#flower analysis

[murder-kill]

on the surface, ivan and hyuna appear similar. they both project a similar image of confidence and reliability, such that their peers are impressed and don't look further into this 'cool' persona of theirs. they both were popular extroverts with many admirers, as we see from ivan's graduation board and the glimpse we get of hyuna surrounded by other children in the cafeteria.

this could be called manipulation (of course it's not as serious as it implies. it's just socialising). however, their motives behind this is different: ivan is said to play with peoples feelings (curiosity & distance), while hyuna wants to be a supportive figure. this can also be said about why they are idols: ivan out of necessity, and hyuna because she genuinely loves humanity. however, a similarity still lies in how they continually ignore and compartmentalise their own emotions to maintain this image.

in this set, they're both represented by a red flower bearing a resemblance to the anakt flower, ivan with the red anemone and hyuna with the red primrose. the anakt flower is based off the anemone, but since its design is so simplified in its recreation, it can be interpreted as both.

from the anakt flower, though appearing similar, ivanhyuna interpret and understand two differing versions of love due to their origins.

the anemone means a love that can't be fulfilled: ivan's understanding of love is warped from his childhood, having never experienced it due to being orphaned, and subsequently having to learn it after coming into contact with it in anakt. his understanding of humanity is also flawed for the same reasons - he only knows humanity at its most desperate.

the primrose means a love beyond measure: love has always been with hyuna, because of hyunwoo. they relied on each other to navigate the world together, especially in the absence of any contact from their owner, so she's always been able to freely love and be loved. due to this, she understands and accepts all aspects of humanity.

the main difference is that hyuna has family. she inherits hyunwoo's sense of justice, and uses it in service of the humanity she loves. ivan had no one, belonged nowhere, and has no solid convictions other than his survival drive. ivan's love remains unfulfilled because he could never express it (he dies when he does); hyuna expressed her love without measure, and it drove her to her death (from the patreon article: "A tree that grew out of the deep-rooted justice and love she had long harboured was processed, trimmed, and turned into a coffin.").

[castleartsebaciel]

Sunflower analysis

Thank you all for your lovely messages and notes!

After the last days I feel slightly better. But I need to say, that my health is on the edge, so just let's hope it's nothing seriously. Even if stress isn't easy to handle, when it's ignored.

However.

Enough about me.

Thanks to lovely Yana we got such a beautiful anniversary drawing, I just needed to share you a fully flower analysis about it. So. Here we go.

It really is interesting, that Yana especially used the sunflower as a symbolic flower in her drawing. Yes. She used a it for the tarrot card "The Sun". But I believe she chosed it, because many people confuse sunflowers as simple flowers you gift only to friends.

It's a quite misunderstood flower, if you ask me, because a sunflower symbolises so many things.

And one of those is romantic adoration.

Deep, loyal and heavy!

Sunflowers traditionally symbolize:

Adoration: They turn to the sun, just as someone might admire or love another.

Loyalty and Longevity: Their sturdy stalks and lasting bloom time evoke enduring affection and faithfulness.

Hope and Positivity: Their bright blossoms resemble the sun, symbolizing happiness, optimism and light.

Guidance: Like a compass pointing to the sun, they symbolize spiritual or emotional guidance.

Interesting is it?

And it get's more interesting, when we look closer at the scene where Ciel wears not only a sunflower, but many like a little crown. And he also is falling from the sky, while Sebastian is there to catch him.

Why?

Because a sunflower-crown symbolises the one who wears it is loved, cherished and/or chosen. Or did you ever seen someone insignificant wearing a crown?

Ciel who falls, is also a heavy symbolism about his past. A beloved little and happy boy, who once lost everything within just one moment through heartbreak and sacrifice.

That he wears that crown means there is hope blooming inside him and even love to give someone he trusts now more than ever.

Sebastian who is catching him is clearly his anchor. The only one who offers safety and devotion. Catching his little soul in their fall is also symbolic of emotional rescue, acceptance and could be read as reciprocation of love.

You know the saying "to fall in love ..."?

If we see this as a whole picture, then it could be seen that Ciel finally realized his deep love for Sebastian, who isn't only saving Ciel from falling, but also welcoming him.

This could be a turning point in their relationship: Ciel has risked it all, even his acceptance and will to live in this world, crowned with love and hope, to place himself in the Sebastian’s welcoming hands.

