#loreteez

[capefoxalix]

A Map of Strictland and the areas around

No one ask me how long this took to make.

[0fever]

SLOW IT DOWN MAKE IT BOUNCY 🗣️

i miss cowboy hongjoong

[takitakidancetillthesunriseyea]

Golden Hour 2’s Secret Words

The MV trailer for Ice on My Teeth came out 20 minutes ago and I’ve already found something hidden in that 37 second of video.

After watching it frame by frame I uncovered the hidden message that will help all of us Loretiny in the coming days. Words that make me giddy with excitement for how the story will go from here.

At the end when they all sit down, words flash over the screen:

We don’t have a time

I hope this helps with theory crafting! If you use my screenshots plz credit me ✨

I’ll update again soon with more of my GH Trailer observations and deeper insight about what they could mean but I wanted to get this out into the world asap! Atiny Fighting!!💕

[takitakidancetillthesunriseyea]

Yes!! Please, I need this so much. Generally I dislike reading/writing fanfic about real people. But Ateez’s lore is written so well that the Ateez’s characters within the story deserve their own recognition.

Like Lore!Yeosang, I would 100% write an in depth character study about how his childhood feelings of being imprisoned in the life his parents laid out for him connect to how he feels when he’s literally imprisoned. (Fever Epilouge on loop is just crying and then “ATEEZ PRESENT-“)

But! I personally love this idea sm. Because real Ateez is so sweet and Lore!Ateez is so angst, but I love them both sm!

there needs to be a fandom for ateez lore.

not for the members themselves as real people but for the FICTIONAL versions found in the diaries.

i need people to start making angst edits and fan fictions about the fictional characters the idols portray in the diaries.

yunho is one of the most tragically emotional characters ever and he’s trapped in an amazing kpop group’s lore.. the character deserves a fandom as well as the member!!

i want people to make strickland-sonas and have head canons!!

[storkmuffin]

muffin, hi hi!!! i love your essays relating to atz, is nice seeing someone else's perspective of their bonds, form of speaking, and overall personas 🫶🫶 feel like there isn't that many space for convos like this on twt or other places

and ive come to ask two things (and an observation related to what ive come to realize after reading your essays)

1. sorry if this is too forward, but how are neurodivergencies treated in korea? :0 did you get a diagnosis or are you selfdx? its something I've wondered ever since seeing tinys or even other kpop fandoms say that "x member is nd!"

2. ...are you planning to make a hj essay soon? i find him a very interesting man ☝️ i even dare say that he gives off the vibe of someone that doesn't want his members (or even tinys) to be truly away from him, like. the fact that his loreteez character is doing so much to keep them together, and if we take the "henry jo is hj from an alternative timeline" theory into account, alongside the guy saying that a lot of the lore is based in some irl aspects... yeah

and the recurrent "dont look at other idols" jokes he makes 😭😭 in my country theres a saying that goes "entre broma y broma, la verdad se asoma" (lit. in every joke, the truth peeks through) and this definitely applies here imo. i just think that he's probably a bit insecure and thinks that many people aren't going to stay with him, or maybe im reading him wrong/too much

and now for the reflection (or conclusion idk)

man. im truly taking bits and pieces of these men in order to build the fictional boy i used to love for many years. (im sorry if that sounds dehumanizing but hear me out)

i got into atz after a past hyperfixation of mine went badly (never get into white gamer men), and i just needed something to keep myself afloat and sane— that "love" ended up being more genuine as time passed, them being less of a "rebound" (im sorry) and more of something i like and im passionate abt, alongside another long-standing hyperfixation ive had with a fictional boy

a few months ago that hyp also went badly. i didn't wanted to see or acknowledge that his author was fumbling him for years, and that he was slowly changing into someone else. it all blew up on me seeing all the traits that i loved about him not being there anymore, he was pretty much a soulless doll that got into a frankly undercooked relationship with his girl best friend. no acknowledgement of his trauma, no introspection, not even some tears (he was my crybaby hero!!! WHERE DID HE GO 😭😭)

but anyways. ever since then ive been getting more into atz, and the more i started to realize how i unconsciously was attracted to members that displayed the most aspects of the fictional character's personality. for ex. hwa's passion for his interests, sn's drive to protect and understand people that are different to him, mingi's live convos taking things like aliens coming to earth seriously... in those moments, i found glimpses of what that boy was for me- i could almost reach out and feel that he was actually real, even if he was cut to pieces and in different people.

maybe the boy i loved was the most basic form of something made for a woman to love and fantasize about, but that doesn't erase that ive spent almost a decade loving him idc

-🧋(im sorry for dropping an entire manifesto here, have a good day xoxo 💋)

OK first of all, I love that you called me MUFFIN :D :D. Secondly, this imaginative way you're using the personas that Ateez is presenting to you and weaving as they go is one of the optimal ways of engaging in fandom. You seem kind of down on yourself about approaching things that way but, Friend, reality is harsh and life can be very difficult, and there's nothing wrong with engaging in fantasy using the publicly presented personas of people who want your attention. You seem imaginative in general, so maybe, eventually, instead of having to rely on other authors (who disappoint), you can create your own blorbo, which then will delight other people.

To answer your questions:

I am self diagnosed. I did talk to a therapist who isn't a ND specialist and she basically said there really wouldn't be a point to getting an official diagnosis, because the therapies available would be of the type that are too rudimentary for someone like me who is already an adult. I had to figure things out the hard way, through traumatizing trial and error, about what NTs will react violently to, but that's in the past. I already know now. I hear a lot about young children now being diagnosed, and it's received and relayed as a disaster, like the child has fallen terribly ill, but these kids are also of the non-interactive, non-verbal, can't-mask variety of NDs. ADHD is caught by teachers very well, apparently, and the children are medicated and given therapy as much as the parents can afford. We did have a very popular K-drama, about a ND genius attorney. I don't watch TV of any country very much so I didn't watch that, but a friend did and she thought it was too idealized and silly. The prejudices and oppression against people who seem odd or are disabled or can't fit in in Korea are about what you'd see anywhere else in the developed world, I think.

The "don't look at other idols" thing is something I've seen Lee Know allude to (though not as directly) from Stray Kids and though my sample is just two, given how differently they're styled and marketed from Ateez, I have come to assume and extrapolate that all boy Idols say this to their fans. I've written elsewhere about the economics of boybands that I've learned from books on the industry, but for the tldr: the boybands survive on financial engagement from their specific fandoms, girlbands go for more 'mass' appeal. It's imperative for a boyband to have the continued attention and loyalty of their fandom audience to survive through the next 'comeback.' They have to say that, and pray that the fandom stay with them.

