The Arcana Hubble Birthday Pictures!

The Arcana Hubble Birthday Pictures!

A sequel to this post

Asra Alnazar: June 13th (taken June 13th, 2005)

Nadia Satrinava: July 8th (taken July 8th, 2008)

Julian Devorak: March 12th (taken March 12th, 2005)

Muriel of the Kokhuri: September 10th (taken September 10th, 2018)

Portia Devorak: February 7th (taken February 7th, 1999)

Lucio Morgasson: January 13th (taken January 13th, 2011)

Look at my cat!

She's looking back at you!

H-hewwoo can yo hear me??

Book Thought Thursday: July 21, 2022

Book Thought Thursdays is a series I have started to help encourage myself and others to continue reading. I'll share my thoughts on books I've read, and everyone is free to add their own thoughts as well.

This week's book will be...

Daughter of Sparta by Claire Andrews!

Genre: YA, Retelling, Mythology, Romance

Published: June 8, 2021

Length: 368 pages

How did I get it?: Once Upon a Bookclub: YA Edition

Plot: Daphne of Sparta longs to be accepted by her fellow Spartans, and during a special event, the goddess Artemis captures her brother and gives her an ultimatum: find nine mythical items or risk Olympus losing its powers forever. Teamed up with Apollo, she races all across Greece in search of these items before time runs out.

Content Warnings: none

My Thoughts

Rating: 8/10

I grew up obsessed with Greek mythology (I never read Percy Jackson tho cuz I thought I was too good for it) and my favorite figures were Artemis and Apollo, in that order. So when this book came in the box, I was excited to read it. I'd never heard of the tale of Daphne and Apollo, on which this book is based, so I didn't have any sort of reference to how it was gonna go. Nonetheless, I really enjoyed it! The writing, for some reason, made me get the feeling I get when I read Neal Shusterman? Even though their writing styles are pretty different? Idk why it just happened.

The ending is left open for a sequel, which I think has actually come out recently? When I was looking up when the publishing date was I saw something from Andrews called "Blood of Troy" with 2022 below it so there probably is one already out. Anyways, in the actual writing sense, it flowed really well between scenes. I wasn't the biggest fan of the main characters but I think that's more a personal thing than a writing one. The villain is predictable though. I don't think I really need to tell you who it is, and that's a little tiring. But it does bring out someone that isn't just an Olympian so I thought that was nice.

Overall, it scratched an itch in the back of my brain while I was reading this and I think that's quite nice. I recommend this book for people who like Greek mythology and a suspenseful journey that leaves them hooked on the pages.

Quotes

“You think we gods play such petty games with our powers, but they are nothing compared to the games mortals would play with just a small fraction of them.”

"Good strategy is a matter of perspective. One is only strong as the other is weak."

"A well-matched army may battle for years, even decades, numbers diminished by foolish actions, battles won by wise men. But even the most powerful army can fall from a single misstep."

M6 With An MC Who Uses Sign Language

am I just projecting my Arcana MC without any other context? yes. am I actually gonna give context later on? possibly. do I miss my babies? without question.

GN Reader, my MC is mute and uses sign language as one of their ways of talking but this is for mute/deaf/HOH people

🔮Asra Alnazar🔮

He's lived with you for years, he definitely knows sign language

If you do want to talk in a more magical way, he's one hundred percent up to helping you find something that works for you. Projecting your thoughts into words in the air? What color do you want your text? A magical telepathic link? What ingredients does he need?

If you just want to use sign language, wonderful! I think he'd like to make little shortcuts for phrases you use a lot so you don't have to make the whole phrase, and it's like a secret language for you two lol

If you're deaf/HOH and you can read lips, he does make sure that he enunciates a little more and has a sign in the store that tells people to make sure their mouth is uncovered

He's more than happy to take over the shop if you're getting overwhelmed with trying to talk to people

If someone tries to mock you they will get kicked :3 maybe hexed while he's at it :3

⚰️Julian Devorak⚰️

He canonically knows seven languages, sign language has got to be one of them

The two of you will have entire days where neither of you talk (if you do talk) and when he finally has to talk to someone his voice is strange in his tongue

I feel like if he's not playing a part in a play, he'd be one of the interpreters who stand alongside the actors and act along with them. He'd have so much fun with that

