#Hollow knight headcanons

[cupcakeshakesnake]

New stupid headcanon:

Pointing three fingers at mouth level at someone became a great insult in Hallownest that means "I hope a Primal Aspid spits on you".

A fairly newly-coined insult, as Primal Aspids were once thought to be extinct. Well, they came back and everyone immediately hated them.

[overgrownmoon]

hollow knight weapons compendium pt 1

ok its not a true, comprehensive list, but here are my notes and thoughts about the construction of various weapons seen in hollow knight. this only includes weapons separate from the body, so no scythe-arms or horns.

all images and information pulled from the Hollow Knight Wiki.

[gamergenia]

long post.. image description in alt text

[mebis-art-dump]

"Welcome be, you who seek understanding"

Scholar, Priest, or perhaps Historian reading these passages: before you lies a record of the diseases and plagues of our Eternal Kingdom of Hallownest, compiled by yours truly.

In leaving these times behind, I hope to ease, or to save, the life of those struck by these sufferings— or perhaps to help shed further light into a better path towards their definite cure.

Modeas the Researcher

KINGDOM PATHOLOGIA: A Record of the Ailments of Hallownest

- Part 1: Fungal Plague

- Part 2: Crystal Poisoning

- Part 3: SleepWalkers (wip)

- Part 4

——————————————————————

Felt like making a mockup on the style of fangamer's Wanderer's Journal of a medical record from the times of Hallownest's prime; while I will do my best not to contradict canon, have in mind this work will consist mainly of headcanons.

Please note that this is a fanwork, one written and drawn by me, in no way affiliated with Team Cherry.

You can check on sketches and WIPs of this and other projects ahead of public release (and/or just support me in general) at my Kofi page

[sevilai]

Tryna be a little less precious with my sketches. I can never get any ideas out the door because I can never polish them enough :')

Big on the idea that everyone is fine and the siblings just get to be okay and grow together. I'm huge on that actually. Some lil related headcanons under the cut~!

Ghost does indeed tire of the nail sometime around the (effective)age of 12, and in fact DOES join Sheo in art.

Hollow also does this, immediately after physically recovering enough from the sealing/infection deal to do so.

Both of them struggle with feelings of inadequacy with their work. They often paint together and help build each other up.

Hollow(Hero? I've been calling them that) is the type to shut themselves in a room for a few hours every month and walk out with bangers. Every single time. Would be a fantastic animator if the medium existed in Hallownest. Maybe it will someday!

Hornet's not good at drawing but is great at literally everything else. Sewing, crocheting, felting, sculpting, music, doesn't matter. She is unstoppable. Or she would be, if she ever finished anything.

They like to do trades a lot. "I'll paint you that book character you like for a plushie of this character I made." "Do you want a portrait? I'll make you one for a cool figure." It's mostly the vessels shoving art at Hornet until plushies come out.

[ruthlesslistener]

Learning that most insects cannot see in the dark has me wondering about how the vessels see. I always thought it interesting how Ghost couldn't really see too far ahead of them in areas like Deepnest and some parts of Crystal Peaks, and before I just chalked it up to normal vs Advanced Darkness (advanced darkness ofc meaning the Abyss/the Void, which is a living, elemental darkness vs mere absense of light), but now I'm wondering if maybe they actually really do have pretty damn good eyes compared to normal bugs, who wouldn't be able to see in such conditions at all. What might be poor lighting to them and us might actually be pitch blackness to someone like Quirrel, who'd need to use secondary sense structures to figure out where they were

(I also wonder how Ghost, as a vessel still in their larval form, might compare one like Hollow, who has reached their adult morph, as many larval bugs have very rudimentary sight organs compared to adults [stemmata vs ocelli]. But then again, by the time they reach godhood they might not even need sight at all and use it as a backup sensory input like smell is to us, which is something I actually imagine Hollow's perspective to work. Something to think about!)

[phantomgrape]

GUYS

GUYS ITS SO FUCKING OBVIOUS WHAT HAPPENED TO GREENPATH VESSEL OH MY GOD.

EVERYONE WHO SAID HORNET DID IT IS WRONG AND HERE'S WHY.

