ateez theory thread: converging timelines and alter egos

with the new cb announcement, i got major ~vibes~ from the poster. this is my theory on the timeline of ateez and what the different videos mean. I will be drawing from both my own ideas, and ideas of others (with tags) that help flesh out my own, lets go!

first, one needs to look at which music videos play into the story line of ateez and their alter egos (i will be referring to them as egos throughout the thread). i rewatched all the mvs this morning, and i decided that say my name > hala hala (potentially) > illusion > wave

> wonderland > answer; the first appearance of the ateez egos is in say my name. this whole video is riddled with references to being confused and angry, and wanting to find out who you are. the morse code at the very beginning translates to 'say my name'. names are important

names define who someone is, and wanting to be called a certain name is wanting validation and recognition. this is reflected in the lyrcis of the song. they sing about moving forward and beginning something new, all under the name ateez. in this mv specifically, +

three members explicitly face their egos. yeosang, san, and seonghwa. yeosang is the first shown. he is inside a box that appears to be filled with mist and his ego is circling him outside. this gives me the impression he is feeling trapped and guarded, unable to truly be himself

san is the next to be shown facing his ego, in the mirror. he is on "our" side, while his ego is in the mirror. mirrors and reflection play a huge roll in many of the mvs and i believe this is due to the egos being a reflection of ateez, or on a reflected story line

next seonghwa is sitting on that glass screen table thing and several shots of him are shown with a masked ego sitting across from him before it is revealed to be his ego. seonghwa seems almost confrontational in his facial expressions, different than trapped yeosang or

san who appears to be apathetic toward his ego. i believe they represent the different stages of facing your true self, feeling like you can't be your true self (yeo), feeling equal with your true self and an alter ego (san) and feeling like you are being your true self +

dominating over your alter ego. also through out the video, ateez is shown around a table, typing, reading, and at one point it looks like they're decoding something which ties in a little with the morse code. near the end of the video, the table is shown again except chairs are

overturned and papers are spread all over the floor, like someone gave up or was run out. then, during the last dance portion, the original members are interspersed with flashes of the egos dancing. it ends with the original members. this makes me feel as if ateez is being

chased or mirrored from another time line. the whole mv, there is some sort of barrier between ateez and the egos.
from say my name, the next video with the egos is hala hala. it is a performance video but there are still clues.

in the beginning, hongjoong is seen without his mask, and with a megaphone instead of the trumpet seen in say my name. this is a nod to what it should have been, but it is a different version, like how a different time line might be similar but not the same.

there is then a sequence of all the members shown both with and without their masks. every member except yeosang; he is the only one only shown with a mask on. this is the second time he is different (being completely trapped in say my name). the members are not in ego attire yet

the only time they are seen in these outfits is at the beginning, showing that only the egos appear in this mv. ateez are not here, not on this timeline.

at the end of hala hala wooyoung is shown with smeared lipstick that looks like blood, and the other members on the floor around him, looking dead. a line in mingi's verse is "god putting me in this scene just like an assassin". perhaps the egos are assassins sent after ateez

through their dreams. if that is the case, then the appearence of an ego in the illusion mv, the most dream like, makes sense. illusion is the cutest of the ateez mv, with animated sets and the softest outfits.

they are on a pirate ship, sailing through the sky. they are shown sleeping on the deck which creates the dream feeling of the mv, they wake up in this illusion. they have several maps, a compass, and a spyglass. hidden within the pirate props are ego regalia.

both a mask and a hat are seen on the ship

reflections are shown prominently, with hongjoong and seonghwa being shown upside down in a crystal ball with them on the ship. crystal balls are used for clairvoyance and scrying, the art of seeing. this is again calling in the feeling of reflecting on one's self.

to add to the childlike nature of the mv, the dream state, ateez does deal with a 'conflict' which is the storm clouds that appear for all of three seconds. once the storm clears, the ship descends toward an island. once there, both a compass and an hourglass are seen as props.

