Okay This Is A Build-up To A Longpost I'll Be Making Later. Hollow Knight Fans:

Hk enemy randomizers can be the craziest things ever. You could be fighting for dear life trying to march over to the boss arena, finally make it to the boss and watch as their introduction cutscene plays out, only for the boss to turn into like… a squit.

Yes this is partially about me fighting for dear life getting the flames for the grimmchild, only for Grimm to transform into a damn armored squit and stab me, no I don’t wanna talk about it /j

Drawing Hornet everyday until Silksong comes out - Day 680

Merry Christmas to those who celebrate!! 🎄

This drawing is a redraw of last year’s Christmas drawing!!

2 - SPIDERS' Nest

Day 2 of my inkless Hollow Knight Inktober. It turned out much better than I was expecting it to tbh.

Actually I think I do want to ramble a little more on the subject.

While I do love making buzzsaw jokes (especially after completing Path of Pain, like, the fuck?) I do also think the layout of the Dream White Palace wasn't intentional. If he did it after that horrible cry came out of the Black Egg temple the first time when Holly was starting to crack, he must've been in a fucking state.

Like imagine you convinced yourself that what you're doing is for the greater good, that this being that you do love (even if you're denying it to yourself) that you thought was emotionless, a blank slate, only does as is told, has no hopes, thoughts, aspirations, merely exists, suddenly with one cry proves you wrong.

Just imagine that horrible realization that you were wrong about them (you always were, you ignored all of the signs they were alive) and you damned them to a fate worse than death. Eternal imprisonment sucks too, but since they're an unfeeling creature, it's fine, right? Nope. Definitely not. It was not fine, even if they were an unfeeling creature, but now it's even worse because the infection is eating at them now.

All of those children left to die in the abyss? That all happened for nothing.

Those dreamers you made to sacrifice themselves to keep people out? They're now the only thing holding the vessel inside of their prison but they sure as hell are not containing the infection. That too was all for naught. Your daughter lost her mother for no reason.

You did this all to save so many people, your entire kingdom of Hallownest. You choked down the guilt of your decisions because it would save the kingdom. Now you find out it was for nothing.

I think anyone would break, and break the King did.

By that point, there was no one left to stop his spiral. The White Lady was gone, most of the knights too, his council, everyone. No one was left to stop him from making extremely irrational decisions, including putting his palace into the dream realm to flee from the infection along with anyone inside. As he runs into his throne, trying to somehow run from the guilt, the grief, the horror, the palace twists. It becomes extremely hard to follow him, almost impossible. He makes it to the throne, the Kingsmoulds loyally guarding the outside...

It's there he breaks. He spirals. He falls into a deep despair.

I personally think the Pale King died of grief, and with that death, left his surviving children the monumental task of cleaning up the mess left behind.

I think something else to note since my other post about PK is getting attention: is that unless someone knows what they're doing, dreams cannot be controlled.

This is why the Radiance is so damn dangerous: she will find a crack and worm her way in, promising sweet things that the average person can't fight back against. Every single uninfected person with is lucky to not have come under her radar/hasn't been there long enough/has a very strong will and sense of self. Even then, the strongest of wills can break (as evidenced with Holly) and it's only a matter of time before she claims everything.

They can fight back in dreams, but they can't control them. PK is not a dream god, just knows enough about the realms and has enough power to bullshit his way through this whole plan and the moving of the palace. That also means since he's not inherently a dream god and doesn't know everything, the White Palace ends up shifting and twisting into the platforming hell it is now. He doesn't have full control over it, and his emotions will dictate how it ends up being.

The only two beings that we know of that can control dreams in some way is the Radiance and Grimm. Grimm too is definitely the weaker one, being stuck in the nightmare realm and having to do this ritual. I think it's safe to say Radi and him probably got into some sort of feud (that Radi probably started with what we know of both of their personalities) and it lead to the realms separating. Everyone else is subject to their unconscious mind, and both Gods can take advantage if they want to. Grimm doesn't seem to interested in doing so other than harvesting essence, but Radi sure does, as that is a core mechanic of how the infection works.

Now the biggest question is: can a dream be sustained after its host is dead?

If we assume no, then maybe with Grimm's or Radi's intervention it can keep going, but I doubt it would work forever and would be draining on them both. They'd have to have a damn good reason to keep a dream alive.

But also if we assume no, the fuck is going on with the White Palace? Is the king somehow still alive in some form?

Though if the answer is yes, then the White Palace is a graveyard, a lingering fragment in the Dream Realm, and one that will fade with time.

All sorts of fun headcanons can come from just the concept of the dream realms alone. Being a fan of the Yume Nikki games, I think I like the idea of the King not being in full control of his dreams and a lot of the internal guilt and grief and wanting to run away from it all manifesting as a result. And you have to wonder just how it remains there when the King is seemingly dead...

bugfriends watching some lumaflies :]]

lineart

Big tree!

Goofys

I llove these two sillys omg I can't ejdgzjhejhdveffe

Honestly my otp in Hollow Knight

the fandom urge to make every complex villain/character either:

"let me strip this character of all nuance: they never did anything wrong in their entire life and they are just a victim. if you ever say a mean word about them you are [insert bad thing] apologist and a bad person!"

or

"let me strip this character of all nuance: they're a monster and were born a monster, they are incapable of change and deserve every bad thing that has ever happened to them. if you like this character or relate to them in any way you are [insert bad thing] apologist and a bad person!"