#19th grand slam | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

francesminos-tt · 1 year

Text

I stumbled upon a post here saying Joff is Jacegan’s son, and I also know about a fic where Viserys is Lucemond’s love child, which make me think. A lot. How about a modern au where Joff is Jace and Cregan’s son, Aegon the younger is Rhaenyra and Daemon’s son where Viserys Jr is Luke and Aemond’s son. I am messing up some age gap here.

Please don’t take this too seriously. It’s just a quick crack post!

When Joffrey was born

Jace 20

Cregan 21

Luke 18

Aemond 23

Daeron 13

Jace gave birth to Joff when he was 20. It was totally unexpected, truly, he didn’t even realize he was pregnant until like 4 months in. He was still trying to figure out who he really wanted, Cregan or Sara. (It is Cregan. It is Cregan from the start. Even Sara knows it, if her speech at Jace and Cregan’s wedding is anything to go by.) Jace panicked all through his pregnancy, thinking himself a failure to be knocked up while still in college. He ceased that line of thought the moment he got little Joff in his arms. All is well after that. (Or maybe not, because Jace worked nonstop after Joff’s birth, trying to make up for all the missing school work and graduate in time. Cregan had to feed him real food. Humans can’t survive solely on energy drinks, obviously. One would expect someone smart as Jace, a leading debater at the school debate team, should know better. But alas. Fortunately Cregan was there to help, and he had no intention of ever leaving Jace’s side.)

Luke beats his big brother’s record by giving birth at 18. (19, Luke agues, his water broke when celebrating his 19th nameday, so technically he was 19 when Viserys Jr was born.) Unlike Jace, his pregnancy was a carefully constructed plan to baby trap Aemond. And it worked. Luke is very proud of himself. Aemond can play hard to get for all he likes, but Luke knows his scaring uncle has feelings for him. Or else who would stare at someone like Aemond does every time their extended family is forced to get together? When Luke learned Aemond would go to Citadel School of Business for a master’s degree next year, he knew he had to act quickly. He pulled some strings (black mailed Aegon, to be precise) to get Aemond’s schedule and successfully stumbled upon a drunk Aemond outside a shady bar. The rest is history. (Luke shared his pregnancy with his mother Rhaenyra, who was expecting her first child with her uncle Daemon. They made so many uncle fucking jokes that Jace had to flee the room out of sheer terror. Luke laughed until Aemond picked him up from the sofa to go get a scheduled ultrasound. Aegon the younger was born 3 months prior to Viserys Jr.)

Joffrey always feels like a big brother to Aegon the younger and Viserys Jr growing up, although he is only one year older than them. He takes after Jace, apparently, to care for the little ones, but he also inherited Cregan’s protectiveness toward his family. So when he sees Aegon and Viserys being bullied by some shitface, he rushes to their rescue. Joff took several punches, sure, but he also kicked one of the bullies on the balls. (Cregan is so proud. Jace, not so much at first, but after he learns Joff only gets in a fight to protect Aegon and Viserys, he gets Joff a Switch as reward.) Joff is at least a head shorter than the bullies, so he slowly loses his ground and is about to be shoved into a stinking pond when his knight in shining armor arrives. Daeron is on his way back from tennis training when he saves Joff from drowning in a stinking pond worse than the sewers. Joff spits out disgusting water and kicks Daeron on the shin. To his credit, Joff doesn’t need protection, he can fucking defend himself thank you very much. (Language! Jace shouts.) Years later, when Daeron nervously asks Joff to go on a date with him, Joff barely spares him a glance as he says yes. Daeron is more nervous than he goes to a Grand Slam Final. He can’t be blamed. He’s asking his great-nephew (Oh god that sounds wrong) 13 years his junior to go on a date with him.

Later at a family dinner

Cregan: Look I will allow you to date my son only if you get your tennis player buddies to sign the autograph- (Jace throwing him death glare) Never. I mean I will never let you defile my precious little Joffrey.

Daeron: Come to think of it, I am only 13 years older than Joff while uncle Daemon is like 16 years older than Rhaenyra. No offense, uncle Daemon.

Daemon (sipping wine, looking smug): None taken, kid.

Luke: I know I am not the best person to say this-

Aemond: You are not.

Luke: Shut up.

Aemond: Make me.

Rhaenyra (ignoring the gross sound of kissing in the background): Joff, dear, just remember to use protection. I have some condoms in my drawer that you may like. I believe they are coke flavor.

Jace: MUM!

Daeron: Thank you sister, but I don't think it will be necessary. I won’t even hold Joff’s hands until his 16th nameday.

Jace: YOU WANT TO HOLD MY SON’S HANDS???

Luke (finally breaks the kiss but still sits on Aemond’s lap): Now I feel like we are not the sickest couple in this family anymore.

Aemond: I can be sick.

Jace: THIS IS NOT A COMPETITION!!

Joff (stealing Daeron’s desert while frantically poking at his Switch. Damn that dragon is hard to defeat)

#aemond x lucerys #lucemond #house of the dragon #hotd #mpreg #jacegan #jacaerys velaryon #cregan x jace #daeron x joffrey #joffrey velaryon #joffron #crack

290 notes · View notes

usafphantom2 · 1 month

Text

14th March 1945. The first 22,000lb Grand Slam bomb to be used operationally was dropped by a 617 Sqn. Lancaster on the Bielefeld Viaduct. 14x12,000lb Tallboys were also used, but the Grand Slam fell close enough to the target to undermine its foundations and cause its collapse.

Pictured:

(L) Photo reconnaissance image of the collapsed viaduct following the raid. Note the devastation to the surrounding area caused by previous conventional attacks and Tallboys.

