#twilight zone best episodes

[thhecaptainschair]

Listen, I know The Twilight Zone doesn’t take place in the world of Magnus, but how can I watch “To Serve Man” and not see the Flesh? Or an avatar of the Eye in the man who always knew exactly what a person needed? How about Maple Street descending into madness because they thought aliens were among them? Sounds like the work of the Stranger to me

[l0s3rd0wnt0wn]

One step, two step, three step, ow! Part 2: Oliver starts taking the reader out on father-daughter dates, and Ollie goes all out (flowers, sweets, cute baskets of things, etc.). The others and Bruce realize this when they try to invite the reader to a family movie night, but she's busy going to Star City to watch a movie with Ollie and Dinah.

I didn't know so many people loved this one, lol. But I'm glad you all enjoyed it so much.

Oliver will honestly spend his time with the reader because the Batfam sometimes forgets to invite you to family events like movie nights, games, or anything really. So, your next best thing is to call up Ollie and spend the day with him, playing board games, destroying Ollie at Uno, and singing with Dinah. The bats will be so confused about where you are, only to find you doing archery lessons with Connor. You'll ask Ollie to take you to school dances, thinking that Bruce is too busy and doesn't care, only to discover he cleared his whole schedule just to find Ollie spending time with his little girl and dancing with him at some silly school dance. It drives the press crazy, and it drives Bruce crazy too. Oliver is stealing his daughter without even trying; he's picking you up for daddy-daughter dates. Bruce is growing more gray hair, and you're already replacing the Batfam with the Arrow family. Damian's rivalry with Connor will skyrocket; the beef they will have will be so one-sided. Like, how dare he steal my older sister, just for Connor to want to hang out with you at the arcade? It starts getting real bad when there’s a picture floating around Twitter of Ollie picking you up in the air while you laugh your face off. This leaves Bruce in shambles for a good few weeks until he literally bans Oliver from picking you up and taking you anywhere, same with Dinah—no, you guys can't bake cookies together It’s finally a night where you were never invited to family night before—no, but you are now—and they'll make you the center of attention, which makes you a bit scared. You're not used to everyone being so nice. It’s like you're on an episode of one of those prank TV series where the camera crew walks out and tells you it's a prank, but there's no camera crew and no boom mic hitting you in the back of the head. There’s no director saying "action." It’s just you guys in this big living room that feels cramped for some reason in front of this big flat-screen TV. Why is everyone looking at you play? Why is Tim pretending to be bad at Tekken 8? He’s a god at Tekken! What’s happening right now? Are you in an episode of the Twilight Zone? 'Cause why is it your turn, and why the hell are they playing to your whims like puppets on a goddamn string? Someone call Roy and get you the hell out of this house before they start gaslighting you into clearing your plans for the day and hanging out with them.

[caffinated-squid]

Dissecting Pete and his complicated role in The Eltingville Club

Time to talk about Pete, the character that I have actually struggled the most to write about because I have a lot to say and have been struggling to coherently organize it. Also because I have seen some other people make really good analysis pieces about him, so I’m going to try my best to contribute.

On surface level Pete appears to have the same function as Jerry in the club, he is the support of the group and is able to break up a lot of the arguments that Bill and Josh get into. However, Pete doesn’t resolve the actual problem, he actually has the tendency to exacerbate it by actively encouraging the characters shitty behaviors instead of calming them down. One example that comes to mind is the Steel figures, instead of getting Josh to calm down and move on, he goes on a rant about the movie, and then encourages Josh with the idea of burning down the Steel display.

There is also the possibility that he originally joined the club as a kid both to talk about their nerdy interests together, as well as to get away from the violence in his family. But overtime he ended up needing to deal with fights and arguments from the club, as well as eventually participating in it.

*Focusing on Petes temper for a second, I think the main reason why a lot of his outbursts result in property damage is from him having no fucking clue how to deal with his emotions. From the brief scenes we hear his dad talk and what Dorkin has mentioned, Pete grew up in a household that encouraged toxic masculinity and rejected his own interests as being unimportant or for children. Dorkin also mentioned Pete growing up in a physical household where he was hit a lot, (which can also be implied when his dad threatens to break his legs if he ever tries to meet with the club again) so his go to for anything is to get violent, its the only acceptable emotion to express.

**I also like to think this is why Pete had the least of a reaction when Bill goes on his rant tearing him down, its probably the norm for him.

I find Pete’s contributions to the environment of the club to be interesting because of how contradictory it is. Pete is usually the character to call other characters pussies or make fun of them for not doing things that are traditionally masculine, (like the comment to Jerry about how sewing is for chicks, sissies, and sweatshop workers) but at the same time needs to defend his own interests from the club as it gets brushed off as being gay or not worth discussion, including needing to defend his admiration of horror make up/special effects.

His reaction makes sense in the context of his family life since they don’t care about his interests either, and the club being his only friend group probably gives the urgency to both protect his interests while also aggressively stamping out any suggestion that it implies something about him. If bi Pete is canon, I’m assuming he doesn’t even want to think about it because if it were true, it would probably lead to more isolation and more things for the club and his family to shit on him for.

Out of all the character punishments, next to Josh, I think Pete got the worst of it when it came to punishments, as he was forced to throw out all of his horror stuff after the comic shop burned down, since his method of escapism was completely ripped away from him and confirmed as non important kids stuff that he needs to grow out of. It’s also sad to see because in comics like Unstable Molecules and They’re Dead, They’re All Messed Up, you can see Pete’s interest in horror make up and costumes shine through. Mentions of him improving the zombie looks from the prior year and his admiration for the horror make up in The Twilight Zone episodes show that he cares about the craft behind it. (same with him talking about horror icons like Peter Cushing, Anne Rice, and Christopher Lee)

Destroying this escapism didn’t make Pete more of an adult. Ironically he became more of a child as he got older, his insecurity about his interests made him seek out more adult content, both because its content he gets off to, as well as wanting to be perceived as an adult, which is why he gave up comics years ago ‘to take up fuckin.’ Pete never solved any of his actual problems, he’s still short tempered, a sex pest, and insecure about himself, but is now the one abusing other people with his scrap of power, just like his dad and probably his brothers did to him.

[supinternets]

Just two days! Here we have the dashing Jamie McCrimmon and the cosmic hobo that is the Second Doctor. They are one of the great duos in Who. I consider Patrick Troughton one of the best Doctors, old & new. Matt Smith, whom played the Eleventh Doctor took inspiration from him in his portrayal of the Time Lord. Some of my favorite stories that I’d recommend are “Enemy of the World” & “The Mind Robber”. The later I’d also say is one of the best episodes period. I have such a love of this era of Who, when it’s at its best it gives me Twilight Zone vibes. Also if you are a fan of Outlander, you have Jamie McCrimmon to thank for that.

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

If Rod Serling came out at the end of the Twilight Saga to do a Twilight Zone closing monologue, what do you think he'd say? And would the star of the Twilight Twilight Zone Saga be Jacob or Bella? A townsperson???

Oh, it's Charlie's story, easy.

It already is a Twilight Zone episode in that we have this ordinary man we're introduced to with a very distracting emotional drama. Out of nowhere, his teenage daughter decides to live with him instead of her mother. Her mother had just remarried but he can't get any confirmation that there's anything up with the step father, in fact he can't get much out of Bella period and is having a very difficult time connecting with her.

Then we get Bella noticing the Cullens and Charlie notes that they've been here for two years and people have to stop getting weird about them!

Then his daughter goes through this horrific relationship where her decisions get stranger and stranger and she goes through a horrible depression. He blames this boy, and when she finally gets out of it, for some reason Edward shows back up again with his family with an excuse that is... plausible but not very likely.

And it ends with Charlie, after having seen Jacob transform into a wolf, realizing everyone from his daughter to his best friend have been lying to him for years. He's entered the twilight zone, and he meets with his daughter, a now crystal alien, who believes she's doing a fantastic job convincing him she's the same old Bella as always.

And there's a little girl, Edward's "niece", who has that alien skin, Edward's hair color, and her mother's eyes.

Roll monologue/music/credits.

To that effect I imagine it would be something along the lines of how much you really know your friends and family and how the twilight zone has sometimes been there for far longer than you ever suspected.

The reason it has to be Charlie is that he's the character who isn't a part of this world, who gets to glimpse in and know that there is something here that is Wrong and happened despite all his trying to prevent a thing he didn't even realize could occur.

No one else quite goes through what Charlie does.

[msklassickilla]

Delirious | J. Uso|R. Reigns Two

Summary: When Titania buys an old typewriter from a closing thrift store, she thinks it’s just a vintage gem—until the words she types start coming true. However, the typewriter doesn’t just bring fantasies to life—it twists them. Giving Titania way more than she bargained for.

Pairing: Titania Marshall (Black OC) x Jey Uso x Roman Reigns

Author’s Note: This story is another AU thing. So, it might align, or it might not. I will try my best to keep it current enough. Nonetheless, it’s mash up of a few things: That one episode of Goosebumps. That one episode of the Twilight Zone. And that movie by the same title, Delirious featuring John Candy. I’ma make it work. Plus, I like mystical spooky shit with a bit of Jerry Springer type mess.

Warning(s): Will be updated each chapter. None for this.

Disclaimer: This work of art is fictional in nature including the original characters created by me. I do not own any of the existing characters or lyrics from songs referenced in this story (if any). All rights belong to their respective owners with the exception of my original characters. This work is purely for entertainment purposes and is not intended to cause harm.

Two

Titania woke to the faint hum of music and the unmistakable scent of pancakes wafting up from the kitchen. She blinked at the ceiling, groggy and disoriented. Had she left the TV on last night? No, that wasn’t right. The typewriter... Jey...

Her heart raced as the memories from the night before came rushing back. She sat up abruptly, clutching the edge of her comforter. For a brief, hopeful second, she considered that maybe it had all been a vivid dream—some bizarre, storm-fueled hallucination.

Then the sound of a spatula scraping against a pan broke through her thoughts.

She swung her legs over the edge of the bed, hesitating. Every logical part of her brain screamed that this couldn’t be happening, but the smell of butter and syrup was all too real. Slowly, she rose and crept toward the staircase, each step down bringing the sounds from the kitchen into sharper focus.

As she rounded the corner, her breath caught in her throat.

Jey Uso stood at her stove, his broad back to her, wearing a plain white T-shirt and gray sweatpants that hung comfortably on his hips. His damp curls bounced slightly as he hummed along to a song playing from his phone on the counter. He flipped a pancake with practiced ease, then grabbed a plate to stack it alongside a tower of perfectly golden ones.

Titania gripped the banister, her knees threatening to give out. “This can’t be real,” she whispered to herself.

Jey turned at the sound of her voice, his face lighting up with a warm smile. “Morning, beautiful.”

Her throat went dry. She stared at him, unable to form a coherent response as he wiped his hands on a dish towel and walked toward her.

“You okay?” he asked, tilting his head as he stopped a few feet away. “You look like you’ve seen ghost, baby.”

“I—” Titania started, her voice cracking. She cleared her throat and tried again. “I’m fine. Just... didn’t expect you to still be here.”

Jey chuckled, his grin widening. “Where else would I be? I’m not doing shows this week, remember? Figured I’d get in some QT with my girl while I can.”

Titania blinked, her stomach lurching. He said it so casually, so naturally, like this was just another ordinary day. But it wasn’t ordinary—he wasn’t supposed to be here.

“Right,” she said weakly, forcing a tight smile.

Jey didn’t seem to notice her unease. He gestured toward the kitchen with a proud little flourish. “Come eat before it gets cold. I made your favorite—blueberry pancakes, extra syrup.”

Her stomach twisted even tighter. She hadn’t told him her favorite breakfast.

Feeling like she was floating through a dream—or maybe a nightmare—Titania followed him into the kitchen. Jey moved around the space with ease, grabbing plates and silverware like he’d done it a hundred times before. He slid a plate stacked with pancakes in front of her and sat down across the table, smiling as if nothing was amiss.

She stared at the food, her appetite nowhere to be found.

“So,” Jey said between bites of his own breakfast, “what’s on the agenda today? You working on anything new?”

Her eyes snapped up to meet his, her pulse racing. “What?”

“You know, writing,” he said, gesturing vaguely with his fork. “You’re always saying how you don’t take enough breaks, so I figured I’d ask before you buried yourself in another story.”

Titania forced out a nervous laugh. “Oh. Uh, yeah. Nothing big right now.”

“Well, maybe I can help you brainstorm later,” Jey offered, winking at her. “You’ve got all the talent—I just add the charm.”

She barely heard him. Her mind was spinning, replaying everything he’d said. How did he know so much about her? About her favorite breakfast, her writing habits? She hadn’t written these details into her story last night, yet he knew them as if they’d been together for years.

Jey’s voice broke through her thoughts. “Hey.”

She looked up to find him watching her with a concerned expression. “You sure you’re good? You seem... I don’t know. Off.”

Titania scrambled to recover, plastering on what she hoped was a convincing smile. “I’m good. Just didn’t sleep well, I guess. The storm, you know?”

Jey studied her for a moment, then nodded, his brow relaxing. “Yeah, it was rough. I kept thinking the power was gonna go out again. Glad it didn’t, though—I’d have missed my pancakes.”

She let out a nervous laugh, fiddling with her fork. He went back to eating, chatting casually about his plans for the week, but Titania barely heard a word. All she could think about was the typewriter upstairs, and the impossible reality sitting across from her at the table.

----

Titania perched on the edge of the couch, watching Jey as he scrolled through his phone at the other end. He was sprawled out comfortably, his arm draped across the backrest like he’d claimed the space long ago. His phone pinged, and he laughed softly at whatever popped up on his screen.

