izzy's playlists!
Game of Thrones Daily
Xuebing Du
pixel skylines
No title available
★
$LAYYYTER
taylor price
let's talk about Bridgerton tea, my ask is open
noise dept.
Today's Document
tannertan36
he wasn't even looking at me and he found me
Janaina Medeiros
Discoholic 🪩
blake kathryn
Andulka
No title available
No title available
todays bird
seen from United Kingdom
seen from Australia
seen from Spain
seen from United Kingdom
seen from Thailand
seen from Türkiye
seen from Brazil
seen from Brazil
seen from United Kingdom
seen from Brazil
seen from Colombia
seen from Türkiye
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from India
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
@troupebat-blog
the festival sounds like a lot of fun, so give this a like if youre interested in an event starter from a giant dracula bug unfamiliar but fascinated with human customs.
he’ll be prowling about the nightly events for sure... maybe you could teach him to play volleyball? cap at 3!
@troupebat
there’s a humming in the air that is strikingly familiar, though when their gaze alights upon the source they’re quite sure they’ve never seen this bug before. after a moment they turn their head away, the scarlet hues burned into their vision. everything about this particular individual screams danger; but they cannot fathom why, or the nature of his power.
the hollow knight is an aggressively defensive creature, and so it only requires grimm moving a few steps closer for them to emerge from their hiding place. their shell is visible first, followed by their shoulders as they awkwardly squeeze through the open doorway. they wobble forwards to block his path. the cracked, expressionless plane of their mask does little to obscure their curiosity.
with a whisper of void, they angle their blind side away from the troupe master to improve their focus and commit every little detail to memory. their sibling had mentioned another being here, they now recall; and so they wait to see if the stranger will introduce himself or react with violence, an uneasy tension etched into their construct.
Oh? Now this was interesting.
For once, Grimm was the one tilting his head up to meet the hollow gaze of the creature before him-- and what a remarkable creature it was. A vessel, no doubt, of... hmm... fine Hallownest construct. He had been under the impression that it was just the Knight here in this strange kingdom with him; how interesting indeed to stumble upon another... and another vessel at that.
“... Well met, good stranger,” Grimm rumbled, giving a small bow after the vessel settled themself in front of him. “Forgive me if I disturbed you. ‘Twas not my intention...”
Was this another strong, silent type, much like his dear Knight? Grimm found that his memory of the intricacies of the void had faltered in the years past; in fact, since arriving to Spirale, Hallownest itself seemed like a vague dream, and for some reason he struggled to recall much of it these days.
If only Brumm or Divine were here to help. He supposed this vessel would have to do. He glanced over the Hollow Knight with a piercing scarlet gaze, humming in thought.
“You resemble not the soft citizens of this kingdom but far more the capable bug of Hallownest. Am I incorrect in this assumption?”
voidhxxrt:
when grimm approaches, the ghost makes no outright movement to deny him from touching the child in their grasp. they do stiffen, just so that the child seems to register the tightening of claws against its carapace. when a low grunt of discontent sounds, the ghost loosens their grip once more.
thankfully, grimm retracts his hand. they would not have attacked if the troupe master had gone through with his intention, but he and the vessel have a history of only touching when it is to forge the flame.
an act that, despite the grimmchild’s appearance, the little ghost is not keen on partaking in ever again.
alas, perhaps they might not have a choice. the ghost turns their head when the child complains and they recall the distinct connection that it and its father have. they embody the flame, to some extent that the ghost had denied themself the understanding of. grimm and his child had been feeding on what remained of hallownest’s spark, be it funeral pyre or the warmth of life itself. if only they had derived sustenance from the radiance’s light. perhaps then things could have worked out for the better.
it is with soul heavy in their shell that they slowly pull the child away from their chest. the child purrs curiously at the knight, but when it beats its flimsy tendril wings, the claws holding it release.
the ghost steps away, perhaps momentarily mournful, yet turns their gaze sharply back up to grimm. as if to reaffirm their own thought, they turn away. the ritual will not be completed by them in spirale.
The child tilted its head once its apparent parent released their grasp, letting out a confused mewl. It drifted closer to the Knight but paused in its hovering once they turned away to emphasize their point to Grimm. Though it was only a mere larva, the Grimmchild had keen perception, as necessitated by their kind; a quiet rumble sounded in its throat as it slowly, perhaps even a little reluctantly, floated back to its father, choosing to perch on his shoulder and peer down at the vessel of which it was so fond.
“Hmm. A pity,” Grimm said, bringing a claw up to scratch his offspring’s chin, a gesture appreciated by the now-sullen child. This was certainly not as he planned-- once again this little ghost had surprised him, subverted his expectations. He would have to swallow his irritation that his assumptions did no good when it came to dealing with the Knight.
