(Third Annual) Lilim Design Contest! (Afterthoughts)

[TheAyanamiOtaku]

We are all sensible anime fans who don't go around calling ourselves otaku

Yes...I made a mistake...a really bad newb mistake...

[Barinax]

I wanted to do this

But then I thought, oh screw it, too much work

I'd probably make a more pathetic version of myself, or something weird like a pop star who becomes an Eva pilot

[Avatar of Dreams]

I'd probably make a more pathetic version of myself,

My thoughts precisely. Which is why I'm only drawing someone else's character this time around instead of being a designer. Less work too.

[devil_eAter]

So....whuz up with dis thing we got here?

[Chowwow]

This is a reminder to all that there is less than one month left until the presentation week for the Lilim Design Contest! I hope everyone has had ample time to work on everything. If not, speak the hell up or forever see someone else nab all the kudos!

I wanted to do this

But then I thought, oh screw it, too much work

Aww, next time then? Maybe then you will be more comfortable.

My thoughts precisely. Which is why I'm only drawing someone else's character this time around...

Which reminds me...

As of December 3:

Designers:

Zaiku
Action_Bastard
NemZ
Formless One and Avatar of Dreams
devil_eAter
pat457
Enki v.2
Zeak
AsukaChan
BobBQ

Judges:

CorporalChaos
Omegagouki
BobBQ

Remember: registrations for all positions are still wide open until the end of the month, Dec. 31. Sign up if you are interested!

Or drop out if you are not.

Until then, I have to get back to work!

[TheAyanamiOtaku]

I will not have any time to submit a Lilim this time around, but I will opt to be a judge.

[Chowwow]

I'm back after finals with some updates.

Zaiku, unfortunately, will be withdrawing from this contest. I'm sorry to see you go!

@ TAO, I will allow you to be a judge. It may be difficult with an even set of Judges, but that is where I will come in.

Just a few days before I place the schedule, I'll have it within a week before the end of the year.

So now:

As of December 21:

Designers:

Zaiku (withdrawn)
Action_Bastard
NemZ
Formless One and Avatar of Dreams
devil_eAter
pat457
Enki v.2
Zeak
AsukaChan
BobBQ

Judges:

CorporalChaos
Omegagouki
BobBQ
TheAyanamiOtaku

To present registrants, I am still open for requests for presentation days. For others, we are still open for registrations - just drop a line here!

[pat457]

I'd hate to say this, but I respectfully withdraw from the contest. The next three months will be a very busy time (due to the hellish malebolge that is "High School Exams"), and I doubt that I will have anymore time for this for the time being.
To the remaining contestants: Good Luck.

[Chowwow]

I'd hate to say this, but I respectfully withdraw from the contest.

Damn, I'm sorry to see you go. Was setting the Contest up during winter break the wrong idea?

As of December 25:

Designers:

Zaiku (withdrawn)
Action_Bastard
NemZ
Formless One and Avatar of Dreams
devil_eAter
pat457 (withdrawn)
Enki v.2
Zeak
AsukaChan
BobBQ

Judges:

CorporalChaos
Omegagouki
BobBQ
TheAyanamiOtaku

[Chowwow]

It has come to my attention that many of you are still very busy and that making these deadlines can be troublesome. This is no problem, in fact I could use some of the time too.

Therefore, I'm giving everyone a one week extension on their deadlines. The order will remain the same. I will send PMs later on. The new dates are:

January 8th: NemZ
January 9th: Action_Bastard
January 10th: devil_eAter
January 11th: AsukaChan
January 12th: Enki v.2
January 13th: BobBQ
January 14th: Zeak
January 15th: Formless One and Avatar of Dreams

If any of you take issue with this, please let me know.

[Omegagouki]

Great, then I won't be behind on my judging of entries!

[Chowwow]

Ugh, I've been looking at schedules lately and I was wondering if another extension was in order: apparently, everyone in the past four months or so have been too busy and are just now getting into the swing of things (myself included, frankly).

