#WCWTD

[vulturereyy]

The Watcher dreams alone.

[vulturereyy]

Help what do you do when your brain hyperfixates on a character literally not even in the game ---

Listen, I'm a huge dark souls fan. I am used to being fed scraps of lore through environmental storytelling and like 3 words of dialogue. Maybe that's part of the reason I got stuck on Hegemol, because what we do get of him is so little, yet also so... Much? In terms of how it may be presented in universe.

Like the man isn't in the game. But his armor is, stolen and coveted by a maggot, lowest of the low in society, who is using it to try and protect its family.

His likeness is, in the form of a statue not only at the gates to the heart of Hallownest, but serving as the /mechanism/ to open said city after it was sealed.

His impact is, judging by offhand dialogue from Ogrim and Sheo both.

The other four knights either appear in game or have their fates at least shown.

What happened to Hegemol?

I've definitely run with a *lot* of theories that aren't based on anything but me feverishly connecting dots that dont exist, but I dont know. Something about him having that statue in the city of tears to open the whole damn capitol to the entire nest --- they wouldn't give that to just anyone. For any reason. There's only like 4 bugs who have statues in the game: The Pale King, The Hollow Knight, Lurien, and Hegemol. (technically Herrah and Monomon too if you count the fountain but I'm taking individual, also all those little motifs only look like lurien lol)

WHAT HAPPENED TO MY MAN HEGEMOL ?

What I've chosen to run with is obviously that he died horribly during the beginning of the end of Hallownest, sacrificing himself in order to get to the gates of the city and pull them closed against a wave of infected bugs. This, to me, would make sense why he not only gets a statue, but gets his statue to be used as the new mechanism to open the gates. The city would only be unsealed with his blessing. But of course, the gate is broken and won't stay open. Why? Because when Hegemol pulled the gates closed, he had to actually break the gate's pulley system itself, and it never fully got repaired before the city fell. But how did Hegemol die if he was a knight with armor? The maggot must have stolen it before he did. How did the maggot manage to steal the armor of one of the great five...? Because Hegemol at the time was very, very sick, and the nest was already in growing disarray. Hegemol fell ill because he was among the first infected. It would make sense for Radi to try and target him first-- a devoted knight, one of the closest to PK, full of willpower and a mind of his own. He could have been her ticket to an early assassination. But because she had yet to gain full influence in Hallownest again, and because of Hegemol's blessings from PK, his infection could only manifest itself as a worsening chronic illness. By the time they found out what was wrong with him, it was far too late.

Anyway, I just think he's cool. And also that he and the city's Watcher were very close. (digging up my old theorycrafting art for this one :) )

Actually, here

There is a post giving you a 👍 to ramble about less popular HK characters that you adore

What about these characters stuck to you the most when you got introduced to them? What's the reason you enjoy seeing and thinking about stuff with them? Is there a personal headcanon or such that adds to them and thus your love or interest for them?

The reasons don't have to be grand either btw!

You can also tag me on the posts if you want so I can reblog them and share but the main point is to have fun talking about them!

[vulturereyy]

WHERE CHIVALRY WENT TO DIE IS FINALLY BACK AFTER A 4 MONTH HIATUS BABEY!!!!!

OLD MAN BANTER! BUG NONSENSE! THE BEAST!

THANK YOU TO THE WONDERFUL @grollow FOR BEING MY BELOVED BETA AS ALWAYS <3

(Comments always appreciated!!!! <3)

[vulturereyy]

The Wraith

Chapter six - Where Chivalry Went to Die

[vulturereyy]

Where Chivalry Went to Die - DOUBLE FEATURE!

After over a month of hiatus, I am BACK with a DOUBLE WHAMMY for this a certain little fic of mine!

