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tothisemptiness · 1 month ago

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Golden Hour: Part 2 Analysis Bonus: Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going?

Sorry for the long title but this was just the perfect opportunity to use my favourite art piece title of all times (even though I hate Gauguin's style). As you can understand from the title, I will discuss the parallels and juxtapositions between each protagonist's character in the start and as of Golden Hour: Part 2. This doesn't further my theories in any way and I'm doing this solely because I think it's fun to notice and compare these. If you want to see the previous posts of this series you can find them below:

Part I: The Diaries

Part II: "Ice On My Teeth" MV

Part III: The Chess Piece Theory

Hongjoong: Captain had started this journey with the main intention of getting on TV and finding his family. In the process, he used music and dance as a tool for his goal and created himself a new family thanks to this. In the end he did get on the TV and found the family he was looking for, even though he strayed away from music and dance and did this through literature. But now the family he created is scattered across the world with separate lives, barely ever communicating, just like his biological family was. Get one, lose one I guess.

Seonghwa: In the beginning Seonghwa was sick and tired of all the routine and to-do lists. The thing that triggered his attraction to art was actually how free the dancing girl seemed. However, he found solace in emergency training when he was working through the traumas of World Z. I don't know if you've ever had any emergency training, but they are basically to-do lists that you must memorize so well that you can execute them flawlessly without thinking. The thing that basically freed Seonghwa from his own mind was routine and to-do lists. In fact, he found this more comforting than vague dreams. This also manifests itself in The World diaries too since Seonghwa was the planner of the group. Maybe the road to freedom wasn't getting out of the routine, it was just planning with a goal in mind.

Yunho: Yunho's trigger was his brother's death and most of his arc was about grief and moving on. However, Yunho very clearly doesn't move on. He becomes an archaeologist after seeing another Cromer in hopes of finding more artifacts and going back to his dangerous yet glorious life in World Z. Or to take back the time and go back to save his brother again. As far as we can see, he is the only member who chooses a path in life with the direct goal of going back. Furthermore, as an archaeologist his job and lifestyle is about dead people and their lives, which becomes a bit meaningful considering his brother's death. I'm sorry if this last part sounds insensitive, I literally cannot find a way to mention this sensitively.

Yeosang: I find his character development the most interesting actually. First of all, it was never about music at all when it comes to Yeosang. He was already playing music; in fact, he was forced to play it. What drew him to the group was escaping expectations. However, at the end of the day, he plays right into them. He becomes an investor just like his father (I imagine, but he may have a different job related to finance too). He tries to prove to himself that he is different by financing arts but in the end he is the one to tell Wooyoung that he should not try again because a life that doesn't follow his first passion is not a failure and is good enough. Rather aggressively. He reminds me of a father who is concerned that his son will doom himself to failure by taking the risk of becoming an artist and wants him to just settle with a normal job. Very much like his own father.

San: In the first Fever diaries, San's big issue was moving around too fast to form meaningful relationships. He was basically being dragged around by his family. And then he decided to stay at one place where he formed them. And when everyone started moving on he realised staying at one place was not the key to this: it was what you make of the relationships you form in the limited time you have. So he starts moving around to create new relationships and experiences; because life is about sharing love, eating together, and cleaning up after your own messes. And he wants to share love and eat together with many people. He still does the same thing he used to hate when he was young, but this time he does it with his own consent and moves only when he is ready. I think it was always about consent with San: the difference between exploring and not being dragged around.

Mingi: There is a crazy juxtaposition between Mingi's poverty when he was young and his extreme wealth now. When he was young he was basically a ghost because of his social and economical status and was only noticed when he was about to be bullied, except for Wooyoung. Now he is the talk of the world and is highly praised.

Wooyoung: I am looking through the notes I took while going through each diary entry ever as I write this and I realized something: I didn't write anything about Wooyoung. Because Wooyoung is the only stagnant character. His wishes don't change, nor does his humour. And the only reason I can find for this is he is the only character who didn't manage to move even one inch to his dream, he wanted to become a dancer and he still isn't a dancer. And he isn't the type to settle too, he is an artist through and through.

