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#retrace lxiii
fivekrystalpetals · 9 months
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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.
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[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.
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Even the other dolls mention this situation as unusual. The Intention never lets a human/illegal contractor into her room.
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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.
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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...
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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"
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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:
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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
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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:
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piedpiperslists · 8 months
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Jungkook One Shots (LXIII)
* s - contains smut
Obviously by @ugh-yoongi wc~3.7k / secret relationship, roommates au
about u by @ugh-yoongi s wc~7.3k / angst, exes au Summary: This song is about a love that you can’t reconcile—wanting to make a home out of a person that has proved to you time and again that they are not a home; they are just a person. It’s about retracing scars, negative patterns, all with the silent belief that moments of communion and understanding might justify months of misfiring and regret. We’re all just trying to get back to that ‘first high’ feeling—an honest endeavor, however futile.
The Bane of Your Existence by @oddinary4bts s wc~2.6k / angst, FWB, college au Summary: “You really were the worst thing to ever happen to me. I mean that.” + “It could’ve been worse. We could’ve fallen in love.” + “It’s hot when you talk back.”
King of Hotels by @bangtanstanst wc~4.1k / established relationship, idol au Summary: Shall we play a game?
Strawberry Boy by @bubmyg wc~2.7k / friends to lovers Summary: “Promise?” “Pinky promise.”
Plastic Yellow Eggs by @bubmyg wc~2.9k / friends to lovers, fake marriage Summary: “…did we?”
Clink by @bonvoyagenoona s wc~4.1k / exes au, PWP Summary: You’d spent years with Jungkook. It’s been years since you’ve last seen Jungkook. You’ve never seen him quite like this.
Rum Raisin by @lemonyko0 s wc~3.6k / established relationship Summary: You find someone else’s lipstick in your boyfriends car, and he makes sure you know you’re his.
Tongue Technology by @ki-yomii s wc~2.2k / ft MYG, boyfriend!Yoongi, PWP Summary: Yoongi teaches Jungkook how to eat out his girl.
[...] Sugar Plums & Red Bums by @thatlongspringnight s wc~12.6k / established relationship, PWP Summary: When life gets too hectic, trust that Jungkook knows just how to help you relax…and trust that you know just how to reward him. Or, a story of how he gets put on the nice AND naughty list, all at once.
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stirlingmoss · 2 years
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LXVII ​He said, “You will not be able to bear with me.
LXVI ​Moses said to him, “May I follow you, so you might teach me some of what you have been taught in the way of true direction?”
LXV ​Thus the two found one of My devotees, one on whom We had bestowed mercy from Us, and whom We had taught knowledge from Us.
LXIV ​Moses said, “That is what we have been seeking.” So they retraced their footsteps, following their track.
LXIII ​He said, “Did you see how I forgot the fish when we rested on the rock? No one made me forget it but Satan, to prevent me from mentioning it; and so it went its way in the sea. Amazing!”
LXII ​Then when they had passed by, he said to his attendant, “Bring us our breakfast; we have undergone labor’s fatigue from this journey of ours.”
LXI ​Now when they reached the junction, they forgot their fish, which thus took its course through the sea as if through a conduit.
LX Moses said to his attendant, “I will not stop until I reach the junction of the two seas, even if I go on for a long time.”  
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swearto · 6 years
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pandorascandybox · 7 years
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I don't really like people who go around brandishing the banner of justice. No matter the reason, where human's are involved, there is no black or white, no justice or evil. There is only our will.
Oz Vessalius, Retrace LXIII: Purpose.
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fivekrystalpetals · 1 year
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Glen, Children of Misfortune, Juries and the Baskervilles
[When I say Glen, I am referring all Glens- past and present: Levi, Oswald, Gil and Leo. hella lot of lore is here that I wanna write about ;-; so I might divide this into different posts let’s see. Also fair warning: I might criticize Oswald’s actions-past and present- a bit, since I love looking at characters from an unbiased pov. Also, maybe some characters’ past actions in order to point to their character development so that too.]
[ Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 ]
2] Choosing a side
I remember treating Oswald as a victim of circumstances while reading the Past Arc/Jack’s Intention Arc and blaming only Jack and Levi for everything that went down,,, but now that I consider on the whole, I have to confess Oswald was also responsible for a major part in the Tragedy. His sin is… (as the catchphrase of this series goes lol) His sin is his passivity. But before Oswald, I want to talk about his successors, Gil and Leo first.
As the story goes, each one of the Glens have faced a point where they must choose a side.
For Gil, it was between Oz and Oswald, whether he wanted to continue as Oswald’s valet (to return to his past) or as Oz’s valet (to live in the present). In fact, this clash between his two sides of loyalty, one drilled into him (Retrace 38) and the other nurtured in him in a healthy manner, already came to a head in the Sablier Arc (Retrace 40).
