Very well thought out headcanons.
do u have any headcanons about hk characters and spellwork (who can use what, what's possible and what isn't, whatever) :V?
take all this with a pinch of salt as i am typing from my phone in the back of a van and i am very sleepy
anyone could learn to spellcast with Soul! in the same way anyone could become an astrophysicist. most people do not.
the Soul Sanctum, and the Pale King's use of Soul spellwork, was considered highly innovative. mostly spellcasting is something only a few people can do/bother learning, but in Hallownest the King encourages it and the Soul Sanctum is dedicated to honing the craft, which makes Hallownest weirdly ahead of the game compared to a lot of places. soul scholars were kind of like the educated elite. but also wizards. people talked
you could simplify and say you have two main schools of thought: the scientific approach (Soul Sanctum, Pale King) and the spiritual approach (Snail Shamans, Moth Tribe). the two ways of thinking are not mutually exclusive and often overlap though. both can be used to great effect
there are bugs out there who have done crazy high level things like the Soul Sanctum in less scientifically-themed contexts, definitely. this tier of fanatical spell meddling is rareish though
Soul is the word many bugs use for the life force inside all living things. and yeah, basically! it's not exactly your sense of self though that's different
Soul and Void are effectively infinite. harnessing Soul to cast spells involves channelling it through certain means and generally you only have certain limited reserves to draw from at a time (see Soul Vessels for example)
Soul Master and the rest of the scholars were fixated on surpassing that limit. kind of a "what if humans used 100% of their brain" situation
if you actually found a way to use all of one bug's Soul at once it would be like splitting the atom - incredible amounts of energy released at once, even from an average bug who isn't a spell user in the first place. Mistakes and Follies collapsed into themselves long before they got anywhere near that level. it's basically just not sustainable or doable. (soul master voice: but is it)
spellwork is also kind of like using a certain muscle a lot. if you cast a lot of spells it'll get easier for you. if you're inherently a gifted type who has a lot of potential for spellwork, but never use it or pursue it, you'll still be pretty bad at it and get tired quickly compared to someone with no inherent ability who practices every day
Void is basically like its own version of Soul. the two are different but if you scanned a Void being and found no traces of Soul that doesn't mean they're soulless, it means they have their own version. you're looking at it. it's Void
the average bug does not contain any traces of Void by nature and thus spellwork with Void is rare and very poorly understood. those ancient bugs who worshipped the Void however would have had some in their system. how? don't ask questions you don't want answers to
once upon a time, all Void is/was, in all traces across the world, part of one unit. once in the dawn of time etc etc. the world has changed since but it's fundamentally all the same to itself.
spellwork with Void is essentially using Soul to bind and command some Void to do what you want it to do. this is why shade spell upgrades cost Soul, it's the Soul making it do that thing.
mess around with Void too much if you're a bug and it will do very strange things to the body. it stains shell, it leaks from the joints and the eyes, it puts strange thoughts in your head. Soul is easier, safer, and better understood, and also isn't partly echoing with its own collective sentience.
not that this kind of thing deters a Snail Shaman. pretty sure if a Snail Shaman was given half the chance they'd learn to spellcast with anything. magnets. active plutonium. whatever. mind your business
if you know how to see Soul inside a body, and concentrate, living things generally appear as opaque glowing white cutouts. the Soul inside a living creature is saturated to the point of looking like a white shape in space. you can't see this usually because their body is in the way and it's sort of, tied into their cells or whatever
you can use spellwork to do pretty much anything, if you're clever. the sky is the limit. flashy stuff like attack spells, subtle stuff like enhancing your senses or letting yourself see things not usually visible to the eye, defying gravity, Whatever. almost anything you can think of. the main barrier is that it's difficult and taxing. the average bug doesn't bother
oh god i haven't even done Dream. okay a short rundown: Dream is different again. it's about the self, about thoughts, about the conscious and subconscious, about the mind. you don't so much spellcast with Dream as just kind of... manipulate and explore what's around you. connect with others. influence, sometimes. mostly understand. it's not technically spellcasting though and this post is getting long so i'll leave it there for now sdffgjk
Okay, this could actually make sense. Also explains how the White Lady could know everything going on in Hallownest.
