#idk why the resolution suddenly became shit apologies

[thepringlesofblood]

in honor of FHJY, I recreated That Photo in heroforge.

they don't have martini glass in heroforge :/ i was going to do the chalice but it's too high fantasy, so he has some sort of brown liquid instead [whiskey? scotch? i'm sorry i don't drink] instead of a martini. I tried to do kalina's hand as if it was holding a martini glass though.

I also realized like 90% of the way through the extremely detailed and difficult advance posing process that brennan specifies that kalina is "a little taller than pok, probably 4 to 4 1/2 feet tall" and heroforge has like. specific height measurements that are supposed to correspond to real life heights. and my kalina is way way too big. but resizing her would erase like a solid hour of work so maybe another time. she's still "a little taller than pok", probably just a little more tall than she would've been.

I was torn b/w the furry animal torso and smooth animal torso, but since Kalina is specifically described as looking like a domestic housecat, I feel like the furry one is too shaggy and unkempt. I wish her claws were more subtle but thems the breaks.

it doesn't specify whether kalina's arm is also around pok, but doing other poses just looked weird. if kalina was the right size it would be around his waist not his shoulder but again, thems the breaks.

someday, if heroforge finally adds a suit jacket that is fully buttoned up, i will put it on pok. they have open suit jacket and one button buttoned suit jacket, but none where both buttons are buttoned. this is my purgatory.

they also don't have any like. 'satin' cloth pre-made color. i'm actually pretty proud of how her dress turned out.

here's one of pok alone [as most people see the photo]

[manifestoonmoralmanlove]

Help I’m being harassed by the #1 sexeist man! Review

Sorry I had this mostly finished on the backburner for awhile but Soulless grabbed my attention pretty hard.  BUT NOW THIS IS FINISHED! I hope you enjoy!

Summarize

So the story is as follows…Takato is an actor who was voted Japan’s sexiest man for a few years in a row. However his title is usurped by this dude named Junta that he’s working on a new movie with.  Takato is salty about this but is professional about it and just kinda harbors secret bitter feelings.  He is polite to and gives advice to Junta when asked.  Junta invites him out to drinks, Takato doesn’t want to but everyone within a 5 mile radius swoops in to pressure him into it so he caves.

GOD WHY IS THAT A THING? That for sure happened in Love Stage and I’m sure I’ve seen that trope elsewhere.  Where not just a 3rd party will pressure a reluctant uke but like a fucking horde of strangers with nothing to gain from it just crawl out from under the fucking floor boards like little hack-handy roaches to advance this shitty plot.

ANYWAY!

Junta gets Takato drunk, films embarrassing stuff that he threatens to blackmail him with, and a fucking horror scene of a rape ensues.  Like, not dissimilar from Junjou in the fact that the atmosphere is drawn as oppressive, the uke is riddled with very palatable fear, the seme wears crazed expressions, and behaves violently.  Hell, Takato manages to shove him off and tries to lock himself in the bathroom for his own safety but Junta rips the door off its fucking hinges. Takato PLEADS like BEGS for him not to but he is violently raped against the wall while Takato cries saying OUT LOUD that THIS IS RAPE!  Afterwards he’s crying and shaking, talking out loud about how he’s frightened if others find out and feeling humiliated.

Junta picks him up and is like, “Man I guess I got carried away, but like REAL TALK I have a crush on you. The rape was kinda bad I guess, but it’s not my fault cause I literally cannot control any of my actions. I can prove I like you by having gentle sex with you in the bed.”

Takato agrees to this.

I BEG YOUR FUCKING PARDON?!

The implication here is that Junta just looked SO SWEET! But like also it wasn’t gentle sex at all and Junta is going to continue to blackmail him. HAR HAR!

Like here is a hot fucking take authors and fans of this particular type of garbage… that kind of writing does not make this more consensual and okay.

Like if you threw a dude in a pit full of scorpions, and he is being stung by a thousand stingers and the poison is slowly and painfully shutting down all of his bodily functions and it’s all really gruesome…but then someone asks if he wants to be saved and the dude in the pit goes from screaming in agony to saying, “Actually I like it down here.”

Does that mean being pushed into that pit, and what he went through in that pit is okay? NO

What does him suddenly wanting to marry all of those 1000 scorpions mean?

IT MEANS YOU’RE A FUCKING HACK WRITER WILLFULLY CONTRIBUTING TO RAPE CULTURE FOR A QUICK BUCK YOU HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!

Like you can have your stories where a rapist is redeemed from his awful actions, but more often than not I see these fucking outrageous hairpin fucking turns in writing.  

I mean, Junta does apologize?  Which is better than some semes but honestly I’d rather him not even bother because he’s not sincere.  He apologizes all the time for the sex acts he puts Takato through but goes on to blackmail him, hurts him, abducts him, and threatens him to his face with more rape. LIKE NOT EXACTLY FEELING AS IF YOU TOTES CARE ABOUT HOW HE FEELS ABOUT ALL THIS, BOYO!

The next chapter while they’re being filmed for the show Takato throws him against the wall and hijacks the dialog to make it sound sexually threatening.  Takato IN HIS MIND ADMITS “DAMN HE’S ACTUALLY USING ENOUGH FORCE TO HURT ME!!!!”  So after this shot, Takato gives Junta some advice and makes no shit, this fucking face…                        

And that…face, (improperly attached to what I presume is a series of straws coated in plaster masquerading as a neck)  gives Junta that GOTTA RAPE NOW BONER!

