#also there's a lot of meaning imo of the individual flowers' symbolism and how they tie together and interconnect to form the 'sentence'

[quillheel]

❁ ( towards any of your zelda muses − hylia and the three godesses, mainly, but also botw & totk link / zelda / ganondorf if you feel compelled...!! )

Send me a ❁ for the type of flower my muse would give to yours // Accepting!

Hylia's answer comes, sharp and slow like a blade pulled uncutting against thought, a cool not-metal against the inner heat of mind. ━ the same as sky, not in the way of wind but in the way of open space, of nothing at all, of atmosphere pressing in from out against your throat. Almost frozen, almost frigid, but without the effort in coldness, in willful ignoring, of brushing one off : cold as in cold is the absence of heat. No, Iroha receives an answer. Stale pollen and bright, blinding knowledge. ━━━ she was not made to create the way the Goddesses were, and yet, the flowers bloom at their feet regardless : perhaps they should consider themselves special.

━ bachelor button, hydrangea, bittersweet, lavender heather, white poppy, blue violet, mixed yellow & red zinnia, white hyacinth, rose leaf, & buried beneath the rest; spider flower. ( 'You are not of my domain, I am indifferent to you. However, I respect your devotion. I sympathize, perhaps, with your situation. One day, perhaps, there will something other for you. One day, perhaps, you will make one.' )

the Goddesses' response is a ancient one. months hung above the stratosphere, dangling, dangling, waiting to be lowered. Months upon months upon months, the flower of the seasons dripping into the horizon in a haze of days and nights and days again: They were intricate, and slow, and often unknowable at all. how patient, you are, for Them. How kind, to wait, for Them. They reward Iroha with answer in time, in the humid shivering haze of early morning, a wave of such love of all Iroha does, of the endless sorrow They beheld upon their duty, arriving like quartz lining their throat ━ blooms growing from 'pon their fingertips, 'cross their knuckles. a gift, a gift, how merry to be known & seen, how terrifying by They to listen & answer in turn ━ how horrible, horrible to think you had been forgotten...

━ bachelor button, maidenhair fern, red carnation, dead leaf, purple hyacinth, dark crimson rose, pine, acorn, fern, fir, white heather, iris, lily of the valley, tea rose, palm leaf. ( 'We love you, We are sorry, your faith is not unseen by Us, for This to be your undertaking, borne as chains & key. Such is Our terrible, terrible doing. Such is Our apology. We hope, perhaps, one day the selves can exist without the other or in one without smothering, smothering light. We hope, perhaps, one day you are allowed to live; a role unshackled, unlocking Thy own binds. Chains & key. Chains & key. Freedom unmade for you, and yet, still hoping to grasp it.' )

Link & Zelda come as though offering memorial, bundles of blooms and sprigs tucked in their arms as they hurry past stream and grove ( "watch your feet, 'stream made the ground soft" "ah, thank you, I believe I'll be alright-!" ) to find the place where the Blupees haunched on hind legs and watched them with startling, ruby eyes. The one Link had gone before, a familiar forest in the heavy overhang of branches & leaves. a bowl is filled with fruit steadily throughout the day beneath a great cherry tree, pink petals like silk beneath the sun. a final act of care comes as sunset threatens to burn the sky alive when, on a brief journey back to a stable for a briefer meal, they're caught in a fleeting conversation of flora & the hearts beneath their stalks ( "Oh, you're going all the way up to Satori mountain? Hey, if you're going through all the effort, I've heard people bring flowers up there sometimes, you know, offerings and the like. Some people bring flowers, symbolizing what the 'Lord of the Mountain' protector means to them. Maybe it'd be worth your time?" ) ( "That sound's like a nice idea, I think!" "I think so, yes, but what would I even bring...?" ) ━━━ they in bundles, at last, arrive. Hurried up, past the stream, to find the tree again. Zelda hesitates, an offering of silent princess clasped between delicate fingers ━ "Would it be considered disrespectful to place it at the dish...? Maybe I shouldn't..." ━ before Link, calloused hands delicate, maneuver their hands to set it down along the rest, petals bright; bright in the clear sky.

━ bittersweet, bluebell, pink camellia, iris, cattleya orchid, magnolia, evening primrose, flax, rose leaf, forsythia, fern, lavender rose, bells of ireland, azalea, sweet pea, mixed zinnea. ( 'I think you're kind, and charming, and though I rarely see you, I hope you are well. I hope to change that fleetingness, if you'll let me? I think you might like Zelda, you might have more in common than you think.' / 'I've heard of you, but never seen you, all good things. I hope one day to meet, you seem good. Perhaps lonely. I might like you, if you gave me the chance, but I'd understand if you don't like me. I hope your future is a kind one, whatever kind of future it is. I don't know you well enough, even in stories, to tell.' )

Somewhere, there is a valley tucked neatly behind the ridges of hills, in the lowered groove 'twixt them where the land sinks ginger under the long grass and the wild flower of the knolls; as though gently swept down, as though the soft lowering of a stomach, ribs high against the soft tension of smooth skin in earth, as though the rounded edges of hands where the knuckles stood war-like as the gentle palm sinks; ball of the hand softer than the upper of the palm, the upper of the palm softer than the fingers, the fingers softer than the nails, the nails softer than the bones inside them all.

