Knock yourself out? I think omakes might be fun. I've got some myself planned for later, of stuff that's too off-the-wall to include in the actual story, like Rei catching Shinji and Asuka 'sychronizing'... and critiquing.
Oh, right, forgot that Asuka's father had remarried. I just remembered that Misato had been her guardian in Berlin some years ago. Didn't remember/know any details about the step mother.
Hooh boy...
Asuka's mother installed safeguards in the Contact Experiment gear for Unit-02 after Yui Ikari's death, but the safeguards were inadequate. They prevented her body from being absorbed the way Yui's had, but Unit-02's Core still pulled in half of her mind and soul. The parts left in Kyoko's body were badly damaged and insane. So Kyoko ends up in a mental hospital, slowly dying. Asuka's father starts having an affair with Kyoko's doctor while Asuka is in the next room with her mother and can hear it. Once Kyoko hung herself and Asuka found her (she was 4! ) Asuka's father (never named, I like Nobody Dies name of Pieter) and the doctor are married before Kyoko was in the ground. Yes, by the time of the funeral, Asuka's father had already remarried. Nice guy, huh?
After that, the step-mother made some token efforts to play nice with Asuka, giving her the toy monkey we see in her flashback episode, etc, but Asuka was not fooled and never liked her step-mother, nor forgave her father for treating her mother like that.
Soon after, Asuka was practically abandoned by her family to the care of NERV, and began training as a Pilot for the rest of her childhood. She gets one phone call from her step-mother in Episode 22, and has a superficially civil chat with her, but as soon as she hangs up she opens up to Shinji, talking about how she never really got along with her... until Asuka realizes she's opening up to baka-Shinji, and stops angrily.
I always assumed Misato and Asuka knew each other from when Misato worked in NERV Berlin .. likely in a set up by Gendo to allow her to be made Tactical Head of NERV HQ.....
And how! Misato was a very good soldier with lots of combat experience in post-Second Impact wars in South America, which is apparently how she got on Gendo's radar as a potential Operations Director. The fact she had a huge, obsessive hateboner for the Angels due to the death of her father was a big part too. She was Asuka's guardian at some point previous in Berlin, and from the way they greet each other when they're reunited on the deck of the Over The Rainbow, it wasn't too long ago. And Asuka's father....yeesh.
The big (meta)elephant in the room is of course, that no-one actually in a position of power has any interest in seeing to the Children's well-being. In fact, that would be inimical to their "Scenarios".
Even Fuyutski doesn't care beyond Gendo and Shinji mending some fences before the world ends, as far as he's concerned the Children are bound to their fate. He may not be overtly cruel, but passive acceptance heals no wounds.
Shinji and Asuka are indeed pretty weak outside their Evas. No matter what else, they're still just 14-year-olds with emotional damage, albeit damage that is hugely benefiting from their being together. But their relationship has butterfly effects on those around them. Misato see them dancing around each other, and reconsiders her relationship with Kaji... Rei sees them, and thinks about how her life could be different if she had a bond like theirs... Ritsuko see them and Rei, and wonders... is what she's doing worth it? They are the pebble in the pond. Their ripples will change things, the more as we go on.
Things like the activation of the dummy plug system, during EVA04(03?)s rampage, if that ends up affected by the emotional growth of the pilot(s), that will not be ignored.
Or if Rei starts showing signs of no longer being dependent on Gendo..
Unit-04 is the one that goes BOOM at NERV-Nevada. No saving that. Unit-03 is shipped to Japan, and is invaded by Bardiel, the 13th Angel. Things are really going to change in that fight.
Indeed, if Gendo becomes aware Rei is changing too much, he will take action. So Rei better learn to keep her facade cool...
And SEELE... not much the Children can do to stop them from coming... but when they do, it won't be just Unit-02 alone they might face.
Wait where was this? .... I mean I'm pretty sure its never mentioned in the series proper... I think RETAKE had Misato working in South America after all of the events..... since all I know is that she went to the same university as Ritz, and worked with Asuka in Germany.
It's in the backstory materials in the series proposal and the official books accompanying the series. That's how Misato rose to a JSSDF Captain and attracted Gendo's attention, by being a top-flight soldier in South American wars and such. The bottom center pic is her in action. Her stunning run-and-gun assault in EoE that takes out 3 JSSDF guys in full combat gear without a scratch to her is not a fluke. Misato really is that good. Just most of the time we see her in series, she's off-duty, and when Misato's off-duty, she's really off-duty. They even use the contrast in-show, in the Jet Alone episode. When Misato is in her full-dress uniform and acting serious, she's so different it stuns Shinji and friends.
The 'going back to fight in South America' stuff in RE-TAKE is a nod to this backstory stuff.
