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shinonometrash · 3 years ago

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Jasper Lane’s Main Story: English vs Japanese version, full summary, comparisons & thoughts. Part 1 of 3. (TW: rape, sexual assault, drugging)

So! Jasper’s route has finally been released in English as of August 31st, 2021. It seems that Voltage is following the same release order for consorts and events as how items were released in the Japanese version. I spent wayyy too much money to binge the entire route in a day...and get all the premium content...(honestly the hardest part about binging a route isn’t the love passes, it’s getting all the spirit points. Ugh.) I took note of a lot of different things in this and wanted to make a post going over all this information. Sorry this post took me so long to make, I had to go back and reread a lot of Jasper’s story in Japanese to refresh my memory as well as make sure I didn’t miss any big details since I had read it first back in May, and my Japanese has improved a lot (I think) since then. It was unfortunate and I didn’t really want to, lol. But! Now it’s his birthday (9/11)! I get to post this on his birthday! Happy birthday, asshole! This post is why you and your route suck! I’m probably only going to be able to post this first part today though, because honestly this post is taking much more time than I expected.

The biggest thing is going to be that

Jasper’s English (Court of Darkness) route does NOT contain any major triggering content. You’ll probably still want to punch him, though.

So, if you’re looking to find out about that, there you go. Anyways.

I’ve broken this into four posts, three that contain summaries of each chapter, regardless of changes, and one that only contains the changes.

(As of the date of posting, 9/11/2021, I have not completed all the posts yet. Please check back later and I will add the links to the rest of them as they are posted.)

This post is part one including the summaries. Part two in currently progress. Part three in currently progress. Post with ONLY comparisons and thoughts currently in progress.

Since I had contacted Voltage about the triggering content in Jasper’s route (and made a very lengthy Tumblr post about it) and they told me they prefer to remove potentially triggering content from stories in the localization process, rather than simply adding trigger warnings, I was more or less expecting this. Although...I didn’t really expect it to be to this extent, nor did I realize how I was actually going to feel about it...! Of course, the CoD did a fabulous job with the content they were given and what they were told to do, as always, and I completely understand why they changed what they did. Like. Seriously. They did the best they could do with the absolute mess of a route they were given. But, like, the route was an absolute mess to begin with. So there’s only so much that can be done to fix it...💀 Anyways, please know that any of my complaining is not directed at the CoD team because they’re wonderful!! Support them by buying in game content if you’re able to!! They recently released a special VIP pack that’s honestly an AMAZING deal. This is just a criticism of the route itself and my thoughts on it, not on the CoD team.

Now, onto the main point of the post...the English and Japanese versions of this route are very different.

Warning: This post contains major spoilers about Jasper’s main story as well as potentially triggering content including but not limited to rape, sexual assault, and drugging.

In addition, I am not including any CGs in this post as I’m not trying to break Voltage’s policy.

Please click under the read more to continue.

Okay, so first off this is probably going to sound incredibly self centered of me, but I sort of get the feeling that my post about his Japanese route had some sort of influence on the changes in his route...? Not sure how big of tabs Voltage keeps on Tumblr...but it seems like nearly all of the main points I was specifically really mad about got changed--and I’m sure they must have definitely seen my post...? Also, this too probably sounds silly, but I was kinda happy reading some of the dialogue that was nearly the same as the way I had translated it. Part of me was still afraid that I had no idea what I was talking about and just looked stupid writing a long post with misinterpretations of lines💀

Pre-notes: 1. For those who named their cat something else, Robin = MC’s cat. 2. In the direct quotes, anytime you see “---” it’s just me cutting out a part in the dialogue that I deem unnecessary for comparison purposes. 3. I bolded whether there’s differences in the chapters or not in each chapter summary, in case you only want to read the summaries for the chapters with the differences. It’s pretty much going to be the same as reading my other post, then, but I explain more of the chapter here, usually.

Chapter 1-3

Literally so dull. Nothing really of note. Pretty much the same between the English and Japanese. Jasper asks about her hands and she’s like “omg he’s so nice he was worried about my hands!!”, she meets Sherry and they become friends, the headmaster tells her she has to learn magic if she wants a chance at going back home. They go to the runes and learn about the history of Saligia. Guy grabs her again, she escapes.

Chapter 4

It starts to get a little bit more interesting here. Overall, nothing seems too different between the two stories yet. Jasper invites her to the rooftop for a tea party. Jasper is desperately trying to get MC to interact (in a positive manner) with Guy, she asks Jasper to have tea with her instead. Sherry and Rio mention a ball. Toa and Guy get into a glaring match. Toa leaves. You know, the usual. Jasper whispers something in Guy’s ear and they leave, and everybody follows them because...you know. They discover that Guy’s room has been trashed. Toa walks in and asks what’s going on, and then falls silent when he sees Guy’s room. Guy is like “Toa, you left before me, did you not?” and Toa is like “What are you trying to imply?” then they glare at each other until Lynt is like “Are you trying to say that Toa is the culprit? He would never.” Fenn agrees. Roy says they should investigate, and Toa says he will also investigate, since he is the dorm prefect after all. Afterwards, Jasper asks Guy if he thinks Toa did it, Guy says “No, Qelsum isn’t that stupid.” Guy says they need information. He sends Jasper out to investigate, tells Jasper to be sure not to be seen. Fenn, Violet, and MC go out for food or something, and MC runs into Sirius, literally. Fenn is like “what are you doing?” and MC says she ran into somebody but turns around and there’s nobody there. I guess it’s trying to imply that Jasper is stealthy and can hide away into the night or something?? But then that’s it.

