#bts recap

[bts-trans]

250105 J-Hope’s Instagram Post

Adios 2024🖤

Letter Translation:

To. BTS sunbae-nim*

Hello! This is Illit! We have just made our first comeback with our 2nd mini-album! We always get so much strength from listening to your songs, and learn so much by watching your performances!! I will be working hard to become an artist who can show cooler, greater performances!! We hope you like and support us! Thank you!! -ILLIT-

(T/N: *‘Sunbae’ is a term used to refer to someone with more seniority or experience, typically in a school or workplace setting.)

Trans cr; Aditi @ bts-trans © TAKE OUT WITH FULL CREDITS

[gentlebeardsbarngrill]

05/13-05/16/2025 Daily OFMD Recap

TLDR; David Jenkins; Rhys Darby; Taika Waititi; Nathan Foad; Samba Schutte; Vico Ortiz; Kristian & Samson; Madeleine Sami; David Fane; Minnie Driver; In Person Events: Two Acts of Drag, Please; Fan Spotlight: Mermay 2025; Love Notes;

= David Jenkins =

Guess who's coming to The New Uni-Con! You can still get your tickets at siren-events.co.uk!

Source: David Jenkins Bsky

= Rhys Darby =

New Paid substack is up with more behind the scenes from his Australian Tour!

Source: Rhys' Paid Substack

Also, while they are paparazzi shots, the fact Rhys is getting paparazzi shots is pretty awesome!

Source: GettyImages

The new season of Love, Death + Robots is available now! Rhys' episode is on the title card on Netflix, and I've watched it a few times now, it's pretty great! Read more in Variety here!

Source: Rhys' Facebook

= Taika Waititi =

Some super cool news-- Taika is signing some swag to benefit The Artz NZ to help fun future NZ projects! They're auctioning off this cool bundle here!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The Arts Foundation Te Tumu Toi (@theartsnz)

Source: IG / TheArtsNZ

= Nathan Foad =

Nathan Foad's full short, Triplets Baby is up on Youtube!

Source: Nathan's IG

= Samba Schutte =

Samba is sending out some birthday love to his friend and coworker!

Source: Samba's IG Stories

= Vico Ortiz =

Vico's still got tickets for their solo show in NYC from May 22-25! Get them here!

Source: Vico's Bsky

New 20 second OFMD BTS from s2 on Vico's Paid Substack!

Source: Vico's Paid Substack

= Kristian and Samson =

Kristian is finally wearing the crocs Samson got him from S1!

Source: Kristian's IG Stories

= Madeleine Sami =

Madeleine Sami was in New York for her birthday! Here's some shots she posted!

Source: Madeleine Sami's IG

= David Fane =

The Last Temptations of the Naked Samoans, live in Auckland! With Fang (aka David Fane) Oscar Kightley, Mario Gaoa, Shimpal Lelisi, Robbie Magasiva and Iaheto Ah Hi! Get tickets here.

Source: David's IG

= Minnie Driver =

Minnie has joined "Emily In Paris" season 5! She was out in Rome the last few weeks!

Source: Minnie's IG

= In Person Events =

Two Acts of Drag, Please! is a Siren Events sponsored event on 08/02/2025 @ The Pirate Castle In London, UK! In the area? Get tickets here!

Source: Siren Events UK Instagram

= Fan Spotlight =

= Mermay 2025 =

I wanted to take a moment to spotlight @googoogojob's exquisite works and prompt list! It's been amazing to see all their work as it's been coming out! Their artwork is always so ethereal and awe-inspiring-- please take a moment to check them out if you haven't before! You can follow them on all the platforms below! Tumblr / Bsky / Instagram

Source: GooGooGoJob's Tumblr

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by nopeitsmetherealone (@nopeitsmetherealone)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by nopeitsmetherealone (@nopeitsmetherealone)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by nopeitsmetherealone (@nopeitsmetherealone)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by nopeitsmetherealone (@nopeitsmetherealone)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by nopeitsmetherealone (@nopeitsmetherealone)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by nopeitsmetherealone (@nopeitsmetherealone)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by nopeitsmetherealone (@nopeitsmetherealone)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by nopeitsmetherealone (@nopeitsmetherealone)

Source: GooGooGoJob's IG

== Love Notes ==

Hey there lovelies. Been a lot of crazy things happening out there. I truly hope you are staying safe, and you are getting some rest in all this. Please remember, you are worthy the way you are. You are beautiful and worthy of life and happiness, no matter what anyone says okay? We are gonna get through this. Take care of yourselves.

From our friend The Latest Kate:

The Latest Kate's: Shop , Patreon , Books and Cards , Mailing List

Source: TheLatestKate's Tumblr

[ofmdrecaps]

05/01-04/2025 Daily OFMD Recap

TLDR; Rhys Darby; Taika Waititi; Con O'Neill; Kristian Nairn; Vico Ortiz; Ruibo Qian; Anapela Polata'ivao; Dominic Burgess; Adopt Our Crew; Fan Spotlight: Tiny Crew Big Raffle Updates; Harold's Haunt; Our Flag Means Fanfiction: Gay Pirate News Hour; Love Notes;

= Rhys Darby =

Rhys has been keeping us apprised of everything going on on his Australia Stand up tour! One paid and one free, check them out below! "The Car Boot Merch Incident"

Source: Rhys' Free Substack

Source: Rhys' Paid Substack

= Taika Waititi =

Taika has been playing the long game in The Masked Singer this season! Looks like he was the Lucky Duck!

Him and Ken Jeong really had a great time at the reveal!

Source: Ken Jeong's IG

= Con O'Neill =

Con has been sending a lot of love lately, this time with some much needed Cooper love!

Source: Con's IG/Threads

= Vico Ortiz =

As mentioned previously, Vico's moved from Patreon to Substack! They've posted some new OFMD BTS! This is a long one!

Source: Vico's Paid Substack

Also-- Vico went out to see James Tom's show!!!

Source: Vico's IG Stories

= Samba Schutte =

Samba sending out May the 4th wishes!

Source: Samba's IG Stories

Additionally, "Cookin up something delicious" what're you up to Samba?

Source: Samba's IG

= Kristian Nairn =

Kristian's headed to the Belfast Books Festival June 5-12, 2025! You can get tickets here!

Source: Kristian's Twitter

Also too-- Kristian showing off some Jewelry by one of his faves. Check them out here.

Source: Kristian's IG

= Ruibo Qian =

Our Pirate Queen has been keeping us fed on cat content lately, and some shots of her as well! She's always sending love!

Source: Ruibo's IG

= Anapela Polata'ivao =

Just some more promo shots of Auntie for Tinā which is doing ABSOLUTELY PHENOMENAL in theatres!

Source: Tinā The Film's

And a promo song!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by @tinathefilm

Source: Tinā The Film's IG

= Dominic Burgess =

Dominic also wished everyone a very special May the 4th be with you with some bts of his character Beef from The Skeleton Crew!

Source: Dominic's IG

== Adopt Our Crew ==

Our friends over at @adoptourcrew send out a reminder and celebration of the AAPI cast, crew, and community. Happy Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month friends!

Source: Adopt Our Crew Bsky

== Fan Spotlight ==

= Tiny Crew Big Raffle =

Some additional items are up in the Tiny Crew Big Raffle 2! Reminder the raffle was extended to May 17th! Get your donations in before then! More info here!

Also, it's a lot more recent than the 4th, but I wanted to make sure it got posted in time--

Source: Tiny Crew Big Raffle IG

= Harold's Haunt =

If you're in the Millvale, PA area, they're doing OFMD Flash Tattoos on 5/24 for Calypso's Birthday!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ringa Sunn (@ringasunn)

Source: Harold Haunt's IG

= Our Flag Means Fanfiction =

New month means new Gay Pirate News Hour!

Source: OFMFF Instagram

== Love Notes ==

Hey lovelies. I hope you're all doing okay. Love Notes are short tonight because I'm not feeling very well. If you're struggling with something you've done, try to forgive yourself if you can.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by @thelatestkate

Source: The Latest Kate's IG

[rkiveslibrary]

April 2025

Hello! This is my recap of all my favourite GIFS/art/fics that I stumbled upon in the month of April :) If you like any of these, don't forget to reblog to share them!

