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atiny-for-life · 1 year

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Xikers‘ Full Storyline Explained - Masterlist

Ateez's Full Storyline Explained - Masterlist

CIX's Full Storyline Explained - Masterlist

As with Ateez, I've decided to also dedicate some time to putting together Xikers' storyline thus far, in case anyone's interested.

As new lore is dropped and content is released, I'll be updating this and all other posts to keep y'all in the loop.

Masterlist:

Part 1: Name Explanation & Tricky House

Part 2: Rockstar

Part 3: DO or DIE

Part 4: Homeboy

BONUS: TRICKY

Part 5: We Don't Stop

#xikers #xikers lore #Minjae #Junmin #Sumin #Jinsik #Hyunwoo #Hunter #Junghoon #Seeun #Yujun #lee yechan

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mycapofmisfortune · 2 months

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In both Homeboy and We Don't Stop, Yechan is holding things that are on fire without it seemingly hurting him so I'm wondering if they have powers in their lore and Yechan's has something to do with fire

#xikers #yechan #kpop #kpop theories #kpop lore #xikers lore #havent seen anyone talk about this yet so here i am ig #i love my goblin boys

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chiiyuuvv · 6 months

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XIKERS WHEN WATCHING HORROR MOVIES

• PAIRING — xikers ('you' is mentioned sometimes but thats that)

• GENRE — goofy, scared xikers, some are unbothered

• WORD COUNT — 967

• AUTHOR'S NOTE — happy halloween!!

MASTERLIST! – WATTPAD VER. (Labeled halloween)

MINJAE ☆

The movie started and when you look around at the boys you noticed minjae was no where to be found

He was getting some snacks in the kitchen, okay.

He'd sit down and as the movie was getting more scary he would leave to go to the "bathroom"

You thought it was just normal until he to the bathroom again

And again

When you confront him he'd just make up some random excuse

And go back to the bathroom again

Turns out he was scared and decided to look up the lore for the movie

And when he came back from the bathroom again he would sit down with the biggest smirk on his face, before spoiling the movie

Gets hit by lots of pillows <3 ♡

JUNMIN ☆

Junmin isnt scared

Why would he be? Its just a silly movie

Filled with jumpscares

And scary faces

And plots

Okay..

Well like, hes the second oldest. He has to protect his kids

Yeah, the movie is just made up

But what if.. nope. Not-ah

*the open credits started playing and junmin screamed before hiding in a blanket* ♡

SUMIN ☆

Sumin didnt want to watch the movie in the first place

But noo, everyone dragged him on the couch, holding him down so he wouldnt run away

The thumbnail of the movie; he scared

The opening credits of the movie; he screamed louder than junmin

The first 5 seconds; he screamed

You get what im doing, right?

There was a moment where he jumped so hard, that he hopped to the kitchen

Jinsik had to get him

Which he threatened jinsik with a plastic spoon

But jinsik made the promise that sumin could cling on him for the rest of the movie ♡

JINSIK ☆

The promise worked

And now sumins arms are wrapped around jinsik as he buries his head into jinsiks chest

Jinsiks heart skips a beat

Not because of sumin

But because the movie was actually scary

The scariest movie hes ever seen

But no, jinsik has to be the "tough" friend

Until theres a jumpscare

And jinsik screams

But plays it off like hes sing to poor sumin, petting hair ♡

HYUNWOO ☆

Hyunwoo tuned everything out, his only focus the movie

And he was clearly invested

The plot was starting to get interesting as he gets some popcorn from hunter

(Hunter finds him cute and pets his head)

But wait, why would the character do that

The plot thickens

And there is lots of suspense

So hyunwoo is leaning in his seat, almost falling to the floor

Until something screams as a jumpscare plays and hyunwoo has the biggest jump of his life

Processed to burst out laughing ♡

JUNGHOON ☆

Junghoon was more invested with the snacks

As he walks in the pitch black hallway

He didnt think anything off it though

Even takes a potty break

Glances at the movie

Basically doing everything except watching the movie

Until he realizes that he came only for the snacks

And so he gets a few, when one of them drops to the floor

Junmin and sumin turn their head to the noise and yell when they see a shadow staring back at them

Junghoon has to turn on the light and confirm its him ♡

SEEUN ☆

Seeun was actually, genuinely scared for the movie

He heard its the scariest one yet

But as the movie starts playing, he realizes how stupid it actually is

"Why does the character keep running towards the danger??"

"Why would you read a book when it clearly says do not read in bold, and in blood?"

He was shushed by one of the members

Turns his head to find hunter giving him a blank stare

"Is this scary for you?"

"Absolutely not."

They spend the rest of the movie night talking ♡

YUJUN ☆

Yujun is scared

Really scared

But he just wont show it

Playing it cool, acting as if the movie was nothing

When hes shaking in his boot the entire time

"Haha this is fun!" He'd say paired with a '😀' face

Lays his head on hunters shoulder because thats his twin not because hes scared what noo

Would be so happy when the movie is over

But his eyes go wide once he realizes that he has to go to bed, by himself, in the dark

Sleeps in yechans room but refuses to tell him why ♡

HUNTER ☆

He already knew the movie wasnt going to be scary

Yet just like sumin, he dragged along anyway

You know that episode when xikers went to a haunted house and hunter screamed at the zombie instead?

He screamed right back at the screen

Multiple times

Sometimes the monster would scream back and hunter would hold up his nose, complaining about how the monsters breath stink

Even pulls out one of his dumbbells

But would stop when he hears seeun complaining and would take that opportunity to scoot closer to seeun

And yujuns head was resting on his shoulder

So hunter was pretty comfortable <3 ♡

YECHAN ☆

When waiting for yechans birthday live, i saw a comment that said "yechan could invite you somewhere and be late then say 'just be glad i invited you' and it got me ✨thinking✨

Yechans the only that practically begged everyone to watch this scary movie that dropped 2 days ago

Then processed to be 30 minutes late

"Just be glad i thought of this" he'd grumble before sitting down

And realised that this movie is really boring 😀

And after hearing junmin scream for the 5th time, he'd try to scream louder than him

And he kept poking/trying to talk to minjae when the boy kept shushing him

"Hyung did you know-" shhh "but hyu-" junmin screams "ahh!!"