So - that's it.

I really hope you enjoyed my flower analysis, which turned out as a sebaciel-coded-post. 🌻 But it really is impossible, not to see what Yana giftet to us.

Here you have the full picture.

[possibly-drunk-on-fanfiction]

Flowers of Futamono (updated version)

Update note: I misidentified a couple of flowers and am posting an updated version. I will leave my original up as well.

My mind recently has been on one specific Hannibal tableau.

This one:

I haven't been able to stop thinking about it in regards to flower meanings. I'm not all that versed in flower language, but I am aware that flower meanings differ from place to place. Japan in particular has a unique flower language. Yellow roses are known for being symbolism for friendship, however in Japanese flower language they mean jealousy. I bring it up because the entirety of season 2 uses Japanese dishes to name the episodes.

I have thus latched onto this and have drawn the comparison between Japanese flower language and this particular tableau.

I have of course run into a problem but I have a solution and thought process onto why this is the case.

Jack names three of the plants we see; belladonna, white oleander, and ragwort.

Now, do you see the problem? That's right they aren't the flowers used in the tableau. Only one of them was actually correct.

They look similar enough that most likely the showrunners just didn't think anyone would go through the effort to look up the flowers. I would like you to stay with me though because it's easy to headcanon and explain this glaring issue away.

Jack isn't the kind of guy to know flowers and neither are the people around. Hannibal though is absolutely the kind of guy to send a message with flowers that no one would understand.

Maybe it's on purpose though because there is the surface layer meaning with the flowers that Jack names, and then there's the actual flowers used and the true underlying meaning. And I'm going to assert that Hannibal is also experiencing such a dilemma. His Person Suit doesn't agree with the Ripper beneath the surface.

Originally I called this one purple hyacinth but it's actually bittersweet nightshade.

The one place I could find a Japanese meaning had its meaning as "dark thoughts". Which makes sense given nightshade is one of the most poisonous plants out there. Nightshade is often called the devil's plant and is associated with death and betrayal. Google told me that the specific nightshade in the tableau were used in wreath making to mean fidelity ('til death do us part, I suppose) which I can't help but find hilarious considering Hannibal emotionally cheating on Alana the whole time he's with her (even if he's apparently unaware of his feelings until season 3).

This and the subsequent meanings are more than likely for Will as he is the real reason for the tableau in the first place. Previously Will tried to kill Hannibal via Matthew and in response he says he must get his appetite back, thus this tableau.

For the next one we have the chain of white oleander which is actually two different flowers with some moss. The two flowers we actually have here are narcissus and pink hyacinth. Narcissus' meaning is; "self-love, egotism and unrequited love". Pink hyacinth is simple in comparison because it's sole meaning is: "play". Interestingly oleander's meaning is; "caution, beware". A sign that things are not entirely as they seem.

More than likely this flower is a chrysanthemum indicum hybrid rather than the apparent ragwort that Jack calls it. While I couldn't find a meaning for the specific kind of chrysanthemum that is pictured, the meaning I did find for yellow chrysanthemums is: "slighted love". I couldn't find any significant symbolism for ragwort. I did however find lots of warnings about it being poisonous.

The other one I got wrong is the one I called a blue globe thistle but its actually sea holly. I'm not surprised about being wrong about this one with how similar the two plants look. Looking up the symbolism gave me a bunch of different things. From prosperity, to luck, and independence, refinement, also attraction. One site even has its meaning overlapping with one of thistle's: austerity.

The red flowers are unfortunately not easily identifiable. The could quite literally be almost any red petaled flower.

While that covers the meaning of the flowers within the chest we still have the flowers of the tree.

Another possible incorrect flower is the tree itself. While watching the episode again it's obvious they used various different shots of blossom trees. Some look like apple blossoms, others like cherry blossoms, and of course some look like plum blossoms. While they all have unique meanings specific to them, the overarching symbolism of blossoming trees is; hope, renewal, new beginnings, perseverance, and keeping promises. Generally just about surviving the winter because blossom trees tend to bloom before trees get their leaves in spring.On top of the incorrect flowers is the fact that I forgot that Will does end up seeing the tree in picture form in the next episode. His recreation of it is interesting because unlike others where he recreates where it happens, the scene shows him in Hannibal's office. That shows that he gets that the message is to him because that is where Hannibal had sown the seeds of Becoming into Will, but I get the impression he's blind to the whole meaning of the flowers. And what is the message Will is missing?

