#but also he doesn’t shut up and functions like an ent

[polyamorouspunk]

Hug

*hug*

[potteresque-ire]

🏳️‍🌈 Rec post!! A queer film + a queer TV series from Hong Kong ~

1) Twilight’s Kiss (叔·叔) (Dir. Ray Yeung 楊曜愷; 2019)

Twilight’s Kiss offers a very realistic depiction of two elderly, in-the-closet gays in Hong Kong, who have dedicated their lives building a conventional family before unexpectedly falling in love with each other. It is a quiet film, and the romance is told in the same subtle manner as love is expressed (and not expressed) in their generation. The actors were phenomenal at playing regular Hong Kong men of their age (Pak mentioned he “came to Hong Kong”, ie, he was a refugee from Mao’s China, as the vast majority of his demographics was), which added to the resonance of the story ~ they could’ve been anyone, and anyone could’ve been them. 

The director of the film, Ray Yeung, is an openly gay man.

(Long review: Hollywood Reporter) Streaming link to film (with English subtitles; pls ignore and close the pop-up window)

2) Ossan’s Love (大叔的愛) (2021)

The unlikely (and hilarious) love triangle between Muk (Left), Tin (Center) and KK (Right) in Ossan’s Love.

For those who found the name familiar, it’s because the series is a (faithful) remake of the popular 2018 Japanese series of the same name. The Hong Kong version is longer (15 episodes; ~ 40 min each) compared to the Japanese original, and its mood is cheerier, sweeter, and also ... more BL, with the lead characters Tin (Haruta in the original) and Muk (Maki in the original) played by two idols, Edan Lui 呂爵安 and Anson Lo 盧瀚霆, from the very popular local boy band MIRROR.

(Being idols didn’t prevent them from kissing. Not in Hong Kong, 2021.) (Yes, they kissed, and hugged and fought and bantered...)

Ossan’s Love is culturally significant in that it became the first gay drama to be aired primetime in Hong Kong, and by extension, in China. Beloved by the locals, it was also very much discussed—hk-queers expressed their (surprised) joy that finally, they got to see a respectful, dignified presentation of who they are and how they love. More importantly, they got to see HKers, older generations included, glued to the TV for their kind of love story, rooting for the lead male characters to get together. 

This signifies a broader acceptance of LGBT+ in the city than previously assumed; this is very important and comforting to the community in June, 2021, when the future of LGBT+ rights in the city is very uncertain. After the 2019 protests, pro-democracy leaders have been arrested and jailed in large numbers; newspaper that advocated for freedom has been shut down. Meanwhile, during the airing of Ossan’s Love , the (in)famous pro-Beijing politician, Junius Ho, claimed the series to have violated the city’s much feared, much abused National Security Law—the law that officially aims to catch “traitors”, but has been used as a “catch-all” excuse to arrest political dissidents and suppress the freedoms of the city. Ho was of sufficient prominence that his words could draw the attention of officials who have been sent from across the mainland-HK border to do Beijing’s bidding.

Also, Ossan’s Love was produced not by the powerful, once popular TVB (local TV station), which, with Chinese investors becoming its major shareholders like many other HK press and media companies, has become very pro-Beijing and conservative. The series was produced by ViuTV, a much smaller station preferred by young, pro-democracy Hong Kongers ... which means the future of the series, of its stars (MIRROR’s members are once-contestants of a ViuTV talent show), of even the station itself is also uncertain.

Hence, I’m recommending Ossan’s Love now ... even if the official version doesn’t have the best English subtitles. The full series is on Youtube (links below); the soundtrack is in Cantonese and (Traditional) Chinese subtitles are available, but English is only available via Youtube’s built-in Auto-Translate function. 

For those who would like to catch a short scene of two cute HK boys in love, the last 5 minutes of Ep 11 would be a nice place to watch. You can see how comfortable these two bandmates were with each other—Edan (Tin) had played two supporting roles before this series, while Anson (Muk) had never acted before. Edan and Anson have claimed that being close friends in RL meant their intimate scenes were easy to film (BTW, Anson is gay, Edan isn’t).

