![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
feralphoenix2020-09-08 11:57 am
Entry tags:
BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN YOU'RE NOT PREPARED TO TRY
this was on my to-do list anyway but some kind commenters on we mimir you mimir asked for it so Here It Is. please join me in being big sad about cartoon moths. will probably be crossposted to tumblr sometime later.
ETA: you can reblog this on tumble here. same "clown shoes off while youre visiting my house" rules naturally apply
CONTENT WARNINGS FOR discussion of pseudo-zombie plagues and associated body horror, colonialism and genocide, horrible things that happened in real life Australian history... you know, the usual topics that come up when I'm talking about Hollow Knight, since this is shit that's happened to my people too many times over the past (checks watch) 4000ish years so when I recognize it in fiction I kinda want to talk about it lol.
"TPK did nothing wrong/meant well and was working for the greater good" side of TPK standom & "TPK and the Radiance are equally bad!!! She's probably way worse than him!!!" theorists please just give this a pass. There is nothing for you here. "TPK sucks and everything is his fault and he has no redeeming traits, However, We Love This Horrible Twink With All Our Hearts Anyway" TPK stans who aren't Radi haters are wholly welcome tho, you are wonderful and I respect you guys so much.
finally if youre from a christian cultural upbringing (whether currently practicing, agnostic/secular, or atheist now), understand that some of what i'm discussing here may challenge you. if thinking thru the implications of this particular part of hollow knight worldbuilding/lore is distressing for you, PLEASE only approach this essay when youre in a safe mindset & open to listening, and ask the help of a therapist or anti-racism teacher/mentor to help you process your thoughts & feelings. just like keep in mind that youre listening to an ethnoreligiously marginalized person and be respectful here or wherever else youre discussing this dang essay please ok thanks
BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN YOU'RE NOT PREPARED TO TRY: The Radiance Doesn't Deal Contact Damage And That's Kind Of Fucked Up And Sad
The vast majority of hostile creatures in Hollow Knight deal contact damage: This is to say, if the Wandering Knight (who I'll probably spend most of this essay calling by their affectionate fan name Ghost) touches a hostile creature, this harms them.
There are exceptions to this rule. The most notable and most oft-memed example is the game's literal actual true final boss, the Radiance. Not only will Ghost not be harmed by running into any part of her body, but during her stagger animation, where she drops to the boss arena floor on her front with her whole body splayed out, Ghost still isn't harmed if she lands on top of them! What's more, this holds true for her full-power form Absolute Radiance, the secret final boss of the Godmaster quest/endings.
A lot of people find this amusing, because it's a little absurd that a game's final boss is an exception to such a consistent element of gameplay! Hence all the "haha moth too soft and fluffy for contact damage" jokes. It is objective facts that Radi is very soft and very fluffy, so it's very easy to understand why people don't overthink this too much.
Thinking about things I like in gross detail is unfortunately my hobby. When it comes to Hollow Knight this usually leads to me making myself really sad. I'd like to share the fruits of my theorizing with the class, so other people can be sad with me.
( dear fellow radi lovers come eat )
ETA: you can reblog this on tumble here. same "clown shoes off while youre visiting my house" rules naturally apply
CONTENT WARNINGS FOR discussion of pseudo-zombie plagues and associated body horror, colonialism and genocide, horrible things that happened in real life Australian history... you know, the usual topics that come up when I'm talking about Hollow Knight, since this is shit that's happened to my people too many times over the past (checks watch) 4000ish years so when I recognize it in fiction I kinda want to talk about it lol.
"TPK did nothing wrong/meant well and was working for the greater good" side of TPK standom & "TPK and the Radiance are equally bad!!! She's probably way worse than him!!!" theorists please just give this a pass. There is nothing for you here. "TPK sucks and everything is his fault and he has no redeeming traits, However, We Love This Horrible Twink With All Our Hearts Anyway" TPK stans who aren't Radi haters are wholly welcome tho, you are wonderful and I respect you guys so much.
finally if youre from a christian cultural upbringing (whether currently practicing, agnostic/secular, or atheist now), understand that some of what i'm discussing here may challenge you. if thinking thru the implications of this particular part of hollow knight worldbuilding/lore is distressing for you, PLEASE only approach this essay when youre in a safe mindset & open to listening, and ask the help of a therapist or anti-racism teacher/mentor to help you process your thoughts & feelings. just like keep in mind that youre listening to an ethnoreligiously marginalized person and be respectful here or wherever else youre discussing this dang essay please ok thanks
BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN YOU'RE NOT PREPARED TO TRY: The Radiance Doesn't Deal Contact Damage And That's Kind Of Fucked Up And Sad
The vast majority of hostile creatures in Hollow Knight deal contact damage: This is to say, if the Wandering Knight (who I'll probably spend most of this essay calling by their affectionate fan name Ghost) touches a hostile creature, this harms them.
There are exceptions to this rule. The most notable and most oft-memed example is the game's literal actual true final boss, the Radiance. Not only will Ghost not be harmed by running into any part of her body, but during her stagger animation, where she drops to the boss arena floor on her front with her whole body splayed out, Ghost still isn't harmed if she lands on top of them! What's more, this holds true for her full-power form Absolute Radiance, the secret final boss of the Godmaster quest/endings.
A lot of people find this amusing, because it's a little absurd that a game's final boss is an exception to such a consistent element of gameplay! Hence all the "haha moth too soft and fluffy for contact damage" jokes. It is objective facts that Radi is very soft and very fluffy, so it's very easy to understand why people don't overthink this too much.
Thinking about things I like in gross detail is unfortunately my hobby. When it comes to Hollow Knight this usually leads to me making myself really sad. I'd like to share the fruits of my theorizing with the class, so other people can be sad with me.
( dear fellow radi lovers come eat )