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fvaleraye · 4 years

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Echoes

Well well well, would you look at that, we got another chapter :> This one is the long awaited return to the gals- Leona, Velda, and Artemis This one is definitely longer than my other chapters, coming to around five pages worth of words. But I’m very happy with how it turned out... and I hope y’all like reading it ;w;

The hour was early, the sun was peeking shyly over the horizon. Pale orange and yellow hues bathed the earth, the colors highlighting the light brown paths among greenery of the wide open plains. It was all very vibrant, like something out of a painting. Beautiful. Not very many people were up early enough to see it, of course, but travelers got to see it all quite often. Though, the sight usually lost its luster after the first few dozen times. Especially when many of said travelers would prefer to not be awake- let alone travelling- at such an early hour. But such were the sacrifices of those who wanted to explore the expansive lands of Magna Terra.

The trip to Crystalbarrow was much the same as the one to Springford. Leona riding on the back of Artemis- not just because there were very few carriage drivers willing to transport a greatwolf from Springford- but because they were all taken. The carriages were all so busy, as they usually are during spring, and they were just too anxious to get going to wait any longer. So, the old fashioned way it was. Just a roadtrip with a girl and her giant wolf. The one difference from the last trip was the extra passenger. While Leona was- quite begrudgingly- awake, Velda was sound asleep behind her, resting her head on her back, arms around her waist. Her presence definitely made the long trip much more bearable than the last. Artemis was beginning to get a bit tired- a rare sight- but she pressed on, because she knew as well as her charges that Crystalbarrow was not far. Not too close, but certainly not far. She had been trotting along for ages… she could manage a bit further. It was just on the edge of the Outlands, bordering the sea.

Just a bit further.

After about an hour or so more of walking, the sleepy archer managed to rouse herself from her slumber, making her consciousness known with a big yawn, startling the tired warrior. She glanced at her from over her shoulder, and the two quietly exchanged a look. A moment later, she was back to resting her head, arms around her a little more tightly now.

“I’m shocked you’re so comfortable resting your head on my metal armor.” Leona mumbled tiredly, idly glancing at the road ahead.

“I’m never not comfortable around you…” Velda replied, her voice just dripping with lovey-dovey tones.

If it was a mystery whether or not a wolf could roll their eyes, Artemis would have solved it just then.

Eventually, as swaying grass and fertile land turned to grey, still earth, the sounds of waves started to echo out from the horizon. The coast was nearing. Their destination was nearing. Finally. The two had started to sit a bit straighter, look a bit more presentable. They weren’t trying to impress anyone, but Leona was going to visit a family friend. She needed to wake up a bit. Hopefully he still lives here...

The town climbed into view soon after, a fair portion the old wooden buildings nestled snugly in a sizable crater in the ground, the rest extending into the horizon. The ocean was in full view, a small dock off in the distance, sails being raised and lowered as sailors were either bringing in hauls or setting out for more. The town was a rather simple one, but not a small one. Still, its humble appearances hid its less humble origins.

After all, the town got its name from producing loads and loads of gems and crystals, whether found in the bountiful sea or mined from its expansive crystalline cave networks. It was the single largest producer of gemstones across the entire continent. But you wouldn’t tell just by looking at it. Well, unless you caught a glimpse of people pushing around wheelbarrows full of the stuff, of which there were a few right now. Just loading them onto carriages or into buildings. For now, though, the only thing on the girls minds was getting to the local inn- The Diamond in the Rough. A rather… on the nose name, but it fit, what with the town itself being in the middle of one of the more hostile environments on Magna Terra.

Not the most hostile, but still.

As usual, Artemis sat down outside while Leona went in to talk with the innkeeper for a room. Though this time she had the company of her lovely girlfriend Velda, who, unlike her, had actually got a decent amount of sleep the prior night. The two stepped up to the counter, and the kindly old lady there gave them a warm smile.

“Hello there.” She said, sounding a bit tired, but still welcoming. “Welcome to the Diamond in the Rough. Would you like a room?” The practiced ease in her voice was pretty comforting, especially compared to the last inn.

Leona just nodded, pulling up a barstool for a second. “Yeah, we’d like a room…” She replied, rooting around in her pockets for her money. “Us two, and a greatwolf, Artemis, if that’s okay.”

The woman leaned to her side to peek past her guest and out the window. Sure enough, there was a greatwolf out there. Big. But not the biggest she had ever seen. She let out a tired sigh. “Can you wait another half hour or so before letting your pooch in?” She asked, fidgeting a bit. “We’re sort of at capacity for the big fellas at the moment, but a few are about to leave…”

“Oh-! Of course!” After a moment, she produced a small pouch of silver and gold coins from her pocket. “How much? For the room, I mean.”

“Thirty-five silver a night.”

She breathed a sigh of relief at the quite frankly reasonable price. She was expecting to have to pick up odd jobs to make ends meet at this point. But no… her current savings should be just fine for now, thank the gods. She set a handful of silver coins onto the counter, and very quickly stepped back outside.

“Hey Arte…” She mumbled, giving the wolf a few pats on the head. “You’re gonna have to chill out here for an hour or so, but you can come right in afterwards, okay?” The wolf gave a tired little nod, clearly just thankful she’s getting any rest at all. “Okay, good… love ya, big gal. I’ll tell Velda to grab you when you can come in, I just… need a bed…”

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It wasn’t long before Artemis could come into the building, and it wasn’t much longer after that before the duo fell soundly asleep, leaving Velda to her own devices. As much as she wanted to stay in the room and go to bed with her lovely girlfriend, she just… wasn’t tired. Not that that usually stopped her, but… she had a few things she wanted to do. Look around, mostly. This wasn’t a small town. While it wasn’t near the size of the cities, it was still one of the biggest towns she’d ever been in. There was a fair amount of ground to cover. And a lot of people to talk to. She had to start sometime, and there was no time like the present. Carefully tip-toeing out of the room, she stepped into the inn’s lobby. It was a bit empty, which was fair. It was still early. Most sane people were asleep. She gave the little old lady at the counter a wave as she wandered out into the streets of the Crystalbarrow.

It was a nice enough town, it generally had that rough, stocky look that most coastal towns had. All the buildings were of wooden make, with stone foundations lifting them a good seven or so feet off the ground for when the tides came in. A few of the older buildings here and there had barnacles growing from the sides, while others had plenty of scrape marks on the wood from barnacle removal. Everything had a vibe to it that could only be described as vaguely damp, salted, and well-worn, but still lovingly upkept; like a ship that had seen its fair share of the tides- and had its fair share of repairs as a result. It was surprisingly homey, even among the dreary and slightly depressing gray earth of the Outlands. Velda took a breath, the salty sea air making her pull a face, and started to wander the streets.

Most of the people out at this hour were workers. The workers in question were miners about to go to the mines, though there were a few idle early birds on the streets as well. Everyone was dressed in what you would expect, cotton shirts, pants, knee-high mud-covered boots… nothing really out of the ordinary.

