#my babygirl sho

[blueberrysquire]

Listen ok

Listen.

Listen

Listen.

...

I have no excuses, I'm just in love with him.

That's it, that's the post, man.

[wyrdle]

Faithful Liar

Quick and dirty shuji ikutsuki centric comic.

[ananayellow]

Fav anime :,)

[mazojo]

Why does he wear his tie like that a menace

[futuremercifulnerd]

Karlach is the disaster lesbian and i love her, id die for her

[waxflowerexe]

Shoutaaaa x Little Reader!!!!

I have materialised, escaped the void if you will

Anyway a little Drabble Abt Shota discovering ur little side, oral fixation etc and how I like to think he would deal w it🥹 The feels were felt in this one tehe very daddy but also quite subtle I think ALSO SMUT WARNING LOLOL

Ignore the bad grammar lolz I haven’t written in ages lolol MINORS GO TF OUT AS USUAL 😍

Daddy Sho x secretly little reader (?)

Usually after an especially long day you and Shouta typically fuck out your frustrations, it’s slow and intimate at first but sooner than later you both pick up the pace. Sex quickly becomes hot and desperate as you both chased the relief of an inevitable orgasm. You of course had your own coping mechanisms, colouring, watching childhood cartoons and a slight oral fixation. This was of course well kept from Sho, you already felt insecure about your age gap, you didn’t want him to think you were any more immature that you may have been.

Today was different, albeit you didn’t realise until he was balls deep in you telling you what a ‘nasty slut’ you were. Usually you relished in being beneath him, letting him control you. You liked the feeling of helplessness that overcame you when he touched you after a day overthinking and honestly just thinking in general. However, today something snapped. It all felt too much, Shota’s strength felt scary, his words made you scared…upset. You couldn’t place it but you knew you hated it. Tears welled in your eyes, as your safe word left your lips in a muffled cry.

Of course he stopped immediately.

“Baby what’s wrong”

You couldn’t even begin to describe what was wrong, usually this was what you needed. How you needed him. But today you just felt mushy and vulnerable and small, in a different way. You dreaded the day that your secrets would intervene with your relationship. But it did, and today you didn’t want to be broken, instead you wanted to be treated delicately, by a handler to fearful to leave even the slightest scratch, scared of break you. But it was too many words, to many complex thoughts for your stupid little brain.

So instead of replying, the tears ramp up until your sobbing incoherent apologies. A confused Shouta starts to worry more,

“Babe, it’s fine it’s okay” and a million other comforts flow from his lips but still you can’t pinpoint the words to explain, to tell him what’s wrong.

“Pretty girl, does something hurt”

He moves you into his lap and began rocking you, almost like a baby, looking for any bruises and cuts. The simple back and forth was so soothing and as he watched you melt into his touch it clicks, this was what you wanted, this was how you needed him. As he watches you calm down, he realises it too. Your usual arrangement was off the table today and that was fine.

He had an inkling that you worked a little different to girls he had been with before, he knew you fell into a hazy and vulnerable mindset. He saw how you sucked your little thumbs when you were stressed and how you took to digital colouring pages when you thought he wasn’t looking. All these little things he thought were so cute but he let you engage in these thing so in your own time, as not to intrude. Although, today you needed help.

“Did my pretty girl need cuddles?” he coos softly

You nod in response his tone making you mind fuzzy. He rarely used this tone, and you were always too nervous to ask for more.

He notices you fiddle with his fingers

“Does babygirl need something from me”

You nod, unsure

He silently slips two fingers in your mouth. You suckle softly, humming in content, glad he understood what you wanted.

“Good girl, my baby works so hard, she deserves to come home and wrap up in my arms. That’s it baby, close your eyes”

You let your eyes fall shut

“Good girl daddy’s here”

Your tense slightly, you’d only ever used this term in the bedroom. But before you can react he hushes you, bouncing you on his knee.

“Shhh baby, go to sleep”

You would both have to talk about things in the morning. But for now he was happy to hush you to sleep, tracing circles on your back and petting you gently.

Me bc I WANT SHOTA AND THIS AND UGHHHHH TO BE LOVED AND ACCEPTED

Anyway look after ur selves beauties and drink water!!! Especially since it’s so hot

More mid writing soon lovelies

Love Flo🌸~

[atlasscrumpit]

Yandere Miguel (Forced Age Regression)

You were strapped to a chair with a cloth tied around your mouth to stop you from making noise.

You were at a dining table as Miguel sat on the table and put his feet either side of your chair, towering over you.

"Now, babygirl. I want you to know that I never wanted to hurt you, I care about you, a lot. But, I didn't take into account that you're not that bright up there. And that's okay, my darling. It just means daddy needs to do the thinking for you. You've been a bad girl lately, little one. Not eating when daddy says, not listening to me or trying to run away. So, now daddy has to give you some special medicine." He said as you felt tears in your eyes while looking at him.

"It'll just be a small pinch, darling. I know you can be brave." He whispered getting off the table and bringing out a small box. 

He opened it and brought out a needle before administering it into your upper arm making you cry softly. 

"Shh, there we go, my brave girl. Now, daddy has to give you this everyday, I know it hurts but I also know how brave you are, isn't that right?" He asked leaning forward to kiss away one of your tears. 

He slowly untied the cloth around your mouth. 

"Please, Miguel stop this." You whispered as you cried. 

"Shh, baby it's okay. Daddy's gonna take care of all of this." He whispered reaching forward to hold your face in his hand. 

"I'm not a child! And I'm sure as hell not your fucking daughter, you sicko!" You screamed before he grabbed your face roughly. 

"Now, that's not language a little girl like you should be using! You will apologise or I'm sending you straight to your room without dinner." He warned as you glared at him. 

"What the hell was that medicine you gave me?" You growled as he sighed again.

"So many questions, little one. Why can't you just trust daddy?" He asked as you looked away from him.

"No, you just drugged me. How on earth could I trust you?" He asked as he suddenly came closer to your face.

He grabbed your face again and you could see the psychotic look in his eyes.

"Now, listen here. If you keep going on like this I'm going to have a special punishment for my little girl. I will slice open your throat, pierce your voice box, let you bleed out just to the point you think you're going to die and then bring you back scared with no voice. Daddy doesn't like scaring you, baby. But sometimes you make it hard, don't you?" He asked as you looked at him in fear, you knew his threat was real.