It's still a response to Will's attempted murder. Since the tree and flowers are in bloom there is a message of pride (narcissus) that those seeds he had sown started to sprout, that Will has stepped up to play (pink hyacinth) the game with Hannibal. He is disappointed and feels slighted (yellow chrysanthemum) by him using a proxy and that Will could use some refinement (sea holly) still. Overall though he's applauding the new beginnings (blossom tree) and the dark thoughts (nightshade) that has been sown into Will's heart.

I left a portion in the early part of this post asserting that Hannibal's Person Suit doesn't agree with the Ripper that lays beneath the surface in a similar fashion to the way Francis and the Dragon aren't entirely one. I have spent a lot of time deliberating whether or not the message he sends here is in agreement with the actions of his Person Suit. As I have left the aforementioned assertion I agree with my previous thoughts.

And I have Jack Crawford and his line where he names the flowers to thank for that. Why call one of the most notorious poisonous plants belladonna? If the team wanted to actually sell the whole poisonous man-tree thing I don't see a reason to not call it nightshade; a way more recognizable name. He calls it belladonna. By that point in the series we already know about Jack's wife Phyllis who he calls Bella. The audience is already aware of him calling his wife beautiful all the time. The association of Italian words and their meaning is present. Bella donna meaning beautiful woman is just a surface level meaning that is easily coupled with the blooming on screen relationship between Hannibal and Alana. A relationship that Hannibal seems to actually care about as he doesn't want to kill her and invites her to partake in his hobbies; the dinner parties and playing his instruments.

Yet the Rippers bouquet message to Will as well the subsequent actions show that beneath the surface his thoughts are only on Will. Even the canvas upon which he uses for this tableau is a white man with messy brown hair.

These details show that there's a dilemma going on with the Person Suit and the Ripper. And this is glaringly obvious because Will is unpredictable; especially after release. By being with Alana he was putting her in danger. Hannibal had to have a lot of faith that Will would never hurt her. Even after being baited by Will's flirting he still tried to send her away during the season finale. And even then it was Abigail who almost killed her, not Hannibal. Yet not once are any of the Ripper's actions defined by her. Those are all for Will. Underneath is an obsession and love that Hannibal has no clue what to do with.

All the Ripper could do was leave a lonely tableau in an empty parking lot, with the roots and guts on display, and no one around to understand. The only hint of the actions to come.

[strawberry-soot]

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 🦁LEONA BIRTHDAY SSR FLOWER ANALYSIS* 🦁*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

*Mandatory reminder that I’m no flower specialist, which means these are all very subjective opinions. Take everything with a grain of salt!

Before I can talk about Leona’s flowers I quickly want to give a bit of a deeper look into the colors of his bouquet and how they affect its meaning – with the reading of yellow flowers ranging from friendship, joy, and hope in Europe and America to honoring the dead in Mexico and Egypt to sacredness in China to representing royalty in and around India. Generally speaking, in Asia the meaning of wealth, royalty, hope and disappointment, abundance, and jealousy, are most likely what the cards’ artist was going for so keep that in mind while reading this!

In the Victorian Language of Flowers yellow roses were symbols of jealousy and greed – which is also true for their Japanese and Korean meaning, though in traditional Mexican culture they more commonly symbolize remembrance. By gifting someone yellow roses one would show a decrease in love, or subtly tell the recipient to “try to care more”, though nowadays they stand for friendship, happiness, joy, innocence, and appreciation, and are typically sent during birthdays, promotions and graduations. However, they could also be an apology for previous wrongdoings.

The more orange flower I believe to be a gaillardia or blanket flowers, which on one hand are associated with charm, abundance, aristocracy, and modesty, or on the other hand, with joy, optimism, and happiness. Because of their ability to thrive in all conditions, they stand for resilience and strength, courage, fearlessness, and even were a symbol of bravery and hope in the Victorian Language of Flowers.

While hibiscus flowers are associated with positivity and joy thanks to their vibrant colors, they’re also symbols of wealth, generosity, hospitality, and the upper class. They’re reminders to live in the moment and to seize opportunities as they come. In Chinese culture they’re gifted to represent how short lived the beauty of glory or fame is since they have a relatively short vase life.

