Carlos: What the hell could Second Impact have done that magically made children born after it capable of piloting Evas? Circumstantial evidence =/= an actual working mechanism, and without the latter you're absolutely nowhere.

I'm Still writing my fic, but things have been a little buggy on my schedule lately. . . So It's probably going to be a while before I post another section from it.

There's this Idea I had in my fic that I wouldn't mind seeing someone else work with,

I got the idea from elmariachi talking about the 'mercenary mentality' Shinji could adopt in an attempt to deal with all the rejection and loss he's suffered

It takes place post 3.33 after a skip of about several years. Shinji's back on the Wunder, Sakura is assigned as his doctor because he has some health issues caused by adopting a self destructive lifestyle in an attempt to deal with the trauma. He has calcium loss, his liver is that of someone twice his age, he barely has an appetite. While the curse of Eva helps to a certain extent to offset his health problems, it's not a Wolverine healing factor.

During the examination and tests (blood, urine, x-rays, things like that) Sakura tries to be nice and cordial, but deep down she's trying to hide how she really towards him for piloting the Eva again. Shinji tells her to cut it out, he knows she hates him so he tells her to stop trying to cover it up with a smile. She takes offense to this, and then tells him how she really feels.

He responds by saying he basically agrees with how she feels about him. Because it's how he's felt about everyone else, every day ever since he came back, and how he believes pretty much everyone else feels about him. He resents Misato, he resents Asuka, he resents pretty much everyone he's ever met, either because he got burned/abandoned/rejected by them, or because he doesn't want them to reject/abandon/burn him, and deep down (because he's so numb and broken at this point to really care for people) because he doesn't want to hurt anyone else.

Then he crosses a line, that both scares her and makes her genuinely angry with him. Basically by threatening her and everyone else on the Wunder. They still need him to stop Gendo, so if anything happens to him, there goes humanity.

"Anytime I wanted, I could end my life. Anything happens to me, there goes your 'ship of hope'? Why don't I? What reason do I have not to?

I already promised to do everything Mrs. Katsuragi orders me to do. So, what are you going to do for me in return Miss Suzuhara? "

She then proceeds to threaten him with the taser function on the choker.
- - - -

Yeah the Shinji in my fic is a bit of a bitter selfish asshole after what happened to him in 3.33. . . But he's pretty much had all autonomy stripped away from him, so it's only in these small moments where he believes he can have any kind of freedom, even if it's in a bad way.

^Hm, I think I'd be down for see something like this too. I don't see Shinji trying to take anything for himself, unless his mania is done particularly well, but I can imagine him being very standoffish as you've described.

One thing though: why would Wille ever let him near an Eva again? You know, being a super potent trigger for Impacts and thus far initiating not one, but two.

^^
Problem is, you make Shinji important. Even after it's been hammered by every character that the world doesn't revolve around him. He dies? They find some alternative. Simple as that.

Stillborn wrote:^^
Problem is, you make Shinji important. Even after it's been hammered by every character that the world doesn't revolve around him. He dies? They find some alternative. Simple as that.

"We managed without you for fourteen years. If you die, we'll find a way to keep going."

It's part of Misatos bigger plan, and it involves an impact trigger. Needless to say quite a bit of the Wunder Crew are NOT happy with it.

MisterHalt wrote:"We managed without you for fourteen years. If you die, we'll find a way to keep going."

Okay, did something happen while I was gone? Is everyone on the Shinji-hate bandwagon?

What can I say? Bitterness fuels the creative fire.

You guys need some "Second Try" in your life. Or heck, Even RE-TAKE.

Just be sure to make this "Bittersweet" Ray, cause I can tell that you do want this to end on a positive note, even by your summary. In the past, Shinji was meek and withdrawn because he didn't want to be hurt by others, but what you're proposing is Shinji doing the exact opposite: He's willing to be a jerk, but also so people won't get hurt by him, so they won't form any attachments. That suggests he's doing this out of a desire to protect people, but not just out of spite. That seems to point there is some good in him, and I think a few select people would see through the bitter exterior, but see what he's ultimately trying to do to protect people he cares for,....Like maybe Misato?