Chapter 5-6

No overall noticeable changes. It’s time for the ball! Sherry lends MC a dress and they head to the ball. She sees Jasper in the hallway closely inspecting wine, without Guy. She calls his name and he startles. He tells her he’s selecting a wine for Guy because Guy is very selective and will not consume anything that Jasper has not prepared. Jasper essentially says that Guy is his reason for living. Then they go into the dance hall. And Guy is all like “why did you come in together?” then they say they ran into each other by chance. Guy goes to take a sip of the wine, looks startled, and then ends up spitting it out into a handkerchief. He claims he choked on the wine. She finds Jasper in the hallway again, looking at the wine, and calls out. Again, he startles. She wonders why. She tries to ask, but then he dodges the question by telling MC that the dress looks good on her. He invites her to dance and says he’ll teach her. They head back to the ballroom, she asks him some various questions and they all basically end with him saying that he serves Guy or whatever, and she’s thinking all like “work, again...?”. Jasper then tries to make her dance with Guy instead of himself, and when she says she’s going to leave he grabs her arm. There’s a few choices you can make, but one of them is “Please let go of me.” And then! And then! This man literally looks at her and asks “Why?” Yikes!! And she asks why he’s asking why, and he says he doesn’t want her to go, so she agrees to stay a little longer. (Mistake #1) Then he shoves her off onto Guy again. After dancing with Guy she goes out to the balcony and runs into Aquia, and Aquia pricks his finger and it starts bleeding. She tries to look at it and it somehow brushes her lips and at that moment Guy and Jasper come out and ask what’s going on. Aquia apologizes (he did nothing wrong!! >:( ) They then discover that Aquia’s wound has magically healed somehow. Then here’s the scene with Guy: “That girl, I want to know everything about her.” Jasper: “Oh my, have you fallen in love?” Guy: “Something like that” Jasper: “Congratulations! We must celebrate this wonderful occasion!” Guy: “That’s enough now. Investigate that woman’s power.”

Chapter 7

No major changes between versions. But...Ughhhhhhhh. We’re gonna meet Sirius in this chapter. But first some humor. They go to the S rank lounge, I believe after the ball. Jasper offers to make coffee. Literally ALL the valets suddenly RUSH to Jasper’s side to ask him to teach them how to brew coffee. So there sitting in the S rank lounge with Jasper brewing coffee while all the other valets are like 👀👀👀👀 lmaoooo. Aight and so the humorous part ends there, sorry! That’s it! Now we must move on. Fenn says he wants to go out drinking and asks Jasper if he’d like to join, Jasper declines saying he has other matters to attend to. We learn that Hawke, Jasper, and Lance are all drinking buddies. MC is all like “oh thank god, that means he does get time off!” -_- So then Toa laughs and comments how close Jasper and MC are, and is like “wow imagine using your valet for something like that” and then tells her that she’ll be a tool for Avari if she sticks with them, and that it’s not too late to switch to Qelsum’s side instead. (She does not switch. Mistake #2. Arguably her biggest mistake in this entire route, if you ask me.) Guy interjects and tells Toa that MC is his, and Toa is like “lmaooo then why does she seem closer with your valet than you?” and then they glare at each other. MC gets annoyed and leaves. Jasper asks where she’s going. She says she’s going back to her room to see Robin. For some reason, Jasper seems disappointed about this? Afterwards, she goes to her room for a bit but then decides to go explore the town with Robin. Uh oh! Robin goes missing.

She starts looking for Robin and runs into this sketch looking dude. He asks her where’s she’s going, she says she’s looking for her cat. He’s like “oh that flying thing?” and she’s like “Yeah!” and then is like “could you just tell me which way he was headed? I can get there myself.” but the guy insists that she should follow him instead, because the streets are dangerous and she might run into dangerous men. The man is then like “I’m Sirius.” (which, when I first read the Japanese, I thought he was saying “I’m serious” lmaoo) and then he frickin grabs her hand and drags her off!!! Yikes!

Chapter 8, 1st Interlude, and Chapter 9

Okay so we’ve got the most significant changes in these chapters. Like. A LOT. This is what the majority of my previous post focused on: the drugging, sexual assault, and morning after. They basically did their best to make this consensual. It went very similar to what I had predicted, although played up a bit more cringe-y than I had expected...or maybe I just hadn’t thought about how cringe-y it would be. There’s literally so many changes that it’d be a bit of a pain to summarize all of them between the versions, I’m just going to put the actual dialogue/stuff from the stories for a lot of this so you can see the differences more directly. (The Japanese will be roughly translated by me, of course.)

Chapter 8

So Sirius starts walking and walking and walking and she asks where they’re going but he keeps insisting it’ll only be just a little longer or that it’s a shortcut and stuff. Ughhhhh...Then she’s like. This man clearly has no idea what he’s doing, I’m going to run away after all. But then he suddenly tells her they’re going to take a “break”. He drags her into the bar before she can protest or try to run. She tries to say no to a drink, but then he asks if she does drink and she’s like “well I do, but...” and you start seeing the differences here. In English she makes a comment of “Ugh, if only he wasn’t so charming.” Sirius further insists only one drink, even though MC tries to say she needs to go find Robin. He then just straight up orders drinks for them, despite her protesting. She then agrees, and then mentally apologizes to Robin. (Mistake #3) And we start seeing the biggest differences about right here...

For this chapter, let’s play a guessing game on which one is the Japanese version and which one is the English version, shall we? :)

Away from the table, Sirius plants a palm on the counter. Two of the usual are set out before him, bubbles frothing over the top. Sirius glances back and finds MC staring at the patterns in the wood grain. Sirius: Much obliged. Tavern Keeper: Mm-hmm. Scooping up the fizzing, popping tumblers, he tosses a wink at the tavern keeper. Then, he strolls back to spend time with his new friend. - Away from the table, Sirius plants a palm on the counter. Immediately two of the usual shot glasses are set out in front of him. Just to make sure, he looks back at MC, who is staring at the table. Sirius: Ah, thanks. Tavern Keeper: Mhm. Sirius skillfully drops the tablet he had hidden between his fingers into the shot glass of the opposite hand. Then, feigning a nonchalant look, he returns back to the table.

