#king of fanelia

[mirimiramiri]

… in a hopeless place

The shadows of the fighters looked like long brush strokes drawn by a restless hand on the dusty canvas of the castle courtyard. In the hazy red light of the evening sun, the master trained his student to prepare him for his great test. Their steps were quick and silent, only the singing of the swords disturbing the peace.

“Folken is good, isn’t he, Mom?” 

“Yes.” Like his father, Varie thought. The dark waves of loneliness once again overwhelmed her inexorably. Using strength that she no longer possessed, she fought her way back into the here and now. 

From one of the castle's countless balconies, she watched the progress of her firstborn. Her youngest son keeping her company. Mother and child were alone, only little Merle was sleeping in her bed in a room behind them. She was exhausted from raging. Once again Van - her tireless playmate - had followed her throughout the castle. Maids complained in secret about the children's wild antics, but the queen didn't care. 

Little did she care about anything these days.

It was slowly becoming autumn. The world was immersed in a cheerful sea of various colors, but red was the most present. Like a harbinger of doom, the forest's crown of leaves turned crimson, as if blood were streaming down the sacred mountains of Fanelia. 

The queen was shivering and the thick cloak around her shoulders did nothing to stop it.

“He will definitely be able to complete the ritual,” explained her youngest son with the confidence of childish inexperience. He reached for her hand as if he sensed her slipping toward depression. "Certainly." 

Folken narrowly avoided a dangerous blow from Vargas, but the tip of his sword robbed him of a few strands of his silver hair. Varie frowned as her son was reprimanded by his master. In her opinion, they shouldn't train with real weapons. It was negligent, an accident could have happened too easily. Goau would surely have laughed at her womanish clucking... 

“Mom?” Van tugged at her fingertips and with difficulty she tore her worried gaze away from her firstborn, who had grown up far too quickly. There stood her second son, the long-awaited latecomer, her late miracle. When she had already buried any hope along with his unfortunate siblings. In the evening light his big eyes shone like two rubies. He looked very serious. 

“Yes, what is it?” she asked and decided to give him her full attention now. She was neglecting him, that much was clear to her. But it was often so painful to dedicate herself to him. She only ever saw his father in his face, his fuzzy head, his thoughtful look. Even his high child's voice sounded like Goau's deep baritone and tore her heart into a thousand shreds every day.

“Once Folken is king, what will become of me?” “Oh, a fair question,” were her words of praise. She cocked her head a little. From his mouth it sounded as if he had not the slightest doubt about his brother's success.

 “Don’t you know?” he pressed impatiently. 

She knelt down. Her blue robe cascaded across the floor. Her long hair flowed over it like a second cloak. Not a single white thread ran through her blackness, even though she was already the age of a grandmother by human standards. 

Their first son, by a quirk of nature, had hair like an old man, but Van looked just like his father. A hand stroked his fluffy, shaggy head, ruffling it even more. “You, my little dragon, can do whatever you want with your life.” His eyes grew even larger. 

"Anything?" 

"Exactly." She tapped his tiny nose, making him giggle. “But most likely you will get married, have a family and take over the administration of one of the southern territories.” 

“Marry?!” Van shouted loudly as if the idea were the most absurd thing in the world. “A girl?!”

 "Boys usually marry girls," his mother smiled. She immediately thought of the day of her own wedding, when she walked down the aisle under countless critical looks and swore eternal loyalty to the man of her life. With great difficulty she withdrew from this all too sweet past. 

“But girls are yucky!” her son complained, putting his fists on his sides. The wooden sword at his hip, a gift from Vargas, clacked just as indignantly. “For example, these two boring blonde princesses from Asturia…” he murmured under his breath because it wasn’t really appropriate to gossip. 

“But certainly not all of them,” said Varie indulgently.

Van seemed to have to ponder this for a long time. He furrowed his little brow and she almost thought she saw smoke rising from his ears. 

“Merle is also a girl and not yucky,” he combined extremely astutely. “I’ll just marry Merle.” 

“Oh Van.” Now Varie laughed. It sounded rusty, her body had forgotten how to do it. "Unfortunately this is not possible." 

“Why not?” Now he crossed his arms and looked at her sternly. 

Varie sighed. Children were truly excellent verbal duelists with inexhaustible endurance. Van was no exception. He may not have been nearly as eloquent as Folken at his age, but he made up for it with his tenacity. 

“Merle is not like us,” she explained gently. But that only made him seem even more determined. True to the motto “especially now”. “Dad wasn’t like you either and you still got married.” 

“That was different…” his mother began, but then she stopped. Wasn't she teaching her son exactly the same kind of prejudice as those who had always met her? Who had almost prevented her marriage to Goau? “You know what, you’re right. If you really want that and Merle does too, then you’ll get married one day.” 

She stroked his hair, which no matter how often she combed it would always remain an untamable tangle. Secretly she wanted nothing less than for him to change his mind when he grew up. If the relationship between her and her husband had already been under difficult circumstances, what about between him and the cat girl? Van should have it easier for once. Easier than her and Goau and also Folken. Without the burden of the crown on his head and the weight of the whole world on his shoulders. Hopefully one day he would meet a nice, uncomplicated girl from Fanelia with whom he wanted to marry.

 “Yes, I’m definitely marrying Merle!” Van seemed very happy with himself and his decision. Then his mood changed abruptly. “Are you going to get married again?” he wanted to know sadly. 

Varie swallowed. She hadn't expected this question. "Why would you ask that?"

 “This lunchtime… a few maids were talking about it. That you find a new man and disappear with him. And that they can’t wait for it to happen.”

20 years. 

For 20 years she called this castle and this country her home, the humans her people and yet in their perception she was a parasite. The black widow who dragged the king into misfortune. It was probably only because of the respect that Master Vargas enjoyed among the citizens that they had not been chased away. Sometimes she wondered whether her sons wouldn't be better off without her... and whether there wasn't something to the curse that supposedly fell on the descendants of Atlantis. 

