#Michael Stirling imagine

[corporalicent]

when he was wicked | chapter eight

And he didn’t think he was ever going to get over it.

[nightingale2004]

OK, bridgerton people, I finished up the last season, and I have a LOT to say

First off, I think it's COMPLETELY UNREALISTIC that Daphne and Simon, along with their beautiful children, are not with the other Bridgertons soaking up all this drama and scandals that's been going on in ther family. SERIOUSLY WHAT HAPPENED?! was there a problem with the actors? Or something? Like what happened that made the actors and the children NOT MAKE AN APPEARANCE IN THE SEASON OF BRIDGERTON?!

Secondly, I also find it unrealistic that Anthony and Kate literally missed out ON PENELOPE'S LADY WHISTLEDOWN REVEAL?! LIKE, SERIOUSLY?! I get that Anthony wants to be with Kate and get to know her culture, but Anthony and his amazing Goddess wife Kate have missed out on the biggest reveal and scandal to hit their family! I so badly wanted to know what their reaction was going to be and their thoughts that Anthony's little brother is F*cking married to a gossip writer. Including Benedict.

I need to know! I can literally already imagine both Kate and Anthony reading the letter that Penelope is Whistedown and their reactions (to me) are hilarious 😂

Thirdly, I kind of wanted the secret identity of Lady Whistledown to be a secret a little while longer. Like maybe after Benedicts season. That's just my personal opinion. But I did want the queen to still find out and have Penelope and Charlotte have a private alliance. Penelope still gets to write under the approval of the queen as long as the queen looks at it first and maybe becomes the queens eyes and ears.

Lastly, I would like to acknowledge the haters here who don't like the change of gender of Michael Stirling, aka Michaela Stirling, and are fearing for their lives that Sophie Beckett will become Stephen Beckett.

Firstly, we are not the creators of this fantastic world. OK? The author is, Netflix is making this show into a reality, and those of us that actually like the show are actually OK and loving with how things are going especially the reveal that not just one but THREE bridgerton siblings ARE a part of LGBTQ+ community. Can we all just take a moment and not go backward to the "Annabeth shouldn't be black" incident. I know these two incidents don't relate because one has to do with race and the other has to do with gender but can the haters just stop. I believe the authors and creators of this AMAZING show know what they are doing, and the bridgertons along with Queen Charlotte are one of the few shows I like that haven't been canceled yet. So consider this a freaking win people.

If the creators want to change a few things, then let them change a few things, we are fans, and we have something called fanfics to which we read and write if there's something we don't like or can't live with when it comes to a fandom series. As long as the creators of the show keep giving us our daily dose of drama and do the bridgerton books justice than I for one am going to keep on watching and being invested in this fandom.

And haters one final message to you, if you don't like the shows, THEN STOP WATCHING THE SHOWS!!!!!!!

I have said my peace. And there is plenty more to come

[jeanvanjer]

My hc is John was out looking for a gift for Fran because he doesn’t do well with words but he’s a man of action and the perfect gift will help him sway her over and then he meet suddenly meets Francesca and she goes on and on about the music being wrong and he’s like “actually yes that is helpful” BC HE FOUND THE PERFECT GIFT FOR HIS PERFECT GIRL AND CUSTOMIZED THE MUSIC TO EXACTLY HOW SHE SAID IT.

[infiniteetcetera]

I love the Hannah Dodd as Elain Archeron fan cast for many reasons but one of them has to be that Francesca/Michael’s story is SO Elriel coded🤧

[possiblyawesometmblr]

watching people get mad over michaela stirling is so funny. like you really want to be arguing for the sanctity of the bridgerton books while also being homophobic? cringefail if i've ever seen one

[sea-owl]

Spouses Omegaverse pack

Simon - Alpha and Pack Alpha

Kate - Alpha and second in command

Sophie - Beta

Penelope - Omega that people think is a Beta

Phillip - Alpha that people think is a Beta

Michael - Alpha with strong pheromones

Gareth - Beta

Lucy - Omega

Don't ask Simon how he became a pack alpha, he was perfectly fine just being a lone wolf and letting his bloodline die. He has no idea how he somehow gained seven (possibly more) others and somehow gained pack instincts. He did not ask for this! Now he knows why Anthony complained so much about his seven(+) hellions whose life missions are to stress him out.

