Reminds me of my recent attempt to figure out how old Hot D characters are. Most of them were actually pretty easy to fit into a consistent timeline... And then there's Daemon, who by the end of season 1 has to be in his late forties AT THE VERY LEAST, and that's under the assumption that at the start of the series, he is like 25. Similarly, Alicent has to be in her late thirties, and that's assuming she was an actual child bride; my estimates have her be a wee bit older than Rhaenyra, like 17 at the time of her marriage, and 40 by the end of the show. Which I guess is not IMPOSSIBLE per se, but still, the girl looks damn good for her age. And oh, I estimated Criston was 23 at the start and in his early forties by the end, which again is as plausible as I can get.

Maybe I could do the same for the Magnificent Century characters?

nurbanu still looking 20 while holding a grandchild is so funny atleast give her grey hair for the finale lol

Cool. That's nice. But you're still having this profound feminist discussion about objectification of women around the chick from Freaky Friday by Lil' Dicky. Honestly, actually naming her as your idol (which to be clear is still extremely cringe!) would be more dignified.

Like, "indifferent to feminist discussion" my ass. I don't discuss feminism constantly, but I do sometimes, just because it's an integral part of the ideological framework trough which I see the world. I guess I could discuss the objectification of women... But using hate for the Kardashians for the purposes of this discussion, that's a bridge too far for me girl.

My superpower is that I am chronically immune to caring about anything and everything regarding the Kardashians, in both positive and negative sense. I mean, people will be like "Oh, no! Modern women have Kendall Jenner as their idol instead of [insert an inspirational female figure]!!!" and my only response is "Okay, then don't be friends with those women. I manage to avoid them just fine."

My superpower is that I am chronically immune to caring about anything and everything regarding the Kardashians, in both positive and negative sense. I mean, people will be like "Oh, no! Modern women have Kendall Jenner as their idol instead of [insert an inspirational female figure]!!!" and my only response is "Okay, then don't be friends with those women. I manage to avoid them just fine."

Approximate Ages Of Hot D Characters (a.k.a. This Is My Canon And I Am Sticking To It)

(I've deemed figuring out the show timeline in terms of years a doomed endeavor that is unimportant anyway, so.)

EPISODE 1-2 - Rhaenyra - 15 - Alicent - 17 - Laena - 12 - Laenor - 14 - Viserys I. - 37 - Aemma - around 35-40 - Daemon - 25 - Criston - 23 - Otto - around Viserys' age

EPISODE 3 - Rhaenyra - 18 - Alicent - 20 - Aegon II. - 2 - Helaena - born that year - Laenor - 17 - Laena - 15 - Viserys I. - 40 - Daemon - 28 - Criston - 26 - Harwin - late 20s

EPISODE 4-5: - Rhaenyra - 19 - Alicent - 21 - Aegon II. - 3 - Helaena - about 1 - Aemond - it's not stated, but my headcanon is that Alicent is already pregnant with him on the wedding (the timeline here is kinda murky, basically I think he's less than a year younger than Helaena, but I don't know if it fits in the show timeline in any way) - Laenor - 18 - Laena - 16 - Viserys I. - 41 - Daemon - 29 - Criston - 27

EPISODE 6-7: - Rhaenyra - 31 - Alicent - 33 - Aegon II. - 15 - Helaena - 13 - Aemond - 11 or 12 - Jacaerys - 9 - Lucerys - 7 or 8 - Joffrey - just born - Rhaena/Baela - 9 or 10 - Laenor - 30 - Laena - 28 - Viserys I. - 53 - Daemon - 41 - Criston - 39 - Harwin - late 30s or early 40s

EPISODE 8-10: - Rhaenyra - 38 - Alicent - 40 - Aegon II. - 22 - Helaena - 20 - Aemond - 18 or 19 - Jacaerys - 16 - Lucerys - 14 or 15 - Joffrey - 7 - Rhaena/Baela - 16 or 17 - Daemon - 48 (he has an abnormally good skin care routine, don't ask me, this was as low as I was able to go with his age) - Viserys I. - 60 - Criston - 46

Aaah the good old la-pheacienne! Never the one to deescalate the argument lol.

