VIXX [CONCEPTION - Theory] //Zelos+Hades//
This post will come to you in four parts.
1. Mythology
2. Visual
3. Lyrical
4. Conclusion
I will analyse every part separately, so there may be stuff you already know ‘isn’t true’ this will be debunked later on in the theory. If you just want my conclusion just go to the end of the post.
PART 1: MYTHOLOGY
Based solemnly on the three Gods
The odd one out is Hades. Zelos and Kratos are siblings, and they were retainers under Zeus. Whereas Zelos stood for zeal, Kratos stands for strength. Hades on the other hand, is Zeus’ brother, God of the underworld, having stolen Persephone and keeping her as his wife there. Both Zelos and Kratos are born from Pallas and Styx. Styx is a deity/goddess but also the river that connects the living and the underworld. The underworld is also simply referred to as ‘Hades’. Hades fought on Zeus’ side during the Titanomachy (killing of all the titans), Pallas is the son of one of the 12 titans (Crius), himself being a titan.
This is as far as the mythology adds up on a basic level.
Zelos: Rivalry/Jealousy
Hades: Underworld/Death
Kratos: War/State
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PART 2: VISUAL
CONCEPTION Art Film
You can recognise her by the scale, blindfold and the sword. She stands for justice. As she is another one of the Twelve Titans and is the goddess of counsel and divine justice.
Signed by Zelos… (for more on this, look at the vixx-oxo linked post at the end of this post!)
But I do still think this is a concept based on and around Greek Gods, so I’m not jumping on the ‘no it’s an alchemist-concept’ bandwagon. I think there’s more than meets the eye, and this might go further than just the myths the Gods appear in regularly.
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CONCEPTION Opening Trailer: Here’s where things get interesting, and a whole lot more complicated. This introduces us, or hints to who is personifying who exactly.
This theory was made by tumblruser ‘Baby-taekwoon’ For now I’m basing things on the theory made by them. The link is below.
Apparently, it was confirmed that Ken personifies Zeus. I agree on this since you can clearly see him sitting atop a structure (mount Olympos perhaps) and seeing figures approaching him. Unfortunately the first shot features him and 10 others, not 11, which would have made it way easier to confirm that those stood for the 12 Olympian Gods… but whatever.
Leo is shown near water, immersing in it and wearing scale-like clothing. During the dance-practice he is seen wearing Poseidon’s outfit. For now, assuming Leo personifies Poseidon is a pretty okay guess.
Ravi, dressed completely in black, walking on a dead-end plateau. Surrounded by fog, it hints towards the underworld. During Hades he was the only one with a portrait picture for the first release instead of a landscape. So I’m assuming there’s some link here and saying he might just be personifying Hades.
As for this theory, I am not convinced on the parts concerning N, Hyuk or Hongbin just yet. What is evident is that Hongbin is surrounded by fire, Hyuk by earth-elements and books, and the symbol on N’s hand is a link to something, if not everything.
The books close to Hyuk lead me to believe he has something to do with Themis, as it is a link to knowledge and/or prophecy, so I do agree on that part. He’s clearly searching for something in midst of all the rubbish. But Themis only seems to have had daughters, so he cannot be her offspring…
On both N and Hyuk something rains down on them at the end of the trailer, this makes me think they are somehow linked as the scenes follow each other. For N it’s water and for Hyuk paper which perhaps stands for ‘knowledge’. Even being surrounded by umbrellas, N lets himself be drenched. So this might be despair or knowing it is for the best, or just having given up.
At the end Leo emerges himself in the bathtub. Leading me to believe N and Leo have a clear connection in this trilogy. As ever VIXX’s obsession with ‘the wheels of time’ and ‘faith’ come lurking around the corner, which can be linked back to Themis, as her daughter are (among others) the Horae, the embodiment of unfolding time past, present and future and the Moirai the fates.
But there are more people on the internet, so let’s research further. Tumblr-user ‘Vixx-oxo’ gives a somewhat more detailed look into whom Hongbin may be, and why. So, Prometheus. No not the movie, the idiot god who stole the fire from mount Olympos… Yah, that one. The titan who gave mankind fire even though with doing that he went against Zeus’ will.
Ok, so there’s still some uncertainties over Hyuk and N at this point, but fear not.
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ZELOS Concept Film: During this 1-minute clip it becomes very clear how important Leo and N are to the trilogy. Leo appears to be utterly possessive of the woman in the video, whereas N almost seems impassive at times. But as the ending shot comes closer, N is the one on top of the structure while the other are inside, hinting that he perhaps is, indeed, Zelos.