"So, now that I've gotten that out of the way. Are you going to be a good girl and have some dinner with me?" He asked, staring into your eyes as you nodded a little.

"Use your words, darling." He said running his finger down the side of your face.

"Yes..." You replied making him smile.

"Now there's a good girl." 

--

You sat at the table, thankful he had taken away your restraints. 

You slowly ate your dinner across from Miguel. 

"See? Isn't it nice when I treat you well?" He said as you kept your head down and nodded.

"Come on, sweetheart. Can you give me a little smile?" He asked as you looked up and smiled a little.

"Good girl, you're such a pretty girl. I'll let you pick a movie after dinner if you finish your dinner, darling." He said as you looked back down and continued eating.

You eventually finished and Miguel took your plate.

"That's a good girl, go get comfy and choose a movie I'm just going to clean up. Make sure it's nothing scary okay, baby? I don't need you up all night." He said as you rolled your eyes and went over to the couch and sat down.

You eventually picked out a movie, a comedy that was 'pg' and waited for Miguel.

He eventually came back and sat on the couch, pulling you into him.

"Let me know if you're falling asleep, love. You still need to shower and brush your teeth." He said as you nodded a little and leant against him, you were too tired to fight.

You knew whatever Miguel had given you was making you tired.

"Darling, don't fall asleep you need a shower." Miguel said gently shaking you awake.

"Too tired." You muttered cuddling into him more.

He smiled and stroke a hand through your hair.

"Okay, baby. Daddy will carry you to bed soon, you can shower in the morning." He whispered kissing your forehead.

"Say goodnight to me, baby. Don't be a naughty girl." He said as you kept your eyes closed still exhausted.

"Goodnight, daddy."

[zomboivex]

Hello hello hello,

May I humbly request Sho (my babygirl) taking the PC for a ride on his motorbike? And then when they get where they gotta be maybe he made food for them and they have a little picnic under the stars 👉👈

Thank you for having the patience of a god. I will now sprinkle upon you a date with Sho under the stars.

Reader x Sho

General Fluff

1k words (no spell or grammar check- we do full blown drafts here)

ஓ๑♡๑ஓ

“What are you up to, lazy bones?”

Your thumb brushes the screen to hit send, flipping back against the plushness of your bed. Eyes falling up to the ceiling with a dramatic sigh wrenching out from you. In truth, you had been incredibly bored the last few days. And the fact that no one had seemed to go out of their way to interact with you had driven you up a wall. Truly maddening.

A ding from your phone and your eyes fell to the screen. Oh. He messaged back quickly. A bit of the boredom now leaving your eyes as you excitedly read the words across your screen.

“Just about to take Bonnie for a ride. Wanna come with?”

A moment to collect yourself. You didn’t want to come across as too eager to hang out. That would be totally lame on your part. So you let a few minutes pass by- not long enough for your texting partner to up and leave. But enough to make you not seem as desperate for attention.

“Rly? That would b rad.” Send.

Apparently Sho didn’t seem to care if he seemed eager. His message back prompt enough.

“Meet me at the garage.”

Sitting abruptly from your bed, you’d go to check yourself in the mirror. After all, you didn’t want to look like a total slob. Your inspection passing before throwing on a Jean jacket and mussing your own hair so it didn’t look too flat. And then prompt and quick footsteps from your room down the creaky wooden steps. Through the halls of the cathedral’s chapel- stained glass shining from the light outside. And then out the door. The air cool, inwardly glad you grabbed the jacket. Being on Bonnie would only make things chillier.

Vagastrom wasn’t terribly far from where you stayed. Not as far as Jabberwock- which felt as if it were on the outskirts of the Academy. Or Obscuary, which was hidden behind that gloomy forest. Or Sinostra, an oasis in the middle of an aired desert. Your brisk pace slowing to a more meandering one as you quickly shot a text to Sho.

“Omw. Just passing the main hall.”

Another quick response, “Take ur time.”

At this, you found your pace quickening. Sure, Sho said to take your time but- how could you possibly keep him waiting any longer? Your legs carrying you all the way to Vagastrom through the car park and then to the garage. The familiar scent of gas and oil hitting your nostrils, scrunching up briefly from the assault of scents.

Eyes would peer around the room, suddenly your nerves hitting you as your legs feel like jello. You were too fast, it seemed. Sho wasn’t ready yet. He wasn’t here. Your emotions causing you to briefly deflate.

A hand on your shoulder, nearly jumping from your skin in surprise. “Didn’t think you’d sprint to get here.” The words teasing. Your expression going from surprise to mild- albeit playful- annoyance.

“Sprint? Hardly.” The words leaving in mock frustration before you could no longer hold back your giggles.

“I’m just teasing.” Sho responded back, hand falling from your shoulder to now rest by his side. The other holding a bag. “I just fed Bonnie so we’re good to go.” His stride long before stopping in front of the familiar bike. A hand patting the cold exterior. “She’s eager to go.”

That said, the Vagastrom ghoul would mount said bike, throwing a helmet on and motioning for you to do the same. You had grabbed one of the spare helmets, securing it nicely before getting onto the bike and wrapping your arms around the firm waist of your riding companion.

Not much was spoken as Sho would hit the gas and speed you both from the garage. The wind whipping at your jean jacket and helmet. Your adventure taking you around campus in speeds you normally don’t get to travel. And just a further out until you had reached what was seemingly a field. Sho parking Bonnie and slipping off. His hands offering to help you to your own feet. Then a gentle pat to his bike.

The spot you had arrived to was unfamiliar to you. Having never been to this part of campus.

“Where… are we?” You asked tentatively, your hands shoving into your pockets as Sho seemed too busy about the bike before grabbing the bag he initially had.

“Darkwick Academy.” He answered.

You rolled your eyes.

“Where, in Darkwick Academy?” You prompted further, hoping to not get another half-assed answer.

“Just a bit away from Mortkranken.”

Oh. You weren’t sure why you had expected a different answer. But you wouldn’t dwell on it. Instead, you would look at the rolling fields of green. Breeze gentle as your hands moved up to remove the helmet. Hair messy but not in a way that was flattering like before. This earned a laugh from Sho as he would reach over to brush fingers through your hair to help tame it.

“So-“ you spoke, playfully swatting the hand away when your hair was a bit more manageable, “What are we doing here?”

“Hmm? It’s not obvious?” The Vagastrom silverette tilted his head in confusion. As if you had asked the most oblivious question in the world. “We’re gonna eat.” He hoisted up the bag. “Made some bourbon chicken.”