Varie's heart felt heavy. Then she forced her lips into a smile. It certainly seemed tense, but it was all she could manage. “Didn’t I teach you that it’s not appropriate to eavesdrop?” 

Van waved his short arms indignantly. “I can’t help it! I hid and they talked right next to me! I… I…” He blushed. “I even covered my ears, but they were really really really loud.” 

His mother nodded. “I believe you,” she assured and he stopped trying to justify himself. "And to your question: I won't go away with another man." She tickled his chin and he squirmed back and forth, giggling. “Your dad was my great love and that will only go away when the stars no longer shine at night.” 

And sometimes, in dark hours, she cursed Sora for her prophecy, forever chaining her to the human world and a man who had been taken from her far too soon. 

If she had known this beforehand, would she have avoided her fate? Would she have never gone to that mountain lake that night? Or would curiosity have ultimately driven her there? So that her treacherous heart immediately focused on that tall, beautiful man who climbed out of the thicket to her. With that face that was nothing but stunned admiration. Although she immediately showed him her true, feared nature. But he had loved her wings, the mark of her curse, as fiercely and deeply as everything about her. Despite, or perhaps because of, she was different. 

“The stars will always shine, so will you always love daddy?” Goau’s second son concluded after a long time of thinking. 

“Always…” she confirmed.

Prince Van grinned broadly. In doing so, he revealed a gigantic gap from which the last baby tooth had recently fallen. The clanging of metal resounded from the courtyard again. Mother and son turned their attention downward. Folken now held a round shield in front of him. With this he fended off the attacks of automatically fired bolts that drilled into the ground behind him in a grotesque pattern. He moved quickly and deftly. His spectators watched the exercises in admiration. 

A window was slightly open behind the queen and prince. In the room beyond, a small figure lay in a bed. Her long ears twitched frantically. Merle was wide awake. It wasn't appropriate to eavesdrop, but the two of them were talking nearby. No challenge for her excellent hearing. She heard her own heartbeat louder than anything else in her ears. 

Marry? That's what two people did to stay together forever? Out of love. And her prince wanted to marry her. That meant he loved her. Van, her prince, loved her. 

Merle hugged her pillow and imagined it was her Van. Her future husband. Who worshiped her and carried her in his hands. Inspired by this wonderful future, she felt like the most valuable creature in the world. No longer an orphan, an outlaw, neither animal nor human, a servant, an oddball. She was still looked at askance for it, but soon people would look up to her. 

That she would be Van's wife and great love. She pressed a kiss to her pillow and couldn't wait for his promise to finally come true.

Note: Vargas is the German name for Balgus.

I found the huge age gap between Van and Folken remarkable and wondered if their parents might have had problems conceiving and with miscarriage. I had a lot of fun with small Van and will write more about the little rascal in the future, probably together with his father. He reminds me of Calvin and can join the G.R.O.S.S club :D

Huge thanks to wonderful @eireanness!

[heavenlydragon]

“Escaflowne Bible” scans [page 8]

You may (or may not) remember the scans/translations of the tiny Escaflowne Bible artbook. This is the second to final part to be posted, called Character Profiles (or Character Biographies). Many thanks again to @legendofthesevenstars for the proofread!

This will be posted page by page, with translation, updating every week or so. Here goes the Van and Merle page! Translation under the cut.

VAN FANEL

Profile 

The young king of Fanelia, equivalent to 15 years of age on Earth, half-human and half-Draconian [1]. Van’s situation is totally wretched. His father Goau dead, his mother disappeared ten years ago, and his brother a traitor, he finds himself in tragic circumstances. Because of that, he became silent and expressionless and closed off his heart, preferring to be alone. But since he met Hitomi, he began to open up a bit, such as talking about his past. Because of that, he was able to synchronize with Escaflowne. However, his reckless/hot-headed nature is unchanging.

[1] Literally, “legendary Draconian and human half ”. Half is a term used in Japanese society for people with one Japanese parent.

Question of interest

Where does Van hide his wings when not using them?

When Atlanteans created a machine to transform the power of their wishes, they also wished to be able to fly through the skies. The wings are the product of the spiritual power of that wish. It’s unclear whether Van has them genetically or because of his own wish to fly. In any case, he has no physical wings stored in his back.

Pic descriptions

Clothes make the man (?) The armor used for Van’s coronation. In the usual casual clothes, he doesn’t look much like a king, but in this getup, he looks the part.

It seems the wings sprouting from Van’s back don’t have physical form or substance.

Van’s everyday wear. This is his true nature.

Fanelian royal family portrait from the time the family was still whole, as it appeared in episode 9. Van was still a baby at the time…

MERLE

Profile

A catgirl born in the village of Irini in the Fanelian countryside. Equal to 13 years in Earth age. As an orphan, she was picked up by Balgus. Since she became Van’s handmaiden, she has cared for him more than anyone else. That’s why whatever Hitomi does, she flares up at her and flashes her cat-claws in jealousy. Moreover, quite unusual for the characters in this work, she is very lively and straightforward with her feelings. In episode 15, she even asks Hitomi whom she likes: is it Van or Allen?

Question of Interest

If Van and Merle married, would their children also have wings?

Since there is the Mole Man, a half(breed) between human and another tribe, the probability of their children having wings is high. But, imagining someone with Merle’s body and Van’s face for example, having wings on their back, is a bit of a laughable idea.

Pic Descriptions

Won’t lose to the likes of Hitomi! (speech bubble)

Jumping into the conversation between Millerna and Hitomi, Merle asks whom Hitomi likes

Will Merle’s feelings for Van become fulfilled later in the story? Let’s see after episode 20!

