Thank you for watching my video! If you haven't already, please consider **Subscribing** to my channel for more Hollow Knight & Silksong lore just like this! Please only read the rest of this comment AFTER you've finished the video, it has spoilers for what I say in the "Dreamers" and "Quirrel" sections of my video: In talking about the Dreamers, I decided to remove some smaller points from the video for better viewer enjoyment, so here's what I left out. When a bug is masked, their "true form" is protected by the "masked form", but to what extent this "masked form" changes a bug's appearance, I'm unsure. So if Monomon's mask gave her her jellyfish body, why can we see her tentacles BEFORE her mask is returned? I have two guesses: her mask didn't give her her jellyfish body, or her body actually has a weak connection to her mask throughout the game. My first guess actually makes sense considering Herrah, since her offspring, Hornet, has the same horns as her masked mother. I'm unsure when the Dreamers were given masks to wear, but since they're used as apart of the Seal on the Black Egg, I assume Herrah was given her mask *after* Hornet was born. This means the masks do not give their wearers new bodies, explaining why we can see unmasked Monomon's tentacles. However, if that is incorrect, then its possible Monomon's mind in the dream world actually had a weak connection to her body in the real world this entire time. Since Quirrel thinks she's calling to him from within the Teacher's Archive, then this would definitively explain how. With a weak connection between her body and mind, her body is fractured, but not completely wiped from existence. If I had to guess, the focus her mask provides her body creates a "focused" connection between the two, allowing her body to fully reform. Also, if you want an explanation for why Monomon was the only one to implement such an OVERPOWERED protection on her body, my only guess is... she's smart. Or maybe because she's in a tube, and the other Dreamers aren't. No idea honestly on this point xD ONLY READ ONWARD IF YOU'VE FINISHED THE VIDEO, YOU WILL BE SPOILED BY THIS PARAGRAPH Turns out, I'm not so sure if it would've made sense for Mask Maker's quote to apply to Quirrel EVEN IF his face was covered by Monomon's mask in the Desolate Wastes. Since I concluded the mind provided by Monomon's mask is locked away in the Dream Realm, it wouldn't make sense for the mask to be able to give another mind to another wearer if it only has one mind to give away, right? However I'm unsure if that's how masks even work, or if this is something that should only be applied to Dreamer masks. Whatever the case, we can all agree Mask Maker's quote was a big red herring in relation to Quirrel >:(
Brumm (or whatever the accordion guy after banishing the Grimm troupe is named) mentions he thinks the charm he gives you would look nice on you, implying you wear them. So the knight reaches into their eyes, pulls out a charm, and shoves it onto their cloak like a Boy Scout Badge.
The knight costumes things with void so it's possible that you are correct but if the void is an infinite space it could just absorb the masks for protection and also the shade could be semi permeable wich is how the knight can hit it with it's nail but it can store things inside it
Amazing video! I wonder if Quirrel wearing the mask part way was a way to protect his mind while not being overridden by Monomon's mind while in the wastes outside Hollownest.
I always visualized the masks as adding a thin layer onto the knight’s head. Like rings on a tree. Mainly cause the masks and the shell of the knight are the same color :)
I like to think when the knight completes a mask, it absorbs the mask into itself and reinforces it's shell. Spiritually, the mask is still there but it reflects only one face/mask.
HK OCs are just rad. I mean hell, I found Hollow Knight because one of the artists I follow on Twitter regularly does fan art of indie games where she basically takes her OC and tries to make her thematically and aesthetically fit within that universe. Her take on HK being interesting and unique enough to peak my interest and get into this game~ (Overcooked Sushi, @Lady_Alvira, Around May 4th if you want to see for yourself)
Makes sense that fury of the fallen would be right next to that lore tablet about unmasking, because the power of fury of the fallen only works when you lose almost all your masks. It clearly has some connection
@@SillySunnyTacos The Shade even proves this, it's no longer The Knight. When you're restored, you're missing the essence of shade that makes you up so you're basically an empty shell but you still have yourself, your mask. Meanwhile, the maskless shade has no identity and is little more than the shadows in the abyss, mindlessly attacking even you.
I think this is something he kinda neglected to touch properly apon I'm the video - we know that the Pale King isn't exactly trustworthy, and as far as I can tell from the tablet next to fury of the fallen, and the one in the throne room in White Palace, he may have actually benefitted from bugs not wearing masks. PK was all about control, hence why any bugs in the kingdom who didn't fall under his control, or straight up broke free of it (like xero) were often prosecuted or shunned. Only through superior force or bargaining were bugs able to have autonomy from the king (see the mantis village for proof of this - they kept deepnest at bay, so they were left alone). Perhaps the reason the mask maker was hidden away was because the Pale King couldn't outright get rid of all masks, but didn't want them to be used, as with one, bugs would have more individuality and would, more importantly, be able to travel outside of the Kingdom without risk of losing their minds. (This is obviously just a working theory, but I feel as though it may hold some merit, as it's pretty obvious that the Pale King does have a personal agenda aside from stopping the radiance from taking over)
"...To conceal it *fully* within another..." Maybe the alternative reason to why Quirrel had his mind intact outside the Hallownest was because he didn't wear Monomon's mask properly, giving his mind a weak protection with smaller consequences, those being memory loss.
One thing I love about the moment with Quirrel before he “disappears” is that if you leave tiso on the opposite side of the lake it can be a really symbolic parallel moment of these two adventurers that we have met. Tiso is still looking for more ramp up and will inevitably meet his end in the coliseum. And Quirrel has had a fulfilling adventure for the second time in his life and can go out peacefully knowing he has finished his part. It’s beautiful really.
i just found it super funny on my recent playthrough that after i had a moment with quirrel and he, well, you know, i then went to find tiso at the other side of the lake saying "UGH THIS PLACE IS BORING I HATE IT HERE"
To correct the interpretation of the quote stating the mind is 'destroyed', the mask maker also states that those with a strong will, or those with strong ideals, may still pertain a sliver of their original self when they bear the new mask. Also, I can align the contradiction: The Pale King's beacon gives minds to those without a mask, when otherwise they would need one, but a new mask would somewhat overwrite that mind, but keep aspects of the original if those aspects are deeply rooted in the individual.
I don't agree that the mind is "overwritten", it's rather contained or otherwise influenced by another "state", as Quirrel shows the influence on both "states" is bidirectional. Also if it wasn't for Cc immediately discarding his take on soul-essence because of him not covering his face with his mask in the Wastes, my comment would be a bit longer; but he caught himself, so...
@@serraramayfield9230 Well, technically they are higher beings, at least when compared to their primitve counterparts, though they indeed do not abide by the "scientific" definition of the term. I really wish Team Cherry didn't add the whole "higher beings, these words are for you alone" to all the lore tablets, since the concept of higher beings proper isn't even present in the base game outside of the kingsoul description. It's really confusing this way.
