#it's definitely monday but it's ww in my heart

[dyed-red]

Happy Wincest Wednesday! Everybody's getting the same ask from me this week. What's the last Wincest fic you read that you really enjoyed? Link it (and tag the author if they're on Tumblr)

This is such a lovely ask to send :) I'm answering well and truly late so the timing from when you sent this to me vs others will be off, but that's not always a bad thing.

I'm also going to cheat and rec a few here.

First gonna rec Darling by @applecrumbledore because it came across my dash last night and I reread it (okay just re-skimmed because it was almost midnight, but it's so good I still had to reread at least some of it).

I'm gonna say this rec doesn't count for a Wincest Wednesday ask because it's technically not wincest, is even tagged "not wincest", but despite that I'd honestly label it among my favorite wincest fics. Wincest pervades and informs this story in a similar way to how it pervades and informs canon, which is part of why I can't get enough. It pushes past the plausible deniability of canon when Dean is on his knees calling Sam's name while getting railed (one of the hottest scenes in a Supernatural fic that I've read for the way that Ron writes Dean's headspace with the mingle of pleasure and shame and embarrassment and desire and then the roiling horror and release of this truth slipping past his lips - loudly), but even there it feels true to canon and believable in how everything Dean does -- all that which matters anyway -- comes back to Sam.

(And if may, though Ron may not have intended this, I wonder to what extent that is some unreliable narration on behalf of Dean, some retroactive reworking of his own memories and story and world to make his life more and more about Sam, about this bond between them, to make even the times and the things that weren't always about Sam now about him in hindsight, as their enmeshed codependency tightens vicelike around them more as the years roll over them. Here in purgatory he must cling even harder to that story and vision that he's crafted for himself, something to hold on to. That something is always Sam.)

Sam is ever-present even in his absence, and when he becomes present, the glimpses we get of his jealousy and entitlement and fury are all so in character and heated, giving a charged intensity to an otherwise aching undercurrent. Even Cas is standout here. So many times he's characterized as already Knowing, but here he reminds me of his earlier canon characterization, the version of Cas we know as a bitter soldier, and it fits so well in the context of who and what Dean becomes in purgatory, and Cas's own headspace during that time.

But okay, that's my "not actually wincest" Wincest Wednesday rec.

I'm also gonna rec three works from Val_Creative, as they're the most recent works I've bookmarked. Val has works about the early seasons, typically writing short pieces, and I'm especially drawn to their episode-related works. These snippets all seem to help to unpeel the onion that is SamandDean, and each of these has a different tone to it:

Satisfaction (set during 1x06 Skin, because I can never get enough Skin fic)

Gonna Make You (set during 4x14 Sex and Violence, a piece that informed how I was thinking of Sam and Dean's history when I wrote Architecture of Choice)

Do Anything For You (coda to 3x07 Fresh Blood, inducing some thoughts about the injuries Sam would have after the events of that episode, and acting as an early work in the vein of Dean washing Sam, a longstanding favorite trope)

[webcomixwastaken]

Fanfiction/Writing Meme

1) is there a story you’re holding off on writing for some reason?

/eyes bear novel waiting to be edited so it can be an actual readable manuscript /hugs BotW fic closer anyway

2) what work of yours, if any, are you the most embarrassed about existing?

I’m not regretful for writing “World Wide Story”, but it did feature several problematic/lazy tropes of the fandom that I would not indulge anymore.

3) what order do you write in? front of book to back? chronological? favorite scenes first? something else?

I actually am fairly linear but 1) I outline very extensively 2) have an email draft saved solely to jot down paragraphs or conversations that need immediate documentation

4) favorite character you’ve written

MATVEY KOURINEV (he’s from the bear novel)

Gilly from WWS holds a dear place in my heart, as does Francis.

I’m really happy with how I was able to portray Maru and Abigail in my Stardew fic.

5) character you were most surprised to end up writing

Francis was a big darkhorse. Likewise with Sam from Stardew Valley.

The countess from the bear novel is surprisingly hilarious.

6) something you would go back and change in your writing that it’s too late/complicated to change now

I still don’t like the title “Hold Your Destiny”. I wish I could change it but with a substantial amount of subscribers and beautifully loyal commenters the brand’s stuck

7) when asked, are you embarrassed or enthusiastic to tell people that you write?

