#kpts ep 14

[transwegath]

Vegas to Pete: from now on, you're no longer my pet

Macau, pretending to be asleep on the sofa: what the fuck

[fruityuncleskeletor]

Headcanon of Pete and Vegas sharing a living space after the safe house and the whole coup and recovery? I mean I am curious about whether they would share the same room and bed from the get go. Like I feel that in the initial days with Pete having started to live with the minor family brothers, there would be kind of a hesitation. A need to check the waters. Thoughts?

( this is actually a copy pasted ask. I am going around collecting opinions)

Wow! Thanks for the ask!. I mean, Vegas is used to hiding his trysts from Macau, but Pete is so much more than that, he made that very clear when he cried and told Pete he is the most important person in his life with Macau in the room. And I think that Pete would be reluctant to move into Vegas' room not because he is ashamed or anything, but because it might feel odd to be so intimate and familiar with someone who was hierarchically above him for so long. Vegas would sense that and he would suggest that they have a shared bedroom and that each of them have his own room for times when they need to be alone. This is actually a nice practice shared by long term couples regardless of sexuality. Not sleeping together all the time does keep the relationship feeling fresh and special.

Pete would definitely go over his own hangups about sleeping with Vegas in one bed from the get-go, because he would want to be there and help if Vegas has nightmares or trouble sleeping. Also, it would not matter that Macau sees them sharing one room and one bed, because while he is happy that his hia is happy and in love, he feels it is his sacred duty as a little shit to roast Vegas for it.

[adanima]

so, let me set the scene

it's one am, completely dark outside, i'm in bed with the room also completely dark, lights all off. i'm watching dimension 20 fantasy high sophomore year episode 18 Fearful Symmetry for the first time

the episode is rapidly evolving, the *SPOILERS* bad kids are facing their nightmares, and i am fully immersed in the story. the fear and suspense is getting to me, i am tense with nerves, and adaine abernant comes to the edge of a cliff

and as i watch her decide to step off the cliff, guess what i hear at 1:33:44 into this episode

if you didn't already know, the song playing in the background is called Silent Castle by Jay Varton

i hear this song and, suddenly, i am yoinked out of the story. i am no longer transfixed by my favorite chaotic high schoolers making their way through the forest of the nightmare king. no, suddenly, my mind is thinking of this

my brain said goodbye teens facing trauma induced dreams, hello violently romantic gay mafia standoff

[iamfujoshiwe]

*KPTS ep 14* Vegas, crying : I have nothing left… Pete : Pete : *coughs* Bitch, what am I? A roach?!

[yujeong]

Istg whoever was responsible for the background music for kpts must have chosen them based on the titles first and foremost, because I just found the music that was playing when Vegas found Gun dead on the floor and proceeded to point his gun at Korn in ep 14, and it's this one: Trevor Kowalski - A Most Dignified Betrayal and I'm just 🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃

[chalkrevelations]

Ok, I've pushed this back twice now, maybe if I post about it, it will compel me to actually get started on it. There's no way I can maintain a rewatch of KPTS at the speed of an episode a week, with everything else I've got going on - not the way I want to deep dive and pull out nuances and look for connections.

So. Beginning in September, I 'm starting a KPTS rewatch at the slow crawl of 15 minutes of the show per week. Or, really, 1/4 of an episode per week (except Ep 14, which will probably be five parts). But that doesn't sound as catchy as 15-Minute Friday, in my head. Anyway, this means around 13 months to get through the entire show, if anyone else is interested in this wagon-train.

(I'm planning to watch sometime on Fridays. The thoughts will likely continue to pop up past that.)

Hashtag "kp 15m"

[easterndelights]

[Vegaspete scene; KPTS EP 14] BGM: kali uchis - ángel sin cielo

[ashesandhalefire]

if you couldn't tell i finally finished ep 14 of kpts this weekend so i'll be dealing with that for 5-10 business days :)

[maleficent-cannoli]

I posted 30,063 times in 2022

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I tagged 1,327 of my posts in 2022

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Longest Tag: 139 characters

#my friend who i haven’t talked to in years got stuck upside down in one of those weird coffee-filter looking kindergarten basketball things

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Might I suggest ✨ little spoon Vegas ✨

81 notes - Posted June 17, 2022

#4

Can we talk about novel! vs show!Porchay?

