MEFS 112: Human Sacrifice
·
Oct 3
50
Ben, who used to joke that Reed would mess up his brain from all that overworking while keeping himself locked in his house, might actually believe that this was the first sign. And maybe he wouldn't be wrong about it.
However, before he could tell his friend to forget about the matter and stand up to leave, Ben looked up and spoke first.
"I'll just punch you."
"W-What?" That wasn't a response he expected. Reed was basically stun-locked in his seat, glancing between Ben's face and the balled-up fist.
However, his good friend continued with a scary smile.
"If I see even a hint of you becoming like that piece of shit, I will beat the shit out of you." The smile that didn't reach the calm eyes left no room for jokes; he was being utterly serious.
"Time out, you know about Shou Tucker?" Reed had only vaguely spoken about the plot; he mostly spoke of the problem itself, since he didn't want to spoil it and mostly focused on the moral problem troubling him.
But it seemed like Ben was already aware of Fullmetal Alchemist.
No, it wouldn't be enough to say that he was aware; he appeared to have quite the resentment built up inside him because of what Shou Tucker did. Resentment that had probably been stewing inside him for a while.
"That thing doesn't deserve a name." Magma was practically bursting out of his eyes at this point; this guy was a mega fan and a bigger hater of Shou Tucker.
Reed hadn't expected Ben to be reading John Doe's stories. Then again, he had barely paid attention to anything else since he returned to New York. And he had spent very little time outside of his room in the days he had been here.
It was really making him sigh more about the worries he had before.
That's when Ben got his attention again.
"So, is it solved now?" He asked.
"What do you mean?" Reed tilted his head.
"I mean the worry you had about crossing the line. If I stop you before you turn towards the line, it's all good, right?" He smiled.
"I… suppose." Part of him wanted to think more about this and what could go wrong even with a setup like this, but his body was pretty much running on fumes right now.
"Right? I mean, what are friends for?" Ben crossed his arms with a thoughtful look before he continued. "Can I also punch you when you skip meals, don't sleep, and don't come to hang out when I invite you?"
"That might be a bit too much." Reed could only chuckle nervously.
But on the way to the boarding house, he did feel a bit lighter. It wasn't that he wasn't worried anymore. He was still thinking about the possibility, because it would never go away.
Still, he had an inkling of what he could do to prevent himself from reaching such a conclusion.
Entering his room after a big dinner, thanks to Ben, Reed sat down on his clean bed and rubbed his droopy eyes. His shoulders ached, and his neck felt sore.
'I need to build more robust protocols and boundaries about what I can and can't do, and a proper system to enforce them.' There was no guarantee that this would work 100%, but it was the best he could do.
He could discuss this with Stark and get his take on the matter, or he could even think up the concrete boundaries at this very moment. But Reed just allowed his back to hit the mattress with a sigh.
He hadn't even taken off his shoes, and he really wanted to take a shower. However, he allowed his eyelids to fall as darkness covered his vision.
"I'll just do it tomorrow."
Those were words he had uttered for the first time in his life.
The next day, after 10 hours of sleeping like a log, Reed felt his shoulders relax a tad bit more. Sure, he still needed more rest, but for now his mind felt clear enough to not lose focus in lectures.
But as happy as the professors seemed with the return of his constant questions about the topics, he himself had another thing on his mind today.
Of course, it was Fullmetal Alchemist's second volume.
After not being able to read much of the two volumes, as he had initially planned, Reed found himself sitting on campus after lectures as the students passed him by in groups, hurrying to their own plans.
According to the schedule he had set, it was time to head home and study before dinner. Still, he decided to sit down on the well-maintained grass lawn outside of the Department of Physics building for some much-needed contemplation.
The question was very simple: should he read the rest of the volumes today, or wait for the next reading day?
The schedule dictated that he should wait. However, there was this urge to read so he could satisfy his curiosity. He really wanted to know the aftermath of the Tucker situation. The thought had dominated his mind since morning, gnawing at the back of his mind even in lectures.
'I doubt I'd make any substantial headway if I work with a preoccupied mind.' Reed nodded to himself while putting together his logical reasons together.
And after a 5 min court case, all in his head, the verdict arrived. Well, it would be correct to say that it was already decided what he would do long before the rationalization kicked in.
The current schedule was still in the early days, after all; a little tweaking wouldn't cause any issues; it would only help in streamlining it.
"One has to be flexible, after all." He was still recovering, so there was no need to stretch himself thin.
With a nod, Reed dug into his bag and pulled out volume 2 of Fullmetal Alchemist. It was quite convenient that he had it with him.
After witnessing Al's promise that they'd come back and turn Nina back to her original self, Reed really wished them to succeed.
