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Fanfic Recs / Hollow Knight

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Proof that the remaining 10% is worth diving into the Abyss for.

These are recommendations made by Tropers for Hollow Knight fanfics, all of which have to be signed to stay on the page. Feel free to add a fanfic of your own to the list, but remember to use the template found here.

You can also add to the current recommendations if you want. You can do it by expanding on the synopsis and/or pertinent tags, or linking similar or related fanfics. Reviews are also encouraged, but please make sure to make reviews have substance; if you simply want to recommend a fic without an extensive review, put your Troper name in the Recommended by line of the fic in question. Please use the discussion page for conversations about fics.

Discussion of the recommendation is welcome on the discussion page. As such discussion is important, do remember to add the discussion page to the watchlist, if need be.

Do warn when a fanfic may head into sexually explicit or non-canon territory. Some people just don't like it, and as we all know, Shipping is Serious Business.

All recommendations have to be signed to stay on a fanfic recs page. Feel free to add a fanfic of your own to the list, but remember to use the following template:

Title of the Fanfic by Author OR Fic Trope Page, by Author (Link)

  • Recommended by: Troper Namenote 
  • Crossover with: List the works the fic crosses over with. If the work isn't a crossover, remove this line.
  • Status: Completenote /Ongoingnote /Hiatusnote /Dormantnote / Deadnote 
  • Synopsis: Give a breakdown of the plot. Do not copy the fic's summary; that's plagiarism and could land the wiki in hot water.
  • Pairing(s): List the pairings in the fic. Use the x/y (e.g. Alice/Bob, Charlie/Delilah, etc.) format. If there are no pairings, remove this line.
  • Tags: If any are known. These would be things like W.A.F.F., Lemon, Crack Fic, etc.

    open/close all folders 

    Music and Original Songs 
Lazy Moonkin - Myla's Song (Hollow Knight original) by Lazy Moonkin
  • Recommended by: Zoic Alcelaphine
  • Comments: A 'beautiful' rendition of the song that Myla sings while digging in the Crystal Caverns.

Lazy Moonkin - The Fading Realm (Hollow Knight original) by Lazy Moonkin

  • Recommended by: Zoic Alcelaphine
  • Comments: An epic orchestra piece about the White Palace and the Pale King's legacy.

Lazy Moonkin - Hornet (Hollow Knight cover) by Lazy Moonkin

  • Recommended by: Zoic Alcelaphine
  • Comments: A violin cover of Hornet's iconic battle theme with an accompanying accordion.

Lazy Moonkin - A Tale of Grimm Troupe (Hollow Knight original) by Lazy Moonkin

  • Recommended by: Zoic Alcelaphine
  • Comments: An original theme for Brumm, the accordion player of the Grimm Troupe.

Lazy Moonkin - The Last Farewell (Hollow Knight original, Radiance song) by Lazy Moonkin

  • Recommended by: Zoic Alcelaphine
  • Comments: A heartfelt duet between the Radiance and one of her subjects, a moth.

Hollow Knight - Hornet Battle Orchestrated bySully Orchestration

  • Recommended by: Zoice Alcelaphine
  • Comments: A orchestration of Hornet's theme, using wind instrumentals and drum beats.

Hollow Knight (Music Box) by Riku Matsuo

  • Recommended by: Zoice Alcelaphine
  • Comments: A collection of music box covers for the Hollow Knight soundtrack.

Hollow Knight - Grimm by Man on the Internet

  • Recommended by: Tsukiyo
  • Comments: Joining both the tracks "The Grimm Troupe" and "Nightmare King Grimm", the song sounds classy, hammy yet haunting with the chanting choir. The lyrics are fitting for the ritual's focus on flames, nightmares and the child's feeding, while taking some stanzas from the poems in the Hunter's journal. A real marvel worthy of Grimm's panache.

Little Ghost - A Hollow Knight Orchestration by Rush Garcia

  • Recommended by: rioludoodle
  • Comments: A synthesis of Hollow Knight's iconic soundtracks into a cohesive and stunning whole.

    Webcomics 

Mortal Radiance AU (link goes to masterpost) by allykatsart

  • Recommended by: Theriocephalus
  • Status: Complete
  • Synopsis: After the final battle, the Radiance is reduced to the status of a mortal bug and is left to make penance for her actions as a gravedigger, tending to the graves of the bugs killed by her plague.
  • Comments: An interesting look into the mind of a god torn down to the status of a mere mortal.

