Hi hello as you know I’m reading Many Roads Diverge in the Woods and I’ve played through (what I believe is) all of Chase’s route and most of Henrik’s and Jackie’s and I just wanted to say that I fucking love and hate Jackie’s route the most so far hdkfnf
Spoilers ahead of course for whoever else is reading this but I love how much trouble Anti is having with Jackie hehehe. I love how much he hates Jackie for being difficult to work with and how much he’s struggling to get anyone killed. BUT I hate how it usually ends up with Jackie clueless and guilt ridden! IF NOT DEAD
MY BOY DOESNT EVEN KNOW WHATS HAPPENING. I hate chapter 277 for having Jackie left behind but I hate 274 more for leaving him behind with the bodies of two of his friends and the other two running away from him with absolutely no explanation. IT MAKES MY HEART HURT HNNNN. AND THERES NO CLOSURE MANS JUST GOES POOF
I’m also suspicious of those stairs going down to the basement, why are they changing numbers huh? Can’t count Anti? Can’t even keep track of the number of steps in your own house glitch bitch?? Hdkdnd
I know that the amount of work I’m putting into puzzling this out is only a fraction of the work put into actually writing and setting this all up and I gotta say, fan-fucking-tactic job this work is amazing. I don’t know if you can tell lmao but I am LOVING IT hdkdm
Anyway, I’ve got two out of the five apology endings and still plenty of questions so back to my flowchart I go
OH HELLO LEOBASHI THIS WAS A FUN ASK TO GET HEHEHEH >:D
Yeah I remember you reading them! And like, that's really amazing to me, cause you're an artist I've followed for a while so it's incredible that you've started to read something I wrote ^-^ I'm so happy you're enjoying Many Roads Diverge! Especially Jackie's route. That was the second to last route I wrote and I decided to make it really emotional and also kind of brutal with some of the deaths. If you've found Marvin's early-route death yet you know what I mean ;)
Also! You noticed the stair numbers changing! Hell yeah! I haven't seen anyone bring that up without me prompting them first hdjsaklh There is a sort of meaning behind that but it's not really explained in the story. In the story it's just a way to indicate that you've chosen a different route.
Thank you so much, Leo, it means so much that you and other people really like it ;w; It took like seven months and a lot of planning, to the point where even I don't always remember what choice leads to what. MRD doesn't get a lot of attention compared to my other writing since it's AO3 exclusive but it's my darling <3
Many Roads Diverge in the Woods - Second Run - Part Six
The Beginning | Previous
The results are in.
You've made your decision. Wonder what you'll see? You all are being so incredibly reasonable this whole run fdhjakslh None of you are like "hmm, what if I saw the bad choices?" Or, well, some of you might be, idk, I can't see into your heads. Wonder how you'll deal with this choice, then... :)c
The poll at the bottom to decide what happens next is only open for one day, expiring on April 20th at 12:00pm PST. Part Seven will be up the next day, April 21st, at the same time.
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“Bro, it’s not gonna be that hard to tell us what you’re talking about,” Chase says.
Marvin raises an eyebrow. “It’s also not gonna be that hard to walk three meters from where you’re standing to the room.”
It’s farther than that, JJ says.
“Semantics.”
“Marvin, I think what we are trying to say is that... you have been acting a bit unusual,” Schneep says delicately. “We need some trust.”
“Yeah, maybe when we walk in you’ll lock us in the room or something,” Jackie adds.
“What the fuck? No!” Marvin folds his arms. “Okay, fine, if you guys are being so weird about it. The room is pretty much empty except for some chairs. But there’s a pattern burned into the floor that I know is a ritual circle for spells.”
Jackie blinks. “What?”
Marvin throws his hands in the air. “See? You have no idea what that means! My explanation is fucking useless to you!”
Even that is better than going in completely blind, JJ says. Thank you, Marvin. We’ll check it out now.
“Finally. You guys are being weird.”
“No, you’re being weird!” Chase insists. “You’ve been weird since we came down to see what you were doing!”
Marvin starts to snap back, but stops. He frowns, like he’s considering something. For a moment, he looks worried. Then he pushes past it. “Well... I’ll try to stop being weird, then. Come on. I’ll go in first, if you’re so worried about me locking you in.” And he turns around and walks back into the room he came from. The other four glance at each other, a bit concerned, but follow him.
The room is exactly as Marvin described, empty except for four wooden chairs. A single dim bulb lights it up, though there are still shadows around the edges. And on the floor—wooden boards instead of the blank concrete in the basement hallway—is a design. Chase traces the lines with his eyes. A circle. With lines crisscrossing back and forth, and six strange symbols burned into the empty space in the center. The four chairs sit on the edge of this circle, evenly spaced between each other.
“So... you said this was a ritual circle?” Schneep asked. “For what?”
“I don’t really know, actually,” Marvin says slowly. “I don’t recognize the pattern. And actually, patterns aren’t really used that much, it’s usually just the circle, maybe with some runes around the edges if you want to be fancy.”
“What about these?” Jackie points at the symbols in the center. “They seem important. Do you recognize them?”
“I... kind of?” Marvin says. “It’s weird. I don’t know how I know this, but it’s something about... life? And... change? Transformation, o-or maybe transference, I don’t know.”
“Why’s it burned into the ground?” Chase mutters, tapping one of the lines with the tip of his shoe. “Seems like a lot of effort.”
“I’m guessing whoever did it was planning on using it a lot.”
JJ frowns. Why is this in Jack’s cabin? Along with all those magic books in the other room? I didn’t think he was into that sort of stuff.
“Maybe it belonged to some other family member,” Jackie suggests.
Chase gives the room a second look, as if he could find something new. And, surprisingly, he does. “Hey, these chairs were in the other room,” Chase says. “With the table. Marvin, did you move them in here?”
Marvin stares at Chase for a moment. Then at the chairs. He blinks, confusion clouding his face. “I... don’t know. Maybe? I—ow!” Marvin flinches a bit, pressing a hand to the side of his head.
