givupdafunk replied to your post “Hey, you should send me your…”
First Tumblr post ever, but I had to respond to this as I’d like a reaction to this headcanon I’ve had forever: Nancy and Jonathan did not meet/talk for the first time when he was hanging up Will’s missing posters. Will and Mike became friends in kindergarten, these families have been mingling for many years and I imagine there are Wheeler Christmas party photos of preteen jancy with their families. Hawkins is a small town with one high school and they no doubt have been in the same classes.
Nancy has had more access to Jonathan than most in their age group and doesn’t really buy that he’s a weirdo and feels protective. Even when confronted with the pics he took she shows concern and forgives him easily as she knows his background. He’s a human to her, not the town freak. She tells him Will is a smart boy because she knows Will too. She’s participated in their D&D games. When she approaches J at the bulletin board there is no intro in their “hey”s because they are familiar.
Karen brings Joyce a casserole when Will goes missing. It’s canon that they are friends, maybe since hs, or maybe because of their sons. I imagine when Will and Mike started having play dates, Jonathan and Nancy may have been dragged along as they were still very young and were probably put together to play as well, or at least dropped in front of a tv or something or expected to help supervise the “littles” while the moms talked in the kitchen. They grew up together.
Anyway, I don’t know if I’m doing this right, and I have more call outs for this headcanon if you need them, but for me it helps explain Nancy’s reaction to the pics and how they work so well together, and move past their awkward situations and disagreements. They also maybe never looked at one another in ‘that way’ when they were younger, but then puberty hit lol, and they are moving through that together too. Ok thanks for indulging me! Love your tumblr!
Okay so first of all, I love how much evidence you gave to support your idea! That being said, I share this exact same headcanon!!! I feel like Jonathan and Nancy were never friends but were at least friendly to one another growing up because, as you said, their families are close. I don't know if this is headcanon or fact but I'm fairly certain Karen and Joyce were high school friends (as you mentioned) and had remained friendly. I do have a headcanon that the moms became close again once Will and Mike became friends.
I think the key to this headcanon is that Jonathan and Nancy were friendly around each other and they grew up together, in a sense, but they weren't friends. I agree, their “hey”s were familiar but they were also tentative and Jonathan looks at her like he's shocked she's talking to him at school in the hallway, like they haven't talked in a while.
I feel like there were definitely times when Jonathan and Nancy played with Mike and Will during one of their playdates but as they got older and entered adolescence, the small semblance of familiarity and comfort around each other dwindled. But Nancy knows how close Jonathan and his brother are and that's why she ultimately decides to go up to him in the hallway after Will's disappearance.
I think your point about Jonathan being more accessible to Nancy is sound but I think it's fair to argue that Nancy is more accessible to Jonathan as well. Nancy has one, maybe two, close friends at the start of the show but she does have a reputation of being 'little miss perfect' and a princess (according to Carol). As you've mentioned here, Jonathan also has a reputation of being a freak who doesn't talk to anyone. I think they are both aware of each other’s reputation but don't believe them fully.
To summarize this jumbled mess of a response: I completely agree. I think Jonathan and Nancy grew up around each other, were friendly, and definitely interacted before the show started. However, I don't think they were ever friends (maybe for a day in like, kindergarten, but they weren't extremely close at any point in their childhood).
I do pose a follow up question for you (and anyone else the has this headcanon): Do you think one of them ever had a crush on the other before the start of the show?
Also, to be clear I don’t think they are super friendly or hang out outside of family things or seeing each other in class, maybe only interacting a handful of times a year, but when you hang out with your parents’ friends’ kids you bond together a little like extended family and look out for one another. (Jonathan and Nancy were the first babysitters of The Party.) That’s why when he says she’s trying to be someone else, he actually has the background on her to echo Barb (this isn’t you).actions
When the camera breaks Nancy has his background to know the full gravity of that act (sorry for the pun). When Karen catches them sneaking into the house she’s happy to see him (this is her friend’s little boy to her) and the look she gives as they leave makes me think she’s already been shipping them or would not be surprised. She’s not concerned that he’s in her bedroom (would never have happened in my house in the 80s lol UNLESS he was more of a family friend than a suitor).actions
You've added more while I was writing this up, so my quick response to your additional points: yes, yes, 1000x yes. I would also like to add that Karen Wheeler thinks the world of Jonathan Byers and is over the moon when she finds out they're dating.
Thank you so much for the submission!!! I love discussing this and I'm glad you enjoy my self-indulgent blog :)