Still, his biggest worry was that the government in this world wasn't that far off from what he had imagined. State Alchemists were treated like Human weapons.
'There is a chance that they knew what Tucker did to his wife and still gave him the green light for further research.' A talking Chimera, being able to make independent decisions; on top of that, there was no need to wonder why the government would want it.
They had, most likely, already weaponized Alchemy, and the chimeras would be the next on the list. It wasn't even a surprise that others called Edward the dog of the military or a Devil.
To normal people, someone bending the elements wouldn't look normal either.
"We're Humans. We can't even save one little girl. We're just pathetic humans!"
'I really hope they get what they want.' Reed hoped they'd be able to return Nina and Alexander to normal.
In the corner of his mind, the situation felt hopeless. Sure, it would be great if the Elric brothers restored Nina. But that would be the ideal and hopeful end.
Reed didn't trust John Doe with that end anymore. And just like he had expected, the attack in the next chapter just proved his thoughts.
Scar, the one from the intro page, arrived. The first thing he did after that was kill Shou Tucker, and then what Nina had become.
Reed shelved the talk about straying from the path of God and only focused on the main point.
'Was there really no way of turning Nina back?' The Alchemy was based on the concept of Equivalent Exchange, so if the correct price was paid, it should be possible.
But what if it ended the same way as what happened to Edward's mother?
If there really was no way of turning her back to normal, maybe this was a better end for Nina than letting her live like that. There was no telling how much suffering the government would put her through as the successful talking chimera, not to mention the pain of being in that form.
As much as this gave him a headache, Reed was a bit grateful John Doe didn't extend her suffering. Still, that didn't take away from the resentment he had for the writer.
Going over the nightmare Edward had about his mother, the next chapter started with the news of Tucker and Nina's murder reaching the brothers and the authorities.
With the arrival of Colonel Hughes and Major Armstrong, there was a bit more exposition on Scar. And it didn't end with the alchemists alone.
'So, he's not on the villain's side either; he's a pain for both.' Lust and Gluttony were also talking about him as well.
Not to mention Father Cornello, who turned out to be a shapeshifting comrade of the former, Envy.
"Human sacrifice?" Why would they call Edward that?MEFS 113: Victor
·
Oct 3
61
'So, Scar is not on the villain's side either; he's a pain for both.' Lust and Gluttony were also talking about him as well.
Not to mention Father Cornello, who turned out to be a shapeshifting comrade of the former, Envy.
"Human sacrifice?" Why would they call Edward that?
What were these Seven Sin villains even planning? What was their goal? Where did they even come from?
Reed had an inkling that it would probably take a few more volumes before he got more information than them, so he could only move reluctantly.
The current problem for the Elric brothers was Scar, who had killed ten alchemists in the country. One of them was named Iron-blooded Alchemist, a Military general. So, the guy wasn't a slouch by any means.
It really made Reed revisit Scar's panels and the dialogue about him. What type of alchemy did he use? His victims looked like they were destroyed from the inside and left in pieces.
The Alchemy he had used so far- all of it had a result. The Alchemist chose an item, broke it down, then reconstructed it into another form they wanted.
Like Edward used the earth to create that giant statue in the first volume and how he repaired that radio in the first scene.
However, Scar's alchemy didn't reach the last stage. A work left in the middle. At least that's what it felt like.
It just destroyed.
Paired with the chapter title 'The Right Hand of Destruction', and Scar's use of his right hand in all three instances he used his power, this theory gained weight.
Eager to find out more about Scar, his possibly unique Alchemy, and the reason he hunted State Alchemists, Reed flipped the pages and read through the Elric brothers having a heart-to-heart.
Still, thanks to the generous John Doe, he didn't have to wait long for the confrontation between them and Scar.
The more he saw Scar use his right hand, the more Reed became sure of his theory. Someone like this was a very hard opponent for the Elric brothers.
And Scar proved that with how quickly he took out Al and cornered Edward, even destroying his automail arm. Thankfully, Mustang and others arrived at the scene just in time.
'But will Mustang be ok?' Reed blinked at the very obvious rain depicted in the panels.
As he had expected, Mustang was useless on rainy days. If Hawkeye hadn't intervened, he might've died for sure.
But the bigger problem was still Scar's obsession with the State Alchemists; he seemed to have quite the hatred for them. And remembering Shou Tucker, Reed couldn't blame him.
Maybe another State Alchemist did something horrible to him or others around him?
Still, that shouldn't mean he could kill every State Alchemist. There were Alchemists like Edward in the mix too. Not to mention the religious justification.
'Did he just turn a block into a projectile with a punch?' The Strongarm Alchemist, Alex Louis Armstrong, was as interesting as he had expected.