Jongho: When we first meet him he was clinging on to music and becoming an idol after his dream of becoming a basketball player had failed. Now his dream of becoming an idol is through too and he is settle with just being a producer. He still believes the opportunity will present itself but let's be honest, at 24 (I take irl Jongho's age for the character's age, check Part I for explanation) it is basically impossible to become an idol with no previous media exposure. I think becoming a producer and vocal coach for new groups and trainees because you weren't picked as an idol is very similar to becoming a basketball coach because you couldn't make it as a player. Jongho can never achieve his full dream, he always has to settle.

What Is Their True Passion?

As I was writing this I realized something: The only members who pursued music/dancing for music/dancing's own sake were Wooyoung and Jongho. For all else it was just a tool to achieve what they were missing. Hongjoong used it to become famous and reunite with his family, Seonghwa did it because of the feeling of freedom and beauty it provided, Yunho only got interested because he wanted to fulfill his brother's dream despite his life being cut short, Yeosang wasn't even scouted because he was an artist but because of his engineering and accepted the group's offer because it was the only place he felt he could live up to expectations (manning drones is a fulfillable expectation for him), San was in for the stable relationships he could finally form and Mingi was mainly into music because it was a way for him to escape his reality.

We see all these members achieve their goals in the end: HJ finds his family, SH feels free one way or another, Yeosang can live up to the expectations of him becoming a successful investor, San is forming bonds his way and Mingi is no longer struggling financially so he has nothing to run away from. Yunho still hasn't achieved dream but has found a way that doesn't involve art.

We can clearly see for any of these guys it was never about art at all so they have an easier time moving on from this phase. Wooyoung and Jongho, however, are the only ones who actually did art for art's sake and in the diary they are the only ones who are serious about trying again. However Jongho is the kind of person to settle with "good enough", he likes his peace more than making his true dream come true (and who can blame him for that?) while Wooyoung will do whatever it takes to achieve his first dream, because it is his only dream. That is why Yeosang's words don't make sense to him and seem cowardly. This is where the controversy is: he can't understand the others because he doesn't know what their real goals were and the others cannot understand him because for them art was never the thing they were really chasing after so accepting to pursue another dream isn't that hard.

So clearly, when Wooyoung wishes to reignite a passion he doesn't specify, there are a wide range of passions that can be reignited within the group. And I am so curious to see how events will unfold following the latest diary. Thanks for coming to my TED talk <3

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tothisemptiness · 1 month ago

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Golden Hour: Part 2 Analysis Series Part I: The Diaries

Hello everyone! I am here with the full analysis I had promised here. As I kept analizing and writing, I realized the post was becoming too long and it would be too tedious to read in one post so I decided to split it in various parts in which I would talk about one aspect of my analysis in each. If you want to read the other parts of this analysis you can find them below:

Part II: "Ice On My Teeth" MV

Part III: The Chess Piece Theory

Bonus Part: Character Studies

I want to start off with a personal note. I feel we are being stalled. A good half of the diaries this time only restate what was already told in GH:1 diaries. Honestly, the two albums' diaries could have been a single diary or GH:2 could have started the action off a bit more. If we go with this pace but tell a story as big as the first one I fear this thing is going to take something like 10 years (anticipating we won't get anything for a good 2 years at one point since they will do their military service) since right now they are going at half the pace of first arc.

I won't explain the diaries in detail here, I will just discuss the important parts so I strongly urge you to read them here. You can also find Golden Hour: Part 1 diaries here.

I feel it is important to understand their ages for measuring their level of maturity here. I believe they are around the same age as their real ages now. The only time indication we are given is that it has been 3 years since the end of Will diaries and the last time we could clearly hold track of time was the Fever series when events happened one after the another. I take their age in the first Fever entry, add around 2 years for the time they spent in World Z (the necessary time for establishing a big anarchist group) and add 3 years on top of that.

Not a plot point but I found the "Please. I call all handsome men oppa." line hilarious, she is so real for that.

In San's part there is an emphasis on "cleaning up your own mess". It is a big part of growing up, and our story here is about growing up. This makes me think that the guys have either caused a mess in the first part unkowingly and have to clean it up in this arc, or they will cause a mess in the near future and will have to clean up that.

