#escaflowne gatty

[siryamsalot]

a sampling from the 3 sketchbooks they have completely taken over

[threshasketch]

Fanart From Ages Past...

This time it's a little chibi work for Escaflowne called "Follow The Leader" that I drew in 2006. It shows Dilandau and his Dragonslayers (from left to right) Shesta, Gatti, Dallet, Migel, Guimel, Viole, Kagero, Ryuon, Yaifa, and my RP original character, Fuuoshi. I remember I drew it by hand on three sheets of printer paper I'd taped together.

[katiajewelbox]

Gatti is Dilandau's second in command among the elite Guymelef pilots of Zaibach, the group of youths known as the Dragonslayers. He is a skilled Guymelef pilot and quite formal in his manners, which makes an interesting contrast to his leader's volatile personality. I like to imagine them as "frenemies" who annoy each other but genuinely respect each other at the same time.

My Picmix composition features original animation art from the anime Vision of Escaflowne.

[numbersoftoday]

My fill for @yearlyesca Pic’n’fic: History

Zaibach’s cadets wondering if they’d ever get into history books (spoiler: they won’t u_u)

@pethics I hope this isn’t too niche for your interest ORZ, feel free to throw some Dilandu and/or Folken in the mix even if I didn’t include them in the pic u_u

[fayrinn]

With all these guys around, Vione-chan just can’t get a break! 

Me and my partner in crime @konstantya have recently fallen down the pit of High School AU revolving around the humanized Vione (yes, the floating fortress). And this is the early fruit, lol.

[nehasy]

Touch - Now in colour!!  sort of lost the day painting this.  pondering darkening the background fate engine thingy but I’m not sure.  Is it bad of me to really like how Gatti’s ass turned out?  the pants look great on him, really happy with how they turned out.  I also really like Dilandau’s gloves and his smile.  So then... hope you guys enjoy, I know that Folken isn’t overly impressed.

[fayrinferno]

Dragonslayers (quick research)

@drkstars-art, @gurakruor  

This will be long, but interesting, I promise! 

So, @drkstars-art‘s post made me curious about what more I can find about the ryuugekitai/dragonslayers, which are, as many things in Escaflowne, quite a mystery to the Western fandom. And now I know how the people who deciphered hieroglyphs must have felt.

First of all, there was an image from Escaflowne First Fanbook with several familiar and less familiar faces and handwritten notes by the character designer, Nobuteru Yuuki. 

The little notes are hell to decipher as you know (even if I had the actual book instead of a scan, I fear it would not help a lot), so I had to change my usual methods a bit.  

Instead of searching kanji-by-kanji, this time I could mostly decipher just one-two kanji in the group. Then I searched for words including said kanji and picked the one that reminded me most of the particular Yuuki “calligraphy”. Take these with the grain of salt. If I didn’t get lucky with some of them, I would have probably given up. Including screenshots so you can compare yourself. I’m giving you the dictionary forms directly. 

And introducing:

理論家 theorist

おちょうし者 flip; luck-pusher; frivolous person; person who readily chimes in with others; person who gets carried away easily

one kanji I could not decipher, then

"親友"  close friend; bosom (old, intimate) friend; buddy; crony; chum

*UPDATE: やたら明るい helplessly bright/cheerful

 遊び好き pleasure seeker; playful person

好戦的  (a) militant; (a) belligerent

皮肉屋 sarcastic person

This one was funny, because at first I only got  肉屋 (butcher) and was like ??? Was Dalet extra bloodthirsty?

面倒くさがり / めんどくさがり  person who tends to find most things bothersome

So not a butcher, more like Nara Shikamaru.

よい子 good boy; good kid

Aww Gatti, I thought Chesta was the one... though maybe there was no Chesta yet in 1995 and this Gatti went through mitosis to create Gatti and Chesta.

I also tried to translate the comment by Yuuki above this picture, it says something like the Dragonslayers were inspired by “grammar school (gymnasium)”, (I suppose basically a boys’ elite school) and the relationships in the same class, with the lower classes etc.

Then I went to the Escaflowne Settei Collection artbook (the one I translate the pages from). Nothing new there. But there is a picture of Miguel which says: 

Dilandau’s subordinate, Miguel

I considered he is his second-in-command, but I don’t think this supports it too much. He is also, strangely, not marked as a Dragonslayer. 

Finally, I checked the Newtype Filmbooks. And there (book 1, p. 69), we find the same image as above (sorry I don’t have a scanner here, if somebody was really interested, I could take a photo), except:

inked 

the curly, darkhaired guy (who looks suspiciously similar to movie Ryoun) is blonde, just like in the series...voilá

Chesta is standing on the far right next to Gatti.