“Are you okay?” Schneep asks.
“Yeah, I just... my head... started... hurt...” Marvin’s words trail off. He slowly lowers his hand. And he steps further into the room, going right up to the symbols in the center, looking down as he stands on them.
“Marvin?” Jackie asks, concerned.
Marvin looks up. “I remember what one of these means,” he says in a slow, almost monotone voice. “It means ‘blood.’ And I found something else in this room.” He puts his hand behind his back and then takes it out again. A knife is clasped in his hand. A thin blade, almost a dagger.
“Whoa!” Jackie steps forward, holding his arms out protectively in front of the others. “Okay, uh, cool? Th-that makes sense, I guess. Now, uh, can you put it down?”
Marvin grins. “Does it make you nervous?”
“No!” Jackie protests.
“I-it does a little,” Schneep says quietly.
“Really? What are you afraid of? That I’ll hurt you? I’m hurt that you’d think that.” Marvin flips the knife in his hand. “I’ll show you how hurt I am.” Slowly, he raises the shaking knife to his throat.
Chase gasps. He pushes past Jackie. “Marvin, no!”
JJ also tries to push past him, but Schneep grabs him and pulls him back. “Be careful!” Schneep hisses.
“Be careful?! Be careful?! Are you seeing this?!” Chase takes a couple steps forward. “Marvin, put the knife down.”
Marvin just laughs. The blade presses against his neck.
Many Roads Diverge in the Woods - Second Run - Finale
The Beginning | Previous
The results are in.
You have reached the end of your path. Will you be happy with what you’ve found?
Thank you to everyone who participated in this event! It was amazing to see everyone still chip in to a second run of this fic. And if you guys are wondering, yes, the full thing is currently up on AO3! Whoo! I'll include a link at the bottom of this part beneath a Keep Reading, but basically, the name is "Many Roads Diverge in the Woods - An Interactive Story" and my username is CrystalNinjaPhoenix! So basically the same as here XD There are about 300k worth of more routes to explore! I'd love to see you all there ^-^
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“Wait a minute.” Chase’s eyes go wide. “JJ, you didn’t just get blood all over your hands. You got it on your sleeves, too. Your white sleeves.” He tugs on one of JJ’s cuffs. “Even if you wiped your hands off, there should still be a stain!”
“Wait, wait!” Schneep grabs JJ’s other arm, and JJ promptly yanks both his hands free. “Gah! Sorry, Jamie, I was just checking to see. You are right, Chase. There is no sign that there was ever any blood.”
“And... why does this matter?” Jackie asks, frowning. “I-I know it’s weird, but... what does it mean?”
The others are silent for a moment. Then JJ raises his hands to speak. Maybe... maybe I was right. Maybe Marvin isn’t dead.
“But—but we all saw that, right?” Chase says. He shudders just remembering the sight—the sounds—all of it. “He definitely slit his own throat.”
“And JJ definitely got his hands and sleeves covered in that blood,” Schneep says. “And yet...” He trails off, looking thoughtful. “What if... what if it was not real?”
“How the hell would it be ‘not real’?” Jackie demands. “There was no pulse!”
“I know! But if we are dealing with the supernatural, we have to account for perhaps—perhaps some sort of elaborate trick,” Schneep says. “Some sort of magical illusion that could also feel real as well as look real.”
“I-I guess it’s possible,” Chase says. “Meaning... Marvin isn’t dead? But then... Look, he’s the only one of us who would be able to make a magic illusion. And why would he do that?”
Unless it wasn’t him. JJ taps the book Chase is still holding open. Specifically, the illustration.
“You mean—you mean some sort of spirit possessed him?” Jackie asks in a hushed voice.
“In that case... where is it now?” Schneep wonders.
JJ suddenly stiffens. He turns and runs back down the hallway.
“JJ! Hey!” Chase drops the book as he tries to reach out and grab JJ, but he’s moving too fast and his grip just barely closes on empty air instead of JJ’s arm. So instead he runs after him, leaving Schneep to pick up the book again. “Where are you going?!”
He was going to the room with the ritual circle. Chase catches up with him as he hesitates outside the open door. JJ glances at him—and at Schneep and Jackie, who are running down the hallway after them. Once everyone is there, he reaches into the dark room and turns on the lights.
A figure is crouched in the center of the ritual circle, one hand pressed against the burned lines making it up. Somehow, the four wooden chairs from the other room are in here now, spaced evenly around the edge of the circle. A rope is coiled on the seat of one. The figure looks up. It’s Marvin. It’s definitely him. But his eyes... They’re all black, no whites or irises to be seen. A smile stretches across Marvin’s face. It is not his smile. “So... you figured it out?” he asks. Or, rather, the creature using his body asks. “No matter.” It raises Marvin’s other hand, and—
Suddenly, Chase feels something push against him, shoving him forwards into the room. He cries out as he falls to the floor—and then again as Jackie falls on top of them. All four of them had been pushed forward by some mysterious force and are now in the room, lying on the floor. And behind them, the door slams shut. “Y-you!” Jackie gasps, standing up first. “What are you?!”
“So much more than you. That’s all you need to know.” The creature gets to its feet in one smooth motion. “Now. Are you our first volunteer?” That smile stretches Marvin’s face again—and suddenly there is a knife in his hands, a thin silver dagger, and he rushes towards Jackie.
Jackie cries out and dodges to the side. The creature starts to lunge for him again—but Chase, thinking fast, reaches out and grabs Marvin’s ankle, now nearby. The creature gasps in surprise and stumbles, almost falling but catching itself against the wall. “Guys?! What do we do?!” Chase asks.
JJ gets to his knees. He points at Schneep—no, he points at the book that Schneep is still holding. Schneep looks at him. Read! JJ says.
“O-okay.” Schneep nods. “You all keep him distracted!” He opens the book up to the marked page and starts scanning it.
