Date: May 23, 2022 09:25 am Title: Portraying Michael: When Michael isn't Michael
Wow, this brings back so many memories..something else I see happening in an AU/OOC setting that I would not oppose is, like if Michael was playing something Mortal Kombat or one of those fighting video games and he raged a lot/yelled obscenities at the boss characters because of the ridiculous things that can happen (having full control of the match and out of nowhere your opponent beats the crap out of you..or even if that opponent was supposed to be dead yet they end up beating you). Would it be hard for you to read something where he screams like mad because a flying cockroach flew on him when it spotted him?
[Report This]Date: Mar 26, 2015 12:28 pm Title: Portraying Michael: When Michael isn't Michael
Thank you so much for that clarification. Now I understand the difference between the two.
Author's Response:
I'm glad it was helpful! Thanks for letting me know it was :)
[Report This]Date: Feb 19, 2015 08:43 am Title: Portraying Michael: When Michael isn't Michael
I love AU and ooc stories. I'll read those any day before I read a Canon story. I think in a way as writers we want to give Michael what he didn't have in real life. A normal life, a happily ever marriage with tons of kids. Michael said himself he'd like to be someone else just for a day to see what was like to be around normal people I think some fics derive from that. he's a total different person in a normal setting and I love reading those. Michael was such a mystery it shouldn't be that hard to use your imagination and believe in him being something other than what he was.
How far is too far? I LOVE pushing the limits and I enjoy authors that do the same. Now incest is too much for me but I can enjoy a good suspenseful murderer/serial rapist Michael. One thing I absolutely love to see in a fanfic is the character development from one extreme to the other. Such as in Inked where Michael starts out as a total OOC rude womanizer yet through the course of the story turns out to be the sensitive loving man we all know him to be. #propstoTut.
I will say if you're going completely OOC like murderer/psycho Michael give a back story explaining what drove him to that point. For example maybe after the allegations he doesn't come out of it the same guy maybe he starts hating the world and becomes this terrible person who does all these terrible things and then a protagonist comes along and helps guide him back to the person he was. There needs to be a solid reason he just spends out of character.
The story I mentioned I may write will be a take on Michael the superstar as he may have been if he was raised an only child by Joseph soley. He's said his mother is where he got his loving, giving nature from. Well what if he didn't have a mother in his life growing up? Who might he have been?
I love exploring what ifs like that.
Again I apologize if this review is written sloppy I'm on an smartphone with terrible punctuation and spelling correction
Author's Response:
I always go by the writer. If an author has an amazing premise that I really really want to get into, I still will not read if I don't like their writing style/can't suspend my disbelief.
See, this is an example of how different each of our thresholds are for OOC. I can't do the murderer/serial rapist. If the murder is egocentristic, then I am gone. That's too close to his accusations and too....anti what he stood for. To me, that crosses the line of being disrespectful. Arbitrary line or not, I can't do that. Then again, I also see such figures on a regular basis, not Hollywood's take on them. With his real personality? He'd be likely to completely self-destruct worse than what we saw, if he did either of those. Thus, I can't suspend disbelief one iota. And rape is horrid, torturous, dehumanizing, demeaning, scaring, etc etc etc. Michael committing such an act would be....too upsetting. And for a story I'd read out of enjoyment? No, I couldn't read that..... (sorry, I know I'm ranting. I feel very passionately against these two). That being said, there have been a few AUs that walked the line, that I did like (e.g. Complete Opposites, My Bully, Jerk, Sweet Seducing Sighs, My Brother's Best Friend....).
You guys and your focus on comments with perfect punctuation and spelling. When I read reviews, the only thing I focus on is:
-can I understand the gist of what is being said
-what is actually being said
;)
[Report This]Date: Feb 19, 2015 07:43 am Title: Portraying Michael: When Michael isn't Michael
Thank you again for the shout out. I love reading an AU Michael. I know Michael loved his position in his profession but he also craved to be treated as a regular person. It's a bit oxymoronic but I can see where he would get tired of being locked in fame sometimes. I like to read him not having to battle tabloids, paps and rumors. Him being in an AU doesn't even have to have him OOC. He can maintain his personality traits. I do like some OOC too. I can see him fighting. He knew how to. Lol the guy had 5 brothers. They fought...physically I can almost guarantee that. I have 5 brothers. Lol. I remember reading somewhere where he and Jermaine fought off stage once. I don't remember the source though.
I can see where most fans get uncomfortable with AU/OOC Michaels to each is own though. I like writing AU Michael I get to be more creative with his environment and give him a fictitious chance at other things he was interested in like art etc. He always said if he wasn't an entertainer he would be in the arts. (Plus that's my field so it's my comfort zone. Lol)
To touch on Michael out and about in his PJ's that was a regular thing as he got older Michael Bush said he preferred that type of dress in his down time. There are so many photos of him in public with his PJ's on. As for showing up to court that one time that could not be helped due to the circumstances you guys mentioned. However him in PJ's I wouldn't see as OOC.