Hongjoong - I don't currently expect to write about HongJoong. HAHAHA LAUGHING AT MY SELF HEEHEEE HAAAA. I mean. I never thought I'd write about Mingi and then I was live blogging his Lives minute by minute. I did not intend to write THREE separate giant posts about Yeosang, but I did. I'm currently thinking about Yunho a lot.

But (oh here we go, you've gotten me started).

Hongjoong has this Feral Demon Line Participant x Napoleon Complex to the max x Killjoy School Marm x Wants to Make It Worse x I'm The Dictator Father x I'm the Baby x My Work Wife Dominates Me While Pretending Not To x Insane Ball of Creative Energy That Goes Big Every Time x Is the kindest, mildest, weepiest, sweet, sheltered virgin (not literally but you know what I mean) x I Am A Jealous Boyfriend of Atiny / I'm Not Locked In Here With Them, Atiny Is Locked in Here With Me x Milions Love Me x My One Friend In the World is Park Seonghwa situation happening. AND I also read him as being ND, as someone who is figuring out how to be a person and a leader as he goes, where the strengths of being ND in the ways I recognize and the weaknesses too are very illuminating to me.

So even though I don't plan to, I probably will at some point write about Hong Joong. If there's a topic or aspect or some content you (you, just you, Hongjoong Verdad Anon) would like me to add to me 'to be written' roster, I'd gladly take it on.

[cutiefull]

Cinema Studies Minor Gets Super Into Analyzing K-Pop Videos 2.2

Disclaimer: I'm still a student, no where near an expert, I will be wrong in some technical aspects. Also my interpretations are my opinion which means you may disagree and that's okay. Awesome even! Just be normal about it fr. This is also very out of order bc that's how my brain works. Also I am but a baby loretiny, which means my interpretations are shaky at best compared to what's been established. But the lore is confusing anyway so....

The World EP.FIN: Trailer Analysis pt 2: Sections

THIS WAS WRITTEN NOVEMBER 11TH 2023

Structure, Lines, & Perspective

Yo, Get This Camera Out Of My Face

Who Put Stanley Kubrick In My Album Trailer?  

The Entire Set Crew Needs To Be Sucked Silly (Again)

Black and White In The Lore

Structure, Lines, & Perspective:

There are so many fucking lines. There are SO. MANY. LINES just look at the trailer again for me okay? Try and find a curve in the set. There are so few, it's astonishing. 

Now for a place called Strictland, you may expect to see strictness. Well, you'd be right! 

To touch back on German Expressionism, lines are used to imply rigidity and structure. Strictland is strict, and thus characterized by straight lines and sharp, clear angles. There is little softness, it's all hard [insert other adjectives here]. 

The lines in general lead our eyes to the action and provide awesome contrast with our characters. I would insert screenshots however. I will not

Yo, Get This Camera Out Of My Face (why he smiling like that?) 

Close-ups and lighting are on the mind due to watching The Passion of Joan of Arc and talking about low-key lighting with my film professor for an hour. Low-key lighting is very even, and in this case I think it's used for cosmetic reasons. Listen, flawless skin is not just skincare and make-up, lighting is huge in it too! 

But it gives off the effect of being youthful, which helps since the youth are the new generation and Loreteez are ushering in a revolution and change comes with that.

Who Put Stanley Kubrick In My Album Trailer? 

Yeah so Hongjoong is doing the Kubrick stare. The subject tilts their head down while looking directly into the camera. This naturally casts shadow and is unsettling as it breaks the fourth wall. Originally used to depict characters who just tipped over into madness/insanity and its rly creepy, which brings into question Hongjoong's intentions. Is he happy that the girl rejected him? Is he planning something more sinister?

The Entire Set Crew Needs To Be Sucked Silly (Again)

Note: Loreteez is used interchangeably to mean the members in the lore as a whole and as the “A” Universe members. Halateez is used to describe the “Z” Universe members. 

I just want to talk about a few shots in particular that made me go crazy insane when I saw them. This is where the interpretations start going by the way.

This one is soooo perfect to me. You don’t understand. So let’s get into it. 

Mise-en-scene (MES) is a term that boils down to everything you see on screen: set, props, costumes, actors, blocking, lighting, anything! 

It’s separated clearly into foreground (desk and Wooyoung) and background (Yunho and the machines), though for our purposes we’re going to call Yunho’s field of depth the mid-ground and the curtains the background. 

In all fields the technology is old and anchored, contrast that with the futuristic holograms in this shot: 

Which emphasizes the binary between old and new. This is also the first time (if i recall correctly) Loreteez is using this technology, which indicates growth in their cause over all. 

Back to the first shot. While the foreground has all this older technology, it still fits in with Strictland as, from what we have seen, don’t have modern/future tech at their disposal. And why would they have it readily available if their whole deal is suppressing human emotion (“The disease is human emotion” - The Awakening of Summer (Rhythm Ta) Kingdom Stage) and expression. You don’t have a need to develop better technology. 

The mid-ground is much of the same; straight lines running straight across. Everything is old etc. But there are some round lights that break it up. Roundness? Out of the ordinary, right?

The background is more interesting though, because you finally get some curvature in this. The curtains are loose fabric and they drape which adds a different texture and shows that it’s not constrained to fall a certain way.

Pictured: Notes written on the screen.: Structure in machines, straight lines ins background / Fabric = loose, curves, along w/ circle and roundness

In all, the progression of structure to flowiness presents how Loreteez is, looming over the background, and a change from the rigidity of Strictland.

The second shot comes later, with Hongjoong stopping in front of the Academy student. She is standing in a cubby created by the walls angling upward, dividing the scene. Obviously too, Hongjoong is in all black while she is in white

Black and White in The Lore

As a quick aside: Black and White in the Ateez universe is so curious to me. Black in our society is understood as “bad” and white “good” and Ateez uses that binary to create shades of grey (which we WILL be discussing more thank you very much!) and nuances to the social issues being presented and critiqued. Strictland is white, and in that society, it is the “good”; saving its citizens from a disease. Loreteez are “bad” because they are rising against the norms and trying to change them, threatening the institutions Strictland has put into place. 

While initially we saw Halateez as “evil” due to their masked appearances and black garb when they first appeared, it became clear in Answer that they are not the antagonists, rather on the same side as our protagonists, Loreteez. 

But beyond that lineation: In this particular shot, the lines of the wall and the people walking past make an invisible line for Hongjoong and the girl to cross to be pulled to either side, good or bad.  The invisible line being made of people in movement and the inanimate wall is not lost to me either; showing how barriers are not just physical but can be social/psychological

14 comes up here, that is a # to look out for. Maybe the number of songs? JK LMAO that'll never happen 😭 <- I wrote this before the trackless came out okie?