“You’re still in that group chat with Jimmy and Solo?” Titania asked, trying to sound casual.

Jey looked up and grinned. “Of course. That chat’s always poppin’. Jimmy’s been spamming us all morning with videos of his kids singing karaoke. Solo’s mad ‘cause he says they’re off-key, and Jimmy keeps telling him he’s just jealous.”

Titania forced a smile, her heart thudding in her chest. The level of detail in his answer made her head spin. She’d seen clips of Jimmy’s kids on Instagram before, but she hadn’t written anything like that into her story. Yet here was Jey, acting like it was second nature to talk about his brothers, just like any other morning.

“I thought Solo would be busy training for his next match,” she said carefully, testing him.

“Nah, he’s got a light day,” Jey replied, setting his phone down and leaning forward. “He said something about watching film later, though. He’s taking this stuff real serious—trying to hold it down for the new Bloodline, you know?”

Her hands tightened into fists on her lap. Everything he was saying lined up perfectly with what she knew about Jey’s real life—his brothers, his cousins, the way they worked together as a family in WWE. It wasn’t just the facts; it was how effortlessly he remembered them, as if his world had been perfectly stitched into hers.

“You sure you straight, Tee?” Jey asked, his brow creasing with concern. “You’re awful quiet today.”

“Yea, I’m straight,” she said quickly, waving him off. “Just thinking about... stuff.”

“Stuff?” he echoed, chuckling. “Alright, you don’t wanna tell me—it’s cool. But you know I can see right through you, right?”

She swallowed hard, forcing another weak smile. “It’s nothing, really.”

Jey leaned back, watching her for a moment before letting it drop. He picked up his phone again, scrolling aimlessly, and the silence that followed was deafening.

Titania’s gaze flickered toward the stairs, where the typewriter waited in her room like a dormant storm. Her stomach churned. She needed to know more. She needed to test it.

An hour later, Jey wandered into the kitchen, whistling softly as he rummaged through the fridge. Titania seized the opportunity to slip upstairs, closing the door to her bedroom behind her.

The typewriter sat on her desk, gleaming in the afternoon light. Its keys seemed to taunt her, daring her to push her luck. Her hands trembled as she rolled a blank sheet of paper into the machine and rested her fingers on the keys.

She hesitated, her mind racing. What if this made things worse? What if she couldn’t stop whatever she set in motion? But the curiosity—the need to understand—was too strong to ignore.

Her fingers began to move, clumsily typing:

Jey gets a phone call from his bosses asking him to fly to Tampa for a last-minute meeting.

She stared at the words, her pulse pounding in her ears. For a moment, nothing happened. The room remained still, the air heavy with anticipation.

Then, downstairs, she heard Jey’s phone ring.

----

Titania froze at the sound of Jey’s phone ringing, the unmistakable buzz cutting through the quiet house. Her breath hitched as she strained to listen, every nerve in her body on edge.

“Yo, what’s up?” Jey’s voice called from downstairs. She heard him answer the call, his tone casual, like nothing was out of the ordinary.

Her heart raced as she edged toward the door, pressing her ear against it. She could hear Jey’s muffled voice, the cadence of his words matching the exact scenario she had typed moments ago.

“Yeah, no problem,” Jey said, his voice growing clearer as he walked toward the living room. “I’ll head to the airport now. Should be able to catch the next flight out.”

Titania’s fingers curled around the doorknob, her grip tightening. This isn’t possible, she thought. She’d written that line. She’d made it happen.

A minute later, she heard the faint sound of Jey ending the call. “Babe?” he called, his voice drifting up the stairs. “Can you come down here for a sec?”

Her stomach dropped. Taking a deep breath, she stepped out of her room and made her way downstairs, each step feeling heavier than the last.

Jey was standing by the couch, his phone still in his hand and an apologetic look on his face. “I gotta head to Tampa,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Last-minute meeting. They need me there ASAP.”

Titania stared at him, struggling to keep her expression neutral. “Oh,” she said weakly, her voice barely above a whisper.

He sighed, walking toward her with his usual easy confidence. “I hate to leave so soon. I was looking forward to hanging out for a few days, but you know how it is.”

She nodded numbly, her mind racing. “Yeah, I get it. Work comes first, right?”

Jey smiled, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I’ll make it up to you when I get back, I promise. Maybe we can do something special next weekend?”

Before she could respond, he leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. The warmth of his lips sent a shiver through her, grounding her in a reality that felt too solid to deny.

“Thanks for understanding,” he murmured, pulling back and giving her a soft grin.

Titania managed a small nod, her voice caught in her throat. She watched as he grabbed his luggage from the corner of the living room, moving with the easy familiarity of someone who belonged there.

“You’re the best,” Jey said, flashing her one last smile as he opened the front door. The rain had stopped, and the afternoon sunlight streamed through, painting the doorway in warm gold.

And then he was gone.

Titania stood frozen in the living room, her hands trembling at her sides. The house felt impossibly quiet without him, the weight of the silence pressing down on her.

She sank onto the couch, burying her face in her hands. The call had been too perfect, too precise—every word, every detail unfolding exactly as she’d written. The typewriter wasn’t just powerful; it was terrifying.

She looked toward the stairs, where the machine sat waiting, gleaming like a predator in the shadows.

“What the fuck have I done?” she whispered.

----

The house was too still. The hum of the fridge in the kitchen and the occasional creak of the floorboards under the settling house only seemed to amplify the quiet. Titania sat on the couch, knees pulled to her chest, staring blankly at her phone.

The text Jey had sent stared back at her:

Made it to the airport. Thanks for being so cool about this. Miss you already. ❤️

Her chest tightened. It was such a simple message, something any partner might send—but the weight of it crushed her. She’d written him into existence, conjured him with a few keystrokes. He wasn’t supposed to be here, let alone texting her like they had years of history.

She dropped the phone onto the cushion beside her and buried her face in her hands. No matter how many times she replayed it in her mind, it didn’t make sense. Jey’s presence was seamless, flawless. He remembered his family, his career, even their supposed relationship, with a level of detail that terrified her.

It wasn’t just what she’d written; it was everything the typewriter had filled in on its own.

She stood abruptly, unable to sit still any longer. Her thoughts swirled in an endless loop, and she felt like she might suffocate if she didn’t move. Titania paced the room, her bare feet soundless on the worn carpet.

Her gaze flickered toward the stairs, where the typewriter sat in her bedroom. A sharp pang of fear hit her stomach, but it wasn’t enough to drown out the curiosity gnawing at her.

I have to understand it, she thought. I need to know how far this thing goes.

Before she could stop herself, she was halfway up the stairs, her breath shallow as she approached the door to her room. She paused, her hand on the doorknob, her heart thundering in her chest. For a fleeting moment, she considered turning back.

But the pull was too strong.

Titania pushed the door open and stepped inside, her eyes immediately locking onto the typewriter. It sat on her desk, gleaming innocently in the soft afternoon light, as if it hadn’t just turned her life upside down.

She walked toward it slowly, her pulse quickening with each step. Her hands hovered over the keys, trembling. The temptation was overwhelming.

“What else can you do?” she whispered, her voice barely audible.

She glanced at the notebook sitting next to the typewriter, filled with half-baked story ideas and fanfiction concepts she’d never gotten around to finishing. The pages were a chaotic mess of scratched-out notes, doodles, and snippets of dialogue.

Titania flipped through the notebook absently, her thoughts swirling. She could write something harmless—something small, just to see what happened. No big risks.

But her fingers froze, hovering over the notebook. She remembered Jey’s phone call. The typewriter didn’t just execute her words; it brought them to life in a way that felt real, almost too real.

Her stomach churned. What if she wrote something that couldn’t be undone?

Titania backed away from the desk, shaking her head. “No,” she muttered to herself. “Not again. Not tonight.”

She left the room quickly, closing the door behind her as if that might contain the typewriter’s power. The moment she was back in the hallway, a wave of relief washed over her—but it was short-lived.

The pull was still there, lingering in the back of her mind, whispering promises of possibility.

That night, Titania lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. The house felt empty without Jey, and the silence seemed to stretch endlessly around her. She couldn’t stop replaying the events of the day, every detail solidifying the terrifying reality of what she’d done.

The typewriter wasn’t just a tool; it was something far more dangerous.

And despite everything, she knew it was only a matter of time before she sat down at that desk again.

----

Morning sunlight filtered through the curtains, soft and golden, but it did little to ease the tension knotting Titania’s shoulders. She sat at the edge of her bed, her phone in hand, staring at Jey’s most recent text:

Landed in Tampa. Meeting starts in an hour. Call you later, babe. Love you.

“Love you,” she whispered to herself, the words foreign and heavy on her tongue. She hadn’t written that, either.

Her thumb hovered over the keyboard, debating whether to respond. What would she even say? Every time she thought about it, her chest tightened. She finally set the phone down, her hands trembling.

The sound of rain from the night before had been replaced by the hum of birds outside, their songs drifting through the window. But Titania’s world didn’t feel brighter. If anything, it felt more fragile—like reality itself was teetering on the edge of something she couldn’t control.

She pushed herself up and wandered downstairs, the ache in her chest deepening as she moved through the house. Every room still carried faint traces of Jey. The faint smell of his cologne lingered in the air. His towel was still draped over the armrest of the couch. A mug sat on the counter, forgotten in the rush to leave.

It all felt so ordinary, like he’d always been here.

But he hadn’t.

Titania’s knees nearly buckled as the weight of it all came crashing down on her. She braced herself against the counter, gripping the edge with white-knuckled hands.

“I did this,” she muttered, her voice cracking. “This is all my fault.”

She forced herself to move, tidying up the small traces of him that had been left behind. It felt mechanical, like going through the motions might somehow erase the impossible reality she’d created. But when she finally sat down on the couch, the emptiness was suffocating.

Her phone buzzed beside her, startling her out of her thoughts. She grabbed it quickly, her stomach knotting as she saw another message from Jey:

Meeting just started. Hope your morning’s going good, Tee. Don’t forget to eat!

Titania stared at the screen, her heart pounding. He cared—he genuinely cared. And that made everything so much worse.

Her gaze drifted to the stairs, where the typewriter waited in her bedroom. She could almost feel its pull, a quiet hum in the back of her mind, promising her control over a world that had already spiraled out of her grasp.

She knew she shouldn’t use it again. She knew it was dangerous. But a small, treacherous thought lingered, no matter how much she tried to push it away.

What if I could make it right?

----

Read Chapter 3... click here

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[thebardbullseye]

I can't recall a one-shot of an actual play that felt like a short story ("The Most Dangerous Game" springs to mind) or as an episode of The Twilight Zone.

"The Clearing" is so evocative of place and character in its short run time while being ripe for analysis.

Goddamn y'all. Best $5/month in my budget.

[mylordshesacactus]

SAME. The first time I heard the "only five episodes" statistic I was like well that can't possibly be right and Time Enough At Last was literally my first thought.

After some thought though I do agree with the general consensus on Time Enough, in that anything that involves an ACTUAL nuclear apocalypse--as opposed to a false alarm--pushes it into the alternate-reality realm of sci-fi.

...I STILL think I Shot An Arrow fits the theme better than One More Pallbearer, despite being just barely on the wrong side of "the only possible way for this plot to occur would be if we had space travel advanced enough to get lost between solar systems". I just still think Pallbearer has trappings of supernatural or divine retribution in making his cruel manipulative lie a reality. However, I do admit defeat in that TTZ is not exactly SUBTLE when its laser-guided karma is intended to be read as divine.

Sorry, I wasn't trying to be vague in those tags! this is just a generally-recognized category when talking about TZ--that there are only five episodes that contain no supernatural elements, WITH SCIENCE FICTION (any technology wildly outside our abilities, such as interstellar travel, alternate timelines that didn't happen in real life, etc) COUNTING AS SUPERNATURAL. The tags were off the cuff so I didn't clarify, but the five generally acknowledged as fitting that category are Where Is Everybody?, The Shelter, The Silence, One More Pallbearer, and The Jeopardy Room. (Personally, I think One More Pallbearer is pushing the definition because that level of hallucination seems pretty supernatural to me, but it TECHNICALLY qualifies. I also think you're right to include I Shot An Arrow instead; the reason it's not generally included is that the level of space travel necessary to crash-land on Earth AND NOT REALIZE IT is definitely outside of our abilities--at our current technology level, we can't get far enough away to get lost in the first place. I still think it fits the spirit of the list better than Pallbearer but I was not consulted.)

genuinely love this. The first episode that came to mind when contemplating what could fit was "time enough at last" so I while I am still confused by the count, I am now keen to re-watch all of these to see how they fit. I spent quite a bit of time contemplating "sing the body electric" as well, which was solidly in the "any advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic" when it first aired, but is now solidly in the realm of reality.

[thegayhimbo]

Stranger Things (1x02): “The Weirdo on Maple Street” Review

Just like the previous episode, this one contains neat homages and references to different 80s movies that help lay out the structure of the show and its story without overshadowing it. It also incorporates unique call-forwards to future episodes (specifically in season 4) that, when viewed again on rewatch (especially having seen the play The First Shadow), recontextualizes the entire mytharc.

Ironically, despite the name of this episode deriving from a famous Twilight Zone episode, “The Monsters are Due on Maple Street,” they have very little in common plot-wise with each other, and the themes present in that particular episode will come into play later in season 4, specifically with Jason’s witch hunt against the Hellfire Club.

Part 1: Mike, Dustin, and Lucas meet El

The interactions at the beginning between El, Mike, Dustin, and Lucas is a combination of both amusing (since they’re 12 year old boys who are implied to have never really talked to girls their age) and gives some initial insight into each character.

