History Fanfic / TheShinjiIkariRaisingProject

** Misato begins the Quest as a young woman NotSoDifferent from Shinji, avoiding deep ties and obsessed with destroying the Angels at all costs. However, the plight of Shinji [[TookALevelInKindness softens]] her and provokes a shift in priorities. Eventually, she admits she has come to love the Children as her own and would do anything to keep them safe, even overcoming her prejudice of Angels for the sake of [[HalfHumanHybrid Kaworu and Rei]].

** Also applies to Gendo and Misato, as they are NotSoDifferent.

* MoralityChain: [[ApocalypseMaiden Shinji and Rei]], for one another, and in general the entire pilot family is this for each other. Gendo [[NotSoDifferent implies]] that the only thing preventing Misato from [[FaceHeelTurn becoming like him]] is that she hasn't lost the ones she cares for - yet.

* RealityEnsues: Misato creates a global network of spies, warlords, and other organizations of dubious morality and legality in order to map and expose SEELE's political and military network. It works, but although she decsively saves the world and reveals a global conspiracy in doing so, she is [[spoiler:dishonorably discharged and barred from military service for breaking too many laws to do so]].

* ThereAreNoTherapists: AvertedTrope. At the very beginning of the quest, players chose to enroll Shinji into mandatory counselling with a professional psychiatrist, and followed suit for the other Children as they arrived. This effort was instrumental in aiding Shinji's gradual acclimation to his new life, as well as Asuka learning to manage her issues surrounding dolls. [[RealityEnsues However]], as the war grew in intensity and secrets [[TheyKnowTooMuch too terrible for civilian ears]] to hear began piling up, the Children decided that therapy was of little practical use to them anymore.

** Shinji himself appears to have inherited this trait, although to much more constructive use than his father. He is disturbed by the [[InTheBlood implications]], but Misato assures him that his motives are what distinguish him from the ruthlessness of Ikari senior.

* WarriorTherapist: While players [[GenreSavvy wisely]] chose to send the pilots to actual therapists on a reasonable basis, it is often up to Misato to help unpack the tangled mess of her charge's personal lives and provide them advice on life-changing decisions. For the most part, she is very successful.

* NiceJobFixingItVillain: Kushiel's MindRape of the party and the subsequent fallout is the final nail in [[spoiler: Asuka's]] resolution to walk away from NERV and the Evangelions once the war is over.

** [[AvertedTrope Averted]] in the final battle against SEELE and [[spoiler:Adam]]. Despite the overwhelming odds, several potential secret weapons or last-ditch tactics are not employed. Mari does not use Beast Mode, Kaworu is not deployed in battle [[spoiler:until he saves the world by overcoming Adam's willpower,]] and neither Rei nor Unit-01 start Third Impact to prevent total extinction.
* TheHeart: Although Misato is the one who ensured the pilots would not fall apart, it is Shinji who brings them together. His quick action and intimate understanding of his friends defuse several arguments before they can escalate.

* The PowerOfLove: Misato's greatest advantage over her opponents. The bonds of love she shares with Shinji, Asuka, Rei, Mari, and Kaworu are what pushes them to become a stronger team and as a result better pilots. She sways Rei from Gendo's influence, convinces Asuka to accept herself and be open with those around her, cajoles Shinji into finding his inner determination, convinces Mari to put herself at risk to find friendship, and [[spoiler:gives Kaworu the strength overcome his Angelic instincts]].

* ChildSoldiers: All of the pilots, including the T-RIDEN-T crew.

** Ritsuko begins to suffer under the weight of this, beginning when Misato confronts her on her complicity in Gendo's plots as well as her one-sided affair with him. The balancing act takes a toll on her physical and mental well being, leaving her depressed and exhausted. Misato's repeated entreaties appear to pull her slightly across the line to the anti-Impact team, but time will tell where she ultimately falls.

* BloodKnight: Mari, who enjoys fighting in her Evangelion so much that she has no issues with the idea of being a pilot for the rest of her life.
** Asuka, as well, although it slowly loses its shine with her as she grows disillusioned with NERV and the Evangelions.

