I know I'm kinda late but I just wanna let out my thoughts here. As someone in the comments also said this is about members waiting for Jay to finally join, and do you also notice how Jay is the only one who's always on that same road the whole time on the mv? He's always been in the middle of that two-way road and seems to be having a dilemma initially on the beginning scenes he appeared. The road with two ways which means he has options to consider. This makes me feel like he was conflicted about whether to join the members or not. Although the song leans towards to more of a melo side and same with the visuals of the mv too, but I weirdly feel the positivity instead of a negative sense. The lyrics like "nothing last forever" "You ready or not one day it will all end" 'If the time is now, I won't waste it" are giving "carpe diem". And one of the theories I read somewhere is also interesting. Jay's lines "Who's there.." (at the start) "Who's there.. I need your answer" (the last chorus) and the rest of the members' lyrics throughout seem to be the responses to Jay and giving reassurance and convincing him to make the best out of now together with also a sense of knowing things will eventually end someday+ the unknown future. Most of the people associate "bottling up" with depression (like bottle up the feelings) but I want to think it ("Bottles bottles up. Let's celebrate this love baby.") as them acknowledging things don't last but let's bottle up (see what I did here?) the negative sense of this nature and appreciate the present. Also bottles as in them literally cheering with drink bottles up too. After thinking about for a while, Jay finally decided to give it a go and walks towards the opposite direction of the initial camera shot. "This is the beginning. I can't let it go before I see the end." At the last chorus, members are "rushing" towards a direction with by foot or by car (Jongwoo lol) and finally all together meeting with Jay and walking towards the same direction. (that opposite direction from the viewer's pov) Do you notice how that two arrows turn into the same direction after One Pact becomes together and also directing towards the same way they have walked? Also Jongwoo at the last scenes feel like he is looking back his past alone self (before he literally recruited the members as we all know) where no one was there yet. Btw have you watched the new self-made video that was preleased for upcoming album? I feel like we have connections with these self-made videos so far. If you don't know this latest song title was in their second self-made video's ending (the scene of Jongwoo's phone screen and what he was listening) The theme is similar too. The lyrics are "If I keep walking and keep walking, will I be able to reach you?" and we can see they are walking towards somewhere. (Rush~Walk) And that line is the most repetitive part. My delulu self can't help but think about that it's made for Jay and them longing for him🤧. If you reach here then, thanks for taking time to reading my thoughts :3

Chan has naturally curly hair

Skz lore is always a little vague to me, but thats because I always feel there are still puzzle pieces missing. And also, because it is never fully fleshed out anyway. So youre always guessing. And as much as I like to theorize , there comes a point when I just get lost in the many many many possibilities and options and theories. So many stays have theories and some are quite adamant about them. I am not one of those. I know that the idea of multiple universes is big in skz. So you'll always see different versions of themselves, in different worlds. Your thought about the dancers possibly being other versions of themselves is a valid thought. I always saw them as all those thoughts and fears etc that hold them back, make them doubt themselves, but it could also be the two versions of skz in different worlds, after different choices, both experiencing the side effects in headaches. Another thought I had a few times while watching this mv, mostly because we see Skz asleep on the bus later in the mv (and skz sleeping on the bus returns later), that it's also possible that version is simply dreaming of havinv made the other choice. That Skz in that field isn't real. And that me seeing the universes split at the bus stop is just me loving that idea too much (reminds me of a fav film called Sliding Doors). But I do think it is about a universe split. The sleeping is a little too interesting though, especially because if returns later. The key..yes...well, the series is called Clé, french for key, and Miroh means Maze in korean. And we have the district 9 (which stands for their own little haven, their safe place - so definitely not the city, that much we do know,) Unlock concert...they are unlocking something in this series, in this storyline. And clearly leaving keys behind...losing them. Closing off paths. Dont think its the elevator because elevators keeo returning. But the truck doesn't. Although it looks like an elevator key. Levanter is supposed tk be the end of this particular storyline, although I do see it continue. I think its the end of maybe a part of the entire story. Btw make sure to include SkzFlix in your analysis when you get to that point. It is very much a part of it, even if its not an mv or unveil. Hope you'll be able to continue this. I very much enjoy your videos and even though I pretty much only offer more questions, I love theorizing about this. But I fully understand real life. Take care with your side effects