He tries to write notes to you around the house, little reminders like "we're out of coffee" or "don't forget to feed the leeches" but....this poor man has the worst handwriting and it's all illegible

If you're deaf/HOH then he would be extra careful not to accidentally sneak up on you. If you're in public then he just kinda hovers around you to make sure no one else does the same thing. He's a tall boi it's pretty easy

He's a little hesitant about you using magical means of talking but will in no way demean you for it. He thinks it's wonderful that you've found something else, he's just always a little hesitant around magic

He loves you so much and he wants to do everything he can to make you happy in your own skin, please my darling I love him

👑Nadia Satrinava👑

If she was taught sign language back in Prakra, it was most likely Prakran sign language and not Vesuvian, and even so she probably doesn't know very much of it. Learning verbal languages was probably more important in sign language, for diplomatic purposes

That being said, she will absolutely learn sign language to help you two talk. She'll hire the best tutors in Vesuvian to teach her

If you so wish, she'll have someone by your side to interpret, but she understands if you want to be more independent. She has the resources to make you comfortable and dammit she will use them

If she catches the slightest whiff of someone making fun of you during a ball or a meeting or something they will feel a glare so fierce their spine will crawl out of their back :)

If you use writing as a way to talk she will get you the finest papers and the most exquisite quill, one that holds ink inside it rather than having to be dipped. Or she'd make one herself, and you see a proud gleam in her eyes whenever she sees you use it

She will devote her entire attention to you whenever you're signing, and if it's during a meeting and someone tries to talk over you they will get a shoulder colder than the South. She's so good at being intimidating I love her

🐻Muriel of the Kokhuri🐻

Honestly, the less he has to talk, the better

He would definitely learn sign language, but he'd prefer if you taught it to him. Not just because he doesn't wanna go into town for a teacher, but because he wants to spend more time with you

Like with Asra, you two create simple signs for popular phrases. Once again another secret language thing, something just for the two of you

If you're deaf/HOH and you wanna go in the forest, he's gonna insist on going with you. The forest can be a dangerous place, even more if you can't hear when danger is coming

He loves sitting in the bed with you, fire crackling in the fireplace, Inanna spread out between both of your laps with his hand on her stomach as you tell him a story, fingers flying and face animated, acting out all the emotions you felt in that moment. The way you tell stories, it's unique only to you, and only he gets to hear it

He does his very best not to sneak up on you by accident, but unfortunately he's too big and quiet (regardless if you can hear or not) and he always feels so bad 😫 please kiss him and tell him it's alright

🐱Portia Devorak🐱

She doesn't know any sign language right out of the gate, maybe "hello" and "I love you" but that's about it

Nonetheless she would love to learn it! She's a very fast learner and would pick up on it pretty quickly

She's normally very expressive in her face which I've heard is very useful in having signed conversations so she's pretty much made for it

Pepi would keep thinking you're trying to play when you're signing and she'll attack your hands lol

It doesn't always work the best when she's working and you're trying to talk though, so she would like some sort of magical verbal communication, like a telepathic connection

She will absolutely stand up for you if someone is getting on your nerves about not hearing/not talking. She is a 5 foot brick house and she will throw a punch in your honor

*slight spoilers for her Upright Route* knowing sign language would also be great for her ambassador job. Granted it would only be Vesuvian and sign languages can be quite different but still

🐩Lucio Morgasson🐩

He might be a little...insensitive at first. If you're mute he'd ask why you can't simply talk, but I don't think he'd be like that if you're deaf/HOH cuz there's not much you can actually do about that

He'd be better about it though as his character develops, and he feels sorry about it and works to better his understanding. Well, okay, when I say "works on it" I mean that he doesn't ask the question again and that's about it

He tries to learn sign language, but he doesn't exactly pick it up. He's better at understanding what's being said than actually saying it, but he'd still prefer writing

If you can do something magical, he'd show you off to everyone, like "Look everyone, my wonderful partner can make words appear out of thin air! Aren't they incredible?"

If you're deaf/HOH, sometimes you put your ear to his chest when he's talking in bed so you can hear the vibrations of his voice alongside his heartbeat. You can't see it, but Lucio is practically smitten

Look I don't particularly care for him, but there are times where he can be cute, I'll admit that

Reblog and put in the tags the worst thing you've done to your OC(s)