At least, until a… figure, approached her.

They stepped up to her from the side, just barely catching a glimpse of them from her peripheral vision before turning to face them. They were tall, just under seven feet. An old, slightly rusted iron breastplate covered their chest, brown robes flowing from underneath it. It parted in the middle, showing the leather armor that covered their lower half. Their face was concealed beneath a hood, the top of which held a strange crown, and an ornate, but featureless, gold encrusted mask. Gaunt hands, covered in bronze gauntlets ending in sharpened claws, emerged from long brown sleeves, and in them a simple plate, which they held out to the woman.

After the shock of their appearance abated, she let out a sigh. They were a church missionary, and they were asking for a tithe. Of course. She shoved a hand into a pocket, and dropped a few pieces of silver into the plate. The missionary gave a slight bow, and left wordlessly. Her gaze followed them for a time, and she shivered. Gods damned were some of the people the church employed unnerving sometimes. There were always at least a few of the silent missionaries in towns this far out, to help keep the townspeople on the “right path” and away from religions that the church would consider unsavory. Which was most any religion that wasn’t theirs.

Kind of dick-ish, when you thought about it, but considering that most other religions nowadays were apocalypse cults, it was hard to blame them. Hard. Not impossible. They do overstep their bounds occasionally.

She continued to wander for a bit, looking for someone who wasn’t busy or currently under an oath of silence. Her search eventually led her to the docks. Of course the docks were busy, but there were a few workers who were just resting, evidently not having much to do. She nervously stepped up to the least intimidating one, a tired looking young man, probably barely over eighteen. His face seemed to lighten up at her approach, and he started standing a bit straighter. He gave a grin, showing off a few missing teeth.

“H-hello there.” She greeted, fidgeting with her stowed bow.

“Hey there, ma’am!” He greeted right back, running a calloused hand through his messy, damp hair. “What can ah do for ya?”

She was a bit caught off guard by the youth’s enthusiasm, but it wasn’t unwelcome. “Uh… d-do you know anything about the- uh- caves. A-around here?”

His smile dropped for a second, his expression shifting to a more confused one. “Uh… well, ah mean, ah got an idea…” He mumbled, scratching the back of his head. “Unc’s a miner, so’re my cousins. Ah know the names at least, if tha’s helpful.”

She gave a small sigh. Okay, that’s better than nothing. “Do you know where a cave called… uh, called Echo Cavern is?”

He flinched a bit at the name. “E-Echo Cavern, ma’am?” He parroted, tilting his head. “Y-yer probably not from around here, otherwise ya’d know that nobody- ain’t nobody- allowed in there.”

“Please. I really need to find it. It’s the whole reason I c-came out here.”

The boy cringed, and took a sharp inhale, glancing around at the other workers. He grimaced as he turned back to her, eyes still darting around. “Ya sure ‘bout this…?” He asked, his tone making it empathetically clear that he was already sure he was going to regret this.

“... y-yes.”

“Ya don’t sound very sure, ma’am.”

“Th-that’s just how I sound.”

“... I’ll take yer word for it.” He leaned a bit closer. “It’s on the north-east side, further inland. You’ll know it when ya see it, ‘s got lotsa crystals around it. And bugs.”

She blinked at the last bit. “B-bugs?”

“Ye, bugs. Bigguns, too.”

“Well… th-thanks.”

She stepped away from the dock, not wanting to sour the poor lads mood any more than she already had. Hopefully he wouldn’t get in any trouble. He seemed like a nice kid. From there, she just idly paced through the town for a bit. She should probably wait for Leona and Artemis to wake up, so they can all go together.

… but also, she really wanted to get to the cave. She really, really wanted to get to the cave. It was the only lead she had right now. And she really wanted to follow it. But it was probably dangerous- what wasn’t nowadays- and a bow wasn’t exactly the go-to weapon for spelunking in… bug-caves. Eugh. The thought of it made her skin crawl. She really didn’t like bugs. Bugs just made her… viscerally uncomfortable. Especially big ones. But she’s faced scarier… probably…

… I’ll just take a peek, and then go back and wait for Leona and Arte.

The Outlands were dreadfully oppressing, especially when walking on foot. She didn’t quite imagine the cave being this far out from the kid’s description. But who knows, maybe she had already passed it. The town was already getting kind of far away… and she really didn’t want to lose where it was. The Outlands were very same-y- gray rock and dirt as far as the eye can see. At least Crystalbarrow was a coast town, so she can just follow the coast and get there eventually. That is, if she hadn’t lost where the coast was already. Her sense of direction definitely could have been better... but it also could have been worse. She could figure out a way back, she could… she just had to push the anxiety down for the time being. If she didn’t find the cave within the next ten or so minutes, she was heading back.

Of course, it only took about two more minutes of looking to find it.

When the lad said that she would know it when she saw it, he wasn’t joking. It was… a big cave. Even from a distance, it was intimidating. An enormous, yawning maw of an opening, lined with crystals, giving the impression of the giant, toothy mouth of a hungry monster. It wasn’t exactly welcoming. But there were no bugs… at least, not visible ones. Not yet. Slowly, carefully, she stepped closer. The closer she stepped… the louder… something became. It wasn’t clear what it was. It was… deep. Bassy. Cacophonous. Like a choir of some sort. But it definitely wasn’t a choir. Not out here. That became more obvious the closer she came.

She peeked into the vast opening, the glittering crystals providing light a far distance down… but that just made it even more obvious how it just kept going. There was no end in sight to the tunnel, and she could swear it branched off at several points. The sight made her stomach drop. No. No way, no way was she going in there without Leona and Artemis. The noise was near unbearable this close… and it still wasn’t any more distinct. Just. Gibbering and jabbering, echoing out of the cave. She decided now was probably a good time to just turn around and head back. No way. Nuh-uh. She could not get back to town fast enough.

In fact, Velda was in such a hurry, she tripped right over something and fell flat on her face, a cry and ‘oof’ pushed from her.

She picked herself up off the ground, a hand reaching up to her eye. Yeah, that was definitely going to be a black eye for her troubles. And her arrows spilled all over the ground. Fuck off. She brushed the dirt and dust off her clothes, and started to pick up the arrows. At least she didn’t accidentally stab herself on any of them. That was nice.

The only thing that broke her bit of misery was the little chirping noise she heard behind her.

It was a little hard to hear over the cave, but it was… different. Enough to notice. She turned around, arrows clutched in shaky hands, and didn’t see anything at first… left, right… nothing. Then she turned down, and she saw it.

It was a bug. A big one, about the size of a small dog. But it was… different. She jumped back at first glance, but as she looked closer, she was almost immediately disarmed. It was… very round. Almost spherical. Its back was covered in a shining, sparkling, deep purple carapace. A small horn protruded from its forehead, sharp, but short. It had rounded legs, and what seemed to be a pair of small arms, ending in three little fingers. Its stomach, strangely, was not covered in a similar carapace, rather it was a bright, near-pristine white coat of fur, coating its belly, neck, and the lower half of its face. It was knocked on its back, chirping and squealing, struggling to right itself. The sight was a little sad. Her heart getting the better of her, she inched closer to the little creature, and gingerly picked it up. It seemed to panic very briefly, but seemed to take to it after a moment. She set it back down on its legs, and it looked up to her, making a little chirping sound.