The "Z backed into a corner, broke the Cromer in his attempt to flee, and, as a result, Woo Young and the members were thrown back into this world before they could see the climax of their movement." line in these diaries suggests they didn't come back on their own accord. In GH:1 diaries it is simply stated that Z was defeated and ATEEZ returned home, entrusting World Z to Black Pirates and Thunder. We just assumed they went back because they wanted to. This is a crucial part of the story that we never got to see, so will we ever see it?

"I know. I fell for him and nearly asked for his number." MINGI CANONICALLY GAY ICON??

The question of more artifacts comes back up, I believe this will be important in the upcoming comebacks. So far we have seen only one artifact that teleports you to the same place around the same time each time you use it for interdimensional transportation. A different artifact, however, may potentially teleport you to another universe or a far away time in the universes that we know. This would be a good way of connecting Halazia-related content to the main story.

I can't believe they actually referenced Britney Spears and said Wooyoung performs like her. These men are never beating the gay allegations.

"I saw so many ads with Min Gi on my way here today. He's everywhere! Do you know what it made me think of? (...) It's so over the top, it almost reminds me of Z." This may just be a fun jab, talking and reminiscing about the old times, but it is still a very interesting parallel between the characters in this arc and Z.

After Z breaks it, Yeosang picked Cromer up. He also picked up a red ruby named Sopro from Left Eye when they were getting out of the Disposal Sites in Fever Part 3 diaries. Now, we already didn't see the second Cromer break due to a huge timeskip, but nowhere in the diaries did they ever mention the red ruby, even though apparently Yeosang asked the group who should take care of it again and again and, surprisingly, nobody cared. It is a very interesting point, considering this object looks important since it looks like a gemstone and is said to be important and powerful by Left Eye. How nobody but Yeosang cared about it is currently beyond me. And even after acknowledging its presence, the group still moves on from it rather quickly and diverts the subject just like they had done before. The first and only appearance of the ruby is at the end of the "Crazy Form" MV, carried by the blue bird we had previously seen and heard of in "Halazia", its prologue and epilogue. In the "Crazy Form" MV reaction video, HJ shushes everyone up and indicates the cookie is important, and when asked who broke the Cromer he responds "the blue bird". The blue bird breaking a Cromer (not "the Cromer" because so far ATEEZ has used 2 Cromers and we don't exactly know which one this is) and carrying a red ruby away parallels Yeosang, who is often associated with the image of a bird, perfectly well. I think at this point it isn't too crazy to assume the blue bird directly represents Yeosang.

"I wonder what happened after we left. (...) Do they still remember ATEEZ? Or, do you think we've already been forgotten?" As part of the story, Yunho of course wonders this. We, as the viewer, know a bit more than what he does. Yes, they remember them, but not in the way they would like.

As the evening proceeds we see more and more reminiscing, becoming gradually more bitter than sweet. Even before that we see members questioning whether their current situation is what they really wanted their lives to be, hanging on the edge of dissatisfaction. It is clear that "Golden Hour" is not a term used to describe the current situation of our characters, it is for describing what they hang onto. They are hurt upon realizing that they have left their golden hours behind. Another theme of this series will be moving on from the past and recognizing golden hours as they happen, which I think will be even more evident in the later entries. The bitterness reaches its peak when Wooyoung suggests trying again and meets Yeosang's criticism, resulting in him leaving the party.

Another meaning of the term "golden hour" is "the first 60 minutes from the time of injury or appearance of symptoms in which an injured or sick person must receive definitive treatment". It is often related to trauma. Story-wise, their "golden hour" was the time from when they returned to World A to the point they ran out of money. If they were to make it big as artists, they must have done it right then but now that they are way past that time period their chances are near zero. Now they have to lead imperfectly put together lives, like a broken leg that heals a bit wrong due to insufficient first aid.

