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travelingneuritis · 1 year

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kinnporsche ep. 7: Love Bomb

-we start out with a recon mission, live grenade slapstick, and ”a win for the minor family”-- whatever the hell that means (vegas showing up at the last minute with the cavalry, maybe?). any win for the minor family is a loss for the main family, even though they’re nominally on the same side & the two families pool information and resources regularly. but they still seem to mutually regard one another as the real enemy. god, everyone in Mafia is so untrusting.

-pete’s the one who calls off big while he’s whaling on their prisoner, but not from squeamishness: he just doesn’t trust big to properly hurt their songbird without accidentally killing him. their methods of violence are blunt and unsubtle, not suited for interrogation. time for vegas to step in.

we’re indulging in the tv fantasy that torture actually works (it does not). anyway, this scene is less about the plot information they glean, and more about establishing both vegas’s sadism and pete’s reaction to it. the camera pans down the line of bodyguards all looking disturbed and disgusted only to land on pete, who looks calm, clear-eyed, and contemplative. he always knew vegas was a dangerous, volatile man and gave him a correspondingly wide berth, apparently content to avoid him as much as possible. the torture scene seems to change something about the way he regards vegas, and he watches him perform unregistered dentistry with a kind of detached speculation, like he just figured out there’s something here worth studying.

-unaware he’s just placed himself on pete’s radar, vegas is still fixated on porsche, demanding that kinn loan him out for some sort of sting operation or... something. idk, the plot is by far the least compelling part of this show.

anyway, kinn has no choice but to concede, which sucks but leads to a sweet moment where he confesses this is the first time he’s ever felt it would be preferable to be humiliated by the minor family’s “success” if it means porsche comes back to him safely. as usual, the slightest bit of affirmation from kinn has porsche glowing.

-vegas sweet-talking porsche is comedically unnatural. he’s clearly trying to impress him with an idyllic nickel tour of the sausage factory, and while i can see porsche appreciating the comparatively laid-back atmosphere, he’s a.) capable of comprehending that the minor family is just as politically fraught as the main family, so there’s hardly a guarantee he would be any safer or happier here than there, and b.) not taken in by vegas’s nicey-nice senior brother schtick, which is fake as hell and way less likely to work now that kinn is being a human to him. he just kinda takes in the scenery without letting it touch him-- you can tell his thoughts are elsewhere.

-is there any significance to pete bowing to the little shrine in the hallway, or is that just pete character building? the mary statue at the party later seems quite deliberately centered as well, but if there’s some deeper symbolism there i’m not getting it.

-korn’s “knife talk” is chilling and succinct: he can see kinn has developed strong feelings for porsche and is sympathetic, but kinn had better not mistake sympathy for permission. the explicitly dehumanizing metaphor of the knife “ruined” through love... yikes, korn.

-i’m curious about vegas and macau’s relationship. macau is suddenly being very reasonable to the guy he blames for sending him to swim with the fishes. it’s tempting to assume that vegas simply scared him into making nice, but i suspect it’s a little more complicated than that. for one thing, when macau was bitching and bleeding back at the major family’s compound, vegas was the only one in the room who actually like, checked to see that he was okay. besides, if macau were simply scared into making up with porsche i would expect him to act... y’know, scared? avoidant at least? instead he’s coming off pretty earnest, like he’s sincerely trying to wingman his brother, and there’s that conspiratorial smile-and-nod as he passes vegas on his way out. i’m sure he’s aware that vegas is not someone to be crossed, and vegas might even have used some intimidation to ensure macau falls in line-- but i bet that was just one prong of his approach. maybe he also appealed to their mutual desire to one-up the main family, or reminded him that porsche is just a pawn and not worth holding a grudge against. i think their relationship, though largely glossed-over, is one of the more intriguing ones in a show with a lot of very complicated brotherly bonds.

-chay is an unbearably fluffy, cute baby rabbit and kim is the fox whose open jaws he is unthinkingly napping in. i find myself incredibly tense during their scenes together.

-surprising exactly no one, kinn is a Mean Jealous, breaking out the old “you belong to me and i can give you to whoever i like” rhetoric when porsche so much as teases him for being possessive. vegas reads the room and likes his chances, although i think both he and kinn are doing porsche a disservice here: he is not the kind of person to transfer his loyalties so easily, and he’s put up with way worse from kinn before. still, i do wish kinn would put a fucking sock in it.

-vegas and porsche actually work pretty well as a battle couple; in fact a few of their moves will be repeated later on in the big kinn/porsche action climax. it’s possible that vegas/porsche’s fight compatibility is meant to make the V/K/P love triangle more believable as a conflict, but in my opinion all it really does is highlight porsche’s O negative personality type. romantically, i’m not remotely sold on these two, and it’s plain that neither is porsche. they sure are pretty, though.

-oh my god, porsche’s smug lil face when kinn shows up to growl vegas away from his man-- porsche is loving the impassioned defense of his honor for the .3 seconds it takes him to realize kinn blames him for almost getting vegased in a bathroom. (great slap btw. apo puts his whole upper body into that slap.)

-i could easily do a deep analysis of the bathroom scene alone, but since it would chiefly boil down to “hot. hot. hot. hot. hot. hot. hot,” i’ll refrain. however, to be just a little upstairs-brain about it, i’ll say: they make nice use of the bathroom set (the counters to drunkenly sprawl across, the narrow claustrophobic shape of the room, the uh... mirror); the blocking is really good & motivated (porsche’s little turn away & curling in on himself stands out-- he’s seizing a tiny fragment of privacy from kinn, but is unwilling to actually leave the room and is in fact inviting kinn to box him in). the scene accomplishes a lot in terms of both character and shipbuilding, and is a welcome confirmation that kinn is not about to absolutely revert now that he’s back under his dad’s thumb. he has come to need porsche, enough to make an absolute ass of himself; and porsche needs kinn enough to forgive him.

Also: hot.

#healthy these two aren't. counterpoint: i don't care #kinnporsche #kinnporsche episode analysis #kinn theerapanyakul #porsche pachara kittisawasd #pete saengtham #vegas theerapanyakul #spoilers

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thatgirl4815 · 2 years

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The Pete Effect

~ A Deep Dive into Vegas’s Mind ~

When it comes to Vegas and Pete in Ep11, I think they contained a pretty massive story arc within the 50 minutes. And while I do think this story could’ve been spread out over the course of a few episodes, I do think they managed to offer a view of Vegas that humanizes him but does not necessarily erase or lessen the severity of his crimes. If anything, it puts the cycle of generational violence/trauma in perspective. If the purpose of this episode is to show why Vegas desires hurting people and where this destructiveness comes from, then I think they’ve accomplished that.

**For my take on Pete’s psychological state, see this post: The Vegas Effect

Recycled History

We don’t need to see Vegas’s history of abuse play out onscreen to get the full context of what he’s going through. From a storytelling perspective, it’s pretty standard: abusive father projects own self-hatred onto child. It’s a never-ending cycle of needing dominance to fill the void of never being good enough. We don’t know much about Korn and Kan’s father, but what little we do know indicates that Kan’s relationship with his father is similar to Vegas’s relationship with Kan. At the same time, this line from Korn in Ep10 is interesting:

We haven’t seen Kan directly “taking advantage” of anyone, mostly due to a lack of screen time, but the act of abusing Vegas is ironically upholding this very notion. This line is also notable in that it seems to apply to Vegas in particular, and Kan is reinforcing it by constantly reminding Vegas that he will never be good enough. Korn, master manipulator, likely knows that due to their rivalry, Kan suffers from the same self-hatred that Vegas suffers from. He exploits that with this line, and I have no doubt that Kan was reminded of this very conversation when confronting Vegas.

In this shot, Vegas is experiencing a build up of all these negative emotions: bitter resentment for his father, hate for himself, shame, guilt, rage. Kan tells him he’s failed not only as the heir of the minor family, but as a son—that’s the key point. It’s never about the business, it’s about Vegas as a person. Kan will always find flaws in Vegas because that’s easier than facing his own.

Vegas’s Psyche

What does Vegas do? He takes the gun from Kan, he points it at Pete as if to kill him, but he doesn’t follow through. Why is that? Because, as will become even more appparent later, Pete is a form of rebellion for Vegas. Keeping him—tormenting him—defies his father’s orders, but it also offers Vegas an opportunity to assuage his own feelings of inferiority. Pete is a prisoner, so Vegas’s dominance over him is a certainty. Vegas craves the chance to rip Pete apart piece by piece the same way his father has always ripped him apart (not to mention it also comes with minimal risk).

There’s an element of loneliness to this too. As the VegasPete bandaging scene proves, Vegas has spent his whole life feeling alone in his suffering. But while Pete reveals a similar experience in his own childhood, his imprisonment is also an opportunity for Vegas to impart his emotional pain onto someone physically. Vegas gains a certain satisfaction from witnessing someone else’s pain precisely because it is not his own. It’s a reminder that his father isn’t the only one who can inflict pain. That’s, in part, why I believe Vegas is so satisfied when calling Pete’s grandmother—Kan abuses Vegas both physically and emotionally, so why wouldn’t Vegas want to do the same thing to others?