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In the beginning of the same arc, he tried to kill Alice because she was trying to “kill” his “master” and with great difficulty did he stop himself before he ended up doing something drastic. Break, though, thankfully and perhaps due to the power of his Eye of Misfortune, sees through Gil, spots the overlapping thoughts clouding his judgment and goads him into a fight.
“I am the one who seeks to use Oz Vessalius. I am doing harm to your master. Now then, will you try your hand at killing me as well?”
And… Gil actually almost goes ahead with it! He is so overwhelmed by the thoughts the Jury had fed into his mind that he can’t distinguish between friends and foes; all he could think is he had to “kill his master’s enemies.”, no free will of action in him at all. Break snaps him out of him and…. says something so significant I didn’t even realize at the time:
Is the one you need really Oz Vessalius? (…) Isn’t it time you got over being such a spoiled child?
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[The “hand” here is his left hand which signifies Gil’s oath to his old Master, Raven and consequently, his past.]
Isn’t it time you got over being such a spoiled child… (Retrace 87)
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Or else, you really will end up hurting what’s precious to you by your own hand. (Retrace 69)
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(His left hand. Oswald uses his left hand to cast Lacie into the Abyss. I just…. *screams*)
Like I explained in Part 1, if Gil was continued to be raised in the Baskerville household, when he comes of age and becomes the next Glen, in spite of feeling massively guilty, he’d end up casting Vincent into the Abyss because that’s the rule, because he won’t think for himself if that’s indeed what he wanted, because he'd still be obedient to the previous Glen and Jury even after becoming the most powerful head of the household. That’s just how the Glens are.
However, this changed in Retrace 78, when Gil goes up against Oswald and the Baskervilles for Oz.
Gil quite literally cuts off his left arm to NOT “hurt what’s precious to him by his own hand"—he cuts off his connection to his past and his old master and refuses to side with him anymore. He stops being an obedient valet and stands up for Oz, as a friend, of his own accord because that’s what he really wants. He even freely calls him Oz, something he’d been struggling all along as he’d been raised to address his master as such.
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His entire character development stemmed from Oz’s positive influence on him. From the beginning, Oz didn’t want a valet or a servant, but a friend by his side. He wanted Gil to be his equal. He always asked Gil to call him by his name and not address him as Master.
[And, ofc, a special mention to Break who had been continually warning him against his obsessive loyalty and pushing him to think for himself.
(He advises him here in Retrace 40; yes, but also he's been doing that since long ago, even before Oz resurfaced from the Abyss (Retrace 13.)):
Believe whatever you want. Regardless of what people say, I— Let me give you a piece of advice. A loyalty that holds fast will become a blade and will someday pierce those you hold dear.
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And, Gil, the edgy rebellious teenager that he was at the time, doesn't understand Break at all lol]
Well, all of this contributes to Gil switching sides to save Oz from getting executed and not blindly following Glen on, or rather, in spite of regaining all his misplaced memories. He decides to cut off his left hand, erase the binding oath and make another, this time, legal contract with Raven—and this is so important—all of his own volition.
That ends his passivity and lack of free will. (And Break, like a proud dad, “has stopped fretting about him.” LOL)
.
For Leo, it was this point (Retrace 63):
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Yes, chances are that Elliot won’t have believed what Leo said since neither he nor any of the kids at Fianna's house remembers any of the incidents involving Humpty-Dumpty or its contract thanks to its nature of memory deletion/alteration. Still, the fact that Leo didn’t tell him the truth about what had been done to him (Leo feeding him the chain’s blood and unwittingly making him an illegal contractor) or about Isla Yura (Selfishness is a recurring theme in the story; I wanna go into that later but here too—) could be taken as Leo’s “selfishness” to keep his friend alive in spite of him getting fatally injured. Even that aside, it was really his “inaction at the time of crisis” that eventually led Elliot to suffer from an even more painful death.
Yet, he blames the Intention of the Abyss for his actions.
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(At this point of the story, Leo is still “an immature brat”; on a side note: remember Break who realized it was his own fault, and not the Intention’s, for forcing her to change the past and bringing a more horrifying fate on the Sinclair family? Yeah, Break is one of the most mature characters in the story and having regretted and learnt from his mistakes, he tries to pass on his experience to the kids so that they won’t repeat his mistakes.)
Before long, Leo does get over being “a spoiled child” and realizes that he had to accept his mistakes and take responsibility before things went from bad to worse. In Retrace 99, he faces the dilemma of choosing a side: stay a bystander and let Oswald go on to his end or stand up and act for what he wants.
And then, for what might be the most selfless reasons of all, Leo decides to not change the past.
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Just like Oz-Gil—Leo, who always tried to dig into the world of books because his own real world was unbearable for him, was pulled out of it by Elliot by wanting to be his friend and not his master. Elliot didn’t want an obedient, servile yes-man but a friend who could stand by him yet scold him for his mistakes. “It’s the duty of a valet to correct his master’s actions.”
