You Can Start Again

[Glor]

How much more do you have left for the story?

There'll still be an audience for it. Readership will probably increase along with the likely flood of Rebuild stories that will be put out after the final film.

[cyharding]

How much more do you have left for the story?

By my estimate it's around four chapters or so. Then again, there have been times where I intended to have certain events happen in a complete chapter only to split it up into multiple when I get to writing it.

There'll still be an audience for it. Readership will probably increase along with the likely flood of Rebuild stories that will be put out after the final film.

That's what the people I've talked to about this said as well. If they're all saying it, there must me something to it. My great fear is that the people who have been reading will develop this "Why eat hamburger when you could get steak?" attitude to my story when the final movie comes out. I'm also afraid that, as I don't know exactly how I'm going to end it (I have figured it out in broad swaths only), that I will be unduly influenced by the events of the movie when it comes out. Since I'm a mod, I'll have to know spoilers if I am going to be monitoring the Rebuild subforums when it is released.

[Derantor]

While I can't speak with any certainty, I'm pretty sure that your readership will increase following the release of Shin. You might lose some readers but gain others; the continuation fic crowd might decrease, while the people loving canon divergence/alternate ending fics might increase. Also, the movie ending will most likely be relatively divisive, if EoTV and EoE are any indication, which means that people will want some (different) form of closure.

[jcmoorehead]

Chapter 30 is now released. I know that I will not complete the story before Thrice Upon A Time is released, and I'm not 100% sure they'll be an audience for it after that film is out. I've had conversations with some people on the subject and they assured me that people will still want to read it, so I'm not too pessimistic. I also have to take into consideration that my relationship with the Eva franchise has changed since I first started this tale, and while that relationship has changed for the better, I feel at the same time that this story, and fanfiction in general, is a lesser part of it. In any event, I will try to complete another chapter before the movie comes out, or if not, by the weekend of release. After that, we'll have to see.

I actually need to catch up! Work has been keeping me so busy this year I've not been able to keep on top of reading or writing but there absolutely will be an audience for the story after Thrice comes out. Just like there is an audience for the many fics that deviate from points of the original story as well. You have written a great piece of work, so it'll definitely stand up

[cyharding]

Chapter 31 is now out right at the buzzer! I don't know when I'll get to the next chapter, but I will keep going with it.

[ElMariachi]

Chapter 31 is now out right at the buzzer! I don't know when I'll get to the next chapter, but I will keep going with it.

I think your fic is one of the few that remember that Shinji has a hobby on astronomy.

Chapter 31 reflexions  SPOILER: Show

Now I wonder if his hobby was born from a subconscious desire to go back "home". My guess is that this base is where the Ikari types were first created, and Shinji might had lived here for a few years (that he doesn't remember thanks to the post Yui Contact Experiment brainwashing).

Here's my hot take on your story (in no particular order)

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First, what I really loved in your story is that it took its time, in fact up until chapter 17 your story is almost a slice of life fic, and it's perfect, because that exactly what Shinji needed to get out of his funk, start a new life and actually make us care for the people of this new world. As Shinji himself says later in the story, New Constantinople was the first place he could call home in his entire life... which makes the gut punch hit real hard when its abandoned soon after.

I was at first skeptical about Burke and how he was presented as the "new Misato" for Shinji and how he was all understanding and trusting (looked like a Marie Sue), but the later revelation that he was an ex-pilot candidate (and thus understood Shinji's plight) and ironically, that him and Kaji had a plan for him that hinged on him regaining hope made that concern go away.

Miyoko... to be frank I guessed right away that she was Misato's daughter: super popular at school despite nowhere being said that she's super beautiful (implying that her popularity comes from her family), Shinji finding something familiar in her, Miyashima's insistence that it's not even worth it to learn her name (implying that she has a name familiar to the reader), it wasn't very hard to connect the dots! What I wonder is if you planned from the beginning to have her be Misato's adopted daughter, or if at the beginning you planned to have her be her biological child, because how could Shinji find her familiar if she's not related by blood to Misato? Also, you were inspired by the Khara illustration of Sakura eating with someone looking like a young Misato, didn't you?

Aside Miyoko's reveal of who her mother is... I admit I don't see where you wanted to go with her, since she have so few scenes.

Chapter 9 :
"You're kind of like a big sister," Shinji said. Asuka's eye widened, but returned to normal.

