#slaine saazbaum troyard

[mikanrulz]

Aldnoah Zero fic, Slaine-Centric

Title: here's a lullaby to close your eyes goodbye

Fandom: Aldnoah.Zero

Character: Slaine Troyard, Vlad, Cruhteo, Saazbaum, Asseylum vers Allusia, Harklight

Rating: PG

Warning: Spoilers for the whole series. Non linear narrative. Slaine centric, Slaine character study, canon typical violence

Summary:

Slaine remembers.

He was ashamed to admit that the sound of her footsteps was more familiar to him than the shape of her face.

[blankie-greenie-anon]

The Vers Empire: Possibly an Analogy of Imperial Japan?

In the some of the recent A/Z posts I've made, I used "imperialistic" to describe Slaine's plans in season 2. I want to elaborate on that.

Slaine was just a tragic villain to me until I found this Twitter thread:

This karice is the same karice who ran this WordPress where she shared her translations about the world of A/Z and the interviews of the creators and cast, plus her own insight as a "political scientist in training". (She was on hiatus starting from 2018, so she might've graduated to "full-fledged political scientist" already. I dunno.)

Suffice to say, I have good reason to believe karice knows what she's talking about. The problem is, she didn't elaborate on the similarities and connections between Imperial Japan, the Vers Empire, and Slaine, so I didn't know what she was talking about.

No matter how much you trust someone, you can't just take their words at face value. Thus began my own research on Imperial Japan.

First, I looked up the dictionary definition of imperialism.

Definition 1 seems the most applicable to the manifesto Slaine had "Asseylum" declare to the 37 Orbital Knights at the end of season 2 episode 6.

Sure it says "new kingdom", not "colony", but the implications are the same. The Vers Empire intended to put Earth under their rule. Therefore, on a general level, Slaine's plan is an example of imperialism.

Next, I hit up Wikipedia to get the lowdown on Imperial Japan. It was a lot. I am nowhere finished reading. However, with the power of Ctrl+F, I found this section.

One motivating factor of Japan's imperialism was to acquire raw materials. Besides that, the country had great manufacturing and industrial power.

The Vers Empire is very industrially advanced thanks to Aldnoah, but the lack of natural resources on Mars drove them to war with Earth. I couldn't find the exact screenshots that detailed this. Luckily, karice summarized it all here:

As of now, these are the only connections I've made between Imperial Japan, the Vers Empire, and Slaine. I won't stop here, of course; there's just so much more reading I have to do to continue.

It wouldn't be surprising if the creators of A/Z took cues from Imperial Japan in writing the plot. They've clearly done enough research in political science to even quote Clausewitz.

Whether the Vers Empire is Imperial Japan, or Count Slaine Saazbaum Troyard represents Japanese-specific imperialism, I can't confirm anything because, again, I'm not done reading, but if I could confirm everything, then I would be extra willing to accept the ending because that means the creators had made the responsible decision.

That being said, I will have to deduct some points for the following reasons:

The Martians aren't Japanese (Feels like they weren't completely ready to acknowledge their history)

What the Orbital Knights were seen doing on Earth is very tame compared to the atrocities Japanese soldiers committed in their colonies (Shouldn't exploit the atrocities for drama; shouldn't gloss over them, either)

Slaine is a sympathetic character (Don't sympathize with Imperial Japan!)

TL;DR

In conclusion, I mostly believe karice right now, and even if I had never seen that thread, I could already tell Slaine's actions in season 2 were pretty jailtime-worthy. All things considered, the topics explored in A/Z were fairly responsibly handled.

I do feel angrier with Slaine after learning this, although I don't love him any less. He is still my favorite tragic villain.

[lanonima]

I'm just thinking.

But.

