biased

Side notes (indented italics) are not central to the point but fun details that I couldn’t help but include. To view the relevant videos, just click on the big bold text!

So, at first glance, it may seem that out of the four in yyxy, the strongest contender for the One (& Only) is Gowon. Her song's name is part of it, but she's also represented in the yyxy logo as the X which joins the others' Ys. We see this based on their positioning at 3:02 in the "love4eva" MV. I could reach a little here and mention that X is often the "answer variable" in basic mathematics; so the answer, X, is in the middle of all these Y's (implying the question "why"). Again, it's kind of a reach, but I wouldn't put it past our dear BBC!

1: Yves, "new"

Yves may represent the "one" girl's curiosity and determination to reach the outside world—to find something "new," per se. As she imagines living as Yves, so forms the existence of the red apple. Yves!one learns of temptation, of the possibilities for freedom, self-discovery, etc. Henceforth, she's the one dropping that red apple all over the place. Thank the Lord it is symbolic, or else that's pretty unsanitary.

2: Chuu, "Heart Attack"

As "one" imagines the Yves persona, so distinct from her own reality, she becomes enchanted with the concept. That is the version of herself she most aspires to be like/with, and this "innocent love" which grows within her manifests through Chuu. However, Chuu!one must bite into the apple in order to be with/like Yves.

Side Note A, Part 1: Through Chuu!one's eyes, the red apple does not appear so dangerous; it's green instead of red. Perhaps she idealizes it as more simple and harmless than it is... or perhaps the apple itself loses some innocence as she bites into it. Both can be true at the same time. A sheltered girl's fantasy of the outside world may be very innocent, and when she actually steps out, both she and the fantasy (apple) lose a certain innocence. I really like BBC's take on this actually, in that the apple is not inherently sinful and the girl is not sinning for sin's sake; nothing is a sin until AFTER the fact, and that's kind of the tragedy.

3: Gowon, "One&Only"

Of course, we know Chuu!one bites the apple. This pivotal step is the story of Gowon: actually putting into action that which Yves conceptualized and Chuu idealized. Gowon!one is the center of the story because she bridges the fantasy of breaking out with the reality.

She's the one who undergoes that transformation from dark to light (in hair color and in spirit) and gains new perspective and purpose.

We even see it at 1:18 in the "One&Only" MV. She literally steps under a crown of light. Let there be light. Let her story begin. This chandelier crown alludes to so much; ideas à la lightbulb over her head, the dangling fruit that she sees but cannot reach, and of course the idea of being in charge—having agency, taking action, making actual decisions.

At 1:24 in "One&Only," we see how she is divided. She doesn't wear the crown yet, but she sees the possibility appearing before her every other time she looks at her shadow (i.e. when she searches herself). She seems conflicted about actually following through, though, which we also see in "love4eva" later on—she's the only one to look back at Eden and Olivia at 3:02. So, from 1:41-1:46, "one" runs from the two forces in her mind that are pushing her to make the choice, to do the deed. Perfectly illustrated at 1:49; one body, three shadows closing in.

At last, when Gowon!one makes her choice, she eats the forbidden fruit and there we go. Light. The seven dancers now dance on a lit platform. Gowon!one receives the crown (= agency, control over the story) from Yves; the mental pioneer who simply dreamed of new things steps down, and now the real "one" gets to explore instead of imagine.

Side Note A, Part 2: Interestingly, what Gowon eats is not the apple but a friggin *pine*apple, which I just love. Because the reality behind the fantasy—the actual forbidden fruit instead of the conceptualized—is different!

Side Note B, Part 1: I'm also not above suggesting that the seven dancing shadows in those horizontal dance scenes are specifically seven as reference to the seven cardinal virtues/sins—and how they're all just shades of the same singular being. Notice that the pre-crown dancing takes place in a narrow frame—literally a narrow frame of mind, for the narrow-minded!!! After the crown, we can actually see the dancer's faces, and the world, while still pretty black-and-white, definitely has more shades of grey in between.

4: Olivia Hye, "Egoist"

But Gowon!one looks back at Eden, and she sees a piece of herself still left behind. We never quite lose the perspectives we come from, and they are always a part of us no matter how far we go. In this case, that part is Olivia. The one who is scared/reluctant to make the choice that was ultimately made; who feels betrayed by the parts of herself that seek to break free; who is more hurt by the truth of the outside world once they're all out there; who ultimately has to come to terms with what has happened.

Side Note B, Part 2: Now, instead of the seven dancing shadows over a soft-colored background and the narrow frame—of mind—we have seven dancing shadows over an intense, red background with maximum aspect ratio. Brilliant detail, BBC. Absolutely brilliant.

Up to Gowon!one's choice, we see Olivia's role as that of the detractor. The one who feels uncomfortable with leaving Eden and who is ultimately shunned as the decision is made. I think we've all dealt with that on an internal level too; where a part of us wants to hold us back from some big decision. In rejecting the nay-sayer in us, we do undeniably reject a part of ourselves, at least in that moment. In this case, the other three girls represent the larger part of "one" who guide her out into the world, even if there is still a piece of her stuck in the past.