So…

What stanches Vegas’s desire to inflict pain?

Even before their bandage talk, Pete is making waves for Vegas. We knew from the moment he laughed in Vegas’s face in Ep10 that he wouldn’t be one of Vegas’s regular victims; he presents a challenge, something Vegas can focus on. He’s a distraction as well as an outlet. Because, from a much broader perspective, Vegas’s position is terrible. His plans failed, the major family wants him dead, and he’s locked in a safe house with only Pete and a hedgehog for company.

One of the common critiques of this episode has been that Vegas’s feelings for Pete developed too quickly. I think this moment is where these critiques stem from. But, while there seems to be genuine fear in Vegas’s eyes at the prospect of losing Pete, I think there are two big reasons why:

1) With Pete dead, Vegas loses his outlet. He loses his distraction. And, perhaps most importantly, he loses his rebellion against his father. So long as Pete is alive, Vegas has a place to direct all that internal pain that his father keeps heightening.

2) Vegas doesn’t acknowledge it outright, but I think he knows Pete is a good person. Yes he’s in the mafia. Yes he’s committed crimes for his boss. But at his core, Pete is loyal. He’s self-sacrificing. He’s sincere. He’s as good as someone in this life can be. “No legacy is so rich as honesty.” I’ve seen others point it out, but I want to reiterate it here: Pete is already showing Vegas what it means to be honest about what drives him. That’s what their whole bandaging conversation comes to. It’s a truth that Vegas must face if he ever wants to escape the hole of self-hatred that his father has shoved him into.

As I’ve said, I do think that this storyline could’ve been stretched into two episodes just to really sit in that moment of realization and fear that Vegas has over Pete. But while it did come on somewhat suddenly, I think it makes sense if you consider Vegas’s attachment to Pete in context. I don’t think Vegas fully understands his attachment to Pete much in the same way we aren’t meant to fully understand it.

This kiss. Another manipulation? Another part of the game to lure Pete in? I can see it. I think Pete can too. Pete is smart enough not to trust Vegas, no matter how gentle Vegas might be. But we, as an audience, are fortunate because we see Vegas in moments no one else can. We have reason to believe it’s genuine, because Vegas is gentle at times when he really has no reason to be. He freaks out over the prospect of Pete’s death, he bandages him oh so tenderly because he wants to. He needs to.

Does he need to kiss Pete to give him the pill? Absolutely not. And Pete could resist that kiss—and the pill—quite easily. Vegas knows what he's doing. Pete accepts the pill because the tenderness of the kiss catches him off guard. The way I see it, Vegas goes for the kiss as a way of addressing his newfound attachment to Pete. I’d relate it to KP’s first kiss at the end of Ep3, as Kinn/Vegas and Porsche/Pete are, remarkably, in similar situations. (The amount of parallels between VegasPete and KinnPorsche is honestly insane, and those could honestly be a post on their own.)

As I mentioned above, Pete tells Vegas that he isn’t alone. And it’s the thing Vegas needs to hear most from someone. The thing is, I don’t think he even knew he needed it. But it takes a weight off his shoulders, as we see when he says, “It still hurts. But not as bad as before.”

I want to note that I don’t think Vegas’s sadistic tendencies have miraculously disappeared by the end of Ep11. Pete is a lot of things, but he’s not a miracle worker. I think Vegas has become enlightened, but one therapeutic conversation isn’t going to set him on a path of goodness. Trapped in this little bubble, it’s easy to lose sight of just how cruel and sadistic Vegas really is. It’s almost peculiar how easily I found myself not only sympathizing with Vegas, but blissfully ignoring all the bad things he has done. I mean, he was literally bandaging the wounds that he inflicted on Pete this episode, yet I somehow managed to overlook all of it and see only a confused, miserable mess of a man. And yeah, I felt bad for him. I’ll credit that all to Bible’s acting. He added such a level of humanity to Vegas at the end of this episode. I mean look at this—

...compared to this—

The genuine sweetness in that last smile? The end of this episode is the first time we’re seeing him without the mask.

In conclusion...

Pete has unlocked a part of Vegas that’s been buried by years of abuse. At least in my opinion, he’s set Vegas on a path towards healing and a release of all the anger welling up inside.

I don’t think this means that Vegas will lose the mafia-persona. They are all still in the mafia, after all. Conceptions of good and evil are much less defined in this landscape. But, I don’t think Vegas will need to use torture as an outlet for the pain his father causes him. I imagine he’ll still have an interesting relationship with pain—what with the apparent BDSM content we’ll be getting—but it won’t be used in the same context as before. Meaning that it will be something both Vegas and Pete enjoy.

That’s all for now. As always, more KP meta can be found ➡️ here, and my thoughts on the use of color in Ep11 ➡️ here!

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artisdrama · 2 years

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“right now, i feel useless. no, i've always been useless. i never exist. i have no feelings. i don't freaking have anything left within me. i can't take myself anymore, vegas.”

we all kept saying that vegas and pete are parallels to each other to what the same kind of abuse can lead to. it’s almost tiring how many times we analyzed how vegas weaponized his trauma by turning into an abuser in self defense, but we were a little blinded by pete’s smile because we genuinely believed pete was always being completely open about everything. his tattoo says it all, doesn’t it? no legacy is so rich as honesty. didn’t he share with vegas what his dad did? didn’t he follow what his heart told him? isn’t he gentle, a good friend, a good subordinate? that must be who he is.

vegas craves attention, acknowledgement, and he thinks he never received it because he never accomplished anything. pete did, though. he won the fight, and yet his dad still hit him. it doesn’t matter how good he is or how much he contributes to his surroundings, he’s never actually seen. it doesn’t matter how much effort he puts, how much emotional labor he puts in his relationships, he’s still secondary to their choices, a supporting character. it’s not just vegas that was never recognized as a person, it’s pete too.

it’s pete because he can disappear and people that he holds dear to him wouldn’t even notice until someone dreams about him. because he keeps being the wingman to others, but no one ever falls for him. he solves the problems for everyone, but not only that, his efforts always turn into more responsibility since he’s so reliable - never, i don’t know, a vacation i guess? his work has no emotional return to him, and while he’s loved by tankhun he’s still a subordinate and not a friend. it’s his boss, and he has no say in their relationship like the other does. “my most understanding bodyguard”. pete understands tankhun and shows his concern for him through how he takes care of the other, but tankhun loves pete exactly for that, and not for him. no one sees the true him.

he puts his heart in everything. yes, the honesty is there. and he does everything without expecting anything in return, because he knows that doing the right thing sometimes isn’t rewarding. that doesn’t mean he doesn’t crave recognition, it’s just that he doesn’t feel he’s ever going to receive the type of recognition he so desperately wants. and he can’t show this side to the others, because then he will be a burden and not fulfill the role he wants. he honestly wants to make everyone around him feel ok - and he’s fine with that, in some levels. he thinks helping others is rewarding because you can see the smile in their faces after it.

“i’m sorry. i aim to spread more smiles than tears.”

he’s content. it’s enough to keep him going, to inspire him to keep making others around him happy, because if anything that’s the only thing he knows. he has to live each day by itself, because if he sees the big picture he’ll feel like a side character to his own life. but deep inside, even though he has come to terms with his father’s abuse, he can’t distance himself from the violence. it’s his whole environment, it’s how he learned relationships work, it’s thrilling - and makes him feel alive. after being successful in destroying vegas’ plan, he’s so high on his accomplishment that the torture is almost a recognition on how well he fucked up vegas, and he can take it with a smile in his face.

but after all the violence and the torture vegas puts him through, he still can’t turn his caring persona of, because he’s so used to finding patterns in people in order to make them smile that he easily cracks the code to what’s vegas’ problem is. it’s almost instinctive at this point to only comfort him, not because he actually feels for vegas but because he is simply like that. he opens up just enough for vegas to understand that he’s being seen, but not enough for vegas to see him. he says just the right things at the right time, never giving information about himself or opening up. his goal was never to have vegas obsessed with him, but just to live each passing day and try to handle it as best as it could.

but vegas gets obsessed with him - actually, the idea of him. vegas is so caught up with the idea that someone understood him and didn’t judge him harshly that he completely ignores that pete is not “someone” in the sense of an abstract concept in his mind, but a person entirely separate. he starts seeing pete as an extension of him, projecting his feelings and his desires into the other. but this obsession shows up in the form of little actions of care and attention (in vegas’ way, of course), in the sexual tension, and this desire is so intense that it moves pete’s heart.

