#everything DOES point to vegas letting pete go

[yujeong]

I remember stumbling upon a couple of comments about Vegas' "You're the most important person in my life" line, saying that it's a bad thing to say because Macau exists and I have thoughts about it.

Pete is the most important person in Vegas' life. He's the man who saved him twice - both from his enemies and from himself - , he's the man who opened his eyes about his father's abuse, he's the man who showed empathy and love to him despite being tortured within an inch of his life by him. Sure, Macau loves him too and without him, Vegas wouldn't have the capability of love at all (shout-out to Lusn's brilliant line in smog lights, it's still stuck in my head) but let's also keep in mind that he's his brother and younger brother at that. He can only offer so much to him, there are limits to what he can do.

People had said the same thing when Vegas was going to commit suicide too.

"What does he mean he has nothing? He has Macau. Why isn't he thinking about him? He's going to leave him alone, that's so cruel"

Well...I have never had suicidal thoughts in my life but I can assume that when a person gets to that point, they're 1. not thinking rationally and 2. not thinking of themselves as valuable. I'm sure if Vegas thought of Macau while pointing the gun to his chin, he'd think he'd be doing Macau a favour by dying.

Back to the original point, the same is true for Pete. Vegas is Pete's most important person in his life too. Vegas unlocked a part of Pete he kept hidden and was in deep denial about, letting him be a person with wants and needs and a voice, instead of background decor in his own life. But fans don't really think about that because Pete never said it and Pete's grandma was only mentioned throughout the show, only having two phone call cameos in which we didn't even hear what she said. What applies to Macau though, applies to her too.

I understand why it sounded off to some people. I think it's the innate belief most people have about family and it being the most important thing in someone's life, everything else coming in second place, including friendships and romantic/sexual partners. I need them to understand though that in the case of VP, it isn't just a sexual/romantic relationship. They're basically soulmates; they were two broken pieces that fit together. They bonded under such hard circumstances and came on top despite everything being against them. One would not be able to live without the other.

And in my honest opinion, I think Macau knows this. There's a reason he's smiling like the cute little gremlin that he is, while watching them kissing, having heard everything Vegas said. He knows Pete is the most important person in Vegas' life and he's extremely happy about it. Someone else finally sees Vegas like he sees him. Someone finally loves him with all his heart, so much so that they left their whole previous life behind for him. Vegas finally has a family that he loves and loves him back, Macau included. And I think that's beautiful.

[sweetvixen1996]

Mafia Boys & Gifts As Manipulation

Okay so I need somewhere else to exorcise my Kinnporsche brain rot, and I guess that’s you fine people. So I submit my thesis of this post: 

In episode 7, we see Vegas, Kinn, & Kim all give a gift as a way to manipulate the recipient. 

One of the writers (who are trash people) are very smart to do is to echo certain beats with characters through their action to hammer a point home. A good example is Kinn kissing a drunk Porsche at the end of E3 and then sleeping with a drugged Porsche at the end of E4 -both acts of physical... attraction performed while Porsche is unable to fully consent but the latter having far more serious consequences. 

The manipulative gift giving in E7 really hammers home that Vegas, Kinn, & Kim really are FAR MORE ALIKE than any of them would like to think. But its all about lenses. 

So lets look at it:

Vegas:

Let's start with the most obvious example, shall we? 

Vegas spends this entire episode pseudo-courting Porsche. Both to mess with Kinn, and to get a competent man in the Minor Family’s control (likely under his father’s orders), Vegas is going to use what he knows of Porsche to win him over. Including this gorgeous bike. Vegas explicitly frames Porsche getting the bike as a reward for a job goes well. That, by its very nature, makes it not truly a gift. Instead its payment, a carrot dangled above Porsche's head. Also, on top of Vegas just knowing that Porsche likes motorcycles, I think this serves as a reminder of their little motorcycle ride date back from E5 when Vegas was around to (seemingly) provide comfort when Kinn was not. Basically, Vegas is saying, “Look what I can give you, look at how much fun we can have together, and look at how well I know you but you just got to do this one thing for me and you can have all of it.”

For the record, I do think Vegas genuinely likes Porsche, and is probably physically attracted to him. Everything he does in this episode and beyond is absolutely a power play, with Porsche just being another piece on the chess board in the game of domination Vegas is constantly trying to play with Kinn, but, unlike his thin veiled contempt for Tawan, Vegas seems to truly enjoy spending time around Porsche. I always think back to that hug they shared and how Vegas just sort of melted into it. It’s hard to fake that sort of react. 

Maybe in a different life, they could have been actual friends.

In hindsight, I do wonder how much about the bodyguards all being happy and Vegas caring about them is a show and how much of it is real. Vegas definitely wants to frame life at the Minor Family as a better alternative to serving the Major Family, but we also know that Vegas is not incapable of caring about the people around him. In fact, he’s something he desperately wants to be good at. 

On a side note, we also get the case of Vegas giving the pork skewer to Pete. It's a small thing, and probably also manipulation, but with how important food becomes in their relationship, I think it's worth noting.

Kinn:

I almost hesitate to call this manipulation, because this moment is really just so sweet. So instead I'll discuss how Vegas uses the bike as a reward while Kinn uses his favorite gun as an excuse. For these two knuckleheads, E7 is a transitional period. E6 had them admitting for their attraction and affection for each other, and the Side Story had them cementing that what they had in the woods isn't going away, but E7 here is them trying to figure out what this new dynamic means and how it can exist back in the “real world.”

Kinn is not ready to say “I love you” verbally to Porsche yet. He cannot fully put his trust in Porsche just yet. After everything with Taiwan, and just well his entire life, all the jealousy and insecurity and possessiveness is coming out in full force. Not to mention, Kinn is stuck at home recovering from his injuries, likely making him feel useless. Plus, he has to at least have a suspicion that Vegas was the one who drugged and took Porsche back in E4 -on top of actively plotting to take Porsche away now.

Yet Kinn also knows he needs to be careful. Even if he can't say those things, he knows he at least needs to give something up or risk Porsche pulling away. Specifically, pulling towards Vegas. So he gives Porsche’ his gun, the one Kinn always keeps on him. It's Kinn’s way of saying, “even if I can't be with you in person, this gun is my way of being with you in spirit.”

Then he tells Porsche that Porsche has to come back so he can return Kinn’s gun. Now this is a fun little gray area, because Kinn IS able to say Porsche needs to come back to him -not why, mind you, he’s not their yet. But Kinn is trying his best. Unlike Vegas, who views Porsche as part of a game, Ken sees Porsche as the prize at the end of the game. The only thing that matters. The thing Kinn wants to get above all, no matter what he has to sacrifice.

I love this whole interaction because it just runs the gauntlet of emotions. It's sweet, it's sappy, it's funny, it's flirty, and it's a little tense. Overall, it's a good example of both Kinn’s own emotional limitations, and Kinn trying his damnedest to show how he feels since he's not great at putting things into words. And if that involves a little manipulation, well there are probably worse things in the world.

Also I think it is really funny that this entire scene and the situation with the gun is very reminiscent of the concept of the Lady’s Favor. That being where noble women would give Knights a personal token, usually a handkerchief or a ribbon, when they went off to do something dangerous as both a token of their affections and to make the Knight promise to come back. The promise, of course being so that the Knight would stay safe, and so the Knight would have an excuse to visit their Lady again.

Kim:

The Kimchay relationship is interesting because it somehow manages to be both the most wholesome while also being the most duplicitous. One of the things that makes all three of the major couples in this series interesting (or controversial, depending on who you ask) is that there is a very clear uneven power dynamic. Kinn is Porsche’s boss and a mafia leader, and Vegas literally has Pete chained up in his house -you can't get much more even than that. And yet, both of them are in a situation in which the power dynamic difference is obvious. That's not the case with Kimchay. While it's true that there is the obvious unbalance of the Idol/Fan dynamic, and the age gap being jussssst wide enough that Kim and Chay are at different points in their developmental adult life, the real power dynamic difference comes from the fact that this entire relationship is built flat on a lie. It is a lie that Kim himself eventually comes to love and wish was true, but not one that could have ever been sustained.

There are a lot of really great metas out there about how Kim is actually the most dangerous of his brothers, and is far more willing to coldly manipulate and act for his goal, and you see a lot of that these early interactions with Chay. 

At this point, I think it's safe to say that while Kim may think Chay is cute and sweet, and is charmed by him despite himself, Chay is still just a means to the end within his investigation. He's also completely aware a Chay’s infatuation with him and is using that to get through the door of Chay’s life and house -quite literally.

If the motorcycle was a reward from Vegas, and the gun was an excuse from Kinn, I'd say that Kim is using the guitar as almost a form of payment. A way of further buying Chay's trust and good nature. He may have even specifically brought it as a way to override Chay questioning why Kim knew where he lived. 