“What is that?” the creature asks in Marvin’s voice. Is that surprise in its words? “Where did you get that?!” Marvin’s body spins around and runs for Schneep—but Chase launches himself from the ground and right towards Marvin, knocking him back. The creature screams in frustration. There’s a flash of silver—but then Jackie grabs Marvin’s arm right before he’s able to plunge the dagger into Chase’s back.
“I-I just have to read what’s written out loud,” Schneep stammers. “I-if we—if we do it right his body will seize, r-remember not to hold him when that happens.”
“You motherfucker!” The creature growls. With one arm being held by Jackie, it moves Marvin’s other hand, wrapping it around Chase’s throat and squeezing. JJ gasps and hurries over, prying his fingers free. Chase gasps as his airflow resumes.
“Do it, Schneep!” Jackie shouts.
Schneep nods. He looks down at the page, hesitating, and starts reciting the words. “Sp—spiorad gan i-iarraidh, a... ordú againn... duit im-imeacht.” He goes slowly, unsure how to pronounce the words.
“No!” The creature shouts. Suddenly, Jackie, JJ, and Chase are all thrown away. Marvin’s body scrambles upwards again and he lunges towards Schneep again, But, yelling in rage, Jackie gets to his feet and tackles Marvin to the ground. The dagger falls from Marvin’s hand and skitters across the ground. JJ quickly scoops it up again. The creature notices this and growls. “Do you think I need that to kill you?!” it threatens.
JJ nods. He looks at Chase and points towards Marvin and Jackie. The two of them are struggling on the ground as Jackie tries to keep Marvin’s body pinned. Normally Jackie would have been easily stronger than Marvin, but the creature is fighting with all of Marvin’s strength, not caring if it hurts Jackie or Marvin in the process. Chase nods back to JJ and hurries over, arriving just in time to stop Marvin from punching Jackie in the face. The creature screams wordlessly and thrashes against Chase and Jackie’s grip.
Suddenly, the lights go out, plunging the room into total darkness. Schneep’s voice, slowly chanting the words, falters. Then JJ pulls out his phone and turns on the flashlight feature, shining it towards Schneep, who continues.
The creature growls and flings Marvin’s hand out. The book jerks forward, like someone is trying to pull it from Schneep’s grip, but he holds it steady—though he glances at the others with a panicked expression.
JJ glances back at the struggle. Marvin, he signs, causing the light to waver, but not enough to deter Schneep. Fight.
“H-he’s right!” Chase gasps. “Marvin, you have to be in there somewhere! You have to fight this!”
“Fuck off!” the creature snaps.
“Ní l-leatsa an corp a... ghlacadh,” Schneep continues. “Ní leatsa an ai-aigne a... úsáid. Ní leatsa an t-anam a... a-adh-adhlacadh.” He still stutters a bit, but it’s clearly not affecting the spell.
Jackie grabs Marvin’s hand and pulls it back. “If you can hear us, Marv,” he says, “we need your help! C-can you hold it back? Please! Try, at least!”
“You don’t have to do it forever!” Chase adds. “Just long enough for Schneep to finish!”
Marvin’s body shudders. The creature starts to snarl something—and then abruptly stops. The black in his eyes flicker back to normal for a moment. “T-try...” Marvin whispers. His limbs jerk, but overall he stops fighting. Jackie still holds him, though, arms wrapped tight around Marvin’s torso. Chase watches, tense, waiting.
And then, suddenly, Marvin’s muscles tense again. He screams, head throwing itself backwards and arms and legs starting to shake. “I-it’s the seizing!” Chase gasps. “Like Schneep said! Let go of him!”
Jackie abruptly does so, scooting backwards across the ground. He watches Marvin with wide eyes. As do Chase and JJ. They all stay where they are, looking and feeling helpless as Marvin convulses and screams on the floor. “W-we have to do something,” Jackie says desperately.
“Maybe we can hold his head still.” Chase reaches out—
“No! Th-that’s gotta be as bad as holding him!”
“I don’t want him to hit his head, though!”
Jackie hesitates. “I got it!” He takes his jacket off, bunching it up and placing it under Marvin’s head. “B-better than nothing.”
Schneep glances at this and nods approvingly as he continues to chant. He’s getting a hold of the words. Soon his voice rises, more confident. “Díbrím thú! Fág an corp, aigne agus anam seo. Díbrím thú! Téigh go dtí an domhan eile atá ag fanacht leat. Díbrím thú!”
All at once, Marvin goes still. His screams end abruptly, but his mouth stays open as a thick black smoke pours out. It rises into the air, and there is the shape of a person in the cloud, a writhing mess of limbs struggling to reach back in. Glowing green eyes appear, glaring at the others with unmistakable malice... and then they wink out as the smoke disperses. Marvin goes limp against the floor. The lights turn on again.
CRACK!
All of them jump in surprise at the sound—and look down at its source. The wooden floor has splintered, a large divide going across the ritual circle burned into the ground. A red liquid pools in the new crack and spills out over the floor.
But they have more to be concerned with. JJ drops his phone and rushes to Marvin’s side, falling to his knees next to him. He grabs him by the shoulder and starts to shake. Schneep runs over as well, and Jackie and Chase crowd around Marvin in turn. “Marvin?!” Chase says. “Marvin! A-are you okay?!”
Marvin groans and opens his eyes. They are back to normal again. “All of you... get... the fuck away from me.”
They all abruptly jerk backwards. JJ laughs, a sound of relief. “Well sorry for being concerned,” Jackie says, sounding irritated but smiling nonetheless.
“No, he is right, he needs his space,” Schneep says, gently pushing the others back. There are tears in his eyes. “Marvin, I-I... I am so glad you are okay.”
“Yeah...” Marvin breathes. “You.. y-you did great, Schneep. Mispronounced a few things, but I don’t blame you. And it worked. Th-thank you.”
How do you feel? JJ asks.
“...tired,” Marvin mumbles. “That sort of tired where it’s on the edge of everything hurting.”
