#just mexica things

[sephirajo]

You know being Mexica (Aztec) I really want to know who on the failbetter staff knows our myths because the stars floating in cosmic horror that wants everything dead eating souls to stay alive is the most Mexican fucking thing. That’s literally what some of the sacrifices we would do was for. Gotta feed them stars.

[sephirajo]

Exactly. And I get it. There are sadly too people who know the term Aztec who would look at you sideways if you tried to tell them about the Mexica. :/ I apologize for jumping in. It's just a mild annoyance I guess. Azteca was foisted on us by Spain.

God I am sick and tired of people uwu-washing indigenous American history.

Did the Inca have exquisite building techniques, efficient messengers, and quality waterworks? Yes. They were also an expansionist empire built on violent conquest and the splitting up and relocating of conquered peoples.

Did the Aztecs have a gorgeous capital city built at the heart of a lake, with floating farms and towering temples honoring their fascinating pantheon? Yes. Guess what tho. They were also a violent expansionist empire who practiced ritual sacrifice of prisoners of war.

The Iroquois confederacy had one of the most unique representative political systems I’ve ever heard of, with women taking a forefront in most local government matters too. But their internal peace allowed them to redirect violence to their neighbors, as so often happens with tribal confederations, and they eventually violently conquered the Ohio valley and destroyed or displaced dozens of other indigenous groups.

Even my beloved Cahokia has the graves of sacrifice victims amidst its ruins.

A society should not need to be (and fundamentally cannot be) squeaky clean unproblematically stannable in order to be worth studying and remembering, and pretending that they were is no less disinformative than the European accounts painting them as godless savages.

[diyvampyrism]

I finally started onyx equinox and was so torn between liking it and being so so disappointed

[ifishouldvanish]

The idea of Olrox being from Cholula specifically makes me so insane. Like would he have identified more as Mexica? Or as Tlaxcaltec? Would he have been loyal to the Tlaxcaltec and allied with the Spanish only to get screwed over like his Mohican lover did in the colonies? Would he have done so thinking he could get the upper hand in the end just like Mizrak/Emmanuel thought the Order could with Erzsebet?

"He thinks the devils he manufactures will be enough to destroy her when the time comes. What do you think? Do you think he's right?" - S1E4

Even after the fall of Tenochtitlan, nobility from all over the region would have been sent to Cholula to get the blessing of Cholulan priests for their legitimacy. How might this have fueled his disdain for nobility?

Olrox: "I prefer my blood blue."

Drolta: "Maybe you do things differently in the new world, but over here we don't feed off the wealthy. The locals will start to grumble." - S1E5

As a Mexica citizen, this disdain could come from resentment toward sumptuary laws, the increasing lack of socioeconomic mobility during Moctezuma's rule, and frustration with how he handled the Spanish... But as a Cholulan sympathetic to Tlaxcala, there's so much more???

It could come from frustration with leadership that defected from the very people who helped them elude Mexica rule in the years before the Spanish conquest. Anger at a decision that economically obliterated the Tlaxcaltec, who became completely surrounded by Mexica member-states? Regret at how much it cost them to 'overthrow' the Mexica? Grief at how this kind of political/military opportunism helped lead the wider indigenous population to its demise?? Like the latter is so much more thematically ripe for a show tackling colonialism and imperialism imo???

"This one? He was just an opportunist, following the Messiah because she's powerful." - S1E4

I mean!!?? Think about how the implications of all of this... *gestures wildly* stuff would lead him to adopt such a cynical, morally ambiguous worldview? This sense that it's all doomed, that he's not strong enough to fight it? Resist and fall to your enemies, or work with them only to lose parts of your identity in the process? Think about how the brutality of the Cholula massacre recontextualizes eurocentric perceptions of the brutality of flower wars and ritual sacrifice??? How it would leave you with anger and pain and an unyielding need for justice?

"Little boy Belmont. I know that feeling. That pain, that hate, that burning, unendurable need for retribution." - S1E1

Think about how the Mexica Empire had adopted Huitzilopochtli (war, sacrifice) as their primary patron deity, and the Tlaxcaltec Mixcoatl/Camaxtli (the hunt, fire)... Yet Olrox's form seems to be based on Quetzalcoatl (wind, knowledge, rebirth, among other things)–the deity the great temple at Cholula was dedicated to.

