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g0at0ad · 10 months

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HOLLOW KNIGHT TIERLIST: NPC HUGGABILITY

remember 100 years ago when i made an npc huggability tierlist for hollow knight that i never finished? well here’s the final version! this time we’re starting from the bottom rather than the top.

#42. midwife

hornet can probably attest to how creepy midwife’s hugs are. she uses her many tiny skittering arms to pull you in, whether you like it or not. there’s a 50/50 chance that she’s just going to eat you. 0/10, would not recommend.

#41. leg eater

he’ll probably make you pay to hug him, and it won’t even be a good hug! his bony, sharp limbs will dig into your back, and his disgusting smelling breath will blow under your ear as he giggles ominously, making you shiver uncomfortably. all around a bad experience, but there’s little chance of him eating you so he goes ahead of midwife.

#40. snail shaman

i love you snail shaman, but slimy hugs are a NO GO. if he wasn’t slimy, the hug would be perfectly pleasant! but as it stands, a hug with the shaman would leave you covered in sticky snail slime. gross and uncomfortable. sorry dude. originally waffled on snail shaman and leg eater’s placement, but in the end decided that slime can be washed off, but nightmares can’t.

#39. godseeker

no arms to hug with, and will probably be very resistant to a hug.

#38. little fool

also no arms to hug with, but they’ll appreciate it!

#37. mister mushroom

mister mushroom

#36. steel soul jinn

unfortunately, jinn is covered in, well, steel. hugging her would be cold and very uncomfortable. she does not have much experience with hugs, and her metallic arms willy very rigidly wrap around you in an awkward way. she won’t know when to end the hug so you will have to tell her.

#35. tuk

tuk lives in the sewers and thus is very unsanitary, and also likely has bad breath due to all the rotten eggs she consumes. sanitary issues aside, she’s also pretty antisocial and reluctant to hugs. not a bad hugger though, taking into account the purely technical side. very big, so her hug will envelop you.

#34. fluke hermit

similar problems to tukk in that she lives in the sewers and likely isn’t very sanitary. also probably doesn’t have much experience in hugs, but hypothetically due to her squishiness would be very fun to squeeze.

#33. dung defender/ogrim

i am SO sorry ogrim, you’re one of my favourites, but i would not hug a man covered in shit. if you were not covered in shit, you would be near the top, but alas. you are covered in shit. hypothetically, a non shitty hug would have ogrim picking you up, swinging you around, and then squeezing you to his chest. he’s very enthusiastic about it. 3/10, take a shower dude.

#32. willoh

look, no one likes willoh, but if they don’t decide to eat you, their hugs aren’t actually that bad! imagine hugging a giraffe. doesn’t that sound nice?

#31. divine

a little less creepy than leg eater! also probably more sanitary! you might have to go on your tippy toes and wrap your arms around her neck and bury your face in her ruff. her claws might be a little uncomfortable around your back, but the hug wouldn’t be too terrible.

#30. confessor jiji

her breath’s very stinky, but if you don’t breathe in through your nose, it won’t be too bad! has very long arms that could probably double wrap around you. might rifle around in your pockets to see if you have a rotten egg.

#29. the hunter

extremely large and bony, but a surprisingly good hugger. long arms will wrap you in a hug, and you’ll be forced to shove your face in a bunch of leaves, but the hug is secure and makes you feel safe. then he follows it up by explaining how he uses a similar technique to strangle his victims, and you feel decidedly less safe.

#28. the hollow knight

it’s quick, you have to get in their mind to defeat the infection, but you spare a moment to wrap your hands around their neck as they struggle under hornet’s needle. you can’t tell, but they seem to relax a little. you’re hurt, and it’s hot, and they can’t hug you back, and it’s over too soon. but you will treasure this.

#27. tiso

very, very difficult to get him to hug you. he only way to get him to hug you is to challenge his ability to hug and mock him if he refuses, telling him that even elderbug is better at hugging than him. tiso will pick you up and squeeze you as tight as possible. you may lose a life from this. his armor is heavy and cold, but you appreciate his effort.

