#Melo knows he loves him some beautiful women

[astoldbychae]

Miss ma'am has returned from her lil mini trip and is headed to the salon (She only has two clients to ease her back into the work week).

[kyleoreillylover]

𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦’𝘴 𝘢 𝘊𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘥 ✧

Dominik Mysterio x Carmelo Hayes x Fem!Black!Reader

Summary: 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘣 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘊𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘋𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘬. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘢𝘺- 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦'𝘴 𝘢 𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘥. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘊𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘋𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘬 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘦𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶.

Word Count: 7,150 words A/N: I had to write for my 2 husbands, cause they are too fine! This took so long, hope ya'll enjoy! Warnings: Wrestling related violence, allusions to smut but no actual smut written, unwanted advances.

You wore a smirk on your face as you made your way into the arena, your NXT Women's championship shining brightly around your waist.

You reveled in the attention and turning of heads as you strutted to to a secluded corner. Your mini black dress showed off your curves, the long locks of your curly red wig adorned with golden hoops framing your beautiful face. You looked damn good and you knew it.

It wasn’t the attention from the people you wanted, though. But you’d get that soon enough.

You continued walking until you were in front of the locker room, knocking on the door. “Ilja, you in there? Everyone decent?” You didn’t want a repeat of last time.

A deep accented voice yelled back in response, “Come in love!” You pushed the door open and stepped inside, finding your best friend Ilija sitting on one of the benches, lacing up his boots. He looked up at you and gave you a warm smile that turned into a playful grin as he took in your attire.

"You look stunning, love. All this just to be by ringside for my match?" 

You giggled and gave Ilja a playful punch on the arm. "What can I say? You're a very lucky man."

Ilja chuckled, motioning to the empty spot next to him, and you slid onto the bench beside him. "That I am. And I'm gonna need some luck tonight against Bronn." 

You pursed your lips, a concerned look on your face. "You sure you want to do this? I don't want you to getting hurt for me." 

Ilja placed a reassuring hand on your shoulder, his eyes meeting yours. "Don’t worry about me love. Bronn crossed a line with you, and it's time someone kicked his ass. And taking my pick for either the NXT or NXT North American Championships makes it all the more sweeter."

Ilja wasn’t lying, Bronn had taking a lying to you the past few weeks.

Whether it was because he was messing with Ilja and wanted to get under his skin by bothering you, you didn’t know. But what you did know was that you were sick and tired of him breathing down your neck constantly, not taking no for an answer and trying to corner you everywhere and get the two of you alone.

And trust me, you said no plenty of times.

You nodded in agreement, giving Ilja a grateful smile. "I'm glad I get a front row seat to his ass kicking."

"You sure you want to be that close? Especially with Melo and Dominik standing by? I don't want them trying to hurt you.”

You bit your lip, trying to hide your smile at the mention of them. So maybe your intentions with helping your friend weren't entirely innocent, so what! Two of the hottest men in NXT were interested in you, and you weren't about to pass up the opportunity to enjoy some eye candy while watching Ilja make Bronn regret every decision he made.

It all started a few weeks ago after you had a grueling match with Roxanne Perez. You were sweating and making your way to the back, wanting nothing more than to wash all of the pain away.

You were so out of it, not realizing you were walking on autopilot until you bumped into a hard chest. Your body collided with a solid wall, and a strong pair of arms reached out to steady you. Startled, you looked up to see Carmelo, his dark eyes locked onto yours, a faint hint of a smile on his lips.

"Whoa there, sweetheart. You okay?" he asked with genuine concern in his deep voice. Heat rushed to your cheeks as you stammered out a rare embarrassed apology.

"I, uh, I didn't see where I was going. My bad, Melo."

He chuckled, his gaze never leaving yours. "No need to apologize, sweetheart. We all saw the match you had. You killed it, by the way."

You chuckled and smiled at the praise. "Just champ stuff, you know how it is, you're the A champ after all." You pointed towards the shining NXT championship resting on his shoulder. "And trust me, you're a very good champion." you complimented with a playful wink.

Carmelo's grin widened at your flirty tone as he adjusted the title on his shoulder. "You think so, huh? Well, you know game recognizes game."

You raised an eyebrow and played along. "I see that. And what's the game plan here?"

Carmelo leaned in slightly, his voice dropping to a husky whisper. "The game plan, sweetheart, is to get to know you better." His eyes skimmed over your face, lingering on your lips, sending a shiver down your spine. His hungry gaze sent all the air out of your body, leaving you breathless.

But you weren't going to back down, especially this soon. You leaned in closer, your lips tantalizingly close to his ear.

"Is that right?" Your breath tickled his ear, and you could feel his body tense at your proximity.

Carmelo swallowed hard, his gaze never wavering from your lips. "That's right, sweetheart," he replied in a low, seductive voice. "And I think you want the same thing."

Your heart raced as his words sent a thrilling chill down through your body. "Maybe I do." you admitted, your voice barely more than a whisper. Your lips brushed against his earlobe, making him shiver in response. "But you're gonna have to work for it."

Carmelo's hand gently cupped your cheek, and his dark eyes locked onto yours, "I can work with that." he murmured, stepping closer to you, closing the already minimal gap between the two of you. You gave him a sultry smile in response, but before you could speak, a voice echoed through the hallway.

"Look what we have here.” Carmelo rolled his eyes, dropping his hand from your cheek as the both of you pulled away from each other and turned to the cocky voice to see Dominik with a smirk on his face, making his way to you and Carmelo.

"What do you want, Dominik?" Carmelo groaned, giving him a dirty look that made him smirk wider, his eyes scanning over your body before finally meeting your eyes.

"Whoa whoa, calm down." Dominik held up his hands in mock surrender, smirk never leaving his face. "I just overheard this beauty talking about the A championship, so naturally I assumed you were talking about me."

He pointed to his championship belt sitting perfectly around his waist before turning his eyes back to you, extending a hand to you. "Finally nice to meet you, beautiful. And from one amazing champion to another, if you wanna hang out with the true champion instead of a phony, you know where to find me."

Carmelo's nostril's flared as you gave him an amused smile that made Dominik's heart beat out of his chest before accepting his hand. "A charmer. I like it." You held onto his hand a bit longer than necessary, a playful glint in your eye. "It's cute. But not as cute as the two of you fighting over who's the true champion when I'm the one holding it around my waist."

You let go of Dominik's hand and playfully patted the NXT Women's championship that adorned your waist. "But I like the confidence."

Instead of being offended like you thought he'd be, Dominik grinned widely, a heated look in his eyes as he gazed at you. "You're a feisty one, hermosa. I like you."

"And she doesn't like you, so how 'bout you go back to your 'Mami' and leave us alone." Carmelo cut in before you could respond, glaring at Dominik. Dominik glared right back, stepping closer to him.

"What, you jealous she likes me more than you?" Dominik taunted him, getting in his face. Carmelo clenched his jaw, squaring up to him, their faces inches apart.

"You wish. She's just being nice to you."

"Can't handle a little competition?" Dominik couldn't resist pushing Carmelo's buttons even further, a smirk on his face when Carmelo clenched his jaw, giving him a death glare.

"Boys, boys, calm down." You stepped in between them, giving them a seductive gaze when they turned to you. "As entertaining as this has been, and trust me, it's been really entertaining, I have places to be. But if you want to talk to me, just remember; I only like winners."

You left them with a wink before strutting away, the both of them mesmerized by your confident grin and the sway of your hips as you left. The two gave each other one final glare- a promise that the better man would win- before going their separate ways.

And ever since then, the two of them have been flirting with you non-stop and trying to one-up each other.

Whether that was Dominik giving you a bottle of water and leading you his private TJD locker room so you didn't have to wait for a shower, Carmelo offering to give you a ride home before Dominik could because your car broke down with a sly grin on his face as the both of you passed Dominik to the exit, or the both of them never failing to find you no matter where you were and showering you with compliments. And you always fed into them with a smirk on your face before being whisked away by one of your friends or crew before things could go further.

But you wanted things to go further. And you wanted it to happen tonight, and you always got what you want.

You snapped out of your thoughts when Ilja gently touched your shoulder, bringing you back to the conversation. "You okay, love? You don't have to go out with me if you don't want to."

You shook your head, focusing back on him and giving him a reassuring smile. "I'm good, Ilja. And trust me, I want to be out there with you tonight. And Melo and Dominik don't scare me, Carmelo is like a puppy and the only scary thing about Dominik is Rhea. I'll be fine, okay?"

Ilja chuckled and stood up, finished with lacing up his boots. “Okay, then let’s go kick some ass.”

Your heels clacked as you walked to the ring with Ilja, blowing kisses to the fans while Ilja jumped on the ramp, soaking in the cheers from the fans. Carmelo and Dominik were already sitting on commentary, giving each other dirty looks that could kill.

You blew kisses at them as you jumped on the ramp with Ilja, giving them a playful wink when they tore their gazes away from each other and onto you, which didn't go unnoticed by Vic and Booker T.

"Looks like the NXT Champions are more focused on our guest tonight than on the match," Vic teased them, earning a glare from both of them.

"Shut up Vic!" They both said in unison, staring back at each other in surprise. Booker chuckled at them, "Well, who can blame 'em, Vic? When you have a champion like that at ringside, it's hard not to be distracted."

And distracting you were as you leaned against the ring ropes, looking as beautiful as ever, a sly smile playing on your lips. You gave Ilja a side hug and leaned closer to him, your voice a soft, encouraging whisper in his ear. "You got this." He nodded and you gave him one last smile and a fist bump before sliding out of the ring when Bronn's music hit, giving Carmelo and Dom a seductive smile as you sat in between them.

"And joining us is the NXT Women's champion herself, here to support her best friend. Do you think Ilja has what it takes to beat Bronn?"

You smirked at Vic's question, feeling Carmelo and Dom's gazes burning a hole through your skin. "Vic, I wouldn't be out here with these lovely men if I didn't have 100% faith in him in the fact that he is the better him. Plus, I am not friends with losers."

"So what I'm hearing is you'll drop him after he loses his match with me, if he even wins? Cause we all know he's not good enough to beat me."

Dom's smile was devilish as you turned to him, matching his devilish smile with one of your own. "That depends if he even chooses you. I mean, why would he want to challenge for the B championship in the first place?"

Dominik grin widened as he looked at you-he loved it when you got all mean. "Oh, I'm hurt, babe. I thought I was your number one choice."

"You're not even the number one guy here, what makes you think you'd be her number one choice?" Carmelo shot at him, giving you a charming smile that made your skin tingle as Bronn came out the back, making his entrance.

"Sweetheart, don't let this fool bother you." He put his hand on the back of your chair, leaning slightly closer to you with that sexy smile of his, enjoying you batting your eyelashes at him and leaning into him. "You deserve someone who treats you like the lady you are."

"Oh, and that's supposed to be you? Someone who can barely take care of himself? Talk to me when you actually win a match without your little sidekick Trick in your corner." Dominik hissed at him, immediately making Carmelo’s smile shift into a glare as his words hit a nerve.

“Like you don't have 'Mami' by your side all the time. Talk to me when you don't need her to win a match." Carmelo bit back, making them dissolve into another argument. You ignored them in favor for Bronn advancing towards the commentary table, his eyes never leaving yours.

You glared at him as he got closer to you, a smug grin on his face. "After I take that title opportunity from him, I'm gonna take his girl too!" He yelled at you, slamming his hands on the table. That got the attention of the boys, making them pause to see Bronn towering over you, the both of you locked in a stare down.

"You couldn't have me even if you wanted to. Have fun losing, and we all know I don't like losers." You spat back, not backing down from him. He chuckled, the smug grin on his face growing wider.

"We'll see about that, sweetheart." You stood up at the nickname, glaring at him harder before a borage of arms gently pushed you back, and Melo and Dom stepped forward next to you, and if looks could kill Bronn would be lying in his grave right now.

"We got a problem?" Carmelo growled at him, Dominik mirroring his deadly glare as he gently pushed you back into your seat.

"Nah, man. No problem here." Bronn backed away, his grin still wide on his face.

"That's what I thought." Dominik muttered as Bronn left, eyes never leaving his until he went inside the ring.

"Are you all right, sweetheart?" Carmelo asked you, his voice laced with concern as he sat back down next to you.

"Want me to kill him?" Dominik sat on the other side of you, and from anyone else the concern would have felt suffocating. But not with them.

"I'm fine, really. I could've handled him, but I appreciate it." You gave them an appreciative smile that made them relax and share a relieved look with each other before it turned into disdain now that you were alright. You turned your attention back to the match, enjoying Ilja smacking and punching Bronn around. You cheered for every hit Ilja gave Bronn, and your heart pounded with every near fall.

You waved mockingly at Bronn when he got knocked face-first to the floor right in front of the three of you by Ilja. "How did that feel, Bronn?" Dominik mocked him with you, Carmelo trying to hide his smirk as the two of you laughed at his pain. 

"Okay, Ilja!" Carmelo praised when Ilja jumped out the ring and perfectly landed on Bronn, giving him chop after chop, having the upper-hand in the match. That wouldn't last for long though, as Bronn managed to duck from a chop and speared him onto the cold-unforgiving floor. 

You winced at the impact, looking at him worriedly as Bronn gave him punch after punch after punch. You wanted to go and help him, but you knew Ilja had to do this himself. You drew a line though when Bronn grabbed the steel steps, remembering the last time used it with Von Wagner and the pain and utter destruction Bronn caused him. 

You jumped out of your seat, ignoring Melo and Dom trying to pull you back, and rushed towards them, running to Bronn and tried to grab the steel steps from him, your eyes blazing with anger.

"Bronn, enough!" You shouted at him, trying to pull it away from him. He didn't let go, cackling as he looked down at you.

"You have to protect him, how pathetic!" He sneered at you, trying to rip the steel steps out of your grasp. But you refused to let go, and the two of you were in a tug of war over it.

"The only thing pathetic here is you, you can't even take a hint! I. will. never. like. you. Deal with it!" Bronn's smirk faltered at your words and you felt someone suddenly behind you, strong arms pulling you away from the tug of war.

It was Carmelo, his arms wrapped firmly around your waist, pulling you back and away from Bronn and the steel steps. You struggled in his grip, still seething with anger, but you knew he was doing it to protect you.

“Don't let him get to you get to you, babe. He's not worth it.” Carmelo whispered, trying to calm you down.

You gritted your teeth, trying to pull away from his grip. The ref was out of the ring, coming to the two of you. “Everyone out!” He yelled, ejecting everyone from ringside.

“Are you kidding me?!” You yelled back, breaking out of Carmelo’s grip and storming to the ref. “It was his fault! Reprehend him instead of us and do your job properly!!”

It was pure chaos. Ilja was down, you and the ref were getting into a screaming match with Carmelo trying to calm the both of you down, and Bronn watched on with a smile on his face. He laughed while turning away, dropping the steel steps and running right into a smirking Dominik, who was sneaking up on him from behind and tried to hit punch him in the face to cost him the match.

But Bronn grabbed his fist easily before it could hit his face, enjoying the way Dominik's smirk dropped as he panicked.

“Man, you really are stupid, aren’t you?" Bronn taunted, tightening his grip on Dominik's fist. Dominik tried to pull away but Bronn dragged him back and let go of his hand and in one swift move- grabbed his throat and lifted him in the air, putting him in a chokeslam and slamming him onto the ground.

You saw the movement out of the corner of your eye, but didn’t pay it any mind and continued to yell at the ref until you heard yelling and saw Dom on the floor in pain and Bronn carrying the steel steps again, ready to slam it down on him. You pushed past Melo and the ref, running to him and shoving Dom away.

It felt like slow motion when the steel hit your body, the pain overwhelming all your senses, then everything went black. You felt like you were floating, your body weightless despite the heavy pain. You could barely hear anything except the ringing of your ears and the muffled yelling coming around you. You didn't come to until you heard the bell ring hurting your ears and someone lift you up.

Your eyes fluttered open when you felt someone tapping your face, trying to bring you back to consciousness. Your vision was blurred, but you were able to make out Carmelo's voice.

"Oh thank god." Carmelo sighed with relief, but concern still seeped through his voice as he wrapped his arms around your waist, bringing you up to a standing position. "Talk to me sweetheart. How do you feel?"

You groaned in pain, your ribs aching with each breath. "I feel like I got hit by steel, how do you think I feel?"

Carmelo let out a nervous chuckle, relieved to hear your voice. "Your being sarcastic, so that's a good sign."

You winced as you tried to stand on your own, feeling the dull throb of pain in your ribs. The arena lights were too bright, and the sounds around you were still muffled.

"Stay down sweetheart, you're hurt." Carmelo urged, his arms still around you. You pushed away your pride and leaned on him for support. Your hearing became less muffled, and you could now clearly hear the yelling going on. You turned your head towards it, your vision slowly coming into focus.