Ray wrote:Yeah the Shinji in my fic is a bit of a bitter selfish asshole after what happened to him in 3.33. . . But he's pretty much had all autonomy stripped away from him, so it's only in these small moments where he believes he can have any kind of freedom, even if it's in a bad way.

Oh, I can perfectly see him act like that.

I'd read that. Probably even like it.

Ray wrote:It's part of Misatos bigger plan, and it involves an impact trigger. Needless to say quite a bit of the Wunder Crew are NOT happy with it.

Have you fleshed out what this bigger plan is? If so, mind sharing?

Glor wrote:Have you fleshed out what this bigger plan is? If so, mind sharing?

Maybe it involves ritual sacrifice of virgin that failed at life at every aspect, to an elder god. Shinji would have a role even he can't fuck up. Unless he loses his virginity by being raped under shower or something. Somehow it would still be his fault... :P

^

You just can't see the good in ANYTHING Shinji does, can you? And you call yourself a Shinji fan.

Buddy, this is Stillborn we're talking about. He already got banned for this shit once before; the fact that he's still doing it makes it blatantly clear that he's trolling.

xanderkh wrote:^

You just can't see the good in ANYTHING Shinji does, can you? And you call yourself a Shinji fan.

Hey, Anno greenlighted Shinji bashing and made him into memetic icon of fail. I'm just following it to logical conclusion.
Personally, if I still had passion for writing I would create some better fate for Shinji, but that would make half of this forum look down on me for defying Anno's will. Not that I would care, but sadly I no longer can bring myself to write.

amitakartok wrote:Buddy, this is Stillborn we're talking about. He already got banned for this shit once before; the fact that he's still doing it makes it blatantly clear that he's trolling.

I'm never trolling here. I'm just being caustic. :P

Same thing. You're provoking other people for kicks.

Provoking? If you consider yourself provoked it was not my fault. I never call anyone names or accuse them or something I percieve them as (Like I've seen some people here do). At worst I'm poking fun at the painful mess that Anno left fanfic writers with. But hey, If something not aimed at you provokes you, that says more about yourself than me :P

^

And the fact that you've given UP on Shinji, despite the message seems to say otherwise, says a lot more about you than the actual show.

But what do I know? I actually HOPE for Shinji's fate, but that makes me just a "Devotee of Anno" in your eyes. And hey, you don't see the forum bashing ME down for having hopeful views, do you?

Honestly Stillborn, if all you see is negativity, why do you bother with Evangelion? Is it your mission to bash the show for flaws that not everyone agrees with? Are you on some Hipster Crusade to make everyone see Evangelion as you do? A failure on every aspect?

The forum doesn't bash you, because you go with the flow that this forum developed for their view. I'm not gonna say I'm some noble crusader that goes up the stream, but I'm just a heavier pebble that lies on on the bottom, unmoved or barely moved by the current, along with other dirt and mud, most of you joyfully skip over. :P

You say you're hopeful? good for you. I have nothing to be hopeful about. I didn't given up on Shinji. I given up on Anno's good will for the kid. Previously I at least had fanfics to enjoy. Now, with existence of Q, Anno shown that even if Shinji takes a different path, thinks and acts for himself and have actual agenda for once (And quite a noble one at that, since he wanted to save a friend) he will STILL fail. No more fanfics trying "different approach". Only spreading "the one true message" is left. No thanks. So Shinji failed at every attempt when he tried to act for himself instead of following orders like a good obedient doggy. And if the master who gives him orders is unclear? Well that's probably still his fault somehow, isn't it?

^

Now who's being hypocritical? Just two posts ago, you said you tried to be hopeful, but the forum bashed on you for "not following Anno's plan" of hope.

Now you say that I go with the flow of the forum because I believe in hope? You're hardly disproving your case that you're not just posting for the sake of posting for blatant nihilism, not just to Evangelion, but life itself.

And again, it's because Shinji is manipulated by his father that he's made mistakes.

But, whatever, we know how this argument is going to go: We'll keep going back and forth until you stop because you don't want to admit there's another path that you don't want to see, because change is hard. But if you want things to change Stillborn, you got to make that first step, instead of making the argument that it doesn't matter, because "it's the logical conclusion". In fact, try to say even ONE good thing about Shinji as a character that doesn't have to do with him being a "universal" failure. Prove to us you have the capacity to see that way, and that you're not just a troll.