lying in a turquoise sea

Lily Sanapaw 28. chef.

[lily-sanapaw]

Full Name: Lily Doli Sanapaw

Nicknames: Lil

Faceclaim: Alaqua Cox

Age & Birthday: 28 - May 7th, 1995

Zodiac: Taurus

Occupation: Chef/Poissoner at Don Cote

Preferred Pronouns & Gender: She/her & cisfemale

Sexuality: Heterosexual

Hometown & length of time in town: Menominee Reservation, Wisconsin, moved to Briar Ridge in January 2024.

Neighborhood: Downtown

Family: Older brother, both parents still alive

Lily was born and raised on the Menominee Reservation in Wisconsin. She has been deaf since birth and attended a school for the deaf until 2nd grade before she transferred to a normal public school until graduation. Though Lily speaks ASL, she can read lips very well and has spent most of her life surrounded by people who can hear. There wasn't a large deaf and hard of hearing community at the reservation, so those in Lily's life learned ASL to communicate with her. When Lily was 13, she was in a car accident with her father. They had been coming back home from one of her music competitions when a drunk driver hit them. Though her father was alright, Lily lost her right leg below the knee. She has a prosthetic that she has used since then.

Lily's father is a mechanic and her mother is a musician and taught her to play the piano when she was young. She enjoyed it and was pretty good. Throughout elementary and middle school she did music competitions. She even made it on the news a few time, mostly getting on a few stations for a feel good segment and once even made it to Good Morning America. Lily started to pull away from the piano when she was in high school because as much as she loved playing, she didn't want to do this for the rest of her life. So she quit the competitions. She considers herself pretty rusty now as it's been a while since she has played

As much as she loved her life on the reservation, Lily knew she always wanted to see more of the country and the world. She was passionate for life, never letting anything about her body slow her down and knew that every day was a gift. She'd always loved cooking and unlike playing the piano she could see herself doing this for the rest of her life. So Lily attended culinary school to become a chef. She moved her way to Milwaukee to study. Then she worked her way up through restaurants in Milwaukee after school and only recently worked her way up to the poissoner chef position.

Lily always wanted to live by the beach, so she applied for jobs in a lot of costal towns and Don Cote in Briar Ridge was impressed and hired her. She now works there as a chef or poissoner.

[saying]

[birdasaurus]

Catarina Mira

[valentincflores]

Val quickly nodded at Lily's question before signing back. "Yep, couldn't resist the opportunity to hang out with some kiddos." she explained with a self deprecating chuckle. It was only within the last few years that Val had even realized how much she wanted kids of her own, but since that wasn't happening any time soon, she filled the void with Leyla's daughter Billie, and any opportunity like this that she could get her hands on. "Plus, I like to showcase the amazing things our community does on social media as much as I can. Trying to raise awareness and all." she explained with her hands. Since becoming a 'influencer,' Val had tried to show as much of her life as a deaf person as possible online. Yes, her account was mostly focused on yoga and wellness, but being deaf was a huge part of who she was as a person and it wasn't possible to show her authentic self without also showcasing her deafness. "How've you been?" she asked curiously, wanting to catch up. "Did you go to the Masquerade Ball?" Val couldn't help but wiggle her eyebrows mischievously as she asked the question. She hoped that if Lily had attended, she had some exciting experience she could share that Val could vicariously live through.

[lily-sanapaw]

Lily felt like she was good with kids. Growing up with cousins a lot younger than her, Lily had ended up babysitting for them and spending a lot of time with them. So when she saw the opportunity to volunteer with children she took it, using it as a way to get the fix she'd been missing since she'd left the reservation. Are you active on social media? Lily asked. She felt like she maybe posted a little less than others. Or maybe she just felt like no one would care about the things she posted about. Pictures of things she cooked, the waves before hitting the water and the occasional sunny selfie usually dominated her grid and stories. Nothing too exciting. I did go. It was my first masquerade and it was magical. Lily admitted with a smile. Did you end up going?

[duskcrowned]

The energy in the room had Alex feeling tense, especially considering he'd end up on a date with a yet to be identified person soon enough. And while he longed for a familiar face, he felt like he still hadn't been here quite long enough to be able to pick too many of those out. He could maybe take a look around for Leyla, but felt like maybe he'd be burdening her with his lack of social skills.

In truth, he wasn't even surprised that he'd managed to bump into someone, fish out of water that he was. Only, when he turned and saw someone signing, he immediately knew who the culprit was. Alex adjusted his mask so his lips were more visible, so Lily could see him laughing and speaking more clearly. "We have to stop meeting like this," he said aloud, before he switched to signing. "You look beautiful. I hope that is okay to say."

