#like the fic is norray

[fullscoreshenanigans]

Happy to see each option got at least one vote as they are all very worthy contenders 🙏🙏

I was caught between Gilda & Ray, Norman & Smee, and Ayshe & Mujika, but ultimately went with Norman & Smee because everyone else has more screentime than Smee.

Don & Emma was practically equal to Gilda & Ray for me but Don got to have a nice direct exchange in chapter 130 with Emma about something central to the narrative and Emma as a person while there was no equivalent for Gilda & Ray so, </3

#gonna be honest as soon as i saw Gilda and Ray i clicked on them without even looking at the rest of the options ahaha- #i just love the potential of their bond so much #i feel like as Gilda grows up and becomes sorta the mom friend of the group she’ll become closer to #Ray because he is also the mom friend of the group and while Ray would be the king of snark i bet they’d have #sarcastic exchanges every now and then. also Gilda probably being one of the ones to step forward and be like #“bro. calm down. let’s talk things out rationally before you do something you regret” and just being almost like #a therapist friend to him trying to keep him happy and not going to that dark spot in his life anymore. and he #with his Taking No Shit From Anyone attitude could rub off on her making her more confident #in case it wasn’t evident from some of my fics (especially the longer norray one ha-) or from this rant i Really Like this bond #one of the tags on one of my fics is literally “that Gilda and Ray friendship that I love” I can’t get enough of it #looking back at the other options i also really enjoy Norman and Vincent… Gilda and Ray takes the cake for me tho #mom friends unite (via @swarm-of-rabid-bees)

Compelling propaganda,

as is @sepiamestus' post.

No other option for this poll since it's based on the options that won a top 2 spot in the previous rounds.

Grace Field Kids Edition Goldy Pond Edition Lambda 7214/Paradise Hideout Edition Free-For-All Edition Other Platonic Duo Polls Suggestions Post

Copypasta'd propaganda from my other posts under the cut:

Grace Field Poll: I was glad to see how well Don & Emma and Gilda & Ray were doing on the Grace Field poll. ;w; Both feel the most criminal to me given how big of a role Don and Gilda play in the series, but ultimately I went with Gilda & Ray because I couldn't think of any moment for them that was equivalent to Don being the first of the larger group of kids to voice his support for Emma's plan:

(Chapter 130)

Except for maybe this brief exchange they added to the anime:

(S1 Episode 12)

Episode 10 also nixes the scene of Don and Gilda privately conversing in the woods in chapter 31 and instead has Ray apologizing to Don and Gilda directly rather than just Emma, which is made even more poignant when you consider how strongly he reacted to Emma and Norman giving them false hope about still being able to save Conny in chapter 11/episode 4.

He's not even trying to feign the distance he self-imposed between them in his mind at this point. He's genuinely sorry for failing them for their own sakes, not as extra able bodies who could assist Emma and Norman outside the wall. And it's a genuinely distressing sight for the two of them, seeing him at his lowest point after everything he sacrificed for this plan.

To have her then knowingly hum and hold that look of fondness for him when she sees how shocked is, after years of believing a better outcome was impossible, and how worried he is, because try as he might to keep the other children at arm's length mentally there's a way Ray frets over and looks after them that is reminiscent of Gilda's own (they are united in being the Mom Friends™ of the escapees 🤝), is such a sweet, gentle kindness that they didn't have to include but I'm very glad they did.

Goldy Pond Poll: Emma & Oliver has always felt like one of the most pertinent dynamics to come out of Goldy Pond alongside Emma & Violet with the amount of focus each are given individually as effectively the leaders of the Grace Field escapees and Goldy Pond kids, respectively, and together. The latter is significantly less, unfortunately, but Oliver usually acts as Emma's point person when she needs to confer information/plans and Norman and Ray won't work for the situation because symbolically the scene calls for a representation of larger group cohesion with the kids she didn't grow up with.

Also, after losing so many older siblings at Grace Field and becoming the big sister/leader of them, it's nice to have her regain that kind of relationship with any of the Goldy Pond group; Oliver just happens to have more panels dedicated to it lol

(Chapter 69)

(Chapter 110 & 111)

(Chapter 122; this moment is so minuscule, but again we have Oliver acting in a leader role and Emma using him as a point of reference to confirm that taking it easy in this new place is wise and safe for everyone. If even Oliver thinks it's okay to act like this—to say nothing of the way he tells her so gently and in so few words—then she can rest a little more soundly.)

(Chapter 161)

(Chapter 179; he's not the only one given focus here, but I like that he's the one this bit ends on to drive the point home to Norman and Ray about Emma.)