So that’s what happens, he just violently drags off a kicking and screaming Takato in the middle of shooting and no one bats a fucking eye. SEEMS LEGIT!  What’s baffling to me is they don’t even draw a sex scene for this.

MY BRO, WHAT IS EVEN THE FUCKING POINT THAN OF ALL THESE RAPE SCENERIOS IF THERE AREN’T HIDEOUS MELTING FACES AND WACKY INFLATABLE TUBE MAN BODIES TO GO WITH IT!?

But afterwards Junta says the classic creepy shit, “Give up already and become mine. I have no intention of giving you to someone else.” WE KNOW THE DRILL!

Takato looks up at Junta and goes, “Yeah guess I love this dude.”

AND LIKE FOR WHAT? FOR HUH? WHAT’S GOING ON HERE!?!!??!?!?!?!?

But also, are you fucking joking here? Like I’m not into the 10 volumes of “Am I gay or not?” bullshit we get in yaoi. But, depending on the pace and characterization, there’s nothing wrong with dragging out the love being 100% mutual. Here’s it’s in chapter fucking 2.  Even Junjou went at a slower pace than that.  When I read that I couldn’t help feeling like, “WELL WHAT’S THE CONFLICT IN THE NEXT 3 AND A HALF VOLUMES GOING TO BE?”

Which, admittedly is unfair, there can be lots of relationship conflict outside of mutually expressed love…However for a rapist/tsundere dynamic? That’s usually at least 75% of the conflict.  But oh, maybe this means we’re going to get different kinds of drama!  So even while it’s not good, we’re going to get something different!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

It’s utter NOT-CONFLICT is what we end up with.  3 different chapters are, “I haven’t seen much of him, that must mean he’s bored of me. Wah! Oh it turns out he was just busy. Oh that’s good.”  PAGING FUCKING JUNJOU WITH THAT SUPER FUN, ENGAGING, AND INTERESTING CONFLICT HARDY FUCKING HAR!

Then we take a hard right into sorta worst rapist territory.  What do you mean by SORTA worst rapist Faps?

Well……

There’s a new actor Takato is working with and this new actor, and the new actor’s coding as a bad guy is about as subtle as a punch to the mouth. So new actor gets Takato drunk enough for him to pass out, gives him a hickey and ????????????

2 things happen in these situations in yaoi typically

1.)    SOMEHOW the seme MAGICS his way there beats up the worst rapist

2.)    This happens after the uke and seme have a fight. So uke realizes how mean he was for not being 100% down with all the seme’s shitty behavior cause there is a worst rapist out there. He runs crying to the seme apologizing and conflict solved.

We sorta get the 2nd here…but not in a straight-forward way.  For one there is no fight beforehand to set up any kind of relationship development.  What happens is that Takato wakes up mortified at the possibility he was raped while he was asleep.  He staggers around both in denial and utter shame.  Seme shows up and like only adds to this panic by yanking him around, forcefully washing his body, and screaming that his SLUTTY, SLUTTY FACE MANIPULATES MEN into raping him.  The seme tells him that they don’t have to have sex.  Which good, but I mean the scene is not framed as if Takato is doing this out of kindness but almost as a dare. The implication being if Takato doesn’t consent that he is the OTHER MAN’S BOY NOW and they should just break up. So there is implicit pressure there, but he does seem to initial consent.  Yet during the sex Takato internally cries about how much he hates it because his boyfriend is hate fucking him but he can’t say NO because than his boyfriend will hate him more.

LIKE FUCKING BIG YIKES MY FRIEND! IT’S SUPER UNCOMFORTABLE!

Which like, I could see a post-assault sex scene full of the emotional intensity of the anger, guilt, shame, fear all intermingling within both of them working well. (Not that post assault consensual sex is much of a thing.)  That they’re trying not to think of what Takato went through but it’s eating at both of them.  THAT COULD BE A REALLY INTENSE, WELL DONE SCENE!  However this is framed like seme ~taking back what’s his~ in a really cold, pissed-off way that’s AT BEST really insensitive to what the uke just went through and his current emotional state.  While Takato ~letting him~ cause he’s afraid his bf hates him for getting raped by someone not him.  Junta also disappears without a word, making Takato fear that YEP HIS BF DON’T WANT HIM CAUSE HE’S DAMAGED GOODS NOW!

But who has to apologize? THE UKE!

Also it turns out Takato was not raped cause worst rapist couldn’t get it up after Takato said his bf’s name in his sleep.  This is framed as better not cause of what the uke went through, but he didn’t really CHEAT so Junta can forgive him.

LIKE REALLY MY DUDE? YOU STARTED THIS OFF WRITTEN TAKATO MORE REALISTICALLY DEALING WITH THE DENIAL, DISGUST, AND SHAME OF ASSUALT AND INSTEAD JUST DEGRADED INTO THE SAME VICTIM-BLAMING HORSESHIT! GET FUCKED!

So the resolution is that the relationship is fixed and Junta threatens and blackmails the rapist. Which, I’m glad he didn’t get off scot-free but those interactions felt less like protecting the safety of Takato and more like, HE’S MY PROPERTY NO TOUCHY!

So from here we take a big turn.

