bad-moon--rising

[bad-moon--rising]

That was decidedly more than Lucky had been hoping for, and he was very careful to keep his expression mostly neutral, but he couldn't help just a little bit of excitement at how surprisingly simple the solution was. He was trying to reason around ways to convince Mr. Godfrey that this was something they needed to do, that it was something that they could do and still not lose what the cinema was, but once again, like with so many things, solutions only really needed to be found when there wasn't enough money to fix them quickly.

And people like the ones that Ms. Forrester worked with probably had more money than they knew what to do with. Lucky didn't feel great about that, he didn't really like just having things handed to him, so he had to remind himself that this had nothing to do with him, it was something for the cinema and his pride and view on the matter were all willing good but it was a chance that might not come again. If he didn't take it then would the cinema suffer for it?

Mr. Godfrey had told him to handle the situation, to decide what was best. And he knew this was the older man trying to extend some faith in him, he just hoped is instincts were right on this one.

"Th'cinema isn't flashy, think most folks can tell tha from th' minute they walk in here. Don't think big Hollywood parties are what most folks expect here." Lucky admitted, although he didn't say it as though it were a negative thing. "I've worked with folks like tha' before, not here, different life," he chuckled, because honestly it has begun to feel that way, the band, that history; something that still belongs to him but not the way what he had been building in that town felt like it did. "I know there's a lot of hoops t'jump through, an everybody's gonna have a lot of opinions. I think that so long as they're willing t'respect Mr. Godfrey's wishes, an th'cinema, things will be just fine."

More than fine, he hoped, he didn't want big changes to ruin that place either, but he couldn't help but think of things like the Twitter conversations and people wanting to come to the cinema but feeling like there wasn't anything there for them; small changes might have been what was needed.

"I think we can work this out just fine Ms. Forrester," he agreed, "from our side tha's a go ahead to start talkin' t'your people an let us know wha they have in mind."

@little-superstar-penny

A lot of it was considered eccentric anymore, he knew that most people that came to the cinema came because they wanted a date night that was cute and aesthetic, and sometimes that was what the staff had to lean into because if nobody came out the cinema wouldn't be there. But they were just as many people who really appreciated the life that old building still had in its walls.

"M'not gonna to be anything but honest with you Ms. Forester, this place has been 'round longer than I'ave an represents a lotta things tha none of us would ever want t'see lost." Lucky nodded, not sure how true the words sounded to someone who was a part of Hollywood because he had been a part of the music industry so very briefly himself and it was a different world when big companies got involved. "But we don't have'ta give it all away t'keep some of it. I think if we can have yee event here it's a good chance for th'cinema t'stay what it is but still reach more folks."

He hoped this particular leap of faith was going to be the right one. Just let him make the right choice once, if he was only going to get one time out of all the things that he messed up it needed to be this time.

"Ya let me know when yer production team folks sort out wha they can do an I'll handle it from this side best I can. Tha projector is gonna be our biggest problem in gettin' it, so if they have any solutions on tha side I'll be happy t'hear em." Lucky was holding out for the best case scenario that maybe people with connections in that area would know how to get that machine without the high price tag it came with new. "On our side a'things I already know our projectionist is trained in these newer machines an we can have things up an runnin' quick, once we know what we're working with."

@little-superstar-penny

[bad-moon--rising]

Task 7 — Business Savvy Thread: Plot a thread that takes place in one of Swynlake’s businesses with a mun that you don’t currently have a thread with.

Collateral Damage || Rille

One more problem to deal with. And he expected Ms. Forrester to get back in touch with him any day, it wasn't really like he could ignore the fact that one of the outer doors of the theater was still boarded up. Thankfully it didn't affect business since there were still five other ones in the front section of the building but Lucky figured it was the sort of thing better take care of quickly. Ordering the parts, including the replacement door, had been well and good but he didn't have the tools to do the work.

It was time to call in someone with more experience, and Mr. Godfrey had informed him that he'd gotten in contact with a handyman that worked around town.

So that was that, Lucky assumed, because Mr. Godfrey had been in town a lot longer than himself and would know who the right sort of people for that job were. And all Lucky really had to do was wait around for him to show up, everybody else in the cinema was gone because the day had ended early.