@@RodrigoPereira-ws8ok They are not, because TC defines Higher Beings as "beings above all others"; citizens uplifted by PK's beacon clearly are not this as Mantises/Weavers/Spiders/etc also have sentience. Remind me of the Kingsoul description again?
something i think about is what the long term effect of wearing masks would be. i often see masks being used as metaphors in all kinds of media, usually about personality. when one wears a fake personality for too long, it eventually becomes hard even for themselves to separate reality from the "mask". maybe when a bug stays too long with a mask, their mind is slowly merged with it. when Nymm loses his mask he also loses his memory, since the mask was part of him for a while, instead of just an item to wear. As mask maker says, it's hard to tell if other bugs are wearing masks or not, and not because they look real, but because at some point they become the same. That would also explain how only bugs with a stronger mind would be able to keep it after removing the mask. maybe thats also why the dreamers dont have a maskless form, since they ended up becoming the same over time (gods know how time works in hollow knight, we can only assume it was for a long while) it could also explain how Monomon still communicates with quirrel, since he would be quite literally wearing her mind, and maybe he didn't wear it properly precisely because he didn't want his mind to be lost but still wanted the protection. maybe that only slowed down the process of losing one's mind instead of completely stopping it, which is why he lost part of his memories
Just finished watching… HOLY SMOKES I LOVE THIS! The attention to detail, the voice acting, and even the jokes slipped in, it’s so well thought out and the execution was just…. MMMM! I don’t have words to describe it.
From what I understand, the Mask Maker and Pale King don't necessarily contradict each other. The Mask Maker uses "Concealed Self", rather than previous self. This means that the mind isn't actually gone forever, but the previous line insinuates it isn't active, or whatever the terminology would be. From my understanding, the mind itself isn't destroyed, but the sense of self, the existence of the bug. The Pale King wanting to have the bugs unmask is for them to be themselves, to be proud of who they are or something like that. If this is similar or at least partially true, it might explain some stuff. Im probably wrong tho, but it might help explain something. I just thought it was interesting he still refers to the self as existing in a concealed form rather than destroyed, right after he says its destroyed. The slivers that leak through might be able to break through the seal of binding. It might slso be that thing that protected the White Palace, with will being enough to break through a weaker version. This is mostly my speculation, I think. Anyways, that's my understanding.
I find masks one of the most interesting things in Hollow Knight lore. At first, you dont even think about them, but when you look closer at the details of the game, you see how they're everywhere and their existance is sure of great importance to a deep, truly deep lore of the entire universe of the game, not just Hallownest. They might be the one thing in the middle of it all, the answer to everything. And I feel like there is still so much information missing, so many unanswered questions. I really hope we see a continuation to that lore in Silksong.
According to Charm Lover Salubra, charms can be made when a bug dies. So perhaps Brumm and Nymm are two different entities and Brumm removing his mask and becoming Nymm killed Brumm and shifted his corpse, his mask, into Carefree Melody.
I just think that Brumm dies as in his personality. The person named Brumm dies. And what is left is Nymm. I think your idea is creative but I also think that its possible for a person to die without their body dying.
My first thought when looking at the scattered masks littering the land of storms was that maybe they were all attempts at creating the mask that they currently use to attune? It seems pretty complicated and it would not surprise me in the slightest if it took them a long time to make a working one.
Lots of respect for the Brumm appreciation! His role in the grimm troupe is generally clowned on for stealing away the chance to fight Nightmare Grimm, but what the cause he fought for was a meaningful one.
Another banger of a lore vid, Cc! It never ceases to amaze me how consistent the deep lore of this game goes. Way to make my aching for Silksong resurface. Well done, friend.
I think a lot of what Mask Maker says is figurative. It could be what TC intended, but I never thought it literally meant masks give sentience. For me it meant: masks are an avenue to disguise your original features so that you are unrecognizable. But you can become too used to that new look and "lose" your original identity. That can be a metaphor for just acting differently to give yourself a different persona. If you get too used to that persona then you might become that persona. Masks do seem to have a lot of prevalence in Hollow Knight, but I don't think that they are actually that important. Godseeker is a different story, sure they're masks that they wear, but that's not the key detail. God tuners make it easier to concentrate your thoughts towards something (in other words, to focus). I never agreed with what mossbag said about masks actually changing the wearer. Dreamer masks actually served a function, but likely didn't need to even be a mask to work. Monomon probably helped Quirrel to survive outside of Hallownest, since we know she is still connected to him through the mask which contains a fragment of her existing mind. Regardless, I can't explain this all in a UA-cam comment, and I've already written more than people are willing to read.
I had a head canon of how the masks work for the knight (and by extension the vessels) that each mask the player has acts somewhat like a protective seal of binding but weaker, designed to break and mend to the wearer’s will (as an actual seal of binding would be too restrictive). With each mask worn, a layer of protection for the knight, kind of like a Russian doll. This works with the theory that the knight wears all its masks at once. It’s last mask acts to keep the void and/or shade inside its shell and when that last mask breaks there is nothing to keep what tries to escape from freedom. But how does this work with other bugs? Well what if masks didn’t work the same between different bugs? We know that the vessels weren’t created like normal bugs so why should they need masks that expand their mind? They need no mind to think, no will to break, no voice to cry suffering. The vessels aren’t supposed to have a mind so need no masks, only the shells they’re already provided with at birth and are given masks to keep the shade inside their shell. But that’s just my theory, have fun with it!
For the vessels, given their objective, I think the masks represent a set of instructions The end objective for each vessel is given as follows: - locate source of infection - seal vessel within oneself However, in their default "shade" state, they don't actually do anything; shades float around their spawn location unless they detect the PC. Therefore, additional instructions are required to explain how vessels should fulfill their objective. These additional instructions are as follows: - movement and navigation - identify and attack enemies - interact with non-hostiles Each of the above points are performed solely in regards to the primary objective, limiting the chance for independent thought and development of a mind ...however, on their respective journeys, vessels can encounter obstacles and events not covered by the above instructions, thus requiring a final catch-all statement: - acquisition of additional knowledge and abilities This final point allows for creative thinking and, judging by the sheer number of bodies, is not present in all vessels and is ultimately what allows escape from The Abyss. However, it also allows for independent thought. As a result, any vessel that escapes The Abyss also has the capacity to gain "an idea instilled", or an instruction outside the scope of their primary objective.
In regards to the point of the Godseeker potentially being able to store all the minds within herself without wearing multiple masks, it's also possible that it's a similar situation to the knight. In that all of the masks the knight wears aren't applied to the character modles in game. So then the question becomes how one would wear all of the masks if they were applied.
Perhaps mask with a connection to powerful forces or outside effects can simply.. grow 'denser', meaning they deepen their ability" but maintain the same amount of are, wether their would be an actual weight difference from such a thing is.. up to interpretation
23:15 maybe to "wear" it means only to have it close, like having it under your cloak, as a hat, inside your mind (From the Beacon) like Monomon or with a Game Theory of the knight, to just have it inside your cloak/shade/body/whatever it is
Ah Cc, great job as always! Every time I hear some of my music in the background a big big smile suddenly appears on my face :) And the way you shortened Highway of Pain at 28:08 is just perfect, couldn't have done better!
I’ve been dying for a new lore video ever since I picked up hollow knight myself. And mask maker is my second favourite character so I’m sure this’ll be fun!
Simple explanation that means you don’t have to throw out your theory: just as M’s mask acts like a link between the dream world and reality, it can be used to give you most of the effects of the Beacon from basically anywhere, acting kinda like a redstone repeater from Minecraft. This is due to the fact that M’s body is in Hallownest.
