#I had to re-lock the side gate because i remembered that my mom went through there for some reason

[mabelsguidetolife]

me, solving problems irl by improvising with certain objects: tee-hee inventory puzzle :3

[strangertheory]

I’ll admit I’ve been very skeptical about the DID theory, but your most recent post discussing the “layers” was mind blowing to me. I’m still standing back to see how things play out, since it is a theory, but reading the first “layer”, I 100% can see that being part of the plot. The rest is a little more abstract and I’m curious to see how they would write it in if this theory is true. Thanks to you and Kaypeace for your posts on this theory, they’re interesting!

[This is a follow-up Ask referring to this earlier post.]

Thanks for Asking! I have a lot of thoughts on the possible “layers” going on in the story, but I find it challenging to put into words what my ideas are sometimes because I don’t consider myself a very good writer. I can’t promise that anything I write in this reply will make a lot of sense, but I will do my best! I’ve avoided trying to explain certain thoughts I have on the layers of the scenes because they’re complicated and I hadn’t been sure how many fans would have an interest in them since there’s already such a small number of fans interested in the interpretation that the story is about a DID System in the first place. This is yet a sub-theory of that theory! But I’m really excited that you asked. I will try to explain as best I can.

Please keep in mind that although kaypeace21 and I both theorize that Stranger Things is about a DID System (her blogpost about which characters are alters is excellent and I highly recommend it if you haven’t read it yet), we each have our own interpretations of the DID theory that are sometimes very different from each other’s. Her analyses are based on the theory that the alters, internal worlds, and traumas in Will’s mind have escaped his subconsciousness through supernatural means and have become real. I see her interpretation as one possible explanation for the events in the series and I do like that interpretation a lot. I think it’s a very compelling theory and interpretation of the events so far. But what I’m going to describe in the rest of this blogpost is not currently representative of what kaypeace21 theorizes is going on in the series. This “second layer” interpretation that I’ve considered is based on the idea that there are no real superpowers in the story at all and that they exist strictly within internal worlds or in the imagination of the storyteller.

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To explain my “second layer” theory which I also like referring to as my “story within a story” theory: I believe that some scenes (but not all scenes) that we see in Stranger Things might be metaphorical and not meant to be taken literally as they are shown, but rather seen as an artistic interpretation of certain concepts and scenarios.

Let’s look back at season 1. Imagine that a character (I’m going to say Mike because I do suspect he’s the one writing the story) is explaining the story of “what happened in 1983″ in a journal, and then a film crew had found what Mike had written down and adapted it into a series but the film crew did not know the original context of Mike’s story, and so the film crew was unaware that it was a story about Mike’s friend who has DID and that many of the characters in the story are actually alters.

“One day Will went missing and then a girl who said her name was Eleven showed up. She was scared and said that she knew Will but that he was ‘hiding’ and that she could help us find him in the ‘Upside Down.’ She told us that we absolutely couldn’t go tell any adults because it wasn’t safe and that ‘bad men’ were after her. I hid El in my closet upstairs when my mom came home unexpectedly. Mom told me that she wants me to feel like I can talk to her. (“All this that’s been going on with Will. I want you to feel like you can talk to me. I’m here for you!”) Later, Dustin and Lucas and I helped find clothes and a blonde wig for El. We made sure that my mom didn’t see El while she was at my house. We snuck into the school with El and tried to get to the radio in the AV Club Room, but Mr. Clarke found us and reminded us that we should be attending Will’s memorial assembly. Oops. (Thankfully Mr. Clarke didn’t ask too many questions about El and he believed our story that she’s a cousin from Sweden!) Attending Will’s funeral was a funny experience since we knew that he was actually alive after El channeled him on the walkie talkie (”Like Professor X!”) Eventually Nancy found out about El (”Is that my dress?”) and so did Joyce and Hopper and we worked together to put together a sensory deprivation tank because El remembered that she could enhance her ability to reach into the ‘Upside Down’ that way. We set up a sensory deprivation pool in the school gym. Joyce thanked El for everything that she was doing for Will and told her that if she ever got scared that she should let her know and that she’d be with her the whole time. El was able to reach out with her mind and find Will in the Upside Down. She found him in the Upside Down in Castle Byers, barely conscious. She told Will that his mom was coming to get him, and Will whispered back ‘hurry.’ Then El became upset as Will faded away into the darkness and her connection to him weakened. She took her goggles off and sat up in the water, panicking. Joyce held her close and told her that everything was ok. Joyce and Hopper went into the Upside Down to find Will and Hopper gave Will CPR until he regained consciousness. Then the Party got to visit Will at the hospital once he was feeling a bit better, and we told him all about the adventures that we’d had and that we’d “made a new friend” named “Eleven.” (”Like the number?”) Dustin said that El was “basically a wizard” but I insisted that she’s much more like a Yoda.”

So. I recognize that I skipped many scenes in the above example summary of how author Mike Wheeler might retell the story of “what happened in 1983,” but I skipped scenes because I want to primarily focus on the connection between El and Will that is represented in season 1 and set aside what is going on with the other characters for a moment. But if you re-read the summary that I wrote above you might realize that the way in which I described season 1 could be interpreted (at its core) as the non-fiction story of a bunch of kids finding their friend who went missing in the woods, realizing that the person they’re interacting with is no longer Will but a new individual (an alter, a distinctly separate state of consciousness and separate self), and then going on an adventure as they try to sort out the best way to “find Will” and bring him back while also becoming friends with El and protecting her from the “bad men” that she says are after her. The ‘Upside Down’ is a space in the DID System’s subconsciousness that is an internal world. The innocent creativity of Mike, Dustin, and Lucas as they try to find an outfit and a wig for El to wear to school is very sweet. The scene in which they accidentally run into Mr. Clarke when they are trying to break into the AV Club room becomes even more charming when you realize that Mr. Clarke does not appear to recognize El (but Mike, Dustin, and Lucas appear very nervous that he might realize something strange is going on!) Attending Will’s memorial service with El at their side gains an amusing layer of narrative irony, and Joyce’s protective parental affection for El gains new layers of significance. Every moment in the story changes if we imagine that the story we are seeing on screen is like a creative theater performance telling the story of “what happened” and each alter in the series is represented by their own individual actor on screen.

Are there moments in season 1 that break this “second layer” theory that I’ve considered? Arguably there are. I consider this a theory-in-progress. But the key concept of this “second layer” theory is that the story is perhaps not meant literally but is meant as a story that is artistically representative of the experiences that alters in a DID System might have. Many films and tv shows that portray fictional characters with DID approach telling their stories as an outside observer might and without taking into account the individuality of each alter, alters’ experiences in internal worlds, or the way that alters might have different understandings of our reality when they’re very new to the outside world and are fronting (controlling the body) for the first time. Perhaps Stranger Things is taking a new approach.

You’re probably wondering how I carry this “second layer” theory into season 2 and especially season 3 in which we finally see Will and El in more scenes together. I might write a longer blogpost about it at some point. But I believe that, if I were to assume that my “second layer” theory is correct (it’s just one of a few very different theories I’ve considered), that it is possible that significant portions of season 3 take place in an internal world or a dream in which characters that exist in Will’s life are now NPCs or alters. This would make Will’s statement “What if we locked him out here with us?” incorrect. What if Will should have technically said “What if we locked him in here with us?” What if “the Gate” is specifically the doorway through which alters need to pass in order to front in the body in the external world? As I’ve mentioned in a few other posts: I theorize that El is a gatekeeper alter. I suspect that Hopper is also a gatekeeper and that he has been mentoring El. In summary: I often wonder if Will is not always entirely “awake” and if many scenes are taking place in a liminal space between his conscious and subconscious, between reality and his dreamlike experiences in an internal world.

You might be interested in reading a summary of my observations regarding how Will and El do not interact with each other in any scenes in season 1 or season 2 directly in this older blogpost that I made about the parallels between El and Will. I think it might interest you a lot and provide more context to my “second layer” theory if you haven’t read this older post before. I am infinitely fascinated by how Will and El parallel each other so closely and yet rarely interact. I think that this is an intentional consequence of whatever secrets the writers have in store for us in future seasons and I cannot wait to find out what those secrets are. I hope that the connection between El and Will is going to be explored more in season 4.