"Just a sec," he called from behind the ticket counter in the small booth between the outer and the main lobbies of the cinema, closing up the ticket printer and putting it back under the shelf where it belonged before he stepped out through the door that opened into the main lobby and circled around to head back into the space with the glass doors surrounding it.

"Sorry 'bout tha," he wiped the stray ink from his palms to his jeans and looked, well, up, at the tall fella who had walked through the outer doors.

Oh, well, it certainly looked like he could hang a heavy glass door pretty easily. That was encouraging.

"Ya must be Mr. Riley?" He ventured, starting to offer his hand but he made a motion towards the traces of ink still staining it, "might not want to do that, oops. M'Lucky; Mr. Godfrey told ya I'd be th'one 'round today m'guessin, you're th'fella here t'work on th'door?"

@ralph-wreckin-reilly

[bad-moon--rising]

Task 1 — Visual Poem: A visual poem! You can make these in Canva, draw them, or format them in a doc (and screenshot).

Pages from Nye's journal.

Poem used is excerpts from The Goblin Market by Christina Rossetti

[bad-moon--rising]

A lot of it was considered eccentric anymore, he knew that most people that came to the cinema came because they wanted a date night that was cute and aesthetic, and sometimes that was what the staff had to lean into because if nobody came out the cinema wouldn't be there. But they were just as many people who really appreciated the life that old building still had in its walls.

"M'not gonna to be anything but honest with you Ms. Forester, this place has been 'round longer than I'ave an represents a lotta things tha none of us would ever want t'see lost." Lucky nodded, not sure how true the words sounded to someone who was a part of Hollywood because he had been a part of the music industry so very briefly himself and it was a different world when big companies got involved. "But we don't have'ta give it all away t'keep some of it. I think if we can have yee event here it's a good chance for th'cinema t'stay what it is but still reach more folks."

He hoped this particular leap of faith was going to be the right one. Just let him make the right choice once, if he was only going to get one time out of all the things that he messed up it needed to be this time.

"Ya let me know when yer production team folks sort out wha they can do an I'll handle it from this side best I can. Tha projector is gonna be our biggest problem in gettin' it, so if they have any solutions on tha side I'll be happy t'hear em." Lucky was holding out for the best case scenario that maybe people with connections in that area would know how to get that machine without the high price tag it came with new. "On our side a'things I already know our projectionist is trained in these newer machines an we can have things up an runnin' quick, once we know what we're working with."

@little-superstar-penny

Ah, okay, okay.

That... could be an issue. But Penny's wheels were already spinning on how to solve it. She didn't want to stampede in here and take away what made the Swynlake Cinema special, of course. She loved the historical elements and it was rare to find a place that still used film instead of digital. Penny herself didn't have any real experience with those technical aspects-- she was a Gen Z, so it all seemed pretty old to her. But in theory, she knew it was special. It deserved to be preserved.

...at the same time though, if she could modernize the theater juuuust a little to help her own cause...

"Ah, I see! Well-- I'm sure one room is fine," said Penny, though she really shouldn't say that.

She'd just insist to Clark it was fine. Lol!

"And if there's anything we can help with, or even, that I can help with--" Penny did have her own money if the production team wasn't into it-- "then let me know! I just think the premiere makes sense here. It will make the entire thing more special!"

And then I won't have to fly off to LA or London....

@bad-moon--rising

[bad-moon--rising]

Task 4 — Instagram Stories: Post five IG stories from a single day of your character’s life. This can be photos of their activities and their friends, but also memes, news, funny videos, and other types of posts!

Featuring: Lucky, Adaline, Nye's pet toad, @goodeveningjasper & @scampcomehome and told from the PoV of our cinema fairy.

[bad-moon--rising]

Task 9 — Background NPC: Write about a moment of your character’s life from the perspective of an NPC character.

Missing You Like an Old Love Song || Lucky & West

[bad-moon--rising]

"Not for lack of wantin't, but Pepper an' I still don't spend as much time t'gether as we used'ta. Bein' solitary for a few years, still a habit I haven't shaken yet I guess." It was an awkward sort of honest, since the main reason he didn't spend the full moons with his sister was because he was pretty sure she didn't want him to, but family business wasn't really part of the question so he left it at that.

