Neon Genesis Evangelion/Shipping/Fanfic Recs

These are recommendations made by Tropers for Neon Genesis Evangelion Shipping fics, 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.'''

Due to a recent ruling, Lemon fics involving the pilots at their canon ages are not allowed.

RE-TAKE, by Studio Kimigabuchi (Official All Ages version)
 * Recommended by: User:Nerdorama, User:Clendy 82, User:Irothtin, User:Willbyr, User:Kryptik, mrbits, User:liltyrant
 * Status: Complete
 * Pairings: Shinji/Asuka, Misato/Kaji (briefly)
 * Synopsis: A Peggy Sue story in which, after the events of End of Evangelion, Shinji finds himself back at NERV a few days before the battle with Bardiel, and determines to Set Right What Once Went Wrong. The major twist: while he repairs his relationship with Asuka in this rewound world,
 * The original version of this doujinshi contains explicit content and will not be linked; its parts should be read in this order : 1, 2, 3, 0, 4, After. The new All Ages version was re-edited and re-translated (apparently from scratch) by the original translator. It collects all 6 volumes into 3 condensed ones, removing the explicit sex, adding a few scenes, and correcting some mistranslations.


 * Tags: Doujinshi

The Lifespan of a Love Affair by Random1377
 * Recommended by: Extraintrovert, MAI 742
 * Status: Complete
 * Pairings: Misato/Shinji
 * Synopsis: A delightfully well done, and disturbing, interpretation of one of the NGE fandom's most popular pairings (fourth, by our reckoning).

Touch' by Random1377
 * Recommended by: User:D Mint, User:Ranchoth
 * Status: Complete
 * Pairings: Shinji/Rei and
 * Synopsis: Follows the overall second half of the canon story and EoE, with some changes both major and minor to events and character interactions, and spinning a completely new conclusion.

Pages by Lara Bartram
 * Recommended by: User:D Mint
 * Status: Complete
 * Pairings: See the synopsis
 * Synopsis: A 65-page fanfic, one chapter per page, where the love triangle between Gendo Rokubungi, Yui Ikari, and Kozo Fuyutsuki is explored from its start in 1999 up to the Second Impact.

When She Smiles by Fresh C
 * Recommended by: User:Fitz, User:MAI 742, User:Born In 1142
 * Status: Complete
 * Pairings: Asuka/Shinji
 * Synopsis: Shinji visits Asuka in the hospital

Altered Destinies by Mike313 (AU, Age Regression, Cheerful)
 * Recommended by: The Tygre, Chuckg, User:Ranchoth, User:Gaston 1991
 * Status: Complete
 * Pairings: Shinji x Misato
 * Synopsis: Through random Deus Ex Machina goodness, Misato is reverted back to fourteen, designating her as the Fourth Child. Now a viable option, she and Shinji grow...closer, like you don't know what that means. All the while, the universe is shifted around, and Shinji is given a new reason to pilot the Eva; to protect Misato at all costs from the Eva's corrupting influence.

Together We Stand, Divided We Fall, and Carpe Diem by Hotwire (AU, Cheerful)
 * Recommended by: Chuckg
 * Status: Complete
 * Pairings: Shinji x Hikari, some Misato x Kaji
 * Synopsis: Hikari happens to overhear a remark from Shinji that he's forced to pilot the Eva the day he's "outed" as a pilot, and this worries her enough that she takes it upon herself to make sure he's all right. This leads to her crushing on Shinji instead of Touji, which leads to dating, which leads to... everything. The author's stated intent is to explore the Butterfly Effect of one little change and what it can lead to, and what it can't lead to. Things go better for some people, worse for others, don't change for the rest.
 * The original links to darkscribes.org no longer work. The first two parts of this series can be found on fanfiction.net, but the the last one is missing. If anyone can find it, please replace the link!
 * Rest easy, readers: I've found a link to all three stories right here, though unfortunately the set-up means you need to scroll down to find them. The entire trilogy and its chapters are under the header "Stories by T. L. Webb".