Nope.... mostly.

I won’t deny I write fanfic to people IRL, but I won’t mention it off the bat in public spaces. I’m not embarrassed by it, but it’s exhausting to get into defending or explaining it. I’ve got plenty of original work to chat about anyway.

8) favorite genre to write

I actually LOVE slice of life! Mundane day to day stuff is my jelly and jam!!

9) what, if anything, do you do for inspiration?

Stop writing and consume other media. Every idea is recycled anyway.

10) write in silence or with background noise? with people or alone?

It doesn’t really matter; works out all those ways. I do like my weekly writing crew though because of the accountability.

11) what aspect of your writing do you think has most improved since you started writing?

Character development (clearer objective/intention behind actions), consistent POV, axing out the rambling backstory/descriptive padding to focus on the action

I tend to be slightly lazier with my fanfiction though because I see it as a medium where self-indulgence ought to be allowed. It’s a strength of the genre.

12) your weaknesses as an writer

Individual narrative voices especially in alternating first person POVs, creating conflict (because I love my sweet slices of life, I’ve been told that sometimes things fall into place a little TOO perfectly for my characters even if they do have challenges up ahead)

God. Damn. Titles.

13) your strengths as an writer

Vocabulary, dialogue, and balanced description (”big vs small moments” as my teacher used to say).

14) do you make playlists for your current wips?

nope

15) why did you start writing?

....because it’s fun??

And because I am good at it. It came a lot more naturally to me than music or drama despite the fact I’ve had years of practice in those fields, and I also feel more confident in my skill here than I ever did there.

16) are there any characters who haunt you?

Ursa and Yurie hover behind my headboard, Matvey glowers at the end of the bed and Polina is my personal poltergeist wailing from the ceiling. Because I’m supposed to be married to the bear novel but instead I’m having a torrid affair with Zelink fanfic.

Meanwhile, Gillian, Frances, and Tonia are sobbing in a corner because I shut them in a folder and avoided them for over a year (I’ll rescue you guys soon I promise)

17) if you could give your fledgling writer self any advice, what would it be?

“GO TO TUESDAY WRITING MORE GOSH DON’T BE LAZY”

18) were there any works you read that affected you so much that it influenced your writing style? what were they?

The age when I read and devoured the most books were about 8-13 years old, so I loves me middle grade something fierce. Sharon Creech, Jerry Spinelli - faves faves faves. And actually, the Redwall series probably has had the biggest impact on how I view and write the fantasy genre. I’m serious.

And since my final year of undergrad theatre major life was basically just dramaturging the heck out of Anton Chekhov for 8 months, I’d say he’s my biggest adult literary influence. Especially in the way of character building and dialogue. Want to improve your dialogue? READ PLAYS.

(Honestly I feel like the stuff I like to read isn’t what I usually write; Ray Bradbury’s work is a treasure and I savour ALL his words, but I sure as hell don’t write the way he does.)

19) when it comes to more complicated narratives, how do you keep track of outlines, characters, development, timeline, ect.?

I outline a lot and they’re pretty detailed. The outline can definitely change by the way. It changes extremely frequently. Honestly it’s just a comfort/fallback for me to know that I have some sort of direction for the story.

20) do you write in long sit-down sessions or in little spurts?

I have a weekly session with IRL friends where we meet up at a cafe on Tuesday evenings and plunk the words out for roughly 2.5-3 hours. Technically Thursdays too but I’ve been skipping them recently (baaaaaad!) Since Mondays are my days off I sometimes escape then too.

Otherwise I will confess I just veg out at home after work.

21) what do you think when you read over your older work?

“This is clearly older work.”

22) are there any subjects that make you uncomfortable to write?

My fic will rarely go above T, and if it does it’ll probably be M for violence/tragedy rather than any sexual content. There’s plenty of it out there written by folk who can pull it off way better than me anyway!

23) any obscure life experiences that you feel have helped your writing?

Having studied theatre, including stage combat, particularly rapier/broadsword has been hella useful in writing Zelda fanfic. You know, the one with Link the famous swordsman with that famous sword. Oh, same with Abigail in “Beneath the Surface” too. I’m not googling when I describe their fights. 

