…Hmm? Ah! Hello there!
Yeah, that's right! You there. Well. At least I think you're there. It's kinda hard to tell around...here.
Anyways. How was your morning?
…
Good, I hope.
…
Me? Well...I woke up, as usual, but a little earlier than normal...and then I fell through my bed. Yup, just...right on through. No clipped right out of reality.
No. I'm not in the Backrooms. I think I might have no-clipped through those too...somehow. Though I didn't really see it. In fact, I don't really see anything...not anymore.
If the Backrooms are what is behind reality, then I'd wager I'm probably somewhere in-between. A void, so to speak. Right now, I'm left free-floating in a gravity-less black space.
I'm not breathing. I don't need to breathe here, so I don't.
I don't feel anything. I don't need to feel anything here, so I don't.
Still not too sure whether or not I'm dead yet...or crazy, I am after all talking to nothing. In my head.
... as I said, I can't feel anything, including my mouth, or tongue, or anything like that. It's just me, and my thoughts.
Don't know how long I've been here, can't really tell the time in nothingness. It doesn't really feel like any time has passed, but at the same time...it has to have, right? Doesn't make much sense otherwise.
Then again, this entire situation doesn't make sense...so...yeah.
You know, I still haven't figured out why I'm not freaking out about this. Even though I most definitely should be-Wait. What is that?
Off in the distance, a gray light appears to be moving towards me...judging by its slowly increasing small size.
By the time it reached me, the mere speck in the dark had become a pixie, resembling Navi in all but color, it being the gray light I mentioned before.
When its light illuminated my upper body, It felt like a vacuum was lifted. Like I had just been woken up after a drowned-induced coma.
My mind lit up like a whirlwind, and suddenly, I was desperately grasping for breath I didn't know I needed.
But then, it all became still when I heard...it speak.
"̷̟̈́Ẃ̷͕̜̇ê̴͜L̵̰̱̽͘l̵̜͊̀.̵̩̜̑.̸̙͉̈̚.̴̲̻̂w̸̙͕̿H̴̢̱́̚A̴̬̭͌̋ẗ̷̼̠̒ ̵͎̍d̸̞̯̒̚O̸̱̒̀ ̸̜̒w̵̛̳͒È̴͍͇ ̸͔͝H̸̝̕a̵̟͔͆V̷̛̞Ȩ̴͉̄̈ ̷̮̊͂Ḧ̶̢͎́̚e̷̊̄ͅR̵̯̟̈́Ḛ̶̋̏?̸͕̏"̷̮͋̾
No. No, I did not scream like a little girl with the vocal cords I just remembered I had. No sir, I did not!
And, no, it did go on like that for several minutes while the thing's voice changed into something much cuter to befit its appearance!
"Okay! Okay! I get it! I GET IT! I'm sorry I scared you! STOP!"
Its voice sounded much more like your standard peppy anime fairy girl...well...except for that last word, which gurgled with the intensity of your standard, though feminine, eldritch horror.
Of course, I did in fact, stop, and just...stared at it.
"Okay! Good! We don't have a lot of time left,"
What? Time passes here?
"So! I have one question for you, Mr!" it gets way too close to my face, but despite that, it only gets louder, "Have you ever heard of Jumpchain?"
...ah. So I'm in one of those situations, huh. My lack of reaction and general frozen face must have disappointed the pixie because she suddenly continues,
"Oh! Come on! Usually when I say that I get something! Come on! Say...anything!"
I just stare at it.
"...please?"
Is it about to cry? It sounded like it's gonna tear up...
Before it can go any further, I nod, and simply say, "...yes, I have heard of jumpchain..."
It suddenly twitches, like it perked up, "Excellent!" It practically squeals as it flies above me, "Then I can do...this!" it's dull gray light suddenly becomes not so dull, like the thing transformed into a star and suddenly went supernova.
I'm either in for a really fun time, or I'm about to become a set piece in one of Lovecraft's stories, aren't I?
And with that final thought, my world becomes white.
~000~
This time, when I woke up, I could actually feel...and I felt like shit!
Everything seemed to hurt in some way, in general though, it could all be boiled down to sore as hell.
As I sat up, slowly, working through the aches, I was no longer in nothingness. Instead, I was now in a dull gray box! An upgrade, for sure. But...it was still a small dull gray box. About the size of a small bedroom, really. There's nothing else here...except...