Expect his screams were really dull

Junmin and minjae almost swung on him for their respective reasons ♡

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lil-elle · 5 months

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What mythological creature do you think the Xikers members would be?😳😳

Ohhh this is something different, and interesting !!

XIKERS as Mythical Creatures

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

genre: headcannons, fantasy au

word count: 234

content: images of mythical creatures

a/n: i actually learned a lot doing this (also any lore junkies don't come for me if these are inaccurate, I just did some quick research 😭)

Minjae - The Griffin

Symbols of power and courage, and known to be loyal and protective creatures, willing to fight for what they love and care about.

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Junmin - The Merman

Offering protection and guidance, seen as strong protectors that represent the power of nature to nurture and sustain life.

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Sumin - The Centaur

Strong, powerful creatures that often present wild and reckless behaviour, love to joke, laugh and have fun all day. Supposed, "party animals".

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Jinsik - The Elf

Creatures that symbolise beauty who live to protect nature and keep peace. Kind and helpful, although often mischievous and cruel when they need to protect what they love.

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Hyunwoo - The Hippogriff

Symbol of impossibility, proving that nothing is truly impossible as long as you put your mind to it. A mix of human and divine nature, also being a symbol of peace and love.

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Junghoon - The Amarok

Strong and solitary creatures, hunting only for themselves and the people/things they care about. Able to be cruel and heartless, as well as caring and emotional.

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Seeun - The Jackalope

A swift and cunning creature, symbolising prankster behaviour, hoaxes, and tricks all in the name of good fun.

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Yujun - The Pegasus

A guide for humankind, representing strength, speed, artistic inspiration, beauty, nobility, purity, among other things. Known for its majestic appearance.

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Hunter - The Hydra

A symbol of protection, transformation, resilience, and intelligence. Represents personal growth and keeping an open mind.

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Yechan - The Phoenix

An immortal creature symbolising rebirth and renewal. It represents personal strength and resilience, reminding one that they have the strength to rise again even in the darkest times.

-

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

TAGLIST:

@hyunromi @chocoeon @hyunukitty @minjaezed @ihyeokzu @cake1box

#xikers #xikers imagines #xikers drabble #xikers headcannons #xikers minjae #xikers junmin #xikers sumin #xikers jinsik #xikers hyunwoo #xikers junghoon #xikers seeun #xikers yujun #xikers hunter #xikers yechan

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hotteoki · 5 months

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i dont have twt n im not planning to have one cause its toxic but what the hell is going on? whos' copying who? what tattoo? can you share me the link?

there's too much going on to share just one link, but i'll slim it down for you

disclaimer— i’m saying all these as an atiny, stay and army, i am not generalising a fandom, i’m talking about specific toxic twt stans

1. ateez’s concept photos were 'copying' skz oddinary concept photos because they were standing and looking at the camera as well as the colours. bye.

2. the colour pink used in ateez’s title track poster 'copied' skz’s most recent comeback colour. yes, a colour.

3. the word ‘crazy’ in crazy form copied jimin’s ‘like crazy’

4. the scene/background/circular room 'too similar' to jimin’s. ijbol.

5. san’s temporary ateez lore related moon tattoos on his back 'copied' jimin

context for ateez’s lore— they have had a ongoing theme since their debut of an hourglass called the cromer that works every full moon, this is also their tracklist:

(other examples of ateez using the moon: moon river in 2019, their logo, halazia mv, almost all of their concerts having a moon on the ceiling & i’ll throw in a few more examples below [pics not mine])

6. san 'copying' seungmin's red hair. yes i'm aware seungmin's hair is barely even red.

this is more of an extra but people were making fun of san and jongho (mainly jongho) for dancing 'stiffly' in their tiktok with le sserafim eunchae even though jongho recently got out of a major knee surgery

another extra that MAMA refused to nominate ateez or xikers for anything and even skipped through ateez at one point entirely because they're from a small company

no, i am not joking for any of these.

yes, toxic stays and armys are using these reasons to mass report crazy form mv when it releases tmr.

yes, i feel the primal caveman instinct in me to bash something with a wooden club coming out.

#important info from skits #ateez #stray kids #bts

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staurora · 1 year

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My Thoughts on Xikers debut!

(gif retrieved from @hunternity )

So Xikers recently debuted with the album House of Tricky: Doorbell Ringing and I wanted to share my thoughts! I’ve been keeping an eye on them as KQ has released more content to build hype and I think they were very easy for me to get interested in compared to many other groups. And their album did not disappoint!

I won’t go into my specific thoughts on every song but I think the entire album as a whole is very well done. Its cohesive and high energy in a way that doesn’t feel annoying or dull, due to the great musicality from the production team (Hongjoong, Edenary crew, ily). If I had to describe the concept, it’s a sort of trickster concept with a modern, youthful kind of twist. They play around a little bit with varying genres while keeping a distinct Kpop sound as the through-line. I enjoyed it very much and I’ve been listening to it often since release!

(I hear they also have lore. I’m not gonna dive into that until like. Next comeback. It looks complicated and I don’t have enough material to judge yet lol)

When you look for negative opinions of them so far, the biggest thing I’ve seen is that people think they’re too much like Ateez, that KQ is just making them Ateez junior, etc. I can see why they feel like it sounds a bit similar, but at the same time, Ateez has a particular sound that I just… don’t really hear in these tracks? Idk how to describe it, like Ateez songs tend to have a more cinematic feeling most of the time I think? I could see a comparison between this album and maybe Fever part 2, but even then its a very vague similarity and I’ve always felt that particular album kind of stuck out of Ateez’s music. I think if Xikers were under JYP, everyone would compare them to Stray Kids in the same way, right? They just sound like a kpop boy group.

