Among the many delays, Fashion Week, which once seemed close, is now, between work and the many tasks he had to fulfill in recent days, such as investing in eight ventures. The day and a half with Alice was just a brief respite. The couple looked elegant together, and Julie Delpie's impression could only be reserved perhaps for a more private conversation.
Billy continued in an almost morning routine of how to fit his life into all the chores and fulfill his social life facets; fatigue was starting to accumulate. Only the idea of finishing recording and having a vacation, a day where he wouldn't have to force himself into a suit or rush for a good performance, a business report, or a drawing that had a deadline to meet. According to statistics, comic sales are necessary for the monthly sustainability of the company because they are one of the mainstays of the business, along with the adjacent sales of video games and marketing. But comics are the income used for the company's maintenance. The hit with The Lion King has left a mark; however, it is preferable to wait a few months until Luxtoons' TV series can attest to its establishment in the field of cartoons because the cost that had to be paid to cable companies to be included in the package was an annual payment of $36,000, not much, but that added to the channel's position near the animated channels, another $36,000, along with advertising for a new channel. The bill added up to a series of expenses, not very large but consuming precious resources; the $36,000 payment was the largest, some like cable companies only present in states was $9,000, and of course, the exception of Warner TV, which charged an extra fee, $40,000.
Why is it expensive? Because this payment was made five times on national platforms, including Canada, three times on a state basis, in some states where the presence of other companies was more visible and present. Finally, twice on an international basis, adding some extra countries, in terms of dubbing, which also cost a lot of money, but the global launch, although aggressive and costly, was necessary; it would unify not only the Lux animation logo (its representative letters, with a modern and dark city. also, the background, classic from Pixar and its little lamp) the name, the trademark, and its emblem were a strong point; he just wanted to explain one thing when people looked at these logos.
Extraordinary! Unparalleled! Every TV show must have that logo, which would be a seal of quality. If that logo appeared on a program, it was because it was good. And since Yuyu Hakushu began to carry out this activity, after all, the only requirement Billy considered demanding with Warner was the quality of animation; it had to be perfect.
Billy drank a coffee while Alice slept. The girl had the habit of hugging while sleeping, whether it was Billy, a pillow, or a stuffed animal, she clung to that object and only let go in the morning when she was about to wake up.
He took the volume of One Piece to redesign a story with unraveled complexities, for example, the appearance of Buggy in episode number 1, along with a younger Shanks and some other great characters hidden between the lines, which were only added much later.
Now, in episode 29 of the series, it's Luffy's arrival in Usopp's village. Some events were organized more practically; Billy ground the scenes in different settings over and over again to perfect each delivery, organizing from the beginning to the end of the series. Battles were polished, secondary character introductions were refined, and the use of filler characters was expanded a bit more to give them more nuances and shades of life so that Luffy's personality contrasted with some marines, giving them identities, expanding the politics of the East Blue, and portraying Smoker from the beginning as a captain who brought order.
He modified the infrastructure of each island so that each island had its own infrastructure; the one used for Usopp's Village was rural, so he used the American model of cabins with barns and farm animals, much more present, incipient, but changes that gave incredible aspects to the story.
-Honey, why are you awake so early? Come here, - Alice said, with her hair tousled from the bed. Alice wasn't lying; it was 7 am, and he had been awake for almost three hours.
-I'm sketching some ideas I had in mind. Plus, I slept very well; I feel refreshed, - Billy said, painting the scenes, which were sculpted with great detail, arranging the speech bubbles differently without taking up too much space; the comic has larger pages, and this is both a blessing and a curse when it comes to carrying out the artistic project.
Alice got up from bed, looked at the drawings, and overlooked that they were from a Lux comics series. She ignored it since she wasn't a comic fan; she just kissed Billy on the cheek and went to the bathroom for a long hot shower.
-I'll have to leave in an hour, but you can host Julie. We'll see each other at lunch. We'll go to the burger joint; I want to check the status of one of the locations. I haven't visited the establishment since last year. You can use the truck to get around; fill up the tank, you don't have to worry, - Billy said.
No response. - Darling, are you listening? - he said a bit louder.
-Yes! Host, see you at lunch, - Alice said.
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Billy's Freelancer Arthur delves deeply into all the compiled stories. He specializes in digging up information and creating reports about people, sending them to all newspapers or gossip articles, and starts to create rumors and unfortunate events that ruin the reputations of the people he investigates. Nothing relevant surfaces. He even tries to look into his paternal family, all good citizens, some squabbles, and people who were against certain attitudes.
There's nothing that could generate a heated public response. The more he digs, the more astonished he becomes. He began his artistic career at the age of 7 in two dramatic theater courses, during vacations and school. He had above-average grades; his teachers praised his intelligence. He skipped ahead two years, one in middle school and one in high school, which gave him a lot of expertise as a student. He had a long list of copyrights under his name, with 24 registered works, starting from the age of 8, uploading stories, most of which were published, tested, or turned into comics, movies, video games, and TV series.
His colleagues, producers, and cast members didn't provide much information. They all had secrets! The problem was which secret was hiding under the scrutiny of his hunt. He was rich, very rich, richer than a young man of his age would dream of, but he didn't live in excess. He drove the same car from three years ago, lived in a modest house for his wealth, his purchases were modest, and his life was austere.
There was nothing, absolutely nothing, that could be used to paint a bad picture. He asked around, but the responses were scant. He was an introverted person who didn't share much about his private life. His girlfriend was two years older, studied at Stanford, graduated, and was much loved for her constant donations to research seminars, in technology, the environment, and public health.
-Speak, Arthur. Gentlemen, I found nothing relevant. On the other hand, if you wish to nominate him for the next Mr. America, I'll provide the information. I have a complete report on all public information, interviews, and some more private details. However, we can start small rumors, difficult to refute. Starting a quick campaign, maybe in three to four years, it could be used against him, - Arthur said on the phone.
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