Floating right before me is, quite literally, an anime fairy girl. No joke, specifically, it looks like someone took Serafall Leviathan from Highschool DxD and Kyu Sugerdust from HuniePop, and smashed the two together. And somehow managed to pull the cosplay off too, with the whole floating thing and sparkly pink and green fairy wings to boot.
Her hair is straight black, shoulder-length with Serafall's twin tails, ending with cotton candy pink tips. A pink and white magical girl outfit covers a body that definitely takes more after Serafall than Kyu, and her dark turquoise eyes are...staring right at me...are those actual stars in her eyes!?
"Eheehee! Yes! It actually worked!" it...her...sudden exclamation made me flinch, and groan at the said sudden movement.
"Oh...eheh...sorry about that! I managed to grab most of you...but, uh...putting people back together isn't really my strong suit! Eheh!" She knock the side of her head like she just said something silly.
Okay. That's a bit...much.
"So-"
"HUP! Hold up there, champ! We've got some stuff to do first!" She turns around, bending down slightly to dig through...the air...? She's shifting through nothing to find something.
Eh, at least at this angle I can see up her skirt-Okay whoa, hold up! Don't perv on the eldritch horror fairy! How old am I, 12!?
…
Oh my god, how old am I!?
I freeze stock still as I try and recount my life, my name, my...everything.
And what returns is...something. Most of what I experienced is still there. The shows I watched, the games I played, the people I meet and know...all there. I can put names to their faces, to my late mother, my fathers, my ex-girlfriends, etc...but who I am? I can't remember...
I pull up a memory, of me looking at myself in the mirror after a shower. The face is a blur. I can't put a name to it.
...why am I okay with this!? It feels like it's always been like this...
"Alright! Found it!" I move my head back to look at the fairy...only to be greeted by a literal office folder to the face. It somehow sticks to my face, so with a groan, I pull it off and read the bold label plastered on its front.
Supplements and First Jump...?
"So! I'll make a very long and very complicated brain-melting story simple!" She suddenly points at me, "You! No clipped – as the humans say – out of reality! Then, you managed to no clip through the backrooms too! Riiiight into the nothingness between worlds! Basically, you were dying!" Now she's pointing at herself, "Until little ol' me stumbled across what was left of yourself and put you back together! Praise me, because I'm awesome!" She puts he fists on her hips, and stands up straight with a proud smirk...
She's actually waiting for me to praise her, huh?
"So awesome you are that you fumbled putting memories of my identity back together, huh?"
Ya know. Usually, I wouldn't consider my second sentence to an eldritch horror to be snarky and playful, but...in this case? Well...I think I got her personality down pat. I feel a smirk slide across my face as she looks at me, and...!
"Umu!" Oh my god, she did the anime thing! And she's pouting too! Awwww! "That's not my fault! Like I said! I managed to put most of you back together! The rest was already gone, lost to the in-between!"
Oh. I see, well in that case.
"I suppose you are pretty awesome, then."
She just blinks. And...blushes, a little, I think? Yup. She's cute as hell.
"Thank you for putting me back together, uh...do you have a name?"
"Jumpchan!" She says very suddenly, "And you're welcome! But! The danger isn't over yet!"
"Eh? Explain...I don't feel great, but I definitely don't feel like I'm being unmade or anything..."
"You are still! We haven't left the in-between, not yet anyway. I created this space so we could get to work on fixing that problem!"
"Does it have something to do with this?" I hold up the folder.
"Yup! Give the files inside a read! Fill out what you want! Then, we'll- Ah! Wait! I have to explain the Jumpchai-"
"I already know what the Jumpchain is."
At that, she blinks again. "Oh." She then starts pouting again. "Party pooper..."
I chuckle, "Anything to see your cute face like that!" Oh god. Flirting with the eldritch horror now? This is only possible because my identity is gone, I swear it!
"Hmph! Quiet you! And get reading!" And so I do, but my smirk never leaves my face.
Jumpchain is, in essence, a universe hopping choose your own adventure game. Participants are called Jumpers, and in some cases, additional stuff is created to add on to the game, like DLC in any name-brand video game. These are what supplements are.
