#lacie ph

[sunsetsmakemesad]

Jack, Oswald and Lacie really were a tragedy huh.

Their end was unavoidable, not because of the world around them, but because of themselves as people. They all died without changing and acknowledging their flaws. (Lacie is the least guilty in this btw) lacie never acknowledged that she was abused. Oswald never stood up for himself or those he held dear. Jack never stopped using lacie as a scapegoat for his suffering.

They could've changed their outcome. But they couldn't. Because they refused to change.

[boletestained]

guided by her fragments

[alskaichou]

Let the love I feel rebuild my faith through pain, I remain...(x)

And here's the next track I was given permission to GIF! This time by my lovely wife, Cony. All hail the resident PH editing god~

[thegracefulwillow]

Pandora Hearts Month day 15: King

@i-prefer-the-term-antihero

[surrealsunset]

happy new year + happy holidays @retracexcviii !! i sent this to you on discord but here it is on here too :> i did the prompt of lacie and her kids !! they're together in the abyss :,) with cheshire and oz too lol i hope u like !!!

@i-prefer-the-term-antihero @phmonth

[kokidere]

hand in unlovable hand

[fivekrystalpetals]

Core of the Abyss and 'her' Children of "Misfortune"

(aka I can't stop thinking how the Core always welcomed and reached out to the Children of "Ill-Omen"— just some observations)

So, once again quoting Lacie's words from Retrace 101:

Yes, always alone and lonely...without even knowing what loneliness is. Still, 'she' kept yearning.. for someone to push through the cold darkness and reach her. —'She' longed for 'someone' who could do that.

[Anyway I am ignoring everything the Glen(s) and the Jury ever said about the Core of the Abyss or the Children of Misfortune (because I don't trust them at all) —and taking only Lacie's theory here to be the truth,]

so, a few theories:

1] Break would have been drawn into the Core of the Abyss whether or not the Intention wanted his eyes

When his illegal seal finished a full turn, Break reached the Core of the Abyss unlike other illegal contractors who fall into the Abyss.

I had assumed this was possible only because the Intention of the Abyss herself summoned Break there so she could pluck out his red eyes for her blind Cheshire before he turns into a chain.

Even the other dolls mention this situation as unusual. The Intention never lets a human/illegal contractor into her room.

You don't usually bring humans here when they drop into the Abyss.

Meaning, the other illegal contractors on completing their contracts get dropped into the abyss and turn into chains without ever meeting the Intention for whatever they wished of her. So much for going through all this trouble lol

So, I imagined that only those whom the Intention permits could enter the Core of the Abyss (that is, her lovely toy room);

But.

Vincent does "waltz" into her "room" without any problem???

Now, I don't think Vince entered her room to purposely antagonize her as he usually did, because he was pretty shaken by all the bloodshed and massacre he just witnessed at Sablier. It was a coincidence and even he seemed shocked he was meeting White Alice in her "other" room when he was sure "Alice" had died in the real world. In fact, he wonders if there being another Alice and all the madness going on in the toy room was his fault as well...

Secondly, this is a feat none of the other older and more experienced Baskervilles could achieve, right?

All the surviving Baskervilles got swept into the Abyss during the Tragedy of Sablier. Yet not one of them came in contact with the Intention. They were only able to traverse the Abyss and come out at various points of time. They did not know what the Intention looked like; neither do any of them talk about actually having met her. They merely repeat what Xai or Glen told them that it was the sudden appearance of the Intention that changed the very configuration of the Abyss as they knew it before.

That's why I think the Intention's words are only partially true (but I don't think she realized this either).

That is, she does have complete control over who enters the Core of the Abyss/her room—

Except for the Children of Ill-Omen.

Because the Children of Ill-Omen are specifically birthed by the Core and are very precious to 'her', the Core wants them to reach out to 'her' at the very depth. So that whenever a Child of Ill-Omen falls into the Abyss willingly*, they are directly led to the Core that used to be a dark shapeless form during Lacie's time, but took on the form of a toy room after the Intention became its vessel.

