#atonement au

[idle-soliloquy]

Clegan Atonement AU....

The angst potential... The tragic ending, the WWII themes.

The library scene...

THE LIBRARY SCENE!!!

[soliloquy-dawn]

Love Letters

England, 1935.

In the waning days of a sweltering summer, a thirteen-year-old Marge Spencer witnesses a chain of events that lead her to all the wrong conclusions. Compelled by her infatuation with the housekeeper’s son, and her simmering resentment towards her stepbrother—the heir to the Egan estate—she chases after a scandal, and inadvertently, contributes to a crime, which lands one person in true peril, and plunges them all into the chaos and carnage of World War II.

Or, the Atonement AU.

First chapter is out! I can't believe it. To everyone who will give this story a chance, please mind the tags. Aside from that, I hope you love it as much as I do. It's made me cry a bunch of times already. I hope to make you cry one day too.

[magnetoisnotahappybunny]

[perfectlywingedcrusade]

"At last, he was home. Missing some parts, but still wholly himself."

[wysteriaisapenguin]

Slay the Princess - Atonement AU

Sorry if I don’t have any visuals to go with this, but hopefully the more I expand on this AU I’ll draw something for it

TLDR: An “Everyone Hates You” ending but only half of the voices are present and the other half are awakened after LQ is left exiled. Now LQ must find a way to redeem Themself while the voices fight amongst each other.

(Content warning for gore mention and depressive thoughts. Will also include STP spoilers. Read at your own risk!)

Summary: After the Long Quiet, a loathsome bastard who liked causing chaos, slayed the Princess once and for all, They create a new world free from death and suffering. But what They didn’t anticipate was the wrath of Their voices, who were angry at LQ for treating them so horribly and mocking them for their deaths whenever They approached the mirror. They mercilessly attack LQ, stripping Them away from Their godhood by separating themselves from Their body. While LQ was exiled in disgrace and left to face the consequences of Their actions, the voices decided to take it upon themselves to rule the new world. This included Hero, Cold, Cheated, Stubborn, Paranoid, Opportunist, and Contrarian. Because of their hatred towards LQ, their pain and anger manifested as they slowly became worse versions of themselves.

While Contrarian tried to maintain his sanity and did his best to lighten things up by being his usual funny self, it wasn’t enough. Tensions were always high and everyone was “too serious” to pay attention to him. It had even got to the point where Hero, who now called himself “Savior”, wouldn’t even smile around him anymore. Contrarian couldn’t stand seeing his close friend, who was once a steadfast and compassionate hero, turn into a cold and tired shell of himself. He was so uncomfortable with the gloomy atmosphere that he decided to run away. There was no point for him to be around his fellow voices.

Eventually Contrarian was found by LQ and four “new” voices, who woke up sometime after LQ was exiled. This includes Broken, Hunted, Skeptic, and Smitten. The four of them have been helping LQ survive while hiding from the warped voices. Contrarian is glad to see LQ again and understands Their regret of making things worse for everyone just for the fun of it. (After all, he was guilty of doing the same thing…) But now that he knew that LQ wants to redeem Themself for the terrible things They’ve done, he is determined to help Them do so. Teaming up with the four other voices, Contrarian and his new allies plan to rise up against Savior’s rule and give LQ another chance to save the world.

The Warped Voices - Team Hero

Hero -> Savior: As the leader of the warped voices, he takes it upon himself to carry everyone’s burdens, whether they ask for his help or not. As a result, he is always tired and stressed out. He has complicated feelings towards LQ; he is disappointed in Them but doesn’t outright hate Them. He figures that if LQ won’t make the new world a better place, he’ll have to do just that himself. Thorny branches begin to grow on his body and the more his mental state wavers, the more branches grow on him.

Cold -> Ruthless: Continues to play his role as the “ideal version” of LQ despite becoming a separate entity from Them and achieving what the Narrator had always wanted. He is partnered with Cheated to find LQ and slay Them once and for all. He now wear a veil that hides his face. If one were to remove it, they would see a horrifyingly mutilated face devoid of emotion. Anything he touches become just as frigid and numb as him.

