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tonythr · 6 months

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Sometimes you are so sad you turn into a game construct, and that's ok

Part of the reason I love Hollow Knight is that you never know when a certain phenomenon is a part of the game's actual lore or simply a gameplay convenience, but most of the time it's up to you to decide anyway. Like, yeah, I know that looking too much into what should be just a game mechanic and/or a simple animation effect makes you more of a clown than a lore master, but, honestly, at this point the entire fandom wears rainbow wigs and squeaky red noses in order to forget about the pain of no Silksong, so no one has the right to stop me from having fun with some observations I made and how they might be intentional lore pieces. So yeah, what I'm trying to say is that this theory might be a bit of a stretch, but I think it's neat, so I'm gonna post it anyway.

Now, here's the question: what do you think these two have in common?

Both are very sad because they lost someone who was close to them.

2. Both give the Knight a Mask Shard when they die.

My theory here is that these two things are connected.

Now, Mask Shards are weird, lore-wise. The locations where they are found don't always... make much sense. Like ok, aside from the two that I mentioned above, we have ones that are found on top of ancient black statues — this implies that those shards are connected to (and probably were made by) the Ancient Civilisation.

We also have some shards that we get from various NPCs (Sly, Bretta, Seer) — those also make sense, since there's nothing wrong with those weird bugs possessing some ancient artifacts. But then we have Mask Shards that just kinda... float there.

No ancient pedestals. No reason to suggest someone actually owned them. No reason for them to be there aside from the game wanting to reward the player for something.

This is also true for some of the Vessel Fragments.

Although the fountain one is exceptional. The fragment is actually a part of the Pale King's statue, but it detaches once the needed amount of geo is reached. It looks like this statue actually 'gives' it to the Knight once it puts enough geo in the fountain. It could be something that has to do with PK's magic, or with the whole 'sacrifice' theme that's going on with him. Anyway, it's not hard to come up with an explanation for how that one works. What is more interesting is how these shards and fragments are created.

Because apparently this mf can just materialize them out of thin air.

Now, I KNOW this is probably just a nice animation to emphasize how cool of an award a mask shard is, but it also wouldn't be much of a stretch to say that what happens here is Grubfather actually manipulating Soul to create this shard for the Knight. I mean, Grubs do possess some sort of 'holy strength' that was never properly explained to us (that's why I'm hoping to see some grubs in Silksong), and one of the two charms created from their power is something that straight-up gives the Knight extra Soul. If we don't count the Shaman charms, which were used only to extract and use Soul more efficiently, the only other charm that does that is Kingsoul, the embodiment of the union between two Pale Beings. So yeah, the Grubs are totally OP, and Grubfather probably does create a Mask Shard out of Soul here.

Which only proves the fact that both Mask Shards and Vessel Fragments are made out of Soul. I mean, come on, the Knight literally consumes them just like it consumes each of the spells and the Soul of its enemies, AND it takes Soul to restore broken masks. I think it's safe to assume that those ancient masks that the Knight is using to strengthen its shell are made out of Soul, or at least some material that is heavily tied to Soul in some way.

Another fact is that those masks and vessels have big connections to the Ancient Civilisation. Aside from the obvious things like the fragment/shard statues that I mentioned earlier having clear similarities to the Soul totems, there's this whole thing with the engravings on those masks and vessels having a bunch of connections with magical secrets of the Ancient Civilisation...

What I'm getting at here is that the bugs of the Ancient Civilisation probably knew the secrets of manipulating Soul and used those secrets to create masks (for protection) and Soul Vessels (for containing Soul), as well as Soul Totems. It means there is a way a Mask can be created out of Soul, aside from what we see the Knight do when it heals (which is an interesting process, btw - when a mask breaks, the Knight can restore it using Soul, but it can't create new masks to have infinite HP, so the masks it collects must have unique properties that prevent them from being completely destroyed and instead allow them to be recovered after breaking). And maybe that process was already shown to us.

