#Higher beings

[mebis-art-dump]

Higher Beings

part 2

[buginfestedgarden]

I’m back! And I drew my interpretation of all the higher beings!

My design for the nightmare heart/Grimms ancient form was inspired by @scarletspecter

[silverjayy6]

Proof Pale King didn't die because of Void:

1. There aren't any of the Void streaks under his eyes. If he were to have been killed by Void, he would be the only one to not have those streaks.

2. A whole Void lake was pacified by the light from a few Lumaflies. In life, Pale King is said to be so bright that it hurt to look at him. Far fetched to think he would not have been able to pacify the Void.

3. Void in gaseous state isn't harmful. Hornet and Ellina The Wanderer could both go the Abyss without any harm, which has a far greater concentration of gaseous Void than White Palace.

4. The Void was not unified. It would not have been able to attack a Higher Being without an actual plan. And seeing as it wasn't unified, it wouldn't have been able to do that.

5. Just how little Void there is in the Throne room in general. The Knight needed a lot more, and like an absolute ton more, to kill the Radiance. And then too, it was a fairly equal battle. So, even with Unified Void, it is incredibly hard to take down a Higher Being. What could a little bit of non-unified Void do to Pale King?

[progenycursed]

Unpopular Take on Radiance

Spoiler warning for Hollow knight game.

I don’t think she’s the god of dreams. She’s the god of the old light and the moths. Nowhere in the game that I can find(and I have a lot of hours) is she called the god of dreams. Even in Godhome she is only called the “forgotten god of light.” If she anything, she is the god of the sun. When you start the fight with her, she is literally the sun in the sky.

I think the dream realm works kind of like the physical realm. Each god has a territory they lay claim to. The size depends on how many followers they have, which also effects their power level. For a physical god though, the dream realm wouldn’t be as important to them compared to a god whose entire being is within the dream realm.

In the game it is said that Radiance is ‘a higher being of light similar to essence,’ but she isn’t the only higher being of light, and all gods in the game have essence. The Pale King and White Lady both have white essence. His can be seen in the White Palace dream, his dream. Her’s can be seen in god home. Much like Unn’s whose green essence is floating all around her area in the pantheon. The nightmare heart has red essence. Even what’s left of the lifeblood god in the abyss has blue essence. I think essence is a trait of all higher beings of light, life, and memories.

Mini theory: I also believe that Pure Vessel has a form of essence. In their arena in Godhome, the particles floating in the air, some of its soul, some void, then there are the circles. The empty circles, almost like the dreamcatchers of essence, but with the inside gone. As if it was hollowed out… mini theory over.

But every dream you enter is hers! Yes, because she’s invading the dreams of all bugs. The reason the Hollow Knight plan was created in the first place. The plan that failed, allowing her to continue invading dreams. In fact, it’s stated in the slobbering husks journal entry, that ‘the harder you struggles against it, the more it consumed you.’ The bugs tried to repress her dream, so the dream manifested as the infection. She was set on invading every dream she could, one that she succeeded at by the time the game starts. Thus every dream you enter, is hers. She’s not the god of dreams, she just won the invasion and claimed all the territory. Plus, the tool you use to get into all dreams, is a tool created by the moths while they were still following her. It makes sense that the dream nail was made with her power, so everything it touches, has a little of her influence, her essence.

What of the moths influence over the dream realm? For whatever reason, Radiance lacks a physical from, so if she wanted to interact with her moths they would have to be able to enter her dream. Maybe that’s even why the dream nail was created. The moth tribe seems to have a lot of control over the dream realm, maybe because their possessive god preferred to keep them close. In fact, I believe that she may have tried her best to keep them in her dream almost completely. The moth tribes architecture suggests minimal interactions with the real world. And how they all seemingly abandoned her at once, suggests to me that they all realized at once that she wasn’t that great. Maybe she forcibly held them in the dream realm. If they were there most of the time, they would have a lot of influence and knowledge of the realm.