A handful of mesoamerican deities are associated with serpents/have names ending in '-coatl', but Olrox's serpent form clearly has a feathered crest—the 'quetzal-' in Quetzalcoatl.

But Olrox's abilities also seem to include lightning/thunder, which are associated with Tlaloc, who the Cholulans seemed to have adopted as their central deity some time before the Spanish conquest.

Quetzalcoatl is only associated with storms sort of tangentially, through his aspect as the wind god, Ehecatl. The Florentine Codex refers to Quetzalcoatl-Ehecatl as sweeping the roads to make way for the rain and the thunder.

Think about how in Tlaxcaltec accounts, Cholula–being a sacred city–had no real military to speak of and depended on their gods to protect them???

Mizrak: "There's only one God. Just one. That's the only thing I'm sure of. And I've spent my whole life serving him, fighting for him. That hasn't changed, and it never will." Olrox: "One god... And you think he can protect you?" - S1E4

Like... What does it all mean???? 🫠🫠🫠

Agshsjdkdkfll *screams into a pillow* I am so excited for season 2 but whatever happens Cholulan Olrox is canon in my heart y'all

[alpaca-clouds]

Quetzalcoatl

So, Olrox has a Quetzalcoatl form. And that one is interesting, right? Though it also makes a lot of sense then in the context of the series. Well, kinda.

Let me get one thing out of the way: There is a tendency in western media to say "a Quetzalcoatl", as if there were many. Because a lot of western understanding does understand Quetzalcoatl as just another form of dragon. He is not.

I am not gonna claim, that I know a ton of Aztec/Mexica mythology. I do not. So, I cannot do the kinda comparative mythology stuff that I can do with western and Asian mythology. I am fairly certain that there is some comparative mythology going on in South America, too. But... I just do not know about it.

But what I can tell you, is that Quetzalcoatl is one of the creator deities within the Mexica mythology. And that he is the God of the planet we call Venus, the god of the wind, the sun, of learning and of knowledge. (Which is doubly interesting, because the old CV show had this core theme of knowledge going on.)

Quetzalcoatl presented himself as the feathered serpent, which is also what his name means. And Olrox having this form implies something within the context of the show.

Because with Erzsebet the show establishes that the vampires can drink from the blood of a god and take some of their powers. And Olrox having this form (and also his powers relating to thunder) implies that he might have drunken from the blood of the actual Quetzalcoatl.

Interesting is of course the powerlevel there in comparison with Erzsebet's Sekhmet. Sekhmet of course is a war goddess and as such has a lot of fighting power. But also, Quetzalcoatl is one of the highest deities of the Mexica people.

What is interesting, too, is that Erzsebet (if she is really the historical figure) should be about the same age as Olrox. A bit younger in fact.

And just going off the little I know about Quetzalcoatl... For one, it is interesting he is also a sun deity. But also, I do think that Olrox probably should be able to take on Erzsebet. And the reason why he does not do that is very probably interesting.

(Probably gonna write a bit about that in the evening.)

[sephirajo]

[butch-reidentified]

there's no such thing as Aztecs...

or rather, there were never a people who called themselves Aztecs, per se. the dominant ethnic group of the "Aztec Empire" were the Mexica (x in Nahuatl/Nawat being pronounced "sh") - a group who had migrated from the north and would eventually form the altepetl (essentially "city-state") of Tenochtitlan, upon which Mexico City was later built. when they arrived in the valley, the Mexica spoke of their ancestral home as "Aztlan," whose location remains uncertain - if it was ever more than myth. "Aztec" is, as I'm sure is obvious at this point, derived from "Aztlan," referring to the people who came from this now-mythologized land.

Despite the word's Nahuatl formation, it almost certainly came to exist only in the colonial era, and in fact was not formally introduced to refer to the people of the Triple Alliance - its current use - until the early 19th century by a German explorer, then made standard shortly after by a USAmerican "historian." If anything, the term Azteca may have existed in some variations of Nahua mythology, where it would have referred to a group of oppressors from which the Mexica and other tribes were fleeing by leaving Aztlan (the story of why the Mexica left Aztlan has several versions), which would make it downright disrespectful to call the Mexica by this term.

That said, it is commonplace in modern times, and I have not (as of yet!) encountered much sentiment against its use within the community. Please bear in mind that there are MANY people alive today who are descended from these groups, and opinions/preferences are sure to vary. Remember that I am making these posts to share my own journey with you, to bring an understanding and appreciation of Nahua culture/history/language, and even sort of just as journaling for myself. I have spent quite some time internally wrestling with this side of my ancestry, and externalizing that process for the first time is not always going to be a smooth road.

