#𝐵𝑒𝑡𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑌𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝐹𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑟𝑠‚ 𝐵𝑒𝑡𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐿𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑠

[fullscoreshenanigans]

What do you think a REN wedding would be like?

I feel like there would be one! Possibly two!

REN enthusiasts have been blessed with some absolute gems of fanfics that I've adopted as my own personal canon on this topic, making me very fond of Emma learning about weddings from the books' in Grace Field's library and immediately thinking of course she and her two best friends should have one. They've been inseparable since she arrived at the house, and she can't imagine her days without either of them, so the only solution is for all three of them to marry each other.

I adore the way Ray's chapter of Between Your Fingers, Between the Lines by honeynpeaches opens when he's around six years old and Emma dropping flower crowns on the boys' heads, declaring they'll be wed that very day.

Everything about this little snapshot is perfect. Emma walking onto the scene framed in the imagery of a halo. Norman being an adorably smitten baby going on the fritz for the first few minutes of the entire conversation. Ray being an amalgam of emotions held together with a rubber band on the verge of snapping. His reaction to Emma's quick and casual defiance of whatever she deems arbitrary is a wonderful blend of comedic and heartbreaking. The pure frustration at her flippancy born out of a deep and endearing love that trumps his fear of the whatever consequences result from confronting Isabella.

But he sees how Emma and Norman smile, and he can’t deny them. He’s never been able to. Not really. Not when it matters most…He’d give anything for them, and he already knows it.

Down to the more minute gestures of Norman moving to calm Ray after he's calmed himself down in a familiar, reassuring rhythm

(Chapter 28 Bonus Comic about Chapter 14's flashback)

with the gentle placement of his hand over the other boy's, and Emma taking his other hand to move close to her heart to subconsciously convey how much it would mean to her to be able to reify their bond through such a ceremony, even if it's only pretend.

For how their play wedding goes, I love what @carnivorouswillgraham does in w.a.m.s. that I've already gushed about here

But aaah do I love the idea of the music box Emma received from Isabella as her gift being the musical accompaniment to their ceremony.

(Mystic Code Book Chapter 1 Q&A)

In addition to them just all being adorable little babies enjoying the chance to recreate such an important ceremony between all three of them, even if just pretend.

Baby Ray going through an existential crisis but still trying to be present for his bffs/soon-to-be spouses and genuinely finding some solace in these moments with them that will solidify his resolve to confront Isabella in just a few days.

Just continue to fucking gut me.

For adulthood, I'm half and half of whether they'd have one, but if they do and Emma regains her memories, I imagine it playing out very similar to how it does in @salsae's to have and to hold, which I've gushed about a bit already here.

All of their friends and family gathered together at one of their homes or whichever quiet venue could accommodate such a large gathering, some of their siblings walking them down the aisle as Nat plays the piano, Emma in relaxed summer attire befitting or her kind and free spirit, incorporating the paper cups as part of the vows and the galaxying braining of turning it into a REN thing rather than solely an NE one, the trio taking turns crying out of joy (because ofc they can't all cry at the same time), Ray somehow getting roped into catering his own fucking wedding…it all comes together in such a beautifully brilliant way that I can't really think of anything to be altered except Alex walking Emma down the aisle.

If Emma doesn't regain her memories, I'd still imagine something similar playing out with it being a lowkey event in someone's backyard, but there's less chance of Ray prioritizing getting NE together separate from him (for a while) because in his mind they're forever classified as a matching set that he's not a part of

(2020 Exhibition Interview)

And more of a chance of them officially getting together as a trio to start off due to both the search for Emma leading Norman and Ray to grow closer in her absence (while holding off on progressing further in a relationship until reunited with their third) and then all three of them navigating her memory loss.

[fullscoreshenanigans]

Do you have any Ray angst centered fic recomendations?

If you're looking for ones centered around his relationship with Isabella, I have these four recs here.

I also recommend There is Nothing You Can Do About it, Now by @bblueraven-and-fandoms14, a one-shot missing scene where Ray confronts Norman one last time before his shipment.

