#michaela's tag

[staticsnowfall]

michaela mabinty deprince (1995-2024)

🩰˚✧₊⁎

today, september 13th, 2024, the ballet world lost an extraordinary dancer and woman.

michaela mabinty deprince was born on january 6th, 1995, as mabinty bangura, in sierra-leone. she was orphaned, her parents passing to due to both direct and indirect causes of the civil war in her home country. she was demonized by her caretakers for her vitiligo, being called a “devil’s child”, and suffering from other forms of neglect and abuse. in 1999, deprince was adopted by an american couple along with another girl, and they were taken to new jersey, united states of america.

her hopes of becoming a ballerina had been planted when she found a ballerina on a magazine cover in her home country. she didn’t know of ballet at the time, but treasured the picture and dreamed of dancing. this dream blossomed into truth when she moved to the states, being put into ballet lessons soon after her arrival. deprince was a four-time participant in youth america grand prix, one of the largest ballet competitions in the united states. she was awarded a scholarship to study at the jaqueline kennedy onassis school of ballet, the associate school of american ballet theatre.

despite facing racial discrimination and other hardships in and out of the industry, deprince persisted in her dream of becoming a professional ballet dancer. in 2012, at the age of 16, she became the youngest member of dance theatre of harlem, and the next year, she joined the junior company of the dutch national ballet. she soon rose through the ranks, joining the main company and attaining the rank of soloist. she was the first dancer of african origin to ever join the company, and a shining advocate and role model for black women in ballet.

her other accomplishments include being an ambassador for war child holland, a dutch organization working to improve the wellbeing and resilience of children directly affected by war. she visited uganda and lebanon through the organization. she also appeared in beyoncé’s 2016 music video for ‘freedom’.

she will dance among all the stars in the sky. rest in peace beautiful michaela mabinty, you are already so missed. ♡

[pensbridgrton]

Colin is not Demisexual or queer. Not every character is gay. Benedict is the pansexual sibling the actor confirmed it. Stop erasing his sexuality for your Colin’s queer agenda.

”colin is not demisexual” he literally says he finds sex lonely and unfulfilling

“not every character is gay” says fucking who?

“benedict is the pansexual sibling” i wasn’t aware i said anything to the contrary

“stop erasing his sexuality” this just in apparently only one person can be pansexual at a time???

”colin is queer agenda” is it an agenda if it’s CANON

[tamagoneko]

💛 story of evil 💛

[paperglader]

why people think it’s a good idea to flood ship tags with anti ship stuff is something I will never understand

[maefansblog]

I could have sworn when Nicola and Luke did this Balcony speech on tour in Toronto, the show was going to parallel the Balcony speech from the books.

I'm going to do a rewrite that mixes book and show canon. Both have their merits and I have love for both of the scenes. This is just for fun and entertainment. 💕

This is after Show Penelope reveals she is Lady Whistledown. The post below is the exact speech that Penelope gives in the show and the Queen exits.

(Awkward silence and gossip starts.)

Colin: I would like to propose a toast to the most remarkable woman in the world. I am a newlywed, and therefore you are all required to indulge me in my lovesick ways.

(Friendly laughter rippled through the crowd.)

I wasn't surprised that I had fallen in love with her, but rather that it had taken so long. I've known her for so many years, you see, and I've discovered the beautiful, brilliant, witty woman she'd become. As my brilliant wife once said, when one finds themselves in an incredible position, they should declare it, assuredly, fervently, loudly.

Therefore, with all of you here as my witnesses, I would like to say - Penelope - I love you. I adore you. I worship the ground you walk upon.

(He turned back out to the crowd, lifted his glass, and said)

Colin: To my wife!

The crowd: To your wife!

(Colin drank his glass of lemonade, and Penelope took her drink.)

Colin: Put down your glass, dear.

Penelope: But -

Colin: You interrupt far too much..

(He scolded, and then he swept her into a passionate kiss, right there in the middle of the ballroom in front of the entire ton.)