Also disclaimer, because I didn't add it the first time: I am, of course, talking about show!Rhaenyra here, obviously the book!Rhaenyra is a lot different.

"You started this rant saying that I'm comparing Rhaenyra to Hurrem where I never even did that since my problem was the Rhaenyra-Mustafa ridiculous and blatantly misogynistic comparison against which you apparently have nothing substantial to say because on some level you know that it is ridiculous." ...I literally said what I think the main parallels between them are. I obviously don't think the comparison is ridiculous hon. That's just your projection. Also you do know that Rhaenyra as a character has traits other than Woman and Victim Of Sexism right. That she might share with Mustafa.

I mean, obviously they aren't the same character (as I've pointed out in my original response!) and the discussion of parallels between them often stops at "look, they have A Thing in common isn't that fun", which is a pity, because the differences between them are just as meaningful. And yes, not all parallels are created equal, as you point out with Alicent and Hürrem. We can debate about that. But I'd argue that "both are framed as the Wronged Rightful Heir" is not nothing, y'know?

Fundamentally, you clearly just can't cope with the fact that a character you like and root for might have some things in common with the one you don't, which. Lol. I don't know what else to say other than lol.

My girl Rhaenyra being compared to the Undisputed Rightful Heir Unfairly Killed and Eternally Mourned Prince Mustafa when the main premise of her story is that no matter how good or special or charismatic Rhaenyra was she would never ever compete with the sacred legitimacy of the Holy Male Heir Aegon II and her entire legacy was smeared for even daring to challenge this and two centuries later she is still considered a whore and a traitor because she broke the Andal Custom "She was daughter to one king and mother to two more, yet she died a traitor's death for trying to usurp her brother's crown. It is law. Law, Davos. Not cruelty" like I get that we can all have opinions and I get that everyone is entitled to their wrong opinion but there is a point where going through the tags becomes a horrifying experience. Like you cannot possibly be so unserious

#I feel like like I’ve seen them all#Tudors borgias Vikings outlander downton abbey magnificent century empress of China#I’m trying to think of what else#def want to watch shogun#pillars of the earth#da Vinci’s demons#Spartacus#I have not watched black sails 🤔#knights was eh#the last kingdom is pretty good#i need to watch the Medici show#and the Catherine Medici one I forgot what it’s called#period dramas#hell on wheels omg that was my show back in high school#Versailles#razia sultana#belgravia I just finished

Medici. The first season is even good! (Season 2 is kinda bad and I haven't seen season 3 yet.)

Ekaterina is similar, in that season 1 is great, season 2 absolutely isn't and I haven't seen season 3

Victoria ITV is kinda weird because it has more in common with Downton Abbey than with any of the above, like there's absolutely no violence and only very mild sex, and the plots are usually low-stakes, but it's pretty good (if you ignore the fact that it whitewashes history up the wazoo).

I've also seen the Austrian Maria Theresa show but OH GOD PLEASE DON'T WATCH THE AUSTRIAN MARIA THERESA SHOW.

I need a new period drama, stat

...I wish I could prove you wrong but the point you're trying to make is so incoherent I don't even know what to say, honestly.

Like yeah Rhaenyra's reputation is bad because sexism but otherwise there is absolutely nothing she has in common with Hürrem. What are you on about girl.

NARRATIVELY, she's clearly framed as the Wronged Rightful Heir, whatever her reputation might be in-universe; even then, clearly SOME people in-universe consider her the rightful heir, or else there would be no Dance. Now, granted, the reason why the narrative considers them the rightful heir(tm) are different, I daresay kinda opposite. Namely, Rhaenyra is the rightful heir because she's interested in the actual business of ruling and cares about the good of the people enough that she at least hesitates before declaring a war on Aegon the Trashy. Mustafa, on the other hand, is the perfect warrior prince, and if he doesn't start a civil war, it's because he's a good son(tm) - to a father that consistently suspects and belittles him, but I digress. Which is honestly as good of an expression of their values as any, or would be if Magnificent Century wasn't a bit of a mess when it comes to both its narrative and morality (which is why we love it so much).