You gave him a slow blink before a laugh escaped from you. “Alright. Sure.” Going with the flow as you’d follow Sho from Bonnie to the grass. No real fancy set up as you two sat down and watched the clouds float on by.

The food, in of itself, was delicious. But that was hardly a surprise. Sho was an excellent cook. The way the sauce on the chicken soaked into the meat- the tenderness of it all. Then there was the rice and black beans- perfectly seasoned. The warmth it brought your belly and the fullness it gave you.

Casual conversations filled the air as you both discussed your time at Darkwick, hopes and aspirations for the future- and just generally shooting the shit. Laughed filling the air before the blue sky began to morph into orange and pink hues. Then purples and finally darkened as stars began to fill the sky. Neither of you had realized just how much time has passed in your conversation- unbroken in your shared time together.

The air had started to grow chilly and you found yourself unconsciously scooting closer towards Sho. A large arm wrapping around your shoulder and tugging you close. Head now resting on his own shoulder. Both of your eyes up at the night sky.

Maybe it was because Darkwick was on an anomalous island. Normally the light pollution caused the sky to look dreary. Lightened. But… here…? The full galaxy felt like it was on display tonight. Splatters of far distant lights scattered on the sky. The surrounding sound now a low hum of crickets.

“You know-“ you began.

“I know.” Sho responded. Whatever you had to say, he was aware of it. A squeezed side hug. “You don’t have to say it. I know.”

You rolled your eyes. “You have no idea what I was even gonna say.” A laugh but you didn’t seem like you were actually annoyed.

“Hmm… let me guess-“ his words veering into teasing again. “You’ve fallen so madly in love with me.”

Your cheeks dusted pink.

“Bingo.”

“W-well!” You began to stammer out, “I wouldn’t say it like that!”

“Then how would you say it?”

“Just that you’ve become like…. super important to me. That’s all.”

“That’s all?”

“Yeah.”

“You’ve become super important to me, too.”

[tachiha3]

Watching the ~zukaang~ episode hehehe

• "How do I look?" ARGH MY BABYGIRL!!!!!

• This show better spark some flames for Jee x Zuko in the fandom. It's the least it could do.

• Bro why the fuck is all of this happening so quickly give aang's arcs some time to breathe why does he always end up with the rushed arcs.

• Roku wtf? Oh. Oh! This was nice. I like you, Roku.

• Oh damn Roku I love your smug nod.

• Shit Roku I forgor about your personality from the comics. And here I was gonna make you my favourite character 🤕

• Gordon sho cute 😍

• Zhao reminds me of my old hindi teacher 😭😭

• Just make Zuko the main character and the show about the fire nation. You only seem to wanna write them anyway 🙄

• MISCHIEVOUS AANG MISCHIEVOUS AANG MISCHIEVOUS AANG MISCHIEVOUS AA-

• Wow this is..... very loyal/faithful to the original. Nice.

• WHO WROTE THIS EPISODE IT'S ACTUALLY GOOD WTH???

• DUDE I'M SCREAMING IT'S SO GOOD THEY WROTE A GOOD EPISODE AAAAAA

• Slutty robe ozai damn...

• What's gonna be the reason of banishmet if Zuko is fighting back?

• Why is Ozai crying what are they doing huh what's this eh aayein eh what ayo

• ICONIC DIALOUGE MENTION 🗣🗣🗣 WE COULD'VE BEEN FRIENDS 🗣🗣

• I'm pretty sure Ozai didn't want to "fix" Zuko..... he just hated the boy.

• Shit this made me cry omg... Ya'll weren't lying the crew respecting him was emotional.

• Did we um..... forget about Hei Bai?

• OH so bryke worked on it.... Makes sense.

[blueberrysquire]

I am so excited for the proper debut of my #1 babygirl Jiro

I spent like WAY too much time choosing who I wanted in the prologue and I narrowed it down to I think Lucas, Haku and Jiro. After much deliberation I finally landed on Jiro and I have adored him the whole game. He's not my current FAVOURITE (that's Sho, the relationship build up there was beautiful, I can't NOT love a capable, cute guy who takes a bit to warm up to you), but boy howdy am I ready for the next chapter to change that.

I'm tossing up between wanting to literally put him out of his misery (Jiro lovers can relate) and laying him down on my lap, playing with his hair and reading him philosophical works. Or horror. I think he'd enjoy H.P. Lovecraft.

TL;DR: the next chapter can't come soon enough

[fullmetal-scar-simping]

Thank you sooo much for your lovely response to my long ask a couple of days ago!!! I really do agree with you wholeheartedly (especially about Scar's post-Briggs characterisation), and something that irritates me about my fellow mangahood fans is that they love the complications in the plot introduced by the reveal that Scar killed Winry's parents (immediately after his own family died in an alchemical explosion + experiencing the world's most traumatic arm replacement).

I get that the point of having Winry confront Scar and point the gun at him is to make Scar reflect on their shared wrath...but I don't it's remotely comparable fhsjfjdj

Like yes it's tragic that the Rockbells died, but unless I am hallucinating they were fairly confident that the military wouldn't have actually killed them because they were Amestrians and thus why they continued to treat Ishvalans in their field hospital even after they had been warned. Now I think it would have actually been interesting if they were then later killed by the military that they trusted to spare them because of their Amestrian blood!

And then the Elrics + Winry having to deal with the fact that the institution they respect/work for/interact with is the same institution that killed the Rockbells - something mangahood treats like an unforgivable sin when Roy "War Criminal Extraordinaire" Mustang and Kimblee™️ are right there😭😭😭 They even show us the military scheming to kill the Rockbells, and then Arakawa has Scar do it at his most unstable to make a point about The Cycle of Hatred from a man whose pain is the most justified😭

And not to be petty but Ed's line about how Winry's hands were made for saving lives and the fact that her parents are doctors - Scar was a warrior monk whose hands also saved lives because he defended his people; and in fact that scene in the manga when he said he had nothing left to protect so he will instead live for vengeance went hard and is soooo indicative of his character😩

Unlike the war criminals and their accomplices, Scar's primary motivation throughout the genocide was to protect his people! And when they were slaughtered and their homes destroyed, that motivation developed into vengeance for his people! And I actually think it's quite powerful that Scar is willing to sacrifice his own peace of mind and the integrity of his soul by using alchemy - it's the fact that he is willing to kill the living to prove that the dead did not deserve it!