Did you guess which one was which in this part? :) And yes, my friends. In the fucking CANON MAIN ROUTE, it deadass has a line saying that our love interest puts a drug in our drinks. And yet...the Japanese fans still love him! Ugh. Also, that “skillfully” bit really concerns me. That kinda implies that he’s done it multiple times before, does it not??? Honestly I’m not really sure why it says it was a shot glass in the Japanese, though. I thought they were drinking like cocktails, not taking a shot. Maybe that’s why they changed that bit...? Now the stories are the same again for a tiny bit. Some time has passed that they’ve been in the bar/tavern and MC chugs her drink and slams it down on the table. She seems drunk. She’s rambling about Guy and Jasper. Like “I’m not an object!!” “and he’s like “Yes, yes, you aren’t an object.” then like “Who goes around saying stuff like “you are mine” and “give me your power”?? Like seriously! Who says that sort of stuff! It’s so messed up!” and he just listens along, amused. He then says that it’s good to drink sometimes, and she agrees, and then he asks what she wants to do. She notes how she’s only had one drink, yet her head feels a bit fuzzy already, and how it made her very talkative. She says she wants to go home. She reveals that her family died, and that she has a hair clip in her hair from her mom that’s very important to her. She mentions how there are still good people in this world, though. Sirius tries to order her another drink, and here’s where stuff deviates again.

Sirius: Another of the same, if you please. MC: What, no! I’m fine MC: So hey, you’ve been fantastic company but I really need to go find Robin. (Man I got way too into that conversation.) (Robin must be out there looking for me.) MC: Thanks for the drink, though. You’re a really good listener. And also...really, really pretty. MC: It’s been great meeting you. Maybe I’ll see you around sometime? MC: Like...when I’m not looking for my cat. That’d be...nice.” (I have no filter. No filter whatsoever.) MC: Right, so...Bye... He stands up right as I do. The rickety old table wobbles between us and I pitch into his arms. Sirius: Steady on. Sirius: I might almost think you’ve fallen for me. (Fallen for him? But I’ve only just met the man.) Sirius holds me steady as I smile up at him, feeling silly but bold. He’s even more handsome up close. MC: Like I said, very attractive but...gotta go. Sirius: Hold fast. MC: Haha. Did you just pick me up?! Sirius hefts me into his arms like I weigh nothing, and for a moment I feel like I’m being carried off into the sunset. An electrifying thrill runs through me as I sway against him, adn then I realize we’re moving. MC: Where are we going? Sirius: ... MC: The look he gives me then makes my eyebrows shoot up. I nod and let him carry on. (English version, Mistake #4) When I next open my eyes, I’m being placed down on something fluffy. (I can’t believe I’m actually doing this. I should leave well enough alone but there’s something about him...) I peer at the unfamiliar ceiling overhead while Sirius stares down in my eyes. Sirius: No need to hurry. Sirius: The night’s just begun, after all. (Wait a second, aren’t you...?) The seductive smile on his face comes closer. For a split second he reminds me of someone, but it must be my imagination. - Sirius: Bartender, another of the same. MC: Ah, no, I’m good! MC: I really need to go find Robin. (Yikes, I got totally absorbed in that conversation.) (Surely Robin is looking for me, too) MC: Thanks...for talking with me...and listening... MC: Thanks to that I’ll be sure to...remember this... MC: From now on, I’m going...to study...more seriously...for sure.... (Wha...I’m so dizzy...) MC: Sorry...I’m...leaving now... Sirius: Whoa, hold on. MC: Ah... Unsteady on my feet, Sirius picks me up and holds me in his arms. I feel swaying and I open my eyes slightly. I’m being carried somewhere. MC: Where...are we going...? Sirius: ... Strangely, it feels like the ceiling has gotten awfully high... The next thing I’m aware of when I open my eyes is being placed down on something fluffy. (Where am I...?) I gaze at the ceiling above me and Sirius looks into my eyes. Sirius: Let’s take it slowly. Sirius: The night has just begun, no? (Huh...?) Laughing mysteriously, the man’s face comes closer. For a second, I think he looks similar to someone. But it’s just my imagination, right...?

I’m sure you can guess which one is which. One is extremely alarming, the other is cringe. It’s clear they did the most they could to try and make it consensual between them, and ended up doing exactly what I thought with having her make several comments about how attractive he is and then add some playful flirting between them. 😖 Alright! Ready for the next part?

1st Interlude

I just read the normal first interlude in Japanese before typing out this post and...god, I thought the premium interlude was bad. So, one more time, trigger warning for sexual assault. Damn I really don’t want to write this part, I’m so tired from writing the rest TT (I saved this for last, unfortunately.) I’m not translating all of these so I’ll do a mix of translating exact lines and summarization. In all the stories, first she calls out Jasper’s name at first, confused, and then Sirius looks shocked. And she’s like, how weird, why would I call him that...he’s clearly Sirius...and then they all start to deviate. ><

