Neon Exodus Evangelion: Quite the Polarizing Series?

[Conrad Gray]

When I first heard about DJ Croft, I assumed he was just some throwaway, dime-a-dozen badly-crafted Mary Sue from your usual dregs of Fanfiction.net. I never realized that NXE is its giant series from an incredibly well-designed and snappy web site.

I've also found a lot of places where though they don't outright review the series, they describe it as the best Eva fanfic series, even that it was Evangelion "done right." (Idiots! The honor of that goes to Rahxephon!)

So, what's the current consensus on NXE? I've consistently heard that DJ Croft is a terribly-written character. But damn, the website his story's on is good.

[Gendo2.0]

I quite liked it actualy, not as much as Higher learning but a gooden

[Mr. Tines]

It is customary to dislike it, for the violence it does to the canon - and the fact that DJ is an uber-kind.

I found the writing very good well done technically (pulling off multiple pages of intense luggage packing action, for example); and DJ is one of the few credible pairings for Asuka I've seen.

Perhaps we should treat it like an American remake (along the lines of the new Scorcese film the Departed, when compared with the original Infernal Affairs).

[The Eva Monkey]

When I first heard about DJ Croft, I assumed he was just some throwaway, dime-a-dozen badly-crafted Mary Sue from your usual dregs of Fanfiction.net. I never realized that NXE is its giant series from an incredibly well-designed and snappy web site.

I've also found a lot of places where though they don't outright review the series, they describe it as the best Eva fanfic series, even that it was Evangelion "done right." (Idiots! The honor of that goes to Rahxephon!)

So, what's the current consensus on NXE? I've consistently heard that DJ Croft is a terribly-written character. But damn, the website his story's on is good.

Why does this sound like blatant self promotion?

I looked at it once, back about five years ago I believe. I was horrified then, and I'm likely still horrified now.

[cat42]

Why does this sound like blatant self promotion?

Because he joined today, this is his first post, and his second is about Eva fics with a 6th (of the) CHILDREN?

[Conrad Gray]

I haven't even read NXE yet; and I'm just posting the same questions I asked on EvaFics.com I plan to do the same later on at Eva Made's forums.

[cat42]

Well, perhaps you should read it then? I'm unsure why you're asking the general thoughts on it from several sources if you have yet to read it...

I also suggest you read Re-Take as well.

[Conrad Gray]

I'm asking for the general consensus. My personal opinion is irrelevant to this one.

[Reichu]

I've also found a lot of places where though they don't outright review the series, they describe it as the best Eva fanfic series, even that it was Evangelion "done right." (Idiots! The honor of that goes to Rahxephon!)

Aho! Something cannot be "Evangelion 'done right'" unless it does exactly what NGE sought to accomplish, but BETTER!

[Defectron]

I dislike fics that have characters like D.J for the same reason I dislike harem anime. The lead character is some irritating person who somehow solves everyones problems. Lifes not that simple, especially in evangelion.

[BobBQ]

I'm debating whether to spend some free time doing a self-insert of myself, just to get away from my regular writing for a while and make fun of works like this.

Not me as a mind stuck in a Rei-clone body, which seems to be one of the more popular intros, or anything like that, but cynical, autistic, trigger-happy me as I am. I'd spend most of my time pissing off Gendo, trying to teach the Children about Plato and subjecting Section 2 agents to random aptitude tests that involve beating them up without warning and then telling them that they've flunked. And I'd still, somehow, manage to screw up at least half the time.

Thing is, if I did that it would be hard to resist incorporating so many of the theories I've picked up here... I'll bet Reichu's K^4 theorem would fit nicely.

Well, maybe it's better if I don't write any such thing. These ideas always seem brilliant after I've gone forty hours without sleep, but I'll probably think twice about it once I've caught some Zs.

[Defectron]

Not me as a mind stuck in a Rei-clone body, which seems to be one of the more popular intros

I saw one fic that was like that awhile back, I had no idea that was such a popular thing to do. But then again I havent read eva fanfics for awhile since much of it is so retarded it hurts to look at. But why Rei self inserts? No one wants to get into Asukas body? :o

Damn that just sounded wrong

If I was inserted into the eva universe the world might end up getting more broken then it was in the cannon eva universe :shock:

[BobBQ]

I don't follow FF very much, but I recall at least two, maybe three stories that used that plot device. I suspect it appeals to writers because having all those spare Rei clones floating around provides a convenient way for a character to appear in the NGE universe without anybody noticing right off.

[Mr. Tines]

But why Rei self inserts?

