#hk Deepnest Vessels

[illmoraineakoi]

Ooof

This took...A WHILE

I present to you: All of the unique Vessels in Hollow Knight (Plus a few fun bonuses)

[Note that some Vessel designs 'share' categories, which is not shown.]

[Right-click view image in new tab for full size is recommended]

Some notes below

This took me a week to put together, though partially because I kept editing some stuff. Originally, they all had the same cloak design and same cloak color, and that...that was just ugly LMAO So I changed that.

All Vessels were made with the same base (probably obvious) except for Lost Kin, because of course, Lost Kin ALWAYS has to be contrary, the little shit.

The Vessels are separated into the 'category' that they're unique to, which is in turn split into where they're 'found' in-game. Though again, the game reuses designs frequently (an example being the Sibling Shade with four horns: that's also a Vessel shown in the Godhome Cutscene, and the Deepnest ram horn is also a Sibling in the abyss.)

This was actually really REALLY fun to do. It was originally jsut a way to make Reference Sheet icons for my fics, to remind myself which name belonged to which Vessel, and I just...Had too much fun and decided to do ALL of them.

I'm showing more love the Vessels than the Pale King ever did lmao

There are 33 Canon designs in the game (Or at least 33 that I was able to identify) and 6 "canon" cut content designs. 6 Vessels on this page were made for fun, and to fill some space.

I'm also aware that some of the designs on this page might look similar to some Vessel OCs that someone might've created, but I assure you, most of these designs were taken from the game assets. And the onest that were are my own design (Velvet and Luna) or made by just messing around. The similarity is unintentional.

As a side note, I kinda want to make some more of mess-around designs. I've got some more ideas, and one more unnamed OC I might do.

If anyone's interested in the full-size individual images of any of the Vessels [free of the category tint] I'd be willing to send you them. I had to scale this image down by half just for Tumblr to upload it LMAO. I won't be posting them individually.

That being said, please don't use this page for anything beyond a visual reference without permission, please?

EDIT: I FORGOT I WANTED TO INCLUDE THIS TOO

HERE HAVE THE REFERENCE PAGE FOR ALL THE UNIQUE VESSEL ASSETS I FOUND

[ashcoveredtraveler]

The Siblings and their personalities-

(Text under images)

Howl(The Pure Vessel)-

Howl is probably the most reserved of all of their siblings. After their reveal to be impure they had trouble standing up for themselves and making decisions for themselves. This was also an issue for the parents, WL specifically, as she would try to force them into a role they didn't want. They still don't have a backbone of any type and are unable to stand up to their parents, however, they are able to set boundaries with the help of the Great Knights. And while they do end up building a backbone of some sort, they are still extremely kind.

(Their backstory+ art)

Ghost(The Knight)-

Ghost is both extremely kind, but also extremely chaotic. They will be very nice to bugs, but they aren't a pushover and have a tendency to hold grudges. However, they don't hold any grudges against Howl for leaving them on the edge. In general, they are kind, sociable and brave.

(Their backstory + art)

Kyne(Lost Kin)-

Kyne is a bit more closed off and part of that is because of their upbringing. They had to defend themselves along with Mothwing, and then had to defend themselves alone in Kingdoms Edge, and then eventually getting saved by the Nailmaster. This made them unsociable and generally cautious of the world. Even if they don't explicitly show it, they truly care and are kind. The Nailmasters do try and get them out to make friends, but it is difficult for them to do so. When they get reunited with their siblings, their personalities shine, and are as social as Ghost.

(Their backstory + art)

Mothwing(Greenpath vessel)-

Mothwing is a bit like Kyne's personality. However, they were able to socialize since the Hunter took them to Greenpath villages often so Mothwing could develop socially, as he realized they were a 'normal' bug. The Hunter is kind of like a military dad or kinda like Kratos from GOW and raised Mothwing in a semi-strict environment. They needed to be informed since the wilds are unforgiving. This made Mothwing a quiet but observant child. They can have fun when hanging out with their siblings, however, it doesn't take much to make them uneasy and they are always watching after themselves.

