#which is how countries like spain
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non-Americans making fun of Americans do so because non-Americans see that American culture and politics are extremely insular and see nothing but itself.
Ah the Europeans are shitting on the States on main again
#also as a side note#europe is diverse too#not just countries but the different ethnicities and regions within those countries#and the food isnt bland#and European history isn't just intercontinental colonization#its thousands of years of history and fighting and mythos#and continental colonization#which is how countries like spain#italy#france#the Uk#and germany were formed#because italian/spanish/french arent ethnicities#they're nationalities#just ask the Sicilians#Corsicans#and the Catalonians#its not supremecy#although im sure some ppl think like that#its being really#really tired of american politics taking up all of the room#like holy crap i know more about American politics as a Canadian that i do about Canadian politics#just because americans take up so much room that we're force fed american culture/identity politics/etc just for existing online
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I’ve been thinking about Drakovia (as you do) and I think the only way you can write it into our world without completely breaking modern history is making it AU Romania which hypothetically sides with the Allies early in WW2 and does not fall under Soviet occupation afterwards. With its status as one of the victors in WW2 and stronger ties with Western European countries, it maintains economic and political independence throughout the 20th century, and that's how the Thorne royal family survives up until modern times.
Drakovian church is some variation of Orthodox Christianity. Drakovian language would be a romance language like Romanian (with a lot of Slavic vocabulary mixed in). The odd mix of Greek, Slavic and Latin names is explained by the diverse ethnic makeup of Drakovia and migration from neighbouring countries. Thorne is still an odd surname because 'thorn' is of Germanic origin, but Romanian surnames can end in e, and hypothetically there could probably be a word in Drakovian that just happens to sound alike.
#but that's just a theory. an alternative history theory#i was thinking between bulgaria and romania and chose the latter purely bc of the language#this opens up a bunch of other questions as to how another ally country could've affected the power balance in the region during ww2#to which the answer is um. i don't know dude. i'm not a seer#still odd how drakovian naming convention seems to be first name + middle name + mother's surname + father's surname#which is very uniquely hispanic#but idk maybe drakovia had strong ties with spain historically#for whatever reason#and aesthetically drakovia doesn't really look like any eastern european country (that I know)#so i didn't really take the visuals into account#playchoices#crimes of passion#trystan thorne#bitch speaks
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europe is so interesting. they treat me like a cute kid, backpacking across europe at age 21. the next second they ask me why i'm responsible for gun violence in the united states.
#it's just so irritating#after my first night out in barcelona i introduced myself as peruvian exclusively#bc fjweiaofjreaogehw#they care sm abt american ex-pats gentrifying lisbon#(which is a problem)#but they don't care about literally any of the other clear as fucking day problems in their continent#i introduced myself as american#(texan moving to californian)#and then asked for my opinions on anti-queer laws; pro-gun laws; and why i still 'support' the country#i just happen to live therefjewiaofjreioag#this one parisian thought that we never learned abt the renaissance like#how much do u wanna bet they never learned abt any usa renaissances (harlem; french language rebirth in louisiana; etc)#cw: gun violence mention#gun#gun mention#so at least now i know i can't live in europe long-term#dash rambles#tonight is a night to think abt my spain speed-run#and then move on to portugal where hopefully they understand me#if it weren't for the tourism (english-speakers) i would've been in trouble in barcelona bc catalan doesn't sound as spanish-y as it reads
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i'm giving guadalajara too much shit but los pueblos negros (the black villages) are genuinely really freaking cool
also! my first experience with them was through an andrea compton video, cause she is from one of these villages!!! for those who don't know her, andrea compton is one of the most belovedests spanish youtubers, one of the ogs as well and i love her very much. anyways, she lived here until high school, where she went to live with her father in my hometown lol, in suburban madrid. so. pretty big change. i unfortunately cannot find her video, she might have just deleted it at this point - i watched it at least 10 years ago - but i found what her village is if you want to look it up, it's called roblelacasa, and as of 2016 it has 22 inhabitants. i remember she told in the video that she had to go to another village to go to school, and that in said school there were 6 kids in total, of course with different ages all together in the classroom.
#guadalajara#spain#also. and i feel obligated to say this every time i talk about andrea compton or inés hernand but it's the only good thing i can say#about my hometown#but not only did she live near me. the high school she went to is the one that's next to my house. like the park in front of the hs was#the park i went to when i was a kid#which most likely means i met andrea compton and inés hernand when they were teens and i was a kid#cause all the kids from that high school also go to that park#and for those who don't knw#inés hernand is like. one of the most important people in this country i would say??? at least among young people#she studied law but she's mostly a tv presenter nowadays and she is like. extremely political extremely leftist extremely funny#i love her#well they've talked thousands of times how andrea and her met on the first day of high school and became best friends and how tehy've been#inseparable since#to think that happened next to where i live while i was living there just blows my mind lmao#and we've met andrea compton cause she's my sister's favourite youtuber like she's been following her since she was like 10#in fact my sister was the one who showed me the video about her village#anyways we've met her twice in anime cons and also we've also met her a couple times more in concerts and stuff cause she's fan of stuff#we also love sjdsj#and every time we talk about my hometown and we know ehere her dad lives (very close to us) and she's confirmed the high school was that on#and yeah. she's very dear to my heart and i'm extremely happy everytime she gets recognition cause it's only what she deserves <3
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Double Standards (light it up):
You know, in light of everything going on in Colombia U and Harvard, etc., I wonder -
They say harassing random people and murder and rape and the vandalism of (everything Jewish) is ok, bc it's "retaliation".
Continue this line of thoughts, does it mean I get Carte Blanche to burn a local mosque?
After all, my family had been oppressed for wayyy more than 75 years under the Yemeni occupation. We were exiled and had to flee for our lives. My grandma told me stories about their journey, the little she remembers. She nearly died.
(we think she had a brother who did)
Also, does it mean I'm allowed to go and beat up anyone wearing a cross?
I mean, my other grandma's cousins were murdered by Christians in Auschwitz-Birkenau (her grandad survived and came to live with them in Israel after the holocaust. But that's another story.)
*for the record - idk how your family things go, but I met most of this grandma's cousins and can name/give a detail about at least half of them. Also just last weekend we talked about her aunt that died as her refugee's ship broke halfway through the journey to Israel. I know this story and the ship name and the aunt and her kids since I was a kid. So yes, those memories are part of my life.)
And I guess people shouldn't be able to talk Spanish in public. After all, we all Know what They did in 1492.
But why going back so much?
There's exile of Jews from Iran in the 70s. But you'll never hear about it.
You'll never hear about the way we were kicked from Afghanistan and Lybia and Tunisia (where, btw, a mob burnt down an ancient synagogue this very year.)
No one's talking about how jews were kicked out of Egypt.
(this is how ppl sound. If that make you think "well, actually -"then, why isn't it never applied to us?)
#spain#retaliation#yeah right#double standards#goyim can reblog#so fucking tired of this#if i had a nickel#for every country we WEREN'T exiled from#I don't think I'd have 2 nickels#honestly#exiled#murdered#or oppressed any other way#like in the Hijaz - you can't Exile the Jews if Jews aren't allowed to live there in first place#you know#or the uk in the 1200s iirc#or USSR#can't exile jews if you don't allow judaism#ancient Egypt is sort of the counterpoint#but it's more like “oh no you can't let those slave go! they are mine!”#antisemism#antisemitism#antisemism all the way down#hi do you remember how western culture is literally based on the oppression of jews?#that were not allowed to own land and in some places were only allowed to qork with money#which means the local monarch could always point at them as “those who take the money”#and if there were financial issues#just exile/kill them and take away all their things#who cares about them greedy dirty jews anyway?#jumblr
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- Mirror, please don't misunderstand me: Lithuania is a beautiful country with lots of possibilities. It's just that I've chosen Latvia because... Lithuanian languge is cute - Latvian language is Goddamn Hot, yk
- Yeah...
#my aunt married a Latvian man and she got me into Latvian language and culture#she often also calls Latvia an ass of the world but mostly because she lives in the most prorussian region#she likes to scold this country for what it's worth but lmao don't you dare to say something bad about Latvia near her#only she has the right to criticize it - anyone else? instant kill#I once asked why doesn't she go live in UK or something then - and she just looked at me disgracefully and said “no.”#like??? okay...#she's Belaruthian btw#she used to give me books sometimes. sadly my Latvian knowledge is still near 0#her love-hate relationship with Latvia is something which inspires my art#she can talk about Latvian language for literall hours - I wish I had this passion towards my studies#she often talks about how much she wanna go live somewhere with lot of sun like Italy or Spain but when she actually has the possibility#she just doesn't. she says it's because in comparison to Latvia - South's food sucks ass - and I can hardly disagree with her#well she also loves her husband#and she can't live without good food#Latvia has fucking awesome food objectively#we once went to a local cuisine restaurant - and my aunt laughed like crazy because of how I was illuminating with happiness#when they brought us some squids with hot cheese and chanterelle creme soups
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i will say this tho… the reason why most kpop groups don’t come to europe is because in comparison to maybe the usa, the market for kpop music there is better than in europe and also since companies nowadays are obsessed with making groups international (promoting them in the us basically) they know it’s easy money over there honestly that’s what i think
#not saying that in europe there aren’t kpop fans#which there are#i would say there are a lot in france and spain and perhaps italy??#but like when they quote on quote tour europe they only go to those countries#and in hindsight the tour ends up being small and there’s not that much profit#compared to what the us brings tbh#i hate to admit it but it’s true lol#the music industry like the western one mainly happens in america#and when groups tour there’s no doubt they will go there#there’s also that guarantee#but also what i don’t get is how they don’t go to south america#when especially brazil has a lot of kpop fans???#i feel like south america has a lot of kpop stans especially in recent years#but all of this to say that yes it’s a good decision#i don’t think it is lmao#i never went to a concert bc of travel costs#when tours happen in europe is never in portugal so#the closest thing i have is spain or france#but that’s too much money for an average person like me#so i am not abt to make that awful financial decision#as much i want to see my fave groups#but it’s true that kpop is international#and is getting more and more international#and companies don’t do tours outside of the us#and i’m not talk about asia bc of they tour in asia that is a given#i mean outside of asia they only go to america#and MAYBE … very rarely… five european countries#anyways this is getting long but you get what i mean#it’s sad that a lot of people don’t get opportunities for many reasons#tris.txt
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Some of the songs that didn't get through are so good 😩
#some of the ones that did are. not#i didnt have time to watch the semifinals so im listening to the playlist now#so far serbia is the only one ive skipped he was. shite#which countries are guaranteed final spots again is it uk france spain italy and germany? if so all but germany were utter shite#well not complete shit but like. idk the songs were good in themselves but hello this is eurovision#go crazy go stupid#first time i heard the uk entry i was like ok banger summer anthem etc but this is not eurovision standard#theres one i forgot what its called but i think its by the buskers (?) idk what country they were sorry#but it feels like a combination of the best bits of uk and israels songs and then made better#how did that not get through??#esc23#ellies shitchats
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my slow brain wasnt getting the whole point behind people finding it so funny that travis was wearing that USA cap while in London + taking pics with the royals... but then it hit me that if it were me i also wouldn't miss the opportunity to wear something saying "las malvinas son nuestras" while standing in a crowd full of english people so... yeah. i get it now.