How might we expect the layers to be peeled back in the series itself if the writers decided to reveal this “second layer” existed beneath the current story? I think that they could reveal things to us a few ways if this “second layer” does exist. Perhaps we could see a character meeting with a therapist and a medical professional would openly name the condition and describe what the characters have been dealing with in a way that provides very new “second layer” context to earlier events in the series. (Sidenote: Back in the 80s it was called “multiple personality disorder” and we might have characters in the series refer to it that way since it takes place in the 1980s, but that term is outdated and it should be referred to as “dissociative identity disorder” or “DID” today.) Perhaps we might see them artistically or literally represent concepts like co-consciousness (two alters being conscious and aware in the body at the same time) or have characters transform back and forth into each other while sitting in a chair in order to represent them taking turns fronting in the same body.

Or perhaps this “second layer” theory that I’ve described is insisting on too much artistry and metaphor and the real “second layer” is that the vast majority of the story so far has taken place in internal worlds and Hawkins itself is an internal world. (I have wondered if this might be why Hawkins doesn’t exist in the real world even though other locations referenced in Stranger Things do exist: Chicago, Indianapolis, etc.) If that were the case maybe we’ll see the shared body of the DID System for the first time in a future season which may (or may not) resemble any of the actors we’ve seen portray characters so far. But from everything that we have seen so far I theorize that the host is most often known by the name Will in the external world. (We've had both Will Byers and William "Billy" Hargrove canonically referred to as hosts. And we have "Will the Wise" who I suspect is also an alter.)

Thank you for your Ask! I hope that I was able to explain some my thoughts in a vaguely coherent way. I really should do a larger post breaking down every single scene between seasons 1 and 3 and how this “second layer” interpretation of the story could apply, but I haven’t had the time and I’ve been wary of doing it since I’m not sure how it would be received. But maybe I’ll do that sometime soon if enough people have an interest in it.

[ginnyzero]

Completely Harmless Ch. 63

Completely Harmless An SSO SilverGlade Re-imagining Story (Or Fix it Fan Salt fic) By Ginny O.

When Lily and her friends wanted to buy horses and were directed to the Silverglade Manor and its myriad of problems, they didn’t expect to start a revolution. They were just a bunch a stable girls. Completely harmless. Right?

A/N: Things are only canon if I say they’re canon. Pre-Saving the Moorland Stables compliant for the most part. Posted in its entirety on my website. Posted in 2000 to 4000 word bits here. Rated T for Swearing Word Count 177,577

Chapter Sixty-Three Rescue Time (but First Needling Mr. Sands)

Lily took another slice of lasagna. “This is actually decent lasagna.”

Mr. Sands’ brow twitched.

“Did you get the recipe from Catherine?” Lily asked.

Alex and Justin left. Justin giving a tour guide type of spiel. Lily figured he wouldn’t s how Alex anyplace sensitive. Which was fine. They didn’t need to see anything sensitive.

Mr. Sands stared at Lily.

She continued to eat. “When are you going to tell that poor boy that you killed his mother’s friends?”

“He wouldn’t exist if I hadn’t.” Mr. Sands frowned. “His father hid his heritage from him.”

“Hmm, I’m not sure how telling anyone that your grandmother is the Baroness of your district but we can’t associate with her because your grandfather, her ex-husband is an immortal alien who wants to take over the world is going to go over well.” Lily licked the fork suggestively. “I mean, there are May December romances, and then there’s you.”

Sabine and Jessica snickered.

“You know quite a bit more than you should.”

“What can I say? I have a face that people trust.” Lily shrugged and continued to eat. “You smile. You nod. You let them talk. People love to talk about themselves. The Baroness though, she was a tougher nut to crack. She doesn’t do talk. She does actions. Deeds. So, was it something you did or didn’t do that tore you two apart?”

Mr. Sands snorted. “Don’t be foolish enough to think I had any feelings towards her. She was a means to an end, no more. She didn’t have what I needed.”

“Hmm, it’s interesting to me that you were able to contain Anne, but not Lisa.” Lily stuck the fork into the lasagna.

“Oh, they fought,” Jessica said.

Sabine smirked. “But not enough.”

“You don’t need a Dark Rider,” Lily mused. “So, why keep Anne imprisoned?”

“Elise is not my recruit.”

“Oh, contingency plans.” Lily nodded. The name Elise sounded familiar but she couldn’t place it off the top of her head. “Clever enough.” She finished her slice and set down her plate. “I’ll go catch up with Justin and Alex. They might need minding. And I’m the one they think is the flirt.” Lily pushed her hair back over her shoulder strutting from the room.

She found Alex and Justin pretty easily.

“Hanging out here all day sounds like a bore,” Alex said as they wandered around a large room.

“There are plans to be set in motion,” Justin said. “And it’s not that bad.”

“No place to ride. No elbow room. Everyone on top of each other.”

“Sounds kinky,” Lily spoke up.

Alex jumped. “Don’t do that, Lils.”

Lily checked her phone.

Alex strode away from Justin. “Wait, wait, wait. At least you know what you’re waiting for I suppose.” She jerked her head to one side.

Lily waited to make sure Justin had his eyes on Alex before looking where Alex had indicated. A book rested on a book stand.

“The day is important. All the generals agree that to do it early would only bring disaster. The Keepers are too fixated on their prophecy to be paying attention. And without the other Soul Riders, they can’t stop us even if they wanted to.”

Lily walked towards the book slowly.

“They’re down to one now,” Alex said and shifted her weight. She moved towards Justin. “We’re going to be together, no matter what, baby.”

“You and me against the world,” Justin said.

Alex rested her hands on his chest. “That’s right.”

Justin frowned and turned his head to look for Lily.

Alex put a hand on his cheek and turned his head back to look at her. “Justin, look at me. I’d burn the world for you. You used to feel the same. It’s still in her.” She rubbed a circle on his chest.

Lily snagged the book and stuck it in the back of her pants under her trench coat. “Do I need to tell you two to get a room?” She leaned against the stand.

Alex flushed. “Are any of these generals hot so we can get Lily her own May December romance?”

“Only one person can rule the world, Alex,” Lily said. “And it’s going to be me.”

“Yes, yes, all hail the Queen.”

“I keep moving up in the world,” Lily murmured.

“Empress even. We can be the Empress’ advisors.” Alex grinned. “Ruling sounds so tedious anyways. You need a champion. I take champion.”

Lily snorted.

Justin rolled his eyes. “Garnok is going to rule. Not us.”

“I guess I better figure out a way to kill Garnok,” Lily said dryly.

“Come on, you have to be here for one reason or another. Show me.” Alex took Justin’s hand and tugged him away.

“Fine, there’s a control room. I can show you that,” Justin said. “It’s just a bunch of screens and drones though. There probably isn’t anything very interesting going on.”

“But it will kill time,” Alex said.

“Ugh, don’t talk about killing time,” Lily groaned. “You want the entire world to fall out of whack.”

Alex winked at her and urged Justin forward.

--

Evergray polished the keystone with a rag. “Keystones truly are a thing of wonder. You wouldn’t think a thing of such humble origins would be able to part the veil of space and time.”

Linda double checked the tuning of the harp like Lily had shown her. It was mostly nerves. She turned her head.

Horse hooves clopped against the stone of the path echoing into the Dale.

But not one set of hooves, multiple.

Elizabeth Sunbeam, Rhiannon, Avalon and a host of druids in robes and hoods swept into the Dale on horses of all colors.

“What is going on here?” Elizabeth asked.

Avalon cleared his throat. “I told you to leave, brother.”

“Tsk, as if I listen very well,” Evergray said and coughed.

“Linda,” Elizabeth scolded. “I thought better of you. Evergray isn’t to be trusted. He’s a thief.”

Linda stood up holding the harp in her arms. “He’s been more honest than you have been.” She lifted her chin.

“What is that?” Rhiannon nodded at the stone in Evergray’s arms.

“You don’t know.” Evergray shook his head. “Twenty years and all the new recruits are base ignorant. This never would have happened while I was chief archivist.”