Normal Interlude

Japanese version (this is the worst one): MC: I’m sorry...I must’ve gotten drunk, sorry for the trouble... Sirius: So you’re apologizing in this situation. (This...situation...?) He kisses her. (Wha...I’m being...kissed...) I’m aware of it, but my body feels so heavy, I can’t resist it. With my arms pinned to the bed, I’m forced to accept the kiss. He says “what is this power?” and then she sees an aura flare up around him. She asks if it’s magic, and he says that it’s interesting, and then asks if it has to do with the length of time or the type of physical contact. -- Sirius: Is it only your lips, or...? His finger runs along my knee, tickling it. With his other hand, he skillfully slips his hand into my shirt. Sirius: No need to be alarmed. Sirius: I simply wish to confirm. (Confirm...?) Sirius: So soft and smooth, you feel nice to touch. Sirius: But, I don’t feel anything from just touching you... Sirius: Is it different depending on where I touch? The sensation of him stroking my skin falsely spreads through my whole body while his fingertips make their way down to my lower limbs. I move my shoulders to try to tell him “I don’t want you to touch me!”, but it doesn’t matter as his fingertips continue to try to uncover something. MC: St...stop it... Yelling out makes him stop--at least, that’s what I had thought. However, the thing that stops him isn’t my voice. He removes his hand that was feeling around in my shirt and then starts to think about something. (Is he...searching for something...?) Sirius: ...so it can’t be transferred through the skin, hm. (W-what...?) It’s finally over--is what I thought, at least. This time, he drops kisses on my ears and collarbone. When he puts his hands on my thighs again, I want to run away immediately. (Why...? Why is this happening...?) MC: Is this...is this a dream...? Sirius: Yes. It’s a dream. So, goodnight. Sirius: You’re about to reach the limit, aren’t you? (Limit? What is he talking about?) Even if I wanted to think about it, my head is too fuzzy and I can’t think of anything. I don’t like it, but...what is it I don’t like? Surely it was something important, but I can’t remember. Before I could say “I’m sorry, I’m really sleepy” my consciousness blacks out. She passes out and Sirius says something about how interesting it is, and that he must report his findings to Guy.

English version: MC: Sorry, I can’t believe I called you by the wrong name. Sirius: Is this the time for apologies? (I guess not...?) He kisses her. (We’re kissing. I’m kissing Sirius...) He’s certainly attractive enough. I’m not attached to anyone here, and yet...Why is it that I keep thinking of Jasper? He says “what is this power?” and then she sees an aura flare up around him. She asks if it’s magic, and he says that it’s interesting, and then asks if it has to do with the length of time or the type of physical contact. -- Sirius: Is it only your lips, or...? His fingers walk along my knee, tickling me. I shiver and grin as he gives me a considering look, then slips his hand inside my shirt. -- Sirius: I only wish to see what you’re capable of. (Strangest bedroom talk ever.) Sirius: You’re exquisite. Soft, smooth, perfect to the touch... Sirius: But I seek other responses. Sirius: Tell me, is this where you want to be touched? He peers down at me expectantly, hands petting along my skin as if to encourage me to speak. I squeeze my thighs together, hoping he’ll continue without the need for words. He raises an eyebrow. MC: Sirius, I need... At first I think the sound of my voice has given him pause. Then I realize something else has happened. He tidies my open shirt a little and frowns thoughtfully. (What is he doing? What is it he’s looking for?) Sirius: Hm, no transfer from the skin. (Uh, what?) My mouth falls open. Has the moment been ruined somehow? If so, what’d I do? But then he plants tiny kisses over my ears, neck, and cheeks. His hands sweep over me once more, but far more soothingly. Still, I can’t get the image of Jasper out of my mind. (I can’t be doing this. It’s not fair to be thinking of one man when I’m with another. I need to sort my head out.) MC: Sirius, I can’t do this. I’m...I think I’m developing feelings for someone else, so it wouldn’t be fair to you to do this... Sirius: Well, well. There’s an unexpected turn. ...All right. We’ll think of this as nothing more than a passing dream. Sirius: This never happened then. Good night, MC. (Good night? But we’ve only just...) Suddenly I feel very drowsy. A second ago I wanted nothing more than a crazy, one-night romp with a man who has crystalline red eyes. Now I can’t think of anything but how comfortable this bed is. She passes out and Sirius says something about how interesting it is, and that he must report his findings to Guy. --

Yikes!!!!! I was so shocked when I read the normal interlude!! Especially the Japanese version!! Now for the other one...

Premium Interlude

Japanese version:

MC: I’m sorry...I must’ve gotten drunk, sorry for the trouble... Sirius: So you’re apologizing in this situation. (This...situation...?) His voice is close. But besides that, I don’t understand the situation very well. Sirius: Is it hard to open your eyes? MC: Yes... Sirius: I’ll make you feel better right now. (Feel better...?) She sees him put in eyedrops. She tries to ask but her voice is really quiet and her throat is dry. MC: Excuse me, could...could I have some water?” Sirius: I’ll give you some right now I felt something cold touch my lips and water poured down my throat. MC: ...nng (No...it’s something else. I’m...being kissed...) I understand that, but, but I feel too drowsy to be able to resist. With my arms pinned to the bed, I’m forced to accept the kiss. He says “what is this power?” and then she sees an aura flare up around him. She asks if it’s magic, and he says that it’s interesting, and then asks if it has to do with the length of time or the type of physical contact. (What...this kiss...) It’s a kiss that makes me feel as if I’ll be swallowed by the torrent of pleasure. (I’ve never experienced something like this...) Sirius: Ha...ahh... MC: ...mm, Sirius... His lips pull away with a wet sound and I sigh. Sirius: It’s as I thought... MC: Stop...it...already... Sirius: Shhh... Sirius: Be quiet. I’m going to make you feel better. He wipes his finger along my wet lips and pushes it inside my mouth. My shoulders jump and I shiver and inhale sharply, feeling like I’m being bitten on the neck by Sirius. MC: Mnn... Sirius: Suck... He moves his finger around my mouth and I move my tongue as I’m told. Sirius: That’s it good girl... Sirius: ...so it can’t be transferred through the skin, hm. (What...is he talking about...?) Sirius: How about...here? He removes his finger from my mouth and strokes my knee. MC asks if it’s a dream, and the rest of the interlude ends the same way as the normal Japanese interlude ends.