Alright, here me out...
What if the White Lady is a fungus?
(also have this old artwork I never posted)
Random idea: IF the Dreamers are still alive in the real world, then you should SEE them in Godhome. AND get bonuses for keeping them alive.
Team Cherry could totally pull this off as it's still the Dream Realm AND the Godseekers are calling just about everyone there.
Now, I am not saying that we should get Dreamer Boss fights (though that would be cool even if impossible to pull off if you know the original concept of the Dreamers), but what about finding a secret room and BOOM! The Dreamers are there.
Now, finding the Dreamers would be cool and all, as you get extra dialogue with all three and get to see everyone's character (especially you Lurien). But what if they would give you boosts and insights into the Boss Fights you are about to do?
What if Lurien could analyze the Boss fight weaknesses, specifically the glitches and loopholes in them such as False Knight's/Failed Champion's cheat or White Defender's cheat? What if Monomon ran tests in the background to help you figure out how to get the Lifeblood seeds, not to mention help you get them? What if Herrah would randomly help you in battle? Though I would not be opposed to her taking care of Godseeker for me due to all the times Godseeker calls Little Knight a worm as in the earthworm.
And finally, when you reach the final bosses in Pantheon of Hallownest, the Dreamers actively help you during the final bosses fights, each one taking turns (depending on lore or character) until all three help you take on Absolute Radiance. Say goodby to Fall Damage! Also, the idea of Monomon launching an explosive at the Radiance's face looks so lovely.
And of course, the ending cutscene where all three Dreamers wake up and the Hollow Knight is freed to a world without an Infection...please?????? Canonically, the Godhome ending and cutscene STILL play if the Dreamers are alive, but we don't SEE the Dreamers waking up. So please can we see them? Can we see all the hugs?
Anyway-what do you all think?
Do you think Team Cherry or any community modders could pull this idea off? If so, would you play it?
That and has anyone considered the housing system in game? If we were to marry a spouse, what would happen to the empty house there? Yes Eliott and Leah have their own houses, but it is still awkward to have that empty house just sitting there...
I don't like the assumption that the characters that still live at their parents' house are necessarily younger. I've seen that so much in the community and I think it's so weird? Already in our economy it's harder and harder for children to move out regardless of where in the world they live, so in Stardew where they are so freaking close to collapse on so many fundamental societal levels, there is just nothing weird for a full grown adult to still be living with their parents; if anything I feel it's kind of expected. Not to mention that in a lot of cultures, children just live with their parents even when they've started their own family. I get that some characters appear younger or more playful or stuff like that, but I don't think their living status tells a lot about their age. They have nowhere else to go, and their opportunities for money making are... pretty damn sparse. I like taking Sam as an example for this but I don't think that him being youthful and optimistic in personality and still living at his parents' house means that he is necessarily fresh out of high school. I've met people like him that were in their thirties. Not to say he is thirty, I personally think he's more around 24-25 but... yeah you get my point. Hell some of us are struggling so hard just to make ends meet, it's kind of degrading to assume that once you're past 18 you should be out of the nest and have all your shit figured out else you aren't seen as mature or adult enough. We're all trying our best honestly. I don't think our living conditions should reflect on our maturity or age in general.
.
Christmas Cookies made out of love...yes, even the truck. (It was made for my grandfather. 🥰)
Thank you so much OP for doing all this work. It makes attempting to draw Hollow Knight a lot easier.
you've probably seen this before, or made the connection yourself (ignore bottom right corner)
but there's also this:
The flowers of the Queen, the crown of the King, and the Hollow Knight
Imagine THIS playing out in game:
Random idea: IF the Dreamers are still alive in the real world, then you should SEE them in Godhome. AND get bonuses for keeping them alive.