    Authors 

Asyr

  • Recommended by: Gammacavy
  • Comments: Author appears to have an intuitive grasp of the world at large, and is unafraid to use it. Has written several epics: a backstory for the Nightmare King, Post-Canon Hollow Knight changing the past, a post-canon exploration Dream after the death of Radiance narated by Grimm, to Ze'mer telling a bedtime story about the delicate flowers. Every one is amazingly paced, marvelous detailed, and best of all, well written.

Dropout ninja

  • Recommended by: Gammacavy
  • Comments: Author has explored the mind of Godseekers, the fate of Void, what happens after the Delicate Flower ending, Hallownest suffering a rewind to the day the Old Light was bound, an outside view of the whole game narrated by Hornet, and an exploration on the Foresight of the Wyrm.

    Fanfics 
A Pact in Light and Flames by Malesherbes
  • Recommended by: starryGrail
  • Status: Complete
  • Synopsis: Wyrm while hidden on a cave in a reverie is interrupted rudely by Troupe Master Grimm, who seeks to break the cycle and give his child an ordinary life, setting into motion a series of changes while leaving some things unchanged as Wyrm makes the same mistakes as canon-the pact, however, is not the titular one for the Nightmare Heart will not take the loss of its vessel lightly.
  • Notes: Written with a beautiful Shakespearean flair, which is especially impressive given the author's first language is not English. The author recently passed away.

Broken Open Revealing Hollowness and Vibrance by Jaxx Capta

  • Recommended by: Gamma Cavy, alignment
  • Status: Complete
  • Synopsis: Hornet woke in the Black Egg Temple to the sight of her sibling's fractured mask. For the walk from the temple's central chamber to its exit, she thought herself truly alone in the world once more. When Hollow followed her out, she realized that wasn't so. But now she has to try and take care of her older sibling as they recuperate and learn to live in a world where they do not have to be pure, figure out what to do about what Little Ghost left of a body, and try to piece together two kingdoms which fell long ago.
  • Comments: the author takes ending three, mixes in the godseeker endings, tops with the Grimm Troupe, and stirs in a sprinkle of headcanons about the Higher Beings to make a delightful mix.

Boom Town by Syntax

  • Recommended by: Gamma Cavy
  • Status: Complete
  • Synopsis: Sometimes he thought perhaps he would fade away with this town. Then, little by little, bugs started trickling into the empty houses. Elderbug, before, during, and after the events of the game.

Child of Light by tragic_unpaired_electron

  • Recommended by: Simply Nate
  • Status: Complete
  • Summary: "The Pale King tries to stamp out worship of the Old Light by any means possible, and in this AU, the Moth Tribe refuses to be converted and forget their deity. So the King is forced to take...extreme measures, and the Radiance loses her beloved children. She can't forgive herself for failing to save them. So when she ends up trapped in the mind of another doomed child, she decides to extend some compassion to the Pale King's offspring."
  • Comments: Contains heavy canon divergence painting the Radiance in a sympathetic light and giving her a Heel–Face Turn. The fic is inspired by (and named after) a mod of the game that replaces the player's spells with those of the Radiance. The author also has a sequel planned but is waiting for Hollow Knight: Silksong to release in order to learn the lore of Pharloom.

Children of Wyrm by Brackets_002

  • Recommended by: Zoic Alcelaphine
  • Status: Dormant; last updated June 2018
  • Synopsis: In which the Pale King comes to care about the young Vessels he has created. A collection of stories from an AU where the Vessels have the father they deserve.

Epilogue, or, Beyond the Pale by Brackets_002

  • Recommended by: Zoic Alcelaphine
  • Status: Dormant; last updated June 2019
  • Synopsis: "The Radiance has been killed; the infection destroyed. The Hollow Knight and the Little Ghost have died and returned to their darkness. All that remains is to rebuild. The next age of Hallownest begins."
  • Comments: After the events of Hollow Knight, Hornet begins a new quest to rebuild the old kingdom of Hallownest.

The Ethnoentomology Series by Piston21 and Wrongful

  • Recommended by: Madame_Newbie
  • Status: Ongoing
  • Synopsis: A lone human, impossibly, staggers his way into Hallownest with no recollection of how he got there. Or any recollection of anything, really. With no skills in survival or combat, his only hope is to follow this small Knight creature around until he finds his way home. That, or until he drops dead from this orange sickness in his head. He swears he's starting to see things.
  • Comments: The first series is a prequel being written concurrently with the sequel. Also instead of the using the popular fan nickname, Ghost is called Tusk here.