The dancers seem to represent outside forces controlling their actions. They seem to act like puppeteers & stop them from doing certain actions. This is where roles start with the members.(I'm excluding Woojin, because his role transfers to Changbin when he leaves) -Chan is the leader, Key Keeper, and initially the holder of the compass, and later also watches of over the glitch. -Lee Know is the support. He is always somewhere in the background doing something to help the others. He drives vehicles. He provides emotional support. He is just always there. -Changbin is the balance & drive. (Balance was Woojin, but when Changbin took it over he passed drive to Han) He is the one to settle arguments, and not pick sides. He is the one to encourage the others to keep going when they are exhausted. -Hyunjin is the Way Finder. It's his role to look for alternate routes. He looks at everything in a different way than the others. This will set him at odds with Felix & the others sometime, because sometimes the best path isn't in the direction you want at first. -Han is the motivation. He provides the encouragement to continue. He gives the reasons why they are doing what they are. Taking over as drive as well just expanded his influence. -Felix is the Navigator & compass keeper. He is tasked with knowing where they are going. He keeps them in the direction they need. He knows where they should be, but how they get there is often at odds with Hyunjin. -Seungmin is the cartographer/record keeper. It is his job to keep track of what has happened, where they have been, and to provide maps. You will always see him with either a notebook, a map, or a camera. This is why he was at odds with Hyunjin in Side Effects because he was making note of a dead end & tempers got high. -I.N is the hardest to place. But he is the GLITCH. He is the odd one out from everyone. From the beginning. In the I Am Not trailer, we saw him leave the bus when he saw his clone. This wasn't supposed to happen. He is the glitch that starts everything. He will be constantly slightly out of sync with the others. He will be looking in a different direction. He will seem to hear things that the others do not. We are not sure if he was replaced, or was just not supposed to get off the bus. Glitches in the screens will happen more around him. Chan eventually starts keeping his attention on what they are doing. It will be his job to keep I.N from deviating from their path. I.N will show knowledge that he can't say and end up sad because of it. I.N represents the reason for their journey, the idea that there is something out there that is different than what they are given. In the Side Effects MV, we see the results of taking the "road not taken". They are constantly wandering, driving across paths they have taken before. Sometimes following roads that others have left. But constantly trying to find new ways. They run into dead ends. They see countless evidence of what has gone before. As the lyrics said, "It hurts more because they thought it would be easy." They are having to find a way to build their own roads...And that is never easy. Tension & tempers run high as they deal with stress from things they are disappointed in, or not sure about. The ideals they had in the beginning are under a lot of stress, and they are having to really try hard to not have those change in ways they aren't aware of. We also get a glimpse of the floating city that appeared in the sky in Hellevator. It represents another choice that we can see, but not completely understand yet. We see two moons with different phases in the sky as well. They are different paths that lead to different places in time. At the very end we see Hyunjin laying on the ground under an overpass. He seems to have left the group after the argument with Seungmin to cool off. We also see that Chan has the compass still. He is the one to make sure that Hyunjin is safe with them again, because they are stronger together. The key in the water seems to be to the truck that they then abandon. Again, another road.

This is the first split in their journey. We can see the decisions made by the two sets of members. The bus driver is extremely similar to the Authority figures who SKZ were trying to disrupt in Miroh. For a bus driver, he is heavily awarded & seems to be more military than public servant. (Some version of this man will be seen at different points in SKZ videos. Even those not in the direct line of the story.) SKZ were leaving Miroh in order to find another way forwards. But the ticket that the one set has is a one way ticket, and it is given to the Authority to travel in comfort. So this set decided to not fight, and join the easy way of least resistance. At the end we see the members left behind as they refuse the easy path. This is the start of multiple dimensions & journeys. Even though we follow one set. And we need to take into consideration what colours mean to Koreans, as we see three main colours used here. -Yellow represents holiness, wealth, authority, fertility, warning. It is the center of the cardinal directions, and represents the element of Earth. -White represents purity, innocence, rectitude and temperance. It is also associated with patriotism. It is the West in the cardinal directions, and represents the element of metal. -Black represents death, darkness, formality, dignity and rules. It is also associated with infinity, intelligence, and creation. It is associated with mastery & the ending of a cycle. It is North in the cardinal directions, and represents the element of water. Since we see the white/silver cart with a bouquet of black balloons tied to it, we can assume that these symbolize the end of that chapter. Possibly also their innocent enthusiasm. And with the way the music is at the end, we can assume that the yellow is for warning. It seemed idyllic & holy in the beginning & then changed.

