How are the Evas not sinking into the ground?

[pwhodges]

Just saying "rubber physics" and actually attempting to give an explanation as to what you mean by that are two different things though. I (and others) were trying to give an actual explanation, not just two words.

The explanations don't actually help, though - they just dress it up; which is fine in context, of course, but doesn't actually address the OP's question (to which there is of course no satisfactory real-world answer).

[Ultrahuntr]

I was trying to give more explanation based on the physics in-universe, not in the real world. When if comes to addressing what OP said you pretty much just said "anime magic" and walked away. Sorry I decided to put thought into my answer.

[pwhodges]

The two parts of the OP's question actually suggest both types of answer.

[Ultrahuntr]

While it was implying one or the other, trying to debunk what I said by implying "just anime magic" isn't really productive to the topic at all, and is kind of rude to be honest.

[Nuclear Lunchbox]

Considering the inconsistent nature of physics in the Evaverse-- and most anime in general-- "rubber physics" isn't so much a rude term as a legitimate explanation of the work.

[Ultrahuntr]

I wasn't calling the term "rubber physics" rude, I was saying it was kind of rude to just try and devalue our opinions that we formed on the matter by saying that "this is pretty much rubber physics anyway". Do see what I mean?

[Sorrow]

The implication there being that your opinions are to be accepted more so than "rubber physics," presumably because there was a bit of thought involved.

It wasn't an attempt to devalue your opinion, only to point out that it is unnecessary.

You'll do well to not be so easily offended.

[Reichu]

The explanations don't actually help, though - they just dress it up; which is fine in context, of course, but doesn't actually address the OP's question (to which there is of course no satisfactory real-world answer).

OP does ask whether "ATF trickery is involved", so I'm a bit confused over this whole tangent. Working with the in-universe physics is fully on-topic and there's no need to shut down conversation with the "rubber physics, full stop" stuff.

[pwhodges]

^ It's not my intention to shut anything down; sorry if it came over that way.

Or is Gainax just ignorant in the way of Physics?

No, of course they are not; but in any science fiction, certain changes need to be made for the scheme to work. Gainax were actually a little unusual in having used a specific aspect of physics that much science fiction really does ignore when they made relativistic time dilation a major plot point in Gunbuster - but even there they ignored other physical constraints when it suited them.

[Rosenakahara]

nano- i mean A.T. fields son!

[Ultrahuntr]

OP does ask whether "ATF trickery is involved", so I'm a bit confused over this whole tangent. Working with the in-universe physics is fully on-topic and there's no need to shut down conversation with the "rubber physics, full stop" stuff.

This exactly. Sorry that I got all offended, but what you said and continued to say just seemed to me like you were shutting down the conversation and saying "That's that." We were just trying to reply to the entirety of OP's post, not just saying it was rubber physics and being done with it.

[Rodeo]

Jet Alone didn't need an AT field to walk around with it's flimsy ass legs.
The Evas are operating under the same kind of laws as any other giant monster or robot that has ever appeared on the screen, anything else just overcomplicates things. And yes, the MP Evas were legit flying.

[Ultrahuntr]

That's not the point of the topic. We were trying to engage in an actual conversation by attempting to explain it via how the physics MIGHT work. Just like the previous guy who said it, writing it off to "anime magic" doesn't help conversation at all.

[pwhodges]

Well, it depends. Are the ideas suggested here (various uses of AT-fields for instance) actually something intended by the writers, or are they no more than fanwanking to make explanations that feel (without actually being) more convincing than the undeniable underlying "rubber physics"?

[Bagheera]

I don't see how the Evas can work without ATF assistance (Jet Alone notwithstanding). Forget sinking into the ground, they move like normal humans -- that just isn't possible at that scale. And the MPEs actually fly, which is simply absurd. But with ATF assist the Evas can move, the MPEs can fly, and everything's fine. And really, that's more-or-less what the ATF is supposed to do, anyway; it's a boundary between the subject and the world, one which gives it shape and movement. That's how it's supposed to work.

[SuperTechmarine]

I don't see how the Evas can work without ATF assistance (Jet Alone notwithstanding). Forget sinking into the ground, they move like normal humans -- that just isn't possible at that scale. And the MPEs actually fly, which is simply absurd.

Looked more like assisted gliding to me.

[Bagheera]

Looked more like assisted gliding to me.

They take off from a standing start on the ground. That's powered flight, not gliding. Earlier, when they landed? Totally assisted gliding. But later on, before they munched Asuka? Nope.

[Ray]

It's anime physics. You gotta suspend disbelief.

[K40s]

I don't see how the Evas can work without ATF assistance (Jet Alone notwithstanding). Forget sinking into the ground, they move like normal humans -- that just isn't possible at that scale. And the MPEs actually fly, which is simply absurd. But with ATF assist the Evas can move, the MPEs can fly, and everything's fine. And really, that's more-or-less what the ATF is supposed to do, anyway; it's a boundary between the subject and the world, one which gives it shape and movement. That's how it's supposed to work.

I'm not trying to be ironic, could you shed some light on why moving like normal humans is impossible at that scale and flying is just absurd? Again Dinosaurs moved and Pterodactyls flew...

[Bagheera]

I'm not trying to be ironic, could you shed some light on why moving like normal humans is impossible at that scale and flying is just absurd? Again Dinosaurs moved and Pterodactyls flew...

Square cube law. Pterosaurs weren't nearly that big; the largest had a 50 foot wingspan and perhaps a 12 foot body, nowhere near the size of the MPEs. And the largest dinosaur was half the size of an Eva, and built like an elephant, not a human.

It's physics, basically.