#which is why I will never stop laughing at Harry celebrating THAT HARD during the world cup in Argentina#wonder if he knows#wonder if anyone in England knows about it like WE do#I always remember when I lived in Spain and i used to talk to my Spanish friends about how in school we learn that they 'discovered' Americ#and its a whole thing like... we have exams in about the history of their country and all that#and they were so shocked bc for them it wasn't a big deal at all lol#it was really interesting to talk about it#anyway#WHY AM I THINKING SO HARD ABOUT THIS#(actually I know why... I started thinking about las islas malvinas and that's a touchy subject)#I should stop myself now
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Trinkets
Five presents Jason brought you back from his adventures and one you asked for. (+ one) ~1.2k words of fluff
Jason Todd brings you home gifts from his missions, which wouldn't be a problem, but he never really explains what they are.
The first time it happened, you had laughed at the green ring with a lantern symbol in the middle. It looked cheesy, like one of the fake ones you can buy from the superhero merch stores littered around malls and outlets.
You'd kissed his cheek in thanks, put it on your shelf, and never gave it a second thought.
At least you didn't, until a bright green glow woke you up from your sleep. You'd sat up immediately, jaw practically dropping to the sheets as the ring lifted itself off your shelf and flew out the window.
Jason barely budged, his arm still thrown over your waist. He let out yawn and cuddled closer before speaking, voice groggy and heavy, "Huh. Didn't think they noticed that one was gone."
"They," You half yell, voice pitching as you stare at his outline, hidden in the shadows of the room.
"The Guardians, babe," he yawns out, "They're in charge of the space cops. Just go back to sleep."
Naturally, you do not go back to sleep. You drag him to the kitchen, make tea, and demand he explains why a Green Lantern ring was in your apartment. (He's very happy to)
The second time it happens, you're much more wary of the gift he brings home. But to be fair, he can't really pass off an Amazonian steel sword as something he just picked up.
It doesn't take as much convincing as it should for you to let him mount it on your wall. But it's a sword! No one can blame you for thinking it looks cool in your living room.
It turns out keeping it around is pretty useful, because a few weeks later, your boyfriend crawls through your window, dressed head to toe in armor.
"Hey, doll," he drawls, "Can I borrow your sword?"
"Sure," You chirp back, more preoccupied with your book as he saunters over to the sword, "what for?"
"Artie's got confiscated, and we haven't gotten to steal it back yet," he supplies, stopping long enough to pull his helmet up and kiss your head.
"Oh, that sucks," You answer, offhandedly, "Give her and Bizzaro my love."
"You got it, babe," he chirps already halfway out your window.
He does bring your sword back, covered in green blood, but no worse for wear. It still looks great on your wall.
He brings you a box next. It's kind of ugly looking, but you thank him nonetheless.
"Be careful with it," he tells you as you flip it over in your hands, "It opens boom tubes."
You almost drop it, and if you hadn't already experienced the power ring, you would have shrieked at him. Instead, you manage to put it down very carefully and calmly ask, "It does what?"
"Open boom tubes," he answers, which clears absolutely nothing up, "I figured we could use it to country hop for our next date night. You know, dinner in Paris, drinks in Dubai, dessert in LA."
"Okay," You answer slowly, as if that makes complete sense.
It turns out, it does. Date night is lovely, and making out with your boyfriend on a random beach in Spain is very, very nice.
Batman waiting in your apartment to take back the boom box isn't so nice, though.
Jason tells you it was worth it. He's absolutely right.
The third thing Jason brings you is a plant. Flowers aren't a rare show of affection from him, but ones that move are.
"Uh, thank you, Jason," You start, prodding at the moving petals, they nuzzle your fingers the same way a kitten would, "But I don't know how to take care of these."
"Same way you take care of any other plant, water, fertilizer, nutrients, all that fun stuff," he says fondly, stroking a few of the petals.
"What if it gets sick," You ask, uncertain.
"We'll call Ivy," he says, unbothered.
"Right. Ivy. Poison Ivy. Who you know," You mumble, but the little plant is already worming its way into your heart. (You affectionately name it Daisy, for no other reason then it sways happily when you say that name)
The fourth thing Jason brings you makes you laugh because you know exactly what it is, "Jason, we can't keep this."
"Why not," he pleads, shaking the bright green quiver filled with arrows at you.
You giggled harder, smiling wide as you shake your head at him, "We don't even know what those do. Don't some of those explode?"
"So what," he huffs, practically pouting, "We can ask Roy. And it's not like I don't know my way around explosives."
"I guess so," You relent, trying to stifle your laughs as you inspect the bright green arrows, "How did you even get this?"
His eyes light up mischievously, "Do you really want to know?"
You stop short and narrow your eyes at him, "I would lose my plausible deniability."
"But you wanna know," he says, sly and playful.
You do. (It involves mutated chickens, tar, and one distracted Oliver Queen. You hang the quiver next to the sword)
Jason's getting ready to leave, bags packed and helmet lazy held under his arm, "Can I bring you back anything specific, doll" he asks, his free hand resting comfortably against your cheek, "Lasso of Truth? Maybe something with magic?"
You grin at him, leaning into his touch, "I actually do have something in mind."
"Oh," he prompts, eyes glinting with excitement.
"I want to complete my batarang collection."
He falters, "Your– what?"
"No one has," You exclaim, pulling away to showcase your collection, "I have Nightwings, Batgirls, Batmans, yours, of course, one of Robin's. But I'm missing Spoilers, Batwomans, Signals, and Red Robins."
He blinks at you, "That's– if that's what you want."
You giggle at how dumbfounded he looks, practically bouncing back over to him to kiss him, "Thank you, Jason."
He catches your waist and pulls you back in for another, longer kiss that leaves you both breathless and panting. His voice lowers, like it's a secret, "I'll bring you back some batarangs. See you in a few days?"
"See you in a few days," You echo, and he winks at you as he tugs on his helmet, leaving out your window.
Sure enough, you get your batarangs when he gets home. It takes some convincing, a few kisses that leave you senseless, but you get Jason to help you mount your batarang collection alongside the sword and quiver.
"I should get you a plasma rifle next," he drawls, admiring your growing wall of weapons.
"I think I'd fall over if I tried to shoot one of those," You point out, all smiles.
"I'll teach you," he tells you, hooking an arm around your waist to draw you closer.
Jason's a man of his word, and sure enough, he brings you home a plasma cannon after his next mission.
You only destroy most of the shooting range in the batcave when he lets you try it out.
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learning curve part 2
alexia putellas x reader [& r's nephew] will tries to adjust, and so do r and alexia. a phone call and a nightmare dampen will's spirits, but alexia and r try prove that they are there for him. very soft fluff. angst. kidfic. shorter chapter but wanted to get this out before finals kill me hope you enjoy❤️🩹
There were so many good moments in being… well, not a parent. Being whatever you were to Will. Moments that you swore made your heart grow, like when Alexia would give him a piggyback ride around the house and he’d giggle until he was out of breath, or when he’d lift up his plate at dinner to very proudly show you he’d eaten all his vegetables.
The reality was, however, that Will was a traumatized kid, living in a foreign country that spoke an entirely different language to him. Far away from his favorite person in the world, far away from everything he’d ever known. And while Will mostly trusted you, you were still practically a stranger to him, and Alexia was a stranger to him.
Will was an anxious kid, with a lot to adjust to, and some days he didn’t want you. He didn’t want to be in Spain. He wanted to go back home and be with his Dad. That was just the one thing in the world you couldn’t give him.
—
It was only the end of the first week of having Will living with you, and you hadn’t quite perfected your routine. It was Saturday, and he was due to start school on Monday, and though he hadn’t said anything, you could tell he was dreading it. Even with the new backpack and new light up shoes you’d gotten him, his little face grew so solemn whenever the topic of school was brought up.
It had been an oddly calm week, which you were more than grateful for. Pere had taken you both out of the traveling squad for the weekend without either of you even asking. He insisted family was the most important thing, and you guys were facing a team at the bottom of the table anyway. So, with only a few training sessions and several days off, you and Alexia had been trying to get Will settled.
One of the first things you’d done upon arriving back in Spain was finding Will a child psychologist. He hadn’t met with her yet, but she’d listened to the situation and given you a few tips on how to help Will adjust. And though there was a hoard of teammates and friends very eager to meet your nephew, one of the psychologist’s tips had been to take things slow, especially with introducing him to people. Too much, all at once, would just remind Will how much had changed. He didn’t need to be overwhelmed right now.
Taking her advice, Will hadn’t met anyone before yesterday, when you and Alexia brought him over to Alexia’s mami’s house for dinner. He met Eli and Alba, instantly taking to Alexia’s sister. It wasn’t surprising; she was a teacher for young kids, and was already sitting on the floor at the coffee table coloring when the three of you had walked in. He’d spent most of the evening silently playing with her, his wide eyes flickering over to you every few minutes, as if to ensure that you were still there.
It had been a late night, and even the limited conversation that Will had engaged in had seemed to drain him. He’d fallen asleep in the car on the way home, as you’d found he was very prone to doing. Alexia had carried him inside, his face smushed into her shoulder as her arms wrapped around him protectively. He woke, very grumpily, when you had him change into his pajamas and brush his teeth, passing right back out the minute his head hit his pillow.
Will liked his sleep, you’d learned, and it wasn’t a surprise that after such a draining and long day, he’d slept in. It was nearing 10, though, and you didn’t think kids this little were supposed to sleep this late. Alexia and you had had a slow, quiet morning, enjoying the time alone together more than you would have just a week ago. Now, as you lay on the couch snuggled against your girlfriend’s side watching the team play on the TV, the now very familiar anxiety began to invade your every thought.
