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It is a testament to how good the casting in Medici is that I saw a young Richard Madden (S1 Cosimo) in Game of Thrones while my brother was watching it today and thought he was Daniel Sharman (Lorenzo) for a second.

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Schultz - This time you have gone too far!

Hogan - We're only a mile from camp?

hehehehe

Love that Carter discovers the canon factory has a basement full of gun powder because he loves explosions so much. He's so excited about making the building explode.

Meanwhile Newkirk has just been enlisted in the German army, lol

Schultz - It is against the rules for one man to be in two armies in the same war! O_O

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I was reviewing the Tortall timeline for a fic I'm working on, and WHAT DO YOU MEAN Duke Roger was summoned to Corus when the Sweating Sickness happened in March but doesn't arrive until August? I know the meta explanation is that Tamora Perice probably hadn't decided on the relative location yet, but in-universe that's unreasonably long.

Friendly reminder that the boat journey from Frazurlund in northernmost Tortall to Pirate's Swoop which is at least near the southernmost point is less than a week, and it's two weeks between Pirate's Swoop and Rajmuat, which is definitely farther away than Thak City (all per Trickster's Choice).

All things considered, if Roger had taken a month to arrive he would have been traveling at a leisurely pace. How did it take him FIVE MONTHS, and what was his reasonable excuse to King Roald for the fact that it took so long. The only thing I can think of is that he was on a research expedition far to the South within Carthak and not physically at the Imperial University as is implied in the text, but I am really struggling to see Duke Roger wanting to actually conduct field research, and even if he did, five months still seems like a stretch of the timeline for him to ride all the way back and then take the ship to Corus.

There is also the consideration that he wouldn't be able to cast the spell for the Sweating Sickness from that far South, but we know so little about the spell I'm not sure the relative distance matters, and being in a remote location might actually be more advantageous to him, since we know everyone nearby, especially other mages, can feel it when a mage casts an incredibly powerful spell, and there's a higher concentration of mages in Thak City than probably anywhere else in the world, at least some of whom had to have been powerful enough to know he was casting that spell (but that's a different plot hole).

It might also explain how he never encountered baby Numair during that year (which I really wish had happened), so I'm honestly tempted to just believe he was in Zalara or something, but the fact that everyone in Alanna the First Adventure talks about him like he's physically at the Imperial University makes me think there was some funnier option going on here where he kept continually writing to Raold with excuses for why he can't come. King Roald is like actively watching his son die while reading a letter from his nephew explaining how there's literally no way he can leave Carthak before the end of the academic year because he's under contract.

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Rereading POTS, and it just hit me how young Duke Baird was during the events of Alanna: The First Adventure. We know he's of age with Ilane of Mindelan (since the used to dance together before she married), and Anders was probably born the year before Alanna comes to the palace. Assuming she married when expected at 16-17, Ilane can't have been older than 20 when Anders was born, meaning Baird can't have been more than 25 when Alanna saves Jonathan from the sweating sickness, but is probably closer to 22 (accounting for the fact that Tortallan men seem to come of age at 18) and could be even younger depending on when he started coming to court functions.

Alanna obviously doesn't notice this because they're all adults to her, but he's both very young to have become Chief Healer and to be dealing with a crisis on the magnitude of the sweating sickness. It makes me very curious what happened to get him the position so young, especially since it likely wasn't nepotism, considering the first son of House Queenscove is usually a knight, and it was extremely uncommon to be a fully trained healer as well as a knight even in Kel's time.

I'm also kind of shocked he was even allowed to be promoted so young. We know magical education is pretty bad in Tortall under Roald, but at the very least you'd think you'd have to do the equivalent of medical school. Carthakis seem to get the equivalent of their bachelors at 18, and assuming it's roughly the same in Tortal if you're not Thom of Trebond, the youngest he could graduate would be ~22. That would be like appointing someone who'd literally just graduated from medical school as head of the CDC and the president's personal physician 🤣. I fear this is a classic case of Tammy not considering the timeline but I also want to know what was going through King Roald's head when he made that decision.

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Considering Daine basically single-handedly overthrew Emperor Ozorne and Aly was instrumental in the overthrow of the Rittervon dynasty, both to be replaced with monarchs who are friendly to Tortall, I wouldn't be at all surprised if that eventually starts discourse in the Eastern Lands about Tortall meddling in the affairs of other nations and installing regimes that benefit them. Jonathan is only two generations removed King Jasson, who was an outright conqueror, and I think unfriendly nations like Scanra, Sarain, and the Carthaki renegades would be eager to accuse them of what is basically imperialism.

