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dykedvonte · 1 month

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benny was also like incredibly abusive to yes man and kept him trapped in that shitty side room. it’s no wonder yes man genuinely loves the courier regardless of if they make decisions he likes or not after being liberated from benny. courier must be an angel to him

I think incredibly abusive is a bit much.

Like Benny was not kind to Yes-Man but he was not particularly cruel. If Yea-Man was let out of the room then anyone could’ve asked him anything and outed the plan, leading to him and Benny being exiled at best or killed (permanently in Yes-Mans case) at worse. Yeah, it was Benny’s fault he was like this but it was probably the only fail safe to keep House’s systems from tapping into Yes-Man, by giving him no code to reject commands the only way to influence him would be in person. House can’t do that.

Also liberated makes it sound like you are treating Yes-Man like an equal when you’re just treating him slightly better than most would treat a personalized Mr. Handy bot. Benny isn’t nice to him, didn’t give him a real name, but he definitely loved Yes-Man, more like a science project but that was his thing y’know? Robots with personalities like him that aren’t common in the Mojave and are considered odd. Benny already did a lot more than someone who’d just mistreat his creation by allowing him to be passive-aggressive in the first place. He let Yes-Man think which a big step from most AI programs in the Mojave.

I think the issue is Yes-Man genuinely appreciates the Courier for getting the plan in motion but that wasn’t a lack of Benny. He had completely different circumstances than the Courier that didn’t allow him to be as bold. Yes-Man learns to love the Courier because they come to rule Vegas and he sees them as competent and the next logical leader now that Benny is no longer his primary overseer.

Honestly the Courier and Yes-Man are closer to a exclusive business partnership by the end of the independent route if we go by the general answers. The Courier can be as nice or as mean to Yes-Man as they want and Yes-Man does not see the Courier as flawless or an angel just the next logical step in a plan. Of course, depending on what you do or headcanon, their relationship can be much more complex than that but on a even ground between all of the options, Yes-Man and the Courier are means to an end to each other.

A popular theory before New Vegas had the current fandom it did and developer commentary was that Yes-Man was going to betray you at the end of the independent route. Lying that he’d just upgrade himself to only listen to you so you wouldn’t stop him. Some people still follow it despite it being debunked while other love the idea he genuinely only wants to listen to you.

It’s all up to interpretation my dear. I personally don’t think Benny was cruel to Yes-Man not more than he is to another Chairman. He’s a robot, of course, to Benny and that has its own connotations on how he was treated but I digress. The Courier is far from an angel or saint to anyone but I do like the idea that there’s a fondness from Yes-Man. Lee so how they can be so illogically efficient rather than what they’ve done fore him.

#yes man is also oddly violent and I love it that he probably is revved up about you letting him kill things #but again it’s complicating and I see to see everything from a truly objective lens from all parties #cause we don’t know how Benny treated Yes Man outside his program and his rather positive comments on the securitron #Yes Man cannot just roam like Victor can and I’d say how house treats Victor and his girl bot are much more abusive #speaking of interpretation I need to make a post about Boone and the military industrial complex cause I feel like too many people are #missing the point of his character and quest like he’s been groomed and abused by the military industrial complex and he’s only like 26 #he’s been there for years he’s not innocent but please in need a nuanced take on him that isn’t just he should’ve known better #I’ll get on that eventually #fallout #fallout new vegas #benny gecko #benny fnv #courier six #the courier #yes man fnv #ask #anon

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minorfamilysupremacy · 1 year

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it’s very telling to me that when gun wants to twist the knife when he’s abusing vegas, he goes for belittling vegas’ nurturing side. saying ‘you and macau aren’t fit to be my sons’ is a way of tearing down all the years vegas has spent trying to keep his brother safe and loved and far enough away from the mafia lifestyle that he doesn’t have to run the risk of becoming the same heartless weapon that vegas is. (and it works because later, when pete points out that vegas still has macau, vegas just says that macau is the same. they’re both trapped on the same sinking ship with no hope of rescue.) slapping the food out of his hands and following it with a comment about how vegas is just as stupid as his mother is directly reinforcing that vegas’ worth as a person isn’t in this caretaking realm. he wasn’t raised to be soft and kind, he was raised to kill and maim and destroy. why is he wasting his time trying to be gentle or look after others? there isn’t room for that. he’s vegas from the minor family and he needs to start acting like it — he needs to be the armor, the shell, the monstrous underworld figure — and he needs to abandon the vulnerable human core underneath.