Team Cherry could totally pull this off as it's still the Dream Realm AND the Godseekers are calling just about everyone there.
Now, I am not saying that we should get Dreamer Boss fights (though that would be cool even if impossible to pull off if you know the original concept of the Dreamers), but what about finding a secret room and BOOM! The Dreamers are there.
Now, finding the Dreamers would be cool and all, as you get extra dialogue with all three and get to see everyone's character (especially you Lurien). But what if they would give you boosts and insights into the Boss Fights you are about to do?
What if Lurien could analyze the Boss fight weaknesses, specifically the glitches and loopholes in them such as False Knight's/Failed Champion's cheat or White Defender's cheat? What if Monomon ran tests in the background to help you figure out how to get the Lifeblood seeds, not to mention help you get them? What if Herrah would randomly help you in battle? Though I would not be opposed to her taking care of Godseeker for me due to all the times Godseeker calls Little Knight a worm as in the earthworm.
And finally, when you reach the final bosses in Pantheon of Hallownest, the Dreamers actively help you during the final bosses fights, each one taking turns (depending on lore or character) until all three help you take on Absolute Radiance. Say goodby to Fall Damage! Also, the idea of Monomon launching an explosive at the Radiance's face looks so lovely.
And of course, the ending cutscene where all three Dreamers wake up and the Hollow Knight is freed to a world without an Infection...please?????? Canonically, the Godhome ending and cutscene STILL play if the Dreamers are alive, but we don't SEE the Dreamers waking up. So please can we see them? Can we see all the hugs?
Anyway-what do you all think?
Do you think Team Cherry or any community modders could pull this idea off? If so, would you play it?
PLEASE!
Someone make a Hollow Knight mod where the Dreamers appear in Godhome just so Monomon can test the theory whether or not the Radience is flammable!
You don't even have to use a bottle, you can have her launch balls of explosives! Like the Ooma cores!
Based on an inside joke in @toldentops Discord. She can and WILL light the Radiance on fireÂ
*Sees adorable headcanons that Baby Hornet was a biter and declared Uncle Lurien to be her favorite chew toy.*
Me: "Ahh...that's so cute. I should write that sometime."
Lurien: "How about please no?!?!"
Me: "You'll survive! Besides, it will give you a resistant to spider vemon. "
*After some time, decides that Blue Morpho Butterfly would be perfect for Lurien. Makes him one.*
*Finds out that Blue Morpho Butterflies are poisonous. *
Me: "Wait? What?!"
*Doubles checks that fact. Finds out that almost all animals avoid Blue Morphos after eating one due to the butterfly being quite deadly thanks to poison.*
*Notes it says quite deadly.*
*Doubles checks size of said animals. *
*They're like small mammals and birds, quite a few sizes bigger than Lurien. *
*Expect for the dumb human who swallowed a Blue Morpho.*
*Checks Hornet's size again, who is many sizes SMALLER than Lurien.*
*Realizes that Hornet is 100% teething toddler who sees everything as a chew toy and can't control her vemon yet.*
Me and Lurien: "Oh no. "
Penelope: I had the weirdest dream last night. An eagle swooped down from the heavens and killed 20 geese.
Odysseus, disguised as a beggar: Well, fair queen, clearly this means that your husband is coming home and will kill your suitors.
Penelope: If only there was a way to tell the eagle to hurry the fuck up.
Odysseus:
Penelope: *dumps a bunch of weapons at Odysseus’s feet*
Penelope: Clumsy me
Results are in! 19 votes!
Each Dreamer's house will go up in an individual post!
Honestly, I am quite grateful as I finally got a chance to count how many pages my essay is. Herrah has 9 pages, Monomon has 10 page, and Lurien...is still a work in progress, but looks like he'll have 30 pages.