yeah they're intense. so so so intense.

so i did write a thread about felix's episode of 1kr and what i think that triggered, here

if i had to truly put on my tinhat:

the second chanlix 2kr was probably filmed around late september/early october (before kwj left, bcs he was still in the season and the last episode was never uploaded. my guess is bcs it was one with him) and in that video + the extra clips we got in a later one, we see some very very strange dynamic.

we have baby felix gulping as he looks as chan adjusting his hoodie, we have chan planning their future together for the first time, we have felix comparing himself to lucas and making chan pause for a second, we have them pivoting from that to be kinda cuddled together and talking what types of dog they'd want to adopt and felix asking when it can happen. it's a lot, it's a mess and is probably one of the chanlix videos i think about the most bcs of it.

that being said, that weird tension read to me as:
1. felix at this point has realised his crush/feelings and is trying to figure out how to deal with it
2. chan is finally beginning to relax a little, he debuted, they have been on the scene for over a year, you know? so i think he was finally beginning to focus on other things
3. chan is not yet aware of how he feels about felix, but it's starting to get there. (i'm watching channie's room from the beginning and noting down when he talks about felix and my hypothesis is that he only really starts to become unhinged in the end of 2019/2020)
4. chan is in love with felix at this point, he just hasn't had the time to actually think about it. bcs that house planning is a lot

then kwj leaves and all of that process in getting to think about other shit goes out the window for chan, the group will always come first. (the episode was release after he left) and i think felix knows this and i think he pulled back because of it. became more quiet in his affection to chan. we know he wants to be someone chan can rely on, he wants their relationship, platonic or not, to be a two way street. so instead of seeking out chan, in what i am assuming he would think of as needy, he pulls back a bit and becomes someone chan doesn't have to worry about.

and then! we have the filming of 1 kids room and like you can read in the thread i linked, i think that is what really changed their dynamic. they already had a special bond, but this changed how chan viewed felix consciously. felix was no longer someone solely under chan's care? felix became someone he could go to if he needed emotional support. that was around december 2019.

and then came lockdown. and i think lockdown did a lot for how their dynamic is now. i think they had a lot of conversations during that and i think it's then that felix realised that he wants to keep certain things more private. he wants to share less of things he holds dear. and it's really telling to me it's mostly his relationship to chan that has changed on camera after that.

i think the lack of cameras pointed at them during the height of covid combined with the high intensity of kingdom is what made them sit down and talk about them and their relationship and their feelings towards each other and how to present to the public especially.

whether i believe that rumour from kingdom eh, they'd have had to be really caught up in their emotions for chan not to be more careful. but it was a very emotionally volatile experience for the them all.

i think around the end of 2022, start of 2023 is possibly when they decided to test of the waters more. at that point skz had gained enough attention for them to feel more secure in the group's success and again be able to focus on something else. and they might've let themselves be together.

that's if i had to make a tinhat timeline lol

you're making perfect sense. i get you completely!!! they're very interesting to observe