#namphueng

[Submitted Reasons Under Cut]

Not really a meta. More a collection of baby meta ideas I have and/or symbolism I noticed watching the series that didn't make it into my review.

Oh How The Tables...

I'm just saying that it's certainly ironic that Kim's first scene in the show is him mocking Big for his unrequited love for Kinn. He asks Big if he should write Big a song about heartbreak, and ends the series writing a song about his own heartbreak and begging Chay to take him back.

Big and Tawan

In general, I think Big and Tawan were the best done minor characters, and the best done characters in the series, if you look at their complete arcs, after Vegas and Pete (Kim and Chay would be next, but their arcs aren't entirely complete and never will be).

The same episode where Tawan concludes "if I can't be happy, then no one can," and commits suicide (intended murder suicide at that), Big sacrifices his life to save Porsche's, not because of Porsche, but because he loves Kinn. He dies assuring Porsche how much Kinn loves him.

In other words, Big reached the opposite conclusion of Tawan: even if it means he can't be happy, he wants Kinn to be happy. However, the story actually takes a nuanced, complex look at it and doesn't code it as Big=good Tawan=bad; Tawan is framed as tragic instead and you're meant to feel sad over his patheticism, not feel gleeful.

Portraits

Tankhun, Kim, and Vegas all have self-portraits in their rooms, and these portraits are all kind of symbolic of how they see themselves--though not necessarily accurate perceptions.

Well, except Tankhun's. Tankhun's just just a neon portrait that fits with his flamboyant decor. It's in the corner near where he watches his series, and is very straightforward because Tankhun, himself, is pretty straightforward. He's not hiding the same way the others are.

Kim's self-portrait is a watercolor of himself, but you can't any discernible features. Of course, this symbolizes how he hides himself behind many masks.

Behind that portrait, though, is his bulletin board of his family and all the players. Because no matter how Kim acts distant and aloof, he's actually always strategizing and planning to thwart any threats to his family.

Vegas's self portrait is in a secret room that can only be entered via a passcode, symbolic of how it's really hard to reach the true Vegas because he keeps his vulnerabilities locked up. But when you do enter that room, you see a portrait of a misshapen man that looks more monster than human. That's how Vegas sees himself.

Kinn notably does not have a portrait (that I saw), but his walls are instead windows that overlook Bangkok, which can be symbolic as well: that he doesn't see himself fully as a person, but instead as someone who's supposed to be controlling and surveying something much, much bigger than himself.

Kinnporsche Sexy Times

The idea for symbolism here wasn't fully developed, but it's there, so.

The first two times Kinn and Porsche have sex mirror the first sexual encounters with others we see them engaging in. The first scene is the Bad Scene, or really, where Kinn basically assaults Porsche since Porsche is way too out of it to consent. But during this scene, Porsche draws attention to the beauty of the city view, which is a callback to how Kinn's hired prostitute remarked that he wanted to see the entire view (and then opened the curtains to find Porsche there, because Kinn's answer to who he is is more adequately found in Porsche than the city).

Of course it's also kind of a comment on how Kinn views himself in terms of the city, which is not entirely a good understanding lol.

The next time they have sex--and the first time it's consensual--is in the backroom of a club, which mirrors where we see Porsche having sex with the two girls in the series. I'd argue this is probably supposed to be seen as Kinn meeting Porsche where he's at, and to a degree vice versa, but also Kinn's is more morally questionable than Porsche's in terms of consent and power.

Kimchay - The Little Mermaid

I talked a little about the fairy tale motif that was never actually explored in the story despite it having a ton of potential in my review, and I'm going to talk more about it now because I can.

Listen, if Vegaspete and Kinnporsche are both loosely based on Beauty and the Beast (Vegaspete more directly a retelling, right down to resurrection), Kimchay is probably based on "The Little Mermaid," the other story that gets a direct shout-out in text. Here, both characters are both mermaid and prince.

Kim wants to live a life as part of a different world, and uses his voice to get there. In the end, just like the mermaid in the original tale, he loves the prince (Chay) too much to risk him coming to harm, even if that means his own doom. However, it's precisely that selflessness that helps him live above a filthy world.

Chay also wants to live in a different world and uses his voice to get there. Only, despite all he risks to get there, it doesn't quite work out. The prince (Kim) doesn't return his feelings... well, except he does, but he sure made Chay feel like he didn't for awhile there.