What I have always loved about the poem....is the title. And its significance. The title is not the road less traveled on, it's the road not taken. So does it say the protagonist took the road less traveled on or did the protagonist do what everyone else did...take the easiest looking road and is now saying that may have been a mistake and is trying to sort of rewrite his own narrative? The title also conjurs uo images of looking at your life's choices and wonder what would have happened if you had taken the other road. And that, for me, is something I have always been interested in. Small decisions that are actually a fork in the road and depending on what you do, everything after that point is totally different. When I saw that split screen and the bus driving off and two different outcomes...I had your reaction. The bus looked nice enough, but the creepy tattoo...looks gangster (hold on to that thought) and the creepy smile on the driver's face is sickening. Something is NOT right with that choice. But in one line they choose it anyway. Love the ideas by the previous comment. Very valid. I think its how a lot of these videos work, there is a small story in them that is about themselves and there is a little piece of a puzzle in the big story line (which never really is cleared up ...ever hahhaa). Love your attention to detail. And I am really curious to see how you analyse this after you have caught up and know what we all know now...or still don't know really, but have all the available information. Oh and hiya, cure cat!

5:03 안녕 고양이~ 7:32 드디어 팬들앞에 나가려는 skz..(하지만 불안하다) 10:47 가면쓴 악당과 타협하여 버스에 오르지만 모든것을 남겨두고 떠난다. 하고싶은 음악을 기약하며.. 제가 느낀 감상문입니다~ 번역이 잘됐으면 좋겠어요~

If there are two things you will see a lot in Skz MV's/trailers/etc it is elevators and upside down worlds..they keep returning. And the notion of multiple universes/Multiverse is also recurrent. Looking at it that way, The Road Not Taken makes perfect sense in this narrative. Yes, you associating yellow wood with Robert Frost is absolutely correct. The first song on the album is titled such and there is more of it in other videos. And when you think of the road not taken, there is something interesting....did they take the road not many took? Or didn't they take the road and are now seeing that world when the elevator doors open. Or did that world split into two universes, one in which they revolted, one in which they didn't? Just theorizing a little here, because the master in English literature in me can't keep her mouth shut, but yeah... that's what I keep thinking when I see this. Want to say more, but you have to see the teaser for Side Effects first.

If you remember, I said to pay attention to the slogans that were in the parade in Miroh. The most important one was "Something happened. Nothing changed." Here we see them realizing that every thing they were doing to make change wasn't doing anything. They would continually have to fight the same battles every day. Nothing was sticking. They were still being watched. They were still having the same battles every day. It was wearing on them mentally. And this is where the Cle comes into play. Cle is key in French. Here we see them start to use these to alter their path. And yes. Yellow Wood is the one you are thinking of. The teaser for Side Effects picks up immediately after this. And bridges the gap between this trailer & Side Effects mv.

A note on the Choreography. Chan wanted to integrate Aboriginal or Maori Haka elements in to the choreo as a nod to his home countries/regions native peoples. The haka is traditionally used as a ceremonial greeting and/or a challenge so it fits very well with the energy of the song.

Love how much you notice of the bigger story line and bigger messages without even all those details people only now know because we have had a few years and many many people on social media together finding and combining all the details. Love your analysis. Looking forward to hearing more.

