Some Author Notes:

Well, that's part two. How long this series is going, I don't know, but I'll try to squeeze a few Instrumentalities into it. Some things to get off my mind before I start Episode 3.

ACC's: I've never created an Author Created Character in a fanfic, at least not one like Pieter. My main worry is that I don't want Pieter Sohryu comes off as perfect or godlike, even if he's one of the central characters. Pieter technically is from the Anime, as in there he's a piece of s___ who cheats on Kyoko with her doctor, at one point having sex where Asuka can hear them. As we can tell, Pieter here is not like that. Here, he's a father of two children whom are more or less his entire world, but he still has to risk every time an Angel shows up. He's devoted to his until recently comatose wife. He's cordial, respectful, but something of a smartass every now and then. Also, he's never named in the Anime or Manga. As for personality, I asked myself "What if Captain John Sheridan ran NERV" and went with it from there, although I am a fan of Dual, so there is some Ken Sanada in the mix.

Hadsiel's also another tricky issue. I don't like Mary Sues or Marty Stus, and as much as I try to keep Pieter from being perfect, it's sort of tricky to introduce what's essential the Mary Sue equivalent of an Evangelion and keep it from blowing up in my face. Because that's what Hadsiel is. He's more powerful, more intelligent and more or less one of the lynchpins on why things are so different this time around. However, I have the excuse that he's 200' tall and possibly older than the physical universe.

Eva's not technically new. She's actually based on someone. One of the reviews figured it out. I run with that later.

Actually, she's also based on how they used the Berserker system in the Manga. In the Manga, Unit 01 loved Shinji in a prison sort of way.

The Shadowed Man isn't an ACC, either. You'll see why. Trust me.

AU: I'm an inherently cheerful person, and this reflects that. I'm still going to traumatize some of the characters plenty, but it'll be different. Consider:

Asuka: Now a better adjusted character. Why? She has a stable family upbringing. She had a sister to balance out her more…temperamental moods. I read Once More with Feeling, and there's a scene in it where someone explains to Shinji that when they were toddlers, Asuka and he were playing at the GEHRIN daycare. It ended with Asuka grabbing Shinji's toys and whacking him over the head with it. That's her in a heartbeat, especially before the tragedies. Yes, she's a brat, but now she's a brat without a horrifically (or hilariously) traumatic childhood. In fact, outside of Hikari, she may be the closest to sane of the entire cast this time around.

Shinji: More of a neophyte than before. Now everyone had a happier childhood than him, but because everyone's better adjusted, he's happier, to. He has a girl(?)friend, is respected, has been told right out that he saved the world, and is reconnecting with his father, to an extent. It helps that the core sentience of his giant mecha is a cute girl, although he does have guilt issues over Touji's sister and plenty of issues otherwise. He's a good kid with a crappy childhood, and has a whole lot of baggage hanging over him, but he makes the best of it. I haven't done much with him and Misato, but will next episode.

Rei: Hikari's good cop, Asuka's bad cop, and Rei's forensics. Yes, I read comic books, and Rei has superpowers because of it. She gets more as the story goes on. However, she's probably the most traumatized of the pilots because of the environment, mainly due to her attempted murder when she was nine. She has PTSD. What sort of sick bitch gives a nine year old girl PTSD? There's also the fact that she's probably the single most powerful living being on Earth, and I'm still trying to think of a way to describe her full Angel form, outside of 'Look for the parallel lines intersecting and move out from there.'

Dr. Gendo Ikari: A reviewer got it right. This is a Gendo who's without supreme power, missed his goals, and maybe, just maybe, is trying to find redemption by reconnecting with his son. He isn't hated; he's pitied, because in all honesty he deserves pity. Also, remember that as just the head of Project E, he's not scrutinized nearly as much as Pieter is. He can get away with a lot behind SEELE's back.

Ritsuko: I realized midway through this episode that Doctor Akagi would probably throttle her Anime counterpart, and especially shoot her Manga counterpart. Why? Because Doctor Akagi is, in this story, more or less Rei's mom, in spirit if not biology. And yes, she is in love with Pieter, much like the canon version's in love with Gendo, but the difference is that she has her mother around to constantly remind her of what she can become if she followed in her footsteps: Acidic, hated, and alone.

Naoko: Take everything unpleasant about the Anime and Manga version of Ritsuko and amplify it. Mix, stir, pour. Can she be redeemed? Yeah. It'll cost her, though.

Kaworu: Dear Lord, Kaworu. Our white-haired pretty boy knows a whole lot more than he shows.

Running Gags:

I like humor. I especially love humor in a place that seems out of place. From Mari using the Drill that will pierce the Heavens while trashing Berlin to Kaworu discussing his first date with Rei with the Chairman of SEELE. I figured if, given a chance, Asuka would kick an Angel in the nuts if she was pissed off enough, and that Pieter would by this point have a high tolerance for weird shit. I also found I used the same lines of dialogue very often:

"Touch my daughter and an Eva touches you."- Pieter's standing threat to anyone dating his kids.

"Maya will kill him if he tries anything."- Maya being Gay for Ritsuko is canon, practically. Whether or not Akagi realizes this, on the other hand…

"I took credits for it in college."- Maya knows everything. EVERYTHING. Rhythmic dance, education, auto repair. She took credits for it in college.

And Asuka's new Chainsaw will show up again.

Cliffhangers:

It's an addiction. But let me ask you this:

If Lilith is under Hadsiel's care on the moon…

What is in Terminal Dogma?