Most of the 3rd volume is a big back-track to the beginning of their relationship before it was romantic or sexual.  And boy howdy it feels like a retcon for the fuck awful pace of the 1st volume.

Basically it’s about how Junta became obsessed with Takato while working on a movie cause idk he’s pretty and he accidently heard Takato say something shitty about him once. While I wouldn’t call this good the fact that they actually let this blooming of affection take place makes it the best chapters so far.

Like at the end Junta resolves himself to let his feelings be known and to start a romantic relationship with Takato.  Without the context, that felt like almost sweet? That he’s accepted his gay feelings and wants to share his life with Takato.  However if you REMEMBER THE CONEXT it means that Junta planned to drug, blackmail, and rape Takato WHICH YANNO REALLY TAKES A SHIT ON YOUR CUTE LITTLE FEATHERS BLOWING IN A BREEZE TO GO WITH HIS CUTSY MONOLOG YOU SHIT-SUCKER!

But lordy the next chapter comes along which is a retelling of this prequel from Takato perspective. The only saving grace here is that it’s not nearly as long as Junta’s.  Basically Takato realizes that Junta is OUT for him, and has a fucking frightened panic attack in his car afterwards. He’s literally shaking and monologing about how scary the situation and Junta are.  And this isn’t me even inferring words in Takato’s head, he repeats scary over and over.  Takato even decides to over book himself so he’ll have fewer chances to interact with Junta. So he does the classic ~pass-out from overwork~ thing so Junta can save him and from here we immediately transition to,

Oh now it’s modern day and they’re banging…..okay????? VOLUME ENDS

The next plot point comes down to this:

Paparazzi are OUT TO GET THEM! There is a photo leaked that isn’t really suggestive at all and Takato pretty much loses his job for it. However Takato finds out there is a much more damning picture of him and Junta, so he decides to break up with Junta, and like…just literally do whatever the paparazzi wants in order to protect Junta. But like, what’s the point of hiding it from Junta? And if this dude is going to blackmail you, what are you going to do to make sure their demands end or don’t get to the point that they’re unfeasible to continue giving in to them?

HAHA OH WELL!

Takato doesn’t even get to see the paparazzi again, his producer finds out and sexually assaults him to PROVE A POINT!

AND BOY HOWDY I’M WAY INTO THAT TROPE! LOOKING AT YOU OURAN HOST CLUB!

Cause HAHA nobody could literally want anything out of a wealthy, well-connected actor other than gay rape amirite?

Meanwhile Junta is cultivating a rumor that he’s having an affair with an actress.  Cause of fucking course Junta figured that the only reason his boyfriend (whom is often upset at how shitty he gets treated by him) is an elaborate ploy to protect him from the paparazzi.  But you know OF COURSE we see the actress and Junta flirting a bunch to stir the pot in a private setting but like…they only need to be seen on an outside date once.  This means that he’s fucking lying if he says that he only did it to SAVE BOTH OF THEM FROM THE PAPARAZZI.  He was getting a kick out of it, which I think you could argue that he was being unfaithful or in the very least being a fucking dick about it.

But, Junta goes on TV and says that he’s not having an affair with the actress or with Takato but he is moving in with Takato.

Yeah nothing dispels rumors of an intimate relationship like the announcement that they’re MOVING IN TOGETHER!  Now, as I understand it, the housing market is very different in Japan from the west and therefore it’s less of a huge TELL of an intimate relationship if two people move in together.  But even if that’s the case, saying you’re moving in with someone you’re accused of having an affair with…is not helping my friend.

However it is phrased this way, and immediately the entirety of the media believes this whole-heartedly, and the paparazzi guy (despite having a much more damning picture he hasn’t released) is like, “Wowzers he’s so smart, he has BEAT ME! I’m giving up being paparazzi.  That man CHANGED MY LIFE FOR THE BETTER! HOW COULD I EVER THANK HIM!?”  Even the fucking company that hired this paparazzi guy is like, “WELL I’M TAKING MY BUSINESS IN A NEW BETTER DIRECTION! THAT JUNTA GUY SURE, SHOWED ME!!!!”

ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING!? You might as well have every criminal in Japan throw their hands up going, “WELL GOLLY!  DID YOU SEE HOW GREAT THE ACTUAL RAPIST AND ABUSER JUNTA IS? BEST NEVER DO A BAD THING EVER AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

GO EAT EVERY DICK!!!!

That’s pretty much the end up to this point.  I mean, there are some odds and ends chapters here and there but they’re pretty much excuses for sex chapters. And like, even though those are pretty rapey, I kinda respect them more than when you attempts to interject some semblance of relationship drama, cause holy hell that paparazzi shit ugh.

Though if you’ll allow a side rant from me about how the story treats sexual assault. According to the author it comes in a lot of flavors and most of them are awful.

For one: if it’s a hunky guy who loves you: Rape is great.

For two: if it’s a hunky guy but you already have a rapist errr boyfriend: You’re cheating.

For three: if you’re being obnoxiously sexually harassed by your superior….BUT YOUR PRODUCER IS AN OLDER EFFEMINATE GAY MAN: It’s hilarious and harmless and helps cement your Marty-stuness.

For four: if a woman is being groomed by a superior: It’s a bad thing that should be stopped.

3 and 4 happen within the same chapter but the author is so oblivious at the hypocrisy of the framing it’s absurd.