Mike is the one who comes off the most empathetic to El’s plight in this situation (note that he took off his coat earlier and wrapped it around El to keep her warm). He’s genuinely concerned over why she’s out in the rain looking scared with barely any clothes on (save Benny’s T-shirt), and he’s the the one who gives her clothes to wear. I also think it’s interesting that, when El refuses to have the door to the bathroom closed for privacy, Mike agrees to keep the door open slightly.

I know this is often attributed by most of the fandom to Hopper since he’s the one who makes a big stink in season 3 about El having her door open three inches (something that’s played as a recurring joke), but this episode introduces it first with Mike’s arrangement with El, as well as El’s desire for a semi-open door due to the trauma of being locked in solitary confinement at the Lab (as we’ll see later on).

By contrast, Lucas and Dustin come off as insensitive, even though that likely wasn’t their intention. Dustin’s dialogue about El, from asking out-loud whether she has cancer due to short hair, or if she’s deaf, or even if she slept naked, indicates he views her in the moment as a curiosity. That curiosity certainly peaks when he later finds out she has powers, and he will eventually move past this initial perception of her. Lucas is a lot blunter in openly noting that El doesn’t act like a normal girl, speculates that she came from Pennhurst (the asylum which would later make an appearance in the season 4 episode “Dear Billy”), and uses phrases like “psycho” “freak” “weirdo” and “something wrong in the head with her” (The latter phrase would later be used by the Duffer Brothers to describe Angela in S4, although that had less to do with mental illness in Angela’s case and more to do with her being a genuinely vile human being).

While we're on this topic………let’s discuss Lucas’s initial attitude towards El, and how the fandom reacted towards it.

I am aware of the negativity that got directed at Lucas in the first season because of this, to the point that even Caleb McLaughlin was not only painfully aware of it, but was even on the receiving end of fandom racism because of it. It doesn’t help that some of these fans who trashed Lucas in this season would later go on to defend Billy in season 2, and either pretend that his racism towards Lucas wasn’t a thing, or use Lucas’s initial behavior towards El as a justification for why it was okay for Billy to treat Lucas like shit. I am deeply sorry Caleb was on the receiving end of that at a young age, and he deserved a helluva lot better than having to put up with that kind of racist bullshit.

While I wasn’t happy about the terminology Lucas used to describe El, it’s important to note he is 12 at this point. Like any kid his age, he is going to say stuff that, in hindsight, comes off as insensitive at best, and hurtful at worst. A lot of this can be chalked up to ignorance surrounding mental health issues and abuse, as well as the fact he’s facing a freaky situation with someone who isn’t acting in a way considered ‘normal.’ The result is falling back on stereotypes and cliches about abnormal people that he likely picked up from movies like John Carpenter’s Halloween (which is referenced in the comparison Lucas and Dustin make between El and Michael Myers) and other kids his age who discussed that stuff with the same levels of ignorance.

Third, just like with Steve (who acts callously insensitive at different points in this episode), Lucas is being presented with flaws and biases that he must overcome. This is how a character arc is supposed to work. They start out one way, undergo a journey, are forced to confront their flaws, realize they need to make a change, and apply those lessons to become better people than they were before. It's why I find it eye-roll inducing how many idiots in this fandom fall into this Puritain-esque way of thinking where, if a character has ever said or done anything remotely uncaring in the past, the idea is they should never live it down, EVEN IF they have long since apologized and put in the work to be better.

I want to be careful not to infantilize Lucas the same way fans have done with Billy or Angela to try and absolve them for their disgusting behavior. Unlike those two, whose intentions were based on getting a kick out of sadistically hurting others to make themselves feel superior, all the while never apologizing and doubling down, Lucas’s initial attitude was more rooted in seeing El as an inconvenience to their goal of finding Will as opposed to just wanting to make El’s life a living hell (like Angela) or taking his anger out on others (like Billy).

Again, I’m not saying this attitude was okay. It was immature in the same way Steve’s initial reaction towards Jonathan putting up Missing Posters for Will was callow. However, it’s not rooted in the mean-spirited cruelty some fans have accused it of being, and it’s supposed to be a point for both Lucas (and Steve) to grow from.

Speaking of El, just like there was the implication El was intentionally starved at the Lab, we get more subtle signs of how she was abused: Her reaction to putting the fresh pair of clothes Mike gives her on her cheek (indicating she’d been in that hospital gown for quite a while). Her panicked reaction later in the episode when she’s forced to hide in Mike’s closet, triggering a PTSD flashback to when Brenner forced the orderlies to lock her up in solitary confinement. Her flinching at little things, like when Dustin claps in her face, or the lightning outside (though that is likely due to never having been outside the Lab before now and being unfamiliar with lightning), or when Lucas points to the blood on her, or when he later angrily demands from El to know where Will is. Even the scene of her almost stripping in front of the guys, while played for laughs, all but spells out how she never had access to privacy and was under constant watch.

El’s situation and reactions remind me of Genie, a real life case we studied in my psychology class in school involving a feral girl from Los Angeles who'd spent 13 years of her life locked in a room and chained to a toilet by her parents (specifically her father, though her mother and brother also enabled this due to being at the receiving end of his abuse as well). She was constantly subjected to the rage and neglect of her father, including beatings, malnourishment, isolation from the outside world, and constantly being kept in the dark. It’s even been speculated he may have sexually abused her at various points as well. The dude was a real piece of work, and the damage he did to her severely affected Genie's physical, mental, and emotional development, to the point she learned not to make any noises (lest her father beat her with a wooden plank) and didn’t develop the language and communication skills kids her age would have picked up by that point. She was eventually discovered in 1970 by a social worker, who alerted authorities and had her taken to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. The case got public attention and the father, who was unable to handle the media scrutiny, committed suicide, all while leaving behind a note where he refused to take responsibility for what he did to his daughter.

It's unclear whether the Duffer Brothers based aspects of El’s character on Genie, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they did (If this is true, and there was an interview I missed talking about this subject, feel free to link to it in the reblogs). Both girls are abuse survivors who were stunted in their growth and development because of what they were put through. In the case of Genie, her father’s abuse of her caused lasting physical damage, including having limited gross motor skills (i.e. basic functions kids learn during development like standing, sitting, walking, etc) and impairing her ability to communicate and learn new words and vocabulary.

In El’s case, she also has limited vocabulary and is unfamiliar with certain words (like “friend”) but she’s shown to understand concepts even if she doesn’t have the words to name them. The abuse Brenner subjected El to was along the lines of Operant Conditioning (i.e. rewarding and punishing behavior, and behavior based on the removal or addition of stimuli), and was done as a way of molding her into the weapon he wanted (in stark contrast to Genie’s father, whose abuse stemmed from wanting nothing to do with his daughter and resenting her existence). Unlike with Genie, we see that El did develop gross motor skills (i.e. the flashback Terry has where she sees a three year old El playing with Kali/Eight, and the rainbow room in season 4 with the special kids playing with toys), and there clearly was some attempt at raising El to make sure El could understand and communicate with Brenner and the orderlies in order to spy on the Russians. The abuse in question was specifically tailored by Brenner: Keeping El isolated from the outside world, and limiting her knowledge to only what Brenner wanted her to know. Drilling into El that she was expected to perform certain tasks on his command, and punishing her with solitary confinement if she disobeyed or refused. Allowing the other kids at the lab to bully El because she was slow in the development of her powers and hoping that the ostracization would produce the results he wanted.

There’s also the trauma associated with memories El has repressed, but have slowly started to seep through. For story related purposes, we don’t yet see the flashbacks to the Massacre at Hawkins Lab and the events leading up to that (at least not until season 4), but it is subtly alluded to in the scene where Mr. Clarke finds a piece of El’s hospital gown in the tunnel she used to escape. AKA the same tunnel Henry/One/Vecna led her to in 1979:

Like I said, this episode contains several call-forwards, and this is one of them. It explains how El knew where to go to escape the Lab once the gate opened, and “The Monster” elaborates on WHY she finally did.

It’s pretty clear Mike and El’s interactions at the house during the day are meant to invoke Steven Spielberg’s E.T. The Extra Terrestrial, with Mike faking sick to stay home (the difference being Karen sees through it, but allows Mike the day off because of what happened to Will, while also telling him he can always talk to her if he needs to), showing El around his house, introducing her to Star War toys the same way Elliot did with E.T., and even making food for her. There’s even the later scene of El wandering the house during dinner and Karen nearly missing her, similar to Elliot’s mom having near misses with E.T. when Gertie brought him downstairs. These scenes have a nice charm to them, and have always been fun to watch.

Another movie this episode pays homage to in one particular scene is a 1985 Harrison Ford film called Witness:

Witness centers around a German Amish boy named Samuel Lapp who, after the death of his father, travels to Baltimore with his mother Rachel to visit her sister. Like El, this is Samuel’s first time in a new environment other than his Amish community, and his initial reaction is one of quiet curiosity. While at 30th Street Station in Philadelphia, waiting for a late train, he ends up using the restroom and becomes an eyewitness to the murder of a detective that takes place there. Because Samuel saw the culprit of the crime while hiding in one of the stalls, Samuel and his mother are forced to cooperate with a police detective named John Book (played by Harrison Ford) in helping to track down the killer. When El points to Will in the science photograph next to Mike’s trophies, this is a direct homage to the scene when Samuel points to a photograph of Lieutenant James McFee, indicating to Book that McFee is the murderer.

In both scenarios, what follows is the untangling of a massive conspiracy: In Witness, it centers around police corruption and illegal drug dealings. In Stranger Things, it’s centered around government corruption and the Upside Down. The big difference is that while Samuel is still present in Witness, the movie shifts focus to John Book as the main character, especially when he’s targeted by corrupt cops and forced to go on the run and hide within the Amish community to protect himself, Rachel, and Samuel. Meanwhile, El remains central as a character, and ironically enough is the one working to protect Mike, Dustin, and Lucas from Brenner and the Demogorgon while hiding among them.

Speaking of Brenner (who has physical similarities to Chief Paul Schaeffer, the main antagonist of Witness, as well similar personality traits of demanding loyalty from his men without feeling obligated to return it), his reaction towards Will’s disappearance and finding the ooze in the shed at the Byers house takes on a whole different context after having seen The First Shadow (or Season 4 for that matter). The play reveals that, as far back as the 1940s, Brenner was aware of the Upside Down. Granted, he hadn’t actually seen the dimension with his own eyes. The most information he got was from his own dying father (who was a part of the fateful Philadelphia Experiment in 1943) and maybe even Henry/One/Vecna (depending on what kind of information Henry willingly or unwillingly provided to Brenner). In any case, his lack of surprise over Joyce’s phone call to Flo about Will and some kind of animal on the other end indicates he knew Will was in the Upside Down and was being hunted. Not that Brenner truly cared about Will in the grand scheme of things.

In regards to Will, for those who are interested in what was implied to be going on with him in the end scene with Joyce and the lights flickering and the recorder playing “Should I Stay Or Should I Go,” this is how things looked like from his perspective in the comic The Other Side:

The show already hinted at this, with Will hiding and the Demogorgon chasing him, but it helps give more context to why the Demogorgon temporarily turned its attention to Joyce and stopped pursuing Will.

I am curious about the Demogorgon’s decision not to go after Joyce despite trying to tear through the wall: Was it just trying to scare her away in the moment, or did Joyce manage to outrun it quick enough that it went back into the Upside Down because it decided she wasn’t worth it?

Speaking of which, let’s talk more about the Byers family, including Lonnie and Hopper:

Part 2: The Byers, Lonnie, and Hopper

I forgot about the tense exchange between Joyce and Hopper in this episode. Her insisting that it was Will’s voice on the other end of the phone and, when Hopper remains skeptical, bringing up how she’d recognize Will's breathing the same way Hopper would recognize his daughter’s breathing. To her credit, she does regret that and realizes how low of a blow that is, and Hopper, despite being hurt, doesn’t take his anger out on her, and recognizes her outburst as coming from stress and frustration over her son’s disappearance rather than vindictiveness. Add in how these two have history with one another (especially from their interactions in The First Shadow when they were attending high school and were already starting to realize they were attracted to one another) and there’s a lot both Joyce and Hopper are willing to overlook when it comes to each other’s flaws.

Hopper’s depression is hard to watch. I’ve never had a kid, and I have no intention of having one either (especially with the way our world has gone), but I understand what it’s like to be in that kind of mental state between wanting to care and yet being so beaten down by life and what it has taken from you that it’s hard not to slip into apathy.  Compared to his time in New York City, where Sara was still alive, his wife was married to him, and he felt rejuvenated with a purpose, Hopper in the beginning of this show is directionless, burying himself in booze, drugs, and women, all while putting in the bare minimum into his 4 years as chief of police. Then, after Joyce's son disappears, and his best friend Benny is murdered while it's staged to look like a suicide, Hopper is forced to realize he still cares, and no amount of drowning himself is going to change that. As he bitterly notes to the woman he’s sleeping with:

BTW, note how he never references the last time a person got murdered in Hawkins. That was a clever way for the Duffer Brothers to later lay the groundwork for the Creel murders in 1959. As depicted in The First Shadow, Hopper saw the bodies of Virginia and Alice Creel around the time the police arrested Victor for their deaths.

I will go more in detail about Joyce’s arc as it develops this season, but there is one comparison that is relevant to this episode: Her similarities to Florence “Rusty” Tullis from the 1985 film Mask, which is based on the real-life story of Rocky Dennis. The Duffer Brothers have cited the movie as an inspiration for how they wrote Joyce’s character, as well as how Joyce’s costumes were designed. Both women are single mothers working to provide for their sons, both of them have sons who deal with mistreatment because of their physical appearance (Will because of his clothes and Rocky because of his Craniodiaphyseal dysplasia (CDD)), both of them are overworked and stressed and turn to drugs (Joyce’s chainsmoking in this episode and Rusty’s addictions, which becomes a source of conflict between her and Rocky), both of them worry constantly about the well-being of their sons, and both of them are perceived as being “unstable” when in fact they are fiercely determined and would go through hell to keep their sons alive and safe. In Joyce’s case, that involves going back inside her house at the end of this episode to keep in contact with Will despite a monster lurking within her walls.

