So while I was playing Canto 8 Part 1, I noticed something interesting.
Yes, Two in One is dead. Completely destroyed brain dead. And yet, Hong Lu's Daiyuisms continue.
The way Hong Lu's parents treat him like this frail, sickly thing reminds me more of Daiyu than Baoyu after all. Not just that, but the fact that he recites the extremely Daiyu Flower Burial poem in the intro of the Canto is still unaddressed.
So, what gives? Why is Hong Lu still seemingly having references to Daiyu? Well, that's what this observation is about.
I believe this isn't exclusive to just Hong Lu. I believe all of the main three - Baoyu, Daiyu, and Baochai - have had elements of them shuffled.
Baochai's introduction is a noticeable parallel to book Baoyu's introduction, both her energetic and inquisitive personality and the whole "shared jade" thing.
Additionally, Limbus Baochai lacks her book counterpart's golden locket, instead having a jade pendant more reminiscent of book Baoyu.
Then there's Daiyu. Her current motivation for serving the Xue family struck me, as book Daiyu has no real family left to care for as both her parents are dead. No, her motivation rather reminds me of book Baochai's motivation to marry Baoyu, that being to support her own family by marrying into a more prestigious one.
Additionally, whereas Limbus Baochai lacks a golden locket, Limbus Daiyu seemingly makes up for it by having golden accents in her primarily blue and gray design.
So here's what I think happened: we're dealing with what I'd like to call The ShuffleTM. The main trio of DOTRC have had their roles partially swapped in their adaptation into Limbus. Baochai parallels Baoyu. Daiyu parallels Baochai. Baoyu parallels Daiyu.
Hong Lu's Daiyuisms are simply the result of The ShuffleTM.
Very funny philosophy contrasts I found between Hong Lu and the new Jia Candidate
I haven’t seen anyone mention this here, so I think I might try pointing this out myself.
(I use GPT to help with some translations, but all the info and analysis are my own.)
It’s been a while since 7.5b dropped but still,spoiler alert.
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-New Jia Candidate Jia Qiu
In case you haven’t noticed, Jia Qiu isn’t a character referenced from Dream Of The Red Chamber (DOTRC)like the other Jia candidates . Instead, he’s based on Confucius (Kong Qiu), the founder of Confucianism. His companions, Zilu and Zigong, are also named after real historical disciples of Confucius.This positions Jia Qiu as a direct representation of Confucian values.
-The thing about DOTRC and Confucianism
Things get very interesting when you consider how heavily DotRC is influenced by Taoist philosophy, especially Zhuangzi ,who has criticized Confucian values and their pursuits multiple times.Confucianism is mocked throughout DotRC as well, There’s even scenes where Baoyu or Daiyu straight up roasting traditional Confucian ideals and the obsession with government service and calling those who believe in this value fools.
-Hong Lu and Taoism
Aside from the fact Hong Lu is clearly referencing the Taoist supporter Baoyu (and Daiyu), he himself shows multiple Taoist traits as well!
*It would be a bit hard for me to summarize Zhuangzi’s philosophies and it’s connections with YingYang/ Reality and illusion(which heavily influenced some of my speculations and supports about the two in one theory)Maybe I’ll do another post about it in the future once I acknowledge them better. For now I’m just gonna list some simple Taoism things that can connect to Hong Lu:
Two scenes mentioning butterflies in both Canto 5 and 7 :
In Canto V,Hong Lu claimed he was envious of how the butterfly travels so freely and unbounded a cross the water.Reflecting a little of Zhuangzi’s pursuit of Xiao Yao (逍遙）:to be free and unbounded physically and mentally by external possessions.
And in Canto VII ,he mentioned butterflies again, clearly referencing Zhuangzi’s famous "Butterfly Dream":
> Zhuang Zhou (Zhuangzi) once dreamed that he was a butterfly. Upon waking, he was confused—was he a man who had dreamed of being a butterfly, or a butterfly now dreaming he was a man? This is a theory Zhuangzi made , challenging the idea of an objective, permanent reality while also reflecting the Taoist belief —what we take as real may only be one perspective, not the absolute truth.