Despite all my black and white talk, the curious thing about the color grading is that there is no true white in the costumes, it is all grey. There is a mix, we have moved on from the clarity and have moved into the murky soup. The grey and nuance are exacerbated in the next shot.

In this, the only thing I can think of is the idea of yin and yang, that at the heart of good and evil there is the other. Again, there is an invisible line separating the girl and Hongjoong. On the girl's side are her white shoes and the darkness behind her. On Hongjoong's side is the black of his attire and the highlights in front of him. But it is not white, rather it is grey, which is a transitional color.

But at the end, the girl does not take his outstretched hand, she walks on, he smiles (quite evilly tbh, go back to the Kubrick stare section). Out of what? Pride maybe? Everything is going to plan? He's certainly not unhappy so…

But that concludes part 2! I might do more, but who knows?

[ao3feed-ateez]

Promises

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/9MnxhXo by Anonymous In the world of Strictland, meet Seonghwa and Hongjoong who are tired from fighting but at least have time for themselves, no matter how little the pleasure may be or the secrets they hold. Words: 1860, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English Series: Part 2 of ~My Seongjoong/Matz archive~ Fandoms: ATEEZ (Band) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Categories: M/M Characters: Park Seonghwa, Kim Hongjoong, Halateez - Character Relationships: Kim Hongjoong/Park Seonghwa, Kim Hongjoong & Park Seonghwa Additional Tags: Parallel Universes, loreteez, Inspired by Hala Hala (ATEEZ), Hala Hala ATEEZ Ensemble, Alternate Universe - Hala Hala (ATEEZ Music Video), Fluff, Domestic Fluff, Light Angst, its only sad if you see it that way but it’s Strictland, Dark ATEEZ Ensemble, Kissing, Boys Kissing, promise rings, Mentions of Loreteez in other universes, Cute, Hopeful Ending, Happy Ending, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Strictland (ATEEZ), Secret Relationship, Canon, Brief mentions of Ot8, slight mention of the shitiness halateez endures, Tb to hala hala era Hongjoong mullet, Rebellion read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/9MnxhXo

[takitakidancetillthesunriseyea]

This is why I make 1 large Ateez lore post every 4-6 months and then disappear back into the void.

I love it, but it's a lot to handle/remember all at one time. Plus I just have a real life 😅

Hey guys, I’m really sorry to announce that posting the ateez lore has become too overwhelming for me and I’m going to stop posting about it. From now on, my blog will be devoted to posting things that better encapsulate my blog title, sillyspero. Thank you for sticking with me throughout my work.

[0fever]

"It's like I'm dreaming, please don't wake me up."

[0fever]

"Once I become a bright star that can be seen from everywhere, like those people on TV, will my family notice me?"

(or: my loretiny lorejoong agenda)

[takitakidancetillthesunriseyea]

Y'ALL I THINK THIS IS THE LORE BOOK HJ WAS TALKING ABOUT

IM GONNA EXPLODE IT LOOKS SO GOOD AHHHHHH

[takitakidancetillthesunriseyea]

Your Thunder (The extra diary entry)

It’s been about a month since I received (what I’ve been calling) the Ateez Lore book, also known as Dear Diary it contains the diaries of Fever pt 2 & 3; Fever Epilouge; The World 1, 2 & 3; and a final new, extra diary entry called Your Thunder.

In the time since I’ve received it I’ve noticed that I haven’t seen any reposts of it online anywhere, and since it is a very interesting piece of the lore puzzle (and because my friend suggested it) I’ve decided to post it here. Tbh I’ve never scanned anything before but I’ll try my best to format it exactly as it is in the book. So without further ado, Your Thunder:

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧//✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

“My dear ATEEZ

The sibling tree we planted together has grown much taller than me. It might not seem like a big deal, but shortly after you left this place, the tree trunk got badly split. I quickly put a splint on it and wrapped it well, but I was worried it might die. Fortunately, it has grown well, so isn't that impressive?

Looking at the much-grown sibling tree reminded me of the child and his older brother.

"If they had grown up, would they have looked like this? Would they have been this sturdy and strong?”

I asked you this question to myself. I imagined your playful yet proud responses. Only then did it hit me in a concrete way: the reality that you had left for your world, and the fact that I could no longer see you.

Until I passed Z's test with flying colors, no one expected that we would part so suddenly. We were so focused on being happy that I was accepted into Z's protocol management position and the next mission. Indeed, the protocol management position was the best way to access the system Z had built. And the hint you gave me was a huge key. 'The leader of Sciensalvar, Henry Jo.' Knowing the identity of someone who looked like Z helped me find the system password. (Did I mention that there were records of Z accessing your world in there? When Z briefly had the Cromer, it seems he met Henry Jo in your world. If my memory is correct, it was in 1999 in your world.)

While it was difficult to access the system, the system itself was designed with a simple structure. It wasn't that hard, since after the central government took emotional energy, all humans were no different from programmed machines. The structure of a dictatorship is obvious. We decided to use the well-built system itself. We just turned things upside down. Wag the dog, a strategy where the tail wags the dog's body to grab the head and take control. By tweaking the input values of chips implanted in people's ears, the tail became the head, and the head became the tail. Do you remember? Z desperately searched for the Guardians while surrounded by people in the square. It was so pathetic that I thought I was the villain at that moment?! What a joke…

So… What I'm saying is… If I hadn't been swayed by that pathetic act, we wouldn't have let you go. Just when I couldn't pull the trigger, Z took an old man standing nearby hostage, and as always, you used the Cromer to save the hostage, but Z used that to take your Cromer. Then Z immediately threw the Cromer to the ground. Probably intending to escape. You all ran towards the falling Cromer reaching out to stop it, but just as you touched it, the Cromer hit the ground and shattered into pieces. As the flash was about to engulf you and Z, I realized what it feels like to be overwhelmed with rage. I pulled the trigger at Z, who was clinging to SEONG HWA to somehow survive. After the flash disappeared, Z fell to the ground of the square with a thud. But you guys… You were gone.

You probably returned to your world, right? Even though you're not in our world, kids who followed your music, dance, and performances have become another ATEEZ, remembering you. You're not here, but ATEEZ is still here. Oh, by 'here', I mean 'the zone liberated from control.' After Z disappeared and you left, a lot has happened. We were divided into those who decided to live free from emotional control and those who decided to continue under the system's emotional control. We tried to make a unified decision, but it wasn't easy. After a prolonged period of indecision, we decided to respect each other's decisions. We couldn't force them to believe what we believed was right. We chose to coexist peacefully and divided into the 'Liberation Zone' and 'Control Zone', each establishing its own order. It's sad to think that, over time, we might become different nations, but what can we do? If I may be just a bit greedy, I just hope we don't treat each other with violence or coercion.