and it’s equally telling that even though vegas’ entire life is lived in service to his father and trying to find a way to impress him, he still doesn’t give up that innate desire to feed and care for and look after the people he loves. for all the abuse gun puts him through and for all the horrible things vegas does, he still never escapes or abandons that.

#i had a point but i’m incoherent about it honestly #tbh a lot of this is also why i’m not a huge fan of calling vegas pathetic #to you he’s pathetic but to me he’s got a spine of steel to still protect that loving part of himself in the face of such horrific abuse #kinnporsche #vegas theerapanyakul #gun theerapanyakul

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grayluforever · 6 months

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is it just me or does Dan Schneider like to normalize abusive and toxic relationships over the healthier ones?

#beck x tori #freddie x carly #icarly #victorious #anti seddie #anti bade #anti jade west #anti sam puckett #anti abuse #freddie benson deserves better #beck oliver deserves better #beck oliver x tori vega #freddie benson x carly shay #Tori didn't owe that asshole of a bitch Jade nothing and her being like i can't kiss you because jade's my friend was complete bullshit!!#anti dan schneider

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yourrockdog · 1 month

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whenever i see people talk about how Theo is so much milder/less fucked up than Boris i wonder how many of you actually read the damn book. they’re both insane wild animal freaks of men. the only difference is that one is a Caged animal and one is.. well. one is Boris

#tgf #people talking about how Boris ruined Theo’s life and abused him #like Theo wouldn’t have became an addict anyways and was just as #if not more #violent than Boris during the Vegas chapters #do we remember when he tried to drown him to death. yeah. i thought so

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heretherebedork · 2 years

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The connection of food and domesticity and abuse is a powerful one and it plays so deeply into the relationship that Vegas and Pete are slowly building and creating. It's a relationship that grows with them but also breaks with them and around them.

We see Vegas amuse himself by giving Pete a snack when he's watching him the first time, see him tease his knowledge about him and what he's doing. Food is a tease, a joke, a way of showing Pete that he knows but also of mocking Pete, the condom that he grabs out of the bag symbolic of his own amusement at this.

The first torture scenes we got in the safehouse were about Pete refusing to eat and asking for death, Vegas using the food as humiliation, as proof that he is less than human, barely even a pet. The slop was not made to be anything, was to do nothing but keep Pete alive so he could be tortured.

The first scene after we saw worry and a shared understanding was when Vegas brought the noodles and Pete ate and Vegas got frustrated that he thought he might be poisoned and showed him the food was safe.

That was the first time that Vegas smiled at something Pete actively did, the first time Vegas saw something in Pete that made him happy. Vegas takes a chance at providing something for him and it is the first thing that makes him smile after his exile and blacklisting. This is the first steps of Vegas realizing that he can take care of someone, of something, that he can do do things for other people and not be beaten down for it.

Then we get to the point that he's in the kitchen, watching a video about cooking, trying to make something exactly to Pete's taste, to make as a treat, to make it beautiful. Has Vegas ever truly cooked before? He's certainly never made food with care before. He's never decorated a plate before. He's never been proud of his food before.

And then his father destroys it. Not just destroys it but doesn't even care that he destroys it, doesn't care that he just proved to Vegas that he cannot take care of Pete. The cycle of abuse is still wrapped around his throat and he cannot break out, he cannot give Pete was he wants to give him and if he cannot then he cannot do anything.