And yet it's also important to point out that this episode is a turning point in their relationship, just like it is for KinnPorsche. Before this, Chay was a tool, if a very charming one. Kim doesn't even really have the patience with him to wait for Chay to finish talking and expressing his doubt about accepting the guitar before asking to use the bathroom. Not to mention further taking advantage of Chay’s feelings for him in order to get Chay out of the house so Kim could investigate the Mysterious Locked Room.

But then Kim finds the Idol Wall, and everything changes. I am 100% convinced that is the moment where Kim not only knows that Chay has nothing to do with any potential mafia dirty business, but also when Kim starts feeling some guilt over his manipulation of Chay. Both of which should make him immediately back off, and we see in the next episode that that is sort of what he does, but his initial response is instead to engage further -even outright flirting with the implicit promise of further contact with the two,  even though it actually doesn't have any merit at this point. 

Basically, this is when Chay starts to become REAL to Kim.

[faggotryandtransjesterism]

VegasPete Fic Rec List (Part 2)

Favorites marked with a (*)

A Close Shave by @fleet-off | 4k | M *

The bathroom walls feel claustrophobically tight, and Vegas’s stomach is a ball of leaden frustration poised to turn molten. He wants to shatter the mirror with his fist, to yell at Pete to stand up straight, to curse his uselessness--just another one of Vegas’s failures. The razor sits on the edge of the sink. This was a bad idea.

Vegas gives Pete a shave.

another one of my all-time favorites! the tension! the pete saengtham messy bitch agenda! i've been spending a lot of time lately screaming in fleet's comment boxes, and you should too!

somewhere between the heart and the vein by @veliseraptor | 20k | T

In the aftermath of the failed coup, Pete has: an unconscious and possibly dying Vegas Theerapanyakul, a whole lot of feelings to work through, and no job.

He goes from there.

another recovery fic, another lise fic, you literally cannot go wrong.

begging to bleed by @veliseraptor | 10k | E *

Vegas is trying to be good. Pete's getting a little fed up with it.

His staged intervention produces positive results.

yet another lise fic! PWP of the highest order. PWT, if you will. porn with themes. big fan of pete knowing what he wants <3

Finders Keepers by @veliseraptor | 3k | T

Vegas was supposed to kill Pete. Vegas has not killed Pete, and it turns out that is working out pretty well for him.

Up until Kan discovers the safehouse's extra inhabitant.

pure angst. don't look at me. i left this thing with shell shock and new sources of anger

Brand Recognition by @iffervescent | 6k | E *

Vegas wants his top billing back. Pete likes being on the bottom.

porn star AU PWP. feminization. electrotoy. need i say more?

won't give up these ghosts by @fleet-off | 7k | E *

Vegas lays him on a patch of firm ground. From his cocoon, Pete hears the rhythmic thud of a shovel sinking into loose earth. Vegas is digging him a grave.

In which Pete finds playing dead relaxing, and Vegas decidedly does not.

this may genuinely be my favorite vegaspete fic of all time. it's literally perfect and there is nothing else like it on earth. read it. read it right now. let it awaken something in you.

swinging from the willow tree by incendir | 2k | T

Every single ingredient is here. Vegas rolls up his sleeves and gets to work.

[Or, the first step in starting over]

vegas cooking fics are my weakness

Bite the Hand by @ghost--houses | 1k | E

The second Vegas uncuffs Pete from the headboard, Pete grabs for Vegas' left hand and pulls it into his mouth. He says nothing, he doesn't look at Vegas, just puts his teeth to Vegas' skin and keeps them there, gnawing.

subdrop fics are. also my weakness

Fidelity by @veliseraptor | 2k | T

Vegas visits his father's grave.

father-son angst my beloved. again, kinda character-study oneshot

Five Year Itch by puckbaes | 78k | NR

Pete has everything he could’ve dreamed of, a husband that loves him and a family to call his own. It’s perfect, until the day it isn’t. What do you do when you find out the love of your life is one of the most prominent mob bosses in Bangkok? Turns out, clean breaks are notoriously difficult when you have a son together.

A getting back together fic featuring mafia!Vegas, shared custody of Venice, and Pete’s inability to stay away from danger.

i usually don't stray from canon universe with vegaspete to be honest, or at least not too far from it. this one's fluffy it's angsty she's got it all. i really thought normie!Pete was gonna be a deal breaker for me, but i actually really enjoyed this and i think it's really well done.

And that's a wrap! My collection's always growing, so part 3 at some point probably lol. Once again, if anyone knows more of these authors on tumblr, please tag them! Enjoy and scream in my asks about them (and don't forget to leave kudos and comments for the lovely authors!)

[epikhightechnology]

@kissporsche

I am sleep deprived and my mind is a mess so this might not make a whole lot of sense. Esp if you're not familiar with the musical. Do not expect greatness cause you wont find it lol

The story begins not with Pete or Vegas but with Porsche because he is Christine in this au. He joins the Opera House owned by idk.. Italians or something, as a dancer. All the bodyguards are ballet dancers in this universe (imagine Big as a ballet dancer and cry with me). They’re trained by Chan (madame Giry. Fits perfectly if you ask me). Porsche quickly becomes best pals with a fellow dancer Pete, they might even live together like in the show.

The Phantom is obviously Vegas. He has the mask and everything cause his asshole dad mutilated him when he was a kid and made him join the circus to earn money. It’s all very tragic and sad really. He spends years being laughed at till one day he’s done with it. He kills his dad and escapes. I’m imagining rain and thunder and tears and then finally peace and quiet that he finds in the basement of an old opera house. He puts on the mask & becomes the Phantom over several years, spending his days tormenting the owners of the opera and writing music in his dungeons. Living his best life lol

Back to the present. One day as Vegas is wandering the hallways like the creep he is, he hears Porsche singing and gets inspired. He is like omg I can make that man a star and make him sing my music. (Also the current primadonna sucks and their singing makes Vegas’ head hurt… lets say it’s Tawan cause we hate him lol. Vegas has been trying to get rid of the bastard for a while now) It’s going great - Porsche is easy to manipulate cause of his childlike dreams of an angel of music that his dead father (or mother?) would send him. Also Porsche is hot and kind and Vegas is kinda delulu for him. He hasn’t had any human contact for years and he is desperate for some love. Porsche gives him a taste of it cause he thinks Vegas is an angel so he speaks with affection to him. Porsche’s bestie Pete notices something is off and keeps an eye out but doesn’t do anything for now, cause Porsche seems to be doing well even if he’s acting a lil weird. Also who could imagine the reality of the situation lol. Pete does see more than the rest tho, he has seen Vegas in the shadows before, but he doesn't connect the dots. Yet.

Then out of nowhere the Italians decide to sell the opera house to Tankhun. Yes Tankhun cause imagine him running an opera. And Arm or something cause he needs a partner. Oh maybe Tay? Idk this needs more thought than I’m capable of at the moment. Anyways.. Vegas is mad cause Tankhun is even worse at running the opera than the previous owners. Even so he does manage to get rid of Tawan and get Porsche on stage, but then fucking KINN shows up and is like hot diggity dog.. Porsche is hot and I love him and Porsche loves him back (they are childhood friends like Christine and Raoul), which simply makes Vegas lose his last marble. He’s been spending months at this point teaching and seducing Porsche and it's taken a lot of work to get Porsche on stage and he’s not about to let Kinn steal him so he goes and kidnaps him (porsche). Takes him to his dungeon and tries to convince him that life there with him could be kinda nice. Cause look at all the good he's done for him. Porsche is listening till his curiosity wins and he tears Vegas' mask off and is disgusted much like Christine the first time she saw the Phantom’s face. Vegas is hurt and lets him go. Convinces himself that Porsche just needs more time, that he just needs to try a little harder. That he has to work more to get that love that he craves.

Porsche is traumatised after the kidnapping. Pete is worried, he sees that something is really wrong even though Porsche doesn't tell him what exactly happened. Kinn is an oblivious idiot, who at this point only cares about this Phantom dude sending everyone threatening notes lol. He and Tankhun decide to disobey everything Vegas is asking for and let Tawan back on stage which leads to no good. Vegas snaps and kills someone. Porsche runs to the rooftop, Kinn follows, they confess to each other and kiss and Vegas’ heart breaks and he brings down the chandelier.