I noticed that some of these files are blurred out, and no matter what I did, I couldn't pull them out...probably missing something for them. Not like it matters right now.
Truly, there's only one supplement I'm interested in...
UNIVERSAL DRAWBACKS SUPPLEMENT.
A 76-page juggernaut of a read, but within said pages I know contains some of the best ways to gain power quickly.
I will very quickly go over my picks...
The first two options are optional and aren't really negative.
[Safety Dance] ensures I won't spread diseases across the omniverse...as long as I have 1 chain drawback active...we'll get to those in a minute
But first, [ESSJAY'S LAW OF AEIOU] makes me the only me that can be. So, no crossovers with extra-dimensional villain versions of myself, no cloning me with my memories and powers. I will always be the only me.
Nice, now onto the actual drawbacks. Each one will impose a strict condition on me, in return, I gain additional points to spend before each universal jump on more powers, skills, and abilities.
Now, this is where the fun begins!
My one and only Companion Drawback will be [All By Yourself], which basically means I can't bring Companions with me on my adventures between worlds...I'll be all by myself, as the name states. Now, this doesn't stop me from having friends and lovers in jump, it just locks out Companions, capitalized, the feature of the Jumpchain to bring others along with me. This nets me 200 more CP or Choice Points!
Next up, Warehouse and Item Drawbacks!
[Why is it Glowing] gives me 50 CP or 100 that must be spent on items, and all it does is make every CP-protected item I have that is NOT from the same universe I am in glow.
[That Can't Be Good] gives me 100 CP, and makes every non-CP-protected item that I bring with me to another universe slowly break down...and explode. Nice.
[Selfish Jumper] gives me 50 CP, or 200 that must be spent on only items, and makes it so only I can use anything that I buy with CP. Technically, I shouldn't be able to use this, since I have another drawback that locks companions...but since it's a chain drawback, and it specifies jump drawbacks, I can underline it just fine.
Oh yeah. Did I mention I have been using my finger as a pencil so far, and it's been working? Yeah. Let's just continue on.
[Shipping Ban] makes my transportation tech conform to local levels, and gives me 100 CP for use on items only for the trouble.
This is a two-in-one, [Limited Access] and [Really Limited Access] make it so I can only use my warehouse...my inter dimensional home and storage space which I have yet to receive...either once a year or only in a very specific place. I specify the very specific place bit by underlining it before moving on.
[Limited Warranty] makes items I buy with CP after use respawns only at the beginning of a new jump, while expendables that are designed to may take up to three times longer. And if an item is already designed to respawn at the beginning of a new jump, it takes 1d3 jumps longer to do so. For all that, I get 100 more CP.
[Embargo] makes it so I can only use the average tech level of whichever world I'm in. Pretty simple. Means no Starcraft ships in Historic Rome, type of thing. So, I'll take my additional 100 CP for setting it as a chain drawback, and head on!
Next, Event Drawbacks!
[No Exit] forces me to stay in plot-rich areas, doesn't actively force me to participate, just puts me close to the action. And gives me 50 CP, as it is a chain drawback!
[Trouble Magnet] basically makes something that could personally inconvenience or annoy me happen every week. If it doesn't, then the chances increase the next week, and so on. Until it does, then it resets down to around 10%. Since it specifies something annoying or inconvenient, and not something that could kill me I think I'll gladly grab this and the 200 CP and move on!
Now onto the Origin Drawbacks...and it's a couple of interesting ones.
A two-in-one, [Start at the Beginning] and [Earlier Beginning] basically makes me start at the age of 4, gaining my memories then rather than at what my age roll is, and I'll also regain any former powers from any previous jumps over time until said age roll. Basically, I'll start before the jump begins. When I finally reach my age roll, my powers should be completely back, and I'll proceed with the standard duration. Some may see this as an annoyance, but a chance to affect things before the jump even begins? To maintain my person and get a head start? And 200 CP? Well. I'll take it!
Now, this next one pairs quite well with the above, [Cannot Into Drop] means I can't take Drop-In origins. That's it. For taking this, though, it means I can take any 100 CP origin for free, discount any origin above that, and take 2 Drop-In items or perks at a discounted price. Nice. No raw CP, but, discounting a bunch of stuff for half price is practically the same thing.