(Their backstory + art)

Rone(Deepnest Vessel)-

They are the integrator and leader for any of the shenanigans that ensue. They are only a bit less chaotic than Hornet, but since they are so high on the chaos meter it doesn't make much of a difference. They are a trickster of sorts and are always running around. Though they like being with their siblings, so they would slow down and keep themselves calm for them.

(Their backstory + art)

Null(Deepnest Vessel)-

They are the mature out of the triplets. They are quiet, but they are not shy at all and is the 'leader' of the group. They can calm their siblings and usually try to cheer them up. They aren't that vocal when something upsets them or is something makes them happy. They are probably the most 'hollow' vessel that is alive and if they would have become PV and been sealed, they would have kept the infection inside for far longer. They have emotions, but it isn't as strong as their other siblings.

(Their backstory + art)

Dawn(Deepnest Vessel)-

They are the shyest vessel out of all of the siblings. It is difficult for them to leave Herrahs side and practically latch themselves to her. If they weren't with her, they would be with their siblings. They would never be alone. They are also the runt of the group, making them weak and unsocial. Even though they are scared of practically everything, they do try and comfort those in distress and always ask if everyone is well.

(Their backstory + art)

[notthesaint]

I have returned i guess

and hey look I drew this and oh no NONONONO RUN RUN

[gncbozo]

Uuuuuh...

here...

Have some pride flags 🏳️‍🌈

feel free to use them

[spycemel]

I made a Hollow Knight OC back in like August(?), I have like three of them now and this is the only one I've expanded on.

I may or may not have been taking liberties with how SOUL and Void work.

[littlebittyhollowbugs]

Evil counterparts ready to conquer the world

[awakened-void-deity]

New to artfight so not many of my characters have been uploaded yet, but! Regardless, take this <3

Again, hella new to artfight so idk how much if anything works so things will be slow <//3 But i will ATTEMPT to revenge everyone i can! And friendly fire <33 honestly just excited to draw other's ocs!

Seeya July 1st! <3 And good luck everybody!

Im also sorry for my handwriting eww ewew

[klettari]

third artfight attack; Twitch for CatsPajamas-PJ

[darkflierazura]

Bugs

This is inspired by the fact that I have finally played Hollow Knight! I’m only around 14 hrs in, but I know lots of the lore etc around the game I guess. Also def subconsciously (and not subconsciously in a couple places) inspired by @theballadofmars and @poorly-drawn-mdzs who both have made fantastic HK x MDZS(MXTX) AUs.

I think maybe some hollow knight spoilers? Slight close ups and rambling below

Hua Cheng- he’s a butterfly, but I felt that Grim’s aesthetic (if not much else) seemed kinda fitting for him. I like to imagine him as a fake out boss fight before he officially introduces himself

Xie Lian- I really wasn’t sure what to do with him. So I just made him a vessel, though his horns are meant to be reminiscent of the Pale King (no lore reasons)

Lan Wangji- I wanted him to be like, just a bug. But also a wanderer and protector WWX could run into. My second idea for him actually is kinda ooc for him I think (unless the grey mourner has more going on than I realize).

Wei Wuxian- vessel. It just seemed appropriate since the vessel dies and comes back. Im thinking maybe he once had a bigger form (akin to the hollow knight) long ago that cracked, he becomes a shade and eventually reforms or something idk. I was thinking bugs first, rational later. I think that he’d be either be more like Samus and shoot things from a slight distance or just beat people with his flute.

Luo Binghe- beast, or half beast in this case. I couldn’t get the idea of 4-8 big watery eyes out of my head

Shen Qingqiu- idk, the mantis tribe fights deepnest. It also seemed to fit OG Shen Qingqiu well, being a mantis.

I think if I keep playing HK I will revisit and revise this idea, I’m not really satisfied with XL and LWJ current iterations.

[illmoraineakoi]

Adult Ghost walking into the Pale King’s throne room after accidentally time traveling to the past, dumping all the living baby Vessels they rescued from the Abyss into the King’s lap: Happy Father’s Day.

Adult Ghost a second later, plonking down the Radiance’s tail blade, still wet with warm blood: Go fuck yourself.

