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tonythr · 3 months

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Quick Slash is even cooler from a narrative perspective, and why I think the Nailsmith's story parallels the Pale King's

Cold take: Quick Slash is the best charm in Hollow Knight.

Slightly Warmer take: Quick Slash is the only S-tier charm that is great from both gameplay and lore perspective (aside from maybe Spell Twister).

The reason for this is that its existence is actually a

metaphor

Here, look at this.

So, Quick Slash is something that was created from a relatively big number of objects that were discarded and deemed imperfect, and that possess a collective will of wanting to fulfill their purpose.

You know what that reminds me of?

A large amount of creations: check.

Discarded as imperfect: check.

Still possessing a will to find closure: check.

Being a part of a larger, more powerful thing: check.

Having a common creator who is responsible for their creation and rejection: check.

So yeah, I think that Quick Slash's lore (or at least its description) is meant to parallel that of the Vessels'.

But I wanna talk about that last point: the creator.

It is heavily implied that the person who created and then later discarded those nails was the Ancient Nailsmith we see in the room where we get Quick Slash.

(Oh by the way I just realized that this stone ring thing on the right of that room is actually the furnace, neat.)

Judging from their Dreamnail dialogue, this Ancient Nailsmith was trying to achieve the same goal as the other, more famous Nailsmith we all know and love: creating a Pure Nail.

And you know who else was trying to create a perfect, Pure thing while discarding many other similar things that later gained a collective will?

That's right - it's the guy who is also responsible for creating those other discarded things we discussed earlier!

Ok, but what I really wanted to talk about here is how all of what I just said ties back to that other, more famous guy - The Nailsmith.

We don't know for sure how the story of the Ancient Nailsmith ended, but it feels like it exists there mainly to put an emphasis on the City's Nailsmith's story; to convey that his struggle is an important theme in this narrative (because ancient means important, ok?) And, I mean, the City's Nailsmith's story also parallels that of the Pale King's in the same manner, right?

The thing is, we already know how PK's story ended.

In trying to achieve perfection, to create an eternal Kingdom by making a Pure Vessel devoid of mind, voice and will, the Pale King doomed himself to be taken over by his regrets, by the vast emptiness of the futility of his struggles. But was it because he failed, or because that was where his story was headed all along?

What if PK succeeded? What if the Radiance was sealed forever? What if his Kingdom actually stood eternal, never to change, never to end? What if he realized he achieved his only goal in life?

And that's the part where we get to a story the ending of which is up to the player's choice.

To quote White Lady, only two obvious outcomes there are from such a thing.

The first is an honorable death by the fruits of his labor.

If we choose to kill the Nailsmith with the Pure Nail, he dies happy, knowing that his life's goal is accomplished and having gained all the satisfaction he could from it.

The second I find preferable, a new passion.

If the Nailsmith doesn't feel the finishing blow of the Pure Nail, he is left unsatisfied. But, while trying to resolve that unsatisfaction, he eventually finds something (and someone) that gives him a new calling, a new thing to create, a new reason to live.

And, while those are both equally valuable, equally canonic outcomes, don't you think the second one is just... better? I mean, not only does it include the achievement of the Nailsmith's goal, but it lets him live AND gives two lonely souls a partner in life! I feel like that's the thing this narrative is trying to convey. What it's trying to say about the meaning of life, about our dreams.

Maybe that was the ultimate folly of the Pale King - the inability to change. His story would've ended in the same way, regardless of whether Hallownest lasted eternally or not. He would be dead, if not by the hands of the Void, but by his own - but ultimately, by the hands of that vast emptiness of realizing that you achieved your only goal and that now all there is for you is this eternal satisfaction that slowly fades away, leaving you with nothing.

TL;DR: Quick Slash is the best because it's a metaphor for discarded vessels; perfection is overrated, try to get laid instead.

#hollow knight #hollow knight lore #hollow knight theory #nailsmith #pale king #hollow knight charms #quick slash #hallownest #pure vessel #hk vessels #sheo

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mebis-art-dump · 2 months

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the Pale King's involvement on the making of the black egg

It is already assumed by the majority that PK was involved in some way; it is a fair assessment but I feel like it's most of the time an assumption based on PK's situation relative to it

- powerful magic being

- head of the project

- smart and inventive

So decided to gather a lil bit of evidence in favor of his direct involvement

1- The lore tablets that start with "higher beings, these words are for you alone" are more likely written by PK himself, given the one before the abyss and the fact that they open with PK's voice (plus the whispers of soul) (you could also count the world sense tablet within it).

The background that shows up behind these texts have a certain detail which in closer observation looks quite similar to the pillars of the black egg's corridor

2- both the abyss and black egg entrances are sealed with a stone door that is conjured out of thin air, with a ringed texture unlike normal shell/fossils but much like the rings of a worm (or a certain chunk of the wyrm, which is a sprite depicted here); the "key" needed to open the door displayed in white within an indentation.

Not shown in the image, but both seals (the white glowing patterns that show when casting a spell) have the glyph that represents the king's brand.

