#STOP TYE WAY HE IS SUCH A LOSER

[taeghi]

OKAY not yn and heeseung's brain thinking as one about the confrontation! As they should! Because you never want to say things you don't mean tbh 😢 ALREADY! YN wanting to hit heeseung at the same spot she always does when he makes her laugh. PLEASE MY HEART IS BREAKING!!!

DONT THINK ABOUT JAKE! YES HE JUST A FANTASY! HEESEUNG IS THE REAL ONE!!!

Noooooo bby g!!! Heeseung don't want Isa anymore! That girl is a lost cause. Our dude wants you omg. I'm literally only at the beginning and this is making me so sad lmao

JAKE BEING ANGRY ABOUT HEESEUNG SLEEPING WITH ISA?! DUDE HOLD TF SHE TRIED THINGS WITH HIM! JAKE, COME HERE 👊🏻👊🏻 omg not jake making yn thinking he's the main character rn come on guys. BUT HEESEUNG YOU COME HERE TOO 👊🏻👊🏻 why would you randomly expose something like that? YALL HAD THE SAME BRAIN ABOUT THE CONFRONTATION omggggg im crying

And the regret is eating at heeseung. Smh STUPID!!!!

HEESEUNG CONFESSING HOLD UP! LET ME GRAB A BAG. I AM HYPERVENTILATING!!!! omg nooooo not the "I didn't wanna fall in love with you!" 😫 my heart is shattering!!!

Omg I feel so bad for yn! Her friends shouldn't even be mad to ignore her just because ppl wanna whisper! LET ME AT THEM FOR A MINUTE! Just let knock some senses into YN's friends because dude, DUDE! I get that she kept it a secret but they didn't have to do this to her 😭

OH MY GOD! ISA, YOU NEED TO COME HERE 👊🏻👊🏻👊🏻 I KNEW SHE WAS A MEAN GIRL BUT I DIDNT EXPECT HER TO BE A WHOLE A B!!!! My jaw dropped so fast for Jake! The idiot actually liked her and she broke their friendship! B!!!!!!!!!! IMMA FIGHT HER! Make me get a cameo and fight her lol but wait a minute, Jake's feelings about yn?! PLEASE STOP I DONT WANT TO CRY ANYMORE!!! Yes he saw her looking ethereal and AS HE SHOULD THE FIRST TIME BUT JAKE ITS TOO LATE oml

Omg okay this is hitting a lil close to home. 😔 where Jake asks yn why she goes to those parties and if it's to hangout with him. Man, I used to stay after school with some friends because I had a crush on this dancer. But he never noticed me as a potential partner because we were always "friends". He tried hooking me up with one of his friends who they took it more like a joke. It hurt me a lot but im glad I didn't get with him or his friend. Apparently he's a loser now whew! Lol NOW BACK TO THE STORY

THATS RIGHT YN DEFEND YOUR MAN! 👏🏻👏🏻 aww Jake saying yn sees the best in everyone. 😭 I'm so happy he notices! Okay um jake, your hand, ooooffff of yn's thigh!!! NO COMPLIMENTS JAKE 👊🏻👊🏻 OMG THE WAY I HELD MY BREATH READING THE SCENE BEFORE ahemheeseungprobablyahem TYE THUD ON THE DOOR DJDHHDHDJDJF MY HEART IS RACING LORD

THE NICKNAME OMFG MY HEART FLUTTERED. Heeseung omg COME HERE AGAIN LOL 👊🏻👊🏻 DONT BE ALL SAPPY!!! Jake got there first and it's not like YN wasn't thinking about you, stupid!!!! Heeseung stop being jealous omgg 🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️

OH LOOOORD!!!! STEAM EVERYWHERE!!!! heeseung being a gentleman, afraid to hurt yn 😭 we love a green flag man! Him saying he loves her omgomgomgomgomg SOMEONE HOLD ME!

