[Note: This series originally started as a project on Reddit. You can find an explanation of what Bible Study is all about here.]
Happy Sunday! Today we're trying to wrap our heads around what exactly goes down in the gallery while reading Yeosang's page. Join us as we struggle with things like the gallery layout and the mechanics of how the cromer actually works.
Bobby: I am present
GD: Also present
I need to find the diary on lore girl summer
Oh today is Yeosang! That's fun
Bobby: Someday I'll get back to #loregirlsummer
In the summer, I guess
GD: It's right there in the title
Bobby: Today is a reading day I think?
GD: Yes. So a big day
Let me read Yeosang's page
Bobby: While you do that I'll recap, keep things moving along
01: where are we in the story thus far?
Bobby: So, after the transference in the smoky art gallery room where Halateez were being held captive, the boys notice that Yeosang has gone missing somehow. They set off to find him and here he comes running in from the other room with the cromer in hand. He throws it to Hongjoong but also gets captured by Guardians who demand that Hongjoong return the cromer in exchange for Yeo.
It should be noted that Yeosang doesn't want Hongjoong to give up the cromer
02: thoughts on the page
GD: Knowing what happened last time, and then reading this, I can't say that it makes what actually happens in that room clearer
It feels like I need a diagram
Bobby: The only thing I'm confused about is when exactly Yeo leaves the room to go searching on his own
How much time passes between the transference and when everyone realizes the smoke is starting to clear and they are in danger of being seen
GD: All time here seems to be handwavey a bit?
I can think of a couple of times where it felt like something happened right after something else we read, but then, if you dug in a little bit, it appeared that maybe much more time had passed
Bobby: Well, it was enough time for San to see, pick up, and ponder the memory beads on the floor
GD: There is perhaps, a missed moment, where they split up to explore why the smoke is still there
Bobby: I also feel confused about placement.
If you go back to San, he says that the guardian is burning memories in the center of the hall. But then Seonghwa shouts for Yeosang. So, how close are they to the guardian? Is the guardian not actually present and they're just looking at their work?
But I suppose we also could say that all these details aren't important because they aren't the point
GD: The line "my friends would not have been all scattered" really stuck out to me
obviously a call back to the first diary, but it feels slightly relevant in this moment as well because they are currently scattered about.
In the broadest sense of the word
Bobby: I was thinking about that too
The way Yeo is so quick to blame himself makes me wonder if this is learned behavior
And that he goes so far back into their history. He's not even talking about the present situation they're in but about the first time they all split up
GD: This is a little bit what I was talking about last time. I don't want to say that Yeosang is distrustful, because I don't think that's the right word, but I do think he has learned that adults shouldn't be given much credit for kindness?
Bobby: It doesn't feel that he's blaming the adults but rather taking all the blame himself
He's carrying an excessive amount of guilt
It's almost like--and this is fully entering the realm of fanfiction--but like he once had a sibling and that sibling died on his watch or something. So he feels incredibly guilty all the time. So no matter what his parents do or say, he still feels at fault. You know?
Obviously I don't think that's what happened but that's the vibe I get from him
GD: It would be an interesting story choice if Yeosang was the reason they were in this world. Like we see them reach out to Hongjoong, but it would be interesting if it was Yeosang's desire for them to all be together again after the scattering that somehow got the halateez involved with them
It would make his guilt more grounded. I don't think this is what happened either, but I think it would make his choices make a lot of sense
Bobby: We do know that he has actively chosen to be with his friends over his family
He doesn't want to go back home
So for him it's almost an easy sacrifice to make sure they get home safe
GD: If he was more selfish, he would want them all to stay with him
It's interesting that he smashes the cromer though. He can't know that the rest of Ateez will get sent home?
Bobby: The line where he says he thinks about everything they know about the cromer jumped out at me
He turns it, probably because Hongjoong had said that's what he had done before they were transported
But it doesn't explain why he would break it, what breaking it would do, and why it leaves only him behind
Maybe the guardians have some kind of anti-cromer technology installed?
Like if they have you, the cromer can't affect you?
GD: Interesting. I was under the impression they too wanted to be able to use the cromer?
The more I think about it the more my head hurts, but I'm back to wondering how halateez ever communicated with the boys in the first place if they were locked away and didn't have the cromer.
Bobby: Well how's that supposed to help a headache
Guaranteed to make it worse
GD: Unless, they had the cromer, knew they were going to get caught, and then used it to communicate and bring the boys there, and then let themselves get caught
But.. that presents just as many questions as it answers
Bobby: Yes, that's always been my unsupported theory
GD: It's been mine too, but man I'd like some support
Because it makes me wonder, once again, about the timeline of their arrival. It all felt very flash in the pan fast, but perhaps it wasn't.
Anyways, back to today's reading. Sorry.
No
So, we've seen them use the cromer later, and the effects are instantaneous. Like, they use it to bamf through the air and not fall in outlaw. But here, there is such a delay? And to only send the members back?
Perhaps there has to be intention behind using the cromer.
Maybe Yeosang was thinking "please send my friends home, please work, please get them out of here"
And thus, he was left behind, and the delay is explained by him not knowing what he's doing
I know it doesn't matter, but I have to settle it for myself in my head
Bobby: But it makes sense
Otherwise, who decides what the cromer does if it has multiple powers?