The black egg door also has a structure reminiscent of ribs, but not like the normal looking straight ribs of fossils all over crossroads (more prominent near the mawlek graveyard); rather, they're more similar to the ribs and teeth of the wyrm

Now, the seal of binding developed by the weavers seems to have been a key element in the project, but

1- it's a very specific design, which we do see within the egg but only in its central chamber

2- the pale king makes plenty use of it within the palace, so maybe it is either possible to make it in a "compact way" to be deployed afterwards at any moment and any place, or the king was able to replicate it after the first version was made

The rest of the egg could be a modified version or multiple completely different seals, but it is very likely that much of it was made by the pale king

#hollow knight #pale king #hk pale king #the pale king #black egg #hollow knight lore #hollow knight theory

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phantomgrape · 3 months

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Thing I noticed while I was chatting with some pals about Hollow Knight

Crystal peaks being the ONLY part of the game where you actively ASCEND to progress is fucking genius.

Crystal Peaks was the place the place where the moths resided, as did The Radiance presumably. The Radiance in her presence and boss fight have a heavy emphasis on flight and ascending upwards (look no further than the final part of the fight, where Ghost LITERALLY climbs up to her to land the final blow).

In retrospect, Crystal Peaks in its fundamental design almost FORESHADOWS this moment and its association to The Radiance and her moths.

#hollow knight #text post #theory #hollow knight theory #hollow knight the radiance #the radiance #hk radiance #rambles

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rainbow-scarab · 10 months

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Hallownest Symbols, the Ancient Civilization, and the Pale King

Sooo. Since I made my post on Hallownest symbols I've had some new insights.

The Hallownest symbol, with its lined oval and three sets of wings, predates the kingdom as it was under the Pale King and White Lady. It can be found on arcane eggs.

Lemm, on arcane eggs: This civilisation may claim itself the first, but something else did exist within this place before Hallownest. Each egg offers a narrow glimpse into that forgotten age.

It's not just the arcane eggs though. The symbol can also be found in the Abyss, on the lighthouse. Sorta.

You see, the lighthouse isn't just one structure--it's two. It's an older, crumbling structure....and then the new shiny construction that the Pale King added on top.

And looking at the older structure, the platforms themselves have the Hallownest symbol on it. Oval with wings.

Another detail I've noticed in the Abyss is that this structure isn't the only one. It can be seen in the background around the void sea:

Just, further cementing the thought that the old crumbling building beneath the shiny new top is not a construction under the Pale King, but instead something quite ancient. Just one of many buildings, a conveniently tall structure for the Pale King to repurpose into a lighthouse.

So what does this mean?

Various sources in the game point to the Pale King having portrayed himself as the creator of Hallownest. Lemm, in his quote above. And some more examples:

Lore tablet in King's Pass: Higher beings, these words are for you alone. Beyond this point you enter the land of King and Creator. Step across this threshold and obey our laws. Bear witness to the last and only civilisation, the eternal Kingdom. Hallownest

Hunter's Journal, on wingmoulds: The bugs of Hallownest believed that their King created this world and everything in it. For what purpose, I wonder? Were his subjects companions, or toys, or children? Such a mind seems unknowable.

The developer notes in the game also indicate that the Pale King wanted to get rid of other gods:

The moth tribe were (perhaps) descended from Radiance. However, the King convinced them somehow to seal Radiance away. I guess so he could rule Hallownest with his singular vision, as a monarch/god with no other gods.

The dev notes are not canon and it's clear that they were never intended to be seen by others. But I think there's something to be said at least for him attempting a "singular vision". Uniting Hallownest under one rule, portraying himself as creator, creating a certain order. Some more quotes:

Bardoon: For quiet retreat did I climb up here, away from spitting creatures. Ormmph... Yes. High up. Away from simple minds, lost to light. Theirs is a different kind of unity. Rejection of the Wyrm's attempt at order.

Mask Maker, reacting to Ghost having King's Brand: No bug has ever laid claim to this whole. Even the beasts knew their limits and bound their realm at Nest's edge. It is the ancient caste that made attempt at such vast rule. Hallownest's ruin reflects well those fared attempts.

I believe Mask Maker is referring to the Ancient Civilization having attempted to rule over all of Hallownest. There's a possibility they're referring to Hallownest under the Pale King, as "ancient" does not necessarily mean what fans call the Ancient Civilization (and indeed most instances of the word "ancient" refer to Hallownest under the Pale King). But "attempts" being in the plural, I think Mask Maker intends to draw a parallel here between the two civilizations.

Speaking of King's Brand...

I believe now this is the best symbol of the Pale King we have. His original symbol.

As I noted in my first post on Hallownest symbols, the Hallownest seal seems the most associated with the Pale King when it has the crown on it. And the few actual depictions of him, in statues, idols, and shrines, all have his crown, but lack wings. Save for the glowing silhouette of him in Ogrim's dream battle, there are no depictions of him with wings. He may lack wings entirely, or have some form of artificial wings.

In fact, I find it quite interesting how you can pick up monarch wings as an item.

They are described by the game as being made of "ethereal matter". The game manual calls them "wings of a monarchfly". It's possible that the Pale King had such wings as seen here, not part of his original body, but made somehow.