The imagery of their identification numbers as a noose and bisecting line across their necks has stuck with me ever since.

If you're open to OT3 fics, I also recommend the Ray chapter of Between Your Fingers, Between the Lines by honeynpeaches. It's incomplete, so there's no Emma chapter, but it's extremely foundational for me as one of the fics I reread when I want to recenter myself on the trio's dynamic as well as their individual characters.

Each chapter provides four snapshots across their lives in canon from their early childhood years to when they're thirteen.

Adore the exploration of the toll experimenting on his siblings took on him (there's no explicit confirmation of this, but I have a hard time accepting he would hand the device off to Norman, one of his two most precious people he was willing to sacrifice everything for, without testing it on another child at some point during its construction to make sure it worked) when he tries so hard to steel away his heart, never once explicitly citing how it makes him feel even after the reveal he's Isabella's spy because he loathes pity and doesn't believe he deserves it for the choices he willingly made (never mind that he's a child and given the circumstances they were coerced choices).

His connection with Isabella angst, natch.

There are so many amazing passages in here, but the "[o]ften, those eyes are blue" line absolutely fucking wrecks me every time. How the cadence of that brevity lands on such a simple fact that now evokes so much sorrow when he used to have such warm and positive associations with those eyes. Windows to the soul and everything that made Norman Norman and what he loved about him.

And then the often referenced celestial symbolism of him as the stars of the trio (to Emma's sun and Norman's moon), but a less romanticized, more viscerally horrifying perspective on it.

[fullscoreshenanigans]

Your analyses are the best. They are so fun to read and I over think everything afterwarrs

Thank you!

For analyses above my level, I highly recommend checking out these if you haven't already read them:

The two chapters of Kei Toda's Reading The Promised Neverland with a British/American Literature Scholar (2020) that have been translated into English by fans (Chapter 2: Religion by @thathilomgirl & @0hana0fubuki0 | Chapter 3: Gender by @1000sunnygo)

Anime Feminist's "Emma’s Choice: The gender-norm nightmare at the heart of The Promised Neverland" article (2018) (good follow-up to Toda's chapter on gender)

Jackson P. Brown's "Thoughts on… The Promised Neverland, and Black Women in Manga" (2018) blog post and Zeria's video essay/blog post (2019) on Krone's depiction

Jairus Taylor's "The Unfulfilled Potential of The Promised Neverland Anime" (2021) which made me more open to the idea of a remake of S1

For tumblr posts (some of these I'm linking through my blog because I either had a minor link addition or think the OP's/prev's tags deserve to be seen and rebloggable, but you can just click through to the original post):

@puff-poff's exploration of the demon world's culture (Part 1 & Part 2)

@just-like-playing-tag's examination of the farm system, Emma character analysis launched by a minute change in S2e02, and mini-Isabella analysis regarding her treatment of Ray (along with her blog just being a wealth of knowledge in general)

@hylialeia's post on the series' handling of Norman's plan/the oppressed and oppressors

@avadescent's analysis of the S2 ED album art (Norman and Emma are perpendicular; Emma and Ray are parallel.)

@linkspooky has a lot of analyses from when the series was running but special mention to this analysis of Norman's character

@vobomon also has a lot but special mention to her Norman is autistic and Norman has PTSD posts

@goldiipond's "Ray is autistic" essay

@emmaspolaroid with some of the best Emma and Emma & Isabella meta in general

@nullaby's post on Isabella and Ray's relationship

[fullscoreshenanigans]

#what fucks me up most about Norman's departure to Lambda is - he couldn't know if Ray survived #yes his plan was (almost) perfect but would Ray really come along? #it was so close for Emma to catch the match #everything could have gone up in flames (literally) so easily #so Norman had to leave his suicidal best friend behind #Emma's strong. Emma surely made it out of Grace Field #but Ray? would he want to be saved? #Norman's fear of hearing Ray didn't make it is my headcanon why Norman *only* called for Emma first when meeting her again #because seeing Ray again - or worse. not - would have broken him #yes there was a lot of anger in him for Ray being a traitor but even more sorrow for his friend's miserable life #and his sacrifices to them (via @officersnickers)

The way I go absolutely insane reading @salsae's smoke and mirrors

and honeynpeaches' Between Your Fingers, Between the Lines

where Norman conjures phantoms of them in his mind and those doubts creep in, but he reaffirms a world without them is inconceivable.