Dominik was in the ring on top of Bronn who was a bloody pulp, punching him over and over again until his face was bruised and the mat was seeping with his blood. Ilja was being held back by security who tried to control the situation, cursing at them until he saw you awake and standing. Ilja broke free from the security and rushed to your side, concern etched on his face as he gently snatched you away from Carmelo.

"Stay away from her, this is your fault!" Ilja snapped at Carmelo as he pulled you into his arms to check on you, his red eyes darkening even more with anger.

"My fault? Bro, are you kidding me?" Carmelo shouted, eyes wide with anger. "I was trying to protect her!"

"She would't need protecting if the two of you didn't come out! I knew you guys would cause nothing but trouble." Ilja shouted back, his grip gentle yet firm as he gave you a once-over to make sure you were alright.

"She only stepped in cause you couldn't handle your business." Carmelo shot back, running a hand across his forehead in frustration. It was then you noticed his hands were bruised, and your mind flashed back to the yelling you heard while you were down. He must've joined Dom in beating Bronn's face in. You heart raced from their protectiveness, but you also felt a pang of guilt. You also felt your head ache from all the arguing going on.

"Calm down, all of you!" you cried out, your voice cutting through their anger, finally making them stop. You gently eased out of Ilja's arms and stood between the two of them.

"Ilja, it wasn't his fault, he tried to stop me. So if you're gonna be mad at anyone, be mad at me." You gave him a soft but serious look, his red eyes softening at your words. You then turned to Carmelo.

"Carmelo, stop Dom before he get's suspended. And no fighting with him. Ilja, take me to medical. I can barely walk on my own. Anyone object?" The two men were silent, serious looks on their faces as they nodded.

"Let's get you taken care of, love," Ilja spoke, wrapping his arm around you. You let him and leaned on him as support you as the both of you walked to the medic, each step shooting pain throughout your body.

Ilja helped you up onto the examination table and sat next to you, and you winced as you settled into the cold metal surface, the medic walking into the room and gave you a concerned look as he looked over you, poking and prodding at your injuries, making you bite your lip in pain. One particular prod had you hissing in pain, Ilja quickly standing up and glaring at the doctor.

"Are you hurting or helping her?" He growled, making the medic freeze up in fear. You placed a gentle hand on Iljas arm, giving him a pointed look .

"Ilja, calm down." Your eyes flitted from him to his seat, and he reluctantly sat back down. "You can continue, sorry about him." The medic nodded nervously, Ilja's glare did nothing to soothe his nerves. He quickly hurried up the examination, taking note of your injuries.

"Alright, luckily it looks like you have some bruised ribs and a mild sprain on your ankle. Nothing appears to be fractured, but I can't clear you until you are fully healed up. Just rest up with some ice and you'll be fine."

You nodded, thankful that was all it was. The medic handed you some ice and gave you a small smile before leaving the two of you alone to your own devices. Ilja was mumbling angrily under his breath as soon as the door shut, and you sighed and glared at him.

"Ilja, I told you calm down."

"Yeah, let me just shut off all my emotions and calm down after those three hooligans caused you to get hurt." He scoffed. "For Dom out of all people, you know he doesn't care about anyone but himself!"

You sighed and leaned back on the examination table, wincing at the coldness of the ice on your skin. "This was probably his plan in the first place, take my championship opportunity and taunt me by hurting you in the process? I can't believe you'd get hurt for him!"

You winced, this time not just from the cold of the ice but also from Ilja's anger.

"Okay, he might be an asshole but he's not that much of an asshole! And I didn't want to tell you because I didn't know how you'd react, but Dominik and I have been talking, trying to get to know each other. He's not what you think, Ilja. He's…" You searched for the right words, "complicated. But he's not evil. He’s actually really sweet. And Carmelo has been looking out for me too. They both have. I know it's… complicated, but please try to understand."

You could always tell the way Ilja was feeling through his eyes. They were expressive in an away that was simply him. And right now, his fiery red eyes were a mixture of anger, concern, most of all, hurt. You let the silence play out until the was ready to speak. Finally, he let out a long, heavy sigh.

"I…them? Out of all people? Since when?”

You paused, taking a deep breath before continuing. "Since a few weeks ago, after my match with Roxanne. We bumped into each other, and things just sort of... happened. I didn't plan for it, Ilja. It just did. And I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you, but I didn’t want to hurt you. But that ended up happening anyways.”

You turned away from him, looking at the wall instead of his intense gaze that made you feel vulnerable and exposed, like he knew every single one of your thoughts. He reached out, gently turning your face back toward him.

"You didn't hurt me, and I don't care about the title opportunity, I care about you. And seeing you laying there, hurt because of them, it tore me apart. It took everything in me not to lose my mind." His voice was softer now, more raw, and it tugged at your heartstrings.

You set the ice down and reached out to him, placing a hand on his cheek, your thumb gently stroking his skin.

“I’m sorry for worrying you, and for costing you the match. But I'm not sorry for what I did. He would have done the exact same for me, and I know you would have too." You stroked his cheek, your eyes boring into his. "And I'm not asking you to trust them, I'm asking you to trust me."

Ilja was lost in his thoughts for a moment, his hand covering yours, holding it against his cheek. "You're right, I would've done the same thing in a heartbeat. And I trust you more than anyone, you know that. And as much as I'd hate to see you get hurt again, if you trust them, then I support you. But promise me you'll be careful. I don't want to see you hurt like this again."

You nodded, a grin spreading across your face as his words washed over you. "I promise. And if anything happens, I'll let you beat them up."

Ilja let out a soft chuckle and caressed your hand against his cheek. "Deal. And no take backs, so if you see me beating up Dominik you can't get mad."

You giggled, the sound filling up the room and making the tension dissipate. "Deal, but only if he really deserves it." Ilja smiled at your giggling form before pulling you into a hug. You relaxed into his arms, feeling his arms tighten around you as you guys nestled into each other for what felt like hours.

You finally pulled away when he was fully relaxed, a smile playing on his lips as he looked at you. "Now go shower and get my stuff, you stink!" You teased and gave him a playful shove.

Ilja laughed heartily at your comment. "Alright, alright. I'll go freshen up. Jesus, you're injured and you're still beating me up."

You giggled again and pushed him towards the door as best as you could. He rolled his eyes and gave you a warm smile before leaving. Once he left, you hobbled back onto the table and placed the ice back on, shutting your eyes and trying to relax.

Time seemed to blur as you finally let yourself relax after everything that happened, and at one point you must've fallen asleep, cause you were woken up by loud knocking on the door.

"Come in." you called, your voice hoarse. The door creaked open, and in walked in a guilty looking Dominik and a concerned Carmelo trudging behind him. Their eyes softened when they looked at you, going over to you, and Dominik got to you first, his eyes pleasing and red as he reached out to you.

"Mi amor… fuck… I'm so sorry for this, for you getting hurt, for everything. This is all my fault." His hands hovered uncertainly around you, as if he didn't know whether he was allowed to touch. You made the first move, taking his hand and squeezing it.

"Dominik, it's not your fault. I chose to step in, remember? You smiled reassuringly, your voice gentle as you looked into his eyes, seeing the unshed tears in them. "And you're not the one who hurt me. So, stop blaming yourself."

"But I should've handled Bronn myself, mi amor. I shouldn't have let you step in. I should've protected you!" Dominik insisted, his voice heavy with guilt.

"Dom…" You tried to interrupt, but he cut you off with an angry huff.

"No, don't do that. Don't act like it's okay. It's not okay! You got hurt because of me!" Dominik voice got louder with anger, and frustration. He pulled his hand away and ran a hand through his disheveled hair, pacing back and forth in the dimly lit room.

"Dom-"

"This happened because of me-"

"She said it's not your fault!" Carmelo shouted, the room going silent at his outburst. Dominik stopped pacing and looked at him with shock in his eyes at his words that were surprisingly supportive.

You watched as Carmelo walked towards Dominik, a stern look on his face. "I know we don't like each other and you prolly won't listen to me, but listen to her." Carmelo gestured to you, sitting on the table trying not to grimace as you sat up. "She made her choice, and we can't change that. She forgave you, and if she says it's not your fault, then it's not. Blaming yourself won't make yourself feel better. Trust me, dude."

They stared at each other, a tense silence filling the room as Dominik glared at him, a look in your eyes you couldn't place. You couldn't tell if he wanted to beat Carmelo's face in too or comfort you, probably both.

After what felt like hours, Dominik finally let out a heavy sigh and his shoulders slumped. "You're actually right for once."

Carmelo raised an eyebrow, Dominik wasn't actually insulting him for once?

"I am always right."

"Don't push it." And there it is, the classic banter between them. It brought a small smile to your face, despite the pain coursing through your body.

"He is right, Dom." You chimed in, your voice gentle but firm. You gestured for both of them to come to you, and they did, standing in front of you, their expressions still filled with guilt. You reached out, taking one of Dominik's hands and one of Carmelo's, intertwining your fingers with theirs.

"This is nobody's fault except Bronn's. You both tried to protect me, and I appreciate it. And I want no more blaming each other or yourselves for what happened. You can't protect me all the time, and I'm a big girl, I can handle myself, okay? Your voice was soft yet serious as you spoke, giving them a look that meant business.

"And no more fighting. I get that you don't like each other, but I like both of you, and I want you both in my life. I'm not saying be besties, but please don't be at each other's throats every hour of every day. Can we agree on that?"

You didn't know what you were expecting, maybe another argument to come out of this? You held your breath as they shared a look, a silent understanding between them before they turned back to you.

"If it makes you happy, we'll do anything for you. " Carmelo said sincerely, squeezing your hand.

Dominik nodded in agreement, his grip on your hand just as tight. "Even if I don't like it-" He gave Carmelo the side eye before turning back to you. "I'll do it for you."

You gave them a geniune smile, your eyes beaming with happiness. "That's all I ask." You sat up fully and kissed each of their cheeks, before standing up, using the table for support.

"Whoa, whoa, where are you going, mi corazon?" Dominik asked, the both of them quick to support you.

"Ilja was supposed to be back with my stuff, but he's taking forever, so I'm gonna go check on him."

"No need to, we ran into him in the hallway on our way here. We kinda had a talk, and got your stuff." Carmelo confessed, nervously scratching at the back of his head. He gestured towards a bag on the nearby chair. "It's all there."

You gave them an appreciative smile before your furrowed your brows in surprise, a talk with Ilja could range from peaceful to murder. Considering none of them looked like they got into a fight, you figured it went as well as it could.

"What kind of talk? Please tell me he didn't say anything embarrassing, I'll kill him."

They both chuckled, amusement in their eyes. You leaned against both men, leaning your head on Carmelo's shoulder and letting Dominik wrap an arm around you, a teasing smile on his lips. "Don't worry hermosa, he was on his best behavior."

"But it went… well, actually." Carmelo continued, a thoughtful expression on his face. "We had a… heated exchange at first, but he seemed genuinely concerned about you, and, uh, he made it very very clear that we better take care of you right, or there'd be consequences." Carmelo added, his expression turning serious for a moment. "He was kinda intimadting, not gonna lie."

"Intimdating to you. He's not scary to me." Dominik voiced, a proud smirk on his face until you gave him a sharp glare that made him backtrack and tell you the truth.

"Okay, maybe he's a little intimidating," Dominik admitted with a sheepish grin, giving you a quick peck on the forehead. "But only a little. And I can still kick his ass."

"Yeah, in your dreams." Carmelo said with a chuckle. Dominik gave him another glare, but this time it didn't seem as deadly as before. "I totally could! Mi corazon, back me up!" He looked at you with wide eyes, mentally telling you to agree with him.

"Mhm, I'm sure you could." You replied with a playful grin, you and Carmelo laughing at the offended look Dominik gave you.

"Okay, as much as I would love for you to tell me all the ways you can beat up Ilja Dom." you said, still grinning, "I feel like total shit, and all I want to do is sleep this pain away. And I can barely walk, let alone drive. So if you really want to make it up to me, you can drive me back to the hotel."

Dominik's expression softened immediately. "Of course, mi amor. I'll carry you if I have to."

"Like she'll let you, miss independent." Carmelo teased, and you gave him a faux pout.

"Now that you said that, you are absolutely carrying me." You teased back, earning a playful groan from him.

Carmelo rolled his eyes but gave you a smirk. "Whatever the lady wants, the lady gets."

"How come I don't get to carry you?" Dominik whined, making you giggle at him. "You can grab my stuff, sweetie."

"Ya snooze, ya lose, dude." Carmelo smirked at him, laughing when you made grabby hands at him, and he scooped you up in his arms, surprising you with how effortlessly he carried you.

"Wow, someone's been hitting the gym." you teased, playfully poking his bicep. "Very hot."

"You think so?" Carmelo shot you a smug grin. You chuckled and winked at him. "Definitely."

"Alright, show off," Dominik grumbled as he grabbed your bag and followed behind you and Carmelo, but the smile he had on showed you he wasn't actually mad. You wrapped your arms around Carmelo's neck and settled into his arms, feeling safe and comfortable despite the pain, closing your eyes and letting him carry you out of the arena.

You let yourself fall into slumber, ignoring everything else around you until you felt yourself being laid in the car.

"Go back to sleep, mi corazon. We'll be here when you wake up."

You nodded drowsily, seeing a blur of Carmelo and feeling a kiss on your cheek before you drifted back to a deep sleep.

The next time you stirred, it was to the soft murmur of voice and then you felt yourself being pulled from the cozy seat of the car, the chilly air making you curl up into whoever was holding you. You blinked sleepily, your vision slowly clearing as you realized you werein front of the hotel. . Dominik had you in his arms this time, and he looked down at you with a soft smile.

"Hey there, sleeping beauty," Dominik said with a warm smile as he gazed down at you. "We're back at the hotel. Ready to go inside and get some rest?"

You mustered up a sleepy grin, curling up even more into him. He didn't seem to mind, giving you an amused smile and a gentle squeeze. "Yes, please," you mumbled softly, your voice heavy with fatigue.

He carefully carried you inside the hotel, Carmelo trailing behind with all your stuff. It was quiet, soothing music from the speakers making you even more tired. Once you made it up to your floor, Carmelo opened the door, to your room, holding it open for Dominik to carry you inside. You sighed in content as Dominik placed you onto the bed, soft blankets enveloping you in warmth.

"Your clothes are in here, we figured you didn't want to sleep in that dress." Carmelo explained, placing your bag next to the bed. "The bathroom is all yours. Do you need help changing?"

You let out a small chuckle at Carmelo's question. "I think I can manage, but trust me, both of you are more than welcome to join me in the bathroom. You're sweet for asking."

Carmelo's eyebrows shot up in surprise, a playful glint in his eyes as Dominik smirked at the thought. "Trust me, neither of us are opposed to that. But I don't want to hurt you even more.'

"I'll be gentle." Dominik winked at you, making you give him a seductive smile as you slowly made your way to the bathroom."I am gonna shower, relax, wash all this off me, and if you guys really wanna make it up to me, you'll take good care of me and help me take my mind off of this pain. Right?"

Dominik and Carmelo shared a mischievous glance before nodding in agreement.

"Absolutely, mi amor," Dominik said with a grin. "We're gonna be at your service."

Carmelo looked you up and down, his heated gaze making you shiver in anticipation. "Trust me, we'll take good care of you." His voice was low and sexy, making you bite your lip and want him to take you right then and there.

You winked at them before stepping into the bathroom, stripping off your clothes and stepping under the warm water, the heat soothing your body and your pain. You wrapped yourself in a robe once you were done, fixing up your face before stepping out and making your way to the bedroom.

Dominik and Carmelo were sitting on the bed on their phones, but as soon as you entered the room their eyes snapped to you, putting their phones down and looking at you with desire in their eyes.

"Damn, mi amor, you clean up nice.” Dominik praised, patting the spot on the bed between them.

You approached them, the robe lightly falling off your shoulder, a sultry smile playing on your lips. "Are you guys ready to take care of me?”

Carmelo's eyes darkened with lust as he reached out to pull you closer, and you settled between them on the bed. "Oh, we will, baby. We'll take very good care of you."

Carmelo kissed you first, his lips warm and inviting. The softness of his mouth against yours made you hungry with need, his tongue teasing as it prodded into your mouth, and every touch, every kiss sent shivers of pleasure through your body.

Dominik came up from behind you, pulling on your robe until it fell to the floor, revealing the curves of your body. His hands traced the lines of your skin, caressing and kneading the soft skin and leaving a trail of heat on your skin as he kissed your neck, both men bringing you down onto the bed.

Let's just say, they made it up to you, very very well.