Story

Okay so the story is a mess. The relationship progression goes way too fast for it to make sense, and negates a lot of the drama you could have had.  It’s possible that the editors wanted sex ASAP for some kinda quota, and that’s not necessarily bad. But it really burns my biscuits when people think, “Oh that means lead with rape and that they’ll be in mutual love by chapter 2.”  

Sure most tsundere stories have a bit more lead up until the uke can confess he likes the seme back but this is not the right way to break that mold. The hairpin turn makes no sense and neuters a lot of potential conflict.

It puts the comic in a pacing hole to start and the rest of the story does little to mitigate this. I think there was an attempt to rectify this by going back to the story BEFORE they were a couple.  However that was horrible botched as well.  It brings the pacing to a screeching halt with a volume of Junta being like “OH NO HE’S HOTTTTTTTTTTT” despite the time devoted they do very little to give them an actual relationship or investment in his personality. It’s all a one-sided pining boner for hideous wiggle mouth.

The content of the writing is just embarrassing too.  I can be a more forgiving in the sex-excuse side chapters.  But like there’s a side chapter when Junta is magiked into a child and for like what? So we can coo, that the author drawing a small snowman with a poorly defined face and pretending it’s a child is super adorable?

So we can excuse the shitty way Junta behaves?  Is anybody weirded out that 3 year old Junta is more thoughtful and respectful than his adult-self?  YOU CAN’T EVEN WRITE HOW CHILDREN BEHAVE YOU STUPID SIMP! UGH!!!!

But also the arc on the paparazzi just ended in a total train-wreck of awful writing no question.

Sexual politics:

They’re fucking atrocious here.

1.)    The first scene is framed as a brutal rape but 30 seconds later its fine and they’re in love.

2.)    The handling of the ~worst rapist~ trope with big buckets of victim blaming and as if Takato was ~cheating~ is horrendous.

3.)    The worst rapist is also a sex worker.  So we’re framing sex workers as bad people and sex work as a bad thing. BUT GOLLY KEEP DRAWING GRAPHIC SEX SCENCES!

4.)    The sexually predator producer of Junta being framed as harmless cause he’s effeminate is god fucking awful.  It’s also this bizarre homophobic double standard that this man (and by extension his gay brother) are a joke because they behave stereotypically gay and aren’t ashamed of being effeminate.  MEN ARE ONLY HOT IF THEY ACT LIKE PREDATORS IN A MANLY WAY, OR ARE ASHAMED OF ANY SEXUAL SUBMISSIVE OR EFFEMINATE TRAITS THEY HAVE! I LOVE WATCHING MAN ON MAN SEX BUT SO HELP ME GOD IF THEY’RE ~GAY ABOUT IT!~

5.)    They ~sorta~ take sexual harassment seriously when a female actor is being groomed. Like they joke about it but also DO SOMETHING TO STOP IT really fucking muddles what we’re supposed to think about sexual abuse at all here.

6.)    Takato’s producer sexually assaults him to ~prove a point~ that Takato is putting himself in situations where rape COULD happen.  The fuck is this horseshit! “These men could do the very bad thing of raping you. Let me demonstrate what that bad thing looks like cause I’m sure you’re UNAWARE!” THE FUCK!?  Also this sexual assault is framed more seriously than Junta’s producer because this producer is coded as MORE ATTRACTIVE and less openly QUEER! ONCE AGAIN I EXCLAIM! THE FUCK!?

7.)    Takato OPENLY describes Junta as scary and calls his acts stalking, kidnapping, bullying, blackmail, threats, and rape.  He also tries to actively avoid his boyfriend at times, yet are we not to take ANY of this seriously?  Are we not to take this seriously cause this behavior is acceptable when the one dolling it out is attractive and charming?  Are we not to take it seriously because we can’t except Takato to be honest about how he feels about any of this?  I don’t believe in given a blanket free-pass when Takato doesn’t consistently express desire in Junta’s abusive tendencies.  Like maybe you can argue some of the sex is consensual but can you argue that Takato is into the blackmail, when he never mentions he likes it? Can you argue he’s into the non-stop attention when he SOMETIMES BEGRUDINGLY admits he enjoys it?  If so does just that get a blanket pass?

JUST UGH! YOU’VE GUYS HAVE PROBABLY HEARD THIS RANT FROM ME BEFORE I FUCKING HATE TSUNDERE SEXUAL POLITICS!

 Characters

Takato

Okay so Takato. What’s this dude’s deal?  

Okay let’s start with some boring basics:  He’s a hard-working actor who strives to be professional.  He’s a perfectionist, who seems to easily and joyfully take on the role of mentor/protector. He does seem to take himself too seriously at times. He appears to subtly prod at people who have wronged him or others rather than confront them directly. He’s also shown to be a tsundere with a submissive streak.

There’s nothing bad on its face about this characterization.  However Takato is described as an intelligent professional actor, with years of experience.  Yet his handling of the paparazzi thing is pretty much he goes to shit and opens him up to more rape cause lol hot.  I could maybe understand this characterization if the paparazzi thing really hit Takato on a personal level and he made some irrational choices due to feeling as if he was being attacked or that he was going to permanently lose his job.

However he is shown as calm, as he’s making these choices and openly states that he will gladly give up a career he worked so hard for if it would save Junta’s career. Did he not, even for a second consider he could save both of them?  This is not consistent with his characterization and it exists to put Junta on a pedestal he does not deserve.