He makes noodles but when Pete doesn't eat them he lashes out, he breaks down, because all Vegas sees in himself in the failure that his father has told him always is, is the food on the floor and ruined by his hand and worthless. The noodles were not the choice he wanted. Vegas was trying to choose Pete with his food and he failed and so he falls apart... only to see Pete fall apart in response.

Then we get the parallel scenes of them with their food crying, Pete back with the main family and Vegas knowing that he is back where he is safe, where he wanted to be, away from. Both of them are in agony, though, despite what has happened and despite having food in front of them that they would normally love.

Pete has the noodles, the same type that Vegas made, a taste now familiar thanks to memories he doesn't want but also desires and pain that sinks so deeply into him that he cannot avoid or pretend it isn't happening. Pete clutches his marks and he cries because he wants but he cannot accept.

Vegas has food spread in front of him as he sits at the foot of the bed he shared with Pete. Do you think he bothered to clean up Pete's blood? Is he sitting and staring at the stains that he will leave there forever, the marks of Pete's existence. Vegas cries because Pete has gone back and he cannot go back and he has food but he does not eat.

Food is one of the things that abusers very often control. Access, quantity, safety, type, when and where and how food exists.

Food started as a torture method, as a form of a control, as proof of where Pete existed in relation to Vegas. Then it became a form of affection only for that to be broken by the cycle of abuse, for what was trying to be a symbol of love to be destroyed and then to start the cycle again. And then food became a memory, a wish, a dream, something connected to the good moments and the painful moments.

Someday in the future, Vegas will be able to prepare a meal for Pete and he will present it to him and he will be so, so scared but Pete will smile and the food will be there, will be on their table and they will share in food that they prepared and they will be together and they will be safe and they will be chosen.

#vegaspete #vegas x pete #vegas theerapanyakul #pete kinnporsche #vegas pete #kinnporsche vegas #thai drama #thaibl #thai series #bl series #thai bl #bl drama #kinnporsche the series #kinnporsche la forte #food symbolism #child abuse #ugh hi i'm never gonna shut up

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fruityuncleskeletor · 2 years

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More late night thoughts about Vegas and Pete

I was thinking about Vegas and about the way Gun raised and beat him into becoming a weapon; I was thinking about his office, which is a front decorated with shiny shit by someone who secretly and desperately wants to be discovered and found interesting enough to dwell on. I was thinking of how the Bond villain attire is strictly mafia and stricly work gear, Vegas himself being a snuggly PJs kind of man. I was thinking of how his family did to Vegas what many people do to pitbulls - take a very mellow and protective nature and twist it into something hideous and then BLAME the animal for how it was trained and for being too good at carrying out his master's orders. And then in walked Pete.

I saw your witchy shit. I saw your BDSM gear. Cool decor, bro. You need love. You're doing your best. You're a good son. You don't have to compare yourself with others. Like on those shows where they rescue abused dogs, they cower or try to bite when they see a hand approach because they are used to the beatings, but when the hand pats the head, the dogs wag their entire person. It takes one instance of being seen to be reset. And sure, it could be argued that this take makes Vegas too needy and pathetic, and painting him as a victim is boring and not as fun as making him be an unrepenting monster-

but I propose to you this: he is still a monster, and he's worthy of forgiveness, healing and love nonetheless.

A pitbull can still rip someone to shreds even once it becomes a beloved family pet. It just chooses not to. And Pete is like that one person who stops in front of the cage at the shelter where the most scarred and gnarly dog sits, ignored by families and young couples, Pete looks and says "I'm the only thing between you and the gas chamber, but I can deal with you, I can take your anger because you and me, we're the same." And the scarred and mean looking dog gets to go home with a human, and sleep on a soft bed. Not even God can save whoever is reckless enough to threaten his human.

Then, what does it say about Pete, a man hardened by a life of poverty, abuse, and intense violence, who still, even when pushed to his limits, can look at a man and say "yep, needs love" ?