[manias-wordcount]

Hii! I'd like to request a oneshot of Ban x F!reader where Ban falls deeper for y/n after hearing her sing for the first time The two of them have known each other since they were kids and ban has feelings for her but is hesitant to confess, Then one night there were lots of customers in the boar hat so Meliodas thought of having some source of entertainment and Elizabeth suggested for y/n to sing bc she heard her sing one time. Ty!! 🥰

Singing as You Smile (Ban x Reader)

𝗔/𝗡: 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲!! 𝗶 𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆 :]

𝙒𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚? ⇒ 𝙈𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩

𝙟𝙤𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙚𝙧?

He used to think your best quality was your smile.

  It was hard not to. It’s the same pretty smile you had since the two of you were kids. Running around, trying to face the world as best as you could. No matter the hardships the two of you faced, you always found a way to bring so much to his life. No matter the things that constantly tried to separate the two of you, you always found your way back to him. No matter how many times he was killed. No matter how many times he was hunted. No matter how many times he fought or he battled or he won or he lost- you always found a way to smile. For him. For others. 

  For yourself. 

   You were the type of person who could just look at a poor, beat-down stranger and make their day better. You were the type of person who could glance at a crying, screaming toddler and get them to calm down. It was all because of the way your lips would tug upwards, and you would expose your pearly whites. It was all because of the way your eyes would glow with so much happiness. It was all because you smiled. It was all because of your smile. No one else deserved that credit. No one but you.

  But now…

  “Sing another one! Sing another one!”

  “You got it!”

  …he’s starting to have second thoughts.

  Ban’s eyes can’t help but scan the faces of the crowd as his hand absently dries mug after mug now that they’ve been thoroughly washed. Surprisingly, orders from the kitchen have slowed down, and he was able to take advantage of this short break to really focus on something else. Though he knows it won’t last that way forever. The night still feels young, and the tavern is jam-packed. Men and women alike were crowding around tables and cheering animated for something. Cheering for you. 

  Because at the center of it all? Past the crowds of drunkards slamming their half-empty cups onto aged wooden tables? Past the stamping of feet against cobblestone floors and contained by the tavern’s sturdy walls? Past all these people who just don’t matter? There’s you. Smiling, your great, big, beautiful smile.

  Smiling, your great, big, beautiful smile as you sing.

  Ban lets out a sigh. He can’t count how many times he had done that since his shift started. For the umpteenth time today, he’s glad all the attention is on you, so there’s no one here to poke fun at his emotions. But could you blame him? You just look so damn pretty when performing for a crowd. Your hair was done up in a style he hadn’t seen you wear before. And your tavern uniform was changed up just the tiniest bit to show that you were more than just some barmaid. That you were more than just bargirl too. That you were a star. That you are a star.

  Tonight and for many more nights to come. 

  He looks away briefly to set the mug in his hand down. It takes him a short amount of time to grab the next one that needs to be dried and to get to work with the same rag that he had been using all night. But it takes him an even shorter amount of time to let his eyes fall back onto you. There it is again. That smile of yours. But it’s accompanied by a lovely voice that he knows could only belong to you. It flies through the air and circles around the room. It fills the ears of everyone, and it travels straight to the heart so it can fill that spot as well. It does everything in its power to create magic. It does everything in its power to create peace. And it’s a melody. A melody so perfect, a melody holy. A melody he swears belongs to the goddesses. Yet it belongs to you. It belongs only to you. And still, you share it. You share your voice with others. With strangers with breaths stained with beer. With friends who are the first to cheer.

  With him. 

  You share your voice with him especially. Just like you share your smile with him. Just like you share your presence with him. Just like you share your life with him. At least, that’s what he likes to believe. Because for a moment during this new song that you’re singing, your eyes slide over to his. As always, your smile is still there. But shining even brighter than before, you sing the words to a song he knows he heard you hum before. And because you’re looking at him, he can’t help but smile back at you too.

  He knows it isn’t as sweet as yours. He knows his lips always form a smirk and his red eyes always hold a type of glint in them that would make anyone guilty of any crime grow scared. He knows that in this moment, he’s not as special as you are. He knows that for all moments that will come after, he will never be as special as you are. As perfect as you are too. Yet somehow…

  When he smiled at you, you seemed to grow brighter. Your perfect voice grows impossibly more perfect. Your words carry so much emotion, and the cheers from the crowd grow louder. Your smile grows, and that halo of light that seems to shine around you? It shines unapologetically. Like this was what you were born to do. Like this is what you were always meant to do. 

  Meant to smile. Meant to sing. Meant to uplift the hearts of the people around you. Meant to bring happiness, and light, and all things good to any person you meet. One song at a time. One smile at a time. One glance at a time.

  When you finally look away, Ban continues to watch you. You continue your performance, and you finish your song. You bask in claps and the cheers of all the patrons. And you listen to the calls for “one more!” with that same too damn pretty across your face. Somewhere off to the side, Elizabeth is looking up at you with utter awe and amazement. Somewhere off to the other side, the Captain is looking smug at the thought of all the money you were bringing in for the tavern. But that all fades away as you start to give the crowd your big smile again. But that all fades away as you open your mouth and you start to sing again. And that all fades away as you smile and as you smile and as you spare just one more glance at him.

  And this time, he doesn’t even have to think about smiling back.

  Because he had never stopped smiling for you in the first place. 

[bby-d1p]

No It doesn’t

buckle up ladies😩

“I don’t like it“ Jania huffed. “what’s wrong J“ I hugged her from behind, ‘This‘ she squished her stomach. “What?“ I didn’t see anything wrong, she had on a green two piece that complemented her dark skin.I faced her blocking her view of the mirror “I don’t know it’s just I don’t like the way my body is shaped, its either you always see my stretch marks or the bulge of my stomach.“ Jania said teary eyed looking up at me. “It doesn’t matter“ I sighed.”Yes it does”she argued “I love and want the way your mind thinks, I wanna know about every scar, every quote on quote imperfection, your body is how I want it.I’m tired of these plastic hoes I want a real barbie like you“ I held on to her waist, looking her in those beautiful grey eyes they twinkled at me with lust,anticipation and love.”Thanks babe I needed that I still think I’m too chubby“ she looked down. “Jania Israel, when are gonna understand baby fuck all of those skinny ass ‘women’ I love you. Out of all the females that could be here right now looking out this big ass window, my arms wrapped around them s we stare out into Australia, you think your to chubby because of a two piece? I love you naked, clothed, in any and every kind of way.”

She kissed me deeply before responding “LaMelo I don’t deserve you, you care to much and pay attention to so many details small or large.You love hard, show affection, make time for me, complement me when I need it most thank you bubba.“she smiled brightly,”we’re staying here tonight.“ I began to unbutton my shirt.”Why?“ She wiped slightly visible tears away.”Because I don’t wanna go out to eat anymore.“ I began to slid down my jeans and she too began to remove her clothing.”So what are we gonna eat?” Jania stared to look for the remote.”well I’m gonna eat you and then we can have dino nuggets if that’s okay?“ She paused getting on the bed.”That’s fine with me“ she shrugged smirking. I took a moment to admire her beauty, her chocolate skin complement the orange lace set I was damn near drooling until I saw white go over her body. A Blanket. “Mama we just talked about this“ I lied next to her tugging at the blanket.”I know you just make me nervous and comfortable at the same time“ her cheeks flushed a nearly invisible shade of pink.”I know one thing“ I smiled at her “and what’s that my love?“ She batted her natural lashes. “I’m hungry fo- me too“ she cut me off sitting up.”Uh uh no ma’am we are not doing that it’s my turn“ I pushed her hand off my length she once palmed. “Mch“ she sucked her teeth.

”Loose it“ I pushed her up against the headboard softly unhooking the orange lace contraption keeping me from what I wanted.“mch“ Jania sucked her teeth once again at my slow pace kissing down her neck.”Baby?“ I smirked,”yes?“ she barley managed to get out as I started to rub her clit. “You’re wet that’s all“ I remove her underwear and my lips from her neck. “I’ll be back shortly ma’am“ I flashed my bright smile at her aggravated face right where I want her.I left our room and walked toward the hall closet. I grabbed the melatonin we keep for the triplets Three kids are TOUGH. I poured wine into two glasses dropping the small pill in her cup. (Melatonin is natural and safe my baby sister takes it every night before bed. he’s not drugging her it’s just a kink somehow💀) I waited for it to fizzle down then walked back in the room. “You’re back“ J kissed my lips standing on her tippy toes making me giggle lightly.”I don’t like what I see“ She took a sip.”what do you mean“ I sat on the bed.”You have on clothes“ she yawned smirking.”Just boxers“I looked down at my lap.”baby I’m tired“ Jania yawned once again, exactly what I needed.After she went to sleep I threw on some sweats and walked out the door locking it behind me.

Jania Pov

I woke up to something cold around my wrists. I smelled my candle Lust from Victoria secret. I felt around in the bed with my feet but Melo wasn’t there.”Baby!” I called out.”You’re awake” LaMelo smiled at me walking in our room. I had my back arched,my face gently rested in a pillow and my hands cuffed together. I shivered as his warm fingers move in a figure eight motions on my clit.I moaned lightly as he began to move his fingers faster in and out of my core which was now dripping.”Fuck” I said as my legs shook.”baby don’t be so hard on yourself, you beautiful and I love it when you make beautiful juices for me” Lamelo said pushing my ass up further while suck on on my pussy. Which caused slurping sounds to erupt against the four grey walls of our bedroom.”Mmm” He hummed sending vibrations down my spine. I tried to lean forward but he just pulled me back down.”don’t run Israel” he grunted only turning me on more.I wished he would have let me finish but, he removed his tongue from my heat and walked toward the dresser,”Bite on this” his voice was coarse and he had a gag ball in his hand.After putting it on he began to speak,”count for me if you mess up we start over” I shook my head in agreement.”shit tight” he mumbled siding his shaft inside my dripping core making me wince a little at his size.”one” I moaned as he slapped my ass cheek leaving a light pink mark.

15 spanks and two nuts later..............

“Shit just like that“ I yelled as Lamelo began to rub my clit endlessly as he delivered each stroke rapidly throwing my legs over his shoulder.”Don’t ever doubt your beauty“ he whispered in my ear leaving trails of wet kisses down my neck.I dug my nails into his back s I started to cum, but felt emptiness; he pulled out. “Look bro you’ve done this too many times I wanna fuck so fuck me“ I grumbled looking at his back muscles. “Wait“ he replied sharply walking out the room. “I’m tried of this bro” I mumbled walking out of the room also. I grabbed his arm, turned him around and slid his shaft in my mouth.I swirled my tongue around his tip teasing him “mmm“ I hummed sending shivers down his spine.Drool started to pour from my mouth but it only turned him on more, to my surprise he grew even harder.I licked from the base all the way to the tip causing him to groan "fuck” loudly. His body jerked violently as ropes of thick cum shot on my face I licked my fingers from the access cum that dripped down.I motioned LaMelo down to my level after wiping the cu moff my face.”I love the taste of cum on your fingers but I prefer it in my pussy” I said lifting my leg up over his dick and running my baby pink nails down his neck”I-I think th- that’s a good idea” he stuttered. “Couch” I spoke “it’s my turn.” I walked over to him and slowly slid down on his rock hard shaft.

“Ooo“ I moaned as he pushed his dick all the way inside.”bounce“ His voice shudder yet still had roughness in it.”yes daddy“ I smiled deviously and began to bounce. “Do you like how tight my cunt his baby?“ I left kisses down his neck.”Mmm“ he groaned.”Words“ I whispered boldly as his large hands moved my waist in a steady motion.”yes I lo-love how t-tight your c-cu-cunt is“ he contained his moans as best as he could.”you’re so wet“ LaMelo started to suck on my left breast while massaging the other.”Fuck I’m close“ I gripped the back of the couch. LaMelo was slamming my hips down so hard I’m sure the neighbors could hear.”You’re so big“ I moaned massaging his balls which made him pause for a moment in pleasure.”Fuck!“ he grunted as loads of his thick cum shot into me while I came as well.”I want you to fuck my dripping cunt from the back and don’t give me mercy.“ I pouted seductively sliding off his member and arching my back on the other part of the charcoal black sectional.”I don;t know where this is coming from but I love it“ he said slamming into me.”Just like that baby yes.” I moaned

“Can you tell me how much you love this dick?” he griped my neck while roughly pounding into to me.”Mhm I love this big dick so much” I cried cumming ”good girl“ he came all over my back.”You are my pride and joy along with our three beautiful girls“ He kissed my forehead and closed his eyes starting to snore lightly.”I love you lamelo“ and with that I fell asleep as well.

Hope you enjoyed💞💞

[drivingsideways]

Hey talk to me about your top three favourite kdrama women. What makes them special? What's a fic you would like to write about any one of them?

Mystery anon! :D What a lovely ask. 

I’m going to cheat a bit and divide my answer into characters I loved a lot, but do not want to write fic about, because I think the canon gives me what I need; and characters that I loved a lot but NEED TO BE RESCUED ZOMG.  (My fic writing impulses are 50% spite and 50% fix-it )

Caveat being that I’ve still watched only maybe a dozen kdramas, so I’m pretty limited in my knowledge!

Characters that I love a lot, but have very zero fic impulses toward:

Han Yeo-jin from Stranger/Secret Forest: What a delight! What an iconique character! Is there anyone like her? NO. LSY-nim gives us a delightfully complex character, and Bae Doona knocks it out of the park in every single scene, so I’m just happy to be along for the ride. I think what makes Yeo-jin special for me is the intrinsic place of empathy that she operates from.  I think “righteous” is a word that often comes with negative connotations (self-righteous, for eg), but I do think she’s one of the most righteous-in-the-good-way characters I’ve watched in kdrama or any drama. I’m tired of stories that portray goodness as “boring” , as unworthy of narrative breadth or depth, and I love that Han Yeo-jin comes to us like a breath of fresh air in our particular dystopian narratives hellscape. She’s good, but never naive. She’s righteous but never cruel in her moral certainties.  I think that LSY nim, in the second season especially, gave Yeo-jin the kind of arc that character deserved when she’s forced to really dig deep into herself to figure out how she’s going to live in the world in the face of a deeply cutting, deeply personal disillusionment, and I’m really hoping for an S3 to see how that plays out further. 

Goo Hae-ryung from Rookie Historian: Ok, I will admit this may be rose tinted glasses view due to this show being my gateway drug into kdrama, but c’mon! She’s a reader! and a Thinker! And loves her wine! She’s plucky! She’s cute! She’s got a wry sense of humour! She’s got principles! She’s got a solid common sense to her that somehow doesn’t get in the way of her dreaming BIG! Oh dear, doesn’t she sound like the Mary-est of Mary Sues? Good for her.gif,  I say! Anyways, Shin Se-kyung is unutterably charming in this (AS IN EVERY SHOW OMG GIRL) and I just have a huge fondness for free-spirited heroines who get to tramp through the narrative changing the world as they do! 

Lee Ji-an from My Ahjussi: I’ve never had my heart broken more OR restored by any single character. IU is *phenomenal * in this, I think she really stepped up to what the script demanded from her. Ji-an’s weariness, her fear and vulnerability, her prickliness, her anger and her bitterness, and how, despite everything, she fights : GOD. Just. Again, what I love about the writing in this show is that it’s deeply empathetic without being cloyingly sentimental. I think a less, hmm, imaginative writer/PD might have focused on the Lee Ji-an the victim, and while the show definitely tells you in no uncertain terms that she is one,  of both circumstances and a cruel society, I think it refuses to take away her agency over her own life.(Lee Ji-an when we meet her is too busy hanging onto life by tooth and claw to indulge in self-pity, but we also see the toll it takes on her not to be able to say “this is too heavy a burden for me to carry myself and it isn’t my fault”; the show I think approaches Dong-hoon from the opposite side- his emotional isolation is partly a result of his own choices, but he doesn’t see it yet, and so his journey is also about letting people in and sharing the burden, but also recovering his own agency over his life. It’s an interestingly gender-bent arc, which is one of the things I love about this show. )

Ok, can I please add one more?

Hwang Han-joo from Melo is my Nature: She just felt SO real to me. She’s someone who doesn’t have the spectacular brilliance of either Jin-joo or Eun-jung, and struggles with accepting her limitations but not allowing herself to be defeated by them? I love her struggles as a mother, as a working woman in a sexist industry, a woman who’s perhaps having to rethink and reimagine what she wants from romance. I love that she’s a little silly, a lot kind, and an optimist, and just. I just think she’s the bravest of the three, tbh, and I LOVE HER AND I WOULD WATCH A SPIN OFF ABOUT JUST HER (i shouldn’t have faves among the three i know, BUT I DO, IT’S HER, IT’S HER.)

Ok! On to the next section! And I’m going to cheat again because I can’t stop at three. SORRY. NOT SORRY. 

