toastofthetrashfire

[toastofthetrashfire]

im quitting tumblr

[toastofthetrashfire]

If you are disabled and impacted by recent hurricanes and need help, call or text the Disability and Disaster Hotline at 800-626-4959 or email hotline@disasterstrategies.org.

[toastofthetrashfire]

Out of Touch

[toastofthetrashfire]

Yagi Yusei as Kiyoi Sou

美しい彼 エターナル My Beautiful Man: Eternal (2023)

[toastofthetrashfire]

fujoshi electrician burns another house down after installing male/male connection

[toastofthetrashfire]

Wait, you were actually born in the 1900's? Thats so cool

i am going to eat my own entire skin

[toastofthetrashfire]

MISEINEN | Our Youth Episode 3

[toastofthetrashfire]

P'New & The Ex-Morning (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧ *The Ex-Morning is listed in New's filmography on wikipedia; there's been no official confirmation yet.

[toastofthetrashfire]

i’m so glad earth only has one moon, if there were more i’d have to pick a favorite and that sounds too emotionally taxing to even fathom

[toastofthetrashfire]

That's it. That's the show.

[toastofthetrashfire]

The Heart Killers and Queer Shakespeare Adaptations

I think before The Heart Killers begins we should all pour one out for some earlier queer Shakespeare film/television productions- not only because I feel like it would be super fun, but also to acknowledge the trajectory of the genre/its connections to different themes up until today.

Jeremy Irons (Antonio) and Joseph Fiennes (Bassanio) in TMOV (2004)

I thought it would be nice to start with the work that's the most directly "historical," which is the 2004 film adaption of The Merchant of Venice

Although this version of TMOV definitely isn't perfect (it has some issues), I'm really struck by the decision to have a queer kiss scene happen in the film between two of its' main characters (Antonio and Bassanio), in what was otherwise not intended to be a completely "unfaithful" adaptation of one of Shakespeare's works.

First of all, this moment comes after a scene in Antonio's bedroom that's riddled with a lot of homoerotic angst, but second of all, the kiss sort of spontaneously happened on set: mostly because Joseph Fiennes, who played Bassanio, believed so strongly that his character was in love with Antonio that he just kinda went for it (kind of an iconic decision to make if you ask me).

Both characters don't end up getting together in the end, but I think it's so interesting that a queer reading of the character was allowed to exist here (and be layered on top of other things in the background in order to attest to the strength of Antonio and Bassanio's relationship).

There's been other queer Shakespeare adaptations, too, that have been either been inspired by or have directly interacted with his work, such as My Own Private Idaho (1991), Were the World Mine (2008) and Private Romeo (2011) (plus more that I'm probably missing).

The first is mostly (and loosely) based off of Henry IV and V, while the other two deal with in-universe productions of some of Shakespeare's plays: ones that end up standing as some sort of metaphor for queerness (Romeo and Juliet for Private Romeo, and A Midsummer's Night's Dream for Were the World Mine).

I haven't had the chance to watch WWM yet, but I'm really fascinated by the clips I've seen so far- in some ways the story directly replicates the plot of Midsummer by having one of the main characters, Timothy, discover a flower that can alter one's sort of sexual attraction by having anyone fall in love with anybody (it also seems like it has some moments that are a little bit campy or wild lol).

Hale Appleton as Josh Neff (Mercutio and Lord Capulet) in Private Romeo

I was talking to one of my friends about many of these films earlier, and one of the things that she said really stood out: that in a more "academic sense" these are all projects (especially TMOV) that really attest to the queer potential of Shakespeare's work (and the different queer readings that can be created/altered/inspired by it).

I think this is an interpretation that's also great, especially in thinking about how some scholars have read Shakespeare as queer, or noted that he at the very least had an understanding of different references/terms related to queerness.

First (Kant) and Khaotung (Bison) in The Heart Killers

To transition out of these direct Shakespeare-film connections into discussing the The Heart Killers, I think having an adaptation that indirectly adopts parts of The Taming of the Shrew and 10 Things I Hate About You, and that places it into the format of Thai BL, is a really compelling choice.

Sometimes that there's a tendency to separate out BLs from other, more "serious" queer works, and while these differences in tone, content, and style are still important, here I wanted to try and resist that urge (at least temporarily) to place THK into the context of a wider array of "similar" adaptations.