Please take this with a grain of salt because we haven’t actually reached the parts of the plot I’m going to talk about so there is still room for it to happen in the show, however unlikely it’s looking so far.

NOVEL SPOILERS AHEAD (obviously)

So far, show!Chay has been a little ray of sunshine while also making it clear whose brother he is, which novel!Chay did a little differently. In the original novel, Porchay was a little spicier when it came to his language, which can be very clearly seen in two parts of the novel.

“Do you think this will scare me? You're just being insecure. Because whatever you do, my brother will always be ahead of you. He's even better than you because P’Kinn won't follow him around like that if he's not!”

So the first is when he’s kidnapped by Tawan and takes it as an opportunity to mock his brother-in-law’s ex and hit him where it really hurts. The novel even mentions him having fun annoying him. He also calls Tawan a preschooler.

"Kim, you fucking bastard! Just try getting on with someone else, I'll pray to the Gods to make your dick shrink and rot!"

The second time is during the gathering of mafia wives (Tae’s words, not mine), which he tags along on because he’s absolutely convinced Kim is cheating on him (as far as we know, he was not). And he yells that out the car window as they drive away.

So, in conclusion, I really would love to see Baby Chay show his fangs a little bit. He’s been very precious so far, and I appreciate that, I really do, especially in a mafia show where he is the one shining beacon of purity and Wattpad-like joy amidst the darkness of moral ambiguity, but at the same time, it could be interesting to see him just SNAP at some point. He is Porsche’s little brother after all, and I would love to see him make at least a snarky comment. 

127 notes - Posted June 5, 2022

#3

Guys. I just realized something. What if we get to see Bible’s thigh tattoos in the VegasPete NC scene? What then?

134 notes - Posted June 16, 2022

#2

Rb if you’d fight the suppalo teachers behind a 7/11

134 notes - Posted September 6, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Timelining KP

The time has come. I’ve spent the last few days organizing my notes as much as possible, so here it is. And it is a monster of a post, I swear I didn’t realize how long this was going to end up being.

HUGE NOVEL SPOILERS AHEAD

So the short version is this:

Ep 10 - VP starts, Chay gets kidnapped, further discussion of the mole, videos, Tawan is dealt with (30 - 33)

Ep 11 - VP episode, “fuck where’s Pete”/dead body, Porsche’s birthday (34 - 36)

Ep 12 - funeral/Return of the Pete, post-VP (36 - 40)

Ep 13 - parental issues, conversation re: Vegas  (42 - 44)

Ep 14 - boss battle, party (44 - end)

And now things get more specific, which is what was taking me so long.

Episode 10 (next episode)

Transition between the end of the Tawan arc and the beginning of the VegasPete/Everything-Is-An-Absolute-Trainwreck arc

VegasPete starts (obviously)

KinnPorsche will probably break up, but get back together by the end of the episode, potentially with the pool scene (although I know I’m setting myself up to be clowned with this one)

KimChay reveal

Kidnapping plotline

Porsche tries to move out/Big pushes Chay dumpster fire extravaganza

Basically everything up to the end of chapter 33 of the main novel (Tawan arc over, KimChay are a mess)

Further discussion of the mole (Kim knows Porsche isn’t the mole, everyone else probably realizes he isn’t the mole, so who is?)

Again, potentially Chay getting kidnapped (kinda hoping that’s what they go with since it was a really nice transition in the novel, not just for Chay himself, but it was the push KinnPorsche needed to talk out some of their issues and get back together, particularly for Porsche to be willing to hear Kinn out after the shit he pulled)

Maybe the whole thing with the sex tapes toward the end, or episode 11, or not at all, who knows

Oh and this would be the VegasPete episode that will probably feel the most uncomfortable because it’s really the beginnings of their relationship and even toned down it’ll be quite the experience

Not just for us but for Pete as well

We will probably see Vegas become more attracted to Pete beyond just being intrigued and amused

Episode 11

I’m thinking primarily VegasPete, like (hopefully) almost entirely VegasPete

Probably cut in with some main family drama 

Chay moving in with the main family?

