people say queerbait abt anything these days. like you can’t have an unrequited love thing in a show or movie, where someone is clearly straight and has been depicted as such since the beginning, has shown no interest in the same gender, no hint of flirtation with the gay person interested in them, without someone in the audience calling foul and saying it’s “baiting” when the other person was just being a decent PLATONIC fucking friend to them. being kind and loving in a clear friendly way. like do you want them to be an aggressive dick to them to prove they aren’t interested? and i do mean zero signs of romantic interest. not the slightest wink that they want to be with that person. it’s all projection from a certain group of shippers when canon says itself says and shows that it doesn’t exist. it’s not there. and it’s not subtle. it’s in your face about how not there it is. it’s purely friendship bc they’re not compatible in that specific way at all. it’s not bait just bc you ship it and the queer person is there and in love with someone who is obviously not in love with them back. it’s not all abt what the queer side of the equation wants, man. and covering your ears and eyes and ignoring obvious text in the media doesn’t make your case accurate.
the shit blows me! it’s a straight character! they’ve been straight! no suggestion or scene trying to say otherwise! they’ve been locked in and genuinely interested in one person of the opposite gender and they love who they’re with (of the opposite gender!) sometimes a thing happens where a gay person has a crush on someone who isn’t gay! i know! its shocking! it’s never happened before in the history of ever apparently! and then you move on and find someone who is! idc how close you are!
guess who the fuck this is about? mike wheeler who has been loudly in love with eleven for a long while now and has never shown interest anyone other than her. and definitely not his male best friend. it’s quite clear that he’s straight or they would’ve built it up and said something else by now. bc there’s zero evidence and the examples given? it’s literally just him being a good guy/friend to will. that doesn’t mean his love can be demanded when he’s taken by eleven and wants to be with her and doesn’t like will like that at all lmao. it’s like (lesbian) robin’s whole motivational and deeply personal monologue to will about her doomed crush on straight ass tammy and her journey to self acceptance and and it not being on tammy to romantically love her/abt her at all and it just being about robin and the need to be not looking for that validation in others….was saying something real and beautiful and important? and not secretly code for “byler!! 💗” “they’ll show he’s not like tammy!” like you have to be joking if you couldn’t get what she/the show was obviously saying? it wasn’t subtle. it was abt will not looking to mike, but himself? it’s not saying it’s about a ship lmao. and robin clocked that mike wasn’t interested! that’s why she brought that up!
in conclusion: your ship didn’t happen. and that’s okay. it doesn’t fit canonically. but you can still enjoy it. not everything has to be canon. and that doesn’t make an obvious unrequited thing queerbait. the whole “my gay ship didn’t happen so therefore it’s queerbait and it’s not bc of me reading into stuff thats not there/too much just for the sake of my ship! its not MY fault!!! me ignoring the truth for years isn’t on me!” phenomenon is such bullshit and it’s wild that people do this.
will coming out was about him and his self acceptance and the support from his group of friends (including his, once again straight and in love with eleven, friend mike) and family. it was a beautiful moment. idk how much clearer it could be.
stormborns
titsay
vaporwave