“Should we wake him up?” You wondered, shifting to look at Alexia’s face. Her eyes remained locked on the TV, and it took a few seconds for the question to process.
“I’m not sure, amor. If he’s tired, should we let him sleep? It’s been a long week.”
“I know, but–”
“Tia?” Will’s voice called from the doorway, small and trembling. Your head whipped around to look at him, hesitating in the doorway as he rubbed at his eyes with his fists. He was crying, or trying not to cry, you couldn’t tell.
“Hey, buddy. What’s wrong?” You asked gently, opening your arms and gesturing for him to come closer. The TV turned off as Alexia tore her attention away from the match and looked to Will with concern.
“I-I want my Dad.” Will mumbled, taking a step further into the room but not taking you up on the unspoken offer for a hug.
“Do you want to call him, sweetheart?” Your heart truly broke at the sad look on his face, and as much as you wished you could just fix it for him, you knew you couldn’t.
Will considered for a moment, taking another half step forward before nodding. “Yes, please.”
Luckily, the prison Leo was incarcerated in allowed inmates to receive phone calls, though it took a while for the call to get connected. You had to call the prison, request to talk to Leo, and if he was available, they’d bring him to the phone area. The process could take anywhere from 10-20 minutes, but Will wasn’t looking especially patient at the moment, his eyes wide and filled with tears as he watched you grab your phone off the table.
“Will, cariño, why don’t we go get you some breakfast while we wait for your Papi to pick up?” Alexia asked, standing and holding her hand out towards the boy.
“‘M not hungry.” Will murmured, fidgeting nervously with the hem of his pajama shirt.
Alexia hummed, moving cautiously towards Will and squatting down so she was eye level with him. “You might be hungry when you get off the phone, and if we start making pancakes now, they will be ready just in time.”
The suggestion seemed to pique Will’s interest, even in his very solemn mood. “Okay. Pancakes.”
He wrapped his hand around two of Alexia’s fingers and she smiled happily, leading him into the kitchen.
They got to work making the pancake batter, Alexia allowing Will to help her measure out the ingredients as you waited to hear the sound of your brother’s voice come over the phone.
Just as Leo came over the line, you heard a faint giggle come from the kitchen, and you smiled despite yourself. Alexia could always seem to get Will to laugh, no matter what mood he was in. You said hi to your brother, before calling for your nephew. His steps padded quickly from the kitchen into the living room, reaching for the phone with a somewhat desperate air to him.
“Hi Dad.” Will greeted, sitting down on the edge of the couch. You couldn’t quite hear what your brother was saying, and you wanted to give Will some privacy, so you headed for the kitchen. Trying to tune out the conversation in the other room, you headed right for Alexia, who was stood at the stove, waiting for the perfect moment to flip the pancakes. You wrapped your arms around her, pressing your front to her back and sighing heavily.
Alexia didn’t say anything in response at first, just placed her free hand over yours and squeezed.
“Does this look like a heart, amor?” She inquired after a moment. You peeked over her shoulder, smiling despite yourself at the vaguely heart shaped pancake in the pan.
“It does.” You lied, pressing a kiss to her shoulder. “Although I think Will would prefer a dinosaur.”
Alexia chuckled. “I do not think I am that talented yet. Besides, he only cares about the syrup, not the shape of the pancake. The heart is for you.”
Your cheeks flushed because no matter how much time passed, you were quite sure Alexia would always stun you a little with her sweet gestures.
“I love you.” You murmured, a bit overwhelmed with softness for your girlfriend at that moment. Whether it was the barely heart shaped pancake or the gentleness and kindness she showed Will, you weren’t sure.
“Te amo más.” Alexia replied, and you didn’t have to see her face to hear the small smile in her voice.
As soon as you heard Will’s faint goodbye, you headed back into the living room. Your nephew didn’t look any happier, still perched on the edge of the couch, though now he was fully crying into his hands.
“All done, buddy?” You called, feeling your chest tighten as Will jumped a bit and hastily began to wipe at his face with his hands.
He nodded, handing your phone back to you without looking in your direction or saying a word.
“Are you okay, Will?” You inquired, sitting next to him on the couch.
He shrugged, lip quivering as he tried to hold in his cries. “Sorry.”
“Sweetheart, you don’t need to be sorry about being sad.” You told him, reaching over and lifting him into your lap. He curled into you, his hand twisting into the fabric of your shirt. “You can be sad, and you can cry. This is really hard and you’re being so brave, but it’s okay to cry.”
Will began to cry in earnest now, and you tried not to tear up yourself at the pain he was feeling, pain that was much too big for such a young kid.
“I want my Dad.” Will whispered brokenly, clutching tighter to your shirt.
“I know, I know you do. I’m sorry sweetheart.”
There wasn’t much else you could do but whisper reassurances and try your best to comfort him. It wasn’t enough, you knew. Because you weren’t Leo. And Will just wanted his dad.
—
It had been a long week for everyone. The emotional weight that you were carrying was taking its toll, and you’d never been more desperate for a good night's sleep before in your life. Alexia could see it on your face, the physical and mental exhaustion, and she insisted you get in bed when just after Will had gone to sleep.
Much too exhausted to really put up much of an argument, you showered quickly and threw on some pajamas. Alexia brushed your hair for you, something she knew always made you sleepy, before tucking you into bed and flicking the light off. You frowned at that, grabbing her hand when she tried to rise from the bed.
“Where are you going?”
“The living room is a mess and I was going to finish the laundry–”
“Alexia, you’re tired too. Please just come to bed. I won’t be able to fall asleep without you.”
A small smile flickered across her face, and she realized how utterly powerless she was to say no to you when you asked something of her, especially something this needy. Alexia knew better than anyone how hard it was for you to be vulnerable. She’d promised herself long ago that she’d be here if you needed her, especially when you asked for her.
So, she nodded, kissing you softly on the lips. “Okay, mi amor. If that is what you need.”
Alexia made quick work of locking the front door, running through her nighttime routine and checking to make sure Will was soundly asleep before crawling into bed next to you. Her body molded into the back of yours, arms holding you tight against her.
“You stole my favorite pajama shirt.” She whispered into your ear, hand sliding up the front of the stolen shirt to rest across your abdomen.
You turned in her hold, pressing your face into her neck and adjusting until you were comfortable. “It smells like you.”
Alexia grinned into the top of your head at your sleepy voice, settling back into the pillows. “You can keep it, then.”
She was sure she looked like a lovesick fool, holding you tightly against your chest, smiling hugely in the darkness, but she didn’t care. She really loved that she got to love you.
—
Alexia wasn’t a very heavy sleeper, which normally was a point of annoyance for her. However, when she woke up just a few hours after falling asleep, she wasn’t upset.
It was a quiet whimper coming from down the hall that pulled her awake, and it only took her a minute of confusion before she realized the source.
Will.
You’d been leaving both his bedroom door and your bedroom door open in an attempt to convince him to come wake you if he needed you. Will was independent, insisting on doing everything himself because he was a ‘big boy,’ but you never wanted him to feel deterred from seeking you out if he needed comfort.
Alexia sat up, rubbing at her eyes and listening just to make sure she’d heard correctly. When a small sob reached her ears, she slipped out of bed, making sure not to disturb you.
If Will needed you, she wouldn’t hesitate to get you. But if this was something she could help with without waking you, she’d prefer that. You were so tired. More than that, she didn’t want you to feel like Will was just your responsibility. She’d made it clear she was staying, that she was here for both of you, and she intended to prove that to you through her actions.
So, she padded down the hall towards Will’s room, her heart dropping when she found him sitting up, the covers scrunched up at the bottom of his bed, his face wet with tears. He was hugging one of his dinosaurs close to his chest, and Alexia could tell even from the doorway that he was trembling.
“Hey cariño.” She whispered, stepping into the room. “Are you okay?”
It was a stupid question because it was very clear that Will was not okay, but Alexia asked anyway, frowning sympathetically when the small boy shook his head back and forth rapidly in response.
“Did you have a bad dream?” Alexia wondered, walking over to Will’s bed and sitting on the edge of it. He didn’t reach for her, so she didn’t reach for him, though she left her hand on the bed right in front of him, palm up in case he wanted to grab it.
This time, Will nodded, using the soft fur of his dinosaur to wipe the tears off his cheek.
“A really bad one,” Will mumbled, his voice shaky and thick with tears.
Alexia was quiet for a moment, not quite sure what she should do. Should she get you? Should she try to talk it through with him? She hadn’t realized until this moment how much taking care of a kid came down to the smallest decisions.
“Would you like a hug?” She offered finally, opening her arms. To her surprise, Will quickly slid out from under his covers and scrambled into her lap, wrapping his arms tightly around her neck. She held him carefully, rubbing her hand up and down his back as he sniffled. “Okay. Okay, we’re okay. You are safe, cariño.”
Miraculously, Will seemed to be calming down, and it wasn’t much longer before he loosened his grip on her and rested his head against her chest.
“Do you want to tell me about it?”
“You… you and my Tia went away. Like my Dad. I couldn’t find you guys and I was all alone again.” Will whispered, his voice quiet as if speaking any louder would make the nightmare come true.
“That sounds really scary, Will.” Alexia said carefully, feeling Will nod into her. “You aren’t alone. Me and your Tia are not going anywhere. We’re here to take care of you, and we aren’t going to leave you alone, ever.”
It was the best she could come up with. She marvelled at how you always seemed to know what to say to Will, not having realized how hard that seemingly simple task could be. The midfielder was unsure if her words had helped at all especially when Will was quiet for a few long moments.
“Promise?” He whispered finally, his hand twisting into the fabric of her shirt.
Alexia bit her lip, fighting a wave of tears that threatened to fall. A 5 year old should never have to feel this way, should never have to be this scared that he was going to be left behind.
“I promise.” Alexia replied, leaving a kiss on the top of Will’s brown waves.
“Alexia?” Will asked.
Alexia fought back a smile, this time, because it was the first time Will had addressed her by her name. She hummed in response, nodding for him to ask his question.
“Can I sleep in your bed? With you and my Tia?” His voice was quiet, tentative, and he seemed almost resigned, as if he was sure the answer would be no.
But Alexia couldn’t say no, not when Will was sitting in front of her with tears still wet on his face. So much was changing for him, and he was doing a remarkable job adjusting to it all. Still, if he needed some extra comfort… who was Alexia to deny that? Especially when she knew you’d say yes without a second thought.
“Of course you can. Your Tia is still sleeping and she’s very tired so we have to be quiet.”
Will nodded fervently, tucking his dinosaur under one arm and reaching up for Alexia’s hand with his other. Together, they walked back down the hall, feet padding softly on wood.