Somewhere, there is a valley of tender, shivering silver. plush moss lining the ground like bolster turned cloudy like rain, muted but beautiful in variation, white paint blending with greys in the fiber that wasn't fiber, the tissue that was. A place no one knew. a place one did. flowers split, forbearing as though shifting only between the folds, and reeds rose in the bed. A place that never died, flowers like chanting; the same message, 'hundred times over, 'thousand more. ━ Somewhere, you know this place. Somewhere, no one else knows at all. Somewhere, it tells you something. Somewhere, somewhere, somewhere...

━ lotus, cherry blossom, chrysanthemum. ( 'how much would it take to stop grieving yourself, and choose to live? how long?' )

[turniparts]

So... Life series winners as Omori characters anyone? Individual ref sheets and more info under the cut :D

Okay SO, for starters I will just say that I am biased towards Scott Smajor and that is why I made him the main character. However, I do believe that in the end he does kind of make the most sense for Sunny considering that everyone else fits better as the other characters imo. Also I used tints of blue instead of black and white bc drawing Scott in black and white just simply feels incorrect.

Anyway, Scar and Pearl are just 100% Hero and Aubrey respectively. A lot of Hero's character revolves around his charming personality, which he uses in headspace to get people to do him favors. I feel like this matches up with Scar's "too charismatic for his own good" schtick that usually happens in the life series.

Aubrey reacts to a negative experience where she was abandoned by IMMEDIATELY lashing out at everyone and becoming a social outcast, hanging out with delinquents. I don't think it's rocket science to see that Pearl, who reacted to negative experiences where she was abandoned by going crazy and lashing out at everyone, matches her character really well.

Going from there, Scott as Sunny makes sense because of his abandonment of Pearl in double life mirroring Sunny's retreat from Aubrey and his friends in how the latter reacted.

Then Grian as Mari because 1) Desert Duo(not necessarily romantic, just in how they are inextricably linked), and 2) He was the first winner and with Watcher stuff I feel like his character is best suited to Mari's role in headspace.

That left Cleo and Martyn as Kel and Basil. These two were the ones I debated the longest, because I feel like they both suit both roles. I went with Cleo as Kel because she's the one who stuck with Scott throughout every life series, like how Kel never gave up on knocking on Sunny's door.

Martyn and Scott were of course the mean gills, and Martyn won through attacking Scott despite all they'd been through together. Basil experienced the trauma with Sunny but still ended up attacking him in his fear. Plus with listener lore I feel like Martyn being the only other person to know the truth makes sense.

Also, whether you look at it in the celestial bodies interpretation(Grian Sun, Scott Stars, Pearl Moon, Martyn Mars, Scar Earth, Cleo Pluto) or tarot cards interpretation(Grian Sun, Scott Stars, Pearl Moon, Martyn Tower, Scar World, Cleo Fool), the omori characters also match up to those.

Sorry that was a lot of explanation for why I linked the specific characters I did. Onto the flowers! Scott as a poppy actually makes a lot of sense even w/out flower husbands, as it's a flower that symbolizes sleep, due to its use in sleeping gas, as well as death, which both match up with how Sunny acted in game.

Pearl is a Datura becuase of its ties to the moon(Moonflowers) as well as its other name(Devil's Trumpet) referencing her Double life character. It is also a very spiritual flower for many cultures, which ties into Aubrey and how she attends church.

Cleo being a succulent feels self explanatory, much like Kel's cactus in game they are easy to take care of and grow under many conditions.

Scar is lavender because of its associations with calming and devotion. Hero acts as the group's peace-keeper, and Scar with this role would do the same. It also has some medicinal properties like soothing headaches and having anti-inflammatory effects, which I feel fits well.

Martyn is a water lily because the season he won was the mean gills season, which I wanted to tie in. Their meaning being rebirth(which also matches the poppy) fits the way that Sunny can only face the truth after Basil nearly kills him. They also symbolize enlightenment, which again aligns with how Basil/Martyn is the only character to know the truth other than Sunny himself.

Grian is the red zinnia because firstly, I wanted him to have a red flower, and secondly its symbolism matches pretty well. Familial love, of course, represents how Mari(Grian in this case) was not only Sunny's big sister, but also acted as a sisterly figure to the other kids. While they are tough flowers, they also symbolize remembrance, pointing towards the death of Mari/Grian. I probably could've kept everyone except Scott and Martyn's flowers the same, but I actually had a lot of fun looking into flower meanings and stuff(sorry if it's not al 100% accurate).

I was honestly surprised with how many parallels I was actually able to find here. This really started as a silly thing I played with in my head because I enjoy both of these medias, but the more I thought about it, the more I went "huh, that actually does make sense", so now here we are.