Merle’s ears let her express all kinds of emotions

For Van, Merle can sacrifice even herself, protecting him (episode 15)

<<ESCAFLOWNE TIDBITS>> (on top of the page)

Planet Gaea, as the “space-time loophole” exists in another dimension, but it’s said its measurements are almost the same as Earth’s. North is cold and the countries in the South have warm climate, much like on Earth. The number of population is uncertain but it’s said there are about a hundred countries in total. Speaking of Earth history, it’s similar to medieval Europe. Zaibach is a fairly big country, located in the North. Van’s homeland, Fanelia, is comparatively a much smaller and weaker country.

[bretwalda-lamnguin]

Van and Folken Fanel being Draconians on their mother’s side but heirs to Fanelia on their father’s side is very interesting to me. Fantasy monarchs and rulers being some kind of Atlantean is a well-established trope, both Tolkien and Martin play it relatively straight, with the Númenorian Kings and Stewards of Gondor and Arnor and the Valyrian Targaryen dynasty ruling Westeros. Both of these use their Atlantean-ness to reinforce their claim to the throne, openly proclaiming themselves to be different to other humans.

In LOTR (the book, this doesn’t apply to the films!) both Denethor and Faramir openly use some forms of psychic powers to read the minds of others, and both seem proud of the fact that they can do this. Denethor’s soldiers talk about him being able to read the future and the minds of Men, even those who live far off. Faramir talks about being a Númenorian and says he can read Gollum’s mind, talking about what he sees and that he can read that Gollum has done murder. Aragorn, who has spent most of the story veiling or at least not using these powers only does so once he proclaims himself king after Denethor’s death, seeming to use some kind of psychic power on the Mouth of Sauron at the Black Gate. In fact Gondor’s brutal civil war, the Kin-Strife, was fought because the new King of Gondor, Eldacar, was not seen as being of pure Númenorian blood. The anti-blood-purists won the war, but even then part of their argument in the aftermath seems to have been that his supposedly impure blood had not made Eldacar less Númenorian, that was obvious from his long life (he lived longer than his “pure blood” father, and Númenorians live much longer than other men.)

Likewise the Targaryens aren’t shy of their Valyrian descent, openly declaring themselves as blood of the dragon. They also use this to exempt themselves from Westeros’ religious laws with the Doctrine of Exceptionalism, which states that the ban on incest does not apply to them, because they are Valyrians who ride dragons and are immune to disease (though this doesn’t prove completely true.) They clearly hold themselves to some degree above other humans, though maybe not to the same degree the Númenorians do at times, and their Valyrian-ness is directly tied to their rule as Kings and Queens of Westeros.  

Van and Folken however had to hide their descent, the notion of their mother as a draconian was at best borderline scandalous. They were discouraged from showing their wings or using their powers in the presence of others. Their connection to Atlantis must have been very strongly filtered through their Draconian mother Vaire, but while Folken gets at least a full childhood with her, Van loses her at about five, shortly after his brother Folken disappears. At this point Van has no real external connection to his Draconian ancestry or powers. Worse, much of the culture he resides in seems to despise Draconians, he must hide his true nature from people he would rule or risk potentially being overthrown. He has to figure these things out for himself, with only a few brief conversations with his brother, a short visit to Atlantis and the ghost of Vaire to guide him.

Folken spends his life trying to gain control of the power of Atlantis, primarily as a means of fulfilling Dornkirk’s goals. But it seems likely to me that there would have also been a personal element to it. He needs that power to understand himself, to come to terms with what it means to be a Draconian.

There’s another element to it too, and one that makes the Númenorian comparison especially pertinent. In LOTR, Faramir describes the Númenorians as “a springless autumn”. They’re a dying breed, an endangered species. Denethor and Faramir are for their entire lifetime aware that they’re among the last of their kind. This also has the added effect of making their relationship especially tragic-each is one of the few people on the planet who might truly understand each other, yet they can never see truly eye to eye. Then the elder dies, and the younger must go on.

Seeing the parallels with Folken and Van yet? Not only is the opposition between tragic because they’re close kin, it seems to be implied that there aren’t many Draconians left. Folken and Van are, like Denethor and Faramir, close to the last of their kind. By losing each other, they lose a lot of their chance to connect with what remains of that legacy. Folken dies shortly after he begins a path of reconciliation with Van, and Van must go on, honouring his legacy. Van must live on, not only struggling to understand that legacy, but also knowing that it may come to an end with him, or shortly after. This is all the more difficult because he must do so somewhat in secret (though his status as a hero and the fact that his Draconian ancestry may now be common knowledge might help him in this regard.)

[silphine]

It was the first time for many years I hadn't drawn sketches (not small scribbles) of Escaflowne. Deeply inspired by the atmopshere of Terrence Malik movie called “The New World”, its hypnotic ballads in forests and wild fields... Actors’ touching facial expressions... I immediately thought about adult Van and Hitomi, wandering in Fanelia’s deep forest. I saw Van as a calm king, tested by hard years of rebuilding Fanelia, wiser but very melancholic. Never really taking time for himself. Hitomi, on her side, was much more mature and attentive to others. After many years without seing each other, they finally met again and shared to each other their past last years lives. I didn’t have a specific story to tell. Just a feeling : Tenderness.

[katiajewelbox]

Van Fanel, the heroic young king of Fanelia, is one of the main characters in the anime Vision of Escaflowne. My Picmix composition features Art by Nobuteru Yuki, the official character designer.

[cloudshoregames]

Greetings, Dan here!

Real quick before we get started it was asked if we intended to make BTE available on Roll20. I admit I've only sparingly used the service as I do most of my gaming at the table, but from the games I have played on there, I know you are able to create custom character sheets that can be accessed at large. In the very least I will be pursuing getting one of those up for players groups interested in running through Roll20. As for anything further I will need to do additional research.

