What I really appreciate about thousand stars rn is how the attraction between Tian and Phupa isn’t centered around physical attraction. I never really thought of it, but the majority of bls portray the attraction between the main leads in a physical way; the staring at lips, falling in their arms and keeping eye-contact for just a second too long, forgetting where to look when they take their shirt off etc. are all examples of how the leads are physically attracted to one another. I’m not just talking about sexual or sensual forms of attraction, but even just finding the other attractive/handsome would be physical attraction.
And, y’know, a lot of people think that’s what being gay is like. People that claim children are ‘too young’ claim so because they believe being gay is dirty; they believe our love can’t be innocent or pure, and that what we have is made up of nothing but a desire for one another’s body.
But that is not what being gay is about. That is not what love is about, and thousand stars is doing such an excellent job of portraying a love that goes beyond what one looks like.
I don’t doubt Phupa and Tian are physically attracted to one another, but their attraction isn’t centered around that.
That night, when they slept together under the mosquitoe net, Phupa just wanted to talk to Tian. He moved his hand closer because he wanted to be near him. He bought Tian a new net, because he cared for him.
They had good food, and the first thing Phupa thought of was that he wanted Tian to get some. He waited for him, the entire day long, and when he didn’t come back he picked him up the next day. He showed him around, took him to all the beautiful places around, and they didn’t come back till late in the evening.
Tian insisted on making him coffee even if he never had, not for someone else, before. When he talked of Phupa, he talked not of the things he’s done for him, he didn’t talk of the way the chief served him; he talked of the way he annoyed him and put him off but he did it all with a smile on his face.
Everytime Tian doubted, everytime he thought he wanted to leave, Phupa came around and he decided to push through (wether it was out of spite or love something else, I’ll let you decide). Tian invited him to make kites, Tian cooked for him, Tian took the initiative when Phupa didn’t feel he could.
The feelings between these two is a blossoming love. It’s the first time something like this has happened to them, and it’s so special and so new and so pure. There lays no deeper motive between their actions besides their feelings.
It feels nice, to have a love be portrayed that is this kind. A love that isn’t rooted in how we see one another, but rather, rooted in the way the other person is.
“I don’t love you for what you do for me, I love you for who you are.”