Lynch Family Dynamics

I read the Raven Cycle and picked up right away how much more there must have been to Declan's story. I mentioned that to the person I borrowed the books from, and she said "I think the new Trilogy gets into that. " Meta for the Dreamer Trilogy. Don't read if you don't like Spoilers

[theanimalsarecalling]

The thing I love most about The Dreamer Trilogy is its emphasis on how siblings can have totally different experiences of the same family. Maybe that's saying too much about myself. But that's why, when I write about it, I focus on the Lynch family so much, instead of other things, like the romances, or outside characters. I'm not disinterested in those things, but it will never be my primary focus. (Sorry Pynch lovers)

[sulkybender-retired04042026]

Just some helpful tips on writing about trauma in hurt/comfort fics.

Periodically I see people writing about trauma as something that turns the character into a child, basically. Speaking in toddler sentences or crying like a baby. I want to emphasize here that I am not talking about any fic in particular. It’s something I’ve seen over time across different fandoms, and that’s why I think it’s worth writing about.

And I know we’re talking about crazy situations here—like “what if this character was locked on a ship and tortured for years! what then?!”—but I think it can both lend an air of realism to a fic and show respect to real trauma survivors when we write about these things in an informed way.

So let’s talk a bit about hurt/comfort as a genre and trauma as it’s presented in fanfic.

Personally the goal of hurt/comfort for me is catharsis and the feeling of recognition, both with the person suffering and the person helping the sufferer. So at least for myself, these fics are about empathy and how we relate to others.

So with that in mind, I want to talk about what trauma can look like.

It can look like anger. It can look like depression. It can look like going catatonic and silent, shutting off from the world.

It doesn’t mean you revert to a child-like state. For an actual child experiencing trauma, they might regress with certain behaviors, like wetting the bed. That happens with adult survivors too.

It can look like drinking, or substance abuse. It can look like profound irritation. And it can also look like being profoundly stubborn.

It can mean nightmares, or it can mean not sleeping at all.

It’s worth looking up PTSD, but also CPTSD.

For specific forms of trauma it’s good to do a little research. Again, I think it’s respectful. This is fanfic for us, but it isn’t fanfic for everyone.

And often readers who have never had similar experiences can recognize people they do know and love and have been confused by in the story, and feel closer to that person, even if they passed a long time ago. I have had readers tell me this about a friend, a relative, an ex. I think about it a lot.

I think fiction in general but fanfic in particular is about feeling with someone. That’s really powerful and it’s also important.

[thewhumpcaretaker]

I agree with this so much. I think people often misinterpret what it means for trauma to put someone in a "child-like" state. This is often interpreted straightforwardly as some kind of age regression (losing the ability to talk in adult-sounding sentences and do basic tasks for oneself, becoming cuddly and pleading, etc.), when in fact it's a lot more complicated than that. In fact I'd say that acting like a literal child is a pretty rare response. "Becoming child-like" more often means:

Losing access to more rationally focused coping skills (like talking yourself through the problem) because fight-flight-freeze-fawn is too powerful at the moment

Using less healthy coping skills instead (like lashing out, dissociating, using substances, etc.)

Being forced to dwell on and relive childhood memories that were too similar to the present problem - or going into total denial of the present problem because those memories are too difficult to face.

Having a visceral and immediate fear of death or abandonment, whether it's rational or not.

Doubting their own competence and feeling like it's not possible to get through this situation without help.

How a character responds to any of that is going to be affected by their personality in a more complex way, too. Which coping skills do they turn to when they don't think rationally? When they feel too overwhelmed to handle things themselves, do they ask for help, or are they too proud? Who they are doesn't disappear just because trauma has put them in a "child-like" state. They're vulnerable, not lobotomized. I think this is so important because it helps us respect the dignity of those who are going through trauma.

[seaemberthesecond]

This is one of the most underrated parts of Dream Thieves. Just so much to unpack.

Adam's indescribable horniness for Helen's kitten heels? Like, sir? Are you okay?

IMMEDIATELY projecting said horniness onto Declan? He's not even THERE. Why's he catching strays? Foul.