Like, when Hongjoong first uses it, maybe the cromer was responding to the desires in his heart. He wanted his friends back
He wanted to be somewhere they could be together
GD: Right. It's not like it's a computer with different buttons. There can't be that many ways to use it
Bobby: And he got what he wanted
I have a Thought
About Treasure
No, I don't
Thought is too generous
GD: Well maybe it will develop into a Thought
Bobby: I just thought it would be funny if Treasure is them learning how to use the cromer properly and just ending up all over the place
Like, why are we all stuck in a dream on a flying ship?
Because Yunho thought it would be funny
GD: Fever is the story of how they get to Treasure, so it's not wrong necessarily
Bobby: I do think it's interesting that the broken cromer is coming back to haunt us, presumably
What happens to the broken cromer, I wonder
Do the guardians clean it up? Preserve it? Put it in a box?
GD: All the pieces are there with the guardians, so I would imagine they'd try to fix it.. at least take them to Z
He was looking for the cromer, so it would stand to reason he wants the pieces
Bobby: Perhaps having two cromers in the same universe leads to some unintended consequences
GD: I am very interested in what's going to happen in Epilgoue when we get there because I do feel like we just.. let that go too quick. The cult and the fact that they're after the cromer and also that they want to do the same thing that Z has presumably done in another world
there's just a lot to unpack there
But I find Yeosang's bravery here admirable
Bobby: Maybe the cromer doesn't work with guardians because you need emotions to trigger it
03: praise and prayer
Bobby: Have we further thoughts or is it time for praise and prayer?
GD: I think praise and prayer
My praise is that Jongho came on fromm voice live yesterday morning, and it was very soothing
Bobby: He also did Fromm? He was on toktoq as well
GD: Sorry I meant toktoq
I was thinking about fromm because of my kaddy
Bobby: Bless your kaddy
GD: So I will also praise my kaddy for signing up for 23 months of Jongho messages
I hope he really gets to enjoy it
Bobby: Since it's Yeosang day, I am grateful for two Yeo things
Yeo also did a voice live this morning and Yunho joined in, which is always nice. I have no idea what they were talking about, but they seemed to be having a good time.
I have watched this clip. . .
Maybe 100 times and it's never not infuriatingly endearing
GD: Why's he so adorable
Bobby: It's upsetting
And people were talking about how some people pity stan him.
Like, no? No they don't?
GD: Pfft people were saying the same thing about Jongho
Bobby: Yeah, it was all the same ridiculous conversation
GD: I pity the people who don't bias Jongho
That's who I pitty
I do think there is some truth to a certain type of fan being drawn to less popular members, but I don't think that's like the rule for all the fans of that member. Just that you will find a small concentration of those crazy fans.
And I also don't think that has to do with pity. I think it has to do with being delusional. So I'm not even sure that's the same thing
Bobby: That's not the same as pity stanning though
I'm not even sure what pity stanning would look like
GD: Right--I'm not even sure what pity stanning is
Good we've achieved our shared braincell just in time
Bobby: I just think if YOU think that certain members have pity stans, that says quite a bit about how YOU feel about them
GD: What if I steal that for my hit tweet
Bobby: Be my guest
Like I can't comprehend Jongho requiring pity bc he's the most amazing human there is
What exactly are we pitying?
Like I was telling Rachel the other day that I do think that being on reddit and seeing how much hate Jongho gets there did trigger some sort of protective instinct that helped ease him right into my bias line
But I don't think I would categorize that as pity?
It was more like seeing him get nitpicked made me realize how great he is
GD: Righteous anger is how reddit made me feel about Jongho
Which, again, doesn't feel like pity
Bobby: Yeah, it wasn't like "poor Jongho" it was more like "these people are idiots"
GD: Do I, as a Jongho stan, think that Jongho is unappreciated by this fandom and the world at large? Of course I do
But I think that's like.. normal?
That's why San stans have the audacity to say San is underappreciated
because they see everything great and wonderful, and they believe the world should see everything great and wonderful too
Bobby: I also think San is in general underappreciated. But I'm a San stan, so I would, wouldn't I
GD: Right. I think that's just.. very normal
I think Hongjoong stans would say the same about Hongjoong and Seonghwa stans about Seonghwa
Because we all want our boy to be most beloved boy
And not all boys can be the most beloved boy
Bobby: And we all feel that way about ATEEZ in general, who are WILDLY underappreciated, fight me kpop stans
GD: Obviously
Like, that ATEEZ isn't the most famous group in the whole world is a crime, and I just don't care what other people have to say about it
Like, stans of other groups are just wrong, and it's my prerogative to think that. but.. again, I am pretty sure that's normal?
Bobby: Sort of the point of being a stan
GD: It would be not normal if I was out here bashing other members in favor of Jongho, or bashing other groups in favor of ATEEZ
And I would never bash other members because they're all precious and perfect, and I only bash other groups privately in my own head, so that doesn't count
Bobby: It would also be not normal to say I'm a fan of ATEEZ but also I think they're garbage
GD: So you're saying it's not normal to be on reddit
Bobby: Basically
GD: Be the light
Bobby: Halazia
Next week we will be back to dig deeper into the text of Yeosang's page with an exercise to help us read it more deeply. Until then, how do you decipher the events of the gallery? And what ATEEZ thing is bringing you joy? Let us know!
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