Edan Lui (Left) & Anson Lo (Right), Harper's Bazaar HK, May 2021. Edan was a uni student before joining hk-ent. Anson was a dance instructor.

(You can also see why, when I watched the Gg + Dd Happy Camp episode very, very early on in my turtlehood, I assumed Gg and Dd would have ample opportunities to work together again, to play and be happy in front of the camera ... just like how I remembered on-screen couples from my days in HK—the couples, the CPs of the time, would collaborate repeatedly after having demonstrated chemistry and become commercial success—in film and TV projects, in variety shows, in awards ceremonies as presenting guests etc etc. This multi-project collaboration was, and still is, viewed as a Very Good Thing, and not only for commercial reasons. The inter-personal fate (緣份) to play on-screen couples repeatedly, per the tradition of HK-ent, is something of a blessing, talked about as a small-scale version of having the destiny, the luck to be together across multiple lives, multiple incarnations. Actors treasure this kind of collaboration and the HK audience celebrates it, regardless of the marital status of the actors in RL. Entertainment news dedicate articles about it.) (There’s actually an example of that in Ossan’s Love: Kenny Wong 黃德斌, the actor who played the titular Ossan, KK, and Rachel Kan 簡慕華, who played his wife Francesca, had already played husband and wife three times before. Rachel had retired from acting in 2017 and moved to Canada; she told reporters that she returned to shoot Ossan’s Love primarily so that she could play Kenny’s wife again).

* Below is a small warning for Ossan’s Love ~ *

The humour of Ossan’s Love is often wild and zany, especially where it adapts from the Japanese original. Some of it, i-fandomers may find uncomfortable. Notably, the titular Ossan (Japanese, meaning “Older Man”) was Tin and Muk’s boss; and he and Darren, another superior of Tin and Muk, were also part of the romantic story line.

One can argue, therefore, that Ossan’s Love contains a *very* “Me Too” situation; however, this is also why I find Ossan’s Love interesting beyond being a Chinese-speaking gay drama—it is clear that the production team of this series meant no disrespect, and from the series’ reception, it’s also clear that hk-queers and other more progressive members among the audience didn’t see disrespect in the product. This series therefore offers a glimpse to the answers of some questions I’ve had: how does Hong Kong of 2021 translate respect for queers (as well as for older men and women) into day-to-day words and actions? How do these culturally-specific habits in speech and behaviour compare to the norms in, for example, the United States (that I’m familiar with)?

“Political incorrectness” was also found in some of Tin’s internal monologue. However, I thought, perhaps, that was why the series has proven to be disarming to the general audience both in HK and Japan, places with a tradition of homophobia stemming often not from malice, but from ignorance, from sex being considered taboo for so much of the places’ history. Tin, as someone who haven’t seemed to have spared a thought about homosexuality before the story had taken place, spoke the minds of the audiences who aren’t familiar with homosexuality. Muk, meanwhile, presented the perspective of someone who already understood what being gay was and wasn’t about. Tin, therefore, led the audience towards Muk and his views step by step, all the while without being judgemental—how could he be? He was one of them too during his journey. He was the student, and he was also the protagonist who everyone—and I mean everyone—loved (in a rather funny manner :D). 🌈

(Long review: BLwatcher)

Links to Ossan’s Love, official version uploaded by ViuTV: EP 1 EP 2 EP 3 EP 4 EP 5 EP 6 EP 7 EP 8 EP 9 EP 10 EP 11 EP 12 EP 13 EP 14 EP 15

ETA 2021/09/16: Streaming with English subtitles is available here.

[sketzocase]

Okay y’all- brace yourselves. It’s a 2 AM random fandom question time!

You ever just had a thought and can’t explain it?

Like geeky/fandom wise?

Mine currently? (and spoiler alert- it’s ALOT)

-I would like to see how Uruk kias were made up close. I would also like to know how Saurmon got his fucking hair that straight. Like bruh- that’s Beyoncé level flawless.

-I know the Ents ‘lost’ their females or whatever, but I am obsessed with how exactly an Ent would go about mating. Also would like to point out that if a lady ent were to turn on her guy ent when they arise in the morning- she would technically be giving him morning wood.

