#natures-marvel

Happy Birthday, @natures-marvel! 🎉 You're even older now… but don't age too fast! 😆

I made your friends write birthday wishes in their native languages – here’s the list: @aru-loves-krishnaxarjuna @bandarrrrr @blorbosexterminator @casadepalermo @chimera-tail @desigurlie @lavandulacosmos @manujanolavu @oreo-cookies-fan @orgasming-caterpillar @prettykittytanjiro @randomx123 @roccinan @stilljustbitten @tothemoonandbacklove @veterveter @zeherili-ankhein

Your fav ships from lcdp?

canon, fanon, all of them you have! 😊

Hi! Thank you for the question, I'm shy but I love talking about LCDP <3

Canon ships - I'm a basic gal, Berlermo and Serquel are my favourites. Monica/Denver are sweet too but I didn't get very attached to them.

Non canon ships - Ha, this might be controversial but I have moments where I like the Nairobi - Berlin ship. Of course, I wouldn't want to inflict Berlin on Nairobi but hmmm, some of their scenes definitely had something that caught my eye. Even just in canon I really liked their hate-love, frenemyship they had going on in the Mint and I do think in an Alternate Timeline where Andrés was written to be 100x less of an Evil Bastard, and if the writers had gone down a different route, they would be the IT couple of the show. They're both such fan favourites and Pedro and Alba already have such a lovely friendship, it would have been amazing. Somewhere some version of me is living in a universe where we got this ship instead of Tokrio and I envy that!

I also kinda like Pagota (Palermo and Bogota) LOL. What can I say, Roccinan was very convincing about them when s5 first aired and I got Pagota-pilled.

(Tagged by @natures-marvel thanks for tagging!)

End of the Year Fic Review 2022

1. What is your AO3 account?

Rocinan

2. How many words did you write total in 2022?

131,168

3. How many fics did you publish in 2022? How many multichapters vs oneshots?

6 fics total (1 of which was an art piece)

1 oneshot and 3 multichaptered (2 still unfinished)

4. What was your longest fic? Your shortest fic?

Longest : Birdcage at 45,596 words

Shortest : Café for Your Trouble with 0 words LOL, or  Over the Hills and Far Away at 1279 words

5. What was your most popular fic? Your least popular fic?

Most popular:  Grand Hotel, A Tale of Love and Intrigue

Least popular:  Over the Hills and Far Away

6. What fic didn’t perform as well as you thought it would?

Hmm. They all sort of performed how I expected, as in I was pleasantly surprised to get more than 10 kudos for anything XD Maybe chapter 2 of The Contract? Not sure if people like it less than ch. 1. But in terms of the fics themselves, Over the Hills and Far Away already received more hits than I ever imagined lol but I guess I thought it’d earn at least 10 kudos. 

7. What fic performed way better than you thought it would?

Grand Hotel, hands down. 

8. What was your favorite fic you wrote from 2022?

This is a hard one, but probably Birdcage! Because I actually managed to finish it in 2022 asdfasdf Also it gave me the chance to write some extreme Andres whump, so there’s that!

9. What was your favourite fic that somebody else wrote in 2022?

I can’t settle for any one fic, so here’s some that I personally enjoyed the most and had the time to read in 2022! Most of them lean dark, so with the exception of “Upon paper wings” and “The way to a man’s heart,” do mind the warnings and tags!

Did I ever leave the lights on (could you ever find your way back home?) by @nharidy A crack concept (berlermo switch souls out of the blue) on the surface, but a story that’s so much more than that. Legit one of the most selfless, genuine depictions of Martin’s love (and that shred of nobility under all the asshole in his blood) I’ve ever read, and I still get emotional thinking about this story.

something borrowed, something -- by anonymous; I swear I’m not biased but I must say, I was insanely lucky to have such a talented writer take a post of a scenario I made and publish a full story based on it. Like WHEN will that ever happen again?? It’s like I threw a coin down a wishing well and it happened! This is a fantastically written (but Very dark!) character study, and even though there’s no upfront gore or violence, the story pulls no punches with the premise: injured, amnesiac Andres thinks Gandia is Martin and suffers all sorts of sexual, domestic, and psychological abuse as a result. 

