#ynn norman
They really did a great job for the 2nd season. Though, i still prefer the manga (and i recommend it)
• Yakusoku no Neverland
22194
Stylish guys
TPN concept where Norman’s a royal tutor, Emma’s the commander Yuugo’s daughter, Ray is the prince and the Queen Isabella is waging war against the demons. On the side, she runs the tributary system where people from the Gracefield kingdom get presented to demons on a platter to limit the casualties inside the castle. Ray knows the truth but Norman and Emma don’t suspect anything until Yuugo is “killed” on the battlefield and sends Emma a coded letter in his will. All the smaller kingdoms (the farms) are ruled by the Ratri Clan, which Regent Peter Ratri heads after the assassination of his brother, King James.
Bonus: Norman speaks like that mf in Princess Bride “as you wish.” Nat’s a bard-in-training, Don’s a stable-boy, Ayshe’s a beast-keeper, and Gilda’s an armorer (she wants to be a seamstress but she and Emma are close because of how often Yuugo needs new armor)
I had this concept for a TPN royal AU a while back and I decided to write a little something for it:
“I should hand in my resignation right this instant,” Sister Krone would say, but the trio had seen enough of their tutor to take her threats seriously.
At 8-years-old, their tutor’s ward, the Commander’s daughter and Her Majesty’s son were thick as thieves, having grown up together within Gracefield castle.
As the war against the Demons raged on beyond their walls, the three children were content to spend their days studying together, their evenings sparring, and their nights dining at the Queen’s table.
“So then that’s Mars isn’t it, Sister Krone?” asked Norman, pointing at a single speck barely visible from their astronomy tower.
“Very good, Norman,” said the tutor appraisingly.
“And when Mars isn’t at the right spot, the kingdom loses battles, doesn’t it?” asked Emma, thinking of her father who would be off somewhere bloodying his sword again.
Sister Krone nodded gravely.
“Is that why you broke your bow sparring me, Emma?” jested Ray.
“I’ll break your arm next,” frowned Emma, never having been one to pay regard to her companion’s royal lineage.
“Norman will sooner throw a spear, than you can manage,” smirked the prince.
“Norman shall throw a spear, then,” declared Emma, “Won’t you, Norman?”
“As you wish,” agreed Norman, smiling.
Ray laughed derisively, “And who’s going to train him? You, whose frame doesn’t even reach half of the spear?”
Emma responded by aiming at a blow at his head, her astronomy book in hand, while Norman yelped, Ray snickered (and ducked), and Sister Krone sighed, smiling.
“Terrorizing your friends again, are we, Emma?” chuckled a voice behind them, and the children turned to face Sir Yuugo, still donning his armor (though, mercifully blood-less).
“Dad!” yelled the Commander’s daughter, launching herself at the formidable-looking man.
Crouching to receive her, Yuugo lifted Emma by the waist, holding her up with her arms hooked around his neck.
“You’re back early,” exclaimed Krone, mirroring Norman and Ray’s surprise (and relief).
“Did the demons surrender Golden Waters, Sir Yuugo?” asked Norman intently.
“You’ve been reading your strategy,” laughed Yuugo, setting Emma down, “But you’re close. That demon stronghold…may be salvageable.”
Ray felt his heart leap in his chest, as Norman, Emma and Krone cheered.
“All thanks to our excellent cavalry, of course,” said a grandly-dressed woman stepping behind Yuugo.
“Queen Isabella!” gasped Emma, and together, everyone in the room bowed, their right hands wrapped in a fist at their hearts.
Ray, who had made no such motion, felt his lip curl, as it always did at the sight of the Queen.
“What are you doing here?” he asked, and then, remembering his company, added hastily, “Mother.”
“To invite you all to celebrate, of course,” said Isabella, her smile serene, though Ray was certain she had noted his impudence, “the children can retire early this one night, can’t they, Sister Krone?”
“Of course, Your Majesty,” said Krone, bowing again.
As Norman and Emma chattered excitedly, bounding towards the dining hall, Ray let himself fall back, if only to hear Sir Yuugo and Sister Krone’s conversation.
“What was the toll this time?” asked his tutor heavily.