It's even more foul considering it's not remotely true. Dating Helen would be Declan's personal hell. For one, she's smart, loves meddling in people's lives, and has immense resources at her disposal. Helen Gansey and her sexy sexy shoes would be his worst nightmare. Forget dating, even being in the same room as her would make Declan start to dry-heave in panic.

And SECONDLY, you know Declan is at once wildly resentful, disgusted, and bewildered by eldest siblings who aren't massively parentified. Like, what do you MEAN your life's sole purpose isn't to protect your younger brother? Sounds fake, but ok. Couldn't be me though.

[nevver]

Into the woods, Doug Eng

[theanimalsarecalling]

"Both times after this Ronan went and lay down, once in his own room and once in Aurora's room; the first time, he was very quiet for a long time, and the second time he held his parent's photograph and cried a little without making any sound." (Opal pg 25)

And

"(Declan) sat down directly in the drive . . . And, for the first time since had Niall died, he cried . . . After a space, a host of strange animals came out of the woods and sobbed with him, to keep him company." (Greywaren pg 308)

Ronan's sentient creations always represent something about himself, usually the best of himself, just as Opal was so kind to Hennessy in CDTH even when Ronan himself was being a dick.

Most of Ronan's strange beasts were created in the time after he moved back to the Barns. What do they represent about him?

Ronan really, really didn't want anybody to be sad alone.

[skaldish]

I'm about to give you all the single most powerful piece of advice that was ever told to me:

It is important to be a principled person.

This is more important than being a good person. But don't take this to mean I think we should be bad people.

The reason why "being principled" has more weight than "being good" is because the definition of "good" is arbitrary. It changes depending on who you ask, which means the standards of achieving goodness are always going to change and pose contradictions.

Principles are different. They are more actionable and concrete. Principles are ideas and concepts you personally value, in that you find them valuable to your lived experience. This makes them different than something like a commandment, because they're not a doctrine. Their source is your personality—who you are and the experiences that have shaped you—rather than your goals and ambitions alone.

To give an example, here are a few of my own principles:

I value self-sovereignty. I think it's a person's inherent right to be free of undue influence, and to act as agents of their own free will. (Not to be confused with acting with impunity; people have the right to experience the consequences of their own actions the same way they have the right to act upon their own free will.)

I value people. I show people courtesy as a baseline, even during arguments, until it becomes clear the other person simply wishes to engage in the spirit of hostility. And even then I don't really lash out—I just leave. At no point do I lose sight of the fact that the people I'm interacting with are as real as I am, who have feelings and complex lives the same as I do. This means I also really value trying to understand where people are coming from, and to look at things from their perspective, even if I don't agree with it.

I value being accurate, as opposed to being right. This has been a more rewarding approach for me, by comparison.

I value discernment. I want to know what things are, which means differentiating them from what I think they are from what they seem to be, and from what they are not. The reason why I practice discernment is due how I think—my brain understands things based on how they are, rather than based on what they are—but the reason why I value discernment is because it allows me to interact with the world in a much deeper way.

I value being a mammal. Life becomes easier when I (to quote another Tumblr post) let the mammal that is my body love what it loves. Fighting against this in the past proved to be a pointless and joyless endeavor.

I have more, but these are just the things that come to me off the top of my head. And keep in mind, these will likely change as I change as a person, because that is how principles work.

To be honest, I've never put much thought into whether other people should have the same principles as me; people have different personalities and lived experiences than I do, so it makes sense to me that we would all prioritize different things.

But what I do know is that I fundamentally disagree with people whose principles are antithetical to my own, principles like conquest (of self or other), conformity, purity, and controlling others. Whether or not someone realizes they're embodying these principles is another story, but in any case it's how I know who to avoid engaging with. This is regardless of someone's political alignment or identity.

In my opinion, thinking this way makes it easier to stay grounded in a rapidly-changing world, and to remain focused on what's actually important to you in the face of the unknown. It allows you to find stable ground within yourself.

[ennas-aesthetic]

You know what I just realized?

When Crowley said, "that's the point. No nightingales," I paused and went - huh. So both Aziraphale and Crowley KNEW about the actual nightingale bird that sang in Berkeley square? We as the audience are AWARE about it, of course, because God's narration told us so. We also know that, outside the mise en scène, Tori Amos' A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square plays as the end credits for season 1 roll.

