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Advice and Trust [NGE]

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Ok, just got out of the hospital, caught a chopper back to the Embassy compound, and I'm now in my room on two days of enforced rest before I can get back to work. So... that means I've got lots of time to sit at my computer. This may result in an update sooner.

Preview!

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"Try again, Hikari-chan," Maya insisted. "We'll take it from step 108."

On the screen overhead, the rainbow-colored silhouette of the Fourth Child shifted slightly. "I'm trying, Lieutenant Ibuki. I'm just… not getting any response."

The flickering readout on the screen in front of Maya was steady in one respect. It showed SYNCH RATE: 0% without a blink. The trembling systems indicator wobbled just below the threshold for activation, but refused to cross it.

Ritsuko scratched a note on her clipboard and frowned. "That's odd. When we did the last cross-synch tests, Shinji-kun was able to get Unit-00 to activate and synchronize without much trouble. But now we're not even getting it to start at all for Pilot Horaki. It's not even passing the absolute borderline. I thought for sure she'd at least get…" the scientist muttered half to herself. She sighed. "Alright, shut it down. Switch the Core data profile to the Fifth Child, and get him into the Entry Plug as soon as the Fourth is out. He's managed to get Unit-03 to respond to him, maybe he'll have better luck."

"Yes, ma'am."

Misato stirred behind her. "How are Shinji and Asuka doing?"

Ritsuko turned to look at her. Misato stood a couple meters further back in the Pribnow Box, her arms folded across her chest, expression all business. "Better than Pilot Horaki is in Unit-00," she told the Operations Director.

She waved Misato closer and pointed to the next bank of readouts on the far side of the display for Unit-00. "They're both lower than they are in their usual Evas, but not too much to function. Asuka's managing 58.7% in Unit-01, and Shinji is at…" Ritsuko's eyes narrowed at the wobbling readout. "Hmmm… He keeps drifting back and forth between 44.9% and 59.1%. Not much in between, just… either, like he's connecting erratically to two different circuits. Must be some glitch in the hardware interface."
 
Strypgia said:
Ok, just got out of the hospital, caught a chopper back to the Embassy compound, and I'm now in my room on two days of enforced rest before I can get back to work. So... that means I've got lots of time to sit at my computer. This may result in an update sooner.
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So we can expect a new chapter soon? ...What about a side story? Come on KSK! (throws himself before the mercy of the great Strypgia)PLEASE!
 
MoroseMobius said:
Does apathy (Gendo and the extended Ikaris) or guilt (Yui) count as "problems"?
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Remember, Gendo took Yui's family name when he married; his original family name was Rokubungi. What little evidence there is suggests that any of Yui's surviving family are neck-deep in SEELE, and any of Gendo's are probably not terribly pleasant people, given what Gendo's like as an adult, even before he met Yui.
 
I sometimes wonder if Gendo might be Ainu, or ethnically Korean, or some other minority group Japan tends not to treat very well.
 
Jake said:
I sometimes wonder if Gendo might be Ainu, or ethnically Korean, or some other minority group Japan tends not to treat very well.
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For that live-action NGE film idea I had, if the production had problems finding (good) ethnic Japanese actors for Gendo, they could have another Asian actor and fit the nationality change into the film (possibly also changing his maiden name as well I suppose). Making Gendo Korean could work with the story with how you described it.
 
Jake said:
It'd certainly explain the massive chip on his shoulder as a young adult.
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And his general antipathy and how much he latches onto someone who's actually nice to him.

Better yet, since he was born in '67, his father would have been born before/during WWII. If he's (half-)Korean, then that raises the cause for mutual anger between him and the general Japanese populace.
 
MoroseMobius said:
And his general antipathy and how much he latches onto someone who's actually nice to him.

Better yet, since he was born in '67, his father would have been born before/during WWII. If he's (half-)Korean, then that raises the cause for mutual anger between him and the general Japanese populace.
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It'd give him some depth certainly, since it kind of gives a reason to why he's such a douche when Fuyutsuki picks him up from the precinct, since his whole life would be him not being accepted by society for reasons beyond him and him feeling no recourse but lashing out, with only one person (Yui) ever truly caring about him.
 
Strypgia said:
"Hmmm… He keeps drifting back and forth between 44.9% and 59.1%. Not much in between, just… either, like he's connecting erratically to two different circuits. Must be some glitch in the hardware interface."
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Hmm... if Shinji's in Unit-02, while Asuka's in Unit-01 and Hikari's in Unit-00 (soon to be followed by Kaworu -- this'll be funo_O), does that mean Rei's in Unit-03 right now?

(They need to try her in Unit-02 -- maybe Lilith's memories include some alien soul voodoo that might help put Kyoko back together?)

I also wonder if Hikari would do better if she knew it was Rei, or part of Rei, in Unit-00. Then again, it's a Rei who's never met Hikari, so I doubt she'd respond to Hikari's 'Class Rep' mode...

"That's odd, Sempai; Hikari just got Unit-00 to stand up, bow, and sit down, but that's all..."

Jake said:
It'd certainly explain the massive chip on his shoulder as a young adult.
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Knowing EVA, I always figured it stemmed from conflicts with his own father. Actually, it could be both.