📷 memorialflightclub.com

(R) 617 Squadron Lancaster B.1 Special releasing its Grand Slam over the Arnsberg Viaduct on 19th March 1945. These aircraft had several modifications, including the removal of the front and mid-upper turrets, more powerful engines and a strengthened undercarriage.

@JamieMctrusty via X

10 notes · View notes

ceceliaahathaway · 1 month

Text

@mobscene-starters Event: Blackmail Dated: 19th of March, 2024 Location: The Hurlingham Club, Fulham

Cece's hands shook, and a cold shiver raced down her spine as she stared at the email in her inbox, titled: "Harrods Wishes to Thank You for Your Recent Deposit." Despite her fear, she couldn't help but feel a sense of disgust at the choice of words. Deposit. How tactless.

With a trembling hand, Cece hovered her mouse over the email and clicked it open. Inside, the message was chillingly direct: "Send money or lose everyone." Still shaking, the blonde reluctantly opened the attachment and sank further into her seat as the images flooded her computer screen. Ayaz and herself, lips, hands, and bodies entwined in a passionate embrace, just outside the scented candle aisle.

If she'd been on her laptop she'd have slammed it shut, instead she was forced to look away, this wasn't how her new life back in London was supposed to go. She'd paid her penitence!

Swallowing her fear, she turned back to the computer and typed her simple response: 'Where do you want me to drop the money?' She didn't ask how much, because she knew, along with her blackmailer that she'd pay anything to silence them.

PING!

Tomorrow, at her beloved Tennis club.. a locker.. a combination.. five zeros. She cursed. Was she ever going to escape this?

With the envelope of money shoved into her Birkin, Cece sat at her regular table at The Hurlingham Club, waiting to get the nerve to change into her tennis gear and deposit the money and her dignity along with it into a neighbouring locker. Nursing her Riesling; yes, it was Riesling kind of day, she found herself lost in the past. Lost in a nightmare. At least until a voice saying her name stirred her back into the world of the living. At least she thought she'd heard her name.

This was not the time or place for Cece to make her grand entrance back into the world, and yet.. "Oh hello, you've caught me. I've miss-paired it I know. But, can't a girl just enjoy her Riesling with a slice of her favorite tiramisu, every once in awhile?"

#communicating via story #with open #mobstarter

4 notes · View notes

nerdyenby · 1 year

Text

Aqua time :D I’m watching H’s vod

Pregame

The calm before the storm is worse, 100% agree. The event is amazing but the wait before and after the end are such low lows

H and Dave just vibing :))

“False is here too?! Surely something must’ve been scheduled” I love H so much

“It’s been 1,217 days since I’ve won MCC, but who’s counting?” “… You?” I think I’ve seen a grand total of one Dave Krtzyy video but between finding out they’re nonbinary, this joke, and the raw vibes??? I love him

Talking about how the npc cat is thick AND smarter than all of them combined is killing me

Dave saying they hope sands of time “will do from my enemy to my lover” 😭

False is so funny she doesn’t get enough credit

Parkour Tag

Cub cracked????

False did such a good job hunting we need to talk about it

I got so startled by Beky getting H I slammed my elbow into my desk lol

Rocket Spleef

Dave Krtzy having banger opinions left and right, good for them

He really is just saying stuff and all of its iconic, from “the rare true democracy” to “channel your inner elytra”

People taking the time to type during rocket spleef will never not be funny to me

Everyone hitting Jimmy is so Jimmy of him

False top 5 :))

Dave top 10 after getting 35th??? We love that improvement

Phil is never not an icon

Unfortunate minecraft physics, rip

H and Dave being 19th and 20th is so funny because I was like “buddies :D” and H said “I’m beating you, suck it”

H affectionately bullying Dave is my new favorite thing, actually

Sands of Time

“I uh don’t have the best track record at uh…. being good at sands of time” Dave 😭

“Hi HBomb!!” from H and his teammates is so sweet

I love the calm vibes, no frantic strategizing, just clarifying and communicating

“Dave I’m gonna be pestering and annoying the hell out of you” “As you should” I love them

H: “Has anyone seen the blue pathway” also H: *is currently in the blue pathway* my streamer’s oblivious /lh

False 9th and everyone hyping her up :D

Sky Battle

I love skybattle I swear but I was zoned out like the entire time

H killing Sniff :( my boys :((

Dave was so sad when they fell, it’s okay dude <333

Good plays in round 3!!!

Ace Race

Merely vibing

H popped off and didn’t even think anything of it, the raw power

Battle Box

Aw don’t love that slump where everyone stops listening to each other. It happens with most teams, it’s not their fault, people just get too in their own heads

False literally said it was their side like three times :(

That round was clean

The final round coming down to Purpled on 2 health vs Dave on 1 was such a good final fight, holy crap

Grid Runners

Best game time :D

They’re improving every round, I love that for them

I don’t think I properly appreciated how fast cyan’s crafting grove was before just now

They slayed waterfall lamps tho

H’s mind, man

I love when people who are historically more withdrawn take charge without hesitation, MCC has done so much for H’s confidence <3

Omg they got first????

“God, our minds are so huge compared to these dorks” “MASSIVE!!”