Also… yeah I’m sure KQ is trying to make a follow up to Ateez, one of their most profitable business moves to date (come on, KQ fellaz and then KQ fellaz 2? It’s pretty clear). But the members of Xikers are distinct individuals, and their personalities will naturally influence the direction of their music and performances. They will eventually move out from the shadows of senior performers. Hopefully they can bring something very new or innovative to their second comeback, make a wave like hala hala did but in a whole new way.

Anyway, to close on a positive note, here are some of my favorite things I’ve noticed from Xikers thus far!

Sumin! He’s probably my bias, along with Hunter? Hunter’s dance skills are CRAZY (and he did that one performance to all time hit Juggernaut by my fav Tyler the Creator so I’m. Biased.) Sumin kinda snuck up on me tho, for some reason he reminded me a bit of Changbin? But distinctly different, he has this particular kind of coolness yknow? I’m always rapper biased😔.

In Xikey, Minjae’s shout of “Xikers” rly gave me goosebumps! So powerful, he went all in and it paid off!

Edenary, HJ i am Kissing u deeply for Dynamic, that track fucks severely

Yechan… that kid has some crazy potential and I think everyone knows it. With him as well as the other members, I look forward to learning more about them as individuals and seeing those traits shine through in their music.

#kpop #xikers #minjae #Sumin #kpop boys #kpop opinions #review #new release #kpop review #kq entertainment #yechan #hunter

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dropthedemiurge · 1 year

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Since I'm suddenly in Thailand, I can't miss and not draw something. So here's a quick sketch of Akk and Ayan attending KCON 2023 :D

My opinions:

Akk is a stan of iKON (Rebellious talented souls that have been chained for too long, he secretly loves all the sappy songs too + live performances keep the fire alive inside of him)

Aye is a stan of G-IDLE (badass girls with witty lyrics and empowering music just make him feel like he's the queen everywhere he goes + he loves breaking stereotypes)

Kan and Thua are both fans of BamBam & GOT7 (They like to do song and dance covers together + Kan finds it hilarious that he can carry BAM green card and Thua carries the second BAM)

Wat is a fan of ATEEZ (and he probably gathered that huge doc about their universe lore + he keeps posting theories and meta after every cinema-like MV, he loves the music and the concept yet others find it hard to understand his excited stream of explanations)

Namo is a stan of Xikers, 8turn, P1harmony, Kep1er and many others underrated groups (because he keeps changing artists to follow friends or mainstream but still ends up rooting for the underdogs and attending all possible performances and fansigns)

#what is this wild crossover i just made but ok #the eclipse series #akk ayan #kan thua #wat namo #kpop #ikon #g idle #fanart #dropthefanart #dropthefanart eclipse

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tsuncda · 1 year

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okay OKAY i see we're having cyms in this house, so I'm sending you an old idea I most definitely have warned you about before,,,, 🪑 cym as kpop groups <3 the world has to know we both came back wrong from our hiatus <3

omg bestie 🥺🥺🥺🥺 feeding my delulu? 🥺🥺🥺🥺 sincerely, i am on one knee, asking for you hand in marriage.

i'll also give you a song or two from the group that you might appreciate <3. these are mostly sort of unexplainable vibes chalked up to the ~sound~ of my favorite songs of theirs, except for some <3. you'll know which ones <3.

@destourtereaux is twice set me free [📹] & cry for me [🎶] (i don't know that much about them but!!!! their songs are all bops and i just think jihyo is very important.)

@musicallisto is stray kids awkward silence [📹] & up all night [📹] (i know you're well versed in skz, so just tried to share mv's you may not have seen but are cute <3. though, i was veery tempted to put the live performance of wolfgang on here (you know the one). just to be a menace.)

@amortensie is oneus lit [📹] & unforgettable [📹] (a true love language <3 oneus my beloved <3)

@genyakosstyk is blackpink lovesick girls [📹] & ddu-du ddu-du [📹]

@bright-molina is seventeen oh my![📹] & circles [🎶]

@biqherosix is txt blue hour [📹] & anti-romantic [ 🎶]

@amaryllisaa is red velvet psycho [📹] & rainbow halo [🎶] (i don't know that much about them but i love the few songs i do know and i love their duality concept with 'red' being their more bubbly and sweet side while 'velvet' is their more mature and elegant.)

@locke-writes is xikers tricky house [📹] & rockstar [📹] (i don't know that much about them - esp. since they're so new, it's not like i have Deep Lore™ to absorb against my will - but their songs??? slaps. one day i'm going to sit down and learn their names (code for "go down the rabbit hole and never come out quite the same) but for now i just bop to their songs. amazing ep.)

@oceanspray5 is newjeans omg [📹] & hype boy [📹] (you totally fit the vibe of the group. newjeans' newest member just dropped <3)

@noesapphic is kard gunshot [📹] & bomb bomb [📹]

@permanentreverie is bts airplane pt. 2 [📹] & film out [📹] (you're the Expert™, so these are just MVs that have recently been living rent free)

@johnskeating is enhypen polaroid love [🎶] & tame-dashed [📹]

@moonlit-imagines is ateez halazia [📹] & deja vu [📹] (omg if you know ateez, i'd be so interested to know who your bias is asdfghjhgfds)

#cym #mutuals #ask #i put a ridiculous amount of thought into this someone stop me #also lindsay if you're reading this rn PLEASE go listen to the 2minus1 live performance for genius i'm FERAL #vernon is sooooo comfortable on stage why was he born for it. also joshua??? in that outfit???? sir you're breaking hearts (mine)

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nine-i · 10 months

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xikers song lore analysis +

translation: doorbell ringing

this entire song is so fascinating to me from a lore perspective (and i love the energy from it) because it's a warning to everyone who might interfere with our 3 main characters: xikers, tricky, and the dokkaebi.