KimChay kinda going to shit

Obviously some Tankhun commentary would be amazing

See the full post

149 notes - Posted June 8, 2022

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[chalkrevelations]

Hmm.

srb partly because someone liked it recently and brought it back to my attention but also because now I look back particularly at this part

I do think there’s something thematically going on here not only with the symbolism of Pete as the universal giver donor vs. Vegas as the universal taker recipient but also to the way it’s set against Vegas’s drive to be an overachieving service top need to feed Pete and Pete’s voraciousness  hunger  need to be fed. They manage to hold those two oppositional dynamics in various approximations of balance as they spin out the relationship through the course of the show, and ... the blood-type conversation strikes me as a way to get to some of that, and when Pete says he’s type O, he’s saying he can give and give and give, but he couples it with the desire to be type AB, essentially saying, “I wish I could take and take and take while someone else could give and give and give,” i.e. “I’M HUNGRY, and I want someone who can FEED ME until I’m bursting with it.”

with some additional time and knowledge under my belt, and now it makes me wonder, well, first of all, how much Bee Pongsate's fingerprints actually might be all over the KPTS script despite the fact that we never hear about him (maybe he's too bl for BOC to want to cop to having in their DNA?), and also what complexities we might still get to see in the KanghanSailom relationship in Dangerous Romance.

A lot of people seem to have thrown up their hands and given up on DR because of what they see as a facile and unsatisfying turn to domesticity - although it always baffles me when they point to the writing team's resume as a reason it shouldn't be happening that way, given Bad Buddy was the comparison I immediately made and called out for having given cheap treatment of bullying that went immediately down the memory hole in favor of that show's romance. But also, we've seen in the trailers that deep-seated issues between Kanghan and Sailom come to a head in scenes we've yet to see on the show. Things are going to get complicated and messy again. None of that's solved, it's just tamped down under the surface. DR keeps reminding me of a Vegaspete HS AU, and a kind of look on the slant at what it might be like if the speedrun of KP Eps 11-14 were actually a full season long. We're not even halfway through. I'd argue we're at the "Pete's blissful smile at having the best sex of his life in Ep 12" stage, which means there's still plenty of time for Vegas's Kanghan's bullshit to catch up with them and things to go horribly wrong before they can be resolved.

I don't know, maybe I'll be proved wrong in the upcoming weeks. But I look at the complexity of the VP relationship, exemplified by that balancing act of character dynamics that happens in this blood-type conversation, and I have to wonder what Perth and Chimon might be to be able to dig out of Kanghan and Sailom before we're through.

normal conversations to have with your kidnapper part 2 (1)

[kinnspocketporsche]

Rewrite: Starting over

Why?

Don't think about the parallels, don't think about Pete having an actual answer this time around, don't think about how "I can't run off to anywhere" isn't just Pete choosing Vegas, it's Pete deciding to give himself no other choice. He's not just refusing to run off, he's not allowing it to be an option. Handing the rope to Vegas, all over again.

If you run now, I'm alright with that.

Don't think about Vegas being unconditionally selfless for the first time and giving Pete a way out anyway. Don't think about how this is better than all of the apologies because they're literally rewriting their lowest moment, going back and correcting all the wrongs of the past in order to move foward.

I got nothing left.

For sure don't think about this fucking line getting reused. Reframed. Don't think about the way it was originally Pete who was split open, hurt and empty, the fight drained out of him. How this was Pete with nothing left to give. Don't think about how now the fight is out of Vegas. How his will to keep taking is gone.

I don't want to be your burden. I just want to follow my heart.

Don't think about this confirmation that staying isn't just what Pete needs, what Vegas needs, it's what they both want.

From now on, you're no longer my pet. You're the most important person in my life.

Don't think about how it's so important for to them that they have this conversation in full before they even consider touching each other. Don't think about the way healing is important to them. Don't think about how KP said "Can we start all over?" and VP went ahead and did this.

Are y'all fucking??? Okay??????? Because I'm not.

[leebitslove]

my dads are in love

[kinnxporsche]

One thing I did not know I needed until I saw it: Vegas kissing Pete’s dimple. Not just his cheek.

