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fanresearcher-blog · 5 years

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My Criticism of Planet Puto

You know, just in case HC never finds about my criticism...

“Hello HC! My original criticism was lost…unfortunately but I`m determined to get my message to you. I wrote it on Word first before posting it in your submit. If you managed to get my old submission, then I`m glad that it worked, but if it didn`t then that`s why I have this. So HC, I wanted to do this for a long time but I needed to be composed of my thoughts first. Now I`m ready.

In this submission, I want to talk about the character development of your personification characters and character design. I`ll also talk a little bit of the lore by the end of the post. It is not intended for hate, it is just criticism. I am also aware that Planet Puto is more like random posts instead of comics or something. The reason I feel like giving criticism is for HC`s improvement in some stuff and to voice my concerns. Before I write my criticism, I would like to praise HC for her/his dedication to creating that group of Actor AU (I don`t know their names but it`s the Aswang lady and her Spanish-y husband and they had twins). I love your work since it has good art but mostly it`s because you post so often. Reading your posts become a part of my everyday routine.

So before we get to the specific criticism and tips, I`ll talk about my general problems with the personification characters. It appears to be, that the characters are used for meaningless fanservice. When I`m scrolling through the Planet Puto archives, once in a while I will see characters drawn with sexy poses or they have ship tease with someone. If it is part of their character, then that would make sense. So is everybody…smutty? It seems like whenever there is a major foreign country, they would be shipped with Elena or Emilio. There are entire pages filled with random pick-up lines from Emilio and all the art of Elena with the guys.

I`m not saying that shipping is bad. I think it is perfectly fine for some countries to be attracted to Emilio or Elena. What I don`t understand is…why? Why do those countries find Emilio or Elena attractive? What do they see in them? Please don`t say, that they love the Phils because Emilio is pogi and Elena is maganda. If that is the reason, why they love those twins, then that is not real love at all. Also…they can`t just be compatible because of politics! It is like shipping someone with another person just because they had a good business deal. It also makes me wonder if a country can even decide who to love instead of who they are told to by their bosses. It`s sad no?

It would be best that you create the character before the ship. If you create the ship before the character, they may end up not being their own person. Also pair the ones, who are naturally compatible. It`s like food combos, there are basics like cheese and tomato go so well but when you experiment you will also find out that green mango tastes great with bagoong. Relationships, like food combinations, should be compatible. When people talk about food combos, you hear “The tomato`s freshness balances out the saltiness of salted egg” or “A bit of chili actually brings out the flavor of vinegar”, so characters should be like “He has a great mind but sometimes he can be really tough. She quite emotional but she can be the best friend you can ever have. Together, his heart softens and he learns how to get along with other people. She learns how to keep cool and keep things together now.” Characters by themselves are great, like peanut butter bread and jelly bread, but when you put them together, they are even better.

Be careful of red flags! If the relationship is starting to break boundaries, border on abuse, and toxic behaviors, please stop. It will just give the wrong message to the audience if you ship something like that. After all, in a food combo, if one of the ingredients are rotten it would make you sick. The pair should not be toxic to each other. You can still portray abusive relationships, but please don`t romanticize or encourage it because it`s not okay. It will never be okay.

You must develop them first, though. After you got their character, then you can start thinking about shipping. They must care about each other. That is the bare minimum for a good ship. In psychology, people are more likely to be attracted to someone they have in common with but not too much in common. The thing they have in common could be anything like background, motivation, interests, etc… After that, be careful not to make them too similar or too different. To add special garnish, if the work has a theme, then it would be best if that ship reflects opposite or different sides of the theme. That would make everything really juicy. Remember to not force it, if they can`t match no matter how hard you try, then they weren`t meant to be. Move on. The best ships will just come into place.

Summary for writing ships:

-They must care for each other

-It must be natural

-They must have something in common but different enough

-Experiment

-Avoid Red Flags

My other general problem is random sadness. I`m okay with sadness, but the sadness in Planet Puto is very random. Everything is happy then boom! Sadness. I don`t understand what it is supposed to mean, what am I supposed to know here? There is a pattern of using historical events for angst. It would be much better if the angst was more built up and more meaningful if the characters had character.

