you may be thinking that some of the reactions to the tumblr update are unfounded or panicky. but i meant what i said: this will fucking destroy any artist on this site.
for your reference, i tracked down one of my original posts; which had a notes section that looked like this:
and here is what it looks like now:
holy shit. by my math, that is not even two percent of the amount of aggregate notes my writing actually has. i am not able to see any of the literal hundreds of replies, comments, or tags.
maybe this is a bit presumptuous but i consider myself to be fairly popular on this site. i still remember the first time a large blog "picked up" my work - how quickly all of a sudden i was getting seen. notes on my poetry jumped from like 10 to 300 to 3k. overnight. that was the magic of tumblr, and the incredible writing community i found here.
but now if i answer any of my fellow writers, if i say please go check this out or even if i add additional context to my own work - the artist is removed completely from their own content.
do you want to reply to an "ask game"? do you want to reply to a story prompt? do you want to just make a funny joke with your friends? well, that sucks - you might be depriving them of literally 98% of their notes.
it isn't about clout chasing. it is about giving creators control over their own materials. even a silly post deserves to be connected directly with the person that thought it up.
the tumblr feedback form is currently crashed for me, but when it's up, everyone please go (politely! calmly! like you're walking in a burning building!) tell them what you think. in the meantime: @staff @changes like... i am begging you. literally just set up a suggestion box for ideas on how to monetize tumblr, surely one of us can help you.
you know what, fuck it be free, keep reading that bad fan fiction, keep writing that bad fanfiction, keep using y/n, keep staying up to 4 a.m reading x reader, to be cringe is too be free
The wrong thing is not the fact that you write a story with an oc, no, that's not the real problem, really.
IT'S JUST THE FACT THAT YOU USE THE WRONG TAG SO YOU HOPE MORE PEOPLE READ YOUR STORY. BUT BELIEVE ME IT'S JUST FUCKING ANNOYING 'CAUSE WE AREN'T ABLE TO FIND THE RIGHT FICS IF YOU KEEP DOING THIS!!!
There are people who like to read more stories with ocs than reader inserts, so use the fucking right tag go reach that community and stop spamming your stories among ours.
I don't think you get it but, you know, the purpose of fanfics with reader insert is to make the reader imagine her/himself as the mc of the story. The best part of these fics is the fact that EVERYONE can be included in them.
SO WHY THE FUCK DO YOU HAVE TO RUIN THEM BY MAKING THE MC A PERSON THAT LOOKS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT FROM THE READER AND EVEN HAS A NAME THAT IS NOT THEIRS?
Not to be dramatic but i hate y'all.
And the fact that it's always the same fandoms and we all know who we're talking about...
Summary: Dabi helps you out of a dangerous situation, and you later help him with a not-so-dangerous one.
Word count: 1,732
Posted on AO3 right here
My breathing was laboured as I continued running down the empty street, feet aching from how fast I was pushing myself to run. I had managed to pull my purse away from a large man who was trying to mug me, but now he was chasing after me. I guess that’s just the price I pay for taking a sketchy shortcut on my way home from work in the dead of night.
I turned down an alleyway, but was immediately knocked to the ground by the force of my body hitting something and being thrown back. “Watch where you’re going.”
My head snapped up at the sound of a deep, somewhat raspy voice. My eyes widened at the sight of a wanted criminal, known for burning people and leaving their charred corpses all over the city, Dabi. I was lucky he was even giving me a warning rather than burning me to a crisp. I managed to pant out a half-assed apology as I stood from the ground, “Sorry.”
I looked back behind me as I stood, hoping the man wasn’t too close, but his footsteps were sadly in earshot. I started to continue my way down the alley, not able to run any further, but I still managed to speed walk before I heard Dabi’s voice again, “Someone chasin’ you or somethin’? You look like you’re in a rush.”
I didn’t want to stop my journey home, just wanting to keep a safe distance from the man who was following me, but maybe he wouldn’t do anything if I was talking to someone, so I stopped and turned back to Dabi. I nodded. “A guy’s been following me for a few blocks.”
Dabi didn’t answer; he just scowled, and I wasn’t sure if it was at me or the fact that I had been followed for so long while I was actively running away. He turned on his heel to face the entrance of the alley and started to walk away from me. Great, he didn’t care. What else should I have expected from a villain?