#vegas #pete #vegaspete #thoughts #i am not comparing vegas to a dog #i just think the abuse works in the same savage ways in both cases #vegas theerapanyakul #pete saengtham #stopping before I cry into my keyboard

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lu-sn · 1 year

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so i've been thinking about vegaspete, and kinnporsche, and the parallels of abusive behavior for these two pairings.

cw: discussions of emotional, physical and generational abuse

both pairs start with one person in significant power over the other. kinn has just strongarmed porsche into becoming his employee, and vegas has imprisoned pete. they both then follow a remarkably similar set of events.

kinn and vegas force porsche (ep2-3) and pete (ep10-11) respectively through a combination of both physical and emotional abuse. this abuse is expected given the power dynamic.

kinn and vegas start to treat porsche (ep3-4) and pete (ep11-12) differently than they should be treating them. nicer, if you will.

kinn and vegas have a sexual encounter with porsche (ep4) and pete (ep12) respectively.

kinn and vegas enact physical and emotional abuse on porsche (ep5) and pete (ep13) again, after an ill-fated encounter with each of their fathers. however, the abuse hurts porsche and pete much deeper than before, not just because of the sexual encounter, but because of the emotional bond that served as a foundation for said encounter.

porsche and pete cannot bear it, and they leave kinn (ep5) and vegas (ep13).

kinn and vegas go looking for porsche (ep5) and pete (ep13) to apologize.

kinn (ep6) and vegas (ep14) apologize again, with more gravity.

kinn and vegas tell porsche (ep6) and pete (ep14) that they can and should leave.

the details vary. kinn tends more towards direct emotional abuse (telling porsche he's being treated just like everyone else / like nothing, demoting him and trading him away) and indirect physical abuse (punishing him via the bodyguard system). vegas is inflicting all kinds of abuse on pete, all by his own hands. but at their cores, the journeys look EXTREMELY similar.

and then, of course, they diverge.

at its heart, the vegaspete storyline in s1 is about the cycles of abuse, and what it means to break free of them. gun inflicts abuse on vegas, vegas turns around and inflicts it on pete. pete does not stand for this and leaves, which leads to vegas refusing to perpetuate his part of the cycle, thereby allowing pete to stay free -- but vegas is still trapped in the cycle by gun.

then gun gets killed.

through almost no action of his own, vegas is free. pete sees this, and understands what it means, whether consciously or subconsciously: pete can return to vegas. and pete can now trust fully that vegas will treat him well, since vegas is not trapped himself. pete won't have to be constantly looking over his shoulder for the next time gun sets vegas off.

vegas is so fucking lucky that he didn't have to break out of the cycle himself. if gun had continued to live, perhaps in a world where there was no coup, vegas could not have had both gun and pete. he would have had to choose, and choosing pete would have meant dethroning his father. fighting back against your abuser, when they are also your parent? an insurmountable task. suffice to say, it would have been terrible for vegas.

but, for better or for worse, korn took care of that for him. and now the vegaspete arc has reached its resolution. they've broken free. they can start healing.

kinn... kinn is very much not free.

and we kind of see the consequences of that through the latter half of the show. kinn loves porsche. i don't think there's any doubt about that. but that love doesn't stop kinn from occasionally treating porsche very poorly. he doesn't tell porsche anything about tawan, and porsche tries to do his best with the information he has -- and when it backfires horrendously, kinn asks porsche to apologize without taking any blame for himself.

i would consider this emotional abuse. and maybe you would disagree, but there's another very similar incident in the show that i think firmly counts as emotional abuse: korn lying to kinn about his death.

kinn thinks his dad is dead, and then days later his uncle comes to attack. kinn tries his level best to push through his grief and defend his household with little to no help. and after a terrifyingly high body count, kinn runs into a hidden room, and his dad is there, and his dad is alive, and his dad says nothing to him.

not a single acknowledgement of the fake death, let alone an apology. no blame assigned to korn. just kinn, alone, reeling from the fallout of his dad having lied to him in the most cruel way possible.

and why doesn't kinn protest this? well, for one, it's his dad. see previous statement about that kind of thing being extremely difficult. but two, and this is much worse, kinn probably believes that his dad was in the right. he's fallen for it, hook line and sinker. it was okay for korn to not trust him, to use him as a means to an end -- because korn is in charge, and korn knows what's right.