Let`s start with the protagonist, Emilio. Of all of the characters, he is the one I have problems with the most. I find it hard to discern a characteristic to him other than a pabebe, a flirt, and a pushover. I`m sorry if that is insulting, but that is my own impression. He may not be like that, but the way he is portrayed gave me that vibes. So what makes a protagonist likable and memorable? They should:

Struggle: Hmm…does Emilio struggle? I have been searching all the pages with Emilio in them to know. None of those posts indicate really big things. I try to dig deeper like a Language Teacher but it is hard for me to see the meaningful struggle. All I see is meaningless angst. The problems that Emilio faces are politics, love life, and history. Politics, I understand that it is hard to live with such a corrupt government. What I need to know is…how does this affect Emilio personally? Normally, citizens of this country will not feel affected by politics. Sometimes they will be affected, but most of the time they would live most of their lives without worrying about this. It would be best to show how it affects Emilio on a personal level, so I can feel why.

Love life, it is now a more human problem. I wonder why personifications aren`t marrying each other by now. So many feelings and ship tease! Are they forbidden? If that is so, then that would be impractical. There are so many countries in the world, so at least one government permits a country to marry another country. I also wonder why Emilio only dated Brunei. I remember you said it is because of the union of the Kingdom of Tondo and something Brunei. So does that mean, whenever a country is joined by political alliance or merging of kingdoms, are they are automatically in love or dating? Heartbreak happens, it is a human thing but I hope it isn`t too much of a problem. There is such a thing as move on, right?

History, now that could have a lot of potential. I think there is a lot of creative potential with this. The problem is…how do you portray it properly? The best thing to do is to look in history books and determine what he would be doing at a place in time. Give him a backstory based on the things taught in history. I know you are doing that, but I think it is unrealistic that Emilio is everywhere at once. How is he in a lot of historical events!?! There has to be an explanation. I think it could be answered by knowing his occupation exactly. What is his skills? What are his abilities? Does he have powers to help out? What does being a personification mean? These things could really help me understand how the plot works.

(Out of topic: What is being a personification? How immortal is he? What if we cut off a personification`s head? Would they die? What if we chopped off their fingers? Would they be crippled or would their limbs grow back eventually? In your WWII drawing, Elena asks Japan to finish off her useless brother, so are you saying he can die? What if no one saved Emilio?

Do personifications get paid for being personifications? Can they resign? Do they have insurance or vacation days? Do they get a bonus? Do they get senior citizen`s discount, after all, they are older than our grandparents? Why do countries have a girl and boy version? Let`s say Emilio resigns from being Phil, would Elena have another twin?

What jobs do personifications do? Are they immediately conscripted to be a soldier, kind of Captain America? Captain America is a super soldier and also used for propaganda. Do they go in missions assigned to them by their presidents? I remember your Brunei and Phil post, that countries might be super spies by their governments. Is it really something like that? Are countries allowed to have other jobs? I remembered a post, I asked if personifications can have jobs. Emilio answered that he wanted to be a general, so he is not allowed to? He is the amang bayan after all, can he use his influence to get the job that he dreams of. Why can`t he be a general? I also heard your answer that being a personification means that you help people, how do they help people? Do they work in social services? Military? Education? Counseling? Psychology? NGO?

Can they have superpowers or are they as strong as an average person?

PLEASE ANSWER THIS, EVEN IF IT TAKES TIME. I CAN WAIT. You don`t have to make a drawing for it. Just type or draw if you like, I just really need to know. What if you randomly gave the characters abilities out of thin air? That would be really confusing. You might risk yourself with plot holes. We would be left out with the information needed to know what their life is like. If they have more detail what is their job exactly, then I would feel like they are more relatable because they actually have a life of their own other than being a mascot.)

Not whine: Back to one of the general problems, random sadness. Emilio is the one with the most random sad posts, so he has that main problem. I don`t know about you but if you put it in real life. It would sound like whining (I`m sorry). What is whining? It is a negative connotation of complaint. Complain is to express grief, pain, or discontent. It is okay to show strong emotion possibly even required but it would be weird to hugot it a lot.