24) have you ever become an expert on something you previously knew nothing about, in order to better a scene or a story?

Not related to my work, but I now possess a fairly extensive knowledge of sea creatures from the creative writing workshops I teach at my job. For some reason the ages 6-8 classes are always ocean themed.

Did you know some sharks lay eggs that look like oblong sacs?? They’re like big leather tampons. That, and sea dragons can’t move independently. They just cling to seaweed and hope for the best, the poor tiny delicate things.

Not even talking about how much Zelda lore stuff I read up on now, wow

25) copy/paste a few sentences or a short paragraph that you’re particularly proud of

Whyyyy don’t I just be a big fat shill and link you to my AO3

[theonyxpath]

Like I mentioned last week, we’re off this week until the new year, or New Year, so here are a collection from a bunch of our Onyx Path crew thinking back on the year that was.

From Mirthful Mike Chaney, art director and graphic designer and the cursing, cantankerous, combustible, engine that keeps Onyx Path going:

The Goodz:

Pugmire is not only out but being well received. We delivered a beautiful book to the backers and marketplace… and I think we got it out ahead of schedule as well… despite making 60+ corrections at the press proof (again, sorry about that Rich).

We successfully KS’d two non WW related IPs this year… Monarchies of Mau and Cavs of Mars.

Exalted is moving again. We have delivered a dozen critters… some NPCs… a Jumpstart and the first real supplement to fans (although the PoD version will hit in 2018).

We wrapped up a couple of lingering KS’s … namely V20 Dark Ages and Book of the Wyrm.

I survived making Beckett’s Jyhad Diary.

We successfully KS’d our first CofD 2e line… and it did really well. CTL 2e outdid every CofD KS that has come before… and that gives me hope that HtV2 will also do well this year.

The Badz:

Losing Stew. Still having trouble really processing that one.

Artist losses earlier in the year. We ended up losing a chunk of non WoD/CofD artists in Q1 and Q2. None of it was our fault… some artists went onto bigger and better projects (which is a good thing). Then we had those who decided that they wanted double their original rate… 

From Monica Valentinelli, our marketing consultant par excellence and an outstanding freelance writer and developer:

2017 was significant for OP because this was the first year we released a creator-owned game, Pugmire, while focusing on delivering what we promised via our Kickstarters. We were also able to strengthen our partnership with White Wolf, and Beckett’s Jyhad Diary is one title that is representative of that collaborative effort. This year we also met a lot of new fans who’d never heard of Onyx Path before, and because we planned for bigger outreach with our expanded catalog this year we were able to quickly get the word out about what we do. That, coupled with new additions to our staff, means we’ve been able to adapt and take advantage new opportunities more quickly than we could have with fewer people. It was definitely a year of both change and growth, and we take the lessons we’ve learned to plan for 2018.

Fast Eddy Webb, Pugmire creator and our “Develop-At-Large”, and the guy that kept White Wolf alive through the CCP years, has some thoughts:

Wow. 2017 has been a rollercoaster ride of emotion, in both the worst and best ways possible. On a personal level, it’s been a chaotic year. Two international moves (one from the US to Ireland, and one back) hammered at my zen like a stubborn nail in a plank of wood. As much as we loved living in the Republic of Ireland, it was clear that now isn’t the right time for us as a family to make that move, which is why we’re now back in the States. Further, we lost our beloved Murray (inspiration for Senechal Murra of Pugmire) to a heart attack in late September. I’m writing this months later, and I still sometimes have nightmares about that night. I still miss him terribly.

It hasn’t been all doom and gloom, however. For one thing, living in Europe for six months was amazing. I got the chance to meet a number of Irish fans and peers while I was here and at conventions like Gaelcon. Further, I reconnected with my English friends at Dragonmeet in Hammersmith, London. I visited some amazing places during my time here, and picked up some idioms that will probably stay lodged in my vocabulary for years. Oh, and I gained an appreciation for Jameson and Smithwick’s.

But most of all, 2017 was the year when Pugmire went from being a thing in my head to a real, serious product line. The RPG came out on time in both PDF and physical copies, and it has already got a lot of positive comments at Gen Con and PAX Unplugged. More people asked for my autograph and my picture at this years Gen Con than in the past five years combined. Plus I got to hear so many great stories about people’s dogs — it’s like hearing about your character, but with dogs, which makes it better.