Orchestrating the Silence by Serial Ravist.
 * Recommended by: User:Born In 1142, Willbyr, Rin Simyaldee, Sir Telekinetic Squirrel
 * Status: Complete
 * Synopsis: Shinji and Asuka, the only survivors of Third Impact, must learn to live by themselves in the ruined world.
 * Pairings: Shinji x Asuka

An Unwilling Angel by Ryan Xavier
 * Recommended by: User:Nitramy, User:Willbyr, User:Ranchoth
 * Status: Complete
 * Pairings: Shinji x Rei
 * Synopsis: One event during an Angel battle changes EVERYTHING.

Variations on a Theme
 * Recommended by: Libita
 * Status: Dead
 * Pairings: Shinji/Rei (for the time being),
 * Synopsis: The story picks up after episode 20, i. e. after Shinji . You have to read it to believe it: the 700 pages span over the course of 2-3 days and have no time skips, close to having the story progress in real time. The story comes highly-philosophical and thoughtful and stretches multiple genres like Drama, Comedy, Romance etc. What changes occur to the original storyline are created through the dynamics between -- and in -- the characters. It's a masterpiece, but sadly, it's unfinished.
 * Tags: Borderline Lemon

The One I Love Is by Alain Gravel AKA Rakna (Also found here, here, here, and here)
 * Recommended by: jaimeastorga2000, User:Crazael, User:SRW Fan
 * Status: Complete
 * Pairing(s): Shinji/Asuka, Shinji/Rei,
 * Synopsis: The fic follows Shinji Ikari from the middle to the end of the series (including The Movie) as he tries to figure out which of his two fellow pilots he would rather spend his life with.
 * If you read this through the fanfiction.net link or the Angelfire link, "Visions" is listed as a side story but should probably be read first, as it establishes why Rei is OOC and essentially gets the ball rolling. From the main link, "Visions" is the first link provided. Also, a lot of the images in the first link didn't survive the relocation to web.archive.org, and those pages load very slowly, so you're probably better off using one of the other links.
 * It has now its own page.
 * Tags: Lime

In the Case of Asuka Langley Sohryu by Da Games Elite (AU, Lighter and Softer)
 * Recommended by: vK9Thefirst1, MAI 742
 * Status: Complete
 * Pairings: Asuka/Shinji,
 * Synopsis: In an attempt to boost the children's sync tests, Ritsuko carts the pilots off to a psychologist. Asuka is vainly against the idea, but slowly learns things about herself and the world around her.

The Little Angel, by Da Games Elite
 * Recommended by: User:Yuusha Fan
 * Status: Dormant
 * Pairings: Asuka/Shinji
 * Synopsis: Taking place ten years After the End of The End of Evangelion, Asuka and Shinji are engaged, but there's a hurry to get married, and soon: their baby's on the way! But the rugrat's not the only thing on their minds; the re-emergence of Rei Ayanami, meeting with the Langley family, and a suprise party for a certain someone are just some of the other things on their minds!

True Love Waits by Adam Kadmon
 * Recommended by: User:Willbyr, MAI 742
 * Status: Complete
 * Pairings: Shinji/Misato, Shinji/Mana
 * Synopsis: In an AU where Second Impact never happened, an older Shinji and Misato navigate the twists and turns of love, while Shinji deals with the trauma inflicted by his father and the betrayal of his former lover.
 * Tags: Lime

Oedipus Ikari, by Serial Ravist
 * Recommended by: User:Willbyr, User:Gentleman Orcus, MAI 742
 * Status: Complete
 * Pairings: Shinji/Rei
 * Synopsis: A fairly straightforward retelling of the latter half of NGE, re-worked to take Rei and Shinji's relationship much further.
 * Tags: Lime, Dark Fic

Father, by Lord Talon
 * Recommended by: User:DKN 117, User:Crazael
 * Status: Dormant (dead?)
 * Pairing: Shinji/Asuka
 * Synopsis: Two years after the main series (Third Impact having been averted, ; explanations are in the fic), Asuka, now 16, faces a terrifying revelation: she's pregnant... and no-one knows who the father is, as she doesn't even remember having sex (there was a Christmas Party involving alcohol, see...). Shinji instantly steps up to plate, and their burgeoning romance takes a flying leap forward as Shinji's backbone finally, fully manifests as he swears to be there for both Asuka and her unborn child, and to unleash hell on anyone who threatens them. What follows is a tumultuous yet heartwarming pathway of events as the two continue to grow ever closer. Needs a Better Description.
 * Tags: WAFF