If any of the contestants would like another week, be sure to get to me and I'll consider it. Also, anyone who withdrew in the past who now thinks they have enough time can re-enter with no problems - just give me a heads up.

[Chowwow]

PRESENTATIONS

Well, it looks like I'll be sticking to the schedule after all. Without further ado, I bring to you the first entry of the Lilim Design Contest!

JANUARY 8:
NEMZ

General Data:

Name: Aida Kazuhiro
Age: 39
Measurements: 5’9”, 180 pounds.
Occupation/Rank:
Special Editorial Supervisor, NERV Section 4 - Public Relations.
Also a covert Internal Affairs agent, Section 2, reporting to Vice-Commander Fuyutsuki.
Captain in the JSDF ground forces (not the same as the JSSDF), honorably discharged.

Name Origin:

Kazuhiro means “widespread harmony”, the attempted preservation of which has a major theme in his life.

Description:

Mr. Aida is the picture of a rather typical middle-aged man, complete with receding hairline, a few faint wrinkles, and developing a bit of a gut. His hair is often a bit unruly despite his attempts to corral it, but does not yet show significant signs of graying (because he promptly plucks any hairs that do). Though possessing a generally athletic build and stoic posture, he limps noticeably and makes use of a cane when walking or standing for long periods.

Kazuhiro is very serious, possessing a rather intense gaze and a deep, resonating voice that gets quieter as his displeasure increases. Though he knows well the value of silence, he is prone to bouts of impassioned ranting when suitably aroused by foolishness and in appropriately private circumstances.

Character History:

As an intelligent but impulsive and idealistic young man, Kazuhiro opted not to take college entrance exams despite his parent’s wishes, preferring instead to jump headlong into the world by joining the JSDF ground forces after finishing high school. His intelligence and strong respect for duty were noted by superiors in basic training, resulting in his being recommended for officer training. Soon after graduating the training program he was given command of a minor domestic relief emergency responder unit.

Having established a life of his own, Kazuhiro made amends with his parents by agreeing to marry the daughter of a family friend, Takeda Yumei. Though not particularly enthusiastic about the marriage (it didn’t stop him from partaking other discrete encounters), he found it a fair arrangement and fathered a son, Hiro, in short order. The couple made a relatively stable if not happy home in Yokohama, where his unit was posted and called upon infrequently for earthquake or flood relief.

Second impact brought a new importance to his position, where he earned a quick promotion for his calm and professional management of local rescue efforts after the sudden disappearance of his unit commander. Resources were woefully inadequate for the task, but he made hard choices in rationing out supplies and manpower in a triage-like manner. Though his efforts likely maximized the good that could be done, his unflinching seriousness and seeming callousness to the many people he chose not to aid did not make him popular with either the locals or his coworkers.

When the longstanding India/Pakistan conflict went hot following the disaster and quickly spread to involve diplomatic allies, resulting in nuclear attacks with Korean rockets across Asia, his unit was ordered to assist in the relief efforts of the destruction of old Tokyo. It soon became clear however that the serious lack of resources set the emphasis firmly on containment rather than rescue. At the order of Colonel Takeda (now a JSDF Major General and a member of NERV’s military oversight board [the grey haired one in ep1]), Mr. Aida’s unit was one of three groups assigned the task of enforcing merciful execution on the worst cases... a standard that was continuously broadened as the situation resolved.

Most of Kazuhiro’s former idealistic notions were thoroughly destroyed by this experience, but it taught him the value of hard choices and diligence. He rationalized the duty as maximizing good for all involved by freeing much-needed supplies for more favorable refugees and putting to end the suffering of those who could not be helped.
He also understood that this action effectively buried the worst of the traumas from the public eye, bringing them the most peace of mind possible by covering up the grizzliest portions of the truth. Though again promoted for this involvement, Kazuhiro resigned his commission while recovering from a gunshot wound to the leg inflicted on him by a short-lived subordinate who took offense at the assigned work.