Like how the dream realm split long ago into nightmares. But it doesn’t say the split happened from Radiance’s dream, but the dream realm in general. Suggesting that higher beings come in two forms, benevolent dreams and malevolent nightmares. A culture that mostly resides in the dream realm, would be aware of the nightmare realm, a realm that might pose a serious threat to them. I don’t think the nightmare heart is Radiance sibling. I’m not even convinced that it has anything to do with her at all. It feeds off of the dying flames of a fallen civilization, that’s why its there. I’m not even convinced that the nightmare heart is THE god of nightmares, but A god of nightmares. But that’s a theory for another post.

If she was the god of dreams, then how could she have been forgotten? If she was the god of dreams, every bug in Hallownest would have entered her realm every time they sleep. It would have been impossible to forget her for this reason alone. But it is never mentioned that the bugs of Hallownest knew of her until after she started invading their dreams. She was only known to the moths until they abandoned her. If she was the god of dreams, that would throw SO many wrenches into the mosskin lore. The mosskin were created by Unn’s dream. But if Radiance is the god of dreams, how would that work? Do they classify as her people too? Did Unn take out a loan on the dream realm to make her people? If she was the god of dreams, why would she allow the Pale King to create a dream? A dream that he would have made while her infection was running rampant.

But what of the void being her ancient enemy? I think it’s her ancient enemy because she’s been in the area the longest. Or maybe because it consumed her real sibling and she thinks it’s trying to get her too? Which is a fair belief, but I think it’s because the void doesn’t like any higher being of light, or light in general. It somehow convinced the lighthouse keeper to turn off the light. Then took that chance to wrap its tendrils into the kingsmold armor in the palace grounds. Invaded the Pale Kings dreams, yet left all the people within and even the dream itself alone. Instead went straight for the throne room, melted all his void guards, and killed him. Filling the room that should be the brightest, and left void particles floating after it was done with him. The void even strikes out at vessels, because even though they are mostly void, they are still the offspring of two beings of light.

Mini hypothesis: What if all the giant bug bodies were other gods that came to the area? What if they all fell to the void? Hypothesis over.

TLDR: no where in the game is Radiance called the god of dreams. She just took over all the dreams because the Hollow Knight plan that was to stop her from doing this, failed. Her being the god of dreams doesn’t fit with other parts of the game lore including Unn’s mosskin, the Pale King’s white palace dream, and the essence of the other gods. She is just the spite filled old light and the creator of moths. Or in another mini theory, possible the godly embodiment of the sun itself, which might explain why the world of Hallownest lacks a sun.

[derelict-antiquarian]

Last question. And this one is rather simple, compared to the rest.

Do you believe we are alone in the universe, are the highest cognitive consciousness(most smartest), or are being observed till we are developed enough to assimilate better into the greater design of the universe collective?

Answer honestly!

[suminoze]

Higher Babies

Yes, Unn and Lifeblood thingy are missing. Also Radi is a bunny, apparently

Time also made an appearance to distract the silly Void from eating the other Higher Beings.

[rainbow-scarab]

Higher Beings, Species, and Rank

I’ve been trying to pull information together for various other theories. But some information is coming together in my brain.

And my goodness, excuse me, as I can never make anything simple. I merely wanted to talk about the creature hanging in Beast’s Den again. But it will take a while to get there. In fact yeah this is mostly not about that, as you may see from the title XD;;;; But I’ll be getting there eventually anyway, and hopefully it will make sense.

Karina, a moth spirit in the Glade:

Are you admiring my fabulous markings? I'm of a distinguished species you see, though I've not seen another like me for the longest time.

You don't seem to bear the markings of rank, though you bear no markings of a lower form.

What are you? Do tell me. Are you a higher being or just another lowly grub?