Cheated -> Vindictive: After being screwed over one too many times, he is delighted to finally have the power to control the new world to his liking. He still sees life as a game but plans to keep on winning and let the losers suffer the same pain that he had felt. Anyone who stands a chance against him will be shouted at with his spiteful words. With Cold’s help, he has also learned how to become a skilled fighter and thinks killing LQ would be the ultimate victory.

Stubborn -> Bloodthirsty: Has become restless and furious now that he has no reason to fight in the new world. So he gives himself a purpose by fueling all his hatred forwards LQ and decides that he won’t rest until he is able to kill Them with his own hands. As a result, he becomes just as bloodthirsty, grotesque, and powerful as the Fury. He is considered one of the deadliest fighters of the warped voices, though he prefers to fight alone.

Paranoid -> Hysterical: Is more of a nervous wreck than ever. She always keeps a close eye on the other voices, especially Opportunist, in case they do anything rash and dangerous. Constantly in a state of panic, she can’t afford to trust anyone anymore, not even her fellow voices. The only one she trusts is Hero because he understands her paranoia more than anyone and is always there for her. Because of this, the two have become closer than ever.

Opportunist -> Cutthroat: Believes that staying on the side of the warped voices makes him feel more powerful and likable. And even so, he wants more. Instead of fighting like the other voices, he assigns himself as Hero’s assistant by appealing to him and always agreeing with his decisions. When he overhears that a new group of voices have appeared, he believes he has what it takes to convince them to join the “winning side”.

The ‘New’ Voices - Team LQ

Broken: The first of the ‘new voices’ to be awakened by LQ after They were exiled. Hopeless, small, and fragile, they believe that they are beyond saving and deserve every horrible thing that is being put upon them for committing a sin so great. Despite being unable to do anything, they are always seen with LQ, serving as some sort of comfort for Them. They understand LQ’s misery and wallows with Them, crying about how pathetic they both are.

Hunted: A voice awakened from LQ’s desire to hide and survive from the wrath of the warped voices. Out of the new voices, it is the only one capable of fighting against the warped voices and relies on its pure instinct, heightened senses, and swiftness. Despite this, it is still no match for Stubborn, Cold, and Cheated. It is very protective of its allies and swears to keep them safe at all costs.

Skeptic: A voice awakened by LQ’s self doubt and questions if They can change and make amends. He works alongside Hunted to find the best strategies to help LQ, as well as the other voices, survive and keep Them safe. Despite this, he is somewhat insecure about being unable to fight for himself, since he had been severely beaten up by Stubborn several times. Although he is intelligent and observant, he wishes he could be more useful in dire situations.

Smitten: The last voice awakened by LQ’s reminiscence of the Princess. While the other new voices have no memory of the Princess, Smitten is the only one who remembers her. Wistful but hopeful, He firmly believes that LQ has to keep on living and never lose hope so that They can make things right again, especially for her sake. Though this mindset starts to waver as he learns about the truth behind LQ’s past actions…

Contrarian: One of LQ’s original voices, but after feeling left out by them, he runs away and joins LQ. He still likes to make jokes every now and then, but it only helps in cheering LQ up. Part of him wonders if everything would be so much better without him…while he gets along well with the new voices, he misses Hero and wonders if his close friend is doing well without him. He has no hard feelings towards LQ and feels relieved that they share something in common.

[darkcrowprincess]

*Borrowing quote from Atonement*

Spy Regulus Black to James Potter: Dearest Jamie, the story can resume. The one I had been planning on that evening star gazing. I can become again the man who once crossed the hogwarts grounds at dusk, in my best robes, tentatively hopeful on the promise of life. The man who, with the clarity of passion, made love to you in the Room of Requirement. The story can resume. I will return. Find you, love you, marry you and live without shame.

[narwq]

AU stuff between me and @ckswitch

[lavenderstobins]

hear me out: ronance atonement au. obvious spoilers for atonement ahead. also, fair warning, not a happy au. 

robin as robbie, nancy as cecilia, mike as briony. 

instead of the book/film events, robin is accused of robbery. mike caught nancy and robin in the library but nancy went after him to make him swear not to tell what he saw them doing or they’d both be sent away, since they’re both women. when valuables go missing, mike says that he saw robin in the library before they went missing, and that she was left alone for an unknown length of time because nancy was with him. nancy protests, but robin has no alibi, so she’s sent away and told she’s lucky she isn’t jailed. nancy and robin stay in contact via letters; nancy is devastated. 

