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born-to-eng-sub · 2 years

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2022.11.18 Seo Eunkwang Theatre+ Interview English Translation

Original Korean article here. Interviewer's questions in bold.

Please credit Born To Eng Sub if you post excerpts anywhere.

[COVER STORY] Never Ending Story: Actor Seo Eunkwang

As the leader of an idol group, as a vocalist who gets recognition, as a 10-year musical actor, Seo Eunkwang never treats any dream recklessly and shines today.

editor: Son Jeongeun; photographer: Kim Taewoo; stylist: Park Hyejeong, Jeon Sohyeon; Hair: Taehyeon (Mijangwon by Taehyeon); makeup: Hana (Mijangwon by Taehyeon)

In the defining number 'A Musical' from musical "Something Rotten," famous musical numbers are wittily melded together. You may wonder why we're bringing up a past work, but the start of this story was 2 years ago. Back then, in a video interview with Theatre Plus, we asked if there was a musical parodied in that number that Seo Eunkwang would want to participate in, and without hesitation he answered "Jesus Christ Superstar." "It would be so great if I could do that musical with Michael (Lee)," he said and in two years that has become reality.

The musical "Jesus Christ Superstar" was created fifty years ago by the musical world's virtuoso composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyricist Tim Rice. It interprets the story of the seven days before the death of Jesus from an unconventional perspective, and became a topic as it stood at the center of several controversies. It was a work so ahead of its time that even now, a long time later, you can still feel how unconventional it is. One wonders what kind of message it will throw to the audiences of 2022. We asked Seo Eunkwang, playing the role of Judas, to tell us about this work which is being performed again in Korea after 7 years.

You mentioned that your dream work was "Jesus Christ Superstar" in a number of interviews. How does it feel to have that dream come true?

Like I've said, this is one of the works I wanted to try doing the most, so it makes me want to do a really good job. While I've been doing musicals, I think this is the first one that's made me feel this much pressure. And the thing that adds even more pressure is that this is the 50th anniversary performance. It's even the first time it's been performed (in Korea) in 7 years. Since I know that so many people have so much interest, I'm working very hard to prepare. It's such an honor to be able to participate. I'm very happy.

You mentioned that your dream role was Jesus, but this time you ended up with the role of Judas.

I wondered what kind of feeling it would be to stand onstage as Jesus, and that kind of expectation led me to say I wanted to play Jesus. I'm still not good enough for that role, so I think I'll have to build up more years of experience first. And Judas is very impressive and has a lot of charm, so I'm really into him. The Judas numbers are very intense, so on one hand it's very difficult.

Like you said, this work has a reputation for having very difficult musical numbers. You're famous yourself for being good at singing, but it must feel very different to be engaged in this work.

Since the Judas numbers "Heaven on their Minds" and "Superstar" are so famous, a lot of people probably know them, but as I've actually been starting work on the show, there are also a lot of other difficult songs. I was shocked the first time I started practicing. The number "Judas' Death" which he sings just before dying is incredible. And besides that all the other songs are hard, too. Three or four songs are in the range of the top of the second octave, even playing into the third octave, which is just ridiculous for a male role. It makes me wonder what the composer was thinking when he composed them.

And also all the different Judas actors have interpreted the songs in their own different ways.

That's why practice was so hard. The work itself is very free. The melody line is set, but everyone has sung it with their own style. So after absorbing the sheet music, changing it to fit my own style was really extremely hard. It was my first time doing such a free work, so it was very new for me.

Recently on a livestream you showed yourself practicing "Heaven on their Minds." It was like getting a taste of Seo Eunkwang's Judas.

Now I'd like to delete the video. At the time, after practicing a few songs including Western ones, I started livestreaming because I wanted to show that, but I really regret showing this song in advance. Since I was just practicing, there were a lot of parts that were lacking. It's a relief that the fans like it, but next time I'll have to be more thorough.

Even though it was practice, that in itself makes you feel like it was lacking, I guess.

When singing, I want to show a perfect side of myself. Compared to the past, I've let go a lot. When I was young, I felt that way strongly, but lately I've thought that I wanted to show my growth through even the imperfect side of myself. That's why I showed myself practicing, but afterwards as time has gone on I've felt regretful about it. "I could have done it better," I think.

There are a lot of videos where your fellow BTOB member and musical theater actor Lee Changsub sings the number "Gethsemane." It makes me wonder if the two of you might do this work together someday.

We tend to sing for fun, and we both really like that song. If someday Changsub could play Judas and I could play Jesus and we could stand on stage together, that would be a dream come true. Wow, just imagining it is amazing.