I turned back the other way, starting to walk away again, when I heard a pained yell and something big hitting the ground, hard. My head whipped back in time to see Dabi standing over the large man with his fist on fire. It was blue, and it was so bright it made my eyes water, even from this distance. “Don’t you know not to prey on girls, you meathead?”
Just as Dabi spoke, a burst of flames came from his hands down onto the man, charring him to a misformed, burnt lump at the entrance of the alley. I swallowed hard at the sight, not used to seeing someone kill someone with that little care and that much indifference. Yet, I still found myself glued to the ground, even when Dabi turned back to me.
“Don’t thank me. I’m not some hero or knight in shining armour.” He spoke before I could even open my mouth to thank him. My eyes flickered down to the body again, before looking back up into his turquoise eyes.
“No, just a villain in shining leather then.” My mouth moved before I could stop myself from saying it out loud. I thought for sure he would burn me for that and leave me for dead, but then he chuckled, lowly albeit still audible in the silence of the night.
“You’re lucky that was funny, or else you’d end up like him.” He gestured to the body, making a chill run up when I remembered that he was still a villain who could, and would, kill me without sparing a thought. “You need someone to babysit you on your way home so you don’t get followed again?”
His tone was condescending, but held a slight undertone of concern. I knew that I should say no, as it was too dangerous for a villain to know where I live, especially because I live alone, but I still found myself nodding, against my better judgment. I saw a smirk raise on his lips, and it made me regret my answer, but surely he wouldn’t hurt me after he killed a man who was chasing me down to mug me and possibly do other unsavoury things.
“Lead the way.” He said, almost bored as I started to walk home with him following close behind to watch for any muggers, muttering ‘I can’t believe I’m doing this’ under his breath.
It only took me a few meters to get awkward with the silence between us. I spoke up, desperate to break the awkward silence, “Why’d you kill him? You don’t know me; you could have just turned a blind eye and let him rob me when he caught up.”
“I don’t like it when the big guys like him prey on women or girls because they think they’re weaker. Besides, you and I both know that he wouldn’t have followed you that far just for your purse; he wanted more.” A chill ran down my spine at his words. He was right, I did know that the mugger wouldn’t have followed me that far just for my purse, but hearing him say it out loud solidified it in my mind.
“Are you sure I can’t thank y-?”
“Don’t you dare.” He said sternly, cutting me off before I could even finish my question.
“Well, sorry, I don’t exactly know what to say when someone kills someone for me.” I looked at him out of the corners of my eyes.
“First off, you don’t even bring it up again, and second, I barely did it for you; I was taking a man who likes to victimise women off the streets. I did it because I like to kill men who think they’re so high and mighty.” His words hit me. Of course, he’s a cold villain; he wouldn’t do anything for someone else, his main goals would always be himself.
I stayed silent until we reached my apartment building. I stopped near the back entrance. “This is me. Thank you for walking me home.”
I smirked because he didn’t tell me not to thank him for walking me home, only to not thank him for killing the mugger. He looked like he wanted to protest against my thanks, but he kept it in. “Whatever.”
I watched as he walked away, clearly not amused by my thanks earlier. I made sure he was far enough away before I walked into my building; after all, I still had to be cautious that he didn’t come back to follow me to see which apartment I lived in. He was still a villain, and I was still a girl who lived alone.
~
It has been two weeks since the incident, and I have not seen him since that night. I was sitting on my fire escape, needing to get out of my apartment while I aired it out with all of its windows opened because I burnt some cookies and the smoke quickly took over the small space.
My head lolled to the side, resting on the brick wall as I grew tired, my eyes slowly drooping shut.
I slept for god knows how long until I was woken up by a familiar voice. “It’s dangerous to sleep outside all alone with the window to your fire escape open.”
I looked around for Dabi’s voice, looking up to see him in my apartment, leaning through the window to look down at me. “Huh?! What are you doing here? How did you get in there?!”
I stood up abruptly to look him in the eyes for answers, feeling myself being pulled in by the turquoise colour just as much as I was the first night I saw them. “I was just passing through. Saw you asleep on your fire escape, with your window open, and decided to teach you a lesson on why that’s dangerous.”
