#ATP call and spade a spade

[ride-thedragon]

Daemon Betrays Rhaenyra.

This discourse has been here since I started posting so I should explain.

Daemon does, in fact, betray Rhaenyra when he saves Nettles and his subsequent actions in more than one way.

1. He doesn't punish the Mootons for their treason.

The Mootons are given a direct order from their queen to kill Nettles. They conspire and plot about ways to avoid the order, to carry it out, and possible consequences for that. By the end, they decide to disobey her and give the letter to Daemon under the false pretence that they hadn't seen it. They are made aware that the queen has a suspicion that Nettles is a witch charming the prince and still do this. None of this is known or punished, and they declare for the Greens.

2. He allows Nettles to escape.

When Daemon reads the letter, he stays with Nettles for the night and watches her escape on dragon back in the morning without interference. Choosing to leave Maidenpool and go to Harrenhall instead of what Rhaenyra called for, his urgent return.

3. He does not return to Rhaenyra.

By not returning to Rhaenyra, he disobeys and betrays her. By letting Nettles escape, he disobeys and betrays her. Nettles is specifically tied to his survival in the narrative. Without her at his side, it is impossible for him to survive.

4. He fights Aemond, Alone.

So he dies. The bards and I have a misunderstanding because of this (fuck the bards) but Daemon himself says that neither one of them can take Aemond on and survive. He chooses death.

We can argue over why he did it, but in the written narrative, the only catalyst we have is Nettles' departure. Before that, we can see his expression go from happy and them small talking to him, genuinely distraught by the letter and staying with her for the night.

Saying that this is only because of Rhaenyra fundamentally misunderstands one point:

The catalyst for the Battle Above the God's Eye is Nettles' departure. Before it, Aemond evaded Daemon, and Daemon stayed at her side. Both in the book and more so the show, known reactionary Daemon Targaryen would not have hesitated to prove himself, at least bringing her to the court to prove their loyalty.

[kenzan-brainrot-mp4]

talk more about the white whale/whale symbolism in general whatever thoughts you have on the whale stuff i want to hear it 👂

GRAHHHHH YEAH (This one got. Long (again lol) So be prepared (series-wide spoilers but I feel like that's a given atp))

First of all I just wanna say that I love how rgg drags the player along around the final chapter title. With how upfront the other chapter titles are in what they're referring to, you might end up wondering why they chose White Whale for the final chapter title once you see the title card (or at least I did). Of course, this could just be referring to the treasure that everyone's been looking for, but with how nonchalantly they react to the fact that the treasure isn't actually there, it doesn't seem to completely fit the bill.

But then you beat the game (and by this I mean beat the final boss) and lo and behold, there's an Actual white whale, and so you think "Oh! Duh, the chapter's called White Whale because there's a literal white whale and it pretty much just finished off the final boss!" But that still doesn't make that much sense. Why name the final chapter (arguably the most important one) after some whale that appears in the last like 15 minutes of the game? Like, take the final chapter name of (Kiryu) Gaiden, it's literally the name of the game (The Man Who Erased His Name) so it's gotta be something more significant than that, right? (But then of course take into the account that by this point the player is still convinced that nothing really in pyih is too deep/serious, so maybe it could just be something as simple as that).

Then you get to the credits, and they reveal that the "elixir"/the ambergris is found in the stomachs of whales. Damn, that's pretty crazy/cool, but once again, nobody that was actively seeking the treasure (Rodriguez, Jason/Noah, Spade Tucker, etc you know the drill) seems to hung up on the fact that they didn't find it, and they didn't even encounter the whale, so they wouldn't get that same sense that they just missed it either, again, it's not a big deal really, so why make that the final chapter title?

Of course, we all know what this builds up to: the big reveal, the fact that Majima, who we've been following along with this entire game, was looking for that elixir this entire time, was the only one to actually encounter a whale in the game, and then there's the insane line drop from Saejima.

"Kiryu Kazuma. You never could give up on that one."

Ironically, the final chapter title has nothing to do with that whale you saw earlier at all, rather it's a summary of what Majima's motivations/actions for this game, and the past. Almost every game, has meant for him. It's what Saejima spells out for us at the end of the game, but said in even fewer words.

An all-consuming obsession that only leads to your destruction. An impossibility, something that you can destroy yourself over but never achieve/obtain. This is what the white whale means, metaphorically. And it is this, exactly, that Kiryu is to Majima.

Kiryu is larger than life itself, to just about everyone. He's a legend, he's the one Majima has had his sights on since the very beginning, the legend he chases after game after game and also what he destroys himself over game after game.

(see:

Yakuza 1 -> Majima just straight up taking a full-on stab wound for Kiryu. Like, buddy, I literally saw one of my favorite characters die that way in another game, there was No guarantee you were surviving that.

