#Giant Dancing Hedgehogs are Nightmare Fuel

[ae-azile]

So, I usually prefer AO3 for reading and writing, but decided to make a Wattpad account to post my stories across multiple platforms. Starting with Giant Dancing Hedgehogs are Nightmare Fuel!

Summary of Giant Dancing Hedgehogs are Nightmare Fuel:

There are several scenarios that Pete suspects to walk in on when he arrives back at the hospital:

Scenario 1: Vegas is still asleep and Macau and Tankhun have somehow managed to remain civil towards each other. This seems like the least likely scenario.

Scenario 2: Vegas is still asleep and Tankhun has tied Macau to a chair for the hell of it. While this would cause a great amount of trouble, it is almost comforting in its normalcy.

Scenario 3: Vegas has woken up and spilled every single secret that he has in his drugged up state, leaving him even more vulnerable than ever.

Scenario 4: Macau has killed Tankhun in a fit of grief stricken rage, which causes Arm, in turn, to kill Macau in a fit of grief stricken rage, since Arm and Tankhun are apparently in love and Pete can’t stop thinking about it.

Scenario 5: Tankhun has verbally attacked drugged up, pod person Vegas, which has caused him to burst into tears and pull out his IV, in hopes that he bleeds out.

It’s none of those things. Those things would be expected. Nothing happening right now is expected.

Some people love detailed spoilers and some people hate them. Stop reading now if you want to go in spoiler free.

SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT

Some themes of this story include:

1. Post-Canon: It accepts pretty much everything that happened up until the one month later epilogue in the finale.

2. Trauma: These characters are TRAUMATIZED. They are traumatized by the night of the attack, they are traumatized by their pasts and being abused/manipulated/gaslit, and they are all collectively traumatized by Korn. And Gun. But Korn is the real villain in this series.

3. Recovery: This primarily applies to Vegas, but also to other characters. Vegas is recovering from a coma and significant injuries. One is a hypoxic brain injury, which makes his autism a bit more apparent and something Macau eventually explains to Pete.

4. Autistic Vegas: In this story, Vegas has autism. He is low supports needs, intelligent, and his autism mainly becomes apparent with sensory processing, emotional regulation, and a little with social cues. His symptoms were more apparent when he was a child, but he learned how to mask. He struggles with masking more after coming out of his coma and pushes Pete away due to this, along with his guilt from his actions. Pete eventually talks to him bluntly and Vegas accepting his autism as part of his identity is something he works on through this fic.

5. Amnesia: Pete and Vegas have a history that goes much farther back than some funny run-ins and the safehouse. While Vegas has been pining for Pete for years, Pete forgets their friendship/sort of relationship due to being attacked on the job, resulting in a TBI and amnesia. This gets out when Vegas asks him if Pete remembers Vegas having a crush on him when they were young.

6. Cousin Reconciliation: Tankhun takes this first step in making amends with Vegas with Arm's support. Kim follows. Kinn gets there.

7. Side Couples: ArmKhun are the supporting lead couple. They are probably the healthiest couple in this series and have their own prequel story on AO3 that is longer than this story. Something to note: Tankhun protected Vegas during their kidnapping and was physically and sexually assaulted. His "hatred" for Vegas stemmed from resentment and trauma, which broke Vegas's heart because he genuinely loved and looked up to Tankhun as an older brother figure. Tankhun held onto that resentment for quite some time, but he also held onto a lot of guilt. When he saw Vegas shot over the security cameras, he was devastated. He - along with Arm and later Porsche - were the ones to get Vegas quick treatment and transferred to a good hospital. Arm is also a victim of abuse in this series. This is one of the main reasons why Tankhun chose him - along with Pete and Pol - as guards. They understand, they won't judge him, and he hopes they know he doesn't think less of them either. Arm is very aware of why Tankhun chose them and sees Vegas as a victim too (without knowing the abuse Vegas faced later on). He accepts and encourages the reconciliation because he loves Tankhun and knows it will bring him peace. Tankhun, Arm, and Kim are also discovering the kidnapping may have been ordered by someone close to them as damage control/retaliation.

