#TPN 028

[fullscoreshenanigans]

Yes, hello, I love your blog, you're my only window into what the fandom is doing and I could always completely skip the manga and just stick to reading here. So, about your poll of popular theories, I saw something about the demon world being underwater, would you mind elaborating, please? It's for research. For a fanfic 👀

[The poll in question]

I'm always going to advocate for reading the manga, not just because of what happened with S2, but also to see all the gorgeous detailing Demizu puts into her work that's lost in the transition to TV animation, along with her playing with perspectives/proportions in relationship to power dynamics.

(Chapter 1 | S1 Episode 1)

But thank you! <3

My understanding was the theory of the demon world being underwater was introduced by @couldnt-think-of-a-better-name, who was mainly active during the series' heyday (February 2019-July 2019, between the releases of chapters 123-142 during the King of Paradise and Seven Walls arcs and when S1 premiered in Japanese and English).

• Main post about the theory • Secondary post about Lambda-7214 being a coordinate • Neat edit of chapter 7's, chapter 16's, and chapter 2's cover art • Volume 13 Special Edition mini-artbook art hinting at the trajectory of the series

I think it's interesting in how the Seven Walls search party traverses what we're presented with as the entire demon world to find clues about Cuvitidala and the Seven Walls, yet the largest body of water we see anyone interact with is a pond. Nothing close to an ocean that would present them with difficulties such as building or buying a boat from demons.

(Chapter 60 | Volume 8 Title Page | Chapter 99 | Chapter 100 | Chapter 102)

Shirai also confirmed the elevator at Goldy Pond takes one to "a certain forest in Australia" (out of 458 forest communities).

(Mystic Code Book Chapter 3 Q&A)

While the stairs under Grace Field headquarters seem to land one somewhere on the east coast of the former United States of America.

(Chapter 178 | Chapter 179)

There's the imagery of the Statue of Liberty, leading me to believe the North American headquarters for the Ratri clan are located in (former?) New York City, but I don't know if I would necessarily say they wash up on the city's shores since Mike takes a jet out to meet them and the children aren't freezing in the November weather there. There's also the impracticality of after coming back from the demon world to transport goods or just traverse between the worlds you conspicuously land out in the open on the beach, so I believe it was the demon god's meddling that sent them to this beach, and the proper exit in one specific, singular location like the Goldy Pond one is somewhere else in the area. Two specific locations located in opposite hemispheres in our world, yet in the demon world you could potentially travel between the two passageways on foot in approximately a week based on the time it took the kids to reach the shelter at B06-32 (one day of initially wandering through the forest, five days traveling with Sonju and Mujika, and one day walking through the wasteland) and how long it took Yuugo, Emma, and Ray to reach Goldy Pond (four days) if it was a straight shot.

(Chapter 49 | Chapter 60)

It all leaves me very curious about how large the demon world is compared to the human world and how the demon god decided to split the two worlds up.

It's also interesting how despite all the water imagery in the series, we don't see any rain in the manga outside of the chapter 28 cover art (mentioned in the fourth post of that list):

But the anime chose to have a very light rain overlay during the second episode while not animating the ground or characters getting wet:

It rains in the light novels.

(TPN Light Novel 1: A Letter from Norman [June 2018] - "The Day Emma Cried")

(TPN Light Novel 4: Films of Memories [December 2020] - "Operation Stormy Night," originally published in Minerva Confidential Report Report Volume 1 that was packaged with the first volume of the Japanese S1 blu-ray in March 2019)

And we see the children playing in the snow in the past.

(Chapter 10 Bonus Scene)

[fullscoreshenanigans]

They also have those brief exchanges with each other and Grandma during the daily check-ins or whenever a baby is dropped off.

(Chapter 7 | Chapter 28)

But even with that and some more nuanced conversations that could be held with some of the older kids (what I would give to see some of the conversations she had with Norman about a variety of subjects and the conflicting feelings Ray had about that), I feel like the monotony would eat at them terribly and effect them in various ways.

Trying to get the correct vibe for the stunted way i think Moms working under the farm system would speak

I want them to sound like they spent years isolated with no socialization besides talking to children and reading lusty romance novels

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[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]

(Mystic Code Book Q&A Chapters 1 & 7)

Thinking about these questions in relationship to panels like these

(Chapter 28)

and how utterly gross Ray must have felt when fragments of headquarters flashed in his mind where he was paraded around by sisters to demons as 81194 after they would specifically come to check on 73584's offspring and muse he was progressing as was expected of her progeny.