Thank god for his bestie Kate who helps them keep their pack in line, at least when she's not busy growling at some lord who caused offense against their pack. He wished she stopped doing that. Even minor things she'll growl.

He and Kate both being alphas has also really helped when they're trying to wrangle their different pack memebers.

Then there's sweet reliable Sophie. The softer side to Kate's hard edge. On her own she might one of Simon's favorites. Her strong set of moral rules definitely keeps her in the top three. Her bestie on the other hand . . .

Michael deserves half a book from the stress he creates for Simon with his merry rake ways. Simon isn't even sure how they got Michael. He just randomly showed up one day after retiring from the military and never left. Despite that he is loyal to the pack and is always there for them if needed and vis versa.

Sophie being a beta isn't all that affected much with Michael's strong pheromones. Michael is grateful for that and he doesn't have to worry all that much about overwhelming Sophie should he accidentally slip on his control or forget to wear a perfume that helps dull his pheromones.

The other half of that stress book goes to Penelope. Usually a shy wallflower who loves writing, pray you never fall to her sharp tongue and observant eyes, nor ever see her bored. That's when she goes commit crimes and do shady business deals on the black market. He's seen her make a man cry with only a few words.

Penelope's best friend in the pack is Phillip. The pack jokes it's because Penelope is a wallflower and Phillip is a botanist that they get along so well. Simon does wonder if there is some truth to it though because Phillip rather be among the plants than around people. Michael calls Phillip a silent alpha. Well until you get him talking about plants.

Simon has watched Phillip fact check Penelope's stories when it comes to plants. Both claiming that that one poison scene must be accurate to what the berries do to the body. Also, Simon can make sure Penelope is okay when she goes commit crimes if Phillip is there with her. Them both being constantly mistaken for as betas instead of an alpha and omega respectively does help in this fact as well.

Then there is the babies of the pack, Gareth and Lucy. Actually now that Simon thinks about it this whole pack thing may have started when his godmother, Lady Danbury, threw her grandson Gareth at him and told him that he's Simon's responsibility now. Simon saw too much of himself in Gareth, a boy with a hunger and something to prove, he couldn't say no.

Then there's little Lucy, sweet Lucy who is always trying to make everyone happy. Simon and Kate are working on making her a little more selfish in that she'll thing for her happiness for a change.

[antvnger]

And all of those are top notch music videos too!

And perfect for today!

Thriller 🎃 Moon Dance 🎃 Bones

[newtonsheffield]

Hi Molly! I woke up with a new head canon scene for your movie stars AU and I need to know your thoughts about this!

So Nicola and Luke did this interview and he cleans her mouth and chuckles and says "they are going to love this"

Soooooooooo IMAGINE Michael Stirling and Kate and Anthony in a club Michael sitting with his arm around Kate, Anthony sitting accross with his I am so jealous no words could speak louder than my face face 😆 and Michael says

Why are we doing this again?

And Kate feeling VEXED 😆 yet smiling at Michael as if she was flirting - says because Anthony here thought it would be a brilliant idea to wipe clotted cream off of my face On Camera.....and now we need to throw the entire press corp AND 700 MILLION PEOPLE off the scent. Put your hand on my knee......

🥰😍🥰😍🥰😍😍🥰😍

I love all your stories and for some reason this one lives rent free in my head!

Any snippet of anything for them would make my heart sing, pretty please 😍

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C69HuOmuCjV/?igsh=MTdpOWUxZXF0YnIwbA==

Imagine Anthony absolutely fuming every time there’s a rumour about Kate dating someone else. Just absolute furious as he scrolls past the photo linking her to a football player.

“You don’t even like football!”

Kate rolled her eyes, “I’m naked in our shared bed. Why do you care?”

“It’s just disrespectful to you as a woman.” Anthony snapped. “actually Kate, my actions are that of a concerned feminist. Nothing more.”

“Oh nothing more huh?”

“Nothing more.” Anthony huffed, “I’ve a mind to comment on the post. That man’s not even your type.”

“You aren’t even my type.”

“What?!” Anthony squawked, “What?!”

“Nothing, babe. Come back to bed.”

[darklinaforever]

"If you love the character for their personality their assigned sex or gender doesn't matter."