Hmm... working-class family, mother died young. Father was harsh, probably drank too much, but recognized that his son was damn bright and wanted better for him than he'd had himself. So he pushed him hard academically, resorting to physical correction whenever young Gendo didn't get the picture. End result: Gendo got good marks in school, enough to get into a top university, but had serious attitude and anger problems once he was out from under his dad's thumb. Meets Yui and hears she's connected to some group with deep pockets that's funding this branch of science he's majoring in; he figures if he manages to win her hand, he'll be set for life. Unexpectedly he falls hard for her, and finds she brings out the best in him; meanwhile, she tells him what this 'SEELE' group's really about, and that she wants to push back against them from the inside but doesn't know how, but hopes he can help her. They wed, 2I happens, they have Shinji; Gendo's quietly terrified because his own father was no great role model and he has no idea what to do, but he feels like he can do anything as long as Yui's with him. Then the Contact Experiment happens, and having Shinji around is both painful and terrifying, because without Yui to guide him he knows he'll screw it up spectacularly, so he pushes Shinji away and obsesses over getting Yui back...
 
Matt R said:
Knowing EVA, I always figured it stemmed from conflicts with his own father. Actually, it could be both.

Hmm... working-class family, mother died young. Father was harsh, probably drank too much, but recognized that his son was damn bright and wanted better for him than he'd had himself. So he pushed him hard academically, resorting to physical correction whenever young Gendo didn't get the picture. End result: Gendo got good marks in school, enough to get into a top university, but had serious attitude and anger problems once he was out from under his dad's thumb. Meets Yui and hears she's connected to some group with deep pockets that's funding this branch of science he's majoring in; he figures if he manages to win her hand, he'll be set for life. Unexpectedly he falls hard for her, and finds she brings out the best in him; meanwhile, she tells him what this 'SEELE' group's really about, and that she wants to push back against them from the inside but doesn't know how, but hopes he can help her. They wed, 2I happens, they have Shinji; Gendo's quietly terrified because his own father was no great role model and he has no idea what to do, but he feels like he can do anything as long as Yui's with him. Then the Contact Experiment happens, and having Shinji around is both painful and terrifying, because without Yui to guide him he knows he'll screw it up spectacularly, so he pushes Shinji away and obsesses over getting Yui back...
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The tragedy is just beautiful.

 
Prince Charon said:
The question is, which one likes him more?

EDIT: 44% is not too bad in this context, IIRC, so they both like him at least a little.
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It helps that Shinji and Asuka both know to boost things by knowing to try communicating directly with the Core soul. That's how Asuka's getting a better score than Shinji's first attempts in Unit-01 from Ep 1, and how Shinji's getting above 40 at all with Kyoko. And yes, it also helps that Asuka has praised Shinji to the skies to her mother's sane side.
Matt R said:
"That's odd, Sempai; Hikari just got Unit-00 to stand up, bow, and sit down, but that's all..."
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I... well, that's a bit I hadn't thought of... o_O

Annnd we may be diverted by crack. A discussion on Discord has given me lots of ideas for a crack-tastic silly omake story: A&T, The Hangover.

Preview: They find Touji and Hikari. Hikari looks smug, Touji looks shell-shocked. "I... I'm definitely married.....and I think I'm pregnant."
 
I have to admit, I'm confused as to why Hikari is suddenly unable to sync at all with Unit-00. There shouldn't be any difference from before regarding how the Rei fragment (or was it Ritsuko's mother? Either way, it applies) inside of Unit-00 feels about Hikari.

Nor can I fathom why Yui feels less accepting of Asuka now than she did before.
 
Strypgia said:
It helps that Shinji and Asuka both know to boost things by knowing to try communicating directly with the Core soul. That's how Asuka's getting a better score than Shinji's first attempts in Unit-01 from Ep 1, and how Shinji's getting above 40 at all with Kyoko. And yes, it also helps that Asuka has praised Shinji to the skies to her mother's sane side.
I... well, that's a bit I hadn't thought of... o_O

Annnd we may be diverted by crack. A discussion on Discord has given me lots of ideas for a crack-tastic silly omake story: A&T, The Hangover.

Preview: They find Touji and Hikari. Hikari looks smug, Touji looks shell-shocked. "I... I'm definitely married.....and I think I'm pregnant."
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Okay, not KSK but still sounds fun.
 
SaltyWaffles said:
I have to admit, I'm confused as to why Hikari is suddenly unable to sync at all with Unit-00. There shouldn't be any difference from before regarding how the Rei fragment (or was it Ritsuko's mother? Either way, it applies) inside of Unit-00 feels about Hikari.

Nor can I fathom why Yui feels less accepting of Asuka now than she did before.
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Has Shinji synced with Unit-01 since then? Seeing how happy she makes him would do wonders for their relationship, sparse as it may be.
 
The Englanderish said:
... Alternatively...

Yui: "WHAT?!! THE SORYU KID?!!!" :mad:
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I have to agree with Saltywaffles, that doesn't make much sense to me.
The one instance we have of Kyoko and Yui interacting, the manga IIRC, they're pretty chummy.
If Yui's so far gone and bestial that any sort of deep attachment to Shinji ticks her off... Hm. It's a bit out there, but not completely without supporting evidence.
 
Good!Kyoko: Aww, what a nice, educated young man. Asuka is lucky to have someone as kind as you.
Evil!Kyoko: He's a BUM! Throw him out!
 
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