Literally interests of mine w/no outlets. Will draw requests but if I'm uncomfortable w/the request I will deny. No charge though. Also, just stuff I don't feel comfortable letting out on main. Y'all will get my vents and thoughts often now. Deal. (even though I'm not active on here)
Martha and Jonathan find a baby in an ark. There is no note with him, but they see how tenderly he was swaddled, how desperately sent here, and they look at each other and they know. She was on the Kindertransport. He lost his parents to the camps. Martha's eyes say "He is like us." Her voice says, "Moses in the bullrushes."
They take him home. They give him the Hebrew name Kal-El and the American name Clark so he will fit in. They know what it is to be different. There is no Hebrew school in Smallville so they teach him at home, and study Torah together. When he shows special abilities, they wonder to each other if he is the Moshiach. Not for the strength of his body, but for the strength of his kindness. He always seems to be helping others, delivering them from harm, as he was delivered to them. They never tell him this, but they teach him about the obligations without measure. He's a natural.
At school, he is side-eyed for being different. When he displays eccentricities, the villagers shrug and say "maybe it's a Jewish thing." The Kents make sure he values his education, and is always home for Shabbas dinner.
His is bar-mitzva'd at the nearest shul, a few towns over. They didn't know his birthday, so they chose one near Parshat Shemot. Now they worry that was too on-the-nose, but he gives a moving d'var about the obligation to speak truth to power.
As he comes into his own and tries to be a hero, he hides his identity from the public, not out of shame, but to keep his adopted parents safe. They've been persecuted enough.
When he moves to the big city for a job at a newspaper, Pa is so proud he cries. Clark uses his journalistic skills to expose corruption, give voice to the neglected and oppressed, and research his own origins. When he learns the truth about Krypton and his birth parents' desperate bid to send him to safety, Ma and Pa are not at all surprised that they were right.
When Clark brings Lois home, he assures his parents she is a nice Jewish girl, but they're just glad she's a mensch. They step on a glass to remember the destruction of Krypton, and stand under a chuppah quilted by Ma.
A white billionaire spews lies about him, trying to spread fear of the stranger in their midst. He comes out in public and says "There's nothing more American than being an immigrant."
When the government turns against immigrants, he stands on the side of the protestors and protects. Tear gass does nothing to him. He makes himself a shield. He writes article after article in the Daily Planet, making sure the public knows what their government is doing, that immigrants know their rights, that the powerful are put on notice. When they start rounding people up, he says "Never again."
He shows up at immigrant detention centers, armed with miracles. And says "Let my people go."
Been a while! Here are some Wild doodles as an apology haha
I've been holding stuff for this au close to my chest in the hopes that I will eventually do more comics or write something, but that's been putting a lot of unnecessary pressure on myself. So I'm done doing that! I wanna info dump about Wild and what the heck happened to him!
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Wild gets infected very early in the story. At the time, nobody knew there was an illness spreading, let alone any way to "cure" it. He was doomed the moment he started showing symptoms.
As Wild falls further and further to Radiance, he is deemed a danger to the rest of the tribe in Deepnest because of how aggressive he becomes. Flora opposes this, and she's been trying to help any ways she can, but it isn't enough before there is one final incident, and the rest of the tribe decide the best course of action for everyone's safety is to put Wild out of his misery.
Unfortunately... the infection has a nasty habit of reanimating its infected hosts. And Wild is not spared from this. Once he is brought back, he has fully succumbed to Radiance.
He wanders Deepnest, aimless, and no longer in control of his own body or mind, until the Chain enter Deepnest hoping to help quell the infections spread.
Wild attacks the Chain who are in a place so unfamiliar to them and struggling to stay in line with one another. Sky attempts to use the Dream Nail to put Wild down for good (at this point the only thing it's done is kill the infection and the host) but doesn't manage to get a decent hit in, and is injured in the process. Then in typical Deepnest fashion with all its unstable ground and holes to fall down, Wild and Twilight (who has been playing defense and trying to keep Wild in one spot) are separated from the group.