Returning to Yokohama, Mr. Aida was greeted only with further misery. During his absence his wife and son were caught up in a food riot, both sustaining serious injuries. Hiro was diagnosed with brain damage due to blunt trauma and denied treatment, dying in a vegetative state. His wife suffered multiple trampling injuries in the incident, which triggered the premature birth of a second child, Kensuke, he hadn’t known about before his transfer.

Seeking a fresh start, the Aidas relocated to the still developing Tokyo-3 where Kazuhiro obtained employment as a security officer for the new Gehirn facility, a scientific research team with an unusual focus on recruitment from within the armed services. He attracted the notice of Director Ikari following his professional management of the murder/suicide perpetrated by Dr. Naoko Akagi, particularly in reporting the indiscreet actions of two other officers who balked at the order to keep the murder aspect out of the official documentation.

Quickly rising up the ranks in the NERV restructuring effort to his current role as a special internal investigator, he was covertly placed within upper ranks of the PR division as a relatively minor member of the editorial staff. Nominally he is responsible for supervising proofreaders and fact checkers for all NERV press releases, but in truth he is the final gatekeeper for officially suppressed information and responsible for identifying and eliminating potential leaks within the department. The reason given for his transfer to this position was the resurgence of his old leg injury and stress from the sudden death of his wife in a traffic accident… both reasons somewhat exaggerated.

Since then he has raised Kensuke alone, as a rather aloof figure. His parental style is very strictly disciplinarian, but his frequent absences due to work (though some of these trips are actually becoming more frequently just excuses to visit a nineteen year old college student in Tokyo-2 with whom Kazuhiro has recently developed a compensated dating arrangement) leave his son plenty of time to get up to various mischief.

In all honesty, Mr. Aida generally prefers to not know what Kensuke is up to, because knowing would likely require intervention on his part. The only exception to this policy of willful ignorance is in regards to the boy’s military obsessions. Kazuhiro has not discussed his experiences of military life with anyone save his few superiors at NERV (and even then only when asked direct questions), but it seems his reluctance has only sparked a sense of foolish romanticism in the boy. He tolerates none of Kensuke’s otaku ways and has destroyed several models and other such silliness he has found in their home, but is fairly certain the boy has more of it stashed away somewhere… probably at that damned Suzuhara kid’s house.

Drive / Goals:

Aida Kazuhiro’s chief concern in life is to protect the world from the truth. His own searching for the wider world brought him nothing but hardship and pain, and taught him well that though someone must always be there to do the necessary dirty jobs, there is no reason for it to weigh on the conscience of the people at large. For Mr. Aida truth is a burden, learning is a sacrifice, and silence is a duty, all in the service of the greater good.

He has achieved more or less exactly what he wants from his career: an important job where he can protect people from the truth, but still low enough in the organization that he isn’t required to face those truths either. He is well aware that NERV is not an altruistic or merely defensive institution and has access to enough information to put a great deal of the darker workings of the organization together, but chooses not to think about it too deeply. Kazuhiro’s cynicism has taught him that no organization is without corruption and ulterior motives, but he believes that without NERV humanity would be much worse off and has no intention of trying to debunk this theory by examining it too closely. Mr. Aida is in line for promotion to the head of section 2, but has consistently tried to push others ahead of himself to avoid having to make such a decision should the situation arise; he knows too much for his own good as it is.

