1:19:16 Ironically, the friends we made along the way is actually the main argument against the knight being hollow. Nosk is implied to take the form of people that its prey care about, and winged nosk takes the form of hornet- implying that the knight cares about hornet and has emotions. If caring for the pale king is what made the hollow knight fail, caring for hornet would make the knight fail
I've also heard the theory that the Hollow Knight knew it was part of a plan to save Hallownest, and its desire to protect the kingdom led to its failure. If you interpret that the Knight knowingly made the same choice, that could be another indication that it isn't hollow either.
Don't forget the fact that the Knight is in love with Zote. I'm not joking. See, some characters have titles that change along the playthrough, based on the Knight's view of them. For instance, Millibelle the Banker becoming Millibelle the Thief once the Knight finds her in the hot springs; Broken Vessel becoming Lost Kin after the Knight recognizes it as one of its kind, etc. Well, same thing happens every time you re-fight Grey Prince Zote, he gets a new compliment added to his introduction. If you put two and two together, you can clearly see that the Knight is more... emotional, than you'd initially think it is.
@@MetaFanWing On the contrary, actually. If that was the case, it wouldn't make sense for Zote to get more fancy titles the more you fight him, since Bretta starts to question if he's all that much after he loses the first time.
I really like the theory that the White Lady binding herself wasn't just with those ropes or whatever they are, but that the whole form we see her use in-game is the "binding". After all, the Pale King drastically changed his form, so why not the White Lady?
100% agree! I don't think that's her true form but more her 'punishment' and way to 'control' herself because of her urge to create more vessels. I definitely don't think that was her form prior to the guilt she feels!
@@Plexippuspetersi92 That's true, but I find it more plausible than the alternative theory that the White Lady moved around and went places as a giant root/tree thing. Climbing around like a Rain World Long Legs, or something.
50:40 - isn't it strange that the Collector (a void being) was obsessed with collecting grubs and us the Knight (also a void being) run around collecting the grubs?
This is cut content but still, fun fact, and it's featured on quite a few fanarts: when you dream nail the hollow knight during his fight, he thinks "Father?" Possibly because you have the king's brand at that point so he might have mistaken you for the pale king. His love for his (horrible) father was what weakened his supposedly pure state and doomed them all 😢 also idk if you've noticed but he only has one arm when you meet him
iirc, mossbag's older videos goes over the evidence used to arrive to the conclusions in the bigger lore video everyone watches. This one is more cinematic so it doesn't show the lines of dialogue/lore tablets that contain the information, and some people think that he pulled it out of nowhere because of this. which is really unfortunate because he's gone through the game with a finetooth comb ; w ; I can put some of the stuff under this comment if you'd like to see where some of the stuff you wondered about came from, but there wasn't too much to elaborate. - - - 27:29 - you find their names if you visit Sheo's hut with the Nail Smith alive, which you've already done. However, there are multiple little interactions they could be doing whenever you enter. One of those two of them making figurines and Sheo tells you the knight's names & their titles. 38:18 - enemies that are infected will still leech orange when you hit them, while un-infected bugs leech white soul. This is an easy way to tell who is infected and who isn't. 1:32:24 - mossbag actually made an entire video discussing this :^) i'd watch it on your own time, it's pretty funny
Thanks for hosting the best playthrough of my favorite game. These couple of months were really great for me. Rediscovering Hallownest in the eyes of an outsider brings back old memories surely. I’m glad your channel is growing and you are getting the recognition you deserve. Keep up the good work and hope I can make into those streams for pantheon runs. 🎉 Happy new year and let it be an even awesomer one 😊 -“We Will Watch Your Career With Great Interest”
ONURO!!!! Omg stop that is FAR too kind and generous. Thank you so much and I can't wait for you to share in the Pantheons and finishing up the Hunters Journal with me!! Even if you can't make it live - the videos will be on YT for you!! Happy New Year my lovely - we can all be Blasphemous in January ;)
@@drsophiedarling Hey Sophie, you definitely deserve it. I know how hard it is to create content on a schedule and with the added weight of your education stuff and work. I’ve just enjoyed every bit of it and hope you can make this into your main income at some point. I’ll try my best to join live but surely will watch them asap. Also good luck on next let’s play series too. - My name is Onur Ozan Yuksel by the way just to clear the misunderstanding 😅
So happy to see this video pop up! I love mossbags videos. Not everyone likes his humor but that's okay. Also some people get a bit upset that he doesn't go into detail about every piece of information he gives, but this is a summary video not a deep dive. I highly recommend checking out some of his other videos, though you definitely don't have to post reactions to them!
Your excitement going into this was fantastic! I've also really enjoyed that you figured out so much of the lore yourself during your playthrough. I expect pausing in reaction videos, especially to this one. We do want to hear your thoughts, after all.
Hera was ORIGINALLY supposed to be protected by her (possibly undead?) husband, but it had to get cut. This is why she's the only Dreamer without a boss protecting her.
The problem with the theory about the king trying to ease his conscience by presuming the hollowness of the vessels is that the whole idea of creating them in the first place was so they would be mindless. It was this very emptiness and lack of will that was theoretically necessary to protect them from the Radiance's control.
That is true but these are also imperfect hence the infection being able to leak out. So I'm curious as to whether they are completely void of will as we see other vessels who have attempted to traverse the world. I'm definitely going to look into this more when I'm home and on my PC ❤️
I feel like he tried to make hollow vessel, but unfortunately it's kind of impossible.. Like they might be hollow at first, but after a while they start to learn and have feelings and mind.. In the end no matter what he said, he regretted it anyway..
@@vino7985 Absolutely. I very much see this game as one that is designed for us to see how these hollow vessels are not void of emotion or affection, but it can develop over time. Look at how Elderbug and the Old Stag both, after a period of time in the game, declare their desire to spend time with us and to enjoy the world. They show a great deal of affection for our Little Knight which means that he has displayed similar behaviours to be so highly thought of. Look at how we save characters (depending on how you play) like Bretta and Zote, those aren't thoughtless actions but derive from a sense of compassion and care. What's interesting is that I think you could play this game in both directions. One where you remain Hollow and do not engage with others, and one where you develop a sense of belonging and understanding of those around you!
I have really enjoyed watching your HK videos and I look forward to seeing more content. Really excited for Blasphemous and the Pantheon runs. Happy New Year Sophie 🫶🏼
FWIW, some of us certainly wouldn't mind seeing you attempt a Steel Soul run, even if you don't succeed on the first try. I promise it's not as impossible as it may first seem (especially now that you have a better idea of what is and is not required to actually reach *an* ending).
@@drsophiedarling It's a "only one life" mode, unlocked after achieving any ending. You choose the mode when starting a new save file, and you have to start over whenever you die. (it is a bit brutal)
23:03 Thank you! I paused the video to have this exact thought, then hit play and literally jumped in excitement when you said the same. I imagine she's just been there so long that she's now, quite literally, rooted in place. She allowed her roots to grow to keep her there, bound in that cocoon.
You got a looooot of thing right about the lore in your first contact with the game. I think the main thing you got wrong was thinking that Hornet was born in the abyss just like you and your other void siblings. In reality Hornet is not void, and she says so the first time you encounter her in the abyss. "Though our strength is born of similar source, that part of you, that crucial emptiness, I do not share."
@@drsophiedarling oh ok! I was just remembering one video you had this confusion But a lot of people that play the game think Hornet is void at one time or another, because she is black underneath the face mask, just like the Knight (you), your shade, your void siblings (including the Hollow Knight), the palace guards, the collector, and all other void beings in the game. But.. as far as I know that's purely coincidental That's also an issue with black stains along the game. In a lot of times they mean that void quietly moved into a place or into someone (often found in dead bodies, and in the environment in some places), but.. that's not always the case
@@ere4t4t4rrrrr4 I think I got confused when I was trying to piece it all together in my head because the game does almost present it as them all originating from the void IF you don't find the Midwife, and at that point I hadn't found the Midwife so it was very much like "wait hold up a second!" But after that interaction, it makes a lot of sense that Hornet differs because she was raised in Deepnest!
This was great! I think you figured out a lot of it on your own while playing which was impressive to me. I'm not as smart lol. I'm glad you liked the game. Also I was born in 91 so i feel extra old.
The Pale King is honestly probably my favorite character in Hollow Knight. He's a very divisive character due to, well, obvious reasons, but I see him as a desperate king who was in an impossible position and trying to protect the bugs who he had created, in a sense. He was the one who gave them minds, after all. No cost too great. It's all such a tragedy, especially when it seems that the very reason that hollow did end up failing is that the king and the knight did end up forming a connection and that just. I feel like it says a lot about them both, ya know?