Lacie insisted that she could see "someone" at the depth of the Abyss and that the "someone" couldn't answer her—

but of course, the Glens and Jury only regard the Core as something not to be touched or approached unless "a serious crisis occurs"

and every time the Core produces another Child of Ill-Omen, hoping, waiting, over and over again that they will reach out to 'her' at the very abyssal depth... instead, they are meted out the punishment of being dragged down by Black Chains and left to die in the very Abyss that wanted to cherish their company. They are being "returned" to the Core because of the misinformation/falsehood that the presence of a Red-Eyed child is an accidental distortion created by the Core and pose danger to the integrity of the world

whereas the actual reason is that Core just wants someone to help her not be lonely anymore.

See:

How sweet is it that the Core loved her toy so much that 'she' gave it a tiny spark of life and trembled in grief when 'she' hears that Lacie will never visit her again? ;_;

The Core never asked for the "ill-omened" children to be punished for being born; on the contrary, they are the ones most precious to her.

That's why I think they inevitably end up in the Core to keep 'her' company, whatever be the reason they fell into the Abyss in the first place, whether the completion of an illegal contract or being swept into the Abyss.

(willingly*: I mean, when the Child of Ill-Omen falls into the Abyss by any other means than being held down by the Black Winged Chains. Because Lacie could descend into the Core by herself but held down by the Black Chains, she could only wait out her permanent death.)

(Since Gil was with Vince, he too winded up in the Core, but he was not cognizant of his surroundings so that's a moot point anyway.)

2] That Break listens and commits himself to the one and only request of the Intention of the Abyss

This is in continuation to the first point; hence, kind of a paradoxical situation—

Because only a Child of Ill-Omen could have ever reached to the depth of the Abyss; and so, only a Child of Ill-Omen could have ever got to listen to her request at all.

But by the end of the story, (thanks to Lady Shelly, by the way, because if not for her, would Break have lived on to pass the Intention's desire to the kids? I don't think so), everyone came to know what the Intention really wanted and worked towards the goal.

So that, knowingly or otherwise, Break did fulfill his role as the bridge between the living world and the Core of the Abyss before his death.

As Leo asked of Vince in Retrace 104:

[monisalado]

Vanitas, Lacie, and Vincent in the Skeleton series Sk + Jsks from Lemiroir

[bababerries]

think my main issue with Sharon Rainsworth is idk what Mochijun was trying to do with her and she feels very out of place in the cast

Her thing is that she feels weak specifically because she relies on her chain a lot but it’s kind of just stated and then done with and she’s like “I was arrogant about it” but this wasn’t shown so I’m just like ???? Her main role in the story is a support to Break similar to Reim and like that’s fine but it’s so distracting how out of place she is because sometimes I feel like I’m reading a separate story when there’s a scene about her specific insecurity and I’m just like “oh ok” I think the idea of Sharon being reliant upon her chain and constantly being cuddled and sheltered and seen as weak especially with the state her body is in of not aging causing a lot of crisis within her because she’s in this weird stage of not feeling exactly like an adult but not entirely like a child is interesting but it doesn’t feel like that at all tbh it's not explored despite how it's adding to her insecurity. And then there’s the whole her acting “arrogant thing” and my response to that is when? The only time she was mean is once to Gilbert like literally only one panel, she was joining in on teasing him with Break. It's very light hearted and comedic to and frankly who in the manga doesn't bully Gil? It's not enough. I wish they made her messier and that she was a spoiled princess with unchecked privileged who was overcompensating and trying to hold the power of her family after feeling coddled and sheltered throughout her life and feeling like she needs to live up to the image of her mom and grandma but doesn't know how to so she's all talk and relies heavily upon her chain and acts haughty about it. Not realizing she's further indulging in her ignorance of the world. I think she could’ve been interesting in PH classism and exploitation themes. That she wants to be "strong" but is just furthering her ignorant just in a different way. And real strength and maturity would come in her recognizing the flaws in royal society and how they hurt and exploit the people below them. And her having to look inwards on her own flaws and unchecked privilege. (It also just adds to pandora heart's toxic codependency theme where obsession and reliance on something is harmful and denies you of growth and identity) And I just think about that one line she says to Lottie “selfishness runs in my blood” or smth it was a good line but it really doesn't feel earned because we never see Sharon being selfish or arrogant or cocky or anything. I don’t mind Sharon not being that angsty of a character she didn't need to have a sob story and a breather character like her would be good for more diversity esp when a lot of characters in pandora hearts can be quite intense with their conflicts. But her entire arc is incredibly lacking. The manga tells me *this* is her arc without actually showing it. And her development is someone calling her weak once and gets over it

