#cursedtrans

When it comes to Jia Qiu, I don't have many thoughts on his place in the world or wider story as of yet.

It's clear that he's a figure that's meant to have quite a lot of renown, one that can be easily believed as being the one people sing about in the Backstreets. One that is so sure of his position in the world that he doesn't even bother finishing off Xichun or Hong Lu due to knowing they don't pose even the tiniest bit of a threat to him.

It's also interesting how he's described. There's a lot of similarities between him and Hong Lu in that way. He's shown to be always serene, almost intimidatingly so. The way he looks at the Sinners, "as though he was gazing upon the clouds or blades of grass", is a direct reflection of how Hong Lu is described earlier in the same Intervallo. In fact, that confident calmness of his is shown to be what makes him so intimidating.

As for the Iori connection... Well, first of all it's made kind of unclear who Actually kills Shi Yihua. Before the execution happens, Zigong comments on the presence of "a serpent", while Jia Qiu tells her to "leave it". After Yihua is killed, Qiu once again repeats to leave this serpent alone, this time directing the order to Zilu.

This, I think, implies that whoever killed Yihua is not actually affiliated with Jia Qiu at all. That 'serpent' who killed him was an outsider, a spy of some kind that Jia Qiu deemed unimportant enough to let live despite the sudden seemingly hostile action.

It's also important to note that the furry trio from the Prologue all have specifically Purple accessories. While Iori's connection with snakes and serpents is an important part of her identity, what's often more important and identifying is the color Purple due to it being a direct part of her Fixer title.

Thus, personally, I believe the serpent could have some connection to Iori, as it has both the purple and the snake imagery to tie it to her.

Jia Qiu and his posse on the other hand not only are implied to not be affiliated with that serpent, but also only have the snakeskin motive, not the color. It's kind of like the Rabbits of R corp and Hares of the Heishou Pack - they're based on similar animals, but are at their core extremely different and unaffiliated.

But. That's not really what I want to talk about.

No, what I want to talk about is what I think Jia Qiu's narrative role might be.

See, here's the thing about Jia Qiu and his posse. Neither him nor anyone following him are directly named after any DOTRC characters.

However, another source for specifically Zilu and Zigong has already been found - they're named after Confucius's disciples. The reason why that's important is that Confucianism plays a major role in DOTRC, with one of the ways it comes up being a notable part of the reason why Baoyu is abused by his father - as Jia Zheng is a Confucian scholar that tries to live by those values, while Baoyu is anything but.

Thus, there are now two camps I see when it comes to theories on who Jia Qiu is meant to be based on.

There is the camp that believes Jia Qiu might be PM's reinterpretation of Jia Zhu, Baoyu's older brother who dies before the events of DOTRC.

There is also the other camp that looks at the references to Confucius's disciples and believes that Jia Qiu is just straight up Confucius himself.

My take? I think he's both. I think he's a composite character of both Jia Zhu and Confucius. And I even have a sound reason for why PM would do that.

Remember how I mentioned that Confucian values are part of the reason why Baoyu is targeted and abused by his father so much? Well, Jia Zhu is the other part of the reason. Jia Zhu, when he was alive, was exactly the kind of son and heir that Jia Zheng wanted. So, when he died, all of those expectations fell onto Baoyu. There's even a point where Baoyu's mother has a moment where she laments that she wishes Baoyu was the one to die instead of Zhu, as Zhu wouldn't have angered his father nearly as much.

I believe that Jia Qiu is meant to represent everything that Hong Lu's family wishes he could be. Everything that Hong Lu can't truly be no matter how much he tries. A combination of the creator behind the values forced upon everyone in the family, and of the family son who was perfect for the role in his family. The ideal heir, the template Hong Lu was meant to fit but never could.

The thing with the Fingers is that they all, at some level, have some motif of extreme retribution/punishment. The Thumb severely punishes anyone who doesn't mind their position in the hierarchy through bodily harm. The Index effectively murders anyone who fails to follow the Prescripts given to them. The Middle deals out extreme revenge to outsiders who offend them on a regular enough basis to have a whole rulebook dedicated to what punishments are used for what. The Ring deals violently with anyone who fails their art exams or ruins what they consider a piece of art.

