#POSTING THIS BEFORE I WRITE A DLC THEORY UPDATE LMAO

[ariapmdeol]

FUCK IT. analyzing the COE cast's favorite flowers

QNA translation is here! specifically in part 3. I tried to look into both victorian flower language and Hanakotoba! I'll put sources at the end. spoilers for the entire game!

Atou: White clover. White clovers represent 'I promise' in english, and 'think of me, promise' in hanakotoba. I think this is fitting: atou is very much dedicated to keeping his word as much as he can; from his promise to 'look after shinano' to his promise to Kanou in the Kanou flag stuff, it HITS. ESPECIALLY if we contrast the A/S routes with B/C/D/E. A HUGE theme in COE is about confronting the truth and not looking or shying away from understanding yourself and others. In the worse routes, Atou looks away and denies the truth. In the better ones, he faces and accepts it. BY ABANDONING SHINANO, HE ABANDONED HIS PROMISE TO LOOK AFTER HIM. he started that oh so slippery slope of denial and fear that leads aaaaall the way to ending E ^_^ It also matches well with Alpha and the question of 'what is your will?' What do you want to do with your life? What is your will but a promise to yourself?

Shinano: Wolf's Bane OK THIS ONE IS ENTIRELY FOR THE BIT but it's cute <3 Origin Beta, my silly little dogboy, has a favorite flower called WOLF'S BANE. No meaning in the Hanakotoba sources I've been looking at, but in Victorian Flower Language it means 'misanthropy', which is a hatred of humanity! Wolf's bane is poisonous; I would connect this to the concept of 'infection' as a whole, and Shinano's struggles with the cells and reaching an equilibrium. It seems to be a trend that the characters who struggle with cell corrosion the most have poisonous flowers.

Otowa: Rodger's bronze leaf this is a VERY VERY jagged plant-- the little white flowers it blooms reminds me of Haruki's clovers. The sharp edges parallel Rui's more blunt demeanor too. Not too much to say here beyond the fact that I like that his and Atou's look similar to each other I could not find any symbolism...

Yanagi: Dahlias / any large flowers ok it is SO fucking cute that she likes large flowers and Jabuchi likes small ones,,, younina real,, the blooms are big and colorful Dahlias are associated with Elegance and dignity in both. In Hanakotoba, they're associated with Good Taste!

Kurachi: Wisterias Wisterias are associated with Welcoming and steadfastness, which fits well with Kurachi! He's determined and does his best to look out for and protect everyone. This one i had to do extra googling for, and it seems that it also represents love and longevity. Fitting for Kurachi as the oldest of our central group! As a tree, it's more sturdy and long lived than flowers are.

Karen: Sweet Pea Sweet Peas represent Gratitude, tenderness, farewell! This flower is bright and colorful, like Karen herself :] The blossoms are delicate too, which parallels Karen being a child as well!

Riku: Violets So, the obvious reason for this one is his dead wife's name is Sumire, which means violets! in Hanakotoba, this flower means Honesty. Riku is consistently honest with us, and tells us things about Isoi that he knew Isoi wouldn't necessarily want us knowing. Violets mean a lot of things depending on their color in Victorian flower symbolism. The Blue color means Faithfulness, which could represent his devotion to his family!

Aiba: Sunflowers in Hanakotoba, these flowers represent Respect, passionate love, and radiance! In Western flower language, sunflowers mean Pure and lofty thoughts, adoration, longevity, and loyalty. I think both of these sets are fitting for Aiba? He's respectful in how he talks to everyone, and longevity is fitting considering he and Rui are the only two who survive in uh. all the endings...

Kanou: Datura (DEVIL'S TRUMPET) IT CANNOT BE A FUCKING COINCIDENCE THAT THIS FLOWER IS NAMED THAT. Seodore is associated with Brugmansia (Angel's Trumpet) SO THERE HAS TO BE A FUCKIGN CONNECTION HERE. WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU WORKING ON KANOU... I couldn't find any DIRECT symbolism but Datura is referred to as one of the 'witch's weeds', and ALL PARTS of the plant are toxic. It's known for causing delirium and death. This whole thing kinda parallels the Bad End "Told you so", where Kanou morbs and kills Atou ^_^. I think this has to do with what he was working on-- we know Kanou is dangerous (and consistently so), and despite the two of them working together, they both know the other is lying,., The Kanou flag events remind me of this as well.

Jabuchi: the Small white flowers on trees like quince and lemon AND IF I SAY THESE FLOWERS ARE MEANT TO REPRESENT NINA?? MAYBE?? they are small and delicate and charming and I think they remind Jabuchi of Nina <3 their favorite flowers are opposites and it's so cute,, Lemon blossoms represent Discretion!

Enomoto and Utsugi: White Roses DO I EVEN NEED TO ELABORATE ON THIS ONE WHEN IT'S REFERENCED IN GAME,, White roses are referenced in the divine comedy, as the flower that blooms in Empyrean Heaven. They represent Innocence, silence, and devotion in Hanakotoba, and innocence, wistfulness, virtue, purity, secrecy, reverence and humility. WHAT MORE CAN I SAY. Hatsutori assigned this flower to Utsugi, and it fits him SO well. Enomoto wants that same connection to Hatsutori, and picks White Rose as her favorite to take it from Utsugi.

Harada: Asters FLOWER POT TRIO SWEEP. Asters represent Remembrance in Hanakotoba, and represent love, wisdom, and faith. OUUUUGHGHG the parallels between Sanemitsu remembering and wishing he could fix things, and struggling oh so much to move forward,,, Wisdom and faith to represent his growth as a person and parent,,, Asters are so incredibly fitting for him.

Isoi: Geraniums they represent determination and true friendship! The different colors have different meanings as well, but even just these two are SO very true for Isoi,,, He's stubborn and determined and a self sacrificing little SHIT, and at the end of the day he found it,, the family,,, <3 <3 <3

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