Except that a character's personality and story can be tied to their gender. Let's take an example of GOT. With some modifications, you could have a story where Bran was a girl, because his path doesn't tie in with his gender much (except at the very beginning). However, you can't have Dany or Sansa or Cersei being men since their arcs and personalities are very much dependent on them being women. This goes the other way round too, it wouldn't make sense for Robb Stark to be a woman (since his role is the Heir of Winterfell).

People like to behave as if gender/sex of a character doesn't matter, and that's true only in certain conditions- mostly modern stories (for instance if Bridgerton was a modern story), or stories set in some world where men and women have a similar upbringing and freedoms (something like the Grisha side of the Grishaverse, for instance- Alina is raised the same as Mal, and Zoya is raised similarly to the men). This idea falls apart in historical scenarios where men and women have different roles in the society and their roles affect their personality. Bridgerton is no exception, since we have already seen how different the expectations were from Anthony and Daphne in S1.

Plus, as I said before, part of me is happy to have a central romance coming between two women.

Like I already said, representation is always nice when you're part of the LGBTQ+ community.

But I'm still mainly disappointed not to have Michael Stirling and Franchael as I had more or less imagined.

If there is one book from which I expected the adaptation with the most fidelity / nod to the original book, it was for When he was Wicked.

And I don't think Bridgerton is the show made for central lgbtq+ romances since there are the central couples of each book to adapt who are all, well, a man and a woman.

They can create excellent subplots for queer couples (like with Reynold & Brimsley in Queen Chaotte who were great for me, but for Bridgerton. Or they can even invent spin-offs if they absolutely want central LGBTQ+ romances for this universe.

Frankly, since the Bridgerton books aren't crazy, I agree with Netflix's free adaptation.

But the adaptation still has problems in itself with too much boring subplot sometimes instead of spending more time on the central couple and... well just the Bridgerton family dynamic ?

But there were still things that were good in the books. (for example, if we could have kept the intelligent Edwina of the books instead of going too far into the delirium of the engagement and marriage with Anthony in season 2...)

And if there is one Bridgerton book that is really objectively good it was When he was Wicked. So I still find it a shame.

And then, yes, even if the books are not crazy they have a community of fans and these books are the reason why the Netflix show exists.

So the least we could do would perhaps be not to touch the central couples ?

The heart of Bridgerton is the Bridgerton family and their romances.

So for me the show should not touch on the genders of the original couples and also have more moments within the Bridgerton family.

[corporalicent]

when he was wicked | chapter one

michael stirling, sinner.

[yelena-bellova]

Let me first say that I hold absolutely zero hate for any community, any minority, any gender. While I know it would be convenient for whoever disagrees with this post if I were a hateful, racist, homophobic asshole, that’s not the case. I also bear no ill will towards Masali Baduza. These are my opinions that no one else has to agree with.

I don’t like the Michaela/Michael change.

1: It’s a direct f-you to the book fans.

I have read only one Bridgerton book and didn’t get into the show till 2022 but I have known for a long time that Francesca and Michael are one of the most popular couples. I’ve known WHWW is tied with AOFAG for the most popular book. I know that Michael Stirling is a sacred name in this fandom. People have been waiting years to laugh at him, to be charmed by him, to swoon over him for years.

And now…he’s never going to exist.

Imagine if a queer character were made heterosexual. The community would be screaming. It’s not the gender politics influencing people’s emotions on the subject, it’s losing a character as they were written. We trust those who adapt literature to stay on the basic path of the story with the usual minor changes. Michaela having the same general vibes as Michael is not the same thing. This creative choice is relegating WHWW essentially to just general inspiration.

2: Jess Brownell comments while discussing the change were bad.

“I know for people who love the book When He Was Wicked that Michael Stirling is one of their favorite characters. I understand that people are going to have feelings about the fact that this character won’t appear exactly as they expected.”

“I would also just say that the book still stands. Michael Stirling still exists in book world.”

So…that’s it? Go read the book? That’s supposed to be enough? I’ll say it again, FANS HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR MICHAEL FOR YEARS. They deserve more than “lol sad for you. Go read the book!” As the show runner for a popular adaption, it’s a poor answer.