* GodzillaThreshold: The battle with Orifiel and Qaphsiel pushes the pilots to the limits of their ability and beyond. Orifiel is a NighInvulnerable MightyGlacier, while Qaphsiel is a gravity-manipulating, teleporting LightningBruiser. The former is ultimately defeated by shoving an N2 Mine directly inside its near-impenetrable shell, while the latter is defeated when Rei and Asuka drag it back as it attempts to teleport, resulting in a lower-torso removing PortalCut. Ultimately, it takes a combination of all the Evangelions, the T-RIDEN-T and Japanese military, Jet Alone Prime, Rei [[spoiler: using her enhanced A.T. Field abilities to their full extent]], [[spoiler: Mari in Beast Mode]], Kaworu [[spoiler: hijacking a test-bed prototype Evangelion body]], and Misato's CrazyEnoughToWork tactics to secure victory.

* HumanityIsInfectious: Kaworu's time along humans leads him to discover he [[HeroicSacrifice would rather die]] than propagate the Angelic race at the expense of humanity's extinction - and more importantly, the expense of his friends. He attempts to [[InvokedTrope invoke]] this by embracing different philosophical cultures and experimenting with relationships, food, and even clothing. In doing so, he hopes that it will sufficiently anchor him enough to resist the call of his Angelic destiny when it arrives.

* MyBelovedSmother: Misato often prioritizes the immediate comfort and happiness of the pilots over anything else, and much time is spent with her worrying that she may not be doing enough for them. [[JerkassHasAPoint Ritsuko]] compares Misato to an addicted rat pressing the "make the pilots happy" button at every opportunity, while Shinji more politely suggests that perhaps the Children should be allowed to take care of themselves more.

* BittersweetEnding: In the end, Misato and the Children successfully defeat SEELE's army, stop Third Impact, and defeat [[spoiler:Adam himself]]. But it comes at a price: Tokyo-3 was obliterated by a massive nuclear strike, killing everyone in the city including Touji, Kensuke, and Hikari. To stop a repeat of Second Impact's global cataclysm as well as avoid Instrumentality, Kaworu was forced to [[spoiler:create new Angels and seed them across the planet to eventually awaken]]. Thanks to Misato's spy network, information is released that scatters SEELE's agents and exposes them to the world, but they remain dangerous and at large. Misato and Ritsuko are dishonorably discharged from their positions for participating in illegal activity to obtain that information and win her chess match with Gendo and SEELE. Sharing a last embrace with each other, Misato must part ways with the Children and leave the inevitable Second Angel War in their hands.

* ShootTheDog: Mari has promised to do this if Kaworu cannot ScrewDestiny and succumbs to his Angelic side. Misato gives a similar promise, and the rest of the group implicitly agrees to the same.

* WarriorTherapist: While players [[GenreSavvy wisely]] chose to send the pilots to actual therapists on a reasonable basis, it is often up to Misato to help unpack the tangled mess of her charge's personal lives and provide them advice on life-changing decisions. For the most part, she's been very successful.

** Gendo says that the [[spoiler: Dead Sea Scrolls]] preordain that events will ultimately occur and conclude in a set fashion. The details may be changed, but the final destination is always the same. [[spoiler: Kaworu is said to be destined to a cursed existence that can only be redeemed through great sacrifice.]]

** Asuka and Mari become VitriolicBestBuds, mirroring their counterparts from [[RebuildOfEvangelion You Can (Not) Redo]].

* PetTheDog: Ritsuko often goes above and beyond for the sake of meeting Misato's sometimes unreasonable expectations regarding the treatment of the pilots, despite her griping. This stands in [[AdaptationalHeroism stark contrast]]to her canon self, who was dismissive of and condescending to Misato (and everyone else) as well as indifferent to the well being of the pilots.

** Asuka and Mari become VitriolicBestBuds, mirroring their counterparts from [[RebuildOfEvangelionYou Can (Not) Redo]].

* ViolentlyProtectiveGirlfriend: Rei, even pre-RelationshipUpgrade. Her first meeting with Asuka ends with Misato returning to find the two girls in a brawl, instigated by Asuka slapping Shinji for [[AccidentalPervert looking up her skirt]] when wind blew her dress up. Asuka soon followed suit, [[NiceJobBreakingItHero resulting]] in them taking some time to acclimate to fellow ActionGirl Mari and BadassNormal Mana.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: Shortly after the beginning of the quest, Misato comes into possession of a strange budget report revealing that NERV possesses a facility on the Moon. [[spoiler: This is a SEELE installation, and holds the back-ups of Kaworu's physical bodies.]]

