How did Zote Survive the Desolate Wastes? | Hollow Knight Lore

Have you ever wondered if Zote is void? If he's related to the Knight? If he would consider going on a date with you to the Obama Kissing Rock? I have too, so I decided to try figuring that out!
Twitter - / ccmaci​
Discord - / discord
I'll be using as much Hallownest Vocalized voice acting as I can for future videos, so let me know in the comments if you enjoy their inclusion! If you're looking for more Vocalized content, I think you'll enjoy my Quirrel Comic dub. I went above and beyond on the editing, and the voice actors did incredible, so consider giving it a watch! • Hollow Knight: Quirrel...
_________________________________________________________
VVV Special thanks and credits to media used below VVV
Thank you to @dragonroilz for making this video's thumbnail! You can follow her on Twitter for more of their amazing art pieces: / dragonroilz
Script/Lore Checkers:
- Dragoler (aka GoldenFlowerFan)
This video features voice actors from Hallownest Vocalized, a mod which brings English voice acting to Hollow Knight! Check out the Launch Trailer's description for how to play: • Hollow Knight: Hallown...
@Friskk., as Midwife
/ friskkmkay
www.castingcall.club/friskk
@FalconFetus8, as Zote
www.castingcall.club/falconfe...
Kyle "Kyphoon" Williams, as Dung Defender
www.castingcall.club/kyphoon
/ kaephoon
Harper Xie Xie, as White Lady
www.castingcall.club/harper-x...
James Weirich, as Quirrel
cstng.cc/jamesweirichvo
@vide0gurt, as Boon
/ vide0gurt
www.castingcall.club/nate-f
Hollow Knight Piano Collections, composed by Christopher Larkin, arranged by David Peacock, and performed by pianist Augustine Mayuga Gonzales. You can find the full album on KZbin, provided by Materia Collective | • Hollow Knight Piano Co...
Hollow Knight OST, composed by Christopher Larkin, you can find his music on his bandcamp | christopherlarkin.bandcamp.com​
Music (in order of appearance):
* HK Synthsong - Terminus | • HK Synthsong - Terminus
* Truth, Beauty and Hatred | Hollow Knight OST
* Pale Court Mod OST - Dryya, The Fierce | • Pale Court Mod OST - D...
* Fungal Wastes | Hollow Knight OST
* White Palace | Hollow Knight OST
* Hollow Knight Synthsong - Parallax | • Parallax: A Synthsong ...
* HK Synthsong - Synth Reflection | • HK Synthsong - Synth R...
* Distant Village | Hollow Knight OST (not on Bandcamp)
* Sealed Vessel | Hollow Knight OST
* Dirtmouth | Hollow Knight OST
* Pale Court Mod OST - Zemer Theme | • Pale Court Mod OST - Z...
* Stoneshore - Maskbearer Concept Project | • Untitled - Maskbearer ...
* Crystal Peak | Hollow Knight OST
* Hollow Knight Piano Collections: 02. Crossroads | • Hollow Knight Piano Co...
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
03:33 Shells
04:25 Forty-Two
05:25 Towers
06:36 Grounds
08:28 Nursery
12:05 How did Zote survive the Desolate Wastes?
14:59 Conclusion
#hollowknight #lore #sigma

[@Ccmaci]

If you enjoyed the voice acting in this video, I produced a dub of Quirrel's official Prequel Comic using Hallownest Vocalized VAs. Everyone involved put their hearts into the final product, so consider giving it a watch! kzbin.info/www/bejne/kJ-9gZ96eaymmbc

[@splemlmao2320]

Ccmaci can you make a video about nails

[@FalconFetus8]

I know I enjoyed it!

[@Egg67538]

Criminal that it didn’t do better

[@minionek247]

I didn't get recommended the video before so didn't watch it. Watched it today and it's great

[@Crazybark]

i didnt know the comic existed

[@mohamednail1707]

Zote dumped all of his points in luck and forgot every other status

[@overthegardenwall7143]

Stats:Strength-0 Agility-0 Luck-99999999999999999999999999999999

[@springfaux6991]

AND CHARISMA / PERSUASION

[@flopdeop135]

I want to like but I can't ruin the 69 😞 ok I can like now

[@reptiliannoizezz.413]

Strength 1 Perception 1 Endurance 1 Charisma 1 Intelligence 1 Agility 1 Luck 10

[@leithaziz2716]

Dark Souls 3 Luck-build.