Ray intends to die. From what he said, he's doing it so you and I don't get killed. He didn't include himself in the numbers. He's not escaping. Ray has decided to die inside this house. He's going to set himself on fire to distract Mom in order to let us run away. That's his entire plan.

But I won't allow him to do that. Not ever.

The inclusion of these two simple frames in the anime is everything to me actually

[fullscoreshenanigans]

Ray intends to die. From what he said, he's doing it so you and I don't get killed. He didn't include himself in the numbers. He's not escaping. Ray has decided to die inside this house. He's going to set himself on fire to distract Mom in order to let us run away. That's his entire plan.

But I won't allow him to do that. Not ever.

The inclusion of these two simple frames in the anime is everything to me actually

[fullscoreshenanigans]

#I guess over time Ayshe will accept the fact Norman was a scared child who did this to her father not out of malice #but because he wanted to survive and protect others #it's basically the same reason why her father did hide her all these years (via @officersnickers)

Protecting others in this instance extending to paternalistic deception toward Barbara, Cislo, Vincent, and Zazie (excellently touched upon in this excerpt of Between Your Fingers, Between the Lines by honeynpeaches:)

(Mystic Code Book Chapter 6 Q&A)

For understandable reasons, most of the focus in this conflict is centered around Ayshe and Norman given the latter was the leader and effectively ordered the murder, but still, interesting to think about how the rest of the squad would come into play and would initially react to that revelation.

I do think that's a huge factor in her reaction to whatever he says in chapter 160, though. Not just her father being taken from her, but that Norman knew he'd made a mistake in killing him the entire time they knew each other and never attempted to apologize and make amends earlier. Even when he was the party in the wrong, he was was potentially still trying to dictate how the resolution to this conflict would play out. It makes sense why, given the situation they're in immediately after the imperial capital falls, but that he doesn't let her get a word in at the time? Kind of an asshole move.

#the pain will ease over time but it will never fade #much like Norman will never fully forgive Isabella #but I'm sure they will find a way to act fairly normal around each other

But yes, acceptance and understanding are different from forgiveness. They do help ease it, but still, his was the only being she ever held a full conversation with prior to turning thirteen. He and their dogs were her whole world; she loved him. Losing that security in such a violent manner during one's formative years is devastating, and grief isn't linear.

Provided Norman approaches her first to attempt at making amends in the human world, I like to think seeing him genuinely care for his family was part of what helped ease tensions to get them to the point they're at in the chapter 181 panel, along with talking to Don, Gilda, and Ray.

#Don and Gilda should have given Norman way more shit for all the stuff he did to a lot of them #I know Gilda and Don would never confront Norman with this #but Ayshe would when being around and it could lead to glorious conversations (from this poll)

Having Ayshe similarly be involved in how Don and Gilda sort through any lingering feelings regarding Norman's actions is interesting. It's a bit specific with me in that I don't think she'd do this until, again, he approached her regarding her dad's murder. Without that, I don't know if she'd consider him worthy of wasting that kind of energy on until he's shown he cares enough to work on repairing things for the sake of others instead of easing his own guilt, holding him to that commitment even in the face of scrutiny. If he didn't care, she could feel free to hate him to her heart's content without any guilt of her own.

You know, i don't think that Asyhe forgave Norman. But I think that she decided to make her revenge in a more "psychological" way. Like being a "silent" threat.

For exemple she comes in his office to feed her wolfs while glarring at him (like in a comic on tubmlr that I have seen one day).