Doctor Troyard saved Saazbaum's life, and he in return (eventually) saved Slaine from Cruhteo

but! If they had been together the entire time, Saazbaum could very well have hidden his true intentions under "well my life was saved by your father so I know not all Terrans are our enemies" which would naturally throw suspicion off of him, and he still could set up Cruhteo as his fall guy. you know, just in case it doesn't work out

if Cruhteo was still taking the Princess to earth, and Slaine was "on loan" the way that Trillam was, he still could've discovered all of the misdirection and believed that Cruhteo was behind the assassination attempt

he was a bit cagier about it in the show but if he was loyal to Saazbaum and truly suspected that Cruhteo was behind it, Slaine would've reported Cruhteo to the Emperor. That presumably could've gotten him arrested or at least taken out of a position of power temporarily. which means the one orbital knight who we know for sure actually was loyal to the Princess and might have been convinced by her story is out of the picture

and Slaine would've unwittingly helped it happen

imagine that for a minute.

[saritaplantae795]

Slaine Troyard Still Didn't Deserve That Shit 2K24

[scarareg]

Re-watch Aldnoah Zero but this time let's pretend second season never happens and it end in an epic,incredible and super brave way.

[prince-jelli-fish]

in honour of slaine’s birthday here’s the greatest thing i’ve ever made

[highlydoubtfuldiplomaearner]

That awkward moment when the guy you shot multiple times 19 months ago adopts you and becomes your foster-dad:

[weskers-boytoy]

saazbaum: i truly believe water is the key to everything.

harklight: weight loss? water!

lemrina: clear skin? water!

slaine: drown your enemies? water.

[autismgirl4998]

I loved this guy when I first watch Aldnoah.Zero, and I feel so bad for him and I hated how the show ended with Slaine being in prison for something he didn't do! He deserves better than this. 

[talesfromsomeday]

A.Z - Blood Moon

Read on AO3 Title: Blood Moon Fandom: Aldnoah.Zero | Pairing: OrangeBat/Inasure (Unspecified) Rating: G | Warnings: None | Genres: Retrospective, Revisiting Summary: [ POST-CANON! Spoilers up to the end of the series! ] Slaine wakes up in the middle of the night to find that Inaho has, without any prior warning, arranged to have him taken out of prison for a few hours to view a lunar eclipse. Author’s Notes: I actually started this fic a long time ago, after the end of the first season. There was a total lunar eclipse in October of that year, and I was inspired to write this because of that. However, as my rotten luck would have it, the Moon was completely obscured by clouds for the duration of the eclipse, and in my disappointment and annoyance, I never finished this fic. Flash forward to this year; I just finished my rewatch of A.Z recently, and I decided to rework this idea as a post-canon fic. It's honestly much better this way, in my opinion. Anyway, there's your brief history of this fic. I hope you enjoy it! *************************************// Years of reflex kicked in when Slaine awoke to the squeaking sound of his cell door opening, and he was up and in a defensive stance before he could even think. His heart hammered in his chest with the newly supplied adrenaline. The guard, midway through the action of opening the door, froze in place, obviously startled. Slaine watched as he took a deep breath through his nose. “It’s alright,” the guard finally said. “There’s no danger.” Slaine wasn’t inclined to believe him, especially given that he recognized this guard as belonging to the night shift, but he allowed himself to relax a fraction.

