#train and grieve with you divas

[inact-ice]

henren are still together but most of their plots are about their kids or issues in their marriage. They did have the set up for an interesting plot involving a corrupt public official in season 8 but the show resolved it in a single episode. There problem is there's one other gay man on the show, Josh, but he doesn't get relationships or even much focus outside of his work so Tommy being written out is pretty much the death of rep for gay men who started the show because of bucktommy and because they saw themselves in Tommy.

Idk this is kind of weird to me, I’m a black nonbinary bisexual person, and there’s not a single black nonbinary bi person in the show (as far as I know idk again I’m only on the beginning of season 2). And I’m really happy with the queer representation on 9-1-1 for the most part? Even w/ the henren cheating arc (ugh) and even though I can’t 100% relate to any of the queer experiences on the show, a show having a main couple that’s unapologetically black and Lesbian, is still representation for the community and the loss of 1 gay white man doesn’t mean that we’re losing representation in my opinion.

Though again, I haven’t met Tommy yet so idk, maybe he’s way better written than Hen or Karen. Also, I feel like all of the couples on the show have had marriage or kid issues? Maybe that’s all HenRen becomes, but if that’s the case, why are people less angry about that than Tommy leaving? If 9-1-1 is fumbling this badly with like the only black lesbian couple as main characters representation on network tv, that’s kind of a big deal.

Idk I was just kinda side eyeing some of the comments I saw like this, it feels like people are saying that Tommy is more important and better representation than HenRen and it’s making all my fandom racism alarms go off, like again, maybe they totally fumble HenRen and Tommy is like a beautifully written gay character the likes of which we’ve never seen before, but the things people have been saying have been WEIRD!

Also I just met Josh! Does he really never get a boyfriend??? UGH! And I know Athena’s mean gay husband doesn’t show up in later seasons bc the actors anti mask allegedly too, so I do kinda understand the frustration! It’s just like, still weird. But when I get to season 8 in 2045 I’ll do like a whole fun analysis thing with bucktommy in mind.

[boricuacherry-blog]

Lisa says she was her own worst enemy. By the time she was 20 she was married and the mother of her first child (she now has three adult children, whom she adores). "I wasn't ready to be a parent, and I didn't even allow myself a chance to be a young adult because I went from being under the thumb of the military to having the responsibility of children. I spent 10 years sleepwalking through the military." She finally quit to become a professional singer. She re-established regular contact with Nina, who had moved to France then Holland, and was heavily medicated for her bipolar disorder and making a living by playing small jazz bars. Nina had attempted suicide, shot (and missed) a record producer she claimed owed her royalties and shot a teenager in the leg with a pellet gun because he had disturbed her music practice. But Lisa, now in he 30s, was no longer scared of her. She was tired of being Nina's punchbag, and was determined to change the dynamics of their relationship.

"All these years I'd been trying to live in her world on her terms and I made a decision that it was now time for her to live in mine. Because in my world everyone feels appreciated. So I put her into what I considered a training programme on how to love me."

This involved teaching Nina that it wasn't all right to be abusive or to bring Lisa down. "If I called her and she was being the way she'd always been, I would simply not continue the conversation. I'd say, call me back when you feel better. And tell her to be nice to family members, otherwise people are not going to want you to be in the family. All these years I'd been absorbing things like a sponge and I'd never told her: 'When you step on my foot, it hurts. Please don't do that.'"

The training programme lasted 10 years, until Nina died, and transformed their relationship. Nina watched Lisa on Broadway and roared her approval. They played music together again - Lisa singing, Nina on the piano. "She was like, 'OK what d'you want to hear?' And I said all the songs I wanted her to play. She was so touched that I knew them. She said: 'All these years when we were at odds I thought that you didn't play my music.' And I looked at her and said: 'Mommy, that is the part of you I always had with me. And I played them over and over and over again. Of course I know those songs.'"

Nina invited her to open for her at the Royal Albert Hall in 1998. But she remained a diva, refusing to watch Lisa's performance and banning her daughter from watching her, which Lisa ignored. But it still made for a great memory.

"When she died we were on very good terms, but there was still so much unresolved stuff in my heart. I was angry with her for a long time for dying before my vision and fantasy of what our relationship could be was real." Lisa marked her death by adopting the singular stage name Simone. Why did she lose the Lisa? "When Nina died, Lisa died too."

