NemZ Has Passed Away

[ChaddyManPrime]

My God, I was just thinking of asking him where a thread was This is horrible, just wow.

[ROOK13]

I always liked NemZ's post and his attitude about everything.Used to think that he jokes about that "rest in peace" in his signature.Today i clicked that out of curious and now i am struck in the heart with sorrow.I can't hold back my tears now.
Respect,man.

[Rhyno]

Schlitt was a friend of mine since high school. He introduced me to Evangelion when he found out I would be moving to Okinawa, Japan. We would spend HOURS discussing and debating different aspects of… anything. I mean, ANYTHING. Evangelion, Babylon 5, Cowboy Bebop, Millennium (TV Show), Magic: The Gathering, DnD… he once designed and ran a DnD campaign based on Final Fantasy VI that we played for MONTHS, and I will always remember his “Mecha Capture the Flag” game he designed and ran at Egyptian Con at SIU Carbondale. A late-night trip to Denny’s for a quick bite to eat would easily turn into a 2 - 3 hour “discussion panel” on whatever was on his mind.

And, why is Schlitt’s handle “Nemesis (NemZ)”? When in high school, we heard and discussed the Nemesis Star hypothesis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nemesis_(hypothetical_star)
So, Schlitt would, quite randomly, insert, “Nemesis is Coming…” into ANY conversation we were having, whether it was relevant or not. And, believe me, most of the time, it was not, which made it that much more entertaining.

One thing that we always debated: Did Shinji and Asuka have a happy ending? Why do I ask this? Schlitt worked on an Evangelion piece of fan fiction that was quite dystopian. Like… VERY bleak. No drinkable water, no food, and NO happy ending for Shinji and Asuka… who hated each other. I read part it on his computer once when he showed it to me, BUT I’m not sure if he uploaded it anywhere. I found his profile on FanFiction here: https://www.fanfiction.net/u/94665/NemesisZero
But, I only found his Ranma fanfic. Does anyone know: Did he share his fanfic with anyone or upload it anywhere?

My son, Luke, is 5 years old. And, although he isn’t old enough for Evangelion yet (give it a few years), he is HIGHLY entertained by the Eva/Angel battles we watch on YouTube. Watching these clips remind me of Schlitt.

I hope anyone who reads this enjoys these little stories. To use Schlitt’s trademark descriptor, this site and forum is “nifty”, and I’ve used it MANY TIMES for interpretations of one of my favorite anime!

Schlitt was truly one of a kind.

[UrsusArctos]

Thank you for sharing these nifty (heh) little stories about NemZ with us, I certainly enjoyed them! I vaguely remember a conversation about that bleak fanfiction of his, but I've never read it and I'm not sure if he uploaded it or not. It's bizarre to think it's been a full five years since he passed away.

And, why is Schlitt’s handle “Nemesis (NemZ)”? When in high school, we heard and discussed the Nemesis Star hypothesis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nemesis_(hypothetical_star)
So, Schlitt would, quite randomly, insert, “Nemesis is Coming…” into ANY conversation we were having, whether it was relevant or not. And, believe me, most of the time, it was not, which made it that much more entertaining.

NemZ is short for "Nemesis Zero", eh? "Nemesis is coming" sounds an awful lot like the science fiction version of GoT's "Winter is Coming"

Incidentally, did either of you ever watch the anime version of Queen Millennia? It features a Nemesis-like concept from a few years before the idea of the hypothetical star became popular:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Millennia

[Rhyno]

I have NOT seen Queen Millennia. I will certainly add it to my list! I feel ashamed to admit this, but I STILL have not seen the last two Rebuild movies. Although I LOVE the series (remains my favorite anime to this day) and enjoy the first two Rebuild movies, work, kids, and life in general keep getting in the way.