If I remember correctly, if Kaworu hadn't comitted suicide by Shinji, I think it actually would have scuttled the Scenarios, because SEELE thought ADAM was actually being kept in the Geofront, not Lilith. I seem to recall Kaworu being surprised to find Lilith anyway?
There was no danger to SEELE's scenario in sending Tabris; the poor guy was set up to fail. SEELE sent Kaworu on an intentional suicide mission, telling him 'oh, yeah, we're totally on your side, Tabris.' He was supposed to fail and die to clear the way for SEELE's own Third Impact plan. SEELE had to know perfectly well it was Lilith, not ADAM in Terminal Dogma: They had the real ADAM in NERV-Berlin until Kaji stole it! So they just lied to Kaworu when they told him that. That's part of what runs across Kaworu's face when he's down in Terminal Dogma and sees it's Lilith; he realizes he's been played all along. "I see... I understand the Lilim now..."
Gendo needs ADAM, EVA01, and Lilith. His plan was to use the dummy plug I think when it came time for The End, until EVA01 rejected them. Then he needed Shinji as the pilot, but had to wait for SEELE to make their move, so that he could hijack the process. Or something to this effect.
Gendo's Red Earth Purification Ceremony required only ADAM, a willing Rei clone, and Lilith. Unit-01 was only needed insomuch as it's Core contained Yui's soul; it wasn't part of the Ceremony itself, nor were the Dummy Plugs. The Dummy Plugs were meant to be a substitute for the Pilots when it came to fighting the Angels, not as part of Gendo's endgame. (It looks like SEELE's Scenario required them as part of how they intended to set off Third Impact, though.) Gendo didn't so much hijack the process as he was forced into starting his ahead of whatever his own schedule was by SEELE's attack. He had to get his Red Earth Purification Ceremony going before SEELE could stop him. (Presumably by now someone had gone to check on the ADAM container and found it stolen, so they knew Gendo was up to something.) Gendo's plan failed in the execution because he'd lost Rei's cooperation. Should have treated her better, Gendo...
Not that Gendo is indispensable/untouchable himself, any sabotage on his end would need to be very carefully concealed, and/or so timely and effective that SEELE can't recover.
I imagine a guy as paranoid and into deep planning as Gendo has made sure there are safeguards set to prevent Kihl and his merry men from trying to remove him before the end. It's apparent neither trusts the other very much, but their aims run parallel until almost the end, so Kihl tolerates Gendo as more useful where he is than the trouble of removing him. SEELE has its own trump cards, yes: The MP Series and puppeting the Japanese Government into wiping out NERV by telling them (truthfully, haha!) that Gendo intends to set off the Third Impact.
A nice ironic scenario would be Kaworu dealing with Keehl at least, since they are personally aquainted IIRC. For sure, Kaworu is not going to find Shinji to be as receptive in this version.
By the time Kaworu shows up, things will be rather different from canon. His arrival will be more like the manga, actually: brought in to replace the Fourth Child, who's injured off the 'active Pilots' list, rather than replacing Asuka, who will rather obviously not be in the middle of a psychological collapse because she thinks she's worthless.
Rei: "I AM THE LIZARD QUEEN!"
Asuka: "Pay no attention to her, everyone. We're just rehearsing lines for a play, called... er... 'Put That Thing Back Where It Came From Or So Help Me!' Nothing to see here!"
On the subject of music:
There's an Australian singer named Rachel McWhirter who does fannish songs, and her album "Where's Your Wonderland?" has a couple of Eva specific character songs. (You can dl the whole thing free, but its worth paying for.)
Asuka: "Who's With Me Now?"
Shinji: "A Thousand Angels"
Both of those are for their canon selves, though. Another song, "United We Stand" is in my head as Asuka leading the Pilots in chorus as the final battle begins. Expect it to show up again when that time comes, but for now, here it is!
Ok, if you guys are wandering off to talking about FFT characters, and not mentioning the Healing Shiv from 8-Bit Theater, I'm clearly going to have to get you back on track. Update time!
Chapter 4.5
Before the Storm
++++++++++++++
Rei stared at the red and white pills in her hand and hesitated. This was new.
Her eyes had snapped open at precisely 0640, just like every morning. She had never needed an alarm clock. She had gone through her morning routine automatically, no thought required. She got dressed, prepared a bland lunch bento, and took out her daily medication dose. But then she had halted, conflicted.
'Doctor Akagi instructed me to take these daily. She stated the Commander had required them. She implied they were essential to maintain my body's stability,' one thought argued. 'Doctor Akagi talks at me, not to me like the Commander or Ikari-kun do. She does not care for me. Even the Second Child cares for me. She asked me 'please' not to do this. And my current research confirms her description; most of the medication in these pills is sedative and dissociative in nature,' the other side argued back. Disobeying the Commander, even by proxy still felt... wrong. Rei had never done it. But Ikari-kun and Pilot Soryu... they had taken her to buy clothes to help her be more like them, cleaned her apartment out of concern for her state of life, and warned her against taking medication that apparently clouded her mind. They... cared about her and her well-being?
