nct cinematic universe

what is ether?

that's a great question with about six different answers

ether used to be used as anesthesia (a substance that leaves patients numb while conscious). it has been replaced with safer chemicals as it can be a dangerous substance

chemically, ether is a class of organic molecules that contain one oxygen bonded with two carbon atoms. most ethers are hydrophobic, colorless, and highly flammable in their gaseous state

historically ether was once thought to be a “highly elastic substance formerly [that permeated] all space, including the [space] between the particles of matter, and to be the medium whose vibrations constituted light and other electromagnetic radiation.” in simpler terms: a substance that was colorless, massless, and undetectable substance that transported light and sound waves. it was also considered the fabric of our universe

ether (also spelled aether or æther) in terms of mythology was believed to be what made up the air the gods breathed and what heaven was made up of. it was thought to be the regions beyond the clouds, above the terrestrial world. aether is also a primordial deity and the personification of the upper sky

spiritually, ether is a part of the five elements (ether, air, fire, water, earth) and represents “space” and the essence of emptiness of which all other elements exist

nct describes ether as a filtered wave from the sea of unconscious that acts as a “a limitless medium and can connect dimension to dimension, people within people, [and] emotions within emotions.” they claim to infinitely spread ether throughout their journeys

nctmentary episodes one through five

in the first nctmentary we see what we presume to be a bead of water floating in the air. however, i believe this is ether. the bead does not act like how water acts, as it warbles in the air and the way it seems like an oil (a hydrophobic substance); as it reshapes and spreads, colors and color schemes similar to some nctmentary scenes and many scenes from punch are reflected on its surface. we also see nct members (later revealed to be renjun and chenle) mimic the creation of adam painting and ocean waves appear. ether is the space in which everything exists and is created; this ties together nct ability of creation in their dreams

in the second nctmentary winwin says “i see waves in the dream” as he sees waves crashing through the window of a destroyed brick building. later in this nctmentary, we see the same waves appear in the washing machine jaehyun is using; the waves recede to reveal mark holding two bags of liquid, more than likely ether, which drop to the ground. as the bags drop, mark discusses connections between people, which ether can facilitate, further solidifying the idea that the bags are full of ether

we see mark drop one of the bags down a tree in the third nctmentary. nct’s dreams are said to be “connected like the branches of a tree” so it can be assumed that mark is spreading the ether down the tree to other branches and members of nct. later we see renjun and chenle discuss their connection as the image of outer space appears on screen and is quickly replaced with what looks like the same waves winwin saw in the window

in the fourth nctmentary, johnny is talking about connections he has made with people as mark reaches out to the camera and a drop of colorless liquid falls into winwin’s glass. winwin is presumably in a completely sealed room with a concrete ceiling; mark would have needed a non-physical way to connect to winwin to send him the drop as a signal, which is why the liquid must have been ether. we also see similar rippling imagery around lucas’ face to the backgrounds in punch, both of which are reminiscent of how a liquid moves and how the (assumed) ball of ether moved in nctmentary episode one. closer to the end of the video, johnny begins talking about the lack of limitation in the dream lab and water the same color as the waves winwin saw bubbles on screen

finally, in the fifth nctmentary, we see jisung walk out of a sideways ocean onto a plank that is perpendicular to the world; during this, kun is discussing his experience of “dreaming… a dream in a dream.” in the latter parts of the video we see jeno and jisung looking at glasses of a clear liquid that suspend rocks with the message “wake me up” transcribed on them. we also see these rocks in the japanese version of nct 127′s limitless

deeper analysis

we know nct’s dreams affect reality; its why the dream lab was created. “this DREAM LAB is created to break the limits of reality and bring the dreams into reality” (nctmentary episode 5, mark’s narration). however, there needs to be a way to influence reality through dreams and ether is a “limitless medium” that can connect “dimension to dimension,” so the dream lab must be able to manipulate ether to conform to nct’s dreams and bend the rules of reality

in the past & future - ether video, there is a distinction made between the ‘conscious’ and ‘unconscious’ worlds; ether transcends dimensions (worlds) and that is how nct affects reality through their dreams. as nct dreams of new journeys, they spread ether throughout the unconscious world (dream) which seeps into the conscious one (reality)

music videos [overview]

certain music videos also show nct’s connection through clear liquid, which i believe to represent ether. ether in its liquid form is seen most obviously in wayv’s moonwalk and turn back time, nct 127’s simon says and superhuman, nct dream’s we go up and boom, and nct u’s yestoday, without you, and from home. all of these videos have a large amount of water in them or have a glass of clear liquid in at least one scene. i believe this imagery is a piece of what connects all subunits to one another, how the units communicate to each other, and how the units affect the nct universe

red

red indicates that a member or members are in a dream. color theory states that red symbolizes a lack of energy, lethargy, and associations to the past; this combination of symbols describes something similar to r.e.m. sleep, which is the state of sleep nct is in when the dream lab creators study them. while in r.e.m. sleep, the body uses less energy physically while the brain is very active as it creates complex and vivid dreams; nct is asleep, so they are exerting very little energy in their physical bodies that are in reality, however, their dreams are very intricate and all of the networks between each member require an active thought process. in the first nctmentary episode “Dream Lab” its mentioned that dreams are influenced by past experiences which further cements that red represents dream.

another thing to note about the color red is that it also indicates passion and someone’s readiness to pursue a new goal. the dream lab creators consider the definition of a dream to not only mean using your imagination as you sleep but also as a “strongly desired goal or purpose.” the phrase “dream in a dream” is very important because it can mean to have a goal within your dream and the red highlights nct’s goal which is to escape the dream lab and meet up with other members in the real world.

blue

blue indicates reality. blue is associated with the idea of consciousness, truth, wanting to get away, sophisticated technology, and the future. In “The Origin,” the little boy dreams of an ocean since he is wandering in a dry desert. When the woman comes along and offers him to choose a color he picks blue, draws the ocean, and suddenly the ocean becomes a reality. this also displays how nct’s dreams directly affect reality. in the 7th sense we also see indications that blue is reality when taeyong’s, ten’s, jaehyun’s, and doyoung’s boxes are all blue and the boxes limit them with all four walls, just how the dream lab creators consider reality to be full of limits, however, mark’s box is red and only has three walls with one side open which indicates that within a dream there are more possibilities because there are less limits, which is a recurring theme.

yellow

yellow is a much more mysterious color within the ncu (nct cinematic universe). however, color theory states that yellow is the color of deceit and betrayal and it also symbolizes lucid dreaming (a state where one is aware that they are in a dream). within the ncu yellow is used by the dream lab creators to paint nct’s dream as reality, tricking them into staying inside the dream. why do the lab creators need to trick nct? because nct knows they are in a dream ( a combination of lucid dreaming and being dream lab participants) and want to escape back to reality.

yellow is color that is in many nct 127 music videos especially in the city that makes an obvious appearance in both the regular mv and the kick it mv. in regular we see nct infatuated with the city and what’s in it; the city is a distraction put there by the dream lab creators. in kick it we see nct in the same city, although they’re singing about how they are able to “make [their own] world” that was once “unimaginable.” both of those qualities are reminiscent of a lucid dream, controlling your imagination and disregarding the laws of physics. however, because they are presumably singing about a dream or a new world (in kick it), we know that the city is a facade and is covering something else; this time nct are deceiving themselves which sets them up for punch, where they are trying to break free from their own illusions as well as the dream lab’s illusions.