Hoops, Strings and Other Placebos by BubbleBtch

  • Recommended by: Madame_Newbie, alignment
  • Status: Completed and has a completed sequel and an ongoing side story.
  • Synopsis: The infection is a disease of the mind caused by an angry god who is dying from a lack of worship and belief. So what happens when they believe a simple item can keep her from their minds? After all, what is a god to a nonbeliever? A frightened human who doesn't know how she ended up in Hallownest tells a white lie to some children to help them with their irrational fears. It spirals out of control.
  • Comments: Has an OFC/Hollow pairing, so if you're not into human/bug romance this fic is not for you.
    • Spelling and grammar is rough, but the actual writing is quite decent, and the plot and worldbuilding are great. Author is unashamedly horny for fictional bugs, and endearingly so.
    • Has a sequel that's in-progress.

mind and melody by snowmints

  • Rccomended by: Gamma Cavy
  • Status: Complete
  • Synopsis: Ghost's never been held before, come to think of it.

familiar (staring up at the ceiling) by Rubber Chicken

  • Rccomended by: Gamma Cavy
  • Status: Complete
  • Synopsis: The beginnings of a time-travel fixit, featuring Ghost as a time traveler dropped into the past without much more than the cloak on their back, Greenpath Vessel as baby, Lost Kin as prescient and lowkey filled with rage, a random shade somehow tagging along, and the Hollow Knight as Knight Mostly Not Appearing In This Fic.

BUt if You Ccose Your Eyes by Rubber Chicken

  • Rccomended by: Gamma Cavy
  • Status: Complete
  • Synopsis: A stag finds a little traveler. The world grows wider.

Delicate Delivery by Wiseriaparfeit

  • Rccomended by: Gamma Cavy
  • Status: Complete
  • Synopsis: The Knight finds a way to deliver a flower to the Stag.

Will Terribly, If You Will At All by Payasita

  • Rccomended by: Gamma Cavy
  • Status: Completed
  • Synopsis: Some unknown force has resulted in the disappearance of the Radiance, just before the infection could reach its peak under the Pale King's rule. The mystery vies for time with a rearranged custody agreement over Herrah's brood, clumsy attempts to re-establish marital trust, and long overdue re-evaluations of the Pure Vessel. Court intrigue, sibling bonding, goddess hunting, different brands of motherhood, and accidental arson abound. A whodoneit mystery, about a spurned goddes.

Before You Go by bluemoodblue

  • Rccomended by: Gamma Cavy
  • Status: Completed
  • Synopsis: The road has been long and lonely, and even a ghost needs a moment to rest... perhaps with someone who has walked the road beside them.

Specter by Syntax

  • Rccomended by: Gamma Cavy
  • Status: Completed
  • Synopsis: Your name is Hornet, and for as long as you can remember, the specter of a much larger bug has been hovering over you since mother left for the neighboring kingdom alive and well, and returned not even a week later cold and dead, with a bug much too tall and much too quiet following closely behind the funeral procession. That bug, guardian and specter, has been with you ever since. You've always been fairly certain they're not alive, at least not entirely, but you've never been sure.

The Journal of Meer the Guard by ZeloAvarosa

  • Recommended by: Zoic Alcelaphine
  • Status: Complete
  • Synopsis: A guard named Meer writes about his life before the fall of Hallownest.

Kingdom Eternal (or, the Twin Heirs AU) by QueenEgg

  • Description: "Even a place as broken and crumbled as the legendary Hallownest can be repaired with time, effort, and boundless love. The same can be said for family."
  • Recommended by: Zoic Alcelaphine
  • Status: Dead
  • Comments: A long-running series about the denizens of Hallownest.

Life of a Bug Knight by Darknecessary

  • Recommended by: Zoic Alcelaphine
  • Status: Dead; last updated April 2017
  • Synopsis: "I Really love the game Hollow Knight. I thought about what the Characters might feel."
  • Comments: This fanfic is a collection of stories that take place during the events of Hollow Knight.

Not Good Enough by Shadowy_Dumb_Octopus

  • Recommended by: Shadow State
  • Status: Complete
  • Synopsis: Ghost isn't really coping well with having to fight all those godlike enemies to save Hallownest, and with all those failures piling up, perhaps the Pale King was right in casting them into the Abyss?...

Old Eyes by Saphira424

  • Recommended by: Zoic Alcelaphine
  • Status: Dead; last updated March 2019
  • Synopsis: "Quirrel explores Hallownest haunted by ghost memories and drowning in his own mind. The strange child seems to rescue him each time."
  • Comments: A novelization of Hollow Knight, from Quirrel's point of view.

