My Underworld Getaway

Aspiring author and slash writer. And a lack of willpower for staying away from black holes known as tumblr.

[xsonofhadesx]

Does Kronos ever grow to actually not hate Nico? Or are they constantly beefing in silence

He will always detest anyone that isn’t Gaea or Percy. I feel like he views Nico like an animal when a new pet is brought into the house and is resentful that the new pet gets all the attention.

[xsonofhadesx]

Picking up from a previous ask about regretting how many lost kids there was now you can look back how many lost kids do you think you would've of kept and which one's would be on the chopping block??

Ok, I can make a breakdown list, but let’s keep in mind that I don’t remember every single detail about the story. So I may have really liked parts of certain characters while writing, but it slips my mind on important stuff with them. Also not all of these are cuts, some might be merged together to lessen the bloat that was the character list. Because it became hard at times to develop characters trying to squeeze them all in.

Obviously Percy and Nico would be keeps. Luke is a definite keep. He’s like my favorite. Apollo, Annabeth, Octavian, Jason, Reyna, Will, Leo, and Rachel would all stay. Travis and Connor are musts because of their chaos. Drew because of her attitude. Silena and Beckendorf because I liked their dynamic of working on a relationship in that environment. And Clarisse because she’s a boss bitch.

Now for cuts and merges. I feel like some of these will be surprises maybe? Thalia and Hazel would be cuts, I think. Thalia is iffy if I keep Jason. Calypso, Zoe, and Piper would be merged or I would merge parts of them into some listed above that would stay. Butch and Juniper would be cut. I didn’t feel like they made a super big impact. And Ethan is someone I’m on the fence with, but probably cut.

Actually, another consideration would be to merge Apollo and Will. Annabeth was a must because she made a great villain. In that you didn’t know she was until late in the story because she didn’t give anything away until things got deep and she let Nico know her enough to see the cracks.

But I always tried to keep the two sides even. Guys and girls. If I was gonna redo this I would toss that out and aim for more than looking between those two. So I might not have all these cut just to cut, but perhaps replaced with someone else. Considering the tone of how fucked up the Lost Kids’ pasts were, I would have definitely added a trans character and probably nonbinary. Right off the top of my head, Octavian could have been a good choice for trans. You know make the religious parent hate them more. One gay, one trans.

Again, though, this is just off the top of my head. I didn’t put like super thought into it, as it’s just things I wish I had done differently.

[xsonofhadesx]

Remembering smoke and shadow unlocked a core memory I read it on ff super late at night when my parents were asleep and I freaked myself out so bad

You’re welcome! I was always happy with how the tone of that one turned out.

[xsonofhadesx]

Oh my god I used to read your fics in 2012 or 2013. I was obsessed with Children of Loss. The one horror fic you had where everyone goes to the haunted house was INSANE because I was terrified of it but still read it twice or more, I think? The name is right there in my head but escaping. Something to do with vapor idk 😭 (edit: JUST WENT TO YOUR FF PROFILE AND TURNS OUT I WAS SOMEWHAT RIGHT. SMOKE AND SHADOW. OH MY GOD.) I just remembered you all of a sudden and googled your name. Turns out you have tumblr AND YOU'RE ACTIVE????? I unfortunately don't remember anything from your fics, except maybe the fact that Percy was some levels of pimp (sorry for using this word, I cannot figure out what else to use) and Nico had a crush on him in the beginning (that was an incredible idea and inspired some thoughts as late as 2020 for a fandom I was in at that time). Just. Ahhhhhh it's so amazing you're still on the internet and I used to read your works so long ago. I truly hope you've been living your best life and things are going so well for you. Wishing you the best!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you! Smoke and Shadow was one I was pretty happy with, especially out of my 2 Halloween fics. I am doing pretty well. Not a whole lot of time for writing these days, but my life is pretty good.

[xsonofhadesx]

Do get bored with still answering questions about children of loss years after it ended?

Not really. It doesn’t really bother me. I find it crazy that people still want to talk about CoL years later lol.

[xsonofhadesx]

Hello if Nico left the hotel as you wanted (with or without Luke) I was curious what then would've the rest of the fic been about?