“Uh… y-you’re welcome…?” She said, hesitantly giving it a little pat on the head. It trilled in response. “... you uh. Y-you have a good day, I guess.” She added, before turning on her heels and hoofing it back to town.

While she didn’t notice it immediately, the little creature started to follow her after a moment. Maybe it was curiosity. Maybe it was attachment. Gratefulness. Who knew. But she had a little tagalong, whether she knew it or not.

#Valerie Writes #Scintillam #Leona #Velda #Artemis #Queue #i had a fun time writing this ;w;#i think this is the longest thing i've written?#maybe???#am unsure #it's definitely up there tho #i think that all the chapters from here will probably be longer #but!#i hope y'all enjoy reading...#and reblogs are appreciated if u did :>#also ty again to my lovely friend and proofreader belle; they do such a good job every time asdflkjn ;w;

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ericsonclan · 4 years

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A Feeling More Precious Than A Gemstone

Summary: After a quest goes sour and Aasim returns to camp Ruby starts to realize that she has feelings for the high elf.

Read on A03:

Notes: Written for @stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale ‘s monthly writing challenge. Rusim may be canon, but a romance between a high elf and a dwarf seems pretty unlikely! We got all 14 points too :D

“I believe if we keep heading east we should be able to reach the spot specified in the quest in an hour or so,” Aasim rolled up the quest scroll with his hands, tucking it away within his high elven robes before glancing back at the others. He had only been able to get the most enthusiastic members to join which meant his team for the upcoming quest consisted of Willy and Mitch. Rosie was along as well but seemed mainly to come to spend some time with them and to help give the goblin a free ride which WIlly was happy about. He bounced excitedly on the warg’s back.

“Willy is excited to see where the giant rats live,” His long legs dangled and flailed about as the warg jogged to catch up with the high elf.

“Yeah, can’t wait to kick some ass!” Mitch’s signature smirk appeared on his face.

Aasim shook his head, he should’ve known that no one serious would bother to join in exterminating some giant rats, but still the band of adventurers needed the coin. He was about to comment when he felt an unnerving presence in the air. A cold shiver ran up his spine and with cautious hands he drew his silver detailed elfbow, notching an arrow in place for any unexpected attacks that may ambush them.

“Aasim, what-” Mitch was cut off when Aasim held up his hand.

“Follow me,” The high elf didn’t bother to wait for any confirmation on his companions' part and turned sharply left into the western part of Ogeman Forest. Rosie immediately followed with slow, deliberate steps, carrying Willy on her back while Mitch ran to catch up.

“We’re being followed,” Aasim stated simply, knowing the question that was going to leave the mercenary’s lips. “I don’t know why I hadn’t sensed it before, but something or someone is nearby.”

“Well they better be fucking ready, cause all they’re gonna recieve is an ass whooping.” Mitch placed his hand on the hilt of his steel broadsword that at this moment remained sheathed on his back. The small group moved through the woods in silence, their eyes scanning the area when all of the sudden out of the corner of his eye Willy spotted a blurry silhouette racing by.

“There!” The goblin exclaimed, pointing his long, bony finger “Willy saw one over there,”

Aasim and Mitch shifted their weight and got into defensive positions. It was best to be patient when what type of opponent they were facing was still unknown to them. Aasim slowly drew his bow, pulling the string back sharply and aiming it in the direction his friend had pointed towards.

“Whoever you are, I'd advise you to come out slowly. We do not wish for any trouble.” The high elf’s voice was calm yet commanding. A tense air filled the trees around them as the silence grew longer and longer. The time that it was taking for a response made Aasim question whether there really was anyone following them when suddenly a bush rustled and three creatures emerged from it.

It took only a moment for Aasim to identify what monsters they were: Kobolds. They were small reptilian creatures with muddy green skin whose primary purpose seemed to be that of the worship of dragons.Those they deemed to be gods. They were a rather zealous race. The one on the left stared at the adventurer with an angry glare, his grey cloak slightly moving in the air. He clutched his sword in his right hand while his left hovered over the whip attached to his hip. The one to the far right looked to be the oldest of the three kobolds, at least Aasim figured they were due to the faded color of their skin and eyes. They wore a simple red robe and protectively held onto a wand with a blue crystal on it. In the middle was one with a leathery brown jacket made from what Aasim figured was one of their victims. His hand held out a small cage akin to what you may keep a bird in. A swarm of spiders scurried around within the confines, some of them slowly spilling out from the cage and falling onto the kobold’s leg. Based on the body language, Aasim assumed the middle on to be their leader.

“Why are you following us?” Aasim looked toward the one in the center. He knew how these creatures worked: they were cunning beings yet cowardly in nature. As long as Aasim held the power in the conversation, he was sure he could get his opponents to leave within minutes. Although it was odd that they showed themselves, usually they remained in the shadows.

“We are here because you have dishonored the Great One!” The middle one hissed, waving around his cage widely. The other two nodded in agreement. The high elf slowly released the pressure of the shot he was aiming, letting the bow fall to his side.

“The Great One?’ Aasim quirked a brow. I don’t recall going on any quest that had any being called by that name. His confusion only seemed to add fuel to the kobolds’ anger. The left one hopped up and down and pointed angrily. “You don’t even remember your sin! How you entered the resting place of the Great One!”

“How you dared to steal from his treasures,” The one on the right spoke sharply; there was a heavy level of venom in his words. Aasim wracked his brain, placing a hand on his chin before glancing back at the others.

Mitch shrugged his shoulders and scoffed. “I don’t fucking remember that. I would remember if we kicked the ass of ‘The Great One'.” Mitch did air quotes with his fingers.

“You dare to further your wrongdoings!” The middle kobold snapped.

Aasim stared back at the three small creatures and was about to respond that he had no idea what they spoke of when it suddenly hit him, causing his stomach to turn. They must be talking about that blue scaled dragon whose cave they entered in hopes of completing a high leveled quest. That was until a certain mercenary had gotten the bright idea to use one of the many shields scattered around the dragon’s cave to slide down the large pile of coins and other treasure. He couldn’t believe that that event was coming back to bite them in the ass. What seemed to be worse, however, was that because he had forgotten about it his indifference seemed to make the situation they were currently in much worse.

“I assure you we did no harm to your god,” Aasim tried to bring the conversation back into good terms.

Mitch looked completely lost until the high elf turned his head and mouthed the word ‘dragon’. Mitch’s eyes lit up with realization before looking back at his opponents. He could feel his annoyance bubbling within him. They hadn’t even harmed that stupid dragon. In fact, it had almost killed him and his companions.

“Yet you still dared to defile his sacred resting place!” The kobold shouted.

