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The 18 Essential Steps To Preparing For A BTS Comeback

April 12th can't come soon enough!

Alisan Keesee

Mar 27, 2019

Western Washington University

419

The 18 Essential Steps To Preparing For A BTS Comeback

BTS / YouTube

On March 11th, BTS announced their comeback (which means a new album and at least one new music video). The new album titled "Map of the Soul: Persona" is slated to come out April 12th. Since the Love Yourself era came to an end in August, fans have been curious what this new era will bring. The "Map of the Soul: Persona" album title is believed to be a reference to Carl Jung's work on persona

If you aren't a member of the BTS ARMY, this probably is inconsequential to you, but I suggest you stay around for the rest of the article to see into the life of someone you've most likely stereotyped. And, for anyone who is an ARMY or looking to become one, these are the 18 steps every Army takes once a BTS comeback is announced.

1. Constantly Check Twitter Until Confirmation/ Translations Are Out

If you have Twitter notifications turned on for the @bts_bighit like I do, you can usually tell when they're announcing something. However, if you're like me, you only speak English and navigating the Korean language website to get to the English article normally takes longer than refreshing the page for 5-10 minutes until a kind ARMY has translated the news.

2. Freak Out

The only logical thing to do next is freak out. Just be careful not to throw your phone or accidentally punch someone as you throw your arms into the air. However, it might be better simply to post your excitement on social media.

3. Analyze

With every BTS album title, song title, or teaser comes a vast range of theory and speculation. While not every song title means something, the most recent album title "Map of Soul: Persona" like I mentioned is a reference to the work of Carl Jung. However, it also has a clever play on words between "soul" and "Seoul".

4. Research

Research these theories. You'll only be prepared to take in the full album when you understand the meaning behind the songs. If you're lazy or don't want to do research, plenty of ARMY are constantly posting theories and research on Twitter and Instagram, so it's usually not too much work.

5. Find Out The Poster On Your Wall Has Been A Clue All Along

Literally happened to me. A poster from the last album, "Love Yourself: Answer" subtly spells out the word "Persona". And, I even saw one ARMY on Instagram that found a clue linking to the word persona all the way back from when "DNA" came out in September 2017.

6. Read Other ARMY's Theories

You can't expect to figure everything out on your own! BTS theories are often deep and convoluted, so it only makes sense to peep at a few others. This is especially helpful if you don't want to do the research yourself.

7. Try To Figure Out The Member's Hair Colors

With every new BTS comeback comes a slew of new hair colors for the members. Oftentimes, the members will wear hats or even go as far as black hairspray to hide their true hair colors. It's impossible to know every member's color before the main music video drops (it can sometimes even differ from the concept photos).

8. Pre-Order The Album

If you're reading this anytime after March 11 (which you definitely should be), "Map of the Soul: Persona" is available for pre-order! It's surely to break pre-order records and come with a bunch of goodies.

9. Anticipate The Teasers And Concept Photos

Concept photos (which set the tone and hint at the comeback's themes and aesthetics) typically drop around one or two weeks before the comeback. Not only are these photos made into posters and sure to be swoon-worthy, they will drop big hints for what is to come.

10. Analyze Teasers and Concept Photos

Once these concept photos and the music video teasers drop, you've got at most a week before the album and music video comes out. It's time to analyze them like crazy and make any last minute predictions.

11. Research The Concepts Of The Albums

In these coming days, you're sure to have gathered more information on the concepts simply from the osmosis of your social media timelines. Pay attention to them and you won't believe how they come in handy once the album drops.

12. Make Record Breaking Goals

ARMY successfully helped BTS' "Idol" break the YouTube record for most views in the first 24 hours (which has since been surpassed by Ariana Grande's "Thank U, Next"). This comeback will not be an exception. ARMY will most likely attempt to break multiple records (and will probably succeed in breaking at least a few).

13. Request Comeback Day Off

Okay, I'm kidding. But, if you can get comeback day off, it certainly means you can stream the album all day, right?

14. Binge Listen To All The Previous Albums

While you probably do this all the time, binging all the previous albums is the perfect way to remind yourself of just how far the group has come from the early days in 2013 and 2014. There may be some crying involved when you listen to "2! 3!" and you might laugh at how different "No More Dream" is from today's BTS, but it'll bring back all the memories of when you first heard them.

15. Dry Clean Your BTS Merch To Wear On The Day

OK, again, slightly kidding. But, hey, might as well pull it out of the back of your closet and toss it through the dryer so it's ready.

16. Stay Up To Watch The Music Video

Or, if you're old like me, set an alarm for 2am to get up.