“Of course, with no troupe and no flame, there is no Ritual.” Admitting he had no allies here left a sour taste in his mouth, but perhaps frankness was the path to take in this regard. “With no willing participant, there is no Ritual.”
Scarlet eyes trailed down to the Knight, scrutinizing them carefully. “The child and I will adapt, lest we disparage our resilient bloodline. But what of you, vessel? Hm? What of your purpose? Hallownest this is not. To be cruelly stripped of our respective fates... have you any regard for such a thing?”
taste-my-bomb:
The alchemist beamed slightly at the applause, “I made masks for all of my workers back at home, actually!” The alchemist’s voice was now at an acceptable volume. “I created them all from husks of dead matter. Their masks are their faces, and if you removed them it would….” Their voice trailed off slightly. “…I’m not sure what would happen. they wouldn’t die or feel pain from it, but their magic and other insides might spill out.”
“And no, you… don’t really. Not in a rude way, but more in an interesting way to me.” Plague knight pulled out a small piece of paper and pen, and doodled out a very basic moth, turning it to Grimm. “This is my favourite kind of bug, it’s a moth! It’s not a very good drawing, but this is about how big they are.” Their grip on the paper was loose, almost as if they were allowing Grimm to take it. “You look a little more like if a moth were a vampire!”
Grimm tilted his head at Plague Knight’s explanation of the masks. It seemed rather risky, he thought, that something which seemed removable might lead to their deaths. Nevertheless, he listened in silence, offering a nod here and there.
But when Plague Knight pushed over the picture of a crudely drawn moth, a small red smile broke across the white of his shell. How curious indeed-- so they seemed to possess some knowledge of bugs familiar to him.
“Fascinating,” Grimm said, taking the paper and holding it up for inspection. “The moths I knew were small, yes, but certainly not this small. Is this why the denizens of this kingdom meet me with such shock?”
He blinked at the mention of vampires and chose to ignore the comparison to a moth. “I’m afraid I know not this ‘vampire’...”
lockpicklupin:
“No no no I’m not really elite except in my profession. I’m the best there is.” Lupin looks Grimm dead in the eyes and says it like he believes it. “Everyone else?”
“Those are Pigeons.”
He’s going to milk this con for everything it was worth.
Grimm stayed silent for a while, processing this new information Lupin so kindly bestowed upon him. Magpies and pigeons. He wasn’t sure what the distinction was, since this magpie already said that it wasn’t an elite.
“So... Pigeons, then.”
Another pause.
“... Desire... swimsuit calendars... ? Which are valuables that serve... what purpose?”
This was a bit more confusing than Grimm had initially anticipated.
“A truly wonderous stage this city now possesses. One wonders if performers are readily available...”
@troupebat
“AREN’T YOU THE CUTEST LITTLE THING?”
the soft coo is not directed at grimm, but rather his tiny companion. the grimmchild’s faint squeaks had caught the attention of the idle dream parasite, brought them picking blindly through the ruins until the fluttering outline of the small one is a blur in their peripheries. even with their poor eyesight, it’s clear their most recent discovery is of the unbearably cute variety.
“THERE IS NO NEED TO BE AFRAID, WE DO NOT SEEK TO BRING YOU HARM. DO YOU HAVE A NAME, STRANGE CREATURE?”
no acknowledgement is given to the nearby parent of the child, enchanted as they are. one of their tendrils cautiously curls upwards, as if to coax the grimmchild closer to their luminous form.
Delighted by the attention, the Grimmchild wasted no time floating over to the strange creature, its hollow eyes searching their form first and foremost for potential flame. Though it found none, it mewled loudly in an attempt to answer their cooing and trailed the curling tendril, going so far as to curiously (but very gently) nibble it.
Grimm, on the other hand, stood on the sidelines and increduously watched this scene unfold. He got the vague sense that others found a particular novelty in his child, though he did not understand it; however, despite his general lack of affection, Grimm still felt surges of protectiveness towards it given the right circumstances.
Though perhaps it wasn’t entirely concern for the wellbeing of the child that fueled Grimm’s incredulity-- to be outright ignored was cause for some shock.
