Rebuild shipping goes here.

[BlueBasilisk]

To me, Mari seems more interested in the Eva units/shady Nerv or Seele business than people, man or woman. Not just saying that because some fans ship Mari/Asuka; it's because I seriously get that vibe from Mari.

She may have dallied around with 05 and 02, but Eva Unit 08 is Mari's one true love!

[Chuckman]

In the new movies Sakura might be a prospect, but only if she has no standards (because c'mon, she's a sweet girl, she can do far better than stupid Shinji).

I would take issue but Rebuild!Shinji is much more of a jerk store than his NGE counterpart. I think I've started shipping MarixAsuka because Shinji isn't good enough for her anymore.

[hui43210]

Whoa...did you just imply that Sakura has more standards than Asuka?

And are you saying she doesn't!

[El Squibbonator]

She may have dallied around with 05 and 02, but Eva Unit 08 is Mari's one true love!

Then why'd she let it get wrecked and cobbled together with unit 02, if the preview for FINAL is any indication?

[CJD]

Official Thread Themesong

And, as outlandish as it sounds, I would argue that Asuka's actually Shinji's love interest in the NTE. I know that seems absurd, but that isn't shipping speaking -- the bread crumbs are all over the place. Between Rei's nature, Asuka's rage over something that happened 14 years ago, and Mari's teasing I can't come to any other conclusion.

WAIT! I FUCKING SUGGESTED THE SAME THING OVER A YEAR AND A HALF AGO, NOT A MONTH AFTER 3.0 RELEASED, AND YA'LL WERE SKEPTICAL AS FUCK!

Fuck, I can't find the post but I distinctly remember suggesting that Asuka's anger was rooted in her feelings toward Shinji. There's multiple factors that I know I brought up and people were like "Nah."

1. Asuka thought she was over Shinji but now that he's back her feelings for him have resurfaced. Combined with the fact that he hasn't changed at all and is still the stupid kid she remembers him as, a fact which makes her hate the fact that she likes him, she's angry at both him and herself for said feelings.

2. From her perspective Shinji wronged her during the events of 2.0 When she was abducted by Bardiel he made no apparent effort to save her, and yet when Rei gets assimilated by Zeruel Shinji is literally willing to sacrifice the world to save her. Obviously it was more complicated than that but, again, this is from her perspective.

3. Combined with the former is the fact that after not seeing him for 14 years, she finally visits him when he's awake in the cell, and what does he talk about? He spends like five seconds talking about her and then immediately changes the topic to Ayanami.

Fuck ya'll man. I'm calling dibs on this theory. I fucking went through hell to reach this conclusion. You don't get to fucking come in here and pretend its your own. Nuh uh, that shit down't fly girlfriend.



Also, I feel like I need to reiterate a stance me and pwhodges advocated back then: the belief that Asuka's calling out for Shinji during the 6 minute preview portion is a great indicator of where her feelings are. Again, she didn't call for mommy or daddy, she didn't call for Misato or Mari, she called for Shinji. And yet she had no reason to expect that calling out to him would have any effect, because as far as Wille knew Shinji was dead/gone. That was a reflexive, emotional reaction on her part. When her life was on the line she called for Shinji to protect her.

Also, this theory originally (jokingly?) posited by Arkiel (I believe, someone correct me if I'm wrong.)

Well, Asuka is supposed to be a Princess, right? That's what Mari called her in the first six minutes, yeah? And Shinji is son of Gendo, king of the Lillin?

Princes and Princess are either related or bang. Sometimes are related and bang. Clear allusion to Asuka getting together with Shinji later on. Or Rei and Shinji completing a pretty literal Oedipal arch (princes and queens and such).

Hardee har har.

Anyway,

Whoa...did you just imply that Sakura has more standards than Asuka?

With Asuka it's not about standards, though. She likes him. She finds him immature and stupid and she can't figure out why but she likes him. When you like someone standards don't matter. Love is blind, African-American brother.

[Guy Nacks]

And are you saying she doesn't!

No, all I'm saying is that Asuka would be far more likely to nitpick things that she doesn't like.

[BlueBasilisk]

Then why'd she let it get wrecked and cobbled together with unit 02, if the preview for FINAL is any indication?

Making a desperate play to stop a genocidal mecha-god is pretty good as excuses go.

[LightDragonman]

Cue Matrix Reloaded-esque fight with the MP Evas.

Anyways, I might as well give my own shipping thoughts as one of the few Shinji x Rei shippers on this site (and not as them being siblings, since she's an artificial humanoid). Considering that their relationship is a lot more central to this series than in the original series, which was more Shinji x Asuka I'll admit, I feel that we haven't seen the last of Rei II. While they probably won't get together in the end (one of them will probably die), him meeting her one last time and giving a heartfelt goodbye will be part of what gives him hope. I still think that the best case scenario will have Rei Q indeed merge with Rei II by the former's own accord in a formal callback to EOE (which, like the MGS series, is pretty par for the course here).

While I still do acknowledge Asuka is still a part of Shinji's relationships, I can't see it as being the same in terms of shipping as the original. Plus, if that is the case (she is paired with him on the fact that she's the only one left), that seriously depresses me, and not just cause I'm an SxR shipper. After 14 years of fighting and experiences, she's still holding on to a crush that she was fine with dropping?

Just my thoughts. Again, I am an SxR shipper through and through, so my views will obviously differ.

[Rei IV]

I still think that the best case scenario will have Rei Q indeed merge with Rei II by the former's own accord in a formal callback to EOE (which, like the MGS series, is pretty par for the course here).