Ok, now I'm actually talking about my theory again. See, the reason I think there's more to these two moments than just a simple reward being given to us by the game is because there's some overlapping philosophical (symbolical?) motifs that connect Brooding Mawlek and Grey Mourner AND possibly give us a glimpse into the secrets of Soul discovered by the Ancient Civilisation. I'm talking about what Soul itself might represent as a sorta metaphysical concept (I don't know how to say that properly... Just bear with me pls).

In the world of Hollow Knight, there are many philosophical concepts that give depth to the nature of various in-world phenomenons. For example, the Void is heavily tied to regrets, perhaps dark memories that keep us from moving forward. That's why it makes sense that, ultimately, Pale King faced his demise at the hands of the Void - he sacrificed thousands of his own children in order to save Hallownest and failed anyway, so there is no way he could avoid (pun intended) being overwhelmed by his regrets about this whole thing.

The Soul is the power that contrasts the Void.

It's implied by Jiji that, when the Knight leaves behind its Shade, it starts to drain *hope* from it.

This line was probably left there to explain this game mechanic:

When the Knight dies, it can no longer fill its Soul meter to the full, until it finds and defeats its Shade. This implies that Soul represents *hope* in contrast to the Void representing regrets.

If we accept this assumption, we can see that it makes sense how:

The White Palace is shown as a beautiful, calm, hopeful place despite it being filled with thorns and sawblades (that might or might not be a metaphor for the PK's pain of trying to hide his mistakes and regrets).

The shamans' dying thoughts are often their last hopes of being free, being heard etc.

The Soul is literally what gives the bugs' bodies the energy to move.

I feel soulless when I wake up at 7 a.m.

All things considered, it's easy to see how Soul is something that might represent such things as hope, motivation, faith - all those feelings that make a person feel whole.

And when the fate forces someone into situations where those things are lost, their inner self breaks. When something separates us from our loved ones for a whole eternity, leaving us as lonely, empty shells of our former selves, our soul hardens.

We already know that masks in this game directly correspond to the person's self, their ability to define themselves as who they are. A mask is literally the core of the person's mind.

And when a person breaks, when their hope becomes eternal sadness, when the essence that animates their body becomes a solid rock, their mind shatters, leaving only a single shard of what should have been a whole mask.

Perhaps, something like that also happened to the bugs of the Ancient Civilisation? Or maybe they found a way to control that sadness, just like they found a way to manipulate the power of regrets? They look like a bunch of cool goth bugs, so I wouldn't be surprised if that was their thing.

TL;DR: ancient masks that the Knight uses are made out of Soul, and Soul is a power that represents hope. When a person experiences a feeling of strong loneliness and hopelessness, their mind literally breaks, and their Soul literally hardens, resulting in the creation of Mask Shards. The bugs of the Ancient Civilisation might have known this.

Kinda edgy.

I like it.

#hollow knight #hollow knight theory #hollow knight lore #silksong #grey mourner #brooding mawlek #grubfather #mysterious ze'mer #hollow knight ancient civilization #hollow knight masks lore

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sagefauna · 11 months

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Aaaah I love your dreamer interp!

Can I possibly ask you for Ze'mer? She's one of my favorites and I love the idea of her tending a garden of the flowers 🌺

Ahh it's been so long since I've responded to one of these! Thx for the suggestion, and I offer a quick little drawing as a result! :D

#hollow knight #digital art #hollow knight fanart #hk fanart #ze'mer #hk zemer #grey mourner

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schmorporatefool · 6 months

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Hollow Knight Major Arkana, Pt. 2/?