JAY AND CHEORRY THOUGH HDHDHHDHDJD ARE WE GONNA HAVE A SLIGHT MINISODE OF THEM?! Heheheh

Wait, are you hinting at us that Jake will have a story??? Like I genuinely feel bad for Jake, tbh lol he didn't deserve what Isa did to him smh but he shouldn't have tried to make a move on yn JUST BECAUSE he knows she likes him. It was like yn was a rebound :\ BUUUUUUT Heeyn being cute and him spinning her around before hugging her 😫😫😭😭 it's just too cute. Thank you so much for this series. I'm sobbing rainbows and butterflies at heeyn! 😈😈

HAHAHAHA UR SO FUNNY <33333 everyone is saying they feel bad for jake lmaoo anyways i’m glad u liked it <33 and a jake story/part would be pretty cool lol

[moonlit-imagines]

Blissfully Sweet

Steve Harrington x reader

warnings:

a/n: THE REQUEST IS PERFECT N CUTE N NICE N UR THE BEST i also took so long to get to this request oml

prompt: @wolfish-willow: “Okay no clue on how to actually prompt one of these but here goes... Steve Harrington + something fluffy, like a movie or bowling date (first or one of many, whatever works) and just generally being happy? (Also 💖💖💖 you're awesome)”

Steve strutted out of work with the same cup of Pepsi that he got during his break, which was completely watered down, but he didn’t care right now. All he cared about was making it to this date. He had to make a pit-stop at home, though.

He pushed the mall doors open and walked through the dimly lit parking lot, spinning his keys around his finger while whistling the song that you insisted was “yours.” He thought it was cute.

He unlocked his nice little car and sat in the driver’s seat. When he turned the key, his radio played one of his favorite songs.

“Yes!” Steve drummed on his steering wheel while he drove through the empty parking lot. He went a little bit over the speed limit while he was racing to get home. Didn’t want to be late! Steve’s headlights shined on his parent’s garage and he quickly shut the car off and swung his door open, then slammed it behind him. He ran inside and cleaned up realy quick. Five minute shower, change into some clean clothes, fix the hair, check himself out in the mirror. Perfect! Now it was time to pick you up.

Steve put on a Queen cassette for you so that when you got in the car, you’d already “have yourself a good time.” You were waiting in your living room, staring out the front window when you sae him. You rushed out as soon as possible and hopped in the car.

“‘Don’t Stop Me Now?’ Really?” You chuckled.

“What?” His expression turned worried for a split second.

“You know me too well, Steve Harrington.” You leaned over and kissed his cheek, which made him blush.

“Ready for the best night of your life?” He pulled into the street and headed towards your final destination, the local bowling alley.

The two of you exited the car and met as you headed towards the entrance, grabbing each other’s hand on the way. He opened the door up for you and let you through.

“After you.” He smiled as you walked past him.

“Why, thank you, sir!” You sarcastically told him. He took your hand once again and led you to the counter.

“Hey there, I’m gonna get a mens size 11 for me,” he glanced at you and looked back to the employee, “and a mens size 14 for this one.” Steve motioned to you and your jaw dropped.

“Steve!” You swatted him and laughed at his dumb joke as he correspondent himself. The employee gave you the shoes and set up your game.

“Go pick your bowling ball, I’m gonna get us some drinks and a snack.” He kissed your forehead and went over to the concession counter. The clacking of pins of other games distracted you for a minute as you watched bowling balls roll down their respective lanes. You wandered around the stands to find the perfect ball for you. You wanted it to be your favorite color, as well. You ended up finding a pretty cool one, too. Tye-dye, perfect weight, fit your fingers. Yeah, that’ll do.

You sat in front of your assigned lane and waited for Steve to come back. He had two soft pretzels and a soft drink for you.

“Look what I got!” He set everything down and took the seat next to you. “Good?”

“Very.” You took a bite of the soft pretzel and through a mouthful, you managed to say, “start the game, I’ll go after you.” Steve grabbed a ball and began the game, getting a strike his first turn and bowing.

