* hande erçel . cis female . she/her . / that’s ayda polat walking in to cup o’ joes - you know , the thirty year old lawyer known for reducing a grown man to tears in the courtroom ? having lived here for her whole life , their neighbors know them to be ambitious & organized , but their headstrong & competitive tendencies shine through when there are no buses in to the city .
bela again with muse two out of two ! here’s a bit about ayda.
BASICS.
FULL NAME: ayda derya polat.
NICKNAME(S): ayda.
AGE: thirty.
GENDER: cis female.
SEXUAL ORIENTATION: bisexual.
ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: biromantic.
OCCUPATION: lawyer ( mainly criminal cases ).
PHYSICAL.
HAIR COLOR: dark brown.
EYE COLOR: brown.
HEIGHT: 5′9 ( 175 cm ).
TATTOOS: a small flower on her ribs, under her left breast.
PIERCINGS: both ears pierced.
DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS: dimples, long wavy hair.
DIG DEEPER.
born in bandıma, turkey but raised in lakeview after the polats relocated to the states from a very young age, ayda was the only girl in a rather big family — five brothers, to be specific. for a while there she was the little princess, the baby to be sheltered and taken care of twenty four per seven.
however, that reality would change as she started to grow and get closer to her brothers in age. the polat household was marked by chaotic madness. from the moment she was no longer deemed fragile, like a porcelain doll that could break at any moment, her brothers didn’t take it easy on her. not that she minded; she actually preferred it that way, as it made her feel like one of them instead of being the odd one out.
they were as tight knit as family can be. sure there were disagreements and lots of fights ( what else could be expected from a big family, especially one filled with testosterone? ), but her brothers were her biggest protectors and she knew she could count on them and their parents for everything.
growing up surrounded by five boys made her tough, way tougher than she looked. while they looked out for each others, ayda realized from a fairly young age that she had to learn how to hold her own, how to earn and demand respect instead of waiting for it to come to her. her brothers taught her a lot of things that young girls usually didn’t know, and for the most part, she always felt like one of the guys.
it was that upbringing that pushed her into law school. she didn’t always know what she wanted to do with her life. in fact, for a long time, her future seemed like a big blank. her father himself was a lawyer, but he never pushed her in that direction, as he wanted it to be her choice and hers alone.
determined and very ambitious, she carved that path for herself. sure, having her father’s connections was a nice touch, but she refused to rely on that. ayda wanted to make a name for herself and she wanted to know that everything she ended up achieving would be because of her own competence, not because of her family name or exchanged favors.
PERSONALITY.
her background and personality were loosely inspired by amy santiago from b99, so if you’ve watched that show, you have a good grip on ayda tbh.
ironically, she’s much more of a city girl than a small town girl. however, she stays in lakeview firstly to remain close to her family, but also because she enjoys heading into the city for work and whatever else might come her way, but being able to head home to a quiet, quaint town to fall asleep and enjoy any off days she has. it gives her a chance to recharge, she feels.
she can be a bit intense, as in, she feels everything too much, and in a different way than most people would. nothing in her world is halfway. ayda is all in or all out. although that’s not always a good thing, it’s the way she’s wired.
in the courtroom is where she truly shines. she feels at home whenever she’s working a case, and she has a bit of a reputation for being ruthless in her job, which is exactly where the notable event in her app comes from. as i said, she’s all in or all out, and that’s not different in her career. she brings her a game everytime and holds nothing back.
very competitive even about the smallest of things. this is very much due to the way she was raised and the whole having five older brothers thing. most of the time, she still feels like she has to be assertive and force her way into places, as well as be the best in order to not end up in the background. it can be her undoing.
she’s also stubborn as all hell. once she sets her mind to something, whatever it may be, right or wrong, it’s an almost impossible task to steer her towards a different direction.
she does have a good heart and means well most of the time, though. she’s just used to being underestimated or having people try to take advantage of her, so she feels like she has to stay one step ahead in order to avoid that.