"So, I guessed correctly…" Reed nodded to himself as Armstrong shed some light on Scar's use of Alchemy.
He was really just stopping at the second stage, Destruction.
Another thing he had expected was Scar's retreat. Even if cornered, he seemed a bit too important to be done in that early.
Then came the part he had been waiting for: information on Scar's past. He was expecting something evil on the level of Shou Tucker, but things went in a completely different direction.
Scar was an Ishbalan, and his people got into conflict with the central government over religious differences. However, the next part made him sick.
'How can an army officer shoot a child accidentally?' This was definitely on purpose because they knew the other side wouldn't back down.
It would obviously lead to tension and hatred, even violence. And that would give the central government a proper cause to start the war.
There were already dozens of conspiracies in the real world over such incidents.
John Doe wasn't shy about including that part in Pluto, so alluding to something like an inside job or genocide in his next story wasn't that far-fetched.
'He also stirred some trouble with The Disastrous Life of Saiki K, I think?' Reed wasn't caught up on the news about that work because he had been too absorbed in making time for his reading day.
He remembered hearing that a Senator was speaking about it on the news.
"I suppose that is the reason his stories got famous that fast." Reed sent his focus back to the pages.
Edward was now on his way to see his mechanic, with Armstrong being his bodyguard. It felt like this was a stretch to let the readers unwind. There was a lot of comedy going around, with Roy, Hawkeye, the other military officers, and even Armstrong.
Another reason for the detachment was that Reed wasn't sure what to think of Mustang and Armstrong after seeing that they had participated in the genocide of the Ishbalan people. Truthfully, he wasn't even sure what to think about it.
In a way, it helped him understand why Roy Mustang seemed so calm about the Nina situation.
But he had to admit, seeing Al getting giddy over being treated as a child was quite funny. It was even funnier when the poor kid got stuffed in a carriage full of livestock.
Despite that, Reed didn't let his guard down. He was sure this was John Doe trying to put his readers in a false sense of security, as he did with Shou Tucker and the Edward setup at the start. Still, it worked a bit.
'I need to be sharp.' He steeled himself for whatever came next.
And as expected, a surprise came. Lust was present on the train, probably following the Elric brothers for her own plans, and it seemed she also had a connection with the guy named Dr. Marcoh that Armstrong recognized at a train station.
'So, this guy was a big-time researcher in Central and ran away using the civil war chaos.'
He felt a bit conflicted, looking at this doctor who was traumatized that his research was being used to slaughter hundreds of thousands of innocents. It was a fear that no one could make light of.
'Another worry added, I suppose.' Reed closed his eyes in resignation.
On the pages, Edward and Marcoh were discussing the Philosopher's Stone, the subject of the latter's research at Central. Even incomplete, it had caused a lot of damage on the battlefield.
It made sense that the Government was also after it, and not just the Elric brothers. What would the Government use it for? It wasn't hard for him to guess that far.
Even then, it seemed that his research would not be seen by anyone; he even turned down Edward's request after hearing of his goal and the reason he needed that research.
"No one will ever see my research. It's the work of the Devil, and it can only lead straight to hell."
At this point, even Reed wanted to read that research. Maybe it was time he delved into the post-15th-century data of Alchemy. But he had to finish reading this volume first.
The reason for that was Edward himself. He could've forced Marcoh's hand by scaring him with the Central's name, or he could've even taken him into custody as a State Alchemist. The research was just that important for him and his brother, but he didn't do any of that.
He didn't even take the incomplete philosopher's stone in Marcoh's possession at that moment.
"If I stole the thing used to heal the people of this village, just to get my old body back, it would leave a bad taste in my mouth. I'll just think of a different way to get my body back."
'Never change Edward, never change.' Edward really made sure that the plot didn't become too grim; he was really the perfect protagonist for this work.
Reed nodded with a smile when even Armstrong decided to keep his lips sealed regarding Marcoh. The bigger surprise was that Marcoh came back and gave Edward the place he had hidden the research.
In the end, it had worked out for the benefit of both parties. There was still Lust lingering in the background, which really kept Reed on his toes.
"Classic good begets good. Of course, you only see it in fiction." A confident voice floated over his shoulder.
"I suppose that's one way to look at it—!" Reed caught himself after answering on instinct.
The one who had spoken to him was standing behind him as the orange of the evening dawned on the place. Reed looked over his shoulder and finally noticed the young man in formal pants and a tailored black trench coat with a high collar.
He wasn't sure how long this guy had been standing behind him, but his scowling black eyes were zeroed in on the book in his hand as if it belonged to him.
"Why did you stop? Turn the page." He commanded, like he knew Reed personally.