"Let all bask in your true form." Completed masks hide your true form. The lore tablet is next to Fury of the Fallen, which gives you strength when you only have one mask. I would assume this is just alluding to Fury giving you extra power when you "shed your mask layers, exposing your true form beneath" or something like that
Then tell me. And no. We don't know nearly everything about them. Sure, their are the obvious ones like, dashmaster, quickslash, heavyblow. But most of the rest are quite mysterious. And was the process that turned the kingsoul, a charm that regenerates soul, into the void heart, a charm that unites the void under the bearer's will just by remembering the past?
@@stuffstuff3455 The process that turned the Kingsoul into the Void Heart was a "revelation" (emotional reaction) by its wearer, the Knight, when it witnessed the Birthplace cutscene. Getting the Void Heart caused them to "evolve beyond [the Pale King]" as stated by Bardoon.
Dawg what the hecc, your editing is so good??? This video felt so professional, between the slick visuals, the SFX, the VA's you called in, the music (MAT my beloved), not to mention the actual script and the narrative you built. Man I love your videos so much! I hope you have a great day and can keep making amazing stuff like this :)
so maybe the kings becon just effects the dream world version and by having a mask that form is being revealed in the normal world....i guess.... and he might have effected only the dream world because the radiance was also in it i think.
The ancient mask in "hidung the true self" refers to locking away the shade inside. The only one that uses *ancient* masks is the knight, not the rest of the bugs, except maybe the dreamers, and that special mask makes them sleep forever
I can try to explain the contradiction between mask maker and the lore tablet in king’s pass: The lore tablets in king’s pass are addressed to higher beings, while Mask Maker was addressing bugs in general. That pretty much explains it, but it’s time for some speculation. Mask maker says that “those of striking will may still a retain a slither of that concealed self.” Higher beings definitely fit this bill, but why would whoever wrote these tablets want higher beings to reveal themselves? The Pale King never took off his mask for all we know, and when the Radiance made herself known, the entire kingdom was thrown into chaos. In my opinion, it’s either directly addressed to Vessels, or simple foreshadowing. Being the children of the Pale King and White Lady, the Vessels could be considered higher beings as well. The knight only defeated the Radiance when all the siblings in their shade forms, he took off his mask to reveal his shade, but the shit out of the Radiance, and dragged the Radiance into the void. So yeah, that’s my interpretation of that Lore Tablet.
Perhaps the mask and what it conceals can communicate, meaning that monomon instructed her unmasked mind to call out the knight and quarrel in her absence
5:37 - He says “striking will”. As in, those who have a striking will. A will that is striking. 10:36 - That’s the opposite of what you’re trying to say. You can’t Dream Nail “unmasked” Monomon because of the seal on her. Which Quirrel breaks. Not to mention, it says absolutely nowhere that the dreamers have masks.
I mean, Monomon definitely has a mask. Also, during Sealed Siblings ending, Hornets mask appears as the new Black Egg seal. I would say it's safe to say they are wearing masks.
Ah, CC, I see you're going to Unmask the truth! You've gone through the wastes to find the connection between the faceless facts and lies, yet in the end it seems as though the face concealed was yet another mask. Maybe we'll get that sweet sweet mask lore in zoteboat.
8:15 I think we do actually see another way to conceal ones true form (Spoilers ahead) See at the end of the game in the dream no more or pantheon endings our character sheds their shell entirely and reveals the true shade (or shade lord) underneath
Is the Mask Maker canonically male? Last time I checked the wiki, their gender was listed as unknown. (I know they get gendered male in languages that don't have gender neutral grammar but that's more due to a lack of options than anything) EDIT: I'm also surprised you didn't mention anything about the Colosseum of Fools, since there's some pretty good evidence that the masks the bugs are wearing in the Colosseum have a purpose strongly linked to the Colosseum itself. Though, I do wonder how much can be said about it. All of that being said, this was a great video! It's always nice to see people dig into specific aspects of Hollow Knight lore like this one.
man, I came back to rewatch this video, and I love it, but dear lord, I forgot how many times I cringed when you said "of striking, will may" Instead of "of striking will, may" which makes more sense, as it says those of striking will may keep a sliver of their self without the mask, solving ur qurriel issue
So first thing first. My personal theory on Mask Maker is. That he is the oldest NPC in the game. Because he and ONLY him (other than Lemm but he does not really count here) calls out the ancient cast by name. I thought what Mask Maker meant by "To change a face; to conceal it fully within another... A powerful protection that is, but one with sad consequence. The original mind is destroyed, though those of striking will may still retain a sliver of that concealed self." Was. " Be carful using too many mask because it may destroy your mind". Now why would Mask make tell us this? Well it goes back to why Mask Makers eyes are all crazy. So why are Makers eyes all crazy? I think mask maker wore too many masks went mad and some how obtained immortality from wearing too many masks. Yet we as Vessel don't really have a mind to speak of so too many mask don't impact the knight. But that's just my own theory I don't think it has anything to do with the big V word Void.
I learned, I cried, I laughed. This was an expertly made video, and I loved every second. All your jokes made me laugh, and I now have a deeper appreciation for the masks, as I never really thought much about them.
imo it makes more sense that quirrel would wear the mask without covering his face, as it might not completely erase his mind when he puts it on that way. maybe he knew the seal of binding would protect him outside of hallownest anyway, and he wanted to keep a bit of himself in existence.
I'm pretty sure that masks have different effets on each bugs, and that even masks makers doesn't understand them. Also, it is possible that mask makers' masks are very different from their godseeker and grim counter part. I think that what mask makers mean when he say that the true form is destroyed is not litteral, but simple that their is no comparing a bug without a mask and a bug with a mask. Something that you left out is the mention to how not all the bugs need a mask. I think for Quirrel, he doesn't need a mask because his mind is already developed on its own. However, he looses his memory either because his mind was still a little expanded by the white king, but there is also the possibility that loosing the influence of the king, his light, was a traumatic experience for Quirrel, which is why he only lost his memory.
I think the Mask Maker is just making regular masks. The masks of the goodseekers are very different from all others, and those of the Grimm Troupe have the eyes crossed, which could link back to how they don't help them focus, but instead enslave them to the Nightmare Heart. Bugs heightened by the Pale King's beacon (which presumably includes Quirrel) are supposed to lose their minds entirely should they leave the beacon's range. Quirrel losing his memories only seems to be an exception to the rule, likely due to him wearing a powerful magical artifact possessed by an ancient bug on his head.
The place king probably didn’t want masks as they give a way to have a expanded mind without the beacon, making the beacon obsolete as it has a range (probably added by the pale king so that it has followers close) that means that he would seal the mask maker in Deepnest (it’s possible as we know he had access to the area with the tram) were most creatures don’t want to live so that most bugs don’t get masks.
Given how much more developed Hallownest was compared to it's beacon-less neighboors, I doubt the Pale King feared having his subjects wear masks, since his light seems to have been much more effective than regular masks. He also had the Dreamers wear ensorcelled maks so, once again, he doesn't seem to have a particular aversion against masks.