I already talked about the struggle part, not whining is the combo for struggle. Why? When someone suffers and they whine, suffer, whine, suffer, then more whining, then it would feel like handling an annoying baby. I know that they have pain but I would not respect them if they whine. They would be just like an average person to me, “That sucks, but the way you reacted made me not like you.”

Struggle makes the audience root out for the protagonist because it is natural human behavior to root out for the underdogs and struggle is what everyone goes through so it`s relatable. Not whining is what makes the protagonist respectable. Who has more virtue, a person that complains whenever there is something inconvenient vs someone who endures it instead?

A protagonist should be relatable hence, struggle, but they should also have something admirable because if they are so painstakingly average it is not any more interesting. We did not ask for reality to be displayed, we already live with that every day. What we want is to be entertained, learn, or feel something. A protagonist is someone we should admire, respect, and relate to.

In my opinion, Emilio in the Yandere!Adam event actually shows a bit of character and for the first time, I find myself surprised to actually care about a fictional character even if it is a little bit. What I am talking about, are the normal posts before that.

Be active: This is what makes an ordinary protagonist, entertaining. An active protagonist is a protagonist that shapes the plot while a passive protagonist is pushed by the plot. Why I believe that Emilio, isn`t an active protagonist, he is controlled by events. I have never seen an event that Emilio started because of his actions. For example, Yandere!Adam event, Yandere!Adam is the one that sets the events in motion, while Emilio just watches. I can understand since it is a Yandere!Adam event, it has to focus on Yandere!Adam. I just wish that there is an event of Emilio`s own doing.

(Out of topic: I feel like Emilio and Elena`s relationship isn`t that strong when I looked at the Yandere!Adam event. Letting your own twin die?! It affects me a little bit personally because I have a twin of my own. I would never imagine killing my own twin or letting that happen. According to research, boy-girl twins are even closer than same-sex twins, so they should be closer but they are not. Maybe it is because they were separated for so long, so that is why they aren`t that close.)

So in totality, I think Emilio needs a lot of work in his character.

IN SUMMARY:

-Please elaborate in his struggles

-Tone down the hugot

-Have an event focused on Emilio

-Add more to his backstory

-Tell us more about him

So that is all with Emilio. The other main characters like Elena, Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao, Manila, Cebu, and Davao don`t get enough characterization. They feel like caricatures and stereotypes sometimes. I don`t get who they are supposed to be like. Cebu as INTJ really? As a fan and deep researcher of MBTI, it is hard to see why Cebu will be that. In a nutshell, my impression of them are:

Elena: Oh I`m going to help Emilio, get shipped with so many dudes, and do most of the country work.

Luzon: I`m Miss Serious who is kind of like Manila by design. I`m also the boss and hate insubordination.

Visayas: I`m the guy that has such a peaceful life and brown streak of hair. (Apparently, I also betrayed my countrymen by siding with Spain.)

Mindanao: ….

Manila: I hate probinsyanos! Especially Cebu. I`m swimming in the trash and I have problems…with Cavite. #ampalaya #lifesucks #dacapital

Cebu: I hate Manila! (Hehe I speak Bisaya so he can`t understand) I also don`t get along with Iloilo.

Davao: Yay! (Anime hair).

(Out of topic: I get confused with the glasses on capitals. You said that it was a sign of progress and you put the capitals of other nations with it. It feels quite the opposite. People need glasses to see, so when someone becomes a capital do they become visually impaired? Or they don`t really need it. Does that mean that glasses on capitals are like crowns on royalty? It gets quite confusing to theorize over simple stuff like that. It seems to be too much of a coincidence.)

I`ll talk more about character design later which involves the main characters.

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While writing this, I realized that foreign personifications were more developed than the main characters. They show more personality in a page than Emilio or Elena can show in 10 pages. For Adam, I thought his character design immediately gave me the vibes of someone who would be America. He tries to keep his reputation so he hides his brown eye with contacts and he hides issues to show that he is strong. When it came to struggling, I feel like that is implied. He seems admirable at some aspect and he sets the story forward as a colonizer.