And so, for Elliot and for the sake of those memories where they met albeit for a short while, those memories being so precious to him that he doesn’t want them to be erased with the alteration of the past, he finally decides to stop being a bystander and confronts Oswald.
[Special shoutout to Break!— because once again it were his last words that helped influence his decision:
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…That you’ll never find your future in the past… try as you might to reach back into it!!
Break just keeps tossing around good advice for everyone, even people whom he was not even addressing. Those words were meant for Vince, not Leo; yet Leo too benefits from them agfhsjhahaha]
I know Levi calls his reason “selfish” as well (considering he chooses this for fulfilling a personal desire) but to me, it’s not so. Had he stayed quiet and “passive”, and let Oswald change the past for his split second of thought process—"If I were not Glen, Elliot won’t have to die"—that'd be pretty selfish of him.
And, with that, Leo chooses a side he wants to fight for, no matter how painful his choice is and ends his “passivity”.
.
On the other hand, in Break's and Rufus Barma's words, Oswald never stopped being "a spoiled child" and over and over, keeps "hurting what's precious to him by his own hand". Even after his return to the world in Leo's body, his immediate decision is to kill Lacie to "set things right." Again.
Plus, Oswald did not have such a friend who cared about him unconditionally and wanted to be on equal footing.
Or, well, he did but he cast her into the Abyss and that’s where everything started to go wrong for him.... 
[ Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 ]
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fivekrystalpetals · 1 year
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PH MASTERLIST
(aka I wrote a lot of stuff about this series now trying to put all of it in one place so I find Things when I search for it)
CHAPTERS
retrace i | retrace ii | retrace iii | retrace iv | retrace v | retrace vi | retrace vii | retrace viii | retrace ix | retrace x | retrace xi | retrace xii | retrace xiii | retrace xiv | retrace xv | retrace xvi | retrace xvii | retrace xviii | retrace xix | retrace xx | retrace xxi | retrace xxii | retrace xxiii | retrace xxiv | retrace xxv | retrace xxvi | retrace xxvii | retrace xxviii | retrace xxix | retrace xxx | retrace xxxi | retrace xxxii | retrace xxxiii | retrace xxxiv | retrace xxxv | retrace xxxvi | retrace xxxvii | retrace xxxviii | retrace xxxix | retrace xl | retrace xli | retrace xlii | retrace xliii | retrace xliv | retrace xlv | retrace xlvi | retrace xlvii | retrace xlviii | retrace xlix | retrace l | retrace li | retrace lii | retrace liii | retrace liv | retrace lv | retrace lvi | retrace lvii | retrace lviii | retrace lix | retrace lx | retrace lxi | retrace lxii | retrace lxiii | retrace lxiv | retrace lxv | retrace lxvi | retrace lxvii | retrace lxviii | retrace lxix | retrace lxx | retrace lxxi | retrace lxxii | retrace lxxiii | retrace lxxiv | retrace lxxv | retrace lxxvi | retrace lxxvii | retrace lxxviii | retrace lxxix | retrace lxxx | retrace lxxxi | retrace lxxxii | retrace lxxxiii | retrace lxxxiv | retrace lxxxv | retrace lxxxvi | retrace lxxxvii | retrace lxxxviii | retrace lxxxix | retrace xc | retrace xci | retrace xcii | retrace xciii | retrace xciv | retrace xcv | retrace xcvi | retrace xcvii | retrace xcviii | retrace xcix | retrace c | retrace ci | retrace cii | retrace ciii | retrace civ
some Serious posts: may-reads-ph | some Fun Posts: ph musings
MY ANALYSIS POSTS
1.] Lottie | (add: re: real reason why Lottie changed sides in the last arc)
2.] Noise | (add)
3.] Alice(s)
4.] Lacie
5.] Glen, Children of Misfortune, Juries and the Baskervilles | (Part 1 : Glen, Jury and Knowledge of Abyss) | (Part 2 : Choosing a side) | (Part 3 : Oswald and his sin of passivity) | (Part 4 : Oswald and Lacie)
6.] Core of the Abyss and "her" Children of "Misfortune"
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stirlingmoss · 2 years
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LXIV. Moses said, “That is what we have been seeking.” So they retraced their footsteps, following their track.
LXIII. He said, “Did you see how I forgot the fish when we rested on the rock? No one made me forget it but Satan, to prevent me from mentioning it; and so it went its way in the sea. Amazing!”
LXII. Then when they had passed by, he said to his attendant, “Bring us our breakfast; we have undergone labor’s fatigue from this journey of ours.”
LXI. ​Now when they reached the junction, they forgot their fish, which thus took its course through the sea as if through a conduit.
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