Alexia lifted Will into her arms as they walked through the door, in the darkness misjudging the distance she had between her and the foot of the bed. Her toe collided with it painfully, and she yelped quietly, freezing to make sure you didn’t stir.
“Shh.” Will said, brows furrowed as his small hand moved to cover Alexia’s mouth. She fought back a smile, nodding and placing Will onto the bed. He moved slowly over into the middle of the bed, letting Alexia tuck the covers up around him before climbing in herself.
She’d expected Will to snuggle up against you, but her heart melted when she felt him scooch closer to her, resting his head on her arm.
“Goodnight Alexia.” He whispered, so quiet Alexia had to strain to hear him.
“Goodnight cariño.” Alexia whispered back, leaning down to kiss the top of his head.
She was wide awake even as Will’s breaths began to even out, and the boy fell asleep, but she didn’t mind.
She’d stay up for a while. Just in case he needed anything.
—
not the biggest fan of this but the next chapter is already planned and i'm very excited about it
thanks for reading ❤️
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i really do wish gentiles understood how utterly decimated the jewish diaspora was by the end of the 20th century in the wake of the wave of pogroms in eastern europe, the shoah and its aftermath, and the expulsions across north africa and south west asia. in the early 1900’s, around 50% of the world’s jewish population lived outside of eretz yisrael or the us. today, that number is 13%. there are countries who had large jewish populations at the turn of the 20th century that now have no jewish presence. there has not been such a large wave of expulsions and fleeing since the spanish inquisition — which is another horrifically traumatizing series of events that gentiles don’t understand the enormity of.
during the spanish inquisition, almost half a million jews were forced on pain of death to convert or flee. thousands were killed, hundreds of thousands fled. until the shoah, it was the single most massive trauma in jewish history since the siege of jerusalem and expulsion from judea. jews made up nearly a quarter of spain’s population and had been there for centuries. some of our most important texts were written there. ladino developed there, sephardic music, culture, and identity. and then it was gone. everywhere the inquisition could reach, from spain to naples to sicily to malta to the americas, the jewish populations were brutalized, genocided, and expelled. it changed the course of jewish history forever.
in the 20th century, within the span of 50ish years, hundreds of thousands of jews were killed in or fled horrific pogroms in eastern europe, a third of the entire jewish population was systematically murdered within the span of a few years, centuries old jewish communities weren’t just expelled but almost entirely wiped out which led to the loss of centuries old diaspora languages and traditions, and nearly a million jews were expelled from places they’d lived for hundreds or even thousands of years.
like. do you understand? do you understand the kind of communal trauma that kind of massive global upheaval has on a people? the expulsion of 300,000+ jews from spanish territories was enough to leave a centuries old mark on the jewish community. do you understand the impact that the murder of over six million and violent displacement of over 2 million jews will have on the jewish psyche and on jewish history? do you have any idea how earth shattering the last century has been for the jewish people? do you have any idea what we’ve lost? what’s been violently stolen from us? can you try?
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so american ✢ max verstappen
pairing: max verstappen x singer!reader
warnings: none; just some silly shit, some swearing, google translate dutch, max's home race is belgium and not the netherlands for timeline related reasons
summary: y/n is teasing way too many things at once…..can the fans keep up?
author's note: this is NOT an original concept i am aware of this. but this hasn’t left my brain in days. i’ve got a very specific vision so let me cook. i know i haven't posted on here in over a year but i've returned an f1 fan. enjoy!
yourname added to their story!
liked by delwatergap, maxverstappen1, and 3,491,842 others
yourname: i think i'm in love with montreal. sorry i’ve been so off the grid but i am Loving Life so hard. so much inspo in my life rn. will talk soon i promise. love u all bunches 🫶🏼🌷
ynsbestfriend: hey queen you have done it again!
-> yourname: ugh i love you so bad
user1: UM BAE WHOS THAT IN THE LAST SLIDE?
-> yourname: beats me!
-> user1: i do not trust you.
lilymhe: hiiiii pretty girl
-> yourname: stop im blushinggggg
user2: i fear she’s in her lover girl era
-> user3: girl help im so fucking scared right now what’s happening
user4: so does any of this have to do with your story from yesterday??????
*liked by yourname.*
maxverstappen1 added to their story!
yourname added to their story!
liked by honeymoon, danielricciardo, and 3,572,679 others
yourname: life's been a beach lately. clearly i've been loathing my time in spain ://///
user5: IS THAT MAX
-> user6: no bc it HAS to be
heidiberger_: Loved spending the week with you! 🤍
-> yourname: same!!!!!! let's do it again sometime 🥰
-> user6: NOT DANNY RIC'S GF COMMENTING?????? AND LILY MUNI HE ON HER LAST POST???????
user6: no bc even if her and max were dating and she's been traveling with him why have we not seen her in the paddock
-> user7: to throw us off our rhythm????
-> user8: what if they debut at his home race in spa ijbol
liked by landonorris, taylorswift, and 4,683,892 others.
tagged: maxverstappen1, redbullracing, and ynsbestfriend
yourname: hahaha felt like dropping 2 things at once on u guys LOLLLLLLLL. thank u to redbullracing, spagrandprix, and the city of spa for letting me and my friends crash the race the other week to film the “so american” music video, and to maxie for winning in ur home country. it was so fucking special to be there supporting u. i love u baby!
ps. another thank u to max for thinking i'm the funniest person in the world and making fun of my americanness for as long as i've known him (which is quite a while).
enjoy this tune guys. it's urs forever and i hope u love it as much as i love the person it's about 🫶🏼 🇧🇪 🇳��� TU DU DU DU!!!!!
user9: OH NMY GOD I FUCKING KNEW I SAW U IN THE GARAGE
ynsbestfriend: thanks for letting me third wheel mommy
-> yourname: no one else i'd rather drag along!!!
danielricciardo: Welcome to the family! Song's a banger although I can't believe it's actually about Max of all people 🤢 GROSS!!
-> yourname: jealousy is a disease danny.
user10: i actually cannot fathom this this is so me core
alexandramalsaintmleux: I am so glad to know you! Your happiness is everything 🩷
liked by sabrinacarpenter, carlossainz55, and 4,783,522 others.
tagged: yourname and ynsfriend
maxverstappen1: Spent a week away in New England with my talented, gorgeous girl. Loved getting away and experiencing America through her eyes! Consider me an honorary American now! Also, stream “So American” wherever you choose. It's about me 😉
yourname: does this mean i can stop hiding in the garage now???
landonorris: Happy for you mate! Love the song as well yourname 🤍
-> yourname: awe thank u lando 🥺 i got more to show u when i see u next!!!!!!
redbullracing: ❤️💙
user11: MAX IS IN HIS LOVER BOY ERA
danielricciardo: How many more times can you say American?
liked by charles_leclerc, chappellroan, and 3,694,849 others
tagged: maxverstappen1
yourname: nothing like celebrating the best 2 weeks of my life than showing my boy around ye olde stomping grounds #soamerican
liamlawson30: This is so American of him
-> yourname: like he fits in so well!
lydianight: u'll have him in the american flag board shorts in no time
-> yourname: baby steps :///
user11: she really is in her lover girl era 🥺
clairo: did you take him to the chipotle that is also a historic landmark downtown??
-> yourname: dude of COURSE i did. he said it was "interesting"
yourname added to their story!
#formula 1 x reader#f1 x reader#f1 imagine#formula one x reader#f1 smau#max verstappen x reader#max verstappen x you#max verstappen imagine#max verstappen#mv1 x reader#f1 texts#f1 fanfic#f1 social media au
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Would you write for Aitana, it would probably work for another Spaniard like Alexia since she's also cold averse, if not.
My thought is that r is from some colder climate country and takes player back to their country to celebrate the holidays, and player is constantly freezing and like demanding cuddles and kisses to "keep warm". Fireplace cuddles, cute snowy moments, meeting the fam, and just fluff all around.
Frost Bite
Aitana Bonmati x fem!reader
summary: your girlfriend has never been to the states during christmas, and boy does she have some problems with it
“You guys live here voluntarily?” Aitana asks in disbelief, already shivering from the New York winter’s breeze.
“I lived here, last time I checked I now live with you in sunny Barcelona. Now please help me with our bags, Tana.” You correct, dragging two heavy suitcases out of the taxi cab’s trunk while your girlfriend rushes to your side after previously hugging herself in an attempt to warm up.
The tip of your nose is already beet red from just the few minutes of standing outside. Aitana and you are both bundled up in thick coats and hats, already prepared for the intense change of weather. Your breath can be seen entering the air as you softly knock on the door that used to be called home years ago.
“You guys are finally here!” Your mom squeals after nearly ripping the door open off its hinges. She quickly pulls you into a tight hug you can’t exactly return due to your hand still holding onto your suitcase.
“As much as I have missed you, we are terribly freezing out here.” You hint with a smile, causing your mom to gasp in realization and pull both you and your girlfriend into the warm atmosphere of the house.
Aitana sighs in relief as the heat washes over her body, not at all being used to the drop in temperature. You both take off everything that can be hung on the coat rack and what can be left by the door in order to move further into the room.
Your oldest brother along with his wife sit on the large sofa, enjoying whatever is playing on the TV. While your other brother who is only a year younger than you lays on the floor, wrestling with the two family dogs. Then you have your eldest sister with her husband both smushed on the chair, and finally, your youngest sister in the kitchen, helping your mom and dad.
Your girlfriend has already met your family plenty of times, having been dating for 5 years. She never feels awkward or out of place, especially when everyone welcomes her with open arms. Aitana was the first girlfriend you actually brought home to meet your family and thankfully they all adore her.
“Someone decided to finally see her siblings!” Your younger brother, James, jokes while throwing his hands in the air in celebration, causing the dogs to go crazy and tackle him to play.
“Now that is exactly what you get.” You say pointedly, grabbing Aitana’s hand and pulling her over to the dining table which is between both the living room and kitchen.
After a few minutes of catching up and greetings, you both stay seated at the wooden table, watching all your siblings bicker at each other and your mother and father prepare dinner.
“Are you okay? I know that all the chaos can be a bit overwhelming at times.” You smile sympathetically, realizing you haven’t asked how your girlfriend is feeling since you’ve gotten here.
“Oh please, I live and work with chaos every day, and plus, I love tu pequeña familia.” You smile at the spaniard's words and reach over the wooden surface to hold the soft skin of her hand.
