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Greetings and welcome. I will be right to the point. So far bugs of Hallownest have been accepted as real bugs instead of some kind of bug people. But the fact that they are not anything like real bugs calls this notion into question. First of all, the reason why they are accepted as bug-sized is because of their overall bug theme, even though going purely by names without anything to compare is nothing more than an assumption. Doubly so when one considers that the reason why Team Cherry went for such a theme is just that it would be easy. This is further evidenced by other discrepancies such as nails, which are nothing alike actual nails despite the name. This naming theme is consistent throughout the game.
Besides naming, there are also many inconsistencies among people of Hallownest as well. While some inconsistencies are given as this is a game, there are also some glaring ones. Mythical creatures such as Wyrms aside, the ancient bugs (emphasize on the bug part) as a whole differ from the current bugs merely by size. There are multiple examples of these:
1) Shade Beast is far bigger than 99% of Hallownest Bugs.
2) There is also another guy called Green Beast in Greenpath.
3) We have the Ancient Nailsmith as well in the Kingdom's Edge.
4) Colesseum of Fools is another example since it is visibly made of a bug. Not to be redundant but it is big enough to house an entire colosseum.
5) Black Egg Temple is made of the shell of an ancient bug and it can be compared to Colesseum of Fools:
We can see that ancient bugs are consistently bigger than current bugs, more than what is possible in real life. In turn, that also means that we can't accept any size as an actual bug in the game. Such massive beings aren't exclusive to the past either. Bardoon is incomparably bigger than most beings in Hallownest and he is a caterpillar. And while not a massive being, Grimm isn't any kind of bug, even having a bat form that's smaller than the Knight.
By now, it should be evident that comparing actual bugs to the bugs of Hallownest is completely meaningless. So what do we do? Easy, we compare actual bugs to actual bugs and other things we can be sure of when it comes to size. We actually do it currently to some extent. I will go over it and all the other points:
1) Rain in City of Tears: As we can see in the city, rain appears to be comparable to normal rain humans experience. We even currently use the size of an average raindrop to find the size of the Knight. While this appears contrary to what I said, it actually proves that even when using pixelscaling actual bug-sized Hallownest Bugs is nonsense. And once we know that they are not bug-sized, there is no need to go the extra mile by pixelscaling as being called bugs was what made them bug-sized in this site, to begin with.
2) Delicate Flowers: There are also Delicate Flowers, which are actual flowers while being smaller than the bugs. Similar to the previous point, the game takes liberties with the art but either way, the sight can be compared to that of a normal human holding a flower when both a flower and a bug are side by side.
3) Lumaflies: Now, here comes the actual bugs I previously mentioned. The first one of them is lumaflies. These guys are scattered across the game and appear in multiple roles, such as companions in the Knight's Lantern or as enemies in Teacher's Achieves. They don't display any sentience and appear as real bugs, being far smaller than HK bugs.
4) Geo: This is the primary currency of Hallownest. What many people don't know is that, it is also fossilized bugs. This fact doesn't show up in the game but it is backed up both by the Manual and Wanderer's Journal.
5) Quirrel Prequel: Real bugs are seen in the comics decipting Quirrel as well and this is by far the most clear and decisive image of them we have seen. Alongside this, there is another reason why I didn't mention this point until now. Because Quirrel says something interesting here:
"Out here, only the simplest adapt, those who bear no burden of mind."
This is important because it helps us to make a distinction between actual bugs and Hallownest Bugs. We know that at some point in the past, Pale King granted bugs sapience:
Under palest watch, you taught, we changed, base instincts were redeemed - Elegy to Hallownest
The Wyrm becomes beacon, minds expanded, to yield, to devote - White Palace Lore Tablet
Combined with Quirrel's previous line, this implies that Hallownest Bugs were normal bugs in the beginning, both in size and intelligence but grew thanks to Pale King. It is further evidenced by Teacher's Achieves as Pale King is associated with growth:
KINGLIGHT-EM-GROWTH-INKIND-FLOW-ALLTHINK-ENFIELD
In an unconventional way, Pure Vessel might be an example of this growth. And all things considered, both this and all of the previous points should make it clear that Hallownest Bugs are distinct from actual bugs. But there is one more thing I need to mention before finishing. It might be more important than the rest of this write-up combined. That's Hornet's introduction in the kickstarter:
"You may catch glimpses of Hornet during your exploration of Hallownest, although she always seems to be one or two steps ahead of you. If you do manage to catch up with her, be wary! Her needle can cut a bug down from thirty yards."