@easily-distracted-by-fandom , I hope you enjoy the ramble. I also hope that I find more people who know what the heck I'm talking about lmao

Edited in an attempt to make this easier to read instead of big blocks of text lmao

[mythgirlimagines]

https://www.reddit.com/r/ProjectSekai/comments/16rotj8/the_power_of_google_translate_part_2/

This one's going in the main tag because I do talk a lot lol

So overall, I really liked the new outfits! I didn't really go into this with any specific expectations (other than wanting Shizuku and Mafuyu to grow taller bc they deserve it but w/e)

More specific thoughts under the cut! I have quite a few now that the designs have sat for a few days lol

Link 1 | link 2 | link 3

L/N - I kind of actually like the new uniformity they have, and the professionalism of their outfits. I read someone else say that it's a departure from the high school look, which I agree with. The subtle differences in their outfits are really interesting for me to look at, like the different skirts, accessories, the ties/ribbons (and if you've read my Saki kabedon fic, there may be something for you in November you'll like ;3), even the cut of the jackets and buttons are individualized or matching with someone. All things considered, these outfits really suit them! They definitely say that they're a cohesive unit, plus a bit of a hint towards genre and they seem easy to move around in while playing. I like Miku's new outfit, too, it looks so cozy but very stylish. I would want to cosplay it.

MMJ - While I am going to miss the old outfits in this case, I think their new outfits are very cute! The baby blue suits all of them well, though I have seen people's edits of using their individual colors instead of the blue, and that's also cute. I don't know a lot about J-pop (I mostly listen to K-pop), so I don't know if this is the kind of cohesiveness that groups tend to go for. I love their differences in their skirts, and honestly those outfits looks so cute and easy to dance in, which is probably more important than other factors. Miku's outfit seems really elaborate, and kind of reminds me of one of her cards? Can't remember which one and I'm typing this in class so I'm too lazy to look lol.

VBS - I LOVE their outfits!! The fact that An's looks like Nagi's outfits kills me inside, and I think it's really cool that Toya's torn shirt is kind of like VBS!Kaito's! (Not sure if I've seen anyone else mention that but it was just something I noticed lol) It's really cool that all of their outfits have the pink in them somewhere. Kohane's outfit is probably my favorite, and I definitely want to cosplay it sometime, she looks so cute and comfy! Again, these outfits seem easy to move in, especially for their style of music. It fits their vibe as a whole, and I definitely agree with Akito losing one of his sweatshirts (as funny as him having three was) is kinda symbolic when it comes to his trust with everyone else and being more himself, if that makes sense. An also looks more somber than her old energetic self, so I'm looking forward to seeing her in upcoming stories. I'm more iffy on Miku's, though it's still really cool, it just reminds me more of n25 and I prefer her old VBS outfit.

WxS - RUI TURN AROUND!! Jk lol. Their outfits are also more uniform, but in a way that makes me think of how far they've come as a group instead of striving towards individual goals, y'know? They're more in sync and on the same page. I don't really have many thoughts beyond that, but their outfits seem fitting to them and their personalities. I definitely like Miku's more than her original.

n25 - ngl I focused more on them than their outfits originally. Because look at all of them! They all look more sad than they did in their original picture! Ena especially, and Mafuyu still doesn't have any semblance of light in her eyes. Does it mean anything that she's facing away from everyone else? Who knows. Does it mean anything that she's the only one whose clothes are kind of torn/tattered? Probably imo but again I'm in class I don't have time to psychoanalyze her based on her outfit. The flower motifs are cool, Ena's reminds me of the cover of Charles. All of their outfits look really comfortable, and still fit their music's aesthetics. I would actually love to have Kanade's sweater dress, I love sweater dresses. Miku has two socks, two shoes, and now two TIED ribbons! I like this new design for her, looks towards some kind of growth, but overall their outfits make me worried for where their stories are headed. That could be a whole other post on its own, honestly.

[wheelercore]

Wheeler Family s3 Color Symbolism

What the hell was going on with the Wheeler family color symbolism in season 3- once you see it you cant unsee it and its driving me insane lol. So I'm making this post. It was clearly showing that mike is having tween relationship problems and how those problems can manifest into Serious Big Adult Problems when applied to his parent’s relationship because their individual influence on him.

Anyways- lets start with Karen.

She spends most of the season in outfits that are either yellow or have yellow accents. However, interestingly enough, when she’s about to cheat on Ted with Billy, she's completely in red- with blue accents (her earrings and her belt).

This is one of the few times, if not the only time this season we see Karen wear red in such a way. I don't really think its meant to symbolize love, per se. Karen doesn't love Billy. She lusts for him, sure, but she doesn't hold any emotional attachment to him. Personally what it means to me is freedom. Karen is trying to regain what autonomy she lost growing up as a young woman in the 50s-60s and how she settled for Ted because of how the world "beat her down" as she tells Nancy later on. Now, as I'll get to later, this meaning doesn't exclude love. To others *cough cough* mike *cough cough* it could mean the freedom to love.

Her blue accents, however, tells the story of what's holding her back from her freedom- Ted. He's in a lot of blue this season, and I'm not surprised to see that its a color that lingers on Karen in this scene. Because Karen doesn't love Ted romantically, but what is holding her back from her freedom is the security that he provides. Not only is he the breadwinner, Karen cheating on Ted would tear their family apart- leaving emotional scares on Holly in particular with her being so young (and part of why Karen stays).