Pete our best boy who has been watching everything go down from the sidelines is like ok this has turned from weird to FUCKED & he decides to investigate. Cause he is a sneaky lil guy and doesn’t like it when his friends get hurt for no good reason. He takes it upon himself to go find this opera ghost and stop him. He finds the entrance to the dungeons behind Porsche’s mirror and goes down there. In the dungeon he is greeted by a very sad scene of Vegas crying his heart out. What a pathetic creature. Except the creature is insane and once he notices and catches Pete he ties him up and spews all his anger and sadness on him. Vegas thinks Pete is a nobody whom no one will miss (and sadly he’s somewhat right) (but Vegas does know who Pete is cause he knows everything) and decides to keep him there to torment while he wallows in his sadness. Very unfortunately the rest of the opera don’t even notice Pete is gone (they’re too busy fixing things and getting their shit back together and Porsche is too busy with Kinn). After a few days of silence they’re thinking - finally we pissed off the phantom so much that he left. When in reality Vegas is planning his revenge. Pete is trying his best to convince him to leave Porsche alone cause obviously Porsche doesn’t like him back but Vegas being the man he is can not let his grudge go. And even though he doesn’t even like Porsche much anymore (cause his heart is opening up to someone else), he wants to take revenge on Kinn.

There’s mad tension between VP. Pete isn’t afraid of what's underneath Vegas’ mask because he has his own scars too. Both physical and emotional. They do share asshole fathers in every universe. They bond over it. And Vegas gets a glimpse under Pete's mask when he notices the way Pete reacts to him and his anger. Something inevitably does happen between them but it doesn't lead to any good because Vegas still thinks he is unlovable (boy thinks love has to be earned and is going about it in all the wrong ways) and he is obsessed with his revenge plot; and Pete our dear Pete thinks Vegas is in love with Porsche cause he thinks himself unlovable too.

The masquerade happens (oh imagine how happy Tankhun would be to throw this party), Vegas crashes it and promises to bring everything down unless they perform his opera. Realising all his efforts to change Vegas' mind have been in vain and Vegas still cares more abt Porsche than him, Pete escapes to go warn his friends about his actual plans. In a way he also rejoins the masquerade when he returns to his life. There is much to be said about masks and stuff in this au but again - my brain has not the capacity to do it rn. Finding out Pete is gone makes Vegas even madder cause he does feel things for him even if he's in denial about it. Cause Pete is the only person ever to not flinch when Vegas looks at him. There's that kindness he's been looking for in Pete but he doesn't let himself see it.

Kinn comes up with his shit plan to catch the Phantom despite Pete’s arguments that it won’t work. The opera happens and everything goes to shit. Vegas once again kidnaps Porsche. Kinn shows up at the dungeon and gets almost killed. They are yelling at each other when Pete arrives. He overhears Vegas making Porsche choose between him and Kinn and he can't take it anymore. He goes all out along the lines of 'you stupid moron, I love you, i can't sing, I'm a shit dancer but I love you and why am I not enough???' Like why is Porsche the end goal here when he obviously hates Vegas? Vegas, Porsche and Kinn are dumbfounded at this. Vegas didn’t really believe that Pete would like him for real. but pete goes on about how vegas ripped pete's mask off and now he's gonna leave him stranded in this world when they could have something together and for what?? It takes vegas a moment to understand what's happening. Kinn uses the opportunity and shoots or stabs or whatever Vegas, takes Porsche and runs. Porsche asks Pete to come with them but he refuses. Kinn is a dick and he drags Porsche away. Pete holds Vegas very fairytale like, very tragic and beautiful. "Say you'll share with me one love, one life time, say the word and I will follow you.."

When the others come to the dungeon to get the phantom, they find it empty. Vegas and Pete have disappeared but they live. Away from all this, somewhere else. Maybe not happily ever after but they live.

Also korn doesnt exist in this universe cause fuck him

[turtlesocksv2]

Kinnporsche 12 Rewatch Thoughts

God, Chay not going through with the university interview is fucking heartbreaking. But if I was Porsche I would kick his ass, my god given right as Older Sibling. Porsche spent years busting his ass off working at the bar to give Chay the opportunity at a better life, is encouraging him to go to music school which is one of the worst fields re: actually making any money, and JOINED THE GODDAMN MAFIA so that Chay could keep his house and go to school and this ungrateful little shit! just throws it away! because he's ~sad about a boy~! NOT IN MY FUCKING HOUSE. Chay would be suplexed through a table if I was his older sibling. (yes yes i know it's more complicated than that and Chay is going through a lot! but my older sibling rage does not care for logic or reason, here)

I know Porsche and Pete are Besties but Porsche and Arm have such a solid friendship. Arm is his Bro. Arm is Team Porsche. They have secret codes about stalking Kinn for jealousy reasons. Arm asks Zero questions. Code Red?! Here is your access to all our surveillance tech, Porsche! but also, Porsche really needs to learn not to listen in to conversations when he's not ready to hear them.

Just Normal Kidnapping Things - reading horoscope books with your kidnappers pet hedgehog and making fun of/psychoanalyzing your kidnapper by telling him that he is sensitive and needs love. Hmmm, also I think Vegas knows here that something is wrong with Khun Spikes. Not how serious it is, but that something is Off.

Kinn admits that Korn was the one really pushing for him to get Porsche to work for them by any means necessary and Porsche asks THE burning question: Why Him? Kinn offers to help Porsche get the answers, but Porsche realizes that Kinn can't help him, not really. Because asking the questions Porsche really wants answered is going to involve going against Kinn's dad. And Kinn is the wrong Theerapanyakul for that. (ask Tankhun, porsche! Tankhun could probably get you the answers! The tragedy that no one realizes how smart Tankhun is.)

Every time Korn opens his mouth in this scene:

just straight up lying! all the time! When Porsche storms out and Kinn gives his dad the "really? you just fucked up the best thing to ever happen to me i can't believe you." look, that is not enough!

Ok so I absolutely believe the meta that Khun Spikes died while Pete was asleep and Vegas was just waiting for him to wake up so that he could stage Pete's 'escape'. He made sure Pete knew there were no guards, he left the key, the shirt. it was on purpose. the clues are all there. He had one pet die in that fucking safehouse and didn't want another. But Pete can't bring himself to leave when he sees how sad Vegas is. After they bury Khun Spikes, Vegas walks away from Pete, he doesn't even look back. He's letting Pete go!!! But Pete chooses to stay!

RIP Khun Spikes. King. Legend. Your legacy lives on.

You know, i didn't notice the first time through, but the cinematography and art direction in the VegasPete Fuck Nasty bondage chain sex is like...really unsettling. with the music and the quick cuts and everything. these are not two healthy individuals making smart choices and I love that for them. glad it works out for them in the end.

aaaaaand we immediately go to Bread Product Placement. fucking love Farmhouse Breads for greenlighting the absolutely batshit insane product placement. them and Deutsche Bank.

Kinn is such a schmoopy, gooey bastard when he's in love. "i could live anywhere as long as it's with you" Korn is now terrified that Kinn is gonna pull a Nampheung and run off with a Kittisawat Boy.

here we go, the really fucking weird Tay-Porsche conversation where Tay says that Time doesn't really love him and it's not like it is with KinnPorsche. what an absolutely batshit weird thread that's just vaguely in the background. i have to know what was cut for time/pacing. also, I think Tay might have had feelings for Kinn at some point and even if he's not currently, like, in love with Kinn there's still a light "Kinn would treat me better than Time does :(" energy. and he's right! Kinn would treat him better than Time does! Dump Time's fickle ass! When Porsche tells Tay that he and Kinn are both out of the business now, Tay gets this look on his face like:

And of course Korn can sense that Kinn is happy and has to crash the party and ruin it. (I do like how in tune Tay and Time were here, they've been Kinn's friends long enough to realize it's about to go down and they should leave.)

I do have to wonder what that dude did to piss Korn off that he gave Porsche his picture and address and said "this is the man that killed your parents. have fun :)" He had to know there was the possibility that Porsche would go through with it. just like there was a possibility that he wouldn't. so did korn care if this guy dies? does he die a few weeks later in a mysterious accident anyway? HMMMM. Anyway, Porsche choosing not to kill the guy is such an important moment. We're on a Porsche Corruption Arc but he's not that far gone.

Chan just looms in the background and i am dying to know what he knows. what he thinks. he's been korn's right hand man and closest bodyguard for so long. he must know so much.

Kim realizing just how much he fucked up with Chay is hilarious. And Chay trying to have his post-breakup rebellion is even funnier. sir, you are a kitten you do not drink or do drugs or have dyed hair.

Uncle Thee is a dick for extorting Porsche, but you know what, Stopped Clocks and all that. He's right to tell Porsche not to trust Korn. I do wonder if he knows exactly what happened back then or if he's just bullshitting.

[verynormalaboutkinnporsche]

E7 Scene 16 - Party

In contrast to the black and white formality of the main setting, the colors here are lurid secondaries, purple and green. Everybody seems to be having a good time.

