(Chapter 83 Side Story)

It lines up with this analysis of the trio's respective intellectual strengths well, with Norman just knowing all the technical aspects of swimming and Emma just winging it and learning as she goes, potentially pushing or pulling Norman along with the speed she's seen going. Ray probably read something about it so he could swim after them if pressed.

Shoutout to @stray-tori for this edit of that strip from her reading of volume 10 (because NE would pull that shit to get Ray in the water fslkdj)

As a side note, I wish we had a confirmed scaling between the human and demon worlds since we're never shown that the kids need to traverse any large bodies of water in the search for Cuvitidala and the Seven Walls they would either need to swim or acquire a boat (playing into the demon world is underwater theory), but presumably none of the Grace Field kids ever had the opportunity to learn how to swim before they left for the demon world. The three other premium farms might of had a pool if they were set up like schools or towns to provide another venue for physical activity though.

(Mystic Code Book Chapter 3)

Regarding sports, I've seen multiple instances of Emma being into volleyball in part because of her similarities to Hinata from Haikyuu!, so if I had to pick a team sport I'd probably go with that, but I don't have any in-depth headcanons for it. I love @7w7thais' high school AU featuring this though!

I also adore this comic by winter_calm about REN's morning routine where Emma goes for a run after giving the boys a good morning kiss, and then she picks up groceries for Ray to make breakfast for the three of them. Incredibly canon to me. 🖤🧡🤍

I could see RE going on longer runs together, ranging from similar casual grocery runs or something more competitive, with Emma winning more often than not (and despite knowing her nearly all his life, Ray still wonders how someone so tiny can have enough energy for all three of them).

Norman…I think you could argue anywhere from him doing the bare minimum to stay healthy (it takes so much time and there's so many other things he could be doing! RE have to drag him to go running with them, and even then he ducks out early) to him eventually being a big cardio guy and looking akin to this ancient meme while doing it:

(Chapter 121)

But I just can't see him ever being big into weight lifting lol. I always default to Ray and Emma maintaining more muscle than him.

(Chapter 4 Bonus Sketch)

But general outdoorsy activities? He'd love to play tag with the younger kids. (Pre-finding Emma I've very fond of a scene I mentioned in this ask playing out, of Norman getting winded either from a general illness or him still dealing with Lambda sickness, reassuring everyone that he's fine and encouraging them to go off and play while he rests a bit, eventually the group whittling down to just him and Ray sitting under the shade of a tree, space left for a third. Watching their family indulge in such mirth without fear of a future cut short, they know even with the lows that have come before and could come again, when they find Emma, they'll be able to genuinely tell her they've been well.) Same for Emma and Ray. Frisbee golf, sunbathing or swimming at the beach, hiking, they're up for a lot of activities if it involves their friends and family.

They've also taken their siblings mini-golfing, but they've gone with just the three of them, too. It usually ends up with Norman and Ray taking forever to take a shot to irritate the other two (with the other two knowing he's already calculated the exact trajectory he needs for a hole in one or a birdie, and it's mini-golf, my ass you need to wait for the wind to change or whatever), which leads to Emma taking forever to take a shot in retaliation (she's more prone to being adventurous with her swings, which has resulted in breaking something at least once on a course, but she's not a slouch either) before they're all lowkey being judged by the group (or two) following them to move on already.

And picnics! They love going out on a walk to a favorite spot with a basket or two prepared by Ray, or planning an afternoon somewhere they've never been before to enjoy some new scenery and local cuisine (though Emma and Norman always insist Ray's is their favorite). It doesn't always turn out as planned between being rained out or sudden allergy attacks, but even then they're still able to enjoy themselves.

(There's nothing quite like catching the other two in conversation, wind gently carding through their hair, framing their faces so beautifully, as fondness seeps into each word and each natural pause, heart brimming with love both at the sight of their partners in their own unique dynamic and within their trio as a whole, each moment etched into their new forever.)

Sometimes the picnics lead into stargazing if they're out far enough. Emma loves pulling Norman and Ray close whenever she takes note of the North Star, because like she concluded when they were children, it's just like them.

(TPN Light Novel 4: Films of Memories - “The Guiding Star”)

Ray's the most explosive of the three, the quickest to become exasperated and the one who stews the longest. Norman's more laid back when it comes to the mundane happenings of day to day life, but most notably in his regard to Isabella's betrayal, Ray's perceived one, and his feelings toward the demons, if it goes against his moral code and bruises his pride, the resentment runs deep and festers.