Characters I love and SHOULD write fic for if I weren’t such a tired and lazy bunny:  

Song Sa-hui from Rookie Historian: Oh, girl, girl, GIRL. I love how she fights to snatch her freedom from the jaws of the patriarchy. I love that she unapologetically centers herself while doing that, because she knows that nobody else will.  I love that she’s prickly and calculating. I love that she’s smart and knowledgeable. I am SO HAPPY that she got to carve out a little bit of freedom for herself, even if it also is exile to some degree. She *should * be Emperor Jin’s Prime Minister and steering the ship of state, while also carrying on a tumultous affair with Queen Min Woo-hee, while ALSO commiserating with Emperor Jin about his boyfriend Historian Min Woo-won’s regrettable tendency towards Principles (TM) and masochism-but-not-in-the-fun-way. (This takes up much of his time which is why Song Sa-hui is running the country, of course. It works out well for all concerned, well, except her dad, of course.)

Song Ga-gyeong from Search:WWW: What’s NOT to love about our brilliant, beautiful, emotionally tortured gay icon? Nothing, absolutely nothing. I loved how the show allowed her to be flawed and make bad decisions, and then allowed her to make better decisions and regain control of her life. What I do need to do, of course, is see the CANON LOVE STORY between her and Cha Hyeon through to the end. It must, of course, include at least one baseball game, a lot of tequila and messy beach kisses. 

Oh Ji-hwa from Beyond Evil: Oh boy, this year’s runaway hit cleared the extremely low bar for standard crime/ thriller shows by leaving more than one of its female characters breathing and with all limbs intact, and got called feminist for it BUT it didn’t do justice to any of them in any meaningful way and that never hurt more than in the way they sidelined Kim Shin-rok’s talent by not giving Oh Ji-hwa anything much to do. She’s a tough as nails cop, a loving sister, a devoted but unsentimental friend-and by rights SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE HEROINE OF THIS SHOW. My secret fic fantasy is to rewrite the show entirely by making her , and the two other female characters in non-antagonist roles- Yoo Jae-yi and Im Sun-nyeo- as the central characters, as they investigate a serial killer who targets women.  It’s the only acceptable version of this done-to-death (ha!) genre, I have no idea what the Baeksang jury and tumblr fandom is smoking when they hype the show so much, I want none of it. 

Jung Sun-ah from The Devil Judge: I love her rage, her spite, her passionate defense of women, her style, her sexiness, her rage, her rage, her brilliance, her tenaciousness, her smartness, her clothes, her refusal to hate herself for everything she is and chooses to be, her ambition, her comfort wielding power, her EVERYTHING. Dead, her? NOT IF I HAVE ANYTHING TO SAY ABOUT IT. Here’s what *really * happened at the end of canon- she gets out of the building by planting that lady-like but still deadly gun against Kang Yo-han’s temple and making him lead her through his own “secret escape route” or whatever the fuck it was the show wanted us to believe. From there on out, it’s all sunshine and beaches, and scheming and waiting for the right moment to strike again-though of course, this time around, she also has to reckon with vigilant, tenacious cop Soo-hyun -another character who REALLY didn’t die for manpain reasons and had the good sense to leave her gay best friend to follow his psychopath boyfriend to Switzerland or wherever it is that star crossed lovers in kdrama land meet up on the regs these days- anyways, Soo-hyun and her are in this catch-me-if-you-can epic transnational honest and cute cop-and-beautiful sexy villain chase and yes, they WILL kiss (and more) AND IT WILL BE GLORIOUS. 

*whew *

Thanks for coming to my TEDTalk.

[lizacstuff]

Your thoughts on the first episode of the new season? And can we talk about all those parallels? Also I'm loving the summer vibes!

I'm LIVING for the summer vibes! Doesn't everything feel like a breath of fresh air? I definitely feel like new life has been injected into the series. And that new location is so beautiful, I LOVE IT.

As for the episode, I thought it was masterfully done. You could tell Ayse was back and bringing the perfect mix of comedy, romance and drama. And the sparkle! The show sparkles again. The almost two and half hours flew buy, I was on the edge of my seat, and the performances from Hande and Kerem were amazing. Plus I just adore every moment between Serkan and his new nemesis (aka his secret daughter).

On the sober side, I don't care how jerky Serkan got while battling cancer, or how he may have pushed her away, nothing they've shown us so far even begins to justify Eda not telling him about Kiraz, and it certainly doesn't justify her continuing to lie when he's standing right in front of her making overtures (and her daughter is clearly longing for her father). Obviously, there are still many things we don't know and I'm sure there are many flashbacks to come, and Eda has been though so much, but still...I don't see how they will thread that needle and have Eda come out unscathed.

That being said, with this first episode they executed this story so well and it really does give new life to the series, so I won't dwell on the fact that Eda never would have done this. Never. We just have to move past it, accept that it's a soap opera plot device designed to give us an amazing second season packed with all sorts of amazing scenes and just enjoy every minute while it lasts.

(More under the cut)

I'll get to more on Edser later, as for everyone else... silliness abounds.

First... Erdem cheated on Leyla? WHAT!?!?! With whom? But I guess that was a clean way to explain Leyla leaving.

Engin and Piril, I love that Engin is staying home with their son, and that young actor is a cutie! As for Piril... GRRRRRR... she is still on my shitlist. Last time it was for betraying Eda (and Serkan) by enabling Selin's reign of terror, this time it's by betraying her friend and business partner Serkan! Good grief. If Piril just found out recently at the start of this project I could accept on her holding off because it's not her secret to run off and tell, but what I can't accept is her actively working against Serkan finding out. Even if in this episode she had gently said to Eda... "do you think maybe it's time you told him?" it would be a lot easier to swallow... but nope! She's acting like it would be the end of the world if Serkan found out. I sincerely hope that when everyone finds out and Engin finds out Piril knew, it causes problems between them. She deserves that.

She remains my second least favorite character. Who was my least favorite character this episode? Oh you know! Awful Ayfer is back! We got a reprieve from her in the last arc, but she's back to her annoying, controlling, Serkan-hating ways. Eda is a mother, an international award-winning landscape architect and business owner and she still has to lie to Ayfer because she's such a pain-in-the-ass? Watching her is going to be a trial.

Even though it feels like both Aydan and Ayfer were reset to zero character development, and Aydan has done worse (keeping the fact that Serkan was alive from Eda) I still find her a much easier character to take. Probably because Neslihan is a much better comedic actress, so she's a lot more entertaining. But... Aydan's been with Kemal for 5 years and hasn't told Serkan? WHY? I can't believe Kemal didn't give her an ultimatum years ago. I was loving, however, Serkan being in the way for both Aydan/Kemal and Engin/Piril. GOOD. Those people caused problems for him at one point or another or were in the way, it was nice to see him return the favor. I like Kemal and am still hoping they'll do a parallel "not knowing your father thing" and reveal he's Serkan's bio dad while Serkan is finding out he had a child he never knew about.

Melo and Seyfi were their awesome supportive, funny selves. It was great to see both of them, I'm so glad they stayed.

As for the new characters, love the kids. The new hotel manager is apparently ditzy and starstruck over Serkan, and I don't really understand how she's going to be integrated into the cast, but I love that she was used as a device to show us that Serkan has zero interest in any woman who is not Eda Yildiz. Eda's assistant seems like he'll be a fine side character. As for Burak, he seems harmless, obviously he has feeling for Eda that she does not reciprocate (fuck off Ayfer trying to push her on him) but hopefully they don't make him a psycho like Deniz. I did think he was a bit out of line to Serkan. Isn't that his cafe? And a customer has his glass spilled by a child in his care, and he insults him instead of apologizing? That is the worst customer service I've ever seen! He's a character that could wear on me quickly, we shall see. Kiraz can't help but be sassy because of genetics, but some of the adults in her life seem to be modeling rude behavior!

Now on to Eda and Serkan, I can't say enough about Hande and Kerem's acting in this episode. Phenomenal! They were both brilliant. Plus both are doing a great job working off of Maya (especially Kerem) those scenes were priceless. I don't often enjoy kids on shows, but so far I'm loving this dynamic.

As for Edser, while we don't know everything yet it feels like Serkan got to a point where he couldn't stand to see Eda in pain and putting her life on hold, he outright mentioned that she might not have graduated if they'd stayed together, and so that was part of the reason he reverted to his robot self and pushed her away. I'm going to guess she tried and tried and he was just unyielding. Saying he didn't want to get married or have kids in the harshest way possible. Perhaps even she went to tell him that she was pregnant and he went off on not wanting kids before she could even tell him. Time will tell.

At this juncture, my best guess is Eda's fear is rooted in rejection. It can't be that she thinks Serkan is a terrible person that doesn't deserve to know his child, or would be detrimental to Kiraz. However, she knows what it feels like to be rejected by Serkan, I'm sure she was beyond devastated, so I'm guessing now she's bent on protecting her daughter from feeling that same rejection. She fears if he found out, but wanted nothing to do with her, it would feel worse than him not knowing. She's not thinking clearly and perhaps it hasn't even occurred to her that the man she fell in love with is still under there and that man is fully capable of opening his heart wide to their child.

The fact that this child, a stranger to him, already has him wrapped around her little finger to the tune of being late to meetings while he waits for her to pick berries, speaks volumes.

The lies that Eda is telling Kiraz though... there is a fairy tale poetry to Eda saying her father is among the stars... but there was no way this would ever end well. Such a bad idea. Eda.... has made mistakes.

As for Eda and Serkan, their reunion was so bitter sweet. The way Serkan was sure he was hallucinating her and couldn't believe she was real, speaks to the fact that his thinking he saw her that morning was not an anomaly. It must happen all the time. She's never left his thoughts in 5 years. Especially since Engin makes it clear that women throw themselves at Serkan all the time, and he never bites. That's a lot of years celebrate, pining after a love he lost through his own actions. Though it's not that surprising that he didn't pursue other women, as he's never been a character who was motivated by sex. Which makes it hilarious that during his presentation that's where his mind was at, remembering their intimate times together. Serkan Bolat is an Edasexual.

Serkan seemed to want to brush past what happened between them, how they ended, but from Eda's pain, it's clear it was gut-wrenching and tragic and that's something he's going to need to recon with in the coming episodes. But how refreshing that they actually talked! That Eda actually expressed her pain to him! Wowza, that's a change from recent episodes when they didn't even have a proper conversation after he got his memory back.

The flashback scenes were a combination of pure brilliance and pain. Just rip out my heart why don't you. Serkan's angry reactions seem very believable for someone suffering what he was going through. I think it's typical to lash out at the person closest to you. And their fear and pain, their commitment to getting him better and seeing it through... those scenes were made all the more heartbreaking knowing that they didn't make it out the other side intact.

On a lighter note, I loved how even despite their intention and best efforts to remain closed off to one another, and away from one another, they couldn't. Physically, Serkan couldn't stay away, and every time Eda was in his presence you saw her resolve slip and her start to feel that old pull towards him. The fact that Eda thinks there's any way to keep this secret and get rid of him, she must just be in full panic mode and not thinking clearly. She's never going to shake him.

Thank goodness Serkan came back and actually issued a sincere apology for what he said at coffee. He definitely owed her one, but what was extraordinary is that it showed that the growth he went through when they were together didn't regress. He was able to apologize and explain that he was angry and hurt and that's why it happened. If you remember from the first time around, saying sorry was something he was just unable to do, so this felt big to me. He's not the same robot Bolat, she left an indelible mark on him.

As for him making her present her proposal, it's really not out-of-line for the professional relationship, however, we all know he did it just so he had an excuse to be around her. That man will take any excuse, plus he likes to get a rise out of her.

The dinner scene was breathtaking. How beautiful and achingly romantic was that setting? Wowza. And what a roller coaster of emotion those scenes were. It was great to watch them talk and laugh. Who didn't swoon when he deveined her shrimp and when she gave him fries? But we had to know it wouldn't last. Eda's speech had me breathless. Serkan had that coming, it hurt but it had to happen. What a relief to see them get things out in the open. Now I hope we get to see them really talk about what happened and why. Explain yourself Serkan!

As for the next episode, I was so hopeful that the Kiraz secret would be out after the final scene, but the first fragman makes it look like that's not going to happen, at least not at the start of the episode. My fear is that if Eda outright lies to him that just makes everything worse. The longer she keeps it from him, when they're back in each other's orbits and it's clear he's not running away, it makes her more and more at fault.

In any case, it looks like we're in for some fabulous scene so I look forward to the second episode!

[thescorpioracer]

Sen Çal Kapımı 1 - Episode Recap

To be honest, this series of posts is mostly going to be a fashion roast. But DISCLAIMER! I really do love this show and Turkish TV in general, it’s just my preferred mode of media analysis is to pick things apart. 😂And I need everyone to know that I am very pro-women, and believe people should be able to dress how they want and not be judged for it or be looked down upon for it. But oh my god this wardrobe department/costumer needs to be STOPPED. I also have zero credentials to be talking about fashion, but will that stop me?

I’m going to make these posts assuming you’ve watched the show, and just comment on whatever comes up. There will be spoilers. Let’s go!

We start off with a voiceover from Eda Yıldız, an A+ romcom trope. (It wasn’t until my rewatch that I remembered that Eda used to do VOs at random intervals, and I’m kind of glad she stopped tbh.) She is a strong woman who wants to get her education and become a landscape architect/designer. She was all set to do that until- dun dun dun! - Serkan Bolat destroyed everything. 

Check out that dart board of a man (and this is the only time we see that photo there). And these outfits are probably the most normal and reasonable clothes she wears in the show. She’s a beautiful young woman, who was a college student, and now works outdoors as a florist. 10/10 outfit. 

Of course that transitions us into an epic slomo of Serkan exiting his private jet. He of course begins to berate his assistant on the phone in a way a friend described as reminiscent of The Devil Wears Prada.

@teamnick​​‘s commentary back when she first started the show. 

Serkan returns to his office for the first time in 2 months after working on business deals in London. Chaos ensues: Miranda Priestly is baaaaaaack.

See... here we have some good fashion choices! We meet the girls for the first time, while they try to sneak off to their graduation without making Eda feel bad that she won’t be receiving her diploma. Melek “Melo” is dressed in a sweet dress with a bold, romantic color, which captures her personality perfectly. Ceren, the rich daughter from a family of lawyers, looks a bit more high-fashion. The dress is short but it has long sleeves and no cleavage so it works out to be chic and elegant. Fifi is unapologetically herself with her full-black, punk wardrobe. Eda is again dressed in a pretty, but casual outfit. Nicely put together for her lower-middle-class lifestyle and her job as a florist.

Enter: the plot device to get our protagonists together. Serkan’s face says it all.

We are then introduced to the main couple’s respective cars. Serkan has his 2020 BMW (though the show blocks out the copyrighted branding) while Eda’s beat up SUV is clearly unreliable. What’s that? Another plot device being introduced? I have no idea what you’re talking about.

Also, I just noticed this, but for someone as uptight as Serkan, I’m surprised at how fun his suit jacket lining is. If I’m not mistaken the pattern is of a bunch of rainbow fish. #Snazzy, but they seem out of character?

Plot highlights:

Eda learns she can come back to school and finish her final year, but she’s lost her scholarship and will have to pay. She can’t.

Serkan gives his talk at the graduation (?)-- Is his talk just for architecture students? If so, why are Ceren, Fifi, and Melo there? We’ll never know. I know, I know... it’s all for the ~plot~

Eda calls Serkan out in front of everyone for taking away the scholarship that she earned from his company, Art Life. He is confused but unrepentant. She refuses to tell him her name.

She tries to deface his car with lipstick after keying the side (we never hear about the damage to his car after that). He catches her and wants to call the police, so she impulsively handcuffs them together with the plot devices from Selin’s wedding invitation sitting on his passenger seat.

They then have to go to Serkan’s urgent business meeting with an out-of-town client. Eda drives while they’re handcuffed together. Bickering ensues.

What is this? Foreshadowing? Symbolism?? Eda’s last name “Yıldız” is the Turkish word for “star” so... file that away for later.

One of my favorite parts about watching Turkish dramas is the experience of trying to decipher the fan translations. Add to the fact that Turkish only has 1 pronoun *chef’s kiss* 

Eda refuses to take the elevator to the 15th floor (we’ll learn about her claustrophobia later). Serkan is equally as stubborn, saying she owes  him for screwing up his day. But he has met his match in Eda with regards to stubbornness. They take the stairs.

More highlights:

First instance of fake dating - they need to hide the handcuffs from his client so Eda pretends she’s his girlfriend and a fellow investor.

The girls track Eda’s phone to the hotel and try to find her by asking around the premises. 

Eda charms the client into selling his land to Serkan.