Vegas corners Porsche for a talk/flirt. Pete (who said he was going out for a smoke, tsk) gives Kinn an update on the fact that Porsche and Vegas are chatting friendly-like. Maybe too friendly-like. Vegas comes right out with a job offer and promise of freedom... maybe he could even open that bar.

I have a hard time figuring out Porsche in this scene, but overall I'm coming down on "cautious." He seems to like Vegas--who is making himself very likable, although that bit about the bar clearly sounded a weird and possibly alarming note to his audience of one. While Porsche is more aware than he used to be of the family dynamic that recommends distrust, he still tends to chalk a lot of that up to personal jealousy at this point.

Porsche spends most of the evening by himself, until Vegas manages to spill a drink on him, necessitating that they repair to the bathroom to clean him up.

Aside from the lighting, this looks a lot nicer than I would expect for a mafia HQ bathroom. Scent diffusers?!

I feel like the writing for this part was a bit labored, honestly, as can be the case when a story requires characters to misunderstand one another for reasons of plot. The payoff mostly makes up for it.

Kinn arrives (with backup) and is deeply displeased to find his new boyfriend apparently making out with Vegas. We get the first of several scenes with the cousins pointing guns, and I think the only time Kinn ever straight-up pulls rank on Vegas (in his own house, no less). He is pissed at Porsche for like, ten seconds before he gets it slapped into him that no, this really wasn't what it looked like.

Well, fuck. This is not how the evening was supposed to go.

The changes of energy here are wild. These are volatile characters, and this scene is a visual catalog of primal emotions: anger, fear, regret, desire.

For a hot second it seems like we're back in E5, but there's a difference in that neither is trying to escalate. Porsche is hurt, and he'll make that clear. Violence is obviously never great, but context is important; we know what these two are physically capable of, and we know that slap was in no way serious. After that, Porsche is avoidant, not confrontational. Kinn meanwhile wants to keep the encounter going while he figures out how to fix it (without waiting a week this time), which is on him because he was the one who fucked up (again, and he looks way more upset here than he does when he thinks his father is dead, just saying). Nobody wants a fight.

The rest of this scene is body language; even when Kinn says I'm sorry it's as much touch as speech.

I am legit obsessed with how Porsche turns around. His eyes are shut, his hands come down, he looks completely vulnerable for a moment, and Kinn moves back to let the light come through between them. Like what the hell, BOC?

After all the tension that preceded this, it's a pause which is not free of tension, but it's a totally different kind.

I'm also obsessed with that checking-in moment, the non-verbal we good now? and Porsche's hands on Kinn's face, how open he is there, completely unguarded. Literally everything is different from their E4 scene; there's so much smiling. They look happy. As much as this is Porsche jumping into a new world in terms of sex, I am hung up on how different this is from every sexual encounter Kinn has had since Tawan, this messy emotionality and spontaneity compared to what seem to have been almost scripted appointments.

The camera focus shifts back and forth in the last few seconds between the light and the two of them before they embrace.

What we learned:

Unlike the main family, the minor family knows how party

Vegas has found out about Porsche's "bar by the beach" dream (he's been talking to Porsche's friends?)

How incredible mutual handjobs in a bathroom can look on screen

[neros-very-first-fiddle]

history of panic! at the disco except I’m only a moderate fan, so it’s not 100% accurate and I had to fill in some gaps with my imagination, so you definitely shouldn’t quote me on any of this

it is currently 1 am and this is the only thing in my head, so let’s go.

have I listened to every p!atd song? yes. do I know the history? absolutely not.

so, Las Vegas, right? there’s a bunch of high school guys who are in a band and everything is going great, but uh oh, they need some back up vocals. local loser teen Brendon Urie comes to the rescue with his mediocre singing skills (he can’t sing) (at least not yet) so the band reluctantly takes him on. they play a few shows, so pretty good for a high school band, then they release an album. did they get signed to a record label first? uhhhh, I’m gonna say yes. its Vegas, they might as well have been.

so they write their first album, “a fever you can’t sweat out”, and it does well! “I write sins not tragedies” does absolutely fantastic in particular. it’s emo, it’s young, and their target audience approves.

riding off that high, they do what any other self respecting cool, hip, emo band would do and they write a psychedelic folk album. because duh. and using my knowledge that the first track states “we’re so sorry we’ve been gone”, the album took a minute to make and produce. Two years to be exact. And that’s exact exact. A whole 24 months. Released it on fever’s anniversary and everything. Also; at this point, one of the band members dropped out. probably a drummer. their name? uhh, idk, probably frank, david, or pete,,

so they write another album. it’s called “vices and virtues” and it uses a bit more tech and it’s a good sound and it goes a bit more back into their rock and roll roots. they continue with their thing of going super heavy into eccentric album themes and where all these cool steampunk outfits in the mvs and on the album cover. then ryan ross leaves. and this makes lots of people sad because he’s ryan ross. but the album’s good, so there’s some consolation. also some of the other members leave with him. the bass player dipped and their drummer flaked again. he didn’t want to go on without ryan ross’s ryan ross-ness and honestly who can blame him? also fun fact! the bass player left for completely non-ryan ross related reasons. his parrot brother passed away and it really took a toll on the family. and no I’m actually not joking because another fun fact! parrots live really long and a lot of the times in families they’re raised along with the children and they become so bonded to the family that oftentimes they’re considered an actual part of it. I found that out from a podcast when one of the hosts said her ex had a parrot for a brother which made me break down laughing, but that’s honestly really neat. anyways.

after that they, you guessed it, write another album. this one’s called “too weird to live, too rare to die”. the album cover is very cool™️ and so is the music. and they have a new bass player! his name is dallon james weekes and he is actually The coolest person ever. lots of fans are upset with the new album because it’s missing ryan ross, but dallon makes up for it. Then he leaves immediately after they finish touring for the album. boohoo.

it’s the summer of 2016. death of a bachelor has just been released. I’m at an outlet mall with my family and am standing under a giant tree trying to catch some shade from the texas heat that burns on my black hair and my brother pokes me in the arm. he’s got apple music opened up to the album Death of a Bachelor by Panic! At the Disco. he asks me if I’ve ever heard of them. I say no. he offers me an earbud and I happily take it . he presses play on a certain track; LA devotee. I’m instantly transported to another world. the sound is like nothing I’ve ever heard before. it’s not like the Spanish music my grandma always plays or christian music or 80s songs my mom sings in the car or the show tunes I sing with my friends or the classic rock my dad always blasts. it’s different. and it sounds so distinctively like me.

suddenly I’m emo. a few weeks later, I’m at a sleepover and we’re singing death of a bachelor and I mess up one (1) lyric and one of the other kids calls me a fake fan. at that exact moment in time I make the decision to religiously listen to and memorize every single lyric off the death of a bachelor album. and I did. so take that, julia. (we’re still friends)(she absolutely does not listen to panic anymore)

oh hey, would you look at that. pray for the wicked just came out. for the first time ever, I count down the days, then the minutes to an album release. it’s really fun.

and uhhh, that’s it. it’s just one guy at this point.

[rythyme]

Your Ronan Lynch as dog coded makes absolute sense. Considering Declan or kavinsky (?) literally called him that. Plus his whole thing is his unwavering loyalty to Gansey which then extends to Blue. And that time he crashed Ganseys car or the time he was worried about being left behind by him. Or how does the Adam fit into this? Oh oh I think Pete’s like one step behind on Ronan on this. Pete’s just figured this about himself. Ronan’s been self aware from the get go. I don’t if I’m reading your tags correctly but damn that’s a galaxy brained take

ok here we go!!!!! (post being referenced)

Kavinsky, Declan, AND Adam call Ronan a dog at some point. It's always in reference to his aggressive and violent behavior — specifically as an effect of his loyalty to Gansey. He's a goddamn mad dog.

also this one answer from Maggie Stiefvater:

Ronan embodies a rabid dog with loyalty to a fault. People interpret Gansey as being in control of him, but he's not — Ronan cannot be controlled. Everything Ronan does is because Gansey is his best friend and he loves him. Gansey cannot control the things Ronan does for love — he just tries to minimize the damage. Ronan chooses to behave this way.

Pete, on the other hand, is not really in charge of his behavior. He follows orders. He's been with the major family for years and is extremely loyal to them. He's obedient — under their control — but no less deadly. It's unclear whether he's actually happy in this role, but he sure is good at it.

When Vegas captures him, he treats Pete like a dog to the extreme. This doesn't break Pete, because he's used to it. He's been a dog for years.

Like he's literally chained up and forced to eat from a dog bowl. He's dog-coded by the narrative and he accepts it — because that's all he thinks he's good for.

When Vegas finally enables him to let go — to want something for himself — Pete's narrative arc is about not being a pet anymore.