“Are you okay to move?” Jackie asks. “I... don’t really want to be in a room where the floor is bleeding.”
“Th’what?” Marvin turns his head to the side, seeing the red liquid bleeding across the floor. He frowns. “I think... I think that means whatever spell it’s about is... broken? Whatever. Blood isn’t good. I dunno if I can move, but... if you guys wanna get out of here... I can try.”
Jackie shakes his head. “No, don’t make yourself. Uh, I can carry you, if you want?”
“That’s fine.”
“Okay.” Jackie stands up, taking Marvin with him. The other three stand up too and follow them out of the room.
Are you really okay, Marvin? JJ asks. That must have been terrible.
“I-it was... more confusing at first,” Marvin says quietly. “Things were... I saw... I-I don’t really remember some of this night. Then I woke up again, and I... saw him. And he... was using my body...” He shudders.
“It’s fine, Marvin,” Chase whispers. “It’s over now. We can get out of here.”
“Is that what we do now?” Schneep asks. “Just... leave?”
“I think so. I don’t want to stay in the cabin with a weird evil ritual circle in the basement. And I want to ask Jack what the hell this was all about. It’s his cabin, he has to know.”
“I don’t think we can ask Jack...” Marvin says. “He... th-that spirit, he made a comment... something about getting Jack out of the way...”
Fear jolts through Chase’s heart. “Then we definitely have to get out of here.”
Maybe we should rest first? JJ asks. Marvin’s not in great shape. All of us are exhausted.
“I’m fine with leaving soon,” Marvin says. “I can... can lie on the couch while you all pack your stuff.”
Jackie nods. “Sounds good to me. What about the rest of you?”
“I can drive in the dark,” Chase says.
“I do not think we should stay here,” Schneep mutters.
Whatever you all think, JJ adds.
“Then we’ll do it. Come on.” And Jackie heads for the stairs. The rest of them follow.
It doesn’t take them long to re-pack their stuff. They didn’t really have time to unpack fully before everything went terribly. Marvin lies on the sofa, and the others take turns waiting by him, not wanting to leave him alone. He keeps muttering things that don’t make sense. Things about blood being life, and life being power, and what the symbols in the circle meant. When someone asks, he says he doesn’t know what he’s saying. That there is just knowledge in his head now. Knowledge he doesn’t want.
They load the car with their stuff, then head on out. Marvin claims the passenger seat, saying he doesn’t want to be crowded by the others right now. The others let him have it. It’s the least they can do. As Chase starts the car and heads out, they debate calling someone. But in the end, who could they call? Who would believe them?
As the cabin disappears into the woods, Marvin leans his head against the cool window. “Guys...?” he says. “Th... thanks. I-I lov... I really appreciate it. Thanks.”
They all know what he almost said. And they all feel the same.
Ending Reached: Banishment
(Congratulations for reaching the best ending on the Marvin route! :D And here's the link for the full version now uploaded to AO3!)
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
Many Roads Diverge in the Woods - Second Run - Part Two
A JSE Interactive Fanfic
Previous
The results are in.
Your path has been altered. Strange how such a small choice can change so much. Don't mind me accidentally voting on the poll myself, I tapped on the option while scrolling fhdjkalh So the results are actually even more in the favor of playing video games :)
The poll at the bottom to decide what happens next is only open for one day, expiring on April 12th at 12:00pm PST. Part Three will be up the next day, April 13th, at the same time.
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“Yeah, I’m sure the food situation is fine,” Chase says. “I want to check out the consoles that Jack’s been keeping from us.”
“Hell yeah!” Jackie grins.
Schneep rolls his eyes. “Fine. But if there is no food in the kitchen you will have to drive back to town.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know.” That was the price of being the only friend with a driver’s license. “Look, if something’s up, I’ll stop what I’m doing and head down there. But I doubt it is.” Chase leaves the bedroom, closing the door behind him. “C’mon, let’s go check it out.”
Jackie whoops and hurries to the staircase. Chase follows at a slower pace with Schneep trailing behind him.
Marvin and JJ are already downstairs, sitting on the sofa closest to the window. “Can’t believe it’s already getting dark,” Marvin mutters. “Love the fall, hate the lack of daylight.”
“Ah, Marvin, JJ,” Schneep says. “It is getting close to dinner time. What would you like to eat? There is no guarantee Jack will have stocked the food, but I will ask anyway.”
“You already know my list of foods I like,” Marvin says, shrugging.
I’m fine with whatever you want to make, JJ says. It sounds like we may have limited options.
“We may. I have not checked yet.”
“Hey, do you guys want to check out the PS5 with me and Chase?” Jackie asks.
“Uh, sure, I’ll watch whatever you guys do,” Marvin says.
JJ stands up. I’d rather help Henrik in the kitchen, if you don’t mind.
“Aw, I thought we were making so much progress teaching you the ways of the future!” Chase pretends to look sad.
JJ chuckles. I may join later, don’t worry.
He and Schneep headed into the kitchen while Chase, Jackie and Marvin started setting up the console and checking out what games were on it. “Jesus, does he have every Resident Evil game on here?” Chase mutters. “He does! There’s no way he’s played them all, though, since he straight-up forgot about this cabin until recently.”
“Oo! Oo! Spider-Man!” Jackie says excitedly. “Let’s play that!”
“We should choose something multiple people can play,” Marvin points out.
“Yeah, well, doesn’t look like he has a lot of those,” Chase says. “Look, Monopoly. You want to play Monopoly?”
Marvin makes a face.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought.”
“Good news, everyone!” Schneep reappears in the archway leading to the kitchen. “Everything is full of food. I don’t think we are eager to cook, but JJ found some frozen pizzas in the freezer.”
“Hell yeah,” Jackie says. “How many? What toppings?”
“Well it looks like there is one for each of us, as there are five, one for each of our preferences.”
“Oh cool, I don’t have to pick off toppings!” Marvin says excitedly. “Yeah, let’s do that.”