Gerbera Daisies, or African Daisies, typically represent either beauty, or a happy life. They symbolize friendship and happiness, but mostly are gifted to someone recovering from an illness, or to cheer someone up. In Japan they stand for ultimate beauty, hope, and a way forward (often with a romantic connotation). Notably, in ancient Egypt they stood for a closeness to nature and devotion to the sun.

Zinnias are associated with endurance, remembrance, and thoughts of absent friends/friends you haven’t seen in a while. They bloom even in draughts or when plagued by bugs so they’re the perfect gift for someone with a strong mind.

Since crocuses are early blooming flowers they symbolize new beginnings and rebirth, though they’re also linked to wealth, power, and divinity. In Asia and the Middle East they stand for hope and a prosperous future.

The yellow flower with the thin leaves is a pincushion flower or protea which represents transformation, diversity, and courage. In the Victorian Language of Flowers they stand for unfortunate love, and in hanakotoba (the Japanese Language of Flowers) they mean “I have lost all.”

Finally, the dark purple/red flower in his bouquet is a cymbidium orchid. It stands for morality and virtue, as well as beauty, strength and opulence. Being gifted such a flower is an honor since they’re difficult to grow and care for. They hold a reputation of being luxurious, and are a symbol of power, respect, and admiration – in the Victorian Language of Flowers one of supreme luxury and wealth. They also convey a feeling of strength, absolute power, or authority.

Naturally, these are only my un-educated guesses considering I’m by no means a flower specialist so take everything with a grain of salt, and feel free to let me know if I got anything wrong/what flowers I might’ve missed.

[enigma-imagines]

OKAY PEOPLE. So, I love flowers. Flower symbolism especially. So, doing some somewhat legitimate research, I decided to see dig deeper into the flowerbeds of mystery that is Welcome Home, to see if I can uncover any symbolism.

I’ll be using the flowers from the picture below, thank you. And of course, credit to @partycoffin btw check them out they’re incredible

Let’s start with this lovely flower

By my guess, it seems to be a daffodil of some kind? The closest flower I can get currently.

Now, daffodils symbolize rebirth and new beginnings in many definitions. White daffodils tend to hold a desire to be transformed and move away from selfishness. They are also known as Narcissus, who in many stories was a man obsessed with his beauty and eventually turned into the flower when he perished.

Next flower!

Not gonna lie, there are many flowers that this could be. I’ll give my best guess, of course.

First, Gerbera Daisy. Egyptians believed they symbolized a closeness to nature and devotion to the sun. In general, they usually symbolize innocence, purity, cheerfulness, all that jazz. It looks very similar to daisies in general, what with the dark center and the formation of the petals.

Second, Black eyed Susans, or Coneflower. They tend to be a symbol of encouragement and a symbol of adaptability in some definitions. Supposedly, it’s also a symbol of Justice? But I can’t currently verify that. The petals and dark center again line up well.

Now for the last one

Now, I have two more guesses for this one.

Rose. Now, warm colored roses hold a meaning of affection and warmth when gifted to a friend. Roses in general tend to symbolize desire and love, of course.

Carnation. Now, Carnations also symbolize a form of love, but also mean fascination and distinction. It’s seen as the official flower for Mother’s Day, given the meaning behind it with the Virgin Mary. It’s colors have different meanings, all in some form or another in relation to love.

Of course, this is all mostly just my ramblings and not really any theory stuff. I just like trying to analyze things I find interesting! Do with this information what you will and fact check it because I am NOT a professional in the slightest.

[oribu-the-loser]

Hey hey heyyy!!! Ik this blog is mostly for art but.... wanted to dump my thoughts somewhere so here's some slight analysis on Rui Yashios new 5 star card & the flowers on her violin!!!!!

Firstly: I'm no flower expert so my identification isn't very good hence my uncertainty on the last flower

Apologies in advance if I mess anything up <3

First flower: I'm like 90% sure this is a yellow rose!!!

In west culture this particular rose colour is known for representing friendship, which fits very well with morfonicas close bond! It's been stated in stories multiple times that whether Rui realises it or not: she's become fond of the band & the members within

From what I could find this meaning essentially stays the same in Japan, with the sometimes added meaning of inner courage which again fits very well with morfonicas general theme :)

Second flower: Okay now I'm not 100% sure what this one is so I have 2 ideas

(1) It could be a daffodil: this flower typically represents new beginnings & hope! Of course change & new beginnings is a heavy theme in morfonica, Rui having an abundance of these flowers on her violin makes perfect sense: she's looking forward to the future of where the band will lead her & the hope aspect fits the whole band as a whole!!!!

