roevese

i am begging for literally any plotline aside from sexual assault. from start to finish.

chinese shows treat straight and gay romances and sex vastly differently: in hetero relationships, sex is the endpoint and just another expression of love. two people are in love, so they take it to the next level. in gay relationships, love is the culmination of desire. they are never shown the same courtesy of falling in love first. on top of not being divorced from sex, romance is not real or achievable. it’s merely physical. although it was funny in a frightening way, acknowledging it doesn’t absolve you of the mistake.

(idc how well such sex-focused portrayals may reflect gay men irl, when your country does NOT respect or even allow lgbt people to exist, these will remain homophobic. i will only believe in their sincerity when we get a respectful depiction of a lesbian couple.)

and even if at the end, zhun gains a backbone and starts standing up for himself, it’s all for naught. it briefly got me cheering when zhun slapped xin for taking advantage of him (which is also rape!) when he was drunk. the relationship was so believable there, how someone you love could also harm you, that it does not strictly have to be a stranger. wish they ended the show there instead of pretending it was all done with love. fuck you.