You're standing in Jonathan's room.
Depending on who you are, you were doing something different.

Maybe he's in the bathroom while you two were hanging out, and you're waiting for him to come back..

Maybe you were snooping through his things trying to sneak some of his stash.
Maybe you were hanging out with Will and you also wanted to sneak one of his joints.

Or perhaps - you're Joyce and you were sick of his dirty room and decided to clean it for him.

...


You notice a walkman sitting on his desk by his camera and a few lenses.
You knew Jonathan liked music, considering whenever he was alone (which is very frequent) he'd either be watching a movie or be listening to some tunes, but you never knew the kind of music he listened to.
You look around, assuming even if Jonathan did walk in at this moment that he wouldn't mind.
You pick up the walkman and headphones, inspecting them closely.
Putting the headphones on, you flop onto Jonathan's bed and press the play button.

Music washes out everything around you. Your head gets sweeped with the music Jonathan is all too familiar with. You close your eyes and feel yourself melting into his bed.

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♫ Joy Division - Atmosphere

♩ Everybody Wants to Rule the World - Fears for Tears

♪ Boys don't Cry - The Cure

♫ Psycho Killer - Talking Heads

♬ Head over Heels - Fears for Tears

♪ Should I Stay or Should I Go - The Clash

♬ To Wish Impossible Things - The Cure

♪ Who is it? - Talking Heads

♩ Heart and Soul - Joy Division

♬ I Want the One I Can't Have - The Smiths

♪ She's Lost Control - Joy Division

♩ No Compassion - Talking Heads

♬ Somebody's Watching Me - Rockwell

♫ Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now - The Smiths

♩ Means to an End - Joy Division

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As the tape finishes you open your eyes and slide the headphones off.

Wow! No wonder he spends so much time doing his own thing... Maybe you would talk to him about music and ask for some recommendations.

You sit up and immediately jolt in surprise seeing Jonathan sitting on the floor in front of you. You're about to explain yourself when you realize he doesn't look mad. His back resting on the wall with his knees up snugged to his chest. He smiles and shrugs plainly.

"...Did you like it?"

"Nobody normal has ever accomplished anything meaningful in this world."

【headcanons from jonathan's perspective】
_______________________________________________________________

✦ 5/17/80

I've always felt like I've had to be the one taking care of the family.
Now, I'm not saying that that's a bad thing or that I dislike it or anything.
I love my family and with everything that has gone on in the past, I'm more than happy to make their lives just a little easier.
For a month, dad has been completely gone. We're not sure if he'll be back, but what we do know is that it's been so nice lately.
Sure, things have felt weird without him, but we'll get used to it.
We've been able to have family dinners without full blown screaming matches going down. It's nice to feel normal once in a while.
Will has seen happier lately too. I'm glad. I like to see him laughing and smiling.
I think tomorrow I'm going to wake up extra early and make him breakfast in bed.
He used to love it when mom or I did that.
I think he's started to dislike it, especially lately since he thinks I do it for him out of pity.
But that's just not true. I love him so much, and I know mom does too.
I wish there was more I could do to protect him.
I was a weird kid too.
I just don't want him to have to go through the same things.

✦ 7/6/80

Am I too hard on Will and mom?
Out of everyone, those two I feel like I can joke around with the most.
Play fighting and all that, but I don't want to upset them or anything.
Sometimes I feel like I take it too far, which is something I absolutely don't want to do.
Maybe I should try to be nicer overall.
I know will likes roughhousing with me. He says it makes him feel more like every other kid, which makes me happy. I'll try to tune it down, though.

✦ 10/17/81

I got to watch The Evil Dead today!

Oh my God it was so good. This movie alone made me remember why I had liked movies so much in the first place.
It's the type of movie that makes me want to take my camera out and do some shooting.
It sucks that Will wasn't allowed to watch it because now I have no one to talk about it with. Probably for the best though, it would've given him nightmares.
Maybe one day I'll be able to create something so amazing.
I know it's unrealistic to think, but what if I became a director or something? A cinematographer would be a cool job too. I already know how to work all sorts of cameras so it wouldn't be hard.
I'm able to see shots in my head before I take them, my old photography says I have an eye for shadows... Maybe I could.
One day I'll leave Hawkins and really leave an impression on this world.
Or become a local journalist for a place like New York.
Mom would prefer that.
Something safer and more logical. I don't blame her. And I think that's just exactly what I'll do.

But I can still dream.

✦ 11/8/83

Will has been missing for two days.
I can't believe those are words that I actually just wrote. I still can't wrap my head around the whole thing.
Mom thinks that he'll be found soon. She thinks she knows something everyone else doesn't.
I feel bad for her. I don't want to give up hope, but deep down I have this horrible feeling that something bad happened to him. I just don't want to believe this feeling, but it must be true.