Art

This cute Hoshi by @ajudanielle

This cutie pie Woozi by @kankan2

This NamSeok that is so cute and makes me very happy by @elibunnn

This rockstar Yoongi by @pinemoons

This flower Joon because um ?!??! Incredible, wonderful, beautiful!!!!! I'm..wow. By @freckledunce

This Plant Joon because oh he is so cute!!! and the dimples!!!! ahh!!!!! By @debrenner

This Cool JK by @jkpng

Flower Joon who looks so cute and so happy by @eterniitty

Persona Joon art that is so incredible I stared at it for farrrr to long by @artofyaya

GIFS

Adorable TaeTae being adorable by @moon-covey

This Seventeen April Shower gifset that is unreal with how beautiful it is by @cordiallyfuturedwight

This GIF set of Namjoon's albums. You ever just look at a set of gifs and go huh?! How did they do that It's so cool! Yeah, that's this set here by @raplinenthusiasts

This Namjoon set. You all know why this is here ;) by @namchyoon

Born singer set that makes me go WOAHHHHH by @magicshop

SVT Rock with you gifset because I am a Rock With You fan first and a human second by @soonhoonsol

Birthday Boy Hoseok fic By @borathae

Listen, Listen, I have gone back to this fic so many times because it's just so hot?! The way Sibi writes Hoseok is pure magic and sexy and sweet and funny and perfect and I'm never going to stop gushing about this fic because it's WONDERFUL (as is all of Sibi's work seriously, don't sleep on Sibi's fics!)

While He's Gone (Hoshi/Vernon/Reader fic) by @100vern

okay this fic is...wow! Spicy, sweet, smut, perfection! Not to spoil it but the phone call?! oof so hot! so perfect!

Break (Joshua fic) by @sailorsoons

I literally have this saved as "Joshua AHHH" and that's very accurate. The world building is incredible, the characterization is incredible and the ending. MY JAW WAS ON THE FLOOR AND I WAS GAGGED. I loved them and I loved the story and honestly I'm still trying to process that ending because !?!?!?!?!??!

[likeawildflower]

What do you mean it’s been two years since the release of D-Day? 😮

I mentioned before that I’d post my 2023 D-Day concert in LA recap.

I became ARMY in September 2022 so this was the first BTS (or BTS member) concert I saw in person. I posted this recap somewhere else a while back and thought I’d post it here since it’s the second anniversary of the D-Day album.

May 14, 2023 - D-Day concert in LA, Day 2

Seeing the ARMY bombs light up and the crowd move and scream as Yoongi went into the first song was just … wow. I felt this moment of pure energy and connection that I couldn't explain. That ONE feeling was worth what I went through to get here. And I finally got why BTS loves ARMY so much.

YOONGI! I couldn't focus on him at times because I got lost in his songs. Daewichta was one of those times. He looked so intense and got lost in the song too. I'm the king, I'm the boss! Yes, he was.

Agust D was a blast to sing. Heheheh. A to the G, to the U to the STD!

He had a half smirk at the end of this one song and I thought either he was pleased or he had a secret. Or both. (It was both. Halsey showed up!)

He broke out into this huge smile after singing with Halsey. In the other songs, he was focused, intense or calm so that huge smile was 😍.

His voice sounded higher in some songs and I wondered if it was the sound system or a stylistic choice on his part. His voice returned to his usual range after a while.

I liked the set piece he had down stage where he could watch TV and play the piano. It was closer to the crowd and had a comfy and welcoming vibe overall.

Speaking of the piano, he was being playful and crashed his fingers on it one point. Lol.

I cried when he played Life Goes On. I knew I would because I really love his version of the song and hearing it live was 🤯🥹. Raw and stripped down and powerful.

I thought I was prepared for Cypher Pt. 3, UGH! and Ddaeng. Nope, not even close. God damn it, Min Yoongi!

I half expected Woosung to show up during Snooze. He didn't but the song was beautiful. My favorite from D-Day! ‘Everything will be okay’ and ‘Dream’. Yeah, I felt that.

During his ment, he said the first time they played in LA was in a club with 300 people and now he was playing in an arena with 16,000 people. Awww.

He also said the crowd was the loudest yet. Every time he said “make some noise”, the screaming went up exponentially to ear splitting levels. I covered my ears (well, one of them) because it literally hurt to hear the screams. Yep, I'm officially old. Hahaha.

Oh, doing the chants was so much fun! I was so happy when ARMY chanted “BTS! BTS! BTS!” And then yay, there was the BTS fan chant which I didn't think l'd ever get to do live. Also, chanting his name Yoongi or Min Yoongi was satisfying. Best part? Chanting “I love, I love, I love myself!”

Some fan signs were funny. A couple of signs said they skipped graduation for Yoongi. One sign said she ditched the kids for Mother's Day and went to see Yoongi. Lol. Priorities!

One of the loudest cheers went up when a pic of Jungkook from the CK shoot was shown.

Overall, the concert was a fucking amazing experience and I'm so excited to see him again in June! I already got my movie theater ticket for the live broadcast of his Japan concert. Min Yoongi!

[bittersbloom]

cherired instagram update

[mayasdeluca]

me to ABC after seeing that S19 Season 7 trailer:

[onedoorful-jimin]

SUPER TUNA?!?!

[rurpleplayssims]

📝Campbell Quay Recap - Part 1/2📔

I was recently asked to post a recap of what had been happening in Campbell Quay since I started posting the no-commentary styled posts back in April. The reason being that I wanted to catch all the characters up before I do another time jump of several years. Long story short, I want my families to have most of their children born before the time jump so I can move onto the next stage of the story with the next generation starting to shine.

📝So, in chronologically order, here is what has happened so far since I resumed the series in April:

Cooper Household: Round 5

Matthew is visiting Zoey and Roselyn in their home and has lunch with them. (They'd been previously discussing Deidre and her apparent ignoring of her closest friend before she'd left town.) They discuss the success of the clinic after the remodel, and Matthew setting up the therapist's office when he's ready.

Natalia, the clinic's receptionist, is good friends with her boss and visits her.

Their home functions well after Roselyn (and her dog Lily) moved in. Roselyn takes the time to help raise Madeleine (Zoey's daughter with Tyler Ellis).

Zoey teachers her daughter to talk. Roselyn asks Jasper to come over to fix their broken TV. (He is the town's handyman).

Despite being her ex-boyfriend, Jasper and Roselyn's relationship is a strong one, but it's nothing more than sibling-like since they broke up ages ago.

Roselyn heads off to work. Zoey asks Jasper to fix the toilet when she realises he's there. They speak about their friends and how the town's changed since they established it. She puts her daughter down for a nap before working on her easel.

Madeleine, a bright toddler, enjoys building her creativity skill.

Zoey receives a phone call from Becky, her next-door neighbour, asking to come over. Zoey agrees and is distressed to see Becky in floods of tears on her doorstep.

Becky is inconsolable as Luke broke up with her after she refused his marriage proposal. (Luke is a werewolf and he saw her refusal as rejection, and as part of his werewolf culture, he feels like she's not his packmate, and that she broke them up, not him.)

However, there is something left unsaid between the couple. After getting her inside, Becky reveals to Zoey her reasons for rejecting the marriage proposal. They become best friends as a result of the trust between them.

Roselyn gets a bonus at work from a chance card.

Becky distracts herself by playing with Madeleine.

The girls discuss Luke and what Becky should still remain in the house next door (as Becky lives with Luke and their friend Helen.)

Roselyn returns home, greets Becky and gives her the same advice as Zoey. They become best friends too when Becky tells her her reasons.

Becky heads out, insisting on going for a quiet stroll around the block before heading home, wanting to compose her thoughts before seeing Luke again at home.

Roselyn and Zoey discuss their guests before they make out and head upstairs.

The following day, after Zoey heads to work, Roselyn invites Helen around. Helen is her apprentice and good friend. They discuss Becky and Luke, before Helen plays with Madeleine. (Helen is one of the main babysitters in town.)

The days pass by and their home is a happy one. Roselyn teaches Lily to Roll Over.

After about a week, Helen comes over to babysit Madeleine whilst Roselyn and Zoey head out for a date at the new tea shop that's opened. Despite the snow on the ground, the pair of them are keen to get some fresh air and time to themselves. (Readers who've been here from day one know the struggle it was to get to the stage where these two are in a happy and healthy relationship!)

At the tea shop, they see Thomas Campbell, looking a lot happier and socialising with everyone who enters. (Thomas was a zombie at the start of the series and this was not long after he's been cured and he and Althea's marriage became a lot steadier.)

On the way home, Roselyn proposes marriage to Zoey, who happily accepts.

The next day, Zoey holds the clinic staff meeting at her house.

Norman-Ashford Household: Round 1

Jed promotes Alon to be the manager at the Norman Fitness Centre. (Jed owns the business, which is the local gym/swimming pool.)

Briony, the editor at the Campbell Chronicle newspaper, holds a meeting at lunchtime in her house she shares with Jed. The other employees are Starla Bennett (Alon's ex-girlfriend), Dominic Hawlings (who used to work at Proper Nosh!) and Cheryl Midlock (who used to work at Grim Groceries).

Dominic and Starla discuss the recently held Major election in the town, which Althea won.

