#like ugh especially in fandoms with dark content in the source material

[sleepytownez]

The fact that comments with death threats on ao3 to authors who write dark content seem to be getting more common is really disheartening.

I never used to just read a fic and find a kys comment in the comment section. I know it’s always existed but it seems worse now and it’s, scary. Like ao3 is meant for this stuff.

[vannahfanfics]

Teenage Angst

Category: General Fluff

Fandom: My Hero Academia

Characters: Hitoshi Shinso, Shota Aizawa

The taiga biome is the largest terrestrial biome, occupying large regions of Europe, North America, and Asia, often abutting tundras. These biomes are also known as coniferous forests or boreal forests. They experience short, wet summers and long, cold winters… 

Hitoshi threw his biology textbook across the library table with a snarl. The pages flapped in the air as the textbook somersaulted, and it landed face-down on the smooth wood with an almost depressing flop. Hitoshi’s lavender eyes regarded the educational tome with disdain, while it just sagged pathetically back. He wondered if the Hero Course students had to slog through boring lectures about global biomes and habitats, or if certain aspects of general education were omitted in favor of more practical hero-based education. 

He lightly slammed his forehead down on the table with a groan. He’d thought that making an upset in the school festival would entice the admission committee to reconsider his placement, but it seemed that he’d been overshadowed by the flashy members of Class 1-A. He pounded his forehead against the smooth wood several times, trying to beat the frustration out of himself. It just ate him alive, slaving away in the General Studies Course while what he desired most remained tantalizingly out of reach. 

He rolled his head so his cheek rested against the table and his lidded purple eyes stared at the book. Maybe I’m really not hero material, he thought, his lips twitching down into a frown. He thought that more often than he’d like to admit. He just couldn’t help but think that sometimes, perhaps as a defense mechanism to appease his sadness. If anything, it just made the frustration that much more potent. It roiled in his belly, slowly clawing away at his insides like a poison. 

“I see you’re absolutely riveted by your studies.” 

Hitoshi rolled his head the other way, eyebrows scrunched in confusion, to see Class 1-A’s instructor, Shota Aizawa, standing beside his table. His dark eyes were lidded as he stared at Hitoshi blankly, the lower half of his face hidden by the large coffee cup he was sipping from. His other hand was buried in the pocket of his baggy black jumpsuit, crinkled as he slouched lazily. 

“Well, you know,” Hitoshi grunted as he slowly forced himself to sit up, “I do so enjoy learning about boreal forests.” 

“Oof. Biology. What a bore,” the teacher huffed, the corners of his lips peeking around the cup as he scowled in distaste. 

He then walked to the end of the table to pick up the upended book, carefully smoothing down the creases and closing it before setting it down. He stared at the book for a moment before exhaling deeply, pulling out the chair opposite Hitoshi and sinking into it like he was exhausted. Hitoshi doubted he’d done anything of substance today, except maybe deal with the rowdy bunch in 1-A. Actually, that probably was exhausting. 

“So, let me guess… You are frustrated that your escapades during the school festival didn’t have the desired results, so now you can’t see any worth in your studies and are embroiled in teenage angst?” the teacher said, staring at Hitoshi with a blankly bored expression. Hitoshi grimaced at the strange way he uncannily voiced the source of Hitoshi’s foul mood. 

“A weird way to say it, but yes. How’d you know?” 

“I understand that reading about boreal forests is mind-numbingly boring, but I don’t think it necessarily prompts throwing a book across a table,” Eraserhead shrugged. He set his coffee cup down with a gentle thunk, then leaned forward, clasping his hands as he stared at Hitoshi levelly. “The bottom line is that you want to be a hero because you internalized all those comments about your Quirk and want to show the world that it can be used for good.” 

“Stop psychoanalyzing me. You’re too good at it,” Hitoshi frowned, squirming uncomfortably. Was it that obvious, how much ill content he possessed? Still, “teenage angst” was a strange way to put it. Then again, Eraserhead was a pretty strange dude, dozing in a sleeping bag and wriggling around like a worm while he sucked on baby’s applesauce packets… Seriously, who allowed the employment of this dude? 

“I’m not psychoanalyzing,” Eraserhead said, showing the first hint of emotion through the entire exchange in the form of a smirk. “People used to say the same thing about my Quirk.” 

“Really?” 

“Really. I got a lot of comments about how frightening it could be, rendering heroes powerless and allowing other villains the chance to gang up on them. As much as you try to brush it off, it gets under your skin after a while, and soon you start to even believe it.” 

Hitoshi sunk down in the chair, forehead furrowing into a frown. Maybe I’m really not hero material. He hated how often he thought that, how he believed it more every day. Anxiety began to prickle underneath his skin. Had Eraserhead come to tell him that too? Had he come to tell him that his Quirk was useless and he could never be a hero? A small tremor gripped his body, and he swallowed thickly, unable to look at the hero sitting across from him. He trained his gaze on the library table, tracing the patterns of the grain, round and round in circles. Was he getting dizzy, or simply nauseous with fear? 

“For the record, I don’t believe that your Quirk is only suited for villainy.” 

The cold sweat that had gripped Hitoshi dispelled in an instant. He whipped his head up with a small gasp to see Eraserhead smiling kindly at him, his dark eyes glittering with something like fondness. Hitoshi’s heart thrummed with hope, and he found himself leaning forward, eyes widening as he hoarsely whispered, “You don’t?” 

“No. It’s a unique Quirk, but with the right training and support equipment, I think it could definitely be polished into a very heroic Quirk indeed.” 

