Adeptus Evangelion - Rebuild of Stupidity!

[Deeox2]

Hey all. I drew basically every single character in AdEva.

Here's the full collection.

Spoiler

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As you can see, I basically got better at drawing them as time went on, lol.

[Arraxis]

You've gotten to the point where you could potentially do a webcomic like Order of the Stick or something :D

[Elvis Strunk]

Order of AdEva when

[Deeox2]

Well now that the idea has been injected into my brain.

Soon!?

[Jynx]

Well... Not entirely related, but figured out why not.

Once upon a time, Wooly was discussing what types of reactors Sleipnir would be provided with, to provide the necessary electricity outuput for the beautiful GPC.

I think it was somehow discussed in this thread, though it's become too long for me to manually search for it and the few keywords I tried did not give any meaningful results. Anyhow, I recall we settled for a Generation IV nuclear reactor, if only because the term is a nice blanket for basically anything advanced and compact enough to satisfy the requirements of being transportable and giving the absurd amount of power needed for the weapon to even work.
I cannot honestly give a realistic estimate for the power output. We're talking complete science fiction here. Anyhow, for the sake of it, let's say we're in the range of some GWs, if only because anything much larger than that would be impossible to achieve right now realistically (the largest nuclear power plants currently existing are around 6-8 GW).

However, we never discussed the nature of the conversion device from the heat of the nuclear reactor to the electricity needed to power the GPC. And here's where I get in.
Traditionally, nuclear plants use steam cycles. It's basically a very old technology (we are talking beginning of Industrial Revolution), but rather efficient. The main issue with it is that it's very very big (the density of steam is small). As a reference, a steam turbine (the device that practically generates the electricity, using water that has been first pressurised by a pump then heated, becoming steam, by the reactor) can be dozens of meters long, and a nuclear plant may have up to 8 steam turbines. Not very suitable for our purposes, don't you think?

Curiously enough... My final thesis' topic regards a very special technology. Basically, an interesting possibility involves the use of carbon dioxide rather than water/steam as a fluid for the process I just mentioned. This is especially interesting if we keep the carbon dioxide above the critical pressure - you may not be familiar with the concept, but for every substance there does exist a pressure above which there is only the gaseous phase: we call it critical pressure. If we keep our carbon dioxide above that value, the efficiency of the process increases dramatically and becomes comparable to traditional steam techonologies - for reasons that are probably not worth explaining here.
A very beneficial side effect is that, since the pressures are so high, the density of the fluid is much higher; therefore, the machinery is incredibly more compact - we are talking something a ten-times reduction of dimensions.

I think this technology - which is called sCO2 (or supercritical CO2) may be worth considering, assuming the GPC ever gets into place...

As a side note, it's pretty much a 'hot lead' in terms of research these days. Quite a few studies, also for applications that are beyond power generation (refrigeration, carbon capture, etc.). The US leads the way, having estabilished a complete demonstration loop at SNL (Sandia National Laboratories), around a decade ago. There's the feeling that in the next decade or so we may see this type of technology actually implemented somewhere... But we'll see.

Alas~ Sorry for the ramble. I did think it was amusing how my studies brought me in a direction that was also somehow related to AdEva.

[WeAreTheMeta]

Meh, while I do like the idea of technology advancement, especially since it's related to AdEva (I always like learning some fact like these), it reminded me that France used to be big in nuclear, but since we're going along with everyone else on the 'nuclear is bad' train (even though it's actually quite a 'clean' energy, since radioactive waste don't take much space in the end, and uranium is one of the most sustainable fossil fuel at the rate we're going) I don't know if we'll really see power plant utilising this technology, for the sole fact that no matter what technology is used, building a nuclear power plant isn't seen as great these days.

[Arraxis]

It does still require mining, however, and to use here as an example, the uranium's underneath a lot of environmentally sensitive areas. It's super expensive to get up and running with the supply chain.