Judas is a person who's remembered as a betrayer. But in this work, he's drawn as a revolutionary, which became a hot topic.

I also only knew Judas as a betrayer. But while preparing for this work, the other day I asked my mom while we were eating. My mom is an elder and is very devout. I asked, "What do you think about Judas?" and what she told me is very similar to how I'm interpreting Judas now. Most people think of him as a betrayer, but how much must he have worried and thought over his decision up until he sold Jesus out, and what kinds of thoughts must he have had when he heard Jesus predict that he would betray him. She told me that must not have been an easy decision, and that put part of my mind at ease. I thought that I could express Judas as much as I wanted and the people watching would fully accept that. I had a lot of worries, but thanks to that I became a bit freer.

What kinds of things were you worrying about?

The hardest part was that the character of Judas isn't explained very well. In the Bible, he's mostly portrayed as a traitor, so most of the audience will come in with only that background for him. You can't help but come in with those biases. But within this work, rather than being a betrayer, he loves Jesus so much and reveals his own beliefs so strongly, and those beliefs are so clear. So my homework was to portray that well. Also my own image tends to be strongly of someone very bright and happy, on top of my build being on the small side, so I worried about how best to capture the character in order to explain him well.

In the role of Jesus, actors Michael Lee and Im Taegyeong have returned. What is the difference between the two Jesuses?

We're still in the practice stage, but I feel like Michael Lee sunbaenim's Jesus feels more like a friend. He mentioned that this season he wanted to show a more human side. So when we practice, I feel those parts and there's a closeness to it. I think Im Taegyeong sunbaenim's Jesus feels a little more divine. Rather than a friend, he feels like a teacher or a father.

It's been 50 years since this work was shown to the world for the first time. Yet the modifier of "unconventional" always seems to follow it even now.

Actually, I had never seen this musical before, myself. It's being performed in Korea for the first time in 7 years, and there aren't a lot of videos. I had only heard of it indirectly, and the reviews of audiences who saw it in the past were quite cutting. People say it's very serious and can be very polarizing, and due to the fact that it's all sung-through people could get bored, and as a rock musical the songs can be unfamiliar. I was also very nervous when practices started, but everything was a lot more fun than I expected.

In particular, I think there are a lot of reviews that say it can be polarizing.

I saw a lot of those reviews, too. But when it actually came down to doing it, it was very fun. Is that because I'm on the "liking it" side of the polarizing divide? (laughs)

Then please appeal to the audiences and tell them why you ended up liking it.

First of all, the development is very clear so the storyline progresses well on its own. The musical numbers are very convincing, as well. Seeing Jesus' more human side is very fresh and shocking, so it's not boring and has a lot of new charm to it. At first when people I knew told me they were going to see this musical, I, too, responded by saying "It's so polarizing, and it can be unfamiliar because it's sung-through." But now I say "Guys, this is so fun! You can expect good things from it," to people. It's a work that's snappy and full of charm.

Have you ever felt, like your character, that you are being led by a fate you can't refuse?

With my personality, I tend to accept things rather than try to refuse them. Even when I'm exhausted, I tend to think that if I can just get through this time then things will get better later. So I don't think I've had very many times when I feel like things are so hard that I break down. I live happily and enjoyably. I like living.

Just because you say you're happy, I'm sure you've still had hard times. How do you get through those times?

Of course I have hard times, too. When that happens, I try to work things out in a good direction, and I think that someday things will get better.

You must have what they call a good mentality about things.

I do think that I do. I've never doubted it.

This year BTOB reached their 10th anniversary. And you're also in your tenth year of doing musicals.

My debut in the group and my debut in musicals were just about a year apart. I've been doing musicals since I was 23, and back then there were a lot of things that were hard. Because I was young and an idol, I got a lot of various attention, and because of that I felt a lot of pressure to do a better job. Now I'm finally in the hyung line! [Someone with relatively more experience who is relatively older.] As I've been consistently working, now there are more people junior to me, so I'm a lot more comfortable now. I've always been the style to be less reserved with people younger than me. And now that I can work again with actors and staff I've already worked with, the practice room has also become more comfortable and I feel like I can try doing more new things.

When you look back, what is the most memorable period for you?

The thing that comes to mind the most is the practice room for my first musical, "Monte Cristo." I remember being so nervous I was shaking like a leaf. Back then I played Albert and Im Taegyeong sunbaenim played the Monte Cristo role with me, so I was so happy to see him again this time. It had been a long time, but I was so thankful that he greeted me so happily.

You've been consistently appearing on the musical stage. What kinds of charms do musicals have that they keep leading you to the stage?