(2) It could be a daylily: tbh I couldn't find much of what this flower could represent but generally it's a positive symbol & can also sometimes represent new beginnings!!! However I also found something else interesting: it can represent thankfulness & gratitude. I think this is very interesting be I can go two ways either the thankfulness is ruis subconscious view to the rest of morfonica for guiding her down a different path orrr the thankfulness is moronica towards rui for her support & sticking with the band

Of course if I actually knew the band story I could probably try & make more specific connections but I suppose l'lI have to wait for that 💔

In summary: Rui is such an interesting specimen & I love her so much l'm willing to analyse flowers for her 🫡

If you read this far I hope you enjoyed my crazy ramblings!!! Feel free to add anything on or correct me

Might analyse some other Rui cards or other cards from this set if I'm feeling insane enough...

[blueepink07]

Hello, I really like your milgram analyses!! I thought your flower symbolism posts for yuno and mahiru were super cool >:0 and was wondering if you had any thoughts on the plants/flowers in Shidou's video!

(Rereading your tags you may only be accepting asks about the drinks, if so feel free to disregard this lmao👍)

Hello!! Thank you for liking my analyses! It makes me very happy!

Sorry for replaying so late, but I was a little confused on what specific video are you referring because both of his MVs have a lot of flowers imagery. I picked the second MV, because for the first one there are already many flower theories, so I hope I picked well!

Tbh I tried to find what flowers were on the Columbarium(I think I found two of them but then I gave up lmao, I will put them at the end, maybe someone knows what they are!)

So I decided to pick the flower that makes an appearance both on his door but also MV: the lily of the valley! (hope it's not too disappointing 💔 )

(mentions of murder, death)

~Meaning~

"Lily of the Valley symbolizes a return to happiness and hopefulness"

Considering that this flower is present in both his MV and door, I think it may symbolize Shidou's actual mental state in Milgram. In the first trial, he wanted Es to deem and vote him guilty in order to die and to stop thinking about his feelings of guilt and disgust for his crime. However, he received an innocent verdict and, because of Kotoko's attacks, he finally found a new purpose in his life. "A return to happiness", a hope, a new motive for him to still want to live and help the other prisoners to heal.

(Note: I say all this, but the new timeline post for Kazui's birthday made me a little worried for him. It seems that he is very stressed taking care of Mahiru. While I think he is happy because he found a new reason to live, he seems to overwork himself)

"Lily of the Valley is sometimes associated with sadness and loss because of their presence in many funeral arrangements. Though, the use of the flower in times of hardship is meant to represent the hope that happiness will soon return to those affected by loss or hard times."

This flower also represents Shidou's sorrow for his family loss and it also makes a reference to the Columbarium from his MV. Lily of Valley's are often used in funeral arrangements, so not only his house feels like it's made of death from outside(due to all the dead flowers), but also from inside too(the floor has a lot of Lily of the valley) !

If when he walks on the street he is still cheerful, not emotionally impacted by any deaths, when he comes home and the beautiful family reunion is cut short, the death of his relatives is what makes him realize how hard is to let go of someone. He feels guilty for wanting to cut the dead brain people life's short, when their family members were against it due to the fact that they were still not prepared to give up on them.

"Lily of the Valley spiritually signifies motherhood, humility, and virtue."

"Closely associated with the Virgin Mary, the gorgeous, tear-drop-like blossoms of the Lily of the Valley represent the tears Mary cried at the crucifixion of Jesus."

The motherhood part can symbolize(again) Shidou's deep love for his wife and children.

The story presented in the paragraph associates the lily of the valley with Mary's tears after her son's death. This can easily link with Shidou as his floor is full of these flowers like his tears fell on the ground at the loss of his children.

Virtue -> by standard definition it means to be morally good.

I think this symbolises how Shidou viewed his actions before his family death. He prided himself with his work and tried to save as many people as possible at the expense of the brain-dead people's relatives sorrow. In the second voice drama, he admits that, in the beginning, he believed that his actions were for greater good:

"Es: In the first place, getting involved with organ transplants is part of your job as a doctor. I doubt it’s something that you did out of your own free will.

