CHARACTERIZATION EXERCISE #1: BEE/JENNIE BY, (c)2010 J. AYERS BEE: Characterization is important when writing a book or drawing a comic. Isn't that right, Jennie? JENNIE: Yep. I guess that's an important aspect to character design. BEE: It damn fuckin' better. Besides, take a look at me, girl. Now, what do you see when you look at me? JENNIE (turns around, stares at Bee for about a good minute): Hmmmm... well, I see a lavender-haired, tan, huge-breasted, overly grabby know-it-all bitch who waltzed back into town after five years to corrupt the high school kids in the guise as a history teacher. Now, you do the same exercise for me. BEE: Alright... (turns, stares at Jennie for about the same length of time): Y'know what I see...? I see a brunette, boring, flat-chested workaholic who tries to be my "voice of reason"... and though she questions my friendship on a near-regular basis, she has undying loyalty towards me... and um, despite having a boyfriend she actually have the hots for me and my girls. JENNIE: Bee... that's... um, enough. BEE: Alright, fine... killjoy. (clears throat) Now, what follows is a scene with Jennie and me. Let's see... what should the setting be? JENNIE: How about... a school night? You're trying to make up a lesson plan. BEE: Hmmm... perhaps, but I dunno. That seems so boring. How about... well... let's see how it goes. -------------------- (It's nighttime... oh, about 6PM. Bee walks in the door, carriying her briefcase of lesson plans and papers. Jennie is on the couch, watching TV) JENNIE: How was school today, Bee? BEE: Fine, I guess. Had to teach and all that. It's long, but that's what I have to do. JENNIE: I had a hard day at work, too. Had to fill out all sorts of forms. BEE: Peh, aren't we lucky. You get to fill out forms. I had to deal with high schoolers. JENNIE: Bee, it's not so bad after a while. Just watch out for those bad kids. BEE: Jennie, I'm a high school teacher now. I'm three weeks into the school year. EVERY kid is a bad kid... JENNIE: Bee, it's not nice to overgeneralize. Besides, look at you. You're Bee Bryant! You have the body of a porn star, and despite claims to have changed you're still a flirt. BEE: I've always been that way, Jennie. I went too far with it, pissed people off, and had to leave town because of it. I do not need you reminding me of my failures. Besides, if it helps me teach effectively, so be it. JENNIE: Oh? BEE: Well, think about it. I replaced that crusty old battleax Ms. Abernathy. She was teaching History since the... the... um, when was Twilight City founded? JENNIE: 1873. BEE: She was teaching History since 1843, thirty years before THAT, so she was pretty fuckin' old. So, they have a damn attractive teacher come in, and I'm going to play that up. Besides, they don't want to disappoint a teacher they wish they could sleep with, could they? JENNIE: ... BEE: I'm not doing anything like that, now. It's just that they seem to be working harder in class becuase I'm there... (quickly) andthati'mgivingincentives... JENNIE: I KNEW IT! BEE: What? JENNIE: Incentives! I can only assume you'll get in trouble over them. BEE: No, no... Here's what I did: I showed them a picture of me in a very revealing bikini, but only for five seconds. I then said, "See that, kids? That's your teacher, ME, in something... appealing, something to stick in your hormone-fueled minds. Now, listen up! I will award this ONE picture to the person who has the highest grade in all the classes I teach... and if there are ties, I'll hold a History Bee at the end of the year. So do your best, but do it not for me, and not for the picture of me near-naked, but for YOURSELVES, m'kay?" JENNIE: That does sound like something you would you do. But you don't get children to learn by bribing them. You have to TEACH them as well. BEE: That's what I'm doing. Besides, I never really did that. I don't want to set the kids up for a big failure later on. JENNIE: Ah. I thought you had me going there. BEE: That's what the old Bee would do: bribe people to do better. Now, I'm just another teacher there... but I do have the advantage of being at least 25 years younger than all the other ones there. JENNIE: Yeah... that's tenure for you. BEE: I know. And it's even creepier that I'm working alongside the same teachers that were our teachers. JENNIE: So, it's less weird to hear the pervy comments now that you're a teacher. BEE: Yeah, pretty much. (under breath) ...tenured pervs. JENNIE: Well, I'll leave you to your work. BEE (walks to her room): Alright. I have a big day tomorrow, so I have to write up a test for that. JENNIE: And don't forget: since you're under my roof now, you will have to do the cleaning, and that includes the dishes. BEE: *sigh...* Understood... -------------------- BEE: Alright. That's the end of that! JENNIE: How did we do? I hope we did well, because let's face it... MD's characters need a LOT of work. BEE: That sounds like something I would say, Jennifer. JENNIE: Yeah. And what's with you calling me "Jennifer"? BEE: That is your name, isn't it? Whenever I'm mad at you for some reason I call you by your full name... Jennifer Marie Hedrick. JENNIE: ... END!