He is in fact the consequences of the rotten core that is the foundation of Amestris! So why do brohood fans insist on acting like it's his responsibility to end the cycle of hatred when the Amestrians were the first to pull the trigger? What's he supposed to do? How is he meant to continue living when everything was taken from him?

If we had even just a couple of scenes showing more of the Ishvalan perspective; like tell me more about the Ishvalan who refused treatment from Uriy Rockbell because Amestrians killed his father or the Ishvalan man in the desert mutilated by Roy's flames - there should be more angry Ishvalans in the series, and I think the Elric brothers (and fuck it Miles also - we saw an Ishvalan slum in North City) interact with them and deal with the horror that their nation inflicted upon the Ishvalans for no reason other than to serve the rotten core of the nation - Father & co.

But nooooo let's act like Scar killing the Rockbells is comparable and actually worse than the Ishvalan genocide🙄

(I am SO SORRY I just had to rant because I saw an annoying mangahood fan praise Scar's "redemption" arc when he doesn't need one😭 I even like that he got to return to his homeland and even reclaim his pre-genocide identity, but it should have been achieved through actual mutual understanding instead of my babygirl giving in to Arakawa's politics🗿 I know he's depressed and unhappy but to make his sudden cooperation realistic Arakawa should have has characters like Elric brothers and Miles should have done more reflecting on their complicity with the institution instead of bailing out of a difficult plotline)

Haha, no need to apologize for the rant! I'm right there with ya. The way Winry and the Rockbells get inserted into Scar's story feels so precisely calculated in order to both equivocate the violence of genociders with the violence of the oppressed, as well as (more directly) knocking Scar down himself.

[Long analysis after the readmore]

It's a perfect example of this method of narrative framing:

All anyone can focus on is Scar and the Rockbells, and that's by design, particularly with the 2009 anime adaptation.

For anyone paying attention to Scar's backstory with an anti-imperialist lens, it's clear he has correctly assessed who his enemies are and what to do about them. He's right to despise and destroy state alchemists and soldiers. And in order to "muddy" his position, Arakawa threw the Rockbells into the mix.

Again, with an anti-colonial, anti-imperialist framework this wrinkle to his backstory doesn't change shit. He is in the right to kill members of the militia. An accident doesn't erase the system of power that enacts imperial aggression. An accident doesn't negate a need for direct violence against a genocidal entity. Unfortunately Arakawa, the team at Studio Bones behind the Brotherhood anime, and the majority of people who watch Broho or read the manga don't see things this way.

Now I haven't read the manga myself, but as you've mentioned the Rockbells did seem to acknowledge the very real risk of death that can befall them while working in a war zone. Correct me if I'm wrong (and I may very well be) but don't they leave a letter behind in the manga, imploring that no one blame any Ishvalans who may instead harm them? Take this with a grain of salt, as I'm working off of a recollection of a post from someone who did read the source material. If I'm in the right ball park here, then Brotherhood cutting this from the story is an even more blatant attempt to tar Scar with a level of villainy (a trite description for the topic of genocide, even a fictional one) as the Amestrian war criminals.

Except the Amestrian war criminals are not seen as villains. The only ones characterized as villains for committing this (and other) genocide(s) are the homunculi, Bradley's council, and Kimblee. Following orders apparently is wholly excusable, even for a voluntary military. Both the "pain" and "anguish" of these 'do-gooder' genocidaires and Winry herself are elevated to near-martyrdom status in Brotherhood. Winry's parents especially so, and thus Winry's loss is seen as so poignant, so heartbreaking, that the audience (and Ed) are moved to an almost smug derision of Scar. See? It's the ~cycle of violence~. That's why his actions are ~wrong~. He doesn't parade around an idealism as a form of penance that makes him inspiring like Mustang (I have to laugh), he doesn't bat big doe eyes while looking so mournful like Riza (I have to yawn), he didn't have a lovely cis heterosexual family unit to create or protect like Hughes (please don't acknowledge Scar's family or community, in fact don't inquire about them at all) (also mangahood Hughes. Oh god, mangahood Hughes 😬). No, Scar is a violent man, an 'awful hypocrite", he harbours none of these 'heroic' qualities that everyone defends in the military characters, so therefore stopping him and bringing him to an Amestrian standard of justice is paramount.

The way this scene is constructed, in both the manga and the show is so blatant in its weepy-moralizing. Scar is contrasted as brutish, towering against a white teenage girl's trembling, collapsed position before him. His race cannot be ignored from the composition of this moment. The racism that under-girds the real life bogeymen of the "wanton violence of SWANA men" and the "foreign savage threatening our pure, fair, delicate women and children" is manifested in fma mangahood.

We're supposed to see these young (white) Amestrians as the hope for a reformed nation. (Abolition and decolonization are not vocabulary in the fma ethos. This isn't a unique lack for fma, most media can't be bothered to contend with truly ending a system or a nation that serves as its own sort of protagonist.) The end of ~the cycle~ will be because these golden-hearted white kids will choose pacifism (a useless paradigm when dealing with an aggressive entity). Ed assesses that his military superiors should not be held responsible for the mass destruction and slaughter they rendered with marvellous aplomb, Winry is too good to sully her hands, and Scar is a monster who's hand(s) are, it seems, meant to kill.

This is how we're guided to view things: The soldiers and generals are proud idealists to be respected and aided. Ed is a spunky genius who gets to use the coffers of the state's ill-gotten wealth for himself and his brother, and Winry is a saint who truly lost the most from the Ishval War. The Ishvalans shouldn't have fought the Amestrians, the Ishvalans shouldn't have resisted occupation, the Ishvalans shouldn't have retaliated for the murder of an Ishvalan child, the Ishvalans shouldn't have been where the military took aim. Scar shouldn't have been so human as to be loved, to be saved, to be physically and mentally harmed, to be so thoroughly concussed and delirious (neurologically and psychologically), and he shouldn't have ever hated Amestrians. Then the Rockbells could have returned home to Winry.

(If we throw in the ridiculous speech from Miles, Scar should have also, somehow, joined the military simultaneous to being in their crosshairs as Ishval was torn asunder.)