I can understand that for sure, but I do sympathise with Radiance who was cast aside and neglected as a consequence of the Pale King. It's almost reminiscent of a coloniser/colonised dynamic!
@@drsophiedarling idk. destroying an entire kingdom because your kids left you feels incredibly petty and childish. if she just infected the moths and maybe the pale king maybe I could understand but she brought innocents into the mix.
@javif.c7735 As did the Pale King - sacrificing and torturing his own children and abandoning his citizens when they needed him most. It's almost as if none of them are morally correct in their choices hence the importance of our own in this journey we undertake
@@drsophiedarling Both aren't great people but one did it to save what he holds dear and the other did it out of vengeance. I think there's a clear distinction there. I understand what you mean but intention is important in my opinion. I hold no sympathy for either but at least the pale king had an actual "good" reason for doing the heinous things he did. I do enjoy them both as morally grey characters though.
@@javi_fc ehhhh I mean I'm less sympathetic on the whole to Radiance but I don't think I'd say it was as intentional as that, more that just the Radiance by her nature was inimical towards the Pale King and Hallownest as a whole. She seems to have gone a little mad and lashed out with destructive energy but literally while the Pale Beings were granting the bugs mind and higher thought, she brought them via their dreams into her hivemind and melted away the sense of self. The bugs chose the Pale King to follow, so far as we know, and the Radiance spread herself as a literal plague, but I feel like she was just unwilling to fade and be forgotten, no matter the cost. The creatures she infected were still "alive", even if we would say that they died as a result of that infection, that their selves and personalities were driven out. But they are both understandable in terrible ways. I feel like ultimately tpk was attempting a path that was more altruistic, trying to save the others around him, and the radiance more selfish, trying to save herself, but in the end she's not wrong for not wanting to fade and die any more than tpk is wrong for wanting to save his followers, children in a non biological sense. In a way they took opposite approaches to things. The Radiance wanted to take living creatures and take their wills and minds, the pale king tried to create beings in a sacrifice of his own that had none to begin with. It's the same thing just additive or subtractive approaches.
I personally theorize that time within Hallownest goes slower due to dreams or soul or void or something. This'd align with the kingdom being "in stasis." The only ones unaffected by this are outsiders not originally born in Hallownest, like Elderbug, the Nail Masters, etc.
If you´re willing to break the 4th wall, i´d like to think that the Knight is actually completely Hollow because everything he does is controlled by an unknown force (the player)
See I would argue the opposite with the 4th wall. That we, the player, installs a will and compassion in our Knight through our interaction with the World which makes him less Hollow. But, we can also keep him Hollow by not engaging with the world too 😊
I really enjoyed how you used this video as a springboard for your own thoughts rather than taking everything layed out as fact. Took me a while to get through this but thanks for uploading! And YES justice for Drya, she did her best, no need to be so mean to her! Would wholly encourage another playthrough, it's such a different experience going through it while knowing more or less what's up. I can also really recommend looking up 'EMPIRES - Hollow Knight [Completed MAP]' which is a collaborative fan animation about the Pale King's story and showcasing the infection as Radiance's revenge, it's really well done I think you'd get a kick out of it!
OHH thank you for the heads up on the animation - I'm definitely going to check that out!! Of course - I think it would be a pretty poor react if I just didn't express my own opinions. I've seen a few reacts to Mossbag's Lore after I filmed mine, and welp, it was just silence and basically watching the video which feels really disengaging. I'm glad mine wasn't that way!
I hope you like it! It definitely got me in the feels haha Oh I fully agree with that, might even be illegal to do a react that way. You definitely succeeded!
I have seen a lot of people react to moss bags video but your reaction has to be my favorite one bye far! You don’t pause the video constantly ur jokes are funny and ur theory’s actually make sense. It’s sad to see this series come to and end but new ones await, thank you for sharing your hollow knight play through with us it definitely kept me entertained and exited when you uploaded another video 🤍🫶🏽
If youre interested in watching any more of Mossbags videos (on or off camera) id defo recommend his Grimm Troope or Godmaster videos since they help explain those 2 sections of the lore in much greater detail. But hey id recommend any of his lore vids cuz theyre all good
The Lore of Hollow Knight is so good it makes me love the game even more! Although I love the Dream No More ending, the GodHome ending with the flower is my favorite ending just because I love that the Hollow Knight is alive, and I'm so frustrated that I still can't get that ending haha. Very good video of Mossbag and wonderful reaction!😊
It's theorized that the Colosseum of Fools was created by some sort lesser (not pale) Wyrm that went through a metamorphosis similar to the Pale King. Its original body is the colosseum, while the King of Fools was its new body. This is supported by "The Battle of Blackwyrm" implying the presence of a second worm intruding on Hallownest at some point. Just as the Pale King's thrall persists after death, so too does the Fool's, hence why warriors from across the land find themselves drawn towards the colosseum. Its influence is also either compatible with the Radiance, or able to override it. Possibly because the Radiance doesn't have a grudge against the Fool like it does with the Pale King.
Thank you so much Sophie for this whole playthrough!! Had a blast watching you discover this game. Also, I love all of your makeup! The very first episode you even had bright orange and silver eyeshadow and I almost commented about how topical it is for this game but thought best I'd refrain 😅 Would love it if you watched a speedrun of this on your stream! It would be good as a break, maybe. Have someone send you the speedrun NMG record and don't even open the link until you are ready to watch it. The time in which people speedrun is absolute insanity. Will watch your Ori playthrough now! Hopefully you'll do Ori 2 afterwards as well, which is actually so much better than Ori 1! Wishing you and yours a happy 2024🎉
Thank you so much lovely!! I'm very excited to do more react content for HK! I intend to film a speed run react soon! I'm taking a little break from Ori but I'll stoll be producing LP content but doing Blasphemous instead ❤️
In case you don't want a break with Hollow Knight after the pantheons, I highly recommend the Pale Court mod, a superb fanmade expansion that lets you battle the kingdom's five great knights.
Radiance did nothing wrong my ass She essentially enslaved bugs without as much as giving them a choice. Pale king evidently didn't force anyone into anything when creating hallownest. Also Radiance infected mora than just PK's followers. The weavers and basically anyone in deepnest never obeyed the king and had done nothing to harm Radiance, but she still had them suffer the same fate. Same with the bees and the flukes. Also from how that one moss knight by the lake seems to reach out to Unn metaphorically, but is still conttolled by the infection, it makes me think that the Radiance is taking the few mosskin worshipping Unn away from her. That's worse than what PK did, bc PK at least gave moths a choice. The Radiance could've just taken the moths back, or taken just the Hallownest citizens, but no, she went above and beyond in her hunger for power. So yeah, not that PK is innocent, far from it, but the Radiance is much, much worse and deserves to be the antagonist of the game.
As someone also born in '94, I too feel old when reminded that there are adults out there making content who were born after me, so don't worry you aren't alone. So a comment on your theory of "hollowness" and the Pale King's conception of it: I don't think it's purely a product of the King's imagination in order to assuage his guilt. My own take on it is that the player represents the Knight's will, that it has thoughts and feelings but that they are somewhat limited and not always in effect. The shades, after all, seem to have almost no thoughts or will, and they are the core of the vessels. My own personal theory (not terribly substantiated with evidence mind you) is that the void portion of the vessels is the mostly empty one while the god portion is the part with a will. To contain the Radiance the king needs a vessel with a very strong void portion and an underdeveloped god portion, which would leave the knight with little will or thoughts. That's why developing a parental bond with the Hollow Knight, which likely strengthened it's will and the god portion of it, was so detrimental to containing the Radiance. Thus the hope is that the player character, which in theory hasn't had the chance to develop that side of it, would be more likely to succeed, though if the player truly does represent the knight's will then that might depend on the player. Regardless, I too believe that no matter what the Radiance could not be contained indefinitely, as the idea of "nothing lasts forever" is one of the core themes of the game. I think pausing to talk about your thoughts are the most important aspect of a reaction video. I mean, ultimately the viewer is here for your thoughts on it, and pausing to say your thoughts is better than talking over the video and missing something. Also I fully endorse additional playthroughs. I've done 6 or 7 by this point, some challenge runs, some achievement runs, some just to have fun with the game again, and I've enjoyed every single one of them.
