#pale being

[floralgoat]

👉 little sibling behavior

[io-crim]

Veiled Lady Mushroom

perfect for a pale being in hollow knight

[the-radiant-light]

I always wanted to give lightbreak a knight form he can use to move around whenever he doesnt want to be a gigantic, kaiju sized entity, i can never decide though on how his fluff should look like.

and yeah the idea is that he can have uneven number of arms because the arms ARE void and thus he can have from 2 to 10 or god knows how many more ))

[noma-is-here]

Silksong has given us a lot of clarity for a variety of lore topics, but one that still seems a bit vague to me is the distinction between Pale beings and Higher beings.

We know some things about Pale beings:

Although mortal, they have a seemingly infinite natural lifespan

Pale beings are a type of creature, not one species

A lot of Pale beings have some kind of supernatural abilities; though it isn't clear whether or not that is because they're Pale beings

They seem to have an innate drive/urge toward domination; although the Pale King cared for his subjects, he still ruled them as a god monarch and although Grand Mother Silk cared for her daughters, she could only express that through her dominance over them

But what then is a Higher being? Is it just a catch-all term for any god-like creature? The Hollow Knight Wiki seems to think so. My problem with this definiton is that it partially relies on developer input instead of in-game information. The White Lady for example is listed as a Higher being only due to a Reddit AMA answer.

I thought a definition——or at least something approaching one——of "Higher being" would be possible without out-of-game information due to the Dream Realm and its connection to Higher beings.

The Radiance has power over the Dream Realm obviously, and so does the Nightmare Heart, seeing as it split the Realm into two parts. Unn then is also a Higher being as she created the Mosskin though Dream. The Pale King would also be a Higher being as he was able to transport his palace into the Dream Realm. The Lifeblood creature found in the Abyss might be counted among them too, as distinctive blue dream particle can be seen in its domain.

However, the term "Higher being" is actually used rather sparingly throughout the two games. The Radiance (who probably everyone would accept as a Higher being without question) is only explicitly called a Higher being in the Reddit AMA, while Grand Mother Silk, a creature who doesn't display control over the Dream Realm is directly called a Higher Being by Hornet.

Alas, I'll have to accept the Wiki's definition.

[lordturtlemonk]

Moth and Ant Hollow Knight OCs

Made OCs based off a picrew vessel maker for my partner and I. She has the Moth and I have the Ant. Figured they were both half Pale beings half the insect they are, but from different kingdoms who met when they were young, and then met up again cycles later when they were grown.

No names for them, but the Moth uses Sheers for a defensive offensive style while the Ant uses Dual Shields for an offensive defensive style. Together they use their abilities and different mobility styles to watch each other in combat for pretty balanced team work when it comes to fighting.

The picrew versions we made.

[nessiopeia]

Some idea I wanted to share in case you might find it interesting: I’ve wondered if perhaps, being a Pale/Higher Being is less a status of being “the most pure strongest” and more about a specific strong magic they can wield better rather than being the most “invincible”, if uh that makes sense. Cause, most of the higher beings we see in these games, sans the dream realm ones, are still corporal beings in the same realm of reality as mortal bugs and can be physically harmed, like how Pale King shed his old form partly because it was exhausted most likely by fighting and then there’s the dead Black Wyrm as well of course. And GMS got her one of her arms severed by Lace and the three, non-pale Old Hearts combined powers were said to be as strong as GMS herself by the Shamans.

Obviously, most Pale Beings are absolutely stronger than the vast majority of the mortal bugs in any big cave system but, I think there is a possibility of a really, really exceptionally strong mortal bug to be able to overpower even a Pale Being. Like, I could see perhaps the Bell Eater being able to defeat GMS for example, with specific circumstances sure but a non-zero possibility nonetheless.

Yeah absolutely, you’re getting really close to my head canon, which I can’t spoil all of cause it’s plot relevant to my fanfic but that I can reveal as: pale beings are Pale because they have the ability to generate vast amounts of soul.