[fullscoreshenanigans]

In case anyone is still wondering where this is from, it's not official art from Demizu in the manga. It's fanart by pan_ahoi (fifteenth image in this set: https://www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/75292619)

BABY NORMAN AND BABY RAY I REPEAT, BABY NORMAN AND BABY RAY

LOOK AT THEM AWWWWWWWWWWWW

[fullscoreshenanigans]

@istgd-2 aaay nice choice 😎👍 the first four volumes were pretty faithfully adapted in the first series of the anime (chapter 5 is the only one that was majorly scrapped due to time), so if money’s a concern, you can skip them and won’t miss too much.

Chapter 38 in volume five is where the first series leaves off, so if you start collecting from that point you’ll already have one of the major chapters of focus for Isabella (chapter 37, shown in episode 12 of the anime), but with the addition of the inner monologues providing further insight into her character. This is one of the major points of contention with the anime adaption, and why I think buying the first four volumes are worth it, not only for her, but also the five oldest children at Grace Field. We’re also shown more visuals from Ray’s past (such as in chapter 28 of his time at headquarters).

I will also advocate for reading the first story of the second light novel, Moms' Song of Remembrance (published January 2019, has no official English translation). In "The Starry Night and Leslie's List," Isabella remembers helping Leslie with a list of goals he set out to accomplish before leaving Grace Field two days before he’s shipped out. It’s book-ended by segments set on January 15, 2046, where Isabella briefly chats with Phil, reflects on her relationship with Ray, and finds new purpose now that her children have proven she was wrong about escape being impossible. Invaluable for anyone looking for more official Isabella-related content. I've posted some excerpts of it here, here, here, here, and here (spoilers for the entire series).

I also have a brief overview post of most of the stories in all four of the light novels if you're interested.

[fullscoreshenanigans]

how do you think that the numbers/brands are put on the children?

It must be a tattoo, not a mark like humans marked cattle on earth (like burning the numbers in the skin with burning iron). Because THAT'S would kill a baby for sure (but it seems to be the case at Lambda for the oldest kids? :/).

So it's probably more a tattoo. But even so young babies, it's still a lot. Especially that it's not a little tattoo, and it's on the neck for Grace Field kids, on the chest (near of the heart) for Great Valley or Glory Bell kids. It's very fragile zones, especially for a baby.

So it must be put when they are enough old to survive it and enough soon for them to have forgotten it (and not being hurt anymore) when the day of being send to a orphenage happens.

It probably means that Ray remembers it then. Except if they put the babies to sleep for doing it. Probably because having a baby who screams, moves and cry for all the procedure must he hard to do.

So maye around 7/8 months old? and until then they have bracelets with their number + the number on the cradle.

With how infants are little wiggle worms, tattooing without using anesthesia is unfathomable to me, even if they somehow made the process painless (a small mercy for Ray with his memory).

(Chapter 28)

It's kind of hard to gauge, but assuming this is shortly before he's handed off to Isabella, it doesn't look like his skin is irritated here, so seven to eight months sounds plausible.

What's more concerning is the recovery period because you can't tell a baby not to scratch at an itchy, painful mark on their neck, and by that age they have enough control of their motor functions to sink their nails into it.

But they could cover their hands with mittens, and with this being a fantastical series featuring demons set in the near future with advanced technology, it's not a stretch to imagine they've made every aspect of this process painless, or they created some medication that was safe to give babies for a month so they wouldn't deal with excess stress by forcing them to live with that irritation for weeks on end (it's not good for the brain), either at that age or before they're regularly sitting up unaided.

Also tangential link to my post on the presence of their tattoos and brands in the epilogue chapter and beyond (because while the babies are almost certainly knocked out for tattooing, we don't know if Norman and the rest of the Lambda gang were knocked out for their Lambda tattoos/brands. We can always hope, though. 🥲)

[fullscoreshenanigans]

Hey if the GF kids + GP team were watching horror movies (the oldest because no horror movies for the youngest kiddos or they will not sleep because some horror movie ARE terrifying) What movie would scare the most at every child/teen?

Like i can see Emma being scared of IT, whatever which version, especially the first scene (you know what i mean, right?) for exemple.