[@primalaspid2972]

Matpat should make a theory explaining how Zote is a reincarnation of the Pale King

[@ZERO_ZELLIS]

Poor Matpat if only he hadn't made a theory on the king

[@andrijavlahov7687]

Yeah, if he didnt make that video, Sans is Ness would still be his biggest blunder.

[@absolutecoffee9570]

and then mybe hell be granted forgiveness

[@dreamypizza8458]

forgiveness can be granted for if one of two conditions are met 1. matthew patrick sacrifices himself for silksongs release 2. he makes a correct or easily plausible theory about silksong

[@ZERO_ZELLIS]

@@dreamypizza8458 why am do I think option 1 is appealing oh gosh

[@Draedoon]

Zote made it through because all the bugs in the desolate wastes bowed to him and brought him to Hallownest to challenge the pale king, truly a knight of great renown.

[@smashbrosguyt915]

He killed the pale king.

[@Entity404ITA]

​@@smashbrosguyt915i'll 1-up this He hatched from the egg in the white castle throne room. He IS the Pale King

[@arrianmian7294]

@@Entity404ITA Matpat was wrong

[@Entity404ITA]

@@arrianmian7294 honestly I cant figure out if this reply is ironic or not, so i'll just state that i dont actually believe that the egg in the throne room was the king's 3rd reincarnation, just an egg, probably the king ate it for breakfast that morning before committing mass infanticide

[@arrianmian7294]

@@Entity404ITA Matpat WAS wrong, the knight isn't the pale king...zote is because the game is kinda about the aftermath of the pale kings' rule(we aren't the main character, just the player-controlled one) and just like ccmaci said zote is the main character. the pale kings' story never ended...it just got a new chapter from a different point of view.

[@beterbomen]

One thing I feel I should note: in the Hunter's notes about Zote, he says that "some creatures are so pathatically weak, there is no honor in hunting them." I always thought that was the secret to Zote's survival. He's so pathatic, every creature instinctively knows he isn't a threat.

[@Stillbraixentho]

Heres the thing though: creatures did hunt him...two times.

[@gdb5549]

Imagine being so worthless that predators don't even hunt you for food

[@tarot3078]

⁠​⁠@@gdb5549Irl harpy eagles don’t hunt sloths close to their nest and they use them to teach their offspring how to hunt

[@EL_GRANDE1]

HEY!

[@yousseftamer4943]

Seeing Zote saying “No Loose Ends” made me immediately imagine a scenario in which Zote murdered someone and is trying to cover it up

[@stupidn1gga31]

It would be actually amazing to see zote is actually killed his father and escaped

[@nom1489]

Zote killed Gorb because he was jealous Gorb was more popular than him.

[@CommentPositionInformer]

@@honestkyn718 There is a reason *even speedrunners* avoid Gray Prince Zote if possible. They can't handle him using his maximum potential.

[@qazzaqstan]

While everything indicates that Zote is not Hollownest royalty his parents completely forgetting about his existence and viewing Hornet as the "singular" Gendered Child would definitely explain the precepts about fathers and mothers.

[@chin8ferrah909]

The kid with potential, but with no supportive parents

[@thomaswang2223]

@@chin8ferrah909*he didn’t have potential, he has gender

[@chin8ferrah909]

@@thomaswang2223 gender?

[@lucasmather4837]

@@chin8ferrah909it holds you back, man I dropped gender long ago and now I’m a god

[@Josuh]

@@chin8ferrah909Referring to how all the potential vessels don't have a gender, Zote would be absolutely dismissed by the king for being gendered

[@lifebloodcore2106]

I don't get why the Quirrel comic vocalized video didn't get too many views. It was executed very well, from the voice acting to the sound effects to the music chosen for different moments in the story. Alas, we're all at the mercy of the KZbin algorithm, I guess.

[@Ccmaci]

I gave it a poor thumbnail on release, which I think was what did it in :/ But, DragonRoIlZ from HNVocals offered to make thumbnails for both this video and the Quirrel Comic dub, so I hope they both do well because of it!

[@Ccmaci]

@@MrGreenSir28 Grey Prince Zote is a manifestation of Bretta's dreams, so those black particles could be anything (likely a byproduct of how she views him as "so dark"). One possibility as to why Zote's corpse lacks a torso is because Vengefly King eated it all.

