I did read that one of the endings is kinda gay? It has Hornet carrying Lace tho that said apparently there's some lore that might turn people off from this pairing.
SeraphimofYuri
Sep 10, 2025 11:49PM
I did read that one of the endings is kinda gay? It has Hornet carrying Lace tho that said apparently there's some lore that might turn people off from this pairing.
And what lore would that be?
last edited at Sep 10, 2025 11:51PM
Swag Wagon
Sep 11, 2025 1:19AM
^ Spoilers, of course:
Lace is an artificial being created entirely out of living silk and is only a couple of years old. Several characters point out she acts like a child. Turns out she's just acting her age.
Conversely, Hornet actually speaks quite often through the game and insists, adamantly, that she is an adult and should be treated as such. Considering her implied immortality in the first game the age gap might be... Big.
last edited at Sep 11, 2025 1:43AM
SeraphimofYuri
Sep 11, 2025 10:15AM
Lace is an artificial being created entirely out of living silk and is only a couple of years old. Several characters point out she acts like a child. Turns out she's just acting her age.
Conversely, Hornet actually speaks quite often through the game and insists, adamantly, that she is an adult and should be treated as such. Considering her implied immortality in the first game the age gap might be... Big.
I looked into that, and NPC dialogue implies that Lace was actually created well before most of the inhabitants of Pharloom arrived. If that is the case, she is younger than Hornet, but that much?
Although, I fully admit I could be misunderstanding that information.
last edited at Sep 11, 2025 10:16AM
Swag Wagon
Sep 11, 2025 2:33PM
^ I haven't beaten the game yet either, so there's probably something I missed too. If it's not that I'm not sure what the iffy lore implication could be.
girlswhokiss
Sep 11, 2025 4:01PM
I think that it's because she gets called a child of silk in her journal entry
myrrhmidon
Sep 11, 2025 4:06PM
^^Yeah it's that and apparently Lace is permanently stuck with the mind of a child too eventho she may actually be old as well. Tho not sure if she is older than Hornet. Pharloom is really old after all. I've read some people not liking the ship anymore because of that. I personally don't mind especially since the ending I've read is giving me strong Hornet x Lace vibes. I do like Shakra x Hornet more.
FluffyCow
Sep 11, 2025 4:48PM
This sounds like a lot of "Is a fictional character ship morally and ethically okay to ship based off their complicated and fairly vague non-human traits that don't apply to real life?", that I see fandoms debate and discuss a lot. I think it's often a silly thing for people to worry about, but I know fandoms and shipping culture well enough to know that people will shame people and thought police people over the ship. I really think there's more important things in life to worry about lol
(Also I'm not saying anyone here is doing that, I'm only commenting on how I think people on general social media will probably engage based on my overall experience with fandom and shipping culture, plus social media in general.)
girlswhokiss
Sep 12, 2025 4:40AM
It's for sure going to happen the moment more people find out about it, looks like very few have gotten to the ending in question... but the thing is, I don't think it's literal and it's people that are taking it literally instead. Yeah we are never given any exact numbers for how long it took for the game's events to unfold, but with how the bugs speak, I think it's safe to assume Lace has been around for quite a while and it's only her demeanor that's childish, and not even that much, she only seems playful for me and with a clear grudge.
While I don't really care about shipping in Hollow Knight, Hornet's comment on a certain journal entry about how she has tried to have a mate of her own before, but they couldn't match her lifespan, does make me see the appeal of two beings that can live for a very long while together and how their relationship could develop to that point. It's going to suck for the people invested on the ship though, since none of this is confirmed at all and you know how there are individuals who love to go after others because they're personally grossed out by it.
Swag Wagon
Sep 12, 2025 2:26PM
Tbph, I think this is technically one of the least problomatic ships in the series, outside of the whole enemies to lovers thing, especially since they're both likely immortal so at the very least they now have each other.
And after finding the journal entry again while it does heavily imply she outlived her partners through shear age, we have to remember the world they live in is ABSURDLY dangerous, so there's a non zero chance that at least one, if not all of them, met their end some other way.
One of the more prevailing theories I've seen is that Hornet is only in her 50's or so in the first game, which is just enough time to witness the plauge twice. Another is that they have actual bug life spans, we're just seeing it from their perspectives, which actualy would make the whole immortality thing an even worse prospect for them.