Ayshe would be probably scared by White Dog or Cujo :/ but not scared by the movie but scared and sad because of the poor dog (who is a victim in both movies, infected by rabies in one and trained to attack in another). she would speak for the first time to Norman to ask him do find her an appointment to vaccinate her dogs (because it's real dogs, not demoniac dogs or it would be hard for her to feed them in the human world. I doubt that people would be happy to see their beloved pet dog "vanish" (and be eaten).

Barbara would play "the cool sister who isn't afraid" but would be afraid by Scream (for exemple and would be clingy to Cislo/Norman/Vincent's arm for all the movie XD

Have you other ideas? =)

Feel this comes down to semantics because I don't think they'd find mainstream horror scary but more so unsettling? Besides like a well-earned jump scare getting the best of them that's immediately, viscerally frightening and might result in a comedic reaction they tease each other over.

But given everything they confronted in the demon world—both the direct, palpable terror of almost being eaten alive by the grotesque

(Chapter 117)

to the existential horror of realizing everything you've come to understand about yourself and that your very humanity and the humanity of all the people you care about is systemically devalued in such a cold, detached, clinical way—

(Chapter 28)

it doesn't seem like it would result in an immediate bubbling up of palpable terror for them with both the barrier of the screen and their understanding of horror media and media in general often being used to communicate an idea between a creator and their audience (e.g., the possession scenes in Talk to Me being used to symbolically convey the silent brutality of drug addiction, the existential dread presented by pregnancy and STDs in It Follows, etc.). But the important thing with a lot of these pieces is that while horrific violence might be perpetrated, there's still an underlying upholding of human life as inherently valuable and something to be protected, so they can have fun with it and appreciate the works for what they are.

What I believe would be a sticking point for them would be abject, wanton cruelty with no purpose. So like, torture porn, purposefully edgy works that revel in the audacity of boundaries pushed and the shock value of the obscene, exploitation films. Hostel, Funny Games, A Serbian Film, 120 Days of Sodom, etc., I can't imagine them growing up and being fans of this subgenre after everything they experienced.

So I wouldn't say Emma is scared of King's It, but would perhaps be unsettled by a cosmic malevolent force preying on children for no purpose other than personal gratification, and how that servers as a metaphor for the underlying fear of stranger danger present in the 1980s in the US. The specifics might be inaccurate based on statistics (child abduction more often being committed by someone a child knows), but it's the possibility of harm being done by fellow human beings and that one can't immediately combat it with physical retaliation like they did in the demon world due to optics and laws in this world that could lead her to dislike it for her own personal entertainment.

I feel like works that involve medical horror could be triggering for Barbara, or scenes where there's gratuitous focus on flesh being violently bludgeoned into viscera mush with how it might bring back the smells of when she'd enact that on demons.

And I haven't seen Cujo or White Dog, but it does sound like something Ayshe would find disquieting with how she considers her dogs family. Same thing with The Thing, though the dogs being killed and impersonated don't last the whole film. None of these would compare to Cannibal Holocaust, though; I don't think she could watch a movie knowing animals were killed on set for the sole purpose of entertaining people. It would be too upsetting (and why I haven't watched it).

[fullscoreshenanigans]

This is another unintentional funny line because Norman is like “I clocked your dumbass the second Krone showed up” to sort of rub in how could Ray ever even think to betray them. As if he wouldn’t notice.

And for the most part, he keeps his cool about it during the two weeks prior to confronting Ray.

But when he lets the mask slip the tiniest bit—

[fullscoreshenanigans]

[fullscoreshenanigans]

I wonder what conditions Isabella gave Ray for using these items because we never actually see him use anything besides the last reward she gives him, the camera.

I default to him asking for them under the pretense of dissembling them and him explicitly telling Isabella as much because these were probably some of the machines he’d disassemble with Norman as mentioned in the Mystic Code Book (translated by @1000sunnygo​ here).

but it’s fun to think about what games HQ would think were appropriate for this premium meat in some AU where they knew he knew the secret of the house and were chill with it.

[fullscoreshenanigans]

Sorry but this wouldn't leave my mind

This makes sense! I could also see #1 being the answer on the grounds of "no one is actually going to read this, just let them have it. (@punching-unicorns via replies)

To be fair to them, I default to this being true for the majority of the children lol

I'm not sure how thorough the vetting process is for library books, considering that the Morse code messages made it in without any trouble, although maybe the Ratris were able to circumvent any official processes like that.

