So I downloaded this new game~ It’s called What in Hell is Bad?
Mainly because my Tumblr got flooded with it and I went “it shouldn’t be that bad, right? I mean, I’ve already been through Nu: Carnival and seen content on Seduce Me” (I’m terrible, I know, but it was for the same reason I went through those two as well)
…Anyways, my three-hours-in review so far is: I don’t know if this is better or worse than Nu: Carnival, and I am once again questioning my life choices. (Lucifer and Gabriel tho—)
If anyone can either tell me more about this game or talk me out of continuing, please do
Among many other things I spotted some common fumitory (top left), what I can only assume was scentless mayweed and not chamomile (top right), red campion (bottom right), and also stopped yet again to admire the cracking fungus which adorns a particular tree in the park (bottom left, with ragwort at the base of the trunk too).
What if the ghosts cannot leave because the surrounding grounds are property of Barclay? Because he or his ascendents put some kind of “magical” barrier
The Story Of You From My Eternal Memories: Deeper Analysis of VnC Birth Flowers (Vanitas & Noe Part 1)
Analyzing the language of flowers used to be an old hobby of mine. Given the fact that their birth flowers’ meaning are becoming a driving factor for this fandom’s discussion, I’ve wanted to contribute again by giving a deeper analysis on Vanitas’ and Noe’s birth flower symbolism, and the potential on their relationship/roles in VnC’s story line. (Also to deal the agonizing wait of the next chapter.)
I also really enjoy the thought Mochijun put into this part of their character development. (Or maybe she threw an arrow at a calendar randomly who knows. She loves to be vague about this stuff.)
While most flowers share similar meanings of ‘love’ or ‘beauty’, I think it’s also important to recognize the differences between the modifications of each description of ‘love’ and nuances of each flower. (Also I’m using Google Translate for the Japanese meanings/info on their flowers, so as a non-native speaker, the translation may not be 100% accurate.)
Also a quick thank you to @1anonymousdrk for informing the VnC fandom of our emotionally conflicted protagonists’ birth flowers several weeks back. This s*** has literally plagued my brain for so long lol.
Unlike the western birth flowers, hanakotoba (japanese version) has flowers assigned to every month of the year, and every day of the year. I don’t know what the context you use for the month flowers though if you already have a day flower. Meanings can differ or stay similar in both languages. Everyone has at least one birth flower. The average I’ve seen is between 2-3 flowers assigned to a day, 1 being the least, 5 being the most.
BTW, the site that tells us birth flowers for every day/month of the year:
https://hananokotoba.com
Now, let’s get to it! (Allons-y!)
Vanitas’s birthday - February 7th (1871 for trivia)
He has 3 birth flowers. The ‘forget-me-not’, plum blossom, and hyacinth. The forget-me-not is most notable as it relates to VnC before the other 2. Check the bolded meanings for significance in the explanations afterward.
Forget-Me-Not (Main)
Japanese meaning: True love, “Don’t Forget Me”
Western meaning: True love, Memories (and to an obvious extent, ‘please don’t forget me’)
Similar meanings in both Japanese and English, this flower also matches Vanitas’ colour theme of blue! The ‘forget-me-not’ is a very tiny flower that grows through cracks and sometimes is viewed as weed (some consider it a welcoming sight, some find it a nuisance). The flower sometimes doesn’t grow directly in the open, but its color makes a significant impact if it is visible to a passerby.
^Sound familiar? - Dude gets on La Baleine in a sketchy manner instead of entering like a normal passenger, crashes through the window as a blue ball of flash and says some random wacko nonsense to Noe (the passerby) and threatens pain if he gets involved? Yeah, definitely made an impression there buddy! (not a good one) As a debatable ‘weed’ for gardeners, Noe did mention he found Vanitas quite annoying and ‘didn’t like him that much’ in the beginning too.
This is suitable for two reasons: it highlights Vani’s purpose as the title character and his personal wish to be remembered by a close individual, which Noe takes the responsibility of by writing out VnC based on his memories of Vanitas. The ‘Vanitas’ Noe chooses to see as an changed individual rather than the mask he set for himself or what others make up him to be. This will outlines all the goods and bad, much like how some people can view this flower as delicately tender or a nuisance. (The desire to be remembered by someone close has yet to be directly confirmed by Mochijun, but on an intimate level like flower languages, I’d like to say it’s a reasonable assumption I’m making.)
There are some flowers that have a standard meaning of ‘remember me’. For the ‘forget-me-not’, I say Vani’s desire is to be remembered by someone close rather than just to be ‘remembered at all’ is because of the other meanings associated with it and the origin of its name.