Additionally, in regarding these Mech Construction showcases I know the next one I had planned after Escaflowne, but I will be sure to have to do a second one to commemorate the return of Armored Core on the 25th. For now, let's take a look at one of the preeminent fantasy mechs, Escaflowne. 

(Concept art from Vision of Escaflowne, property of Funimation.)

Unlike with the King Crab, this build was specifically done as a version of the Escaflowne as built during initial mech construction, with all the limitations in place during character creation. There are two versions of this mech, one more steampunk (show), and the other more biomech (movie). The only real difference being one or two additional traits/weapons featured in the movie over the show. For clarity, I built this with the show version of Escaflowne in mind.

For those unfamiliar, Escaflowne is the titular mech from Vision of Escaflowne, where it is the guymelef (mech) of the royal family of the Kingdom of Fanelia. Guymelef's are similar to steampunk, exosuits where they function as suits of armor for their pilots. Because of this, most of them carry giant versions of medieval weaponry and that's the extent of their capabilities as making the knights giant sized.  That said, some like the Escaflowne are of special make, which gives them some special traits in this case. This is reflected in the mech parts chosen.

Because of its impeccable design by the Ispano clan, the Escaflowne is very hardy, reflected here with a Blitz Tech Frame giving it 24 AP. When on foot, more on that later, it is no faster than your average guymelef, so we left it with the Caballero Corp boosters, giving it an Movement Rate of 1. Since, it comes with some special traits from its creators, it will require multiple utility systems, so we went with the Blitz Tech CPU, giving it two utilities. Lastly, since the Escaflowne's primary weapon is a royal long sword, the Caballero Corp Radiator with it's Heat Rating of 8 will do just fine.

Now as for the Escaflowne's two utilities, those of you who are fans of the franchise will already know where we're going, for the Ispano Clan designed the white armored guymelef to be able to transform into an armored dragon. This is mostly used for transportation purposes as most guymelefs are incapable of flight. To reflect this, we went with the Aerial Frame giving it the ability to apply its Movement Rate into the air, as well as the Mobility Mode Converter so when it transforms into the dragon mode, the Escaflowne will gain 2 MR allowing it to change up to three range types in a move action. The mech will be unable to use weapons while in this mode, but depending on the player's flexibility around their build, the Escaflowne here would technically be capable of flight even in humanoid form. Granted it would have some difficulty doing combat while in the air anyway, as it only carries a melee weapon.

Speaking of, the Escaflowne has one weapon system at start, that would be the Sword of Fanelia, an extending long sword bearing the crest of the kingdom's royal family. Since this is the guymelef's primary weapon, and it was designed as a close combatant, we were about to apply three HR toward damage, giving it a d8 damage die. While we needed the HR for other traits, the Rate of Fire was left at 1 using only a single HR, but by optimizing this portion of the weapon, we were able to increase the RoF to 2. For the ammo, two HR allowed it to have 6 full damage swings. After which the weapon would be reduced to unpowered melee damage (1 + Weapon Skill Bonus). For ranges, obviously, the sword was given melee, but since it does extend into a two handed longsword, two HR gave it a little reach, allowing it to hit targets at Close Range as well.

With this build, even at start, the player would have a mech that would feel like the Escaflowne in play. Of course, as the player earned credits through missions, additional equipment could be purchased to make the mech feel even more accurate to the franchise. Higher level CPUs would give the Escaflowne more utilities, and the first one that comes to mind is the Neural Interface that grants the pilot bonuses on attacks, but runs the chance of causing them harm as they take damage, something that occurs in the show as the pilot's bond with the guymelef grows. Additionally, in the movie, the mech was organic in nature, capable of going on a rampage if the pilot lost control, so perhaps the Bio Frame utility as well. Also in the movie, the Escaflowne was capable of shooting lasers from its shoulder crystals. Improving the radiator and constructing a range weapon could give the build some much appreciated versatility. If not, the pilot could always purchase Disposable Equipment to supplement the need for ranged attack options. Some might view a mech focused on melee as limiting, it should be noted that a single mech does not exist in a vacuum as players are but one member of a squadron. While one mech may focus on dropping onto the front line, and tanking, others could fill in range attack roles. 

This time we took a look at a mech that was themed after knights in heavy armor (granted one that could fly lol), but what about a player that was something more...primal in theme. Next time, we'll take a look at the fast moving, feline mech from the Zoids franchise, the Blade Liger.

[awlwren-writes]

📓

Anon means you don’t get to pick the fandom. :P

Okay, so when I was younger, I was very much into (Vision of) Escaflowne. (See the bottom of this post for an explanation if you’re not familiar with it). Which naturally meant I wondered about what happened to Van and Hitomi as they grew up, if they would get together for real, etc. One of my story ideas revolved slightly around the idea that Hitomi spoke Gaean and Atlantian fluently, instinctively.

So I had Hitomi doing a final internship for an international relations degree with the Justice League (yes, it was a DC crossover, mainly DCAU) where she helped translate for superheroes doing international work. In her file, she put that she could also translate those two, but it never really came up, and she did most of her work translating Japanese. She did, however, have enough of a greek-adjacent base (Atlantian) to have interesting conversations with Diana in Themysciran Greek. They weren’t best friends, or anything, but they knew each other. Maybe she also spoke with Shayera about archaeology and history.

Anyway, some combination of Wonder Woman, Superman, and Hawkgirl (for that wing angst) end up on Gaea. We know electronics can reach across with enough emotion behind them, plus I’m pretty sure they have magic powering those things at least a little, so comms still work, and Hitomi gets called up to translate for them. She gets to explain a little about Gaea and direct them to meet up with Van, who can send them home.