[adanima]

KPTS Soundtrack - VegasPete edition

Listing of the songs played during emotional VP moments ep11-14, in chronological order, plus some meta as a treat (shout out to @aletheiarynne's post for starting me off on this journey)

Timestamps are for when the song starts in the episode. Colors are to indicate type of instrument - purple for strings, blue for piano, red for other (usually guitar or some electronic synth) <- more on the instrument type later

EP 11

40:22: Vegas bandages Pete - Dreaming While I’m Awake by David Celeste

41:32: Vegas gives a kiss pill to Pete - Little House on the Hill by Francis Wells

43:50: Pete tells Vegas about his own abusive dad - A Sky Sparkling by Johannes Bornlöf

48:49: Vegas shows up in front of Pete in his jammies, "I'm hurt...it's not as bad as before" - True Bliss by Line Neesgaard

EP 12

20:55: Pete turns back from escaping and walks to Vegas sitting on the lawn - From the Ashes of a Previous Life by Lama House

22:05: Vegas cries for his hedgehog - Hypothesis by Jo Wandrini

23:12: Vegas and Pete walk back into the safehouse after hedgehog funeral - Therapy by Bireli Snow

24:29: Vegas tells Pete about the other hedgehogs - Quiet When Dark by The Tap Room

26:34: Vegas hits himself, "your eyes tell me you like it" - They Broke Out by Farrell Wooten

28:44: VegasPete sex scene - Stable Delusion by Max Anson

EP 13

11:19: Pete tells himself he didn't like sleeping with Vegas, Vegas trashes his kitchen - Unspoken by Silver Maple

13:21: Vegas drops the bowl of noodles to the floor and puts Pete in a chokehold - ??? note: don't know the name of this one but it matters for what I say later, so I'm listing it here. lmk if you know the name!

16:06: Pete tells Vegas he never exists and grabs the knife - This Creed by Johannes Bornlöf

18:34: Vegas pleads with Pete to stay with him - ??? note: same deal as above lol

30:59: Vegas and Pete try to eat dinner alone - ย้อนแย้ง by เอก Season Five (Contradict by Aek Season Five) special mention for an OST song because I say so. the song actually starts playing at 30:02 but the vp scene starts at 30:59

40:16: Vegas tells Pete he's sorry in the bar alley - Touchless by Gavin Luke

EP 14

40:49: Vegas and Pete raise their guns at each other in the garage - Silent Castle by Jay Varton song actually starts playing at 40:40 but vp scene starts at 40:49

42:35: "Could it be you who kills me? I love you, Pete" - Felt like November by Magnus Ludvigsson

50:16: Vegas points his gun at Korn, Korn tells Vegas he'll take care of him and Macau, Vegas leaves, Pete resigns - A Most Dignified Betrayal by Trevor Kowalski

52:59: Pete takes off his jacket after resigning - End of an Era by Christoffer Moe Ditlevsen

56:46: Pool scene. "I'm your pet. Could you please turn around to see me?" - Glory Be by Heath Cantu

57:41: Immediate aftermath of Vegas getting shot - Ink by Charles Holme

1:18:52: Post credits scene - Midsummer Waltz by Wanderer's Trove

So...why color code by instrument type?

Here's my claim: string instruments (violin, cello, etc) are used to signal external forces/pressures, specifically their unequal positions in the mafia, getting in the way of VegasPete's relationship, while piano is used to signal VegasPete baring themselves to each other, without the masks, and becoming equals.

I'm about to sound like an obnoxious English teacher "the curtains were red because…" so putting the rest under a cut.

First, another quick shout out to aletheiarynne's post for pointing out that guitars seem to be used for KinnPorsche's sweet scenes, which is what prompted me to pay attention to the type of instrument used in VegasPete scenes.

Note: The color coding may not be wholly accurate or representative of the songs. I'm color coding based on what I hear in the episodes. Meaning the whole song may use strings and piano but if the sections of the song we hear in the episode only use piano, I only color coded for piano, not strings. And I mostly color code and look at what instrument is playing the melody or can be easily picked up on while watching the episode. That leads to a couple of points of error - my ears aren't perfect, the audio used in the episodes may have been modified from what we hear in the youtube videos, what I consider to be the melody may not actually be the melody.