I won’t ramble the story here (the hanakotoba site I listed has the full thing) but it’s from an old German tale where a knight went to pick this flower by the riverbed for his precious person. Unfortunately, he got swept away by the water. Before disappearing from sight, he tossed the flower to her saying ‘forget-me-not’. There is a sad undertone in the thought of giving affection to another here: the desperate attempt to connect with a loved one through a small gesture turned into a tragedy. In his only chance, it was the last message/hidden desire the knight delivered to his lover. (The ending suggests his lover carried on her life never loving another or wore this flower constantly to remember him/their love.)
The flower’s meaning is also a desire to be remembered by your ‘true love’, where the other meanings come to play. In the case where this story is going (regardless of the actual canon pairing), it’s safe to say that Vani is learning to open his heart and will unconsciously desire to be remembered by someone who he shares that warmth with. ATM, between Jeanne and Noe, both have the potential to fill that role but likely it will be Noe. (Because Jeanne made Vani promise to kill her when she’s not herself and I sus Mochijun will follow through somehow). 😭
Also side note: The flower is suitable for Vani cause Noe and Dante makes a point in describing how ‘weak, small and delicate’ he is. Plz don’t come after me.
Plum Blossom (Secondary)
Japanese meaning: noble, faithful, patience
Western meaning: ‘Keep your promise’, fidelity, beauty and longevity
Plum blossoms (the type that are also called Japanese apricots) are unique and significant in Asia, as they are the first among flowering trees to bloom during winter months. While Sakura (cherry) and peach blossoms are loved for their beauty during the actual spring season, plums are cherished as the first sign of spring, and their resilience in cold weather. Compared to the Sakura, which the Japanese describes their appearance as the ‘fleeting beauty in life’ that should be appreciated in the moment, the plum is a symbol of the cycle of life. Vanitas, being a dubious depressed character, plays a bit on this although it looks like he’s indifferent to death. (Must be why he doesn’t care if he gets hurt.)
Aside from the cold nature of plum blossoms, ‘patience’ and ‘keep your promise’ are key factors that point to Vanitas’ goal in the story. When Misha (No. 71 at the time) has taunted Vanitas’ inner thoughts about breaking their ‘promise’, Vanitas moves forward diligently towards his goal, but having looked like he already ‘given up’ as Noe describes him at the bell tower. We aren’t clear what that goal is yet, but it seems that it has been at least 3-5 years since his last encounter with Misha based on the age they were drawn, so Vanitas has been working to cure curse bearers since. The look of ‘given up’ sounds like a hopelessness of broken promises and may related to how he ‘hates’ everyone equally.
Patience also appears to be something he and Noe offer each other when coming to understand each other’s differences. He also tries to fufill’s Noe’s request in a roundabout manner and even gets angry and Noe for influencing his ‘promise’ to Jeanne to save Chloe in the Gedauvan arc. We have yet to learn more about whatever is happening, but their seems to be a hidden theme of ‘secret memories’ and ‘past promises’ with Vanitas. Whether he fulfills those old promises or chooses to honour new ones remains to be seen, but I think Noe will be an key factor, not just an influence on these matters.
Lastly, ‘nobility’. Vanitas doesn’t think of himself as such, but Noe sure does. He reaffirms Vanitas’ goals in the story and influences him in a positive manner. Eventually from the surface level of what seems to be noble, Noe helps Vani see that he isn’t as despicable or unlovable as he think his is. The nobility of the plum isn’t as obvious or certain in Vani’s character, but I find that individuals who try to be noble will go through periods of decisions where they have to make choices. Noble mannerism should be constantly put into practice and such characteristics aren’t always fixed, and Noe is helping Vanitas see that, and encouraging him to go through in his own accord.
Useless side note: Beauty makes sense cause he’s the series top bishonen (Misha, Luna and even Johann say so!)
Hyacinth (Secondary)
GENERAL MEANING
Japanese meaning: Sports, games, play, love beyond sadness
Western meaning: Sports, games, rashness
Color specific (purple)
Japanese meaning: sadness, first-love single mindedness
Western meaning: I am sorry, sorrow, please forgive me
Color specific (blue)
Japanese meaning: unchanged love
Western meaning: constancy, sincerity
So this one is a little weird.