Much much love to you gyns as always ❤️‍🔥

[stagefoureddiediaz]

Obessed with Ryan’s referencing Mayan culture in his interview in connection with Catholicism and Latino culture.

Because Mayan culture and much of pre colonisation South American culture had a much more open and accepting view on homosexuality (that is not to say homophobia didn’t exist).

Indeed homosexual acts often formed part of Mayan religious rituals and public sexual ceremonies were commonplace which included queer eroticism and sexual display. And Mayan Shaman often performed homosexual acts as part of their communing with the spirit world and the healing treatments they provided people.

It isn’t until the Spanish conquest and the imposing of catholic values that we see things change - sodomy was used as justification for the enslaving, subjugation and slaughter of indigenous peoples.

So yeah - Ryan choosing to bring up the Mayan culture (specifically as other SA cultures such as the Mexica were less tolerant) and the as a part of discovering one’s roots and who you are is so very interesting! It’s just adding another layer to the likelyhood of Eddie’s unrepression and gay awakening being a big part of his arc in season 8.

[sillybigbird]

It's Mexico's independence day so heres some facts I know, but you can tell my favorite subject and the only one i could really pay attention in elementary school was History

Independence battle was started in 1810 (15-16 of september) and ended in 1821 (September 27th)

The revolution also started in a 10, 1910. (This was a revolution against the dictador Porfirio Diaz)

In 2010 the goverment make so many conmemorative events for it since it was 200 years from the independence and 100 of the revolution i even have a bill of that year

We find funny the stereotypical characterizations of the Mexicans. We are actually proud and glad of the interest.

We almost got governed by a French man, in fact, a lot of historians think we would be better if he made it to the power (he was executed after the French invasion)

The 5 of may conmemors the victory of the Puebla's forces against the French army (it was literally pure peasants with machete against French troops, it was a huge win even if we lost the thing after that lmao)

Where I live theres a huge seasonal fair that the goverment puts bc here was the main battle. The fair is next to the forts of the battle, and its crazy expensive so It's been years since i visited it)

Mexico City is actually constructed over a huge lake, where in the prehispanic times Tenochtitlan used to be. Tenochtitlan was full of man-made islands that held pyramids, villages, plantations. It was huge genius. The civilization settled there was the Mexicas (me-shi-cas) or better known as Aztecs. But with colonialism (1521) arrived and they literally burried all of that, the lake is still there and México city sinks over 3 cm per year.

Colonialism lasted over 3 centuries.

We actually have royalty: when we first were freed, the democracy wasn't implanted over the first couple of years as a free country. We had like 3 emperor until a new constitution was made and we were able to vote for our presidents. The last descendants of the last emperor are alive and residing in europe

Our famous president is Benito Juarez a peasant who scaalled until president, was built like a penguin and his most famous phrase is "Respeto al derecho ajeno es la paz" (Respect for the rights of others is peace). It's an inspiration for a lot of attorneys here. During his presidence the country's capital changed over 5 times because he was the one who had to held the French invasion.

Women vote its legal since 1952

Our presidencys lasts over 6 years.

We're going to have a new constitution soon and we're all fucking scared

We have an inside joke that in the north states the people dates their cousins (sweet home alabama Monterrey)

We all hate Santana (The guy who sold half of our contry)

The main religion practiced here its not catholicism. Its "Guadalupanism". Because theres a myth of an appearing of a Mary Virgin in (also) México city. 12 of december is another huge date bc of that. This religion is practiced over the 60% of the population (according to inegi)

In september 13th (also by the time of the French invasion) there was a confrontation Mexicans vs Frenchs in the Chapultepec Castle (Home of next to be French-mexican emperor) where the French tried to take over, but they were running so low in forces they needed help of the military academy with spldiers between the 12 and 19 years old. The history books said that was 6 kids that leaded and defended the castle, all dying in battle in such heroic ways (one of them involved himself in the flag and jumped of a rooftop to land over a French troop). There's a monument where their tombs are supposed to be. But this was recently discovered to be a myth and there's not actual historical evidence of this event. They were called "Niños heroes" (Hero kids)

For most of us, independence day is just an excuse to drink alcohol, eat a lot of typical food (I love my Dad's pozole. I LIVE FOR MY DAD'S POZOLE) and commit Arson.