Starla asks Jed about the gym, pitching to write an article about it. Jed agrees. She then asks about fingerprint scanning system that was being rolled out but Jed breaks off the conversation.

Jed is a stay-at-home father for the first few months of his and Briony's lives as parents. Their children are Holly and Harry, a set of twins.

The twins age up into toddlers.

Now that the children are a little older, Briony and Jed take turns in being the stay-at-home parent. Briony teaches the toddlers to use the potty, and Jed starts teaching them to walk.

Briony, who'd been carrying a lot of weight in her pregnancy to the twins, has worked hard to reach peak fitness afterwards. (Fun fact: Despite Film & Lit being her OTH, she rolls a lot of wants to do fitness-related activities. As that is Jed's OTH, I guess she's taking inspiration from her fiancé.)

Thomas visits his brother to play with his niece and nephew.

Jed teaches Harry to walk and Thomas teaches Holly a nursery rhyme.

Briony teaches Holly to talk. Jed teaches Holly to walk and teaches Harry to talk.

Briony and Jed's relationship is strong and healthy, and he asks how the newspaper is going.

Sylvie invites Sylvie around. (She is the adoptive 'aunt' to Jasper, Phillip and Noah Morgan. When Briony moved to town, her car broke down in front of Sylvie's isolated cottage. During the months she lived with the ancient Fae, a mother/daughter bond sprung up between the two.)

Sylvie comes around, plays chess with Briony, has dinner with her and Jed, plays with her 'grandchildren'.

There is a new garage built, including an upstairs area where Briony has moved her office to, and the twins deserved a room of their own.

Jed invites Alon around and they discuss the fitness centre and the babies being born in town.

Briony cooks dinner for them all, and Jed expresses how pleased he is at the progress Alon has made since he came to town. (Alon was the first burglar in town, and his background is troubled. His parents were uncaring, his ex dumped him and he ran away to CQ and was struggling to live with no home before Thomas and Althea took him in and helped him. He is a successful reformed criminal in town and Jed, as Head of Security in town, is pleased to have been proved wrong that Alon would relapse to crime.)

Alon discusses health with Briony as Jed puts the kids to bed.

Thomas visits his brother again and he bonds with both children, becoming best friends.

Thomas and Biony discuss friendships in town.

Harry and Holly have a huggle.

A few days later, Briony asks Helen to come babysit for her so she can get some work done in her office without worrying about attending to her children.

She begins to write a novel (her 4th...I think).

Jed and Briony discuss recent crime rates and the fingerprint recognition program. Briony intends to write an articles in the Chronicle about its benefits.

Briony meets Julie Moore, the lady who has moved in right next door. They discuss the many babies in town.

Althea visits to introduce Julie to the other mothers in town, as Julie plans to open a nursery in town. Part of the vetting process is that all parents need to approve that they trust Julie, and that she will keep their children safe. (Long term readers will understand why Althea is insisting on this.)

Zoey and Ellen are invited over to meet Julie.

Matthew passes on his afternoon walk and Briony speaks to him.

Dalton Morgan (Jasper and Ellen's eldest child) is having a playdate with Harry, Holly and Madeleine.

Henry comes around to see Jed and his family. (Henry used to live with Jed and his brother Thomas.)

Jed speaks to the ladies about the security at the nursery when it opens.

Jed greets Jasper, who was also invited to meet Julie. (Helen is babysitting his and Ellen's four younger children btw.)

The toddlers become best friends with each other. (These 4 will be in the same age group, but Maddie is the oldest, then the twins, then Dalton.)

Jed continues to help his fiancee reached peak fitness.

This is where the tags for the households become a bit confusing as I jump around different households to show events happening to residents in (mostly) chronological order.

Tyler and Victoria (nee Bransfield) are recently married and enjoying their newly refurbished home, which looks much more like the home to two business executives.

Althea gains her baby bumps and is placed on maternity leave. She and Thomas are thrilled to be expecting as they've sorted out their differences from what happened at the start of their marriage. (Click here for the full household tag, I'm not typing all that out!)

Thomas runs the town's grocery store (called Grim Groceries) and Emmy is his manager who runs it on a daily basis for him. This allows him to look at other business ventures he wants to set up in town. As the Founder's husband, he has expectations that he wants to carry out.

Becky visits Althea to discuss their work. She is Althea's chief assistant at the Mayor's office and is her deputy, only outranked by Thomas. She tells Althea about her and Luke's breakup in the hope it won't make work awkward and Luke works with them as an Intern.

The Founder's home gets a remodel and Cheryl visits to get notes for Althea's weekly column in the newspaper.

Althea invites the Jefferson couple over. (They have a family that is split up, as Libby works at the military base. They'd worked hard to get temporary accommodation for Robbie and their three children until Libby moves into the bigger home.)

Thomas finds a genie bottle.

Althea speaks to Janet Tanner, one of the cleaners in town, and offers her support during her pregnancy and after. (Janet moved to CQ with her boyfriend Frank. He wasn't keen to move to this town, despite Janet's love for the place. However, Janet confessed to Emily Morgan that she'd had a drunken one-night-stand with a male - we don't know who - after a row with Frank, but then when she went home the following day, she and Frank made up, leading her to not know who the father is. She has decided to keep the baby.)

Julie has dinner and Thomas and Althea, discussing their arrangements for the nursery amongst other things.

Jada, one of Althea's political assistants at the town hall, visits Althea to discuss priorities to be carried out whilst Althea is on maternity leave. She also helps set up Thomas's paperwork for his business ventures.

Some boring game rules here: The sims who own business lots and do not have an active career, they should be 'employed' in the Business career. In my mind it means they sign up to help and support from Campbell Quay Logistics, that Tyler organises as he's in charge of most business dealings with the town, only outranked by Althea.)

Victoria falls pregnant with her and Tyler's first child, and learns Couples Counselling.

Janet comes and visits Althea again to discuss her arrangements. Emily is with her as she was the first to guess that Janet was pregnant.

Sylvie's business, Sylvie's Garden, is doing very well! Despite being a very isolated person when she met the residents, she's come a long way in terms of confidence, and she's happy.

Sylvie's Garden reaches Rank 10 and it gets a Good Review as well!

Thomas's Grim Groceries is also doing well and opens up a car dealership, C&N Motors. (Not sure I mentioned it before, but it's a spin on his name, Campbell & Norman Motors, as Thomas married into a matriarchy family and took Althea's surname.)

Thomas reaches maximum enthusiasm in Music & Dance.

C&N Motors ranks up quickly and also gets a Good Review!

Althea studies some skills at home: Couples Counselling, Anger Management and Lifelong Happiness.

She also starts a novel to document all that's happened in town. It sells well!

As her pregnancy progresses, she studies some more, learning Fire Safety.

Phillips's daughters, Bella, Felicity and Phoebe age up to toddlers.

Proper Nosh! - Emily's restaurant gets some more remodelling and does well for business.

Phillip teaches Bella, the eldest, to walk.

Roselyn's art studio business is also doing well and earns a Good Review.

She also gets promoted in the Artist career to Level 7.

Zoey's Clinic has had a remodel and she welcomes her fellow doctor, Brandan, who is a surgeon.

Zoey has an appointment with Victoria, who is heavily pregnant.

Her next patient is Matthew and they make a point to discuss friendships in town. Zoey considers how fast her daughter is growing up.

Briony is based at the office, The Campbell Chronicle office and is working hard on her computer as Laura, a young teen, works at the till for the little shop at the front.

Gretchen (the business reviewer is who actually employed by Briony..?) awards the Campbell Chronicle a Good Review.

Townie Household, Round 2

Luke is working in his beloved garden before he heads off to Sylvie's Garden, to buy some new tools and meet up with Sylvie. He also meets Lena, one of the military personnel that have started visiting the town.

It's an awkward atmosphere at home. Despite it being a few months since their breakup, Luke and Becky don't speak much.

Becky has constant flashbacks to when she said no to Luke's marriage proposal.

She tries to remain pleasant and upbeat but Luke is either quiet or muted in his response.

After their lunch and she heads to work, Luke goes outside and breaks down over the breakup, still quite heartbroken. He reminisces over their love intersected by the memory of her rejection.

They had both had a recent row and whilst Becky regrets what she said in anger. Later that evening, she apologises to him. Luke, still muted, accepts her apology but doesn't say much else.

Helen asks how Becky is over breakfast. Becky avoids the subject.

When Becky heads to work, Helen plays her violin before heading over to Campbell Square to play for some tips. Before heading out, she greets Cheryl.

She meets Claire and Abbie, two of her female friends for a coffee.

After their meetup, Helen gets herself a coffee and Brandon, the surgeon at the Clinic, introduces himself to her.

