#giesbach

Daibolik Lovers, Information blog, 18+ | not a roleplay blog

Credit: all information and art work credit goes to Reject unless stated otherwise

Reminiscence of the past

Let us be clear: the founder race is dying.

Their previous king's sanity had declined past the point of denial.

Didn't even try to save his people.

The mad king's overthrow - was planned by collective force.

The war. the End. the plague of the land.

And those still alive, erased from memory and then eaten away by the disease. Locked and sealed in the dark.

Vomiting blood and bitter regret.

Like the Great Roman Empire - Idleness and Decadence led to their downfall.

The war had ransacked everything. Every element of the past, of the golden age of the Ancestors. Endzeit took the living and left only meaningless trinkets of memory.

Burai kept some of those and even more: Menae's dresses, some of her jewellry...

and a daughter as the hidden remaining evidence of an ancient time. An ancient world he had conquered.

The two last remaining Founders. First children of the Moon

Today protect body and soul, the last bits of their glorious heritage.

The founder race thrived in the centre of the demon world

cold, dry winters

quite pleasant summers and mid-seasons full of soft colours.

mountainous land (not to the level of the Adler's but still high enough so they could get fresh gusts of wind), they towered over the other territories.

Their hegemony was supreme, at first even quite brilliant. They were self-sufficient, feared but respected.

Not the slightest interest in human civilisations. For them, humans were slaves, food, and entertainment.

At the top of the hierarchy, Founders were the reference of good taste and what was fashionable at the royal court would be in vogue everywhere else.

due to similar weather conditions, some elements of the First Blood fashion could be compared to a strange mix of old European apparel.

which is crazy because the timeline is so fucked up we don't even know where to situate the founders existence in human history because they were ahead of their time: from the clothes silhouette to the fabric used and the skills of their tailors.

Let's dive into blood into a 'brief' description of founders' fashion.

Aristocrats' clothing. Because like everywhere else, the world doesn't seem to care about how the commoners would dress. We prefer rare silks and gold over anything.

But the shiniest stars are always the dying ones.

Anyways-

male fashion

can be sum up in four points :

18th-century "habit à la française" (I'm french but I only read it with a fake British accent it's terrible)

Imperial Russian court and military uniforms

Alucard from Castlevania (especially the one from 1997)

and Bloodborne

what? I should develop?

the 18th-century/Alucard style. soft ruffled shirt, large embroidered silk cravat, heavy linen pants with high leather boots sat on top, again a goddamn cloak...on top of a pirate coat-

founders men were responsible for the "romantic vampire aesthetic" but Karlheinz will never admit it.

they liked form-fitting clothes, slightly tight on the chest because they wanted to accentuate the strong lines of their necks and outline their shoulders to make them look broader.

yeah they're insecure like that😔

overcoats heavy with wealth.

it could be brown, it could be blue, it could be violet-You see what I'm doing here.

some buttoned, some buckled but all embellished with stitches of silver and gold

long hair was a genderless preference.

Well. Women were expected to keep them long because blablabla women and feminity blablabla but for the men who chose to have long hair (like Carla) it was perceived as a sign of power??

like they considered that you have to be particularly deft or confident in your magical abilities to be able to fight with long hair (they're not particularly wrong though)

but I prefer to think that they liked long hair because it contributed a LOT to their dark romantic aesthetic.

anything for the drama.

female fashion

a glorious mix of 18th-19th century russian court fashion and... 50s old hollywood dresses. (don't ask me, they're stylish and visionary)

beautifully designed, from the delicate shape of a butterfly sleeve to the way it embraced the line of the shoulders

distinguishing and elegant, the off-shoulder elongated the neck and the low neckline was lined with small almost-transluscent pearls and silver threads to capture the light and make their skin radiates under the fine diamond necklaces.

corsets obviously but we are far from the killing corsets Cordelia could wear to have one hell of a waist. In comparison, they were comfortable (again, their tailors were that good)

silk opera gloves, sometimes lacy ones to match the men's stupid shirts 🙄

layered skirts but not the bulky type (not the Empress Sissi style). Founder women didn't like the ballooning silhouette and found it unattractive as it didn't do them any favour.

preferred drawing attention to their waist and cleavage but also to their height.

skirts had to compliment and accentuate the length of the body as the First Blood women were taller than most female demons. (well see Cordelia. She's the tallest among the three wives and I suspect her to be actually quite 'short' for a founder woman.)

their silhouette is almost fae-like: lithe, lean and strong despite being overprotected and confined to that castle 😔

so the skirts were long, organza or taffeta draped the main skirt to give some dimension to the dress - no crinoline. maybe a bustle to add a little to their hips and bums

because the Founders can only be killed by decapitation, they provocatively exposed their necks a lot in their clothing style.

open ruffs (like a smaller Medici collar), off-shoulder, v-neck or sweetheart necklines...