“What’s going on, then?” He asked suspiciously. “He said he wanted to tell you himself…” Slaine’s arms finally dropped back to his sides at that. “Kaizuka Inaho,” he said, more a statement than a question. “Y-yes.” The guard signaled behind him, and another guard stepped forward. “We’re taking you out,” he said. Slaine sighed, but stepped forward and held his arms out tiredly. The second guard latched the familiar cuffs onto his wrists, and he was led out of his cell, through the narrow hallway that bore the only open window. Slaine looked out as he passed, as he always did, and just as he thought, it was the middle of the night. Something about the view seemed off, though… He didn’t have enough time to think about it before he was carefully urged on by the guards behind him. He obediently continued on his way down the hallway and into the awful glass room that he was accustomed to visiting far too frequently, but to his surprise, he wasn’t escorted to the table in the center as usual. The guards continued to usher him through the room to the opposite door, where he was temporarily stopped as they undid the heavy lock. Once the door was open, he was escorted through it and into a dimly lit corridor beyond. Too busy looking at the unfamiliar walls, he didn’t notice Inaho standing in the darkness until he had nearly walked into him. But what was he holding…? “Where are you taking me?” He finally thought to ask as the guards unlocked his handcuffs. “What is—?” He cut himself off as he finally figured out what was in Inaho’s hands, and he stared at it for long enough that he finally prompted Inaho to speak. “It’s cold outside, please, put it on,” he said, urging the heavy coat in his hands towards Slaine. It was held out as though Inaho planned to put it on him himself, and that combined with everything else strange about the situation made Slaine continue standing there staring, not moving a muscle. “Slaine.” He started at the sound of his name. “O-outside?” He stuttered. “Yes, we’re going out. It’s cold.” The coat was once again moved towards him, and finally, Slaine shuffled forward and slipped his arms through the thick sleeves. Inaho pulled the coat properly up and settled it on his shoulders, and Slaine, uncomfortable with his back to the man, turned to face him again. He looked questioningly at the extra stripe on Inaho’s sleeves, but if the man noticed his obvious curiosity, he didn’t make any remarks about it. He nodded towards the guards behind Slaine, and the handcuffs were quickly put back on. “Let’s go.” Inaho turned towards the door. One of the guards standing near it undid the bolts and latches while the other handed Inaho a bundle of something. Slaine didn’t have much time to wonder about what it might be before the door was pulled open, frigid air blasting through the opening and shocking his skin. Inaho stepped through the door, motioning Slaine to follow after. He stepped slowly after Inaho, eyes immediately searching across the landscape, across the open sky, disbelief coloring his features. He didn’t realize he’d stopped until Inaho stopped too, motioning for him to follow again. Slaine hurried to catch up. “T-the guards aren’t going to follow us...?” Slaine wondered aloud, momentarily distracted again by the bright stars. He hadn’t properly seen this open sky in more than two years, and now that he could, it seemed even more ethereal and otherworldly than it ever had. “Not this time,” Inaho answered. “I managed to get permission from my superiors to take you out alone tonight, but the handcuffs, unfortunately, were something I could not persuade them out of.” “Why are you taking me out?” Slaine asked suspiciously, still following as Inaho led him towards a bench that was slowly coming into view. “There is something I wanted you to see.” They finally reached the bench, and Inaho stopped to turn back towards him, tipping his head to indicate Slaine should sit. He did as he was asked, perching on the cold edge of the bench, and Inaho sat down to his left, uncomfortably close. “Sorry,” he said when Slaine gave him a displeased look. He started to unfold the bundle he had been given. “The blanket is not very big.” He shook it out in one big motion, then settled it over their laps. Slaine wanted to protest about sharing a blanket with Inaho, but he found he was too happy for the extra warmth to say anything. Inaho was right, it was very cold. Slaine turned his eyes away from Inaho to look up at the sky. Something still seemed off, and as his eyes adjusted further and he finally found the larger fragments of the Moon, he realized why. They were dark. Not like a new moon, but still dark, and Slaine turned his eyes back towards Inaho with the unspoken question. “There’s a lunar eclipse tonight,” Inaho explained. “I wanted to take you out before the penumbra passed over it, but I was not allowed enough time to view the whole event. I apologize.” “It’s fine,” Slaine said distractedly. “Why didn’t you say something about it before waking me up in the middle of the night?” “I thought you might refuse if I suggested it ahead of time.” “Why would I turn down a chance to go outside?” Inaho shrugged. “I was under the impression that you hated me,” he said, eye level and betraying nothing. Slaine was taken aback for a moment, but he quickly recovered. “Well, you would be right about that,” he said, and even to his own ears, it didn’t sound quite genuine. For a split second, when his eyes turned to meet Inaho’s again, he could swear he saw a tiny smile, but the man turned away before he could be sure. “Aren’t you worried I’ll try and run?” “I don’t think you will. But even if you do, you haven’t been able to properly exercise for quite awhile, and I am certain that I would be able to catch you.” “Fair enough,” Slaine begrudgingly admitted. “We will be out here for a few hours,” Inaho said. “If you get too cold, please tell me.” “What would be the point? Were you planning to cuddle for warmth?” Inaho looked at him, and Slaine could tell that’s exactly what he had planned. “No, no way.” Inaho frowned. “Why not?” “It’s uncomfortable enough just sharing the blanket,” Slaine said sharply. “It’s only practical to share body heat when temperatures are—” “Yeah, yeah, I got it. I’d rather freeze, Kaizuka Inaho.” “…suit yourself,” Inaho finally said. “So when is the actual eclipse going to start?” Slaine prompted, gazing at the darkened moon fragments. “The umbra will begin passing over within the next few minutes. Most of the large fragments in the area of the penumbra will be in total eclipse, and