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Children Of Evangelion

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Children of Evangelion is a Time Travel Neon Genesis Evangelion multi-part fanfiction by steven.gene.simpson (SteveES in AO3). Whereas most of Evangelion time-travel fics have Shinji, Asuka, both of them or the main trio returning to the past, CoE stars the children of the main cast.

In the first story arc, Children's Crusade, the second generation of Evangelion pilots must travel back in time to stop the machinations of their time-hopping nemesis, Mari Mikinami. All they have to do is not blow their cover, but that's easier said than done when you're going to the same high school as your parents.

In Things We (Can't) Forget, the Second-Gens have tried to wipe out any trace of their presence before returning to the future, but the effects of their time-travelling adventure linger in the their family's minds, affecting their actions and the timeline itself.

You Can (Not) Forgive starts five years after the Third Impact. The UN is considering to shut NERV down, much to the joy of the former pilots, but an old threat resurfacing proves the Evangelions are still needed.

  1. Children's Crusade can be read here: FF.Net link; AO3 link.
  2. Things We (Can't) Forget: FF.net link; AO3 link.
  3. You Can (Not) Forgive can be read here: FF.Net link; A=3 link.

Compare and contrast with time-travel Evangelion fanfiction The Second Try and Once More With Feeling (Crazy-88).


Tropes:

  • Adaptational Villainy: Mari Makinami, a hero in the Rebuild of Evangelion continuity, gets turned into Lorenz's granddaughter and the Second-Gens' loathed nemesis.
  • Artistic License – Religion: Lilith frames her and Adam's origins as a battle between male order and female chaos, reinterpreted as mythology by humans throughout the eons, citing "Marduk and Tiamat. Egyptian Mythology Geb and Nut. Saturn and Nyx. Adam and Lilith." as examples. Letting aside that Lilith's explanation contradicts Evangelion canon (Earth was not meant to be seeded by Lilith but Adam, there was never conflict between them because Adam was put to sleep right after her crash-landing, and neither of them represented law or chaos), no example fits the "order male deity and chaos female deity fighting each other over the world" proposed pattern at all: Marduk fought Tiamat because she was trying to destroy the younger generation of gods. Geb and Nut were happilly married (and their domains are Earth and Sky respectively, nothing to do with order or chaos). There was no conflict -or relationship whatsoever- between Saturn and Nyx, and their domains weren't order or chaos. Finally, there are NO two gods in Abrahamic religions but one God (who encompasses both law and chaos). Adam and Lilith were not gods but the first human (who cannot represent law and order since he and his wife famously broke one Divine Law) and a demoness of Jewish folklore who is not mentioned in The Bible at all.
  • Blatant Lies: When Rei catches Shinji and Asuka making out in a closet, Shinji comes up with the dumbest excuse imaginable.
    Shinji: Would you believe that I lost a contact?"
    Rei: "You don’t wear contacts. And even if you did, I doubt Pilot Soryu would have somehow swallowed it."
  • Brainwashing for the Greater Good: Subverted. Miya uses a device to wipe their family's existence out from everybody's memories and records in order to protect the timeline. It isn't completely effective, though, and Shinji, Asuka and Rei still feel themselves influenced by barely-remembered conversations with their kids.
  • Child Soldiers: Kotomi Kaji, the commanding officer of the Second-Gens, commands her team with a firm discipline, as opposite to Misato, who tends to be softer on them since they are only fourteen. However, Kotomi -who has been an Evangelion pilot itself and her unit's only survivor- argues back that they became soldiers since they were recruited for NERV's war, and treating them as such will improve their chances of survival.
  • Combat Pragmatist: After their brawl is over, Asuka complains that Mai took her down when she was distracted. Mai just shrugs off and points out that future Asuka taught her to attack when your opponent turns their back.
    Asuka finally managed to croak out, "You cheated."
    "You turned your back," Mai said.
    "Your mom teach you that one?"
    "Sure did."
    "Smart woman."
  • The Dog Bites Back: During the Second-Gen's journey to the past, Miya Ikari blatantly says Ritsuko that Gendo is not in love with her; her grandfather is just using her, and will shoot her when he is doner. Even so, Ritsuko ignores her warnings and attempts to side with Gendo against the Second-Gens, only to be summarily dismissed, as usual. After their mission is complete, the Second-Gens wipe their existence from everybody's memories before leaving, but Ritsuko still remembers. Sick of being used, and aware that she will be killed as soon as she has outlived her usefulness, Ritsuko reveals Nerv's real goals to Misato.
  • Doorstopper: As of August, 2025, 138,610 words spread over twenty-four chapters.
  • Dye or Die: The children of the first generation of Evangelion pilots go back in time to protect their timeline. Since they need to attend their parents' school as subtly looking after them, Yosuke, Mia and Aki dye their hair black and wear contact lenses in order to mask their identities. Once they drop their disguises, anybody can tell who they are children from.
  • Kid from the Future: Mai, Yosuke and Miya are Shinji and Asuka's future children; Aki is Rei and Kaworu's daughter; and Kotomi is Misato and Kaji's daughter.
  • Making Love in All the Wrong Places: After starting their secret relationship, Shinji and Asuka get to make love whenever they think they have found a semi-private spot like NERV's showers or a school's closet. This is what get them caught by Rei.
  • New Transfer Student: The first story begins with Mai, Yosuke and Aki being transferred to the Eva pilots' class.
  • Parental Favoritism: Yosuke and Mai are convinced that their little sister Miya is their parents' favorite, even if Shinji and Asuka will never admit it out loud.
  • Relative Error: After travelling to the past and meeting their parents' teen selves, the Second Generation of Eva pilos wonder why Asuka is so jealous from Rei, exactly. Mai figures out that Asuka hasn't yet found out that Rei is Shinji's sister.
  • Saying Too Much: After watching Asuka badmouthing Rei, Aki warns she will not put up with anybody mistreating her mother, aunt or not aunt. Asuka questions how she can be her aunt, having no siblings, and quickly guesses that Rei must be Shinji's sister, causing Aki to freak out and Mai moan at her family's inability to keep their mouths shut.
  • Secret Relationship: Shinji and Asuka start a secret relationship after their first kiss. Unfortunately they are terrible liars, so their secret is out before long.
  • Shout-Out:
    • Aki is named after a The Second Try character who also happens to be two Evangelion characters' daughter.
    • Like in Advice and Trust, Shinji and Asuka start a secret relationship after their canon kiss goes differently, and they caught by Rei.
  • Supernaturally Young Parent: Due to time-travel, teenagers Shinji and Asuka interact with their fourteen-year-old twins and their ten-year-old little daughter during the first arc.
  • Surprise Incest: After finding out that Rei is his sister, Shinji remembers the time he fell on top of her and accidentally groped her breast, and lets out a horrified scream.
  • Time Travel: The first arc has the children of the original cast to travel to the past.
  • Time Skip: The third story arc begins five years after the second one and the aborted end of the world.
  • Together in Death: Shinji and Asuka's last stand has them to face a horde of MP-Evas. As they are surrounded, outnumbered and seriously injured, Asuka summons the Lance of Longinus and declares their enemies will not decide how they die. Shinji nods, and Asuka plunges her Lance through her own Eva and Shinji's. Fortunately, Instrumentality begins, collecting their souls to allowing them to come back to life.


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