Remaking of an Age by QueenEgg

  • Recommended by: In Parentheses
  • Status: Discontinued, being rewritten
  • Synopsis: The Heart of the Void and the Heart of the Light have made a pact to defeat their one true enemy. Retrieve her scattered shards. Wake her children and the priestess. But most importantly, Save the Hollow Knight.

Soul of God, Form of Moth by BasilBread

  • Recommended by: Simply Nate
  • Status: Ongoing
  • Synopsis: In this AU fic, the Pale King, rather than make thousands of void-filled children to use one as a vessel, collaborates with Grimm to take out the Radiance a different way. It mostly succeeds, except for the Radiance ending up in a mortal form and, eventually, escaping. The fic follows her escapades as she plots against the King and becomes partners with a fellow bug.

Stag Beetles and Broken Legs by Aryashi and relationshipcrimes

  • Recommended by: Shadow State
  • Status: Complete
  • Synopsis: A chance meeting on the shore of Blue Lake interrupts Quirrel making an unfortunate decision. Currently the most kudos'd HK fanfic on Ao3.

Threadcutter by CourierNew

  • Recommended by: alignment
  • Status: Complete
  • Synopsis: "Death is not permitted here."
The Radiance perishes and Hallownest falls silent. The infection of light spares few in its wake, turning the kingdom into a tomb filled with the bodies of the formerly afflicted. After some time spent recovering in Dirtmouth, Hornet chooses to depart the only home she's ever known. She descends one final time in search of survivors who may also wish to leave, thinking nothing of her sacrificed siblings, though she carries a pair of mismatched horns underneath her cloak.
But something else stirs beneath her feet, ancient and full of grief, and Hornet's task proves far more treacherous than she had believed, her path littered with old gods and new threats. As she delves into the darkest reaches of Hallownest, haunted with visions of the life spent there, the orphaned princess learns that she must reckon with all she has lost, before the kingdom and its secrets destroy whatever she has left.
  • Comments: An incredibly well-written fic set after the Dream No More ending, which maintains the game's tone with both a solemn atmosphere and gorgeous prose. Ultimately hopeful and uplifting, but be warned that it is very much about destroying what remains to move on, and doesn't shy away from breaking the toys and upturning the sandbox to drive that home.

Void Children: Little Slices of Life Edition by Anonymous_Vermin_Invader

  • Recommended by: Zoic Alcelaphine
  • Status: Complete
  • Synopsis: "These are where the written snippets/written adaptions of the Hollow Knight AU, Void Children, shall be kept. The summary of the Void Children AU goes as follows: What if the young Knight wasn't the only Vessel that survived? What if our hollow protagonist stumbled upon 3 siblings huddling in the dark, scared and abandoned, but very much alive."
  • Comments: A fanfic set in a newly-created Hollow Knight AU, based on a series of comics.

Thy Kingdom Come by Haili_Ner

  • Recommended by: Tsukiyo
  • Status: Ongoing
  • Synopsis: "Before the ruin of a kingdom's end, there was a dream of a world unlike any had ever seen before. What had it taken for such a thing to rise? What had it taken for such a thing to fall?"
  • Comments: A Pale King-centered story. The tale of the rising of the Pale King's kingdom, from a community of newly enlightenment bugs to the vast empire we see in-game. The author makes many interpretations of the lore that enrich it further and fill up the gaps left.

Sins of the Father by ReverseInverse (Link)

  • Recommended by: ninjahunter
  • Status: Complete
  • Synopsis: The cost had been too great. When he had sealed that door, he knew the toll it would take on his mind, body, and soul. And he deserved it. He had committed genocide against his own children and forced a most horrible fate upon his “favored” one. He knew his failure was made complete, that he deserved nothing but an execution for his terrible misdeeds...But when a second chance is forced upon him? He knows he does not deserve it and doubts that he won’t squander it. But atlas, he dares to dream...

In a Mirror Brightly by Poet_or_bandit_Productions

  • Recommended by: ninjahunter
  • Status: Ongoing
  • Synopsis: What if the game we play through is the darker mirror-verse? And what would happen if the Princess of Hollownest managed to crossover to this happier version of her kingdom?

Where Song Lies Still by Seebright

  • Recommended by: alignment
  • Status: Complete
  • Synopsis: There is a voice in Hallownest, but no one else can hear it.
  • Comments: An Everyone Lives AU covering the (approximate) full plot of the game, now with bonus Hornet Befriending and Knight Characterization. Lots of fascinating worldbuilding filling in gaps in the lore, and sometimes unusual but extremely quality characterization of both the Knight and various NPCs.