Lucky for Twilight, all the commotion and collapsing rock made Sky drop the Dream Nail down with them, which Twilight uses to "take care" of Wild.
Twilight enters Wild's dreams and puts him to rest. Except, by some miracle, Wild is cured, but NOT in a good place afterward.
They both wander Deepnest, very lost, trying to find a way to the Distant village. Twilight (who is very freaked out by all of this) is now tasked to care for this poor amnesiac spider who somehow made it to the other side despite all of the odds pointing against him. Wild is pretty much stuck to Twilight, as he can't move much without being in so much pain, and a awful headache that will not leave him alone.
While they travel, Wild is recovering but is not back to something semi-functional until they make it to the Distant Village and he's able to get some real help.
Of course Wild survives, and goes on with the Chain to chase Dark Link and keep Radiance from infecting anybody else, and putting those who are too far gone to rest, like he wasn't allowed to.
Twilight's left the Gardens a grand total of two times.
Once when he learned to embrace the mysterious darkness Hallownest had to offer.
And twice when a party of strange bugs came to his village claiming they could cure a disease that promised eternal strength and light, choosing to follow them on a pure conflicting whim and a hunger for the truth.
He's seen more of Hallownest than most of his tribe. Except possibly for his Lord and the generation of mantis that loyally followed him to their current home. The only home Twilight’s ever known. Being in the Fungal Wastes almost felt like he's come full circle. Seeing an ecosystem that thrived in dim bioluminescence and suspiciously squishy dirt that, until now, had only existed to him through the elders' stories.
Meeting his sister tribe, and who could have also been his Lord's, was like walking into a Loodle den. There was a buzz of hostile energy in the spore-filled air and a deep-seated survival instinct to keep his head on a swivel lest somebody becomes fertilizer.
His saving grace was that their tribes were not so different. Twilight knew their values and customs, which were never abandoned when the elders migrated from the Wastes, only shifted. He was taught to respect the strong, and strong they were.
There was a deeply ingrained part of him that grieved for them. They will never know the strength his Goddess' light can grant them.
The other part, the one who's been traveling through Hallownest and has seen so much carnage and death, is jealous.
It garnered them allies among the noble of the village guardians.
She called herself Dusk. A lean mantis who towered over them all, even having a claw above Time. Perhaps on par with her Lords.
"That place is not for those who allow fear to guide them." She’d warned them.
"We'll be careful." He told her.
"Do not be cautious. Be brave."
When stepping through the gate, he understood what she meant. The smell of death and decay lingered on the corpses that guided them down the dark path. Remains of creatures Twilight's never seen before, with multiple eyes and legs and fangs too large for their mouths. Pinned to the ground by abandoned nails struck through their terrifying bodies. With how this infection appeared to affect the dead, Twilight was glad his sisters were thorough.
There was also the deep, impenetrable darkness that welcomed them.
Twilight liked to think he'd gotten used to the darkness Hallownest offered- Had a special gift that allowed him to appreciate it more than any bug could.
This was different. It wasn't the darkness Twilight had started to find comfort in—the kind that whispered gentle lullabies and granted safety.
This was oppressive.
Suffocating.
It made his claws itch with the need to swipe and scratch.
"Hyrule." Time was at the head of the group, facing the darkness like it was a beast he could conquer. "Can you give us some light?"
The firefly pushed past, a soft glow emanating from his tail, banishing the creeping shadows, "Does this mean I'm taking charge?" He asked. His antenna stood straight, twitching at the slightest sound.
"If you are comfortable."
He looked ahead, glowing eyes boring into the wicked shadows that lay in their path. He shrugged, "I've done worse."
Twilight didn't hesitate to follow Hyrule into the cavern. The rest of the group huddled close, wanting to stay in the halo of the firefly's light.
Almost everyone.
Taking a headcount, Twilight only came up with six bugs.
He paused, letting the darkness surround him as the group continued on. He turned, retracing their steps, and followed the shadows to the entrance. They hadn't gone far, only trailing down one hill before the path of bodies became scattered stones compared to the landslide on the village's doorstep.
