Evangelion The Spark of Life (and Madness)

[Prince Charon]

Might need a better title, but for now, it works.

Imagine, if you will, that low-level <a href='http://girlgenius.wikia.com/wiki/Spark' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>Sparks</a> occasionally occur in the world of NGE. For millennia, they were very rare, not that powerful, and couldn't maintain <a href='http://girlgenius.wikia.com/wiki/The_madness_place' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>Phase 2</a> for more than a few minutes, and mostly just a few seconds, if they could reach it at all. The only Spark family lines native to Japan were the Ikari, Akagi, and Soryu, and Soryu Kyoko Zeppelin may have only achieved it due to her father being of the German von Zeppelin Spark-line.

Then, Second Impact happened. A surprising number of potential Sparks Broke Through then, and in recent years, its been noted that children conceived after Second Impact are not only more likely to Break Through, but tend to be more powerful, able to stay in Phase 2 longer, reach it more often, and in a very few cases, achieve the previously thought mythical Phase 3. They tend to be more charismatic, as well, and some seem to have other strange abilities.

Only Sparks conceived after Second Impart can safely interface with and pilot the giant <a href='http://girlgenius.wikia.com/wiki/Construct' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>Type X Constructs</a> called Evangelion, but they must reach at least Phase 1, to do it.

A reluctant young Spark named Ikari Shinji is about to arrive in Tokyo-3. If he knew what awaited him there, he'd have stayed home with his two-headed mice (Why is it that only the left head breathes fire?).

EDIT: Very few Sparks are anywhere near the level of the top tier GG Sparks. Shinji is somewhat comparable to Agatha (Shinji is the main character, who has two likely significant others (though it may take longer for him to be drawn to Rei).), but would lose to her in a Spark-off if both had the same resources and experience. Asuka and Rei are a bit like Gil and Tarvek, though not necessarily in that order, but again, not quite at that level when given the same resources and degree of experience. Those three are the whole of the top tier of Sparks in this version of the NGE-verse, but lack a lot of information and resources that the older, less powerful Sparks have, as well as having limited experience and spare time - of the three, Asuka has the most, due to Gendo intentionally stunting Rei's emotions (which are deeply involved in entering the madness place).

When in the grip of Spark madness, and not focused on something else, Shinji is very interested in the experiment of breeding with Asuka, to see what the resulting children would be capable of. Outside of Spark madness, he's to shy to bring it up.

Was thinking that Gendo is not a Spark, but still leads NERV, to illustrate one of the differences between this TL and GG canon.

 

[Glimmervoid]

Hum, this is very interesting. What would Angels be? The weapons of some hidden spark?

Also the world... If second impact saw an explosion of sparks, it stands to reason the world didn't have the social support systems to needed to limit them. There would be too few Spark Houses to self govern and no Baron Klaus to enforce the Pax Transylvania. I'm picturing the post impact wars being far bloodier. Sparks released crazy weapons, carving out kingdoms, dying and and coming back. Large parts of the world are just no go areas - cites filled with man (and Eva) eating plants, self reproducing spire clanks, weird uplifted animal socialites. This would make for some fantastic locations for Angel fights.

I'm not sure about making Shinji a high level spark. It seems a bit like main character wank. Keep him a weak spark, imo, surrounded by the powerful sparks Asuka and Rei. Maybe he could have hidden potential he sporadically dips into; that would mirror his canon status.

 

[nixofcyzerra]

Or you could just give him Agatha's necklace for the first few chapters.

 

[Glimmervoid]

Or you could just give him Agatha's necklace for the first few chapters.

Why would he have the necklace? What purpose does it serve both in and out of universe?

I've also been thinking more about second impact and I've come to the conclusion that we don't really need it. Why have a massive physical explosion and a massive explosion of sparks? The latter can replicate all needed effects of the former, which makes it superfluous. The plot becomes cleaner by removing it.

Our world changed September 2000. Even the smallest child knows this date. They know the horrors that were birthed and the social orders torn down. They know the countries flooded by tidal engines, the cities strangled by mutated plants and the people transformed in eugenical experiments. They also know who caused this catastrophe: the sparks.

Sparks have existed for as long as man. They are those rare individuals for who the improbable is commonplace and the impossible within grasp. Until September 2000 they were rare. Continents might have a dozen sparks. The rate has wavered over time, sometimes up and sometimes down but never by any great amount. Because of this, the exact start of Bloody September is a matter of some controversy.

The world saw an upswing in spark numbers during the 90s. This upswing was well within past trends and nothing out of the ordinary. Still, some statisticians point to it as a sign of what was to come. September 3rd is the most commonly cited date for the true beginning. It marks a massive spike in spark numbers. Across the world, hundreds of breakthroughs occurred. The spark houses and military authorities struggled to contain this influx of talent. The number of sparks breaking through increased as each day passed, almost exponentially. The spark houses and military authorities gave up any attempt at containment and turned to their own survival. Most of these sparks succumbed to early madness and brought forth the horrors in their minds.

On September 13th, 2000, a million sparks emerged in a single day. The world shook at the products of their industry. The sky turned black. Earthquakes shook the world. Millions died. The sparks turned upon each other in civil war. In their murder they likely saved the world.

Over the remainder of the month, breakthroughs slowed, though they stayed well above the pre-Bloody September levels. The survivors emerged into this altered world. The remnants of the old spark houses competed with the most potent surviving breakthroughs for the best new talent. National governments clawed back to power, often by allying with a number of powerful sparks. Civilisation slowly returned but never to normal. This is a new world.

BBC Documentary – Two months before first angel attack.