So, what would be different about the Pinky to make them a group to be Especially cautious of? I agree that their main theme likely will be Promises, but dealing out undue punishment for breaking a Promise is not that much different from being killed for not following a Prescript, or getting written down in the Book of Vengeance, now is it?

My thought is that the reason why the Pinky is so much more notable as to be extra cautious of is because they are The Most Defined by their idea of retribution out of all of the Fingers. With the other Fingers, the extreme punishments all come from Offending the main value that Finger holds - Hierarchy, Prescripts, Family, Art.

I believe that would likely be reflected tenfold for a Finger whose primary value is fulfilling Promises.

In my mind, the Pinky are a group who always fulfills their Promises, always settles their Debts so to say. They are invaluable allies if you can get on their good side, and especially if you can indebt them to you. However, they are also the most volatile, as any Promise broken or Debt unpaid will result in disproportional punishment. Something like the yubikiri vow implies - a lie punished by swallowing a thousand needles.

This is where another alternate interpretation of mine comes in, that being regarding the visual design of the Finger in Ryoshu's promo art.

See, the aesthetics of each Finger don't just represent the literal aesthetics each Finger has in their uniforms, but they're also a symbolic reflection of their Values.

The chains around the Middle's finger represent the bonds of their idea of Family, while the skull reflects their focus on vengeance for offenses towards that Family. The Ring's finger is fragmented and with many different colored sections, reflecting how The Ring has many different Art movements within it, yet still is united by the very idea of Art itself (perhaps represented by the gold square taking place of the finger's nail). The seal and writing on The Index's finger are of course a reflection of the written Prescripts, with the blue bits floating around them potentially being reflections of the borderline supernatural/divine method the Prescripts are created through. The formal attire on The Thumb's finger reflects their dedication to formalities and respect towards those higher up in the Hierarchy, and how they wish to present themselves as more dignified in a way.

So, what does the heavily injured, ragged, discolored, stabbed through design reflect when it comes to the Pinky?

I think for one it could reflect the inherent Humanity of that Finger compared to the others, as it's the only one on the art that still Actually looks like a human finger. After all, a big part of Pinky Promises isn't the threat of punishment, but the will to actually fulfill them - an inherent wish to extend kindness to those who agree to return it. It's a very Human instinct to want to help people in return for helping you, after all.

The different injuries and metal implements stabbed through the finger could then be reflections of those who Break their Promises against the Pinky - the backstabbers and the people who hurt the Finger despite the kindness they extended towards them. By being so willing to extend their help and Promises to others, the Pinky inherently puts themselves out there knowing they can be hurt, something that's all the more likely in an environment as defined by greed as the City. Thus, the backstabbing and hurt they endure for extending what little kindness they have defines their Values as much as that kindness itself.

Then the cloth could be seen as a bandage, reflecting the very few who are loyal to the Pinky and stick to their Promises. Their help might not be much compared to the constant pain the Pinky is going through though, and its nature might be very flaky - shown through the ragged appearance of the cloth. In a place like the City, there likely are very few willing to genuinely entertain the Pinky's Promises after all.

...And. This is where I get extra speculative.

Because there's something else that the different Fingers' Values contribute to. That being their source of more literal power.

The Thumb's focus on Hierarchy is what allows them to hold control over so many subsidiary Syndicates. The personalized swords the Index Proxies use are given out by the will of the Prescripts. Members of the Middle gain more enhancement tattoos the more vengeance they perform on those who slight their Family. The Ring is said to have varying fighting styles directly influenced by the different Art movements.

So, how would the Pinky's Value of Promises translate to being a source of power for them?

My personal unhinged idea is that the physical pain they suffer in some way directly translates to their physical strength. A sort of eye-for-an-eye source of power - you hurt me, so I promise to hurt you back worse. This is also where those who Do fulfill their Promises come in as well - due to the damage the Pinky members have to suffer first to be able to have any physical prowess, they require help to be cared for and return back to health.

And well. That would be all I have to say. If not for just one thing.

If you've seen my Canto 8 Bingo board, you'd notice one particular square on it. One very, very cope square. That being Lin Daiyu being a (former) member of the Pinky.

See, the reason why I sometimes referred to the Pinky's Promises as "Debts" is entirely because of Daiyu. Something within me deeply wants the Debt of Tears to be translated to something that has meaning on the wider worldbuilding via being a reflection of the Pinky's Values.