Now, we're gonna go episode by episode, scene by scene. All timestamps used below are episode timestamps. Remember the coloring - strings, piano, other

EP 11

Vegas bandages Pete, Vegas gives a kiss pill to Pete, Pete tells Vegas about his own abusive dad

gah the timing of the music throughout the whole bandage > pill > talk scene is so so good

Vegas bandaging Pete is the first time Pete gets to see Vegas as something other than cruel, something other than the minor family heir or his captor. The BGM is all piano for the entire bandaging and the kiss. We don't get the first note of a string instrument until 42:16 when Vegas sits down on the floor, looks away from Pete, and Pete asks why Vegas didn't just let him die, as might be expected from "Vegas from the minor family". The entire time Vegas is trying to heal Pete, he isn't bothering to put up a front as "big bad evil Vegas". He's just a guy who worries when his hedgehog isn't eating. It isn't until Pete poses that question "Why don't you just let me die" that the reality of their respective statuses come back to the forefront and the strings come in, but the piano is still there. Vegas says "you must suffer" which sounds in line for minor family Vegas but it's said without his usual evil glee.

The next couple of seconds could honestly just be due to good timing within the song but if I choose to believe it's intentional, my claim looks stronger lol. The strings and piano still play intertwined here but when Pete asks "What happened to you?" the strings fall back and only the piano plays aka this is Pete (not head bodyguard or prisoner Pete) asking Vegas (not minor family heir or captor Vegas). The strings kind of swell up as Vegas talks about his dad who is very much an oppressive force in Vegas's life and the main marker of Vegas's status as minor family heir.

When Pete talks about his dad, it is all piano. Pete is completely revealing himself to Vegas here, no more mask as dumb, cheerful Pete. The first note of a string instrument happens at 44:48, right when Pete says "And has he ever beaten Khun Korn?" which again, brings the major vs minor family conflict back to the forefront of the conversation. The strings are still mostly in the background for a bit, with the piano holding the melody. There's a slight increase in how loud the strings are right after Pete says "they, themselves, suck" and Vegas presumably rethinks his entire life/relationship with his dad. But by the end of the scene, it's really just piano we hear. Which makes sense - Vegas and Pete both end that scene having learned entirely new sides of each other.

Vegas shows up in front of Pete in his jammies

This one is easy. Other people have talked about how Vegas wearing his comfy clothes signals Vegas being open and more himself, less of the minor family heir, in front of Pete. Having the BGM be piano adds another layer to this. Vegas is being honest with Pete, revealing how he is actually feeling.

EP 12

Ngl, pretty much all the BGM in ep 12 contradicts my claim. I have no idea why they decided to use so much guitar or synth (is that even the right word?) sounding music for VP here, other than to make it seem eery?

Pete turns back from escaping and walks to Vegas sitting on the lawn, Vegas cries for his hedgehog

Honestly, if the songs for this scene started off with strings then transitioned to piano, it would make my claim look so much stronger. Unfortunately, they don't.

First, we have piano playing when Pete initially runs out of the safehouse. When he slowly walks back to take a long look at Vegas being sad on the grass at 21:13, the strings come in. We get Pete shaking his head in disbelief before heading down to join Vegas. I could say that the strings when Pete shakes his head is him reminding himself of their respective positions and that this is Vegas - minor family Vegas and his captor - but I'd be lying if I said I 100% believed that. It's all piano again when Vegas first turns to Pete and says the hedgehog is dead. He's not putting up a front. Pete looks hesitant or conflicted for a moment before laying a hand on Vegas's knee and that's when the strings come in. Again, maybe the strings are there to remind them and us that they should be in opposing positions but even I don't believe that.

Everything else for VP this episode is not strings nor piano, so idk lol. Given how the only other moments in this list non-string or non-piano music is used for VP is Vegas begging Pete to stay (ep 13) and the post-credits hospital scene, maybe we can take it to mean extreme turning points in VP's relationship. Or maybe a release/freedom from something? We got Pete letting go of his inhibitions in the sex scene, Pete letting go of their budding relationship when he leaves the safehouse, and both of them letting go of their previous positions in the mafia in post-credits scene. The more likely option is that I'm pulling stuff out of my ass for this lol. Moving on.

