gayandsuch

So they just ignored how they purposely wrote mileven problematically and instead of letting them break up or even have El fake her death and find happiness elsewhere....They instead just let them kiss (hand wave their issues with an empty speech) and kill El off along with Kali .

What was the point of hopper’s speech where the whole point was Kali/El shouldn’t have to off themselves and they all deserve a happy ending (despite life being unfair to them) ? Guess it was pointless. Can’t let El/Kali : the victims of government oppression and abuse ever get a slice of happiness . In fact both die due to the government what an uplifting message during these fraught political times. 🙄 This is the opposite of an uplifting message for ab*se survivors: "break the cycle" by offing yourself??????!!!!

And even after 18 months … Will and Mike never get closure or even bring up the painting ? They ignore the cyarno trope all together?And it’s implied Will eventually gets a bf who doesn’t have a name or speak. And is on screen for less than 0.5s. Yeah. They were cowards .

This is why we can’t trust straight dudes to write woman or queer relationships.They really said we’ll queerbait and kill the main heroine off so we don’t have to follow through on breaking mileven up . So since we’re afraid to follow through and do that: let’s just kill her instead (so no one is allowed to ever criticize the relationship ever again) . I'll never forgot how you compared mileven to ted/karen for multiple seasons and in s4 made countless parallels of mileven and el/brenner. you can't gaslight us to claim they were some great love.

Also , they never explain how hopper is allowed to be the police chief again. They had a funeral? What was the cover story to allow him back in Hawkins PD?

Don’t even get me started on the other plot holes … so many plot holes

- Why was Will taken

- Why is the Upside Down stuck in Nov.6, 1983

- How was Will able to communicate to Joyce through the lights/phone

- Who opened the lock to the Byers house when Will went missing, cause demogorgans can't

- Where did Dr. Owens go

- Where did Suzie go, did she and Dustin break up

- What happened to the pregnant women in Hawkins Lab

- What was the stone Henry found in the cave

- Where was Patty

- Who was the guy with the stone that shot Henry

- Why did nobody talk about how Joyce knew Henry in highschool

- What happened to Terry Ives

- Why were they able to go into the Upside Down after everything was getting sucked unto the abyss

- What was that white melty stuff at Hawkins Lab

- Why did they put focus on the dial changing colours

- How come Vecna needed 12 kids

- How come the kids just woke up after the tubes were pulled out of their mouths, in s1 Will died and needed cpr

- What happened to the mindflayer dust that came out of the kids mouths when the tubes were removed, isnt that the same stuff that got Billy flayed cause it was left out in the open

- What happened to the demogorgans and demodogs once Vecna was defeated

- What happened in Wills visions that made him come out to everyone, literally went against show don't tell

- Why did they forget Wills birthday in s4 and why did Joyce say Will was 11 when he was taken (he was 12) is birthdaygate just forgotten

- Who was the traitor of the season that the cast was talking about

- Nancys s4 vision wasnt fulfilled, Her mum, dad, and sister were hurt but Mike was fine

- Why did they advertise the rubber chicken so much

- Why did they advertise the "For Will x" mixtape if it didn't exist

- Why is Max fine with Hopper being alive

- How did Hopper become chief of police again and be allowed back in society when he's meant to be dead

- What "dinner plans" was Finn alluding to

- Why is the school ok with Hellfire now when they still think its a sacrificial cult

- Does Hawkins know the real truth because that hasn't been explained

- Why has there been no confirmation to whether Mike knows about Will's feelings for him or not

- What on earth happened to the rest of the Turnbow family

- Why was the painting not adressed at all when Finn said it would pay off and it has become s5 merch. They did not forget about it because it was literally on Mike's wall.

- Why did Robin and Wills "signals" conversation amount to nothing. Where is the avalanche.

- Why did Will think he had a chance with Mike in vol 1

- Why did they parallel Mileven to a Stonathan (a crack ship)

- Why did Mike tell El: "friends dont lie", and focus on him saying that, if they were still a couple

- Why and when tf did Robin and Vickie break up

- Why did they pick and choose when Will felt pain through the hivemind

- How did El get to Iceland ffs

- How did Kali use her powers to help El. she was dead. (this is just mikes wishful thinking i fear)

They made his character a throwaway, they never gave him any closure. He was reduced to simply the ‘superhero’s boyfriend,’ just to appease the audience. We never get an explanation to why he acted like he did, and that’s just tragic.

Queerbait isn’t even profitable anymore, since this shit wasn’t even in cable. So the Duffers were just so fucking stupid.

They tried to play Mike off as Will’s tammy. They made Will just get a random epilogue boyfriend just because ‘it’s okay to have an unrequited crush guys!! it just happens!!’

This show was supposed about subverting expectations. It was supposed to be about the outcasts.

It truly was about conformity. And homophobes now just get to rub this in our faces for being ‘stupid’—when this whole thing was implied from the beginning.

So yeah, turns out it really was queerbait. Great, another terrible case of horrible queer representation in the big 2026.

part 3 of the 2023 version of this post: adult books!

part 1: middle grade books | part 2: young adult books

this is a very incomplete list, as these are only books I've read and enjoyed. not all books are going to be for all readers, so I'd recommend looking up synopses and content warnings. feel free to message me with any questions about specific representation!

list of books under the cut ⬇️