You both look at one another with lovesick smiles etched across both of your faces. Many couples warn about the spark fading after years of being in a relationship, but yours and Aitanas only seem to get brighter with time. Besides the occasional argument here and there, nothing has ever made your love for each other dim.
“So Aitana, have you been using your English over in Spain?” Your mother asks behind the counter, cutting off your little love bubble.
Your mother always teases her for forgetting some English when she visits because she never really speaks it over at home. You are usually the one who speaks Spanish in order to communicate better with your Barcelona team.
Aitana blushes in deep red, knowing her answer won’t be satisfying. “Uh, yes?” The brunette says in her thick accent, trying to make your mother happy by speaking in the language.
“She so has not. Keira and I try to get it out of her after every game so she can use it in post-conferences.” You intervene at your girlfriend’s obvious lie, sitting back in your chair with your arms crossed over your chest, watching as the girl’s jaw across from you drops in disbelief.
“Traidora.” Your girlfriend gasps, continuing to stare you down with squinted eyes as you just smirk in response.
After an hour or two, dinner is all finished and everyone is packing up to go to their own destinations. You and Aitana are staying at the house considering you live a few countries away along with your younger sister who is on college break. Your parents have made sure you’re both settled in your once-old bedroom which is now a guest bed.
“As much as I love and treasure my family, they sure can be exhausting.” You huff while dramatically falling backward on the bed in a starfish position, bouncing up and down from the springs.
“I thought everything went well.” The brunette shrugs, folding the rest of her clothes to put in the dresser.
“I never said it didn’t go well, I said it was exhausting. Two different scenarios.” You sit up on your elbow with your head resting in your hand so you can watch your girlfriend.
“Meh meh meh.” Aitana mocks, smiling when she sees your offended expression.
You dramatically sigh, flopping right back down on the bed and turning around to make your back face your girlfriend in fake offense. The creak of floorboards approaches you slowly, making you smile in triumph to see your plan to get the spaniard’s attention is working.
“Muy bien, mi amor, tú ganas.” Her arms wrap around your midsection, forcing you to roll over onto your back so the brunette can have a good look at you.
“Siempre gano.” You peck her nose and flip your bodies around so you’re now resting on top of her lap. “So tomorrow we will be going downtown to see the huge christmas tree, and then we will maybe go window shopping, play in the snow, maybe even ice skating-”
“-No, no skating. I may be good with my legs in football but on ice? Absolutamente no.” She declares, rubbing her hands up and down your thighs, sending waves of heat through your body at the simple touch.
“Alright, no ice skating, got it.” You fake solute, bringing a smile across your girlfriend’s face.
“Besides that, everything sounds magnífico. I just can’t wait.” You quirk your eyebrow when she begins to sit up more with you and inch her hands higher up your thigh. “So why don’t we fill in the time we have, sí?” She husks before sharply flipping you both once again so she now hovers over your body.
“My parents are just down the stairs, and my sister is across the hall.” You say in a hushed voice but a smile is still engraved across your face.
“Mmm your parents are downstairs sleeping, and your sister is across the hall also sleeping.” Aitana says, kissing your neck in all the right spots that she’ll know will make you cave.
“I don’t know-”
“Just be quiet bebé.”
—
“Tana, I have to go grab our drinks.” You laugh as the girl continues to latch onto your arm, acting as if you’re her only source of heat, even in the cozy cafe.
The spaniard is bundled up in a large coat, which makes her frame look extremely small, gloves, a scarf, and a beanie hat. Granted, she isn’t used to the weather, being in a warm cafe should help her with cooling down.
“Here you go, baby. There’s a seat over there.” You say, handing her the warm beverage and pointing over to the corner of the room.
You both sit in comfortable silence while talk fills the busy cafe. Aitana has finally taken off her gloves and instead uses the hot chocolate as her hand warmer. You’re both around the same height and size but with her being shriveled up, she looks abnormally cute and small.
“I don’t know how you do this. Siento como si mi anillo de la nariz se estuviera congelando.” Aitana exaggerates, taking another sip of her drink, and letting the hot liquid warm down her throat.
“You know, you seem to speak a lot of spanish when you’re cold. Should I expect this when we play out in the snow?”
“La nieve? Oh no no no, mi vida. We are not playing in the snow.” Your girlfriend replies bluntly, shivering at the thought of touching the cold surface.
“What? That was part of our plans.” You frown sadly, having been looking forward to showing the girl a huge part of what it was like growing up here in winter.
“Not happening.” The brunette shakes her head, sounding as if she has already made her decision.
You felt an overwhelming sense of sadness replacing your once contentment. Aitana seems to notice it as she watches you go quiet and stare longingly outside where families sprinkle snow at one another, laughing in cheer.
“Alright, fine, but you owe me so many kisses and hugs. Deal?” Aitana rasps, willing to do anything to make you happy, even if it means almost freezing to death in the fluffy ice.
“Deal!”
A bright smile plasters on your face, making the girl across from you chest flutter in delight, loving nothing more than your radiating happiness. Aitana basically goons at you with heart eyes. Any person who shared half the amount of love as you two would be considered extremely lucky.
After finishing your drinks, you drag a begrudgingly Aitana out of the cozy building into the crisp air. The brunette swears she can feel her insides frost up when the cool wind hits her.
“Over there! There’s a bunch of people making snowmen.” You exclaim, continuing your tug on the spaniard, wanting to claim your space before anyone else can.
“I don’t know how to do this.” Aitana admits, standing awkwardly on the side as you begin to pack a snowball to roll.
“I’ll teach you then.” You smile as you place the ball of snow back on the ground. “All we have to do now is roll this ball around so more snow can stick and gather to it so it becomes bigger.” Your girlfriend nods her head before taking a deep breath and rubbing her gloved hands together, preparing herself for a bit of coldness.
Once she gets the hang of it, she begins to smile in joy, knowing she’s doing something you love with you and actually being able to do it. You begin to make another ball for the middle of the snowman’s body as Aitana continues rolling the bottom.
“We did it.” Aitana grins cheerfully, looking at your standing creation.
“Ah, we’re not done yet. Oo, there’s some twigs over there.” You stomp off, leaving your girlfriend standing confused and watching you longingly.
You come back merely seconds later with two sticks in your hands. The brunette looks at you confused when you extend your arm, handing her one of the brown twigs. She hesitantly accepts it but continues to stand there in silence.
“There we go.” You smile triumphantly after sticking the twig deep into the frozen ball before nodding at your girlfriend to do the same but on the other side.
“He’s complete, no?”
“As complete as we can make him for now.”
“So, we can go back to the house now?” You look over at the girl with a quirked eyebrow, taking in her sheepish smile and rosy cheeks.
Rolling your eyes in defeat you agree, making the girl pump her fists in victory. You shake your head amusingly before locking arms and starting your walk home.
—
“Thank you for humoring me and playing in the snow.” You whisper, cuddling into your girlfriend’s side while watching the fireplace flicker.
Your parents and sister had left to go to some neighborhood christmas party while you and Aitana decided to stay back. You both now lay on the cozy couch in the living room, warming up in front of the fireplace as the TV plays some cheesy Hallmark movie.
“I was not humoring you. I wanted to make you happy and also see your fun but cold traditions.”
You move your head off her shoulder and face her with a big grin. Aitana and you both lean in halfway into a soft and passionate kiss, locking lips tenderly and rubbing your hands slowly against one another’s skin. When you pull away, Aitana chases after your lips in despair, not wanting the kiss to end quite yet.
“Tu prometiste besos.” The spaniard grumbles in fake irritation, wanting to connect your lips once more.
“I also promised cuddles which I will be giving you now, miss grumpy pants.” You tease, pushing her to lay back against the couch so you can sink in front of her, allowing her arm to wrap around your waist.
“That will be mrs. grumpy pants soon.” Aitana mumbles under her breath.
“What was that?”
“Nothing, mi amor. Let’s watch this movie that has the same plot as the twenty others we have already watched.”
#aitana bonmati x reader#woso x reader#aitana bonmati#woso fic#woso imagine#woso#christmas fic#christmas
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the v's reaction to someone taking your hearing aid
♥ summary: "what the Vees would do if they noticed their partially deaf s/o being picked on - like the other people would tear out their hearing aid(s) and break them and stuff" @aceduchessdragoness ♥ characters: velvette, vox, valentino ♥ notes: screaming and crying okay so i did val's spanish as spain spanish bc i think spain sign language would be better than narrowing his signs down to a specific latin american country but if the translation is cringe then tell me bc i'm literally using an lse dictionary
Vox
♥ word count: 1.9k ♥ notes: i use [Y/N] for the first time in my career ong, she/her pronouns used in third person, reader doesn't speak and only signs, protective but violent vox, vox in a healthy relationship, reader gets harassed in public
It was never a mystery to you how Vox always knew where you were. Even without the watch on your wrist, you felt his eyes on you, the looming knowledge of persistent monitoring.
Not that it bothered you, of course. If anything, you were worried that he wanted to spend his time watching you instead of running his business. But whatever, it was flattering.
Whenever you went on your routine errands, you would smile at every television or security camera you encountered. On the big screens in Vox's room, he feels like the common softening of his heart. Your smile always seems so genuine. How can somebody like you adore him so much?
.
Blue light illuminates your living room. From the kitchen, you groan as you make your way to the television. Can he stop bothering you at this hour? All you wanted to do was get some damn water, but of course, as always, he's monitoring you.
Words pop up on the screen as you approach it. You rub your eyes, the brightness overwhelming. You reach for your coffee table.
GO TO SLEEP
With the sudden click of the remote, you smile as the screen goes black. One, two, three... it lights up again.
DON'T TRY
Again, the screen goes black. One... again, a bright blue illuminates you.
[Y/N]. The television shakes.
You snicker at him, finally sitting on the floor and putting the remote down. On the other side of that screen, Vox sits on his swivel chair, gazing up at you, your frame taking up multiple monitors. Your eyes look below where his point of view is.
"It's late," you sign, and the light makes your hands shine in the darkness. "Dim it a little."
He listens; his small act of consideration makes you melt. Your eyes soften immensely. Internally, he begs you to stop looking at him like that; it's embarrassing how good it makes him feel.
The television is still a blinding blue as you go from the living room to the bedroom; he follows you per any screen by your side. Worst of all, a flat-screen faces your bed, which was mandatory.
"Goodnight, Vox." You sign while putting your face up to the screen.
You turn this TV off, and to your delight, it stays off.
.