KimChay are at odds but co-existing while Kim visits Vegas (+pines for Chay) and Chay hangs with his new bestie Macau (while holding a grudge against Kim). Kim is kind of going through it and arguably on the brink of a mental health crisis. He is also yearning for a connection with his brothers and cousins, especially after learning how much Korn put them all through. Chay has a bigger role in the sequel of this story, but he is forming a brotherly bond with Macau, is expressing how wronged he felt by both Porsche and Kim, yet is trying to support people in the ways he knows how. He also struggles with connecting to his mother, who can't communicate and doesn't seem to remember him.

KinnPorsche have a LOT on their plates in this series. Porsche has been thrusted into a role that he never expected or was trained for and is overwhelmed. He harbors hate for his boyfriend's father for keeping his mother away from him and for all of the lies. He is also worried about Kinn, who is feeling excluded from his brothers spending time together without him for unknown reasons. Kinn also carries a lot of confliction and resentment regarding his father's actions. He feels incredibly guilty and is going through mental health issues of his own.

8. Macau is very active in his brother's care and extremely protective of him. In turn, Pete protects Macau and is a good listening ear. Macau accepts Pete as family before Vegas even wakes up.

9. The Mothers: The mothers and how the boys' lost them are covered in this fic. Vegas was greatly impacted by the loss of his mother. She was his best friend and advocate. Losing his other parent and hearing of Porsche's mother bring up feelings of loss, sadness, and grief. He misses her terribly. Tankhun and Kim suspect that Korn had their own mother killed and are not surprised to hear that Vegas feels that Korn had something to do with his mother's death.

10. Crack!fic: These issues are covered seriously and treated with respect. That being said, this fic is a total crack and humor fic when it isn't doing that. Vegas says "I love you, Pete" 62 times within the first week of being awake because he can't stop saying it due to his brain injury and possible echolalia. Kim randomly starts calling Arm and Tankhun Pa and Dad, then never stops. He also tells fortunes by asking his friends and family to choose a Nintendo Switch and analyzes them by which color the choose, and his reads are extremely accurate. Due to obtaining Nintendo Switches, Arm and Tankhun run a farm together on Stardew Valley. Vegas has to be redirected away from Pokemon since he cries every time his Pokemon faint in battle. Kim tries to woo Chay by obtaining blue roses on Animal Crossing, all while Chay won't invite him to his island but will invite Vegas to give him starter crops and supplies. Pete buys Vegas a weighted blanket, something the whole family loves until it becomes sentient and starts hinting to a chosen few of their futures. Or, Pete's case, it gives him trippy dreams that always feature his boyfriend's mother.

This story is available both on AO3 (along with WIP companion stories). It is also now on Wattpad. Hope you enjoy and feel free to ask me any questions about this weird universe or for headcannons about it! Also open to prompts 🙂

[29daffodils]

just finished reading this vegaspete fic (it's part of a series) and it's so!!!! its so fucking gorgeous!

like okay i usually just repeat the same adjectives but you get my flow?? it's beautiful.

I'm not autistic (at least i don't think i am) so i can't speak about the portrayal of it all, but i did look up some terms and gained more knowledge, i must say.

OP does a really good job of potraying vegas and pete's relationship post canon (it's divergent) and i love the bit where pete finally says the three little words 🥺

I'm not gonna give too many spoilers, but it is quite, well, I won't exactly say dark (not by my standards), but there is... quite some heavy themes.

anyway, go read :

Giant Dancing Hedgehogs are Nightmare Fuel

[khunspikesficrecs]

Title: 5, 3, 1, and On

Author: Azile(WitnessMarks)

Rating: Mature

Pairing: Tankhun Theerapanyakul/Arm

Summary:

“Khun Nu doesn’t get therapy. He isn’t in his right mind and used to be the heir until he was seventeen, so he knows things. He can’t be trusted not to say them. That’s why Khun Korn set up this training. It’s a compromise and having his guards trained in therapeutic crisis intervention has made the use of sedatives much less frequent.” Looking back, that had set the tone of bitterness Arm secretly felt for years when it came to Khun Korn. Prequel to Giant Dancing Hedgehogs are Nightmare Fuel. Can be read as a stand alone.

[ae-azile]

Azile's OC Round Up, Part 3 - Progression OCs.

Since I am actively updating this story, I decided to make the list of my prominent Progression OCs. I will likely add Fern and Milan to part 4.