“The oven is not big enough for all at once, so who can wait?”
“Uh, I’m not that hungry,” Chase says. “And I doubt that Jackie will want to eat right away, since he went straight for the PS5.”
“Hey! ...Well, that’s fair,” Jackie admits.
“Three is fine,” Schneep says, and turns around, going back into the kitchen.
“Sooo what are we playing?” Jackie asks.
“I saw Grand Theft Auto back there, let’s choose that,” Marvin suggests. “It’s always fun to watch even if you’re not playing.”
“Sounds good to me,” Chase says, selecting the game.
They play for about ten minutes, with Chase having primary control while Jackie and Marvin tell him what to do and occasionally try to grab the controller from him. Chase is just about ready to tell the other two to take their turn, if they’re so focused on playing, when—
The screen and lights in the room go dark.
“Aw, what?” Chase presses buttons on the controller as if that can fix it. “Did the power go out?”
Marvin groans. “We were tempting fate earlier when we said we won’t have to go down into the basement.”
Schneep and JJ run into the living room. Did everything go out? JJ asks.
“Looks like it.” Jackie punches his fist. “God damn it! Well, at least we didn’t get far.”
“Jack said the fuse box was in the basement, right?” Marvin recalls. “Schneep, you still have the house keys. Can they open the basement door?”
“I am sure they... oh.” Schneep digs around in his pocket. Then his other one. “Where did they..?”
JJ walks over to a table by the entrance and picks up the keys from there. He looks at Schneep with a raised eyebrow. You didn’t remember where you put them?
“W-well, I am sure one of those can open the basement,” Schneep stammers, embarrassed. “I will, ah, keep an eye on the... the food.” And he disappears back into the kitchen.
Jackie sighs. “Okay then. One of us should stay up here and keep an eye on things. Get everything set back up the moment the power comes on. Chase, are you okay with doing that? You were figuring out the controls faster than I was.”
Many Roads Diverge in the Woods - Second Run - Part Five
The Beginning | Previous
The results are in.
You've made your decision. Wonder what you'll see? We're about halfway through the choices now! It doesn't seem like much has happened, but trust me, things get crazy from now on in all choice branches.
The poll at the bottom to decide what happens next is only open for one day, expiring on April 18th at 12:00pm PST. Part Six will be up the next day, April 19th, at the same time.
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“Alright, fine, we don’t have to drag Marvin upstairs,” Jackie groans. “But the moment he gets up here, I’m asking him why you guys thought he was being weird.”
JJ glances back at the basement door, looking a bit uneasy. But he relents now that the three others have made their decision. Alright. I hope he won’t be long, he says.
“It will be fine,” Schneep says. “Besides, I do not think we should leave cooking food unsupervised. Especially in a cabin that is not ours. If we burn the oven Jack will be so angry. Speaking of which, I am going back to keep an eye on them.” He says that last part as he turns around and heads back into the kitchen.
Jackie and Chase sit back down on the sofa. JJ hovers for a bit before sitting down in a nearby armchair. “Are we all good?” Chase asks.
“Yeah, of course,” Jackie says. “Now let’s catch up to where we were before. Maybe it’s my turn now?”
“We’llll seeee,” Chase says as he picks up the controller. “If you didn’t mess with the game while I was downstairs with JJ, then you’ll have earned your turn.”
“What?! What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Oh, like you wouldn’t take the opportunity to fuck with me by putting me halfway across the map.”
Jackie grins. “I don’t know what you mean.”
Everything is in order, though, so Jackie gets his turn. But he doesn’t play for that long before the basement door opens. Marvin stands in the doorway. He glances at the TV. “Continuing without me?”
“We didn’t know how long you’d be down there!” Jackie says defensively.
“It’ll be a little while longer,” Marvin says. “Where’s Schneep?”
Right as he says that, Schneep appears in the kitchen entrance. “Ah, Marvin. Good to...” Schneep trails off. “Are... are you okay?”
“Yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“I... don’t know...” Schneep says quietly. Chase has to agree with him. There’s something... different about Marvin right now. He sees the same faint confusion on Jackie and JJ’s faces. Maybe Marvin is standing differently, somehow?
“Well, I’m fine,” Marvin says. “I found something strange. Come on, I want to show you guys.” And he turns around, going back down the stairs.
JJ gets to his feet. Now we are DEFINITELY going after him, he says, glaring at the others. There’s no room for argument in his face.
“Okay, okay,” Schneep says. “Let me just turn off the ovens. This may take a while.”
He does that, and the four of them get up and go down the stairs to the basement. The hallway extends before them. Marvin is nowhere in sight. “Uh... where’d he go?” Jackie asks.
“He was in this big room at the back before,” Chase says. “He’s probably there now. Come on.”
But when they arrive there, Marvin is still nowhere to be seen.“Uh...” Chase’s mind goes blank. “Did any of you guys notice anything in the other rooms? Was one of the doors open?”
“I did not see anything,” Schneep says.
“Yeah, they were all closed except for the one with the fuse box,” Jackie says. “And that one was open. I didn’t see Marvin in there.”
“Well he wanted us to see something, so he’s down here somewhere.” Chase shakes his head.
He could have gone into one of the other rooms and closed the door behind him, JJ suggests. But... He suddenly stops signing. His eyes have landed on the nearest bookcase. Frowning, he walks over.
“Jamie?” Schneep asks. “What is it?”
JJ doesn’t answer right away. He crouches down to the ground and reaches into a small gap between the bookcase and the wall behind it. When he stands up again, he’s holding a book in his hand. A thin, old-looking book, with yellowed pages and a cracked leather cover. He stares at it, turning it over in his hands.
“What’s that?” Chase asks.
JJ puts the book on the bookcase’s middle shelf, freeing his hands for sign. It was behind the bookshelf. I don’t know if it fell down there or... if someone put it there deliberately.
“Does it really matter? It’s just some old book.”
