From: @peridots-pixiwolf

~Mostly Mollusk~

Part 4 - Part 5 Here - Part 6

Characters. (Mortals anyway.)

-Known Characters

A list of notable travelling parties, vendors, and fighters.

Travellers move between settlements, Path-dwellers are constantly travelling but don't actually enter towns, as opposed to Outsiders who take up residence in a specific place outside of settlements instead of travelling, and Explorers travel often and sometimes enter towns but are mostly focused on finding new places. a 

---Kritto

She/her

Coenagrion puella (color/gender difference intentional)

Citadell Citizen/Explorer, Aerial/Terrestrial

A blue dragonfly cartographer who enjoys mapping the world around her free of cost, her excellent vision adding an eye for detail and near-perfect recreations of the surrounding views.

Service: Map (Kritto's Stall, Citadell)

---Lidii, Gorge, and Rantan

She/her, he/him but it's whatever really, he/they

Myrmecocystus mexicanus, ??????, Strategus aloeus

Traveller(s), Terrestrial

An explorer trio, the ox beetle Rantan carries Gorge, the clam archivist, to see the sights (or not--Gorge doesn't have eyes) while upbeat ant fighter Lidii wanders ahead. Lidii enjoys beating Gorge at Rainbow Shell while the latter wonders why she always wins, and Rantan exasperatedly goes along with their antics. 

Lidii- *trying to get Rantan's attention* Rantan- "What were you saying? I'm busy trying to pretend I'm literally anywhere else."

Lidii has definitely attempted to name the group. The others haven’t actually accepted this moniker, but whenever needed she uses “Team Taranoake”.

She has also made the trio friendship bracelets out of bits of shell. 

Service: None? Introductions? Travel?

---Bidibi 

They/them

Mortal form is a horned Dynastes tityus

Path-Dweller, Terrestrial

A large rhinoceros beetle who carries a pack of supplies twice their size on their back to trade while on the road (that, somehow, doesn't seem to burden them at all), appearing wherever needed. Secretly the god of the Path, though their reverence is much more informal than that of a patron god like Ven, for their truth as a God is little-known. Their large backpack contains the anchors of several other gods and they function as a sort of bridge between the mortal realm and more fantastical beings.

Service: ???

---Pard

They/them 

Polydrusus impressifrons

Outsider, Terrestrial 

An arrogant, self-proclaimed noble, who only survived for the fact they were a grub when the rest were exiled and killed. Oof.

Service: Lore

---Arbiter Len

All pronouns

Homarus americanus

Taranoake Citizen, Aquatic/Terrestrial

The figurehead of Taranoake, friendly and well-known among its citizens. See "Current Leaders''.

Service: (Facilitating discussions and resolving disputes between residents, a figurehead of the town. Unknown what their service to the player would be.)

---Drop

They/them

Pleurobrachia pileus

Taranoake Citizen, Aquatic

A sea gooseberry who frequents the Bay. Take care when around them, especially if you're any sort of tiny, delicious crustacean. (Laws don't apply to them obviously.) 

Service: None

---Cranton

He/they

Heterocarpus ensifer

Outsider, Aquatic

Not confined to a town, Cranton is a shrimp and excellent chef living close to the shore.

Service: Food (Cranton's Shed)

---Ceras

They/them 

Babakina festiva

Explorer/Traveller (former Outsider), Aquatic/Terrestrial 

An aeolid nudibranch with an older sibling Fess, who became stranded away from them after being caught in a rip current and washing up on Taranoake's shore. Unlike other sea slugs, they have the ability to survive on land, for unknown and currently-being-explored reasons

Service: They don't have a service they're the player character

---Tan

They/it

Cordyceps militaris (hosted by Felis catus, a vertebrate)

Outsider, Aquatic/Terrestrial

A strange, almost cheerful fungus inhabiting the body of the only intact towering, black-furred, long-dead organism they could find.

Service: Lore?, Mycelium translator (if they can get over their mutual hatred for the rest of their literal kingdom)

---Claws

She/her

Coccinella septempunctata

Taranoake Citizen, Terrestrial

A retired fighter ladybug who sells weapons at the Agora, some much larger than she is. If you start up a conversation with her, just be ready to stay and listen until dusk sets. Oh, and you ARE going home with a lighter glass-pouch…

Service: Weapons (The Agora, Taranoake)

---Azent, Monti, and Kee

He/him, she/her, ???