And, just to look at the symbols again...

If one were to superimpose the old Hallownest Seal from the time of the Ancient Civilization on top of the King's Brand, you'd get the current Hallownest Seal. Oval Bug body, wings, crown, and tail.

So, what I'm thinking, the impression that I'm getting....

The Pale King came to Hallownest. He saw all the evidence of the Ancient Civilization, which had already fallen. He took on bug form (which may have happened before or after he saw the symbol and other evidence of the ancient civ, but I have to wonder if witnessing Hallownest's history and symbols influenced even this decision to become small). He, for reasons beyond the purpose of this post, decided he wanted to rule Hallownest as king and "creator" (which again may or may not have been part of his decision to be reborn).

He established his kingdom. He took on aspects of preexisting Hallownest, essentially claiming the legacy of the Ancient Civilization as his own. He took on bug form, and gave himself wings, to match this old image, as if it was always about him.

He established his palace in the Ancient Basin. He had access to the Abyss, mostly closed off from the rest of the populace. He studied the void. But the bugs of the Ancient Civilization had a different attitude about void, as indicated by Lemm in the Hunter's Journal entry on the void idol:

Inspired or mad, those ancient bugs. They devoted their worship to no lord, or power, or strength, but to the very darkness itself.

The Pale King instead was worshipped as a god by his people. He instead treated the void as something to control. He studied it. He tested it. He created void constructs to guard his palace. He used it, to stake the future of his entire kingdom on.

I could go on and on about this. And I intend to. But this is as far as I will go in this post, meant to be an update to my last post on symbols. But, I already have a long post I put together months ago, didn't post, and just have to update with new thoughts. So hopefully, I'll be expanding on all the implications here for Hallownest history soon enough.

#hollow knight #hollow knight theory #hallownest #ancient civilization #pale king

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bluu3berry · 6 months

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fan theory

My fan theory on this was hornet and PK used to train a lot when younger, soon both growing the same attack moves copying one another, Hornet not having to train /that/ hard so she didn't grow up that much compared to her older sibling PK

She still trained a little which is how she grew and didn't just stay as a little buglit like ghost!

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Fan theory2 (edit)

Maybe they both trained with the pale king/ one of the knights of the pale king, it could still be training with one another but training with the same person makes sense!

But my fan theory of both still stands i think they trained together/ with the same person!

#fan theory #theory #hollow knight theory #hk theory #hornet theory #hornet #hollow knight #PK hk #hk #Pale vessel #Pure vessel #Hornet from hollow knight #Pale vessel from hollow knight #Pure vessel from hollow knight #Hk theory

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gamegirlx · 7 months

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i genuinly cannot be made at team cherry for taking this long for silksong

if not i am freaking thankful that silksong is taking this long

NOT ONLY because it means they're doing their best to make it the greatest game ever

but because of how long it's been taking, WHEN THE ACTUAL SILKSONG RELEASE DATE and THE ACTUAL GAME RELEASES

oh boy

all hell (a good kind) will break loose

and this hype will be a one of it's kind. a moment in history.

and honestly im thankful for the experience of waiting alone with this gat dayum amazing fandom.

(EDIT 9/20/23: what the frick is did unity do)

#hollow knight #silksong #HK #hk hornet #hollow knight hornet #silksong hornet #hornet silksong #hornet hollow knight #hollow knight rant #hollow knight theory #silksong theory #silksong rant

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ruthlesslistener · 2 months

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sometimes I wonder out of all of the tribes that do not have a higher being, only the mantises managed to not get infected.

The bees make sense why they succumbed, vespa was dead so they latched onto the next best thing. The mushrooms are a similar case.

But deepnest?

I feel deepnest also has a warrior culture and I feel that Herrah is a strong enough leader and has people who respect her enough that she could have pulled off a quarantine like the mantises- though I can see why a larger territory would become an issue

My only explanation is thar while deepnest valued strenght it also valued the arts, what with the weavers and whatnot. And with the arts and dreams being interlinked it made them rather susceptible to the infection.

What do you think?

I think that the reason why Deepnest fell is not because Herrah and her kin weren't strong enough, but because the Radiance specifically targeted them after Herrah chose to become a Dreamer. I think there's some dialogue in game hinting to it, iirc? But I could be misremembering, so don't take my word for it. Either way though, Herrah was essential to the plan that sealed away the Radiance, and so the Radiance retaliated as such. In terms of being involved in the war, they were pretty damn involved, and, well...that damned them

The mantises, on the other hand, stayed neutral during the entire fight. Sure, they might have had a treaty with Hallownest, but they were no means friendly with the residents. And given the fact that the Traitor Lord and his followers willingly took the Radiance's infection into themselves, its likely that Radi knew they were sympathetic to her cause/easy to manipulate and simply chose to bide her time so that she could maximize the amount of followers she got out of it. Better to have half of them come to her than to force compliance and lose the whole tribe

#random-tree-2-electric-oogaloo #hollow knight #hollow knight theory #hollow knight headcanon #i swear that lore is out there somewhere but i cannot for the life of me remember who mentioned deepnest was hit hard

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silverjayy6 · 8 months

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Proof Pale King didn't die because of Void:

1. There aren't any of the Void streaks under his eyes. If he were to have been killed by Void, he would be the only one to not have those streaks.