English version:

MC: Sorry, I can’t believe I called you by the wrong name. Sirius: Is this the time for apologies? (I guess not...?) I can almost feel his voice vibrate against my skin. Shivering at the sensation, I let my head fall against the pillows. Sirius: Would you rather keep your eyes closed at the moment? MC: Mm. yeah. I like the sound of your voice. It...reminds me of someone... Sirius: Then keep them closed. Sirius tells her to hold on a minute and puts in eyedrops. MC says her throat is dry and asks for some water. He gives her water, but she realizes that it’s not a cup but rather him giving her water from his lips. -- They kiss. (Who taught him to kiss like this?) It’s like some dam has burst within me and a tide of pleasure is threatening to sweet me away. (I’ve never experienced anything like this. Is this magic, too, or just him?) Sirius: Mm..Yes... MC: Ah...Sirius... A wanton moan escapes me as he gives me space to breathe. The thing is, in my mind’s eye I keep seeing someone else. Sirius: Quite as I suspected. MC: That was incredible. What was-- Sirius: Shh. Hush now. I’ll fufill that yearning of yours. He rubs his thumb against my dampened bottom lip then slips it inside my mouth. My shoulders jump as he moves his lips and teeth over my neck. Sirius: Suck. I obediently swirl my tongue over his thumb, taking it in further. Sirius: Good girl. -- Then she says she can’t do it because of having feelings for someone else, just like in the normal English and the rest of the interlude continues the exact same way.

I can’t believe Voltage was really like “hey, pay us and we’ll make the content less rape-y for you! :)�� Big yikes lol. I’d only read the premium at the time of my original post, and I thought that was bad enough to write a post about it. That normal interlude though? YIKES. Like...gahhh I know I already said this same thing like three times earlier but I’m just so grossed out!!

Also, a quick note. The CG for this has Sirius laying on top of her while she has her eyes closed. This is because she’s UNCONSCIOUS in the Japanese version. I was wondering how they were gonna get around it, but like not long before it came out I was like “oh they can just have him comment telling her to close her eyes or something” and I guess that’s more or less what they did...?

Chapter 9

Okay so I realize I did make a slight translation error in my original post about the ninth chapter. She does indeed say “I don’t have a headache” rather than what I had thought it said which was “My head hurts, but it can’t be a hangover.” which is what they went with in the English. “My head doesn’t hurt, though, which suggests I don’t have a hangover.” The rest seems about right, though. Anyways, so this chapter starts the morning after the events of the first interlude with MC waking up in the strange bedroom. While not technically as big of change as in Chapter 8 and the first interlude, this is also one of the most changed chapters between versions.

The Japanese version:

(Where am I?) I open my eyes and am unable to move at first. ---- (Robin and I got separated in town...so I was searching for him) (And then...ah, yeah, I met Sirius) (He was showing me the way...and then there was that bar on the dark street where I was only going to drink one drink, and then...) .... ....... .......... “Shit, I can’t remember anything...” I’m not sure how I got to this room or what happened after I blacked out. My head doesn’t hurt, so it’s not a hangover. I only had one drink, that’s the one thing I CAN remember. “No way...” Nervously, I run my hands down my body. The hem of my shirt was untucked, all the buttons completely undone, and my skirt was rolled up past my thighs. (I want to think it’s just from how I slept...I really want to think that, but...) Being drunk can make you roll around and do that. I can’t hide how anxious I am about this unexpected situation. My heart thumps painfully in my chest and my legs shake. ---- (Huh? A tattoo?) I see Sirius taking a shower in the other room, with a tattoo spread across his back. (That would mean Sirius and I...) Looking at the bed with disheveled sheets, I wrap my arms around my body and hug myself tightly. “Maybe...maybe we just slept, that’s all...” (It’s a pitiful excuse, I know.) (Oh my god!! I need to go find Robin!!) Remembering something very important, she runs out of the room. ---- Sirius: “Ha, she ran away.”

English version:

Where am I? I open my eyes and stay perfectly still for the first few minutes. ---- (I got separated from Robin in town and while I was looking for him I, ended up lost.) (And then...Oh right, I met Sirius. Man, he was attractive.) (He was showing me the way, then we paused for a drink, and then...) Then...Hmm. What did happen? I’m drawing a blank here. “What the? I have no memory of last night.” I have no idea where this is or the events that led to me waking up here. There are flashes of groans and sighs, but that’s all. My head doesn’t hurt, though, which suggests I don’t have a hangover. Not that I’d expect to have one over a single drink, but I remember that drink being similar to a potion. “Uh-oh. Did I hook up with someone?” I carefully pat myself down. My shirt’s untucked, the buttons are undone, and my skirt’s hiked up around my thighs. (Then again, I could’ve just slept weird. Here’s hoping.) I’ve definitely rolled around in my sleep while drunk before. Still, I never thought I’d have to do a walk of shame in another realm. My heart pounds as I look around, trying to figure out who I spent the night with. (Did I somehow manage to book a room for myself? With what coin?) (It’s like everything that happened since I got here caught up to me all at once. What did I do...?) ---- “What was that?” (A tattoo? It was a gorgeous one, if so.) (The question is, how acquainted did I become with that tattoo last night?) The rumbled bedding comes back into view as I put my head in my hands. “Maybe we just crashed here together after our drink.” “...” (Pitiful excuse, but I’ll take it for now.) (Wait, Robin! Oh god. I have to go find him.) I run out of the room as soon as I remember. Given how little of the situation I remember, it’s probably better if we put that night behind us. ---- Sirius: “Alas. She has absconded.”

Then after she leaves, it goes about the same in both versions. She finds Robin at the gates, is rushing to Toa’s class, gets stopped by Jasper. His voice reminds her of Sirius. He then teases her for being late and is like “You said you were going to go back to your room last night, but it seems like you went out and had fun instead.” and she snaps at him and says she didn’t. He acts surprised. She apologizes and walks off, embarrassed. He laughs.