[a picture of Karina, a moth that is very short with unusual wings]

I’ve been thinking about the place of higher beings. Karina’s words are quite odd. They speak of their markings...maybe their wings? But then, speaking of “markings of rank” that they find Ghost to lack, they ask if they are a “lowly grub” or “higher being”.

That’s quite strange to me. That’s a huge jump between grub and higher being! Isn’t it?

They relate markings of rank to their own species, it seems. Do they wonder about Ghost, not being able to identify their species? Do they identify “higher beings” from species?

I’ve been wondering for a while exactly what makes one a higher being, and if that’s different than a “god”. Wyrms seem to have been a species. The Pale King is one of those, and is worshiped as a god. It’s possible those things don’t always go together.

In a developer note titled “God”:

perhaps in special instance? though usually the god-like creatures are higher beings.

These notes seem to have been to guide the developers as they went through. Reminders to and amongst themselves I suppose. Here, they are deciding to mostly avoid the term in favor of using “higher being”, described as “god-like”. The notes aren’t canon, but it does make me think.

I also must assume these notes were before the Godmaster content was developed XD Definitely high usage of “god” there. But even then, the word is used a bit oddly since many bosses are called gods, many of them fairly mundane even if more powerful than the average bug.

I’ve seen people speculate on what a “higher being” is due to all the lore tablets. Many speaking in a way that would be confusing if you were talking to gods, seemingly meant for more average people.

This is a bit beyond what I’m thinking about today though. Just...as far as I can see, this distinction between an average bug and “higher being” and “god”...does not seem as concrete as one might expect.

Mask Maker, once Ghost gets King’s Brand:

I see another takes mantle of king? Then grim responsibility that shall bestow.

No bug has ever laid claim to this whole. Even the beasts knew their limits and bound their realm at Nest's edge.

It is the ancient caste that made attempt at such vast rule. Hallownest's ruin reflects well those fared attempts.

“Ancient caste”. I’ve seen people speak as if this refers to the ancient civilization. It very well might. But I had to wonder about various possibilities.

“Ancient civilization” is not an official name. The word “ancient” in fact is used many times throughout the game. Most instances are by modern bugs speaking of old Hallownest. I had to wonder if ancient caste could refer to the Pale King and White Lady. Especially if you contrast them with “bug” and “beast”, mentioned previously. They are neither, though the Pale King took a form similar to a bug. They are also, seemingly, quite old.

And with Karina’s words, well. “Caste” is a category. Something having to do with one’s place in society, something you’re born into . Mask Maker brings this up upon seeing Ghost with King’s Brand, something to mark them as King, the top rank of a society.

In fact “caste” is a word used in biology relating to insects:

a subset of individuals within a colony (society) of social animals that is specialized in the function it performs and distinguished by anatomical or morphological differences from other subsets.

The structure of society, between the average bug and monarchs, is something brought up various times in the game. This is, again, getting a bit too into it for my purposes right now.

(someone help me oh gosh I can never stay on one topic or keep things short aaaa)

For some reason Mask Maker uses “ancient” together with a word that has to do with societal place. Are those at the top of society always ancient or long-lived? I dunno. It’s true of some real bugs like termite queens (can live 50+ years). Those like the Pale King, White Lady, the Radiance, Unn...presumably all quite old. And also higher beings. Something that Karina seems to suggest is a rank.

The ancient civilization...those examples of ancient creatures we can see are also all large. Some just slightly larger, like the Shade Beast, and some humongous, like the one housing the Colosseum of Fools. Did they count as higher beings? I have to wonder, especially if such a thing can be applied to whole species. A term that perhaps doesn’t have to be as special as “god”.

Now, to the creature enshrined in Beast’s Den....

[The thing. Hanging from the ceiling by 8 tube/arm things, fairly spiky, seemingly dead]

I have seen much speculation on the status of this large thing. Possibly as the old ruler of Deepnest. Possibly a higher being. The room it’s in is referred to as a shrine in the game files.

