Four months.
It had been four whole months since Arwin had started working on this project. Countless hours spent designing, animating, editing, and fine-tuning—all leading up to this moment.
And now… it was finally done.
Arwin sat back in his chair, staring at the massive hard-light screen in front of him, where the final frame of the movie was displayed. He blinked a few times, making sure his mind wasn't playing tricks on him.
Then, a huge grin spread across his face.
"YES! FINALLY!" he shouted, jumping up from his seat in pure joy.
As he laughed and celebrated, his AI assistant, Leah, spoke up.
"Congratulations, Arwin. You have successfully completed your first full-length animated movie."
Hearing that made him even more excited.
"Leah, you have no idea how happy I am right now!" Arwin exclaimed, practically dancing around the room. "Four months of non-stop work! FOUR MONTHS!"
His body felt light, his mind free, and his heart overflowing with pride.
At one point, he was so bored and frustrated with the entertainment in this world that he had no idea what to do with himself. And now, he had created something new—something meaningful.
Something that this world had never seen before.
And yet, as much as he wanted to sit down and watch the movie right away, he knew that was impossible.
He was completely drained.
"Alright… before anything else… I need a bath," Arwin mumbled, feeling the exhaustion finally catch up to him.
His body felt stiff, his eyes heavy, and his stomach growled in protest from being ignored for hours.
The first thing he did was take a long, steaming hot bath. He let the warm water wash away all the stress and fatigue, sinking into the tub with a satisfied sigh.
After that, he devoured a massive meal, eating like a man who hadn't tasted real food in weeks.
And finally, without even thinking, he collapsed onto his bed.
The moment his head hit the pillow…
He was out cold.
When Arwin finally woke up, he felt more refreshed than ever before.
It was like he had been sleeping for centuries. His body felt lighter, his mind clearer, and for the first time in months, he felt completely at ease.
"That was the best sleep of my life," he muttered, stretching his arms.
Then Leah's voice echoed through the room.
"You have been asleep for twenty hours."
"…Wait, what?" Arwin blinked in surprise.
He knew he had been tired, but twenty hours? That was longer than he expected.
Still, considering how hard he had been working, he supposed it made sense.
After grabbing a quick breakfast, he made his way to the living room.
He took a deep breath, letting the realization sink in.
It was finally time.
"Leah," he called out. "Play the movie."
The room dimmed, and the massive wall-sized screen lit up.
Arwin took a comfortable seat, excitement bubbling inside him.
As the movie started, he saw the logo of his future company flash on the screen—Vault Studios.
He had already planned to start his own entertainment company someday, and he had chosen this name because he wanted it to be a vault full of entertainment treasures.
Seeing it on screen for the first time made him giddy with excitement.
And then…
The Movie began!
As Arwin watched the scenes unfold, he felt a mix of emotions.
He had spent months making this, yet watching it felt completely different.
The animation was smooth, the voices were perfect, and the music fit every scene beautifully. It felt like a real movie—no, it felt even better than the original in some ways.
He couldn't believe it.
He had done it.
He had created something incredible.
By the time the credits rolled, a tear slipped down his cheek.
Not from sadness.
But from pure happiness.
For the first time in this lifeless entertainment industry, he had something worth watching.
After taking a few minutes to let the emotions settle, Arwin finally asked the big question.
"Leah, how do I publish this?"
Leah responded immediately, pulling up a list of options:
-Upload it for free on a public platform, earning money through ad revenue and views.
-Sell it to a popular OTT platform, where a company would buy the rights.
-Enter it into a competition, where winners would get recognition and opportunities.
Arwin immediately discarded the second option.
Selling his movie? No way.
He wasn't some random nobody willing to throw away his work for quick cash. Besides, no major company would buy a movie from an unknown guy.
That left two choices—uploading it for free or entering a competition.
While the idea of releasing it for free was tempting, there was one major problem—visibility.
His movie would get buried under billions of other videos uploaded every day.
Sighing, he leaned back and thought. "A competition might be my best shot."
Finding the Right Competition
"Leah, show me some competitions happening right now."
A list appeared before him. After some searching and discussion, he found the perfect one.
It was a major competition in his galaxy, Nebeska.
The winners would get massive exposure, and since ad revenue was still a thing, even just participating could help him earn some money.
With his mind made up, he prepared to upload the movie.
He titled it:
Doraemon: Stand by Me.
For the cover art, he made an illustration of Doraemon and Nobita standing on a vast, beautiful grassy field, gazing at the endless greenery before them. The movie title was placed neatly on top.
He wrote a brief summary and then, with a deep breath, clicked upload.
The Wait Begins
Arwin sat in silence for a moment.
It was done.
His first real creation was now out in the world.
Would it gain attention? Would it be ignored? Would people love it or hate it?
He had no idea.
Taking a deep breath, he muttered to himself, "I'll check the results tomorrow."
With that, he walked into the kitchen, grabbed a drink, and forced himself not to think about it too much.
After all… the real journey was just beginning.