Those Violent Delights by @aceraphaelsantiagos Ongoing but well worth the wait! It’s an ongoing berlermo thriller told out of chronological order and watching the puzzle unfold is like climbing deeper into the spider web. AU but amazing characterization, and with my favorite dynamic: Dom/Dom!

{ Upon paper wings. } by @moneyheist-fam Their first berlermo fic! And a truly wonderful one at that. One of the rare completed AUgust fics LOL. There’s a warm fairy tale like quality to this, and it’s just a very sweet and beautifully written tale about soulmates.

A Lamb for Our Love  by @the--sound--of--rain Ongoing, but definitely a story that stuck with me since the first time I read it! Another “Gandia abducts Andres and-” story, but the fic is about what happens after Andres comes back to Martin. A rocky, angsty piece with heartbreaking characterization and a look at what would happen if these two made the worst possible choices thinking that’s what’s best. The first chapter is definitely worth the read, and I’m sure the second will be equally good, if not better!

The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach by @alfredo-kesmann Why yes, this is my gift haha, but alfredo-kesmann went above and beyond a very simple prompt and gave us a story that’s insanely funny and endearing all at the same time. Truly one of my favorite fics of 2022 and I rec it to everyone, especially everyone whoever thought “hmm what if Andres being a good cook is just headcanon and he really sucks at it?? would Martin lie and pretend he’s good?” Answer: yes Martin would

Vinum Stygis by @signorin-anarchia Another ongoing fic! But very underrated and promising. A period gothic romance with all the creepy and dark elements you’d want from the genre. It’s a creative spin on Crimson Peak that somehow manages to make the premise work for berlermo, and definitely deserves more attention. Wonderful atmosphere and toxic assholes all around~

For the writers ask : 7, 9, 26, 32, 33 please! 💜

Hi, Kal~ 💜

Fanfic writer asks ✨

7. Do you prefer to read short fics or long fics?

Long. The longer the better, especially when it's exquisitely written. I read fast so I like to have enough material to immerse myself in both plot and character-wise. Not that short fics didn't steal my heart before, but I actively search for longer ones.

9. Tag 3 fic writers you think are underrated/unknown in the fandom/fanfiction community.

I think no one really is, in this fandom at least, so I will just spread the love: @natures-marvel @signorin-anarchia @the--sound--of--rain 🥰 

26. What’s your biggest distraction when writing?

My brain lol. During researching, I go down the deep end sometimes and resurface hours later with too much info that is, at that point, completely irrelevant to the story alas I now know everything there is to know about fasciectomy.

32. Copy and paste your top three favourite lines/jokes/sentences you’ve ever written. What fics do they come from?

I have a lot but I'm playing favourites with my WIPs so:

" ‘Such disrespect! Excuse me while I find some pearls to clutch.’ "(Aureate - Ch.13 Virago)

"From the red shadows and black light of the room, an avenging angel approached. They say that the loveliest angels make the cruellest demons, and she was very lovely indeed. But her fall would not be an accident. She’d been chosen for the damned a long time ago." (Aureate - Ch.20 Nipan)

"Summer in Istanbul meant the streets burned so hot it felt like walking in an oven unless you found sanctuary in the great buildings of the Byzantine and the Ottoman Empire, and the sky was the pale blue of the shallow waters of the Bosphorus. It also meant that by rule, Martín took his breakfast with a cup of coffee, his lunch with two, and his dinner of three cups with a glass of whiskey. When he heard who came to visit him, he called for whiskey early." (Arms of Morpheus - Ch.2)

33. What do you like writing better: one-shots or multi-chapter stuff?

Can I ask for Raquel Murillo? ☺

Sure!!

favourite thing about them: To quote Palermo, “This woman has sex appeal and balls.” I love how she takes challenges head-on and doesn’t let anyone put her down.

least favourite thing about them: Wasn’t a fan of her being reduced to Sergio’s sidekick in parts 3&4. But, once again, this might be my issue with the writing.

favourite line: “If it had been up to me, you’d be rotting in the desert in Algeria right now.” (just that entire scene living in my head rent-free rn)

brOTP: I liked her and Suarez’s team-up in parts 1&2, and then in part 5 - her and Palermo.