So yeah, Zelos, god of jealousy and rivalry. Talked about in the other theories, but I wasn’t convinced. Here you have it, another link. N’s hand symbol is also the one shown on the Zelos CD. Coincidence? I think not. But how does Zelos fit into the rest exactly… as he isn’t a god that is overly much discussed nor talked about regularly, it is hard to find myths which evolve around him alone. But that eye, that all-seeing eye on his right-hand. Oh god how the Greeks and alchemists loved that bloody eye, but I’m still empty-handed on that since my knowledge doesn’t run deep enough to confirm or exclude what I’m reading up on.
Hongbin and Ken are shown walking away from each other, which fits into the whole Zeus/Prometheus debacle, as they fought on the same time during the war of the Titans but things went bad after someone couldn’t stick to the rules.
Hyuk is shown in a hallway with a lot of lights and and a door, perhaps it is even upside down. This intensifies my hunch that he really has something to do with Themis. As mentioned in the theory by ‘Baby-Taekwoon’, it appears the trilogy doesn’t necessarily follow one story, it involves three. The main appearing to be the N-Leo storyline, with a Ken-Hongbin and a Ravi-Hyuk.
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DYNAMITE: First things first, all members are shown in their respective environments but Leo is shown in what I will call ‘the pit’ for now, directly after that the girl is also shown with the same background-colour. Hint-hint-hint. In the first part of the MV he’s also the only one shown near/around/with the girl whereas N seems to be depressed, his room looks like a place a bachelor would live in simply said.
What also sparks interest is the fact that although the other members have their ‘own’ rooms, Leo, appears to be ‘sharing’ his room with N. Both Leo and N appear in the red, glass-walled room, in scenes directly following each other.
Whereas everyone hides their eye with their right-hand at the beginning, past the halfway point, Ken hides his left-eye multiple times in his hallway. Something no other member does, except for N in the teaser/trailer.
They also end up dancing in what seems to be the room Leo and N ‘shared’, confirming the hunch that the main-story revolves around them. Ravi and Hyuk are shown together or in following shots often, which hints towards that pairing also being true.
In between shots of Leo taking the girls hand N appears desperate. Before going into the last part of the MV. The members start destroying the mannequins, with shots of Leo having some clear focus-time in the MV and N quite literally getting ‘back up on his feet’. Never once is Leo shown to actively participate in the actual destruction of the mannequins.
After this, the whole MV seems lighter, and all members appear to be happier judging on their facial expressions, except for Leo, because it appears his ‘wedding’(?) was crashed. Eventually N and Leo are show in the glass-walled red room, confirming that they -indeed- shared that one.
Looking at this MV, alone, for me not a lot of things have changed… But things got messy the moment Hades was announced and the concept film was released… it all just hit the fan and things need to be revised…
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HADES Concept Film: It starts up with N hiding in the bushes and coming out from behind them, pricking his middle-finger on a thorn. You can hear a crow in the background, repeatedly cawing.
After about ¼ of the trailer it cuts to a short scene of Leo looking lost like he did in Chained Up, and then showing Hyuk with a twisted thorn around his neck, making me think he is ‘owned’, something like a collar.
It shows someone walking up an altar of some sorts and Ravi lifting his face, assuming those two scenes took place in the same room. As if someone came to him to get/ask something. Followed by a lonesome door, which we can safely assume leads to the underworld at this part.
We see Ken, followed by a hand with a vague face which I can only assume is Hongbin’s before going back to N’s hands… (Or aren’t they)
It is then revealed that Leo indeed also has the symbol on his right hand, clarifying why in Dynamite’s video he always wore one glove.
He’s seen wrapping the hand with the symbol in cloth, hiding it. Skip a scene ahead and Leo’s sitting on the steps someone just walked over. Ken is showing N something, perhaps they way or the person he is to follow/seek out.
We see a couple of shots from the members before Leo comes out with an eye-patch like accessory hiding his actual right-eye. //Cue ooh-aah// We see N closing the door he had walked towards and that is it.
Okay, here we go. With help of the previously mentioned tumblr-accounts and that of ‘g-tracenpandas’, I’ve tried to clarify some things…
So WHO THE HELL IS HYUK? Well, based on the fact that he is first seen in a room filled with information/papers and whatnot, followed by him appearing in an upside-down room. I think we can safely say Hyuk might just be Hermes. The messenger of the gods, who also happens to have these nifty winged sandals and helmet, and who is wait for it… seen as the guide to the underworld!
Skip ahead in time to the release and performance of Fantasy…
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FANTASY: During the release of the Fantasy MV VIXX vaguely described some stuff.
“The goddess was kidnapped by the god of Death from a mortal man. He has to go to the underworld to get his love, and he has a coin to go through the door to it. Can he reach Elysium, the paradise of peace?”
Some people are saying Leo is Hades and N is human, making the girl in the video Persephone (I assume), but I’m not really on that bandwagon, if that was true, all my other research was just BS… So I shall not believe this /cries/. What I do believe, however, is the possibility that LEO IS INDEED HADES. Making the depiction of Poseidon a diversion. Tracking back the water Leo submerged himself in the Opening Trailer was black, which could stand for the underworld. I do not believe N is human, as no human can return from the underworld. So I do stand by the believe that he is Zelos.