We learn that Serkan is allergic to strawberries and has a lot of health anxiety. He’s a very tightly wound person.

Serkan says “Mashallah,” translator hears 🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️

Engin brings way too many people to open the handcuffs and chaos ensues.

I feel like nothing can do justice to the comedy of 58:45 to 1:00:00 with Fifi using a bobby pin as a lock pick. The dramatic editing is 👌🏼

Leyla gets fired for somehow causing this drama??? And she is so happy to leave that stressful workplace omg, we don’t deserve her 🥺

Serkan and Eda go their separate ways, Eda prepared to never see her enemy again, but of course her phone and purse are still in his car so she has to go to his office at Art Life and confront him again.

Serkan has found out that Whoops, Art Life did cancel the study abroad scholarships to cut costs, but his CFO did it without telling him. And Serkan is pissed, but I think mainly about the fact that Eda did have some (SOME) grounds for yelling at him in public.

Leyla then explains the nonsensical reasoning behind her being fired-but-not-fired and still working. (Spoiler alert: she never goes anywhere and she is my favorite side character to this day).

Eda: “How can I piss Serkan off?” Leyla: “Find a mistake he’s made and he will fixate on it forever. But you won’t find anything.” Eda: “Hold my beer.”

Eda walks into Serkan’s office and his meeting. She gets her purse back and they fight about him not being willing to apologize for ruining her life and education. He refuses and says she owes him an apology for embarrassing him in public (no, dude).

He wants to give her back the scholarship and make it all go away but she rightly tells him that it won’t fix her broken pride from begging the company and her university for a second chance. But somehow her calling him a heartless “Robot” is what gets to him???? And he short-circuits. Eda walks out triumphant. 

~dRaMa!~

MEANWHILE

Melo, as well as being a perfume sales girl, also works as a flight attendant and wants Eda to cover her shift (we’ll get into how that doesn’t make sense in a minute) 

Eda says no, she’s going to meet her boyfriend, Cenk, who she hasn’t seen in months and has just returned from Italy.

Enter: Selin. Serkan’s ex who he dumped a while ago and is now engaged to the heir of a hotel empire. Serkan doesn’t like this. The two of them grew up together and are set to each inherit 50% of the holding company that Serkan’s father currently runs.

Right away Selin serves us with a gender reveal level color scheme.  Personally not a fan. They confirm that Serkan is coming to her engagement party tomorrow.

Meanwhile Eda  meets up with Cenk. Her outfit is still reasonable and cute for her character. He looks mildly like a hobo and doesn’t seem to have anything going for him (I know he’s a throwaway character but the two of them really don’t have anything in common).

This creeper keeps staring at them, but Cenk tries to explain it away and says he’s busy and can’t meet her again until the day after tomorrow. Eda is disappointed but accepts this. Creeper girl remains and remains a red flag to viewers, but apparently not to Eda.

Cut to later that evening, and of course our broody main man enjoys astronomy in his free time (???) idk what he’s charting and to what purpose but okay? 

Eda finds a mini first aid kit in her purse that Serkan put there before returning it. Queue montage of them treating their respective wrists for handcuff-related injuries. #couplegoals

Of course we also needed a sepia-toned flashback to earlier that day when the handcuffs contrived their faces to get too close together. #romance

Finallyyyyyyy it’s morning again and a new day.

Since Eda can’t see Cenk (good, he’s so boring), she agrees to fill in as a flight attendant for Melo, who’s side job is for a private plane company.

Now. This should not be a thing. Eda was in college to be a landscape architect and now works as a florist for her aunt... Where has she learned any relevant skills to work as a flight attendant?? Presumably nowhere. And I really don’t think a private plane company would be so easygoing about just having a random person fill in to cover for her friend? 

But does this show care about that? What do you think...

Also, instead of the standard white shirt, black skirt uniform requirements, the girls decide that this skimpy dress and heels is fine? Hmmm

Also lol @ Melo for assuming that the client who wants jasmine tea and fruit salad is probably a woman. And her telling Eda that the PRIVATE JET COMPANY would in fact have its own tea was very random and unnecessary. 

Back at the Bolat house compound, we meet the parents: Aydan and Alptekin. We’ll see them again later. Selin’s engagement party is today. 

Meanwhile Eda is just.... being a flight attendant, I guess??? And who could possibly be the passenger she has to take care of? Take a wild guess. Of course it’s Serkan Bolat.

And of course that tiny dress (THAT ALSO HAS A LEG SLIT?? WHY?? I really don’t need to see her vagina) looks very practical and professional... not! (Hande Erçel is a gorgeous human, and the dress looks good on her, don’t get me wrong. BUT THIS IS SITUATIONALLY INCORRECT ATTIRE). Also him just folding his vest and then social distancing from it... K? 😂

Eda panics and doesn’t want Serkan to see her and runs away back to her seat pod thing - Serkan takes issue with his fruit salad for ~plot reasons~ (EDIT: I’ve been informed that it’s because there was a strawberry in his fruit salad and since he’s allergic, of course it needed to be fixed. Why doesn’t the plane have a note of that??) and comes back to find this mystery flight attendant.

Eda is very stressed out about this encounter and is also starting to have a panic attack because, surprise, she’s also claustrophobic. 

After Serkan calms her down, they have a cute/civil conversation for the rest of the flight.

When they land, Eda realizes they’re on an island 2h45min away from Istanbul and she isn’t sure what to do with herself (How did she not already know where they were going, as the FLIGHT ATTENDANT??? So may red flags with this private jet company).

Serkan convinces Eda to come with him and she can hang out at the beach while he’s at Selin’s engagement party.

At the engagement party we finally meet Selin’s fiancé Ferit. He’s sweet and non-threatening and clearly insecure about Serkan being Selin’s ex.

This dress/skirt outfit Selin is wearing isn’t terrible, but it doesn’t scream rich socialite to me. Anything with feathers seems... a bit tacky/too showy? Like someone pretending to be rich? Idk, this outfit isn’t one I’m going to really take a stand on.

Does this engagement party warrant being a 2h45 min flight away? No. They try to explain it away as the couple wanting to have something small and private, even though they also invite the press?? But okay whatever, as long as Serkan and Eda cross paths again, I suppose.

Kaan Karadağ has been mentioned a couple times in passing, but now we finally meet our “villain.” Ferit’s friend, and Serkan & Selin’s childhood acquaintance, who has it out for Serkan bc he somehow bankrupted Kaan’s dad? Idk and I don’t really care but tl;dr they’re enemies. 

Another thing I love about Turkish dramas is the censoring. Like, they’ll allow alcohol to be on screen, but they won’t say the word and they’ll just blur out the bottle and any liquid that we’d assume is alcoholic 😂

In the evening, Serkan is tired and wants to leave and Ferit snidely jokes about how Serkan is too picky to have a fiancé of his own. Serkan flashes back to 1 entire day ago when he and Eda pretended to be dating at his business meeting, and says that actually he is engaged to someone and then peaces out.

Serkan finds Eda on the beach, and they are preparing to leave when a crowd of people (Selin, Ferit, and Kaan mainly), arrive to get a peek at Serkan’s new “fiancé.” Eda very reluctantly plays along (good thing she has that unnecessarily sexy “work” dress to help her look the part) and Serkan notices that for the first time ever, Selin is jealous of another woman. #drama

After they finally escape the crowd, Serkan makes an annoyed Eda an offer: Pretend to be his fiancé for the 2 months leading up to Selin’s wedding so he can get them to break up and prevent Ferit marrying into the company. In return, he will pay all the fees to help her complete her last year of studies in Italy.

Eda refuses, stating that she doesn’t want anything from him, and besides she has a boyfriend (Sure Jan; Cenk is such a joke). They have it out and then fly back to Istanbul. But of course the gossips at the engagement have spread the news of Serkan’s new woman so the paparazzi corner them at the airport when they land. 

So glad that we got to see this random mechanic find out the news (???)

They escape the cameras and Serkan takes her home, saying that Art Life has a press conference tomorrow, and she should come so he can save face and tell everyone that she was his assistant accompanying him for work to the party. Eda agrees. 

It should also be mentioned that Serkan still doesn’t know her name at this point?? She refused to tell him and Engin still hasn’t sent him the names of the scholarship candidates so it’s a bit miraculous that their relationship was at all believable.

The next day, Cenk wants to meet but Eda has to go to the press conference. The girls come too for whatever reason, and Melo is convinced that Cenk wants to propose. Eda just lets that fantasy take hold (why tho?), and Cenk shows up unexpectedly right before the press conference and takes Eda into the nearby hotel’s cafe so they can talk.

Eda seems ready for a proposal (they haven’t seen each other or really communicated in months??) but Cenk wants to break up. Eda is shocked (???) but then Cenk mentions that he has a new girlfriend from Italy that he adores, and oh by the way, it’s the creepy girl from the other night who also happens to be here right now?

Okay fine, I guess??? Cenk: “She’s doesn’t speak Turkish” Girlfriend: *clearly a Turkish actress*

Eda is upset that he brought his jealous girlfriend with him to break up with her and says something about how actually, she’s seeing Serkan Bolat now (maybe it’s just me being someone who doesn’t follow tabloids, but are business people really that popular in every day society where everyone knows who they are?). Cenk laughs at Eda, saying that everyone wants to be with Serkan Bolat, and that she’s bluffing.

Eda makes an impulsive decision, and walks away, over to where Serkan has started the press conference. And seals their fate as fake dating in the public eye.

Queue confetti. No really.

And there we have it. That’s the episode!

In all seriousness, it’s a pretty great pilot, especially for a romcom. It hits all the right beats, includes enough tropes, and tells us a lot about what we should expect in the episodes going forward. And no matter how much I make fun of it, I really do enjoy this show! It’s been such a nice distraction from Current Events. I’ve spent a lot of time watching these episodes just saying “oh my god” out loud to myself as I watch all of the cute/romantic gestures that give me a lot of second hand embarrassment (I forget that PDA makes me kinda uncomfortable 😂).

There wasn’t actually that much terrible fashion in this episode, which I didn’t notice until my rewatch. If I continue with this series of posts, I’m hoping they’ll end up being less plot-centric, and more about the situationally inappropriate outfits and strange subtitling choices. 

See you next time? 

[ladylillianrose]

Thoughts on Episode 11 (take 2):

SPOILERS BELOW!!

Alright I’ll get this out there right now…OMG OMG OMG OMG!!! AHHHHHHHH!!! ASDFGHJKL!!!

I haven’t fangirl squeed like this since the Max/Zoey moments in Episode 12 (Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist)!!

*deep breaths* okay I’m calm….for the moment.

I’ll go into everything else before I touch on Serkan and Eda.

I really really really hate how Selin treats Ferit, he deserves better, someone who truly loves him. Honestly I’m kind of hoping he will decide to leave Selin at the altar. A man can only be ignored for another man so many times before he’s done!

Ayfer’s reaction to the contract is a bit over the top, granted she didn’t have all the facts, but still it’s not as though they eloped and are actually married. Especially because she is now deceiving Eda with the scholarship money, which we all know Eda will find out the truth about.

Aydan’s talk with Eda is not terribly surprising all things considered. Yes they’ve grown close and Eda has helped them all, but Aydan is not a woman who embraces change. Selin is the model wife for Serkan, she will listen to whatever Aydan says and wants (something Eda does not do), and because Serkan is not in love with Selin their marriage should ve “safe” from heartaches. Aydan wants to keep her only child close and to protect him from the world, even at the cost of losing the woman he loves.

I’m glad all the girls know the truth now, it was hard for Eda to deceive everyone, though in the end she wasn’t acting anymore, she does love Serkan. But it was causing a strain on the friendship so I’m pleased that they all made up.

I love Eda and Leyla’s relationship. Eda has helped Leyla grow and Leyla has gotten easier and I’m 100% here for sassy/snarky Leyla!

I really do love Engin, he’s just so sweet but clueless when it comes to the women in his life.

So I realized writing my last post that Engin is in a similar situation to Sekan with the two women in his life. On the one hand there is the woman who they’ve known, worked with a d been friends with for years, who has feelings for them (Piril/Selin). And on the other you have the newcomer who helps pull them out of their shell, gets to know the real them outside of work (Engin claims to have a life outside of work, but we have yet to see proof if it), and they are so different from the other women in their lives like a breath of fresh air (Ceren/Eda).

I hope that Engin forgives Ceren because I like them together, they’re adorable and sweet together.

Alptekin’s bombshell, wow, I mean WOW! It definitely sheds light onto why Eda doesn’t want her grandmother’s money. They say the money is Eda’s by right, which it would be since she lost both her parents. It would also explain why Eda and her grandmother do not speak, Eda would see taking the money as a betrayal to her parent’s memories. If Alptekin covered it all up, he would have paid an exorbitant amount of money to the family to keep it from being investigated or in the news (something neither family would want as it would be unseemly). Eda views the money as blood/hush money, gotten at the cost of her parent’s lives, so she wants no part of it. I think this will make the fact that Ayfer went to her mother for the money for Eda, a bigger issue for Eda, with Ayfer going behind her back against her wishes.

The way Ayfer insists that Eda have nothing to do with any of the Bolat’s makes me wonder if she knows that the holding is responsible for the death of Eda’s parents and that Alptekin is the one who arranged to have it covered up.

Now onto our favorite couple!!

The interlocked hands and cheek kiss in front of Selin and Ferit were just so natural, they both forgot that they were just playing parts.🥰🥰

Telling Serkan’s fortune with the song? Oh yes most assuredly, and of course now we have the reason for the show name (apparently it is also Piril’s actress doing the singing, which is lovely and awesome)

I love Ceren and Engin offering advice and the parallel shots/dialogue. Engin is really trying to get Serkan to realise that Eda does love him!

Ugh and the sleeping on “their” sides of the bed with the picture and guitar pick?😭😭😭 Also I love that the picture is from when they had to “make up” after a “fight” on the balcony while the girls listened in. You know Melo was the one to take the picture, print it out and give it to him (I love her and Serkan’s relationship!)

Lmao at the watch coming back! Always beeping around Eda, despite his claims that the watch is broken he still wears it 🤣🤣😉

The doctor’s rose house and story were so lovely and beautiful. That is totally going to be their home together, he had her designing the house and gardens to what she would want. She even said she would want to live in a house like that (so would I!). He could use it once it’s all fixed as the place to truly propose!🥰🥰🥰

Serkan desperately trying to keep Eda at his side in the office. He’s just so sure that she wants to get away from him because she doesn’t like him. 🥺🥺🥺

Bless Seyfi for always looking out for team Edser! He knows who and what Serkan needs! (If this was Shakespeare, Seyfi would be Robin Goodfellow/Puck bringingnour lovers together). And Eda dropping everything to be at his side.

Also Eda telling Selin she would stay with him, despite Selin saying that Serkan likes to be alone when he is sick. Selin may have known him for longer, but she only knows the facade that Serkan puts up to keep people at a distance. Eda knows the real Serkan, he trusts her and is open with her in a way he isn’t with anyone else.

Telling one another’s fortunes with pages from The Little Prince was so sweet (made me want to go back and read it again since it’s been at least 20 years since I last read it).

Serkan’s painful memories 😭😭😭🥺🥺🥺. My heart aches for him so. I feel for the whole family, but he was so young and he needed love and support, but instead was sent away. It sheds light on why he’s so reserved with his emotions and trust, and I hope he will be able to share the whole story with Eda (and us) someday.

“Eda do not leave me.” “I’ll go too. Wherever you want.” 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥰🥰🥰🥰 Serkan is so vulnerable here. And of course he doesn’t remember any of it until it’s almost too late!!!

Eda telling Selin the truth, ugh my heart 💔💔💔. And then looking like she might faint from the stress and heartbreak of it (though she’s fainted less and less with Serkan around to help with her anxiety/stress, though he has caused his fair share too!)

I was wondering when we would get to see Sirius again! Sweet boy just wants Mom and Dad to be happy together. And Serkan trying to use Sirius as an excuse to see Eda again😭😭😭

Serkan giving us a heart attack calling Selin to meet him. I don’t think he ever intended to say yes to Selin, he was just stalling for more time till he could come up with a different solution. I certainly hope Selin gets a bit of a backbone after this realizing that she needs to stop dropping everything for Serkan (even when it isn’t him doing the calling/asking).

Serkan making the taxi pullover, declaring that Eda is his bride, and taking charge!😍😍😍🔥🔥🔥 Serkan is always hot, but there is something about him taking control that is just 🔥🔥🔥🥵🥵🥵

Asking about packing flip flops in her suitcase because it is so light 🤣🤣🤣. Serkan mark my words she will get you in a pair of flip flops someday!