years later, robin enlists as a combat nurse when steve enlists in the war. nancy serves as a nurse locally. mike, growing older, has little contact with nancy, who cut contact with most of the wheelers beside holly. mike, too late, finds out that it wasn’t robin who robbed them after all; it turns out it was none other than mike’s friend’s stepbrother, who nobody had accused as he was rich and therefore had no reason to steal. 

mike reaches out to nancy to apologise and reconnect, but she refuses to see him.

huge spoilers for atonement under the cut:

cw: major character death

it’s learnt that robin died of an illness while serving. steve returns from the field to find that she passed away while he was gone. one of her letters to nancy is half-finished. 

he sends a letter to nancy informing her of robin’s demise, but selfishly (and he knows it’s selfish) keeps the half-written letter with him. it’s all he has left of her; he can’t bring himself to let go of it just yet. 

steve is injured in the field shortly afterwards, having gotten more careless after losing robin, and ends up at the hospital mike works at. mike, who trained to become a nurse, too. in his state of delirium, steve mistakes mike for nancy, and babbles to him that he’s sorry for keeping the letter, that he couldn’t let go of robin at the time, but she (nancy) needs to read it, she needs her letter. he pulls robin’s letter out of his pocket, pushing it into mike’s hands, and dies shortly later. 

mike reads the letter. he knows it’s not his to read, but he does. he reads robin’s words promising to come home to nancy and live a life free of shame.

he reaches out to nancy, tentatively, and tells her he has a last letter from robin. he tells her that steve died in the hospital after giving it to him. she agrees, reluctantly, to meet with him the following week, to hear him out and to receive robin’s letter. 

they never get the chance. just a few night later, nancy is killed in a bombing, just like cecilia was. she never gets robin’s last letter. mike never sees her again. 

mike writes a book, decades later, in which he gives them their happy ending, knowing it’s not enough but wanting to give them something he stole from them in reality.

[idle-soliloquy]

Atonement AU

The last couple of days, I've been chipping away at the outline. All the major plot points and changes to the original story have been decided upon.

I'm not aiming to make this historically accurate, but I am doing some preliminary research so I don't fuck it up completely.

I don't know if I can pull this off, but... I'm going to try. The book and the film have been stuck in the back of my mind for years, and to this day they rank at the very top of my all-time favorite pieces of media. MotA truly seems like the perfect fandom to adapt it for.

The roles have been cast. Marge is Briony. Helen is going to play a crucial role in the story as Bucky's older sister. Haussmann is also here, though I have little nice to say about him. You can guess who he's meant to portray.

Even though there are going to be major changes to the plot, the general tone will be preserved.

So... you can expect one or more deaths, a healthy dose of suffering, and of course, lots of pining, yearning, and many, many letters exchanged and deeply cherished.

[soliloquy-dawn]

i need some atonement!AU on my tl!! any updates?👀🩷

Hiiii darling.

32k into the first draft, and we're close to the fountain scene! Fucking in the library planned for right after. They have such busy schedules.

I'm gonna use this opportunity to show off the stunning moodpboard that @alienoresimagines made and sent to me BEFORE THEY EVEN READ THIS SNIPPET. Witchcraft, I swear. How did they know? How?

cw: underage, but they're both seventeen and in love. Bucky has impure thoughts. Can't help it, poor chap.

Reconciled with his doomed fate, he lay in waiting, and did not dare to touch. 

What he did do, was suffer unimaginable torture at Buck’s hands. The summer before they both turned seventeen, the torments he was subjected to became more sublime and traitorous. On the hottest days, they would lounge on patches of stubby, yellowing grass, behind a stretch of shrubbery and rose bushes that hid them from prying eyes. Buck would nudge himself closer, burrowing under Bucky’s stretched arm, claiming his bicep as a pillow. His shirt would be damp with sweat and nearly see-through, clinging to his ribcage and the pink swell of his nipples. His hair would coil above his nape in ways that drove Bucky to a state of fumbling incoherence; they spoke to him, those sticky clumps of spun gold, begging to be uncoiled, then patted dry or licked clean. And the worst of it all, Buck’s scantily clad and slender thighs would splay open, and press firmly against Bucky’s leg. At regular intervals, Buck would knock their knees together and rubbed his bare calf against him, and John had to disguise his grunts and moans with an obnoxious cough or an improvised grumble about the weather. 