“King Steve!” He annouced as you dropped the pretzel back on it’s plate and marched up to the lane.

“Don’t get too cocky, babe. I’m the best of the best.” You grabbed your ball and carefully calculated the trajectory of the ball. It rolled down the lane and you and Steve watched in suspense. “Yes, yes, yes,” you mumbled to yourself, “NO!” The ball hit two pins. Just two.

“Good job!” Steve clapped for you during your walk of shame back to the bowling ball return.

“Can it, Harrington! I still have another shot!” You grabbed the ball and rolled it once more. Gutter. “Nevermind, I suck.” Steve stood up and walked past you.

“Don’t worry! This next shot is for you!” He grabbed another ball and carefully rolled it, earning himself another strike. “See?!”

The rest of the night went like that, but you were no sore loser. It was actually amusing, and Steve promised you the best breakfast ever tomorrow morning, so everything was okay in the end. By the time the game was over, you were pretty wiped out.

“Ready to go home?” He asked. “Take the shoes off, I’ll return them real quick.” You kicked the bowling’s shoes off and handed them to Steve.

“Thanks, babe.” You yawned. Your eyes felt droopy and you put on your own shoes. Steve cleaned up your little mess and the two of you left the bowling alley together, his arm wrapped around your shoulder.

You actually fell asleep with your face on the glass of the car on the way home. Steve brought you inside and up to his room, then gave you some pajamas to change into. You stumbled to bed and cuddled with Steve. You laid on his shoulder and he wrapped an arm around you, which made his arm fall asleep, but anything for you. You slipped into a blissful sleep and felt the weight of the world lift from your shoulders. This was a perfect night.

#steve harrington x reader #steve harrington imagine #steve harrington #stranger things 3 x reader #stranger things 3 imagine #stranger things 3 #stranger things #stranger things x reader #stranger things imagine

[xfirespritex]

Falling For The Perfect 10, Chapter 7

Chapter 1 can be found here: http://xfirespritex.tumblr.com/post/158091354468/falling-for-the-perfect-10-chapter-1

Chapter 2 can be found here:  http://xfirespritex.tumblr.com/post/158131017523/falling-for-the-perfect-10-chapter-2

Chapter 3 can be found here: http://xfirespritex.tumblr.com/post/158173737863/falling-for-the-perfect-10-chapter-3

Chapter 4 can be found here: http://xfirespritex.tumblr.com/post/158276501293/falling-for-the-perfect-10-chapter-4

Chapter 5 can be found here: http://xfirespritex.tumblr.com/post/158313099698/falling-for-the-perfect-10-chapter-5

Chapter 6 can be found here:  http://xfirespritex.tumblr.com/post/158397367403/falling-for-the-perfect-10-chapter-6

Shoutout to @wwesmutdonedirtcheap and @hiitsmecharlie for writing so well it gave me the energy to write my own stories.

If you want to find some incredible stories, check their pages. 

Also a shout out to those who have liked the first few parts of my story and reblogged them/commented: @thedeboniardevistation @xxnobodyshero13xx@gelinas22 @speedilyghostlycloud @fan-fiction-galore @amaranthine-reign @lordoftheringsmyass @justtheaverageblog1 @alpha-american  @aineslight @reigns420  @deajm2116 @redroseblackwolfpack96 @blondekel77@shieldgirl95 @vebner37 @banrioncethlenn @moxtiel @caramara3@fmlallthewayup @breezy14fan @secretagentfangirl @crowleysqueenofhell

If, by some miracle you like my writing & you want to be added to the above list so you know when I post, let me know!

Story Summary: Told from the point of view of an original female character we follow the ups and downs of dating, and falling in love with, Tye Dillinger. Pairing: Tye Dillinger X OFC Chapter Summary: What happens after Shanna slips up and says those three words. Tye’s reaction.  Note: My first NSFW chapter. Sex in this chapter (and my first time posting a sec scene). Hope it’s good!