(To be clear, I hate that there are legit parallels between Alicent and Hürrem, because I just straight up dislike Alicent, but they are undeniable. At the same time, the differences between them are just as significant, because these characters aren't the same and were never meant to be, it's just our little fandom brains saw both shows and were like:

My girl Rhaenyra being compared to the Undisputed Rightful Heir Unfairly Killed and Eternally Mourned Prince Mustafa when the main premise of her story is that no matter how good or special or charismatic Rhaenyra was she would never ever compete with the sacred legitimacy of the Holy Male Heir Aegon II and her entire legacy was smeared for even daring to challenge this and two centuries later she is still considered a whore and a traitor because she broke the Andal Custom "She was daughter to one king and mother to two more, yet she died a traitor's death for trying to usurp her brother's crown. It is law. Law, Davos. Not cruelty" like I get that we can all have opinions and I get that everyone is entitled to their wrong opinion but there is a point where going through the tags becomes a horrifying experience. Like you cannot possibly be so unserious

Oh, but that would mean two women in power not hating each other's guts for five minutes, and we can't have that!

Instead of the whole Nurbanu stealing the ring, it would've been nice to have Hurrem not pull an Ayse Hafsa and give her the ring thus appointing Nurbanu as her successor because even if she hates her creation, Nurbanu will be the next Haseki Sultana after her

LOL

Yeah sure boys, let's try to organize a campaign to the American continent. I am sure both Spaniards and Moroccans will gladly let you trough the Gibraltar.

Conquest of Rome is less crackpot, but not by much. Like, m'dudes. What about getting trough fucking Vienna first. Before you bring down the entire Christian world to its knees, how about you subdue a single kingdom racked by civil war, aye? Also I am sure the French will not consider it to be a stab in the back and will not immediately ally even with the Habsburgs to save the holiest city in their religion.

The writers are sometimes such clowns.

Not the 'if only the Ottomans conquered both Rome and the New World' takes

Between this and his strained relationship with his son, Ebu Suud really is the "fuck dem kids" king of this show. He's horrible I love him.

ebsuub effendi when suleyman asks him if its okay to kill his kids

I actually think that, in the case of Mustafa's death, his child with Efsun wouldn't have been aborted. Efsun would most likely be the fall guy for the whole affair, but her execution would be postponed untill the child is born. Like Ayşe Hafsa is clearly willing to bend the rules a little when it comes to owning Hürrem, and handing her an easy victory like that would at that point be unthinkable for valide. Instead, the child, if it survived, would be raised by Mahidevran... But even if it survived and was a boy (big if!) it would be at a significant disadvantage over his uncles just by the virtue of his age - I mean, he would be even younger than Cihangir, though not by much.

The fun thing about this hypothetical is how it changes Mahidevran's position in the harem. On the one hand, her succession of Ayşe Hafsa after her death is even more shaky than in canon - on the other hand, she isn't going anywhere for at least a decade and a half, if not more. And backed into a corner with a small grandson as her only family, she might very well get more vicious in the fight for the leadership of the harem. Then again, time is on her side - after all, Süleyman isn't going to die for a while, so... Who knows? At any rate, it would be an uphill battle, but knowing Mahidevran, she'd fight like hell.

Or, you know. It might be a girl, relegating Mahidevran into barely above Gülfem's level. Paradoxically, if she either gets over her vendetta towards Hürrem, or manages to avenge her son, she might actually end up happier than in canon, since without Mustafa dying in disgrace, the dynasty would take care of her and her granddaughter, with whom she would live in peace, only ever having to worry about said granddaughter's eventual marriage.

Do you have any headcanons or ideas of what would’ve happened (showwise not historically) if Hurrem’s plot to kill Mustafa worked and Efsun actually went through with it?

I hadn't really though about. That said, if that had worked she would have won way earlier than she did in canon. Because the person who represented the biggest threat to her kids would have been gone.

Whether or not the victory was worth it or a Pyrrhic victory would have depended on a lot of different factors however. Does Efsun reveal the truth? Does Hürrem get suspected or found out? If so, then at least one of her sons probably would have wound up dead fairly soon after.