Chapter 4 - A Quiet Revelry

Chapter 5 - Cathedral for the Drowned

are out NOW!

optional listening for the last scene of chapter 5

[vulturereyy]

SCREAMS OH MY GODDDD THIS IS THE BEST GIFT EVER ON MY WORK BREAK IM GONNA SHOW MY WORK BESTIE

"Scraggly doodle" MY ASS THIS GOES SO HARD THANK YOU THANK YOU???? I LOVE THE SHADING AND HEGEMOL'S POOR SCRAGGLY BEARD ; ;

I promise the next chapter will be nicer I promise I promise I hold this old man so gently in my arms (as does Mato)

Oghhgh keeping these as small as I can haha. I wanted to give you some choices if you were interested, no obligation! These are from my fic, Where Chivalry Went To Die, which follows Hegemol post-ending. (I also have a ref for how he looks in the fic but didn't want to overstep since this is just for fun. Go wild!)

(Tomo is Mato's alias, will be explained as fic continues)

----

A bug’s first memory, if it could reach so far within itself to retrieve such, was often one of security. One that involved being nestled within the egg’s safe shell, now becoming a tight squeeze the closer they were to hatching. The gentle press of the shell was often a bug’s first embrace. A bug’s first idea of what would become of its soft body upon the first molt. A bug’s first carapace .

The cold, confining press of a stone coffin was none of these things.

----------

And so went his routine:

At dawn, he would awaken blearily to a spoon of jam at his mandibles and Tomo’s distant encouragement.

At noon, he would listen to the Crawlers outside go about their foraging, just as he was delivered a second meal at the behest of his savior.

At dusk, he would find himself well-worn from the day’s spotty vigilance, sharing a small cup of tea with his newfound company.

And at night, he died.

------

Never once did Lucia’s voice ring out among the chaos, despite her words being the last in his mind, clear and true that horrid day he fell. The gates are shut! She had cried from her vantage, loosing arrows into the tide of infected guards she knew would not recede.

The city is sealed! She had called, voice breaking on the wind, the city is safe!

What a gift it was, at the end of all things.

What folly.

--------

The old knight’s mandibles snapped at where the Wyrm’s voice echoed, closing upon nothing but open air. The king’s own light dimmed from where he could still glimpse it, as the crowd began to surge forth, surrounding his tank, his city –

His deathbed, he knew down to his very bones, as his armor refused to float and the rain surged ever forth.

His disgrace , he knew, as he could feel the denizens of the City press hand and claw against the glass, watching as their once-great protector faltered.

Shocked emoji‼‼‼ no text under cut <3

[vulturereyy]

In the sanctuary of Mato’s hut, time passed by way of feeling rather than clock.  Moonrise was marked by the soft tug of blankets being pulled over him, while sunrise and the midday light punctuated by the distinct taste of berries on his tongue, growing sweeter with each passing day. Somewhere between his periods of rest, a hum always heralded the coming evening. If he was lucky, he could keep himself awake long enough to hear the song it carried...

Where Chivalry Went To Die

[vulturereyy]

Where Chivalry Went To Die - Chapter 3: Resonance

“Sir Hegemol. First of my Great Knights,”  

The water had wet the very ends of his beard. 

“First of his rank; First to gain my trust, ”

He craned his head upwards, attempting to escape the rising tide, only to find his efforts met with the runoff from a new gutter. 

“First Royal Tactician, Right Hand to the King himself,” 

The old knight’s eyes squeezed shut as the rain swallowed them as well, hands bracing on either side of the prison, if only to lift his head just a bit higher. “First of us to fall.”

Hegemol’s mandibles struggled to part as they were seized by the cold, drawing in a desperate last breath before the water claimed his mask.

“First of us to fail Hallownest.”

The city, the lights, the cries from the citizens were drowned out as he found himself swallowed wholly by the rain.

"What say you, to the people you abandoned?"

[vulturereyy]

Where Chivalry Went To Die - Sir Hegemol

Finally got this done, and just in time for the reveals in the most recent chapter :) This ref will not be static throughout my fic, but for now -- oh, poor Heg's been through quite a bit.

You can read the fic here! Prologue and chapters 1-2 are out now, with 3 soon on the way.

Thanks for all the love thus far!

[vulturereyy]

ASHDFHDHDHD

GOD

I had started the convo because I took a nap and had a dream where I thought its a good thing I didn't go with menderbug hegemol for Chivalry because the other 4 would have buried him in like a shoebox. And it was apparently so funny to me I woke up.