That's a very good point about the parent bond and the development of a will. Perhaps they are not born with a sense of will but this is installed and developed over time, but there is evidently a drive that they all experience which is to leave the void as we see them scattered around Hallownest. Whether that's because of the purpose they've been bred for, or a desire for something more, who knows! It really brings into the question of nature vs nurture. Do they have a will from birth or is this will some developed over time and experience?! Philosophical deep questions within our cute little bug game! Yeah - I think it would be boring if I just sat there and didn't actually contribute any of my thoughts to it or opinions. It would just feel like I was milking Mossbag for views rather than engaging with his ideas, and trust me, I watched some reactions after the fact and they were...dull.
The thing I don't see a lot of people connect is that Jiji said to us that "our regrets can leave a stain in this world" and then conjures our shade. So I think it's safe to assume that void is regrets of bugs taken form and act as complete opposite to dreams and essence ghosts with void and shades. So, while it might seem from the outside perspective as mindless force of entropy, devouring everything on its way, I think void in any shape or form is definitely has desires - to fix wrongdoings, to undo the cause of their regret. That is also supported by the Dream No More ending. As Void covers the egg and kills the Radiance it goes back to the Abyss and all shades are also put down to rest. Although it might be only because they are filled with the King's regret of failing to protect his kingdom. Yet still it means that the void has it's desires, even if not coherent thoughts or dreams and that might be the most crucial miscalculation in King's plan.
My theory re. Hollowness/Purity - I think a pure vessel is a vessel that has no innate Dream Essence imprinted into it. No essence = no dreams = nothing for the Radiance to infect. She'd just be trapped in their Void forever, powerless to do anything. When the Knight is dreamnailed in the Birthplace, you see the flash of the dreamnail, but instead of the usual spray of essence wheelies you get when dream-diving into somebody like the Dream Bosses, the Knight releases bits of Void instead. So Void is enough _like_ Essence to grant mind and memory, but it's a power of darkness that the Radiance's light cannot infect. Only if a vessel becomes tarnished with Essence will it become vulnerable. White Lady mentions the Hollow Knight was 'tarnished' by an 'idea instilled', and that the Knight is 'free of such blemishes' and could contain Radiance. So I think this indicates that the Knight is a pure vessel that could potential trap Radiance forever, unlike THK who became impure somehow. The memories in the White Palace might be a clue as to how that happened.
I've read mozarella cheese has the least of lactose in it and people with lactoce intolerance can eat it. Worked so far for my grandpa. It's also the healthiest cheese vitamins wise.
@@drsophiedarling I'm currently watching your let's play first time and I've noticed you missed extra dialogues from Myla. On your next playthrough I would advise for you to beat Soul Master, get dream nail and visiting Myla as soon as possible after doing both of these things before getting crystal heart. I'm surprised your 300 essence skipped some content. It kinda is the same with infected crossroads, they get infected after starting absorbing dreamers but it can also happen after obtaining 1000 or so essence without touching any of the three. If you would be interested there is also less friendly route in getting even more ingame lore but it's questionable if it's worth it. You are able to grind 1800 geo for a lantern and accessing crystal peak and resting grounds before meeting Hornet in greenpath so you could get dream nail and use it during the fight in greenpath , she has like 3 dreamnail dialogues if I'm not mistaken.
I wonder if the knight is actually hollow and has no will and the will that is inacted through out the game is just your will being put through the knight via the game. Like a meta, fourth wall breaking kind of thing. The knight has no intentions except the ones you give him by playing the game. The knight wouldn't move around or make choices unless you pick up the game to play it....?
I ACTUALLY WAS THINKING THE SAME THING!! I think there are two different ways in which to play this game. A Hollow way which is you don't interact or engage with the world around you like leaving Bretta to suffer and Zote to die. And the way in which you develop a sense of self and will from bonding with the characters around you. Old Stag and Elderbug are very clear, once you interact with them enough, that they enjoy Little Knight's company and that they want to continue sharing the world with them which indicates a sense of affection. This affection wouldn't emerge unless we, as the player, are showing that back in turn like when we give Elderbug the flower. The will and choices we make are what determine whether our Little Knight is Hollow and Willness or Caring and Driven!
@@cybergeek11235 Yeah, in the Hunter's Journal it implies that the Brooding Mawlek is looking for their friends which, we know from traversing the wilds, that most of them have been slaughtered which means he's brooding :( It's very sad!
@@cybergeek11235 Yeah, in the Hunter's Journal it implies that the Brooding Mawlek is looking for their friends which, we know from traversing the wilds, that most of them have been slaughtered which means he's brooding :( It's very sad!
I've never actually watched this lore video before, so it was fun to tag along on your viewing! I like to imagine that the entire timeline of the Hollow Knight story, from the fall of Hallownest to present day, is like three months in human years. How long are these bugs living anyway?
I think there should be more kingsmoulds. Because they seem to be the next level of military or any type of service. I think there were some but they got reduced to pale ore chunks as they die and lose the void inside
Fun fact: I believe BlueSR voiced menderbug. He's a speedrunner and once hosted a rather fun "game show" for HK in his youtube/twitch. Another fun fact: mossbag voiced one of the bosses in The Pale Court.
Pretty sure the Menderbug having Mein Kampf is non canonical, lol! But just to be sure make sure to break the sign below the well... I think I might have mentioned this a time or 30, lol! Unfortunately to open his home and see his diary you have to kill him, lol! That's why the diary entries show him having a happy life, to guilt trip you, lol!!!!! His home is near Sly's.
Watch the speedrun before the second playthrough. Besides lore insight you'll learn a bunch of game mechanics tricks that will make the playthrough more fun.
@@drsophiedarling Definitely No Major Glitches, either True Ending (about 1.5h) or 112% (3.5h). Three speedrunners I know are entertaining to watch: Fireb0rn, Blue (BlueSR on YT), Skurry. You may have a peek at top Any% All Glitches just to see why I'm recommending No Major Glitches. If I were to recommend a single speedrun, I'd say "True Ending in 1h 06m 44s" by Skurry will be fun to watch and relatively high level, or "112% APB in 3h 30m 45s" by fireb0rn if you're feeling like sacrificing this much time.
Happy New Year! I am so glad you've made it to the lore video 😁 Now I can tell you something that might break your heart... again. Sorry in advance. So there is a lot of deep philosophy which makes everything even more tragic in Hollow Knight that most people don't know about or realize. One of the most important things that I theorize is concerning why the Hollow Knight wasn't actually hollow and failed, and it is all in two very short cut scenes/audio. 1. The audio you can hear in the Hollow Knight's baby room. It is a lullaby rendition of the Hollow Knight theme, which suggests that HK was taken care of by the White Lady. 2. The cut scene is an extra from the Path of Pain, where you see the HK and Pale King enjoying a moment together suggesting father-son bonding. What we know from the Ascension playable cut scene in The Abyss, the shades were supposed to have "no mind, no voice, no will", which is the purpose of the darkness and that the HK was "tarnished by an idea instilled". The HK was indeed truly hollow when it climbed out of The Abyss, but the idea instilled that tarnished its darkness was **love**... The White Lady and Pale King didn't know or couldn't help themselves, but love this little thing, because it was their offspring, their child and so they bonded with it, taught it, loved it which nurtured it and it grew large, strong and capable, but with that its hollowness was no more. It developed a mind to think, a will to fight and a voice to express. It was full of love... "tarnished" by the most wonderful thing in the world. On the other hand The Knight was all alone... it was never shown connection, care, attention, bonding... nothing! It got out of The Abyss hollow and it stayed hollow, because it was never "tarnished", it was never loved... just think about the Hollow Knight and The Knight, and their stories and the Pale King's together from this perspective. How overwhelming tragic this is! It breaks my heart every time. Masterpiece of storytelling.
Okay I love this concept BUT what if that's not the case with our Little Knight? Every action we do is a choice and that isn't reminiscent of a mindless husk. Maybe what makes our Little Knight similar to his brother that we, as the player, are installing that will through the choices and decisions that we make throughout the game. Options like saving Zote and Bretta would not even come into the mind of a being that lacks a will or understanding or is even Hollow. Whilst the White Lady and Pale King give that love and sense of will to HK, what if the player and the characters we meet along the way also alter us in turn? What if we start Hollow but end up not being so because of the love and care we are shown along the way by Elderbug? The Old Stag? Bretta? Hornet? There is dialogue that indicates a shift in our Little Knight especially if we choose to show care to the others in this world, because they echo the same sentiment of wanting to share and experience the joys of what life has to offer. Maybe this is a journey of self-discovery as well as love and understanding. Of course, it's absolutely tragic that our Little Knight never got shown that same affection, nor did the others who found themselves dying in horrible ways throughout Hallownest, but the difference is that we get to choose a family and who we surround ourselves with, whereas HK became a will to an end. I do love this interpretation and it gives for deeper thinking in regards to what constitutes a soul or what is hollowness. In my mind, we are Hollow when we begin our journey but by the end, we are not so much the same as we were!