On the other side of the parenting spectrum is Lonnie Byers, and his establishing character moment tells us everything: He’s dating a woman half his age (though Cynthia doesn’t appear to be a teenager as Joyce implied in the previous episode), his first appearance is shoving Jonathan into a wall before making a half-assed introduction between Jonathan and Cynthia and makes a pretense of trying to hug Jonathan despite Jonathan not wanting him to.

Then there’s Jonathan looking for Will throughout Lonnie’s house, including in the trunk of Lonnie's car:

Just this scene alone makes me question what kind of child custody dispute went on between Joyce and Lonnie during their divorce, and if Lonnie at one point took Will without Joyce’s permission. I can buy he’d do it for financial reasons (and we’ll see that aspect rear its ugly head when he later comes to exploit Will’s funeral and file a lawsuit to get money to cover his debts) but other than that, he just comes off as a lazy bum who wants nothing to do with his sons. Makes me question why on earth he even wanted kids with Joyce in the first place.

I talked about this in my review of The First Shadow, but Lonnie in this episode pretty much is the same as he was in the play: He’s lazy, he has no desire to make anything of his life, he’s costing off other people, and he’s a douchebag. The only difference is instead of being in his 20s, he’s a grown-ass adult well into his late 40s, and a deadbeat father on top of that. I know a lot of people hate Lonnie (and rightfully so), but the most I can muster for him is contempt as opposed to the burning hatred I have for characters like Angela.

Jonathan is a mixed bag in this episode. On the one hand, his love and devotion to his brother is on full display, and it’s a combination of sweet and sad given the circumstances. His interaction with Nancy at the school and her giving genuine condolences to him over Will’s disappearance was a highlight (and was when I started to care about Nancy the first time I watched the show), as well as the flashback to his conversation with Will and the playlist he introduces to him.

One of those bands he recommends btw is The Smiths, and one of their songs, “Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now,” has been used in the marketing for season 5, specifically in reference to Jonathan:

I’m sure plenty of fans have already made speculations, but all I can say is I hope this doesn’t foreshadow something bad happening to Jonathan because…………YIKES!! “Why do I give valuable time to people who don’t care if I live or die?” I’m not really surprised that Jonathan has depression and self-confidence issues, partly because of his parents’ failed marriage, his worries about becoming like his father, and being an outcast, but if his perception is that people don’t care, he is DEAD WRONG. And I’m not just talking about his family when I say this.

In any case, his attempts to boost Will’s self-confidence despite struggles with his own, and to encourage Will to chart his own course regarding things Will likes vs what other people tell him he should like, is one of the best moments in the show, and a life lesson that needs more applicability (especially when it comes to fandom culture).

The part where Jonathan loses me is towards the end of the episode. You all know what I’m talking about: The photographs he takes of Steve’s pool party.

First off, I want to make clear that, in spite of what he did, this wasn’t a deal-breaker for me in terms of liking his character. Yes, I agree it was creepy and wrong to take the pictures without the others knowledge or consent, and to his credit, he does acknowledge later that he shouldn’t have done it. The only good thing that came out of that was inadvertently capturing the Demogorgon on the picture he took of Barbara at the pool, but that in no way excuses the other photos he took. Contrary to what my time on Tumblr may suggest, I’m a private person, and I’m someone who does NOT like having pictures taken of me without my permission. I also imagine plenty of other people feel the same way, and I get why some fans were upset by this scene. It doesn’t help that the screenplay contains this tidbit regarding Jonathan’s motivations:

This does hearken forward to what Robin later tells Steve in season 3 about how outcasts like herself still desire to be popular and normal (which is specifically associated thematically in the show with being accepted). As much as Jonathan has embraced the identity of outcast, I don’t think it’s completely out-of-character for him to want that as well, especially if it’s tied to being accepted for who he is. At the same time though, out of all the ways he could have expressed that, this was the worst way to go about it. Again, the reason I don’t hold it against him is because of his apology to Nancy, similar to how Steve would later apologize to Nancy and Jonathan for his behavior, and Lucas would apologize to El for his. Characters start out in a flawed way and go through an evolution. That’s how it works.

Speaking of Steve and Nancy………..

Part 3: The Pool Party

We get our introduction of Tommy and Carol in this episode, and I completely forgot that the first thing Tommy does is stick his finger in Barbara’s ear to be a dick. Charming. 😒 And you have Carol being snide to both Nancy and Jonathan. Lovely. 🙄

They say you are judged by the company you keep, and they take that principle and run with it here with Steve. Whenever Tommy and Carol are around, we see a callous side to Steve fueled by those two’s toxicity, and it’s not pleasant. I even question how much of the Pool Party was his idea vs Tommy and Carol’s who wanted the excuse to party hard and shack up in Steve’s huge house. It reminds me of Risky Business when the Tom Cruise character, Joel Goodsen (whom Steve shares parallels with) has his parents leave for a trip, and he's put in charge of watching over the house, all while his friends pressure him to exploit the opportunity to party and have sex. The big difference is while Joel’s friends try to help him once the shenanigans go over the top, Tommy and Carol would have left Steve out to dry. The pool party was for their benefit as opposed to Steve’s.

Steve’s line about how his mom is traveling with his dad because she doesn’t trust him makes me question what goes on in Steve’s family. We’ve never seen Steve’s parents (they don’t appear in The First Shadow either), so we have very little information to go on, but that line alone makes me wonder how much his dad’s cheating has impacted Steve. It reminds me of the fractured relationship between Ted and Karen, where emotions get suppressed and it’s hard for anyone to say they “love" someone because that entire marriage is NOT running on love. In Nancy and Mike’s case, they act like this is the norm, and we will see how it impacts their relationships with Steve and El in the future. In Steve’s case, I wouldn’t be shocked if he picked up the womanizing aspect from his dad. As for why his mom would stay with his dad if he was cheating on him………..there’s an episode of Freaks and Geeks (a show that was a big inspiration for Stranger Things) where one of the main characters, Neal, finds out his dad (whom he’s looked up to in the past) has been cheating on his mom. Angry and betrayed, he publicly lashes out at his dad through mean-spirited jokes at his expense during a party, and later flees to his room in tears. When his mom later goes to visit Neal to comfort him, it’s revealed she is aware of her husband’s infidelity, but is working to keep the peace, noting that it’s a complicated situation for the both of them. Given that Steve's mom hasn't divorced his dad yet, it's possible their situation and how they're handling it could be similar to Neal's parents.

I remember there was a period prior to season 4 where there was this idea in the fandom that Steve had actively gone out of his way to bully others, including Jonathan. I agree that there were instances of him being self-absorbed and dickishly insensitive, but I never got the impression from watching the show or reading the supplementary materials that he actively went out of his way to make others lives a living hell the way Billy and Angela did. Tommy was certainly guilty of that on a constant basis (something the Eddie Munson prequel Flight of Icarus explores), but the two instances Steve was antagonistic towards Jonathan (i.e. the camera incident and when he thought Nancy had cheated on him with Jonathan) had more to do with specific circumstnaces rather than getting his kicks making other people miserable like Angela did with El. Otherwise, his entire attitude towards Jonathan seemed rooted in indifference.

Like I’ve said, it’s not great, and I’m not surprised there were multiple characters like Robin, Keith, and Eddie who referred to Steve as an asshole and a douchebag (because that's the image he projected), but this isn’t the same thing as active maliciousness. We even see Steve get uncomfortable with Tommy when he makes a nasty joke about Jonathan killing Will, and Steve tells him to shut up, indicating he finds that inappropriate and crossing a line.

Speaking of projecting an image…..we see plenty of that at the pool party, with Steve smoking (which I don’t think he does again at any other point in the show) and shotgunning beer cans to impress Nancy and the other partygoers (with the exception of Barbara). Even his answering the door for Nancy and Barbara in dramatic fashion while “Raise a Little Hell” by Trooper plays in the background is a cliché unto itself. However, it’s noteworthy Nancy doesn’t seem bothered by this, and the exchange between her and Steve in that moment makes it clear she knows he’s purposefully being a cliché, but finds it amusing, which is why Steve continues with it.

In fact, if we look at Nancy’s behavior in this episode, it comes off less like she’s throwing herself at Steve (as the Montauk script depicts) and more like she’s thought this through and decided this is what she wants. Apart for Barbara, Nancy doesn’t particularly care for what Tommy and Carol think of her. We got hints of that in her discussion with Barbara in the previous episode, and we see it in the scene where she talks with Jonathan in front of them despite their snide comments about him.

This is a big reason I strongly disagree with the idea Nancy’s interest in Steve has anything to do with wanting his approval (or Tommy and Carol’s approval for that matter) or even elevating her social status in high school. She certainly didn’t give a damn about what they were thinking of her in this moment with Jonathan, or how it would look to others to be interacting with the local outcast. She genuinely felt bad for what Jonathan was going through and wanted to offer some words of comfort.

On top of that, she’s seen Steve without Tommy and Carol by his side enough times to recognize he is a different person without them around. She has enough intuition to trust that, even if she’s still navigating the way this relationship is going, there are desirable qualities in Steve beyond his good looks (in contrast to the Montauk script where she barely knew him and was only going by his good looks and charm). So her making the decision to have sex with Steve comes off less like she’s operating under pressure and more like she’s made the decision that this is what she wants, even against Barbara’s protests.

Speaking of Barbara, I’ve never understood this idea the fandom has perpetrated about how Barbara was worried over being left behind by Nancy to join the popular crowd.

First of all, if Barbara really pegged Nancy as that superficial, there is no way she would have remained friends with Nancy for so long.

Second, the idea of Barbara being jealous of Nancy climbing the social ladder comes in direct contrast with how she acts at the pool party. Barbara makes it clear at the beginning that she’s only there for Nancy because Nancy asked her to be, and doesn’t make the effort to socialize with anyone else there, all the while looking disgusted with Tommy and Carol and unamused at Steve showing off. That does NOT translate to jealousy. That sounds like someone who doesn’t want to be in the same room with these people. The only reason she even makes an effort at shotgunning a beer can (and getting a deep cut on her thumb that attracts the Demogorgon's attention) is because Nancy pressured her into doing so. This was not done because she gave a damn about impressing Steve or Tommy or Carol.

Third, Barbara’s concern for Nancy wanting to have sex with Steve isn’t entirely invalid, and it sure as hell does NOT constitute slut-shaming like some fans have framed it as. Barbara knows that Tommy and Carol are toxic people, and the fact that they’re hanging around Steve doesn’t make Steve look good. While she is interested in Nancy’s relationship with Steve (as we saw in the previous episode) it’s natural for her as a friend to be worried about whether Nancy is rushing into this too quickly, especially because Barbara doesn’t know Steve very well and has no clue how Steve is going to treat her. As we see in later episodes, some of her concerns were valid and others were not.

I get everyone is entitled to their opinions, but sometimes I wonder how much of these takes from fans are rooted in projection and bad-faith interpretations. 😒

I should quickly talk about the sex scene between Steve and Nancy, and how it was changed from the Montauk script from being a rape scene to consenual. I am fine with this change for several reasons:

I have never been a fan of shows that use rape as a plot device to drive another character’s arc (especially a female character). I have seen plenty of shows that have done this where it ends up going horribly wrong in the writing process and comes off as gratuitous, as well as enforcing the idea that this kind of trauma is necessary for a person to stop being naïve and grow up. Just…………YUCK! 🤮

 When it comes to the subject of rape, there are plenty of shows out there that try to tackle this subject and either end up being extremely tone-deaf, or perpetrate the rape culture aspects they were trying to avoid. True Blood. Game of Thrones. 13 Reasons Why. General Hospital. The Umbrella Academy. Even The Boys wasn’t immune from this: Contrast the somber way Starlight’s assault from The Deep is depicted on that show to how Hughie’s sexual assault and rape at the hands of Ted Knight and the shapeshifter in season 4 is handled. That's also including how The Boys showrunner, Eric Kripke, admitted that Hughie's assault was intended to be played for black comedy. There are so many pitfalls with this subject matter that it would have reflected badly on the show if the Duffer Brothers had fallen into them. There’s also the question of whether the Duffer Brothers had any interest in actually depicting Nancy’s trauma over being raped in a thoughtful intelligent manner, or if was simply a means of driving Nancy into Jonathan’s arms while glossing over the ramifications of what happened to her.

As I stated in the previous episode, changing Steve’s character not only improved him, but also improved Nancy and Barbara by extension. Steve’s motivations for wanting a relationship with Nancy become more complex than simply wanting “another notch under his belt,” Nancy’s crush on Steve is a lot less shallow and more about seeing through the image he projects and wanting to get to know the real Steve Harrington, and Barbara has more of a personality here where she’s caught between wanting to support Nancy but also being wary of Nancy’s relationship with Steve and this new side to Nancy that she’s seeing. She also isn’t someone who abandons Nancy like in the Montauk script, but is reluctant to leave Nancy at Steve's house alone (and only does so at Nancy’s insistence), making it much more heartbreaking when she’s later dragged into the Upside Down.

Part 4: Song Choices

We get a nice selection of songs in this episode, including the one that would become the signature song for season 1 and for both Will and Jonathan: “Should I Stay or Should I Go?” by The Clash.