[@confuseduser8076]

i had no idea it existed. youtube algorithm is giving me useless junk.

[@caguay]

@@Ccmaci perhaps the algorithm will randomly pick it up one day and put it in lots of people's rec list :'< don't be discouraged. Your content is extremely high quality and that dub was insanely good! The video editing was phenomenal! Just like in all your other videos. You put a lot of care and love into these, be sure that everyone that gets yo see your content appreciates those details immensely ✨💛

[@eater9494]

i personally just didn't ever get it recommended, weirdly. i don't think it was anything about the video itself

[@eisschnee2649]

I like to think that Zote arrived around the same time the Knight did, and the reason Zote made it was because the Knight was also in the wastes, slaying whatever it came across and leaving easy stepping stone for Zote to claim greatness from.

[@M.Datura]

That's the most reasonable thing I've thought too. And that he survived with "his mind intact" (as in not one of the mindless bugs) because he's just so very full of himself.

[@Henry-H]

I won't call it easy Despite all enemy being killed, there's still some platforming challenges for zote. Kinda weird how he can actually pass them.

[@HexagonThatReallyLikesVinegar]

​@@Henry-Hhe just trips on his sword really well

[@samisthegreatest6682]

@@Henry-H bro just built different he neednt any upgrades or charms.. only his pride

[@ere4t4t4rrrrr4]

It was the Knight that saved Zote countless times in the desolate wastes. Why is that? It's because both of them crossed the wastes at roughly the same time. Maybe this wasn't even the first time Zote met the Knight, but Zote never bothered to mention this (and the Knight, well, the Knight isn't into talking). This will all be confirmed in 2080 when, just after the release of Silksong, we will finally await for the Hollow Knight prequel that will explain how the Knight left the abyss and traveled all over foreign lands until they finally return to Hallownest.

[@joaoassumpcao3347]

This checks out because, after saving Zote at the beginning, he doesn't even recognize the Knight later. In his mind random vessels just keep showing up to save him

[@Woopor]

@@joaoassumpcao3347 heck, I’d wager he doesn’t even see the vessels as saving him, they’re stealing his “prey,” and as evidenced by Zote’s dream nail dialogue, everything he says is quite literally what he believes to be true (which would also be following his precepts, his most valued laws)

[@BlueSR]

Also the editing on this video is FANTASTIC. You keep outdoing yourself with these!

[@vihakingwhimsicalflame]

ikr it's hilarious

[@pizzaziuminfinionite134]

its perfect

[@PotatoPatatoVonSpudsworth]

My favourite bit of Zote lore is that he believes in himself SO STRONGLY that he's managed to manifest himself within the Hallownest Pantheon via the Eternal Ordeal. Were the Godseekers ever to ascend, they would unintentionally take a little (or perhaps a LOT) of Zote with them.

[@serraramayfield9230]

That's...probably not canon. It appears even if Zote is left to die, and GPZ as a result gets skipped in Godhome due to Bretta never meeting him & creating said delusion.

[@PotatoPatatoVonSpudsworth]

@@serraramayfield9230 | Every boss you kill still appears in the pantheon. They needn't be alive to be divine. Zote joined the pantheon the moment he entered Hallownest.

[@serraramayfield9230]

@@PotatoPatatoVonSpudsworth Except not because if Zote never meets Bretta, GPZ doesn't appear in the Pantheons nor does his statue in the Hall of Gods.

[@PotatoPatatoVonSpudsworth]

@@serraramayfield9230 | GPZ is a dream created by Bretta, not Zote. It cannot exist if Bretta doesn't meet Zote. The Eternal Ordeal meanwhile is based only on Zote, and thus doesn't require him to be alive for it to continue to exist, just like every other pantheon boss.

[@serraramayfield9230]

@@PotatoPatatoVonSpudsworth If EO is based only on Zote, how could it manifest in Godhome if he dies? The Lifeblood Beast has evidence of dream-based abilities, Zote himself does not.

