#skzplayer

[iwriteaboutkpopsometimes]

Hyunjin "Play With Fire (Feat. Yacht Money)" (원곡 : Sam Tinnesz) | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]     ~A Love Letter~

I talk about why I love this video so much and deliver an excruciatingly detailed play by play of it, but why read a two thousand word, five page essay on a three minute video when you can just go watch the aforementioned three minute video? Forget me spending hours writing this, why are you here, seriously, it would take you significantly less time to watch the actual video. Regardless, enjoy my attempt to refrain from saying the same three things, “he's so cool”, “I love him”, and “this is so good”, in exchange for a  more, hopefully, academically professional sound.

Watching him perform never fails to put me in a trance, it’s incredibly captivating how precise and sharp while simultaneously lively and energy-filled his movements are. This video feels reminiscent of enjoying a movie I’ve seen countless times, memorized every line of dialogue from, and genuinely think of every part as the best it has to offer. I greatly missed seeing him dance and having this as his grand welcome back into the spotlight is nothing less of a gift. Every second leaves my heart pounding and as excited as the last, as he continuously tops himself the longer I watch. I feel that revisiting the video is the least I can do, for giving it only one view doesn’t feel morally acceptable if I intend to truly appreciate it for that art that it is. Dramatic of me? Perhaps, but I can’t help but perceive it as more than just this one video that was uploaded onto their YouTube channel. It isn’t just about all of the work he and others put into the making of this particular video, his choreography for the song was a result of years upon years of practice and learning different techniques. A performance this good doesn’t only involve technical skill though, but also skill in regards to one’s inner mind. To have confidence in one’s self, to hit every move powerfully, to know what you’re doing and be unapologetic about it, that is skill. Sure, the performer is at the focus of any performance, but don’t forget that it’s also about the audience, it is after all for the enjoyment of the viewer. If the audience senses your doubt and insecurity and uncertainty, it will make your stage that much less enjoyable. Whatever you feel, they can feel too. When I watch him, I don’t feel any of that. In fact, I feel the exact opposite, I feel inspired, motivated, confident, excited to advance in my own endeavors. The emotion that this video evokes from me goes beyond anything Stray Kids or K-Pop or even dance itself, it makes me want to be a better person, be kinder to myself and work harder. That might sound like a lot for one video to do for someone, but it’s the truth. All of the details, even down to the individual frames, it all works together to create the most gratifying viewing experience. At the time of writing this, the video has just hit five million views and has over one million likes, only a mere three days after its initial upload.

The first shot of his footsteps alone,  as he goes to stand in front of the mirror, I already feel this sense of importance coming from him, delicate, yet powerful. The setting, cold and empty, yet inviting, it makes room for him and gives him just enough light to be seen, for he doesn’t need all that much help to surely shine. The credits that pop up use a dark shade of pink-red for it’s background color and white text that acknowledges the same deep red imagery and text associated with the material of the original work. His outfit is neat and pristine with some sparkle, resembling one a prince would seem fit. He stares at his reflection, holding a sheer white ribbon in his mouth, gathers a section of hair behind his head and proceeds to tie it with said ribbon. The music starts as he finishes tying and lets his arms fall down at his sides. The over the shoulder shot looking into the mirror, shows that his expression is neutral, almost calm. This can most certainly be described as “the calm before the storm”, except the storm itself is antonymous to a tragedy, because when the singing starts, it’s as if his performance persona was turned on by a switch, a charismatic possession that took place in a matter of seconds that sends chills down your spine in the best way. His previously neutral, calm-like expression and gently resting arms are quickly replaced by the sudden placement of his right hand around his neck and a look that resembles more of  a vengeful, hesitant, and somehow playful one. Similar to what I’d imagine a villain would look like right before being bested during an epic fight sequence at the climax of a film. It’s satisfying to see him popping to the beat’s rhythm, his arms, wrists, and head smoothly illustrating the flow of the words, his focus and the secure angles he’s able to form before even fully utilizing his lower body. On the line “Got secrets I can’t tell”, he delicately places his pointer finger in between his teeth, as he turns back to meet the camera with his eyes, the shot now semi-closely focusing on both Hyunjin and his reflection as opposed to just one or the other. He extends his right arm, his hand forming a fist, and the camera movement making it as if I’ve been punched and sent flying. He stumbles to the middle of the room, does an opening gesture with his arms, like a proud baker showing off their completed wedding cake, along with a dramatic spin incorporating his thin, white, flowy cape. Reaching the pre-chorus, we get to see the room more clearly, like the stone pillars and the contrast of the small, warm lights on the walls to the grand grayness radiating from the large window that makes him appear as a near silhouette. There’s a certain holiness about him spending a count with his head down and arms out, much like the Crucifixion of Christ, before showcasing more of a demonic energy when he faces the window with his body, but bends backward and looks to the camera upside down. He rips off the cape, tosses it behind him, to his right. This could symbolize a transformation, an abandonment of a particularly purer image of oneself, a liberation. The music picks up, and the manner in which he dances is like a visual representation of one’s inner turmoil combined with an agenda to seduce those watching, wanting to dance for himself while taking us along for the ride. Now that the first minute of the video is out of the way, let’s continue.