Five years after Nina's death, Lisa made her first solo album. She had hoped to record her own songs, but the executives insisted she make a big-band tribute album to her mother. "I was not thrilled," she says. But eventually she agreed. "I was still grieving my mother, so I was afraid when I got into the singing booth. But I just loved it. It was so cathartic. And I've been enjoying singing her ever since." The album Simone on Simone starts with Nina introducing her and ends with her saying: "That's my baby."

Eventually, she says, she felt healed and reclaimed the name Lisa. Professionally, she is now Lisa Simone, but she is keen to stress the differences with her mother. Take politics, for example. "I don't mix my artistry with politics. I keep them separate. My music is for humanity."

Does she think Nina respected her in the end? She smiles. Yes, she says.

[risingsouls]

🦎+ Nabs and Geets!

A 🦎 For My Sleepy Work Thoughts || Always Accepting!

[You're a gem for always indulging my dumb ass thank you.

Not that it's any surprised but I was just thinking about them and just how much I love their dynamic and how they both offer each other what they both need in their situations. If you read the latest chapter this will likely be redundant BUT.

For Nabooru, even though she didn't realize it in the moment after Namek but she came to see down the road, she needed space. She needed the space to grieve the loss of her home and people. She needed unjudged space to come to terms with the atrocities she committed on Frieza's command that stomped all over her moral compass and made her question who she was. She needed room to both reinvent herself for a new life while reconnecting with her roots and her heritage as much as she could to develop new goals for herself. While Vegeta didn't leave her alone for that reason, he was honest with her about his reason and his honesty made her see her weakness for herself in more than a physical sense. While it took some time, it was one reason she pushed herself to move past her loss and forward. For herself and the memory of her people. Extrapolating that outward into their relationship, Vegeta's hands off personality is really what meshes with her best. She is very independent and Vegeta respects that in her and will give her the space she needs to do whatever she needs to do without getting butt hurt (it's something he is keen on as well, so it works out for them). And she very much values his honesty as well in pretty much every facet, even if it can be blunt and mean-spirited (though later on, the latter is typically not a norm between the two of them).

Vegeta is similar in that he not only needs his space but he will demand it, and therefore needs a partner that, like with Nabooru, won't throw a fit when he disappears for a few days, wants to train, or just refuses to interact with them because he doesn't feel like it. Vegeta isn't human and has entirely different sets of values and understanding of everything, so a potential partner absolutely has to be patient with that as well as his attitude. Since Nabooru understands a need for space to do whatever she needs to do, this isn't a difficult adjustment for her, and she's already used to and mostly unbothered by his tude thanks to working with him of the force. But, more importantly, Vegeta needs someone that not only can understand when he's upset/really hurting/etc. on a deeper and more nuanced level than, "that's Vegeta for you," and the main reason for this is because he will absolutely not just openly talk about what's bothering him. He will not process it or deal with it on his own in any meaningful way. Thus, he needs someone willing to put in the work to get him to open up and begin processing whatever is bothering him rather than writing it off as a diva fit (which some are but again: they need to be able to recognize the difference between them). Nabooru has always been fairly perceptive and pretty good at noting changes in people, especially those she's around often. She is able to pick up on Vegeta's moods fairly well, and, even if it takes a while, she understands the importance of having someone to talk to and processing trauma because SHE had to do it. But by the same token, finicky and easily annoyed as he is, one has to find the fine line of approaching him and showing him he has someone to open up to (and that's not discussing warning his trust and respect enough for him to even consider it) and bugging him and causing him to push back and refuse completely. And, because she has some experience in dealing with Ganondorf, or was similar in some ways just not to Vegeta's degree, Nabooru is fairly decent at it and willing to put in the work because she not only just cares about Vegeta, but she legitimately just wants to see what he's capable and who he will become once he fights off his demons.