Kazuhiro is rather unfulfilled in his private life. Though he did mourn the loss of Yumei, she was never truly held deep in his heart. He has never found what he would consider a soulmate, though uncomplicated sexual partners have never been hard for him to attain. Kensuke he privately views as a poor replacement for his firstborn Hiro, and though he takes his responsibilities as a father seriously it is only at a distance. In truth, Mr. Aida has no real interest in Kensuke beyond keeping him safe… once going so far as to pull a few favors with Dr. Ugai in NERV Cranial to have a minor congenital heart condition added to Kensuke’s medical records, thus insuring his son would remain near the bottom of the pilot candidate pool when the boy’s foolish adventures brought him to the commanders’ attentions. When the pilot pool began to dwindle he sent Kensuke to live with his grandparents to keep him well out of harm’s way.

Fate:

Kazuhiro organized a cell of armed resistance during the JSSDF assault, but was eventually backed into a small lab with three other NERV personnel. When the ammo ran out they attempted to surrender but were summarily executed with a flamethrower (the “hit ‘em again!” scene in EOE).

Mr. Aida found a semblance of peace in instrumentality and dissolved with its ending, lacking the motivation to return to life.

Summary of Involvement in NGE:

Participated in cleanup of Old Tokyo after nuclear attack.
Gehirn/NERV security, section 2 agent, and ultimately an internal affairs watchdog.
Supervised arrangements following the Akagi/Rei1 murder/suicide incident.
Directly responsible for maintaining various cover-ups in the series, such as 2nd impact.
Manipulated the pilot selection processes to keep Kensuke out.
Killed by JSSDF forces during the final attack.

Names of Designer and all contributors:

NemZ (with Rhyno acting as a sounding board)

Great work! What say everyone else?

NEXT TIME:
Action_Bastard

Let's get this thing rolling!

[Omegagouki]

Holy crap, NemZ. This guy was very well thought out, from his personality to all the details of his life and history. Your entry, to me, will be one of the entries that will define the standards that need to be met of all others presented in this contest.

One down, eight(?) to go.

[Chowwow]

A very well-executed character, NemZ - to think you doubted yourself! I loved how you outlined the unique circumstances of your character and his realistic and bleak career and lifestyle. Though he had a hand in many important events within the NGE universe, he was also far enough removed from them so as to not interfere with its ultimate outcome.

A very well rounded character with an interesting and tragic backstory - well done! I hope you have better luck in this Contest than the last!

[Chowwow]

Welcome back for another entry in our Contest! Next up is Action Bastard (with Zimlord as the illustrator)!

JANUARY 9:
Action_Bastard with Zimlord

Name: Albert Wilhelm Wegener
Age: 25
Measurements: 1.78m (~5'10") Weight: 180lbs (~81.6kg)
Occupation/Rank: Military: Deutsches Heer(German Army); formerly a Leutnant (Lieutenant) in the Bundeswehr (Federal Defense Force). Spent a short time as NERV military personnel. Last position was Major in the Kommando Spezialkräfte (Special Forces Commando, KSK) under command of SEELE.


References/Name Origin: Named after Alfred Wegener. See Wiki article here: ([url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Wegener[/url]). I am a Geography major and I have heard a lot about this man, and was thus inspired to name my character after him. You could also say that his theory of continental drift fits somewhere into Evangelion due to the fact that it is mentioned to explain how the Black Moon is in Japan. Albert’s dog, however, is named after the German Navy cruiser Admiral Hipper ([url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_cruiser_Admiral_Hipper[/url]).


Physical Description: Albert has born with strawberry-blonde hair, but now has dirty blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and a red tint to his facial hair, but is usually clean shaven. He is 5'10" and 180lbs and of a medium build and extremely fit. His hair is kept at a relatively short length, though it grows rather fast and is hard to control at times. He is said to resemble his father, but also gains some of his traits from his part Asian mother.



Personal Characterization: Albert is a very nice, fun loving man. He has the ability to make friends rather quickly and keep them. He likes to keep things tidy and orderly, though he is not a neat freak or a type A personality at all. He is open-minded and accepts peoples’ ways and customs. He is not easily angered or frustrated, unless pushed to his limit. Albert, however, can be rather strict and militaristic at times, but not in a bad way, only to keep things orderly.