Thunder's headquarters now acts as the interim government of the 'Liberation Zone'. So, unlike before, it's become a place where people frequently come and go. The sibling tree stands in the most visible spot in the garden, and the injured trunk has healed, leaving bumpy scars. I wondered if the scars were too unsightly and whether I should cover them with a ribbon, but then a child walking with his parents saw the sibling tree and said this.

"Oh?! These trees have unique patterns unlike other trees. Wow, they're pretty."

'Patterns? Now that I think about it, I've only ever thought of them as scars, not patterns.' The patterns created by the scars distinguish the sibling tree from other trees. Scars can become unique patterns. Realizing that made me look forward to the 'Liberation Zone' that will have unique patterns in the future, and to myself.

I'm writing this letter because I miss you, but I don't know if it can cross the universe to reach you, if we can hear from you, or even if there is a way to send it.

I wonder if you safely arrived back home. When the first Cromer broke, you said you arrived in the past. Did you arrive on time this time? Are you still dancing and singing together there? I hope all your wishes come true finding your family, gaining independence from your strict father, standing on stage, meeting many people, and making lots of money. You've changed many people's lives, so I'm sure you've succeeded. Whatever it may be, I hope you remain 'free' without being too tied down, just like she said, the one who resembles me. :)

I miss you all. The Black Pirates, Thunders, Left Eye, and everyone in the Liberation Zone all miss you. Will there be a day when we meet again?

Hoping for that day….

-Your Thunder”

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧//✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

Wow, it looks small in the book and long in a post. ToT

I’ll be posting my own ideas and theories on it soon, maybe, probably, but I wanted to get this out into the world first as it’s a very relevant lore drop. You can thank my friend @cyberkiddie for giving me the idea of posting it in the first place!

(*^v^)//💕 As always good luck to my fellow loretiny and I hope those who haven’t been able to find this yet make good use of it! Feel free to correct me if I messed anything up!

Atiny Fighting!

[takitakidancetillthesunriseyea]

Ateez Lore Post Directory ✨⚓️🧭🏴‍☠️

Posts I would personally recommend have been flagged 🧊 or 💕. (🧊 = GH)

Lore Theories —

-Wonderland/Crazy Form 💕

-Crescent 1 & 2

-Halazia and Thunder [Outdated]

MV & Trailer Analysis —

- Not Ok MV Analysis 🌸 \\Favorite Post\\ 🌸

-Ice on my Teeth Trailer’s Secret Words 🧊

General Lore Analysis —

-Halateez Coded The World: Fin Album Analysis

-Golden Hour Analysis Part 1: Wooyoung Fucked Up 🧊💕

Actual Lore Diaries™️ —

-Your Thunder (the official extra ateez lore diary) 🧊

Thoughts & Observations —

-Golden Hour 2 Photoshoot Thoughts 🧊💕

-Golden Hour Name Thoughts 🧊

-Ateez The World: Fin Name Thoughts

-The World: Fin MV Teaser Thoughts [Outdated]

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧//✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

Currently my tag for all lore related posts is #loreteez (At one time I used it exclusively, but since then I've noticed a few others to use it too, so I may add a more personal tag at some point. If I do so I’ll change it.)

Happy theory crafting! (⁠*^v^*⁠)//

[takitakidancetillthesunriseyea]

Wonderland and the Rabbit (Theory)

I thought by now my brain would’ve run out of Ateez theories but I was very wrong. Last night I was aimlessly scrolling the internet when I came across all of the rabbit-centric promotional material Ateez used for their latest comeback The World Ep. Fin: Will, that I had somehow missed seeing before their actual comeback.

I also discovered Mito which I had seen before but didn’t realize was also related to the comeback. I guess just I accepted without question that they would carry a little stuffed rabbit around for no reason. (Apparently Mito is short for Michin Tokki or Crazy Rabbit.)

Of course that set the gears in my brain turning. Crazy Form has a few things in common with Wonderland, (mainly the coats) but not enough that I would immediately think they’re connected lore wise.

However, Crazy Form has a lot, and I mean a lot. Of Alice in Wonderland references.

We have Hongjoong doing the Cheshire cat smile.

We got the rabbits everywhere and the little ear motions in the choreography. Personally I think the name “Crazy Form” alone is already pretty in line with the whole Alice in Wonderland “We’re all mad here,” thing. And of course we have whatever these godawful furry things are.

Even Seonghwa’s smile in the MV is rather Mad Hatter-ish

(I also find it interesting that his left eye is covered but that’s a point for a dif theory.)

So. From all that it’s clear they’re trying to make a connection to Alice in Wonderland. But why? What does Alice in Wonderland have to do with their story so much that they’re putting references in everywhere.

At first I assumed it had to do with their alternate universe thing. Is entering the doors to Strictland in the Wonderland MV them ‘going down the rabbit hole’? Is Mito their white rabbit? (Even though it’s black-) Is it just another reference to them being somewhere strange they don’t belong?

As I was thinking of all the things I could remember about Alice in Wonderland, suddenly it hit me. The ending. Alice in Wonderland ends with Alice waking up and realizing it had all been a dream.

(When I realized it I almost lost it)

There have already been a number of people theorizing that the Crazy Form MV is at least partially in a dream due to Hongjoong shooting real bullets out of his finger guns, San flying, etc... Oh yea and the crecent moon at the beginning that seems to instantly change to a full one.

Which just adds it to this list of dream related MV’s like Illusion, Wave, Inception, and Eternal Sunshine. But it really makes me wonder, was the Wonderland MV a dream too? We don’t have diaries for the Treasure series, so pretty much anything goes at this point.

It would make sense if all the weird maze stuff was part of a dream, but feel like the maze is something different entirely… AhhhHHhgh this is all so big brain that I don’t think I’ve even scratched the surface of what’s actually going on.

It does makes me wonder though…just how deep does this rabbit hole (dream) go? How long have they been asleep? And when they wake up, where, when, and who will they be?

[takitakidancetillthesunriseyea]

Madness and Emotion - A Halateez Coded Song Analysis.

It’s been rolling through my head for a while that Crazy Form could be Halateez. That perhaps Will (or at least the first half of it) is from their perspective. It would be in line with the color schemes and the general dark theme of the of the album. That and some of the concept photos seem to really lean that way.