Sphecius convallis, Parides montezuma, Sphecius convallis

Taranoake Citizens, Aerial/Terrestrial

Azent the wasp, his child Kee, and butterfly partner Monti. Monti's brood didn't live long enough to truly see the world, so she raises Kee as her own (alongside the larva's actual father). Azent is missing an antenna, which does provide benefit in tolerating the oversaturated salt-smell of the sea.

Service: None (?)

---Machula

She/her

Vespula maculifrons 

Taranoake Citizen/Traveller, Aerial/Terrestrial 

An exile from her hive for attempting to overthrow her mother, who's taken up residence in Taranoake due to the fact that they were the only city who'd have her. Has a sort of rivalry with Azent.

Service: None

---Ghost

They/them (plural)

Danaus plexippus

Taranoake Citizen, Aerial/Terrestrial 

A pale and rather antisocial monarch who speaks rarely, but always using plural pronouns for themselves.

Service: None

---Nell

She/her

Acheta domesticus

Taranoake Citizen, Terrestrial

A cricket nymph, who may not be well-known among most of the adult citizens, but is renowned by her fellow children in being the only to reach the Acorn (the only wingless, that is).

Service: None

---Quinn

He/they

Smerinthus cerisyi

Taranoake Citizen, Terrestrial

An older moth missing an eye. While he was once a traveller, now he's settled in Taranoake as a storyteller.

Service: Lore

---Carmine and Kalanchoe

She/her, she/they

Tachypompilus ferrugineus, Cotinis mutabilis

Taranoake Citizens, Aerial/Terrestrial

A bright spider wasp with a love for cooking (and her partner Kalanchoe), and the latter coleopteran target of affection. Both insects have a color mutation to their wings, in which Carmine's are a more fiery blue and Kalanchoe's hindwings are pink.

Service: Food (The Agora, Taranoake)

---Blue-Gills

They/he

Porcellio hoffmannseggi

Citadell Citizen, Terrestrial

A sowbug cuisineur.

Service: Food (Noctiluca Cafe, Citadell)

---Tawny-Buzzard

She/her

Apis mellifera

Citadell Citizen, Terrestrial

A honeybee scientist appreciating the more experimental side of her city's God. Wingless for, ahem, completely unrelated reasons and is on thin ice to be banished.

Service: ???? (H.C. Labs, Citadell)

---Dune

He/they

Centruroides vittatus

Taranoake Citizen, Terrestrial

A scorpion diligently guarding Taranoake from any perceived threats, despite not being asked to. They almost always let others go, though.

Service: None?

---Allibel

They/she 

Magicicada septendecim

Taranoake Citizen/Traveller, Terrestrial

A travelling musician who wields a free-reed instrument made from a full, delicate pill-millipede corpse. It's unknown how exactly she acquired it.

She's actually a 17-year nymph, who emerged with a mutation that either delayed her maturity or stopped it entirely, and found a love of music--and a way to make the most of her time without wings.

Service: The Vibes™ (Anywhere)

---Tenaram, Amarmallus, and Magtauran

He/him, they/he, they/them

Menippe mercenaria, Sphodromantis viridis, Scolopendra cingulata

Taranoake Citizens, Aquatic/Terrestrial, Terrestrial x2

Champions of the Colosseum! An imposing stone crab, who's actually pretty boastful, loud and charismatic, much to the annoyance of everyone else in the Barracks. A quiet and cold mantis who is quick to anger and avoids any non-fight interaction with anyone. An almost downright terrifying centipede that doesn't really seem to care much about anything.

Service: Entertainment (Colosseum of Ven, Taranoake)

---Flicken

They/she

Phausis reticulata

Taranoake Citizen, Aerial/Terrestrial 

A small, energetic and stealthy firefly with a tendency to appear out of shadows at random times and startle those around them. Friend to many of the ghost crabs but best friend to Bem.

Service: ...Jump scares

---Grek

He/him

Breviceps macrops

Renin Citizen, Terrestrial

An old, grouchy desert rain frog with a missing eye and a tendency to scream at the top of his lungs at the slightest inconvenience. The sole survivor of whatever wiped out all the frogs. He has been living in solitude for 10 years waiting for rain to tell him it's time to leave.

Service: Lore (...?)

---Bem 

They/them

Ocypode quadrata

Taranoake Citizen, Aquatic/Terrestrial

A joyful ghost crab child with a dream to fight in the Colosseum. They were born with two missing legs and use prosthetics fashioned from driftwood and seaweed, which help them walk but aren’t very fast or mobile, so they settled on helping Claws make and sell weapons. Best friends with Flicken.

