Well, this is a bit bloody overdue! I have no excuses (aside from helping my mum move some things around in her sitting room. She was having a new carpet put down, you see) First off, I fear one of the promises I made last time I'll have to renege on. In specific where I said, "I'd put up some character notes", because I reckon you lot would much rather see that play out in the actual story and some of it's a bit "spoilery."
As for the rest, I shall be able to carry through. I've completely worked out the list of nations in the world seventeen years after Second Impact, and it really is different from what OG Sovereignty had. Here it is (categorised by continent.)
Asia
State of Japan
People's Republic of China
Russian Empire (the eastern half of a divided Russia, born from the uncharacteristically peaceful way the Second Civil War ended.)
Kingdom of Thailand
Vietnamese Republic (These last two threw off Chinese rule in the aftermath of the Third Sino-Japanese War.)
Americas
American Principate
United States of Columbia (broke off in the Second American Civil War)
Empire of Brazil (Reconstituted)
Republic of Chile
Argentine Republic
Oriental Republic of the Uruguay
Africa
Arab Republic of Egypt
Second Ethiopian Empire
Republic of Kenya
Republic of South Africa
Republic of Cameroon
Federal Republic of Nigeria
Republic of Ghana (All the remaining African States have a defensive pact, in reaction to a second Scramble for Africa on the part of Continental Europe as a way of preventing further British expansion.)
Middle East
Islamic Republic of Iran
State of Israel
Republic of Turkey
Europe
Imperial Isles of Britain (the nation itself. Put together with all its oversees territory, it is simply the Empire of Great Britain)
Sixth French Republic (if you're wondering why Belgium isn't on here, it's because France annexed the ruined nation it in all but name after the The Euro-Britannic War.)
Kingdom of Spain
Portuguese Republic
German Empire (Berlin did to Holland what Paris did to Belgium. All whilst reclaiming a whole load of Polish territory that was once German as compensation for providing aid during the Euro-Russian War.)
Kingdom of Sweden
Swiss Confederation
Republic of Austria (a protectorate of the German Empire)
Hungary
Czech Republic
Slovak Republic
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
Republic of Bulgaria
Hellenic Republic (Greece)
Kingdom of Italy (in the chaos of a world filled with suffering and war, the past can be an attractive place. Conservatism won out, and a scion of the House of Savoy was called to fill the long empty throne as a constitutional monarch.)
That's all of them. It's a damn sight shorter than the list would have been in 1999, but that's for reasons you're likely familiar with by now. This is a Lord Sovereign story after all!
Another change I've made is in terms of SEELE. As part of a massive overhaul of this organization, they have been renamed. SEELE is now the "Holy Path", to further amp up how much of a religious order they are. The top title of the Path is "Hierophant" as if that doesn't hammer the point home.
Now, one or two questions of my own. I'm thinking of renaming one or two things. Firstly, Tokyo-3 itself…who calls a City, "Tokyo-3?" The closest we get to that is "New York." In SoE (Sovereignty of Evangelion), Tokyo-2 would have been Kyoto and I have no idea why they'd rename such an ancient city, so it should remain as Kyoto. Therefore, Tokyo-3 doesn't quite fit to my mind. Do you think "Hakone City" or something along those lines could work?
And here's a controversial one; I'm thinking of changing Asuka's name. My reasons are as thus, in SoE both her and her mother identified far more with their German heritage than their Japanese. This makes me think that Kyoko would give her daughter more of a European/German name than "Asuka." I was thinking "Anna" could work nicely, especially with her family name of "von Zeppelin" (the Soryu part might just disappear altogether.) So, what do you think, Asuka Zeppelin Soryu (as it was in OG Sovereignty) or Anna von Zeppelin? Or something in between, I'm eager to hear your thoughts.
As for a nice segment of story, I just feel so damn generous that I shall give you about a thousand words. Behold, the opening of Sovereignty of Evangelion: Arrival.
"The truth is irrefutable. Second Impact changed this world forever and for the better. Its wrath and ruin swept the old order and all its corruption away, allowing our glorious nation to rise from the ashes and show all mankind the righteousness of our creed. The strong must rule the weak for the betterment of all.."
Princeps Henry Abrams, Chicago Rally, 4th July 2004
The survivors called it Second Impact.
On the 13th of September 2000, according to official reports, a meteor descended upon Antarctica. The ensuing cataclysms killed four billion.
Seventeen years later, the ice caps are gone and the world is gripped by perpetual summer. Meanwhile, new empires bloodily carve themselves into history. Technology has leaped forward, bettering our lives whilst enhancing our ability to wage war.
Man's trials are not over, however.
From the shadow of Impact comes its deadliest legacy. Seraphim, beings of unfathomable power awoken after eons of slumber, come to reclaim what was theirs. In doing so, they will exterminate what remains of Humanity.
All is not lost, though. As ever in such times, the unlikeliest heroes arise to meet the challenge.