I scowled tiredly at the smirk on his face. “Yes, okay, I get; don’t fall asleep outside alone with your apartment open. Now get out.”
Just as I told him to get out, I noticed a bleeding cut just above his eyebrow. “It’s nothing.” He stated, but I didn’t believe him, not with the way it was open and bleeding like that.
I pushed further into my apartment as I climbed through my window. I pointed at a stool tucked into the kitchen counter. “Sit, and stay. I’ll be back.”
I walked down my hallway to get my first aid kit from my bathroom, rummaging through my cabinets and drawers just to find it. I came back hastily and stood in front of him. “You don’t have to play nurse, I can do it myself.”
I looked at all of the staples in his skin as he said that he could do it. “Yeah, right, you look like you lost a fight to a stationary set. Stay still, this will sting.” I warned him before I poured some rubbing alcohol on a clean cloth and started to clean around his wound.
I set aside the cloth with rubbing alcohol and dampened another with water, gently dabbing up the blood from the cut directly. He winced when the cloth made contact with his cut, reaching up to grab my wrist. My movements paused, wondering if he was mad at me, which he noticed and slowly let go. “Sorry. Keep going, get it over and done with.”
I made sure to be extra careful as I continued to clean the wound. I set the rag down and opened up the first aid kit, finding some butterfly wound closures, plucking two from the pack and turning back to him. I took my time to apply the small strips on his cut, plucking another, slightly larger bandage to cover them so they didn’t come off later. “Feel better?”
“Yeah, I’m thinking I might have to come to you every time I get scraped up now.” He smirked at me. The thought made my cheeks flush, and it only encouraged him to continue. “There is one step you missed, though: kissing it better.”
What he didn’t expect, however, was for me to be bold enough to actually do it. I smirked and leaned down to press a soft peck over the bandaged wound. “Happy?”
Summary: Shigaraki begrudgingly likes his soulmate and feels a pull towards her, but she's scared of his reputation as the leader of the League of Villains.
Word count: 3,469
Notes: I also uploaded this to my AO3, right here.
Shigaraki's POV:
I was sitting at the bar in the LoV hideout, sipping on a glass of bourbon on the rocks, scratching at my skin again, though not my neck this time. It was my wrist. This damned wrist, with that damned name. I never understood the point of soulmates; I thought that they were a waste of time and could be seen as a weakness for enemies to exploit. And this name was just the one I wouldn't want on my wrist in a million years, a stupid hero's name, specifically one of those UA brats from third year. I looked down at my glass and grimaced; the ice melted, making the taste watered-down and shitty. I stood up and poured it out in the sink behind the bar, making my way towards my quarters, before I stopped in my tracks near the TV. They're replaying the sports festival again? Pathetic show-offs. I thought as I reached for the remote, my finger hovering over the off-button before I heard a familiar name, y/n l/n. Oh, god, let's see how weak this soulmate of mine is. Or maybe if she's any good, I can make her be my player 2.
I watched the small TV as she evaded her opponent's attack and swung a punch to his jaw, thinking she wasn't terrible, but that thought was cut short when her opponent landed a discreet punch to her stomach. Pathetic, that was easy to dodge. But she seemed to absorb the shock from the punch and use it to power up her next attack. I wasn't expecting to do so, but I watched the whole rerun of the festival, picking apart her fighting style and quirk. I smirked and finally turned the TV off. Maybe she can be a good player 2 after all. I thought to myself as I retired to my quarters for the night, sleep not finding me as I thought of her.
No, I can't think like this. Soulmates are still a weakness; she'll just be good for our team, but that doesn't mean I like her. I rolled over and looked out the window. Snow, just great. I groaned, pulling the covers up further; I hated the snow and the way the cold seeped into your bones as if it belonged there, but what I hated about this weather most was seeing how it made people so soft, clinging to others for warmth. It was pathetic and weak.
When morning came, a frost settled on the window, making me grumble under my breath as I rose from my bed, tugging on a hoodie and a coat to brave the weather outside. I made my way through the hideout, stopping at the door to glare at Dabi, "Get your feet off the bar, you animal."