"That's something I can live with," she said. "Now go to sleep little brother."
And here you can pinpoint the exact moment Asuka Shikinami Langley realized that she has been friendzoned by her 14 years long crush!

Speaking of crushes, in retrospect there were a lot of hints that Shinji was attracted to Sakura, I liked how you made him retrospect on the girls that he met in his life and came to the conclusion that while Asuka and Mari are beautiful, he wasn't attracted to them because of their personality. I also loved how Shinji and Sakura first tried to keep their relationship a secret but everyone saw what was happening, so Sakura just dropped the pretense in the latest chapter!

Having Joanna be basically a North American female Shinji was an excellent idea, since it let him really relate to her and be that aide that he so desperately needed back in his pilot days, and yet she's still different enough from Shinji to be her own character. Fun fact: first time I read chapter 10 I missed the line mentioning that she's black skinned, and for some reason got into my head that she was British, so in my mind she was a sort of Hermione Granger with a plugsuit!

I am wrong to think that having Aida and Hikari appear in the story was something that you decided in the middle of the story? Because honestly I don't see why Burk and co decided to wait one year before revealing to him that his friends from Tokyo-3 survived. Especially for Aida who works in the Tower.

[cyharding]

Thank you so much for your comments.

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Miyoko... to be frank I guessed right away that she was Misato's daughter: super popular at school despite nowhere being said that she's super beautiful (implying that her popularity comes from her family), Shinji finding something familiar in her, Miyashima's insistence that it's not even worth it to learn her name (implying that she has a name familiar to the reader), it wasn't very hard to connect the dots!

Are you talking about the scene where Shinji first sees her playing the piano? It's been a long time since I wrote it, or even reread it, but my intent was that the playing reminded him of Kawrou on a subconscious level.

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What I wonder is if you planned from the beginning to have her be Misato's adopted daughter, or if at the beginning you planned to have her be her biological child

When I first got the idea, I decided to go on the adoption route when I figured that in order for her to be the same age as Shinji in a physical sense, Misato would have to be pregneant with her at the time of the final battle in 2.22 and knew that she was, maybe even starting to show. I felt it wouldn't click with what we saw in the movies.

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Also, you were inspired by the Khara illustration of Sakura eating with someone looking like a young Misato, didn't you?

As the inspiration for Myoko, no. However, that image was one of the inspirations for NewCon itself. There are several semi-official illustrations from materials such as calenders that served as inspiration for me.

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Aside Miyoko's reveal of who her mother is... I admit I don't see where you wanted to go with her, since she have so few scenes.

There were other scenes planned, but I couldn't fit them in.

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And here you can pinpoint the exact moment Asuka Shikinami Langley realized that she has been friendzoned by her 14 years long crush!

As a romantic couple, it wouldn't work because there was too much difference between them, but they do care for each other, so I thought a family dynamic would be best.

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Speaking of crushes, in retrospect there were a lot of hints that Shinji was attracted to Sakura, I liked how you made him retrospect on the girls that he met in his life and came to the conclusion that while Asuka and Mari are beautiful, he wasn't attracted to them because of their personality.

For Asuka, I explained the reasoning above. For Mari, she would be a 1 or 2 night stand. Maybe a FWB at best. Romance? I did not see it. I asked pwhodges why Shinji and Sakura got together in his post 3.0 fic and the reasons he gave seemed to fit. Add to the fact that they have a history together, despite not meeting until 3.0, made the choice obvious to me.

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Fun fact: first time I read chapter 10 I missed the line mentioning that she's black skinned, and for some reason got into my head that she was British, so in my mind she was a sort of Hermione Granger with a plugsuit!

I haven't read the original books, but I think Rowling describes her hair as frizzy, not the style they gave Emma Watson for the role. Were you imagining Emma Watson in a plugsuit or something?

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I am wrong to think that having Aida and Hikari appear in the story was something that you decided in the middle of the story? Because honestly I don't see why Burk and co decided to wait one year before revealing to him that his friends from Tokyo-3 survived.

You're not wrong there.

[ElMariachi]

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Are you talking about the scene where Shinji first sees her playing the piano? It's been a long time since I wrote it, or even reread it, but my intent was that the playing reminded him of Kawrou on a subconscious level.

No, I'm talking about the second time Shinji see her, when she looks at him from the class door in chapter 6 :

Shinji went the opposite direction, where he passed by Miyoko heading off towards the music room. She shifted her eyes towards him, but said nothing as they passed each other. Shinji didn't know what to make of her. She seemed level headed, and perhaps a bit standoffish, but what was to him the most curious thing about her was that there was something that was…familiar, yet he just couldn't put his finger on it.

