There Is Something Beautiful In That.

What is with the Dreamers' Houses?!?! Part 3.0 Lurien's Spire

Okay, we can all agree that Team Cherry put a LOT of thought into crafting the backgrounds and environments of Hollow Knight. But why is nobody talking about the designs for the Dreamers' houses?! Especially compared with their base forms?  Well, let's start talking about it!

The Last Dreamer, Lurien the Watcher! A.K.A. The guy who is responsible for this whole essay.

His design is the simplest among the three Dreamers.

Taken from Hollow Knight - Lurien the Watcher

A design so simple that it leaves the fans in relentless debate on what species of bug he is.

So tell me, why is HIS HOUSE the one with the most freaking complicated design!?!?!?! It's as if Lurien is living in a cathedral here!

Okay, Lurien living in a cathedral might be an exaggeration, but take a look at complicated his Spire is! Look at the floors! Notice the window designs! The hanging banners! The lanterns! And goodness gracious, the dude has wallpaper throughout his whole Spire!

Did I forget to mention the wallpaper?!?!!

The insane amount of detail!!!

And we haven't even gotten to the fact Team Cherry went out of their way to incorporate 3D into a 2D POV! You can clearly see it in this window here.

As we start the walk here…

We can't help but notice…

How the pillars framing the window "move" as we do.

Could you believe that a team of four people made all of this? Team Cherry truly wasted no detail in the Watcher's Spire, from the simplest wallpaper to the famous Telescope.

And here is the Telescope! In all its very-difficult-to-draw glory! Speaking of it, the design clearly costed tons of geo. The cost paid off, however, as the Telescope still works despite the lack of maintenance due to the Infection.

Of course, that can be easily seen by anyone who played the game in a rush. In terms of Lurien's character, the fan can see how he earned his namesake, Watcher.

Yet...has anyone stopped to consider how Lurien set up his office? In particular, how Lurien can position his Telescope anywhere in his main office?  Check out all the windows!

Did you all notice it? Every single window is open, yet each window is nicely framed with the glass plane. And before you all comment, “what about this window? It's closed!”

The window design is different from the ones behind Lurien's bed…and matches up with the window where the Telescope is currently at. This implies that this window can open up at any time should Lurien wish it. As the Telescope is NOT facing that direction, there is no need to keep that window open. Lovely for us, as that window keeps Lurien's butler in. If you need proof, check out the photo where the Telescope is again.

With this in mind, what does the Telescope and open windows tell us about Lurien's character?

First, Lurien is very dedicated to his duty as the Watcher, so much so that he will spend as much money as needed to craft the best tools he needs.

Second, Lurien favors practicality as seen by how every window is either open or has hinges to open it. The Watcher must watch over the WHOLE City of Tears, not just the left side (or commoner side).

Third, Lurien loves beauty. It is not enough to have the windows open; goodness, Lurien could have not added windows at all! But he insisted on a lovely window design that framed the view into the City. And we're not even talking about the pillars and the curtains which frame it as well. 

Fourth and finally, Lurien was able to get both practicality and beauty in the same window. I cannot stress this enough as Herrah and Monomon choose practicality over beauty. Yes, there are beautiful details here and there, but when push comes to shove, both ladies choose practicality with a dash of beauty on the side. This really makes Lurien stand out amongst the Dreamers.

I hope you enjoyed part 1 of Lurien's Spire. Unfortunately, I must stop here as this is merely 1/4 of Lurien's section of the essay. Please feel free to comment and reblog as much as you would like. It's fun reading your thoughts.

If you wish to read more of the Essay, click one of these links below.

Part 1.0: Herrah's Den : Here

Part 2.0: Monomon's Archives: Here

Part 3.0: Lurien's Spire (You are here.)