In his home life, he lives in a small condo in the city of Berlin. He has a German Shepherd named Hipper, but he is kept at his parents’ house. Being German, Albert likes beer, mainly of the hefeweizen variety and will drink it on occasion.


Background story: In the beginning, he was the love child of Langley and Kyoko Zeppelin Soryu when they were young. Kyoko was a freshman in college and met Langley. They liked each other a lot and started seeing each other. And as time went on, the relationship went deeper, eventually leading to the night of Albert’s conception. This was bad for the relationship and for Kyoko, who had a budding college career. She was then out of school for 10 months, and had a baby boy, named Albert on March 30, 1990. Langley was not around, due to his fright of getting a college girl pregnant. When Albert was a month old, Kyoko managed to get Langley to come talk to her and discuss what to do with Albert. They decided to put him up for adoption and continue on with their careers. Baby Albert went to the loving family of the Wegeners in Berlin, and grew up by himself with no other siblings.

Growing up as an only child, he quickly developed the ability to make friends rather easily. He excelled in his education, first going to Kindergarten where the teachers there were astounded at how fast he learned. Going on into grade school, Albert continued to excel and mesmerize his professors. The school he attended asked his parents if they would allow them to have Albert go through a series of tests to check his mental ability. Albert scored rather high for a boy his age and the school asked his parents if they considered putting Albert in a higher level school. Some professors even suggested certain universities. Albert, though, did not want to leave his friends and family, so his parents decided to let him stay.

Then the world was shook by Second Impact, which was said to be a meteor impact the caused all of Antarctica to melt. Many around the world were devastated by the rise in ocean levels and many were left homeless. Three days later, an incident with refugees on the Pakistan-India boarder lead to a nuclear war which lasted 5 ½ months. These events caused Albert to feel that he needs to do something to make the world a better place. So he vowed to join the military when he was older to help make the world a safer place.

After grade school, Albert attended a Gymnasium where he further excelled. There he met the love of his life, Heidi Gottschalk, a beautiful girl with green eyes and strawberry-blonde hair, who at the time is motherless, has two sisters(one older and one younger), and a father that works for GEHIRN.



Coming from a military family, and induced by the events in 2000, Albert decided to go to military boarding school with aspirations of becoming an officer in the German Army. We attended officer training at an Offizierschulen, or officer’s school, and attended one of the two Universities of the German Federal Armed Forces, specifically Universität der Bundeswehr München (Bundeswehr University Munich), where he studied in Aeronautics. While there he assisted in the development of VTOL technology, mainly on creating a faster, more agile version of the HFJ-VTOL: the prototype named the HAG-VTOL(Heavy Assault Gunship).

Though in military schooling, he still found time for Heidi, his love in Berlin, and made frequent visits to her on his home leave. Heidi enjoyed Albert very, very much, and looked forward to being with him to get away from her abusive father, of whom Albert didn’t like very much.
Albert eventually graduated from military schooling near the top of his class and was granted the rank of Leutnant (Lieutenant). He then was sent out to do his military duties and was granted the rank of Hauptmann (Captain) and was assigned to NERV special military personal. In the future he would leave NERV and join the KSK(Special Forces) under the command of SEELE and gain the rank of Major.


Career / Achievements / Goals: Albert was a military officer with the ranks of Lieutenant and Captain. He was NERV military personnel for a short while and then joined the KSK and achieved the rank of Major. Throughout his younger years he was considered a prodigy and excelled in schooling of all kinds. Albert strives for maintaining order and keeping the world he lives in peaceful by using his skills in the military to help create a safer Deutschland and world. He longs to be with his love Heidi forever and keep her away from her abusive and somewhat crazy father who works for GEHIRN/NERV.


Involvement in NGE: As stated before, he is the first child of Langley and Kyoko, so he is Asuka’s blood brother, but does not know it. His girlfriend and love Heidi has a father that worked at GEHIRN and works at NERV. Albert did many military exercises after military schooling and fought a few battles, mainly terrorist activity in Germany and in other surrounding ally countries.