My Dad makes such a delicious traditional Pozole.

Did I mention that i love my Dad's pozole?

My favorite food of here is cochinita pibil (traditional dish from Yucatan). And my favorite pastry is napolitan Flan, and impossible cake (a variant of Flan but with chocolate cake), my Dad recently taught me how to do Flan. I stand for Hibiscus Water bc im lactose intolerant and i cant drink horchata. My favorite candies are Santa Clara's Cookies and camotes (both typical from my region).

I like parties, how are made here. They're so fun.

My country is going to the shit and I'm so fucking scared

[stormofthesea]

Storm of the sea ~

Introduction

Hello, seekers!

I am storm of the sea, but you may call me whatever nickname, as long as it’s polite. I use she/her pronouns and am bisexual. I’ve been practicing witchcraft for a year, so I still consider myself a novice. My craft is eclectic, but I’ve focused more on divination. Here are some things about me:

☾ My account will be about witchcraft and related interests/questions. This account is for me to learn from others and interact with other witches :)

☾ I’ve been fascinated with the paranormal since I was kid and am a psychic-medium, so I’ll likely post about that too. If you don’t believe in such things, that’s fine! Just please be respectful.

☾ I’m Mexican-American (mixture of Mexican and Spanish descent), but am not fluent in Spanish, so apologies if my spanish is a little off. I have a big interest in Mexica (also known as Aztec) mythology.

☾ My beliefs are polytheistic and I am currently working with Aphrodite, Brigid, Hermes, and Mórrígan. I consider myself an eclectic pagan, and am interested many pantheons, such as the Hellenic, Mexica, Celtic, Kemetic, and Norse pantheons.

☾ My blog is meant to be a safe space. I don’t tolerate any homophobia, transphobia, racism, misogyny, colorism, ableism, bullying, etc. No bigotry. No creeps allowed either! I won’t hesitate to use the block button as I see fit.

Even if we don’t share the same beliefs, I love learning with others. As long as your beliefs aren’t harmful or discriminatory, and you’re respectful, don’t be shy to interact! 🌹

[best-habsburg-monarch]

Maria Theresa, Archduchess of Austria, Queen of Hungary, Croatia and Bohemia, etc. reigned 1740-1780

The empress who reformed the empire while having a ton of children at the same time.

Maximilian , Emperor of Mexico, reign: 1864-1867

The last emperor of Mexico who supported liberal reform against the desires of Mexican conservatives.

Propaganda under the cut:

Maria Theresa:

From anon:

- chucked into ruling at age 23. while pregnant

- no prep!!!! Prussia invades Silesia!!! Ministers fucking around for their own provincial interests instead of for the Whole !!!!! and she has to somehow cope with all of this ....

- ALL WHILE being pregnant with Joseph (II) and we know that guy was just as ornery in utero as he was irl

- she's everything! He (Francis) is just ....Ken.

- YAS QUEEN rediversify that gene pool

- originally reluctant to participate in the 1st partition of poland (who wants galicia let's be real)

Maximilian

From: anon

- He loved plants

- He was a sassy man

- He had good taste

- He learned Nahuatl

- He’s cute (I mean look at him)

- He said “gay rights”

- He banned child labour in Mexico

- He gave many rights back to indigenous people

- Bro was wronged by France (haven’t we all?)

- He’s baby

- Got executed, come on, give him this guys 🥺

- He loved to design gardens and collect insects which makes me think he would've loved playing animal crossing

- An outspoken liberal in a period where the monarchy was still quite conservative.

- Vice-Admiral of the Navy who initiated scientific projects and exploration.

- Aesthetic girlie. Collected flowers, painted, wrote poetry, and kept a journal. He would have loved Tumblr.

- (Probably) gay or bisexual.

- Allegedly slapped Franz Joseph for refusing to allow Lombardy to have an elective body.

- Sisi's favorite brother-in-law (and not in a romantic way, fuck you Netflix)

- Refused to take the Mexican crown until a plebiscite had been held because he wanted to be invited by the Mexican people.

- Gave up all of his Austrian titles to go to Mexico because he believed he had made a promise to them.

- Also, his wife was amazing and capable and the amount of pure misogyny that certain historians and biographers have thrown at her is ridiculous. I know this isn't a Carlota poll, but she'd want Max to win.