And then this piece by @nagaikei-ajin is my favorite of the two of them for the intensity and parallels.

i want to believe emma and oliver are carrying on yugo and lucas’ will and even got a pair of gloves for remembrance... 

Free-For-All Poll: I'm glad other people are also fucked up by this panel of Ayshe & Mujika:

(Chapter 144)

The way she's staring at Mujika in rapt attention, left hand grabbing for hers while she holds her right in front of her chest to show how animated she is in the conversation, either because she's gesturing to herself or is at a loss for words in the the excitement of the moment or because the adrenaline from the skirmish with Hayato and Jin is wearing off and trying to will the words to spill forth.

It's been months since she's been able to hold a conversation with anyone in the language her father passed down to her because he believed it was something worth preserving of his culture from a millennia ago, so to be able to have that back with someone as kind and graciously loving as Mujika is something special.

[mari-lair]

Fairy Ray from a dream is a wish your heart makes

present for @vidaflxwer

[leiuka]

Ngl the amount of serotonin i get reading fanfics is unmatched

[ruuari]

I wrote a fic about Ray being a trans boy! I had so much fun writing this. It can be read here!

(Edit: I added a new scene! After reading the fully translated manga epilogue, I realized there were things from it that would fit perfectly.)

[fullscoreshenanigans]

kjfsfdh always wild he was willing to die for both of them why would he hate them??? lkfjdsjflk

I’ve yet to stumble across a fic where jealousy features a major role for them

can’t properly link this back to @thedoodlenoodlesuniverse since they’ve deleted but like; this is basically it lol (the jealousy-done-well fic does sound interesting though, assuming it still ends with them together after maturely navigating it)

HOLY SHIT THAT VINO COMIC!!! i know nothing about TPN insta that is;;;truly perfect; blessed 🧡🤍🖤🙏 ty for sharing it

Emma: omg you guys are both geniuses why are you so stupid abt this 😭💔

but yeah very much on the same wavelength; last to know, first to go (for it) lol for her it just seems so obvious and right (she wouldn’t pursue it if she didn’t overwhelmingly believe the feeling was mutual) that once it clicks, it’s hard to even conceptualize why there’d be any roadblocks to it. and the pushy bit is great for being reminiscent of their convo in chapter 4/S1e02; adore the respectful tenacity and confidence. 🧡🧡

ooo definitely ((so what am I defending now?) by postcanons/@salsae​ the GOAT Norray-focused NER fic; it just flows so naturally,,,fic writing goals). I also have an idea for this set pre-bunker raid. idk if it’s actually viable but maybe this will finally prompt me to write an outline lol

Bit of a delay but do you have any favorite or disliked tropes for NER?

mmmm idk if it counts as tropes but i Hate the fics where ray just. deadass dislikes emma and norman?? like even his internal monologue is just Mean😭 also the jealousy trope. ive only ever read One fic that handled that well w them tbh. i just cant see Any of them being jealous. they care too much about eachother- ray would w out a doubt rather just norman and emma be together if that makes them happy than none of them be together at all. and its the same for emma and norman.

i really like the "ray has known his feelings since he was a kid" trope. is that a trope? idk but its my religion 🫶🏻 ray knew first, norman knew he liked emma from the start, but i think he wouldnt realize his feelings for ray until they are re-united. this mini comic from @/vinokurin_purin's insta lives in my mind rent free and is exactly how i see that going. emma would find out last bc- like you always say- she would not hesitate to initiate that relationship LMAO. i really enjoy when people just write them as really touchy and sweet bc thats My love language so im projecting a bit but. oh well. i also enjoy when emma is written as a bit pushy if its done right KDBDKE shes so funny in the fics where shes like. trust me bro. youre in love with me. come to this realization🔫😐

this definitely isnt a trope but i loveeee stories that focus on like ray/emma norman/emma norman/ray but still references them as All together iykwim. like fics abt ray and emma in the shelter? the two years between ray and norman finding emma? GOOD FOOD🙏🏻🙏🏻

[modern-oedipus]

Idk but if you got some free time this weekend, maybe read Conflict and leave a comment if you feel like it? I have written a full chapter after a long time and I’d be really happy if it’s being read thanks!!