Since one side of the mask looks like its woven from spiders silk and I know the spiders can do some crazy stuff with it, perhaps the ancient masks are sewn somehow inside the knights mask to make it more resistant
I have been thinking for a while about something that might help us understand 2 major occurences in Hollow Knight. The first is: Why are there so many bodies in the abyss? Well the short awnser is... they arent bodies. They are masks. This as weird as it sounds explains a lot. The Mask Maker was put into an egg like the White Lady and Hollow Knight to slave away for the rest of his(possibly endless) life creating masks. This could explain why we see very few actual eggs like the one our character came out of. The actual bug (or bugs) inside could have been affected by the void tendrils that we see going inside them, which in turn made them into the shades we see and can fight in the Abyss. They were given physical form through the shells and failed continiusly hence using so many masks that they now cover the flour and some of the walls of that place. But when the Abyss was sealed there werent eny more masks delivered there, thus we dont see any other vessels apart from our player, HK and the broken vessel which isnt inhabited by a shade but rather the infection, because in their attempts to escape used their masks until there were none to inhabit. As for Quirrel, well the explanation that he died due to old age is probably the most logical one, however, it could also be the fact that without a mask shielding his mind, he went out of Hollownest, ither through his own will or because without his mask (or Monnomons mask) he gradually lost all his memories and thus forgot who he was, why he was holding a nail (which is why he left it despite him talking about the importance of keeping your weapon tended to) and what he was doing. So yeah I do think that this explanation about the vessels is a very logical one and so I belive it but as for the two possibilities about Quirrel, I dont really think them plausible, but it is something to keep in mind. Great video by the way, got me thinking a bit.
I would just like to point out that monomon's cloak is part of her mask, as it isn't on her until the mask is on and we see quirrel using it as kind of a chin strap
Perhaps monomon didnt call OUT to quirrel from WITHIN the archives, but instead LEAD quirrel TO the archives from her mask, and the knight ariving at the same time is just a coincedence and quirrel was just wrong...
I have drawn out my own hollow knight dreamer oc design with that has a custom mask! with 1 4 and 6 eyes amount already taken by the existing dreamers, 2 3 and 5 wouldnt really make sense right? Well thats not entirely true, you see; there exists a species of big wasps called Tarantula hawks, and, if you didnt know, they actually have 5 eyes! so i decided to base it off of that, the new dreamer: Sekriel the monster, she is 'locked away, deep beneath the kingdoms heart' in the ancient basin, she has a five eyed mask and was inprisoned by the pk for all of her murder, and i dont really know how to describe how she looks, just search up Tarantula hawk on google and just think of that, but, hollow knight.
Counterpoint to your complaints about Mask Makers quote and Quirrel: Quirrel already has higher intelligence. Mask Maker only says SOME bugs need a mask, not all of them. This is further exemplified by bugs like Zote, Cloth, Tiso, Cornifer, and Iselda all having memories of before they came to Hallownest, specifically why they came there. Zote to fulfill a promise, Cloth to find a foe that could kill her so she could be reunited with Nola, Tiso to fight in the Colosseum (something the manual mentions those outside of Hallownest know about, which would be impossible if memory deleting masks were required in the wastes), Cornifer to map the place, and Iselda to be with Cornifer.
For what I interpret,the pk is a antenna,the bug are like tv and the mask are expander,normally bug would get the signal without problem but some with have limited signal so the mask improve the resection,losing a mask is losing that extra resection becoming limited again.
My headcannon is that when putting on an Ancient Mask, it shapeshifts into the shape of your own mask and fuses with it to make it thicker, and therefore stronger.
Quirrel's personality doesn't really 'change' after removing Monomon's mask; he just begins to feel his age and grow tired. Maybe just having the mask (or only wearing it partially) is enough to receive it's protection, but a complete change in personality, or 'mind', requires wearing the full mask over one's face? This could also provide an explanation for why the masks protect the knight with out it physically wearing them; it's just holding them somewhere within it's shell, which provides the protection without the personality change.
Sometimes the best explanation for anything in Hollowknight is "magic". We don't know how magic works because it doesn't exist so it can do anything and have any number of consequences. Masks are magic, seals are magic, _you're_ magic, I'M magic. Is there anymore magic I should know about?
Thank you for watching my video! If you haven't already, please consider **Subscribing** to my channel for more Hollow Knight & Silksong lore just like this!
Please only read the rest of this comment AFTER you've finished the video, it has spoilers for what I say in the "Dreamers" and "Quirrel" sections of my video:
In talking about the Dreamers, I decided to remove some smaller points from the video for better viewer enjoyment, so here's what I left out. When a bug is masked, their "true form" is protected by the "masked form", but to what extent this "masked form" changes a bug's appearance, I'm unsure. So if Monomon's mask gave her her jellyfish body, why can we see her tentacles BEFORE her mask is returned? I have two guesses: her mask didn't give her her jellyfish body, or her body actually has a weak connection to her mask throughout the game. My first guess actually makes sense considering Herrah, since her offspring, Hornet, has the same horns as her masked mother. I'm unsure when the Dreamers were given masks to wear, but since they're used as apart of the Seal on the Black Egg, I assume Herrah was given her mask *after* Hornet was born. This means the masks do not give their wearers new bodies, explaining why we can see unmasked Monomon's tentacles. However, if that is incorrect, then its possible Monomon's mind in the dream world actually had a weak connection to her body in the real world this entire time. Since Quirrel thinks she's calling to him from within the Teacher's Archive, then this would definitively explain how. With a weak connection between her body and mind, her body is fractured, but not completely wiped from existence. If I had to guess, the focus her mask provides her body creates a "focused" connection between the two, allowing her body to fully reform.
Also, if you want an explanation for why Monomon was the only one to implement such an OVERPOWERED protection on her body, my only guess is... she's smart. Or maybe because she's in a tube, and the other Dreamers aren't. No idea honestly on this point xD
ONLY READ ONWARD IF YOU'VE FINISHED THE VIDEO, YOU WILL BE SPOILED BY THIS PARAGRAPH
Turns out, I'm not so sure if it would've made sense for Mask Maker's quote to apply to Quirrel EVEN IF his face was covered by Monomon's mask in the Desolate Wastes. Since I concluded the mind provided by Monomon's mask is locked away in the Dream Realm, it wouldn't make sense for the mask to be able to give another mind to another wearer if it only has one mind to give away, right? However I'm unsure if that's how masks even work, or if this is something that should only be applied to Dreamer masks. Whatever the case, we can all agree Mask Maker's quote was a big red herring in relation to Quirrel >:(
love the voice acting! the "project" is gonna turn out great
You're so cool.
I would definitely like to see you make a silksong video
@@naturallymoronic2214 Yes “project” POG
17:25 That editing is sick
My head canon is that the knight stores masks and charms inside its shell by sliding it inside its eyeholes similar to how it “consumes” power ups
It also does this with Geo. I now want fanart of The Knight, but fat as a seal and with Geo, Masks and Charms pouring out of its eyeholes.
@@Althalus2010 that’s deviant arts job.
Brumm (or whatever the accordion guy after banishing the Grimm troupe is named) mentions he thinks the charm he gives you would look nice on you, implying you wear them. So the knight reaches into their eyes, pulls out a charm, and shoves it onto their cloak like a Boy Scout Badge.
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
The knight costumes things with void so it's possible that you are correct but if the void is an infinite space it could just absorb the masks for protection and also the shade could be semi permeable wich is how the knight can hit it with it's nail but it can store things inside it
I love all of the refrences to other things and all of music choice and video editing. Felt like a small movie to watch 10/10 would wait again.
Amazing video! I wonder if Quirrel wearing the mask part way was a way to protect his mind while not being overridden by Monomon's mind while in the wastes outside Hollownest.