[@craz2580]

Zote is another higher being, obviously, he is just hiding it during the game to not get attacked by the radiance. When you finish the game he takes over the kingdom and saves everyone

[@Entity404SFM]

In Embrace The Void it isn't actually the shade lord killing the radiance that deletes the infection, but it's actually Zote using 1% of his power

[@aynxieth]

I'd like to imagine that zote was captured by the vengefly king at the desolate wastes and then coincidentally the vengefly king went to rest on it's nest with it's pray when we appear to save zone

[@Tuii]

What a perfect conclusion! Zote obviously has all the plot armor, the strength he needs to overcome any challenge! Absolutely insane that you'd need to theorize so much on a Knight of such great renown and splendor... I think he survived the wastes because he was either too stupid to lose what memory he had, OR arrived into the kingdom near-enough to the end of the Pale King before things have fallen into complete disarray. I theorize that he did witness the White Palace's towers, and most importantly, seeing Hallownest's citizens taking their geo to the grave with them. To backup those precepts mentioned in the video. The precepts he had made likely, much how he spins the narrative of his travel across Hallownest, have been altered to fit his narrative. All of the precepts likely jumbled up and tossed around after every hit to the head from stumbling over himself and all the near-death encounters. And if he did arrive into Hallownest, Precept Fourty-Seven, as he mentions that Life Ender was fashioned at a young age, meaning that precept could have been made long before his geo precept. I think there's nothing keeping them in order, why he has to ramble about them so much, that way there is some cohesion to what it is. So who knows what they were before the collapse, after, to when we finally get to hear him ramble on, and on. And one last thing, to back up my very first point... HE INVADES GODHOME. If there's anything to DISPROVE that he ISNT exalted by plot armor, it's all nullified because of how just impressive that feat is. The Knight has to fight and fight for his own statue... He just gains his own! Wait... Statues are meaningless... Well. He might need to change that one! Zote is... Confusing. He makes no sense. And we love him for that, right? There's going to be a million ways to take him, who knows. Maybe he is born of God, he quite is one after all. Maybe even take the opposite of everything he says, since... He likes contradictions a lot.

[@BobRoss-mu8yw]

I left Zote to die in Greenpath.

[@leilaclarridge5807]

I bet Zote got a blessing or two from a god that thought he was amusing to watch and keeps him alive for their entertainment

[@tylercoon1791]

‘Is Zote the Pale Kings son? No.’ Correction, we know that Zote is not the Pale Kings *biological* son! Reasons that Zote is *ACTUALLY* the Pale Kings _adopted_ son: A) It would be really funny From these reasons, we can see beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Zote was adopted by the Pale King, and is clearly scornful against The Knight for stealing the birthright that is rightfully his!

[@mitchellbambam5926]

It’s simple, Zote is a somewhat agile and capable bug, and is actually a good explorer. He’s only outclassed by the trained warriors of the colosseum, a fly 10x his size, and the ambush predators of deepnest. Truly a knight of great renoun!

[@leilaclarridge5807]

I’ve never realized that the white parts of civilian bugs’ shells are actually more of a super pale pink color

[@ROC.-.]

He was obviously attracted to the kingdom by the pale kings afterglow... he came to challenge him but sadly the king had killed himself out of terror that Zote the mighty, a knight of great renown, was on his way to challenge him

[@braydenrector5372]

Zote is obviously Elderbug and The Pale King’s son

[@Proletarius87]

Lmao

[@cheesyminer]

Fun fact, there's a way to let Zote live while you also get to keep Bretta. All you need to do is beat Colo 1 before exploring Deepnest (technically you can explore it, but this hinges on you not finding Zote, so best to stay out until C1). Once C1 is done, you're free to explore Deepnest to the fullest. Bretta will still be in town and Zote will be trapped under the Colosseum for all eternity so long as you don't Re-Challenge Colo 1.

[@n0nameneeded]

This is so helpful lol

[@Oredecadon-if1py]

You could also just never free Zote from Deepnest, and Bretta stays in the village while Zote is still also stuck

[@cheesyminer]

@@Oredecadon-if1py I never deliberately freed Zote. I passed by him struggling in Deepnest, but I never freed him. He just showed up trapped in the Colo.

[@burnsstronghold7213]

It's realy sad seeing the nursery unused and closed of. It shows that the pale king and lady wanted a child but because of the infection and the need for vessels they could not have one.