[Jynx]

Meh, while I do like the idea of technology advancement, especially since it's related to AdEva (I always like learning some fact like these), it reminded me that France used to be big in nuclear, but since we're going along with everyone else on the 'nuclear is bad' train (even though it's actually quite a 'clean' energy, since radioactive waste don't take much space in the end, and uranium is one of the most sustainable fossil fuel at the rate we're going) I don't know if we'll really see power plant utilising this technology, for the sole fact that no matter what technology is used, building a nuclear power plant isn't seen as great these days.

sCO2 cycles are cycles that can be used in virtually any application which requires a thermodynamic engine (a device that turns heat into electricity). The concept is the same as a Joule Brayton cycle, if you've already encountered the term. Nuclear is one possibility - and actually the first they were envisioned for - but they have also been proposed for traditional fossil fuels power plants, or CSP (Concentrated Solar Power) applications. Also, CO2 can be used as a refrigerant (and if you know about it you'll know that they're the same components as a power cycle). Finally, the machines that could be used in the cycles could also be useful for applications related to CCS (Carbon Capture and Storage) and other fields I do not know of right now.

It all goes a bit beyond the impact of uranium mining. Anyhow, for what's worth, a big part of the world is still investing a lot in nuclear energy (China is the foremost example, but the US is still big on that) and I do believe that both France and Germany will not entirely leave the field. Same for Japan, which is gradually turning on again its plants (shut down after Fukushima).

[Deeox2]

Oh, AdEva... How I missed ye~ I reread some choice passages, some of the ones I found particularly interesting.

I found it very interesting how Steiner states that he had found purpose in being a Pilot, but spends the vast amount of time for the rest of the game trying to grapple with his place in the organization. It's fascinating, and very well written. I wonder if Azami could have positioned herself in such a way as to pry him open, but we'll never know. That would have been very interesting to explore with you, Jynx, assuming that Phillip and Azami would have been able to reconstitute Steiner. I know Sachiko and Rabbit had conversations with Steiner, but they never really seemed to be able to dig in deep enough. I really wonder if we could have gotten deep enough to explore those feelings of inadequacy and not feeling like they belong. I WISH I COULD EXPLORE THOSE THEMES WITH YOU, JYNX.

As for Yuki and Takumi, I have the same compliments. Rev and Arra really were able to lay the emotional rockbed, providing much more stable characters. If we didn't have them, all we'd do is have the others lamenting their pains, and that's not fun if it's the only thing. I'm not trying to say you had more simple characters, but the real deep emotional stuff was likely to come far after, considering what Elvis has told me. Oh well~ But Takumi's commitment to Ishihara and Yuki's unyielding hero complex... Oh, man! Amazing!

Phillip! Oh, Phillip! I love how Phillip is proven right time and time again that anger and violence are justified. I was reading the first fight in the canon thread between Elidia and Phillip, and all the Pilots beat him into the ground emotionally. To see the gradual buildup as Azami works toward opening him up emotionally, and have him turn it around on her and provide immense support for her own trauma? Genius! God, that was amazing! I really would have liked to see them solidify their friendship more thoroughly and see if it could be truly be put to the test. Now that... Ooo. Shivers down my spine.

Elidia! Oh, Wooly! I have seen the light! You did such a good job! I love how Elidia was raised to see the world as an us against them narrative and how that reinforced itself through her own actions. With Azami and Phillip, she initiates fights with both of them, and only ends up flaring up the traumas of both of them, resulting in her being able to become a victim once again. I love it. I would have really liked her relationships with the other Pilots to shift a bit, though. If, for just a bit... She opened up to one of the Pilots she saw as an enemy, I would have loved to see the result! Even if the result was good or bad, it would have been spectacular! Their ideologies seemed so different but... Ugh! I wish I could have seen the end result of the conflict! I am nothing in the light of the Shambler!

ELVIS! God, all your NPCs were brilliant. You had all these concurrent side plots, people with their own agendas, pushing the Pilots this way and that. It was utterly amazing to watch. I loved how you were able to bring out the personalities of the NPCs in their interactions with the PCs. I loved seeing Darius' commitment to duty, but also to his friends. I loved seeing Gerard's goofy antics, but also the dark interior he was hiding beneath. I loved how Sachiko was dark and mysterious , but held a kind heart beneath it all. KNAT. Oh man, Knat. He was so kind, and he shouldered all the trauma he had just so none of the other new Pilots would be scared of the trauma they would receive through the same ordeal! AMAZING. SPECTACULAR. (Also Rabbit was very cute. I still wuv her.)

and uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. i guess i kinda got good at writing at the end. i love my gay daughter

[Merne23]

Phillip! Oh, Phillip! I love how Phillip is proven right time and time again that anger and violence are justified. I was reading the first fight in the canon thread between Elidia and Phillip, and all the Pilots beat him into the ground emotionally. To see the gradual buildup as Azami works toward opening him up emotionally, and have him turn it around on her and provide immense support for her own trauma? Genius! God, that was amazing! I really would have liked to see them solidify their friendship more thoroughly and see if it could be truly be put to the test. Now that... Ooo. Shivers down my spine.

I realized this at the time, and it was my primary concern.

I crack open Phil for a momentary weakness, and Elidia uses that weakness to attack him. He has no recourse because it wasn't an equivalent exchange, so he flies at her in a rage. Azami is incensed by the violence, Yuki sees it as a Thug Move, and Eli more or less expected it to happen (begging the question, why). So he's proven right that he has nothing to fight for here -- not the city, not the people, and especially not his other Pilots. Anatoly of course rides to the rescue in bringing him back to the fold, eventually, and with much difficulty.

How do I go from that, to being chummy with anyone?

Divide and Conquer. With Azami seeming to share some part of his worldview, it was all a matter of making sure he was talking to her. Not NERV, or a doctor, or someone sending her to him. Really talking to Azami, without anything in the way. His talks with her before the climax of the Camael fight are tame, speaking in plainer truths and harder facts, not prying too much into her, not prying too far into himself. Testing, gauging the waters. Then he was faced with the reminder from home, and found her out alone, with literally only the ruins of the world around her.

And watching Azami be torn between her loyalty to her soldiery and her first real friendship since her failed squad would have been exhilarating. Pretty much the 'breaking out of her shell' that I was demanding from our Cardboard Girl.

Also may I point out that each of Phil's nicknames, based in part by OOC observations and knowledge, are concise and cut right to the heart of what someone was. The Fierce Girl Elidia, fighting for a world that doesn't exist, against enemies she makes herself. The Small Player Yuki, bright and bubbly, always up for a challenge or friendly match. The Trained Dog Azami, so locked up in her own beliefs that were forced upon her, stronger if she let that fuel her instead of be her. He couldn't have known this much about them from what he saw, but he still placed these labels on them regardless. I would call it intuition, his ability to read others, if I had to call it anything at all.

Is a shame I didn't get to make him more interdependent with more of the main cast, but the only person I could see him interacting much with would have been Takumi, since Yuki was so solidly in Elidia's pockets.

Though on a positive note! My experience with Phirru has opened me up to the idea of more aggressive and angry characters, rather than the 'Lawful Stupid' like Lenna, or the 'Overall Good People' I usually play. Even if I didn't see this to a conclusion, the spirit of the Trodaire Aonair (Lone Fighter) lives on.

After all, there is still work to be done.

[Jynx]

I found it very interesting how Steiner states that he had found purpose in being a Pilot, but spends the vast amount of time for the rest of the game trying to grapple with his place in the organization. It's fascinating, and very well written. I wonder if Azami could have positioned herself in such a way as to pry him open, but we'll never know. That would have been very interesting to explore with you, Jynx, assuming that Phillip and Azami would have been able to reconstitute Steiner. I know Sachiko and Rabbit had conversations with Steiner, but they never really seemed to be able to dig in deep enough. I really wonder if we could have gotten deep enough to explore those feelings of inadequacy and not feeling like they belong. I WISH I COULD EXPLORE THOSE THEMES WITH YOU, JYNX.

I, well.
As you remember, I had no experience with roleplaying before AdEva, and as with all new experiences, I was... Perhaps, too invested in the game. Steiner was too personal for my and everyone else's good. What happened in the game itself was indeed very personal - in that Steiner mostly was on his own, and my own focus was on him and him alone, rather than the world or the other PCs at large.
In the end, his inadequacy was my own, which is why I even dropped out and then, feeling I was missing out on too much, I decided to come back.

Anyway, even if it ended up like this - I still am very glad for the fun time we spent together. Won't forget it anytime soon, that's for sure.