Like, look at these concept photos & tell me they’re not Halateez coded

It really got me thinking though, if Will is Halateez then a lot of the lyrics we’re used to seeing in other songs would mean different things. There are a lot of lyrics and themes we can easily connect to Feverteez and their story arc, but not nearly as many we can connect to Halateez. It’s been years since we’ve been introduced to the concept of Halateez, and yet we still don’t know much about them other than they’re from Strictland and we’re leading a revolution until they were captured.

I know many people debate if Halateez and Feverteez are the same people or different people. Generally I think of them as different people, because even if they were the same originally their different life experiences would’ve made them different on the inside. (Although I admit, this album made me wonder if perhaps the theories ab them merging/being the same person at some point, are true.)

I’m not necessarily saying that every song on the album is Halateez, because we can’t know that one way or the other for sure. (You have no idea how long I’ve been tearing my hair out over this.) But what I can tell you is that Will feels different. Outlaw is crazy! Outlaw is chaos! But Will is different. Will is desperation to the point of madness.

Something I don’t think Feverteez is capable of right now.

So without further ado, here’s my vaguely Halateez perspective song analysis. (We Know/Emergency/Arriba/Silver Light)

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧//✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

WE KNOW

This song is by far a favorite of mine on the album. It comes on strong. It’s powerful. There’s desperation and challenge in it, as thought it’s the beginning of something bigger.

It’s The Comeback. It’s their comeback. Halateez.

One thing I found interesting as I was reading the lyrics is how much it seems as though they are both the hunters and the hunted. They’re back and they’re coming after you. But who is you? The government? Z? The brainwashed citizens of Strictland?

I swear, “I’m the morning,” always gives me chills. It’s so perfect for the role they’re playing because it connects both to the idea of waking up and also to imagery of the sun rising in the darkness. Dawn. In Wave, the concept of ‘the wave’ is that of a challenge a trial. They’re sending a warning because they are the challenge.

When I think of a wave I imagine something huge, overwhelming, something bigger than just them. Halateez is back, but it’s not just them. Feverteez is still a symbol of hope sure, but Halateez is the og. I would guess that even though many people are willing to join the revolution while Feverteez is spearheading it, many more would show up to follow Halateez especially if they pull a Jesus and come back from their ‘presumed deadness’. That would make sense connected to the title of the album. Will. A word that makes me think of the phrase ‘the will of the people’. As the Crazy Form MV suggests, they’re assembling their own little army of progressively growing number. Their own Wave made of the citizens of Strictland.

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧//✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

I see this as a threat to Z & anyone who’ll stand by him, but also as a message of hope to anyone trapped so deep in the blackhole of emotionless existence that they don’t think they can escape. However…I wonder if part of it is directed towards Feverteez too, as a warning not to get sucked into the false dreams as they have a habit of doing. (Which would be kinda funny if the unit songs are Feverteez in dreams again ToT)

Even if Feverteez has been doing their best to help people, in the end it’s still Halateez’s world. In the end they’re the ones with the most power in the revolution. They are back and they are coming for you. ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧//✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

“-thunder will turn the lights on…” I’m going to assume that this reference to ‘thunder’ is supposed to mean Thunder the undercover organization within Prestige Academy. So Halateez (and Feverteez) have teamed up with Thunder (as in the Diaries) and are trusting them to “turn the lights on”. My theory on that is very much connected to the Will diaries. At the end of the Will diaries Thunder’s leader, (the Be Free girl) is sent in to meet Z, an undercover mission that would bring her to very center of the Strictland regime. If she is caught showing emotion everything will be blown, but if she manages to stay hidden, she’ll be able to relay information straight from the government’s head office to Thunder and the Black Pirates (Halateez’s revolutionary group that Feverteez has been working with). My guess is that turning the lights on is supposed to mean shedding light on the terrible things Z has done. Releasing information that no one else should know and making it clear who’s really the bad guys.

Halateez is finally ready to reveal themselves to the world, they’re no longer waiting or hiding. It is the right time to come out and stand as they are. (Likely alongside Feverteez somehow.)

I’d also like to mention how cool the last line is, because it comes through with very real world implications. “My mic’s on” is a very kpop thing to say, (for obvious reasons) at concerts etc. BUT it’s also very applicable to the idea of ‘be careful I’m not afraid to say what needs to be said’ it’s a thinly veiled threat about revealing the truth. ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧//✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

Emergency

Frankly this song is so concerning. The first time I read the lyrics I was a little bit scared for the tone of this whole album. This whole song is just pure Dionysian madness. No matter what iteration of Ateez you think Will is, Emergency is concerning.

This whole chunk of lyrics could be connected to irl Ateez, (five years since mainstream, etc…) which would be pretty depressing, but also something which is necessary to think about. Even when looking at things from a Lore™️ perspective, realizing how it applies to real life is important to understanding the perspective. From an irl perspective, lore aside, this song is about getting lost in fame. Endless parties, endless emergencies, and a life you can’t go back to. The pressure closing in. Losing yourself in the game.

Which, though not exactly what Halateez/Feverteez is feeling, it’s pretty darn close. This song, lore perspective, is still about the pressure closing in and losing yourself in the game. The biggest differences is that Halateez is infamous rather than famous, and the pressure is quite literally the fear of death. So, uh yea. This could be Feverteez, sure, finally crumbling under the pressure of having to save a world that isn’t their own. But I really, really, believe it’s Halateez. Why? First, overall Halateez is rougher around the edges than Feverteez. Second, (and most important) how long has Halateez had emotion? If we assume The Real is their backstory we can say they’ve had emotion since Highschool….right? But if it’s not, then how long has it been? 5 years?? More???

Is that really enough to feel the depths of despair and come back from it? Is that really enough time to learn to control how you feel? Sometimes do they wish they’d never woken their emotions?

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧//✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

I’m going to agree with Tiny Bug Ink on this one, that the Light is another reference to their treasure. (their video here) But what is their treasure. We know what Feverteez treasures are from the first diaries. But do we know what Halateez’s are? Are they the same?

“A wish I’ve fervently desired from the beginning of the explosion.” This isn’t something Feverteez would say. The explosion is the revolution, but Halateez is the only one who saw the beginning of the revolution, they started it, they got the ball rolling.

Why? Why did they start the revolution? They wanted Freedom.

Freedom is their treasure.

