SKYLER GISONDO, CIS MALE, HE/HIM | who’s that? oh it’s DUSTIN HENDERSON. i hear they’re EIGHTEEN and are known as THE BARD around HAWKINS. they’re also a FRESHMAN at HAWKINS COMMUNITY COLLEGE. they’re known to be INTELLECTUAL AND HUMOROUS and OPINIONATED AND INSECURE. some people say they remind them of a pencil trapped between teeth, staying up all night to prove a theory correct, a bullseye that never misses the mark, abandoned cups of coffee in the strangest places, always having to prove yourself to be taken seriously.
the basics
full name: dustin robert henderson
nickname(s): dusty-buns, dusty, henderson, the bard, nerd
age: eighteen
date of birth: may 29
hometown: lake city, minnesota
current location: hawkins, indiana
gender: cis male
pronouns: he / him
orientation: bisexual (but still figuring it out and definitely hasn’t discussed it with anyone)
occupation: worker at the palace arcade & hawkins community college freshman
the facts
dustin henderson is from lake city, minnesota, not hawkins. he moved there when he was in fourth grade, after his dad passed away. his mother, now a semi-wealthy widow, wanted to go back to the town her husband was from to raise her son in hopes of maybe letting dustin feel closer to him, somehow. dustin used to like hawkins well enough, but obviously there are some pretty rough memories associated with it now. he’ll always be grateful for the friends he’s made there, though. because at his core, even if he typically shows it with teasing and name calling, he loves his friends more than anything else.
at the risk of being a cliche, dustin’s sort of always looked for a male role model everywhere he went. he’s not entirely sure why - it isn’t like his mom doesn’t love him. she definitely does. he’s just always felt different and craved acceptance for who he is on some level. he doesn’t want or feel the need to be the most stereotypically masculine guy around, but he does want someone to be proud of him for who he is. he’s also an only child, so having some pseudo siblings has always been appreciated.
he planned to go away for college - not because he wants to abandon anyone, but because…well, he’d always wanted to go to MIT. that’s been the dream since he realized how fucking cool science is. But, it turns out, MIT is very, very expensive and claudia henderson isn’t exactly rolling in cash these days. so, he’s working at the palace to make some extra money while going to the community college. he plans to transfer before his junior year, although he doubts MIT is on the table even then. probably somewhere like purdue or notre dame, if he could get some scholarship money together.
dustin has a large ego, that’s true. he’s very aware that he’s often the smartest person in the room (not always, but most of the time), and that comes with the need to prove it sometimes, especially if other people don’t take him seriously. dustin’s used to being seen as just the goofy, weird guy, so he loves being able to solve a mystery and show everyone not to think of him as a joke. he also doesn’t really give a fuck about being polite, which can be both annoying and endearing, depending on the situation.
the headcanons
dustin excels at most sciences, but physics and chemistry will always be his favorites. when classes are in session, you can usually find him in one of the school’s labs, pestering a professor about some project or something he’s working on currently.
he is a god awful, terrible cook. like, once set fire trying to make a microwave meal. probably could set a fire while making cereal if given the chance.
i feel like he applied for a job at family video, but keith refused to hire him and/or maybe he was fired from there after a week because he repeatedly criticized people’s movie choices.
he’s actually a really good singer, but after the never ending story debacle, dustin rarely sings around people. mostly he does it absentmindedly while working on a project or his homework.
dustin is not athletic whatsoever. despite being in life or death situations like 4 times during his youth, dustin still refuses to run regularly or work out. video games and occasionally riding his bike when his old car is messed up is enough exercise in his opinion.
he still does dnd, and i feel like maybe he eventually began dming? he didn’t take over that or anything, but like, if their usual dm wanted a break or they were busy, dustin gave it a shot.
i think he’s probably still living with claudia to save money, but he gets out of the house a lot. he loves his mom, but he can only handle so much codling before he has to get out of there.
dustin’s sexuality is the only mystery he is not in a rush to solve, honestly. like, he knows he likes girls. he has occasionally thought a guy was attractive, but genuinely did not realize that that wasn’t like Straight™ until somewhat recently. i think he’s really only dated suzie or maybe one other girl in high school, but maybe a random kiss with a boy might make him go “wait what???” and open that curiosity door a bit wider.
speaking of suzie! they’re still going strong !!!!!
he’s still soooooooo unapologetically nerdy. like, he will absolutely stay up until 2 am discussing plot holes in star wars with you. he doesn’t really give a shit whether people think he’s a nerd or not, because he is. and if that’s lame, who cares? he probably thinks they’re lame, honestly.