“Evergray, you have violated the terms of your exile,” Elizabeth said. “You were warned what would happen if you ever returned. We have come to take you into custody.”

“I see how you are, Elizabeth.” Evergray turned his head and coughed. He looked back at her. “You’ve come full circle then.”

Elizabeth flushed. “I don’t know what you mean.” She straightened on her horse.

“If you didn’t, you wouldn’t be so mad. Come, now, we haven’t actually answered your questions.”

More horse hooves echoed in the Dale, this time, they were alone.

A grey dapple horse with a white mane appeared at the end of the Dale.

The druids murmured and moved aside.

“Concorde,” they whispered and murmured to each other.

Concorde trotted between them. He lowered his head to Linda. “Soul Rider,” he murmured.

Linda pressed her forehead against his. “You’re safe and alive.”

“What do you need me to do?” Concorde asked.

“Make room, make room,” Evergray said. “I believe this is our cue.”

Linda quietly explained to Concorde the plan.

--

Alex had managed to wheedle Justin back to the horses.

“It’s time,” Lily said.

“Justin, baby, your lips look super chapped.” Alex grabbed his chin.

Justin tried to move his head. “They’re fine.”

“No. They’re definitely chapped. Can’t kiss you with chapped lips,” she said. She took out the chap stick and popped the lid off with one hand. “Hold still.”

Justin’s eyes widened and he leaned back. “Alex.”

She smeared it onto his lips before he could say anything else or get away.

Justin stilled and stared ahead barely blinking.

Lily reached into her saddlebag. “Catch,” she said and tossed potions at her.

Alex caught them and opened the first one over Saga’s rump. “There, there, boy, you’ll be yourself in no time.” She hurried over to the other horses.

Lily juggled the other three potions. She poured them over the backs.

“Last one,” Alex said.

Lily tossed it to her.

Alex poured it over the back of the horse.

Lily went for the halters. “Ten minutes, and counting,” she said.

Justin blinked and rubbed his eyes. “What happened? Where am I?” He looked around. “What’s wrong with Saga?”

“Saga’s going to be all right, give her a few minutes,” Alex darted over to him.

He stared at her. “Are you wearing lip stick?”

She flung her arms around his neck. “That’s my Justin,” she said tears in her eyes. “You aren’t going to do this to me ever again. No more mind control from evil grandfathers. You hear me Justin Moorland. I can’t go through this again.”

He wrapped his arms around her. “It’s all so fuzzy. Except there was lots of lasagna.”

Alex laughed and hiccupped. “Of course you remember the lasagna.”

“Tasted like mom’s,” Justin mumbled.

“Justin, I need you to help Lily get the horses to the gate.” Alex cupped his face. “Can you do that?”

“Sure,” Justin said. He rubbed his face. “I’m just, there’s this fog.”

Alex handed him the chap stick. “Apply if you think you need more.”

Justin looked at it. “For the record, my lips aren’t chapped.” His hand closed over it.

“Sure they aren’t.” Alex kissed his cheek. She went to Lily’s saddlebags and grabbed her tools and the keystone.

“Five minutes,” Lily said.

“On it.” Alex jogged off.

“Help me get them saddled. They probably won’t fight you.”

Justin nodded.

Together they saddled the horses who tried to move away, but the further time went, the less they fought.

Justin tightened the last girth as the first spell broke over the horses.

They tossed their heads and locked their legs.

“Easy, easy,” Lily said. “We’re going to get all of you out of here. Come on.” She grabbed the reins of Nimbus and two of the others.

Nimbus took charge.

Justin took the other horses including Saga.

Alex had the gate mechanism ripped open and was fitting the keystone inside fitting the wires to it.

Lily took the book out of her pants back and put it in her saddlebag.

Alex flipped switches.

Justin’s brow furrowed.

Alex pushed the lever up. The entire rig hummed. Purple energy swirled around.

“Stop!” Jessica shouted. “They’ve opened the gate!”

Lily got on her horse.

Alex selected a horse at random and mounted.

Justin got on Saga.

“Run!” Lily shouted and Nimbus vaulted forward jumping through the portal and running flat out, the two horses behind him.

Justin urged Saga forward. The other horse followed him.

Alex gave the running Dark Riders the finger and her horse, not willing to be left behind even if the way ahead was pink energy ran after the others.

They ran as fast as they could down the winding floating stone road, jumping the gaps and through the other portal.

Alex jumped through the portal into Pandoria. It fizzled and snapped shut behind her almost taking her horse’s tail.

Justin stared around. “Where are we?”

Lily moved into view, Nimbus’ wings pressed tight over her legs. His horn gleamed in the odd light. “Welcome to Pandoria.”

--

The Soul Horses moved into their positions at the bases of the statues. They looked upwards. Magic swirled around them and they became more than what they were. Starshine’s grey mane and tail turned electric blue, a crystal horn jutted from his head. The end of it gleamed with pink light.

At the base of his statue, magenta light filled the carvings making them grow brighter.

Meteor was no longer just red. He was the red of the Harvest Moon and scattered with crater markings with moving clouds. His mane and tail white gold and glowing. His beard curled under his chin.

The magenta light swelled in the carvings of the Moon Soul Horse Statue and lit up the Dale.

Tin Can stomped his hooves. They turned cloven, like a deer rather than a horse. Lightning swirled around his bronze body and crackled in his golden mane and tail jumping off in jagged sparks and spears.

The lightning jumped from him to his statue. It turned pink and crept up every leg and around the body lighting up the carvings.

Concorde spread his glowing white wings. His coat had turned silver with lighter white gold spots. A feather fell from his wings, drifted down and fell at the base of the statue. A rainbow flared around it and then it turned pink and disappeared. The carvings glowed pink.

Linda carefully shifted the keystone into place.

Magenta light swelled at the base of the broken statue and raced up the carvings of the stairs to the gate. Pink light swirled around like a galaxy, small at first but growing until it stabilized into a door.

Elizabeth’s voice sharpened. “Is that the Harp of Aideen?”

Linda cradled the harp in her arms. She moved to the base of the stairs and plucked the strings. And with the music, she sent her heart after it.

FOR THE ACCOMPANYING IMAGES PLEASE DO NOT REMOVE MY WATERMARK AND CONTACT INFORMATION. THANK YOU. I get it. Some of you might get excited and want to see this stuff in the game, especially the clothes, tack, and pets. However, the only way I want to see this in the game is if I get paid for it. If I see it in the game and I’m not paid for it, there will be hell to pay. You think I’m salty. I’d be angry. Personally, I’m not going to send this info to SSO. If you do, leave my contact information there! Don’t give them any excuses to steal.

Now, I’ll know you haven’t read this note if you leave me comments about how ‘salty’ I am about the game and if I hate it so much I should do something else. I am doing something else. It’s called Mystic Riders MMORPG Project. Mystic Riders however is a very baby phase game. You can check out our plans on the game dev blog. (Skills, Factions, Professions, Crafting, Mini-Games, 25+ horse breeds!) If you know anyone who would be interested and has money or contacts about game making, direct them to the blog.

[baldrambo]

On Joyce Byers....

Joyce Byers is a bad ass.  So why is she handled with kid gloves by everyone?  This is a bit of a companion discussion to my Hopper post from a few weeks ago. Like my prior meta, I will discuss what I believe to be truths about Joyce and her arc, which don’t appear to be aligned with most analyses of her character that I’ve seen elsewhere. I will make 5 assertions and address each of them below the cut because (as per the norm) this got really long and I am not trying to clog up people’s dashboards.

Assertion 1: We have no canon evidence that Lonnie was physically abusive and making Joyce his victim does a disservice to her characterization

Assertion 2: What Bob represented to Joyce was more important to her arc than Bob himself (aka Bob/Joyce were not really a good match)

Assertion 3: Making fun of/being frustrated by Joyce’s magnet obsession misses the point of her arc in S3, which was about her pro-activity rather than reactivity

Assertion 4: Joyce inappropriately attempts to compartmentalize Hopper (aka Joyce needs to let Lonnie and Bob go if she’s to ever move on)

Assertion 5: Joyce is not a delicate cinnamon roll in need of our protection she is a BAMF and should be treated as such.