It took me a week to realize this, but the phrase “Who is gonna play?” along with the “You better run, hide & seek.” from We Know and Yeosang’s hopscotch part from Bouncy are all probably supposed to connect to the idea of The Game. (Something Tiny Bug Ink pointed out in this video)

Throughout the whole World Series (yet another phrase associated with games), Ateez has consistently referred to the world as a game. These lines are just a few of the many that connect the concepts, and I’m not quite sure their meaning in the long term, but it is really interesting. As of this song they’ve lost their hope. They’ve lost their trust in the world and maybe even each other. They’re stuck in emotional limbo drowning themselves in alcohol. Thinking of the events of the Will diaries I don’t really blame them. Somehow the events of the diaries seems so much worse if it was the world you came from, not some dreamlike parallel universe.

I also wanted to point out “Party never ends”, because it’s just yet another usage of the word End which they seem to be throwing in everywhere this comeback. Party never ends.

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧//✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

Crazy Form

(For sake of length and my sanity I’m going to skip Crazy Form rn. I do have a separate post on it though, here.)

I would like to say though that the phrase “Ateez go!” doesn’t necessarily have to be self referential. It could be encouragement. Like arriba.

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧//✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

ARRIBA

This song was frustratingly hard to analyze. It has a very similar vibe to Emergency when it comes to lyrics and general theme, but unlike Emergency it’ no longer a cry for help, they’ve just let everything go.

I thought it was interesting that Arriba, (assuming google isnt screwing with me) is essentially Spanish slang for Up! (encouraging) So it’s probably supposed to be an equal equivalent to;

“We go up.”

(I love the stage it’s so silly! And cowboy! The lyrics on the other hand-) ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧//✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

For the chorus, the words ‘dirty night’ we (as in me) almost immediately connected to sex, debauchery, etc… And while yes there is plenty of evidence in the song to make that connection, I feel like it has a double meaning. For violence. It’s a dirty night not just because they’re letting their inhibitions go and partying hard. It’s a dirty night because of the fear and hopelessness that even drove them to that point. For the threat of death hanging over them.

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧//✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

I don’t have too much to say here about these lines. Though I would like to point out the obvious mentions of time, madness, and most importantly the end. This whole album constantly seems to reference the end of something. Which is both concerning, and not because of the whole ‘beginning is the end, end is the beginning’ thing.

I’d also like the add the comments of this blog here, because they make a good summary of why La cucaracha is important. vv

(Plz go check out their blog I love it.)

Their sets for the stages also seem to reinforce that connection to the Mexican revolution.

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧//✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

“My nose grows longer like Pinocchio’s” I think this line is particularly important, simply because it’s not instantly connected to the other lyrics. Ok so, he’s lying. But to whom? The people around him? Or himself?

I really like the context of the word dreamers. Irl a ‘street of dreamers’ is someplace someone goes to achieve their dreams, but contextually it could also mean a street of dreaming people. It’s the road of the people of the revolution. Dreaming of freedom literally and figuratively. I love the addition of Picasso and Salvador both as Spanish artists, but additionally, on top of that, they were both part of the Surrealism movement in art. A movement in art that emphasized the power of dreams and subconscious.

(Quotes taken from here, bc they summarized it better than I could.) Tbh I wasn’t expecting their actual work to be connected to the theme, but here we are. HJ & production appreciation hours.

“Blood spreading up and down.” As of the diaries Z has moved on from imprisonment and secret executions to public hangings. Like, just the idea of that is just…so fked up. Even if, as of Arriba, they’re in their safe little dreamworld they created in Crazy Form to give the citizens hope, they’re still in the same places. Even if they’re in a dream, they’re partying where people died. Like….ehh.

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧//✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

Silver Light

Let me just start off with saying that this song breaks me almost every time I listen to it. There’s just something so intensely emotional about it that it always makes me want to cry. Silver Light is the moment where the insanity of the last four songs melt into a single ray of hope. It’s perfect.

And it was also the hardest to analyze. ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧//✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

The very first line of the song has the word chain in it, and it’s sung by Wooyoung. Which makes me instantly connect it to two things; The Fever Diaries and the Wonderland MV.

In his very first diary entry, Wooyoung talks about stage fright. This is the final paragraph of his entry. (Read the full thing here)

In his diary Wooyoung uses the word ‘chain’ to represent his fear. What was holding him back. I think, in Silver Light it’s being used the same way. The citizens of Strictland are afraid of emotion, afraid of feeling, afraid of being in pain and showing it. I wasn’t expecting to relate so fully with these lyrics, but as I was turning them over in my head I realized something…It’s the same as when you want to cry but can’t because you’re afraid of being vulnerable. Afraid people will judge you. It’s that feeling, isn’t it?

Being afraid of showing emotion…Chained by fear…huh.

I’m sure there are more times they use the word chain in their discography. Times that aren’t related to Woo. But I can’t think of any off the top of my head, so for now he just owns that word.

Now, I can’t talk about the word wings without mentioning Seonghwa’s (super fking amazing) dance break on D1 of their tour. It lives in my mind rent free and I’ve thought about nothing else. It’s so- *screaming/crying*

But it’s also related to wings and the concept of freedom. The Strictland guards ‘take his wings’ a metaphor for taking his freedom. They leave him because he’s already broken, not physically, but mentally. They stole his freedom of thought. (I’m not crying no)

I could talk forever about this dance break. I won’t, but I do want to talk about how it relates to Halateez. If they lived in the emotionless void that Strictland is for their whole lives and then one day discovered feeling. If they learned how to feel and sense and hope and yearn. How to live alive. Could they go back?

They were captured, locked up, away from their friends in glass boxes, and forced to watch people being tortured. They had their freedom, which is probably their only treasure, ripped from them. They were sent to hell after they first learned how to feel. Don’t you think they’d want to go back to how it was before ? To embrace emotionlessness? To give up? The stealing of his wings can mean a lot of things. Not being able to go back home, losing emotion, losing hope, giving up, the moment of despair. But look at him and tell me that’s not what despair looks like.

(Ngl I added these bc I love them and everyone needs to appreciate actor Hwa.) ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧//✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

This verse gives me heart palpitations, and not just bc I love HJ’s rapping.

“This is the last chance, maybe.” This line makes me think of the breaking of the cromer in the Crazy Form MV. Assuming the scene isn’t a reference to when Yeosang broke the first cromer to save them, they broke the second cromer. Maybe there’s a third artifact they can use to time/dimension travel. Maybe that’s what the cube is. But if that’s true, if they break it they can’t go back home. It also made me wonder. Was that how Halateez felt when they first found the cromer and first used the it? They were desperate enough to summon Feverteez from another dimension. A plan that sounds like a last ditch effort if I ever heard one. As though they’d lost all hope in themselves.

