#delphinum elatum

[samirafee]

#DELPHINUM ELATUM - CANDLE LARKSPUR - HOHER RITTERSPORN

@samirafee

[luasworkshop]

So I've been thinking about plants...

This is an Atropa belladonna flower (also known as "deadly nightshade"):

This is an Amaryllis belladonna flower (also known as a "naked lady amaryllis", "jersey lily", or "may lily"):

I admit - I have no idea which of the two is supposed to be Asra's favorite flower (I kindof suspect the former*) but they're both pretty different. Atopa belladonna is a perennial rhizome in the nightshade family which has been used medicinally since at least the 4th century BC, despite it's toxic nature (used as an anesthetic and to dilate the eyes either medically or cosmetically... apparently it can also cause hallucinations and has a host of lore associated with that). It's also been used for a WHOLE LOT of MURDER and causes a long, painful death - just a couple berries or a leaf are enough to take down a whole-ass adult human.

Amaryllis belladonna originates from South Africa and is a popular (and sometimes quite invasive) decorative perennial bulb that is also quite toxic (as lilies tend to be). It's growth patterns are interesting as it first produces a flower stalk in the late summer before it dies back and produces leaves in the winter. (I grew up with these in the garden and it is always a thing to hear my dad say 'Ah! There are the naked ladies!' when they start to bloom.)

In floral language (though sources vary a lot) belladonna could symbolize silence... or death, deception, and danger (pretty straightforward - the plant is extremely toxic). Amaryllis might symbolize pride, determination, or strength (or sometimes just literally symbolize a beautiful young woman - since it's in the name - bella donna). Given what Asra has been through (having to be silent about MC's death, but also needing pride and determination to sabotage Lucio's ceremony), either could work.

Adding some further confusion is the Delphinium elatum and Deliphinium grandiflorum cross Belladonna delphinium (sometimes Delphinum Belladonna-Blue) which is a decorative hybrid plant grown in cultivation popular in floral arangemnts:

Which is a member of an entirely different genus (in with the buttercups) and is completely unrelated to either of the previous.

Remember: always use full species names! Also... common names are super confusing.

*As 'Deadly Nightshade' has seen a lot of use in various religious/mysticism practice throughout the centuries - and seems to generally be a staple of pop culture witches.**

**It goes without saying - please don't mess around with this plant, it is ridiculously toxic and very definitely lethal if consumed.

[yetdevout]

just to add to this; elaetum isn't a star, nor is it a constellation. it's actually a flower, and its full name is "delphinum elatum".

minara, however, is actually a star trek reference! im not sure if that star is real or not, but it comes from the episode "the empath". now, im not saying anything but.... one's a flower and one's a star? hm...

“(…) we can just fall asleep together, like e’laetum and min’ara did.”

gavin, in his Baking a Cake With Your Incubus Boyfriend audio, mentioned that they're figures from an empathy daemon bedtime story, but he also mentioned that they may have been based on real people at some point. as years progressed, they turned more into ideas that help empathy daemons find purpose.

i had a thought, though. what if those mentioned names belonged to very old empathy daemon— or, generally, just demon— gods who had somehow passed away? fell asleep together? died together? can you imagine caelum and freelancer following their paths and filling in their positions— falling asleep together? dying together? (not romantically!)

freelancer and caelum are best defined by their empathy and compassion all throughout their storylines. when caelum’s rift took him to a place full of pain and suffering, he entered and tried to save the two humans stuck in the cruelty of a sadism demon. when xavier died, freelancer's first instinct was to approach him. not a single thought about the shades getting to them and eventually draining their life force.

they both fall into the archetype of a caregiver. their self-given and almost innate mission is to care for others in all the ways they usually can't/wouldn't for themselves. a caregiver’s weakness can either be as small (not really) as being exploited, or be as severe and harmful as living in martyrdom, or perhaps, dying for it.

if e’laetum and min’ara really did die together for a reason somehow directly connected to their empathy, then it can also be possible for caelum and the freelancer by the end (...hmm...) of the entire plotline. hopefully not, but if it goes so like this, it would, i think, be beautiful as it would resemble a poem and its rhythm. a cycle that never ends. a sand timer that never runs out of both sand and time. two hearts that never failed to beat for the right reasons.