Shinji the Casanova
 * Recommended by: User:Crazael
 * Status: Complete
 * Pairing: Shinji/Asuka
 * Synopsis: A berserk Unit-01 eats an angel, whose consciousness, through some Handwaved effect, ends up sharing Shinji's head. This angel soon reveals himself to be . In apology for the trouble he's caused, decides to provide Shinji some help in the love department.
 * Tags: WAFF, one-shot

Before and After by User:Muphrid
 * Recommended by: Dartz-IRL, User:Willbyr
 * Status: Complete
 * Pairing: Rei/Shinji
 * Synopsis: Between battles with the angels, Rei begins to question her origins, her destiny. An instrument of fate should think of nothing but her purpose. How can she reject the man who gave her life, to embrace the boy who taught her what living is?
 * Though as it turns out, this becomes less of a shipping fic as time goes on. Rather, the themes become about reaffirming your existence and finding a reason to live. It actually ends with.

The Notebook by Hamstadini
 * Recommended by: A Handfulof Dust, User:Ranchoth
 * Status: Ongoing / On Hiatus
 * Pairing: Rei/Shinji
 * Synopsis: What if Shinji gave Rei a gift after the defeat of the Fifth Angel? How would she grow through using this gift, and how would her relationship with Shinji develop as a result? Told primarily through journal entries, the story uses Sadamoto's manga as its foundation, but begins to diverge from the source material in more recent chapters.

I Mustn't Run Away by Andrew Huang
 * Recommended by: Gatotsu911
 * Status: Complete
 * Pairing: Shinji/Asuka
 * Synopsis: An alternate take on the character relationships that starts some time around episode 22 of the anime and diverges from there. Part of a series of Shinji/Asuka fics set in the same continuity, the rest of which can be found here. Though technically a Fix Fic, it manages not to go overboard in being Lighter and Softer than the source material - the behavior of the characters is, for the most part, believable under the presumption that they ended up making different decisions than in the TV series. Cute, possibly Crowning Moment of Heartwarming for fans of Shinji/Asuka.

Behind Closed Doors by sedemihcrA.
 * Recommended by: User:Born In 1142.
 * Status: Complete
 * Pairing: Shinji/Asuka.
 * Synopsis: A year after Third Impact, Shinji and Asuka's school is holding a ceremony to honor them for saving humanity. Meanwhile, their troubled relationship is reaching a boiling point.
 * Tags: Dark Fic.

Rolling Blackouts by hidinginplainsight.
 * Recommended by: User:Brendan Steere, User:Ranchoth, Sir Telekinetic Squirrel
 * Status: Complete
 * Pairing: Shinji/Asuka.
 * Synopsis: To conserve power for the Evangelions, Tokyo-3 institutes city-wide planned power outages. During one of these winter blackouts, Asuka craves warmth and turns to Shinji for assistance.

The Blue Rose by S P Dudley.
 * Recommended by: @/Grand Duke of Yashima
 * Status: Complete
 * Pairing: Rei/OC.
 * Synopsis: The American side of NERV launches a secret pilot program for their Evangelions. On a training mission to Tokyo-3, the pilot of EVA-04 falls head over heels for a bewildered Rei. Drama + Intrigue (and some comedy thrown in).

Altruism by Yami Paladinof Chaos.
 * Recommended by: amatakamata
 * Status: Complete
 * Pairing: Yui/Gendo
 * Synopsis: Yui Ikari is a collector of strays and monsters, the first being a pastime and the second being a learned habit.

Nightshift by CFX, The Tygre
 * Recommended by: FLCNPNCH, MAI 742, templar627
 * Status: Complete
 * Pairings: Shinji x pretty much every female character and some (well-made) AC Cs
 * Synopsis: A series of unconnected vignettes about Shinji and love. Shinji gets with a different girl every chapter. Angst - and love - ensues.
 * Tags: Lemon