Please let me know if you like the start of this story and I will happily post more!

Thank you to everyone who commented and liked the last chapter. Hopefully you enjoy chapter 7!

Chapter 7: Confessions

I jumped off the counter, my face redder than my hair.

“Shanna?” Tye said, spinning to follow me out of the kitchen. I searched for my bag and found it by the front door.

“I should go,” I said, grabbing my bag and digging through it for my keys.

“Shanna, are you really going to run out like that?” Tye said as he came out of the kitchen, his voice cracking slightly.

“It seems like the best plan,” I said, turning my back to him, my hands shaking.

“What’s wrong?” Tye asked. I could hear the laughter in his voice. The sound broke me.

I dropped my bag, more like threw it to the floor and spun on Tye. “Is it funny to you?”

“What?” Tye asked, stepping back from me a few paces. I felt the tears spill over my eyes and wiped them away quickly. “What’s wrong? He asked.

“What’s wrong? You heard me Tye, you heard what I said. And rather than say anything you just stared at me!”

“You’re mad because I didn’t say anything back right away?” Tye asked.

“Tye, just let me leave,” I begged, spotting my keys on my floor and crouching down and snatching them up, grabbing my bag and turning to grab the front door. The embarrassment and anxiety rose up in me, making my hands shake as I unlocked the front door. I pulled the door open but Tye’s hand slammed the door shut with so much force it ripped the door handle from my grasp.

“What the fuck?” I said, turning to face him. Tye grabbed my face and kissed me, hard, slamming me into the wall right by his front door. The force and pain of it shocked me. His body pressed into mine and I groaned and his right hand dug into my hair, his left hand going around my back and lifting me, pinning me slightly above him to the wall.

His lips kept their pressure on mine, his hands rough as he pinned me there, kissing me like it was the only thing he knew how to do. I whimpered, feeling the anxiety battle my desire in my stomach. The feeling made me dizzy. I pushed Tye away from me and when my feet hit the floor I felt my legs shaking, as if they would give out. My brain flashed back to the kitchen, the look on his face, how he’d said nothing. My eyes stung as I wiped at the tears there.

I had promised myself to not say it first. To not get too invested too quickly. And here I was, in the same spot I always found myself in. Embarrassed and scared about what he’d say next.

Shock was written across Tye’s face. His mouth opened and closed a few times. I stared at him, waiting, ignoring the tears on my cheeks. Something shifted on his face, in his eyes. “Shanna,” he whispered, reaching for me.

I flinched away from him. Hurt registered in his eyes. “Shanna…” he said again, clearing his throat. He looked at me and I stared at him, trying to be defiant, trying to pretend I wasn’t dying from embarrassment. The shaking of my body gave me away, though. I knew he could feel it.

“I’m sorry, okay?” He said.

“What?”

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry I didn’t say it sooner. I was fucking terrified, okay?”

I didn’t understand what he was doing, what he meant. I could only stare at him. “Tye…what do you mean?”

He sighed and ran his hands through his hair. “I wanted to show you that I could be more than just some fucking idiot from Canada who sat in developmental for so long his fiancé left him for being a loser. I didn’t want to be the thirty-six year old guy who got lucky, snagged the woman of his dreams and, like a fucking teenager, said I love you on day two, okay? I didn’t want to be the guy who followed you like a puppy dog anymore. I wanted to prove to you that I was the right guy for you. That I deserved you. So I kept my mouth shut.”

I stared at him, anything I had planned to say lost in my throat. Tye took a breath, looking at me and I could see the fear still there.

“And then,” he said, starting to pace in front of me. “And then you, being so much better than me, do the one thing for me that no one ever has. You put me first. I’m not just talking about today, I’m talking about at work, that storyline, risking yourself, your body, because you know the storyline could make both of our careers and you know that my dream has been this company. You put me first at the gym over anything else too. You wait for me to finish an extra set rather than whining that you want to leave. You drive when I’m exhausted even though I know you hate my SUV. You cook me breakfast and dinner, you even prep lunch when you know neither of us will have time to take a break and eat.”