SPEAKING OF…

Junta

So…this fucking guy. Junta is a young up and coming actor with early success.  He’s shown to be an impulsive, passionate person who relies heavily on an ~angelic charm.~  He has no shame in using calculated, underhanded methods in order to achieve his goals.  He is shown as impatient, has a temper, and is openly disrespectful to his partner.

Yet the world fawns over him with praise for how attractive, charming, and ~resourceful~ he is.  He is described as having a few low wage jobs out of high school and therefore he’s an expert in EVERYTHING FOREVER!

I believe they were trying to humorously contrast Junta having a sweet, innocent angelic charm, with the reality of him being an aggressive a-hole.  However they do not frame the aggressive a-hole side of him as bad but rather as HOT.  Like I GET THAT on some level but since he’s a manipulative, abusive, rapist, it just reminds me of all the REAL LIFE INDIVIDUALS who put on a good face for the public but to their partner they’re monsters.

Art

I legit hate this fucking art. Like straight up and down, I have a hard time even reading it on a visual level.  Like the anatomy is OKAY and the backgrounds are OKAY but a lot of it is less than okay. The worst culprits are the character designs, the necks, and the expressions.  

I am so done with mediocre artists churning out, not only same-faced characters compared to their own art, but characters that are basically same-faced compared to the main-stream.  The only thing unique here is that Junta has dark hair underneath his lighter brown hair. OH GOLLY!  It’s so fucking bland and Junta’s got best seme in the Chil Chil awards and I’m so salty about that I could give the dead sea a run for its money. UGH!

The necks are super long, thin, twisty, sharp angels, and with her sad attempts at tendons it looks as if they’re constantly tense.  And in worst case scenarios they don’t look as if they’re attached to even half of the chin. Yeesh!

The expressions…fucking lord.  In the best of times, the facial spacing is just bad, with eyes and mouths off center, and ears too low.  The author has no concept of how lips/faces work so all the kisses are REAL BAD. It’s either just like…triangles smashed at each other, no lips involved, or they’re like 1 foot apart layering their tongues on each other like they’re building a fucking sandwich.

The worst of times is Takato’s sex faces.  THEY MAKE ME WANT TO VOMIT-SCREAM!

Basically he squints and his eyes get so watery it looks as if they replaced his eyeballs with just well…water.  You can’t make out pupils, irises, NOTHING!  But the mouths are the pinnacle of puke-inducing.  They’re these enormous squigglies with no rhyme or reason, just oozing saliva like a breach in a dam. At best they’re cartoonish in an unerotic way. THESE SQUIGGLES! I CAN’T STAND THEM!  YUCK!

TL;DR

Poorly drawn and written Rapist/Tsundere garbage.  While it doesn’t hit EVERY little overplayed trope, it’s still pretty cliché.  Just, it’s similar and up there with Junjou in the shitty department if you ask me.

[147pounds-of-sarcasm]

New Friends

Hey guys! Ok so for the sake of this story Dylan is single! I love Britt and there is no hate towards her at all, I just really wanted to write this! This does take place in Miami, Florida so for those of you who don’t know, Wynwood is an area in the art district. Artists paint murals on walls and there’s some good restaurants and shopping and even a club/bar to hang out in. It’s a really cool area! It takes place right after new year’s. This is my first time writing a fic so I hope you guys like it!

Words: 4300+

Warnings: idk…swearing I guess

Your life has never been anything unusual. You’ve always had a routine. You woke up and went about your day like usual, not knowing what today would hold for you. Christmas just passed and you had to go to the mall and return the things that didn’t quite fit you right. Luckily the mall wasn’t too crowded. Walking into the store, you made an effort to just return what you needed to and leave knowing that if you started to look around and shop that you would never leave. You were able to do this successfully at the first two stores, but at the third store, your favorite store, you just couldn’t help yourself. You had just returned a few things and had some money so a mini shopping spree was more than welcomed. You found a cute top and a matching skirt and you even found the cutest accessories to match. About an hour later you were finally finished with your returns and you had even managed some shopping so you decided to grab some lunch at the mall bistro. You walked in and headed to the register to place your order. Trying to stick to your new year’s resolution you decided on a simple salad and threw some chicken in for protein. A few minutes later your order was ready so you grabbed it and headed to a table. You decided on a table outside. It was a quite lunch but you didn’t mind it at all, it was nice. When you finished eating you threw out your trash and grabbed your bags to head home but what you saw next surprised you beyond belief. As you started heading towards the mall exit you saw someone. You recognized him but you couldn’t be sure it was him unless you got a little closer, so that’s exactly what you did. Once you were closer you couldn’t believe who was standing there. 

He lives in LA so what was he doing in Miami? And why was he at this mall? What was he doing? You didn’t know any of these answers all you knew was that this man who you were pretty sure you were in love with was standing a few feet from you. You were pretty confident in your ability to stay composed in front of him so you decided you would never get another chance like this and you went up to him to ask for a picture. Trying not to prematurely be a complete fangirl you reminded yourself that he was a person just like you and that he loves his fans, at least that’s what you’ve heard him say in the countless interviews you’ve watched…. but that’s just it… you’ve watched. This is a guy you’ve only seen on TV or on a YouTube video and anyone who knows you is pretty sure it’s turned into a slight obsession but you ignore them. How can you just walk up to him and say hi?! Much less ask him for a picture! You’ve always been jealous of all these fans who run into him at the store but you just can’t do it. You start to turn around and retreat but it’s too late, he’s seen you. He looks at you with that smile and you just melt. He says hi and you freeze. Dylan O’Brien just smiled at you and said hi and if that wasn’t enough he’s still trying to get your attention but you can’t seem to move. What seemed like forever of just being frozen was only one second. When he walked up to you and put his hand on your shoulder you immediately calmed down.