Fate being a cruel mistress, this small game of silent provocation was definitely not what caused their ruin.

But you know what happened.

Now most of these lavish gowns and sumptuous coats are just crumbs of inspiration from an old system, left to be pecked.

This is the first chapter of how I interpret the war that caused the extinction of the First Bloods. I will go forward and backward from this point in my later works since I want to explore Sae's relationship with the Tsukinami family, as well as his personal history. Very very very extremely nervous about this but anyway

I hope you enjoy <3

Time seems to fly by fast nowadays and yet so frighteningly slow at certain moments in time. And once again, Saeclus bore witness to the passing of it. Silent and watchful. And hesitant still. It was as if that woman's voice, echoing in his head after all these years, was nothing but truth;

"With all the power in the world pulsing beneath your fingers, you are still weak. It's painful but so beautiful."

But it was true, wasn't it? The way he'd watched this all go down when he could have done anything... When he should have done something.

"Lord Saeclus." A familiar voice, now deep and too formal for his likening, spoke. The greeting was rather cold to all else standing in the room. All except Saeclus himself. For whether the snowy-haired man in front of him intended it or not, Saeclus could see through him.

He had always been able to see through him, ever since he was but a child. A fine child, curious and intelligent... And with potential so overwhelming it stirred hate in his own father's heart.

"Hello to you as well, Crown Prince Carla." Came his reply, a ghost of a smile on his face. But this smile wasn't a happy one. How could he express happiness seeing what his father did to this brilliant child - no, man - every nightfall.

Carla did well in hiding his aches; he must feel them every time he moves the wrong muscle. Though, that was no good for Saeclus. If anything, it enraged him. This child that he had tutored since a young age, with whom he'd explored his love for arts and literature once again, was being molded into a cruel man while he'd been gone.

And, once again, he had sat idly by, watching it all play out like a retelling of an epic tragedy.

Their walk to the King's study was silent. Unlike many times in the past, they were accompanied by guards and servants, too many for Saeclus' likening, and a few of them he didn't even know. He suspected Giesbach had put watchers over Carla, making sure he doesn't step a toe out of line.

Mentally, he was laughing at how the King failed to know his sons, his very own kin, children brought to life through him, and the woman he'd come to love over the years. Saeclus' eyes trailed away from the path, astraying to the great training halls. He hoped to catch a glimpse of Shin, but it seems the younger Prince was not in his usual dwelling. Not yet, at least.

And so the walk continues, with Saeclus' eyes traveling afar in each corridor they pass, hoping to sight the strawberry blonde second Prince. But there is no such being in sight.

Even upon entering the study, some senseless part of him hoped that the younger son would be there. Nothing, he concludes, Shin is not in the castle.

"Is your mind troubled with other matters, General?" The King's voice, sharp and commanding, made his eyes whip back to his front where, a few steps ahead, sat the King of Founders.

"Your Majesty." He says as greetings, bowing his head in respect. Though he did not miss the slight frown that crossed Carla's face as he moved his head and body downwards.

Even that small movement was enough for his body to ache, and Saeclus knew very well what that meant.

And yet, he says nothing.

"If you are done aimlessly looking about I suggest we move on to the matter at hand." The King's tone is sharp with him, bone chilling enough that he can feel the guards behind him tense up.

But he feels nothing. Certainly not fear. And not even hatred or anger. Nor an ounce of respect. He feels nothing in the presence of his King.

"You wished to speak to me, Your Majesty."

"Yes, I believe I do." He doesn't offer for Saeclus to sit. An undeniable insult, given his status. And still he says nothing. "It's in regards to the Eastern Borders."

The borders we share with the Vampires, he thought as his brows furrowed, this can't be good.

"Yes?"

"I'd like for you to arrange a visit to the area. The watchtowers have reported strange activity," the King's momentary pause didn't go unnoticed by the far older General, "I believe this is a matter that you can settle."

"That area is a territory under the watch of General Gottschalk, Your Majesty. Wouldn't it cause upsetting if I were sent to deal with a matter regarding their domain?" His tone is calm - frighteningly devoid of any emotion - and his eyes have become neutral again.