Vice

Introduced in: Chapter 1 of Progression

Age: 36

Profession: Major Family Bodyguard

Characteristics: hardworking, morally ambiguous, loving brother, quick to feel resentment

Importance: Chay's first sexual partner.

Origin: Ex-cop, orphan. Became a bodyguard to bail his troubled younger brother out of jail. Became enamored by Chay's growing confidence, abilities, and muscles. Despite their age gap and first time being sudden, they slept together a few more times. Chay declined the offer to go out on a date, then slept with Vice's roommate not too long after. This was a problem because Vice has been in a FWB situation with his roommate for a while, so he felt betrayed by both of them.

Sand

Introduced in: Chapter 9 of Progression

Age: 26

Profession: Major Family Bodyguard

Characteristics: Loyal, quiet, friendly, relatively strong moral compass despite job

Importance: Chay's previous sexual partner, the only one he considers a friend.

Origin: Has very little family outside of the compound. Comes from foster care. Took the job for stability and a place to live, stayed for the friendships. Would have been open to dating Chay, but okay with being friends too. They work out together and sometimes have semi-heartfelt conversations. Honestly a pretty good guy.

Lane

Introduced in: Chapter 7 of Progression

Age: 33

Profession: Psychotherapist

Characteristics: Patient, understanding, trustworthy, calm, professional

Importance: Kim's therapist, and she has actually made some strides with him.

Origin: Lane is the older cousin of Tay. She is his mother's sister's daughter. While her immediate family is not directly involved with the mafia, she grew up close enough to Tay to know some of the traumas that occurred. Kinn already knew her and was on good terms with her due to Tay, so he reached out after it became clear Kim needed extensive treatment in order to feel better. Kim genuinely likes her, and would probably not be able to switch to a new therapist easily, or possibly at all.

Malai

Introduced: In Progression, Tankhun mentions visiting her in Chapter 20, and she is introduced in Chapter 22 officially. Versions of her character are also mentioned/included in The Masks Series, Lay Me Down to Sleep, and I Do (Not Understand What's Going On).

Age: 34

Profession: Litigation Paralegal

Characteristics: Kind, ambitious, maternal, excellent multitasker

Importance: Arm's older sister

Origin: Malai as a general character was first introduced in 5, 3, 1, and On, which is a novel length prequel to Giant Dancing Hedgehogs are Nightmare Fuel told solely from Arm's POV. In that, she lives with her younger sisters and is characterized as a hardworking sisterly/motherly figure due to rescuing Arm and the girls from the human trafficking situation they were all in. In this universe, she is more career oriented, but still a motherly figure at heart. She adopted her foster siblings after becoming of age from a really abusive and traumatic household. Arm is six years younger than Malai, but the next oldest and the only boy in their family. He often feels a need to make up for her sacrifices, but she makes them happily. A year before Progression, she had a close friend pass away, leaving behind twin toddler girls. While she balanced the motherly/sisterly role with Arm, Hansa, Nalin, and Preeda, she sees Tida and Priya as her daughters now. She doesn't have much interest in marriage or romance. A history of abuse partially plays into this, but it just isn't her thing. She likes being independent in that regard.

Hansa

Introduced: Chapter 22 of Progression, but versions of her character are also mentioned/included in The Masks Series, Lay Me Down to Sleep, and I Do (Not Understand What's Going On).

Age: 26

Profession: Horticulturist/Florist

Characteristics: Quiet, Non-judgmental, cautious, kind, carries a lot of trauma, but has been doing better

Importance: Arm's younger sister, Pol's love interest.

Origin: Roughly 18 months younger than Arm, Hansa was the person he was closest to growing up. In both this story and in 5, 3, 1, and On (although she had it even harder in 531). But in Progression, they grew up in an extremely abusive home where they were all traumatized, but the foster father took a particular interest in Hansa. Arm is protective of all of his sisters, but particularly her. She has been hurt a lot and struggled with her mental health when she was in her late teens to early twenties, but found solace in gardening and watching things bloom. She wants to find love, but the last time she tried went horribly. Other than Arm, she struggles with feeling comfortable around men. She was surprised to find Pol so friendly, fun, and approachable. Now that Arm and Tankhun are together and reach out more to spend time as a group, they often bring Pol. She actually looks forward to seeing him.