Related to this I remember reading CoL while you we're updating it, I can remember reading a chapter where Nico and Will go surfing and Nico mentions about potentially leaving the hotel and younger me being like 'yes! You should do that' lol

The short answer is that the fic would have probably ended. Much shorter. Depending on when Nico got to that point. I think maybe there would have been like an epilogue to see how was doing. But yeah it wouldn’t have carried on as it did. Honestly, Nico leaving would have been such a good and healthy decision, but the story was never really meant to be healthy.

I think the end in this circumstance would have been dependent on other variables. Was Nico alone or with someone when he left? Most people would have ended shortly after they left. I put emphasis on Luke because I think that divergence would have led to other plot points. Like dealing with Octavian.

But, you know, in the end Nico got to live out his crime lord husband fantasies. As he deserved for putting up with all the shit he did.

[xsonofhadesx]

Your fics have really unique au's how did you come up with them??

House of the Wicked spawned from like this dream I had of an angel trying to save someone who was drowning, and was inspired by Beautiful Creatures. Children of Loss was originally like an average prostitution fic concept I had rolling around, but toss in a lot of trauma because I was in a bad mental state a lot of the time. Like heavy depression and very low self-worth. I had actually wanted to do a mafia fic(which I never ended up doing) and I think Children of Loss was some early ideas for that. But I was not in a good place with my mother and so I think Nico’s relationship with his father kind of came from that. But for anyone wondering, I totally inspired Luke’s mother off mine.

I do not remember the exact moment Children of Loss was born. All I remember was that it was over a video chat I was having with my beta at that time and I told him I was wanting to write something darker than what I had been with heavy emphasis on the characters.

In My Time of Need came about because I have a love for zombie stuff(games, movies, fics). It did suffer a 10 year gap, but I wasn’t expecting to get to such a bad mental place that I just kind of shut down from everything. But I enjoyed crafting a zombie au that was my own making. I think I might have played the Last of Us shortly before starting it. Blue Shells and Comic Books(my voltron fic) is one of my most enjoyed writing. CoL was my most favorite. But I had wanted to write something I hadn’t really seen in the klance fandom at that time, and I had the idea for a secret identity kind of thing. Like fanboy interaction with someone who made your most beloved thing. Because I really like famous/non-famous aus.

[xsonofhadesx]

Who's your favorite character in the foxhole court series?

I love Neil, but it’s gotta be Andrew. Because he’s the biggest mood.

[xsonofhadesx]

You've mentioned some things you would change about CoL if you could go back. In a magic redo what are the things you did in the story that you would keep the same?

That’s a hard question to answer, because it’s been a few years now since I finished it. So I don’t think I fully remember everything in vivid detail. I do remember really enjoying Kronos’s time at the hotel. I liked writing him, and I thought the Lost Kids developed very well over that time.

Although, if I was to redo the story, I’d probably have less Lost Kids in order to better focus on each of them. I think Luke is also a character I wouldn’t alter. I was very happy with how he turned out. Honestly probably my favorite. His whole ordeal was very interesting to me and I had the easiest time writing him for some reason.

[xsonofhadesx]

Have you read a series named All For The Game by Nora Sakavic? When I read Children of Loss the Lost Kids sometimes reminded me of the Foxes in AFTG.

I have! It’s actually my favorite series. I got into it I think roughly around the point that I was finishing Children of Loss. I do need to read the new book Nora put out, though!

[xsonofhadesx]

Funny Children of Loss has popped back up again because I've also been rereading it after stumbling upon it on AO3 (I used to read it on fanfic.net years ago).

Regarding ships, reading it again I realised how much chemistry Luke and Nico had. But I also thought that for Jason and Nico. And at one point Will and Nico lmao. At the time I was a major Perico shipper so just had my shipping glasses on and only saw them, looking back I can see what you mean. I also like Percy's character less in CoL when rereading but it's probably personal taste.

Although I personally liked the Lost Kids when Percy left, even if it wasn't necessary to the story because a) I liked them pulling together & b) we got some friendship development between Nico and several characters (like Luke and Jason for example).

I am intrigued, what do you mean you don't think Percy and Nico would've gotten on in the version you would've written?