Pt. 1 here

Quirrel's card is probably my favourite so far. I love that little guy

#hk #hollow knight #hk fanart #quirrel #hk quirrel #grey mourner #ze'mer #traitor's child #hornet #hk hornet #tarot #major arc #silksong #hollow knight tarot

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wyrm-with-a-why · 7 months

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You want a Megop au with weird plot I’ll give you a Megop au with weird plot(no one asked)

Ok so it’s Tfa and his repair crew gets scattered by the space bridge explosion and end up on earths moon. On the dark side of it they find a shipwreck so they investigate, cautious and slow. As they enter they notice there’s a weird amount of white flowers somehow growing from nothing all along the walls. Whatever, they continue. Into a specific chamber they go and there’s a corpse in there, sitting on its knees, head slumped forward. It’s Megatron, Optimus recognizes the frame from his history videos. Flowers cover his what looks like dead body. Then as the bots get closer he sits up a bit. His eyes are dull and hopeless. The Autobots freak out and run. Megatron’s sigh is heard echoing through the ship, hopeless and exhausted. Everyone’s back on the ship but eventually Optimus feels the overwhelming curiosity to see Megatron again. He had questions. So he heads back into the shipwreck when no one’s looking and approaches Megatron slowly. He was intimidated for sure but Megatron didn’t seem as intimidating in such a sad state. Megatron senses him enter and sighs and looks up. His eyes go wide with sorrowful horror. He cries out in pure grief. To Megatron, Optimus reminds him too much of his deceased sparkbond. Kiloton

Megatron’s grief is like an infection. It spreads rapidly like a shockwave. Soon, Optimus is feeling a terrible sparkache and he can feel himself crying. He can’t understand the grief but he’s just so sad, as if he’s lost someone. Megatron is hunched more now as tears fall which causes his body to shake as he sobs, and his tears are mirrored to everyone affected by his overwhelming grief.

Optimus wants to help because Optimus is the goodest boy. He doesn’t understand Megatron’s sorrow but will try.

And the story may dramatically unfold. Optimus sort of being like therapy to the absolutely shattered Mech. Then bam, he catches feelings when Megatron musters the strength to leave the room he’s been rusting away in.

This will be continued more often istg I kinda like it. But I’m sleepy. Also, this au will be called Mourner Megatron and is inspired by Hollow Knights grey mourner.

I’ll probably make more storyline and little scenarios to come. But I need sleep

#megatron #Optimus #optimus prime #tfa megop #tfa megatron #tfa optimus prime #Megop #megaop #Megatron angst #stupid au #Megop au #kiloton #he’s mentioned shush #kilotron #mentioned character death #to be continued #grey mourner #Mourner Megatron

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videogame-brainwyrms · 3 months

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#hollow knight #dung defender #ogrim #grey mourner #ze’mer #dryya #hegemol #isma #idk just thinking

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g0at0ad · 10 months

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HOLLOW KNIGHT TIERLIST: NPC HUGGABILITY

remember 100 years ago when i made an npc huggability tierlist for hollow knight that i never finished? well here’s the final version! this time we’re starting from the bottom rather than the top.

#42. midwife

hornet can probably attest to how creepy midwife’s hugs are. she uses her many tiny skittering arms to pull you in, whether you like it or not. there’s a 50/50 chance that she’s just going to eat you. 0/10, would not recommend.

#41. leg eater

he’ll probably make you pay to hug him, and it won’t even be a good hug! his bony, sharp limbs will dig into your back, and his disgusting smelling breath will blow under your ear as he giggles ominously, making you shiver uncomfortably. all around a bad experience, but there’s little chance of him eating you so he goes ahead of midwife.

#40. snail shaman

i love you snail shaman, but slimy hugs are a NO GO. if he wasn’t slimy, the hug would be perfectly pleasant! but as it stands, a hug with the shaman would leave you covered in sticky snail slime. gross and uncomfortable. sorry dude. originally waffled on snail shaman and leg eater’s placement, but in the end decided that slime can be washed off, but nightmares can’t.

#39. godseeker

no arms to hug with, and will probably be very resistant to a hug.

#38. little fool

also no arms to hug with, but they’ll appreciate it!