The Pale King, half way through his morning coffee and who can 100% sense that this Vessel-like thing is actually an outrageously powerful God the likes of which he’s never seen before:

[ashcoveredtraveler]

Sleepy Children

(Left to Right): Null, Dawn, Hornet, Rone

[notthesaint]

puts this in a golden plate

hey nosk fans, come get your food, its pixel flavored

[luoisalunitic]

I need to get this out of my system man

Just imagine, where Hornet goes around and helps the remaining alive vessels with HK, maybe helping Lost Kin if it’s still okay and aliveish . Imagine that she just brings them to a house thing and helps them regain their senses n stuff

IMAGINE HK, dying and finally getting closure in Dream No More, peaceful living in the heaven bug realm thing, finally being able to get express its own feelings, and finally being able to hug its own dad

IMAGINE FELLAS (gen neutral), In Embrace the Void, Ghost feeling at peace for once, bugs visit them often in the junk pit, Ogrim decided to take care of Ismas grove and the part of the junk pit, in honor of everyone’s little friend. The dreamers woke up, Lurien finally being able to talk with his servant, Herrah taking back control and maintaining peace in Deepnest, Monomon spending Quirrels last minutes beside him. The White Lady finally coming out of the cocoon, the pale king being put to rest, Hornet and HK traveling together after such a long time apart. The residents of Dirtmouth are coming back and enjoying their time, but only Sly, Iselda, Elderbug, Cornifer, and Bretta remembering their small friend. And finally, the stag ways bustling with Stags, enjoy your essay of a happy Hollownest :)

and feel free to make an au based off of any of these ideas!! Just know I already have a somewhat similar idea as the last one :)

[akirameta84]

do you have any scenes in mind for the hk bugdragon au that you cant get out of your head but havent shared yet?

oho the answer is yes, there are so SO many. but the majority would be a hassle to share because of format and needing context

however i do have a scene in easily shareable format, as i wrote a short oneshot for the latest rendition of the au!! never really planned to share it outside of the friends i already shared it with haha, so its your lucky day

enjoy. hopefully. takes place some vague time after a battle with the radiance but before hollow has officially been proclaimed to the kingdom as child of the monarchs, but the palace staff are aware that the vessel role is no more and theyre supposed to be treated with the same respect as their king and queen

warnings for dehumanization, but it focuses on thk. so thats to be expected. around 1.8k words

---

They hadn’t even managed to fully emerge from their room into the gleaming hall of the palace before a voice caught their attention with a startling fashion.

“Ah, there you are! I was beginning to think you’d sleep all day!”

Considering they were still blinking off the last few dregs of sleep combined with some rather strong painkillers, Hollow flinched back in surprise as they jerked their head towards the speaker- a lone palace retainer standing beside their doorway at…not that far after sunrise, to be honest. They spoke as if Hollow had slept for an inordinate amount of time, though before, this would have been a very late time for the vessel to awaken.

The blasted tail attached to its body twitched with the first pang of confusion through its mind- their mind. As far as Hollow knew, they had not been assigned a personal retainer like a few bugs who resided in the palace had. They did not know if that would change, for that was up to their parents, though they did not particularly care for one. Movement impeded by a missing forelimb or not, they could take care of themselves just fine alone.

Regardless, they spread their mandibles wide enough so that they clicked when brought back to strike against their jaw, carefully spelling out the words they wanted to say. They had only begun learning deepspeech a few days ago, and so far did not know many actual words, merely the alphabet. But, while slow, it allowed for some communication.

The native tongue of Deepnest was picked for their communication for its focus on clicking and tapping out words, something easy to accomplish for a creature both mute and quadrupedal (and missing a forelimb to boot, making most forms of sign language barely accessible).

(They felt something warm that could have been happiness when they considered the topic of learning the native language of their baby sister. It was hers and now it was theirs).

“Hi. W-h-a-t-”

“Anyways, now that you’re here, I want you to sit for me, vessel,” The retainer interrupted, talking as if they didn’t even realize Hollow was trying to communicate in the first place (…Which wasn’t that far out of the question considering deepspeech wasn’t exactly commonly spoken in Hallownest, and was only being taught to residents of the palace to allow them to communicate with Hollow, specifically).