and this is the exact abuse kinn perpetuates to porsche for the tawan incident. he expects porsche to step in line. he doesn't think porsche is in the right to ask for mutual trust, because misplaced trust ruins plans. kinn is in charge, and kinn knows what's right.

cycles of abuse. over and over. and again, if gun had stayed alive, vegas may very well have been stuck in a similar position.

but here's another difference between the two couples, and i think it matters tremendously. pete left, and pete didn't come back until gun was dead. vegas might not have been free, but at least pete had escaped from the line of fire.

porsche left, and came back, and put himself right back into the cycle he had originally tried to run away from.

this is very much not good for porsche. kinn will continue to perpetuate the abuse korn inflicts on him, in between showering porsche with love. and it's going to really fuck with porsche, just like it did in ep5. the only options that could make porsche's life abuse-free are if he decides to walk away, or if korn dies. and korn is much, much harder to kill.

i don't think the kinnporsche storyline in s1 is necessarily about the cycles of abuse the same way it is for vegaspete. both kinn and porsche start the season ensnared separately, and they end it ensnared together. the kinnporsche arc in s1 is more about love and corruption.

but in order for porsche to be happy -- truly happy, he's going to have to break the cycle he's trapped in. and if he tries it, he'll be forcing kinn's hand. kinn will have to choose between korn and porsche.

and it's a choice kinn's not going to want to make.

#and ofc we can trace all of this back to granpappy theerapanyakul 🙃#cycles on cycles on cycles #kinnporsche #vegaspete #kinn theerapanyakul #porsche kittisawasd #vegas theerapanyakul #pete saengtham #cw: abuse

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liveactionproblematicotd · 3 months

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Today's problematic ship is Tori Vega and Jade West from Victorious

Toxic

Abusive

Requested by anonymous

#comship #proship #proship please interact #proshippers please interact #proshipper safe #toxic #abusive #tori vega #jade west #victorious #tori x jade

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taikanyohou · 2 years

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“If you run now, I’m alright with that. I’ve got nothing left. I don’t want to be your burden.” KinnPorsche (2022).

#vegaspete #kinnporsche #asianlgbtqdramas #asiandramasource #*#faiza gifs #god ive been ACHING to do something semi-religious wrt to vegas AND FINALLLLLLYYYYY FINALLLYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!#like i think the point isnt vegas trying to be good: its that he cant really ever be. like he is so damn damaged that part of him will Never #really be fixed. ever.#like he'll try and try and try but ... yeah.#but that doesnt mean he cant be happy! but this part of him will forever exist in him.#and u know what i think it makes sense completely.#some broken things will always remain broken.#but in that constant trying there is a joy. that there are people - pete and macau - always with him. ALWAYS.#that see all of vegas' brokenness but all his love and devotion to them too. and he can be loved for it all.#but vegas will still feel like bc he isnt Fixed. he'll go back to being that violent monster that he knows is still in him somewhere.#like he just doesnt trust himself AT ALL.#and so yeah that cycle of abuse in one sense IS broken.#but now he's in this whole other cycle of i could revert back ANYTIME hes just so VOLATILE about it its ALWAYS on his mind.#so much so that he DOES get scared of himself around pete and macau #in case he WRECKS this all up.#ugh idk if im explaining myself properly BUT YEAH.#and the way GOD comes into all this UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH YEAH. anyway i just think post canon vegas #DOES really do some proper soul searching and im not saying he becomes religious. but u know #he does seek out God. or cling onto spirituality in SOME WAY.