#26. zote

grumbles and complains about the offer, but ultimately needs the hug WAY more than you do, and might secretly cry a bit. hug lasts a little too long, but you won’t mention it because it looks like the guy really needed a moment. he pulls away discreetly wiping his eyes and stubbornly says that he won’t ever hug you again because you’re terrible at it.

#25. salubra

has a great big squishy hug, but it’s one of those hugs you might get from a grandparent or distant aunt that lasts just a bit too long and is just a bit too tight. she ends it by giving you a great big wet kiss that you didn’t ask her. still, it’s very enthusiastic and warm and loving.

#24. millibelle

i hate her. you hate her. we all hate her. that said, from a purely objective lense, she’s a pretty good hugger. it’s nothing too special, but she’s gentle and sweet about it, and it’s all around a good experience. there’s a non-zero chance of her pickpocketing you, though.

#23. eternal emilita

if you ignore her eternal laughter, it’s not a bad hug! doesn’t last too long, but it’s a perfectly fine, normal hug that you’d get from a friend. a friend who laughs about everyone being dead.

#22. grimm

chuckles ominously, but agrees to give you a hug. it’s pretty good, actually. very warm. a little too warm, actually. it has to be over sooner than you’d like because of how hot it is, but he pats you on the head and disappears.

#21. white lady

also does not have arms, but there’s something about sitting in your mother’s lap that makes you feel safe and loved, despite everything she’s done to you. later you will curse her for what she did to you and your siblings, but when you sit in her lap as she hums a lullaby, it’s very hard not to forgive her.

#20. mask maker

so many arms to hug you with!

#19. oro

you’ll have to pay him, and he’s very reluctant about it, but he’s actually a very good hugger, and you can tell he misses hugging someone. it ends too soon and he scoffs at you to leave. you know he liked it, though. you can tell by the flower he put in a vase.

18. grubfather

very short and stubby arms that can’t exactly hug you, but he’s very squishy and pleasant to squeeze.

#17. bardoon

it’s a little difficult to hug someone so big, but he appreciates the effort! his very big yet stubby arms will pull you in, and it’s like hugging an enormous pillow.

#16. relic seeker lemm

he’s reluctant and suspicious about it, probably worried that this is a ploy to steal his stuff. but once he agrees to it, it’s a pretty good hug! his beard is soft and lovely and he’ll give you an awkward pat on the back.

#15. hornet

part of what’s great about hugging hornet is that it’s an achievement. it’s very hard to hug hornet. she’s very fast and antisocial and will turn her nose up at any sign of casual affection. that said, if you earn her trust enough to get a hug from her, her muscles will relax in a way they haven’t for a very long time. the hug is quick, just a few moments, but long enough for you to catch how she sags with relief after not being hugged for many years.

#14. grey mourner

she’s wreathed in soft, flowing silks, and her hug is very gentle. maybe a little too gentle, but it’s very nice nonetheless. she might weep softly, and then you might weep too, and you’ll cry together, shrouded in silvery silks, and she appreciates this one bit of physical affection she hasn’t had since her fiance died.

#13. iselda

she laughs and easily agrees to give you a hug. she’s tall, and has to lean down so you can wrap your arms around her neck. it’s a gentle hug, and she ends it by giving you a pat on the head.

#12. sly

very small little grandpa. pick him up like a teddy bear!

#11. myla

also very small, but is much more enthusiastic about the hug. she has such a sweet giggle. you cry a little. maybe you can save her this time.

#10. cornifer

he’s a little distracted so he won’t see your request at first, but he’ll gladly give you a hug! it’s a perfect hug, not too tight, not too long.

#9. nymm

puts down his accordian and goes down on one knee to give you a warm, friendly hug. your face gets buried in his ruff. he’s happy, and you know that you did the right thing.

#8. bretta

she’s a little flustered and nervous about it, but the hug she gives you is warm and squishy and lovely. she blushes, and perhaps it lasts too long, but it’s such a nice hug that you don’t care.

#7. sheo

he squeezes you tightly, and it’s a lovely hug, but once he steps away you realize there you’re covered in paint stains! what a mess.