The King's blazing gaze, filled with fury, shoots towards his. "Are you questioning my decision, High General?!"

"I am advising you, Your Majesty," If only you could tell the difference... ", if the reports are indeed correct, then it is a time we need to keep our unity."

Whatever remains of it anyway, he added to himself as an afterthought, eyes darting towards the heir of his realm for a split moment.

"If I need your advice, I will ask for it!" The sharp response would've made anyone else recoil, even a little. "The King of the First Bloods has no reason to counsel on a decision that's already been made! I will not tolerate such disrespect again."

Is he supposed to be afraid? It seems that way as the King's gaze turns more foul every moment his gaze remains neutral. No, he thinks, it's no longer neutral.

He's unimpressed. And yet...

"As you wish, Your Majesty." Why does he not decline? Why does he not argue more when he has so much to say? Why convince himself that this is all that could be done?

Coward, he thinks as he turns to exit the study. You are such a coward, Saeclus Sanguine.

He hesitated again. And he's lost the opportunity. He has no loyalty left for the King, and he doesn't fear resentment or loneliness - he's already shunned and alone - so why does he keep on obeying commands?

He can feel it the moment the door closes behind him, and the guards come to stand outside. This is where he takes out all the anger on his son - who admires him dearly - and calls it preparation to become King.

His chest feels heavy with that knowledge. A pause comes to his steps then, thinking of a way to get Carla away from that room. If he asked to speak with him regarding the borders, his practice of magic, or even his duties as a newly appointed regional overseer.

No.

That would only result in more severe wrath to befall him. He presses on. I can't do anything for him... His troubled steps lead him out of the castle.

I am still weak.

Even with all the power a demon could ask for humming under my fingertips, he bitterly thinks as he feels the watchful gaze of many nobles follow his steps away from Phandemonium, I am still weak.

I will say, I am quite sad the final volume of the young blood manga didn’t have Carla or Shin at all in it. I was also really hoping to see Giesbach and Krone’s face reveal and more of Carla and Shin’s backstory along with what they looked like as kids. Which is why I’d like to ask what do you think their parents would look like?

Ah I hope you find everything interesting! I think I'm just a little bit too obsessed with them personally ^^;;

I am sad we never got to see what Carla and Shin looked like when they were younger but I think except for cover art, it would have been kind of out of place to include them properly when the manga was focused on the Sakamaki brothers Tsukinami manga when pls Rejet?

Prior to the reveal that the manga was going to be focused on the Sakamaki brothers, I had also hoped for Giesbach and Krone face reveals but alas :')

As for my own headcanons on what they look like, honestly they're based on some of @bloody-croissant's art (which I now cannot find because I am loser with a terrible tagging system). But anyway because of that line we get from Karl about Carla looking like Krone in his DF route, I tend to picture Krone with similar features to Carla.

As for Giesbach, I used to think that as Carla looked like Krone, then Shin must take after Gies but er... let's just say after Shin's LE route I no longer think that's the case. That brief glimpse we got of him in Young Blood not withstanding, I imagine Gies looking like Lord Ruthven from The Case Study of Vanitas just without the eyepatch.

Funnily enough he even has the same VA as Carla.

Karlheinz:

Hi anon, I hope you’re having a good day too ^^ and your English is absolutely fine :)

I’ll be upfront, at no point in DF, LE or CL can I recall the games mentioning Karl and Gies disagreeing over a woman. I genuinely have no idea where whoever wrote the wiki page might have gotten this from (that being said if this detail has somehow escaped my notice and one of you remembers of an instance where it is mentioned in the games then please let me know!). I definitely have no memory of Karl having an interest in Krone and given everything that happened with Menae, I find it unlikely he had any interest in her beyond getting her to have Cordelia for the sake of his “great plan”. 

To sum it up briefly, the main reason for Karl and Gies falling out comes back to Giesbach’s insecurities over his own power. Basically the two were friends at one point but as Carla got older, Giesbach became increasingly paranoid with his own position, as he was scared and jealous of Carla’s power (and Karl’s too). Gies ended up unable to see past his own fear and envy and declared war on Karl.

I hope that essentially answers your question ^^

Also, I feel I should perhaps add something on to this post:

In general, I would STRONGLY recommend taking any info you find on the dialovers wiki with a huge pinch of salt.