Part 3.25: More of Lurien's Spire : Here

Part 3.5: Lurien's Spire: Pillows and Patriotism: Here

Part 3.7 Lurien's Spire: What is wrong with Lurien's Office?! Here

Part 3.8: Even, even More of Lurien's Spire: Secret Room: Click here

Part 3.9 Watcher Knight Boss Room! Here

Link to essay on Ao3: Here

I've gotten questions about this in the past, so I went and made a written guide on how to get started making your own Custom Knight skins. Beginner friendly! Click Here to View

I don't think I can ever unsee this now.

was i supposed to just find this out myself while designing knight helmets or did you people know this all along

Excuse me while I save this for a reference...

How To Write A Chase Scene

Before anyone takes off running, the reader needs to know why this matters. The chase can’t just be about two people running, it’s gotta have a reason. Is your hero sprinting for their life because the villain has a knife? Or maybe they’re chasing someone who just stole something valuable, and if they don’t catch them, it’s game over for everyone. Whatever the reason, make it clear early on. The higher the stakes, the more the reader will care about how this chase plays out. They’ll feel that surge of panic, knowing what’s on the line.

Sure, a chase scene is fast, people are running, dodging, maybe even falling. But not every second needs to be at full speed. If it’s too frantic from start to finish, the reader might get numb to the action. Instead, throw in some rhythm. Use quick, sharp sentences when things get intense, like someone stumbling or almost getting caught. But then slow it down for a second. Maybe they hit a dead end or pause to look around. Those brief moments of slow-down add suspense because they feel like the calm before the storm kicks up again.

Don’t let the setting just be a backdrop. The world around them should become a part of the chase. Maybe they’re tearing through a marketplace, dodging carts and knocking over tables, or sprinting down alleyways with trash cans crashing behind them. If they’re running through the woods, you’ve got low-hanging branches, roots, slippery mud, and the constant threat of tripping. Describing the environment makes the scene more vivid, but it also adds layers of tension. It’s not just two people running in a straight line, it’s two people trying to navigate through chaos.

Running isn’t easy, especially when you’re running for your life. This isn’t some smooth, graceful sprint where they look cool the whole time. Your character’s lungs should be burning, their legs aching, maybe their side starts to cramp. They’re gasping for air, barely holding it together. These details will remind the reader that this chase is taking a real toll. And the harder it gets for your character to keep going, the more the tension ramps up because the reader will wonder if they’ll actually make it.

Don’t make it too easy. The villain should almost catch your hero or the hero should almost grab the villain. But something happens last second to change the outcome. Maybe the villain’s fingers brush the hero’s coat as they sprint around a corner, but they manage to slip out of reach just in time. Or maybe your hero almost gets close enough to tackle the villain, but slips on some gravel, losing precious seconds.

And Don’t let the chase end in a way that feels too predictable. Whether your character gets away or is caught, it should be because of something clever. Maybe they spot a hiding place that’s almost impossible to notice, or they use their surroundings to mislead their pursuer. Or, the person chasing them pulls a fast one, Laying a trap, cutting off their escape route, or sending the hero down the wrong path. You want the end to feel earned, like it took quick thinking and ingenuity, not just dumb luck or fate.

if you have any questions or feedback on writing materials, please send me an email at Luna-azzurra@outlook.com ✍🏻

Christmas Cookies made out of love...yes, even the truck. (It was made for my grandfather. 🥰)

Very well thought out headcanons.

do u have any headcanons about hk characters and spellwork (who can use what, what's possible and what isn't, whatever) :V?

take all this with a pinch of salt as i am typing from my phone in the back of a van and i am very sleepy

anyone could learn to spellcast with Soul! in the same way anyone could become an astrophysicist. most people do not.

the Soul Sanctum, and the Pale King's use of Soul spellwork, was considered highly innovative. mostly spellcasting is something only a few people can do/bother learning, but in Hallownest the King encourages it and the Soul Sanctum is dedicated to honing the craft, which makes Hallownest weirdly ahead of the game compared to a lot of places. soul scholars were kind of like the educated elite. but also wizards. people talked

you could simplify and say you have two main schools of thought: the scientific approach (Soul Sanctum, Pale King) and the spiritual approach (Snail Shamans, Moth Tribe). the two ways of thinking are not mutually exclusive and often overlap though. both can be used to great effect

there are bugs out there who have done crazy high level things like the Soul Sanctum in less scientifically-themed contexts, definitely. this tier of fanatical spell meddling is rareish though