Assertion 1:

Our first introduction to Joyce is as a small, mousy, anxious, chain-smoking single mom who….can’t find her keys.  And not because she is is careless. She has literally SO much on her plate at any given moment that the location of her keys is trivial until it’s not.  She works long hours at a low-wage job to support her boys.  She really has no life outside of work, paying bills, and cleaning house.  Wash, rinse, repeat.  She is just barely scraping by. 

And yet we learn through flashbacks fairly quickly after Will’s disappearance that despite working long hours, despite the constant stress….she still manages to find time to parent her boys.  And not just be any old parent, mind you.  Joyce Byers is a good parent.  When Will is out in Castle Byers she doesn’t just barge in.  She respects his personal space, remembers a unique nerdy password, and waits for him to tell her that she can enter.  She then trusts his judgment when he says that he can handle watching Poltergeist. This is later juxtaposed by the scene in Nancy’s bedroom with Jonathan where Karen attempts to enter the bedroom after Nancy has had to lock it.  Jonathan looks at Nancy, a little shocked, and says “she doesn’t knock?” Which is weird to him, of course, because Joyce would always knock.  Now lets contrast Joyce, who is Mother of the Year, with Lonnie Byers who is a Grade A Piece of Shit™. He abandoned the family and hasn’t seen them in years.  And when he was around, he spent his time being a deadbeat, calling his son a faggot, and trying to force his boys into being “manlier” and more mainstream.

We first meet Lonnie in 1x2 when Jonathan drives out to Indianapolis to confirm that Will is in fact, not with his father.  When Lonnie’s girlfriend answers the door, Jonathan pushes past her and into the home, shouting for his brother.  Lonnie then comes in from outside, grabs Jonathan, and pushes him up against a wall.  Only then does he realize it’s his son.  Lonnie hadn’t seen Jonathan in so long that he almost didn’t recognize him, and initially thought him an intruder. Jonathan angrily shoves Lonnie back, who steps back and laughs. Notably, Jonathan does not appear to fear Lonnie and Lonnie makes no attempt to otherwise assert any other type of physical control over Jonathan. Lonnie talks to him like he’s an adult.

When Lonnie returns in 1x5 for Will’s funeral, he is an immediate negative influence who has Joyce up drinking all night, calls her crazy, and starts sniping at Jonathan about some stupid poster in his bedroom being inappropriate.  However, there is no real confrontation until Joyce finds the flyer in his belongings and realizes he is attempting to collect on Will’s “death.”  She screams at Lonnie and holds her ground when he shouts back.  She shoves him. She gets in his face and throws his bag at him.  And then little 5′2 Joyce Byers successfully throws a grown ass man out of her house.  He never raises a hand to her.

This is not a Lonnie Byers apology piece.  Lonnie Byers is a shitty dad, shitty partner, shitty person.  I think an entirely separate piece could be written on the emotional abuse of his boys (although in the 80′s Midwest much of that would be considered normal, but that’s another essay).  But there is nothing to suggest that Lonnie ever hit them, or Joyce.  If the Duffers wanted Lonnie to be physically abusive, they would make it obvious, no?

The most clear example of this? Neil Hargrove. When he enters Billy’s bedroom in 2x8, he has complete control.  Over Billy, his wife, the conversation.  He overtly strikes Billy, humiliates him, and it’s clear that Billy fears him.  Susan Hargrove also fears him, and she stands in the background for the entire confrontation, avoiding eye contact, saying nothing.  The only time she attempts to intercede is to diffuse the situation, diffuse Neil, when he commands that Billy apologize and quickly shuts up when it’s clear her efforts didn’t work.  She then exits the room, first allowing him to leave the room before her. The dynamics here are light years from Joyce/Lonnie/Jonathan.

Ok so.  Why am I bringing all of this up? Because, imo, turning Lonnie into a physical abuser cuts at the heart of Joyce’s characterization.  Joyce Byers is a fighter.  That’s what Bob loved about her.  “You fight back,” he told her, in a somewhat awestruck voice.  Joyce is not a Susan Hargrove. None of this is to suggest that Susan is to blame for what she has gone through, or that somehow Joyce is better for not being like her. I contrast them because the Duffer brothers do. Joyce will steamroll anyone and anything that gets in her way to protect her boys.  If she’s on a mission….if she is trying to save someone…watch out.  Making Lonnie a physical abuser so he can be a plot device, or because it makes it easier to hate and villainize him upsets the core of Joyce’s character. And it changes the entire show.

Assertion 2:

Much of Joyce’s inner strength shines through in S2.  When S2 begins, Joyce can’t leave Will’s side and still worries about him incessantly.  She’s overbearing and “struggles to function” whenever she is not with him.  She is forced to re-live the horrors of what her and her family went through every time she goes to Hawkins Lab and worse…she has to place her trust in the very same people who nearly ripped her family apart.  Yet, she doesn’t give up, she soldiers on for Jonathan and Will.  But so much like S1, S2 Joyce is helpless.  She is unable to control what is happening around her.  The events of S1-S2 make her reactionary, she gets dragged along by the plot instead of driving the plot.

But there is one bright spot of happiness for her…..Bob.  He is the exact opposite of Lonnie in every way.  He is kind, thoughtful, hardworking, honest, and trustworthy.  He put Joyce first, he tried to bond with and be a parent to Will and Jonathan. And he was willing to jump in to the fray when he had no idea what was going on to save her, save everyone despite being absolutely terrified.  Bob Newby. Superhero.

There are some early warning signs that perhaps….we as the audience are not supposed to view this as the perfect match? Jonathan, in particular, doesn’t seem to approve at all, in fact, it downright confuses him.  He confides in Will that he doesn’t understand what Joyce sees in him and later gets agitated when he learns that Bob has stayed the night.  Hopper, too, seems to struggle with it. And while a lot of that can probably be chalked up to the early signs of jealousy, his forced “I’m happy for you” appears to be at least somewhat tied to his inability to take her dating “Bob the Brain” seriously.  Why drop all these hints if it doesn’t mean anything?

It’s the conversation she has with Bob in 2x2 on Halloween that really cements Joyce’s arc and Bob’s central purpose.  While they’re dancing to Kenny Rogers, he starts prattling on about moving to Maine.  He’s in love with her, he knows being in Hawkins is hard for her.  So why not start over again and be a family? “We aren’t a normal family.” She tells Bob.  His response is simple: “It could be.” And that moment plants that seed for Joyce.  What if they COULD be a happy, nuclear family?  What if they COULD leave all that trauma behind them and finally find safety and security?  She starts thinking on it so much that by the end of S2 when Bob brings it up again, she’s all but ready. And the Duffers have confirmed, if Bob had survived she would have gone with him to Maine.

But here’s the thing: what if someone else besides Bob had planted the idea in her head? Would she have wanted it any less?  Or consider, was it really Bob himself that drove her desire, or was it always lying dormant there waiting to be activated?  If she had started dating Hopper after S1 instead and HE had been the one to make the suggestion, would she have desired it any less?  Did she really love Bob himself, or the idea of him?

It’s easy to romanticize Bob because he seemed perfect, he represented the happy ending that Joyce wants, that WE WANT for her, but here’s the thing.  There is no perfect guy.  You can’t move a few states away and leave behind Demogorgons and another dimension that nearly killed your son.  That stays with you wherever you go, and you have to face it and deal with it.  You can’t run away from trauma, and Joyce has to realize this.  Joyce is chasing a mirage. Perhaps Bob was kind of a mirage, too. 

Assertion 3:.

The Joyce we see at the end of s2 seems….like she’s going to be okay.  She has her boys, Hopper’s friendship.  She’s lost Bob but the Gate is closed now, everyone is safe (or so everyone thinks).  But then there’s S3 Joyce.  She’s lonely, isolated, sad, discontent, and restless.  The kids are trying to move on from the events of S1-S2.  But she’s unable to.  She’s unable to move on from Bob, from her fear that her boys could still be in danger, from the feeling that something is going to go horribly wrong again and she won’t be able to stop it. 