But the s1 end credits song, I assumed, was non-diegetic. As in, like the soundtracks that permeate throughout most films, the song could only be heard by the AUDIENCE, and not by the characters. In addition, the characters THEMSELVES cannot hear what God says to the audience - and logically speaking both Crowley and Aziraphale could not have known about a singular, inconspicuous bird singing despite the noise of the traffic. Especially not when the Nightingale sings while they're currently dining at the Ritz.

So the 'No Nightingales' line WORKS for the audience - it's an incredible gut punch that leaves you weeping. But since we never heard or saw either Aziraphale and Crowley acknowledge the Nightingale, did that line have the same devastating impact to the both of them?

Oh, it absolutely did. Maybe even worse than we could ever imagine.

Because Crowley WASN'T just talking about that damn nightingale bird, was he? If you rewatch Season 1, Episode 6, you can see and hear VERY clearly that while Aziraphale and Crowley settle on their usual table at the Ritz, a pianist plays A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square inside the scene itself. Unlike the end credits, the piano version of the song is a DIEGETIC sound! That means both the Aziraphale and Crowley can hear it LOUD AS DAY.

And it's JUST - the heart-breaking contrast this has to Beelzebub and Gabriel's Everyday. When Crowley says 'No Nightingales," he implies that that was THEIR song. It's a specific reference enough to know that this became part of their history - of their rich plethora of inside jokes and shared memories. And judging by Aziraphale's shattered face, he KNEW the significance of the line. He KNEW that Crowley is throwing back THEIR song to his face. "If Gabriel and Beelzebub can do it, why can't we? Why can't we make the Nightingale a reality, the same way they made their Everyday come true?"

That A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square is Aziraphale and Crowley's Everyday becomes fact when Crowley turns the Bentley's radio on, only for it to play THIS song. THEIR song. Which SHOULD HAVE brought them together. It SHOULD HAVE. It worked for Gabriel and Beelzebub, didn't it?

Turns out, not every problem could be fixed by making that song yours.

[geisofbullshit]

You know what my favorite part of Mister Impossible is? It’s this. Declan is having an amazing day. His IBS is chill, he’s got girlfriend he loves, he’s not worried about his brothers. lol, everything is good for this guy.

And then Adam calls.

And methodically convinces him that the dilf his boyfriend ran away with is evil. He’s even hacked into government databases to prove it.

And then he convinces Declan to kill Bryde. He eats his $14 waffle and is like: listen. LISTEN. This guy is bad news. You should totally kill him.

And Declan listens to him 😭

[theanimalsarecalling]

So if Ronan has a peanut allergy, is that how he was able to accurately produce an epipen for Gansey?

[theanimalsarecalling]

I was starting RB for the nth time, and I've got to ask *why* did Maura and the other psychics tell Blue about the prophecy that if she kissed her true love, he would die. What kid needs that information? Especially if nothing can prevent it? Especially if it's true? I like to think of Maura as a good mother, but that's questionable at best.

[shitboxcar]

Maggie why didn’t you allow irish asshole ronan lynch to make a comment about hennessy’s britishness at least once why why why

[afeelgoodblog]

Housekeepers and Janitors Need Praise As Unsung but Very Much Important

[theanimalsarecalling]

Relating to my previous post, I have a theory. One of the themes of TDT is how memories affect us. When Hennessy dreamt Jordan to be a copy of herself, but without the memories of her mother, she got a totally different person.

It's kind of pathetic watching the New Fenian assure Declan he was always the favorite, when pretty much everything in Declan's life up to that point contradicted it. After all, even Matthew and Ronan thought Ronan was the favorite, based on how Niall acted. You kind of see the New Fenian squirming, realizing how the great plan backfired.

I think it's like bias in news reporting. Even when the reported facts are correct, there is bias in what's left out.

So the New Fenian has Niall's memories of when Declan was born. Niall does not remember Declan's birth but remembers Ronan's in glorious detail. Maybe that changed the bias, and set the trajectory for Ronan to be the favorite.

