Carmen Berzatto just stood there in front of her and didn’t say a word. He didn’t have to. -Copenhagen
He was reduced to a bunch of boneless matter with a heartbeat that only existed because she laid her dark eyes on it. -Après ce, la liberté
At that moment, she realized that her favorite place on Earth was right there, standing 334 feet above the ground, nestled in his chest. -Ponte degli Innamorati
I have recently been immortalized as an Ao3 bot here’s all you need to know about it.
🐻 Slowburn >>> They win a Michelin Star and Carmy confesses his love for Sydney.
🐻 Larrabe >>> Syd moves to her own place, they win a Michelin star and “celebrate”. Luca and Claire also make an appearance here.
🐻 Pasta >>> Carmy & Syd cook together, then eat each other and then there’s this invisible string they discover has always linked them in a sense. Mikey is also mentioned here.
🐻 Heart >>> Carmy goes to therapy to get in touch with his true feelings and Syd tries to deny hers, which explains her ❤️ tattoo.
🐻 Hint >>> C reflects on her breakup with Carmy.
🐻 Sunset >>> Carmy must make a choice. Are actions ultimately more important than words?
🐻 Pillow >>> Syd and Carmy open their X files. Not what you think. Now part of a collection alongside "Chef Talk".
🐻 Après >>> Carmy hits rock bottom. Love is an act of mirroring.
🐻 Chef>>> Sydney realizes that Carmy has an uncanny resemblance to a celebrity who features in a steamy CK ad. Claire makes a brief cameo here because "maybe" she always falls for the wrong guy. Now part of a collection alongside "Pillow Talk".
🐻 Madame >>> Sydcarmy is written in the starts but they need a little nudge. Love is in the air but they're fire!
🐻 Stella >>> Stella Bear, the heiress, is here. Now part of a collection alongside "Madame Stardust".
🐻 Shark >>> They get married in secret and honeymoon in Barbados where she starts calling him "Bear".
🐻 Ponte >>> They renew their vows in Italy on their 1st Anniversary. Now part of a collection alongside "Shark Hole".
🐻 Focus>>> Sydney finds out Carmy has been drawing Sistine Chapel-level sketches of her.
🐻 Dreams >>> They have wet dreams about each other simultaneously.
🐻 Tucson >>> Carmy goes to rehab because he almost checks himself out of life permanently and learns to use his words, Syd grows too fond of this new Carmy.
🐻 She's not you >>> Claire was great and scared the shit out of Carmy, but she was no Sydney Adamu.
🐻 Beggin' >>> It's a pseudo-songfic, an experiment, a blurb, a rarity, a little cannoli with mortadella mousse and pistachios that links Carmy, Syd, Donna, and others to this song that I love because I feel it just fits.
🐻 Chococookies >>> Auntie Syd and Uncle Carmy babysit little Bianca and Carmy also babysits Syd when she has a severe case of baby blues 🍪🍪🍪
🐻 Sydney’s secret >>> Carmy holds on to one of Sydney’s most personal items and loses his mind, but turns out Syd had a different take on his “madness”.
🐻 Mother of Victory >>> Donna had to die. Austenianly, of course. Now part of a collection alongside "Chococookies".
🐻 The new Berzattos >>> Syd & Carmy are raising a new family, and now The Bear is gonna be a big brother to this new cub Syd is "cooking". Now part of a collection alongside "Mother of Victory".
🐻 Rain >>> Syd kisses the words right out of Carmy's mouth. Chococookies'prequel. Now part of a collection alongside "Mother of Victory". 🍸🍸
🐻 Last clause >>> Syd and Carmy get a divorce and she gets The Bear. The city of Love might play an important part here. Now part of a collection alongside "Sunset clause".
🐻 Every second counts >>> Victor Emmanuel Berzatto, "The Cub", thanks his parents for having taught him the most valuable lesson of them all. Now part of a collection alongside "Mother of Victory".
🐻 3:10 >>> Carmy pushes himself harder than ever and demands excellence from his crew, they do their best to match his intensity. He does this for Sydney and for Sydney only.
🐻 6 Letters >>> Syd and Carmy say the wrong names in bed when they are fucking their respective partners.