Rei has spares. Though I've not seen anything other than "I was a Teenage Dummy-plug" make use of that concept.

Anything Eva-fannish leaking into the Eva-verse would derail much that was derailable - the central conceit of "The scribes of Tokyo-3" being almost exactly that.

[Reichu]

Anything Eva-fannish leaking into the Eva-verse would derail much that was derailable - the central conceit of "The scribes of Tokyo-3" being almost exactly that.

Eh?

I'm debating whether to spend some free time doing a self-insert of myself, just to get away from my regular writing for a while and make fun of works like this.

DO IT! DO IT! I would read it. Totally.

Thing is, if I did that it would be hard to resist incorporating so many of the theories I've picked up here... I'll bet Reichu's K^4 theorem would fit nicely.

Rea-lly? What makes you mention that one specifically?

If you want to mock fanfics, making Kaworu a chick in boy's clothing is another natural thing to do. ;) Of course, if I were ever to finish one of my NGE-fics, it would be a serious treatment of the concept, since I think it's a really neat one...

[BobBQ]

DO IT! DO IT! I would read it. Totally.

Reichu-sama has encouraged me. On her own head be the consequences.

Rea-lly? What makes you mention that one specifically?

Even if in the end it turns out to be a lot of hot air and coincidences, I think it's pretty darn cool. It also fits perfectly with the direction I'd like to take this idea in.

If you want to mock fanfics, making Kaworu a chick in boy's clothing is another natural thing to do. ;) Of course, if I were ever to finish one of my NGE-fics, it would be a serious treatment of the concept, since I think it's a really neat one...

I was thinking of going for a serious approach to the Kaworu-as-feminine-soul-in-male-body theorem, if that's what you mean.

Once the weekend gets here, I'll see what I can come up with for starters. I think it'd be best if I initially posted it here so that the assorted experts can catch any blatant manglings of established canon that should slip past my senses.

[Mr. Tines]

Anything Eva-fannish leaking into the Eva-verse would derail much that was derailable - the central conceit of "The scribes of Tokyo-3" being almost exactly that.

Eh?

We the fans have seen the future and a lot of the secret information. Any plans relying purely on information security would be at risk from this disclosure. "Scribes" puts the leak in the form of letting the characters have access to ff.net.

[Reichu]

Reichu-sama has encouraged me. On her own head be the consequences.

Okey dokey.

I was thinking of going for a serious approach to the Kaworu-as-feminine-soul-in-male-body theorem, if that's what you mean.

Oh, no, I meant the heavy duty "Kaworu is literally female (in an Eva-like way, if you follow)" theory that only four known people on all the Internets take seriously. ;) "Female in male's body" tends to go down much easier. But I've never seen a serious treatment of Kaworu from the latter perspective either (not that I go around looking for them), so that might be fun.

I think it'd be best if I initially posted it here so that the assorted experts can catch any blatant manglings of established canon that should slip past my senses.

Unless such manglings are intentional, of course.

:wonders what BobBQ plans to do with K4...:

[Jay911]

IMO, the folks at Eyrie are legendary in the fanfic community at its core definition. Undocumented Features is one of the first fanfics I ever read, which I did, as it was being put out way back in 1990 (Good god, 16 years ago?!).. and it blended SI and great writing with just about every anime, manga, and sci-fi series I'd ever heard of (and some I hadn't, which I then looked into because of reading about them in UF). That also inspired me to make my serious start in writing fanfics, too, including one directly inspired by UF, which unfortunately didn't go over too well with some folk over there.

In any case, I consider Eyrie to be the grandfathers of modern fanfic, if you'll allow such a statement.. so after I saw Evangelion and started looking for fanfics based upon it, I found NXE and tried to read it. Lord, did I try.. several times.. but I have never been able to bring myself to get through more than a few paragraphs. I can't put my finger on what it is that turns me off. The writing style is different, kind of like some of the later bits of UF, which also didn't reach out and grab me (like other fanfics I've enjoyed have).

[DarthMigit]

Throughout reading this fic (exodus), my feelings included: confusion, understanding, confusion again, frustration and revulsion in that order. :?
It just...went-too-FAR!!! Half of it was unecessary, the other half was baffling. AND THE ENDING! Jeezaloo, I applaud the guy's originallity and at the same time despair at the crushingly distorted liberties he has taken with Anno's characters. Awesome writing style, but I felt that by the end so little of Eva was left it could no longer be called a fan-fic. Not just with the story, but the whole feeling of Eva had evaporated...which is a pity as the first few volumes were extremely impressive...oh, sorry did I mention jealosy in the above list? :oops: