745. Unlucky: to be a cheerleader.
April 2.
Since 1996, they had stopped watching people as if the world itself were a matter of luck, and for Lux Nation, those madmen saw reality in frames, moving for months through doors while everyone wanted to play a game. No one wanted to do the bare minimum. Work was a dream. Work was more than a way of life—it was judgment itself—because for months and years they all shared a single dream: to do something better than Billy. But it was almost impossible, and watching him speak, watching the way he worked on a film, left them trailing behind him.
-You may not want to do the bare minimum. But I want a better series,- commented Cris Agamoto, a 24-year-old who worked eighty hours a week. They were Billy’s productive force, and for months, she had been almost like a flower, passing by again and again without pause. Because even with thousands of films in motion, being handsome and having a beautiful face, his true fans were the creators—the ones who valued his work beyond the young man and his money, the ones who truly loved him. Those who truly loved Billy were the animators, the screenwriters, people from the comic world, composers, and directors. That small niche of people who loved with total devotion every part of the process, without denying that Billy was a god to them, was all they saw.
-This company has generated thousands of opportunities for everyone; it has created opportunities for fifteen people in six years, for animators, twenty for writers, thirteen for illustrators, and twelve for directors. That’s thousands of times more than anywhere else,- Cris Agamoto replied.
For months now, people had no idea what to do.
-It may be difficult,- Alex Hunter replied.
-It is difficult,- Cris answered. -But it stops being so difficult when there are many of us; we can share the credit and make every single thing we do worthwhile. I’m good at characters and fight movement; I do landscapes. But you’re a genius when it comes to writing scripts, making people integrate into the social world, and you’re sharp at making it feel believable. And when you do it, it makes me want to see what we create.-
-It’s a bribe,- Alex Hunter commented, looking at the bulletin board, something that evoked cinema, with white letters on a black background that gleamed.
- A Lot of Fighting. (released)
- SpongeBob SquarePants. (released)
- Generational Detectives, written by Agatha Quentin.
- Shaman King. (production)
- One Piece. (production)
- The Fairly OddParents.
- Danny Phantom.
- Dora the Explorer.
- The Frandren Family.
- Beyblade.
-No one wants anything different,- Alex replied.
-We have a lot of competition, and it may hurt to hear it—I’ve felt it for months. But in this company, now there’s no limit to the number of series; if you do good work, they can add you to thirteen a year,- Cris commented, knowing how hard it was to be part of it, how important it was to meet Billy’s eyes. For example, One Piece had been beside him for months, a battle fought by Billy himself, and being part of it was all he wanted.
-That would be crazy,- Alex replied.
-How many hours did you bill this week?- Cris asked.
-82 hours.-
-That’s almost twenty-six dollars an hour, damn it; that’s two thousand a week,- Cris replied.
Maybe it was a boiling pot, maybe it was a fleeting moment. Anne caused everyone to fall silent, instantly ranking who mattered less. But Anne was the chosen one, and everyone stood beneath her spotlight, every breath taken within an abrupt strike zone.
-The boss of bosses,- Cris whispered, returning to work. He had to be efficient, or they would force him to work eight hours a week—and a week was either nothing or everything, an ironic minimum that mocked people. It was the faulty process, part of a bold plot of life itself.
…
Anne simply wanted to spend long hours watching the series for this year, at least those about to be launched—five episodes each—and it didn’t bother her; it was her life. And it was her game, because nothing was a happy compromise. Watching five episodes of every project, reflecting ong what people wanted by reflection. She would spend five hours watching animated programs—some twenty-five minutes long, others forty—because it was a long journey when it came to animated series.
-Three series for January,- Anne commented, pulling out her notebook as the leaders nodded. Each was essential, some more than others. Such was the case of Agatha Christie, who did everything herself—wrote, animated, and directed the entire series with a team: twenty-seven episodes about cases unfolding in a grand mansion over two hundred years, from the colonization of America onward. The house was enormous, filled with secret passages, portraits, treasures, and logbooks kept as challenges. With ten generations living there, they uncovered countless fantastic stories. The mansion, now a state orphanage, remained deeply endearing to everyone. It carried a great deal of American history, much of New Orleans’ history, along with physics, astronomy, and a touch of mystery.
-Well then, let’s get to work,- Anne said, knowing that all that remained was to move forward and see what happened.
….
Anna Washington did the same at the children’s production company, a kids’ channel preparing to operate—one moment, one breath, love as a force.
-We need to make cuts,- Rachel whispered, certain. The operation was too broad, and the company didn’t function because of some people’s egos. Billy’s percentage was a safeguard, a force that demanded strengthening by right.
-What do you mean?- Anna asked.
-They’re losing too much money. At Lux Animation, we’d have ten series this year, and here they’re only running one. I think what doesn’t work must be cut—and improved,- Rachel commented, seeing some destined for Lux Films, others for the Discovery Channel, and others simply as parasites.
-That’s scary,- Anna commented, seeing Anne’s reflection in her. Both were very direct and made decisions quickly, like furious manticores devouring everything.
-Some positions either work or they leave,- Anne replied, noting that even with Raimo,n they had greatly improved the cuts and done a lot to optimize operations.
-I see it,- Rachel commented. -How do you see it? We have to dominate all the channels, and when we do, we’ll gain market share from different angles. Right now we have three to four channels, but in the future there will be six to seven.-
One for children, two for teens and older kids, and another for adolescents entering young adulthood with long-form and slightly edgier series. A fifth for adults with animated series and cult films. Another for crude comedy and music. And one final channel dedicated to cinema and the best series.
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