This has to be the highest quality Hollow Knight video I have ever seen
CC gongrats on the PvP tournament. You did a great Job!!!. Fire and Hunt were insane.
The lore tablet in kings pass is only telling higher beings or vessels to remain unmasked, not regular bugs
I always visualized the masks as adding a thin layer onto the knight’s head. Like rings on a tree. Mainly cause the masks and the shell of the knight are the same color :)
I still find it really sweet that you held that contest/event in your discord for the masks and then show them off in your video. Its a nice touch.
I like to think when the knight completes a mask, it absorbs the mask into itself and reinforces it's shell. Spiritually, the mask is still there but it reflects only one face/mask.
HK OCs are just rad. I mean hell, I found Hollow Knight because one of the artists I follow on Twitter regularly does fan art of indie games where she basically takes her OC and tries to make her thematically and aesthetically fit within that universe. Her take on HK being interesting and unique enough to peak my interest and get into this game~
(Overcooked Sushi, @Lady_Alvira, Around May 4th if you want to see for yourself)
I’ll be dead before silksong comes out
The face of mask maker is another mask he's actually luigi
Makes sense that fury of the fallen would be right next to that lore tablet about unmasking, because the power of fury of the fallen only works when you lose almost all your masks. It clearly has some connection
yep. your last mask, your face. lose it and you lose yourself plus funny risk game
@@SillySunnyTacos
The Shade even proves this, it's no longer The Knight. When you're restored, you're missing the essence of shade that makes you up so you're basically an empty shell but you still have yourself, your mask. Meanwhile, the maskless shade has no identity and is little more than the shadows in the abyss, mindlessly attacking even you.
I think this is something he kinda neglected to touch properly apon I'm the video - we know that the Pale King isn't exactly trustworthy, and as far as I can tell from the tablet next to fury of the fallen, and the one in the throne room in White Palace, he may have actually benefitted from bugs not wearing masks. PK was all about control, hence why any bugs in the kingdom who didn't fall under his control, or straight up broke free of it (like xero) were often prosecuted or shunned. Only through superior force or bargaining were bugs able to have autonomy from the king (see the mantis village for proof of this - they kept deepnest at bay, so they were left alone). Perhaps the reason the mask maker was hidden away was because the Pale King couldn't outright get rid of all masks, but didn't want them to be used, as with one, bugs would have more individuality and would, more importantly, be able to travel outside of the Kingdom without risk of losing their minds.
(This is obviously just a working theory, but I feel as though it may hold some merit, as it's pretty obvious that the Pale King does have a personal agenda aside from stopping the radiance from taking over)
"...To conceal it *fully* within another..." Maybe the alternative reason to why Quirrel had his mind intact outside the Hallownest was because he didn't wear Monomon's mask properly, giving his mind a weak protection with smaller consequences, those being memory loss.
Sure, it's also possible that it doesn't matter how you wear it as long as it's on you in some way.
That actually makes sense
I still think Quirrel left Hollownest
@@anthonycostanzo7649 ???
@@anthonycostanzo7649 but what does this have to do with my comment
*Late game spoilers ahead*
Me, with something around 300 hours of playtime: "Oh no! _Anyway"_
Spoilers of hollow knight 112% :troll:
@@JustSome1 120%???
@@ng42. 112% is the highest you can get, with 12% coming from dlc
@@mayakirkhouse84 oh I know that, it's just that @JustSome1 accidentally wrote 120% instead of 112% and I got confused but it's fixed now
same
One thing I love about the moment with Quirrel before he “disappears” is that if you leave tiso on the opposite side of the lake it can be a really symbolic parallel moment of these two adventurers that we have met. Tiso is still looking for more ramp up and will inevitably meet his end in the coliseum. And Quirrel has had a fulfilling adventure for the second time in his life and can go out peacefully knowing he has finished his part. It’s beautiful really.
Yep, tiso seeks for more but quirrel acknowledges that this is the best that the kingdom gets.
Oooh, true, good point! ^^
I got the 500th like
yes, i literally have both quirrel and tiso at opposite sides of the lake
i just found it super funny on my recent playthrough that after i had a moment with quirrel and he, well, you know, i then went to find tiso at the other side of the lake saying "UGH THIS PLACE IS BORING I HATE IT HERE"
To correct the interpretation of the quote stating the mind is 'destroyed', the mask maker also states that those with a strong will, or those with strong ideals, may still pertain a sliver of their original self when they bear the new mask.
Also, I can align the contradiction: The Pale King's beacon gives minds to those without a mask, when otherwise they would need one, but a new mask would somewhat overwrite that mind, but keep aspects of the original if those aspects are deeply rooted in the individual.
I don't agree that the mind is "overwritten", it's rather contained or otherwise influenced by another "state", as Quirrel shows the influence on both "states" is bidirectional. Also if it wasn't for Cc immediately discarding his take on soul-essence because of him not covering his face with his mask in the Wastes, my comment would be a bit longer; but he caught himself, so...
The tablets were only written for higher beings, so maybe them taking off their masks might not hurt them like it would too normal bugs
@@zotethemighty3707 The "higher beings" that the Pale King talks about are his uplifted citizens, and is essentially propaganda.
@@serraramayfield9230 Well, technically they are higher beings, at least when compared to their primitve counterparts, though they indeed do not abide by the "scientific" definition of the term.
I really wish Team Cherry didn't add the whole "higher beings, these words are for you alone" to all the lore tablets, since the concept of higher beings proper isn't even present in the base game outside of the kingsoul description. It's really confusing this way.
@@RodrigoPereira-ws8ok They are not, because TC defines Higher Beings as "beings above all others"; citizens uplifted by PK's beacon clearly are not this as Mantises/Weavers/Spiders/etc also have sentience.
Remind me of the Kingsoul description again?
something i think about is what the long term effect of wearing masks would be. i often see masks being used as metaphors in all kinds of media, usually about personality. when one wears a fake personality for too long, it eventually becomes hard even for themselves to separate reality from the "mask". maybe when a bug stays too long with a mask, their mind is slowly merged with it. when Nymm loses his mask he also loses his memory, since the mask was part of him for a while, instead of just an item to wear. As mask maker says, it's hard to tell if other bugs are wearing masks or not, and not because they look real, but because at some point they become the same. That would also explain how only bugs with a stronger mind would be able to keep it after removing the mask. maybe thats also why the dreamers dont have a maskless form, since they ended up becoming the same over time (gods know how time works in hollow knight, we can only assume it was for a long while)
it could also explain how Monomon still communicates with quirrel, since he would be quite literally wearing her mind, and maybe he didn't wear it properly precisely because he didn't want his mind to be lost but still wanted the protection. maybe that only slowed down the process of losing one's mind instead of completely stopping it, which is why he lost part of his memories
Finally another video from mossba-
Oh.
Loved the editing as always! :D
in case you want to compare
ua-cam.com/video/YnfOQASd71U/v-deo.html
that’s what the point of the mask is?
but genuinely this video was amazing, keep up the great work dude!!
Oh , it really is you hi Northirn hope you are doing well
They also made a nice accessory for your character.
bro literally didnt ask
CURSE you and your bloodline, i regret having memory of that now
n o r m a l p i l l s
Just finished watching… HOLY SMOKES I LOVE THIS! The attention to detail, the voice acting, and even the jokes slipped in, it’s so well thought out and the execution was just…. MMMM! I don’t have words to describe it.
