Jared leaned back in his chair, headphones on, as the beat of "Warriors" by Imagine Dragons played through his speakers. The song was perfect. Its intensity and energy matched exactly what he wanted for this new AMV.
But as he worked, a nagging thought crept in.
One Piece was his all-time favorite anime, no doubt about that. The problem was, in 2021, some of the best and most epic animations from the series hadn't been released yet.
The show had moments that would make his video legendary—if only he had access to those future clips.
'Man, if only I had those newer episodes from the future,' Jared thought, frustrated. It was like trying to paint a masterpiece but missing half the colors.
Still, he couldn't let that hold him back. He had enough epic moments from the current episodes to make something great.
The Video Enhancement Feature was already at work, automatically smoothing transitions and enhancing visuals.
Jared didn't need to activate it; the feature automatically optimized everything as soon as he started working, smoothing out transitions, boosting color clarity, and giving his edit a polished, professional look.
About halfway through the edit, Jared paused to review what he had so far. The scenes with Luffy, Zoro, Law, and other characters were syncing well with the beat, but there was still a lot to tweak.
The "Warriors" track demanded perfection, and he was determined to capture the energy of the anime in every beat.
His stomach growled loudly, snapping him out of his focus. After that long workout earlier, he was starving.
Just as he was about to stand up, there was a soft knock on his door.
"Jared?" His mom's voice came through the door before it creaked open. "The banana bread's done. You want some?"
Jared pulled off his headphones, relieved. "Yeah, I'm starving."
His mom lingered by the door, looking mildly curious. "What have you been doing in your room for the past two days? You barely come out except to eat."
"I'm working on some videos," Jared replied simply. "You know, anime stuff for TikTok."
"Ah," his mom nodded, not pushing further. "Well, come down and get some food before it gets cold."
Jared grinned. "Sure, I'll be right down."
As soon as she left, Jared hit Save on his project. There was still a lot of work to do, but the smell of banana bread was hard to resist.
He stretched, feeling the soreness from his earlier workout, and headed downstairs.
The kitchen was filled with the warm, sweet smell of banana bread. Jared sat down at the table, and his mom handed him a thick slice.
The bread was still warm, and the butter melted instantly.
"Thanks," Jared said, taking a big bite. "This is perfect."
"You're welcome," his mom replied, pouring herself some tea. "Just try not to spend all day in that room, alright?"
Jared smiled and nodded, focusing on the food. He wasn't in the mood to explain his entire TikTok journey right now, but he appreciated her not pressing for details. He finished up the slice quickly, feeling recharged.
Back in his room, Jared slipped his headphones on and dove back into the edit.
The second half was more action-packed, filled with intense battles and emotional moments from One Piece.
He focused on capturing the weight of each scene, syncing the epic fights with the powerful audio of "Warriors."
The Video Enhancement Feature continued doing its thing in the background, sharpening the colors and making the transitions smoother without Jared even thinking about it.
Still, he couldn't stop wishing he had access to those future episodes. It would've taken the video to the next level.
Just as he was locking in on a final fight scene, the door swung open without warning. Connor stood in the doorway, his phone in hand, a mix of confusion and curiosity on his face.
"Yo, Jared, why does this guy have your face as his profile picture?"
Jared raised an eyebrow, pausing the video. "What?"
Connor waved his phone. "I was scrolling through TikTok, and the dude's PFP is your face. What's up with that?"
Jared blinked, then realized what Connor had stumbled upon. "Wait, let me see."
Connor handed over his phone, and Jared saw his TikTok profile staring back at him. His account was blowing up.
The comment section was filled with reactions to his last AMV, people complimenting the edits, the timing, and just how awesome it looked.
Connor snorted. "Seriously? How did one of your crap edits get this much attention?"
Jared rolled his eyes. "It's called skill, Connor. You wouldn't get it."
"Sure, whatever," Connor said, leaning over Jared's shoulder and scrolling through the comments. "You got followers now. How many views does this thing even have?"
Connor swiped to check. His eyes widened as the number popped up on the screen.
46.3K views.
His heart skipped a beat. "What the...? It was at, like, 22K earlier today!"
Connor let out a low whistle. "So, it's still going up?"
"Yeah, fast," Jared muttered, still staring at the number. "I didn't think it'd keep climbing like this."
Connor grinned, giving Jared a playful nudge. "Well, guess people are finally watching your stuff. What's next? You gonna do more of these?"
Jared leaned back, shaking his head in disbelief. "Yeah, but I wasn't expecting this much attention so fast."
Connor smirked. "Guess those hours of sitting in your room paid off, huh?"
Jared laughed. "Maybe."
Connor turned to leave but paused. "Just don't let it get to your head, big bro. You might need me to keep you grounded."
Jared rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure. You keep telling yourself that."
"Whatever," Connor said with a grin, heading out the door. "At least now I can say I'm related to a TikTok star... for now."
With that, he disappeared down the hall. Jared shook his head, smiling to himself.
'Typical Connor.'
Jared turned back to his screen, still a bit stunned by the view count. But he wasn't done yet. Satisfied with his progress, he hit Export and knew this next post was going to be even bigger.
The system had given him the tools, but now it was up to him to keep riding the wave.
---
A/N: Ok, I'm pretty sure I should be getting views now :P
Welcome everyone! I hope you enjoy this cringe story I'm writing, don't forget to leave a hate comment!