buddleu

[buddleu]

[buddleu]

Thank you for the Hohenheim art. Man ever. Guy of all time.

np!! i hope to draw him more in the future!! i like how bacteria shaped he is! very cute! very fond of his survivor's guilt from being a nugget as well :)

[buddleu]

What could’ve been huh

[buddleu]

I know it's common to theorize that Hong Lu's SP Healing is some supernatural ability that comes from his eye or whatever.

But like.

What if it's literally just the gameplay reflection of his excessive emotional repression?

The mask of serenity glued so tightly to his face that his sheer will is enough to shove any negative emotions aside and raise his SP. All for the sake of never letting that one spark start a fire. All for the sake of never losing what little control over himself he still has.

[buddleu]

Cassetti seems like the type of guy who would demolish a Wipeout course simply by running in a perpetually straight line out of both perseverance and bone-deep fear. That's how he escaped La Manchaland he scaled the wall like that one Charlie Brown GIF

[buddleu]

Sorry if you've already analyzed this recently but it would be neat if I could possibly get your thoughts about this.

I'm currently trying to theory craft for The Surrendered Witnessing (Canto 8), so I was looking at the Limbus TGS Teaser for more hints. Cuz the background art has been quite accurate so far.

When you look up Hong Lu on Google one of the first pictures you get is that art of him in the white outfit with the dandelion.(Which is also briefly shown on the TGS Teaser) At first I thought he was blowing the dandelion as a symbolism of being carefree and whimsical, similar to how children blow on dandelions to make wishes.

But then I noticed a few things. First, he doesn't necessarily seem happy, or really showcasing any kind of 'whimsy'. Also, the dandelion isn't up to his mouth. It's not positioned in a way where he can blow. It seems more likely that he is watching a common weed blow off in the wind with more freedom than he would ever get while he's with his family. Dandelions in general are also a symbol of hope, which means this could be a representation of him feeling hopeless.

But then, the screen briefly shows a zoomed out version before jumpscaring you with Heathcliff.

At first I thought this was a rebellion with the sheer amount of grey bodies seeming desperate. But then I realized they are reaching. Are they possibly reaching for Hong Lu? Do they just wish to be in his shoes-- desperately wanting just a sliver of his family's influence and wealth? Or is their desperation more focused on the red paper?

Hong Lu also doesn't seem that pleased, the zoomed out version seems way more bored than the zoomed in version.

The dandelion seeds turn into something red. It could be red envelopes used to gift money, but I don't know why Hong Lu or his family would even bother using something so formal on people with such low status. A very unlikely theory is that it could also be related to Hong Lu's previous mention of a 'red passport'. Though I'm just assuming it has significance specifically where Hong Lu's family resides, either something important within his house or something that has to do with how the district works.

--

Another interesting thing that pops up is a speech bubble. I'm not fluent in any other languages so I had to Google translate it, so it may very likely be wrong, but it says "it's almost like filming a play". I don't have a clue if that has been a previous line from Hong Lu, but the outline is in Hong Lu's color. So maybe he's referencing an event after the sinners return to his residence.

The other thing to note is the positioning of this picture directly over the dandelion picture. The only other person that really has that happen in the teaser is Sinclair, but that is because the Sinclair images happen within the same cutscene in-game. I have zero clue if the positioning in the video is that purposeful to make an entire theory on it, but I think the lineup is interesting. The image used is from The Unloving.

--

The last glimpse I'll talk about is the lil angy/displeased Hong Lu.

That looks like Outis' hand grabbing him by the shirt. I was trying to find any other pictures of sinners grabbing each other by the shirt-- but the only shirt threatening content we've gotten are both in The Unconfronting. One by Virgillius (not a sinner) and one by Don Quixote.

So my assumption is that this displeased Hong Lu could either happen during The Nocturnal Sleeping or The Surrendered Witnessing. Likely The Surrendered Witnessing because no intervallo art seems to have been out in the teaser. (All of the characters that already have cantos have art in the TGS that doesn't surpass their focus cantos, though that also could be due to Project Moon not wanting to spoil too much from the initial 3 release cantos)

Anyways! That's my thoughts! I kinda wanna hear yours if possible, no pressure though. :3

(Also, sorry if the formatting is weird I have zero clue how Tumblr's ask formatting works)

Oh boy that's a lot. Ok. Let's see how I wanna get into this.

Let's start with the bits I know I can explain for sure.

First, the dialogue lines. Last time I checked, every single dialogue line shown in the TGS teaser comes from the first three Cantos. Which, if you think about it, makes sense, as those were likely the only Cantos actually fully written by that point.

The line you pointed out specifically comes from Canto 2, it being the second half of this dialogue line that happens after the Sinners beat the Tingtang Gang.