But its not only Karen with the colors of their significant other on them in this scene-

Teds socks. Blue (Ted), yellow (Karen), and green, which is the two colors mixed. A reminder to Karen of their marriage.

Its hard to say that this means anything for Ted himself since we never get any insight into his inner thoughts. Ted's POV simply Doesn't Exist (which is VERY similar to how Mike's POV has been sorely lacking in s4).

But lets get back to Karen.

As mentioned before, for the rest of the season Karen is in a lot of yellow, particularly this scene the day (?) after she chooses not to cheat on Ted:

Her swimsuit- that she previously flirted with Billy in- is being worn over by a yellow dress (with red flowers). Imo, the yellow is meant to symbolize holding oneself back and lies/dishonesty/secret desires. Not to rag on Karen or Mike, just an objective observation. Karen is no longer free in her red.

This scene is great because it really is in your face about how Mike and Karen are in similar situations relationship-wise.

Mike lies to El about why he can't spend time with her anymore. Karen, despite not it being shown explicitly (I think lol I only skimmed s3 a second time), probably lied to Ted about where she was going that night and who she was going with. Both Mike and Karen are shown to lie to and betray those that they are in a relationship with.

While Mike's lie is comic relief and basic teen boy shenanigans, what we are being shown is the beginning of a relationship not built on trust, honesty, and love- and how it manifests in an adult marriage.

The end scene when Karen hugs Mike is important

Karen and Mike are in the same situation- realizing that they don't love their significant other but decided to stay with them regardless because that's what's expected of them. Neither of them are aware of what the other is going through but still Mike goes to his mother for comfort and Karen gives it. Also notice how Karen is wearing three colors in the end: a lot of red, some yellow, and some blue. Karen still yearns to be free, but is still lying to herself by staying with Ted.

Its critical that Karen was in both of these scenes in the beginning and the end. These are the two scenes that parallel her own situation these most.

Anyways some more of yellow Karen before I move on lol:

(I believe in the second image Karen also has a tiny sliver of red on her shirt).

Now lets get onto Ted

This section is going to have some assumptions in it because honestly was goes on in Ted Wheeler's mind is an enigma to me. So I hesitate to say anything definitive. Lets jump to comparing him and Mike:

Mike wears a blue outfit incredibly similar to what Ted wears to the fair. The most standout scene I came across from when Mike was wearing this outfit as it relates to his relationship/sexuality woes was the men's sauna scene, the iconic Mike-has-a-gay-panic scene.

The most interesting thing about the way the sauna scene is shot is that you see Mike never look at the men in the locker room leading up to the full frontal assault when he opens the door. Its almost as is he's deliberately, yet casually, looking away until its shoved into his face. Oh, and the men lifting the weights- *looks at s4 wrestler scene* why is that constantly following Mike around xD?

And also, a casual sidenote, look at Will wearing red stripes? As he repeatedly for the rest of the season, including here:

Something something Will in red representing Mikes yearning for his freedom to love him without societal consequence something.

Now going back to Ted and Mike's outfit- remember the 'see what happens?' line from s1? How Mike looked ashamed after staring when he opened the door at the spa? In my opinion blue (this shade in particular) is shame, repression, and conformity.

This makes sense for both characters, Mike may be gay and suffering from internalized shame and a need to be ''''normal''''. He's avoiding his thoughts and why he doesn't like girls. He's repressing himself to conform.

Meanwhile, everything about Ted screams conformity. He's a middle class white republican dude in a small town in Indiana. He (at least outwardly) doesn't question authority. He does what he's expected to do societally (be the breadwinner) while doing nothing more than that (emotionally neglecting his children in the process).

But also its important to remember that historical trends matter a lot in ST and Ted is a member of the Silent Generation.

... which is kind of against the whole theme of ST.

What we see here is Ted's influence on Mike. The "see what happens" line is particularly interesting, because while extremely homophobic and victim-blamey - its the perfect way in which Ted would be homophobic. Not yelling slurs or being obnoxious about it, but by being cautionary. See what happens when you stick out? When you make yourself seen outside the already socially acceptable structures? People will hurt you and you will be asking for it because you could have just chosen to keep your head down and not rock the boat.

(And you also see it in the way Ted belittles Mike repeatedly, indirectly and directly. "Mike with a girl?" and calling Mike's D&D club a high school drop outs club. He is one of the active people in Mike's life who causes Mike to to feel shame for the things he enjoys/ loves. But I don't think its a case of Ted being deliberately cruel, I think its a case of a parent perpetuating the same abuse onto their child that was perpetuated onto them, because they never unlearned it. Ted does this a lot- think of when he suggests in s4 that the sheriff threaten Dustin, Lucas, and Max with jail time to loosen their lips. In Ted's mind, it was perfectly acceptable to threaten to throw a child for night in jail if they are disobedient. However, us the watchers and even everyone else in the room in the 80s reacted with revulsion at the thought of doing that. Ted seemed shocked by this, probably because it was such a normalized thing to do when he was growing up, corporal punishment in the 50s and all that).