Own that confidence kings!! Love that for them <33

H is such a cool guy, he’s genuinely enthusiastic about how they’re 2nd without a top 10 individual. He just thinks it’s neat. He’s a top player who doesn’t care about stats but experience, and that’s what makes him the epitome of MCC :)

H saying “if another team goes nutty and gets a massive amount of fruitberries points or whatever then they deserve it, they can take our spot” WHAT DID I JUST SAY?? We stan one (1) cishet white guy here and it’s HBomb94

TGTTOSAWAF

Dave’s speech <333 I love them

I felt H’s stress there, that was so intense but he popped off

Dave doing an AMAZING speed bridge and then complimenting H’s strat, they’re so supportive I love them sm

“Sorry Dave, I’m gonna lower your points for things like that, cause you could’ve gotten first in that” “No, I do not care about that, I care about that sweet, succulent coin… that was a weird way to describe it”

The new finalist announcement is so suspenseful only to ruin it with a bubble sound effect lol

They’re so excited to get Dave their first win since MCC1 :))

They find it so cool that they got here without any top 10 individuals “purely balanced”

Dodgebolt

“Last time I was in dodgebolt I was a wee lad […] I was freshly 21, now I’m like 48 or something”

INSTANT he/they on he/they violence by Dave Krtzy lol

Aqua’s accuracy is wild, goodness!!!!

Their coms are so clean

H snatching that arrow!! I don’t even remember that from watching cyan

False calming asserting that she knows what she needs, not them, will never not be iconic

False saying that she’s down next arrow only for all her team to talk over eachother about how she’s got this and they believe in her <3

FALSE SUPREMACY!!!!! THAT 1V3!!!!!!!

Dave winning the first events of seasons 1 and 3 my beloved

FALSE DONT NEED PRACTICE

“False, that was insane, you 1v3’d that” “WHAT THE HECK WAS I DOING??” “You we WINNING, that’s what you were doing, you fool”

“1,217 days, bro” “It’s zero, it’s zero now!!” I love them

This team <33333

The most well-rounded team of all time, I love them.

Or as False puts it: “we weren’t cracked, we were just solid”

#mcc #mcyt #mc championship #mcc 29 #mcc29 #hbomb94 #falsesymmetry #false symmetry #cubfan #cubfan135 #krtzyy

22 notes · View notes

stupidgamcs · 6 months

Text

☆ –– (jacob elordi, he/him, cisman) who is XAVIER BERENT anyways? ew. you don’t know about HIM, we’ll bet you want to. they’re feeling 26 and READING feels like a perfect night to them. rumor has it they’re VAIN and SPOILED because they care, but they’re also GOOD-HEARTED and CHARISMATIC in the best way. HE work to make a little money as a PROFESSIONAL TENNIS PLAYER. they’ve rented a place on cornelia street in the form of PENTHOUSE. DELICATE MUSE A is the song they could dance to the beat of forevermore.

STATISTICS • GOOGLE DOCS • PINTEREST • CONNECTIONS

//:: T H E B A S I C S

name: iker xavier berent bizcay

nickname(s): xabi

age: twenty-six

gender: cis man

place of birth: getaria, spain

birthday: may 19th, 1997

zodiac : taurus sun, libra moon and virgo rising

height: 6′5″

occupation: professional tennis player

//:: T H E B I O G R A P H Y

Xavier is the son of Aitor Bizcay, a wealthy Spanish businessman, and an Australian model who wanted nothing to do with him or his dad. She pretty much denies their existence; no one even knows she was pregnant. Grew up between Getaria and Barcelona, Spain.

Hit his first tennis ball at four years old, and since then he couldn't think of anything else. His dad absolutely adored him, and because of this, he sheltered him a lot. It wasn't until he was about six that the family moved to Barcelona (where he attended a prestigious tennis academy), and that's when he started gaining a bit more freedom and got more outgoing because he used to be very shy.

Abandonment TW: When Xavier was eight, his father met a woman and fell in love. Unfortunately, she had three kids, and Xavier was like, "I'm not sharing my dad or his money with these people." So he became their own nightmare. In a shocking turn of events, his dad was like, "I'm done with this spoiled brat," and sent him to Australia. Eventually, his dad felt guilty and brought him back, but Xavier is still bitter about it, and that's why he has abandonment issues.

Xavier turned professional at 14. He won his first Grand Slam at the US Open at 19 and became the number 1 player in 2018. Currently, he has 46 ATP titles, 10 Grand Slams, 5 Olympic Games medals, and 4 Tour Finals.

Xavier tested positive for a banned substance during a routine anti-doping test and faced a five-year ban from playing. He believed his life and career were in ruins, and paparazzi relentlessly followed him, tarnishing his reputation. However, he decided to appeal the decision and took the case to court, where it was proven that the amount of the drug in his system was minimal and not performance-enhancing. As a result, his punishment was withdrawn.

Following this challenging period, Xavier moved to New York, where he began working with a new coach and made plans to return to the tour next season, determined to continue his tennis career and redeem his reputation.

//:: P E R S O N A L I T Y

Xavier unabashedly partakes in pleasure-seeking. He's always been very spoiled, and his father never did much to stop his haughty nature. He is very insouciant and often bucks authority. He discovered his ability to manipulate people at a very young age, and ever since, he's used it to his advantage. He goes through life with a very breezy style, but this overabundance of confidence is only to mask his lack of inner peace. His serial love affairs are attempts to fill the void created in him by his emotional unavailability. Nonetheless, Xavier does have a redeemable side. He has a capacity for generosity and moral strength that most people would not imagine he possesses. When he loves someone, he loves them unconditionally, and he is a loyal and protective friend. He is also very studious, contrary to popular belief, with an insatiable thirst for knowledge, especially when it comes to literature. His biggest loves are words and tennis.

#cornelia.intro #abandonment tw #( xavier: intro. )

5 notes · View notes

shanie-the-toyaddict · 2 years

Text

How I would Fantasy Book Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn from here on out.

Behind cut because this is LONG

Ok, so all stuff aside from tonight, lets go from where we are now.

Supposedly, “The Old KO” is back. Fair enough, but we’re going to go with this isn’t a hard reset, OK? It’s just a new development.