These last two drawbacks come from the...Highly Questionable and Ill-Advised Drawbacks section?
Heh. Sounds fun.
First up is [First Rule] makes it so I can't tell anyone about jumpchain. Ever. Or else Jumpchan will throw a brick at my head. Very specific, but alright. It also specifies that there will be a seal in place that makes it so no one can read my mind and find out about the chain as well, and personally? I consider that a boon. You never know what kind of crazy eldritch beings or gods may want to do to universe hoppers. And, besides, it's just a brick, and 100 CP! Sounds like a steal to me!
As I look up from my musings, I see Jumpchan staring at me with a shine in her eyes, licking her lips at me. Of course, I think that's hot...only until I realize she's lobbing a blood-red brick up and down in one hand, ready to throw the sucker at a moment's notice.
Hmm. Yeah. Okay. Where was I? Right. Last drawback.
[Creepy Cosmic Cats] fills my warehouse with...well. Creepy cosmic cats. Some examples include; bake-neko, nekomata, rakshasas, long-cats, ceiling cats, basement cats, and more. Really, how bad can they be? Plus. I won't have anyone besides Jumpchan with me, so pets could be nice to have around anyway. As I select this option and gain 100 CP for it, I hear the sudden sound of something shattering on the floor.
Looking up just as quickly as the sound came, I see Jumpchan, paled, having dropped her brick from earlier. Is she shaking? It looks like she shuddering.
"Why...why is it always the cats..." I barely heard that, she practically squeaked it out.
I chuckle, "It can't be that bad, right?" I hold the file out to her.
"Oh, you'll see...you'll see alright..." She takes the file, and in one motion...stuffs it into her cleavage where it promptly vanishes.
Okay. Kinda didn't see that coming, but sure! Why not?
"Uh, huh...alright. That's all for the supplements! Now then! To Pokemo-" I stop as I begin to pull out the file labeled First Jump...usually, in a chain, the Pokemon jump is always first.
But this? This isn't it...
Generic First Jump
The hell...?
I look up at Jumpchan, bewildered, even more so as I see she's got this really really snarky smirk on her face.
~000~
"Okay." I begin, simply. "You got me! Explain."
"Heehehee! Yes! So! You were expecting Pokemon, right? Well! That's an old way of doing things! Can you believe new jumpers still somehow managed to get themselves killed in it?"
I can. People, especially humans, are really stupid.
"So! We came up with a new first jump, a tutorial if you will! For 10 years, you will be spending 1 year each in a different generic jump! Separated by genre! From slice of life to modern adventure all the way to science fiction!" She once again, got really close to my face, still smirking. "You'll be getting plenty of mileage out of that early start universal drawback during this, ya know? Unless, of course, you wanna back out of it now?"
...I'm sorry. I think I just misheard. Is this eldritch horror fairy challenging me with that tone of voice?
I stand up, not gonna lie, nearly falling on my ass as sheer agony shoots through them, but I bite my tongue, put on an award-winning smirk, and get back in her face.
"What will I win if I do go through with it?"
Her smirk drops a moment, surprise catching her before she resumes the previous look.
"I'll let you keep the points from your item and warehouse drawbacks...even though you won't be able to keep anything from the worlds, and don't possess your warehouse yet. After all, you will be spending upwards of a decade more in each world at least... "
"Hmm? I could just set my age to 12 or something like that, right?" I shoot back.
"Yeah...but! You won't do that! After all!-"
""Being a child again sucks!"" We both say at the same time.
Yeah, she's right. Lowest I'd go willingly is like...16.
I sigh, "...I'm still keeping the drawback."
She pouts, "Hmph! You're difficult..."
"And you're really easy and fun to tease. Are all jumpchans like you?"
"Nope! There's only one of me! Like I said, I'm awesome!"
"Well..." I smirk, as her eyes widen, realizing she just got set up! "Lucky I got you then, huh?" My flirting earned me a flying file to the face, and my body was sent packing to the floor.
"I said stoooppp!" Yeah, right. You like it when I say things like that, it's written all over your face! "Make your choices for the first jump, now! Remember, we're on limited time here!"
Huh. Guess we are, right?
"Alright, alright..." I pull the file off my face with a groan.
From all my universal drawbacks earlier, I gain 1400 CP, plus an additional 100 for items only. With the jump file now in my hands, I get another 1000.