They hadn't talked before, but Reed knew him by name. He was another student who was pretty famous in the Department of Physics for his academic brilliance.
Victor Von Doom.
...
Jill was too strong for me, guys, mb.
Just kidding, I can't post the fourth and fifth chapters right now because there is something I need to confirm. I have been trying to find the fic since yesterday.
Needless to say, it was hard to look for a specific line in over 100 chapters. That's why I decided to post three chapters first and ask for a little help from you guys. I had this part written down in my old plan, but y'all know what happened with that one.
The line I am looking for is John reading a DM sent by Tony Stark through the John Doe website. Let me know the chapter number if you guys remember.
Also let me know if something like this hasn't happened yet. I will continue to look through the chapters when I get back from my job as well.
Hope y'all enjoyed the chapters. Have a nice day and pray that I don't get bewitched by Jill again.MEFS 114: Explosion
·
5d
47
Inside a 3-bed apartment in a rare high-rise tower in Greenwich Village, the news running on the massive TV echoed in the bright living room.
The walls had a warm neutral color, with a structural pendant light. John placed the remote on the coffee table in front of him as the bustling evening wind came in from the open windows.
"Senator Robert Kelly, who had strongly supported the Mutant Registration Act, is now calling for stricter penalties against unregistered Mutants. While speaking with NY1, he spoke about how the registered Mutants should also provide more information about their abilities for the safety of the ordinary folk and as a show of co-operation, also adding that it would also help the mutantkind in appearing more approachable and friendly."
He sprawled on the sofa, burying his face in the softness after a long day as the anchor spoke as she competed with Eminem himself.
"Although there is no information about what prompted such a reaction, which some are calling an overreaction, Senator Kelly is set to speak before Congress in a week. And reports say that Professor Charles Xavier, a well-known mutant personality, will also be present at the venue to further discuss the matter. Now, let us talk to an expert on this matter—"
John really wanted to give a sharp and funny comment on this information, but he was a touch too tired for something like that. The past week had been such a mental pain that he didn't want anything more than sleep now that the last exam was finished today.
It didn't matter if it was the sofa or the bed. Not that his body was tired; he was in tip-top shape, just that his heart needed rest.
Not even Abomination had given him this much pressure as the exams had. The only highlight of the week were his revision sessions with Gwen that happened every morning as she swung by to help him. Yes, they were just revision sessions, very effective sessions.
'All the joy I had about moving into a new place, it's all gone.' Although Natasha had given the keys to this place a week prior, John was only able to enter the apartment today.
He was too busy studying for the exam, drawing manga, and training to further understand his powers all at once. Thankfully, he was sure he had done well enough in the exams.
For once, his brain CPU had really had the IQ of 5,420,769. Memorization had become much easier, and that was all he needed to pass the exams with good scores.
'If I can't keep the scholarship like this, might as well drop out.' He groaned into the sofa while switching the TV channel; he was in no mood to hear the yap session the specialist had started.
Honestly, John wanted something entertaining, but there was nothing for him watch. Sure, he wasn't doing a good enough job of looking for stuff, but that was beside the point.
The thing that really pissed him off was that the system didn't sell any games either. At this point, he was just sure this system had something against him.
'Well, that's enough of a tantrum.' John really wanted to see something relaxing, but while mindlessly switching channels, he stopped at one.
It was another news channel, but a familiar face and voice returned focus to his eyes.
It was Tony Stark, surrounded by reporters, with a flock of white coats gathered behind him.
The reason? After his long silence, Tony Stark had suddenly visited Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre for an undisclosed reason. But it appeared that the reporters gathered at the place nonetheless.
There were dozens of questions and flashes as the reporters present at the location tired his best to get as close as possible.
Why Tony was there, what he was doing during his absence, and what he planned to do in the future as Iron Man. There were tons of questions going around.
As one of the only few superheroes in the current times, paired with his previous infamy, this type of attention was only natural for him. One could even see it in the way he removed his glasses; the guy knew how to soak up the spotlight.
But Tony Stark had no interest in answering the question; he had something else in mind altogether.
"I am here to do Tony Stark things; you wouldn't understand even if I told you. On that note, John Doe, check your messages; you won't regret it. Bye."
With that statement, Tony's bodyguards formed a wall between him and the reporters, letting him enter his car and leave the place.
On the other hand, John blinked, sitting upright on the sofa now.
Did Tony just call out John Doe- him- live on the news?
Did he already know that John was John Doe?
No, if that was the case, Tony, with all his love for showboating, would be knocking on his door before speaking of it publicly. Considering the amount of EP he had got from Tony, it could very well be something he wanted to say about the stories he had read.
Most definitely complaints.