Mitch let out a snort. “Come on, you expect us to see a giant pile of coins and not slide down it?”

“Willy wishes he had gotten a chance to slide down a mountain of gold.”

“Next time, buddy,” Mitch smiled over at the goblin then gave a smug look over to the Kobolds. “That’s right, we slid down the coins and we’d do it again! So why don’t you just scurry off from whatever cave you came from, you overgrown lizards!”

The mercenary’s words seemed to cut the creatures deeply, their rage seeping from their bodies and into the very air around them.

Aasim looked back with a shocked expression towards his friends before his eyes hardened. He didn’t know what he expected from Mitch. He should’ve just kept him in the dark about the whole thing while he worked it out.

“You will pay with your blood!” The middle one screeched, causing the other to to give a war cry before charging the pack of adventurers. The one with the whip ran forward to Aasim who drew his bow in a second, shooting an arrow right into the shoulder of the kobold. The creature cried out in pain but soon snapped his whip, wrapping it around the bow and yanking it from the high elf’s grip.

“Damn it,” Aasim mumbled under his breath; that bow was priceless to him. WIthout giving it a second thought he sprinted forward to retrieve it only for his leg to run over a tripwire. A short wooden spear flew through the sky and impaled itself into Aasim’s leg. He hissed in pain and fell, kicking himself internally for falling for such a simple trick. Especially when it was what their kind was known to do.

“You asshole,” Mitch unsheathed his blade and caught the whip. With a quick flick on his wrist he turned his sword and tore through the whip. The kobold made a desperate cry and began to scurry away but not before Mitch got in another slice across its back. He looked at his handiwork proudly as the kobold scampered away, holding up its pants while it disappeared into the woods.

Suddenly the mercenary felt a strange warmth on his backside and glancing down saw that the wand-wielding kobold had sent a small blue flame towards his ass. Mitch swore fervently as he rolled on the ground to get the flames out. The kobold was about to attack again when an arrow found its mark and embedded in the creature’s right arm, causing him to drop the wand. Mitch turned to see the high elf on the ground with his bow held out. Mitch gave a small nod of thanks and turned to kick out the kobold’s legs. The creature fell with a yelp and with a swift elbow to the side of the face the mercenary had knocked it out.

Only one left now. Mitch turned only to be pleasantly surprised by the sight before him. Willy was giving a mighty war cry, commanding Rosie to charge. The warg listened without hesitation, biting harshly down on the cage and crushing all the spiders within. Rosie licked her lips happily, glad to have a tasty snack.

“No!” The kobold exclaimed, shaking as it backstepped, all of its courage gone now that it was weaponless. Willy screamed out and jumped on top of the kobold. Wrapping his legs around the kobold’s shoulders, he sent punch after punch to the reptilian’s skull.

“Never hurt Willy’s friends! Willy won’t forgive you!” The goblin cried, landing hit and hit again until he had successfully knocked out the kobold that had quite the collection of bumps on its head. They all let out a collective sigh of relief.

“Are you okay?” Mitch asked, offered out his hand to the high elf.

“I had it handled,” Aasim huffed, begrudgingly accepting the hand. He wobbled to his feet, a small hiss escaping his lips when he put too much pressure on the leg.

“Willy will help!” The goblin scurried over on all fours and was about to pull out the spear impaled in the high elf’s leg when he received a sharp flick to the forehead by the mercenary.

“No, dumbass, that will just cause him to bleed a hell of a lot faster than he is now.”

Willy’s large eyes widened in horror at what he had almost done. “Willy is sorry,” the goblin held his right arm behind his back with his left hand and gave an apologetic look towards Aasim.

“It’s quite alright,” He waved a hand dismissively. “You were only trying to help.” He looked over to see that the goblin was still unsure about it.

“Oh, how about you ride Rosie!” Willy hopped around to help support Aasim.

The high elf nodded and his two companions helped him up onto the warg who let out a concerned growl as she looked back at the high elf, giving his hand a quick lick before looking back at the others.

“We should probably let Ruby look at that,” Mitch motioned his head towards the wounded leg. “We’ll kick some rat ass another day.”

Aasim gave a sad sigh. “Agreed. This wasn’t as auspicious an outcome as I would have liked it to be, but I guess we can’t win them all.”

With that the four of them made their way back to camp. Willy scampered off in front to be on the lookout for any other creatures while Mitch walked alongside Rosie who carried the high elf on her back. It didn’t take them long to get back to the camp. Willy was the first to show up, giving what was surely a half-assed, hole-ridden tale about what happened. It seemed to be worse than his usual message-giving since as soon as Aasim had made it back into camp Ruby was already waiting for them with her medicine pouch. Surrounding her were a few other members of the band of adventurers.

“What in the world happened out there?” Ruby bustled over with a concerned expression to the warg the high elf sat upon. Louis and Violet followed her close behind while Brody brought up the rear.

“Willy said you lost a leg to a spear!” Brody sounded worried as she looked towards Mitch.

“No, that didn’t fucking happen,” Mitch gave a tired sigh, “Y’know Willy always exaggereates with his stories,”

Mitch’s words seemed to calm down Ruby who examined Aasim’s leg. “It’s still a bad injury. Louis, Violet, can you prepare a spot in camp for Aasim?”

The two halflings nodded and sprinted off to prepare, giving short explanations to the rest of the band of adventurers as Ruby helped guide Rosie into the camp. When they had gotten into camp, Mitch helped the dwarf as she got the high elf off the warg. Brody ran forward to take Mitch’s spot as Ruby ran forward. She usually was the one to help Ruby with medical situations if Aasim wasn’t present. Ruby shooed off the others and turned to the human. “Wait, Mitch, I need your belt.” Ruby’s voice was calm and commanding.

The mercenary looked confused by the demand. “Why the fuck-” he stopped when he noticed the worry in the dwaf’s eyes. So he reluctantly gave the belt before walking off, his pants slightly drooping as Louis and Marlon began to tease him. Ruby then proceeded to wrap the belt around Aasim’s leg, tightening it to make a tourniquet of sorts in hopes it would lessen the blood flow. Aasim let out a small hiss.

“I’m sorry. It’ll be over before you know it,” Ruby gave a warm smile to the high elf who glanced away.

“No, I’m sorry. I should’ve been more careful,”

“Don’t beat yourself up over it,” The dwarf waved a hand dismissively. “Quests always seem to go sideways with our band.” Her words calmed down the high elf who leaned back on his arms and started to slow down his breathing in preparation for the next part.

Ruby then turned to Brody. “I’m gonna need you to put pressure on the wound once I remove the spear.”

Brody looked terrified but soon gathered all of her courage and nodded. With confirmation of her friend’s support, Ruby went forward with the plan. Gently wrapping her hands around the spear, she studied the angle that it had entered. Shifting her position, Ruby yanked out the spear. Blood dripped from it, staining the ground below them as Aasim stifled a cry. His hands curled into fists to try and deal with the pain. Brody immediately grabbed some clothes and put pressure on the wound while Ruby prepared the medicine to help numb the area before stitching it up.