"But wait, Theo! Pete's whole thing is that he's Vegas's pet. He begs Vegas to treat him that way!"

Yes and no. Vegas makes Pete realize that he wants more than being a dog bodyguard — specifically, he wants Vegas. He wants to feel the way Vegas makes him feel. He quits his job with the main family. He's still loyal, but he wants his own life.

At the same time, Pete is forced to come to the realization that he's only received Vegas's attention and love while being treated like a pet. Pete will continue to be a pet if that's the only way he can belong to Vegas. For him, it's better than nothing. He wants whatever Vegas will give him.

In the end, Vegas tells Pete that he loves him back. He wants more from their relationship. Pete isn't a pet to him.

What's more, Pete isn't here out of obligation. He's here because he loves Vegas. He's following his heart — not anyone's orders.

Pete is put into a dog-coded role, and his character arc is about breaking out of that role to find love, self-actualization, and fulfillment. He's the opposite of a character who's a dog by choice!

[i-sveikata]

hellooo! it’s 4 a.m in my country and i just have finished reading the last chapter of graveyards! i have a few questions if you feel okay to answer them (and my english is not perfect, hope i don’t make many mistakes)

i can see that vegas is very obsessed with pete. the way he sees pete as his equal and feels fascinated when pete fight backs is interesting. but where does vegas’s obsession come from? as far as i understand, they stayed in the safe house for a few days. how did he get SO obsessed with him to the point of going against his father for the first time in his life? can we say that he was in love with him when he did that?

i can see vegas’s obsession but i feel like pete is also obsessed with vegas, maybe not as much as vegas but he certainly can’t give up on him. why is that? where does his obsession and fixation on vegas come from?

did vegas and pete ever have an interaction before he kidnapped pete? or did you follow kp series’ plot for that? is it possible for vegas to actually have an interest for pete before all of these happened?

do you think there’s a limit for the things vegas would do for pete? i can see that he would do anything for him or to have him, but is there anything that he would not do no matter what?

what would vegas do if pete left him? after they got back together?

maybe it’s just me but vegas’ obsession towards pete is so magically fascinating and it made me obsessed too! i love these kind of plots a lot and yours is definitely the most interesting one! are you planning on writing vegas pete fictions in the near future? or do you have any recommendations to read (obsessed vegas plot)?

i actually had more questions but i don’t want to annoy you, plus my english is not good 😭 i hope you are having a wonderful day:)

for the word guessing game: “obsessed, ring, lead, sob or weep (are they different or the same words?😭) tears” please if you have it 🙏

hey there!! wow 4AM goodbye sleep hahahaha. of course happy to and your english is great!!

oh very good question! from memory they were in the safe house for a little over a week but yeah for a normal person that's nowhere near enough time to fall in love.

the way ive thought of it is that pete is the very first person to see all of vegas as he is, at his worst, at his ugliest, without flinching away or trying to kill him out of disgust or fear like so many other people have tried to do and that's where vegas' obsession stems from.

id say hes never once in his life felt seen before like this and so he's latched onto pete like a lifeline because pete makes him feel like more of himself without thinking that hes wrong or horrible or a failure. im not sure i would say that he was completely in love because obviously he was in a delusion about the situation but i do think it was a very obvious stepping stone to realising how vital pete was to him and how being around him makes him feel as opposed to say his father who constantly wants to squash him into the ground and make him smaller. by trying to kill pete his father set vegas even more against him than he meant to, because of course there was no way vegas was going to give up on the idea that someone could just accept him how he is and choose not to kill him. after pete did something like that, there was no way vegas would risk losing him.

pete is definitely to some extent hyperaware of vegas now but that stems from everything that happened between them and everything about himself that vegas has forced him to confront. pete knows vegas is inevitable but hes choosing how to accept that in a way that works for him. plus i think the second pete started to let himself care for him to actually be concerned for vegas' wellbeing was the moment he was gone. because thats such a innate part of him being a carer and once he pulled vegas into that small compartment of his where his grandmother, tankhun, chan and porsche already are there was no coming back.

nope they didnt really have any kind of meaningful interaction until vegas caught him. pete was trying too hard to stay under the radar and vegas didnt think he was all that interesting until he looked a bit closer

i honestly dont think vegas has a limit on what hed do for pete. not really. hes not very good with boundaries and he cares too much about pete to deny him anything. the real thing is whether or not pete would ask for something that would cross the line- but i dont really see him pushing beyond vegas' limits.

if pete left him and truly meant it i think vegas would be absolutely destroyed. it would take him a very long time to get over it or even to actually believe it. but if pete was serious i think he could back off. he would do it for pete, even if it was at his own expense and completely shattered him, he would put pete's needs above his own. even if that meant pete leaving him. but thats not likely to happen!

yeahhhhh i find it really fascinating too!! which is probably why i wrote a story this long delving into it hahahaha no i dont have anything else planned for the moment but that doesnt mean i wont. sorry im not good for recs i actually havent read all that much in the fandom tbh.

no worries feel free to ask more if you have them i dont mind!

Sure thing! I'll go with tears because we already did sob earlier and im pretty sure i havent used weep yet:

Pete doesn’t know what to say for that. It does sound plausible that Mr Kan could have been violently obsessed with Namphueng, but it’s also possible that Mr Korn has cleverly crafted the story to explain away his true actions and motivations.

\

"They all know you’re at the main family house in the thick of things and there’s already rumours spreading around here from the main family guards of a certain ring already being on your finger.”

\

Chan nods with the kind of acceptance that leads Pete to believe he was expecting this already. He knows Pete too well to be shocked by how he operates.

\

Macau seems to drink it like he’s not even aware of what’s happening and when he sets it back down, suddenly empty, he reaches up to dig his bent knuckles into the side of his eye, clearing away the tears that he doesn’t appear to want Pete to know about.

[lily292]

Temptation Tuesday

Tagged by @adanima, first time I’ve ever been tagged before so thank you!!

Rules: share something about an idea you have/something that’s speaking to you/an au you’d like to see and are considering writing/etc. etc. Basically anything that is tempting you away from your current wips!

First, I would like to clarify for anyone who checks my tumblr for ao3 updates that I’m being kept away from my WIPs because I’m in the middle of finals and I will be back to updating fics when it’s over.

Second, most of the AUs I post in my tumblr are not on ao3 solely because I do intend to write most if not all of them at some point including my babytrapping AU which exploded today for some reason (chapter 1 is already halfway done).

In terms of ideas I have but haven’t fleshed out yet:

Pete gives in and lets Vegas give into his family urge to atticwife. This is very directly connected to my belief that Pete left Vegas at the safehouse for 2 reasons: loyalty and because Vegas failed to convey that he loved him. It's also connected to my inherent dislike for leaving my house. Pete's lived basically half his life stuck in the Main House with Tankhun. You can't convince me that Pete wouldn't be perfectly fine being an attic wife. It's just his pesky sense of duty and also because Vegas screwed up and made him think he was an emotional punching bag instead of the love of his life that he left.

more Pete and Porsche being friends. I don't think there's a concrete timeline of events. Theoretically, it seems like it could be interpreted that everything happened right after another but also it's more juicy to think that there were time skips. More fleshing out their friendship. What chaos did they get into during this time?

Porsche not immediately getting over the whole Tawan storyline. I'm still salty over this. Up until this point, I actually believed that Chay would be Porsche's one hard line in the sand. And not only did Kinn pull the I trust no one (whether he meant it or not, the mere fact that he didn't tell Porsche his plan in advance is telling enough), but his whole thing with the ex (which I would also hold a grudge for) put Chay in danger. I still can't believe KinnPorsche basically went back to happy couple in 2.5 seconds.

KimChay: I've seen plenty of posts that Chay is very bold. Also, too nonchalant about the whole my brother joined the mafia thing. AU where Chay actually got isekied into KinnPorsche but also never actually watched it, just witnessed parts of it on Tumblr and knows the basics and some random things but does not really know how the show goes.

the alternate version of my Switch fic on ao3 where instead of precanon Pete switching places with his postcanon self, it's Vegas.

actually, I would also like a KimChay version of a Switch too. This is why Chay is so bold. It would make so much sense.

soulmate AU. I'm always a sucker for a soulmate AU and also love at first sight. But PetePorsche platonic soulmates. Porsche avoiding Vegas not because of Kinn but because Pete has had a crush on him for ages. Porsche telling Kinn that he's dumping him if Pete doesn't like him. Pete deciding that since he's more senior and has more vacation days saved up, he'll spend a few with Chay who should go meet his grandma. Tankhun delighted that two of his squad are soulmates and letting the two become more and more chaotic as they realize how much they can get away with because Tankhun will protect them.

more Tankhun squad shenanigans. Arm, Pol, Pete are ride and die. Porsche is learning but he'll get there. The shenanigans they get up to which Tankhun allows and enables.