Obviousy we the audience know that these were both corrupt regimes, and Kaddar and Dove are independent actors who are allying with Tortall because it's right, but if I were an anti-Tortall politician, seeing a change of power in two of Tortall's biggest enemies, and what could look like an attempt in the third (Kel's venture into Scanra) as well as the opening of positive relations with the previously relatively isolationist Yamani Isles, all in the space of a little over a decade, I would be very suspicious at what kind of policy they're pursuing below board.

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Considering Daine basically single-handedly overthrew Emperor Ozorne and Aly was instrumental in the overthrow of the Rittervon dynasty, both to be replaced with monarchs who are friendly to Tortall, I wouldn't be at all surprised if that eventually starts discourse in the Eastern Lands about Tortall meddling in the affairs of other nations and installing regimes that benefit them. Jonathan is only two generations removed King Jasson, who was an outright conqueror, and I think unfriendly nations like Scanra, Sarain, and the Carthaki renegades would be eager to accuse them of what is basically imperialism.

Obviousy we the audience know that these were both corrupt regimes, and Kaddar and Dove are independent actors who are allying with Tortall because it's right, but if I were an anti-Tortall politician, seeing a change of power in two of Tortall's biggest enemies, and what could look like an attempt in the third (Kel's venture into Scanra) as well as the opening of positive relations with the previously relatively isolationist Yamani Isles, all in the space of a little over a decade, I would be very suspicious at what kind of policy they're pursuing below board.

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The fact that there's technically a one year overlap in the time Numair was at the Imperial University and the time Roger was teaching (?) there is insane to me. I need an interaction between tiny baby Numair (he would be six) and Duke Roger so badly, because I know Roger would sense the power of his Gift and be SO insufferable about it.

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That's also possible. I can completely see young Joren (or his father?) saying "hey, maybe instead of being racist to this guy we should get him on our side for political purposes" and befrending him. Zahir will go on to become King Jonathan's squire (a decision he would not make lightly), so regardless of his exact situation he's a very powerful political piece for the conservatives to have on their side (something we know at least some people are really thinking about considering Raoul referring to the social changes in the Eastern Lands as a "very quiet war" in Squire). There's probably nothing they can do to get Zahir to leave since King Johnathan is probably going to fight way harder for a Bazhir knight than he ever did for Kel, so making him a friend is a politically smart choice for them (especially since we know at least some of Zahir's views are rooted in Bazhir culture based on his comment to Kel about wearing a veil, he probably came into the palace with a lot of similar viewpoints to Joren and co already).Given the choice between friends that are mean to other people and no friends in a place and culture he's not completely familiar with (plus Joren and co making his life hell for refusing the offer) I could totally see Zahir choosing the latter.

In comparison, Kel's from a small fief, her family has little sway at the Tortallan court, and Jonathan is preventing the nobles who could have fought for Kel to do so (you can't tell me Raoul and Miles, even before meeting her, would not stand up for Kel's right to be a full page if they thought they could get away with doing it--Raoul probably did tbh since we know he's far better friends with Alanna at this point), so the conservatives think they can get away with forcing her out (Joren basically says as much in his trial). Joren even tries to become friends with Kel in Page for arguably similar reasons, and we see him avoiding direct confrontation with her in Squire because he knows it would be too politically risky--once again I have to bring up Raoul's "very quiet war" comment and what Duke Touramont said about the fact that, had Joren kidnapped Kel rather than Lalasa, he would have incited a civil war. There's definitely an argument to be made that a version of that political dance what he's doing with Zahir during their early page years

Tortall is an an extremely precarious position during King Jonathan's entire reign, but especially post Immortals War, and although it's barely addressed in POTS because Kel hates politics and everyone goes "oh but the Dominion Jewel" any time talks of rebellion are brought up, this could all very well be part of that factional political warfare.

I want to know more about Zahir sooo badly. He's so sexist to Kel during the first half of First Test and then just...stops. The initial implication is that he doesn't want to fight with Kel and her friends, which is understandable, especially since he's one of, if not the first, Bazhir to become a knight (side note: who is even eligible, considering they don't have noble houses? I'm assuming tribe headman's sons but idk) and having a good reputation with Lord Wyldon (who was probably racist to him considering how he talks about the Yamanis at the time) and other conservatives could make or break his own ability to become a knight.