Legend stood, framed by the small remnants of light that bled through the now-closed gate, watching the tunnel.
He was not following.
Hyrule's light and the group's soft voices got further and further away. Unaware of their stagnant companion.
Twilight took a step forward, hesitant to lose track of the little source of light they had. And yet Legend continued to just stand there, staring into the darkness. "Legend?"
The cricket flinched, a small jump in his shoulders. He squinted, trying to adjust to the darkness.
Twilight stepped forward, leaving the oppressing shadows behind. "You okay?"
That seemed to snap Legend out of whatever silent response he was having. He shook his head, readjusting. "I'm fine." He said, spinning around to face the large closed doors. "You should catch up with them. They're leaving you behind."
Twilight looked back down the tunnel; Hyrule's light had vanished. "And you're not coming?"
"No." He responded quickly, "I'll stay here. Keep watch. There's a whole village for me to map out. This will probably be the only chance I get."
First of all, keep watch for what?
Second, while true, surely an entirely new region would be more interesting than a small tucked-away village? Legend doesn’t have much of Deepnest mapped out from what he'd seen, only the tram entrance.
"Besides," Legend continued, "You think you're going to be the only one down there? Who knows what could be in those caverns. Better to have somebody stay behind… Just in case."
"And you don't think it would be safer to travel in a group? Rather than alone in the dark?"
"...I have a lantern." Was all Legend responded with.
Twilight had enough self-control not to scoff. Rounding the cricket, attempting to face him, instead. Legend didn't regard him, antenna lowered flat, arms crossed stiffly over his armor, an icy demeanor that screamed back off.
"Are you afraid?"
Legend whipped around, focusing that cold stare on Twilight. "Why would you think that?" He accused flatly.
Twilight lowered his head, meeting Legend at his level, an automatic gesture from interacting with the frightened young in his tribe. "It's okay to be scared." He said honestly, "There's an entrance to Deepnest in the Gardens. It was blocked off years ago, and I've never been too far down, but I've heard-"
Legend didn't let him finish. Stating, "I'm not scared."
Twilight was finding that hard to believe with the way Legend's whole being tensed, pulling away like he wanted to tuck himself into a rocky crevice and hide forever.
"Then what's the problem?"
He shrugged, "There isn't one."
Twilight feigned a smile. "Great! Then let's catch up with the others."
Neither of them moved.
The longer they stared at each other, the more Legend retreated, growing rigid under the scrutiny. His murderous glare had eased to a harsh stabbing, drifting back to the ground. "I'm not scared," he repeated quietly.
Twilight waited, allowing the cricket to mull over his thoughts.
He shifted, letting his arms fall to his sides, swaying them. "I’ve heard stories from other travelers. Of the… of the things that are in there. Rumors of beasts that don't have any sympathy for bugs like us." He scoffed, then, "Ridiculous I know. I've been almost everywhere in Hallownest, yet this place makes me… Nervous."
It was progress. "Nervous?" Twilight pushed.
"I'm not scared. I'm…" He hesitated, shifting on his feet, admitting, "I don't know."
Twilight wasn't so sure now, either. Slowly, he placed a claw on the cricket's shoulder. "Okay." He said when Legend didn't push him away or glare at him again. "I believe you." He said truthfully.
That seemed to shift something in Legend. His antenna twitched, no longer laid flat, as his shoulder slumped a fraction under Twilight's delicate claw. "The last time I came here… I saw something that shouldn't have been possible." He paused, shaking his head. "Wasn’t possible." He stated, not letting himself debate it.
Twilight has seen a lot of impossible things on this journey. Has been on the other end of 'impossible' himself. Shadows sang to him now with soft melodies that carried solace. Something he couldn't explain to anybody else.
"More impossible than a bunch of nobodies trying to stop an incurable disease?"
It must have been the wrong thing to say because Legend abruptly shrugged him off. "Can you see the dead." He said, clipped. Twilight gave him space.