2. A whole Void lake was pacified by the light from a few Lumaflies. In life, Pale King is said to be so bright that it hurt to look at him. Far fetched to think he would not have been able to pacify the Void.

3. Void in gaseous state isn't harmful. Hornet and Ellina The Wanderer could both go the Abyss without any harm, which has a far greater concentration of gaseous Void than White Palace.

4. The Void was not unified. It would not have been able to attack a Higher Being without an actual plan. And seeing as it wasn't unified, it wouldn't have been able to do that.

5. Just how little Void there is in the Throne room in general. The Knight needed a lot more, and like an absolute ton more, to kill the Radiance. And then too, it was a fairly equal battle. So, even with Unified Void, it is incredibly hard to take down a Higher Being. What could a little bit of non-unified Void do to Pale King?

#hollow knight #hollow knight theory #higher beings #hk pale king

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progenycursed · 1 year

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Unpopular Take on Radiance

Spoiler warning for Hollow knight game.

I don’t think she’s the god of dreams. She’s the god of the old light and the moths. Nowhere in the game that I can find(and I have a lot of hours) is she called the god of dreams. Even in Godhome she is only called the “forgotten god of light.” If she anything, she is the god of the sun. When you start the fight with her, she is literally the sun in the sky.

I think the dream realm works kind of like the physical realm. Each god has a territory they lay claim to. The size depends on how many followers they have, which also effects their power level. For a physical god though, the dream realm wouldn’t be as important to them compared to a god whose entire being is within the dream realm.

In the game it is said that Radiance is ‘a higher being of light similar to essence,’ but she isn’t the only higher being of light, and all gods in the game have essence. The Pale King and White Lady both have white essence. His can be seen in the White Palace dream, his dream. Her’s can be seen in god home. Much like Unn’s whose green essence is floating all around her area in the pantheon. The nightmare heart has red essence. Even what’s left of the lifeblood god in the abyss has blue essence. I think essence is a trait of all higher beings of light, life, and memories.

Mini theory: I also believe that Pure Vessel has a form of essence. In their arena in Godhome, the particles floating in the air, some of its soul, some void, then there are the circles. The empty circles, almost like the dreamcatchers of essence, but with the inside gone. As if it was hollowed out… mini theory over.

But every dream you enter is hers! Yes, because she’s invading the dreams of all bugs. The reason the Hollow Knight plan was created in the first place. The plan that failed, allowing her to continue invading dreams. In fact, it’s stated in the slobbering husks journal entry, that ‘the harder you struggles against it, the more it consumed you.’ The bugs tried to repress her dream, so the dream manifested as the infection. She was set on invading every dream she could, one that she succeeded at by the time the game starts. Thus every dream you enter, is hers. She’s not the god of dreams, she just won the invasion and claimed all the territory. Plus, the tool you use to get into all dreams, is a tool created by the moths while they were still following her. It makes sense that the dream nail was made with her power, so everything it touches, has a little of her influence, her essence.

What of the moths influence over the dream realm? For whatever reason, Radiance lacks a physical from, so if she wanted to interact with her moths they would have to be able to enter her dream. Maybe that’s even why the dream nail was created. The moth tribe seems to have a lot of control over the dream realm, maybe because their possessive god preferred to keep them close. In fact, I believe that she may have tried her best to keep them in her dream almost completely. The moth tribes architecture suggests minimal interactions with the real world. And how they all seemingly abandoned her at once, suggests to me that they all realized at once that she wasn’t that great. Maybe she forcibly held them in the dream realm. If they were there most of the time, they would have a lot of influence and knowledge of the realm.

Like how the dream realm split long ago into nightmares. But it doesn’t say the split happened from Radiance’s dream, but the dream realm in general. Suggesting that higher beings come in two forms, benevolent dreams and malevolent nightmares. A culture that mostly resides in the dream realm, would be aware of the nightmare realm, a realm that might pose a serious threat to them. I don’t think the nightmare heart is Radiance sibling. I’m not even convinced that it has anything to do with her at all. It feeds off of the dying flames of a fallen civilization, that’s why its there. I’m not even convinced that the nightmare heart is THE god of nightmares, but A god of nightmares. But that’s a theory for another post.

If she was the god of dreams, then how could she have been forgotten? If she was the god of dreams, every bug in Hallownest would have entered her realm every time they sleep. It would have been impossible to forget her for this reason alone. But it is never mentioned that the bugs of Hallownest knew of her until after she started invading their dreams. She was only known to the moths until they abandoned her. If she was the god of dreams, that would throw SO many wrenches into the mosskin lore. The mosskin were created by Unn’s dream. But if Radiance is the god of dreams, how would that work? Do they classify as her people too? Did Unn take out a loan on the dream realm to make her people? If she was the god of dreams, why would she allow the Pale King to create a dream? A dream that he would have made while her infection was running rampant.