The music fades into the background and the video takes on a sudden widescreen and grayscale appearance as he falls back on his right hand, flings his left hand over to his right shoulder, as though he’s been shot, and is being supported by his knees. He leans forward, places his right hand on the ground in front of him, uses his left hand to push his right knee over to achieve ideal balance, setting up his body roll. He extends his right leg back, getting close to the ground, and there’s something quite feral, yet intimate about the way he traces the length of his arm with his face and left hand. It looks like he’s taking out his frustrations through his moves while never sacrificing the detailed quality of the performance as a whole. It reminds me of how it’s more than common for artists to use their pain in their art, whether it be a point of well-intentioned expression with a specific purpose or simply an outlet for them to channel into. Hyunjin is the definition of aggressive elegance. The fullscreen, colorful display and music entirely return when he spins and lands on the ground in a Spider- Man esc pose, the room a lot warmer than even before the stylistic grayscale section. There’s hints of red, acting as a match that’s set to illuminate and ignite the puddle of gasoline that is him and his performance, that replaces the once colder, icy blue that previously enveloped his silhouette. He bounces to the beat showing off his proud, devilish smile that, instead of striking fear, makes me feel proud, as I’m essentially rooting for the villain in the movie. If the transition to the grayscale widescreen was him getting shot, then the transition back to fullscreen color is him emerging from his grave, an awakening. His shirt is no longer neatly tucked into his pants, but rather, hanging very loosely and mostly unbuttoned. He covers his face with his left hand, pulling it down for just a second before revealing his expression that has swiftly reverted to a roughly indifferent one. The inner conflict has greatly subsided, and focuses on the hesitant-free embracing of his newly discovered self, one of immense confidence and sex-appeal. Although, something about the flow of how he averts his gaze, looking to the left and not the lense, while pointing and doing body rolls at the camera, covers his eyes with crossed arms, and then allows for his hair to cover his eyes as well, makes me feel like he doesn’t want the viewer to know he is still at least a little bit shy. He quickly makes you forget though, because the next and final minute exaggerates everything he’s shown us up until this point, taking it to a whole new, spectacular level.