Unfortunately, the Seraphim may not be our greatest concern. Something moves in the shadows, its dark goal spanning time immemorial.
XXX
6th May 2017
He sat alone, head leaning against the hard-plastic window, bag obviously placed on the seat next to him. Around him was a sea of chaos, of passengers squashed together like tinned sardines. Everyone from Ministers of Parliament to those visiting relatives in the Capital, made the commute. The train, sleek, advanced and seamlessly running along anti-grav rails, already looked as if it had seen better days. Litter sprinkled the floor like salt on a meal, the chocolate wrapper by his feet testament to this.
Despite having his earphones mercifully jammed in, Shinji Ikari could hear his surroundings. Inane gossip and screaming children caused the fifteen-year-old to rub his brow. Every utterance was like a knife to the ear.
Couldn't they have driven me from Kure? It would have been quieter…He futilely turned up the volume on his Walkman. Alas, one of the little ones behind him was getting very upset about something.
Sighing, Shinji watched the world go by to take his mind off things. The golden sun, that life giving fruit in the heavens, bore down on the world with its unrelenting rays. No fluffy clouds obscured its power, bathing Kanagawa Prefecture in light.
Rolling hills were covered in thickets of forest, hiding the occasional crystal blue lake. All was under the watchful gaze of distant Mount Fuji. Emerald green fields stretched out intermittently, the occasional settlement even less so. Most were ancient villages and towns, the wooden, pointed and curved roofs marking them out. One or two were modern, cream concrete blocks and grey roads built upon refugee centres thrown up immediately after Impact.
I was born in a place like that. If I'm going to be staying around here, might as well pay Atami a visit.
Mozart flowed like a sweet river into his ears, enhancing the beauty of rural central Honshu. Despite all the screeching "brats", Shinji focused on what zipped by outside. It was more than enough to consume his attention.
"Hello." Shinji frowned, thinking he'd heard something.
"Hello." Blinking and looking to his left, he saw a plump middle-aged woman in train staff uniform, pushing a trolley. Immediately, he paused his music and removed his earphones.
"Sorry." He forced a smile.
"No trouble. Would you like anything?" She smiled back, far sweeter than he could ever manage.
Shinji looked over the various packets of sweets, crisps and cake on there, then shook his head. "I'm alright. Made myself a packed lunch and got some tea from the station."
"There's chocolate bars waiting to go here…"
"I'm fine. Really." Out of sight, his foot fidgeted in annoyance.
Her brow wrinkled, as she seemed stuck halfway between moving on and staying. "You know I've been on this train since Kure too? You've been sitting by yourself all the way."
Shinji's wish to be somewhere else slammed into a wall of overwhelming warmth. He lowered his cerulean gaze, chest tightening. "I didn't have anyone to travel with. Anyway, we're close to my stop, no need to worry."
"If you're sure-"
"I'm sure. But thank you for checking on me." He cut her off with a lazy wave of his hand.
It's nice to know someone cares.
Nodding reluctantly, she moved on. Shinji was alone again, pondering what to do next. With all the noise around him, the young man was tempted to put his earphones back in. That, however, would run the risk of being caught off guard again. Deciding against it, he opened his black bag and retrieved a hefty tome with fading red cover.
A childish, infatuated grin spread across his lips. Shinji felt as if he were seven years old again, holding this for the first time.
Best book ever.
He could count the number of books on his rotting bookshelf back home with one hand, though they were all special in their own way. This, however, was precious beyond the rest, one of his treasures. Others had grown up watching Gundam or Dragonball; his great fictional journey had been to Middle Earth, with Tolkein as his guide.
Picking up where he left off, Shinji delicately turned the well-worn pages. Reaching up, he plucked his insulated plastic cup of tea from its holder, and gently put the hot liquid to his lips. Warmth shivered through him, contenting the young man. Never mind wailing children, he had a good book and a nice drink.
Lifting his angular head, Shinji tried to picture the Shire in the heart of rural Japan with little luck. Still, although it had lessened, his smile had not faded. Even though it was a symptom of unyielding thirty-degree Celsius temperatures, it was a beautiful day.
Was that any good? Because I personally found it to be quite a bit better than OG Sovereignty's beginning. Now, with all that out of the way, shall we get down to some questions?
(Another one from the "Guest" chap.) Good to see you back. Seems the rewrite proceeds at a good pace and you make good on your intended goals there.
So first of all, Tribulations and Truth are much better titles, even without knowing what the two books will be about, definitely go with them. A hidden meaning behind the name of the series; Now you made me curious. Will the Evangelions prior to the start of the series be regularly used as ultimate weapons among the most powerfull nations (similar to what Britain did with Samuel, only taken a step further); Or is perhaps SEELE's end goal here not Instrumentality but achieving Godhood by fusing themselves with the Evangelions; Am I close;
Pity that the terms S2-engine and AT-fields will no longer be used, I always liked those, through the new names you plan to introduce are much more realistic in that there is less Rule of Cool in play (Absolute Terror field might sound awesome, but what organisation/government would stand for such a name) and more naming after famous people and I presume the guy who invented/discovered these things.
