Sometimes, when I need to do something a little silly, or the idea for some scenes present themselves, I have the characters step back from the 'set' for a bit, and see what's going on 'behind the camera'. What began as some random comedy bits has become a big enough parallel story in A&T that I thought it was time to post them here… especially since the 2017 A&T Christmas Special hit 5200 words, all written on Christmas Eve.

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And keep in mind, one of the main jokes I started and ran with is the 'actors' playing each part are usually as different as possible from their characters in the 'show': Shinji's a quietly confident young man who has a great relationship with his parents, Asuka's a shy ingénue off-stage, Rei is an extroverted social butterfly, Gendo is a laid back cool dad and the most friendly member of the cast, and so on…

Actually… Gendo is pretty much The Dude from The Big Lebowski.

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Hey, I'm stuck in Baghdad and 6723.19 miles from my family, (yes, I checked) so why not?

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We're up to 10 Backstage segments now, though the early ones are short.

In the meantime, enjoy!

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Filming a major series like Advice & Trust is hard work, but the dedicated crew of actors make it happen. But from the wild social butterfly playing Rei Ayanami to the globetrotting adventurer playing Gendo Ikari, things can get a little strange. These are the true stories of what goes on behind the scenes and between takes at Avalon Studios…

Backstage #1 - Griping

Rei: "Man, I hate doing some of these comedy omakes. I always come off sounding like a total space-case. Or worse, like I'm obsessing over the new guy. I mean, he does have a great ass, but still..."

Asuka: "Hey, you liked doing the Heartwarming one. Or all the 'We Can't Post This Here!' ones for the 'Israfel Special AU!'."

Rei: "Oh yeah, I loved those. Especially the rehearsals." :-3

Shinji: "Am I going to have to take more vitamin E tonight?"

Asuka: "Like you're complaining?"

Shinji: "Do I look stupid?"

Asuka: "Not yet, but I can guarantee you're gonna have one of those 'ahegao's by tonight!"

Shinji: "I love this project..."

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Elsewhere:

Ritsuko: "We can't film this next part! Me and Maya chasing Rei with tranq guns while she terrifies Aoba in a closet? GreggHL's going to sue!"

Fuyutsuki: "At least you've got a part. The way things are going, I'm half worried I'm going to end up shipped with the Commander."

Hyuga: "...MY EYES! I CAN'T UNSEE IT!"

Gendo: "My character would say 'Fuck all y'all', but I'm just going to put out the sandwiches I made for everyone and pack another bowl. Anyone want a hit?" ~bong gurgles~

Aoba: ~takes the bong, does a hit~ "Dude, you are so much more chill than your character." ~coughs~

Gendo: "I know, I'm awesome. Who wants chips?"