While The Clash has refused to assign meaning to the lyrics, especially in regards to whether those lyrics were in reference to events going on in the band at the time, my interpretation of the song is that it’s about someone in a relationship where they’re not sure if the other person wants them there, and is demanding a more direct answer about where they stand. “One day it’s fine and the next it’s black,” certainly gives the impression their relationship is tumultuous, and “this indecision is bugging me” makes it sound like both parties can’t agree on where to go from here. Ironically enough, it doesn't seem to apply at all to Jonathan and Will’s situation, where neither of them have been in a romantic relationship yet, and both brothers are supportive of one another in spite of their parents' messy divorce.

“Raise a Little Hell” by Trooper is played in the scene when Steve answers the door for Barabara and Nancy. Initially, the song seems to foreshadow that this is going to be a rumbustious party, but in comparison to the Montauk script, the party in this episode is tame. On top of that, the song itself really isn’t a party anthem, but a motivational one encouraging the listener to change their circumstances if they’re not happy about their situation and “raise a little hell” in the process. It's a big reason why it's been adopted as a sports anthem. Considering that Steve is an athlete himself, I'm not surprised he likes it.

“I Melt With You” by Modern English has always been a personal favorite of mine, and I was happy with its use in this episode. Despite being a dance song, the lyrics have a dark undertone to them, depicting two people falling in love as the world is coming to an end. It’s similar to Prince’s “1999” and R.E.M.’s “It’s the end of the world as we know it (and I feel fine)” where the singer has accepted the inevitability of their world being screwed, and is more content with living in the moment rather than worrying about what can’t be changed. In the context of this episode, with a group partying while (unbeknownst to them) the Upside Down is beginning to leak into Hawkins, and even claims one of the attendees later on (Barbara), the song is appropriate for that scene.

Finally, we have “Hazy Shade of Winter,” by The Bangles, which plays when Nancy and Steve have sex for the first time.

This was a remix of one of Simon and Garfunkel’s songs from the 60s, and while I like the original, I’m a bigger fan for The Bangles version. It has a very eerie tone to it, dealing with regret and the passage of time over the seasons as the singer lambasts about opportunities and hopes slipping away. It’s not exactly an uplifting song to be playing during what’s supposed to be a romantic moment, and given what happens to Barbara the same time Nancy is consummating her relationship with Steve, it’s dark foreshadowing for the guilt she’s going to be feeling later on over Barbara’s death.

Final Thoughts:

One more thing I wanted to mention before closing out this review is the poster of The Dark Crystal in Mike’s bedroom:

The Dark Crystal is a 1982 fantasy film set on a distant world that, while once green and fertile, has become desolate and corrupted due to a fracturing of the eponymous Crystal, which has created two different races: the Skeksis, who act as the tyrannical rulers of the planet, and the Mystics, who act in opposition to them. The main plot deals with a Gelfling named Jen who is tasked by the Mystics to retrieve the broken shard of the crystal and return it to the original source, thereby bringing balance and stability to their world. All the while, he’s brought into conflict with the Skeksis, who killed his parents in the past, and want to use the crystal for their own selfish desires.

Given Mike’s love for fantasy, I’m not surprised this is a favorite movie of his. However, I’m curious if the themes and story of that movie could have been used by the Duffer Brothers as inspiration for how they mapped out the Upside Down.

I remember having a theory back in season 3 that the Upside Down was once a prosperous world before the Mind Flayer showed up and turned it into its personal hellhole. While I still think that’s true to some extent, there’s also the question regarding why this dimension, which was depicted as a hellscape when Vecna arrived, and even before when the USS Eldridge was transported to it in 1943, suddenly replicated the exact image of Hawkins and the rest of Earth the night El opened the gate and Will disappeared: November 6th, 1983. This has been presented by season 4 and The First Shadow as an anomaly that hasn’t been explained yet, and could possibly have connections to Will’s disappearance.

In regards to how this ties back to The Dark Crystal, is it possible the Upside Down may have been “a green and fertile land” at one point, like the planet in said movie, before some catastrophic event happened that threw that world into chaos and desolation? Just like with the Skeksis, the Mind Flayer is taking advantage of the situation to impose its rule, but maybe that tyranny has been upset somehow by Will’s arrival, similar to how Jen’s quest in the movie threatens the Skeksis’s hold on power. There’s also how the Skeksis are responsible for the creation of the Garthim, which involved using the dark crystal to splice different species together and turning the resulting creatures into their personal attack dogs, as well as creating crystal bats which act as their spies in the sky. Likewise, it's possible that the Mind Flayer, through its own power, may have been responsible for twisting, or even creating, the inhabitants of the Upside Down to become Demogorgons, Demobats, and other hideous monsters that serve it.

The only difference I see has to do with how the main antagonists are dealt with:

In the movie, there’s an established connection between the Skeksis and the Mystics, where the death of one results in the death of the other they are connected to. Skeksis are essentially the worst aspects of their former counterparts, the urSkeks, in contrast to the Mystics which represent their positive aspects. They are one being split into two extreme animated personalities. As the movie reveals, the solution isn’t killing the Skeksis, but healing the crystal to allow the two parts to reunite.

In the show, they have not introduced a positive counterpart to the Mind Flayer (at least not yet), and since the Mind Flayer is interconnected with every part of the Upside Down (including Vecna), there’s a real chance its permanent destruction would result in the total annihilation of the Upside Down (similar to how Sauron’s downfall led to the destruction of Mordor in Lord of the Rings). While they could go this route in season 5, the names for the last two episodes (i.e. “The Bridge” and “The Rightside Up”) imply that dealing with the Mind Flayer and the Upside Down is more centered on fixing something that’s broken between the two worlds, similar to fixing the crystal in the movie, which could be the key to permanently defeating the Mind Flayer instead. Just like with Jen, that could be Will’s role in this story for season 5.

And to officially close out this review, this is what I ended up getting for my birthday! 🥰

[algernoninwonderland]

Revisited “Amok Time” for the first time in at least a decade and it’s truly an insane episode, from the gratuitous top surgery to Spock smiling and calling Kirk “Jim” (which made me grin so hard). It’s kind of the best.

A lot of TOS isn’t nearly weird enough, it often feels like a cheaper Twilight Zone (not that I love it any less for that), but there’s no wonder why this episode is remembered so fondly.

[askmovieslate]

John Carpenter originally called this the ending to his Doomsday Trilogy, which was preceded by The Thing and Prince of Darkness. This may be controversial, but this is my favorite one of the three, yes even more than The Thing.

It's wonderfully meta and the acting is stellar, also at barely 80 minutes long the movie feels like the absolute best Twilight Zone episode ever made. Jordan Peele dreams he could make something as effective as this movie.

It's super depressing and kinda goofy, so be aware of it before going into it.

[badolmen]

“Is he really normal doctor?”

“That is a word we try not to use Mrs. Parkes.”

“Well why not?”

“Because it’s meaningless. Normal, in the popular sense, refers to the behavoir pattern of the majority. And that pattern is not necessarily good. […] What I’m trying to say is don’t judge Charlie’s emotional health by the degree to which he conforms to other people’s standards. Don’t expect him to, well, be like other people.”

“Well then you don’t think he’s sick?”

“Oh no, not now. He was when he came here - the constant pressure of trying to be something he wasn’t, of trying to act and feel and think the way you wanted him to, instead of the way he wanted him to, well these things contributed to a serious breakdown.”

watching the twilight zone and seeing a character that is so autistic it’s hardly coded and the narrative treats him with such compassion in his introduction I can only hope his story ends as gently

[forthegothicheroine]

Most Fallout-ish Twilight Zone episodes

Possibly for an audience of exactly me, but here they are. Doing my best to give pitches without spoilers!

Time Enough at Last- There might be an upside to a nuclear war.

The Monsters are Due on Maple Street- Who is the inhuman saboteur in a small town?

The Lateness of the Hour- A family staffs their home entirely with robots.

A Quality of Mercy- Ever wonder about the soldiers on the opposite side of the war?

The Shelter- Only one person in a friend group has a fallout shelter. Things get worse from there.

One More Pallbearer- A fallout shelter has some sadistic conditions.

[b4mpyre-k1zz3s]

i’m not the person who originally asked but part two of cupids chokehold where the jackass boys meet y/n maybe?? if not thats cool!!

Cupid’s Chokehold (Pt. 2)

When a Viva la Bam episode brings the cast back together, the cast finally meet this mystery girl and find out what Bam sees in this woman.

Bam Margera X Fem!Reader, Johnny Knoxville X Fem!Reader

(Fluff)

3.6 Words

Warnings: Suggestive content, drug use, misogyny if you squint, jealousy, clingyness, possessive behavior, tampering with food, injury

An: Thank you so much for the request!! I really try to write my guys as ‘in character’ as posible, but I also find it really fun to explore what kinds of circumstances might make them act otherwise :] Anyways, thank you for sending requests and please keep them coming!

The reason you met the guys in the first place was due mostly in part to a group of MTV executives who, given Steve and Chris’ recent success with Wildboyz and the premiere date of that big movie Knoxville was in creeping closer, thought that now would be the best time for a crossover episode with Bam’s show; consider it a Jackass reunion. This was a shock to you- hell, you thought that the last movie would be the end of Jackass and you could go along with your life following your boyfriend's fifteen seconds running out. But you know how things go: one thing leads to another and all of a sudden you were appearing in living rooms across the country on MTV’s hottest new program: Viva La Bam.

When Johnny, Chris, and Steve (the only cast members MTV wanted for the episode) arrived to the compound of chaos that was Castle Bam, it appeared that their absent host was a bit tied up, far too distracted spreading his lawn and crashing into his buddies on four wheelers to even notice that they were there. At the time, you were in the kitchen watching everything go down, so you scampered outside to wave the guys in. “So we have an empty bed upstairs in the guest room,” you showed them around the castle, taking them through everything they would need to know, “but i think one’a you’s gonna be stuck on the floor for a couple nights…” The whole time you were giving them the tour, there was this collective murmur about this weird lady in Bam’s house; maybe she was his maid or a cleaning lady- or an assistant! But before they could make any further assumptions, there your boyfriend comes in, making his grand entrance clamoring in through the kitchen window. Bam flashed the guys a grin, “Oh! You guys already met Y/N!”

Given how much Bam talked about you, the cast all put together this idea of how they thought you would look, this Frankensteined amalgamation of celebrities: Beyoncé’s face with Pamela Anderson’s tits, legs like Jessica Rabbit (thanks, Chris), and a personality like Bridget from the Girls Next Door. So it’s safe to say that jaws hit the floor. This woman he’s been obsessing over for months is this…normal looking?

The air crackled with charged silence for a moment before Steve, who wasn’t totally with it mentally at that moment thanks to whatever he took before the plane ride there, blurted out what everyone else was thinking, “Wait, that’s Y/N? Like- your girlfriend, Y/N?” “Yeah!” A hint of indignation crept into Bam’s tone at what he was actually asking with that question and his face reflected this as he retorted, “She’s super hot, sweet as hell- and she has got the finest ass I’ve ever seen!” Your boyfriend punctuated his words with an affectionate swat to your behind, and you giggled at his sleazy behavior while all the guys were left wondering what kind of Twilight Zone shit was going on. “Alright, alright!” Still lightly blushing, you hurried them off, “Let’s get you boys settled in before you start trashing the place…”

Given the fact that it was summer, it was a perfect time to film some stuff outside. Due to the juvenile, scripted nature of Viva la Bam, the premise created would’ve fit well in any teen b-movie: Bam was having a pool party with his bros that out of nowhere the Jackass guys happened to crash when they decided to stop by, which leads to him getting revenge via spending the day pranking them- think of it as a CKY vs. Jackass turf war. Ignoring how unrealistic it was, you thought it would make for a pretty entertaining episode.

The sun-kissed opening scene looked straight out of some demented David Hockney painting: Ryan, lounging on a pool chair next to his pile of cans while Raab and Rake tried to drown each other in the pool and Dico quietly tapped away at some handheld gaming system under an umbrella (because the story producers on the show had a tendency to dumb his personality down to ‘liking video games’ when he wasn’t participating in the madness). Speaking of the story producers, it was their idea to put you in that cute little black bikini and those blingy, bug-eyed sunglasses, not that you minded showing off as you tip-toed down the deck steps with an oversized fancy fruit tray in your hands. “Hey boys! I got the-“

Without warning, the guys came charging in, water guns blazing! A cold blast of water courtesy of Knoxville’s super soaker startled you and you let out a dramatic yelp, playing your shock up for the cameras. He yelled across the yard to you with feigned disregard as he redirected his attention to the idiots in the pool, “Sorry, ma’am!” Following close behind was Chris, armed with a Costco-sized bottle of suntan lotion. He was not sorry about absolutely dousing Dunn in the sticky, coconut scented goo with a chuckle, unable to resist a filthy incendio, “Don’t worry, man! It came from a bottle- none’a that homemade stuff!” Not seeming nearly as pissed off as you would expect, Ryan simply groaned, wiping off his eyelids, “Better not be- now I smell like a damn pina colada…” Pontius flashed that sweet dopey grin and continued his attack, splattering some haphazardly across your body as Steve, knew how to make these childish antics look fun, cackled like a madman as henailed Dico from across the pool deck, knocking his handheld out of his hands and leaving it to sputter and fizz on the ground. “Dude! You drenched my GameBoy- my sweet, old-school GameBoy!”

Right as Steve was going to ask who the hell even uses a GameBoy in 2004, guess who came charging out of the house? “What the hell is goin’ on out here?” Padding down the deck stairs in those black swim trunks that sat real low on his hips was your boyfriend, rushing to your side and swiping up a bit of the lotion with his finger to examine. Johnny flashed him that movie star smirk, “Hey, Bam! Nice t’see ya!” Meandering up next to you, it was a scene straight out of some Animal Planet documentary with the two males fighting over the female of the pack, as he leaned in with provocativity heavy in his tone, “I could rub some’a that in if you’d like…” Though Bam was better than Knoxville at dramatizing things for TV, it was clear that there was some real jealousy behind the way he pulled you closer with a hand around your waist as if he couldn’t even stand the thought of another guy near you, “Keep your hands off’a my girl.” He spat, looking him up and down with more than feigned venom in his gaze behind those dark sunglasses, “It’s settled then. This is war!”