Sometimes, she sings a little "innocent" demon song (that she read in a book at her father home, even if her father had hie all those kid of documents) about hunting human when they just all two, before making remarks about hunting HIM and saying immediatly "just kidding...maybe? =)" with a too much innocent simile and he can just sweat nervously.

She sends her wolfs following him silently. Or howling under his windows at night.

"Why your wolfs were howling last night.

They were ready for the hunt.

...

Just kidding, the mooon was full and she were singing."

She lets him hold baby wolfs but immedialty ask him to be the prey, for their training with a innocent look. And he 100% doesn't know if she's serious or joke. (Everyone else thinks she jokes).

But hey at least she doesn't try to kill him....for now.

Really that's maayybe the only reason for "why the Demon God let her keep her wolfs-dogs": to torment Norman XD

I agree there's no way Ayshe forgave Norman during the time we have with the characters (with me and a few other people hoping if any new material was to come out for the series, it would be related to their conflict with how lackluster and embarrassing the resolution was). She is able to honor whatever it is he said to her in chapter 160, (plug for my guess on that, although "I'm sorry, but please wait until we've obtained our freedom" is another one I've seen presented that I see as incredibly plausible and valid). She can acknowledge he can do more good alive than dead. She sees how happy Don, Gilda, and the rest of the Grace Field kids are to have him back (which is tangentially one of the things I love about the chapter 153 conversation between the full score trio, that arguable selfishness on Emma and Ray's part; wanting Norman back with them and their family even in the face of all the families he ruined during his time as Minerva razing the mass production farms, including Ayshe's).

None of that means she forgives him or that she's obligated to do so at any point in the future.

But I think that she decided to make her revenge in a more "psychological" way. Like being a "silent" threat. Sometimes, she sings a little "innocent" demon song (that she read in a book at her father home, even if her father had hie all those kid of documents) about hunting human when they just all two, before making remarks about hunting HIM and saying immediately "just kidding...maybe? =)" with a too much innocent smile and he can just sweat nervously. She sends her wolfs following him silently. Or howling under his windows at night.

I feel like this is too childish given the magnitude of what he did? At least at first.

I think she would just straight up ignore his existence unless for whatever reason they're in the same room, at which point if she's aware he's looking at her, he'd receive the most emotionless stare in return until he does what he's supposed to and approaches her about their unresolved conflict. It's terrifying because in being genuinely remorseful, he accepts that he's not the one in control of the situation dictating how it'll play out, and being that vulnerable was one of the major driving forces for the conflict between him and Emma. But you know, growth, and ideally that's what played out between them to get them to this point after roughly two years:

(Chapter 181)

She's willing to not only be within physical proximity of him (along with Vincent, and it's probably safe to assume the same for the rest of the Lambda squad, too), but she and her dogs also allow him to hold one of the pups.

She lets him hold baby wolfs but immediately ask him to be the prey, for their training with a innocent look. And he 100% doesn't know if she's serious or joke. (Everyone else thinks she jokes).

And maybe by that time this is the kind of joke she would make. I would have characterized it with a deadpan look as opposed to an innocent one because the latter seems too cutesy given he murdered the being who saved her from death and raised her for thirteen years, but with this being the only panel we have to go off of for the status of their relationship after two years, it's not entirely implausible.

Norman appears rueful and willing to accept Ayshe could decide to kill him at any point and be justified in doing so. The panel preceding the one with Ayshe is very important in this regard. It would be hypocritical for him to expect forgiveness as a forgone conclusion for himself when he hasn't forgiven the Ratri clan and probably never will for their generation of complicity in the farm system and the upholding of the social stratification of demon society.

Yet the memory he's thinking of is depicted in a comedic light as opposed to foreboding and has an optimistic undercurrent, so it seems like some degree of progress has been made between them when this is where we see them leave off:

(Chapter 160)

For example she comes in his office to feed her wolfs while glarring at him (like in a comic on tubmlr that I have seen one day).