He paced quickly and I could see his body tensing as he moved, like he does when he’s in the ring, the adrenaline coursing through him.

“And today, I wake up to you in my bed, with my dog and breakfast? You, without an argument, send me off to drink and eat with the guys for lunch and you pick me up for dinner, in, of all things, a goddamn green dress and I feel like the luckiest bastard on the planet. And that’s only half of it. We get to dinner and you’ve not just organized a surprise party, you spent airline miles, and money, to get my family here. To make them feel comfortable, to bring us together so I see them more than once a year. And what do I do?”

Tye stops pacing and looks at me. “I’m the asshole that when his girlfriend says she loves him stares at her, unable to say a damn word. And, when she’s upset continues to be an idiot. I’m terrified to say it. The last person I said it to, and meant it, walked away like I was nothing. And it made me believe that. So I’m fucking scared,” he said, his voice breaking a little.

I pushed myself away from the wall and walked over to him, my entire body shaking, and the adrenaline of emotions shooting through me. “You’re scared about what?” I ask, my voice barely audible, cracking on the last word.

“I’m scared to say I love you because I feel like the second I do, you’ll be gone.”

Silence filled the house. Sheriff had retreated to another part of the house. I stared at him. “You just did,” I said.

“What?”

“You said it and I’m still here,” I said.

Tye stared at me and he shook his head ruefully. “That’s not exactly the way I wanted to tell you,” he admitted.

I shrugged, unsure what to say to Tye at this point. It was our first fight and it was over something so serious, so raw for both of us, I was afraid to say a word.

Tye took a step closer to me, tentatively reaching for me. I let him cup my face in his right hand. “You’re not going to leave me?” he asked.

I shook my head slightly, not wanting to move too much.

“And…” Tye said, licking his lips once before looking me in the eyes. “And, you love me?”

I blushed but I nodded at him.

“Okay, I rambled for a few minutes there and you’re dead silent. I need to hear you say something, please?”

I stepped closer to him, reaching a shaking hand up to touch the one he rested on my cheek.  “I love you, Tye.”

He sighed, relief flooding his face. “Finally,” he said, leaning down and kissing me. It was a soft kiss, drastically different than the ones from only a few minutes ago. I shivered, feeling the restrain he was exerting, he didn’t want to push. Still, he wouldn’t push me.

I pulled out of the kiss and looked up at him. My voice was shaking when I finally spoke. “Take me to bed, Tye?” I asked.

He stared at me for a moment. He caught the difference in my words. I hadn’t asked him to go to sleep with me, to go to bed with me. I’d asked him to take me.

He looked like he wanted to say something but he didn’t. Instead, he took my hand in his and slowly, we made our way upstairs. Once in Tye’s room he kicked the door closed and I laughed briefly when I realized that we’d never done that before because we’d always allowed Sheriff to curl up with is at night. Tonight, it was just me and Tye.

He sat on the edge of his bed, pulling me to him until I could stare into his eyes, the fact that I was standing having no effect on our height matchup. We were nearly even.

Tye reached up and wrapped a hand around the back of my neck and pulled me into a kiss. I returned it, my arms going around his neck instantly.

He pulled me closer and as the kiss deepened I slid into his lap, my dress riding up on my thighs as I straddled him. His hand ghosted over my hips and down the curve of my ass, lingering there as his lips moved to my neck.

My nails found his hair and I gripped him tightly to me, my body already suddenly too hot. When we broke apart I slid out of his grip, reaching down to undo the straps of my heels and kicking them off behind me.

Tye stood and I went immediately to his shirt, unbuttoning it as quickly as I could. Tye pulled the shirt free of his waist band and shed it quickly and I ran my hands over his bare chest, placing a kiss on each of his collar bones before kissing his neck, biting the skin just below his right ear.