[lily-sanapaw]

Still being so new to town, there were a lot of people Lily didn't know yet. She wasn't sure she'd even consider anyone a friend yet since she still felt so new. But in this moment she really wished for someone she knew. Someone to enjoy this magical moment with. So she was glad when she did exactly that, run into someone she knew.

Her eyes lit up as Alex greeted her. At least this time neither of us spilled a drink on the other. Lily signed and laughed. She made sure to go slow before writing it out on her phone for him to read. The whole thing was kind of like subtitles for her signing so that he could learn and understand. Lily blushed at his compliment and looked down for a second. She smiled softly and looked back up. Thank you. Is it too cliche to say I feel like I'm in some fairy tale? The butterflies on her mask only added to that. You clean up nicely yourself too. You look very handsome.

[lily-sanapaw]

[lily-sanapaw]

Lily Sanapaw's Masquerade Ball Outfit

[duskcrowned]

His time in New York meant Alex had to have a working understanding of quite a few different languages, so he recognized the fact that the other was signing, enough to recognize repeat. "Ah," he said, waiting until she was facing him so she could see his mouth moving alongside the clumsy movements of his hands. "Sorry, I am... Not that good." He paused then, rooting around in his mind until his muscles remembered the movement for sorry.

He smiled then, continuing only verbally, though still ensuring his counterpart could see his lips. "I'll spare you more clumsy signing from me. It will feel like you're talking to a toddler, I'm sure." He laughed, his face flushing with embarrassment. "I'm Alex, nice to meet you." [ @lily-sanapaw ]

[lily-sanapaw]

Though confusion crossed his features, she did see some flicker of recognition in her use of repeat. As he spoke this time so she could see, she smiled softly, pressing the napkin against her clothes to try and soak up the rest of it. Even as his hands moved clumsily, Lily felt her smile grow at even seeing him do so. Seeing anyone attempt any form of ASL always warmed her heart.

Lily chuckled as he compared himself to a toddler and she shook her head. No, you are much better than a toddler. And thankfully you can drink unlike a toddler. Though I'm afraid most of it ended up on my lap. She laughed, going slow and then pulling out her phone to type it all out after she was done just in case he couldn't understand her. Nice to meet you Alex. I'm L-I-L-Y. She spelled out her name. Do you mind? She asked, hesitantly reaching out to him before gently taking a hold of his hand and guiding him through A-L-E-X. With each letter, she looked up with a soft smile to make sure he was okay with her touching him.

[lily-sanapaw]

Who: @alex-caldwell Where: The Masquerade Ball

Lily was having a hard time with the ball. Though she had been so excited to attend, being here now she was suddenly struck by the fact that there were a lot of people she suddenly couldn't communicate with. Earlier that week, she'd excitedly been shopping for a dress, for a gown and a mask. It truly had felt enchanting and magical, almost as if once she put on the costume she'd be a princess. It definitely was satisfying some childhood dream, especially since there'd never been anything like this at the reservation or in Milwaukee. And she truly had felt like a princess entering the room.

But it was different being in the middle of the room as she looked around and sadly knew most of the people with the style of masks that covered their mouth would be nearly impossible for her to communicate with. Just as she was finishing up her drink, she turned around suddenly to catch a server with a tray to give the drink back on their tray, she clipped the shoulder of a man. Her drink hit the tray but she looked at the man. Sorry! She signed the apology. But as she glanced up at his face she narrowed in his lips. And something struck her as familiar. She knew this man.... but who was he. Lily narrowed her eyes as she thought before it hit her. Alex! The man from the bar! I know we shouldn't be able to know who each other are with the masks but I think I know you. You're Alex right? She signed, reaching for her phone in her purse to type this all out since it was a lot before holding it up to him with an illuminating smile.

[tenaciousarcadeexpert]

Alaqua Cox on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon

[lily-sanapaw]

[papaflynn]

Yet again Callum found himself in the library, as Aoibheann wanted to see what was new this week. The young girl was an avid reader, something that rubbed off her dad, Callum reading more than ever. Avie was off doing her own thing as Callum perused the titles, then reached out to grab the one that piqued his curiosity. Another hand collided with his and he instantly pulled back with a shy grin. "No, not at all! Your hand touched it first, so that means it's yours," he argued.

[lily-sanapaw]

Lily couldn't tell if he understood her signing sorry or if he simply understood the gesture for him to take the book. Either way, she read his lips and offered a small smile of thanks as she finally took the book. Adjusting it in her arms, she signed to the man. Thank you. I love this author. She reached for another one on the shelf that looked to be in a similar genre and offered it to the man as a peace offering. Though if he had been reaching only because the cover design caught his attention she might as well have been handing him something useless.

[valentincflores]

starter for: @lily-sanapaw location: septima poinsette clark library

One of the things that Val had instantly loved about Briar Ridge was its' deaf and hard of hearing community. Upon moving to the town six years ago, she had worried that it was too small to have much of a community, but it did and she had instantly worked her way into it, volunteering and giving back in any way that she could.