Shidou: I… I took a lot of pride in my work. I considered it a good deed. I wouldn’t say I didn’t do it out of my own will."

Humility -> freedom from pride or arrogance.

Humility is the word that I'll use to describe Shidou change in demeanor after the incident. After his innocent verdict he started to take care of the injures of Mahiru and Fuuta. His presence in Milgram prison is so important that he actually saved Mahiru's life and continues to monitor her condition, even now, with the most recent timeline conversation. And the reason for why Shidou still wants to live is to solely to care for other prisoners.

Also in the voice drama, he states that he was arrogant. Now, in Milgram prison he tries as much as possible to redeem himself for his past mistakes.

"Es: In exchange for the life of a person who has no option left but to await death, you can save a person who has the chance to live on, right? In that case, you shouldn’t even have to think twice.

Shidou: I thought so, too… arrogant as I was."

"Lily of the Valley has been given as a gift of good luck and prosperity since the early 1500s. When King Charles IX was gifted a lovely Lily of the Valley on May Day, an ancient celebration of the beginning of summer every May 1st, he liked the flower so much that the tradition spread and continues to be upheld even today."

A bit of history, because why not!

Lily of the valley truly has a lot of opposing meanings, but this is what makes it more fun to write about!

These flowers can represent Shidou's wishes to have a healthy and beautiful family. He had a gorgeous wife, wonderful kids and his life was perfect, prosperous how it lasted. Being a doctor means that he had enough money to properly care for his family needs, what he truly needed was good luck... It seems as karma striked and these flowers couldn't protect him anymore...

~Mythology~

"In Greek mythology, Apollo first grew the Lily of the Valley."

"Greek god of the sun Apollo is believed to have sprinkled Lily of the Valley on the forest bed at Mount Parnassus so his darling muses wouldn’t injure their feet as they walked through the forest’s passages."

First, let's state who is Apollo.

"Apollo is a god in Greek mythology, and one of the Twelve Olympians. He is the god of healing, medicine, archery, music, dance, poetry, prophecy, knowledge, light and the sun. He is the leader of the Muses."

We can already see the similarities that god Apollo has with Shidou. They both have an importance in healing and medicine.

Now, into the analysis...

Were do we have lily on the valley in the ground as described in the legend? In Shidou's MV! I interpret it as Shidou's symbol of love for his family. His muses are his wife and children for whom he probably tries to save as many people as possible. I just can imagine how his kids are thinking of their father as a hero for saving so many people lives, and because of that Shidou is trying as hard as he can to fulfill his job as a doctor...

Also, this can also be a symbol of how Shidou maybe never told the bad parts of his work to his family in order to protect them form the horrible and sad truth.

I want to end this with an interesting fact about this flower!

"The flowers, fruit, and leaves contain cardiac glycosides that are dangerous if consumed or ingested by humans and animals and cause symptoms such as irregular heartbeats, vomiting, etc. Make sure to keep these flowers out of reach from small children and animals to keep your loved ones safe from any potential harm."

The lily of the valley is poisonous if eaten! I know that the family doesn't literally consume it, but I think it's interesting because it is kind of death flag. I don't know about you Shidou, but despite that this flower has beautiful meanings, you should reconsider if you want to keep this flower on your floor!!

Jokes aside, I will put here the flowers that (I think) I found. If someone else can recognize other flowers I would be very grateful!!

~Petunia~

~Spiderwort~

~Red/Orange rose~

~Buttercup~

(The little flowers next to the rose)

~Masterwort~

This one... I have many doubts, but it also makes an appearance in Shidou's first MV and I couldn't find any similar flower with this.

Thank you for reading!

~Credits~

[ links: Spotify / Youtube ] Thank you Shidou for going on a deep dive into both medicine and law in one drama. I have not learned this much

https://www.wikihow.com/Lily-of-the-Valley-Symbolism

[syrena-del-mar]

Folklore of Flowers: Wisterias in 'Be My Favorite' Episode 6

I've finally caught up with last week's episode on the eve of the next (better late than never) and it was one hell of a ride. This episode really upped the excitement for me about the series as a whole, so much of this episode provided exposition on why both Pisaeng and Kawi tick the way they do.