All bugs and arachnids can generate some soul, but it’s not enough to use for soul or silk magic. Shamans have to save up per what we see in Silksong and to channel it somehow, Weavers have to spin it over time and chose often to use it for making devices perhaps to get around how long it took to restore silk and consequently died out after leaving the source of silk (GMS), the soul sanctum sort began a site of mass genocide implying that acquiring lots of soul for use in spells requires mass murder and extraction. Compare this to PK who leaves a charm that generates infinite soul and GMS who is the primordial source of all silk (though it seems she has a limited amount which I can’t say much more about for plot reasons).

So to kind of succinctly state it, I think that soul and soul thread like silk makes bugs powerful and that Pale beings are the sources of it or beings capable of generating vast quantities. Like I imagine all the Great Wyrms have soul generation abilities. This kind of also explains their immortality when we realize that soul is used in healing magics. How could PK die if he can spam heals forever?

Great question!

[fernshawart]

IS LACE A HIGHER BEING AND WHY DOES THAT MATTER ?

(A hollow knight analysis/theory)

In the dead of the night at about 4 AM, my chaotic brain started to have some thoughts about Silksong, its world and characters, and particularly Lace, which ended up with me going in circles and trying to form analysis around her. Lace has been described as "cloaked in mystery" in her first ever description. And I don't think that being just a regular yet powerful foe appearing twice is enough to be teased as such.

And if you'd allow me, I'd like to offer you an analysis as to why this may matter more than we think for her character.

I think I'm gonna get my first point quickly out of the way for this theory, and that is Lace's color palette. White.

White/pale colors are rarely used in hollow knight's outfits or body colors outside of masks, and so far every single character who has been shown with these colors has proved to either be a pale being or overall close to one/a higher being overall. Exemples include :

The Radiance, The White Lady and the Pale king, which are fully white and are confirmed to be gods of some kind.

The pure vessel, which we can assume is a pale being simply by genetics.

The unnamed moth, which is powerful enough to break the 4th wall (guardian of the messages left from Kickstarter backers)

Bardoon, which isn't confirmed to be anything specific but is still gigantic, very knowledgeable and particularly old, and powerful enough to understand that he's being dreamnailed.

And the five great knights. Yes, Ogrim is red and Ze'mer is a faded greyish pink in-game. But let's remember that one, they were both shaped by their new environments, far from their king's influence and no longer serving a purpose for them, only focusing on their own personal goals. Ogrim was shown to be white in the white defender fight and his visions of the knights also show them to be white figures.

The only major outlier I could find were the maggots, but I overall think this is more of a choice based on the species because y'know ... Real maggots are white. There's also the small fact that the only maggots we find in-game are around the ancient corpse of a great knight but it still feels like a unimportant detail.

Against this idea, there's also the very valid thought of "ok her outfit is white but she has a black body, she can't be a pale being" that could come up, but I will point out that every single vessel in-game has pure pale being blood and yet has a black body. You could argue that it's the void and you'd probably be right. But then I would also like to bring up Hornet's existence. No void in her, half pale being and yet, she has a black body.

I would also like to add the fact that the only white spaces in hollow knight are the white palace and kingdom's edge (the one place a giant wyrm corpse is making white).

And so far in Silksong, the only white space we've seen is the white field of roses we fight Lace in.

So far, Lace shows a lot of characteristics that I think we could correlate to traits we learned to associate heavily with pale beings, that is :

The ability to control/tame less powerful creatures (more specifically her butterflies, which are heavily similar to ones you can find in the white palace)

Control over seals of binding (ability to break off the one that was keeping Hornet trapped)

Heavy confidence over her own abilities and starts questioning herself only when proven wrong by being seriously beat up (yes I'm talking about you pale king and radiance)

Seems to hold a lot of very important knowledge that is undoubtedly hidden from most of the other characters in the kingdom, or else there would've either been more guards protecting hornet's cage or more people to come and help her.

Heavy importance lore-wise. So far in hollow knight, the only bosses we've fought more than once are ones that have heavy story relevance. They're not necessarily pale beings but I still believe that elevates her character.

Lace is one of the rare people able to resist the curse of Pharloom, similarly to how Hornet was able to resist the infection. Once again, this is not a pale being only trait. But a large majority of the hollow knight characters that had resisted the infection were either pale/higher beings (The white lady, Hornet, Bardoon), people under their direct influence (the great knights), travelers that weren't here long enough to be infected (tiso, quirrel, cloth) or were in places that seemingly were far enough to be protected (the nailmasters, Bardoon, the last stag). Otherwise, despite being long lasting inhabitants, people's mind couldn't fight back (Myla, Sly, Moss prophet, Bretta ...)