- Netflix did him unbelievably dirty. Please give him this.

Did you know my man Max repatriated many pieces of Mexica artefacts?

He told Austria to cough up 3 main things that he thought were rightfully Mexican.

1. The Chimalli

2. A codex

3. A letter from Cortez to the chocolate man people seem to call Charles

The Austrians took their time but eventually gave back something

The Chimalli next to max so people know who to thank for it

[sephirajo]

It kills me so much that the killer you track down in act 3 is named Dolor (pain in Spanish) and goes by Meztli (Moon in Nahuatl) the moon in Mexica myth is a hungry kill happy fiend who with her sisters, the stars, is literally out to kill the sun. Meztli is also a name I've used over and over, love it. Augh, Mexica things

[isleofdarkness]

So intrigued by Ivy's mother

She's Nahua (specifically Mexica.) Her parents had originally moved to America after WW1, during the Roaring Twenties, and they lived a decent life until Black Tuesday (the crash that led to the Great Depression.) Tlalli Iyollo was born only a few months after the crash. Her family was lucky enough, all things considered. Her father had saved up enough money outside of the banks to hold them over until he managed to buy a really nice house seized by the bank at the outskirts of Brooklyn, where they lived. He managed to keep them afloat by renting the home's many rooms to people who would otherwise be homeless. His wife helped by teaching children in nearby Hoovervilles (she'd been a teacher before the crash but lost her job because she was Mexican,) which bought in some money but also helped maintain the house, because some people would repay her teaching their children by offering favours and a lot of those people were skilled workers and tradesmen.

Tlalli babysat and tutored starting at around ten, employed by the people in the neighbourhood who hadn't lost everything in the crash, and she continued to do so until she was sixteen. Her mother and father both found work with FDR's Works Progress Administration and continued renting rooms. The house became a kind of halfway point as families worked their way back on their feet- they would pay Depression-rate rent and save up the money from their new source of income until that income could get them a place to live. Tlalli got a job at the house of one of their neighbours, who was an older woman who just needed help keeping up with keeping her house clean, chores done, and maintenance of the home after her husband's death, and she made some pretty good money doing this. Once she was eighteen she got into nursing, and she used her previous education experience and childcare experience to become a nurse who sees specifically to children, both entertaining them and helping tutor them so they didn't fall behind in their studies. Her night job was using her nursing, teaching, and childcare skills to babysit an autistic boy in the neighbourhood while his mother worked and his father slept. He usually slept all night, so she could usually get some sleep there, as long as she woke up in case he needed her.

When she was nineteen, she met Cecil de Vil. He wanted to hire the autistic boy she was babysitting for some kind of commercial, and she would go along with him to filming so that his parents could work. He very quickly learned that she was not going to deal with his bullshit in trying to mistreat the kid she looked after, and he found her interesting. Annoying, but interesting. When he got word that Malevola's previous caretaker had quit, sick of Malevola's attitude, he decided to see if he could get in the old woman's graces by hiring her a new one who seemed very good at her job. He offered the job to Tlalli, knowing that her father was sick and her family needed money, to come to Britain and work for Malevola at four times her current wage.

It wasn't an offer she could refuse. It wasn't like they were in danger of being homeless, but her father would die without treatment and treatment for the consumption and the damage it caused was extremely expensive. They needed that money. So she reluctantly took the job and he got her British citizenship so she could work there.

Her name was forcibly legally changed to Ainslee on this citizenship document. Gods she hates that name now.

She put up with everything they put her through for a few months, until Cecil decided to start getting more out of her. He'd demand extra work and remind her that her family needed the money, holding that over her head. I don't think I need to spell out how that started progressing.

Diego arrived in the family first, son of some estranged de Vil sibling she never got the name of, and she took care of him while pregnant with Ivy. When Ivy was born, she gave both babies names from her native language, secret names that were her little rebellion against Cecil. Malevola turned out to love the babies, which solidified Tlalli's job and finally gave her some security. It gave her room to start putting her foot down with Cecil, and he didn't like that.

So, he talked to Cruella about it. He wound her up, knowing what could happen once he set her loose on the people he wanted gone.

Tlalli's parents were dead within the month. She no longer had an escape route.

Everything just got worse from there, but gods, this post is so long

[mengjue]

One of the most important things I would want y’all to know as a history teacher is that peoples never just disappear after conquest and colonisation.

