One, It's So Fun Watching Villains Fall Because They Think Everyone Is As Power-hungry And/or Shallow

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.

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It's neat to think that the reason the dreamers became such is because they were loyal to the people they had ward over first and foremost

Herrah as deepnest's queen is loyal to her people, integrating the metal crests of the devours and the weavers in the den

Monotone, who set up her archive as neutral ground is loyal to those that she taught

Lurien, while loyal to the king, is suggested by the decoration in his main chamber to be loyal to hallownest and its people first

They all care about the people under them before they care for anything else

For all their differences, it's really telling that all three Dreamers became Seals because of the exact same reason.

I'll love to see the fandom explore this aspect of the Dreamers. Think of all the fluff and angst one can create in the fandom while drawing on canon!

For Future Reference...thank you Original Poster for creating this.

Things Real People Do in Dialogue (For Your Next Story)

Okay, let’s be real—dialogue can make or break a scene. You want your characters to sound natural, like actual humans talking, not robots reading a script. So, how do you write dialogue that feels real without it turning into a mess of awkward pauses and “ums”? Here’s a little cheat sheet of what real people actually do when they talk (and you can totally steal these for your next story):

1. People Interrupt Each Other All the Time In real conversations, nobody waits for the perfect moment to speak. We interrupt, cut each other off, and finish each other's sentences. Throw in some overlaps or interruptions in your dialogue to make it feel more dynamic and less like a rehearsed play.

2. They Don’t Always Say What They Mean Real people are masters of dodging. They’ll say one thing but mean something totally different (hello, passive-aggressive banter). Or they’ll just avoid the question entirely. Let your characters be vague, sarcastic, or just plain evasive sometimes—it makes their conversations feel more layered.

3. People Trail Off... We don’t always finish our sentences. Sometimes we just... stop talking because we assume the other person gets what we’re trying to say. Use that in your dialogue! Let a sentence trail off into nothing. It adds realism and shows the comfort (or awkwardness) between characters.

4. Repeating Words Is Normal In real life, people repeat words when they’re excited, nervous, or trying to make a point. It’s not a sign of bad writing—it’s how we talk. Let your characters get a little repetitive now and then. It adds a rhythm to their speech that feels more genuine.

5. Fillers Are Your Friends People say "um," "uh," "like," "you know," all the time. Not every character needs to sound polished or poetic. Sprinkle in some filler words where it makes sense, especially if the character is nervous or thinking on their feet.

6. Not Everyone Speaks in Complete Sentences Sometimes, people just throw out fragments instead of complete sentences, especially when emotions are high. Short, choppy dialogue can convey tension or excitement. Instead of saying “I really think we need to talk about this,” try “We need to talk. Now.”

7. Body Language Is Part of the Conversation Real people don’t just communicate with words; they use facial expressions, gestures, and body language. When your characters are talking, think about what they’re doing—are they fidgeting? Smiling? Crossing their arms? Those little actions can add a lot of subtext to the dialogue without needing extra words.

8. Awkward Silences Are Golden People don’t talk non-stop. Sometimes, they stop mid-conversation to think, or because things just got weird. Don’t be afraid to add a beat of awkward silence, a long pause, or a meaningful look between characters. It can say more than words.

9. People Talk Over Themselves When They're Nervous When we’re anxious, we tend to talk too fast, go back to rephrase what we just said, or add unnecessary details. If your character’s nervous, let them ramble a bit or correct themselves. It’s a great way to show their internal state through dialogue.

10. Inside Jokes and Shared History Real people have history. Sometimes they reference something that happened off-page, or they share an inside joke only they get. This makes your dialogue feel lived-in and shows that your characters have a life beyond the scene. Throw in a callback to something earlier, or a joke only two characters understand.

11. No One Explains Everything People leave stuff out. We assume the person we’re talking to knows what we’re talking about, so we skip over background details. Instead of having your character explain everything for the reader’s benefit, let some things go unsaid. It’ll feel more natural—and trust your reader to keep up!

12. Characters Have Different Voices Real people don’t all talk the same way. Your characters shouldn’t either! Pay attention to their unique quirks—does one character use slang? Does another speak more formally? Maybe someone’s always cutting people off while another is super polite. Give them different voices and patterns of speech so their dialogue feels authentic to them.