Helen is attracted to him, and she's attractive to him. Flattered by the welcome attention, she speaks to him for a bit.

She plays her violin and gets quite a few tips, including from Henry and Brandon.

Returning home, Helen does some painting.

Luke bird watches before reading the newspaper.

After transforming that night (he's a werewolf) he heads out for some bug collecting.

Emmy and Alon officially become a couple, despite being together since Althea and Thomas's wedding.

Cheryl gets promoted to Level 3 in the Journalism career.

Matthew spends a lot of his freetime out jogging, emailing on his computer and cooking healthy meals for himself.

Cheryl makes an effort on her own novel. Tony is alone in his flat.

Emmy spends most nights sleeping in Alon's bed, but they've taken it slow, and have not woohooed yet.

(Most of the residents on this lot have had their spaces repainted as I wanted to make them a little more personal.)

Max Huxley (who used to be a cleaner) is in the Dance career and gets promoted to Level 3.

Tony spends most of his freetime playing his guitar.

Noah and Henry have gone from strength to strength since he moved in. Noah is promoted to Level 6 in the Science career.

Whilst babysitting Madeleine, Helen looks after Lily too and gives her a bath.

Zoey is promoted to Level 7 in the Medicine career. Her bonus goes towards their upcoming wedding.

Emily and Phillip Morgan are doing well, in both their family, relationship and business. Proper Nosh! is Rank 10 and Phillip is a highly successful lawyer and the top lawyer in town.

Henry's business, The Bookshelf, is also doing well.

Emily speaks with Tony when he comes over to let her know that he'll be leaving his job at the restaurant sooner rather than later.

Whilst he's there, Janet accosts him, and is very angry.

Phillips earns a bonus of $43,000!

Janet imagines Tony coming over to her and apologising...but he doesn't.

It's still awkward at the Townie household. Becky tries to speak to Luke about general stuff but he can't stop relieving her rejection. He realises he needs to change something.

Helen sits down at the table and Luke and Becky talk freely when praising Helen and the confidence that she's developed since she'd come to town. (Helen was very shy/insecure of herself when she first came to town. She's grown a lot in that time.)

Luke checks his email. Helen studies. Luke checks the newspaper and can't help but look at Becky from the corner of his eye. He wants to speak to her but isn't sure how.

After she gets up to go to the kitchen, he approaches her. She smiles at him and he's just about to try to speak when her mobile rings, and he loses his courage.

Becky heads out to get out of the house.

Helen speaks to Luke about Becky and tells him about Brandon, and that she wants to quit her babysitter's job. Inspired by her talk with Roselyn and Althea, she wants to do something else.

Luke thanks Helen for her quiet, steadfast support and that he's glad they're friends. She says the same.

Becky comes home and is so exhausted that she falls asleep in her food!

The resident household members speak as they normally do in the morning, enjoying the fresh air. Cheryl mentions kissing and gets Tony confused and conflicted. (He misses Cheryl and hadn't been able to stop thinking of her since she broke up with him at Althea's wedding. She broke it off with him because he was dating other women at the same time and she wanted a faithful partner, despite how much she loved him.)

Tony distracts himself by working hard at his music shop, Tony's Tempo. It's a big money earner and he's quickly paying off the bank loan he took out for the building. His business reaches Rank 8!

Max has to pay a fine at work.

Cheryl, Dominic and Matthew catch up over lunch.

Alon and Emmy finally consummate their relationship.

Cheryl earns herself another promotion to Level 4!

Max finally opens his dance studio business, Studio Huxley.

Starla visits C&N Motors and buys herself a car.

Brandon also buys a car from Thomas's car dealership.

Roselyn and Helen discuss their interests and a business venture.

Becky earns a bonus of $500 but Luke gets demoted.

Helen rings Brandon and they speak on the phone for a few hours.

Later, she spots Luke sitting alone in the garden. She speaks to him and he mentions their friendship and his recent heartbreak.

Helen gets a phone call from Marion and is surprised. (No, it's neither of her sisters btw.)

Luke tells Helen he will be quitting his job at Althea's office and getting a job elsewhere. The new job involves moving out.

The next day, Luke tells Helen he's leaving and she tells him she's glad they're friends and he should ring whenever he wants to.

When Becky comes down for breakfast, Helen lets her know Luke will be moving out in an hour. Becky is stunned, relieving the memories of her relationship with Luke.

Luke packs up his garden pots and tools and puts them in his mobile greenhouse. He doesn't know if he will come back for them but he kept them out of the way in case the girls wants to do something else with the garden.

At the moment of departure arrives, Helen says goodbye to her friend and hugs him before heading outside to put his suitcase in his truck, leaving Becky and Luke alone.

Becky awkwardly wishes Luke well and is confused as to what Luke's new job is. Luke insists (appearing cheerful) to wish her well and they hug. They share a moment when they stare at each other, but Luke and Becky meet Helen outside.

Becky and Helen watch as Luke gets in his truck and drives away. As soon as he disappears from sight, Becky bursts into tears.

Due to Tumblr being blooming awkward, there is a text limit...great.

📝Part Two is here.📖

[dreamings-free]

31/12/23

[trombonechurchill]

Heads up for my 911 friends and followers; I will be watching 8b live and probably posting about it but all posts will be tagged with 911 spoilers 🫡

[bts-trans]

241217 J-Hope's Instagram Post

12월

December

Trans cr; Rinne @ bts-trans © TAKE OUT WITH FULL CREDITS

[gentlebeardsbarngrill]

12/05-06/2024 Daily OFMD Recap

TLDR; Rhys Darby; Taika Waititi; Con O'Neill; Vico Ortiz; Nathan Foad; Kristian Nairn; Samba Schutte; David Fane; Nat Faxon; Alex Sherman; Guz Khan; Minnie Driver; Netflix on Bsky; Fan Spotlight: Ruby Deluxe Raleigh; Love Notes

= Rhys Darby =

As usual, lots going on with our Pirate Captain! He was out in Portland for two days and had a blast!

It looks like Sketch Fest has added a second show at the Gateway Theatre on January 22nd!

Rhys also ran into a fan who's been coming to shows for years!

Source: SF Sketch Fest / Instagram

= Darby Daily Doodle =

The epic continues!

Source: Rhys Darby's Free substack

= Taika Waititi =

Taika's been very busy too, as per usual! More pictures from his Koko Foundation appearance!

Source: My Beautiful City

This is just a quick picture of Taika from one of the recent Letters Live performances! Not sure if it's new or not but it's new to me so I wanted to share!

Source: Letters Live Instagram

Next up, Belvedere Vodka did some BTS with Taika! You can watch the video here.

Source: Belvedere Vodka Instagram

Taika and Jemaine's show, What We Do In the Shadows is up for 4 Critics Choice Awards! Best comedy series, best actress, actor, and supporting actor in a comedy series! Check out the Article here.

Source: Choice Awards

= Con O'Neill =

Con sent a shot of himself after he made it to Columbus!

Did you know he's got even more swag up on Stands? Now there are Hand signed autographs of THAT scene in s2! Check it out! Hand Signed Autograph on Stands.com

Source: Con O'Neill's Instagram

= Joel Fry =

Joel is going to be joining Ncuti Gatwe, and Nicola Coughlan for this years Doctor Who Christmas Special! check out the trailer below!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Doctor Who (@bbcdoctorwho)

Source: BBCWho on Instagram

= Vico Ortiz =

Some New S2 BTS from Vico! Buttons Character vs Buttons the Stuntman, Nathan and Ewen and Con giggling? Vico spoils us! Check them out on Vico's Patreon.

Source: Vico's Patreon

= Nathan Foad =

Nathan also sent out an arrival photo once he got into Columbus!

Souce: Nathan's Instagram Stories

= Kristian Nairn =

Same with Kristian! they love letting us know when they arrive places!

Source: Kristian's Instagram

= Samba Schutte =

More BTS from Samba's Advanced Chemistry Movie! Thank you as always to the writer, Alec Moore for sharing them! I realize they don't have Samba in them persay, but I thought they were pretty cool-- and Alec is a huge fan and support of OFMD! If you have seen the film and haven't reviewed it yet on amazon, please do! I know they are still looking for reviews here!

"When I saw the @advancedchemmov.bsky.social art department's collection of props that they brought to life from my crazy imagination, I literally teared up. And then Samba-- literally teared up for a scene. The difference is he was acting. "

Source: Alec Moore's Bsky

= David Fane =

Awhimai Fraser, David Fane, and Temuera Morrison were very busy interviewing at several AUS & Aotearoa NZ press junkets!