It makes me wonder if Ted has personal experience with such things, because if one thing was established between Karen and Nancy in S3 it's that Ted isn't brave or risk-taking and it defines so much of how he presents himself. And how much of that fear of sticking out he has passed down to Mike through his upbringing (which we see him rebelling against in s4).

Also I personally believe, just as much as how Karen was pressured into marrying Ted, Ted was also pressured into finding a wife and starting a family as he got older, hence their marriage being one of convenience rather than love ("I don't think my parents ever loved each other").

Mikes justification to Will for dating El is that he needs to grow up and get a girlfriend already. Sound similar? I wonder who he picked that up from.

It's about how conformity put both of them in a loveless relationship where they are completely emotionally checked out. It's the cycle of being completely miserable in life that Ted pressures Mike into, that he himself was pressured into.

I don't want to discuss s4 in this post all that much (because I don't have screenshots lol), but it's also very telling how they completely double down on Mike-Ted parallels in s4 when it comes to Mike and El's relationship. And it really isn't just clothes/ color symbolism and the dinner scene- the lack of Mike's POV is also a parallel to Ted hardly having a POV throughout the whole show.

Also, interestingly enough, Ted does wear some red to the fair- his pants has red stripes. It's much less noticeable, but it's there. Could possibly be tied to Ted putting aside his discomfort for once and getting on the rides to make his daughter and wife happy. Or perhaps there is a small part of him that desires to break out of this conformist system.

Finally, we get to Mike.

Towards the end of the season, before two month the time skip, Mike puts on a third outfit:

And this one is a combination of the last two. The yellow stripes (Karen; holding ones self back/dishonesty) and the light blue (Ted; repression/conformity) . It's in this same outfit he attempts to tell El that he loves her- but can't get it out completely. He tried to do it however because he thinks it's what he's supposed to do (blue) but it would be a lie/dishonest (yellow).

Also to mention again, Will is wearing red accents all throughout this part of the season also.

He's real object of Mikes desires, whom, if Mike was free to love whomever he wanted, he would choose.

All in all, s3 had such a large focus on Mike's inner turmoil as it relates to him recreating his parents relationship in his own with El. He lies to El, directly paralleled to how Karen is dishonest with Ted as a result of their empty marriage that is not built on trust and love. El breaks up with Mike (comically) as a result of learning about his lie. But on a more adult scale, this would have probably also happened with Karen and Ted if he had learned of the attempted cheating. There is no active resolution to Mike and El's woes as there is no active resolution to Karen and Ted's problems either. A m*leven break up in s5 my opinion, is closely tied to the probability of a Ted/Karen divorce, which is very likely.

Mike actively represses himself and seeks to conform, caused by Ted who puts pressure onto him to do so most likely because that's what was perpetuated onto Ted as he was growing up. How Ted ended up in a half assed marriage and family that he's checked out of, and how that would be Mike's future if he doesn't change course- and knowing s4 and the cultural (more liberal) change in society in the 80s during which Mike is coming of age, it's the perfect backdrop for him to break out of that cycle in s5. And because of that I'm very interested in seeing Mike come out to Ted in particular.

[kinetic-elaboration]

August 28: 3x05 Is There In Truth No Beauty?

Several days later, coming back to write up these Star Trek notes. I feel like I never got to talk this episode through properly, or even think through it properly by myself, because mom went right into watching AHS on Thursday, and I was too tired to even sort through my thoughts and when we talked yesterday, it was… entirely about other things.

So, here at least are my liveblog thoughts, and maybe I’ll remember some more as I write.

Right off the bat, this is such a cool concept: the friendly alien Ambassador who no one can look at because his form is not fit for human eyes.

Love Spock’s silly looking little visor. Not sure I get why he’s wearing it right now, when the Ambassador is in his box, but okay.

Dr. Jones is so beautiful. I love her dress.

I’m sure Spock is thinking “If only all Ambassadors could be put into little boxes like this.”

Okay, Ambassador’s coming! Everybody quarantine!

Right, I JUST remembered the significance of the dress.

Spock has experience with mind links with other creatures—a lot of experience that ho. Is he thinking about the pleasure of connecting to Kirk, that “dynamic individual”?

“My life is here.” With the Captain???

I feel like this episode is implying, all but stating outright, that Spock is very good at mindlinking. Like maybe even more so than the average Vulcan. Which makes sense because he does it so often. And yet he still messes up with AOS!Kirk.

I love the effects for the Ambassador. I’m not even being sarcastic; I think they get across the experience of looking at him quite effectively.

Hmmm, some non-touch telepathy. I know Spock has a little of that. I guess it’s mostly him reacting to Miranda, though.

Gotta get a dig in at Dr. McCoy before he leaves lol. Spock, so predictable.

Kirk’s flirting is off the charts today omg. Tone it down man.

SCOTTY IN A KILT aw yeah.

She learned from the Vulcans how not to read thoughts. Exactly!! Their telepathy is such an underrated part of the whole Vulcan thing, including why they remain ‘emotionless.’