It's lax enough where Ray had a general idea of what leisure entertainment electronics to request from Isabella and Norman could reasonably discern where the various components of the deactivator originated from.

(Chapter 28)

But also regulated enough where they aren't granted access to post-secondary medical texts for whatever reason (the perverse side of Shirai's sentiment for the children to maintain their "whiteness"/"lightness" given that it's done to uphold an illusion they're never intended to break free of)

(2020 Exhibition Interview)

And then a tangent for the Morse but in the case of the Grace Field escapees, it also helps that James has been dead for fourteen years by the time they notice it, and there's only one other group of kids that ever managed to successfully escape a premium farm over a decade prior.

(Mystic Code Book Chapter 7)

They might have been more discerning and thorough if anything similar had happened within the current incarnation of Grace Field and the supporters were a larger and more active threat.

It also works with my headcanon that demon leadership at the farms tends to cut corners in support of shorter-term results without really thinking about longer-term downstream effects. It's a little off-topic, but I struggle to understand how they thought generations of selectively cultivating the smartest possible humans wouldn't eventually lead to their downfall. I guess that was where sister/mom training was supposed to come in and disenfranchise anyone who lived that long.

All of this speaks beautifully to the series' commentary on capitalism. I wouldn't call it off-topic at all with how it adds to the hubris and entitlement of the upper echelons of demon society.

I originally was thinking about this because I wasn't sure how realistic it would be for anyone to use "blasphemous" swears and I want the fanfics in my head to be reasonably canon-compliant, but then that led me to more fundamental worldbuilding kinds of questions.

I fucking love the kids swearing debate with how the anime only gets a TV-14 rating in the US because Don, Norman, and Ray say "dammit" and "dumbass" dfjksdjfkj

Like I'm 100% confident none of the texts in Grace Field's library have the word "cunt" in them (maybe Isabella's personal study, but I'm assuming that's off limits to the kids), but it might crop up in texts in the bunker. "Fuck" and its variants are definitely present there.

I had a feeling you would have references and receipts to support either interpretation!

😎👍

Something I've been thinking about recently- do you think the libraries at the farms had religious texts? I'm of two minds about it.

1) They seem like books that libraries would generally have anyway, and other books probably have religious references such that the kids would want to know what the reference Is. It's enrichment.

2) I could see the higher-ups wanting to reduce any potential risks (anywhere from arbitrary rule-making that affects the kids to an uprising that affects leadership), and I just have a really hard time with the idea that along with all the other books in the GF library, Ray read an entire Bible before he was 12. Like in a series full of fantastic images and feats, that's where my suspension of disbelief ends.

Back half of #2 is killing me thanks klfdjkl

I'm inclined to go with #1 though.

"The Day Emma Cried" story from the first light novel gives us the greatest insight into the scope of Grace Field library's offerings. There's multiple books on philosophy, and unlike the medical texts, there's no caveat regarding their contents. This could be due to finding a cure for Norman's bout of illness being the focus of the story so the range is immaterial in the moment.

(Chapter 17)

But between that, Alex's book, and the mythology book that Ray admitted to not fully understanding, unaltered religious texts seem reasonable. The demons are confident enough with Grace Field's geographical layout and crude (per Ray) tracking technology that any risk associated with them is negligible. The vast majority of children never reach the age where they would be perceived as capable of taking what they read and using it as a rallying cry to mount an uprising in the plants, and the small number of girls who did live past their preteen years almost entirely had the fight snuffed out of them by the harrowing conditions of headquarters.

(Chapter 23)

We also have the kids bowing their heads and giving thanks at every meal. It's not an action limited to Christianity, but with Shirai purposely choosing a European setting for the beginning of the story due to feeling it lent itself better to anachronism, it's not a huge leap to think they associate it with some understanding of that faith. Isabella could cite the text as an explanation for why they do these things or any references in books they don't understand and offer them access to it, with the expectation most children wouldn't be interested enough to extensively delve into it.

