#cogweb

I. LOVE THESE TWO they are ROTTING MY BRAIN ps they look a little different in all of these drawings cause they’re all over time where I was still figuring out how I actually wanted to even draw them so. Yeah. This final one of them in the rain is the most accurate to how I draw them now though so there you have it

double ps the anatomy isn’t perfect ik im sorry i cant care anymore about that right now 💔

ANYWHO.

yeah. These two are *absolutely* my favorite pair from Silksong and they’re super unique to me but that’s why I think they work so well together

On one hand you have Hornet, someone who HAD entertained the idea of relationships before, had previously allowed herself to be more vulnerable around someone else. Had wanted to have a family of her own too (as it implies when she talks to Eva and mentions how she’s also a victim of infertility because of her lineage as a weaver). And then you have the crushing weight of a long existence- outliving any partners you promised to have a lifetime with. And a lifetime with them you may have had; just not one that matched your own. Upon arriving in Pharloom, I get the idea that she would have let go of the concept a LONG time ago, sticking with her own independence. Her own goals, one after another. It isn’t worth it to her to let people in knowing that they, too, would burn and eventually fade to ash. And yet, it’s also apparent to see her begin to soften throughout her story there. Her goal shifts from finding the citadel, finding those who captured her, etc. to… helping as many people as she can. And maybe she doesn’t actively seek this out, maybe she’s still in it for the award and whatnot, but she still takes on those duties on behalf of other people without complaint (not that I’ve seen at least, maybe there’s a bit of dialogue in there I’m missing). Bringing this back to Second Sentinel… just like to mention that she did also collect all of their cogheart pieces (which. As someone who’s in the middle of playing the game. You uh. Have to do quite a bit of work to access everything for that- so not the easiest task!) and put them back together before she even knew who they were. There’s something about that. This is all to say… if she were put in some circumstance where she had to be vulnerable again? Maybe she’d find that even after all of the loss she’d endured, maybe there’s still a worth to it. I’m gonna come back for this

On the OTHER HAND you have Second Sentinel, unshakably loyal to a construct that is fading. To people who have faded. Something that Hornet had also been subjected to for YEARS (or however long time works in this bug universe but point is: she served as Hallownest’s “princess protector” for a LONG time.) And yet, they stay. They fight, even when everything around them crumbles. That’s got to make you feel a lot of things, I’d think. And that’s what intrigues me about them. They clearly DO still have thoughts and feelings of their own, despite the purpose they were given: protect the citadel. And this still leaves me with so many questions too. Why were they specifically sealed away? Decomposed and spread across the citadel on display? Does this mean that they disobeyed somehow at some point? And did the other sentinels feel like they do? Was it that Second felt too much? I wonder. So much about them. And it brings me to wonder how they would react to someone who’d put them back together. Who’d spared their life once again even after their judgement had failed (possibly for a second time after having been put away, no pun intended). Who’d gone as far as to call them a friend even after they’d misjudged her. And I have the thought that Hornet would continue to monitor and fix up them up if they had any issues too- and that’s a whole other thing. Allowing someone other than your creators take care of you in such a way. And that doesn’t even begin to mention her strength, her versatility and quick action in battle. All things to admire. All things they’d probably feel they shouldn’t be allowed to admire. What would happen if they did? Not like there would be anyone left to punish them for it other than their own thoughts and doubts.

Tying these ideas together too.. I just feel like there’s a lot of potential for vulnerability between these two and there’s something special about that to me. Vulnerability to me is one of the most beautiful, ugly, terrifying, and undeniably human things about relationships and I just love LOVE exploring it (very much want to attempt writing some more poetry especially talking about this topic). And I definitely see it in both of these characters in relation to eachother. Hornet sees a past version of herself in them, remembering all of the long and lonely years she spent protecting. And protecting. Even when she was born as a result of the kingdom’s gradual, slow, painful death. Maybe she sees in them a chance to appreciate, apologize to, and accept that past version of herself. Second Sentinel sees someone kinder, failing to acknowledge how and why she would spend that energy on a being whose sole existence is for the Citadel. Being picked up by her again and again even when they’ve believed for a while that they’d failed while she’d continue to insist they hadn’t. That insistence stemming from those same mistakes she made herself believing that she, too, failed an impossible task. Being forced to branch into someone more than just the citadel’s pawn. -I say that with the thought: the citadel is in ROUGH shape. There’s only so much one could do. Though, this does not mean they’d stray from it- they will always be a protector even if they must find a new meaning to that title.

Well. I don’t know if I’ve said this exactly how it all exists in my head, I’m not always an expert with words but I just wanted to share my thoughts on them. Or at least some of them. Tldr, demigod who’d long given up on love meeting a robot with, in their belief, one sole purpose both confronting their existences and in the process becoming closer and more vulnerable with the other just. Omg it kills me. AND AS THEY GET CLOSER TOO ITS JUST. The duality of Hornet authorizing for someone to be close again, loving them, choosing not to act unless they would… and then Second Sentinel realizing and having to grapple with the realization that they like someone more than they should, trying to figure how to handle it…,,,aauuuu😭😭 oh man and they would not be hard to read either. I don’t imagine they’d make too many facial expressions but that big cogheart in the middle of their chest? Yeah so, that’s probably audible and definitely noticeable to someone keen and observant (Hornet) if their heart rate were to kick up at all. And they’re also a robot so I’d imagine they’d be a little twitchy when they’re nervous.

Yeah

I don’t know if I’m doing my thoughts justice at all but it’s already somehow like 10:40pm how what happened what’s happening GRRHHDSBD

Thanks for reading this far if anyone even has lmao I don’t know how to use this app at all so I’m doubting it will have reached many people

But if you are here I appreciate it and uhh feel free to comment or ask about anything I said about them?? Love to hear your thoughts??? Yyyeeah??!!? If you couldn’t tell I’m very open to talking more about them or Silksong in general because this game is GOOD and the lore goes hard and these characters are delicious to analyze ssssooo yeah!!

Febuwhump 2026 Day 12 - Bodyguard