OTP: Well of course it's Serquel, what else could it be?

nOTP: Raquel/Angel for obvious reasons

random headcanon: She knew about Martín’s history with Andrés, and that’s why she tolerated him more than some of the other members of the gang.

unpopular opinion: This just came to me as I was writing up the replies, but-- maybe she should’ve gone into the bank from the very start of the heist? Co-captains with Palermo, great communication with the Professor - they would’ve been out of there with no casualties. 

song i associate with them: Wake Up by Arcade Fire

favorite picture of them: She looks so cute and happy here!

6, 8, 11, 12

Hi Kal!!! 💖 Happy seeing you in my inbox!!

I received four asks in a time I didn't check my phone last night and every one included #6. I was like "what is this mystery soft thing everyone wants to know about me???" and then I checked it and my heart simply melted. So thank you for that 💖

6. say three nice things about yourself (three physical and three non-physical).

My frail little Victorian boy hands are very pretty. Anyone but me could break my wrists with ease.

I'm really into writing angst-- I've lately gotten better at writing poetry. It means a lot to me to be noticed for that. I try to notice it enough myself.

I'm... politically active? No but really, I think it's precious to be able to vote in elections, and in the last year I've worked at the polling station at two elections (one was on last Sunday so I suppose that's why it's on my mind) and it's so important to me to feel like I'm doing my part for democracy. I'm constantly pestering my friends to go and vote in elections :D

8. tag someone (or multiple people) who make you feel good.

@es-imposible beloved 💝 I simply fail to tell you enough how much I care for you. I don't know what I'd do without you, and so I made it into everyone's problem when I couldn't reach you. With love. I do hope I can be a good enough friend to you in return. Let's hang out, pick the country.

11. what’s your ideal date?

Dinner somewhere I'd feel at ease, followed by a film we're both excited about at the cinema, followed by a walk on the beach discussing said film and everything else for a couple of hours.

12. how are you?

oh no you’re gonna get me cancelled on tumblr too 🤭

mcu!Steve:

okay so in really simple terms: my opinion on MCU!Steve is that I like the barebones of the character, i like what Steve is supposed to stand for, i like the idea of him looking out for the little guy, i like the idea that he sticks to his principles and what he believes is right, but i don’t like how he’s been developed. i say this a lot but i feel like in basically every single film post TFA - we see Captain America and not Steve Rogers, and it’s really annoying because Captain America can do no wrong(TM) and therefore - the character never faces any consequences for his actions. like literally none. the narrative bends backwards trying to justify Steve’s actions, and it leads to conflicting development, and in some cases - no development at all.

like in TFA, we see Steve defy his superiors and push boundaries and follow what he thinks is right in favour of just following orders, so then why in Avengers 1 and TWS does his arc primarily include him defying authority?? That’s not a growth that Steve needs because we already knew that about Steve. And this spills into CW too, because the idea that Steve goes against the Accords because of the events of TWS makes no sense because that growth means nothing for Steve. Instead, if Steve had actually felt the ramifications of what he and Natasha did - i.e putting an entire covert organisations on blast and likely caused the deaths of good SHIELD agents undercover by burning them - then maybe he would’ve actually understood where Tony was coming. But all of Steve’s actions are treated as good and right and just, because he’s Captain America(TM) (instead of Steve), and it just leads to an extremely frustrating character that’s very hard to like. 

i really like the idea of mcu!Steve, but not the execution. 

mcu!Carol Danvers:

honestly, i really like Carol’s character. i think she has a lot of potential, i have my own personal issues w Brie Larson but she did a pretty good job bringing Carol to life. in terms of Captain Marvel, my only complaint as such is that I feel like sometimes, again, Carol was Captain Marvel instead of Carol. I would’ve liked to see a bit more development of Carol, but also it was the first film and there’s probably going to be stuff in the sequels.

THAT BEING SAID i have major beef with how Carol was dealt with in Endgame. Obviously I know that Carol was only introduced to compete with Diana, but her origin story (absorbing the power of the Tesseract) sets her up perfectly as someone who could’ve had a much bigger role and could’ve even been the one to use the gauntlet (instead of Tony, I am forever mad that Tony died the way he did) and could’ve just lessened the weight on the rest of the Avengers. if done correctly, Carol could’ve been seamlessly integrated in Endgame and positioned in a way that made her being introduced just before Endgame being a strategic decision rather than what it actually was: m*rvel just tryna pretend they’re woke. like they had a chance to fix that with Endgame. but they didn’t. and im super mad about that