[fullscoreshenanigans]

Definitely can't say I'm disappointed by the winner when each piece of art received some love. <3 The art itself paired up with it being the chapter the trio is reunited in after nearly two years of two of its members believing the third to be dead, hard to ask for a better piece to go with that. 🧡🖤🤍

#we're all equally blessed and plagued by Demizu's drawing abilities XD #oh what would I give to be in the orphanage while Don grows over Norman and Ray #always being their younger LITTLE brother (not to mention not as *smart*) #and suddenly! he grows! over them! and he's something Ray and Norman are not! #Norman's surely happy for him while Ray probably thought how sad it is Don won't grow much taller than this anyway #because of well. living in a human meat farm (via @officersnickers)

</3

This also reminds me to include an honorary mention of art that almost just made the cut for the poll, but it came down to a choice between it and chapter 169's due to some of the overlap of their subjects:

(Chapter 19)

Pairing up the imagery of Ray balancing out that sadness with him being annoyed at Don trying to yet again drag him into whatever antics Emma roped him into. (He's just so genuinely enthusiastic and having so much fun that he wants to share it with Ray too. 🥺🤧 Also couple that with Don seeking the acknowledgement and approval of his oldest siblings but especially Ray during this time, ough, we're spoiled with so much good cover art in this series.)

This also highlights how it seems Demizu will only adopt this exaggerated bobblehead style when it comes to depicting the trio in their younger years that's super adorable and quirky to me lol

(Chapter 169 | Chapter 28 Side Scene | Chapter 14 Flashback)

Most apparent in these instances.

Assorted bits/trivia/propaganda: • Favorite volume cover poll can be found here, and favorite inner volume cover poll can be found here. • Chapter 47's art is Kaiu Shirai's favorite color chapter cover art per the "Tracks to the Neverland" exhibition book interview (from December 2020): "Amazingly drawn upper arms (and legs!) Everyone is drawn differently for their different ages! I adore the happy smiles of a mother and her daughters. It's a color page published on One Piece's 20th anniversary, so let me applaud the use of the straw hats and One Piece theme. I love it. Only Emma's hat is fringed and that's the best!" • Chapter 75's art is Demizu's fifth favorite color chapter cover art per the exhibition interview: "The theme was graduation, and I had a lot of trouble deciding the color of the clothes, which left a lasting impression on me. The color scheme is a bit mismatched thanks to the combination of bright colors like foreign uniforms and cherry blossoms, but I think I turned out beautifully." • Chapter 119 was the inspiration for the "The Guiding Star" short story originally published in Shounen Jump GIGA 2019 Summer Volumes 1–3 and eventually reprinted in the fourth light novel, "Films of Memories." (First part can be found here, translated by @presumenothing.) • I included the original spread of chapter 153 in WSJ because the "he is always alone" line kills me. This is also Shirai's fifth favorite color chapter cover art per the exhibition interview: "God. Representing Norman’s mental landscape like this..? I want to take a peek inside Demizu-sensei’s brain! The expression on Norman’s face, a burnt land's grief, frailty; Emma and Ray appearing there. It hit me so hard that I used the metaphor for the main story as well. I love it!" • Chapter 181 propaganda by @tutubola and some tag ramblings:

"i really like this actually. ray carrying one of the younger kids? norman w rolled up pants? the vulnerability???? all of them w rolled up pants/skirts actually. gilda looks so cute. and look at sherry she's so obsessed w norman it's so cute. i would make this more elaborate but i cant think rn be back in 46-79 business days (#it's the more-than-earned casualness of it all combined with it being one of those pictures you can hear the sound of #the soft ebb and flow of the waves and cry of the seagulls #with the warmth emanating from this scene of this family that against all odds was able to overturn destiny #and come out together just as close as not more so than where we started with them in the very first chapter #enhanced by the gentle hues of the setting sun to parallel the end of their long and hard-fought journey #and the warm air that's carried by an equally gentle sea breeze~ #shoutout specifically to seeing Anna‚ Don‚ Norman‚ and Ray naturally falling into their elder sibling roles #showcasing one of the fundamental cores of this series #healingly wholesome)

[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.

[fullscoreshenanigans]

(Chapter 32)

The defeat in his body language of that final panel when there's a part of him that knows his death is a minor blow in the grand scheme of the farm system, and how he's still dancing along to the pull of their strings by acknowledging the significance of robbing the demons of this meal for Tifari is partially tied up in his being Isabella's son (if she's off limits to eat, he's one of the next best things in theory).

(Mystic Code Book Q&A Chapters 1 & 7)

Thinking about these questions in relationship to panels like these

(Chapter 28)

and how utterly gross Ray must have felt when fragments of headquarters flashed in his mind where he was paraded around by sisters to demons as 81194 after they would specifically come to check on 73584's offspring and muse he was progressing as was expected of her progeny.