But this turns into a whole new plot. So for this assumption, Ken is Zeus, Leo is Hades, N is Zelos, Hyuk is Hermes but who are Hongbin and Ravi?
The MV itself…There are some solo-shots which aren’t that full of info persay. But Ken is seen ‘watching over’ two others, one of which is Leo and the other person most likely being N?
Hyuk is seen holding a letter of some sorts (hey look at you, being a good messenger and all). He hands the letter to N. Both Hyuk and Hongbin are seen speaking to N. Advising him, probably with an ulterior motive.
There’s a scene where Ken, N, Ravi and Hongbin are seen at a dinner table. Neither Hyuk nor Leo are present.
Leo’s absence can be explained by the fact that it represents mount Olympos and he’s in the underworld, and as Hyuk is the messenger, he might be busy doing his duty… But perhaps he’s no longer in favour of going along with Ken’s plans. Few shots later you can see Leo alone in the same room only black instead of white, quite logically representing the underworld.
N is seen approaching the lonesome door, and Hyuk tries to stop him.
Eventually you see Leo and N walking towards the same box-like thing. As if they are meeting in that box, to merge?
And shown sitting tied up in front of the same table filled with vials and bottles. /Alchemy, alchemy, alchemy!/ The one behind the table, shown making potions is none other than Ravi. This is also the place where he raps, giving me reason enough to think he has something to do with the alchemy part.
Although alchemy is a hermetic art, deriving from Hermes, Hephaestus is often seen as the god of the trade, as he is the god of craftsmen, artisans and so on. So for now I’m going to assume Ravi is Hephaestus. He is also often seen alone, and Hephaestus was known to be reclusive in the volcano Etna. And he is shown to be looking up in the Opening Trailer.
Leo is eventually shown to have the same thorn-prick as N.
Cut to the part where we can see Ravi, Ken, Hyuk and Hongbin around one of the main platforms, with Leo or N nowhere to be found.
Cut to the last focused scenes and a completely drenched N… again. You see three people (Ravi, Ken, Hyuk –Hongbin is probably out on the sight but also doing the same) putting on a mask, as if to hide what they’ve done. Hiding from their sins perhaps?
So but what about Hongbin, is he Prometheus? No, I don’t think so. I think he’s Kratos. Together with Hephaestus and Bia (the goddess of Violence) they bound Prometheus after he betrayed Zeus’ trust, Hermes also comes into play being send to inquire about Prometheus’ actions before the titan is plunged into an abyss. This makes a little less sense for Hongbin’s visual aspects on its own, but fits into the bigger plot better. And besides, why else name the last part of CONCEPTION Kratos if he didn’t have anything to do with it?
All and all Ken seems to be orchestrating most of it, as he seems in control from the onset and throughout. During the Concept trailers and in choreography, the group often moves when he starts motion or jerks his hands.
If you want to go even deeper then, yes, the theories can even be traced back to Chained Up, and perhaps even before that in Error and Eternity… Even Depend On Me. But then again, if you’re going to think like that, everything is connected on a base level.
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As I’ve already gone full out concerning the visual aspects, I’m just going to pick out some strong parts for the lyrical, even if it’s just as important (!!!).
Dynamite starts off with saying
´it´s too late girl´
And that her mind is all ´his´, insinuating he might be jealous. That the girl is disappearing into the dark, the underworld, and that it is too late.
´Even if I have to flip over the whole world girl, please don´t leave me today´
This might suggest turning the underworld into the real world and vice versa.
´Abracadabra, make this come true, all mine. Abracadabra, make her mind go back´ Insinuates she used to love someone else. Which is confirmed later with ´She was supposed to be mine´ this later part is sung by Leo.
´This is all a dream´ well, yeah, that connects to Fantasy perfectly…
´I was supposed to be the hero, but I´ve become the villain. Even if I have bad intentions girl, I wanna steal you so don´t leave me´
As for Fantasy... Lets focus on the pre-released lyrical bits.
Someone help (I know it’s over, someone help, the end of you was me)
This is half sung by Hyuk. So that does signify he was feeling guilt. Not necessarily towards the girl, probably towards himself. Up until now Hongbin’s role has been pretty small…
It’s just a fantasy
This was established, yes, we understood. Perhaps a fantasy he, Hades, had in his head all along but it turned into something like a nightmare…
My tragedy (if there’s only one way that opens)
For me this means that he thinks that what he did was the only way to succeed.
(Your existence is) Heaven and hell
Just my fantasy
These two are a bit tricky, both seem to fit into the lyrics, but it’s a bit open for me why they were released with the corresponding person. But it appears that the girl who caused it is blamed by Ravi and Hyuk blames himself.