Ok so. One of Greenpath Vessel's (Geep for short) most notable traits is that their nail is stabbed into them. Why would Hornet stab them with their own mail instead of her needle? That's right because she didn't do it.

But that begs the question, if Hornet didn't do it, then who did?

They did it to themselves.

Now that might sound absurd until you realize that there is AN EXTREMELY NOTABLE VESSEL THAT ALSO STABS THEMSELVES.

THATS RIGHT BABY ITS THE HOLLOW KNIGHT.

In conclusion, Geep is doing the EXACT. SAME. THING. That Hollow did. The only difference is that they were much weaker, and though were most definitely infected didn't have the ENTIRE SOURCE of it inside their head.

[tonythr]

Bretta's previous love interest

Ok ok another quick theory. It doesn't have much proof but hear me out.

We know that Bretta had at least one love interest/partner/crush before she met the Knight.

And we know that this person seemed to have 'left her behind'.

We don't know how much of that is true - it's possible that the mysterious person didn't leave her behind, but her consciousness, being infected by the Light, made her remember it that way.

But we know that when something like that happens, the infected person doesn't completely lose their memories; at least, they still remember some people from their past.

So who is this mysterious person? It's probably someone who was close to Bretta, or at least someone who Bretta had a crush on, since the way she talks about them and the way she instantly falls in love with the Knight just because of a mere thought that the Knight will be someone who will remember her, makes me think that she had a similar experience with that mysterious person.

Well, I think it's this guy:

The reason I believe that is their Dream Nail dialogue. They're apologizing to someone.

The corpse is hidden behind a door in a structure that was built by the Mantis Tribe. This tells us that this bug was probably captured for trespassing and was put in a prison to rot. THAT could also be the reason they're apologizing. Maybe they're asking to be forgiven by the Tribe, regretting their choice and dying with their mind being wrapped around that one last hope of being free again.

And THAT would be a reasonable explanation. However, I think there is another possibility. What if this bug was the one travelling with Bretta, and the one who 'left her behind'? I see it that way: they were travelling together, but then this bug decided to split from her and later was captured by the Mantis Tribe without getting a chance to tell Bretta what happened. This could explain why Bretta was later found deep inside the Fungal Wastes, thinking about someone who (as she thought) left her behind and forgotten about her - maybe she tried to look for them but got lost and infected, which led her to the point where we see her in the game.

If that's the case, it means that Bretta was never actually forgotten, and that her previous partner's (?) dying thought was them trying to apologize to her for making it seem like they left her behind.

Again, I know this theory doesn't have much proof. It's more of a headcanon, really. I just find it very romantic how the whole point of Bretta's story was about finding someone who would give her love (that she totally deserved) or at least a feeling of being remembered, and how it is entirely possible that one of her love interests actually never forgot her.

Also, there is one other bug who always liked Bretta and was very sad when she left Dirtmouth.

Even Elderbug remembered her, which also proves the point that Bretta's fear of being forgotten was always an empty one. It's almost like the game wants us to think about the idea that one cannot be easily forgotten, even if it seems like no one in the world remembers them...

By the way, I get a feeling that Bretta's story might actually not be over. I definitely hope that we'll see some familiar characters in Silksong, and that Bretta will be one of them. Maybe she'll even have a crush on Hornet (jk... unless?)

[basilbellona]

I haven't seen this a lot so I'm just gonna put this out there as a headcanon:

The Pale King has poor eyesight. Yes, he is practically a god, a higher being, a pale being, yayaya but also consider: he is wyrm. What need would he have seen to prioritize his eyesight? He probably got around based on vibrations in the earth and prescience alone. So he looks into the future, sees these bugs in soon-to-be-Hallownest mostly rely on sight to navigate and adds "eyes" to the list of characteristics for his totally normal bug body.

Plus, it'd be ironic for him to have foresight but have super crappy physical sight and I do enjoy a good irony.

It's also humanizing to imagine him dealing with the effects of constant eye strain after so many all-nighters reading over documents and working on schematics. People thinking he's judging them but he's really just squinting because his eyes aren't working the best that day. Him insisting on only wearing spectacles in his workshop or private quarters of the palace and WL nagging him about it. Being able to navigate around a crowd just fine but unable to distinguish tiny writing. Having to ask Lurien to write larger in his letters. A minor debuff to an otherwise godly being.