If I hadn’t been writing for a particular ship at the time, I felt like Nico wouldn’t have ended up with Percy. I don’t even think he would have stayed at the hotel. There were plenty of outs he had. He chose to stay because he wanted the guy. Honestly, I see their relationship as quite toxic, but the story was always meant to be rather messed up.

When I was writing it, I remember a point or two where I just had to alter course because Nico was getting too close to some of the other Lost Boys and I felt like he would end up with one of them probably over Percy.

Luke is usually the one I say he’d likely end up with, because Luke was like the protector. He always wanted to watch out for the others and got quite attached to Nico. Even choosing him over his closest friend Annabeth. Nico likely would have grown more attached to Luke, because he would be miserable and take comfort with Luke. And I think at the point Percy went to Germany, Luke would have left with Octavian and Nico.

[haiseiscute333]

Re-reading Children of Loss (a fic of 60 chapter, percico, slow burn, Nico-centric) and as good as I think the fic is something that really gets me is that Nico's trauma doesn't seem to be treated as a trauma.

I will explain (spoiler after the cut)

Note: when talking about Nico's traumas, I am talking about his childhoods traumas and not the traumas he gets on the hotel, like claustrophobia and the chapter where he doesn't sleep because he is afraid of being kidnapped again.

(TW: Slightly reference to child abuse, really slightly but follow with caution)

We see Nico adapting on the hotel, we see him meeting the people, hearing their stories, fixing some of their problems but we never see someone really hear or try to help Nico? Like, Ethan or Charlie talk with him about open up but is just that, nether of them talk about Nico's problems.

We just see how serious was his trauma, of child abuse and violence and shit, in the final chapters! On a single paragraph! When he talks to Percy! Before that, the maximum I thought was that he was neglected and maybe receive a hit or two, because Nico doesn't act as a victim of child abuse!

Here, I am not talking about the common "oh he is violent because his dad hit him in home" or "oh he is afraid of people and connection because of his dad". I am talking about:

1. Knowing people just with their footsteps/voices/car/keys

2. Being afraid of strong motions or loud voices

3. Fear of abandonment/attachment

4. Don't wanting to be involved on fights, physical or not

5. Showing stims (leg going up and down, biting lips, hair pulling, biting fingers)

6. Hiding things and getting uncomfortable with people around their space (even when you are not trying to hide from them)

7. Getting nervous out of nothing

8. Disliking surprises or things getting out of plan

And is not something like he saying "oh, but after all this road of acknowledge at the hotel, I learn that what happened is not my fault/shouldn't happen to me". Actually he explain the things like is his fault, like Hades have a motive for hitting him!

And ok, if this was on the middle of the fic, talking about how Nico should learn that what happened to him was not his fault and that child abuse is a serious thing but no! Percy just says 'this is thought baby' and hold his hand and is that???

(Obviously is not like that, but you get it)

The first time I read it, I thought maybe I forgot something. I read the chapters in different days and with some days of difference (is a 60 chapter fic ok?) So I thought maybe that was some evolution on his teams but then I read again (This time all on the same time) and no.

If it was a 20/30 chapter fic, with had to balance Nico's thoughts, with his past, the plot and his romance life ok. But is a 60 chapter fic! With more that 500k of words! With some plot who aren't really necessary to begin it! - like the part where all the Loss Children randomly start to fight because Percy isn't around, or Percy going to Russia, or Nico being kidnapped, or Luke sent to the hospital - they are all good but not exactly necessary for the story.

This doesn't mean the fic is bad. No, is very good, with a good world-building, with good written characthers and good play with morals and limits. But I feel like Nico, as the protagonist he is, he is kinda left out of the whole story, just going where the plot need him fixing others problems and not really getting to know his.

(Note: the story actually have an evolution of Nico. Where he is described by the other as someone "ingenue" since the beginning and him become - without knowing - obsessed on this idea of him, and don't wanting to "grow up", like drink alcohol or when he freak out because he eat drugs without knowing, then learning that nobody is actually that perfect and that he doesn't need to met others expectations of him. But this doesn't seem like - or at least don't seem to be written as - an consequence of his trauma but a problem the author put just to move the plot)

[xsonofhadesx]

Honestly, I would agree with a lot of your analysis on this. As I was finishing the fic and even after it hit me how much I kind of pushed Nico’s own issues to the side, which is probably more reflective of myself as I tend to do that. There’s definitely a lot I would change if I was to go back and do it again. Cut out a lot of things. The story would also be darker and more issue, as hard as that could be to believe. Looking back, I don’t think I made it as dark as it should have for what it was about. Nico probably wouldn’t have ended with Percy. I’ve said it before, but Nico probably would have left with Luke if I wasn’t writing for a particular ship. I just liked their chemistry over the course of the story the best. I also watched a show recently called Hazbin Hotel and the song Poison that the character Angel sings made me think of Children of Loss Nico and what I had wanted for the changes if I had done it over.