The rest of the story is just outsider POV of the Justice League and of Gaea as they travel to Fanelia, discussions of linguistics as the travelers pick things up (maybe Supes unintentionally copies some of her female-marked Gaean?), letting Van meet other people who can fly, and eventually getting Hitomi an official position as a liaison between the two worlds, which helps her keep both her families while living the life she wants.

Anyway, that’s one of my long-running daydreams.

*Escaflowne is a Fantasy Mecha anime where a girl named Hitomi gets transported to another world called Gaea, where our Earth and Moon can be seen hanging in the sky, and gets involved in a war when it turns out she can see the future. SPOILERS: There is a whole thing with a wish machine and Atlantis and the power of belief, but she eventually returns home after confessing her love to the other main character, Van, King of Fanelia, who is descended from the Atlantians (not a good thing, as they were responsible for nearly destroying the planet ages ago) and thus has wings, which are seen as a sign of evil. It has a really great soundtrack, too, and the dub and sub are equally good.

[xyliane]

I swear I wasn’t going to make a big to-do about writing an escaflowne fic, I just wanted something short and sweet, but it turns out loving a show for more than fifteen years means you can go pretty quickly from “aww cute wedding fic” to “gaea speaks ancient greek with loan words from various other cultures and worlds so obviously I have to research heian period architecture right now and also after effects of war crimes to properly describe fanelia for about two paragraphs”

[mirimiramiri]

Star-Crossed Lovers

What's happening here? It all started simply because I wanted to draw Hitomi showing her culture to Van. Tanabata seemed like the perfect opportunity, because what better celebration compares to them than that of the story of two lovers, condemned to live on two different stars and only being able to see each other once a year?

The following story developed from this: Earth receives a noble visit, as the King of Fanelia descends from his throne to visit his girlfriend in Kamakura. Hitomi, quite excited, plans a date in her hometown including riding a bike (which he learns pretty quickly, after all it's not harder than piloting a Guymilef), visiting all the temples and sights and of course eating sushi. She feeds him too much candy, but all in all it’s a fun date without any incidents. Just two teenagers doing what teenagers do.

(The dialog in the third selfie is probably:

H: Van, don’t look at me, look at the camera.

V: The tiny mirror you are holding? I can do that…)

Dressed in Yukata the evening progresses. 🌃🌌

Unlike dream-Allen he succeeds at the first try! So proud…

I am not sure if Tanabata ends with fireworks everywhere. 🎇🎆 Well, here it does.

Hitomi turns around to see how he reacts to this surprise, only to notice that Van has disappeared without a trace… here ends part 1.

Well tbh I thought this story would write itself but I only have some key moments so far. It’s the kind of tale that starts off light hearted and gets darker and serious in the end. It was fun drawing their data though. A picture with eating sushi sadly didn’t really work.

A lot of inspiration came from Japan travel blogs and channels. I have only been to Tokyo and Kyoto but Kamakura is definitely on the bucket list!

[radical-rad1986]

After

AO3 has decided to not load the “Post” button; it continues to say “Please wait.” Boo. Sorry my ESS gift is late @the-smell-of-the-fields, happy holidays! (Link, because Tumblr of course thinks it’s cool to not keep my tag.)

Hitomi, after returning from Gaea.

The week after Hitomi finally, permanently, returned home, she was in a daze. It was too easy to fall back into her normal routine, despite having been on Gaea for a few months. It was good that she fell back into her normal life, because otherwise Hitomi wasn’t sure how she’d even gotten through that week.

Had it been real? Or had it been a dream?

Too easy to think she had imagined it, that it hadn’t been real.

Not when the calendar hadn’t advanced a few months and no no one asked her where she’d been.

But she could never find her pendant.

She never particularly went looking for it, either; sure in her knowledge of where it was.

She’d put her cards away too, and did not have the urge to pull them out.

Her mother and Yukari noticed, of course.

(Her father did too, of course; giving her glances during the week, then his eyes would slide to her mom, who nodded.)

Her mom brought it up at the end of the week, as they were doing the dinner dishes; Mamoru’s video game noises from the other room hiding their conversation.

“What’s on your mind, dear? You’ve been quite this whole week now. You didn’t even let your brother antagonize you over dinner.”

Hitomi paused, looking at the wet plate between them in both their hands.

Then her eyes slid to her mother.

Who would believe her.

Mom worked quietly on the dishes as Hitomi told her of the events of the not-past few months.

“I’ll tell Dad you’re alright.”

She did believe her and the reassurance gave Hitomi the confidence to talk to Yukari.

“Well, that pales in comparison to me thinking you just really missed Amano.”

It got the desired chuckle out of Hitomi, and it marked her first proper feeling of being home.

Neither she nor Van made contact that week.

Hitomi reached out, encouraged by her talks with her mom and Yukari.

It took her a few tries over a few days, as Van seemed to be too busy to be receptive.

He was a king of a shattered country, working to reunite and rebuild, she remembered.

He seemed to be about to get ready for bed, as Hitomi could sense Van’s mind trying to push the day’s events to the side and focus on finding his nightclothes.

Things were well; not great but not bad. Fanelia is rebuilding stronger. The other countries are helping each other rebuild. Merle says hi.

She was a student part-way through her last year of lower secondary school, and she still ran, and spent time with her family and friends; she was busy as well.

She finished her essay, passed that test, the track meet over the weekend went well, her family was healthy.

They discovered they both had to be centered and almost meditative to connect; their minds empty of stress and attempting a calm state.

Weeks would pass between conversations.

Dryden is helping to negotiate better costs and treaties; Millerna says hi. Fanelia is beautiful again.

Amano and Yukari just had their six month anniversary, I passed my midterms.

It was easy, too easy, to be busy with family, friends, school, and life.

Before she knew it, a year had gone by.

She’d finished lower secondary school and began higher secondary. She was still on the track team, Yukari was still an assistant. Her relationship with Amano was still strong, nearing their one year anniversary, despite being long-distance. Her friends had finally stopped asking for readings, and her mom had kept a special eye on her the last few weeks.