And, although I really have no idea, it wouldn’t surprise me if Schlitt had seen Queen Millennia. For those that remember Blockbuster, they had a “if you don’t LOVE it” guarantee. Basically, for their “regular selection” of movies, if you didn’t “LOVE” the movie, you could get another movie at no charge. Schlitt spent an entire summer watching damn near all the Blockbuster movies for the price of that initial rental! Although I watched many with him (including Godzilla and samurai selections), there was no way I could keep up. After watching a samurai movie that we thoroughly enjoyed (can’t remember which one at this point), I went with Schlitt when he returned it and told the clerk that he didn’t “love” the movie. I responded, “That was a REALLY good movie. I thought you said you liked it.” Schlitt’s response: “I ‘enjoyed’ it. But, ‘love’ would be a strong descriptor. I can honestly say I do not ‘love’ that movie.” So, I tell this story to say: If Blockbuster had Queen Millennia in their selection, Schlitt probably saw it!

And, although I never thought of it that way, I suppose “Nemesis Is Coming” could be the precursor to “Winter Is Coming”.

Thanks for letting me share. I’ve been feeling nostalgic. For some coworkers that have never played, I’ll be running a DnD game, and, every time I run a game, my first thought is, “How can I make this as fun as Schlitt made his settings?” Between that and my son watching Evangelion clips, Schlitt has been on my mind.

[pwhodges]

Did he share his fanfic with anyone or upload it anywhere?

I know nothing of the fic you describe, but I have a piece he wrote called "Postmodern Deconstruction" (with a by-line of "NemesisZero" in full) which I kept when he posted it on Discord some time. In case that's not readily available anywhere else, I copy it here:

Postmodern Deconstruction  SPOILER: Show

Two voices, identical yet unique, offer the boy final glimpses of their wisdom – or perhaps warnings – before abandoning him on the threshold of his chosen path:

“You must regain your own form through your own volition, even if it means your thoughts become lost or confused with the thoughts of others.”

“Anywhere can be paradise as long as you have the will to live.”

=====

Postmodern Deconstruction
by NemesisZero

=====

Existence?

Swirling darkness, hot and fluid.

It surrounds me, penetrates me, composes me.

I am content merely existing in this comfort without limit.

Time passes, though if it is mere seconds or long eons it matters very little to me.

The dark flowing warmth moves with slow, gentle waves.

Motion requires both time and space to occur.

I think about this calm state.

I think?

Thus I exist, a thing that thinks.

My comfort is harmed by the realization that I am.

I realize that my existence means that I am separate from the world.

The hot swirling darkness rolls around my form now rather than drifting through me.

I claw at it ineffectively, unable to force it back into myself as it was.

I want it back, and this wanting increases my separation.

I drink the darkness as it drinks me.

Who am I?

The deepest of questions demands many answers, and nature abhors a void…

The boy cries out as his father turns his back on him. Carved wood and smooth varnish vibrating in untrained hands. Isolation, loneliness and pain. Inflicting death upon a monstrosity more innocent and confused than its murderer has ever been. Smiles, genuine and heartfelt. Home, understood for the first time. Red eyes linger with concerned curiosity. Blue eyes gleam with unspoken challenge. Battles, glorious and praiseworthy. Battles, horrible and dehumanizing. Blue eyes smolder with bitter self-loathing. Red eyes drift with vacant confusion. Home, just one more violated trust. Smiles, taunting and hollow. Granting death to a friend more at peace and confidant then his murderer has ever been. Isolation, loneliness and pain. Molded plastic and splattered blood, accusing in unwilling hands. A world cries out as the boy turns his back on it.

Amid the chaos and calamity a solitary signifier approaches a place of prominence:

I am Shinji Ikari?

I am Shinji Ikari.

I am Shinji Ikari!






[00:01:05] NemZ: Might not be noticable in this format, but it's in the form of a concrete poem.

[Rhyno]

I had NOT seen Postmodern Deconstruction before! Thank you for sharing!

Through copy/paste, I've been trying to play around with it a bit. As a concrete poem, do you know what shape he was trying to emulate?

Again, thank you!