Alternate Universe stories are pretty prolific on the FFML at the moment,
but have you ever stopped to consider that
*any* story set in the future,
especially those set only a small way into the future, could be said to be
set in an alternate universe? How? Simple. These stories, whether they take
the form of anime, novels or fanfic, are usually set in a universe in which
the story itself was never told. Think about it. Would near-future films
like 'Blade Runner' be the same if one of the characters remembered seeing
an old movie starring Harrison Ford? Read on...
NOTE: <SPOILER ALERT!> This may contain some spoilers for those of you who
haven't seen Evangelion, but it will probably make little sense if you
haven't seen the series anyway. It may also spoil the movies just a leetle
bit. You have been warned.
Disclaimer: Anything I own, I own. Anything I don't own, I don't own, and am
using without permission.
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And So It Begins...
By Adrian Forest
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A black screen, the word 'CHICAGO' in 36 point Arial.
Another screen, this one showing a date in similar type: 'SEP 13 2000'
Cut to 'Blair Witch Project'-style home video shots of large crowded room.
Thousands of people clad in varying shades of denim, and T-shirts with
familiar motifs, swarm around the room, milling wildly and speaking a
nonsensical language that contains words unknown to most of the human race.
A voice speaks from off-camera, a tight Seattle accent.
V.O.: Well, here we are, ItzaCon2K, Chicago. This has to be the best anime
convention we've been to this year, huh Brett?
The camera pans swiftly left, where a man stands in black jeans and
beer-stained 'Sailor Moon' shirt.
Brett: Yeah, definitely.
Camera pans back to the previous scene.
V.O.: Geez, there sure are a lotta people here.
Brett (o.s.): Hey man, you done shooting? I gotta go see End of, its on in,
like, a minute.
V.O.: Sure dude. Gimme a second. How was 'Death and Rebirth', anyway?
Brett (o.s.): Pretty cool. You'll like the fight scenes. Asuka uses one of
the VTOLs as a baseball bat against another one. That was kinda--
Another voice interrupts, the camera swinging round to reveal a girl wearing
a top that announces itself as 'The Official ItzaCon2K T-Shirt'.
Girl: Hey, that thing got TV?
V.O: What?
Girl: Has that camera got TV? I gotta find a TV!
V.O.: What's goin' on?
Girl: Something's happened, I gotta find a TV!
The girl runs off, away from the camera.
Brett (o.s.): Dude, somethin's happenin' here.
V.O.: Yeah, that was weird.
A loud voice comes from far off, and the camera pans again to face it, but
all the camera shows is a gathering crowd, the voice seeming to have come
from somewhere in the middle.
Voice: We gotta TV over here people!
Brett: Let's go man.
Camera starts to move shakily towards the crowd, pushing through to a view
over someone's shoulder, showing a TV on top of a video machine, set on a
low table. The TV shows a black woman newsreader at a desk, a satellite
photo of a red explosion on a blue background behind her.
Newsreader: ...Department of Defense has released a statement confirming
that the explosion was not caused by any known weapon. Early reports
indicate the explosion may have been caused by a meteorite impacting with
the Earth. Repeating that story, a large explosion has occurred in
Antarctica. No casualties have yet been confirmed...
Voice: Shit man, it's happened!
Newsreader: ...UN research base...
Another Voice: Whoa, cool!
Newsreader: ...heavy flooding...
Third Voice: That is
*so* freaky!
Newsreader: ...satellite photos...
First Voice: Fuck, it's really happened!
Newsreader: ...them now...
Fourth Voice: Shut up, I wanna hear!
Newsreader: ...the Bureau of Meteorology.
The TV screen now shows large satellite footage, white crosshairs over the
edge of a blue circle. Suddenly a flash appears in the blue circle, and the
screen fills with static. Then the static disappears, showing a slowly
expanding red dome over the blue circle. The TV cuts back to the newsreader
First Voice: Fuck, I don't believe this!
Newsreader: ...Antarctica. No...
Second Voice: Its exactly the same as the show!
Newsreader: ...statement issued...
Third Voice: Hey, anybody got a video here?
Newsreader: ...known weapon...
Second Voice: Hey, good idea. (louder) Hey, anybody got Evangelion on video
here?
Newsreader: ...reports indicate...
Fifth Voice (far off): Yeah, which one you want?
Newsreader: ...meteorite...
Second Voice: Which ones you got?
Fifth Voice (closer now): All thirteen. And the movies.
Newsreader: ...with...
Second Voice: Give us, uh, give us�
Newsreader: ...State Department...
First Voice: Give us 'Death'.
Fifth Voice: Sure. (Rustling noises)
Newsreader: ...flooding in Australia...
A hand clutching a video cassette enters the frame from the left, and passes
the cassette to someone whose head is out of shot on the right of frame. The
other person takes it, and moves towards the TV, slipping it into the video
machine, then standing back. The TV screen turns blue, then shows kanji
characters drifting seemingly at random across a black screen. Across the
bottom of the screen runs what looks like yellow writing, illegible to the
viewer. The camera zooms in, but the writing is still illegible.
First Voice: This subbed?
Fifth Voice: No, dubbed. I just bought it this morning.
The TV screen becomes blurred, the tape fast forwarding, then stopping on
what looks like black and white video footage, the date showing 'AUG 15
2000'.
The camera goes to static.
Cut to more professional looking footage, of another TV screen, somewhere
else. On this TV, a different newsreader sits in front of a familiar shot of
a red explosion against a blue field. The newsreader speaks rapidly in
Japanese.
Cut to blackness. The camera pans right, revealing a woman's face,
illuminated by the glow of the television screen, short brown hair around
her ears. Pan further right, an older man, white hair and long face, across
which the light of the TV plays. Pan even further right, across the face of
a younger man, about thirty-three, thirty-four, glasses reflecting the
newsreader, hands clasped in front of his face, below which his mouth is
parted slightly in a somehow sinister smile.
Cut to profile shot of the last, the man with glasses, in front of the older
man and the woman.
Gendo: And so it begins...
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"Gott ist in seinem Himmel, alles gut mit der Welt"
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Check out EVA 2055 at:
http://www.geocities.com/dalziel_86/index2.htm
Currently the archive is up to:
Episode 7.0, Exodus 0:7 "Twenty-First Century Schizoid Man"
Yes, this means the archive is ahead of the FFML!
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"Automatisch f�r die V�lker" (Don't ask ^_^)
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