I'm always a proponent that flowers are utilized in background shots not only for the visual aesthetics that their natural beauty and colors bring to the table, but also a way to enhance story telling. Depending on the flowers used, they can set the tone for the scene and create a desired mood that the Director is looking for. They make not only the frame more visually dynamic but they also provide contextual clues to the emotions of the characters. And I find that Be My Favorite incorporated flowers, wisterias specifically, in a significant moment where Kawi is allowing himself to be emotionally vulnerable to Pisaeng.

Historical Background on Wisterias

Wisterias are native to East Asia, but soon became popularized across the globe for the delicate flowers that would bloom. Each country placing its own significance on the flowers, but across the board, when it comes to the language of flowers, Wisteria flowers typically symbolize an invitation of love and friendship while maintaining it reputation to overcome obstacles and bring prosperity.

In Japan, there's a Kabuki drama, "Fuji Musume", where a young maiden in a painting waits for her lover under a blue wisteria tree. Tired of waiting, she's the moves out of the painting to meet the young man that has been admiring the painting which she came from. She falls hopelessly in love with him, yet it's futile because he does not hold the same feelings towards her. Jilted she returns to the painting and waits for a lover that never arrives. As a resulted, pink wisterias are used to symbolize that you love them. In Shin Buddhism, wisterias are utilized to represent humility and an pen and welcoming mind and heard. The humility derives from the way the flowers hang upside down, as if it were heads hanging down.

In Korea, the flower represents a devotion that transcends death due to legend that comes from the Silla Period. According to the legend, there were two sisters that fell in love with the same man, not knowing that they loved the same man until he went to battle. Rumors flew that he had died in battle, so they in their despair they decided to drown themselves in a pond. Yet, the man that they had loved had actually survived and was overcome with grief about the story of the two sisters, that he also drowned himself in the pond. The two sisters were reunited in death, one the twisting stem while the other became the wisteria flowers. The man also joined them and became the nettle tree in which Wisteria vines grown on in Korea.

When the Wisterias spread into Victorian Europe, the Wisteria vines earned fame for the clinging growth pattern. Culturally, in Victorian Era, a cluster of delicate Wisteria Flowers were used to send a message of desire and passion. They were used to say "I cling to you", just as the Wisteria plant would cling onto the branches of other trees.

Kawi and Pisaeng positioned in front of Wisteria Flowers

Humility and humiliation are two sides of the same coin, literally deriving from the same Latin root word humus (meaning earth). Humility is often defined a simply a low view on one's personal importance, but a better definition for humility typically engages with the idea of acceptance of personal flaws and shortcomings. Humiliation deals more with the idea of shame about the possibility of shortcomings and failure. For the first time, in this episode, we're seeing the beginning of Kawi's shift from humiliation to humility.

It's important to understand the context of what occurred prior to Pisaeng and Kawi's confrontation in front of the wisteria flowers. Without Kawi's knowledge, Pisaeng spoke to Pear in preparation to help Kawi breach the topic of finding a second medical opinion for his father. He's angry and embarrassed because of his pride, it's not a secret that Kawi has a complex about getting help from others. He doesn't know how to accept help from others, much less ask for it, especially not from friends. So he lashes out, because Pisaeng went behind his back (even if it was with good intentions) to the girl he likes and has been rejected by. Now add in the conversation that Kawi has with Max at the bar, where Max directly asks about Kawi's feelings towards Pisaeng and Kawi practically gives a non-answer.

Before Kawi could even say anything, when they're in front of the Wisteria flowers, Pisaeng tells it to him straight. He won't apologize because he doesn't see anything wrong in attempting to help Kawi. And Kawi is aware of that, but when they first argued he was humiliated and angry, because he hates being dependent on people for things that are out of his control. So we see a shift in Kawi in the way he portrays himself to Pisaeng. He's apologetic and humble, he explicitly recognizes his fault and how his pride led to the shouting match that they had in the hallway of the café. Kawi is quite literally hanging his head down when he reaches for Pisaeng's arm. He's still dealing with his personal shame and his pride, but for the first time he's directly communicating the reasoning behind his reaction to Pisaeng. Kawi is self-aware and can barely make eye-contact with Pisaeng because of what he deems to be his shortcomings. The humiliation came with the anger, the humility is developing with the acknowledgement of his misplaced anger and will continue to develop when he fully accepts that sometimes people need help.