EP 13

Oh dear, this and ep 14 is where we really get into the fun stuff. I'll try not to go on too long, since I'm drafting a whole other post about the music choices for the breakdown/escape scene + alley scene

Pete tells himself he didn't like sleeping with Vegas, Vegas trashes his kitchen

Reality is crashing in for Pete. He knows there are a multitude of reasons he shouldn't want Vegas, one of the biggest being their respective positions in the major vs minor family and their relationship as captor/captive. He doesn't want to want Vegas.

For Vegas, he's dealing once again with the reminder of his position in the minor family, as his father's son. And, most of all, dealing with the pressure of it and not living up to it. Both of them are putting walls up around themselves again. Of course we're hearing all strings, no piano.

Vegas drops the bowl of noodles to the floor and puts Pete in a chokehold

Again, other people have talked about how Vegas is wearing his Vegas-clothes here and how he's back to being "minor family Vegas." Obviously he isn't showing his bare self to Pete right now. For Pete, this BGM starts right after Pete told Vegas to give himself up to Korn. Pete is bringing that external party into their conversation. The grip the mafia has on both of them, and their place in it, gets brought back into the spotlight with Pete's words. Again, all strings, no piano.

Pete tells Vegas he never exists and grabs the knife, Vegas pleads with Pete to stay with him

Now, you would think that if my claim is true, we should hear some piano for this moment, right? Pete is revealing some long hidden truth about himself. But when does this BGM start? Right after Pete says "I got nothing left. Not even my humanity." Now, it's possible Pete may have felt this even before becoming a bodyguard. But being a bodyguard certainly doesn't help this feeling, and most likely exacerbates it. His place in the mafia is a cause for him feeling this way.

Everything Pete says applies to Vegas too. Vegas's place in the mafia, in the minor family, directly contributes to him feeling less than human and lashing out at Pete.

Strings in the BGM don't necessarily mean VegasPete are occluding/hiding their true selves from each other. It's more like strings in the BGM means external forces like the mafia are asserting themselves on VegasPete and getting in the way of them expressing themselves to each other. Here, because of the mafia, both Vegas (his father showing up and hitting him) and Pete (remembering he doesn't exist his whole time as a bodyguard) are at breaking points and unable to interact with each other here without remembering the weight of their respective positions. So, we get strings in this scene. (Again, don't really know what to say about the more electric/guitar sounds.)

Vegas and Pete try to eat dinner alone

This one should be fairly simple. They're alone, no pressure to put up a front, and both crumbling to pieces because they're separated. They're letting the walls down and letting themselves truly feel the loss of one another. Even if the other person isn't there to see it, we the audience are, and some inner part of them is being revealed here. Plus, neither of them are acting in their mafia positions, so no strings, just piano.

Vegas tells Pete he's sorry in the bar alley

When they first see each other in that alley, both of them are back in their mafia positions. Vegas is in his Vegas clothes, Pete has returned to the main family. This BGM starts as Vegas puts Pete's gun to his chest and says "Why don't you shoot? Don't you want me to disappear?" Vegas is reminding Pete of all the reasons why Pete should hate him. This is similar to when Pete was telling himself he didn't like sleeping with Vegas.

Their past status as captor/captive and their ongoing status as minor family heir/main family bodyguard should dictate that they want nothing to do with each other. But Vegas says the infamous "I don't think you can. And you know why." And, yeah, we really do.

You know when the piano starts? When Pete starts crying. When Pete gives up on wanting to hate Vegas and gives in to Vegas.

Now, the strings don't entirely go away. They stay throughout the rest of the scene. But they're in the background, playing the accompaniment while the piano holds the melody. Which is so fitting for this scene. Yes, they're reaching out to each other and holding on to each other. But Vegas is still on the main family's blacklist and Pete is still going to return to the main family at the end of the day. In this moment, they and their true feelings are exposed to each other, but the reality of their situation with opposing loyalties looms in the background.

EP 14

Oooooh boy, we're about to get into stuff. Let me point out that in this episode, every single time VegasPete are truly alone, we get piano BGM. Every single time there isn't someone else present to be a physical reminder of their positions in the mafia, they are truly genuine with each other and able to see each other without caring about their positions and statuses.