🐻 Play >>> Carmy gets too playful with Syd's braids ;)
🐻 Cupid >>> Syd breaks Cupid's heart 💔.
🐻 More often 🛋>>> Syd falls asleep on Carmy's new leather sofa and wakes up in his bed.
🐻 Unicorn >>> Uncle Carmy & Aunty Syd confess that they could potentially have a whole soccer team of kids if only they'd find the right "partner" to do that with 🦄
🐻 Copenhagen >>> Carmy fucks up big time, as usual, and Syd leaves him but comes back to him over and over, teaches him to speak again, nurses him back to life and Carmy fights her every step of the way because he feels he doesn't deserve her, but ultimately it's her call, not his. 🌁
🐻 Blood 🤐 >>> The Bear goes down the classic broke chef-male stripper-awarded chef pipeline and Syd gets a lapdance.
🐻 His pesto 🌱>>> Carmy cooks for Syd and they end up eating each other.
🐻 Letting go >>> Syd is pondering Shapiro's offer. Carmy feels he already lost her and is not about to beg her to stay.
🐻 Bond, Jane Bond 🧨>>> Syd makes a change of regime and Carmy is her Sous. People die in this one.
🐻 The Fairest Creatures Collection >>> Thom Browne offers Carmy and Syd to be the bodies of his new fashion campaign.🪺🪽🪶🦚
🐻 Watermelon Sugar 🍉🍹💕>>> Tina comes up with a love potion based on watermelon and it works wonders on Carmy.
🐻 #Sydcarmychefkiss 🤌💋 >>> Syd and Carmy are judges in a reality show and they have their own fanbase who ships them. Carmy donates part of his profits to charity.
🐻 The Marcusgate 💵💵💵>>> Marcus competes for a million dollars, Carmy finds out Syd has cooked dinner for the pastry Chef and doesn't take it that well.
🐻 Forever 🌟>>> Carmy & Syd get tattoos. Syd is not worried about the competition. 🐻
🐻 The Fix >>> Fixing S3's awful season finale. Carmy shows up a Sydney's apartment and comforts her after her panic attack. 🐻❤️
🐻 Sunday morning >>> Syd and Carmy have loooots of morning sex because Syd is insatiable and Carmy ends up cooking breakfast between her legs. 🌅
🐻 Nothingness >>> Carmy finds a letter from Mikey in an old jacket and falls apart, but Syd is there to break his fall. 💔
🐻 Do-over >>> This time Carmy doesn't ditch Sydney and they cross all the lines. 🍝
🐻 Venice >>> Syd and Carmy go on this romantic trip to Venice and end up almost breaking up. 💔 Part 2 of a larger fic that is actually part of an even larger saga, and my first collab.
🐻 Vegas >>> Syd and Carmy pretend to be newlyweds in Las Vegas and end up spending a real romantic weekend. Part 1 of a larger fic that is actually part of an even larger saga, and my first collab. ♥️♣️♠️♦️
🐻Petrichor >>> Syd reads the farewell letter her late mother wrote for her, and it helps her make a life-changing choice. 🌧️ 🔥
🐻 Uma >>> Syd is the working mom of this little girl who is a perfect blend of Carmy and herself, and that, in a completely mind-bending twist of fate, inherited her uncles Richie´s & Mikey´s punk personalities. This is my first cross-over FF, The Bear / Abbott Elementary, set in Philly. 🖍️🧸🦄
🐻 Back Home >>> Carmy flies back home, and home is where his ❤️ is, but turbulence follows him wherever he goes. ✈️
🐻 Hell >>> C may have had something to do with Michael’s death, etc… and Carmy will find out all about it, but Karma will do its job 🪦
🐻 Beautiful >>> Carmy moves to his new place, her old place. They cook together again. She makes bear-shaped pancakes.🐻 Part 1 of the 4th of July Series 🎇🎆🎇
🐻 Siri, Call Sydcarmy >>>📱After his retirement, Syd and Carmy go through a dry patch, maybe drier than ever before, even though they still care for each other. But one phone call at a time, they find their way back to each other, and it all ends with bear-shaped pancakes on a Beautiful day. Midquel of Beautiful . Part 2 of the 4th of July Series 🎇🎆🎇
🐻 The Perfect Ship >>> 🏡 👩🏾❤️👨🏼 Flashforward, 1 year later after Beautiful Syd and Carmy move in together (twice) and a cat adopts them. They watch the fireworks on the rooftop with the family-family and Syd pops the question (not that question). Part 3 of the 4th of July Series 🎇🎆🎇