Here are some words “subscribe and like the video” how are these words
Okay, but can we just appreciate how _good_ CC's editing had gotten?
it was a cut above the rest from the very beginning, and somehow gets better every vid
And the voice acting
I’m an oversimplified mask.
Amen
This vid made me make my own OC. His name is Quadrollo, he is the warrior of the city of tears and an expert of soul and nail.
so, A Soul Warrior
So, a soul kjight or smt
Is he skinny? bcuase he's just a skinny Soul Warrior then.
@@ninolloydbandiola5581MINOS!?!?!
From what I understand, the Mask Maker and Pale King don't necessarily contradict each other.
The Mask Maker uses "Concealed Self", rather than previous self. This means that the mind isn't actually gone forever, but the previous line insinuates it isn't active, or whatever the terminology would be. From my understanding, the mind itself isn't destroyed, but the sense of self, the existence of the bug.
The Pale King wanting to have the bugs unmask is for them to be themselves, to be proud of who they are or something like that. If this is similar or at least partially true, it might explain some stuff.
Im probably wrong tho, but it might help explain something. I just thought it was interesting he still refers to the self as existing in a concealed form rather than destroyed, right after he says its destroyed.
The slivers that leak through might be able to break through the seal of binding. It might slso be that thing that protected the White Palace, with will being enough to break through a weaker version.
This is mostly my speculation, I think. Anyways, that's my understanding.
Bugs are pretty cool, they eat leaves and don’t afraid of anything.
They also are not bound by morality.
@@nkyfong and they never take fall damage
Sort of like John Halo
@@nkyfong wait what?
Don't afraid of anything hm?
I find masks one of the most interesting things in Hollow Knight lore. At first, you dont even think about them, but when you look closer at the details of the game, you see how they're everywhere and their existance is sure of great importance to a deep, truly deep lore of the entire universe of the game, not just Hallownest. They might be the one thing in the middle of it all, the answer to everything. And I feel like there is still so much information missing, so many unanswered questions. I really hope we see a continuation to that lore in Silksong.
According to Charm Lover Salubra, charms can be made when a bug dies. So perhaps Brumm and Nymm are two different entities and Brumm removing his mask and becoming Nymm killed Brumm and shifted his corpse, his mask, into Carefree Melody.
I just think that Brumm dies as in his personality. The person named Brumm dies. And what is left is Nymm. I think your idea is creative but I also think that its possible for a person to die without their body dying.
My first thought when looking at the scattered masks littering the land of storms was that maybe they were all attempts at creating the mask that they currently use to attune? It seems pretty complicated and it would not surprise me in the slightest if it took them a long time to make a working one.
True
Lots of respect for the Brumm appreciation! His role in the grimm troupe is generally clowned on for stealing away the chance to fight Nightmare Grimm, but what the cause he fought for was a meaningful one.
I love the editing and all the mask submissions! But... I wonder if the knight could wear all of their masks of health at once🤔
Hi reaper!
REAPERRRR Hi! (Lilredenby)
@@Ant-tx2ej heyo amazing Ant!
@@aciddrinker2194 heyo beautiful buddy!
Hi reaper!
Another banger of a lore vid, Cc! It never ceases to amaze me how consistent the deep lore of this game goes. Way to make my aching for Silksong resurface. Well done, friend.
really great video!!! it's incredibly well-made and thought-out. also the editing is marvelous! /gen
(i'm the voice actor of jiji btw :D)
congrats Maya
@@jwsp1231 thanks jonah
Thats so cool. You captured Jiji's vibes and really nailed (no pun intended) her voice!
@@bloomenvogel ahhh ty!!!
Poggers video! I deleted my first comment cause it too long
(I still don’t want any drawings of the knight with 9 masks at once it’s too cursed)
Yes you do.
I really don’t
I think a lot of what Mask Maker says is figurative. It could be what TC intended, but I never thought it literally meant masks give sentience.
For me it meant: masks are an avenue to disguise your original features so that you are unrecognizable. But you can become too used to that new look and "lose" your original identity.
That can be a metaphor for just acting differently to give yourself a different persona. If you get too used to that persona then you might become that persona.
Masks do seem to have a lot of prevalence in Hollow Knight, but I don't think that they are actually that important.
Godseeker is a different story, sure they're masks that they wear, but that's not the key detail. God tuners make it easier to concentrate your thoughts towards something (in other words, to focus).
I never agreed with what mossbag said about masks actually changing the wearer. Dreamer masks actually served a function, but likely didn't need to even be a mask to work. Monomon probably helped Quirrel to survive outside of Hallownest, since we know she is still connected to him through the mask which contains a fragment of her existing mind.
Regardless, I can't explain this all in a UA-cam comment, and I've already written more than people are willing to read.
I had a head canon of how the masks work for the knight (and by extension the vessels) that each mask the player has acts somewhat like a protective seal of binding but weaker, designed to break and mend to the wearer’s will (as an actual seal of binding would be too restrictive). With each mask worn, a layer of protection for the knight, kind of like a Russian doll. This works with the theory that the knight wears all its masks at once. It’s last mask acts to keep the void and/or shade inside its shell and when that last mask breaks there is nothing to keep what tries to escape from freedom.
But how does this work with other bugs? Well what if masks didn’t work the same between different bugs? We know that the vessels weren’t created like normal bugs so why should they need masks that expand their mind? They need no mind to think, no will to break, no voice to cry suffering. The vessels aren’t supposed to have a mind so need no masks, only the shells they’re already provided with at birth and are given masks to keep the shade inside their shell.
But that’s just my theory, have fun with it!
For the vessels, given their objective, I think the masks represent a set of instructions
The end objective for each vessel is given as follows:
- locate source of infection
- seal vessel within oneself
However, in their default "shade" state, they don't actually do anything; shades float around their spawn location unless they detect the PC. Therefore, additional instructions are required to explain how vessels should fulfill their objective. These additional instructions are as follows:
- movement and navigation
- identify and attack enemies
- interact with non-hostiles
Each of the above points are performed solely in regards to the primary objective, limiting the chance for independent thought and development of a mind
...however, on their respective journeys, vessels can encounter obstacles and events not covered by the above instructions, thus requiring a final catch-all statement:
- acquisition of additional knowledge and abilities
This final point allows for creative thinking and, judging by the sheer number of bodies, is not present in all vessels and is ultimately what allows escape from The Abyss. However, it also allows for independent thought. As a result, any vessel that escapes The Abyss also has the capacity to gain "an idea instilled", or an instruction outside the scope of their primary objective.
Welp, you've convinced me.
I'll add a Hollow Mask to some of my art from now on
In regards to the point of the Godseeker potentially being able to store all the minds within herself without wearing multiple masks, it's also possible that it's a similar situation to the knight. In that all of the masks the knight wears aren't applied to the character modles in game. So then the question becomes how one would wear all of the masks if they were applied.
Perhaps mask with a connection to powerful forces or outside effects can simply.. grow 'denser', meaning they deepen their ability" but maintain the same amount of are, wether their would be an actual weight difference from such a thing is.. up to interpretation
23:15 maybe to "wear" it means only to have it close, like having it under your cloak, as a hat, inside your mind (From the Beacon) like Monomon or with a Game Theory of the knight, to just have it inside your cloak/shade/body/whatever it is
Ah Cc, great job as always!