And that's what the framing, the script, the animation, everything in Brotherhood bellows: Winry is the truest, most blameless victim of the Ishvalan genocide. The death of two white, blond, blue-eyed humanitarian doctors is worth hundreds of thousands of Ishvalans. Where Father and Wrath both see each life worth only that life as a means of efficient resource extraction, and where the philosophy of One is All, All is One is meant to unify the value of each life, we get a much different, more bleak weighing scale from Ed, Scar's arc, and from the in-built bias of the audience: Scar's brother, his neighbours, the web of individuals, communities, and every generation of Ishvalan is worth markedly little in the holy light of the Rockbells and Winry's suffering. Scar's past and present are mere excuses; Winry's past and present are his sins.

This moment is also a tacit ploy to make people think of the families and loved ones of the fascist pigs Scar has already murdered by this point. The implication of those people as a trail of Winrys left in his wake also equivocates the pain of the imperial citizenry and the lives they enjoy thanks to ceaseless land, resource, and human acquisition, with that of the endlessly angry, 'dangerous' Ethnic Other. Surprisingly, given how little tact Brotherhood has as a visual narrative, the anime (thankfully) never outright shows these bereft loved ones from the murdered war criminals. However, it hangs invisibly in this scene with Winry as well as the one in the abandoned mining town in Briggs.

And to make a quick aside: I find it to be in very poor taste that the tragedy of Scar's life is being used to further the romance between Ed and Winry. Just. Please. Who the fuck asked for a brown man's oppression to be the backdrop for the growing passion between white teens??? What in the goddamn, man.

Getting back on track: Brotherhood wants us to see Ishval and Amestris as two equal parties foolishly destroying one another. It's the fallacy of both-sideism and we see the very real deployment of this propaganda every time an imperial power wages its (nowadays proxy) wars. But like real world targets of imperialism, Ishval has every right to fight back. Scar, even with the deaths of these doctors thrown at his feet in an attempt to manufacture a toothless, sanctimonious tale of "two wrongs don't make a right," is still fully in the right to have sought and destroyed the fascist boots that trampled him and his people.

The Rockbells assumed they would be safe from their own nation, and as you said we do get confirmation that the military was going to send someone in to assassinate them for their treachery. Kimblee (because we could never make any of the ""Good guy"" soldiers do this, only the strawman fascist) was given the task. In a twist of fate, Kimblee's assault on Scar indirectly gets that particular job done. I, for one, hate this writing decision. I've talked about it before, but fma 03's choice of making Mustang and Marco the Rockbells' killers is a far better choice for the broader anti-imperialist theme 03 focused so heavily upon. Hell, any serving soldier would have been a better, less nakedly military apologia than Scar. It would better reflect the real world strategies deployed by imperial armies: decimate medical facilities, staff, and humanitarians (including those who are citizens of their own nation state). Arakawa choosing a roundabout path to this outcome, one that vilifies Scar while sparing the ""Good"" reformable soldiers, because it's actually all Kimblee's actions anyway, is a cheap trick.

It drives me nuts that the Elrics and Winry are never truly confronted with the horrors of their nation and its governing institutions. Anytime they get a taste of what makes the military so vile it's coated in a million red herrings about who is "actually" responsible for this wretched state of affairs. It's not that militaries are the violent arm of the state meant to slaughter people and capture/maintain land as property of the state, no! That's the fucked up thinking of Bradley, his council, Father, and Kimblee! Look, our ""Good"" war criminals and soldiers actually ~understands~ that the military exists to protect people! (Which people? And from whom? Shut up, don't ask questions, you're ruining the wholesome idealism here!) With them in charge post-coup, everything will be better! Any harm Amestrians have faced from their own military's invasions is actually the fault of the military's targets: Resembool received collateral damage because Ishvalans fought back! So obviously this is akin to Ishvalan imperialism, right? Both sides? We shouldn't see race? Reverse racism is real? But look, Winry is suffering because Scar is a reverse racist! So it is real!

Everything you said about Scar is 100% on point. It's so good that I'm gonna highlight it here again:

Scar was a warrior monk whose hands also saved lives because he defended his people; and in fact that scene in the manga when he said he had nothing left to protect so he will instead live for vengeance went hard and is soooo indicative of his character Unlike the war criminals and their accomplices, Scar's primary motivation throughout the genocide was to protect his people! And when they were slaughtered and their homes destroyed, that motivation developed into vengeance for his people! And I actually think it's quite powerful that Scar is willing to sacrifice his own peace of mind and the integrity of his soul by using alchemy - it's the fact that he is willing to kill the living to prove that the dead did not deserve it!

What more can I say? This illustrates perfectly what a lot of fans seem to entirely miss or dismiss. And listen, I'll give Arakawa some credit, because she wrote this into his character! She wrote Scar to be more than just Big Bad Hypocrite, and Ed's view of him is in fact wrong. I appreciate that Scar doesn't fall over himself to explain to these Amestrians what happened on his end. But all the same, with other Ishvalans being used to essentially rat Scar out (the ones taking refuge in the ruins of Xerxes), and that there was no sympathy or solidarity given to him by his own people who were there in that makeshift hospital still shows what the primary perspective on Scar should be.

To Arakawa, he is wrong.

The Amestrians rebuke him, his own people (the refugees in Xerxes, his own Master and the refugees within Amestris) rebuke him. Miles rebukes him. Ed, Al, and Winry rebuke him. The Ishvalans rebuke his one-man insurrection on his and their behalf to instead stoke the flames of Ed's righteous animosity towards Scar. Why? Because not all Amestrians. But certainly all Ishvalan rebels. It doesn't matter to Arakawa and Studio Bones' Broho team that Scar's hands were already fighting to save lives; he has to be beaten down and cowed to agree to save Amestrian lives, reformed for Amestris' betterment. This is how he will pay for his "cruelty". Meanwhile the war criminals, sans the leader of the nation and Kimblee, get off scott-free.

A core problem with the ~cycle of violence~ rhetoric is that the buck is almost always passed to the latest victim of violence, particularly if that victim entertains the path of self-defense or retaliation. If you initiate, or are a major player, in that violence then you are practically absolved of your actions and intentions once you create a chain effect of harm. This, in my opinuon, is partly why fans see the responsibility of ending violence to be on Scar's shoulders. Combined with what I discussed regarding the "positive" qualities of our protag war criminals winning the hearts of audiences; that they are written to be as charming, inspiring, and pitiable as possible, with a sufficient lack of melanin to align with the colourism and racism imbedded in most societies and cultures irl, we end up here. With Scar seen by many as a villain/former villain.