I'm going to end this here because the longer I think about it, the more ideas I'm getting. I always love when people interact with me on Tumblr so thank you @adanima who I think of very fondly as the first person to ever interact with me on my first Tumblr post.

I've also never tagged anyone before so other people I've interacted with on Tumblr, you are my go to default: @dramaloverrants and @sweatyflytrap. Also @chalkrevelations who I'm pretty sure is responsible for blowing up my Babytrapping AU again today.

(No pressure though)

[veliseraptor]

top 5 favorite fucked up but somehow still soft character dynamics!!

ooooh this is a good one...let's see let's see

1. Xue Yang/Xiao Xingchen is definitely the first that comes to mind because it's part of what drives me insane about them! it's the fact that the violence is real, that everything Xue Yang feels about resenting Xiao Xingchen and wanting to bring him down to earth is real, and also the incredibly deep love is also real, an ugly thing that's the best version of it Xue Yang can manage. Xiao Xingchen is his victim. Xiao Xingchen is his lover. Both those things are true, simultaneously.

And not just for Xue Yang, either! For Xiao Xingchen, tormented by the break between a man who ruined his life (and, more importantly, Song Lan's) and the man who's been sharing his life and making it better when he thought he'd never find happiness again. He doesn't have time to really reckon with that - or, well, I think part of why he kills himself is because he can't - but in AUs where Xiao Xingchen survives but Xue Yang doesn't...I don't think Xiao Xingchen comes out of it in one piece. Particularly because if Xue Yang just accepts the two things living side-by-side, Xiao Xingchen wants to reconcile them, or figure out which one was the real thing, and can't figure out how.

2. Vegas/Pete. Once again! Relationships born in ugly violence and destruction that develop into something beautiful somehow anyways. Other people have written more cogently than me about themes of dehumanization/weaponization between these two, and the way they both take turns putting the other person in the position to be a weapon that they're made to be, and then breaking that down, breaking each other down. Pete goes on a very weird voyage of self-discovery over the safehouse arc and comes back irrevocably changed and awfully traumatized (:D), but Vegas also goes on a very weird and unexpected voyage of self-discovery of his own, and comes out of it with a crisis of identity that I think is part of what has him repeatedly making dangerous and potentially self-destructive or even suicidal choices. They both broke something open that revealed something neither of them really wanted to deal with, ever, but there they are and the issue's been forced.

and out of the wreckage of self-image and expectation, they're making something new. but the sweetness of that absolutely does not overwrite the origin and foundation of their relationship and also I don't think either of them is capable of a "normal" relationship with the other person, they're deeply obsessed and codependent and it's great.

3. Felix & Mildmay. They are a mess. Felix hurts Mildmay over and over and hates himself for it but can't figure out how to stop. Mildmay keeps coming back because he has no sense of his own worth as a human being and loves Felix too much to walk away, even if he could, which he couldn't, because he asked for a binding that would require obedience. And sure, he needed it for actual reasons, but I don't think we should underestimate the Thematic Relevance of that as a narrative decision. And yet! And yet!!! They love each other so much, so stupidly much, and over the course of the series stumble into figuring out a way to do it a little better. Them, man. Now I kind of want to go reread bits of the series but I know myself and that will just end up with me reading the back half of The Mirador, again, and crying.

4. Mo Ran/Chu Wanning. I feel like this one is a little bit of a cheat because the "fucked up" and the "soft" are sort of split across two timelines, but I think it counts. Certainly they've got both at varying points over the course of the book! And that's (part of) what makes it so tasty.

5. Trying to think of a fifth and weirdly coming up empty. I feel like there should be an obvious one here. Maybe Beefleaf, though it doesn't feel like exactly the right flavor, probably because even as Ming Yi I would not describe He Xuan as "soft." He's just not. I feel like I must be forgetting something and as soon as I hit post on this I will think of it.

OH actually thought of it as I was writing this post and it's funny because it's one that I feel like was severely underutilized to its fucked up potential in canon, which is Daemon & Lucivar from the Black Jewels Trilogy by Anne Bishop. Formative, unfortunately. There are like. Two scenes where the dynamic between them gets weirdly charged, and Anne Bishop gives you just a taste of the way that they simultaneously love and hate each other, are both each others' only comfort and also the people who can hurt each other the most. It's not quite the same as the other ones on this list but I'm going to say that's partly Anne Bishop's fault for passing up the latent potential in this dynamic and turning the fucked up dial at least a liiiiittle more.

[scarlettundrhett]

The enemy is inside of me by Fionn (JenL)

Relationship: Vegas/ Pete

Words: 10636

So folks, it's going to get bloody.

I like the tender and touching moments between Vegas and Pete, born out of guilt, remorse and unconditional love. At some point, however, enough is enough with the heartbreak.

You can forget about heartbreak. Well, it's not going to happen here.

"Abandon hope all ye who enter here," it says at the entrance to hell in Dante's Inferno. A good motto also for this inferno of cat claws, knitting needles stuck in hands and not in balls of wool and blood to lick, paint and drink. "Blood is a juice of very special kind," Mephisto tells Faust. He's so right, oh yeah baby.

Warning:

do not read on for anyone who is still planning to read the novel "Red Red Rabbithole" ( do it, do it, do it !!!) and has time for 283194 words ( take a weekend off, put your cell phone on silent and order food from the delivery guy), so for you, this is it, because now there will be merciless spoilers.

Forget everything you know about Vegas and Pete.

Vegas is the ruler of the mafia empire, his father died a deservedly cruel and readable death, but the real villain is Pete.

Imagine Hannibal Lecter in even more awesome and with the insane Pete smile from episode 13 and 14.

Oh, and Khun Pete? You can stop smiling if you want.” Interesting. Pete tenses minutely, but continues smiling, simply arching a questioning eyebrow at her, as if he has no clue what she is referring to. Judging by the twinkle in her eyes, she doesn’t fall for this act. “It is of course entirely up to you, I just wanted to give you the option of dropping the mask.” She informs him gently. (…) Very interesting. If Pete were a cat, he would start to purr. This conversation is taking a very refreshing turn. “Are you sure you would be able to handle that?”

Very well. Pete shrugs, the smile sliding off his face. “Thank God…” He takes a deep breath and then chuckles softly, his whole body language changing all at once. Yes, he’s so damn tired of masking, of flying under the radar, of pretending to be normal.

Pete loves Vegas. But Pete also loves to murder cruelly and bloody.

Does Pete soon love to murder Vegas cruelly and bloody too?

Pete is an obsessive lover and an obsessive, extremely talented and imaginative murderer.

I always wondered if the relatively blunt human teeth would be able to deal significant damage and wow, it most certainly exceeded my every expectation.” Pete absently licks his lips, recalling those fond memories. “So damn hot, I don’t usually get turned on by killing someone but this was a rare exception. You should have seen the look in his dying eyes as I disemboweled him, I should have filmed it, it was so special…”

Someone like that needs therapy very badly. The therapist here is no Clarice Starling, no young girl. No, grandma is trying to stand up to Pete here....

Brave! Grandma is sitting in an armchair, knitting something with a complicated knitting pattern and is anything but harmless.

The woman starts to knit again. “Stop masking around me, otherwise this is just a waste of our time. Judging from your reaction earlier on, you experienced a moment of remorse for injuring Khun Vegas, but there was more to it… what did you think about when you spaced out?” Pete clicks his tongue. “Trust me, you don’t want to know.” “I might not want to hear it, but you most definitely want to talk about this.” She corrects him immediately. “I might be the only person you can tell, am I right? Otherwise you would never have agreed to talk to me under the ruse of chatting about the cat situation.” Damn, she really is one clever lady “If you mention any of this to Vegas, death will be the least of your problems.” Pete warns her darkly. darkly. “I do take confidentiality quite serious, Khun Pete. Let me ask you again: Does Khun Vegas have any idea about the danger he is in?”

Pete has a whole lot of fantasies, as I said. And, dear reader, you may also catch yourself enjoying some very gory, but also extremely erotic, varieties of sexuality. Maybe there is a little serial killer lurking in all of us.

Fascinating. Pete stares at the sight, and his mouth goes dry. Beautiful. Vegas’ voice disappears, simply fades away amidst the buzzing taking over his mind. Pete blinks again. Such a mesmerizingly beautiful butterfly. It’s just… Pete got the position all wrong, how irritating. Should have pinned the hand to the back of the couch instead, he thinks, increasingly dazed. The urge is almost overwhelming, Pete wants to fix this mistake, and then he wants to take the other knitting needle and use it to fixate Vegas’ other hand against the back of the couch as well. He can see the image taking shape before his inner eye, Vegas pinned to the couch like the breathtaking butterfly he has turned into. Immobilised. Completely at his mercy. Pete swallows hard.