Penelope: Colin!

(He grinned wolfishly as their audience roared its approval.)

Philippa: Now Varley! The Bugs!

(The Ton starts clapping, Philippa and Prudence have a moment, and people start dancing.)

(The Lord Squad is flabbergasted and tries to talk to Colin, when Lord Remington interrupts and pulls him to the side to chat. It is assumed the two are talking about Lady Whistledown.)

(Lady Danbury approaches Penelope.)

Lady Danbury: You “cannot tolerate a lie”?

Penelope: Lady Danbury.

Lady Danbury: Your last column. Her Majesty was close when she assumed Whistledown was a Bridgerton protecting their own. But I know the family well enough to know it was not one of them. There is only one person who loves the Bridgertons more than I.

Penelope: You knew it was me.

Lady Danbury: Hm… I suspected. You are not the only lady of the ton who can keep a secret.

Lady Danbury: You stepped into the light, and you were worthy of the attention you command. I look forward to your next edition.

(Lady Danbury laughs and leaves. Penelope stands in awe and then turns around. She meets Colin's eyes from across the room. Colin excuses himself from Lord Remington to talk to Penelope.)

Colin:

(Takes Penelope to the side)

Pen, ever since I found out you are Whistledown, I have done everything I can to try to separate you from her. But the other day, I went back and read all of the letters you have sent me. Your letters have always been the ones I am most eager to read.

And I realized… you are her. You have always had one voice. There is no separating you from Whistledown. And after seeing you speak today, I… Well, I would not want to. Because forgive me, but that was bloody brilliant.

I think, in truth, I…I have been envious of you. Of your success. Of your bravery. And now I simply cannot believe that a woman with such bravery loves me.

How lucky I am to stand by your side and soak up even a little bit of your light. If my only purpose in life is to love a woman as great as you… then I will be a very fulfilled man, indeed.

Penelope: I love you. You are a very good man, Mr. Bridgerton.

Colin: I love you. Now, Will you please do me the honor. Of joining me on the dance floor, Lady Whistledown?

Penelope: l prefer Mrs. Bridgerton.

Colin and Penelope sneak off early, and no one sees them for days.

(Sideplots are in the tags where they belong. A choose your own adventure if you like.)

[chernychnyi]

thinking about surana. her poorly contained rage

[butchtaurus]

i hope you all know to use the block button liberally. especially anti whatever ship/character cause its better to just not engage with the people who hate michaela or hate the now gay characters (or even just hate any character) cause ‘it doesn’t fit the books’, when this is the netflix interpretation series.

like don’t get ur panties in a twist about people who are here to be negative about something that’s fun. block block block.

[sunshowersanddandelionwine]

as a former rower, i have to give my latest brainrot seat assignments or i will EXPLODE

coxswain: the only one facing the front of the boat, the cox is arguably the most important member of the team. As such, the two main coxs are farah and horangi, who switch out depending on the need. Farah is the default cox, because she’s extremely calm under pressure, has exceptional leadership skills, and knows exactly how to get what she wants from her boat. She has never looked anything but perfectly relaxed in the stern, face focused and intense. She doesn’t have to yell or scream, but she will if necessary. Horangi, on the other hand, doesn’t cox as often but when he does, he is at an 11 at all times. He makes jokes, taunts the other boats, jeers and snarks at his rowers, and generally does a Lot. It’s not always the best strategy, especially with the wrong person in the stroke seat. But when he works? He fucking WORKS.