I think the best thing is that through a musical work, you can live as various different people. I don't think I could really perceive it clearly until now, but this time thanks to this work I could strongly feel it. I thought "Wow, the works I've done up until now were really amazing." The thing that played the greatest part in leading me to realize that was Director Hong Seunghui, who is directing this time. The director always tells me to do things the way I want to, and asks me how I feel about each scene. The director tells me to follow my emotions and move the way I feel. I think I was able to immerse myself more in the role when I practiced because I was able to fully become Judas. So with this musical, I think I felt the good points of musicals even more.

So when you approach your character, what point do you start from?

Of course with each character you have to show a different side of yourself, but at first I work hard to find things that go well with me. When I look at myself, the nice way of saying it is that I have a strong identity, and the not-so-nice way of saying it is that I am a person who sticks out a lot. Because Seo Eunkwang is that kind of person, I think that if I only try to match things generally without melding more thoroughly, then I can't blend with the character well. So I try to find and bring out the most Seo Eunkwang-like parts of myself.

So then of the characters you've played so far, who was the most Seo Eunkwang-like one?

The character who fit me best was Nick Bottom from "Something Rotten." I barely had to add anything. I didn't need to immerse myself, he was just me so it was very easy. However, the tap dancing and other dancing, as well as the large amount of lines I had to memorize did make things harder, but when I think of the character it was so much fun. I think it might have been the only work I've done that was that comfortable for me.

With this work, you've achieved a dream of yours. What's your next goal?

I want to try something really shocking. Like Lola in "Kinky Boots."

You always have precise goals. And it seems like your goals are designed to challenge yourself.

I think you should always make goals for yourself. You need to have goals in order to prepare thoroughly and make progress. It's not just for musicals, I can only grow as a vocalist and singer when I make goals for myself, as well. And I always like a challenge. That's more fun, and I think I'm more proud of the result, as well.

Is that the reason that you appear on so many singing competition shows, too?

I went on a lot of them for that reason, but to tell the truth because of that I've been considering things a lot. I feel like I've been showing myself too much lately, and now maybe it's time to take a break for a bit. I asked my vocal teacher about these worries, but my teacher said "Eunkwang, you need to do these in order to grow." A person like me has to make goals and run towards them, as my teacher also knows. In order to even reach the general ballpark, I have to set clear goals and move towards them.

You're the kind of person who whips yourself into shape, I guess.

That's right, that's how I live. That can be my driving force. When I hear compliments, it feels nice, but it doesn't really help me to improve. So I also seek out negative comments. It lets me know what I need to work on. If it's not a helpful comment, I do pass it by, but for some negative comments I feel like if I can take them in, then I can make it so that I won't hear those comments anymore. I try to use them in a positive direction. When I do musicals, I look for a lot of audience reviews. I really look at everything. Be careful, everyone. (laughs)

You'll reach your 10th year anniversary of being a musical actor next year. What kind of musical actor do you want to be remembered as to audiences?

I want to be a truthful actor. An actor whose sincerity can be felt on every stage. And I want to continue to show my growth in the future. Of course I will continue to work hard and do my best. Since I'll continue to stand on stage and pour my heart into it, please continue to support me. And I'd like it if a lot of people could get good energy from me. As someone who is living through this time, I want to show that I'm living my life to the fullest. Let's all live the best we can.

#btob #seo eunkwang #eunkwang #kpop #musicals #jesus christ superstar #theatre plus #whew this ended up being pretty long but at least it's finished #please forgive any mistakes #gotta say it's a lot more comfortable translating longer texts on tumblr tho #if I do any more article translations they'll show up here #magazine article #article #born to eng sub #borntoengsub #korean magazine article translation #translation

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anna-scribbles · 7 months

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vive la résistance and happy halloween!

#if i made any mistakes about the condiments please forgive me. i’m not french #happy halloween from comrade mayonnaise🤍#ml #miraculous ladybug #my art #adrien agreste #marinette dupain cheng #alya cesaire #nino lahiffe #mlb #my favorite line in this is nino saying ‘i’m gonna count to three’#guy with a little brother.#alya and nino having siblings and marinette and adrien being only children makes so much sense to me #happy halloween!!!!!!

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daily-dose-of-bucket · 14 days

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Day 77: my measly contribution to mermay before it's over

I decided to make her a Japan blue guppy and I also gave her a fun little outfit because I was feeling silly. And Kugie is a hermit crab using Kanna's bucket as a shell. Don't worry about the logic here.

The scales texture is by jojo-ojoj on DeviantArt!