(italics are lyrics, bold + italics are translations)

yo, who wants to come in here? ill leave the barricade open

you have to be afraid, this is a danger zone

this section is in a deepened voice, possibly giving the impression of it being tricky? this is a sort of opening like you get on roller coasters in a way. anyone can come in, but make sure you know how dangerous it is and feel the proper emotions. i believe this is speaking to xikers.

relax, deep breath, im running laps oh you bet

yeah i directly swear, your final guest, we X

yechan is antagonising tricky a bit here maybe? final guest, a word which means direct / straightforward, we X. xikers taking over tricky house?

don't breath, watch out, this is silence

open it again, tricky, the house

not much to say here - this is how they're getting through the danger. perhaps they weren't the final guests, perhaps they've won, but i believe they've become a part of the tricky house.

ooh ladies and gentlemen,

this is an especially fun circus,

trouble i make uh,

feel the universe turn to focus

break the speaker as you lose your mind with surprise turned around 180 degrees tumbling

the purge will be thrilling like an electric shock, everything will match the rhythm of a trampoline

this to me indicates that the tricky house is no longer a threat to xikers because they are part of it, and now the danger is what happens next. [note that this was pretty difficult to translate and im not 100% sure on some - i have a new appreciation for minjae now lol]

free yourself, [this goes] deep deep

round and round, constantly round and round

keep out of this dazed feeling

once again i think this is a warning. the singing is continuously warning someone, whether that's towards xikers or towards the next entrants of the house.

(don't don't don't don't) don't kill my vibe, out of control,

that's what i like (what i like),

what about you? (how are you?)

all together (ooh ooh) i hope (let me know)

follow me, let me welcome you promptly to, tricky, the house (don't kill my vibe)

im honestly feeling like this is some sort of internal fight going on within xikers, possibly as the dokkaebi begin to inhabit them.

gotta go gotta go gotta go gotta go,

that door is open

going up going up going up going up,

the boundary is collapsing (dont kill my vibe)

immediate thunder and lightning

don't be surprised [by] tricky, the house

the don't kill my vibe might be the dokkaebi fighting, while xikers are warning and supporting each other through the house (?)

i don't know, where am i? (difficult)

i can hear in my ear rim it's noisy

sound in this house is freaky, ayy

spooky and creepy

this sumin verse is just him freaking out i guess? shows that this house is disorientating and they went in strongly but now they're struggling with it!

i feel dizzy and giddy

my soul leaves, returning my head with a loose screw, escape

the strangeness is leaving [becoming normal]

everywhere is full of screaming, spiritual state of perfect selflessness

have to admit im a bit lost here, its being normalised, perhaps this is the dokkaebi possession arc?

just in case, don't take off your seatbelt,

lose your mind and roll around, zig-zag

where is this place, what is hope,

you're already escaping this, you're falling down

im getting confused but it's using the same words as earlier but with a more hopeless tone - earlier xikers had faith they / we as guests would escape, but they're losing that piece by piece?

free yourself, [this goes] deep deep

round and round, constantly round and round

keep out of this dazed feeling

repetition !

don't don't don't don't) don't kill my vibe, out of control,

that's what i like (what i like),

what about you? (how are you?)

all together (ooh ooh) i hope (let me know)

follow me, let me welcome you promptly to, tricky, the house (don't kill my vibe)

the all together part seems like it's being cut off in both of these parts, i wonder if that's tricky? halting the actual necessary cry and allowing the rest for entertainment perhaps?

gotta go gotta go gotta go gotta go,

that door is open

going up going up going up going up,

the boundary is collapsing (dont kill my vibe)

immediate thunder and lightning

don't be surprised [by] tricky, the house

seems more panicked perhaps

are you, ready, for this, show?

welcome, to the, tricky house

our eyes open in front of

the world's confrontation

im just translating now i think ive lost the plot

(dont kill my vibe) everyone come in together,

(dont kill my vibe) the illusion of the universe

(dont kill my vibe) we are shocked together (dont kill my vibe)

(dont kill my vibe) let me welcome you promptly, tricky the house

xikers are so cool

(dont kill my vibe) woah-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh

(follow me) don't be surprised by tricky the house

#Spotify

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dojae-huh · 1 month

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I will talk about new and smaller groups: TOZ, BAE173, Xikers, The new six.

TOZ is a k-pop group made of Boys Planet Japanese contestants. Teh sing in Japanese, but are promoted in SK. A few days back X gave me a clip with Haruto who talked about Taeyong, I think. TOZ was mentioned by the OP. I cheered for Haruto on both LOUD and Boys Planet, so was glad to know he finally debuted. Had to investigate further. Ther debut song is OK. Everything is low budget for them, looks like the company has no connections, so the members go on unrelated to k-pop channels to show themselves. They will probably stay at the bottom, giving performances in schools and festivals. Maybe gain enough i-fans to give small concerts in Europe and SA.

BAE173. I just clicked on their performance and, after looking up info about the group, remembered I watched their pre-debut promo films. Some members have looks and stage precence, others look more like fillers. At least for a passerby. Never noticed the group in the three years of their post-debut, they seldom made comebacks, once a year. I don't get Koreans and their group naming culture. They like to chose the most unmemorable names.

Speaking of names. Someone in PNation realised that TNX doesn't work as a name, and made a transition to The new six. There are TXT, TWS, TNT... TNX is just not the way to stand out. The new six, on the other hand, makes to pay attention with the word "new" (originally TNX was supposed to be the abbreviation - The New siX). This group was formed during LOUD, Psy is the producer. Had a very slow start, still in the trenches. This new song is good though, might be their chance to be finally noticed.

Xikers, from the same company as Ateez, are going places. They have a clear concept that will find its audience (like Dreamcatcher did), plus they have a few charismatic members who embody the concept well, who will attract fans. Their concept is delivered a little bit on the cringy side (the House of tricky lore, the introductory fairy tale in their first album), their mascot is dumb, but the group will probably shed most of the lore narrative with time, staying true to the music genre/sound.