Still, he was sure that Tony would eventually come knocking on his door. Not because he would find who John Doe actually was, just that it didn't matter how much effort SHIELD put in concealing his connection to John Doe.
This guy would find it out eventually; he might already know.
'Well, that isn't the issue now, is it?' He stood up and loosened his stiff shoulders.
Walking on the cyan rug, John went past the simple artwork on the walls and opened the door to the master bedroom.
In the well-lit room, the PC sat neatly on the wide desk in one corner, right by the closed window. As tempting as the fully made king-size bed was, John sat down on his chair and booted up the PC with a yawn.
The apartment was already fully furnished for him; all he brought with him was a bag of clothes and another bag filled with books, both placed by the walk-in closet adjacent to the room's entrance.
Natasha had really gone above and beyond for him with this place; was her salary that high? If John wasn't making money with the writing, he might've considered working for SHEILD as well.
"Ok, that is enough stalling." He sucked in a sigh while launching the browser; a few lazy clicks of the mouse later, he was on the homepage of his website.
And right there it was at the top, next to the notification and profile tab. Direct messages (DMs), in all their glory.
Anyone could privately message anyone on the website if they knew their username. And John's username was well known since it showed at the top on the list of registered users.
That's why he had been getting a lot of messages since the website started; he just wasn't that focused on it.
At first, there were just words of encouragement. Some readers were venting about 5 centimetres per second and Look Back. Not to mention the flood of questions about the plot of Pluto and complaints about the character deaths there too.
Not to mention the occasional 'I can see this work as a comic in my head' scam messages that had him huffing in frustration.
But overall, John enjoyed reading the messages once in a while as there were some real gems among them, like the birth of another fanfic writer that followed in the footsteps of 'Things_we_could've_had_if_John_Doe_was_hugged_as_a_child_01'.
But the true highlight was a chance to see others geek about the stories he loved so much. It was truly a wonderful experience, as for once he understood what it felt like to recommend a work to a friend and see them actually read it.
However, since the release of a certain volume of a certain work, he had not touched the DM section. Because he already knew what would come his way.
Yes, he was busy with the exams, but that was just part of the excuse. The bigger reason was something else.
99,999+
Yes, he had 99,999+ unread DMs. Now, how could a website that only had 10k plus registered users get that many Dms? No, it wasn't the number of messages; no matter how many messages one sent, it would only count as one in the notifications.
The answer was much simpler.
The registered users had increased. Truthfully, 'increased' was an understatement. It had exploded.
Registered Users: 467,420MEFS 115: Nuh-uh
·
5d
52
John had 99,999+ unread DMs. The reason for that was much simpler.
The registered users had increased. Truthfully, 'increased' was an understatement. It had exploded.
Registered Users: 467,420
"It increased by 10k since yesterday." He let out a dry chuckle; although he had seen that number rise every day, it was hard to wrap his head around it.
But John wasn't that shocked because he understood the reason for this explosive increase. It was bound to happen with a moment like Shou Tucker's.
From the start, the number of registered users and the number of names in EP notifications didn't quite add up. The amount of EP he got was much larger than the audience he had- the registered ones.
And there was an important reason for that. Registering to the website, making an account on his website, had little to no benefit aside from getting access to the comment section and the DM function.
To buy a book from the website, one only needed to enter their card details and address at the checkout. They didn't even need to register or any of that.
Even when John had made the first volume of longer works, like Fullmetal Alchemist, Saiki K, and Pluto, free to read, it was possible for non-registered readers to read that without having to make an account as well. Forcing them to make an account was never his goal after all; he just wanted more people to get into the stuff he released. His main focus has always been EPs.
A low registered user number was not something to fret over when the wheel was turning nicely.
And as an active writer himself, John had long known that the comments and reviews any work got were just the tip of the iceberg/fandom. A majority of the fans were silent readers. They would read the entire work and love it to death, yet not leave a single comment.
John had been a reader himself, and understood why that was a thing. Reading was an escape at the end of a long, exhausting day even for him. At a time like that, it was a touch too much to engage in the comments.
These readers didn't really speak up until something important happened. Like a mind-boggling moment, news of a hiatus, or the end of the book.
That's why he wasn't really surprised by the sudden wave of new registrations thanks to Shou Tucker.
Yes, 99% of the current DMs blinking in front of him with all the rage the world could muster were because of that piece of shit.
The funnier part was that it all started with just pure anger and astonishment at the suddenness of the event. John was laughing his ass off at the start while reading the messages; it was also the perfect entertainment to take his mind off the exhausting exams.
It became even more enjoyable when Gwen also became one of those angry readers. Unlike the mob of online readers, she was able to get her hands on the one partially responsible for this.
'She kept pinching my face for days.' He shook his head while remembering her pout.