because, for a second, pete wants to believe that all that intensity and emotion is for him. that vegas actually saw who he is and understands, and is desiring him. when vegas tells him he’s sexy, is he saying that because he sees pete’s body and thinks he’s attractive or because the sex they had and pete’s submission is sexy to him? vegas proceeds to only talks about him and his feelings, but he never asks pete how he feels. he opens up - “i thought i was a freak”, but it’s not followed by a “have you ever felt something like that, pete?”. vegas finally asks him “how did you survive in this environment?” and pete’s finally smiling, asking back “why, do you think i’m a good guy?”. he’s expecting vegas to give an actual insight on it. but vegas shows how little he understands pete telling him he’s “stupid” - pete is far from stupid and he knows. and it’s not just bickering, because pete realizes that vegas truly believes he has nothing going on inside his mind, that he’s just what vegas wants him to be.

after that, he slaps himself in the face to wake up - vegas isn’t seeing him as a person, he needs to leave. that life is not what he wants. but then why did he say yes to him? why did he kiss vegas? of course there was a previous build-up of desire between the both of them, but what was that made him give in? he has never been into subspace before and he’s still trying to understand himself and what he wants, but right now he’s completely sober. and he blames himself a lot for everything. but when vegas gets inside the room mad, he’s doing it again - he’s trying to help vegas.

vegas still doesn’t sees pete, only what he wants to see. so it’s easy for him to simply act up and vent all his violence on the other when pete shows again how understanding he is (and he switches his emotions as if he wasn’t, a few hours earlier, putting all the care in the world making a dish for him). vegas still believes in what he told pete in the last episode before they kiss, that pete likes that side of him and that it turns him on, so it never occurred to him that acting like that again could have any other effect. not only that, but the line about them sleeping (which was already making pete dwell on self hatred for what he did and what he desired) finally snaps pete, because not only he isn’t in the mindset to enjoy that type of violence, but also because he’s done - he understands everyone, even vegas, but no one ever tries to understand him.

vegas’ obsession isn’t seeing him, but just a toy that will behave how he wants and like him the way he wants. pete wants to be desired intensely, madly and deeply, but he knows this isn’t what’s actually going on. it’s all a lie he’s telling himself, because he had a hard time coming into terms that vegas’ liked what he provided for him - comfort - and not him. he’s once again secondary to someone else’s feelings, and it doesn’t matter what he wants and what he likes, what his pain is, he’s not seen. and now, being punished by something he didn’t do, unable to even comfort vegas with his words, he’s useless too.

pete’s so done that he asks for vegas to kill him, and vegas is so out of his mind that he goes on to grab a knife and actually threaten to do it. vegas isn’t thinking properly but he does think this is just pete’s usual bratty behavior, and in his mind is something that can easily be solved like every other instance between them where he plays abuser with pete and then leaves. but this time, pete’s finally honest about his feelings. he’s done with everything, and he’s done with vegas treating him like that. he feels like shit, and there’s no point on keeping with this if he will still be treated like that. he tells him, he’s lost his humanity. he’s not living as a person, but as something. in this case, vegas’ plaything.

after all that, vegas sees the huge mistake he’s making, and starts begging - and that touches pete’s heart again. because vegas is begging him so desperately to not kill himself, that he’s sorry and that he needs pete so much, that pete falters a little. he knows that vegas still isn’t truly seeing him (if anything, he’s just finding out about him) but the feeling of having him begging for pete to stay with that face creates a bitter taste in his mouth. he wants vegas to desire his true self like that, and not the character vegas created in his mind. and that reinforces pete’s desperation either dying or running and leaving.

“i’m a human, vegas. i have feelings.”

vegas insists on needing him, which pete finally throws in vegas’ face that is not him that he needs but a mirror. he keeps projecting onto him, and never asking what pete needs, treating him like a pet. and pete shows him - if he actually needs him as a person, why the chains? why aren't his needs being met too? and vegas begs him to promise he won’t leave him. the fact is, pete can’t lie to vegas at this point, because he’s opened his heart so much he can’t pretend anymore he would do something like that. and he touches vegas’ face, because deep down he’s still conflicted with all those feelings, but he finally chooses to put himself first and knocks vegas out.

and while they’re apart, vegas never leaves his mind. even though he’s loved by everyone and everyone is grateful he’s back, there’s still a lingering feeling that he only ever felt being with him, and he misses it so much. because now that he had the taste for the obsession, for being almost consumed by someone else that wants them so badly, how can he go back to his normal and mundane relationships? he’s numb, both traumatized by what happened and dwelling in guilt because even though everything was so terrible he wants a little bit of it back. and he feels the shame of the intoxication he feel, unable to open up to anyone about that. him lying and denying to tell porsche is not only because he wants to protect vegas, but because he wants to protect himself from acknowledging that he doesn’t despise him as much as he wanted to, as he should do.

“get the hell out of my life.”

pete screams, but he’s unable to shoot the gun and end it all. when vegas takes the gun to his chest and screams, pete has an automatic reaction of fear that doesn’t go unnoticed by him, but he keeps pushing to try and make his point. but pete can’t say anything, just cry the tears he has been holding all throughout the episode since he left vegas’ house. and again, he is only truly honest in that moment where he lets himself fall to the ground from how painful everything is, and vegas is comforting him. the worst, for him, is that he’s allowing once again vegas in his space, touching him intimately and taking care of him. and his hand goes trembling to the other’s face, unsure if it’s the right thing to do or not, because he’s pained by everything that went down and all the abuse - but also a little bit glad that vegas is still so obsessed with him that he’d follow him there. he’s conflicted because he can’t reconcile the idea that he wants vegas and, maybe, vegas wants him too, because it’s never the case. just like he said, he’s useless, has never existed, has no feelings, no humanity. there’s no point in hoping that vegas would do that to him. but he wants to believe in him so much that he can’t stop crying.

#vegaspete #vegaspete meta #wow i WROTE for this one like . dammit don't you have a thesis to write to the 7th sir #i said i had many pete thoughts that i was waiting for the next episode to be released and i am glad to announce that i was right! yeeeee #but fr i am soooooo obsessed with this episode and everything and all the feelings i'm definitely a new human #kinnporsche the series #adding no pics because i'm lazy to screenshot everything #vegas kornwit theerapanyakun #pete phongsakorn #vegaspete analysis #also i feel i need to at that this is pete's inner monologue and not the truth per say #we know vegas' side of the story is different but still i think it's important to state that #pete has no way to read vegas mind so that's what he's working around... and it's a whole mess #pete doesnt know about the little things like making a dish from his home to him and never will so he thinks vegas is ignoring his humanity

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ravenpureforever · 2 years

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So I know we all joke about Porchay living his best Wattpad life, myself included, but I think we all kind of ignore how Kim just never dissuaded him from that notion and how we find that genre dissonance between Porsche & Kim’s view (and often our audience view) of Chay and how he actually acts, and we’re all sleeping on the mini character arc he’s gotten over the course of the series.

Porsche and Kim don’t want Chay to get caught up in the mafia world, and they both seem to view him in the same lense: he’s innoncent, sweet, incorruptible.

But Chay has fucking balls man, and he’s a lot more resilient than people give him credit for. He also ignores red flags like he’s color blind. We don’t get to see much of him, but the glimpses we do get show there is so much more beneath the surface.

First:

Man grew up with Porsche & a dead beat Uncle, you telling me he didn’t see some shit growing up? No matter how well Porsche protected him, Chay is the one dressing his wounds when he comes back from fighting, Chay still hears the loan sharks coming for his Uncle, he’s growing up watching his older brother as really the only source of income for his household. And he can’t do anything about it. Watching episode 1, when Chay asks Porsche to let him get a job and help out, it feels like they’ve had this conversation before, it feels resigned, it feels like a final quiet plea of “we’ve talked about this before, but please, please, please just consider it.” But Porsche says no, I’m going to take care of it and I can’t help but think of the impact that has, of watching the person he loves most get beat down again and again and not being able to do anything about it. I feel like Chay probably grew up being the peacekeeper, the one trying to keep the waters calm. Its clear he knows he’s his brother’s world, that his brother has done so much to keep him sheltered and happy, and I can think of Porsche teaching Chay manners, teaching him ideals of being kind to others and Chay just internalizing it and deciding “ah yes, so this is my role in the family, this is how I can help my brother.” Chay probably felt a lot of pressure, no matter how unintentionally and how unconditionally Porsche loves him, to be a reason why his brother is doing all of this, he’s probably hyper aware of how he’s Porsche’s motivation, that everything his brother does is for him. That does things to your self-worth, to how you view yourself. I get the feeling hasn’t had any agency over his own life before, he’s always been the princess locked in the tower, aware of the war but not allowed to participate. His happily ever has been chosen and now he just has to see it through.

Then literally overnight, he wakes up and his Uncle has vanished, and his brother has left with just a fairly suspicious note about pursuing his dream that’ll completely be able to fully support Chay. His entire way of living has transformed, and now he’s completely alone. He went from princess locked in a tower as a war rages on to a Queen of a decimated kingdom. He can not grieve, he can only have faith and move forward.

This is also how I realized Chay has practically been designed to ignore all red flags and interpret them as something else.