Hong Lu also:
View anger pointless.(7.5a)
Has no ambitions and is uninterested in higher positions and wealth(7.5b)
Unwilling to participate in the Heirarch Evaluation.(Zhuangzi’s unwillingness to work for the government and climb high for power)
just wants to follow the flow,live naturally and avoid meaningless struggle.
All these above are very Taoist behavior/ traits (with a little touch of Fatalism though.)
So,putting a character like Jia Qiu—a walking embodiment of Confucian order—on the (presumably)opposed side against Hong Lu , who represents Taoist freedom and detachment both in the game and the original novel is a very interesting and clever thing, since you’ll not only have to read through DOTRC but understanding the thoughts behind the work……
If we end up clashing Jia Qiu and his students in Canto 8, it wouldn’t just be a narrative conflict but also a symbolic one: Confucius vs. Zhuangzi, structure vs. spontaneity, the world of duty vs. the dream of freedom.
Thought I (and two other people who helped me brainstorm this lmao) should fill out a Canto 8 bingo now that they're beginning to drop.
Some of these are based on what is already in the game, some are based on the book, some are based on the trends in PM's writing, and some are pure unadulterated copium.
Yeah, I'm back. I think it's time to do some catching up.
April Fool's Event
Since so much time has passed since this one, I'll summarize my thoughts as such.
I think this was both full of foreshadowing and full of the VAs showing off their ranges. The subtle battle sprite changes are fucking awesome. Transmasc Rodya. Transfem Hong Lu.
As for more specific Hong Lu thoughts (since that's what you come here for):
I don't think it's a coincidence we're seeing Hong Lu using a lower voice alongside being genuinely angry, even if through Ryoshu being in his body.
The fact that Hong Lu's eye glows when he's angry here seems pretty significant, and I believe matches my theory that his eye is tied to how he views his reality - the more detached, the dimmer, while the more "worldly", the brighter.
Ryoshu, in Hong Lu's body, instinctively covers his jade eye while staggered. This parallels her clutching her chest as if out of breath in her regular sprites, showing she's aware of it being some form of weak spot. She also doesn't do the twirly bullshit he does.
Hong Lu in Ryoshu's body meanwhile continues to be more performative and show-offy. He even holds up his hand in the same manner when staggered.
The comment about Hong Lu "still getting used to this body" as if it's something he's done before... yeah.
Also, it's interesting how Hong Lu is slowly usurping Faust as Dante's translator. How he's Dante's first choice after her. Just something to point out.
Middle Sinclair
I don't have much to say here other than express confusion over how people thought this wasn't a fitting Identity for Sinclair.
His vengeful tendencies we see on display in his own Canto aside, he's a kid with a dead family that he felt detached from before they died. Of course he'd be the type to get caught up with the kinds of people promising to give him a new, more "normal" family.
Indicant's Trial Rodion
A reflection of Rodya's vigilante approach to justice, with her corrosion representing the end result of such acts - care more for the performance of violence than for who is actually getting punished.
R Corp Hong Lu
First of all. Let's make this clear: this is a Daiyu ID. Or rather, this is a Hong Lu/Baoyu being put in Daiyu's shoes ID.
Crippling chronic condition? Check. Stark unwillingness to die despite how easy it would be to just give up? Check. Kurokumo HL similarity through sprites that aren't performing and are actually focused on the Combat? Check. Even the Post-Uptie art makes it a first where Hong Lu's jade eye isn't shown, instead his regular is focused on.
Second of all. We're seeing what Hong Lu is like when the mask of naivete is cracked. A frustrated, tired man who simply wants his suffering to end. I think this is exactly what we'll see more of in his Canto proper.
Third - just like the other IDs that released on the cusp of the new season, I think this is foreshadowing something more specific. Just as Oufi Heathcliff and Zwei West Ishmael foreshadowed the involvement of those factions (or a faked one in the former case), I think R Corp Hong Lu could likewise foreshadow a faction. If not R Corp's direct involvement, then perhaps more focus on the Heishou. There is a point to be made about their "same roots" after all.
two in one theory... i am listening very intently if you ever feel up to share it!!
Alright, so this is gonna be... as close to an Abridged explanation of the theory as I can make, because if I went off on everything about it I would end up writing a whole dissertation or five hour video essay script on this shit.
