[cisfemale and she/her] Welcome to Aurora Bay, [SELIN DOGAN]! I couldn’t help but notice you look an awful lot like [MELISA ASLI PAMUK]. You must be the [THIRTY THREE] year old [LAWYER]. Word is you’re [RESOURCEFUL] but can also be a bit [MALICIOUS] and your favorite song is [VIGILANTE SHIT BY TAYLOR SWIFT]. I also heard you’ll be staying in [AURORA BAY DRIVE]. I’m sure you’ll love it!
name: selin dogan
nickname: sel
age: 33
gender: cis female
sexual orientation: bisexual
occupation: corporate lawyer
residence: aurora bay drive
Selin was born in Sirince, Turkey to a single mother who was already raising her older half-brother, Ayden.
When Selin turned fifteen, her mother died after a short battle with MS. Selin had taken care of her since her diagnosis and watched it steal her mother away little by little.
Soon thereafter, Sel became more cold as she realized how cruel life could be to the most undeserving people.
Her brother, the only family she had left, had already been living in the states while trying to pursue his career as a film maker. Despite it not being his plan, he took in Selin and decided to leave his internship in order to find a job to support the both of them.
The move from Turkey to America was not the easiest on Selin as she was often on the outskirt of friend groups or the butt of jokes she didn't fully comprehend.
tw: stillbirth: At the age of nineteen, she got pregnant by someone she liked who'd lied about his feelings towards her and had no intention of raising their daughter. Her brother stepped up and promised that he would support the both of them - but at seven months pregnant, Selin got devastating news at the ultrasound.
tw: stillbirth and car accident: Three months after losing her baby, she got the devastating news that her brother died in a car accident while returning home after a night out.
After losing the only person that held her to this town, she packed her bags and left to move to Aurora Bay as a far different person than she'd been when she first arrived to America. She isn't as forgiving with people as she once was and often prefers to keep them at a distance.
The money she received from her brother death helped her with her tuition for law school and she immediately dived into her work and started a practice. It was a few years later that she met Bora Winters.
Despite being alone for years, Bo was someone who managed to disarmed her. He didn't shy away from the jagged sides of her personality and managed to find the hidden softness that still remained. She married him without knowing the first betrayal had occurred before the ink dried on their marriage certificate.
After a year of unsuccessful attempts at having a child, their relationship came to an abrupt end when he found out that she had been halting their attempts with birth control since the very beginning.
Their relationship has since turned callous and cruel as they navigate living under the same roof.
location: flora and fauna
starter: open to all ( @aurorabaystarter )
"Excuse me - hi. Can I get your opinion on something? What do you think would be more appropriate for a happy birthday, you're a pain in the ass type of card?" Raina questioned softly, her hands holding up a bouquet full of colorful flowers. "I'm more of a pastels type of girl, but it's not every day you give a guy flowers, so I'm not quite sure what the rules are in that case."
"I think that I would give them a gag gift rather than flowers unless that's the whole concept you're going for." Her gaze wandered over the flowers, finding them to be pretty but nothing that gave her the impression that she was looking for. "Did he request flowers or is there some kind of meaning behind that I may not be getting?"
"Oh, she's wonderful! Obviously everyone knows her for The Handmaid's Tale but I actually love her novels Cat's Eye. Or Lady Oracle, so I'd suggest those if her writing is one you gravitate towards?" Emerson offered with a smile before waving off the apology. "No worries at all! And honestly it's only recently that I've been dipping my toes into the world of fantasy. I will say a book I just finished was called Mexican Gothic that I really loved. It's got some fantastical elements in that it's gothic..sort of fantasy, but there's not like...magic and dragons and fae and all? I loved it. Or Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo was phenomenal. Everything that author writes I recommend really."
Selin didn't read any of her literature outside of her autobiography but perhaps it was time to broaded her horizons a little bit. Most of the time she felt too exhausted to think about anything so an audio book of someone's life did her well. "I'll take your recommendation and try to find it." A dark room, pair of earphones and her bath. It was the closest she came to feeling relaxed in her own home in the last few years. "I have heard of the Seven Husband's of Evelyn Hugo. It's on my list. I have a very short one on my phone. Time seems to be my issue. I think I have more of it than I actually do."
starter for: @aurorabaystarter
where: community garden / flower festival
"OK, honest opinion," she says, holding up the bouquet she's been carefully crafting, giving the tiniest of winces. "It's giving mini funeral arrangement, isn't it?"
"It's giving mini funeral and I'm getting slight hints of mother's day as well." Not that she knew from experience but the pinks and reds were what reminded her of the day. "I would forego some of those colors."
where - oceania bookstore (or really utp if you wanna take it someplace else!)
"Do you have a favorite read of the year so far?" Emerson asked, tilting her head slightly in thought. "Or just a favorite in general that's not all that popular? I'm wanting to highlight and display some books that maybe haven't gotten the love they deserve yet. Especially if it's a beach read, since summer's just around the corner."
"I've been into biographies as of late and read Margaret Atwood's biography called 'book of lives' and it was interesting." She couldn't say that it was worth being on the popular list by any means but it had been interesting to her nonetheless. "I want to get back into reading but I'm unsure what I like. I've never been one for fantasy, biographies are good but I've been picky. Sorry I'm not much help. But I could use recommendations."
"Judgment?" Caleb pushes back, as if to try and challenge Selin to tell him exactly why he is being judged for liking watermelon RedBull.
It also isn't that deep, he tells himself. That doesn't stop him.
With a scoff, he mutters, albeit playful, "At least it's not basic original flavor." Caleb doesn't think there is a major difference in how any of them taste, despite the subtle flavoring, so Selin's recommendation is easily taken into consideration.
"If you're treating, I'll take your word for it. Strawberry apricot isn't too sweet is it?"
"The flavor profile is a little odd, don't you believe?" She didn't know why the idea of watermelon or something that tasted slightly acidic couldn't sit well in her mind or stomach. "I have tried it once so perhaps I'm not giving it the chance it deserves."
"I don't believe there's anything wrong with the basic flavors. They're still being sold so that has to mean something as opposed to those odd premium flavors they come out with that disappear a few months afterwards." Either way, she was trying to steer clear from the energy drinks altogether but there were days that required it.
"It is quite sweet but it covers the taste of the redbull better than you'd expect. It pairs well. But how have you been? Anything new in the world of towing these days?" Small talk, she'd never been great at it.
"I have great posture, it's something that stuck with me as a child. I would always be reminded to keep my back straight. Perhaps I'm a little more tense, not as laid back as others."