Vegas and Pete raise their guns at each other in the garage, "Could it be you who kills me? I love you, Pete"

I mean, do I need to say anything? VegasPete aren't even trying to pretend they want to shoot each other in the garage, Vegas fully lowers his gun. And then the love confession is pretty self explanatory.

Vegas has no defenses, no walls up for Pete. And Pete isn't fully ready to accept he wants Vegas, not yet, but there's definitely no mask here. His emotions are plain to see on his face.

Vegas points his gun at Korn, Korn tells Vegas he'll take care of him and Macau, Vegas leaves, Pete resigns, Pete takes off his jacket after resigning

The whole time Vegas is in that library, his focus is no longer on Pete. All he's focused on is his dead father and the threat of Korn. There is no way he can let himself shed the "minor family Vegas" persona in front of these people. Of course we're hearing strings. Again, strings = assertion of external forces (the mafia) getting in the way of VegasPete expressing themselves to each other.

And when Pete resigns, he says it himself. "I can't betray my own feelings anymore." Being a bodyguard for the main family means Pete can't express his true self/feelings for Vegas. It isn't until Pete takes off his bodyguard suit jacket that we hear some piano. Pete is literally shedding his status within the mafia in order to express his own feelings. Now, we do get some strings in the background here, especially as Korn says "Take care of him" which not so subtly brings back to our attention that Vegas is still related to this mafia family. A nice little foreshadowing for the pool scene? So, you know, there's that.

"I'm your pet. Could you please turn around to see me?", Immediate aftermath of Vegas getting shot

I love the BGM here. It's actually silent during the pool scene until Pete yells "Then why did you tell me you wanted to be with me?" and Vegas finally gets some hint of understanding in his face. That's when the piano starts. And all we hear is piano for this entire interaction because right here, Pete is no longer a bodyguard and Vegas no longer has anything of the minor family left. There is no external societal status to get in the way here. This is just Vegas and Pete, telling each other that yes, I want you.

And then, of course, the gunshots and subsequently, the string instruments. A literal mafia presence coming in and causing a wreck in VegasPete's relationship.

Post credits scene

Last but not least, we get guitar BGM for the post credits scene. Okay, definitely not least in terms of the scene, but maybe least in terms of what I have to say about the BGM. Again, guitar - don't really have much to say. Could possibly represent true freedom from the mafia, since a guitar is a string instrument but the guitar sound is very distinct from other string instruments like the violin.

Caveats

I am making this claim about strings vs piano in BGM purely for the VegasPete narrative. I do not know whether this music observation holds up for the whole series and I highly doubt it does. As mentioned in aletheiarynne's post, some of the music used for VP scenes were also used for KP scenes and just looking at the KP scenes mentioned in the post, I don't think it holds up.

Why only talk about strings and piano? Why not other instrument types? Because I only paid attention to the VP scenes in ep 11-14 and those instrument types were the ones that stood out to me. I'm too lazy to go back through the whole series and dissect every piece of music used. Also, the prevalence of strings and piano instruments in the music used could honestly just be down to what music is available. Pretty much all this music comes from Epidemic Sound aka those copyright free music channels on Youtube. Most composers will use piano or string instruments as the main instrument or the instrument that plays the melody. This is a choice that has historical and physical reasons. Composers have focused on piano or string instruments for centuries and continue to do so today because musicians are able to play these instruments for longer hours than, say, woodwinds which require you to breathe and thus have limited play time. It just makes sense for composers to use piano or strings in their music more commonly than other instrument types.

Also, it is entirely possible that this is all coincidence and Be On Cloud meant nothing quite as deep with these music choices. I could be making a fuss about nothing. They could have just chosen whatever emotional sounding music they liked and that music happened to have strings or piano for whatever scene they lined it up with. I'd like to think there was some meaningful thought behind the music choices, though.

And there we have it. A rather unasked for breakdown of some of the music in VP scenes. If you've read this far, thanks, you're a trooper.

[iamfujoshiwe]

*KPTS Ep 14* Kim : I think I'm falling for you. Chay : Then get up.