However, he felt his relationship with Heidi could be strengthened, and Heidi suggested to him that he go work for NERV as military personnel, which is where her father worked as NERV Germany’s chief scientist. Albert complied and asked for a transfer to NERV and the military allowed him to do so. While working for NERV, he applied to the KSK(German Special Forces) and occasionally had to leave to take tests and forgo training.

During his stay at NERV, he became friends with a man by the name of Ryoji Kaji. Though they only saw each other at NERV, they became good friends. Albert learned that Kaji was caring for a young girl by the name of Asuka Langley Soryu, who was a pilot of the Production Type Evangelion, Unit 02. Albert had no idea that children so young were piloting those things, but shook it off.

Near the end of his stay at NERV, he was assigned the duty of escorting the EVA Unit 02 and other personal to the shipyard for transportation to Japan. During this operation, he met up with Kaji and was introduced to the Eva pilot, Asuka. Upon first meeting her, he felt that there was something oddly familiar about this red haired girl with striking blue eyes and red nerve links in her hair. He greeted her by giving his name and his position and how the operation would go. In his greeting, he referred to Asuka as a Mädchen, and at that he was promptly correct by Asuka who replaced Mädchen with Frau.

After that operation, he finally joined the KSK, which at that time was newly under control by an organization named SEELE, which had deep roots in the German military. He did many missions across Europe to hinder terrorist activity as well as keep the general peace in Germany.

He still found time to be with his love Heidi, who seemed to complain about her new step-mother and how bad her father was all the time. This made Albert very upset and angered at how that man could do such cruel thing to his daughters and newly married wife. Albert then vowed to do all he could to protect Heidi and planned on marrying her in the future.

For all Albert’s hard work and dedication to the KSK, he was granted the rank of Major.

Then the day came. SEELE decided that NERV had been working with and helping support numerous terrorists organizations for some time now and that they must be stopped, at all costs. A strike force was assembled by the KSK to covertly sneak upon NERV Germany’s headquarters and rid all personnel.



Albert was put in charge of one of the 4 main strike forces to enter into the compound. His squadron went in and thus started the holocaust. Throughout the battle, Albert killed many, but he knew that it was for the security of Germany and for the safety of the world and he was following orders. Then he made it to a familiar corridor. It was the area were Heidi’s cruel father worked. He turned a corner to see a man running away. He wasn’t too far, and could easy be shot, but it was who this man was the caused Albert to stop for a moment.


Fate: The man was none other than Heidi’s father. Albert had it in the bag. He could kill that man and free Heidi of her woes. He got out his high caliber pistol and said “Geh zur Hölle, Teufel” (“Go to hell, Devil”) and then fired 3 shots.

The man collapsed face first, but there was also a feminine shriek. Albert’s eyes suddenly became big, because he recognized that scream. In a shocked state, he stood there for a second and dropped his gun. As the woman hit the ground, Albert ran over to see who it was. Indeed, it was Heidi, who was already dead from a bullet to the back of the head.

Albert was in mortal shock. What was she doing here? “Was habe ich getan?” (“What have I done?”) he thought, and then he said that out loud. “Nein, nein,……NIEN!!!,” screamed Albert.

Tears rolled down his face in torrents. He sat there holding Heidi for what seemed like eternity. Then his arms suddenly went free. He looked down and saw a puddle of orange goo covering his arms and the floor. Then he heard his name called to his left. He looked and saw it was Heidi, as beautiful as ever. She then said to him, “Alles ist gut” (“Everything is fine”) and hugged him.



Albert started sobbing even more to know that his Heidi was alright. He closed his eyes tightly and hugged her with all his might. Heidi then turned into Rei Ayanami and Albert Wilhelm Wegener was suddenly subject to Instrumentality, where we would see his family, his dog, his friends and comrades, and his real family: Langley, Kyoko, and Asuka. And most importantly, he would be with his beloved Heidi for all eternity.