Hitoshi smiled shakily, tears beading in his eyes. He’d never really idolized Eraserhead or anything, but… having a bonafide hero telling him that his Quirk wasn’t evil, that he could be a hero, sent joy singing through his body. He shook in the wooden chair, tears dripping from his eyes to roll down his cheeks. They dropped down to a puddle on the library table, and for a second, Hitoshi felt a little embarrassed for crying. Eraserhead’s expression never changed, though. He just continued to smile softly, reassuringly. 

“I appreciate that,” Hitoshi said, gathering himself with a sharp inhale, “but it doesn’t matter. I’m in the General Studies Course. I can’t take the hero licensing exam, at least not now.” 

“That’s true,” Eraserhead said, leaning back in the chair and drumming his fingers on the table. “However, if you were to switch courses, you’d have all the avenues open to you.” 

“Is that possible?” Hitoshi gasped, practically jumping across the table in excitement; his belly dug into the edge of the table and his hands slapped down, scattering the tears that had puddled on its surface. 

“It’s uncommon, but that’s why we allow all the courses to participate in the school festival. Accepting forty students to the Hero Course per year forces us to exclude students with a lot of potential… The school festival gives such students a second chance,” Eraserhead explained. “As much as we like to keep the classes balanced, there have been instances where we invited students into the Hero Course in their second or third years.” 

It was then that Eraserhead smirked, and the look in his eyes made adrenaline surge through Hitoshi’s body. Did this mean…? 

“I was impressed by your performance in the school festival. It’s no small feat to fight your way to the one-on-one battles, and you put up an impressive fight against Izuku Midoriya, who’s no slouch, especially in the combat department. As such, I’ve approached the administration about possibly transferring you to the Hero Course next year,” the teacher revealed. “It’s been approved.”

Hitoshi’s breath left him in a long, shaky exhale, deflating him like a balloon. He flopped back against the chair, body shaking and making the wood rattle against the floor. He clenched and unclenched his fingers in the fabric of his uniform pants, scratching into the skin of his thighs. The dull pain bled through the shock, but he didn’t wake. This wasn’t a dream. Eraserhead really just told him that he would be going to the Hero Course. 

“I…” Hitoshi started, but there really were no words for the sheer elation and triumph he was feeling. His lavender lashes fluttered, causing more tears to drip down onto his cheeks. “I don’t… I’m…” He blushed in embarrassment, hiding his face with his hands and rubbing at his teary eyes with the heels of his palms. “Sorry…” 

“Don’t be,” Eraserhead chuckled in amusement. “I can only imagine how gratifying it is.” 

He allowed Hitoshi to gather his thoughts for a moment; the boy closed his eyes, taking very deep breaths to squash down the overwhelming happiness. He still couldn’t keep the giddy smile from playing over his lips. 

“Now, don’t think that you can just waltz right in,” Eraserhead warned when Hitoshi finally looked back to him. “Your peers will be leagues ahead of you as far as combat ability and tactical sense. For the rest of the semester, you’ll be training directly under me to hone your skills.” 

When Hitoshi raised his eyebrows in shock, the hero’s smirk widened. 

“We thought this would be best given the versatility of your Quirk as well as… personality attributes.” Now that Hitoshi thought about it, he did vibe well with Eraserhead. They even kind of looked alike, with the messy hair, sleepy gaze, and perpetually bored look. Ugh, does that mean in twenty years I’ll be shirking my work to lounge in a sleeping bag and living on coffee and baby’s applesauce packets? I’m not sure I like this. As he internally berated the teacher, Eraserhead picked up on his attention lapse and rapped his knuckles against the table. 

“Following your training, we will hold a joint training activity between Class 1-A and 1-B, in which you’ll participate. This will see which class you build the most rapport with and how easily you can integrate into their rhythm, which will determine which class we place you into next year.” Shinso scowled at that; he didn’t exactly want to make friends, but cooperation was a necessity in hero work, so it supposed it couldn’t be helped. 

“Does all of that make sense to you?” Eraserhead asked, and Hitoshi nodded. 

“Yes. I’m incredibly grateful, Eraserhead… You really stuck your neck out for me,” the purple-haired boy smiled gratefully. The pro hero turned a little pink and shyly rubbed the back of his neck, looking down into his coffee cup with a faint smile. 

“Like I said… I’ve been where you’ve been, and I thought you had potential. It made sense to advocate on your behalf after watching you in the festival. Besides, it didn’t take much convincing. It isn’t often that a General Studies student makes it so far against the Hero Course students,” he said, a hint of pride bleeding into his voice. His expression then hardened. “We’ll start tomorrow afternoon. It’ll be hard, so be ready.” 

“Of course. I’m no slouch either,” Hitoshi smirked, echoing his previous praise of Izuku. Eraserhead smirked, tapping the table twice before standing. He sipped at his coffee, then grimaced. 

“I need more espresso if I’m going to make it through the afternoon,” he grumbled as he sauntered away. Hitoshi chuckled, shaking his head. Eraserhead’s blood was probably coffee at this point. 

Hitoshi sat there for a moment, basking in the gift he’d just been given. He would be joining the Hero Course. He was going to be a hero. That giddy smile stayed on his lips, making his facial muscles burn a little, but he was too euphoric to really make note of it. He was going to be a hero! 

His gaze dropped to the biology textbook still resting at the other end of the table. His smile took a wan turn as he reached out, dragging it across the wood toward him. It’s true he would join the Hero Course eventually, but he supposed he needed to pass the classes he was in now, “teenage angst” and all. It was a drag, but it was a bit more tolerable knowing that better pastures were just around the bend…

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