But what of the void being her ancient enemy? I think it’s her ancient enemy because she’s been in the area the longest. Or maybe because it consumed her real sibling and she thinks it’s trying to get her too? Which is a fair belief, but I think it’s because the void doesn’t like any higher being of light, or light in general. It somehow convinced the lighthouse keeper to turn off the light. Then took that chance to wrap its tendrils into the kingsmold armor in the palace grounds. Invaded the Pale Kings dreams, yet left all the people within and even the dream itself alone. Instead went straight for the throne room, melted all his void guards, and killed him. Filling the room that should be the brightest, and left void particles floating after it was done with him. The void even strikes out at vessels, because even though they are mostly void, they are still the offspring of two beings of light.

Mini hypothesis: What if all the giant bug bodies were other gods that came to the area? What if they all fell to the void? Hypothesis over.

TLDR: no where in the game is Radiance called the god of dreams. She just took over all the dreams because the Hollow Knight plan that was to stop her from doing this, failed. Her being the god of dreams doesn’t fit with other parts of the game lore including Unn’s mosskin, the Pale King’s white palace dream, and the essence of the other gods. She is just the spite filled old light and the creator of moths. Or in another mini theory, possible the godly embodiment of the sun itself, which might explain why the world of Hallownest lacks a sun.

#hollow knight #hollow knight radiance #hollow knight theory #radiance #radiance not the god of dreams #dream realm #higher beings #grimm is not her sibling #Unn #Pale King #hollow knight pale king #hollow knight white lady #hollow knight unn #hollow knight nightmare heart #nightmare heart #white lady

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littlebittyhollowbugs · 3 days

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another hk headcanon of ours, is that this in fact the black wrym, but the battle is not named after it as a being, rather as a place.

The theory is that the death of the black wyrm happened long before Ogrim was around, who we know was involved in this mysterious battle, but its body was being used as a war fortress at the time, and was central to the conflict that took place (probably between Hallownest and intruders coming in from the east.)

#hollow knight #Hollow knight headcanon #Hollow knight theory #Hk Ogrim #Battle of the black wyrm #Colosseum of fools #I feel like this might already be a popular? Theory?#But I've never seen anyone talk about #So I thought I would

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tonythr · 8 months

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Picking up Monarch Wings triggers Infected Crossroads and there is a lore reason for that

Another interesting fact that (in my opinion) is not talked about enough is that the Infection doesn't corrupt the crossroads after we take monarch wings just because it's a convenient point from a gameplay perspective to introduce the player to stronger enemies, or to show us the passage of time. It's because taking away the wings from that specific location directly affects the spread of the Infection.

In the game, we can clearly see how a specific segment of the Ancient Basin is overrun by the Infection. I'm talking about two big rooms in the western part of the Basin, one where we fight the Broken Vessel and the other where we encounter the Mawlurks. There is a third one near the Basin tram station of the lower line, but I assume it's just part of the same thing, just the Infection seeping through the ceiling of the main room. There is also the room that contains Monarch Wings, which is completely free of the Infection, but I'll get to it.

Those glowing bubbles and pulsing vines and orange clouds of fog are indicative of severe corruption by the Infection. Before Infected Crossroads, we see them only in special places (like the Glowing Womb aspid nest) where the Infection had a lot of opportunity to become gas, then liquid, then flesh for one reason or another (with the aspid nest that reason is probably the symbiotic relationship between aspids and the Infection itself, where the aspids act like carriers of the disease that help it spread).

And the western part of Basin is the most unique place in that sense, because, aside from the crossroads, it's the only place where 'that flesh came to life'. But what is the reason for that? Why don't we see those glowing blobs and lightseeds in any other part of the map, even though it's clear that even the most remote parts of Hallownest were influenced by the Infection? What is so unique about this part of the Basin?

It's the wind.

The picture doesn't show the vines and particles moving around that much, but anyone who played the game probably remembers that badass storm that we see and hear the moment we enter the room after the big spike tunnel. The orange glow of the Infection also makes its first appearance in this particular room (if we're talking about this specific part of the Basin, of course). That leads me to believe that the wind is somehow connected to the spread of the Infection in the confines of this area. And we already know why this wind is there in the first place.

The room where we pick up the Monarch Wings is the only one in this area that holds no sign of the Infection whatsoever. The wind in this room also feels much stronger, and it blows with a unique sound specifically near the Wings statue. But most importantly, it stops the moment the Knight consumes the Monarch Wings.

After that, the whole area actually becomes less infected. The changes are rather subtle, but visible.

Look:

LOOK:

And, despite the common misconception, it's consuming the Wings that serves as the in-game trigger that sets off the Infected Crossroads. You can literally kill BV without picking up the Wings, and then return to the Crossroads to see that it's still (relatively) uninfected. It's a solid proof that Monarch Wings and the wind that they create is what affects the spread of the Infection.