Accompanied by this interesting bit:

Two people stand on Dilandau’s sides as attendants/escorts (this is Megane-senpai and blonde Ryoun). The four others are particularly skilled youths from inside the squad, who pilot Alseides (Alseidi?) and sortie with them.

So there! Quite satisfied with what I could find out just within a day, to be honest! Didn’t look like much success at first. Hope you’ll enjoy, too.

[katiajewelbox]

“The Japanese say you have three faces. The first face, you show to the world. The second face, you show to your close friends and your family. The third face, you never show anyone.”

Who is Dilandau Albatou in my Escaflowne fanfics? In my stories, I take a closer look at this fascinating character through the lens of the “three faces” proverb. In the original anime and other official media, we only see a narrow view of Dilandau in combat situations and hanging out with their Dragonslayers or Folken. 

(Please note that Dilandau is an intersex person with a transmasculine but non-binary gender identity in my fanfics. I use they/them pronouns here.)

My impression of Dilandau is somewhat different from most other fans’ interpretation. Mine is more “troubled teen” that just “crazy psycho pyro”. I see them as a queer youth with poor emotional regulation who was raised with few healthy boundaries and doesn’t understand the real implications of war until their comrades are massacred. 

In my fanfics, Dilandau has developed a professional face to show in public and at military events. They are a lot like Lady Oscar from the anime Rose of Versailles (based on the manga by Riyoko Ikeda) in this role, seeming like an elegant and untouchable figure of the perfect soldier. I doubt they could have earned such a high military rank if they didn’t know how to act professionally in the appropriate circumstances! For example, Dilandau acts quite dignified and self controlled when they meet Allen at the fortress.

In social situations and with “family”, Dilandau is hot tempered, bratty, impulsive, and has a lot of mood swings but at the same time is kinda charming and entertaining in their own way. They act like the boss even if they really aren’t in control of their life, which exudes an aura of authority and power. The other lads are in awe of Dilandau, but I see Dilandau and Gatti having a more equal “frenemy” dynamic. I see Folken as a parental authority figure to Dilandau, and that they’re always trying to antagonise Folken to see how much boundary-pushing he will take. 

That brings us to the private, intimate face that only Dilandau’s lovers see. Please note that they don’t have any romantic relationships in the official story, so this is my “fanon” not canon. This side is one that craves sexual pleasure, attention, connection, and love. However, those appetites would make Dilandau look weak so they keep all this hidden away. In my stories, when Miguel gets to know his Captain on this personal level he discovers a sensual creature overflowing with passion and vulnerability. This side of Dilandau is a lot like the uninhibited Gilbert Cocteau from the controversial manga Kaze to Ki no Uta by Keiko Takemiya. Unlocking this side caused Dilandau more instability in my stories, but it may be the start of an important evolution of their identity...

I look forward to sharing my fanfics with you in the future. 

[katiajewelbox]

I found a “new” vintage Escaflowne fansite for your enjoyment! I love the personal touch of these vintage websites with the “author’s notes” type text and the funny ramblings about which character they have crushes on. The little animated mascots of Dilandau and co are so cute!

[katiajewelbox]

An Escaflowne Story for Valentines Day...

On Valentines Day 2023, I learned the true story of the original Saint Valentine and this inspired me to compose a sketch for the first Dilandau Mpreg fanfic! (They/them pronouns for Dilandau)

Our story takes place during the series timeline, and begins with Dilandau noticing shocking changes taking place in their body. Although they identity as male, their body has always had a female reproductive system suppressed by the fate alteration and suddenly they are having a monthly cycle. Dilandau is in denial about their body reverting to a weak feminine state and keeps it a secret from everyone including their partner Miguel. 

We then observe an amorous encounter between Dilandau and Miguel, where they reminisce about how their relationship started. Two years ago, Dilandau was permitted to select their Dragonslayer team from a diverse pool of recruits, and to everyone’s annoyance this included Miguel who was deemed from a lower social class in Zaibach than the other lads. Dilandau felt it was lust, if not love, at first sight and they had to have him by their side. From there, their relationship developed and now they’re very committed to each other. Miguel even says his love for Dilandau is stronger than any loyalty he ever felt towards Zaibach itself...

Although Dilandau sees him as an overbearing authority figure, Folken is actually Dilandau’s protector in the shadows. Over the years, he has looked out for their safety and scared away predators who sought to abuse the youngster. Now, Folken sees two young people who want to be together and he vows to help them. Indeed, their bond may be enough to smash Zaibach’s control of fate from the inside out!

In the next month, Dilandau starts feeling unwell and their monthly cycle stops. They try to ignore it and focus on their military leadership role, but eventually they confess what’s going on to Miguel in an emotional moment. Miguel is enthusiastic about this development and wants to support Dilandau during this time, and raise their child together. Dilandau ponders whether they want to go through with this, and mainly has doubts because Zaibach is a pretty grim place to grow up. They’re also sure the Sorciers would forcibly terminate the pregnancy if they found out, regardless of how Dilandau felt about keeping the baby or not. 