Every time I hear some of my music in the background a big big smile suddenly appears on my face :)
And the way you shortened Highway of Pain at 28:08 is just perfect, couldn't have done better!
I haven't even scratched the surface of your amazing HK synth remixes, keep up the good work!
I’ve been dying for a new lore video ever since I picked up hollow knight myself. And mask maker is my second favourite character so I’m sure this’ll be fun!
I clicked faster than a snail!
I just realised that doesn't say anything.....
A new cc video is like christmas
Simple explanation that means you don’t have to throw out your theory: just as M’s mask acts like a link between the dream world and reality, it can be used to give you most of the effects of the Beacon from basically anywhere, acting kinda like a redstone repeater from Minecraft. This is due to the fact that M’s body is in Hallownest.
Only 7 minutes in but can I just say I love the voice acting here? Great work
Can we talk about how the outro music slaps hard, and how someone finally made a memorial to Brumm and Quirrel.
"Let all bask in your true form."
Completed masks hide your true form.
The lore tablet is next to Fury of the Fallen, which gives you strength when you only have one mask.
I would assume this is just alluding to Fury giving you extra power when you "shed your mask layers, exposing your true form beneath" or something like that
Definitely worth the wait... Well done cc!
9:23
use the tnt exploit to break the bedrock
The mask maker does resemble the kingsmolds a bit. I think this suggests they may have been created by someone for the purpose of making masks.
Can you make a charm lore video? The charm lover said that came out of a dead bug's last disires or something like that.
Mossbag already has a decent video about them
No he hasn't.
@@stuffstuff3455 Uh...I'm sure he has. And even then if he hasn't there isn't really a point in making one as we know nearly everything about them
Then tell me. And no. We don't know nearly everything about them. Sure, their are the obvious ones like, dashmaster, quickslash, heavyblow. But most of the rest are quite mysterious. And was the process that turned the kingsoul, a charm that regenerates soul, into the void heart, a charm that unites the void under the bearer's will just by remembering the past?
@@stuffstuff3455 The process that turned the Kingsoul into the Void Heart was a "revelation" (emotional reaction) by its wearer, the Knight, when it witnessed the Birthplace cutscene. Getting the Void Heart caused them to "evolve beyond [the Pale King]" as stated by Bardoon.
Please stop making me cry over Quirrel I’ve already given him so many tears
Dawg what the hecc, your editing is so good??? This video felt so professional, between the slick visuals, the SFX, the VA's you called in, the music (MAT my beloved), not to mention the actual script and the narrative you built. Man I love your videos so much! I hope you have a great day and can keep making amazing stuff like this :)
These voice actors are so talented! :o
“Oh, you don’t know mask lore, huh?”
Me who watched all of mossbags videos: *I N C O R R E C T*
Wow, I love the voice acting and editing! I feel like I'm in a modern interactive museum lol
Masks are going to be a huge part of the plot of a certain something involving Hollow Knight I'm making, so you bet I'll go buckwild with them
so maybe the kings becon just effects the dream world version and by having a mask that form is being revealed in the normal world....i guess....
and he might have effected only the dream world because the radiance was also in it i think.
The ancient mask in "hidung the true self" refers to locking away the shade inside. The only one that uses *ancient* masks is the knight, not the rest of the bugs, except maybe the dreamers, and that special mask makes them sleep forever
these videos are on par with mossbags!
Man, your style of editing is so good, I'm surprised you aren't followed more!
I can try to explain the contradiction between mask maker and the lore tablet in king’s pass:
The lore tablets in king’s pass are addressed to higher beings, while Mask Maker was addressing bugs in general. That pretty much explains it, but it’s time for some speculation. Mask maker says that “those of striking will may still a retain a slither of that concealed self.” Higher beings definitely fit this bill, but why would whoever wrote these tablets want higher beings to reveal themselves? The Pale King never took off his mask for all we know, and when the Radiance made herself known, the entire kingdom was thrown into chaos. In my opinion, it’s either directly addressed to Vessels, or simple foreshadowing. Being the children of the Pale King and White Lady, the Vessels could be considered higher beings as well. The knight only defeated the Radiance when all the siblings in their shade forms, he took off his mask to reveal his shade, but the shit out of the Radiance, and dragged the Radiance into the void. So yeah, that’s my interpretation of that Lore Tablet.
Perhaps the mask and what it conceals can communicate, meaning that monomon instructed her unmasked mind to call out the knight and quarrel in her absence
5:37 - He says “striking will”. As in, those who have a striking will. A will that is striking.
10:36 - That’s the opposite of what you’re trying to say.
You can’t Dream Nail “unmasked” Monomon because of the seal on her. Which Quirrel breaks.
Not to mention, it says absolutely nowhere that the dreamers have masks.
I mean, Monomon definitely has a mask. Also, during Sealed Siblings ending, Hornets mask appears as the new Black Egg seal. I would say it's safe to say they are wearing masks.
Ah, CC, I see you're going to Unmask the truth! You've gone through the wastes to find the connection between the faceless facts and lies, yet in the end it seems as though the face concealed was yet another mask. Maybe we'll get that sweet sweet mask lore in zoteboat.
Nice video cc! I really liked the animations that the characters had
Comparing the godseeksers to the minions was something I didn't know I wanted to hear.
3:19 AMONGST US??? 😳😳😳 WHEN THE PALE KING/LORE TABLET IS SUS 😱😱😱😱🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣😵💫😵💫😵💫😵💫📮📮📮📮📮 (i'm so sorry)
8:15 I think we do actually see another way to conceal ones true form
(Spoilers ahead)
See at the end of the game in the dream no more or pantheon endings our character sheds their shell entirely and reveals the true shade (or shade lord) underneath
Is the Mask Maker canonically male? Last time I checked the wiki, their gender was listed as unknown. (I know they get gendered male in languages that don't have gender neutral grammar but that's more due to a lack of options than anything)
EDIT: I'm also surprised you didn't mention anything about the Colosseum of Fools, since there's some pretty good evidence that the masks the bugs are wearing in the Colosseum have a purpose strongly linked to the Colosseum itself. Though, I do wonder how much can be said about it.
All of that being said, this was a great video! It's always nice to see people dig into specific aspects of Hollow Knight lore like this one.
Question: Could the Grimm Troupe come back on Silksong? After baning the troupe from Dirtmouth we never see what happened to them, so it's possible.
Loved it, Cc! You continue to entertain and excel at doing so x)
man, I came back to rewatch this video, and I love it, but dear lord, I forgot how many times I cringed when you said "of striking, will may"
Instead of "of striking will, may" which makes more sense, as it says those of striking will may keep a sliver of their self without the mask, solving ur qurriel issue
It's never actually stated that a mask must cover one's face to conceal their identity. Maybe your original thoughts on Quirrel were correct?
Hollow Knight lore! It’s been a while.
So first thing first. My personal theory on Mask Maker is. That he is the oldest NPC in the game. Because he and ONLY him (other than Lemm but he does not really count here) calls out the ancient cast by name. I thought what Mask Maker meant by "To change a face; to conceal it fully within another... A powerful protection that is, but one with sad consequence.