And we laid the groundwork for a great 2018. Everything from small-but-important strategic projects (like the Pugmire jumpstart) to big-and-exciting releases (like the Canis Minor community content program) will really help take Pugmire to the next step. Plus we’re hard at work on adding to the world of Pugmire, with products such as Monarchies of Mau and Fetch Quest.

Finally, I’ve been laying the groundwork for a new edition of a beloved game next year… but that’s a conversation for another time. (Here’s a hint, though: It’s not a game Onyx Path has ever published before!)

Yes, 2017 was a rollercoaster of emotion. Obviously, the loss of Murray and the stress of two major moves hit me and my family hard. But we know deep down that Murray and all of his friends continue to live on in the kingdom of Pugmire. And knowing that the game he inspired has reached so many hearts besides mine means the world to me. For that, I’ll always remember 2017 as the year when I truly understood what Pugmire could be.

Here’s Mighty Matt McElroy, our Operations Manager as well as an encyclopedia of WoD knowledge, and a maestro of RPG biz insider info:

2017 was my first year full time with Onyx Path, although I’d been a freelancer as a developer, editor, writer, and a few other things ever since OPP started. It has been quite a year. We launched several Kickstarters, continued our efforts to release at least one new product every Wednesday, attended a lot of conventions (more on that later) and have big things planned for next year. Some highlights:

Pugmire and Cavaliers of Mars:

I might be a bit biased as these are new games from Onyx Path, but I’m really excited we released Pugmire and had a great kickstarter for Cavaliers of Mars this year. Great games designed by awesome people.

Conventions:

Onyx Path went to more conventions this year than any year previously. Our year always starts with a great time at Midwinter Gaming Convention in Milwaukee, WI. We had a huge booth with White Wolf at Gen Con 50, and then again we shared space with them at PAX Unplugged last month. We also dropped by GameHoleCon for the first time this year with lots of Scarred Lands, Exalted, and Pugmire demos.

We’re reviewing and revising our convention strategy for the team and likely making some changes based on how this year’s shows went (so be sure to let us know what your favorite conventions are).

And finally, just myself, your fearless leader, RichT:

2017 was very much a transitional year for Onyx Path. We had planned out a five-year plan and 2016 was our sixth year of publishing, so we started adjusting what we were doing and with who. We no longer needed to be the heralds refuting that “White Wolf Is Dead!”, as the newly formed White Wolf was already letting people know that they were around.

We instead were able to start focusing our message on the amazing worlds we’re creating projects for; the WW licensed games of WoD, Chronicles of Darkness, and Exalted, our creator-owned game lines of Pugmire and Cavaliers of Mars, and our own settings of Scion and the Trinity Continuum, as well as our newest game: They Came From Beneath the Sea! All three powered by our new Storypath System.

We adopted the motto of “Many Worlds, One Path“, and it’s true!

We actually went light on Kickstarters in 2017, really just ones that extended the kinds of projects we can do because  it was important to stretch that capability, but concentrated on fulfilling as many of the KSs we had already run as possible. We also extended our reach into Amazon with our fiction waves, and into the Apple and Google stores with the Onyx Dice Rolling App.

Pugmire led the way into selling our books in stores for the first time, and we started a relationship with Studio2 to make that happen in a way that makes sense for us, not just to get into stores willy-nilly.

Internally, we saw some developers leave for various reasons, and new devs step up and handle things, while we began to work with Eddy as a full-time freelance developer who could help out any dev that needed a hand. Which he did, in order to get several projects moved forward. Jammin’ James Bell was brought on to run our Kickstarters, and trained up fantastically in 2017 in preparation for a strong raft of KSs in 2018.

Beyond the business strategies, it was a tough year for everyone and a lot of our creative teams struggled with creating excellent projects while being buffeted left and right by the winds of life (and social media). Onyx just tried to stay on course, not get get overwhelmed by, oh, everything going on in the real world and even our unreal world of tabletop gaming, and to avoid getting embroiled in internet conflict.