'They fight beside me in battle. They risk their lives for each other because they care for each other. They have done so for me. Ergo, they care for me too.' Logic had always come easily to Rei. It made things simple, clear. Something she liked, since her thoughts often felt... muddied, slowed, unclear. If Pilot Soryu was correct, this medication might even be the cause of that.
She closed her hand and pocketed the pills. She would confirm once more with research at school. She could always take the pills later in the day if her concerns proved unfounded.
She walked to the door and picked up her schoolbag. She had just enough time to meet the Second and Third Children at their residence if she left now.
.
"Hee hee... Mmm. Rrowl..."
"Shhhh!"
"Come on, one more..."
"This is dangerous..."
"That makes it more fun!" Asuka pouted at him. "Misato can't see us in here. And I want every bit of you I can get, Third Child. We're going to be stuck with Wondergirl all day long again. I'm going to have to spend all day acting like I don't want to get back into bed with you right now and keep doing what we were doing last night."
"We can't, we used up the last one," Shinji said mock-mournfully. He brightened. "You're getting that implant thing from Doctor Akagi today, right?"
"Yup!" Asuka gave him a sly, wicked grin. "So I get one more good kiss before we go out there and I have to pretend to be angry at you. Gimme."
Shinji really found it hard to argue, and not just because Asuka had her tongue halfway down his throat. Her arms came up to gently wrap around the back of his neck and pull him close against her. His rose automatically to hold her by the hips. 'This... mmm. This is the way to leave home in the mornings. Wait, what was that noise? It was kind of a bing-bong... DOORBELL!'
He and Asuka sprang apart just before Misato's voice called from the dining area. "Is that Rei-chan? Get going you two!"
Shinji glanced at Asuka, who was rapidly smoothing out mussed hair and clothes before nodding to him. He hit the door open button to reveal Rei standing placidly on the doorstep, face as blank as always.
"Good Morning."
"Good morning, Ayanami. You're here pretty early!" Shinji said with a nervous laugh. He desperately hoped he didn't have any signs of Asuka's affection visible on his neck.
Asuka examined Rei's face carefully. "Did you...?"
Rei still had no expression. "I have not. I will conduct research before any further action." She did meet Asuka's eyes and nod slightly. "Thank you for... being concerned about me." She looked at Shinji too. "And you as well, Ikari-kun."
With that she turned to walk back towards the elevators. Sharing a worried look, Shinji and Asuka followed after.
.
"Hi~, Ikari-kun..."
"Hi~, Ikari-san..."
Shinji waved and smiled weakly at both girls. He very carefully did not glance in Asuka's direction. He could feel the murder-aura pouring off her from where he sat.
Asuka clawed another set of slashes into her desktop and added Megumi Ogata and Rie Kugimiya to the 'Must Kill Them Later' list she was rapidly compiling in her head. There had been a few girls lying in wait in the schoolyard to 'accidentally' run into Shinji that they'd managed to evade by careful use of cover, but half the female portion of their class had turned to watch like hawks as they walked into the classroom, several visibly undressing Shinji with their eyes. That alone had started Asuka on a slow boil. Fortunately, she'd managed to make it look like her old 'angry at everyone' routine.
But nearly all of those girls had found excuses to walk by Shinji's desk and say a personal hello to him this morning, more than a few putting a flirtatious lilt in it, or a bit of extra hip action to their walk. On the last two, both. Asuka put them at the top of the list.
"Hi~, Shinji..." Touji imitated as he walked past his friend's desk. He ran his fingers up Shinji's arm. "You busy later? I've heard sooo~oo much about you!"
Shinji swatted at his hand. "Knock it off," he grumbled.
"Didya change your cologne or sumthin'? The girls are all over you this mornin'!" Touji marveled. "Kensuke, you been gettin' all this on tape for later, right?"
Their spectacled friend nodded with a grin. "Oh yeah," he said, waving his mini-camera. "The Story of Shinji's Harem, Volume One, already started."
"I didn't do anything, guys. I have no idea what's going on. As usual," Shinji muttered. "They just started coming after me this week like all of a sudden I smell like a freshly cooked steak dinner. It's just in the last few days. I don't know why."
Asuka permitted herself a tiny smirk. 'I know why...' The thought did make her feel a little better. All the girls wanted him all of a sudden because she had him. They didn't even know why he was acting more cheerful, or that they'd already lost the game. 'He's mine. I'm his. None of you are ever going to beat that.' She narrowed her eyes at Tanaka and Hayashibara, whispering suspiciously together in their seats in the far corner of the classroom. 'Though I bet a bunch of you are going to get on my nerves trying...'