I love that gif. His little obnoxious quirks was so endearing at the same time. Lol.
More soon! <333
PS sorry for the cringe worthy typos and such. I type theses reviews on my phone and autocorrect is a know it all bitch sometimes. Lmao.
Author's Response:
Por supuesto :). I think AU can be a powerful tool. I agree about AU being great without having to take him OOC. Michael knew how to fight. Particularly using martial arts. However, he also didn't want to be like his father, so I for one am sketchy of him fighting people. I could see him breaking mirrors, objects, punching walls, etc.
I think you missed my point about the PJs. I didn't mean that Michael wearing his PJs was irregular. There are plenty of pics to prove otherwise. However, it was VERY irregular for the trial and for a huge press event. He was meticulous in sculpting his image for those events ;) So, yes, in that context, it was OOC.
Date: Feb 18, 2015 05:21 pm Title: Portraying Michael: When Michael isn't Michael
Gee ... Thanks for the shout out...a86;a039;... I am glad you touched upon this topic because I have encountered/ "read" some crazy stories on this site where Michael is portrayed as a serial rapist ' kidnapper and a murderer. Those stories where quite disturbing to me and unsettled my nerves a bit and I couldn't continue to read those stories because they were so far removed from Michael's personality/character. Nothing sexy about that!!! Now oddly enough I don't have a problem where Michael is portrayed as a womanizer or having multiple affairs.. (Long story 😒) We all know that in real life Michael was gallavanting across the globe (after they were divorced) with Lisa Marie Presley whilst he was married to Debbie Rowe and she was carrying his child.. Michael was a naughty boy.. I enjoy reading stories about Michael where he is not an entertainer but in some other profession. For example business man, photographer , mechanic or even drug dealer.. I have my limits as to what I will read.. These are after all fan fictions so we mustn't allow ourselves to become to worked up on he is portrayed however with the exceptions I mentioned before. As for Jermaine... Side eye.. I take some of his account of Michael with a grain of salt. I will take Tom Mesearau words over his any day..
Author's Response:
Thanks for your input :) I think that is a huge risk with going both AU AND OOC. The threshold for going "too far" is easily reached when Michael is already different.
No problem with him having multiple affairs? His marriage to Rowe was a sham....it isn't like they were ever in love or pretending to be.
Agreed re:Jermaine. He changes some details when it will benefit himself or other family members....this, though, I don't see benefitting anyone. His account also didn't differ from what I understand Mesearau's to be, so I'm confused as to why you brought that up.
Date: Feb 18, 2015 07:07 am Title: Portraying Michael: When Michael isn't Michael
You're more than welcome about the input..what you touched on was everything I was taught as a writer (before doing MJ fics)..of course there are some OOC stuff I let slide..like generally it would be OOC for Michael to beat up someone since he hated violence but if in a situation where he beats up a girl's ex because the ex tried to rape her or something, I say that person got what they deserved. Or if the OG tells him to do something and he goes and does something different just to get on her nerves.I could honestly see him doing that just to be silly/kidlike and would make me crack up laughing every time..
However it does kinda make me cringe to see him being rude to someone he held most dear unless that character does something truly out of line..you know, excuse for character bashing..especially if the character never stooped as low as the story may/may not depict in real life..
there are numerous OOC Michaels that look like they were written by authors who hate him or are clueless about him..in some cases it is easy to come to that conclusion..although admittedly a person can get away with plenty in spoof fics or parodies.
you took the words out of my mouth about the pajama day..he usually dressed appropriately so if he wore nightclothes that meant something happened and not what the media said..I mean if I hurt myself that badly I would not be thinking how I need to tough it up and hurry for court but how I'm in pain and want to stay home..so sad that people still don't get it after Mr. Mesereau explained it over and over again..and it was he who told Michael to just come in what he was wearing
By the way feel free to check out my work if you are curious about what makes me tick, etc.
Author's Response:
OOC with him beating someone up? See, this is an example of how threshold for OOC changes by person. I can't see that, if he is in fact MJ. I could see him calling in his security to hold the guy, shaking with rage, or punching a wall/breaking stuff, but for several reasons I couldn't see him punching a guy. For one, a lawsuit. Another? Well....the legal system. I don't think doing something just to bug someone would be completely OOC.
Your second & third points - I can totally cosign those.
Michael came in more than he had been wearing. According to Jermaine he'd come in to the hospital in a jacket and pj bottoms, with no shirt.