I am terribly sorry for the inactivity, life has been very hectic! I do want to get back on answering asks, but I wanted to just share thoughts on chapter 136 first, if a bit belatedly.
The chapter cover is very clearly a reference to Alice growing giant in the White Rabbit’s house. Emma is even standing in what looks very similar to a rabbit hole.
I have discussed this with @ , and I hope that the inclusion of the Anna and Nat chibis are a foreshadowing to them having an important part later on.
I have said in a post before that Norman doesn’t stand a chance against Son-ju unless he gets information about his abilities, and a chance to make a plan against him, and Norman must know this. This is why I think Don and Gilda are wrong to assume Norman sent Aishe with them to kill Son-ju…
I think Norman’s plan is to have Aishe gather information on Son-ju, so she will be acting harmless and supportive. What Norman needs the most is info on Son-ju’s fighting ability, so I think there is a good chance either him or Aishe will provoke a situation where Son-ju has to fight, but rather than fighting against him, she would fight alongside him and observe.
Also note the white birds on the cover, I think they are meant as references to doves, which are representation of the holy spirit and pentecost. Interestingly; we do have spirits appear later in the chapter…
Speaking of Alice in Wonderland references, I did miss a couple, like the time when Alice as a giant, knocked over the jury-box filled with a load of animals, which looked just like the animal toys Emma and Ray stumbled into:
Or just the confusing signs navigating her in essentially a maze in Wonderland, which we know Emma and Ray also experiences…
But speaking of references, it is made clear this chapter that I was absolutely right to draw a parallel with The lion the witch and the wardrobe. In that novel, just like in TPM, the wardrobe is a portal to entirely different worlds of existence.
I wonder if we will see more of the lion, since we did see a lion plushie in that extra sketch with Shirai-san being sick.
Speaking of references, I am increasingly sure that the Dante’s Divine Comedy parallels are real.
Purgatory is full of lost souls who wander for eons in order to purify themselves of their sins and get to Paradise.
(Tbh, the soul theme is also fitting for Pentecost, a holiday celebrating the Holy Spirit…)
Once Dante reaches the 7th terrace of Purgatory, he is finally purified, by having to walk through fire. He can then enter the Earthly Paradise, the same one that Adam and Eve were banished from.
Interestingly, every time that a soul completed the trials of Purgatory, the mountain shook with an earthquake… that makes me think of this part of the 7 walls riddle:
The earth screaming and an earthquake sound at least vaguely similar, right?
Inside the Earthly Paradise, Dante encounters Beatrice, who he had believed lost until then, which again is vaguely familiar of Ray believing Emma lost, but then encountering her again at the end.
Then Beatrice tells Dante to look into the sun, and after he stares into it, he starts to see two suns instead of one, and his body becomes so light, he starts to fly to heaven to meet with God, along with Beatrice.
I have mentioned it before that I suspected this cover to reference Dante’s flight through Heaven, but I actually think that him gazing into the sun is the solution to a part of the Seven Walls riddle…
Ray says that the “when the sun sets in the East” is a reference to reversing time, since the sun rises in the East and sets in the West, so only if you reverse that will you get the “sun setting in the East”.
But I think there is another solution: if you mirror the setting sun, the mirror image will set in the East, while the original sets in the West. Mirrors had been a theme in the series, but perhaps they don’t have to physically use a mirror….
The condition may already be met if they trick their brains by staring into the sun for a moment, then turning East. If you stare into the sun, you will see an afterimage afterwards, perhaps creating an illusion of the sun setting in the East. This is easily doable, unlike Ray’s idea of reversing time, which humans can’t normally do.
Ray also assumes that the arrow stopping in the sand signifies time stopping. But what about a simpler interpretation? Until they entered the desert area, arrows kept constantly appearing, but once they stepped out onto sand, the arrows have stopped (appearing). So could they have already met that condition?
I wonder if Ray’s assumption on what the seven walls are is really accurate. Emma questions it, since the way the riddle is phrased, it is implied that the Seven Walls haven’t appeared yet, and they will be an obstacle to pass once the rest of the riddle is solved.
But perhaps it just means that they had to figure out the bit about the time and space to be able to progress into the next part, the desert land, which is Purgatory’s analogy.
What I find a fascinating parallel though is that squiggly demon!God is described as existing outside of time and space. This is exactly how the Empyrean, the dwelling place of God in Dante’s Divine Comedy is described as well. So I think this is another possible analogy.
I have ran out of images, but I also loved the new cover extra with the rain and umbrellas. It really looks like each child is in a bubble, protected underwater! Can’t wait to see the significance of rain in the actual manga, that has been foreshadowed before too. We must be close.
Also, note that the first “planet” that Dante visits is the Moon, which has also been foreshadowed to have a significance…
You know, Personality Growth already did such an amazing job at this, that I will just share article:
What Is the ENFP Te Bitch Slap?