Remember, don't argue against pacifism. And don't bother questioning what other routes he could have reasonably taken, because the manga and Brotherhood answers that question!

He should have been living "peacefully" with other Ishvalan refugees in their nice little "peaceful" (slums) settlements. After all, they had no real qualms with their "peaceful" new lives. We're hit over the head time and again by how "content" these refugees are, in spite of the ethnic cleansing and marginalized, hidden existences they suffer. And I scare-quote peaceful because this isn't peace. This is the hegemony of Amestrian "peace" forcing a people it wants fully eradicated to hide and remain quiet for their own safety. So peaceful. But that's what Scar should have done instead! (Or become a fascist to solve fascism, ala Miles' stunning advice.) Brotherhood keeping the majority of Ishvalans as an amorphous monolith, without identities or perspectives, who make do with the hand that's been dealt (it seems like all "violent Ishvalans" were slaughtered in Ishval during the war, since only Scar continues to fight afterwards) means we can digest the Amestrian perspective and internalize it without issue. It's an intentional choice.

Even the manga at least shows Ishvalan dissent a bit better, but it seems to lose any interest in pursuing the perspective of refugees as the plot progresses. A lot of entertainment media can only garner sympathy for victims of genocide so long as they have an innate "pacifism" to their people (this too is racist framing). You can only feel bad if the Indigenous and the racialized are simply too kind hearted and pure to ever raise their hand against the gunmen who fire at them. The narrative can only imagine Scar having the potential to reform into the acquiescent, useful native if we see that most of his people are horrified by any violence against their colonizers. If they're horrified of him, then they and Scar can be forgiven (for being what they are, for being victims whose victimization harmed the soldiers, the Rockbells, and Winry). So what more could the Ishvalan perspective hold in Brotherhood, when that's all that's needed of them to begin with?

I sorely wish we weren't fed such an awful concoction of racist, military-absolving story telling. All major fma media isn't necessarily perfect about consistently handing the mic to different Ishbalans/Ishvalans, but Brotherhood is the absolute worst of the three in this regard. The manga at least has Ishvalans who openly reject Amestris and Amestrians for the atrocities they suffered at their hands, as included in your ask. Brotherhood doesn't even bother with any of that. It's just a spotlight on Scar, and he made Winry an orphan. Not Amestris, not its military, not Father, not Kimblee, but Scar. And to Broho fans, that is the ultimate sin anyone in this series could ever commit.

I'm glad mangahood Scar gets to return to Ishval and rebuild. I'm glad this version of him gets to live, because this continuity has nothing of value to say had it killed him off or prevented him from reconnecting with Ishval. Of course Scar didn't need the "reformed" military to grant him that permission. And he abso-fucking-lutely did not need to earn it via "redemption". Such a crock of shit. To have to earn your homeland by joining the very forces that ruined thousands/millions of lives is one of the most disgusting outcomes of this story. People love his "redemption" because it makes them comfortable about real, heavy matters. It tells them "Their nation, their nationalism, their militarism can be good and healing after all." Fuck off.

Scar deserved infinitely better. Every Ishvalan deserved better than to be a morality lesson about what the oppressed ought to do instead of having a spine. And Winry shouldn't have been a pawn for distracting us from the evils of the military.

--

See, this is why no one should apologize to me about sending me a ranting ask. 😅 I'll take any opportunity to rant x10. And hey, you're always welcome to send long asks! I hope the long reply isn't too frustrating to read through, and I hope I didn't miss any of the great points you made.

Once again, I fully agree with you. Our babygirl being tied up with the Rockbells is straight-up poor storytelling. Mangahood had the potential to not be racist and pro-military about these storybeats, but instead chose to make an example out of the primary brown character.

Any Broho fan who can't handle this critique is weak. Period. But I'm always grateful that there are those like yourself who can handle it AND make that critique themselves!

[Sorry it took some time to reply. I briefly lost this ask after saving my first draft, since apparently tumblr hides ask drafts not at the top of the draft pile, but somewhere in the middle (???)]

[headhedgehog]

First call home

Part two here, Part three here Part four

Baro gets his phone back and immediately calls his family.

CWs; teen pregnancy, family drama

AN: Hope you're in the mood for some Baro angst and fluff. I truly believe the King thing is just an act and wanted to play around with the idea of what he was hiding.

_________________________________________________________

Baro Shoei took his phone back the second he earned enough credit to get it. He was still pissed at Ego for taking it away from him when he arrived at Blue Lock, but he didn't have the patience to complain about it. There was a call he'd been waiting to make since he stepped off the bus a month ago.

It was still early evening, but the practice field was empty, the other strikers still in the baths or dining hall. Barou looked around to be sure he was alone and sank to the ground against the wall.

His hands shook as he turned his phone on. Tch. This place must really be getting to him, he thought, refusing to admit even to himself that his nerves had nothing to do with Blue Lock. He quickly found the contact he was looking for and selected "FaceTime."

One ring. Two.

"Shoei?!"

That voice. Her voice. One word and his throat already felt tight.

"Hey baby," he said, his voice lower than normal, carefully controlled to keep her from hearing it crack.

His girlfriend turned on her camera, smiling with her entire face. God, that smile. Baro felt like he was falling in love all over again.

"I thought you couldn't have a phone! If I knew you were gonna call I would've tried to look nicer."

"Reward for scoring goals. And I don't know what you're talking about, you look amazing."

She tsked, making him grin. "I'm wearing my glasses, no makeup, hair hasn't been washed in --"

"I mean it. Right now I think you're the prettiest thing I've ever seen."

She smiled again.

"Is Hana already asleep?" Baro asked. The lump in his throat had returned, afraid of the answer.

"I just put her down but I'll go get her. I want her to hear your voice."

Baro watched her walk down the hall of their tiny apartment, his heart aching. He hated that apartment, old and shabby as it was. Hated leaving her alone in it even more.

He'd give anything to be there with her.

She opened a door and stepped into a darkened room, the walls and ceiling softly lit by a glowing white noise machine.

"I'm going to prop you up on the shelf, Sho. I think you'll be able to see both of us from there."

Baro nodded, unable to speak. His girlfriend crossed the room; from the phone's field of view he watched her reach into the crib and pull their whimpering baby to her chest.

"Shh, babygirl, I know you're sleepy," the young mother said. "But your daddy wants to see you."

She crossed the room and sat in a rocking chair at eye level with her phone, arranging the baby so Baro could see her face. Hana woke up enough that Baro could see his own red eyes staring back at him from under a tuft of messy black hair.