The confession🥰🥰🥰 so complete them, arguing, talking about how Serkan can’t get her out of his head! ❤❤

And finally a real kiss!!! All their other almost kisses (and the first kiss) are so charged with UST (which I love), but this one was so sweet, loving and romantic!😍😍😍😍

Now I’m off to watch the end of the episode and the fragman for 12 on repeat until next Wednesday!!

Alright I think that was everything I had written before. If not I’m sure I’ll add some random posts later lol.

[yourpakichic]

Episode 18 Thoughts

-Eda having to pull him together and telling him that they will figure it out TOGETHER.... my heart hurts and I’m not even 5 minutes into this episode.

-HIS PASSWORD IS THE COORDINATES TO HER STAR? ROMANTIC ROBOT! That was literally soooo sweet!

-The little hint of happiness in Eda’s eyes when she proves that he’s innocent. She’s just so happy to prove to him that he didn’t make a mistake.

-Not at Eda thinking Erdem set up Serkan, lol girl it’s Erdem!

-MELO! I MISSED HER!-What’s Serkan’s play here? I’m confused.

-Alptekin does have a point. Aidan needs to take some responsibility. Both of them need to be parents to Serkan.

-I really don’t understand where this Selin/Eda fight came from. Like it doesn’t even make sense to me. First of all, Eda just downright saying that Selin is the culprit was just weird. And second, this fight and Serkan yelling at Eda for Selin. It all just doesn’t even seem right or true to the story. Idk, it just seemed like a weird turn to take at this point.

-If he takes that ring off because of what Ayfer said I’m gonna lose it! One thing, Serkan has always been kind to Ayfer regardless of the situations. He’s been honest and speaks to her with respect. He’s never avoided her confrontations or been dishonest or been disrespectful. He understands her concern as Eda’s guardian and takes it seriously and really listens to her requests.

-Okay say what you will, but the living together proposal between Engin/Pyril was cute! I know they are the most random couple and kind of weird but I actually love it! I wasn’t feeling it originally but I don’t know, I guess they are growing on me now!

-Aidan/Serkan scenes are my favorite! They just have the cutest mother/son relationship! Her gift to him is so adorable and heartfelt! As a child, there’s so much you being home and things you show your parents that you don’t think they will keep it or remember it. But the fact that she kept that drawing of his and other drawings just goes to show that she really loves her son.

-Melo trying to find a man on campus..... that is me.

-My jaw literally dropped when I saw Serkan show up at the library. My heart is already exploding!

-I SWEAR! The men on this show are so clueless about women! They share one brain cell! The way Ferit didn’t even pick up on Jeren’s mood, like bruh! I swear they are all useless! Jeren is a queen though for getting up and leaving rather than entertaining that conversation with Ferit!

-THE LIBRARY SCENE WAS EVERYTHING! I am so fulfilled! They gave me everything I wanted and more! Serkan trying to talk to Eda and Eda not having any of it and then Eda getting loud and confrontational while Serkan tries to get her to quite down! Only for him to get lost in her and observe her beauty and then getting kicked out! IT WAS PERFECT, PERFECT I SAY! Gosh I’m so happy! -The walking together scene was absolutely adorable! Eda always presents a new perspective to look at things and that’s what Serkan loves about her! His gift to her was very thoughtful! It seems very small and insignificant but it’s actually so thoughtful! It’s his way of showing his support in her educational efforts. It’s his way of expressing wanting her to have the best of the best when it comes to her career. It’s his way of saying he can’t wait to see her imagination come to life. ️

-I would have loved a longer walk sequence with them just walking in that beautiful atmosphere and talking about life as that beautiful background score plays on and on.

-The little smile Eda gives out after seeing their picture in the book. It’s like a reassurance that she’s still In his heart. That he still thinks of her. That he still remembers her. Because sometimes even when it’s all over, you hold on with the idea that you’re not forgotten. That parts of you might still be around. That the heart that was once open to you hadn’t closed yet. And maybe, just maybe, there is still a chance.

-Efe knows how to sweet talk and I can see him doing so and getting Selin to help him in his plans to take down Serkan.

-Ayfer/Eda/Serkan leaving the house scene was EPIC! JUST CANNOT HANDLE IT!

-Serkan’s reaction to seeing his mom in his house and the way he looks at Eda like a blessing he doesn’t deserve! THEY HAVE MY HEART.

-Aidan saying what we all were thinking! Girl go live in a hotel, why you moving into Serkan’s place!

-I REALLY THOUGHT THEY WERE GONNA KISS. The close proximity. The little tease smile from Eda. Serkan leaning his head forward. They really fooled me. My heart almost gave up!

-SERKAN NEEDS TO LEARN HOW TO SAY NO TO SELIN. Man really said yes let’s have dinner together. Because the love of my life already doesn’t hate me enough and suspects me, let me go have dinner with you in front of her! I swear to god. One brain cell. All the men share one brain cell. And right now, Ferit it the one carrying it around.

-Eda using her conversation with Efe to mess with Serkan was hilarious! And his jealousy was just clown behavior!

-As much as I hate Efe, his style is so cute! The way he dresses! I would love to see Serkan dress like that! Like the suits and the dressing up looks good but it’s be nice to see him in a different attire.

-Efe just confessed? Just like that? And that’s it? That’s all we get? Eda just saying okay. Eda made such a big deal at the beginning of the episode and knowing Eda’s character, she wouldn’t have just let him off the hook. It’s unusual that Eda tries to stop Serkan from being direct with Efe. I wanted more from this reveal. After all, Serkan has every right to be pissed and every right to go off on Efe. I know Eda is grateful to Efe for the opportunities he’s provided her but it just doesn’t make sense that she just let him off the hook that easily. It just doesn’t.

-Well that was very non-dramatic ending. 

Overall: Okay so like this episode definitely had some issues but overall it was still enjoyable! It didn’t have me at the edge of the seat the whole time but I enjoyed the seeing the progress in a lot of the relationships and dynamics of the show! I think in this episode, they strayed a bit from Eda’s character and I hope they get back onto the proper route!

Fragman: HOLY FUCK. The first scene in the fragman. My mouth dropped to the floor. I’m excited but I’m also nervous. I genuinely hope that Selin doesn’t find out the truth before Eda does because that would be unfair! Eda doesn’t deserve to hear the reason behind her breakup with Serkan in an accidental way and that too from Selin’s mouth. There’s clearly a big confrontation between Eda/Serkan which seems to heading in the way of Serkan telling Eda the truth and I hope it continues on that route. I would gladly just accept Serkan being honest with Eda about his feelings and reassuring her that there is nothing between him and Selin in this episode. I don’t want Eda to think that Selin and Serkan are a thing and then on top of that find out the truth. I think she needs to first be assured that Serkan love her and her only and then proceed with telling the truth. For some reason, I think Selin barging in like that between their confrontation will be the end scene. I feel like the truth might actually be revealed in the 20th episode of anything.

[nawaazishein]

As always I am late to the game 'cause I took 4 pages worth of notes while watching and that took forever. Ama neyse – thoughts on Sen Çal Kapımı episode 8:

Generally: 

While I spent a good part of the episode incredibly angry at a very specific person (hint: this time it is not Selin or Kaan), it turned out to be one of my favorite episodes so far, I think. The angsty hoe in me was thriving. I’ve read that people would’ve wanted more “shippy” stuff, for Eda and Serkan to make up at the end of the episode, a lot more progression in their relationship but I couldn’t disagree more. To me, there’s been incredible progress for not just our main couple… Serkan:

The main theme in this week’s episode was trust; Melo somewhat blindly trust people too easily, Ferit mistrusting Selin, but most of all Serkan no trusting literally anyone except himself.

I was very angry at Serkan Bey all throughout the episode and wanted to shoot very different things in his head than Eda… 90% of my Serkan-related notes were “I WANNA SMACK HIM SO HARD!” or “Serkan looked like he was about to combust because of rage. YES, SUFFER!” but oh well…

We learned that his trust issues are related to his past and the way his parents raised him. Alptekin says that he is to blame for this, that he raised Serkan as a “protector” and that it lead to him being like that. Serkan mentions at the end that it has nothing to do with other people, it’s just the way he was brought up. All in all, we got little snippets of where these issues come from but not a lot more than that, which honestly makes me wonder how this is related to his past. I’m gonna go so far as to say that almost all the people close to him (his mother, Engin, Pırıl, Selin) have always stood by him, no matter how badly he treated them (e.g. the way he yelled at them in the “Git!” scene), so where does trust come into play? My guess would be there is a lot more emotional trauma to be unraveled and we’ll get to know more about that in the future. Anyway, while I was incredibly angry at the, I wanna say, “blind rage” this triggered in him, how he put up his walls again and mostly how he treated Eda seemingly without an ounce of regret, I think we also saw him working through a lot internally. I’m talking about the impact being away from Eda had on him. He was constantly reminded of her, he wanted to know where she was, wanted to hear her voice, found excuses to see her. Every look he gave her in the scenes they had together spoke volumes about what was going on inside him, the turmoil, the want to apologize but not being able to. I think at this point, there’s no doubt in his mind that Serkan cannot lose her and that he loves her.

Eda:

My girl, my çiçeğim, my strong little warrior. Almost all my notes regarding Eda this epi had “YEEEESS!” written at the end because I was rooting for her so much. We get to see two sides of Eda this episode. 

On the one hand she is absolutely heartbroken by what Serkan did. She’s as hurt over Serkan seemingly reconciling with Selin, as Eda is made to believe, as she is over him questioning her integrity and loyalty. Right from the start, no matter how much she hated Serkan Bolat, she has always opened up to her mistakes and has always wanted to fix them. She values integrity a lot, and for Serkan to believe she did this even though they’ve gotten to know and understand one another understandably hurt her way more than the Selin thing ever could.

On the other hand, we get to see Eda (once again) ready to stand up for herself, no matter what. She’s ready to fight her battles with her head held high and I love that so much about her. Of course she does falter, she does get overwhelmed by her emotions and tear up, she is so deeply hurt by all of this, but she pulls through and stands her ground. I love this duality we get to see.

So far we haven’t learned a lot about Eda’s past except for that her parents died and her relationship with her grandma is on the rocks but I feel like that’s not all there is to it. I can’t put it in words but the way she carried herself throughout this, always trying to keep her composure and self-respect, has my gut feeling saying there’s more to her story than we’re anticipating. The mother figures/the girl gang/the women:

Something that stood out for me this episode was the level of support all these women showed for one another this episode. Ayfer is a wonderful guardian to her “little ones”. She always supports them unconditionall. Even though she might not agree with their choices, she gives advice and let’s them make of that what they will (e.g. her telling Melo that something about Kaan is not right), and she will always try to protect them from who is hurting them (e.g. her talk with Serkan). Aydan, as I said, is growing on me sooo much! I feel we’ve already seen so much “character development” in such a short amount of time and I love it. As we know, her son is her world and she doesn’t like Eda but nevertheless she acknowledges that her son is not perfect and what he did was wrong, which I’m not sure she would’ve done at the beginning of the contract. She tells him that this is no way to treat a woman and I especially loved that she not exclusively talked about Eda, but a little more generally, this is no way to treat anybody. I feel like, as I said before, there’s more to Serkan’s issues than we know and Aydan hints are something here, too, possibly something more in the direction of anger issues? I’m not sure but what I wanna say, this conversation didn’t seem like it was just about “That’s not how you treat a woman”. 

Oh, and the girl gang. @mnmississippi​  wonderfully said “Yes, love love love seeing strong women support each other and there were so many examples in the episode. I also appreciate that the girls have different goals and dreams but will help each other out (no one makes fun of Melo for being a dreamy romantic, the girls are fine w/ not knowing what mysterious Fifi does, Ceren doesn't make a big deal about being richer than the other girls.” and I absolutely agree. We get so see so many multi-layered and distinctive female charactes all supporting one another, no questions asked. I especially want to mention the scene in which the girls find out Kaan did it because wow, my heart… the way Melo teared up and immediately started apologizing to Eda for not realizing he did it, the way Eda didn’t hesistate for a single second and immediately went to hug her and apologized herself. I teared up myself. 

Selin:

I’ma keep this short because I cannot stand her. Yes, that means Bige is doing a great job playing a villain but oh my God, do I hate her. Her character lacks depth and intention and I don’t know what her goal is here. I’m not sure she knows, tbh. We get to hear her say things like “If she even has a little pride, she won’t come back.” about Eda and “Serkan is not a man I can spend my life with.” because apparently she loves Ferit and wants to start a life with him, but a couple of hours later she runs to pay Serkan a visit at night and sucks up to him so bad??? The stable scene physically made me cringe so hard, like, just make up for mind and life with that. Stop running after your ex and focus on your fiancé, who is an actual good egg imo. Someone on twitter said that Eda needs to “punch that hoe in the boob” and I wholeheartedly agree. Pırıl/Engin/Ceren:

It's an up and down with this love triangle for me. I thought I wanted an Engin/Pırıl ship last episodes, but this episode had some ambiguous glances between Engin/Ceren and Pırıl once again being a workaholic nightmare that I’m going back and forth on this one. We’ll see. Alptekin:

Yeah, we got a liiiittle more information about him but I’ma reserve judgement until we get to see a little more. I don’t know what to make of him this episode tbh.

Scenes I loved/that made me scream:

The scene where Serkan looks at the pictures he’d printed of them and the mug turning from red to black. I honestly needed a break after that!

Literally every scene of Seyfi being so salty towards Serkan and Leyla’s “My executioner has returned”.

Usually I don’t like obvious product placements, but if it gets me more Serkan Bolat in a shower then give me all of them!

The scene where the girls find out about Kaan and Melo starts crying. That shit was beautiful.

Eda coming up with a mindblowing concept for the project – although the drawings we saw were way more than a couple of days or even weeks worth of work, there’s no way she did that in a day or two.

Her giving him the ring and leaving. “This game is over, Serkan Bolat!” which means that everything that comes next will be real and based on feelings. Sign. Me. the. Fuck. Up. 

Random things:

Bige’s eyes… I don’t think I have ever seen eyes that blue. It’s been eight episodes but they still make my take me off guard every time I see her.

Why did Erdem move in, though? Just for comic relief because of the proximity to Fifi?

Pırıl’s legs in that pink dress were… a lot.

Hande needs to share her eyelash routine asap! And God, she looked how in that white skirt... damn

Speaking of hot, the cinematorgraphy… we got a lot of nice side-profile shots and... How is it that perky?!?! Ok damn, Bürsin.

[kdramaxoxo]

You said that you make reviews of kdramas you have seen and remember . So if by any chance you have watched and still remember coffee prince , would you recommend it . Thank you for your time . I just want to start a new drama featuring gong yoo to be honest .😁😁😁♥️♥️♥️♥️

Absolutely. Recommending Coffee Prince is exactly what I’d love to do right now.

Coffee Prince

About This K-Drama: Go Eun Chan has been dressing “like a boy” to support her family. Choi Han Kyul mistakes her for a boy and hires her to be his fake boyfriend to avoid being set up by his grandmother. His rich family makes him manage coffee shop where Eun Chan gets hired as a boy and has to hide her true identity. What starts as a bromance, soon becomes a romance. 

The Good Stuff:

Fake dating: Fake dating is fun and ridiculous and this one is a fake gay relationship. Plus you KNOW they’ll end up liking one another a bit right?

Gender-Bending: (where the person has to pretend to be the opposite gender because of “reasons”). It’s always a little gay (if it’s done right) and I’m so here for that, plus the ridiculous scrambling to hide the secret is always entertaining. 

Gong Yoo’s Character is 100% Bi: Even though you can’t be queer in k-dramas, this show gets as close to gay as I’ve ever seen in an older k-drama. There’s a ton of melo angst and the romance is beautiful. They get it right by making him like her BEFORE he knows she’s a girl (thus, bi or gay confirmed).

Great Chemistry: Gong Yoo and Yoon Eun-Hye are so great together as two guys palling around and then two guys pining, and then two guys in love. Even when she’s finally revealed, they are so cute together and the kisses (!!)

Kim Jae Wook: Kim Jae Wook is so young in this! He plays a super sexy waffle maker who is kinda goth...*heart eyes*. 

Strong Women: Both of the main women in coffee prince are independent and unique. Eun chan is a soft and in love badass tomboy, and Yoo Ji is successful artist with a free spirit (why she can’t let her boyfriend go is beyond me).

The Bad Stuff:

Some tacky jokes: whenever a k-drama does gay or anything close to it, it can make some cringe-y mistakes. This one does a pretty good job but is sometimes a bit sexist or homophobic (though not as much as you’d think)

The second couple: Argh, I found the second lead really mope-y and annoying, and to be honest I could never figure out why Eun Chan liked the guy. I felt like the couple both used the Eun Chan and Han Kyul as leverage to hurt the other, and while that’s pretty honest and happens, it was hard to watch. I kinda wish they had just broken up and stayed broken up.