That night, the only sounds to be heard from the other side of the door of the dinky little attic/guest bedroom the three of them were all stuffed in tinned fish style was the repetitive thumping of Bam jumping off the second story balcony onto the couch, oniy to run up the stairs and do it all over again. Johnny groaned, leaning his head back into the hard pillows, “God…how does she put up with this?” While your boyfriend banged around the ceiling like some jacked up, oversized moth, you were sitting peacefully on the couch, watching TV as if nothing were amiss. Steve bunched up the jacket he was using as a pillow and sighed from his spot on the floor, “Beats me. Maybe she’s a gold digger or somethin’.” But while Bam is an idiot, he's not dumb enough to fall for some chick who’s just in it for the money. It had to be something else- love? “She’s a saint- that’s what she is...” Johnny shook his head and Chris piped in with his own opinion, “I think she’s hot!”

When he’s not causing chaos and buzzing around like a little kid off five Mellow Yellows, Bam can be quite the sweetheart, especially when it gets late at night and everything dies down, the same way dogs quiet down when you put a blanket on their cage. He’s desperate for your attention normally, but when you’re in his bed, laying by his side, it’s as if all every ounce of ego melts out of his ears. Nuzzling into the crook of your neck the way an overly affectionate cat might, your boyfriend murmured with a lovesick smile plastered on his face, “Mmm…missed you, babe.” This was your nightly routine: Bam, in his flannel pajama pants and no shirt, cuddling up to your side with no regard for personal space and endlessly fussing over you. You let out a breathless chuckle, raking your fingers through his hair, “I was with you all day!” His clinginess bordered on excessive sometimes, but you didn’t mind. There was satisfaction to be found in how whipped he was for you- dead and buried, you had Bam Margera under your thumb, and honestly he wouldn’t have it any other way. Arms slipping around your ribs, he shifted against you with a soft whine, “Yeah, still…”

Just as he was about to feebly defend himself, your boyfriend was cut off by this shriek from next door that could’ve rivaled any horror movie final girl. Guessing this was Bam’s doing, you sat up and whipped your head around, “What the hell was that?” Judging by the mischievous little glint in his eye that shone through the darkness, you guessed right. “Oh yeah- I sent Don Vito over there in his tighty-whities to surprise em’.” You could see it in your head as if you were there: down the hall stumbled Vito, clad solely in his underwear, cracking open the door to the guest room and laying down next to whoever was nearest- in this case, judging by the, “Fuck-fuck fuck, dude!” trailing down the hall, it was Steve. Nobody wants to be woken up by a grown man they’ve never met snuggling up next to them, so you couldn’t really blame him for whatever revenge he may innact, but in your head all you could do was hope they wouldn’t retaliate with something worse that night.

The strike came in the morning, as you groggily blinked awake to your boyfriend's terrified yelps, “Y/N- Y/N! Get the fuck up- I’m not even joking!” You rubbed the blurriness out of your eyes to find him back up against the wall with eyes as wide as gum balls, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he gawked at what sat atop the hurriedly tossed aside sheets on his side of the bed: a garden snake, not longer than one foot in length and perfectly harmless judging by the way the damn thing wasn't really doing anything. Inching along to the door, he tried the handle again, his voice cracking just barely perceptibly, “Dude- dude, this is so not funny! Let me the fuck out.” But all he was met with was snickering as someone on the other end (Chris, you assumed) held it shut. At the same time, you calmly grabbed the snake by the head to gently pick it up and set it outside before returning to Bam, your voice staying soft and level knowing how much this shit gets to him, “There, it’s gone.” But, turning away from him, your calming platitudes turned into you yelling through the plywood, banging, “C’mon, guys! Open the fuckin’ door!” Eventually they relented, and since you were leaning against the door and Bam was clinging to your side, the two of you went tumbling to the floor which you had to admit looked pretty funny on camera. Bam shot a glare at Knoxville who stood with a sheepish grin at Pontius’ side before he stumbled to his feet, “You fuckers are dead!”

A good amount of Bam’s genius prank ideas actually came from you, even if on camera it was made to appear as if he was some evil mastermind of mischief. You got this one- one of your best, actually- after you overheard a conversation between Knoxville and Steve. “God, do I miss April’s cooking... It's a shame our lazy asses slept in so late.” Before Steve could say that it sure beats the gas station coffee and doughnuts they eat on the road while filming, you piped in, “Hey- I could go pick up some burgers if you’d like!” And they just gave you their orders, not expecting anything from you!.

Scampering out of the room and trying to hide your excitement, you let the rest of the CKY crew in on your plan, where it was elected that Dico would be the culinary mastermind behind this operation.

As Raab pulled out of the McDonalds drive through, you and Bam sat in the backseat where he was supposed to be manning the handheld. Supposed to be- because he was dedicating most of his attention to you, staring at you with those big, adoring eyes, “You are a genius, Y/N…” The guys usually tried to keep you apart in case things like this happened. He got snapped out of his fawning by a sharp elbow to the side, courtesy of Rake, “Dude- film the food!” Scrambling with the camcorder, Bam shot over Dico’s shoulder as he began working his magic. Whistling the French Chef theme to himself, he fished around in his pockets for the micleanious continent packets he grabbed from the house and you would’ve thought he was making Coq au Vin with the precision and love you could feels in how he smothered that food in a sloppy mess of grape jelly, sweet n sour sauce, and ranch dressing. Turning to the backseat, Bran held up the double cheeseburger in his hand the way those ladies on QVC show off shitty dinnerware, “Wait, is this Steve-O’s?” Receiving an affirmative, this look of vindictive glee flashed across Dico’s face as he leaned down and spat onto the patty before squishing the top bun on top and wrapping the whole disaster up, proclaiming in a faux French accent, “Bon appetit!”

Ryan was bestowed the honor of delivering the tainted food and also got the privilege of having a front row seat to the golden reactions you were sure you’d get. Speaking with a mouthful of food, Johnny was the first to say anything about it, chewing his burger like unappreciative, doomed cattle, “Hey, something’s kinda…off about these.” Luckily Dunn, who thinks of everything, quickly cobbled together an explanation, “You’re just not used to burgers from Pennsylvania- they’re all like that.” From behind the wall Bam, Dico, and you were hiding, you held back snickers at the hint of suspicion that crept across Knoxville’s features as he turned to Steve, “Doesn’t that taste weird t’you?” You were most excited to see his reaction, but he didn’t really have much of one, quickly scarfing his food down to mumble, “Yeah, but I’m fuckin’ hungry!” To your collective disappointment, the plan didn’t elicit the reactions you anticipated, no matter how cathartic it felt to watch them eat that shit. Nobody was more disappointed than Bam who threw his hands up in frustration and stormed out the back door with a groan, “Fuck it- I’m goin’ skatin’.

Having you around while your boyfriend was skating was both a blessing and a curse. A blessing, because you were his greatest cheerleader and always stared at him with such awe in your eyes, completely enraptured by his skills- which would make anyone feel pretty damn good about themselves. It was a curse, however, in the way that if Bam wasn't totally consumed by what he was doing, his attention was devoted to impressing you to the point he was liable to break something. That’s why he didn’t notice the fact that his trucks were a little loose until the third time he walled off the board and took a nosedive into the plywood.

Right away, you rushed to his side, even though he repeatedly assured you he was fine, “Are you okay, Bam? That last one looked pretty nasty…” Rubbing the spot on his head that bounced off the ramp, he shot you a pained smile, “Yeah- yeah, m’alright…gotta tighten these trucks, though.” Leaning forward, your boyfriend planted a sweet kiss on your cheek before heading inside, “Be right back.” Sitting down at his desk, Bam scrounged around in the drawer that he usually stowed his Alan key in, only for it not to budge. It took a few seconds for it to dawn on him what happened: the damn thing was glued down. Those fuckers…grumbling to himself, he remembered that other board he had set up a couple weeks ago and decided to just deal with the other one later. Which is what he would’ve done, if that one didn’t also have loose trucks.

This required some serious, swift- chemical retribution. But for the time being you needed to play it cool and keep up appearances, so you and the rest of the guys spent the afternoon inside playing video games. You didn’t mind, because you found it hilarious to watch them argue about benign shit. Dico, the Mortal Kombat scholar and by all means a god at that game, was getting his ass handed to him, “Dude- you’re button mashing! That shit isn’t fair.” Bam just snickered, showing his distaste for what was fair and rules in general by doing random combos, not even looking at his hands. Everyone was laughing and enjoying watching him hit five Nut Crackers in a row, when from the bathroom at the far end of the hall, there was this massive boom, as if someone just set off an entire box of illegal fireworks.

Which is what you would’ve assumed happened if it was Bam’s idea, but you knew this plan was Rake’s doing, who spent the greater part of the last hour rigging up a minor explosive device in there which was triggered by lifting the toilet lid. Essentially, if you went to piss, you would be covered in whatever shit was in that device. As indicated by the white powder that coated every inch of Chris as he stumbled out, totally dazed, it was flour. He just chuckled with that ditzy smile on his face, “Woah…” and you knew your plan was a success.

There was only one scene left to film for the episode, and at this point, the guys were barely holding it together. Being in Castle Bam for any amount of time forced Johnny, Chris, and Steve to be on constant high alert, like some kind of torture method that was definately banned by the geneva conventions. The lot of you sat clustered around the dining table, hunched over the food April lovingly cooked for and scarfing it down the way sailors eat on the off chance someone decided to taint yet another meal. Standing up from his food, Johnny looked across the table with bags under his eyes from the constant chaos he had endured over the course of the two days you were filming, “Alright, Bam- I think we’ve done enough pranks to each other and we should just call this whole thing even.” Your boyfriend gave the cameras that malicious look he always did when he had some scheme in mind before he shot Knoxville a diplomatic nod, “Alright. But I don’t think we’re quite even-“ and with that, Bam swiftly grabbed a fist of corn and potatoes and hurled it across the table, and I mean- there’s only so many places that could go. Yep, in seconds, things escalated into an all out food fight, and while laughered roared out and peas and carrots soared through the air, you seemed, yet again, completely unaffected by it.

Once the plates were emptied, Bam stood up with this giddy smile on his face, wiping off a gob of whatever was stuck to his face, “Alright! Let’s go build a bonfire in the backyard!” And without a second thought, everybody flooded out the back door, leaving you with the mess. Well, you and Johnny, who stayed back and had a few questions for you. “I’d hate to intrude, ma’am- but…“ following you into the kitchen, Knoxville carefully phrased his next words, speaking with genuine empathy in his voice, “why on earth do you put up with him? I mean, with all the chaos, and the mess…Bam doesn’t really seem t’pitch in as much as you do.“ Standing up from where you bent under the sink to grab some cleaning supplies, you glanced up at him with a calm, assured smile, “Oh, he’d help out if I asked. Watch-“

Throwing open the back door with a whoosh, you shouted out, “Bam! Come inside and help me clean up!” While you didn’t hear him, you could see your boyfriend say something to the other guys who looked around with confusion plastered on their faces as Bam turned around and dashed up the deck stairs. It was as if you cast some evil spell on their buddy Bam that made him do your bidding, even if your bidding in this case was scrubbing mashed potatoes off of the wall. Still, they followed behind him and let you direct where they needed to help out- he seemed so happy to be with this girl, so they kept their mouths shut and got to cleaning.

[msklassickilla]

Delirious | J. Uso|R. Regins Seventeen

Summary: When Titania buys an old typewriter from a closing thrift store, she thinks it’s just a vintage gem—until the words she types start coming true. However, the typewriter doesn’t just bring fantasies to life—it twists them. Giving Titania way more than she bargained for.

Pairing: Titania Marshall (Black OC) x Jey Uso x Roman Reigns

Author’s Note: This story is another AU thing. So, it might align, or it might not. I will try my best to keep it current enough. Nonetheless, it’s mash up of a few things: That one episode of Goosebumps. That one episode of the Twilight Zone. And that movie by the same title, Delirious featuring John Candy. I’ma make it work. Plus, I like mystical spooky shit with a bit of Jerry Springer type mess.

Warning(s): Minor foul/harsh language. Mentions of SMUT happening.

Disclaimer: This work of art is fictional in nature including the original characters created by me. I do not own any of the existing characters or lyrics from songs referenced in this story (if any). All rights belong to their respective owners with the exception of my original characters. This work is purely for entertainment purposes and is not intended to cause harm.

Seventeen

Roman left around noon, leaving Titania and Jey alone for the first time since yesterday. The house was quieter without his presence, but Titania’s mind wasn’t. The typewriter’s message tumbled around her brain like a stone in a tin can, clanging against her every attempt to ignore it.

Three walls existed. One had already fallen. But which one?

And how would she know when the others crumbled? What was she supposed to do—just sit and wait for her life to collapse around her?

Titania lay on the couch, flipping mindlessly through the TV channels, barely registering what was on the screen. Jey was in the game room, yelling at his headset while playing Call of Duty. She didn’t mind. It gave her time to think, to breathe, to figure out what the hell was happening to her life.

Eventually, she’d go upstairs to strip the guest room bed, wash the sheets, and erase any lingering trace that Roman had ever been here. The thought gave her a sliver of satisfaction.

Her phone vibrated against the armrest, pulling her from her thoughts. Mia. How ironic. Titania had lied on her just this morning, using her name as an excuse to leave the kitchen. Now, she was calling like she knew she was owed attention.