"Sopro is a sort of magical spirit that synchronizes the feelings of those who hold it with those who draw breath around them. According to legend, one of the four priest guardians of Halazia gathered the breaths of all of Halazia to create it." A simple paragraph that reveals so much. Let's pick it apart. Finally we have an idea about what Halazia really is: a sacred place according to a religion that was founded in the past in World Z. Maybe a temple with a considerable population or a sacred city (like Jerusalem for example). Combining this info with the knowledge that "Halazia" takes place after ATEEZ leaves World Z (judging by the prologue), we can say that in the future people turn back to religion, which was not present during the rule of Z. But, as it happens with all religions that have been around for a significant amount of time, the new version of this religion is somewhat changed in respect to its original version and we can say that by looking at the religious imagery that combines with the Halateez symbols.

"Sopro is a sort of magical spirit that synchronizes the feelings of those who hold it with those who draw breath around them." The desire to make everyone feel the same way. Stripping people of their free will. Doesn't it feel a bit too similar to Z's rule? It also doesn't say that those who are around the wielder will feel the same as the wielder, it just says their feelings will be synchronized. So instead Wooyoung may end up feeling the same as the others rather than the others feeling the same as him. There is a small grammar trick there (that I don't know if is the same in Korean) that changes everything.

Left Eye says that using Sopro may be dangerous. In fact, we don't know anything about its functioning and right usage except for the fact that it makes everyone breathing the same air as its wielder and the wielder themself feel the same. And who uses it? A drunk, hurt, and judging by the hour, likely sleep deprived Wooyoung. Amazing idea. Surely nothing will go wrong.

"Reignite our passion like it was back then," Now if I have watched enough films and have prayed enough to whatever god was listening to me, I should know that you must always be very specific in your wishes and prayers or else they come true in the literal meaning, which isn't always exactly what you actually meant. And here Wooyoung doesn't specify what the passion is for. Rookie mistake honestly.

A remark: There is this ongoing discussion on whether Wooyoung is a hidden villain or not in the fandom which was disputed by HJ saying that there are no members with hidden intentions. With his last action, WY arguably started an arc by the end of which the members will be changed irreversibly, very probably by going through horrible things in the process. He didn't have any hidden intentions: he messed everything up all while wearing his heart on his sleeve and had no bad intentions. He just made the error of thinking everyone truly wanted the same thing as him and acted selfishly while thinking he was doing them a favor. Now why does this action affect our old storyline? The indications are mostly given in videos like "Hala Hala". I believe the answer to this question relates to another theory of mine that isn't exactly related to this era, so I will focus more on it later on.

Where Do I We Go?

If you have already read my Golden Hour: Part 1 analysis, you know that I take the diary entries as the main things that further the lore and the MVs as things that expand the themes and mini-stories of the lore set up by them. Because of that I find this to be the right moment to establish where we are in the lore and hypothesize about where we will go next. Let's look at the 4 act story structure we had restarted with GH:1.

This is the latest point we are in.

The hook was the entirety of GH:1 diaries which set up the scene.

The inciting event was WY and YS's fight.

The key event is WY using Sopro.

What will happen next? First of all, a crisis will happen and we will meet our new antagonists in the next diary.

I doubt we will be introduced to an entirely new universe like World Z given that the end of its story arc is still not revealed to us clearly and we still have a very obscure story arc that is so far represented by the Halazia-related content. However, I don't think we are going back to anywhere near the point ATEEZ left World Z because even though it has been 3 years in the lore, we've gotten out of it just last comeback. It is also the thing our protagonists want and you can't give the protagonist what they want right at the beginning of your story. Therefore, I think we will be thrown into a time in World Z's future that is more connected to the Halazia arc so that we can start detangling it and exploring it more in depth.

I believe we will see a somewhat failed attempt at returning to World Z following this story that I completely made up because it is fun: By not being very specific in his prayer, WY ignited the wrong kind of passion. They have been secretly yearning to go back to World Z to their glorious lives more than just performing so they look for ways to go back there. In the desperation and haste, they do manage to go back to World Z but get the time wrong and end up too far into the future.

Furthermore, I think a big part of the struggle in this arc will come from the inside of our protagonists and inner conflicts in the group may cause big problems since now they don't share the same worldviews and dreams anymore and have a life outside of each other.

I think the theme of this new arc will be focused on finding the balance between dreams and real life, passion and responsibility and becoming your own person while keeping in touch with your roots.

If you read until here thank you so much and I hope you enjoyed it! If you have anything about this post that you would like to discuss I always welcome it <3

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