The bridge of the song creates a slower, softer atmosphere, which is beautifully interpreted with how Hyunjin carries himself during this part. Bigger gestures that blend into each other seamlessly, centering on really taking up the space he’s in. He gently and precisely lowers his body to the floor, collecting a white rose between his teeth. As soon as he returns to his upright stature, the setting changes dramatically. His hair now completely down, he’s under a spotlight in an otherwise pitch black and foggy room. There’s blue and red light reflecting off of his white top and his skin as he dances. This part feels more humane compared to the rest, with more of an obvious balance between sharp, impactful moves and tender, compassionate ones. He draws attention to his shoulders, brings his hands and feet close to his body, and showcases his red lit back. I particularly enjoy when he flicks his wrists and twists his ankles to the right in unison on the second syllable of “unstoppable”. For the “legendary animal” part of that line, his arms create a cage-like structure by doing a climbing motion and carrying it over all the way to the left. A cage in which he destroys the walls and breaks out of, shown by him punching downward on beat. From holding the rose in his mouth to holding it in his hand, he brings it over his head to his left shoulder, and raises his heels. He carries the rose down and around his left arm, his left arm momentarily resting at his waist, his right arm extended downward, he raises his heels again. His whole body lowers as a rigid wave starts at his up flicked wrists and subsequently elbows and shoulders. This collection of gestures results in petals falling off of the rose. He then inevitably throws it into the void, out of the reach of the lovely spotlight. I see this spotlight dance as a danse macabre, or dance of death. The white ribbon, white shirt, and white rose all coming together to illustrate this innocent and pure quality to him, that through this dance, he finalizes the renouncement of. He is more than ready to embrace a new and different side of him, but especially to get rid of the older and repetitive side that felt restrictive more than anything. The spotlight dance ends with Hyunjin looking directly into the camera, tracing his right hand down his chest and to his side, and the camera backing away. The last chorus of the song brings us back to the oh so familiar main room, Hyunjin’s hair back to being tied up, the lighting is the same, but there’s something that stands out. His shirt is on the verge of being completely unbuttoned and that allows for something alluringly shiny to be fully in view compared to before. The video comes full circle with Hyunjin’s hand around his neck, he stands in the hallway, and walks away a new man as the screen fades to black. 

As I wrap up this essay on Hyunjin’s “Play With Fire (Feat. Yacht Money)”, original song by Sam Tinnesz, Stray Kids: SKZ-PLAYER, the video has reached six million views, a million more than when I first started writing this, and I feel proud to have spent a day simply pouring my heart and mind out on this wordy display of my appreciation. Don’t be fooled though, for my necessary research, I guess you could call it, for this project may no longer be so necessary, I shall continue to watch and applaud the masterpiece and experience that is this video for my own personal enjoyment, much like how this whole piece was written for my own personal enjoyment. It was an interesting challenge to properly voice not only the contents of the video but also my thoughts and feelings on it. Hyunjin is a highly valued dancer, member of Stray Kids, and person and five pages isn’t ever going to be enough to fully explain the respect and admiration I feel for him and his various projects. I think he’s really cool, I experience all sorts of fiery euphoria watching him dance, his rap and singing alike are addictive as hell, and he’s pretty, haha. I missed him a lot while he was inactive, and I’m so happy to have him back and doing great things as per usual. I’m excited to see what he and the rest of the group have left to show us this year. I advise you to watch the video if you haven’t, but somehow ended up reading an essay on it first, and if you’ve already seen it, watch it again, yeah. I’ll leave you with lovely thoughts and lovely vibes and I hope you too can appreciate the work he’s put into the video, as well as my work on this essay. Thank you for taking the time to read my love letter, essentially, and bye for now ^ ^

[soft4chan]

SKZ - PLAYER

Hyunjin - 꼬마별

🧸🧸

[dwiayngnshh]

(dwiayngnshh) SKZ-PLAYER Stray Kids Changbin (Feat Bang Chan) “Streetlight” COVER

[nurinnadhirah]

like a streetlight

After the end of a lonely day

I’m standing in the air in the middle of a lonely night

and try to smile brightly

like a streetlight

[skz-films]

➼ #HANWEEK22

favorite skz-player. — Close

[changbeanie]

“STREETLIGHT”

changbin (feat. bang chan)

[exocean]

[loveforskz-blog]

I was thinking about saving this edit for tomorrow, but I just wanted to share that I got my stickers from @staykkami_co yesterday! The music player stickers are for my friend, but look at the #skzplayer stickers! They're so cool. Thanks again! 💕 . #straykids #straykidsedits #bujo #bangchan #woojin #leeknow #changbin #hyunjin #han #felix #seungmin #jeongin #STAY #skz #3racha #jyp #kpop https://www.instagram.com/p/Bt1HkVUgHqs/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=11ka1cs9up5gf

[ambivartence]

happy 2022 siyuan!!!!!! i can’t wait to see more of your beautiful works this year too!! 💖💖 and of course i hope you feel loved and happy and healthy all year long 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰 sending all my best wishes to you!!