And what does all of that brings us to ? What if that's true, where would that bring us ?

If Lace is linked to pale beings somehow, I have two main thoughts as to how this could go :

First option, Lace is a direct servant of a pale being, perhaps of the old ruler of Pharloom that was potentially overthrown by the church. I think that in this context, her actions could make a lot of sense. Pharloom's folly does talk about a creature currently deep in slumber, most likely deliberately kept asleep as its power and beastly nature seems to make them feared, probably implying anger when woken up. If someone is keeping the ruler captive to take their place in the shadow, it has to be the church. And if this is who Lace is serving, it would make sense for her to go actively against them and try to sabotage their plans.

Hornet, as a half pale being, could've been used to either seal the beast further or even kill it, and Lace would logically have to get rid of her to avoid such fate. And since we know she will fill the same role as Hornet in the first game, her becoming our ally and teaming up with us for the greater good would make sense if she's still following some orders

It's also interesting to note that Lace is a particularly skilled fighter, able to rival Hornet's power, and that strength is something she must've been taught. She's a fencer, which is an art that requires a lot of training. It is possible that she was self taught but having a guide to help her learn such a precise art would make sense. Lace will already be seen in the role of a protector, guarding the elevator beneath the rose field. It would make sense that she was taught to fight and more specifically to kill if her original purpose was to protect someone or something.

The second option, the one I personally enjoy the most, is that Lace is simply a young pale being trying to grow up in what is definitely a chaotic environment. And I think this would parallel Hornet's story particularly well.

Hornet saw her kingdom's downfall during her youth and was unable to do anything against it. She grew up alone in an hostile environment without anyone to guide her and feeling the need to attack and kill most sapient beings she saw out of fear (getting rid of a lot of her siblings and attacking Quirrel basically on sight). Hornet only ended up admitting just how bad things were and accepted her kingdom's fate when it was too late. She needed help, and she didn't receive it on time, which only led her to becoming more passive and defeatist once she realizes she's not strong enough, leading the knight into Kingdom's edge to receive the king's mark and having to just sit down next to her mother waiting for her to be murdered. Hornet went from feeling like she was in control of everything to losing twice in a row and rethinking her entire life.

And Lace may be going through the same thing

Lace is currently alone, isolated from her kingdom due to a curse very similar to the Radiance's that takes control over most beings in her kingdom. She is against the church (shown by her liberating Hornet and trying to get rid of her despite her importance for them) and therefore probably sees most sapient beings around her as threats. The first thing she offers Hornet is death, acting like this is the right thing to do because otherwise she'd be suffering, similarly to how Hornet believed she had to kill any intruders she saw for the greater good. I heavily doubt that Lace is the reincarnation of the pale being that ruled over this place similar to how the pale king was. Well, at least not one with memories of previous lives. She's obviously young. She's playful, energetic, teasy but also doesn't have the sheer power and prestence older pale beings tend to have. But she may be their daughter, making her yet another lost princess unsure of how to protect her kingdom.

If this idea is somehow correct, this would mean that Pharloom may actually be a direct parallel to Hallownest's downfall. Except this time, the princess will have the possibility to access help BEFORE it's too late, to fix the kingdom before the ones in control take decisions that will inevitably doom this place.

Lace will inevitably have to admit her weaknesses to herself and get closer to Hornet in one way or another. She's one of the main characters, if not confirmed to be the second main character in this story. Her boss battle was central to the demo. She had enamel pins printed and gifted out to players of the demo as promotional material, which if you don't know, are QUITE EXPENSIVE. She has another confirmed boss battle and in hollow knight, the only character we fight twice outside of the dream realm is Hornet. Everything is leading us to believe that she will be important, and I will go as far as to say that just like Hornet, she may actually be the key to unlock different endings. Pale beings have a power over others, and the current leadership of Pharloom needs to be overthrown.

The end goal may very well be for us to lead Lace into coronation.

[muncher-of-pretzels]

Idk what to call him he has lifeblood in his chest and he has a big sword yay