[stray-tori]

Chapter 13

Here’s more doodles of my OC because why not:

[spaceoceania]

Ray's goal of reading every book on the library has the same energy as me trying to comment on everything submitted for norrayweek

[amaikana]

@spaceoceania did a fanart for my NorRay fic “Wedding’s Jolly Innocence” and I colored it! :D

[piperemerald]

I just wanted to say THANK YOU for your beautiful fanfiction about Norray caled "Falling For Your Voice". I adore this ship so much - and this was the one and only fic describing them that I really liked and I truly fell in love with. The way you captured their meaningful moments, emotions and feelings was fantastic. Keep up the good work! I hope we will be able to read more about them >\\\<

❤️

[vobomon]

and, if you wouldn't mind, maybe some cute norray, reading a bit past their bedtime and getting sleepy in the library at gracefield for the three-sentence fic thing! (sorry if sending in two was a bit much! i just thought you'd like a few, i have plenty of ideas though if you want more!)

Ask me for a mini drabble based on your favorite TPN ship

“You shouldn’t be reading in the dark,” Ray turned as he heard Norman enter the library, the dim light of his candle barely lighting up his figure and making his shadow dance on the wall. “You’ll ruin your eyes, you know that.” 

Ray chuckled as Norman slid down next to him, trying to get peek into the book that he was reading. “So what horror novel is keeping you up tonight?”

“I’m not actually reading horror,” Ray closed the book as he struggled to stay awake. “I was just wondering how long it’ll take you to find me.” Finding a comfortable position, Ray let his head rest upon Norman’s shoulder. 

“You’re impossible to deal with,” Norman sighed and rested his head down as well. “But you’re my problem...” 

“And I wouldn’t have it any other way.” 

[mari-lair]

Smile (While You Can) Deleted Scene

Set somewhere in chapter 12

.

"I feel like you're tense today," Mama called him out, her smile was still pleasant but her eyes, while warm, were intense, as if she could see his soul  "Is anything bothering you, Norman?"

He felt a shiver run down his spine, acutely aware she’s the only person who can checkmate him.

...He can’t lie to her.

But the truth is not an option.

"... I don’t know what to think of you Mama" He admitted, smiling sadly. He need to improvise "And I don't want to doubt you."

Isabella kept smiling, no change in expression. Her body still relaxed "What do you mean, dear?"

"Mama. Do you love us?"

Her eyes grew warmer, it was a sickeningly convincing sight "I do. With all my heart."

"Then, why is Ray up for adoption...?"

"Ray? He is a difficult child but he still deserves a loving family." Her smile turned a little wary, "Do you not want him to have one?"

Norman bit his lips, making a show of thinking before blurting out his only save at the moment "You're his real mom, aren't you?" He gave her a confused look "Why would you put your son up for adoption?" Why would you kill everyone?

Isabella's eyes widened, caught off guard.

"Ray doesn't likes the outside world" Norman kept talking, the wording a little different but his feelings real, "I think you're the reason why." He furrowed his brows "I don't want to think you're bad" You're my mom, I love you "But why would you do this to" us "him? He doesn't want to be adopted." We don't want to die, no one wants to die "He may act cold but I know he loves you." We all love you "If he goes outside, I am sure he wants to be with his mom by his side." Weren't you supposed to protect us?

He measured her reaction.

This wasn't part of a plan, he was genuinely searching for love, needing to know if his mom had some affection for him or if she only ever saw him as life stock, a walking merchandise she was obliged to take care of, loving the profit they carried.

Isabella gave him a sad look once the shook run out, gently caressing his head -checking the tracker behind his ear “...You wouldn’t understand”

[mimidoodling]

I died for so fricking long... But sup!!! How's life going?? 😶💖✨

Sooo!! It's not like me not being active would matter at all🤔😂 but ahh I feel so guilty for leaving like that😔😔 even in my reblogs in my official account I've been dead😔😔 to explain it... I think I got tired of tumblr?? 🤔🤔 Idk if that makes any sense😅 but ahh!!! I decided to try and come here for a while cause.... I drew something👉👈 🥺✨

(I mean this is my drawing acc so🤔😂😂)

Ahhh!! I hope you like it!! ✨✨✨

I basically draw this thinking of this home called "This is Home" by Cavetown 😶✨✨ and I recently made a thing too with that song so... Yup✨✨✨

Idk How to share it tho T^T

(I suck at taking pictures helpT^T)

Also you may fine the first word of my favorite Norray fic written in Morse code😌✨✨ cause... Why not?? ✨✨💖😌

(watercolors are a thing that I have learned to hate and love at the same time😌😌💖✨😂)

Take care!! 💖💖

[tempo-takoyaki]

Hi, do you think you have any TPN fanfic you'd recommend? I don't mind any ships or gen fics. I'm just trying to find interesting/good fanfics to read but I couldn't find any fic recs yet in this fandom. I like your fics, so I just thought I might like your recommendations. By the way, thank you for writing the Can You Hear the Sea fic and Giver fic (those two are my favorites!)