Something I wanted to ask. What is the line of succesion for the Seraph throne and the actual familial relashionships there. Despite calling all of them his children apparently Rogziel and the Seraphs before him were only the nephews of the current ruler, with Zeruel as heir. So could you make us a family tree perhaps; Also what are the limits of Rei's telepathic abilities and may she develop more in time;
On a different topic, re-reading your previous announcement, do you plan to finish the entire series and then start posting at a regular schedule;
Until next time.
I'm glad you find the titles satisfactory. I fear you aren't very close at all (the sort of hidden meaning isn't very "earth shattering" or anything of the like.) The first use of Evas will be against the Seraphim, but without said existential threat, they'd have been used as weapons of war without doubt.
You are right on all accounts with that. I've never been too fond for the rule of cool, especially when it starts breaking other rules.
I would be happy to do a family tree, but I can explain the line of succession. Zeruel (placeholder name at the moment) is heir because he is the most powerful, that's about it. The Seraphim are not very advanced, as that seems quite akin as to how the Kings of ancient Sumeria got their thrones. On the other hand, that's because in many respects the Seraphim are quite backwards in comparison to us. Rei's telepathy is very basic, but it can and will be developed upon (oh you shall see, my dear readers.) Nothing too drastic of course, but developed nonetheless. However, causing actual harm is a bit beyond this sort of telepathy.
Hopefully I can do that, and it would be preferable. Either way, I will have plenty of "Arrival" written up by August 2019, so it's not impossible that I'll have finished with this book by then.
(Another guest) Something I forgot to ask before. When you write the various OC's do you have any real-life actors in mind you portray them after and if yes whom.
This one is difficult. Real life actors aren't something I really thought of, as I like picturing things in anime format. Same goes for the voices, despite the canon cast retaining theirs.
I haven't entirely figured out how the OC's will sound, aside from Lord Nethrin (renamed Netzach. Because why would the Duarudh use Hebrew names?) having Keith David's Arbiter voice.
(Another guest) Since you are currently rewriting this story I think that now is a good time to make a recommendation regarding one of this fics most glaring weaknesses. The Pilots, or more accurately the number of Pilots. You introduce the various Pilots we will see over the course of the story shortly after the defeat of Ramiel, yet until now only Asuka and Samuel have joined Shinji and Rei in the fight. I get the storytelling reasons for this. Introducing too many all at once will be very awkward and make ot difficult to give everyone the time necessary to develop as characters. Not to mention make the earlier fights perhaps too easy.
However there is no in-story reason for the absense of the other Pilots. Sure SEELE never had a exact timetable so the presence of only Rei at the beginning can be handwaved. But as soon as Sachiel was defeated every single nation with a Evangelion would have moved heaven and earth to see their Pilot moved to Japan. Not only because of the prestige of saving the world, but primarly because of a lack of trust. We saw the various nation leaders openly expressing their distrust to Gendo and plotting his death as soon as they don't need him a nymore (both completely justified reactions really) and its obvious to everyone that the moment the last Angel is dead there will be a massive battle-royal over which nation will have sole control over the Evangelions. People like these would never leave the fate of the world solely in the hands of Gendo and a hand-full of teenagers if they didn't have control of said teenagers in the first place. I hope you will sole this problem, either by introducing them more swiftly or by giving plausible in-story reasons for their absense.
This is actually one of my biggest motivators for starting again, as I realised how badly I cocked up in this regard. Now, whilst the Pilots certainly won't arrive all at once, they'll all be there by the end of the second "book" and the showdown with Nethrin. Hopefully that shall suffice as an answer. The only things keeping them are the speed at which the Seraphim attack, various diplomatic troubles, and transport time for those fuckhuge things known as Evangelions.
(From that "Seeking Professional Help" chap. I do hope he finds that help in the end…) All good.
I just hope you do the same thing with Rei, as what you did with her character in this story was probably one of the things I liked most about it.
Hmm, I presume you mean as in her brotherly relationship with Shinji and building on that? If so, I'm sure you'll be delighted to know that'll be more relevant than ever in SoE. In fact, it's quite a major part of Shinji and Rei's development in Arrival. If you mean as in all the stuff to do with Gendo…I feel I did a massive disservice to him in OG Sovereignty and will be revising quite a bit about him. If that is the case, my apologies, but it doesn't feel right.
Well, almost three thousand words this time. Hopefully it shall keep your interest until next month. In the meantime, as evidenced by that poor chap who most recently left a review, I need to put up updates on my other stories as I fear they'll be getting similar treatment to Sovereignty (long breaks for me to put everything together properly). If only I'd planned it out better in the first place…alas.
Until next time, my dear readers.