“It is a Grimmchild,” he spoke in loud clarity, folding his arms as he approached the beast. “Child of Grimm. My child. To what do we owe the honor...?”
voidhxxrt:
great things. if they had the voice, they would express their doubt.
as per their habit, the ghost watches every movement of the showman with naught a reaction. it is not until the pendant is shown to them - a charm they had once been very familiar with - that they incline their shelled head with the slightest inclination of either recognition or surprise. how odd that grimm would have the talisman returned to his own possession.
the return of the grimmchild is something to be lauded. another companion and an ally the vessel had more reason to trust than its very own father. complications aside, of course.
moving to accommodate the approach and fond bonk of their heads together, the knight returns the wooden replacement weapon to their back before raising their small hands to touch the child. it seems to purr in that discordant, unsettling little voice as its apparent parent scratches beneath its chin. in a short flourish, the vessel’s cloak is brought around the flying child, pulling it in close so that it may perch under the cloth against their void-hardened chest, head poking out next to the vessel’s own shell.
if there could be a happiness in this place for an empty shell like the ghost, this may very well be it. short-lived it is, however, as they turn their gaze back up toward the child’s father. grimm, yet, is still a wild card.
tilting their head toward the child in their grasp, they peer at the troupe master without yield. what of the flame? and the ritual?
Grimm steepled his claws together as the child settled earnestly in the Knight’s cloak, red smile still visible though less enthused. That the vessel so easily accepted the child was a promising step.
“How heartwarming it is to see the two of you together once more indeed. It has mourned for you, my friend, since our... differences separated you.”
At this, Grimm stooped down as though to pet his child as well, but he stopped short of extending his hand toward its captor. Performative parenting though it was, such a gesture might be misconstrued to the wary; he wasn’t willing to push his luck with the vessel’s trust quite yet.
“No strings attached, my friend,” he chose to respond as he straightened up once more and reeled his claws back within his own cloak. “... Though... I’m afraid I can’t afford to simply give you the child this time. My supervision here does not extend as far as in Hallownest...”
That is to say, Grimm didn’t have the benefit of keeping a close eye on the Knight’s adventures. Without the support of his troupe, there were no extra pairs of eyes to trail them and ensure they were completing their goal. A sting of irritation pricked in his chest as Grimm recalled his lack of surveillance when the vessel chose to turn against the troupe. He had simply assumed they would complete the Ritual...
“I’ve yet to sense any flames in this kingdom.” I’ve no kin to locate them. “Poor child... no doubt it will begin to wither away without sustenance.”
As if on cue, the Grimmchild let out a plaintive mewl and wriggled restlessly in the Knight’s cloak. Grimm allowed a weighted silence to overtake the conversation, peering down at the vessel, curious of their response.
shadowlash:
It was irritating, to be sure, that her cover could so easily be blown here. Luckily, in this case, she had wanted to be detected by tall, dark, and… well, that was all she could tell from so far away, really.
The creature’s size delighted Evelynn, especially combined with his ostentatious dress. Many here preferred the company of the night, and she was determined to know her competition– though competition for what exactly was still unknown to her. She had seen this one conversing with the humans before and was determined to be yet another that caught his attention. The fact that he lingered around libraries and spoke so eloquently tickled her immensely. How much help could speaking like a romance nove really be in charming people when they would have to crane their necks so as to hear you in the first place?
She ought not to assume he was seeking to lure in victims, however. It was difficult to train herself out of the set rules she had known, of territory and predators. Motivation and drive could be learned later; for now she wanted to know what was underneath that cloak… thing.
“On the contrary, sweetie,” she coos, sidling up to him. “Anywhere near you is exactly where I wanna be.” She extends her arm out to him as though to link them together. “Care to walk a lady home? I’m dying for some polite conversation.”
Hm. That certainly wasn’t what he was expecting.
Grimm eyed the creature as she spoke, gaze thoughtfully trailing up and down her body as he took in her... unique form. She bore resemblance to the humans he had seen and spoken to in this kingdom, but her coloration was bright and strangely appealing. She also wasn’t wearing clothes. Humans liked clothes, as far as he was aware.
Still, who was he to deny a request for polite conversation? It seemed that was all he did in Spirale.
“... I see,” Grimm hummed. After a moment’s silence, a black set of claws slunk out from beneath his cloak, and he leaned in so as to link their arms together. “Of course, my dear. You’ve superb taste in conversation partner.”
He found the sensation against his exoskeleton wholly unpleasant-- repulsive, even-- though he gave no indication of such. This creature was bizarre and teased his curiosity, but Grimm felt a sting of regret upon touching her.
“Unfortunately, you will have to lead the way. I did say we were lost, after all.”
taste-my-bomb:
The alchemist tapped their fingers together as the other attempted to read the text on their phone’s screen, realizing they’d just have to speak up. They took their phone back and tucked it back into their purple bag, looking over Grimm again.