Titania answered. “Hey, girl.”

Mia’s voice was as cheery as ever. “Hey, Tee! Just calling to check in. How’d the housewarming go?”

Titania adjusted her position, sitting up a little. “It was cool. Jey’s family came through. Naomi and I got some girl time in, so that was nice.” She kept it short, hoping Mia would let the conversation drift.

But Mia, as always, had questions. “Uh-huh,” Mia hummed knowingly. “And how was Roman?”

Titania froze. Her heart stuttered in her chest. “Who?”

Mia let out a laugh like Titania had asked her if the sky was blue. “Roman! You know, big, charming, and fine as hell? I know y’all probably haven’t seen each other in a minute.”

Titania felt like she was sinking into the couch. The room suddenly felt smaller. The air thinner. Mia wasn’t supposed to remember Roman. The typewriter had rewritten reality so Jey was the only one she should have recalled with great detail. And yet, here she was, talking like a friendship between Titania and Roman had always been a thing.

Titania forced a laugh, her fingers gripping the phone tighter. “Oh, yeah. It was… interesting seeing him again.” She needed to know how deep this rewrite had gone. “What do you remember about Roman?”

Mia didn’t hesitate. “What do you mean what do I remember? Girl, you introduced me to him. At Jimmy and Naomi’s house, remember? Oh my God, I’ll never forget how I damn near jumped in his arms like Nisi did in B.A.P.S. when she saw Leon in that restaurant. Like, screamed and was ready to exhale.”

Titania’s pulse skyrocketed. Her body went ice cold. She felt lightheaded, dizzy, like she was on the verge of passing out.

That never happened.

Mia was laughing, caught up in the memory like it was one of her favorites. Like it was real.

Titania forced herself to breathe. “Oh, uh… yeah. Wow. I forgot about that.” Her voice barely sounded like her own.

Mia kept going. “Man, those were good times. I remember thinking back then that you and Jey made sense, but you and Roman? Y’all made sense-sense.”

Titania’s stomach dropped. “What do you mean?”

The question shot out before she could stop it.

Mia sighed, like this was something she had been holding onto for a long time. “It was just obvious, Tee. You didn’t see how he looked at you? Like, girl—he lit up when you walked into a room. He never did that with anyone else. He’d be talking and then you’d show up, and boom—completely different man.”

Titania’s head spun. This couldn’t be happening. This isn’t real. But Mia sounded so sure.

Titania’s mouth was dry. “You really think so?”

“I know so,” Mia said, her voice dripping with certainty. “I don’t know, I just always thought that if things had been different, if you hadn’t ended up with Jey, maybe you and Roman would’ve—”

“No, it was always Jey, for me,” Titania interrupted. It came out sharper than she intended. “Roman and I would never—”

“I know, I know,” Mia cut in quickly. “I’m just saying… I don’t think he saw it that way.”

Titania was going to be sick. She needed off this call. Now.

Mia, as if sensing she had said too much, changed the subject. “Anyway, I actually called to tell you something else—I’ve got some vacation time coming up, and I decided I’m finally coming to visit! I need some Florida sun and my bestie time.”

Titania nearly dropped the phone. She had called it. She had lied earlier, telling Jey Mia was thinking about visiting, and now it was happening.

Her mind reeled. “That’s… great. Just let me know the dates,” she managed. “I’ll make sure everything’s set.”

They exchanged quick goodbyes, and the moment the call ended, Titania tossed her phone to the side like it burned her. She pressed her hands to her temples, trying to force herself to think.

The typewriter is rewriting reality. Not just mine. Everyone’s. What else had changed? How deep did this go? Did her parents and siblings remember Roman now? If she called them, would they suddenly act like they had met him? Like he had been around?

Her hands shook. She needed a second to breathe. But she knew, deep down, that things were only getting worse.

----

Titania needed a distraction. The conversation with Mia still rang in her ears, the implications digging their claws into her already fragile sense of reality. She couldn’t deal with the typewriter right now—her sanity was hanging by a thread as it was.

So, she focused on what she could control. Cleaning. She climbed the stairs, her steps slow, mind racing. The guest room door creaked as she pushed it open.

Her breath caught in her throat. The room was… pristine. Not a pillow out of place, not a wrinkle in the freshly made bed. She scanned the space, gaze falling on the wicker laundry basket tucked neatly beside the bed—sheets and towels already gathered. The bathroom was the same. Counters wiped, nothing left behind.

Titania hesitated in the doorway, fingers gripping the frame. Roman had done this. He’d cleaned up after himself, left the space exactly how she liked it. The realization unsettled her. Jey barely remembered to put his dirty clothes in the hamper, but Roman… Roman anticipated what she’d do before she even did it.

She stepped further into the room, smoothing her hands over the freshly made bed, gaze sweeping one last time before she noticed something on the dresser. A small, velvet box.

Titania’s stomach flipped.

She moved towards it, slow and hesitant, every step heavy. A ring box? Her fingers trembled as she reached for it, flipping the lid open with caution.

Her breath left her body.

A stunning yellow diamond sat nestled between satin cushions, the cut pristine, the band thick and undoubtedly expensive. But it wasn’t just the ring—it was the inscription inside the band that sent her spiraling.

Promising 4ever – Roman

The ring slipped from her fingers, landing on the carpet with a soft thud.

No.

Titania’s pulse roared in her ears, drowning out all other sound. This wasn’t real. It couldn’t be. Roman had to have left it here deliberately—left it for her to find. But why? Was he trying to prove something? Remind her of something?

Her hands clenched into fists at her sides. She wasn’t going to play his game. She wasn’t going to let him get in her head.

"Bae, where you at?" Jey’s voice rang from downstairs.

Titania jolted, heart lurching. She scrambled to grab the ring, shoving it back into the box before yanking the dresser drawer open and tossing it inside. She barely had enough time to straighten before Jey entered the room, his broad frame filling the doorway.

He didn’t seem to notice the way her chest heaved, didn’t pick up on the way she shifted uneasily. He just smiled, stepping towards her, wrapping his arms around her waist.

“What you doin’ up here?” His voice was lazy, rough from playing video games for hours.

Titania forced a smile, patting his chest. “Just tidying up.”

Jey hummed in response, pressing warm, lingering kisses against her shoulder, trailing up her neck. “You know we gotta make up for last night, right?”

Titania swallowed hard. Her mind was a mess, but Jey was offering her an escape. A distraction. And she needed it. She needed something to block out the image of that ring, the weight of its meaning. But not here. Not in this room where it sat hidden in a drawer.

She grabbed Jey’s hand, pulling him towards the door. “Not here. Let’s go to the bedroom.”

Jey smirked, letting her lead him down the hallway, her grip tightening around her wrist. Titania threw herself into him the moment they entered their bedroom. Kissing him, touching him, drowning herself in him. If she gave herself completely to Jey, maybe—just maybe—she could exorcise the ghost of Roman Reigns from her mind.

Titania moved with reckless abandon, riding Jey with a hunger that had nothing to do with love and everything to do with control. She set the pace, her hands planted firmly on his chest, nails biting into his skin as she rolled her hips with intoxicating precision.

She wanted to erase every lingering thought of Roman, drown herself in Jey until nothing else existed. And Jey—God, Jey—was unraveling beneath her, his grip tightening on her waist, his eyes locked onto her with an intensity that sent a shiver down her spine.

But something was shifting.

The more she gave, the more he took. The way he watched her, the way he held onto her, like he was trying to find a place to live beneath her skin—something dark flickered in his gaze. Titania was feeding a beast she hadn’t realized existed, drawing something out of him that had always been lurking beneath the surface. His breath hitched, his fingers digging in hard enough to bruise, his chest rising and falling with something far deeper than lust.

Jey flipped her suddenly, slamming her beneath him, his body caging hers in. His lips found her throat, biting down just enough to make her gasp, enough to mark her. His breath was ragged against her skin, his voice thick with something layered, something unhealthy.

“You feel what you do to me, baby?" His grip on her wrists tightened, pinning them above her head. "You keep givin’ yourself to me like this, and I swear… I ain’t ever lettin’ you go."

----

Titania’s body ached in the best way possible as she slowly peeled herself from the sheets. The dull soreness in her thighs, the lingering heat in her limbs—it was all a reminder of last night. She had pushed Jey to his limits, had wrung every ounce of pleasure from him, and in doing so, had unleashed something in him that she wasn’t sure she could contain.

Even now, the thought of the way he had clung to her, the way his voice had cracked when he begged for more, sent a strange thrill through her.

She took her time freshening up, pulling on a strapless bodycon dress that hugged her curves like a second skin. The golden fabric shimmered slightly in the morning light, accentuating the warm glow of her skin. When she stepped into the kitchen, Jey was already at the island, a can of energy drink in his hand, his other scrolling through his phone.

His gaze lifted at the sound of her footsteps, and just like that, his entire focus zeroed in on her. His eyes dragged over her body, slow and deliberate, darkening with something unreadable. Titania hesitated mid-step, suddenly hyper-aware of every inch of skin the dress clung to.

Jey smirked, setting his drink down. “Nah, don’t get shy on me now. Not after what you did last night.”

Titania rolled her eyes, biting her lip to fight back a smile. She reached for a coffee mug, turning her back to him to pour herself a cup of coffee.

Jey wasn’t having that.

A moment later, she felt his hands on her hips, his body pressing against her from behind. His grip was firm, possessive, and when he leaned in to kiss her shoulder, she shivered.

“I still don’t know how the hell you folded me like that,” he murmured against her skin, sending vibrations straight to her core.

Titania let out a laugh, pushing him away playfully. “Stop it, Jey.”

Jey let out a low chuckle. “For real, though. I didn’t even know I could bend like that. You got me out here reevaluating my whole damn life.”

Titania laughed again, covering her face with her hands. “Oh my God, stop talking about it!”

Jey turned her in his arms, hands settling on her waist. He studied her for a long moment, then his expression softened into something rare, something unguarded. "I love you, Tee. With all of me. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you happy. Just say the word. And the world is yours."

Titania’s heart swelled. She reached up to touch his face, running her thumb over the sharp angle of his jaw. “I love you too, baby.”

Jey kissed her forehead, then her lips, slow and deliberate. When he pulled away, his tone was lighter. “So, I was thinking. It’s time to get you a new car.”

Titania’s eyes widened. “Wait… what?”

“You heard me.” His grip on her waist tightened. “I got you. You’ve been driving that same car since college. Time for an upgrade.”

Titania was still reeling from the declaration when he stepped back, nodding toward the hallway. “Go get ready. We leaving soon.”

She frowned. “Jey, I am ready.”

Jey’s eyes raked over her again, this time his expression shifting into something less playful. “That dress tight as hell.”

Titania blinked, her amusement fading. “So?”

Jey leaned against the counter, rubbing a hand over his jaw. “So… maybe you should change. I’m just saying, you don’t need everybody looking at what’s mine.”

Titania’s stomach twisted. A small, irritated frown settled between her brows. “Since when do you care about what I wear?”

Jey shrugged, eyes still locked onto her. “I always cared. Just never said nothing before.”

Titania’s lips parted, but no words came. His face remained neutral, his tone casual. But something about it… something about the way he said it didn’t sit right with her.

She crossed her arms. “Well, I’m not changing.”

Jey exhaled through his nose, then smirked. “Alright. But just promise me you’ll behave, then.”

Titania’s temper flared. She shoved him, hard enough to make him stumble back a step. “What the hell does that mean?”

Jey chuckled, as if she was overreacting. “Chill, I was joking.”

Titania rolled her eyes. “No, you weren’t.”

Jey sighed, stepping closer, hands reaching for her again. “Damn, Tee. I didn’t mean it like that. You know I love how you look. I just don’t like sharing my view, that’s all.”

Titania shook her head, backing away from his touch. “You’re ruining the moment, Jey.”

He sighed again, this time with more frustration. “Aight, I’m sorry. Let’s just go get your car, alright?”

Titania hesitated. Her annoyance was still fresh, still burning, but she knew how to pick her battles. And right now? She wanted that damn car.

“Fine,” she muttered, grabbing her purse.

----

The ride to the dealership was quiet, save for the hum of the music playing through the speakers. Titania stared out the window, arms crossed, still thinking about the shift in Jey’s demeanor. She could let it go for now, but the seed had been planted.

When they pulled up to the Mercedes-Benz dealership, all irritation momentarily evaporated.

Titania’s breath hitched. The sleek, pristine building gleamed under the Florida sun, and the luxury vehicles parked out front looked like something out of a dream.

“Baby, no,” she gasped, turning to Jey. “Oh my God.”

Jey smirked. “What? You thought I ain’t know your dream car?”

Titania practically vibrated with excitement as she spotted it—a sky-gray G-Wagon, blacked-out rims, pristine leather seats visible through the tinted windows.

She slapped Jey’s arm. “Jey, stop playing with me right now. Is this for real?”

He laughed, nodding toward the entrance. “Go check it out. It’s yours if you want it.”

Titania didn’t need to be told twice. She bolted toward the car, running her fingers over the smooth exterior. It was perfect. Jey followed closely behind, hands in his pockets, watching her with an amused expression.

The salesman approached, leading them inside to go over paperwork, financing, and final details. It was a long process, but Titania barely noticed. Her excitement outweighed everything else.

Hours later, with the sun beginning to set, she finally held the keys to her new car.

Jey pulled her into a deep kiss. “Happy?”

Titania grinned. “Ecstatic.”

She climbed into the driver’s seat, inhaling the scent of new leather. As she adjusted the mirrors, something inside her told her this was too good to be true. But she ignored that voice. Today was a win. And for now, she was going to enjoy it.