I’d like to think we did well, and that we’re sailing into 2018 stronger and better set up to create awesome new projects than we were this time last year. There’s some things I would have liked to have done better, but I’ll tackle those items in a post after the New Year.

Thanks everyone for facing front like the true-believers that you all are, because we just can not do what we do without all of you…I’ll talk to you next year!

[canaryatlaw]

so today was pretty good! I woke up to my alarm at 10, and briefly didn’t want to get out of bed but I got over it relatively quickly because I was going to see Justice League!! so I got ready and waited for my roommate, then we ubered down to where the theatre is, because it was gross and rainy out. We had like an hour to kill so we got some breakfast at this really adorable southern place (which my roommate loved because she’s from Mississippi and says this is the first good southern place she’s found up here). I got this like maple and bourbon french toast (because I’m predictable) and holy shit, it was so fucking good lol. I actually had to stop myself from finishing it because I was definitely full but wanted to keep eating, lol. When we finished we walked across the street to the theatre, bought our tickets and went inside. It was a pretty small place, 3 theatres, and they’re currently showing Thor, Justice League, and Home Alone (lol). Soon enough the movie started. Overall I really liked it! It wasn’t quite as good as WW but it was still quite the enjoyable movie (spoilers ahead, obviously). Diana and Bruce’s interactions were so great, as were Bruce’s and Arthur’s. BARRY ALLEN THOUGH. Ezra Miller my sweet child, ohmygod he was PERFECT. I mean I love Grant Gustin but Ezra Miller just absolutely nailed the character and he was absolutely hysterical. He was like, 75% of the comic relief in the movie, with the other 25% being Aquaman, with one solid line through in there by Victor Stone lol. Superman got used less than I expected, but I didn’t really mind, because I kind of liked that they had to build the league and the team without him, because Superman has always been the quintessential leader and guy who can bring everyone together, but they were faced with the reality that Superman was gone and they still had to join together to fight these threats. I’m glad he’s back of course, and his interactions with Lois and Martha were legit the sweetest things ever (I’m still kind of meh on Amy Adam’s Lois, but she did fine). I wish they’d gotten more into what exactly the villain’s plot was and what they were aiming to do- like was it just to destroy the world? but why? There was definitely some undeveloped plot there. And every time someone said Steppenwolf I just thought of the theatre company by that name, lol. they were basically your standard antagonist bad guy, and they did a decent job there. I know that Superman is SUPERMAN and he’s always going to be the best and come out on top, but I still had to take issue with him seemingly doing better than Diana in some fights. That and whenever somebody was getting thrown around during a fight (particularly Bruce since he is an average human with no powers or accelerated healing factor) all I could think was SO MANY BROKEN BONES. SO MANY. lol. once you know that reality you’re going to notice it in everything. Their fight choreo was of course exceptionally awesome, that’s never something they’ve really struggled with. the Amazon fight scene was AMAZING, of course I was irritated by the significantly skimpier battle gear with no explanation, especially because it’s literally ARMOR, and having your stomach exposed is completely contradictory to the goal of why you’re even wearing it??? I just don’t understand why they even had to redesign it at all, like just use the designs from WW, it’s not that hard. Diana was great of course, I loved her opening scene saving the children and everyone from the kidnappers, and her contributions throughout. Jason Mom was also of course absolutely hilarious and a perfect Aquaman. I was kind of meh on Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne in BvS, but I think he did a really solid job in his portrayal here. I’ve never really had an issue with Henry Cavill’s Superman, and he didn't have all that much to do here, but I think he rocked what he did have, although I have questions about the scene where he was fighting everyone, mainly how are they going to explain that to the public?? and who’s going to pay for all that damage?? lol. practical considerations, of course. And then of course bringing the “big guns” was bringing Lois, and that just warmed my heart so much, because that’s exactly the Lois and Clark I want, and they really nailed that aspect of it. so yeah, I liked it a lot. it definitely felt like “part 1″ of a series, so we’ll see where we go from here. After the movie we got Starbucks, then departed in two ubers. I went back to the apartment because I had work to do, and I dove into my poverty law homework. We have to do a “mock exercise” on Monday that’s worth 15% of our grade, and it’s basically just an opening statement at an appeals hearing for a SSI termination. My prof was fairly candid in admitting she was mainly teaching this to us so we would be somewhat prepared to do this kind of thing in probono work, because apparently a lot of non-public interest attorneys will want to volunteer their time, but won’t do appeals hearings like that. So I had to go through the SSI regulations (which are called “poms” for some reason) and build an argument off that. It wasn’t terribly hard and didn’t take too long. When I finished with that I started making some cookies, cranberry almond shortbread bites, which I told myself was gonna be a test run for the upcoming week when I make them for Thanksgiving, (not that it was needed being that I’ve made them before) but I also just felt like making them lol. They were fairly simple so I finished that pretty quickly. Moved to the living room and turned on the tv, watched Blindspot and then The Gifted, which concluded my tv catching up for the week. I tried to get my netflix to work but it wasn’t cooperating, so I ended up watching some Mindhunter on my roommate’s account (they’re on two separate devices). At 9 I switched back to regular tv and watched the SNL rerun from two years ago, and then the nightly news before the actual SNL episode, which was of course very amusing. At this point I’m convinced Chance the Rapper (who is quite the local celebrity here) has invested more money to Chicago Public Schools than the government actually has. I was also really amused that they’re literally just making Kate McKinnon random guy characters because they know she’s funnier than any of the actual guys on the show, lol. She is always very entertaining. So that was good. When it finished I started getting ready for bed and here we are. Church in the morning, and it’s already late, so I’m gonna head to bed now. Goodnight babes. Hope you had a lovely Saturday.

