Green and Grey

Ok. I confess. I’m obsessed.

It started with a few Twitter posts I came across that had the hashtag of #MewGulf or #TharnTypeTheSeries. Then the posts had videos attached. The discussion about the actors, their chemistry, their charisma became frenzied and my interest was piqued. I couldn’t find this series they kept talking about. It was Thai and not on my Netflix. I turned to YouTube and watched some bad quality pirate copies: Before being told of where to find the official link for international fans on the TTTS Facebook page.

This isn’t my first obsession, but it’s a strong one. And for me, that’s a good thing.

The two main actors, Mew Suppasit Jongcheveevat (Tharn) and Gulf Kanawut Traipipattanapong (Type) along with most of the other main cast were filmed throughout– from the casting, through the workshops, behind the scenes footage, interviews after various episodes, and reaction footage to their watching episodes of TTTS. Add to this the Award shows, the fan meet ups, advertising stints, and their live Instagram broadcasts and you have two people that are so in the public eye that even footage of them doing the dishes together is watched live by around thirty thousand fans. A fraction of the over one million followers of Mew’s Instagram account.

My obsessions keep me going; it’s not just that they keep my mind off things such as loneliness or from sliding into depressing thoughts, although that’s definitely part of it. No – they serve a much greater purpose. They keep me grounded, and for someone like me who is often more elsewhere than here, that means I am more able to remain focused; to do the things I need to do to keep this one healthy.

The realisation that TTTS had a surprise and quite large international following came half way through it being aired. Suddenly the Instagram and Twitter accounts for the show and its main cast had a spike of followers. The final official TTTS episode was screened in a cinema. Everyone cried. Mew confessed his love for Gulf and thanked him for coming into his life. Behind them, surprising the entire cast, the announcement came – there would be a Season two.

And then COVID-19 hit and everything turned upside down.

Everywhere Mew and Gulf go, they appear to be a couple. They fix each other’s hair, makeup, feed each other, remove each other’s jackets and ties, tie up each other’s shoes, look passionately into each other’s eyes, hug, slow dance. Those who interviewed Mew and Gulf and were later asked about them spoke of how different they were to other Boy Love series actors; they were in their own world. How they were on screen with each other was also how they were behind the scenes. But Mew and Gulf were tight lipped and referred to themselves as ‘close brothers’.

This closeness is full of small moments. For someone like me, who lives alone (apart from non-human company) and has essentially been happily alone most of their life, such moments of gentle intimacy are just beautiful. They feed my ‘aesthetic attraction’ needs and I find that I just can’t help smiling.

Perhaps if COVID-19 hadn’t hit Mew and Gulf would have continued to tease the Waanjais (Sweethearts – their fans). But Mew arrived back from an international fan meet with the possibility that he had contracted the disease. He tested negative. Social distancing was enforced, work on Season 2 was placed on hold, and the latest Thai BL Power Couple found themselves separated. Being together only via shared Instagram live chats. Needing to sit apart and wear face masks. So they came to a decision.

While they supported social distancing, they (as in Mew and Gulf) have chosen to not social distance from each other. They don’t wear face masks. Appearing in an online e-shoppe instance for skin care products, for example, they sat the designated 1.5 metres away from the masked host happily smearing the creams on each other, snuggled together, smiling and joking. The hour long #MewGulf Jenin Sports show was full of antics, games and genuine shows of intimacy. Every couple of days they post several hour long Instagram live episodes of them together cooking, eating, baking, playing with Chopper (Mew’s dog), answering fan’s questions, and yes – even doing the dishes.

This is the end of my fourth week in self-isolation with many more it seems in front of me. Apart from grocery grabs that I keep as far apart as I can, the only interaction I have with other humans is via the internet or the phone. This window into the intimate lives of two people who obviously care very passionately about each other (regardless of whether or not anything happens in the bedroom) has become mega important for me. It has become my connection with people.

I don’t speak Thai and not everything gets translated into English (although they are starting to speak some English). But I don’t need to understand the spoken word while their actions are so open and so clear. And neither do many of their other non-Thai speaking fans. YouTube videos of #MewGulf are filled with comments from various international places about how happy watching these two makes them, despite not understanding much of what they are saying. Their warmth and obvious enjoyment of each other’s company, regardless of what they happen to be doing, is a sublime wonder and such a bright light in these strange and challenging times.

This obsession is not just mine.

© AM (Xander) Hunter April 2020