"Nah, I'm good." He didn't move an inch at my words, only waving me off, but I didn't have the energy to fight with him, so I left. I made my way to the store, avoiding heroes on early morning patrols as I made my way through the crowds with my hood up. I reached the convenience store, walking in and beelining towards the Chapstick. I grimaced when I saw a UA student in the same aisle, looking at the moisturiser near the Chapstick. She was close enough for me to see how her blazer sleeve rode up her wrist when she reached for a bottle, allowing me to read the name that was inked in her skin by fate: Tenko Shimura. Great, this was the hero brat whose name was on my wrist.
I was caught off guard by her face; she looked prettier than she did on TV. WHAT?! DON'T THINK THAT! I contemplated snatching her up here and now, but I knew I had to wait for a better time than now. After all, I still had to break her trust in heroes before I could make her be my player 2. And it's not like she would believe me if I told her that was my name on her wrist. Tenko was dead to me; I was Tomura now.
Y/n's POV:
I yawned as I walked into the convenience store. I ran out of moisturiser this morning and somehow convinced Midnight to give me permission to leave the dorms before classes to buy some, given that I make it back in time. I was looking at the different bottles and jars as I looked for the usual one that I use all the time, when I saw someone approach the aisle and stop a few steps away from me to look at Chapstick. I felt an unfamiliar feeling form in my chest when I saw him, it made me watch him closely out the corner of my eyes, feeling off about him. I noticed something familiar about his face, though I wasn't sure because it was only a slight glimpse, but mixed with the light blue hair, I was sure it was him: Tomura Shigaraki, the leader of the League of Villains. The hair on my arms stood on end. I knew I had to be cautious now, but his wrist caught my eye before I could move away from him. My name on his wrist, clear as day. My heart stopped at the thought of a villain being my soulmate.
He can't be. It's not even his name on my wrist, so why is mine on his? I quickly made my way to the register and placed the bottle of moisturiser down on it. I was anxious to get out of here as soon as possible. I collected my breath until I felt somebody's eyes on me. I turned to see it was him watching me from afar. Shit. Did he notice me? Does he know that's my name on his wrist? I quickly paid for my moisturiser and stuffed it into my pocket as I left hastily.
The walk to UA was another 20 minutes, and I couldn't shake the feeling of his eyes watching me, so I subconsciously took the longer route to the school gates. I completely forgot about the chilly weather and slipped on a frozen puddle. I yelped as I made contact with the ground, wincing and pulling myself up, looking around to make sure nobody saw that embarrassing moment. My face fell as Tomura passed me, snickering and teasing lowly, "Careful, hero."
I watched him walk past, making sure he was gone before I walked towards the hidden entrance for the dorms. I couldn't risk him discovering where they were because of me. My cheeks were flushed out of embarrassment, and maybe anger at his audacity to laugh at me for slipping on the ice. I walked towards the third-year dorms, a slight limp from when I landed on my but, my tailbone feeling the wrath of the hard ground. I entered the dorms and continued to my room to get ready for my morning class. I was currently thanking whatever gods were out there right now that I only had one class today and free periods for the rest of the day.
I was already in my uniform, so all I did was my skincare routine and fixed my hair before stepping out of my room again, jumping slightly when I saw Mirio's face appear through the wall. "Ah! What the fuck are you doing?"
"Sorry, didn't mean to scare ya. Just wondering if you've seen Tamaki? He's not downstairs, and I keep getting no response when I knock on his door." He smiled at me, and I nodded.
"I saw him go into Nejire's room last night when I was going to bed," I smirked, and he quickly adopted a similar expression as he phased through the wall fully now, putting his hand on my shoulder.
"I am forever in your debt for this new information." He joked and marched over to Nejire's dorm room all serious-like before giving a soft knock anyway. I laughed and shook my head.
"Be careful, they might still be naked." I joked, making him laugh loud enough to probably wake the whole dorm.
Shigaraki POV:
That must be where the dorms are. I smirked as I watched her walk into the secret entrance of the school. She hadn't even noticed me, despite her looking around to make sure I wasn't watching. I stepped out of the shadows, tempted to follow her, but I knew better. There were too many heroes there; I couldn't just waltz in in broad daylight. I have to wait to get my hands on my player 2. I groaned at the thought of even wanting her, but now that I've seen her in person, there was an undeniable pull that I could feel in my chest that wanted me to be near her. With her. Close to her. Inside of her. What?! No! Gross... I looked over at the gate one last time, scowling at how close yet so far she was now. I didn't even know why I cared how far away or unobtainable she was right now, but for some reason, I could feel that stupid tugging feeling in my heart.