Source: awhimai_fraser instagram

An interview with ScreenRealm with about their favorite songs in Moana 2!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Screen Realm (@screen_realm)

They were also interviewed by Draw Your Box about Moana 2 and they got to discuss some Cricket for a bit!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Alicia Vrajlal (@leeshiev)

and just for fun, I couldn't resist sharing David Fane laughing so giddly, you can really hear Fang in there.

Source: awhimai_fraser's Instagram

= Nat Faxon =

Our fantastic Swede, Nat Faxon is joining the cast of the (US version of) Ghosts Season 4 as Alexander Hamilton!

Source: Variety

= Alex Sherman =

Our sweetheart writer, Alex Sherman, is campaigning for a really amazing cause. He's created a fundraiser to help sponsor a free 1 week camp for kids who've lost a parent, sibling or caregiver. They've reached their goal, but it can't hurt to help kids in need if you're interested. Alex was a counselor there in the past and he continues to support these kids <3

https://give.experiencecamps.org/fundraiser/5933654

Source: Alex Sherman's twitter

= Guz Khan =

Guz just taking silly pictures with friend Haroon Mota!

Source: Guz's Instagram

= Minnie Driver =

Minnie was out slaying after her bout of Pneumonia!

Source: Minnie's Instagram

= Netflix on Bluesky =

Netflix officially joined bluesky back on the 3rd, and our resident Skyrates-- or whatever it is we're calling them these days-- started in the adoption requests again! If you have a Bluesky and you'd like to join the fun, remember to add the hashtag #OurFlagMeansDeath, #SaveOFMD, #AdoptOurCrew!

== Fan Spotlight ==

= Ruby Deluxe Raleigh =

There's been a request by several of our crew members to help out this wonderful gay bar in Raleigh. If you have some time this Saturday December 14th, at 9 PM and you're in the area, would you be kind enough to help out? "Hey friends! Ruby Deluxe, the gay bar that hosted our Calypso's birthday meetup at Galaxycon Raleigh, is asking for some help to stay running. If you can, consider making a donation or spread the word (or come through if you're local!)" Links to Socials

Source: Kate on Bsky

== Love Notes ==

Hey there lovelies. I really am so late on this one, I'm sorry. It's been a lot lately. I know it has been for a lot of you too. I don't wanna hold this recap up any longer, so here's some love notes from SelfLoveRainbow <3

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Dominee Calderon (@selfloverainbow)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Dominee Calderon (@selfloverainbow)

Source: SelfLoveRainbow Instagram

[ofmdrecaps]

11/29-30/2024 Daily OFMD Recap

TLDR; David Jenkins; Rhys Darby; Taika Waititi; Con O'Neill; Nathan Foad; Ruibo Qian; David Fane; Megan Vertelle BTS; Fan Spotlight: One More Song Drag; Articles; Love Notes;

= David Jenkins =

Chaos Dad is out helping to fuel the clowning! The big point of that interview that @adoptourcrew was kind enough to point out was that Rhys is absolutely ready to hop back into ofmd.

Source: David Jenkins Bsky

= Rhys Darby =

- Daily Darby Doodles -

More Daily Doodles from the Darbs!

Source: Rhys Free Substack

And Rhys doing a little advertising, and getting heckled by the kids.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The CryptidFactor podcast (@thecryptidfactor)

Source: TheCryptidFactor Instagram

Rhys also did a short video while at the StarFury Event in the UK for his paid Substack.

Source: Rhys' Paid Substack

= Taika Waititi =

A little blep from Taika's Interior Chinatown interview!

Source: YulYY4 Bsky

Rita crumbs of Taika and his goofy self.

And some rugby going on with friends! You can see David Fane and Robbie Magasiva there too!

Source: Marsgee13

= Con O'Neill =

Some more pictures of Con from the Republic of Pirates that were posted after the con!

Source: Starfury Events

= Nathan Foad =

Nathan keeping us entertained with bratwurst, I love this man.

Source: Nathan's Instagram Stories

= Ruibo Qian =

A quick sketch of our lovely Pirate Queen out on the town with a friend.

Source: Ruibo Qian's Instagram Stories

= David Fane =

Looks like David Fane's old work Bro'town (with Oscar Knightly and so many others) has some new swag up! If you're interested, check it out on their Redbubble!

Source: David Fane's Instagram

= Megan Vertelle =

Our sweet Set Decorator Megan Vertelle was kind enough to give us some more BTS of Mary and Anne's antique shop! You can view them all here: OFMD Renewal Repo or on Megan Vertelle's Instagram

Source: Megan Vertelle's Instagram

== Fan Spotlight ==

= One More Song =

This is actually happening as we speak in Columbus OH because this recap is very very very late. For those of you who end up attending, please let us know how it was! It sounds absolutely phenomenal, so many great crew member (and even VICO!) joining this fabulous Drag & Variety Show! Wanna learn more about these awesome performers? Check out their Instagram posts (linked below) for their socials and introductions!

Vico Suave! / V.C. De Arte

Polly Amour / Zalestorm

Krill Collins / Polly Cocktail

Snake / Honeybee

BBQ Guo / Elixir Kant

G Wiz / Gagatha Christea

Keela Mann / Irritable Brat Syndrome

Source: One More Song OFMD Instagram

== Articles ==

Thank you to @adoptourcrew for continuing to keep us apprised of ofmd related articles!

Source: AdoptOurCrew

== Love Notes ==

Hey there lovelies. These are so late and I'm very sorry for that-- but I'll be honest I've been dealing with a lot at home and it's been hard to get to them. I still think of you all every day, and I hope you're hanging in there. Remember to take some time for yourself if you need it. Sending love <3

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by @thelatestkate

Source: The Latest Kate's Instagram

[rkiveslibrary]

February 2025 edition

Hello! This is my recap of all my favorite Gifs / Art / Fics that I stumbled upon in the month of February :) If you like any of these don't forget to reblog to share them!

Fan Art

This Yoongi art because um wow it's INCREDIBLE by @kaylast-pierre

This cute little Hobi! By @kaydlsun

This incredible Hobi piece by @theo-lss

This Jimin art piece that was so well done I mayyyy have stared at it for far too long oops! By @avizou

This BTS Art that just made me so happy because WE ARE INTHE YEAR OF BTS BABY!!!! By @jesssart

This adorable and beautiful Namu by @yeoongi

This cute birthday Hobi by @dontworrymochi

Gifs and Gif Sets

This Vmin set because they are cuties and I miss them and their cute friendship by @heybaetae

This Taehyung set because god he is so handsome it drives me insane by @jkvjimin

This Yoongi set because not only is the set beautiful the man is also beautiful (and I miss him) by @hyyhhope

This BTS set because it's just incredible and deserves all the love by @thatiwouldbe

This Yoongi set because I miss our honey boy real bad by @jkvjimin

This Namjoon set because....I mean...just look at it. Need I say more? by @cosmicdreamgrl 

This Hoshi set because @hoshingi always has the cleanest and crispest gifs and they deserve so much more love

This Woozi set because its INSANELY COOL AND INSANELY PRETTY by @96z

This Seventeen set by @jeonsupershy because it got me in my FEELS real bad and I love them all so much

Fics (Please mind the tags before you read!)

This Namjoon fic because it was adorable and sweet but also so steamy that I- oof. I loved it! by @mortallydeepestobservation

This Jungkook/Jimin fic that um..wow. Just wow in the best possible way. It was smutty and perfect and Dom reader is so hawt to me. by @shadowkoo

This Taehyung fic that was just so Taehyung. His characterization was perfect and the smut was perfect! by @pars-ley

This birthday Hobi fic because 🥵🥵🥵🥵 by @borathae

This Namjoon fic written by me because I love it and am proud of it LOL

[catch-me-hello]

I-Land, Episode 12 (Finale): Enhypen, after an Eternity (and thank God for BTS)

We made it, fellow K-pop fans! Welcome to the I-Land finale. Be prepared to hear about how much the I-Landers have improved. Also be prepared for an empty auditorium, because this aired during COVID, so there will be no audience.

I’m hoping our eliminated I-Landers will return and that Wonderkid will not. I’m hoping for more K-pop celebrities to visit. And I’m hoping for more surprises, like finding out that another eliminated contestant has been a member of ATEEZ or Stray Kids all this time, and I never knew.

We’re reminded right away that the global viewers are still voting. Because this is the last chance to appeal to the voters, we get quick montages on all nine finalists – our first time seeing them walking through the woods on the way to the I-Land, their various stages and rankings and freakouts over BTS, and taking orders from a giant egg timer in the lobby. I forgot what the egg was supposed to symbolize, but there is no time to go back and look it up now.

Our performance stage lights up, and Namgoong Min appears on the big screen one more time. It’s very sci-fi looking. And suddenly, he appears in person, standing next to our finalists. He’s reading from cards. Please don’t let this turn into a Boys Planet-type fiasco. I’m trusting our host to read the cards confidently and not like a hostage telling us the kidnappers want pizza.