I also just love the slow burn between them and the mutual respect and trust they gain in each other over time that isn't a sort of "It's either trust you or fail completely" "i have no choice" kind of vibe there is while they're in the force (which, even then there are aspects of it being a more genuine trust, too). And at first it may be for their prowess as warriors and their skill on combat, but it eventually evolves to all sorts of other branches once they take the time to get to know each others pasts and present that just gets me. And they of course have their ups and downs; it's inevitable with two incredibly stubborn and proud people. But they both gradually come to realize they don't like the other not being in their life. They've both become each other's comfort and home since both lost theirs. They basically just learn how to deal with each other and come to love that challenge that enriches their perspective of the other and I love it. It doesn't look traditional by any means and the relationship just kind of happens but I really love that about their relationship. It's basically that sort of "I've known you all this time and we spend so much time together and the love just feels natural" kind of thing. There isn't any real moment of clarity or outright declaration. They both just kind of come to know it, feel it, and show it in their own way and the other has no doubt about where they stand and it's beautiful.]

[musicals-x-fandoms-blog]

phantom AU

ok ok so ive been seeing a rise in a phantom of the opera AU but as a phantom fan ive got some issues…

for those of you who are also phantom fans (esp the erik x christine shippers) feel free to disagree with me on this, but:

I think Adrien/Chat Noir should be Raoul. Hawkmoth should be the Phantom

(more beyond the break :3)

Why, do you ask? Well, let’s get into the characters here:

Phantom: deformed french dude who has serious problems regarding love and obsession. He hides in a lair, covers himself with a mask and wreaks havoc on the people of the Opera Populaire (sound familiar?). He takes advantage of Christine’s grief and trains her, pretending to be her dead father. 

Christine: young ingenue (idk how to spell it) who is still grieving the loss of her father. She is vocally trained by the Phantom as he sees potential in her. She is also Raoul’s childhood friend.

Raoul: sweet, often blonde, french cinnamon roll who has done nothing wrong. He is in love with Christine and ends up with her over the course of the musical. 

Meg: Christine’s best friend who thrusts her into the limelight when opportunity strikes. A ballet dancer at the Opera and Madame Giry’s daughter. 

Madame Giry: The head choreographer at the Opera. It is implied that she has some sort of past/connection to the Phantom (this is explained more in the movie)

Carlotta: head soprano. huge ego. famous. diva.

The Managers (Andre and Firmin): these people are in it for the money and most of the time, have no clue what is going on. they are the new managers of the Opera. 

Without further ado, here are my crossover casting suggestions:

Phantom: Hawkmoth

Why? Its pretty simple: they both terrorize people and wreak havoc. they both wear masks to cover up something (Phantom: his deformity, Hawkmoth: his identity). they both plan their evil deeds in a dark lair. Both have big daddy issues. Sure, Hawkmoth may not have feelings for Marinette or pretend to be her father, however the similarities between these two characters cancel out the differences. (maybe nooroo could be the daroga? heheheh idk)

Christine: Marinette

I don’t have any problems with this. 

Raoul: Adrien

Also very simple: both are rich, perfect cinnamon rolls. Though Raoul and the Phantom aren’t related, like earlier, the similarities between Adrien and Raoul cancel out the differences. I understand why the MariChat shippers would go the phantom route, but Adrien is a sweet boy. They both adore Christine/Marinette in a way that isn’t sketchy or toxic (“say you’ll share with me one love, one lifetime”). So Raoul would make a better choice. 

Meg: Alya

Both are willing to do anything for their friends. They are both there for them in times of need. 

Madame Giry: Nathalie

Although she doesn’t have any sort of connection to Alya, she does have a past with Gabriel being Hawkmoth. In addition, Alya’s own mother isn’t shown to have a big role nor could it be Sabine, because Sabine is Marinette’s mother. (i know this one’s a bit weak, so if you guys have any better ideas for Madame Giry, please say it!)

Carlotta: Chloe

huge ego. famous.

The Managers (Andre and Firmin): Nino and Max

I was thinking of putting Max and Kim for this one because they’re a Dynamic Duo™ but I wanted to put Nino in here somewhere because he does have a very big role in the show. However, Meg isn’t shown to have a love interest and Kim is seen to be interested in Chloe, which would kind of make him Piangi. So, Max and Nino it is.

whew! first long post yeet. if you guys have any better ideas, disagree with mine or if i’ve forgotten anything, then do feel free to say something!

TLDR: phantom = hawkmoth, raoul = adrien