The way it's phrased implies that there's something in her physique that reminded him of Misato (it can't be her character, since she's not extrovert like young Misato nor no-nonsense like WILLE!Misato)

Another thing: when I guessed that she probably was Misato's daughter, I thought that she would be the love interest, just to see Misato potentially becoming his mother-in-law in the future!

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When I first got the idea, I decided to go on the adoption route when I figured that in order for her to be the same age as Shinji in a physical sense, Misato would have to be pregneant with her at the time of the final battle in 2.22 and knew that she was, maybe even starting to show. I felt it wouldn't click with what we saw in the movies.

Yeah, having her be around the same age as Shinji while being Misato's biological daughter would be nigh impossible, unless Misato was already one or two months pregnant at the end of 2.0, or became pregnant soon after and the time skip wasn't exactly 14 years but 14 years and half or something like that.

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As the inspiration for Myoko, no. However, that image was one of the inspirations for NewCon itself. There are several semi-official illustrations from materials such as calenders that served as inspiration for me.

Let me guess, that was the other image that inspired you:

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As a romantic couple, it wouldn't work because there was too much difference between them, but they do care for each other, so I thought a family dynamic would be best.

Yeah, in NGE they both spend several months living together, and while there were already some of the scenes that in NGE hinted of their attraction (like Toji's famous comment that they quarrel like a married couple) and 2.0 had Asuka obviously crushing on him (with Kaji even implicitly shipping them in the aquarium) and Mari teasing Asuka about it in Q, it doesn't change the fact that in 2.0 Shinji's focus was on Rei (be it romantic or otherwise) and then they have been separated for a decade and half, for anything to have a chance to happen romantically between those two, they would need to at least live together or close for a long time, to first sort out the emotional luggage between them and then see where it brings them, but you chose another path as valid as the romantic one IMHO.

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For Asuka, I explained the reasoning above. For Mari, she would be a 1 or 2 night stand. Maybe a FWB at best. Romance? I did not see it. I asked pwhodges why Shinji and Sakura got together in his post 3.0 fic and the reasons he gave seemed to fit. Add to the fact that they have a history together, despite not meeting until 3.0, made the choice obvious to me.

At least she's closer to Shinji's age than Asuka! (btw that's also one of the reason why I thought that Miyoko would be the love interest)
Sakura is indeed cheerful, caring and is hinted to not taking shit from other people, so I can see a chemistry eventually happen between those two. In fact, from what little we saw of her character in Q, I can see her work as much as a romantic interest than as a big sister figure!

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I haven't read the original books, but I think Rowling describes her hair as frizzy, not the style they gave Emma Watson for the role. Were you imagining Emma Watson in a plugsuit or something?

Yeah, "shy Emma Watson" in a plugsuit is what my tired brain came up with for her, don't ask me how it did it!

[cyharding]

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[spoiler]

As the inspiration for Myoko, no. However, that image was one of the inspirations for NewCon itself. There are several semi-official illustrations from materials such as calenders that served as inspiration for me.

Let me guess, that was the other image that inspired you:

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Yep, that's the main one.

[ElMariachi]

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[spoiler]
Let me guess, that was the other image that inspired you:

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Yep, that's the main one.

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I'm not surprised, since those two images were the basis of the theory of a "Lilin city" that would be Shin's equivalent of Tokyo-3.

[cyharding]

And we have another buzzer as Chapter 32 is now released. I believe at lot of you are either going to like it or think, "he's lost his fucking mind." I don't know when the next chapter will be posted. As for what the next chapter is about...

I've thought often about doing this, and now is the best time.

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Cue the Music.

With battle joined against Unit 13,
Destruction ensues, and more than a few friends fall.
With any opposition out of the way,
Final Impact begins.
On the knife edge between victory and annihilation, Shinji makes a decision.
Next time on You Can Start Again,
We see the beginning of the end.
The Service? The Service? YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE SERVICE!

[ElMariachi]

And we have another buzzer as Chapter 32 is now released. I believe at lot of you are either going to like it or think, "he's lost his fucking mind." I don't know when the next chapter will be posted. As for what the next chapter is about...

Soooo... do you think you'll finish this story? (I just realized it's been more than one year since the latest chapter!)