She probably would have taken the suggestion as him trying to keep an eye on her, and Pepper didn't appreciate that much, he still hadn't yet proven he wasn't going to just leave her behind again by her opinion.

"Wish I could tell ya what happened, make it easier on th' wolves because folks opinions aren't th' kindest in some cases. Don't think any of us are enjoyin' tha. But I can't tell ya wha' happened when I don't rightfully know m'self." Lucky added, because even in the things that he knew were possible he only had speculation, and speculation could be dangerous so it wasn't something to share.

@trackedbymaximus

My, What a Deep Voice You Have || Horseshoe

[bad-moon--rising]

"Th' cinema isn't quite tha' old," Lucky chuckled, but the enthusiasm was something he appreciated; that was exactly this sort of thing that he wanted to see there at the theater. He loved the old feeling of the building, the life that was very obviously worked right down into the bones of the place, the history, but maybe he was a little biased and thinking that keeping the history alive meant people had to know it was there. And while the place did get some visitors, enough to keep it running reasonably well, history only served so much interest.

He didn't want to overstep his bounds, it was Mr. Godfrey's place, but he got a real distinct feeling from being there as much as he was, listening to the subtle little sounds around the building and the way they stirred up more excitedly when people were there that maybe Mrs. Godfrey was still there too and just waiting for her theater to be the sort of place that was welcoming to folks again.

"I'd love t' give ya all the space I could Ms. Forrester, th' screenin' rooms are all different sizes an th' biggest of em is th'one right down in front of th'building." He explained, knowing that he did have to come to the logistics of it, unfortunately. He tried to remember what he could from how his mama handled business back at the bar, and wished he had paid a bit more attention to that part of it all. Lucky figured just being honest is probably the best way to handle it.

"An th'lobby is pretty open so plenty of space for folks showing up for th'premiere. But I don't know if we can give ya more than th'one room because of limitations we've got right now; you're right tha this ole building has been 'round quite a while, an' so have most of our projectors." Amusingly he could practically hear Nye's complaints about those projectors ringing in his ears right then. "You don't really find em like tha much anymore, but also means tha we're not real set up for modern films. Nothing in this place is digital, we can outfit one of th'screening rooms, but I don't know that we'd be able t'get two of them updated before the date ya mentioned wantin' this to happen."

It was ultimately a matter of cost, Lucky knew he could probably swing the idea of updating one of the projectors it was Mr. Godfrey on the grounds that the revenue it would bring in after was worth borrowing out from the cinemas profits that year, he'd already done quite a bit of nosing around at the books himself when he'd been thinking about the first email and the possibilities, but two was going to go well beyond that.

Didn't seem very professional to point that out though, he figured it was smarter to keep his mouth shut on that one.

@little-superstar-penny

This sounded like a yes, right?

It sounded like a yes to her!

Penny had to hold back her excitement, wanting to wiggle in her seat the way that Jwi had taught her (because dogs, of course, show their joy through their whole body - so Penny often did the same). Even if she had to make some compromises and go to London for a few interviews or events, at least she didn't have to leave Swynlake for this! And hey, it was a cool opportunity for Swynlake too, right? That's what Penny was telling herself, anyway, to feel less selfish.

All she had to do was work out the details.

"Right?" she enthused. "That's what I thought! I mean, I love the historical nature of this building. Obviously, the movie is set during World War 2 so I think it fits-- wasn't this building built around then too? Or maybe a little later?" Penny guessed-- maybe she should have looked it up, whoops.

"Anyway, it's just such a great space! We would probably need like, two rooms for the premiere if you think that's possible! Or one," she added. "We can work with one!

@bad-moon--rising

[bad-moon--rising]

He knew that bustle of energy that marked the internal awkwardness of running into folks who didn't know you but thought they did, because they knew your career. It was both a warm feeling and one that felt a little funny, and Lucky realized, a bit awkwardly, that he'd done an excellent job of making her feel it.

"Just th'sorta thing tha reminds me of home," he admitted, fond memories of sitting in front of that screen with his siblings, far more excited himself than they were but back then he hadn't even noticed that because they were together and it felt like seeing more of the world seeing those places, those stories.

Lucky had grown up a bit more and realized that most of those places were just projected on a green screen and the adventures all came from a script but somehow even that hadn't taken all the magic away from it for him.