#your turn to die #yttd #kanna kizuchi #a kanna a day #my post #my art #mermay #kugie is here too #i wanted to make the outfit simple but not too simple. i think it fits kanna personally #though i forgot i wanted to also add something reddish to her chest area like a necklace in place of the original bow... oh well #i dont know much about fish so please forgive any mistakes

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jakehoon · 7 months

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· ˚ ˖ IT GIRL * a character template

this is a free character template to celebrate a character's birthday. this template is made with png and requires basic ps knowledge. the fonts used are spicy rise, poppins & elychalk by tzxico. click the source to download. credit is not necessary but please give a like or reblog to support.

#psd template #character template #template psd #rph #dailyresources #character psd #rpc #free template #montsecore #my first character template hope y'all like it 🥺#now i will proceed to disappear again for another year #lmao #i'm doing this on an impulse at 11 pm please forgive and ignore any mistakes from my part 😭

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ratinayellowbandana · 5 months

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Hound "baby boy" of Ill Omen for prompts!

first off, thank you for carrying this whole ship on your back. you are our strongest soldier and we appreciate you.

second, even more thanks for sending this my way! I hope this is something like what you had in mind!

if anyone else sees this and would like to toss a little prompt my way, feel free :)

wc: 934

cw: body horror…kind of? it��s just canonically what the good boy looks like

~~~

Imogen loves Laudna. She does. Quite a lot, in fact.

Because it is a fact.

It may as well be written in stone. In the stars. Recorded on one of those dusty scrolls in elegant script and stuck on a shelf in some stuffy library for the next bored student who may happen across it and learn of two witches who saved the world.

Laudna, it must be noted, is a woman of many quirks.

And Imogen, it must be noted, adores her for them.

They are just as much a part of Laudna as the angle of her nose, the brightness in her eyes. As are her projects, macabre and scrounged as they often are, and so Imogen adores them, too.

(If it takes her a moment to come around, Laudna must never know. Each new creation, presented to Imogen with all the glee of a child in a sweets shop, will only ever be met with enthusiasm. Laudna, she knows, has spent too long squirreling away the odd parts of herself. Imogen is determined to recover them.)

“Come here, darling,” Laudna calls, and the flesh-and-bone creature that scared the everloving fuck out of Imogen the first time he burst from his maker’s chest trots happily to her side, tongue lolling from a fleshless snout.

The hound twines between Laudna’s legs, and she lifts her skirts to allow him through. He leans heavily against the inside of her knee, and Laudna beams. She bends at the waist to wrap the creature in spindly arms. His back arches, and Imogen can hear the vertebrae curving, clacking, as Laudna scratches behind his one intact ear. The ichor-tipped remnant of a tail begins to wag, shaking them both with the force of it.

He spots Imogen several paces away, and his green eyes glow, peering at her curiously.

Laudna has stopped her scritches, and the hound tilts his big head. Laudna looks up, meets Imogen’s fond gaze, and her lips split into a wide grin.

“Go on,” she pats the creature’s sides encouragingly, “say hello if you like.”

The hellhound bounds forward, released from his command.

Imogen recalls the day he learned his tricks.

Laudna had found Imogen lounging beneath a copse of trees one afternoon, just as the sun was beginning to sink, casting the forest in dappled shades of orange and gold. The festering hound loped diligently at her heels. His paws colored the leaf-strewn ground iridescent black in their wake.

“Look!” Laudna had said, chest puffed. She turned to her newest creation and pointed one finger. “You’ve been so obedient all afternoon. I’ll see about giving you something from my collection if your other mom approves of your skills. I should have a deer leg that will suit you nicely.” She contemplated for a moment. “Ready?”

The hound stretched into a bow, muscle snapping over exposed bone, yawned, and shook. Drops of blood and ichor spattered the clearing, but Imogen hardly noticed, too caught up in Laudna’s casual statement.

She had said it nonchalantly, as if she hadn’t just gifted Imogen something extraordinarily precious. As if Imogen’s senses hadn’t suddenly gone askew. As if she hadn’t just sent Imogen’s worldview slip-sliding into something new and dangerous and so welcome that it felt like a homecoming. Her mind spun until she was almost giddy with it. She wondered, then, how something said so simply could feel so significant. If Laudna understood what she had done.

She had appointed Imogen the caretaker of a fragment of her soul. Of a creature that had been born of her, born from her. Crafted from the essence of her with whispered words and a desire to protect.

“Imogen?” Laudna had said then, “Are you ready?”

And Imogen had glanced between Laudna and her hound, who sat on bleeding haunches and looked expectantly at his mother, and it was all she could do to swallow the creak in her throat.

“Let’s see what you can do.”

Now, as the hound nearly bowls her over, Imogen cannot find it within herself to be mad at him. Not even at the dark stains on her dress. They’ll come out with a prestidigitation or two. She knows from experience.

