When it comes to GMMTV and its plethora of talent, there’s no shortage of ships for fans to jump on and set sail with. We came 2gether for BrightWin and loved the Bad Buddies turned lovers OhmNanon. The shadow caused by The Eclipse of FirstKhaotung was a surprise hit, and everyone showed up to vote for My School President with GeminiFourth – and that’s just the three I pulled from recent memory. But there’s one ship that, at least in my mind, sails above the rest.
EarthMix.
This dynamic two took our hearts by storm in the 2021 award winning romantic drama A Tale of Thousand Stars.
Earth (whose birth name is Pirapat Watthanasetsiri) played Phupha, the gruff and serious chief of the mountain guard, set to protect residents of a small mountain village from smugglers. Mix (birth name Sahaphap Wongratch) was the spoiled and reclass Tian who got a second chance at life when he received a heart transplant. The previous owner of that heart, Torfun (Aye Sarunchana), was a teacher in the village Phupha protects. To say thank you and find purpose in his new-found life, Tian travels to the mountain village to take Tofun’s spot as the teacher. It wasn’t an easy task, and the couple did not have the warm fuzzies for one another at first, but over the series’ ten episodes, something magical happened – something that went beyond the story. The EarthMix ship didn’t just set sail, it skyrocketed.
The chemistry of Earth and Mix was so palpable that it fanned into a flame that burned through the BL community with feverish ferocity. It was so hot that the couple was cast in several more projects together, including Cupid’s Last Wish and Moonlight Chicken, and they even made cameos as themselves (and the hottest ship in the business) in 15:15 Never Too Late.
However, the sweet taste of success was (as it often is) met with the sour kick of a (sometimes) toxic fan community.
Almost immediately after the actor’s ship set sail, rumors that they were a real-life couple started circulating on social media. These rumors became exacerbated by the fact that the pair seem to be incredibly close and even live together.
Yes, I understand that fan service is real – especially in the world of BL dramas. Companies, especially those in Thailand, have realized that a show has greater success when fans believe that the stars are in a relationship with one another. This belief, though often untrue, has become the subject of massive debate among fan communities all over the world.
One fan, known as the BL Gossip Girl, has made videos where she has been VERY VOCAL about how toxic this type of behavior can be – and how dangerous it can be for the actors.
My personal feelings about Earth and Mix are irrelevant. It’s their personal business, and since I do not know them (and odds are I never will), who they are (or are not) dating is none of my business – and the truth is, it’s no one’s except for their own, and whomever they are dating. As a fan, my only concern with any onscreen couple is: Are they believable? The answer with EarthMix is YES!!!. My personal feelings are again irrelevant. I do hope they are happy in whatever they are doing with life and whomever they are sharing it with.
I am a huge Earth fan (Any one of my friends can attest to this – including BL Gossip Girl). In my head, we are happily married with two dogs, five cats, 2.5 children, and a chateau in the south of France. Mix is there too, as my bestie… However, I am not delusional and (sometimes) can tell the difference between fantasy and reality – and the reality is I am a fan. Earth, Mix, or anybody, for that matter, doesn’t owe me anything. As long as they continue to make series and films, I will continue to watch, but beyond that and like an Instagram post here and there, their personal life doesn’t interest me. I just hope they’re happy.
More EarthMix soon so…
Stay Tuned.
Life In Cartoon Motion 