"C'mon, Shin-man, you've gotta tell us what you're doin' different, so we can get in on it! I could finally get one of these hot babes to notice my studly, well-muscled bod-OW!" Touji's paean to his handsome form was cut off by the impact of a well-aimed piece of chalk to the middle of his forehead.
"Sit DOWN, Suzuhara!" Hikari roared at him. "And shut up!"
"Alright, alright, Class Rep! You don' gotta hit me!" He moved back to his own desk and flopped into it. "Yeesh, why's she gotta pick on me like that?"
Asuka rolled her eyes. 'Jock-Stooge, sharp as a brick as always. I have no idea what you see in him, Hikari.'
She glanced at Rei. The bluenette had her laptop already open and was busily typing away at some search page. Asuka crossed her fingers. 'I really hope she listens. No one should have their mind mucked with like that, not even Wondergirl.'
Their elderly sensei finally arrived, and class began.
It's less 'Shinji's started a harem, I wonder if there's any spots left' than 'Holy crap, he's tamed the Red Demon and the Ice Queen! He must be a god in the sack!' and they want to sample it. There's also a bit of the typical 'I bagged the Alpha Male in the social arena, therefore I'm the Alpha Female, bitches.' To some of them Shinji's just a prize to be won and worn like a trophy.
You're forgetting that Asuka has deep issues with being abandoned and still (less than in canon) believe she's worthless. Being afraid of losing "best thing since kyoko went insane" is perfectly IC.
Exactly. Asuka has only just started to counter her deep-seated conviction that no one could ever really want her. Anything that threatens the source of the happiness she's found is a DEFCON1 threat, as far as she's concerned. She's like a mama bear with one cub right now.
Her insecurity and low self-worth also make her worry about if Shinji needs her the way she needs him, and if she can really keep him. She has to keep reminding herself how they're just like each other to counter this.
She may know intellectually that the other girls are no real threat, but convincing her hindbrain of that is much, much harder. Fear needs no rational basis.
but obviously what ever Gendo wants is not exactly what SEELE wants or else they would not be enemies. So whatever Gendo wants does not result in .... the weird immortally SEELE wants.
SEELE's problem with Gendo's plan is who's in charge. Gendo wants Third Impact to run his way because all he cares about is one thing: Getting back to Yui's side. The whole rest of the world can go burn, he doesn't care. But apparently to make that happen, he has to be the one calling the shots when it occurs, so he his whole Scenario is arranged around making sure he's the one to trigger things and Rei-Lilith is obeying his commands.
SEELE wants to be God. They need to be in charge of Third Impact to make that happen for them. Gendo is pretty much hijacking their entire plan. They probably think its more a case of him trying to usurp their position as God rather than lovesick-madness, but the end result is the same; they know he's not following their plan, and are ready to stop him.
I remember reading that Gendo's plan... given that he only wanted to be with Yui again may or may not of required tanging everyone. In theory his plan would work if it was just him being pulled into Unit 1 to be with Yui.
Gendo spent an unknown but lengthy amount of time in 2004 right after Yui was absorbed trying everything he could think of to get her out of Unit-01's Core. (That's where Doctor Akagi got the research she based the plan to try getting Shinji out of Unit-01's Core from.) She wouldn't come. Presumably if the solution was as easy as 'get absorbed too', he'd have done it. Hijacking SEELE's Third Impact plan seems like the kind of much more complicated thing he'd only have turned to if that failed, so presumably there's reasons he can't do it. It can't be 'Only one soul to a Core. Sorry, we're full.' because Shinji got pulled in for a month. My guess is Yui somehow blocked him, for unknown reasons. Maybe she thought he was supposed to be living on raising Shinji? (Well, for at least until Third Impact came and made it all moot?)
The basic premise of this is flawed because it assumes Rei would suddenly turn super competent without her meds, rather than confused and unfocused because she has has no idea how to operate without the meds that she has been taking her whole life. There are lot of different ways this could play out, up to Rei's death wish becoming stronger because she can feel the emptiness that more acutely.
Indeed, we're going to be seeing both sides of that. Rei will be freed of her drug-induced mental fog, but also be going through serious drug withdrawal problems, and while she's losing her shackles, she's also losing the anesthetic, too. She's all of a sudden going to be getting the full hit of the pain of living with a fractured soul that's been numbed away for her so far, a thing that drove Asuka's mother to madness and suicide.
In fact... if I can transcribe it fast enough before bedtime, I've got 2000 words of an update on that front...
) Asuka's father (never named, I like Nobody Dies name of Pieter) and the doctor are married before Kyoko was in the ground. Yes, by the time of the funeral, Asuka's father had already remarried. Nice guy, huh?
. Altho P.D.Q. Bach may have written something.
