I've been left a bit unsatisfied/uncomfortable with a lot of the Lacenet fics I've been reading since silksong has released. And for a bit I wondered why, and I think I just managed to find the right words for it.
People don't write Lace as an equal to Hornet.
So often I've seen Hornet being shown as a dominant, possessive being. Someone who will punish Lace's bratty behavior, who will seek to control her, to claim her as hers and to take control of everything. And in return, Lace seems to be ok with it. She seems to wish to be nothing more than Hornet's plaything. Lace always belongs to Hornet. But Hornet doesn't belong to Lace.
And it feels like such a massive mischaracterisation of them, one that goes against some of their core values.
Hornet is powerful, yes. She has beastial instincts, the desire to hunt and kill, and deep down wishes to dominate others. But the most important thing is that she DOESN'T cave in to those feelings. Not because she doesn't have the opportunity to do so. But probably because she feels uncomfortable with them. She always talks to others, no matter how small or weak, as her equal. She rejects Styx's desire to be a slave. She will go out of her way to protect people who are infinitely weaker than them, and when she helps them get back on their feet she doesn't see them as lesser. She doesn't snap back easily. She stays calm and composed, rarely letting her anger or instincts take control.
Lace, on the other hand, has been belittled her entire life. She sees herself as nothing more than a puppet, not even alive, someone who can only exist through the lenses of her mother. Her first act of rebellion is to try to chase power, to kill someone, to show that she's powerful and worthy. Hornet offers her comfort and brings her to her level. Telling her that she's alive. That she was important. And in return, Lace would rather kill herself than let her mother kill someone who made her feel like she mattered. The end goal is to free Lace. To give her a live where she's no longer dominated by someone superior to her.
So why the fuck would they both want to regress back to beast and puppet ?!
To me, the ending of the game is meaningful because it shows that these two are now bound forever. They are what the other needs. Lace needs someone new to give her silk. And Hornet DESPERATELY wants a companion that will stay by her side and match her lifespan. It's obvious Hornet always treated her lovers with care and saw them as someone who stood by her side, not below her. She still grieves them. She gave up on love because she couldn't handle the pain of losing them. And right now, she almost sacrificed her life to save someone who will forever be bound to her. Someone who she will have to teach to be a person, an adult, to make her own decisions and to understand what affection truly is after a life of abuse.
I find it sad that hornet would once again repeat the cycle of turning Lace back into someone she and only she has control over.