#37. mister mushroom

mister mushroom

#36. steel soul jinn

unfortunately, jinn is covered in, well, steel. hugging her would be cold and very uncomfortable. she does not have much experience with hugs, and her metallic arms willy very rigidly wrap around you in an awkward way. she won’t know when to end the hug so you will have to tell her.

#35. tuk

tuk lives in the sewers and thus is very unsanitary, and also likely has bad breath due to all the rotten eggs she consumes. sanitary issues aside, she’s also pretty antisocial and reluctant to hugs. not a bad hugger though, taking into account the purely technical side. very big, so her hug will envelop you.

#34. fluke hermit

similar problems to tukk in that she lives in the sewers and likely isn’t very sanitary. also probably doesn’t have much experience in hugs, but hypothetically due to her squishiness would be very fun to squeeze.

#33. dung defender/ogrim

i am SO sorry ogrim, you’re one of my favourites, but i would not hug a man covered in shit. if you were not covered in shit, you would be near the top, but alas. you are covered in shit. hypothetically, a non shitty hug would have ogrim picking you up, swinging you around, and then squeezing you to his chest. he’s very enthusiastic about it. 3/10, take a shower dude.

#32. willoh

look, no one likes willoh, but if they don’t decide to eat you, their hugs aren’t actually that bad! imagine hugging a giraffe. doesn’t that sound nice?

#31. divine

a little less creepy than leg eater! also probably more sanitary! you might have to go on your tippy toes and wrap your arms around her neck and bury your face in her ruff. her claws might be a little uncomfortable around your back, but the hug wouldn’t be too terrible.

#30. confessor jiji

her breath’s very stinky, but if you don’t breathe in through your nose, it won’t be too bad! has very long arms that could probably double wrap around you. might rifle around in your pockets to see if you have a rotten egg.

#29. the hunter

extremely large and bony, but a surprisingly good hugger. long arms will wrap you in a hug, and you’ll be forced to shove your face in a bunch of leaves, but the hug is secure and makes you feel safe. then he follows it up by explaining how he uses a similar technique to strangle his victims, and you feel decidedly less safe.

#28. the hollow knight

it’s quick, you have to get in their mind to defeat the infection, but you spare a moment to wrap your hands around their neck as they struggle under hornet’s needle. you can’t tell, but they seem to relax a little. you’re hurt, and it’s hot, and they can’t hug you back, and it’s over too soon. but you will treasure this.

#27. tiso

very, very difficult to get him to hug you. he only way to get him to hug you is to challenge his ability to hug and mock him if he refuses, telling him that even elderbug is better at hugging than him. tiso will pick you up and squeeze you as tight as possible. you may lose a life from this. his armor is heavy and cold, but you appreciate his effort.

#26. zote

grumbles and complains about the offer, but ultimately needs the hug WAY more than you do, and might secretly cry a bit. hug lasts a little too long, but you won’t mention it because it looks like the guy really needed a moment. he pulls away discreetly wiping his eyes and stubbornly says that he won’t ever hug you again because you’re terrible at it.

#25. salubra

has a great big squishy hug, but it’s one of those hugs you might get from a grandparent or distant aunt that lasts just a bit too long and is just a bit too tight. she ends it by giving you a great big wet kiss that you didn’t ask her. still, it’s very enthusiastic and warm and loving.

#24. millibelle

i hate her. you hate her. we all hate her. that said, from a purely objective lense, she’s a pretty good hugger. it’s nothing too special, but she’s gentle and sweet about it, and it’s all around a good experience. there’s a non-zero chance of her pickpocketing you, though.

#23. eternal emilita

if you ignore her eternal laughter, it’s not a bad hug! doesn’t last too long, but it’s a perfectly fine, normal hug that you’d get from a friend. a friend who laughs about everyone being dead.

#22. grimm

chuckles ominously, but agrees to give you a hug. it’s pretty good, actually. very warm. a little too warm, actually. it has to be over sooner than you’d like because of how hot it is, but he pats you on the head and disappears.