"Hi beautiful girl," he said quietly. His voice cracked this time, but he didn't care. "Do you remember me?"

"I think she does. I talk to her about you, and so do your mom and sisters when they come over."

Tears slid down Baro's cheeks and he wiped them away with the heel of his hand. His girlfriend's brow furrowed.

"Sho, don't cry, we're doing good. I promise."

"She's so much bigger than when I left," he said. "I don't know how much longer I'll be gone. What if she remembers that I left?"

"Then we'll tell her you left so you could help take care of all three of us."

Baro nodded, took a shuddering breath. When his girlfriend realized she was pregnant, they were only a few months from graduating from high school. Her parents had thrown her out, but to Baro's surprise his family were ready to welcome her. She'd spent the rest of the school year sleeping in his bed, studying on his bedroom floor, puking in his bathroom. Terrified as he was, Baro fell more in love with her every day, endlessly amazed by her determination to not let her pregnancy derail anything she'd planned.

She was just starting to show when she got her college acceptance letter, and for the first time in months Baro got to see that smile light up her whole face.

That night in bed, he'd cradled her baby bump in his hand and held her close. I'm going to make sure neither of you want for anything, he whispered to her. I promise.

They moved into the apartment just before the birth so she could be closer to campus. Baro's invitation to participate in Blue Lock came a month after the baby did.

You have to go, Shoei, she'd told him when she found him in the nursery, watching Hana sleep. You deserve this. You can't pass up an opportunity like this.

When Baro borded the bus to Blue Lock, he made himself a promise. He was going to do whatever he had to do to become the best striker in the world, to get noticed by the top teams in the world. He was going to make this work so he could provide for Hana and her mother.

Hana began to cry, bringing Baro back to the present. He watched his girlfriend unbutton her top and bring the baby to her breast.

"You been eating well?" he asked, worry spiking through his chest. "You look like you've lost weight."

"Breastfeeding burns a lot of calories, Sho, that's all."

"That's not what I asked."

She hummed, adjusted the baby in her arms. "Your mom brings stuff by most days, and I get food on campus before I come home."

"You have to eat if you're going to feed her. Hell, even if you're not gonna breastfeed her, you have to take care of yourself."

"I am, Sho. Your family helps a lot. She's growing right on schedule, and I'm just fine."

Baro winced at the irritation in her voice. "Sorry, babes. I just worry about you. You're doing a lot on your own and you shouldn't have to."

She didn't respond. A tear glimmered on her cheek in the soft light of her phone screen.

"I'm so sorry I left, baby. Be honest with me. Are you okay? I'll go and tell them I quit right now, I could be home by morning --"

"Baro Shoei, shut up," she snapped, her eyes flashing. Hana fussed in her arms and she softened, just a bit. "What did I tell you right before you left?"

Baro swallowed, mouth dry. "That it was going to be hard but it would be worth it."

"I don't feel any differently now. Do you?"

He took a long moment before he shook his head. "I just want to be there for her so badly," he whispered. "I just want to be a good dad for her."

"You are, Sho. You're doing what you need to do for all of us, even if it's not what you want right now."

Baro nodded again. Down the hall, he heard his teammates start to head his way.

"I should go, baby," he said.

"Okay."

"I'm so proud of you."

"I'm proud of you too."

"I'll call as soon as I can. I love you, baby. And I love you too, Hana. Daddy loves you."

"I love you, Sho. Go kick some ass."

He grinned as he ended the call. She had a point.

He cracked his neck and went into the hall, looking for a peasant dumb enough to go one on one with the king.

[ox-imagines]

Hi yes hello you're incredible

You don't even understand, every day I log onto tumblr and I sift through the tokyo debunker tag just hoping and praying you or another one of my favourite TBD creators have updated

And then today I realised in your Mortkraken post we're allowed to ask for oneshots based off the romance tropes???? Are you kidding me???? You're the fuckin best

I hate asking for things, but I am desperate and i need my silly anime boy content. May I pretty please ask for a continuation of Sho and/or Jiro? (People who have seen me around probably knew I was going to ask that, they are my babygirls)

This actually made my day you’re so sweet 😭😭😭 things might be a little slow bc my computer decided to stop working but I will do my best to get these to you asap <3

[yayakoishii]

whenever Sho and Kyōichi are 'talking' (a gentler word for they're clearly arguing all the time) and I have to translate their jabs line by line, I can help but laugh and go "oml teenage boys, smh!!" 😂

both of them are ridiculous;;

I love Kyōichi but my man's so uptight 😭 like calm down babygirl, you're like, 15 at most�� be a kid for once !!

[marinecorvid]

Reconsidering the next team for my next Legends Arceus playthrough (decided I want some variety and therefore no duplicates from my last team (except for Zoroark, who is cool as as fuck, and Rapidash, who will be shiny this time around). Sho, babygirl, being unsociable and turning back up to Jubilife every few weeks with new evil coded ‘mons and Alphas is NOT helping you beat the Evil Changeling Who Wants To Kill Us All allegations

[georgieluz]

what's your favorite part about each hbo war show?

the homoseggsuality?

ok lemme be serious for like three whole seconds, my initial answer to this was the characters. i'm someone who can't enjoy media if i don't like how characters are written. i don't mean i can't enjoy something if i don't specifically like the characters as people, but if i don't vibe with how they're written within the world as characters, then i generally struggle to stay invested in their stories. i love characters with actual personality and the one thing these shows give us is characters with personality! and we can point to the characters being based off of real people as being the reason for that, but i don't necessarily think that's the biggest reason. i mean, there are MAJOR things that were different about these characters in most of the shows, so i do think it was about characterisation, not just depiction of the real men, that made the characters who they were in the shows. so, yeah i think overall, my favourite thing in each of the shows would be the range of characterisations and stories being told. i think it's why the hbo war shows appeal to anyone in the fandom, because there's something for everyone? take the pacific, for example, i love to see which thread of narrative fans favour most out of the three. all are valid choices, but it's just very personal which ones we gravitate toward.

so yeah, so far we have gay and characters.

