THE MONTAUK PROJECT
Part one of character rewrites.
The Byers.
TW for: CSA, child abuse, domestic violence, substance abuse.
PT 2
PT 3
PT 4
—-
JOYCE MALDONADO
Because I don’t want her to keep Lonnie’s name. They stay technically married to avoid the legal complications that come from divorce, but they are not together.
2nd gen immigrant- her parents are from Spain, but she knows little to nothing about the culture due to assimilation over time.
37 years old, greyish skin, her stature is short and thin. Has a bit of a smoking addiction which leaves her voice rough. Her clothes are old, cheap, or thrifted. Her hair is shoulder length, dark brown, and cut at home with split ends.
She works multiple jobs, both at a grocery store, and a local restaurant- (as a waitress, she is not a good cook)
She wanted to be a singer.
She’s a kind person. Caring; and extremely protective over her children. Her instincts are sharp, and she’s very clever. She never got to go to college.
She doesn’t talk about problems, or the past- even if she should. She never apologizes and never expects apologies. She’s also extremely stubborn.
She’s a tired person. She loves her children deeply, and tries her best to make time for them, but has never been emotionally available due to financial concerns and abuse from her husband.
She married Lonnie when she was 22. They met when she was 17 and he was 21. They got married when she found out about her pregnancy.
When Jonathan was younger, she was deeper into her addictions, still convinced she was “in love” with Lonnie. All manipulation on his part. Will was born as a sort of last ditch effort to fix their marriage. When he came around, Joyce set herself on being a better person- which marked the start of Lonnie being abusive rather than simply toxic.
LONNIE BYERS
I’ll keep this short.
41 years old. Spindly and stronger than he looks. Perpetual scruff on his face and grey hair. He’s been arrested for domestic violence and by the start of the story, he’s been released on parole for about a year. He has not contacted his family.
He has an addiction to alcohol and prescription drugs, something he picked up from his parents.
He spits words like bile, and he used to be a musician.
Jonathan is his favorite child. Jonathan is his least favorite child.
He does what he does to Jonathan from a place of self loathing; repression, and trauma.
He lacks emotional stability, and self control. He’s passionate. He can be extremely loving and extremely cruel. He wants sex and money because he cannot name the loneliness in his heart.
He does not survive my version of the plot.
He is not redeemed.
JONATHAN BYERS
he grew up with the name, and cannot shed it anymore. It’s a part of him that he hates.
15 years old. His skin is pale, and his hair is a dark hazel. He’s lean, but strong. Shorter than average for his age, but not by much. His back is scarred from the metal of Lonnie’s belt. Perpetual bags under his eyes and a crooked nose- broken years ago and set back incorrectly. His hair is overgrown, and choppy. He cuts it himself to avoid his mother’s classic bowl cut.
He works at a local gas station to help his mother. Lonnie never brought in much cash, but he still supported their family. He does most of the cooking and cleaning. Their house is still a mess anyways.
Photography is his passion. It’s the only thing he has for himself. He gets free materials from the school, and the camera is from Joyce.
At heart, he’s kind. He doesn’t like watching anyone or anything suffer. He’ll defend people he doesn’t know based off principle. He’s braver than he looks and he can be funny when he wants to be.
He’s generally antisocial. Not because of anxiety, he just doesn’t like people. Too much and too loud. He can be cold to people that try to break his barriers down, and has severe trust issues.
(He’s also autistic- undiagnosed.)
He’s a fundamental pessimist, focused on the worst possibilities- almost balancing out his mother.
He cares about his family more than anything. And he spent his whole childhood protecting them, both physically and emotionally. Especially Will.
He faced the brunt of his father’s abuse, and did everything he could to shield Will, for the most part successfully. He’s always made himself available for him.
Joyce has never been available for him; not really. He’s always been more of a co-parent than a son. She still loves him, of course.
But she’s more likely to patch him up than stop him from getting hurt in the first place.
He tries to not blame her; but he holds some resentment for it.
His dad was touchy with him. He can’t remember much. Just being afraid; and hands much bigger than his over his body. It only really happened when he was younger. From around 5 to ten. He was told that it was a good thing. Affection. Attention.
It changed him, made him weirder. He doesn’t understand boundaries very well. But he knows right from wrong.
He wonders, often, if it’s the reason why he doesn’t like girls.
He spared Will from their father. Just not from the upside down.
WILL BYERS
takes his father’s last name, like his brother.
Skinny and short, with a bowl cut that’s rather awkward on him. All he wears are hand-me-downs. Has one scar on his back from a time Jonathan couldn’t protect him. He’s a cute kid, always looking small and nervous, even when he’s at ease. Somewhat mouse-like.
He does whatever chores he can. He’s aware of his family’s financial situation, and always tries to restrict himself from having things he wants.
Overall, he’s a normal kid. Happy and caring. A little too shy for a boy though. A little too artsy. But he has friends that love him, and Jonathan, so he doesn’t need to listen to the insults that get hurled at him by people he doesn’t even know. He’s brave, and daring. Supportive, but not a leader.
He worries about more things than he should, curses himself for being weak. And for crying because god he cries too much. He tries to be good. To not be selfish. He fails too often.
He doesn’t really understand what the fuss is about girls. He doesn’t understand the fear in his brother’s face when he mentions it. Not yet.
He got into drawing because of Jonathan. He’s called him dad accidentally more than he’s ever talked to Lonnie.
He’s good at hiding; being quiet. He had to learn how to be good at it.