Enter Kim, stage right. Enter Chay’s wattpad fantasy come to life, also stage right.

When Chay meets Kim, he is someone who has literally nothing to lose throwing himself out there. My boy literally just recites an encyclopedia knowledge of “Wik, sir, you are my hyper fixation” all in the hopes of getting that T-shirt. And it works! His idol signs his T-shirt, he gets to talk to his idol, he has been rewarded for putting himself out there!

So go big or go home right? He might as well try asking for a tutor when asked if there’s anything he wants. And he’s shot down. No big deal, he moves on and has merch thats going to be the envy of the Wik fandom.

But then his idol calls him, and says he’ll tutor him. Wik remembered him, remembered his request, and then proceeded to hunt down a way to get Chay’s phone number and call him personally in order to tell him he’s decided to he’s going to help him get into the his dream department that he himself is apart of.

Its easy to view Chay from Kim’s perspective, as an excitable fanboy with a crush, but we forget how Kim looks from Chay’s perspective. So lets look on how everything seems from Chay’s perspective.

Chay put himself out there, made a decision solely for himself and what he wants and now his idol wants to tutor him. He’s been actively rewarded twice now, by the same person, for asserting what he wants and trying to get it. He’s gotten his cake and is eating it too. He has a celebrity crush like most people get, only his celebrity crush is now making the effort to genuinely get to know him.

Wik tells Chay his name is Kim, he’s being open and vulnerable to Chay, and he’s trusting him with his identity. Kim asks about his brother, even though Chay didn’t tell him, red flag to any normal person citing he saw Chay’s screensaver and made an assumption. Kim is taking an interest in his life, he notices little details about him, and is asking to here more about the coolest person in the world, his brother and even noticed how much Chay loves Porsche that he wants Chay to write a song about it! He even trusts Chay enough to ask for his phone when Kim’s phone has died, even though that’ll mean there’s important numbers in Chay’s call history, and he trusts that Chay won’t take advantage of them!

And maybe Chay starts to fall a bit in love with Kim. Not Wik, but Kim, who’s a little bit insecure, a little bit awkward, but is making all this effort for Chay.

For Chay, it isn’t anything manipulative or suspicious, he’s becoming friends Kim, they’re sharing information about themselves, they’re bonding now, and he’s been shown that if he pushes, Kim will stay. Chay is all alone now, he has to take care of himself, but if he makes an effort and keeps putting himself out there, if he makes his wants known, Kim comes to him. Kim trusts him, and as long as Chay takes the initiative, he also makes the effort to bond with Chay.

Then Porsche comes back! Chay isn’t alone anymore, and they’re happy and safe and Porsche isn’t getting beat up! And then Porsche once again immediately leaves without a word and few days later you get the first call you’ve gotten from him since he left the first time and now he’s back at work and doesn’t know when he’ll be back again. He’s all alone, and his brother has seem to get a new life that once again Chay’s not allowed to be apart of.

But then Kim shows up at his house! And Chay immediately throws his brother under the bus in a desperate bid to keep Kim’s good opinion of him, once again, gotta admire the sheer balls and audacity of that move. Then Kim gifts him one of his guitars! Porsche do you understand how easily your brother could be taken advantage of do you? Sure he almost gets the heart attack of Kim discovering his shrine, but what teenager doesn’t have posters on the wall of his favorite singer? Maybe it’s weird that he wants Chay to go get the food for them both, but he could have an important phone call to make, he could be nervous going out in public where people could recognize him! Then when he gets back Kim asks him about his love life! Kim ruffles his hair! Kim tells him to write a love song!

Kim is checking off all the boxes of my crush likes me back.

So when Kim ghosts him a little, Chay makes the obvious conclusion. Show up at his house and sing him the love song he wrote! He’s been shown time, and time again that if he reaches out to Kim, Kim will eventually grab his hand. Kim has shown to be awkward and a little of unsure of himself around Chay, but relaxes when Chay takes the initiative. So Chay does what’s always worked. With literally no fear or anxiety whatsoever.

And with episode 13, we see how close they were getting. We see how they went out to places together, romantically or platonically, and they took pictures together! They were friends, they were close, they had a level of trust and bonding and vulnerability for Chay to take photos with Kim and leave them around his house for Kim to find!

So Chay once again has nothing left to lose, and shoots his final shot and confesses to Kim. And Kim kisses him! They hug! Kim may or may not have come home with him that night but at some point in they’re relationship post confession, they fall asleep cuddling on the couch.

And Chay and Porsche are very similar. They fall in love quickly, they become very devoted and loyal to that love, and they are honest about it. Chay and Porsche are both the first ones to say I love you, but while Porsche doesn’t ask for a reply, Chay does. Because Kim has shown time and time again that Chay needs to take the initiative. So he asks Kim: I love you, do you love me?

But he stops at that and lets Kim take his time. Because that’s the song and dance their courtship has been taking, Chay flirts, Chay pushes forward and then Kim comes to meet him the rest of the way.

Chay is living in a Wattpad fantasy: he meets his idol crush, his idol crush becomes fascinated with him, he sees the real human behind his idol crush’s persona and falls in love with the awkward, sweet person underneath, he confesses his love and the feeling is mutual! And all of this seems to be fate, like this perfect love story and the happy ending he actually wants. He’s practically gotten into his dream department with the boy of his dreams who loves him back.

He’s confirming it is all real, and letting Kim know that it’s all real on his end.

And then he gets fucking kidnapped. And then he gets indisputable proof that his brother has been lying to him this entire time, and he was kidnapped because of that secret life his brother was lying about it.

The ultimatum may seem harsh, but it makes sense when you see it from Chay’s perspective. He probably feels essentially abandoned by his brother for the past two months, and he’s understandably pissed about everything thats happened in the last 48 hours or so. His brother can be part of his life and they can go back to the way things were, but Chay can’t be a part of his life if his brother is in the mafia, and its true. Porsche has spent all this time telling Chay he wants him to get into a good school and get a good job and be surrounded by good people with a good social life. You can’t have that in the mafia, and Chay knows that. So from Chay’s perspective, his brother has basically just been a complete hypocrite to everything his brother taught him.

And while Porsche has been shown the type of person to be willing to throw away his morals and beliefs when it comes to the people he loves, Chay isn’t. His entire life has been surrounded on those ideals of being a good, kind person who lives a good life. And he’s understandably terrified of the thought of losing his brother and truly being on his own. He’s basically lost his only emotional support system for two months, and if his brother dies, he loses him for good.

So Chay says him or me, because in his mind either way he could lose his brother, but this is Chay making his own decision, this is Chay fighting back and reminding Porsche that see you hurt makes me hurt too. This ultimatum reminds Porsche that his actions have conquenses on Chay too, and it shows how Chay has grown up in his absence. Chay in episode one was willing to just bow his head and listen to what his brother, but Chay in episode 10 is willing to speak out, he’s no longer willing to be simply passive in his brother’s plans for him.

In the end, he and Porsche communicate, and we get a taste of how Chay is, like Porsche, willing to throw away his ideals because he loves someone. But now he’s been dragged into a completely unfamiliar world, he’s truly been into a different kingdom where he doesn’t have any of the power or agency he’s gotten used to having in Porsche’s absence.

And then its revealed the love of his life is part of the mafia, and he’s just gotta sit there and pretend like nothings wrong.

Side note: while it’s absolutely hilarious that absolutely nobody learned about the KimChay romance, it also makes a lot of sense. Rule number one of Wattpad romance: You NEVER tell your overprotective brother your in love or dating or got dumped. You NEVER let your big brother know about your love life. Rule number two of Wattpad romance: When dating a celebrity, you NEVER leave a hint that any fans could pick up on. You ALWAYS need to keep the relationship a secret for as long as humanly possible. Chay thinks he knows what genre he’s in, and he’s being smart about it.

So Chay goes to confront him. Like doesn’t even hesitate, just shows up like bitch you better explain yourself. Because that’s what he does, only this time he does it out of anger, not out of love.

And Kim tells him that his entire reality was a lie. When Chay breaks down crying, it’s not just because Kim dumped him, though that had to hurt, its because that means their entire friendship, all the kindness and effort Kim showed him, all the time they spent together, all the moments Chay thought were sweet, thought they were bonding and falling mutually in love was a complete and utter lie. He’s just been made a fool, and his entire life has been completely transformed and he has no control over any of it.

So he spirals and self destructs. Him ditching the interview may seem dumb and like he’s throwing everything Porsche worked for away, but think about it. Everything about this interview is going to reminder of Kim and how he betrayed Chay’s love and trust. This interview is a reminder of how his brother threw away his own life for Chay to have a future their parents would be proud of, despite his protests. This interview is an embodiment of Chay’s own lack of control in his own life, it has become a symbol of his pain.

Everything in Chay’s life has fallen apart and now he has to pick up the pieces and find his place in the new world he’s in.