JJ frowns. I suppose that’s true. But it’s odd that—
His signing is interrupted by the sound of a door opening. In unison, the four guys turn and stare down the hall. One of the doors has opened. The one next to the room with the fuse box. And Marvin walks right out. “Guys, I’m right here,” he says, sounding a bit impatient.
Jackie throws his hands in the air. “Well how the fuck were we supposed to know that? The door was closed!”
“It was?” Marvin looks back at the door. He laughs a little. “Oh yeah. I guess I closed it. Must be a habit. Sorry, guys. Anyway, you guys need to see this. It’s a bit, uh...” His faint smile fades. “It’s weird.”
“What is it?” Schneep asks.
“Uh... I-I don’t know how to explain it. It’ll be easier if you guys just see it. I mean... you’re right here. You just have to walk down the hallway.”
Many Roads Diverge in the Woods - Second Run - Part Four
The Beginning | Previous
The results are in.
Your path has been altered. Strange how such a small choice can change so much. I love how this is the first 100% vote in either of the two runs dfhjskah Everyone really was like "don't you f*cking dare go by yourself, JJ! Chase, go with him!" I mean, it's understandable, really. When you know the cabin is dangerous, you're going to stick together.
The poll at the bottom to decide what happens next is only open for one day, expiring on April 16th at 12:00pm PST. Part Four will be up the next day, April 17th, at the same time.
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“Alright, JJ.” Chase sets the controller down and stands up. “I’ll go check on Marvin with you.”
JJ slumps, visibly relieved. Thank you, he says. I know I’m probably being silly, but I can’t shake this feeling that something’s happened.
“No, it’s okay, really,” Chase assures him.
Jackie picks up the controller. “Well while you guys are gone, do you mind if IIIII...?”
“Don’t you touch a button on that,” Chase threatens.
Schneep laughs. “You heard him, Jackie. Put it down.”
“Aw.” Jackie sets the controller down again. “Fine, fine. You guys be back quick with Marvin, okay?”
We will, hopefully, JJ says. Chase, come on.
The two of them walk over to the open basement door and descend the eleven steps of the staircase.They end up in a long hallway. It extends forward for a little while before opening up into a wide open space. On the left side of the hallway are two doors. On the right side are three. The nearest door on the right is slightly ajar, and Chase glances into it, seeing a room full of cardboard boxes with a metal cabinet mounted on the wall. “Oh hey, there’s the fuse box,” he says. “Now where’s Marvin?”
Probably down the hall, JJ says. He starts walking forward. Chase follows.
The wide open space at the end of the hallway is a wide room, lit up by six yellow lights mounted into the ceiling. The middle is clear, but there’s a bunch of old-looking junk around the edges. More boxes, a wooden table with deep scratches in its surface, and above all, bookcases full of dusty books. Marvin sits in a wooden chair that looks like it matches up with the table. (There are four other identical chairs dotted around the room—a dining room set, perhaps?) He’s hunched over a thick book, scanning the first pages so intently he doesn’t realize JJ and Chase have walked into the room.
“Uh... Marvin?” Chase calls.
Marvin looks up. He smiles. “Oh hey! You came down to look for me?”
Of course we did, JJ says. We were worried. We’ve been texting you.
“Really? I didn’t notice.” Marvin shuts the book closed and stands up, leaving the book on the chair. “Two of you? Are Jackie and Schneep coming downstairs too?”
“Nah, they stayed upstairs,” Chase says. “Uh... what were you reading?”
“One of the books down here. They’re so fascinating. I got curious and decided to look around, and I’m so glad I did!” Marvin’s eyes are alight. He hurries over to the others, so quickly that Chase actually takes a step back in surprise. “Here.” Marvin grabs JJ by the hand and pulls him into the wide room. “I can show you.”
“Uh, bro, we were kind of in the middle of something upstairs,” Chase says, stepping forward and grabbing JJ’s other arm to stop Marvin from dragging him off. “If you want to stay down here and read, that’s fine, but we’re kind of busy.”
Marvin’s head snaps over to Chase. For a moment, he looks angry. But the expression only lasts a split second. Chase must have imagined it. “True.” Marvin lets go of JJ’s hand. “You guys were doing something. You can go back to that, don’t worry about me. I’d much rather keep reading. But I probably won’t notice any texts so you might have to come downstairs again if you want to get me.”
JJ shakes his hand, wincing a little. Tight grip, he signs.
It’s okay. What are these books about anyway? Why are you so interested in them?
“Oh, it’s fascinating.” Marvin laughs. “I just said that, didn’t I? Well, it is. What I’ve found has been, uh, very relevant to my interests. I didn’t know Jack’s family was into magic. Or, was, at one point. Clearly they’re not any more.”
Chase blinks. “Huh. Yeah, that’s a bit weird.”
Marvin takes a step closer to him. “Want to see some?”
“No, no, I’m good. We’re good.” Chase has goosebumps on his arms. He’s not sure why, but he doesn’t want to be here anymore. “Come on, JJ. We’ll tell Jackie and Schneep what happened.”
JJ nods slowly, then follows Chase out of the room.
“Come back if you want!” Marvin calls. “I’d love to show you!”
Chase and JJ head straight back to the staircase, not diverting to look at the other rooms. They’re quiet until they start up the steps, at which point JJ stops and looks at Chase. Did that seem... odd, to you? he asks.
“Yeah,” Chase agrees. “I know Marv can be a bit weird sometimes, but that... that wasn’t his normal weird. I think? I don’t know. I-I don’t want to be rude or anything.”
JJ shakes his head. That wasn’t normal. Something about it was just... off.
“Well, what do we do then?”
Let’s talk about it with Jackie and Henrik.
The two of them start walking up the stairs again. When they reach the top and return to the living room, Chase instinctively closes the basement door behind them. Schneep and Jackie are still on the sofa. They look over towards them in unison. “Oh, no Marvin? After all that?” Jackie asks. “What happened?”