His character design also gives an implication of his character. He has blonde hair and blue eyes (something that is associated with America), he has a blue business suit, red tie, and white underneath. That is the colors of the American flag! Colors like that are usually associated with heroes. I immediately saw a developed character in him. I wonder why that can`t be the same for Emilio or Elena.

Emilio`s outfit is a Filipino barong, he has sun-kissed brown hair, tan skin, and really, really light brown eyes. He is basically brown all the way through. While Elena has similar eyes, black hair, and light tan skin. Their outfits are traditional Filipino clothing. Luzon has a yellow tie and female business suit. Visayas has a red shirt and brown pants. Mindanao has a white robe with blue highlights. It seems like the island groups are wearing the colors of the Philippine flag.

Their character designs are okay enough. It could possibly do better but it`s okay. When I mean to do better, I think you should modify it a little bit so it can look better. Like add detail to the clothes, use a different shade of color perhaps (the current colors aren`t bad on its own but I think it is best to experiment), and I think that is basically it. I get that you gave them really unusual eyes, to give them an anime feel (Personally I don`t like it, but I would not criticize that. It is your own personal aesthetic decision.). Maybe give Emilio and Elena an alternate casual outfit, the traditional clothing makes them seem like they can`t move on from the past (unless that is what you are going for).

The provinces are what I have a problem with. I can see that you tried, but some of them need work. They look unique but not unique enough. Sorry but, I think they look like branded food from the grocery sometimes. The Mindanaoan personifications are the most unique, Visayan personifications vary in quality but mostly unique, and the Luzones personifications have the most problems. I think you should do a bit more work in Ilocos Region, Cagayan Region, Central Luzon, CALABARZON, MIMAROPA, a bit in Western Visayas, and Zamboanga Peninsula.

Ilocos Region:

Pangasinan. Despite being part of Ilocos Region, he isn`t exactly Ilocano. He is Pangasinense. That means he has a different ethnicity than the rest of his fellow region mates. His economy and some of the way he acts is a bit different from the Ilocos. In all means, he is different from the other members. So he should look a little bit different. His fashion sense isn`t that good either. Come on! That collar shirt looks too long and does nothing to improve the figure. The hair is all levels baduy.

Ilocos Twins. They seem too similar to each other. It seems like the only difference is how they tuck their shirts and belts, and that Ilocos Norte is wearing a fake mustache. The minuscule detail is that Ilocos Norte has his pants tucked in more neatly while Ilocos Sur has slightly loose pants. You can differentiate them a bit unless you like it that way.

In general, they are kind of plain. It would be best to add more variety and fashion sense. (Unless you intended it that way)

Cagayan Region, Zamboanga Peninsula, MIMAROPA, and Western Visayas:

Make them a bit more varied.

Central Luzon:

Pampanga. My DEAR province would never wear something like that! It`s like he didn`t move on from the past. Bro, it is the modern days not revolution. Besides, Pampanga would wear a uniform during that period of time. In reality, Kapampangans like to dress well to the point it is a stereotype. Whenever there is an event or casual life, we always like to dress up. I think it would be best if he has a more fashionable outfit or you add something to the outfit to make it more fashionable. The most fashionable ones always seem to be the Metro Manilenos. It would be good if there are provinces that are really, really fashionable. Fashion is a really big deal.

What feeling are you trying to invoke when you made him?

Bulacan. Really baduy. This outfit is something I imagined to be in a cheap fantasy project. The upturned collar according to historical events was a trend because it was “preppy”, so okay then I guess since it indicates character. The shirt is really plain and does not catch the eye. It feels like it was cheaply done. The color of mint green or light green used for the shirt does not add to his character. Light green is used to indicate the more positive aspects of green like growth or healing. Quite ironic, since his eyes were turned grey due to fireworks.

The outfit is even worse than Pampanga`s, at least Pampanga`s outfit is something that someone would wear but that is something I don`t see in a traditional outfit or normal clothes.