So he tries to take back that lost control and ditches the interview. He does the stereotypical new haircut new me era. He goes out drinking with friends. Chay can’t talk to Porsche about any of this, he can’t be honest with friends about any of this. He doesn’t have any real support system in his life right now, and he’s falling apart. For the past two months he’s been in charge of his life for the first time, only for it to be yanked away and everything he knows to disappear. He wants to get that control back, but he has no clue how, and he has no one to help him. So he makes some dumbass decisions, but its not just because of Kim, it’s because desperately grappling for a sense of agency in a world that keeps stripping him of it.

And then Kim comes back into his life, and in Chay’s perspective, tries to take away his agency again and toy with his emotions. “You said you don’t care about me, but here you are caring about me,” and it makes him angry. So in episode 13, he tries to cut Kim off, he ignores his calls and blocks his number to assert his control of their relationship.

And then his agency and control is once again taken when Porsche wakes him up and (presumably) drops him off at Yok’s and (probably) doesn’t tell about anything that happens.

His Wattpad dream life romance has fallen apart, he’s had to leave his old life completely behind, and now he’s left in the ashes trying to figure put who he is and where he stands in this situation, trying to be his own person without anyone there to help him.

Conclusion: I think Chay is someone who strives to be kind and polite, and like Porsche wants to see the best in people, but he’s also incredibly brave and put into the position where he’s really making his own decisions for the first time in his life. He’s frustrated, he’s unsure, he’s making mistakes and fumbling around, but he’s a young adult finally trying to take control of his life after everything has been ripped out underneath him, and I think that side of him could be explored to.

I think Chay is the type of person who’s sweet and respectful, but when push comes to shove, he’s shown to be a no nonsense kind of person who isn’t afraid to backdown. He’ll listen, he’ll comprise, but Chay has a lot more of a spine and a no fear attitude than people give him credit for, but right now he’s desperately trying to assert his agency in a narrative that keeps taking it from him, and its causing him to self destruct.

I’m genuinely excited to see where his arc from passive princess in tower to living a self-insert life to currently self destructive extensional crisis ends up. We’ve only gotten a few scenes with him, but they’ve shown so much of a character arc that I feel people are sleeping on.

#kinnporsche the series #kinnporsche #kimchay #vegaspete #sorry I just want people to stop sleeping on Chay #kinnporsche meta #kinnporsche episode 13 #kinnporsche episode 12 #they we’re supposed to be the sweet ones admist the mafia drama #they’re all unhinged disasters #i’m obsessed #porsche my beloved #kinnporsche analysis #kimchay analysis #I’ve got a lot of feelings and thoughts about Chay okay #he’s got so much going on and such an interesting characterization #or maybe im just overthinking #but still

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bestiesincrime · 2 years

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Both Kinn and Porsche know that Korn is lying - "I'm always here for you", a meta™

Korn thinks he's won but he has just orchestrated his own downfall. Take this line:

It's a weird thing to say at the moment. It does not relate in any way to the conversation taking place, and even putting it in the context of Kinn trying to calm Porsche down, more direct forms of reassurance would have worked better, such as "I love you" or anything to further convince Porsche that Korn is telling the truth. Still, Kinn chooses these exact words, so he was either:

knowingly manipulating Porsche because, guilty or not, Korn is just too powerful for Porsche to take on on his own, even holding him at gunpoint. But again, were this the case, there are more effective ways for Kinn to persuade him.

codespeaking with Porsche the only way he can in front of his father, by referring to something only the two of them know, that is to say, their conversation in ep 13, when Kinn promised Porsche he would always be there to help him find the answers he seeks. I think this is what is going on here.

After all the back and forth between Korn's and Gun's versions, plus the way his father killed Gun before he was done speaking, Kinn can't not be aware of how just how deep Korn's manipulations run, but he also knows he can't just kill his father with zero repercussions without taking his power first (see: mafia council being reluctant to accept Kinn as Korn's temporary stand-in).

Kinn is trying to make Porsche see all this the best way he can: by recalling their last honest conversation before sh*t hit the fan, simultaneously answering Porsche's vow with one of his own. "I am on YOUR side" says Porsche, "I'm always here for YOU" Kinn says back, meaning I know there is something going on and I will look for answers for you just like I promised, we are on each other's side and we know it, but now it's not the time.

And I just LOVE that most of the converstion is taking place in silence, through an exchange of looks.

Right after Porsche asks/shouts "Where is the truth?" Kinn answers him by looking at him. Apo and Mile do a great job in showing us that a whole converstion is taking place between them, one only they are privy to.

I love Porsche's body language in this scene. He's trembling and uncertain, and you can see him frowning in confusion as Kinn steps in front of his father. "Don't you see he's lying? Aren't you on my side?" he seems to say, and then his expression slowly relaxes as he understands what Kinn is trying to tell him.

The show told us over and over again (more or less expicitly, depending on the case) that the central issue of their relationship is trust, that they need to learn and trust one another, and that it is in that trust that their strength lies.

With this exchange, the narrative gets to the final solution to this issue: Kinn and Porsche are putting complete and implicit trust in each other, and each other only, against the world. And they're the only ones to know this, too.

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kinnspocketporsche · 2 years

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Korn's Betta Fish

This fucking guy!!

Betta fish are extremely territorial. You can't put 2 males in the same tank without them fighting, literally, to the death - in fact, you shouldn't even put their tanks next to each other without something to block their view of one another because it stresses them out. It isn't healthy for them.

I can't tell for sure because the view isn't great but I think these guys are both males? Maybe someone who knows more about fish can tell me. Assuming they're both males, this is feeling a lot like Kinn and Vegas.

They can't beat each other, not really, and they're not even able to fight each other directly, but they look across the glass barrier and get stressed.

TL;DR: Korn, please be kinder to your son and nephew fish

#kinnporsche episode 12 #kp ep 12 #kinnporsche meta #kinnporsche #korn theerapanyakul #vegas theerapanyakul #kinn theerapanyakul #kinnporsche analysis #kp meta #winnie's words

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pastelcheckereddreams · 2 years

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Aaaa I just- I love this gesture.

It’s so quick, considering the pace of the scene and the focus of it - Porsche and Korn - but it’s so telling.

Honestly, the first few times I watched this moment, I didn’t get the significance. I thought Kinn’s careful movement, the rigidity of his hand here, was a continuation of his hesitance in the previous scene: remembering Porsche’s rejection of his touch, the way he didn’t hug back although he allowed it (and isn’t that a lovely contrast - the way Kinn is so respectful and careful of Porsche’s boundaries now, when in the beginning he “crossed the line” without consideration).

But watch Chan in the background: he ducks his head at Porsche’s immediate exclamation, readying himself (perhaps against his personal feelings) to subdue Porsche the second he is shows aggravation towards Chan’s boss. Kinn attempts to place this placating hand on Porsche’s waist at the exact same moment.

So I can’t help but think that this gesture is actually a signal - Kinn, the family heir, immediately acknowledging the escalating threat in Porsche as he shrugs Kinn off, but signalling to the head bodyguard to wait.

To that end, consider how it’s not just a finger lifted in silent gesture by Kinn: it’s the finger that holds the Theerapanyakul ring, and the camera lingers.

It’s a silent command. A silent signal that this is a family dispute - Porsche is family, not a security threat.

Even though the focus in this scene is Porsche and Korn, and there is so much context to distract us, there is still this little moment reminding us of the power dynamics between the bodyguards and the family they protect. And it serves to remind us, too, that Porsche has transcended that boundary.

And just as Kinn trusts, Porsche defers to Korn’s power, even as he rejects everything he now sees has been bestowed upon him at Korn’s whim. (Even- Kinn? Porsche may think- but no, that’s whump for another day.)

Wait, is what this gesture says. I know Porsche - I know him. There is no true danger here.

And then that same arm grabs for Porsche as he suddenly rejects everything Korn has offered him (does that- include-?) Yet Kinn, despite the frown on his face, waits for his father’s nod to follow.

The subtext.

#nikkirewatches #kinnporsche episode 12 #kinnporsche ep 12 #kp episode 12 #porsche pachara #kinn theerapanyakul #kp chan #kp korn #korn theerapanyakul #nikkiwrites #kp meta #kinnporsche meta #scene analysis #detail analysis

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scoups4lyfe · 2 years

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VegasPete and Stockholm Syndrome

Okay so….just obsessively scrolling through the KP and VP tags every Saturday I end up seeing everybody and their brothers takes. (And if not on Saturday then I will the entire rest of the week because I check that tag like checking the morning newspaper 🤪)

And seeing “Stockholm Syndrome” for the tv series (esp cause I read the VP side story lmaooo rip) really amused me for multiple reasons,,,

Lemme just start right from the bat and say that it is perfectly valid to be confused on Pete’s actions, especially as he’s been held hostage.

“Why didn’t he leave?? He should of left???”

Obv the thought process here is: Pete hates Vegas —> seen what Vegas goes through and empathized —> worries about his captor —> doesn’t leave when presented the option —> therefore he has Stockholm syndrome.