While working, I listened yesterday to Xikers' albums, then somehow switched to YT, which started to feed me 127 songs. I felt the difference, heh. Even the songs that I initially didn't really like grew on me. Title tracks have character. Many NCT songs are actually better without the MVs. Maybe because the time runs faster, so its easy to not notice some moments that used to irritate.

I really hope the next 127's album is a Japanese album. They won't need to promote it on music shows, so a comeback is possible without Taeyong, and the unit needs to treat Japanese fans after such a long break since Loveholic.

#notes in the margins

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yuuana · 6 months

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youtube

Music Monday #230: xikers - Tricky House release: March 2023 genre: Kpop cw: a lot of bright flashing lights, magic and mayhem

Are there more recent releases I could be featuring? Of course, but it's Halloween Eve and who doesn't love a good themed release! XD Between the Western tradition of Halloween being a night for mischief and the Korean tradition of dokaebbi as mischievous spirits, how could I resist?

What are dokaebbi, you ask? Despite a convention of translating the word into English as "goblins," it would be more accurate to call them trickster spirits similar to the Japanese class of youkai known as tsukumogami, or objects which have grown into spiritual entities through age and use, something we don't really have an easy analog for here in the English-speaking West. Between the inaccuracy of the comparison and the tendency for "goblin" to come pre-loaded with antisemitic baggage, this is one of those instances where trying to translate a term is counterproductive, so dokaebbi it is.

Musically, "Tricky House" is an up-tempo dance track with several playful rap breaks and a range meant to really show off the members' abilities. It starts off high energy and never backs down, having both familiar Edenary fingerprints and a sound that's uniquely xikers. For those with a musical ear, you can hear the way this is a cousin to their pirate seniors ATEEZ while still being distinct. It may be a little jarring on first listen, but on the other hand that slightly unsettling reedy instrument in the background feels like an ideal fit for a song about dokkaebi playing games.

The video is full of bright flashing light effects and shot through with the xikers' lore of, if that ending shot is to be believed, the antics of ten brooms that have come alive as dokkaebi. The majority of the runtime involves the ten of them playing games with a hapless solo traveling businessman, casting enchantments and talking him into doing things he probably wouldn't have if left alone. How much is real and how much is just dokkaebi illusion? It's hard to say; the line translated into English as "if the bat hits, what will it become" is actually talking about the dokkaebi's bangmangi, which might be better translated as magic wand or focus (despite sometimes being depicted as a type of warrior's club) and the tool through which dokkaebbi do their magic. Certainly our hapless businessman gets from the subway to an empty parking lot somehow, but whether he really knocked over an ATM or had a joyride in a Ferrari is debatable. Maybe he did, but for his sake, let's hope he didn't.

Stage versions of Tricky House (such as this dance practice for KCON 2023 Thailand) further prove this is a dance number for the young - even at just a little over three minutes, the energy needed to keep moving the way they do is no small amount. Still moving even when ostensibly standing still, the rolling inversion move that is the signature move for this song is tricky enough with just a couple dancers, never mind a full team of ten. One suspects there were several accidents during the learning phase.

Both their debut EP, House of Tricky: Doorbell Ringing, and their recent comeback, House of Tricky: How to Play, are out now for purchase or streaming, wherever you prefer to do these things. They are also currently in LA to wrap up their US tour with shows in Los Angeles on Wednesday and San Francisco on Saturday!

Want to see Music Monday deep dives more often? Sponsor a song selection! For the low, low price of one (1) KoFi, I'll write up the song of your choice. ANY song of your choice. Yes, even that one that's been played to death. Yes, your obscure faves too. With sponsors, I can stop skipping weeks and falling further and further behind in the releases! Sponsor a current CB for the next open Music Monday slot or sponsor a throwback for a Thursday feature! But seriously, if you've been enjoying my selections and analyses, we (me and the foster kittens) would love a KoFi in thanks. DW | Twitter | Mastodon | Bluesky | Ko-fi | Patreon | Discord | Twitch

#music #music monday #kpop #xikers #Youtube

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atiny-for-life · 3 months

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Xikers Full Storyline Explained - TRICKY

Masterlist

TRICKY VS FACT & FICTION

If there's one thing to take away from the Animations that have been released so far, it's this: Tricky doesn't care to be a reliable narrator or to be upfront with its intentions

The most blatant example of this is the release of the Animation "When TRICKY was", which starts with Tricky opening up an old, worn-looking book that contains a story we then proceed to dive into

At first, the viewer would believe this is telling us a past adventure Tricky actually lived through but, as we progress into the video, it becomes apparent that we're being shown a video game likely created by Tricky itself

In general, it's repeatedly made clear how much Tricky loves games of any kind

In fact, the very first time we meet Tricky in "Hello, I'm TRICKY", we get to see how Tricky envisions its own role in the entire storyline: a 3D board game with itself in the center surrounded by the ten Xikers members

However, that doesn't mean that I think we should just dismiss all the information we've gotten from the animations - that'd be absurd

I rather think we simply shouldn't accept everything we're being told at face value

TRICKY'S ORIGIN

When looking at "The TRICKY's Secret", one thing might be concerning to you: the reliability of the information

It's Tricky who's showing us this story, it's directly from a storybook it's shown us before in "When Tricky was", and it's now setting the stage for us which means this is simply the version of the story Tricky wants us to know

However, in regards to that I'd argue: Tricky kinda has no reason to lie to us about this, and that is quite simply because it most likely doesn't care enough to

To explain why I think so, let's dive into the video:

Created alongside humanity, Tricky lived among humans for the longest time, but it was never one of them

Instead, it was worshippped as a sort of deity due to the powers it possesses, though it was not much liked by humans because it's always loved to play pranks and just generally fuck with humans as a form of entertainment

Due to the unpredictable nature of this "deity" and its reality altering powers, humans began to fear it, believing it to be capable of destroying the world

Naturally, this made them wonder about Tricky's character - was it good or evil? Would it WANT to destroy the world?