In conclusion: Coffee prince is one of my favorite dramas!! I’ve watched it twice and loved it both times. It’s the closest to gay romance I’ve seen in a k-drama and while sometimes it feels “old” in it’s humor and storyline, it’s a Real Good One.

[fairyshuuu]

On air (M)

Genre: Fluff (?), smut in the next part  Length: 4.2k Warnings: mild sexual hints Author”s note: I cut the part in two because it was getting a bit too long, so all the smut will be in the next part.

Part 1 | Part 2 |

You like people. You really do. It’s just that sometimes, they can get a bit loud, and you’ll be the first to run and hide. Which is why you do not, at all, belong in a reality TV show. But when the leader or your group announced it with a smile and an excited hop, you thought that it wouldn’t be so bad. And that surely, surely, the producers would have asked someone like Lilly, your group member and almost like your excited little sister, with a voice of gold, or your same-aged sister Minhee, with her wit and intellect, and flawless face. But still, here you are, in a room full of managers and producers, and camera crew, and other celebrities, who are no doubt way more famous than you are. Your group has only debuted about a year ago, with powerful music, and even more powerful dancing, that has, in words of your manager, taken the world by storm. He’s quite melo-dramatic.

You’re sat in your chair, curiously peering around the filled room, and bow your head politely every time a new face enters, that you don’t immediately recognize. You’re sat next to Yuta from the boy group NCT, since the two of you have been on stage together before. He’s a well-behaved, soft-spoken young man, though that attitude seems to take a one-eighty on stage more often than not. You can relate. Sometimes, being in front of that many people is a lot more comfortable when you put on a confident front. Yuta talks softly, a nice background noise as he points all the people he recognizes to you, laughing a bit when you gape at a familiar name of face. You guys you would consider the two of you friends.

When everyone is seated, you look around the room at all the people who will be starring with you. There’s some very familiar variety stars, like Kim Heechul, who are nicely listening to the briefing about the show. You’re going to be living with these people for a month, in a show called Roommates. One of the managers clears his throat, so you turn to him with all the attention you can muster.

“Right. Thank you all for coming here today, we are glad to have all of you here. The show will air in about three months, starting on September 2nd. Now for the house rules. For everyone’s safety and comfort, you each have a pager that calls a staff member. Not that we are expecting anything to happen, but should a situation occur, you are safe with your pager. The women and men have sleeping rooms on opposite sides of the house, that you share with one other person, so please keep that in mind and respect other’s people’s boundaries.”

He pushes up his glasses, and turns to Heechul. “That means, don’t leave your underwear out in public, Heechul.” Everyone laughs softly as the confronted man puts on a dramatic shocked face, before the manager continues. “There are camera’s and mics in every room of the apartment, except for the shower and toilet, of course. We will also cut down the footage, so any parts that might be considered less than PG will be cut out of the airing. Make no mistake, there is strictly-”

The briefing is cut short when the door of the meeting room is pushed open with multiple soft apologies, as a man with a black baseball cap covering his face enters, bowing deeply to the managers and other people collected. He takes a seat then, right opposite from you, putting down his gym bag next to him. “I’m so sorry I’m late.” You bite your lip, as you look at the man who is still looking down so that his hat is covering his face from you. That voice sounds so familiar. “Our dance practice got prolonged, since Chanyeol kept messing up his moves.” When he lifts his head at the laughter of others, you just hold in a gasp. 

That’s Kim Minseok. The actual Kim Minseok, Xiumin from Exo, the group that got you to audition as an idol yourself. His pitch black hair is pushed back from his face, tucked under the baseball cap. He’s make-up free, with his perfect brows and perfect lips on display, as he blinks a couple of times, nodding his head at Yuta. You know that they are quite familiar with each other, Exo and Nct, as groups of the same company. Your group has debuted under SM as well, but you’ve never gotten the chance to see them in person.

Minseok’s sharp dark eyes move from Yuta to you then, making your entire body tingle under his gaze. God- could you be any more of a fangirl? You just lick your lips, and look back at the manager now he resumes his briefing, but you can feel Minseok’s eyes bore into you from across the table, where he sits slumped in his seat a bit. “Good to see you join us, Minseok.” He pushes up his glasses, and continues. After a second, your eyes flash over to the shape in front of you though, in his sleeveless top, revealing his trained off arms, that make you swallow. You catch Minseok’s eyes again, and are this time too enchanted to look away. “As I was saying, there is strictly no fraternizing with your co-stars. If we catch ear of any more than suspicious activity, you will be kicked from the show immediately.” 

Though the words reach you, they don’t really process. Minseok tilts his head back a little when you blink at him, looking at you with a painfully neutral expression. Why the hell is he looking at you like that, what is going through his head? “I know there will be a lot of attractive people collected in one house, but any sexual activity with the others is against the rules.” Minseok peeks out his tongue ever so slowly, as you lean back in your chair as far ass possible to disguise the thumping of your chest. How can a single person be that attractive? He cocks his head ever so slightly, before winking at you, and then tearing his eyes away from you completely, the spell broken. You seem to have totally blanked out the last part of the briefing, so you look up quickly, as you swallow the tight feeling in your chest. Did Kim Minseok really just wink at you?

“If there are any further questions, please contact your managers. They have been briefed, so any questions can be forwarded to them. Okay, I think that is all for today. You are free to go.” People applaud, bowing and thanking people for their hard work, as you sit blankly staring at your hands. What just happened? When people are standing up, you look up from your daze, to watch Kim Minseok leave his seat, laughing with Heechul about something. Yuta stands up next to you too, tapping your shoulder softly. “Hey, are you okay? You look a little pale.” You look up at the brown haired man, who is giving you a worried frown, and push yourself up.

“Yeah. Totally fine. I just kind of blanked out.” You smile, looking over Yuta’s shoulder to just see Minseok leave the room, running a hand through his hair before putting his cap back on, while talking animatedly with some of the others. You just take a deep breath in and shake your head. You must have just imagined that entire thing. There’s no way in hell Kim freaking Minseok would wink at you like that. You give Yuta a soft smile then, and nod your head to the door, as you take your jacket. “Want to go get some coffee? I think I need it.”

--

The next time you see Minseok is on the practice round of the show, though you do everything in your power to ignore him completely. You will not be caught staring at a member of one of the most popular groups like a love-struck fangirl for the life of you. In the meantime, Yuta has introduced you to RM, the tall and handsome leader of Bts, who is both smart and funny. Or more accurately, punny. You laugh happily along with something RM has said, when an arm brushes yours. It’s barely there, but sends a shiver down your spine, so you look behind you. Minseok, dressed in a sleeveless blue sweater, is walking past, talking to a woman you don’t recognize. She’s an actor, you think. They smile to each other in conversation, as you blink in confusion. He doesn’t even acknowledge you. You turn back to your own conversation, sighing deeply. Does that man only have sleeveless shirts, or what? RM beams down at you with an adorable smile, Yuta swinging an arm around you. You don’t really know what they are talking about, but laugh along anyway, deciding to not pay any attention to the raven haired man anymore. You will not let yourself go crazy this easily.

Rehearsals go quite quickly, as the camera man point out the do’s and don’ts in the apartment, and show each of you your rooms. You’re sleeping with an singer you recognize quite well, who introduces herself as Sunmi. She’s beautiful, and very sweet, introducing herself with a bow, even though she’s both older, and a sunbae. When all of the people are ready viewing their rooms, they call you all to collect in the living room. Yuta walks over with a triumphant grin.

“Guess who I’m sleeping with?” He beams, poking your sides enthusiastically. You just pull up your shoulders, allowing him to spill his clear giddiness. “Kim Heechul.” He slaps your back excitedly, before looking around the room, for said man. Seems there’s someone else that doesn’t want to show his fanboy side. When you both spot Heechul in conversation with Sunmi, and the other woman Minseok was talking to earlier, he turns to you. “Who are you sleeping with?”

You hum, nodding your head while you speak. “Sunmi. She’s lovely, I’m glad I don’t feel too shy around her.”

Yuta grins, shaking his head. “Shy? I’ve seen you on stage, Y/N. You’re anything but shy.”

“And I’ve seen you off stage,” you point out, nodding at RM who walks over politely, continuing, “don’t tell me you’re the same person off and on stage.” You grin when a blush spreads over Yuta’s face. “Who are you sleeping with, RM?”

RM pulls his fingers through his brassy hair, that complements his skin color nicely, and smiles. “Lee Hyungsong. He’s a musical actor.”

Yuta nods. “I’ve seen some of his stuff. It’s very impressive what he can do with his voice.” As the two boys lose themselves in conversation, you bite your lip and look around, unable to help yourself. You don’t immediately spot Minseok, which makes you kind of relieved. But curiosity does crawl over you. You tap your hands on your thighs, before just blurting it out.

“Do any of you know who Kim Minseok sleeps with?” Both men look at you when you question it, small frowns coming on their face.

It’s Yuta who speaks up first. “Uhm, no idea. Why do you ask?”

It’s then you want to slap yourself for your question then. What normal reason would any person have to question something like that. Luckily, RM cuts in before Yuta get’s too weirded out. “I think he’s roomed with Kang Daniel.”

“Oh,” you nod, eyeing your shoes, “just… it’s crazy to have someone like him in the same program as me, you know. I really love his music.” Both RM and Yuta nod, agreeing with your explanation as you let out a breath in relief.

RM smiles softly then, looking at you now. “I really love your music as well, Y/N.” He points his fingers, before clumsily starting to dance your last hit’s point move, while you laugh loudly. Yuta grins and joins in too then, and eventually you too, the tree of you laughing loudly. It’s only when someone clears their throat behind you, that you stop mid-move, lowering your hands awkwardly.

Of course, it’s Minseok, who’s stood behind you three, and holds out a hand to RM. “Namjoon, nice to see you again. Congratulations on the success with DNA.” RM smiles widely, dimple appearing as he shakes the shorter man’s hand.

“You too. I really enjoyed Power, the dance moves are very cool.” Minseok bows his head a little in gratitude, before giving Yuta a hand as well, while you take a step back in embarrassment. Yuta happily shakes his sunbae’s hand, pulling him into a small hug in the process. Minseok laughs and pats his back a couple of times, before breaking away.

“How are all the Dream boys doing, Yuta? You guys should bring the whole gang over again soon, I’ll convince Junmyeon.” He smiles, while Yuta happily thanks the older man, agreeing with a smile. It’s only then, when he takes a step back, and turns to you. He still has a friendly smile, though when he takes you in, his eyes seem to tell a different story. They rake all the way up your body, resting on your lips for way longer than necessary, where you are sinking your teeth into them, before connecting his eyes with yours and giving you a hand. When he speaks, his voice is smooth, and deeper than you remember it to be, the words rolling off his tongue easily. “I don’t think we’ve met yet. Exo’s Xiumin. It’s very nice to meet you, Y/N, I’m quite the fan of your work.” When you stare at him with wide eyes for a second, shaking his hand absentmindedly, he laughs, the melody making your heart shake even harder. “Your dances are harder than most male dances, it’s very impressive.”

“Ah, thank you,” you mumble, lowering your eyes from his mischievous cat-like ones, “I’m a big fan of your work, also.”

Something lights up in Minseok’s eyes, as he leans forward. “You’re an Exo fan?” He asks, a gummy grin on display now.

You quickly look up, surprised at his closeness as you scramble back your answer. “Well, I follow your dances, mostly. I don’t- don’t exactly have the time to be an Exo fan.”

“Hmm,” he takes a step back, to your relief, tilting his head cutely. How can someone go from soul-crushingly sexy to adorable that quickly? “but you know about us, right? Who is your favorite?” He raises his eyebrows playfully, as his jaw moves back and forward, waiting for an answer that you will not give him, not in a million years. Truth is, you always thought the maknae was your favorite, with his perfect jawline and incredible dance moves, but now you’re starting to doubt everything.

“Don’t have one.” You shrug, hoping he just takes the answer, so you can get him to bother someone else and let your heart intact.

Minseok groans at that though, a sound that makes your eyes widen. “Oh, come on. Everyone has a favorite. Is it Junmyeon?” He asks, receiving a small denying shake of your head in turn. He smiles. “Yixing? Baekhyun? Jongdae?” At each name you give a negative answer, as your mind runs at options as for how to get out of this situation. “Chanyeol? Kyungsoo? Kai?” You breathe in deeply when he get’s to the end of the line, his eyes swimming with amusement now. He looks like he’s enjoying your suffering, as he bites down his lip teasingly. “Sehun?”

You just take a deep breath, deciding you are done with the games. You’re not going to let this man drive you crazy like this. “Sehun.” You nod, enjoying the small twitch in his brow as you give him a deviant look. “I really like his dancing, and he’s so handsome.” Though his eyes glare for a second, he recovers quickly, putting on his professional smile again.

He looks around the small circle of people, as if forgotten they were there at all, and puts his hands in his pockets. “I’ll be sure to tell him. Maybe he can take you out some time then.” You just nod, putting on a brave face, as Minseok grins widely, shaking his head at himself. “Well, I’ll see you around, Y/N.” He waves a hand, before turning around, and walking off towards some of the other people talking. You take a deep breath when watching his retreating form, and his muscular arms, before facing the other two men again.

Yuta’s eyes flick between you and Minseok a couple of times, before he rests on you, eyes wide and questioning. “What was that all about?”

You just feign innocence, and pout at him in question. “What was what?”

“That. That whole conversation there. Minseok is normally not like that… and you’re not like that either.” He points at you with a finger, as you shrug, and wrap your hand around his to make his finger bend back in.

“I have no clue what you’re taking about, Yuta.”

--

The day that rings the actual day of filming is upon you now, as your group members cheer you off excitedly. Your leader Soomin smiles proudly, and pulls you in for a hug for the last time. “Have fun! Be careful! And don’t dance the entire night away, Y/N. I have put Yuta on Y/N watch, so you better get your sleep in.”

You smile at her, and pat your belly with a pout. “I’m our groups main dancer. I don’t want to get mushy.” Right when you finish speaking, someone swings their arms around you, placing a kiss on your cheek with a giggle.

“You’re already mushy, missy.” Minhee beams, turning you towards her. She pokes your cheeks then, laughing brightly. “Right here.” Another poke on your lips. “And here.” Then, her eyes gleam with mischief, and before you know it, she has thrown you over her shoulder with an amused squeal, and the laughter of your other group members. “And right here!” She announces loudly, while you shake with laughter, and slaps your butt.

“Minhee!!” You yelp then, and wiggle out of her hold with a flushed face, looking around the parking lot. All twelve people who will be staying in the house are preparing to go inside after all, and you are sure most of them have caught what just occurred. Daniel smiles widely, giving you a knowing nod, before you turn to her with a fake frown. “Are you crazy?! I should have you arrested, or something.” You glare at her, before breaking out in a laugh, as she hugs you again.

Suddenly, sniffles fill your ear, as you pull back in surprise. Minhee is pulling an ugly crying face, thick tears welling up in her eyes now. “I’m gonna miss you so much!!” She sobs, as you turn to your leader for help. Soomin shakes her head with a smile, and puts a hand on Minhee’s shoulder, who immediately runs into a tight embrace. Minhee has always been a huge drama queen.

You turn to your youngest member then, who is waiting politely with a smile to the side, hopping over happily when you put out a hand at her. Lilly is very tall, even though she’s younger than you, and pulls you into a tight hug too, kissing your forehead. “Be careful, Y/N! Sleep in for once, please. You can practice later. Now you should have fun, okay?” She smiles, her nose scrunching up adorably in the process. You nod, and hug her back, before turning back to the other two. Minhee is now done crying, and wipes her hands under her eyes, while all four of you pull each other into a group hug.

“Right,” a female manager announces, “it’s time to go inside now. I hope you all got to say goodbye for now. You’ll see each other soon again.” You pout but let go of your friends, walking backwards towards the house while waving at them for the last time in a while. Suddenly, you bump into someone, and apologize profusely. “I’m so sorry. I wasn’t paying attention.”

Heechul smiles, shaking his head at your apology. “Don’t worry about it.” He grins and gives you a teasing wink. “I tend to have that affect on people.” An arm comes to rest on his shoulder, pulling him back a bit, as another woman comes to walk next to him. It’s the actress that was talking to them last time, you recognize her long black hair.

“The affect of people wanting to drive you over, yes.” She gleams, as Heechul fakes hurt, laughing with you. “Hi,” she offers then, “I’m Son Minah. Nice to formally meet you now.”

“Likewise,” you bow, “very nice to meet you. I’m Mercy’s main dancer Y/N.”