She’s so jealous of Spock.

Honestly this whole scene… there’s a lot going on here! I’m trying to pay attention to the Vulcan telepath stuff but the men won’t stop flirting at 11. Especially McCoy, laying it on extra thick.

She does hold her own very well, though.

A preference for beauty—one of our last prejudices.

“Sleep well.” So cute. (I’ve already forgotten but I’m pretty sure this is Kirk.)

“We’re all vulnerable in one way or another.” KIRK SHUT UP I LOVE YOU.

Girls don’t like guys, girls like Medusan ambassadors.

This guy is so jealous. I barely know who he is lol; this comes out of nowhere.

Interesting angle on the hallway shot. I feel like there are a lot of those in this ep, like these weirdly long shots of the hallways… Maybe I’m just not used to seeing them with one or no people in them.

Kirk and the squad. Work work fashion baby.

“Larry? Marvick? Why?” Okay that is some real Shatnerian inflection there.

SCOTTY FIGHT SCENE.

*Ship veers obviously*

And look at this weird-ass view of the bridge. Like what the hell, where is the camera? On the lift? It’s so disorienting!

Spock needs to fix some stuff, calls for his protégé Chekov, of course.

And this funky music. So bizarre.

WE’LL BE SAFE AT THE BOUNADIRES OF THE UNIVERSE. Drama queen

This is a nutty view, this “unknown void.” Like one would think beyond space there’s… just more space, not a Windows 98 screensaver.

Space time continuum?? They didn’t time travel (again), did they?

“He just simply died.” How convenient.

“An entertaining suggestion, Mr. Chekov, but not very helpful.” Honestly, I do think he’s entertained. Spock has grown so much over the course of the show.. like I know there was controversy with his IC-ness this season but in this case, I really do think it is growth. Compare this to the Corbomite Maneuver, where he had a sense of humor but it was… a little mean, a little arch. There’s a certain warmth to him now.

Her mind must be so engaged that she doesn’t notice the plan for Spock to meld with the Ambassador = Kirk will seduce her. Lol. Of course. Everyone’s favorite honeypot.

He has absolutely NO shame.

The man sure does love his flowers, though.

She’s never been to Earth. So she’s a human born on a colony, I guess? That’s such a throwaway line, but so interesting. Could that be part of how she’s telepathic?

Oh no! A thorn!

“Violent emotion is a kind of insanity.” Can I steal this?

Too ugly to bear or too beautiful to bear?

Let me spell it out for you: this is romantic. (Again, I’ve forgotten what this refers to, but I’m going to assume it’s something Kirk said.)

Lol Bones just dropping truth bombs. How did he know she was blind? Did he recognize the dress or does he have access to her files as the ship’s doctor?

And Kirk accepts it immediately. “Of course! It’s the only reasonable explanation as to why you weren’t attracted to me.”

The Ambassador is brought to the bridge and placed behind a covid wall, I mean, protective barrier.

And now, we meet the Ambassador for real.

“THAT’s Spock!” Bones is so happy. He’s really not comfortable with Spock being all… smiley and flirty. Or rather, someone in Spock’s body, I should say.

Kollos is VERY flirty. And he and Miranda have chemistry for sure. It’s weird, because I don’t get any sense of that between her and Spock (rightly so) but Spock as the Ambassador and it comes right out.

I love the characterization of him. The idea that the Medusans’ thoughts are supposed to be particularly nice to engage with…. I really see how that would be. He’s so soothing.

Kollos is enjoying his time in a human body, I think. Mostly. Not all of it. (I got a little teary at the part about loneliness, ngl.)

Time to go back? So soon?

Noooo the shield! It’s like forgetting your mask when you enter a building.

[Spock wails]

Honestly, even seeing the steps to the upper level of the bridge is really weir. Like, I’ve always known there are steps there… but I’ve never thought about what they look like.

Kirk is so skeptical about all of this. Spock is in danger and his brain immediately goes to the pessimistic scenarios—very unlike him!

He’s freaking out nervous.

“Are we supposed to wake him with a kiss?” Idk, it’s worth a try. Why doesn’t Kirk give it a go?

Does Kirk have a game plan with Miranda here, or is he just honestly freaking out?

…The answer is honestly freaking out, which is rather a disappointment.

Trippy.

Spock has a necklace version of the IDIC symbol this time.

Everyone’s exchanging all these highly formulaic, formal goodbyes and Kirk’s like “Peace.” Wow, really trying hard with that one. Still rattled, I guess.

Also speaking of these formulaic exchanges—this fits very well with the HAICG-verse. Just saying.

This episode was really good! I loved Miranda, I am a huge fan of the underlying sci fi concept, and I though the Spock characterization and the hints of Vulcan culture were very interesting (and very in keeping with my own characterization and world building, imo).

The only thing I didn’t like was Kirk’s characterization. He felt like a stereotype, like who AOS thought TOS Kirk was, rather than himself—the over the top flirting, the dramatic rage, how he didn’t really seem in control of anything or on his game at all.

