Previously on Fangirl Follow Along it was fucking May, Boy With Luv by BTS featuring Halsey had just gone live, and… IT WAS MAY.

It is currently January. The first Saturday of a new year. And I’m not going to lie to you, I have serious anxiety about starting this post. Hence why it’s Saturday morning, forty minutes after this post should be live, and I’m just sitting down to get started.

But I’m going to power through.

With the thanks to this energy drink that I considered spiking with liquor, but didn’t. Because it is 9:46 on a Saturday morning and I should not descend into alcoholism this early in the year.

Instead, I’ll slip into my new Obsession…

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See what I did there?

I love this aesthetic. Hard.

Like, so hard.

Like, so, so… Oh my god what is Chanyeol doing?

Besides ruining my life, that is.

So you know how demons that don’t move like humans are attractive? I mean, obviously… That’s really going hard here.

As EXO are clearly demons sent to ruin my life.

Ruin.

My.

Life.

I hope you’re ready for a three-hour drunk diatribe on Baek’s superior visuals because by the time this is over it will be afternoon and I will be justified in getting trashed because what the fuck, Baek?

What the actual, honest to god, fuck?

(It also might be the fencing. I used to fence and have a soft spot for fencers.)

(Baek fencing is a double whammy)

Oh fuck. If Baek nearly killed me, I might not survive Kai.

It is important to note that I did not realize Kai had Dorito waist until this outfit. But now that it has been seen, it cannot be unseen.

So I’m almost positive his necklace says CHAOS. After studying about 20 images from different angles. And I’ve got to say, it fits. He’s a fucking agent of Chaos.

A goddamned glorious agent of chaos.

(Again, I have not been drinking. Can you imagine this post if I had been?)

Whoever is responsible for the visuals in this video deserves a medal and a punch in the throat.

Oh, fuck me.

Remember back in Tempo? When I thought Suho looked like Rod Stewart and a mom all at once?

(me dreaming about the days when Suho wasn’t a direct attack on my person.)

Fuck. Look. Angel Suho and Demon Suho.

We interrupt this fandom crisis to bring you Omen Chanyeol.

Kill me.

More Omen Chanyeol. (Seriously, hubs looked over and said “wait, why are you watching The Omen?”)

Kill me…

Thankfully, before I could get into a full existential crisis over Suho, Chen showed up. Looking like a prohibition-era fuckboi. I’m going to die.

So I still don’t understand the use of cubes in EXO videos, or their tendency to use chess. What am I missing?

I am trying to pretend that Sehun doesn’t exist because I am not ready for it, but the video is not cooperating.

SEE! He’s going to take your money, your drugs, and your heart and leave you holding the gun when the police show up.

Oh my god, Sehun’s face.

Like he just realized he has to pee but doesn’t want to interrupt the shoot.

Kai either has more or fewer bones than a normal person. I cannot tell which. Maybe he’s part snake.I’m going to be here for a while, feel free to move on.

I want this jacket. Also, I just realized they put Sehun and Kai in the same colors… They are weaponizing the maknaes against me.

More fencing!

I’m going to use this video in my “fencing is sexy” argument.

Ah Baekhyun, the sneaky visual.

Oh, excellent. Chanyeol’s bit. This should end well for me…

Fuck him and his pink hair. I know you can’t tell it’s pink here, but I know.

I know…

Even with this Luna/Artemis hat on, I know.

(Side note, someone please give me a story where he’s Luna and, like, Kai is sailor moon, I guess? I’d say Sehun, but he’s clearly Tuxedo Mask. And yeah, this is how I spend my time, casting EXO in stories. Sehun is Elsa and Chanyeol is Anna.)

It’s pure luck that my next screenshot is Chanyeol looking like he’s so done with me, but I’m giggling anyway.

These fucking visuals.

I am going to die.

Oh god, Suho’s arms.

Fucking kill me now.

It’s probably a bad sign for my sanity that I’m trying to come up with a justification for the police on why it looks like I’m responsible for a club owner’s murder…

But luckily I cannot focus on that for too long.

Because Sehun is sitting on a throne of arrows. Implying that he’s doing archery.

Fuck. My. Life.

(I dig medieval weaponry, fucking sue me.)

(But don’t actually, because I am already suffering)

I suffer for Sehun.

So now I know I’ve spent a lot of this breakdown talking (joking? sort of? maybe?) about how much the boys in EXO pain me, but let’s get back to the visuals of the video for a minute. Because the effects they use above and below in this sequence with Kai are amazing.

Like, this isn’t even a matter of switching between EXO and X-EXO like they’ve been doing with the red set and the all-black outfits. This is Kai (X-EXO Kai) changing with the flick of the wrist (and blanket) to an inverse of himself.

And the transition flows right into the bridge, featuring the smooth vocals of Baekhyun (with Chen, of the also smooth vocals standing right behind him.) The pairing of musical flow to stylistic flow of the video right here is just *chef kiss*

And here, with the white hair, blue contacts, and angle of the lighting Baek looks like his color palette has also been inverted, without actually inverting the colors.

He must be using a sabre or epee. That shit won’t fly in foil fencing. Also, his opponent has turned his back. I’m thinking it’s sabre as that’s the only style of fencing includes slashes more than pokes.

Oh, and the hits before this were timed with the music. A plus fencing choreography.

The jacket makes me think of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie. Just me? Okay good, moving on…

Admittedly, I don’t know as much about archery as I do about fencing, but I don’t think this is how it works. I mean, I’ll rewatch Disney’s Robinhood to be sure, but…

In all seriousness, though, the symbolism of this shot is incredible.