(July edit: Commonly, this thing is called a trilobite in the Hollow Knight community. I was trying to figure out originally in this post if there’s anything in the game files that calls it a trilobite. I to this day haven’t been able to find anything confirming why people call it a trilobite, only some assertions that there’s something official, and some saying it’s common speculation. I can only conclude now that it’s more likely just common interpretation of its looks and not supported by anything concrete calling it a trilobite)

I don’t know if it particularly looks like a trilobite, but then a lot of bugs in the game seem more like...suggestions of bugs than looking entirely like real species. I almost wonder if it’s similar to the beast that God Tamer has.

[God Tamer beast]

Similar body shape. Mask shape, especially around the mouth (leaving this gap in the bottom of the mask). Being called a beast, which I’m not sure how the game defines entirely. Though from its dreamnail dialog, it does not seem particularly intelligent. This may not have any relevance, I just find the similarities interesting.

Anyway.

Written by the mushroom tribe near Deepnest:

This border bounds the twisting, scratching things.

Their dead sire, once of honoured caste.

Their sealed mother, but the common beast.

No peace with them we make.

That word again, caste. The “dead sire” of Deepnest, of honored caste. Something to contrast with Herrah, who is called a common beast. I’ve seen this before to say that she was not of royal birth, but became Queen through marriage. This is possible. I also wonder if she, regardless of how her status was acquired, may be called common to contrast with this sire being a higher being, where she is not.

I have to wonder if this trilobite thing, in a “shrine” with something resembling a spiky crown on its head, was both the old king and a higher being. It’s large, it’s still held as important for some reason, in a shrine with a seal over it. A trilobite is...not particularly like a spider, besides being an arthropod, but so are insects and crustaceans. I suppose Deepnest does have centipedes too (another type of arthropod), so perhaps it doesn’t all have to be about spiders. It does have those eight...arms(?) attached to it, like a spider might. Holding it up in a manner that suggests legs to me rather than something more lax suspending it. It’s all rather odd/mysterious.

Regardless, it makes me think of what kind of story there might be here. If Deepnest was ruled by a higher being, perhaps for a long time. If this ruler may have fought with the Pale King, politically or physically. If he may have died in the process, or died a more natural death. If Herrah may have married this being, or perhaps succeeded him after his death. Either way, she had no heir.

I have to wonder how vulnerable Deepnest was. Cut off from the rest of Hallownest. Formerly led by a powerful being, now without such protection. Herrah formidable in her own right I’m sure, but still no higher being. I’m sure she could have gotten with any number of suitors in Deepnest for children. But she made a deal with the Pale King for a child. The Pale King had status, yes. Royalty. I just have to wonder in all this if Herrah was as concerned with having a child of royal lineage as much as having a child from a higher being, someone powerful to be able to lead and protect Deepnest. Something like Deepnest might’ve had before.

I have a lot of thoughts about gods/higher beings in Hollow Knight. This doesn’t even touch on things like how they relate to soul/essence/dream/void/etc. Hoping to write out more thoughts in the future. Just a little slice here of the possibilities for today.

[antiquedresserthi3f]

The eye is watching

[pizzacrustdisposal]

can we get some super chill deities or incomprehensible monstrosities. like no they don’t want your eternal devotion or to bring about the apocalypse, they’re just chillin on the mortal plane bc we’re the only ones with a Steak ‘n Shake

[shyrnons-ghost]

How I think aging works in the Hollow Knight Universe

So essentially, this is how I see aging in the Hollow Knight universe: The stronger a being’s mind power/strength, the longer its lifespan. 

Take this, for example: How would someone like Hornet have been born around the time the infection was first sealed still be/act younger than someone like Elderbug, who only ever saw Hallownest with its gates closed? Hornet would have a much stronger mind strength as she is the daughter of the Pale King, A LITERAL GOD. Elderbug, however, would have much less of a mind power considering the fact that he doesn’t venture down into Hallownest for fear of the infection, and the fact that he is only a common bug by Hallownest’s terms. 