Hitomi stood on the train platform, staying across the water; complacent.

One year.

Van…

He was sitting on the rocks, wings outstretched and shinning in the bright daytime sun, smiling at her, the pendant winking against his red shirt.

“I’m doing just fine Van,” she smiled back.

[konstantya]

Weird Van+Eries (or Van/Eries?) dancing excerpt!

Because I share excerpts from all the other fandoms I write for, but haven’t shared anything or written anything, tbh, ahahaha for Escaflowne in a long while.  So have a little ballroom/dancing excerpt from a weird Van+Eries (or Van/Eries???) fic I hope to get back to one of these days.  It follows the continuity of my Folken/Eries stories (and specifically references Take It From His Whisper), and the basic idea is that, post-canon, Van hits Eries up for economic advice, and the two end up developing a friendship of sorts through that.  So this bit takes place three years after the end of the series, where they both happen to be attending some big formal function in Egzardia as representatives of their respective countries.

His gaze shifted beyond her shoulder, and he tensed, as if on the edge of combat.  “Oh gods, it’s Princess Calita.”

Eries turned her head to look innocuously across the ballroom.  Out of her peripheral vision she could see that, sure enough, Princess Calita of Cesario was currently making her way toward them.  Eries took a sip of her punch and turned back to Van, wry amusement tugging at the corners of her mouth.  “You are a very eligible bachelor,” she pointed out.

If Van heard her, he showed no sign of it.  Instead, he jerked his gaze back to hers, and with an almost hunted look in his eyes, suddenly asked, “Dance with me?”

Eries blinked and almost laughed.  “Wh-what?”

“Dance with me,” he repeated, and the urgency of his voice made it sound more like an order this time around.  Eries blinked again, realized he was serious, and let her mouth move wordlessly for a moment while she searched for a response.

“I—I don’t dance,” she finally managed, hoping the stiff, serious tone to her voice would brook no room for argument.  It wasn’t that she didn’t know how to, or even didn’t like to, it was just that the dance floor was more often than not the realm of those looking for husbands or wives.  She had no interest in getting a husband, and her reputation was such that no man had bothered to seek her out as a potential wife in a number of years.  So why should she—

“Neither do I,” Van shot back, blunt as ever.  “But I’d still much rather do it with you than with Princess Calita.”

Her mouth made some more movements, floundering for some excuse, but it was then that his expression softened from demanding into something more desperate, more entreating.  “Please,” he added, and for an instant, his face was so similar to—so reminiscent of—  And just as she’d been powerless to refuse his brother’s request to speak with her that one night, so long ago now, she found herself similarly powerless to refuse his request to dance.  Feeling strangely removed from herself, Eries set her drink down, tentatively presented her hand, and with that, Van took it and led her onto the floor.

This season of The Bachelor stars King Van Fanel of Fanelia, lololol.

[acelucky]

The burden that is mine

So here it is! My entry to this years’ @yearlyesca​ pic’n’fic. This is to accompany   the wonderful drawing of a young Folken and Van by @gasexplosionatthescalpelfactory​ Thanks to @radical-rad1986​ for organising ^_^

I wasn’t really sure where I was going when I started to write this, apart from the ending! But wanted to explore a little of their relationship and history with one another when younger. So often when we think of history we think of battles and important dates in any given countries or world calendar. I believe that some of our most important history actually comes from the small things, the little moments that make us who we are and that is what this little story is dedicated to. No warnings apply. 

Fanelia was a country beautiful in all seasons, weathers and by the light of the moon and the sun. Folken had come to appreciate this from a very young age, the tapestries that were woven telling the tales of his country were 

Folken had the history of Fanelia practically imprinted in his mind, he knew it all in a beat. Every twist and turn for being the eldest child that had been his responsibility. It was one he had always taken seriously he knew all too well that if he proved himself then it would save Van from the strict upbringing he had. Not that it had been a bad upbringing, Folken was happy enough but the looming presence of his future, the uncertainty surrounding when he’d have to fight a dragon - all of this played on his mind.

So while sword practise was important, while his duties as Prince were of upmost importance, there always had to be a little time for fun and sibling bonding. 

Folken had it all planned, an entire day where neither he nor Van would have lessons or training or anything formal. It was a well orchestrated day where they would escape the castle and enjoy time together fishing, playing, having a picnic. He had been looking forward to it all week but hadn’t spoken a word of his plan to his brother for he wanted it to be a surprise. 

When Folken woke up on the day of their escape from duty, sunlight shone through his windows, casting beams across the floor and his bed, warming his face before the day begun. He often slept with the curtains wide open so he could watch the stars and moon in the sky as he drifted off into dream land.

There had been one evening where Van had sat with him on his bed star-gazing. 

“The stars, there’s so many of them,” Van commented as he stood by the window and looked up at the sky full of wonder and innocence.

Folken hadn’t responded to Van’s comment straight away, rather he let him bask in the moon’s light, stood by his side. A heavy weight rest on his shoulders but in moments like this it simply melted away.

“The stars watch over us Van…”

He got up and opened the windows so they could listen to the soft breeze and owls outside. He pointed out the constellations in the sky and told the tales that went with them. Van sat captivated by each tale, listening to legends about mythical beasts, knights and Kings & Queens of old. He took each story seriously and would continue to pester Folken for more stories and information over the coming weeks.

It never annoyed Folken, he had all the time in the world for his little brother when he was able to escape Princely duties for a day or eve. 

Now as Folken woke he enjoyed the sight of the orange and pink glow of the sky a few clouds drifting across lazily, swallows flitting by, scooping and diving. He stretched his limbs as he yawned and wondered if Van would be awake yet, it was unlikely he chuckled to himself thinking of how often Van would end up napping during important events.