@@drsophiedarling I also felt personally attacked by the "edgy literature student" comment (Re: the City of Tears' name) as well. *waves English PhD in surrender*
I believe a 5 great knights are name dropped by Lemm he has a ton of dialogue that changes every time you give him a relic. I believe the more Kings Idols you give the more he tells you about the knights The Hunters Journal claims every mantis traitor took in the infection i dunno why only the traitor lord has orange eyes My own musings about the the hollowness of the vessels is the Pale King failed to acknowledge the void itself is sentient. Its apparent the void has a will but it was never unified until the Knight unified it to fight a common enemy aka the radiance. Therefore it was impossible for any vessel to be fully hollow
Sure, she could just want to have someone to take over when she is gone (Hornet in this case), but then why from the pale king and not someone else? Because of high birth. The pale king is a higher being after all, so it's likely both reasons. Of course, having children will always mean wanting legacy or whatever, so it's implied, unnecessary to mention. So, what he said in the video is correct.
Don't stress about mentioning Elden Ring, I think you're into something. While Hollow Knight was heavily inspired by Dark Souls series first, it's fair to say that Elden Ring could take some inspiration from Hollow Knight. Or they could come up with similar ideas separately as a natural development of Darc Souls storytelling formula.
oh there's some very obvious connections in terms of the lands being united under a single ruler, the involvement of higher beings, and the casting aside of older revered figures who still interfere! Maybe I'll have to sit down and draw out the parallels!!
I know. Hence why I said her shape may not have always been what it was that we see, as we know that higher beings can alter their form via the Shape of Unn Charm which implies that this isn't unusual 😊
@@drsophiedarling mossbag actually speculated about this idea in another video. There are few loose evidence that the Pale Queen was at least a bit smaller at some point.
I'm happy to add that to my list Sanji! They may not be as frequent as the LP's but I can definitely set time aside to try and do more react content for HK Lore!
Hm, this is certainly a very interesting Video, I would like you to check out more of his Videos. By the way, i have been wondering what could be considered as the Canon Order within the Game itself, if there were one?
I think, based on what Team Cherry has said, there's no Canon ending BUT a lot of the community believe that the final showdown with Radiance is the True Ending and I would definitely agree 😊 No order of Ending is invalid but the Radiance fight feels poetic!
@johanstenfelt1206 then what are you referring to? Bosses? I don't think this game is truly designed to have a Canon order due to how vast the world is. Bit like the Souls games where you can do bosses in very different orders 😊
@@drsophiedarling the Order of Events within the Game in general, like Quest-lines and such, there are certain things that you can miss too do and things you can decide to do that has some kind of effect on World, mostly with how certain Characters end up by the End of the Game. I wonder if there are a particular Canon Order to everything you can do in the Game before reaching a Ending and if there would be, what would it be?
Team Radiance is here, our goddess does not deserve such treatment 😞I would like to know why there is absolutely no mention of at least one attempt by the Pale King to negotiate with the Radiance. Were negotiations so impossible, or was the Pale King so arrogant as not to even try?
They're definitely both morally grey but I find it odd too that there was just no attempt at reconciliation. I find it hard to believe that Radiance would just go full pelt chemical warfare for no reason
It can be assumed that neither side was satisfied with the conditions for reconciliation, but without confirmation that is just a stretch. I slightly hope that Silksong will shed some light on the reason! Otherwise, the story tends to turn into something like "the gods commit war crimes because they have fun communicating with vague signs (mass murders)"
Btw Sophie, my dear, this is a good video to remind you that you still need to check out on the King's statue on Ancient Basin and, of course, complete all of the Journal's entries😘.
Quick question, maybe you answered it and i missed it (I'm writing it as i😊 1st watch the video) Do you plan on doing another series along with Ori? Mostly bc i love your content, but i am currently trying to play the Ori games (haven't gotten into it yet), so i won't really be able to watch it, buuut i still wanted to see more videos from you
You honestly picked up on a lot of stuff just playing through the game, don't sell yourself short! But mossbags lore videos are great. Looking forward to the Blasphemous playthrough.
THE TIME OF TRADITION IS UPON US, REJOICE!!!
1:19:16
Ironically, the friends we made along the way is actually the main argument against the knight being hollow. Nosk is implied to take the form of people that its prey care about, and winged nosk takes the form of hornet- implying that the knight cares about hornet and has emotions. If caring for the pale king is what made the hollow knight fail, caring for hornet would make the knight fail
Agreed!! Winged Nosk sounds almost like the spirit Koh in Avatar the Last Airbender who steals faces! 🙈
I've also heard the theory that the Hollow Knight knew it was part of a plan to save Hallownest, and its desire to protect the kingdom led to its failure. If you interpret that the Knight knowingly made the same choice, that could be another indication that it isn't hollow either.
Don't forget the fact that the Knight is in love with Zote. I'm not joking.
See, some characters have titles that change along the playthrough, based on the Knight's view of them. For instance, Millibelle the Banker becoming Millibelle the Thief once the Knight finds her in the hot springs; Broken Vessel becoming Lost Kin after the Knight recognizes it as one of its kind, etc. Well, same thing happens every time you re-fight Grey Prince Zote, he gets a new compliment added to his introduction. If you put two and two together, you can clearly see that the Knight is more... emotional, than you'd initially think it is.
@@apenasumabatata4741
To be fair, that seems more like a projection from Bretta.
@@MetaFanWing On the contrary, actually. If that was the case, it wouldn't make sense for Zote to get more fancy titles the more you fight him, since Bretta starts to question if he's all that much after he loses the first time.
"JUST 'CAUSE IT'S GOT HOLES DOESN'T MEAN IT'S A GOAL" i am losing it 😂
Am I wrong?!?!
@@drsophiedarling XD
32:30 omg the Hunter's journal should've been called Eat, Prey, Bug
OMG YES
Lol I love it
Or maybe it's just a menu card.
I really like the theory that the White Lady binding herself wasn't just with those ropes or whatever they are, but that the whole form we see her use in-game is the "binding". After all, the Pale King drastically changed his form, so why not the White Lady?
100% agree! I don't think that's her true form but more her 'punishment' and way to 'control' herself because of her urge to create more vessels. I definitely don't think that was her form prior to the guilt she feels!
There's no textual support for this, merely interpretation.
@@Plexippuspetersi92 That's true, but I find it more plausible than the alternative theory that the White Lady moved around and went places as a giant root/tree thing.
Climbing around like a Rain World Long Legs, or something.
Good call on the Radiance being replaced by the Pale King and the infection being the retribution!
Big Brain!
50:40 - isn't it strange that the Collector (a void being) was obsessed with collecting grubs and us the Knight (also a void being) run around collecting the grubs?
None of us are immune to their cuteness!!
But we aren’t collecting them, we’re freeeeeing them!
This is cut content but still, fun fact, and it's featured on quite a few fanarts: when you dream nail the hollow knight during his fight, he thinks "Father?" Possibly because you have the king's brand at that point so he might have mistaken you for the pale king. His love for his (horrible) father was what weakened his supposedly pure state and doomed them all 😢 also idk if you've noticed but he only has one arm when you meet him
That's so sad 😭 I also didn't catch that!
iirc, mossbag's older videos goes over the evidence used to arrive to the conclusions in the bigger lore video everyone watches. This one is more cinematic so it doesn't show the lines of dialogue/lore tablets that contain the information, and some people think that he pulled it out of nowhere because of this. which is really unfortunate because he's gone through the game with a finetooth comb ; w ; I can put some of the stuff under this comment if you'd like to see where some of the stuff you wondered about came from, but there wasn't too much to elaborate.
-
-
-
27:29 - you find their names if you visit Sheo's hut with the Nail Smith alive, which you've already done. However, there are multiple little interactions they could be doing whenever you enter. One of those two of them making figurines and Sheo tells you the knight's names & their titles.
38:18 - enemies that are infected will still leech orange when you hit them, while un-infected bugs leech white soul. This is an easy way to tell who is infected and who isn't.
1:32:24 - mossbag actually made an entire video discussing this :^) i'd watch it on your own time, it's pretty funny
Thank you!! I'm definitely going to look into this ❤️
Thanks for hosting the best playthrough of my favorite game. These couple of months were really great for me. Rediscovering Hallownest in the eyes of an outsider brings back old memories surely. I’m glad your channel is growing and you are getting the recognition you deserve. Keep up the good work and hope I can make into those streams for pantheon runs.
🎉 Happy new year and let it be an even awesomer one 😊
-“We Will Watch Your Career With Great Interest”
ONURO!!!!