Yakuza 2 -> Majima fights off an army of yakuza for Kiryu. That man was beat to total Shit (which is Not something that happens often) and we all saw it

Yakuza 3 -> Majima re-enters the Tojo Clan for Kiryu even though he is (extremely likely) aware that it is already entering its steady decline that we see throughout the rest of the series up until its dissolution. And while he's willing to do it for Kiryu, we can't exactly say that he's happy about the situation as a whole.

Yakuza 5 -> Majima's willingness to die for Haruka, specifically stated because "She means more to Kiryu-chan than life itself." Like, of course he wouldn't just let Haruka get killed, but to choose to mention Kiryu as part of his reasoning in that moment? Christ

While I (surprisingly) can't say anything particularly self-destructive happened in (Kiryu) Gaiden and Infinite Wealth, you could argue that Majima trying to more and more directly tell Kiryu not to leave ("No need to rush outta here yet... Alright?" -> "Don't leave! Don't you dare leave, Kiryu-chan!"), knowing that it's likely pointless, knowing Kiryu, is not doing himself any favors.

Pirate Yakuza -> *gestures at the entire game*

Also his reaction to encountering that giant squid ("Sure is a helluva way to die. I think I'm into it!"). Like, okay. I don't want to try and read too much into it because it was very likely just a one off line. But I'm still gonna side-eye it.

Honestly now that I think about it, if Majima Had died fighting that giant squid (that is such a way to begin a sentence thank you rgg), you could argue that that would've been his nail in the coffin for the white whale metaphor. If he had, it would've meant that his obsession for Kiryu is what got him dragged down into the literal depths of the ocean, and even if it wouldn't be Kiryu physically dragging Majima down like the white whale to Ahab, this is a situation that is completely, entirely, fueled by Majima's obsession towards him (Majima had no real interest in the nuclear waste cleanup project, after all, Kiryu was his one motivation this entire time), and it would've drowned him.

Guess that means he got real lucky with the last part, but we all know he sure as hell isn't beating the allegations.)

All this and yet Majima seems to fail to reaching Kiryu time and time again.

Majima does not obtain the Heart of the Dragon, found in the intestines of the literal whale. He does not obtain eternal life for Kiryu. And he (arguably, though the final scene of him walking to Kiryu's hospital room could oppose this) does not resolve the indefinite limbo that has been sitting between them throughout the entire series. What he gets at the end of the game is the acknowledgement (through Saejima, everybody thank him) that he has been obsessing over this, and perhaps the realization that Kiryu was, in fact, this white whale that he would never truly reach ("Well, still just a dream in the end.") Of course this is something he already knows/has acknowledged deep down, and it's a feeling that is hinted at in some of his dialogue in scattered moments, but this is the first time he ever says it in such an outright manner.

I guess in a way, you could say that Pirate Yakuza is a story about the newfound success of all the people Majima helped and supported in achieving their dreams, and the continued failure of Majima in pursuing his own (Kiryu), and him needing to acknowledge/accept that. And the post-credits begs the question of what he decides to do with the aftermath and what he has left. (An oversimplification definitely but still. augh. Augh)

Naming the final chapter White Whale was yet another crazy move on rgg's part. Its so unassuming, seemingly straightforward yet also seemingly insignificant, but once the realization dawns on you it slaps you right in the face, just like everything else about this game does. It's yet another instance of how rgg managed to pull its big reveal so well, with all the small details, all the reframing, all pointing back to the same topic that it had spent the entire rest of the game dancing around.

Majima recounting his story of how he went to Hawaii -> Majima recounts his story to Kiryu in the exact same way at the very end

The treasure everyone's been looking for/known about + Majima, the one guy who didn't have knowledge about any of this legend stuff prior? -> Wrong, he was after the treasure from the very start (before the amnesia at least). For Kiryu

Majima originally being on course for Hawaii so he could help with the nuclear waste cleanup even though he'd be bored as hell? -> Nah. For Kiryu (Ohhhhh you know what this is reminding me of some screenshots I took from near the beginning of the game)

(I'm sure this meant nothing of course. Lol. Lmao)

Majima's dream during pirate yakuza being to fulfill Other People's dreams -> Haha. Well, I think you get the point by now

Kiryu, Kiryu, Kiryu. It all goes back to Kiryu, every single time, without fail, in an obsessive loop that Majima has been dragging himself around over for Years. He is the white whale, seemingly untouchable, the constant object of Majima's attention and devotion in so many forms, his consistent weak point, that only seems to dig at him deeper as the games go on.

Like I said before, while the white whale metaphor is undeniable, and essentially spells doom for Majima, it's not over for him yet. Because, hey, he didn't drown at sea, or die on the beach. He was saved, and he's survived enough to retell that tale and reflect on it all with Saejima in the post-credits, brief as that reflection was. I mentioned before how he really only said one line of any actual substance during that specific part of the exchange, but the significance of it says so much.

