Neon Genesis Evangelion/AU/Fanfic Recs

These are recommendations made by Tropers for Neon Genesis Evangelion Alternate Universe fics, which may include Alternate Character Interpretation, Dark Fic and other types, all of which have to be signed to stay on the page. Feel free to add a fanfic of your own to the list, but remember to use the template found here.

You can also add to the current recommendations if you want. Refrain from posting Conversation in the Main Page though; that goes in the discussion page.

What the statuses mean

 * Complete - Exactly What It Says on the Tin
 * Ongoing - The fic is being updated on a regular basis, or has received an update after being tagged as Dormant or Dead.
 * Dormant - Either: The author has placed the fic on hiatus; or the fic has gone for several months to a year or more without an update but the author has not pronounced it dead.
 * Dead - The fic has not been updated in several years, or the author has specifically said that it will not be updated.

'''Some of the fics on this page feature content intended for older audiences. Please pay attention to the Tags sections on the recs, and check the pages for any tags you're not familiar with. You've been warned.'''

Evangelion Genocide: Extended by Rommel
 * Recommended by: Chuckman, User:Enthryn, Miragician, RN 452
 * Status: Complete
 * Synopsis: Starting where Episode 24 left off; NERV manages through political maneuvering to avert SEELE's attack for a time. Shinji gets time to recover somewhat from the death of Kaworu at his hands, and is getting into the routine of everyday life again. But with the appearance of new angels of a questionable origin, Rei no longer being the girl he once knew, the very complicated relationship with the recently re-awakened Asuka, and the selection of a new pilot, life is just as difficult as always, if not more so. And meanwhile, unbeknowst to him and the other pilots, an even bigger plot involving the shadowy and merciless official, Musashi Kluge, who will stop at nothing to crush NERV, and The Emerald Tablet, a strange and unpredictable computer program for which Gendo has great plans, unfolds in the background. The relationships between the pilots are handled incredibly well, original characters are inserted seamlessly, and the story maintains the feel of Eva, without succumbing to the pitfalls of many other stories which explore the same territory.

The Second Child / Promises To Keep, by James Lee
 * Recommended by: Cast
 * Status: Complete
 * Synopsis: "A story that runs in parallel with End of Evangelion. This is the Third Impact as experienced by the Second Child. Note: Official Final Draft finished 4/16/01."
 * "This fic was nominated for the 2001 Tako Ball Awards for these categories: Best Structure, Best Characterization of the Children (Runner-Up), and Most Creative Use of Source Material (Runner-Up). Third-party reviews of this fic are available at the Project-R Fan Fic Review site and at Fan Fiction.net." (Original author notes from original GeoCities website.)

My Fantasy by Shibata Kimiko
 * Recommended by: fernanj003
 * Status: Complete
 * Synopsis: "A lonely young girl just wants to be normal...but it's always out of reach. One-shot. Some adult language. Psychological." An alternate take on Rei as she may have been in our universe. While not a long Fanfiction, it is rather well written; the scenes are neither too long, nor are the transitions abrupt. Though this troper has to wonder if the author had by any chance read the WMG of this page.

A Throne of Bayonets by LVDB
 * Recommended by: User:Fitz
 * Status: Complete
 * Synopsis: Another post-Third Impact continuation fic. With the world in ruins after Third Impact, Shinji and Asuka have to pick up the pieces of their own lives--and the rest of humanity's--in the middle of a really complicated political situation.

The Children and the Fury by Andrew Aelfwine
 * Recommended by: User:Looney Toons
 * Status: Complete
 * Synopsis: A cry for justice summons a Fury to Tokyo-3, but after her work is done, the loneliness of a young boy calls out to her.
 * Tags: One-shot, implied Lemon

Unreal by Hotwire (one of several fics in the link)
 * Recommended by: User:Operation Shoestring, User:Willbyr
 * Status: Complete
 * Synopsis: Welcome to Tokyo 3, 2018. This is not the Tokyo 3 you know. The Angels never came. The Evas were never built. Nerv never existed. And, as Asuka Langley Soryu is discovering, something is wrong. Something is...missing.

The Case of Lorenz Kihl by Hotwire (Also available here)
 * Recommended by: User:Operation Shoestring, User:Inkki Bookman, User:Willbyr
 * Status: Complete
 * Synopsis: Third Impact reaches the man who started it all. It is time for the Chairman of SEELE to reap what he has sown.