Others. Bataan`s outfit is also baduy as well as Nueva Ecija. Why do the girls always have to wear traditional clothing? What is Zambales ordinary outfit? He does not dive all day, you know.

CALABARZON:

I have fewer problems with these guys but...does Cavite have to always wear the uniform. I`ve seen him in a different outfit before. I wonder what his signature normal outfit would look like. Laguna wearing a baro`t saya…a classic for Planet Puto women. What does Quezon have that is different from QC? They are pretty similar.

GENERAL CHARACTER DESIGN

Character design is of utmost importance because it can determine first impressions and show personality. What I`m looking for in character design is Personality, Color Scheme, and Symbolism. Personality is displayed by the little details like a business suit to indicate the character`s work-like personality or a suspenders to indicate a person`s old-fashioned/gangsta/a cop/compliments the figure of a muscular body. Colors have multiple symbolisms, blue can indicate dependability but can also give a depressing feeling. Light blue has more positive connotations but dark blue indicates the darker aspects. Little things like the wear the clothes are worn can indicate if someone is a slob or a neat person. Clothing can also indicate the standard of living, fashion style, personal preferences, and attitude. After all, you are what you wear.

Of course, character design is not just clothing it could also be a hairstyle, how the body is built, and stuff like gesture can add a push of characterization. Do they wear their hair in a neat manner or they have long hair? Things like that can indicate the beliefs of the person or attitude. Are they muscular? It might indicate that they workout, part of the military, or some physically demanding work. Are they thin? It could indicate that they don`t eat much, but why? See, that adds more character.

IN SUMMARY:

-BE FASHIONABLE (unless it is part of their character not to)

-MAKE THEM STAND OUT

-ASK “Why would they wear this?”

-COLOR IS IMPORTANT (research their meanings)

-COLOR SCHEME IS ALSO IMPORTANT (make it still look good, unless it is part of the character to clash)

Optional:

-Give each character a signature color that fits their personality

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Thank you for listening to my character design and characterization criticism. The lore is really difficult to get into. The only lore I can theorize perhaps is the Yandere!Adam with his eyes. That is basically it. I want to know where personifications come from, how immortal are they, and their origins. How was Emilio made? Did he have parents? Or he just appeared into existence? How are Elena and Emilio twins? How are they related to Mindanao, Visayas, and Luzon? You know, questions like that.

I`m sorry if I was offensive or anything. I really mean the best.”

#planetputo emildaphilz criticism tips

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sudsybear · 7 years

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Just Drive

We were left to ourselves most of that summer. We both worked, as did our parents. Dad was gone for weeks at a time. He worked in Phoenix, coming home only on weekends. Mom had earned her diploma, but still had to study for her state nursing exam. She was also busy monitoring my grandmother who had health problems and was in and out of the hospital. Mom also started a new job, and was going through orientation – full-time employment for several weeks. Toss in that I was a youngest child and the whole active parenting thing had gone by the wayside.

Ross’ parents both worked – his mom had taken a position at a greeting card company and was busy with a stuffed animal project. His dad was a devoted P&Ger. (All hail the soap works.) Ross was nineteen and had already been away from home for over a year. He hardly needed supervision.

We mostly abandoned the few friends who were around. Many of Ross’ contemporaries stayed away for summer internships, jobs, or traveled abroad. Over the school year, I’d fallen out with many of my friends. David was busy with a new round of people. Christopher’s and my friendship disintegrated the previous fall. Julie worked two jobs, desperately trying to save enough money for tuition. Erin was doing the same. Valli was madly in love with Jerry, a guy she met through her Young Life activities, and she worked full-time as a lifeguard, so she wasn’t around much. Shari left for her last summer of camp – this time as a counselor. Anna spent her summer abroad, Victor was required to attend summer Reserve training and broke his leg. He’ll deny it to the end of his days, but he spent his summer smoking pot on a neighbor’s back deck.