Nalin

Introduced in: Chapter 22 of Progression, but versions of her character are also mentioned/included in The Masks Series, Lay Me Down to Sleep, and I Do (Not Understand What's Going On).

Age: 20

Profession: Robotics Major, student librarian at university library

Characteristics: Highly intelligent, quick witted, smooth, tech-savvy, a romantic deep down.

Importance: Arm's younger sister, Macau's love interest.

Origin: Basically a mini female Arm, but more charismatic. Her main interests lie in further integrating and advancing robotics when it comes to the medical field and to help those living with disabilities live more freely and comfortably in their day to day lives. While she works hard and is a top student at her university, she is occasionally known to have fun. She did meet Macau at a party and had a night with him that felt magical. Is he an idiot for dropping his phone into a grate? Yes. Did she hold a grudge so she wouldn't feel sadness and rejection? Yes. But that's cleared up now, and they have been talking multiple times a day since her brother's party. She doesn't know if Arm will be thrilled about her potentially dating his boyfriend's cousin, and she loves and looks up to her older brother so much. But she likes Macau, so...🤷🏻‍♀️

Preeda

Introduced in: Chapter 22 of Progression, but versions of her character are also mentioned/included in The Masks Series, Lay Me Down to Sleep, and I Do (Not Understand What's Going On).

Age: 18 going on 19

Profession: Gap year. Looking into colleges, having fun until then.

Characteristics: confident, flirtatious, indecisive, attention seeking, challenging, family-oriented.

Importance: Arm's youngest sister

Origin: The youngest of Arm's foster siblings. Despite being the youngest when removed from their abusive situation, she witnessed a lot, which has caused certain rebellions, impulses, and avoidances in her. Her family worries, but keeps communication open. This helps, because she feels free and happy to talk with her siblings and share things with them. Came out as a lesbian at 15 and never looked back. Wishes Arm were more flamboyant and obvious in his own gay-leaning tendencies, so she's glad he's dating Tankhun, who is fabulous.

[ae-azile]

Azile's OC Round Up, Part 1 of ???

I have created a lot of OCs in my longer KP fics. I wanted to put a face to them. This is part one.

Let's start with the pets because that just seems fun!

From The Masks Series:

Name: Cecilia

Name Meaning: Blind or Hidden (Vegas put thought into it)

Owners: Vegas, Pete, and Macau

Who brought her in/named her? - Found by Pol, brought in and named by Vegas

Origin: A dumpster outside Vegas's apartment building

Qualities: Protective, loyal, but also independent. Likes dogs.

Age upon adoption: 4 months

Featured in: the end of Giant Dancing Hedgehogs are Nightmare Fuel and throughout its sequel.

Status: Alive

Name: Oran

Name meaning: little green one (Porsche doesn't care about name meanings)

Owners: Porsche and Kinn

Who found/named him: Pol found him, Porsche took him out of his hands and called dibs.

Origin: Found outside an abandoned train stop while his future fathers were committing mass murder in the tunnels to save two women being held captive by Korn

Qualities: Aloof, sassy, low key loving.

Age adopted: 2 months

Featured in: Weighted Blanket.

Status: Alive

Name: Lucy

Name Meaning: Light, Light Bringer

Owner: Fern (Vegas's grandmother)

Who found/named her: Vegas went with his grandmother to a shelter to help pick her out. Fern named and trained her to be a service animal to assist with deafness.

Origin: A shelter in Queens, New York

Qualities: loyal, helpful, friendly, obedient

Age adopted: 9 months

Featured in: Weighted Blanket

Status: Alive

Names: Ella and Wren

Name meanings: Ella means goddess or fairy maiden. Wren means small bird

Owner: Vegas.

Who found/named them: Gun bought them after getting input from Milan, and Vegas named them.

Origin: After his last hedgehog died, Vegas took it so hard that he and his mother had a funeral for him. Gun was annoyed by the bawling, then felt bad about being annoyed and got Vegas two more hedgehogs from a responsible breeder.

Qualities: Ella was sweet and kind, Wren was caring and nurturing.

Age adopted: 2 months

Featured in: Before We Forget

Status: Ella is dies in chapter 4, Wren is dead prior to canon. So...dead.

Names: Pete Junior, Kim Junior, and Arm Junior

Name Meanings: Vegas was high on pain meds and sedatives. The names only mean something to him.