“Fuck,” Tye cursed to himself and I laughed a little. “You think it’s funny?” he asked. I shrugged a little, smirking up at him. “You’ll pay for that,” he said.

“How?” I challenged.

Tye grabbed me by my waist and spun me away from him, forcing me to walk forward until I hit the wall nearest his bed.

“Like this,” Tye said, his lips biting at the back of my neck as his hands found the zipper of my dress. He undid the zipper and I heard him groan.

“No bra, again?” he asked. I whimpered in reply, feeling his length pressed against my ass.  Tye shoved the dress off my shoulders and tugged it down over my hips, his lips and skin kissing up my spine and to my left shoulder, biting there roughly.

I whimpered again and Tye reached an arm around me, cupping my breast in his left hand while his right hand slid down to my ass, grabbing it before pulling back and smacking it once, lightly. I whimpered again, the sound pathetic to my ears but apparently a turn on for Tye.

“Fuck,” he mumbled, his left hand teasing my nipple and his teeth returning to my shoulder. “Make that sound again,” he commanded. In response I pushed my hips back against him. He groaned and pushed against me and I shivered, feeling how badly he wanted me. He pulled his hand back again and this slap was harder.

I whimpered and shuddered, wishing there was something to hold on to. Tye’s body immediately pressed back against mine and he brought his lips to my hear, his left hand abandoning my breast and going south, sliding into my panties quickly. He groaned when he felt the wetness that had begun there.

“Shit, baby, did I do that to you?”

I nodded and gasped out a yes as he teased me. He flicked his fingers against my clit and I yelped, quickly choking back a sob of protest as he stepped back from me. I turned to protest, to beg but I saw his goal. His hands were undoing his belt quickly and I moved to help him, undoing the button and lowering the zipper over the bulge there. He hissed and stared at me, grabbing my face and kissing me roughly again. I kissed back, pushing his pants to the floor and running my hand along the waistband of his boxers.

“Can I? I asked, sliding a hand under the waist band. Tye nodded and swallowed. I gripped both sides of his boxers and forced them down, crouching as I did to free him completely and instead of standing back up, I went right to my knees, grabbing his length as it was exposed to me.

Tye hissed at the contact and I didn’t wait, I couldn’t wait. I took the tip of him into my mouth and a shout escaped him. All sound and no words. I sucked more of him into my mouth and soon had all of him inside my mouth, resisting the urge to gag, bobbing lightly as I raked my hands over his thighs.

“Baby, Shanna, please. As fucking great as that feels I need to not lose it right now.”

I pulled my mouth off of him slowly and looked up at him, my left hand still stroking his length.

“What do you need?” I asked.

“Come here,” he begged, his hand fisting into my hair. He wanted to pull me up by it but he didn’t want to be too rough. I stood and he grabbed me, spinning and laying me out on his bed, his lips going right to my breasts, his teeth finding my right nipple, his left hand tweaking the left.

I groaned and shuddered but Tye kept moving his lips, quickly kissing down my body. He reached my panties and looked up at me, asking for permission.

“Yes,” I whispered.

Tye tore them from me so fast I was sure they were torn in half.

His lips quickly found my center, his tongue finding my clit like he’d been doing this to me for years. He slid two fingers into me, pumping them quickly and I could feel my body clench against his fingers and the wetness sliding out of me. Tye worked me until I was begging, pressing my hips towards him, trying to get more friction on my most sensitive area. Tye’s hands left my body only to grab my hips and pin them to the bed.

“Tye?” I whimpered.

“Yes, baby?”

“Please, fuck me,” I whimpered, trying to make my voice sound strong but it shook as he bit into my thigh lightly.

Tye slid up my body and kissed me and I could taste myself on his lips. I groaned at the taste and Tye smirked at me, his eyes dark as he pulled out of the kiss.

“Are you sure?” He asked.

“Please, Tye. I need you.”

“Baby, uh, what about…” His voice trailed off. God his voice was shaking, he was dying to be inside me.

“On birth control,” I whimpered.

