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[auseyre]

Minor family

[auseyre]

This is interesting to me, and like a youth vs old person experience thing ? Because this happens all the way through life though, in a non-trauma induced way. I've legitimately forgotten about stuff/people/experiences that happened 5 years or 10 years or 20 years ago that actually mattered at the time, not to mention all the minutiae.

Some random thing will nudge the lady running the file room in my brain and she'll go dig out a folder and fling it at me and voila.

you ever just sit and realise u can’t remember 80% of your childhood? like … what happened? who am i ..?

[auseyre]

UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN | episode thirteen

[auseyre]

happy anniversary! i decided to begin at the end, don't judge me

prompt: fate

Vegas drifts slowly into wakefulness, fighting against the haze of painkillers as he gingerly opens his eyes. Sunlight is streaming through the hospital window. Three portions of curry rice are lined up neatly on the small coffee table. Pete is throwing a blanket over a napping Macau. This doesn’t feel like fate. Fate, up until now, has meant one of two things: overthrow the main family or die trying. Vegas has failed at both.  This feels like precarious chance. Like every terrible mistake in his life had built to a concentrated mass, primed to collapse into ruin like brain matter sprayed by the side of a pool. The inevitable gravity of destruction that instead exploded at the final second, creating a new life, his for the taking.  As though sensing his gaze, Pete turns and smiles, joyfully uninhibited and breathtakingly beautiful.  If this is his fate, it is undeserved, but Vegas has never claimed to be unselfish. He smiles in return, and knows he will spend the rest of his life trying to make himself worthy of the chance he’s been gifted.

[auseyre]

Arm has a top-secret file that he keeps on a separate partition of his hard drive, locked behind three different password walls. It’s a list of all of the main family’s bodyguards, ranked by how likely they are to be the mole.

(It’s top-secret because he’s not supposed to be looking into this. Chan explicitly ordered him not to.)

There’s a handful of people Arm doesn’t even bother putting on the list. Pol, for one. Pete. Erika. Chan.

By contrast, every single one of Kinn’s personal bodyguards, past and present, is a prime suspect. Kinn’s had a notorious streak of bad luck lately. Four murder attempts in four months cannot be a coincidence.

Ken is just aloof enough that nobody seems to know what he’s up to on his off-days. This rockets him straight to the top of Arm’s list, tied with Big, who has fallen so far out of favor with Kinn that Arm can’t help but wonder if Kinn is doing it on purpose.

And then there’s the name directly under those two.

“Be honest,” he says to Pete one day. They’re sequestered in his armory, but he keeps his voice low: there’s no harm in being careful with matters like this. “Do you think there’s any chance Porsche is the mole?”

Pete is silent for a good, long moment.

“You live with him,” Arm says. “You’ve been on more missions with him than me. If anyone here knows him best, it’s you.”

“There are reasons to suspect him,” Pete says slowly. “A lot of his missions have gone wrong. He didn’t stop that girl from attacking Kinn in the bathroom. The casino stakeout was a mess. The diamond auction was worse.”

“But…?”

Pete sighs. “I don’t know. He’s young. He’s made a lot of mistakes, but he’s improving.”

Arm stares forlornly at his list, cursor blinking innocently next to Porsche’s name. “Pete, I can’t clear his name just because he’s young.”

“No,” Pete concedes. He leans back in his chair, arms crossed behind his head. “But he’s kind, too. He’s principled. He won’t betray people he cares about.”

“And that’s enough? You trust him?”

“I do.”

The knot in Arm’s chest jerks tighter. “But… he’s so likable.”

“Ohhh, right, he’s nice. Never mind. Death by firing squad.”

Arm smiles, sheepish.

“Okay,” Pete says. “So you think he’s tricking us?”

“Shit, Pete, I don’t know,” Arm splutters. “Isn't it possible?”

“I don't think so. Porsche isn't like that.”

Arm considers this, then plops his face into his hand.

“Did you want me to say something else?” Pete says, faintly amused.

“Yes,” Arm groans.

“Why?”

“Because…” Arm trails off.

Because the security of the main family rests on his shoulders. Arm cannot afford to be anything other than objective; he needs to leave Porsche on his list.

But the problem is that Porsche barreled into their lives and immediately made Khun Noo happier than Arm had ever seen before. The problem is that Pol hasn’t been this comfortable around someone since Arm himself. The problem is that Arm vaguely remembers being carried home from Hum Bar by an equally drunk Porsche, who took off his shoes for him and tucked him into bed and grinned brightly over his shoulder before staggering out the door.

The problem is that Arm is biased.

Pete, on the other hand, is the most level-headed person Arm knows. Leaving Porsche’s name on his list wouldn’t feel so terrible if Pete agreed with it.

“I wanted you to give me a reason to keep him on here,” Arm mumbles. “I feel bad. He’s our friend.”

“You’re doing your job,” Pete says sincerely. “There’s no shame in that. But…” He reaches over to pat Arm on the shoulder. “There’s nothing wrong with trusting your gut. If you think he’s innocent, leave him off.”