Who found/named them: Kim went out with Pete and Arm to buy various things for Vegas right after he woke up from his coma. Pete had fish and a sensory friendly tank on the list, so Kim went and picked them out. Vegas named them.

Origin: Pet store next to Tesco

Qualities: Pete Junior is friendly and likes following Vegas's finger, Kim Junior is prickly, and Arm Junior is dramatic.

Featured in: Giant Dancing Hedgehogs are Nightmare Fuel and sequel.

Status: Alive, but Arm Junior faked his death once over some sort of fish politics.

Anyway, that is part 1! Since some of my OCs crossover when it comes to humans, I will probably combine the post that covers the humans of this series, Progression, Lay Me Down to Sleep, etc. The cats of Progression will also be shared!

[ae-azile]

For the ask fic game: 1, 11, and 14 for your Dancing Hedgehog series? Please and thank you!

1. What inspired you to write the fic this way?

Giant Dancing Hedgehogs are Nightmare Fuel started as a one-shot and has grown into a multi-fic series that is several hundred thousand words and has both prequels and sequels. So it was far what I expected to write, but I guess - once I decided to go back to the one-shot and continue it - I decided to approach it to explore some of my favorite genres: angst, romance, hurt/comfort, and absolute crack/comedy. All at once. I did this because I feel like KP is the perfect fandom to explore these genres with. The series is filled with dramatic romance, angst, trauma, and wildly comedic moments. I just took the last two up a notch and added a magical weighted blanket, but gave myself wiggle room to write a more serious and angsty ArmKhun centric prequel (which still has comedy, but it's a bit more grounded), and a very serious VegasPete centric prequel. The sequel focuses on making things more fantastical and plot heavy with dream sharing, hidden sisters, Tawan's angelic doppelganger brother, forced memory loss, and captive mothers that need to be tracked down and saved. So I feel like the inspiration from the series developed gradually because I left the genres broad enough to be as angsty and silly as I wanted.

11. What do you like the best about this fic?

There are different things I like about each one so I will list them. This answer is long, so I am putting a cut.

Giant Dancing Hedgehogs are Nightmare Fuel

This is the fic that kicked the series off. From a completely biased perspective, the thing I like best about it when I read it is how it reunites the cousins and lets them hold themselves accountable for their actions in ways that don't bring them complete shame. They have chosen a path towards healing their wounds, understanding the perspectives of others, and trying to find clarity after being manipulated/abused by their fathers for so long. So I like that this does that and still finds ways to be silly, because laughter is a great medicine. The boys need to laugh.

As a writer? I am impressed and annoyed by how much it evolved as I was writing it. I did not plan out shit, no matter how it looks, and I love and hate that the backstories and offhanded remarks I would write that would fully flesh it out found ways to spiral into full plots or stories in my head that had to be further explored. Like, there was going to be no magical blanket. That wasn't thought of until Vegas wakes up holding it, saying it's an entity or haunted. The mothers weren't going to be alive. Gun and Pete's dad weren't going to have some past affair as a skeleton in both of their closets. Idk, I just made stuff up and wrote it down whenever I thought it was funny.

5, 3, 1, and On

Out of all of my fics, this might be the one I am most proud of. It feels the most mature to me without losing a comedic element or ignoring the gravity of Arm's and Tankhun's past traumas. Also, Tankhun is probably my absolute favorite character. I want all fics to be about him. I think I may be one of the only people to post a novel length and complete fic where Tankhun is part of the main pairing (if I am wrong, send those long fics my way!)

As for Arm, his tragic backstory was interesting to develop and also flexible, because we know very little about Arm. We know he is incredibly capable and should be the head guard now that Chan is gone, but he is also a part of the mafia. I feel like people who accept that kind of job have a story behind why. So making Arm kill a dozen pedophiles singlehandedly and expose his Dean for embezzlement seemed like it might be a way that touches upon just how capable he is. He is sent on missions, he hacks into other networks and systems, and is so good with Tankhun. And that's just from the little we do see. Expanding on that with an off take was fun.

