#I wanna base Secret's outfit on rogue style stuff but I was too lazy to look up refs so I just gave them whatever for now

[nonuggetshere]

A bit random, but after seeing all the gijinka designs for the Hollows, could you tell us a bit about the Humble Pie AU? (Is this one of the ones where Hollow/Secret grows up happily?)

WITH PLEASURE, AND YUP

I actually posted it before but it didn't have a name yet back then. I went ahead and tagged that old post with the AU name though so y'all can go see baby Secret full of meats

Anyway,

So the basic premise is that Pale King wanted a more controlled environment to create the vessels, so instead of putting them in the abyss, he injected himself with void while pregnant. Unfortunately for him the news of his plan got out into the public and his own citizens overthrew him. Just, "Hey that's fucked up, get the fuck out of our kingdom?", which I guess is one of the things you gotta deal with when you allow your people to have free will; they might stop wanting you to be their God.

Not being the kind of wyrm to force bugs to follow him, he cut his losses and left Hallownest with his wife. For a while, they travelled and lived out in the wastelands before they eventually found a suitable enough place to stay. The Pale King gave birth to two children in their little burrow.

They named the kids Secret and Ghost, as they saw them as their punishment. Having to care for and raise the corpses of their former children, mindless weapons without a purpose, was a fitting punishment for their crimes. It was mentally exhausting having to stay with them, watching them lay there motionless, not making a sound, not even breathing.

But as the kids grew they kind of realised oh shit they're actually just normal kids. Pale King had that realisation when he stayed behind with them while his wife went out to find food. They were old enough to start moving and crawling around, exploring their surroundings. They either crawled up to him for warmth or tried to play with his tail by pawing at it, I can't quite remember but it was either of these.

So after PK and WL realise these children are alive they actually have a pretty good childhood. The two expand their burrow so their children can play around, they sell what they grow and craft from their kills at the nearest kingdom and use that money to get the kids some toys and soft pillows and blankets for their beds. When they're old enough Secret and Ghost are taken along to their hunts and learn from their parents to not only hunt but also how to fight and defend themselves.

Generally, it focuses a lot on their domestic life and all that fuzzy shit. And for once they have a completely normal childhood.

Secret is my only PV/THK version that has absolutely ZERO childhood trauma. Congrats buddy.

Okay maybe except that one time when they almost got kidnapped as a baby, but it's FINE. Their mum and dad rescued them almost immediately, it's alright, it doesn't count.