Mar 1
seen from Russia
seen from China
seen from Japan
seen from United States
seen from Uzbekistan
seen from China
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seen from China
seen from Russia
seen from United Kingdom
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Mexico
seen from Türkiye
seen from Czechia
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seen from Mexico
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seen from Türkiye
seen from United States
Carol falling for it and thinking she and Zosia had something unique and special was devastating but it really exemplifies how effective the hive's manipulation is. Zosia was a complete stranger to her but they successfully made her feel special and chosen by targeting her weak spots. Now imagine if Helen hadn't died, and had said "we love him the same as you" about Manousos to her. Imagine Laxmi's son or husband telling her they love Carol as much as her. It would be impossible to register, mind breaking even, but it would be true, because the hive is *not* Laxmi's son, or Carol's wife. It has their memories, not their feelings, and it never can. The hive simply relies on the uninfected filling in the gaps of emotion it can't genuinely express.
I‘ve fallen in love with the Hive Knight immediately!!
The theme!
The fluffiness!
The buzzing!
The devotion!
GORB, I LOVE HIM SO MUCH
a request
The fact that the hive refrains from killing, doing no harm to an ant or grass, to the point of preferring to starve and let humanity—their host—perish within 10 years, is probably not because they are kind and appreciate life, but because they cannot tolerate the negative emotions that may arise from subjects being killed. Every time they receive negative emotions, they are disrupted.
Furthermore, when Zosia/the hive was asked about her favorite food, she answered enthusiastically: mango ice cream, and went deeper into happy childhood memories: watching giant ships leaving the harbor, and the ice cream vendor who gave her ice cream even though she couldn't afford it.
But when asked about her ex, Zosia/the hive gave some brief answers, "She did, it was a long time ago" and "No, they're not". They revealed nothing deeper about this memory, and likely ignored Carol's previous question: "What happened to them?"
With such brief information, we can tentatively infer that her ex passed away long ago, probably in a situation so painful that Zosia couldn't open up to love anyone else for many years afterward. Perhaps because this part of her memory is so negative, and could potentially disrupt the hive's network, Zosia/the hive didn't delve deeper into it.
Humans connect with each other through both joy and sadness, but the hive only maintains its joining through joy. Maybe sadness can help humankind escape the hive and reclaim their individuality? Like the opening line of Leo Tolstoy's novel Anna Karenina: "Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way."
Some quick-n-dirty references put together for The Grand Steward, The Ghoul, and The Hive from Madness: Project Nexus. I have seen folks say they would draw these guys more if they could see their designs better, so here you go. If you need help parsing anything on these references let me know, I'd be happy to help or answer any questions. [Link to alt. image for The Hive's ref here]
Special thanks to Pykar on the MPNcord for grabbing these models [and some of the screenshots] for me.
I was playing Hollow Knight last night and couldn't stop saying "Why so many bees, question?" so I put Rocky there.