those surrounding will be in partial.” Silence stretched between them as Slaine stared up at the sky, embracing the strange feeling of being able to really look at it, like he hadn’t been able to do so long. “Do you know why lunar eclipses appear red?” Inaho finally asked. “I don’t,” Slaine said. “It’s the same reason why the sky appears blue.” “Ah, Rayleigh scattering, you’ve told me,” Slaine said, a hint of annoyance appearing in his tone at the memory. “Yes, exactly. When sunlight enters Earth’s atmosphere, it encounters molecules and particles which scatter it. The amount of scattering is inversely proportional to the wavelength of the light, and since the violet side of the spectrum has shorter wavelengths, they scatter more readily, creating the blue color of the sky. The Sun, by contrast, appears orange, because the red end of the spectrum has longer wavelengths, and does not scatter as much.” “Yes, you’ve told me—” “However,” Inaho continued. “When the Sun is setting, it is closer to the horizon, and its light must travel a longer path and pass through more atmosphere to reach our eyes. Therefore, most of the shorter wavelengths of light are scattered through the atmosphere as they travel, and only the longer wavelengths manage to reach through to our eyes, creating a red and orange sky.” He paused, seeming to be making sure Slaine understood before he continued. “In a lunar eclipse, the Earth moves directly between the Sun and the Moon, casting a shadow onto the Moon. The Moon would appear completely dark if Earth did not have an atmosphere; however, because Earth does have an atmosphere, it refracts the light from the Sun behind it, which causes it to land on the Moon. And because that light passes through the denser atmosphere, just as it does during the sunset, it causes the Moon to appear red, creating the so-called ‘blood moon’ of a lunar eclipse.” His explanation complete, Inaho finally fell silent. The seconds stretched on before Slaine finally decided to speak. “Did you bring me out here just to lecture me about science? Because you could’ve done that inside, too. Or better yet, you could not do it at all!” “I merely thought you would want to know what exactly you were viewing.” “Don’t you think it takes away from the majesty of it all, though?” Slaine asked, slightly exasperated. “No, I don’t think so,” Inaho said frankly. “To me, knowing all that goes into creating the phenomena only makes it more incredible.” Slaine was startled by the strangely revering tone. “I have seen Earth from space, I have stood on the scattered fragments of the Moon… but nothing can dull the sense of scale that comes from knowing these things.” Slaine wasn’t exactly sure how to respond to that, and the thought of being in space still ignited a sense of terrible anxiety in him, but he couldn’t help but begrudgingly agree. That objects as large as stars and planets could move and create this phenomena… it made him feel exactly how tiny and insignificant he was, and there was an odd sense of comfort in the feeling as he gazed up at the fragments of the Moon, which were ever so slowly becoming red. “Maybe you’re right,” he finally whispered, and the silence descended back on the two of them for a long time. It wasn’t uncomfortable, but Slaine was still very aware of Inaho sitting beside him, staring up at the same sky that he himself couldn’t take his eyes off of. After the largest fragments of the Moon had finally turned a deep, bloody red, Slaine decided to break the silence again. “Why did you really bring me out here?” He saw Inaho look at him out of the corner of his vision. “I told you, I wanted you to see—” Slaine turned to look at him directly in the eye. “Even if that’s true, you never do anything without ulterior motives.” That seemed to make Inaho pause. He turned back towards the sky, Slaine watching his profile carefully. “Do you know why it is called a ‘blood moon?’” “This isn’t the time for more lessons—” “Answer the question, please.” “…I suppose it’s just because it’s red?” Slaine ultimately relented. “That is true, but it’s more than that. Since ancient times, the blood moon has been considered an omen of many things, by many different cultures. Generally a bad omen, but occasionally a good one. For example, many cultures believed that some type of beast had swallowed the Moon, and that it may devour them too unless they scared it away.” Inaho paused, turning back towards Slaine. “They believed this, and so they did what they had to do to restore their Moon in the sky.” “And…?” Slaine finally prompted when Inaho just stared at him for several long moments. “Even if the Moon is swallowed, even if it becomes the victim of a beast, or an evil omen, or a sacrifice, or anything else… even if it becomes all of those things, in the end, the Moon always can be saved, and it always is, even if it’s difficult or takes some time. The blood passes away from it, the shadow passes as well, and eventually, its light is restored, just as bright as it once was.” Slaine stared at Inaho, dumbfounded and unsure if he dared believe what he thought Inaho might be implying. Inaho stared back, unblinking and betraying not a single hint. “What are you…?” Slaine vaguely questioned, unsure what exactly to ask. Inaho finally relented, his eye flicking way from Slaine’s face. “I’m not good with metaphors,” he said carefully. “And there are certain things that I am prohibited from telling you, but… I hope that you understand what I’m trying to say.” With that, he turned back to looking at the scattered fragments of the Moon. Slaine stared at his profile for a moment longer before he turned back as well. “Maybe the blood moon gets to be saved, but there’s no going back for the Moon that’s been shattered, right?” He laughed bitterly to himself, and Inaho said nothing. “Still… I think… I think I understand. Thank you.” Inaho nodded once in acknowledgement of the rare gratitude. Slaine gazed at the reddened Moon, fingers twisting in the blanket over his lap. He didn’t know what to do with the information that Inaho had presumably given him. He was scared, terrified really, that any glimmer of hope handed down to him would only result in more suffering, like it always had. Yet, somehow, looking at the bloody Moon and feeling Inaho’s still form beside him, he felt he might just have the strength to allow himself to believe in a small hope again. It wasn’t much to hold onto, but it was something, and it was certainly more than he had had to hold onto for years. Maybe that was all he really needed right now.