Then came hope; the readers had started asking if it was possible to turn Nina back to normal. But that hope didn't last because of Scar.
That was when the floodgates of hate truly opened.
John had been doing his best to ignore the direct message function of the website since then, since they were, without a doubt, filled with rage.
It wasn't that it bothered him; he wasn't the real writer of Fullmetal Alchemist, after all.
In a way, he understood the devastation. He had also gone through this when he was watching the show, much to his Father's enjoyment. And now it was his time to kick back and enjoy the suffering of others.
"There it is." After scrolling through the DM list for what felt like an eternity, because there wasn't a damned search bar in this section, John finally found Tony's message.
Well, there were a dozen messages in there about Fight Club, Look Back, and Princess Mononoke.
THEREALSTARK—Why is something as simple as two people drawing together more emotionally effective than half the stuff I've seen lately?
THEREALSTARK—Tyler Durden. I hate this guy. Which means you did your job.
THEREALSTARK—Ashitaka is too reasonable, I don't like it.
But the real message, that Tony wanted him to read was probably one of the earlier ones.
THEREALSTARK—The rights to Fight Club, I would like to buy them. Movie, animation, theatre, game, I want them all.
And he had sent another such message recently as well, just last week in fact, a day after the second volume of Fullmetal Alchemist was released.
THEREALSTARK—Ok, although it is new for me to get ignored. I will be the bigger man and give you an offer you can't refuse. I want all the rights to Fullmetal Alchemist and Fight Club; name your price.
John tilted his head while looking at the messages; it wasn't anything he had expected.
Why would he even want all the rights? Was Stark planning to step into movies and whatnot? Or did he have another agenda?
Well, none of that mattered because he had already sent the reply, and it was as simple as it could be.
John Doe—Nuh-uh.
It honestly didn't matter what Tony offered. John wasn't giving up the rights. Truthfully, there was no reason to make the deal like this.
Since he had brought these works into this world, he wanted to make sure they were enjoyed to their fullest while getting the best adaptations. Having full control over the rights was the best way to achieve that goal.
Sure, he might need to get outside help in certain areas, but besides that, John was prepared to work his ass off to give these works the treatment they deserved.
'I'll die before I let something like One Frame Man, Seven Deadly Slides, and PNG Lock happen to any of the works I love.' It was already bad enough that he went through it; there was no need to make others suffer too.
With the look of absolute determination, like he was marching out with the fate of the world on his shoulders, John looked at two things that would help him with that.
EP and Money.
EP was really important to him. It was the currency that he needed to get skills which would help him in creating and adapting the works he had in mind. It also gave him powers that would allow him to live long enough to release all of these works for the readers of this world to consume.
There was another thing he had noted about the EP notifications recently. Since there was an influx of normal readers, it gave him enough data.
Normal people, or in this case the civilians of the Marvel world, only gave a maximum of 1 EP.
Because of the Shou Tucker scene, he had seen a lot of new names pop up, but their EP was always 1. It never went higher than that.
Anyone who exceeded that was a named character in the world of Marvel, and their EP also depended on the importance they had in the world.
Still, it didn't seem like all his readers, the normal readers, were giving him that 1 EP, as he had 77,000 EP at the moment. It was true that there were still people who weren't that easily shaken; it was at least good to understand another thing about the EP notifications.
And compared to the registered users, and the still silent readership, that really raised an important question.
'Is 1 EP the minimum amount needed to be counted by the system? What about 0.x stuff?' Maybe he was getting a bit too greedy here.
One thing he knew for sure was that the system valued the big names in the world of Marvel more than the normal ones. The recent Reed Richards notifications were the perfect example of that.
[Reed Richards feels an intense bout of curiosity. +20EP]
[Reed Richards is wondering which books you have read to create this system. +30EP]
[Reed Richards is mortified at what he could turn into. +90EP]
[Reed Richards is planning to prevent the horrid future that may come to pass. +100EP]
Although that amount of EP wasn't rivalling what he got from Tony and Loki, it did make him understand that the current condition and their power level also seemed to affect the EP gained.
That's why the reactions from the major names, if they had their powers, netted him so much EP. And the normal people could only provide the bare minimum.
Still, it wasn't all that bad.
It wasn't like the normal people weren't giving him any EP. Plus, there was still a world full of normal people out there that the stories had not reached yet. Looking at it that way, the possible Ep he could gain from them would be far higher than what he could get from the superheroes combined.
For that, he needed heart-wrenching moments, which weren't in short supply by any means. Some of these series were bound to click with the wider populace.
And slowly, hopefully, his readership would increase more.
Just like how he went from a handful of readers in Rivulta to having nearly half a million registered users on his website. It was just a matter of time.