“…You don’t look like a bug…” Their response was barely audible. “…my… mask? it’s… Kind of a mask I guess. It was hard to make it, but it does this!” They grinned, their mask shifting to show their facial expression, then stopped. “It took months to make it, hee!”
This wasn’t the most ideal situation Grimm had been in. Once the little thing put up their phone and decided to speak... well, it took some effort to make out whatever they were saying. Grimm was feeling generous today, despite the mild annoyance that this conversation was bringing, so he elected to gracefully take a knee; now he was slightly more on Plague Knight’s level.
“Do I not?” he rumbled thoughtfully. “I will admit I’ve seen few familiar shells in this kingdom. You don’t look like... well, anything I’ve seen before.”
Though growing somewhat impatient, Grimm gave a polite round of applause at their showcase. “Wonderful craftsmanship. Many a bug would pay handsomely for such a piece.”
eyndill:
eclipses left and right. there never seemed to be more than a couple day’s time between each.
though, given the rapidly growing population of spirale, envy could garner a guess as to why they are occurring. the phenomenon seems in-line with the arrival of newcomers. en masse. envy has only seen a few familiar faces thus far, but it’s safe to assume that the housing situation is quickly filling up just from strolling their own neighborhood.
not much could be said for the golden ward. envy is poking around its back-streets and darkened corners for the first time since being dropped into this hell-hole.
while walking, something collids with their foot and skitters across the pavement. envy would be loathe to admit that they had nearly jumped out of their skin. however, the item in question glints in the moonlight far too brilliantly to be left alone in favor of retreat. plucking it from the street, envy peers at its intriguing design.
only to be interrupted.
the … creature that approaches them is ludicrously tall - far taller than that elezen they had met days prior. though they favored their shorter stature, craning their neck to look up at the abominable mountains whoever is in charge of this city is spawning is growing tiresome. they would admit, however, that this person in particular has a very elegantly flamboyant look about him.
“hah. what are you?”
the charm, unfortunately for the troupe master, disappears behind the homunculus’ back.
Now that was a question Grimm was beginning to tire of. His eyes narrowed ever-so-slightly as the charm vanished, his claws still outstretched expectantly. Retrieving it would be as simple as summoning the child while it was in the thing’s hands, but Grimm decided that, for now, patience might be a virtue.
“Hm. Hello to you as well,” he responded evenly, with the tilt of his head. “I am many things: performer, troupe master... ah, but that is not what you’re looking for, is it? I’m simple bug, if you must know... though I find Grimm to be more succinct.”
At this, Grimm gave a small bow, quickly rotating the outstretched set of claws with unnecessary grace-- and subtly gesturing for Envy to return his child.
“What of you, small one?” he added after a moment’s thought. Something told him that it wouldn’t be so easy to coax the charm out of this one. “Have you a name? You are a... hu-man... I presume, yes?”
Though... he had yet to see a human dress quite like that.
lockpicklupin:
Oh, score. It worked exactly like he hoped it would work, to the point he was actually surprised at just how well the half-assed information took to the bug. He shies away from that claw, though, sharp things too close to his face always made him itch.
“Look, only a few of us can be magpies.” He places a hand on his own chest for emphasis and excuses himself from Grimm’s personal space by taking one big step backwards. “Only the most talented, the most clever of those of us uh. Without exoskeletons.” He shoves a few books aside with his foot, hoping they were close enough to some stationary that he could pick up some kind of calendar, just to see how far he could push the ruse.
“That’s an astute guess! Calendars represent time, and time is money, so let me show you how this works I’ll cut you in on the deal.”
Grimm allowed Lupin to back away, carefully scanning what he now knew was a magpie from head to foot. Nothing about it seemed particularly special as opposed to the other ones he had seen around the city.
“So you are an elite,” Grimm rumbled, his tone flat and doubtful. Another sweep of Lupin’s figure failed to yield any elucidation in that regard-- it certainly wasn’t dressed like the royalty he was familiar with. He decided to save his interrogation of the specifics for later; perhaps the magpie would prove itself.
“Then those without exoskeletons that are not... elite... have a name, yes?” He blinked at Lupin’s offer, tilting his head in curiosity. “By all means... the stage is yours.”
voidhxxrt:
the bow, as unnecessary a gesture toward the ghost it may be, serves best to set them further on edge. last they had witnessed grimm, truly it had been during an inspired performance. child aside, the vessel had personally run this baleful showman and his crew out of hallownest and dirtmouth alike.
child. where is that child now?
grimm’s words echo within their shell, vacant eyes turned upward toward the towering bug before them. the weapon is, indeed, of poor construct. the nailmasters would laugh at them. any old weapon, they would say, any old piece of driftwood would the vessel tote to serve its purpose.
they had been kind enough to help them, regardless of demeanor. the smith, too.
without much else to signal their change in heart, the knight lowers their over-sized toothpick. grimm may be right. what is the vessel without their purpose? they had gone far beyond the confines of hallownest’s burrows in their time, but the ever-present emptiness had yawned louder then than when they had returned.
what are they now? what purpose do they serve? they fail to turn away from the troupe master.