It sounded sarcastic, taking on that impassive tone Twilight has come to understand as Legend's default. Still, when he looked at Twilight, his eyes were strained, like he was holding the weight of Hallownest on his shoulders. "Well... No." Obviously, and Twilight didn't think he was the right bug to unpack that potential sore spot.
Legend nodded, looking like he'd just won something under all that stressed, closed-off bravo.
Another standstill fell over them. The quiet of the cavern and the music of the darkness creeping in.
"But I'm pretty sure Sky can."
He'd meant it seriously, but Legend snorted. Bringing a claw up to his mouth, eyes pinched before letting out a full-bellied laugh.
It surprised Twilight more than he expected, watching Legend double over himself with the sudden fit. He hadn't shared moments like this with the cricket before, purely out of circumstance, and he was starting to regret that. Legend laughed easily and with his full chest. It was so light compared to the small chuckles and quipped scoffs he'd overheard before.
"Wha- Why would you say that?" He was still giggling when he came back up, a claw over his stomach, trying to pull himself together.
That nail of his. The key to a far away realm. A beautiful instrument in the wrong orchestra. A beacon of hopes and dreams.
Twilight shrugged. "He works at the Glade, right? Prime spot for that kind of talent."
Legend took a deep breath, composed again. "I don't think I'd call that a 'talent.'" He mocked, catching Twilight's eye.
He was thinking, putting on that more quizzical expression he wore whenever a puzzle presented itself to him, usually directed at Hyrule or his map. It wasn't harsh or judgmental, like Twilight thought it looked from the outside. Having it directed at him now, he found it more thorough. Analytical.
What was he looking for?
He seemed to find it, sighing and turning slowly toward the dark tunnel. "I don't like this," he confessed.
Not afraid, but perhaps simply spooked.
Twilight hummed, "Well. How bout this–" Legend's antenna flicked in his direction, "–If you see whatever it was again, let me know, and I'll take care of it for you." He stepped forward, holding out a claw. "What’re the chances you'll see the impossible twice?"
Legend stared, eyes shifting from the darkness behind to his extended claw. The shadows whispered around them. Twilight ignored them.
He appeared to reach some kind of conclusion, reaching into his satchel, and pulled out his beloved map. "Yeah," he said, worrying the edges as he opened the parchment. "What are the chances?" He echoed.
He flipped the map around, folding it in odd shapes until he was left with just a small blank section available to hold comfortably in one claw.
Legend finally- finally stepped toward Deepnest, hovering his free claw over Twilight's, "You can see in the dark, right?"
"I thought you had a lanturn?"
He jerked his head back towards the spiral-topped staff across his back. "I need both claws for it." And took Twilight's claw.
Twilight knew he didn't, but didn't challenge it. He'd watched Legend and Hyrule work with that staff, and what Legend could do now that he had a teacher was nothing to sneer at. "You think they've stopped by now?" He asked instead, keeping his grip gentle. He hoped the others didn't get too far. Surely, they'd have noticed two missing bugs by now?
Legend scoffed. "They better have." And pumped a claw forward, pointing down the cavern, "Lead the way! My mantis friend!"
And into the darkness of Deepnest they went.
In the Distant Village, hidden far in the recesses of Deepnest, the locals spoke of something dark.
"Deceiver."
"Face Stealer."
"Griever."
"Thief."
Everyone had a different name for it, and nobody could say what it looked like because nobody has truly seen it. They told rumors and stories to try and explain what nobody could.
Outsiders called them lost.
Tales of bugs wandering into the darkest parts of Deepnest, never to be seen again.
The spiders called them dead.
They told Legend he didn't see the impossible.
He saw something fake. A beast wearing a different shape.
If you don't know much about Hollow Knight, a lot of the technicalities might not make sense, and I would encourage you to look into the game. Or you could just enjoy the chain as bugs and see them off on their buggy adventures!
I've made this AU trying to keep as close as I can to Hollow Knight's story, but some creative liberties were of course taken.
My main idea is that the infection is the equivalent to Dark Link's (who does exist in this) infected monsters and it's up to them to try and slow/stop the infection. My first thought was to have the infection start to spread outside of Hallownest, and the chain needs to go and stop it, but I'm still going back and forth on it.