🐻 December 25th >>> Carmy comes back to The Bear, Syd goes to Noma. Carmy puts a 💍 on it and then has an encounter with the Ghost of future Xmas. Part 4 of the 4th of July Series 🎇🎆🎇
🐻 Place of Light >>> 🌴🐘Syd goes on a well-deserved vacation to Kenya, and connects to her light within.🌅 Part 1 of the Light series 🔆
🐻 Khanom Jeen Nam Ya >>> 🍜Carmy and Syd cook together again, a magical Thai dish that, if done right, can bring everlasting love and togetherness to those who eat it. ❤️
🐻 Northern lights >>> ❄️ Carmy goes to the North Pole to see the Aurora Borealis, a dream he once shared with Mikey. Sydney made him take that vacation and while he was there, he realized Syd was the light at the end of his tunnel. Part 2 of the Light series 🔆
🐻 City of Lights >>> 🍯 🌙 Syd & Carmy go to Paris and fuck like 🐇🐇 Part 3 of the Light series 🔆
🐻 Pearls >>> 🦪 Carmy walks thru 🔥🔥🔥. Syd is a miracle-worker, and they go back to their roots ❤️
🐻 The perfect shift >>> 🌧️ ⛈️⛈️🌩️They weathered the storm together, and something shifted between them during their last service. Or did it? Maybe nothing really shifted because it had always been there, simmering beneath the surface, waiting to be served. ❤️
Remember to Reblog and recommend if you like it and comments are always welcome on AO3 because more often than not I get inspo from them, seeing as I have the best Sydcarmy readers out there!
I've been getting some DMs about this one. Thanks, btw!
Sinopsis: In this AU Sydney becomes the first African-American Female President of the USA and Carmy is her fixer. Same Scandal Olitz dynamic but in reverse, where Carmy would play Olivia Pope's role and Syd would be the cheating spouse.
Syd is married to Luca, they go way back. Luca is bi and Syd is an ally, he's in the closet, though, but not with her (kinda bc since he got to the WH as VP, he's pretty much celibate). Coincidentally that was when Carmy and Syd started their affair but Carmy did not wreck an unhappy home, he didn't save her from a loveless marriage. Syd and Luca were perfectly content, they would have used the word "happy", even, before Carmy showed up and Syd fell down bad for him and Carmy started to worship the ground beneath her feet, two years before they let it rip, because God knows they tried to fight it every step of the way.
Carmy's ex is the C person (kinda bc before Syd he was a serial situationshipper).
Luca loves Marcus, but Marcus is also in the closet and they don't wanna commit professional suicide, Marcus is Secret Service, Syd's bodyguard and even more careful than Luca, but Luca's love is not unrequited.
This is a love story, BUT it's not about romance or even about adultery. I intend to cut deeper.
The underlying sentiment of the plot that I wanna explore has more to do with loyalty and that thin line that separates betraying others from self-betrayal, than with anything else.
In Part I, Opprobrium, I'll only get as far as the Election.
I'm writing this fic not to arrive to conclusions about any of that, althought I might stumble upon them. Who knows? What I'm interested in is: it raising existential questions, such as: If we can't be loyal and true to ourselves, how the hell are we gonna be loyal to others? In what capacity? Is it even possible? How could we tell? And especially in the political field, where "fixing" the truth to comply with political correctness is a must: How can we even begin to be true to ourselves and others and live up to any meassure of loyalty, self-loyalty or the other kind, if we do that for a living?
In other words: A phylosophical mess, throwing some smut into the mix to make it lighter and more palatable at times, but not cutting down on the harder to digest parts in the process. I don't wanna spare the reader, or myself, the conflicts and oxymorons that the characters will go through to reach their final destination, which is not necessarily living happily everafter. It's much more realistic than that.