The couple send an anxious few months guarding their secret and preventing Dilandau from falling into the Sorcier’s clutches. During this time, we also find out about Miguel’s desire to reconnect with a more natural way of life that his pre-colonial ancestors lived in Zaibach before it was industrialised. Dilandau is eventually won over and starts to see a life like that would be better for their future child. Meanwhile, Gatti tries to undermine their bond because he thinks Miguel is a blue-collar lowlife who should not be in a relationship with a higher class person like Dilandau. 

In desperation as they enter the second trimester, Dilandau turns to Folken for help. He has suspected what was going on, and now he helps the couple flee to a faraway land. The bond between Dilandau and Miguel, along with their strong desire to protect their future child, is powerful enough to summon a pillar of light. Folken knows that a bond like this, that can overcome the social pressure to conform and obey the rules of Zaibach’s dystopian culture, could have the power to alter fate and bring down the Empire’s collapse. 

The pair find themselves on a beautiful and peaceful volcanic island inhabited by friendly folk who help them set up a new home. When they land, Dilandau realises they have physically transitioned to being fully female. In a world where wishes control fate, their wish was to evolve into a new version of herself away from war and conflict. This island is Gaea’s equivalent of the Canary Islands, which are culturally Spanish but located near the coast of North Africa on the Mystic Moon.

Several more months pass, and Dilandau’s child is born. Their daughter Jeanne is healthy and full of life, and Dilandau safely recovers from the experience. When the little family is at the beach one day, they see a vision of Folken’s spirit over the ocean. Folken passed away fighting against Emperor Dornkirk but he wanted to visit them one more time. Folken informs them that Zaibach easily fell to the allied forces led by Van, Hitomi, and Allen because the people of Zaibach lost faith in their country’s vision. It is because the story of Dilandau and Miguel fleeing inspired other people to rebel against their restrictive culture and choose their own path of freedom. 

Dilandau and Miguel can now look forward to a brighter future with their daughter thanks to Folken’s sacrifice to help them achieve their goal of living a free and natural family life.

Thank you for reading! 

© Katia Hougaard, 14/2/2023, Oxfordshire, UK

(Lady Oscar as a baby in the role of Dilandau and Miguel’s daughter XD). 

[numbersoftoday]

I was having a massive sad thinking about how we won’t be able to properly celebrate the 25th of April this year and then rebel!Slayers happened

[numbersoftoday]

Gethin, Dilandu and their complicate relationship

[numbersoftoday]

Dilandu and his Slayers - deserting to burn down Hydra

[threshasketch]

For nostalgia’s sake, have some Escaflowne chibis from waaaay back in 2006! ♥ It’s Dilandau and his Dragon Slayers. From left to right: Dilandau, Shesta, Gatti, Dalet, Migel, Guimel, Viole, Kagero, Ryuon, Yaifa, and my RP OC at the time, Fuuoshi.

[numbersoftoday]

Serena and her ( or better her twin brother) best boys

[acelucky]

Doubt - ESS - SFW

Happy Holidays (again) my fellow Escaflowne fans! It’s that special time of year again where we post our ESS entries @esca-ss​  

This year my ESS gift(s) are for the lovely @drkstars-art This is the sfw entry. 

Word Count - 1,295. Characters - Jajuka & Celena. Summary - Slight canon divergence in that Jajuka survives. This is just a little thought I had about how Jajuka & Celena might interact in the early days of her transformation, had Jajuka survived. It’s a little bit sad. It actually ended in a different way but I thought this year has been awful, so I decided to give it a more hopeful ending which reflects how I feel. 

Jajuka looks at the sun on the horizon, dusk is fast approaching and he knows how Allen likes to have Celena in before dark. 

“Celena, come, it’s time to go home.” 

“Home….” Celena repeats as she looks up at him. 

Home, it’s a word so common, a word that is familiar to her and yet it doesn’t seem to register. It isn’t a word with which she has had much acquaintance and so it meant next to nothing to her. 

The look of curiosity which Celena gave him, pierced Jajuka’s heart, as one who was her guardian he felt he had failed in nearly every aspect but here he had a chance to redeem himself, to make things right.

Her mind was as curious as it had been when she was younger, her fingers danced in the air as she grasped at petals falling from nearby trees and followed birds in flight. She’s still living in a dream Jajuka thought. 

She seemed so small back then, but even now he worried about how her story would continue. At how she would hold herself or whether she would always be this kind, this naive, unaware…so much like a doll. 

It felt now as if there was a void between them, larger than it was than when Dilandau was in Celena’s place. It felt like a liminal space and Jajuka didn’t know how to fill it with life once again. 