But-

It- They-

What?

Their body remained perfectly still even as their mind stumbled and struggled to process what it had heard, paying no mind the actual clarity with which the words had been registered by their senses.

They were not supposed to be the vessel anymore. They did not want to be. They were told that was okay, even. The light the vessel was supposed to contain was now dead and left to be forgotten, their wounds a testament to that, so there was not even a need for a Pure Vessel anymore. Yet-

Had something changed? Had they missed something in the short frame they had slumbered? Why-?

“You must not have heard me properly. Pure Vessel, I command you to sit.”

Its haunches lowered to the ground and it found itself sitting only moments after the words were spoken, staring attentively at the retainer.

Their breath hitched slightly once they realized how readily they’d obeyed. Not even a split second hesitation like they endured before speaking most times. Gods, was it any wonder their brief time as an actual person, as their father’s child, had abruptly come to an end? They were better suited for their old purpose.

…No, they needed to cut that train of thought off now. They weren’t the Hollow Knight anymore, just Hollow who happened to be receiving a long overdue knighting ceremony. Just Hollow, now a wyrm just like their father and technically heir proper (Not a true heir; their parents would have to die for that to mean anything, and gods with strong health and many followers did not tend to die unless they wanted to).

Just-

“Good, you haven’t lost your obedience the way you lost that much more convenient body.”

The words of the palace retainer forced their thoughts to halt and their head to bow as a fresh wave of shamed anxiety shot through their body.

But it did not let itself get lost in thought again. It sat still and merely stared at the retainer, waiting for its next set of directions.

The bug clad in pristine white robes stepped over to where it sat in the entrance of its room, humming as they reached to grab onto the risen hood of its strikingly vibrant, red cloak in their hands. A cloak so big that it draped enough to cover the large wings on its back, and yet they decided to use a part right next to its head instead of anywhere else for examination, tugging against the buttons that kept it fastened around its horns.

The pulsing urge to snap its terribly fanged jaws to the side and rip that arm right off was strong enough to cause its head to twitch slightly. That was their gifted cloak, their possession, their cloak, made just for them by Queen Herrah-

But it did not. It did not even turn its head to look. It sat still and listened.

“I think I’ll keep the cloak on you. Not nearly as regal as your armor and cape used to be, but anything is better than those unsightly injuries beneath!” The retainer chuckled as they backed away, gaze bordering on something like disapproval.

Disapproval that made it want to skitter back into its room and sit behind the door so that no bug could enter.

But it did not. It sat still.

“Come with me now. I am in need of a guard for myself and a few others for a function in the capital, and what better guard for a bug of my status than the Pure Vessel itself, changed or no?”

The vessel watched as the retainer walked off into the hallway, and when it first attempted to follow, its body jerked forward but failed to get up.

It did not make the same mistake twice. Its next attempt left it successfully lumbering after the retainer as it was led down a staircase to presumably exit the palace.

It almost lost its footing only a few steps in; this was only the fifth time it had used stairs since its most recent…molt left it no longer bipedal. This was only the third time time since it had lost what would have been an arm had this change not occurred.

This was the first time it did not once actually lose its footing and tumble painfully down. It made it to the bottom, albeit slowly and trembling more than before when it reached the floor.

…Why was it trembling? It was just following orders like it was supposed to.

No matter. It was to focus on the retainer leading it to where they needed it to go. That was its only priority.

Light brighter than the persistent glow of the palace already had in the corner of the eye it could still see out of immediately became its priority seconds later, and it was unable to stop itself from snapping its head over to the source.

That was the King. That was their father-

It snapped its attention back to the retainer fast enough that it could only pray its slip up had not been noticed by either party (Pray to whom? The god it was praying to have avoided in the first place?).

The sound of his numerous footfalls halted not a beat later, though, and the vessel knew its own limping stride was not capable of drowning it out to that degree. He had stopped.

He had noticed.

“Hollow, would you come with me? I have something to show you,” Came his unexpected voice, forcing their head to twist right back to his direction.