The Gods Within by Scriviner
 * Recommended by: User:Looney Toons, User:Willbyr
 * Status: Dead
 * Synopsis: Shy and introverted Asuka Langley Soryuu is finally coming to Tokyo-3 to join the secretive organization known as NERV, headed by Dr. Yui Ikari. Along the way she'll meet a boy her age named Shinji who has both confidence and powers far beyond those of mortal men -- and she'll learn that she's far from ordinary herself.

Aoi by Random1377
 * Recommended by: User:Inkki Bookman, User:Lavanya Six, User:Willbyr, MAI 742
 * Status: Complete
 * Synopsis: Shinji dies, Gendo's scenario goes out the window, and the lives of certain characters...I won't spoil it for you.
 * Tags: Dark Fic

Soundless Music: Seconds' Clock, by Merridian
 * Recommended by: Kchasm
 * Status: Complete
 * Synopsis: Rain, a string quartet, and a passing train link the fragments of Shinji's jumbled life.

The Reality Zone, by Merridian
 * Recommended by: Kchasm
 * Status: Complete
 * Synopsis: A thought is a meaningless electrospasm. To dream is to imagine that which is all but unfathomable. Comprehensibility is variable and not guaranteed. This is not lucid. This is the Reality Zone.

Normal to Reality, by User:Midnight Cereal
 * Recommended by: Kchasm, User:Guessmyname, Darkaros, User:Willbyr
 * Status: Complete
 * Synopsis: Shinji's life, years after Third Impact, begins to grow more and more surreal.

Eva-R by m0dus Productions (Link)
 * Recommended by: Alaska Slim
 * Status: Complete
 * Synopsis: An alternate continuation scenario right after Tabris/Kaworu/ the 17th Angel attack where a 6th child and 6th Eva join the crew, Biblical references are taken more literally, and a new set of "artificial" angels have become the new foe. Features two conclusions representing the "series" and "film" endings as the writers see it. It is made by a large coalition of fans whose work is not limited to just writing, but also original artwork, music, and even a video featuring CGI work and Tiffany Grant, Asuka Langley Soryu's English voice actress.
 * Tags: Script Fic

Evangelion: Redemption by Alex Voutsis
 * Recommended by: User:Lavanya Six, User:Willbyr
 * Status: Complete
 * Synopsis: Branching off of Episode 52 of Eva-R PRIME, Evangelion: Redemption was written in a long gap between Eva-R PRIME updates as an alternative continuation of its events. Following Asuka's decision to remain in Tokyo-3 after recent troubling events, she and Shinji participate in a strange synchronization experiment that has far-reaching consequences. Rei and her adopted son Tenkei face the impending judgment of Commander Ikari. In the United States, a secret government agency, acting under the behest of SEELE, prepares to unleash its own weaponized Unit-04 upon NERV and UN Synaps. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, a traitor in SEELE's inner circle initiates a plot that while shake the world to its foundations...but to what end?
 * Tags: Script Fic

Scenario no Yui, by GuppyLips
 * Recommended by: User:Willbyr
 * Status: Dead
 * Synopsis: Gendo goes into Unit 01 instead of Yui, causing the overall Eva story to proceed in ways both familiar and vastly different.

The Way Out is Through, by Ovrboost
 * Recommended by: User:Willbyr
 * Status: Complete
 * Synopsis: Shinji and Asuka get separated from each other shortly after the beach scene, and eventually reunite in decidedly harsh circumstances.
 * Tags: Dark Fic

NGE: Nobody Dies, by Gregg Landsman (Link)
 * Recommended by: User:Looney Toons, User:Shay Guy, User:Amitakartok, The Tygre, User:Night, User:Lord Arkea, Maltani
 * Status: Ongoing
 * Synopsis: What would happen if we had everything we ever wanted? What if certain tragedies, in the past, we averted? One would normally think this would make a better world. Some old traumas could be gone. But the new pains could be worse.

Walking in the Shadow of Dreams, by Gregg Landsman (link)
 * Recommended by: User:Willbyr
 * Status: Ongoing (a rewrite is also in progress)
 * Synopsis: Twelve years after Third Impact, NERV now fights Kaiju, and Shinji has been hired by his father as Special Inspector. His first assignment? Travel to Germany to recruit someone to take over as the head of Project E. The only problem is that the recruit put him in a coma the last time they saw each other.