After we pick up the Wings, the Infectious mass partially leaves this part of the Basin and moves to the Crossroads, since that's when we see all those drastic changes. Now, that might give us some interesting implications about how the Infection actually works. Possibly, reuniting with its main source inside the Black Egg Temple gives it more power, resulting in total corruption of the Crossroads, since we see that Infected Crossroads has way more bubbles, lightseeds, vines etc. That actually leads me to believe that the Infection actually may have very specific physical limits, and that the total mass of the matter that it can create is finite and measurable (at least as long as the Sealed Vessel is still intact and holds the source of it inside itself).

Like, why doesn't it spread all throughout Hallownest even when the Seals are broken and the door is open? Even when the Hollow Knight is unchained, the Infection doesn't spread anywhere beyond the Crossroads, it stays exactly the way it was with only one Dreamer taken down or only Wings being picked up. So yeah, my theory here is that:

Picking up Wings and killing a Dreamer triggers the spread of the Infection in different ways (Wings lets another part of the Infection's mass give power to its main source, killing a Dreamer loosens the door's Seal and lets the Infection out), but ultimately leads to one result, that being Infected Crossroads.

The Infection doesn't spread past Crossroads because Hollow Knight, despite its failure, is still strong enough to hold it at bay.

The Infection operates like some kind of shapeless mass that can be gas, liquid, solid and sentient. It's basically a matter that holds a will (that will, of course, belongs to the Radiance).

That is why destroying the Infection (instead of sealing it away) was deemed impossible.

Although that leaves many questions about the Pale King and his relation to the Radiance. Did he know that the source of the Infection was his old pal Moth Goddess? Did he deliberately choose not to confront her, but instead try and seal her away? Was he stupid? Or did he have some secret internal motives?

...That is not exactly what this post is about. I would like to get back to the Wings thing now.

Another thing that led me to believe that it's that particular Infectious mass from Basin that corrupts the Crossroads after we pick up the Wings is the movement of the particles inside that part of Basin. Particularly, the Void particles. Before we pick up Wings, those particles follow the wind. After that, they start to slowly rise upwards, just like in the rest of the location. That gives us two interesting conclusions:

After we pick up Wings, the Basin Infection escapes upwards, eventually reaching Crossroads.

The Void that resides in Basin is also affected by the Monarch Wind.

By the way, another interesting fact: the orange fog that we see spreading throughout Infected Crossroads actually moves according to its position relative to the Black Egg Temple.

This means that Team Cherry does put deeper meaning into how they make background particles move, and it means that I'm not insane for reading this much into that! Yay!

Now, back to the Void being influenced by the Wind. Like I said, the part of the Void (which, probably, is also a matter that has its own mass, albeit maybe not as measurable) that resides in that part of Basin is also influenced by the Monarch Wind along with the Infection. It might imply that, like the Infection, the Void is trapped inside that area.

Or maybe it's not trapped. Maybe it just circulates there, so that something else can be trapped inside its currents. Ancient Basin is basically the Void's home, so I really doubt that whatever is going on in that area affects the overall condition of the Void as a whole. But we don't know that. What we DO know is that the Infection there is certainly trapped, unable to reunite with its source, being forced to slowly find ways to adapt, becoming gas, then liquid, then flesh, then reviving the corpse of the Knight's Lost Kin.

So what if that was the whole point?

Ok, we know that Pale King was looking for ways to fight off the Infection and eventually decided to harness the power of the Void to do so. He created Kingsmoulds, Wingsmoulds, probably experimented with the Void inside his workshop, eventually coming up with the idea of a Pure Vessel... But what if what we see in the Monarch Wings location is another part of his struggles to come up with a plan to lock up the Infection?

See, we KNOW that the Monarch Wings were Pale King's deal.

We know he wore one of those.

We know that those flies that (presumably) give the Knight those Wings are called the Monarch Flies (or rather Monarchflys? I dunno, I wouldn't trust those mushrooms on how to spell things).

And we also know that the Pale King has some connection to the wind.

So perhaps that area is a place where Pale King was trying to contain the Infection without trying to put it inside a live Vessel. Maybe it was the first prototype for his plan to see how the Void, being channeled with his monarch power, would keep the Infection at bay? Maybe there was another reason as to why that part of the Infection should have been sealed away?

Whatever it is, my overall theory is this:

The Monarch Wings contain some kind of power that is strongly connected to the Pale King. This power creates a magic Wind that makes the Void residing in Ancient Basin move and circulate, resulting in a part of the Infection (perhaps one of the remaining parts from the first time it started destroying Hallownest) being trapped in the area of that Wind's range, isolating it from the outside world and making it start to form gas clouds, liquid puddles, bubbles and lightseeds. Once the Knight removes the Wings, consuming them for its own purposes, the once trapped part of the Infection reunites with its main source at the Black Egg Temple. As a result, the Infection's will becomes stronger, and it starts corrupting nearby lands (although it's still being held back by the Sealed Vessel), creating what we know as Infected Crossroads.

Ok I'm actually done. I hope this is comprehensible enough to read and not too boring or too obvious. I just REALLY wanted to talk about it, since everything about this part of the game gives me chills.