The Mexica (Aztecs), Maya, Inca, Haudenosaunee (Iroquois), Powhatan, Eora, Kulin, Ainu, Sami and countless other colonised peoples did not disappear after the history textbook moves on. They continue to exist through later history up to the present.

Too often I hear comments like “the Aztecs don’t exist anymore” and it unfortunately comes from a place of ignorance. I’d encourage everyone to have a look at what happens after events like the fall of Tenochtitlan and the arrival of the First Fleet, because indigenous histories continue despite these events, and they are worth learning.

[ifishouldvanish]

Some Mizrak / Mizrox Analysis and Headcanons

I know, I know, I'm That Alurox Blog™, but I'm just gonna take off the rarepair goggles for a bit to take a closer look at Mizrak and his relationship with Olrox as it's presented in canon. I feel like there's a tendency for his character to be reduced to just the 'repressed gay monk' archetype and it does him a disservice because he's way more interesting than that!!!

Anyway probably not as cohesive as my Olrox analysis because I don't really have specific headcanons with regard to his backstory yet but here goes:

1. Mizrak FUCKS!!1!

All the "haha the Catholic monk folded and had gay sex with a hot vampire in .2 seconds" jokes aside... I think Mizrak really does fuck. Like I'm not convinced at all that he is some repressed virgin who just got his world rocked for the first time.

First of all, he takes like, zero convincing to jump in bed with someone who has just established themselves as an enemy. We get the little fight in the courtyard, Olrox saying, "let's do this somewhere more comfortable" and next we see them they're already post-coitus. Furthermore, Mizrak is like... pretty fucking casual about it? Like, he's the one brushing a clingy Olrox off in the morning. I'm sorry but I don't see any evidence in that scene that suggests he hasn't done this sort of thing before. This man has had casual sex before, presumably with other men.

Sure, we get a few shots of him being mopey and conflicted in the morning after scene, but these are brought on by Olrox watering the seeds of doubt he already has about the whole working with Erzsebet thing; not Catholic Guilt over knocking boots with a vampire.

Also just... from a writer's perspective, if you have some repressed monk character and he's gonna get carnal with a vampire, you are MILKING that shit for all it's worth. You're gonna lay on the angst, the temptation, the moral quandary of giving into the sins of the flesh. But all of that is markedly absent in these scenes. We just see two grown men who think each other are hot and decided to have sex about it.

2. A Foundation of Mistrust

The first thing either of these men learn about each other is that they are on opposite sides of the same conflict (and it don't stop them from fuckin' 😌)

Olrox's mistrust is born out of his experiences with colonization by the Spanish, and an understanding that imperialism is the ultimate goal of Erzsebet's mission. Mizrak's distrust is born out of Olrox being a vampire, and the antagonistic nature of their first meeting.

But there's still a draw, of course. Despite going along with the abbot's plans, Mizrak expresses some misgivings about the whole thing. He doesn't want to work with Erzsebet—they just have no other choice. This is probably a position that Olrox knows all too well: just as native Americans were divided on whether or not to help the American colonists, just as some states in mesoamerica decided working with the Spanish was a good opportunity to strike blows to the increasingly powerful Mexica Alliance.

A telling thing Mizrak says to Olrox is, "There's evil everywhere we look, so we use our heads." In the context of their conversation, he's referring to the arrangement with Erzsebet—but I think it's also his general attitude toward Olrox as well. He's willing to get close to him, but he's going to keep his wits about him and not lower his guard.

They don't trust each other, but they do begin to understand each other. For what it's worth, I do think Olrox grows to trust Mizrak by the end of the season (otherwise he wouldn't have put his cards on the table to protect him during the battle), but it's clear from Mizrak's reaction that he has not grown to return that trust yet.

Which isn't to say that Mizrak is being unfair here. As far as he's aware, Olrox really hasn't done anything to earn his trust yet. Pulling him out of battle was supposed to be Olrox's gesture of "see? I'm sticking my neck out for you!" but to Mizrak it's just cowardice. Which... I'll touch on later.

3. "Is that what you have planned for me?" / "Of course not, I'm not in love with you."

Again, jokes about Mizrak having the absolute balls to be like "oh so ur in love with me?" after like, two nights aside... This is a really interesting exchange they have here??

For me, Mizrak's line here is just an expression of his distrust. Olrox has just told him about the only man he's ever loved, and this??? THIS is his response???