“Are you ok?” he said with a smile and some worry in his eyes.

You were immediately shaken out of your trance. “Huh…oh yea I’m good. I’m sorry.” You returned the smile.

He laughed. “Nothing to apologize for, I’ve actually seen much worse. I’m Dylan.”

“I know.” You said with a giggle. “I’m Y/N.”

He shook your hand and said “Well, it’s nice to meet you Y/N.”

Suddenly much calmer you laughed and asked him for a picture. He was more than happy to take one with you and even stayed talking to you for a little while. He was sweet and down to earth just like you’d hoped. It turns out that he was here on vacation with his family to take a little break before starting to film for the third maze runner and they were gonna be here for another few days. The two of you spoke about a few different things. You were scared to bring it up but you were honestly concerned so you asked him how he’d been after his accident. He told you he’d been doing much better and was spending some time with his friends and family. He actually thanked you for asking. You guys had gotten to know each other a little bit and it was probably the best hour of your life. As much as you’d like to stay and talk to him forever, you knew you couldn’t so you thanked him for the picture, wished him luck and a good vacation and headed off. You were definitely on a high after what just happened to you. You couldn’t believe that you just met your favorite actor and the fact that you were calm enough to have a conversation was even more mind-blowing. You couldn’t wipe the smile off your face and you knew that from that moment forward nothing could ruin your mood. You walked to your car to head home but couldn’t figure out where you parked. After circling the parking lot, you realized you were a little disoriented after meeting Dylan and you had actually parked at the other end of the mall. So, you started walking to the other end, normally this would annoy the crap out of you but not today, not now. You were reaching the end of the mall when you heard a scream. It wasn’t just any scream though…it was more of a screech and you knew the cause. You turned around and saw a group of a few girls running towards you and you knew why. When faced forward again you saw Dylan a little ahead of you and he noticed you too and smiled at you, except this time you saw a little bit of panic in his eyes. You know he loves his fans and is always happy to take pictures but you also know he can be shy and somewhat anxious. The next thing you know the small mob of girls rushed past you and Dylan was immediately met with cameras and questions. Part of you felt you should’ve gone over there but you knew it was a ridiculous thought because he’s used to this and deals with it on a regular basis. So, you just smiled, waved goodbye, and continued walking towards the exit. You’re a few feet from the door and you hear your name. You turned and Dylan was walking towards you.

“Not gonna lie, I feel a little betrayed.”

You looked up and he had a smirk on his face. The same smirk that kills you every time you see it in a video but damn it was so much hotter in person. You were confused though.

“Betrayed?” You asked.

“I thought you’d break up the mob”

“I thought you were used to that?”

“Fans asking for pictures? Yea of course. Crazy mobs? Not so much.”

Now you kinda felt bad but you were also confused. He saw the confusion in your face and started laughing. You realized he was joking and became a little embarrassed and felt your cheeks turn a light shade of pink. He kept talking and started telling you how you’re actually one of the calmest fans he had ever met and that he was really happy to have met you. Now that light shade of pink was bright red. With a burst of confidence, you told him you were really happy to have met him too and the next time he was Miami he should look you up. You were being a little flirty trying not to over play it and it must have worked cause his response was more positive than you would’ve thought. He smiled at you and told you he would.

“I definitely will. But it might be easier if I had your number.”

You gladly gave it to him.

“Maybe I’ll see you again before I head back home.” He said with that sexy smirk of his.

“Maybe you will.” You told him.

With that you said your goodbyes, he winked at you and you went your separate ways.

The next morning your alarm woke you up. You could have sworn that what happened to you yesterday was a dream until your phone buzzed. You thought it was your best friend reminding you about your lunch plans so you wouldn’t forget again, instead it was a random number.

9:45 am

Good morning beautiful :)

You were confused. But then you realized…Dylan had your number but you didn’t have his. Could it be him? Would he really be texting you? You guys only met yesterday and would he really have any interest in you?

9:55 am

Dyl: It’s Dylan btw

Oh, shit you haven’t responded yet.

9:58 am

Y/N: Good morning :)

You couldn’t believe he was actually texting you. Yesterday felt like a dream but it wasn’t. It was very very real. You met Dylan O’ Brien and he asked for your number and now he was texting you. Speaking of which he hasn’t responded and it’s already been a few minutes. What if he changed his mind? What if… Oh well. You weren’t about to sike yourself out of a conversation with Dylan O’ Brien so you put your phone down, get out of bed, and go get ready for your day. You still can’t believe what’s happened to you though. You stand in front of your closet trying to decide what to wear. Finally, you pull something out opting for a cute sundress instead of your usual leggings a t-shirt. Next was shoes. You decide on a pair of converse. You then walk over to your dresser to put some make up on. You decide to attempt a winged eyeliner today hoping for the best. A few minutes later you were pretty proud of yourself and the sharp wings you just drew. Taking a look at yourself in the mirror, you were pretty proud of how you looked today but your pretty sure it has a lot to do with the great mood you’re in. It’s now 11:15 in the morning and you decide to go downstairs and make yourself a cup of coffee before heading out. You grab your phone and see a missed text message.