#21. white lady

also does not have arms, but there’s something about sitting in your mother’s lap that makes you feel safe and loved, despite everything she’s done to you. later you will curse her for what she did to you and your siblings, but when you sit in her lap as she hums a lullaby, it’s very hard not to forgive her.

#20. mask maker

so many arms to hug you with!

#19. oro

you’ll have to pay him, and he’s very reluctant about it, but he’s actually a very good hugger, and you can tell he misses hugging someone. it ends too soon and he scoffs at you to leave. you know he liked it, though. you can tell by the flower he put in a vase.

18. grubfather

very short and stubby arms that can’t exactly hug you, but he’s very squishy and pleasant to squeeze.

#17. bardoon

it’s a little difficult to hug someone so big, but he appreciates the effort! his very big yet stubby arms will pull you in, and it’s like hugging an enormous pillow.

#16. relic seeker lemm

he’s reluctant and suspicious about it, probably worried that this is a ploy to steal his stuff. but once he agrees to it, it’s a pretty good hug! his beard is soft and lovely and he’ll give you an awkward pat on the back.

#15. hornet

part of what’s great about hugging hornet is that it’s an achievement. it’s very hard to hug hornet. she’s very fast and antisocial and will turn her nose up at any sign of casual affection. that said, if you earn her trust enough to get a hug from her, her muscles will relax in a way they haven’t for a very long time. the hug is quick, just a few moments, but long enough for you to catch how she sags with relief after not being hugged for many years.

#14. grey mourner

she’s wreathed in soft, flowing silks, and her hug is very gentle. maybe a little too gentle, but it’s very nice nonetheless. she might weep softly, and then you might weep too, and you’ll cry together, shrouded in silvery silks, and she appreciates this one bit of physical affection she hasn’t had since her fiance died.

#13. iselda

she laughs and easily agrees to give you a hug. she’s tall, and has to lean down so you can wrap your arms around her neck. it’s a gentle hug, and she ends it by giving you a pat on the head.

#12. sly

very small little grandpa. pick him up like a teddy bear!

#11. myla

also very small, but is much more enthusiastic about the hug. she has such a sweet giggle. you cry a little. maybe you can save her this time.

#10. cornifer

he’s a little distracted so he won’t see your request at first, but he’ll gladly give you a hug! it’s a perfect hug, not too tight, not too long.

#9. nymm

puts down his accordian and goes down on one knee to give you a warm, friendly hug. your face gets buried in his ruff. he’s happy, and you know that you did the right thing.

#8. bretta

she’s a little flustered and nervous about it, but the hug she gives you is warm and squishy and lovely. she blushes, and perhaps it lasts too long, but it’s such a nice hug that you don’t care.

#7. sheo

he squeezes you tightly, and it’s a lovely hug, but once he steps away you realize there you’re covered in paint stains! what a mess.

#6. old stag

also can’t hug you back, but he’s very grateful for the attempt. you reach up to wrap your arms around his neck, and he’s so fluffy you can’t help but stroke his fur.

#5. nailsmith

winner of the beard award! best beard! he’ll gladly give you a hug, thanking you for not killing him. he’s a lot happier than he used to be, and you’re happy for him.

#4. elderbug

a perfect old grandpa hug. he tears up a little at the offer, and squeezes you tightly. rubs circles into your back. you’re a little sad when it’s over.

#3. seer

a perfect old grandma hug. she’s soft and feathery, and smells like dust, but it’s such a lovely hug.

#2. quirrel

look, i just really like quirrel. he picks you up and squeezes you tightly, and it’s like seeing an old friend you haven’t spoken to in a while. he laughs joyfully. you don’t want to let him go. maybe you can make this moment last forever. maybe he won’t leave.

#1. mato

possibly the best hugger there has ever been. he enjoys it more than he enjoys nailfighting. he picks you up, swings you around one time, and squeezes you tightly, your face squishing against his cheek. he laughs like he hasn’t hugged you in years, but you saw him earlier today.

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