He groaned and shifted his weight, his arms supporting him as they rested on either side of me. “Last chance to stop me,” he said, the sound of his voice so much deeper than I’d ever heard it.

I opened my eyes as much as I could and looked at him. I bit my lower lip before speaking. “Do it Tye. Fuck me.”

That was all he needed to hear and he drove into me, hard and fast. I screamed his name as I adjusted to him and Tye froze inside me at first, letting me adjust but soon he picked up a pace. I wrapped my legs around his waist, pulling him closer to me and Tye complied, his hips meeting mine.

He bit at my neck and I whimpered, running my nails along his back, urging him closer to me. His voice broke as he spoke. “Shanna, fuck, do you know how long I wanted this?”

I felt myself let out a small laugh and I gripped him to me. When he hit that spot inside me I saw stars and groaned, my nails digging lightly into his shoulders. Soon though I could feel the orgasm building up and I moaned. “Tye, I’m going to,” I started to say but he snapped his hips hard at that moment and I lost my voice.

“Do it,” he said. “Right behind you.”

He drove into my harder, one hand going to my clit and I screamed as I came. Tye followed close behind, his yell of pleasure starting as mine ended. I could feel him release inside me and I shivered as he pumped into me a few more times.

He slid out of me and rolled to the side quickly, collapsing into the mattress. We both laid there, catching our breath. I looked at him, turning my head to the side.

“Tye?” I asked, my voice still shaking from pleasure.

“Yeah? He asked.

“I love you,” I whispered.

“I love you too,” he responded.

#WWE #wwe fanfiction #tye dillinger #tye dillinger X OFC #angst #romance #fanfiction #fanfic

[jillmckenzie1]

Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A Start

On its face, nostalgia isn’t always a bad thing. It can be comforting, the dwelling on people, events, and things in the past, a mental bubble bath that we can slip into with a content smile. Some researchers even believe in the powerful psychological benefits of nostalgia. Hell, the foundation of the Trump campaign and presidency is based in the belief of a better* America of decades ago.

Nostalgia has some nasty traps, too. The obvious one is that bygone eras are only great if you happen to be a straight, white guy. For literally everyone else, it sucks pretty hard. Worse yet is that nostalgia can give people permission to enter an emotional block of amber and willingly refuse to evolve. I’m not just talking about childishness, I’m talking about the refusal to check one’s privilege due to an idealized past. That refusal can create problems, such as the Civil War statue controversy.

In 2011, Ernest Cline wrote his first novel, Ready Player One. How is it? Well….that’s complicated. I found it to be a fun book with some massive issues. First, it’s not particularly well written, so if you’re expecting something at the literary level of Truman Capote, you’re going to be a touch disappointed. Second? A distressingly large chunk of the content has to do with pop cultural minutiae, particularly that of the 1980’s. While I love a lot of that kind of thing as well, if you removed the references, you’d have a novel that clocks out around seventeen pages long. Third, holy lord Jesus Almighty, does this book have problems when it comes to female objectification.** I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s misogynistic, yet it definitely gets creepy.

All of that tells us the novel is highly flawed. Did all of that stop The Beard himself, Steven Spielberg, from adapting it into his latest film? It did not. Unlike Jaws, Ready Player One isn’t a classic. Like Jaws, Spielberg has extracted a solid film from the pages of a weak book.

It’s the year 2045, and America is in an irreversible decline. Instead of trying to solve problems, people are doing a pretty bang-up job of hiding from them. They do so through the OASIS, a shockingly immersive virtual reality world. Developed by visionaries James Halliday (Mark Rylance) and Ogden Morrow (Simon Pegg), the OASIS allows users to do or be virtually anything. Want to hang glide through a Category 5 hurricane, or live in Minecraft? It’s all doable.

Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan) has made himself exceedingly comfortable in the OASIS. You can’t blame him, since in reality he’s a young man living in The Stacks, an RV slum in Columbus, Ohio, with his aunt and her loser boyfriend. He has no prospects, no future, no way out. Within the OASIS, his avatar is Parzival, and his best friend Aech (Lena Waithe) is a friendly orc with a knack for building essentially everything.

