Introduction
Hi. Hello. Welcome to my fanfic: El Tigre Oscuro. The point of this fanfic is to embrace the fact that this is the first show Nickelodeon has produced so far to introduce Mexico and its culture to the minds of viewers but also give it a wild spin from its OG roots!
I do not own this show! This is owned and created by Jorge Guiterez. I enjoyed the OG show as well as his film, "The Book Of Life", and hope he'll bring back this show ASAP. But as much as I loved the OG show as a kid, as someone in their late 20's, certain parts felt odd and uneasy. Here are some highlights of which I'm concerned:
As a Mexican-American, certain things about the OG show felt awkward. Things like superheroes, futuristic technologies, "Street Fighter" cameos, burritos, punk rock, and gimmicky villains. They sort of make the show look and feel like some cheesy, goofy 80's show complete with a mariachi band. Back then I ignored that for the show's awesomeness, but now that's a level of concern for that part of my brain.
I like Manny Rivera. He's me in some way. But I feel like his choices are a morton's fork. He has to decide whether to be a hero, like his father, or a villain, like his grandfather. And they force that concept on him repeatedly. To make matters worse, his "best-friend", Frida Suarez, who I also enjoy, is as messed up as his parental guardians as she has him do bad things (a.k.a. the "fun way") just to make him learn a lesson. This makes me cringe because I would like it if Manny was given a break from something that wasn't his fault.
This show has no ending! What I meant to say is that this show concluded too fast for others to enjoy it. Even though Spongebob was Nickelodeon's primary money maker, the fact that Mexico exists for Nick is surprising. For a while, every show either had cartoons that were American only characters. No Diversity! For me, El Tigre was the only show I can say: That's me! But when it ended, it left me confused. Why did it end? When is the second season? Why are there more Spongebob episodes and no El Tigre episodes?
Because of that, for 13 years, what began as me thinking of new episodes of the show turned into a gigantic (one season might contain filler) series exploring a revamped version of the OG show. My influences for this fic are: V for Vendetta, Soul Eater, Bleach, Kill la Kill, One Piece, MHA, Gurren Lagann, and Samurai Champloo.
El Tigre Oscuro, is a dark retelling of the OG show in which Manny Rivera, now 16, comes back to Miracle City after a 10 year training adventure, only to find that the town he calls home has changed into a totalitarian, police state divided into 3 gated communities. He meets old and new friends to aid in his plight as he confronts dark pasts and battles several enemies to repair the damage caused by several enemies of the Rivera family. For those who liked the series the way it is, I IMPLORE YOU NOT TO READ THIS FIC! For those who are wondering how much I changed it, remember, this is a fanfic, try not to let your emotions get the better of you!
Here are some characters to highlight what this fanfic will represent:
Manny Rivera (aka El Tigre): Once, a 13 year old with a lineage of heroes and villains stuck with a decision to one or the other. Now he's a pot smoking, ass kicking, 16 year old bisexual with a quest to repair his family lineage and restore the Rivera honor. Manny is arrogant, lustrous, gluttonous and tends to be lazy but he's also fierce, loving, intelligent, and brave when confronted. Manny smokes a certain cannabis strain that quells what the Vampiros calls, "howling terrors", and states the Vampiros create these strains based on what body structure certain humans can withstand.