Oh. I'm glad you are noticing so much. SKZ put so much stuff for us to find in every video. Miro means maze in Korean, and they added the H at the end to denote heaven or hell. Just like with Hellevator, the meaning is up for interpretation of either end. Heaven or hell, your choices determine the path to either. The chant part of the lyrics are heavily inspired from Congo victory songs. The main parts of the choreography is inspired from modern Hakka dances. Notably victory songs as well. You should pay attention to the slogans that the authority figures had in their parades. "The world is the same." "Something happened, Nothing changed." "Order-Disorder." "There is no Tarzan. CITY JUNGLE." (These are important. Remember them.) Tarzan is the hero of the jungle, so the Authorities are saying there are no heroes. Just them. The mascot of the authority figures is a lion...Which isn't a Jungle animal. Tigers are, which is why when you hear the tiger roar & see the tiger's face pop out at us, it's with SKZ as the background. We also see & hear a hawk. Hawks are representative of freedom. They removed the weapons & masks used by security for the authority. We know this, because neither SKZ nor the resistance ever use those. No dog masks, and no weapons. How many times have police & security been equated to attack dogs for dictators. They are removing those. When it first started you see glitches happen behind Felix, and bios code and different images flash in rapid sequence behind him. Only him. Those images are sending a rocket to space, the first areal photos of a large city, war, blueprints for city infrastructure, and time lapses of traffic with the headlights making streamers. So much happens before the song even starts officially. When the song starts, Chan & Seungmin are in a high-rise building looking over the city. The walls & signboard are covered in papers, pictures, and markers. They are tracking people. Noting times & places, making notes on who is missing, where they are meeting, and so forth. When SKZ are with the resistance, they are at street level, but when on their own, they are high above on rooftops. Miroh marks a change in SKZ's direction. They have the darker beginnings of the I Am series. Here, they are confident. They are expanding their influence beyond their small district. They are starting to disrupt the status quo. The colors start to get brighter in reflection of this fact. Even in the dark, they wear clothes that are visible. They are no longer wandering to find themselves. They are declaring who they are as they gather more to join their district. And side note about the MAMA version of Victory Song......SKZ were MAD when they did that. Normally MAMA only have artists who are nominated for awards perform, but SKZ had not been nominated for ANYTHING even though Gods Menu was doing outstanding. MAMA asked SKZ to do a performance to announce their participation in Kingdom, but they snubbed SKZ for everything else. They were expecting SKZ to do a Gods Menu performance, but SKZ were a bit spiteful. They decided to use a b-side song from albums WAY earlier. They didn't give MAMA the satisfaction of anything really new. They are SKZ, and re-did the song, and made a spectacular performance. This is why we got Binnie demanding "Don't you know who we are?" so aggressively.....So the Victory Song performance was a declaration of intent. A very loud & angry one.

Some of this song had inspiration from Congo victory chants that are sung before battle.. It starts with them lined up at the wall overlooking the city, like they were at the end of I Am You. They have created a safe space. They have become confident in themselves. So now this is them declaring their intent to disrupt the authorities who control the cities. They are gathering their strength to fling themselves out there to disrupt the status quo. This is them declaring victory before they start the battle.

This is the end of the I Am series. During the first two they were finding who they are....In this one they have accepted the fact that they will not have answers to all the questions...But they found pieces of themselves in the others. And those are answers of a different sort. They are still questioning, and still growing. But they have accepted themselves as imperfect. With other imperfect people who balance themselves out. And, yes. They are setting up a place for Stay to find refuge. Their district isn't just the warehouse. But they are planning for more people. After all, we saw them calling many people to join them in My Pace. They are removing the surveillance cameras that they find, so that Stay can be at peace without others judging them. They want this to be a place of safety & comfort. It isn't perfect, and has much to be added. But it is a start. And I love the shot of them all sleeping in a cuddle pile on the trampoline.

Aahh you're back!! Cool. I absolutely love this song, but I don't watch the mv a lot. Usually I just listen and when I watch the song...its the stage version they did at the MAMA awards. So it has been a while since I saw the MV. Interesting to see it through your eyes. The imagery is quite interesting indeed. Can't wait for you to see Miroh

Thank you so much for reacting and for keeping up with our boys🥹 I do wish the company did better from the beginning so the video wasn’t delayed and still problematic, but as a whole I think it’s a masterpiece. As for lore here, I feel like you are onto something. My theory is this: Considering the theme of the song and how that has been described by media as being about “what would happen if you refuse to fit in with what’s expected by society”, I think this song in itself, as a creation by Tag, is what got him caught by the FBI-looking man. This song is telling people to rise up, and to not conform to expectations, so I think this was passed on to the other boys through the CD and the VHS. Like a manifesto. I also think it’s why we see Tag sort of performing through a VHS camera at some point. Basically filming his song/manifesto for other people to see. He is telling the other boys to rise up, and they do, so they are also being hunted. Why Yedam is kidnapped might be to show that stepping away from expectations isn’t always easy, but him being fine is showing that he eventually joined the “rebellion”.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR REACTION !!!!

The problem Is so the hairstyle.😭😭😭 Armada really needs to do better.