So, this week on Smackdown, the Usos give Sami shit again. It’s getting more and more blatently abusive and Sami is not doing well with it.

Fast forward to August 19th. The Usos have a confrontation with Sami in the ring and the Usos begin pounding on Sami. Out comes Kevin to make the save in their hometown with the reborn, RUTHLESS Kevin going absolutely apeshit on them with a chair. He’s swinging for the fences and the Usos go running.

But, rather then the guys reuniting, Kevin just casts a sideways glance at Sami with a grunt of “I told you so” and leaves him in the ring.

Sami’s very next move is to urgently petition Adam Pierce to get traded to RAW “for his own protection”. Adam reminds him that the Usos are UNDISPUTED champions, going to RAW won’t help Sami but Pierce agrees anyway.

Cue several weeks of Sami trying to win the reborn prizefighter back to his cause again. Meanwhile, Kevin has no time for Sami anymore, he’s got his eyes on a bigger prize – the WWE/Universal title. BUT

Kevin knows full well he can’t beat Roman. He’s tried that game several times and failed. But, just because HE can’t beat Roman, doesn’t mean that DREW can’t.

So, at Clash at the Castle, Kevin interferes with the match and costs Roman the titles.

Drew is your new undisputed champion.

Roman and the bloodline is PISSSSSSSSED. They immediately set about making Kevin’s life hell... good thing there’s a former honorary uce hanging out on RAW now that can help even the score a little bit! After several weeks of assists, Kevin begrudgingly accepts Sami’s help again, agreeing that, as they had teamed up once before, they have a common enemy that is greater than any hostility they might have shared in the past.

So, they’re a tag team again. It’s at Extreme Rulse when they get their first shot at the Usos. The Usos have no time to give Sami and Kevin a title shot, why should they. But, still-NXT Kevin reminds the Usos that he – no – THEY only fight for a prize and the Usos are NOT THE PRIZE. The Usos agree and they make an extreme rules match for the tag titles.

Sami and Kevin lose. They fight hard but they’re just not close enough to the same page to win yet.

The feud continues. They demand another shot and, Adam Pierce being the genius that he is, reminds the Usos that as the unified champions, they have to face SOMEONE for their titles at survivor series, so it might as well be Sami and Kevin. So the rematch is set.

Survivor Series – Sami and Kevin vs the Usos. In a way, it’s where it all began, with the announcers throwing in a casual note of how both Sami and Kevin were in attendance at the most famous Survivor Series of them all. You know, just as a little aside. It’s a hell of a match but, after decades of lead up, the guys FINALLY win the big one. They walk out of Survivor Series as the unified tag team champions, finally ending the reign of the bloodline

BUT

See, there’s a catch.

Being tag team champion means that Kevin is now Grand Slam Owens. And SURE, Sami is happy for him. But this isn’t feelings and love and caring Kevin anymore. This is Prizefighter Kevin. He’s PROUD of being a grand slam champion, just like he was always meant to from the day he arrived in the WWE...

You know, the day he showed up and immediately went about stealing Sami’s NXT title.

Sami, while supportive at first, starts to grow weary of Kevin’s ego. He’s always felt like a second fiddle to Kevin and Kevin is doing nothing to assuage those fears. They’re still a tag team but, in their first title defense at the December PPV, there’s a miscue. Their eternal synergy just isn’t firing on all cylinders anymore and, while they win the match, cracks start to form.

The Storyline continues. Kevin is talking about how HE’S the best in the business but Sami keeps trying to correct him about WE are the best.

It isn’t pretty.

At Royal Rumble, shit goes down. Not sure against who but, whoever they face in their title defense, they’re too broken apart to beat and they lose the belts. Immediately afterwards, there is shouting, and in the next moment, Sami starts SWINGING. They start brawling in the ring and have to be separated by the officials.

It’s on yet AGAIN. And Sami is the babyface this time. Except, it’s NOT.

See, remember long term booking? Kevin never forgot about wanting the undisputed WORLD title. He just got... distracted. So, now fully refocused and with Sami off his back he starts to shove himself into the main event picture.

Except, Sami is not about to just let Kevin walk away. Not after everything they’ve been through. He becomes a thorn in Kevin’s side and every two steps Kevin makes towards the undisputed title is met with a step back because of Sami. But still, Kevin is making ground and manages to get himself an undisputed title shot against Drew at PPV before WrestleMania. He makes it ABUNDANTLY clear that Sami is to stay out of his way or there will be hell to pay, making a remark of “I brought you to this dance, I can take you out of it too”, only for Sami to throw back at him that “I got to the dance without you, thanks, but it was nice that you eventually caught up.”

Anyway, Kevin gets a world title shot against Drew... and NATURALLY, Sami gets involved. There’s no world in which he wouldn’t. BUT, whaddya friggin know, HE INTERFERES AGAINST DREW!!!

Sami costs Drew the undisputed title and, with a sinister look on his face, hands Kevin both the titles and pats them on his shoulder.

Kevin has no idea what the hell is going on.

Until the next show... when Sami makes it very clear that all those years ago, Kevin was right. He isn’t the prize, and neither is Kevin. The prize is what he ensured Kevin is holding right now – the prize that the two of them have been working TWENTY YEARS to achieve.

And in those twenty years, every prize that Sami has earned has been stolen by Kevin time and time again.

Now, it’s Sami’s turn.

So one final time, one more trip around the block.

Sami Zayn. Vs Kevin Owens

At Wrestlemania

For the Undisputed Title.

There is no universe where Kevin refuses and he doesn’t here either.