eight: also known as the “stroke” seat, they set the pace for the rest of the boat. They have to be steady, sure, and solid. Which is why I think Ghost fits this seat best. He doesn’t let the rush from the bow get overwhelming, he can keep a high stroke-per-minute count without burning out, and he and Farah have a rock solid connection. He sometimes swaps with König (usually when Horangi is coxing because he doesn’t jive as much with his style) but most of the time? That man is in the front

seven: SOAP. SOAP SOAP SOAP. There’s no one else I could think of to be ghost’s seat pair. And not just because I’m a ghoap girlie at heart lmao. But a good seat pair is a balance that’s hard to come by. You have to pull at the exact same time with the exact same force and movements, and soap is incredibly perceptive to ghost’s every move, and always knows without having to see his face exactly what he’s thinking. He has some rush issues, because he gets WAAAAY to into things, but ghost’s immovable pace is the perfect counterbalance

six: the first of the “engine room” middle four, six seat is a powerhouse. They bring the speed and the momentum. And I think Gaz is the perfect six. He’s a leader of the middle, but he’s not quite experienced enough to be stroke. In a few years, he’d have it in the bag for SURE. But for now? He’s got a fire in his eyes and a need to prove himself. He also loves to snipe about the “eyesore” that he’s forced to look at for the entire race.

five: ALEX! Another member of the engine room, five isn’t as focused on technique or finesse. However, it’s the heart of the boat and the core of the team. And Alex has heart in spades. He and Gaz are an amazing duo, and honestly could be a powerhouse stroke pair someday. He’s the connection between the stern four and bow four, keeping everyone in seamless sync.

four: as the middle of the boat, not a lot of people consider four seat often. Which is perfectly fine with König. He doesn’t have to have the absolute perfect technique like the outer four, he doesn’t have to lead like stern pair, and he doesn’t have to think about anything but pulling as hard as he fucking can until they cross the finish line. However, he does sometimes get swapped with Ghost whenever Horangi gets to cox. And while he’s not a fan, he doesn’t seem to mind as much when he is forced up front.

three: three doesn’t get enough love imo. In my mind, it’s the jack of all trades seat. It’s part of the engine room, but far enough to the bow where technique matters a lot, and there’s really only one person I could see doing it well. Roach is the perfect three seat - inconspicuous and seemingly underwhelming but incredibly versatile and flexible. He can also sit in any seat, regardless of whether it’s a starboard or port-side oar (like me when I still rowed! :D) and used to be Ghost’s pair until soap joined the team. He’s not upset about it at all, because three fits him much better lol

two: the bow pair are the farthest from the coxswain, and the most vital for both rush control and technique. Rush comes from the bow and bleeds into the rest of the boat. Which makes alejandro an excellent two. He doesn’t have to be as strong as the middle four (though he is still very very strong, don’t get me wrong), but his form is almost unmatched.

one: there’s only one person who has a more perfect form than Alejandro, and that’s Rudy. He’s straight out of the dreams of coaches everywhere, and often gets recruited as an example for newbie rowers to learn how to sit and how to hold onto their oars. He’s the farthest from Farah, but he is so on point with what she wants from him it’s like there’s no distance at all

price and nikolai are a former pair who moved to coaching after winning a few Olympic medals. Price deals with technique and Nikolai deals with strategy (ie when to hold back and when to open the tank)

kate and her wife are the team managers and owners

Other honorable mentions:

hesh and logan have a pair. hesh is in the stern because hes Big Brother. keegan has a single scull.

(oc warning) cash, mickey, zora, and lia have a four that's coxed by lucas. hes their Baby Brother and they can and will kill for him. ross and larkin (their coaches) look the other way because they would also kill for him.

[marchentraume]

And you must be…

Hype train for the Lady Stirlings 🥲🥲🥲🥲🥲

[gaytwirights]

[sugarfairysam]

Miclarith my beloved <3333

[syl-stormblessed]

IS FRANCESCA BRIDGERTON GAY. ARE WE GETTING A GAY FRANCESCA SEASON. FRANCESCA BRIDGERTON X MICHAELA STIRLING?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? PLEASE. ONE GAY BRIDGERTON SHIP PLEASE NETFLIX

[rookieoneil]

Bridgerton is so gay🫶🏼

[rebeccasjack]

