Interesting connections I have wandered across

Both of them came about because I was commenting on overused artistic motifs.

Firstly, but the one that I came across second, a Doctor Who actress is the youngest British actress to play Alice in a sound or television adaption. And it seems the production of Through the Looking Glass must either be British or contain very young actresses to NOT mush Wonderland into the storyline.
But now I want to watch all the productions that are 'unabridged' and don't smush. I have epic love for both those qualities when one is discussing Alice in Wonderland. Also, there are several parts which I am very sad to see omitted from popular versions which make me very sad. I, of course, blame this on Disney, because their version cuts out the Duchess and Bill and the Mock Turtle and the Gryphon and smushes in the flower garden. No one knows who Bill is.

Secondly, but first to find: I was looking up what the correct term for the number cards in a pack of cards was. I know what the suit cards are in tarot are the minor arcana. (They don't get the love they deserve at all.) And I was fairly sure of what they were in a normal deck. But I double checked.
They are pip cards, if you wish to know.

However, some people also call them spot cards. And when I clicked on the wiktionary link for 'spot' in the etymology, what should I see?
Splott
Oh, Old English, how I hold geekery for thee and almost wish to learn you. Especially when you apparrently have a good spattering of Old Norse in you as well.
As an aside on British place names, there are far too many -shires. I don't care if they're historical names, there are too many of them.

So yes, minor geekery, a minor desire to learn (yet another) dead language and something else to add to my life's to-do list.
And in a couple of minutes, I shall be posting a book commentary post. Whee!

YATN; Border Princes

This is one hell of a weird novelisation. And another one that should probably be shelved in the “not canon” part of Torchwood media. Because, basically, it’s Adam 1.0. There’s a mysterious sixth member of the team who apparently has been there since forever and we play along with that until it’s revealed that he’s actually an alien.
Except there’s not retcon at the end and there isn’t any Jack!angst or goggleboy!flashbacks. Except there is a temporary split up between Gwen and Rhys and kind of makes it seem she really sleeps around in the first season if you do shelve this under “canon Torchwood media”.
Also, there were several odd phrasings that totally threw me off. Or maybe it was poor characterisation. IDK, especially as there was one scene where Ianto was playing basketball with Owen. Which is pretty blink, what? As is Tosh accompanying Jack on most of the excursions.

Not to speak of the other plot threads either. I know a lot of shows like using rather contrived Chekov’s guns, but… the two big alien tech threads have very little to do with the greater plot aside from ‘oh noes, the team is in danger!’. Then the plot thread that did relate to the main one was rather weak. Although it was kind of fun pointing and shouting loudly when very obvious hints were dropped.
But er, anyway, comments on little bits that happened in the book which I haven’t already mentioned.

( It’s set pre-Cyberwoman, so Jack’s all srz, which is kind of painful, yet hilarious. )