Throughout the whole album there are constant references to the end, the last, the final. Will is the end of something. It could be the end of the uprising whether winning or losing, the end of Halateez hiding their identities, or even the end of Feverteez dream and adventure in Strictland. Really, we won’t even know what was the end of until next comeback. (It could pick up anywhere, I’m scared.) To be honest, this was the hardest set of lyrics to analyze. Specifically these lines: “There’s no law saying die. The trigger at the edge of breath.” Like excuse me what. (Genius.com really let me down on this one ToT) So I looked up other translations and they were equally confusing. But I did find this vv

I don’t pretend to know Korean, so going strictly off these translations I’m guessing it roughly means: We can’t die yet. So there’s that.

“Whether I want it or not this is my life.” “In the time of regrets I’m going. Here is the last man standing.”

HJ gets his mic drop. (Imma go cry) ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧//✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

In irl sense the “radiant light” and “countless voices” are Atiny. There have been countless times Ateez has referred to us as their Light, Lights, or Stars. (Excuse me I’m sobbing.)

In a lore sense though, it probably means the citizens of Strictland. The people who are slowly waking up and desperate for freedom, desperate for someone to save them from meaningless existence.

Which, really. Isn’t it the same? Living our boring lives, to work, to school, to sleep. A lot of us these days are really living in a grey world. Ateez music, their performances, are loud and bright, emotional and spectacular. They motivate and inspire us to wake up. To find our treasures. To feel our emotions. To dance.

Ateez started small, like really small. But now they’re able to inspire us to dream big, to hope. I like to think this song says the opposite is true as well. We inspire them, to hope, to continue going forward. And as idealistic as it sounds, I believe it. Because I’ve been inspired by fellow Atiny’s creations time and time again. ❤️

Now, for the final piece. In typical me fashion I looked deeper than I needed to and found something interesting on the concept of Ego. (So it connects to Crazy Form too)

In Freudian psychology, Ego is the conscious part of the mind that keeps your Id (instincts/monkey brain) in line with your Superego (morality/ideals). Without a strong enough Ego you lose control of yourself and descend into a kind of insanity characterized by blindly searching for pleasure. Ego is characterized as the realistic part of the human psyche, including rational thinking, planning, and self-control. (More info here.)

In this context “My ego’s in this show.” Likely is supposed to mean; ‘I’ve thought this through’, or ‘I’m doing this of my own will’.

Will

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧//✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ This post took 2 months to write bc I kept updating it as they came out with more stuff. (So some of it is better written than others ToT)

I almost didn’t even post it, but here we are… So if you made it this far, thanks for reading!!! ❤️

I know that I am going hard on my Halateez agenda, but their story is incredibly vague for how important it is. I feel like, even if they’re dead/gone/merged, Feverteez’s journey is still related to them more than it’s not. That’s why I go so hard on my Halateez shenanigans. Because they’re important dammit.

As always, feel free to add your own ideas and comments. I by no means think I’m right about everything (or anything) but the more ideas out there the more connections we can make. In the end, theories and speculation is part of what makes the story so fun. Atiny Fighting!! \ (＾▽＾\* )

[takitakidancetillthesunriseyea]

Not Ok MV Analysis

When Not Ok dropped, I was floored. It’s so good!!! So, as one does, I watched MV again and again too. At about the third time around, I began to realize that each of the member’s scenes are connected to the original Fever Diaries. So without further ado, here’s my analysis;

Hongjoong is stuck watching a screen, and the words he sees, (missing, alone, loneliness, behind, family, mother) connect back to his original dream; to become famous, like the people on tv, so his family would notice him. So he would no longer be alone. That’s his ‘trauma’. And in the end, the only way for him to break free is to destroy the phone.

You could argue his scenes are commentary on our modern reality, addiction, the horrors of constant media consumption, etc… and they are somewhat, but even more than that it’s about how the ideals of media effected his dreams. His addiction wasn’t the phone itself, but the unrealistic ideal of who to be. The idea that a perfect family exists, or that people are never lonely. That becoming perfect would change anything. At the end of the song most of them are able to break free of their ‘trauma’, and HJ does it by destroying what originally set him on his path.

I think for Hongjoong, freedom is realizing he doesn’t need to be that false ideal to have what he wants. That not everyone is perfect, and that if he doesn’t want to be alone, he needs to run for it in real life, not in some imaginary one.

Yunho sees his brother, flickering, glitching, and eventually disappearing. They’re in a theater, possibly like his brother might have once performed at. We don’t know too much about his brother from the diaries except that he liked playing music, and had a messed up leg, but I think it’s plausible that he would’ve performed at local theaters. As for why Yunho sees him…I think it’s supposed to represent his obsession. The theater itself represents his mind, how he’s constantly searching for traces of his brother.

In the Fever diaries, Yunho blames himself for his brother being in a coma, so much so that he starts following his brother’s dream; music. Then of course, through music, he met the guys and started traveling through time. It seemed like he’d moved on somewhat. Yet, in World Diaries when he met his brother in the past, he refused to leave him. In the end, when he chose to find the members again, his brother got hurt in the collateral. Possibly even killed this time. (Something possibly supported by the flies on the clothes in the MV.) So it’s safe to say that his guilt and fear are still fresh as ever.

(Yes this is a screenshot from YH’s scene. It’s what convinced me that it’s his brother) Overwhelmed with that guilt, Yunho’s been following his brother’s dream, this whole time. This whole time. It makes me think that maybe his brother disappearing at the end, in the same way the other break free from their shackles, is him gaining freedom. In the end, to live free, he needs to break out of his brother’s dream and live his own. No matter how much he loves his brother, to truly achieve something great, it needs to be his own will.

Seonghwa and Yeosang are in the same room, because their original ‘trauma’ was the same. Both of them were trapped due to rules and schedules. Yeosang was trapped in a ‘perfect’ life by an external force, his father, whereas Seonghwa was trapped in the same life, but by his own mind.

Both of them are playing Go, under heavy surveillance. Both of them have heavy, expensive looking watches on, that are constantly flashing with the words: obey, money, do work, fame, success, wake up, control. Those watches are their ‘shackles’ the constant goals, reminders, timers. You could think of it like a smart watch, literally giving reminders, but I think it’s supposed to be a literal watch. Time is counting down, but they only think of it as things they have to do, not as something mutable. Numbers, letters, strategies. Life is a game to be won, not a journey to be enjoyed.