Omg stop that is FAR too kind and generous. Thank you so much and I can't wait for you to share in the Pantheons and finishing up the Hunters Journal with me!! Even if you can't make it live - the videos will be on YT for you!!
Happy New Year my lovely - we can all be Blasphemous in January ;)
@@drsophiedarling Hey Sophie, you definitely deserve it. I know how hard it is to create content on a schedule and with the added weight of your education stuff and work. I’ve just enjoyed every bit of it and hope you can make this into your main income at some point. I’ll try my best to join live but surely will watch them asap. Also good luck on next let’s play series too.
- My name is Onur Ozan Yuksel by the way just to clear the misunderstanding 😅
@onurozanyuksel AHHH I WAS TRYING TO READ AND GOT CONFUSED 😭 SORRY ONUR!!
As to watching her career with great interest, I say, "Do it!".
So happy to see this video pop up! I love mossbags videos. Not everyone likes his humor but that's okay. Also some people get a bit upset that he doesn't go into detail about every piece of information he gives, but this is a summary video not a deep dive. I highly recommend checking out some of his other videos, though you definitely don't have to post reactions to them!
I love his humour - it's very dry and sarcastic which I adore!!
I mean many of the jokes are definitely dead memes but that's just what happens when it's a video that's made years ago. Just bit outdated humor.
@@hachikuji_mayoi still funny
@@drsophiedarling yeah I don't have an issue with it but in general I don't think people disliked his jokes back when the videos were made
Your excitement going into this was fantastic! I've also really enjoyed that you figured out so much of the lore yourself during your playthrough.
I expect pausing in reaction videos, especially to this one. We do want to hear your thoughts, after all.
It wouldn't be much of a reaction video without the reactions, after all.
Thank you so much lovely - I honestly was shocked by how much I discovered by myself!
Hera was ORIGINALLY supposed to be protected by her (possibly undead?) husband, but it had to get cut. This is why she's the only Dreamer without a boss protecting her.
The problem with the theory about the king trying to ease his conscience by presuming the hollowness of the vessels is that the whole idea of creating them in the first place was so they would be mindless. It was this very emptiness and lack of will that was theoretically necessary to protect them from the Radiance's control.
That is true but these are also imperfect hence the infection being able to leak out. So I'm curious as to whether they are completely void of will as we see other vessels who have attempted to traverse the world. I'm definitely going to look into this more when I'm home and on my PC ❤️
I feel like he tried to make hollow vessel, but unfortunately it's kind of impossible.. Like they might be hollow at first, but after a while they start to learn and have feelings and mind..
In the end no matter what he said, he regretted it anyway..
@@vino7985 Absolutely. I very much see this game as one that is designed for us to see how these hollow vessels are not void of emotion or affection, but it can develop over time. Look at how Elderbug and the Old Stag both, after a period of time in the game, declare their desire to spend time with us and to enjoy the world. They show a great deal of affection for our Little Knight which means that he has displayed similar behaviours to be so highly thought of. Look at how we save characters (depending on how you play) like Bretta and Zote, those aren't thoughtless actions but derive from a sense of compassion and care.
What's interesting is that I think you could play this game in both directions. One where you remain Hollow and do not engage with others, and one where you develop a sense of belonging and understanding of those around you!
the thing about mossbag's sense of humor is that he says jokes but in his normal tone of voice which makes them funnier
I have really enjoyed watching your HK videos and I look forward to seeing more content. Really excited for Blasphemous and the Pantheon runs. Happy New Year Sophie 🫶🏼
Julieta!!! That's far too kind!! Omg thank you 😭 Happy New Year to you too! I'm looking forward to getting some Blasphemous filmed tomorrow! ❤️
FWIW, some of us certainly wouldn't mind seeing you attempt a Steel Soul run, even if you don't succeed on the first try. I promise it's not as impossible as it may first seem (especially now that you have a better idea of what is and is not required to actually reach *an* ending).
I second this. Steel Soul isn’t that bad. I mean you can even just quit out to the title if things are getting risky 😅
OHHH what is Steel Soul?!
@@drsophiedarling It's a "only one life" mode, unlocked after achieving any ending. You choose the mode when starting a new save file, and you have to start over whenever you die. (it is a bit brutal)
23:03 Thank you! I paused the video to have this exact thought, then hit play and literally jumped in excitement when you said the same. I imagine she's just been there so long that she's now, quite literally, rooted in place. She allowed her roots to grow to keep her there, bound in that cocoon.
You got a looooot of thing right about the lore in your first contact with the game. I think the main thing you got wrong was thinking that Hornet was born in the abyss just like you and your other void siblings. In reality Hornet is not void, and she says so the first time you encounter her in the abyss. "Though our strength is born of similar source, that part of you, that crucial emptiness, I do not share."
I didn't get that wrong though. I had the lore with Herrah. There was just a brief moment of confusion before I remembered
@@drsophiedarling oh ok! I was just remembering one video you had this confusion
But a lot of people that play the game think Hornet is void at one time or another, because she is black underneath the face mask, just like the Knight (you), your shade, your void siblings (including the Hollow Knight), the palace guards, the collector, and all other void beings in the game. But.. as far as I know that's purely coincidental
That's also an issue with black stains along the game. In a lot of times they mean that void quietly moved into a place or into someone (often found in dead bodies, and in the environment in some places), but.. that's not always the case
@@ere4t4t4rrrrr4 I think I got confused when I was trying to piece it all together in my head because the game does almost present it as them all originating from the void IF you don't find the Midwife, and at that point I hadn't found the Midwife so it was very much like "wait hold up a second!" But after that interaction, it makes a lot of sense that Hornet differs because she was raised in Deepnest!
This was great! I think you figured out a lot of it on your own while playing which was impressive to me. I'm not as smart lol. I'm glad you liked the game. Also I was born in 91 so i feel extra old.
We can feel old together ❤️ Tbf I was shocked how much I established on my own!!
41:43 NO NOSE TO SMELL (i'm so glad i came up with that line 😁)
And this your hollow knight Fandom initiation is complete!
I guess mossbag is a definitive holow knight lore chanell.
The Pale King is honestly probably my favorite character in Hollow Knight. He's a very divisive character due to, well, obvious reasons, but I see him as a desperate king who was in an impossible position and trying to protect the bugs who he had created, in a sense. He was the one who gave them minds, after all. No cost too great. It's all such a tragedy, especially when it seems that the very reason that hollow did end up failing is that the king and the knight did end up forming a connection and that just. I feel like it says a lot about them both, ya know?
I can understand that for sure, but I do sympathise with Radiance who was cast aside and neglected as a consequence of the Pale King. It's almost reminiscent of a coloniser/colonised dynamic!
@@drsophiedarling idk. destroying an entire kingdom because your kids left you feels incredibly petty and childish. if she just infected the moths and maybe the pale king maybe I could understand but she brought innocents into the mix.
@javif.c7735 As did the Pale King - sacrificing and torturing his own children and abandoning his citizens when they needed him most. It's almost as if none of them are morally correct in their choices hence the importance of our own in this journey we undertake
@@drsophiedarling Both aren't great people but one did it to save what he holds dear and the other did it out of vengeance. I think there's a clear distinction there. I understand what you mean but intention is important in my opinion. I hold no sympathy for either but at least the pale king had an actual "good" reason for doing the heinous things he did. I do enjoy them both as morally grey characters though.
@@javi_fc ehhhh I mean I'm less sympathetic on the whole to Radiance but I don't think I'd say it was as intentional as that, more that just the Radiance by her nature was inimical towards the Pale King and Hallownest as a whole. She seems to have gone a little mad and lashed out with destructive energy but literally while the Pale Beings were granting the bugs mind and higher thought, she brought them via their dreams into her hivemind and melted away the sense of self. The bugs chose the Pale King to follow, so far as we know, and the Radiance spread herself as a literal plague, but I feel like she was just unwilling to fade and be forgotten, no matter the cost. The creatures she infected were still "alive", even if we would say that they died as a result of that infection, that their selves and personalities were driven out. But they are both understandable in terrible ways. I feel like ultimately tpk was attempting a path that was more altruistic, trying to save the others around him, and the radiance more selfish, trying to save herself, but in the end she's not wrong for not wanting to fade and die any more than tpk is wrong for wanting to save his followers, children in a non biological sense.
In a way they took opposite approaches to things. The Radiance wanted to take living creatures and take their wills and minds, the pale king tried to create beings in a sacrifice of his own that had none to begin with. It's the same thing just additive or subtractive approaches.
I'd recommend now watching the video of the world record playthrough. It's a doozy.