Hoo boy. This isn't "well, we are having sex and hanging out so obviously you're falling in love with me 😌". This is "I think you're just trying to manipulate me into believing you actually have a conscience/are capable of compassion, and I'm not falling for it." Mizrak thinks he has Olrox all figured out. Thinks he's calling a bluff.

And so with that framing?? Olrox's response, "Of course not, Mizrak. I'm not in love with you," is a FANTASTIC rebuttal. This isn't "oops, you caught me slipping and catching feelings, time to deny, deny, deny!!!" This is, "Of course you can trust me. I'm not trying to lure you in with romance or manipulate you into temptation—we both know I didn't have to do any of that to get here. I'm just here to tell you like it is, and you know in your heart that I haven't told you a lie yet."

Mizrak is accusing Olrox of trying to manipulate him into developing feelings for him, and Olrox is saying, "Gods no, I know you're smarter than that."

Which... is SO delicious in that I'm sure this is the line that will prove to be a lie. It's just not one yet. Ooh the foreshadowing and dramatic irony of it all gives me goosebumps!!! (Have I mentioned that I love Olrox and everything about the way his lines are written??? 🫠🫠 THE character of all time I love him sm)

4. Mizrak Has Nothing to Lose (History of the Knights of Malta Speedrun)

We know that Mizrak and the abbot came from Malta, and the 8-pointed cross they bear identifies them as part of the Order of St John. The history of the Order and of Malta is basically a centuries-long back and forth between the Ottoman, Holy Roman, and Byzantine empires. The Order is founded in Jerusalem 1023 with the mission of preserving the faith, aiding the poor, and providing care to people making pilgrimages to the Holy Land, regardless of faith. But they turn into this sort of paramilitary outfit during the crusades—granted authority by the pope to sort of act on its own without any real checks and balances. In short, they are tasked with defending the Catholic church independently of any conflicts between individual European/Christian nations, and European powers grant them land and financial support so they can carry out their mission.

Eventually the Ottomans expel them from Jerusalem (and a few other places), and the Order makes its new home on Malta, where they are tolerated by the locals in exchange for establishing some infrastructure (hospitals, schools, etc) and boosting the economy. The Order famously defends Malta from another Ottoman attack in 1565 and they're heralded as heroes of the church (but let's stick a pin in that for now)

As the centuries go by and the conflict between the Muslim world and Christian world kinda fizzles out, the Order becomes an outdated relic of a bygone era. The Catholic church lost some traction in the protestant reformation, and a more complex political landscape has the knights taking arms against other catholic entities (particularly the Franco-Spanish war). In fact, by the time Nocturne is set, the Order had already established a protestant division because they just REALLY didn't want to lose the support of Germany and England. France, who had been one of the Order's strongest supporters, forms an alliance with the Ottomans, and they just kinda have to look the other way.

As a sovereign entity that's no longer needed or even really wanted by mainland Europe, the Order decides to use its advantageous location to take on the responsibility of intercepting Ottoman ships—confiscating goods and taking slaves, to the extent that Malta becomes something of a major slave trade hub in the Mediterranean. The age of piracy is in full swing, and the Order earns itself a not so great reputation of effectively being pirates themselves, as even Christian ships start complaining that they're getting raided by the Knights. This campaign was called the 'Corso', and despite the Order's vows of poverty, it entitled them to a portion of any spoils they confiscated during a time when the Maltese economy was doing poorly.

Their souring reputation creates a cyclical effect where more and more countries drop their financial support for the Order, and the Knights have to lean further into the piracy and slave trade stuff to support Malta's economy. Not only is Catholicism losing ground, but the Order's mission: preserving the faith and aiding the poor, has become more of a loosely interpreted suggestion. The meaning of the 8-pointed cross gets diluted, as non-members of the Order are able to fly the flag—for a fee.

So imagine you are Mizrak, and you're a devoted Catholic who's committed himself to the Mission™ only to find... It's pretty much bullshit. No one cares, least of all the Knights of Malta who are more interested in engaging in legalized piracy and slave trade than God. You've lost all sense of purpose. But then... Some abbot named Emmanuel comes along and HE is legit. HE believes in the power of God and Faith and the Church. HE sees the way the world has turned its back on God and HE has a plan to fix it.