[thegirlking]

Lacie and Lottie's contrasting characters

This might sound like quite a reach, because they never even met in canon, but I feel like there's such an interesting contrast between certain aspects of Lottie and Lacie's characters. They are two Baskerville women, whose very different status in the family shapes them into almost complete opposites in terms of self-expression, beliefs, experiences and relationships.

It's just interesting to think about some of the themes reflected in their characters and what they reveal about the Baskerville family. Some messy, self-indulgent analysis ahead.

Different personas and the subversion of archetypes

It's obvious even from their character designs that Lottie and Lacie present themselves very differently - and their personas seem dangerously close to some...problematic archetypes.

They could have easily been a shallow embodiment of harmful tropes - Lacie The Manic Pixie Dream Girl vs Lottie The Femme Fatale - but that's thankfully not the case. Even with somewhat limited screen time, both are given enough depth to be complex women who defy those archetypes.

What's more, I think it's safe to say that their outward personas are also kind of an "armor" - something that helped them protect themselves and deal with their respective circumstances.

Lottie comes across as this vicious Femme Fatale with cynical views of the world and its necessity for cruelty. It makes sense that she presents herself this way. After helping carry out the Sablier massacre, having to live with the blood on her hands, having to survive in a present where her family has been brought to ruin and missing a leader...she'd definitely need to become (or at least adopt the persona of) someone a little tougher, sharper and even a little more cruel.

But she's ultimately not just some dangerous Femme Fatale and a cynic who only sees the ugly in the world - deep down, she's much more warm and caring than she seems. And by the end of the manga, it's clear that she does have love for the world too, proven by her promise to Glen.

Lacie, on the other hand, appears to be this wild and free-spirited girl, who loves the world despite its cruelty. Lacie is someone who has been branded a cursed existence and is fated to die for it - she's also someone who refuses to be defined by victimhood. She needs to be this dreamy and free-spirited girl, needs to look for meaning in her tragic life and find beauty in the cruel world around her - otherwise she'd be swallowed by despair and loneliness.

She's also much more complicated than a Dream Girl archetype and despite her love for the world, she's not really some idealist either. She bottles up her painful feelings until almost the very end, but when we do get a glimpse into them, it becomes clear that she's a lot more human and vulnerable than she seems.

The two sides of the same family

The most obvious connection between Lacie and Lottie is the fact they are both part of the Baskerville family...only their experience and understanding of "family" couldn't be more different.

For Lottie being a Baskerville is what allows her to find and create a loving family for herself, to form meaningful bonds with other people like her - the former outcasts, lost children wronged by the world, who have now found a new beginning and a place to belong. It's certainly not a perfect family, but you can tell the love, respect and loyalty between Lottie and her little group is genuine.

But for Lacie, due to her position as a Child of Misfortune, being a Baskerville could never become a salvation from being a mistreated child - it only elevates her mistreatment to a different level.

In reality, being a Baskerville is what shatters her ability to have a normal family and leaves her with a twisted version of it: a cruel father figure who willingly corrupts their relationship in a despicable way (I'll go back to this later) and a loving brother who is bound by his "duty" to become his little sister's executioner. There is no doubt Oswald loved Lacie more than anything in the world, but it's clear that her impending death at his hands weighed heavily between them and denied them the happy sibling relationship they deserved.

Loyalty, rebelliousness and who is truly free

Lacie and Lottie's personal sense of freedom and ability to think for themselves is a major theme for both characters and is (seemingly) established from their first appearance.