13. People Change the Subject In real life, conversations don’t always stay on track. People get sidetracked, jump to random topics, or avoid certain subjects altogether. If your characters are uncomfortable or trying to dodge a question, let them awkwardly change the subject or ramble to fill the space.

14. Reactions Aren’t Always Immediate People don’t always respond right away. They pause, they think, they hesitate. Sometimes they don’t know what to say, and that delay can speak volumes. Give your characters a moment to process before they respond—it’ll make the conversation feel more natural.

Important note: Please don’t use all of these tips in one dialogue at once.

Fanfic Troubles

*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. "

For Future Reference.

words for your fight scenes

Breathe

draw, expire, heave, inhale, puff, suffocate

Catch

intercept, tackle

Climb

arise, ascension, mount, scale, surface

Cut

amputate, ax/axe, bisect, chisel, cleave, crop, cut up, dent, dissect, engrave, etch, fell, hack, lacerate, mangle, molt, mutilate, notch, peel, scar, scratch, shave, shred, slash, slit, trim, whittle

Dispose

boot, chuck, disposal, dispose of, do away with, elimination, kick out, rejection, scrap, throw away, void

Drop

alight, crash, decline, descent, dive, droop, duck, fall, flop, fumble, go under, keel over, light, percolate, plumb, plunge, sag, settle, sink, slump, stoop, submerge, suspend, thud/thump, tumble, wilt

Hide

ambush, bury, camouflage, conceal, cover, cover-up, cringe, disguise, dissimulate, embed, ensconce, envelop, isolation, lurk, masquerade, palliate, screen, seclusion, sequester, shrink, shut off/shut out, sneak, withhold

Hit

applaud, bang, baste, batter, beat, blindside, boot, buffet, bunt, chip, clash, clip, clout, collide, concussion, crash, cuff, deflect, drive, flail, glance, hammer, jab, jostle, knock, lick, nail, peck, plaudits, pound, punch, rap, scourge, slap, smack, sock, strike, swipe, tap, thud/thump, tip, whack, whip

Hold forcefully

apprehend, cage, clasp, clinch, confinement, constriction, cramp, detain, embrace, enslave, fetters, grasp, gripe, hold, incarcerate, overpower, press, shackle, snatch, strangle, throttle, wrestle

NOTE

The above are concepts classified according to subject and usage. It not only helps writers and thinkers to organize their ideas but leads them from those very ideas to the words that can best express them.

It was, in part, created to turn an idea into a specific word. By linking together the main entries that share similar concepts, the index makes possible creative semantic connections between words in our language, stimulating thought and broadening vocabulary.

Source ⚜ Writing Basics & Refreshers ⚜ On Vocabulary Notes: Fight Scenes (pt. 1) (pt. 2) Word Lists: Fight ⚜ Pain

Touched By an Angel

Well...I got four literal angels coming to save me. If by chance I do die, and death is a possibility here, then I have a good friend taking me home to God.

I've been using Tumblr for a while now and I STILL wonder why people rarely comment on posts.

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 fire 

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.

What Should I do? Post Everything or Separate?

Don't mind me rebloging this for future reference...

Bit of a headcanon chart for what bugs in Hallownest might eat, based on what we see in-game anyway. There might be aphid livestock floating around somewhere, but we didn't see it so

Bit of rambling below the cut

edit: I thought the follies/mistakes lost their sapience, but I think I was mistaken! they should be in No (Sapient)

Edible:

Self explanatory. Non-sentient insects that look tasty and aren't horribly infected/weird. Garpede is here because we've actually seen a dead Garpede, whereas we've only seen a fossilized Goam

Questionable:

These guys are either heavily infected, covered with crystals, or very weird. Aspids are hypothetically edible when not infected, maybe? But I'm not sure what that'd look like. As for the crystals, I'm not sure if the effort needed to remove all of the rocks is worth the time. Also despite Uomas and Oomas being here, I like to think Tiso eats Uomas on occasion, until he gets sick

No (Sentient):

Self explanatory.

No (Taste Bad):

Also pretty obvious.