[what17says]

[ENG] SEVENTEEN’s Dazed Korea Interview (Hip Hop Team)

Word count: ~2400 words

Other team’s parts: Performance Team - Vocal Team

trans cr: miko & kass @ what17says source: Dazed © take out only with credits

It was a hot evening when we met the first part of SEVENTEEN. It was a perfect autumn afternoon when we met the second part of SEVENTEEN. It was the middle of winter when we met the third part of SEVENTEEN. Now the 13 pieces have been perfectly put together. Although many things have changed over the three seasons, even more things have remained the same. A boy has grown a span more. However that doesn’t mean he will become an adult immediately. On a spring day when the flowers are blooming, what kind of faces will they have? I look forward to the day we meet again. It would be good if it’s during spring. I think I’ll be glad (if that happens).

Q. It’s 9AM on a Monday morning. In the past two months, the performance team and the vocal team slept in to their hearts’ content and met us when they were in good condition, but we feel bad that the hip hop team cannot do that. Thank you for waking up early even though you must be tired.

S.Coups/Wonwoo/Mingyu/Vernon: We had a music broadcast yesterday, which was a Sunday, but we slept earlier than usual so it’s alright. Our conditions are great.

Q. That’s a relief. I woke up after sleeping in on Sunday and saw SEVENTEEN during the music broadcast. It was nice seeing you guys. Today is also the day that I’ve met all 13 members of SEVENTEEN. Congratulations on your comeback.

SC/WW/MG/VN: Thank you so much.

SC: We were very worried before our comeback. It’s because we have prepared performances that were slightly different from our previous album, but had thoughts like “what do we do if our fans, ‘CARATs’ don’t like it?” But many people liked it so we’re very thankful and happy.

Q. Music broadcasts also broadcast quite early these days. What time do you wake up?

SC: I think we woke up at about 3.30AM yesterday. We did a pre-recording at 7AM, had other schedules in between and wrapped up the live broadcast at noon. We also had a fansign event in the afternoon. Fascinatingly, we don’t really feel tired.

Q: After observing the leaders of each unit for three months, Hoshi and Woozi left quite a lasting impression. Now I finally get to meet the leader of SEVENTEEN’s hip hop team and the big hyung of the 13 members. S.Coups. You look reliable.

SC: It was rather burdensome when I first became the leader of the 13 members, but now I feel comfortable. I just think of it as being like a older brother and a friend. They all do well on their part so I’m not worried. Thank you (to the members).

MG: Coups-hyung is the most considerate. I think it’ll be possible to witness the best of his consideration today (laughs).

Q. It’s been a week since your comeback. I’ll set the ground for you, so please introduce your third mini album and the title track ‘BOOM BOOM’.

