Fanfic Update
Hey… It’s been a while. I would’ve posted this four days sooner, but a recent tragedy occurred in my neighborhood. Anyway, four days ago, Game Theory dropped its video on FNAF: Secret of the Mimic, and I’ve got some good news and bad news. The good news is that after watching the video, I can confidently say I made the right call going on hiatus months ago. The bad news is that after seeing it, I realized the hiatus will be longer than I expected. We’re looking at not one, not two, but three videos covering Secret of the Mimic. It’s so massive that it’s being presented in a timeline format, just like Game Theory’s Ultimate FNAF Timeline. The game is that big. The way I see it, I’ll likely have to overhaul Into the Pizzeria once the third video drops—especially since my personal rule is to use Game Theory’s videos (along with the books and the movie) as reference. The Ultimate FNAF Timeline was my line in the sand to avoid using outdated theories. So that means Mascot Co won’t be resuming until October at the earliest. I’m really sorry about that. On the plus side, I’ve got a new chapter coming soon in another story: The Wheels of Fate Are Turning, part of the BlazBlue: Cross Rogue Effect series—and I’ve got a sneak peek ready:
“Hello, brother… or should I even call you that?”
Gasps erupted between the Blades and Strikers the moment Jin said those words.
“Brother?!”
Ragna and Jin sighed simultaneously.
“I’m surrounded by anemic interdimensional tourists.”
“Not gonna lie… between your sword and your power, you were the last person I wanted to see.”
Ragna spotted another familiar face.
“And you have Tsubaki too. No surprise there.”
The Strikers raised their eyebrows.
“More of Ragna’s denizens? And… why do the other people surrounding the two look familiar?”
Tsubaki gasped. “So you are from my world—or an alternate version of it.”
Ragna raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean by ‘so you are from my world’? Out of everyone from the NOL, you were my third biggest pain in the ass.”
Tsubaki gasped. “Third biggest?! What have I ever done to you?”
“What did you—” Ragna stopped himself with a sudden realization. “Wait a minute… Do you… remember my name?”
That’s when the shoe finally dropped on Ragna, as Tsubaki answered with a shake of her head.
“Oh… God.”
Jin sighed. “As you can see, Tsubaki has amnesia. In fact, the people you see before me all have amnesia.”
Ragna then looked at the other Blades, and unsurprisingly, did not recognize a single one.
He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Don’t tell me… you four aren’t even from my world?”
The Blades shook their heads. Another fallen shoe for the Strikers.
“They’re like us?!” Akihiko and Yang asked.
“Explains the sense of familiarity,” Blake and Seth answered.
“This looks like a job for diplomacy,” Mitsuru thought as she stepped forward.
“Seems we share a common predicament. Are you familiar with the word… Keystone?”
“You mean this?”
Jin produced the yellow shard, making the Strikers stare in awe.
“Jin has a shard?! This could be either really good or really bad, depending on his intentions with us… well, me more accurately.”
Mitsuru smirked. “I won’t have to explain myself then. We need that shard, and it’s clear that you need it too. Why don’t we team up to get our memories back?”
Jin put the shard away.
“What’s your name, ma’am?”
“Mitsuru Kirijo.”
“Hmph. Your proposal is logical, but the shard gave me a little food for thought. We’re dealing with a multiverse crisis, meaning all forms of the universe are popping up all over the place: past, present, future, and even alternate. I would normally tell the difference easily with the power of Order, but with the growing entropy in the air, my power is handicapped to a self-harm degree, and it will only get worse.”
Ragna narrowed his eyes. “What are you trying to say?”
“Let me ask you a question, ‘brother.’ Without my power, how can I tell if you really are Ragna—and not some alternative version of him? For all we know,” Jin readied his blade, “you might be an evil version of him.”
Everyone readied their weapons, much to Mitsuru’s growing disappointment and Tsubaki’s slight panic.
“Now hold on a minute!” she turned toward Jin. “Jin, while you’re not wrong about the possibility, they’re offering a—”
“Don’t bother, Tsubaki,” Ragna interrupted as he drew his sword. “It’s clear that Jin already made up his mind. It’s not like I have the best track record with alternative counterparts anyway.”
“But you’re brothers—family! Do you really want to do this?!” Tsubaki yelled, wavering at everyone’s resolve.
“Ragna… Jin…” Akihiko and Orie spoke up. “She has a point.”
The brothers sighed, then Jin spoke first.
“Even if he’s my world’s true brother—who’s supposed to be dead.”
Yukianesa was drawn, much to everyone’s shock at that revelation about Ragna.
“You’d be surprised by the many times we crossed blades.”
“Yeah, from the moment I woke up, I knew it was less a matter of if I ran into you, and more of when.”
Ragna’s Aramasa was drawn.
“And if Celica and Noel are watching…”
“I only have one thing to say in this matter.”
A nun and a blonde, green-eyed girl appeared in their minds.
“Mother… Sister… forgive me.”
Jin jumped. “Your stubborn elder son and brother.”
Ragna jumped as well.
“ARE AT IT AGAIN!”
They finished their thoughts as their blades clashed, signaling the start of the fight like a bell.
*CLANG!*
To Be Continue on AO3.org and FF.net