THARNTYPE and how I feel it uses kisses and love scenes to show relationship development

— a thread
disclaimer: this is my personal interpretation. feel free to disagree. everyone can have their own opinion about these scenes. this just happens to be mine. also, i haven't finished rewatching all of the kisses yet so some may be delayed. bear with me.
To be honest, I'm still really uncomfortable with this scene. There's so many aspects about this that I'm not okay with. Type's inability to consent, how menacing Tharn almost looks, and how helpless Type looks.
The first episode frames Tharn as this perfect gentleman that's so unlucky to be stuck as Type's roommate and this scene just completely shatters that illusion for me and raised the question, "was Type right all along to not trust him?"
This one shot of their hands frame Tharn as the one being in complete control and how one sided this entire kiss was. Anyone who says this scene romanticizes sexual as***lt must not be watching the same scene as I am because there's nothing romantic to me with this scene.
Again, no verbalization of consent (silence doesn't mean yes) but this + the scene before shows there's underlying attraction there. His wandering hands, the soft way he responds to some of the kisses, the grip he has on Tharn's shoulders - how he wasn't pushing but more pulling.
I remember reading somewhere that Type's thoughts during this scene in the novel was what prompted him to proposition Tharn for sex because he found himself actually wanting Tharn's touch.
The infamous first time. Even Gulf says this is his favourite because this is the first time Type actively wants Tharn and fully reciprocates the kiss and the sexual act.
So many nuances, how Type keeps his eyes open at first looking almost confused about how good Tharn's kisses feel until he closes his eyes and starts to really get into it. You know what makes this scene sexier? Consent. It's sexy to watch Type actually want it and reciprocate.
So we only had three kisses but they already demonstrate the progression of Type's feelings:
1. Ep1 kiss cemented feelings of resentment and almost fear of Tharn
2. Ep3 shower kiss showed underlying attraction
3. Ep4 love scene showed reciprocation of that desire
This scene is used to establish that 1) their arrangement is more than a one time thing 2) Type is comfortable around Tharn for him to suggest they sleep in the same bed. ("I'm sleeping in your bed tonight. Mine's dirty.") 3) Type is allowing Tharn to cuddle him.
The 2nd and 3rd point is important because there are fvck buddies who draw lines by not spending the night, not sleeping in the same bed and not allowing cuddles. Yet here is Type almost arching his neck to allow Tharn to pepper kisses on him after sex while cuddling.
I feel like this is a really underrated kiss. This was Tharn daring to kiss Type in public and his first attempt to bare his feelings when the latter is so determined to keep what they have strictly in the bedroom.
I believe this was the start of Type's heart wavering towards Tharn. The way he didn't push him away and instead kissed him back felt like this was Type entertaining the thought of actually being with Tharn until he got scared and pushed him away.
This isn't really one of my favourite kisses because it always felt to me that Type kissed him here because he was tired of Tharn being mad at him and his last resort at making amends (since the Sprite didn't work) was to give Tharn what he wanted: a kiss.
But the progression here is how Type is so bothered about Tharn suddenly leaving for home and giving him the silent treatment when before he wouldn't care. Now Tharn's sudden absence affects him to the point he goes through such lengths to make amends.
I don't think I can say anything about this scene that hasn't already been said. In Thai culture the feet are considered the dirtiest part of the body so for Tharn to kiss Type's ankle is an act of complete surrender.
You can see the disconnect between Tharn's words and his actions and why he was so hurt in EP6 despite saying he's okay with only being casual lovers. This was his act of devotion towards Type and declaration of exclusivity. You wouldn't do this to someone you didn't love.
Even with their first time, Tharn made it a point to kiss Type on the lips when they had sex. He didn't have sex with people he couldn't kiss because he's a romantic. But here you can see him restricting himself to only kissing Type's neck, not his lips.
He had to restrict himself to hold up his end of the deal that they're just sex friends. This felt different from all of their scenes because of how clinical Tharn was being. This was Tharn trying - and failing - to be emotionally distant, by not kissing Type on the lips.
This is my favourite TharnType kiss in the whole series. I've always believed that love is always a choice and this kiss was Type choosing Tharn. If EP4 was Type giving in to what his body wanted, then this is Type giving in to what his heart wanted.
There's so many beautiful things about this scene: the way brash and rough Type gently kisses Tharn's forehead, the way he's the one who initiates the kiss and the desperate way Tharn kisses back and grips every part of Type he can reach as if he's scared this is a dream.
My second favourite kiss and one of the best to show Type's progression as a character. Type either always recoiled from Tharn's kisses to rejecting them but now we have him initiate these moments of affection.
From the way he runs his hand through Tharn's hair to reaching out for a kiss, it's so great to see Type who hid behind this wall of anger, finally be vulnerable enough to show Tharn that he's cherished and that he wouldn't be changing his mind about them.
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