She falls back in the grass and stares down twin emeralds. A broad tongue laps the side of her face, and she laughs, trying to dodge a cold, wet nose against her cheek. Her hands come up to cup the sides of his muzzle.

“Hi, baby boy,” she coos. She rubs at his ears, and he presses harder into her palm, groaning loudly. She can feel the vibration in her chest.

Laudna scolds, “What have I said about knocking people over?” Her hands rest firmly on her hips. “Honestly, Imogen, you could at least discipline him. How will he learn?”

Imogen rolls her eyes, shrugs. “I’m the fun mom. He comes to me because he knows he can’t get away with anything when you’re around.”

Laudna huffs. “I’m sorry that I want our son to be civilized.”

“Where’s the fun in that?” The hound flops to the ground, sprawling over Imogen’s outstretched legs, and she lets out an oomph of surprise. “Are you going to join us down here?”

Laudna sighs and settles beside Imogen, resting her head on Imogen’s shoulder. She runs her hands over the creature’s exposed belly, avoiding the biggest of the perpetually oozing wounds. His jaw unhinges happily. His tail thumps a steady rhythm against her shin.

Imogen presses a kiss to the top of Laudna’s head, and Laudna relaxes into her.

A soft smile spreads across Imogen’s lips.

#this was written in an hour on the highway so please forgive any mistakes #I adore the baby boy #but for real many thanks for letting me take a stab at this #always honored to see you pop up in my notes :)#hope this works!#prompt fill #my fic #imodna #imodna fanfic #critical role #laudna #imogen temult #hound of ill omen #fic #cr3 #critical role fanfiction #ask #horse-immorality

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ohhyperbola · 27 days

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tw for gorey imagery

okay so basically him. I copied his hat from a photo bc I got lazy and didn't want to bear with drawing it for n'th time.

#i was actually considering making a mod that would change hancock's texture to make it more ghoulish (like fallout nv/3)#tbh i feel kind of shy posting it #my way of thinking is very. speficic. difficult even.#please forgive me for any digital painting mistakes I truly dont know what i was doing #john hancock #fallout 4 #fo4 john hancock #fanart #fallout #art #digital art #illustration

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tleeaves · 2 months

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Folks going "WHAT they made a show about the Fallout franchise?? I've been hearing people say Bethesda messed it up, but I haven't watched it myself, so I'm going to trust the word of other people -- some of which also haven't finished watching it" is driving me insane.

Being a hard core fan of something obviously brings with it a lot of passionate feelings when adaptations come into play. Of course, there's going to be people going "but in 8 episodes of the first ever season they made, they didn't explore Theme C or D, didn't introduce factions E and F and G, and because the source company is notorious for its scams, we and everyone else who's a TRUE fan should hate it".

The Amazon Original series Fallout follows the videogame franchise of the same name. It is a labour of love and you can tell by the attention to detail, the writing, the sets, and YES THE THEMES ARGUE WITH THE WALL. It's clearly fan service. I mean, the very characterisation of Lucy is a deadringer for someone playing a Fallout game for the first time. She embodies the innocent player whose expectations drastically change in a game that breaks your heart over and over again. Of course, she's also the vessel through which we explore a lot of themes, but I'll get to that.

There're some folks arguing that the show retcons the games, and I gotta say... for a website practically built on fandom culture, why are we so violently against the idea of someone basing an adaptation on a franchise that so easily lends itself to new and interesting interpretations? But to be frank, a lot of what AO's Fallout is not that new. We have: naive Vault dweller, sexy traumatised ghoul that people who aren't cowards will thirst over, and pathetic guy from a militaristic faction. We also have: total atomic annihilation, and literally in-world references to the games' lore and worldbuilding constantly (the way I was shaking my sister over seeing Grognark the Barbarian, Sugar Bombs, Cram, Stimpaks, and bags of RadAway was ridiculous). Oh, and the Red Rocket?? Best pal Dogmeat? I'm definitely outing myself as specifically a Fallout 4 player, but that's not the point you should be taking away from this.

The details, the references, and the new characters -- this show is practically SCREAMING "hey look, we did this for the fans, we hope you love it as much as we do". Who cares that the characters are new, they still hold the essence of ones we used to know! And they're still interesting, so goddamn bloody interesting. Their arcs mean so much to the story, and they're told in a genuinely intriguing way. This isn't just any videogame adaptation, this was gold. This sits near Netflix's Arcane: League of Legends level in videogame adaptation. Both series create new plots out of familiar worlds.

Of course, those who've done the work have already figured out AO's Fallout is not a retcon anyway. But even if it was, that shouldn't take away from the fact that this show is actually good. Not even just good, it's great.