Again, Lacie is quite clearly characterized as someone rebellious and free-spirited. She has her unique beliefs, displaying that she is capable of thinking for herself. She doesn't simply accept things - she questions everything. Not only is this the impression you get from her, but she's directly described like this by Jack.

Meanwhile, Lottie is positioned as being extremely devoted to her Master Glen. It's not that she's portrayed as "submissive", as much as she can easily come across as something of a brainwashed cultist. She helped carry out a massacre on her Master's orders without even understanding the reason why - and when confronted about it, her response is simply that the Baskervilles are "built" to obey Glen, that's just how it is.

This sounds like a far cry from Lacie who questions everything.

But the reality is a little more complicated.

The key thing here is how Lacie and Lottie's different circumstances and status shape their personal freedom. They both exist within a system that reinforces Glen's absolute power, but Lottie is Glen's valued subordinate, while Lacie is Glen's glorified prisoner sentenced to death.

Lottie's freedom isn't being limited in a traumatizing way like Lacie's freedom has been. Like I said, Lottie found home and purpose with the Baskervilles, she wasn't being mistreated in that family, so of course she's fiercely loyal to it. Unlike Lacie, whose little acts of rebellion serve as a coping mechanism for her bleak circumstances, Lottie has little to no reason to rebel against her Master and family.

And yet, even in her first appearance (despite pretending that she doesn't mind committing any kind of violence for her Master) Lottie is clearly looking to understand the events of 100 years ago - and that already shows that she's capable of questioning things. What's more, despite the claim that the Baskervilles obey Glen by nature and can't defy him, despite Lottie's own established loyalty to Glen, she does have the agency and the ability to defy her Master.

It takes her some time to overcome her Baskerville beliefs and make the decision, but once she realizes she can't support Glen's current path, she ultimately follows her own morals and does the right thing.

And as for Lacie...for all her free spirit and rebelliousness, she has been physically and emotionally trapped by her fate, conditioned to accept it and that makes it very difficult for her to actually rebel against it. She doesn't want to die and is terrified by that fate, but she bottles it up - and it's debatable if she ever genuinely considered the possibility of running away. She seems to find the idea of running away with Jack almost laughable.

Maybe at that point it's understandable, considering her pregnancy which...made her fate even more inescapable in a way. But even outside of that, I don't think she could even begin to imagine a future where she's allowed to live her life.

Which is not to say Lacie's personal beliefs are somehow fake and should be dismissed, let alone looking down on her for not saving herself - she was a victim of a violent cycle and her personality only highlights that violent cycles are incredibly difficult to escape, regardless of how strong and free-spirited someone is.

Power dynamics, unhealthy relationships and Glen

This kind of echoes the previous point, but let's also take a look at it through the lens of Lacie and Lottie's relationships with (their respective) Glen.

Lottie's loyalty to Glen isn't something unique - it's a part of the Baskerville identity - however, she’s arguably the Baskerville whose loyalty is the most heavily emphasized during the story.

What’s more, she's implied to have some romantic feelings for her Master, which adds a unique layer. On paper, the combination of her absolute loyalty and her feelings for him sounds like it could develop into something pretty toxic. It raises several red flags - being infatuated with a man who has power over her, believing said power is absolute and cannot be questioned, remaining devoted to him even after he orders her to kill innocent people.

Meanwhile, Lacie's relationship with her own Glen is established as something very different. Lacie doesn't seem to hold much respect for his position, being comfortable addressing him informally and talking back to him in a teasing manner - and this almost creates the illusion of some kind of equality and "normalness" between them, despite their power imbalance. (To be fair, it wouldn't be completely unfathomable considering they are supposed to be family.)

But it's no surprise Lacie isn't worshiping at Glen's feet. It fits with Lacie's notorious free spirit and beliefs, already shown during her encounter with Jack as a teenager.

And what's really interesting, we see that her unique philosophy about questioning everything is the opposite of what she was told by Glen when she was a child.