“150,” responded Emma’s father grimly.
“I see. And were you able to recover the -,” but what they had wanted to recover Ray was unable to catch, because Isabella had placed a cold hand on his tunic.
“Walk with me, Prince Ray,” said his mother softly.
“Of course, Mother,” said Ray somberly, following her into the hallway leading to her chambers.
“The General’s news didn’t seem to please you much,” remarked Isabella, once Yuugo and Krone were out of earshot, “Does it wound you to see your military successful?”
“It wounds me,” began Ray, dropping all pretense, “to know a hundred-and-fifty men and women died without knowing than two-hundred more will be sent as tribute in their wake without any fight.”
The Queen’s smile had slid off her face.
More angst hours! When Ray and Norman realize Emma sacrificed herself for the promise, their reactions are the very things they used to accuse Emma of. Ray calls himself an “idiot” for blindly trusting her and naive trust is something he often warned Emma against since their time at Gracefield. Norman considers himself “careless” for letting her go, which is the same thing he tells her when she tries to stop him from leaving the House (“This isn’t what you should be doing now!”).
It’s a neat parallel but also it shows how much of Emma’s characteristics Ray and Norman imbibed over the past 3 years. Emma, on the other hand, inherited the worst traits from them (Norman’s habit of smiling despite carrying his burdens alone, and Ray’s perpetual lying to keep his family safe)
Norman: Is everyone here prepared to give up your lives for our cause?
Vincent:Yes.
Barbara:Yes.
Cislo:Yes.
Zazie:Wrah.
Hayato:Yes.
Jin:Yes.
Emma and Ray:Ye-
Norman: Shut the fuck up.
Norman to Emma:When you said forgive and forget, this is NOT what I had in mind.
Is this not how Chapter 181 went?
During the first face-off between Krone and Isabella, the theme that plays is a piano version of Ray’s Theme, which plays pretty soon after during Ray and Norman’s standoff
I like that the anime subtly hints at how similar mother and son are just with the musical motifs. No matter how much Ray despised Isabella, ultimately, he is her son, and everything he learnt was at her knee. It’s no wonder that manipulation comes effortlessly to him - it’s what Isabella had been doing to him for years after all.
AU where instead of only losing her memories, Emma gets reborn/deaged as a baby for the reward, like in the Seven Walls arc and Ray and Norman find her at an orphanage and both become her foster parents. She’s still lost her connections like in the original promise but now we can have some Norman + Ray parenting bonus AND angst
Candy Making at Gracefield
Emma:We made a marshmallow Ray!
Norman:See, his arms are crossed because he’s mad at all the other marshmallows for trying to play with him.
Emma:You like it?
Ray:(choked up) It’s fine.
Or alternatively, with Yuugo and literally any of the other kids
Not sure if someone’s pointed this out already but just realized that during the scene when Ray confronts Norman for wanting to save everyone, it’s Emma’s Theme that plays in the background.
Y’know? This infamous “boat out of mud” bit? Thought it was pretty interesting that even though this seemed like a standoff between Norman and Ray (with Ray leading the conflict) because Emma’s ideals (and her inspiration to Norman) are what drive their conflict, it’s her theme that also moves the scene forward.
I Hate Mars
Ayshe considered herself a patient person.
She knew just how long to wait in hiding before hunting, she didn’t mind watching 25 kids for hours at a time, even when they insisted on braiding her hair (“Anna taught me! Isn’t it pretty Ayshe?” sure.), she lived in the same house as the man who killed her father for years now and still hadn’t lifted a finger to hurt him (setting her dogs to take his dinner didn’t count, and besides, it made Gilda laugh), but really this was too much.
“What.”
“Isn’t Mars sweet, Ayshe?” cooed Sherry, gesturing to the hairy beast in Gilda’s arms.
“Younamed that thing?”
“You name your dogs,” pointed out Don.
She shook her head. Her dogs were useful:they could hunt, scare Norman, keep guard, scare Norman, drag heavyweight, kill (not Norman, not yet). But a cat?
“He won’t get in your way, I promise,” said Gilda, smiling sweetly, and Ayshe couldn’t say much else to that.
