#mcog

[unepersonnelouche]

My childhood 🙏

[chaltimbanque]

Summer is here, and that means stargazing season is upon us. And who better to guide you through nightime observation than an accomplished navigator? ⭐

I might use that piece for a small fanfic, but in the meantime, just enjoy the picture. ^^

[queats]

Thank you Mcog season 4 for really driving the point home that Mendoza is the kids father. Like we already knew that, but thanks for saying it word for word and also showing it to us

DO NOT tell me they’re not father and son/daughter just LOOK AT them. NOT TO MENTION Tao making the signature Mendoza eyebrows of incredulity

Idk if those clips are just meant to be funny or to show a “like father, like daughter/son” type of thing. But either way. It’s cute

[love-me-some-mcog]

Mysterious Cities of Gold S04E11

Temba doing well as Esteban's understudy

[bizarrereef]

It hurts when your main fandoms are slowly growing smaller and dying with each breath.

Once it's main media finishes, or when it's fandom grows older it leaves the few remainders behind. Leaving them to the darkness of the void of forgotten media right up until one of those small creators makes something go viral bringing it all back.

I'm in the fandom dark ages now.

[fandominist]

i love zia shes somehow both kinda a damsel in distress and such a cunt to the colonizers..... icon

esteban aesthetic here

[sabastet13]

Episode 11 - Esteban and Tao's friendship

I’ve said before that the two boys have come closer to each other, and that Tao has already become a close friend of Esteban by episodes 8/9, but I’d like to come back to that point.

(best accidental screenshot I've taken in a long time)

From episode 6, when they first meet, to episode 14, when they finally seem to reconcile and work things out, their relationship is complicated. Their first encounter was already quite tense: between Zia’s kidnapping and the moment Tao accidentally shot Esteban with Mendoza’s gun, it took some effort to bring the two boys together. As we can see in episode 6, it’s Esteban’s friendliness and bravery that manages to break Tao’s initial distrust towards him and the Spaniards. Even if they didn’t get along at the start, Esteban defended Tao against Mendoza and went to help him when he was stuck under the rock in the temple. Episode 7 shows how the voyage aboard the Solaris brought them closer together, with Esteban pranking Tao and chatting with him, but also helping him to discover the ship’s secrets.

Their relationship is kinda put to the test in episode 8, when Esteban drags Tao along to free Zia. They end up lost in the underground passage and this leads to a brief argument between them. They manage to escape and return to the ship in the end, but this first confrontation shows us how different they are and how it can impact their friendship. They are once again bickering in episode 9 when the Solaris is attacked by the San Miguel, but their opposition culminates with episode 11. Tao seems to already be in a bad mood at the start of the episode, complaining constantly about their trip. Once again, Esteban’s “idea” of hurtling down a hill leads to a quick argument, and they quarrel with each other when they get close to the river. Finally, when Zia seems to lose hope of finding her village again, Tao’s bad mood comes back up, and Esteban cuts him off to defend Zia. All this bickering underlines well that their friendship is still new and that they’re not used to each other yet.

Episodes 12, 13 and 14 are where their friendship truly solidifies. Episode 12 is the first one in which we can see the three kids cooperate together to put Tao’s plan into action and save the Incans. This feels like a big step forward, as their teamwork indeed helps the Incans to repel Gomez's attack. Episode 13 also highlights Esteban and Tao’s bond, with both boys bathing and playing in the water (one of the few times when they really get to act like kids in the first season). Tao and Zia also encourage and help Esteban to learn more about his past, going as far as climbing the mountain with him to meet Mayucca. Even though Tao is reluctant at first, he tags along and quickly becomes more invested in Esteban’s quest. This finally culminates in episode 14, where Esteban tries to leave the Machu Picchu without his friends and ends up stuck in the middle of the rope bridge. Tao is the first one to think about this obstacle, and even if he makes fun of him at the start, he comes to help him cross it. Tao tries to convince Esteban to come back, but as Esteban insists he gives up and accepts to help him retrieve the missing half of his medallion. This little quest really strengthens their friendship, and from here the two boys don't argue nearly as much as they did at the beginning (I think that they bicker once or twice in the second half of the show, but it’s more playful and anecdotal than it is in the episode 8 or 11).

The dynamic between Esteban and Tao is nice to follow because they don’t magically become friends right after their first meeting. As I’ve mentioned, they didn’t start well and they often argue with each other. However, they manage to gradually get along thanks to all the adventures they share, and their bond grows stronger with every trial they face.

Their dynamic was also explored in an interesting way in season 2: Esteban’s Atlantean origin was a nice addition to the original material and was enough to threaten his relationship with Tao. It was well executed and well resolved: in the same spirit as season one, it’s nice to see the two boys get along again through the challenges they face together (in that case, Zares’ attack against the three sailors, if I remember correctly).

One word about Tao and Zia: they obviously grow closer more quickly than Esteban and Tao do. Thanks to the prophecy, Tao trusts her from the beginning, and Zia quickly befriends him. Their near-death experience in episode 9, with the destruction of the Solaris, probably helped as well. It was also a good idea to give Zia a Muan heritage, which strengthened her bond with Tao (However, I’ve never really been fan of the semi-romantic subplot that they tried to introduce at the start of season 3, and I’m glad they didn’t try to push it for too long. Tao and Zia are very much like siblings, just like Esteban and Tao end up being over the course of their adventure).

And because I can't resist, some good moments between them:

[mcplayer708]

Ambrosius: *exists* Mendoza:

Yes I made another shitpost, we need more in this fandom. And I want to be the change I see in the world. Why is Mendoza so suspicious of Ambrosius in Season 2? Its like the moment he talks, he raises his eyebrow or makes a distrustful *Hmm*. I might call this one Men-Doakes-a.