Two cats, one ginger and one a smoky grey were curled up at Folken’s side. They barely moved when he stretched apart from to join him in yawning, their tails occasionally twitching as they dreamt. The servants despaired at first, the cats should be fed out back of the kitchen and there alone, they should also sleep in their beds in the lower part of the castle, not in a Prince’s bedroom! But Folken adored them, at times he was awfully lonely and he found comfort in the cats.

When he entered his brother’s bedroom, Van was dreaming, it had to be a good dream, of that he was sure. He had a small smile on his face and was muttering something under his breath, a small spot of drool was at the corner of his mouth. Folken got out a handkerchief and gently wiped, careful not to wake the sleeping Prince. 

He watched his brother sleeping, sat on a chair by his bed side and smiled fondly, there was no need to wake him up so early. In many ways Van was Folken’s world and would do anything to prepare his brother for the life that lay ahead of him, do anything to protect him. A part of this meant shielding him from the darker parts of life for as long as possible.

When Van finally awoke and Folken told him his plans for the day, Van couldn’t contain his excitement as he rushed to get ready. His eyes had been wide, a face of wonder just like when they watched the stars together.

An hour later and the two brothers were sat side by side, arms touching, at the end of a pier quietly fishing, soaking up the sun and watching the sun reflected on the water. There was a gentle breeze that carried the smell of summer on it. Van had been telling his brother all about his hopes and dreams for the future, excited chatter of a child who didn’t know any better, a child to whom a knight was the most marvellous thing in the world. A child who had yet to learn the horrors of war or the gut-wrenching pain of loosing someone you love.

Folken decided now was not the day to open his eyes to that part of the world. Instead, much against others wishes, he encouraged his brother with his childish dreams and hoped one day he could escape on adventures and live a life less confided to duty. 

Van suddenly jumped excitedly as he felt something tug on the end of the line, “I think….I think I caught something!” 

Folken smiled and helped him hold the line, “Nice and steady, reel it in nice and slow okay?”

Van nodded and with a look of sheer determination on his face reeled in the catch. When he succeeded in pulling it out of the water he exclaimed excitedly and looked at the fish. As he held it up the scales glittered in the sunlight there was a second where he looked so happy and pleased and then his expression changed dramatically and he burst into tears.

“What’s wrong?” Folken asked as he wrapped his arm round his brother.

“It’s my fault, it must be in so much pain, it’s innocent.”

Folken had to smile, yes, it was better he was the older sibling, “It’s okay, look, we can let it go,” Folken gently unhooked the fish, “See?”

Van rubbed his eyes and opened them to reveal how watery and red they already were, gave a small sob as he saw what his brother had done. He sniffed and nodded, “Can we let him go?”

Another sniff.

Folken turned to Van and smiled widely, “Of course, look,” Folken bent down and placed the fish back in the water which hurriedly swam away.

Van hugged him tightly, “Thank you brother, I’m sorry I was so weak please don’t tell father.”

He looked up with eyes so pitiful that Folken felt a sting of guilt, was this really how he felt about his own father? Was Van really this scared of disappointing others?

“I promise,” Folken placed hands on Van’s cheeks, “I promise little bro okay? I’m so proud of you.”

After this Folken decided it was time to change activity, they packed up the fishing gear and went for a long rambling walk through the forest and over hills. There were moments where the brothers were silent, but it was never boring or uncomfortable. Van was happy to run ahead and hide so Folken had to find him, or to climb trees and talk to the birds and creatures he came across while his brother was happy to watch on. 

It was when they reached the top of an incredibly large hill that Folken flashed his brother a wicked grin, “Race yah!” 

And with that Folken was off running at great speed down the other side of the hill. 

Van laughed, “Brother!” he shouted after Folken as he ran down the hill behind him. He was laughing as the motion of his legs carried him faster and faster to the point where he was sure he’d fall over and roll the rest of the way down the bottom. Folken looked over his shoulder at his brother but still managed to continue running without missing any steps or wobbling.

Both brothers managed to run all the way to the bottom of the hill without tripping or falling, and both laughed all the way down. Folken felt the weight lifted again, just running like that without any judgement from anyone, without any care for the time, it was the best feeling in the world.

As they reached the bottom where the grass still sloped a little, Van fell to the floor and decided to roll down it like a log. Folken watched, deciding not to join in this particular activity, instead he pulled out a picnic blanket and the food he brought with him. When Van got up and walked back towards him he couldn’t help but noticing how disheveled he now looked. 

But…This was nice, too many hours were spent in clothes he wasn’t allowed to get dirty so having time out where they could get covered in mud, where grass stains didn’t matter.

Van flopped down on the grassy verge next to Folken who was now laid on his back watching the clouds go by. Van copied Folken, crossing his arms behind his head and sighing in a fashion that could only be described as trying to mimic his older brother. The kind of sigh that was the letting out of adult frustrations.

After a few minutes of silence Van turned his head to the side to see his brother’s eyes were closed. There was an overwhelming urge to jump on him and tickle him or play some prank but Van, despite his young age, knew how rare it was for Folken to actually relax and switch off from duty for a moment. 

Van rolled back onto his back and traced the clouds with his index finger, he muttered under his breath what the different formations looked like. A large yellow butterfly flew close to his face and he watched with interest as it landed on a flower nearby. 

He felt Folken’s weight shift next to him and turned back to see his brother’s eyes open. A smile spread across his face, “Sorry little bro, I must have dosed off.”

Van sat up and then back on his heels and cocked his head to the side, “It’s okay,” he smiled brightly, the sun reflected in his eyes and Folken knew that he would do anything he had to to protect the innocence which was still such a part of his brother.

“Food?” Folken asked as he sat up and started to pull various picnic items out of his bag. “I brought something especially for you, I was going to wait until we’d eaten the savoury items but this is a day of fun after-all,” he winked as he pulled out some of Van’s favourite chocolates and some cherries.