I think its purpose in the teaser is mainly to reinforce the idea that Hong Lu's understanding of reality is very strange compared to other people in the City, him comparing whatever's happening to something as benign as a movie set.

You could probably also make a case for it being used to highlight the theme of the blurred line between Fiction and Reality, what with him comparing a Real situation to that of a Fictional scene one would be filming for a movie.

Second. The angry Hong Lu CG.

I've already discussed that CG at length in this post, but to summarize: this is a scrapped Canto 1 CG, from what I believe to be the original version of the scene where Yuri reveals her backstory, which in the original draft took place outside of the dungeon with all of the Sinners around and thus available to respond. The person grabbing onto Hong Lu's shirt is Gregor, and the reason his skin looks like that in the video is because of the heavy color overlay effects over the teaser itself. I included the clearest picture we have of the full CG in the post I mentioned.

We don't know whether this CG was scrapped before or after the TGS Teaser was made, so it's much harder to ascertain the purpose behind its inclusion here. Regardless of which it is though, it's clear that Project Moon deemed it important to show Hong Lu's capacity for anger in such an early teaser, meaning it was something they were focusing on as a point for his character even back then.

Now. Onto the things I get to actually speculate about.

Let's just first establish this - we have no way of knowing how similar Canto 8 will be to what Project Moon may have initially planned it to be. I'm not one of those people who claims that PM are serial retconners, but I'm also realistic in that I doubt they have more prepared future Cantos than maybe some rough outlines at most. As such, the scene shown in the TGS Teaser might not end up being framed in the exact same way as it was initially planned to be.

This is especially important to note as Vellmori CGs, aka the ones shown in the Teaser itself, are not being used beyond the ones already in the game. We can tell from Canto 6 and 7 that there's no guarantee that we'll get any exactly equivalent CGs from the current artist either. After all, we did get two whole scenes of a Heathcliff arriving to Cathy's funeral, but neither was framed in any way similar to the teased CG.

Here's some of my own observations though.

First - according to recollections from multiple DOTRC readers, the outfit Hong Lu is wearing in both CGs might be a reference to the mourning robes Baoyu wears after Daiyu's death. Considering how sensitive Hong Lu is about things that seem to remind him of an event that is very likely Limbus's equivalent of Daiyu's death (as I discuss in this post), it's likely that Canto 8 will put a notable amount of focus on that event and its aftermath.

Second - in higher quality versions of that first CG, it's possible to see that the shadow cast by the dandelion is a different color to the rest of the shadows being cast - it's notably more red in hue.

This could be another nod to Daiyu, as their Land of Illusion counterpart was the Crimson Pearl Flower. I think you're onto something here with Hong Lu not actively blowing at the dandelion, but rather merely watching it blow away in the wind by itself. It could be a representation of how fragile Daiyu's life ended up being, swept away as if by a gust of wind.

It makes me think of the Flower Burial Song from DOTRC (as do many things around Hong Lu in all fairness), which in itself also represents Daiyu's own mortality. Flowers fall, people perish, and neither of them know.

Third - A few notes about that second CG.

For one, I don't believe that the dandelion seeds are being turned into the red papers (for a lack of a more specific term to call them). You can see that the seeds are actually floating Among the papers, implying they're both falling at the same time rather than one turning into the other.

For two, while it's a bit hard to see in the particular screenshot you took, you can see that Hong Lu has his other arm thrust forward, while still holding the dandelion with the one he held it in the previous CG. This I believe implies he's not just watching the people below, but is actively throwing whatever the red papers are down towards them.

Now.

Here's my own unhinged theory as to what those (now unused) Canto 8 CGs might be showing.

Obviously, I already made it clear that I believe this is taking place after Daiyu's death ,what with both Hong Lu's robes and flower symbolism.

However, I believe the specific event that is happening here is Hong Lu creating a distraction for his Family so that he can escape.

I've made it no secret that I believe Hong Lu is in fact a runaway, and that the "sent out to experience the world" thing he mentions as his reason for leaving his home is in fact a blatant lie. After all, if it were true, why would his Family be searching for him? Why would they want to prematurely cut him off from experiencing more of the world? Add the Lasso Hong Lu corrosion voice line to this, where he's clearly acting out what his Family might sound like once they catch up to him, and you can see why I think this might be the case.

It's also not that hard to imagine why Daiyu's death would be the catalyst to Hong Lu deciding to take a chance and attempt an escape. Daiyu's death has been implied to be an event that not only deeply hurt him, but is also alluded to being the one thing capable of rousing Hong Lu's anger enough to actually lash out. If there was one thing that could make the otherwise docile and obedient Hong Lu act out in such a way, it would be crossing a certain line he believed should never be crossed.