HaAPPY 2022 TO U TOO DUCKY 💕💕💕💕 hope you've have a good start to the year and can't wait for all the things that skz have in store for us both this year 😌have a wonderful day darling 😘💖💗

[choi-in]

PHEW

[chegyuldraws]

Hyunjin’s SKZ-PLAYER “Play With Fire”

[girlzwithfun]

VAMPIRE SKZ I WANT U

[astronautmv]

wtf jisung did a LIVE

[joonlixstars]

Stray Kids Vlives with you

genre: fluff ☁️

warnings: none

notes/comments: You can imagine whatever relationship you want with the members, I was just watching Chan's Room when I got this idea! Also, the reader is gender-neutral. This has been sitting in my drafts for a long time oof...but I hope y'all still like it!!

🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺

Bang Chan:

Chan's Room 🐺 Ep. # (SPECIAL GUESTS!!)

Chan started out the episode vibing to Domino

You sat right outside of his open door, laughing as he did his intro

He talked to stays for a couple of minutes before telling them that he has a special guest

Chan waves for you to come in, and you slide into the frame on your rolling chair.

You wave cutely at the camera and Chan laughs at you

"Y/N, do you have any music recommendations?"

Chan giggles when you put on your favorite skz song

You alternate back and forth between playing songs

And the end of the episode, Chan teaches you how to do his signature pose

He presses the end button, before turning towards you

"That was fun, you should join again!"

°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Lee Know:

Lee Know Ri Bang 😺

You wanted Lee Know to try food from your culture

He decided to do it live so that he could share his experience with stays

You brought the food to the room he had stared the vlive in, stepping into the frame with the bags outstretched

Lee Know was very excited and had you introduce the dishes you had brought to stays

You showed off the dishes one by one to stays, before prompting Lee Know to taste it

You carefully watched his reactions and gave him big smiles when they were positive

He loved everything you brought for him

But his favorite was the dish you had saved for last (which was also your favorite dish)

He was sad when there was no more food left because he was really enjoying everything

Lee Know promises to treat you to his favorite Korean dishes next time

°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Changbin:

Dwaekki🐷🐰 is back!!

You told Changbin that stays really wanted to see him workout

He thought it would be fun to do some exercises on vlive if you joined him

You quickly agreed, because you too wanted to know the secret behind his strong build

Changbin first did some warmups, using you to demonstrate the correct and incorrect techniques

He decided to focus on arms today, an area that you were lacking in

Changbin was very patient with you, from finding you the right weights to checking your posture

You found his exercises a bit difficult, but he assured you that you were doing amazing for a beginner

Eventually, you weren't able to keep up with him anymore, and you sat down and watched him instead

Changbin decided to use that as an opportunity to show off his strength to you and stays

After ending the vlive you were exhausted but still decided to join Changbin to grab something to eat

°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Hyunjin:

Hyunjin's Practice Room 😎

Hyunjin really wanted to teach you the choreo from their latest comeback

You readily agreed but you warned him that you weren't the best dancer

You both started the vlive by warming up to some of Hyunjin's favorite songs

He taught you some basic dance moves

Hyunjin also encouraged stays to follow along

After you nailed his warmup choreo, he decided to move on to the chorus part of their latest title track

You initially struggled to understand the steps

But Hyunjin was very patient and broke down the steps for you to understand better

Eventually, you got it and after a few run-throughs you were almost on par with him

You both ran through the entire choreo together one last time before calling it a night

°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Han:

Han is here!