#6. old stag

also can’t hug you back, but he’s very grateful for the attempt. you reach up to wrap your arms around his neck, and he’s so fluffy you can’t help but stroke his fur.

#5. nailsmith

winner of the beard award! best beard! he’ll gladly give you a hug, thanking you for not killing him. he’s a lot happier than he used to be, and you’re happy for him.

#4. elderbug

a perfect old grandpa hug. he tears up a little at the offer, and squeezes you tightly. rubs circles into your back. you’re a little sad when it’s over.

#3. seer

a perfect old grandma hug. she’s soft and feathery, and smells like dust, but it’s such a lovely hug.

#2. quirrel

look, i just really like quirrel. he picks you up and squeezes you tightly, and it’s like seeing an old friend you haven’t spoken to in a while. he laughs joyfully. you don’t want to let him go. maybe you can make this moment last forever. maybe he won’t leave.

#1. mato

possibly the best hugger there has ever been. he enjoys it more than he enjoys nailfighting. he picks you up, swings you around one time, and squeezes you tightly, your face squishing against his cheek. he laughs like he hasn’t hugged you in years, but you saw him earlier today.

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fungal-wasted · 1 year

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Ancestral, Overgrown and Crystallized Mounds

Or, another one of those posts where I look at backgrounds to get art references and perhaps some information.

Disclaimer: I don't know much about actual architecture to use proper terms, nor am ai fully familiar with the materials presented.

Credits: All images were taken by @dromaeo-sauridae. We had fun talking about these areas.

The Mounds are places scattered around the map, where the snail shamans seem to reside in. We can find three of them in-game, one in the Crossroads, another one in Crystal Peak and a third one in the border between Queen's Gardens and Fog Canyon. This section focuses mainly on what makes the mounds stand out and what elements they share with other places in the game.

All three mounds:

Are closed places that must be accessed through an entrance, and as such, can't be seen fully with the in-game map.

Have wood-like planks as the main material

Have mask-like patterns on their floors and walls.

have at least one structure that resembles the ribs and spine of a larger cresture

Have masks hanging from sticks

Use torches

Now, let's take a more detailed look.

The bench in the Ancestral mound seems to have it's own unique design, and is colored lighter than most other benches. We can see something resembling ribs right next to the Shaman. Now: how likely are bones to be found in the game? We don't know much of the world beyond the system of caverns we commonly refer to as Hallownest. However, mamy people consider Gruz Mother to have a spine, and tools like the mantis claw are made from it, so, by some means, the snails have made use of these bones. Another possibility has to do with the Forest of Bones that did not make it into the final game but... that's not the point of this post.

In this path we can notice two main elements. Firstly, the walls seem to be made of curved structures, that could be bone, once again, or another sturdy material. Secondly, we can see wood planks on the foreground. The closest mention we have of wood comes from Zote's nail being made of shellwood. What this material is exactly and how it is obtained is not shown directly, but I will state from now that it is present in almost every area, either in one-way shortcuts, or support. The Mounds have an abundance of it, though.

Two things thay stand out to me here are the nets with.... masks? pebbles? on them. I am not sure about their purpose beyond storage. This photo also gives a closer look to the shellwood structure. Some kind of rope is used to make it stick together.

We can also get a closer look at the torches. What fuel do they use? Why use them instead of lumaflies? So far, the mounds and the Colosseum of Fools are the only places I recall using torches for lighting. Lurien and Herrah have candles surrounding them, but that seems to have a different purpose.

Bigger masks can be found on the walls all over the place. The design doesn't particularly match any seen bug. Though I must admit I have not checked for resemblances to the Soul Totems or other creatures. It's more likely just a generic mask design.

Here you can get a look at the Overgrown Mound, showing more of the same elements, except the place is covered in moss. The mask on a stick has a slight resemblance to a vessel's head, but this sprite is reused in all mounds and besides there isn't much new to point out.

And finally, these are images of the Crystallized Mound, from the tunnel that leads towards its entrance, the gate itself snd the place where the last Snail was located.

#hollow knight #snail shaman #game ref #analysis #no id #sadly idk how to describe most of this

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