Gabriella "Contrastellar" Agathon
Idealism is that you will probably never receive something back, but nonetheless decide to give.
Howdy hey! My name's Gabriella, Gabby or Contra. And welcome to the second installment of my telling of the story of Aldnoah. Many of you who are reading this, I hope are return readers, and if you're not, then please go ahead and return to Shift Zero to One, which is the work of fanfiction that you should read prior to reading this work. I won't be offended if that statement turns you off from reading , but I will be grateful for at least giving Shift Zero to One a try.
I'm currently an unprofessional writer, studying Computer Science and Meteorology in Colorado, in the United States. For those of you who know my work from Shift Zero To One, Beyond the Prison Walls, or maybe even Peacebringer, welcome back! I'm glad that you've returned, and I hope you're looking forward to this story as much as I am writing it. For those of you who are new here and wanting more of the story of Aldnoah that the creators left of — I'm sorry to say that this may not be the take on Aldnoah that you're looking for. This story does not touch on the story left off by " ", and is a story intended to be read after the finishing of Shift Zero to One.
What had started as a dare from my friends, has turned into something much larger than that. Starting in 2023, when I was initially dared to write out my idea for a continuation and rewrite of , I was completely daunted, but ready to take on the challenge of rewriting " " to a story that felt more complete, that felt more complementary to the pieces left by the creators back in 2014 and 2015.
This is a story that deviates away from some of the storytelling pieces I left behind in Shift Zero to One, and should also begin to set the stage for what I am, in the drafting stages consider "The Ending for Aldnoah", or at least the ending for Aldnoah as I wish to tell it. Who knows, maybe I'll come back to this story after I finish that third installment, but I don't see myself doing so. I see this story as something that can be told in three parts, and tells the messages that I think need to be heard in the modern era, with the context that is had. Anything more than that and I'm starting to be disingenuous to myself about what my reasons for telling this story are. And functionally, it comes down to being so invested in Aldnoah as a series, and Shift Zero to One as a continuation of that story — that I feel compelled to continue telling the story as I left it off in Shift Zero to One, this time with a new set of characters, a new perspective on Earth and Vers, and what that means for the solar system as it stands at the end of Shift Zero to One.
I never got a chance to write a post-face for Shift Zero to One, so I think I'll do that here, in the foreword for .
When I was initially writing Shift Zero to One, I was writing off of quite literally, a triple dog dare, and being called teasing names by my friends. It was a story told because I thought I could put a more creative spin on how things ended, elaborating on characters who I thought could use some elaboration, and exploring character dynamics that I thought were interesting to tell. Namely Rayet Areash and Slaine Troyard. Both of whom I'm somewhat satisfied with how I told their stories in Shift Zero to One, and thought that it was a more satisfying way of ending things, by giving some semblance of closure to characters, and where I didn't give closure — I opened up the potential to tell different stories with them, ones that might give a sense of closure to their character arcs, and set about telling stories that are impactful to the reader, while also being true to the story telling format that many have come to know me for, through my previous works of long fiction.
I know that Shift Zero to One may not have been the grand, encompassing story that I think some might have wished for, it is still my hope that people managed to get something out of it, and were excited to read anything else that I produce in the Aldnoah fandom. Namely the story that follows this foreword/post-face. I also know that as far as stories told inside the fandom, that Shift Zero to One did not carry the same cosmic weight as boys-love, or any such genre of fanfiction that had been written for the fandom in the past. Especially the more popular fanfiction pieces that are prevalent when searching for something to read inside the fandom. However, it was still my pleasure to write a story that as many people clicked on as the metrics seemed to indicate. It was truly heartwarming to get the reaction that I did to the story, and to have as many repeat readers as I was publishing it as I did, and I truly want to say "thank you" to those who returned time and time again to read Shift Zero to One. Those nameless people who came back time after time again to my storytelling mean the world to me, and I hope that even if you're nameless again going into this story, that you enjoy it just as much as you did reading Shift Zero to One, if not a little more.
Shift Zero to One very much was the product of my writing style at the time, and my writing style certainly evolved as I wrote it, especially in the number of smaller fics I wrote during the duration of Shift Zero to One's runtime. I didn't have the focus to purely write nothing other than it, and I think that this will largely hold true as I delve into , and start telling it's story. There's a good number of other stories I'd like to tell, that I'm not sure are best saved for the time period after finishing this one. But we'll see where the whimsy takes me, and where the storytelling bug drags me along. The dream is to continue working on this story, while I also continue to tell other stories, including the shorter fics that I've written, namely those in the Ancient History series, which is something that I imagine will evolve with time as I play through more of Arknights, and more of the story is revealed to us, the player.
But, in that regard, that's all I have for this post-face/foreword thing. Please accept my apologies for rambling, and bear with me while I do give a few thanks to those people who have helped me with this fic, whether through their support, or their direct contributions to the ideas.
One — As always, thank you to my girlfriend, Eris; she's been an excellent partner throughout all things, and my biggest fan of my writing, even when other people get a little lost in my enthusiasm for the stories that I tell.
Two — My friends in the beta reader groupchat; Josh, Snazz, Kara and (to no one's surprise), Eris. Thank you for bearing with me as I've delved feet first into another project that means nothing to anyone who hasn't seen . You all bore with me through Beyond the Prison Walls, Shift Zero to One, and will likely continue to bear with me as I continue to write my stories that might not mean a lot to them, but are willing to help me with beta reads, and telling me when I'm off the mark.
Three — You, the reader, for picking up this story. It means the world to me that you have come to this story, and are willing to read it, whether in part, or its entirety. It means the world to me that you're here, and I hope you enjoy this story.
Disclaimer: The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any previously copyrighted material. No copyright infringement is intended. All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author of this story.