I came across this video and sorry for the long comment but I love Golden Child's music branding. They come from Woollim a company who highlights the idea that music should awaken emotions, their motto is "true music, true emotion" and out of all their groups they had golden child fulfilling this theme very well. Their music usually mirrors their reality, surroundings, real life topics. Feel me reminds me of those coming of age videos, closing chapters but with a hint of hope for what's to come, this align very well with their present/future. Their contracts are ending and contract renewal are coming so I believe this was an ode to youth. (I don't know if I might be reading too much but because it was released the same year a dear idol passed away I think they also made a bit of reference to that). Some things that appear in the video and are real life Golden Child: • Member in stripes suddenly appears is because he came back from military • The one shaving is the maknae Bomin, I think it symbolizes his growth because he was very young when he debuted and the member he was paired in this story line is the oldest and thwy were called madmak! When he d*es in the MV it's Jangjun the other oldest member taking care of him. • The one with the violin is Joochan, he's the one who played in Paganini in Road to Kingdom and then they got eliminated. That's why he's shown practicing in the video and it literally break my heart seeing him break his violin because after the elimination it took a tool on all of them but especially on him bc he believed it was his fault as he was the main character. Overall, Golcha has music full of heart and soul so I definitely recommend them! One big recommendation is their self discovery trilogy and it has beautiful made videos, it came after the year long hiatus after a member was injured and they waited for him as he recovered from surgery. After that the company decided to do a rebranding and they were old enough to try more mature concepts. The trilogy is about their ambition and desire to become their ideal self, second part is their struggle, and third is finally coming out of that nightmare (that was road to kingdom for them!) Sorry for the long comment!

I feel like the gun really throws you off of everythig, like I was so confused from that part on every single time I watched the video

*promo sm*

Grow Up is central to part of the story. In Voices, we saw them in the end with open sky & colours. This one is them encouraging all the "stray kids" that are being called to their District to keep going. And they are saying that it's ok to feel the way they do. There will be a place for them. And support for them. This is actually a rest stop in their journey & they are encouraging others to do so too. You see the members starting to come together & comfort each other. This is where they start to get serious. My Pace is them still encouraging everyone they have invited to their District. But they are telling them to go at the pace they need to not burn out in the long run, trying to keep up with everyone around them. There are so many modes of transport in this video. Roller skates, horses, swimming, bikes, shopping carts, everything you can think of to get from place to place. They are still saying that there's no set end. But they want one. They are still seeking answers. With the glitching that's happening, they know they are still being monitored by the authority figures that controlled the place they left. They are trying to disrupt that, but it will be ongoing for a long time. They seem to glitch between outfits & emotions...So we can assume these are different points in their story & choices. They are still heading in the same direction as everyone. But they are also seen alone, so they are definitely providing a path to the others who will follow. This is a very hopeful & positive part of their journey of discovery.

Grow up is a special song for stay. Its been used at concerts for the fan projects...fans sang it to Stray Kids at concerts. And as you found out: its relatable even when you're not a teenager anymore..I have many times used the words from this song to tell myself that I am.doing okay, its okay. And My Pace... absolutely!! Take your time. What a great message!

대체 왜이러는데..

WOW !!!

Thanks for making the reaction video about a.c.e MV

A.C.E is one of the best groups for vocals. On this album is a song called "Angel." Their last Season's Greeting before they went to the military was an office theme. The two oldest members adopted little dogs while they were in social service jobs to fulfill their mandatory duty. A.C.E has some hard-hitting MV's--EDM, rock, etc. that sound nothing like this!

Love that you're going through these. I swear they help with understanding the meanings/underlying themes behind the songs in each album. They're not just a hype up to the album that’s nonsensical and I love that they do this!

Thank you for reacting to A.C.E. They aren't AI robots. I'm pretty sure they are just using the robot imagery to show that the kind of work they do makes them feel like robots. I'm not really sure what Petflix is except that it does cater to pet owners in some way.

Literally, since this song dropped, I have been using it to call my cat since she comes running every time I sing. So you aren't alone. 😂 Also!!! The backup dancers are their fans, Choice. 😊 The members taught everyone the dance choreography themselves and it's literally SO sweet, they love their fandom so much. 😭

Malaysia New Song Before Trending。 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻😊❤ Steady gang - (周星翅)mv