Since the death of James Halliday, everybody in the OASIS has something to look forward to. Upon his demise, Halliday left behind three hidden keys which unlock a golden egg. Whoever finds the egg assumes control of both the OASIS and Halliday’s personal fortune. To unearth the keys, one must also have an encyclopedic knowledge of 60-year-old pop cultural trivia. Good thing Wade does, otherwise this would be a far shorter movie.

As is so often the case with movies like this, there’s an evil corporation also gunting (“egg hunting”), led by CEO Sorrento (Ben Mendelsohn). Using an army of indentured servants, Sorrento wants to exploit the commercial possibilities of the OASIS. Wade/Parzival and Aech team up with the well-known gunter Art3mis (Olivia Cooke) and players Sho (Philip Zhao) and Daito (Win Morisaki) to preserve Net Neutrality…I’m sorry…find the egg and keep the OASIS free from rapacious capitalism.

Ready Player One is a hell of a lot of movie. In terms of pure spectacle and “Gee whiz, look at all the stuff happening on-screen,” you’ll absolutely get your money’s worth. At times, there’s almost too much happening. There’s an impressive amount of sensory overload at play here, even more impressive considering that the 72-year-old Spielberg is masterminding it.

Why did Spielberg make this film? With the omnipresent rise of the MCU, did he do it to show he’s still got the juice? He does, and like him or not, this film proves yet again that Spielberg is the greatest commercial director in the history of film. His set pieces are masterfully executed, and there’s one extended sequence in the middle of the movie that’s jaw-dropping in terms of audacity and execution. If nothing else, he’s skillfully made a movie that’s enormous fun and that had me wearing a stupid grin for much of the running time.

Did he make the film to comment on the meaning of his legacy? I hate to say it, but given Steven Spielberg’s age and barring the discovery that he’s a literal God of Cinema, there likely aren’t too many more films left in him. The screenplay, written by Zak Penn and Ernest Cline, attempts to explain that pop culture is most important when it acts as connective tissue for people. That is, when it’s not relentlessly hammering the audience with exposition dumps. I do give a tentative thumbs-up for the script making the relationship between Parzival and Art3mis less skin-crawling.***

Spielberg’s actors are strong, despite some thuddingly obvious casting. Ben Mendelsohn playing a vile yuppie with echoes of The Breakfast Club’s Paul Gleason? Okay, sure. Tye Sheridan does what he can as Wade, and despite the fact that the role is a bit of a blank, Sheridan is enjoyable. I liked Mark Rylance as Halliday, and he brings a still and quiet humanity to an often berserk FX festival.

Another opportunity was missed by not having more of a focus on Lena Waithe’s Aech. She’s got a swagger throughout the film that covers a sweet center, and having a black woman at the center of a film about mostly white pop culture would have taken the movie to some fascinating places. The same goes for Olivia Cooke as Art3mis, and while I’m thankful she’s given more to do than play “the love interest,” she’s stuck in an underwritten role.

The novel Ready Player One isn’t much more than, “Look at the thing I like!” There’s nothing wrong with that, and this rickety book allowed Spielberg to make his first purely escapist film in seven years. You may have issues with nostalgia, and you might find it to be juvenile at best or destructive at worst. Whatever motivations lurked within The Beard that led him to make this movie, there’s an undeniable craftsmanship at work, a masterclass of escapism made by a titan.

*And whiter.

**Which you can read more about right here.

***Though an opportunity was missed. In the novel, Cline refers to Art3mis as “Rubenesque.” Olivia Cooke is a fine actor, but she’s pretty far from that. This would have been a great opportunity for some body positivity through casting a curvier actor. That’s probably asking too much of Hollywood, though.

from Blog https://ondenver.com/up-up-down-down-left-right-left-right-b-a-start/