It's at this point in the Animation that we hear Tricky laugh to itself - the concept of humanity being afraid of it, questioning its motives is amusing to it

It's becoming very clear that Tricky simply doesn't feel empathy, it doesn't care - it just wants to feel entertained

The animated figure representing humanity is now forced to wander out onto a black-and-white checkered ground - a chessboard (once again, we're seeing Tricky's love for games reinforced)

From here, it chucks the human into the black nothingness hiding under its hood where the figure is left to spiral into a world of chaos

We dive down winding stairs, fall past dozens of Tricky's copies, and through rows of giant eyeballs (one of which may have made a return in the Rockstar MV) and then...

We get to see something that gives us a clearer idea of Tricky's character:

One black and one white clad version of Tricky touching together their hands and balanced scales

Good and evil are balanced within Tricky - it's neither one, nor the other

Its actions aren't guided by morals, it simply exists and decides on a whim what it feels like doing without thinking too hard about what the consequences are for the players involved

The only thing Tricky ever wants to beat is its own boredom - the world's a game map and humans are the players for Tricky to use as it pleases

XIKER'S ROLE IN ALL OF THIS

And this is where Xikers come in: they're the chosen players for Tricky's newest game and we already saw how this process works in Rockstar

As described in the animation: "It gave children powers beyond what they could bear and prospered in the chaos."

After being chosen, they were possessed by dokkaebis - the protagonists of the Tricky House MV - which gave them the aforementioned powers

They also ended up on Tricky's doorstep, meaning they may just be living under its roof or at least visiting it on the regular - as sinister as that may sound, they're probably just playing video games 24/7 when they're not out to mess with innocent bystanders

Right now, all Xikers members clearly enjoy their powers and use them to wreak havoc and goof around

However, this entire concept also lends itself to some darker storylines in the future so it'll be extremely interesting to see where KQ will take this

#xikers #xikers lore #Minjae #Junmin #Sumin #Jinsik #Hyunwoo #Hunter #Junghoon #Seeun #Yujun #lee yechan

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atiny-for-life · 3 months

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Xikers Full Storyline Explained - Part 1

Masterlist

NOTE: Apologies for the new post - I accidentally deleted the old one when I was cleaning up my old posts in the mass editor so I had to rewrite it from scratch.

도깨비집 (TRICKY HOUSE)

Side-Note:

The meaning behind the name "Xikers", to reference Minjae from Showterview, stems from a combination of 'X' and 'hikers' in which the 'x' represents an unknown variable in math but also the Roman numeral X, meaning 10 (they're 10 members) while 'hikers' means travelers - combine the two and we get the general meaning of "10 boys who travel through infinite time and coordinates"

The Korean title "도깨비집" translates to "Goblin House" which already provides us with the concept of the entire MV - Xikers are goblins

More specifically, they're Dokkaebi which stem from Korean folklore and possess a multitude of supernatural abilities which vary between regions and tales

For the purpose of this MV, we'll be focusing on the following abilities and characteristics: they're mischievous and enjoy playing pranks on mortals, they possess inanimate objects (i.e. common household items), blue flames herald the appearance of a dokkaebi - keep all this in mind as we begin our analysis of the MV

We open on a business man resting his eyes in a near fully empty subway car and can already see a familiar figure in the background: Jinsik

He's listening to music as he spots this video's victim and proceeds to get up and place his headphones over the stranger's ears

Immediately, the man's eyes fly open and the madness begins as Yechan's voice kicks in with the first line of the song

In a trance, the man gets up and watches Jinsik as he backs away and begins to perform on his way to the end of the subway car

He turns on his heel, opens the door to the adjoining car and disappears into the darkness beyond, only to instantly be replaced with Junmin who comes leaping out - an exchange that happens too instantaneously to be humanly possible

Side-note: It's really sick practical effect - and it's only the first of many (I fucking love this MV)

Junmin picks up the performance where Jinsik left off and also proceeds to summon three further members with a fluid movement that sends out blue glowing streaks of light - the blue fire heralding the appearance of further dokkaebis

The remaining members appear shortly after , seemingly by the same door Jinsik disappeared through - however, this is when the space around this poor man begins to bend the fabric of reality

We see him facing the second half of the group as he suddenly begins to rush backward, pass through a doorway and stop right by the first group (another perfectly executed practical effect)

We're now forced to accept that we've left behind such concepts as the laws of physics

The lyrics here really drive home that, to these dokkaebis, this is all just great fun ("This is a game, yeah, welcome to my playground") - they just wanna mess with this guy, make him sing and dance for their own entertainment

Following Yechan's rap, the business man's cheeks fill up before he pukes out multiple blue streaks of light which very much drives home that this guy is fully possessed at this point

During the immediate aftermath, the environment begins to warp further, expanding the subway car to create a wide enough space to serve as a stage for ten people

The overhead ceiling also changes completely to a clockwork-like interior made up of interlinking gears and chains

As the chorus continues, we also switch to blue lighting and then fully shift into a CGI space in which the blue glowing wisps freely fly around the members

We switch to the second verse which also returns the subway car dimensions to normal

It is then that we see the businessman is no longer wearing his headphones, as he's presumably too deep into his possession to be pulled out by noise alone, and takes a microphone out of his briefcase, indicating a potential pre-existing interest in singing

However, we don't get to witness him perform just yet, instead, we see him get out at the next stop and sway on his feet as he tries to stand still in his ongoing trance

He's just about to collapse when he falls back into a shopping cart and suddenly, we're no longer by the subway tracks but in another corridor just as empty as the former space had been

But the man isn't really alone

All ten members appear around him, pushing him along in the cart - a shot that is then briefly replaced by him rolling along only surrounded by a few streaks of blue light

It's made clear that he's the only one capable of seeing these spirits - to the rest of the world, he'd appear to be doing all this to himself

While the lyrics reiterate the hallucination-like state of the situation, our mischievous beings, of course, take the business guy to an arcade where they proceed to waste all his money on winning plushies and goofing around

We get some really pretty lighting in this scene and some neat fisheye lens shots of Minjae guiding us through the location