So... at Wrestlemania, there is no bullshit Logan Paul nonsense to mar the action. No strange alignments or awkwardness to make it weird.

Babyface Sami vs Heel Kevin for the greatest prize of them all on the grandest stage of them all.

They tear the house down, naturally, everything in their careers leading to that point, until, in the end, Sami helluva kicks Kevin into oblivion, Catching him as a callback to Battleground, and then pinning him.

Sami Zayn is your new Undisputed WWE Champion.

Everyone goes nuts. Finally, after two decades of fighting forever, Sami finally stole the big one off Kevin. It’s extremely emotional, confetti flying, fireworks blasting, the whole deal.

And in the end, once he gets to his feet, Kevin stands facing Sami. There’s a tense moment before Sami holds out his hand in a handshake.

Like in their first match.

Like in their “last” match.

But this time, there is no hesitation.

Kevin grabs the hand and YANKS Sami into a joyful, tearful embrace because HOLY SHIT WE BOTH DID IT, and they raise each other’s hands high as the crowd loses it gotdag mind.

And as the announcers end the show, we finally see the culmination of two shared lifetimes of struggle and strife. Zowens, Steenerico, whatever. Our guys, standing tall, where they were always meant to be.

…

Honestly, I don’t even care what would happen after that but really, this would be what *I* would do if I ran the WWE. They can drop the belt and go to AEW after that and start everything over again, I wouldn’t care. But THIS?!?! This would be the greatest thing EVER.

@wrestlezaynia I know I mentioned a lot of this to you but here it is all laid out in full. This is how we can win forever

#Zowens #WWE

6 notes · View notes

asiandragonsports · 2 years

Text

Tennis in East Asia

By: Jithin Manikonda

From a very young age, tennis has been one sport that my parents have constantly pushed me to play and therefore has been ingrained into my lifestyle. Since elementary school, I have participated in many tennis clinics and camps and have played as part of my middle school and high school tennis team. With the passion I developed for tennis, I would enjoy watching tennis with my father, specifically players such as Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal. With that being said, even though most of the tennis I watched was in the US or Europe, tennis is undoubtedly a global sport, meaning that players of elite caliber exist in every country, including as far away as East Asia. In order to expand my general knowledge about tennis, I chose to look at how prevalent and significant tennis was in East Asian society.

The history of tennis dates to as far back as the 12th century in northern France, where the earliest form of it consisted of simply hitting a ball back and forth using a glove on the hand. This glove eventually evolved into a racquet with the addition of a handle. In the late 19th century, tennis became arranged into an official sport in England, after which its popularity skyrocketed in Europe and eventually implanted itself into countries all around the world.

In terms of Asia, ball games have always been extremely popular. During the time when tennis popularity was rapidly branching in England, the British Empire had its imperial claws and/or trade relations with different countries in East Asia such as China and Japan. Therefore, as tennis was labeled as a “civilized” game, it was undoubtedly going to find its way into East Asian society.

Today, tennis is played on a professional level in East Asia: for example, in the list of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Men's tour events or Women's Tennis Association (WTA), a few tournaments include the China Open, the Shenzhen Open, Pan-Pacific Open, Korea Open, and Shanghai Masters. Although these are not on the level of the Grand Slams, such as the US Open, French Open, Wimbledon, or the Australian Open, the tournaments in East Asia are becoming increasingly more influential in the tennis world.

Tennis in East Asia has also been displayed in popular culture, such as anime and manga. For example, two popular anime/manga that focus on tennis include Prince of Tennis (Tennis no Ouji-sama) and Baby Steps. Just like the animes/mangas of other sports, these two animes focus greatly on the ideals of hard work, dedication, confidence, friendship, competition, and personal growth.

There are many notable players from East Asia that have made an impact of professional tennis all the way up to the Grand Slam level. Li Na, from China, was the first Asian player to win a Grand Slam (French Open) and even repeated her dominance three years later when she won the Australian Open. Kei Nishikori, who was one of my favorite players growing up, is from Japan and won many tennis matches against the greats of the sport, such as Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray. There are many other players that have impacted the sport of tennis at a global level, such as Zheng Jie and Kimiko Date and there are many more young prospects who have already made their mark on society, such as Naomi Osaka, who I am sure many of us have heard of because of her win over Serena Williams to win the Australian Open, becoming the first Japanese player to win a Grand Slam title.

To put it all together, tennis is a sport that many of us initially attribute to countries such as England, the US, France, Australia, etc. However, tennis is a sport that is more globally enjoyed than most people might think. If you are reading this blog and you find that you have never really understood tennis, I guarantee that if you sit down and watch a close match of tennis between the greats, you will see the amazing skill and hype associated with the sport!

#topspin #nadal #novak #federer

2 notes · View notes

meilas · 2 years

Text

And now we reach the one that started it all. October 14, 1998

Act One The boot opens with Christine (Lisa Vroman) spinning around the stage and Raoul (Christopher Carl) wondering if it’s really her. “Long ago,” he sings, “it seemed to long ago, how young and innocent we were,” only to have the door slammed after he’s left her dressing room because the filmer is only here for one reason. “Things have changed, Raoul!” indeed.

The Phantom (Franc D’Ambrosio 🙌) starts bitching about Raoul, and Christine has a reaction that makes her look like she’s thinking “oh great, here we go,” because now she has to soothe his ruffled ego. He appears in the mirror looking rather ghostly. Raoul shows up outside the door and wonders whose voice he’s hearing. The Phantom spares a brief glance in the direction of the door before repeating himself. Franc is a very expressive Phantom, and it’s always nice to see the subtleties he throws into his performances. He is always actively engaged with what is happening on stage.

