Originally published 12/31/2019.
Be happy...
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“It’s… I just feel like it’ll bring people joy, you know?”
He just doesn’t understand me. I know this will work, but I can’t convince him. No matter what I do…
“Look, reprinting an old show nobody bothered watching on cassettes is a stupid idea. The funding is going to be revoked for us if we do not make a successful product. We are depending on the money, and we cannot let this opportunity go to waste! Do you understand, Marcella?”
This can work. This will work. He just needs to see it.
“Don’t you realize what you’re saying? This will work. Look at what has succeeded! Anything from the 2010s or older is trendy. Doing this would be crossing so many worlds. The special effects of the present, the stories of the old, technology that was once used regularly… I grew up on this show, and I know that as much as you may feel it’s just a niche one, it’s perfect for now. We can take advantage of this historical trend and create a product everybody enjoys and all we’d have to do is reprint what already exists. We even have the rights to the property! We don’t need to make a contract to some other company for permission and we wouldn’t need to make a new IP since we’d be revitalizing an old one. And it’s not like you have better ideas.”
He just needs to listen to me. He needs to listen! This is not just some cash grab idea, this is personal. If it weren’t for that show, I would never have been able to be here. It taught me as a child, and I know it will help others like me.
“Fine. Sure. This better work Marcella, because you’ll be the one cleaning up afterwards if anything goes wrong. Stupid corporate… pairing me with this idiot…”
“It won’t fail.”
He gave the okay. That’s all that matters. I have to do whatever I can to ensure this is a success. I have to.
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The cassettes have been produced now. There wasn’t a very high cost compared to other projects that have been executed in the past since all that was required was mass production of the tapes and the license was already in our hands. If anything, because of that it’ll be one of the most profitable options. It’s just a matter of whether or not it sells.
Some sample copies have been sent to my home inside a box. I’ll look through and check how everything looks. I just need to get through the day… and then I can see them again.
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They ruined everything. They messed it all up. The quality is so poor… the colors are tinted and the labels are the wrong ones… this show taught me so much, it gave me the courage to talk to other people and make friends as a child, it’s helped me when I’ve felt depressed and alone, and this is how I repay it… with several horrible copies that distort everything. They should have gone through the production more carefully. They shouldn’t have managed to let this happen. And I must show a copy to the executives tomorrow in a conference…
And it’s my fault. I chose the company to produce the tapes. And the moment I show the end result, the plug will be pulled. I won’t be given a second chance and they won’t produce more after this. They’ll just sell their remaining tapes or try to get a refund or something else, but the project will still be cancelled. And… I let them all down. All of them. Egly and friends… all of them, let down with my foolish mistake. Maybe somebody will stumble across a tape that was produced and despite the imperfections, actually enjoy it all, but… no, this was a horrible mistake. I’ve failed them.
How perfectly cruel… my one chance which is all thanks to the confidence I gained from watching the show, and I blew it in an attempt to pay tribute for what got me here in the first place. It’s… really… a wonderful world…