The whole affair had the guise of a meaningless, casual thing; nothing more than an afternoon of leisure enjoyed between friends. While Buck read his novels, humming contently while flipping to the next page, the immortal toothpick jutting out from between his plush lips, all Bucky could think of was flipping him to the side, pulling his shorts down enough to reveal the pink, flushed skin hiding beneath, and rutting against the swell of his ass until he came all over the soft flesh of his inner thighs. 

[noodles-and-tea]

Continuation of this

[meedoo1809]

James Mcavoy, the man you are.

[wysteriaisapenguin]

Some Atonement AU related sketches cause I really do need to draw something for this AU

Oh Contrarian...a voice left out by the others and ran away from them. If only he knew that there is someone out there who does indeed miss him. Maybe then he wouldn't feel so worthless. And maybe that someone wouldn't be so lonely either.

As for Smitten, he knows how cruel and unfeeling Cold is, so he doesn't understand why the warped voice is so gentle towards him. Surely there must be some kind of feeling, maybe one that’s not so twisted, in there somewhere...is there?

[queenbeekb13]

AU where Simon does go with Edwin to escape Hell and Edwin convinced him + crew that he should stay on with them. After a few awkward weeks Edwin and Simon eventually become friendly (Edwin has someone new to infodump to who is clearly attentive and also someone who understands what’s it’s like to be displaced from his specific time) and maybe Simon even gets brave and a lil flirty now that he knows he and Edwin ARE the same (gay) and that Edwin has forgiven him since the whole murder WAS an accident…..

Meanwhile Charles is perpetually in the background absolutely seething bc that’s the boy who’s responsible for his best mate ending up in Hell (and also he’s super jealous)

[colbycheeseslice]

This is for all the Anita lovers out there! For my YJ band au she would be one of the songwriters and on some songs she would be lead guitar and lead vocals

[idle-soliloquy]

last lines tag!

@onyxsboxes and @irregularcollapse thank you of the tag, and oh my, am I excited about the last lines I've written...

I officially started the Atonement AU after a month of planning and research. I still have shit loads to do, but I was going doolally keeping it all inside my head, so here we are:

A giddy laugh pushed against the insides of her cheeks, but she clamped her lips to conceal it. Operation 'dramatic reading' was to remain clandestine. The Cottage by the Beach—that’s how she decided to title the story there and then—could lure a distant memory of a better time into the present. The uniqueness of Gale and John’s voices fit the roles she had sketched out on the cream paper and now clutched to her chest: Bucky as the desolate lover, enclosed by the itching skin of a common mutt, whining and wagging his tale at his sweetheart. Gale as the heroine, his voice turning soft and crooning when the plot called for it, transforming into a white dove at dawn, the span of its wings veiling the sunrise. At last, she saw the truth in what Gale had told her; how in subtle ways fiction could affect reality. Her story had the means to heal the festering wound at the heart of the manor, and get Gale and Bucky larking about in front of mama Egan again, who in recent months had taken to pinching her mouth whenever Gale was around.  When it had become apparent that the rift was there, and Marge was none the wiser as to why, she tried to ask Martha why she didn’t like Gale anymore. Her stepmother scolded for being too nosy for her own good. That same night, John told her to knock it off and quit asking silly questions.  “She likes him well enough,” he said while glowering at his mother across the nursery. “She’s just old and bitter.”  “She is not that old,” Marge said resolutely, but Bucky was no longer listening; his eyes were glued to Gale’s slumped figure leaving the room through the back door, and heading for the scullery, where his mother was polishing silver before dinner.   The dramatic readings ceased not long after, and trapped between Martha Egan’s withering stare, and Bucky’s casual dismissal, Marge no longer asked Gale to join them in the nursery to celebrate another finished project.

When I tell ya I'm buzzing for this. It's gonna be oh so painful. Tagging @angelfruittree and @london-cowboy - they have to listen to me yap about this story at least once a day.

Also tagging @euph0riacc @solmussa (thanks for the help, you're the best), @middlingmay @swifty-fox @c-goldthorn @polifandom and anyone else who's not done the tag game yet!