4:26 How to eat ass... ahahahahah I died :DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD and your serious face lol
Not able to watch right now. But already thanking you for doing this! You are awesome.
Thank you lovely!!
I personally theorize that time within Hallownest goes slower due to dreams or soul or void or something. This'd align with the kingdom being "in stasis."
The only ones unaffected by this are outsiders not originally born in Hallownest, like Elderbug, the Nail Masters, etc.
Radiance: "I will NEVER, be a memory" (Advent Children reference)
If you´re willing to break the 4th wall, i´d like to think that the Knight is actually completely Hollow because everything he does is controlled by an unknown force (the player)
See I would argue the opposite with the 4th wall. That we, the player, installs a will and compassion in our Knight through our interaction with the World which makes him less Hollow. But, we can also keep him Hollow by not engaging with the world too 😊
I really enjoyed how you used this video as a springboard for your own thoughts rather than taking everything layed out as fact. Took me a while to get through this but thanks for uploading!
And YES justice for Drya, she did her best, no need to be so mean to her!
Would wholly encourage another playthrough, it's such a different experience going through it while knowing more or less what's up.
I can also really recommend looking up 'EMPIRES - Hollow Knight [Completed MAP]' which is a collaborative fan animation about the Pale King's story and showcasing the infection as Radiance's revenge, it's really well done I think you'd get a kick out of it!
OHH thank you for the heads up on the animation - I'm definitely going to check that out!!
Of course - I think it would be a pretty poor react if I just didn't express my own opinions. I've seen a few reacts to Mossbag's Lore after I filmed mine, and welp, it was just silence and basically watching the video which feels really disengaging. I'm glad mine wasn't that way!
I hope you like it! It definitely got me in the feels haha
Oh I fully agree with that, might even be illegal to do a react that way. You definitely succeeded!
I have seen a lot of people react to moss bags video but your reaction has to be my favorite one bye far! You don’t pause the video constantly ur jokes are funny and ur theory’s actually make sense. It’s sad to see this series come to and end but new ones await, thank you for sharing your hollow knight play through with us it definitely kept me entertained and exited when you uploaded another video 🤍🫶🏽
Thank you so much lovely!! I wanted to strike a good balance between listening and engaging ❤️
watched it start to finish! thank you for reacting to this.. I enjoyed listening to your thoughts on the story and the lore
Thank you!! I'm so glad you enjoyed the video!!
If youre interested in watching any more of Mossbags videos (on or off camera) id defo recommend his Grimm Troope or Godmaster videos since they help explain those 2 sections of the lore in much greater detail. But hey id recommend any of his lore vids cuz theyre all good
Ohh thank you for the heads up. Yeah, I fully intended diving into more of his videos as I love his sense of humour!
The Lore of Hollow Knight is so good it makes me love the game even more! Although I love the Dream No More ending, the GodHome ending with the flower is my favorite ending just because I love that the Hollow Knight is alive, and I'm so frustrated that I still can't get that ending haha.
Very good video of Mossbag and wonderful reaction!😊
Thank you lovely - I'm hoping I can get it but I've heard the Pantheons are...ROUGH
I've been waiting for this video since part 1 of your LP ;D
Welcome to the fandom, not many people have watched mossbag's top 10 bosses video, and I'd love you to see it.
I can add it to my list!!
love how deep the lore gets and most wont ever know it
50:00 I think they were just roommates.
(Oh my god they were roommates).
I'm excited to watch this and see your take on his humor!
I adore his humour!
I've watched the original video well over a dozen times, but I'd never noticed the mender but having a copy of Mein Kampf 💀
I was in SHOCK!
It's theorized that the Colosseum of Fools was created by some sort lesser (not pale) Wyrm that went through a metamorphosis similar to the Pale King. Its original body is the colosseum, while the King of Fools was its new body. This is supported by "The Battle of Blackwyrm" implying the presence of a second worm intruding on Hallownest at some point.
Just as the Pale King's thrall persists after death, so too does the Fool's, hence why warriors from across the land find themselves drawn towards the colosseum. Its influence is also either compatible with the Radiance, or able to override it. Possibly because the Radiance doesn't have a grudge against the Fool like it does with the Pale King.
Thank you so much Sophie for this whole playthrough!! Had a blast watching you discover this game. Also, I love all of your makeup! The very first episode you even had bright orange and silver eyeshadow and I almost commented about how topical it is for this game but thought best I'd refrain 😅
Would love it if you watched a speedrun of this on your stream! It would be good as a break, maybe. Have someone send you the speedrun NMG record and don't even open the link until you are ready to watch it. The time in which people speedrun is absolute insanity.
Will watch your Ori playthrough now! Hopefully you'll do Ori 2 afterwards as well, which is actually so much better than Ori 1!
Wishing you and yours a happy 2024🎉
Thank you so much lovely!! I'm very excited to do more react content for HK! I intend to film a speed run react soon!
I'm taking a little break from Ori but I'll stoll be producing LP content but doing Blasphemous instead ❤️
In case you don't want a break with Hollow Knight after the pantheons, I highly recommend the Pale Court mod, a superb fanmade expansion that lets you battle the kingdom's five great knights.
Good shout Lovely!!
The maggot did not occupy the False Knight's armour, the maggot is the False Knight, and he was occupying the armour of Hegemol :>
I know but I couldn't remember his name so I went off of boss title to make it easier
Radiance did nothing wrong my ass
She essentially enslaved bugs without as much as giving them a choice. Pale king evidently didn't force anyone into anything when creating hallownest. Also Radiance infected mora than just PK's followers. The weavers and basically anyone in deepnest never obeyed the king and had done nothing to harm Radiance, but she still had them suffer the same fate. Same with the bees and the flukes. Also from how that one moss knight by the lake seems to reach out to Unn metaphorically, but is still conttolled by the infection, it makes me think that the Radiance is taking the few mosskin worshipping Unn away from her. That's worse than what PK did, bc PK at least gave moths a choice. The Radiance could've just taken the moths back, or taken just the Hallownest citizens, but no, she went above and beyond in her hunger for power.
So yeah, not that PK is innocent, far from it, but the Radiance is much, much worse and deserves to be the antagonist of the game.
As someone also born in '94, I too feel old when reminded that there are adults out there making content who were born after me, so don't worry you aren't alone.
So a comment on your theory of "hollowness" and the Pale King's conception of it: I don't think it's purely a product of the King's imagination in order to assuage his guilt. My own take on it is that the player represents the Knight's will, that it has thoughts and feelings but that they are somewhat limited and not always in effect. The shades, after all, seem to have almost no thoughts or will, and they are the core of the vessels. My own personal theory (not terribly substantiated with evidence mind you) is that the void portion of the vessels is the mostly empty one while the god portion is the part with a will. To contain the Radiance the king needs a vessel with a very strong void portion and an underdeveloped god portion, which would leave the knight with little will or thoughts. That's why developing a parental bond with the Hollow Knight, which likely strengthened it's will and the god portion of it, was so detrimental to containing the Radiance. Thus the hope is that the player character, which in theory hasn't had the chance to develop that side of it, would be more likely to succeed, though if the player truly does represent the knight's will then that might depend on the player. Regardless, I too believe that no matter what the Radiance could not be contained indefinitely, as the idea of "nothing lasts forever" is one of the core themes of the game.
I think pausing to talk about your thoughts are the most important aspect of a reaction video. I mean, ultimately the viewer is here for your thoughts on it, and pausing to say your thoughts is better than talking over the video and missing something. Also I fully endorse additional playthroughs. I've done 6 or 7 by this point, some challenge runs, some achievement runs, some just to have fun with the game again, and I've enjoyed every single one of them.
That's a very good point about the parent bond and the development of a will. Perhaps they are not born with a sense of will but this is installed and developed over time, but there is evidently a drive that they all experience which is to leave the void as we see them scattered around Hallownest. Whether that's because of the purpose they've been bred for, or a desire for something more, who knows! It really brings into the question of nature vs nurture. Do they have a will from birth or is this will some developed over time and experience?! Philosophical deep questions within our cute little bug game!
Yeah - I think it would be boring if I just sat there and didn't actually contribute any of my thoughts to it or opinions. It would just feel like I was milking Mossbag for views rather than engaging with his ideas, and trust me, I watched some reactions after the fact and they were...dull.
Still a good deal younger than I. You'll get more of that as time goes by.
The thing I don't see a lot of people connect is that Jiji said to us that "our regrets can leave a stain in this world" and then conjures our shade. So I think it's safe to assume that void is regrets of bugs taken form and act as complete opposite to dreams and essence ghosts with void and shades.