Names of Designer and all contributors:

Story and write-up: Action_Bastard
Lead Artist: Zimlord

Yowza, now we have a contender for the Manservice award! Amirite?

NEXT TIME:
devil_eAter

Can't wait for this one!

[NemZ]

Nice job on the art, Zimlord, especially the hair effects and simple but effective background in the 3rd pic.

EDIT:

What's the holdup?

[Chowwow]

@ Action Bastard:
An interesting concept: the long-lost brother of Asuka running around and catching chicks and shooting things. The inclusion of Zimlord's illustrations really brought color to your entry. Your profile for your character, Albert, was pretty detailed and managed to convey important parts of his story. Though he does have a history of violence and grief, he seems to come off a little too optimistic and cheery for my tastes for a NGE character. Still, a well-rounded and attractive Character, AB.


For those of you who have been keeping up, there has been some down time. devil_eAter is late, but is being pushed back to present later. Asuka-Chan, however, has not been receiving any of my PMs for months now, and I suspect has dropped off EvaGeeks. Therefore I will have to withdraw Asuka-Chan from the Contest. Enki v.2 should be presenting today, but seems to be late as of 1:44 AM GMT. I am still waiting for the submission.

As of January 12:

Designers:

Zaiku (withdrawn)
Action_Bastard
NemZ
Formless One and Avatar of Dreams
devil_eAter
pat457 (withdrawn)
Enki v.2
Zeak
AsukaChan (withdrawn)
BobBQ

Judges:

CorporalChaos
Omegagouki
BobBQ
TheAyanamiOtaku

Schedule:

January 8th: NemZ (Done)
January 9th: Action_Bastard (Done)
January 10th: devil_eAter (Late)
January 11th: AsukaChan (Withdrawn)
January 12th: Enki v.2 (Late, pending)
January 13th: BobBQ (Submission received, now waiting)
January 14th: Zeak (Pending)
January 15th: Formless One and Avatar of Dreams (Pending)
January 16th: devil_eAter (Redux)

I need more work here guys! Let's go!

NEXT TIME:
Enki v.2

[Omegagouki]

Hmm, very interesting character, AB, it puts a very interesting, unintrusive and acceptable spin to the "long lost brother" fanmade character type. Zimlord's art adds even more to his profile, and I do think he could be a very likely candidate for the Manservice award thanks to it in addition to the profile itself. I really like this guy's story, he may be a little too optomistic for the Eva universe, but his history negates it.

[Chowwow]

Enki v.2 is late, so we will skip over to BobBq's submission. Anyone familiar with the TTOR404 fanfic should recognize this one! I apologize for the lateness, y'all.

JANUARY 13:
Bobbq

General Data:
Name: Shinano Haruna
Age: 37
Measurements: 198 cm, 81 kg
Occupation/Rank: Colonel, Japanese Strategic Self-Defense Forces

References/Name Origin: Named after the aircraft carrier IJN Shinano and the battle cruiser IJN Haruna. The former seemed appropriate given the character's place in her organization, while the latter happens to be a Japanese given name. Nothing very profound in these choices otherwise.

Physical Description: Quite possibly one of the tallest women in Japan. Gives a "lean and mean" impression. Eyes and hair brown, the latter cut shorter than regulation. Has a scar from a training accident above her right knee. Often looks as if she has forgotten what a smile is.

Personal Characterization / Background History: Shinano Haruna was born in Fussa, Tokyo on March 21st, 1978. Her parents were among the many whose work was tied to the nearby Yokota Air Base, and young Haruna grew up with the presence of the American armed forces as a part of daily life.

