I think one of my favorite things about the way Hornet is characterized in Silk Song is she has an inherent mentality of violence supremacy. She is a Hunter, like the writer of the Hunters journal from the first game.
While her eccentric interest to floof the fluffy enemies and ride on the hardbones like a true horse girl are memeable and significant, it still needs to be noted that the only way to unlock those entries are from KILLING dozens of the enemy in question. She slaughters 25 mossgrubs, THEN documents that they seem extremely pet-able. Hornet first and foremost contextualizes the world around her through the lens of violence. And this has been the case for her since childhood.
Given that she was born of Deepnest and trained by Vespa of the Hive, both of which are noted in the original Hollow Knight as being cultures of extreme proclivity for combat, this seems almost to be expected. And it's a good marriage between gameplay and narrative, since the players primary method of interacting with the world of the game is the combat mechanics and systems of fighting the various enemies.
I just find it very interesting to present a protagonist like that, especially in the current landscape of video games. Relative to her contemporaries, Hornet is a protagonist that challenges the audience initially because she is certainly not relatable to the majority of players. She only starts openly displaying traits of compassion after a decent way through the game, and doesn't start openly admitting to wanting to work towards acts of benevolence until well into Act 2. Caretaker even directly confronts her about this, suggesting that helping people just for the sake of it is contrary to her nature which she does not refute.
Hornet starts out pretty twisted, and only becomes more conventionally "heroic" as the game progresses. But even by the end, she never loses her edge.
This is one of the last creatures that will be filled out in the Hunters Journal in Silk Song, considering the location it inhabits. It is literally not possible to even encounter this bug BEFORE visiting the Abyss and seeing Hornet take it upon herself to save Pharloom from its fate. And even after the point in the game where Hornet is inarguably a benevolent figure who wants to save people out of a sense of obligation, this is still what she writes in her journal.
"too calm and coddled." She still views a peaceful life of safety and comfort as being lamentable and even something to look down upon. She considers the Imoba to be a poor creature, perhaps pityable or perhaps contemptible. Either way, it is clear Hornet still views violence and strife as the norm, and the strength necessary to overcome opposition as the qualifications for respect.
I just think that's cool. You don't see protagonists like Hornet that often in this day and age of gaming.
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