So Joyce preemptively reshapes her arc.  She decides she is going to put her own house on the market.  Bob may not be coming with her but goddammit she is going to move anyway and find safety somewhere else.  When she notices the magnets fall off the fridge she is not going to wait and see what happens, SHE is going to go research magnets and solenoids and weird science stuff she doesn’t understand and SHE is going to figure it out and SHE is going bring it to Hopper before shit hits the fan.  And when they call the military, SHE is not going to wait around for them to show up and save her kids.  She’s going to take action herself.

Thus, Joyce is driving much of the plot in S3, rather than being dragged along by the plot as she was in S1-S2.  She is not focusing all of her time and energy on Will and his safety, and reacting to where he is and what he’s doing, she is able to focus on Hopper, El, the Party, the bigger picture.  Will kept her focus narrowed, magnets expanded them.

And perhaps most significantly, the magnet obsession is what ultimately saved the day.  Joyce is the hero of S3.  Think about who saved the day in S1-S2.  Who were the heroes?  El and Hopper.  In S1, El sacrificed herself to kill the Demogorgon and save the Party and Hopper resuscitated Will.  In S2, El and Hopper closed the Gate.  In S3, who saved the day? El?  She had no power.  She wasn’t even the one fighting the Meat Flayer. Hopper?  He was trapped on the platform.  Who closed the Gate and killed the “Meat Flayer?”  Joyce.  By herself. This ended the threat, this stopped the “Meat Flayer,” this saved El and the Party.

I think it’s easy to miss all of this due to the tonal shift in S3, which added some silliness to the plot lines that didn’t exist in S1-S2.  On the surface, obsessing about magnets instead of your son seems ridiculous.  But this shift gave Joyce’s character a chance to breathe, a chance to grapple with her own feelings, what she wants, it gave her a chance to just be Joyce instead of Mom™.  So S3 is about her, instead of what is happening to her. 

And i think, ultimately, this tonal shift in S3 is what allowed that to happen.  If the circumstances in S3 were the same as S1-S2, then the Duffers wouldn’t have had this freedom.  If we want to see Joyce grow as a character, there has to be time and energy spent on her away from her kids and away from the same closed loop of S1-S2. Which brings me to my next point.

Assertion 4:

Jopper.  You can’t expect me to write this long ass meta on Joyce Byers and not talk about Hopper, right?

In early S3 there is obviously a marked shift in her relationship with Hopper.  There are no longer secrets (El) or other relationships (Bob) that they can use to hold each other at arm’s length anymore.  There are no other adults in town now who understand what they’ve been through.  Joyce is effectively co-parenting El with Hopper and it’s clear that he not only asks her for advice often but that they spend a lot of time together.  This did not happen between 1 and 2.  It’s made fairly clear upfront that Hopper is hopelessly in love with her, but what of Joyce?  She’s more difficult to read.  And this is due in large part to the fact that she is more complicated than Hopper and her feelings are more complicated than his.

I am not here to argue about whether I think Joyce loves Hopper.  This entire analysis is based on the assumption that she does because I think the Duffers and Winona have given us more than enough to go on to draw that conclusion.  What I AM here to argue, however, is that Joyce is still grappling with what she wants and (inappropriately so) is attempting to compartmentalize Hopper.

Adult relationships are complicated and particularly for a character like Joyce, who has been to Hell and back a few times, there is added complexity that has to be dealt with and worked through.  She’s been in prior relationships before.  She knows what it’s like to be in love and she’s felt the pain and grief that comes along with it.  She’s been divorced already, had a spouse that abandoned her, children  to prioritize over her own love life, and trauma stemming both from the events of 1983-1985 and separate from it.  Joyce, especially, is fresh off the train of losing a love interest who she got close to very quickly.  You can imagine her hesitation about leaping forwards again with someone else who could die.

There’s your backdrop for Joyce in S3.  Throw a healthy dollop of she has feelings for Hopper and then point blank ask her: “What do you want, Joyce?”  She could probably tell you that she wants to feel safe again.  That she wants to be free of the pain and grief of losing Bob and what happened in S1-S2.  If you really can get her to open up (or if you are a mind reader like Murray) you would also find out that she is still holding onto that desire to have a normal, happy family which includes a “nice guy to settle down with.”  The thing about Hopper is that he fulfills all of this for her, just messily.  Joyce is still looking for that coloring book of life to be filled in by an artist (Bob). Hopper fills it in like a 3 year old with disorganized scribbles that cover the picture but can’t quite stay in the lines.  Lonnie is easy: he never even filled in the lines to begin with.

Hopper shares personality traits with both Bob and Lonnie.  Like Bob, he makes her feel safe, she can trust him, she knows he cares about her, feels more than friendship for her.  But he’s also brash and loud and argumentative and after spending a decade of her life screaming with Lonnie….she doesn’t want that again.  He probably at times DOES “remind her of a bad relationship,” but Hopper is not Lonnie.  He respects her, treats her like an equal, trusts her judgment. But she can’t escape the constant comparisons.

And what I’ve seen from a lot of the fandom are the same attempts to shove Hopper into the “Lonnie” box or the “Bob” box that Joyce keeps trying to do.  S1-S2 Hopper is in the “Bob” box.  We like S1-S2 Hopper. But S3 Hopper, man.  He is in the “Lonnie” box.  He yells and stamps his feet.  This Hopper isn’t “good enough” for Joyce.

But here’s my radical proposition: Hopper IS good enough for Joyce if he is who she wants.  And he is what she wants.  But she needs to let Lonnie and Bob go first.

Lonnie and Bob still have a hold on her and if she is going to be able to take that leap forward with Hopper she needs to put their ghosts to rest.  She couldn’t save Bob, but maybe she can save Hopper.  Maybe Hopper isn’t perfect and has a temper, but that is ok because he loves her and respects her unlike Lonnie. I think if we see Joyce work through this in S4 and join her on her journey of making the decision to be with Hop and making that choice FOR HERSELF rather than the plot or some other force making that decision for her, the payout is gonna be huge.

Assertion 5:

Finally, I wanted to touch on the common theme of this whole analysis: that despite this inner strength, despite the growth and change her character has undergone, she is still largely handled by the ST fandom with kid gloves.  Like she is someone that can’t take care of herself, and who we need to step in and defend and protect against….the world.  Here are a few examples I’ve seen over and over:

1) Mischaracterizing S3 Hopper as an “abuser” that Joyce needs “protection” from, much like she needed “protection” from Lonnie. 

2) Attempting to turn Jonathan into her protector/her keeper.  

3) Defending her when she is in the wrong because she is Mom™ (see i.e. standing Hopper up for their date and being non-apologetic about it.)

4) Analyzing “what is best for Joyce” without thinking about her canon feelings or what SHE wants

As I dissected above, Joyce never needed protection from Lonnie. She doesn’t need protection from Hopper. Or anyone.  She doesn’t need Jonathan stepping in for her and she does not need us the fandom, to decide FOR her what she wants and what she can and cannot do.  All this does is, ultimately, build her arc around men and strip her of her agency as a character.

All the canon evidence suggests that she is a bad ass.  She curb stomps assholes on the regular and saves the day, multiple times.  So why is it next to impossible to find any discussion of Joyce that doesn’t involve complaints of what man (Duffer or otherwise) is wronging her at any moment?  Is it because it’s just easier to pidgeonhole characters, particularly female characters, into villain/oppressor and “the good guy?”  Because if we open her up into complexity outside of being our cinnamon roll mom we worry she could disappoint us? Because we cannot accept that a good female character doesn’t need protection?  What happens if Joyce is just a complex person who is both mom and badass? Focused on her kids and herself? Deserving of her own life and respect for her autonomy? Is both selfish and selfless?

Joyce, imo, has one of the most compelling arcs on the entire show.  We are introduced to her as a Mom who is barely holding it together already and then loses her son, sending her into a spiral that her inner strength alone carries her through.  After nearly losing her kid again, she loses her boyfriend horrifically, and just when she thinks they may have finally escaped it all permanently she has to single-handedly close the Gate, torching the only other man she loves in the process. So she packs her shit up and moves her family away from the danger.  She goes from the most reactive character on the show to, perhaps, the most proactive one.  