Sure, it involves allying with a vampire and creating a demon army for her, but that's hardly any different from anything else the Order's been up to for the past two centuries or so. At least this time it's For The Cause. You have to believe Emmanuel is doing the right thing, that he's in this for the right reasons—because if you can't have faith in that, then what else is there? The world has already abandoned you.

(The history of Malta and the Order is pretty wild honestly. Here are some sources to check out:)

History | The Knights of Malta

r/AskHistorians - What Were the Knights really like?

The Decline of The Order (PDF)

Noble Slavers: The Knights of Malta and Slavery in the 16/17th Century

Tragic Tales of Slaves in Malta

5. Courage as a Virtue and Redemption

So back to courage, and back to that pin from the Order's history.

The Ottoman Empire was massive, and during the Great Siege of Malta in 1565, they vastly outnumbered the Knights. Ottoman forces had about 30-40 thousand soldiers while the Knights had six thousand—half of which were Maltese civilians who were called upon for service. The siege lasted four months, and ended in a decisive victory for Malta.

This was an epic underdog story that turned the tides of the conflict and revitalized Christian morale across Europe. And I think this story is what drives Mizrak. This is why he became a Knight in the first place. What he believes the Order is capable of, what he believes Emmanuel is fighting for.

To be clear, I think Mizrak is disheartened by what the Order and church has become by the 18th century. So Emmanuel's plan, as sketchy as it is, is an opportunity to restore it to its former glory and rally people around the church again. To return the sort of disgraced Order to its original mission: preserving the faith and protecting the vulnerable.

This is his Moment to serve his God in the fullest extent of the word, to take a stand for what he believes in. Anything short of that is cowardice. And that's why he's so offended that Olrox would pull him out of that fight.

And if we take all this context from the previous points here and we circle back to his and Olrox's first meeting, it adds a new layer of meaning to, "It doesn't sit well with your faith" and Mizrak's defensive, "What would you know about faith?" — Mizrak has likely already had to compromise his morals on more than one occasion, with his faith being the one thing he still has to hold onto to justify it.

6. So What Is His Deal?

Honestly, I really don't know. The history of Malta and the Knights is so long and winding, the show could do just about anything with his backstory and I'd be like, "yeah, that checks out."

What I do think we can take away from canon is:

He's a True Believer and defender of the Catholic faith. One of his first lines to Olrox is his "faith is a foundation" speech where he quotes Isaiah 43:2. In the finale, we got his call to the other Knights to put down their swords and pray with him for forgiveness to stop the madness. When Olrox presses him about why he's forging night creatures, he explains that Catholics are being executed.

He's a pragmatist. Despite his devotion to the church, he demonstrates some moral flexibility so to speak. There's the "use our heads" line, of course. But there's also this line during the meeting with Drolta: "We don't have to pretend to like each other. This is an arrangement convenient to us both because we share a common enemy." Devoted as he is, this man is not a purist.

... But he still has lines he will not cross. Earlier in the season, we see the abbot express discomfort about Drolta attacking Maria, about harming children. But by the end of the season, he's justifying sacrificing her to Erzsebet. Mizrak however, remains steadfast in the "killing children is wrong, even if they are part of the 'godless mob'" position. Holding this line is what pushes him to deflect from Emmanuel and Erzsebet.

[caribbeanart]

American Historia: The Untold History of Latinos

Even though I have recent indigenous ancestry in my own family, I never really realized Caribbean history is also indigenous history, too. I mean, I know it but tend to find that aside from the Spanish-speaking Caribbean, the rest of us are usually excluded from the narrative. So, it was very touching to see this work by John Leguizamo and others that is making a very intentional effort to actually tell this story without excluding us entirely for the sake of mestizaje or trying to seem superior (es decir: más distinto, más elevado) to black people.

"You can't have an inclusive democracy unless people understand how their histories are shared."

I'm glad to say I did actually get to learn about the advancements of the indigenous civilizations of Mesoamerica and South America in depth in primary school, the Olmecs, the Incas, the Maya, the Aztecs or the Mexica, but still was able to learn things I never knew or hadn't heard in a long time (and don't necessarily remember learning about in secondary school). By contrast, histories on the indigenous Caribbean (the Taíno, the Arawak, the Carib) has always been more heavily inconsistent and incomplete. (For example, these names might just be different names for the same people and the actual tribes spoke different languages and probably called themselves something else.) So, I really appreciated the care given to telling this part of the story.

"When history is written by the victors, we miss out on the perspective of the oppressed."