Soul is the word many bugs use for the life force inside all living things. and yeah, basically! it's not exactly your sense of self though that's different

Soul and Void are effectively infinite. harnessing Soul to cast spells involves channelling it through certain means and generally you only have certain limited reserves to draw from at a time (see Soul Vessels for example)

Soul Master and the rest of the scholars were fixated on surpassing that limit. kind of a "what if humans used 100% of their brain" situation

if you actually found a way to use all of one bug's Soul at once it would be like splitting the atom - incredible amounts of energy released at once, even from an average bug who isn't a spell user in the first place. Mistakes and Follies collapsed into themselves long before they got anywhere near that level. it's basically just not sustainable or doable. (soul master voice: but is it)

spellwork is also kind of like using a certain muscle a lot. if you cast a lot of spells it'll get easier for you. if you're inherently a gifted type who has a lot of potential for spellwork, but never use it or pursue it, you'll still be pretty bad at it and get tired quickly compared to someone with no inherent ability who practices every day

Void is basically like its own version of Soul. the two are different but if you scanned a Void being and found no traces of Soul that doesn't mean they're soulless, it means they have their own version. you're looking at it. it's Void

the average bug does not contain any traces of Void by nature and thus spellwork with Void is rare and very poorly understood. those ancient bugs who worshipped the Void however would have had some in their system. how? don't ask questions you don't want answers to

once upon a time, all Void is/was, in all traces across the world, part of one unit. once in the dawn of time etc etc. the world has changed since but it's fundamentally all the same to itself.

spellwork with Void is essentially using Soul to bind and command some Void to do what you want it to do. this is why shade spell upgrades cost Soul, it's the Soul making it do that thing.

mess around with Void too much if you're a bug and it will do very strange things to the body. it stains shell, it leaks from the joints and the eyes, it puts strange thoughts in your head. Soul is easier, safer, and better understood, and also isn't partly echoing with its own collective sentience.

not that this kind of thing deters a Snail Shaman. pretty sure if a Snail Shaman was given half the chance they'd learn to spellcast with anything. magnets. active plutonium. whatever. mind your business

if you know how to see Soul inside a body, and concentrate, living things generally appear as opaque glowing white cutouts. the Soul inside a living creature is saturated to the point of looking like a white shape in space. you can't see this usually because their body is in the way and it's sort of, tied into their cells or whatever

you can use spellwork to do pretty much anything, if you're clever. the sky is the limit. flashy stuff like attack spells, subtle stuff like enhancing your senses or letting yourself see things not usually visible to the eye, defying gravity, Whatever. almost anything you can think of. the main barrier is that it's difficult and taxing. the average bug doesn't bother

oh god i haven't even done Dream. okay a short rundown: Dream is different again. it's about the self, about thoughts, about the conscious and subconscious, about the mind. you don't so much spellcast with Dream as just kind of... manipulate and explore what's around you. connect with others. influence, sometimes. mostly understand. it's not technically spellcasting though and this post is getting long so i'll leave it there for now sdffgjk

Cool reference and tutorial.

More notes. They are not in order by the way. There is still more stuff to say about the world building/drawing/exploring topic. I just haven't gotten to these notes yet.

This one is about lights but it's in progress as well. Feedback is welcomed

Well...that's a surprise.

What would you do in this situation?

No words for the script, but that's because no words are said. Also, I hate clouds. How to draw colors that are orange. Ugh!!

Below is a link to the original idea: Here

Link to Follow-Up Page: Here

My goodness, I never thought of the parallels...

Also, lovely poem.

Two kindly bugs

Lie resting in grottos of their own

Their blessings, an aid

They ease passage

To the hiding place

Of Great Beings

And their boons

Whoever made this was so blessed. Check out how perfect that leaf is for a violin!