She may not have “powers,” she may not be able to effectively wield a gun, but she can knee an asshole in the crotch and that makes her a hero to me. I say let her be everything she is, allow her to explore her own wants even if they are imperfect, let her make mistakes and stand up for and protect herself, and let her be her own person outside of the character arcs of other male characters.

Andddddd end scene.

[stillprettyeleven]

Explanations

Summary: El and Max have a much needed heart-to-heart, away from the boys and Hopper. Slight implied Mileven. Set a few weeks after El closes the gate.

A/N: Hello there! So, I’ve had this Stranger Things blog ever since I finished watching season 1 in September 2016, and I’ve never really used it. However, I want to change that! I’ve written fanfic for other shows before, and I love Stranger Things and all of its glorious fanfiction, so I thought I’d maybe give it a go. So, this is my first fic! I hope you enjoy, and if you do, then please share it and give me your thoughts on it <3

Once, twice, three times.

El turned down the television to hear the knock again, to make sure that it was correct. It had been a couple of weeks now since she had closed the gate; she was pretty confident that the Bad Men were gone for good, but Hopper wasn’t so sure. He had told her again and again that they couldn’t take any chances - she still had to abide by the rules. She still wasn’t allowed to be stupid.

Once, twice, three times.

Instead of opening it with a slight jerk of her head, El decided to get up and open the door manually. She checked the watch that Hopper had given her. Four-two-six, it read. Hopper had told her before he’d left for the station that morning that he wouldn’t be home until five-three-zero. Which could only mean one thing - Mike was behind the door.

Although the Wheeler kid still had a long way to go before Hopper could accept Mike and El’s blossoming relationship, he had enough respect for the boy to take baby steps, one of which was allowing Mike to visit the cabin (whilst Hopper was also home, of course) and to also teach him the coded knock. El’s heart started to thump a little bit as she realised what Mike was doing. He was visiting her when Hopper wasn’t home. The thought made her lips turn up into a grin. Holding her breath, she opened the door, expecting to find him there, wearing that smile that he saved just for her. But instead, she was greeted by a girl with long, red hair and a skateboard underneath her arm. Max looked up when the door swung open.

“Hi, El!” she said brightly, trying to put on a brave face. The tension between the two girls had yet to be diffused, despite Max being as friendly as she could possibly be. The telekinetic girl hadn’t given her any hints as to why she had instantly disliked Max the moment they met, and Max was so close to giving up guessing. This was her last shot - if El didn’t accept her after this visit, then she didn’t know what else she could do to change her mind.

El’s facial expression arranged into one of disappointment and dislike. “You’re not Mike,” she said matter-of-factly.

Max resisted the urge to reply with a sarcastic comment. She shuffled her feet. “No, I’m not,” she said with an awkward laugh. This is gonna be fun, she thought to herself.

“Why are you here?” El asked unamused. “How did you know where I was?”

“Um, well, Mike helped me out and told me how to get here, and he told me about the secret knock and everything...” Max replied, trailing off. She was sensing that this girl wanted her to get off her doorstep.

Max sighed. “Look, I know we haven’t had a chance to talk, since, you know, everything that happened that night, but I thought it would be nice if you and I took the chance to get to know each other. And then maybe we could be friends.”

Max looked down at her shoes, expecting El to say “no” and slam the door in her face. But the door stayed open.

After a few moments, El spoke up. “You can come in,” she caved with a slight sigh, already walking back into the cabin.

“Oh... Great!” Max said, trying to keep it together.

She followed El into the cabin, and with a slight jerk of El’s head, the door closed and locked itself once again. Max took in her surroundings as she placed her skateboard beside the door. The cabin was a lot smaller than she had anticipated; she’d heard from Mike that Hopper had hidden El here for over a year. Now that she was seeing the place for herself, Max wondered how anyone could live there long-term. The curtains were drawn, so that hardly any sunlight was coming through. It was dim and had no decorations, photos or any variation of colour. Max pitied El, and wondered how she had managed to cope in this place for so long, especially when Hopper wasn’t there most of the time.

She wandered over to the couch to where El was sitting, staring at her. Max sat down on the couch, leaving a considerable distance between them. The pair sat in silence for a few moments. It was clear that El wasn’t going to initiate conversation, so Max accepted that she would have to be the one to start talking.

“Okay, I’m just gonna come right out and say it,” Max sighed, forcing herself to look at El, who was staring down at the blanket draped over her. Max took a deep breath before her next sentence. 

“Why don’t you like me?”

The sheer bluntness of the redhead’s question took El aback and it forced her to look at Max, eyes wide. She continued to stare at her before replying in a soft, quiet voice.

“I saw you with Mike in the big room. At school.”

Max looked at El quizzically. “Wha- What big room? When was this?”

El sighed, obviously struggling to explain something that even she herself didn’t fully understand. 

“Before I closed the gate. I went to school to see Mike. He didn’t see me. I saw you and Mike in a big room. I watched you through the doors. You were on your skateboard, and I made you fall. Then I ran back home.”

Max sat for a few moments, still confused. Then, all of a sudden, the memory clicked back into place.

“Oh,” she said, “you saw us in the gym! I remember now.”

“Gym?” El asked.

“It’s where everyone at school plays sports and stuff,” Max explained. She paused for a few seconds before continuing. “Wait, hang on. You were the reason why I fell off my board?”

El looked at Max, a slight tinge of guilt in her eyes. “Yes.”

Max re-positioned herself on the couch, pulling her knees close to her chest. “Why did you do it?” she asked, shocked.

El closed her eyes for a brief moment. “When I saw you with Mike, I... I didn’t... I didn’t feel good. I felt...”

El struggled to find the right word.

“Jealous?” Max offered, a slow smirk spreading across her lips. 

“What’s jealous?” El asked. Maybe this could be her new word of the day.

“It’s when you see something that someone else has and you want it too,” Max explained. “Except, I don’t want Mike. You just thought I did.”

“But Mike was smiling at you,” El protested, her voice serious. “And you were smiling at him... I thought he liked you more than he liked me.”

Max then broke into a fit of laughter. “Are you kidding me? Me and Mike?” Max wiped tears away from her eyes, her cheeks now a rosy pink. “Oh El, that’’s a good one.”

El looked more confused than ever. “Why is that funny?”

Max let out a few more laughs. “Because it’s Mike! He’s never liked me, right from the moment we met. Not in that way, at least. Trust me, El, you’re the only girl he likes. He completely adores you. You have nothing to be worried about. And that’s a promise.”

"Promise,” El repeated with a smile, a content feeling spreading throughout her entire body. However, she now felt bad for how mean she had been to Max since their first meeting. She had been wrong this entire time. Mike didn’t like Max. He liked her, El. And she liked him. A lot. That thought made her smile even more.

“Sorry,” El said quietly, forcing herself to look Max in the eye. “I’m sorry for being mean to you.”

“It’s alright,” Max replied, giving El a smile in return. “So... friends?”

Max held out her hand to El, just like their first meeting, when El had walked right past her without so much as a glance in her direction. She braced herself for another possible rejection.

However, to the redhead’s surprise, El nodded with a smile and accepted Max’s hand, shaking it lightly. “Friends,” El agreed.

They held on to each other for a few moments, before letting go. “Well, I gotta go,” Max said, pushing herself off the couch. “I told my mom I would be home not long after 5, so I should get going, otherwise I’m gonna be in deep shit.”

El nodded. “Okay,” she replied, getting up too. “Will I see you on Saturday? At Will’s house?”

“Of course!” Max nodded enthusiastically, moving towards the cabin door. “Although we’re probably spend all afternoon playing that dumb board game that the boys are obsessed with.”

“I don’t mind it,” El said truthfully. Of course, El didn’t have the first clue about how to play D&D, but she didn’t care. In all honesty, she didn’t care how she and the others spent their afternoons; the only thing that mattered to her was that after a year of being alone, she was finally allowed to see her friends again on a regular basis. 