Mhm mhmmm I can understand how you could come to that conclusion. However, I firmly disagree. I saw a post that said they wanted to label Vegas and Pete’s relationship Stockholm sooooo badly but knew that wasn’t entirely it and that there was something more complex but they couldn’t understand what.

Haha let me explain to you just what that “what” is.

Having read the book, I have a bit more of a foundation when it comes to comparison, making it easier to see and understand the intent behind the way the Director and writers have adapted the novel into the series. I’m in the middle of writing an essay about these changes and why the tv show is hands down (no competition) a million times better (written) than the book.

In the book, yeah I would say Pete and Vegas have a Stockholm relationship. Hmmm maybe not even then? Because if we’re defining Stockholm as a coping mechanism of empathizing with the captor during times of stress and harm in order to help make it through a traumatic situation; then I say: So~so. See, Pete’s mindset in the book is completely different than it is in the series.

In the book there was no understanding for why Vegas is a fked up lil maniac. “Parental abuse? Tough, but people out there have had it tougher 😶✌️.”

That was Pete’s mindset.

It was really “well that sucks for you but I don’t care — cuz you’re a henious villain” thought process.

In fact Pete only started being nice to Vegas/doing what he said so that Vegas would get bored and either kill him or let him go. That’s it. That’s like 92% of their novel relationship. Pete being fake asf so Vegas would find him boring.

Even prior to being captor and captive Book!Pete could not and did not see behind Vegas’ mask. In his own thoughts during his time captive, he thinks about how he had always perceived Vegas as y’know “just some guy” even with Kinn/Tankhun’s warnings — these warnings being the only reason he knew to be wary of Vegas in the first place.

Chef’s kiss 💋 👌👌 to the show for the way they made specific and subtle changes from the source material that would greatly change the entire dynamic of all the characters and their relationships with each other. (But that’s an essay for a whole other day 👀)

Now, how did the show change Vegas and Pete’s relationship into something entirely new, even more fked up than it was in the narrative, and yet somehow a million times better?

Simple.

(1) Pete’s observation skills and ability to see through Vegas mask from the very beginning. AND his “there’s no heroes or villains” mindset

(2) Pete *choosing* to sneak in with the knowledge and preparation of his torture and death should things go wrong.

(3) The shared experience of both having abusive fathers.

(Pete being the more mature and introspective and aware one between the two, aKa giving Vegas some solid therapy and enlightenment.)

(4) The clippers that have been left in the room with Pete. These writers have been intentional to the *T* — if all these damn essays and meta aren’t proof enough to yall of that then 🤷 idk what else I could give to prove that to you.

(Listennnnnnn,,, you don’t have all these intentional choices for every little thing and then accidentally leave bolt cutters on set of an important scene. Would make no damn sense.)

(5) The hedgehog 🦔

(Vegas didn’t have a pet in the novel…not one I remember at least.)

(6) The Key 🔑

(7) Vegas not initiating the Kiss

Okay. All of the above 1–7 are just a few of the changes made that have major importance for both Pete and Vegas’ relationship.

With Pete being able to see under Vegas’ mask we know that Vegas’ fake masks don’t fool him. There’s something about Vegas that Pete can see through. So when Pete chooses to sneak into the minor family compound — vocally stating before he does it that he knows the consequences— this informs the audience that he’s prepared for them. For capture, torture, death. Which is why when Vegas comes in to torture him and Pete knows he’s foiled his plans and will most likely die? Dude has nothing to lose, so he’ll be damned if he’ll let Vegas see his fear.

Not only does this give Pete a lot more agency. (In the book it was just, wrong place, wrong time); but — as fked up as it is — it also lets the audience feel less bad when he does inevitably get caught / tortured.

It’s not that he asked for it, but at least he knew what was going to happen. An unsuspecting victim is a lot more pitiable than a suspecting victim. Especially if it’s a consequence of a choice he voluntarily made — compared to being forced to investigate via ‘boss’s order.’ So already the writers are setting us up to not hate Vegas as much as we would if Pete truly stumbled into the situation on accident.

Now one of the most important differences — that shared trauma of having an abusive father, and using it to relate to Vegas. Unlike Book!Pete, our Pete recognizes Vegas’ situation. He’s been in the same place — while having the actual affection of his grandmother to fall back on (which Vegas obv didn’t have); therefore he also understands why Vegas tortures him the way that he does — he understands that Vegas is only feeling pathetic and lousy and is taking that out on him.

But in that tender and melancholic moment when Vegas decides to be vulnerable after patching up Pete’s wounds, Pete talks to Vegas with an understanding only someone in his position (or a therapist lol) would have. Even then, objectively knowing something is different than having experienced it yourself. And it’s the fact that Pete’s *also* experienced that sh*t that lends credibility to what he’s saying — at least in Vegas’ eyes.

This is why Pete knows there’s no good or evil, hero or villain, black or white binary in this world.

Because when you get down to it: we truly are shaped by our environments and the things we experience as we grow (obv not ignoring genetics but that’s not the point). And it’s this reflective and mature/observational outlook that helps him empathize with Vegas.

More than empathize — it’s *this* outlook that helps Pete not hold lasting grudges or hate for past hurts.

It’s always easier to forgive someone when you know where they’re coming from.

And Pete never really took it personally (for the most part) considering Vegas is on an opposing side. When an enemy gets captured on the enemy’s base of course they’d get either killed or tortured, esp for information.

That’s not something special to Vegas.

Vegas refusing to kill Pete tho? Lol. That’s enough for a dislike to sour. But I don’t think it sours all that much once we put in the consideration of Pete’s observations recognizing what Vegas is — a victim of an abusive home/situation.

(Not that it excuses him, but nobody’s trying to do that here LOL.)

Now getting down to the nitty gritty.

The hedgehog, the key, and why Pete isn’t a victim of Stockholm syndrome.

First, I think the hedgehog 🦔 is very important because it gives the audience (and Pete) another reason to empathize with Vegas — humans might not mean sh*t to him, but he loves and takes care of his pets.

He loves something. He cares about something. This humanizes him.

And a small and fragile pet can often humanize a character more than a human. A real sicko kills animals. But Vegas’ care for his hedgehog 🦔 shows that he isn’t that. He’s human too—albeit a really fked up one, but human nonetheless. He’s capable of love too, but perhaps humans have hurt him so much that he knows only an animal would be something he can trust.

This kind of trust and love he can only find in animals is also a very isolating existence. It highlights just how trapped Vegas is — the Hedgehog is literally a mirror of himself and his situation.

Yes he cares for Macau — but it’s “easier” to care for a human than an animal. Easier to empathize with a human. So while yeah, his care for his brother, while subtle in the show, is important, it isn’t as important to the audience as his love for his hedgehog. Especially when it comes to convincing an audience to forgive a character’s past villainy and long list of crimes.

But here’s what’s really important — the key.

Vegas leaving the key there (intentional or not; but imo, I think it’s obv intentional. Dude is way too meticulous for that to be accidental), gives Pete the agency to either escape or stay.

This, again, helps the audience be more okay with the idea of the two of them ending up in a relationship. It’s one thing if Pete has no choice and goes along with things to survive or cope with trauma — but it’s entirely something else if he’s allowed to leave, but doesn’t.

But Pete’s reason for staying has to be rational in some sense so the suspension of disbelief doesn’t attack the audience going 900 mph on the logic freeway.

So him escaping but seeing Vegas sitting pathetically on the grass, alone in the dark, and holding his dead pet?

The person there isn’t the dude that tortured him. Naw, that part of Vegas — is the child trapped in a cage and left isolated in the dark while anything that had ever brought him light or comfort in his life leaves him. He may be sitting on grass, but for Vegas it could’ve been the equivalent of sitting on broken glass.

It’s such a stark difference too from the versions of Vegas Pete’s used to seeing. Yeah he had that conversation about dads last episode, but even then Vegas wasn’t totally broken and left in despair.

But this Vegas?

This Vegas was someone so broken he couldn’t even cry until Pete touched him to provide comfort.

This Vegas isn’t just a sharp edge that can cut you if you get too close, now’s he’s much too broken for that — and his sharp edge has twisted inward from attacking others to attacking himself.

At this point, Pete’s beyond empathizing with his captor — esp because he isn’t a captive here. He’s not chained anymore. Vegas has no interest holding him captive. Pete at any point after he got out of those chains could have left and Vegas would do nothing to stop him.

Vegas is broken. He’s depressed. And he’s numb because it hurts too much to do anything but sit in his own despair. Pete touching him in comfort might’ve opened the floodgates of that hurt, but that doesn’t mean it changed how Vegas felt. Dude is still in despair when he heads inside.

Anyways this is getting too long so I’ll make a part two — getting more particular in the psychology of why Pete stayed, and why he kissed Vegas.