There are gonna be three main sections to this post - Hong Lu's Daiyuisms, Hong Lu's Themes of Identity and how that connects to the concept of Two in One, and the Daiyu-Baoyu theory itself.
Strap in folks.
Hong Lu's Daiyuisms
If you know anything about my theories in the earlier days of Limbus, you might know that I'm one of the very few people who was convinced Hong Lu is actually Daiyu, due to some evidence I found personally compelling. This has not changed, as we've only gotten just as much extra evidence to this as we have to him being Baoyu. So let me just speedrun through some of these points.
The Fucking Jade Eye
Ok hear me out. This is maybe the least important piece of evidence but I can never stop thinking about it. Hong Lu's jade eye? Not actually fully blue! If you look closely on most of his sprites, you can see that he actually has sectoral heterochromia, meaning his jade eye is both blue and black.
Daiyu's name, quite literally, translates to blue-black jade.
Now, you could claim that this is merely meant to be an easter egg reference to her, but... is that really Project Moon's style? After all, when people speculated on Don Quixote being Sancho or a Bloodfiend partially based on her appearance all the way back since near launch, they turned out to be right.
Hong Lu's Father
As of now, there is only one instance of Hong Lu referencing his Father in Limbus, and it's a voiceline from his Base Identity:
Now, if you know anything about DOTRC, this should already be raising some flags, because if Hong Lu was just Baoyu, he would not fucking talk like that about his Father.
In the book, Baoyu is consistently shown to be afraid of his Father, for a good reason mind you, as he's his main abuser. Baoyu would not be looking forward to introducing his friends to that man.
Even if Hong Lu was trying to downplay the abuse he's recieved, this would still not fit his pattern of behavior. When topics that genuinely bother Hong Lu come up, such as what could make him distort or how rich people would enjoy gifts made of humans, he immediately pivots and tries to avoid the topic at all cost. He would not bring up his main abuser in such a lighthearted manner, he would avoid bringing him up at all cost.
However, there is a character in DOTRC which does in fact have a more positive relationship to her Father, and would likely be the one with an opinion such as that - Daiyu. Daiyu loves her Father, and when he dies she completely disappears from the story for a bit to attend his funeral. If there was anyone who would be excited to introduce their friends to their Father, it'd be Daiyu.
Lasso Hong Lu's Corrosion
I made a whole seperate post about this, but I might as well mention it here as well for the sake of completion. The design choices made for Hong Lu which are missing for Faust are very, very Daiyu-coded.
For one, not only does Hong Lu completely turn into a flower, unlike Faust, his horse also gains a flower in its mouth. For those whose knowledge of DOTRC is zero to none, Daiyu is a reincarnation of a Flower given sentience due to being watered by the Jade. I don't think I have to be the one to connect the dots between those two pieces of info for you.
The second is how the halters become a noose for Hong Lu. This, too, is a very Daiyu thing - Rose Hunter as an Abnormality represents the inability to escape one's fate, and Daiyu's fate is to die - the Jia Family arranging a marriage between Baoyu and Baochai leads to Daiyu falling deathly ill, which in itself could be considered a part of her repaying her Debt of Tears - the debt she swore to repay to the Jade/Baoyu when she was still a Flower.
The hilarity of the fact that this E.G.O came out in the same update as Hong Lu being called Baoyu in-story is not lost on me.
Rose Sign Abnormality Log
The third Log for Rose Sign ends in a very peculiar way.
There's multiple ways one can tie Hong Lu's odd reluctance to talk about flowers and the petals. One is the obvious "he's being reminded of Daiyu because she was a Flower" connection, but there's another one.
One of the most commonly potrayed images of Daiyu relates to a scene in DOTRC where she buries fallen flower petals, weeping for and lamenting the mortality of the flowers and herself. Hong Lu's reaction here to his fellow Sinners being reduced to nothing but petals upon Rose Sign's death feels like a notable parallel to Daiyu's flower burial scene.
Like literally everything about Kurokumo Hong Lu
The title for this is a bit of an exaggeration, but at the same time. I'm serious. Kurokumo Hong Lu is perhaps the most Daiyu Identity out of all the Hong Lu Identities we have, and the way he is designed to stand out among them further makes me go insane.
