Line #10 Memes/HollowKnight


1	[[TheInverseLawOfFandomLevity Despite the somewhat grim atmosphere]], the game's got plenty of memes going strong in the fandom. ''VideoGame/HollowKnightSilksong'' has its own page [[Memes/HollowKnightSilksong here]].
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3	!!Please add entries in the following format if possible:
4	* The meme. [=[[=]labelnote:Explanation[=]]=]The explanation behind the meme, if necessary.[=[[/=]labelnote[=]]=] [[labelnote:Explanation]]Like this.[[/labelnote]]
5	** Further mutations and successor memes, if any.
6	----
7	* "This game is buggy!"/"This game has too many bugs!"[[labelnote:Explanation]]A very common sarcastic comment that gets used in puns, since the word "bug" in gaming usually refers to GoodBadBugs and {{Game Breaking Bug}}s, but all the characters in ''Hollow Knight'' are based on insects or arachnids, literal bugs. If players do find out and report computer bugs, crashes or glitches in the game, expect these comments and puns to be mentioned by other fans.[[/labelnote]]
8	* "No Cost Too Great"[[labelnote:Explanation]]The Pale King's iconic and [[SignatureScene memorable]] quote when struck by the Dream Nail. It is often used as a memetic catchphrase for doing ridiculous things or sacrificing someone just to achieve one's goals. It is also used to refer to the absurd amounts of traps, buzzsaws and spikes that the Pale King has installed all throughout the [[PlatformHell White Palace]], with some jokingly speculating that the real reason Hallownest fell was because the Pale King spent so much money on buzzsaws and other death traps for the palace that [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome he eventually bankrupted the entire kingdom]]. But to many, it is used to categorize or filter memes pertaining to the Pale King and other key figures or lore-important characters.[[/labelnote]]
9	* "Born of God and Meme"[[labelnote:Explanation]]Refers to a [[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsv60RZZ4AcXZJoEYyW1E4bR3HtZWMCHX compilation/playlist]] of ''Hollow Knight''-related meme/parody/spoof videos on Website/YouTube. The phrase is based on another SignatureScene in the game, with lines spoken by the Pale King. If you're a newcomer in the fandom and would like to ask for good quality or popular meme videos, there's a high chance of someone recommending you to watch this playlist and set you off to a good start.[[/labelnote]]
10	* '''"SHAW!"'''[[labelnote:Explanation]]The fandom is no stranger to the game's numerous voiced lines, but Hornet's [[{{Kiai}} battle shouts]] are among the most remembered, with "SHAW!" being the most iconic one — some fans portray her in memes or art as this being [[PokemonSpeak the only word she can say]]. [[/labelnote]]
11	** "ʍɐɥs"[[labelnote:Explanation]][[https://i.redd.it/g695naniwgy31.jpg The upside-down Hornet]] [[GoodBadBugs glitch]] (if you end a Hornet boss fight when she's in the air, she'll return to the ground upside-down and leave by burrowing through the ground) has also been a source of meme phrases due to how hilarious it can be when triggered. Obviously, "ʍɐɥs" is the result of rotating "shaw" by 180 degrees (or using the appropriate Unicode characters). Oftentimes, fans use other pre-existing meme phrases regarding upside-down content to further joke at this glitch.[[/labelnote]]
12	** Hornet's other battle shouts, such as '''"ADINO!"''', '''"HEGALE!"''', and '''"GARAMA!"''' deserve some mention as well — the last particularly gets more relevance for the sequel, since in the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQxwbZsL14Y Nintendo Switch Announcement Trailer]], the first sound that is spoken to hype up ''VideoGame/HollowKnightSilksong'' is Hornet shouting "GARAMA!".