So, while it might seem from the outside perspective as mindless force of entropy, devouring everything on its way, I think void in any shape or form is definitely has desires - to fix wrongdoings, to undo the cause of their regret.
That is also supported by the Dream No More ending. As Void covers the egg and kills the Radiance it goes back to the Abyss and all shades are also put down to rest.
Although it might be only because they are filled with the King's regret of failing to protect his kingdom. Yet still it means that the void has it's desires, even if not coherent thoughts or dreams and that might be the most crucial miscalculation in King's plan.
'76 here... and working on my own games in Godot, slowly but surely... life gets in the way with pesky bills and chores and stuff.
My theory re. Hollowness/Purity - I think a pure vessel is a vessel that has no innate Dream Essence imprinted into it. No essence = no dreams = nothing for the Radiance to infect. She'd just be trapped in their Void forever, powerless to do anything.
When the Knight is dreamnailed in the Birthplace, you see the flash of the dreamnail, but instead of the usual spray of essence wheelies you get when dream-diving into somebody like the Dream Bosses, the Knight releases bits of Void instead. So Void is enough _like_ Essence to grant mind and memory, but it's a power of darkness that the Radiance's light cannot infect. Only if a vessel becomes tarnished with Essence will it become vulnerable.
White Lady mentions the Hollow Knight was 'tarnished' by an 'idea instilled', and that the Knight is 'free of such blemishes' and could contain Radiance. So I think this indicates that the Knight is a pure vessel that could potential trap Radiance forever, unlike THK who became impure somehow. The memories in the White Palace might be a clue as to how that happened.
The Fluke Hermit is in the Junk Pit.
I've read mozarella cheese has the least of lactose in it and people with lactoce intolerance can eat it. Worked so far for my grandpa. It's also the healthiest cheese vitamins wise.
I shall keep that in mind!! I do love mozzarella 👀
@@drsophiedarling I'm glad I could help ♥
@@drsophiedarling I'm currently watching your let's play first time and I've noticed you missed extra dialogues from Myla. On your next playthrough I would advise for you to beat Soul Master, get dream nail and visiting Myla as soon as possible after doing both of these things before getting crystal heart. I'm surprised your 300 essence skipped some content. It kinda is the same with infected crossroads, they get infected after starting absorbing dreamers but it can also happen after obtaining 1000 or so essence without touching any of the three.
If you would be interested there is also less friendly route in getting even more ingame lore but it's questionable if it's worth it. You are able to grind 1800 geo for a lantern and accessing crystal peak and resting grounds before meeting Hornet in greenpath so you could get dream nail and use it during the fight in greenpath , she has like 3 dreamnail dialogues if I'm not mistaken.
I wonder if the knight is actually hollow and has no will and the will that is inacted through out the game is just your will being put through the knight via the game. Like a meta, fourth wall breaking kind of thing. The knight has no intentions except the ones you give him by playing the game. The knight wouldn't move around or make choices unless you pick up the game to play it....?
I ACTUALLY WAS THINKING THE SAME THING!!
I think there are two different ways in which to play this game. A Hollow way which is you don't interact or engage with the world around you like leaving Bretta to suffer and Zote to die. And the way in which you develop a sense of self and will from bonding with the characters around you. Old Stag and Elderbug are very clear, once you interact with them enough, that they enjoy Little Knight's company and that they want to continue sharing the world with them which indicates a sense of affection. This affection wouldn't emerge unless we, as the player, are showing that back in turn like when we give Elderbug the flower. The will and choices we make are what determine whether our Little Knight is Hollow and Willness or Caring and Driven!
Omg, how did I never notice that the Dreamers are around HK in the fountain statue!!!!!?????
I'm so old that I played and beat Metroid (which Mossbag doesn't appear to even know about), years before Super Metroid was made.
I'm old enough to have heard of it but never played it!!
1:13:00 - "brooding" can also mean "laying a shitzillion eggs" - could be the Brooder is the source of every other mawlek-shaped enemy you fight!
True but based on the Hunter's Journal, I think Brooding can be taken literally
@@drsophiedarling oh! y'know, i hadn't even thought to check on that - good call, doc!
@@cybergeek11235 Yeah, in the Hunter's Journal it implies that the Brooding Mawlek is looking for their friends which, we know from traversing the wilds, that most of them have been slaughtered which means he's brooding :( It's very sad!
@@cybergeek11235 Yeah, in the Hunter's Journal it implies that the Brooding Mawlek is looking for their friends which, we know from traversing the wilds, that most of them have been slaughtered which means he's brooding :( It's very sad!
@@drsophiedarling well, nuts! I like my idea better, tbh :-\
I've never actually watched this lore video before, so it was fun to tag along on your viewing!
I like to imagine that the entire timeline of the Hollow Knight story, from the fall of Hallownest to present day, is like three months in human years. How long are these bugs living anyway?
Maybe they're immortal bugs?! 👀
TIL: I'm 11 years older than Sophie. Yea, who feels old now? 😒 (Super Metroid was an A+ game and still is. I miss the NES and SNES days)
I may have to look further into it!!
I think there should be more kingsmoulds. Because they seem to be the next level of military or any type of service. I think there were some but they got reduced to pale ore chunks as they die and lose the void inside
Enjoy the last video of the year everyone!
You did so well in 2023 with this new TH-cam Channel ! This promises another great year for 2024 ! ❤🎉
Also HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!! 🎉🎉🎉
Thank you so much lovely! ❤️
*HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE!*
1:37:15 all the reddit pale king Defenders will soon be under the entrance to your home
I'M READY !!
Massive brain, kudos
Fun fact: I believe BlueSR voiced menderbug. He's a speedrunner and once hosted a rather fun "game show" for HK in his youtube/twitch.
Another fun fact: mossbag voiced one of the bosses in The Pale Court.
...literally how would Blue have voiced menderbug, he is a minor *now* to talk of in 2017
@@fractalmuse They're talking about menderbug in this video. But menderbug was in fact voiced by multiple people including Relyea and Rusty.
Pretty sure the Menderbug having Mein Kampf is non canonical, lol! But just to be sure make sure to break the sign below the well... I think I might have mentioned this a time or 30, lol! Unfortunately to open his home and see his diary you have to kill him, lol! That's why the diary entries show him having a happy life, to guilt trip you, lol!!!!! His home is near Sly's.
I Aldo recommend 8-bit music theory's 3 part music examination of hollow knight. It's so cool how the music connects parts of the game.
I'll add it to my list!!
Watch the speedrun before the second playthrough. Besides lore insight you'll learn a bunch of game mechanics tricks that will make the playthrough more fun.
I'll definitely keep that in mind! I do want to react to a speedrun - any suggestions?
@@drsophiedarling Definitely No Major Glitches, either True Ending (about 1.5h) or 112% (3.5h). Three speedrunners I know are entertaining to watch: Fireb0rn, Blue (BlueSR on YT), Skurry. You may have a peek at top Any% All Glitches just to see why I'm recommending No Major Glitches. If I were to recommend a single speedrun, I'd say "True Ending in 1h 06m 44s" by Skurry will be fun to watch and relatively high level, or "112% APB in 3h 30m 45s" by fireb0rn if you're feeling like sacrificing this much time.
Happy New Year!
I am so glad you've made it to the lore video 😁
Now I can tell you something that might break your heart... again. Sorry in advance.
So there is a lot of deep philosophy which makes everything even more tragic in Hollow Knight that most people don't know about or realize.
One of the most important things that I theorize is concerning why the Hollow Knight wasn't actually hollow and failed, and it is all in two very short cut scenes/audio.
1. The audio you can hear in the Hollow Knight's baby room. It is a lullaby rendition of the Hollow Knight theme, which suggests that HK was taken care of by the White Lady.
2. The cut scene is an extra from the Path of Pain, where you see the HK and Pale King enjoying a moment together suggesting father-son bonding.
What we know from the Ascension playable cut scene in The Abyss, the shades were supposed to have "no mind, no voice, no will", which is the purpose of the darkness and that the HK was "tarnished by an idea instilled". The HK was indeed truly hollow when it climbed out of The Abyss, but the idea instilled that tarnished its darkness was **love**... The White Lady and Pale King didn't know or couldn't help themselves, but love this little thing, because it was their offspring, their child and so they bonded with it, taught it, loved it which nurtured it and it grew large, strong and capable, but with that its hollowness was no more. It developed a mind to think, a will to fight and a voice to express. It was full of love... "tarnished" by the most wonderful thing in the world.
