Thread by @hakunoknight, ...#grimmnet #hollowknight thread bc they're good and I want you to know [...]

... #grimmnet #hollowknight thread bc they're good and I want you to know why...

1). this is my second time typing this all out so if it doesn't make sense that's why
2.) this is all personal taste at the end of the day
3.) this is chock-full of headcanons and my own interpretations

so, I'll be the first to admit there aren't spicy narrative parallels for these two like there are for Grimm/Pure Vessel. BUT, I think there are a few things in canon that could lend themselves to a fun and interesting relationship.

these things include:
1.) their status as higher beings
2.) their "lack" of in game interaction
3.) Grimm's relationship with PK
4.) what Grimm would represent in the relationship

(also, as a disclaimer: I headcanon Grimm as nonbinary. this doesn't affect the thread but, just so you know.)

shallow things first and foremost: their color scheme matches. it's good. i like their size difference. it's good. pale beings are associated with the cold a lot, so her running colder and him warmer is cheesy and cute. now time for me to act like It's Deep-

the fact that Grimm is a full higher being whereas Hornet is only half is really interesting to me. if Hornet was ever due to "ascend" I think it'd be comforting for her to have someone by her side who could help her along with it.

Grimm is a full higher being and is at least as old as the radiance, so any "growing pains" is something I think he'd be able to help with. if she needed it.

but I also think their canonical status has interest too: I can imagine Grimm doesn't look down on Hornet perse, but he tempers his expectations of her only for her to succeed them /without/ relying on her godly parentage

for a performer and old soul like Grimm, I can imagine he'd have a particular fondness for the underdogs and the tenacity of mortals. or at least, be gently amused by such things. but this ties in somewhat to my next point:

they don't have in-game interaction, but I think they WOULD. here's why: in the Quirrel comics, we see Hornet actively guards the kingdom from more than just Vessels (though I believe the implication is still there in canon). So, it's safe to say Hornet WOULD be aware of Grimm.

I can imagine she spots him in Dirtmouth and has some things to say about another Higher Being trampling into her home like they can, but I don't think Hornet is someone who goes in without caution. So, instead, she watches. warily.

At the same time, Grimm can canonically "see" pretty far and right outside his door is no problem at all. So, they're both aware of each other but given Grimm's general passivity, no one makes a move.

This creates a really fun dynamic right off the bat. Grimm, the passive god with manners. Hornet, the very stern spider... without manners. A little bit. My point is, they're both at a standstill that could be super interesting to peek into.

(BUT... the idea she doesn't know he's a Higher Being and she confronts him and promptly gets her ass kicked is super funny. He thinks so, at least, while she hisses and scuttles out of his tent and vows to be back and kick him out of Hallownest. It becomes a thing.)

Another thing that creates a point of (initial) contention is Grimm's relationship with PK. I read Grimm's general demeanor to PK as patronizing. Bluntly, he doesn't think very highly of PK (or Radiance, but that's for another thread).

Grimm is someone who seems very perceptive. I doubt PK voluntarily told Grimm about the Vessel Project, but Grimm knows of it anyway and he, essentially, gets the last laugh as the kingdom falls and Grimm gets to "prolong" the Nightmare Heart with PK's spawn.

All of this comes back to Grimm and Hornet's relationship. I'm sure Grimm knew of PK's deal with Herrah, but actually meeting her is another story. Does she have PK's demeanor? Is she totally different? What did PK think of his daughter? Did they even have a relationship?

Those questions just immediately encourage him to keep an eye on her and surprise! She's wonderful! She's cold like her dad in places but she's just so... Hornet... it's charming and endearing and I think he would really be fond of the bug Hornet is.

Something else about them that is really good to me is Grimm's motif of fire. It's hard for him to not have it given... (gestures to him) but what's REALLY great is that he's not like that personality wise. Grimm is steady, kind of smouldering fire like a hearth.

But, on the opposite hand, Hornet IS a fiery character. Her gameplay is silksong is just "gogogo", all about being quick and ruthless. Even when she's "cold" in her dialogue, she's so brash and cutting like a wildfire.

Grimm's flame motifs may not be shared by Hornet, but their characterizations in a way do! Grimm as low level, tempered fire with Hornet fierce and unyielding in all the best ways.

Finally, I think Grimm represents something no other partner in Hollow Knight can. Regardless of who you pair her with from the main game, they are all inherently tied to Hallownest. She cannot exist separate from the years of being Hallownest's protectors and her lost life.

However, Grimm isn't tied to Hallownest in the way that other characters are. He is, as a friend said, a breath of fresh air for her. He has no claim to her home or interest in it beyond a quick stop for a new Vessel. And... he offers an escape if she ever wanted it.

While I don't see her as abandoning the kingdom due to her feeling she has to pay back her "debt" to her mother (which is... messed up but Grimm can talk to her about that way of thinking to), Grimm is an opportunity for that. If she ever wanted to, she could go with him.

This combination of being a breath of fresh air and possible escape is why their relationship is unique in my mind. And it's why I really like them so... if you got this far thanks for reading my ramblings. Ship Grimmnet. I make content for it sometimes lol.

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