What I believe we're seeing is Hong Lu drawing a group of desperate people towards a likely otherwise very secure household (if his musings about defense systems in Canto 6 are anything to go by). Perhaps, the things he's giving out are specifically invitations, as in Canto 6 Hong Lu mentions (in a way that almost feels like he's speaking from experience mind you) that having an invitation protects one from a mansion's security measures.

So, by "inviting" in as many disruptive people as he can, Hong Lu could be creating the perfect distraction for the Jia Family to deal with while he himself assumedly slips away unnoticed.

At least, that's my theory.

Hope this helps, or is in any way coherent WHEEZE.

[buddleu]

I don't want to interrupt, but your speculation of Hong Lu running away and his family looking for him made me think that, if true, then how important and resourceful Limbus Company is? We have seen several times the almost boundless wealth his family has and the connections that might extend to even one of the big three. To confidently employ a wanted individual when an enormous family is the one looking, you need to have some serious plan to prevent it.

Do you know how one canto opens to another? Just like Canto 3 demonstrated the evil of the nest and in Canto 3.5 and 4, how it affects individuals. And now, if I recall correctly, the golden boughs are being used to tone down the abnormalities at Limbus Company to be manageable for their suppression. What if Hong Lu is actually an abnormality, and binding himself to Dante leveled him enough to not be perceived by his family and anyone they might send after him?

My apologies if you have already discussed this! Have a good day/night! :D

I'm just. Going to ignore the Hong Lu is an abnormality thing because I feel like you're going a little too fast and ending up on some Piles of Asriel's Dust type stuff.

Let's take a step back and think. Because that is a good question!

Here's a pop quiz.

Why is Hong Lu using a fake name?

Sure, there's a part to it that is likely just him trying to ignore his past and live a new life as a fake made up identity. But you know. A fake identity can also help him slip under the radar.

After all. Can we really be sure the higher ups at Limbus Company even recieved truthful information about him?

He is a liar after all. He could have just. Given fake information to the Company, and the only person who would even know would be Faust, the one who is explicitly not allowed to share information about the Sinners.

We might have even been shown a hint towards something like that potentially being the case. Remember this moment from Canto 3?

I don't think this exchange was just to have Hong Lu share an anecdote (it's never Just about that with him after all). I believe what is happening here is that, upon hearing about Limbus Company having backing from many shareholders, Hong Lu is trying to ascertain if the Company has any direct ties to people who would actually recognize him and have a reason to tell on him.

His Family knows H Corp shareholders. Those shareholders would likely really want to be in that Family's good graces and thus would have a reason to sell Hong Lu's location out immediately. So if the higher-ups at the Company he works at are recieving backing from those same shareholders, that would spell some deep fucking trouble for him.

But the fact that he's asking about that in the first place reveals another piece of the puzzle - Hong Lu is sure the Company wouldn't have any direct connection to his Family, only possible connections through secondhand means outside of his control. Something he could only be sure of if the info he gave to the higher ups didn't contain any information that could directly tie him back to the Jias.

After all, you can't really tell on someone who you don't even know is within your ranks, can you?

Plus, who knows. Perhaps the setup for Canto 8 will be that the Company ends up connecting the dots, or his Family finally ends up catching wind of him, and either way LC will be forced to Surrender Hong Lu back to the Jias.

[buddleu]

[buddleu]

hi there! i’ve been motivated by previous asks, so i would really like to hear your thoughts on hong lu’s relationship with yi sang, as it is currently and how it may progress with the story… they have very interesting parallels to me and i wish i could see their relationship explored somewhere other than my own head lol

also, (if you would allow me two questions) do you have any particular thoughts about hong lu’s particulars (bachelor and sheltered)? i find the sinners’ particulars to be really interesting too but i never see them discussed anymore. thanks for your time & have a good day <3

When it comes to Hong Lu and Yi Sang, their relationship is much more straightforward but also much more genuinely positive.

The two don't really interact with each other in any notable manner until Canto 4, which is also where their dynamic Truly gets established. Canto 4's Dungeon is where they both end up connecting, as Yi Sang recognises Hong Lu as someone who heavily resembles Young Ji from the League of Nine, while Hong Lu himself appears to relate to and understand some of Yi Sang's struggles.

This all comes to a head when Hong Lu is the one to recognise the emotional core of what was happening and gives Dante the advice they need to actually reach out to Yi Sang at his lowest.

From this Canto onward, Hong Lu appears to consistently check up on Yi Sang during moments that remind the latter of his past with the League. Hong Lu shows that he not only holds concern for Yi Sang's emotional well-being, but also wants to make sure he doesn't bottle up his thoughts the way he learned he did in his past.