His music career had shown him, however, that people were real behind it all, so he didn't want her to think he was expecting some nostalgic echo that it wasn't far to look for with the actual person behind it.

"It is nice t'meet ya, Ms. Forrester, an' I do mean you, not th' person on th'screen," he added, because she was right there in that small town just like him and life, well, it wasn't a movie.

"Well, ya'll want t'meet Mr. Godfrey before it's all said an' done, on account tha this is his place, but he told me t'handle th' meeting and plannin' until then." Lucky nodded, not sure if it was because Mr. Godfrey wasn't too terribly involved with things being different, or maybe he'd decided this job was a sort of test to see how Lucky would handle a task that large.

What Lucky was considering were the possibilities. The cinema had a life to it in those old walls, but it didn't get to breathe as much anymore because NTO wasn't far away and folks liked the nostalgia but it wasn't something they sought all the time. Or even most of the time. The cinema didn't need to lose the nostalgia, but was a little new life going to hurt?

"This ol' place is one of a kind, just like th' town; I think th' idea of showin' off somethin' like tha' here is a great idea." He agreed, already trying to work out the complications in his head; the biggest one being that the screening rooms...were not set up to play digital moves.

@little-superstar-penny

Wait, the show?

Oh--

It was then that Penny realized that Lucky was talking about Stormy and Dae, not Olive Bright-- which was a standalone major motion picture of course. She blinked as she took in Lucky's kind smile and noticed for the first time the eagerness behind it.

He was a fan.

Well-- that was great! Penny liked meeting fans as long as the fans were respectful and still treated her like a human being. She tried not to be too judgmental of the more emotional meetings. It was a great thing to have affected someone so deeply that the sight of you sent them into tears ha ha. Awkward, but objectively a good thing.

She just hadn't realized that she was going to be meeting a fan. She'd been in Business Planning mode, not fan meeting mode.

There had to be some kind of middle ground between those two things though, right?

"Oh, yeah? That's great! I love hearing people liked the show!" Penny exclaimed. "Of course, Olive Bright is supposed to be more mature-- that was kind of the goal, but it's still rated PG and I'm sure lots of my fans will end up going-- but that's good too, I want them to y'know, like, engage with my other work. Anyway--" she waved a hand awkwardly.

It felt like saying lines in a script she had picked up after a long time away from it. Honestly, did she want her old fans to see Olive? Did she care about her body of work? Was she ever going to act again?

Now was really not the time to explore those questions.

"Anyway, well, um-- I really wanted to honor Swynlake at the premiere too," she went on. "Since it was filmed here, I thought it'd be great to host the premiere here instead of in London or LA or something like that. And I figure Swynlake's own movie theater is the perfect place to host that, if you're interested!"

@bad-moon--rising

[bad-moon--rising]

"Not at all; just workin' on things in here an' lost track of time," he reassured her with a smile.

He still found it strange sitting at Mr. Godfrey's desk when he wasn't there, felt sorta wrong, but the space wasn't big enough for another desk - nevermind that Lucky didn't figure he needed one in the first place - so he didn't have much of where else to be when he was working in the office.

Once she was comfortable he sat back down as well, nodding. Still awful hard to believe he was talking to Penny Forrester, but he was trying hard not to be unprofessional and all.

"Heard about it, but was a lil before m'time here. Shame though; would have loved t'have been here for it." He was a bit wistful about that; Lucky didn't have any aspirations of being a star really, sounded so much more complicated than he wanted in life, but just seeing how it was done? How a movie went from an idea to action to real life?

He wished he'd been there to take it all in.

"Pretty familiar with th'subject though; spent plenty of m'time watchin' th'show." Which, well, he didn't think it was unprofessional to admit he was a fan, was it?

@little-superstar-penny

Let's Go To The Movies!! || Plucky

[bad-moon--rising]

Dog Daze || Luciper

Synopsis: Backdated to April 2nd. After the April Fools day events Jasper returns to The Court to see Lucky, discovering that he's not actually a dog. It's a pleasant surprise, and the two hit it off quite well over a few drinks and conversation.

Read Here

@goodeveningjasper

[bad-moon--rising]

"Spent th' night by m'self and didn't see much but th'usual; trees an' few deer. Wasn't lookin' t'run into folks an' can't say I did." He replied honestly, the twinge of the disquiet in the back of thoughts pressing; scrutiny wasn't something his instincts cared much for.