    Crossovers 
A Familiar Void by Rexis12
  • Recommended by: Gamma Cavy, Medinoc
  • Crossover: The Familiar of Zero
  • Status: Ongoing
  • Synopsis: Louise was the last to summon her familiar. When the unknown Void Mage called out, the Void answered. With a spirit of void, in a shell born of gods by her side, she will journey forth. The darkness has been disturbed; who now can stand in its way?

Thus the Remnants Went Forth by Stabby Gamer

  • Recommended by: Philosophysics
  • Crossover: Gate: Thus the JSDF Fought Here
  • Status: Dead
  • Synopsis: "An after-the-end epilogue using a revision of ending five, revolving around Hornet and (the) Knight as they round up the scattered remnants of Hallownest and start rebuilding. Has not updated in over a year and the story thread is locked.

The Legend of Zelda: The Hollow Knightby ZR_Stein

  • Recommended by: Dark Datura, Medinoc
  • Crossover: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
  • Status: Ongoing
  • Synopsis: "Two ruined kingdoms. Two silent knights. Two newly appointed queens. One single moment that broke the boundaries between their worlds and united them. A very long road to regain what was lost. A Hallownest ISOT fic, wherein Tarrey town gains some new, very odd neighbors, and everything that follows."

Voidborn(e) by RadiantVoid

  • Recommended by: Guest_000
  • Crossover: Mass Effect 2
  • Status: Complete; sequel in hiatus
  • Synopsis: As the knight, vessel of void given focus, ascends through the pantheon of Hallownest, the Radiance realizes that while she may win once, twice, or even ten times, she cannot win forever. As such, she starts to make a plan to get rid of her ancient enemy, once and for all. But how do you get rid of that which returns upon death? Simple. You use a dream gate of unfathomable power and send them to another universe. Which universe? She may not know, but it does not matter. So long as they are gone, they can no longer trouble her. But they can definitively trouble Shepard. Will this strange new creature aid her in the fight against the reapers? Will it hinder her progress? Or will it just sort of hang around, unsure of its purpose in a strange new world?
  • Comment: Guest_000- A rough jewel — understandable, considering that it's their first fanfiction — but an enjoyable read nonetheless. Though the formatting sometimes causes issues, the narrative was engaging, leaving me awake all night as I just had to finish it. The way they characterize the Knight was beautiful, their relationship with the companions in Mass Effect was an enjoyable read, and all in all it was just a fun ride.

A Song of Silk and Saplings by Zennistrad

  • Recommended by: Theriocephalus
  • Crossover: Bug Fables
  • Status: Ongoing
  • Synopsis: Following the disappearance of the Infection from Hallownest, a routine patrol brings Hornet to Hallownest's Crown — where she is assailed by a trio of unknown bugs with sinister intentions. Kidnapped and brought far above the tunnels of Hallownest, she soon finds herself stranded in a world of perpetual light and open sky, far from the dark and subterranean home she has always known.

    Meanwhile, the kingdoms of Bugaria grow restless, with reports of a powerful cult becoming active on their borders. As Kabbu, Leif, and Vi set out to investigate, they find themselves wrapped in a conflict that may threaten the hard-fought peace of all the four kingdoms. And who is this strange masked bug, who wields silk and needle deadlier than any sword?
  • Comment: A very interesting crossover. Excellent writing, well-done character voices, and the culture clash is very entertaining. The story is, as of this comment's writing, partway through the second of eight planned arcs; so far, it's setting up an intriguing myth arc around Hallownest's fickle gods and the long-vanished Giants of Bugarian history, while the main villains are an original group, a cult serving the mysterious Father Veritas.

    Videos 
Hollow Knight Resurrected by Graveyard Media
  • Recommended by: InterGuy584
  • Status: Ongoing
  • Comments: What begins as a comedic "abridged series" adaptation of Hollow Knight gradually blossoms into a surprisingly philosophical journey. We follow the player character doing all the stuff you'd expect to see in a normal playthrough, but with spoken dialogue given to much of the cast (including the normally-mute player character), provided by a diverse and lively voice cast. This fleshes out the cast beautifully, and allows the story to explore a wide range of tragic and insightful themes as the Knight attempts to find their purpose in the dead kingdom of Hallownest.

Siblings by cbak101

  • Recommended by: Theriocephalus
  • Status: One-shot
  • Comments: A dramatized version of the battle against Hornet in Kingdom's Edge. Some creative liberties are taken, but the battle sequence is dynamic, fun, and very well-animated.

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