13	* "Meanwhile in Australia"[[labelnote:Explanation]]A long-running joke referring to how everything in Australia is upside-down. Well, it kinda makes sense if you remember that ''Hollow Knight'' is made by Australian guys.[[/labelnote]]
14	** "Dinnerbone"[[labelnote:Explanation]]From ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}''. An easter egg that makes any mob named "Dinnerbone" to be rendered upside-down.[[/labelnote]]
15	* "Made in Australia"[[labelnote:Explanation]]Overlaps with the above meme putting emphasis on the Australian origins of ''Hollow Knight''. But instead of upside-down shenanigans, this phrase evolves into stuff claiming that everything in the game's world are Australian, as compared to other forms of media. Sometimes, fans use this to compare ''Hollow Knight'' characters with other things, fictional or real, such as [[https://i.redd.it/04sgjq8zhwq41.png this meme]].[[/labelnote]]
16	* Hornet isn't the only character whose [[SpeakingSimlish voiced lines]] are subjected to this treatment, several other voiced lines have been subject to this too ''a lot'', being used for all sorts of weird hi-jinks, comments and parodies:
17	** Especially the Dung Defender, whose lines are easily memorable due to [[LargeHam ham content]] (with "[[BattleCry FAAAAAAARRRFFUUUUNNNDADDAAA!]]" and "[[DungFu Doma, doma, domadomadoma!]]" standing out).
18	** Another famous line is Hornet's shout as she [[spoiler:restrains The Hollow Knight to allow you to Dream Nail it and fight [[TrueFinalBoss The Radiance]]]], which sounds suspiciously like "[[Memes/DarkSouls GIT GUD]]!"[[labelnote:Note]]WordOfGod is that it's supposed to be 'GEK TUU!', but they concede that since we don't know what that means, she ''could'' be saying "get good" [[SpeakingSimlish in bug]].[[/labelnote]] Considering the boss you're about to fight if you hear this cry, [[NintendoHard you will need to]]. This often pops out whenever a player complains on the difficulty of a boss fight or a platforming sequence.
19	** The Nailmasters: often rendered as "YAAASOOOOOOO!!" or "GET SOOOME!"
20	** Quirrel's battle cry, "KA-SHAAA!", when he [[spoiler:helps you fight Uumuu]] is often misheard and comically spelled as "Croissant!". Yes, as in the pastry!
21	** The Soul Master's sound effects often get laughed at because he's basically just saying "Mmmm!", "Hmmm!" and "Mmmhmm!" during his attacks, which are too {{Narm}}y and out-of-place from his stage and background music.
22	** For Grimm it's "SEH!"
23	** Puns are also common, with some of the bugs' heads being super-imposed over real-life objects that have names sounding like the memetic voice lines. [[https://i.redd.it/tkzz98v7rh041.png For example, "Braava".]]
24	* Similar to ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'', fans have made videos of scenarios vaguely similar to in game events/characters and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNhy25t0Gv0 adding the characters' faces]] [[https://youtu.be/DW-rpOqAJr0 on top.]]
25	* In relation to the above, [[https://youtu.be/gMn119BFeAs fans have made it clear they want the game on]] ''Platform/NintendoSwitch''.
26	* "Primal Aspids never miss"/"Primal Aspids have homing shots".[[labelnote:Explanation]]Adding these DemonicSpiders to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llhQ_5Aub94 already-difficult]] situations or somehow making them even more annoying became a mock goal for modders, while all players find solidarity in their ability to seemingly ''always'' hit the player. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MF3ljgEutaE Superimposing images of Primal Aspids]] over videos of scenarios of people getting struck by unlikely projectiles became an extension of this meme.[[/labelnote]]
27	* I hate Markoth. / Why is Markoth so difficult? [[labelnote:Explanation]]Markoth has the reputation to be [[BulletHell a particularly]] [[ThatOneBoss hard boss]] in the game, but even more in Godhome because of the Pantheon of Hallownest, Ascension and Radiant battlefield configuration where the floor became a BottomlessPit. Some comments under Radiant challenges consider him, ironically or not, to be the hardest boss the game has to offer.[[/labelnote]]
28	* "Pale Fork"[[labelnote:Explanation]]Making photo-edits or comparisons of the Pale King to a fork, simply because the king had a four-pronged crown.[[/labelnote]]
29	** "Tree Lady"[[labelnote:Explanation]]Similarly, this is about making photo-edits or comparisons of the White Lady to any tree because she's a tree-like higher being called a Root.[[/labelnote]]
