#this trailer pixelates like nothing I've ever seen

[icedcaramelcake]

Overanalyzing hollow knight characters episode 1: Hornet

Hi I don't know how to write intros but I've had SO MANY THOUGHTS about this game for the longest time and with the encouragement of my friend I'm here to dump them on this wonderful website! This is the first of hopefully multiple posts in this style with hopefully different characters and hopefully different games or shows I enjoy.

DISCLAIMER(s)!!

1. There will (obviously) be spoilers in this, if you haven't at least watched a summary and/or don't want to be spoiled I highly recommend clicking off and coming back later when you're up to date!

2. English is not my first language and I am slightly dyslexic AND I tend to ramble so I'm sorry if any of that shines through, I'll do my best to reread and cut out unnecessary parts but some might slip through so I apologize in advance.

3. I tend to read into characters wayyy too much, especially characters I like, so some of this might tread into headcanon territory even though I'll have a headcanon section at the bottom for that. Also I consume way too much fan media so that might skew my view on things too.

And last but not least 4. REMEMBER this is 100% my opinion, not law. This is just how I interpreted the character's overall arc and it's by no means canon, I'm just sharing my silly little thoughts on silly little fictional pixels on my screen, I'd love to hear what you think or if you want to add onto anything I said!

With all that out of the way let's start with probably my favorite character in this entire game, Hornet! <3

When I first got introduced to Hollow Knight it was through some challenge videos I believe, I heard of the game before but it didn't seem like something I would be interested in (spoiler alert I was wrong). As I kept diving down the rabbit hole I found myself getting more and more fascinated with the lore and especially with Hornet but it wasn't until my own playthrough that I crowned her as my favorite.

On the surface Hornet already has a lot of traits I really enjoy in a character. She can be sassy (as shown in the Silksong trailers which fdjhkfdjhksjkfd yes), she can be cold but she can also show kindness and gentleness every now and then.

Being the daughter of the Pale King but not ever receiving royal treatment from the bugs of Hallownest, having Deepnest's queen as her mother but being forced to leave her home due to the infection and never having a parental figure besides...Midwife...if you can count her as "motherly", all these shaped her into a powerful, agile but most of all determined bug that wants to get rid of the Radiance for good even though she's aware she doesn't have the means for it.

Her meeting the player character (who I'll call little knight for the rest of this post for the sake of simplicity + it's cute) is completely by chance, might be her first chance at "recruiting" a vessel in years, she has no way of knowing if she'll ever have this chance again. This might be her only shot at protecting the kingdom and her home, uncovering its secrets, basically fulfilling her life's goal! What will she do??? Befriend it, help it and defeat the Radiance with the power of friendship????????

Of course not, you've played this game you know exactly what happened.

Hornet attacks the little knight with little to no hesitation with OBVIOUS intent to kill (see: the dead vessel that's literally in the arena) despite this being a massive risk. She's dedicated, she knows that if the vessel is too weak nothing will work, she puts her desire to quickly solve the problem behind her and does what she thinks is best for the kingdom, trying to see if the vessel is strong enough to not only replace the Hollow Knight, but maybe even destroy the infection. She's been at this for so long, she has probably killed or seen so many other vessels getting killed and she knows they're not infinite but she still takes the risk and thinks of a farther future.

As the game progresses, her attitude slowly changes. While she never outright states this as far as I know, she doesn't treat the little knight as her sibling, downright pitying it for its heritage. But I think she starts to sympathize for it. They have the same goal, and while Hornet maybe thought she would be the one to save Hallownest, she sees why that would never happen. So she starts to guide the knight, helping where she can in her own distant way.

She starts being more open, less formal and while she never fully lets her walls down, her dreamnail dialogue from right before the true ending Hollow Knight fight show her being hopeful. She doesn't outright say it but I know for a fact (I'm speculating) that no matter what would happen she would accept her fight with the infection being over, she would be thankful for the little knight and dare I say proud (let me have this it was the only thing I could think of while watching the true ending cutscene ueueueueue).

Besides the in game playable lore I wanna touch on something I noticed while staring at her wiki for the 7381297th time today, and that is how Hornet has a piece of every "region" with her (at least mentally) if you squint. This is rllllllly iffy but I thought it was poetic and this is mY POST AND I GET TO WRITE WHAT I WANT DAMMIT.

Anyway

She has a piece of deepnest, kingdom's edge, city of tears and crossroads + greenpath + queen's gardens through Herrah (her mother), Vespa (who she was trained by), the Pale King (her father) and the White Lady who isn't explicitly said to have met Hornet but she knew of her existence and of the Pale King's... liaison for lack of a better word. I'd like to think she was part of Hornet's childhood if only for a little bit because i think it's cute and it has no lore evidence besides something Team Cherry said on their kickstarter

Anyway this is getting dangerously close to headcanon territory so I should probably summarize all this lmao.

Overall, Hornet relies on herself. She's independent, she's motivated, she's strong, she's everything you'd expect from a perfect princess. But she's also sassy, she takes risks, she has growth and passion and wants to help and do her part. I love her sm. She is an ice princess but the ice can help protect small critters from the harsh winds of winter.

FROM HERE ON OUT I'LL START RANTING ABOUT MY HCS SO IF YOU DON'T CARE ABT THEM TY FOR READING THIS FAR ILY HAVE A GREAT DAY <3

This. This entire video was the reason I wanted to make this. GOD. G O D. I KNOW IT HAS NO WAY OF BEING CANON BUT I ADORE IT???

Most of my hcs are gonna stem from this video so yeah watch it and like it and give it all the love it deserves.

I'd like to think that the Hollow Knight was some of the only family she had, even if it was only for a brief period of time. I'd like to think that one of the main reasons she wanted to get rid of the infection early on was to save her big brother. But as she grew up she realized that wouldn't be possible anymore. I think that was her tipping point, the thing that made her into the Hornet we know today.

I'd like to think that at the start she saw the vessels as pieces of her, potential siblings that could help her get her family back, that they could all be one big family. She loses that hope quickly until the little knight comes along. As she watches it walk around, discover the world with one goal in mind, she can't help but see herself when she was younger. She knows it won't make it out of this alive no matter what it does but she isn't sad. She knows this is what is supposed to be done. She knows that they'll be free of their cursed life once the fight is over. That doesn't mean she wants that. She tries to deny it but it can get lonely.

In the sealed sibling ending I'd like to think she feels guilty for becoming a dreamer but she knows she chose this path and she only hopes her mother can forgive her for it.

In the embrace the void ending when she readies her nail to fight the Hollow Knight I'd like to think some part of her is happy that it's alive, but she knows it's not the same as it was before.

I have more but I've been typing for an hour and my brain hurts and I can't think of them rn but I hope you enjoyed reading this! Lmk if you have any other ideas and I'll see you again when I have too much time on my hands<3

#silksong hornet #hornet #hollow knight hornet #hollow knight #i love hornet so much yall dont understand #silksong #Youtube