Neon Genesis Evangelion: Apotheosis Echo is an Alternate Universe Neon Genesis Evangelion fanfic written by StriderInCosmos. The premise of Apotheosis Echo starts by asking the question of "what would happen if Shinji and Asuka, among others, had a big brother to whom they could reliably turn to", and how that (among other things) would change the course of the series.
The world of the Evangelion that we see here is like almost every other in existence. Shinji Ikari, Asuka Soryu-Langley, Rei Ayanami, and the many that suround them, are alone. Until one man steps in and reaches out. Though his intervention comes before events as we know it, his caring, his seemingly impossible knowledge, and his hidden power may be the key to not only saving the Children of NERV from the loneliness that lurks within their hearts, but also helping them and NERV save the world, not only from the Angels and the hidden machinations of Gendo Ikari and SEELE but also from what else comes in from beyond the boundaries of the world.
This is a story of one man's compassion, and how the world is changed forever by its giving. It is a story of those who wish to save the world, those who wish to rule it, and those who wish to plunder it. And though Tokyo-3, and the world, are prepared for the seemingly impossible events that we know of, the destiny of the world will change in ways that it could never have imagined.
Originally started on the SufficientVelocity forums, this fanfic was inspired and influenced by other fanworks such as Advice and Trust, A Crown of Stars, and the Laserdisc Chronicles
series.
The work, complete as of June 19th, 2021, can be read on SufficientVelocity, Archive of Our Own, and on FanFiction.net. Has a sequel in progress, Apotheosis Echo Beyond The Gates Of Heaven, with a third installment planned.
Neon Genesis Evangelion: Apotheosis Echo contains examples of:
- And I Must Scream: Daniel Theisman, due to the nature of the Worldsea, has been to another alternate universe of Evangelion, where he witnessed Third Impact as a NERV technician. Even with his powers, he was unable to change Shinji, Misato, Asuka, or really anyone's fates, and it is due to his actions that Lilith leaves Earth with Shinji and the Instrumentality. This breaks Daniel to his core.
- The Atoner: Gendo Ikari, after talking with (well, getting the psychic equivalent of a thrashing by) his wife's soul, against all odds, tries to start improving his relationship with his clearly hesitant (and rightly so) son, and reversing some of the decisions that he's made as best he can, such as removing Adam (which here is implanted in his chest instead of his hand) and revealing the truth of Second Impact to the Japanese government.
- Battle Couple: Shinji and Asuka become this over the course of the fic, starting with a rather different encounter the night before the battle with Israfel and only growing as time goes on.
- Also Daniel and Eleanor Theisman, who are Colonels in the Worldstrider Corps beyond simply being part of the Engineering division of NERV, and are skilled with their Interfacing abilities and how to apply them in various forms of combat.
- Big Brother Mentor: Daniel Theisman acts as an example of this trope throughout the work, supporting and caring for Shinji and Asuka at first before soon coming to act as something of an unofficial therapist for most of NERV's command staff (and all of their pilots).
- Big "NO!": Daniel, while dreaming, after coming face to face with the specters of all the people that he has killed, and a condemning Shinji and Asuka, finally lets one loose as he meets a seemingly evil version of himself from his past.
- Damaged Soul: Kyoko Zeppelin-Soryu's soul is split in half, one part barely functional in its insanity. Eleanor begins to mend Kyoko's soul at her request after the battle with Arael, and she is functionally whole again by the end of the fic.
- Also Daniel Theisman, who, after Unit-00 self-destructs in the battle against Armisael, literally rips his soul apart and begins patching parts of it to hers in order to keep Rei from dying.
- Virtual Soundtrack: Several musical cues are inserted as links to music videos embedded within the text, especially during action scenes or at the end of a chapter (where the "Next Episode" soundtrack is used). A particular trend of using tracks from the Ace Combat 7 soundtrack is notable, though other instances of music do appear throughout the fic. Perhaps the most prominent use of a non-soundtrack song is the cover of "The Trooper" performed by The Protomen, used diegetically as part of a plan to stun the attacking Mass-Production Evangelions.