MG: Although our ‘SEVENTEEN-ness’ is retained in this album, there were also some areas that deviated away from it. In the early stages after our debut, we showed a refreshing and energetic image, but this time we worked hard to show some masculinity in addition to our current image. As we wanted to return with a matured and cool appearance, all the members exercised diligently and did thorough self-management. Personally, according to my taste, I like all the tracks in our album. It’s my style.

VN: It’s an album we are proud of. Woozi-hyung who participated in the producing of the album also said that this album, musically-wise, sounds like it is the most mature and developed out of all our albums. I feel really proud. I think we have definitely become more mature than in the past. This is the case for the members individually as well as our performances.

WW: I would say it is an album that we have paid a lot of attention to. It is filled with songs with a wide spectrum as we wanted to show t

hat all 13 members have a great command of a variety of genres. We all worked hard preparing for it as we wanted to show music with a level of completion.

SC: I didn’t know the members would explain it so well. I’m surprised. The title track ‘BOOM BOOM’ is a song describing the beating of the heart when one is chasing their dreams. We wanted to show passionate side of SEVENTEEN. This is because SEVENTEEN’s strongest point is (our) energy. It’s like the process of maturing from a boy to a young man.

Q. I also listened to the album diligently for a week. The front part was filled with the existing SEVENTEEN-like, bright, healthy and refreshing songs. Of course, I liked it. The ballad track in the back part was rather unexpected and I was shocked at the level of completeness. I’m curious about the song which the hip hop team sang together, 'Lean On Me’.

SC: The hip hop team is primarily in charge of rap but we wanted to deliver our new image to our fans, and our fans wanted it as well. It’s a song that we revealed at a concert before putting it in the album. We are always on the receiving end from fans, so we wanted to give something in return (to the fans). Honestly, everyone’s having a hard time and feeling tired these days, right? We wanted to become a source of healing. If you’re tired/finding it tough, then ‘Lean’ on us.

MG: Like what Coups-hyung said, this song wasn’t made to be included as a non-title track in the album, but was prepared for the hip hop team to show a different image at the concert. However, because many people loved it, it was able to be included in the album.

WW: It’s a song I’m very attached to. When we first planned the song, I liked the intention as well as the general feel of the song. Whenever I sing this song at a concert, I would feel choked up. I really wanted to include this song in this album.

Q. I was surprised because all 4 members of the hip hop team have such good vocals. Seeing you guys today, firstly, the voices you were born with are so nice.

SC: Actually because we are people who rap, when we sing, it’s rather comfortable. While the vocal team members carry the responsibility of having to sing well, for us, we would just have to sing to an extent where we are able to, sing comfortably and assimilate the song in a way that fits us without feeling burdened.

SC/WW/MG/VN: If you find our voices nice, it’s probably because it hasn’t been long since we woke up (laugh). Thank you for the compliment.

Q. We met Woozi last month who said he wanted to include a song for your fans in every album. The other ballad song ‘Smile Flower’ is also that type of song, right?

SC: That’s right. We made what we wanted to say to our fans as well as to our members into a song.

VN: I really like the lyrics of this song. Of course, I like the melody as well. I choked up while singing it during the comeback showcase.

WW: Woozi’s songs and lyrics are impressive. Because the expressions are really beautiful and lovely, I listen to this song a lot as well.

MG: It would be good if our fans could receive some comfort upon listening to this song. I think I’ll be really happy if that’s the case.

Q. You must have felt happy to be standing on stage with a new song.

WW: It was great. I was really excited. I have many thoughts that I enjoy (the performance) these days.

SC: I was nervous and felt burdened for the first stage, but I relaxed upon seeing our fans in the audience. It is physically tiring during our promotion period, but I felt mentally at ease and enjoyed it. I would rather be physically tired (than mentally).

MG: I’m the type to usually not feel pressurised mentally (laughs). I’m happy because we receive a lot of love. It makes me want to show my best image. I have a lot of such thoughts whenever I stand on stage.

VN: I looked forward and worried a lot before our comeback. If that’s ambiguous, when we stand on stage, we get direct feedback immediately. Many people liked it (our comeback), so I felt good. I was excited.