With a yawn, you stretch your morning aches away and lean your head against the table of your vanity. You get a few seconds of shut-eye before popping back up. Vox is watching; if he notices you're tired, he will try to be domestic and nap with you regardless of how much work you must do today. So you rub away your sleepy eyes and massage the tension in your jaw. Putting on your hearing aid is first on your daily to-do list; you'd like to hear if he pops up on your television and decides to update you on his morning. Sometimes, he gets so impatient. Next, while picking up your moisturizer, you try not to shiver at the coldness once it touches your fingers.
You wish yourself a good morning before rubbing it in.
At the same time of day, Vox was already up and doing his rounds, making sure his employees were getting work done. He gets antsy between when you wake up, and you get to the tower. Every morning once he sees you entering the elevator, he'll wait on the other side to welcome you in with a kiss to the forehead.
Vox checks his watch. It shows his favorite things: your vitals, location, and pretty little face whenever you dial him.
You've finally left your place, thank goodness. Pacing aimlessly has never looked good on him.
.
He stands by his window, looking down at the streets below, watching you approach. You're wearing your usual uniform, one that he picked out just for you; it consists of the same red and blue stripes he has on his everyday suit. It makes you an eyesore in the everyday crowd.
If you didn't know any better, you'd lift your head to see if you could spot him among the many stories. The building is beautiful, overpowering. The V tower's magnificent brightness outshines the rest of the V district. The constant noise of people always has you walking with your hearing aid turned as low as it can go without turning off.
With the pink light reflecting off your face, you look both ways before crossing the street, a bright smile on your face, stepping onto the asphalt before a hand grabs your wrist.
Vox furrows his brow at the sight.
You turn your head and see a friendly reporter and a cameraman, the camera not yet rolling. Your pupils flicker between them.
"Hello!" She smiles, removing her hand. With caution, you fully face her, stepping back onto the sidewalk. The 'professional' persona you've been forced to practice is finally coming to fruition.
"Hello! I'm Deaf; I don't think I'd be able to do an interview."
She flicks her hand and rolls her eyes in the most friendly way possible. "Not a problem," she signs, moving the microphone vibrantly, "I can work this out, no problem!"
You widen your eyes in a wowwwww, oh my god, that's perfect... "Oh, what a kind woman you are!"
Vox? You beg internally. Baby? Save me.
Up high, he doesn't remove his eyes from you. With the use of sign language, he can't listen in, and he can't tell whether he needs to intervene or not. There's nothing wrong with going to check, right? Or will he seem possessive, or scared? He doesn't want people to think he doesn't want you to talk to anyone. It's good that you get to sign to someone other than him and Velvette, right?
The camera starts rolling, and you square your shoulders, adjusting your sleeves for more mobility. The news reporter throws the microphone at the cameraman, who does not catch it but ignores it as she shows off her brightest smile.
"Hello, ladies and gentlemen, I have the sweetest person in hell with me, [y/n]! Tell me, how long have you two been together?"
Of course, the news has been recognizing you recently. You've been seen countless times adjusting Vox's tie (he purposely fucks it up so that you'll step close to him) as well as wrapping your arm around his and pinching the corner of his screen endearingly before you give him a babying compliment. Many people have taken pictures and edited hearts around you two. People are obsessed with how "heavenly" your relationship is.
"Oh, many months now!" You nod to yourself, trying to stop your eyes from shining with admiration. You always get so soft when you think about him; it's one of the things people notice. She looks at him as if he's her entire world.
"Beautiful!" The reporter puffs out her bottom lip innocently. "I'm sure you make that man very happy."
What do you even say to that? I hope so.
"The happiest."
"Now," she doesn't hesitate to change the topic. "Are there any challenges you two face about your... differences?"
Your eyebrows raise before furrowing in confusion. Differences? At first, you think she means his television head, but when she notices you pause, she rudely clarifies. "I mean, with your lack of hearing, you know? Don't you find it a little embarrassing?"
You lean your body away from her. "What are you saying?"
The shock of the tonal shift has you freezing in place. The reporter looks at the camera, her eyes squinting with sadistic amusement. Her fingers twitch as she lifts her arm, not even looking at you before plucking the hearing aid from your ears. She crushes it in her hand.
At first, you grab your ear, pressing your hand to it in disbelief. Your face contorts, your shoulders dropping as you try to step away. Why couldn't you see this coming? And on television—is that where this is airing? The air around you goes quiet, the sensation of spatial awareness fading a bit as you stumble back, your hand still grasping your ear. The watch on your wrist hits your cheek, and without a second thought, you tap on the screen repeatedly. The next thing that popped into your head: her bravery is the most surprising.
With a brief fall of light, Vox stands where the lady once was. You eye him with uncertainty, a look you have never given him. He faces the cameraman, not looking your way. Your eyes go up and down his body; his stance is tense, his arms are folded behind his back, and his fingers sparking with small glimmers of electricity.
You see that lying behind him is the woman, body entirely limp, smoke coming from her mouth, and her eyes looking stuck open.
He speaks to the camera, pointing his finger at it, staring intensely into the shaking, blinking red light. Your hands link around his bicep. Composure, you remind yourself. You turn to the camera with a weary smile and lean your head against him.
.
"That'll never happen again." He stares at himself in the mirror. His dressers and tables are filled with claw marks from his previous meltdowns.
You just sit on his bed, crossing your legs uncomfortably, watching him as he goes back and forth between signing to you and mumbling to himself. You haven't said a word. You just keep your eyes on him.
He protected you in the way he knew best. He wanted nothing more than to put his hands on the sides of her head and crush her skull. It would stain his suit, awful. Even worse, your suit would have been ruined, too.
Should he force you to move into the tower? He's always wanted to. The commute would be no more, and you'd be safe from the outside.
Should he prevent you from leaving at all without him? No, that might be too much, but his entire body craves to keep you secure and protected.
He won't ask you what you want. He knows there's a chance you would just coddle him and tell him it's okay. There's no reality where he will do nothing; he must devise his own plan. But first (actually, secondly, after getting his anger out on his furniture), he wants to make sure his sweetheart is okay.
Once he calmed down and sat next to you, rubbing your thigh, he watched as you scrolled through social media, looking at the hundreds of people laughing and reposting the event. He shuts off your phone, grabs it, and tosses it across the room. You roll your eyes helplessly before he lifts his hands and signs to you.
"I will track everyone down and punish them severely, baby. No one will ever touch you again, or else they will the next flashing headline."
"I know, baby," you wrap your arms around his chest and lean into him, rubbing your cheek against the smoothness of his overcoat.
You hum against him, finding it in yourself to smile softly. Protector, protector, protector. You run those words through your head; they're comforting to their own extent. Suppose he ends up locking you inside the tower. In that case, it's better than him leaving you entirely over this (which, obviously, he'd never actually do). Spending every morning and night with him wouldn't be wrong. Everything happens for a reason.
He leans back onto the bed, his feet dangling off as you curl into his side.
Before resting completely, you use a hand to sign into his chest. "Everything will be fine."
Your coddling, though annoying, provides the most relaxing warmth to his body. He groans, wrapping an arm lazily around you, feeling the usual butterflies in his stomach as you press a small kiss to his collarbone.
.
.
.
Velvette
♥ word count: 1.6k ♥ warnings: reader speaks, party scene, getting harassed by a man, vox is in this too ♥ a/n: i completely headcanon that velvette took an asl class in highschool when she was alive, i have no idea how velvette usually acts in fanfiction so this is MY velvette now
Velvette found you, such a pretty thing, in your little corner of the internet, making content for your little community. That little corner of yours is where you told the news and interpreted a lot of banter from the overlords. Your channel was the perfect mix of education and drama, all for the Deaf community in Hell.
You were, as Velvette described, a tea channel.
She invited you to the V tower to show you around. The three V's introduced themselves to you in their own way, offering you a job. The bossman, ever so gentlemanly and charming, didn't let Valentino try and make sex motions to you for longer than necessary. And before Velvette forced Vox to scurry off, she forced him to snap a few pics of you posing with her as a faux collab.
You weren't stupid. You knew Velvette only wanted your attention to spread whatever brand she endeavored to popularize. But this might be a golden opportunity. You'd learn the behind-the-scenes from three different overlords, and the content you can produce will gather insane traction.
.
Velvette is just so sweet; the way she showed her care for you was just through gift-giving.
She loved putting together gift boxes for you, similar to the sorority kind. The boxes went from cute little baskets to a cardboard box resembling a PR send. These would always be set on your desk with a bit of note from her, each time she'd signed off her name with a heart.
Jackets, shoes, candies, jewelry, pens, everything. The gifts are versatile with familiar themes of hearts. Every day was like Valentine's Day when she was 'courting' you (did she even realize she was?).
She made you bags: totes, crossbody bags, clutches, phone pouches, coin purses, anything she thought you would need with an array of colors to match any outfit. She put in hair clips and pocket mirrors, cozy slippers and fancy journals.
She even got you two matching bracelets.
You love the smirk she wears whenever she notices you adorning anything she's given to you. Damn right, she thinks, I knew it would look good.
The most enormous box she'd ever given you was the day before one of her fashion shows. Inside were glorious clothes from her collection, all for you to pick out and wear. She really loved her stripes.
You put your hearing aid on, smiling at yourself in the mirror as you watch the charm she made you glisten in the light. With your bracelet ornamenting your wrist, you pat down your stripped outfit before taking a deep breath.
.
Your entrance reeks of reluctance. The temptation to retreat back to your room is unbearable. Seeing Velvette will definitely lift your mood; where is she? Surely, she'd be the highlight of the room, but amongst all the women with their eccentric colors and clothing shapes, you can't find your eye drawing to her anywhere.
The sounds of the party blend together in a nasty concoction; you can't help but turn your hearing aids off. The sound is similar to what it's like being outside in a heavy storm; the wind, the pouring rain, the blur and whine of the hearing aids. And instead of lingering by the double doors, you push into the crowd. You're the least recognizable in the crowd of celebrities, but it doesn't stop people from moving out of the way when you try to wiggle through. You're wearing stripes, her stripes. You're either bold or very special to her; they don't want to intervene.
But your stripes also get some people to stare at you longer than they would have otherwise. Across the room, in front of you, you notice a tall, almost shirtless model coming your way, directly staring at you. You break the quick eye contact before squeezing through a cluster of girls taking selfies. They won't let you through, grimacing but not laying any hands on you. When you turn to go the other way, the man is behind you, holding out his hand, waiting for you to put your hand in his.
You click on your hearing aid and scroll up. "What did you say?" You ask verbally, clearing your throat a bit.
His eyes bounce from yours to your hand, looking at what you're touching. His head tilts in interest. You don't like the sight of his smile.