Were some references a little shoe-horned in to the themes by the end of the show, such as with "War never changes"? Yes, I thought so. But I love how even with a new plot and characters, they're actually still exploring the same themes and staying true to the games. I've seen folks argue otherwise, but I truly disagree. The way capitalism poisons our world, represented primarily through The American Dream and the atomic age of the 45-50s that promoted the nuclear family dynamic -- it's there. If you think it's glorifying it by leaning so heavily into in the adaptation, I feel like you're not seeing it from the right angle. It's like saying Of Mice And Men by John Steinbeck glorifies the American Dream, when both this book and the Fallout franchise are criticisms of it. If you think about it, the post-apocalyptic world of Fallout is a graveyard to the American Dream. This criticism comes from the plots that are built into every Fallout story that I know of. The Vaults are literally constructed to be their own horror story just by their mere existence, what they stand for, what happens in each of them. The whole entire show is about the preservation of the wrong things leading to fucked up worlds and people. The missions of the Vaults are time and again proven to be fruitless, unethical, plain wrong. Lucy is our brainwashed character who believed in the veritable cult she lived in before she found out the truth.

So then consider the Brotherhood of Steel. I really don't think it exists in the story to glorify the military. We see just how much the Brotherhood has brainwashed people like Max (also, anything ominously named something like "the Brotherhood" should raise eyebrows). Personally, I don't like Max, but I am intrigued by his characterisation. I thought the end of his arc was rushed the way he "came good" basically, but [SPOILERS] having him embraced as a knight in the Brotherhood at the end against his will -- finally getting something he always wanted -- and him grimly accepting it from all that we can tell? Him having that destiny forced upon him now that he's swaying? After he defected? If his storyline is meant to be a tragedy, it wouldn't surprise me, because Fallout is rife with tragedies anyway. And a tragedy would also be a criticism of the military. That's what Max's entire arc is. It goes from the microcosm focusing on the cycle of bullying between soldiers to the macro-environment where Max is being forced to continue a cycle of violence against humanity he doesn't want to anymore because a world driven to extremes forces him to choose it to survive (not to mention what a cult and no family would do to his psyche). Let's not forget what the Brotherhood's rules are: humankind is supreme. Mutants, ghouls, synths, and robots are abominations to be hated and destroyed. If you can't draw the parallels to the real world, you need to retake history and literature classes. The Brotherhood is also about preserving the wrong things, like the Vaults (like the Enclave, really). They just came about through different method. The Enclave is capitalism and twisted greed in a world where money barely exists anymore. The Brotherhood is, well, fascism plain and simple.

Are these the only factions in the Fallout franchise? Hell no. But if you're mad about that -- that they're the main ones explored, apart from the NCR -- I think you're missing the point. These themes, these reminders, are highly relevant in the current climate. In fact, I almost think they always will be relevant unless we undergo drastic change. On the surface-level, Fallout seems like the American ideal complete with guns blazing that guys in their basements jerk off to. Under that surface, is a mind-fuck story about almost the entire opposite: it's a deconstruction of American ideals that are held so closely by some, and the way that key notion of freedom gets twisted, and you're shooting a guy in-game because it's more merciful than what the world had in store for him.

I mean, the ghoul's a fucking cowboy from the wild west character he used to play in Hollywood glam and his wife was one of the people who helped blow up America in the name of capitalism and "peace". There are so many layers of this to explore, I'd need several days to try and keep track and go through it all.

The Amazon Prime show is a testament to the Fallout franchise. The message, the themes? They were not messed up or muddled or anything of the sort, in my opinion.

As for Todd Howard, that Bethesda guy, I'm sure there's perfectly valid reasons to hate him. I mean, I've hated people for a lot less valid reasons, and that's valid. We all got our feelings. But the show is about more than just him. My advice is to keep that in mind when you're judging it.

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stareyedmoonchildworks · 3 months

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Late Night Ideas: Daminette Soulmate AU II

Disclaimer: this is in no way related to my other soulmate au.

Basically, everyone is given the first initial of their soulmates' name on their wrist at the age of 12, but only upon touching your soulmate do you get to see their full name.

Think about it.

The boys are doing some recon in Paris, especially after seeing a video sent to the JL, which wasn't taken very seriously. (Side eyeing you Booster Gold.)

Anyways, they explore the city during the day, acting like tourist asking locals for their stories, and even getting some background on LB and CN. All the while, they are unknowingly passing Marinette in each place they go to.