The Weighted Blanket Ad No One Expected (But Everyone Deserves)

This one is a bit easier to answer: I love the girl power. I love that I was able to make Namphueng a more complex character, brought in four significant female OCs in the form of Vegas's mother - Milan, Vegas's grandmother - Fern, the major family mother - Dao, and the secret, long lost sister who is a teenage bodyguard, a baddie, and a dancing fiend - Aree. I really enjoyed developing all of them, especially Aree since creating her showed Porsche and Chay just how much they were robbed of and what Aree was robbed of.

I also love Benz. The readers also seem to love Benz, and I love this because when he was first introduced (prior to him saying a word) everyone wanted him dead due to looking just like his biological brother (who he never met). After a couple of scenes, everyone who mentioned him in their comments were ready to kill for him. I also liked including him because Vegas's and Kim's autism (in the fic) is able to go by without being easily detected if you don't know them. I have written Vegas as someone who has learned to mask over the years - especially after his mother died - and Kim as someone more introverted, which makes it so his symptoms might be dismissed as just that. With Benz, it's much more noticable. He stims in public, struggles with speech off and on, is extremely picky with food, likely has an auditory processing disorder paired with sensory issues, and hyperfixates on his special interest intensely. His symptoms have also likely become more profound due to the consistent emotional and physical abuse inflicted on him by his mother, not being diagnosed and supported, and not having other family members to fall back on until Kim welcomes him in and makes it a goal to protect him, with Aree following that goal after witnessing just how awful Tak (his mother and Korn's fiancee) is to him. So writing him as a multi-faceted character that readers empathized with is a pride moment.

Also, I like my two semi-original couples in it: Macau/Aree and Namphueng/Milan. This BL world NEEDS a token straight couple and lesbian couple! 😂 While Namphueng and Milan are rekindling their old teenage romance secretly at the moment, I have been developing Macau and Aree since chapter 7, I think? I loved making Macau confirm that he is straight, loved having Vegas empathize with Aree's past and situation rather than deem them as reasons Macau should reconsider his feelings for her, and just like what they have brought out in each other. I also like inverting expectations by making Macau the soft and inexperienced one and making Aree the more blunt, forward, and physically capable one (not that Macau isn't. He likely grew up training to defend himself and others. But Aree is fucking FIERCE).

So yeah, I really loved creating the OCs/semi-OCs, along with writing them in pairings that seemed to still stay engaging to readers somehow. I also loved incorporating sign language as a way to give Namphueng access to communication. I loved it so much that I have used it in multiple fics, just like I love Aree and made her a character in Lay Me Down to Sleep with a similar background but facing very different circumstances. ♥️

Before We Forget

This one is only 6 chapters so far and I update it sporadically, but I love exploring Vegas as a teen. This is before his first kill and shows how his first relationship with Pete developed. This is a Vegas who knows he has to be guarded, but he's too honest and desperate for someone to just see him and take an interest in him. He's sensitive and is not good at covering sadness. It's an emotion he feels a lot of due to the hot and cold treatment he receives from his father, being parentified (despite loving his brother very much), missing his "dead" mother desperately, being disconnected from his cousins since his mother and aunt died and resenting them, being pumped out for deals, and falling in love with the new major family bodyguard close to his age. The thing is - and maybe because it's from Vegas's POV - but I feel like he wears his heart on his sleeve more than Pete does. Pete puts on such a convincing happy demeanor that Vegas has yet to catch on that Pete's history is not a good one. Pete, however, catches onto Vegas struggling. I think he has barely scraped the surface, but he can see Vegas needs a friend who will provide some comfort. But that's hard to do in a secret, teenage romance. So yeah, I think writing Vegas as someone facing so much but still so hopeful for love and change is what I like the most. ♥️

14. Is there anything you want readers to learn from this fic?

I guess considering the series is all over the place in terms of genre, I suppose I want readers to find the joy in cross-genre fics, since life is full of happy, funny, romantic, sad, funny, and enraging moments. If they are thinking of writing, don't be afraid to write something weird, put your characters in absurd situations, or give them specific characteristics or quirks that aren't normally found in media. Absurdity can bring on beauty and broaden your writing skills, since it's fun to implement those absurd or over-the-top moments in a way that aligns themselves with the story's tone.

Thank you for the ask @fawndlyvenus! ♥️

[ae-azile]

Hey, for that ask fic game, I would like to know number 9 Were there any alternate versions of this fic? And for your amazing fic Progression.