“Wonderful to hear, my friend,” Grimm said, smile widening as the Knight withdrew their weapon. “I do believe we can accomplish great things together...”
Such a pleasure it was to have the Knight’s apparent cooperation despite their... less-than-amicable differences. A valuable ally they could be in Spirale-- and a valuable asset for future endeavors. Grimm eyed the vessel thoughtfully, tilting his head.
“However, I sense that something troubles you.” A lie if there ever was one; this little ghost was practically unreadable. “Perhaps you doubt my sincerity?”
At this, Grimm reached into his cloak with an unnecessary sense of flourish and procured a familiar sight: the Grimmchild charm, now fashioned into a plain necklace. He allowed the Knight to digest this for a few seconds before snapping the claws of his free hand.
“Our child has been rather lonely since leaving Hallownest. In this strange kingdom, it has reverted to its larval state, but I should think it will be happy to see you.”
In the time it took for Grimm to speak, the charm in his hands disappeared, replaced instead by the child, now tiny and harmless once more. It gave an uninterested yawn as it surveyed its new surroundings-- but when the child noticed the Knight, it mewled, surprised, and floated down to their level, bonking their shell playfully with its head.
What say you, Ghost?
taste-my-bomb:
The alchemist shuffled slightly, then reached into the small purple bag on their belt, pulling out the smartphone they’d been given. they tapped out on it for a little bit, then turned it to show the other the screen.
“Pleas forgive me, but what type of creeture are you?” They felt as if they’d butchered some spelling here and there, but English really wasn’t their best language to write in.
Grimm’s eyes narrowed as he struggled to read the tiny text on such a bright screen. Was communication the purpose of this little box he received when he arrived? Wordlessly, Grimm took the phone out of Plague Knight’s hand, having to stoop in far more than he cared to do so. How burdensome to interact with such a small thing.
He slowly scanned the text a few times in an attempt to parse the message, holding the phone as close to his face as the brightness allowed-- it was irritating to the eyes for sure.
“You may refer to me as Troupe Master Grimm,” he replied after a pause, offering the phone back down to his short companion. It wasn’t exactly what they asked, and Grimm fell into a moment of silent rumination as he decided what he was willing to divulge.
“I am simply... a humble bug. In fact, I could ask the same of you. I’ve not seen any of your sort before. Unless that is a mask, I suppose...”
@shadowlash
This one had been following him for a while now.
Grimm failed to notice at first-- suddenly, lurking in the nearby shadows cast by the moonlight, there was just a flash of odd color in his peripherial vision, as though whatever it was simply materialized. He took care to feign ignorance and continue on his way, and so too did the unidentified being.
A human? Grimm couldn’t be sure. Perhaps it was one of those special magpies; only the best and most talented of the soft species warranted the title, if he recalled correctly... and the thing trailing him certainly looked soft, despite its bright discoloration.
While intriguing at first, eventually this silent game grew boring, and Grimm stopped in his tracks, not even bothering to cast a glance over his shoulder as he addressed his newfound shadow.
“It will do you no good, trailing me,” he said evenly. “I hope you weren’t looking for directions. I’m afraid I just got the both of us lost.”
Well, that wasn’t exactly true, but it wasn’t like his shadow needed to know that.
kingkcng:
Demon. That is his first thought upon seeing the being. A distance away, he had watched the whole thing. It seemed intelligent. Until it put the fire closer to his hands, and that was when he doubted said intelligence.
Oh, then it spotted him. And he feels put on the spot. He could move away, end this charade of niceties. But then that would contradict everything he once stood for.
No, this isn’t a difficult position to take.
“There is a lake nearby. If you wish to sooth your burns.”
Grimm considered the human's suggestion for a moment, gauging the sincerity behind its words-- was it genuinely interested in helping, or was it just a voyeur? He had begun to notice in his time here that these creatures were quite fond of watching non-humans. Grimm straightened up to his full height in an attempt to shrug off his chagrin.
"Many thanks. But one must live with the consequences of their actions," he said coolly, returning the singed hand into his cloak as though nothing had happened. “Consider it a learning experience.”
His eyes flickered warily back to the human, searching its face for information. “Have you need of me?” Or are you just here to gawk?
