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rei
the copy of a woman who was never meant to come back. she had no purpose in life besides from the one others assigned to her, and even in her dying moments, she never truly chose what *she* herself wanted. she had no motivation to live, yet she stayed anchored to earth because of the needs of other people. rei was cursed by having nothing to live for.
asuka
a girl who only did things to seek out the praise and attention of others. all she wanted was for someone to see her for herself, but even the people who saw her only did so for their own sakes. she wanted to grow up quickly and make her own choices because she wanted to prove that she was special. she wanted to prove that she wasn’t just a doll. she wanted to live for herself, but once those who had praised her left, she forgot that goal because she thought she wasn’t good enough. asuka was cursed by having no one who saw her as enough.
ritsuko
a cold-blooded scientist. she couldn’t understand the unbreakable bond of love, and died because of that. even if she was slapped, screamed at, or even shot, she followed her own logic to the very end. some might say she was smarter because of that logic, but because she couldn’t come to terms with her own humanity, she couldn’t accept it when she herself felt the painful grip of love and jealousy. she was cursed with only ever seeing things logically.
misato
the opposite of ritsuko. she only ever followed her own instincts and wants, diving deep into alcoholism because of that. however, because of that same desire to follow her heart, she was a more empathetic person than ritsuko. but even despite that, she still didn’t understand why she felt so lonely even after following her temptations. even after she did everything that she desired, she still felt empty inside. she was cursed with only ever seeing things through the lenses of her own desires.
gendo ikari
a glimpse of what shinji might become. despite shinji’s hatred towards him, he is the exact same as him, if not more extreme. after he experienced yui’s kindness towards him, he was desperate to experience it again even after she disappeared, doing horrible things just to reunite with her. everything he had ever done was just to be with yui again. everything he had ever done was just to experience more happiness again. he was cursed with being unable to accept the pain in life.
shinji
a boy who wanted to just run away. he was forced to grow up too quickly, and all he wanted was to just be a normal kid. but too many people depended on him. too many people placed their needs and dreams on them. he was used as a tool, a weapon. all he wanted was to be a kid. but in the end, it was too late for him to become just a normal kid again. he had already seen too much, learned too much, been through too much. shinji was cursed with being an adult at 14 years old.