Yeosang is the first to wake up, but there’s nothing he can do about it. He’s in a cage, and can’t escape on his own. (Interesting to me, because he saves the members in the diaries, but he cant save himself.) In the world diaries, when he fully breaks away from his father’s thinking, he attributes it to being with the others. It’s a change that happened in his own mind, but he needed someone to show him there was hope. He couldn’t do it alone. In the MV it’s the same. He wants to break free, but can’t alone. This is the play that triggered YS to wake up. vv

I think it’s significant for a handful of reasons. First, he’s losing, something that shouldn’t happen in his ‘perfect’ world. Second, his piece is fully boxed in (which is overkill). It’s caged, just like him. Third, and most interesting to me, is that the four Xs around a piece in Go are called liberties. So he’s quite literally had his liberties taken.

Seonghwa only wakes up when he sees the clock. In the diaries, SH woke up when he saw the girl dancing, it was a trigger for him to change how he was living. Unlike YS, no one was forcing SH to live perfectly. All the rules and schedules he followed like a religion, he made up himself. For him, deciding to change his life was completely internal, triggered by something anyone could’ve experienced. It’s the same in the MV. Seonghwa wakes up easily, but only after seeing the clock. Realizing that his life is ticking down to nothing, without him ever really living.

After waking up, Seonghwa is able to remove his watch easily. Proof that he had it on of his own volition. Then once free, he's able to free Yeosang who can’t escape on his own.

As for Wooyoung and Mingi, they are both in the same room, yet alone. Their fears were also both incredibly similar, their fears were other people. At first you would think they would be together in the room, but part of what made their fear so strong was being alone. So they’re together, but separate. When the two of them are first shown, they’re both on a little stage surrounded by masked figures. At first I didn’t realize the significance of the scene, but then I realized; The figures are facing different directions. On Wooyoung’s side the figures face him, while on Mingi’s side they face away from him. This little detail characterizes their fears well; Wooyoung is afraid of people’s stares, while Mingi hates being alone.

Wooyoung’s struggle, as characterized in the Fever diaries, is stage fright. While his screen time doesn’t seem very significant at first, it’s clear he’s afraid. The masked figures are looking at him. He surrounded, trapped on stage a tiny stage and they’re laughing (???) at him. I think people who struggle with stage fright and public speaking would agree that it’s a terrifying predicament. At the end of the MV he manages to break free by performing anyway, even with his fear. And he blows them all away.

Another thing I thought was interesting was the short but intense zoom on his necklace. Shots like this wouldn’t happen unless they were 100% on purpose. (Because it’s weird ToT) In his first Diary, WY says that his fear was like a “chain that was tying my body”. So the chain necklace could represent part of his fear. It’s collaring him in the same way the watches shackled YS and SH for their scenes.

Mingi loved music, but as escapism. He was lonely and used music as a way to hide from how he actually felt. His ‘trauma’. In the beginning, there are a good handful of shots of him standing alone on a stage. Sometimes there are men in black like Wooyoung have, but most of the time they’re either facing away from him, or flickering like they’re not really there. That’s his ‘trauma’; being alone.

His scenes were the hardest for me to analyze out of all the members. Yet they’re what also made me realize that Not Ok is connected to Fever Diaries. This shot of him putting in his earbuds is the reason I was even able to write this analysis. vv

It parallels his scenes in Diary Film so perfectly that it made me go back and reevaluate the whole MV from a Fever perspective.

To be honest, Mingi’s scenes stumped me for quite some time. Like weeks and weeks kinda time. After all that time thinking, I’ve come to the conclusion that the MV is supposed to show him coming to love music more for what it is than for the ability to hide in it. At some point he begins to use music as a way to connect with people as opposed to a way to push them away. (Like how the guys in black join him to dance.) For Mingi music is an unhealthy coping mechanism, but it’s also the path he chose for himself. If used the right way, it can give him strength to keep going and the ability to relate to others. He hasn’t won his inner battle yet, but he’s definitely getting closer.

San is running, (something he seems to be doing every single comeback). I think his running is supposed to be yet another callback to the og Fever Diary Film where he’s being forced to move again, and as he’s going down the escalator he changes his mind and runs back to the warehouse. Back to his friends and dancing. In the MV he’s being held back by two faceless men in a hall full of moving boxes. As the lights flicker the men turn invisible. (More proof that everything in the MV is happening entirely in their minds.) I don’t know who or what the men are supposed to represent, maybe they’re supposed to represent his parents, or maybe they represent his doubts and fears holding him back.

Towards the end he’s being sucked down a tunnel trying desperately to crawl out as something is racing towards him. At first I thought it was just particles, or grains of sand like in the cromer, going to suck him back into his ‘trauma’, but after watching it over and over again I realized; They’re toy trucks. Moving vans. The thing he was originally running from. He’s still trying to run.

Jongho’s is actually the most straightforward, even tho it took me a while to realize. When you see his scenes it’s easy to focus on the screens, because a few of the others have screens too (and they’re strobing so it’s super distracting.) What’s actually important though is what’s on the screens. It all ties back to that original injury in his first Fever Diary. In the og Fever Diary Jongho is depressed because he loves basketball sustained a horrible injury that made him unable to ever play again. In the diary he voices that he’s not just suffering from losing his dream, but also the realization that everyone left him behind.

At the start of the music video they split trauma into mental and physical, and Jongho’s is both. For his scenes he’s lying alone in a bed, in an empty room surrounded by screens. A good sum of loneliness. That’s where what’s on the screens comes in: All the screens are playing videos of people or animals running. Something he can no longer do. He can’t leave, can’t run, and he’s forced to watch other people do what he cannot.

When he starts trying to break away from the screen’s control on his mind, it shows a spider, meant to reflect his situation. He’s caught, stuck in a web, and can’t escape. For him, the breaking of the screens (similar to HJ in drowning the phone) is proof of him trying to break free from his ‘trauma’. In the MV, Jongho never manages to break the screens. He doesn’t escape but he’s trying his best. And the cracks in the screens prove that one day, he will succeed. ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧//✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

There are some things I noticed in the MV that I didn’t understand, or know where to put. 1) Throughout the whole MV it’s ’snowing’. It could be ash, but it’s in almost every solo scene regardless of whose scene it is. I feel like it’s supposed to be something to show that they're all in the same kind of dream, or perhaps in the same place outside of it. 2) San’s necklace. San is wearing a ring on a his necklace. It could just be a fashion accessory but to me it looks too deliberate to be a purely aesthetic choice.

But I think that’s where I’ll end for now;

In each of the members scenes, they’re fighting themselves. Trying to break out of their own trauma, and gain the freedom to pursue their dreams of their own will. There are some whose internal conflict isn’t resolved, and some who seem to have broken out of said ‘trauma’. Yet all of them are trying, struggling, and helping eachother where they can. Much like real life.

If I made any mistakes or you have anything to add plz feel free to. As always, if you made it this far ily! Thanks for reading 💕