Thanks for your feedback so far, I'm listening to every voice and every advice but can't make any promises because this is a WIP and I'm letting it write itself, plus it requires a bunch of research and drafting before I even begin to actually sit down and write the chapters. Ch3 is still in the oven.
The only promise I can make and keep is that it's gonna get worse before it gets better.
❝The symphony of the pan making the caramelized lamb sing a sweet song that only Carmy and her knew the melody of was soothing in the midst of all the mayhem.
“You good, chef?” Carmy asked, as he instructed her, to hear the music that came from the pan being embraced by the fire, under her command.
She followed his guidance and then smiled for him. Syd could hear the music alright. But what she loved the most was his voice, reassuring her. Holding her without touching her.❞
In response to the DMs about my Sydcarmy/ Scandal AU
I've been getting more DMs and ideas than I expected. TYSM.
Instead of replying 1 by 1, these are my general responses:
The writing will continue till this weekend, then I'll have to go on a hiatus for a while but if I manage to finish CH1, I'll post it on Sunday. I don't wanna make any promises though.
Remember pls: No prompts.
Ideas are being appreciated and used but also modified to fit the story I intend to tell and the characterizations I assigned to each role.
This is not The Bear, however I will make sure the characters are not completely someone else, no worries. Carmy's and Syd's essesences will remain intact. I'll preserve them.
My Olivia Pope version of Carmy Berzatto is a lone wolf and an iceberg but my Fitz version of Sydney will cut through to him, she will get the fiery Carmy. But before we get there he's gonna be all "I respect needy ppl, I'm just not one of them. I'm fine with that. But they don't respect me and get deffensive bc they say I'm cold. And I'm like: OK. Also: Not fair, I'm just not you." And Syd will just get it, no clarifying questions asked, no need to explain, she just knows how he is and doesn't expect clingy Carmy, she just enjoys him whenever he shows up but she also loves and respects the lone wolf that gets the job done. She's Madame President, not a romantic heroine, she's the boss, Carmy is the hand.
That's their dynamic in this fic, no CDC/EC dynamic, no business partners. Just agree to disagree and appreciate what they have, no fairy tales, not much romance or fluff either, no time for that. But here and there, some cooking together and pillow talks, that's it. All along, mutual devotion, but they are flawed characters, that incarnate the "right person, wrong time" moto. And also the fact that being imperfect doesn't make you a bad person, it makes you human and therefore real. Now, trying to be perfect and fitting in, makes you the opposite.
Syd and Carmy value realness. No exceptions. They can't afford the alternative. They don't want to either. But it's a matter of life or death to surround themselves with real ones for them, so it's not like they have much of a choice.
And from that foundation, I'm building this whole AU up, and linking it to The Bear's original universe via their emotions, not their actions.
I'm a firm believer in this: Emotions are what equalize us as human beings, and actions are what can separate us. Our free will is what makes the difference, our emotions are not supposed to be our compass, our free will is and that free will is supposed to be filtered by discernment, which is basically the definition of emotional intellegence. These characters have it, but they are in a hostile environment where "politically correct" is the only currency, no matter how dishonest or wrong it may be. So, that's the catch.
The Chief Series is a trilogy.
Part I: Opprobrium
Part II: Gunnen
Part III: Metanoia
This is my Notion workflow:
Had to redact some parts so there's no more spoilers. I'm treating them as books and my moodboards are the covers. LOL!
Lastly, this is gonna be a long ride that started before I even posted it in the Community a couple of weeks ago and I'm not sure when will it exactly end. I just know that it'll have to be completed by June before S5 comes out. I'm currently editing Ch1 and already got started with Ch2, a few days ago.
Sydney Adamu Hotstoff walks into the shadows of his poorly lit downtown DC apartment. Her face relaxed. She’s been here before. She takes off her shoes, untucks her silk blouse to free it from the constriction of her custom pencil skirt, and moves her head to the left to make room for his lips to explore her neck. His lips... Her wedding band has been discarded in the dark depths of her leather bag since she got in the elevator. His lips are far more relevant to her right now.