You join Han after he greets stays

He talks a little bit about the music he's working on but gives no spoilers

You praise him for his most recent skzplayer, and he blushes a little bit before deciding to play it out loud

You both chitchat a bit before the topic moves on to anime

Han tells you all about the animes he's been watching

You enthusiastically respond and the two of you fan over your favorite shows

Han adds some shows to your watchlist and recommends them to stays as well

You also recommend many shows to him

After wrapping up the vlive, the conversation doesn't end

Han convinces you to watch the show he's watching

And the two of you end up binging it together

°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Felix:

9.15 LIX FM 🐣

You thought it would be a good idea to do a baking ASMR

In their dorm, Felix has all the ingredients and the ASMR mic set up

At the start of the vlive, Lix explains what you both are doing

Then you both try not to talk so that stays can hear the ASMR

It doesn't worth though since you both start randomly laughing

After Lix finishes mixing the cookie dough, you add the chocolate chips

You accidentally pour too many and you both burst out laughing

Lix tells you to give up on the ASMR so you both just have a normal chat while the cookies are baking

When the cookies are done, he brings the ASMR mic back though

You have a competition to see who can eat the cookies the quietest (you win)

After ending the vlive, you help Felix distribute the cookies to the other members

°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Seungmin:

Seungmin's Small But Certain Happiness EP.# 🐶

Seungmin invited you to chat with him on vlive

After introducing you to stays, he calls you in

At first, you didn't really know what to talk about, so Seungmin starts telling you about his day

He tells you about some of the funny things the members did before they debuted

It reminded you of the things you did with your high school friends

After telling him a somewhat embarrassing memory from school, he starts teasing you

And he tells stays about a funny story you have with one of the other members

You, of course, retaliate by reminding him of the staaaa incident

The two of you go back and forth until Seungmin wins

After ending the vlive your stomach hurts from laughing so much

°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

I.N:

The Youngest's Private Life # 🦊

New SKZOO merch had just dropped

And I.N wanted to unbox them all with stay

You both open the different characters one by one

You lay claim to the FoxI.Ny keychain, but I.N playfully fights you for it

You end up winning

In fact, he lets you keep all of the FoxI.Ny merch

"I hope our stay will love these as much as I do."

You reassure them that everyone already does

After the vlive ends, you snatch up your merch and run off

Before he changes his mind and tries to fight you for the keychain again

🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺

masterlist! | request!

[youcanstayhere]

2021 With Stray Kids

Mnet Kingdom: 04/01-06/03

Mixtape OH MV: 06/25

Stray Kids 2nd Full Album NOEASY, Thunderous Comeback: 08/23

Stray Kids Japanese 2nd Single Scars: 10/06

Stray Kids mini-album, Christmas Evel: 11/29

Stray Kids Winning their First Daesang, AAA Performance of the Year: 12/02 (+ 6 music show awards this year)

15 Music Videos total: mixtape OH, Thunderous, the view, sorry I love you, cheese, red lights, surfin, gone away, secret secret, scars, Christmas Evel, winter falls, and 24 to 25, lovestay, and Placebo

4 albums total: NOEASY, Scars, Christmas EVEL, SKZ2021

4 SKZPLAYER: maknae on top, 오늘밤 나는 불을 켜, drive, play with fire

8 SKZ-RECORD: Seungmin-Love Again, Han-Alien, Changbin & Felix- 좋으니까, Changbin & Seungmin 조각, Han- Wish You Back, Seungmin 3108, Han- HaPpY, I.N.-향기만 남아

+ 15 episodes of skzcode (+ SKZ DEL LUNA), 10 episodes of SKZ-Talker

Thank you for a great year Stray Kids,

#lovestay

[bewby]

i know this will never be a concept for an official comeback. but i pray they would at least make a skzplayer or whatever. where they would do some project x shit!!!!!!!!!😭😭😭😭😭😭 DO YOU SEE THE VISION.... and i know chan loooovessss edm like he is an edm connoisseur so he would make a perfect little song too onmhhhhhhhhhggh i need it so bad.