The original mind is destroyed, though those of striking will may still retain a sliver of that concealed self." Was. " Be carful using too many mask because it may destroy your mind". Now why would Mask make tell us this?
Well it goes back to why Mask Makers eyes are all crazy. So why are Makers eyes all crazy? I think mask maker wore too many masks went mad and some how obtained immortality from wearing too many masks. Yet we as Vessel don't really have a mind to speak of so too many mask don't impact the knight. But that's just my own theory I don't think it has anything to do with the big V word Void.
I learned, I cried, I laughed. This was an expertly made video, and I loved every second.
All your jokes made me laugh, and I now have a deeper appreciation for the masks, as I never really thought much about them.
Blasphemy, no one could possibly possess Zote's face. He is far too mighty upon us mortal scum.
imo it makes more sense that quirrel would wear the mask without covering his face, as it might not completely erase his mind when he puts it on that way. maybe he knew the seal of binding would protect him outside of hallownest anyway, and he wanted to keep a bit of himself in existence.
When a bug leaves the kingdom… THEY TURN INTO A FREAKING PNG!
I love how the thumbnail has changed like 3 times
I'm pretty sure that masks have different effets on each bugs, and that even masks makers doesn't understand them.
Also, it is possible that mask makers' masks are very different from their godseeker and grim counter part.
I think that what mask makers mean when he say that the true form is destroyed is not litteral, but simple that their is no comparing a bug without a mask and a bug with a mask.
Something that you left out is the mention to how not all the bugs need a mask. I think for Quirrel, he doesn't need a mask because his mind is already developed on its own. However, he looses his memory either because his mind was still a little expanded by the white king, but there is also the possibility that loosing the influence of the king, his light, was a traumatic experience for Quirrel, which is why he only lost his memory.
I think the Mask Maker is just making regular masks. The masks of the goodseekers are very different from all others, and those of the Grimm Troupe have the eyes crossed, which could link back to how they don't help them focus, but instead enslave them to the Nightmare Heart.
Bugs heightened by the Pale King's beacon (which presumably includes Quirrel) are supposed to lose their minds entirely should they leave the beacon's range. Quirrel losing his memories only seems to be an exception to the rule, likely due to him wearing a powerful magical artifact possessed by an ancient bug on his head.
This feels like a mat pat video but actually done well with accurate information lmao
The place king probably didn’t want masks as they give a way to have a expanded mind without the beacon, making the beacon obsolete as it has a range (probably added by the pale king so that it has followers close) that means that he would seal the mask maker in Deepnest (it’s possible as we know he had access to the area with the tram) were most creatures don’t want to live so that most bugs don’t get masks.
Given how much more developed Hallownest was compared to it's beacon-less neighboors, I doubt the Pale King feared having his subjects wear masks, since his light seems to have been much more effective than regular masks. He also had the Dreamers wear ensorcelled maks so, once again, he doesn't seem to have a particular aversion against masks.
NODE
I died laughing when it shows the knight wearing 13 masks 😂
This was a really well put together video!! Also, remember to wear a mask everyone!
Since one side of the mask looks like its woven from spiders silk and I know the spiders can do some crazy stuff with it, perhaps the ancient masks are sewn somehow inside the knights mask to make it more resistant
I have been thinking for a while about something that might help us understand 2 major occurences in Hollow Knight. The first is: Why are there so many bodies in the abyss?
Well the short awnser is... they arent bodies. They are masks. This as weird as it sounds explains a lot. The Mask Maker was put into an egg like the White Lady and Hollow Knight to slave away for the rest of his(possibly endless) life creating masks. This could explain why we see very few actual eggs like the one our character came out of. The actual bug (or bugs) inside could have been affected by the void tendrils that we see going inside them, which in turn made them into the shades we see and can fight in the Abyss. They were given physical form through the shells and failed continiusly hence using so many masks that they now cover the flour and some of the walls of that place. But when the Abyss was sealed there werent eny more masks delivered there, thus we dont see any other vessels apart from our player, HK and the broken vessel which isnt inhabited by a shade but rather the infection, because in their attempts to escape used their masks until there were none to inhabit.
As for Quirrel, well the explanation that he died due to old age is probably the most logical one, however, it could also be the fact that without a mask shielding his mind, he went out of Hollownest, ither through his own will or because without his mask (or Monnomons mask) he gradually lost all his memories and thus forgot who he was, why he was holding a nail (which is why he left it despite him talking about the importance of keeping your weapon tended to) and what he was doing.
So yeah I do think that this explanation about the vessels is a very logical one and so I belive it but as for the two possibilities about Quirrel, I dont really think them plausible, but it is something to keep in mind. Great video by the way, got me thinking a bit.
I would just like to point out that monomon's cloak is part of her mask, as it isn't on her until the mask is on and we see quirrel using it as kind of a chin strap
Perhaps monomon didnt call OUT to quirrel from WITHIN the archives, but instead LEAD quirrel TO the archives from her mask, and the knight ariving at the same time is just a coincedence and quirrel was just wrong...
I have drawn out my own hollow knight dreamer oc design with that has a custom mask! with 1 4 and 6 eyes amount already taken by the existing dreamers, 2 3 and 5 wouldnt really make sense right? Well thats not entirely true, you see; there exists a species of big wasps called Tarantula hawks, and, if you didnt know, they actually have 5 eyes! so i decided to base it off of that, the new dreamer: Sekriel the monster, she is 'locked away, deep beneath the kingdoms heart' in the ancient basin, she has a five eyed mask and was inprisoned by the pk for all of her murder, and i dont really know how to describe how she looks, just search up Tarantula hawk on google and just think of that, but, hollow knight.
Counterpoint to your complaints about Mask Makers quote and Quirrel: Quirrel already has higher intelligence. Mask Maker only says SOME bugs need a mask, not all of them. This is further exemplified by bugs like Zote, Cloth, Tiso, Cornifer, and Iselda all having memories of before they came to Hallownest, specifically why they came there. Zote to fulfill a promise, Cloth to find a foe that could kill her so she could be reunited with Nola, Tiso to fight in the Colosseum (something the manual mentions those outside of Hallownest know about, which would be impossible if memory deleting masks were required in the wastes), Cornifer to map the place, and Iselda to be with Cornifer.
For what I interpret,the pk is a antenna,the bug are like tv and the mask are expander,normally bug would get the signal without problem but some with have limited signal so the mask improve the resection,losing a mask is losing that extra resection becoming limited again.
That's what the mask is? That's what the point of the mask is?
My headcannon is that when putting on an Ancient Mask, it shapeshifts into the shape of your own mask and fuses with it to make it thicker, and therefore stronger.
Quirrel's personality doesn't really 'change' after removing Monomon's mask; he just begins to feel his age and grow tired. Maybe just having the mask (or only wearing it partially) is enough to receive it's protection, but a complete change in personality, or 'mind', requires wearing the full mask over one's face? This could also provide an explanation for why the masks protect the knight with out it physically wearing them; it's just holding them somewhere within it's shell, which provides the protection without the personality change.
Sometimes the best explanation for anything in Hollowknight is "magic".
We don't know how magic works because it doesn't exist so it can do anything and have any number of consequences. Masks are magic, seals are magic, _you're_ magic, I'M magic. Is there anymore magic I should know about?
What about the masks in the coloseum of fools?