Knobody Knows Sep 8, 2025 10:54PM
BUG YURI
Swag Wagon Sep 9, 2025 3:12AM
That's an interesting design for Hornet
myrrhmidon Sep 9, 2025 4:44AM
Meanwhile players once they get to the Citadel: I APOLOGIZE PALE KING
I did read that one of the endings is kinda gay? It has Hornet carrying Lace tho that said apparently there's some lore that might turn people off from this pairing.
SeraphimofYuri Sep 10, 2025 11:49PM
And what lore would that be?
last edited at Sep 10, 2025 11:51PM
Swag Wagon Sep 11, 2025 1:19AM
^ Spoilers, of course:
Lace is an artificial being created entirely out of living silk and is only a couple of years old. Several characters point out she acts like a child. Turns out she's just acting her age.
Conversely, Hornet actually speaks quite often through the game and insists, adamantly, that she is an adult and should be treated as such. Considering her implied immortality in the first game the age gap might be... Big.
last edited at Sep 11, 2025 1:43AM
SeraphimofYuri Sep 11, 2025 10:15AM
I looked into that, and NPC dialogue implies that Lace was actually created well before most of the inhabitants of Pharloom arrived. If that is the case, she is younger than Hornet, but that much?
Although, I fully admit I could be misunderstanding that information.
last edited at Sep 11, 2025 10:16AM
Swag Wagon Sep 11, 2025 2:33PM
^ I haven't beaten the game yet either, so there's probably something I missed too. If it's not that I'm not sure what the iffy lore implication could be.
girlswhokiss Sep 11, 2025 4:01PM
I think that it's because she gets called a child of silk in her journal entry
myrrhmidon Sep 11, 2025 4:06PM
^^Yeah it's that and apparently Lace is permanently stuck with the mind of a child too eventho she may actually be old as well. Tho not sure if she is older than Hornet. Pharloom is really old after all. I've read some people not liking the ship anymore because of that. I personally don't mind especially since the ending I've read is giving me strong Hornet x Lace vibes. I do like Shakra x Hornet more.
FluffyCow Sep 11, 2025 4:48PM
This sounds like a lot of "Is a fictional character ship morally and ethically okay to ship based off their complicated and fairly vague non-human traits that don't apply to real life?", that I see fandoms debate and discuss a lot. I think it's often a silly thing for people to worry about, but I know fandoms and shipping culture well enough to know that people will shame people and thought police people over the ship. I really think there's more important things in life to worry about lol
(Also I'm not saying anyone here is doing that, I'm only commenting on how I think people on general social media will probably engage based on my overall experience with fandom and shipping culture, plus social media in general.)
girlswhokiss Sep 12, 2025 4:40AM
It's for sure going to happen the moment more people find out about it, looks like very few have gotten to the ending in question... but the thing is, I don't think it's literal and it's people that are taking it literally instead. Yeah we are never given any exact numbers for how long it took for the game's events to unfold, but with how the bugs speak, I think it's safe to assume Lace has been around for quite a while and it's only her demeanor that's childish, and not even that much, she only seems playful for me and with a clear grudge.
While I don't really care about shipping in Hollow Knight, Hornet's comment on a certain journal entry about how she has tried to have a mate of her own before, but they couldn't match her lifespan, does make me see the appeal of two beings that can live for a very long while together and how their relationship could develop to that point. It's going to suck for the people invested on the ship though, since none of this is confirmed at all and you know how there are individuals who love to go after others because they're personally grossed out by it.
Swag Wagon Sep 12, 2025 2:26PM
Tbph, I think this is technically one of the least problomatic ships in the series, outside of the whole enemies to lovers thing, especially since they're both likely immortal so at the very least they now have each other.
And after finding the journal entry again while it does heavily imply she outlived her partners through shear age, we have to remember the world they live in is ABSURDLY dangerous, so there's a non zero chance that at least one, if not all of them, met their end some other way.
One of the more prevailing theories I've seen is that Hornet is only in her 50's or so in the first game, which is just enough time to witness the plauge twice. Another is that they have actual bug life spans, we're just seeing it from their perspectives, which actualy would make the whole immortality thing an even worse prospect for them.