But, even though he’s my fave, the interesting Spock characterization made up for that, and I really appreciated these insights into him, interacting with someone who, while not Vulcan herself, had a Vulcan cultural background, someone he approached similarly to how he would one of his own people. It was very polite but with a lot of unsaid beneath the surface, which is how I imagine Vulcans are.

The introduction of IDIC truly was pretty random! I did like the idea of Spock trying to compliment her and not really landing it, because that’s just the awkward nerd sort of thing he would do. But it’s weird that the phrase has never been introduced before, and also that even within this episode, it’s only obliquely explained.

I’m not actually sure if I’ve seen the next ep or not. I don’t think so, but it’s possible I did and just don’t remember it very well…

[kafkaeskin]

Hi there! I have a question about your flower series. Do the flowers you chose for each character have any symbolism? I would google but sadly I don't even know what the majority of them are called ;; hope you can help!

Hey anon! A good question, and the answer is uhh..kinda? My reasoning behind picking out the flowers was mostly a really weird mixture between amateur flower symbolism and gut feeling. Also, most of the time I didn't really use references for the flowers, so rather than accurately depicting an existing plant I decided to just loosely base the flowers off of them? so here goes ~

Butters: SunflowersI had to pair butters with sunflowers! They are just such bright and bubbly flowers, also very durable and giving (I'd love some sunflowerseeds right now!) BUT at the same time, I always thought there’s something darker about them? Think wilted sunflowers next to the dusty porch of an abandoned country home. The flowers can also look kinda intense/intimidating sometimes, like a bick black angry eye. As such, I think they could represent Butters bright, happy nature, while also referring to the darker aspects of his life. 

Eric: Orange LiliesThey symbolise hatred and passion, which is a perfect fit for Cartman imo, also they look adequately flashy!  Cartman actually has a lot of potential and can be quite the driven individual but unfortunately, his negative attitude towards others (and secretly, himself) tends to just destroy everything. Like when he went `nah, I'll just do whatever I want', just to spite his own adult self, thus possibly ruining his own future?  he often strikes me as being a slave to his own twisted mind, so I tried to illustrate that conflict!

Kyle: kinda loosely based on Jasmine?                                                     I just wanted something elvish and pretty for him,heh. Jasmine fits though because aside from all that romantic-symbolism shebang, it is perceived as a complex, nuturing and caring flower (bc he is a mom), and it is also very resilient! I guess I could have gone with something that represents his choleric, fiery nature better, but I just think that (recent events aside,hehe) his concern for everybodys well-being is a very defining aspect of his character. 

Stan: Bleeding HeartSince the day my mom planted one in our garden and threatened to cut my hand off if it came to harm I have kind of a love-hate realationship with this plant, lol. But I instantly knew I'd choose it for Stan! It is very bold, beautiful and romantic and, of course, also very emo and fragile-looking. As such it covers most of the traits that I see in Stan. The flowers come out of his mouth because good or bad, he kinda wears his emotions on his sleeve for all to see. But mostly, his showing-love-through-puking-thing, I guess.

Kenny: White Calla LilesThese flowers symbolise purity, but they are also a common funeral flower, so kinda the obvious choice for Kenny. They are even associated with resurrection! (Of the christ, technically, but, eh close enough) It always amazes me how Kenny, while being a little boob-obsessed shit who has seen and done way too much in his short violent life, manages to stay such a pure angelic soul? I mean, that dude is just inherently good and untainted. I have no idea how he does it! 

Whoops, this has gotten pretty long, I'm sorry! I think I'll better leave the other boys for another post. Hope this makes sense so far :)

[dandelioncherokee]

| Carol’s Flowers |

So, I was curious.

Because the amount of floral decoration in one single specific corner of Carol’s house made me think. It’s almost as if tptb want to push us viewers into that direction,”take a closer look at this huge easter egg”and it is so fucking obvious  because one picture shows a pomegranate clear as day, and we already know since ‘The Well’ that this fruit has quite some meaning regarding Carol.

So..we have an oil painting that is imo very prominent, 2 very large pictures that seem to be prints on the next wall and there is also a very bloomy sofa standing right there.The whole area just seems totally cluttered if you compare it to the rest of the house.Look at the picture below,it’s almost too much! I believe that it is made that way because Gimple wants to make sure we see it. The frames and pictures are huge for the same reason imo.

I think the following observations are ALL significant for Carol’s story -and imo- for Caryl’s story,too.I really fell down a rabbit hole of symbolism here,and I was stunned how much everything fits smoothly together. This got really long,so I will put the analysis under a cut.

First of all I want to point out something you can see in picture 1.

The oil painting, the prints and the sofa all show flowers,but on each piece you can see a different art style in which the flowers are presented to our eye.The styles do not match at all.

📍We see a huge,valuable looking oil painting that shows a still life of roses in a vase, the style of art is modern.

📍We see-hanging side by side-two huge art prints in a classic botanical art style showing off compositions of various flowers,fruit and small animals.

📍We see the cutesy sofa upholstered with a victorian style flower fabric that shows mainly roses,grapes and other fruit.

The three different styles may represent three different themes regarding Daryl&Carol.