This is not a one-shot for the faint of heart or for sissies. Oh yes, the story is also not for lovers of kitten videos.

I'm a little worried about how Grandma will come out of this therapy session, whether she in turn needs a therapist or a coffin.

Those who, like me, appreciate cruelty combined with eroticism will get their money's worth here. I'm looking forward to the next one-shot. I have tasted blood, really!

[kaownah]

finally finished kinnporshe, and tbh im sad bc i wanted so badly to absolutely love it but i have so many mixed feelings

just some thoughts:

bad stuff first

1. i really did like the show up until around ep 6-7, then things just slowly (then very quickly) started falling apart tbh

2. lots of pacing issues, some plot holes, predictability

3. was i supposed to care about kim/chay at all? like? chay’s obsession with kim was so goofy and their chemistry was nonexistent like what a horrendously pointless plotline tbh they should’ve just cut the couple all together it literally added nothing (give jeff something with substance please i beg)

4. speaking of chay... barcode’s acting.... um. chile anyways so

5. i loved kinnporsche’s dynamic but then after they got together they totally fell flat and were like every other mediocre 2d couple i’ve seen in less hyped bl’s like... where did that fun dynamic go

6. why was everyone so stupid for most of the second half? where was the common sense? tankhun of all people was really the one with the most common sense tbh he said “why are you all suddenly becoming stupid” and he meant that

7. there so much hype for vegaspete, i was SO excited for them going into this and? all we were given was torture, a sort of stockholm syndrome, then pete left. i have some qualms about bible’s acting too (it took him a while to find his footing but he wasn’t bad later on, i’d say the tail end of pete’s captivity onward he got substantially better). with the relationship, not enough happened to justify pete’s feelings for vegas. i can kind of see why vegas feels how he does for pete, although it feels very shallow and like he is far too dependent on pete, considering literally the only reason he didn’t shoot himself was bc pete came back. as for pete... i just don’t buy the whole starting to love vegas while being held captive/tortured, just bc he felt bad for him regarding his dad? idk

8. by the end watching it felt like a chore... idk i just wish the energy and spirit and quality of the first maybe 5-ish episodes stuck around bc everything after that was just. boring. flat. predictable. kinda cringe-y at a lot of points

9. character development was really there at first and then it’s like it was too much work for them bc they just seemed to drop it at a certain point and personalities just started completely being drained out of everyone

10. this is a small random thing but it kept bothering me... people would have their guns out and trained on someone, and then gave that person enough time to slowly, VERY visibly get their guns out so there could be a showdown? like what’s the point of having your gun trained on someone if you’re gonna allow them to point one back??? shit made no sense lmao

11. unrealistic fights... tbh this isn’t just kinnporsche, it’s a big theme in action genre in general, but like.. wym everyone has guns and aren’t shy in shooting until the mains get close, then suddenly they’re given enough time to take out massive groups one by one bc the enemies just... let them. plenty of instances of characters taking down a baddie and then just standing there before the next guy comes up, which would’ve been ample time to get shot, but the baddies are just like nah let’s fist fight :) i understand plot armor but at least make it make sense

honorable mention: i know subtitles aren’t production’s fault so i’m not going to fault them for this but. holy shit. who was subtitling this, they were absolutely godawful ie. changing curses into ‘fudge’, ‘frick’, etc (are we six? why can we see murder and violence but curse words are where lines are drawn), and grammar being butchered

okay i know i listed all these negative points, i will say that the show wasn’t a COMPLETE flop. some positives...

1. apo was great. i loved the little mannerisms he gave porsche, the physicality of him, just overall i really enjoyed his acting

2. build was also consistently good. for most of the series, he wasn’t given as much to do, but he really was a standout particularly at the end of the series (that tub scene was a shining light in a show that otherwise had dulled by this point) and pete’s journey was actually interesting but imo we just weren’t given enough time with it

3. i know vegaspete was a negative but i will say that there could be some positives there. they could have a very interesting dynamic if were given enough time with them and really got to the root of their motives with each other. i MIGHT be interested in having a story about them, but i’d be really wary about the story going in the same direction as kinnporsche (initially interesting before turning into something kinda boring)

4. the theme song. THE THEME SONG. A BOP. it’s such an earworm omg it’ll be stuck in my head for months

finally.. the final ep. this one really can’t go into the negatives or positives. on one hand, this episode finally marked a massive uptick in quality after so many boring eps. not only was it unpredictable as hell, but we finally got our characters finding their personalities again, common sense made a return, and we ACTUALLY got some mafia activity. i signed up for a show with gang/mob plotline, and it felt like we had lost virtually all of that for the second half of the series. why couldn’t we have had quality like this in pervious eps? i’m not saying there had to be a shootout in every episode, but something with psychological meat. with that being said, i think they kind of overdid the plot twists in the finale. it was one after another after another of shit going down and pasts being revealed and characters kind of going batshit, that it really started to get ridiculous by the time porsche’s mom and korn were revealed to still be alive. korn’s reasoning for everything that happened was so silly that it really made me pause the ep entirely just to be like... are you fr? really? goofy stuff. also, throwing in the casual mention of sexual violence against one of the show’s only women as a reason for angst for the male characters was so beyond lame and unnecessary. idk how i felt about the whole porsche being head of the minor family, it was fine ig. overall, the final ep really gave me whiplash

idk i’m just so sad bc at this point 99% of the super super hyped thai shows i go into at this point i wind up being disappointed in?? and i want so badly to bc the ones that hit REALLY hit. but they’re just so rare. idk like japan has completely taken over in terms of quality imo, i really don’t trust thai bls anymore atp which is sad bc even the ones that are finally taking a step away from the insanely overused tropes wind up boring or poorly written in the end 

anyway just my opinion let me wallow!!

[thisisevenharderthannamingablog]

Liveblogging notes for ep 13.

Everyone in this show is fantastic. I hope they all get all the work they want forever.

Vegas and Pete having morning-after conversation about Pete's life approach. Living in the present seems like an excellent way to navigate a setting like this one, especially if you aren't a power broker in it.

WHY are you two back at the main house?! And WHO cares what Korn wants? Porsche looks nervous AF about this whole encounter. Time to let go of the past. Porsche is thinking about the picture his uncle gave him and makes a couple of cautious sallies toward Korn.

Vegas clearly likes cooking. Look at that chiffonade, damn. All of these kids could have been normal people, but NO here's Gun to ruin everything again.

Back to the main house and mirrors. Kinn all Babe you seem stressed let's have sex. Porsche about to tell him about the photo? but Korn interrupts by summoning Kinn.

Korn is unhappy about something. Uh-oh. Is this going to complement the scene we just had with Gun? Maybe Kinn and Porsche should take a vacation together. (Again, what is your angle with that suggestion? A play for time...?) Kinn looks very relaxed but literally cannot talk to his father without drinking. It's a lot more subtle than Gun beating the shit out of Vegas all the time, but it is so consistent.

Oh no you two, you promised. :( Don't be like this.

Vegas is... reaching his breaking point? Pete is a) still chained up and b) trying to come to terms with what he did last night? Telling Vegas to approach Korn and end this situation. It's your choice. Here we are again! His immediate choice is to take all of his anger out on Pete.

Yeah no I think Pete has a few regrets right now actually.

Interesting how all the couples in this show have a forward-rewind dynamic. Nothing is resolved simply.

Khun of all people has realized that Pete is actually missing. Kinn and Porsche have a mutual oh shit he might be right moment.

Pete meanwhile has reached his breaking point and wants to die - not as a victory condition when being tortured this time, but in despair. God knows he's coped fantastically well with the past week, should get Employee of the Year at least.

Vegas... apologizes. Does not want to lose Pete now, doesn't want him to leave. "Can we start all over again" well that's quite the parallel. We would need another three seasons for Vegas to learn how to process having a normal emotion. He has not gotten the "if you love something set it free" lesson.

I'm sorry, Pete says, and punches his lights out. Crying. Bloody. Anguished.

Back at the main house Khun is holding a funeral for him. Showing up at your own funeral is always fun. Stop hugging the man who is bleeding everybody.

Porsche wants to know what happened to him; Pete lies his sunny ass off. Porsche not buying it, ready to hand out some revenge. Pete still won't tell the truth but wants Porsche to take care of him (reminder which side of the board he's on now).

Kim tries to contact Chay. Chay blocks his number. So all three couples are in states of disarray. (Although to be fair and slightly ironic, the only thing Kinn is covering up right now is wanting to take Porsche on a honeymoon trip, literally the most innocuous thing he has ever done.) Kim is having unaccustomed feelings? Goes through his Chay pictures and memories while Chay's love song plays and Kim looks like he wants to cry.