Add to that the fact that Declan's behavior toward Aurora and Matthew reflected his insecurity: he was acting out (Aurora's wedding ring, his response to Matthew), but nobody had any idea why, and Declan couldn't say. It's possible Niall was frustrated with Declan, even if he still cared about him.

So my theory is Declan is the New Fenian's favorite, but Ronan is Niall's favorite.

[theanimalsarecalling]

Reading The Dream Thieves, and I'm so angry at Niall's response when Declan asked about his birth. Sure, we know now Niall couldn't remember, but the man's a goddamn storyteller. Couldn't he have made something up?

[sadhoc]

i understand that this is the "disabled people know our own limitations" website, but ime, if you are the kind of disabled where everyone around you knows about it and has known you as a weak, incompetent, subhuman creature your entire life: it is important to learn how to make the distinction between "i can't" and "i'm not allowed to."

"i can't hold fragile things without breaking them" vs "my housemates won't let me do dishes anymore."

"i can't manage my own finances" vs "my family won't let me make my own financial decisions"

"i can't ever learn how to drive" vs "the state has decided that people with my disability cannot be allowed to drive."

also "what would need to happen for it to be possible for me to be able to do dishes?" or "what would i need if i were to ever move out?" or "what kinds of supports would i need if i did try volunteering?"

even if the answer to these you come away with is "i actually cannot do the thing, no matter what supports or accommodations i'm given" that's fine! they're still useful questions to ask!

[theanimalsarecalling]

Best brother moment in Greywaren.

When Ronan is watching Jordan, and Declan comes in and Ronan sees his brother smile in a way he never has before. And Ronan is so happy for him, in a way we never saw before.

And a small personal headcanon: At the end, after Declan had his cry, with Jordan there. Unlike when the Fenian drove down to collect him the first time, Ronan's timing is just a little too perfect. I like to think it's because Jordan texted him, and Ronan answered his phone.

It's so nice to see Ronan grow up and become the person I knew was there all along.

[theanimalsarecalling]

For the hell if it and because I was curious, I tallied up how many TRC & TDT characters have killed someone. 

Gansey - no. In fact, he actively sacrificed his life for others.

Blue - yes, but.  Gansey asked her to kiss him. It wasn't murder.

Adam - yes, passively, to further his ambitions. It's so much more efficient to let the forest do it for you.  He would I expect he would do it again if his plans were challenged.

Ronan - he killed in his dreams.  It also can be inferred that he killed during his ecoterrorism phase through reckless disregard (see the burning of the paper mill.  Factories have nights shifts, which he knew because Adam worked at one) He'd also be absolutely merciless if someone came after Adam.

Noah - no, more's the pity. Maybe he could have fought Whelk. But then we wouldn't have the story

Declan - yes.  He has the highest body count of all, outside the Moderators.  He also saved a bunch of people. Not sure if those things cancel out.

Matthew - no, bless his heart.

Bryde - yes, he was right there with Ronan

Hennessy - yes by admission in canon and can be inferred through taking out ley line.  Also that incident with the orb and the game

Jordan - can be inferred through proximity to Hennessy 

Carmen - yes

Lilliana - yes, and I think hers are the most chilling, how she lead Hennessy into shutting down the ley line with no real plans to get it back.  All while being so sweet and domestic.

Niall - implied in canon, though possibly to help Mór

Mór - implied in canon  plus Boudicca associations.   Plus she shot her son.  Though depending on how that had turned out, it was probably intended either to save his life or as a mercy killing.

Kavinsky - implied he killed his father, possibly a rumor, however reckless disregard for others including his dreamt friends.  Maybe he didn't know if he committed suicide, Prokopenko would fall asleep

Maura - no

Calla - no

Persephone - no, but do you ever wonder what happened to that missing husband of hers

Ashley - no

Mr. Gray - yes, it's his job plus he killed his brother

Piper - yes

Greenmantle - yes, by proxy 

Barry Whelk - yes

Neeve - she was planning to, so we'll call that a yes

Henry - no

Seondeok - no, but I can imagine her hiring Mr. Gray

The Moderators - yes

So that's 13 out of 25.  My, my Maggie.  Your characters are a murderous bunch.