Okay Spooky, PLEASE tell us about the Broken Shell AU lore (when you have the time of course). We've been seeing little bits of it for so long!
OHH, BROKEN SHELL AU MY BELOVED OLDIE
It must be I think the first or second AU I ever made for this game some years ago. It's the classic post-embrace the void ending AU.
Hornet, although reluctant and wary at first, helps The Hollow Knight and nurses them back to health in a little make-shift but in the Greenbath area, close to the Forgotten Crossroads for easy access to the hot springs which they used to heal. Why there? Idk, I think I just liked the greenery.
THK passes out for a good few days while Hornet takes care of them and when they finally wake up, despite being in an extreme amount of pain, unable to see and afraid, they still insisted on acting hollow. Slowly though, they recover, at least physically, and all the while she's taking care of them Hornet's also running all around the kingdom looking for Ghost and taking care of other things now that people are recovering and the dreamers are awake.
Once they've recovered just a little more though, something starts pulling on THK to go deeper into the kingdom, and when they can move finally they decide to follow that calling. Hornet of course tries to drag them back, but they're surprisingly strong even when injured and eventually, they end up at the junk pit. It starts with a little skirmish as both THK and Ghost are startled before they calm the hell down and realise who the other is. Hornet steps in, happy to see Ghost again even though they appear to be a shade now, and attempts to break the awkwardness by introducing them to THK - only for Ghost to float over and hug them, much to THK's surprise too as they had expected it to hate them or at the very least be angry.
So, long story short, the three siblings end up living together, eventually Ghost gets their shell fixed up by the mask maker, and they choose a name for The Hollow Knight - which was Shelly (because at this point I felt too mean calling them Hollow, so Shelly it is). They also bullshit about THK dying because Shelly does NOT want to deal with the emotional turmoil of meeting the Dreamers or Ogrim or literally anybody they know, at least while they're still recovering.
Eventually, though, they learn the truth, and much to Shelly's surprise and relief aren't angry with them.
Much later on, the question of who the next monarch should be arises and they eventually end up with Shelly being the only legitimate candidate (Hornet couldn't be thanks to some political mess between Deeonest and Hallownest, and Ghost would rather go through the Path of Pain 1000 times over than be a ruler of anything). At first, Shelly is terrified about the prospect and refuses, but after getting a ton of reassurance and with the promise of getting help from the Dreamers, they agree.
They couldn't bring the palace back from the dream realm so they just built a new one, a much smaller one in the City of Tears.
But it's mostly a classic healing arc AU for the three siblings tbh, mostly THK.
Also, it's worth noting that Shelly is disabled. They're completely blind in their right eye and can see some blurred shapes and light in the left one, which is the result of living with the fuckin sun in their head for god knows how long. They also suffer from chronic pain and back problems, and at their worst, they cannot take care of themself or even get up from their bed without assistance. They obviously don't have an arm either but eventually get a prosthetic one made for them. They still can hold up on their own in a fight - they're a god, after all - and even learned to fight by relying on their hearing rather than sight, but they're still not as strong or agile as they once were.
The bow covering their eye was from Hornet. When they were recovering she tied their bandages into a bow to cheer them up and they liked it so much they decided to do that with silk after their shell/eye healed. They also have a good relationship with the dreamers and even develop a fatherly relationship with Lurien, because they deserve a good father figure god damn it.
Oh, Ghost also eventually becomes Shelly's knight when they grow up. Hornet obviously takes over as the queen of Deepnest eventually and ever since then Hallownest's and Deeonest's relationship couldn't have been better, considering their rulers are siblings and get along swimmingly.