I'm still open to changing concepts if I find something that works better, but after literal months of working on this on and off I'm happy with how this has turned out!
Rambling about character details below!
Small note: I've set this AU at roughly the start of the infection, when Radiance was starting to take over Hallownest.
Time
Is not from Hallownest. He traveled to Hallownest from a distant land, where he met Malon and settled down with her.
He encountered Radiance upon entering Hallownest, but was protected by a god that had already laid claim to him, Fierce Deity, who protects him from the Radiance's infection.
He and Malon live in the Howling Cliffs.
His wing and antenna injury are from Radiance when she tried to infect him.
He is not able to fly because of the injury, and now fights with a heavy nail.
His wings used to be green, but after encountering the Fierce Deity, they slowly started to change in color until they were blue.
I'm not sure if I would do anything with the eyes on his wings, I was trying to make a connection to Majora in that, but I'm still debating whether to add it.
Twilight
Is a part of the Traitor Mantis tribe that lives in the Queen's Garden.
He met a Sibling (Midna) that escaped from the Abyss. They gave him the ability to harness Void.
Still working on the detail for how exactly they give him this ability, but my rough idea is that perhaps both of them were attacked by and infected villager, and they saved him by giving up their Void essence.
He's grown up wanting to be infected by the Radiance. He was taught the Radiance was a god that gave bugs great strength, but after seeing what the infection really does, he starts to have second thoughts.
The cloak he is wearing is new. The one he wore before was damaged. I'm still debating on when exactly he gets it, but I think it's something he makes after he leaves the traitor village.
Warriors
He is the head knight of the Hive and oversees whoever enters their territory.
His scarf is a gift from the princess of the Hive given to him when he leaves to join the group.
Since he is a bee, he is connected to the Hive via the hivemind. He uses this to check in on his home whenever he can.
This also makes it very dangerous if he gets infected, since it would quickly spread to the other bee's.
I kept his nail the same as Hive Knight's, but it's open to change.
Four
(I'm still very iffy on Four's story concept, but here's what I have so far)
Lives in Green Path.
He has a passion for weapon smithing, and planned on moving to the capital of Hallownest (City of Tears).
But he accidently stumbled on a weak Unn, and agreed to help protect her while she recovered.
When she did recover, she blessed him with a power that allows him to split into 4 parts of himself using his SOUL.
He can split while in the physical world, but will always be split while in the Dream realm. This also makes it difficult for Radiance to infect him.
Wind
Lives in the Kingdom's Edge and works as a guide across the acid lakes. Most of the travelers are those who are seeking to fight in the Colosseum of Fools.
This is how he found the Colosseum, and regularly attends (but not participate in) some of the fights, which is how he meets Tetra.
He is just learning to fly, but is picking it up really fast.
I wanted to keep the lobster apart of his design... But there are no lobsters in Hollow Knight... Then I remembered this was an AU and I can do what I want with it. So lets just pretend that Lobsters are seen as these awesome ancient beings that he wishes to see one day.
Wild
He was a guardian of the Beast's Den before he became infected, leaving the Den to reside somewhere in Deep Nest.
He is cured by the Dream Nail when the group meets him, and the last to join.
His shell is cracked and damaged because of the infection. The cracks have healed over time, but will never go away.
He has trouble with his memory due to being infected for so long before being cured. He is slowly regaining his memory, but there are still a lot of pieces missing.
His infection spread through to his arm, but is hidden under his cloak.
He uses his nails almost as throwing needles.
Legend
Is a shop owner in Hallownest's capital. He sells all kinds of items from all across Hallownest, small things he's found that could be valuable.
He's managed to make his way into the upper class of the capital due to his shop. His cloak is a modified version of the upper-class wardrobe. He dyed and added the hood himself.
Has a great sense of exploration, and has been all over Hallownest, but still has some places he needs to check off.
His jewelry are all gifts from Ravio.
