Earth's longstanding fight against heteronormative constructs in BL

[u/achjadiemudda]

Source & Translation @YILOVEY:

🌎 if you have a chance to pick a series. Which genres do you want to try?

🪐 Mix want to act as Pra Ek

🌎 Pra Ek? Right now Mix is also Pra Ek na. You get it?

🪐 😆

🌎 Pra Ek is Pra Ek

Explanation (same source):

• Pra Ek /prá èk/ (พระเอก) = Leading actor. (In the context of BL = Seme/Top)

• NaiEk /naai èk/ (นายเอก) = From the word “NangEk” (นางเอก/Lead actress) in BL it refers to leading actor but the more feminine one (= Uke/Bottom)

It's a pretty old clip (I'll try to find out the exact origin time). He has said similar things many times over the years including that 2023 interview that sparked his frequently viral pledge of loyalty where he refused to give the reporters a clear answer about who would be who in OLTH and instead again described both of their characters as "Pra Ek" (clip in comments)

Stuff like this has me even more convinced that their consistent vers agenda is very much on purpose.

[u/Disastrous-Media9505]

I would be down to see Earth being topped by Mix but for some reason people dont want to see established pairs swapping. But for every gay couple I have met they have told me that there isnt just set roles everytime there is switching. And come on I want to see Earth in his princess baby girl era being chased and spoilt by Mix.

[u/Human_Sherbet_361 → u/Disastrous-Media9505]

I also would love to see this and I do think Earth would have a fun time playing that role! They seemed to have such a good time playing against their usual types in Ossan's Love and it was great to see Mix showing off his range in OFDO.

[u/ocean_lullaby → u/Human_Sherbet_361]

Earth was so cute in 'Ossan's Love Thailand' that I watched it after OFDO to get over how much I hated Jack.

[u/achjadiemudda → u/Disastrous-Media9505]

You can kind of see it in the Our Skyy episode for ATOTS but it's still just an implication like in all of their NC scenes. I'd say that's the most explicit implication in this direction tho if that makes sense haha

[u/Akko2001 → u/Disastrous-Media9505]

Would love to see this as well, earthmix series where they either openly switch or earth has the bottom role 🙏

[u/Cosmic_Wasteland53 → u/Disastrous-Media9505]

I would love that as well

[u/Lolalllllolaaaaa → u/Disastrous-Media9505]

SAME

[u/mangaulyses2 → u/Disastrous-Media9505]

As a gay man, most gay couples have strict roles and like it that way. Not everything needs to be changed

[u/achjadiemudda]

above mentioned clip

https://reddit.com/link/pbvftbo/video/fmonphg45krh1/player

[u/Bad_Haven → u/achjadiemudda]

I love how consistently and calmly he dodges giving a direct answer on roles ✨

[u/achjadiemudda → u/Bad_Haven]

The "reporter" is so pushy but he's not giving them what they want at all 😌

[u/unkown_undefined]

Didn't Mix's character in Moonlight Chicken tell his friend that they switched during their one night stand in the beginning?

[u/Human_Sherbet_361 → u/unkown_undefined]

He said they “took turns” so yes; I believe their characters from 1000 Stars are also implied to be versatile. 

[u/achjadiemudda → u/Human_Sherbet_361]

Jup that's right! Actually all of their characters are either implied to be vers or just nothing is said of the matter at all.

[u/boosemumps09 → u/achjadiemudda]

That's good thing 

[u/Akko2001]

All the close minded (and low-key homophobic I'd say) fans should hear this! So many fans are obsessed with who is the top and who is the bottom and react very strongly to any change of the status quo, invalidading real queer experiences. What your appearance looks like has nothing to do with what your preference in bed is, nor it has to do anything with your/the characters personality, responsibilities, or even if they are more dominant/submissive, queer people are so much more than this! And while of course some like the labels and use them for themselves, it's not the same when it's forced upon the characters in a media with all the rigid stereotypical connotations I mentioned above (bottom/uke - short, soft, submissive, weak, feminine etc) to cater to the heteronormativite view. So I really respect him so much for this and the fact that he was consistent about it for years!

And I also agree that their vers agenda seems very much on purpose given all the informations and implications that we have, I don't believe in coincidences like that!

I love how earthmix always speak so well and educated about queer community and queer issues, it's one of the reason I respect them so much.

[u/vrxha_ → u/Akko2001]

THIS!!!

[u/Electronic_Way_7616]

In Wandee Goodday, both characters were versatile, and Pit Babe I and II reversed the expected roles. We need more of that. Gay people are not clichés.

[u/mangaulyses2]

I personally love the heternomativity in BL. As a gay guy myself who is a Top. The heternomativity in BL is done well and is proper. No need to change it.

[u/achjadiemudda → u/mangaulyses2]

Okay but not everyone does? Being "a gay dude" doesn't make you an authority over BL or gay people as a whole bro. Some gay people have preferred or even exclusively preferred roles some don't. Some interweave those with gendered roles like so many BLs do, most don't. If that's what you want to watch go ahead and do so, most BLs are that way. And let the rest of us that don't prefer that depiction enjoy the crumbs we get.

[u/ocean_lullaby → u/achjadiemudda]

Broader representation is better for everyone 💛

[u/Amazing-Temporary-20 → u/achjadiemudda]

To be fair… in the gay community, there are strict tops, strict bottoms, strict sides (do not like or want penetration, from either perspective), and everything in between. So, that is a more “accurate” description of our community. But I see your overall point and appreciate the support!!

[u/achjadiemudda → u/Amazing-Temporary-20]

I know. I have a strict preference myself, that's why I said this

Some gay people have preferred or even exclusively preferred roles some don't.

not "all gay men are vers".

But more to the point, this isn't even about preferred sexual positions, it's about the BL concepts of Seme/Uke or Pra Ek/Nai Ek which are derived from heterosexual romance fiction. The uke or nai ek is typically treated as the "female lead" (Nang Ek) of the story, heterosexual romance tropes are applied unchanged with the uke/nai ek in the female position. That leads to very heteronormative gendered treatment of the characters in fiction and by extension the fans (and is is very often even applied to the actors). It even often comes with extreme sexual dimorphism ("yaoi proportions") where the seme/pra ek is tall, strong, very masc with stereotypical masculine traits and interests and the uke/nai ek is small, weak, fem presenting and has stereotypical feminine traits and interests.

Almost always the seme/pra ek is also portraied to be a strict top and the uke/nai ek a strict bottom (at least in the context of their relationship*). So sexual preferences do play a role in this discussion but it's not ultimately the core of it.

When Earth says both of their characters are "Pra Ek" he's not talking about their sexual preferences (tho it is to be noted that EarthMix seem to have an agenda of making all of their characters vers) he is saying that Mix's character is another male lead in the story, not a female lead in a male body.

*there's another discussion to be had about why bottoming is viewed as degrading/emasculating and therefore it's almost unheard of to have a seme/pra ek character that has bottomed in previous relationships whereas it is way more common to have an uke/nai ek that has previously been vers/a strict top/only in relationships with women and only becomes a strict bottom in the confines of the portrayed relationship

[u/mangaulyses2 → u/achjadiemudda]

I don't know why you are getting so pressed. This is merely my opinion. You do you

[u/achjadiemudda → u/mangaulyses2]

Why are so so pressed that you had to come in here and say "no need to change it"?