Two women will one day lead this show as leads, and for this to come during pride month is just so INSANE. With the rumours around for so long all I could imagine was a similar reaction to the day I learned Simone was cast but when Michaela came out I GASPED. I feel nothing short of glee and excitement!!!! I always assumed if we ever did get queer characters it would be in the format of side pairings but never imagined they would dare genderbend a character, meaning that will yes a chance of rep featuring actors of colours as leads, never actual lgbtq rep at front. Fran and Michaela’s season will have my entire heart ❤️

[butcharondir]

i am also a michaela stirling truther— the more i think about it, the more i want it. i’ll definitely be a little disappointed if the rumors turn out to be false. don’t get me wrong, masali baduza is stunning and as a bisexual i already feel like a winner either way… but my god, she and Francesca would make such a gorgeous couple 😭

and i know people keep saying that gender bending Michael would erase important plot points but honestly i can think of several ways off the top of my head that they could maintain the integrity of the story even with Michaela as the lead instead of Michael.

and honestly, not that i have any reason to believe they’re actually going to genderbend Sophie, but they could easily rework Benedict’s story in a similar way— it irritates me that people are insisting there is no way they could make it work.

the book purists insisting xyz could not possibly happen because “that’s not how the story goes!” are making little sense to me. the show has already made many changes to the stories, large and small, and i don’t think “but the book story won’t work that way!” is a valid argument at this point. the writers have shown themselves very willing and even eager to uproot expectations and tell the story in a new way.

TOTALLY. i was previously on the "we should not expect queer rep from bridgerton they are clearly not very invested in it" train until jess brownell explicitly confirmed that a queer romance is coming and now im being a full ass clown about it. yea....when i think about masali baduza as michaela i actually need to lie down, it would end me. but also send an angel to protect her if that's actually true because some of the fandom....uh.....absolutely cannot handle that even remotely, and they WILL make it her problem.

but yes, i agree, there are many ways in which michael feels like a prime option for gender-bending. obviously when he was wicked has fans, but i think in general they're a little less rabid than some of the kanthony, polin, benophie, and philoise fans who would be specifically up in arms about major character changes to "their" ship. when he was wicked is later in the series, more disconnected, francesca's less present in the general narrative, etc.

also, because francesca has a widowhood storyline, it feels....how do i say this....deeply boring for bridgerton the show to introduce a man like john stirling, only to kill him off to make room for another random man. it would be exceedingly more interesting to have a queer element to the story, not least of all because it would add more tension to the "we cant be together because you're my dead husband's cousin" vibes.

also, women in the 19th century could inherit property. sometimes the property itself was not entailed and therefore not necessarily inherited by the male title holder. if francesca is living in the house....and michaela inherits the house....well, that's a pretty great set-up for a queer happy ending, which is, according to julia quinn, apparently impossible in a world where gay marriage isn't legal.

also, ALSOOOOO....a lesbian rake. i rest my case.

either way, im interested to see how they interpret when he was wicked's relationship to colonialism (if they do so), given that the show has now shown the Stirlings, or at least john stirling, to be Black. Kate's home and backstory in India has had some relevance to her characterization, and I'm curious to see if they take a similar tack with the stirlings (and how well they manage to execute it).

okay i think those are all of my michaela thoughts thank you so much for giving me an excuse to rant about them. truthers gotta stick together (until our hearts are inevitably dashed by cold hard reality)

[leohttbriar]

i do actually think you’re homophobic/lesbophobic if the changing of the gender of a pop culture character in a fantasy-regency show based on a pop-romance book causes a self-described “heartbreak,” or anything equivalent. if you are lacking in the simple sympathetic creativity to imagine how certain parts of the book (like infertility?) that read as entirely gendered might be adapted when a male character is now a female character, then you are probably lacking the creativity to imagine many other things about the many different yet same lives being lived around you. a reaction like “heartbroken” over a straight romance now being a queer one, a michael now being a michaela, is deeply ridiculous. adaptive changes are always inevitable and there is nothing in the themes of a story in which one person longs to be with another but feels forbidden from it that cannot be successfully and richly reproduced by making it gay.