Speaking of the website, it was about to contribute even more to his second currency, Money, than ever before from now on.
It was time to upgrade the website at last.
...
That's two chapters done for today; will post more tmr.
I hope these chapters cleared up the registered reader plot point. Maybe I should've included this information a bit earlier, but I really didnt have a suitable moment that could've fit this type of reaction.
Well, in the end, Shou Tucker gave the silent readers the perfect moment to band together and register just so they could curse the guy and send DMs to John.
The Mutant arc is just around the corner, most likely starting this week.
That is all, thank you for reading.MEFS 116: Merch
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I didnt even notice that it had been two days since I noticed. It honestly didnt even feel like two days tbh; time just passed in the blink of an eye.
It's regretful that I need to go somewhere for some personal work; otherwise, I would've posted more chapters and not just this one.
I'll return by midnight and edit the other chapters too. To make up for that, this chapter alone is 2k words.
Well, do tell me what you think of the chapter. Hope you enjoy it.
...
John checked the website's payout section to see the accumulated funds. It had reached quite the amount, a number he didn't expect to see in anything related to himself, at least.
$556,789
This was after he had taken out his usual 5k per volume fee and the System's cut.
These numbers were still moving up, and they would keep going for a while because Tony had pulled another stunt, basically giving him a free promotion on TV.
Even if money wasn't exactly his goal, it would be needed in several ways down the line.
First, he needed it to pay his bills. His food intake had seen another leap since the Abomination fight. Now he could, with full confidence, eat two horses at once.
And as sweet as it was of Natasha to handle the security deposit and 3 months of rent for this place in an effort to give him a bit more for what he had done and would do, John wanted to have a place of his own in the future.
The rent itself wasn't half bad, but he needed a more secure place to handle the possible trouble hovering over him.
Thankfully, he didn't have to look into construction companies since there were some good options in the system; all he needed was an empty piece of land. But land prices in New York weren't anything to scoff at.
'This is America.' Feeling poor, even with nearly 200k in his real bank account, John closed his eyes in resignation.
Still, he had to build a way to increase the amount he could withdraw from the website. Because even if the system handled the delivery and would run the merchandise side of things for him, along with the manufacturing, he still wanted to try his hand at animation.
Animation was a lot more than just stringing frames along. Even if he could handle the animation and music himself, there was still a need for voice actors and singers.
Sure, he could buy a voice-changing skill from the system shop; he had seen those in the list, but that would be a tad bit too much work for him alone.
Not to mention he would need to hire people to negotiate with TV channels for slots; if not, he'd at least need to have a proper website built for the anime in case the next system didn't provide that too. The website's maintenance and the staff were another thing that'd eat money.
"Please, Almighty system, help me out with this." There was no way of confirming what route he would have to take with the anime side yet, but he could at least start preparing the money.
'I should also help in moving the economy forward.' The ever-patriotic citizen that he was, John was willing to spend his hard-earned money for the good cause.
That's why he had decided to pour money into the system first, not that he was sure how it actually handled the money. He had reached the goal of 'System upgrade amount times four' criteria he had set before, so it was time to cash in on that end.
The time to unlock the merchandise had finally come, the section that created the most revenue for any IP. And just like he played the illustrator role, John planned to show his involvement in the merch as well. Securing himself a reasonable cut of the profit as well.
'And now that the works are getting famous, I can also increase my illustrator fee to 10k per volume.' With a devious smirk, one that rivalled Lloyd himself, he pressed the upgrade button without any more delay.
But he wasn't allowed to feel the sting of 100K dollars vanishing into thin air.
"Ack!" The system screen, with the third tab open, emitted a bright purple light that nearly blinded him. Not even his Haki alerted him to this surprise flashbang.
Thankfully, he recovered quickly as the light dimmed; by the time his stinging eyes opened again, a bright red notice blared at the top of the website page, demanding all his attention.
[Important: In four hours, the website and the app will go offline for maintenance. It will be inaccessible to the users for 24 hours, aside from the files that have already been downloaded. We ask for your understanding. Thank you for your continued support.]
He did remember the website's overhaul the system promised with this upgrade, but John wasn't that worried about website design itself. What he really needed was better security against external threats.
Even now, from time to time, there were still attempts to hack the website and find his location. He wasn't really interested in who was doing it or for what purpose, just that the people in question shouldn't reach him at least.
SHIELD was surely waiting for the money inside the website to move as well. Maybe he could get an idea of what happened to the upgrade money the system took through them, but he had to get that without asking. Unless he wanted to owe Fury another debt.
Something like that would only happen if a big amount of money moved. And looking at the upgrade trajectory, if there was another, there was a good chance he'd get some tidbits without lifting a finger.