Not only with ones that exist in the BL sphere (such as references to Romeo and Juliet that are present in the series My School President), but also in the larger sort of film space, which I find really interesting.

(Also, to also try and encourage some people to go out and track down some of these earlier films, because I think that they're really worth watching)

Joong (Fadel) and Dunk (Style) in The Heart Killers

In addition, on one final note, in a weird sort of way I think the structure of BL (and Thai BL) in particular might actually make a really good (or, at the very least, interesting) fit for Shakespeare's works?

This is especially in terms of how shows, such as Kinnporsche and Jack & Joker, have played around with genre or have been interested in switching between different moods- since a perennial debate for some Shakespeare theorists is over whether or not some plays can be considered comedies or tragedies (plus how they grapple with different shifts in tone).

Anyway, maybe you could argue that, knowing the history of Shakespeare and some earlier film productions, a show like The Heart Killers might have not been as "out there" as you might expect.

(Maybe I'm exaggerating a little bit here, but I'm so genuinely thrilled that there's going to a queer romance show (vaguely) based off/inspired by one of his works: it's been a long time coming)

[toastofthetrashfire]

So I got very interested in Blue Canvas of Youthful Days after seeing your post, but as someone who hasn't watched a lot of shows recently, I was surprised. Is Chinese BL at last getting free from the censorship? I remember the days of Addicted, the initial crackdowns, the censored "bromances", the shows stuck in eternal development hell... it was sad. Has things started changing?

Not exactly? I'll tag @twig-tea in on this one because they keep better track of shows than me these days.

The most interesting thing that we're seeing is Chinese stories being adapted outside of the mainland. We saw Fragrance of the First Flower produced in Taiwan. We saw My Sand In and Battle of the Writers adapted in Thailand.

I'm not sure what's going on with the powers that be in China around this. I genuinely don't know why Blue Canvas made it to us, especially after getting pulled before episode 5. I'm nervous about what the final moments of this show have in store for us if they let it come back to us.

[toastofthetrashfire]

การุณยฆาต (Spare Me Your Mercy) | OFFICIAL TRAILER

fansub by me

OG Clip on YT

This series is only 8 episodes long.

[toastofthetrashfire]

okay imagine joke dying before jack actually getting to save him like he dies thinking jack never wants to see his face again and all we get is jack clutching joke's cold body as he begs for forgiveness and whispers I love you's over and over again into his ear

[toastofthetrashfire]

so true

[toastofthetrashfire]

OFFICIAL: SPARE ME YOUR MERCY PREMIERES 28 NOVEMBER, AIRING EVERY WEDNESDAY - THURSDAY AT 8:30 PM

[toastofthetrashfire]

Aran and Tattoo also seem color-coded, like Tattoo is usually darker shaded and Aran lighter. But sometimes, they also bleed into each other. Just their whole dynamic is so fascinating.

I'm not sure about Aran x Tattoo's color coding because they seem like they should be white x black.

Like yin and yang.

Like they said.

And Tattoo feels like he should be a Black Brooder since his life, well, sucks.

But the thing is, Aran is dark too.

We assume that the rich fem boy should be light.

But I think the show is saying something about how we are underestimating just how hard Aran's life has been.

His mom died only leaving behind a necklace which he lost, his dad is abusive and never loved him, and his whole life has been founded on oppression, lies, and violence. Pretty dark, eh?

And we've been shown several times that once Aran discards his calculated facade, what lies underneath is pretty dark.

Literally! What is underneath his light clothing is dark clothing!

And that's something else I've noticed about Aran. He is black and white.

While Tattoo only feels dark as Aran threatens to stab him.

Tattoo actually has color.

At least more color than black and white Aran.

So if anything, I wouldn't really categorize them as dark and light.

But more as a black/white guy who is at opposition within himself and his surroundings and a guy who has to hide his color.

Because I think that is what the colors are telling us.

But as a shipper, I also like that they match each other's energy.

When they are around each other, Tattoo can be colorful, and Aran can get out of being his normal black/white self.

So I get why some might think Aran is light and Tattoo is dark but, once again, Tattoo is actually wearing a color unlike Aran.

Therefore, if they are color-coded, I think the story is finally allowing Tattoo the freedom to be his true colorful and creative self, and Aran is getting to see the colorful world outside of his black/white upbringing.

But then again, I'm really not sure what is going on with them.

I just know I love them.