Jess also included comments about how she related as a queer woman to Francesca feeling different from her family in WHWW. Ok, great! By all means, write a personal queer storyline for your show. Please do not take a beloved character and erase them because you felt a certain way reading the book.

The fans are the only reason why the show is so popular. While no creative team should let the fans dictate every move they make, it’s very clear they ignored them entirely when it came to the love for Francesca’s story. Going this much against what the fans have 100% reasonably expected is a move that kills successful shows.

3: It’s poor representation.

Genderbending a role is the absolute laziest way to bring representation to a project. Rather than craft a new character, studios take pre-written material and give it to a woman, a POC, someone disabled or someone from the LGBTQ community to appease those asking for representation. In this case, the amount of changes they will have to make for Francesca’s storyline will create more work than it would have taken to just create a new character with their own story. The entire basis of Francesca’s season requires a male lead.

If you want representation, if you want the audience see themselves in the characters, WORK FOR IT. Don’t put forth the least effort possible and upcycle a pre-existing story. As a member of multiple of the aforementioned communities, I don’t want the bare minimum when it comes to feeling represented.

Not to mention that Francesca is one of the strangest choices of characters to make queer. Whether or not they tried, the Bridgerton writers created two brilliant opportunities for LGBTQ representation with Benedict and Eloise. Both have been theorized about (and Benedict was confirmed this season) for years and they could have written both/either a full queer storyline and it would have made total sense. Fans would have loved it! Francesca’s sexuality being changed from the book feels forced.

4: It cancels out the depth of John and Francesca’s relationship.

To spend a whole season building up John and Francesca’s love story only to end it with laying groundwork for another relationship is…so bad.

John spent the season putting in effort to come out of his shell for Francesca. He is the first person outside her family she’s comfortable enough to connect with. They find something in one another that cannot be duplicated. With Francesca utterly flustered by another person after JUST MARRYING John is a disservice to both of them. It takes away so much of the relationship’s meaning if Francesca now has an eye, even fleetingly, on someone else. Not to mention her face after kissing him? That is so far from book Francesca’s devotion and love for her husband. By initiating Francesca’s draw to Michaela, especially through the foreshadowing of Violet’s speech leading up to their meeting, the show has made John a present afterthought.

Let me finish with this…

It is NOT homophobic to dislike the change.

It is NOT racist to dislike the change.

It is NOT misogynistic to dislike the change.

Unless someone is spewing direct and discriminatory hate, they are simply a disappointed fan. 99% of the comments I’ve seen are people saying yes to queer storylines, yes to representation in Bridgerton itself, but begging not to dismantle another storyline to bring those things forth.

[meldarkthrop]

Francesca and Michael from the Bridgerton series remind me of Elucien at some points.

Michael is an ex rake; a charming, sarcastic and handsome man, who is the spare, not the heir. Lucien coded.

Francesca is the sixth sibling, quiet, elegant and beautiful; often ignored or overlooked by her family, but she possesses a dry sort of humour. Elain coded.

Obviously, there are differences in the story, but here are some moments from When he was wicked by Julia Quinn that are not just giving Elucien vibes, but fit Elain and Lucien individually as well:

• "In every life there is a turning point. A moment so tremendous, so sharp and clear that one feels as if one’s been hit in the chest, all the breath knocked out, and one knows, absolutely knows without the merest hint of a shadow of a doubt that one’s life will never be the same.

For Michael Stirling, that moment came the first time he laid eyes on Francesca Bridgerton."

So very 'Lucien meeting Elain's gaze for the first time' coded.

—

I can imagine Lucien telling this to Elain

• “I can’t bear this halfway existence,” he said, his voice so low she wasn’t certain she’d heard correctly.

—

Francesca talking about her family overlooking her. Also the banter here could fit Elucien. Lucien teasing her and Elain glaring at him.

• “It’s as if I don’t exist,” she said, irritated enough to shoot him her most ferocious glare.

“Oh, I wouldn’t say—”

“Oh, yes,” she said with great flair, “Francesca.”

“Frannie…” He sounded quite amused now.

“Has someone told Francesca?” she said, doing a rather fine group impression of her family. “Remember her? Sixth of eight? The one with the blue eyes?”

“Frannie, don’t be daft.”

“I’m not daft, I’m just ignored.”

“I rather thought you liked being a bit removed from your family.”

“Well, yes,” she grumbled, “but that’s beside the fact.”