I literally lived at the J’s' for days at a time. I stopped by their house between baby-sitting jobs, entered through the unlocked garage/basement, left messages on the white-board in the breakfast nook and went on with my business. We slept in Ross' long twin bed and I fought with those damn high countertops in the kitchen. (Side note: Ross’ family is very tall – his mother is 5’11” if she isn’t 6’ tall. His dad is at least 6’2.” “Little” brother Scott topped out at 6’5 at least.) At some point in the late 70s or early 80s, they remodeled their kitchen and chose to have the countertops installed a few inches higher than is the industry standard. I am 5’4” tall. I could not reach the cabinets, and working at the counter was awkward. Ross found a step stool for me to use while I was there. Had we been ten years older, you could describe us as having moved in together. But we weren’t ten years older. We were teenagers, just seventeen and nineteen. We lacked experience to draw upon, and the confidence that comes with it.

Ross’ bedroom in his parents’ house was our haven. The stereo and speakers (all four of them), the albums and computers - all were strewn with laundry - clean shirts and dirty socks. Soldering tools, wires, pliers, and desk lamps were scattered over the “desk.” I never saw an actual work surface - it was littered with computer pieces; motherboards, hard drives, video boards. This masculine clutter was familiar. My father’s workshop at home, and my brother’s room before he left. To me, it was a very comfortable place…full of warmth. The door to Scott's room was open often enough to hear Scott playing guitar and to talk and chat and visit. We spent hours together there. Chaka Khan, Pat Metheny, Phil Collins, Joe Jackson, and Neil Diamond (his mom never seemed to mind when he cranked Neil Diamond or Phil Collins) were just some of the musical favorites that summer. I can still see him playing air guitar with a particularly fun riff from some album or the other. (These were vinyl albums – Ross was saving his money to buy a CD-player and a replacement for the guitar he’d destroyed in the Corral Show some two years previous. CDs were still new and the packaging was controversial – sold in the long cardboard boxes with plastic overwrap. In the mid-90s I got irritated with the lack of space in our basement, and convinced my husband to finally dispose of his collection of long-boxes from his own mid-80s CD purchases.)

We spent evenings in the TV room watching his dad flick through the thirty or so TV channels that were available when cable was new. We had been away from adult supervision for too long, so we settled into the couch in front of the television to make nice with the ‘rents. My head snuggled up under Ross' arm. Ross tried to make idle small talk with his dad - attempting to smooth the relationship. It used to drive me nuts the way his dad would flip, flip, flip through umpteen channels and seemingly watch four shows at the same time. What's sad is I do that today. Give me the remote control, and I flip, flip, flip and watch 3-4 shows at the same time. Damn commercials.

The TV room was just that – a TV room. Not a “family room” like so many homes have today, but a TV room. In years past the room had probably been a sunroom, a sitting room, perhaps an office. It was on the west side of the house, so in the late afternoon, you’d have to close the blinds against the glare of the sun in order to see the TV. The opening to the room was off the living room. A formal living room with couches, a curio cabinet and the grand piano. No doorway, no formal archway, just a large open space in the wall between the living room and TV room. The room was long and narrow and ran the length of the house. At one end was the couch, placed under the windows facing the television. And at the other end was a table and built-in shelves that held the fish tanks, the hermit crab and the encyclopedia set. There was no room to do much of anything else.

Late one night, after the eleven o’clock news, we watched C.H.U.D. (Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers) on cable. While the rest of the family slept upstairs, we curled up on the couch and stared at the blue flickering screen. The TV set provided the only light on in the house. I covered my eyes and squealed at the gruesome parts. I was fascinated and terrified at the same time. I’m not good with horror flicks – even bad ones. After the movie, Ross walked me out to my car, I got in, and to avoid waking his parents, he pushed it out of the driveway. I coasted down the street, popped the clutch and drove home. Ross taught me that particular bit of street knowledge, how to start a car by popping the clutch. Useful only if you’re driving an old-fashioned standard transmission.

