I was honestly about to let this go because it's not worth it, but that last paragraph, whoo. You've been itching for this fight, but you really don't know what you're poking. I call myself a salty marshmallow, and you poked hard enough that the salt is pouring out.
There is a very good reason why I had pointed out Born Dead, Buried Alive and why I am certain you have NOT read it before you decided to break containment on your bitching and come at me hot. Because you asked why I wrote Philip and Shotaro like that.
Maybe because this was first chapter of Born Dead, Buried Alive.
Maybe because in the second chapter, we got to see how codependent they're getting.
Maybe because in the third chapter, we can see them getting comfortable with the other being the only safe person to be around.
Maybe because by the fourth chapter, we can see that they are being stalked by something that gets angry enough to throw a fucking typewriter.
Maybe because this happened in chapter 5.
Maybe because chapter 6 was the chapter inspired by the beginning of Abigail when the titular vampire herself was getting kidnapped.
Maybe before Shotaro and Philip fucked, they had to overcome the fact that Shotaro couldn't get over the trauma of seeing Narumi die.
Maybe because they had to kill mercs in ways that would fit in better with the Radio Silence Productions film Abigail than the tokusatsu show Kamen Rider W. Or else Shotaro would be dead and Philip would have been kidnapped and back at Museum.
But you didn't read Born Dead, Buried Alive, did you? Because you would know why Shotaro and Philip are hostile towards Akiko. You would know that they have been through so much, and the lesson they both needed to learn was the entire world wasn't after them and they can let people in more than just being an informant. You would know why this scene is so important.
You would know why Philip thinking of her as family now is significant, far beyond what W actually showed in this episode. You would know that Akiko being her abrasive, money grubbing, violent, stubborn, loyal, and willing to throw down for the people she cares about self meant that Philip and Shotaro now are coming out of that codependent shell.
But you didn't read it, did you?
You would know why Philip calling Terui a broken man was what Shotaro would have become if he didn't have Philip and Akiko. You would know that Akiko is the tertiary main character.
Oh wait, you didn't get to Terui.
You didn't get to Philip calling him a deeply broken man. Or Terui challenging Shotaro to a duel that is won by Shotaro proving to Terui that it's not Philip that's the important part, it's the fact Shotaro and Philip care deeply for each other.
You didn't get to me being silly and having Akiko break Philip out of a hyperfixation by using hospital food when Shotaro was being discharged after Terui kicked the shit out of him, because I had been in the hospital recently and was still fascinated by how bad it was.
But you didn't like what I wrote, so of course you didn't get to it. Reading those chapters isn't going to change anything other than you possibly got to the last chapter where Wakana gives Philip her body so he can come back, Philip finds out Shotaro tried to kill himself because of above codependence, and Akiko takes the newly human Philip to a fair for food (and Philip catches a glimpse of Ankh and Eiji in a cameo).
However, I'm very not done.
You see, the thing I find the absolute most fascinating (and hilarious) thing is this.
You called it popular and well-liked.
The last time I was anything ever even approaching popular was in the early 2000s. When I was in the Fullmetal Alchemist fandom. And out of the group that invited me in, I was so very clearly the least known of all of them.
How did it feel when no one took the bait? How did it feel when no one came to my defense?
How did it feel to take the bitching you were doing to friends in a private group chat, try to get me to fight you, and have no one come to my aid? Did it feel good? Did you think "oh wow this bitch is wide open for bullying"?
How did it feel to see me shrug, knowing I just had fun with this story and that I was exorcising the demons called Plot Bunnies?
Not to mention, how does it feel to know every single thing I say about Akiko's personality is me ringing the endorsement bell?
How does it feel to know when I say she's violent, money grubbing, and short tempered that I could also say this about Lina Inverse, someone I had a crush on when I was in high school? Someone I drew more often than actually paying attention in class, and had someone in choir notice me drawing the sorceress who will chuck a Fireball at you if you even think the words "wow, small tits" in her direction and that's if she's in a good mood and a Dragon Slave if she's in any other mood?
No, seriously, when I was Lina's age I had a massive crush on her.
How does it feel to know I still would put my head between Koudelka's legs, even if I'm in Edward's position and about to get stabbed because she wants my stuff? And that I consider Koudelka far more abrasive than Akiko could ever be? And I played Koudelka after Shadow Hearts, so I was well into my 20s when I realized yeah, I still am hot for women like this?
That was the crux of your argument, wasn't it? That I clearly hate Akiko, despite being on record that if I hate a character, I just don't write them? That I have gone out of my way to only write Saiba Nico once because I really do not like her? That I gave Aso Megumi the smallest role I could and tried to cut her entirely from The Many Sides of Me because I really do not like her? That I have had many places where I could put Mlynar Nearl in my Arknights fics and I fucking refuse to write him because of how he talked to Blemishine, his niece, in Maria Nearl?
The crux of your argument was "this person is taking a canon Akiko, not sanding down her flaws, and putting her against a Shotaro and Philip that dealt with a year of being terrorized by mercs and Shroud and have also been keeping each other alive by Philip nearly killing Shotaro several times drinking his blood and the both of them having killed mercs in very bloody ways, and still coming out the other side as their friend and family."
Oh right, you also didn't get confirmation that there were times Philip was alone, heard someone moving upstairs that wasn't Shotaro or Akiko, and had to deal with the terror that this could be someone there to kidnap or kill him while they were gone, only for it to be Shroud checking up on her son and doing it in the worst way possible.
How good or bad my writing and plotting is isn't something I can assign. It is something you can. And you find it bad. Fine. There's a reason I say I'm not popular and why you saying Drawn to the Spiral is popular is still making me wheeze laugh. But you either read one and a half fics in Memento Mori before deciding to ignore Born Dead, Buried Alive and ask me questions answered in that fic (as well as make posts ignoring that your problems have answers in that fic), or you are trying to get me to fight you.
And to be honest, I've been in fandoms since the 90s.
I can see through your shit.
Don't try to say I hate a woman that fits my definition of an ideal fictional woman I've had since reading Secret Vampire by LJ Smith in 1996.
Look me in the face and tell me that the reason I started playing Arknights, someone I have maxed out both her and her alter, someone who is just as strong willed as Akiko and seething with rage under that Saintess shell, is someone I hate.
Or do you have more out of context screenshots that you're working overtime to bend into "hates Akiko" to put into this fanfiction you wrote about me?
But I do have to give you one thing. You recognized that I purposely wrote Shotaro and Philip's relationship as unhealthy and codependent. I can bake you a cookie as a reward.
Though you didn't recognize that I also wrote it as "this is the best they've got in this situation where they feel like they can only rely on each other and it's at least keeping them alive despite being horrifically unhealthy and codependent" so I have rescind that offer of a cookie.