On the other hand The Knight was all alone... it was never shown connection, care, attention, bonding... nothing! It got out of The Abyss hollow and it stayed hollow, because it was never "tarnished", it was never loved... just think about the Hollow Knight and The Knight, and their stories and the Pale King's together from this perspective. How overwhelming tragic this is! It breaks my heart every time.
Masterpiece of storytelling.
I need to come back to this when I'm on my PC in a few days so bare with me as I'm interested!!
Okay I love this concept BUT what if that's not the case with our Little Knight? Every action we do is a choice and that isn't reminiscent of a mindless husk. Maybe what makes our Little Knight similar to his brother that we, as the player, are installing that will through the choices and decisions that we make throughout the game. Options like saving Zote and Bretta would not even come into the mind of a being that lacks a will or understanding or is even Hollow. Whilst the White Lady and Pale King give that love and sense of will to HK, what if the player and the characters we meet along the way also alter us in turn?
What if we start Hollow but end up not being so because of the love and care we are shown along the way by Elderbug? The Old Stag? Bretta? Hornet? There is dialogue that indicates a shift in our Little Knight especially if we choose to show care to the others in this world, because they echo the same sentiment of wanting to share and experience the joys of what life has to offer. Maybe this is a journey of self-discovery as well as love and understanding. Of course, it's absolutely tragic that our Little Knight never got shown that same affection, nor did the others who found themselves dying in horrible ways throughout Hallownest, but the difference is that we get to choose a family and who we surround ourselves with, whereas HK became a will to an end.
I do love this interpretation and it gives for deeper thinking in regards to what constitutes a soul or what is hollowness. In my mind, we are Hollow when we begin our journey but by the end, we are not so much the same as we were!
Can we just talk about the how to eat ass report in the first 5 mins dkdjdkdkkdkd
I definitely could use that document.
Wait, what?
“I don’t like the ending because it makes me sad” don’t all of the endings make you sad XD
Some more than others 😭
1:05:15 - you EXACTLY what is going on
4:26 ummm that Google doc is something else...
"I can't have cheese, I'm lactose intolerant"
Aaaaaaaay me too, girl. No dairy gang rise up 😎
My tummy says no but my cravings say yes 😭
@@drsophiedarling I also felt personally attacked by the "edgy literature student" comment (Re: the City of Tears' name) as well. *waves English PhD in surrender*
I believe a 5 great knights are name dropped by Lemm he has a ton of dialogue that changes every time you give him a relic. I believe the more Kings Idols you give the more he tells you about the knights
The Hunters Journal claims every mantis traitor took in the infection i dunno why only the traitor lord has orange eyes
My own musings about the the hollowness of the vessels is the Pale King failed to acknowledge the void itself is sentient. Its apparent the void has a will but it was never unified until the Knight unified it to fight a common enemy aka the radiance. Therefore it was impossible for any vessel to be fully hollow
I watched the og video yesterday lmao
Now i know a bit more about hollow knight than my brother who has finished the game
Amazing! I can't wait to learn more!
Sure, she could just want to have someone to take over when she is gone (Hornet in this case), but then why from the pale king and not someone else? Because of high birth. The pale king is a higher being after all, so it's likely both reasons.
Of course, having children will always mean wanting legacy or whatever, so it's implied, unnecessary to mention. So, what he said in the video is correct.
Not unnecessary when it wasn't mentioned. Sure, people can come to that conclusion, I did. Doesn't mean it's not of value to mention it.
Don't stress about mentioning Elden Ring, I think you're into something.
While Hollow Knight was heavily inspired by Dark Souls series first, it's fair to say that Elden Ring could take some inspiration from Hollow Knight. Or they could come up with similar ideas separately as a natural development of Darc Souls storytelling formula.
oh there's some very obvious connections in terms of the lands being united under a single ruler, the involvement of higher beings, and the casting aside of older revered figures who still interfere! Maybe I'll have to sit down and draw out the parallels!!
Just a reminder that y'all are wonderful and beautiful and HAPPY NEW YEARS AGHH‼️✨️
No, YOU’RE wonderful!! Happy New Year ❤️
Cory In The House DS is a banger tho!
I dont think @sophiedarling caught 4:26 😂😂
He was actually questioning how the White Lady got around , not why she confided herself.
I know. Hence why I said her shape may not have always been what it was that we see, as we know that higher beings can alter their form via the Shape of Unn Charm which implies that this isn't unusual 😊
Oh, ok. I comment as I watch so I didn’t get to that part yet, lol! Had to stop cause I’m working.
Yeah I paused before you finished, lol!😅😅
@@drsophiedarling mossbag actually speculated about this idea in another video. There are few loose evidence that the Pale Queen was at least a bit smaller at some point.
OMG!! You are so smart, I love your pov on the lore 😍😍
Omg thank you lovely 😭❤️
About the Wielder, get 31 more essence (2400) adn return to the Seer.....
oh heck yeah she's done with the playthrough? NOW I GET TO BINGE ALL THE VIDEOS AND THEN COME BACK TO THIS COMMENT YIPPEE
Ahhh!! I hope you enjoy!!
Awesome reaction video !!!
Thank you so much!!
Would wish to see you react to his other videos diving into different various topics like the Grimm Troupe, the White Palace, the Grubs etc
I'm happy to add that to my list Sanji! They may not be as frequent as the LP's but I can definitely set time aside to try and do more react content for HK Lore!
@@drsophiedarling 🤗Aight As long as you do as you like it's fine for us too
Hm, this is certainly a very interesting Video, I would like you to check out more of his Videos.
By the way, i have been wondering what could be considered as the Canon Order within the Game itself, if there were one?
I think, based on what Team Cherry has said, there's no Canon ending BUT a lot of the community believe that the final showdown with Radiance is the True Ending and I would definitely agree 😊 No order of Ending is invalid but the Radiance fight feels poetic!
@@drsophiedarling I wasn’t referring to Endings.
@johanstenfelt1206 then what are you referring to? Bosses? I don't think this game is truly designed to have a Canon order due to how vast the world is. Bit like the Souls games where you can do bosses in very different orders 😊
@@drsophiedarling the Order of Events within the Game in general, like Quest-lines and such, there are certain things that you can miss too do and things you can decide to do that has some kind of effect on World, mostly with how certain Characters end up by the End of the Game.
I wonder if there are a particular Canon Order to everything you can do in the Game before reaching a Ending and if there would be, what would it be?
very cool!
“This community is dedicated” hahahah r/silksong
It's honestly amazing how much dedication has been put into this game!!
It’s finally here!!!
Geez youtubes caption generation really fell over on this one
Finally getting to this one. A great way to end the formal HK series (aside from streams).
Hope you enjoyed it!!
There *is* actually a menderbug in the game that you can find - want me to explain how? :-)
I know how 😊
Team Radiance is here, our goddess does not deserve such treatment 😞I would like to know why there is absolutely no mention of at least one attempt by the Pale King to negotiate with the Radiance. Were negotiations so impossible, or was the Pale King so arrogant as not to even try?
They're definitely both morally grey but I find it odd too that there was just no attempt at reconciliation. I find it hard to believe that Radiance would just go full pelt chemical warfare for no reason
It can be assumed that neither side was satisfied with the conditions for reconciliation, but without confirmation that is just a stretch. I slightly hope that Silksong will shed some light on the reason! Otherwise, the story tends to turn into something like "the gods commit war crimes because they have fun communicating with vague signs (mass murders)"
Btw Sophie, my dear, this is a good video to remind you that you still need to check out on the King's statue on Ancient Basin and, of course, complete all of the Journal's entries😘.
I do indeed! Thank you!
it's time!
Quick question, maybe you answered it and i missed it (I'm writing it as i😊 1st watch the video)
Do you plan on doing another series along with Ori? Mostly bc i love your content, but i am currently trying to play the Ori games (haven't gotten into it yet), so i won't really be able to watch it, buuut i still wanted to see more videos from you
I'm actually doing Blasphemous!!
@@drsophiedarling Ohhh, Nice!
Playing Super Metroid makes you feel old? Lmao I got Metroid when it released. I should feel ancient.
You honestly picked up on a lot of stuff just playing through the game, don't sell yourself short! But mossbags lore videos are great. Looking forward to the Blasphemous playthrough.
Aw thank you!! I'm excited!!
you could try to watch some speedrun videos
I will be when I next record!
I hope after this you play tye Hollow Knight DLC pale court made by fans buy if is so great content it almost considered to be a DLC.
I definitely intend to play it after I've done some additional Let's Plays 😊❤️
@@drsophiedarling cool can't wait to see you suffer lol
It's hereeeeeeeee
if you havent reacted to the silksong trailers, i think that could be fun
Watch this space 👀