[bellrosejewel]

Happy Birthday Slaine! 

It’s been months seen I first watched Aldnoah.zero but I just couldn’t forget how cruel the anime was towards this precious boy. 

So I decided to make this AMV, more like a tribute specifically for his birthday. 

Hope someone likes it! 

[hiyokko8]

Art by Atsushi Saito ( 斎藤敦史 )

If I’m not wrong, it’s a continuation of this drawing:

Edit: he uploaded a cleaner version of this picture on twitter

[lanonima]

why was Slaine even with Cruhteo in the 1st place when Saazbaum is the one who has a life debt to Doctor Troyard, wouldn't it have made more sense for Slaine to be with him?

And it could've added a lot more complicated emotional connections than he had with Cruhteo who, lets be fair, mostly treated him like shit

if you're going to give my little boy trauma, at least it should be logical

[nonsenseofyesteryear]

If Saazbaum felt so indebted to Dr. Troyard, why wasn't he the one to take Slaine in when Dr. Troyard died?

[ikebukuro-ghoul]

Watching aldnoah.zero and I think it’s actually a bad anime. Inaho is overpowered and the characters we are supposed to hate get alot of screen time. For example count cruhteo , slaine and count saazbaum. I love them. I thought I hated count saazbaum for killing cruhteo but we spent so much time with him I ended up attached to the character. I have so many more feelings for the Martians than Terrans. I want them to have the happy ending. I’m not even done but I’m not sure I want to finish. I’m so sad

[aldnoah-fragments]

“Slaine Troyard. You seek to undermine our cause. Isn’t that ironic… Dr. Troyard?”

— Saazbaum