Succession: Kinnporsche Version

The novel apparently mentions this but I'm not interested in reading it for Reasons, but I did find it intriguing that the mafia family isn't exactly going to continue considering all five of the current generation (Khun, Kinn, Kim, Vegas, and Macau) are all gay. For all the talk about being an heir and succeeding Papa Korn, it's not gonna go for another generation. I actually like this and think it could be a major thematic point if emphasized appropriately, or brought up at all in the series.

Like. The family burdens the kids because of mafia stuff, trying to pit them against one another and using them to solve their grievances... but love can save the day, and also give life, and quite literally stop the cycle--but it's love that isn't traditional, in a sense. It's queer. This also doesn't mean the characters can't have kids, obviously, but symbolically they have to come up with different, nontraditional ways to do so if they do, symbolic of having to like... break from the traditional patriarchal violence of their mafia upbringings.

The ingredients are there! It could have been a thing!

Namphueng: The King

Namphueng's room has a chessboard pattern on the floor, which ties into the chess motif that Korn was always messing around with. While the audience was led to believe the queen was Porsche in all Korn's playing scenes--and they were right--they were also led to believe the king was either Kinn or Korn. Incorrect. The king was Namphueng, not Kinn or Korn.

The king, after all, isn't really free to move. It theoretically can move in any direction, but only one space at a time. It's quite limited.

I do wonder--not that this will ever be answered--if Namphueng's story is intended a lot more important than just "foster sister." Like maybe her family was wiped out because she was the heir of a far more important family or something.

The Victor Writes History

Or so Korn said. Again, not that we'll ever get it cleared up, and I personally like the ambiguity wherein we don't know precisely what happened between Namphueng, her husband, Korn, and Gun. I wouldn't actually have wanted it perfectly cleared up. Thematic! Complexity!

Gun's memories match better with Porsche's than Korn's do--the cabinet where Porsche hid is open in Gun's memories, but not in Korn's, and Porsche remembers Korn standing while Gun sits, which is what happens in Gun's version. However, whenever there are multiple versions of a story, the truth is probably in the middle, and it's hard to believe Gun, of all people, had purely selfless motives.

My personal guess is Korn did kill Namphueng's husband, but it was less about "how dare you not come back!" cruelty and more a long-game plan to get his and Gun's father to spare Namphueng and fake her death to protect her. I think this fits best thematically with the story and the characters as present in the series, in that Korn's motives can be both caring and selfish and power-seeking at the same time. It's also tragic, because killing someone loved by someone to protect them actually has a way of killing them even if you didn't plan on it. Someone can still be alive but have lost everything, a statement that multiple characters made in the show.

It would also fit that Korn misunderstood the power of love, because he definitely doesn't get it. But he didn't ruin every love story, because Kinn and Porsche end up together.

Whose Handprints?

Namphueng Kittisawasd 

but this was fun, totally gonna join in this walk down memory lane (i have way more wips than i originally thought)

Pfft okay, so I've got the bare bones notes from this but essentially, I wanted to write a one-shot in which we get all the boys there.

Porchay and Macau are on a couch together, because they demanded to be here and didn't give two shits about their brothers saying no. Pete and Vegas stand together in one corner of the room; Pete didn't know if Vegas would want to be there but Vegas figured that if he couldn't put a bullet through his uncle's head, he'd at least like to be there to see the life drain out from his eyes.

Tankhun has taken up residence on a single armchair, Kim perched delicately on one arm rest. Tankhun looks at ease, but Kim can tell that he's tensed up, by the slight shake in his shoulders, the way he keeps fidgeting with one specific gem on his neon-blue jacket. Kim, for his part, flips a knife between his fingers, his own way of trying to deal with the nerves, although he wishes he weren't nervous. Because he knows that this deserves to happen.

Kinn and Porsche are standing, facing Korn, both quiet, even as Korn watches them with those benevolent eyes of his, pretending that he hasn't fucked up every single life in this room. He's not tied to the chair but he's also not going to move. Every single person in this room is armed and won't hesitate to stab him and pin him to the chair if required (Porchay has a tiny knife that was gifted to him by Kim and Tankhun has a bedazzled one tucked away in his boot: Arm helped him bedazzle it with pink and green Swarovski crystals)

Korn asks who's going to kill him. Kinn says that everyone here has motive to do so but there's someone here with that trumps all of them.

And that's when Nampheung walks into the room, her hair tied to one side the way her husband liked it, her eyes clear and knowing as she walks closer to her step-brother.