30	* "LAMP BRØETHER"[[labelnote:Explanation]]Making jokes about moths being addicted to lamps, lampposts, lightbulbs, or anything that produces light. It comes from a TruthInTelevision fact where moths are indeed attracted to light since the absence of it makes them blind. It gains a relevance in this game, with "light" being the ArcWords of the moth tribe, including the BigBad Radiance herself. Some even go as far as to state that Radiance's origin consists of it becoming one with a lamp or some related joke. In some ''Hollow Knight'' meme communities such as Reddit, the word "lamp" is used to categorize or filter memes focused on the moth tribe, the infection or the Radiance. [[/labelnote]]
31	* "Infected Image"[[labelnote:Explanation]]The equivalent of the [[https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/cursed-image "Cursed Image"]] Internet catchphrase used within the ''Hollow Knight'' fandom.[[/labelnote]]
32	* "Life Ender"[[labelnote:Explanation]]A flair used to categorize or filter memes and content pertaining to Zote, [[ICallItVera named after his weapon]]. Sometimes, it is simply used to categorize BlackComedy, GallowsHumor, or dark and depressing content in general.[[/labelnote]]
33	* "Higher Beings, These Words Are For You Alone"[[labelnote:Explanation]]Another catchphrase/text macro used by the fandom to emphasize that you are giving an important message to someone else, but in an eloquent manner. It is usually PlayedForLaughs as the phrase gets followed by the actual message being mundane, comedic, [[ClusterFBomb vulgar]], or any (ir)relevant topic that the user can come up with.[[/labelnote]]
34	* Zote is too powerful.[[labelnote:Explanation]][[MilesGloriosus Zote]] [[ZeroEffortBoss the Mighty]]'s pretended badass demeanor is taken to first degree by many people, notably comments under Youtube videos showing a BossRush saying that "[any hard boss] is nothing compared to Zote".[[/labelnote]]
35	** Invincible, Fearless, Sensual, Mysterious, Enchanting, Vigorous, Diligent, Overwhelming, Gorgeous, Passionate, Terrifying, Beautiful, Powerful, Grey Prince Zote.[[labelnote:Explanation]]Since the ''Hidden Dreams'' update, after you've fought Zote on the colosseum, you can find [[StalkerShrine a statue of him]] in [[AbhorrentAdmirer Bretta]]'s house. If you dream nail it, you can fight Grey Prince Zote, her idealized perception of [[BlatantLies the greatest hero of Hallownest]]. These [[TryToFitThatOnABusinessCard rididuclously long]] BossSubtitles are used to glorify the character in an ironic way.[[/labelnote]]
36	* "Wayward Compass Too OP"[[labelnote:Explanation]]Some players just want to exaggerate the usefulness of a starting charm that only displays your current location on the map. It also spawns other joking suggestions such as using the Wayward Compass on the harder contents like the Path of Pain, the Colosseum, the Hall of Gods, Pantheons, Eternal Ordeal, Grimm's fights in his tent, and against Dream Bosses (All of these contents in fact, make the compass useless since they have no maps, or are limited to one area only). Although another serious justification for the compass' usefulness comes in the Delicate Flower Delivery quest, or statements claiming that it's just ''that'' useful for players who have NoSenseOfDirection.[[/labelnote]]
37	* "I'm in love with the Shape of Unn"[[labelnote:Explanation]]One of the early comments from players who attest to the usefulness of the Shape of Unn charm, but written like that one line from Music/EdSheeran's song "Shape of You". However, it wasn't confirmed or asked from Team Cherry if "Shape of Unn" is indeed an intentional ShoutOut to the song.[[/labelnote]]
38	* "[[VideoGame/{{Undertale}} Sans]] Charm" [[labelnote:Explanation]] A lot of players have noted that the Dashmaster charm has an uncanny similiarity to the character of Sans the Skeleton, in terms of aspect. Some even joked that the Sprintmaster charm was Papyrus. [[/labelnote]]
39	* "Child Support"[[labelnote:Explanation]]Coined after the implication that Grimm doesn't want to raise the Grimmchild by himself, since he even tasks the Knight to evolve it. The meme is also used to refer to how Grimm just loves to bring up the word "child" a lot. An update even makes it so that the Grimmchild is ''mandatory'' if you even want to challenge Nightmare King Grimm. If you don't have the charm equipped when you use the dream nail on him, Grimm will say "The child...". That phrase itself also made this meme more relevant.[[/labelnote]]
40	* "Romance Options"[[labelnote:Explanation]]Once teased as a part of the ''Godmaster'' update, but players literally took it for an actually RomanceSidequest. {{Troll}}ing statements aside, it was revealed that the "romance options" meant that you can now give the Delicate Flower to more characters. Of course, some fans were surprised at this and laugh, some were disappointed for the wrong reasons.[[/labelnote]]