'Sasuga, John-sama.'
With that out of the way, he looked at the increased IP slots. The total number had reached 30 now. Although he wouldn't be using any of those right now, it was only a matter of time before they'd come in handy.
But the biggest part of the upgrade was still waiting for him. Well, it would be true to say that he had to wait for the last upgrade a bit more.
[The merchandise section will be available after the website maintenance is finished. Please prepare the Merch you would like to sell before the website goes into maintenance. For further details, please read through the document at this link here.]
[Number of Merchandise: 0/40
Manufacturing handled by System: Yes
Design responsibility: User
Production cost: Variable
Shipping handled by System: Yes.]
'So, I am locked at 40 items, huh. Stingy.' After reading the system panel, John leaned back into his chair, sinking deeper into his thoughts. Even though the new Herman Miller chair was quite comfy, his mind was racing in a different way now.
At least, hopefully, this meant that there would be future upgrades as well. The rest of the things were as he had expected.
When it came to Merch, there were a lot of things that one could include. Posters, keychains, stickers, colour books, items from the work itself, special releases of the work, etc.
But the main thing that fans paid a premium for, and one with the highest profit margin, was without a doubt the figurines. At least that was what he felt at the start.
But the more he looked into the market, a part of that enthusiasm started to fizzle out.
It wasn't that figurines weren't selling. There was indeed a market for them because of the Lord of the Rings and Star Wars boom. The collectors were ready to pay if the product was up to snuff.
The issue was the pricing.
John wasn't planning on making the PVC figures; at least they weren't his main focus. He just wanted to go with the polystone, the more premium route. And because of that, there was a price that came with it.
Sure, there would still be fans that would buy these, but he wasn't sure if he'd see high numbers with them, considering how pricy they could be.
'I can't exactly price them low as I did with the books either.' Spinning in his chair, he kept his eyes focused on one spot on the ceiling.
It wasn't like John was putting all his chips on the figures, so it wasn't that serious. There were some pieces that could really hit it nicely, like Mitsuha's woven hairband or Taki's bracelet.
There wasn't anything worth turning into merch from 5 Centimetre per second, Look Back, and Fight Club. Aside from posters and maybe some T-shirts?
John looked at the list of the merch list given to him by the system, and clothing was mentioned there along with the posters. Most of these works were still fresh in the reader's mind, but he had decided to make manga versions of Your Name and 5 Centimeter per Second, rolling them out with the merch as sort of a special release.
He didn't exactly have the movie to release a Blu-ray, so this was the best alternative he had.
'I am just increasing my own workload.' Scratching his head, the thoughts led him back to the list of merch slowly forming in his head.
Even before he had upgraded the system, there were already some products on his mind. Fullmetal Alchemist was really pulling a lot of attention, and as the core of that work, it was only natural to include a figure of the Elric Brothers together.
Edward was very well liked among the readers. Alphonse also had a decent fan following as well. Of course, Roy Mustang had a growing fanbase of his own.
But surprisingly, or unsurprisingly, there was another character that had the greatest number of fans at this moment. Maybe calling them fans would be putting it lightly; when John looked at their comments, it felt like it was he was witnessing the start of a cult.
'They have good taste at least.' He couldn't even be mad at these readers for liking Hawkeye.
Winry was also getting her fans, but it really made him wonder how these readers would react to Olivier Armstrong. That would be interesting to see.
Still, one of the figurines he wanted was not only for the reader but for himself as well.
As someone who didn't have a big paycheck, John wasn't someone who could spend on figurines, especially the premium ones. So, this was his chance to get at least a few of them, starting with the duo that had given him the first nightmare.
John picked up the stylus and started to create an illustration on the tablet that he would use as the reference for the figurines in question.
The illustration was of Nina and Alexander.
No, he did not mean the two in their fused state. If he did that, those readers would actually start searching for him in earnest. And with the names he had seen in those EP notifications, John didn't want that much stress on his hands.
So, as much as it seemed like a lucrative EP mine, he had to look the other way. He wasn't a monster after all.
In a matter of minutes, a picture of Nina hugging Alexander's neck on a bed of grass formed. He drew the same scene from a few more angles and even did some individual sketches of the two for reference.
Now that he had gotten the emotions out of the way. There was another product that was sure to sell. If anything, John was sure that this one would outsell anything else he could put out, at least right now.
It wasn't a figure that would be too expensive for its intended purpose.
"A plushie would be better; it will withstand more." He smirked to himself while looking at the clock.
This was the perfect chance for him, and especially for the readers who were still sending him knives in the DMs.
Which character would be the plushie?
Of course, it would be the Father of the Year.
Shou Tucker.
...
This is the reference for the figurine, in case you guys are interested.