Kinn is the one who hands her his gun but she shakes her head. Instead, she pulls out Korn's knife, the same one he'd used for that stupid metaphor about apples and rusting.

Korn doesn't even have the chance to say anything; Namphueng slides the knife clean across his throat in one swipe.

Tankhun twitches and tcches at the blood splatter but other than that he comments to say that that was anti-climatic as fuck. And then says he's hungry.

Namphueng offers to cook and they all saunter off into the sunset to live murderously ever after!

What kind of sick foreshadowing is this?

But he never thought about Auntie Milan knowing her. That's the only thing that makes sense, considering how emotional Fern is right now. He knows Uncle Gun met Auntie Milan when they were teenagers, that she was two years younger, but they didn't start dating until sometime in college. He never really thought of why she would have been around their family prior to that because he didn't know about Namphueng until recently. 

But now that he does know about her and this is happening, he realizes that Namphueng and Auntie Milan would be about the same age, and it makes more sense for Namphueng to be Auntie Milan’s initial connection to their family than Uncle Gun.

Especially when Fern seems so overcome with emotion, as if her world just stopped as soon as she laid her eyes on Namphueng. 

“What happened?!” Fern says, gripping Namphueng’s shoulders, “You were…She broke down and said…You were dead! You, Pat, and the boys were dead!” 

Namphueng doesn't sign a word. She is just staring at Fern in a trance, and Kim doesn't know if she doesn't understand or is just completely shutting down, but he can see that she is overwhelmed. There are tears dripping down her cheeks even though her expression is almost emotionless. It's as if she is frozen. 

Going by the way Chay, Porsche, Macau, and Vegas seem frozen too, it could be contagious. 

“Fern?” Pete says , surprisingly the first one to intervene as he touches her shoulder to get her attention, “She uh…She doesn't voice. She understands it, but she only signs now. And her um…Porsche? I’ve mentioned Porsche to you before-” 

“You didn't tell me who his mother was!” Fern signs harshly, “You didn't tell me he was alive! I thought it was someone else! A different Porsche!”

“I didn't…We didn't…” Pete says, trailing off, “We didn't know you knew him or Namphueng-” 

“Of course I know Namphueng!” Fern snaps, “I was close friends with her parents! I’ve known her since she was four! She was Milan’s closest friend for years! She was-” 

Fern cuts herself off, turns back to Namphueng, and brushes her hair back in a maternal manner.

“What happened? Tell me everything.” 

Namphueng seems to be shaking, but her stunned expression crumples as soon as she spells out one thing. 

“Milan?”

She follows that up with a sign Kim vaguely remembers as a sign name.

His aunt's sign name.

“Uh…” Khun says, standing up as well, only to go over to where Tay, Time, Jom, Tem, and Yok are sitting, “Maybe…Maybe we can do this a different night. I think we need…Obviously, we didn't expect-” 

“We understand,” Tay says as he gets to his feet and beckons everyone else at the table to do the same, “I hope…I’ll text Kinn later to check in.”

As the five head out and Arm goes ahead and arranges for his sisters to get a ride back to the hotel rooms Khun unnecessarily treated them to, the restaurant soon has eight less people inside. It's probably for the best - both with Namphueng’s nerves and the fact that Fern looks like she is seconds from lashing out until she gets answers. 

“What happened to her?!” Fern says, her gaze turning fiery. Porsche finally snaps out of his confusion and steps forward. 

“Can we talk privately so we don’t stress her out?” Porsche asks, then signs the words to make himself clear, “Chay…Chay will come too. Right, Chay?” 

As Kim looks over at Chay, he sees him nod and step forward. While Fern looks extremely hesitant to leave Namphueng, she reaches over, squeezes her hand, and leads Chay and Porsche through a door. 

“Fuck this,” Vegas mutters, walking towards the door too, “I want to know what’s going on. I need to check on the baby anyway.” 

Vegas is gone before anyone can talk to him. It seems like none of them even know what to say anyway. Kim isn't sure what could be said, considering they aren’t completely sure what is happening. 

Before Kim can overthink it more, Namphueng taps Kim’s shoulder roughly to get his attention. 

“Milan?” she signs, seeming desperate for a response. 

Kim blinks, then isn't sure what he is supposed to say. 

“Milan is my aunt. Fern’s daughter-” 

“Where?” she signs, then starts looking around, “Where where where where where?”

When Kim redirects his gaze towards Khun and Kinn, they seem like they feel helpless.