"Oh wow." He says.
Immediately, "Yeah, no," Velvette puts her hands on your shoulders and tries to push you away. "I swear, don't even look at him, he's fucking insane."
He speaks over her, but you can't process his words over how close Velvette's lips are to your ear. Her warm breath sends goosebumps down your arms, and your spine straightens. This only makes her hum in amusement.
After turning and growling at him, she effortlessly maneuvers you away. Eyes watch you even closer now as she touches you. You let her guide you throughout the room with not a clue as to where she's leading you, if anywhere. But eventually, you two end up in front of a mirror the size of a wall.
She stares at you through the mirror. "Look at you," she signs, "extravagant as ever, darling."
"Thanks to you."
"Obviously." And she bumps her hip into yours. You laugh, mimicking the motion back.
You had ditched your initial motive of getting close to the V's to gain more information about them. They were fine people to hang out with, making you laugh and feel involved. Velvette gave you special attention that nobody in your afterlife has ever given. Her lipstick left stains on your cheek whenever she kissed you, and she made an 'appointment' in her schedule once a week to paint your nails the same black color as hers.
The afternoon went by quickly; you spent time clapping and watching models show off their garb. Velvette is a true talent.
But something ruined your evening. The air hummed with laughter and the rhythmic beat of music. Velvette had been whisked away by the other V's to overlook the crowd and count the people who had attended. Among the colorful crowd stood a familiar figure whose eyes sparkled with mischief. Different from last time, you don't notice when he starts to approach again.
"You," he coos, placing his hand under your chin. You must stare at his lips to comprehend his words over the music, an awful innuendo you wish you could have avoided. He leaned in closer to you, and in return, you leaned back. Valentino had told you a bunch of times to not worry if someone puts their hands on you, that it's a typical formality in Hell. You would always roll your eyes at him, never expecting a stranger to grab you like this.
You were mentally preparing yourself to dodge a kiss. But then, daringly, he leaned in and gently plucked the hearing aid from behind your ear, holding it aloft like a trophy. Fear flickered across your face, your hand instinctively reaching for it, but he pulled it away. The charm Velvette gave you dangles like a jewel.
"Don't," you say with desperation. He puts a finger in front of your face and waves it back and forth. He coos, using that hand to grab your face as if you were the most adorable thing he's ever seen.
Your eyes are locked on the charm, and it's brash jolts. You almost beg for him to just give you the charm back.
In the middle of a conversation with Vox, Velvette raises an eyebrow; shocked and pissed, she glared at whoever had torn off your hearing aid. She mumbles, "I'd tear their hearing aid off and break it."
Before she can move closer to you, Vox puts his hand in front of her while watching the interaction. "Think before acting, Velvette."
Her frustration turns into anger as she pushes his hand away. He lets her run off; he holds a hard stare as her pink hair bobs through the crowd.
Your eyes are stuck wide with shock, and a million things run through your head, all relating to the appropriate situational response.
True to your casual self, you were having a hard time not just jamming your hand in his eyes and kicking his shins. Would you make Velvette mad? Vox?--Would that result in you being removed from the V Tower? It's all so complicated. Though you were panicking over a 'quick' decision, you and the man stayed in that position for a few seconds. He stayed laughing, dropping the hearing aid and stomping on it.
At almost the same time, Velvette threw a glass from someone's hand at the man, perfectly aimed, hitting him in the face. She lets out a small "nice!" before rushing to you.
Her hand runs down your face, and she holds you tenderly, not turning to face Vox as he puts himself between her and the man. Your eyes bounce around the entire room. Will you ever get a break from being at the center of attention?
"We're leaving. Now." she signs in a single motion so quick that it makes you smile, relieving some of the stress that's been making your head pound. She's able to sign so naturally now.
The crowd splits into two.
Behind the both of you, Vox is declaring an end to the event, apologizing to the people for the inconvenience. Velvette keeps muttering about him under her breath; you can see her lips moving and her face grimacing.
.
She has beads in front of her, a bunch of small charms with string. She signs, looking up at you. "I should have killed him."
You just watch her craft another charm, laying on her bed and kicking your feet. "That would have been funny."
She scoffs and smiles, her painted lips turning upwards. Her fingers trace over the beads, deciding which one to pick up. She wants to make it different than the last one, but what should it look like? She picks up a pink heart with a slight hum before sliding it down onto the string. She whispers to herself, perfect.
.
.
.
Valentino
♥ word count: 1.7k ♥ note: reader is a vodka drinker, i'm obsessed with writing a loving valentino, reader doesn't talk very much and prefers sign, sexually suggestive things happening but it's not nsfw, kinda written like ass, drugs mentioned but no named just symptoms, takes place on porn set, valentino kills someone, blood description
Every time you step into the studio, you're hit by the smell of sex, mostly the sweetened stench of that strawberry lube he loves so much. Visiting his work is not usually something you do often, but he's seem to be so busy lately that you can't help but bring him a drink, the most beautiful drink in hell: vanilla vodka. You can already see him licking him lips.
Strawberry lube, so prominent in your nose.
His legs are crossed and he stares at the scene in front of him, his sunglasses hiding whatever his emotions are, but his lips are still in a prominent scowl.
Though, when he sees you, his expression changes drastically. He stands with so much excitement that the actors stop to see what he's reacting to. All eyes are on you, you shy away from the attention a bit but Val doesn't seem to notice, else care.
"Amor mío!" One of his hands signs, running down his cheek while his bottom two motions for a hug.
Before you can initiate a hug, he wraps his arms around you and brings you into his chest, trapping your arms in. He's warm, vibrantly so, it's hard not to melt against him. You couldn't be surprised if you let out a small moan at the contact. Oh, how I've missed you so much.
He pulls away quicker than you'd like and takes the bottle from your hand, holding it up close to his face so he can examine it. "Burnett's, oh you shouldn't have!"
He hesitates, torn between his responsibilities and the irresistible allure of having a drink with the person he was enamored with. He's not so easy to whisk away from work, therefore (of course), you seem to be the only person who he is at every beck and call.
You smile softly, "I knew you'd like it."
With a laugh, he takes your hand and spins you, his free hands popping open the bottle, ready to embark on whatever journey you had in store.
He turns and addresses his employees, granting them a small break before turning to you with his sharp smile.
And together, you slip away from the set, leaving behind the hustle and bustle of the studio for a simple moment of peace and luxury. Walls blazed with hues of pink and blue, you both find yourselves nestled on the fluffy couch in a lounge, a wineglass in your hand while he chugs from the bottle.
"You've been so busy." You sign. You switch the wineglass into your non dominant hand to avoid spilling any of the contents. Val holds the bottle with his bottom set of hands while signing with his top ones (he was originally going to do it the other way around).
“I know, princesa,” one of his hands comes up and squeezes your cheek. “Business calls, I cannot help myself.”
“Which is why I came to visit.”
The two of you clink glass upon glass before taking a drink. He’s trying not to finish the drink before you, he’s making sure to take his time. He doesn’t want you to leave as much as he doesn’t want to rush the break. His eyes go over your entire form and take you in, there feels like an eternity since he saw you last. Why do you have so much patience for someone like him? It’s astonishing. Surely someone as beautiful as you could find someone sweeter than her. But he’s grateful to have you, he’s mildly addicted to that internal battle of whether he wants to cherish you or own you (perhaps he can do both? Something he’s never done before).
“What?” You ask.
“Hm?” His fingers pinch together in the casual way of signing.
“You’re staring at me.”
“I can’t resist.”
“What were you thinking about?” You sign and lean forward, giving him bright eyes. Your gaze swallows him, moth to a flame.
He matches your body language, “You’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen, amor mío.”
When he tries to grab your hand, you pull away. “You're acting as if you're wine drunk.” You sign. You have a sappy smile as you put your glass to your lips.
“Never,” he wiggles his fingers as he signs. You eye him carefully, debating asking if he's kept his favorite gun on him. There's nothing worse than a drunk Valentino.
After the wine break, he has to go back to work. He feels himself getting irritated as he walks back, why can't he just continue spending the day with you? Is it worth sending everybody home? No, he has a job to do, and he needs to complete it before relaxation. But maybe he'll consider taking breaks (his least favorite word) to spend time with you.
You follow, both of your hands holding his, clinging onto him like a child.
Everybody was still in the studio, waiting for his return, not daring to leave in fear of him coming back. Actors were talking to each other casually, away from the camera, it built a strange sense of community for you. They're so nice to each other off-camera.
He drags you to his chair still holding your hand as he sits in it.
Drinking with you had been a much-needed respite from these people. He made a mental note to gift you more wine.
You remove your hands from his and smile. “Get back to work, baby.”
Pearly white, sharp teeth show through his large smile. He presses his lips against each of your knuckles while his eyes skin over all of his actors, counting them. He makes eye contact with one particular one, a woman. They stare at each other for more than a second. She's scowling at him and he squints his eyes at her. The fuck is your problem?
She usually looks at him with sultry looks, but now there's a sharpness to them.
But his eyes peel away from her and go back to you, he leans forward and presses a slow kiss to your forehead. He signs low, almost as if he's whispering a secret. "I'll come see you after."
You smile and start turning away. "Good."
Upon noticing your departure, the actors and crew start returning to their places, keeping an eye on Valentino and any commands he might make. Their eyes are always on him, worried to test his anger. But not all the actors were worried about testing his anger.
"Hey," an actress grabs your hand before you could reach the door and you turn to her. She talks, her voice making your hearing aids buzz, "Are you guys like, dating? Are you dating the Valentino? Like, literally one of the V's."
Her words all bunch into one. You blink, taking time to think about both what she could be asking and the connotation behind it. "Yes?" It sounds more like a question than an answer. Is that the correct response?
She hums and nods, her eyes wide in amazement. Her pupils are large. Her cheeks are hollow and she has strong eyebags. With a distant sound from Val, him talking to the crew, she looks back at him before turning to you. "I mean like, why? Why would he want you?"
Oh no. You try to move away but she just follows you, stepping in front of you closer. It's like being cornered, being trapped in an almost unavoidable situation.
"Why wouldn't he?" You test with a squint of your eyes.
She just smiles at you. "Uhm," and her arm reaches over, grabbing the hearing aid from your ear, pinching it between her claws, "Obviously this."
You reach for it but she pulls it away from you, trying not to laugh.
So you do what you know is the best solution, you call his name, practically screaming it. "Val!"