Likewise in Canto 7 Yi Sang is shown to be returning the favor to Hong Lu so to speak, though he's shown to struggle a bit more with processing how Hong Lu responds in comparison.

Outside of these moments, Hong Lu and Yi Sang are shown to generally have a cordial and amicable rapport, both showing curiosity towards each other when they share their respective knowledge and likewise jumping off of each other's observations to add their own. While Hong Lu does tease Yi Sang once or twice, it doesn't read nearly as mean-spirited as some of the shit he pulled with people like Heathcliff and Rodya.

Their relationship is perhaps one of the few on the bus that I can genuinely say is an entirely positive one for both of them. They both clearly care for each other and enjoy speaking with one another, even if they might struggle to understand one another at points. No ifs or buts, they're just straight up honestly decent friends.

It really makes me wonder how Yi Sang is going to take it once Hong Lu's lies are revealed... Compared to a lot of the relationships Hong Lu has with the other Sinners, his bond with Yi Sang seems the most genuine. Will Yi Sang be able to recognise that and will he decide to still stand by Hong Lu side?

Now. As for your second question.

I don't have much to say on Hong Lu's particulars beyond mentioning that their translation is. Interesting to say the least.

According to someone who speaks Korean, the term that got translated to "Bachelor" would more accurately be translated to "Young Master", aka it doesn't really have anything to do with marital status in its original language.

Similarly, the original wording for the "Sheltered" particular is more so an allusion to Hong Lu having a different sense of reality to what is considered normal. It's an interesting specificity that the English translation added that from my understanding wasn't there in the original text.

I don't have much else to add beyond the fact that people are too quick to trust the Manager Instructions as being the ultimate truth on what the Sinners are like. Their description of Ishmael as someone whose "patience runs deep" is proven incorrect in the fucking Prologue where her impatience is directly called out. This shit isn't a trustworthy source of info.

[buddleu]

Some period tracker notifications I ended up editing by request (based on this tweet)

[buddleu]

crazy rebound

[buddleu]

doodle

[buddleu]

I know it's common to theorize that Hong Lu's SP Healing is some supernatural ability that comes from his eye or whatever.

But like.

What if it's literally just the gameplay reflection of his excessive emotional repression?

The mask of serenity glued so tightly to his face that his sheer will is enough to shove any negative emotions aside and raise his SP. All for the sake of never letting that one spark start a fire. All for the sake of never losing what little control over himself he still has.

[buddleu]

survivor’s guilt

[buddleu]

I'm curious, what do you think about Heathcliff's and Hong Lu's relationship to each other

I already elaborated quite a bit on my interpretation of their relationship in these three posts, but to summarize them all in one neat place.

I believe that, initially, Hong Lu saw Heathcliff as nothing more than a source of entertainment and an easy target for bullying. He consistently provokes Heathcliff into outbursts by acting dumb and poking different buttons, and then easily gets away with it due to Heathcliff's tendency to react with unwarranted aggression being a common enough occurence that the rest of the Sinners completely shrug it off as just Heathcliff being the problem.

Heathcliff on the other hand is perceptive enough to be the first Sinner to notice something was off about Hong Lu and his behavior, even if he couldn't word his suspicions beyond a general "don't trust rich people" mentality. Over time he gets into a rhythm of making his own jabs at Hong Lu, however unlike Hong Lu's provokations of him, Heathcliff's jabs don't seem to affect Hong Lu in any meaningful way. I believe this further contributes to Hong Lu seeing Heathcliff as an acceptable target, as his attempts at biting back fall completely flat.

This dynamic has a major shift in Canto 6.

After learning about Heathcliff's homelife and background, Hong Lu seems to start to not only relate to Heathcliff on a more personal level, but also shows outright genuine concern towards him when other Sinners are still at an arm's length. Afterwards Hong Lu stops actively provoking Heathcliff, even if he's still shown to not like or trust him very much by the fact he talks smack about him when he's not around.

Heathcliff likewise seems to be mellowing out towards Hong Lu as well, especially over the course of Canto 7. We can see that at the start of the Canto he still sends a few rude remarks and jabs his way, but by the time the next Intervallo rolls around this seems to no longer be the case. Heathcliff and Hong Lu are shown to not mind each other too much, and Heathcliff even amicably agrees with Hong Lu on a subject.

The two seem to be on somewhat even ground and fairly amicable terms right now. However, considering what's likely coming with Canto 8... there's a high chance of this dynamic developing further. Especially as Hong Lu's lies being unveiled might make Heathcliff feel betrayed and as if he was right all along about not trusting rich people.

[buddleu]

does anyone else feel like a babysitter

[buddleu]

Dream of the red chamber or something idk i havent read it