Other Gods of Hallownest also prove a point for this claim. The fact that higher beings (god-like individuals with most likely a strong mind-power) like the White Lady and Unn are still alive yet other common bugs have died, many of old age? 

Although the fact can be disproven by the fact that most of the being’s I’ve mentioned so far are gods, other beings such as Mask Maker have most likely been at their work for a long time (around before Hallownest’s Collapse) and still have not died of old age.

[futurefatum]

Reveals Predictions For ELECTION, WAR & HUMANITY’s Future in 2025! (Tone: 310)

Predictions for 2025 warn of potential conflict and political shifts. Discover how spiritual alignment might impact humanity’s future. #FuturePredictions #SpiritualGuidance

Posted by @LifeAfterLifeNDE-is1kh ABOUT THIS VIDEO: This video features Sally Reid, who describes her transformative near-death experiences (NDEs) and subsequent encounters with spiritual beings. Through these experiences, she receives insights and warnings regarding humanity’s future, including predictions about potential conflict, political changes, and the evolution of global leadership. Her…

[mebis-art-dump]

Higher Beings (part 2)

part 1

[symphonyofsilence]

Let the poor man rest.

[silverjayy6]

The tragedy of Hollow Knight-

Hollow Knight is a vast game. And it has a huge story. But the more I've been thinking about it, the more I've been realising how much of a tragedy so much of the story is. How much the different aspects of the story are a tragedy. And I really, really wanna talk about it, sooooooooooo......... (Read under cut if ya want to)

1. Tragedy of the Radiance

The Radiance is the antagonist of the game. The one responsible for the events of the game. Well atleast half of them anyway. She is a Higher Being who resides in the Dream Realm. She is the creator of the Moth tribe. Before the events of the game, all was good. The Moths used to worship her and that was how she was alive. But then came the Pale King.

Upon the arrival of the Pale King, the Moths just immediately shifted their attention to him. They completely forgot about their god, the one who created them. Now, they worshipped the Pale King. Because she was now being forgotten, the Radiance was losing her strength and dying. If she were to be completely forgotten, she would perish, as if she didn't exist in the first place. But she was kept alive. By hushed whispers of faith, as Seer puts it. And eventually these whispers turned to writing, and now the Radiance was getting her power back. But she still wasn't back to her original power. And since the writing could perish anytime too, she wasn't completely safe either. So, to escape her death, and also because she was angry, Radiance created the Infection. She would enter the mind of a bug, fill it with false dreams and desires, get the bug to succumb to these false dreams and desires and then get the bug under her control. That was how the Infection worked and spread. And because it also had a physical form, it became easier for bugs to remember the Radiance, and thus it became easier for her to infect them.

But the Pale King wasn't going to just sit around. He devised a method to stop the Infection. Trapping the Radiance inside an empty bug. One who has no mind to think, or no will to break. And so he did. He trapped her in the mind of a bug whom he thought fit the criteria, who was hollow. And it seemed to work. She was trapped, the Infection was slowly gone. But then, it started again. As it turned out, the bug was not hollow. This allowed her to escape again. And this time, she didn't hold back. She infected all of Hallownest, even bugs which didn't seem to have good connections with the Pale King. And once that was done, a call was sent. Was it by the Radiance or the bug in which she was trapped, was not certain. But this call attracted another bug which of the same nature as the one who trapped the Radiance.

This new bug was the eventual downfall of the Radiance. This one, with the guidance of Hornet, attained the special means needed to combat the Radiance. And when it was finally time to enter the mind of the original and combat the Radiance, it didn't hold back against her. The Radiance lost. She was killed. That was the end of her story.

For me, Radiance's story is a tragedy because of how she was abandoned by her own creations. How she had to go to desperate means just to be alive. How those means caused her downfall, and then rise again, and eventually her death. Her story is a tragedy because it did not have to end this way.

