Thursday, January 11, 2007

Sorry to keep ya waitin'
Yeah, I know I haven't updated in about two weeks, but now I'm back and I got news for y'all. I've gotten more ideas now for my other manga, Super Spy High, so I dunno which one I'll post on theO. Maybe both if I got enough time over the summer. So, to remind ya of the stories, here's their briefins all over again:

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--FANTASMA CIDADE-- (Literally means "Ghost Town")

Over 250 million "Casa dos Sonhos" lottery tickets were sold, but only three people would win. What was up for grabs wasn't cash, however, but a pricy mansion in sunny Rio de Janeiro. People in the Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, East Timor, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Portugal, São Tomé and Príncipe, and the United States were all praying for this season's dream house. When the final numbers were drawn on January 16, 2007, three older teens were ecstatic when their tickets' numbers were announced as the winners. The winners' names were Vicente Cavalcante, Adriano Baricelli, and Tânia Nakamúra, and they packed their things and jumped on the planes for Rio immediately.
Everything seems fine until weird things begin to happen at night. The oscillating clock on the end table in one of the kids' rooms suddenly begins to spin rapidly and stops just as fast. Blank stares are exchanged (as in the eyes are completely white.) Candles go out without being blown out. Mist enshrouds the house and areas on the outskirts of the city at night. Bulges appear in the walls— in the form of faces!— and wind screams on rainy nights. Apparently, nobody knew that the house is haunted by evil spirits— or the entire big city, for that matter! These spectres seek revenge, causing bad luck and trouble everywhere they go. The kids will have to stop them— but with barely any experience and millions in opposition, the chances of prevailing look slim to none.

I haven't made too many characters yet, still workin' on names for many of them. But here's the main characters:

Vicente Cavalcante— A Portuguese Brazilian-American writer from Boston who never believed in any legends other than "Legends of the Hidden Temple." He speaks Brazilian Portuguese fluently, but is nervous when he has to speak it instead of English. Once he gets over this, however, he stays cool and laid back unless the goin' gets tough. Vicente gets on Adriano's nerves a whole lot of the time, but havin' Tânia there to break things up might be good after all.
Vicente is a creative writer, though his ideas often seem strange and make teachers worry. He is actually a year older than either Adriano or Tânia, but he’ll have to repeat 11th grade because the school years run differently in the U.S. and Brazil and so he’s missed at least 60 days unexcused. Vicente is easily pointed out thanks to his spiked-up blond hair which is usually lined up right down the middle of his head.

Adriano Baricelli— A black Brazilian sports fanatic from Belo Horizonte (Cape Verdean mother and Italian father) who’s also tryin' to invent a new martial arts style. He frustrates easily, which may be his biggest flaw— his aggressive personality rushes him into really bad situations (or just another fight with Vicente.) Vicente and Adriano tend to clash— aggressive Adriano apparently just can’t seem to put up with laid back Vicente. But somewhere deep under those dreads and deep in that head there's a caring side of him, just don't give up lookin' for it. If he doesn't make it to a World Cup-winning soccer team someday, he at least wants to create the best martial art since Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Adriano has a little trouble coming up with a name for his martial arts style, but he soon decides on Arcortando. (That’s “air-slicing,” a reference to the swift roundhouse kicks that’re his best moves.) Vicente and Tânia eventually pick up a few moves too.

Tânia Nakamúra— A Japanese-Brazilian glamour gal from cramped São Paulo who’s just glad to be able to move out of her tiny apartment and into a huge house. She is a slave to fashion— she can't seem to keep a hairstyle for more than three months before she thinks it's gettin' old. Though it looks like plain black hair just a little more than shoulder-length with just one longer lock is enough to please her for now. There's no limit to how many reais she'd spend in one sitting (unless she winds up bankrupt, of course.) Tânia’s glad to be there to help Vicente, a newcomer to Brazil. She’s also the superstitious member of the group and collects tribal masks, thinkin' they would keep evil spirits away. She has a major flaw, however— one pretty face can knock her for a loop, makin' her completely forget what she was talkin' about only a second ago.
Tânia doesn’t hang out with Vicente or Adriano in the halls of the school, however— her two friends there are both girls but almost polar opposites. Short-brown-haired Andréia Russo is quiet and always wishing for something good (maybe a way to get rid of her overweight looks), but curly-blond-haired Gabriela Tozzi does whatever she wants and throws her cigarettes wherever she wants. As always Tânia is the “great bridge” character who has to keep clashing personalities from… well, clashing.