The question is though, would he be farsighted or nearsighted? Both could have thematic connotations but I wanna focus more on his biology for that

[vulturereyy]

This is farewell, my old friend.

Though I don't think either of us know it yet.

Hegemol receives an unexpected visitor for the last time.

If you'd like to know some more about my Failed Watcher Knight Hegemol headcanons, feel free to check out my ramblings here, here, here, and some other tidbits here! You are also more than welcome to send me asks about it! :)

A close-up as well... And proof that Isma and Ogrim were definitely not snooping while coming to deliver some medicine to their fellow knight.

Timelapse below!

[ashcoveredtraveler]

Just had a sad headcanon but what if moths just pulled out their fur when they are stressed, kinda like how birds pluck their feather when they're stressed. However I imagine that the fur does eventually grow back, but if they pick a lot of the fur out, then there would probably be a noticeable patch that is shorter than the rest of the fluff. Quite an angsty idea for any of the moth characters in the game.

[snowmaze1969]

some bug backstory and age h/c

Some timeline things: before the infection is obvi before the infection, after sesling is once hk gets sealed along with the dreamers and pk dissappears, height infection is when the infection gets worse, after the first wave of the infection appearing, right before the game is when things kinda settle down and the infection is still there and very deadly but everyone who's still alive knows what there doing, quarrel arrives during this time. During the game is obvi during the game and post game is post game, 8ll specify after what endings. Also just one note, I have no fucking clue the lifespan, aging, and time if the timeline so any year time span will just be the human equvilant cause I don't have the bainpower to figure that shit out lmao.

Myla: she was born during the peak of the infection. He dad was a miner and knew the ups and down of the peaks he was pretty hardy and knew what he was doing. Her mother was actually pretty weak and just happened to stumble upon mylas dad. If she hadn't found him, she would be dead. They dell in love and had a child (Myla). Mylas mother died after a year or two and Mylas father, heartbroken, raised Myla on his own. Mylas father succumbed to the infection after Mayla was around 13. Before he died, he showed Myla around the peaks so she knows them inside and out. Myla made a living for herself and died during the game (obvi) at around age 21.

Quirrel (my fave 🥺🥲💖):he was born during the prime of hallownest, right before the first wave of infection hit and the dreamers were sealed. His parents were really nondescript and lived vanilla lives I liked the idea of Quirrel training to be a knight in the cot before becoming monomons apprentice so I'm adopting that into my own personal hc (yeah the is from sbabl) I like to think he started knight training really young to bring some extra money in and then first started working at the archives at age 20. Times kipper but after the dreamers were sealed, Quirrel stayed around the archives a bit before leaving. Monomons last wishes said the Quirrel would become the head Archavist so once she was gone, Quirrel helped all the other scholars clear out before he was lonely for a while and then left hallonest right before height infection. Quirrel returns right before the game and then dies during the game. I'm just gonna say that I have no idea how much time passed between the sealing and the game so uh. Time magic and also Quirrels old lol.

Lemm: He was born right before the sealing to also nondescript parents. They ran and combine relecs and tea shop the Lemm helped run. His parents died during the first wave so he ran the shop at age 24. He would sell stuff to travelers and buy there spoils to help them out. Lemm is a grumpy man by the game. (Sorry I don't have much for him)

Hornet: Hornet was born when Herah was like yeah, in exchange for being a dreamer we get to fuck around to pk. Because of some God shit, Hornet is born like 3 months later (hatched). Both Herrah and pk raise Hornet but they live separately. The White Lady honestly doesn't care that they fucked because God's have weird ideas about monogamy/polyamoury. Hornet grew up along with hk and then when the dreamers were sealed she was holed up in deepness but eventually everyone died/got infected Hornet taught herself how to fight and headed out right after peak infection. I like to think the Herrah had the needle commissioned before she was sealed and gave it to the midwife to give to Hornet when the time was right. The Midwife gave it to Hornet eight before she died,and asked Hornet to cut down her infected husk with that very blade. She does and then leaves. Hornet then kinda meanders around getting good until the game.