Namgoong Min reminds the audience to vote, which stresses me out because, as I type this, we are two days away from Election Day 2024 in the United States, and the very word “vote” is extremely triggering to every American right now. But then, to lighten the mood, we’re getting a performance of “I&credible.” Okay, so it’s going to be a lot of performances of I-Land songs. This performance looks way more like an Enhypen video than anything we’ve seen so far. Dark and dramatic.

The eliminated I-Landers are back, and we see them sitting together in the audience. I recognize Geonu, Ta-Ki, and Hanbin under all the flashing lights.

When the performance ends, our host reminds us that six of the final group members will be chosen by global viewers, and the seventh will be chosen by the producers/judges.

Our host introduces us to the judges. Of course, we have Bang Si Hyuk. We also have our awesome coaches Son Sung Deuk and Pdogg, the soon-to-be-fired Doobu, and (heavy sigh) Wonderkid. It’s been four years since this show aired, and I still can’t find any news, accomplishments, references, or even Redditors who know who this guy is. We could have gotten Mad Clown instead. That would have been WAY cooler.

In fact, I just looked up Mad Clown to see what he’s been up to. He released an album while this show was airing, so he would have had something to promote, but he’s not on the Big Hit label, so I guess he wasn’t good enough for this show. And wow, Mad Clown was born in Evanston, Illinois. Did I know that already? I’ll have to go back and check my No Mercy recaps. And his younger brother is a famous Kdrama actor.

Sorry … fell down a rabbit hole there. It’s just frustrating to think of the millions of way more deserving people who should have been on this panel. I’M more qualified to be on this panel, and I don’t even speak Korean.

Anyway, Bang Si Hyuk thanks everyone on the show for all their hard work, and as we pan across the former contestants, I’m so happy to see that Hanbin has a smile on his face.

We also have special guests sitting with the judges. It’s TXT (Tomorrow x Together), a boy band whose songs we’ve seen covered on other shows I’ve recapped, and of course they are signed to Big Hit Entertainment. They tell our finalists not to be nervous and to give their performances everything they’ve got.

Now it’s time to meet our nine finalists again and give them facetime with the voters. Settle in, folks. If this is anything like most of the finales we’ve seen, this is going to drag on a bit. Each finalist walks out and stands on the stage while Namgoong Min gives us their age, current ranking, and country of origin like they’re Miss Universe contestants.

Now we pan over to a woman named Shin Ah Young, who is standing in front of a big world map to check how the voting is going. She’s a Korean television personality, and according to Wikipedia, she and her husband both graduated from Harvard University. We learn that Jay is getting the majority of votes from the United States. Finally, some love from his birthplace!

This bit drags on as Shin Ah Young points out who is getting the largest number of votes from each country. It must be as tedious to see in person, because every time they cut to reaction shots from TXT, they look bored or confused.

Now for the final test of the show. Our host introduces a flashback. We go to right after the Concept Test, when all nine survivors return to the I-Land after saying goodbye to Hanbin. It’s Ni-ki’s first time in the swanky bedroom, and he loves it. Jungwon, however, is a bit shaken up after barely surviving the rankings.

Jay, the ever-loyal and very intense friend, tells Jungwon, “If you’d gotten eliminated, I was going to break the egg and run out.”

Overhearing this, Sunghoon says, “You were going to break something that’s worth 200 million won? How would you even break it? It’s made of metal.”

Seattle Jay responds, “If I punched it 200 million times, it would probably break.” That’s our boy, my fellow Americans. I’m so glad he makes it into Enhypen.

The egg commands them to return to the lobby. They’re all hoping they can do the final test together instead of being split into two teams. I just now realize that the designs on their sweatshirts are being blurred, and these sweatshirts were given to them by the show. It’s part of their official I-Land wardrobe. Did production blur the graphics out of habit?

I look it up, and the show had teamed up with GOAL Studio to provide the I-Landers’ wardrobe. So that logo is officially affiliated with the show, and they’re still blurring it out. Korean broadcasting rules are STRICT.

Anyway, the egg is talking. The final test will determine the final seven. This final test will be watched live by the world. The I-Landers freak out at the thought of doing a live show.

They’re shown the choreo demonstration video and are excited to learn that they will indeed be performing together. The song is called “Calling (Run To You).” It’s a techno dance song with choreo expressing the concept of emerging and running out into the world. Oh, that’s right! Now I remember the significance of the egg! Something about having to destroy the world of the egg in order to hatch and go into the actual world. Boy, they sure made that into a really strange visual concept.

The I-Landers choose their parts and elect K as their leader. Poor K. He’s currently ranked in the top spot and is the leader in the final test, and he’s not going to make it to the final group.

Seattle Jay is elected the Daily Life Leader, a title I haven’t heard before. He’ll be taking care of the health of the finalists. Jay, just TAKE EVERYONE OUTSIDE EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE. Good Lord, you’re all going to wind up with seasonal affective disorder.

The planning process goes pretty quickly because they know the drill by now. They throw themselves into rehearsals, the days go by, and before we know it, it’s time for the midpoint evaluation. Of course, Son Sung Deuk and Doobu are here, because Wonderkid is probably sleeping in, exhausted from days of doing nothing.

We’re in a flashback formula, so of course the midpoint eval doesn’t go well. Son Sung Deuk says they’re glossing over things. They lack energy and aren’t in sync. He reminds them of what’s at stake. Two people will be going home.

The finalists promise to work on it. Then they ask the coaches to stay for just one more minute. They have a gift for them – a banner on which they’ve all written messages of appreciation. I hope the coaches get those banners framed. It has the autographs of all seven members of Enhypen on it.

Later on, the giant egg timer tells our I-Landers to report to the Item Room. You know, the place where they got the BTS cell phones they weren’t allowed to use and the GOAL Studio sweatshirts that have to be blurred out. Today, they’re getting accessories – new hats, ties, sneakers, and sunglasses. The hats have blurred logos on them, because of course they do. But everything else looks clearly visible, including the giant stuffed teddy bears. And okay, this part is cool – they get high-end video cameras.

And then we learn that they’re supposed to use the cameras to shoot self-promotional videos to appeal to the global viewers. I knew there was a catch. The higher your rank, the longer your video can be. K, the top-ranked finalist, gets a full 60 seconds. The bottom-ranked 4-9 get only 30 seconds.

So these things in the Item Room are props for their videos. The show had better let them keep everything. The guys discuss their different concepts. We spent a long time on this segment of them filming their videos. It’s all funny and cute, but it’s not what I’m here to see. I know it needs to be here to appeal to the voters, but I’m going to just skip ahead.

Before I do skip ahead, let me just say that it’s hard to believe, based on his promo video, that Heeseung will end up in Enhypen.

After recording the videos, the boys grab some dinner and are enjoying their break when the giant egg summons them to the lobby. This is a big moment. It’s time to announce the name of the debut group. Our I-Landers are excited. As Jay says, “It will be the name that we’ll have for almost the rest of our lives.” He’s right. It’s also a big moment for me, because I love seeing the honest initial reactions to finalists when they learn their band name.

The screen lights up with the words “Connection, discovery, and growth.” Right away our boys are guessing names like “Bluetooth” and “Wi-Fi.” Given that there is a famous K-pop group whose name, NCT, stands for “Neo Culture Technology,” I’m not going to make fun of these guesses. They are entirely plausible.

The giant egg says, “The group’s name will be …” and then the boys are shown the name, but we’re not. I’m guessing we’ll get to see it during the live broadcast part of the show. For the record, they do seem to genuinely love it. I’ve seen enough of these shows that I can catch that honest glimmer of a reaction before the finalists perform their happy reactions, and the reactions I’m seeing now look real. Because honestly, it is a cool name. I’ve always liked the name Enhypen, even though the first several times I saw it, I was mispronouncing it as “EnhyPHen."

We now cut to a montage of them rehearsing for the final test. When they take a break, it hits them that in two more days, this whole survival experience is over. Jungwon says, “It feels like we’ve all be running really fast and stopping all of a sudden.”

I understand. This show has been their world. Literally. Do any of them even remember what the outside world looks like? They all do a group hug and promise to make their final performance together an amazing one.

They gather for one last photo in front of the giant egg, and IS THAT AN UN-BLURRED LOGO ON SUNOO’S SHIRT? Jake’s shirt isn’t blurred either, although it’s partially covered by his jacket and harder to read.

Okay, that was the entire flashback, and now we return to the live finale and our finalists standing onstage, including Sunoo in his still-unblurred shirt. Namgoong Min tells us the band name has already been revealed to the finalists, and now it will finally be revealed to us. The Egg/Announcer voice says dramatically, “The seven lights that were shining individually discovered each other and grew together, and they transcend each other’s limits …” and it goes on like this for a while. These shows tend to take the band names a little too seriously, so my eyes are glazing over OH MY GOD, BTS IS HERE!