Of course, it's not a simple happy ending. In the story so far, our "one" and its three avatars were always chasing this outside source of light. (2:31 in "Egoist": "Our promises became the light.") As if it would provide all the answers and live up to all their imaginings (see: Chuu!one's happy fantasies of reaching Yves, the "new" stuff). The other videos weren't exactly all sunshine—even "Heart Attack" had its dark hallways going nowhere—but this is where we finally return to realistic scenery as seen in "new." Urban nights, ragged buildings, etc. However, where Yves' surroundings were still painted in a positive light, Olivia's are pretty heavy on the darkness. This is not the world she was promised. The pioneer (Yves), the dreamer (Chuu), and the learner (Gowon) are all behind her now; she has done the learning. Now, she has to do her own thinking about what she'd learned.

Thus, egoist. "One" must teach herself now the most important lesson: how to love herself—not just a part, but the whole self. Jinsoul even says at 2:01 in "Egoist": "You are me, now I'm you." These conflicting forces within you are all you, all part of one being. The sin and the sinner are in this together, you feel? "On&on, you and me, the endless cycle. We can't be separated." And, for as long as we are humans with flaws, internal conflicts, and the capacity to wonder and seek new things, this story of "one" will continue in all of us, ad infinitum.

So now, the choices are made. She has fallen and seen the light for her own eyes (0:53) as she found her way back up. Now, it is time to stop loving the light and love herself. In finding a new world, she found a new self—a new self that is undeniably still her. This is critical. The "one" who didn't want to leave Eden and the "one" who is forced to face that she did are both represented by Olivia, again to hammer in even as we change, we are us and we can find it in us to love ourselves. Especially in hardship, especially when the world turns on us. It is a lesson only we can teach ourselves.

5: LOONA yyxy, “love4eva” & Heejin, "ViViD"

Even if she is not part of yyxy, Heejin is the beginning and the end of the whole LOONA saga for good reason. After all that Olivia said about loving herself, why is it that she faces Heejin at the end?

Let's revisit "ViViD" real quick. In retrospect, the story of "ViViD" runs parallel to that of "love4eva" and then takes it a final step further past where Olivia's appears to end. "This world without any colors, it's boring. Would you change it with your fingertips? [...] I keep smiling all day, until my heart goes pounding." A decent summary of "new" and "Heart Attack" in just a few lines. We never even saw it coming.

As Heejin, "one" has seen the story of "love4eva" play out countless times and is now comfortable seeking out new things. Not just one thing at a time, as the four-step story of yyxy portrays, but over and over and over! "Color me whole, with many colors." How about twelve colors, Heejin? One for each month of the year, one for every new story that we embrace and make part of ours?

"I don't want to become numb to myself without the light." And so, the story of self discovery continues. There is always another light to follow, another future to believe in, another new self for us to learn to love. It is through these that life gains color (becoming "ViViD," as they say). So, take it as an invitation if you will, to accept the new things that will come with LOONA's continued exploration of unexplored territory and to welcome the color they bring to your life~!

Summary, as Promised

In the end, this is all the journey of one person. Again, any person. Any of us.

When faced with the unknown, we...

First, discover that there's more to be learned. Have faith

Then start wanting to learn more, even falling in love with the idea.

Now, we take the critical step of actually taking the reigns and doing the learning. If you believe enough in the future, it becomes hope.

Afterwards, we have retrospection, self-reflection, and possibly some anger, some sense of betrayal by what the truth really is (even wanting to return to our blissful ignorance) until at last, at last, we accept both the truth and ourselves.

Yay, we made it! Now, let's keep going and going~ until our world is filled with color!

You see the "[]" at the start of this video, where we usually see "[MV]" or "[Teaser]." This video is neither; it is just the story, however we wish to receive it. More importantly, it creates a space for those of us in orbit. We have a place in the story too, because the story is part of life at large.

Final Note: Life beyond LOONA's debut is going to be "new" and exciting enough to give us all "Heart Attacks" (hell, just the teasers got me like-), but it won't all go according to fantasy, and we should acknowledge that now. That doesn't mean we shouldn't go forth boldly, as Gowon ultimately did, but that does mean we will need to take a step back as Olivia did. To remember that before we give up, before we fling hate at other groups, before we do anything as fans of LOONA, we should remember who we love: ourselves and each others. It's cheesy as heck but so, so important. We are brought together by our love of LOONA, and we shouldn't lose sight of that. This community is only as healthy and supportive as we each resolve ourselves to be.

I am happy and proud to be part of the Orbit community, but whether you participate in fandom or not, I hope some of the positivity and pizazz that LOONA has brought to me can reach you as well. Have a lovely, lovely day~!