After a few minutes the dwarf seemed satisfied with her setup. “Alright, lift your hands and take a step back,” Ruby instructed. Brody listened immediately. Ruby sat down next to the wound and taking out a medicinal paste she had made from some of the plants nearby spread it onto Aasim’s wound. After that was applied Ruby glanced back at her friend with a kind smile. “Thanks for the help, Brody. You can go if you want.”

“Okay, I’ll be right over there if you need me,” Brody motioned to the fire pit. Ruby gave a short nod then returned to the task at hand. Aasim remained quiet at first as Ruby started on the first stitch.

“I was a fool,” The high elf’s words had broken the silence, causing Ruby to glance up.

“Pardon?”

“I should’ve figured when we ran into them that they were talking about the dragon,” Aasim looked down at the dwarf. “We ran into some kobolds, dragon worshipers,” he added when he saw the lost look on Ruby’s face. “One thing led to another and Mitch was no help, but...” The high elf let out a sigh, “If I hadn’t picked up that high level quest back then, this wouldn’t have happened.” He gestured to his bloody leg, now partly sewn up.

“Awww, I’m sure you’re just being hard on yourself like you always are.” Ruby smiled up at the high elf who didn’t seem sure of her words. “What I’m trying to say is sometimes things are out of our control,” She focused back on the task at hand, whisking through the stitches with nimble handiwork. “So you shouldn’t kick yourself for it. I’m just glad you’re safe,” The dwarf placed a hand on Aasim’s, locking eyes with him. She seemed to get lost in them for a second before becoming overly self-conscious and pulling away. Her usually rosy cheeks grow slightly redder. Ruby internally scolded herself for a moment that she had been letting these newly-found feelings take control. Clearing her throat, she moved to bandage the leg then rose to her feet. “There, that should do it. Need a hand up?” she gave a smile and extended her hand towards the high elf.

“No, that’s quite alright. I just think I need a minute here.”

“Okay, well holler if you need anything,” Ruby looked at Aasim for a few seconds before turning sharply on her heel and making her way back into the woods to collect firewood.

Her heartbeat pounded in her ears while her head swirled with countless questions. She had always thought Aasim was a nice, kind fella, but when he had arrived back to camp injured she had felt feelings that she hadn’t noticed before. It was as if for the first time she really felt the feelings that she was sure had been dormant for quite some time. She had always had pleasant interactions with the high elf. Whether it be simple conversations around the fire or long drawn out talks about their different cultures. Aasim always seemed so invested in those particular conversations, giving the dwarf his undivided attention. It had always meant alot to Ruby. But looking back on those talks now it seemed like so much more. Shaking her head, Ruby focused back on the task that she was assigned. They needed more firewood if they were going to have supper tonight.

Everyone in the group did their part for the evening’s meal. Prisha hunted in the forest alongside Tenn who acted as her overhead eyes, gliding over the forest to spot the different prey and confirm their location. The wood elf’s shots never missed, always hitting a target thanks to her heightened eyesight and companion’s help.

Over a small trek away was a pond where Sophie and Minnie helped guide the halflings and AJ who worked hard trying their hand at spearfishing. Some were more efficient at it than others. Violet seemed to be a natural as well as Clem and AJ. All three brought in a good amount. Omar and Louis were novices though, each of them only getting a few fishes here and there. Whatever ones they missed the twin harpies would catch with their sharp talons.

Mitch and Marlon helped gather firewood alongside Ruby while Brody started to build the fire, keeping an eye on Aasim who was busy receiving tale after tale from Willy. The goblin’s arms waved wildly as he told the tales. Garbage the bat dangled upside down from his arm, lazily enjoying the swaying movements of the goblin. Rosie lay protectively by the high elf’s side who gave an abundant amount of pats to the warg.

Once everyone had returned from their respective duties, Omar immediately started on dinner prep and received help from the other halflings as it was their night to assist. Soon the wonderful aroma of stew filled the air as the sky turned into a beautiful orange hue. The band of adventurers gathered around and heard the dramatic retelling of today’s adventure by Mitch who seemed to favor his heroic deeds in the tale. Willy and Aasim chimed in here and there giving their input on the story. The different members of the band asked questions and told jokes as their meal quickly was devoured.

Soon everyone went their separate ways. The wood elf and Clem went to talk on the outskirts of the camp while Marlon and Sophie spoke nearby. It didn’t take long for the different members to do their own thing. Ruby glanced around and decided that she would check on the high elf one more time before going to bed. When the dwarf was about to get up from her spot by the firepit and check again on Aasim, she heard a familiar, cheery voice.

“Hey there, Rubes!” Louis sat down on her left. “Got a minute?”

“Sure,” Ruby looked confused when Violet sat down on her right. “What about?”

“About how you’re totally crushing on Aasim,” Louis gave a playfully mischievous smile towards the dwarf whose ears turned beet red.

“I… what?... how.. Why do you say that?” Ruby looked towards the dreadlocked halfling.

“Because it’s true,” Violet added, giving a shrug when Ruby looked at her. “It was pretty obvious when he returned today.”

“Well, I give you my blessing,” Louis put a hand on Ruby’s shoulder, patting it lightly.

The dwarf’s mind was trying to catch up with the conversation that was going at an alarmingly fast rate. “Now hold on, I don’t think you should be giving out blessings left and right like that,” Ruby huffed.

“Why not?” Louis tilted his head to the side. “Don'tcha like him?”

“Well sure, but,” Ruby played with one of the wisps of her hair that laid on the side of her face. “It’s not that simple.” She looked over to Louis then to Violet. Both seemed unconvinced by her reasoning. “Ain’t it weird for a high elf and a dwarf to be together?”

“Oh, is that what you’re worried about?” Louis let out a sigh of relief; clearly he had been worried it was something more complex. “Well if you really like him and care for him, that stuff doesn’t matter, right?”

“Yeah,” Violet glanced over at Ruby. “Look at Sophie and Marlon. They're together even though they’re a harpy and a half-orc. But they really care about each other.” Violet motioned with her head over to the couple who were chatting lively by the tree. Sophie was perched on Marlon’s shoulder, a warm, happy smile playing on her lips as she looked down at him. A similar smile was on his face as he continued the conversation. Suddenly Sophie’s attention was drawn upwards to Minnie and Tenn who had set up a nest for the night. With an apologetic expression, Sophie nuzzled against Marlon’s head before flying up to join her family for the night.

Ruby smiled at the sight, only noticing a moment later that both of the halflings’ eyes were upon her.

“The point is it doesn’t really matter. So you shouldn’t give a shit about it,” Violet’s eyes wandered over towards the outskirts, stopping on the wood elf. Her heartbeat quickened when she saw the smile on Prisha’s face. Violet felt like a hypocrite telling Ruby to follow her heart when she was too much of a coward to do it for similar reasons to the dwarf’s. But nevertheless, she still believed her advice to be good.