----

Titania sat on the couch; laptop balanced on her thighs as her parents’ familiar faces filled the screen. The weekly Zoom call was a routine she usually enjoyed, but today, a heavy weight settled in her chest. She had sent Jey to the store again—something she found herself doing more often when it was time to check in with her parents. It was easier that way. Less questions, less scrutiny, less tension.

Her father’s voice cut through the small talk. "Where’s that man of yours?"

Titania shifted, forcing a smile. "Oh, he ran to the store. We needed a few things."

Her father’s expression didn’t change. "That’s funny. Seems like every time we call, he’s running an errand or gone."

Titania forced out a laugh, shifting in her seat. "He’s busy, Daddy. You know how his schedule is."

Her mother hummed, adjusting her glasses. "Baby, we aren’t saying he’s neglecting you, but why does it feel like you’re always avoiding letting us talk to him?"

Titania’s hands clenched at her sides. "I’m not avoiding anything."

Her father leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. "Next time we call, I want to see him. If he’s serious about you, he can make time for us."

Titania nodded stiffly, hoping that would be the end of it. But of course, it wasn’t.

Her parents spent the next thirty minutes prying into every corner of her relationship. How did Jey treat her? What was his family like? Did he have kids? A crazy ex-wife? A gambling problem? What exactly did he do with his money?

Titania answered every question as best she could, but with every passing minute, the weight of her lies pressed heavier against her chest.

She told them before the move that she and Jey met online, which wasn’t completely false. She told them he was a wrestler, which was true, but she left out the part where his world had become her new reality. She also omitted the part where she moved to Florida on a whim for him, and how a typewriter was shifting shit to where Jey wasn’t the only man lingering in the shadows of her life.

Her parents would have packed her things themselves and dragged her back home if they knew the real story. Teedria and Gary Marshall didn’t play that shit. They didn’t spend most of their years working in different sectors of the government for their kids to be out here living foul.

----

By the time the call ended, Titania was exhausted.

She shut the laptop, rubbing her temples, but the pressure behind her eyes wouldn’t fade. The lies were piling up. The guilt was suffocating. Nothing felt settled, and she wasn’t sure it ever would.

The sound of the front door opening pulled her from her spiraling thoughts. Jey walked in, carrying two bags of groceries. His face was relaxed until he saw her.

His expression shifted instantly. "Tee, what’s wrong?"

Titania opened her mouth, but nothing came out. The moment he set the bags down and wrapped his arms around her, the dam broke. She clung to him, body wracked with silent sobs. Jey didn’t push for an explanation. He just held her, strong and steady, rubbing circles into her back, whispering reassurances she barely heard.

At some point, she must have fallen asleep because the next thing she knew, she was waking up in bed alone. The scent of roses filled the room. She turned her head and saw them—dozens of deep red roses lay beside her. And next to them, a folded note in Jey’s handwriting.

Caught an early flight for the show tonight. Be back Tuesday, baby. Call you later and take care of yourself, mamas. Love you.

Titania ran her fingers over the ink, her chest aching. Jey was headed back on the road. She’d be alone again. She needed to get the day started. There was no point in wallowing in self-pity. Titania moved through her morning routine on autopilot—shower, breakfast, silence.

And then, for the first time in a long time, she decided to take more time off to get herself together. Perhaps, even see a therapist. She knew she more than likely couldn’t escape what was coming. But she made it up in her mind, she’d well prepared for whatever.

----

Titania sat cross-legged on the sofa, scrolling through a list of local therapists. A few had openings in the next two weeks, which was promising. She could start seeing someone soon, get a handle on everything before it spiraled even further. Before she could jot down a number, her phone lit up. Jey.

She sighed, setting the laptop aside before answering. "Hey, bae, you just called me not even—"

Jey cut her off, his voice warm but rushed. "I need a favor, Tee."

Titania sat up straighter. "What kind of favor?"

Jey got right to the point. "You remember Roman stayed the night, right? Well, he left something in the dresser upstairs, and he needs it back today. I told him you could drop it off."

Titania’s stomach dropped. Her fingers clenched around the phone. "Jey—"

He quickly cut her off. "Thanks, baby. I gotta go. Love you."

The call ended. Titania stared at the screen, heart hammering, a slow, creeping frustration winding through her body. He didn’t even give her a chance to say no. And worse, she knew exactly what Roman left behind. That ring. That wasn’t something you just forget. Roman had left it on purpose. Titania balled her fist against her thigh, jaw tightening.

Could she ignore it? Have a courier take it? No. The ring looked expensive as hell, and she didn’t trust anyone but herself to handle it. If she didn’t take it, Roman might just show up again, despite knowing they had cameras now. Jey would ask questions. She didn’t want to answer them. She was trapped.

Muttering curses under her breath, she stomped upstairs, yanking the dresser drawer open. The velvet box sat there like it had been waiting for her. Mocking her. She snatched it up, gripping it tightly as she grabbed her purse and keys off the counter.

This was not how she intended to spend her Friday.

----

Jey’s text came through as soon as she got in the car. Roman’s address. Titania’s fingers hovered over her screen before she locked it, tossing her phone onto the passenger seat. He lived less than twenty minutes away. That knowledge unsettled her.

Was it just a coincidence? Or was this all just ‘fate’ unfolding?

She tried not to think about it.

The drive was quiet, just the hum of the engine and the occasional traffic light forcing her to pause. She kept her grip tight on the steering wheel, refusing to let her mind wander into dangerous territory.

Roman’s house was exactly what she expected—tucked away in a gated community, sprawling and modern, lined with palm trees and expensive landscaping. She parked at the curb but made no move to get out.

She formulated a game plan instead. It was to call him. Have him come outside to get it. She would toss it to him or throw it, either way was fine. And then speed off.

Once that was established, Titania dialed his number. No answer. She called again. Then a third time. Nothing. Her fingers hovered over the screen. She texted him.

I’m outside. Come get your ring.

She waited. A minute passed. Then two. Nothing. Fine. Titania grabbed the small box and climbed out of the car. She strode toward the mailbox, flipping it open with one hand while dropping the ring inside with the other.

That was the plan. Until Roman’s front door swung open. Titania stood still.

Roman stepped onto the porch, smirking like he had been expecting this outcome. He was barefoot, wearing black sweats and a fitted tank, arms crossed over his chest as he leaned against the doorframe.

"You’re really about to leave it in the mailbox?" His voice was all lazy amusement.

Titania met his gaze head-on. "Yes. You live in a good neighborhood. I doubt anyone’s stealing your shit."

Roman rolled his eyes, pushing off the frame. "You’re exhausting, you know that?"

He strode toward her, slow, deliberate. Titania instinctively stepped back, but his fingers caught her wrist before she could flee. Her breath hitched. Roman didn’t tighten his grip, but he didn’t let go either. His touch was warm, firm, and gentle.

"So, this is how this is gonna go, Tee. We’re gonna go inside," he said smoothly. "Have a nice little talk about the thing you just put in my mailbox."

Titania hesitated. A part of her wanted to yank away, march back to her car, and leave him standing there. But the other part— the part that knew she couldn’t risk being seen fighting with Roman on a neighbor’s Ring camera—won out.

She let him take the ring from the mailbox, let him guide her inside like she was being led to the principal’s office.

----

The moment Titania stepped inside; the scent of Cashmere Woods surrounded her—rich, deep, undeniably masculine. It curled into her senses, filling her lungs with something both intoxicating and familiar.

Roman closed the door behind her with a slow, deliberate click, the finality of it making her stomach clench. He didn’t touch her, not yet, but his presence behind her was unmistakable, an unspoken force guiding her deeper into his world.

Titania let her gaze wander as he led her down a hallway, her heels barely making a sound against the polished hardwood. His home was exactly what she expected—vast but purposeful, elegant but subdued. It felt like walking through a curated gallery, every piece of furniture chosen with intention. The walls, painted in deep, moody hues, made the space feel intimate despite its size.

By the time they reached the living room, Titania felt trapped in a place she had no business being. The ceiling stretched high, floor-to-ceiling windows casting long shadows over dark leather furniture. The air smelled faintly of whiskey, cedar, and something else—something him.

"Sit," Roman instructed.

Titania hesitated, but defiance wouldn’t get her out of this any faster. She lowered herself onto the plush brown leather sofa, her body sinking into its softness, but there was no comfort here. Roman strode toward the bar nestled in the far corner of the room, his broad shoulders rolling with effortless ease as he reached for a bottle.

"Drink?" he asked, his deep voice cutting through the thick silence.

Titania should’ve said no. She should’ve kept her wits about her, but her mouth had other plans. "Yeah."

Roman’s lips curled, barely there, before he poured two glasses of honey-colored liquid. When he returned, he handed one to her, fingers brushing just long enough to make her pulse jump. She took a sip. Cognac. Her drink of choice.

Titania shook her head. Of course, he knew.

Roman said nothing as he settled into the recliner across from her, bringing his own glass to his lips. He watched her, waiting. The weight of his stare was suffocating.

Titania needed to get this over with. She cleared her throat, trying to find the words, but before she could speak, he lifted a single finger.

A silent command.

Titania clenched her jaw, but she obeyed. Roman took another slow sip before digging into his pocket. He pulled out the small black velvet box, setting it on the glass coffee table between them.

Titania’s breath stilled. She didn’t look at him. Her eyes locked on the box, heart pounding against her ribs.

"This was for you," Roman said simply, pointing at it.

Titania gripped her glass tighter, the cool surface keeping her in the moment. She had known. It was the only reason he left it. But hearing it out loud made it real in a way she wasn’t prepared for.

She took another sip, then another, until the glass was empty. The burn did nothing to settle her nerves.

"Roman, look," she started carefully. "I get it. You thi—believe that we were something. And I won’t fight you on that anymore, but moving forward, I need you to know that I’ve made my choice. I'm in love Jey. So I—"

Roman’s expression darkened instantly. "Tee," he cut in, his voice sharper now. "You’re really gonna sit up here and say that bullshit when you don’t even believe it yourself?"

Titania flinched at the shift in his tone. The easy-going facade was gone.

Roman leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees, fingers clasped together. The intensity in his eyes pinned her in place, rendering her speechless.

"You don’t love Jey," he stated, his voice eerily calm. "You know you don't. I know you don’t."

Titania shook her head, lips parting to protest, but Roman didn’t give her the chance.

"And I’ve been patient," he continued, rising to his feet, pacing now, muscles flexing beneath the tight stretch of his shirt. "Too patient."

He exhaled sharply, running a hand over his beard. "But damn it, Titania, I can’t wait anymore."

Titania’s heartbeat thundered in her ears.

"You’re mine," he ground out, stepping closer, voice thick with conviction. "He doesn’t know what to do with you. He doesn’t deserve you!"

The glass shattered before she even registered that he’d thrown it.

Titania jolted as shards exploded against the wall, amber liquid dripping down in long streaks. Her body moved on instinct. She shot up from the couch, ready to scream, run, or trip and fall trying to get away.

Roman was faster. Before she could take a step, his arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her back against his chest. The breath punched out of her lungs; her body locked in place by sheer strength.

"Baby," he murmured, his breath warm against her ear, his tone a direct contrast to the violence of moments before. "I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you."

Titania’s pulse skittered wildly as he placed a gentle kiss on the crown of her head.

She should’ve done something, anything. But as his heartbeat seemed to fall into rhythm with hers, all the fight in her died. Roman’s hold softened, his hand sliding down to rest at her hip, fingers pressing just enough to remind her of something, something he wanted her to remember.

Then he turned her. Slowly. Carefully. Gently. Titania’s breath caught when her eyes met his. There was something raw there, unguarded.

The air between them thickened, the room shrinking around them. His face inched closer. Titania’s mind screamed at her to push him away. Her body betrayed her. Because when his lips finally met hers, she stood still.

And for the first time, she felt like she was exactly where she belonged. Home.

----

Read Chapter 18... (coming soon)

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[angstydevil]

Since there's Severance discourse on my dash:

I was disappointed in the last episode, and no, it's not because I missed my blorbos or wanted more kissing or whatever strawman people are coming up with now.

I found it a shallow, flanderized exploration of Cobel and her trauma with notably weaker writing than the rest of the show. (Her not-boyfriend said a quirky oneliner, alone, into the snow - that's not what I'm here for.)

I wanted the episode to dig deeper.

Show us the small town gossip and paranoia.

Build up the Twilight Zone vibes from the initial diner scene.

Give us some beautiful long shots of urban decay.

Let us taste how Lumon has abandoned this place.

Let us see how Lumon dispirited and aggrieved the people here.

I wanted human-sounding dialogue for the new characters instead of quips and plot-relevant omens. I wanted more from the new characters beyond "not-boyfriend" and "cult abuser".

I especially didn't like Cobel needing to be rescued from crying (and almost getting caught because she took a depression nap). We've already seen Cobel deep in the throes of unbalanced tempers. We've seen her preparing to go to this location, acting like a survivor all the while.

I don't find Cobel being so consumed by woe once she gets there that she needs to be saved by a man to be a believable place to take her character. Even if I could believe it? I don't like this as character development for her.

I love Severance. It's my favorite live action show in years. That doesn't mean every episode is going to be an automatic 10/10 for me.

I thought this episode was a 5/10. It was a disappointingly average and formulaic episode of "modern prestige television" in an otherwise spectacular show.

On top of being an awkward structural decision for the pacing of the season as a whole (we JUST had a clip show—and even if it was one of the best clip shows I have ever seen on television, another backstory episode is pushing it), it honestly felt like a Marvel short at multiple points, and from me, that's not a compliment.

If the episode was a 10/10 for you, that's fine, but I'm pretty upset to see some fans acting like the only reason you could dislike the episode is because you don't appreciate the deeper themes of Severance / aren't a real Severance fan / don't get it.