The ENFP Te Bitch Slap is an outward attack towards another person. This attack is made using facts and logic that the ENFP has collected in their mind. They have come to the realization that someone has wronged them intensely, often emotionally wounding or hurting the ENFP will cause this to occur. This can also occur when the ENFP sees that someone has hurt or wronged another person. The ENFP is using a rather strong sense of righteous indignation to fuel their attack on another person. This is often done to ward off further hurt for the ENFP, as a means to making this person realize they were wrong. The ENFP is bypassing their emotional connection to this person and is no longer sensitive to their feelings in that moment. They internally feel like their attacker has done something deeply wrong, causing the ENFP to attempt to make this evident to the other person. They use their collected facts and information as a way of tearing down the other person’s argument. They will bring up as many facts as are necessary so that they can prove this person entirely wrong. The ENFP will aggressively and straightforwardly tear apart this person’s argument, finding ways to show them that they are wrong.
This sometimes occurs when someone has outright hurt the ENFP, or when another person has crossed a line. The ENFP may attempt to draw clear lines for people, but when they continue to cross them they will definitely use the Bitch Slap method on this person. The ENFP feels like this is a necessary way to get their point across, especially when they feel like someone is not hearing them clearly. This is often a way of forcing others to respect the ENFP, when they feel like they aren’t properly doing so. They are caring and giving individuals, but they become frustrated when people are crossing lines continuously. Even though the ENFP is a positive and affectionate individual, they are capable of becoming angry. They dislike when people are doing something that they deem as wrong, especially when someone is blatantly being disrespected. The ENFP often believes that their Te Bitch Slap reaction is a necessary way to make this disrespect end.
The ENFP has essentially perceived a wrongdoing and uses their sense of Te logic to make this known to the person doing said wrong. They feel as though teaching this lesson is extremely important, so they take matters into their own hands. When the ENFP is preparing their attack, they feel like it is the right thing to do. They definitely believe that it is very necessary to express their anger and give specific reasons why they feel this way. The ENFP often delivers their speech in excruciating detail, with cataloged facts and information.
What Does The ENFP Te Bitch Slap Look Like?
How to recognize the ENFP Bitch Slap is rather simple, since it is very unusual for the ENFP to act this way. They become very clear in their anger towards someone, and it can be rather frightening to witness. The normally bubbly and considerate ENFP, no longer cares about hurting someone else’s feelings in that moment. They will probably feel intensely guilty when the bitch slap is over, but in that moment they feel like it has to be done. They are essentially righting a wrong that has been done to them and the ENFP feels that this is necessary. This is a rather shocking explosion of logic driven anger that causes the ENFP to look much like an exploding volcano.
The reason that this Bitch Slap can be rather painful for others, is because it can be rather accurate. The ENFP is capable of remembering things that will probably cause the other person to feel completely exposed. The ENFP has cataloged information that can very easily leave the other person feeling frustrated and upset. Their Te attack often exposes information that will cause the other person to become very upset and hurt. They will most certainly hear what the ENFP has to say, since they have given them no choice. The ENFP understands people very well, making them capable of using this against others. They know exactly what to say to emotionally affect someone easily. This causes their words to cut likes knives, making the other person feel momentarily shocked and upset. The ENFP will also use information to make the other person understand that they have crossed a line. The ENFP is hoping that this will prevent the wrong doing from happening in the future. This is an onslaught of factual attacks, using information and data to explain why the other person is wrong. The ENFP is no longer using their emotions or considerate self to communicate, but is rather using data only. Their delivery is often lacking emotional connection, attempting to deliver it in a dispassionate manner. This is an often harsh critique of the other person, which can appear very cold and hurtful.
The Aftermath
Since the ENFPs actions often escalate to a full on attack against the other persons moral character, they often feel very guilty afterwards. In the moment the ENFP perceived a wrongdoing that they needed to rectify somehow. They go into a complete mode of tearing down the other person so that they can show them what they have done was wrong. The ENFP can be so zoned into what they are doing, that they often regret it afterwards. The ENFP may still believe that the other person was wrong, but they feel bad for how they delivered their explanation of the wrongdoing. The ENFP will often apologize a few days later, when they are back to their usual selves. They want the person to realize that they were upset, but that they didn’t mean to hurt them because of it. ENFPs do care deeply about people, so they often feel bad about their harsh delivery in the moment.
People often expect the ENFP to still be angry afterwards, but they often are not. They have already done what they believed was right, and have expressed their anger towards the other person. The ENFP doesn’t feel the need to hold a grudge over what happened, feeling like it has already been rectified. This Bitch Slap is often truly over once it ends and the ENFP is capable of moving on from it. They simply wanted to make sure that the other person understood that what they did was wrong.
As moviegoers and fans of the original 1995 Ghost in the Shell film, we respectfully request that you cast an actress of Japanese descent for the lead role of Motoko Kusanagi rather than Scarlett Johansson.
The American film industry is already unfriendly to Asian actors without roles in major films being changed to exclude them. One recent survey found that in 2013, Asian characters made up only 4.4% of speaking roles in top-grossing Hollywood films.
Please use this opportunity to help talented Asian-American actors receive recognition for their work. There are so few opportunities for them to shine in Hollywood, and this film would be a perfect platform.
I have this theory that Neville is supposed to represent everything that Peter could have been. You know, both of them were the weak link in the friend group, the guy easily influenced. But instead, Rowling made Neville weak to prove the two paths an individual could take. How each of our weaknesses manifest in different ways. Peter’s weakness made him a villain, ultimately worse than Voldemort because he betrayed his friends, while Neville’s weakness made him work harder and in the end made him Harry’s strongest ally.