So, 2400 CP. 100 CP on items only. Let's do this.
The document begins with the same spiel Jumpchan gave me, so I'll move to the important parts.
It allows me to choose my age and gender freely, so, let's go with...16, and Male, obviously.
Origins are interesting this jump, as since I'll be visiting 10 different worlds, I can't get those world-specific origins...so, instead, I'm being asked what kind of Jumper I plan on being. I'm given 4 choices; Tourist, Collector, Creator, and Power Gamer.
I can only pick 1. Out of the 4, I find the Collector and the Power Gamer best suited to me...but I lean more towards the Power Gamer. After all, without power, how will I collect stuff?...and get a harem, because of course that's happening eventually.
Now, this is where the really fun stuff begins, buying perks! Discounts are 50%, as usual, and 100 CP perks are free for their origin. Since there really isn't a drop-in origin here, I can't get any additional discounts sadly.
Of the general perks, I grabbed all the free ones of course! [Basic Requirements] lasts only for this First Jump, but gives me everything I'll need to be considered average in each world I visit.
[Body Like A Jumper] cures any physical ailments or disabilities, sets me at an average fitness and health level for a human, and makes it so my fitness and health with never decay so long as I have enough food and water to survive. It also lets me control my fertility...which is random but appreciated.
[Mind Like A Jumper] makes me aware of any mental disorders I have, and allows me to cure them once I enter. It also allows me to be made aware of any future ones I may develop, as it doesn't provide immunity, just that one-time cure.
Let's speed run a few of the simple ones, [Sexy and I Know It], [Common Sense], [Good Fortune] and [Self Motivation] are all 50 CP general perks that do exactly as their name implies.
[Friendly Sort] and [Boredom Immunity] are much the same, only for 100 CP each.
[No Matter Where You Go, There You Are] is a 100 CP general perk that makes my priorities, beliefs, and motives only change when I wish them to, and also allows me to instantly process and deal with trauma, like PTSD, nullifying some mental disorders.
[Veteran] is another 100 CP general perk which is basically just Gamer's Mind, lets me always keep my cool, and allows perfect emotional control.
When I got down to [Try, Try Again] I nearly face vaulted. It's a 400 CP perk that lets you nullify an attack or action that would end your chain. Once every 10 years or once every jump, whichever is first. It's a 1-up. It's required. Adding it to the proverbial shopping cart!
And now I can move onto the Origin Perks...first stop, my origins perks.
The Power Gamer tree possesses 3 perks, [Oh, The Possibilities] is free with my origin, and all it does is grant me higher mental faculties when it comes to understanding and exploiting, and using any powers or items I have. Useful, so I'll yoink it to cover my bases...but still. Not the best.
Next, [What's Mine Is Mine] is a godsend I didn't expect t get this early. This makes it so my abilities, skills, or powers never deteriorate. Much like my fitness from earlier. It also makes me age gracefully! It's discounted down to 100 CP, a steal, yoink!
[Hard Work Pays Dividends] is rather...boring, but incredibly useful nonetheless. It simply makes any training or advancement work 5 times faster. A simply training booster. Discounted down to 200 CP it's worth it. Besides, might as well complete the set, right?
Next are a massive block of perks, 2 perks for every generic jump I'll be doing. Ready for another speed run?
Each of these perks costs 100 CP, no discounts allowed. After all is said and done, I ended up picking 10 of them.
...what? Gotta use all that CP!
[Friendly Friends] allows me to connect with others and be a better friend overall.
[Lone Survivor] makes it so I don't suffer any difficulty during isolation or loneliness.
[Be Not Afraid] makes me immune to eldritch horror fear effects and spirit/mind corruption/fuckery.
[Sherlock Scan] will allow me to automatically pick out something that's important or relevant to me.
[Secondary Superpowers] gives me any secondary powers that might be needed to use any powers I might receive. Also lets me shut off or weaken any of my powers at my leisure.
[Psychic Intuition] gives me psychic potential, gives me flashes of inspiration, or just gut instinct that proves accurate. Also lets me be a good judge of character, get hints on other people's emotions, and lets me see the supernatural...whatever that means specifically.
[Screw The Devil] is just straight possession immunity.