On the note of leaving Nico’s issues kind of to the side, it honestly was just me being overwhelmed. The story kind of developed bigger and longer than I had ever intended. I mean the early chapters are my least favorite because I didn’t have a good direction at the time. Then I started getting a lot of different ideas and I didn’t always organize things very well for how to format the fic. If I could do it over, I’d definitely have wanted to cut a lot of extra stuff and focus more on Nico and his problems(not just the ones from when he got to the hotel).

[haiseiscute333]

Oh! You are on Tumblr! Hi :)

I can, half, understand the thing about the work getting bigger than you, the world of the AU getting longer than expected as you want to put more and more content. I can see how someone could easily lost some of the initial ideas because of this.

Rereading the work (by the 1298th time haha) I can see how the mood of the story changed at the course of the time. There is darker tones on the last arc and I can see the Luke x Nico chemistry, I even thought you were gonna put them together on a trisal or something XD

Is good to know that I didn't offend you - or at least I expect not to. Reading this post now it seems a little too aggressive when I didn't wanted to. Sorry for this.

[xsonofhadesx]

Very rarely, but yes I have tumblr. No, you didn’t offend me at all(and yes that’s including the ship talk that was going on). I’m honestly amazed I still skim across people talking about the fic years later. I’m glad people enjoyed it for what it was. Who knows if people would have enjoyed the version I had wanted to write. I don’t think Percy and Nico would have had a good relationship in that version.

[haiseiscute333]

Re-reading Children of Loss (a fic of 60 chapter, percico, slow burn, Nico-centric) and as good as I think the fic is something that really gets me is that Nico's trauma doesn't seem to be treated as a trauma.

I will explain (spoiler after the cut)

Note: when talking about Nico's traumas, I am talking about his childhoods traumas and not the traumas he gets on the hotel, like claustrophobia and the chapter where he doesn't sleep because he is afraid of being kidnapped again.

(TW: Slightly reference to child abuse, really slightly but follow with caution)

We see Nico adapting on the hotel, we see him meeting the people, hearing their stories, fixing some of their problems but we never see someone really hear or try to help Nico? Like, Ethan or Charlie talk with him about open up but is just that, nether of them talk about Nico's problems.

We just see how serious was his trauma, of child abuse and violence and shit, in the final chapters! On a single paragraph! When he talks to Percy! Before that, the maximum I thought was that he was neglected and maybe receive a hit or two, because Nico doesn't act as a victim of child abuse!

Here, I am not talking about the common "oh he is violent because his dad hit him in home" or "oh he is afraid of people and connection because of his dad". I am talking about:

1. Knowing people just with their footsteps/voices/car/keys

2. Being afraid of strong motions or loud voices

3. Fear of abandonment/attachment

4. Don't wanting to be involved on fights, physical or not

5. Showing stims (leg going up and down, biting lips, hair pulling, biting fingers)

6. Hiding things and getting uncomfortable with people around their space (even when you are not trying to hide from them)

7. Getting nervous out of nothing

8. Disliking surprises or things getting out of plan

And is not something like he saying "oh, but after all this road of acknowledge at the hotel, I learn that what happened is not my fault/shouldn't happen to me". Actually he explain the things like is his fault, like Hades have a motive for hitting him!

And ok, if this was on the middle of the fic, talking about how Nico should learn that what happened to him was not his fault and that child abuse is a serious thing but no! Percy just says 'this is thought baby' and hold his hand and is that???

(Obviously is not like that, but you get it)

The first time I read it, I thought maybe I forgot something. I read the chapters in different days and with some days of difference (is a 60 chapter fic ok?) So I thought maybe that was some evolution on his teams but then I read again (This time all on the same time) and no.