10:15 am

Dyl: What are you up to today? 

Holy shit that was an hour ago! It’s ok, right? Just respond like normal…I mean he can’t expect you to have your phone on you all the time, right? Right?! Ok deep breath.

11:25 am

Y/N: Nothin much. I’m having lunch with a friend later. Hbu?

 You really hoped he’d still respond. The last thing you wanted to do was screw this up. You hear your phone buzz. Thank god.

 11:30

Hey bitch! Don’t forget about lunch! We’re meeting at Wynwood at 1:30…try not be late this time

 It wasn’t Dylan. This time it really was your best friend reminding you about lunch. You really shouldn’t be late again. If you leave at 12:45 you should be fine and have time to park and everything so you have about an hour to chill. *phone buzzes*

 11:38 am

Dyl: Sounds fun. My mom found this cool place in the art district that we might go check out.

 Could he be talking about Wynwood?

 11:40 am

Dyl: I think it’s called Wynwood

 Well…now what. You knew you wanted to see him again and he had mentioned seeing you again before he left so maybe this was your chance.

 11:43 am

Y/N: No way! That’s where I’m going for lunch! It’s a pretty cool area and the food is pretty good

 11:50 am

Dyl: Oh cool! So I guess I will be seeing you again before I leave ;)

 11:55 am

Y/N: I guess so ;)

 Suddenly you were very happy with your outfit choice for the day. You looked pretty good and considering how he saw you yesterday (leggings and a baggy t-shirt that did nothing for your body) that was a good thing. You decided you should call your best friend and let her in on the recent developments in your life considering that they may cause you to ditch the group at one point or another. Normally you’d never ditch them for a guy but this wasn’t just any guy and she knew it. In fact, after you told her the story she encouraged you to. She couldn’t believe you met him. You’re definitely a bigger fan of his than she is but she was completely jealous. You hung up with her and started heading towards Wynwood. Once you arrived you met up with them and chose a restaurant. You caught up the rest of the girls over lunch. Your conversation was filled with laughs and each one of them mentioned how “Holy shit! Dylan O’ Brien totally likes you!” …yea it was an interesting lunch. You finished eating and you guys just sat there talking shit and hanging out for a while until your phone buzzed.  All the girls immediately reached for the phone but you were faster. They all kept asking who was texting you. “Oh my gosh oh my gosh who is it? Is it him?” You looked down and read the text.

 2:50 pm

Dyl: So I’ve been walking around Wynwood for a few hours and haven’t run into you yet

 You immediately smiled after reading the text and the girls knew it was him. They started asking “I knew it! What’d he say?!” You were reluctant to answer them but you read the text out loud and they all started screaming with huge smiles on their faces.

2:53 pm

Y/N: Maybe you just haven’t been walking around the right areas lol

 2:55 pm

Dyl: Clearly…so help me out then.

2:57 pm

Y/N: Well we just finished eating. We’re heading to the walls in a few minutes. Maybe you can try your luck there ;)

 3:02 pm

Dyl: Headed that way now

 You realized you’d been texting for a full 10 minutes almost so you put the phone down and notice the girls all staring at you with questioning looks wondering what was so interesting that you didn’t look up for 10 minutes. You said nothing, although none of them believed you but they let it go. You paid and headed to the walls. You had always liked walking through the Wynwood Walls because there’s always a new mural and they’re always pretty to look at… they make good pictures too. You and the girls walked around admiring the art and then you hear someone behind you. He cleared his throat to get your attention and all of you turned around to see Dylan standing there staring at you with the sweetest smile you had ever seen.

“So I guess I finally found you.” He said with a giggle.

You laughed and said “I guess so.”

Although you didn’t notice, the two of you were apparently just staring at each other until one of the girls introduced herself. Oh right, you weren’t alone. You finished introducing everyone and then the girls made a not so subtle exit. “Oh I totally forgot! I need to get something else from the restaurant for my mom!” and then another one “Yea and I actually need to head home…uh my dog needs to go out” and it kept going until all five had left. Dylan laughed and although the whole thing was awkward, so did you.

“I thought you were here with your family?” you asked him.

“Yea but they started to wander around. They like art a lot and wanted to see the different murals and take some pictures. I didn’t realize how many there actually were.”

“Oh ok. Yea there’s murals on every wall for I don’t know how many blocks so if they’re taking pictures of them all they might be at it for a while.”

He laughed and you felt a little relief knowing that you could be yourself. He told you that you looked nice today and you patted yourself on the back for your choices this morning. The two of you talked and walked around. You were just getting to know each other a little bit more. As a fan, you knew a little bit about him but you soon realized that there was so much more to him. You asked him questions and he asked you some in return and the two of you were honestly just getting to know one another and how you were as people. Usually you’d be paying attention to the murals but you found yourself unable to focus on anything but this great guy walking next to you. How you ended up walking next to your celebrity crush was a mystery to you but you were beyond ecstatic. An hour passes by and neither of you even noticed. You were still strolling through the streets and although you don’t remember when, at some point he intertwined his fingers with yours. A little while later he got a call from his parents. He had to go. You were sad that your amazingly wonderful afternoon was being cut but you understood.

