thinking abt the callisto hl again (since im drawing) but while limbus callisto doesnt really match hl in most conventional manners, the myth of callisto matches pretty well with lcb hl & hlm baoyu.
baoyu is led to believe shes going to marry daiyu, which ends up being baochai in disguise, much like zeus disguising himself as artemis to rape callisto. baoyu is forced to have a child and leaves shortly after, which is easily read as suicide as well as attainment of enlightenment, and callisto also dies to become apart of the constellations as the 'great bear' (ursa major), so the concept of becoming something 'greater, or rather, celestial Does remain constant. it makes sense in context of limbus because stars are usually related to enlightenment (and across sinner sources in general too, faust/the stranger/demian/dantes inferno Come to Mind instantly)
they dont really mention it in the hl id, but i do find it really interesting that limbus callisto wanted to have a child of his own... it makes sense to me that hong lu wouldnt mention it (as far as i know) but i think it leans into Hypothetical "spoiler" territory if its true that she has recognized her jade eye as an ingredient.
the jade in hlm is representative of multiple things such as her life (so she isnt to be separated from it very long because theres a suggestion that she will get ill or die without it iirc), her connection to humanity/the world (allowing her to see the 'truth' of things to Put it Vaguely), and lastly, her sex
in hlm the sexual innuendo is joked about a few times pretty early on to highlight her innocence (though it does show the cruelty of the adults Too IMO because they know the implications and think of her as a tool for procreation) as well as her personal tie to girlhood that adults/their society try to take from her. one of the first instances is when she tries to break her jade. shes finds it unfair that daiyu doesnt have one, which upsets her. the others find this silly and create a lie to comfort her, but its early foreshadowing of later tragedies.
the problem is not to have the jade to be clear, because again, when its under her own autonomy, its indicative of her connection to others who she loves. the issue is how others use it as a reason to control her life, specifically to force her to have a marriage with baochai and to consummate it.
This is kind of important to explain because theres two given paths with her jade that allows her complete autonomy, or none. theres all the difference in loving freely and to its entirety (hence being labeled as the most lustful in the world by disenchantment, which doesnt refer to arousal, but her capacity to love and the enlightenment Tied to it), then the secular society that tries to confine and shape her from imposed unions.
the union between jade (baoyu) and gold (baochai) frequently comes up. baochai is also associated to white peonies (often symbolizing royal status, honor, and riches). in limbus, the track that plays during the massacre is 'Peony'. For an Amazing Reason.
Im Like. Fairly certain the two paths is something thats going to come up for hong lu (and she is on the path of enlightenment), but in main story she hasnt recognized the use of her eye unlike callisto hl. im pretty sure hong lu and baochai both carry ingredients (jade/gold, Among Other Things). baochai is designed after some flowers mentioned for boluses + the bolus creation instructions seem to represent menstruation/pregnancy trackers (or whatever its called) and its Pretty Fitting that the combination of ingredients to create something new (like a new heishou branch or other tragedy) would Be Allegorical for sex/unification. I think Yuanchun, after being so close to Mu, naturally knows the uses for hong lu and baochai after being put into a lobotomy marriage herself... hence helping baochai At All.
So i think it makes sense that ring hong lu Is trying to recreate an immense tragedy thatd give birth to something (much like the war did for sinclair), following in line with callisto, but doesnt know that the second smoke war had something special to it (likely being demian... hence sinclairs, erm. birdling.) Something Something lets embrace the stars. And Ring Hong Lu Needs to Become Ursa Major
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