But why does Rei Q have to merge with Poka!Rei in the first place? It isn't fair to her. She is a different entity from her predecessor. Q stresses the point even with the obvious similarity (being identical), she's not THE Rei Ayanami Shinji knows and cares for. It's better to give Rei (the second) a similar send off that Yui got in EOE or a scenario where she tells Shinji to smile so everything can come full circle come Final.

[LightDragonman]

Just looking at it from a formal perspective (need to stop playing MGS2 all the time XD). And again, it would be of Rei Q's own accord, like she chooses to merge with Rei II. Cue formal callback to EOE when Rei III chose to merge with Lilith. Plus, Rei Q is basically soulless, and her soul is located in Unit 01 so yeah.

However, it could very well be what you say. Heck, Rei II could even tell her to not merge with her or something. We'll just have to wait and see.

[pwhodges]

With Asuka it's not about standards, though. She likes him. She finds him immature and stupid and she can't figure out why but she likes him. When you like someone standards don't matter. Love is blind, African-American brother.

Actually, love isn't always blind, however convenient an excuse that saying may be - and I hope I got that over (with regard to Asuka specifically) in the latest scene of my fanfic. I guess I'm exploring my more detailed views on this in the fanfic right now (there's a scene between Asuka and Shinji coming up next but one), so if I say too much in this thread I'd be spoiling that!

[ChaddyManPrime]

We're allowed to call dibs on our theories?...

I call dibs on all of mine.

[Chuckman]

Is a man not entitled to the clone of his mom? No, says the man in the Vatican.

But why does Rei Q have to merge with Poka!Rei in the first place? It isn't fair to her. She is a different entity from her predecessor. Q stresses the point even with the obvious similarity (being identical), she's not THE Rei Ayanami Shinji knows and cares for. It's better to give Rei (the second) a similar send off that Yui got in EOE or a scenario where she tells Shinji to smile so everything can come full circle come Final.

This is like two steps above "get married then turn into butterflies" I swear on me mum.

[ChaddyManPrime]

^
I think Rei is more like an Aunt or Sister in relation to Shinji.

[Jäeger]

^
I think Rei is more like an Aunt or Sister in relation to Shinji.

Well, as Fuyutsuki points in his speech, in some way she was intended to be Shinji's sister. Changing Yui's single name name to Ayanami makes it even more evident. And she is Yui's clone, the hell

I would be very disappointed if Final shows us Rei Q merging with 2, because It would be another example of a wasted character and she deserves better. I'm gonna trust Anno one last time.

[Bagheera]

Whoa...did you just imply that Sakura has more standards than Asuka?

I didn't imply it, I stated it outright. Sakura's an adult. Hooking up with a child would be revolting for her. But Asuka, for all her ego, is still stuck in child's body. Her options are limited, and who do we know who's available to her? Much as I love me some MariAsu I don't think it's likely in canon. That leaves the brat. And like I said, the bread crumbs are all over the place.

Official Thread Themesong

I wanna see those two make out.

While I still do acknowledge Asuka is still a part of Shinji's relationships, I can't see it as being the same in terms of shipping as the original. Plus, if that is the case (she is paired with him on the fact that she's the only one left), that seriously depresses me, and not just cause I'm an SxR shipper. After 14 years of fighting and experiences, she's still holding on to a crush that she was fine with dropping?

She wasn't fine with dropping it. That was the whole point of the Bardiel sequence -- she was running away to Eva because she thought she couldn't compete with Rei, and she got punished for it. Now she's mad because she didn't stuck to her guns, all the more so after finding out what Rei actually was.

[pwhodges]

But in a while Shinji will be an adult, too. And then in some respects Sakura may be closer to him than Asuka may be - it depends how the weighting of mental and physical development plays out, I guess. All I'm saying is that I don't agree that one pairing is the predetermined single possible outcome, even though there are only breadcrumbs (so far) for that one of them. At the least, Asuka and Sakura are both possible, and (in my mind) Rei, in whatever form, is not - she remains for ever a friend and possibly a sister. And Mari is so otherworldly that I don't see that as even on the horizon.

[Bagheera]

But in a while Shinji will be an adult, too. And then in some respects Sakura may be closer to him than Asuka may be - it depends how the weighting of mental and physical development plays out, I guess. All I'm saying is that I don't agree that one pairing is the predetermined single possible outcome, even though there are only breadcrumbs (so far) for that one of them. At the least, Asuka and Sakura are both possible, and (in my mind) Rei, in whatever form, is not - she remains for ever a friend and possibly a sister. And Mari is so otherworldly that I don't see that as even on the horizon.

Shinji likely suffers from the curse of Eva too, though. I mean, let's face it, that's a pretty ridiculous plot contortion -- the world's advanced 14 years, but Asuka and Mari just so happen to remain Shinji's physical age? Anno's beating us over the head at this point, even if Asuka sounds really mad.

As for Sakura, she seems a well-adjusted, mature adult. Not sure why she'd want to take on someone with Shinji's neuroses, let alone wait for him to grow up (assuming the curse of Eva lifts when they stop piloting -- if it doesn't, screw that noise!).

[Sorrow]

Sakura's an adult. Hooking up with a child would be revolting for her. But Asuka, for all her ego, is still stuck in child's body. Her options are limited, and who do we know who's available to her?

Asuka is older than Sakura; child's body or not her experience would be that of an adult. I don't think looking fourteen is a problem for everyone; it's more the fact they are fourteen that would make others not consider them. Some people in their twenties still look fifteen-ish and manage to find others. I don't think it's impossible to say Sakura could warm to Shinji even if he remains looking as he does for a very long time.

Though I suspect Shinji also having this "Eva curse" it probably is more reason to consider Asuka his main "love interest". All that understanding each other better than anyone business.

[hui43210]

No, all I'm saying is that Asuka would be far more likely to nitpick things that she doesn't like.

Ah. True. Carry on.