Emma without her memories—whether she ultimately regains them or not—might skew slightly more toward the center for how she internalizes that absence. Certain things that wouldn't have bothered her before lingering longer (e.g., forgetting something because it slipped her mind versus not being able to recall at all), leaving her potentially feeling more defensive or off-kilter, doubting herself, building up until they explode.

(Chapter 181.4 / Epilogue | Chapter 123)

But overall she retains her easygoing and genial nature, quick to let bygones be bygones even when she's not the one starting arguments.

This is especially true between her, Norman, and Ray because they're all operating on the fundamental understanding that they love each other, acting on this mutual gravitation toward one another that's always been present and furthering it by consciously committing to supporting each other. If a major disagreement comes up, they talk it out, encouraging each other to be honest.

(Chapter 123 | Chapter 153)

Maybe not right away if it's too tense to have a productive conversation, but once things have settled more. Whatever sentiments they have on the matter at hand, they don't like being at odds like this the longer things go on.

That said, bickering and bantering is commonplace between them.

(Chapter 4 | Chapter 10 | S1 Episode 5 | Chapter 17 | Chapter 18 | Chapter 36 | Chapter 131 Side Scene)

It's part of their rapport, knowing (or in Emma's case, relearning) how to push each other's buttons, how to tease and get a rise out of each other, while also (usually) knowing what's off limits. Silly, more lighthearted arguments such as nicknames, personal taste in food, and snoring have some creative solutions. (I fully subscribe to these incidents from banana_slug_army's Snippets happening at some point:)

• The Western setting was chosen to intentionally make the anachronistic aspects of the farms feel more natural:

(Mystic Code Book Chapter 1)

• The majority of the legible text shown not related to the original faith is in modern English in the Japanese raws for both humans and demons (them using international Morse code and sounding it out in English as opposed to using Wabun, the signs in Goldy Pond being in English) due to Shirai writing for a modern audience:

(Chapter 1 | 4 | 17 | 41 | 52 | 57 | 64 | 65)

However, Shirai's never said other languages weren't formally taught at Grace Field besides Latin:

(Mystic Code Book Chapter 4 Q&A)

And even if the children were being taught to the tests for commentary on standardized testing, you could argue the kids could learn on their own time if language books are classified under the arts based on the first light novel's description of the library's contents:

(TPN Light Novel 1: A Letter from Norman - “The Day Emma Cried”)

With the issue of "why didn't Ray ever bring up learning other languages after reading all the books in the library?" coming down to the same reason as this:

(Mystic Code Book Chapter 6 Q&A)

He just never brought it up. _(:△」∠)_

Also to promote @puff-poff's demon culture posts (found here and here):

Ray always respected and valued Emma as an equal. Even if he found her naivety frustrating for how he saw it as actively working against her chances of survival beyond the wall

(Chapter 4)

she and Norman were both there to comfort him in any way they could, even when they couldn't understand what was upsetting their friend so badly and he couldn't articulate to them what was wrong.

(Chapter 181.1)

(2020 Exhibition Interview)

Ray believes if they can just get Emma to let go of this fantasy of taking everyone with her on the escape, she and Norman can make it in the outside world. He knows how capable they both are in their different methods of approaching things, has seen how well they complement and balance each other out. Norman will keep Emma grounded in the realm of possibility and temper her hopes, while Emma will push Norman to think beyond perceived limitations and save him from completely succumbing to cynicism.

It's why he's so pissed and riddled with worry when Norman acknowledges his plan is more sound but actively chooses to follow Emma's anyway.

(S1 Episode 2)

After Grace Field and having her and Norman shift his entire world view, humbled isn't quite the right word since he was never haughty about this, but he was willing to trust Emma's methods more now that he knew hoping "for a future that is like a dream" wouldn't be another blow to his heart and that striving for an ideal was genuinely viable.

#i cant tell what roleswap scenario would be interesting #Emma and Norman swap places in most ways. Emma wants to eliminate the demons / Norman wants peace OR #Emma goes to Lambda/Norman goes to Goldy Pond HOWEVER Emma still wants peace. and Norman still wants to eliminate the demons #like is their opposite views on demons more so a result of the things they experienced after leaving Grace Field? #or does it rely more heavily on just who they are and how they were raised AT Grace Field #would the experiments at Lambda be able to push Emma into wanting to kill the all the demons? #would meeting Yuugo/Lucas/everyone at Goldy Pond. would meeting Mujika/Sonju make Norman want peace? #i feel like it wouldn't. i think it would change things a lot but i feel like their initial goals could remain the same #i mean ultimately they fit perfectly in the spot of the story that they are in #but its fun to think abt #i just need to figure out how Ray would be changed. i thought abt it too much in the context of Norman and Emma (via @polychromatiica)