* HumanityIsInfectious: Kaworu's time along humans leads him to discover he [[HeroicSacrifice would rather die]] than propagate the Angelic race at the expense of humanity's extinction - and more importantly, the expense of his friends. He attempts to [[InvokedTrope invoke]] this by embracing different philosophical cultures and experimenting with relationships, food, and even clothing. In doing so, he hopes that it will sufficiently anchor him enough to resist the call of his Angelic destiny when it arrives.

* LesserOfTwoEvils: Gendo, Rei, and even Kaworu argue that Human Instrumentality ensures that mankind will survive in some form or another, whereas an Angelic or SEELE victory will result in total extinction. Misato grudgingly acknowledges this, but is only spurred to ensure that the war does not [[GodzillaThreshold escalate]] to that level.
* LonersAreFreaks: Misato's extroverted nature as well as players [[{{Flanderization}} Flanderized]] concept of Shinji led to them prescribing a therapist for him almost immediately after meeting. Although this proved helpful in the long term, in the short term the psychologist stated that Shinji was for all intents and purposes an average introvert. Eventually he achieves a moderate balance between extroversion and introversion, and Misato becomes more accepting of his lower-key mannerisms.

* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: Players were pleasantly surprised when Shinji took it upon himself to mend the rift between Asuka and Rei, an action that proved the first step in bringing them together as TrueCompanions.

* LonersAreFreaks: Misato's extroverted nature as well as players [{{Flanderization}}Flanderized] concept of Shinji led to them prescribing a therapist for him almost immediately after meeting. Although this proved helpful in the long term, in the short term the psychologist stated that Shinji was for all intents and purposes an average introvert. Eventually he achieves a moderate balance between extroversion and introversion, and Misato becomes more accepting of his lower-key mannerisms.

* Misato's memetic LehalChef and DrivesLikeCrazy reputations are mentioned, as well as her lack of directional sense.

** As Rei's [[WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove understanding]] of conventional society and relationships grows, she comes to love Misato as a [[HonoraryParent parent]] and Shinji [[PowerOfLove as something more than that]]. She unveils the truth of her half-human nature to the group, as well as the existence of her clones, and resolves to remain against simply starting Third Impact because Gendo orders her to. Like Shinji, her fear of losing the same things that led her to this point keep her wavering on the issue.

** Shinji rises from being a shy, anxious young man with little fighting ability or drive into an [[{{Determinator}}iron-willed]] pilot and [[TheHeart stalwart friend]] who finds love. However, his more aggressive demeanor and close bonds leave him all the more fearful of losing them, and he admits he [[VillianHasAPoint can see the appeal]] in a Third Impact where everyone is united as one forever.
** As Rei's [[WhatIsThisFeelingYouCallLove understanding]] of conventional society and relationships grows, she comes to love Misato as a [[HonoraryParent parent]] and Shinji [[PowerOfLove as something more than that]]. She unveils the truth of her half-human nature to the group, as well as the existence of her clones, and resolves to remain against simply starting Third Impact because Gendo orders her to. Like Shinji, her fear of losing the same things that led her to this point keep her wavering on the issue.

** Shinji rises from being a shy, anxious young man with little fighting ability or drive into an iron-willed pilot and stalwart friend who finds love. However, his more aggressive demeanor and close bonds leave him all the more fearful of losing them, and he admits he can see the appeal in a Third Impact where everyone is united as one forever.
** As Rei's understanding of conventional society and relationships grows, she comes to love Misato as a parent and Shinji as something more than that. She unveils the truth of her half-human nature to the group, as well as the existence of her clones, and resolves to remain against simply starting Third Impact because Gendo orders her to. Like Shinji, her fear of losing the same things that led her to this point keep her wavering on the issue.
** Asuka's {{Jerkass}} behavior is tempered as she finds common ground with others, finding herself comforted by their presence and happy to be with people who accept her. The reveal that SEELE and NERV have manipulated her life and the lives of the other Children from the beginning leaves her outraged and disillusioned about being a pilot. She yearns to reach a point in her life where she can cut ties from NERV and the Evangelions entirely, and begins attending a university at Misato's suggestion.
* ChildSoldiers: All of the pilots, including the T-RIDEN-T crew.

* DidntSeeThatComing: Rei [[spoiler: spontaneously growing an S2 Organ on her chest]] after Unit-01 devours the core of Kushiel.

* MythologyGag: Asuka and Mari become VitriolicBestBuds, mirroring their counterparts from You Can (Not) Redo.