So. Yeah. One of them, MC wakes up confused after being drugged and raped and is trying to process that and then remembers Robin, runs back to the dorms, and has to deal with Jasper teasing her saying she went out and had “fun” which triggers extremely fresh, bad memories. While the other one...MC is like. Did I hook up with someone?? Whoopsies! Hm, I wonder how I did that. Oh but that Sirius guy was SO hot. Oh shit! I have a cat that’s missing! Gotta go. And then Jasper teases her but she just gets upset because she feels embarrassed about hooking up with someone. Neat. Also, what is with Voltage and their obsession with using “abscond”???

----

Are you feeling uncomfortable right now? A little horrified that Voltage would write a story like that, and romanticize it? Awesome! Me too! Let’s take a break here before moving on. Thankfully, the next parts won’t contain anything near as triggering as the first interlude and chapter 9.

(Next post currently in progress, will add link as soon as possible! This is taking much longer than I thought it would to write;;;)

#jasper lane #jasper court of darkness #court of darkness #court of darkness jasper

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ksfnmoments · 4 years ago

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Just throwing in a little story about the defaults :)

~•~

"I used to come here," Emmy sighed, a slight bit of disappointment in her tone, "you know, when it was still a camp.”

She snapped a picture of the surrounding area with her camera and sat down next to the fire pit, pulling out a notebook.

"Why was this place abandoned of whatever, anyway?" Mansu asked, glancing around curiously, "there's neat stuff here, don't ya think?"

Emmy flipped to a page in her notebook full of points about their mission so far. Hector sent her a warning look as she began to click her pen repeatedly, unable to stand the noise. He threw a pile of wood into the pit and searched his bag for the box of matches. "SHADOW invaded here once, I think."

"They did," Ramirez confirmed from behind Mansu, who nearly fell over from her sudden appearance. "They claimed Camp Cod for training grounds and moved out after about a month."

Jonesy pointed towards the entrance, where a "Welcome to the Lodge" sign stood behind the boarded up bridge. "Kind of neglected to mention it, but... the sign at Weeping Woods and that one? They're just like the one from Lonely Lodge."

"One of the places in Athena?" Carlos asked, and Jonesy nodded. Carlos pointed finger guns at a target off in the distance and shot. "GHOST should use this place for training grounds too, you know what I mean? We could use them."

"Yeah," Emmy nodded, "right now they just use empty space in the woods by Ghost House."

"Speaking of GHOST," Ramirez interrupted, "let's rest up and get our tents set up. We'll head out early and see what we can find on the other half of the island regarding SHADOW. What do we have so far, Emmy?"

Emmy glanced back down at her notes. "Everywhere's kinda quiet... the same safehouses are still running, we already know Steamy Stacks is base... Dirty Docks, they might be waiting for a delivery of something."

Ramirez nodded. "Should we send word?"

Carlos stood up and accessed his earpiece communications, stepping a little ways away to send in his call. "Got it."

A bit of silence took over the group as they continued setting up camp and resting their legs. "We're heading around the mountain and into Misty Meadows, then straight to Slurpy Swamp, correct?" Hector asked, sitting down after throwing another set of logs into the now lit fire.

"What kind of name is Slurpy?" Banshee intervened before Ramirez could confirm, "why would they name it that?"

Nobody could tell if it was a legit question or a joke. "I dunno," Jonesy laughed, "maybe because it's a swamp where all the Slurp is?"

"No duh, dumbass," she rolled her eyes playfully, "but come on, 'Slurpy Swamp?' Who named these, anyway? Must be real creative."

"Steamy Stacks is just as creative, but no one talks about that," Mansu remarked, reaching into his bag.

"Dirty Docks?"

"The Agency."

"The Shark!" Emmy piped in.

Everyone's attention turned to Mansu as chords strummed rapidly from a ukulele. "Oh Slurpy Swamp, oh Slurpy Swamp," he sung, slightly off-key on purpose, "oh how I love you Slurpy Swamp. And the Shark, and Dirty Docks, and Frenzy Farm, and Steamy Stacks, and..."

He continued to name as many locations as possible, taking the key higher as he went.

"How did you even fit that in the tiny bag?" Carlos asked as soon as he finished, an amused smile on his face.

"Hey, if I can't fit the guitar, I gotta bring something, right?"

"Alright, but if it gets lost or broken because we end up in a hassle with Shadow, don't say I didn't warn you," Ramirez warned.

"Got it."

"No you don't," Rio countered immediately, saying something for the first time since their arrival, "if it happens you're going to say, 'no! Ramirez, why didn't you tell me?!'"

Stifled laughter filled the camp at her playfully mocking tone, even from Hector and Ramirez, the alleged "serious ones" of the group. "I don't sound like that," Mansu whined, clutching his heart in mock offense, "but you're probably right. Hey, we should sing something now that I have the uke out."

Rio shrugged, smiling shyly at the thought. "I don't know, I'd have to get my voice warmed up. I didn't even bring water of all the things I-"

She gasped as a bottle of water flew at her face. She caught it just in time, though the end of it barely hit her nose. She took a deep breath and raised an eyebrow at him.

"Shit, sorry!" He panicked, setting his instrument down and surrendering his hands in the air. "Probably should have warned you."

She snickered and chucked it back at him. "Language."

Mansu laughed and picked his ukulele back up, quietly strumming random chords. "Seriously though, we could make a duo band, me and you."

Emmy's eyes lit up and she pulled a sketchbook out of her bag. "And I can be the cover artist! Just tell me when the album's releasing."

Rio stood up, eyeing Mansu as she slowly walked forward. "Yeah... if he's even alive for the demo."

Mansu all but threw his ukulele on the ground again as he quickly jumped up, backing up as she got even closer. "No- whatever it is you're thinking- NO!"