***
Gilda stayed true to her word. Every morning, without fail, she brushed that thing’s matted hair, gave it a bow for some reason, fed it something out of a can instead of letting it hunt, cut its nails, and of course, kept it out of Ayshe’s way.
At the end of every week, when the children went on one of their long trips and returned, predictably, empty-handed, Ayshe watched with bemusement as Gilda held that thing close to her for hours at a time.
“Mars doesn’t have to be useful, you know,” said Ray, who had been watching her eyebrows raise higher and higher after one of those trips.
“It doesn’t do anything.”
“It doesn’t have to. Gilda likes it because it shuts up and follows her around when she’s upset.”
“She has 43 siblings.”
“Yeah, but those don’t ever shut up,” said Ray fondly.
“I have 3 dogs. She didn’t needto get a cat to keep her company.”
“Sounds like you’re jealous.”
Sounds like you need to keep your mouth shut.
Lifting herself off the dogs curled around her, Ayshe manoeuvred herself around the crowded household into Gilda’s room.
As always, she was hunched at a corner of her bed, her arms wrapped around the thing - Mars.
“Oh-hello Ayshe!” she said, startled but not unwelcome.
“Hello.”
Gilda likes it because it shuts up when she’s upset.
Tucking her knees underneath her, Ayshe stared silently at Gilda. 
“Did you…want something from me?”
She shook her head. It works for the beast but not her?
And suddenly, Gilda burst into tears. What the hell, Mars?
“I’m sorry - it’s just Anna wants to go to medical school and money’s still thin and I knowNorman and Ray are working but I want to help out but the only thing I can do is help with searching but we haven’t found a single lead and Alicia, Phil and Yvette are upset and Don’supsetso I can’t be upset in front of them, and it’s Violet’s birthday next week and I haven’t planned anything and Eugene’s allergic to mangoes now,” she sobbed.
“…Staying away from mango peel helps with allergies,” was about the most useful thing Ayshe could come up with.
Gilda stared at her. And without warning, laughed. Had she said something funny?
“You’re right, Ayshe. There’s so much less to worry about in this world and I’m worried about…allergies?” she chuckled, wiping at her eyes.
Ayshe didn’t think she had said anything even remotely related to worrying.
“Would you like to hold Mars?”
No.
“Okay,” said Ayshe, holding out her arms.
It - Mars - began to purr, nuzzling it’s fat, orange head against her shoulder.
“I can…fish for Mars. You’d save money on his food that way,” she offered.
Gilda blinked at her, surprise evident on her face.
“And my dogs don’t forget a single scent. They might help with your search. I don’t know anything about birthdays but - “
Gilda cut her off, wrapping her arms around her shoulders.
“Thank you,” she said, lacing her fingers through Ayshe’s hand.
Ayshe wondered if her chest had stopped working, whether it was normal for her heart to squeeze in on itself this way. She didn’t trust herself to speak, her ears flushing red for some strange reason.
A loud hiss from Mars, from being pressed in on from both sides, broke them apart (what the hell, Mars?) the cat darting out of Ayshe’s arms, out into the hallway.
“Mars!” yelled Gilda, chasing after him, Ayshe on her heels.
They had lost track of him, amidst the clutter of the children-filled household.
A loud meow, a series of loud sneezes, and an even louder laugh from Ray pulled them both into the kitchen.
“Oh hello, Gilda! Ayshe - ” began Norman warily. And then, sneezed.
“Sorry - ach-choo! - I think I’m - ACH-CHOO!” Curled around Norman’s legs, quite unbothered by the sneezing was a very relaxed Mars.
“You’re - ” gasped Ray, clutching at his sides, “you’re allergic to cats?!”his words punctuated with laughter.
Norman didn’t seem to find the situation quite as entertaining. Sniffling, he beckoned for Gilda to take the cat away.
Chuckling herself, Gilda scooped Mars up into her arms again.
“Sorry, Norman! It won’t happen again!” It absolutely will.
Together, Gilda and Ayshe walked out of the kitchen, Ray still laughing, Norman still sneezing.
Ayshe smirked, running her hand along Mars’ back.
Maybe having a cat around wasn’t such a bad idea after all…