In what could only be described as an undignified, desperate scramble, it swiftly made its way to its fathers side, quivering as it fought to avoid its gaze for reasons it could not place. Unlike before, this lack of hesitation brought forward a traitorous feeling of relief.

“I do hope that you did not need them for anything important, for they will be unavailable for the next while,” He addressed to the retainer, and though their head was bowed, they were far taller than him even like this and could easily see how he shifted to face them.

“A-ah! No, no worries, it wasn’t! I just asked if they’d be willing to help me move some heavy furniture, but I can find someone else!”

…They were lying straight to the face of the Pale King. Hollow couldn’t stop the flood of sheer indignance on his behalf at their audacity. Why would they not tell the truth? Did-

Did that mean that they weren’t the vessel again? Was the King not supposed to know they had been ordered such? He…

…was facing them now. They met his gaze, resisting the urge to flee back to their room as his eyes narrowed in…contemplation? Anger? Disappointment? They had hardly learned how to read their own emotions, let alone others-

“I see. Hollow, is that what they asked you to do?”

…He was asking them for what happened. The prospect, let alone actually being asked as much, broke the slight reverie they’d fallen into. Evidently, things had not reverted back to before.

They flicked their gaze at the retainer, who was fidgeting with the sleeves of their robe.

They flicked it back to their father, who was watching expectantly.

And then they opened their jaws to click out the needed words.

“Go-to p-a-r-t-y. O-r-d-e-r-e-d f-o-l-l-o-w. G-u-a-r-d.”

Despite merely explaining the actual, truthful story, they still shook as if they had just lied as egregiously as the other bug…though maybe that was also because their remaining forelimb was beginning to ache as painfully as the one that wasn’t there somehow did.

Their father sighed and immediately faced the retainer, who Hollow didn’t dare glance at as they waited for the tense moment of silence to pass. Their tail threatened to break the silence with how it twitched against the floor, annoyingly, though.

“Right. Why don’t you go find your mother in the palace’s gardens and take your breakfast with her? Tell her I will be preoccupied for the next while,” Was what he settled on saying at last, and Hollow didn’t spare a second glance before turning to leave with his permission.

Breakfast sounded nice. Being anywhere else sounded even nicer.

“Come with me. Clearly, you have ignored some of the recent changes within the White Palace, and I take pleasure in properly enlightening you on them.”

The words they heard from their father as they left had them feeling warm again, though. It left them believing they truly could be more than just a vessel someday, no matter how much that fact was sometimes a struggle to accept.

[foamywishes]

So while I've been dead as a doornail here, I have bee working on my Hollow Knight AU, Within Reason and I finally have a timeline set up. So here is the basically run down of events: -The Radiance has been sealed already The Radiance was captured before her Infection could spread wide to the kingdom, thus Hallownest still stands as a functioning kingdom in current day. She is trapped inside of a different vessel within the Temple of the Black Egg -The Dreamers are still Alive The Egg's seal is constructed differently using different methods so there is no reason for the Dreamers to keep the sea and they are allowed to go on with their lives. -Hornet still is born She is a child during this AU, however her birth is still a deal made between the Pale King and Herrah. This time its to keep a treaty of peace between Deepnest and Hallownests which tensions have risen. -The Vessels are still crafted Their function still serves as a back up plan in case the Radiance breaks out of her current seal. This time though they are made to destroy rather than contain but being Hollow is not as needed though highly preferred. Meaning that there is more room to explore the pure vessel. -Ghost is alive and an adult Working him in was like the worst aspect but much like the main game and timeline, Ghost would escape the Abyss and leave Hallownest. This time however since there was no call to return he was instead picked up and raised by Grimm and acts as the Grimm Troupe's Knight. Him and Grimmchild are best buds and are inseparable brothers. -The Pale King and White Lady are still together Kingdom doing well, the enemy is sealed so why not? Anyways so this is trappings in place of Within Reason. I'm currently working on a project I hope to release soon. I'm still a lil nervous about sharing my HK AU ideas in public but then again cringe is dead soooooo. Yeet.

[littlebittyhollowbugs]

My human vessel designs! I can never figure out how to draw them, still might redesign them later cause I'm not sure about these..but cute enough.