Minah nods, before you can feel a tap on your arm, and you excuse yourself. Yuta grins widely, and pokes your cheek, pushing against your shoulder teasingly. “Hey, mushy. That was quite the goodbye.” You just put out your tongue, and push him back. “You should have seen the boys from Exo. They looked traumatized. Minhee is quite the character.”

That puts a hitch in your breath. “Exo?” You prompt, looking at the side of your friend’s face. “The actual Exo saw that happen?” He just shrugs, not really confirming or denying, and continues walking. In yourself you cringe harshly, but when you get to the door, you shake it off as best as possible. Even if Exo saw that happen, that doesn’t directly mean Minseok was watching. He was most likely busy saying goodbye to people himself, after all.

It occurs to you suddenly that you will be spending an entire month, in close proximity with the man who has, since the very start, been driving you nuts. It’s so hard to understand him. Some days he’s up in your face, biting his lips seductively, and the next he’s walking around not even acknowledging your existence. You don’t understand Kim Minseok at all, that’s for sure. You are determined not to let yourself slip for him, however.

After settling into your room, and laughing with Sunmi at the tiny wardrobe that barely fit half of your clothes, everyone decides to collect in the living room, to talk a little. Filming has started from as soon as you walked through the door, but with all the staff around, it didn’t feel as strange. Now though, all alone, it does feel quite awkward to have your every move watched and recorded. You take a seat next to Minah on the black couches, staying silent as people engage in small talk. There’s a few faces missing still, one of them being Minseok. The safe feeling doesn’t last very long however, as he and his roommate come to walk around the corner. 

He hops on the couch across from you, sitting down casually, his one leg resting on his knee, while crossing his arms over his chest loosely. He’s wearing sleeves, finally, a white shirt that seems too tight because you can see the shape of his pecks through anyway. Though he seems turned to conversation, his eyes are on you, as you almost expected. You don’t dare to keep his gaze like you did before, uncomfortable with the idea that the camera’s are filming it all, but Minseok looks like he couldn’t care less. In fact, he seems to be making it into a game, making you flustered with only looks and teasing gestures.

You quickly turn to Hyungsong, the musical actor, as he continues a story, though it’s impossible not to look at Minseok every couple of seconds. “With only two cars left now, we powered through up the mountain, determined to get to the show hall on time…” A small raise of Minseok’s brow. “Turns out, even the staff had trouble getting up the hill, and burned through a motor themselves as well.” There’s laughing that rings out, while you join softly. Minseok parts his lips just a bit, biting down on them as he looks away. Unable to help yourself, you let out a frustrated sigh. You cannot at all understand this man, and it’s driving you mad. You don’t even know why you care this much.

Turns out, your sigh was louder than you thought it to be, clear when everyone turns to you. Ever so innocent, RM leans forward with a small pout. “Are you okay, Y/N?”

There’s a small laugh then, while you furrow your brows at the sound, turning to Minseok. He’s looking at you with eyes shining in amusement, while people look between the two of you curiously. He grins, before letting words roll off his tongue smoothly. “She’s still shy from earlier, I guess. I must admit, it was quite amusing.” Though his tone is teasing, and followed with laughter from the others, you can’t help but find it less than nice. You look down at your feet while he continues, seemingly oblivious of your mood. “You’d think the main dancer of such an active girl group, would have a little less to grab.”

You swallow, before standing up suddenly. You may be a hoobae to almost everyone here, but you’re not about to let yourself be put down by a self-centered man who thinks he can say whatever he pleases. “At least I’m appreciated for more than just my nice arms!” You burst out, glaring down at him with balled fists. Before anyone can say anything more, you’re out of the room, pulling the door closed behind you too hard.

Yeah, you’re off to a nice start.

Thank you so much for reading!! This started off as a drabble request, but I somehow turned it into a two part-er? I hope you enjoyed it and thank you so much for requesting! (I’m sorry it took so long)

[arts-dance]

What happened to the Venus de Milo’s arms?

Elizabeth Nix    Jun 22, 2015

One of the most famous examples of ancient Greek sculpture, the Venus de Milo is immediately recognizable by its missing arms and popularly believed to represent Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty, who was known to the Romans as Venus. The artwork was discovered in 1820 on the Aegean island of Melos (also called Milos). An ensign in the French navy, Olivier Voutier, whose ship was anchored in the harbor at Melos, decided to kill time one day by going ashore and searching for antiquities. While digging near the ruins of an ancient theater, Voutier noticed that a local farmer, who’d been removing stones from a nearby wall for use as building materials, seemed to have found something inside the wall. Upon investigating, Voutier learned the farmer had located the top half of a statue of a woman. Recognizing the statue as potentially significant, the Frenchman, with the farmer’s help, unearthed its lower half not far away. Voutier told his superiors about the discovery and the French acquired the artwork, which came to be known as the Venus de Milo, for a relatively modest sum. It arrived in France in 1821 and was presented to Louis XVIII, who donated it to the Louvre Museum, where it remains today.

The Louvre initially promoted the Venus de Milo as a masterpiece from the Greek classical era. Now, however, the Venus de Milo is thought to have been produced around 100 B.C., during a later period known as the Hellenistic age. Originally carved in two blocks of marble then fitted together, the statue stands 6 feet 7 inches from head to toe and is the creation of an artist named Alexandros of Antioch, about whom little is known.

As for the Venus de Milo’s missing limbs, there long have been claims they were broken off in 1820 during a fight on the shore of Melos, as French and Turkish sailors vied for possession of the artwork. But, in fact, most scholars today believe the sculpture’s arms already were missing when it was found by Voutier and the farmer. (Also missing now is the metal jewelry scholars say decorated the statue’s arms, head and ears in ancient times, as well as the colored paint on its face, hair and drapery.) Speculation remains about the Venus de Milo’s original pose, although evidence suggests its once held an apple in its left hand.

It’s an appropriate metaphor for the goddess of love and reproduction. “Something new is coming into being where before there was at most an amorphous mass … Women create thread; they somehow pull it out of nowhere, just as they produce babies out of nowhere,” writes Barber. For the ancient Greeks, spinning had yet another association with sex. Greek vases depict prostitutes spinning. It was a productive occupation while waiting for clients. “In the same manner that sex was the trade of the prostitutes, so too was the making of textiles,” writes art historian Rachel Rosenzweig in her 2004 book Worshipping Aphrodite. So a spinning Venus seems theoretically plausible. But would the pose actually work? In the 19th century, a sculptor might have tested the idea with a plaster cast. In the 21st, we have a cheaper, simpler, more versatile option. Cosmo Wenman is a San Diego designer and artist (and an old friend) who’s on a crusade to get museums to publicly release 3-D digital scans of their public-domain sculptures. One of his arguments for the social value of releasing scans is that they’d allow artists and others to remake existing works in imaginative ways. Using his own scans, I knew that he’d restored the lost nose on the Louvre’s Inopos bust of Alexander the Great and had remixed elements of classical sculptures in a contemporary bust he’d done for a client. I also knew he had made a 3-D photocapture of the Venus from a highly accurate 1850 plaster cast now housed in the Skulpturhalle Basel in Switzerland. Cosmo had the know-how and the digital raw material to recreate Venus de Milo as a spinner. I hired him to try it. Consulting Barber’s sketch, ancient images of spinning available online, and a YouTube tutorial on how to use a simple drop spindle, he worked with a digital anatomist to develop a 3-D rendering that preserved the statue’s existing pose intact. After a few iterations, the result was a convincing digital model. We then hired the 3-D printing service Shapeways to make a tabletop replica in white plastic. (The tools had to be printed separately; some assembly required.) Turning the computer model into a tangible sculpture provided unexpected insights into the original. Cosmo quickly realized that neither the distaff and wad of fibers nor the spindle could have been made of marble. (“Maybe she lost her arms,” he quips, “because some dope did, in fact, put a 30-pound marble ball on the top of the distaff, and 20 pounds of extra weight from a solid marble spindle hanging on her right arm.”) For our tabletop Venus, he imagined the tools instead as lightweight wood, painted gold. Rather than mundane wool thread, he used a gold chain appropriate for a goddess. The gold, he observes, also draws the modern viewer’s eye “away from the novelty of the arms, putting the viewer’s focus on the tools and the activity, where it would have been intended.” The re-creation provides a plausible answer to a question posed by the original advocate of a spinning Venus, archeologist Elmer G. Suhr, in the 1950s and 1960s. Suhr identified many classical sculptures with poses suggestive of spinning, but none of them had implements. Where did the tools go? Suhr argued that “the equipment of a spinner must have been a disturbing element to the artist,” who simply dispensed with the distaffs and spindles, assuming that “everyone in ancient times was sufficiently familiar with the process” to recognize the stance and gestures. Cosmo’s version suggests a better answer: that the tools were separate accessories made of perishable materials or precious metals and have simply been lost or stolen. None of this proves, of course, that the Venus de Milo was originally a spinner. (Citing a crudely carved hand holding an apple that was found on the same site, Curtis in his book argues for that theory; the poor carving, he suggests, is because the hand was meant to be mostly hidden against the wall of a niche.) But the replica demonstrates plausibility.

https://www.history.com/news/what-happened-to-the-venus-de-milos-arms

[lizacstuff]

Edser / Sen Cal Kapimi ep 30+ asks

(Asks under the cut)

@jan31 Hi Liza, in the fragman Selin was in a white dress, was it a wedding dress?

Hello! I don’t think so. I think that’s what she was going to wear to the dinner she’d planned for the four of them (from the fragman, Eda, Serkan, Deniz and herself) but BOOM goes the MELO. Thank you Melo, lock that witch away so Serkan and Eda are not haunted by her evil presence, and can maybe spend some time together. 

Though, you know, I wouldn’t mind if it was a wedding dress. We know Serkan ain’t gonna marry her, so if they go so far as to put her in a dress, then we’re on the precipice of her humiliation and departure which can’t come too soon for me. 

jan31 Hi Liza. Please can you explain to me the fireside scene. It was so beautiful, emotional and just what we needed. Were the lights going out representing his sub conscious and the darkness he feels, reaching out for Eda instinctively without realising why. And the lights coming on was the reality that he did not remember anything. Or am I completely going in the wrong direction? Oh and the music gets me every time 😢😢

That scene fired on all cylinders!! I definitely think you’re on to something thinking the lights coming on represented the reality of him still not having any memories back. I think the whole scene was Serkan trying to reconcile this one flash of memory that has been playing in his mind like a movie. He was re-enacting what he saw in his mind, trying to figure out if it was a real memory and if the real memory was about Eda.   

I really liked that it was Serkan who asked if they can talk without arguing. Being the calm, rational one is his role in their relationship, how many times have we heard him say “sakin” so it was comforting to see him taking those reigns for a few moments. Also for him to realize that almost all their exchanges had been heightened and fraught with explosive emotions and wanting to talk to her without that. 

Both Eda and Serkan with their eyes filled, brimming with tears really got to me. Serkan not really understanding as his heart took over and tried to make sense of what his confused mind couldn’t. Eda’s complete heartbreak when he still didn’t remember anything. However, though, she might not know it, he certainly felt something.

He’s already so drawn to her and he can’t compute why that is... why he fell in love with her during the time he can’t remember, but he’s slowly starting to see how it could have happened. This was an important scene for bridging that gap between them. So freaking beautiful, one of the best acted scenes of the entire series, and the scene that made this episode worthwhile. 

Anonymous said: if that scene in front of the fireplace made me so emotional and it was just him trying to remember.. trying to recreate that one moment he was flashbacks of... i cant imagine what the actual scene of him remembering will do to me. both their acting in that scene was something else.

Hande and Kerem were both absolutely fantastic in that scene. Really stellar. Their chemistry never disappoints, but here they were both right in the moment, very raw, very real. I’m impressed with the emotional range they both showed, kudos to both. If nothing else this story is giving them a lot to chew on as actors.

Anonymous said:  memory loss doesn't bother me that much if we can have beautiful scenes like the fireplace one. but the main couple is separated again, dating/fake dating other people and they don't have scenes enough to fall in love again

Well they made huge strides in two episodes. From Serkan not willing to even contemplate remembering her, to him sitting down and asking her to tell him a memory of their relationship and saying he wants to know about her and their love. And them having an absolutely beautiful, emotional, heartbreaking moment together. 

Serkan made other leaps as well. He went from wanting Eda out of the business to admitting she had talent and freaking out that she was planning to take a vacation. He was already coming up with every excuse to keep her in town and working. They argued as they did in early days, he had moments that obviously hit him as familiar (”I hate you Serkan Bolat.” “The feeling is mutual, lady.”) plus lemons and crusts. 

Don’t you worry, he’s already falling in love with her again. 

However, I wouldn’t judge what they’re planning too much by this episode. It felt like a transition episode and was pretty unevenly paced. Perhaps the claims of rewrites on this chapter had some truth to them. Because the last 4 episodes were pretty well written, narratively solid, and well paced, and this one was not. It was boring and everything not directly related to a scene where Eda and Serkan were alone was lackluster. 

Also I feel like some things were changed and perhaps removed to make allowances for Hande’s injury. She had a strained neck and was in a brace for almost the entirety of the filming of this episode. For instance, I’m pretty sure they did fewer takes with her in several scenes. Specifically you can tell in the scene where Serkan picks her up and carries her back.

We go no full wide angle shot from the front of him carrying her to match with the scene in episode 5. I’m sure they wanted that, but I’m guessing they really had to limit the takes of him picking her up so they couldn’t do multiple camera set ups.  The still photographer on set was able to capture it from the front, it’s a shame they couldn’t get the full hero shot for the show, but poor thing was injured and these things happen when you shoot on such tight timelines. 

So some of the lack of Edser could have been scenes that were shortened, cut, and amended due to that injury. And others could have been changes in the script perhaps as they figure out if they’re getting another ep order from Fox. 

Anonymous said: idk what they’re doing with Ceren but I really need them to keep Deniz as a genuinely good friend. He’s perfect and I don’t want them to make him sketch. Not sure if you’ve seen OTH but that’s the only other show I’ve seen with a great male-female friendship. Other parts of the show are messy to me right now but I’ve been loving this.

I guess my opinion would be unpopular with you, but I am not as enamored with Deniz as others seem to be.  Dude was putting a LOT of pressure on Eda to move on and forget Serkan. Serkan has been back approximately 3 days! HE ROSE FROM THE DEAD AND HAS AMNESIA. Can the woman have a chance to catch her breath and assess the situation, before her “good friend” is pressuring her every which way to forget him??  And planning romantic getaways under the guise of friendship? That’s not being a friend, that’s being an opportunist, looking for his chance to slide in there. 

So, yeah, I’m not as impressed as most seem to be with Deniz. He made me uncomfortable with that. I hope it was not a harbinger of things to come. 

As for OTH, I haven't really watched, but its a fav or my bud @echoapothecary so she might be willing to discuss that show.

Anonymous said: Any chance they decide to throw Melo and Ferit together? I don't care about any of the other side romances going on but these two still have their rights in my book in regards to Edser and they seem like genuinely people?

Let’s do it, baby! I’m on board They both are genuinely good people, and I’m with you, I don’t care about any of the side romances at the moment. Piril and Engin put me to sleep this episode. 

Ferit certainly deserves better than psycho Selin, but he also deserves better than petulant Ceren. And while her behavior escalated to WTF levels this ep, she’s always leaned a little this way. I think it was episode 18 (because the girls were in the library before Serkan finds Eda there) that Ceren was furious at Ferit all episode and I honest to goodness had no clue why or what he did. 

Anonymous said: at first sçk was about women supporting women and we have one best friend turning against the other FOR A MAN. I'm so disappointed the writers are destroying characters one by one.

No this show has always been about the love story between Eda and Serkan, but it did have some nice female relationships as well. Can I tell you a secret? While I really like the girls dynamic, and hope they don’t destroy Ceren and Eda’s friendship, I really only care about 2 characters, and that’s Eda and Serkan.

So while I get your concern, and Ceren acted OUT OF HER DAMN MIND this episode, if she needs to be a casualty to keep things moving, so be it.  I mean I reserve the right to roll my eyes over it, but I’m not going to get too worked up about it. From the beginning Eda and Serkan were the only two characters that matter and they still are. 

Anonymous said: I'm kinda concerned that they're actually going to say the next episode takes place on Valentines Day because this would be the biggest timeline error yet. I know we've already been suspending belief here after they touched on New Years so quickly but umm, yeah....

I think you have to just give over to the timeline on this show and not do any math or calculations. We already had July to December take approximately 2 months in straight linear storytelling, LMAO.  

Also, if it is valentine’s day and that’s going to be their excuse to give us some actual romance, then I will take it, no complaints. To me that’s one of the easiest things not to be concerned about, because its never going to make sense. I’ll take the holiday themed episodes over strict adherence to the calendar any day.