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

A single tweet but a long one

never forget how he wanted to go after them but he couldn't so he just had to let them die 😭 that scene where Esteban and Zias silhouettes fade behind the water is crazyyy the way he stood there watching it. I can't 😭

He couldn't get to them so he called their name as loud as he could 😭 crying 😭 he's just a dad 💔

Because look, it’s not like Esteban and Zia died and then the others left the city. It’s not the same as when Mendoza, Pedro and Sancho died. The kids saw it happen (which is why them surviving was surprising). In sundagatt, Zia and Esteban weren’t dead yet. Mendoza just couldn’t go after them. They essentially had no choice but to LET them die. Which is even worse in a way. The entire time they spent in the thallios driving to the surface of the ocean, they knew Esteban and Zia were in the process of dying

Which is maybe why Mendoza sees their silhouette fade away. Cause he probably stood there for as long as he could. Cause he didn’t want to leave them

And another thing. If the only people there were Esteban, Zia and Mendoza, then he surely would not have left them. He would’ve died there with them I think. The only problem is that he’s not alone. He also has Tao and Pedro and sancho. And he’s unfortunately the only person that can bring them to safety. So he has to try to save the people he still has instead of try to save the people he’s lost. Which is a crazy dilemma to give a dude

Do any of yall think about the fact that Mendoza was with Esteban for like 2 years or something after he saved him from drowning.

Because we know that Mendoza saved Esteban in 1520, in the Pacific Ocean (id say around December). Esteban probably isn’t a newborn but he is a baby. So not more than a year old I’d say. Esteban’s father asked Mendoza to “bring him [Esteban] home with him”. The expedition reached Spain on September 6 1522. That’s like a year and nine months. By the time he was brought to the monastery, he was a toddler.

Meaning. Mendoza kept Esteban for ALL that time. Which is. A LOT.

Babies start walking at around 12 months. So it’s highly probable his first steps were taken on the ship. They also start talking at a year old (first word is usually “mama” but I think it might be different for Esteban cause he doesn’t have one).

So like. Someone had to raise Esteban. We have no evidence that it was Mendoza himself but it’s not wrong to think that either?? Cause we have no other info 😭

There were no women on the ship cause obviously. And raising babies is usually a woman’s task. So naturally you would think that Mendoza would leave the baby at the first country they reached (like the Philippines) but he didn’t do that, cause Esteban’s father really wanted him to be brought to “his (Mendoza’s)” home.

Now I wanna know. How was it for him to take care of such a young kid? We gotta remember he was also young too. I doubt he had any experience with babies. Did he even want to? Or was he kinda forced to cause uhh who else would do it. Not to mention, it’s not a particularly easy trip they’re on. Lots of people died from disease and stuff during voyages like that, and yet Esteban, a small baby, somehow survived? Probably explains why everyone thought he had special powers and stuff.

Esteban obviously does not remember all that but Mendoza would. So like. New opportunity for bonding ???

This also brings me to an adjacent point I thought of when I was looking at a map.

The Magellan expedition left from and returned to san lucar de barrameda. It’s close to Seville (1-2 hours by car) and very far from Barcelona (10 hours by car).

If we want to go by boat and not land (cause no cars back then) it would be relatively easy to get to Seville, since all you’d have to do is go up the Guadalquivir river. But going to Barcelona would still be long (through the strait of Gibraltar and into the balearic sea). But idk how long it would take exactly cause there’s no modern ferry that can make that journey.

Now listen. Mendoza returned with baby Esteban from the voyage and they arrived in Sanlúcar de Barrameda. But Mendoza doesn’t leave him there! He makes the extra journey of going to Barcelona and leaves him in a monastery over there.

Spain has a lot of churches, he could have left him in any of them close to Sanlúcar de Barrameda. He could’ve gone to Seville if he wanted to leave him in a big city.

So why on earth didn’t he do that? What’s so special about Barcelona?

The only thing I can think of is that’s where Mendoza is from. Because Athanaos says “bring him home with you”. So Mendoza took that to mean, not just his home country, but his home town.

I know this is dumb but it’s the only explanation I can come up with without making too many leaps and without assuming things we have no knowledge of.

what Olympic sport would every Mcog character do?

Here’s the list of all the sports in the summer Olympics (I’m not gonna include the Winter ones cause I don’t think they would do them)

Esteban: gymnastics

So in the first episodes of season 1 especially, we see Esteban do a bunch of gymnastic-y stuff, like balancing on his hands while on a moving ship, walking on his hands, climbing walls, etc, so I think he’d be good at it

Zia: Beach volleyball

Okay hear me out. I think she’d like sports that are kinda beach related, like volleyball or surfing. I know it would technically be cheating, but her telekinesis powers would really come in handy in this this of sport, so like it could make sense

Tao: Archery or triathlon

So we know what Tao has a crossbow, which he’s even able to use with his feet. So I think he’d be good at archery. I also think he’d be good at the triathlon cause he grew up having to fend off for himself on an archipelago, so he’d be good at running and swimming, obviously. We also know he can bike since he had one in his old village + he rides one at chambord (and he’s pretty quick too, since Nostradamus can’t keep up)

Mendoza: swimming

I think this might be obvious. That scene where he faces off against a shark demonstrates how great of a swimmer he is, so I think he’s getting gold for sure

Pedro and Sancho: sailing

I don’t think they’d be good at any sports, given how they’re kinda lazy. However, I think they’d be good at sailing cause it’s literally their job and they enjoy it. But I could also see them doing rowing cause that’s essentially what Mendoza is always making them do

Isabella: fencing

This one is also pretty obvious. She’s great at fencing and fighting in general, and she also enjoys it a lot

Gaspard: shooting

Immediately after the show ends, Esteban and Zia go off to that weird dimension with the naacals and the cities

Meanwhile, Tao, Mendoza, Isabella and Gaspar get ready to leave for Patala. They say their goodbyes to Pedro and sancho, who stay in Zimbabwe.