and gay characters

but let me focus properly on each show individually:

for band of brothers, i think it's the storytelling structure. the focus on an individual character in specific episodes to not just tell a story, but to start a dialogue with the viewer about certain themes. and we don't always get to follow those people that we're focused on after their contribution is done, they're snatched away from us, much like people are snatched away from us in life. but for that hour or so, we are consumed by them. we see them, we feel their struggles and their inner conflicts, and pain, and we see and feel their light too. they focus us on something specific and they go deep with it. and even though they may not get the most attention in every other episode, we become completely attached to them. but not just them, but everything they're telling us as well. their stories didn't die. they live on in every post we write about them. yes, even the silly "he's my babygirl" ones. especially them, in fact! i think this is just something that band of brothers did really well. yes, i would like more of a lot of the side characters. i, of course, irrationally want 37 more hours of chuck grant sitting there looking pretty, or alton more and speirs staring each other down for a good hour or so, or more george because he's my GUY and i want 50 hours of just his face, okaY!? but i'm aware that i was never going to get any of that and what i did get was something pretty special in itself. so yeah. i guess, the method of storytelling and use of characters would be my specific favourite for band of brothers. the structure of the show and the format also, bc let's be real, it was the ding ding ding winning formula that started the whole thing and is one of the main reasons limited series are such high standard these days too!

ok, next up, the pacific! anyone who knows me is probably waiting for me to say eddie jones! or hoosier! or ack ack! and you'd be right!! except if i'm being serious (and i know it's been more than three seconds, so by right, i don't have to be serious anymore) then i'd have to say that my favourite thing was sledge's individual character arc and journey. the effect of trauma on one single individual. seeing how it seeps into him and infects him from the inside out. how it changes your very dna (metaphorically, don't come at me PLEASE). these are stories that need to be talked about. i think it's a really important thing they needed to show in depth, and i didn't think they'd be able to do it in an ensemble show, but i think they did it about as well as they could. it was subtle, but not in a way where it was overshadowed or pushed under the rug. it was the main element of his thread of the narrative and actually treated with depth. the show could have easily have used the usual war media excuse of "they didn't care about that then so we're not gonna dive into it too deeply now" or gone the usual predictable and garish route that those that do depict it often follow. so i would say that his arc was my favourite thing about the series. but on a lighter note, my other favourite thing was h-company's friendship. i probably don't talk about them as much as i talk about eddie and ack ack, but i really do love them as characters and a group. i know i whine about leckie being annoying all the time, AND HE IS, but i genuinely enjoy him as a character and his role alongside them. i think the thing i was most disappointed about was not getting to spend that much time with them as a group. i would have loved more episodes of them together. they were such an endearing group of guys and brought an element that i think was needed amongst everything else going on. i'm still not over the show taking hoosier away from me after 5 episodes. that shit was Not cool and i personally don't think i'll ever forgive them. no i won't accept it happening in real life as a valid reason for him leaving. they could have LIED okay?! they could have pretended! IN THIS HOUSE WE SUPPORT CREATIVE LICENSE. WE SUPPORT LYING. WE SUPPORT THE BENDING OF THE TRUTH. ACK ACK IS ALIVE. EDDIE JONES IS ALIVE. HOOSIER DIDN'T GET INJURED. HE WAS FINE. I GOT 5 MORE EPISODES WHERE EVERYONE WAS FINE AND THERE WAS NO WAR AND THEY JUST HUNG OUT ON THE BEACH TOGETHER. LIFE WAS SO GRAND. ok, i told you i was about to get unserious again, so if you're still reading this is on you actually. i did nothing wrong. ever.

also, let me just formally apologise to anyone who just wanted to read about my gen kill opinions and had to scroll all the way down here through that mess. i'll just put my Serious Hat back on, and i'll be right with you, one moment!

okay, i'm here! i'm rocking the Serious Hat once more, so let's talk about my favourite thing about generation kill! this one may be less clear because i've not had as much time to find an eloquent way of expressing my own thoughts about the show as much as the other two, as i watched them earlier, but i do have a lot of things that i love about gen kill, so maybe i'll just throw all of those at you instead. nate fick is obviously one of those things. i'm sorry. i know i said characters already, but i don't think you understand... that man has me in the biggest chokehold ever. i am simply a dog waiting at his feet for instruction. i am the blood running through his veins. i am picking him apart under a microscope. i am thoroughly Obsessed. and it's unhealthy. it's unhealthy and it's all-consuming. i personally need someone to snap me the fuck out of it because what the fuck is this?!?!?! stark sands what have you done????? is this how brad feels? is it? IT IS. it must be. fuck, man. sucks to be us, i guess. ANYWAY. serious hat slipped a bit for a second, but i actually stand by it. nate fick is legit one of my favourite things about the show. so yeah, nate. but i also appreciated that the show was critical about the war, and the military and us government's involvement. it didn't handhold us through that either, it just presented us with what it was saying and left us with "how do your learned experiences and beliefs affect your reaction to this? what does this make you feel and think?". every one of those men was fucked up and flawed, and it's not an easy ride to have your protags without the sugar coating, but that's what makes it the show it is. it can be uncomfortable and you have to be critical with your viewing experience, you don't get to sit back and just enjoy the jokes or the stressed gays staring into each other's eyes. i've discussed that before, so i won't go into it again, but i think it's the one of the most vital things about the show. but it doesn't shy away from letting us in on these men either. you still get attached to some, you still have your favourites. they're the fucked up bad marines, but all the same, you collect them in your palms. it takes good writing, and performance and portrayal, to do that. i think it was very well made as a whole as well. the dialogue was pretty great. the use of very realistic background dialogue, messy and overlapping, was something i really enjoyed about it. having subtitles switched on brought so much more to the show, it's always fun hearing all the guys bickering in the background of shots. and i would die on the hill arguing that they contributed to the narrative bc they did! nothing in film or tv production is ever just There, everything is a construction with a purpose and all of those throw away lines had a little bit of impact on the narrative each episode, but yeah, just the writing in general. the screenplay to be specific. in fact, i'd love to read it, so if anyone knows where it can be found please send it my way, so i can be lazy and not have to search for it. i always love to read the screenplays of shows that have good dialogue and writing and this is very much one of my favourites in that regard!

so to sum it all up (serious hat off, ofc)

the gay. the characters. the gay characters. and nate fick.

and good dialogue and writing and narrative structure!

(ok, i put my serious hat back on for a second there)

ultimately, i just fucking love stories. i can be cynical, in fact, many people who know me might say it's one of my defining personality traits, but fuck, humanity is fickle and fragile and messy and chaotic and i just wanna hear about it all!!! and maybe that's what attracts me to hbo war shows, what i love about all of them the most.