“That was my mom. I guess they’re done exploring.”

There was silence as the two of you exchanged glances understanding that neither of you wanted the afternoon to end.

“Oh ok. Well I…” you started but you were cut off.

“I’m sorry. I really don’t wanna leave yet but I promised them dinner on the beach.” He said with an apologetic look.

You gave a gentle smile. “It’s ok don’t worry about it. You’re here on vacation with your family, I understand.”

He returned the smile. “I really am sorry.” He said.

After another moment of silence, he looked at you with a soft and caring face. Almost as if he was trying to communicate through looks.

“I’ll call you later?” he asked.

“For sure!” you said.

He gave you a smile, gave your hand (that you didn’t even realize he was still holding) a gentle squeeze and then said bye. You watched him walk away and decided to head to your own car. You got home and just threw yourself on your bed. You’ve just had two amazing afternoons with Dylan and you wouldn’t change them for anything. Your phone starts to ring and you were pretty sure it wasn’t Dylan because he told you he was going to dinner with his family but you got excited anyways. You picked it up and it was your best friend. Oh shit…you forgot about them. You answer the phone and she started bombarding you with questions. How was it? Did he kiss you? Is he nice? What did he say? You tried your best to answer all her questions but you had to laugh at how excited she was. Honestly, she was happy for you and you knew it. The two of you were on the phone for hours but that’s nothing unusual. You started doing what any other person does when they’re on the phone and you started roaming your house. You changed into something more comfortable, a t-shirt and some shorts. You picked up your room a little bit. You actually get a lot done when the two of you talk and its actually kind of funny. When you finally finished talking you hung up, sat on your bed, and pulled your computer out. You were in the middle of binge watching a new show you found and there was only half a season left. You spent the rest of night finishing the show and went to bed.

The next morning you got up and made yourself some coffee. You decided to stay home today and chill. You didn’t have any errands to run and your house pretty clean. You spent the day watching Netflix and relaxing on your couch. The day went by and you didn’t even realize it was night time outside. The entire day passed and he didn’t call. He said he would. Anxiety started to get the better of you and you didn’t know what to do. He leaves tomorrow and he said he’d call. Should you call him? Should you text him? No. It’s a bad idea. It was already late so you tried going to sleep but your mind wouldn’t stop. Why would he even be interested in you? He can have anyone he wants, why would he chose you? Even if he did by some miracle, he’s an actor so he would always be traveling and you’d never see him. Nothing good was coming out of staying up. You always overthink everything and the longer you were awake the more scenarios and reasons you came up with and each one was worse than the last. Eventually you fell asleep. You were woken up by your phone vibrating.

 10:13 am

Dyl: Good morning! Sorry I never got a chance to call you. I’ve been running around downtown with my parents. I leave tonight but I really wanted to see you before I left. Do you think we could meet for an early lunch?

You read the text and you immediately felt a flood of relief. You took a deep breath and calmed down. Every thought you had last night was completely wrong and pointless.

10:17 am

Y/N: Don’t worry about it! Yea I’d love to meet up! I hope you guys have been enjoying Miami!

 The two of you kept texting and decided on a place and time to meet. You were meeting him at 12:30 and you still needed to shower and flat iron your hair…you needed to hurry. If this was the last time you were gonna see him then you were gonna look good. You were out the door by 12:15 looking very cute if you do say so yourself. You made it to the restaurant by 12:30 and saw him walking in. The two of you sat and just talked for a couple of hours. He told you about the maze runner, without spoiling anything of course. He started telling you about Italy from when filmed American Assassin. He even told you that there were a couple of projects he was waiting to hear back from that he was really excited for. He asked about you and your life and you assured him it wasn’t anything too interesting but he insisted on hearing about it. So, you told him a few stories and how you were starting your own business (because that’s probably the most interesting thing about you) and he was really happy to hear that and started asking questions about it. You don’t really like to boast or brag about yourself but he was honestly interested and made you feel really comfortable. He had to be at the airport by 3:45 so you knew your lunch was ending soon. When 3 o’clock rolled around he insisted on paying the bill and the two of you walked out. He walked you to your car and thanked you for making his vacation that much better. He didn’t want this to be the end but you knew that because of his crazy schedule and travelling that it would never work. He insisted the two of you at least give it a shot but you didn’t want to risk losing him completely so you kept telling him it wouldn’t work. He finally agreed with you but asked to stay in touch. You of course were open to that and the two of you agreed to stay friends and talk once in a while. He looked at you with a soft face and smiled. He glanced down at your lips and you at his but after what you just agreed on you both knew it wasn’t it a good idea. He pulled you in for a hug. You fit together perfectly and he smelled amazing. He kissed your forehead, gave you one last squeeze and started walking away. He turned around and winked at you knowing damn well what he was doing. You laughed and got in your car. Your drive home was bitter sweet. You just left lunch with Dylan O’Brien and who knew when or if you’d see him again but you’d just spent quite a bit of time with him over the last few days. You’d been home for a while already and you glanced over at the clock. 5:38 pm. He’s officially gone. It was fun while it lasted and it was definitely a week you will never forget. You were thankful for your new friend.

If you enjoyed this part, here’s part 2!