HERZ, by E.L. Toh
 * Recommended by: User:Lavanya Six
 * Status: Complete
 * Synopsis: When events at the end of Death and Rebirth go pear-shaped, Third Impact is averted. SEELE is exposed and NERV is broken into two agencies, the scientific research agency GEHIRN and the anti-Evangelion proliferation organization HERZ. But not everyone is willing to give up the dreams that the Technology of God makes possible. The remnants of SEELE still desire Instrumentality. The resurgent nation-states, now recovered from the devastation of Second Impact, chafe under the yoke of the United Nations. Meanwhile, Major-General Katsuragi, Director of HERZ, has an agenda all her own. The time is 2027. Has the final hour for mankind come 'round at last?

And If That Don't Work by Sunshine Temple
 * Recommended by: User:Willbyr, User:Looney Toons
 * Status: Ongoing
 * Synopsis: With enough gun, even an Angel can be destroyed, AT field and all, without an Eva. Of course, this tactic usually means wiping out a fair chunk of the surrounding area. And you definitely don't want your pilot and Operations Director getting caught in the blast. Nevertheless, with a proven alternative available, NERV's political position has changed big time. And Shinji? Well...

Chosen by Rakna
 * Recommended by: User:Watashiwa
 * Status: Ongoing
 * Synopsis: Evangelion fantasy style! Shinji is one of the Chosen of Lilith -- individuals blessed with elemental powers who fight against the Dark God Adam and his servants. Joining him are the withdrawn High Elf Rei, the volatile princess Asuka, the solid bandit Touji as well as Kensuke the bard and Mayumi, priestess of Lilith.

I Knew Him When by Adam Kadmon
 * Recommended by: User:Fitz, User:Nabi
 * Status: Complete
 * Synopsis: Post-Third Impact. A doctor from the military is interviewing the surviving Evangelion pilots and their acquaintances. Extremely depressing.
 * Tags: Dark Fic, sporadic bits of Lime

The Second Other by Adam Kadmon
 * Recommended by: User:Willbyr
 * Status: Complete
 * Synopsis: In the wake of Zeruel's attack and its aftermath, Shinji's relationship with Gendo sinks to new depths.
 * Tags: Dark Fic

Folded Wings, by Random1377
 * Recommended by: User:Comartemis, MAI 742, User:Willbyr
 * Status: Complete
 * Synopsis: A brief conversation with Kaji awakens Rei's sense of curiosity and causes her to desire more from life than what she has. Good news, right? Well there's that old saying about curiosity killing the cat...

Going Another Way, by Tribun
 * Recommended by: User:biodude 711
 * Status: Complete
 * Pairing: Shinji/Rei
 * Synopsis: A slightly different choice by Gendo after Yui vanishes shapes Shinji differently. And like a stone thrown into water, the ripples grew wider with time. Now things won't be as they could have been.

Ayanami Vengeance by Gasmask Avenger (Link)
 * Recommended by: User:Dr Chainsaw
 * Status: Ongoing
 * Synopsis: In the city of Tokyo-3, several teenagers are given the task to protect the world from a race of beings only known as angels. One of them, the First Child Rei Ayanami, is the focus of this tale of intrigue, teen life, humor, biomechs and horror.

Deus ex Evangelion, by Valik Vicious
 * Recommended by: User:K 9 Thefirst 1
 * Status: Ongoing
 * Pairing: Shinji/Asuka, a touch of Toji/Asuka
 * Synopsis: Asuka Langley Sohryu is relocated from Germany to Tokyo-3 after the death of the Third Child in the battle against Sachiel. But soon she has to ask herself if Ikari Shinji is as dead as she's being told. And what exactly is she piloting...

Walls Of Jericho by SamJaz
 * Recommended by: User:King Clark
 * Status: Complete
 * Synopsis: A short one-shot set right before the defeat of the seventh angel. Shinji takes a little time to think about his relationship with Asuka.
 * Tags: One-shot

Fast by Adam Kadmon
 * Recommended by: User:Cryptic Mirror
 * Status: Complete
 * Synopsis: The story of why Rei is a vegetarian. Pre-series, Post Yui's activation test.
 * Tags: One-shot, Dark Fic

Matters of Faith by Jclong
 * Recommended by: User:Cryptic Mirror, User:Ultra Sonic 007, Darkholm, User:Canonier
 * Status: Ongoing
 * Synopsis: Gendo is out to do some good, but the type of good only a true Magnificent, Manipulative Bastard can do . And Rei, well, Rei wants to do SCIENCE on Shinji.

Mobile Fighter Evangelion, by Ultra Sonic 007 (link)
 * Recommended by: User:K 9 Thefirst 1, Darkholm
 * Status: Ongoing
 * Synopsis: The original Neon Genesis Evangelion happily deconstructed the tropes of Giant Robot anime; what if they were played straight? Given that this is Evangelion, would it even matter? Let's find out: buckle your seatbelts. AU/NOT a Gundam Crossover.