Jasper's words stuck in his brain but it wasn't like he knew much of anything for certain, and wasn't like he trusted things not to go sideways with assumptions anyway. He had to be cautious not to let too much anxious feeling spill into his thoughts or the curse might start causing trouble.

Not the sort of thing you wanted at a moment like that.

"Moon was full an' it was strong, more than usual; not th' sorta night most wolves go 'round people," Lucky admitted; he had been restless that night, the moon had been pulling hard on his senses, he figured maybe that had something to do with what had happened.

@trackedbymaximus

My, What a Deep Voice You Have || Horseshoe

[bad-moon--rising]

[bad-moon--rising]

It was one of those rare moments when Adaline had darted off on break, leaving Nye to handle the concession stand; which meant they stood there with an entirely disinterested expression on their face looking out over the empty lobby and trying to manifest customers so they would have something to do.

When the young woman walked up there was a fleeting moment of thinking that might be the case, but, no, of course not.

"Think he's back in the office," they replied with only a faint nod of their head, not even enough to upset the wave of dark blue hair that obscured one eye, in the general direction of the back of the lobby, "back there; door should be open."

Mr. Godfrey was away for the day, leaving Lucky busy with things in the office, mostly lingering there in case the phone rang while he tried to make some sense of the older man's inventory list to do the concessions supplies order for the next week.

The phone never rang. But the possibility still existed.

He took note of the sound of footsteps before they actually reached the doorway, having lost track of time over the afternoon and realizing when she graced the doorway that it was time to meet with Ms. Forrester.

A bit daunting; Lucky was very familiar with her career, her movies, and he'd had to remind himself all day that he was going to look like a damned fool if he let himself get starstruck when he was supposed to be doing his job and blotched up that meeting. Which...the band had gotten a manager pretty quickly so he wasn't really all that versed in meetings, interviews, sure, but meetings?

Had to be one of those learn by experience things, seemed like.

"Hello," he greeted her, stepping away from the desk he hadn't been sitting at in the first place, "nice t'meet ya Ms. Forrester, you'll have t'excuse me; got a little wrapped up in things."

@little-superstar-penny

Let's Go To The Movies!! || Plucky

[bad-moon--rising]

"Not after I left th'cinema before sunset," He knew that wasn't exactly something that was working in his favor, but it wasn't like he really had the option of taking people with him those nights. Closest he had to that was Scott or Pepper and he was pretty sure that Scott tried to lay as low as possible the full moon showed up, and Pepper didn't seem interested in the idea.

Wasn't like he could mention Scott in the first place without outing the other wolf so it wasn't helping him in any case. "Probably a couple folks 'round town saw me headin' out, but can't think of anybody just off th' top of m'head," he admitted.

Wasn't much Lucky to do about that either, he figured his statement was probably pretty similar to what any of the wolves would have to say; witnesses were the sort of thing that you avoided on the full moon even if you didn't plan on doing much of anything besides running while you felt that need to stretch your legs. Folks didn't take too kindly to it all in all, so it was just as much for your his safety, avoiding people.

@trackedbymaximus

My, What a Deep Voice You Have || Horseshoe

[bad-moon--rising]

Camille Rankine, "Tender", Incorrect Merciful Impulses

[bad-moon--rising]

Restless, the wolf under his skin found this pointless, not in words but in that little itch that felt too much like exasperation in the back of his mind. But it was unavoidable, if he'd refused to come that day it was suspicious. Saying it was cooperation was a stretch, but it probably wasn't this guy's fault just because he was the one asking questions.

"Lucian Doyle," he watched the shuffling of the pages, the faintly acidic scent of ink and the drier smell of paper catching his attention as the motion stirred them. "The forest," Lucky paused, added, "Enchantra, I mean; pretty far ways off from town an' th'trails, don't like t'bother the fairies if I can avoid it."

Given his own choice in the matter he preferred the farmlands, but folks got a bit uncomfortable about that sorta thing and the moon had been playing too much with his senses that night, the forest stretched on much further without folks around.

@trackedbymaximus

My, What a Deep Voice You Have || Horseshoe