Moving into the second half of the video, the tension keeps building as the possession escalades further and further

We see the man (covered in his spoils from the arcade, aka a shitton of plushies) fully lose himself in hallucinations of giant plushs who approach him in an empty parking garage and proceed to join him in a little dance performance

His dance group alternate with half the Xikers members before we cut to a shot of a giant hand pulling the strings of our business man who's now no more than a puppet to forces beyond his comprehension

The dokkaebis then decide to continue on with their stroll through the city and take the man along in his familiar shopping cart

Along the way, they perform in a bike storage tunnel before they reach their next destination: the fairgrounds

Here, they leave the poor guy to ride endless circles on the carousel while they themselves enjoy their ongoing performance of the chorus

It's then that the illegal activity comes to a head as the man takes a metal pipe to an ATM which causes the bills within to erupt and rain down on the still performing dokkaebis

The melody then switches up, slowing down a bit, becoming more entrancing

We find our business man in a black void, looking absolutely out of it, as he gets circled by the familiar blue wisps

It is then that we cut to a red Porsche conveniently located in the center of a vacant parking lot

We can only presume it was purchased with the money from the banged up ATM

The man gets in, starts the engine, grabs the steering wheel and steps on the gas pedal as the song goes from a slight fade out to a steady beat accompanied by the members chanting together

In the darkness of night, he's driving donuts around Xikers who're performing their dance break as the wind picks up around them

Ghost-like white pieces of fabric are being carried along by the borderline storm which is beginning to form with Xikers in its eye

It is here that we move into the iconic "Shanty-shanty-ay-a-ya"

Side-note: "shanty" is the name for both a small shack-like house (potentially referencing the Tricky House) and sailor's work songs from the past which were created to accompany rhythmic laborious tasks as they would help sync up their movements (potentially referencing the repeated chanting of the line)

During this section, we repeatedly cut back to the previous stops of the night's excursion until we wrap it up with Xikers in the parking garage

Once the song is over, we return to the business man on the empty parking lot

He's laying there alone, his briefcase nearby and no signs of a red car or plushies anywhere

However, he's surrounded by exactly ten brooms, representing the ten dokkaebis who just so happen to have the ability to possess households objects - mysterious

#xikers #xikers lore #Minjae #Junmin #Sumin #Jinsik #Hyunwoo #Hunter #Junghoon #Seeun #Yujun #lee yechan #tricky house mv #doorbell ringing

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atiny-for-life · 1 year

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Xikers Full Storyline Explained - Part 2

Masterlist

Rockstar

We're kicking off on a shot of a dark modern city only interrupted by a beam of light reaching down into the center between the clusters of skyscrapers

While we're initially focused on Minjae, we're quick to find out that more beams are popping up and they're shining right down on all 10 members spread across the city - they're the chosen ones, but chosen for what?

At the moment, all of Xikers are still in school and they seem to be attending the same one

We find Seeun alone in a class room with a tattoo on the side of his neck - "777-E-7" - throughout the course of the video, we'll see that each member has their own tattoo and they're all different; unfortunately, I'm not yet sure what they all mean

Going by the lyrics, we're dealing with a bunch of little rebels who don't care for school rules - they dress messily, show attitude when they so please and really just wanna have fun

They also use the phrase "Ullaeli Kkollaeli" which is both "a Korean word that is used when you’re teasing or making fun of someone" (source) and the title of a song by 1Team, a now disbanded group with two former members that had participated in MIXNINE - the same survival show four of Ateez's eight members had participated in (I just thought that was interesting since Hongjoong worked on the full album as writer, composer and arranger)

Throughout the following shots, the world around them begins to change - graffiti appears and begins to move and spread, becoming animated

Note that its all kept in white and blue, just as the wisps were in Tricky House

Going frame-by-frame, we can also catch a little easter egg as Jinsik is taking in the warped reality spreading around him: a promo for Tricky House

They sing about feeling free, having their worries disappear, being reborn and behind Seeun, the first blue and white goblin flames appear, once again heavily reminiscent of the spirit wisps we saw in Tricky House - an omen for the appearance of dokkaebi

The fire billows up from the chalkboard drawing of an eye - a shape we have seen and continue to see a lot throughout the course of this MV

And indeed, the spirits enter the scene shortly after as Xikers perform in what seems to be an abandoned warehouse

They circle them, crowding ever closer and speeding up until they've formed a full on storm

In its center, Hunter captures one of the wisps in his fist; it begins to glow - presumably, the other members did the same

This is them being chosen as the key players in Tricky's newest game (see: The TRICKY's Secret, or for a more detailed explanation: Bonus - TRICKY)

In the next verse, the lyrics shift from the present to their dreams for the future: getting attention, making it big in the music industry, feeling comfortable with being the center of attention, aiming for the stars

The spirits follow each of them individually as they move separately but the wisps shift from a more comic book style to the familiar blue fiery look as Xikers come back together and leap through the air in this gorgeous shot

As they perform in a large empty building with gray tile floors and glass walls and ceiling, another storm begins to brew and is quick to encase them fully

The lyrics shift to a darker, more vulnerable tone: "The scars I buried in my heart / And the past I hid / Can't kill me, can't stop me / Play the music louder"

Caught in the eye of the storm, they all begin to look up

Looking down at them is a blue iris, its pupil slitted like a cat's or snake's, likely belonging to Tricky who has chosen them to host these spirits as means of keeping him entertained for the foreseeable future

They've now become the key players in a cosmic board game meant to entertain an ancient deity

We get a close up of Hunter's eyes as the blue fire brims and overflows behind them - the spirit has become a part of him and presumably also the other members

Their fates are now sealed

#xikers #xikers lore #Minjae #Junmin #Sumin #Jinsik #Hyunwoo #Hunter #Junghoon #Seeun #Yujun #lee yechan #rockstar mv #doorbell ringing

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atiny-for-life · 7 months

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Xikers Full Storyline Explained - Part 4

Masterlist

HOMEBOY

Unlike 'DO or DIE', 'Homeboy' does include elements of the main storyline (namely, the concept of the spirit orb), but it doesn't progress the narrative. However, as it is such a visually stunning music video with a wholesome core message, we'll still dive right in.

