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Viktor Nikiforov’s association with the blue rose is particularly notable, both for how pervasive the symbol is and the meaning behind it.

Within both Hanakatoba (the Japanese language of flowers) and western interpretation, the rose is most commonly used as a symbol of love and passion. Love is, by far, the most readily identified motif throughout the show, making the choice of this flower unsurprising. What does make it exceptional is the fact that it’s blue.

I have been unable to identify any possible meaning of blue flowers broadly within Hanakatoba, but the color is often associated with sadness and loneliness. Emotions that are calm, but negative (i.e. listlessness, depression, boredom) are typically classified as blue, whereas reds are passionate and lively. It is also the color representing the cold, whereas the reds more often associated with Viktor’s clothing speak of warmth.

So here you have Viktor Nikiforov, absolutely covered in a flower that means love, but instead of any of the hues that actually occur in nature, he is specifically given the unnatural, man-made shade that relates to the cold and unhappiness. It is commentary on what he lacks. Viktor does not have the red rose, the one that means passionate love, and is instead given the antithesis of what a rose is meant to be: sad, lonely, and loveless. He himself said that he neglected life and love for over twenty years, so why would we be surprised to see a representation of this during his younger days?

He is crowned by this quality. He has the fame, the recognition, the success, but this does not take away from the emptiness of his personal life and the lack of emotional fulfillment he feels.

I’d say we shouldn’t even discuss this in relation to the other usages of color we see in Viktor and Yuuri’s relationship, but let’s be real, it’s me, so of course I’m going to bring it up.

Viktor is always the one dressed in reddish-pinkish hues, while Yuuri is given blue. Whether it’s the frame of his glasses or his costume for the Stammi Vicino duetto, he is dressed in a deep blue. It’s almost as if he gives meaning to this part of Viktor’s life previously defined by its emptiness, slotting into place like a piece of a puzzle.

It’s almost the exact same shade.

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Translation and typeset by me Do NOT repost/edit it on tumblr or any other websites!!!

Artist : nikku (pixiv twitter)

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