We see in Page and Squire, however, that he stops associating with Joren and co. and even becomes friends with some of Kel's friends (she sits with a group including him at dinner the night Yuki arrives to the palace), none of whom would accept him unless he was at least chill with Kel/women's rights by then.

I'm so interested in why he changed (the only one of that group to have done so legitimately) and what his specific situation was. I don't like the narrative of "mysoginistic guy changes and becomes friends with the woman" generally but if he is the first Bazhir knight I feel like he and Kel would have things to talk about, and it's more than possible that he leaned hard into conservatism initially so that he could be accepted by his white Tortallan peers, and seeing Kel not give up either her femininity or her ideals and still have friends and supporters gave him the wakeup call that he didn't have to be like this.

I love all the Tortall minor characters so much, but he's one of a couple specifically I've been thinking about lately.

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I want to know more about Zahir sooo badly. He's so sexist to Kel during the first half of First Test and then just...stops. The initial implication is that he doesn't want to fight with Kel and her friends, which is understandable, especially since he's one of, if not the first, Bazhir to become a knight (side note: who is even eligible, considering they don't have noble houses? I'm assuming tribe headman's sons but idk) and having a good reputation with Lord Wyldon (who was probably racist to him considering how he talks about the Yamanis at the time) and other conservatives could make or break his own ability to become a knight.

We see in Page and Squire, however, that he stops associating with Joren and co. and even becomes friends with some of Kel's friends (she sits with a group including him at dinner the night Yuki arrives to the palace), none of whom would accept him unless he was at least chill with Kel/women's rights by then.

I'm so interested in why he changed (the only one of that group to have done so legitimately) and what his specific situation was. I don't like the narrative of "mysoginistic guy changes and becomes friends with the woman" generally but if he is the first Bazhir knight I feel like he and Kel would have things to talk about, and it's more than possible that he leaned hard into conservatism initially so that he could be accepted by his white Tortallan peers, and seeing Kel not give up either her femininity or her ideals and still have friends and supporters gave him the wakeup call that he didn't have to be like this.

I love all the Tortall minor characters so much, but he's one of a couple specifically I've been thinking about lately.

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Rereading Wild Magic right now as part of my annual Tamora Pierce reread and when Numair gets angry at Daine for stopping her heart to hear the dolphins in Wild Magic he sounds SO MUCH like Neal it's hilarious. If I didn't like Neal/Yuki so much I might have to start shipping him with Daine, because I think there's definitely a world where Lady Night era Daine and Neal are attracted to each other

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The thing about 911 is that the shipping drama and discourse surrounding it completely belies how insane this show truly is. A man is attacked by a shark on the freeway. Ghosts are probably real, and so are curses. The most recent season opens with a bee-nado that segues into a plotline about an autistic half-orphan child landing a broken plan. The most dramatic moment between the fandom's favorite ship is one of the characters getting shot by a sniper in broad daylight in the suburban streets of Los Angeles. Buck's introductory scene of the entire show is him stealing a firetruck to have sex with a Tinder hookup. The fire captain's backstory is an addiction that led to the death of 148 people. He's best friends with his wife's ex-husband and once proposed to said ex-husband's boyfriend on his behalf while that boyfriend was performing brain surgery on a man in the middle of a burning building. There's a guy who sneezes every time he lies and then lies so hard he almost dies. One of the main characters gets rebar impaled through his skull and is back to work the next month with no lasting side-effects. They basically never fight fires.

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Assigned Gay by Celebrity Family Feud. Assigned Canon by Pop Culture Jeopardy.

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You realize this opens up the possibility for a cursed AU where they meet in occupied France 😂

I don’t know if it’s just me, but Chef Skinner from Ratatouille low key gives off Major Hochstetter vibes.

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please god send your strongest intellectuals

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Not to TWD post again, but like, personally, if I was a writer who wanted the audience to believe Daryl Dixon was a straight man, I would not have made his S5 Alexandria arc about how he feels out of place in the constructed suburban society they have and is only able to connect with the canonical gay couple of the town who go out of their way to do nice things for him AND portray his relationship with the female lead he has been flirting with for three seasons as platonic (including a scene where she mothers him about feeling his emotions and kisses him on the forehead), but obviously this is just my opinion and probably means nothing.

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“i liked it before it was cool” well i liked it AFTER it was cool when everyone abandoned it