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The 141 getting you to stay in bed
It gets a little spicy towards the end so 18+ please
Soap
Waking up to the feeling of a numb arm is extremely unpleasant, but you suppose it comes with the territory when trying to cuddle 200+ pounds of rugged Scotsman
You manage to free your trapped limb and roll to the other side of the bed, but that space behind you remains empty for only about three seconds before Johnny's pressing himself flat to your back
Now with his arms around your waist, he holds you tight to him, mumbling unintelligibly against the back of your head
He drifts back to sleep quickly enough, his grip on you starting to loosen, only for it to tighten again when he feels you try to wriggle out of his hold
The incoherent grumbles from his throat grow increasingly displeased the more you try to shift away from him, until finally he huffs a grumpy, “Quit it,” into your scalp, hooking his leg over yours
If you still don't listen, he'll have no choice but to take drastic measures to keep you still. Fed up with your squirming, he simply rolls on top of you, pinning you to the mattress below him
You can try beating on his back, telling him that you can't breathe, but he just shrugs and says, “Use my breath.”
Don't even bother trying to explain how oxygen doesn't work like that, because he doesn't care. “Tough,” he mumbles into the crook of your neck. “‘Cause I'm no' movin’.” And by extension, neither are you
Gaz
Kyle is also a stage 5 clinger, but he's less boa constrictor and more baby koala
So when your alarm goes off at 8am precisely, it's no surprise that the man behind you grumbles in protest
“It's Saturday,” he bemoans. “Why you getting up so bloody early?” When you tell him you like to keep your routine even on the weekends, he just groans and mutters, “Five more minutes.”
You can try to squirm and wrestle out of his hold, but he'll just tighten his arm around your midsection, keeping his front firmly glued to your back
But you need to get up! You have to pee for goodness’ sake!
“Use the empty bottle on your nightstand,” he mumbles into your hair, peeking an eye open as you crane to look back at him. The look you give him at such a horrid suggestion has him sighing. “Alright, fine,” he relents and releases you. “But be quick. Bed gets cold without you.”
Once you've answered the call of nature, don't be surprised to find Kyle waiting for you directly outside the bathroom. He's wrapped up in your comforter like an oversized burrito, only his face and feet visible as they peek out from under the plush cover
With a sleepy pout, he holds his hand out for you, tugging you back to bed with him. Oh, he’ll make sure you get those five more minutes alright. Even if he has to drag you kicking and screaming
Ghost
First of all, don't even kid yourself into thinking you'll stand a chance of waking up before him or sneaking out of bed without him knowing. This man is the epitome of a light sleeper, whenever he does sleep, that is
So when you do finally wake up, it comes as no surprise to see Simon already up too. But just because you're both awake now doesn't mean you have to immediately be productive; quite the opposite, in fact
With how busy and stressed he is all the time, Simon loves nothing more than to just lie in bed with you and do nothing for hours
If you try to get up, he's stopping you with a gentle hand on your wrist, his voice quiet but firm as he commands, “Stay.”
You'll lay back down for a bit to appease him, but it won't be long before you feel guilty since you have so many things you should be doing instead
But actually, no, you don't have anything to worry about. He's already taken care of everything before you woke up, he humbly informs you
The cat's been fed, the bin’s been taken out to the curb, he's even gotten your breakfast typed up on his phone – just give him the word and he'll place the order
So now when he opens his arms for you, having you bury your face in his chest, you've got nothing to worry about except savoring this moment with him
Price
John is also a very light sleeper, so it only takes .02 seconds of you trying to stand from the bed for his bear-like snores to cease and his eyes to flit wide open
He'll grab you by the shirt hem, mumbling, “Where’re y’ goin’?” But it doesn't really matter what your answer is because his response is always the same: “No y’r not.” And pulls you back down. “Y’r stayin’ right here.”
He'll lie on his stomach, face smushed in the pillow, a big, warm hand tucked under your shirt resting against your belly
With nothing better to do, you scroll through your phone, catching up on your socials, the news, etc., but it's not long before you hear him grumble, “Put that away, will ya? ‘S too early to be meltin’ your brain with that thing.”
Well, what does he expect you to do? Lie there and stare at the ceiling for an hour? “Expect you to be good,” he tells you. “Don't make me get the handcuffs out again.”
Now that you have to laugh at. If he thinks it's too early to be on your phone, it's definitely too early for that
He smirks, opening his eye just a sliver, and the hand on your stomach begins to rub soft circles. “Is that so?” he taunts, his touch sneakily edging downwards. And when he slips beneath the band of your shorts, well…
Let's just say you're not leaving that bed anytime soon
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