First off, let me complain that there's not a next chapter yet.  Grr.  
You've had me glued to a monitor for two weeks now reading all of this.

Second, let me state up front I've never seen Neon Genesis Evangelion.  If 
someone wants to tell me where I can download episodes, I can correct that, 
but I'm coming to this completely ignorant of who these characters are or 
how they're *supposed* to act.  And in all honesty, you've probably forever 
ruined the chance of me not feeling vaugely dissapointed when I finally do 
see NGE, because they won't be these characters, or this story.

Thank you.  Coming from me, that's actually a compliment on doing a good 
job.  It's like I will never again be able to read LoTR without being 
disappointed in Sam being such a whiney tag-a-long and not the wonderful 
character he was in the movie.  Or thinking Ranma and Shampoo are a little 
too shallow in canon after reading such works as Shampoo 1/2, or Hearts of 
Ice.  Sometimes, the rewrite is better.

I can't say that for certain here, but I'm willing to bet NGE had no where 
near the depth you've given the characters here.  From what little I've read 
of NGE fics, I seriously doubt Gendo is the quiet hero he's portrayed here 
as, at the least.

And yes, I do see Gendo as a hero.  Despite all his coldness, he's driven by 
one goal, and one goal only.  The survival of the Human race as a free 
species.  For all he courts SEELIE and technically serves them, it has 
become increasingly obvious he's out to save mankind from the Elder Gods by 
any means needed.  He's sacrificed everything else for that goal, even his 
own wife and son, but for the goal he seeks, he had no choice.  Like any 
true Lovecraftian hero, he's become possessed of too much knowledge to 
remain... *human*

That's where a lot of the admiration I have for this work comes in, the mix 
of Lovecraftian horror in a modern setting.  Yes, humanity has become jaded, 
and technology make those *undreamed of mysteries* a lot less mysterious, 
but you've managed to capture a lot of that horror, while still keeping the 
humor typical in so many anime.  The constant uses of prophecy help set that 
tone well.

So does the death of various characters we've come to know, like Kensuke.  
(You've actually made me look up "The King in Yellow" and it's next on my 
reading list.)  War is like this.  People die, and it helps to bring up a 
personal connection to the story.  And the way they sometimes die brings the 
horrors home.  The Throne, the Violator, and Adam all brought the elements 
so common to Lovecraft and his fellow horror writers into play, where they 
were met with a modern attitude of "you can only scare me so much before I 
strike back."

It's the line about Hope being the one weapon the Elder Gods couldn't fight 
that really drove the point home.  HPL's work was about hopelessness, the 
inevitability of the Elder Gods victory over a weak and ignorant mankind, 
yet it was written in the dawn of mankind's new age of knowledge.  CoaEG is 
set in the fullness of that new age, where ignorance is slowly being cast 
aside, and understanding is giving the Elder Gods a kick in the ass.

I also like the way it seems that Mankind is being tested by the Outer Gods, 
to see if they are worthy of surviving where so many others have failed, and 
see if they can keep their humanity in the face of overwhelming power that 
has corrupted such mighty and intellegent beings, leaving them as unable to 
control their basest instincts as the lowest animal.

That was Adam's failure with Rei.  She controlled her animal self and stayed 
human.  And had she not failed to control the urges of the Violator, and 
felt remorse for her failure to do so, would she have had the strength to do 
so?  For all her inhumaness, I think Rei may end up the one who learns the 
most about being human.  I do hope Asuka gets over herself soon and realizes 
Anna is in love with her, and that she is "protesting too much" about having 
had sex with a girl.  The longer she keeps Shinji dangling, the more 
complicated she makes everything.

And yes, I do think that the Sixth Child is the key, because if all the 
Children have loves, then they become far stronger against anything that 
Cthulu or Narlythotep can pull.  Hikari and Touji, Anna and Asuka, and Rei 
and Shinji are what I see.  Six EVA  for a Seal of Solomen verses five for a 
pentegram.

And I am curious as to what Akane is up to.  It's hard to figure if she's a 
cultist, or just curious, but she's definately up to something, and I don't 
yet know if it's a good thing or a bad thing.  I'm not really sure Misato 
and Makoto are a match made in heaven.  But I definately think Maya and 
Ritsuko make a cute couple.  Maybe Asuka will learn something from them.

By the way, if you haven't guessed, Rei is my favorite from this story.  
She's the ultimate outcast trying to fit it.  She has everything I used to 
like so much about Illyana Rasputin, a truly dark side she has rejected, and 
constantly has to fight against, yet the very struggle not to give in has 
made her far more human in ways than anyone gives her credit for.  She chose 
to stay in her cell after the Violator, and she has chosen to try and seek 
forgiveness.  And, as usual, Asuka is being a spoiled brat.  While, yes, it 
was a horrible thing, she had the power to make Rei stop.  She needs to 
realize she was affected every bit as much as Rei.  She participated as much 
as Rei did.  She needs to stop being a princess and a snob.

Humm.  Well, that's my opinion anyway.  If you continue the way you have so 
far, whatever the outcome, I'm sure I'll enjoy it.  It's been far too 
wonderful so far.  I don't get to enjoy stories this good often, so I hope 
the continuation will come soon.

Please????  I'll even volunteer to beta if it will help it come out sooner.

LSM



*******************************************
The most preposterous motion that H. sapiens has ever dreamed up it that the 
Lord God of Creation, Shaper and Ruler of all the Universes, wants the 
saccharine adoration of His creatures, can be swayed by prayers, and becomes 
petulant if He does not receive this flattery. Yet this absurd fantasy, 
without a shred of evidence to bolster it, pays all the expenses of the 
oldest, largest and least productive industry in all history.
-- Lazarus Long --




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