“Okay, so, I’ll see you then?” Max said, grabbing her skateboard and opening the door.

“Yes,” El replied. Saturday was two days away, but it felt like forever to her.

“Alright. Bye then!” Max said. She gave El a smile, which El kindly returned. Max considered giving her a hug too, but decided that it was too risky. She had only just gotten El on her side, and she didn’t want to jepordise that by being too far-forward too quickly. Baby steps, she told herself. So instead, Max turned on her heels and walked back into the forest, her red hair swinging behind her.

El closed the door behind her, breathing a sigh of relief. She now had her first girl friend. And Mike liked her. 

Saturday couldn’t come any faster. 

[ifnotlovethenwhatff-blog]

Chapter 14

Vera, had been standing in the doorway of her daughter’s old room for twenty minutes reminiscing on the past. Six years of memories rest comfortably within the walls of this room for the three girls to always remember. Now times have changed and Vera is left to care for her youngest daughter.

Did I fail her?

That one burning question is what Vera asks herself everyday for the last two months. The poor woman does nothing but doubt her abilities to be a mother, decapitating her self confidence in every way imaginable. Young Careena even noticed a difference in her mom’s attitude, mood and some days her appearance. On the days Vera doesn't have to work, she's typically dress down in old shirts and pajama pants. With her being back in school now for the spring semester she does a lot lounging around the house.

College isn't what is used to be and these online courses are a real bitch. Arielle used to help her mother out with homework and exam preparation but now that she's gone, Careena has to pick up the slack. The short version of all of this, is that Arielle’s absence is taking its toll in more ways than one.

Careena on the other hand is happy for her sister's new life. Of course there are days when that sister bond is longed for but that hasn't cause Reena to feel sad or upset. Down at the end of the hall Vera could hear Careena’s music creep under the open space at the bottom of the door and fill the hallway faintly. It’s questionable how Reena has been able to deal with her sister's lack of appearance so effortlessly. But it's rather quite simple, at least in Careena’s mind it is.

Trudging toward the opposite end of the hallway, Vera grabbed the doorknob and burst into the room taking in everything she saw. There on the bed lay multiple and different size boxes covered in baby themed wrapping paper. Vera had no clue what was inside each box but she knew they were gifts for her soon to come grandbaby. Careena put down her beauty blender egg and turned to face her mom with slow movements. Vera had this sad puppy dog expression on her face and Reena didn't know how to react to her mom burstin in her room.

“Are those for your sister?” She mumbled, with one hand on the doorknob and another on her left cheek. Careena slowly nodded in response to her mother's question, not having any desire to further upset the woman.

“When did you have time to buy baby presents? You've been skipping out on school haven't you?” Vera's quick assumptions were scary and intimidating but Careena kept her wits about her.

“Mom, no. I made time to get a few things for the baby so Arielle wouldn't have so much to buy. You know how she is with being prepared for the future. I just thought I could help her out to make this ea-”

“Wow..” A low murmur flew out Vera’s mouth and before she knew it she was chuckling to herself. Careena now holds right to be afraid of what her mom might do. Some flip of emotion must've just occurred in Vera's mind prompting her change in mood. She then stalked over to Reena’s bed and went for the harmless boxes.

Careena yelled over and over for her mom to stop ripping opening the paper to see what was inside. Even with just the two of them in the room, their arguing sounded like so much chaos for two small people.

“Mom stop! You're gonna ruin everything!”

“I don't care!”

All one could hear outside of this room is yelling of the loudest kind. Three out of six boxes were successfully torn apart with the baby’s new clothes scattered across the bed and the floor. Careena was knocked onto the floor by her mom’s erratic behavior, just adding more fuel to the fire. The doorbell going off throughout the house put a pause on the current event and brought silence back to the home once again.

“Go answer the door mom. You told me I wasn't allowed to so go see who's at the door.” Careena spoke with uneven breaths. She watched Vera turn towards the door with wet eyes and a reddened face.

With Vera stomping off down the hall Careena slammed her door shut and slid down to the floor gripping her hair in between her fingers.

“Dang Ari..look what you being gone has done to her..to us.” Reena muttered to herself. She got up off the floor and went back to getting ready for the day. The remainder of the time she spent dolling herself up she could hear a man's voice downstairs. The voice is one she doesn't recognize giving her the opportunity to focus on the tasks at hand. With the sound of 21 Savage blaring out loud as Arielle’s specific ringtone, Careena ran to retrieve her cell.

“You gotta come and get me now. I can't stay here another minute longer.” She spat out in a rush, going around the room to prep a bag. Inside a large gift bag were the re wrapped boxes for the baby along with some extra belongings of Arielle's she left behind. Reena also threw in some stuff of her own.

“What's going on? Did mom spazz on you again?” Arielle questioned innocently.

With an irritated snack of the lips Careena kept pushing herself to clean up and get ready for her weekend with her sister.

“You already know she did. She's crazy Ari and I'm tired of being the one to deal with the fallout. I'm not saying you're to blame but you being gone is really screwing with her head and her feelings. You have got to sit down and talk to that woman.” Reena’s suggestion was more of a demand than a piece of advice but Arielle knew that. She smelled her little sister's attitude the second the line connected.

“I will.”

“No I mean a real conversation. Woman to woman. I don't know what y’all talk about but whatever it is doesn't seem to be resonating with her the way you think it is. She has these crazy objects anytime she goes into your room or sees anything baby related. She hasn't cooked nor has she gone grocery shopping in two weeks Ari so I've been living off snacks and juice. I'm hungry, I'm tired and I'm fed up.”

Arielle held sympathy towards her baby sister being that she knows what she's going through with Vera. Once upon a time when Canaan had just divorced Vera, Careena would go and stay with her dad every summer. Every day was a showdown with the behavior Vera expressed because of her youngest child being away.

“Walk a couple houses down. Go out the back and around the side of the house. Is she near you?” Arielle asked skeptically.

“Nah, she's downstairs talking to some man. I'm coming out. Bye.” Reena hung up on her sister and jetted for the stairs and towards the back of the house. Another look over her shoulder to ensure Vera wasn't watching and she was out. Quietly sneaking around to the side gate Careena unlatched the lock and snuck the gate door open just wide enough to squeeze through. She was successful at crossing the yard and following Ari’s directions on where to find Kamil's car.

Hearing soft knocks on the window, Kamil hit the locks so Careena could slip into the backseat.

“I feel like a fugitive right now. What took you so long?” Careena settled herself into the car, placing her bags on the empty seat next to her.

“We had some stuff to do. So why was mom freaking out again? You didn't really explain much on the phone.”

Careena broke down the fight with their mom shocking Arielle but not Kam in the slightest. Vera may have upgraded some of her characteristics but others will never change indefinitely.

Nestled comfortably at a booth inside the busy downtown PF Changs, the trio were enjoying their night to full capacity. No talk of personal problems or stress, just fun conversation to help go the night go by smoothly. Careena mentioned the subject of a baby shower which is currently the topic in rotation.

“So when will it be? I don't want you to have it while I'm in school and then I can't come.” Careena pointed out, picking through the vegetables mixed with her noodles.

Arielle and kamil both have their own ideas for the baby shower details. Since they know Ari is having a boy there is no set color scheme, place of interest, food choice, etc. Arielle doesn't want to go with the traditional blue that most parents go with. She's so bent on having a neutral theme so no one will be able to guess the gender right away. This has been her plan ever since she knew that she wanted to have kids of her own. Now Kam likes the blue idea but he wants to throw in grey as an accent shade or white as an accent tint.

“I thought about making the date for early April like the second week possibly. My due date is set for May 20 which is a Saturday but I could give birth anywhere from the 29th of April and the 3rd of June..so I don't know.” Arielle huffed.

“Okay what about who's all going? You know Canaan and Jaz will want to go and maybe even Erica. Ooh..what about y’alls moms?” Good question. Neither Kamil or Arielle could pretend they weren’t presented with a great fucking question. In order to keep the peace between the families one of two decisions will have to be made.