NGE: A Century Apart by Archangel38
 * Recommended by: Caellach Tiger Eye, Darkholm, jaimeastorga2000, MAI 742, Not JM Keynes
 * Status: Ongoing
 * Synopsis: "Different times make different heroes. What is the the impact of 100 years of human history? An Alternate Universe, created under the premise that the Angels attacked in 1915 instead of 2015."

Eva: Light and Water by soul.assassin.547
 * Recommended by: Mysterynovelist 2010, Not JM Keynes
 * Status: Ongoing
 * Synopsis: SEELE sent Kaworu Nagisa to Tokyo-3 as its envoy for NERV, but as soon as he arrives he becomes involved, facing the challenge of trying to change the people around him, especially the Children. Above all, sometimes prophecies aren't carved in stone.

Evangelion: Next Genesis by Sub Zero Greymon
 * Recommended by: Nexus Blue Dragon
 * Status: Ongoing
 * Synopsis: We all know Evangelion... but what if Shinji was a much different type of crazy?

How Do You Talk To An Angel? by Elizar Naki
 * Recommended by: Caellach Tiger Eye
 * Status: Ongoing
 * Pairing: Shinji/Rei
 * Synopsis: "Shinji's class gets a new addition that changes his life forever. Prologue to the upcoming "Chosen of Lilith" fic. AU, Shinji x Rei."

Scar Tissue by deathbringer374
 * Recommended by: User:Ultra Sonic 007
 * Status: Ongoing
 * Pairing: Shinji/Asuka (If you could call it that.)
 * Synopsis: After Third Impact fic. The world goes to some semblance of normality. Ikari Shinji lays in bed, unmoving, tubes and wires all over, machines beeping away. Asuka stares, horrified, at the result of her violence. Maybe revenge tasted...bitter.
 * Tags: Dark Fic, sporadic Lemon

Primetime Television by Merridian
 * Recommended by: Blitz Blast
 * Status: Complete
 * Pairing: Shinji/Rei... kind of.
 * Synopsis: This story is pure, ingenious, well-written Mind Screw. In other words, it's like the actual show. It addresses what it would mean for a reality if the events were constantly rewritten or retconned, whether it be by the original writers or fanfiction.
 * Tags: Crack Fic

My Enemy My Friend by K9 the First
 * Recommended by: Weaver
 * Status: Ongoing
 * Synopsis: Basically, the Angel's don't die, they just hang around with the pilots. This is something of a mixed blessing.

Nerv: Dry Cleaning and Takeout
 * Recommended by: Miragician, MAI 742
 * Status: Ongoing
 * Synopsis: Gendo Ikari the lowly office drone, one-time heir to the illustrious Rukubungi Sushi Empire, is a proud and penniless husband and father. Now he faces the ultimate challenge as he tries to make it in the far-flung and hostile land of America, armed with nothing but love, his family, and poor quality tuna fish. But against them stand the sinister forces of the Seele Group and their affiliated fast-food chain, Angels Fast Food...

Wreckage by Norsehound
 * Recommended by: Caellach Tiger Eye, MAI 742, User:Lavanya Six
 * Status: Ongoing
 * Synopsis: An AU in which certain things which happened prior to the main series happened differently - ie: Yui and Kyoko are still alive. However, this isn't necessarily a good thing. As the summary says, "Some things remain the same, but others are... broken."

Damnation by Daniel Snyder
 * Recommended by: Nyog Sothep
 * Status: Complete
 * Synopsis: Shinji finally gets the help he needs. Too bad it doesn't last that long.
 * Tags: Dark Fic

On the Threshold We All Stood, by Arujei
 * Recommended by: Yla
 * Status: Ongoing
 * Synopsis: Summer 2000, a few months before Second Impact. A retiring CIA agent discovers material about a strange cult named SEELE, and tries to find out what they are planning. Stale Beer flavour Spy Fiction, very different in style to what is common for Eva fics.

Vengeance by Devil Boss
 * Recommended by: cabosan, User:Willbyr
 * Status: Dormant
 * Synopsis: A story where a cold, apathetic Shinji arrives at Tokyo-3 and refuses to pilot Unit 01. Sachiel is destroyed through other means, at the cost of the city and thousands of lives. He then goes on to brutally deconstruct the major characters and their motivations, all before even the Fourth Angel arrives.
 * Tags: Dark Fic, Deconstruction Fic