Q. We first met the performance team who, as expected, was healthy, positive and filled with fighting spirit. I thought the vocal team members would be emotional, but they were unexpectedly bright and cute. How are the hip hop team members like? I’m asking this because there is a specific image about the genre called Hip Hop.

SC: I think (our personality) is in between that of the hip hop team and the vocal team. It is important that the members can harmonise well in SEVENTEEN, which has 13 members. As all the members work, they have strong personal opinions, but in SEVENTEEN, we are harmonious. I think our individual strong points stand out because we know how each other feel very well.

Q. Watching SEVENTEEN’s performance made me think ‘you guys are really firm and complete now’. Performance, songs, appearance, everything. It feels like you guys have a secure path to the top now.

MG: Ah those words make me really happy. These words are nice to hear wherever and whoever it’s from.

VN: I think I feel slightly more comfortable on stage now than before. I used to be nervous about making mistakes in what I had practiced, but I feel like I can control that better now. It’s to the point where I can clearly see the faces of the fans that are looking at us.

SC: Thank you. Those are words that make me feel good. You can definitely see the increase in confidence levels of all the members while promoting this album. I can feel it when I’m standing on stage. The energy of the members has changed. However, this is all thanks to the fans. I’m serious.

Q. I’m not just saying this, but I think I’ll remember 2016 as a very important year for SEVENTEEN.

MG: That’s right. It was a year where we were able to try out many experiences we were previously unable to try. We received the rookie award, won 1st for the first time and also held concerts. Personally, it was also a time I felt the conviction that 'This is what you need to do’. When I was still a trainee I thought everything ended when you debuted, but it’s only starting now. I think the year that marked the beginning was 2016.

WW: I think this year will be remembered as a year where we went into positions right before running. It was a time where we learned how to take one step back in order to move two steps forward. I want to show better music and performances in the future. We’re currently filled with confidence and the desire to do many things. It’s really a relief that 2016 was better than 2015 for SEVENTEEN. I have hopes that 2017 will be even better than 2016.

VN: 2016 was when I opened my eyes to a new world. While on the Asia tour, I met fans from various countries and had a lot of thoughts whilst coming into contact with different cultures. They were all really meaningful moments.

SC: When we debuted in 2015, I thought there wouldn’t be a moment that would be able to make me happier, but sorry to 2015, the number of happier days spent in 2016 is many times more. It’s an overwhelming feeling when you realise you’re receiving love from someone. Whilst experiencing things I wouldn’t have been able to experience had I not picked this route, I can promise that I will work even harder. I will remember 2016 as the year of SEVENTEEN’s turning point.

Q. It’s 2017. Instead of SEVENTEEN, I want to hear the small and minor individual plans or goals that the four of you, Mingyu, Vernon, Wonwoo, and S.Coups have. Just minor things. It can also be short-lived resolutions too.

SC: I thought of something since you mentioned short-lived resolutions, I want to work harder. Diligently. I think I need to be stricter with myself.

MG: I want to self-manage thoroughly. I want to exercise hard and study about this and that. Something like preparing to become a complete person (laughs).

VN: I think I should pay more attention to my body. Be it internally or externally. I think that is necessary if I want to promote healthily. I want to read more books and contact my family more often.

WW: My goal for 2017 is to read 50 books. No matter what happens, I really want to accomplish this.

Q. Not long ago, I watched an award ceremony held in Hong Kong on TV. While giving the acceptance speech, one of the SEVENTEEN members said 'self-producing idols’, and those words struck my heart. It wasn’t even something that I had heard for the first time. I want to end my three month-long project of meeting the different units of SEVENTEEN with an obvious question. 'Self-producing idols’. It would be good if you could stay that way in the future as well.

SC/WW/MG/VN: We hope for that as well. Although it’s important to let everyone listen to good songs, we’re writing songs and choreographing the dances ourselves in order for it to be filled with our sincerity. We might promote with songs written by other people in the future, but as of now we are only thinking of sharing our stories.

Q. Let’s meet up with all 13 members of SEVENTEEN in the future together and have a cool photoshoot. Stay healthy.

SC/WW/MG/VN: That sounds nice. Thank you.

MG: Ah, it feels weird now that it’s ending..

Other team’s parts: Performance Team - Vocal Team

trans cr: miko & kass @ what17says source: Dazed © take out only with credits