Today after school I was walking to my car and I heard these people by the entrance saying absolutely disgusting things about Will.
Calling him names and slurs, saying that they're glad he's gone and that they had barely even heard about his disappearance.
And I'm not one to get into conflict or start things, but something came over me in that moment because I had gotten up in their faces and started yelling at them.
More specifically the girl who was talking the worst about Will.
I couldn't take it.
My heart was racing and I just let it all out. I swear, any second I could've started crying.
Everyone around us was turning to stare at the scene I had created.
Every thought I had was pouring out of me. It was as if I was possessed.
I didn't even notice the people watching us until I had finished screaming.

As I walked back to my car I heard them whispering; as if I couldn't hear every word.
I myself had gotten used to it, but why Will.
What did he ever do to deserve any of it.

He was just a kid.
Is.
He is just a kid.


✦ 1/1/86

happy New Years. i am at Argyle's.
i got high. I am high right now and i have never been high.

It feels good I think.
it's hard to think, actually. my brain feels clouded. i think that's the smoke's fault. it is making it hard to think. argyle is outside.
oh, I'm in Argyle's bathroom on the floor, by the way.
He is not in the bathroom with me. thats weird.. also I'm not going to the bathroom. That's weird. I'm high.
Do you think my mom would be upset if she found out I'm high.
I might have to go home soon, I think I'm dying.
I can't die though because Will and El have school projects and i had promised that I would help.
Mom would be so disappointed with me.

my heart is exploding and i am dying.
If you find this and flip to this page please don't tell my mom please just throw this away.
im tired. i think I am going to get a cupcake and try to calm down.
Argyle is knocking on the door.
goodbye journal.

✦ 1/2/86

I have been informed that I am the stupidest person while high.
That's not going to stop me, but it will stop me from talking as much while intoxicated.
Expect many more journal entries.
Please never find this, mom.

_______________________________________________________________

just a WIP! more coming later!

// comment/dm if you want in, or i'll ask you :)

KIDS:
---------
Will Byers: @WillTheWise
Eleven: @Bitchin

TEENS:
------------
Jonathan Byers: @JonathanByers
Argyle: @PalmTreePrince
Eddie Munson: @Eddie_Munson_ || @MasterOfPuppets || @TheFreak || @crackbrain
Nancy Wheeler: @wheelsonthebus || @Nance
Steve Harrington: @PinkGlitter
Billy Hargrove: @1980
Emerson Byers: @angelic
Tyler Henderson: @starstruck
Penny Byers: @Pennyyy
Lucky Hargrove: @UNLUCKY
Rylee Harrington: @godless

ADULTS:
--------------
Joyce: @shades

"See you on the other side."

Name: Jonathan Byers
Age: 19
Pronouns: He/Him
Gender: Male
Relationship: Complicated, but dating Nancy
Sexuality: Closeted bisexual
Birthday: ???, 1967
Zodiac: Taurus
MBTI: ISFP
Enneagram: 4w5
Alignment: Lawful good
Occupation: (Former) Hawkins Post intern
_______________________________________________________________

[Physicality]

Height: 5'8"
Weight: 152 lbs
Eye color: Brown
Hair color: Brunette
Build: Slim
Extra: Wears contacts (used to wear glasses, but hated them)
_______________________________________________________________

[Traits]

Introverted
Asocial
Independent
Intelligent
Ambitious
Stubborn
Sensitive
Loyal
Emotional
Brave
_______________________________________________________________

HEADCANONS

1: Jonathan is closeted bisexual with a slight preference for women.
He realized he was bi when he watched "The Outsiders" when he was 16.
He had the biggest crush on Dally.

2: He has an extremely dry sense of humor. Most of the time when he makes jokes, it's hard to tell if he's actually joking- or just being normal Jonathan.

3: When he was younger, every time Jonathan would pick up a new interest, he would explain it in full detail to Will.

4: Jonathan used to play DnD with Will when they were younger, (Jonathan was about 13) but they stopped when Jonathan picked up photography instead.

5: Jonathan takes time to think about the things he says... Except when he's high. When he's high, he says every thought in his head.

6: Jonathan loves to cook and clean.
When he goes to other people's houses and sees trash anywhere, he picks it up and throws it away.

7: Jonathan is slowly becoming the male version of Joyce.

8: In the 90's Jonathan would be the biggest Radiohead fan EVER.

9: Jonathan's favorite movie is The Evil Dead, which he forced Will to watch along with him.. Bad idea. Will had nightmares for the next 5 days and Jonathan had to bribe Will with cleaning his room for the next month for him to not tell their mom.

10: Jonathan used to want to be a magician before he realized that was stupid.

11: He fully resents popular/preppy people.

12: Occasionally his dad comes over to their house. Jonathan is the only one to talk to him with respect, despite everything he's put him through.

13: Jonathan rarely gets mad. He tends to bottle up his emotions and keep a straight face. But when he does get mad, it all explodes out at once.

14: Jonathan cries though. That man absolutely cries.

15: Jonathan wanted a dog when he was 8, but when Joyce said no, he cried so hard he threw up on a rug.