Pisaeng didn't get himself involved for Kawi expecting something in return. Pisaeng is interested in Kawi, yes, but he also cares for him as a friend. Pear has keyed us in that while Pisaeng might be surrounded by tons of people, barely any of them are people Pisaeng would deem to be more than mere acquaintances. He's a mirror of the maiden in the Kabuki painting, where he goes out of his way for the man that he's learned to care for. He's fallen for Kawi, but he's also intrigued by him as a friend and as a human, because he's different to the other people he has come across. Unlike the maiden from the painting, whose love goes unreciprocated, Kawi is developing some sort of feelings for Pisaeng, even if he doesn't fully comprehend what they are at the moment. It's telling that he was unable to come up with an answer for Max. Pisaeng said it himself, he's patient enough to wait for Kawi. He's not going to become a jilted lover, because Kawi will eventually realize that just maybe those conflicting feelings he's already having signifies that he reciprocates the same love that Pisaeng had once declared for him.

Rumors play a role in Pisaeng's journey of self-discovery thanks to his mother. For Pisaeng, he's not all of a sudde n learning about the fluidity of his sexuality thanks to Kawi, here the kicker is that he already knew. His mother was well aware and forced him back in the closet. While she may utilize queer issues to push forward her political career, she manipulatively convinced her own son to keep his sexuality a secret. She silently surveils and controls Pisaeng through the usage of her employees to report to her when he appears in queer locations or any potential moment that he interacts with the queer community. She's weaponized what otherwise should be safe spaces for Pisaeng and forced him back into the closet. She utilizes these rumors behind false pretenses of worry for him while not realizing how detrimental it is to him as a person.

When it comes to Kawi, we were able to see the rumors that were surrounding him thanks to Not and Pear's conversation. Not easily speculates about Kawi's sexuality, which is bad enough, but the crux of his reasoning stems from that he's not like other straight men. When the people are confront­ed with what they don't understand, people immediately improvise reasonings, so that they are able to give the confusing situation an explanation. Some rumors turn out to be true. Other rumors turn out to be totally false. There are rumors which are sometimes partially true. The thing about rumors is that no matter the degree of truth or falsity behind them, they still leave behind casualties in their wake.

And the most obvious parallel of all, Kawi (for the first time) clings onto Pisaeng both consciously and subconsciously in this scene. The moment that Pisaeng moves to leave him, Kawi swiftly moves to hold his arm, keeping him from moving further away. Kawi wants Pisaeng to hear his apology and he doesn't want to alienate him due to his lack of a filter and the arguments he picks with him. Pisaeng is angry and hurt, Kawi is more than aware of that, he holds onto him so that he has a chance to explain himself. He knows that he's starting to lean on Pisaeng more (he says it himself, "Because what you do for me means the world to me") and I think that level of dependency scares him. He's a man that had been isolated for more than 10 years, he's still learning how to depend on people and he knows that he unfairly blew up on Pisaeng, but that doesn't negate that he's still learning to really socialize. He's scared that he might have pushed Pisaeng away past the point of no return, like he had done with Max the first time around. Like they say, a drunk mind speaks a sober heart.

Then he subconsciously allows for Pisaeng to hold onto him the moment that he feels unwell. He lets himself fall onto Pisaeng, knowing that Pisaeng would be the one to care for him, just like he has before. In return, Pisaeng holds onto him and holds onto his head, as if protecting him. It's a protective stance that Pisaeng has taken in response to Kawi fainting on him, not only protecting him from his fall but also as protecting Kawi from his own thoughts. A shield where Kawi could feel secure. By both allowing one another to cling onto each other, they're establishing a new level of tenderness, closeness, and vulnerability within their relationship. Kawi's subconsciously learning to seek comfort and Pisaeng is more than willing to provide a safe and nurturing space for him to find solace.

Final Thoughts

If I'm not mistaken, Krist mentioned before in the interview that P'Waa was very particular and intentional in every shot that he directed when they were working on 'The Gifted'. It's not far-fetched to think that he's just as intentional when directing 'Be My Favorite'. While the wisterias were solely in the background, the bright pink color and the hanging flowers kept drawing my eyes to them. Wisterias are often used in films due to their elegant and aesthetic beauty, specifically because of how they are able to drape and cascade down, creating a dreamy and romantic atmosphere. Here, in my opinion, I think the wisterias are also being used as a way to provide more exposition for the journey that Kawi and Pisaeng are taking both together and as individuals.