Closing words to end on:

Pete doesn’t leave because he knows what it’s like, and he’s sees the humanity and pain in Vegas and he cares. He cares because no broken and abused kid should be left isolated in the dark, not even knowing how to cry. He cares because he wants to do for Vegas what his grandmother did for him. What he wished more people would have done when he was in that pain and darkness.

He cares because he looks at Vegas and he sees himself.

#man this episode made me mentally ill y’all #rip to my usual followers but KinnPorsche has pervaded my brain #y’all know this because I start writing essays on it 🤪💀💀#getting a new battery for comp today #and maybe then I’ll continue my live-blogging <333 #until then tho excuse me while I lose my damn mind #KinnPorsche #vegaspete #KP analysis #meowfiaso 2 electric boogaloo #kinnporsche the series #vegas x pete #tw: abuse #tw: depression #tw: torture #kinnporsche spoilers

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i-am-church-the-cat · 2 years

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So obviously after going through the episode I'm just scrolling through the KinnPorsche tag

And something hit me that really should've stood out to me earlier, but I just had to talk about it

Theerapanyakul heirs kissing their lovers' hands

Now I think because of the nature of these relationships, the meaning is different but that doesn't make it any less significant.

I think the VegasPete kiss has more religious undertones. In Catholicism, kissing the hand of the Pope is considered kissing the body of Christ, or God. Vegas's kiss is one of worship.

On the other hand, the KinnPorsche kiss is one with more societal undertones. Historically, a kiss on the hand was given by a man to a woman of equal or higher status than their own. I think the same thing applies here, with Kinn trying to show that Porsche is equal to him, or even above him, and that Kinn sees him as such.

It has really fun significance especially because to anyone looking in, Vegas and Kinn are the more powerful half of their couples. All of the relationships in KinnPorsche have this kind of power imbalance with the Theerapanyakuls being in control and Porsche, Pete, and Chay submitting to them in some way.

But from these two actions, it's shown that inside the relationship, it's totally different. Kinn and Vegas only have the power when Porsche and Pete give it to them. In fact, the kisses shown above couldn't even have happened if not for Porsche and Pete allowing Kinn and Vegas the chance.

Pete and Porsche gave Vegas and Kinn the power/control (literally in VegasPete's case) and the hand kiss was a way to acknowledge that even when Kinn/Vegas is in control, Porsche/Pete is still higher than them.

And you know what. I could talk for hours about the power dynamics in this show because I think that's what it's all about. KinnPorsche, boss/employee, VegasPete, captor/hostage, KimChay, tutor/student. It's inherently supposed to be unequal and the show is developing the relationship so that it goes both ways.

#I could go into KimChay and their own power imbalance flip in this episode #but it was this parallel that got me talking so I'll save that for later #i just love this show so much #let me know your thoughts on this #i know there's a whole lot of breakdown and analysis that goes into this show #and i love reading every single idea #kinnporsche ep 12 #kinnporsche the series #kinnporsche #vegaspete

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ichigokeks · 2 years

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Blinds and shutters have a long standing tradition in filming. They are often used as foreshadowing and symbolism for being locked up or trapped. Sometimes it also represents a secret that a character keeps hidden.

Pete will be caught and locked up by Vegas, while Vegas is still hiding his true self. Even though we caught a glimpse of his true colours in episode 7.

#kinnporsche #kinnporsche the series #kinnporsche meta #film analysis #vegaspete #biblebuild #kp #kpedit #bible wichapas #build jakapan #kinnporsche episode 7 #nanatalksaboutkp

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misspoetree · 2 years

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The use of red and green light for Vegas and Pete has - OBVIOUSLY - been great through the whole show and especially that episode - but.

But I'm obsessed with that green stripe of light.

Tinting the side of Vegas' face green as soon as he starts to worry about Pete.

Brilliant.

#I'm gonna let other people write in-depth analysis about that #I only do that for mirrors lol #that episode was hard to watch but also really good though #I just love the red and green light #especially the ending with Vegas reading his little book bathed in green light and smiling while Pete slurps his noodles 😭#kinnporsche #kinnporche the series #kinnporsche ep11 spoilers #kinnporsche ep11 #thai bl #vegas theerapanyakul #pete phongsakorn #vegaspete

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travelingneuritis · 1 year

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kinnporsche ep 2 thoughts. please talk to me about this i am feeling insane.

-the apple scene in the shooting range only works because porsche goes and has a heart attack as soon as he’s alone. it’s a great character moment.

-tankhun’s fancy carp are very much alive while he’s cradling them by the koi pond. you can see one lil mouth moving, and the other’s tail is weakly wobbling. do we think he knows this?

-i realize pete functions as Exposition Guy but i do think it’s telling of his character that he is 1.) smart enough to identify all the psychological hinges of the organization without 2.) being too sycophantic to dismiss them out of hand (“all these bitches are crazy but at least kinn is functional crazy”, as opposed to the general staff refrain of “how dare you speak ill of/talk back to our masters”) and 3.) chill enough to (judiciously) share his insights with porsche “fireable offense” kittisawasd, all while 4.) remaining so completely unremarkable that ppl forget about him as soon as he leaves their sight, including his own coworkers and love interest. this will become important at a few key moments later, for example when he stands up for “traitor” porsche by just “knowing” (aka having directly observed) that he wouldn’t betray kinn, and when he takes the massive risk of staying at the safehouse to haul vegas back from the brink of cray cray despite all the red flags telling him to run. without this foundation work, pete’s good judgment later would feel like unearned nonsense.

-to his credit, porsche (who only pays attention to people and things he likes or finds personally interesting) clocks pete’s value as a mentor pretty much right away. see also:

-”One Glock, Please”, followed by porsche excitedly looking to pete for permission to get the silencer in his happy meal. between the previous scene and this one, porsche has accepted pete’s judgment and experience and is now actively looking to him for guidance. in the next scene, when arm rhetorically asks if he’s done his homework, porsche looks at Pete like, “dad, did i?” this is very funny to me.

-i love when kinn walks into the armory like “CHOP CHOP SHITHEAD-I-ALMOST-FIRED-3-TIMES-TODAY, WE’RE LATE FOR RICH BITCH NIGHT AT THE ASSHOLE CLUB, hm actually we have time to play dressup for a half hour so i can park my dick 2 inches from your well-tailored ass, suck up a fat lungful of your devilishly delicious pheremones, and fall enragedly into terminal attraction while you gape at me with big shiny empty eyes, not a single awakened bone in your bisexual body.”

-hilariously, porsche spends a lot of time in this show forcing kinn to be attracted to someone with fresh vomit on or about his person.

-aw, vegas checks on macau’s head while their dad is being a blowhard at korn. just two insufferable douchebags bein brothers :’)

-mr. kan/gun: “vegas, i want you to keep an eye on that new bodyguard.” vegas, still lost in a daydream abt porsche’s DSLs and nutritious ass: “huh?”

#tankhun smelling 4 oz. of urine in a well-filtered koi pond: The Princess And The Pee #Pete Saengtham Assigned ‘My Brother’s Keeper’ At Birth #Buy Farmhouse Bread!#pete saengtham #porsche pachara kittisawasd #vegas theerapanyakul #kinnporsche #kinnporsche episode analysis #spoilers #kinn theerapanyakul

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thatgirl4815 · 2 years

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Vegas should be terrified.

We know by this point that Vegas’s biggest fear is being alone. The thought that no one loves him, that he is unworthy of even the slightest bit of affection, has festered in his heart and won’t let him go. It’s corrupted him, yet it (ironically) only drives more people away.

But here’s Pete. His captive. His enemy. The subject of his torture. And he stays.

Not only that, but he hands himself over to Vegas. He grabs Vegas’s hands to keep him from hurting himself. He sacrifices his own freedom to help a broken, vile person. I can’t even begin to describe that level of selflessness. It’s one thing to help someone innocent and suffering, but it’s another to help someone wholly undeserving of it. Vegas is a recipient of trauma, but he’s also a creator of it.

And yet. Pete comes back.

I don’t think I will ever come to a definitive conclusion about Vegas’s expression here. Among other things, I think this is the moment it clicks for Vegas that this man isn’t like anyone else. Pete has been on the receiving end of Vegas’s hate and fury--he’s seen him at his absolute worst--and even then he stayed. Not only that: he reciprocated.

Pete was afraid, once. Now it’s Vegas’s turn.

So maybe that’s what we’re meant to take away from Vegas’s expression in this final moment: fear. Being scorned or even abandoned by his father would arguably hurt far less than what Pete could do to him. For all the manipulating Vegas has done, he now finds himself in a chokehold. And the complete turnaround is perfectly and poetically ironic.

