Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha AtonerS is a piece of OEL Nanoha fanfiction written by Koveras Alvane and originally published between March 2012 and December 2013.
Synopsis[]
The JS Incident has gone very wrong. Three years later, the RF6 survivors still deal with its consequences, both palpable and emotional.
The fanfic was originally published on FanFiction.net in 111 (short) chapters, each with a location and a time stamp. In September 2014, it had been reuploaded to AO3, split into just 16 chapters plus an epilogue, with all time stamps removed.
Summary[]
The story takes place exactly three years after the climax of StrikerS (0078) in an alternate timeline. Its point of divergence occurred during the final battle of StrikerS, after Nanoha Takamachi had defeated Vivio, and Vita had shattered the Saint's Cradle's main reactor, but before Subaru Nakajima and Teana Lanster could enter the Cradle's interior to evacuate them. At that moment, the Cradle's mainframe gained self-awareness, killed almost everyone trapped inside it, and escaped Midchilda with Vivio still on board. The casualties of that day included Nanoha, Hayate Yagami, Vita, and Quattro.
Although the JS Incident was resolved in much the same way as in the canon, including the rehabilitation of most Numbers and the imprisonment of Jail Scaglietti, the Riot Force 6 disbanded prematurely, before the Forwards' training could be completed. In the following years, the Cradle had repaired its reactor, rebuilt its army of Type IV Gadget Drones, and began attacking archeological sites and museums on both administrated and non-administrated worlds, with the Administrative Bureau seemingly powerless to stop it.
Characters[]
The story features an ensemble cast, with the spotlight split in roughly equal measures between Teana and Subaru, Fate Testarossa, and the Wolkenritter:
- Teana Lanster. Without the JS Incident fame, a completed training, and Fate's commendation, Teana had never enjoyed the meteoric career rise she had in the canon. Nonetheless, she is the least affected by Nanoha's loss emotionally, and was eventually promoted to Captain in charge of her own unit under Major Auris Gaiz on Midchilda. She joins Admiral Harlaown's task force early on.
- Subaru Nakajima. The death of her mentor and idol had devastated Subaru, sending her into a three years-long depression and alienating her from both colleagues and her family. She blames herself for being unable to save Nanoha and, if it weren't for Teana, would have quit the Armed Forces altogether long ago. She follows Teana to join Chrono's task force.
- Fate T. Harlaown. After the JS Incident, Fate had refused to accept the official line that Vivio was killed by the Cradle. Disillusioned by the Bureau's cautious handling of the Cradle crisis and driven by the single-minded desire to rescue her and Nanoha's daughter, she had deserted the Bureau together with Shario Finieno, and the two have been living off the grid to pursue the Cradle ever since.
- Signum. With their remaining days numbered without Hayate's continuous mana upkeep, the Wolkenritter have also gone rogue on a desperate crusade to avenge their fallen master by destroying the Cradle. Signum in particular is tormented by her failure to protect Hayate, by her broken promise to the dying Knight Zest, and by her pent-up feelings for Fate, now her enemy once again.
- Chrono Harlaown. After three years of political maneuvering, Chrono has managed to get an authorization to form a new Dimensional Navy task force to hunt down and destroy the Cradle. His plan involves reuniting most of the Riot Force 6 personnel on Claudia, but he only manages to enlist Teana and Subaru before the Cradle strikes again, forcing his unit into action.
- Vivio Takamachi. It is eventually revealed that Vivio has been kept alive in a permanent Adult Mode and had her memory repeatedly wiped clean by the Cradle in an attempt to turn her into a perfect copy of Saint King Olivie. Although her contribution to the plot is small at first, she becomes one of the major characters towards the end.
Trivia[]
- This fanfic was written between August 2011 and December 2013.
- It was partly conceived as a polemic with the Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha BetrayerS doujinshi.
- The fanfic's title refers to many of its characters striving, consciously or unconsciously, to atone for not being there to prevent the deaths of Nanoha and Hayate.
External links[]
- Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha AtonerS at FanFiction.net
- Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha AtonerS at Archive of Our Own