At the very least she wasn't brainwashed by him - in fact, she seems pretty disconnected by the whole notion of Glen's absolute power and the need for absolute obedience, something Lottie claims is a core part of a Baskerville's identity.

The juxtaposition is so interesting, because those dynamics are rather deceptive - while Lacie's relationship with Glen/Levi is revealed to be a lot more sinister than it seems, Lottie's relationship with Glen/Oswald ends up a lot less toxic than expected.

Lacie's relationship with Levi ultimately adds another layer to her tragic fate. No, he didn't manage to brainwash her or break her spirit, but he most definitely groomed, manipulated and conditioned her to think of her death as something inevitable - and this grooming and conditioning also make it very questionable if she could actually defy him, despite her sharp and seemingly unafraid attitude.

Sadly, I think Lacie really internalized the idea that her death is inescapable, hence why she never considered actually running away. Instead, she clung to the "silver lining" of saving the Core from loneliness and while this might have brought some comfort to her, it doesn't change the horrific nature of the way Levi manipulated and exploited her. The rhetoric that she's going to die anyway, so it's fine for her body to be exploited is just so inherently dehumanizing. And it's very important to note here...the fact she probably didn't see herself as a victim in this situation and didn't behave as a "perfect victim" doesn't make it any less horrible and doesn't make her complicit in her own abuse. None of it is her fault.

On the other hand, Lottie's relationship with Oswald not only doesn't really turn into something toxic, but becomes a vehicle for her positive growth. Lottie proves that she isn't actually a cultist, a puppet, a foolish follower - or at least can choose not to be any of these things and be an individual with her own morals.

There's a lot to say about the cult-like nature of the Baskerville family and how everyone was a victim of it - that's why Lacie seems like such a unique person, but in the end, her beliefs couldn't really protect her from being victimized as a part of the cycle and on personal level. Lottie might have not held Lacie's unique beliefs, but she's able to unlearn harmful Baskerville ideas about absolute obedience and she's able to defy Glen - it helps that she was not subjected to grooming, raised as a human sacrifice or abused by Glen in some way.

I think this is a good place to note - because I know it can come across this way - that my goal here isn't to pit two female characters against each other, let alone demean either of them. The point also isn't to portray Lacie as nothing but a victim, while praising Lottie's character at her expense.

Of course, Lacie isn't "just" a victim. She remained her own person and did her best to create some power for herself within bleak circumstances. She had a lot of impact on those close to her and the world around her - and that's beautiful and important, but it doesn't make her life (and death) any less tragic.

The comparison to Lottie is very intriguing to me, because Lottie is the clearest example of a Baskerville woman who is a regular member of the family. It's not that Lottie's life is a fairy tale, but my focus is that Lottie was not treated like an anomaly, a cursed existence or a prisoner in the family. And when you look at a woman who actually found a home and purpose with the Baskervilles, who wasn't abused and oppressed in a dehumanizing manner, who had a proper support system and was treated with respect, who had actual freedom - it really highlights how much was being denied to Lacie and the horror of her fate becomes even more impactful.

[cinammonelles]

Lacie sketchie :3c

[sunsetsmakemesad]

Wow Lacie is literally THE posthumous character

[burton-adib]

For all the damaged characters who need a big hug and lots of love ❤️

[maddyisenough]

I have this Lacie fanart I haven't shared here yet. I drew it back in 2022 ^^ I am still proud of it! If you want to see more art from me, you can check my instagram maddyhope_art.

[retracexcviii]

Sunday Moon

Hello there dear fellows and Luna/Lacie lovers, the Sunday is back.

Don't edit this drawing and don't post it anywhere.

This full illustration has been my computer background for four months by now. I commission the artist because, as you can already tell, I really love this style of painting.

The idea of having both Luna and Lacie under the tree where is Lacie's grave has been in my mind for almost two years since the place has a important meaning in Pandora Hearts story and because they both have so many things in common that I can't help but to see them being good friends.

Also, the artist is @/notsobadaart on Instagram.

[jacksintention]

I only want to see you again — to meet you once more.