41	* "Hornet is Void"[[labelnote:Explanation]]One of the [[EpilepticTrees bizzare theories]] of the fandom regarding Hornet's identity since the Knight, Hollow Knight and the other failed Vessels were her siblings from the Pale King. But the difference is, Hornet was born from a truce that Herrah must give birth to a child of the Pale King, and ''not'' being born out of the Void like her siblings. It turned to a meme because of the wild evidences or proofs that holders of this theory present - such as the fact that Hornet has black eyes and is therefore black on the inside, similar to the black liquid Void. That is questionable in itself, since majority of the bugs also have black eyes by default. And most importantly, Hornet doesn't spill black liquid when hit, unlike the Void beings such as the Vessels, Kingsmoulds and the Collector. Nonetheless, this meme phrase is so divisive that some fans do not count it as a DiscreditedMeme.[[/labelnote]]
42	* "Chad Pale King"[[labelnote:Explanation]]Any attempt to [[{{Flanderization}} exaggerate]] the fact that the Pale King is implied to have multiple sexual activities with the White Lady, which explains why there are a lot of their Vessel children left in the Abyss. Also to remind that he might have "betrayed" the White Lady by agreeing to have Herrah the Beast bear one of his children. In simple terms, to remind that the Pale King is a sexually-active alpha male.[[/labelnote]]
43	* "Idea Instilled"[[labelnote:Explanation]]The phrase spoken by the White Lady which explains and implies that the Hollow Knight is not purely hollow, and that an idea tarnished it to have emotions or a will. Although the game [[AmbiguousSituation makes the idea ambiguous]], the fandom uses this phrase in their bizzare theories guessing what was ''the'' idea that corrupted the Hollow Knight. Think of it like a cause-and-effect situation, with fans making memes out of the cause.[[/labelnote]]
44	* "Can't wait for mossbag to make a video out of this!"[[labelnote:Explanation]]Within the fandom, a Website/{{YouTube}}r named [[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTvH45HvnOzqXvfNJqdc3xg "mossbag"]] is known for his long and in-depth lore explanation, character backstory, and general theory videos. Although he claims some of the parts are merely guesses and should not be taken as gospel, fans find most of his content reasonable enough; and he does research and puts infographics and memes on his videos to the point that they can be very long and detailed for otherwise specific topics. When a new official video comes out from Team Cherry, the ''Hollow Knight'' fandom (especially on the [=YouTube=] community) will usually comment this phrase, expecting mossbag to dissect the video for any expanded lore.[[/labelnote]]
45	** "Frame-by-frame analysis by mossbag"[[labelnote:Explanation]]One of the things that mossbag usually does in the trailers for ''VideoGame/HollowKnightSilksong'' is slowing down a part of the trailer so that the details can be clearly seen, as if the video is playing on a frame-by-frame slideshow. It is most often used by the [=YouTube=] community to commend on how he is able to spot some FreezeFrameBonus details on an otherwise fast-paced trailer (like how enemies in the sequel now produce silk when hit, or how certain {{Arc Symbol}}s like bells are seemingly hidden in the background).[[/labelnote]]
46	** If mossbag makes a funny, exaggerated, or catchy one-liner that is relevant to the discussion or summarizes a topic on-point, viewers would most likely mention that phrase a lot, sometimes to the point where it gets parroted even outside of the [=YouTube=] community (but for the sake of light-hearted humor being PlayedForLaughs), such as the following:
47	*** "William and Ari are a bunch of liars"[[labelnote:Explanation]]Used whenever someone remembers the numerous [[DummiedOut leftovers]] and [[WhatCouldHaveBeen cut content]] that didn't make it into the released version of the game, especially if those were teased mid-development.[[/labelnote]]
48	*** "Ari is a [[OccidentalOtaku Weeb]]"[[labelnote:Explanation]]After it was mentioned that ''Anime/AngelsEgg'' is one of Ari's main inspirations for the artstyle of ''Hollow Knight'', many are surprised that he knows something about anime, and even referencing a 1985 OVA![[/labelnote]]
49	* Flukemilf[[labelnote:Explanation]]A joke phrase that started circulating since the ''Godmaster'' update, wherein the Flukemarm statue in the Hall of Gods describes it as an "Alluring god of motherhood". Fans quickly noticed the "alluring" part and played with it, describing this incomprehensible parasite breeding creature as a hot mom.[[/labelnote]]