It’s all mine (it’s my fantasy)
To me this indicated that it’s mostly from N’s perspective, the whole concept that is.
+There are also parts such as
‘I knew it was too late, even if it’s too late, come into my embrace’
‘Give yourself back to me’
Whereas Dynamite focused more on trying to live the ‘lie’ to the fullest, this song seems to focus more on the despair-aspect of having to accept the situation depicted in this concept.
As for the members and their main emotions
Ken / Insanity / Zeus
Hongbin / Anger / Kratos
Leo / Loneliness / Hades
N / Jealousy / Zelos
Hyuk / Guilt / Hermes
Ravi / Annoyance / Hephaestus
See how the gods kind of line up with the emotions given off?
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No but seriously, what do you think? Honestly, I’ve read so many good things, tried to figure out so many theories, debunk or prove them. I’ve been trying to find things, but by being so concentrated you start to see something that might just be unrelated. But here goes nothing…
First off, who is who now?
Ken - Zeus
Hongbin - Kratos
Leo - Hades
N - Zelos
Hyuk - Hermes
Ravi - Hephaestus
So I think Hermes (Hyuk) found a letter, the invitation to Hades’s (Leo) wedding. He hands this to Zelos (N). Hades’ is going to wed Persephone, the daughter of Demeter a sibling of Zeus (Ken), and Zeus himself. (Yah, incest was a thing back then.) Following the official myth, Demeter starts being depressed and this causes the harvest to fail. Notice how all the environments in Hades/Fantasy are so barren? For this reason, the girl had to come back.
(That’s the short intro-version of the myth. If you want to know more Google is your best friend for that. But for the sake of this trilogy, I’m taking the liberty to diverge from the ‘standard’ myth and going to take some artistic liberty.)
Ok, so lets say Zelos, being the god of jealousy, was envious of Hades having found such a beautiful wife and Zeus uses him to take back his daughter. Or at least, under that pretence, just to get rid of him for reasons still unknown. Using both Kratos (Hongbin) and Hermes to influence him. They are the ones whispering in his ears, but Zeus is the one pulling all the strings, he is also seen pointing Zelos in the ‘right’ direction.
He eventually reaches out to Zeus for help himself. But Hermes realises his fault and tries to stop Zelos from going to the underworld, but the god is already too full of himself, green with envy and proceeds to go to Hades.
With him, he has a potion, made by Hephaestus (Ravi), also a subordinate of Zeus. The potion made by Hephaestus contains a feather, this may be the same type that are on Hermes’s sandals and helmet. Perhaps this enables him to travel to the underworld without being dead or dying, but I believe this potion leads Hades and Zelos to be linked, forcing Zelos to stay in the underworld. Perhaps he is also in love with Persephone, perhaps he is just following orders. But since VIXX have said that the Concept KRS is about a person/god endlessly chasing after a dynamic love which eventually turns into a fantasy, I’m guessing Zelos was in love with Persephone all along. Even if he isn’t human, and that doesn’t add up with what was ‘said’ during the comeback, you have to take into consideration that it might be lost in translation.
But VIXX have also said the MV is about going to the underworld to GET the potion to make sure their beloved would love them back… This… doesn’t fit into my calculations at all. Taking into account that there’s a strong emphasis on fantasy, I suspect there is more to the potion than meets the eye. –See what I did there–. As this theory does not go into the symbolism of the triangle-eye, which is undoubtedly very important to the concept. I believe this is the sign they are meant to be linked from the beginning, Zeus used this to determine who would be the best matched. All the members cover their eyes multiple times in both MVs, symbol or no symbol, they do it. This leads me to believe that they are either know the truth but do not want to see it, or are completely in the dark.
I think this might be traced back to… you guessed it. Themis. As she is shown in the first Concept Art Film, with a blindfold which she does not always have. There is also a clear close-up shot off an eye, and Themis is said to know the truth without seeing but perhaps these eyes were transferred down to both Hades and Zelos for a reason, perhaps Zeus has something to hide? Honestly, at this point that wouldn’t even surprise me.
Perhaps they were already linked, and the potion was a poison made to kill Hades, and Zelos was the sacrifice. In the end we see Zeus and his retainers, whereas Hades and Zelos are trapped and cursed. This concept is bigger than Hades and Zelos. But since the next part is called Kratos, I suspect his role will become clearer with that.
Theories/links you have to check out!
The master-list of theories: http://90x93.tumblr.com/conception-ML
http://vixx-oxo.tumblr.com/post/142336485451/vixx-2016-conception-theories
http://babytaekwoon.tumblr.com/post/148272234965/vixx-conception-theories
http://g-tracenpandas.tumblr.com/post/148501507446/vixx-conception-theory-thus-far
http://leejaehwan.tumblr.com/post/148933372475/fantasy-plot-linked-to-dynamite
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