Service: Quest (to get a Citadell scientist for better prosthetics)

---Cren and Terret

She/her x2

Camponotus pennsylvanicus, Reticulitermes flavipes

Citadell Citizens, Terrestrial and Aerial/Terrestrial

A carpenter ant and termite alate (and of course, their 27 aphids, per Cren’s obsession). While the former is something of an artist, and very much a carpenter as her species dictates, Terret is a wood-eating scientist who keeps completely to herself, besides living with her partner.

Service: ? (Woodworker’s Association, Citadell) (possibly fulfilling Copi's and/or Bem's quest, as well as one of their own) (I no longer remember what those last seven words meant)

---Sepinti

She/her

Magicicada septendecim

Traveller, Aerial/Terrestrial

A cicada singer, Allibel's sister--though she's not any older, makes fun of her for her immaturity mutation, while keeping herself in the spotlight. Only competitive, though, not a complete jerk.

Service: The Vibes™ (in set areas)

---Lumi

They/them

Goniobranchus kuniei

Kelsik Citizen, Aquatic

The sea slug merchant of Kelsik, a bit mischievously enthusiastic about their goods.

Service: ...Sells Things? Food maybe?

---Copi

She/they

Xylocopa virginica

Explorer, Aerial/Terrestrial 

A young carpenter bee who lost her nest and is yearning for any feeling of community. (Has already been kicked out of several Andrena and Colletes burrows, for lack of knowing they're actually solitary.)

Service: Quest (read above. may become adopted by Cren)

---Eken

He/she

???

Outsider, Aquatic

An extremely confused vendor eel who only works in trades, he’s well known for his vast array of strange items and for having no idea how to price anything. Her main logic is “if it looks cool it's probably a fair trade” and especially favors shiny things.

Service: Strange things and stranger prices.

---Genni

???

Chroicocephalus philadelphia

???, Aerial/Terrestrial

A strange sky-creature. It shows no sign of intelligence, and speaks in loud squawks, though Ceras has chosen to imprint on and name it.

Service: Quest (A Meal Of Great Elegance)

---Beowi 

They/them

Dytiscidae species

Explorer, Terrestrial (technically not aquatic as they only skim the surface)

A “ship” captain and self proclaimed pirate, this diving beetle has a fierce love of the water and an even fiercer hate of actually being in it, so they constructed a floatation device of sorts cobbled out of driftwood, seaweed, and countless strange buoyant objects. 

Service: Quest (Track Down the Beast)

guess who beat inscryption!

Encountered a Phidippus audax today and it is the most creature ever

[Start ID. Two drawings of Hollow Knight OCs in the City of Tears. The first depicts Solper and Caramel, an owlfly and carpenter bee respectively, just before they duel in midair, from a vantage point behind Caramel's shoulder. They're a fair distance from the ground, which is composed of a scattering of large cobblestone islands, partially submerged by a dark sea. They both seem rather enthused, fighting for fun—Caramel has her mantis claw held out to the side and other fist raised, while Solper's sabre is poised beside his head, his other limbs akimbo. The entire drawing and particularly the background are indigo-toned, drenched and shining under perpetual rain.

The second shows Molini, Hawksbeard and Dandy, a millipede, grasshopper and a moth. Molini contentedly sits as the other two use her as a bench, circled around a fire as they've just finished boiling tea, the kettle is propped up on Dandy's nail and settled between two poles taken from Solper and Caramel's battleground. The background is dark enough to appear fully blank, though a handful of lumaflies and the light of a hidden central fire shine upon the three bugs. Hawksbeard is chatting, the others listen, all three holding cups from which pale steam rises in clouds. While the firelight is particularly bright, the tone of the drawing is warm, in both color and feeling. End ID]

March 30 was the first time I'd interacted with @hollypies (feat. their Dandy), and April 5th my earliest memory of @original-character-chaos (feat. his Solper). So I offer a two-weeks-late first-anniversary drawing to my mutuals :]

[Start ID. A simple drawing of the artist's sona congratulating their recent Hollow Knight anniversary art post, who is personified with the drawing as its head, by holding its hand above their heads. The strange gijinka of the artist's bright and spiky Leif post is on the ground behind them in the family guy death pose. Above them is a banner with text reading "MOST NOTES ON MY BLOG", and to the sides are the note counts of the two posts. End ID]

After exactly one year and one month, I'm proud to present our new champion, Two Hour Doodle

i think that tthey should be bestfriends

Both of my mad scientist characters, but drawn as the video game characters they were most inspired by (Ne'Mon as Monomon and Tawny-Buzzard as Doctor H.B)

For all your Discord needs.