Kurokumo Hong Lu's most defining trait is his attitude - he often complains about his position and how authority treats him, though he doesn't really act out against them in any major way outside of making snarky or sarcastic remarks.
This is, frankly, an extremely Daiyu thing to do. Daiyu is one of the few characters who audibly complains about her treatment in the household. For example she complains about not being given as many opportunities to show off her poetry skills as her male peers are, and she recognises how, when all the girls in the family are given flowers, she's the last one to recieve them and thus is stripped of the ability to pick, being only given the leftovers.
Then there's the whole. Everything about Kurokumo Hong Lu's visual design. Because once you realize just how Daiyu-like the Identity is, you realize just how weird he is compared to other Hong Lu Identities. I mean just look how he compares to his other Identities.
He's the only Hong Lu Identity with a blue tint to his hair in the combat sprite rather than the usual purple.
He's the only Hong Lu Identity whose hairtie is a ribbon rather than a jade ring (Liu Hong Lu technically has the ribbon in his post-uptie art, but he doesn't have it in his combat sprite so I'm not counting him).
He's the only Hong Lu Identity to not be smiling in his combat sprites.
And he's the only Hong Lu Identity (and one of only four Identities in the game) whose Idle sprite has its body facing away from the opponent rather than facing towards them.
All of those combine to make him stand out like a sore thumb in a Hong Lu Identity lineup in a way that makes it feel intentional, especially since he's also the only Hong Lu Identity with that kind of notable attitude towards authority. Other Hong Lu Identities are either obedient, don't express any opinion, or just straight up are the authority.
The Baoyu reveal is framed in a very weird way
This is, admittedly, less of a Daiyuism and more of a not-Baoyuism, but I thought it'd be important to mention nonetheless.
There are a lot of things about Canto 7's reveal of Hong Lu's name being Baoyu that are very strange, especially compared to how the Canto frames Don Quixote's own reveal of actually being Sancho.
For one, the timing itself - why is such an important piece of info being revealed so early? Again, compare to Donqui - she was revealed to be a Bloodfiend in the Intervallo right before Canto 7, and the Sancho reveal only came in the second half of the Canto.
For two, the framing - Donqui's reveals are treated as what they are, Major Reveals. The Baoyu reveal on the other hand happens in a single off-handed line, with nobody reacting to it in any way. Neither Hong Lu nor the other Sinners seem to hear it after all.
And mind you, it's not like Limbus is opposed to giving us important information in off-handed lines - far from it in fact. Project Moon loves shoving little bits of foreshadowing and reveals you don't realize are reveals until way later in these kinds of off-handed lines. But the way those lines are treated is still very different to how the Baoyu reveal is treated.
Usually, when there's foreshadowing in off-handed lines, it's usually either vague enough to be something a character could say regardless of context (see Yi Sang getting hung up on the Sedatives bit in Canto 2 or Ishmael's comment about Syndicates pretending to be Families foreshadowing her own history with the Middle via Queequeg) or something that is in the middle of a scene that distracts from what is actually being said (like Hong Lu's distortion foreshadowing being in the middle of an important infodump or most of everything in Canto 2 being surrounded by a comedic tone).
None of this is present for the Baoyu reveal. There's nothing to distract you from this information, as the scene is already focused on discussing Hong Lu, meaning you're already likely to be paying attention to what is being said about him. There's also no vagueness about it, there's no way you can brush it off since not only are Wei and Xichun newly introduced characters, but it's a whole ass clearcut namedrop.
The only way I can justify that reveal being there in the form it takes is that it in itself is the distraction. Think about it. Didn't I point it out earlier that this reveal came in the same update as the E.G.O with an extremely Daiyu-coded corrosion design? Wouldn't it make sense for that reveal to be there to lower your guard, make you think you resolved that mystery, only to later on reveal it wasn't the whole story after all?
Hong Lu's Themes of Identity
So this section is a bit more vague than the Daiyuism section, because Hong Lu is the type of guy to just Say Shit all the time. It's basically just. Anything that I find relevant to the idea of Hong Lu's Identity being more complex than him just being a random guy using a pseudonym, with some (but maybe not all) of them directly tying to the idea of Two in One.
"Which one is the real you?"
There are currently two seperate scenes where Hong Lu muses on the idea of someone's identity being in some way vague or obscured.