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artisdrama · 2 years

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where we are - vegaspete and the temple scene

in episode 9, vegas and pete have their first proper interaction, even though they are by no means strangers. so far, the only information we have is that kinn suspects vegas is involved in tawan’s return and that he has a mole in the first family, and pete’s goal is to figure out as much as he can. pete is a notoriously bad stalker, and keeps getting caught red handed by vegas. right now, their future relationship has finally the precedents to develop into something sexual - though not romantic.

where’s vegas right now

for vegas, being followed means two things: first, he now represents a threat to kinn, which gives him the satisfaction that he’s is powerful enough to bother kinn to have his most trusted guard to be at the look out for him. his desire to antagonize out of deep hatred and envy is being fulfilled, and definitely brings him a little bit of joy, which makes him play around in order to mess up with both kinn and pete. on the other hand, now it would be of the major family’s interest to get rid of him, hence him going after porsche looking for sympathy - by trying to ally himself to porsche, he’s also admitting that his actions have cornered him to a point where insisting probably means death.

that makes being followed also thrilling, as any slip could give in the information he so carefully took care off these last few episodes - by eliminating the italians, which is hinted that worked along with the second family, he’s also trying to erase the minor family’s deeds to gain both trust and power. if the hints left in the episode are true, he’s also probably using tawan to mislead the major family into investigating the italians and not the minor family. having pete following him should worry him, but right now he feels as powerful and controlling as he feels cautious, and he takes enjoyment in playing with fire.

for vegas, pete is not exactly a threat but amusing - the man is clearly a bad stalker, but he is the most trusted bodyguard of the major family and does his duty diligently. i think that vegas is intrigued by pete in a way he’s not by any other of the bodyguards, even porsche, yet it’s not romantic at all, but psychological and sometimes a little erotic. i’ll explain.

vegas takes a lot of satisfaction in their current dynamic and in the fact that pete is putting the utmost effort into running around him, and he has fun leading him to random places and then getting pete lost. he also likes to get him unaware, just like in the car in episode 6. the power play they’re currently playing makes him excited, and vegas likes the sensation that he has some sort of control over pete - and that pete can’t escape, since he’s bound by duty to follow him, making vegas always take the lead on whatever will happen next.

vegas also seems to believe that pete is an interesting person, as he doesn’t back off. even after getting caught more than once he still seems to be calm and composed, and during the torture scene in episode seven he’s the only one to not look away and watch it all. in his mind, pete likes the risk of following him. vegas sees himself as a predator (which is also shown through his wardrobe throughout the series, with constant animal prints) and he feels that pete’s behavior is one of an obedient follower that’s vulnerable to his plans. he’s so bad at what he’s doing, but he still does it.

i believe that, when vegas looks at pete smiling throughout the episode, he’s genuinely enjoying watching pete’s reactions to him and how much he affects him. as someone that gets off on power imbalance and dominating, shown through episode 4 in his red room with whips and chains, pete’s reactions (important, to him) are slightly erotic too. just like when he reminisces about porsche hitting him with enjoyment, he also sees pete’s struggle against him through a near sexual lenses.

he openly flirts with pete, insinuating a relationship with him. his goal is to disturb pete’s imagination and perception of him. right now, pete sees him as the first son of the minor clan and kinn’s rival, and takes no interest in vegas as a person. vegas insinuating himself as someone to have a relationship much like a family and a partner has the goal to make pete’s thoughts astray and to induce him into visualizing him sexually. that’s done with the intention of intimidating pete, as vegas feels that pete would probably be distraught by the idea - both because he’s a loyal follower to his boss and wouldn’t want to desire him, but because vegas also suspects pete’s a masochist and will feel guilty for having these thoughts and not feeling disgusted by them.

the last point, for vegas, is the way pete obediently puts himself at service for him. he offers to go for another jug, and also promptly goes to pour the water for vegas. pete’s obedience to power is attractive to vegas, and he feels a curiosity for pete that he hasn’t felt for any other person, as in his mind pete is affected by his power on a deeper level. this satisfacts vegas’ ego so much that he feels drawn to provoking pete more and more.

where’s pete right now

while vegas’ intentions in the series are almost too easy to read, pete still hasn’t shown as detailed as him neither his motivations, nor his inner monologue. we know much less about what drives pete forward, especially since he puts himself at the service of other people and not to himself. we know, however, pete is a religious person, and it’s willing to put his best in every job.

during all interactions between him and vegas, he shows to be more interested in observing vegas’ actions with the goal of understanding instead of judging and passing a moral ruling. he has no interest in narratives of heroes and villains, and is also not impressed by the cruelty of vegas’ actions.

as a side note: for the torture scene, i see pete’s reaction more as him reminiscing on his recent encounter with vegas, where he was caught spying him, and what vegas is capable to do to him if he ever finds himself vulnerable to him. i think pete is also curious about vegas’ methods and wondering to which point his cruelty is done out of pure sadism or to which extent that was needed to extract information. since pete is someone that values getting the job done, i don’t think he’s inclined to completely dismiss the importance of vegas actions. i think he stopped big’s punching not out of sympathy (since, as we see in the third episode, he’s willing to kick a man until he almost passes out and seems to also enjoy ruling punishment), but because big’s methods were inefficient.

back to episode 9, pete seems to not be disturbed by vegas for the first part of the scene. he even asks out of curiosity whether vegas enjoys listening to the sermon, which makes me believe that he’s not frightened by the proximity they are at that current moment. he also seems to wonder how much vegas is messing up with him and how much he’s actually into the sermon.

in a sense, pete still sees that as an opportunity to understand vegas more. his curiosity goes further than only the job he has to do, to also getting a grasp on the other’s actions and how they guide vegas’ steps. maybe the information macau gave, that vegas seems to currently be into dharma, makes pete feel that there’s a bridge towards understanding, as pete is also religious. at the same time, pete is still a little bit cynical of vegas’ intentions in going there.

pete only gets distraught at the moment they have to make merits. it’s vegas insinuation of praying together and meeting in another life that takes pete off the tracks and makes him start getting nervous. until that point, he still felt a sense of security. it’s not that he believes that vegas didn’t notice he’s following him, but the fact that he still feels that vegas is not a threat to him. by this point, i think pete notices that vegas’ sudden interest in buddhism has nothing to do with the dharma, but the fact that he’s messing with him, going there exactly because he knows he’s being followed. for pete, someone that is religious, he wouldn’t suggest making merits with a stranger, and it finally hits him why vegas isn’t there.

to add on this, vegas touches pete back in an intimate suggestion, right after suggesting they both did something usually reserved for families and couples. pete, by this point, hasn’t thought of vegas in any situation that isn’t the young master of the minor clan. with the touch, his mind goes astray to numerous thoughts. while vegas hands slowly goes down, he also starts to have pictures in his mind of vegas not only as someone that’s dangerous but someone that is also preying on him. in his mind, even if he’s not interested, he’s forced to picture vegas as a partner and what would that be like, and added to the erotic undertones of their current situation he definitely pictures something sexual.

my theory is that he doesn’t understand how he feels about those pictures in his mind, and that’s the source of his distress. he doesn’t feel as repulsed as he thinks he should have felt, and that makes him conflicted about himself. he tries to get away from vegas’ touch, but he’s still out of his mind.

until the point he pours water and comes back, he seems to be completely out of it, lost in thoughts and distracted from the mission. he’s so out of it that it doesn’t occur to him that vegas is trying to get him lost. when he gets back, he’s finally composed and seems to be already back to his normal self when he realizes vegas isn’t there anymore. when he finds the post-it, he instantly regrets how vegas has tricked him into distracting himself and losing sight of the mission.

conclusion

vegas’ insinuation only works against pete because pete is vulnerable to power play. it’s mentioned in the novel by vegas that, the moment he laid his eyes on pete, he knew pete was a masochist. i don’t think that’s true of the novel pete, since his inner monologue shows otherwise, and I think it’s something the authors added just because of some sort of fantasy they already had. but so far, pete in the series seems to be built around order and obedience, punishment and reward, though we haven’t seen much of the dark side he’s still hiding. so i think it’s true to the series that maybe vegas has already caught on how power is one of pete’s weaknesses and is already manipulating him based on that.

i also feel that this sets a precedent for sexual tension between their relationship, even though it’s more from vegas’ side. pete’s willingness in going to vegas’ house in the next episode also shows that he feels he can definitely handle vegas in the worst case situation, and he seems to be a little enticed by the thrill of everything, maybe as much as vegas. of course porsche and pete’s relationship is the main reason he’s getting in the house, but he seems to be willing to do something of too much of a high risk too abruptly instead of carefully planning it, which makes me believe he also likes the hunt.

vegas is definitely attracted to pete, but he has no thoughts whatsoever aside from the prospect of dominating and leading their relationship (whatever it currently is). i don’t think it ever occurs to him to see pete even as a person, much less a potential partner. pete, on the other hand, has a morbid curiosity for vegas and is just now understanding how much of a hand vegas already has on him and the major family, and he’s definitely interested in understanding it. to me, this scene is much better than the cinema scene in the novel, and sets a mood for what will be the beginning of their relationship instead of making their sexual interest in one another come out of nowhere.

#vegaspete #kinnporsche #kinnporsche spoilers #kinnporsche the series #kinnporsche episode 9 #vegaspete analysis #vegaspete theory

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