Obviously they take the condor, but Tao has never driven it before (no one has. I mean Mendoza did once, in season 1, but he immediately crashed it, so…). It takes some time getting used to (Tao almost crashes into the wall. Again), but they make it in one piece.

When they arrive in Patala, Tao announces his idea of building the new order of the condor in the raja’s palace, who likes the idea (although the last time he let a scientist conduct his research it ended badly, he trusts Tao and his friends cause they saved him and his village from said scientist). Furthermore, Tao plans to make the order like a sort of hub for scientific research and knowledge. He also wants to share the knowledge of Mu with the rest of the world (cause what’s the point in having so much advanced scientific knowledge if you can’t use it?). And of course, he wants the world to appreciate and respect his ancestors just like he does, and make sure the knowledge is used for good.

Mendoza and Isabella are 100% behind his project (even Gaspar helps, not cause he wants to, but Isabella kinda forces him so yeah)

Once Esteban and Zia are finished running around the 7 cities and chatting with the naacals, they go to Patala to join Tao, who’s extremely happy to see them, obviously.

And so, slowly but surely, they begin establishing the order of the condor and blabla.

Tao remembers the old order of the hourglass, and how its basically been defunded by the king. And so, he offers Athanaos and Nostradamus to come continue their studies in Patala. Athanaos immediately accepts cause 1) he likes it there and 2) he gets to be with Esteban (finally, it was long overdue). Nostradamus on the other hand, doesn’t really wanna go cause he’s lived at chambord for so long, it’s hard to just leave everything behind. But once Tao tells him about his plans for a huge observatory, he immediately packs his shit and joins him

So yeah the rest of this is just slice of life moments of everybody chilling in Patala and of course setting up the order of the condor

Unfortunately not everything can be cute and fluffy. Because uhhhhh. Ambrosius is still out there. And he’s got a flying machine with like,,, lasers and stuff? And he’s like immortal now?? Or at least very hard to kill. So yeah we don’t get to relax just yet

Isabella and Mendoza essentially decide they have to figure out where tf Ambrosius is, if he’s planning anything and how to stop him. They’re even more worried cause they know how much Ambrosius wants to have tao at his side, and that now he’ll really stop at nothing cause he’s lowkey immortal (fun fact: the name Ambrosius means immortal).

And soooo they get a ship. Just like they wanted. And of course Gaspar just has to come cause 1) I love their trio and 2) they need all the help they can get

So yeah they periodically go on missions and stuff but they always come back home (to the kids in Patala)

Meanwhile, Pedro and sancho are in Zimbabwe and set up their tavern just like they wanted. Pedro gets married to Nyamita and maybe they’ll have a kid soon, maybe? (Fun fact: I didn’t like their relationship at first but it grew on me and I think they’re cute)

Back in Patala, Mendoza obviously misses his old friends, even though he doesnt say it. I mean, sure he’s really happy and proud of them for starting a new and healthy chapter in their lives, but they are his first and dearest friends. Zia immediately realizes that he’s upset, and the kids offer to periodically fly him to Zimbabwe to see them (and the kids obviously wanna see them too! They’re the kids’ uncles after all!)

And I can just imagine like. One day, they receive a message from Zimbabwe that Pedro and Nyamita are soon having a baby and they all cram into the condor, fly to Zimbabwe to see them 😭

Esteban, Zia and Tao are super excited about having a cousin. Pedro is freaking out cause he never imagined he’d be a dad one day. sure, he wanted to but now it’s actually happening and he doesn’t know if it’s all gonna work out. Esteban, Zia and Tao reassure him that he’ll be great, since he’s already so good with kids. And of course, Mendoza couldn’t be happier for his friend

Some Mcog headcanons for yall: what movie would they pick for family night???

Esteban : He chooses Mamma Mia! and everyone gets ABBA songs stuck in their heads for weeks. Zia is stuck on “our last summer”. Tao has “lay all your love on me”. Pedro won’t stop yelling “the winner takes it all”. Mendoza was found absentmindedly humming “money money money” etc

Zia : When it’s Zia’s turn, she picks a Disney movie. At the start, no one really wants to watch it but they end up being way too invested. It probably leaves everyone crying at the end. She might also pick stuff like Bridge to Terabithia or Labyrinth.

Tao : He chooses Star Trek. It ends up not being popular with the fam, which makes him really upset with them. He might also make them watch Doctor Who, which they appreciate a little more.

Mendoza : He is banned from picking movies for movie night cause one time he put Oppenheimer and everyone was so angry at how boring it was. After apologizing, they grant him one last chance at picking a good movie. He chooses a documentary and they banned him again.

Pedro : he picks the Pirates of the Caribbean. Mendoza thinks it’s historically inaccurate. Pedro swears it’s all real and he knows Jack Sparrow personally. He also makes them watch The Road to el Dorado. They had a long post movie debrief after that one.

Sancho : I think he’d rather put a sitcom instead of a movie. So they binge a few episodes of Friends or Modern Family instead. Everyone gets hooked either way.

Gaspard : He makes them watch Fast and Furious and Mendoza falls asleep. The kids seemed to like it. I guess the family part got to them. He’d also get really excited to show them Die Hard.

Isabella : She makes them watch horror movies, only because she wants to see who’ll get scared. Everyone gets mad at her cause now they can’t sleep. But if she’s feeling nice, she’ll put on the Matrix or something.