Arm mulls over this. Then he pokes Pete in the side. “I think I trust your gut more than mine.”

Pete lets out a laugh, incredulous, and pokes Arm back.

-

Later, Arm highlights Porsche’s entry with his cursor and drags it to the bottom of the file. Then he pauses. His hand hovers over the delete button.

He thinks about Pete saying, I trust him. He thinks about what Pete didn’t quite say: you should trust yourself, too.

He hits delete.

-

#kpanniversary2024 episode 9 + prompt 9: trust

[auseyre]

One of my favorite quotes is “everything in life is about sex, except sex. Sex is about power.” Misattributed to Oscar Wilde.

Vegas absolutely understands this idea. When he tells Pete, “A guy like you, it’s no  fun if you don’t give in” It’s not about consent at all, it’s about power and manipulation. We already know that Vegas is willing to engage in some level of SA because we saw it on-screen, with Porsche, so it’s a bullshit idea that consent is that important to him. 

In Pete’s case, though, there’s no power in him raping Pete. He already has him held hostage, under his control. There’s a chance Pete wouldn’t even fight back, just considering it another form of torture. 

No, Vegas feels vulnerable and angry and that won’t do. He tries to get Pete to back off, with aggression — “You think it serves me right, huh?” and instead, Pete offers him sympathy and understanding. So Vegas defaults to what he does best  — manipulation  — to regain a feeling of power. You can see the change here, from the “real Vegas” he’s been showing Pete, to the fake one.

He manipulates Pete, first by saying that Pete likes him moody and angry. By implying his behavior turns Pete on, it takes the weakness out of his actions. Then he manipulates him by giving him a choice. If he can get Pete aroused and thinking about sex with Vegas of his own free will, he gets the ultimate power rush. Lusting after Vegas is a betrayal of Pete’s commitment to the major family in a way that Pete eating and even Pete staying by his side when Khun Spikes dies is not. Eating is for survival and compassion is for the other person.

I think he was genuinely surprised when Pete kissed him though. He’s gotten what he wanted. He feels like he has the upper hand back and he can leave cock of the walk once more. He underestimates and misunderstands Pete every step of the way — because he’s not used to dealing with people who aren’t playing a game at all times — and this is a perfect example. He tells Pete not to hold it in, and he doesn’t. 

There’s no advantage to Pete choosing Vegas in this, unlike Tawan, or Ken, who are at least partially looking out for themselves when they betray Kinn. Choosing to have sex with Vegas was solely for Pete. That was Vegas, owning Pete’s desire. That was Pete’s desire for Vegas being more important than anything else.

By making Pete choose him though, Vegas gets caught up in his own snare. For maybe the first time in his entire life, Vegas isn’t second, isn’t also a means to an end. And when Pete gives in, it’s not tentative, not hesitant, not holding back something to have an ace in the hole. Pete offers him everything, and that feeling consumes him as well as Pete. And that’s how Vegas, despite his manipulations, gets captured by the game.  

[auseyre]

You had one job!

prompt 11 -villains

For this entire story arc, all I wanted was for someone to shoot Tawan in the face. That's not so much to ask.

Multiple well-trained bodyguards and three ruthless Mafia scions couldn't get it done. Tawan had to do it his damn self.

[auseyre]

Kinnporsche in context is hilarious as well though

Okay, I know Kinn has legitimate reasons for being upset here - but when you look at these lines without any context, the contrast is pretty hilarious --

Kinn, stoic: So, I shot the guy

Kinn, close to tears: And now I have trust issues

[auseyre]

I've got thoughts percolating about this and future scenes - what Kinn's idea of family is compared to Vegas and Porsche, what's considered justice in the mafia and what's considered moral - but for now, I've got a question for you all:

If Korn hadn't gone the saner route of sparing Gun (while also taunting him with his magnanimity) - if he'd instead let Kinn decide, would he have shot Gun?

Going to keep to just the most basic options, but feel free to share your reasoning!

[auseyre]

Prompt # 11 Favorite family  The Kittisawasds

It feels like so much of Porsche’s personality is shaped by having to take care of Chay. That goofy, bright, happy attitude? Well, that’s the best way to convince a scared little kid that everything is going to be okay, which he had to do constantly because of their circumstances. 

The fact that he almost immediately forgives people, no matter what they do to him? It’s not just that he devalues himself compared to Chay, though it certainly is that too. It’s also that when you have to depend on the kindness of strangers to survive, you can’t afford to hold a grudge. Surviving by himself is one thing, but he had Chay depending on him, so he learned to swallow it down. The one grudge we see him hold steady through the whole series is the one against Thee, who actively caused damage to not just Porsche, but Chay. 

I’ve said it before and I will say it again. Everything about Chay screams how much and how well Porsche loves him. Even in their circumstances, he’s confident enough, brave, and bold enough to shoot his shot with Kim. He’s strong enough to not only confront Kim and ask for the truth instead of playing the misunderstanding/miscommunication game, but to cut him off and mean it. He’s determined enough to call Porsche out on his sacrifice play and try to force him to end it — only giving in when he finds out Porsche loves Kinn. 