Since Kamil and his mom aren't Vera’s biggest fans they won't have much a choice but to tolerate Arielle’s mom. Because after all, Arielle won't keep her mom out of her baby’s life, not indefinitely anyhow. With the small changes Ms. O’Brien is making she might not be as big of a threat to the survival of this baby shower but there's always room for surprise.

“As long she stays in her place and doesn't come out of pocket I won't have anything to say. I know my grandmother, my mom, and my mom’s sister will be there like they were for La’s baby shower. We’ll figure something out that will be best for the both of us.” Kam declared, removing his glasses and roughly rubbing his face.

“I didn't know you wore glasses Kamil. That makes you both nerds.” Careena joked innocently.

“Nah these are not prescription they're just some glasses I ordered online when I got her a new pair. You're the real nerd, except you wear your contacts most of the time don't you?” He flipped the script putting Reena on the spot with no hesitation.

“That I do.” She confessed, flagging down their waiter for the night.

The waiter, Zeke, appeared with the check and a to-go bag of food for Arielle intended to be eaten later on tonight. Kamil foot the bill, the girls split the tip and then they left the restaurant full and satisfied.

“I feel so full. Ari how did you eat everything on your plate?” Reena moaned in disgust at rememberance of her sister's clean dinner plate.

“This baby helps me eat. I’m over 130 pounds now and I don't know how I feel about that. I got my food for later tonight and tomorrow so I'm all set. You good babe?”

Kamil looked over at Arielle and nodded with confidence. The engine turned over and out of the parking lot they went. Arielle turned on the radio and connected the car's blue tooth to her Apple Music. While she scrolled through her many playlists, Kam started up some talk with Reena to get to know her a little better. A velvety mixture of R&B and 90s rap was flowing through car, changing the mood in the air.

Kamil had a sudden craving for sweets and made his way to a cookie shop he lives for. Anytime he visits Gideons he leaves with a surplus of cookies. The drive to Gideon's took no time at all with Kam going 70 on the interstate and the lack of police. It's pushing 10 o'clock and the girls are getting sleepy but they'll soon awaken. Parking right in front of the bake house, Kamil turned the car off and scurried inside to pick up some treats.

Elle locked the car from the inside watching from her seat as Kam stood at the counter. Resting quietly with her hands on her belly, Elle swayed her head from side to side locked in mentally to the music. Inside Kamil was scanning the variety of cookies, cakes, pies and cheesecakes. A young woman walked over to where Kamil was standing with her hands behind her back.

“Have you decided what you wanted?” The girl asked stepping closer to the glass counter and looking at all the desserts for the millionth time today.

“Uh..yeah it's gonna be a big order though.” Clasping his hands together Kam bent down to see the goodies behind the glass better.

“Okay so I want two of every cookie in here.” Standing up straight Kam removed his wallet from his back pocket to get his card out. He felt a stare on him so when he met the eyes of the girl, he couldn't contain his laughter.

“Oh you're serious? Okay let me get started on these right away.” The girl slipped on a pair of gloves, grabbed carry out two boxes and began filling them up with cookies.

Glancing up at her customer the girl focused back on packing the small boxes. “So..whats with all the cookies..you throwing a party or something?” She laughed, closing the counter doors and bringing Kamil’s order over to the register.

“No party. I just really like these cookies. They're the best I've ever had. It's kind of slow in here tonight though.” Kamil's innocent observation was taken completely out of context with this girl. In her mind she saw an opportunity present itself with a good looking stranger. But unknown to her is that he's out of her league. This chick just dabbled in the confidence of transforming from a teenager to a legal adult.

There's no chance in hell that Kamil or any man in his right mind would even consider touching a girl as young as her. She's still thought of as a baby in most people's eyes and yet she believes her chance has come to snag a real man. She rung up the order and placed a sticker on the flaps of the boxes to keep the treats inside.

“That’ll be $51.18.” She murmured in a delicate tone of voice. Kamil looked at the board behind the counter and did his own math of how much these cookies really are. When he finished his calculation he shook his head in disbelief at what's happening. It didn't take him long to understand the situation.

“Please don’t do me any special favors. I know the total is way higher than what you're telling me. Here.” Handing over his card Kam turned around to find Arielle watching the show in amusement. She's a smart girl. Without even being inside the bake shop Arielle knew what mess Kamil was trying to clean up.

Looking back at the girl Kamil took back his card and grabbed the boxes from the counter. He thanked her and heads back out to the car.

“Hey wait..”

Stopping in his tracks Kamil faced the associate halfway not wanting to give in completely.

“I just wanted to say I'm sorry. I wasn't right for that and I didn't mean any harm I swear. I just..I don't really know what I thought.”

Kamil nodded in solidarity to her little speech and accepted her apology. This time when he turned around he didn't look back. Stepping out onto the chilly sidewalk Kam walked towards the driver side of the car.

“Hey..” A voice called out. Kamil got the door open thanks to Arielle unlocking the car and looked around to see who was talking to him. He locked eyes with Kaliyah yet again in a public place with Elle around. Kam placed the boxes over in Arielle's lap and shut the door, walking back over to the sidewalk.

Kaliyah has the same mindset as the little girl in the shop but Kam could easily recognize this new issue. Being that Kaliyah is no stranger to old boy he actually knew how to get rid of her.

“Why the fuck do you keep showing up everywhere that I go?” He spoke loudly.

“I want to talk Kam.” Kaliyah put on this voice that usually attracts men to her. The sultry, low pitch voice that gives off her true intentions and what she's feeling.

“We..” He motioned to himself as well as her, “don't have shit to talk about. If you're following me..stop. And I'm not asking Kaliyah. I don't want anything from you nor do I want you. You need to understand me when I say leave me the hell alone!” He exclaimed. The girl from inside the shop heard commotion but stayed in her rightful place.

“And you're gonna settle for her? Of all bitches you choose her! I gave you four years and this is how you repay-”

All in Kaliyah's personal bubble Kam started going off. Words of all sorts were being exchanged, hand gestures were flying about, and curse words being slung back and forth. A shouting match is what's really going on and as stupid as it sounds Kam is enjoying taking his frustrations out verbally.

“Fuck this shit. I'm out. Stay away from me!” Kamil jogged over to the car and ducked off inside and sped off to the apartment. What a way to end the night right?

As Kamil was finishing Careena’s sleep palette in the living room, she was taking her shower. The only sounds in the apartment came from the movie playing in Kamil’s room, the water going, and Kam re-arranging the living room. The door was locked and bolted, so once he was done, Kam headed to the room to check on Arielle. Today has been eventful for everyone, not one person has more to talk about more than the other two. 

Stretching out beside a very tired Arielle, Kam focused on her while she focused on the movie. He saw the stress in her face and in her eyes. There’s nothing she can do to hide her true feelings everything that’s happened in just this week alone. Breaking her concentration of the TV, Ari closed her eyes and fingered the curls falling around her face. Luckily for her the stresses of everyday life haven’t effected the growth of her hair, nails, or overall health. 

“You okay?” Kam muttered, moving in to play with her hair as well.

Poor girl couldn’t fight the small chuckle that slipped passed her lips. “Oh do I wish I could say yes. I just don’t understand why all of this shit is happening. The stress is driving me insane deep, deep down. I’m trying my hardest not to let it show on my face because being this far along and stressing can really affect the baby. All I want is some peace and quiet. I’d rather disappear until after the baby is born. Where’s my sister?”

“I’m right here. Did you want to open these? It might help get your mind off of things.” Careena’s suggestion was welcomed and now the three of them were sitting on the bed.

“I’ve been shopping here and there for some baby presents so I hope you like everything.” All six boxes were piled up beside Arielle’s knee, waiting to be opened up. She wasted no time getting into the presents. And just like Kamil and Careena bet on, Ari cried every time she unwrapped a new box. Tears of joy ran down her cheeks as she lined up all of her son’s new clothes.

“It’s all so damn cute and I can’t stop crying. Thank you for this. You have no idea how much you doing this for me means to me Reena. And with the way mom has been acting lately, I’m even more grateful to you for putting up with her and still supporting me.” The girls shared an intense and intimate moment as sisters and friends. The day has it’s ups and downs but this moment trumps the last 22 or so hours, all thanks to a kick ass little sister.