#I love wind #Howling Cliffs is underrated #Hollow Knight #Hollow Knight theory #Hollow Knight lore #Monarch Wings #Infected Crossroads #Forgotten Crossroads #Ancient Basin #Broken Vessel #Lost Kin #Pure Vessel #The Hollow Knight #Pale King #The Radiance

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microwavingtoniii · 6 months

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Actually wait yeah Zote is a Nosk look at his puppet ass mouth

That is artificially made

And right here to the side?

Elderbug. One of few NPCs with a mouth. And his mouth does not resemble Zote’s at all. It’s 3 dimensional and protruding, it goes all the way down to his lower chin, as opposed to zotes that abruptly ends at the frontal part of the chin, and lastly elderbug’s could theoretically open or close. Zotes, however? Can’t move much. The game shows it doesn’t move foreward like elderbugs does so where else could it go to open or close? Down. Like pinnochio, like a nutcracker, like any old puppet. Artificially made dolls and toys, artificially made like the disguises of a Nosk

And there’s a lot more arguments for this theory but I just wanted to talk about zotes nutcracker lookin mouth here

#hk zote #zote #hollow knight #hollow knight zote #zote hollow knight #zote the mighty #Nosk #Zote is a Nosk #cogr #camouflage of great renown #theory #hollow knight theory #there’s probably like 20 inaccuracies in this post but I get to say I made this at like ten o clock if someone tries to tell me I’m wrong

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mebis-art-dump · 7 months

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Since y'all like these kinda posts, here's an elaboration following this post of mine

Basically, while clearly inspired by bug wings like that of dragonflies and beetles, the monarch wings are more like giant feathers structurally, but without the central quill (that we know of)

We can see the strands in both the king and vessels, with varying level of disarray

#hollow knight #pale king #hk pale king #hk vessel #hollow knight theory #speculative biology #hollow knight lore

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phantomgrape · 7 months

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GUYS

GUYS ITS SO FUCKING OBVIOUS WHAT HAPPENED TO GREENPATH VESSEL OH MY GOD.

EVERYONE WHO SAID HORNET DID IT IS WRONG AND HERE'S WHY.

Ok so. One of Greenpath Vessel's (Geep for short) most notable traits is that their nail is stabbed into them. Why would Hornet stab them with their own mail instead of her needle? That's right because she didn't do it.

But that begs the question, if Hornet didn't do it, then who did?

They did it to themselves.

Now that might sound absurd until you realize that there is AN EXTREMELY NOTABLE VESSEL THAT ALSO STABS THEMSELVES.

THATS RIGHT BABY ITS THE HOLLOW KNIGHT.

In conclusion, Geep is doing the EXACT. SAME. THING. That Hollow did. The only difference is that they were much weaker, and though were most definitely infected didn't have the ENTIRE SOURCE of it inside their head.

#hollow knight #theory #hollow knight theory #hollow knight headcanons #the hollow knight #hollow knight vessel #hollow knight greenpath vessel #greenpath #greenpath vessel #rambles

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rainbow-scarab · 1 year

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Symbols of Hallownest and its Royalty

(Edit: This post has been expanded upon, with new info and some revisions. Please see this expansion, though read this post first!)

In art and architecture, Hallownest has symbols representing the kingdom, the Pale King, and I would argue the White Lady as well as generic bugs.

(Note: This post has many images. If anything's unclear about what I'm referring to in the image, I have tried to put much description in the alt text of the images)

The most prominent symbol in the entire kingdom is the same one that can be seen in the Hallownest seal.

It can be found pretty much anywhere in game, from architecture, to tapestries, to the UI. Its most basic elements are the crown, the wings, and an oval body.

It has obvious relation to the Pale King. He is at the top of the Kingdom’s hierarchy. Though the Queen’s role in the Kingdom is a bit uncertain, it is clear the Pale King is spoken of much more frequently, and it is him who the citizens of Hallownest seem to focus on.

It hardly needs saying the crown on top of the symbol is the Pale King’s. Also, the Pale King may be seen to have wings in the White Defender fight.

However, there are many symbols in the game that don’t look exactly like this. Many times, you find something similar, but it will be missing the wings, or missing the crown. Or both. You also can find variants where the top of the symbol has a single spike.

Lemm describes Hallownest Seals like this:

These ornate seals were the official symbols of the King and his Knights, and were treasured by those who carried them.

As you sell him the seals, he chooses to speak of the Great Knights of the kingdom, rather than the king. The impression I get, then, is that the seals are less a direct representation of the Pale King as much as they are of Hallownest itself, or at least the upper levels of government. Of course, the design of the symbol must be at least in part based upon the physical traits of the Pale King, with that crown he has…it’s just that as a symbol it represents a bit more than that.

We do have direct representations of him, though. Lemm says of the King’s Idols:

An icon of Hallownest's King, who was revered as both a god and a ruler.

He says that the idols were for worship, and that each idol was personalized for their owner. He says “Depictions are of an imposing, gleaming figure and a fiercely horned crown.” He also speaks of the White Palace. In other words, unsurprisingly, the idols are just about the king, and not so much other things.

This figure does not have wings. And in fact, neither do the few statues that can be found of him.