I don't know about alternate versions, but when it comes to my fics in the KP fandom, I tend to gravitate towards certain headcanons or storyline facets that my other fics will sometimes feature. For instance, in the Giant Dancing Hedgehogs are Nightmare Fuel, I introduced Vegas having a deaf grandmother (Fern, who is a bigger character in the sequel) and used that as a way to "unlock" Namphueng's signing abilities since she had deaf parents. While Progression mentions Vegas having a deaf grandmother in passing, the minor family is off doing their own thing and aren't really a part of Progression. Kim picks up on Namphueng's ability to understand sign both in this and in Lay Me Down to Sleep (although LMDTS is a lot closer to the GDHANF universe than Progression is with Porsche and Chay having a long lost sister named Aree and moms being brought back from the dead).

Progression is definitely a WIP, but it takes on a more serious tone than my other longer works since they have a crack element that Progression lacks. When it came to planning it out though, I originally planned for Progression to be four chapters and then realized around chapter 2 that there was so much story left to tell - fortunately and unfortunately 😂. So an alternate version would have been a more rushed and introspective piece rather than a slow burn that incorporates Korn's manipulation, Namphueng, and the brothers becoming increasingly closer. Well, the brothers would get closer, but it wouldn't be as covered in the actual text. Now, I am creating big storms to trap KimChay in a villa so they can have a mini-vacation before developing other plotlines.

In short (literally), the alternate version would have been the first three chapters, then Kim and Chay getting closer and sleeping together before talking everything out after a misunderstanding. Porsche would stay mostly in the dark and just be grateful that his brother is more present, happy, and with someone encouraging him back onto the right track. Tankhun's secret relationship with Arm would have stayed implied, and Kinn and Arm would stay quiet on their own knowledge about KimChay.

So I'm glad it developed, even though I partially resent that it did because it means more work lol. But I love writing it and I love that I can write a serious fic but still provide moments of levity - mainly through Porsche being a gushing shipper dying for a KimChay endgame.

[ae-azile]

Links and descriptions below cut:

The Weighted Blanket Ad No One Expected (But Everyone Deserves)

Current Number of Chapters: 25, with multiple finished works within the series altogether.

Current Word Count: 203,119

Summary: While Pete hadn't expected a normal life when he left his job to follow Vegas, he had expected something quieter than Vegas needing a lengthy hospital stay, finding out Gun and his own father had a sordid extramarital affair, and obtaining a magical and meddling weighted blanket from Tesco that forces him to share dreams with his boyfriend's mother. His boyfriend's dead mother. Or at least Milan was supposed to be dead. But according to the dream version of her, she and her sister-in-law are very much alive and trapped in an unknown location. Apparently saving them all comes down to Pete and anyone else he can convince that he hasn't completely lost it. This is the sequel to Giant Dancing Hedgehogs are Nightmare Fuel. It is necessary to read that before reading this, unless you want to be extremely weirded out and confused. Key Tags: Sequel, Post-Canon, Crack treated seriously, multi POV, long lost family members, possessed blanket, trauma, multiship (VegasPete, MacauOFC, ArmKhun, KimChay, KinnPorsche, NamphuengOFC), part of Mask Series.

Before We Forget

Current Number of Chapters: 6, with a few completed stories in series.

Current Word Count: 40,159

Summary: Vegas meets Pete nine days before his seventeenth birthday. Coincidentally, it is also nine days before Pete's nineteenth birthday. It's a coincidence that he doesn't see any importance in, but makes Pete smile. And Pete's smile is nice. It's bright like the sun shining down on them as they sit by the fountain. Set in the same universe as 5, 3, 1 and On and Giant Dancing Hedgehogs are Nightmare Fuel. Can be read as a standalone.

Key Tags: Prequel, Pre-Canon, VegasPete, Vegas POV, abuse from a parent/guardian (physical and emotional), sexual abuse (from people in power, autism spectrum, grief/mourning, parentified sibling, teen crush, open/ambiguous ending.

Coming to a Head

Current Number of Chapters: 7

Current Word Count: 20,877

Summary: Tankhun met his cousin as a sweet bundle of joy. His instilled resentment grew from there. Or... Snippets of Tankhun's interactions and complex relationship with Vegas throughout the years, pre-canon to post-canon.