We open on a sick-ass shot of Hunter and one of the blue fiery spirit orbs we've last seen in 'Rockstar'. It circles him as he tells us repeatedly "We're a different kind", hinting at them no longer being fully human.

Hunter turns to part a blackout curtain which takes us to a semiarid warm temperate desert type of scene (it's desert-ish but there are leafy bushes and stuff - I don't know my climate zones)

Central to the frame are four of the members lounging on a loveseat and a couple of armchairs

While Hunter exits the shot, the spirit orb finds a home in the table lamp beside the couch, illuminating it

This is followed by one of the most easily debunked statements I've ever read:

After dropping that absolute bold-faced lie, Yujun pulls the string of the lamp which changes the daytime to the middle of the night

Delighted by this discovery, Hyunwoo swaps seats so he can play around with the lamp as well

He repeatedly pulls the string for a bit until the orb exits the lamp and we cut to a scene clapper belonging to the shooting of the 'HOMEBOY' music video which Xikers are producing while Yechan is directing

A small street-side was built in the middle of a field which Yechan exits as he raps and dances around

Following his verse, the camera swings to the rest of Xikers who're chilling in the grass

Since we've last seen Yujun, he seems to have discovered a mirror and found his way back to the real world which then, thankfully, changed his stance on their appearance. Good for him.

As they're picnicking, the spirit orb flies by above their heads which allows for a pretty wide shot of the same four members who were in the desert before

The spirit orb is now leading them on a little stroll away from the rest of the group

Based on the lyrics stated in the close-up of the four in which their expressions are contrastingly serious, my theory is that the orb represents Junghoon - hence also the line "Can't replace, HOMEBOY"

Reunited after their little walk, the entire group play around a bit more until Junmin spots the orb crossing the sky and points it out to the rest

They bounce after it, letting it guide them, trusting it blindly

We hard-cut to a close up of the entire group, though there's one spot notably empty. Junghoon isn't there. Their faces are grim, the colors are darker and more muted. The framing tells us something's wrong.

After all the lighthearted fun, we're being told a serious message: "Sometimes, the scathing looks might give you a hard time and hurt you / Keep in mind, you know that by your side, looking in the same direction, is us, here with you"

They all get up and the camera begins to track to the right, circling them as they tell us: "Let's go, now or never / Always, we're together"

We can now see the orb led them to the beach where it now returns to its spot between Jinsik and Yechan. The only empty space. Junghoon's spot.

After playing around until sunset, the boys sit by the sea shore to watch the waves and sky

Just then, the spirit orb returns to join them. While not present in his human form, Junghoon still spent the whole day with them.

#xikers #xikers lore #Minjae #Junmin #Sumin #Jinsik #Hyunwoo #Hunter #Junghoon #Seeun #Yujun #lee yechan #homeboy mv #how to play

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atiny-for-life · 2 months

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Xikers Full Storyline Explained - Part 5

Masterlist

We Don’t Stop

Before we begin, I'd like to point out that the first track on the album is already providing us with some additional information

By titling it "Trial and Error (whereabouts)", we're already getting a hint toward the setting of the video/album (this also plays into Xikers' entire concept which I explained here) and the instrumental itself is very much in line with other music we've heard in association with TRICKY

Tricky's world, which we got to see in "The TRICKY's Secret", is now the one we're stepping into while Xikers has already grown accustomed with it since they've long since been living inside the Tricky House

The first cutaway from the Tricky House itself takes us to a warped grid floor which has become associated with TRICKY, the being who's given Xikers their powers in Rockstar, and who I talk about more here

We spend the majority of the video witnessing the absolute wackiness that is TRICKY's world, i.e. how it's breaking physics with the sheer scale of its spaces or how this elevator with only buttons for five floors has already reached a floor in the 400s by straight up exiting the building and getting shot into the stratosphere

Shoutout to the elevator interior for continuing the skater boy aesthetic from previous videos and having Jinsik say "Hands up, high up / Never die" while his members are being blasted into outer space in the background

And not just that, we also get straight up punched in the face by him while the others watch on and then stand over our broken body with shocked faces as if they hadn't been a part of the assault - thanks, guys

This is where I'd like to point out that it was also Jinsik who put the headphones on their victim in Tricky House, meaning he's likely the instigator behind a lot of their schemes/"pranks", maybe even a leader of sorts

The lyrics also further reinforce their dokkaebi/goblin concept by referencing their powers and tendency to play pranks/tricks on people:

Everyone's gonna be smiling, even that clown over there [...] Faster, teleport (Ayy, ayy) Blink and I disappear (Ayy, ayy, ayy, ayy) Follow me if you don't want to miss it, shout it [...] Bewitched by me, let go of the reins

We also get this neat shot in which they use a practical effect to insert Hunter into the frame by using a mirror the others are holding

While this is cool to look at, it's also a nice nod to the paranormal wherein mirrors are considered portals through which supernatural beings can travel

Similarly to the grid-floor room, we also get a performance shot of Xikers in another liminal-space looking room with a geometric line design that feels surreal and shares the same color-scheme as TRICKY's world in 'The TRICKY's Secret'

From here, we often return to the same shooting locations but do also get to see the world and their powers in action some more, such as when Minjae (and later also the others) manipulate the buildings around them so they would move along to the song

Toward the end of the video, we move into black-and-white territory as the beat slows

During this section, we get this nice little nod to the Tricky House choreo from Hunter who then also becomes the center at the very end which is reminiscent of past videos where he was also a focal point

#xikers #xikers lore #Minjae #Junmin #Sumin #Jinsik #Hyunwoo #Hunter #Junghoon #Seeun #Yujun #lee yechan #we don't stop mv #house of tricky: trial and error

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