2. Tragedy of the Pale King

The Pale King is the ruler of Hallownest. He dreamt to make it an eternal kingdom. When he first arrived, his light gave sapience to the bugs of Hallownest. They were not brute savages anymore, but learned scholars. He formed a truce with the Mantis tribe. He developed Hallownest as a whole, making travel easier. The kingdom became rich. Bugs from outsude came to visit Hallownest. Even the Moths now woshipped him and not the Radiance. And that is when the downfall started.

The Infection was a dangerous threat. It needed to be stopped right away. The Radiance had to be sealed away in a cage. That could only be inside a bug with no mind, no will and no emotion. The bug needed to be fully hollow. Pale King did research on the Void, a substance found at the bottom the Abyss. He realised that it would be needed to make such a bug. But that would require sacrifice. A lot of it. And so he did. He gave up a lot of eggs to the Abyss. Eggs which were his and the White Lady's. He hoped the Void would take over the unborn children's bodies. This would kill and reanimate them. He hoped this would make them hollow. He and the White Lady felt a lot of guilt and shame in sacrificing so many unborn children, but they felt it must be done. In the hopes that atleast one of them will make it to the top of the Abyss. And one did, one of the bugs managed to reach the top. This would be the Vessel which would contain the Radiance.

The Vessel was raised and trained within the King's palace. And because it took quite a bit of time, he had even formed a bond with the Vessel. A close one. But he was aware of the sacrifice that the Vessel would have to give. Eventually he'll have to let go of the one he loved, to save the kingdom. When the time came, the Vessel was locked away in a huge monument made of solid Void. The Radiance was sealed inside of them. But then, it didn't work. The Infection did not stop. The sacrifice, all of it was for nothing.

Now, the Pale King became scared, shameful, paranoid, and most of all, regretful. He was afraid that the Radiance might attack him now, using some infected bug under her control. So he shifted his Palace inside the mind of one of the guards. And he sat on his throne, all alone. Eventually the sadness, the grief and the regret took over him. And he withered away, his lifeless corpse still holding onto the White Fragment he had.

For me, the Pale King's story is a tragedy because of the sacrifices he had done and how in the end, the sacrifices led to nothing. He had to witness the downfall of his kingdom, the failing of the only hope he had and how it was inevitable that in the end, Radiance would be the one to prevail. This was the only outcome in the end. His story is a tragedy because it was always going to end this way.

3. Tragedy of Hallownest, the Eternal Kingdom

The kingdom of Hallownest, formed by the Pale King. Upon his first arrival, everything was perfect. The kingdom was alive. The bugs were educated. They would write about their chronicles. New pathways would be built, like the Pilgrim's Way, connecting multiple areas together. Stagways and trams were built to make travel easier. Many of the bugs worshipped the Pale King, including the Moths. And their previous god did not like that.

Hallownest was stuck as a sort of battleground between the two Higher Beings. First it was attacked on by the Radiance. She infected everyone in Hallownest, whether they were connected to the Pale King or not, sparing not a single soul. And so, he developed the Vessel project, to try and stop her. The bugs performed prayers for the chosen Vessel. But, it failed. The Infection came back. And as strong as ever. Now nothing could be done about it. All hope for Hallownest was lost. The kingdom had died, and in the end, all that was left was a corpse of the original Hallownest, the Eternal Kingdom.

In the battle between the two Higher Beings, it was Hallownest that got affected the most. The bugs were the ones who suffered the most. The kingdom had gone to ruin. Most of the bugs were infected and had thus returned to their base instincts. The few whcih were alive and uninfected were mostly scattered.

The story of Hallownest is a tragedy because of how it was stuck as a battleground. Originally it was just scattered tribes which the Pale King brought together. But, because The Radiance was being forgotten, it bound to not last long. The Vessel project had failed. There wasn't any hope for Hallownest. This story is a tragedy because it was always going to end this way.