50	* "Absolute [Insert Noun Here]"[[labelnote:Explanation]]Editing the words of the fullscreen BossSubtitles for the Radiance/Absolute Radiance, [[https://i.redd.it/eq9zq0nicfo21.jpg like]] [[https://i.redd.it/yme9gx8ver841.png these]] [[https://i.redd.it/jditmqriir541.png examples]]. Others go as far as writing phrases using this format and font like [[https://i.redd.it/q5zxutufd0541.png this]], even if they aren't related to ''Hollow Knight''.[[/labelnote]]
51	* "Milk, Orange Juice, Coke"[[labelnote:Explanation]]The three key elements (Soul, Infection, Void) that grant powers or bring change within bugs are all surprisingly liquids. This idea brought several puns or memes about bugs drinking certain liquids or beverages to gain power, while the most common trend out of this is associating Soul with Milk, Infection with Orange Juice, and Void with Coke just because of their colors.[[/labelnote]]
52	* "I Sleep, Real Shit!, Ascended!"[[labelnote:Explanation]]Among the various exploitable image macros, the [[https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/sleeping-shaq Sleeping Shaq]] meme is the most commonly-used format by the community since its phrases fit perfectly for the setting of ''Hollow Knight'', that they are superimposed with this game's characters. To be specific, "I Sleep" refers to the three Dreamers (who are obviously sleeping), "Real Shit!" refers to the Dung Defender (who fights by throwing shit at you), and "Ascended!" refers to Gorb (who just loves spouting the word "Ascend!").[[/labelnote]]
53	* "Elderbug is sad"[[labelnote:Explanation]]A common reaction from the Website/YouTube/Speedrunning community. It refers to the act of walking past the Elderbug in Dirtmouth just for the sake of {{Speedrun}}ning, since the dialogue lines take quite some time to scroll, yet many are completely optional.[[/labelnote]]
54	* "Grimm is a third-party character"[[labelnote:Explanation]]Due to his artstyle, appearance and color scheme, fans joke that Grimm won't be out of place if he gets drawn near characters from ''VideoGame/BendyAndTheInkMachine'' or ''WebAnimation/HazbinHotel''. And it ensues, that there are crossover fanarts of Grimm with these related works.[[/labelnote]]
55	* "Come on guys! He's just swimming!"[[labelnote:Explanation (Spoilers!)]]Given the [[AmbiguousSituation ambiguity]] of what happened to Quirrel after the Blue Lake scene, and why he left his nail at the edge of the lake, a side of the fandom believes that Quirrel died by drowning himself. This was supported by data miners who found that the weapon was named "quirrel_death_nail" in the game files. However, FanonDiscontinuity applies to those the side who insists that Quirrel is still alive, he might have just left his nail for a swim. This is a phrase used to defend this argument, but it has also evolved into memes, quirky edits, or fanarts of Quirrel simply swimming underwater in the Blue Lake, sometimes depicted with scuba diving gear.[[/labelnote]]
56	* The Pale King's [[SawBladesOfDeath buzzsaw]] obsession.[[labelnote:Explanation]]The White Palace focuses more on tricky platforming than combat, and the most common obstacle is spinning buzzsaws. They're so ubiquitous that people have joked that the Pale King wasn't trying to make it difficult to reach him in the palace, he just loved buzzsaws.[[/labelnote]]
57	** Hornet truly is her father's daughter.[[labelnote:Explanation]]Silksong previews have shown that one of Hornet's tools is a portable buzzsaw. Jokes about Hornet inheriting her dad's buzzsaw obsession soon followed.[[/labelnote]]
58	* Grimm needs water/Grimm is a smoker[[labelnote:Explanation]]Grimm's [[EvilSoundsRaspy dry and scratchy voice]] has made many people joke that Grimm is in dire need of a drink of water, or he's [[SmokyVoice smoked so much that his voice is raspy as a result.]][[/labelnote]]
59	* "Thou cringer!"[[labelnote:Explanation]]The Godseeker's...odd way to demean the Knight as an unworthy and inferior creature that could never be compared to the many gods (bosses) of Hallownest. Due to the redefinition of the word "cringe" in modern meme culture as "anything that makes one disgusted", the word "cringer" has been embraced by the ''Hollow Knight'' community to refer to any source of "cringe".[[/labelnote]]
60	* Due to Hallownest being a MouseWorld, a lot of of jokes run rampant saying how all these battles are taking place in various generic locations like someone's backyard and also any humans who were watching will just swat the [[TheHero Knight]] and the [[BigBad Radiance]] with a [[NormalFishInATinyPond hand or bug-zapper]].