-If Harry Potter can fix shit- why doesn’t he fix his glasses?

-Why the fuck would the ‘chosen one’ only use like... five spells? Come on Harry- get your shit together.

-I don’t think Dementors are inherently evil. I think they’ve been used that way but by being put to use via wizards- they really don’t get to decide- right? Aren’t they technically magical creatures? In which case, can we really not make a case that in using them in Azkaban, the wizards essentially made a kind of house-elf situation?

-Why the hell didn’t Bucky tell any of his friends what he’d done to them in his past upon meeting them? If I had worked with an asshole who killed a loved one and he knew it and never said anything to me fifty-something years late? Fuck yea- I’m pissed.

-Why the fuck does Azazel have a shit ton of kids but somehow only four survived? Like okay- in The Draco we could say that Nils is probably the youngest. And we can assume that Kiwi Black appears to be older than Kurt- who I guess if I was pressed we would say would be late 20’s early 30’s? This means there is a great few years where Azazel is either actively impregnating one woman after or another- or a time when he is a fuck hiatus only to come out a few years later and start actively impregnating women.

-OH- and Impregnating women can be hard! It can take YEARS! Does he just have a magic dick? Like... does something in his powers just make him a sex wizard? Can he get STDS? Can he heal himself if he does? How can he be sure that every single one of his offspring will be mutants? He had so many kids to open a portal- but the had to have some sort of teleporty power. How can he just see a kid pop out and be like ‘yup. It’s a mutant’.

-Why do all of Logan’s kid’s come out looking better than him?

-How does Daken have a tattoo when in ultimate x-men Logan gets tattoos of girlfriends to impress them, knowing it will heal.

-Daken’s tattoo pattern doesn’t really change much. Did he design it himself? When he loses that arm- b/c it’s ALWAYS that arm- does he get like super annoyed because he’s going to have retat himself up?

-How do Daken and Laura not have Logan’s ‘hairy motherfucker’ genes when both Raze and Jimmy Hudson seem to have got it??

-Does Laura have to double shave legs/armpits? Would she even think too?

-Is childbirth easier on Mystique because she can shape her body far more easily than a human? Don’t pregnant women’s like hips or something move or whatever? Can’t Mystique make it easier on herself?

-Are Johnny Storm’s bodily fluids hotter than most? If so, can he burn a partner by coming in them? Does he have to have like special insurance for his person/partner’s/items?

-Can Reed Richards assume whatever size dick Sue wants/needs at the time?

-Professor X makes a future kid with Mystique, does that mean his junk still works?

-Why the everloving FUCK did Remus wait so long to kill Romulus? Or try? Like he’s her twin- right? Can’t a sibling usually tell how sucky or evil a sibling is going to be pretty early on? Like my sisters a little evil- I’ve known it since she was three. Was there not a moment in their childhood where Remus just went ‘wow my brother is really fucked up. I should do something about that before he hurts someone!”

-Why the FUCK did she get Logan to try to kill her brother? Like bitch- you let it get this bad. Go handle your own shit!

-Theoretically, If Rogue wears something from head to two only leaving her lower bits exposed and Gambit wears a condom- can they have sex?

-Does Scott see different shades of red through his visor or is it all the same color?

-Is Colossus’s dick able to go full metal as well as his skin? Like- come on, what’s he packing under those pants?

-How does Sabertooth do day to day things if he can’t retract his claws- ever? Like does all of his shit just get scratched all to hell?

-How do heightened senses peeps function in normal society with all the extra smells/sounds? Is their taste enhanced? Can they do things like listen to headphones safely?

-How the fuck does Scarlet Witch work? Just like in general- I have a lot of questions.

-Why doesn’t Bucky seem to be aging really?

-how old ARE the x-men?

-Am I to believe that Bobby Drake is older than Cannonball? Nah. I don’t buy it.

-What happened to the Guthrie brood? Wasn’t there like... three mutant siblings?

-How the fuck did that one pairing (speaking on Guthrie) have sex IN THE AIR?

-How is angel ever able to do like... anything? Is it a pain to take showers if he has to get his wings all wet (assuming their feathers).