How long have they been sitting there? Was no one going to tell us they were here? We could have put out a buffet or something! Did anyone offer them a drink or a hot towel? Someone send the TXT guys through the gate to see what’s left in the I-Lander’s kitchen.

Sorry, that was just such a shock. TXT gets an introduction, but not BTS. Just … wow. Okay, back to the dramatic intro. “The seven are born as a united whole,” says the Eggnouncer. The name appears on the screen, and I just now realize there are seven letters in the name.

Namgoong Min explains the name a bit more. “Enhypen signifies how a hyphen connects a word with another word to create a new meaning.” He goes on to describe the name in the grandiose, self-congratulatory way these shows tend to do. Like I said, I think it’s a cool name, and I’m really glad there’s no ampersand in it, but calm down already.

We get a long segment where the producers/judges talk about why they think it’s such an amazing, meaningful, and profound name. While they drone on, I go online and find a random K-pop group name generator. I give it a spin and get the name NOD Genesis. Give me an edible and about twenty minutes, and I can come up with a grandiose meaning for that name as well. Same with my other spin results:  U1N SOUL, BOS Generation, and KLOG.

While the bigwigs talk about how great the band name is, the show keeps cutting back to BTS, which is not a great idea because they look bored and exhausted. I guess Namgoong Min notices, because he suddenly turns to them and says, “BTS, I’m sure you remember the first time when you received your group name. So how did you feel back then, and what do you think of the name Enhypen?”

BTS Leader RM speaks for the group, and why is this color palatte so drab? Who designed these sets? RM says that for a long time, BTS couldn’t tell anyone but close family what their band name was, so that’s a painful memory. But he likes the name Enhypen.

That’s an unexpectedly sad answer with a lot to unpack, but we have to keep this show moving. Our host says it’s time for the final group performance. And then everyone just stands there for several seconds. No one moves. Why are these finales so weirdly awkward?

Finally, our boys get their cue to begin. Right away, I’m digging the lasers. Let’s Do This, one last time!

The performance is wild and exciting. What’s frustrating is that you wouldn’t know how exciting it was from the reaction shots we’re getting of BTS and the judges. Everyone looks like they’re falling asleep. I know they’ve been on this set for hours, and the show couldn’t get a real audience because of the COVID lockdowns, but in that case, maybe just skip the reaction shots.

Our host asks the judges for their feedback on the performance, and of course, they go on about how great they were and how far they’ve come. This goes on for a while. Then our host asks BTS to give their feedback. I feel sorry for TXT. Absolutely no one is paying any attention to them.

J-Hope speaks for BTS this time, saying how much they enjoyed the performance. He tells them to keep working hard and putting passion and effort into their performances. That’s perfectly on-brand for J-Hope, who I’ve always considered the beating heart of the group. Next, Jimin praises the finalists’ performance, and BTS all just looks so tired. Doing these live finales can’t be much fun. Jimin says something really sweet, though, reminding the group members to always look out for each other and encourage each other. Finally, Jungkook singles out Jungwon for praise and tells him not to forget how he feels in this moment.

Our host tells us the voting will come to an end in a few minutes, and it will be time to pick our band members. But first, a final gift is given to our finalists, and we’ll see it in yet another flashback. God, do these shows drag on.

We flash back to the day before the finale. Everyone takes a break from rehearsal to grab some dinner. When they get to the kitchen, they find special lunch boxes for each of them, courtesy of their parents. They are getting home-cooked meals. They also get handwritten notes from their loved ones. (It would be great if one of them said, “PLEASE COME HOME. YOU CAN STILL GET INTO LAW SCHOOL.” Or, from a sibling: “THAT’S MY SHIRT YOU’RE WEARING IN EPISODE SEVEN! I KNEW YOU TOOK IT!”)

Some of the notes are funny, though. As they eat, Heeseung tells Jay, “My older brother says he likes you more than me.” I love it. This is the second episode in which family members of the other finalists talk about how much they like Jay. The boys record a video thanking their parents, and they’re so wholesome and genuinely sweet that I need to move on. My cynical soul can only take so much pure goodness at once.

Now we get dramatic music, and the Eggnouncer saying that global voting is now closed. We end the flashback and return to Namgoong Min, who chats with the eliminated contestants in the audience. We cut to another flashback scene, where we learn that these contestants had returned to the I-Land to visit the finalists a few days ago. It’s really sweet, but again, it’s filler, so I fast-forward through it. There is no need for these finales to be this long. Bottom line: there’s a big reunion, and they all rehearse a song to perform together at the finale.

We return to the live broadcast, and it’s pretty cool to see our 22 I-Landers performing the signal song together. It’s too bad Yoowon’s injuries didn’t heal in time for him to come back and be a part of this.

Now Shin Ah Young comes back to read some live comments from the fans on social media. I really wish the cameras would stop cutting to TXT and BTS, who have just been staring blankly at the proceedings all night.

Translation: "No matter what the result, we'll always be proud of you!"

She Facetimes with some of the fans watching the show, and I’m fast-forwarding again. My God, this is a snooze. We finally cut back to the main stage, where something finally happens. Namgoong Min’s clip-on mic goes on the fritz. We cut back to a wide shot, but the loud music isn’t loud enough to cover the sound of the production crew yelling about the sound problem. Someone races up and gives the host a handheld mic, and now we’re back on track.

Namgoong Min says we’re about to learn who the members of Enhypen are, but first, we need more color commentary from BTS, who I’m sure will be firing their manager after this.

Suga (Yoongi) of BTS

Now, here’s where it gets really weird. Our host asks BTS how they felt when their debut members were chosen, but I’m pretty sure BTS wasn’t formed this way. Yes, some members auditioned, but the question doesn’t really apply, and you’d think our host would know that about the biggest K-pop band in the world on a television show being run by their own label, so after an awkward silence, Jin takes the mic and expertly deflects, talking about how it felt to make their debut and how he wishes Enhypen a long and successful career. Nice save, Jin.

Next, we get an absolutely fantastic moment. This is my favorite moment of the episode, possibly the entire series. Yoongi, also known as Suga, takes the mic. Now, you may think it’s a bad idea to give the microphone to a man who is clearly running on fumes at this point, especially when he is on live broadcast television, but I ask you to withhold judgement for now.

Here are Suga’s comments, in their entirety:

Suga then quietly hands the mic to V and gives a thumbs-up to the camera.  I am on the floor, laughing until I can hardly breathe. I replay this about fifteen times. Never mind my bias in this group. At this moment, Suga is my favorite person in the entire history of this planet on which we live.

There is a pause, and then we get too much of a wide shot to see the reaction on Namgoong Min’s face. Instead, he just says, as diplomatically as possible, “Live broadcast is always so nerve-wracking.” He pauses again, trying to find a dignified way out of this, and again I start laughing so hard, I’m wondering if I’ll ever be able to get this recap finished.

Our host is then contractually obligated to ask BTS another question, and I would be perfectly happy to have BTS slur their answers in complete manic exhaustion for the rest of this show, and then just have the show’s producers list the winning Enhypen members in the ending credits.

Namgoong Min asks what BTS remembers most from the day they visited the I-Land. Suga has somehow gotten his hands on another mic, but V still has his own mic, and group Leader RM is gesturing for V to speak RIGHT NOW, so V decides to give it a shot. V is also clearly exhausted but manages to say he remembers there was so much food in the I-Land.

Reaction shots while BTS is talking.

The other BTS members start talking over him in an attempt to restore some semblance of professionalism and failing spectacularly because I literally do not know what they’re trying to say, and neither do the translators.

RM finally snatches the mic – remember, this is LIVE BROADCAST TELEVISION – and says, “My apologies. We’re falling apart here, and I’m sorry.” The camera cuts back to our finalists standing awkwardly onstage, watching their favorite group scramble madly through the hurricane of word salad they are spewing everywhere.

And then, just when you think it’s over, the impossible happens. Namgoong Min, a distinguished actor who has won four awards for artistic excellence from the Korean Broadcasting System over his incredibly impressive career, has to ask BTS yet another question.

I’m willing to bet any amount of money that he also fired his manager after this broadcast.

He asks J-Hope, an avid viewer of the show, what his favorite scenes have been from the series. I desperately want J-Hope to answer, “The scene that we’re doing right now!” But J-Hope manages to pull it together and says he enjoyed the BTS Song Test the I-Landers did. He thanks them for performing the BTS songs so well. J-Hope also enjoyed the scenes of the I-Landers opening their gifts from BTS and adds that he finds Jay hilarious. He ends with the battle cry, “Fighting!"