61	* Due to the huge number of mods that spike the difficulty of boss fights to downright ludicrous levels, jokes ran rampant that the community is filled with masochists.
62	* Some fan-artists of the ''Hollow Knight'' community are talented enough that they are able to re-create or draw existing memes but themed with this game's setting and characters. Take these formats by various Website/{{Reddit}}ors for example, most of which are commonly-used as exploitable image macros by the game's meme community:
63	** [[https://i.redd.it/d12sxxdp9hk31.jpg "Ight... Imma Head Out..."]]
64	** [[https://i.redd.it/rhhbv3xhx3a31.jpg "Woman Yelling at a Cat"]]
65	** [[https://i.redd.it/bczrikcuf1q31.jpg "Predator Handshake"]]
66	** [[https://i.redd.it/afrsi1u3tvl31.jpg "Floating Boy Chasing Running Boy"]]
67	** [[https://i.redd.it/7a1cdg0dudc31.jpg "Drew Scanlon Reaction"]]
68	** [[https://i.redd.it/mukpxcvb44x31.png "Phil Swift Slaps on Flex Tape"]]
69	** [[https://i.redd.it/dxlecvmkmnw31.png "Something's Wrong, I Can Feel It"]]
70	** [[https://i.redd.it/7mqq7y912nw31.png "There is Another"]]
71	** [[https://i.redd.it/epc8o39kd3d31.png "Conflicted Steve Harvey"]]
72	** [[https://i.redd.it/gsg5it8byit31.png "Galaxy Brain"]]
73	** [[https://i.redd.it/hewjap2bmwq31.png "Drakeposting"]]
74	** [[https://i.redd.it/9o7e8dpz4ja31.png "Nigerundayo Smokey!"]]
75	** [[https://i.redd.it/gqn9210mk4p21.png "Oh? You're Approaching Me?"]]
76	** [[https://i.redd.it/mln04g2i9jo21.png "It was me, Dio!"]]
77	** [[https://i.redd.it/jdpwxmogies31.jpg "T-Pose"]]
78	** [[https://i.redd.it/b5s0i0titwg31.png "Boardroom Suggestion"]]
79	** [[https://i.redd.it/ymohoh0ps4v31.png "I Am a Grown Man"]]
80	** [[https://i.redd.it/vtjcunoooru41.jpg "I Fear No Man"]]
81	** [[https://i.redd.it/ezth12aj89041.png "Fake Pokemon Battles"]]
82	** [[https://i.redd.it/wta79tvkqyq31.jpg "I see no God up here, other than Me"]]
83	** [[https://i.redd.it/vq3plhr4tb841.jpg "Fuze Elbow Dropping a Hostage"]]
84	** [[https://i.redd.it/hlgmhdmua9z31.png "How Are You Not Dead?"]]
85	** [[https://i.redd.it/e7tepjf18wu31.png "Professional Players vs. Veteran Players"]]
86	** [[https://i.redd.it/c7iv72sy7nc31.jpg "Mario Bros. Views"]]
87

Context Memes / HollowKnight