[ Love is the main theme ]  

❤ Imo the oil painting is our main theme here.It seems to be a valuable piece of modern art and with its vibrant colors it stands out in a special way. It shows a white,a black and multiple red roses.

Meaning I immediately thought of Daryl/Carol representing the Yin/Yang or black/white in this case. The red rose stands for LOVE, and we have more than one...so I am pretty sure that means nothing less than great romance.

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[ character development | Theme 2 ]

Lets take a look at the huge twin prints above the sofa (pictures 1,3,4). It is strange that those prints do not show a real flower bush species,but kind of fantasy hybrid trees with multiple different flowers and fruit on them.The composition is exactly the same on both prints,mirroring each other,though using different subjects.We have some main flowers,plenty tiny blossoms,butterflies,a main fruit,berries and birds in each picture.

On the LEFT picture you can essentially see magnolias,lilys and quinches on the same tree. There is a magpie and 2 species of butterflies,black and red berries,and white apple blossoms.

Magnolias stand for devotion,intuition,inner peace,faith,clarity,self-awareness.They represent feminine power,majestic and noble.                        Lilys stand for kindness,fertility,pureness.                                               Quinches stand for love,fertility,faith,wisdom,skill,health.Since ancient times the quinche is known as a magical fruit and it unites the feminine and masculine. Magpies are powerful spirit messengers.They stand for opportunity,communication(especially with significant others),positivity on life,taking risks.  

On the RIGHT picture you can see daffodil and crocus, bindweed and pomegranate on the same tree.Further I can make out pale pink apple blossoms,an owl,black berries and a phaesant.

Daffodils stand for faith,honesty,truth,forgiveness,forthrightness.                Crocus flowers stand for joy and cheerfulness.                                      Bindweed has no particular meaning,it is a simple but amazingly beautiful flower that can grow and thrive everywhere.                                  Pomegranates stand for fertility,love,marriage.                                             Owls can see in the dark,they represent intuition,wisdom,change/life transition and the ability to see beyond deceit and masks.                                      Phaesants stand for wide open spaces,nobility,power,protection,sexuality and represent the yang energy.By the way,Phoenixes are phaesants.

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BOTH PICTURES

Butterflies stand for transformation,rebirth,playfulness.                                  Red berries are a symbol for immortality.                                                      Black berries stand for a bad omen or sorrow.                                            Apple blossoms are pale pink when they first bloom and turn white later on.They stand for good fortune,better things to come,love,peace,sexuality and fertility.

🔥Meaning 

I am going to call it now.                                                                                 These twin pictures stand for Daryl and Carol,both individually and as a unit. Side by side and totally equal.When I look at the symbolic meaning of objects (see above) included in each picture,the right one features imo mainly Daryl in every detail of his personality and development,but Carol’s attributes seem to be mixed right in.The left one features imo mainly Carol with Daryl mixed in.Kind of Daryl and Carol as beautiful hybrid trees.

These prints try imo to tell us a story about who Daryl&Carol are,what will happen in that house and where the future and fate will lead them.They belong together,they grow together like thriving trees,they complete each other. What stood out to me is the positive note.Beside the individual characteristics you can see that a lot of symbolism evolves around love/marriage,fertility,sexuality,nobility,change/transition.

It seems to be the main theme.This means definitely a big,passionate(definitely VERY physical),unconditional love of a noble pair, marriage (and maybe kids included??) Fertility could also mean in terms of leading and protecting a community/communities and building a smoothly running expanded“kingdom”.Those two will make the world better and safer.There will be good times,good fate,the apple blossoms implicate this.The magnolias seem to hint at Carol as a “queen” or sort of leader....the butterflies,magpie and owl underline that big changes will come for Caryl,there will be life positivity and life transition.The magpie symbolism on Carol’s tree also tells us that issues will be worked out.

Carol’s picture has the red berries of immortality( meaning she will maybe do something that makes her “immortal”/”bigger than life”), Daryl’s hasn’t. But both prints show the black berries that stand for the bad omen or sorrow. Could be that these remind of significant deaths (Sophia/Merle) or that there will be death in the future.

[ circumstances of life Theme 3 ]

The sofa is upholstered with a victorian style printed fabric that shows various fruit, especially grapes and roses.                                                              Grapes stand for prosperity and fertility,and roses for love.

Meaning The sofa/living room is the main spot in a house where you sit and relax after a long day or where you come together with friends and other people. 

Sofa= settling down I am convinced after I have finished this analysis that Daryl and Carol will indeed settle down together and that they will love each other like crazy until the very end.I am further convinced that these two will have a very important role at the thriving Kingdom(prosperity/fertility) and that they will stay there.

Phew,there we are.

This makes really a lot of sense to me actually,I hope it does not sound totally delusional to any of you.I would love to hear what you think! I hope I used all the right terminology,as I am not a native speaker.I want to take this analysis as a proof that we are INDEED GOING TO GET CANON SOON and that Carol and Daryl will get to live for a good while,living a meaningful  LIFE together and making the very best of it.Thanks for reading and ⚡Caryl on⚡