-Movie part here- in Dark Phenoix why the fuck didn't anyone tell Kurt- ‘oh yea, by the way? That’s your mom. Annnnd she’s dead.’ He was made an orphan AGAIN. Furthermore, why didn’t any of the original x-men who were on the beach react when he picked up a fucking knife and used real similar moves to his daddy?

-why didn't they explore that relationship more?

-Does Iceman have a ice dick? Like- he’s been pretty naked before. Where is his dick? Where does it go? If it is there does it react to chilly temps like other dudes?

-Can venom technically contaminate his host's partners if he is somehow involved in sexual relations WITH his host at the time?

-Why do so many aliens talk English?

-How do the x-men understand Doop?

-How do some of them understand Lockheed?

-How many top brains will be introduced only to be topped by someone else?

-How smart is Reed Richards?

-How long can Norman Osborn be the goblin? Are there any other personalities that he’s formed over the years?

-Why the fuck don’t the x-men permanently partner up with Legion? Like ... get on that.

-Why the fuck don’t they just shut the entire hellfire club down? That NEVER ends well and it’s got a lot of the same members over and over again- shut it down, keep it down.

Annnnnd... yea. Those are all my questions/thoughts.

[gaymalcolmreed-blog]

malcolm reed!

How I feel about them:I wanted to write something long and thought-out for him like I did for Danny since he deserves it, but the truth is, I haven’t actually thought about him all that much in months since I apparently only know how to get invested in one thing at a time and rn that’s Stargate, and I don’t know where to start.

I do love him a lot though (he’s one of my all-time fave Star Trek characters, I think beat only by Data), and he didn’t deserve a lot of the stuff that he went through. In fact, my love for him is so great that when I found out that the url gaymalcolmreed wasn’t taken, I made this blog when I hadn’t even intended to; I was already in way too deep, so at that point, it seemed kinda pointless to me to move all the Trek and sci-fi and space and (most of) the other science stuff to a new blog rather than just leave it on my personal, but, well, here I am! And I don’t regret it

When I made the ENT queer alignment chart, I originally had him as the functional gay for some reason lmao he’s 100% a disaster I don’t know what I was thinking

Also, his love of blowing things up is #relatable

All the people I ship romantically with them:TripHayeshappiness (didn’t I have a post that went like this?)

My brotps for them:HoshiTrip

My unpopular opinion for them:I don’t actually know how unpopular it is, at least nowadays, but a lot of the fics I’ve read with him where his sexuality is addressed, he’s bi (which is fine I mean at least they actually acknowledge that attraction isn’t strictly binary ‘cause there are even some where he’s ~straight with an exception~ like what the fuck), but, uh, that boy is gay. He’s merely performing his heterosexuality. There is no doubt in my mind about it. I could probably even make a list of every moment (scene/line/look/whatever) that’s proof of it if I rewatched ENT. Which I am actually planning on doing sometime. Not soon, but definitely sometime

One thing I wish had happened with them in canon:Well, for one, that Berman wasn’t such a homophobe and had actually written Mal as gay like he’d apparently originally intended to be. I know Dominic has said that he played him gay, and that it’s apparently unknown whether he was joking or not, but since I don’t know him or how he said it, I like to think that he was serious but said it in a way that he could pass it off as a joke if he had to, and that The Straights™ can choose not to take it seriously if it offends their ~delicate sensibilities~ Cuz, like, he may not have been explicitly written gay, but he still definitely managed to be anyway (I’d headcanoned him as gay long before learning about the original concept of the character, so imagine my frustration when I learned just how close we were… but no, fucking Berman had to go shut it down. I am so glad he doesn’t have his grubby little hands on disco)

And for two, that he’d gotten promoted. Another thing I hate about TATV is that, from what I could tell, no one had gotten promoted. Hoshi and Travis are a whole other matter, but you asked about Mal so I’m not even going to get into that here, and ten-plus years is an awful long time to remain a lieutenant, I feel. Like, he worked his ass off and went through so much shit - and we only saw his first five years on Enterprise; we can only imagine what the next five years were like! - that I refuse to believe that he wouldn’t’ve been promoted. He deserves it

(Okay so that’s more than one. So sue me)

Give me a character