I walked back to the hideout, grumbling under my breath about hero brats and how safe they thought they were behind those pesky gates and lame heroes. We all knew that once they stepped a foot out into the real world, they were weak and helpless. I entered the hideout and walked past the bar where various members of the League were sitting and drinking, ignoring Toga's insistent questioning about where I was going out when we were supposed to be lying low until our next plans.
"I was surveying UA." I lied easily as I turned to them. "Tonight's plans are off, it's too much of a risk, too many heroes."
That wasn't the real reason I wanted to call off the plans, and they were onto me by the suspicious looks they gave me, but I shut them down with a stern look and turned back towards the hallway to go to my room again. There were too many thoughts of her clouding my head, and I wish I could say it was annoying to have her in my thoughts constantly like last night, but the image of her slipping on the icy pavement was too funny to want out of my head. I sat down at my computer and turned it on before another, more concerning thought popped into my head: The name on her wrist would be my real name, not Tomura. I already knew this much, but now it occurred to me that she knew it was me now. If she tells anyone about what happened today, she'll tell them my real name too. The thought of the heroes having my name was concerning and far too worrying to not be dealt with.
I groaned and pulled out my phone to message Giran. 'I need that device you told me about, urgently. 9 pm, no later.'
After I sent the message, I threw my phone onto my desk and scratched at my neck. Great, just what I needed, the potential of one of those hero brats, my soulmate or not, telling the heroes or police my name. I just had to hope that she was one of those fools who thought that soulmates were the greatest thing in the world and wouldn't tell the heroes anything because 'Soul-bonds are the strongest thing in the world'. I wasn't about to wait around to find out, though. I knew I had to do something to keep her quiet sooner rather than later, but I did have to wait until tonight, hoping she wasn't a snitch.
When 9 pm came around, I reluctantly peeled myself out of my gaming chair and stretched, leaving my room to go back into the bar to meet Giran. He was sitting there with a smug grin, making me scowl at him again. "This isn't me admitting you were right. I need it for something personal, not the mission."
"That's what they all say, kid. Just use it wisely, and don't get caught, these ain't cheap to find in working condition in the black market." He slid the device across the bar to me.
"And you've tested it to make sure it works?" I raised a brow at him and picked up the device, inspecting it heavily.
"Yeah, just press that red button, and every electrical current next to it will jam, perfect for that pesky alarm system UA has on their gates. If that's what you still need it for, and judging by the fact you were following a girl in a UA uniform this morning, that's exactly what you need it for." He still had that smug look as his words made a heat rise to my cheeks, though I was unsure if it was anger or denial.
"I needed to make sure she wasn't a threat to the next mission, it's not what you think." I huffed before I tugged my coat back on and left without saying a thank you for the device.
I tucked it into my pocket and headed straight towards UA again, flicking my hoodie up over my head. I approached the school with caution and made my way to the back entrance, where I saw her enter earlier, reaching into my pocket as I pressed the button on the device that Giran gave me, and once the alarm system was shut off, I walked in. That's seriously all it took? Pathetic. I saw the dorm buildings from afar and noticed that their class numbers were on the buildings, making me laugh even harder at the poor security of this place. I headed towards the building that had '3A' on it, making sure I was hidden in the bushes and treeline. I had no idea which window or balcony was hers, so I climbed up the waterpipe for the gutter and jumped onto one of the balconies. I peaked in through the glass door to see if it was hers, but saw that I was on the side of the building with the male dorms. Great, fucking great.
I jumped down from the balcony, just as I heard a gasp behind me. Lucky for me, it sounded like her. I turned around with a smirk to see her in comfortable workout clothes. "Going for a run, hm? And here I thought you were a good girl who listened to the rules, yet here you are, out after curfew."
I saw her take a steady step back. She looked worried, but not afraid for some reason. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm here to make sure someone doesn't spill a little secret they know about me."