Is Dante the person or the clock? Is the dreamer the one in the dream or the one who wakes from it? Which you is the real you? Does it even matter if that you will flutter away in the end?
This idea of there being one true self. That even if there are two, there is only one of them that is actually you. Curious, right?
Face-changing dance
During the Canto 2 scene where everyone gives their reasons for whether or not they'd be a good pick for being the one to dance, Hong Lu says this.
Bian lian is a kind of dance literally translated as "face-changing". It involves rapid changes between various masks and make-up to represent different emotions or characters.
Now, it's no secret that Hong Lu is a great actor, as we see in Canto 4, and Canto 7 shows how the comparison to theatre and actors can be used to symbolize one's performance of identity, as it does for Sancho and her Don Quixote persona.
Mind you, this reveal comes in the same scene as Sinclair's dance invoking the image of a bonfire burning all through the night according to the Mariachis, a clear foreshadowing to Canto 3 and the Literal burning down of Sinclair's home.
Hong Lu knowing bian lian could be further foreshadowing to his own skills in deception, and how he too is a sort of actor, not unlike Don Quixote. On the other hand however, it could also be a more literal foreshadowing, that he (Baoyu) Quite Literally changed his face. We won't know until Canto 8, but it is an option you know.
The HamHamPangPang dish(es)
For those who don't know, here is a list of the Sinner-themed dishes that were available at HamHamPangPang.
EDIT: THE ABOVE LIST IS SLIGHTLY INNACURATE. Hong Lu's dish is actually pepper steak (Chinese beef stir fry) and mandarin rolls, and Rodya's dish has since changed to chicken blini.
Now, chances are, not all of them have deep meanings. I don't think there's much of a deep meaning to Heathcliff and Ishmael's dishes, I think PJM just legit don't know much about British/American cuisine so they just picked something recogniseable.
However, not all of them are meaningless picks either. Ryoshu, likely a mother, has a meal literally called "parent-and-child donburi". Don Quixote, a Bloodfiend, has a garlic-based dish. These were clearly done on purpose.
So, what does it say that Hong Lu's dish is actually made up of effectively two different dishes? What does it mean for it to be the only one to be like that? And it's clear that this is one of the dishes with intent behind them like Ryoshu's, as another name for mandarin rolls is flower buns. You know. Flower. Like Daiyu.
The Daiyu-Baoyu Theory (finally)
So. I gave some evidence for why I think Hong Lu could still be Daiyu despite being revealed as Baoyu. I gave some evidence for why I think Hong Lu could be a Two in One deal, or that at the very least there's something more complex going on with his identity. But let's discuss the theory itself, how it would recontextualize certain things, and why I think it's an extremely fitting an thematically resonant direction for Hong Lu's Canto to go in.
The Theory
Here's what I speculate is going on.
Daiyu, just like in DOTRC, is someone who was taken in into the Jia Household rather than born in it, and who strongly connected with Baoyu upon meeting him. The two would end up forming a bond strong enough that they would be willing to die for one another (or, if they're in particularly argumentative moods, to kill themselves just to force the other to have to live a long life grieving over them - this is an actual argument they have in DOTRC and I pray to god this is adapted into Limbus because it's too fucking funny).
At some point, Baoyu either dies or is brought to near death, likely through the same circumstances as in DOTRC - being beaten by his Father. To save him, his memories and consciousness would be transferred to his eye, a process not dissimilar to the one Xichun brings up in Canto 7, and implanted into Daiyu's body, causing them to become a vessel for Baoyu. This would be how Hong Lu as he is now is created.
All of the above is the main basis for this theory. Everything else that I might speculate about, such as the exact nature of the two's relationship, Daiyu's more exact background and personality, how their pre-reincarnation lives could be adapted - all of those are things that are purely speculative and ones that I don't really expect to be actually fulfilled. The only bits that I am sure are likely to be true is what I laid out above.
So... what does it all mean for the future? I'm glad you asked!
The Recontextualization
Here's a collection of just a couple of things that Hong Lu has said or is depicted as that would be heavily recontextualized if this theory ends up being true.
Hong Lu surviving despite claiming he didn't fight back when his siblings first tried to kill him: With the context that he used to be two seperate people, the answer to how he survived is made very simple. Baoyu is the one who wasn't fighting back. Daiyu, however, could have still protected him in turn.