And then. Yeah

hamstermol + other goofy drawing based off of a discord convo I wasnt actually apart of. If the people actually involved in it find this, they can give context. I'm not lol

[vulturereyy]

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

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

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

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

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

Both agreed it was an extreme conflict of interest.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Eternal sleep was likely a welcome relief for the Watcher.

[vulturereyy]

1,000+ Hits on Chivalry!!!

May be silly for me to get so excited over my little bug fic but as it's the first fanfiction I've ever written, it means a lot to me <3

I've had a bit longer update time than I wanted, but I still am working on it. I want to get out a few more chapters by the end of the year <3

Ty again for the support. And if you'd like to read the current chapters, you can here!

[vulturereyy]

Chapter 6 is finally out!

So sorry for the wait, have been dealing with. A Lot. IRL. This chapter is also shorter than the others, but I hope it still satisfies! :) Thank you to the amazing @grollow for being my beta and @basilbellona for helping me on this chapter <3

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I had to re read your answer and the tags 5 times before i could respond ogogogghghghghg thank you so m uch ; ; i feel like i cant even put in the words i am like the nice 2 me cat above rn. It's been an interesting dive into writing fic for the first time (i have only ever roleplayed before for the past 10+ years) and not having someone else to really bounce off scenes with in the writing has been really difficult for me, but comments like yours make me feel very worth it. You can tell your friends too that I appreciate their enjoyment of it! ; ; I just finished writing part of the next chapter, so I hope to be posting a little more regularly as things in story pick up.

just for you, you can have an MS paint doodle i just remembered i had saved for the future. definitely not a reason to be concerned!

asdhghgsh I'm glad to see you are excited!! Our dear Mr. Fly will have quite the part in Chivalry, and soon too if I can keep my writing going at a quicker pace. There's only one town close to the howling cliffs, after all! <3

I'm VERY excited!! I stumbled across the fic blindly when my Hollow Knight fixation picked up again and goddamn is your writing utterly gorgeous. Top tier stuff, stunning.

I'll always be glad to see that little pest. I was surprised by the lack of stuff for him in the tags and hope to remedy that a little :]

@ my followers, if you have any interest in HK I'd highly recommend the fic for a beautiful read! It's called Where Chivalry Went to Die which is super ominous but what about HK isn't.

(I hope you don't mind me linking the fic btw;; Let me know if it bothers you)

[vulturereyy]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love❤ (No pressure to answer if you don't want to) Have a great day!

Ohhhh thank you so much ; ; !!!

I only have one fic of my own to recommend, given that it's my first!

Where Chivalry Went To Die (Chapters: 5/???, Words: ~15k) is a post-Embrace The Void ending Hollow Knight fic, centering on the POV of the once-great knight Hegemol. With the Radiance not only defeated, but wiped from the slate of history by the Little Ghost, her infection has been scrubbed from Hallownest; leaving only the scars carved deep into the kingdom. Bugs who had succumbed to her infection are finding themselves awoken with clear minds once more... Including Hegemol himself, who gave his life for his city.

Right now the current chapters are centered on setting things up, but the goal of this fic will be for Hegemol to explore what remains of the kingdom he once served and make some new friends, as well as reunite with some old ones. Closure is a HUGE theme I want to play with in this fic, as well as justice, retribution, the more mundane side of Hallownestian life, and and the limits of one's devotion.

Current characters in fic/heavily mentioned are Hegemol, Nailmaster Mato, and Lurien, though you can expect the dirtmouth crew, a few great knights, and the Pale King to appear if I make it that far into writing <3 (And a few others!)

Like I said this is my first attempt at writing fic after only roleplaying for years, so any feedback or comments are SUPER appreciated <3 I know I'm writing for a super niche set of characters as opposed to the fandom darlings lmfao, but yet I persist!! The brainrot is real

But yeah! Come read Chivalry, where Hegemol is currently snug as a bug in a rug <3 ...Or a Nailmaster's Cloak.

[vulturereyy]

The urge to not spoil your fanfic vs the craving for validation on a scene you wrote for next chapter that you really like and definitely didn't cry irl over because married life from up was on the playlist and you didnt realize and ohghghg oh god oh godhggh