[@M.Datura]

I was thinking about that myself, but given how there is only one chair, and the White Lady seems, sad somehow, it seems to me more like she got it built (it's more or less her "style") and that she sat there, (hence the burnished imprint) hoping to raise even one. From her dialogue I've always felt she regretted what they'd done, despite knowing they needed something to combat the Radience.

[@St4rStormy]

I'm 4 minutes into this video and already, all of the animations are absolutely amazing in this video! they're so smooth and funny, makes the video alot more entertaining

[@pokemonpokemon-nn9hm]

holy cow!!! The editing on this is plentiful without being intrusive, I laughed at the part where zote was thrown down the white palace, this is wonderful. dropped a sub, looking forward to watching the catalogue

[@minionek247]

Finally someone who appreciates Bretta as much as me. I am so happy

[@thegoldenavenger8128]

I like the idea that zote just has amnesia, so he cant remember that he always lived in hollowest and the precepts are the only things he can remember.

[@rafaelgonzalez-pw1kv]

He survived the same way everyone did on their first playthrough of hollow knight... ran away from literally every enemy

[@fourstones1860]

He is simply built different

[@teacat]

Constructed in an alternative way

[@DanBulboTheGamer]

Organized in a way uncommon to the most

[@oscaro974]

The dubbed comic video is really well done, just watched it !

[@Astronaton]

Hey ccmaci! I really like your content! I viewed you for a long time. You have really improved. Good work!

[@Astronaton]

Thanks, Ccmaci for the heart! You got me into video making, so it means a lot!

[@playlikepig0550]

Zote never dies because team cherry needs him for Zoteboat

[@yoshikam7446]

8:59 Baby Hornet "shaw" had no right to be that cute

[@hubee2407]

You're editing and animation is fucking insane. You make it seem easy.

[@danii7120]

I really really like all the cute animations you scatter throughout the video, keep it up

[@Stizzl]

Fantastic video as always, finally someone sees Zote for who he truly is: the main character of Hollow Knight

[@Sean-cl7ui]

These vocalized dubs are a gem in the hk community

[@Tubeytime]

Your editing is Pale-tier, I'm absolutely mesmerized.

[@-Trub-]

i love watching videos with subtitles, it makes it much easyer to focus, thank you for not being lazy like all the other youtubers and at least copying and pasting the script

[@mebisanimationsandotherstu8977]

Omg pale court cameo Very good video, your editing skills are impressive I do think you could've added broken vessel's hunter journal entry about how vessels resemble common bugs, but this is a good wrap up on why Zote isn't one of the king's child

[@Nameless-yi7iy]

yall imagine in silksong you can go to the desolate wastes or maybe even parts of hallownest, that would be very interesting to see

[@GlawiousAldredMarci]

To be honest, I could imagine that Zote is the 4th knight from whom the grub stole the armor. Then ashamed of himself he ventured out into the wastelands and he went delusional and kinda crazy there lol

[@moondust2612]

I always thought that zote was just straight up one of the non-mindless bugs from the wastes

[@Bluevooid]

the edition on this video is perfect haha, probably one of the best Hollow Knight related videos I've seen, the animations are perfect.

[@thehjonk]

The baby hornet in the crib was so cute. I NEED baby Hornet, PLEASE team cherry. Also good work on the Hallownest Vocalised quirrel video, shame it didn't do too well. You've also reminded me that I need to try doing pale court again, I got frustrated with some of the fights at first when it came out and haven't touched it since, but I have thankfully changed to a less recklessly aggressive playstyle in favour of patiently waiting for openings after training for pantheon 5. best in luck for the future of your channel and may the algorithm bless you :)

[@Ccmaci]

Thank you! And Baby Hornet is a custom Hollow Knight skin if you wanna play as her :D

[@DeerPosting_ThePigLlamaGuy]

I can see Zote being the uncle of the knight/brother of Pale King who wasn't considered royalty because Pale King was the firstborn and thus aire to the throne. So Zote just left to be a wanderer like Quirrel and Hornet

[@acewmd.]

You might not like the answer but the fact is Zote is a man of FOCUS commitment and sheer will, and since in their world focus actually heals wounds and makes some immortal its possible he just has an amazing passive regen going at all times. Zote may be unimpressive and lacking in the strength department but he hasn't given up on himself and that drive is possibly literally keeping him alive.

[@Nymm_]

The editing on this video is so amazing wish I could learn to edit like this some day.