"Well, still just a dream in the end"

As much as it hurts to here Majima address the hopelessness of it all, to hear him say something like that after Saejima basically just laid out his sheer devotion and refusal to give up on his dream for everyone to see, I think the bittersweetness is. Good, actually. Captain Ahab never gave up on that pursuit on the white whale, and it destroyed him; that whale dragged him down until he finally drowned, and it feels like all Majima has been doing over Kiryu since Yakuza 3 is drowning himself in him.

Don't get me wrong, I (for now at least) do not take that line as a complete admittance of defeat, or Majima finally giving up on Kiryu, on that dream he could never let go of. (Like I've been saying, it's an acknowledgement, not exactly a declaration.) I do not think it means he is just letting go, full-stop.

But I do hope it means he can stop himself from self-destructing completely. I hope it means that he can slow down with the wild chase, (and that he and Kiryu can just. Sit down and talk like fucking normal people. Which i guess they are doing in the post-credits, supposedly) and I hope it means that he won't drown completely, especially in the case of the worst possible scenario.

[not-goldy]

Tae is a very attractive guy and behaves nothing like other members of bangtan... they'll call Jimin ugly slut who shouldn't be shipped with JK, then proceed to draw Tae as a dainty petite blondie with Itty bitty waist and pouty plump lips. It's soft spoken, pure, gentle heart Tae who gets blushy and shy in Jk's presence in their fan fics.. Just stan Jimin atp 💀💀

Good lord

People don't understand my rage when I go off whenever People try to hypermasculinize Jimin cos in my head it be sounding like yall wish he wasn't androgynous and would rather he looked like somebody else.

He's who he is perfect the way he is yall need to accept that and move on.

For Tae he's honestly handsome better looking than most of his haters like call a spade a spade that man is good looking too.

But if you gotta change his whole entire look in order to find him attractive then aren't you basically saying he's not attractive the way he is? Talk of impossible beauty standards.

It's one thing to fantasize about his aesthetics a tattoo here, piercing there, crop tops bold make up, drag its okay to explore alternative style options for him- who knows he might be inspired by a few BUT TO ALTER HIS ENTIRE BODY IN ORDSR TO BE PLEASED BY IT IS JUST DISGUSTING

And like you said, if you want him to be Jimin....

JUST STAN JIMIN????

[fbitennis]

Stealing Ideas from Golf:  The Hall of Fame

Tennis has the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island.  Newport is a very attractive New England town.  It is fairly traditional Hall of Fame, with memorabilia and history exhibits.  During the week of the induction ceremony, they hold a men’s 250 event there, on grass.  The building is ivy covered.  It is a relatively small facility, but it has a lot of charm.  

You get to the tennis Hall of Fame by driving down Bellevue Avenue, the main thoroughfare through town, and it is one of the buildings you pass, among the other buildings.  I have only been to Newport one time, and the first time I drove down Bellevue, I didn’t even see the Hall of Fame (I was on my way somewhere else).  It was only on the way back that I noticed it.  At the next intersection, there is a Social Security Administration building.  Dunkin’ Donuts and CVS are only a block away.  You stay wherever you would stay if you were not going to the tennis Hall of Fame.

Golf has the World Golf Hall of Fame in St. Augustine, Florida, not far from its headquarters in Ponte Vedra, Florida (where the ATP also has its headquarters).  Golf’s Hall of Fame is part of the bigger World Golf Village, which is like a mini-Disney World for Golf.  In addition to the more traditional Hall of Fame setup, with plaques and memorabilia, it has shopping, hotels, an IMAX Theater that shows films that have nothing to do with golf, and importantly, two golf courses.  It has a giant lake near the main buildings, and on the sidewalks surrounding this lake they have embedded plaques with names of Hall of Famers.  You can buy an affordable brick with a message of your choice that will be installed on the sidewalk near the champion of your choice.

You get there by driving down I-95, exiting via the signs that are dedicated solely to the World Golf Village (it’s actually called World Golf Village Boulevard), and then driving a little ways to access the various features.  The buildings are nothing to get excited about -- pink Florida facades, mostly, and faux Spanish architecture -- not nearly as charming as the Newport building.  Actually, not charming at all. There’s nothing else close by, except for cookie-cutter Florida subdivisions (albeit in nice surroundings). 

What can the tennis Hall of Fame learn from golf’s Hall of Fame?

Let me be clear: I like the charm of Newport. World Golf Village is not charming.  But the creators of World Golf Village decided to sacrifice charm for some out-of-the-Hall-of-Fame-box thinking.  World Golf Village isn’t just a Hall of Fame. It’s a destination.