I’m sure the people who contribute to the articles do their best but I’ve seen too many instances of stuff on the wiki having no clear source material and causing a lot of confusion in the fandom as to whether it’s true or not (the main examples being whether Laito can speak French and whether Yuma actually ate the bodies of his victims or not - both of which I’m pretty sure were debunked but still feature on the wiki). 

So here is the link: https://www.google.com/amp/s/komamari.wordpress.com/2018/06/25/summary-diabolik-lovers-dark-fate%25E3%2583%25BCcarla-tsukinami-maniac-story/amp/

Have a nice day though. And I'm sorry for the misunderstanding. 💜😔

Thank you so much for getting back to me about this (and bless you for sending a screenshot too). (Also please know I was not and would never get angry over something like this, I was just a little stressed because I know some people trust me for lore info so I like to make sure I know my stuff so that I’m giving out accurate information :) ).

For anyone who’s confused, this is in reference to these posts (1,2) which mentioned Giesbach having multiple wives/lovers, something that left me very confused, because as far as I was aware Krone was the only one. 

You’re right in that the way this is written does suggest that Giesbach had multiple lovers aside from Krone (for reference this scene is from Carla’s DF Maniac Prologue). I looked up the available English translation that I normally use when fact-checking things (because it’s faster for me than getting my Vita out and I generally trust other translators more than myself) and the translator there has translated the line so that the vampire addresses Krone as the “wife of Giesbach” and not the “favoured mistress”.

Now with fan translations, you are always going to get some differences in how people phrase things, be it due to their own personal preferences or differences in language ability. Normally this isn’t too much a problem as the meaning is generally the same and frankly anyone who’s willing put in time to help make DL content more available to those who aren’t as familiar with Japanese is doing the fandom a service.

Unfortunately however, sometimes these little details can cause confusion (another example can be found in this post). I am by no means an expert on the Japanese language but I know enough that hopefully I can clear this up.

So here is the line in question:

“始祖王ギースバッハ様の寵姫、クローネさまのご寝所と察すしいたします。”

Now as I have said previously, my Japanese ability is not perfect but here’s how I would translate this:

“The Founder King Giesbach’s favoured mistress, Krone’s bedroom, I presume.”

I’ve kept the word order similar to the way it’s phrased in Japanese for simplicity’s sake but personally I’d want to restructure it to make it sound more natural in English if I were actually doing a translation of the game.

According to my go to Japanese dictionary, 

寵姫 ＝ちょうき＝”favoured mistress”

Honestly this is such a small line that it hadn’t even occurred to me that it might have lore implications but here we are.

So yes, this certainly does imply that Giesbach had multiple lovers (and it sort of implies that he wasn’t even married to Krone). However, I also think it’s important to look at the context here, in case anyone didn’t read the paragraph above, the individual who says this is a vampire who straight up barged into Krone’s bedroom (and to be honest I can’t work out why he does this he’s just kind of rude and then immediately leaves). While the vampire is said to have been loyal to Giesbach, I certainly wouldn’t take his word as the absolute truth (like he might have just phrased things in an unflattering way to Krone).

Also, we do know that Giesbach was married to Krone, as Shin gives Yui Krone’s wedding dress in his Bloody Bouquet CD, while in Carla’s Blood Bouquet CD, he gives Yui “the ring of Suvern” which I believe is a ring worn by all of the wives of the previous founder king’s (and was worn by Krone before she died). It’s also mentioned that she was married Giesbach in Shin’s Lost Eden route.

We don’t get a full picture of what Krone and Giesbach’s marriage was like in DF, we know he ended up locking her up in dungeon but I also think it’s fair to say that Gies was basically starting to lose the plot by that point. Given all of the evidence mentioned in the paragraph above, Krone was at the very least his first wife and the most important if her possession of the ring of Suvern is anything to go by. Personally I don’t think Giesbach had multiple wives (although I wouldn’t dismiss the possibility that he had mistresses), but there isn’t that much evidence either way. (If anyone can think of any other scenes where this comes up then feel free to hit up my ask box).

TL;DR Giesbach may have had multiple lovers but there’s very little evidence for it aside from one line and while we do know that he was married to Krone and it’s certainly not implied that he had any other wives.

A drabble set after the defeat of the founders. See the end for more notes.

Carla wasn’t sure how long he’d spent in the dungeons, with only the wails of the Endzeit victims for company. Mercifully he’d had been granted his own cell, something perhaps owed to his title, sparing him at least from seeing the signs of the disease eating away at his people. He’d witnessed enough of it when visiting his mother to know he didn’t want to see anymore.

But that didn’t mean he couldn’t hear them.