Mauricio writes...
Story 89 - Rounding Out Nick Nope (Part Two)
Mauricio writes...
Story 89 - Rounding Out Nick Nope (Part Two)
In Part I of this story, Mauricio describes how he fills out the personalities of the characters he creates based on his children..
My son Mauricio, who is Nick Nope in the comics, also has, like his brother Mauro, more real-life details to "contribute" to the character. He loves sports, plays soccer and loves to be the goalie, making spectacular saves like falling to the ground and rolling with the ball in his arms -- and sometimes ending up with various scratches and bruises.
If we let him, he'll spend all his time on the computer, talking with friends and building houses and mansions using a program called Active World. There, he's no longer a child; he's a citizen, with responsibilities as well as freedom of action. He has a virtual name and talks with other people, both male and female, as an equal. It's his moment of independence and training to be an adult.
My namesake also likes to wear unusual combinations of clothes that result in strange-looking getups. He prefers dark colors but with contrasting touches, and goes out wearing a cap and sunglasses as accessories.
He makes friends easily but expects them to do their best, not only in soccer but also in other activities. For example, he recently refused to be part of a group of flute players at school, saying that he would be very embarrassed to play with them in a recital because they play so off-key. And speaking of music, he also studies at the music school with Mauro. He stays on key, learns easily and can play sets with his brother. This can be explored in the comics since they're brothers there, too.
As for food, although they're brothers, Mauro goes for Brazilian cooking and Mauricio prefers oriental dishes. Sometimes I try to convince Mauro that he should stop eating junk food and snacks all the time. Meanwhile, Mauricio would rather have salads and fish dishes at mealtime.
Perhaps we could bring this into the comics, suggesting and hinting at healthy eating habits. For information, I recommend that the storywriters read the "Happy Heart" article by our Cultural Institute, especially the tips on food and exercise.
Going back to Mauro and Mauricio as models for the Nimbus and Nick Nope characters, both boys have a huge number of little cars they use in creative play such as arranging big traffic jams (which, in fact, they see every day in the city) with objects, books and boxes as roads, obstacles and buildings as they construct their virtual cities. With their mouths they imitate (like all children do) the sounds of motors, smash-ups, tires screeching and other such noises.
When they tire of the cars, they go and get toy rockets, monster figures and spaceships and start space combat full of screeches, whistles and strange sounds as they hold the rockets and run through the house chasing after aliens from outer space.
May 15, 1998
Mauricio de Sousa
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