lurien since he wanted the seals to remain and is a liiiittle salty that you actually succeeded lol

all the bosses are either alive or “ghosts”, and you can talk to them either way ! the dead ones are (reasonably) salty, but all think it was at least a little reasonable to kill them since they were infected.

some specifics:

the collector is confined to his room (for obvious reasons) but he’s not as crazy as he was. He was also given a shell, since he’s made entirely of void and stuff, and that made him feel better!!!! Yay !!

the broken vessel is a ghost, and they start to follow you around after you find them!! They don’t speak much, but they call you ‘sibling’

the best part ?????

you can go into the black egg, and it’s now a sort of shrine, with a weird dream door.

you enter the door, and enter the dream realm.

as you walk, you hear two mystery bugs ‘bickering’

Ykw??? Here’s some random dialogue

—

“You old fork! You were so angry about my existence in Hallownest, and now you don’t even remember what for?”

“Oh, shut it. It’s been a few thousand-million years or so, and I’ve been busy!”

“Yeah, busy with your gauntlet of buzzsaws! What was that even for?”

“Wha- a king must be protected!”

“Hah! From what? Everyone loved you!”

“From you, who else?”

“Ah, I guess that’s a fair judgement.”

—

btw: it’s the radiance and the pale king bickering like a married couple

they’re friends because (and I quote from the radiance) “We’re gods, no point in holding old grudges! It won’t matter all that much in the long run.”

radiance is a bit of a jokester. a silly little prankster if you will. pale king is more serious

uhh anyway. I don’t know how to code !

[neptuniadoesstuff]

Queen Herrah (KoD AU)

(Spoilers for hk & spider/arachnophobia warning)

The last of the 3 dreamers, Mama Herrah herself (sounds a bit like Hera from Greek mythology, very unsure if that was intentional by the devs or not.)

Might draw the main cast afterwards (or well the 4 characters that are iconic when it comes to hk. & by hk i mean the original not my au's storyline itself.) Also yes I did a extreme change to Herrah's design bcs in Canon she kinda looks... idk kinda weird to me. So yeh overhaul on her design for my AU, KoD. Also if you know what the beast part in her species is, well... In my hk universe, the term "beast" is used for any sentient creature who walk on more than 2 legs but are sapient & have language. (Doesn't technically be humanoid, but are mostly humanoid)

So uh... yeh... This version of Herrah is extremely huge, like very huge, & much of most of Deepnest, she wears a mask (which is also, apparently, her dreamer mask) this is a form of mimicry to hopefully catch their unsuspecting prey. Many many years before the infection, she had a partner, who was apart of the honored caste that existed in Deepnest (whom in my universe were also hella cannibalistic to please the spider tribe), at a certain point, her partner pretty much got consumed by his fellow caste members, leaving her w/o a heir. Despite her being well... a common beast to the normal bug, she had power over the spider clan & most of Deepnest herself, & very much against the Pale King & his followers. However when the infection came about, she was asked by the Plae King to become a dreamer, at first declining as she very much doesn't want to associate with him, but realizing if she dies from the infection, there wouldn't be a heir to take her place, so she eventually accepted, but only bcs she wanted to have abheir, specifically a duaghter. In short 2 heirs were born (Yes 2), one was the particular Hornet, the other? Her name was Weirette. After this Herrah went into deep sleep, now leaving the 2 girls w/o a mother to take care of them. (As hornet was taken away to be raised by her dad & Weirette... no one knows what happened to Weirette...) After the seal was broken & she woke up from her long slumber, her mask became broken as well (aka her disguise), but even though deepnest was still the same, everything she knew was never the same... So she in turned decimated anyone whom is confirmed to be infected or looks infected. She still possibly lives in the semi-vacant place she calls home. (Btw this version of Herrah is not rlly much of a speaker, & by speaker I mean she doesn't speak in "common" or not very well verse in it, she mainly speaks in clicks & hisses)

(This is all my lore, as the only lore there was stated is her being the mother of Hornet, she's one of the 3 dreamers, & she's the queen of the Spider Tribe in deepnest. Also I did make her species a black widow bcs I thought it make sense for her to be one. I've actually drawn Herrah before but that old version is well.. old now & does not belong into KoD anymore. Btw Weirette is a future OC of mine.)

The unshaded version btw: *Insert Link here*

Heres a Link to Monomon (My version) & Link to Lurien (My version).

Character belongs to Team Cherry but the design is mine.

Art is mine.

Program: Ibispaint x

Bubs' TOS: Plz don't repost/steal, trace, or recolor my art WITHOUT MY PERMISSION! If you do, I'll take yur femur and pelvis.. SO, DON'T THINK ABOUT IT! (The PNS on my blog's pinned post clearly means "Please No Steal" plz follow that rule.) If you do post my art on anything like yur blog or somewhere else (With my permission) PLEASE CREDIT ME!