“Of course,” he murmured.

She glared at him for his sarcasm.

—

This screams Lucien Vanserra

• She didn’t have to love him. But she did have to feel free. Free to be happy.

Because if she wasn’t happy…

Well, that would kill him. He could live without her love, but not without her happiness.

—

Francesca's confession to Michael. Now tell me this isn't Elain confessing to Lucien—

• She looked up at him, her eyes bright. “I love you.”

Michael touched her cheek. “I have no idea what I did to deserve you,” he said.

“You didn’t have to do anything,” she whispered. “You just had to be.” She reached up and touched his cheek, the gesture a perfect mirror of his own. “It just took me a while to realize it, that’s all.”

—

This quote from Michael = Lucien gets emotional over finally having a happy ending with his mate.

• “For the rest of my life,” he vowed, “I will love you. For the rest of my life. I promise you. I will lay down my life for you. I will honor and cherish you. I will—” He was choking on the words, but he didn’t care. He just wanted to tell her. He just wanted her to know.

“Let’s go home,” she said softly.

—

And a letter in the epilogue where Francesca's previous mother-in-law talks about them:

"I do not profess to understand metaphysics, and in truth, I rarely have patience for those who claim that they do, but there is an understanding between the two of you, a meeting of the minds and souls that exists on a higher plane.

You were, it is clear, born for each other."

/end quotes

I just—

[hopelesromantc23]

Look, as a viewer, I am charmed by Francesca being bi or gay or queer, and that her (spoilers) future love interest is a woman. I think further lgbtq storylines are superb, and I love that her first romance is exhibited in this earlier season.

However, as someone whose favorite Bridgerton book is, indeed, Francesca’s, I’m mildly disappointed that we won’t have the heartache and pining of Michael having to assume John’s role as the presumptive heir and then Francesca’s decision to get back on the marriage mart be due to her desire to have a child. I just cannot (truly, my imagination must be limited) wrap my head around how they will achieve that storyline.

If you’re going to set a series based on high-society Regency England (and its delightful fantasy of racial cohesion and man-made fabrics with plastic sequins and no bonnets), alright, I can get on board for the fun of it and I’m a sucker for romance and happy endings (see username). But what makes historical romance so attractive (lol) are the societal conventions, the behavioral limitations, and the repressed feelings for the sake of class dynamics and all that goes with it.

Michael Stirling is, arguably, one of the best Bridgerton love interests. He is constant, loyal, and, granted, a charming and sexy reformed rake, BUT he behaves honorably. One of the lovely parts of their love story is his friendship with Francesca. And Michael loves his cousin and best friend, John, and (in never wanting to compromise or hurt John) he loves Francesca from afar from the evening he meets her at F & J’s engagement party. His heartbreak at John’s sudden passing and feelings of emotional impotence in helping Francesca grieve, and his huge reluctance to assume the title Earl of Kilmartin are major facets of the book.

I love that Francesca is queer-coded, I think that’s great, and I love the representation in the show. The only thing that bothers me is that she already had so much going on as a character - which is fine, people are multi-faceted. The showrunners made her neurodivergent (great), they gave her a single-target obsession (piano - love it), they gave her “I’m moving far away and I don’t want a big noisy family” (solid), and not to mention marrying a handsome Black man who is also quiet and thoughtful. All of this to say, of course she can be queer - but how does this serve her story?

I just don’t know how the producers will make Michaela conflicted about inheriting a historically-male role, burden and responsibilities, and having an heir when that was a huge facet of the book and has been a previous plot point in the show. That being said, the showrunners have done other interesting things, have been really thinking ahead, and so let’s see what they do. I look forward to it.

Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk, feel free to let me know what you think!