Van clasped his hands together, his eyes lighting up, “My favourites!”

Folken laughed as he handed them across to Van, it was good to see that he hadn’t been tainted by duty and was still able to take pleasure in the small things.

Van looked at the large chocolate bar in his hands and then broke it into chunks, he handed one back to Folken, kept one for himself and put the other into his bag.

“Saving that for later?”

Van bit down on the chocolate and with mouth still full said, “No, it’s for my tutor.”

Innocent and uncommonly kind, thought Folken. He preyed that his reign would be long and fruitful so that Van could live a more ordinary and happier life. 

“I will take that burden so you don’t have to,” Folken said quietly.

Van looked up from the food, “Huh?”

Folken’s cheeks blushed with colour, “Nothing, sorry, I didn’t realise I was speaking aloud.”

“We should do this again,” Van said.

Folken nodded, “We will brother we will.”

Van ruffled Folken’s hair, “Good, next time I get to choose the activity.”

“Okay, well next time you can bring me snacks,” Folken teased.

Van huffed and crossed his arms, “But you’re the adult.”

“Ahhh so I’ll make the decisions then.”

“Not fair!” Van poked his tongue out and then fell on top of Folken laughing. 

This was a mistake, Folken knew every spot where Van was most ticklish and the second Van had pounced on him he had pretty much sealed his fate. Van’s laughter could be heard all around as Folken flipped him over and started to tickle under his armpits and down his sides. 

“Not my flank!” Van screeched with laughter.

‘Flank’ was an on-going joke they’d had between them since they’d both been very young, they would pretend to be horses and walk around on all fours neighing. Somewhere the word flank got used when Folken would tickle his brother and it carried on. 

“Please brother stop I’ll be sick and all before I’ve been able to eat this wonderful food!” Van pouted and at that Folken eased up. He didn’t wish to spoil Van’s appetite, the boy was growing fast and needed plenty of nutrition. 

They sat in peace slowly eating the small feast Folken had prepared, chatting in between mouthfuls, telling jokes and watching beetles that crawled across the blanket.

“Folken, what do you think are the most important things in Fanelian history that I should commit to memory?” Van asked suddenly.

Folken froze in response, not today, he didn’t want to talk about any of this today. And then he realised he didn’t have to because the answer was staring right at him. He smiled and put his food down, pointed at Van and then at himself, “This is.”

Van was silent for a moment and then a small smile appeared on his face as if he understood what his brother meant. 

“We’ll be able to do this forever won’t we?” Van asked, a change now in his tone from happy to melancholy. The question wasn’t simply that, it was born of his hopes and dreams, it was a request. Van needed reassurance from his older brother that no matter how much changed or many years passed, their bond would remain strong and there were some things, the simple and small things in life which would remain the same.

Folken put his arm round his brother and pulled him close, “Yes, of course, I promise.”

But Folken knew that there was no guarantee of this, he knew there was a chance that within years he’d have to break that promise. But there was another promise he would not break, and that was the burden that was placed on his shoulder, the burden that is mine and mine alone, I will protect you forever through accepting that burden, Folken thought. 

Before they got too serious Folken pulled away and now ruffled Van’s hair, “Race you to the wishing well!”

Van should have known better when he saw Folken begin to pack things away but his brother’s action caught him completely off guard, “Hey, no fair!” He laughed as he sprung up and chased after the other. 

[katiajewelbox]

King Goau is the late father of Van Fanel and Folken in the anime series Vision of Escaflowne. He was the ruler of Fanelia and the husband of the Draconian lady Varie. He only appears in flashbacks in the anime but is generally remembered as a good ruler who was not afraid to break with tradition to follow his heart.

My Picmix composition features a still from the anime.

[youkailuvr]

Next up on my quest to bring my stories from ff.net to AO3.

This time, it’s two stories for the series Escaflowne.  Incredible series, but bittersweet ending.  So, I did what all fic writers do at some point.

I fixed it.  

The first is Real and it’s semi-sequel is Life and Love.  Please enjoy and let me know what you think!

------------------------------------

An excerpt from Real:

He watched as the mason-workers rebuilt the front boundary wall of the castle.  Brick by brick and stone by stone, they restored the wall to its former glory.

With one final plunk, the wall was finished and, with it, a great cheer rose from the watching crowd.  Fanelia was whole, once again.

If only the same could be said for her king.

------------------------------------

An excerpt from Life and Love:

If someone had told Hitomi ten years ago where she’d be today, she would have told them they were bat-crap crazy.

Back then, she had been a ‘normal’ fifteen year old girl.  Lived at home with her mother, father, and little brother.  Went to the local high school, made decent grades, and was the star runner on the track team.  Had one really good best friend and, of course, a crush on the most wanted guy in school.

But she was also able to dowse and divine meaning from the tarot cards with frightening accuracy.

So...maybe not so ‘normal,’ after all.

[cloudsmom]

So guess who broke her laptop and now has to get a cheap new one? This girl. Will have to take an unfortunate hiatus from rping ... I'm on discord ( Van Fanel, King of Fanelia#6534 ) and I'll check on the messenger here.

[fruitso]

For @gasexplosionatthescalpelfactory

My contribution to this year’s @esca-ss! An alternate universe where Folken managed to slay the dragon (while still losing his arm) and become king of Fanelia.

This was actually the first fully rendered art piece I’d done in a while. I’ve said before that the reason I’d stopped doing art for a while was because I’d felt disillusioned with my progress. That was also one of the reasons I didn’t sign up for ESS last year. But I wanted to get involved this year, and doing so forced me to jump back into art. And I’m glad I did; I’m really happy with this piece, and it’s inspired me to hopefully get back into drawing more regularly.

Hope you like it too Leaf!