“He, uh... found something,” Chase says. He quickly explains the whole encounter they had.
“Hmm.” Schneep frowns. “You are right. Marvin can be intense about his interests, but he does not usually get so intense that he would pull Jamie into the room. Especially by the hand.”
JJ nods. That’s what really bothered me. He knows I don’t like people grabbing my hands, and yet he did it. He sighs. At least he had the presence to apologize for it.
“Okay, so Marvin’s being a bit more intense than usual,” Jackie sums up. “What do we do about that? It’s not like we can drag him upstairs.”
I mean... we COULD, JJ considers.
“He’ll probably be upstairs eventually,” Chase says. “He has to go to sleep after a while, and we all know he’s not the type to fall asleep wherever. We could just wait for him to come up and ask him what the hell was going on when he does.”
“I do not think we should drag him upstairs,” Schneep says. “That seems a bit... intense, ha.”
“Yeah, but Marv was being weird and intense, maybe if we go get him he’ll realize that,” Jackie says.
“So we’re at a tie,” Chase says. “Unless someone changes their mind.”
They all go quiet, each one looking at the others.
You have reached the end of your path. Will you be happy with what you've found?
Thank you to everyone who participated in this event! It was so much fun to do :D I'm hoping on releasing the full, all-possible-branches experience as a work on AO3, but at this point I've only finished one of five possible routes, sooooo it's going to be a LONG while before we reach there XD So I hope you're all happy with the ending you've reached! I am :)
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“Schneep.” Chase keeps his voice quiet, slowly raising his hands in a ‘calm down’ gesture. “Henrik. We know something’s wrong with you. We don’t want to hurt you.”
Schneep laughs. “Then you’re a bit outmatched, aren’t you?” The knife moves a bit closer to Jackie’s throat. “I don’t have any problems hurting you.”
“That’s because—because you’re not Schneep, are you?!” Marvin says accusingly.
The knife stops. Jackie is trying not to breathe. “So one of you isn’t an idiot,” says the voice coming from Schneep’s mouth. “Not that it matters in the long run. I’m going to kill your friend, you know, it doesn’t change anything if you know the truth or not.”
Henrik. JJ looks at Schneep sympathetically. We know you’re in there. Keep fighting.
“You dumb little m—” Schneep stops suddenly, his whole body tensing up. The knife trembles. Jackie tries to lean away from the blade.
JJ nods encouragingly. Yes, that’s you, isn’t it?! Henrik. Henrik. He keeps signing Schneep’s name sign over and over.
“I-I...” Schneep’s eyes squeeze shut, then shoot open again. His chest rises and falls quickly. “Th-there is... something i-inside,” his voice gasps out. “I cannot—cannot keep him—c-cannot fight him...”
“Of course you can,” Chase gives him a small smile.
“It doesn’t have to be for long,” Marvin says gently. “Just let go of Jackie. Put the knife down.”
“I-I cannot...” Schneep’s eyes roll back in his head. “This isn’t going to work, you fucking morons,” the other one hisses. “You can’t get rid of me with a few simple pleas to your psycho friend—” He’s suddenly cut off by a strangled cough.
“Don’t fucking call him that you bastard!” Marvin snarls.
“Don’t listen to him, Schneep!” Chase adds. “It’s your body, you’re stronger than him!”
The other one laughs. And again, it’s cut off by a choked sort of noise. Tears slip out of Schneep’s eyes. “I cannot do this,” he whispers. “I cannot do this.” His fingers are turning white with how hard they grip the knife and Jackie’s hoodie.
You can! JJ signs firmly.
“H-he is so much more than just me...” Schneep’s voice trails off. The lights overhead, alight now that Marvin switched the power back on, flicker for a moment. “Things a-are not—they should not be—I-I hurt Jackie, a-and Jamie—”
JJ shakes his head. It’s not your fault. I forgive you.
“Just for a moment, Schneep,” Chase says quietly. “Just for a moment, then we’ll take care of it.”
Schneep is shaking all over, teeth clenched together, head twitching occasionally. The blade is coming closer to Jackie’s neck, then moving farther again a second later. Nobody dares say anything else. Marvin glances back at Chase and JJ, unsure, but both of them shake their heads. It’ll work. It has to work.
Jackie takes a deep breath. He closes his eyes. “It’s okay, Schneep,” he says quietly. “It’s okay.”
Schneep’s eyes snap towards him, locking onto his face. For a moment, he goes very still. Then, with a scream that fills the tiny room, he flings Jackie across the room, leaving him to crumple against the bed.
Marvin and Chase rush forward. Chase grabs Jackie and pulls him back, and Marvin runs towards Schneep. He grabs him by the arms. “Alright, you motherfucker,” he hisses. “Get out of my friend.”
Schneep twitches, and the other one laughs again. “It doesn’t work like that,” he says in a singsong voice. Then his head jerks forward and smashes into Marvin’s nose. Marvin jerks back instinctively, shouting as blood starts to leak from his nostril. The other one pushes him aside and lunges towards Jackie and Chase. But suddenly JJ jumps forward, moving fast despite his injury, blocking the two of them. Schneep’s body collides with him. A strangled yell comes from JJ’s throat. It scares the others—JJ doesn’t scream. And yet he did. When Schneep pulls away, staggering to his feet, the handle of the knife he was holding sticks out of JJ’s stomach, the blade buried within.
Chase cries out in horror. Marvin rushes to JJ’s side. He hesitates, then presses down on the wound around the knife, trying to help stop the bleeding. “You—y-you just—” he gasps. “Jameson, you didn’t h-have to—”
I did, JJ signs weakly.
Schneep’s body shudders. “No,” he breathes. “N-no, I—Jamie, I-I am so sorry, he is too—” Schneep screams out, grabbing his head. “Go away!” he cries. “Leave me alone!” He stumbles away from the others until his back hits the windowsill—of the open window. He suddenly stiffens. A single eye twitches. “No!” he shrieks. He spins around and—before anyone can do anything about it—grabs the windowsill and pushes himself out.