Song still playing over Vegas, getting the news that Pete turned up back at the main house; Pete and Vegas both looking at food alone. Vegas crying. Pete having a breakdown, cradling his scars all alone??? Help I can't take this.

Porsche and a mysterious phone call. (Must have been Vegas.)

On the one hand Pete is so obviously not okay. On the other, if he's going to keep lying about what happened, what's everybody else supposed to do. An outing to Yok's, ostensibly for karaoke to cheer Pete up. Are you wearing one of Vegas' shirts buddy what is that print supposed to be.

Porsche heads out to the alley. Vegas is getting punched a lot lately, but I'd say he earned these two. Now, what is up with that picture of Porsche's family? Interesting rationale, Vegas being the only one in the family who can't be bought off by the mains.

Vegas doesn't know anything about the photo, but he can help Porsche find Uncle Thee, who clearly does, and the money he wants to talk. He's also seen that same photo in Gun's office. There is a generational information wall here, not a main/minor family one.

Ooh, in exchange for giving Porsche info, Vegas wants to talk to Pete. Porsche has come a long way, not even sightly intimidated by Vegas now. (Vegas has also stopped hitting on him.)

Lighting a guy's cigarette appears to be be Vegas' go-to move, and honestly Pete pulling a gun is probably the most sensible reaction possible, the fucking nerve of him. (Two out of three couples in this show have beaten each other bloody and done the "go on, shoot me then" thing. I love it.) Pete why is your face.

A visit to the cemetery so Kinn can meet his in-laws. Porsche appears charmed, still so shy with his words though. Recap of those early disaster days to where we are now: Kinn finally able to trust someone again, happy to be wherever he is if Porsche is there with him. This is so framed as a wedding.

So we need a wedding night: the pool scene. Some very strategic camera work going on here. Symmetrical framing to emphasize the mutual I love you. I can't believe it took 13 episodes to get to this moment. They are so huggy after sex they're adorable.

Now Porsche is the one getting up to secret stuff. Getting texts from Vegas. Sneaking out with Chay. At least he left a note for Kinn? Khun freaking out because they're gone (and because Kinn won't say anything about it), running into Kim, who is Concerned and about to go look for them when Korn summons him. Such a face that kid makes.

Vegas has tracked Thee down to a monastery. Porsche's parents were not killed in a car accident, they were shot. And so is Thee, before he can give the answer to who killed them. Porsche is having a flashback? An argument about his mother. His dad dead in the kitchen while Porsche hides. Kinn and Pete arrive, Vegas and Porsche leave. Korn getting the news and ordering that Porsche be retrieved safely.

Music runs in the whole family, huh.

Porsche has not run off; he is ready to shoot Korn for having killed his parents. Bomb drop! Porsche's mom was Korn's sister.

[ae-azile]

@chanbig I have to say, I can't wait to read what you are writing! Here is mine:

W

With that, Ma downs her water and sits back down. Everyone else grabs their champagne flutes and sips on them in a daze that Ma has clearly shown Korn she is no longer in.

Fuck.

O

Or maybe it's to record this memory during happier times, before everything goes to shit.

R

Regardless, she pushes those nerves back and keeps her pleasant smile.

“Hia? What happened to your wife?”

Korn clenches his jaw, “She died. Cardiac arrest.”

Namphueng looks down sadly. If this is the case, she is sad for Dao. If Korn weren't so despicable, she may even feel sad for him too. There had been one point in time that she loved him. She struggled viewing him as a brother. If anything, she viewed Gun as a brother more. They were closer in age and naturally spent more time together. But she respected Korn for at least part of her life.

And then he killed Pat, abducted her, made her think he killed her sons, and kept her in a room longer than she had even known him, at least at that point. She is sure he did the same to Milan.

What did he do to Dao?

“She would have been pretty young, huh?” Namphueng says, “When I asked Kim last night, he said she died when he was around eight. Dying from cardiac arrest in her late thirties…she never had any heart issues. She was diligent about going to the doctor-"

"That's enough."

D

“Dara needs ties to the deaf community. I want our daughter to have that. Fern is Deaf, and Namphueng had a Deaf father and a mother who was an interpreter born into a Deaf family. It makes me happy that she will be connected to Deaf culture and have support. I’ve read about Deaf children whose parents don't even bother to learn sign and they have to write back and forth to talk to each other, even after having years and years to learn! That won't be the case with Dara. We need to make sure of that!”

“We will,” Arm promises, “We have Namphueng and Fern, and Kim, Vegas, and Macau are all fluent. I would say we are proficient, and so are Kinn, Porsche, Chay, Pete, and Pol. My sisters and the twins are all catching on quickly. Even Koda and Phoenix know signed commands. Whatever her primary mode of communication ends up being, she will have people who will clearly understand her and can easily communicate with her.” 

“And she will have Paris too!" Tankhun says, feeling hopeful that his daughter will never be expected to go against her cousin, "I know she will be fluent. Fern, Vegas, Pete, and Macau will make sure that happens. They will be best friends.”

S

“She will be safe with us. We obviously aren't going to leave her alone,” Chay says, “She lives with me and Kim. Arm and Khun are across the hall. Yok just sent me a text telling me that I am temporarily fired so I can be here until my mother is definitely safe. We aren't going to let anything happen to her.”

“We definitely won't,” Kinn starts, but then starts pinching the bridge of his nose, “It's…It's not ideal-”

“No shit,” Kim says, obviously less optimistic, “It's only a matter of time that Pa does something about it. Even if she pretends she doesn't remember everything he did to her, he is going to try to become proactive and make it so she will never remember.”

The excerpts are all from the upcoming chapter of Progression.

Thank you for the tag, @chanbig! It was fun to fill out! I shall tag @fawndlyvenus and @livsoulsecrets

PROMPT WORD: MUSIC

rules: you will be given a word. share one sentence / excerpt from your wip(s) that start with each letter of that word

tagged by @mightymightygnomepriest thank u lovely 💗

word: FEATS

these are all from the sunburned!big chanbig fic 💗

F

Fuck. Another tally in the column of Vacation: Disaster. They've been on the island for less than four hours. How are they going to survive a week? How is Big going to survive a week?

E

Even if the hotel clerk has somehow picked up on Big's feelings for Chan, and Chan's… lack of those same feelings, it doesn't mean Chan will be interested in him.

The guy isn't that good looking. He isn't a threat.

Probably.

A

A hand on Big's chest stops him.

"I wasn't telling you to leave, Big. I was asking if you could move on your own, or if you wanted me to apply the lotion." Chan tilts his head to catch Big's eye. His voice is quiet, a thread of amusement still clear under the low tone. When Big doesn't reply, he continues, "So, if you want me to help you apply it, I can. Just take off your shirt, and lie back down."

The suggestion sends a wave of heat through Big and short-circuits his already-overwhelmed brain.

T

The apology dies on his tongue.

And then Chan slides his hands up around his ribcage, gently, slowly, and Big draws in a shaky inhale, feels Chan's fingers tighten their grip for a moment, callouses rough on his sensitive skin.

S

"Sorry," Chan murmurs, though there's a smile pressing at the corner of his mouth that speaks to not being quite so sorry as he says. "I forgot."

-

Prompt: WORDS

tagging: @mortimerlatrice @kinnbig @saifahname @answermywearyquery @ae-azile @jeffsatyr and anyone else who would like to do it!

[stormyoceans]

Personally I think we have gotten a lot of foreshadowing on how Vegas/Pete might go. The meaning behind the yellow roses in the special episode, "Love that doesn't expect anything in return" and Vegas also states his opinion on love twice in the series. He says "No matter how bad I am, if it's for the person I love, I will never hurt his feelings." and "A guy like me, if I'm interested in someone, there's nothing I wouldn't know." So I would put money on Vegas willingly letting Pete go.

OH THAT'S A VERY GOOD POINT!!!!

and it's interesting because i always thought all those things he said to porsche were just some perfectly constructed lines (and lies) to help sell this 'pining nice guy' image he wanted porsche to believe in, but now i do believe vegas is gonna abide by those words once he falls in love with pete

just because they weren't true before, it doesn't mean they won't be true in the future, so it makes a lot of sense to see them as foreshadowing!!!

tbh the closer we get to saturday the more im CONVINCED vegas is gonna free pete from the handcuffs and tell him to leave, but i also think that pete is gonna hesitate, and both of these things will change EVERYTHING. so yeah, i do agree that the most likely outcome is that vegas is gonna let pete go, but at the same time i want that to be followed by pete deciding to stay to have one last night with vegas before leaving the next morning (though im definitely biased about this sfjksgdjsgd)