Raoul bangs harder on the door as the Phantom opens the mirror and extends his hand toward Christine and begins to lead her to his home. The door opens just in time for Raoul to run in and wonder where Christine has gone and who was that “Angel?” before the stage goes dark. That moment really seems like the Phantom deciding on the spot to bring Christine to his home. If Raoul hadn’t returned, I think this Phantom would have been (temporarily) content with just appearing in Christine’s mirror.

We see brief glimpses of the Phantom and Christine crossing a bridge. Franc continues his trancelike way of moving as he and Lisa cross the bridge. The stage below is lit by a truly obscene amount of candles, but then what are you supposed to use for light in 19th century Ancient France when you live under an opera house? I want to know what he’s doing for ventilation. Did he drill a bunch of air tunnels to the surface somewhere?

We see the Phantom and Christine have gotten into a boat, and the Phantom is gesturing sensually at their surroundings. (For those who are curious about the story behind the grand gestures, the segment is 52:14-53:11 https://youtu.be/Rrgz6mL4FX0?t=3134 )

He’s very careful about not catching his cape on the boat pole, and even does an elegant twirl before setting it down and helping Christine out of the boat.

He shows off his hands to her when asking her to sing, almost as if he is conducting her. He also shows off the beadwork on the cape and ensures that cosplayers everywhere get a good look at the fit and drape. He turns, wrapping himself in the cape and then swishes it open for a dramatic reveal.

(This is the point in the initial watch party for this boot that the entire chat went crazy and for very good reason. The shadows in this video are fantastic and only serve to highlight certain features like the Phantom’s cheekbone and eyebrow and pants.)

He’s not as big as the cape makes him look. He’s just a regular guy who happens to wear a mask. He takes his time ensuring the wig is smooth but rushes through smoothing his jacket and trousers.

He spins Christine around to face the audience, then dashes over to the organ to play a chord with her high note. He looks like he’s in awe of her. At last he gets to the point of why he’s brought her there: he wants her voice to go with his music. His motions make him look like he’s trying to suppress his enthusiasm, doing his best to not scare Christine away, but the intensity comes out in his voice and facial expressions anyway. He smiles when talking and looking at his music, and then slowly looks up at Christine. He blinks a couple times before he starts singing, like he can’t believe she’s there. (He does this again in the Final Lair from the exact same spot when he can’t believe what he’s hearing.)

He does a bit of gesturing at “abandon their defenses” like he’s trying to tell Christine it’s alright, she’s safe here. He slowly slithers out from behind the organ and Franc’s Italian heritage is on full display as he gestures around himself as he slowly approaches Christine. She seems ready for something he’s not. He’s got music on his mind, it’s not time for kisses. After turning her face back towards his, he gets close enough that Christine probably assumes it IS time for a kiss, only to be disappointed again when he backs away. What a tease.

His voice on “soar” is as clear as the sound of someone running their finger around the rim of a crystal glass.

Franc and Lisa make an X shape with their arms when the portcullis comes down.

He hugs her and she melts into his embrace. He may not know how to give a real hug, but it’s the thought that counts. And Christine certainly agrees because she just goes along with it. It’s definitely odd, but she can work with this.

What she can’t work with is the weird life-sized doll of her, which the Phantom proudly presents to her. He leans forward a bit, eagerly awaiting her approval, but she faints and he scrambles over to her side, showing us his unmasked awkwardness that he has done a good job of hiding up until now. He grabs his cape from the boat and covers her. Perhaps he should have grabbed one of the pillows too?

The Phantom seems to have an object permanence error because he has forgotten that he has a friend in his home and he’s now playing the organ. Loudly. He spends some time writing down what he’s written. He pauses for a moment to scratch his head and think about what comes next. Maybe the wig is itchy. He starts conducting and miraculously does not catch his sleeves on fire. No OSHA compliance in this lair. He goes back to writing and is so focused on what he’s doing that he doesn’t hear Christine wondering where the heck she is or her sneaking up on him. He sure notices when she snatches his mask, though. He lets out a “gah!” and proceeds to chase her around the room.

He’s throwing a fit, crying and contorting his face at “curse you” as he slumps to the floor. He’s calmed down a little but he’s still almost sobbing as he asks Christine if it’s stranger than she dreamt it. He starts to drag himself toward her at “heaven” implying that she is his salvation. He quickly stops where he is. He croaks a little on “secretly, secretly” like he’s ashamed of what he wants, but he’s done that every time so it’s definitely a choice. And that choice was violence. Bless his heart. He continues to drag himself towards Christine again and straightens up at “loathsome carcass” as if trying to prove that he is not actually one, he might be gross but he’s actually alive! He crawls the last few feet toward her, but still keeps his distance. When it appears to him that she doesn’t accept him, he slumps down again in defeat and turns away from her. Now that he’s not yelling, Christine can slow down and think about things. He seems pretty upset that she saw his face, so maybe if she gives him back his mask everything will be better? He looks at her in wonder as she holds the mask out to him, and then neatly takes it (not as fast as Christine was when she snatched it) and puts it back on. With his face properly covered, he can face her once again. He puts one leg up and leans very close, then shouts “come, we must return!” which startles her. I think they could have worked things out if he hadn’t done that. (Lisa actually jumps when he shouts, which she did in the boot from the night after this one.)

The boot jumps to the Phantom interrupting Il Muto. One of the ballerinas says “he’s here! The Phantom of the Opera!” followed by Christine saying “it’s him, I know it’s him!” like girl, of course it’s him, he never claimed to be the Poltergeist of the Playhouse, who else would it be? Carlotta is not happy about Christine talking during the performance and calls her a toad. The Phantom hears this (and so presumably does the audience) and he calls her out. He’s almost laughing as he says “perhaps, it is you who are the toad???”