Sorry I'm a few days late. I had a very busy weekend. I just got back today. Voices is one of my fave songs. The way it is put together is both haunting & hopeful. And the message is so important for people to hear. That the voices are not only external, but they can also be internal. Like buzzing between floors. And you brought up the masks. And another commenter mentioned them to be like muzzles. Both are right. They do kind of protect the wearer, but when you try to speak in one of those, your voice gets muffled & reflected back on you. So, not only is it harder for others to hear you, you are also having your own voice reverberate in your head in a distorted way. More "buzzing between floors". The choreography has so much thought put into it. There is so much delicate movements around their heads & ears. They are constantly touching their throats. They have both desperate & angry movements. They ripple from one to another. They surround one with jerky, confusing movements. They drop to their knees to pull emotions with them. So many little movements add to a greater impact that we are hard pressed to notice at first glance. In the story line, this falls after Mirror (which also fell in between the two parts of District 9) and as they are finding the place to set up for "the stray kids around the world" to be able to be in safety. Here you see them with small glitches, as they are on the fringes of society & out of direct surveillance. First we see them in desolate streets & apartment buildings. Then we see them in areas with life moving past them in the background. And finally we see them in a place of openness & light, surrounded by colour.

thats why they're one of my faves is so many of their olders songs are about mental health problems and im here for it. thank you for reacting to this!!

Btw, if you're looking for more of Stray Kids' lore/story related videos then I recommend watching: On Track B Me Mixtape: OH The View SKZFLIX Teaser Leave (sequel to skzflix teaser) SKZFLIX (this one is a short film they made) ☝In this exact order. Hope this helps.

I love that you're reacting to their older releases, Voices is one of my favorites. My other favorites are Grow Up and You Can STAY. Can't wait to see more of your reaction and analysis! ❤

I've realized since I did this reaction that maybe the more pertinent literary reference is Jekyll & Hyde? Though I still get Frankenstein vibes from it. But really I'm left with a burning question: what's up with the peanuts??

A very therapeutic song indeed. Reminds of quite a few psychological theories and approaches. And again, very Universal. Because that internal voice / the internal voices is something we all have. It bothers some more than others and some are more aware of it than others, but we all have them. Our inner critic for example. That one is very common. Oh one thing...I had the gas mask association as well but others mentioned that it looks more like a muzzle, which fits well with the narrative. Looking forward to your next step in this journey.

Malaysia New Song before Trending。 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻❤ Steady gang - (周星翅)mv

I added it to the story list because I think it would fit in mostly. To me, it fits in the space right after they broke out of the "facility" but before they established their district. So, right after they get off the bus after crashing through the wall, but before they found the place they set up as the district 9. Mirror has so much in it that questions everything you have been told as you grow up. I love how it pulls you to question what you have been told is the path you must take. And it raises the question of who you are as a person. It talks about looking for who you are, but following the crowd of "people" because that is what you know to do. You are constantly looking for a "mirror" that will reflect all the answers you want, but the mirrors are a maze. If you are in one of those mirror mazes, you can never actually follow the "people" you see because you will run into dead ends. It talks about how society gives you a path, but also gives you no time to explore it to find your own way. Changbin put a lot of thought into the message they wanted to send in their song. The choreography is interesting too. It has a lot of group movements, but also mirror movements as well. If one side goes low, the other goes high. If one runs in a direction another runs the other way to match. It starts with two people on either side of the group who are arranged as a maze, and ends with two people on either side of the group again. There is a push & pull. And a rigidness that seems to break at times. And anger. And it's worth noting that Voices is right after this one. So we have them in a call & response with their "memories", and then we follow to Voices in which they are shutting out the negative voices in their heads.

Again a very relatable songs. Human being are not static beings..we change, evolve..and so theae questions, that search never stops. The whole idea if mirrors and trying to find out who you are by looking in the mirror, makes me think of something I read in a play once: we are all the centre if our own universe..and as such the only thing we cannot see..is ourselves. We can only see ourselves through other people's eyes and through mirrors. But that image is distorted because if preconceptions, expectations, thoughts, feelings, etc. So its flawed... you will always be searching. Like in a maze. There is a later Skz song called Miroh, which basically means maze. And in Mirror (which sounds a bit like miroh) there is a line about the reflection in the mirror being a maze. So yeah, I cant help thinking of thta play. And never being able to see yourself. Looking forward to your next step!!