Cloth: I don't have much on her cause honestly I have no idea even what kinda bug she is but she definitely migrated to hallownest after the peak of the infection and thought he'll yeah. I get to fight things! And then just stuck around

Tiso:grew up in an ant clony but longed for something more. Growing up with stories of Hallownest and the Coloseum he set out not realizing what had become of the kingdom and its glory.

Anyway, those are the ones I have rn, I'm tired and my fingers hurt cause I typed this out on my phone so sorry if there's any spelling mistakes. Let me know if there's any others you wanna see and I'll probably add on with my vessel oc that still doesn't have a name.

[overgrownmoon]

hollow knight weapons compendium pt 2: silksong and headcanons

this half includes weapons seen from the silksong teasers/trailers, the pale court mod, and some of my own designs.

god i hope that shields in silksong are called buttons. button shields are a real type of shield and it would fit so well, man...

[shentheauthor]

I have a lot of thoughts about my hollow knight gijinkas, and ik nobody asked, but I’m gonna dump them anyway

the vessels don’t have mouths or noses

A few of them do, but the knight and the hollow knight weren’t born with mouths

THK has a mouth that was torn open by the radiance so she could SCREEAM

The radiance is highkey insane /pos

Really it was desperation that drove her there

That’s just kind of a general headcanon, but anyway

The vessels aren’t really human, just humanoid. They’re born of two gods and the void, so they don’t have a drop of human blood in them

Hornet, however, is half human. She doesn’t have gray skin like the vessels do, but she is unnaturally pale, and she blushes silver (courtesy of the pale king)

Humans of Hallownest aren’t 100% “human” either, but that’s mostly because of the gods’ influence

Many have pointed ears or sharp teeth

Or both

A few have wings

The moth tribe have antennae and are less human than others bc of the radiance

Void beings are still just void, but they have a slightly more human shape

The collector has a mouth

When the vessels are destroyed, the shades are capable of displaying emotion, though most don’t

Ghost enters Hallownest with overgrown hair. Split ends, awful tangles, etc

Quirrel cuts their hair for them

Hornet helps them braid it when they get closer

Ghost does have a mind and emotions, they just can’t express them

As time goes on, they become more animated (stimming, etc)

In the beginning tho, they mostly just nod and bow, and stare blankly

Ghost bleeds black

When they get the void heart, they get more black in their hair

When they have the kingsoul, they glow

The vessels don’t really wear clothes, they just don’t have anything to cover up

[mebis-art-dump]

Kingdom Pathologia, part 1: Fungal Plague

Also known as "Traveler's Cushion" or Glutton's Wart", it shows a distinctive fungal growth in the affected's body.

Most common in merchants and wanderers that frequent the route through Fungal Wastes; most times caused by frequent inhaling of the region's fumes and spores, but eating undercooked wild mushrooms will also cause this ailment.

Besides the shrumal growth, other symptoms include:

- Nausea

- Headache

- Mild lethargy

- Dissociation

- Hallucinations

- Mild fever

- A strong drive to dive into bodies of water or acid, or to reach the highest point in sight

(At some point they also claim to hear voices)

..................................................................................

Treatment

The usual treatment is cautious removal of the growths; this is a delicate, painful procedure as one must be certain to remove all the roots as well.

However, if it has reached the head, often coming out of the eyes, it is considered a lost cause.

In most cases, faint traces of the roots end up remaining, causing the illness to resurge or for different diseases to appear.

It is not unusual to see overgrown bodies on the edges of the route.

It is said the Mantis Tribe has ointments and beverages effective in fighting off this plague, but getting your hold on such trades is difficult. And costly.

Only the nobles could afford such thing.

_________________________________________

Next chapter: Crystal Poisoning

Directory / Masterpost

[transmogrified-in-the-void]

My two favorite hollow knight headcanons is 1. THK gets a pure nail-esque arm that's actually a LOT more similar to long john silver (treasure planet)'s arm, and ALSO they get an eye that ALSO is like long john silver's for the one that's cracked. I want THK to be long john silver. They also should have a little tiny baby nosk like morph.

and 2. zote is just a really entitled british guy. his mask is like the vessels bc he wants to be like royalty. he thinks hes so much better than everyone else all the time. he should be rich british core. this is my truth.