Rio chased him around the small circle as the others watched helplessly, laughing and cheering for both parties. Mansu finally took cover behind Jonesy. "This is all your fault Banshee!"

Banshee's mouth gaped open. "Me?! What did I do?!"

"You made me sing about Slurpy!"

"Ramirez made me complain about it!"

"Hey, don't bring me into this," Ramirez held her arms up defensively. The leader then smirked. "Besides... Hector was the one who brought it up."

Hector facepalmed. "...Mansu was the one who brought up the camp and started the conversation, so it all goes back to him."

"Ah ha!" Banshee laughed, "in your face, Man."

"Okay! One, Emmy technically started it," Mansu argued, hiding behind Jonesy, "and two, I still blame Banshee! Come on, you can back me up, Jonesy! Please, best friend?"

Jonesy stroked his chin, pretending to be deep in thought. "Hmm... let me think... nope."

Mansu's mouth hung open, and he moved away from the blonde, hiding behind Carlos instead. "I've never felt more betrayed in my life. Carlos, you're my best friend now."

"We weren't best friends before?" Carlos asked, pretending to he hurt.

Mansu stammered and fell backwards, laying on the ground and staying put. "So much for best friends, huh?"

Emmy walked over and joined him on the ground. "Aww, it's okay Man. We're still best friends, right?"

Mansu stifled a laugh. "Yeah, thanks Emmy. At least someone's nice to me. Let's just run away... and claim Fort Crumpet. Make our own spy agency. They'll have to listen to us when we're the leaders!"

"Yeah!"

Jonesy crawled over and laid next to Mansu. "Okay, on second thought, I'll come to. Don't even think about taking Fort Crumpet without me!"

"Or me, best friend," Carlos joined, laying next to Emmy.

Banshee and Rio turned to each other and shrugged. "We're coming to Fort Crumpet," Banshee said.

"But don't think we're joining you on the ground," Rio added. They settled on sitting together at the nearest log.

Hector scratched the back of his head. "It's hard being the mature ones... right Ramirez?"

Ramirez gave him a look and smirked, slowly backing towards the recruits laying on the ground. Hector facepalmed again and threw an extra stick in the fire. "Wow... you think you know someone."

"Oh Hector~" Emmy sung, "Fort Crumpet isn't going to take itself. I think it's an eight person job... what do you guys think?"

"I think it'll be awfully hard with only the seven of us," Ramirez replied, being met with multiple hums of agreement.

Hector sighed and smiled, joining the group on the ground; even if he was the bearer of the status "the serious one," it was hard to reject the moments like these. "Let's claim Fort Crumpet," he sighed.

The group of defaults cheered, and the rest of the evening was filled with laughter as the fire crackled slowly.

#fortnite #fortnite chapter 2 #fortnite defaults #fortnite ramirez #fortnite jonesy #fortnite banshee #fortnite rio #fortnite emmy #fortnite carlos #fortnite mansu #fortnite hector

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tglifestyle · 6 years ago

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Travel Day

We departed for our trip on the evening of March 27th, flying from Atlanta to Paris, then switching planes to head to Venice. I didn’t realize that in Paris we would have to go through customs and security, which took quite a while. We had a one hour layover and nearly missed our connecting flight as it took over a half hour to get through security. CDG Airport in Paris is kind of crazy – very busy and spread out. I would advise getting a direct flight if possible, or connecting somewhere else (I’ve heard Berlin is a good connection city). When we got to our “gate” to “board” it was actually a bus that then drove us out to the runway to climb aboard our plane. The flight from Paris to Venice is beautiful; we were awestruck as we flew over the Alps.

View on the flight from Paris to Venice

Landing in Venice There are several options for getting from the airport which is on the mainland, to the island of Venice. The cheapest is taking a land bus for a few euros which will drop you off on the only road on the island – an area called Piazalle Roma. Our hotel was actually right in this area, so the bus would have been very easy for us to take, but we wanted to take a water taxi instead. A private water taxi is the most expensive way to go (100 euros) but really the nicest way to get there, allowing a scenic view of the city as your arrive via boat. After so many hours of flying it was a very nice way to arrive at our destination. There are also water buses you can hop on that stop at specific places, and since they make multiple stops they can take a bit longer. Depending on where you stay, you’ll need to make sure you get off the waterbus at the stop closest to your hotel.

Tip: Choose a hotel that is very close to a water bus or water taxi stop, otherwise you’ll be hauling your luggage up and down steps, over bridges, and along narrow crowded sidewalks.

The Hotel

We stayed at the Santa Chiara hotel which is located on Piazalle Roma and faces the Grand Canal. It’s a great location, as it is also very close to the train station. Unfortunately, this also made it a little noisy. Our room wasn’t ready, but the front desk staff checked our luggage and gave us a map, showing us things to go do and see while we waited. The building is hundreds of years old, but you would never guess that by the ultra-modern rooms. It was the most spacious room of all the hotels we stayed in during our trip. Our room faced Piazalle Roma, not the Canal, so we didn’t have a great view – just lots of buses, taxis, and people, but to be honest, we were only in our room to sleep so that didn’t matter. The bathroom was gorgeous, with a nice shower and great lighting. There is a coffee maker and a refrigerator with a minibar (prices were reasonable). They do serve breakfast each day until 10:30, but we weren’t up and out until 11:00 so we never tried it. They do serve good coffee, though!

The Grand Canal behind Hotel Santa Chiara

Rialto Bridge

Morning coffee at our hotel

Exploring Venice

While we were waiting for our room to be ready, we went walking for about 2 hours. It was fun to wander along twisting, turning narrow sidewalks and bridges over canals throughout the city. We were lucky to have absolutely beautiful weather, so we were able to enjoy the sights, pausing to take in the picturesque scenery. Besides the canals and ancient buildings, there are stunning basilicas and pretty squares scattered throughout Venice. It’s easy to get lost, so having a paper map as well as using your phone (if you have an international data plan) is essential. The “touristy” areas are super crowded, so it’s fun to wander down quieter streets to look in the shop windows and explore. We never felt unsafe during our self-guided tour of the city.