Food(s) he likes: ramen (tonkotsu and shoyu), caldo de res/mariscos, pizza (Margherita), sushi, sashimi, ceviche, ribeye, dried meat, cecina (salted beef), filet mignon, skirt steak, prime rib, oysters, clams, mussels, salmon, pozole, tamales, memelas, mole poblano, pipian, adobo, tacos (asada, al pastor, suadero, carnitas, lengua, beans and rice guisado), tostadas, tlayudas, paella (valenciana and marinara), fresh fruit, avocado (guacamole or toast), guamuchil, challah, conchas, pot brownies (ate one and wound up in Veracruz on a supercar), pulque, rum, tepache, tequila, sake, coffee, soft drinks, and aguas frescas (coconut, mango, mamey, hibiscus, and watermelon)
Food(s) he dislikes: Liver (makes my tongue "sad"), heart (WTF), kidney (see: heart), horchata (don't know why i liked this as a kid, but too sugary), certain breakfast cereals (see: horchata), almond milk (too chalky)
Frida Suarez: In the OG show, Manny's best friend and sometimes sidekick who likes it when Manny takes the "fun way" in order to solve problems. Here, she's the 15 year old daughter of Evaristo "Eligos" Suarez, Chief of Miracle City Police Force or M.C.P.D. Frida is shy, nervous, easily frightened, and unhappy. She's the middle child of 5 siblings (Anita, Nikita, Delisa, Jessica, Alfonso), all of whom treat her like a ragdoll. In the beginning, she's the "bride" for MC's greatest inventor, Sergio Sinestro, and meant to wed him to gain access to the technology and weapons he invented. After Manny's interference, she becomes important in shaping Miracle City, herself, and Manny in the process. Despite looking like a girl, Frida is actually non-binary but likes being called she/her/they pronouns. She also has gaps in her memory, something she says was the result of a car crash.
Food(s) she/they likes: paella (valenciana and marinara), memela, mole poblano, tacos (suadero, cochinita pibil, carnitas, barbacoa, chorizo, birria), tostadas, bocadillo, pizza (pepperoni), chahan, taiyaki, kimchi, sushi, chicken (fried, grilled, boiled, pipian, adobo, etc), Vampiro special #2, caldo de res/mariscos, squid, tilapia, crab, lobster, oyster, lechon, lumpia, avocado, bagels, donuts, chocolate, chocolate drizzled churros, conchas, manteconchas, challah, coffee, latte, michelada (sometimes; see below), rum, mezcal, sake, pina colada, soft drinks, and aguas frescas (hibiscus, soursop, orange, and mamey)
Food(s) she/they dislikes: sugary churros (churros dunked in WAY too much sugar), bell peppers (too bland), chiles en nogada (WAY too expensive; fruit w/meat inside of peppers? No thanks!), michelada (sometimes; once I drank one in a party and found myself in Durango with nothing but my panties), gazpacho (reminds me of my father), sashimi (oysters are enough for me)
Django: Formerly "of the dead", he cast aside that title upon coming to the fact that the monster who he called "nana" was not related to him. Now going by the title "D of the Dead", Django wants people to give him a second chance despite the terrors his "nana" caused. Despite his youthful exterior, Django has no idea how old he is. He's probably 17. Either way, he's a sarcastic, charming, hot-headed asexual antihero who, armed with guns, has become one of Mexico's infamous bounty hunters. If someone iffy bothers you, he's the guy who'll do it…for a price! Manny has been his enemy from the OG show, but here they're complex pals. On one hand, Django wants Manny to forgive him for his misdeeds as Sartana's grandson, but on the other hand they have "unwanted feelings" to deal with, such as their relationship. Despite his asexuality, Django and Manny dated for a while, until (as Manny puts it) things got "weird in bed". He sees Frida, at first, as a threat but tries to warm up relations despite her father placing a 325 million peso bounty on him.
Food(s) he likes: bone marrow, milk, ice cream (vanilla, chocolate, strawberry), sherbert, pan de muerto, sugar skulls, rum, whiskey, sake, edamame, guamuchil, donuts, popcorn, challah, fried chicken wings (bones and all), pipian, adobo, mole poblano, buche, tripa, cesos, burgers (exception; see below), fries, and sausages
Food(s) he dislikes: beef (raw or cooked; except burgers, tripa, buche and cesos), powdered milk (not the real thing), popsicles (skull freeze; think brain freeze but no brain), white fish (too bland), hotdogs (reminds me of a certain someone), slushy drinks (see skull freeze), pot brownies (ate one in a dare by Manny and somehow I wound up in Michoacan with an ice cream cone and 2 lotto tickets; I won 600 pesos btw), and jawbreakers (I need my teeth)
I could include more but this will be enough, you know, no spoilers!
Enjoy the show and leave a comment on my progress.
Thanks!