The red ribbon on Hong Lu's weapon: There is only one other Sinner who has a similar decoration on their weapon - Ryoshu, who also has a red ribbon on her sword, which could be easily connected to Yuzuki and her death. With the context of Hong Lu being Baoyu occupying Daiyu's body and thus effectively rendering their self non-existent, the red ribbon could be a parallel symbol - a symbol of Daiyu and their 'death'.
How Hong Lu treats his weapon in his base E.G.O: The way Hong Lu holds his weapon in the illustration is more like he's cradling another person. This could be a representation of how he feels about Daiyu's situation. Likewise, in the attack animation, he's not really attacking with the weapon itself, is he? He's simply using it to direct a ribbon (which in itself is missing in the illustration), the part that is actually the attack. If the weapon in the base E.G.O represents Daiyu, this could be a parallel to how Baoyu feels like he's merely directing Daiyu's body to attack, rather than being the one actually attacking.
The duality of Hong Lu IDs: There is a notable pattern among Hong Lu IDs, and that is the focus on his attitude to violence. When he's in a situation where he's obedient towards his Family, he's either uninterested in violence, bored of it, or otherwise given no other choice but to use it as a reprieve from boredom. However, when he's in a situation where he's disconnected from his Family or otherwise questioning the status quo, he's shown to not only be much more aggressive and violent, but to outright enjoy it. With the context of Hong Lu being composed of two people, this duality could represent each of his components - the obedient and violence-averse being more Baoyu-like, while the questioning and violence-favoring being more Daiyu-like.
So, there's a bunch of stuff that would be given new meaning under the premise of this theory being true. But now, what about the future? What would this theory mean for the themes and ending of Canto 8?
The Resolution
I believe this is how the Daiyu-Baoyu theory will affect Canto 8.
At some point, whether before or during the Canto, it will be revealed that Hong Lu is both Daiyu and Baoyu. There will be an attempt to seperate the two, perhaps to implant Baoyu into a more fitting, more Jia Family-approved Vessel. Perhaps because the 'arranged marriage' from DOTRC could be adapted into something more... let's say Fear and Hunger kind of marriage rather than traditional marriage.
This will leave Hong Lu to be returned to their state as Daiyu, who will be revealed to be a very different person to what the Sinners knew Hong Lu as. There is a non-zero chance that Daiyu will be unable to hear Dante or be revived by them due to the one who signed the contract being Baoyu, and so they could end up acting as an uncontrollable ally unit not unlike Xichun in Canto 7.
The climax would then be Daiyu and Baoyu reuniting and being unwilling to part with each other again, even for the sake of returning to being the fake persona that is Hong Lu, leading to a potential duo boss fight/distortion boss fight/duo distortion boss fight.
The ending would be the two of them deciding to embrace their new identity as Hong Lu and truly becoming one, discarding their pasts and the selves that had been forced on them by the Jia Family. This ending would have a twofold meaning regarding how it connects to the DOTRC adaptation.
One - it would be a direct parallel to the ending of DOTRC where Baoyu leaves to become a monk. By becoming Hong Lu and discaring his previous identities, he'd be leaving behind the earthly attachments inherent to being Baoyu and Daiyu and become spiritually whole.
Two - it would be a reflection of the major theme of DOTRC, that being "Truth becomes fiction when the fiction's true. Real becomes not-real when the unreal's real." Hong Lu, as a person, is a 'fake' persona used by the 'real' Baoyu and Daiyu. However, by discarding those two identities and deciding to just be Hong Lu, the fiction of his existence becomes the truth, while his former real selves become not real.
Conclusion?
I could honestly just keep going with this post, but I think I'm going to stop myself here before I'm forced to find out what tumblr's character limit on posts is. Believe me, I was trying to be brief, and still this post is. This fucking long.
I hope this explains why this theory has been the subject of my brainrot for the past however long, and why I feel like it's surprisingly plausible despite being as deranged as it is.
Godspeed and godbless, I have classes tomorrow and I'm spending my time on this.
If you haven't seen it yet, go watch it. It's short, but absolutely packed I believe.