If it was a 20/30 chapter fic, with had to balance Nico's thoughts, with his past, the plot and his romance life ok. But is a 60 chapter fic! With more that 500k of words! With some plot who aren't really necessary to begin it! - like the part where all the Loss Children randomly start to fight because Percy isn't around, or Percy going to Russia, or Nico being kidnapped, or Luke sent to the hospital - they are all good but not exactly necessary for the story.

This doesn't mean the fic is bad. No, is very good, with a good world-building, with good written characthers and good play with morals and limits. But I feel like Nico, as the protagonist he is, he is kinda left out of the whole story, just going where the plot need him fixing others problems and not really getting to know his.

(Note: the story actually have an evolution of Nico. Where he is described by the other as someone "ingenue" since the beginning and him become - without knowing - obsessed on this idea of him, and don't wanting to "grow up", like drink alcohol or when he freak out because he eat drugs without knowing, then learning that nobody is actually that perfect and that he doesn't need to met others expectations of him. But this doesn't seem like - or at least don't seem to be written as - an consequence of his trauma but a problem the author put just to move the plot)

[xsonofhadesx]

Honestly, I would agree with a lot of your analysis on this. As I was finishing the fic and even after it hit me how much I kind of pushed Nico’s own issues to the side, which is probably more reflective of myself as I tend to do that. There’s definitely a lot I would change if I was to go back and do it again. Cut out a lot of things. The story would also be darker and more issue, as hard as that could be to believe. Looking back, I don’t think I made it as dark as it should have for what it was about. Nico probably wouldn’t have ended with Percy. I’ve said it before, but Nico probably would have left with Luke if I wasn’t writing for a particular ship. I just liked their chemistry over the course of the story the best. I also watched a show recently called Hazbin Hotel and the song Poison that the character Angel sings made me think of Children of Loss Nico and what I had wanted for the changes if I had done it over.

On the note of leaving Nico’s issues kind of to the side, it honestly was just me being overwhelmed. The story kind of developed bigger and longer than I had ever intended. I mean the early chapters are my least favorite because I didn’t have a good direction at the time. Then I started getting a lot of different ideas and I didn’t always organize things very well for how to format the fic. If I could do it over, I’d definitely have wanted to cut a lot of extra stuff and focus more on Nico and his problems(not just the ones from when he got to the hotel).

[seto2]

The same long Meowth joke for the 5000 th time

[srsfunny]

Couldn’t you just pause it

[usedkarma]

oh my sweet summer child

[helthehatter]

Couldn’t you just pause it???😭😭😭🤣🤣🤣

[esteicy-blog]

COULDN’T YOU JUST PAU-AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[madamslayyy]

Pause?!?!

PAUSE!?!?!?!?!?!?

[nickidub718]

Pause???? 😂😂😂😂 Oh man, how old is this poor kid?

[dramaqueeenamby]

PAUSE?????

[limebear]

[xsonofhadesx]

Are you alright? Haven’t heard from you on any of your stories in a long while and finally navigated my way to tumblr to see. I hope everything is going well for you!!!! - Much love, xo Kayla (a really big fan of your writing)

I am doing okay. Sorry for the late reply. I haven’t been on tumblr too much. New job and I moved. So it’s been a bit hard to do much besides sleep, work, and occasionally do something fun.

[xsonofhadesx]

I’ve recently discovered and I’m almost finished with House of The Wicked and I noticed it’s unfinished. So, before I get to the final chapter and hurt my own feelings, I was wondering if you plan on finishing it? Or even editing it and swapping out the names and certain details so you can publish it? Because I’d really buy it, with no hesitation. Not even sure if you’re still active on here and I’m not familiar with tumblr, really. Hope you answer, though. Really rooting for you!!!

Sorry I haven’t been on tumblr much lately! I do plan on finishing it, I’ve just been really busy with a new job and a move, and trying to settle in. So I haven’t had much time to write.

I did mostly get my first draft for the actual book finished, but as I neares the last quarter I realized I was unhappy and decided to write it all over. So the book will probably look a bit different than the fic, while keeping its core. But the fic only has one more chapter, which I’ll probably try to get to work on in the near future.