It's pure coincidence, really. Like first time was when they pretended to be interested in getting Damian enrolled in Collège Françoise Dupont. Dick got hungry, and Tim wanted coffee, so naturally, they stopped by Marinette's family's bakery. Dick orders as Marinette's leaving, never really making contact with any of them.

Then, as they are taking a tour of the school and asking questions. Marinette is there hanging out with Adrien, who she's cool with by now. They have more of a best friend/sibling dynamic now.

Then tye next is out an about like them questioning the pigeon guy and Marinette had been their for a while now sketching away. The next a the Louvre and she's hanging out with Alix or something. So on and so forth.

You know the always within proximity but never getting the chance to meet kind thing. That is until Marinette trips or something, and her art supplies falls and it's the Wayne boys help her pick them.

Damian is holding out a few pencils for her. She's not really paying attention and embarrassed over the ordeal. She's just graving and going. Just when you think their hands are going to meet and lock eyes; feeling that click sand seeing each other's name slowly reveal itself, it doesn't happen.

She grabs the ends of the pencils and hurriedly shouts a thanks to the boys as she was in a hurry to get somewhere. Nobody thinks much of it.

Then, later that evening, there's an akuma attack. The boys were out prior to doing some discrete patrol hoping to catch a glimpse of the heros and maybe do get their statements only to be caught in the middle of it.

There is some tension between Ladybuy and Rodin, especially when they had to make a strategic retreat together with the rest. Dick was able to have them set it aside for after they defeated the akuma.

Fun times people. Fun times.

The akuma is defeated. Lucky chatm is cast, things are talked over, negotiations are made, and hand shakes are shared.

Now, because of miraculous magic, it kinda buffs the whole dramatic soylmate meeting scene, but it doesn't stop the name from forming.

When they return to their place of living and get out of costume; both Damian and Marinette are very surprised to see each other's name delicately scribed onto their wrist.

That's all I got, but if anyone wants to run with the idea, then be more than welcome to. Just be sure to give credit.

#maribat #dc x miraculous #mlb x batman xover #mlb x dc #maridami #daminette #maribat soulmate au #batboys go to paris #please forgive any spelling or grammar mistakes #it's late and i need to go to bed #that ir i need some caffeine...#i can try both maybe?#late night #late night ideas #late night thoughts

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redwitchrune · 10 hours

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happy pride month heres some gay people

#star wars #runes art #tcw #tcw fanart #obi wan kenobi #commander cody #cc 2224 #codywan #I LOVE THEM YOUR HONOR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!#i havent drawn a full piece in a long time please forgive any mistakes #cody kama inspiration credit to @/ddeck #and the antena insp to @/ivvmell #i love their cody's so much <3

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fiona-fififi · 27 days

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"Seven" Sentence Sunday

Tagged by @spotsandsocks. Thank you for the tag!

A little more of the jealous!Tommy fic because why not.

Because Christopher goes straight to Buck's other side, smile suddenly beaming for his dad and his Buck.

And it's so different how he settles in with Buck. All day, he'd been sticking close to Tommy, asking questions and showing off about his bond with his dad's cool new pilot friend. Asking for stories and telling the ones he already knew for anyone who would listen.

But now, with everyone gone and all the excitement of the day wearing off, he gravitates toward Buck. And it's something wholly different. Quiet and familiar, as Christopher tucks himself up against Buck's side. He doesn't snuggle in, really, but it's a close thing. And Buck's mentioned this before, bemoaning the way Christopher has started distancing himself a bit as a teenager, not quite as affectionate as he'd been in the years before. But Tommy can see all the quiet affection in the way Christopher settles beside him and gradually lets himself lean more into Buck's space in a way that's so familiar, it makes Tommy’s chest ache.

Not tagging because I think Sunday is over for most everyone, but consider yourself tagged if you want to participate.

#honestly i may have already shared this i don't know #also please forgive any mistakes here i'm posting without proofing as quick as i can between meetings #the jealous!tommy fic #seven sentence sunday #fic snippet #my wips #buddie #bucktommy

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llondonfog · 8 months

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twst (horror) tober — day 1 (listen)

and we're back for round 2!! to keep my sanity this year, i'm going to do my best to keep prompts to ~500 words. if some go longer, then more delight for us all, but this is to keep my expectations manageable and who knows? perhaps i might come back to some of these prompts the way that i still am so very fond of 2022's twstober drabbles :) anyways, i do hope you enjoy the first day's piece! (fun fact: this is a snippet from a fic idea i have buried away....) and of course, these will eventually go up on ao3 when i have the time<3

➤ Day 1: Listen | "Listen to me!"

Sebek is haunted.