There is a background story about this flower where a boy named Hyacinth who was loved by two gods (Sun god and Wind god). Wind god was jealous that the boy and Sun god were spending time together (playing discus - a hardcore version of frisbee), so he changed the winds direction out of jealousy to mess with them. But the wind moved the disc and accidentally hits the boy, killing him. The sun god sobbed at the sight and a flower grew from the blood where the boy died. (Hence flower is called hyacinth and that the meaning of ‘sport’ and ‘game’ come in.)
There are many dates that are assigned a specific colored hyacinth. Feb 7th and April 11th are the only dates that list a hyacinth without a specific color as a birth flower. However for Feb 7th’s page on the site, an indigo-coloured (this is a bluish purple for non-native English speakers) version is used as a placeholder with the general meaning. After a little more digging I’ve listed the meanings of both a purple and blue version for potential references.
I say potential because such depth would have required Mochijun to research all the days of the year for 1 perfect day to represent Vanitas who could have been character that was still in development at the time. Could’ve been possible that she did, but with the huge world building and mysterious backgrounds of characters, total accuracy of birth flowers is treated as small nice-to-have for the audience to learn about the characters that otherwise can’t be fully explained in the canon story line. (Kind of like the little omakes she does.) That’s why I like to use the ‘forget-me-not’ flower as Vani’s most significant and representative birth flower, which greatly speaks to Noe’s aster (more in his section).
If we go with the general meaning, the ‘games’ and ‘love beyond sadness’ may be applicable to Vanitas’ trolling/impulsive tendencies and occasional wistful looks he gives Noe. Or the death Noe gives Vanitas may be related to jealousy who knows. I will definitely ramble on about it but that’s not the point of this post.
The meaning of ‘sorrow’ of the purple hyacinth in both Japanese and English definitions resonates better with his obvious depression and potential secret desire to be forgiven, which could tie to his extreme self-loathing. Forgiven for existing? Probably, but this is where we are heading toward Pandora Hearts territory and I don’t think this is a core focus for VnC. The apologetic tone that comes with the English meaning of ‘I’m sorry’ is also significant as Noe is the one who usually apologizes when talking with Vanitas or initiates a ‘make up’ session. What kind of apology will Vanitas make or receive that is so significant for flower meaning such as this?
As for the blue hyacinth, perhaps the Japanese meaning of ‘unchanged love’ correlates well with his reluctance to admit he cares about other people, but this is quite a stretch we are going for a flower that isn’t the main.
Noe Archiviste’s birthday - September 28th (1870 for trivia)
Noe also has 3 birth flowers: ‘Fujibakama’, Aster and ‘Helenium’ (variety of sneezeweed). The Aster is most notable of the 3 as it speaks directly to the VnC storyline. Like Vani’s, check the bolded definitions to refer in the descriptions below.
Aster (Main)
Japanese meaning: Recollection, ‘I will never forget you’, ‘I think of people in the distance’
Western meaning: patience, daintiness, symbol of love
Plz excuse me for a moment as I drown in my feelz from wondering why Vani x Noe isn’t canon.
The aster’s Japanese name is ‘shion’, ‘xion’ or ‘zion’. I’m not sure of the significance of it but it seems to be popular flower that’s used as a name for Japanese girls and characters, though there are multiple ways to write ‘Shion’ that doesn’t explicitly mean this flower. An example of such is Kingdom Hearts’ character Xion, who’s name can be interpreted as such. These kind of characters carry the theme of memories or a staying as a source of remembrance instead.
If we stick to the Japanese definition and think through a Japanese reader’s perspective, I can’t think of another flower with a memory/remembrance theme that has been worded so specifically like the Aster. It’s so perfectly compatible for Noe due to his personal nostalgic tendencies and status as an Archiviste, a clan that deals with memories of their own (or lack thereof before Noe got adopted by humans) and the memories of others in more ways than one. Blood drinking, the act of storing, recording and even experiencing the memories of others are all there representing ‘recollection’. While not a native Japanese speaker myself, I would suspect that a Japanese reader be fangirl-ing at the ‘coincidence’ of Noe’s birth flower. The aster/shion is just that significant in media.
But overall, it is also the most tragic. As far as the story leads us to believe, the meanings of this flower and the other 2 assigned to Noe, it’s going to get worst. 😭
Sticking with the Aster’s representation of Noe, the ‘I think of people in the distance’ is literally what’s he’s doing now. Noe uses his past emotions to fuel his drive in the present, such as his regret towards Louis and losing the potential to save him. If you want to put this is a more optimistic light, this can also be interpreted from his ‘what if’s’ convo with Vanitas when they come back from Gevaudan about how Vani could have ended up like Alfosto.