I’ve seen your videos a few times now and I really appreciate your raw analysis!!! I’m someone who intakes a bunch of theories (because I feel like they can all be right in some capacity) and then I kind of pick the one that makes the most sense to me as my own head canon 😂 I’m excited to see your Stay journey!❤️

Thank you for this. I love the varied theories of Stray Kids and can't wait to see what you surmise. I am sure that it going to be wild lol.. I see GolyenH has arrived and I love the way their brain works.. looking forward to new post-it notes items for the Stayville library lol..🖖🏼

Thank you very much for kindly do the reaction to CIX. CIX has a big lore which is interweaving with Dante's Devine Comedy. Their MV are all amazing and cinematic not to mention their flawless discography and their gorgeous look. I definitely recommend you to look into them especially Jungle which was made based of Dante's inferno, their Save Me Kill Me MV which mentioned social issues, bullying and self harm. I definitely recommend you to go watch the story film of Numb first and check out their Numb MV where the educational issues and peer pressure in school were stated. Save Me Kill Me is the continue of the series with also story film to check out. It's very cinematic and worth checking out. If you are into movie productions and interpretation, please also check their WAVE MV after Numb and before Save Me Kill Me, because it's the dream that was in the protagonist's head when he was in the coma. Sorry the comment is long but I can talk about CIX and their lore all day. I'll stop her and hope you enjoy them. ^-^ (Oh I also want to recommend you to check their first MV "Movie Star" which was said to be the best debut in their gen and Cinema MV is also soooo good) their Japanese release Revival MV got a lot of praise both musically and the aesthetic of the MV. OK I'll stop here but hope you will check them out and enjoy them. thanks for reading cheers💛

Wish you come into their B-side songs too ❤

The first comment already said so much and I dont like talking about lore too much, but yes, escaping conformism, escaping a world where you cant be yourself and unique...the whole idea of a safe place for those who are lost or still searching. I may be an older stay, but I still often feel I am still on thay search. Moments of feeling lost. So although I am far from a teen...I still find this very relatable. Nog to mention we do live in a world that still often loves to label, loves conformity and doesnt really like it when you're different. Yes...really love this concept. Very cool following your journey. Its making me think about these songs all over again,!

I went and looked up what the colour red means in Korea. " Authoritarianism, exorcism, pursuit of happiness, anti-communism, cohesion, and solidarity. The color red has long been believed to have shamanic properties to ward off evil spirits or bad luck. As a protection against bad energy, people have used red in writing amulets, dyed their fingernails with garden balsam, or eaten red bean soup (Patjuk). Red gained a negative connotation after the Korean War, but has recently become a symbol of passion and a color that promotes social cohesion since the 2002 World Cup." This is what was the most predominate explanations for it. It also represents a direction (south) and an element (fire). District 9 is quite interesting. It first brought forth the slogan that is now part of our Stay history. "Stray Kids all around the world" refers to all the people who are lost & need a safe place. In this, they are putting out the call for those people to come find refuge in their small district from a uncaring society. It wasn't added to the end of their videos for a while. Not till after they named us as Stay. They are telling people to not judge others on what they perceive as "different" or "bad" just because it's not the same. Essentially they were breaking out of the system that was trying to make everyone be the same. The system kept people complacent by telling them that they are all different & special, but it only ever taught & provided routs to make everyone be the same. No unique thoughts, or professions. Just conformity. -Chan was the first to notice something wrong. As he walked through the hedges, he saw one flower that was full of colour in the blank world they resided in. He followed the shaft of light & found a crashed surveillance drone that had flown into the dome keeping everyone in. He realized that they could get out. So he found the edge of the invisible dome. - Chan gathered all the members, he had noticed that they saw the glitches too. With the little notes in red. They took over a bus & broke out of the dome. They then set out to form a "district" for the nine of them. They knew the people who had been in charge would come looking for them. So they wanted to have a safe place to be. They knew they would eventually gather more like them, so they needed a large place as well. -There is a lot of "glitches" and surveillance. That will be a running theme throughout the story. The members will be on the look out for drones & cameras tracking them. Because I.N himself is a glitch that proved that there was reality outside of the system, he will sometimes seem to know things the others do not. Glitches of the screens will happen a lot more frequently in his area. - They are in darker colours because they have escaped. yes, but are not free yet. They are questioning who they are as a person, after being in a society of conformity. (I do suggest watching the ones I put in brackets in that list. They help add flavor to the already rich lore of SKZ)

as someone who's been following the lore, this really amazes me so much! the way you explain every detail that you could see on the video makes me very happy 😭 not everyone could crack the lore like that but you did! and also you are really good at this 😭 how i wish i could be one of your students too!! but anyways for the context, all i understood is that when chan said, "Wasn't until I saw my reflection, that's when I woke up and realized that the truth had been hidden away from us." i'm thinking that he was talking about the world that han saw back then in hellevator! and in the part 'Wasn't until I saw my reflection' gives a hint on how I.N saw a different version of himself in the bus.. also it seems like they kinda gave a reference from a movie that was called 'upside down'.. the movie has a two worlds that was coexisting on top of each other.. and as far as i could remember, i think it was chan who said that the lore was inspired from the maze runner too!! anyways i LOVE the reaction so MUCHHH and i absolutely learned a lot from this 😭