“Vi’s right,” Louis agreed. “Clem and I are both halflings, but we have really different personalities so there are still differences between us. I know it can be scary. If Clem didn’t confess first, I don’t know if I would’ve ever gotten up the courage. But I know you’ve got it in ya, Ruby,” He playfully nudged her side.

“Louis is right,” Violet leaned back on her arms. “Every relationship is different.”

“Yeah, even friendships. Like take me and Vi. From an outsider’s perspective it would seem like we shouldn’t be friends, but we care about each other. Right, Vi?”

Violet gave a short nod. “Yeah, even if first meetings aren’t always the smoothest it doesn’t mean it can’t or shouldn’t work out.” She leaned forward and looked at Louis with a smirk. “You know, there was a time where I couldn’t stand you.”

Louis’ mouth fell agape at those words. “Really?”

“Yeah, I thought you were really fucking annoying when I first worked at your house,” Violet’s smirk only seemed to widen when Louis still looked shocked.

With a dramatic flair, Louis’ face took on a look of mock sadness as he placed a hand on his heart. “You wound me, Violet,”

Violet rolled her eyes. “Anyway, it doesn’t matter now.” She looked over to Ruby. “Just give it some thought.”

“Yeah, I think you and Aasim would be cute toge-” Louis’ sentence cut off when a sharp yawn left his mouth. He shook his head wildly when he was finished with his yawn, his dreadlocks swaying with the motion. “Seems like it’s my bedtime. I’m gonna head off to bed. What about you?” He glanced over at Violet who stood up, brushing off the dust on her clothes.

“Nah, I’m gonna stay up for a bit,” Her eyes wandered over to a tree, wondering if she could climb it and get better visibility of the night sky. With that the two halflings were off, saying goodnight to the dwarf while they went their separate ways.

Ruby stared at the fire, her friends’ words repeating in her head. Maybe they weren’t wrong. Ruby rose up and stared over at the high elf. She still wasn’t sure what she was going to do, but as for now she’d give Louis and Violet’s words some serious thought. Ruby walked off to her tent with a smile, ready to face whatever came next.

Ruby kept catching herself staring at Aasim while the merry band of adventurers walked down the dusty dirt road. Her feelings for the high elf only seemed to grow with each passing day. It had been nearly a week since her conversation with Louis and Violet yet those words still swirled within her mind and heart. She kept to her own thoughts on the road, trying to decide the best course of action. Her heart knew what it wanted to do even if her mind was scared.

It took another two hours to make it to the town of Rimemoor. By the time they had set foot into the town, the dwarf had decided. She was going to go for it. Damn the consequences. So what if her mind was freaking out at the possibility of rejection or that she couldn’t stop sweating. She had set her mind on it and she was going to go through with it. With that in mind the next question arose. How was she going to do it? Should she just pull Aasim aside and tell him straight and simple or should she do more of a romantic gesture? Ruby’s mind spun with the two options that collided within her. Then all of a sudden a bolt of inspiration struck. A bracelet. She could make him a bracelet! It wasn’t uncommon in dwarven culture to forge your own bracelet or trinket and give it to someone as a sign of romantic interest. That was it. That was how she would do it.

“Ruby?” Prisha’s voice snapped the dwarf out of her thoughts as she looked up at the group.

“Sorry, did I miss something?” Ruby asked when she noticed the expressions of the band members’ faces.

“We were thinking of checking out the adventurer’s guild for some quests.” Minnie motioned over to the western section of the town. Ruby’s eyes followed it and noticed that nearby on the corner of the next street was a blacksmith.

“Actually, I was thinking of checking out the local blacksmith,” Ruby responded, gesturing over to the building with a small pillar of smoke emitting from the chimney.

“Oh, any particular reason?” Clementine looked up at the dwarf whose rosy red cheeks seemed to get rosier due to the halfling’s question. Ruby suddenly felt flustered.

“Umm, I just figured it would be good to see if there are any new techniques I haven’t picked up on before.”

“A wise endeavor,” Aasim nodded in agreement. The smile on his face caused Ruby’s heart to flutter.

“So yeah, I’ll meet up with y’all at the tavern for lunch?” Ruby looked towards the group.

“Sounds good to us,” Marlon stated with a carefree smile.

With that Ruby ran off, giving one final wave to her group when she noticed Louis giving two thumbs up, a playful smile on his lips. Violet’s knowing smirk was more of a subdued expression than her halfling friend, but they were both pretty obvious. They seemed to have picked up on her true reasons behind diverging from the group. Ruby turned her attention back to the blacksmith. A determined smile appeared on her face as she strode forward towards the building. It was time to get to work.

When she entered the smithy she was greeted by a tall, blonde giant with a thick beard. “Hey there, name’s Tripp.” He wiped off his hands with a large cloth before extending one.

The dwarf immediately took the hand, giving it a firm, friendly shake. “Ruby.”

“Well, Ruby, what can I help you with?” The giant smiled down at the dwarf when his eyes suddenly widened as he noticed the warhammer axe on her back that was nearly the size of her. “Is that a dwarven warhammer?” Tripp sounded excited while he stared in awe of the axe.

“It sure is! Crafted in the furnace of Mur Garohm.” Ruby held out her axe proudly.

“May I?”

“Sure,” Ruby offered the warhammer up to the giant. He seemed to be practically bubbling with excitement while his eyes studied each detail carefully. The gold detailing in the middle, the many dwarven runes that covered its edges and the bright blue stone that shone in the center of the weapon.

“Holy shit, this is quite the weapon,” His fingers brushed over the edge, noticing the wear of it. “If you don’t mind, I’d love to sharpen it for you.”

“That’d be great. I was actually wondering if I could use your forge today. I’d pay for both the use of the forge and the fee for sharpening my axe.” Ruby held up her hands, producing a respectable amount of coin.

“Alright, as long as you’ve got your own materials to work with I don’t mind you using the forge.” Tripp took the small pouch of coins and walked towards his sharpening wheel where he began his work. A small, constant thrum emitted from the wheel while he spun the axe, making sure to get every corner while maintaining the beauty of the dwarven craftsmanship.

Ruby decided she should also get to work right away and made her way to the forge where she rummaged through her bag to try and find the necessary materials. She knew she still had some fine leather from the last general store she had gone to in the town a few miles west of here, but she was still struggling to think of the perfect centerpiece for the bracelet. Something that would make it unique to her and her alone. That’s when her hand brushed against the edge of some ore. Pulling it out of the bag, the dwarf was mesmerized by its beautiful golden shimmer. She had nearly forgotten that she had brought along some ore from her homelands. In fact if she recalled correctly, this was some of the earliest and most precious ore she had ever found. It seemed like a fitting material for this trinket.

The dwarf worked tirelessly on the bracelet. Using her carving knife she sculpted a simple design on the edges of the leather. When she seemed satisfied with her work, she moved on to the next part which was far more challenging with a giant’s workshop. It took some time and more upper body strength than usual but after a few minutes the dwarf got used to the overly large pieces of equipment. Melting down the gold-like ore, she poured it into a sculpt before imprinting the dwarven design and dunking it into the cool water.