Thirty yards... It is clearly way bigger than what an actual bug would manage and we can see her maximum effective range during our battle against her. In the second fight, she specifically talks about how she will not hold back so we can tell that what we see during the fight is the said 30 yards.
Well, that's all from me unless I forgot something.
Besides naming, there are also many inconsistencies among people of Hallownest as well. While some inconsistencies are given as this is a game, there are also some glaring ones. Mythical creatures such as Wyrms aside, the ancient bugs (emphasize on the bug part) as a whole differ from the current bugs merely by size. There are multiple examples of these:
1) Shade Beast is far bigger than 99% of Hallownest Bugs.
2) There is also another guy called Green Beast in Greenpath.
3) We have the Ancient Nailsmith as well in the Kingdom's Edge.
4) Colesseum of Fools is another example since it is visibly made of a bug. Not to be redundant but it is big enough to house an entire colosseum.
5) Black Egg Temple is made of the shell of an ancient bug and it can be compared to Colesseum of Fools:
We can see that ancient bugs are consistently bigger than current bugs, more than what is possible in real life. In turn, that also means that we can't accept any size as an actual bug in the game. Such massive beings aren't exclusive to the past either. Bardoon is incomparably bigger than most beings in Hallownest and he is a caterpillar. And while not a massive being, Grimm isn't any kind of bug, even having a bat form that's smaller than the Knight.
By now, it should be evident that comparing actual bugs to the bugs of Hallownest is completely meaningless. So what do we do? Easy, we compare actual bugs to actual bugs and other things we can be sure of when it comes to size. We actually do it currently to some extent. I will go over it and all the other points:
1) Rain in City of Tears: As we can see in the city, rain appears to be comparable to normal rain humans experience. We even currently use the size of an average raindrop to find the size of the Knight. While this appears contrary to what I said, it actually proves that even when using pixelscaling actual bug-sized Hallownest Bugs is nonsense. And once we know that they are not bug-sized, there is no need to go the extra mile by pixelscaling as being called bugs was what made them bug-sized in this site, to begin with.
2) Delicate Flowers: There are also Delicate Flowers, which are actual flowers while being smaller than the bugs. Similar to the previous point, the game takes liberties with the art but either way, the sight can be compared to that of a normal human holding a flower when both a flower and a bug are side by side.
3) Lumaflies: Now, here comes the actual bugs I previously mentioned. The first one of them is lumaflies. These guys are scattered across the game and appear in multiple roles, such as companions in the Knight's Lantern or as enemies in Teacher's Achieves. They don't display any sentience and appear as real bugs, being far smaller than HK bugs.
4) Geo: This is the primary currency of Hallownest. What many people don't know is that, it is also fossilized bugs. This fact doesn't show up in the game but it is backed up both by the Manual and Wanderer's Journal.
5) Quirrel Prequel: Real bugs are seen in the comics decipting Quirrel as well and this is by far the most clear and decisive image of them we have seen. Alongside this, there is another reason why I didn't mention this point until now. Because Quirrel says something interesting here:
"Out here, only the simplest adapt, those who bear no burden of mind."
This is important because it helps us to make a distinction between actual bugs and Hallownest Bugs. We know that at some point in the past, Pale King granted bugs sapience:
Under palest watch, you taught, we changed, base instincts were redeemed - Elegy to Hallownest
The Wyrm becomes beacon, minds expanded, to yield, to devote - White Palace Lore Tablet
Combined with Quirrel's previous line, this implies that Hallownest Bugs were normal bugs in the beginning, both in size and intelligence but grew thanks to Pale King. It is further evidenced by Teacher's Achieves as Pale King is associated with growth:
KINGLIGHT-EM-GROWTH-INKIND-FLOW-ALLTHINK-ENFIELD
In an unconventional way, Pure Vessel might be an example of this growth. And all things considered, both this and all of the previous points should make it clear that Hallownest Bugs are distinct from actual bugs. But there is one more thing I need to mention before finishing. It might be more important than the rest of this write-up combined. That's Hornet's introduction in the kickstarter:
"You may catch glimpses of Hornet during your exploration of Hallownest, although she always seems to be one or two steps ahead of you. If you do manage to catch up with her, be wary! Her needle can cut a bug down from thirty yards."
Thirty yards... It is clearly way bigger than what an actual bug would manage and we can see her maximum effective range during our battle against her. In the second fight, she specifically talks about how she will not hold back so we can tell that what we see during the fight is the said 30 yards.
Well, that's all from me unless I forgot something.
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