“Come,” he said again and held out his hand.

“Home?” Celena said again.

Jajuka nodded, “Home, Allen will be waiting for us.”

Celena took Jajuka’s hand but the expression she wore was one of concentration and pain as she stared up at the sky. Her mouth was moving though it remained closed, her lips miming letters, trying to recall something that must have been on the tip of her tongue. A memory from a long time ago. 

As she looked up at the few clouds which remained in the sky, tinted pink by the dying of the day, her lips stopped moving as she forgot what they were just saying. With her free arm she pointed up towards the sky at the birds which circled above the fields, “Crows.” The way she spoke was so dreamy and soft.

Her expression changed suddenly, a violent reflex and flash of red in her eyes, “Allen Schezar….” Dilandau’s voice broke through and the look of confusion on Celena’s face cut Jajuka to the core.

He pulled her in quickly, holding her to his chest and hummed softly. She fell still in his arms and when he heard her yawn he took this as a sign that it was safe to let her go again.

“Jajuka, I am so tired, take me home.”

He wanted to tell her that everything would be okay and that all she needed was a good night’s sleep. While both of these things were technically true, there was so much more he wanted to say to her. He wanted to explain everything that happened and reassure her that in time as long as they continued to take baby steps she would feel more like herself again. But even the process of beginning to explain such things to her was something that made Jajuka feel afraid.

He felt responsible for her and that included not only her safety, but her happiness also.

When Celena was around Allen she remembered more of who she was before. Glimpses of her past, her parents, her days playing in the summer sun would come flooding back to her. But there were moments when those memories came back too fast and she would feel overwhelmed by them. Confused between what was real and what wasn’t.

Jajuka had purchased her a diary which she wrote in most days, it helped to keep track of her memories and where she was in her recovery. Though Allen doubted if she would ever truly recover or that Dilandau would be completely removed from her mind, they did what they could to keep the peace and to keep her safe. 

Van kept his distance for that precise reason, afraid that too much contact with her would bring Dilandau back. 

“Jajuka?” Celena said looking across at him.

Her voice stirred him from his thoughts and he offered her a reassuring smile.

“Where is Chesta? And Gatti, Miguel…” she paused for a moment knowing there were other names too but they were proving more difficult to recall.”

These were names which made Jajuka feel nervous, a nauseous wave which caused bile to rise. It wasn’t because he was afraid that remembering the names of the Dragonslayers would bring Dilandau back or cause Celena’s recovery to slow. It was more from guilt that he felt that way, a terrible sadness that no amount of time could ever vanquish. 

They were the memories that would never be, the years that Celena would never get back or the better life he could have had if he hadn’t been made to serve Zaibach.

Celena tugged on his arm, “Are they coming for tea?”

Jajuka furrowed his brows, forgetting for a moment what she’d said, “Chesta and the others are they coming for tea tonight? I do so miss them.”

That guilt, that sadness was a small price to pay he thought, in order that he may see that bright young girl happy again. 

As she waited for Jajuka to answer she knitted her brows together and nervously ran her hand through her hair, “Wait…Chesta, Gatti….they’re not here anymore are they?” She asked, her eyes lowered towards the grass.

Jajuka placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed, “No Celena, they’re not…I’m so sorry.”

When she looked up there were tears in her eyes though she could barely remember the people whose names she just spoke or why it elicited such sadness in her. She jumped up onto a small rock that was next to them and kissed Jajuka’s cheek, “But I still have you?”

Warmth spread throughout Jajuka, “Yes little lady, you still have me.”

It was then that he heard what he considered to be the greatest sound in existence. Celena was laughing and as she jumped down from the rock she pulled away from him. She looked at him for a second and on turning started running down the hill, “Come on Jajuka!” She shouted back at him.

He let out a low chuckle and a growl as he chased her, “I’ll race you to dinner!”

“You’ll never beat me!” She shouted back, her dress and hair blowing in the wind as she ran towards the castle. 

Jajuka realised for the first time that she was less of a girl now and becoming a woman. It suited her and the darkness which seemed to follow her around was subsiding somewhat.

Perhaps most of the fear surrounding her and her future came from Jajuka himself, he was spending too much time thinking about a painful past and worrying about the future that he was barely living in the moment. 

He re-lived these awful moments in his mind instead of looking at the girl in front of him, the girl he’d helped save and the good life, the better life he had secured for himself.

There was happiness in the future, of this he was certain and no amount of nightmares from the past could take that from any of them. Yes would be blips, there would come moments of unbearable pain when glimpses of Dilandau would appear, when nightmares would savage Celena’s dreams and she would be inconsolable for those moments in time.

But he would be there by her side to comfort her in those moments of darkness and help her to see the light ahead.