[@themecoptera9258]

I imagine he just survived based on luck and the help of stronger bugs.

[@couch_philosoph3325]

same ^-^ I imagine that tons of people take pity on him and don't have the heart to tell him that he is weak. I mean many of the bugs we encountered before the radiance took them - myla, menderbug - are very nice, hardworking bugs. I'd like to think that such bugs would all help zote

[@GeoSage1137]

It also sounds like Zote traveled the 'safer' surface route when getting to Hollow Knight, so maybe he just waltzed around without running into any danger

[@Killa_Pug]

Wow! These were some awesome ideas and theories! I’ve beaten hollow knight many times and never found the nursery, so I was shocked to find that out! I had a theory that maybe zote was like the forgotten child, so the White Lady would build up zote’s ego and spoil him to make him feel mighty as well as he got to see the vessels on a daily basis, but then I heard what you said about hornet being “The Gendered Child”, which ruined both our theories, but then I got thinking on a possible justification, and I came up with this conclusion: what if zote really was the child of Pale King, maybe with another bug(as we see Pale King having hornet with Herrah) and what if the reason White Lady, and Hornet never bring him up is, because he was shunned or banished to another kingdom outside of hollownest(like pharloom or some other kingdom), and he returned to hollownest after it had become ruins. As for what he did, maybe he started a possible conflict or major problem out of his own ego or to find true glory! Maybe he is older than hornet and was banished before she was born(which is why she never mentions him) and why she thinks she’s the only gendered child. maybe he is called “Grey prince zote” in dream dialogue because he wishes to fulfill his original role as the heir to the throne and become the son his parents truly wanted, which is why hornet was born, to take the role as the heir to the throne, once her parents pass away, since zote was no longer an option. But that is just my personal theory :) Edit: I just remember that he is a different color than the knight, being a grayish color, which could show that his mother is another creature that wasn’t pale and his father was pale king(kind of like a “Mud Blood” from hairy potter), it may also show that he never got attention from his father, or his father shamed him from it, making his shunned act even more required, so he could get his father’s approval.

[@Windette]

How the fuck did it take me 2 full days to see this video! HOLY FUCK CC YOUR ANIMATION HAS IMPROVES VASTLY!!!! JESUS CHRIST!!!

[@Windette]

actually... scratch just it being animation that's improved... EVERYTHING has improved... Holy god your use of pausing and timing is some of the highest quality I've seen on the internet...

[@zacharypaquette3414]

The animation is amazingly done!

[@FishyNiden]

9:00 is bloody adorable

[@ceweals]

If you dream nail Zote in the Eternal Ordeal or Colosseum of Fools, he says somrthing like 'Let me prove myself to you Father!'

[@loppin9312]

I didnt even realise that this was a new video, love your vocalised mod btw

[@navy_2.0]

Its so sad seeing your videos having less views, the quality is always astonishing, there is so many little details i love them. The Quirel comics was especially well voiced, great job to everyone who worked on it

[@funnilywordedfunnyman824]

I never noticed the towers in the back of the pale castle, I know its unrelated to Zote but i have to think theyre somehow related to the towers found in the abyss. maybe the palace was built over top of something already there, like with the lighthouse and most of hallownest

[@cowaborange]

Im glad youtube showed me this in my recommendations. The editing and Voice acting work is extraordinary. Going to watch the full comic dub now.

[@tommarsdon5644]

Perhaps zote is actually an incredible spellcaster. That's also why he is so easily beat in the arena; since void, and thus the knight, doesn't give any.

[@Yuti640]

WHY IS THIS SO WELL MADE

[@milkman4407]

It’s actually simple, he had another nail and lost it right before he got to Hallownest, then because Zote is Zote he grabbed a piece of Shellwood and called it his nail

[@XxguaxinimxX.]

What an interesting video! The Quirrel's Comic dub was really great, too!

[@nanobugs933]

Im pretty sure zote has some form of tychokenisis similar to beings of massive power such as mr bean and jerry the ant in my backyard who survived a huge flood (i was watering the tomatoes)

[@Romalac]

The editting in this is TOP-NOTCH, well done!

[@draggofroot9023]

Your "unremarkable child" part might actually hold some weight from the Dream dialogue of zote when he's fighting you in the coliseum: "I'll kill a thousand more...Will that be enough, father?"