[Simple Convenience] keeps me clean, and makes it so I never have to use the bathroom ever again.
[Cantrips] gives me mini magic spells about the power of D&D 3.5e cantrips.
And finally, [Class Skills] gives me the skills that best fit whatever class I choose in a fantasy setting. No magic though, sadly. Just lore or theoretical knowledge. So, without magic, I ended up specifying the rogue class. I'm not too sure how 3.5e rogue plays, but if it's just as ridiculous as 5e rogue...well... I think I'll be good.
"Ah?" Jumpchan suddenly perks up, "Are you finally done!? Yes! Finall-"
"Nope. Still gotta go through items." And at that, she actually gets smaller. Physically.
"Hurry up! Please! I can't take this anymore! Any more of this and I'll die! I'll actually die!"
Hey. Aren't I the one that's supposed to be dying here!?
…
You know, I'm starting to think she may have over-exaggerated that part to get me to hurry up.
"Just...give me a moment, okay? I'll be like...a minute."
She pouting now, but at least she isn't pixie sized anymore, "Fine." she grumbles. "I'm counting. Hurry it up!"
[Bare Necessities] is the first item, it's free but upgradeable for 100 CP, which I do. Basically, it gives me a trust fund that pays out $200,000 every year. It also gives me a home, vehicle, job, and other basic possessions necessary for living. All at the appropriate level of income from the fund. Best part? I can add other perks dealing with money or assets into the trust fund after, really stock up on stuff. And with that, I used up all my CP!
However, I still have 100 item only CP! Which I use on [Stamp of Fiat Approval], lets me stamp anything to give it CP backing.
And lastly, [Jumper Total Fitness] is free for my origin, and adds an attachment to my warehouse that lets me continually train my skills, fitness, and powers...forever. It will always adjust to provide a good, safe workout. No matter how strong I become.
With a sigh, I finally hold out the file to Jumpchan...who has been floating in front of my face, muttering seconds. With a start, she grabs the file and doesn't even look at it be she shoves it into her cleavage.
"Good! Now-" suddenly she stills and pales. She barely whispers, "Oh my me, I forgot the Body Mod Supplement."
"Huh. You know, I was wondering where that was. Well, alright. Give it here and I'll-"
"NO!" She suddenly darts back, holding the folder with the supplements close. "I will be denied my entertainment no longer!"
Uh. What? "Hey now, let's not be rash here...I need that Body Mod, you know?"
"Nnnnnnghhhh!" She suddenly rips a file from the folder and starts rapidly going through it.
"Hey. Jumpchan, hey! What are you doing there!" I try and snatch the file from her...but she can fly, so all she does is move up 6 feet or so, and now I can't reach her! "Hey! Jumpchan! You better not be doing what I think you're doing!"
"There! Done!"
Oh my god, she did what I think she did.
"I had to take a drawback from Generic First Jump to not screw you over for this, but, trust me! It'll be worth it!"
What. "Jumpchan. The fuck!?"
"Oh, don't worry! It's just the Randomizer Drawback! Nothing will change about the generic worlds, just the order you'll be sent to them in!"
Well. That's...okay. I guess. I don't even remember all 10 of the worlds anyways!
"Alright...can I at least see what you di-"
"No! You go now!" She suddenly starts glowing.
"Hey, hold on now-!" And with a snap of her finger, I'm once again sent through reality...no...the omniverse.
"Now then..." A single d10 appears in Jumpchans hand, she stares at it like a kid looking at candy at a candy store.
"Where to first, I wonder?"
~000~
:Author Notes:
Wow. That took awhile to write.
You know, this entire story is meant to be an exercise for me on writing less. But the jumpchain really requires a lot of explanation, especially with perks and items and such. Really, I'll try to shorten it as much as possible while still giving you an idea of what he picked so we can get to the meat of the story quicker.
Next chapter will be all 10 worlds in the Generic First Jump. Obviously, I won't recount all 10+ years of his life in each. Generally, he'll be summarizing each. Some may be more extensive summaries, but still. Actual jumps will be more extensive in general, at least a full chapter or two normally. I don't want a jump to become a second story, it will be just a part of an overall bigger one.
Ah. Right. I own none of copyrighted works by which my character will jumping into. Please support the official release of any that may appear here.
Thank you for reading. See ya next week.