A sharp whistle drew her attention. The giant hovered in the doorway with an impressed expression on his face. “I’ve always heard tales of dwarves’ handiwork in blacksmithing, but to see it firsthand...” A huge smile appeared on his face. “It’s really something else. Are you in town for a while?” The giant paused for a moment and decided to elaborate on his question. “Just curious since I think we could benefit from sharing trade tips. Y’know, learn the differences between a giant and dwarf’s way of crafting.”

Ruby beamed at the suggestion and gave an enthusiastic nod. “I’d love that. It sounds like a grand time. I can drop by tomorrow if you’d like?”

“That’d be great. Oh!” The giant’s eyes widened before he held out the warhammer. “Here ya go. Should be as good as new.”

“Thanks a heap,” Ruby glanced back at her still incomplete bracelet. “I’ll just be a few more minutes.”

The giant waved a hand dismissively. “Don’t worry about it, take all the time you need.”

With that Ruby returned to her work, fastening the ore onto the center of the bracelet. Proceeding to test it out, the dwarf wrapped it around her wrist to make sure it looked nice. When she turned the bracelet now displayed on her wrist it shone brightly. It seemed like wherever the light was the ore would pick up on it and capture the light to further its own beauty. With a satisfied and excited chuckle, the dwarf hopped down and bustled out of the blacksmith’s shop, wishing Tripp a good rest of his day before strolling forward towards the tavern, proud of herself for a finely crafted bracelet.

The others seemed to brighten up immediately when Ruby returned to the fold. Each of them talked and laughed as Aasim placed forth the next potential quest that they could work on. Mitch seemed ecstatic as always for another quest and with a loud burp declared he’d go on it. Aasim waved away the stench of the mead before looking back at Mitch, wondering whether he’d be up for the task or not. After some heated debate the group settled down the fighting and decided that Mitch could go as long as other, more responsible and level-headed people went as well. After that the band searched around for an inn in hopes of finding a place that would allow a warg. Luckily they did and by the time everyone had settled down and grabbed yet another meal the sky had turned into a deep blue.

Throughout the day Ruby had been double checking her pack in case for some unfortunate reason the bracelet had fallen out. But it never had. Now that everyone had scattered off to do various activities, she had finally been given the chance. Aasim stood by the entrance of the tavern, his eyes looking off into the distance at the nearby lake. Ruby felt her heartbeat pounding in her ears but she wasn’t going to back down. A chance like this - just the two of them away from the prying eyes of the band of adventurers - was rare, so she was going to take it.

“Hey there, Aasim,” Ruby’s voice drew the high elf’s attention. He looked back with a warm smile that caused the dwarf’s heart to do a small flip.

“Hello Ruby, here to look at the lake as well?” His eyes wandered back onto the shimmering light that danced off the lake from the moonlight. “I was thinking of taking a stroll down there.” He paused, suddenly becoming more awkward as he scratched the back of his head. “Care to join me?”

Ruby nodded with a bright smile. I’d love to.” The high elf beamed at her words.

And so the two wandered off towards the lake. It was a fairly short walk, only around ten minutes to get there. During that time the pair had talked about simple topics, nothing heavy or serious. It was only when they arrived at the lake that both stopped to enjoy the beauty of the night. Ruby looked onto the shiny water, trying to give herself the courage she needed for the next part.

“So,” she glanced over, locking eyes with Aasim. “There’s been something on my mind for the last week.”

“Oh?” Aasim looked curious. “What might that be?”

“You.” Ruby froze, horrified by her own bluntness. She couldn’t believe how stupid she was being. She felt her face heat up from her own words, noticing that Aasim’s face took on a level of awkwardness as well. It was hard to tell in the lighting, but she could've sworn that his pointed ears were slightly pink. “Let me start over. What I meant to say is…” This was a lot harder than she’d thought it would be. Maybe it would be simpler if she started with the bracelet. Digging through her pocket, she found the gift before holding it out towards the high elf. “I made you this.”

Aasim took the bracelet graciously and examined it closely. His eyes danced with curiosity and joy from the trinket. “This is quite stunning,” He stopped and glanced up at the dwarf. “You made this yourself? That’s amazing!”

Ruby felt her rosy cheeks turn a deep shade of red at the high elf’s compliment. “Thanks, it’s a gift that dwarfs make to symbolize something.”

“What does it symbolize?”

“Well, you give it to show you have a romantic interest in.”

Aasim’s eyes widened at Ruby’s words.

“What I’m trying to say, Aasim, what I’m failing at saying is... that I like you. I truly do.”

Aasim seemed absolutely overwhelmed by this information. His face heated up and his mouth was slightly open. It took him a minute before he could move. Silently he placed the bracelet on his wrist and looked down at it with a happy smile. He was truly touched by the gift, the symbol of Ruby’s feelings. “I feel the same way, Ruby. I really care for you. I have for quite some time,” Aasim declared with a warm smile. “I even considered confessing but I never seemed to summon up the courage but I’m really glad you did.” He couldn’t believe this was really happening. Ruby felt the same way he did. He felt like he could soar with how much happiness was swelling within his heart. He looked down at Ruby who seemed just as happy with his answer as he had been about hers.

She looked so beautiful in the moonlight. The fiery red curls around her face seemed to further heighten her beauty. The strikingness of her blue grey eyes sent Aasim's heart aflutter. Slowly he leaned over and cupped the sides of Ruby’s face, capturing her lips in a gentle and warm kiss. When he pulled back he saw the look of surprise on her face but she quickly moved forward, leaning into another kiss with him. The kiss made Aasim’s heart feel aflame in a tender warmth. A happy, content smile appeared on both of the couple’s faces when they pulled apart and Aasim rose once more to his normal height.

Gently Aasim took Ruby’s hand as she returned the gesture, taking his other. The two stood there, lost in each other's smiles as their hearts swelled with joy. This moment would forever be etched in their hearts under the moonlit sky.

#twdgaugustgame #fanfic #rusim #fantasy hijinks au #twdg #twdg aasim #twdg ruby #twdg louis #twdg violet

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wonderfulworldofmichaelford · 6 years

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Ready Player One review

People who say “The book is always better than the movie!” tend to be foolish people who view literature as an inherently flawless medium incapable of doing wrong. To say that, you need to ignore literature that is objectively better than the source material to the point even the authors prefer it, such as Fight Club, Jaws, and Who Framed Roger Rabbit, or films that greatly improved the work they’re adapting by trimming the fat, such as V for Vendetta and (oh boy I’m probably gonna get shit for this) The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Today’s film is one such film in the latter category, directed by a man behind one of the films mentioned in the former category, a film no one except me thought would be as good as it is: Ready Player One.