Some nights we just drove. We put hundreds of miles on various vehicles - the VW Rabbit (1981 gray, two-door, hatchback - diesel, cloth seats) has especially pungent memories. We knew of only two or three gas stations in the county that supplied diesel, so invariably we drove to one of them to fill up the tank. The VW Vanagon and the Oldsmobile Station Wagon (with maroon vinyl seats and the compass on the front dash) were also driven more than once. We talked about our dreams, our insecurities, our parents, gossiped about what so and so was doing, and played the game of “identify the vehicle by the headlights”; Hondas versus Datsuns versus Fords, versus Chryslers – throw in an exotic Volvo or Saab. I never quite got the knack of that one. He was so disappointed when I mis-identified a vehicle. To this day, I can drive in reverse pretty well. For whatever reason, I had lots of practice. On a whim, Ross might decide to drive home from somewhere in reverse, just for the hell of it. He backed around parking lots, he backed down long driveways, he backed down the street. And believe it or not, I really think we always wore our seatbelts.

We spent the Fourth of July holiday together. In the morning I stood by the side of the road and watched the parade (Dad was involved because of council, mom was with the ambulance crew) then stopped at Moreno’s for lunch and volleyball. Finally, Ross and I spent the late afternoon in his bedroom. His parents were out with their own friends, Scott was gone, so Ross and I were contentedly alone. We spent the hours spooned on his bed, listening to music, enjoying uninterrupted togetherness. We were supposed to go to the town fireworks display at the high school athletic field, but never made it. We watched a few fireworks from the window, then fell back to bed and fell asleep. I got home to my own bed in my parents house sometime in the early morning hours of the fifth. And we both had to work the next morning.

* * *

Ross was very close with his brother. Though only 2 ½ years apart in age, due to the quirks of the school system they were three years apart in school. Even so, they shared everything. They read the same books, swapped albums, music, they played in the same band together. Ross passed on snippets of wisdom for dealing with teachers and peers. In one of his letters from Wooster, Ross had encouraged me to introduce myself to Scott, concerned for his younger brother’s well-being. A few weeks into the summer, Ross realized his little brother Scott had a crush on me. It stands to reason - I had first fooled around with his best buddy Mark and then was a constant presence not just in his home, but in his brother's bedroom, an open door away. He must have caught us more than once in various states of undress. (I never did understand that floor plan, why was there a door between Scott's and Ross' bedrooms?)

I felt a fondness toward Scott myself. He was my friend as well as Ross’ brother and we had enjoyed our own friendship and escapades before Ross came home. Aside from Scrabble games at Corral, Mark, Scott, Igor and their buddy Jon had the brilliant idea to make their very own episode of Star Trek. Jon had a ton of video equipment. Igor put together a set in his basement, and Scott, Mark, and Igor’s little brother Alex were recruited as actors. Mark starred as the Captain, Scott played Spock, Alex and Igor posed as the science officers, and they needed a girl to play “Lieutenant U-whor-a.” Whether I was doing a favor for Igor or Mark, or both, they managed to get me to agree in a weak moment. Jon was the director/cameraman, and we made up dialogue as we went along.

My character, as you might surmise from the character’s name, was the spaceship harlot. My scenes involved sitting in the captain’s lap (Mark), attempting sexual distraction; sitting in my chair at the communications center, showing off my legs whilst making obscene gestures; and rattling off one-liners like, “Why jack-off when you can have me for free?” Some “sweet’n’innocent” stuff, eh?

It took several days of filming in Moreno’s basement, and I couldn’t be there for all the filming days. I filmed the first day, and then was busy with other activities. My absence led to some creative explanations as to why U-Whor-A was absent from the bridge, including AIDS, Toxic Shock Syndrome, and other female ails resulting from monthly cycles. Igor and Alex’s dad got fed up with the “set” in the basement. He declared a deadline by which the crap had to be cleaned up. The guys begged me to return so they could finish the film.

Over the summer Jon and Scott edited the thing and roped Ross into designing credits for them. I didn’t see the finished product until years later. It is a rare masterpiece that someday I’ll have to explain to my children. I don’t look forward to the discussion with my children; explaining it to my husband was embarrassing enough.

And yet with all of that, I was Ross’ girl. So in deference to Scott’s feelings, Ross and I made a conscious effort to monitor our behavior. It just so happened those were the same weeks our parents had been coming down hard on us to behave ourselves. I suppose we had gotten a bit out of control, and needed to pull back and exercise proper decorum.

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