So let's talk about it
Let's just address the elephant in the room. We have Kim Sin-woo, Hong Lu's VA, voicing Daiyu in the teaser. I would have said that is proof enough of Two in One, but I'll give a more thorough analysis of the teaser.
The teaser starts off with a view of a gate of some kind, potentially to the garden. The colors and lighting are pastel, very light and soft.
In the background, Daiyu is reciting the Flower Burial Song poem. We know it's Daiyu due to the text color - white with red. Crimson Pearl. I won't be commenting on it further, but just know I called it being used for the teaser.
Next is an image of someone sorting through flower petals, likely Daiyu themself. The colors are still soft pastels. No face is shown.
This image fades into another person doing the same. This outfit matches the one Hong Lu is shown wearing later on in the teaser, meaning we know it's later on. The lighting changes to be warm and full of reds and purples, giving a nostalgic, melancholic vibe. Again, no face is shown.
We see the gate again, in the melancholic palette this time. It gives off the vibe that something changed to shift the atmosphere of the whole place.
A shorthaired child bounces and happily calls for someone before running off. Multiple children follow, with one slowly doing so matching Hong Lu's silhouette. This entire scene is in pastels again, with no faces being shown.
Then, the vibe shifts.
A child's feet dangle over a bloody massacre. The text here stops being the poem, instead being completely original lines. Also, now the text has cyan letters sneaking in, roughly half and half.
What appears to be younger Hong Lu stares blankly ahead, his outfit matching the second flower sorting person's.
After a zoom in on this Hong Lu's eye behind a veil, we fade to adult Hong Lu, the color in his eye more faded.
Hong Lu in his Sinner uniform stands before two hanging corpses and nods, another bloody massacre behind him. The text is now primarily cyan with only a few white letters.
Then, cut to the E.G.O.
So.
What does this give us?
I believe all the scenes that take place in the pastel palette happen before Daiyu "dies", while all the others are after. Notably, I don't believe Hong Lu's silhouette in that one scene is actually him. I believe that is Daiyu, while Baoyu is the child happily calling out in the beginning.
Additionally. Well. Come on. The cyan letters in Daiyu's text are obvious tells. Baoyu is in Daiyu's body, and is speaking the last two lines in their voice.
Even if you don't believe me, one thing is clear - Daiyu's death is going to be a major thing for this Canto.
The body being Daiyu's would be an interesting choice considering Hong Lu is pretty sturdy and Daiyu in the book really Isn't.
See this is an interesting thing to consider. Because part of Hong Lu's "sturdiness" seems to come directly from him being literally unable to feel pain.
He straight up mistook acid falling onto his shoulder for water because he couldn't feel the burning pain once it started eating away at his skin.
Is that "sturdiness" really purely because of the body itself? Or is it because there's enough of a disconnect between Baoyu's consciousness and Daiyu's body that the pain signals simply don't reach him?
After all, Hong Lu's base Identity has the second lowest Health Pool out of all the base Identities, tying him with base Ryoshu and base Don Quixote. The only base Identities with less health than that are Outis and Sinclair. Even Yi Sang's base Identity has more HP than him.
So, again. Is Hong Lu's body actually sturdy? Or does he simply act like it is because he literally can't tell how damaged it actually is?
I know this is something people say often for new Cantos, and it hasn't really happened yet, but I've seen a few people say that Hong Lu will "get worse" ie have character development that just outright makes him a worse, harder to be around, person in ch8.
Since you're the Hong Lu guy, I was wondering what your thoughts on that possibility were. (Also the possibility of him trying to leave LCB as a result of this deterioration, another idea I've seen around).
Short answer: Likely to get worse, by technicality.
Long answer: Hong Lu as a person underneath the mask he puts on already seems like a generally much more unpleasant guy to be around than his fake persona. As his development will likely involve being more genuine and thus no longer relying on that mask, it means that unpleasant part of him will become much more noticeable, thus making him come off as becoming worse despite merely exposing what was always there.
The leaving LCB point is a bit harder to judge. I think it's more likely for him to attempt that early on in Canto 8 (as him surrendering to his fate and refusing to fight his Family reclaiming their property), but at the end of it he'd decide that There Is A Reason To Keep Fighting and chooses his allegiance with the LCB for good (or at least for now).