Noe thinks that he could have met Vanitas as a Chasseur, and takes a guess at what that version of Vanitas could have been. He makes a point to that he’s glad he met Vanitas as a Vampire doctor instead. He not only thinks the distance as the past or proximity, but the potential of someone who could become something that he hasn’t met yet, the good and bad. Either way, as Noe like to play as observer, his mind is never quiet, and he will always have the people he cares about in his thoughts, no matter how far they are and when he’s met them or the potential they can become. Patience is also shown on Noe’s behalf toward Vani here, as he thought about how to carefully word this to him after some time together. (More about patience can be referred in Vani’s section as one of his flowers also has this as a meaning too.)
Ok, now to the utter tragic part. ʘ‿ʘ
‘I will never forget you’
Forget your shipping glasses for a second and let’s look at it for what it is. Noe is an Archiviste. Archivistes see memories whether they like it or not. If we like to take it a step further, it’s likely they won’t ever forget it, whether they like it or not. This stuff comes ‘rushing in’ for them, but it’s not clear if this is a first time thing as Louis and Domi say ‘you won’t have to see anything more if you drink my blood again’ to him.
Noe doesn’t know much about his origins or clan. Teacher had to inform him of his ability, but I suspect he didn’t tell Noe everything. Noe doesn’t seem to be pre-occupied by thoughts of ‘identity’ crisis but more on his own mission and relationships. There is a chance he will have to face the conflict that arises from his association to the Archiviste clan. That is one problem that can turn into a tragedy as we and Noe don’t know what else he is capable of or what Teacher’s intentions are as of now. Teacher has that ability to omit or deliberately transfer information when he wants too.
Secondly, his clan was wiped out ‘long ago’ as Nox told Manet. Another Tumblr user ( @yoelikalib, thanks for your input!) mentioned about Noe never introducing himself properly, less introducing himself as an Archiviste. How long ago were they wiped out that they talk about his clan like a legend (as if no one has met one before), and why was baby Noe alone when the human couple found him in the snow? This is a random guess, but since Noe seems to be the ‘last’ of of his kind along with the lack of thought towards his Archiviste identity, he bears a generational responsibility to carry his clan’s legacy, remembering who the Archvistes were when he has not a clue of his origins. A big task on its own if you think about it, but no one has asked him to do such a thing yet. This contrasts Noe’s desire to help those in front of him and cultivate his personal values relative to his own little bubble, rather than the ‘greater good’ of what society thinks. Luckily for the audience, Noe is a naïve cinnamon roll, but shows his lack of understanding the scope of things like political affairs and schemes like whatever Ruthven’s up to. It’s easy manipulate his known (and unknown) abilities which can lead to tragedy later on.
But the good thing is that Noe knows who he is as ‘himself’. He uses his relationships, likes, dislikes, belief and curiosity rather than his status/clan to define who he is. How does this relate to the ‘I will never forget you’? I believe it’s learning to not let the feelings of the memories and desires of others over power his own person. Kind of like ‘I remember you as I the person that I saw you as myself.’ Recall that Noe sees people as individuals, where as when he was introduced as an Archiviste, everyone started to pay attention to him and use that as his only defining trait. Although this could also lead to something where he makes the wrong decisions that leads to his regrets or with Ruthven’s curse on him too.
Lastly, the ‘don’t forget me’ x ‘ I’ll never forget you’. This is probably the most obvious of tragic interpretations I’ll expand on, but this will be explained in another post labelled ‘Part 2′ with the same title to consider the length of this one.
Fujibakama (Eupatorium fortunei) - (Secondary)
Japanese meaning: hesitation, delay
Western meaning: n/a
This flower’s origin grows in Japan and China. It is rare in the wild, but largely cultivated for it’s fragrance and traditional medicine properties by the residents of these countries. If the flowers and herb foliage are crushed, they bear a similar smell to lavender.
Unlike lavender, this is a plant that remains in the soil, rather than put in an arrangement. If they are cultivated, as far as I’ve seen in pictures, they are provided their own space. The flower meaning of ‘hesitation’ is given because of its tendency to bloom each bud slowly before showing its full beauty. Suitable for Noe’s naivety and sheltered life that has been untouched from the outside world. His tendency to take things slowly, growing in his role as a student in VnC should be noted too. He also hates being rushed and prefers taking the civil way of talking it out.
Because of Noe’s purity and restrained conditions growing up, this flower can allude to how other characters view him, like the purpose why this flower is cultivated for: leisure, visual/sensual pleasure and medical purposes.