#possibly the most interesting direction I’ve seen for this concept #like— Lambda!Emma will have to face moral crises and quandaries that canon!Emma never did #but I don’t think that would be enough to break her idealism (it didn’t really break Norman’s either) #an Emma whose ‘nobody can die’ philosophy and leadership is genuinely challenged?? that’s terrifying to me #an Emma who has to decide whether or not to ‘mercy-kill’ the mass production children— but she’d definitely make that a group decision #in that way she’s healthier than Norman but also crueler and this idea is INSANE #and Goldy Pond!Norman will confront a wider range of demons—Sonju and Mujika but also the corrupt GP aristocrats #he wouldn’t hesitate to go for the kill with Leuvis #and he’d still be surrounded by kids who hate demons and have suffered because of them #BUT he’d have a far healthier adult figure in Lucas (if not Yugo) then he ever had in canon #and he wouldn’t be nearly as much of a ‘savior’ figure this time around #so there’s all sorts of ambiguity with that #and RAYYYYY #a Ray who escapes with Norman not Emma? #he definitely still gets better mentally but it would look so different!! #because I don’t think a Ray who escapes with Norman has been ‘shocked’ in the same way that canon!Ray has #because Ray already respected Norman as the ‘best’ of them #and without Emma’s victory allowing him to fall for the ferocious joy and surprise of her perspective he wouldn’t change as much or as fast #because ‘you don’t have to give up’ comes from Norman but Ray needed Emma to pull him out of his mindset #Emma expands Ray’s world and Norman transforms it (via @esthelle-wanders)

#LOVE THE IDEA OF THIS AU SO MUCH!!!! #it would be such poetic/narrative justice if they went through each others experiences with their respective worldviews still in tact #i can imagine Emma seeing her worldview justified because both human researchers AND demons are at Lambda #so both are equally capable of being human/horrible #while Norman has a much more hostile view of Yuugo like he originally had with wanting to leave Ray behind #it would be so interesting if Emma's mentality while seeing Yuugo suffer was “we have to save him with the kindness he never got but we did” #while Norman and Ray's would be “being kind didn't save the one person who wanted to save everyone so why should we save him?” #it would be SO interesting for Ray and Norman to have a more selfish/grounded perspective in Goldy Pond #prioritizing the info on Minerva and getting out to save their own family and not risking their survival for someone else's (via @graphx)

I'd probably opt for a nature-based perspective, even though with Emma and Norman switching stances along with their roles there'd still be a difference in how they interact with the people around them. This is something that would crop up in a Lambda Ray AU too, but neither he nor Emma would let the Lambda kids elevate them to the level of a god. There's less distance and more communication, even if they opt to keep the secret of suffering from Lambda illness.

What kind of seals it for me is Norman being the most ruthless out of the trio (he gets it from his mother) in addition to him having the most rigid, black-and-white morality. I talk about this a bit here too, but he's prone to placing those he loves on pedestals. It's why he's so devastated and angry when he discovers the truth about Isabella and Grace Field and when he discerns Ray is the traitor. He would have been content to sacrifice Ray if Emma hadn't interfered, even if he would have regretted it later, because Ray had firmly slotted himself as an enemy in his mind.

(Chapter 4 | Chapter 14)

Emma's perceived death further fuels his loathing for demons and enshrines her atop the pedestal he's placed her on, but now in even more of an ethereal way. Her ideals were just, befitting of one filled with a wellspring of benevolence, and in a kinder world they would have been the moral underpinning of the universe.

But the world they find themselves in is far from that, and surely her ideals wouldn't extend to demons, not even ones that seem as human as Sonju and Mujika. While it would be foolish to not take advantage of the help they offer, in the end, it isn't worth the risk, and Sonju says as much.

(Chapter 46)

It's more pragmatic to extend Emma's kindness and understanding toward fellow humans like Yuugo. Even if Norman and Ray would be much more quick to cut their losses on this or with anyone who established themselves as a threat to their family if push came to shove (and they would have a back-up plan before approaching him), there's still the possibility of appealing to their shared hatred of the demons and uniting over that.

Also unlike in a Lambda Ray AU, I think Ayshe's father would be alive, and he and Ayshe would be aiding Emma in her cause, if not the whole group of scrapped demon followers of Minerva that Shirai originally wanted to include.