Not in the way that his family and friends and neighbors who pass him by on the street and cast him pitying, sorrowful glances think— but oh, how he wishes that he was.

He hears their whispers and murmured commiseration, the hushed voices that speak of a lonely boy lost to the clutches of the unforgiving woods. They shake their heads weighed with grief like the cattails by the river, unable to imagine the gruesome sight that one of their own had stumbled upon— ah, but it was the nature of the world they bargained to live in. A true shame, a tragic reminder, that the youngest Zigvolt was fated to learn such realities from the death of his dearest friend.

Sebek does not correct them.

It is better to let them believe that his drained expression was on account of having found Silver's body mauled in the woods by the animals they are familiar with, rather than the true ones that lurk deep within those ancient glades. It is better to let them cling to their ignorance, to think that the madness of paranoia scratching at his spine is only too understandable by having to discover one's best friend at the scene of his death and the ensuring nightmares that would follow— not that he doesn't have nightmares, that is to say, only that the contents contain horrific figures very much among the living.

Either way, his family knows no better when they find him tangled within his bedsheets, trembling and choking on Silver's name.

No, Sebek is haunted by a presence far too real than the ghost of memory, and his unnerved fingers twitch in the curtains of his bedroom window as his sleep-deprived gaze blinks out to the forest's edge where he can see them.

Three figures where there had once been only two, weaving in and out of the tree line like fish in the stream beneath the call of the moonlight. If he squints, he can make out the lethal curl of dark ivory spouting from the top of one of the figures, and the way that the smaller of the trio does not touch the ground as it tugs their newest member along in a macabre vision of a dance that Sebek cannot pull his gaze away from no matter how hard he tries. There is no mistaking the gleam of familiar silver hair in the beguiling welcome of the night— and even from a mile away, Sebek can all too clearly hear the words that smiling, laughing mouth is speaking, as if Silver himself stood directly behind him in the stillness of his bedroom.

(He wonders if he turns to look, if the boy will surely be there as Sebek remembers him last; blood-stained and smiling so sweetly even in death as Sebek had found him, reaching in the dirt as if to take the hand of one who had led him to his doom.)

"Malleus begs of you to join us, he misses you terribly," Silver's voice all but sings against his strained thoughts, tremors anew bursting down his spine like shrapnel. "Please, Sebek— don't you remember the promises we made? Father came back for me, just as he said he would."

That thing is NOT your father, Sebek wishes to shout and scream in spite of how it would wake his entire family to the horrors lurking outside, the entities cursed to wander the woods and tempt those desperate enough to find solace in their gleaming smiles. But Silver is right, as he often is; Sebek does remember— he remembers a childhood of playing in the woods with Silver, an orphan his family had come to foster and adore. He remembers two imaginary friends who could breathe fire and fly, who could coax butterflies to dance along the breeze and flowers to bloom into the prettiest of crowns. He remembers how much Silver would cling to the affections of a figure with burning crimson eyes, and how much he would the same for a being that smiled down at him with crinkled emeralds older than time itself.

As he had grown older, such strange fantasies had become just that: the result of lonely and imaginative children left to their own devices, spinning stories in the fertile soil of an enchanting landscape. Sebek did not question the time Silver continued to spend within the shadowed trees, for the other boy always did have a unique aptitude for the local wildlife, nor did he find himself with time to spare to wonder about the dreamy smile Silver would often return with, or the odd snatches of unfamiliar songs he'd hear the boy humming tunelessly to himself.

In hindsight, he'd have grabbed a torch and burnt the whole fucking forest down.

Sebek's fingers force themselves to move with a herculean effort that he did not know himself to possess, yanking the curtains shut and blocking out the terrifying sight as Silver's voice rises and fades like radio static, a nauseating sickness pitching forward in his stomach.

"We're supposed to be a family now, Sebek, aren't you listening? Can you not hear them call for you too? I won't let them leave here without you, I promise we'll stay and wait—"

They'd already waited forty-five days. Sebek rocks forward on his heels, squeezing his eyes shut and swallows a hoarse, empty sob.

How many more remained until he found himself walking out to join them?

#lettie writes #twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland silver #twst silver #lilia vanrouge #twst lilia #malleus draconia #twst malleus #diasomnia #sebek zigvolt #twst sebek #i am EXCITED HAPPY HALLOWEENNNN #i'm just going to have a lot of fun with these when i can #literally writing these the day of ok forgive any mistakes please #twstober is so special to me; i had a lot of fun last year reconnecting with my love for writing #and i'm hoping to do the same this year #just have fun and see where the prompts take us on this delightfully awful ride!!

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