For example, in Vanitas’s case, Noe is a source of emotional healing for him. Yet he shuts out Noe because of his gentleness, and doesn’t like it when others get hurt to protect him. Vani also views Noe as weak because of his assumptions of being physically stronger than others and calls him out in a mean way to put distance between them. He can’t stand Noe’s naivety because he can also be put at a disadvantage if he becomes too close, but can also hurt Noe with his own ‘being’. (He doesn’t seem bothered by being mean to others as it’s his crappy way of protecting them though.) Being a ‘doctor’ himself, he knows medicine has the ability to become addictive or toxic if taken in the wrong dosage. If we continue this medicine analogy, for most of the story it looks like Vani is unsure of Noe’s sincerity is worth the risk of healing his own traumas as he doesn’t know what side effects (the consequences) he will have to deal with.
In Teacher’s case, Noe is probably either something like leisure. He straight up told Noe ‘now that you are here mon chaton, things are starting to look a lot more fun’. A little sinister, but not in a malicious sort of way at least for now. (Though the fact Teacher was hanging out at the black market when he found Noe is super sus.)
Domi cares for Noe, like how this flower is cared for in the garden. It’s unbothered and thrives well, to Domi’s visual delight/pleasure. (Think of the quote she tells Jeanne when they have their ‘Dance of Romance’ in Memoire 12 about, appreciating beauty in the moment and when she played ‘dress up’ with Noe in their childhood.) But it causes Noe to be dependent on these conditions (whether he’s aware of it or not) and Vanitas calls her out by saying he now understands why Noe is so naïve with someone like her at her side. She clings harder and sets a personal responsibility to be devoted to care for Noe’s emotional well being. This hasn’t changed so far in the VnC story yet.
With the way he is and how the others see him, it causes delay in Noe’s personal development, and perhaps the more difficult decisions he takes in VnC. I’m not saying Noe is stupid, but he’s sheltered to his role as an observer and headstrong in his personal values. Whatever talent he has, he lacks the independent experience to excel in it. (And typically doesn’t have basic life skills which Vani yells at him for lol.) The best example of delay was his utter lack of judgement when Ruthven reserved an entire cafe just to have a ‘casual’ chat with him.
Basically this flower just sounds like it’s calling out how sheltered Noe is, and the potential danger or collapse he can face because of it. But everyone still adores him regardless. I know I do kekeke. But the reason for this adoration, may not always be for the right ones. Which ever seems right, I will leave it up to your interpretation.
Helenium/Sneezeweed (Secondary)
Japanese meaning: tears, good mood
Western meaning: tears
I mean… this is Mochijun’s work. Someone is going to have to suffer, and Mochijun will be the only one in a ‘good mood’ while wrecking us over in both languages.
Along with the aster, this flower sounds like solid proof of the tragedy or fate that Noe has to bear on his part, especially of the the stuff he tells us in Memoire 1 and 11 (Bell tower chapter)
‘This is the story of all we gained, and all we lost, and how the end of that journey, I will kill him (Vanitas) with my own two hands” - Memoire 1
“Memories of the beginning evoke memories of the end, memories of what slipped from my grasp, the people I couldn’t protect, the day I couldn’t grab your hand... these are my regrets.” - Memoire 11
In a previous post I made here (warning- it’s really long):
I mentioned theories about Noe’s lesson on love and salvation. Vanitas’ potential reciprocation of love and salvation is likely to come at a climatic point of the story that may shock the reader and Noe, such as a time where Noe will kill him. Vanitas’ who has only experienced love as something cruel and painful, finds it impossible to have someone fall for him. His love and act of salvation he grants Noe is likely to hurt him based on what he interprets love to be through his experiences. As someone who experiences both as tender affection and relief, the pain Noe experiences will likely cause his and our tears as this flower represents. However, this plant by itself doesn’t expand much where the tears are of joyous reunions or tragedy, except for greek mythology and the vague ‘good mood’ meaning.
Safe to say though, I think it’s likely to be tragedy.
CONCLUSION + PART 2 TBA
If you got this far, thank you for reading! I’ve covered the general meanings and provided a personal interpretation of Vanitas’ and Noe’s assigned birth flowers and which ones seemed to be more applicable out of the ones available for them.
The section that leans toward the shipping of VanitasxNoe and deeper analysis of the reciprocation of Vani’s ‘Forget-Me-Not’ and Noe’s Aster will be covered in Part 2! I will also write it as objectively as I can, as I hope everyone can appreciate the VnC story, and delicate speech of flower meanings of conveying feelings that would otherwise be too complicated or direct when communicating with others, than believe that flowers are used only for romantic declarations.