This is fun. When I made my list for the story line, I put Helevator as important, but not fully in it. Mostly because it was made before they debut as a group. Helevator was actually released to the public during their survival show to gain public interest. So I do think a lot of what is in here was the prototype for their story line. This is why we will see glimpses of this through out the rest of the story. I will say this. Pay attention to things. What is shown in Stray Kids MVs is very deliberate. Sometimes it will be connections to past MVs, and sometimes they will have hints to the future videos. Just in the graffiti alone in Helevator, we have connections to the past. The little worm thing is something from Chan's past. And you will also see 3Racha scribbled on the wall. Chan, Changbin, and Han were already making music together & posted under that name on Soundcloud. They also participated in unofficial rap showcases as 3Racha, while still being trainees. So, yeah. They already showed connections to a past, in a video that wasn't even supposed to do anything but provide awareness for the survival show. Numbers, clocks, billboards, and graffiti are all things to pay attention to.

When I fist became a Stay. I decided to go album by album from the beginning. I enjoyed my journey, and found the story along the way. So. I made that list. I hope it helps. The I Am Not trailer is very interesting. Not only is it calling out the K-Pop industry for it's hypocrisy of saying every group is different & then punishing the groups who actually are, but it's doing the same to society as a whole. How can we tell people to be unique & themselves, then turn around and force them to conform to rigid social structures. You saw Woojin at the tablet typing all the things he is supposed to be, what is expected of him by teachers, parents, governments. When he stops typing, the other people disappear, leading his to start questions. And he left the last one blank. You see Felix on the roof practicing dancing in front of mirrors. But mirrors often distort reality a bit. things are flipped, and sometimes slightly off if the mirror is imperfect. When he realizes the reflection he sees isn't real, it breaks. Because what's reflected in a mirror isn't quite what is really there. You see Seungmin in a room painting a picture that is copied many times before. Then he realizes that it is just going to be repeated to infinity of sameness, and he strikes a line through the painting to make it individual and imperfect. You see Lee Know approach a board with nonsense and half sayings scrawled across it by people in hoods that can only see right in front of themselves. He writes that he isn't & leaves. He isn't partaking in nonsense. You see Changbin in a room of tvs looking at his own smiling face. It looks forced & nothing like how he feels. So he covers his eyes & the room disappears. You see Hyunjin in a VR class learning something from a faceless teacher. Every time he tries to see who is teaching him there are more & more faceless teachers teaching the same thing, so he removes himself from the headset. You see Han in a spotlight seemingly worshiped by masses of people in front of him. Then he realizes that they are not actually paying him any attention. They are focused on the shadow he casts. So he turns his back on them. (There is actually a story about cave people worshiping the shadows created by someone who can see the sun. It's an interesting read. That is for sure being referenced here. It also references that people pay attention to idols in the spotlight, but only really care about the shadows they cast. Not the idol themselves, just the larger than life image of them.) You see I.N on a bus & when they pull up to a stop, he sees himself sitting there. This startles him & he gets off the bus. (This is actually important. It's the first GLITCH that happens & sets them in motion) You see Bang Chan in the beginning in a crowd of people, then he sees the glitch in the sky & it makes him realize there is something more. Something out there, just beyond what was handed to him & told this is what is. So he stops. The others stop with him. And then we start the story. It is a story of self discovery, growth, doubts, fears, and friendship. There are so many songs that don't fit in the story line, but are worth checking out. You will be finding songs, and versions of songs for a long time.

I really love listening to your thoughts on the story lines and the images in the mv (and the trailer from the previous video). I know many of the theories and things people pointed out, but its actually really interesting to see what you come up with through watching the MV's and trailers etc. Also watched your previous video and really liked the references you saw with films (gosh War Games...that used to be one of my fav films...and I never even thought of that one). So yeah... looking forward to more!!