“Schneep!” Jackie screams.
Chase runs forward and leans out the window. Schneep’s form is visible on the dark ground outside. For a moment, he doesn’t move. And then he stirs. A single arm reaches out.
“He’s moving!” Chase gasps, jerking backwards. “I-I’m going to check it out! Marvin, help JJ and Jackie!”
“On it!” Marvin is already looking at the medical kit they brought in earlier. And with that, Chase spins around and rushes out of the room.
He sprints down the hall, doesn’t slow for the stairs, then bolts across the living room and bursts out the front door. He takes a moment to orient himself, then turns and keeps running across the ground. It’s blind luck that he doesn’t trip on a loose pebble.
Schneep’s body is crumpled under the window. Or, slightly to the side of the window. He’s been crawling slowly away. Chase comes to a stop a few feet away. “...Schneep?” he says.
Schneep’s head snaps up. Chase can already tell by the look on his face that the problem hasn’t been solved. “You... you fucking bastard,” the other one says, baring his teeth. “Damn you. Damn you all! This isn’t fucking over! Even if you break his body, you can’t get rid of me!” He laughs. “You don’t even know anything! You don’t know where you are! Fucking—pieces of shit, I’m sure any of you would’ve been better—fuck you. Fuck you.”
Chase stares down at him. He feels strangely empty looking at this. “It’s going to be okay, Schneep,” he whispers.
“No, it’s fucking not,” the other one hisses.
“Shut up.” Chase bends over and grabs Schneep’s body, wrapping his arms around his torso in an awkward half-carry half-drag. The other one screams and tries to wriggle out of his grasp, but stops abruptly, going almost still. Almost. Chase can feel Schneep shaking. “It’s going to be okay,” he repeats. “It’s going to be okay.”
He ends up leaving Schneep in the first-floor bathroom. It doesn’t have a window, only one door that Chase wedges a chair under. Then he sits on the floor in front of it and stares.
A couple minutes pass. Then Chase hears footsteps coming down the stairs. It’s Marvin. “Hey, Chase,” he says quietly.
Chase swallows a lump in his throat. “How are they?”
“I... did what I could. Jackie’s fine, I-I’m more worried about JJ, but... I’m sure he’ll be fine. The police are coming soon.” Marvin tries for a reassuring smile. “What about... you know?”
“He’s alive,” Chase says. “That was a terrible fall, I bet he has at least two broken bones. But he’s alive. That... thing, though... it’s still there.” He laughs. “What a way to find out ghosts are real.” The laughter dies quickly.
Marvin looks at the bathroom. “You locked him in there?”
“Not sure what else to do.” Chase shrugs. “How are we going to explain this to Jackie? How are we going to explain this to anyone? I-I don’t think people will believe us if we say that a serial killer from the 20s possessed our friend and tried to kill us.”
“Yeah,” Marvin agreed. “I’m wondering why all this was in Jack’s cabin. He better have a good explanation for why he didn’t get rid of any of that shit.” He folded his arms. “Well... I-I’m going to go back upstairs and... sit down. With the others. I’ll try... to tell Jackie everything that happened.”
“Tell them I say hi,” Chase says.
Marvin nods and goes back upstairs. Chase continues to stare at the bathroom door. It’s not long before the banging and shouting begins.
Luckily, it’s also not long before the sounds of sirens fill the forest.
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...The cabin was located in the Scanrúil Forest, an hour and a half away from the nearby town of Asphodel. While two of the party were injured (Jackie Mann, 30, and Jameson Jackson, 30) they are expected to recover. The police have released a statement saying they believe the fifth occupant of the cabin, a Dr. Henrik von Schneeplestein, 31, was the intruder the others had called about. Dr. Schneeplestein was recovered with a broken leg and arm that he claims happened when he fell from one of the cabin’s second-story windows. He has pleaded guilty to the assaults while also denying that he was responsible. This confusion, along with erratic and violent behavior, has led to his admittance to Silver Hills Mental Hospital for a psychological evaluation.
The owner of the cabin, Jack McLoughlin, 32, was contacted for a statement. But when the police were unable to reach him, they found entry into his house and found Mr. McLoughlin asleep and unable to be awoken. Doctors at St. Mark’s Hospital have confirmed the man is in a coma, though the cause is unknown. The police say they do not suspect McLoughlin of being personally involved with the attack, but he may have been an accomplice...
I'm gonna post so much writing this month fjdkahljkdh
You know why?
Because Many Roads Diverge—the interactive fanfic that I first showed off here in October—is Basically Done. It's not entirely complete, but you know what? I realized that with the time limits for polls on Tumblr, if I started another runthrough here soon, I would definitely be done by the time Tumblr reaches an ending.
So...
On Tuesday the 9th, we will be starting ANOTHER runthrough of Many Roads Diverge!
For those of you who weren't there for the first one, or who don't remember, here is the first part, and here is the tag for all the parts and my progress updates!
Here's how the runthrough will work.
I will post a part of the story at 12pm Pacific Standard Time. Starting with me REBLOGGING the original first part! At the bottom of the post will be a poll where YOU can vote for what will happen next in the story. The poll will only be open for 24 hours. So if you want to participate, you’ll have to do it quick. The day after the results the NEXT part of the story will be up, and so on and so forth until you reach an ending ^-^
Some choices will not matter all that much, merely giving you more information or different dialogue. But SOME choices will be VERY important. There is danger in the cabin. If things go wrong, characters WILL die. So if you’re uncomfortable with character death, maybe don’t participate.
If you want to join, be sure to check my blog every two days starting April 9th. OR I’ll be putting all parts under the tag “manyroadsdivergejse” if you would prefer to check that instead.
Afterwards, I'll start posting all the parts to AO3! It will take a long time for everything to be uploaded, considering the whole thing is 310k words and counting. But then people can pursue it at their leisure!