Her childhood and adolescence were characterized by an aloof attitude towards her peers. Too tall to be considered physically attractive, she was recipient of numerous unrequited schoolgirl crushes and frequently scouted by local baseball teams, but showed no interest in either subject. When Haruna was fourteen, a summer stay with a great-uncle who had served in the IJA inspired her to take instruction in judo and awakened what would become a lifelong interest in Japan's place in the - particularly military - world. By the age of sixteen she had branched out into kendo and airgun marksmanship and celebrated her twenty-first birthday by upgrading to a domestic copy of a Browning shotgun. Haruna entered the University of Tokyo in 1998 - "by the power of piss and vinegar" according to a Fussa acquaintance - after taking time off from school to care for her great-uncle in his last years.

Career / Achievements / Goals: By the time of Second Impact, Haruna had become convinced that Japan's dependence on the United States for military strength was a dangerous weakness. Incidents involving American servicemen in communities like her home city also soured her personal perception of the foreign presence.

In the ruins of the catastrophe, with localized wars breaking out all over the world and the JSDF opening all ranks and roles to women in a desperate attempt to meet quotas, Haruna quietly left university and enlisted in the Ground Self-Defense Forces. Having shown above-average proficiency with the Type 89 and M16A2 in training, Private Shinano became a squad designated marksman and spent the next two years in low-intensity conflicts and counter-terror operations.

The acceptance of UN oversight of the SDF by a weakened government further reinforced Haruna's fear that Japan was regarded as little more than a convenient proxy by larger states consolidating their power. When the Strategic Self-Defense Forces were founded in 2003, largely by the efforts of right-wing political elements disgruntled by what they saw as the serving government's selling out, Sergeant Shinano was in the first wave of serving personnel to transfer to it. She thrived in the new force, which took its lessons from Sturmtruppe and Spetsnaz in equal measure.

Though the SSDF was subject to greater operating restrictions than the other SDF branches and hobbled by chronically inadequate equipment and weak logistical support, it was outside the interfering reach of the UN and made up for its material weaknesses with strength of spirit. The interpersonal skills which eluded Haruna in her youth had begun to develop in the GSDF and matured in the SSDF: she rose through the ranks quickly, culminating in a promotion to colonel in 2012 and command of the regiment stationed in Atsugi.

Involvement in NGE: As leader of a sizable combined arms force, Colonel Shinano become one of the primary backups for Nerv following the total defeat of the bureaucracy-hobbled SDF by Sachiel. Though she cooperated when called for, Shinano never completely trusted Nerv: it smacked of the same creeping foreign domination which had driven her out of the GSDF and she resented its vastly larger budget, its cavalier requisition of SSDF assets and the trail of messes it left in its wake.

When Seele elected to dispose of Nerv's Japanese headquarters pursuant to initiating Third Impact, the Japanese government was manipulated into deploying the SSDF - which could be rapidly mobilized with minimal risk of Nerv being alerted - as the primary assault force, overt UN approval of the operation being held back until just before the attack began.

Shinano's troops made up a significant portion of the first surge into the Tokyo-3 Geofront where, in accordance with their orders and believing themselves to be tasked with protecting the world from a new impact event, they eliminated all Nerv personal encountered: Shinano herself authorized the execution of Eva pilots, understanding full well the damage even a single Eva could do to her men and material. Despite their efforts the SSDF failed to take the Nerv command center, exposing critical weaknesses in their own tactics and composition.

Fate: As the Mass Production Evas' Anti-AT Field grew, Shinano made a brief farewell to her surviving comrades and shot herself through the heart with her Hi-Power. Instrumentality revealed to her the way she and her fellow soldiers had been made puppets of Seele and the corrupt, ineffectual government.

Shock turned to a deep loathing of both herself and the system she had placed her trust in, but Haruna's will to live rebounded: not long after Shinji gave up on strangling Asuka, the colonel crawled out of the LCL determined - somewhere, somehow - to redeem herself.

Once again, very well-written BobBQ. Any takers?

NEXT TIME:
Zeak

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