[followdelight]

Pete and Sub Drop (a short essay)

Or: how VegasPete could have had a much better time transitioning to a consensual relationship, if Pete wasn’t in unmitigated and intense sub drop for days after they had sex for the first time.

Okay basically I just need to talk about how KPTS perfectly depicted sub drop in Ep 13/14 without even trying?  I’m convinced the writers had zero idea that that was what they were doing but it is EXQUISITE and I need to talk about it.  It’s so clear they were intending to portray Pete being conflicted and pining after Vegas (and they succeeded!), but on a much much deeper level, supported textually, almost 100% of Pete’s behavior in the last 2 episodes could be attributed specifically to sub drop, and it’s gloriously executed.

In eps 13/14, Pete exhibits easily like, 75% of symptoms often attributed to sub drop.  Including: Fatigue, crying, sadness or melancholy, anxiety, agitation, depression, confusion, guilt, shame, aches & pains, stomach aches/nausea, general malaise.

Now, sub drop can happen to the best of us and for a myriad of reasons but there are always ways to mitigate the damage.

The 2 major causes of sub drop are:

Lack of (adequate) prep

Lack of (adequate) aftercare

In re: prep, they fully failed to prepare either physically or emotionally before the scene.  Pete was underfed/dehydrated/in pain (so not in a good physical state, generally), and in a heightened state of emotion (for literal days, all of the emotions) before/during the scene.  They had no discussion of limits or safety beforehand and essentially no foundation of trust.

Likewise, after the scene, there was essentially no aftercare: Vegas didn’t provide Pete with either skin to skin contact/physical comfort, or a blanket for warmth (they lay side by side but Pete is not held).  They did not discuss the scene, nor did Vegas provide Pete with any words of affirmation or comfort to assuage any feelings of shame that can linger after scenes (no, Vegas, telling Pete “do you know how sexy you are” does not count).  Pete was not provided sustenance – food/water/sugar – to help regulate the endorphin crash (Vegas tried, this one was not necessarily on him, although you can already see symptoms of drop in Pete – fatigue, malaise/hints of sadness – before Vegas leaves to go make food).

And then we see and incredible and exhaustive progression of textbook sub drop symptoms:

Confusion/Guilt/Shame: Pete asking himself why he let it happen, he didn’t like it

Depression/Sadness & Crying: Pete’s breakdown saying he feels useless

Agitation: Pete hitting himself + his explosive anger at Vegas (continuation also of shame, not feeling human)

Fatigue/aches & pains: We see this as Pete stiffly and shakily makes his way back home.  He is physically exhausted – bc of his journey?  Absolutely.  But I think that being in drop accounts for some of that as well.

Stomach aches/nausea + Crying/Depression: Pete trying and failing to eat his noodles, heightened emotions/depression can often cause a physical reaction, both his lack of desire to eat (yes it’s also an emotional response to the exact food he’s trying to eat being tied to his memories of Vegas, but I’m calling it)

General malaise: Pete’s lack of interest in the party Tankhun throws him, his entire demeanor when he goes out to get a smoke and looks despondent leaning against the pole.

When Vegas arrives, he starts the cycle again from the top, cycling through more or less the same series of emotions, although starting with anger this time, then going through shame/confusion/sadness/crying etc.  But by the time they get to the minor family’s attempted coup, I think most of Pete’s physiological symptoms of sub drop have faded/passed, and his emotional responses and actions seem to come from a place of a little more clarity.  

Of course there’s still a lot of confusion, bc the situation is still fucked up, but his anger in the garage, and then his confession by the pool, are clearly deliberate choices Pete makes, as opposed to his earlier behaviors after leaving Vegas.  The Pete who could only sit in a tub and lie, or cry in front of a bowl of noodles, or stand alone and try to smile at Yok’s, is gone; replaced by a new Pete awakened by Vegas – a man who isn’t afraid to demand what he wants because he knows it’s within reach.

So the tl;dr is this: I think the writing of Pete’s character in episodes 13/14 is truly incredible.  I have never in my life seen sub drop depicted so thoroughly.  And as someone who has had severe sub drop that lasted days due to lack of prep/aftercare, it looked something very much like Pete in this episode and I just….  Hats off to the writers, I salute you.