Key Tags: Prequel, Tankhun POV, TankhunOFC, Tankhun pre-kidnapping, evil Korn. Brother/cousin dynamics, depressing, dark.

A Familiar Road to the Unknown

Current Number of Chapters: 1

Current Word Count: 5,518

Summary: When Big takes those bullets for Porsche in the warehouse, he fully accepts sacrificing his life. While Big's feelings for Porsche are lukewarm at best, he makes the decision to save his life knowingly. He is okay with dying if it means Kinn can finally be happy with someone he loves. Even if that person isn't Big. But it was never going to be Big. Big knows that now. He doesn't know how he survived. He also doesn't know why he is starting to feel like his love for Kinn seems as if it is fading, all while a strange friendship develops in its place. What's even more strange is the flutter in his chest whenever Chan comes to the infirmary to care for him, which is every single night. The time spent with Chan shows Big a different side to him, one that is softer and more skeptical towards the job they have signed their entire selves to. But with the crippling freedom Big's injuries have now given him, he finally has the time to focus on what he actually wants. He just needs to figure out what that is first. Key Tags: ChanBig, canon divergent, Big lives, Chan lives, injury recovery, hospitalization, protective Chan, protective Big, hurt/comfort, slow burn, side pairings.

I Do (Not Understand What's Going On)

Current Number of Chapters: 4

Current Word Count: 31,840

Summary: When Kinn wakes up to the news that his father is dead, he focuses on the tasks at hand: 1. Plan the funeral. 2. Settle all estate matters. 3. Avoid his complicated grief, as well as seeing Pa's body. 4. Tend to Khun's grief, since Kim claims to not have any. Plus, focusing on Khun's mental health means not focusing on what's happening in his own head. The problem is, his older brother seems FINE. He cried upon finding out about Pa and at the funeral, but he's doing better than Kinn has ever seen him. It makes Kinn more concerned, and that tells him the inevitable breaking point will be bad. He needs to be prepared for whatever comes. But nothing could have prepared him to receive an invitation to Arm's and Tankhun's wedding.

Key Tags: Korn Dies, ArmKhun, Cousin Reconciliation, Grief/Mourning, Kinn POV, Weddings, past gaslighting, abuse, and manipulation, mentions of past sexual abuse (Vegas and Gun as teens).

Lay Me Down to Sleep

Current Number of Chapters: 31

Current Word Count: 198,287

Summary: The last few months have been hard on Chay. He had gotten kidnapped, found out his brother was a mafia bodyguard, found out the guy he was in love with was using him to gain information, and discovered that his mother has been alive this whole time. So when Porsche gives him the okay to go home for a week to take a break from everything, he doesn't expect his brother to send Kim to stay with him too. KIM. If only his brother knew. Part of Chay wants to tell him that Kim broke his heart, even though the idea of his brother hating Kim doesn't sit right with him, despite everything. But Chay just needs to get through the rest of the week. Maybe if he ignores Kim enough, his ex...whatever he is...will take a hint. Or maybe they won't even make it through the first night before they get drugged, thrown in the back of a van, and handcuffed together. But even though getting kidnapped again wasn't on Chay's list of things to do, it is nothing compared to what happens after. Key Tags: Post-Canon, age regression/toddlerization, KimChay, soulmates, temporary character death, witchcraft, long lost relatives, secret siblings, friendships, pretend weddings in pool, cousin reconciliation, toddlerized Kim - and then more reveal themselves to be toddlerized or follow in his footsteps.

[ae-azile]

Wrote over 1k words for a new chapter of Before We Forget, so I definitely haven't given up on the Giant Dancing Hedgehogs are Nightmare Fuel/Weighted Blanket universe!

[ae-azile]

I have posted 5, 3, 1, and On to Wattpad for any readers who prefer it over AO3!

5, 3, 1, and On covers the course of five years and is solely from Arm's POV. It focuses on his friendship and eventual romance with Tankhun, but also on their past traumas and how they help each other heal. It's roughly 144k words and a prequel, companion story, and sequel (at least in the last chapter) to season one. It is set before Giant Dancing Hedgehogs are Nightmare Fuel, which is also on both AO3 and Wattpad. I know this is a rare pair and will naturally have a smaller audience, but it is probably the fic I am the most proud of in any fandom I have written for. So if you like my other work, maybe give this story a shot! ❤️