The International Tennis Hall of Fame is not a destination.  It’s something you might do if you are in Newport for another reason, or nearby in New England. People actually plan trips to the World Golf Village and stay for a week.  They don’t just visit if they happen to already be in St. Augustine.

Why is that the case?  It isn’t purely location.  St. Augustine is closest, but that’s a tourist town, not a real city.  World Golf Village is 30-45 minutes south of Jacksonville, and a good hour and a half north of Orlando.  It was built in the middle of nowhere, because it wasn’t trying to draw solely from nearby populations. It was designed to be the focus of your trip.

Accordingly, it has all the required elements of a destination.  It has places to eat on-site (e.g., the Caddyshack restaurant, with Bill Murray on board).  It has places to stay on-site, filled with pictures of golfers, and golf courses.  Accommodations are, not surprisingly, golf-themed.  And, there are things you can do besides touring the museum...namely, you can play a lot of golf on two World Golf Village courses.  These courses are named after Hall of Famers. They were designed with the help of Hall of Famers.  

The International Tennis Hall of Fame does not have these features, or to the extent it does, they are in no way packaged together. You can eat in the general area, but you could do that anyway.  You can stay in a hotel, but it’s just a hotel in Newport you would stay at anyway.  There is a grass court that hosts the aforementioned ATP event, and you can play on it for $120/hour, but there aren’t many courts and you aren’t allowed to stay on the court all day, even if you can afford it.  And really, given where the tennis Hall of Fame is located, why would you even have your racquet handy? 

I’m the last person who would want to Disneyfy something, but I think the International Tennis Hall of Fame needs to move in the direction of the World Golf Village...at least a little bit.  Unfortunately, that may mean leaving Newport.

There is a good reason the Hall of Fame is in Newport.  The first US National singles championship was played there in the 1800s.  In that regard, it’s similar to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio (where the NFL was founded in 1920) and the very successful Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York (where the first baseball game was said to have been played by Abner Doubleday, though that certainly is not true).  Canton is not charming, but Cooperstown has charm in spades. The entire image of the town is built around the Baseball Hall of Fame.

So tennis’s Hall of Fame fits that profile well.  But tennis is more like golf than football or baseball.  No one attending the football or baseball halls of fame would think they’d get 22 or 18 people together to play a game (unless you are the parent of a baseball Little Leaguer).  By contrast, golf fans at the World Golf Hall of Fame sure as hell want to play some golf.  And if I go to a tennis hall of fame, I’d like to play some tennis on some courts the pros play on, especially if they are grass courts.  But for that to happen, the tennis Hall of Fame has to be a real part of my plans, not something I see on the way to something else.

Tennis outgrew Newport pretty quickly in the last century.   By 1914, they had to move the singles championship to New York (it’s now the US Open).  The Hall of Fame stayed behind to eventually host an ATP 250.  It isn’t clear to me why it doesn’t host a women’s event, since women are members of the Hall of Fame. I’m sure there are many “reasons” (meaning money), but its ridiculous.  In fact, I would propose a joint men’s and women’s event during the induction week, but the fact is, they don’t have room for that at the Newport facility.

There must be another venue, somewhere in the world, that has more charm than the World Golf Village, but could be its own tennis complex, with on-site restaurants, on-site accommodations and lots and lots of tennis courts.  There was a potential opportunity years ago in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, where the ATP headquarters is.  When the ATP headquarters originally was built in the early 90s, it had lots of courts on all the various surfaces. Sawgrass, where The Players Championship is played and the PGA is headquartered, is literally down the street.  The surroundings are beautiful and sufficiently distant from Jacksonville to make it a getaway.  Less than a mile away is the Atlantic Ocean. That facility could have gone a long way towards an International Tennis Hall of Fame destination site, without going full Disney.

Unfortunately, those facilities were underutilized, in part because of the USTA training facility in Orlando.  The facilities since have been sold (or maybe leased) to a local private school, which has paved all the surfaces for the high school tennis team. The ATP’s headquarters is now in a nice tree-shrouded office building across the street.

I will admit that it may be hard to find a facility as charming as Newport’s that also has these other features. I suspect that’s nearly impossible in the U.S., particularly if you take into account a site that has some historical significance for tennis.  However, tennis is a truly international sport, so its Hall of Fame doesn’t have to be in the US with all the other halls of fame.  

Golf focused on making its hall of fame a destination.  It did not require the site to have a historical connection, and essentially built it from the ground up.  That’s a bit ambitious for tennis, but I would suggest that tennis loosen the historical restriction, as fans are more interested in what they can do while visiting a hall of fame than they are the historical basis for the hall of fame’s location.  And rather than market it as “While you are in the area...”, how about “Bring your racquet...”?