Wow thanks ! (^^)/ I’m honoured to be trusted enough to give fic recommandations ! I mostly choose my authors currently, so I will do something similar here. 

@piperemerald : (Piper_Emerald on Ao3), Mostly Norray. One of my favorite authors in the fandom! She planifies everything in her fics, which means you are guaranteed to have a good and smooth reading, I once got so caught up in one of her works that I missed my subway station. Incredible writing, but most importantly very good characterization, all her characters feel human and real (which is something I appreciate a lot). I would love to just recommend all of her fics right on the stop but it would be too long, so I’ll simply select a few ones.

Falling For Your Voice (Norman/Ray, rated M, Emma/Violet and Yuugo/Lucas as backgrounds ships) : Modern Life AU where Norman is a renowned singer and Ray a famous but anonymous writer, the both falling in love with each other through the words in their works. What I said about the author is still the same, incredible writing style, amazing characterization, at the same time funyt, tender, and kind of heartbreaking too. It was the first fic I read from her and I have no regrets. 11 chapters of pure bliss. I want to also precise that, while rated M, there’s no explicit sex scenes despite having mentions of it. And all characters are aged-up of course.

An Hour To Midnight (Norman/Ray, rated T) : Coffee Shop AU. I... Don't really have nothing more to say to describe the work. I want to spoil as less as possible because there’s a ton of little details that I love in this one-shot. It’s a coffee shop au, but a really good one. One of my favorite work by the author. If I only have to say one thing to recommend it: Ray is dislexic and I live for that.

Now, I will stop there for Piper_Emerald, but I could also recommend Language Barrier and Pomegrenate Seed as well as Cursed and In The Next Mile too. All Norray. And all amazings. But this time I prefer to let you check by yourself.

Now then , to our next author: @justanotherbnhalover (hi) (7FlyingPancakes7 on Ao3), like previously, mostly Norray. No, I don’t have a bias because we get along, I sincerely love her fics a lot. It depends on the fic more this time, but I particularly adores the AUs she makes and the universes she creates around it, they are not just good fics, but good stories too. Her writing style is amazing, able to capture every little thought of her characters like she is putting us in their heads (not excluding intrusive thoughts too). The writing style is what captivates me a lot too, she just creates sentences that makes you shiver.

To Die For (Norman/Ray, rated M for… explicit reasons) : What can you do when a serial killer falls in love with you? THIS FIC. THIS FIC. I have a personal history with fanfics depicting unhealthy relationships, and THIS FIC is awesome. Not only its a clear example of how far the author can go with writing intrusive thoughts,  but also a great thriller. Will Ray discover that Norman is the killer? Or will Norman manage to fool the person he loves for his whole life? WHO KNOWS. The fic isn’t finished yet, but I would recommend you to read it anyway.

This Song Is For You (Norman/Ray, rated T) : Mermaid AU where Mermaid Norman gets charmed by Ray’s singing. A very interesting take on a Mermaid AU ! But it’s not just the context, the story itself is good. Unlike other fics, it’s not as mystery centered as others, but the Mermaid universe is enough to get completely into it. Not only that, but again, a very good writing, and as funny as always too... I love Mermaid stories so be prepared yourself to be given more.

Now, I could’ve recommended other fics, but TSIFY is the only finished Mermaid fic (hence why I recommended it) and I wanted to propose something else besides Smile (While You Can), though I still recommend it too.

Another author (and finally not Norray, at least I’ll choose some that are not Norray) @amaikana ! (hi) (amaitori on Ao3 for non explicit works). Very productive author ! ... Does not finish their multi-chapters fic a lot though. (Think of them as this book entirely made of first chapters). But every single one-shots are a ray of light in the darkness (mostly because some of them are very funny). Is mostly focused on slice of life short stories, so it’s also nice to take a break from all those angsty fics! I would categorize her as the “feel good” author. There’s some angsty stuff, but the majority of the works are mostly fluff.

Blue Eyes (Gen, rated G, some Rayemma on te side but nothing more) : Cute stories about Ray and his new adopted brother Norman. A serie of cute one-shots with Norman being 6 years old and Ray 10. Like I said, very good to feel good, it’s adorable, it’s funny, and it’s about kids. 

