#shadows house analysis

[indigosienna]

A parallel analysis

[sunnysunsins]

The symbolism of flowers in Shadows House (part 14)

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Tulips, the return and the romance

Wow, looks like Somato just decided to throw in every type of tulip into one vase and be happy. Well, somehow they still are relevant to the scene and the characters in question.

Red tulips are associated with a Persian love legend. In the legend, Farhad loved Shirin, but he was never able to confess his love to her. When he heard news of Shirin’s death, Farhad wallowed in great grief and stabbed himself to death. The legend says that red tulips bloomed in spots where his blood droplets fell. Since then, red tulips have been a symbol of the declaration of eternal love.

In Feng Shui, decorating your house with red tulips is said to bring both wealth and love to the homeowner. Additionally, it’s also believed that red tulips help people rise to recognition and fame. (so like, becoming a starbearer 4 days later?)

Orange signifies joy, enthusiasm, and the longing for rays of sunshine. (Literally Emi's nickname in the dub)

For these reasons, orange tulips represent happiness and excitement. They’re also used to convey a sense of understanding, mutual connection, and appreciation between two people, whether they’re in a relationship or not.

White tulips represent hope and caring – making them the perfect gift for someone you care about deeply. Associated with new beginnings, they are often given as a gesture of apology or to express forgiveness.

And now for the most important one of the bouquet:

Pink tulip means less intense affection and love than red, and also offers a more appropriate choice for friends and family. It also symbolizes a feeling of happiness, self-confidence and positivity.

Very interesting that pink one was the one chosen by him for this purpose, huh. Could it just be a weird mishap, or is it foreshadowing that his feelings are not as deep as he thinks? After all, we already had pink tulips before, thus the return in the title. Very interesting indeed.

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[indigosienna]

As someone who just finished catching up with the manga of Shadows House, it's been interesting seeing the foreshadowing of certain characters just by the name differences between the Shadows and their Living Dolls.

(Major spoilers under the cut)

Of course, given that the Morphs are fairies, in true Fae Folk Fashion, they steal the names of the children they mimic. And when those brainwashed children become their Living Dolls, they get separate names.

Almost always, the new names given to the Dolls are a diminutive of what the original name was (Louise and Lou, Patrick and Ricky, Barbara and Barbie, Oliver and Ollie, etc. to name a few).

However, there are quite a few exceptions. And usually, the theme with these exceptions is that the dynamic between Shadow and Living Doll is very different from what the House brainwashes them to be. They also hint at foreshadowing certain characteristics or even plot points.

Kate and Emilyko: The most obvious one, foreshadowing that Kate is aware that the whole "Living Doll" thing is just propaganda and that Emilyko is more than just her "doll". She named Emilyko after her grandmother, also showing that she deeply cares for her rather than treat her an extension of herself.

John and Shaun: Rather than being a diminutive, Shaun and John sound almost the same, but Shaun has a softer 'sh' rather than 'j'. It's certainly a name John would give someone who's supposed to be his face, but also someone who he sees from the beginning as an equal rather than a helper or servant.

Ram and Shirley: Ram's introversion and selective mutism was already worsened by the coffee, and so Shirley could merely mimic her old name. After regressing into a smaller Morph and gaining a personality, Shirley becomes a source of support for Ram, which is an ironic switch as before Shirley entered the manor her main source of comfort was her stuffed doll Rammy (which carried on as the bow on her finger after she entered the manor).

Mia and Sarah: Well, at the beginning I would've theorized that the disconnect is from Sarah abusing Mia, but from the later chapters..........👁👄👁.....yeah that just got even more messed up somehow. Maybe Mia influencing her Shadow to beat her in order to "make her better" could be a form of guilt and self-hatred for killing her parents?

Maryrose and Rosemary: Rosemary is the only Living Doll in the series to keep her original human name, while Maryrose is an inversion of that name. It ties in to the fact that Maryrose knew her origins as a Morph and that she was just mimicking Rosemary all along.

Christopher(s) and Anthony: I doubt this needs explanation, given that Anthony was the one who guided/manipulated Christopher all along, and that he was the one who made a "second" Christopher. Christopher's name having "Christ" in it is a nice allusion to the fact that he was (a) "revived" from the dead and (b) revered as a savior.