Carlotta gamely continues with the show but gets annoyed when she realizes they already went through the part where the Countess removes Serafimo’s skirt. Her annoyance with Christine comes through at “you cannot speak.” And then she croaks. The Phantom finds this enormously funny, as he’s giggling up in the flies. Carlotta nervously begins singing again, and Christine can only look on in worry. She croaks some more, and the Phantom gestures to the chandelier as he declares she is singing to bring it down. One of the managers interrupts the show to tell the audience that Christine will be singing the part of the Countess. He looks up toward the flies as he says this, perhaps making sure that the Phantom hears the announcement.

The boot cuts to after All I Ask Of You, and the Phantom climbs up from where he’s been hiding behind the angel statue. He’s almost sobbing as he sings “and now, how you’ve repaid me…” and then he proceeds to cry Christine’s name. All that is over when he hears Christine and Raoul declaring their love for each other and he proclaims that they will “curse the day [they] did not do” what he asked them to. (Interesting to note here, we get to see the statue reach the top and then Franc turns to climb off it. In other boots I’ve seen, the actor will pull a curtain around himself so that no one can see him disembark the statue.) He shouts a drawn out “go!” and then cackles as the chandelier falls.

Act Two

The filmer gives us a brief close-up of the candelabra statue in Maskenball, and then zooms in on Raoul dancing. He looks like he’s having a good time.

The Phantom interrupts the party dressed like a Shakespeare villain and wonders why everyone is shocked into silence. Maybe it’s because his is the most tacky costume in this whole room. He rolls his R and emphasizes the T during the word “trrrrrriumphanT” and he shouts at “REMEMBER there are worse things” and points at the chandelier during his proclamation. He steals Christine’s engagement ring and then drops through a trapdoor. A second Shakespeare villain runs down the stairs, scaring everyone.

We hear a brief “Madame Girrrrrr‒” before the video jumps to Notes 2 where everyone is shouting at each other. Christine interrupts by saying “stop, I’ll go mad!” but she seems like she’s already there. Raoul naturally looks confused when Christine says “he’ll always be there singing songs in my head” and he reminds her that she said the Phantom was just a man, but while he’s alive, he will always haunt them. Christine isn’t so sure about betraying the Phantom because he wasn’t always awful, and she laments what he’s become and how she won’t be free unless she does this. And even though he’s done awful things, she still has mixed feelings about bringing about his doom. Raoul reiterates that it’s all up to her. Christine can’t take everyone telling her that she’s their only hope and she runs away. Raoul declares war on the Phantom.

The video cuts to Wishing. Christine misses her father, and she feels that the graveyard is not a place for someone who used to be so full of life. The Phantom comes out from behind the cross and begins to sing to her. He looks happy when Christine answers him. I don’t have a lot to say about this segment, so please enjoy some gifs of how amazing he is.

When he is singing “come to me, Angel of Music” Raoul interrupts them again and the Phantom briefly looks over at Raoul before focusing all his attention back on Christine. He was able to avoid the boy the last time he did this, so there’s no reason that it won’t work again.

Except it doesn’t work this time. He lets out an annoyed sound and starts firing the pew-pew stick. Raoul takes off with Christine, and the Phantom declares ware on both of them.

The video cuts to the beginning of Point of No Return, or PONR as we call it. (My traffic safety teacher once wrote that on the chalkboard before class and we being high schoolers were way too amused at the letters to realize what order they were in.)

Aminta wipes off the apple on her skirt and then rubs it over her neck and cheek while Don Juan circles around the table and trades her a goblet of wine for the apple she has. Man is hungry. Performing on a stage for the first time is hard work. He also strokes Aminta’s neck and arm with a feather-light touch, and thus begins the foreplay. He takes Aminta’s hand and leads her toward the back of the stage, but perhaps this isn’t where they’re supposed to go because Christine jerks out of his grip and goes to sit down on the table bench.

He follows her and strokes her waist. She strokes her hands down her own body while his hand rests over hers, and then he sits beside her. He runs his fingers up her other arm and over her neck, teasing her.

After that interesting blocking, Aminta goes to kiss Don Juan but he startles and pulls away. She looks confused by this, most likely because this was not in the blocking for the play. The show must go on, and she carries on. Hopefully she doesn’t start croaking like Carlotta did seventeen minutes and fourteen seconds ago. Most everything is going according to the Phantom’s plan. He’s a little nervous and rearranges his robe, making sure it covers all of him. Aminta approaches him again and he briefly turns away. “One final question,” she sings, and places her hands on his back and he moans. He reaches over his shoulders for her hands and she takes them, running them over his body before feeling the mask under the hood. He starts to drag her offstage but she throws his hands off. When he approaches her again and reaches for her waist she throws the hood off. He’s so upset about this that he almost leaves the stage without her. It seems his plan all along was to get her close enough to offstage in order to escape before anyone could figure out what was happening. He stops at the last moment and now that that plan has failed, he resorts to begging Christine to save him from his loneliness and parrots Raoul’s vow of love at her. He hands her his ring and she puts it on before snatching his mask and wig.

They’re back in the boat, and the Phantom is explaining they’re going back to his dark home, and how he’s always been shunned because of his face. It’s nice to see that he doesn’t shove Christine, rather he grabs her and drags her closer to his face and then lets go of her when he hears the mob. He doesn’t want to be bothered on his wedding night, so he sets off for his home with renewed hurry.