Despite the memories of Pat and Nampheung in that house, and whatever fuckery Thee was getting up to, they were, in reality, a family of two, boys raising each other in bad circumstances. Sure, they don’t always make the smartest choices, but ultimately the fact that they came out so well, that they are sweet, funny, decent, loving, generous, hopeful bright lights in the world is a goddamn miracle. 

[auseyre]

Hey - I was just scrolling through the regular Kinnporsche tag and I noticed you have some anniversary posts in there that I don't think are going in the tag that's tracked by the mod? ('Cause I think they only do kpanniversary2024 without spaces - or maybe they just haven't caught up with all the tags yet). Wanted to let you know, just in case!

Thanks! I'll edit my tags just in case that's it.

[auseyre]

i don't even have a smart or funny caption for this one because what the fuck does these looks from erik even mean. why is he looking at charles like he wants to climb him like a tree. why does he look so painfully fond. i'm convinced this man got his ass taken over by erik lehnsherr's real spirit in this scene and he was being puppetered around like ratatouille or venom. what were even simon kimberg's indications here i'm so confused

[auseyre]

Vegas and the Illusion of Choice

At this point in the show we've seen Vegas show a keen ability to manipulate people, and this right here is my favourite example of that:

He gives a big, genial speech to Don* and then holds his hand out to solidify their deal. When Don hesitates to shake, Vegas takes that final choice away from him by grabbing his hand.

It's scummy and perfect.

*Quick aside: did anyone else get the impression that Don doesn't know who Vegas is? Like, he could have just been surprised to see him instead of Big Wang, but he doesn't act like Vegas is anyone important, much less a mafia son... In comparison, we saw in episode 1 that Don knew Kinn before he was acting head, and even talked about seeing him grow up. Does Gun not bring his sons to business events? Or does the minor family just not normally deal with the Italians? (wait, no - Vegas says in ep 10 that he’s been exchanging info with them… which makes the lack of recognition even weirder!)

Anyways - later on, in episode 10, we're going to see Vegas pull a similar move with Porsche - offering him the choice to leave instead of waiting in his cell for Kinn, then pulling him away before he's really had a chance to make up his mind:

And I'd argue this has been Vegas's M.O. this whole time. He's set himself up as the opposite of Kinn - someone who's laid back where Kinn is stuck up, who treats his bodyguards well instead of yelling at them, who will tell Porsche the truth instead of keeping everything close to his chest - but it's all a carefully sculpted act.

Because he knows that the best way to get someone to do what you want, is to make them think it was their idea in the first place.

[auseyre]

[auseyre]

This man is going to be the head of the biggest Mafia family in Bangkok, though.

[auseyre]

↦ #kpanniversary2024 | prompt #8 | favorite scene

[auseyre]

Despite the rather, er... interesting shenanigans with food in KP, the true showcase is Pete and food as a theme throughout the series. For Pete, food is a mark of comfort, connection, and love. He is completely devoted to his job and following the rules.

In fact, the only bodyguard rule we see Pete break involves food and, specifically, food his grandmother sends him. He connects to Porsche by sharing it with him, before even sharing his name, marking the beginning of their friendship.

Pete doesn’t complain about the bodyguard food, because while it’s not appetizing, it is healthy, which is important to help him stay in shape for his job. Eating that healthy food is a mark of his connection to and love of his job, his purpose.

When Vegas is holding him prisoner, at first he refuses to eat(i.e. connect to Vegas) He gets beaten for it, but that still doesn’t make him concede. He’s imprisoned and starving and still, food means so much to him that he won’t give in. Literally, this guy shrugged off torture, but an unappetizing meal? That’s a bridge too far. Metaphorically, this is him rejecting what Vegas is offering him right now(being treated like a pet, eating off the floor).  

Even after Vegas bandages him up and gives him medicine, he rejects the food. (You treated my wounds but I’m still leary. Is this really a change? Because it still looks like the old crap)

It’s not until Vegas makes the noodles for Pete, hot, fresh served to him in bed, that they really make the first connection.

Food is not only the way that Vegas and Pete really connect for the first time. It’s the way that Vegas sees Pete for the first time. 

Once he understands how important food is to Pete, not just sustenance but more, he happily goes out of his way to offer Pete that. That’s why it’s particularly egregious that Gun knocks the food onto the floor. He’s not only disrespecting and dismissing Vegas’ efforts, he’s literally dirtying and destroying the connection between Vegas and Pete. 

Pete and Vegas separately try to recreate the comfort of the connection between them with food, but they can’t.

By the pool, Pete deliberately uses that connection to try and pull Vegas off the ledge and back to him.

When Pete says “I’m hungry,” he means, I need connection, I need comfort, I need love. 

And when Vegas asks if someone else can give him that, his response says no. No. Only Vegas can give him that. 

And finally, the epilogue begins with Pete coming back to the hospital with food for Macau, building new connections of comfort and love.

The show does such a beautiful job of character-building for these characters. They never feel like an afterthought in the KinnxPorsche show.