Chance Among the Stars (Norman/Emma, rated T, Ray and Norman are biological brothers) Fate/Stay Night Heaven’s Feel AU. It’s more than just because I am a Fate fan, but this fic is genuinely one of her best works. It’s filled with emotions and magical lores and it’s cool as hell. Also, I like angst.

And that’s it because those are mostly really short one-shots or series of one-shots so... it’s better to see for yourself ! :D (Also lots of OT3 to my joy).

Now, we will go into the territory of fics that I read without checking the author’s other works a lot. It’s not that I dislike the author’s other works, let’s just stay I mostly remember the fic (and only started to do it by author recently too).

I got a ticket to another world (Norman/Ray, rated T, written by heismysoulmate) : Norman adopts a very strange cat. A cool fantastic one-shot and a cool short story overall. The characters are interesting, and the relationship development is good.

pushing youth to the limits (Norman/Emma/Ray, not rated but definitely M, written by sugacookies_with_tae) : A cleptomaniac, a murderess and a depressive on a road trip. It’s what I’ll say to summarize the plot, because if you’re like me, you’ll think “wow, it’s either really good or really bad, I’m going to read it”. Spoiler: it’s good, it’s good in the type “who cares?”. I don’t know how to describe it, it’s just a bunch of fucked up kids trying to live and it’s somehow interesting? Wow. (Also, if its plot comes from a K-pop music video. I watched it, and uh... actually don’ t. It’s not that the music is bad or the clip is bad, it’s just that you might try to compare it to the fic, and I honestly prefer to just enjoy the story.)

love me like you do (Ray/Emma, rated T, written by isshun) : Actors AU. I don’t know what else I have to say to describe it, it’s just good. The author alternates between the actors living their life and what people say on the internet with very realistic tweets. It’s super cute and very nice, and slow-burn too. A very good one-shot overall.

Deep Blue (Norman/Ray (YES AGAIN), rated T, written by NanamiChiLovesYou) : Mermaid AU, Little Mermaid AU, Ray, a mermaid, transforms himself into a human in order to find a way to protect his family who still lives under the sea. This fic has awaken a lot of us to Mermaids, and for good reasons. It’s very good. The whole transformation thing is perfectly executed, all characters are intersting... And it’s unifinshed (*goes sobbing in a corner*). But it doesn’t matter, because it’s just awesome ! Unlike with TSIFY, the universe is less developed in order to focus more on the characters and their interactions, which definitely gives another vibe.

Here are all my recommandations ! (^^)/ I hope you will find your happiness in all of those ! (There’s a ton of others but I can’t remember, I also avoided talking about smut here, but if you want smut fic recommandations you can ask me)

There’s a reason why there’s so many Norray fics despite me not particularly being a big Norray shipper but I won’t write them down here, if you are curious, don’t hesitate to ask me about why those specific preferences.

[vidaflxwer]

things i can’t wait to write in a thief of hearts:

-ray and norman’s snowball fight in the castle’s backyard that evolves into one of the most emotional scenes i think i’ve ever written in my life that makes me sob a little just thinking about it now

-norman meeting the kids! i want him to meet them so badly but i’ve gotta wait because it’s important that i give enough time between his dad noticing the missing food and him refocusing on his studies, as kind of a means of getting back into his good graces but then... i’m not ready it’s gonna be so cute

-ray, gilda, and emma travelling into town to buy christmas gifts for the kids (where ray just so happens to buy a little something for norman to, as means of paying him back for all of the food, even if it isn’t much)

-norman and ray holding hands! and cuddling! and just being adorably in love because that’s what they deserve but it’s not gonna happen for a while because i love making myself suffer! (well and plus norman’s very scared and doesn’t exactly know what the hell romantic feelings for someone else are since every person he meets who’s, you know, not from the castle he’s very excited to be around)

-the moment norman realizes he loves ray and ray realizes he loves norman because they’re both gonna be at very different times and for very different reasons but it’s also gonna make ray realize just how much norman’s been hurting and norman realize just how much he wants to help ray emotionally, not just with the kids at the orphanage

-gilda’s backstory and why she’s so attached to emma (i put this poor kid through hell i’m gonna apologize in advance for what this kid’s gonna go through but i promise she does get a happy ending with the girl she loves)

-so many of the plot twists that i’m, of course, already hinting at because i can’t help it but one of them! i think you’ll all be very happy with! the other one i think you might kill me for but that is okay because i do not like myself for it either! though it is very in character of norman and does show how having two self-sacrificial characters fall in love rarely turns out well :)

[modern-oedipus]

Conflict Update!

I finally updated Conflict after a long break. Read here on AO3,

https://archiveofourown.org/works/19336024