hi!! i just randomly came across your username and i haveeeee to know what are some of your autistic will byers hcs because i’ve thought about that a bit but i haven’t seen really anyone bring up autistic with his character
Omg of course!!! I love autistic Will, i wish it was a more common headcanon!!
- Will was selectively mute during his early childhood, which drove him to using art as a way to express himself.
- His first verbal word was "Jonathan," when he was around 5 years old. Both Jonathan and Joyce cried about it.
- Even into his teenage years, he sometimes forgets to respond out loud instead of just in his head. The Party is well used to this and usually just prompt him with "Will? What do you think?"
- Will is good at USING sarcasm, but tends to take others seriously when they're being sarcastic. Hopper drops him off somewhere and jokes, "All right, you're gonna have to find your own way home!" and Will takes him 100% seriously and walks back. Hopper is not allowed to be sarcastic with Will anymore.
- Will is great with animals, because they don't expect social cues from you
- He likes being friends with Mike for the same reason
- Will wasn't a fussy baby, but he would stare at you for a long time. It unnerved Lonnie, and he would call Will creepy for doing so. Joyce mediated by saying Will was just curious about the world around him.
- He cannot do eye contact for prolonged periods. This also has to do with his PTSD.
- He walks on his tiptoes pretty often
- When he was little, Will LOVED when Jonathan would pick him up and swing him around. He started spinning in circles as a way of sensory seeking (and of course, Lonnie had something to say about it, because twirling is for sissies).
- Will can't stand scratchy blankets/clothes, as he's used to soft, worn hand-me-downs from Jonathan. He can't do tight or stuffy clothing, and gets quickly overwhelmed when he's made to wear formal attire (hates the feeling of a fully buttoned collar and tie pressing into his neck).
- Joyce honestly didn't suspect Will was autistic because Jonathan was similar (autistic) and Karen's son Mike acts the same as Joyce's boys (autistic), so they must all be perfectly normal. (Joyce is such a wonderful mother to Jane because she unknowingly trained herself in Raising Developmentally Disabled Children.)
- Modern-Day Will would be a FNAF/Undertale kid alongside DND