[welcome-to-fernweh]

Higher Beings Preview

So, in addition to the mortal Hetrans, there are other, supernatural creatures that go under a super-category called, "Higher Beings." Their label comes from the fact that they are believed to live a more complex life within nature, for better or for worse, and are usually supernaturally powerful. Someone can be born a Higher Being, or be created.

Here's the list:

• The Formless Ones (formless forces of the Universe)

• The Drakones (the lóng gods)

• The Ancient Peoples (Currently contains the Serpent Folk (based on Nagas) and their special kin, the Grande Serpents (based on legendary and giant snakes) and Noble Serpents (basilisks))

• Demons (expanded further below)

• Divums (expanded further below)

• Fox Spirits (based on Hulijing/Kitsune)

• Shas (based on the Set animals and Sutekh himself from Ancient Egypt)

• Vishaps (based on sea dragons of myth)

Possible other Higher Beings are:

• Wivers (wyverns)

• The Twinned Foreigners

Divums and Demons

Divine Creatures are benevolent spirits, collectively called "divums:"

• Blessed Spirits (People that have ascended through supernatural means, whether it be through gods or personal willpower)

• Drakonic Horses (based on the Longma)

• Listening Beasts (based on the Diting)

• Medley Singers (based on the Luanniao)

• Motley Dancers (based on the Fenghuang)

• Royal Unicorns (based on Qilins)

• Scaled Specters (based on aosagibi)

• Serpent Birds (based on Quetzalcoatlus and amphitheres)

• Variegate Hound (based on Theows and reindeer)

• Warding Panther (based on the Pixiu)

There will be more added in the future...

Demonic Creatures are malicious spirits, collectively called "demons:"

• Accursed Spirits (fallen Blessed Spirits)

• The Corrupted Eight Principles (corrupted Bagua elements in the wild. Totally not a Jackie Chan Adventures reference)

• The Four Perils/Evils

• King of the Damned (the demon king)

• Vampires

• Winteko, and the Cannibals it spawns

There will be more added in the Future...

[vaguely-human-man]

Idk who needs to hear this but take that early transition girl out. Dress her up all pretty and assure her that anyone who dares to say a negative word will have to contend with you. Do her makeup and gently talk her through the steps, do one eye for her and let her try the other one on her own. Kiss her lips and watch the way she grins like a maniac at the imprint that her black lipstick leaves behind. Take her out to the movies or to the mall, walk around and buy her a pair of good boots without letting her look at the price tag, watch the way she smiles shyly and swoons even while insisting she doesn't need them. Tell her 'My love. You loved them instantly and they had your size- it's fate, they're meant to be yours,' and then help her sit down in one of the mall chairs to put them on, watch the way she prances around in them like an excited little girl.

Hold her hand and talk to the lady at Rue 21 for her because you know she's insecure about her voice. Go in the dressing room with her and gently help her into the skirt she was eyeing- one foot, a second, shimmy, shimmy, up- followed by a wonderfully soft sweater that falls just right over her frame. Hug her from behind while she looks in the mirror and feels beautiful, basking in her euphoria. Whisper into her ear how proud you are of her- how brave she is, how beautiful, how honored you are to be able to share this journey with her.

Take her to dinner and kiss her while you wait for your food, run your hands down her freshly shaven arms and gently caress over the back of her neck. Offer her some of your ramen while you take a bite of her fried rice, and clumsily attempt to feed her a bite of sushi with some chopsticks.

And then. Take her home, with all the bags that now hold the beginnings of her new wardrobe, and help her hang them up, try them on. Let her have a fashion show and gently wipe her makeup off before sleep. Kiss her and caress her and shower her with affection, with praise and love and adoration. Let her melt into your arms and if she cries let the tears soak into your shirt. Gently caress her hair and say 'its okay, baby girl. I love making you feel beautiful,'

Or something, idk.