When she'd heard there was an ASL book reading at the library, she'd happily signed up. As she made her way into the building, she spotted a newly familiar face. Val quickly navigated her way through the crowd until she approached Lily. Reaching out to get the woman's attention, she waited until Lily had turned to face her to sign, "Hi friend!" she greeted with a smile, briefly glancing over her shoulder at the crowd around them. "Are you volunteering today too?" The pair had met shortly after Lily had moved to town and had immediately hit it off at a deaf/hard of hearing event. It was nice to have someone who just understood you and a big chunk of your background the way other deaf people did.

[lily-sanapaw]

Each time she moved, Lily got a different taste of living in communities with others who could hear. Sometimes she was grateful that her parents enrolled her in the main public school most kids from the reservation went to when she was in middle school. They only sent her to the deaf school while she'd been in elementary school. While the reservation had been a small community, a lot of them hadn't spoken ASL like her friends and family did though most tried for her. Leaving home to to go Milwaukee had been different though. It was there that she found the first deaf and hard of hearing community that she joined. While her schooling, job and living situations all were in the main community of the city, it had been so nice to have the deaf and hard of hearing community there for her to have people who understood. So when Lily moved to Briar Ridge, the first thing she had done was to find the same community. They'd been a place of relief for her. One she truly appreciated.

It was how she found herself at the library today having signed up for her first volunteer spot with them. Reading to kids seemed like a good way to spend her afternoon and great way to give back to the community that accepted her. Feeling the tap, she spun around to look at the girl she had met at a previous meeting. Val was it? Hello. Lily signed back with a smile. I am! Are you volunteering as well?

[kisxmesoft]

I always believed cooking food is a love language

[harperthomas]

Lucy wished she was more proficient in sign language, she knew the basics and could finger spell quite accurately but she hadn't been able to get her head around the grammar and her vocab was still limited. She smiled as the other complimented her, "that is not true," she said, signing not and true, "but thank you." Lucy knew that because most people didn't sign, any attempt was a big deal, but it shouldn't be like that, people shouldn't have to be excited to have the bare minimum. Lucy was following along okay until the woman got to the last word (recipe), she signed the last sign back, 'means what?' she added in, hoping the other would fingerspell it back to her. "Trying something new," she signed as a response. "I'm a bad chef, so bad idea."

@lily-sanapaw

[lily-sanapaw]

Lily didn't want to lie to the other woman, or show her any form of pity. True the other wasn't too fluent and struggled with full sentences. But she could tell the other woman could hear and speak, so the fact that she knew as much sign language as she did was impressive and refreshing. You speak ASL, that is something in itself. Lily signed back with a smile. Is someone in your life in the deaf community? When the other woman asked what recipe meant, Lily smiled softly and spelled it out for her. R-E-C-I-P-E. Lily nodded, she understood perfectly that desire to try out new foods and recipes just to try something new. I'm a professional chef, but I think anyone can cook. Or at least learn to.

[duskcrowned]

His aunt had come back in town to finalize some of her affairs, and insisted on taking Emmy for a girls' day, complete with a sleepover, of course. So, Alex wound up people-watching at the bar, and nursing a now room-temperature beer. The person behind the counter seemed to get busy all at once, and he didn't want to bother them for another just yet. Until, of course, they made eye contact and shared a nod. The universal signal for 'yes, another, please.'

He turned his head to spare a glance over his shoulder, offering the woman beside him a polite smile — though it was this gesture that left him distracted long enough that he hadn't seen his newly delivered drink until, of course, it had spilled all over the bar top and his counterpart.

Alex turned his attention to the fellow bargoer who caused the mishap, shooting the person a glare and a scowl. "Jeez, could you be any clumsier?" He reached up and over the bar to grab additional napkins to pass to the other, his smile now sheepish, sympathetic. "I'm so sorry this happened. I feel like it's my fault, since it's my drink."

[lily-sanapaw]

The liquid was cold and the sudden appearance of it on her lap made Lily jump and gasp. Her hands rushed for some napkins, but not before the man beside her grabbed some more and made to pass them. Her gaze had been glued to the spill on her lap and to the napkins he was passing that Lily didn't even notice his lips were moving.

She didn't react or even speak to him as she tried to dab at the liquid before it set in and stained her dress. To think she'd been covered in stains earlier at work, but she had thought she'd been able to stay clean for just going out for a drink.

It was only when she glanced up to grab some more napkins and dump the sodden ones on the bar top that she noticed the man's lips just finish moving. Pardon? Could you repeat that? She signed, not sure if he would understand her. But at least he'd recognize her using sign language and he might repeat what he said.

[kimcheehan]

#me