CONGRATULATIONS SHINJI

[failtactical]

[s-s-surprise candle call?!]

Comments

[failtactical]

What happened may have been your fault, but that doesn't mean you wanted it to happen. You tried your best for everyone. Even now, here in Aather, isn't that exactly what you're doing as a Knight?

[oedipuswreck]

What does it matter if I try, if I fail? I don't want to—to do that to Aather, too.

[failtactical]

Aren't you being too arrogant now? Something like that won't happen to Aather.

[oedipuswreck]

[his mouth snaps shut]

It would be nice if it were like that, but I've killed a few billion people, my estimation of my ability to mess things up is a little high.

[failtactical]

However many people may have died or not as a consequence of your acts—the Third Impact didn't happen because you're you. It happened because of your choices.

You're not a disaster magnet. You have control over your actions.

[oedipuswreck]

My choice was to try to rescue someone I cared about more than anything! That's all I wanted to do—! How can you—

[failtactical]

[winces just for a second]

If you'd known trying to save Rei would cause the Third Impact—would you have done things differently?

[oedipuswreck]

[stares at her]

[failtactical]

. . .

[oedipuswreck]

. . . Asuka was right.

I'm a brat.

[failtactical]

[ssshhhiiinnnjjjiii]

This isn't the best example because there was no good outcome. But you made your choice and you have to live with that.

Just keep in mind that people will always judge you for your choices and you can't always please everyone. So... at least for yourself, try to have no regrets.

[oedipuswreck]

Before I came here . . . something like that would seem impossible.

[failtactical]

I know...

[oedipuswreck]

. . .

Misato-san, I'm happy.

[failtactical]

[blinks]

Didn't you just say...?

[oedipuswreck]

I'm really happy here. So . . .

[failtactical]

So you want to stay here?

[oedipuswreck]

I . . . I want to stay here. And if I leave it would be to go back to Bones' world. They invited me . . .

[failtactical]

No one's going to force you to go back home, you know?

[oedipuswreck]

. . . I'm afraid.

[failtactical]

Afraid of what?

[oedipuswreck]

. . . it hurts more to hope and try and be let down—than to never really try.

[failtactical]

Mm... [nods]

But that's also what makes us human. We can't not try. We can't not have hope.

[oedipuswreck]

. . . I know. I—. . . Misato-san . . .

[he sags forward a little]

[failtactical]

. . .

[just waits for him]