[tinkcrfluff]

read with saumya <3

When He Was Wicked ; by Julia Quinn

★★★★☆ out of ★★★★★

( read: 4.5 stars out of 5 )

REVIEW:

absolutely loved this book omg!!! hands down one of the best regency romances I've read, such good writing and definitely the best bridgerton novel.

the love michael has for francesca is so deep and so gutting its impossible to even imagine him with anyone else. and how fran's feelings transform from thinking him as a friend to someone she can't keep his hands off of to someone she's absolutely in love with is beautiful ❤️❤️

their love and guilt for john is so present and so realistically portrayed, loved it!! the love scenes are also something else in this one like wow damn🤭🤌🏼

i loved the dynamic between violet and francesca, it was so🥺❤️ especially in the second epilogue❤️❤️❤️

i do have a few problems tho, I didn't like the implication that michael is pretty clearly a colonizer, like I think that couldve been easily omitted idk why its kept in😭

i wish we couldve seen more of when michel fell in love with fran, maybe one or two flashback chapters?

other than this i really love this book!! sm better than the other parts haha

and so good it pulled me out of my reading slump WE'RE BACK TO FINISHING A BOOK IN A DAY WOOHOO (tho i wish i didnt start in the middle of exams lmao)

as for the adaptation, i have hope for michaela and francesca even tho i feel like the entire plot will most probably have to be changed, and i love michael v dearly so it would be a little sad to not see him on screen. but the books will always exist and we can just view the two as different pieces of art <33 (hoping, wishing, praying they do this with eloise's storyline as well)

In every life there is a turning point. A moment so tremendous, so sharp and clear that one feels as if one’s been hit in the chest, all the breath knocked out, and one knows, absolutely knows without the merest hint of a shadow of a doubt that one’s life will never be the same. For Michael Stirling, that moment came the first time he laid eyes on Francesca Bridgerton.

Where’s that new earl of yours?” My, she was blunt. “He’s not my earl,” Francesca pointed out. “Well, he’s more yours than anyone else’s.”

Why? It’s because I love you, damn me to hell. Because I’ve always loved you. Because I loved you when you were with John, and I loved you when I was in India, and God only knows I don’t deserve you, but I love you, anyway.

This thing between them, this bond—it wasn’t just passion, and it wasn’t wicked. It was love, and it was divine.

Thank you, Michael, for letting my son love her first.

[sea-owl]

Have this cute little idea I had for the spouses friend group

Phillip knows how to make perfume and does so using the plants he grew. He makes them when he (almost always) accidentally grows too many of his plants and sells them in his nursery as a side gig along with cologne, and pet friendly perfumes.

It started out as a bet between Michael and Phillip back when they were rooming together in university. Penelope had just become their roommate and Phillip as a welcoming gift grew her some of the roses that share her name. As always, Phillip accidentally grew too many.

"They smell really good," Penelope said as she picked up one of the roses. "Imagine it as a perfume!"

"Would they make a good perfume though?" Michael asked.

Phillip snapped his head towards Michael. "Watch yourself Stirling, those are fighting words talking about my babies!"

Penelope was taken aback; she had never seen Phillip that fired up. Michael grinned; he loved getting his friend this riled up.

"Oh, wanna bet?" Michael asked. "If you can make a perfume, a good one, out of your left-over plants than I will behave for a month."

Phillip raised an eyebrow. "A whole month? Even when you get bored?"

Michael nodded. Penelope's jaw dropped. One thing she quickly learned with living with these two is that getting Michael to behave when he's bored often required the wrath of his mother, and even then his head of the family cousin would often just give Michael a slap on the wrist, or Michael will sweet talk his way out of it. Now don't get her wrong Michael doesn't blow off responsibility when he needs to do it but there has been more than one rule made because of him.

It was a deal too sweet for Phillip not to take and the pride of his plants were on the line.

Phillip shook Michael's hand. "Deal."

After doing the research the boys agreed to giving Phillip six months to extract the oils from the plants, mix them together, and let the perfume age in an airtight bottle before trying it. Based on their living space and what materials he could get Phillip decided to use the enfleurage methods to extract the oils. On a sheet of glass he laid down a thin heated layer of coconut oil with a small amount of beeswax. Letting it cool Phillip proceeded to place the petals of the roses in it before setting it between a wood frame. He would then change out the petals once or twice a day until he got the desired fragrance.

Determined to win this bet Phillip even paid one of the art students to design a decorative bottle for him to put the perfume in. The glass was the same shade of creamy pink as the flower with small wires and jewels wrapped around it to form a butterfly.

"Done," Phillip said as set down the bottle in front of his friends.

Penelope picked up the bottle and sprayed a little on her wrist. "Oh, this smells delicious!'

Michael takes Penelope's wrist and sniffs. "Damn, now I have to behave for a month!"