Having forced Christine to change into the wedding dress previously worn by the life-sized doll replica, the Phantom starts to approach Christine with the matching veil. He’s grinning until she asks if he’s had enough bloodshed and if he intends to take her. He’s confused listening to her, but explains it’s not his fault for these things: it’s all because of his face. But she put on his ring! They’re engaged now! It’s just… his face getting in the way of them living happily. He holds out the veil and begs her with his eyes and the saddest expression ever to accept it. If his face was an emoji, it would be 🥺

Apparently she won’t accept it because he continues explaining how not even his own mother loved him because his face was so awful.

A frown creeps in at this point. He’s starting to get angry. He doesn’t want Christine’s pity. He wants her to accept him wholly. It seems he gets his wish when Christine says his face no longer frightens her, and he looks at her in wonder and he grabs a bouquet of flowers to put in her hands. Except that’s not all she has to say. It’s his soul that is what is twisted and scares her. He startles a bit at the mention of his soul. He’s being faced with something he hadn’t considered before. But there’s no time to think about that, because they have a guest! Hopefully he brought wedding gifts.

No gifts, but it is Christine’s other fiancée.

(I think a rumpled-looking half-stripped Raoul is gift enough, don’t you?)

The Phantom is amused by Raoul’s request to free Christine. “Do what you like, only free her!” except those two things are contradictory.

He is less amused by being told to show some compassion. After all, no one showed him any compassion, so why should he do anyone else the courtesy of showing compassion? He’s getting tired of this uninvited guest, so when Raoul demands to be allowed to see Christine, the Phantom gladly lets him inside. If the boy wants to walk into danger, the Phantom will let him.

And it’s very dangerous to leave nooses hanging around.

The Phantom drags Christine away from Raoul to give her a new demand: marry him or the vicomte gets it. “This is the choice!” he growls as he stands over her. Fantastic reactions from Lisa here. She’s trying to push him off of herself but he’s bigger and stronger than she is and he is not listening. He runs over to his organ to play a chord and then slumps over it. (He’s toned down the marching that he did in 1993.) He slowly looks up as Christine starts speaking again about how she could have pitied him but she now hates him. “Hate?” he mouths in disbelief. This can’t be happening! How can she hate him? He’s given her everything!

He’s still processing her words as Raoul tearfully says that he tried to save her but he failed as Christine bids goodbye to any goodness she thought the Phantom had remaining. He’s ruined everything. He’s in shock, and he brings a hand up to his mouth in distress. His expression changes a moment later.

It’s too late for pity and platitudes! Christine must choose, and either way, she loses. There’s no use fighting this. She can lose either Raoul or her freedom. The Phantom leaves the organ and approaches Raoul but is held up by Christine jumping between them. She reaches for his hand, trying to calm him down, but Raoul has to add his two cents’ worth. “Why make her lie to you?” he asks, which is not what the Phantom wants to hear at this moment. Christine clearly knows this and again reaches for the Phantom, trying to placate him. It doesn’t work. He brushes her off and goes to stand by his throne. He sings a line from Don Juan Triumphant to drive home the point that Christine needs to choose and she cannot go back to before all of this. She’s past the point of no return. There is only one way to save Raoul. The Phantom looks so close to crying as he sits down on his throne again. His works his mouth, trying to keep his tears back. But that’s not an issue anymore when Christine says she gave her mind blindly. He is through with this. “You… try my… patience!” he growls at her. “Make your choice!” and his last word is almost a sob. No more delays. It’s time to choose.

And Christine chooses kindness.

He tries to push her off. What is she doing? Why is she touching him? Is she attacking him? What is this? By the end of the kiss, he stops fighting. She embraces him and he moves to return it but cannot bring himself to do so because he feels he doesn’t deserve this. He is absolutely stunned when she kisses him a second time. He may not melt into it, but he lets it happen. He staggers back when she releases him, and he can only gape at her in shock. He brings his hand to his mouth, not in distress this time but in disbelief.

He stretches his hand towards her face and then brings it back to his own again. He lets out an audible shuddering breath when it hits him. She kissed him. And he staggers back and walks past her. He still can’t believe it. She kissed him! And it was wonderful!

There’s just one problem. He can’t keep her here against her will after she’s shown him kindness. But was it really kindness? She’s just trying to save Raoul. That kindness he received was against her will. For a moment, he looks like he considers burning Raoul, but he nods at Christine in assurance. He’s going to set them both free. He burns the rope that is holding Raoul and then pleads with them to forget him, forget all of this, to leave him. He begs them to go, but they aren’t leaving and he can’t help but whimper at the thought that Christine might be caught by the mob and hurt. They need to leave! He resorts to chasing them out. Once they’re gone, he collapses on the floor right next to the veil that Christine tossed aside. He’s gasping for breath as the monkey music box begins to play, and he lets out a soft whine. He crawls over to it to listen to the melody of Masquerade. “Hide your face so the world will never find you,” he chokes out as he covers half of the monkey’s face. He looks so sad here. And then he realizes that Christine has returned! He’s overjoyed until he realizes that she has only come back to return his ring.

What can he do but take it back since she’s offering. She probably doesn’t want to remember him, but she’s not so cruel as to throw it away. And she shows him one final kindness by holding his hand. “Christine, I love you,” he tells her. She lets out a sob as she leaves. And he has to tell her again. He loves her. He slips his ring back on his finger and then stoops to grab the veil from the floor and cradle it to his chest. “I love you,” he says again. It’s all he has left of her.

And then he hears her singing and he examines the veil again before hugging it close. “You alone can make my song take flight,” he says as she disappears into the distance. He’s tired. He walks stiffly back to his throne, dropping the veil on the way. Then he sits down and covers himself, but takes one final look around. It’s over now, the music of the night.

#phantom of the opera #poto #franc d'ambrosio #socks reviews

4 notes · View notes