Y/n's POV:
My eyes subconsciously flickered down to my wrist, knowing this was about his name on my wrist. I recognised that it was a different one than what people knew him as. I panicked a little; Was this how those kidnapping victims felt in the movies when they've seen their kidnapper's face and knew they were going to be killed? I knew his name, and now he was going to kill me, for sure; I was dead. "I didn't tell anyone, I promise."
I almost flinched in shock at his sharp cackle in response. "I know you wouldn't have, you're a little scaredy-cat, aren't you? Probably too scared to tell the heroes 'cause you're afraid they won't trust you."
He read me like an open book, but I couldn't let him know that, so I stood my ground. I could see something in his eyes that told me he didn't really know this as a fact, just something he was bluffing with, so I noticed the way he faltered ever so slightly when I narrowed my eyes at him. "I still could."
"I know you could, but would you? Or are you too scared of what I might do?" He spoke lowly as he stepped forward, making me take a step back again. "Villains like me don't care for something as stupid as soulmates. I could dust you if I ever suspected you were going to run your mouth to the police. I would never even hesitate."
I couldn't tell if he was bluffing or not this time. I took a breath, "And what if I don't tell them anything? What if I keep it a secret?"
"A secret? That's cute, but this isn't fifth grade, and I still can't trust you." He stepped closer again, but I couldn't step back any further, so I could feel his breath on me, a harsh contrast to the cold air outside.
"I'm serious! I won't tell, on my life." I didn't like the way I sounded like I was pleading, but I was glad that it made him back off, even though his new smirk made me uneasy.
"It is. It's on your life, and if you tell anyone at all, I'll fucking kill you." I held my ground as he threatened me as he looked at my eyes, as if he was looking for something. Maybe that was a good sign; maybe he was trying to see if he could trust me or not. "Fine. But I'll be watching you closely. One slip-up, though? And who knows what I'll do to you."
I swallowed deeply as he brushed past me to leave. I was half-tempted to go tell a teacher that he was here, but I wasn't sure how serious his threat was, so I watched him leave like my feet were cemented to the ground. I turned around and made my way back into the dorm building to go to sleep for the night, my steps and breath shaky. I was just face-to-face with one of the most wanted villains in Japan, and he didn't kill me. I was hoping that it was our soul-bond that was stopping him from killing me, because that meant that his death threat might not hold the weight I thought it did.
Shigaraki POV:
Fuck! Why didn't I kill the brat? She was right there in arm's length from me, and I didn't even reach to disintegrate her or kidnap her like I planned to. I couldn't believe that I caved for something as little as seeing my soulmate scared. I scoffed at the weakness I exhibited as I walked into the hideout, slamming the door shut in anger, not caring if the others were sleeping. The look on her face was stuck in my mind. She was trying to be brave, trying to scare me, and now it made me laugh at the pathetic attempt, but the worry, the not-quite-scared look, that was in her eyes was engraved in my mind. It made me cave back there when threatening her, but it still tugged on my heart weirdly, even though I wasn't even near her anymore. I stormed into my room and slammed that door shut, too.
Why did she make me so weak? Why did she make me feel like this? I didn't even know what this feeling was; it was like I didn't want to make her scared, and like I didn't want to hurt her either. She was damn lucky that she's my soulmate. If she was a random girl who knew my name, she would have been a pile of dust the second she found out. I looked around my room, but immediately walked back out. My feet were walking on autopilot as I walked out and back to the 24-hour corner store. God, what am I doing here?
Y/n's POV:
When I woke up, it felt like what happened last night was all a dream, until I noticed something on my balcony, making me open my door to retrieve it. I couldn't help but scoff at the audacity. It was a box of chocolates, with a shittily written note: 'Sorry. Maybe I won't kill you, but I might have to kidnap you if I see you getting too mouthy about what you know.' He's lucky the chocolates were a good brand, or else I might have to tell the police what I know about him, not that it was much. I closed my door and inspected the box closely to see if it had been tampered with, but saw nothing wrong with it, so I set it on my desk. I looked at the note again and almost laughed. I'm sure it was serious, but seeing it written out was funny to me. It made me slightly less scared, but I was still worried about the lingering threat of still being at his mercy if I told anyone.
will die on this hill. the dad best friend fanfics that go into detail about how they have known you since your were 4 are disgusting and borderline disturbing. like your talking about having sex with a girl you literally watched grow up. ew. it’s creepy. like… no.