[@Mae_Dastardly]

He's just extremely durable and easily punted, everytime an enemy attacked him he just got knocked closer to his goal like a golf ball

[@Snow22224]

I really love the animated bits, like zote trying to hit hornet, and falling off the mountain

[@ItsPronouncedScaggis]

Ccmaci just do be: "The source is that i made it the fuck up!"5:06

[@CC164_real]

incredible editing here 👏

[@br34kout82]

god i love what you did with the animations this video, super charming

[@L0KUST1]

I remember watching your abyss parkour streams a few years back. Great to see how far you’ve come and that you’re still uploading.

[@Straysniper872]

Tiny hornet is adorable

[@aarongrant1]

Headcanon that Zote was the Kings Greatest Knight, the one who trained HK and The Five Knights, but left when the kingdom fell due to shame, only returning when he heard a chance to redeem himself, but not nearly the man that he used to be. I would imagine that Hollow's Scream was pretty loud, so he could probably hear it

[@thomastakesatollforthedark2231]

Gosh darn the editing is so good in this!

[@hircenedaelen]

10:00 if anything, this makes me think it's more likely a vessel was raised in the nursery. Where they made an emotional attachment, and was thought ruined. The white lady had to learn this information somehow, perhaps from experience. It may even have been the lost kin rather than the hollow Knight, and it was thrown out early for developing emotions

[@sandorrclegane2307]

Your animations are so fun and well made, phew Cool stuff

[@dumbosquad6339]

Zote is clearly the child of a wyrm who banished him from another kingdom making him the grey prince

[@blackthornejoshua2929]

Oh dude thank you. Ive been wanting video and audio for that comic since i discovered it. The amount of people that can read is infinitely dwarfed by those who can listen.

[@Shrimpish.]

Love the animations!

[@thegreatBarbossa]

Is Zote void? No but he and vessels have many other things in common, such as daddy issues.

[@CelineWhite-os9dw]

The baby hornet is so cute!

[@plutoisarealplanet7407]

zotes insane luck is a foil to how hard the game is for us the player

[@Corven512]

i love the fact that even after all this time new lore, and explanations can still be made and found, truly an amazing game.

[@FeedMyBalls]

imagine if he did path of pain

[@copperfox8695]

The idea that Zote was the first child and then the pale king and white lady decided making the complete opposite would work better is just perfect

[@TheAdvertisement]

20 minutes of Ccmaci underestimating the power of the funny guy

[@icepl831]

tbh zote is called the grey prince... even it is only in idealized dreams... still with how similar he looks to the knight, children of the king with the pale lady, he could be the kings vastard son with some peasent bug. grey being a diluted white of the king and all...

[@ZagTheRaccoon]

christ genuinely I'd love to see or learned to be so slick with your video editing.

[@logicalspaghetti]

Your voice acting an custom aminations are marvelous my friend.

[@stormRed]

Wow this editing is so CRUNCHY ❤

[@axinxol4739]

maybe Zote is just super tough, he's shown to be able to *not die* to a pure nail

[@thomasdeutelmoser8986]

wow the quality of this video is stunning, great job!

[@DrPumpkinz]

My favorite bit of Zote lore is what he says when you meet him in Dirtmouth. He mentions having a conversation with Elderbug, and scoffs at Elderbug for liking dreams, which is later reinforced in the Precepts. Except... Elderbug doesn't like dreams at the start of the game. He talks about how following your dreams gets you killed. Which means that Zote heard Elderbug say the word "dream" and _immediately_ tuned out.

[@thecluckster3908]

The editing is just 👌

[@michaelstraw2112]

what i always thought is that he survived because the desolate wastes are just that. desolate. empty. a wasteland without any life in it.

[@iwillslapyou4982]

Zote can jump quite high, and does it in combat even when there is no reason to. He probably just jumped over all the threats, except for vengefly king and the webs, which were both on the ceiling and able to catch him if he jumped.

[@alexanderkoch2174]

12:22 Zote Particle Accelorator

[@nmorg1616]

The editing here rly sells the story. Emotional stuff

[@PaveltheBugFan]

It was about time dog person brought some bug stuff

[@creativelibertiesweretaken3366]

It’s so cool that you’re using MAT’s synthsong music! It hit me right in the feels when Terminus started playing, it’s almost nostalgic at this point