Efsun's pregnancy probably doesn't work out. Ayşe Hafsa was probably going to find out somehow and once that happened the forced abortion would have happened. Which makes Hürrem's children the sole heirs. Particularly Mehmet if he doesn't get murdered in retaliation. If he lives, he gets raised as the next heir.

Otherwise it's Selim and Bayezid and she has to spend the rest of their childhoods trying to stop them from fighting and to come up with a solution that will keep both of them and Cihangir alive.

If Hürrem is exiled, it would fall to Ayşe Hafsa, especially Daye and Hatice to try and stop them fighting and for Hürrem to do what she could from exile and try to return to Topkapi as soon as she could.

Hatice represents the “Conversion” side of “Dönmek”. Nigar represents the “Return” side of “Dönmek” (obviously in the context of Ibrahim’s love triangle).

Of course Ibrahim had to choose Hatice over Nigar for his story to make sense. Hatice represents power and accepting the dynasty as his family/making the dynasty into his family (he starts courting Hatice in Episode 3, right after little Mustafa says that he is not a brother of Süleyman’s): The power will get to his head and he will be executed like a brother of Süleyman would be. Choosing Hatice (who here represents other things) is his tragedy.

The only time he tells us/his brother that he loves Nigar is when he is dreaming of returning to Parga with his family. He later defines Esmanur, his daughter from Nigar, as “Theo’s daughter” instead of “Ibrahim Pasha’s daughter” (and it is interesting how he transfers his dream of “returning” from Nigar to their daughter). If he had chosen Nigar, if he had loved Nigar, he wouldn’t think of himself as an invincible inextricable part of Süleyman’s family, of Süleyman’s life. For his tragedy to make sense, it is right for him to love Hatice more, to choose Hatice, to choose to be a part of Süleyman’s family.

The problem here is Nigar’s fate. If Nigar had been able to “return” to Sulina (her hometown) or to Parga (his hometown) with their daughter then the viewer would think that Ibrahim maybe had a way out from this tragedy and instead actively chose to stay as the Vizier and died as a result. Alas, unfortunately the writers’ penchant for tragedy and slut-shaming trumped good storytelling in this case.

Nibrahim is confusing: It is both a clear and obvious representative of “a return to past” for Ibrahim, and an affair that signals to us Ibrahim becoming more like Süleyman as time passes: He takes Matrakçı’s woman like Süleyman did with Sadıka (something Ibrahim once found abhorrent on Matrakçı’s account); he sleeps with Nigar while Hatice is giving birth just like Süleyman slept with Gülnihal while Hürrem was giving birth; Nigar is like his cariye, a beautiful and intelligent but clearly inferior-to-himself vessel for his child to be born through. It is revealing that he is realizing the dream of a free life/return to past with a fellow slave who is inferior to him in position instead of with a free-spirited Greek girl like Helena (I have an entirely unfounded theory that Helena might have her roots in a scrapped love interest for Ibrahim).

So it is both a romantic dream of returning to one’s roots and a sign of corruption through power and becoming like one’s shadow and the most weirdly erotic and sadomasochistic relationship in the show that was messed up from the start. It is a confused mess and it is absolutely fascinating.

#we do not yield#we do not despair#we march for the brighter tomorrows#and the freedom of the whole Europe#also do not despair about stance of our government thay will say whatever suits them#Slovak government actually signed several defence contracts with Ukraine even if they say othervise#and to whomever in the wild world:#DO NOT FALL FOR THE LIES OF THE POPULISTS

"Our government will say whatever suits them and doesn't mean any of-" Please don't remind me of that either.

Haven't posted anything about Ukraine for months now, because I don't follow the situation that closely anymore, but from what I can tell, it looks pretty bleak. Which is why I would like to congratulate the American Congress for finally getting their collective heads out of their asses and approving the aid for Ukraine. Finally, some good fucking news.

"But Minette, aren't you Slovak? Isn't Slovak government's stance on the issue of aid for Ukraine-" PLEASE DON'T REMIND ME