The book is easily one of the most contentious novels I’ve ever seen, a truly “love it or hate it” affair. I liked the novel; I read it when I was going through a really rough time back in 2012 or so, and a lot of its themes resonated with me. It’s a cheesy, charming book that unfortunately has a few really cringey bits of writing in it and unfortunately due to its medium spends a lot of time explaining references you wouldn’t see otherwise. I’d put the book on the same level as Eragon; it’s cheesy and has some dumb writing here and there, but overall it’s enjoyable. But even I realized a film could help trim a lot of the fat of this novel and polish it into something grand, and when I heard Spielberg was at the helm I slept a lot easier, figuring that would be the case.

And it was. This movie is a lot better than the book in most regards. But let’s look at the plot first:

In the year 2045, in a world where things seem bleak and joyless, people turn to the virtual reality world of the OASIS, where they can be anyone or anything they want. Its creator, a man named Halliday, created a contest for all the people of the OASIS to take part in after he died, in which the goal was to find the ultimate Easter Egg. Whoever found the three keys and then the Easter Egg would become rich, powerful, and most importantly they would own the OASIS. Wade Watts, known in the OASIS as Parzival, is an average guy who eventually stumbles across the answer of how to get the first key. But he’s not the only person gunning after the prize; the corporation IOI and its douchey head honcho Nolan Sorrento are after total control so they can spam ads and basically make the place a microtransaction nightmare. Can Wade, with the help of his best pal Aech, his love interest Art3mis, and his buddies Daito and Sho manage to stop IOI or is this end of line for the users?

WARNING: THERE’S GONNA BE SPOILERS BELOW.

So I’m gonna go over some of the things I didn’t like in the adaptation first, which honestly mostly amount to nitpicks. The diminished importance of Rush is a bit sad, though it’s kind of understandable since all of the challenges were streamlined and simplified for the movie. That doesn’t suck as much to me as the complete cutting of the Ladyhawke segment, as this book is what introduced me to that movie and I was hoping to see some reference to it. Changing up Aech the way they did kind of diminishes the impact of her reveal, and speaking of which, a lot of characters and backstory are glossed over or ignored, most egregiously Ogden Morrow. The book went into a bit more detail into Morrow, co-creator of the OASIS, and Halliday’s relationship, but in the film Morrow is seemingly shunted aside for much of the film. I don’t think any of this really ruins the film per se, but it certainly makes it a different beast from the book.

Now, time to sing the praises of this film: the visuals are stunning. The OASIS is a major focus of the movie, as it should be, and we get to see so many creative visuals and ideas take place, as well as insane amounts of crossover characters. You’d need to freeze frame every single crowd shot to catch them all; just watching it as I did I saw Duke Nukem, Jason Voorhees, the Battletoads, Hello Kitty, Harley Quinn, the Joker, Batman, and more among the crowds. It’s a lot like Wreck-It Ralph in that regard. Frankly, I kind of wish the entire film was just in the OASIS, because all of it is just so fascinating and fun and visually appealing… special props need to go to the extended trip into The Shining, which was recreated with eerie accuracy up until the parts where things go off the rails. I think this movie may be Spielberg’s greatest achievement visually speaking.

The parts of the film that take place in the real world aren’t nearly as good, but I don’t think they were necessarily bad either. They definitely had their good moments, and they certainly helped progress the plot forward as well as being important to the film’s overall message of “Don’t ignore reality in favor of escapism, because reality is where what’s most important really is.” And a good message that is, especially in today’s day and age. Still, some of the acting in the real world can be wonky, mostly whenever Wade is having romantic moments with Samantha AKA Art3mis. They do get better as the film progresses, but their romance arc in this movie is easily a weak point with how rushed and awkward it is. Guess Ernest Cline’s co-writing credit is really shining through there.

Our main characters themselves are all fairly well done, in OASIS and outside of it, though again, Wade and Samantha’s relationship in reality is a bit awkwardly written, and it’s not much better in the OASIS though there’s some more cool visuals to help you stomach things, but overall those two are enjoyable protagonists. Aech is still as cool as ever, though I am a bit disappointed they changed her character so much it made the impact of learning she’s a black lesbian (the latter fact is there but glossed over) a lot less impactful, as instead of her avatar being a white dude, it’s a hulking cyborg ogre. Still, I can’t deny Aech is still as cool as ever. Daito and Sho are also cool and have their roles expanded a bit from the book. Better yet, Daito does not get killed, so no awkward seppuku references that will make you cringe!

The villains are pretty cool too. First up is the OASIS insider I-R0k, played by T.J. Miller in his first act of penance for The Emoji Movie. It’s so fucking funny seeing this hulking, menacing death lord with skulls and shit all over him talk in the most nerdy voice imaginable. Still, he manages to shockingly be a menacing and capable threat, unlike his lame book counterpart. Then w e have the new villainess, F’Nale Zandor, a new character created for the film who serves as big bad Nolan Sorrento’s right-hand woman, acting out his evil schemes in the real world. She’s pretty cool and badass, and plays her role well enough; she’s sort of like a low-tier Bond henchman. Then we have Nolan himself, and while he is a stereotypical 80s corporate villain – a fact that even he lampshades – it’s hard not to appreciate a villain whose online avatar looks like Senator Armstrong and who calls forth Mechagodzilla as his ride in the final battle.

Speaking of the final battle, it is absolutely epic, but there has been a bit of contention due to the inclusion of the Iron Giant, and how it somehow goes against the non-violent themes of his titular movie. Well, you can rest easy in knowing that it’s just a giant mecha being piloted by Aech, and mostly what it’s doing is protecting everyone else from Mechagodzilla. The Iron Giant vs. Mechagodzilla is the greatest matchup I never knew I wanted.

Spielberg managed to do exactly what I expected him to do: he distilled everything that was good about the book, filtered out what didn’t work, and made a fun movie out of it. I can’t really justify totally calling this a style over substance film like I could with Batman v Superman or Miss Peregrine’s, because there actually is enough substance here to be serviceable and it has a very good message about the dangers of escapism and how allowing corporations to take away the neutrality of things is bad, but it’s definitely a movie you’re gonna wanna see for all the visuals more than anything. It’s a lot like Doctor Strange in that regard.

This is a great movie. Yes, great. If you love some really fucking cool visuals and can handle tons of cheese, this is the film for you. Honestly, it’s weird, but I’d really recommend this to everyone who disliked the book; you may find in a lot of ways that this is the book done RIGHT. As for people who love the book, this may be very much a love or hate affair; me, I loved it. I honestly can’t wait to watch it again and see what other secrets and cameos I pick up on, and just to bask in the glorious visuals of the OASIS. Leave it to Spielberg to polish something like Ernest Cline’s writing and produce a diamond, or at least a gemstone of significant value. It’s not a perfect film at all, but it IS a fun, enjoyable, and exciting one… kinda like a lot of the 80s films that inspired it.

#Review #movie review #Ready Player One #RPO #Steven Spielberg #Ernest Cline #VR #Virtual reality #OASIS #80s #sci-fi #action #adventure

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