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blookmallow · 8 days

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something thats really standing out about fallout 3 thus far to me is. just how fucking mean and unpleasant everyone is,

not that the wasteland is ever friendly or hospitable in any game ever but it seems like i Cannot catch a break here

most of the other 101 residents are unfriendly or Mean to you. megaton is alright but i dont really talk to anyone other than gob (my beloved) and moira (my other beloved) like theres just not a lot there that interests me/strikes me as a person i notably care about or my protagonist would have any kind of relationship to other than those two. i hate going to rivet city everyone is so hostile and they all hate each other and its so hard to navigate. everyone in tenpenny tower is awful. maybe its intended to feel like the world is against you but the only place anyone’s nice to me is underworld :/ :/ so. three dog loves me though. so at least i have that

three dog: constantly putting his entire heart into hyping me up on the radio as im trying my best to help as many people as possible

the entire capital wasteland: who the fuck are you get out of my face

#i guess things are especially dire in capital wasteland. theres barely anywhere safe left #but i feel like new vegas is just about as fucked up and people arent this hostile #like yea of course some people will be but the amount of constant undeserved verbal abuse im dealing with here..#also i cannot figure out what the dynamic would be with charon. boy wont talk to me so i cant tell what would or wouldnt be in character #like at all. but i like him hes helpful #and the game is not offering me any kind of casual ‘see you later’ dismissal #if i want to travel with someone else i apparently have to Fire Him #so i guess its gonna be him and me forever now lets go bestie

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sealz888 · 4 months

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Fallout headcanons for Vulpes 🥺

I'm trash I know

Thank you for your ask! I didn't realised I had this many thoughts on him compiled. I hope you enjoy these.

Heads up! Content warnings for Domestic Abuse, Domestic Violence, Misogyny, Slavery and general legion stuff. Triggering content is below the cut.

He has Oculotaneous Albinism, specifically Type 1b, explaining his white hair and light eyes, but his tan face. For the unaware and if I may cringe for a few moments, there are multiple types of Albinism, each with different effects and caused by different genes.

Doesn't actually know what a fox is, only donned the moniker after an older soldier nicknamed him. It's actually a coyote head.

He has to dye his hair often and use contacts as his OCA made him stick out like a sore thumb, especially in the Mojave, making it hard for him to infiltrate and spy. Keeps it short for the same reason.

His father actually joined the legion out of his own volition. His father grew up in a misogynistic society and resented his wife and Vulpes' Mother. However, for reasons below the cut, they were actually booted.

His mother gave birth to 3 girls after him.

Due to his abusive family life, he became extremely sneaky, carrying on his legion life. They noticed this and instead of punishing him, they doubled down, training him into a frumentarii.

When he was 7 his family assimilated into the legion, and his mother was pregnant with his third sister. After her birth she ""disappeared under mysterious circumstances"" and Vulpes' never saw her again. (see below cut)

Told his sisters stories to '''help''' them sleep, these stories were actually just him describing what monsters would brutally kill and eat them if they didn't sleep.

A year or two later, his father died in battle. Vulpes' never really cared for his family or bonded with his sister, considering he was dragged out of their lives for training. He was ecstatic when his father carked it, hated the fucker.

Actually managed to get his sisters to be given as wives, not really slaves somehow. I guess because he was related to him by blood and they were slaves, I guess, he was a slave too by proxy.

Had to keep it under wraps, however, considering his cold-hearted rep.

TRIGGERING CONTENT BELOW THE CUT! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

He would often beat her and abuse her in displays of power in front of a young Vulpes' whose name at the time was Michael. Much of his mother's horror and father's admiration, he also began abusing his mother.

He would somewhat tolerate her before she gave birth to Vulpes, appalled that she birthed a '''""ghoul with skin""" and that she couldn't give birth to a normal child. It only got worse and worse as his sisters were born. Vulpes' was also abused for this, but stood proud of his appearance.

His father actually drowned his mother after she gave birth, he had a sneaking suspicion he killed her based on how much disdain he had for her, but doesn't know if it's confirmed.

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leedongwook · 2 years

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“Don’t you ever think that just because we had sex you could say anything. You’re just my pet.”

#kinnporsche #vegaspete #haleyskinnporsche #haleysvegaspete #Vegas Theerapanyakul #pete phongsakorn #abuse tw #violence tw

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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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