My original concept for his design was to give him 4 arms. I was thinking of the Collector when designing him, and thought it fit. But after working on finalizing the design, I wasn't sure if I wanted to keep it. I still love the concept though.
Hyrule
(Again, I don't have a clear story concept for him but I have some notes)
Lives in the Ancient Basin.
Has learned how to use SOUL, and is in hiding from the residents of the Soul Sanctum because of it.
He has access to spells and is able to heal himself using SOUL.
I originally gave him a cloak, but couldn't decide if he looked better with or without it. So he does have it, but only sometimes.
Sky
Is the wielder of the Dream Nail, which can be used to cure infected bugs by purging the Radiance from their dream's.
Has wanted to learn to fight with a nail since he was little, and would practice his skills.
He learned about the Dream Nail after some of the moth tribe became infected. He left shortly after he learned this infection was spreading through Hallownest, with the goal of stopping it.
He isn't the only one that can use the Dream Nail, but is the one dubbed the "owner" of it.
And that's what I've got!
I didn't go much into Dark Link here, but would be happy to show some concepts I have for him as well if anybody is curious. I'm making him almost like a living version of the Radiance's infection, and is able to spread it from bug to bug without needing to access their dreams. This is mainly why I'm torn on having them leave Hallownest. If Dark Link could spread the infection to farther lands, or to keep him inside Hallownest and just spread it faster there.
I thought that using the Dream Nail was a good equivalent to the Master Sword here, so I just mashed them together, and a lot of the motivations for the chain trying to stop the infection is "I'm seeing this awful thing happen to these bugs that I don't want to see happen to others," with some small variations here and there.
I've been working on this for so long, I just want to share by bug boys. I would love to gush and ramble about them some more. I have stuff I want to do with this AU.
[Image ID: An illustration featuring the Straw Hat Pirates from One Piece. The illustration is titled, "What the average Marine thinks the Straw Hats look like:" Usopp, drawn incredibly large, is labeled, "God Usopp (Giant?)" Luffy, in Gear 5 form, like labeled "Gear 5 Luffy (also a god?)" Franky is depicted like the Thousand Sunny and is labeled, "Franky is the ship?" Sogeking, labeled, "King of the Snipers Sogeking" is present below Usopp. Below him is Nami, drawn as a "Sexy babe!!" Sanji is labeled, "Whatever this is?" Brook has no clothes and holds a guitar, labeled "The skeleton of a rock star?" Zoro looks relatively normal and is labeled "Demon of the East Blue Pirate Hunter Zoro" and "Three Sword Style." Condoriano is there (from the G-8 filler art). Jinbe is normal and is labeled, "Jinbe. They know Jinbe." Chopper is drawn overly cute. Robin is a kid, labeled "Devil child." End Image ID.]
*shakes my bag of angst like cat treats* who wants a VERY self indulgent au because its Lukanette flavored and I threw chekov's gun at someone's head
au where Marinette is outed about lying to her friends and Adrien about Hawkmoth/Gabriel/literally all of that, and in a fit of grief and rage, Chat Noir tries to destroy his own memories - his friends interfere, with many of them getting hurt, and Marinette accidentally ends up taking the blow.
Luka takes the chance to snatch up the one that got away. It's fine. Marinette is happier this way, and he makes a better Ladybug. (...right?)
For some reason, every time I'm making edits of this amazing comic, I'm always eating and I always ruin my food HAHAHA! a very funny pattern xd.
I love the parallels between Mikey and Raph, and how Mikey is subconsciously starting to behave like him. I was going to use the "like him" audio, but it was distorted, so I had to change it.
GAHHHHHH YOU’RE SO TALENTED HIMENO!!!! I love you picking up on my parallels, it delights me every time :)) rip your food, may it survive when you work on your next project 🙏
I finished drafting 18 comic pages today. i can doodle a little baja blast as a treat. :) they’re the two youngest. TO ME
edit ITS A POCKY HE HAS A POCKY IN HIS MOUTH ITS NOT A CIGARETTE HE IS A GOOD BOY WHO WOULD NEVER SMOKE
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