Exploring the streets of Venice

We eventually made it back to the hotel, where the gentleman from the front desk led us up to our room, where they had already delivered our luggage. We napped for a bit, then dressed and found a place for dinner. We decided on Rio Novo Risorante, just a short walk from our hotel. It is a rather small place, and as with most restaurants in Venice, the menu was in both Italian and English, and our server spoke English as well. We did not have a reservation, but they were able to accommodate us. We ordered the house wine – which, just about everywhere in Italy is very good – and some fresh bruschetta. I had the seafood pasta which was a clean, simple dish of fresh pasta, shrimp, lobster, mussels and clams. It was exactly what I wanted for my first meal in Venice. My husband had grilled fish with vegetables that was equally as good. After dinner we strolled around Venice and ended the evening with some cocktails at a lovely little hotel. I cannot remember the hotel name, but the manager, Frederico, sat with us and chatted for quite some time. He was very funny and gave us some excellent tips when it came to dining in Venice (don’t eat anywhere that has photos of their food on their menu!) and also assured us that Italians so indeed like Americans, but they don’t like the French. Ha!

Tip: Order the house wine at restaurants – you’re in Italy; the wine is good!

Must See Attractions

Day 2 in Venice had us exploring some of the “must see” attractions: St. Mark’s Basilica, Doge’s Palace (Palazzo Ducale), The Bridge of Sighs, and the Rialto Bridge. It was about a 30 minute walk straight from our hotel to St. Mark’s, but we stopped at locations along the way. First we ducked into a café for a quick espresso and sandwich, then meandered towards St. Marks, stopping to look at some beautiful squares and churches along the way. The closer we got to St. Mark’s Square, the more crowded it got – and I mean thousands of people everywhere. There are lots of tour groups, which can get annoying, as do all of the people with selfie sticks, but if you can manage to ignore all that and just enjoy the beauty of where you are, you’ll have a more pleasant day.

Venice, Italy

Tip: When at a café, a coffee is an espresso, and you drink it standing at the bar. You can also enjoy a sandwich or slice of pizza, then pay before you leave.

I was more impressed with Doge’s Palace than St. Mark’s, to be completely honest. St. Mark’s Square is beautiful, but I was less impressed with the inside (and you have to stand in line to see the inside). You cannot take pictures inside, because it is a holy place, and you must be appropriately dressed – no bare arms, not hats, not big backpacks, etc. I thought the views from outside were more spectacular. The wait to get into Doge’s palace was about 15-20 minutes, so I recommend buying ahead and skipping the line. We bought just the basic ticket – they’ll try to upsell you on buying tickets to four different museums, but the basic ticket is really all you need; the palace is huge and there is plenty to see there.

We were in awe of the intricate art work throughout the palace, all of the rooms that seemed to never end, connected to each other. The Armory was impressive, with all sorts of swords and other weapons, and the prison was pretty cool, too. We walked across The Bridge of Sighs and took a picture from inside, looking out (most people stand on the bridge opposite and take a picture of the outside, but it’s pretty cool to actually be inside of it). This is the bridge that prisoners had to pass over while walking from the interrogation room to their cells in the prison, and was named because prisoners would “sigh” at their final view of beautiful Venice.

St. Mark’s Square

After a good 3 hours at St. Mark’s and Doge’s Palace, we walked back towards the Grand Canal, stopping at a quiet little café for some pizza and spritz. We sat in the courtyard and watched locals walking by, out of the way of the tourists and crowds. I cannot remember the name of the place, but we also enjoyed a traditional Venetian fish appetizer that had 5 different fish, including calamari in a marinara sauce, and cod prepared three different ways, one of which was the traditional baccala montecato, a creamed dried cod served on white polenta. We devoured it, and then decided we needed a pizza! After lunch, we sat on the edge of the Grand Canal facing the Rialto Bridge and did some people watching and had some gelato. The Rialto Bridge is beautiful, but I found myself frustrated while crossing over it due to the crowd of people trying to take selfies.

Looking out from inside the Bridge of Sighs

Tip: When in Venice, try some of the “typical” Venetian dishes which are seafood based like baccala montecato (mentioned above) or cuttle fish (which I didn’t try).

Because we had “lunch” so late in the day, we weren’t really hungry enough for a meal, so instead we wandered out in search of a spritz (the Italian drink of prosecco and aperol that we consumed every day). We found a lively little walk-up place where the gentleman behind the bar was pouring spritz non-stop for a crowd of college-aged people. There were a few other “older” folks like us as well. We then wandered down the road, drinks in hand, in the direction of some music and came across a couple of guys in front of another café, playing guitar and singing American and British songs in a mixture of Italian and English. The small crowd that had gathered were lively, singing and dancing. We stayed, and eventually made our way inside for a sandwich and another drink. It was nice to be in a place filled with locals instead of tourists; we felt like we were getting a taste of the “real” Venice.

What We Missed

Of course, I had lots of things on my list and knew we wouldn’t get to them all. We never ordered risotto, did not take a gondola ride, and never made it to the islands of Murano and Burano, all of which were on the list of to-do’s. But I still feel like we had a terrific experience in Venice.

Click here for Part 2: Padova

Italy Vacation: Part 1: Venice Travel Day We departed for our trip on the evening of March 27th, flying from Atlanta to Paris, then switching planes to head to Venice.

#Bridge of Sighs #dining in Italy #Doge&039;s Palace #Grand Canal #Italian coffee #Italy #Italy Vacation #Piazalle Roma #Rialto Bridge #Santa Chiara Hotel #St. Mark&039;s Basilica #Venice

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