The comic in question by @dyslexicsponge is delightful and something everyone should see, although in this instance based on the preceding drawing of her with Emma I'm 99% convinced she's goes in there because Norman is the most hopelessly obvious dork about his crush on Emma for the “I didn't know where else to go” trope with the most black comedy mundane twist klfklsjl (“Listen asshole…this is partially your fault I'm in this mess‚ what with the killing my dad and all. You're going to provide some form of comfort to me even if it's just commiserating in silence.” But you know, silently. He's just supposed to pick up on the vibes.) The #noromo Norayshe content we deserve klfjlksd

But hey at least she doesn't try to kill him....for now. Really that's maayybe the only reason for "why the Demon God let her keep her wolfs-dogs": to torment Norman XD

Going with what you said in our previous exchange on this with her seeing her dogs as siblings being the primary reason for the demon god transporting them over, although that is a nice bonus for her lol

[fullscoreshenanigans]

I'd argue the first gif along with sequences like these showcase him thinking and fretting over Ray just as frequently. There's vitriol thrown into the mix because of how hurt he was by Ray's perceived betrayal, but if anything the ferocity behind those sentiments are what propel him to so swiftly and strongly swing the pendulum back to viewing Ray as a dear friend who must be protected and deserves to be saved at all costs.

This in turn influences Ray to see Norman atop the wall during the escape as the final marker of him genuinely internalizing one of the deepest desires in his heart that he had locked away for so long, which I personally put on the same level as Emma having a vision of Norman after Leuvis stabs her in chapter 93 and find interesting what leads one to be played up over the other. I'd also say the focus on Norman voicing how much he wants to see Emma again too, though to be fair the anime lends itself to this as well.

But yes, the way he consistently voices wanting to see the both of them along with the rest of his family again and the facsimiles he'd conjure of them to keep him going 🖤🤍���� (already posted these fic excerpts on another post but they're just as applicable here and they own my ass for how foundational they were in my interpretation of the series with their poignant portrayal of the dynamic between the trio so yolo)

(smoke and mirrors by @salsae)

(Between Your Fingers, Between the Lines by honeynpeaches)

And even after they reunite, his thoughts repeatedly return to the both of them as he ruminates on what he plans to do.

(Chapter 129 | Chapter 145)

While desperately wanting to reach out to both of them the entire time for help.

(Volume 18 Cover and Inner Cover | Chapter 154)

Ray TPN

KLJDFKLVDK HIM THOUGH??

(S1 Episode 6 | Chapter 181.1 | Chapter 93 | Chapter 119 | banana_slug_army's A Bizarre Proposal | 2020 Exhibition Interview)

[fullscoreshenanigans]

#Snickers voice: *write that down write that down for your own fic!* #adding ideas: Gilda's not giving up till Emma found her perfect attire #the wedding being outdoors because a) big ass family and b) reminding them of the truly blissful days of their childhood #everyone's allowed to wear whatever they want but no one would dare to show up in smth white and/ or outmatching Emma #because they respect her so so much! #them not getting a ton of presents because they already got everything they need in each other (how sappy!) #but donating stuff and money to institutions which need them more (via @officersnickers)

I love the idea you're playing around with of Gilda x years into her career going to each of the trio individually and lowkey bullying them into a wedding so she can show off Emma's wedding dress (which again I'm so enamored with sae's take because it feels authentically her, showcasing her natural elegance without being bogged down by pomp and circumstance)

Emma is resplendent in a loose summer dress that fastens around her neck, auburn hair glowing in the setting sun. It’s nothing as intricate as the wedding dress she wore for her and Norman’s wedding, with its too-many buckles and corset and spider silk lace, but there’s something about the softness of the fabric, how she’s wearing worn-in gladiator sandals and the hem is short enough for Emma to run in, that makes Ray wish Emma had worn this instead, then. Someone, probably Anna, had woven white lilies into Emma’s hair, and they form a delicate crown around her head. The dress billows as she bounces up and down on the makeshift podium—their little deck Zach and Ray had built, a DIY home improvement project two summers prior—at the very back of the garden, and she looks free. 