In fact, besides Ogrim’s memory, there are no views of him with wings. His body, alive and dead, has nothing that can be easily identified as wings.

I’m not exactly setting out here to answer questions about if and how he has wings though. Just focusing on the relevance to the symbols.

I do get the impression, even if the more direct representations of him lack wings, that the instances of the symbol with both crown and wings are still supposed to be based off of him. A ruler often represents more than just themself, for instance, in the real world, a ruler may speak with the royal we. And for someone who is king, founder of the kingdom, god worshipped by the citizens, and even said to have created the world…the Pale King and the Kingdom of Hallownest are strongly linked together.

There’s one more detail that sometimes shows up. There’s often a spike at the bottom of the symbol. I have wondered if perhaps it’s a tail of some kind. The king being a wyrm…well, he certainly had a long body, and possibly even still in his small form, under his robes.

There are also a few cases where there’s a sorta head shape and not just a crown. This is true of the save symbol. On these tapestries, I wondered for a moment if the shape enclosing the symbol was like…some long wyrm body. Perhaps in the way that his current body was born out of that giant body. But that is pure pure speculation—there’s really not evidence for such.

There are also cases where there are no wings, and no crown. Just an oval, with lines across it. Actually, this is very very common. It can be seen just about everywhere. In fences, for instance…so many fences. The shape of the windows too, as can be seen from the outside of buildings in the City of Tears.

Had tumblr no image limit, I would spam so many pictures. But since there is, I want to highlight a certain subset of these ovals appearing.

There are a few instances where the full Hallownest seal is alongside an oval on its own. In most cases, it is the full symbol above, and the oval below. I got to wondering if the oval is a generic symbol for bug. As it turns out, what you might call “generic Hallownest bugs”, the kind you find in places like Crossroads or the City of Tears, tend to have this sort of body shape. Quirrel as well.

I wonder if this configuration is a bit of extended symbology for Hallownest. The kingdom/king above, and average bug below.

As I was looking through the game, I found more variations built off of this lined oval. Many of them are in the City of Tears, on the rich side of the city. Though I'm not sure if many of those have particular significance...extra embellishments just to be fancy.

More importantly, I kept finding these variants in the image above. We have these types, in two different sizes, that have flowery embellishment around the ovals. We also have one symbol here that is similarly flowery, but does not have this bug oval in the center.

These particular symbols can be found throughout Hallownest. I have found them in areas such as near the city storerooms, in the Stag Nest, or near the bench where you find Quirrel in the City. They’re also all throughout Queen’s Gardens.

Besides this gate marking its entrance from Fog Canyon, Queen’s Gardens does not have the Hallownest seal anywhere within it. We have either the plain bug ovals, or the flowery symbols without ovals.

I’d like to say that these flowery symbols are symbols of the White Lady. She herself is not particularly flowery looking. She is called Root, and she looks the part. But of course roots are associated with plants, and she clearly loves them.

Greenpath is also full of plants, Unn having turned the land green. Queen’s Gardens used to be a part of Greenpath. But the architecture in the Gardens is clearly Hallownestian, and not something from the mosskin.

Either these symbols represent the queen directly, or they may have a parallel with the Hallownest seals: symbolizing everything that comes with a queenship, the power and role in relation to Hallownest.

These symbols may often lack the bug oval in the center as well because…well. The Pale King changed his form to be more bug-like. The White Lady did not. In this view, the flowery symbols with the bug oval in the center are the more odd ones.

This architecture may also be found in this one room in Fungal Wastes, where there are two shrumal ogres. Clearly a smaller garden as you might find in Queen’s Gardens. …. Okay this isn’t very important, I just find it a neat detail XD

The Queen for whatever reason does not have statues. There is no reference to her being worshipped by the people (discounting Godseeker). In development, there used to be a statue of her alongside her husband (and broken statue of the Hollow Knight). This was replaced by the time the game came out, with a more abstract shrine to the Pale King (as symbolized by his crown). There are also soul totems in the White Palace which I’ve heard people interpret both as the Pale King and the White Lady. In truth, it doesn’t really look like either of them. Maybe a bit more like their concept art, a bit more like those old statues. But in any case, it does not look like the current versions of the two royals.

If these flowery symbols do represent the queen, it would be one of the few things that reference her as being part of the kingdom in an official capacity, beyond the places named after her. Having some sort of official significance, beyond just “the king’s wife”, acknowledged through symbols.

Lastly, the fountain, the memorial to the Hollow Knight.

The Hollow Knight has at their feet four spikes coming up going around their body. This must be representative of the Pale King (his crown always being depicted with four spikes) (presumably yes there are more from the back view of this fountain but hey, the Pale King also in actuality has eight spiked horns XD). They’re also standing on what seems to be shaped like a flower, and the next level down from that is either a larger flower, or leaves. I can’t help but think that those aspects have to do with the White Lady.

Anyway.

If anything, I hope all this shows something about the relationship between the Kingdom of Hallownest, its two monarchs, and the average bug.

Edit: Please see my continuation of all this for new info and some revisions.

#hollow knight #hollow knight theory #the pale king #the white lady

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