And I've planned to make it like a TV series in that each book represents exactly one episode. For now I'm thinking of making just 40:

Episode 1: Welcome to Dead House
Episode 2: The Masks
Episode 3: Grudge
Episode 4: Hide and Seek
Episode 5: Monster Blood
Episode 6: Pulse
Episode 7: Poltergeist
Episode 8: The Scorpion King
Episode 9: The Mask of the Red Death
Episode 10: Zuleica
Episode 11: Nightmare in the House of Dreams
Episode 12: Scream
Episode 13: Thirteen Ghosts
Episode 14: The Beast Within
Episode 15: The Exorcism of Vicente Cavalcante
Episode 16: Deep Trouble
Episode 17: The Cabinet of Doutor Cabral
Episode 18: The Invisible Teenager
Episode 19: Night of the Flesh-Eaters
Episode 20: Blood and Gold
Episode 21: I Walked with a Zombie
Episode 22: Lost Souls
Episode 23: A Kiss of Shadows
Episode 24: Interview with the Vampire
Episode 25: The Midnight Beauty
Episode 26: Caro
Episode 27: Bag of Bones
Episode 28: The Wolf’s Hour
Episode 29: Servant of the Bones
Episode 30: Pet Cemetery
Episode 31: The Face of Fear
Episode 32: Midnight
Episode 33: All the Rage
Episode 34: The Eyes of the Boi-tata
Episode 35: Misery
Episode 36: The Jewel of Seven Stars
Episode 37: The Language of Fear
Episode 38: Created By…?
Episode 39: Queen of the Damned
Episode 40: The Fall of the House of Nakamúra

Yeah, you got me— with only one or two exeptions they're all named after horror movies or books (but with any names replaces with those of the characters in Fantasma Cidade, of course.)
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--SUPER SPY HIGH--

As its name suggests, it's about students at a boarding school in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean in trainin' to become secret agents. Instead of some classes there’s a rigorous three-year course to train their students to be spies, and everyone who goes to Espionage Island’s gotta take it. The school has two main buildings and four dorm buildings— Connery, Brosnan, Moore and Lazenby.
Over 1200 students from thirty different countries have passed the challenging Super Spy High entrance exam, and they make up the seventh graduating class of Super Spy High. And in a place this huge, anything and everything will go wrong. With action, suspense, drama and skintight leather pants, Super Spy High is not your average boarding school.

And here's a few of the main characters, there'll be more to come:

Tyson “Ty” Avila— The main character in Super Spy High, and by far the most complex. Ty is from Kill Devil Hills, NC and is very close to his "Daddy Billy." On the last day before leaving for Super Spy High, Ty's dad gave him the black down vest that used to belong to him. Now when he wears it, Ty shows a different side of his personality: the tough, southern military side he calls "the Sarge." (Yeah, I based him off me but gave him a different name. Surprise, surprise.) His signature move is the "Sergeant Drill"— he slingshots off the wall and into a dizzyin' midair roll to unleash an unpredictable attack. One tactical maneuver y'all don't wanna be on the wrong side of.

Samantha Anderson— One punk-rocker-in-training you do not wanna mess with. She's best in hand-to-hand combat and was vote "Roughest and Toughest" in the yearbook at her school in Dublin last year. (She don't got no Irish accent, thou.) Her signature move is the "Sonic Boom," which includes a loud battle cry and a drop-kick with all her power.

Ayesha Ali— Samantha's L.A.-born roommate wanna be a hip-hop fashion designer who even make her own clothes. Turns out her best tactical maneuver's disguisin' her and her agents, and now she's workin' on a virtual disguisin' computer. Her signature move is the "Master of Illusion," which makes use of a hologram generator to make a ton of false copies. Ayesha's also got an older brother Montana, in senior year at Super Spy High. (His signature move is the "Krav-Mega," a non-stop attack based on the martial art he been takin' for three years.)


Reina Velazquez— A Latina girl whose life revolves around chance. She's from Boston and her strategy of wingin' it really stands out when she's preparin' for combat. To quote her friend Ty Avila (as his alter ego the Sarge): "She's either braver than a baby in front of a ragin' bull or dumber than a box of rocks." Reina's signature move is the "Wheel of Fortune"— a crazy life-riskin' midair flip that could damage the enemy or really hurt herself. She always announces this move by shoutin': "I'm gonna press my luck!"

Kristian Bennett— One agressive L.A.-native, who demands he be call Kris. Sure he acts real mean, but somewhere DEEP under that touf, gritty skin and bones beats a heart o' gold. His signature move's the "Fist of Fire," a flip attack which ends in a mega-powerful punch (or sometimes a blast from a hidden weapon.)

Sohini Sen— An aspirin' writer from Vancouver, was brought up speakin' both Khmer and English. She's full of imagination— but when it come's to crackin' a case, she always goes right to the unthinkable. Her signature move is the "Whirlin' Fortress"— a rapid spin (and often sliding across a floor) with an active weapon in each hand.

Staci Alvarez— A girl from Orange County who's given a dorm room with Mich Blum. Both are what you'd cal glamour girls— always got new clothes the day they hit the racks. Staci's fluent in Spanish, and her signature move is the "Misteriosa"— really any attack that starts with a fast midair flip.

Michelle "Mich" Blum— Another glamour girl who quickly makes friends with Staci Alvarez. She comes from London, and prefers bein' called Mich. She also has a habit of voting herself leader— a habit her friend Ty Avila don't like. Mich's signature move is the "Full Throttle"— a direct charge attack which transforms into a series of faster and stronger handsprings. Staci and Mich also have a catchphrase— they shout excited in unison: "Let's rock!"
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Well, I guess I'll have to remove the "coming soon" line for Fantasma Cidade in the profile. Now, you guys gotta tell me which one you'd like to hear about and I'll see if that one up quicker. But either way, til next time this is the Sarge relievin' ya. DISMISSED!
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