And them opting for donations being made rather than expensive gifts is wonderful (while happily accepting personal, homemade ones with sentimental value tied into them <3).

#idk who would catch Emma's flowers but whoever it may be it should be hilarious

Think Gillian would have a field day with it whether her or Nigel caught them, but Barbara could be fun too.

What do you think a REN wedding would be like?

I feel like there would be one! Possibly two!

REN enthusiasts have been blessed with some absolute gems of fanfics that I've adopted as my own personal canon on this topic, making me very fond of Emma learning about weddings from the books' in Grace Field's library and immediately thinking of course she and her two best friends should have one. They've been inseparable since she arrived at the house, and she can't imagine her days without either of them, so the only solution is for all three of them to marry each other.

I adore the way Ray's chapter of Between Your Fingers, Between the Lines by honeynpeaches opens when he's around six years old and Emma dropping flower crowns on the boys' heads, declaring they'll be wed that very day.

Everything about this little snapshot is perfect. Emma walking onto the scene framed in the imagery of a halo. Norman being an adorably smitten baby going on the fritz for the first few minutes of the entire conversation. Ray being an amalgam of emotions held together with a rubber band on the verge of snapping. His reaction to Emma's quick and casual defiance of whatever she deems arbitrary is a wonderful blend of comedic and heartbreaking. The pure frustration at her flippancy born out of a deep and endearing love that trumps his fear of the whatever consequences result from confronting Isabella.

But he sees how Emma and Norman smile, and he can’t deny them. He’s never been able to. Not really. Not when it matters most…He’d give anything for them, and he already knows it.

Down to the more minute gestures of Norman moving to calm Ray after he's calmed himself down in a familiar, reassuring rhythm

(Chapter 28 Bonus Comic about Chapter 14's flashback)

with the gentle placement of his hand over the other boy's, and Emma taking his other hand to move close to her heart to subconsciously convey how much it would mean to her to be able to reify their bond through such a ceremony, even if it's only pretend.

For how their play wedding goes, I love what @carnivorouswillgraham does in w.a.m.s. that I've already gushed about here

But aaah do I love the idea of the music box Emma received from Isabella as her gift being the musical accompaniment to their ceremony.

(Mystic Code Book Chapter 1 Q&A)

In addition to them just all being adorable little babies enjoying the chance to recreate such an important ceremony between all three of them, even if just pretend.

Baby Ray going through an existential crisis but still trying to be present for his bffs/soon-to-be spouses and genuinely finding some solace in these moments with them that will solidify his resolve to confront Isabella in just a few days.

Just continue to fucking gut me.

For adulthood, I'm half and half of whether they'd have one, but if they do and Emma regains her memories, I imagine it playing out very similar to how it does in @salsae's to have and to hold, which I've gushed about a bit already here.

All of their friends and family gathered together at one of their homes or whichever quiet venue could accommodate such a large gathering, some of their siblings walking them down the aisle as Nat plays the piano, Emma in relaxed summer attire befitting or her kind and free spirit, incorporating the paper cups as part of the vows and the galaxying braining of turning it into a REN thing rather than solely an NE one, the trio taking turns crying out of joy (because ofc they can't all cry at the same time), Ray somehow getting roped into catering his own fucking wedding…it all comes together in such a beautifully brilliant way that I can't really think of anything to be altered except Alex walking Emma down the aisle.

If Emma doesn't regain her memories, I'd still imagine something similar playing out with it being a lowkey event in someone's backyard, but there's less chance of Ray prioritizing getting NE together separate from him (for a while) because in his mind they're forever classified as a matching set that he's not a part of

(2020 Exhibition Interview)

And more of a chance of them officially getting together as a trio to start off due to both the search for Emma leading Norman and Ray to grow closer in her absence (while holding off on progressing further in a relationship until reunited with their third) and then all three of them navigating her memory loss.