[sunnysunsins]

The symbolism of flowers in Shadows House (part 13)

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The Calming Rose

This is a rare time when we actually get the exact name of the thing we're looking at. Thank you, my nerdy kitten

Everything he said about it is true.

The Rosehips are brewed for teas, used medicinally, and are high in vitamin C content. Rosehips (both fruit and flowers) are used to aid digestion, boost the immune system, and for arthritis.

Now, what about the meaning?

"The rosehip is part of the rose, and thus has it's meaning tied to love as all of them do. It symbolizes waiting for your true love."

Mmmm do i sense tasty tasty foreshadowing here? The blue rose ("unrequited love" for Chris) getting a rose hip flower ("waiting for true love") from Patrick....

What do you think?

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[sunnysunsins]

The symbolism of flowers in Shadows House (part 16)

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The Deadly Soot

Many have noticed that the soot power from ch 158 looks a lot like Spider Lily... which carries some unfortunate implications

Spider Lilies as their name suggests are striking flowering plants with long spider like petals on its flowers. In East Asia, spider lily is often associated with death and ghosts as they were commonly found around graveyards. Due to its ominous appearance and it being poisonous, spider lily flower meaning was also linked to bad luck. Many are scared of touching these flowers or bringing them to their homes as it was considered a sign of impending doom or death.

Place your bets, who's gonna die?

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[sunnysunsins]

The symbolism of flowers in Shadows House (part 12)

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"He loves me, he loves me not"

The most widely accepted meanings of marguerite flowers are purity and innocence.

Marguerites represent looking forward to love, as well as satisfaction, joy, pride and secret love. An Ox-eye Daisy (same flower) symbolizes patience. Other meanings associated with it are faith, cheer, simplicity, loyal love, beauty, gentleness, youth, modesty, and romance.

Very often they are used for the fortune-telling ritual we all know - "loves me, loves me not"

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[sunnysunsins]

The symbolism of flowers in Shadows House (part 15)

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Tiny things part 3

Obligatory warning that these are even more of speculation than others, since it deals with random background flowers

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A bouquet on the table where Kate's team tried to hang out with Benjamin

The primrose has many connections to myth and folklore across cultures. The ancient Celts believed that large patches of flowering primroses were gateways into the fairy realm. The flowers were believed to offer protection and safety. Placing primroses on a doorstep would encourage fairies to bless a house and its inhabitants.

It symbolizes youth, femininity as well as safety and protection (like Benji wants to achieve)

The orange pansy flower isn’t as common as some other colors, but usually, they are going to symbolize joy, happiness, and optimism. (All perfectly describing Louise)

And i have no idea what the pink ones are

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It's hard to know for sure what flowers Kate brought, but yellow and orange flowers are usually tied to optimism, joy, happiness and positive things like that. A very fitting thing to give the bundle of energy like John.

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Flowers in Barbara's room appear to be forget-me-nots, fitting for her arc with Christopher and the whole can of worms there

Forget-me-nots historically symbolize true love, respect, fidelity, and devotion. These dainty blooms became associated with remembrance and true love. (She has a lot of those meanings tied to her, huh)

In some contexts, forget-me-nots are associated with secrecy and a desire for loyalty. (With which the tiny shark has been struggling recently, with all the revolts and tries to overthrow her)

~~~

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[sunnysunsins]

The symbolism of flowers in Shadows House (part 11)

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The fox and the grapes

In the mythology of many ancient cultures, the grape, and the grapevine is regarded as sacred. From an exoteric principle, the symbolic meaning of grapes relates to abundance, inner transformation and fertility, but also are symbolic of the dangers of debauchery and intoxication.

Grapes are an important symbol in Christianity. In Christian religious services, wine also serves an extremely important role. It symbolizes the blood of Christ, reminding Christians of how Jesus sacrificed himself to atone for their sins. It is also used to commemorate the Last Supper, as Jesus himself referred to wine as his blood and unleavened bread as his flesh during his final meal with his disciples.

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