At the sound of you using your voice he whips his head around. The air goes still, you can tell from the way she pauses. Her pause is only for a second, she reeks of hesitance and sudden worry. She looks at the hearing aid in her hand as if she's finally realizing what she had done and what was about to happen.
Before she can say another word, her entire body stiffs, her eyes widen before her pupils roll back. And then she's on the floor, almost falling onto you.
You wipe blood from your cheek and groan.
Val stares at you, his expression unreadable. In his hand is his jeweled gun. He pauses for a moment to take a long drag of his cigarette, letting out a cloud of red smoke before he looks at his gun with a toothy smile until he tucks it back into his belt.
He starts to approach you and for a second you're scared, it was a primal feeling. He walked like a king.
All you can do is watch him, frozen in place.
The first thing he does when he reaches you is bend in front of her body, plucking the hearing aid from her hand. It's bloody, the liquid drips from it as he lifts it up. He wipes some of it off on his shirt before handing it to you. He drops it into your open hands.
He speaks, knowing you'd have a hard time understanding. "Laying her slutty hands on my angel..."
You lean into his touch when he caresses your face. His eyes gaze at you, softening, his smile widening at how soft your eyes look. You're his greatest treasure. He gets off immensely from protecting you, he would ravish you to death in this moment if he could. Valentinos eyes drift down at the body and his pupils narrows as he glares at the dead woman. He's going to have to clean this up. Her blood is getting every where.
One of his thumbs rub against your cheek, touching the bloody smear. It stains your skin in a delectable way. So perfect.
He melts when he sees your soft eyes slowly start to match the mischievous smile growing on your face. He protected you and he was open about being dithered over her behavior, he didn't laugh at it or tease you about it. You don't doubt for an instant that he's the man of your dreams. He killed someone for you in an instant.
When you take his thumb into your mouth, sucking the blood, his spine straightens. He pulls away immediately and turns around, yelling at the his workers that filming will be cut short today.
He just can't wait any longer to spend some lovely time with you.
#hazbin hotel#vox x reader#x reader#deaf community#x deaf reader#x deaf s/o#velvette x reader#valentino x reader#velvette hazbin hotel#valentino hazbin hotel
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How Hadrian’s Wall is Revealing a Hidden Side of Roman History
A party invitation. A broken flipflop. A wig. Letters of complaint about road conditions, and an urgent request for more beer.
It sounds like the aftermath of a successful spring break, but these items are nearly 2,000 years old.
They’re just some of the finds from Hadrian’s Wall – the 73-mile stone wall built as the northwestern boundary of the Roman Empire, sealing off Britannia (modern-day England and Wales) from Caledonia (essentially today’s Scotland).
While most of us think of Pompeii and Herculaneum if we’re thinking of everyday objects preserved from ancient Rome, this outpost in the wild north of the empire is home to some of the most extraordinary finds.
“It’s a very dramatic stamp on the countryside – there’s nothing more redolent of saying you’re entering the Roman empire than seeing that structure,” says Richard Abdy, lead curator of the British Museum’s current exhibition, Legion, which spotlights the everyday life of Roman soldiers, showcasing many finds from Hadrian’s Wall in the process. A tenth of the Roman army was based in Britain, and that makes the wall a great source of military material, he says.
But it’s not all about the soldiers, as excavations are showing.
A multicultural melting pot
Hadrian, who ordered the wall to be built in 122CE after a visit to Britannia, had a different vision of empire than his predecessors, says Frances McIntosh, curator for English Heritage’s 34 sites along Hadrian’s Wall.
“All the emperors before him were about expanding the empire, but Hadrian was known as the consolidator,” she says. He relinquished some of the territory acquired by his predecessor Trajan, and “decided to set the borders” – literally, in some cases, with wooden poles at sites in Germany, or with stone in Britannia. Where those poles rotted thousands of years ago, the wall is still standing: “A great visual reminder” of the Roman empire, says McIntosh.
It’s not just a wall. There’s a castle every mile along, and turrets at every third-of-a-mile point, with ditches and banks both north and south. “You can imagine the kind of impact that would have had, not just on the landscape but on the people living in the area,” says McIntosh.
And thanks to the finds from the wall, we know a surprising amount about those people.
Although historians have long thought of army outposts as remote, male-dominant places, the excavations along the wall show that’s not the case. Not only were soldiers accompanied by their families, but civilians would settle around the settlements to do business. “ You can almost see Housesteads as a garrison town,” says McIntosh. “There were places you could go for a drink and so on.”
The Roman rule of thumb was not to post soldiers in the place they came from, because of the risk of rebellion. That meant Hadrian’s Wall was a cultural melting point, with cohorts from modern-day Netherlands, Spain, Romania, Algeria, Iraq, Syria – and more. “It was possibly more multicultural because it was a focus point,” says McIntosh, who says that the surrounding community might have included traders from across the empire.
Soldiers were split into two groups. Legionaries were Roman citizens from Italy, who had more rights than other soldiers and imported olive oil, wine and garum (a sauce made from decomposing fish).
They worked alongside auxiliaries – soldiers from conquered provinces, who had fewer rights, but could usually acquire citizenship after 25 years of service.
Soldiers carved their names and regiments on stones to show which part of the wall they built – around 50 of them are on display at Chesters fort.
But the wall shows that women and children were equally present.
McIntosh says that pottery brought to the camps – from the Low Countries and North Africa – shows that the soldiers “brought their families, who cooked in traditional style.” Archaeologists have found what seems to be an ancient tagine for North African-style cooking.
A tombstone from Arbeia fort for a woman named Regina shows she was a freed slave from southern Britain who was bought by – and married to – a Syrian soldier.
Another woman buried at Birdoswald fort was laid to rest with chainmail that appears to be from modern-day Poland. “Perhaps she married someone in the army,” says McIntosh, who calls the wall a “melting pot of people from all over the world under the banner of the army.”
“They brought their own religions, as well as worshipping Roman gods and adopting local deities,” she adds. At Carrawburgh, a temple to Mithras – an originally Persian deity – sat near a spring with a shrine to a local water spirit.
‘Wretched little Brits’
Some of the most extraordinary finds from the Roman empire are coming from one site on Hadrian’s Wall: Vindolanda. Here, archaeologists have found a wealth of organic remains because of what curator Barbara Birley calls the “unusual conditions onsite.”
At Vindolanda there are the remains of at least nine forts over 14 levels. “When the Romans would leave, they would knock down timber forts, and cover the area with turf and clay, sealing the layers underneath,” she says.
“Because it happened so many times, the bottom five or six layers are sealed in anaerobic conditions, so things don’t decay. When we get down there, we get wooden objects, textiles, anything organic.”
Vindolanda has the largest collection of Roman textiles from a single site in western Europe, as well as the largest leather collection of any site in the Roman empire – including 5,000 shoes, and even a broken leather flip-flop. “We probably had a population of 3,000 to 6,000 depending on the period, so 5,000 is a lot,” says Birley. For Abdy, the shoes evoke the conditions of the wet borderlands. “Women’s and children’s shoes are hobnailed – you needed it in the mucky frontier dirt tracks. They’re very evocative.”
There’s even a wig made from a local plant, hair moss, which is said to repel midges – the scourge of Scotland during the summer. A centurion’s helmet is also crested with hairmoss – the ancient equivalent of spraying yourself with insect repellent.
The first woman to write in Latin
One of the most famous finds is the trove of wooden writing tablets – the largest found anywhere.
“They give a snapshot of what life was actually like,” says Birley. “We understand so much more from written correspondence than from ‘stuff,’ and, archaeologically, it’s the stuff that usually survives – things like metals and ceramics.
“These were written in ink, not on a wax stylus tablet, and we believe they were used for what we’d put in emails: ‘The roads are awful,’ ‘The soldiers need more beer.’ Everyday business.”
The tablets – or “personal letters” as Birley describes them – were found on the site of a bonfire when the ninth cohort of Batavians (in the modern-day Netherlands) were told to move on.
“They had a huge bonfire and lots of letters were chucked in the fire. Some have been singed – we think it may have rained,” she says. One of them calls the locals “Britunculi” – “wretched little Brits.” Another talks about an outbreak of pinkeye. One claims that the roads are too bad to send wagons; another laments that the soldiers have run out of beer.
Among the 1,700 letters are 20 that mention a woman called Sulpicia Lepidina. She was the wife of the commander of the garrison, and seems to have played a crucial role. There’s a letter to her from another woman, Paterna, agreeing to send her two medicines, one a fever cure.
Birley says it’s similar to today. “If you’re a group of moms, still today we say, ‘Do you have the Calpol?’ It’s very human.” For Abdy, it’s a sign that women were traders. “She’s clearly flogging her medicines,” he says. “It’s really great stuff.”
Another tablet is an invite from Claudia Severa, the wife of another commander at a nearby camp. It’s an invitation to a birthday party. Under the formal invitation, presumably written by a scribe, is a scrawl in another hand: “I shall expect you, sister. Farewell, sister, my dearest soul.”
Presumably written by Claudia herself, it is thought to be the earliest example of a woman’s handwriting in Latin.
Without the organic finds – the shoes and the letters that indisputably belonged to women, unlike jewellery or weaving equipment – it’s difficult to prove conclusively that women lived in significant numbers. Vindolanda “illustrate the missing gaps,” says Abdy. For Birley, they prove that women were as crucial a part of army communities as men. “Before the Lepidina tablets were found we didn’t really understand the interactions between the soldiers and their wives,” she says. Another tablet is written by what is thought to be a Spanish standard-bearer’s common-law wife, ordering military equipment for her partner.
“The Vindolanda collection is showing that there weren’t just camp followers and prostitutes; women were part of everyday life, and contributing to the military community in many ways,” says Birley.
Abdy says that Hadrian’s Wall is interesting because the resident women span “all classes of society,” from Regina – the dead freedwoman, who would have been “bottom of the heap” – to the trader Paterna and the noblewoman Lepidina.
And of course, there’s the wall itself.
“In the Netherlands and Germany the finds are often stunning and better preserved – you go to museums and are bowled over. But in terms of structural remains, Hadrian’s Wall must be among the best,” says McIntosh, modestly, of her site.
Abdy agrees: “I can’t think of many symbols so redolent of imperial will than that wall.”
By Julia Buckley.
#How Hadrian’s Wall is Revealing a Hidden Side of Roman History#Hadrian’s Wall#emperor hadrian#northwestern boundary of the Roman Empire#Britannia#Caledonia#roman legions#ancient artifacts#archeology#archeolgst#history#history news#ancient history#ancient culture#ancient civilizations#roman history#roman empire#long post#long reads
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