Hornet Becomes a Tiny Balloon — Silksong’s Hover Animation Is an Instant Meme
Hornet in Hollow Knight: Silksong has a hover ability that lets her suspend herself in the air for a few seconds; the in-game animation shows her cloak inflating and creating a rounded silhouette around her figure. In addition, players have shared images and short posts about the visual, and several social posts have used the image for memes.
How the hover works
The ability appears in Hollow Knight: Silksong as a mechanic that, when activated, holds Hornet in the air for a short duration (a few seconds). Players can trigger it after unlocking the move during normal progression through the game.
Functionally, the hover is used to lengthen aerial time. Consequently, it can help with traversing gaps or avoiding hazards when timed correctly.
Visual design
The animation shows Hornet’s cloak inflating around her body and forming a rounded shape. The silhouette becomes noticeably wider and more circular while the hover lasts.
Because the shape is compact and rounded, some observers compare it to the common cat “loaf” position; for context, see this explanation of the cat loaf.
Community response and memes
Since the hover animation appeared in public builds and screenshots, players and fans have posted images and short-form content that reference the inflated-cloak look. For an example collection of community posts related to Silksong, see this AminoApps thread.
Examples of individual posts shared publicly include the following tweets:
sick song pic.twitter.com/a2QwKktk3j
— Jaya Ply (@Nikingply) September 8, 2025
don't forget to bring your Hornet umbrella on a rainy day pic.twitter.com/oBQMxxQh54
— PIC-KLE (@Pickle147) September 8, 2025
hornet?#Silksong pic.twitter.com/R76QFqZlhe
— lil (@LianaRynty) September 5, 2025
That one Hornet sprite pic.twitter.com/Fb24BYxNbY
— teya (@teyapples) September 7, 2025
— heavyfortress (@heavyfortress) September 9, 2025
Notes and sources
For an example of earlier image searches that showed alternate fan variations, a referenced search term is available via a Google search for “Hornet with giant shoes”.
Sources used for this piece: in-game observation of Hollow Knight: Silksong hover animation, player-shared posts on social platforms, and the linked community page and references above.
