diff --git a/src/AcDream.App/Rendering/GameWindow.cs b/src/AcDream.App/Rendering/GameWindow.cs
index b304d37..26e3ab6 100644
--- a/src/AcDream.App/Rendering/GameWindow.cs
+++ b/src/AcDream.App/Rendering/GameWindow.cs
@@ -2427,12 +2427,14 @@ public sealed class GameWindow : IDisposable
             // K-fix10 (2026-04-26): force the Falling animation cycle on
             // the remote so the legs match the arc. Mirrors the local
             // player's UpdatePlayerAnimation path which sets
-            // animCommand = Falling whenever !IsOnGround. Without this,
-            // the remote's existing locomotion cycle (RunForward,
-            // Ready, etc.) keeps playing through the jump — body goes
-            // up but legs stay running. Style is the sequencer's
-            // current style (NonCombat 0x8000003D for humanoids); cycle
-            // pace = 1.0 (Falling animation has its own baked rate).
+            // animCommand = Falling whenever !IsOnGround.
+            //
+            // K-fix18 (2026-04-26): pass skipTransitionLink:true so the
+            // RunForward→Falling transition frames don't play first.
+            // Without that flag the remote stood still for ~100 ms at
+            // the start of the jump while the link drained, then
+            // folded into Falling. Skipping the link makes the pose
+            // engage immediately on jump start.
             if (_entitiesByServerGuid.TryGetValue(update.Guid, out var ent)
                 && _animatedEntities.TryGetValue(ent.Id, out var ae)
                 && ae.Sequencer is not null)
@@ -2440,7 +2442,8 @@ public sealed class GameWindow : IDisposable
                 uint style = ae.Sequencer.CurrentStyle != 0
                     ? ae.Sequencer.CurrentStyle
                     : 0x8000003Du;   // NonCombat default
-                ae.Sequencer.SetCycle(style, AcDream.Core.Physics.MotionCommand.Falling, 1.0f);
+                ae.Sequencer.SetCycle(style, AcDream.Core.Physics.MotionCommand.Falling, 1.0f,
+                    skipTransitionLink: true);
             }
         }
 
@@ -5067,7 +5070,16 @@ public sealed class GameWindow : IDisposable
             {
                 animScale = s;
             }
-            ae.Sequencer.SetCycle(fullStyle, animCommand, animSpeed * animScale);
+            // K-fix18 (2026-04-26): when transitioning into Falling
+            // (jump start), skip the link so the legs engage Falling
+            // immediately. Without this the local player visibly
+            // stood still for ~100 ms at the start of every jump
+            // while the RunForward→Falling transition link drained.
+            // For everything else (Walk → Run, Run → Ready, etc.) we
+            // keep the link so transitions stay smooth.
+            bool skipLink = animCommand == AcDream.Core.Physics.MotionCommand.Falling;
+            ae.Sequencer.SetCycle(fullStyle, animCommand, animSpeed * animScale,
+                skipTransitionLink: skipLink);
         }
 
         // Legacy path: update the manual slerp fields (for entities without sequencer)
diff --git a/src/AcDream.Core/Physics/AnimationSequencer.cs b/src/AcDream.Core/Physics/AnimationSequencer.cs
index 9655ed1..9afe076 100644
--- a/src/AcDream.Core/Physics/AnimationSequencer.cs
+++ b/src/AcDream.Core/Physics/AnimationSequencer.cs
@@ -322,7 +322,15 @@ public sealed class AnimationSequencer
     /// <param name="style">MotionCommand style / stance (e.g. NonCombat 0x003D0000).</param>
     /// <param name="motion">Target motion command (e.g. WalkForward 0x45000005).</param>
     /// <param name="speedMod">Speed multiplier applied to framerates (1.0 = normal).</param>
-    public void SetCycle(uint style, uint motion, float speedMod = 1f)
+    /// <param name="skipTransitionLink">K-fix18 (2026-04-26): when true, do
+    /// NOT enqueue the transition-link frames between the previous and
+    /// new cycle. Used when the caller wants the new cycle to engage
+    /// instantly — e.g. swapping to Falling on a jump start, where the
+    /// RunForward→Falling link is a short "stop running" pose that
+    /// makes the jump look delayed (legs stand still for ~100 ms while
+    /// the link drains, then fold into Falling). Defaults to false to
+    /// preserve normal smooth transitions for everything else.</param>
+    public void SetCycle(uint style, uint motion, float speedMod = 1f, bool skipTransitionLink = false)
     {
         // ── adjust_motion: remap left→right / backward→forward variants ───
         // ACE MotionInterp.cs:394-428.  The MotionTable never stores TurnLeft,
@@ -372,9 +380,12 @@ public sealed class AnimationSequencer
         // CurrentSpeedMod defaults to 1.0 (positive) on a fresh sequencer,
         // so a Ready → WalkBackward transition correctly enters GetLink's
         // negative-speed (reversed-key) branch.
-        MotionData? linkData = CurrentMotion != 0
-            ? GetLink(style, CurrentMotion, CurrentSpeedMod, adjustedMotion, adjustedSpeed)
-            : null;
+        // K-fix18: when the caller asked to skip the transition link
+        // (instant-engage cases like Falling on jump start), force
+        // linkData to null so only the cycle gets enqueued.
+        MotionData? linkData = (skipTransitionLink || CurrentMotion == 0)
+            ? null
+            : GetLink(style, CurrentMotion, CurrentSpeedMod, adjustedMotion, adjustedSpeed);
 
         // Resolve target cycle using the ADJUSTED motion (TurnRight not TurnLeft).
         int cycleKey = (int)(((style & 0xFFFFu) << 16) | (adjustedMotion & 0xFFFFFFu));
@@ -384,6 +395,19 @@ public sealed class AnimationSequencer
         // been played yet (ACE behaviour: non-cyclic anims drain naturally).
         ClearCyclicTail();
 
+        // K-fix18: when the caller asked for instant-engage, ALSO drain
+        // any in-flight non-cyclic transition frames from the previous
+        // cycle. Without this, the old RunForward → ??? link would
+        // continue draining for ~100 ms before the new Falling cycle
+        // starts, defeating the "skip the link" intent.
+        if (skipTransitionLink)
+        {
+            _queue.Clear();
+            _currNode = null;
+            _firstCyclic = null;
+            _framePosition = 0.0;
+        }
+
         // Clear sequence-wide physics before the rebuild. Retail's
         // GetObjectSequence calls sequence.clear_physics() before each
         // add_motion chain (MotionTable.cs L100-L101, L152-L153).