J-Hope of BTS and Jay

This was a very dignified, yet fun and J-Hopian response. Namgoong Min really should quit while he’s ahead. But no, he asks BTS to give some final words of encouragement to our finalists.

BTS clearly wasn’t expecting another question. They look at each other in confusion, and then group maknae Jungkook takes the mic. He manages to say some kind, dignified words, followed by RM and V who do the same, and then we return to our regularly scheduled, long, drawn-out broadcast. Thank God for BTS.

Now, FINALLY, we will learn who the seven members of Enhypen are. We get big, dramatic music and sweeping spotlights. We’re going to start with the six winners decided by global voting.

As always with these finales, we get long, dramatic pauses after each sentence while the finalists try not to collapse from stress.

Our first member came in fifth place with over 1.1 million votes. We get clues about who it might be until I want to punch my computer screen. After watching six of these survival shows already, this isn’t even suspenseful. It’s just tedious.

We get reaction shots from TXT. In the most dramatic part of the show, they still manage to look exhausted. I’m pretty sure one of them is asleep. Just move this thing along already.

We finally get the name of the fifth place winner. It’s Heeseung. After training for three years, this all-rounder finally gets in. He used to train with TXT, and now they get to see him get chosen to debut. (That oughta wake them up.) He’s stayed at the I-Land the entire show. And now he’s the first announced member of Enhypen.

The second member is announced. (I’m fast-forwarding through the long pauses.) In fourth place, it’s Ni-Ki. Our sixteen year-old Japanese finalist will be the maknae and main dancer of Enhypen. He has been through a LOT on this show, including a strange villain arc in the beginning, when he voted his bestie Ta-Ki out of the I-Land and sent him to the Ground.

Ni-Ki is overcome with tears when his name is announced, and the others surround him to shield him from the camera while he pulls himself together. He can barely make it through his thank-yous.

Now for the third place winner.

It’s Jake. Our trainee who’s been living in Australia since age nine and returned to Korea to chase his dream will now get to debut. He’s only been a trainee for nine months, so that’s really impressive. He’s done well on this show, being sent to the Ground only once.

Jake keeps clutching his chest, and I hope there’s a paramedic on standby. He makes it through his thank-yous without keeling over and joins his Enhypen bandmates.

Now for the second place winner. The dramatic pauses go on for a solid two minutes. Finally, we get the name.

It’s Seattle Jay! After seeing everything he has been through on this show, I am so happy he made it into Enhypen. He’s stunned but manages not to cry. He looks shocked and overjoyed before returning to his usual swagger. He is very grateful in his remarks but can’t hid that big smile. BTS looks especially happy that he made it. I get the feeling he’s been a general fan favorite, as well as a favorite of his fellow I-Landers’ families.

Our next member of Enhypen is Jungwon, our new group’s Leader. He’s been at the I-Land for the entire show, although there was a close call when K used an exemption to save him from being sent to the Ground and another when he was almost eliminated in the rankings.

He’s in shock. The others have to shake him a little to bring him back.

Two spots left.

Our next member, after enduring another long, dragged-out couple of minutes of suspense, is Sunghoon. He gave up an 11-year career as a figure skater, and it has paid off. He was Jay’s teammate coming into the show and stayed at the I-Land for the entire series.

We now have the six audience-voted Enhypen members. It’s now time for the judges’ choice, and if you thought the other announcements took forever, you are not prepared for this. The judges still have to decide. They now gather to discuss. I start timing it the minute Namgoong Min says they need to make their decision and stop when the judges are ready. It takes five full minutes. No exaggeration. Five full minutes, and even longer to say the name.

Of course, it’s Sunoo. We knew it was going to be him because we know who Enhypen is, but this is not the outcome I would have predicted. We’ll get to that in a second.

Sunoo is our trainee of ten months who has had mostly a great run on the series. He arguably had an evil edit early in the series, but he managed to overcome it.

Now. Let’s talk about K and Daniel. Here is the moment when Sunoo’s name is announced:

K doesn’t just look crushed. He looks spiritually defeated. He’s 24 years old and has been training for about three years (including this show). He was Number One in the last ranking. I cannot imagine what is going through his head right now, but I can tell you that when this aired, his fans were PISSED. There was an internet conspiracy that once Ni-Ki won the audience vote, the judges decided they didn’t want two Japanese members in the same group. There is no evidence to support this, but after watching Boys Planet, I find it a believable possibility.

We know that K is going to make it as a member of &Team with fellow eliminated  I-Landers EJ, Ta-Ki, and Nicholas. But he’ll have to go through another survival reality show to get there. Right now, he just looks like he has nothing left to give.

Now for fifteen year-old Daniel. He’s been looking anxious all during this finale, biting his lip and staring wide-eyed at the camera. He pulls it together to congratulate Sunoo, but I can’t find a happy ending for him. Just like The Cadet (Lee Jae Eok) from Wild Idol, I can’t find much on Daniel, and it’s been four years. What I could find is that he continued being a trainee and was supposed to debut with another group, but that didn’t happen. He should be 19 or 20 years old now. His Instagram is gone after a scandal in which he posted a picture of himself dropping his pants. I don’t think he’s okay.

Daniel and Jae Eok, wherever you are, I hope you’re both hanging in there and finding a path in your lives that makes you happy. I’ll keep checking for you online every once in a while, hoping for good news.

Okay. Let’s wrap this up.

Namgoong Min tells us that K and Daniel are eliminated. We know. You broke them. Let them go home now. Please don’t make them stay up there and make speeches.

Sunoo steps forward and says his thank-yous. But no one looks happy. BTS looks upset. The judges look upset. The eliminated I-Landers in the audience look upset. It’s not that we don’t think Sunoo deserves this win – he totally does. But we just watched K and Daniel get emotionally shattered. It’s all we can focus on. Sunoo is being robbed of the joy of this moment because when he looks out into the audience and gives his heartfelt thanks, he gets sullen faces avoiding his gaze.

Reaction shots during Sunoo's thank-you speech

And, of course, this show makes K and Daniel give final remarks. This is beyond cruel. It’s agonizing to watch K and Daniel try to speak while everyone, including even the winning members, is devastated.

Daniel gets through it as positively as he can. K, on the other hand, lifts his mic and then lowers it like it’s too heavy. After several seconds, he finally speaks. He struggles with each sentence, thanking everyone for the opportunity and vowing to go on. Over on the winners’ podium, Ni-Ki is sobbing.

Bang Si Hyuk tells them he knows they are heartbroken, but they shouldn’t give up. He adds, “I can confidently tell you that your dreams will come true.” I think of Daniel and his Instagram photos, and I just want to pick up my chair and smash it over Bang Si Hyuk’s head.

He vows to help K and Daniel. Well, he did help K. I’ll give him that. &Team is on the HYBE label, a division of Big Hit Entertainment. But Daniel wound up with a different company called Pledis, and then he disappeared.

Namgoong Min now has to try to cheer up the depressed room by hyping up Enhypen, a new band whose members are still ugly-crying on the winners’ podium. He tells them to move to the main stage now that K and Daniel are thankfully allowed to leave.

Our shellshocked debut group stands on the stage and stares out into the dark rows of seats where an audience of fans should be. Our host announces each of their names again. None of them are smiling. I’m a little concerned about Ni-Ki. He does not look like a newly-crowned K-pop idol whose dreams have just come true. He looks like a kid who’s been sentenced to juvie until he’s eighteen.

A confetti cannon goes off behind them, scaring the bejeezus out of all of them, and then they gather into a group huddle.

We’re supposed to see a new band forming a strong bond. I guess that’s a good way to describe trauma-bonding, so I’ll agree.

Our host tells Bang Si Hyuk to give a congratulatory message, but I’ve had enough of him at this point, so I skip through it. BTS and TXT are asked to say a few words. Jimin from BTS congratulates them. He’s as dignified as possible for someone who is clearly about to drop. Same with the TXT rep whose name we’re not given and who looks like he was violently shaken awake before being handed a microphone.

Namgoong Min thanks the global viewers and asks them to support Enhypen, who still have not cracked a smile. The final credits roll, and we get one joyful moment when Ta-Ki races from his seat and slams into Ni-Ki so hard for a big hug, he almost knocks his bestie off the stage.

Over the past four years, Enhypen has sold millions of records, travelled the world on three tours, and became ambassadors for luxury clothing and skin care brands. They’re still going strong.

It’s been a long finale and a long five days as I’ve watched it, taken notes and done research, and written this recap. It’s also been a long, nearly eight-month recap project.

I’m going to take a break and post these recaps online somewhere. Eventually, I’d like to start watching and recapping these shows again. See you all next episode, whatever show it is!