Carmy is right behind her, putting his arms around her waist, and pulling her closer, kissing her neck and pressing his erection against her so she feels what she does to him. She knows. She knows.
She turns around and captures his lips in an eager kiss, and that turns into the kickstarter of a sweaty and rough dance of flesh and moans.
He quickly removes her clothes, leaving only her white cotton panties on. He likes to eat her through the material. She knows. She knows.
He’s kneeling in front of her, desperate, shirtless, feral. She lets him do. Her own heartbeat and their combined labored breathings are all she can hear. She's helpless, yet she feels more alive than ever.
Sydney tugs his hair as he acts as if he's feasting on a delicious, juicy, fresh fruit, under the searing desert sun, and she runs her nails on his scalp, purposefully digging in when he latches onto her soaking and pulsating sex till he takes her to the point of no return, where she wants him to fill her completely up. She has to feel him inside her, throbbing, thrusting, claiming, and finally exploding; she doesn’t want to cum in his mouth this time. Sydney wants to clench her muscles around his hardness till he cries her name like a plea, and when she’s right there, riding her climax as he pounds deep inside her, and she’s biting anything she can sink her teeth into, sometimes her own lower lip, some other times his shoulder and occasionally his hand, only then she will know peace. That's exactly why she sneaked out of her house, leaving her loving and oblivious husband behind. She knows. She knows.
Peace is a completely foreign concept for Carmen Berzatto. All he knows is her taste. She tastes like going to war for her. He knows. He knows.
The next morning, the Berzatto-Adamus headed to Abbott Elementary, and Syd was wearing her heart on her sleeve, fighting away the tears as soon as she saw Uma standing by the door with her red Ladybug backpack that looked bigger than her whole back, full of toys, crayons, books, and snacks, and, of course, her lunchbox her momma made sure contained her beloved daughter´s favorite grilled cheese sandwich and apple juice. Carmy had hand-picked those Ambrosia apples himself on Sunday morning, at the local farmer´s market, for his girl because he knew she loved their floral aroma and sweetness.
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Bear (TV 2022), Abbott Elementary (TV)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Sydney Adamu/Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto
Characters: Sydney Adamu, Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto, Daughter, Janine Teagues, Ava Coleman (Abbott Elementary)
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Bear (TV 2022)
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Sydney Adamu/Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto
Characters: Sydney Adamu, Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto, Other - Character
Additional Tags: Second Chances, Love, Sex, Pasta, Books, basil scented candles
Summary:
"Remember when you asked me if this was a date?"
Syd couldn't say yes because her mouth was stuffed with tagliatelle marinara but nodded along and let her big brown eyes do the rest of the talking, inviting him to elaborate further.
"And then, when the White House dream became a potential reality, Luca and I became unstoppable because this is how you change the world, that world where witchhunting was back in full force, as if the Salem trials had never ended. It couldn’t be changed with slogans, speeches, and hearts on social media. We needed to take action and be factual. If we wanted freedom and justice, then we needed to do it the right way, the democratic way, and here we are. Doing it. Hopefully, Americans will put their trust in us so we can keep on doing it for four more years, at least. Because if you support causes, you better put in the work and quit just performing on your platform for your besties. Get up, get out, and get to work, help others, help them, give them jobs, assist them, even strangers, even those who may not think like you or agree with you, don’t ask, just do the work, just help out in whatever way you can, whenever you can. It doesn’t matter if whoever was on the receiving end of your support, aid, time, and energy turns on you later because they want to play it safe and save face in front of their peers; it doesn’t matter if they just don’t get it because they can’t always be blamed for their ignorance, they are ignorant by design, the design of a system that needs them ignorant to use them. It just doesn’t matter, because your real retribution comes when change finally happens. And it happens, believe me. They may come around later or not; people change, but not all of them do. But those who don’t, can’t stop those who change the world. And that’s us. As a team, building community, leaving our doors open for those who may or may not come around later. As Luca said, we are in this together, and we want justice and equality for all. Real justice and equality that includes us all. Not just those who vote for us.That is why I joined Jeremiah’s team to begin with, because it aligned with my values, my principles, and Luca shares them all; that is why he is my husband, and I’m his First Lady; that's why he joined my team too first. Does that answer your question? ..."