Please give me a dystopian EXO AU. One dystopian EXO comeback. Something, anything.

This scene really makes me think of Blood, Sweat, and Tears by BTS. But enough about that.

Because the texture added to demon!Suho makes him the superior evil version in this MV. All of their previous effects on X-EXO have been leading to this moment and fuck my life, this image is going to give me nightmares.

And that it leads into this rapping dance break?

EXO just makes great art.

Like, just stunning art.

Ignore the fact that the screenshot is blurry and instead focus on the lighting highlighting Chanyeol’s hair in the back and Chen just behind Sehun.

And how different the exact same set looks here. And, btw, it was cut perfectly.

And Suho’s arms.

LISTEN, IF I’M GONNA STAN I’M GONNA GO ALL IN.

Let me pause here to remark on how the youngest member of the band looks like the final boss in a video game about Korean gangs. You could tell me Sehun ran all the illegal activities in Seoul and I’d just shrug as if I was not surprised.

He’s timeless.

So when I do these breakdowns, I notice things I didn’t pick up on before. Pausing a video every 2-5 seconds will do that. Right here I was thinking the jump was a little strange and had a moment to ponder why they put that in the choreo. Until…

Even though people might not even notice the jump consciously earlier, it ties that moment into this moment. Subconsciously it makes this jump kick seem more plausible.

Which leads us to

The final fight between EXO and X-EXO?

I mean, we have over a minute and a half left, so probably not.

Yeah, instead we get Sehun using the movement of this absurdly colored coat as a weapon.

The “good” Chanyeol with demon eyes.

And a standoff all leading into the second bridge.

Which has our fearless leader…

Who I stan…

‘s face splitting in two to show a TV screen with squiggle vision. The nightmares I will have.

We’re back at the Blood, Sweat, and Tears set. I seriously think there’s just an old office building in Seoul that’s been repurposed into kpop MV backdrops.

Also, find it interesting that all the shots that remind me of B,S, and T are Suho.

And that Chen is always involved in chess scenes AND their surveillance state. If this pans out and Chanyeol is with him…

So not yet, but we haven’t really panned out yet.

We switched to X-EXO Chen, but still haven’t panned out yet.

And I still don’t stan Chen’s aesthetic (sorry Sasha, if you read this). But the veins on his neck when he belts out those notes…

Also, the fluffy curls paired with an undercut. It is only a matter of time.

Sehun as Red Queen, Chen as Cheshire Cat, Chanyeol as Mad Hatter, Baek as March Hare, Kai as Alice, and Suho as the character that is three hundred percent done with me. I mean, the White Rabbit?

Yeet.

I dunno what. Me, my computer, who cares, just yeet something.

Kai earning that visual paycheck.

Okay, quick, you’re about to be kidnapped by Kai’s evil twin. What do you do?

Nothing
Nothing?
No, but seriously, nothing
Smile

YOU ANSWERED CORRECTLY!

Let’s continue.

I want Baek with neon pink hair. Basically, hair that matches my own.

We have a whole ass minute left, and I’ve already got nearly ninety screencaps. But look at how happy they look just dancing to their song!

EXO, I can only start to stan one member per video. Stop all this Chen business.

This reminds me of another movie or music video, and I cannot think of what so it’s going to drive me bananas.

Basically this, but without the mood lighting, the contrast with the ceiling, the rings, and … you know … Sehun’s visuals.

Demon!Suho activate.

I did not approve jacket removal. Please, think of my heart.

I appreciate them only showing this shot of Chen on surveillance cam.

One new stan at a time.

Conversely, I do not appreciate this at.all.

Oh look, it’s all my goodwill from their previous concession to my sanity. And now it’s all gone.

So I know it’s not the point of this shot, but Baek has really nice fingernails.

Wait, he was also wearing this mustard yellow? What the hell, past Ginny? Did you seriously just, not notice?

I did notice that Chen looked like a cat, though. And these red demon marks here? They look like whiskers.

Also, I appreciate the studs lining the shell of his ear.

I think I grabbed this for the lighting of inverse X-Kai, but now I’m just trying to figure out if I can get that chaos choker.

Oh, and it looks like Kai has a mustache.

The post-production on this scene.

…gdi…

So there’s this second where, when he turns, the light catches perfectly on his breastbone and it’s basically magic… but I cannot get that still.

So fuck it.

Okay, EXO. You win.

I stan Chen.

Happy now?

ARE YOU?

Especially when you give your visual this weird pseudo-Joker bullshit aesthetic. I do not love this look for Kai.

Just, make a note, EXO. You know, going forward. For future videos. Since I’m sure you’re reading this.

Their hair in motion is amazing… and also SUHO HAS BEEN WEARING COWBOY BOOTS THIS ENTIRE TIME?

The face I imagine criminal overlord Sehun makes when dismissing someone who has disappointed him.

I swoon.

One final look at EXO. All six of them, since LAY IS FOR SOME REASON MISSING AGAIN.

And the camera rapidly pans down. As if you were just hit in the back of the head and collapsed. Because even in their outro they’ve gotta make a statement.

Sorry, the actual last image is the world half in flames and taken over by demon versions of kpop idols.

Because. Statement.

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Obsession by EXO
Released: November 27, 2019
Album: Obsession. By EXO.
Length: 3:39
Notes: imagine what D.O and Xiumin would’ve looked like in this comeback. Just, think about it.
Watched Status: Watched. So many times. Because I am weak.
Bias: Suho
Reason: That stupid red video game villain hair…
Favorite EXO video to date: Monster

Join me next week when I break down… who the fuck knows what. It’s the first post of the year, give me a break.

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