17. Cry

Regardless of if the music video is upbeat or emotional, there's certainly going to be tears. Whether it be from the aesthetics, the lyrics, or simply how amazing the vocals are you better break out the tissues ahead of time.

18. Realize You Have To Wait Months For The Next Comeback

Normally comebacks happen roughly every six months (although sometimes with a gap as short as three to four months), so it'll be at least a few months before you get to experience this again. But, it'll take at least that long to figure out all the clues and hints at the next comeback. Plus, the members are likely to upload covers, mixtapes, and possibly an extra music video to keep us satiated.

April 12th can't come fast enough!

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The 18 Essential Steps To Preparing For A BTS Comeback

April 12th can't come soon enough!

1. Constantly Check Twitter Until Confirmation/ Translations Are Out

2. Freak Out

3. Analyze

4. Research

5. Find Out The Poster On Your Wall Has Been A Clue All Along

6. Read Other ARMY's Theories

7. Try To Figure Out The Member's Hair Colors

8. Pre-Order The Album

9. Anticipate The Teasers And Concept Photos

10. Analyze Teasers and Concept Photos

11. Research The Concepts Of The Albums

12. Make Record Breaking Goals

13. Request Comeback Day Off

14. Binge Listen To All The Previous Albums

15. Dry Clean Your BTS Merch To Wear On The Day

16. Stay Up To Watch The Music Video

17. Cry

18. Realize You Have To Wait Months For The Next Comeback

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10 ways to prepare for finals week—beginning with getting to the library.

Who knows where we would be without them.

1. Thank you for laughing at my jokes, even when they really aren’t funny.

2. Thank you for singing unbearably loud with me all the time.

3. Thank you for letting me vent to you for hours about anything and basically being my personal therapist.

4. Thank you for ordering pizza with me at 2 in the morning.

5. Thank you for all the movie days when we don’t feel like moving.

6. Thank you for being my workout buddy everyday.

7. Thank you for sharing your closets with me.

8. Thank you for taking naps with me at random hours during the day.

9. Thank you for cleaning our home with me when we absolutely need to.

10. Thank you for all the rides when it’s late and you don’t want me to walk home alone in the dark.

11. Thank you for studying with me in our kitchen when we didn't want to go the library.

12. Thank you for making dinner with me.

13. Thank you for helping with my hair, makeup and outfit every time we go out.

14. Thank you for taking countless ugly pictures with me.

15. Thank you for not judging me when I go too long without showering.

16. Thank you for making our apartment feel like a second home.

17. Thank you for being there through all of our boy troubles.

18. Thank you for giving me a hug when I feel homesick.

19. Thank you for getting excited with me when one of us gets a good grade on an exam.

20. Thank you for still being my friend and not judging me when I say or do dumb things.

21. Thank you for telling me what I should do when I am sick.

22. Thank you for dancing horribly with me everywhere we go.

23. Thank you for staying up super late with me when we aren’t tired or can’t sleep.

24. Thank you for being super weird with me.

25. Thank you for all the unforgettable college memories.

26. And most of all, thank you for being the best friends a girl could have.

I may or may not be stressing right now.

1. "What do I have to study for?"

2. "What class do I need to study for the most?"

3. "I’m going to ace this."

4. "Focus!"

5."I have no idea what I'm reading."

6. "I should call my smart friend about this."

7. "I’m going to fail. I’m going to fail."

8. "I’m dropping out of school."

9. "What grade do I have to get on the final to pass the class?"

10. "Oh, no, I have to do good."

11. "I shouldn’t have procrastinated all semester."

12. "I wanna go to bed."

13. "We did not learn this!"

14. "I should go get food."

15. "Why do we even have finals?"

16. "I don’t want to be at the library."

17. "Get off your phone."

18. "I can watch Netflix for like 20 minutes and then go back to studying."

19. "I shouldn’t have watched Netflix."

20. "You have to study now!"

The "Happiest Place on Earth" has a lot of characters with some pretty great advice.

Remember you’re the one who can fill the world with sunshine. — Snow White

The past can hurt. But the way I see it, you can either run from it or learn from it. — Rafiki

You don't have time to be timid. You must be bold and daring. — Lumière

If watching is all you're gonna do, then you're gonna watch your life go by without ya. — Laverne

Sometimes the right path is not the easiest one. — Grandmother Willow

Always let your conscience be your guide. — Jiminy Cricket

To infinity and beyond. — Buzz Lightyear

Life is a journey to be experienced, not a problem to be solved. — Pooh

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