the hourglass is out of time, symbolizing how this dream is the last happiness they appear to have through answer. the members are then seen in a cave system, working their way through series of curtains. at one point, the members appear distressed before an ego appears

the last scene of illusion is the beginning of wave, where the members are asleep. these are the only music videos explicitly connected and it shows illusion was a dream before the members woke up in wave. wave is also a happy, light music video.

wave and aurora give me journey vibes, like they are on their way to something. this is backed up in wonderland. wonderland is another video with heavy ego presence, but not as explicitly as hala hala. in wonderland, the two important sets of outfits are the military uniforms and

the normal clothes. the uniforms are not ego outfits but they have the same connotation. power, intimidation, consistency. in the beginning of wonderland, hongjoong is lounging on a throne like chair, holding a compass, before it changes to the uniforms.

yeosang, san, and seonghwa are seen together in an elevator, these being the three focused on in the say my name mv. wooyoung is shown chained up, being held back by something. robots are waving plain black flags before the members are shown climbing up stairs leading nowhere.

the stairs could be obstacles on their journey to understanding who they are, to find a way to face their alter egos. at the end of the music video, ateez is shown standing before an open gate at the other end of a long bridge. this is the bridge between ateez and their egos

this brings us to answer. the mv starts at the end, giving us an idea of how the meeting between ateez and the egos will go. several members are seen alone; mingi is in a boat surrounded by mist, which often symbolizes confusion and hongjoong is seen on a ticking clock

yunho is in a misty room surrounded by his own reflection and yeosang is seen in the desert, seeing himself in a piece of broken glass.

later, ateez appears to be waiting for the egos. hongjoong is seen sitting at a table, on the side that is later filled by the egos. this waiting game he is engaged in builds an anxiety that the members must be feeling waiting for the meeting to take place.

three very important images take place before the meeting. wooyoung is seen with a butterfly on his wrist, yeosang, san, and wooyoung are seen standing on a snow-covered clock, and then the snow appears to be falling backwards, up toward the ceiling.

the three members on the clock, yeosang, wooyoung, and san all have had important scenes in previous videos, leading me to believe there is something key about their characters for the story line.

after the clock scene, wooyoung is showing dancing in the snow as it falls upward, looking rewound. this could mean time is flowing backwards in whatever world they stand in, or it could mean feeling like they are going backwards, not making any progress

right before the meeting wooyoung is seen with a butterfly. butterflies are seen as delicate and beautiful, but are the namesake of the butterfly theory, stating that a small movement, like the flap of a wing will cause great change elsewhere, like a hurricane across the world

this theory is important to mine because i believe ateez's small acts of rebellion against the egos, by trying to be themselves, have led them to this momentous event, perhaps a greater one in fever pt. 1.

finally, the two groups meet, with egos on the right side of the table and ateez on the left. they size each other up, every member across from his ego. hongjoong stands at the head of the table with his ego, an empty chair in between them. neither wants to back down

i think this is what leads to the destruction you see in the beginning of the music video. neither leader wishes to give up control and appear to be deferring command, so the groups fight. now, the most mysterious of the characters appears. its a masked man, dressed in white

white is not a common color in the ateez universe, and neither are full facial masks. this man could be someone wishing to stop the violence, maybe the man who sent the egos after ateez, or someone we have yet to meet. with the new teasers, nothing is any clearer on him

with the new teasers, the boys are standing in front of what appears to be a vine covered building. i got major boarding school vibes. they are all facing the camera but their faces are blurred out. this brings me back to the feeling of not knowing who you are in say my name

your face is your identity in many cases, and without an identity, you are lost. @yunhoculture pointed out they all have rings on their hands and @mitchuuba pointed out the three cuffed members are san, wooyoung, and yeosang, the members on the clock in answer. this is important

again these three are singled out. san and yeosang have been singled out from the rest since say my name and wooyoung has had several key scenes. with fever, i believe these members are doing to be important to whatever happens with the egos.

those three have the rings like the other members but also have the cuffs. being cuffed is often a symbol of slavery or oppression and this could show these members are held down by something strong, or perhaps made an alliance with someone above themselves.

we won't know the truth but i hope fever pt. 1 continues the story line and proves some theories right, or at least moves them along!

@ATEEZofficial #FEVER_Part_1